☆☆21.
Corrigan and Talcott glance at Nick. She sees the look.
CATHERINE
(smiles)
Did I miss something?
NICK
I told them you wouldn't want an
attorney present.
LT. WALKER
Why have you waived your right to
an attorney, Ms. Tramell?
CATHERINE
(to Nick)
Why did you think I wouldn't want
one?
NICK
I told them you wouldn't want to
hide.
CATHERINE
I have nothing to hide.
The two of them keep their eyes on each other.
She sits down. They sit around her. Nick sits directlyacross
from her. She lights up a cigarette. They watchher. She is poised,
cool, in complete command of herself.
CORRIGAN
There is no smoking in this
building, Ms. Tramell.
CATHERINE
What are you going to do? Charge
me with smoking?
Ever so casually, she blows her smoke across at Nick.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. THE INTERROGATION ROOM - LATER
CORRIGAN
Would you tell us the nature of
your relationship with Mr. Boz?
CATHERINE
I had sex with him for about a year
and a half. I liked having sex
with him.
☆☆22.
She has control of the room: she looks from one man to theother
as she speaks.
CATHERINE
(continuing)
He wasn't afraid of experimenting.
I like men like that. I like men
who give me pleasure. He gave me a
lot of pleasure.
A beat, as they watch her. She is so matter-of-fact.
CORRIGAN
Did you ever engage in sado-
masochistic activity with him?
CATHERINE
(smiles)
Exactly what do you have in mind,
Mr. Corrigan.
CORRIGAN
(after a beat,
little flustered)
Did you ever tie him up?
CATHERINE
No.
ANDREWS
You never tied him up.
CATHERINE
No. Johnny liked to use his hands
too much. I like hands and fingers.
They stare at her.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. THE INTERROGATION ROOM - LATER
LT. WALKER
You describe a white silk scarf in
your book.
CATHERINE
I've always had a fondness for
white silk scarves.
(she smiles)
I have a very vivid imagination.
NICK
But you said you liked men to use
their hands.
☆☆23.
CATHERINE
No. I said I liked Johnny to use
his hands.
(she smiles)
I don't give any rules, Nick. I go
with the flow.
They have their eyes on each other.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. THE INTERROGATION ROOM - LATER
CORRIGAN
Did you kill Mr. Boz, Ms. Tramell?
CATHERINE
I'd have to be pretty stupid to
write a book about a killing and
then kill him the way I described
in my book. I'd be announcing
myself as the killer. I'm not
stupid.
She smiles.
TALCOTT
We know you're not stupid, Ms.
Tramell.
LT. WALKER
Maybe that's what you're counting
on to get you off the hook.
NICK
Writing a book about it gives you
an alibi for not killing him.
CATHERINE
Yes it does, doesn't it?
She holds his eyes a second, then --
CATHERINE
(continuing)
The answer is no. I didn't kill
him.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. THE INTERROGATION ROOM - LATER
GUS
Do you use drugs, Ms. Tramell?
CATHERINE
sometimes.
24.
HARRIGAN
Did you ever do drugs with Mr. Boz?
CATHERINE
Sure.
GUS
What kind of drugs?
CATHERINE
Cocaine.
She looks directly at Nick.
CATHERINE
(continuing)
Have you ever fucked on cocaine?
(she smiles)
It's nice.
He watches her.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. THE INTERROGATION ROOM - LATER
NICK
You like playing games, don't you?
CATHERINE
(smiles)
I've got a degree in psych. It
goes with the turf. Games are fun.
They are holding each other's eyes.
NICK
How about boxing? That's a game.
Was that fun for you?
They don't take their eyes off each other for a second.
TALCOTT
I think that's irrelevant to this
inquiry.
CATHERINE
(to Nick)
Yes it was. Bobby died.
NICK
How did you feel when he died?
CATHERINE
I loved him. I hurt.
Their eyes are still on each other.
☆☆25.
NICK
How did you feel when I told you
Johnny Boz had died -- that day at
the beach.
CATHERINE
I felt somebody had read my book
and was playing a game.
NICK
But you didn't hurt --
CATHERINE
No.
NICK
Because you didn't love him --
CATHERINE
That's right.
Their eyes are digging into each other.
NICK
Even though you were fucking him.
CATHERINE
(after a beat)
You still get the pleasure. Didn't
you ever fuck anybody else while
you were married, Nick?
A bet; he stares at her, expressionless.
LT. WALKER
How did you know he was married?
CATHERINE
(watching Nick)
Maybe I was guessing. What
difference does it make?
She lights a cigarette. He stares at her.
CATHERINE
(continuing)
Would you like a cigarette, Nick?
He just stares at her, expressionless.
CORRIGAN
Do you two know each other?
NICK
No.
CATHERINE
No.
☆☆26.
INT. THE INTERROGATION ROOM - LATER
ANDREWS
How did you meet Mr. Boz?
CATHERINE
I wanted to write a book about the
murder of a retired rock star. I
went down to his club and picked
him up. Then I had sex with him.
LT. WALKER
You didn't feel anything for him.
You just had sex with him for your
book.
