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Gayton, Tony
The Salton Sea
Punk-rocking speed freak Danny Parker (Val Kilmer) freelances as an informant for brutal narcotics cops Al Garcetti (Anthony LaPaglia) and Gus Morgan (Doug Hutchison). But when he's not assisting the cops on drug busts, Danny gets high and leads a double life as a talented, mild-mannered trumpeter named Tom Van Allen. One personality is in search of his wife's killer, but reality is evasive in director P.J. Caruso's neo-noir crime thriller.
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This moviescript available in following formats:
Gayton, Tony. The Salton Sea
Salton Sea, The Script
INT. RESIDENTIAL HOTEL ROOM - NIGHT
A MAN recumbent on the bed, playing a TRUMPET, his white dress shirt
defaced by a flower of blood. The room is ON FIRE all around him.
He is playing Miles Davis’ moody, Spanish-influenced SAETA, a haunting
and lonely piece.
DANNY (V.O.)
My name is Tom Van Allen ...
(beat)
or Danny Flynne ...
A DUFFLE BAG FULL OF MONEY ON THE BED. The money burning, tiny flaming
pieces floating around the room.
DANNY (cont’d)
... I don’t know anymore.
(beat)
Maybe I’ll let you decide. Maybe you
can help me, friend. As you can see,
I don’t have a hell of a lot of time left.
A PHOTOGRAPH of a woman taped to the inside of a trumpet case. The
photo is on fire. Only her smile remains.
DANNY (cont’d)
Avenging angel ... Judas Iscariot ...
Loving husband ... Prodigal Son ...
The prince of Denmark ...?
A GREETING CARD on the floor, a teddy bear and the word,
CONGRATULATIONS! on the front. The wind from the fire blows the card
open. Inside, a BLACKENED BLOOD STAIN.
DANNY (cont’d)
All of these? None of these? You
decide, friend. You decide. Trumpet
player? Speed freak?
(beat)
Speed freak.
(beat)
That’s as good a place as any.
(beat)
But first, a little background on the
mad world of the tweaker ..
FADE OUT.
FADE IN.
INT. LABORATORY - DAY
EXTREME CLOSE-UP of a glass pipette dripping a clear liquid into a
glass beaker.
DANNY (V.O.)
Methedrene was first distilled by a
Japanese scientist before WWII.
Hand it to the Japanese, they knew a
good thing when they saw it.
INT. JAPANESE ZERO - DAY
A wide-eyed, jaw-grinding KAMIKAZE PILOT with a death-grip on the
controls.
DANNY (V.O.)
This guy’s so tweaked, he probably thinks
he can survive this without a scratch.
STOCK BATTLE FOOTAGE - a Japanese Zero crashes into a battleship,
bursting into a ball of flames.
DANNY (V.O.)
Maybe not.
(beat)
By some estimates, 2% of the Japanese
population had a meth problem after
the war: factory workers, soldiers,
pilots. Maybe that’s why it took two
bombs to get ’em to surrender. A
nuclear blast is just a minor
nuisance to a determined tweaker.
INT. HOUSE - DAY
A wide-eyed, June Cleaveresque housewife in a picture-perfect white
dress vacuums the floor of a picture-perfect house.
DANNY (V.O)
In the fifties, the housewives got
ahold of it. Dexedrine. Benzedrine.
Methedrene ...
She attacks the same spot over and over again, one hand clutching the
vacuum, the other stiffly holding a cigarette.
DANNY (cont’d)
Now that’s a classic speed freak for
you, skinny and cleaning the house. I’ll
bet her poor husband never knew what
hit him in the sack either.
INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT
THE LEG OF THE BED rattling and bouncing loudly off the floor.
STOCK FOOTAGE - J.F.K. pumping the hand of NIKITA KRUSCHEV.
DANNY (V.O.)
There were even rumors that one of
our presidents dabbled with
mysterious "energy shots". Imagine
that: a slammer in the White House.
Kennedy talking animatedly.
DANNY (cont’d)
If it’s true, I’ll bet ol’ Krushchev
never got a word in edgewise.
