When a Stranger Calls Page #9

CLIFFORD:

(through clenched

teeth)

This is tomorrow! Now what are your

hours?

CUT TO:

INT. LT. GARBER'S OFFICE - DAY

Garber is sitting behind his desk as Clifford walks in.

GARBER:

(looking up)

Any luck?

CLIFFORD:

I've come to say goodbye, and thank

you.

GARBER:

You found him?

CLIFFORD:

I think so.

GARBER:

Where?

Pause.

CLIFFORD:

From here on, I go it alone.

GARBER:

What's the point of chancing it,

Cliff? We'll let you take the credit.

CLIFFORD:

No.

Pause. Clifford sits down.

CLIFFORD:

I'm going to kill him, Charlie.

Garber leans forward in his chair and stares at Clifford. A

long moment passes. A button on the lieutenant's phone lights

up and the intercom buzzes. Garber doesn't even look down at

it. The button flashes on and off, on and off. Finally it

stops.

CLIFFORD:

The closer I get to this guy, the

more I... It gets to me. I don't

know...

GARBER:

I think you'd better go on home,

Cliff. You've fallen in.

CLIFFORD:

No. Not this time. This is the case

that makes up for a whole career. If

you can't understand it now, you

will in a few years.

Pause. Garber considers another tack and follows it.

GARBER:

What part does money play in all

this? Play straight with me.

Clifford is stunned by the question, but he tries to be

casual.

CLIFFORD:

(shrugging)

For what I'm being paid, it's not

out of line.

GARBER:

Who's hired you for this?

Clifford glares at his friend and doesn't answer.

GARBER:

(cynically)

So you're a hitman now.

CLIFFORD:

(passionately)

He murdered two kids in cold blood.

You were there, too.

Garber doesn't have to be reminded of his own feelings. He

doesn't pursue the argument.

GARBER:

You could get busted.

CLIFFORD:

I understand that.

GARBER:

What are you going to use?

CLIFFORD:

Jimmy needles.

Garber nods slowly, considering it a good choice of weapons

at least.

GARBER:

You're stretching our friendship,

Cliff. If you blow this at all --

CLIFFORD:

You'll never hear from me again.

Garber looks away for a moment. When he looks back, he just

shrugs his shoulders, "washes his hands".

GARBER:

Take your time. Do it right.

CLIFFORD:

Don't worry.

GARBER:

Do you need any help preparing for

this thing?

CLIFFORD:

(standing up)

I'm ready. I'm just trying to think

where he could be in the meantime.

CUT TO:

INT. COFFEE SHOP - DAY

A few customers sit quietly minding their own business. A

WAITRESS leans near the cash register at one end of the

counter. A transistor radio plays country music blues. The

waitress looks up as somebody enters.

WAITRESS:

What happened to you?

DUNCAN (O.S.)

Coffee.

It is Duncan. He moves to the counter and sits.

WAITRESS:

You get mugged?

DUNCAN:

Black.

Snubbed, the waitress comes back and sets the cup in front

of him. She looks down at the change on the counter. There

isn't enough.

WAITRESS:

Coffee's twenty-seven.

Duncan looks up at her resentfully.

WAITRESS:

(pulling away the cup)

Coffee's twenty-seven cents. Ya got

it or don't ya?

Duncan glares at her. He doesn't have it.

WAITRESS:

Okay, buster, one cup. On the house.

She pushes the cup back to him. Some of the coffee spills

onto the counter.

WAITRESS:

Drink it and be on your way.

Duncan slowly reaches for the cup, raises it to his lips.

WAITRESS:

You're welcome.

Duncan stops, sets the cup down, pushes it away from him and

slowly rises from his seat.

DUNCAN:

No, thank you.

Duncan and the waitress stand face to face, shooting darts

at each other. Then a MAN sitting two seats away reaches

over and places a quarter on the counter between them.

The waitress looks at the man irritatedly, then picks up the

money and moves away.

Duncan slowly sits down again. He pulls the cup back to

himself, then turns and looks at the man for a long moment,

unable to express his gratitude.

CUT TO:

EXT. CITY STREETS - DUSK

A series of shots of BUMS, "homeless persons", hanging out,

in alleys, in the doorways of old buildings, sitting on the

sidewalk in front of liquor stores.

Then we see Duncan, alone but looking no different from the

others. He is panhandling PASSERSBY, without much success.

We see him fall into a fit of coughing that incapacitates

him for several seconds. He's obviously getting sicker.

We lose sight of Duncan as our MONTAGE continues. We see

Clifford talking to a BUM, then another. He is passing the

time combing the streets in the neighborhood of the bar.

PARK - DUSK

A handful of BUMS are sitting together on the grass passing

a bottle in a brown paper bag. Duncan is not among them, but

Cheater is there, sitting at the end of the line.

CAMERA PANS from one bum to the next as the bottle is passed.

By the time it gets to Cheater, it is empty. Cheater looks

as if he's about to cry like a baby when a hand enters the

frame from the other side -- the hand holding out to Cheater

a full bottle of wine. Cheater takes the bottle and looks up

gratefully... to see John Clifford standing beside him.

CHEATER:

Well! I can't say much for your

protocol, but your timing's dead on.

Here's to you, pardner.

Cheater takes a long drink, then passes the bottle back down

the line.

CLIFFORD:

(to all the bums)

I'm looking for an old buddy of mine,

English fella. Name's Crazy Curt.

Any of you guys seen him?

Nobody responds.

CLIFFORD:

I owe him some money.

CHEATER:

Aaahh. Show me an honest man...

CLIFFORD:

(gesturing)

Stands about so. Brown hair. Face

kind of banged up. Was in an accident.

CHEATER:

Oh, yeah? I was just with that guy,

not more'n an hour ago. Looked bad.

Crazy Curt, huh?

CLIFFORD:

Where?

Cheater scratches his head, and glances anxiously down the

line.

CHEATER:

Hell, I can't remember. Prob'bly see

him again though. Tell you what. You

leave the money with me, I'll see he

gets it... as a favor to you.

Clifford shakes his head.

CLIFFORD:

I have to talk to him.

CHEATER:

Whatsa matter? You don't trust me?

I'll have you know I used to be a

college professor. We can work

together.

Clifford stands to go. The bottle comes back to Cheater,

three-quarters down.

CLIFFORD:

Sure. Keep the bottle. I'll be back.

CHEATER:

"Long life to the grape! For when

summer is flown, The age of our nectar

Shall gladden our own." That's

Shelley, you know.

Clifford is gone. Cheater takes a long drink and almost

forgets that Clifford was ever there.

CUT TO:

INT. CLIFFORD'S APARTMENT - NIGHT

Clifford is "suiting up" for his night's work. He is dressed

casually -- blue jeans, shirt open at the neck, sports jacket,

Adidas running shoes. He looks at himself in the mirror, is

satisfied. Then he picks up from the dresser two awl-like

instruments with short handles and long, glistening tapered

needlepoints -- his weapons. He slides them into a leather

sheath inside his jacket and turns to go.

CUT TO:

EXT. BAR - NIGHT

It is lit up inside. The bar is open for business. Across

the street in a dark space between two buildings, Duncan is

waiting, watching the front door of the bar to see who comes

out.

INT. BAR

The place is empty but for Hank who half watches the

television over the bar, and Tracy who sits alone in a corner.

Several moments pass as both of them sit and wait.

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