The Death Artist Page #10

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This comment stings Walter - he clenches his jaw, and gets up -

WALTER:

Look -

(Beat)

This pose is all wrong!

ALICE:

I'll pose any way you want.

Walter then grabs up a SCARF, and approaches Alice -

Walter then hands the scarf to Alice -

WALTER:

I want you to put this around

your neck...

Alice takes the scarf and places it around her neck -

WALTER:

Just like that...that's right.

Walter then steps behind Alice, grabbing the ends of the scarf

gently -

Then suddenly Walter PULLS the ends hard, choking Alice -

Alice clutches the scarf and struggles, panicking and gasping for

air -

Walter tugs at the scarf with all his might -

Alice kicks and tries to free herself, to no avail -

Walter continues to strangle her, clenching his jaws -

INT CARLA'S APARTMENT - DAY

Carla, Maxwell, Cuff, Link, and another girl sit around the living

room - Carla hands Maxwell a plate -

Maxwell inspects the plate -

CARLA:

Here you go, enjoy.

MAXWELL:

I hope this was made with egg

whites!

CARLA:

It was.

MAXWELL:

What's this sauce! I'm lactose

intolerant.

CARLA:

Don't worry it's a non-dairy

sauce made from soy milk.

MAXWELL:

Hm.

Maxwell takes a bite - someone knocks at the door and Cuff goes to

answer it -

Cuff answers the door -

CUFF:

Hey it's mister perjury!

In walks Walter, who notices everyone there -

WALTER:

Hi.

MAXWELL:

Good morning Walter!

Walter approaches Carla, a little dejected he wasn't

invited -

WALTER:

Hi Carla.

(Beat)

What's going on?

CARLA:

These guys came by to help me

try out some of my new organic

recipes.

WALTER:

Oh...

MAXWELL:

Wheat germ omelette, guava nectar

and garbanzo sprinkled with smoked

yeast. Join us?

WALTER:

No thanks. Sounds good though.

MAXWELL:

Suit yourself.

CARLA:

What's up, Walter?

WALTER:

I came over to see you.

(Beat)

I brought something...I

wanted to show you.

CARLA:

Oh yeah?

WALTER:

Yeah. Can some of you guys help me?

Maxwell puts down his plate -

CARLA:

Is it murdered man?

WALTER:

Better!

Carla gets up -

CARLA:

Come on!

Maxwell claps his hands twice, not getting up -

MAXWELL:

All hands!

Cuff and Link follow Carla -

DISSOLVE TO:

INT CARLA'S APARTMENT - DAY

Walter, Cuff, and Link carry an OBJECT covered by a sheet - Maxwell

watches -

LINK:

Man this is heavy!

CUFF:

Yeah what's this, Murdered Elephant?

MAXWELL:

Put it in the middle of the room!

CARLA:

When did you make this, Walter?

WALTER:

Uh, last night. It doesn't take me

very long.

The men put the object down, out of breath -

CUFF:

Well let's see it, man!

Walter undoes a string and lifts off the sheet to reveal -

ALICE, naked and seated in a chair, clutching at a scarf around her

throat -

Everyone stares at it in awe -

CARLA:

Walter...I can't believe it.

MAXWELL:

I'm honored to know this man.

WALTER:

So you think it's nice?

LINK:

Man, she's beautiful.

WALTER:

(to Carla)

You think she's better than Murdered

Man?

CARLA:

Well I can't say that Walter! She's

incomparable. They're both great.

MAXWELL:

I'm...moved. I'm moved to write

about this!

(Beat)

Tonight, at the Jabberjaw, I will

recite a new poem, and we'll

celebrate in your honor!

Maxwell puts his hand on Walter' shoulder -

Carla then kisses Walter, a peck on the lips - Walter is

flabbergasted -

INT JABBERJAW - NIGHT

A LOUD BAND wraps up a song, and the singer CRASHES into the drum

set - people applaud -

Walter sits in a big wooden chair with a paper CROWN on his head and

a paper STAR on his lapel, looking a little tipsy - in one hand is a

GOBLET, in the other a PLUNGER -

Art and a new UNDERCOVER COP stand at the entrance of the club -

ART:

Alright, let's split up and keep

a low profile. You hear anything,

you let me know.

The undercover cop nods, and heads off -

ART:

I'm going to get to the bottom

of this...

Carla approaches Walter with a bottle of CHAMPAGNE -

CARLA:

More champagne, your majesty?

WALTER:

Here here...

Carla pours some into the goblet -

CARLA:

Where where...

WALTER:

There there...

The goblet overflows -

WALTER:

That's good...

Carla sits down next to Walter on the edge of the stage - Walter

leans over to her with a drunken smile on his face -

WALTER:

May I please have another little

kiss?

CARLA:

Walter! Jeez!

WALTER:

(smile fades)

Sorry...

Carla laughs - Walter smiles again and Carla puts her head against

his arm -

Leonard surveys the crowd from another part of the room -

Maxwell then heads to the stage where Walter is sitting and raises

his hands -

Scattered applause erupts -

MAXWELL:

Order! Order!

The crowd quiets down as Maxwell puts his hand on Walter's shoulder

-

MAXWELL:

Walter...

(booming voice)

The bird that flies now pays

later through the nose of

ambidextrous apathy -

Walter strains to understand -

MAXWELL:

Necrophiles may dance upon the

placemats in an orgy of

togetherness -

Walter looks around the room as Maxwell gathers steam -

MAXWELL:

The highway of life cuts sharply

through the shady ghettos and the

ivy-covered tombs, and laughter

rains from every capsule in the

star-spangled firmament -

Cuff, Link, and Mayolia listen from an adjacent table -

MAXWELL(O.S.)

And in the deep freeze it is the

children's hour -

Maxwell punches holes in the air with his finger -

MAXWELL:

And no one knows that Duncan is

murdered and no one knows that

Walter Paisley is born -

Maxwell slaps his hand on Walter's shoulder, spilling some of

Walter's champagne - Walter smiles and looks at Maxwell through his

drunken haze -

MAXWELL:

(getting louder)

Duncan knows...Tuesday sunrise

knows...alley cats and garbage cans

and satellite dishes, and you and I,

and the nude descending the staircase,

and all such things with souls, we

shall hear that Walter Paisley is born!

Walter looks at Maxwell with a half-smile, completely lost -

MAXWELL:

(loud)

Ring rubber bells! Beat cotton

gongs! Strike silken cymbals! Play

leather flutes -

Leonard listens with a blank expression on his face -

Art slouches at a table and looks at Maxwell like he's a jerk - he

shifts, unable to take much more of this -

MAXWELL(O.S.)

The cats and cans and you and I

and all such things with souls,

we shall hear that Walter Paisley

is born!

Maxwell raises his clenched fists -

MAXWELL:

And the soul become flesh - Walter

Paisley is born!

Maxwell stands back - people applaud, and Maxwell bows his head and

leaves the stage -

Cuff claps enthusiastically - Link slouches behind him, half-

clapping - Mayolia seems too moved to clap -

CUFF:

That was cool, man, that was cool.

MAYOLIA:

That was the greatest rap I ever

heard!

CUFF:

It sent me.

Cuff then turns to Link -

CUFF:

What did he say?

LINK:

Didn't you hear him?

CUFF:

No man I'm on my own plane.

Walter sits onstage by himself, still holding his plunger -

Maxwell sits down at a table with Charlie and two attractive girls -

CHARLIE:

Maxwell that was magnificent.

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