by James Cage
zigzags through side streets, passes the PLAZA DEL SOL shopping mall and finally reaches his house. He pulls the car into the driveway. Tom and Jaime get out of the car.
EXT. TOM'S HOUSE - NIGHT
Tom's home is located in a quiet community behind the Plaza Del Sol shopping mall. His newly built house has chopped glass cemented into the roof with iron bars covering the windows.
INT. LIVING ROOM - TOM'S HOUSE- NIGHT
It is a clean, new room with a sturdy couch, chairs, table and TV set. Mexican rugs hang from the walls and draperies cover the windows. There are medical textbooks in Spanish and English in a bookcase.
ANOTHER ANGLE
Tom is upbeat. He turns on the phonograph. His favorite group, War performs "Slipping into Darkness."
TOM
Hey, Jaime, how did your exams go?
Jaime is serious and unsmiling. He shows little emotion.
JAIME
I passed. How did you do?
TOM
I aced them all.
JAIME
Good.
Tom disappears into his bedroom.
Jaime inspects the Native American rug hanging from the wall.
Tom reappears with a RICAMESA shopping bag. He pulls two large white bricks from the bag and places them on the table.
TOM
Each brick is a kilo and ninety-five percent pure cocaine, they cost ten grand each. Do you have ten thousand dollars? We can go partners.
Jaime looks at the bricks of cocaine. He is surprised and shows some emotion.
JAIME
Selling coke is a lot more dangerous than selling pot. What the hell are you doing with this stuff?
TOM
I can make a lot more money selling coke in the states then selling marijuana to Americans down here.
(Pause)
I'll need money after I graduate medical school. When I do my residency back in the states, I want money and a nice place to live. Resident physicians don't get much of a salary.
Jaime thinks for a moment.
JAIME
I'm not interested in selling drugs.
(Pause)
Hey Tom, how are you getting this stuff on the other side of the border?
TOM
That won't be a problem.
Tom excited.
TOM (CONT'D)
Once these bricks are in the USA, I can cut two bricks into four and get thirty or forty thousand dollars each.
JAIME
Hmm.
Tom goes into the kitchen. He comes back with two TECATE beers. He hands Jaime a can. They sit at the table and drink.
TOM
Remember that guy, ROB LOESSER. Last summer he lived in the apartment next to you.
JAIME
The rich, blond kid from Ohio. The Mexican girls loved Rob and the Mexican guys despised him.
TOM
Well, I sold him two kilos of marijuana.
JAIME
I know.
TOM
I've been in contact with him. He'll go for the deal. Are you sure you don't want a piece of this?
JAIME
No way.
Jaime sips the beer.
JAIME (CONT'D)
You got these bricks from Sergio didn't you?
TOM
Yes, I did. He and his gang from Culiacan are setting up a coke distribution center here in Guadalajara.
Tom points to the bricks on the table.
TOM (CONT'D)
Those two bricks are the first samples.
Jaime looks at Tom and speaks slowly to him.
JAIME
Sergio is a very dangerous man.
TOM
He's just a businessman who has good connections with the Federales.
JAIME
OK. The coke is safe on this side of the border but if you get caught smuggling cocaine into Texas, you go to jail forever.
Tom fluffs off Jaime's warnings. He pauses a second and finishes drinking his beer.
Jaime downs the rest of his beer. Tom gets up and returns with two more Tecates. He throws one to Jaime.
TOM
Look, I want you to do me a favor. Keep these bricks for me. I am driving to Puerto Vallarta very early in the morning. I have a meeting with Sergio there Sunday night.
JAIME
Why do you want me to hold the bricks?
TOM
Sergio told me to have you hold the bricks until the deal is complete.
Tom stops talking and thinks.
TOM (CONT'D)
You have known Sergio for a long time haven't you?
JAIME
I was introduced to Sergio by a mutual friend. I've known him for five years.
TOM
That's longer than you've been in medical school.
JAIME
That's right.
Tom shrugs and smiles. They drink.
TOM
I am taking a semester's leave of absence. I need to make a distribution connection in the USA. That will take some time.
JAIME
When will you contact me?
TOM
Sergio will contact you when everything is setup.
JAIME
OK, I'll hold the bricks. Give me a ride to Minerva Circle and I'll walk to my apartment from there.
CUT TO:
EXT. STREET - MINERVA CIRCLE - GUADALAJARA - NIGHT
Tom drops Jaime off at Minerva Circle in the center of the city. Traffic is light.
Jaime walks a few blocks down Avenida Vallarta to his upscale hotel apartment in Suites Andreas. He carries the cocaine bricks in the Ricamesa shopping bag.
INT. JAIME'S BEDROOM - GUADALAJARA - NIGHT
Jaime's apartment has a small living room, kitchen and large bedroom with a king sized bed. Draperies cover the windows.
