Ms Brooks
I don’t know.
Gene
Listen to me. Now, if you don’t help me, the governor’ll be dead. I promise you. Please, you gotta trust me.
Ms Brooks
It’s a little hard to trust you, under the circumstances.
Gene
All right then, here. Do you trust me now?
Ms Brooks
I guess I’ll have to.
Gene
Well, good.
Ms Brooks
Okay, there’s one person that we can go to, come on.
Gene
We can’t go anywhere. They guy that’s following me’s got eyes in the back of his fucking head. If he see’s I’m not here, my daughter’s dead.
Ms Brooks
Well, he’ll think you’re in the crowd until the end of the speech. Wait a minute, wait, wait. Er, we got about ten minutes.
Gene
Ten minutes, you sure?
Ms Brooks
Yeah, I’m sure, I’ve heard this speech a lot. Now come on, we’ll take care of it.
Gene
No, wait. I can’t, I gotta. . .
Ms Brooks
Hey, hey, trust me. You asked me for my help. Let me help. Come on.
Gene
Listen, put that thing away, would you?
Ms Brooks
Oh, yeah. Er, okay.
Gene
Thank you.
Eleanor
. . .control crime and prove that communities do belong to the people. . . . . .and change a perverted system that let’s us carry guns to school, but forbids us to pray there. Education is the key. Education is. . .
Albert
Ms Brooks
Ms Brooks
Is he in?
Albert
Yes, ma’am.
Gene
You sure we can trust these people?
Ms Brooks
It’s her husband, he’s her campaign manager.
Brendan
What is it? Is there a problem?
Ms Brooks
Brendan, we need to see you.
Brendan
Aren’t you supposed to be downstairs, covering the conference?
Gene
We gotta hurry.
Ms Brooks
Brendan, listen to me. Someone is trying to kill Eleanor.
Brendan
What, what are you talking about?
Ms Brooks
We, we need people that we can trust, we’ve only got a few minutes.
Brendan
Well, that’s absurd. How do you know that?
Gene
I know it, because I’m supposed to kill her.
Brendan
You are? You’re supposed to kill my wife?
Gene
That’s right.
Brendan
And you brought this man to our suite?
Ms Brooks
I had to, Brendan. Her security people may be involved.
Old Man
Is there a problem, Brendan?
Brendan
Er, I think you could say that. This man says he’s been hired to kill Eleanor.
Gene
No, not hired. Blackmailed. They’re blackmailing me.
Old Man
Now, who is this ‘they’?
Gene
I really don’t know, sir. Mr Grant, we’ve gotta hurry. They’ve kidnapped my little girl. Your, your wife’s in serious danger here. I mean, anything could happen at this point.
Old Man
Er, just a minute. On the strength of this. . . story, you bring this man to Mr Grant’s suite? You think that shows very good judgement, Miss Brooks? I may be just a friend of Brendan, but it certainly. . .
Ms Brooks
He brought a gun, onto the pool deck.
Brendan
What?
Ms Brooks
He got onto the pool deck carrying a gun. Now, how did he get past her security, with this gun?
Brendan
I’d like to know that.
Old Man
Is it real? I mean, do we know anything about it?
Ms Brooks
It looks real. I don’t know anything about guns.
Old Man
May, may I see it, please?
Gene
The gun’s real.
Old Man
Well, it certainly looks real. May we have your opinion? You’re supposed to be the expert in these matters.
Smith
Yeah, I’d say it’s real.
Brendan
Are you out of your fucking mind?
White
What are you doing?
Smith
Help me. Get her outta here.
White
What’s the matter?
Brendan
God, what have you done to me?
Gene
Bastard!
Smith
You fucked up! You want me to kill your kid?! You want me to kill you?!
Old Man
That’s enough. I said that’s enough. Don’t let him get away.
Gene
I killed you.
Smith
You fucked up.
Gene
No, please. Please, no!
Lynn
Help me, Daddy!
Old Man
You put him down, right now! You nearly killed him, you idiot.
