The Tricky Part About Being A Peeping Tom

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 31 of NOWHERE GIRL, just as fugitive stripper Cherry Nation hands over the suitcase nuke to the terrorist cell in exchange for a million bucks, all hell breaks loose, and Bel Air Security guard Renny Quick slips out of his ropes and starts shooting up the place. Meanwhile, outside, Silverlake hipster Peeler Mardo watches the action through the living room window ... until he gets nabbed by Homeland Security agent April Street ...


INT. HOLLYWOOD HILLS MANSION - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
Kamal leads Cherry into the room, where Hamad,
the guards and Renny are watching a ball game
on the big screen plasma TV.

KAMAL
Hamad. Our package has arrived.

Hamad looks. Smiles. Gets up.
Walks over to them.

HAMAD
Very good. Excellent.
(gestures at the case)
May I?

CHERRY
You have the money?

RENNY
Sits in his chair watching the game.

Behind his back,
we can see him loosening his ropes.

HAMAD
Cocks an eyebrow.
Nods. Looks at Kamal.

HAMAD
Give her the money.

Kamal nods.
Walks over to a table.

Grabs an attache case.
Brings it over.

Sets it down on a chair
near Cherry and Hamad.

Flips open the lid to reveal
it’s STUFFED WITH CASH.

KAMAL
One million dollars. As promised.

Cherry’s eyes BUG.
She’s never seen that much money.

In a daze, she hands
Hamad the briefcase.
He takes it.

Sets it down. Opens it.
Sees the LCD DISPLAY.

HAMAD
It’s been ACTIVATED.
WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?

The next few moments
happen in a BLUR OF SPEED --

RENNY’S
Ropes FLY OFF.
He GRABS the guards by their heads
and CRACKS them together.

SNATCHES their weapons.
SMACKS one on the head, THUMP --
then the other, THWACK.
They GO DOWN.

CHERRY
GRABS the money.

HAMAD
GRABS Cherry.
Points his gun at her head. CLICK.

KAMAL
Points his gun at Renny. CLICK.

HAMAD
(to Cherry)
What THE FUCK is going on here?
Is he with you?

CHERRY
Hell, no!
(to Renny)
Don’t shoot!
I’m with the government!

She WHIPS out her gun.
Points it at the case.

CHERRY
(to Hamad)
Let me the fuck go,
or else I’ll blow us all
to kingdom come.

Hamad releases her.
Looks around.
What THE FUCK.

RENNY
That’s really a -- n-nuke?

HAMAD
YES. And it’s going to go off
in NINE MINUTES.

Renny’s eyes dart back and forth.
He licks his lips.

RENNY
I used to be Special Forces.
I think I can disarm it.

CHERRY
You THINK you can disarm it?

RENNY
Well, it’s been a few years --

EXT. MANSION - FRONT YARD - NIGHT - AT THAT MOMENT
Peeler watches the action through the window. Panicked.

PEELER
This doesn’t look good.

FEMALE VOICE (O.C.)
That’s the tricky part
about being a Peeping Tom.

APRIL
Steps into view.
Aiming her Sig Sauer.

PEELER
Oh, h-hi.
I’m with Cherry,
the girl with the nuke, remember?

APRIL
Of course -- you’re the guy
that fucking handcuffed me.

PEELER
Sorry about that.
Listen, some serious shit
is about to go down.
Cherry is in there
trying to do the deal --
and the nuke has been,
like -- ACTIVATED.
We’ve got, like --
I dunno, nine, ten minutes?

APRIL
WHAT?

She touches her hands-free.
Speaks into it.

APRIL
You get all that?

INTERCUT WITH:

INT. CIA HEADQUARTERS - CUBICLE - CONTINUOUS
Lark sits at her desk.
CHOKES on her coffee.

LARK
Yeah. Hold tight,
I’m going to send every agent
we have in the area --