She looks at Nick.
CATHERINE
In the beginning. Then I got to
like what he did for me.
GUS
That's pretty cold, ain't it, lady?
CATHERINE
I'm a writer, I use people for
what I write. You write what you
know. Let the world beware.
She and Nick have their eyes on each other, then --
CATHERINE
(continuing; to
Corrigan, smiles)
Would you like me to take a lie
detector test?
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. THE POLICE BUILDING - NIGHT
We see her in a glass-enclosed cubicle with a polygraphEXAMINER.
Nick stands outside watching her with Gus andLt. Walker. Her back
is to them. The Examiner shuts themachine down, gathers rolls
of papers, and comes out of thecubicle.
THE EXAMINER
No blips, no blood pressure
variations, no pulse variance.
Either she's telling the truth or
I've never met anyone like her.
A long beat, then --
☆☆27.
LT. WALKER
Well, I guess that's it.
A long beat, Nick watches her as she sits inside.
NICK
How does somebody beat this machine?
THE EXAMINER
Ninety-nine point nine percent of
the cases, they don't. You'd have
to be able to mask the truth from
your own central nervous system,
your circulatory system, your
adrenal glands. In my opinion,
this woman is telling the truth.
The Examiner walks away. They stand there. Catherinestands at
the door of the cubicle behind them --
CATHERINE
Can I go now?
LT. WALKER
(after a beat)
Yes. Thanks for coming in, Ms.
Tramell. I'm sorry to
inconvenience you.
She says nothing, has a thin smile.
CATHERINE
Can I ask one of you for a ride?
They look at her a beat.
NICK
Sure.
CATHERINE
(smiles)
Thanks.
And he and Catherine walk away. Gus and Walker watch them.
INT. HIS CAR - NIGHT
It is an old, mint-condition silver Porsche.
It is pouring rain; the wind is blowing: a San Franciscowinter
storm.
Nothing is said a long beat as he drives. She yawns.Stretches.
He looks at her.
28.
CATHERINE
(smiles)
I'm tired.
NICK
It's got to be tiring to beat that
machine.
She looks at him and looks away. A beat.
CATHERINE
If I were guilty, and if I wanted
to beat that machine, it wouldn't
be tiring. It wouldn't be tiring
at all.
NICK
Why not?
CATHERINE
Because I'm a professional liar. I
spend most of my waking hours
dwelling on my lies.
(a beat)
For my writing.
He looks at her.
CATHERINE
(continuing; smiles)
I love the rain, don't you?
He says nothing, doesn't look at her.
CATHERINE
(continuing)
You took a polygraph after you shot
those two people, didn't you?
He looks at her now.
NICK
I passed.
CATHERINE
You see? We're both innocent, Nick.
He pulls up in front of her house on Divisadero, stops. Hesees
the white Ferrari in the driveway.
NICK
How do you know all this stuff
about me?
CATHERINE
You know all about me.
☆☆29.
NICK
I don't know anything that isn't
police business.
CATHERINE
(after a beat)
You know I don't like to wear any
underwear, don't you, Nick?
They look at each other a beat.
CATHERINE
(continuing; smiles)
Thanks for the ride.
And she's out of the car. He watches her as she hurries inthe
rain -- his eyes on her until the moment she opens thedoor and
is inside.
INT. THE TEN-FOUR - NIGHT
It is a police bar, San Francisco style. Ferns JoeMontana and
Will Clark posters. The jukebox has a lot ofTony Bennett.
He walks in. He sees Lt. Walker at a back booth with Gus,goes
to them, sits down.
LT. WALKER
What is all this "Nick" stuff --
Nick would you like a cigarette.
Nick can you give me a ride.
NICK
She didn't ask me for the ride.
She asked anybody.
LT. WALKER
And you volunteered.
A BARTENDER stays behind the bar, but yells to him.
THE BARTENDER
Perrier, Nick?
NICK
Double Black Jack rocks, Harry.
GUS
(with concern)
What you doin', son?
NICK
It's my first drink in three
months. That okay with you, pop?
(to Lt. Walker)
She doesn't know me. I never saw
her before Gus and I talked to her.
30.
THE BARTENDER
Here you go, Nick.
He gets up, gets his drink --
NICK
Thanks, Harry.
He sits back down. He takes a big slug. They watch him.
LT. WALKER
You sure?
NICK
I'm sure.
He takes another big slug.
NICK
(continuing)
Now what?
LT. WALKER
What now what? Now nothing. She
passed the polygraph. That's it.
NICK
She knew she could beat it. That's
why she asked to take it.
LT. WALKER
How the fuck do you know? What is
it with you and this broad anyway?
NICK
Come on, Phil. You're not gonna
let this slide. What about her
parents? What about what else
she's published? At least we
should get the stuff to see if we
find anything else that's an
amazing real-life coincidence.
LT. WALKER
Her parents died in an accident. I
don't care what else she's written.
What are you -- a book critic?
NICK
How did they die? Was there an
investigation?
LT. WALKER
How you're saying she killed her
parents? Did she kill Bobby
Vasquez, too?
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