Station West Page #4

I get 30 cents an hour. How smart

does that have to make me?

Forget it.

I got a load for you to take

in when you're finished here.

- Sure.

- How soon?

I haven't eaten anything but dust

since daylight.

All right. Grab it quick.

What do you think?

We risk him. That's all.

Here. Work on this stuff.

How about a handout?

Help yourself.

Looks pretty good.

It oughta be.

Used to cook for 600 men a day.

Where was that?

Leavenworth.

Who's the boss around here?

I am.

I mean the whole works.

You talked to the

man when you came in.

That real tough-looking fella?

They're all tough when

they get to Mick Marion.

Mick come around here very often?

Last night.

It looked like somebody got to him.

How's that?

His face all beat up.

Like your knuckles.

No. I had bad luck

with a crate of cauliflower.

That's what he brought up here.

A cauliflower face.

Do you fight him?

Mick?

Do I look like I would?

Just the knuckles.

Say you, driver, hurry up.

I'll be right out.

Not many hands here, are they?

All up at the logging camp.

Well, hi-dee-ho.

Much obliged.

This was real fine Mulligan.

I make it better with cauliflower.

It is good, isn't it?

Maybe this ain't such a good idea.

You, come over here.

- Do you see this box?

- Yeah.

It goes to Prince.

You know who Prince is?

- No.

- He runs things for Charlie.

- Do you know who Charlie is?

- Sure.

All right. Get up there.

Oh, one thing.

The gearbox you're hauling

in has got to be repaired.

You tell Charlie if it ain't repaired,

we might have to shut down quick.

- You got that?

- I got it.

All right. Then get out of here.

Draw the blinds, Bristow.

Light it up.

Can't you put that gun away?

I can but it helps to quiet my nerves.

- A drink?

- No.

We had given you up for dead.

- Who?

- Who?

Why... everybody.

They found Goddard's body.

Didn't you know?

What happened?

Sit down.

If you're trying to imply that

you frightened me coming here,

you're quite right.

I am neither a hero nor a fool.

They killed Goddard.

Why didn't they kill you?

Someone wanted me alive.

What for?

I don't know.

What do you want from me?

I'm gonna make a statement that

you will write and notarize.

Is that all?

Yeah.

You'll put it away where it can't

be stolen or tampered with.

- I have a safe.

- I can see that.

Meaning you don't trust me?

I do.

I just don't think you trust yourself.

Where do you want it put?

Mrs. Caslon has a safe. A nice fat one.

I think I can arrange it.

All right.

Here's the statement.

I solemnly swear,

that on Thursday last, about 11 pm,

the stagecoach I was driving

was held up by five armed bandits.

The gold I was hauling was stolen,

and Jim Goddard, the guard,

was murdered in cold blood.

Are you sure it was Haven you met?

I know my own boss.

Go in and get a beer.

Haven's wagon's across the street.

He must be back in town.

Now I'm wondering what

I get out of this?

Charlie is holding $6,000 of your IOU's.

You're busted.

This will get you even.

And now you wonder why we

just don't take all that gold

and go around the world.

Monte Carlo, the Taj Mahal...

I've a better idea for you.

Find the gold yourself.

Plant the deposition.

And let me hang for it.

Then you'd be rich. And you

won't even need to travel.

That might take some doing.

And some nerve.

- Where do I sign?

- Here.

Don't get so excited.

I'm perfectly calm.

And I'm asking you calmly

How could you allow that scoundrel to

transport gold from your mine when you

The man you call a scoundrel

may be dead at this moment.

He may be in town at this moment,

where in fact he is.

How could you do such a

thing without telling me?

I only did it for your sake.

- My sake?

- He represents the US government.

- And who do I represent?

- I was only...

And while we're on the subject,

what was Mark Bristow doing here?

Mark Bristow is my lawyer

and you know it.

I'm sorry.

I wish you could see that some times

you're a little too sure

about too many things.

One nice thing about us is

we are always wrong together.

Mark gave me this.

That's why I was here.

You're not going to open it?

"To whom it may concern."

It may concern me.

It does.

Your friend, Mr. Haven,

still has your gold.

Those nitwits in Washington.

Sending a demoted lieutenant out here

to poke around in my business.

You're getting to be a

hard man to deal with.

I'm getting to deal with some hard men.

I'll take care of that.

It looks like a board meeting.

What's he doing with you?

I might I might need a lawyer.

I doubt it.

I realize how seldom

legal technicalities annoy you.

- But I think I have one that might.

- What's that?

Just a story.

About a man who are murdered.

A thief who got shot.

And a gearbox I failed to deliver.

Probably no one would believe it

unless I had killed for it.

- Who else have you told?

- Only Mark.

He is a lawyer and a notary.

He makes it stick.

He finally gets to court.

I don't know anything. I

merely wrote the deposition.

You shut up.

Since you brought your lawyer,

ask him if this doesn't

sound like blackmail.

He can't think very clearly

in the presence of a gun.

But it doesn't bother you?

No. It doesn't.

Pete, go downstairs

and watch the stairway.

What you want is a cut.

That's right.

It boils down to this.

We can make a deal

and all be very happy together.

How could that be?

When I deliver the gold to you.

You mean the gearbox?

I can even forget I looked inside.

So I stole a gearbox.

I'm still a thief.

- What if he gets them?

- He gets even.

Have you lost your mind?

It was all right when he lost his money.

All right.

Prince will give him the IOU's

when the gearbox is delivered.

I think that's all.

Haven, you can stay.

You excuse me, Prince?

You know you roll nice dice.

You bet em jam up too.

But one day you're gonna slip.

When you do, I'll be

around to catch you.

You know I think he will.

You should be more careful.

I suppose so.

I won't have to have you killed.

I'd have had you hated it.

So would I.

I'd have missed you too much.

And too long.

Did you ever tell a

woman you loved her?

All of them.

How'd you get away?

I was always in the doorway

when I said it.

You never said it to me.

Let's get over to the doorway.

Don't move. Turn around.

Put the gold in the wagon.

Is this a holdup?

You want to put it in the wagon?

Now was there something

you wanted to say?

Yeah.

I followed one of the bandits

here when he cached it.

I couldn't haul it on a horse

so I came back with a wagon.

I know that's a lie.

Some of it's true.

But not nearly enough.

All right. I'll try it again.

I cached it there myself.

I was going to give it to them.

I wanted to buy

membership in their club.

That was the initiation fee.

$50,000?

You see I thought it was worth it.

Well, you see I don't.

What you're doing may

get me in trouble.

If you're still in town in 24 hours,

I promise you will be in trouble.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes