Five Television Plays (David Mamet) (8 page)

P
RICE:
Whadda we got?

T
ROOPER:
Three car. First guy jumps the divider, headon the second car, three dead, mother, two young girls. Third car tries to swerve, over the embankment, and they're down there . . .

(
Camera follows
P
RICE,
the
T
ROOPER,
and
B
ILLY
to the side of the road. Down below is a totaled car, and paramedics coming up the hill. One shakes his head.
)

(
The group starts back toward one of the cars on the side of the road. One man is being taken out on a stretcher. In the background, another Bradford police cruiser pulls up. Another
T
ROOPER
comes up to the group.
)

S
ECOND
T
ROOPER:
You got a car reeking of liquor and a broken bottle in there.

(
He hands the wallet to the
F
IRST
T
ROOPER,
who hands it to
P
RICE.
P
RICE
calls
B
ILLY
over, shows him the wallet.
)

P
RICE:
This mean anything to you?

B
ILLY:
Yes, Sir, I knew him.

(B
ARNES
comes out of the cruiser, over to
P
RICE
and the group.
)

B
ARNES:
What is it?

(P
RICE
hands him the wallet,
B
ARNES
looks at it.
)

B
ARNES:
Is he dead?

P
RICE:
If he ain't, I think he's going to wish he was. You want to meet me at the hospital . . . ?

(
They nod to the
T
ROOPER.)

T
ROOPER:
Chief, wish we coulda’ met under better circumstances . . .

(P
RICE
nods. Looks back at the scene.
)

INTERIOR: HOSPITAL WAITING ROOM. NIGHT.

P
RICE,
B
ILLY
In the background,
B
ARNES
talking to a doctor, an officer at his side.

B
ARNES:
. . . need a blood sample, alcohol content, get it
right
now, Officer, you stick with it, watch ‘em
draw
it,
seal
it, and you sign the seal. Draw
two,
you sign ‘em both. You hear me . . . ?

(P
RICE
turns.
)

(
Angle: The
P
RIEST,
coming into the hospital.
P
RICE
goes over to him, hands him a list.
)

P
RIEST:
All dead?

P
RICE:
. . . all but the man.

P
RIEST:
Uh-huh . . .

P
RICE:
. . . he has a drinking problem, did he . . . ? (
Beat.
)

P
RIEST:
Did he?

P
RICE:
Looks like it. We'll find out tomorrow, we get the tests. (
To
B
ARNES:)
The chain of evidence tend to get muddy sometimes?

B
ARNES:
The man is well liked in these parts . . .

P
RICE
(
nods
): Yeah. That's a tough one.

(
The
P
RIEST
comes up.
)

P
RIEST:
Seems we'll be postponing our drink this evening.

(
A
N
URSE
calls them.
)

N
URSE:
Father . . .

(
They turn to look at a man who has just come into the hospital waiting room.
)

P
RIEST
(
sotto
): His wife and daughters.

(P
RICE
takes a deep breath. Starts over to the man.
)

P
RIEST
(
stopping him
): No, he's one of mine. I'll tell him.

P
RICE
(
to
B
ILLY):
Can you get home from here?

B
ILLY
: Yessir. Is there anything I can do?

P
RICE:
No
.
(
He checks his list.
) I've got to take some people some bad news.

EXTERIOR: BRADFORD MAIN STREET. NIGHT.

P
RICE
walks down the quiet street. An
O
FFICER
falls into step beside him.

O
FFICER:
A long day, sir.

P
RICE:
Yes.

O
FFICER:
Thrown right into it.

P
RICE:
Well, it never stops, does it.

O
FFICER:
No
,
sir, it does not. (
Pause.
)
Changes
a little, time-to-time, though . . .

P
RICE:
. . . that's right.

O
FFICER:
Summer people falling out the boat; winter people falling through the ice.

P
RICE:
Uh-huh. You keep an eye, your rounds—the burnt-out building.

O
FFICER:
Yes, sir, I will.

P
RICE:
Good night.

(P
RICE
has arrived at
M
RS.
M
OORE‘
s house. He starts up the walkway, turns off the light, tries the door. It is open, he enters.
)

INTERIOR: MOORES’ HOUSE. NIGHT.

P
RICE
enters, hangs up his coat. Sees something. Looks.

Angle point of view:
M
RS.
M
OORE,
in a wrapper, coming out of the kitchen.

P
RICE:
Um, evening.

A
NNA:
Good evening.

P
RICE:
Uh, you, you weren't waiting up for me?

A
NNA:
No
,
not at all. Ginny's out on a date . . . I'm up late most nights, reading. Anyway. (
Pause.
) Made a pot of tea. Would you like some?

P
RICE:
That would be very nice. Thank you.

A
NNA:
How was your first day?

P
RICE:
Excuse me?

A
NNA:
How was your first day?

P
RICE:
Well, they had me earning my money.

A
NNA:
It was a hard day?

P
RICE:
Yes, parts of it.

(
She comes in with the tea.
)

Thank you.

A
NNA:
Can you get some rest now?

P
RICE:
Yes. I have a little work to do,
I'll
wait up for your daughter, if you like.

A
NNA:
That's alright.

P
RICE:
How is she?

A
NNA
(
pause
): She's seeing the wrong boy . . .

P
RICE
(
smiles
): Well, a lot of us who
were
that wrong boy, I know, we were fairly
grateful
. . . I don't suppose that's any comfort.

A
NNA:
No
.
But thank you for the effort. (A
NNA
gets up.
)

P
RICE:
Your door was open?

A
NNA:
I'm sorry . . . ?

P
RICE:
Your front door.

A
NNA:
Yes.

P
RICE:
You should probably keep it locked.

A
NNA:
You know, the town is fairly safe . . .

P
RICE:
Yes, you . . . you have a
policeman
living here, now, is all that I thought, and sometimes . . .

A
NNA:
Ah. I never thought of that.

P
RICE:
And sometimes . . .

A
NNA:
No
.
No
.
(
Pause.
) It's not that kind of town. And even if it is, I'm going to live as if it's not. But thank you for thinking of us. Good night. You have a good rest.

P
RICE:
Good night. See you tomorrow.

(
He spreads out papers on the dining room table and starts to work.
)

INTERIOR: BRADFORD POLICE STATION. DAY.

Chief's office.
P
RICE
just coming in.
M
AY
is bringing him coffee. Puts a list in front of him.

M
AY:
State Fire Inspector's out on the site, the Emporium . . .

P
RICE:
. . . good.

M
AY:
Got a report, the Developers, the Mall, heard you were
interested, their
interest, as competitors, the Clothing Store.

P
RICE:
Did
they . . .

M
AY:
They'd like to meet with you, their offices, at one.

P
RICE:
"Their” offices . . .
they're
dreaming. Tell them I can spare ‘em five minutes,
here
one o'clock, let's see if they're guilty.

M
AY:
Right. Tomorrow, twelve noon, you are invited. Lunch, the Rotary, the Country House. They're
very
nice guys . . .

P
RICE:
How's the food?

M
AY:
. . . the food is good, too . . .

P
RICE:
Alright.

M
AY:
Here is the file you requested.

P
RICE:
Which file is that?

M
AY:
The shooting of Chief Hopkins.

(
He takes the file.
)

P
RICE:
They never found the guy . . .

M
AY:
What guy? Stray shot, some hunter . . .

(P
RICE
looks at the file.
)

And yesterday's Occurrence Sheets. Here are purchase orders . . . last month's cash flow, a request from the High School, you come to address the . . .

P
RICE:
Yeah, yeah, yeah, waaiii . . . can I . . . I'd like to meet with . . . they have a psychologist the High School?

M
AY:
They have a guidance counselor.

P
RICE:
I'd like to meet with him . . .

M
AY:
. . . it's a her.

P
RICE:
Earliest. If they could come in . . .

M
AY:
Alright, and
this
is called “coffee.”

P
RICE:
Send him in.

(M
AY
goes to the door, motions
B
ARNES
in.
)

P
RICE:
Listen, you're doin’ a real good job, the hospital last night.

B
ARNES:
. . . uh, thank you . . .

P
RICE:
I know, you do it for a living, you don't need any praise,
you
were the Chief, you'd be doing the same thing, the men under
you,
so gimme’ a break. Our prominent attorney at the hospital . . . ?

B
ARNES:
He's still hanging on.

P
RICE:
What's the prognosis?

B
ARNES:
He'll live, he ain't gonna walk again.

P
RICE:
The blood alcohol?

B
ARNES:
Drunk as a Lord.

P
RICE:
Well,
that'sa
surprise.

(
The phone rings.
)

P
HONE
(
voice over
): Chief. Bill Simons on his way up.

P
RICE:
Who is this?

B
ARNES:
Bill Simons, big car dealership, the 201. And President the Masons Lodge . . . a friend of Mr. Ellman, who killed those fine folks with his car last night.

P
RICE:
I see.

(
There is a knock at the door.
)

Thank you, Bob.

B
ARNES:
You don't mind, I think I should stay.

P
RICE:
Alright.

(
Opens the door.
B
ILL
S
IMONS
comes in.
)

S
IMONS:
Chief, Bill Simons . . .

P
RICE:
Glad to meet you, Sir. Sit down.

S
IMONS:
Uh, Mr. Price: (
Pause.
) Richard Ellman . . . Uh huh . . . Uh huh . . . You know, this is a good town, here, Mr. Price.

P
RICE:
Yes, I know that it is.

S
IMONS:
And there's a lot of good people in this town, and Dick Ellman is one of them.

P
RICE:
He killed four people last night, Sir.

S
IMONS:
I . . .

P
RICE:
He didn't mean to do it, but he might as
well
have.

S
IMONS:
You prosecute that man for murder, Mr. Price, you're making a mistake.

P
RICE:
What he gets
prosecuted
for's not my department, Sir, but that is the
charge
that I'll serve on him.

S
IMONS:
You're making a mistake.

P
RICE:
That may well be. (
Pause.
)

S
IMONS:
Alright. (
Pause.
) You know, I
voted
for you, for this job.