Traffic Page #13

Robert looks out at the border activity. It's anarchy.

CUT TO:

INT. AYALA STUDY - AFTERNOON

Helena is on the floor surrounded by papers. She's made

piles of certain things: articles of incorporation,

shipping/transfer documentation, bank statements, credit

card statements. She holds a telephone to her ear --

HELENA:

(to phone)

Yes, hi Jenny, account number 4168

2245 3173... I need a cash advance.

Helena walks into her kitchen. It's serene in the afternoon

light. She fixes ice-cold lemonade and fills two plastic

cups.

HELENA:

What's the largest amount I can get?

(listens)

Okay, I guess that'll have to do.

Helena hangs up the phone. She takes the two cups of lemonade

to the front door and steps outside.

EXT. AYALA HOME - AFTERNOON

Helena carries the cups down the driveway. She presses a

button and the gates swing open.

INT. TELEPHONE REPAIR VAN - AFTERNOON

Gordon and Castro listen to their headsets. Suddenly --

VOICE (O.S.)

(over their headsets)

Okay. She's coming out. She's

leaving her property. Okay, she

seems to be heading for the van!

She is approaching the van!

Castro and Gordon looks at each other.

GORDON:

What do we do?

CASTRO:

I don't know.

There's a KNOCKING at the door of the van.

GORDON:

What do you think she wants?

CASTRO:

She's your girlfriend. Open it,

talk about your kids.

Gordon opens the door. Helena is standing there with the

lemonade.

HELENA:

I so hope I didn't startle you. I

thought you might like some cold

lemonade.

GORDON:

Uh... Thank you.

She hands the cups to him. Helena gathers herself.

HELENA:

I know this is a difficult situation

and you're only doing your jobs. I

don't bear you any ill-will, but I

do have a small favor to ask.

CASTRO:

You want to ask us a favor?

HELENA:

A man threatened my children.

These charges have attracted a lot

of attention and it seems to be

bringing all the nut-jobs out of the

nut jar.

(beat)

Would you keep an eye out for anything

out of the ordinary. I don't know

what else to do.

GORDON:

Of course, we will.

HELENA:

Thank you.

They shut the door to the van and sit for a moment.

CASTRO:

It's probably poisoned.

Gordon takes a big sip of his.

GORDON:

It's good. Not too sweet.

CUT TO:

OMITTED:

OMITTED:

OMITTED:

EXT. TIJUANA STREET - MORNING

This is a questionable neighborhood pushed up against the

edge of poverty.

Anna hurries across the street.

EXT. JAVI'S APARTMENT BUILDING - MORNING

Anna walks up the stairs of a rundown building. She passes

two PROSTITUTES loitering in the stairwell.

She knocks on a door and Javi, half-dressed for work, answers.

He's surprised to see her.

JAVIER:

Anna. What's wrong? What do you

want?

ANNA:

I can't find Manolo.

JAVIER:

He's not here.

ANNA:

He never came home last night. Was

he with you?

JAVIER:

No.

He lets her into the apartment.

INT. JAVI'S APARTMENT - MORNING

A small, clean room with a partition for the sleeping area.

ANNA:

I'm worried. Last time he was out

late, I went through his clothes

while he was asleep.

She pulls out a plastic packet with the scorpion insignia

and 911 stamped on it.

Javier thinks a beat.

JAVIER:

I'll find him.

EXT. ALLEY - TIJUANA - DAY

Javi slams Manolo against the side of building.

JAVIER:

What the f*** are you doing?

You're supposed to be at work.

Look at you.

Manolo is sweaty and crazy-eyed.

MANOLO:

It's no problem. I was just with

everybody we work with.

JAVIER:

Oh, really. General Salazar was

there?

MANOLO:

No, but a lot of other people. You

should come. You should come out

with us.

JAVIER:

Go home. Get cleaned up. Get to

work. Salazar is heading down to

Mexico City next week and I'm not

getting left behind. Don't f***

this up.

CUT TO:

EXT. COFFEE KIOSK - TIJUANA - DAY

Javi buys a cup of coffee. He turns. Two men, who will

come to be known as AGENT HUGHES and AGENT JOHNSON, are

standing close. Agent Hughes speaks without looking at him.

HUGHES:

The word going around is you're not

that happy in your work.

(beat)

Maybe we can help.

Hughes sticks a business card in Javi's pocket. Javi watches

them walk away. It's all done so smoothly and quickly, it's

over before Javi even knows what happened.

EXT. WEST END - CINCINNATI - DAY

It's the bad part of urban Cincinnati in the daylight:

projects and blighted row houses. Seth and Caroline walk

with a slouched, alert air. In their mind's eye they are

prep-school gangsters following a familiar route.

SETH:

You know my dad takes eight red cold

pills every day? He and my mom have

cocktail hour every night, from six

to seven, set your clock, two bourbons --

CAROLINE:

Maybe we could show up and smoke a

little rock with them to unwind --

SETH:

Yeah, then some dope to take the

edge off at the end of a long day.

CAROLINE:

Have you done your homework, honey?

SETH:

Yes, mom --

CAROLINE:

Then here's a little bump.

They turn down a street with a lot of activity on it.

SETH:

Drugs weren't even a problem until a

hundred years ago when the white men

in power declared them a problem.

Opiates. But, who was using 'em?

Chinese immigrants. Slave labor.

And the darkies up in the inner cities

dancing to them evil rhythms of ju-

ju music. People on the fringe.

Artists. Decadent rich people. And

who got scared? White men in power.

Who's scared today? White men in

power. If J.P. Morgan and John D.

Rockefeller ever admitted using,

it'd be a whole different story.

TWO YOUNG STREET DEALERS fall in step with them. One talks

without moving his lips --

STREET DEALER:

What you want?

SETH:

911, and the come down.

One dealer hurries ahead toward the doorway of a falling-

down building.

STREET DEALER:

How much?

SETH:

Two hundred of C, hundred of the

other.

The dealer looks them over. He looks behind them down the

street.

CAROLINE:

Come on... We've been here before.

STREET DEALER:

Then, let's see your money.

Seth and Caroline are suspicious. They carefully show money

they both have in their front right pockets. The dealer

feints like he might grab it.

STREET DEALER:

Up the steps. You the experts. You

know what to do.

They hurry up the steps into the dingy brownstone.

INT. ROW HOUSE - DAY

They step into the narrow foyer between the outer door and

the inner door. There are three other PEOPLE waiting

nervously. An older JUNKIE shoots them a crazy look --

JUNKIE:

What are you two, about twelve?

CAROLINE:

F*** off.

They wait. Finally, the first dealer appears in the inner

door and lets them through.

INT. FIRST FLOOR CORRIDOR - DAY

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