Five Television Plays (David Mamet)
Page 5
PRICE: Already been. You telling me? Season don't start until next week.
BILLY: Went out in the bow season.
PRICE: You went out with a bow this year?
BILLY: Yes. I, I, you know, I thought it was more sporting.
PRICE: Well it is that . . . (Knocks on the door.) Get anything?
(A MAN answers the door. A lumberjack-looking individual around forty.)
MAN: Yep?
PRICE: Name's John Price. I'm the new Chief of Police.
MAN: What do you want?
PRICE: Came out to get acquainted.
MAN: The summer people up the road called you in. They don't like “this” and don't like “that.” I'm tearing down their signs, that's it, isn't it?
PRICE: . . . that's it, but I wouldn't worry about it.
MAN: . . . seems to me quite a waste of my tax money, send a man out, let alone the Chief of Police, fellow got himself a little piece of paper torn down off a tree.
PRICE: Couldn't agree more. (Pause.)
MAN: I can't say that I get you.
PRICE: Come over to say, that I couldn't agree more. Fellow lives here, what they live here, two, three months a year?
MAN: If that.
PRICE: A man might think, now, this is off the record here . . .
MAN: . . . I'm with you.
PRICE: . . . business do they have, tell someone like you, family's lived here, what?
MAN: Family's been on this land for two hundred years.
PRICE: . . . keep off a piece of land your daddy prolly hunted on . . .
MAN: . . . granddaddy, too.
PRICE: . . . land that they surely wouldn't know someone was on, as they don't get back there, what?
MAN: Once a year, once a year if that . . .
PRICE: They'd never know, someone was going back there . . .
MAN: . . . well, that is the Lord's Truth . . .
PRICE: . . . unless someone was tearing down the signs. (Pause.)
MAN: What did you say your name was . . . ?
(BILLY has wandered back to the car and is holding the handset.)
BILLY: Mr. Price . . . ?
PRICE (to MAN): Excuse me . . . (PRICE goes over to the car, talks on the radio.) Chief Price, go.
DISPATCHER (voice over on the radio): We have a three-car accident, the Interstate four and one half miles north of the Junction. Multiple fatalities. Medical and State Police responding.
PRICE: We're on our way. (He gets into the car. To BILLY:) Buckle it up tight.
EXTERIOR: ROADSIDE. INTERSTATE. DAY.
A car wreck, paramedics, police cruisers. PRICE’S car pulls up. PRICE gets out, followed by BILLY. Walks over to a TROOPER. As he walks over, he puts his shield on his jacket pocket.
PRICE: Whadda we got?
TROOPER: 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 PRICE, the TROOPER, and BILLY 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 TROOPER comes up to the group.)
SECOND TROOPER: You got a car reeking of liquor and a broken bottle in there.
(He hands the wallet to the FIRST TROOPER, who hands it to PRICE. PRICE calls BILLY over, shows him the wallet.)
PRICE: This mean anything to you?
BILLY: Yes, Sir, I knew him.
(BARNES comes out of the cruiser, over to PRICE and the group.)
BARNES: What is it?
(PRICE hands him the wallet, BARNES looks at it.)
BARNES: Is he dead?
PRICE: 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 TROOPER.)
TROOPER: Chief, wish we coulda’ met under better circumstances . . .
(PRICE nods. Looks back at the scene.)
INTERIOR: HOSPITAL WAITING ROOM. NIGHT.
PRICE, BILLY In the background, BARNES talking to a doctor, an officer at his side.
BARNES: . . . 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 . . . ?
(PRICE turns.)
(Angle: The PRIEST, coming into the hospital. PRICE goes over to him, hands him a list.)
PRIEST: All dead?
PRICE: . . . all but the man.
PRIEST: Uh-huh . . .
PRICE: . . . he has a drinking problem, did he . . . ? (Beat.)
PRIEST: Did he?