Smith
Nearly doesn’t count.
Brendan
Well, this is a nightmare. This was supposed to be clean and simple. A high-powered rifle and it’s over. But no, you’ve gotta get creative. Drag some jerk in off the street, stick a gun in his hand, and what? I mean, what the hell were you thinking?
Old Man
Relax, relax will you? It’s academic now.
Smith
What were you thinking, lock her in a closet? He’s been seen all over the hotel, looking like some looney-tunes. Got him on video. It’ll work. Don’t worry about it. Come on, you. Up, let’s go. I want to show you something.
Brendan
I don’t think we should go through with this.
Old Man
I’m afraid it’s too late for that now.
Brendan
How do I explain a dead woman on my bathroom floor?
Old Man
She’s Eleanor’s assistant. She would have been shot by the same gun, by the same man, some, anonymous loser who went over the edge.
Smith
Okay. Look at that. That’s what it looks like. She was alive a minute ago, now she’s dead because. . . you wouldn’t do what I told you to do.
White
Here, here, clean up. Come on, let’s get going, we’ve only got a few minutes to pull this together.
Smith
Look at that. Let’s go.
Old Man
Every single promise made to us when we got that woman elected was broken. I don’t have to remind you who was supposed to keep her in line.
White
Hey, Albert. Let me use your phone for a second.
Gene
I know how this thing’s supposed to work.
Smith
Do you, Mr Watson? Huh?
Gene
I kill her and you kill me.
Smith
Keep your voice down.
Gene
Even if you don’t, a security man will. How am I supposed to get away?
Smith
That’s not my problem. Come back.
Gene
How do I know you’re not gonna kill my kid once I’m gone?
Smith
It’s the radio. Come back. I told you, she’ll be all right. You do your job.
Gene
Fine. I’m supposed to trust you?
Smith
What choice do you have? After you. Gene, look out there. You see the van?
Gene
Yeah.
Smith
Come back.
Jones (on radio)
Yeah.
Smith
Do it!
Lynn (on radio)
Daddy! Help me, Daddy! No!
Gene
You son of a bitch!
Smith
Security force, take the next car. Thank you. Do it again.
Lynn (on radio)
Daddy! No!
Smith
You got one last chance. Half an hour, the kid is dead. I’ll kill her myself. . . rip her head off right in front of you. Get up. Come on. Come on.
Lynn (on radio)
Daddy, did you hear me scream? She told me to scream as loud as I could. Did you hear me?
Man
Oh, Jesus!
Smith
Next time I tell you to do something, you damn-well do it.
Jones
Hey fuck you. You wanna baby-sit a screaming kid in traffic, you come out here and do it. He got the message, didn’t he?
Huey
Come on, step up. Give ’em a shine with that extra something. Come on, step up. Do your shoes a favour. What you need is a shoeshine. Shoeshine, shoes shines today. Hey, take ten, take a break, take a seat, take a load off, put the world in perspective. So, what do you do, if I may be so. . . you got a complaint?
Gene
Remember me?
Huey
Yeah, the big tipper.
Gene
Good. Listen, something’s gonna happen. When it’s over with, you’ll know what I was talking about.
Huey
What? The end of the world? Look man, don’t give me your crazy rap. I’m not a bartender. I don’t wanna hear it. I raise a family doing this bull-shit. Do me a favour. Get your white ass outta my chair. Big tip doesn’t give you the right to crap in my ear. You want change, then you got it, brother. What was that you gave me? A twenty?
Smith
Let’s get some privacy.
Gene
He’s deaf.
Smith
You wouldn’t be kidding me?
Gene
No. No, no, he can’t hear a thing. Look, read that sign.
Smith
Is that right? Shine man, you can’t hear me? Hello.
Huey
Well, well lookee here. My customer quotient just got multiplied by two. What do you think of that? Oh, you’ll have to forgive me, sir, I didn’t hear you approach. Fact of the matter is, I’m deaf as a post. You want a shine, sir? You don’t see your face, you don’t pay.
