Chunks In Sauce

Happy Tuesday, 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 21 of EXIT, faded rock star Bettie Black tries to keep a cop from coming into the club and discovering fugitive gunman Danny Peel and the hostage situation, with violent results ...


INT. THE EXIT ROOM - EARLY MORNING
The buzzer RINGS.

URGENT MALE VOICE (O.C.)
OPEN UP, POLICE.

CASEY
Shit.

BANG-BANG-BANGING on the door.

ANGRY COP (O.C.)
OPEN UP THE DOOR RIGHT NOW.

DANNY
We need a diversion.

CASEY
(to Mia)
Go put some music on.
Make it seem like a
private party or something.

Mia dashes over to the sound system.
Turns it on.

Thievery Corporation bubbles
its world beat on hidden speakers.

BETTIE
Let me try.

DANNY
Yeah, go ahead. Do it.

Bettie nods.
RACES over to the door.
Opens it a crack.

Danny grabs his shotgun.
Follows her.
Stands off to the side.

BETTIE
Sorry, officer. Private party.
Was the music too loud?
Joint’s supposed to be soundproof --

ANGRY COP (O.C.)
I need to come in
and search the place, Miss.
There’s a dangerous felon on the loose.
(beat)
You’re Bettie Black --

BETTIE
That’s me.

ANGRY COP (O.C.)
I’m afraid I’m still
gonna have to come in.

BETTIE
Do you have to?
Me and my friends were
gonna be leaving soon.
Can you come back a little later?

ANGRY COP (O.C.)
I’m sorry, Ms. Black.

BETTIE
Bettie, please.
Do I looke like a ‘Ms?’

ANGRY COP (O.C.)
I believe you -- Bettie,
but I gotta come in.
It’s my job.
We gotta check every building.
Sorry to inconvenience you.

BETTIE
Who you looking for?

ANGRY COP (O.C.)
Are you kidding?
It’s all over the news.

BETTIE
I don’t watch the news.
You said you’re looking for
a dangerous felon?

ANGRY COP (O.C.)
Yeah. Some asshole
killed a cop up in the hills.
We got a city-wide manhunt going on.

BETTIE
Holy shit.

ANGRY COP (O.C.)
I’ll just be a minute.

BETTIE
Well, see -- the thing is,
we’ve been doing some partying.
Smoking some weed,
doing a little blow.
Promise you won’t bust us?

ANGRY COP (O.C.)
Don’t worry about it.
Got bigger fish to fry.
Now if you’ll excuse me --

The door starts to push open.
ANGRY COP (30’s) starts coming in.

Meet sergeant BIFF GRIFFIN,
a big beefy fellow.

Danny SHOVES his sawed-off
against the side of his head.

DANNY
Make one move
and you’re chunks in sauce.

Biff freezes.

DANNY
I want you to take three steps, VERY SLOWLY.

He does.
Danny continues to aim the gun at his head.
Bettie quickly closes the door.

DANNY
Now VERY SLOWLY unholster your weapon,
drop it on the floor
and kick it across the room.

Biff carefully unsnaps the holster.
Gingerly pulls it out.

DROPS it. KICKS it.
The gun SKITTERS across the floor.

BIFF
You’ll never get away with this.
You realize how many cops are out there?

DANNY
Shut up.
Now the gun on your ankle.

He sighs. Bends down.
Pulls up a pants leg.

Pulls out a small snub-nose revolver.
Drops it and kicks it away.

DANNY
Now your pepper spray.

Biff unhooks a cannister
off his belt. TOSSES it.

DANNY
Go sit over there.

He marches defiantly over to the banquet.
Sits. Glowering.

BIFF
My partner’s gonna come looking for me.

DANNY
Shut the fuck up.

SKY
You want us to tie him up?

BIFF
(looks at him)
Hey. You’re that actor.

DANNY
I said SHUT THE FUCK UP.
(to Mia)
You got some rope
or something in the office?

MIA
I think we have some twine.

DANNY
Go get it.

Mia dashes off.

CASEY
We should keep him in here.
The other cop in the VIP room
and he could help each other escape.

DANNY
Yeah. Good idea.

BETTIE
(points)
Over there against the wall.

SKY
(points)
Over there in that dark corner’s better.

BIFF
(to Danny)
Wait a minute.
They’re not acting like hostages.
What the fuck’s going on?

Danny marches over.
CRACKS him on the head with the sawed-off.
Biff slumps over, out cold.

DANNY
What part of ‘shut the fuck up’
didn’t you get?