PRICE: Looks like it. We'll find out tomorrow, we get the tests. (To BARNES:) The chain of evidence tend to get muddy sometimes?
BARNES: The man is well liked in these parts . . .
PRICE (nods): Yeah. That's a tough one.
(The PRIEST comes up.)
PRIEST: Seems we'll be postponing our drink this evening.
(A NURSE calls them.)
NURSE: Father . . .
(They turn to look at a man who has just come into the hospital waiting room.)
PRIEST (sotto): His wife and daughters.
(PRICE takes a deep breath. Starts over to the man.)
PRIEST (stopping him): No, he's one of mine. I'll tell him.
PRICE (to BILLY): Can you get home from here?
BILLY: Yessir. Is there anything I can do?
PRICE: No. (He checks his list.) I've got to take some people some bad news.
EXTERIOR: BRADFORD MAIN STREET. NIGHT.
PRICE walks down the quiet street. An OFFICER falls into step beside him.
OFFICER: A long day, sir.
PRICE: Yes.
OFFICER: Thrown right into it.
PRICE: Well, it never stops, does it.
OFFICER: No, sir, it does not. (Pause.) Changes a little, time-to-time, though . . .
PRICE: . . . that's right.
OFFICER: Summer people falling out the boat; winter people falling through the ice.
PRICE: Uh-huh. You keep an eye, your rounds—the burnt-out building.
OFFICER: Yes, sir, I will.
PRICE: Good night.
(PRICE has arrived at MRS. MOORE‘s house. He starts up the walkway, turns off the light, tries the door. It is open, he enters.)
INTERIOR: MOORES’ HOUSE. NIGHT.
PRICE enters, hangs up his coat. Sees something. Looks.
Angle point of view: MRS. MOORE, in a wrapper, coming out of the kitchen.
PRICE: Um, evening.
ANNA: Good evening.
PRICE: Uh, you, you weren't waiting up for me?
ANNA: 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?
PRICE: That would be very nice. Thank you.
ANNA: How was your first day?
PRICE: Excuse me?
ANNA: How was your first day?
PRICE: Well, they had me earning my money.
ANNA: It was a hard day?
PRICE: Yes, parts of it.
(She comes in with the tea.)
Thank you.
ANNA: Can you get some rest now?
PRICE: Yes. I have a little work to do, I'll wait up for your daughter, if you like.
ANNA: That's alright.
PRICE: How is she?
ANNA (pause): She's seeing the wrong boy . . .
PRICE (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.
ANNA: No. But thank you for the effort. (ANNA gets up.)
PRICE: Your door was open?
ANNA: I'm sorry . . . ?
PRICE: Your front door.
ANNA: Yes.
PRICE: You should prob
ably keep it locked.
ANNA: You know, the town is fairly safe . . .
PRICE: Yes, you . . . you have a policeman living here, now, is all that I thought, and sometimes . . .
ANNA: Ah. I never thought of that.
PRICE: And sometimes . . .
ANNA: 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.
PRICE: 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. PRICE just coming in. MAY is bringing him coffee. Puts a list in front of him.
MAY: State Fire Inspector's out on the site, the Emporium . . .
PRICE: . . . good.
MAY: Got a report, the Developers, the Mall, heard you were interested, their interest, as competitors, the Clothing Store.
PRICE: Did they . . .
MAY: They'd like to meet with you, their offices, at one.
PRICE: "Their” offices . . . they're dreaming. Tell them I can spare ‘em five minutes, here one o'clock, let's see if they're guilty.
MAY: Right. Tomorrow, twelve noon, you are invited. Lunch, the Rotary, the Country House. They're very nice guys . . .
PRICE: How's the food?
MAY: . . . the food is good, too . . .
PRICE: Alright.
MAY: Here is the file you requested.
PRICE: Which file is that?
MAY: The shooting of Chief Hopkins.
(He takes the file.)
PRICE: They never found the guy . . .
MAY: What guy? Stray shot, some hunter . . .
(PRICE 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 . . .
