The Corruptor Page #18

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CHEN:

You know why.

The two cops sit looking at one another.

INT:
SCHABACKER'S OFFICE, FEDERAL BUILDING-LATER (DAY)

The same crew as before sit when Schabacker re-enters.

SCHABACKER:

My compliments, Wallace. You must've sunk your

hooks into Chen pretty good.

WALLACE:

What'd he want?

SCHABACKER:

To trade for you.

KIRPATRICK:

He said that?

SCHABACKER:

Not in so many words. He brought that Fuke snitch

of yours who rode shotgun on the Benny Wong killing.

He gives me the eye witness, I call off the FBI

investigation on Wallace. Wallace feels more like a

sh*t as Schabacker talks.

KIRPATRICK:

What'd you tell him?

SCHABACKER:

I told him fine. We're puttin the kid on the

street to get the rest of the Fukes on tape talking

about the hit on Benny Wong. And in return, I'm

not going to press charges against young Wallace

here.

WALLACE:

Is he still here?

SCHABACKER:

He took off.

Schabacker leans back in his chair and smiles at

Wallace.

SCHABACKER:

You gotta promise me I can be there when you

break the bad news to Chen. That's gonna be

priceless.

Wallace feels a heavy weight lay across his shoulders.

EXT:
SOUTHERN MANHATTAN-NIGHT

Establishing. Clouds drift over the city making the

familiar landmarks almost unrecognizable.

INT:
WALLACE APARTMENT, BEDROOM-NIGHT

Wallace opens a safe box he has on the bed. Inside

are audio tapes. Dates and names written across the

labels. Chen's on most. Lee on others. He grabs a

blank tape and pops it into a recorder.

He crosses to a mirror, opens his belt hides the

recorder in his underpants. He buckles up and runs a

wire up his chest. He gently tapes it to the inside of

his shirt, then buttons up.

He tucks in the shirt tails and repositions the

recorder. Finished, he stares at himself. Not liking

what he sees.

SEAN WALLACE:

Your wire's showin.

Wallace turns and sees his father leaning against the

doorway. Sean walks over and roughly fixes his son's

shirt. Wallace pulls away and fixes it himself.

SEAN WALLACE:

How long you been I.A.?

WALLACE:

First assignment.

SEAN WALLACE:

Quickest way to a gold shield.

Wallace doesn't say a word.

SEAN WALLACE:

And all you've got to do is bury your partner. The guy

who shoved ten grand in your fist to back your play.

Wallace looks at his father, wonders how he knows.

SEAN WALLACE (cont'd)

I figure you ain't worth much to the chinks yet,

so this must be Chen's money.

Wallace's lack of a response tells his father he's right.

SEAN WALLACE (cont'd)

And you're gonna bury him. And for what? Turning his

head and makin a few dollars.

WALLACE:

I know that wouldn't mean much to you. Lyin and

cheatin are what you're made of.

SEAN WALLACE:

And it's a hell of a lot better than what you're

made of.

WALLACE:

You don't know what I'm made of. It's the one thing

I should thank you for, your lack of interest.

SEAN WALLACE:

Yeah you've been real honest with your partner.

Wallace looks away from his father.

WALLACE:

End justifies the means.

SEAN WALLACE:

The end is bullshit. The means are what you live

with.

Sean reaches into his jacket, holds out Chen's money

and tosses it on the floor.

SEAN WALLACE:

Keep it. I don't want anything from you.

Sean Wallace turns out of the room. His son looks

back in the mirror and does a last adjustment on his

wire.

He then reaches for the cologne on the dresser,

splashes some into his palm and hurls the bottle

against the wall.

INT:
GAMBLING PARLOR - LATER (NIGHT)

The joint is packed. At a center table Chen is teaching

Wallace and two beauties named KIM and TAI, the

finer points of Pai Gou. One of the girl's got a hot hand

and can't seem to make a wrong move.

CHEN:

Unbelievable.

WALLACE:

What are we doing here?

CHEN:

Celebrating. You just got off death row.

INT:
HOTEL SUITE - LATER (NIGHT)

The foursome slide into the dimly lit room with

bottles of champagne in tow. Chen and Kim are

already halfway to one of the bedrooms before

Wallace has the door locked.

He turns and Tai has herself draped over him with her

hands headed for his crotch. He holds her off,

conscious of the recorder.

WALLACE:

Wait, wait, wait.

She looks at him confused.

TAI:

You don't like me?

Wallace looks at the beauty and kisses her full on the

mouth.

WALLACE:

I got to go to the bathroom first.

INT:
HOTEL BATHROOM - CONTINUOUS (NIGHT)

Wallace, drunk, locks the door behind him. He splashes

water on his face, then glances up at himself in the

mirror.

WALLACE:

What the f***'re you doin?

He then takes off the wire and removes the recorder

from his shorts. He takes off his jacket, puts the

device in the inside pocket and rolls it up.

INT:
HOTEL LIVING ROOM - NIGHT

He heads back into the living room but Tai isn't there.

He walks toward the bedroom and peeks inside.

INT:
HOTEL BEDROOM - NIGHT

Lying on the bed is Tai and Kim.

WALLACE:

Where's Nick?

KIM:

He left. He said he wanted you to be very happy.

She dims the lights. Wallace hesitates, then drops his

jacket and walks toward the bed. He climbs between

the women and closes his eyes.

19. THE SNARE IS SET

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EXT:
PEARL STREET-NIGHT

Henry Lee and the Sumo move across the street and

descend through a loading door in the sidewalk.

INT:
BASEMENT-CONTINUOUS (NIGHT)

Lee and the Sumo reach a door and the Sumo knocks.

Jack answers and lets them inside.

INT:
FUKIENESE CRASH PAD - PEARL STREET - NIGHT

A dozen Fukienese are there, from Bobby Vu to the

newest groupie.

LEE:

The police are running in circles on the unfortunate

death of Uncle Benny.

Jack tries to slowly position himself near Lee and

Bobby Vu.

BOBBY VU:

We want money. We didn't kill him for nothing.

LEE:

It's time to bring the cargo ship to port and unload our

freight. One hundred eighty-six, at forty thousand a

piece. I'd say that's a nice start to our relationship,

wouldn't you?

INT:
HOTEL, BEDROOM - MORNING (DAY)

Clock reads five AM. Wallace lies unconscious on the

bed. Near the door, Kim takes the money from his

wallet as Tai pulls the crumpled bills from his pants.

She grabs his jacket, unrolls it and checks every

pocket. She stops when she hits the recorder.

They whisper intently to each other, then quickly

return the recorder and the money to where they

found them. Within seconds they're gone.

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