The Gravy Train

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 20 of EXIT, Oscar-winning screenwriter Casey Montana prods fugitive Danny Peel to tell her about what went down that night at the home invasion-gone wrong, but just as Danny confesses his sins, the cops arrive and start pounding on the door ...


INT. THE EXIT ROOM - EARLY MORNING
Mia makes coffee, eyes red-rimmed.
Bettie and Casey sit at the bar, in a daze.

Bettie pours a shot.
Downs it.

Pours another. Slams it.
Pours another.

CASEY
Still trying to leave Vegas?

BETTIE
Hell, no.
That fucking shit was PUNK ROCK.
I’m sorry Easy and Angel died and shit,
but that lit the fucking spark.
I haven’t felt this alive in YEARS.
Got all kinds of music in my head.

Danny and Sky walk in.
Take seats.

DANNY
The VIP room is starting
to look like a morgue.

SKY
‘Starting to?’

DANNY
(looks at Mia)
I could go for a cup of coffee.

SKY
Make mine Irish.

DANNY
You did good, kid.

SKY
I just got into character --
and did it.

DANNY
(to Casey)
How you holding up? You okay?

CASEY
Top of the world, Ma.

DANNY
No, seriously. You looked spooked.

CASEY
I am.
(faint smile)
But it’s a good kinda spooked.

BETTIE
I don’t know about you,
but all this shit gave me
the kick in the ass I fucking needed.

SKY
I know, right?
Now I don’t give a shit what anybody thinks.
I fucked up, so I’ll pay the price.
I’ll get clean, go to rehab.
Big fucking deal.
HIV is no longer a death sentence, right?
I’ll be fine.
Hollywood loves a big comeback.
(beat)
I can’t believe I was
acting like such a pussy.

DANNY
So the big, bad wolf ends up
helping everybody get their shit together.
(beat)
Sure could use some of that myself about now.

Casey takes Danny’s hand in hers.
Looks in his eyes.

CASEY
So what happened?
Why did you do it?

DANNY
We should get going.

CASEY
In a sec.
I think we all wannna know.
(looks at the group, off their nods)
What happened?

Pause.

DANNY
Rael and I used to be partners.
Started out squeaky clean.
Loved the job.
Both of our fathers were cops,
real heroes, you know?
(beat)
We walked the straight and narrow for a long time.
But cops don’t make very much money --
and every day you’re out there
busting these assholes who’ve got a shitload of cash.
You’re driving a Ford and they’ve got a Porsche.
You wear a Timex, they’ve got a Rolex.
You eat burgers, they have steak.
(beat)
So one day you swipe a little cash after a bust.
Who’s gonna notice, right?
Bust a guy who’s got a
couple-hundred grand, pocket ten.
Big fucking deal.
Who does it hurt?
(beat)
We started doing it more and more.
Thought of it as a bonus for doing a good job.
Take down some lowlife who had a million in coke
and a half-a-million in cash,
you deserve fifty-k for bringing him down.
(beat)
Problem is, you start getting
used to the finer things in life.
A cabin up in Big Bear.
New clothes for the wife.
Nice vacations.
You become addicted to spending it.
Almost like you want to get rid of it,
like you don’t really deserve it.

CASEY
I know what you mean.
I spent so much money after the movie hit,
my accountant almost had a heart attack.

DANNY
How did you stop?

CASEY
I didn’t.
Why do you think I need the next movie?

DANNY
(nods)
So, anyway -- I rip off a dealer
who turns out to be an informer,
get busted for being dirty
and get thrown off the force.
The wife’s not happy.
No more gravy train.

CASEY
Ohimogd. She slept with Rael.

DANNY
Are you fucking pyschic?
How did you know that?

CASEY
Read a lot of books,
watch a lot of movies.
I can predict a plot twist
at twenty paces.

DANNY
No shit.
(sips his coffee)
So -- I did what any broke,
jealous asshole would do.
Robbed the fucking creep
that fucked my wife.
(beat)
Only I didn’t think she’d
be in bed with him when I did it.

SKY
That’s some pretty intense shit.

BETTIE
No shit.

DANNY
I’m afraid I’m not the savior you think I am.
I’m just your garden variety criminal.

MIA
But you did it for love.
That means something.

DANNY
Love? I dunno.
Jealous rage is more like it.
After I got kicked off the force,
our marriage was never the same.
(beat)
I fucking lived for that job.

CASEY
Well, you got the money.

DANNY
And someone to tell my story.

CASEY
Gonna make a hell of a movie.

DANNY
Whattaya say we get the fuck outta here?

