91.
INT. CAMPUS POLICE RECORDS ROOM - BERKELEY - DAY
He stands with an old CAMPUS COP. He is going throughfiles.
CAMPUS COP
Who'd you say you were with?
NICK
Homicide. San Francisco.
He stops at a file, opens it.
CAMPUS COP
Don't you guys communicate over
there? You must be the same way we
are.
Nick doesn't get it.
CAMPUS COP
(continuing)
There was a report about Lisa
Henderson -- January, 1977 -- the
file's not here.
NICK
What do you mean it's not here?
CAMPUS COP
San Francisco P.D. Detective
Nilsen. Internal Affairs. You
know him? Tell him we want it
back. He's had it a whole year.
Nick says nothing.
INT. HIS APARTMENT - DAY
He and Gus sit there -- they look tired, upset.
GUS
So Nilsen had a report on her -- so
what. You don't know what the hell
was in it?
NICK
Catherine told me what was in it.
GUS
If she's telling you the truth.
NICK
Don't you get it, Gus? If Beth
killed Johnny Boz to frame
Catherine -- she wouldn't want
anyone to know what happened at
Berkeley. It gives her the motive
to kill Nilsen.
☆☆92.
GUS
How did she know Nilsen knew about
it -- if it happened?
NICK
He was I.A. He probably asked her
about it.
Gus thinks about it.
GUS
She'd have to be nuttier than a
twenty-pound Christmas fruitcake.
She's not the one who hangs out
with multiple murderers -- your
girlfriend is.
NICK
She's a writer -- it's part of what
she does.
GUS
(irate)
Goddamn writers -- all they do is
use up trees and ruin people's eyes.
(a beat)
There's gotta be somebody at
Berkeley who knows what the hell
happened.
NICK
I know what happened. Catherine
told me what happened.
GUS
(after a beat,
quietly)
You got goddamn tweety-birds
flutterin' around your head, that's
what you got. You think you're
gonna fuck like minks, raise
rugrats, and live happily ever
after? Oh, man.
INT. THE STAIRWAY - HIS APARTMENT HOUSE - NIGHT
He has his key out to open his door. He hears MUSICinside. A
beat, and he opens the door.
INT. HIS APARTMENT
It is dark. We hear a Rolling Stones SONG. He seesCatherine standing
by a window, watching him. She wearsblack jeans and the black
motorcycle jacket.
93.
They look at each other a long beat.
NICK
How'd you get in here?
CATHERINE
I decided to give you one more
chance.
(a beat)
I missed you.
NICK
You didn't not see me long enough
to miss me.
CATHERINE
Did you miss me?
NICK
No.
CATHERINE
Come over here and tell me no.
He walks up close to her.
NICK
No.
She unzips her motorcycle jacket slowly. She wears nothingunderneath
it.
NICK
(continuing)
That's below the belt.
She reaches for him.
CATHERINE
Not yet it isn't.
She pulls him close.
CATHERINE
(continuing)
But we're getting there.
INT. HIS LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
They sit in the window seat, naked. His back is againstthe wall.
She sits against him. He has his legs aroundher. They don't look
at each other. She is smoking.
NICK
I have to do some research tomorrow.
94.
I'm very good at research. I'll help you.
NICK
(continuing)
No thanks.
CATHERINE
What are you researching?
NICK
I'm writing a book.
CATHERINE
(smiles)
Really. What are you writing about.
NICK
A detective. He falls for the
wrong girl.
CATHERINE
(smiles)
What happens to them?
NICK
(after a beat)
They fuck like minks, raise
rugrats, and live happily ever
after.
CATHERINE
(after a beat)
It won't sell.
NICK
Why not?
CATHERINE
(after a beat)
Somebody has to die.
NICK
Why?
CATHERINE
Somebody always does.
EXT. THE SALINAS CLINIC - DAY
He walks in; it is a small valley hospital. He goes up tothe
desk. There are two women there.
NICK
Hi, I'm looking for a Dr. Gardner?
95.
ONE WOMAN
(after a beat)
We don't have a Dr. Gardner on
staff here.
THE OTHER WOMAN
Dr. Joseph Gardner?
NICK
(after a beat)
Yeah.
THE WOMAN
He died -- about five or six years
ago.
NICK
(after a beat)
He was shot.
INT. SALINAS SHERIFF'S OFFICE - DAY
Nick sits with a sheriff's DETECTIVE.
DETECTIVE
He was walking home from work.
They only lived a coupla blocks
from the clinic. Somebody drove by
and shot him.
NICK
What was the weapon?