EXT. TRUCK STOP PARKING LOT - NIGHT
A sleepy-eyed TRUCKER emerges from his tractor-trailer and approaches a
loitering HELL’S ANGELS-type.
DANNY (V.O.)
By the late 60’s the government
finally cracked down and sent the
whole thing underground. Bikers
controlled the market for a while.
INT. TRACTOR-TRAILER - NIGHT
The trucker gripping the wheel with the same death-grip as the
Kamikaze.
DANNY (V.O.)
But now anyone with a basic chemistry
kit and the right ingredients can
cook it up at home.
INT. PHARMACY - NIGHT
A CASHIER scanning container after container of COLD MEDICATION.
DANNY (V.O.)
Ever see a long-haired tattooed freak
buying up all the cold medicine he
can lay his hands on at three in the morning.
The cashier looks up at the aforementioned FREAK, a frozen grin
plastered on his face.
DANNY (cont’d)
Take it from me, he ain’t got no
cold. He’s a cook. Look in his
kitchen and you’ll find a whole
grocery list of unsavory ingredients.
INT. KITCHEN - NIGHT
TRACK DOWN the kitchen counter on various containers.
DANNY (V.O.)
Drain cleaner, hydrochloric acid,
match heads for red phosphorus,
ether and of course the cold
medicine .. that’s for Ephedrene,
soon to become Methedrene
CONTINUE TRACKING to a series of BURNERS, BEAKERS and TUBING
DANNY (cont’d)
This guy’s a regular Julia Child.
Problem is, I’ll be even Miss Julia
fucks up the bouillabaisse from time to time.
The freaky cook sees something he doesn’t like. His eyes widen.
DANNY (cont’d)
Oh-oh.
EXT. TRAILER - NIGHT
As the structure explodes.
INT. PARTY HOUSE - UNKNOWN
Thick blankets and tinfoil taped over the windows.
A huge container of empty beer cans, washed and neatly arranged.
Lines of crystal meth on a mirror as precisely arranged as Nails as the
Nuremberg rally.
A GROUP OF TWEAKERS in the middle of a binge.
Two skinny women, NANCY and Teresa bent over a drawer-full of neatly
folded socks on the living room floor. They stare at the drawer as if
they were pondering a Rembrandt.
NANCY
It ain’t right
TERESA
You think?
NANCY
Something’s off.
TERESA
We can do better.
They take the socks out and being rearranging them again.
Three guys squeezed onto a couch together: KUJO, JIMMY THE FINN and
CREEPER. Kujo is talking a blue-streak. He makes Dennis Leary took
mealy-mouthed.
Creeper and Jimmy stare straight ahead, clearly bugging.
KUJO
So the alphabet, I mean look at it,
there’s 26 letters. Why not 27 or 28
or 106? And the vowels: a, e, i, o, u.
What the hell is up with that?
CREEPER
And sometimes y.
KUJO
What I’m saying is that I love it!
It’s great. I could go on all night about it.
And he does.
KUJO (cont’d)
Let’s take every letter individually.
I mean, let’s really break the
mother’s down.
DANNY is sitting in an armchair. He is the only one who looks tired.
He sits there, taking the scene in.
ALL SOUNDS FADE OUT
DANNY (V.O.)
And so this is where I find myself.
No. I should choose my words more
wisely: this is the world I sought
out. The land of the perpetual night-
party. Day swallowing night and
night swallowing day. The crank
compressing time like some divine
piston on its awesome downstroke.
DANNY’S P.O.V. - SCANNING THE ROOM. NO SOUND. The girl’s folding the
socks ... Kujo ranting on ... Creeper and Jimmy the Finn grinding their
jaws ... the BLANKETS AND TINFOIL ON THE WINDOWS.
DANNY (cont’d)
We’ve been at this for three days ...
or is it four? Tweakerrs, lokers,
slammers coming and going, swearing
eternal allegiance and undying love
for one another, only to wake up
after the binge and realize you
wouldn’t walk across the street to
piss on one of ’em if their head was on fire.
(beat)
Is it three days or is it four?
BACK ON DANNY. He blinks lethargically.
DANNY (cont’d)
I know what you’re thinking. But
don’t give up on me just yet. And
for God’s sake, don’t pity me. Don’t
make any judgments until you’ve seen
my whole story.
(beat)
And keep your eyes open.
(beat)
Nothing is what it seems.
Suddenly ...
KUJO (O.S.)
OH SHIT! WE’RE OUT OF DRUGS!
INT. PARTY HOUSE - NIGHT
Danny and Jimmy the Finn walking towards the front door.
DANNY
How the hell did we get this detail?
JIMMY
Guess it’s our turn.
Danny nods.
DANNY
What time is it?
JIMMY
Twelve
DANNY
Midnight?
EXT. PARTY HOUSE - DAY
As the door opens, Danny discovers that it is TWELVE NOON and the sun
is blazing.
The party house is revealed as a cheap stucco apartment building
crammed in the middle of BUSY BUSINESS DISTRICT at a major
intersection.
Jimmy and Danny slip on sunglasses and brave the light.
DANNY
Where to?
JIMMY
I know a guy.
DANNY
Lead the way.
They slink along like two albino rat vampires with sunglasses.
JIMMY
Nice day
DANNY
I hadn’t noticed.
(beat)
I’ve seen you around. What’s your name?
JIMMY
Jimmy. Everyone calls me Jimmy the Finn.
DANNY
Why’s that?
JIMMY
My features. They’re Finnish.
DANNY
You don’t say.
JIMMY
Finland is a country.
DANNY
Well, Jimmy the Finn, let’s go score some gack.
INT. CHEAP MOTEL ROOM - DAY
Danny and Jimmy standing there looking at something OFF SCREEN. Danny
and Jimmy looking at one another, then back at what they were looking
at.
A GUY sitting on the bed in his underwear, looking down at his left arm
and holding a can of BUG SPRAY at the ready in his right hand.
He is completely motionless, studying his arm with hypnotic intensity.
JIMMY
Bobby?
BOBBY
Shhh.
Bobby never takes his eyes off his arm.
BOBBY (cont’d)
(whispering)
They’re coming.
JIMMY
(likewise whispering)
What?
BOBBY
The spiders.
Bobby readies the can of bug spray, his eyes widening.
BOBBY (cont’d)
(sing-song)
I’m ready for you this time.
Bobby lets loose with the spray, dousing his arm.
BOBBY
Aha! Yeah!
(super rapid-fire)
You thought you could fuck with
Bobby, you thought you could fuck
with Bobby, you thought you could
fuck with Bobby!
Bobby’s mouth wide with stupid joy and continues to cloud the air with
bug spray.
BOBBY (cont’d)
With Bobby you thought you could fuck?
Danny and Jimmy wait silently. Bobby finally stops spraying, satisfied
he has killed the imaginary spiders.
He looks up at Jimmy and Danny, his eyes swimming with stupid, drug-
addled confusion.
BOBBY (cont’d)
Who the fuck are you?
JIMMY
It’s me ... Jimmy
Bobby squints.
BOBBY
Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy. Rhymes with Simmy.
JIMMY
Yeah.
BOBBY
What can I do for you?
JIMMY
Um, coupla’ eight balls oughta do us.
Danny and Jimmy notice something simultaneously.
There is something under the mattress - A HUGE BULGE.
BOBBY
Don’t pay her no mind.
A MUFFLED MOAN from under Bobby. She is between the mattress and the
box springs.
BOBBY (cont’d)
Shut the hell up, goddamit!
Bobby starts slapping the top of the mattress with his hand. New
MUFFLED SCREAMS from underneath.
BOBBY (cont’d)
I got no vocation skills! What the
fuck you want from me?
(keeps slapping)
I got no vocation skills!
JIMMY
Hey man, take it easy.
Bobby immediately stops. Looks at Jimmy with incredulity.
BOBBY
What?
JIMMY
Come on. Ease off the girl.
Bobby springs from the bed, grabbing something as he rises.
Danny and Jimmy suddenly staring at a SPEARGUN which is loaded with two
stainless steel spears.
Bobby stands there alternately pointing the speargun at Jimmy, then
Danny.
BOBBY
Did you bring the plastic men?
Bobby nods towards something behind Danny. Danny and Jimmy don’t move
or speak.
BOBBY (cont’d)
Did you bring the plastic men?
(beat)
Did you bring the plastic men?
Bobby rubs his nose.
BOBBY
Did ... you ... bring ... the ... plastic ... men?
DANNY
Nah, we didn’t bring ’em. That’s
just your good crank talking, brother.
Bobby tilts his head.
DANNY (cont’d)
We were hoping to catch a few ourselves
if you’ll hook us up.
BOBBY
(calmer)
You bring the plastic men?
DANNY
Like I said.
JIMMY
Fuck man. Come on, Bobby.
BOBBY
Bobby, Bobby, Bobby. Rhymes with ...
(he draws a blank)
DANNY
Hobby?
Bobby twists a smile, revealing speed-blackened teeth.
BOBBY
That’s a good man. I like that.
DANNY
(calmly)
Hey, Bobby, look .. What you got
going with your old lay, it’s none
of our business. We’re just a couple
of dope fiends trying to score.
Bobby lowers his speargun.
BOBBY
Two eight balls?
Jimmy breaths a sigh of relief.
EXT. CHEAP MOTEL ROOM - DAY
Danny and Jimmy exit the room, closing the door behind them. Danny
looks at Jimmy.
DANNY
Nice dealer you got there, Jimmy.
JIMMY
Oh ... that. Ah, he was just juiced.
He wouldn’t have did nothin’
WHAP, WHAP! Two spears plunge through the cheap door, stopping inches
from Danny’s head.
They run like hell.
EXT. SKY - DAY
TIME LAPSE. The sun plunges down. The sky turns black. The moon
races up and down. The sky lightens. The sun races up and down.
Night comes again.
INT. PARTY HOUSE - NIGHT
Everyone crashing. Jonestown, post Kool-Aid. It looks like they have
all simultaneously fallen asleep where they were standing or sitting.
Danny stirs awake. Looks around. He stretches. KNOCKING OVER A
BOTTLE OF BEER.
ALL OTHER SOUND FADES OUT AS the beer SPLATTER to the floor. IT IS
UNNATURALLY LOUD.
DANNY staring intently at the spilling liquid.
The beer pools up on the floor.
Danny transfixed by the image.
The last few drops of beer LOUDLY splashing down.
EXT PAYPHONE - NIGHT
Danny on the phone.
DANNY
C.I. number 678-43K-107
(beat)
Tanner and Garcetti
He hangs up.
EXT. ALLEY - NIGHT
Danny waiting in the shadows.
A car, sans headlights, pulls into the alley and stops.
Danny emerges from the shadows, opens the back door and lays on the
back seat.
INT. CAR - SAME
Two guys in suits in the front, TANNER and GARCETTI. Tanner. blue eyes
and SHAVED HEAD, an air of ex-military around him. Garcetti: swarthly
and serious, a MIASMA OF BAD-ASS ATTITUDE.
DANNY
(lying on the back seat)
I’ve got a hot one.
TANNER
You go, boy.
DANNY
If it’s all the same to you, I’d
rather not dish right here in the
middle of Crankville.
Tanner drives out of the alley.
TANNER
Feeling the paranoia tonight, are we?
DANNY
Well, you know what they say, just
because you’re paranoid, doesn’t mean
everyone’s not out to slice your
balls off and shove ’em down your throat.
EXT. PART - NIGHT
Danny, Tanner and Garcetti outside the car in a deserted park. Danny
pacing.
TANNER
You got a name?
DANNY
Bobby, rhymes with hobby.
TANNER
What?
DANNY
Never mind. Dude had a backfull of
jailhouse tatts.
QUICK FLASHES OF BOBBY’S TATTOOS.
TANNER
No last name?
DANNY
It was all pretty informal. Didn’t
have a lot of time to exchange
pleasantries.
Garcetti produces something from the front seat of the car and trudges
over.
GARCETTI
This the guy?
DANNY
It speaks!
The humorless Garcetti hands Danny a "WANTED POSTER". Bobby’s mug shot
glaring.
DANNY
That’s him. He’s a lot prettier in
person though.
GARCETTI
Cut to the fucking chase, Flynne.
DANNY
Dude is bugging. Transparent
spiders, plastic men - the whole nine yards.
GARCETTI
What’s he holding?
FLASHBACK - INT. CHEAP MOTEL ROOM - DAY
Bobby’s hand extracting the eightballs from a nylon bag full of meth.
DANNY (O.S.)
Couple of eightballs, maybe more.
QUICK SHOT of an open drawer. A GUN can be glimpsed inside.
DANNY (cont’d)
Cheap ass techno knockoff in the
drawer with extra mags.
ANOTHER QUICK GLIMPSE of the closet. A shotgun butt visable
DANNY (cont’d)
12 gauge in the closet.
TANNER (O.S.)
Any company?
The WOMAN’S HAND protruding from underneath the mattress.
DANNY (O.S.)
Alas, the lovely Mrs. Bobby was
playing the bologna in a Posturpedic sandwich
(beat)
And there was a kid.
A SILHOUETTE visible through a crack in the BATHROOM DOOR.
TANNER (O.S.)
A kid? Are you sure?
A BEAT-UP ELMO DOLL and SOME COLORING BOOKS on top of the dresser.
EXT. PARK - NIGHT
Back on Danny.
DANNY
Yeah. Pretty sure.
(beat)
Oh yeah ... he had a spear gun, too.
TANNER
God damn, Flynne, you are one observant tweaker.
DANNY
Somebody has to help you lazy bastards.
Garcetti looks at Danny with contempt. They head back to the car.
DANNY (cont’d)
Hey Tanner ... you be careful, okay?
TANNER
Danny, I’m touched.
DANNY
Don’t be. I’m worried about the kid.
GARCETTI
Then why didn’t you help the kid when
you were there?
DANNY
Hey, you want me to do all your work
for you, numbnuts?
Garcetti throws Danny up against the car. Nose-to-nose.
GARCETTI
I’ll tell you why you didn’t help -
because you’re a chickenshit tweaking
snitch. You’re a bottom feader,
Flynne.
DANNY
Garcetti, you’re teeth, they’re fucking perfect.
Garcetti lets Danny go. Stomps off.
DANNY
You’re welcome.
EXT. CHEAP MOTEL ROOM - DAY
A GAGGLE OF ONLOOKERS, including a NEWS CREW, watching from the parking
lot.
BOBBY’S WOMAN screaming at the top of her lungs as she tries to get a
Bobby’s sheet-covered body.
A SWAT TEAM packing up nearby. One of them suddenly does a graceful
little Tai-Chi gesture.
A LITTLE GIRL clutches at the screaming woman’s legs.
REVEAL DANNY, amongst the onlookers. His expression gives nothing
away.
A ribbon of blood snakes from Bobby’s body, over the parking lot curb
and runs into a storm drain.
As the blood SPLATTERS to the bottom, mixing with a pool of filthy
water. THE SOUND IS UNNATURALLY LOUD.
INT. RESIDENTIAL HOTEL - GARDENA - NIGHT.
The place cries out "YOU HAVE FINALLY HIT THE ABSOLUTE BOTTOM!"
Danny exist the stairwell and approaches his door.
A WOMAN ONE DOOR DOWN FROM DANNY’S ROOM struggles with her groceries.
When she goes to open the door, one of the bags breaks, spilling its
contents onto the floor.
Danny walks over.
DANNY
(approaching)
Let me help you with those.
She scoops up the groceries and hurries into her room. Slamming the
door behind her.
DANNY (cont’d)
(loud through the door)
And to think Miss Manner was
living down the hall from me and I
didn’t even know it!
There is a can on the floor. Danny bends down to pick it up.
DANNY (cont’d)
Hey, you left a can of ...
He looks at the can.
INSERT - CAN
The label is in CHINESE.
DANNY (cont’d)
... some Chinese looking shit out here.
No reaction.
DANNY (cont’d)
I’ll just leave it by the door here.
(beat)
I’m going now!
