Blood, Guts, Whiskey And Bullets

Hey there, crime kids. Happy Hump Day. 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 RIDGEWAY, Cate pays a visit to Dixie Mafia crime boss Big Boy to dig up some dirt for her TV show, but is surprised when he charms the pants off her ... and offers her a job ...


EXT. STOREFRONT - DAY
A faded red brick storefront.
Broken sign reads ‘1898’ up top.

A park bench sits on the porch
next to a ceramic pig underneath
a row of giant hanging ferns.

Through partially-open blinds
we see the joint is stuffed
with antiquities and junk.

And hey, is that a wooden Indian?
And what the hell is Santa
doing there in August?

This is no store, folks.
It’s Big Boy’s office.

The only skyscrapers in these parts
have branches and leaves.

Cate walks Bobby on a leash
toward the building.

Stops in front. Pretends to look
at the clusterfuck of Americana.

Suddenly a group of BIKERS
going FLYING BY on their Harleys,
engines ROARING, causing Bobby
to BARK his head off.

The door opens.
Out comes BIG BOY (60’s),
your standard-issue hillbilly deluxe,
with a standard-issue gnarled,
crusty cowboy hat and a gut
the size of a laundry basket.

But this Jethro’s wearing a Rolex
and smoking a Cuban cigar.

BIG BOY
Afternoon. Can I help ya?

CATE
You must be Big Boy.

BIG BOY
At your service.

He points at a poster on the door.
Big photo of him announcing
the Echo Springs Bluegrass Festival,
giving a big thumbs up like
some kinda Boy Howdy from hell.

BIG BOY
You a musician looking for a slot?

CATE
No, no.
I just moved here -- from LA.
(points)
Live in that orange house
down the street. Name’s Cate.

She offers her hand. They shake.

BIG BOY
And the pooch?

CATE
Bobby.

BIG BOY
Well, welcome to Echo Springs,
Cate and Bobby. What brings
you round these parts?

CATE
After twenty years in LA
and fifteen in New York,
I was burned out.
Wanted some peace and quiet.

BIG BOY
Well, you’re sure gonna get that here.
Been here forty years myself.
(grins)
Originally from Bakersfield,
but don’t tell anyone.

CATE
I hear you’re quite
the mover and shaker.

BIG BOY
What’s that now?

CATE
Oh. Sorry.
I’m a screenwriter, and I’m
thinking about writing a TV show
that takes place here.
I was talking to Londell Kirven,
and he said you’d be a
great person to talk to --
you know, about the town,
the gossip -- all the dirt.

BIG BOY
Ah, yes -- Londell. Good kid.
How you do know him?

CATE
He’s my partner’s sister’s husband.

BIG BOY
C’mon in and set a spell.

INT. BIG BOY’S OFFICE - A LITTLE LATER
A big room crammed with antiques,
heirlooms and yard sale crap.

An old TV has Andy Griffith
on with the sound off.

Big Boy sits behind a big desk
covered with paperwork,
Cate across from him
in a rocking chair.

Bobby wanders around
sniffing the musty smells.

CATE
Eighteen years.
Last six full-time.
(turns on the charm)
I’ve written twenty-six features,
six pilots and eight shorts.
like to think I’ve
gotten pretty good.

BIG BOY
How much you charge to
write a movie about me?

CATE
Write a movie -- about you?

BIG BOY
It’s a good story.
Chock full of blood, guts,
whiskey and bullets.

A black, old school
rotary phone RINGS.
Big Boy answers it.

BIG BOY
Big Boy --
(listens)
You found the fucker.
(listens)
Had a feeling he might
be there. Fucking drunk.
(listens)
Got company. Be right down.
(hangs up)
Pardon my French. Have a tenant
who’s way behind on his rent --
(beat)
Tell ya what. You free for lunch?
(off her nod)
Meet me at Kitty’s Roadhouse at one.
We’ll go over the details --