Dead Weight

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 28 of BABY HEISTER, after successfully robbing the armored car, Freddie Fingers tries to double cross Kelsey and Doc and steal the loot, with deadly results ...


EXT. TILLY’S JOINT - DAY
A ramshackle clapboard affair
sits at the end of a long driveway
surrounded by big, old oak trees.

The joint’s in serious disrepair.
Dead, brown lawn. Crumbling foundation.

Next to the house is a small barn
that looks like it’d fall over
if you sneezed. Doors open.

The Roto-Helper truck
comes down the driveway.
Drives into the barn. Stops.

INT. BARN - DAY
Kelsey gets out of the truck.
Goes around to the back, opens the door.

Reno and Dusty get out.
Freddie steps out from the shadows
holding a shotgun. Aims it at them.

FREDDIE
Don’t move, or I’ll SHOOT.

DUSTY
What the FUCK?

RENO
Asshole. I KNEW it.

KELSEY
You’re not gonna get away this.

FREDDIE
Fuck you, bitch.
Now all of you take your guns
out slowly and TOSS ‘em.

Kelsey, Reno and Dusty shake their heads.
Curse under their breath.
Slowly pull out their guns. Toss them.

RENO
What’s it like knowing you’re gonna die?

FREDDIE
Shut up. Kick ‘em over here.

They kick their guns over.

DUSTY
You realize you’re a dead man, right?

FREDDIE
I said SHUT UP.
One more word and I’ll
blow your fucking HEADS off.

A GUNSHOT rings out. BANG.
A hole appears in Freddie’s forehead.

He falls over, THWUMP.
They turn and look, see --

RAY
Standing in the doorway.
Holding a giant chrome handgun.
Wicked smile on his lips. Chuckling.

RAY
Sorry to crash the party.
(off Kelsey’s shocked look)
Hey there, darlin.’
Don’t suppose you’d like to
ride off into the sunset with me.

KELSEY
Fucking ASSHOLE.

RAY
So ladylike.
(waves the gun at them)
Start unloading the dough, fellas.
Then your gonna put it
in my van outside.

GUNSHOTS ring out.
BANG. BANG. BANG. BANG. BANG.

Five RED HOLES appear in his white T-shirt.
He looks down at them --

RAY
What the --

And HITS the ground. THWUMP.

TILLY
Stands in the doorway behind him.
Holding a small handgun.

TILLY
You shot my FREDDIE.

DUSTY
Tilly. Calm down. He’s not with us.
He wasn’t part of the plan, I swear.

RENO
Yeah. Don’t shoot, don’t shoot.

TILLY
SHUT UP. I gotta THINK.

BANG. Her head EXPLODES IN A RED MIST.
Kelsey JUMPS. SCREAMS.

DOC
Stands behind her.
Holding a sawed-off shotgun.

KELSEY
Doc.

DOC
Didn’t think I’d let you do the job
without a chaperone, did ya?
(beat)
Looks like I got here just in time.

RENO
No shit. Freddie tried a cross --
(points at Ray)
And this fella shot him.

Doc goes over to Ray’s body.
Pull out his wallet.

DOC
Bastard been sniffin’
around since the wake.
(opens the wallet, looks)
The guy’s a fucking COP.
Detective Charles Willis,
LA Robbery Homicide.

DUSTY
Holy SHIT. You know what that means?

DOC
Yeah. They’re onto us.

RENO
But he wasn’t arresting us.
He was gonna TAKE THE DOUGH.

DUSTY
Yeah, but the cops still know about us.
He was playing along like
he was investigating us --
then he was gonna take the dough
and disappear.

RENO
So when word gets out about
the can getting knocked over --

DOC
Dead cop? Gonna be a shit storm.

Kelsey stares. Numb.
White a ghost. Doc looks at her.

DOC
Don’t worry.
We’re gonna be okay.
I’ve been planning
for this day a long time.
(off her nod)
Take a deep breath.

She gulps down air.
Stares at the bodies.

DOC
Be strong.
You can freak out later.
Right now we gotta focus.

RENO
So what are we gonna
do about the bodies?

DUSTY
I say we torch the joint.

DOC
Good idea.

Reno and Dusty nod.
Head toward the house.

DOC
C’mon. Let’s move the truck.
I gotta call Jo.

Kelsey nods. They get in,
Kelsey behind the wheel.
She starts backing it out of the barn.

IN THE TRUCK
Kelsey stops in the driveway.

DOC
Go change the signs.
Put the old ones in the barn, okay?

She nods. Starts to get out.
Stops. Stares at Doc. In shock.

DOC
You gotta trust me.
We’ll make it through this.
I’m not gonna let
anything happen to you. Okay?