PRICE: Yeah, yeah, yeah, waaiii . . . can I . . . I'd like to meet with . . . they have a psychologist the High School?
MAY: They have a guidance counselor.
PRICE: I'd like to meet with him . . .
MAY: . . . it's a her.
PRICE: Earliest. If they could come in . . .
MAY: Alright, and this is called “coffee.”
PRICE: Send him in.
(MAY goes to the door, motions BARNES in.)
PRICE: Listen, you're doin’ a real good job, the hospital last night.
BARNES: . . . uh, thank you . . .
PRICE: 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 . . . ?
BARNES: He's still hanging on.
PRICE: What's the prognosis?
BARNES: He'll live, he ain't gonna walk again.
PRICE: The blood alcohol?
BARNES: Drunk as a Lord.
PRICE: Well, that'sa surprise.
(The phone rings.)
PHONE (voice over): Chief. Bill Simons on his way up.
PRICE: Who is this?
BARNES: 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.
PRICE: I see.
(There is a knock at the door.)
Thank you, Bob.
BARNES: You don't mind, I think I should stay.
PRICE: Alright.
(Opens the door. BILL SIMONS comes in.)
SIMONS: Chief, Bill Simons . . .
PRICE: Glad to meet you, Sir. Sit down.
SIMONS: Uh, Mr. Price: (Pause.) Richard Ellman . . . Uh huh . . . Uh huh . . . You know, this is a good town, here, Mr. Price.
PRICE: Yes, I know that it is.
SIMONS: And there's a lot of good people in this town, and Dick Ellman is one of them.
PRICE: He killed four people last night, Sir.
SIMONS: I . . .
PRICE: He didn't mean to do it, but he might as well have.
SIMONS: You prosecute that man for murder, Mr. Price, you're making a mistake.
PRICE: What he gets prosecuted for's not my department, Sir, but that is the charge that I'll serve on him.
SIMONS: You're making a mistake.
PRICE: That may well be. (Pause.)
SIMONS: Alright. (Pause.) You know, I voted for you, for this job.
PRICE: I'll try to earn your trust.
(SIMONS leaves the office. BARNES and PRICE look at each other. Beat. There is a knock on the door. The MAYOR enters.)
PRICE: Thank you, Bob.
(BARNES nods, leaves the office.)
MAYOR: Chief?
PRICE: Sir, it ain't pretty.
MAYOR: It's . . . um . . .
(PRICE reads from the form.)
PRICE: Mr. Richard Ellman. D.W.I. Alcohol content of .10% driving while under suspension, two priors, D. W.I. And if I can be frank, Sir, I understand he was a, I beg your pardon, is a prominent citizen, and an attorney, we'll assume there were a couple more he walked away from. The guy is an alcoholic, he should never have been driving a car, the Courts said so, and he's driving anyway. That's too bad in the first place, he goes out and kills four people. (Pause.) And the law says: vehicular homicide, it's manslaughter.
(The MAYOR nods, leaves. PRICE is left alone at his desk, looking through the file on the murder of Chief Hopkins.)
“Chief Hopkins” attendance, law enforcement seminar, San Juan, Puerto Rico, January . . . Reno, Nevada . . .
(MAY comes in.)
The Chief had a lot of time on his hands, didn't he . . . ?
MAY: Waaall, he liked to travel in his off-time.
PRICE: God bless him, is it always so busy around here?
MAY: You having second thoughts?
PRICE: I thought the country was s'posed to be peaceful . . .
MAY: You can't prove it by me. Ellen Rice, Guidance Counselor, Central High School, would be glad to come in this afternoon after school. What's that about, if I may ask?
PRICE: "Arson,” I have been reminded, is often a crime of a disturbed adolescent, seeking adult recognition.
MAY: Oh . . .
INTERIOR: LIBRARY. DAY.
PRICE in the stacks. Taking a book out. Camera follows him back to his table where there are several books on psychology. PRICE sits, reads.
