Ticker Page #4

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An OFFICER shouts from across the room, holding up a phone.

OFFICER:

Captain, line one!

WINTERS:

(to Reilly)

I thought I told you--

OFFICER:

He says it's important, something

about the Rice shooting.

Winters snatches up the nearest phone.

WINTERS:

Winters.

He listens, facial expression changing, getting tight.

WINTERS (cont.)

What...?

He punches an intercom button - the whole room stops, looks

up, as Swan's voice comes over the squawk box.

SWAN'S VOICE

I said release the girl or alot of

people are going to die.

Winters signals frantically for the call to be traced -- cops

spring into action.

SWAN'S VOICE (contíd) (cont.)

It's exactly two o'clock. If she's not

released in one hour, people die.

WINTERS:

Wait, what do you mean--?

Click, the line goes dead. Winters slams down the phone - no

chance of a trace.

WINTERS (cont.)

Sh*t!

PLUCHINSKY:

What the hell was that?

REILLY:

A ticking bomb...

WINTERS:

What?

REILLY:

(holds up bracelet)

It's detonation cord, for a bomb.

PLUCHINSKY:

It's a bluff. The guy's full of

crap.

WINTERS:

We can't take the chance. Ring down to the

Bomb Squad. I want them on alert.

REILLY:

I'll do it.

WINTERS:

Goddamit, Reilly--

REILLY:

Look, I saw these guys, I can i.d. them.

WINTERS:

I know you're anxious to get back but... just

stay out of homicide's way or I'll have you

classifying fingerprints, understand?

REILLY:

Yes, sir.

Reilly takes off, Pluchinsky glares.

INT. THE CAVE - DAY

T.J. is hunched over a twisted mess of wires, untangling

them. Pooch taste-tests dog biscuits for Schnoz, then feeds

them to him, as he talks to his wife on the phone.

Glass is dissecting the Mickey Mouse clock.

POOCH:

No, honey, I'm fine. Yeah, well, you're

welcome. You deserve flowers more often.

Bev glances longingly at T.J. as she gives Glass a neck rub.

GLASS:

Bev, you're the greatest...

T.J.

Hey, I'm next.

T.J. winks as Bev turns away, hard to get.

Reilly bursts in.

BEV:

Hey, that's the guy-

REILLY:

We just got a bomb threat upstairs.

This gets everyone's attention.

REILLY (cont.)

A cop was killed last night interrupting a

robbery. One of the gang was grabbed, a girl.

The one I told you about with the detonation

cord. Well, her friends just called in,

they're threatening to waste people unless

she's released in the next hour.

GLASS:

Alright, let's check it out.

REILLY:

We can start in the area where the robbery

occurred.

T.J.

Vice cop on a homicide?

REILLY:

Captain assigned me to assist you.

POOCH:

Assist? What the hell you know about tickers

anyway?

GLASS:

Easy, guys.

(to Reilly)

(MORE)

GLASS (cont.)

Look, nothing personal, but you can't just

waltz in here and expect to join the team.

REILLY:

What're you talking about?

GLASS:

When you need us, you love us, when you don't,

we're shunned by the rest of the department.

REILLY:

We've got one hour. Are you coming

or not?

The Squad just stands there.

REILLY (cont.)

Okay, f*** you.

Reilly walks out. The guys look at each other. Glass frowns

at the bracelet.

T.J.

Those vice cops, around all that p*ssy, so

pent up.

Bev smirks at T.J.'s language, he lowers his eyes.

POOCH:

(to Glass)

What do you think?

GLASS:

Call upstairs, see what you can find out.

POOCH:

Right.

GLASS:

(re:
bracelet)

T.J., run a trace on this, see if

you can pin down where it came from. Whoever

these people are, let's hope they're all talk.

EXT. ALLEY - DAY

Reilly's Studebaker is parked next to the machine shop

building.

INT. BUILDING - MACHINE SHOP - DAY

Reilly enters and slowly re-walks his steps from the shoot-

out, pausing over the chalk outline of Rice's body.

Two FORENSICS OFFICERS silently comb over the crime scene.

Reilly pauses, sadness overwhelming him. One of the Officers

nods at him, he has to turn away as the emotions come.

INT. SUNCREST MOTEL - ROOM - DAY

Sophisticated detonation equipment and weapons cover the

beds. Beard scowls, Earring sweats as Swan puts the

finishing touches on a computerized briefcase bomb.

SWAN:

What time is it?

EARRING:

Twenty after.

BEARD:

Swan, it's no use. Look, we can

still make Houston--

SWAN:

Shut up!

He sets a timer, closes the briefcase, smiles.

EXT. SUNCREST MOTEL - DAY

Sleazy area. Briefcase in hand, Earring slips out and blends

into pedestrian traffic.

EXT. BUSY STREET - DAY

Earring walks on, just a man with a briefcase.

EXT. ANOTHER STREET - DAY

Earring slows and passes a bus stop where a group of giggly

TEENAGE GIRLS are waiting.

He notices a raven-haired KNOCKOUT going into the pub up

ahead. He grins and follows her in.

INT. PUB - DAY

A trendy Irish Pub, a sparse lunch crowd. Earring enters,

spots the Knockout ordering a drink at the bar, slides onto a

stool next to her, and deposits the briefcase on the floor.

EARRING:

Hey, beautiful, can I buy you some bangers and

mash? Pint of Guiness?

She gives him a once-over, turns up her nose, nods a `thanks'

to the Bartender delivering her white wine. Earring's smile

doesn't change.

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