Have Blonde, Will Travel

Happy Friday, 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 6 of RIGGEWAY, Cate and her dog Bobby say goodbye to the beach in Marina Del Rey, then pile into her car and head off to their new home in the Ozark Mountains, but then get stuck in a typical LA traffic jam ...


EXT. MARINA DEL REY JETTY - EARLY MORNING
Gorgeous sunrise over the ocean.
Seagulls and pelicans fly the beautiful skies.

A hundred-yard cement walkway with a chrome railing
juts past the shoreline out into the sea.

Cate stands at the end with Bobby.
Looks at the coastline, deep in thought.

This is the last time she’ll
see this view in a long time.
Almost surprised she feels nothing.

CATE
Ready?

Bobby looks at her. Pants happily.
They start walking back.

INT. CATE’S GARAGE - EARLY MORNING
Cate walks to her car.
We see the back seat is filled to the brim.

She opens the passenger-side door.
Bobby jumps in.

INT. CATE’S CAR - MOVING - CONTINUOUS
Out the window, we see the canal,
lined with airbrushed McMansions.
Cate shoves a cassette into the stereo.

ANNOUNCER (V.O.)
(electronic)
Regent Audio Books presents
‘Have Blonde, Will Travel,’
by Carrie Love, read by Friday Foster.

Cate smiles. Cracks the window.
Grabs a smoke. Fires it up.

FRIDAY FOSTER (V.O.)
The body was lying on the
bathroom floor in a pool of blood,
a pair of scissors sticking
out of it’s neck --

EXT. WASHINGTON BOULEVARD - DAY
One of LA’s patented traffic clusterfucks.
Cate’s car is stuck in a motionless
sea of SUV’s, Beamers and Benzes.

IN THE CAR
Cate sighs. She was anxious to
get the hell out of Dodge,
but now has to wait for
the wagons to start moving.

IN MONTAGE:
Cate’s red Toyota on the Ten Freeway
heading east. Passing downtown LA.
Then East LA. Then scrub brush in the desert.

EXT. REST STOP - DAY
A cement block in the middle of nowhere.
Hundred-degree heat shimmers off the pavement.

Cate pulls in and parks. Gets out.
The scorching blast punches her in the gut.

CATE
Holy shit.

She lets Bobby out.
Takes him to a nearby spigot.

Fills his bowl with water.
Watches him hungrily lap it up.

Looks around at the desolate landscape.
Miles and miles of nothing.
She could be on Mars.

CATE
What the fuck have I done?

A Fresh Start

Hey there, crime kids. Happy Friday. 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 5 of RIDGEWAY, Kate's friend Roberta suggests she move to Arkansas to be with her online girlfriend Kayla after she gets evicted, after which she breaks the news to Kayla, who's thrilled ...


EXT. VENICE BUNGALOW - DAY
Sunlight dapples a tiny house
on a leafy avenue full of
similar beige blocks of stucco.
KIDS play across the street.

An oldish red Toyota convertible
is parked in the narrow driveway.
Bumper sticker reads EAT, PRAY, FUCK.

Welcome to Venice, California.
Not the hot chicks roller-blading
on the boardwalk in short-shorts
version as seen on TV.
David Duchovny never stayed here.

INT. VENICE BUNGALOW - KITCHEN - DAY
Cozy and cluttered with
a big, crude wood table.

Sink and counter tops filled with dishes.
Oversized primitive art on the walls.
A tiny stereo plays French pop music.

Cate sips a glass of wine,
watching ROBERTA (50) cook.

She’s a sturdy Italian with a shock
of dark hair and an attractive, lived-in face.
Salt of the earth, with a dash of pepper.

ROBERTA
So it was also no good?

CATE
Well, it was an RV, much bigger
than the trailer in Malibu,
but it was pretty disgusting.
And when he showed me how to
hook up the water, electric and propane,
I realized how complicated it is.
I can’t hook all that up
in your driveway.

ROBERTA
About that --`
(off Cate’s look)
Roberto’s coming home from
Italy after his surgery,
and things aren’t going to be the same.

CATE
He’s gonna be convalescing --

ROBERTA
I’m sorry.

Cate takes a big hit of wine.
Fighting back tears.

ROBERTA (CONT’D)
Why don’t you go stay with your
online girlfriend until the money
from the script comes in?
Then you can both move back here together.

CATE
You mean -- move to Arkansas?

ROBERTA
You said she invited you --

CATE
Yeah. I thought it was crazy --
(thinks, then -- )
But that was before she came to visit.
(thinks)
I WAS gonna move her out here --
(considers it)
You know what?
That’s fucking brilliant.

ROBERTA
It makes sense.

CATE
I just pack up the car
and drive there with Bobby.

ROBERTA
A fresh start.

Cate beams. It lights up
her face like we haven’t seen.

CATE
A fresh start.

INT. KAYLA’S APARTMENT - KITCHEN - NIGHT
Kayla sits at the kitchen table
in front of her computer.

A BIG FLUFFY ORANGE AND WHITE CAT
sits next to the mouse pad.

ON THE FLAT SCREEN
We see a Friendbook chat window.
A conversation scrolls down:

Cate:
And then I felt a huge weight lift.
I’ll just pack up the fucking car
and drive -- to YOU.

Kayla:
This is incredible. I’m so excited.

INT. CATE’S APARTMENT - NIGHT
Cate sits at her work station
typing on her laptop.

ON HER SCREEN

Cate:
When Roberta suggested it, I felt this
big weight lift off my shoulders.

Kayla:
What are you gonna do about all your stuff?

Cate:
Roberta’s gonna let me store
my books and movies in her garage.
I’m throwing away everything else.
As George Carlin said, ‘It’s just stuff.’

Kayla:
I’m can’t believe this is happening.
It’s a like a dream come true.

CATE
Lights a smoke. Smiles. Starts typing.

Cate:
The long nightmare is over.
And I’m bringing an ounce
of primo weed from Surfer Tom.

Kayla:
Wow. BIG love.

Cate:
BIGGER love, baby.

KAYLA
Smiles. Starts to type,
but the cat sits on her hand.

She tries to gently move it,
but it CLAWS at her, drawing blood.

KAYLA
OW --