PRIEST (voice over): How you doing, John?
PRICE: Fine, Father, yourself?
PRIEST: I'm alright.
PRICE: Nice library you've got here.
PRIEST: We like it.
PRICE: Spent a lot of time in libraries . . .
PRIEST: Did you . . . ?
(PRICE picks up books, returns them to the main counter, says “Thank You.” He and the PRIEST walk out.)
PRICE: I was a beat cop. Roof over your head, warm radiators . . . nothing like a library.
(Angle exterior: The library.)
PRIEST: Where are you off to?
PRICE: Meeting with some real-estate types.
PRIEST: I'll walk with you.
(The PRIEST and PRICE start to stroll down the street.)
Hard night, last night.
PRICE: Yes, I suppose it was. Seems, though, that that's what they pay you for.
PRIEST: You ever need to talk about it, call me up.
PRICE: Seems to me we had a date last night, to get together.
PRIEST: Yes, we did.
PRICE: . . . before it heated up. Waaall, one thing you can say for it, the work's steady. You know. I wanted to ask you ‘bout Chief Hopkins.
PRIEST: . . . yes . . . ?
PRICE: I've been doing some research. A, uh, a reporter asked me a question . . .
(They have arrived at the bus station. BILLY BATES comes over to them.)
BILLY: Father!
PRIEST: Hello, Billy. Today, ah, today . . .
(BILLY’S father comes over.)
FIREMAN: That's right.
Off to the Wars.
PRIEST: Well, all the best.
PRICE: All the best. (To the Bus STATION ATTENDANT:) Waiting for the One O'clock bus . . . ?
ATTENDANT: . . . going to be ten minutes late.
(BILLY takes PRICE aside.)
BILLY: I wanted to thank you.
PRICE: To thank me for what?
BILLY: For taking me along last night.
PRICE: Well, you did good. You kept your mouth shut and your eyes open . . . and listen to me, you go off to the Air Force, you see the world, learn what they got to teach you, you come back, I'm still here, you want a job, come in my office and we'll have a talk.
BILLY: Thank you.
(PRICE refers to BILLY’S luggage.)
PRICE: You're traveling light?
BILLY: Well . . . it's a new life . . .
PRICE: That's right. You're not taking your guns with you? They let you take ‘em in the Air Force . . . ?
BILLY: I just had the one, the deer rifle, ‘n'I traded it off, buy my bow.
(PRICE nods. JERRY calls BILLY over to say good-bye to some people. A police cruiser with BARNES pulls up.)
BARNES: . . . I've got some information for you . . .
PRICE: Can't get away from the office, eh?
BARNES: Yes, look . . .
PRICE: . . . uhhhh . . . The old Chief, eh, how'd he manage it, got so much time off, running here, running there . . . (Pause.)
BARNES: I don't know.
PRICE: Running off, this convention, that seminar . . . (Pause.) How did he manage that?
BARNES: Well: he'd been in the job a long time, he . . .
PRICE: . . . uh-huh . . .
BARNES: . . . he designed it that way. He needed time away, keep current with the current law enforcement . . .
(Over the P.A. we hear “The one o'clock bus south has left Lynn Junction, and is due to arrive this terminal approximately five minutes.”)
Why are you asking me this?
PRICE: Because I telephoned several of those organizations, the Chief was supposed to've gone to, those conventions. And you know, he never went. (Pause.) He never went to any of ‘em. (Pause.)
BARNES: I know that.
PRICE: You do. How come?
BARNES: I checked ‘em out, too.
PRICE: Did yon . . .
BARNES: Yes.
PRICE: He was there, in the cities, according to the airline tickets, vouchers, so on, but he never made it to the Seminars. (Pause.) Mister Barnes. (Pause.) What do you think he was doing there? (Pause.) Is there something I should know? Down there, doing something he couldn't do here? (Pause.)
BARNES: You don't . . . you don't like to live a life founded on rumors . . .