The Sting Page #15

GONDORFF:

You just won't learn, will ya.

Hell, you come in here, I teach you

stuff maybe five guys in this world

know, stuff most grifters couldn't

do even if they knew it, and all

you wanna do is run down a bullet.

(pause)

You're just like all them new jerks.

Lotsa nerve and no brains. And ten

years from now when me and the

others are through and you dumb

guys are all dead there won't be

one gee left who knows the Big Con

was anything more than a way to

make a livin'.

HOOKER:

A couple days; that's all I'm

askin'. I can stay clear that long.

GONDORFF:

(trying to be angry

and failing)

Christ, they'll probably miss you

and hit me.

FADE OUT.

FADE IN:

THE WIRE:

FADE OUT.

FADE IN:

INT. A SLEEPY DINER - LATE AFTERNOON

Located across the street from Hooker's apartment building.

Hooker sits down alone in a booth, with a plate of ham and

eggs he's hardly touched.

The two cuts on his face have pretty much stopped bleeding.

A big fan above the counter area drones away lethargically,

it's air stream insufficient to either cool the place or

drive out the smell of onions and grease.

A waitress, Loretta, emerges from the kitchen and ambles

slowly over to Hooker's table. Slim and raven-haired, she

manifests an indifference bred from years spent delivering

things to people who are rarely grateful for what she brings.

Only a light scar on her left cheek hints at another side.

LORETTA:

You done?

HOOKER:

Yeh, I guess I shoulda had the meat

loaf.

LORETTA:

(deadpan)

It isn't any better.

HOOKER:

Where's June today?

LORETTA:

(figuring up the bill)

She don't work here no more. I'm

fillin' in for a couple days...

till I can get a train outa here.

HOOKER:

Where you goin'?

LORETTA:

(putting the check

down and walking away)

I don't know. Depends what train I

get on.

Hooker looks for some sign that she's putting him on. He

doesn't get it. He takes out some money, drops it on the

table and walks out.

CUT TO:

EXT. A WESTERN UNION OFFICE - LATE AFTERNOON

A truck with the words CLAYTON BROS., CUSTOM PAINTING AND

DECORATING stenciled on the side, is parked out front. Two

men, wearing overalls and painter's caps, walk into the

office to the reception counter, we see that they are Twist

and Singleton.

TWIST:

(to the receptionist)

Excuse me. We're here to paint Mr.

Harmon's office.

RECEPTIONIST:

(obviously not

expecting them)

Mr. Harmon's office? Hold on just

a second.

She goes to get Mr. Harmon.

CUT TO:

EXT. THE SLEEZY DINER - LATE AFTERNOON

Hooker is standing on the curb outside the diner, obviously

waiting for somebody. Lonnegan's car pulls up and Hooker

hops in the back.

LONNEGAN:

What happened to your face?

HOOKER:

Had a little fight with a raggle

down on 13th. She got me with her

ring.

Lonnegan laughs.

CUT TO:

INT. THE WESTERN UNION OFFICE AGAIN - LATE AFTERNOON

Mr. Harmon is looking over the authorization papers that

Twist and Singleton have given him. He can't find anything

wrong with it.

HARMON:

Brigham signed it all right. I

can't understand why he didn't tell

me.

SINGLETON:

Ah, he's like all them supervisors.

They think they're too good for

regular people. He says he was in

here a while ago and the place was

a mess.

Harmon looks around, hoping it's not true.

TWIST:

We'll try and hurry so we don't

keep you out of your office too long.

HARMON:

Why can't I work with you in there?

SINGLETON:

Look pal, we gotta cover the floor,

the furniture, everything, so we

don't spill on nothing. Now if you

wanta sit in there with a tarp over

your head, you're welcome to it.

HARMON:

All right, how long will you be?

TWIST:

Hour or two at the most. We do

good work.

Harmon is resigned. Twist and Singleton pick up their gear

and march into the office. Once inside, we notice that the

office has an exit door which opens to an outside alley.

Twist immediately removes his overalls, revealing the suit

and tie he's wearing underneath. He takes out a picture of

himself, a woman and three small children, and puts it on

Harmon's desk, replacing a similiar picture of Harmon's

family. Singleton, meanwhile, has spread a few tarps and

begins to paint the walls.

CUT TO:

EXT. THE WESTERN UNION OFFICE - LATE AFTERNOON

Lonnegan's car pulls up and stops across the street.

HOOKER:

We'll go to the side door.

We follow Hooker and Lonnegan across the street to the side

entrance which opens into:

INT. HARMON'S OFFICE

Hooker knocks and Twist, of course, answers.

HOOKER:

Les, I got Mr. Lonnegan with me.

He wants to see you a second.

TWIST:

(irritated)

What the hell's the matter with you.

We coulda met at a club or somethin'.

HOOKER:

I thought it might be good for him

to see the setup.

TWIST:

(hushed)

Well we can't talk in here. They're

having the place painted.

Twist walks over to the intercom on his desk. He leaves the

door open so that Lonnegan can get a good look at the

office, Twist's picture in it, the painter, etc... Lonnegan's

not missing any of it.

TWIST:

(talking into the intercom)

Miss Barnes, I'm going home a

little early today. Tell anyone

that calls that they can reach me

here in the morning. Thank you.

CUT TO:

INT. FRONT OFFICE

Harmon's secretary at the other end of the intercom. Mr.

Harmon is with her. They look at each other a second and

Harmon decides he better see what's happening in his office.

He opens the door to find it empty except for a pile of

painting equipment and one haphazardly painted wall.

CUT TO:

INT. A DILAPIDATED CHINESE RESTAURANT - EVENING

Dark and somewhat foreboding, its peeling dragons and shoddy

lanterns compete for space with the many slot machines and

arcade games that line the walls. Hooker, Lonnegan and

Twist sit at one of the more secluded tables. They are not

eating.

TWIST:

Can't do it. There're telegraph

inspectors all over the place. I

got 750 grand coming in from the

coast, and I'm not gonna blow it

for a lousy 14 gees. We'll get

somebody else to do our betting.

LONNEGAN:

I could come up with 750 grand in a

day if I had a reason to.

TWIST:

But who says you will. I got a guy

I can depend on. He's liquidating

everything he has for this. You

wouldn't even give Carver his money

back.

LONNEGAN:

I need more proof, that's all.

Anybody can get lucky once.

TWIST:

(stubbornly)

On a 6-1 shot? The hell with ya.

We'll keep the deal we got.

LONNEGAN:

If it works again tomorrow, I'll

have a half million in cash here by

noon the next day. We split 60-40.

TWIST:

(feebly, beginning to break)

We were getting 50 from our guy.

LONNEGAN:

With 20% coming off the top for me

laying your bet. Either way you

end up with 40.

Twist hesitates.

LONNEGAN:

A week's a long time, friend.

Anything can happen. All of it bad.

HOOKER:

He's right, Les.

TWIST:

Yeh, and what if we play tomorrow

and he doesn't come up with the

money. We risk our whole operation

for nothing. I'll say when we make

our bets.

LONNEGAN:

Not if you want me to keep makin'

'em for ya.

HOOKER:

And what do we know about your guy.

He says a week, but who knows if

it's a month? Lonnegan here's a

banker. He can get that dough with

no questions asked.

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