Jaime uses a key to unlock the bedroom closet door. He places the Ricamesa bag on an upper shelf and covers it with clothes. The lower shelf stores a few medical texts. He locks the closet.
Jaime undresses. He is worried. He turns off the lamp on the dresser and gets into bed. He Dreams.
DISSOLVE TO:
SOUND. Two large EXPLOSIONS and a FIREBALL SWOOSH into the sky.
Luke and Johnny lie dead, body parts all around.
THE BEAR (V.O.)
GET UP.
Jaime wakes up in a cold sweat.
JAIME
Aaah!
CUT TO:
INT. RESTAURANT, PUERTO VALLARTA, MEXICO-NIGHT
TITLE CARD: CAMINO REAL HOTEL, PUERTO VALLARTA, MEXICO
Tom Jenner is seated at a table with SERGIO and ROB LOESSER. The restaurant is not crowded. July is offseason in Puerto Vallarta.
Rob Loesser is early twenties; long blond hair, blue eyes, thin build. He is extremely good looking. He takes one look at Sergio and keeps his mouth shut.
SERGIO
(Very Slight, Mexican Accent)
OK, Tom. The deal is settled.
TOM
Five thousand is in the briefcase.
Rob hands Sergio the briefcase. He quickly looks away from him.
TOM (CONT'D)
I'll wire you the rest of the money in a few months.
SERGIO
As long as Jaime holds the bricks. I'll trust you for the rest of the money.
Sergio shakes hands with Tom and Rob. He leaves the table and exits the restaurant.
ROB
(Midwestern Accent)
That guy Sergio is one dangerous fuck.
TOM
Don't worry about him. He's nothing compared to guys I know in Chicago.
ROB
Why did he want Jaime to hold the coke?
TOM
Because Jaime is an easy going jackoff, who does not do drugs. Sergio is just using him.
ROB
Then we should use Jaime to bring the drugs across the border into the United States.
TOM
Exactly.
/> CUT TO:
EXT. MEDICAL SCHOOL BUILDING - GUADALAJARA - DAY
TITLE CARD: GUADALAJARA MEDICAL SCHOOL - OCTOBER 1971
Jaime stands in front of a medical school building. There are Many STUDENTS walking from one building to another. The Students are young and active. The mixture of Students is sixty five percent Mexican and thirty five percent American. These percentages are about the same for male and female students.
All the Male Students have short haircuts. All the Female Students wear dresses. The sun is shining but the weather is cooler in October. Everyone wears a light jacket or sweater.
A Male Student stops to talk to Jaime.
MALE STUDENT
Jaime, do you know anyone that sells pot?
JAIME
No.
MALE STUDENT
Tom's not here this semester is he?
JAIME
He took the semester off.
MALE STUDENT
Fucking Tom.
The students walk into an auditorium.
INT. MEDICAL SCHOOL CLASS AUDITORIUM - GUADALAJARA - DAY
Jaime sits far back in the auditorium. A lecture in cardiology is presented.
There is a screen. THE PROFESSOR points at the human heart and explains the circulatory system. He speaks in Spanish.
INSERT
A LARGE CALENDAR on the blackboard shows OCTUBRE, 1976.
PROFESSOR (V.O)
El circulacion de la corazon...
CUT TO:
INT. RESTAURANT - LE TRIGNON - GUADALAJARA - EVENING
TITLE CARD: TWO DAYS LATER
It is early Friday evening. Jaime has dinner in an upscale French restaurant, Le Trignon, located a few blocks from his apartment on Avenida Vallarta. The restaurant is not crowded. There are THREE WAITERS serving CUSTOMERS.
The MUSIC playing is something like Charles Aznavour.
Jaime sits alone. There is a full glass of red wine on the table. He holds a box of matches in his hand.
INSERT
LE TRIGNON is written on the box of matches.
ANOTHER ANGLE
Sergio enters the restaurant with a Young Blond WOMAN. She is mid twenties and very beautiful. Both Sergio and the Woman are well dressed. Sergio carries a briefcase. A Waiter escorts them to a table on the opposite side of the room from Jaime.
Sergio, with briefcase in hand, walks over to Jaime's table. Jaime stands up and they shake hands. Sergio places the briefcase on the floor. They sit down.
SERGIO
Jaime, I just heard from Tom.
JAIME
Good.
SERGIO
In the summer, when I saw Tom in Puerto Vallarta, he had this blond kid named Rob fly down. They paid me five grand for the bricks.
JAIME
Tom said the bricks cost twenty.
SERGIO
Tom wired the rest of the money last week to my bank in Mexico City.
Jaime and Sergio both light cigarettes.
SERGIO
