One Way Passage Page #12

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The steward raises his eyebrows at the word "murder." He watches in amazement

as Dan pulls up his sleeve and Burke puts on the cuffs. Quickly, the steward

turns and walks off, unnoticed by either Burke or Dan.

DAN:

If we could get off the boat without

her seeing us--

BURKE:

I'll do my best.

DAN:

Thanks. Let's go.

The two men head for the door. Dan picks up his overcoat and drapes it over

their arms, concealing the cuffs. He picks up his hat and pulls the cabin door

open wide so that they may leave. After a pause, the men exit, with Dan

leading the way.

CUT TO:

INT. SHIP

JOAN:

stands in her cabin, looking unwell. She turns and exits into the hall. We

TRACK WITH her as she walks nervously along, glancing around for any sign of

Dan. She heads down a stairwell.

DAN AND BURKE:

arrive at a purser's station on their deck, preparing to check out.

JOAN:

descends the stairwell and arrives at Dan's door. She's just about to knock

when she hears the voice of the British steward coming from inside the room.

STEWARD'S VOICE

You could have knocked me down with

a belaying pin. And then, as nice as

you please, he put the handcuffs on

him.

Joan, confused, knocks.

IN DAN AND BURKE'S STATEROOM

the steward turns from the maid he is speaking to and opens the door. Joan

enters and looks around in surprise.

JOAN:

Where's Mr. Hardesty?

STEWARD:

I was just telling her, Miss. Right

here, in front of my very eyes, his

friend, his best pal, as you might

rightly call him, takes out a pair

of handcuffs and -- snap, snap! --

and he's a prisoner. With their

hands at their side, out they goes.

Growing pale, Joan stares at the steward in disbelief.

JOAN:

Dan?

STEWARD:

The very same, Miss. And a nicer

gentleman you wouldn't wish to meet.

And him, a red-handed murderer. And

here's me, bobbin' in and out of

here, with no thought of me own life,

turning me back on him. Why, he

might have cut my throat from ear to

ear.

Before the steward can finish, Joan, breathing hard, staggers back to the door

and leans in the doorway, eyes shut. After a moment, she opens her eyes in

horror, then desperately rushes back to the stairwell and rapidly climbs the

stairs.

DAN AND BURKE:

still at the purser's station. Dan glances around uncertainly.

JOAN:

having reached the top of the stairs, looks up and down the hall worriedly,

then we TRACK WITH her as she rushes in the direction of the deck.

DAN AND BURKE:

still at the purser's station.

TRACKING WITH JOAN

who struggles through the crowd of passengers, searching for Dan. But there's

no sign of him. She clutches a hand to her head, then presses forward through

the mob.

DAN AND BURKE:

still at the purser's station.

TRACKING WITH JOAN

through the crowded deck. She pauses and puts a hand to her head again. She

grows dizzy. The CAMERA MIRRORS her dizziness but she presses on, disappearing

into the mob.

DAN AND BURKE:

finally depart the purser's station.

AT A STAIRWELL:

The hallway is empty. Joan rushes into view and climbs the stairs. A brief

moment later, Dan and Burke emerge from the lower deck and head toward the

gangplank.

JOAN ON UPPER DECK

apparently lost. She ducks in a doorway.

DAN AND BURKE:

stuck in the line at the gangplank which has apparently not been hooked up

yet. They look around unhappily, unable to disembark right away.

DAN:

fails to see Joan appear several yards behind him.

JOAN:

sees Dan. She pauses, relieved.

DAN:

still hasn't noticed her.

JOAN:

raises a hand to him.

JOAN:

Dan!

DAN:

hears her but doesn't want to look in her direction. Finally, he does. We hear

their theme.

DAN:

Joan!

He puts out his free hand to her.

JOAN:

presses forward.

DAN AND JOAN:

hold hands and stand together.

JOAN:

peers into Dan's face, knowing she will never see him again. She smiles.

JOAN:

Goodbye, Dan.

DAN:

shakes his head, with a slight grin.

DAN:

Not goodbye, dear. Auf wiedersehen.

Until New Year's Eve.

JOAN:

glows happily. In the background, we hear the gangplank.

JOAN:

Auf wiedersehen.

DAN AND JOAN:

kiss deeply. Passengers begin to file out behind them, down the gangplank.

They break the kiss.

JOAN:

watches, smiling, as Dan, too, retreats toward the gangplank.

JOAN'S POV - DAN

Nearly lost in the crowd. He looks back at her over the top of the crowd and

waves, just as he had over the saloon's swinging doors way back in Hong Kong.

JOAN:

delighted, returns the wave.

DAN AND BURKE:

on the gangplank. Dan turns away from Joan. He and Burke descend. We TRACK

WITH them for a moment and then PAN BACK UP, past the other departing

passengers, to

JOAN:

who smiles and waves. She pauses, her hand in the air. A strange look crosses

her face. She stares into space for a long, long moment as the passengers

press forward all around her. Her eyes close. Her head tilts back. She leans

backward into a passenger behind her ...

DISSOLVE TO:

A TOY BALLOON:

upon which is printed:

AGUA CALIENTE:

HAPPY NEW YEAR:

A crowd roars and hollers, "Happy New Year!"

A band plays a lively version of "Auld Lang Syne."

Someone sticks a cigarette in the balloon and we hear but do not see it burst.

Instead, we CUT TO a fast TRACKING SHOT that runs parallel to a nightclub --

part of the Agua Caliente resort in Tijuana, Mexico. The place is packed with

well-dressed revelers: tuxedoes and evening gowns and party hats. Streamers

and balloons and noisemakers are everywhere. They dance, they drink, they sit

at tables and order food, they make merry.

We SWOOP PAST them all to the far end of the club which is nearly deserted.

Two bartenders stand together, polishing glasses at a bar. At one end of the

bar, a lone figure sits on a stool. We don't recognize him at first.

But then we abruptly leave our parallel track and RAPIDLY GLIDE IN and PAST

the man for a brief, seconds-long glimpse: it is Skippy as we have not seen

him before -- well-groomed in a black tux, nursing a drink but looking very

sober, lost in thought.

In a moment, he is gone and we catch a short view of the partying mob behind

him as we PAN OVER to the two bartenders, wiping their glasses nearby.

BARTENDER #4

I'll be glad when this thing's over.

BARTENDER #5

You're telling me? These holidays

are dynamite.

They hear the sound of glasses shattering.

BARTENDER #4

Hey! Look out for them glasses with

your elbow!

BARTENDER #5

(indignant)

I never touched any glasses.

Confused, the bartenders turn in the direction of the noise. We hear Dan and

Joan's theme as we PUSH FORWARD and between the bartenders to discover the

stems of two broken glasses crossed on the countertop, dancing couples visible

in the background.

After a moment, the broken glass vanishes, ghost-like, into nothingness.

FADE OUT:

END TITLE:

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