A Place In The Sun

Hey there, crime kids. Happy Monday. It's time once again to take a trip to the dark side, where your most violent fantasies become sins of the flesh, right here, where the hardboiled action is non-stop, at the coolest crime joint in cyberspace ... at That Killing Feeling.

In Chapter 16 of THE DISH, n'er do well meth tweaker Rush Madder convinces adulterous lesbian personal trainer Jett Targo to let him crash on her couch after being up for eight days. Meanwhile, back on her houseboat, B-movie starlet Haven Crayce changes her husband Dart's insulin pump ... with a defective battery ...


EXT. JETT’S APARTMENT BUILDING - NUGHT
Jett pulls out her keys.
Opens her mailbox.

sifts through the envelopes.
Unlocks, opens the front door.

MALE VOICE (O.C.)
Jett --

She WHIRLS around, sees --

RUSH MADDER
in the shadows of the front porch.

JETT
WHAT?
(beat)
Jesus fucking Christ,
you scared the shit out of me.

RUSH
Jett, please -- I need your help.

JETT
I asked you to stay away from me.
I’ll call the fucking cops
if you don’t leave, now.

RUSH
I’ve been -- up for eight days.
I need, need to -- need to crash.

JETT
EIGHT days?

RUSH
Please, Jett.
I just need to -- to crash for awhile.
Then I promise I’ll go. I promise.
(beat)
I need your help. Please.

JETT
Can’t you sleep in your car?

RUSH
In this neighborhood? In MY car?
(off her stare)
I’ll be good. I promise.
I just -- need to sleep.

Pause.

JETT
Goddammit.
(beat)
Give me your car keys.

RUSH
My -- keys?

JETT
Yeah.
So you can’t rip me off
and split in the middle of the night.

RUSH
(weak smile, tosses his keys)
How big is your couch?

INT. CRAYCE HOUSEBOAT - MASTER BEDROOM - AT THAT MOMENT
Haven threads a film into the projector.
Dart watches from his bed.
He bites into a small cookie, chews.

DART
A Place in the Sun.
Haven’t seen that picture in years.
(weird smile)
That Liz Taylor -- she was a pip.
A real pip.

HAVEN
Liz Taylor?
Isn’t she a little -- big?

DART
My god, are you dense.
When Liz Taylor was young,
in her prime, she was the
most beautiful woman in Hollywood.

He reaches over to the bedside table.
Grabs another cookie.

HAVEN
(sees this)
That’s your last cookie, Dart.
We don’t want your sugar spiking.

She finishes with the projector.
Pulls a packet of batteries
out of her pocket.

We see the package
has been taped closed.

HAVEN
Okay.
Time to change the battery
on your pump.

DART
Again? So soon?

HAVEN
Silly boy.
You know we change
the battery every Sunday.
And with all the excitement
about your coming home,
I forgot this morning.

Haven goes to Dart,
pulls up his night shirt.

An INSULIN PUMP hangs on
the waistband of his pajama bottoms.

As Haven changes the battery,
Dart grabs another cookie. Hides it.

HAVEN
(CLICKS it in place)
Okay, that -- does it.
(arranges his shirt)
And now it’s show time.

DART
(wistfully)
A Place in the Sun --

Haven shuts off the lights.
Starts the projector.

Gets her cocktail from
the bedside table. Sits.

ON THE SCREEN
we see the film start.
In glorious black and white.