Smith
Yeah, sure, give me a shine. Let’s get out our itinerary. Hold that. Don’t throw it away. I’m putting your toy back in your pocket, Mr Watson. It’s all wound up. Now, let’s check this itinerary. Right there.
Gene
One-thirty, California Ballroom.
Smith
That’s right. That gives you twenty-eight minutes to get your shit together.
Gene
Let me talk to her again.
Smith
No.
Gene
I wanna talk to her.
Smith
Forget it.
Gene
You let me talk to her, or you can forget it.
Smith
Don’t you threaten me, young man.
Gene
It’d be a lot less trouble if you’d just let me talk to her. You’re wasting time.
Smith
Come back.
Jones (on radio)
Yeah.
Smith
Put her on.
Jones (on radio)
What gives?
Smith
Just put her on.
Lynn
Daddy?
Gene
Yeah, Honey, it’s me.
Lynn
I’m tired. I want to go now.
Gene
I know you do, Honey. So do I.
Lynn (on radio)
Can we go now?
Gene
Not just yet, Baby.
Gene (on radio)
Daddy has to do something, first.
Lynn
To be a hero?
Gene
No, no, not to be a hero, Honey. I want you to remember something for me, okay?
Lynn
All right.
Gene (on radio)
Daddy’s doing it for you, no matter what anybody tells you, he’s doing it for you, because he loves you, all right?
Lynn
All right.
Gene
Promise me that.
Lynn
I promise.
Gene
All right, kisses to you.
Lynn
No. Kisses to you.
Gene
Kisses to you, Sweet-Pea.
Smith
You done yet?
Huey
Two dollars, if it pleases ya.
Smith
It does not. I remember when it was two bits. Twenty-seven minutes.
Huey
Thanks for the tip. Mister, what are you dragging me in to?
Gene
I’m dragging you in to. . .
Huey
Cover your mouth!
Gene
What?
Huey
That screwball’s watching, is that right?
Gene
Yeah.
Huey
Then don’t let him see you being talking to me.
Gene
All right.
Huey
That’s your kid on the walkie-talkie?
Gene
Yeah. They got her in a van across the street. They said they’re gonna kill her if I don’t do something for them.
Huey
Twenty-seven minutes in the California Ballroom?
Gene
Yeah, that’s right.
Huey
What are you supposed to do?
Gene
Kill the governor.
Huey
I knew I should have packed up and gone home, as soon as I got that twenty. What am I supposed to do about this situation?
Gene
What am I supposed to do? These people have my baby. I make one wrong move and she’s dead. I don’t know who to trust. Everybody’s involved in this, I mean everybody. Except. . .
Huey
Who?
Gene
The governor.
Huey
Oh, Jesus Christ!
Gene
I gotta somehow do right by my little girl. I don’t care what happens to me, as long as she’s okay.
Huey
Look, I can’t keep. . . er, can’t keep playing with these shoes. Er. . . it’ll look funny. Look, er, you go out and get yourself a drink. Make sure Godzilla there follows you.
Gene
What are you gonna do?
Huey
I don’t have the faintest idea. Just go on over there and I’ll get word to you.
Gene
Stay out of it. Keep the change.
Huey
Yeah. Well, don’t think I won’t.
Gene
I’m gonna get a drink. Can I get a Jack and Coke, please?
Barman
Jack & Coke.
Man 2
Yeah, I thought she was gonna get out the violins.
Man 1
Oh shit, if I hear that ‘stop the violence’ routine one more time, I swear to God, I’m gonna shoot somebody.
Man 2
Politicians. All the same.
Smith
God can’t help her, Mr Watson. Say it with me. At one-thirty my little girl is dead. Say it! . . .gravy out of your little girl. . . the guy who’s gonna kill your daughter if you don’t get moving. Get moving mister.
Waitress
Sir? Sir, here’s your Jack and Coke.
Gene
Thank you.
