The Sting Page #14

Riley gets up and drags himself out the door like a whipped

dog.

LONNEGAN:

We'll put Salino on it. I need

somebody careful.

COMBS:

Salino? Why waste our best people

on a small-time job like this? It

ain't no heavy gee we're after.

The guy's a five and dime grifter.

LONNEGAN:

Then why ain't he dead?

COMBS:

They didn't think he'd be so cagey,

that's all. They'll get him next

time.

LONNEGAN:

Use Salino. It'll take a little

longer, but there won't be any

holes in it.

Combs gives up. The second time's the charm.

LONNEGAN:

And tell Cole I wanta see him when

he gets in.

COMBS:

He's not comin' in. Not to get

bounced off a job anyway.

LONNEGAN:

He had his chance and all he did

was shoot up a rooming house. Made

a lotte noise and woke up a few

cops, but didn't hit nothin'.

Combs keeps his mouth shut. There's no way to talk to

Lonnegan when he's like this.

LONNEGAN:

(cooling a little)

This is Salino's job now, Vince.

If Cole wants to muscle in on it,

that's his business. But he's

breakin' the rules and when Salino

finds out about it, I can't feel

sorry for what's gonna happen to him.

CUT TO:

INT. LONNEGAN'S HOTEL - DAY

The finest the period had to offer. We pick up Hooker

coming down the hall to Lonnegan's suite. He is admitted by

the Bodyguard. Lonnegan, wearing a smoking jacket, is

seated at a table counting a pile of money. There are two

other assistants standing behind him. They don't look

friendly.

HOOKER:

Well, what did I tell ya?

LONNEGAN:

You're a lucky man, all right.

HOOKER:

Lucky, hell. I could do it every

day.

LONNEGAN:

Why don't ya then.

HOOKER:

'Cause it's better to do it all at

once.

(leaning close)

We're puttin' down 400 grand next

week. At 5-1 we make 2 million.

Twenty per cent of that is yours if

ya stick with us.

LONNEGAN:

You got a system, Carver?

HOOKER:

You stayin' in or not?

LONNEGAN:

I'm in.

HOOKER:

(drawing up a chair,

barely able to

contain his enthusiasm)

It's foolproof. We got a partner

downtown runs the central office of

the Western Union. Race results

from all over the country come in

there and go right across his desk

on their way to the bookies. All

he does in hold them up a couple

minutes until he can call us and

get a bet down on the winner. Then

he releases the results to the

bookies and we clean up on a race

that's already been run. It can't

miss, unless the Western Union

D*cks get onto it.

Lonnegan is amazed. He sits back a second, then comes

forward again and pushes a pile of bills over to Hooker.

Hooker smiles and begins to count the money.

LONNEGAN:

You got the 400 grand yet?

HOOKER:

Not yet, but...

(stopping suddenly)

Hey, there's only a grand here.

LONNEGAN:

(more like a command)

I think we oughta place another bet

tomorrow.

HOOKER:

(getting angry)

What is this? That's my money.

You tryin' to muscle me?

LONNEGAN:

(controlled)

If your system's as foolproof as

you say, you'll get even more.

Hooker's in a jam and he knows it.

HOOKER:

(after a pause)

I gotta talk to me partner first.

We can't afford to expose our game

too much.

LONNEGAN:

Let me talk to him.

HOOKER:

(flatly)

No.

LONNEGAN:

You want your money back? Try and

get it in a court of law.

(softening a bit)

C'mon, don't be a sorehead. I'll

make it worth your while. Migth

even help ya finance the big play

if this one works out.

Hooker says nothing for a minute, and then reluctantly nods

his head.

HOOKER:

Four o'clock tomorrow. Pick me up

at Dewey Lyle's.

CUT TO:

EXT. LONNEGAN'S HOTEL - DAY

We pick up Hooker coming out of the hotel and going off down

the street. As he does so, we pull back all the way across

the street and through the interior of a parked car to

reveal the silhouette of a man seated at the wheel. We move

to his right hand, which rests on the steering column. It's

covered by a black glove and the middle finger is missing.

His trigger finger, however, taps lightly on the wheel.

CUT TO:

INT. AN INDOOR TELEPHONE BOOTH - DAY

One of the old, wooden kind -- accordian doors with glass

panes in the upper half. Hooker dials rapidly.

HOOKER:

Twist? I told him the tale. He

wants to see ya.

TWIST:

All right, when?

HOOKER:

Tomorrow, after 4:00. Stay inside,

I'll come in and get ya. And be

hard on him for a while; he's

talking money.

TWIST:

Okay, Tootsie.

Hooker blows a mock kiss through the phone and hangs up. He

turns to leave the booth, when suddenly he sees something

that stops him cold. There looking through the glass is the

smirking face of Detective Synder. Hooker is immobilized.

Snyder puts his hand inside his coat and slowly draws out

his gun. He points it right at Hooker's face and then

violently smashes all the glass in the upper half of the

door with the barrel. Fragments of glass spray into the

booth, a couple of which imbed themselves in Hooker's cheek.

Hooker quickly whips open the door, trapping Snyder's hand

in the accordian and jarring loose his gun. Hooker sprints

out of the booth as Snyder scrambles for his pistol and

gives pursuit.

EXT. ALLEYS AND SIDESTREETS - NIGHT - THE TWO MEN

We follow the two men up alleys and sidestreets as they race

through the dregs of the city, two panting shadows moving

through places that only get light at night. The wind blows

drops of blood off Hooker's cheek as he runs. Snyder still

has his gun, but would rather inflict pain than death.

CONDEMNED BUILDING

Hooker makes for a condemned building and scrambles up the

stairs, steps giving way under him as he goes.

INT. BUILDING

On the fourth floor, he ducks into a room and quickly locks

the door.

We pan the room to reveal that the whole back side of the

building is gone. Hooker runs toward the ledge and leaps

through the air, landing on the fire escape of an adjacent

building, some 15 feet away. He kicks in a window and goes

off down the hall. We cut back to

Snyder furiously kicking in the locked door. He finally

crashes through, only to find an empty room and a beautiful

panorama of the city and its nearest Hooverville.

CUT TO:

LONG SHOT - HOOKER

Winding his way through the slum area of town, dashing along

backstreets, over fences and through vacant lots, making

good his escape. From our angle, he looks like a rat in a

maze.

GONDORFF (V.O.)

Why didn't you tell me about Snyder

before?

HOOKER (V.O.)

I thought I'd lost him.

CUT TO:

INT. GONDORFF'S ROOM AT THE CAROUSEL BUILDING - DAY

Hooker sits sullenly at the table. Billie stands over him

putting some ointment on his face to close the cuts.

Gondorff looks on. Their discussion continues.

GONDORFF:

Well you found him again and we're

gonna have to do somethin' about it.

What else haven't ya been tellin' me?

HOOKER:

Nothin'. I told ya everything

there is.

GONDORFF:

Then why'd ya move outa your room?

HOOKER:

It was too noisy.

GONDORFF:

You can't play your friends like

marks, Hooker.

Hooker doesn't reply. He knows Gondorff's on to him.

GONDORFF:

You know how easy it'd be for one

of Lonnegan's guys to nail you?

HOOKER:

All we need is a couple days, Henry.

A couple days and we'll get Lonnegan

down and stomp on 'em.

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