The Man Who Wasn't There Page #8

ED'S CAR

Doris and Ed are driving home.

Doris draws heavily on a cigarette, looking flintily out at

the road.

DORIS:

...What a knucklehead.

ED:

Who?

DORIS:

Dave.

ED:

How's that?

DORIS:

Ahh...

She waves angrily.

DORIS:

...Money problems. He's thinking

about canceling the Annex.

ED:

So?

DORIS:

*That means I don't run Nirdlinger's!*

ED:

Mm.

They ride in silence for a beat. Doris shakes her head.

DORIS:

...What a knucklehead.

STREET:

As the car roars past and into the distance.

ANOTHER STREET:

It is day. We are looking from inside a parked car toward a

hotel entrance. Big Dave emerges from the hotel, gets into a

Packard and drives off.

ED (V.O.)

Big Dave did it, though...

Ed, sitting in his car, is watching.

ED (V.O.)

...I sent a note telling him where

to drop the money...

HOTEL HALLWAY:

Ed emerges from a stairwell and goes to a standing ashtray

by the elevator.

ED (V.O.)

...and he did. He came across.

Ed reaches into the trash hole in the ashtray column and

pulls out a Nirdlinger's bag.

He goes back to the stairwell.

ANOTHER FLOOR:

Ed emerges from the stairwell, goes to a door and knocks.

The door swings open.

CREIGHTON:

Yeah, good, how are ya, come in...

Ed follows him into the room.

CREIGHTON:

...You bring a check?

ED:

Cash.

CREIGHTON:

Cash?!

He gives Ed a look.

CREIGHTON:

...Usually we do this kind of thing

with a bank draft. But cash--that's

fine--it's all the same in the end--

dough's dough, huh?

ED:

Sure.

CREIGHTON:

I got the paperwork here. Partnership

papers here, they reflect our

agreement:
fifty-fifty on the net, I

supply professional services, you

supply the capital. I'll give you a

receipt on the dough there, huh?

ED:

Yeah.

CREIGHTON:

Pretty straightforward, but I don't

know if you wanna show this stuff to

a lawyer--

ED:

It's OK.

CREIGHTON:

Yeah, screw 'em, huh? Pay 'em to

tangle it up and then you pay 'em to

untangle it, what's the point?

He perspires as he counts the money.

CREIGHTON:

...Just a second here, I'll give you

a receipt on the, uh... Whoa,

Nellie... Oh, by the way, we didn't

talk about this, I, uh, I think I'm

gonna call the place Tolliver's,

after me, you know, I didn't think

you were much interested in, uh--

ED:

That'll be fine.

CREIGHTON:

Yeah, good. Lemme just, uh...

He wipes his brow, finishes counting.

CREIGHTON:

...Yeah, that's it. As per our

discussion.

ED:

Uh-huh.

Creighton hands Ed an executed agreement and a receipt.

CREIGHTON:

Well, there it is. Writ large in

legal escriture, next step is--

ED:

Look, uh... Creighton...

He gives Creighton a level stare, smoke pluming from the

cigarette planted in his mouth.

ED:

...You're not gonna screw me on this?

CREIGHTON:

*Screw* you--Jesus! Take it to a

lawyer! No, I insist! This is *dry*

cleaning, this is not some fly-by-

night thing here! I must say, I've

been an entrepreneur for thirteen

years and I've never--

ED:

All right.

CREIGHTON:

And I've never been asked--Look, you

want the dough back? You know who I

am! You--

ED:

OK.

Creighton mops his brow again.

CREIGHTON:

So, uh... Tolliver's is OK then?

CAR:

Ed drives with the usual cigarette in his mouth. Doris sits

next to him. Rural scenery slips by in the background.

ED (V.O.)

The next day was Saturday. We were

going to a reception for Doris' cousin

Gina, who'd just married a wop vintner

out near Modesto. Doris didn't much

feel like going, and I didn't either,

but, like she said, we had a

Commitment.

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