After a moment, the door swings open. Danny is holding the can out
with a big smile on his face.
DANNY (cont’d)
You really oughta be more careful.
This is not a good neighborhood.
The woman smiles. A pretty smile. Sad too.
WOMAN
I was rude. I’m sorry. I’m kinda new around here.
DANNY
You did the right thing.
(handing the can over)
What is this stuff anyway?
WOMAN
Fermented soybean curd.
DANNY
Yummy.
She smiles again. World-weary. Sweet. Those eyes. Sad. Sexy. Sad
and sexy.
DANNY (cont’d)
My name is Danny Flynne.
(off her silence)
And you are?
WOMAN
Colette Aragon. Thank you, Danny.
She closes the door abruptly.
INT. RESIDENTAL HOTEL ROOM - NIGHT
The burning room from the opening scene. Danny’s dirty clothes on the
bed.
He emerges from the shower, a towel wrapped around his waist. There is
a BIG STAR-SHAPED SCAR on Danny’s shoulder.
He walks over to the closet, takes a METAL LOCKBOX from the top shelf
and puts it on the bed.
Pulls a key from his pocket and unlocks the box. He sits there staring
at the contents for a moment, then gingerly takes them out ...
... CLOTHES. A white dress shirt, black slacks and wingtips.
INT. RESIDENTIAL HOTEL ROOM - NIGHT
Danny dresses in his clothes, combing his hair. He goes back in the
lock box and pulls something else out ...
... A TRUMPET CASE. He walks over to the cheap vanity and sits down in
front of the mirror and stars for a very long time.
DANNY
My name is Tom Van Allen
(beat)
I play the trumpet.
He slowly opens the trumpet case revealing a GLEAMING HORN inside.
Runs his fingers along the length of it and up to ...
... A PHOTO OF A WOMAN taped to the inside of the lid. A self-
conscious smile on her face like she’s uncomfortable with having her
picture taken.
DANNY (cont’d)
(distant)
My name is Tom Van Allen. I play the trumpet.
He takes the trumpet from the case - A CHECK from a LIFE INSURANCE
COMPANY and a DRIVER’S LICENSE with Danny’s picture and the name TOM
VAN ALLEN.
DANNY (cont’d)
My name is Tom Van Allen and I play the trumpet.
He starts to play. "Saeta" again.
AN IMAGE appears on THE BLANK WALL BESIDE HIM. MOVE OFF DANNY AND UP
TO THE IMAGE.
IN THE IMAGE - A HUGE LAKE in the middle of the DESERT. CONTINUE
MOVING IN ON IMAGE AS WE CUT TO ...
EXT. SALTON SEA - SUNSET (FLASHBACK)
Danny and THE WOMAN FROM THE PHOTOGRAPH sitting on the shore. Watching
the sunset. She is his wife, LIZ.
Danny playing "SAETA" on his trumpet.
Danny and Liz are alone, except for the myriad birds, silhouetted by
the falling sun.
A gust of wind rushes across the lake, blowing Liz’s hair all around
her face.
A dying fish on the waterline, gills pumping for oxygen.
Danny finishes playing.
Silence.
IMPORTANT: DANNY WILL BE KNOWN AS TOM IN THIS SCENE.
LIZ
That’s so ...
(not finishing the word)
DANNY / TOM
Melancholy?
LIZ
Yes, it hurts my heart. What a
beautiful composition.
DANNY/TOM
And the performance?
LIZ
(goofing)
A virtuoso rendition. TOM VAN ALLEN
is nothing short of dazzling in his
interpretation of Miles Davis’
haunting, moody piece.
DANNY/TOM
Thank you. Thank you very much.
LIZ
And he has a really hot ass with hardly
any hair on it.
DANNY/TOM
Again, I thank you.
LIZ
I was talking about Miles.
Danny playfully tackles her to the ground.
DANNY/TOM
You, madam, are a heartless wench.
LIZ
And you’ve got wiener breath.
DANNY/TOM
Really?
LIZ
It’s that disgusting hot dog you had for lunch.
Danny starts kissing her over and over again.
LIZ
(laughing)
Tom! Gross!