DETECTIVE
.38 revolver. Never recovered.
NICK
Were there ever any suspects?
DETECTIVE
No suspects, no motive. Unsolved.
NICK
(after a beat)
Was his wife ever a suspect?
DETECTIVE
(after a beat)
I had another one of you guys down
here from Frisco -- about a year
ago -- he asked me the same
question. What's this about anyway?
96.
NICK
Routine.
DETECTIVE
Yeah, he said it was routine too.
Now it's two guys saying it's
routine.
NICK
Do you remember his name?
DETECTIVE
(after a long beat)
Nope, can't say that I do.
NICK
Nilsen?
DETECTIVE
That's him.
A long beat, then --
NICK
Was she ever a suspect?
DETECTIVE
Nope.
(a beat)
There was some talk; it never
panned.
NICK
What kind of talk?
DETECTIVE
The usual -- a girlfriend.
NICK
He had a girlfriend?
DETECTIVE
Nope. She did.
(a beat)
Like I say. It never panned.
NICK
(after a beat, gets
up)
Thanks.
DETECTIVE
I hope I helped you out.
NICK
(after a beat)
You did.
☆☆97.
EXT. HER HOUSE IN STINSON - AFTERNOON
He walks around the house; he sees her sitting out on thedeck,
a portable word-processor in front of her. She issmoking.
He goes up to her.
NICK
(smiles)
Hi. I missed you. I finished my
research.
He moves toward her. She moves away, kills her cigarette.
CATHERINE
I finished my book.
NICK
How did it end?
CATHERINE
(after a beat)
I told you. She kills him.
They look at each other a long beat.
CATHERINE
(continuing;
quietly)
Goodbye, Nick.
He stares at her. A long beat.
CATHERINE
(continuing)
I finished my book.
(a beat)
Didn't you hear me?*
(a beat)
Your character's dead.
(a beat)
Goodbye.
He stares at her. He can't believe what she is saying.
CATHERINE
(continuing)
What do you want, Nick? Flowers?
I'll send you some flowers.
NICK
(after a beat)
What is this -- some kind of...
Joke?
(a beat; he almost
smiles)
Are we playing games again?
☆☆98.
CATHERINE
(after a beat)
The games are over. You were
right. It was the fuck of the
century, Shooter.
He stares at her.
A VOICE INSIDE
Catherine?
Nick looks -- Hazel Dobkins is there.
Catherine still has her eyes on him.
CATHERINE
Right there.
A beat, and then she turns to go inside. Hazel Dobkinssmiles
slowly at him.
EXT. THE POLICE PARKING LOT - DUSK
He sits in his Porsche, staring ahead. He is parked nextto Gus'
Cadillac. Gus is suddenly there, onway to his car.
GUS
(excited)
Catherine Tramell's roommate her
freshman year. I got a call from
her. I've been calling people who
were in her dorm all day. She
must've heard I was trying to talk
to her. She says she knows all
about Catherine and Lisa Henderson.
She's over in Oakland. You wanna
come with me?
Nick just stares ahead.
GUS
(continuing)
You look like you seen a ghost, son?
Nick looks at him.
INT. GUS' CADILLAC - NIGHT
Gus drives.
GUS
(excited)
Johnny Boz's psychiatrist has an
office on Van Ness. Guess who he
shares office space with? Dr.
Elizabeth Gardner.
99.
Nick doesn't even respond. Gus looks at him.
GUS
(continuing)
What in hell's the matter with you?
Nick doesn't say anything, stares ahead.
EXT. AN OFFICE BUILDING - OAKLAND - NIGHT
Gus gets out with Nick. It is an old building.
GUS
Where the hell you goin'?
NICK
(after a beat)
I'm going with you.
GUS
She said alone -- suite 405. It
ain't gonna take long.
A beat, and Nick gets back in the car.
INT. THE OFFICE BUILDING - NIGHT
Gus is on the first floor. There is no one around. Hehits the
elevator button. A beat, and it comes. He stepsin.
INT. THE ELEVATOR - NIGHT
He hits the button for the fourth floor.
The elevator rises a floor, stops. The door opens. Thereis no
one there. Then it starts going up again. It risesto the third
floor. It stops. The door opens. There isno one there. Then it
starts to rise again.
EXT. GUS' CADILLAC - NIGHT
Nick sits there, staring ahead.
NICK
(suddenly,
screaming)
Gus!
INT. THE ELEVATOR
As it goes up. It stops. The door starts to open. As itdoes --
a figure in a hooded raincoat sweeps into the
elevator. It happens very fast. We see blonde hair aroundthe
face.
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