The Leopard Man Page #13

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Galbraith's workshop is completely practical. A trestle table

with an office armchair behind it, book shelves and transfer

cases containing labeled shards and artifacts are in this

alcove. On the trestle table, which Galbraith uses as a desk,

is a reading glass on a fixed stand which he uses to examine

specimens.

Charlie and Jerry walk in. Charlie has evidently been here

before because he shuffles down the main aisle through the

display room without looking around. Jerry keeps pace with

him but glances from side to side at various pieces. At the

end of the museum they turn and enter the little alcove where

Galbraith is seated at his desk. He is sharpening a pencil

and does not look up. They wait.

GALBRAITH:

(looking up)

Why, hello.

He gets up, comes around the table.

JERRY:

You know Charlie How-Come?

GALBRAITH:

We're old friends.

Charlie nods.

GALBRAITH:

(to Jerry)

Come to look around?

JERRY:

More or less.

GALBRAITH:

I'll take you about. Got some nice

things.

He starts off and they follow him.

JERRY:

(as they walk)

Charlie and I were talking. That's

one reason I wanted to see you.

GALBRAITH:

(looks at him)

About Charlie's leopard?

JERRY:

Yes.

They have reached the display room and pause a moment. From

this point on, the CAMERA TRUCKS WITH them as they go.

Galbraith acts as cicerone, conducting them about, walking

ahead of them as he displays the exhibits.

GALBRAITH:

(pointing)

Here is something that should

interest Charlie - a stone leopard

head made by his ancestors some six

hundred years ago. They used it in

ceremonies. The jaguar -- in fact

all the cat family -- were

considered the personification of

force and violence in their

religious rites.

CHARLIE:

(squinting at it)

It don't look like a leopard to me.

They walk on. Jerry has paid no attention to the exhibit.

JERRY:

Charlie doesn't think the leopard

killed the girl in the cemetery.

GALBRAITH:

(turning, with a smile)

Charlie likes his leopard.

CHARLIE:

Sure, I like my leopards

JERRY:

But he admitted quick enough that

it killed the first girl.

GALBRAITH:

(patiently)

Well, Charlie, just why do you

think your cat didn't kill the

Contreras girl?

CHARLIE:

You know -- not scared enough.

Nothing to scare it.

GALBRAITH:

If a leopard didn't do it, who did?

JERRY:

It could be a man.

GALBRAITH:

It could be. Why would a man kill

her? For what? It wasn't robbery.

It wasn't a crime of jealousy or

passion. She had no enemies.

Charlie shrugs.

JERRY:

There are all sorts of men. You get

to see some funny ones as a

reporter.

GALBRAITH:

(sagely)

I can understand what you mean -

demented men, pathological cases.

But what sort of man would kill

like a leopard and leave the traces

of a leopard?

JERRY:

Some crazy guy.

GALBRAITH:

But he would have to know about

leopards - have access to leopard

claws and hair.

They walk on. Galbraith points out a nicely molded jug.

GALBRAITH:

Here's our prize exhibit - an

artifact of the Paleolithic period.

He looks into the case with a glance almost of affection,

then turns back to Jerry.

GALBRAITH:

We had given up digging in a

certain barrow. I went back and I

tried again. I just had a hunch.

JERRY:

(thoughtfully)

A hunch -- that's all I've got

about this leopard thing. It's just

a hunch, yet I feel it deep in the

stomach. It was a man!

GALBRAITH:

Yes, but what sort of a man?

JERRY:

I don't know.

GALBRAITH:

(turning toward Charlie

chuckling)

You, Charlie -- you know leopards.

You might have had an old claw

around somewhere, and perhaps a bit

of hair from the cage -� eh?

CHARLIE:

(seeing the joke, with a

wide grin)

Sure!

JERRY:

No. I'm serious about this.

GALBRAITH:

(still smiling)

Oh, I'm only exploring your theory.

Let's take a step further. You

drink, don't you, Charlie?

CHARLIE:

I drink.

GALBRAITH:

And when you drink, you get drunk.

Charlie nods.

GALBRAITH:

Then what do you do?

CHARLIE:

I sleep it off.

GALBRAITH:

But between the time you leave the

cant ma and fall into bed in that

old truck of yours, what happens,

Charlie?

CHARLIE:

I don't know.

GALBRAITH:

(stopping near the door)

That's just it, Charlie. That's

what I'm driving at. You could do

anything in that time.

JERRY:

Charlie wasn't drunk last night.

CHARLIE:

(very worried)

Yes, I was drunk, Mr. Manning.

Galbraith makes a gesture with his arms as if to say "There

you are." Charlie shakes his head.

GALBRAITH:

(with a wide friendly

smile)

See? There's a suspect for you,

Jerry.

Jerry looks over at Charlie, who is very woebegone, worried

and nervous.

JERRY:

(taking his arm, kidding)

Come on, Charlie. Let's go find

another and better suspect.

GALBRAITH:

Don't you want to see the rest of

the exhibit?

JERRY:

Some other time.

The men nod to each other. Jerry leads Charlie out.

EXT. MUSEUM PORTICO - DAY

Charlie and Jerry come out of the museum and stand for a

moment on the edge of the steps. Behind there the Indian

woman continues working at her loom, the heavy shuttle goes

back and forth.

CHARLIE:

I'm sick.

JERRY:

(reaching into his pocket)

Here have a cigarette. He was only

kidding.

CHARLIE:

No, he wasn't kidding. I'm sick.

Claw women? Hurt little girls? No!

Jerry is still holding the cigarette out toward him.

CHARLIE:

I don't know. I want to see Robles.

JERRY:

What do you want to see him for?

CHARLIE:

I want him to lock me up.

JERRY:

Look, Charlie, you didn't do it,

and you know you didn't.

CHARLIE:

I don't know. I want him to lock me

up.

He starts forward and Jerry goes with him.

DISSOLVE:

EXT. ENTRANCE TO THE ALLEY - DAY

Charlie's truck is parked at one corner. He, Jerry and Robles

stand in front of it talking.

CHARLIE:

The Doc's right. I don't know what

I do when I get drunk. I don't

know.

ROBLES:

This is crazy, Charlie. You know

you didn't do it.

CHARLIE:

You'd better lock me up.

JERRY:

I've been trying to tell him,

Sheriff. He won't listen to me.

ROBLES:

Let me get one thing clear. Did

Galbraith make a direct accusation?

JERRY:

No. He was kidding Charlie.

CHARLIE:

You'd better lock me up. If I do

things like that I want to be put

away. I don't want to hurt nobody.

ROBLES:

(takes his arm)

All right, Charlie. If it will

relieve your mind, I'll put you

away for a few days.

DISSOLVE:

INT. JAIL - NIGHT

MED. CLOSE SHOT -Charlie holding on to some cell bars, stands

brooding. O.S., we hear the sound of castanets. Charlie lifts

his head to look out of an unseen window.

EXT. STREET - NIGHT

TRUCKING SHOT - Clo-Clo, dressed in dancing costume, with a

black shawl over it, passes along the street, clicking her

castanets idly. From afar we hear a sad, sweet Mexican love

song, being sung in a high tenor voice.

Clo-Clo passes a dimly lit doorway, and we see a woman

sprinkling holy water on the door step from a font that hangs

beside the door.

MEXICAN WOMAN:

Valganos Dios.

She makes the sign of the cross and softly closes the door.

Further down the street, two policemen pass Clo�Clo, walking

in step. She grins at them.

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