Baptism By Fire

Happy Thursday, crime slicksters. It's time once again to take a trip to the dark side, where the girls are hot, the drinks are cold, and the hardboiled-pulp-noir action is non-stop, right here, at the coolest crime joint in cyberspace ... at That Killing Feeling.

In Chapter 29 of BLUE HOTEL, while the cops go door to door searching the hotel looking for Holly, Gill makes his escape out the window onto the fire escape, but thing soon turn deadly when he makes the mistake of trying to jump across the alley to the building next door ...


EXT. HOTEL STARLIGHT - FIRE ESCAPE - NIGHT
A crappy, old set of crumbling steel steps.

Gill reaches the landing.
Starts up the ladder toward the roof.

EXT. HOTEL STARLIGHT - ROOF - NIGHT
An old, filthy, tar-papered roof.

The view of the ocean
across the beach is breathtaking.
The moon shines brightly.

Gill gets to the top.
Climbs up onto the roof.
Looks around.

GILL
Top of the world, Ma.
(stretches out his arms)
I’m KING of the world.
(looks down)
I’m going to die.

He walks around, looking at
the neighboring buildings.

Stops on the ledge of the
building to the north.

Looks down at the alley.
Then back at the building. Thinking.
I could jump across to that building --
and then get the fuck out of Dodge.
(beat)
Yeah.

Gill takes a step back.
Turns around and walks
to the opposite side. Exhales.

Gathering up his courage.
He closes his eyes. Exhales again.

His eyes FLY OPEN,
and he RUNS across the roof,
gets to the ledge --
and LEAPS INTO THE AIR --

And lands against the
opposite wall with a SLAP.

Hands grab for a hold
on the edge of the roof,
but he can’t find something
to hold onto --
and starts to slip --

GILL
SHIT --

And then FALLS.

CLOSE ON --

A wrought iron fence post.
Gill’s body impaled on it.
Face-up.

Right through his torso.

INT. STARLIGHT HOTEL - CORRIDOR - AT THAT MOMENT
Danette stands by the window.

Leans out, looks into the alley
down below. Horrified.

DANETTE
Bernie.

BERNIE
(stops, turns)
What.

DANETTE
(turns, looks at him)
Somebody just fell off the roof.

BERNIE
(comes over)
What the fuck? Really?

DANETTE
(points)
Look.

BERNIE
(looks)
Holy shit. Poor guy.
Human shish-ka-bob.
Talk about heartburn.

DANETTE
Don’t you recognize him?

BERNIE
Fuck.
It’s the perp who shot his wife.
(waves)
Till death do us part, kiddo.

DANETTE
Bernie.

BERNIE
What.

DANETTE
You shouldn’t make jokes
about the dead.

BERNIE
Why not?
Haven’t you heard of gallows humor?
It relieves tension.
A cop’s stock and trade.

She looks at him.
Does a ‘take.’ Looks down.

DANETTE
Now that’s what I call a ‘spike.’

They exchange glances.
BURST into laughter.

Start walking down the hallway.
Danette pulls her radio off her belt.
And, as they start down the stairs --

BERNIE
(into the radio)
Hello, dispatch.
We’ve got a possible
ten-fifty six, do you copy?

DOWN THE CORRIDOR
Alona’s door opens.
She walks out.

Sees the cops at the end of the hall.
Watches them go down the stairs.

Heaves a sigh of relief.
Waits a beat.
Then starts walking.

ALONA
What’s a ‘ten-fifty six?’

IN THE ALLEY
Danette and Bernie examine
Gill’s body impaled on the fence.

Kenny is further on down the alley.
Throwing up.

BERNIE
Poor kid.
His first stiff.

DANETTE
It’s his first week.
Talk about baptism by fire.

Kenny wipes his mouth
on his sleeve. Walks over.

BERNIE
You okay, kid?

KENNY
Yeah.

BERNIE
Don’t feel bad.
I’ve been on the force
twenty years and I’m
still not used to it.

KENNY
Seeing a dead body?

BERNIE
No. Seeing a cop puke.
(off his look)
Just busting your chops, sport.
C’mon, let’s go set up
the crime scene tape --