The Leopard Man Page #15

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In spite of herself, Clo-Clo starts smiling. Brunton smiles

back at her and lifts his glass of beer. She lifts hers to

touch it in salute.

The Brunton's table. The younger Bruntons are half-way

through dinner. He looks at his watch. She frowns.

She rises and he helps her on with her stole.

John Brunton is still seated at the little table. He is

laughing and coughing from the exertion of the laughter. Clo

Clo stands behind him, thumping him on the back. She looks

worried. Several people in the bar are watching them with

amusement -- but a nice kind of amusement.

CLO-CLO

You'll kill yourself. Isn't there

something sad we can talk about,

just until you get over this?

Brunton wipes the tears of laughter from his eyes.

BRUNTON:

That's what we were supposed to be

doing this time. But the sadder you

try to be, the funnier it comes

out!

HELENE' S VOICE

Father!

Brunton makes a little face and then turns around to see

Helene who is coming coward him from the steps.

HELENE:

(furiously)

We finished dinner hours ago.

Brunton gets to his feet.

BRUNTON:

(wearily)

All right. I'll be with you as soon

as I've settled this ��

He waves his hand at the glasses on the little table.

With a fishy eye for Clo-Clo, Helene turns and goes back down

the steps.

CLO-CLO

Why do you let her boss you around

like that? Give her a good slap and

tell her to keep still!

Brunton chuckles. He takes some change from his pocket and

puts it down on the little table. The waiter from the patio

comes up the stairs and hands him the bill on a plate.

WAITER:

Madame will be waiting at the

entrance -�

Brunton looks at the bill and then reaches into an inner

pocket for a wallet. He takes a couple of greenbacks from it

and hands them to the waiter. The waiter bows and smiles and

goes off.

CLO�CLO

(muttering)

Madame will be waiting -- Madame

ought to go on waiting! To have

such a father and treat him like a

poor cousin!

Brunton smiles again -- he starts to put his wallet away �

then opens it up again and takes a single bill from another

compartment. He puts it in Clo-Clo's hand and folds her

fingers over it.

BRUNTON:

This is for "mama and the kids."

CLO-CLO

(without looking at the

bill; kidding)

What about me?

BRUNTON:

You get your money from your

husband.

Clo�Clo stares at him.

BRUNTON:

Carlos What's-His-Name -- the boy

at the grocer.

Clo-Clo looks at him questioningly for a moment �- then very

suddenly puts her arms around his neck and kisses his cheek.

Brunton, greatly touched, pats her shoulder. They smile at

each other -- and then Brunton turns and walks away.

Clo-Clo looks after him, then down at her hand. She lifts the

fingers from the bill crushed in her palm. Her eyes widen in

shocked amazement.

INSERT$100 bill, crumpled in her hand -- The fingers close

on it again.

BIG HEAD CLOSE-UP - Clo-Clo. She smiles happily and starts

off.

DISSOLVE IN:

EXT. STREET - NIGHT

Clo-Clo is scurrying down the street as fast as her stilt

heeled pump will carry her. Her face is bright with

excitement and she hums to herself, snapping her fingers in

imitation of her castanets. She passes the flower shop and

then the window of the store where Maria tells fortunes. Clo

Clo hesitates -- goes back and peers through the window.

INT. FORTUNE TELLING BOOTH - NIGHT

The interior of the store is dismal. On one wall hangs a

phrenological chart. In the center of the room is a plain

kitchen table with two rickety chairs, one of them a bentwood

affair with a sagging cane seat. On the table sleeps a white

cat, curled up against a cracked crystal ball. A cheap thick

restaurant saucer on the table is more than half�filled with

cigarette butts and ashes.

Maria is seated at the table. A cigarette is in her mouth.

She just sits there, not touching the deck of cards in front

of her �� staring across at the wall.

There is the sound of the door opening and Maria looks up.

She says nothing as Clo-Clo comes into the place, but waits

until Clo-Clo stands beside the table.

MARIA:

Well -- did he give you a lot of

money?

CLO-CLO

Who?

MARIA:

The elderly man I told you about.

Clo-Clo shrugs her shoulders and sits down at the table,

CLO-CLO

He was old enough -- but you

slipped up on the money. Try it

again, why don't you?

Maria looks at her sardonically, but obligingly picks up the

deck of cards.

MARIA:

Put your wish in them.

Clo-Clo shuffles thorn a few times and then hands them to

Maria. Maria cuts them into seven piles, face down. She

starts turning up the top card on each pile.

MARIA:

Money?

She looks up at Clo-Clo who maintains a completely blank

expression. Clo-Clo smiles.

CLO-CLO

Maybe a honeymoon --

Maria starts to turn up the next card, with a practiced roll

of the wrist �- as she sees what it is, however, she drops it

and quickly swirls all the cards together again and hands the

pack to Clo-Clo.

MARIA:

Cut.

CLO-CLO

(astounded)

What are you doing that for?

Maria shrugs her shoulders. Clo-Clo cuts the deck into three

sections. Maria starts turning the top cards.

MARIA:

(murmuring)

Again --

Clo-Clo looks down at the cards, perplexed because Maria is

perplexed. She sees a ten of diamonds followed by a four of

spades. The third pile is still untouched.

MARIA:

Something black �- something on its

way to you ��

CLO-CLO

Go on -�

Maria stares down at the third pack and then, with a deft

twist, flips the top card face up. Almost simultaneously,

Maria slaps her hand over it.

MARIA:

(sharply)

Don't look at it!

CLO-CLO

(whispering)

Let me see it ��

Slowly, seemingly reluctantly, Maria uncovers the card.

INSERTThe Ace of Spades.

CLO-CLO

The death card - -

MARIA:

Maybe not - cards mean different

things different times --

Clo-Clo just stands there, staring down at the card.

Clo-Clo nods her head slowly. She lays some silver on the

table in payment for the reading, then goes across the room

to the door. Maria stands up and walks over to join her. Clo

Clo stands looking out of the door. She turns abruptly to

Maria, at her elbow.

CLO-CLO

Walk a little ways with me �-?

Maria shrugs her shoulders. Clo�Clo starts out the door,

Maria behind her.

EXT. STREET - NIGHT

Clo-Clo and Maria walk in silence past the doorway where

Shorty blew the smoke ring, past the perch where the boy and

girl were kissing -- past the dark Delgado house. Clo�Clo

glances up at the window as they go by.

EXT. STREET CORNER - NIGHT

The sidewalk is so high above the street here that there are

three stone steps set in the curb. Clo-Clo goes down the

steps, but Maria stops at the top. Clo�Clo turns and looks up

at her.

CLO-CLO

Well ��

Maria says nothing, Just stands there with an odd, mocking

little smile on her face.

CLO-CLO

See you tomorrow �-

MARIA:

Tomorrow -�

Clo�Clo continues across the street and up the curb steps on

the other side. At the top of those steps, she turns and

looks back. The corner where she had left Maria is now empty.

The moonlit street stretches deserted on either side. Clo-Clo

hurries on again, almost running.

DISSOLVE:

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