Traffic Page #7

CUT TO:

OMITTED:

INT. SALAZAR'S HEADQUARTERS - ANTEROOM - DAY

Javi and Manolo wait in Salazar's anteroom. A ceiling fan

swirls the air. After a moment the door opens and an AIDE

motions to them. They stand.

AIDE:

(to Manolo)

Not you. You.

Javi goes into the room.

INT. SALAZAR'S OFFICE - DAY

The office is Spartan and military. Salazar and Javi sit

facing each other. Salazar looks at a piece of paper.

SALAZAR:

Javier Rodriguez. Twenty-nine years-

old. Graduated from Montessori

school. Five years as a beat cop in

TJ. Three years with the State

Police. Parents died four years ago

in their apartment from carbon

monoxide poisoning because they could

not afford to fix their gas heater.

Your sister works in a Maquiladora

in Juarez, making designer blue-jeans.

On the police force three years, you

currently make 316 dollars a month.

Salazar crumples the piece of paper and tosses it in the

trash.

SALAZAR:

That's your past. I want to talk

about your future. Would you be

willing to do something for me?

JAVIER:

If I can.

SALAZAR:

I'm trying to bust the Tijuana Cartel.

JAVIER:

What is it you want me to do?

SALAZAR:

A small thing. Nothing really.

Javier thinks about this.

JAVIER:

Does this offer include my partner?

SALAZAR:

Only if he can be trusted.

JAVIER:

He'll do what I say.

Salazar slides a folder across the desk. Javier opens it

and sees a black and white surveillance photo of the

informant.

SALAZAR:

His name is Francisco Flores. He is

a killer and gun smuggler for the

Tijuana cartel. I need to speak

with him. I need you to find him

and bring him to me so that I can

speak with him.

INT. POLICE SEDAN - DAY

Manolo faces Javier.

MANOLO:

This is f***ing crazy. Instead of

killing us, he sends us on a suicide

mission. Do you know who Frankie

Flowers is? He's a psycho-cokehead-

hitman. A f*ggot. He's killed

f***ing who knows how many people.

You'd need half the force to get

close to him. And you can't get

their help because he lives in f***ing

San Diego.

JAVIER:

Then I guess I'm going by myself.

CUT TO:

INT. AIRPLANE - DAY

Robert Wakefield sits in business class. He twists the cap

off a mini-bottle of bourbon and pours it over a cup of ice.

He empties a second bottle into the cup, then swirls it around

on the ice. He takes a sip.

INT. AIRPORT GATE - DAY

Robert exits with his briefcase and hanging bag, two SECURITY

MEN trailing him. He sees Barbara and Caroline, his wife

and daughter, waiting by the their station wagon. They wave.

INT. CAR - DAY

On the way home from the airport. Caroline drives carefully

with Barbara in the front seat and Robert in back.

ROBERT:

What's it like?

(thinks)

Imagine you're being accosted by a

swarm of beggars in the heart of

Calcutta, except the beggars are

wearing $1500 suits and they don't

say "please" or "thank you."

CAROLINE:

What about legalizing everything?

Has anybody talked about that?

ROBERT:

Fine -- legalization. Okay,

forgetting all of our international

trade agreements, legalize everything

today. The Government inserts itself

into all drug transactions. The

U.S. becomes a giant pharmacy. Our

borders are mobbed, lines of people

from here to Europe wanting to smoke,

snort and shoot themselves into

oblivion.

BARBARA:

(lightly)

Like a Grateful Dead Concert.

ROBERT:

Drugs begin pouring out of America

into every other country in the world.

Canada is completely overwhelmed.

CAROLINE:

What if every country legalized at

the same time?

ROBERT:

(smiles)

Somehow, I don't see that happening.

INT. WAKEFIELD DINING ROOM - EVENING

From the hallway we see Robert and Barbara and Caroline having

dinner. A family tableau. We hear Barbara talking, the

murmur of the days events.

In the room, Barbara continues her dinner table thoughts.

Robert has a good deal of reading material stacked on the

table.

BARBARA:

So you know we put the case before

the arbitration panel, none of whom

had any expertise. Superfund is

just one of those words. People

stop paying attention.

ROBERT:

That's frustrating.

BARBARA:

It's so frustrating.

There is wine on the table and Caroline is allowed a glass.

Her parents watch her take a responsible sip.

CAROLINE:

(to Robert)

Did you meet the President?

BARBARA:

Honey, your father knows the

President.

ROBERT:

As it happens, the President of the

United States, my new boss, the leader

of the free world, has me penciled

in for some "face time".

CAROLINE:

Will we get invited to the White

House?

ROBERT:

I don't know.

CAROLINE:

How long's the job?

ROBERT:

It's a presidential appointment so...

until I quit or get fired.

BARBARA:

Czar for life, just like a real czar.

CAROLINE:

That makes mom the Czarina. I'm a

Czarette. Like Anastasia.

Caroline thinks about this.

CAROLINE:

None of my friends can f***ing believe

my dad is the actual Drug Czar.

BARBARA:

Caroline --

CAROLINE:

Sorry, but I mean, come on.

Robert doesn't know if she's putting him down.

CAROLINE:

It's great, daddy. It's just amazing,

that's all.

They all look at each other. Caroline sips her wine.

CUT TO:

INT. SAN DIEGO JAIL - DAY

In the intake area of a busy San Diego precinct, Helena sits

on a bench and regroups. Detectives move past her.

Handcuffed criminals are separated, bagged and tagged.

beautifully dressed man, ARNIE METZGER, 30's, super- lawyer,

knows everyone from the top of the system to the bottom,

slick but likable, smart and ruthless, too, separates himself

from a DETECTIVE he's gladhanding and approaches Helena.

ARNIE:

Helena, I'm so sorry --

HELENA:

Arnie, thank God.

Metzger sits, giving her a hug.

HELENA:

Can you please tell me what on earth

is going on?

Arnie looks at her as if to say, "do you really not know?"

Then, he speaks quietly with his hand in front of his mouth.

ARNIE:

I understand. You're upset. You

want to know what's going on. That's

good.

HELENA:

Why are you talking like that?

ARNIE:

Listen to me carefully. First of

all, Carl isn't here. DEA's got him

and they'll hang on to him until

arraignment, which will probably be

tomorrow. So here you're wasting

your time. Are you with me?

He checks to see if this is registering.

ARNIE:

Good. From now on I want you to

expect that every word you utter

will be tape-recorded, that the

movement of your lips is being read.

Got it?

HELENA:

Arnie, this is crazy.

He makes eye contact with her.

ARNIE:

Got it?

(she slowly nods)

Good. Do not discuss anything over

the telephone. Do not talk to the

neighbors. Stay out of your yard.

HELENA:

What is he being charged with?

ARNIE:

I don't know, but under no

circumstances would I talk about it

here. I want you to go home and

relax the best you can. Continue

your life as if nothing has happened.

That is very important.

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