She finally pushes him off. He rolls off of her and snuggles up next
to her, spooning her in the sand.
DANNY/TOM
You know how I make that song
melancholy when I play it?
I think of what my life would be like
without you.
Liz smiles, snuggles closer to Danny.
LIZ
Tom, let’s spend the night here.
DANNY/TOM
There’s no motels around here.
LIZ
No. Right here on the beach. Come
on. Let’s do it.
INT. RESIDENTIAL HOTEL ROOM - NIGHT
Danny sitting at the vanity holding the trumpet. THE IMAGE IS STILL
PROJECTED ON THE WALL BEHIND HIM.
DANNY
(at the vanity, whispering)
Okay, we’ll stay. We’ll stay.
NOW THE DANNY IN THE IMAGE ANSWERS ....
DANNY/TOM
(on the beach)
Come on, Liz. We’ll get eaten alive.
DANNY
(at the vanity, softly)
No ... We’ll stay.
BACK ON THE IMAGE as Danny and Liz walk away from the shore.
The sun sinks completely below the horizon.
A long fish hawk floats on the last of the thermals.
The dying fish breaths its last.
Danny (at the vanity) closes his eyes.
SERIES OF QUICK CUTS
The trumpet goes back in the case.
The lid is closed.
The case goes back in the box.
The neatly folded clothes are laid on top.
The box goes back to the shelf.
The light in the closet is turned off.
FADE OUT.
FADE IN.
EXT. DESERTED PARK - NIGHT
Danny and Tanner sitting across from one another at a picnic table.
Tanner writing serial numbers down as he counts out SEVERAL HUNDRED
DOLLAR BILLS.
Danny watching silently.
Tanner puts the bills in an envelope, licks the flap, seals it and
slides it over to Danny, who doesn’t touch it.
The envelope lays there between them for the following conversation.
DANNY
You think I’m a Judas?
TANNER
Hard to compare the people you’re
taking down with the Lord.
DANNY
Garcetti thinks I’m a pile of shit.
TANNER
Garcetti thinks everything is shit.
He doesn’t even like dolphins.
Danny smiles.
TANNER (cont’d)
I’m serious. He hates ’em. You ever
hear of anyone who didn’t like dolphins?
Tanner shakes his head and smiles.
DANNY
Thanks for not judging me.
TANNER
It’s not my place.
DANNY
Don’t you wonder why I do it?
TANNER
The money? The drugs? Keeping yourself
out of jail? I know the drill.
DANNY
You don’t find that repugnant?
TANNER
Just the way the world works. Look,
as far as tweakers go, you aren’t a
bad guy. You never hurt anyone but
yourself as far as I know.
DANNY
Tell that to Bobby ... and his wife and kid.
TANNER
Bobby laid his own tracks. He could
have gone quietly but he played the
hard-ass con till the end. And as
far as I’m concerned, he wife and
kid are a hell of a lot better off
without him.
(beat)
Now take the money.
Danny stuffs the money into his jacket.
TANNER (cont’d)
One think I do want to know is how
the hell did you get yourself into
this position to start with? You
seem like a smart enough guy.
DANNY
It’s a long story. Maybe I’ll tell
you all about it some day.
Garcetti emerges from the men’s room, zipping up.
DANNY (cont’d)
Hey, Garcetti ... You ever get
confused and try to flush yourself?
Garcetti
(all business)
You tell him?
TANNER
I was getting to it.
DANNY
(to Tanner)
Tell me what?
GARCETTI
I’ll tell him.
DANNY
(worried)
Tell me what?
Garcetti sits down next to Danny. Sighs.
GARCETTI
(mock concern)
Danny, it’s really pains me to have to
tell you this, but do you remember
DOMINGO, that wetback you helped us
put away for trafficking a few months back?
DANNY
Yeah. What about him?
GARCETTI
Turns out he’s connected.
DANNY
To who?
GARCETTI
The Mexicali Boys
DANNY
And what does this have to do with me?
Garcetti puts his hand on Danny’s shoulder, really playing it up.
GARCETTI
He knows somebody ratted him.
DANNY
What?!
GARCETTI
And he’s making a lot of noise about
having his homies hang a Colombian
necktie on whoever it was.
Garcetti leans in close
GARCETTI (cont’d)
You know that thing where they slit
your throat and pull your tongue out
of the hole.
Danny knocks Garcetti’s hand away and stands up. Garcetti stalks him.
GARCETTI (cont’d)
Apparently they call it a necktie
because it hangs down about yay long
and looks very similar to a tie.
Isn’t that weird, Danny? Isn’t that
weird?
DANNY
Shut up, Garcetti!
Danny turns to Tanner
DANNY
If he finds out it’s me, I’m a dead man.
TANNER
Danny, he isn’t gonna find out it’s
you. Domingo was a slinger, he must
have sold to hundreds of different people.
Danny paces back and forth.
TANNER (cont’d)
And if you’re that worried about it,
maybe you ought to get out of town.
DANNY
How the hell am I gonna do that? You
guys are still stringing me a long on
that possession charge.
GARCETTI
(mock surprise)
You mean that hasn’t been cleared up yet?
Garcetti chuckles at Danny’s fear
DANNY
Fuck you, Garcetti. I been at this
for almost a year. I’ve done
everything you guys have asked of me.
GARCETTI
Anyone ever ask you to be such a
disrespectful smart-ass all the time?
TANNER
Look, we’ll talk to the A.D.A.
DANNY
When?
TANNER
Soon. I promise. We’ll get the
charges dropped and you can
disappear. In the mean time, trust
me, he has no idea that you ratted him out.
EXT. CEMETERY - NIGHT
Danny sitting cross-legged in front of a gravestone.
A PICKUP TRUCK slowly winds its way up the access road towards Danny.
Danny stands up. Dusts his pants off.
The truck stops nearby. The strains of GARTH BROOKS from inside.
Danny approaches. The passenger’s side window rolls down revealing ...
... A BAD-ASSED ASIAN DUDE behind the wheel. He wears a cowboy hat and
a rodeo belt. He looks like the Chinese Marlboro man. This is BUBBA.
An AIRBRUSH painting on the door panel - a bad likeness of Bubba
astride a horse, dressed as a cowboy with a huge-breasted Pamela
Anderson-type on the saddle behind him.
DANNY
(checking out the painting)
Ride ’em cowboy)
BUBBA
(southern twang)
You like that?
DANNY
Who wouldn’t?
BUBBA
First rate, ain’t it?
DANNY
It’s downright classy is what it is.
Bubba fires up a cigarette, revealing a pock-marked face. He carries a
gun in a tooled leather shoulder holster.
DANNY (cont’d)
You consider my presentation?
BUBBA
Get in, hoss. We’ll talk it over.
Danny climbs in. The window goes back up. As the care pulls away, we
...
... MOVE back over to the gravestone.
The stone reads: "ELIZABETH VAN ALLEN. BELOVED WIFE"
EXT. THE CINDER BLOCK BAR - NIGHT
A non-descript. cinder block bar. No windows. No frills.
INT. CINDER BLOCK BAR - SAME
Danny sitting at the bar, nursing a drink. He looks nervous, eyes
darting around for potential assassins.
He has nothing to worry about with this crowd, harmless alcoholics all.
Jimmy The Finn enters and approaches Danny. Danny signals for Jimmy to
go to the back, then gets up and follows him, carrying two beers.
DANNY
Jimmy, you don’t look so hot.
Jimmy has dark circles under his eyes.
JIMMY
I’m hurting.
DANNY
You on a roll?
JIMMY
Was. I’m on the fucking ghost train
right now, man. You got anything for
me?
DANNY
Sorry.
JIMMY
Why does it have to feel so bad?
DANNY
You’re brain is in reverse mode ...
cutting off your supply of dopamine.
Here. Have a beer.
Jimmy sighs, scratches his arms. They are all scabbed up.
DANNY (cont’d)
You see the crank bugs?
JIMMY
Oh yeah.
(guzzles some beer)
Man, Danny, how do you keep your shit
together so tight?
Danny chuckles.
DANNY
That’s a good one.
JIMMY
& |