The buzzer RINGS.

URGENT MALE VOICE (O.C.)
OPEN UP, POLICE.

Can't We All Just Get Along?

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 19 of EXIT, loan shark thugs Ned and Pub burst into the club with shotguns, demanding payment from Angel the bouncer ... and just as fugitive Danny Peel tries to fend them off with his gun, in a surprising move, the hostages come to the rescue ...

INT. THE EXIT ROOM - EARLY MORNING
Danny looks at Angel. Nods.

Angel unlocks, opens the door --
and two HUGE GUYS (20’s)
walk in carrying shotguns.

PUB, a crazy-looking Brit,
and NED, a scary-looking redneck.

PUB
(aims his gun at Angel)
Just the bloke we’re lookin’ for.

NED
(looks around)
Fancy joint ya got here.

Danny LEAPS around,
JAMS his sawed-off
against Ned’s cheek.

DANNY
Don’t move.
Drop it.

PUB
(to Danny)
Drop yours, or I blow
da spic’s head off.

DANNY
Drop yours, or I spray the wall
with Jed Clampett’s brains.

NED
(to Pub)
Wait, wait.
If you shoot him,
we don’t get no money.
(to Danny)
Who the fuck are you?

DANNY
None of your fucking business.
Who the fuck are YOU?

PUB
He owes our boss money --

NED
And we’re here to collect.

DANNY
How much?

PUB
Two thousand.

ANGEL
TWO thousand?
The weekly vig’s supposed to be one.

NED
It doubles if you’re late.

DANNY
I’ll give it to you
if you put your gun down.

PUB
You’ll give it to me? Right.
You just happen to carry around
that much cash.

DANNY
I’ve got it, okay?
(off his look)
I’m in a similar line of work.

NED
How do I know you’re
not gonna blow my head off?

DANNY
You’re just gonna have to trust me.

PUB
He’s bluffing.

EASY (O.C.)
Gentlemen.
Can’t we all just get along?

Reveal Easy.
Standing nearby,
jacket over his shoulders.

NED
Holy shit.
It’s Easy Washington.

PUB
Who gives a shit.
I fookin’ hate baseball.

EASY
(smiles)
And I hate soccer.
We’re even.

NED
I just heard on the radio
that you’re a bone-smuggler.

EASY
Well, bisexual is more accurate.

NED
(aims his gun at Easy)
A fag’s a fag,
no matter if he eats pussy.
It’s like being half-black,
yer still black.

SKY (O.C.)
Is that any way to speak
to a sports legend?

Reveal Sky.
Standing a few feet to the side.
Holding Vin’s gun, aimed at Pub.

PUB
Who the fuck are --
wait a minute.
(to Ned)
That’s Sky Masters.

NED
Who?

PUB
Sky Masters.
He was in ‘Baby Heister.’
You know. The wheelman.

NED
Oh, yeah.

SKY
Nice to meet you, fellas.
Now why don’t we all put our guns down
so my friend can give you your money.
Whattaya say?

NED
Bullshit.
You’re tryin’ to trick us.

CASEY (O.C.)
Trick or treat!

BETTIE (O.C.)
Trick or treat!

Reveal Casey and Bettie.
Holding bottles of booze.
They both take a swig. Smile.

BETTIE
C’mon, boys --

CASEY
Let’s get the party STARTED.

NED
Holy SHIT.
That’s Bettie Black.
PUB
(to Casey)
Who are you?
You famous, too?

CASEY
(coy)
Maybe --

Bettie and Casey raise
their bottles with one hand,
PULL UP their tops with the other.

Pub and Ned stare at their breasts --
as the girls SMASH
the bottles on their heads.

They both HIT the floor.
THWUMP.

Their shotguns go OFF.
BANG. BANG.

Angel gets HIT in the belly.
FLIES across the room.

MIA
ANGEL, NO.

Easy gets HIT in the crotch,
falls to the floor, THWUMP.
Bettie and Casey SCREAM.

Harry starts having a HEART ATTACK.
CLUTCHES his chest.

Weaves. Falls over.
HITS the floor.

Danny aims his sawed-off.
BLOWS OFF Pub’s head. BANG.
Then Ned’s. BANG.

Danny looks at their bodies.
Then the girls.

DANNY
I need a drink --

Mad Money

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 18 of EXIT, just as the hostages help gunman Danny Peel come up with a getaway plan, the buzzer rings, and in walks a pair thugs with shotguns ...


INT. THE EXIT ROOM - EARLY MORNING
Danny and Casey sit together at the bar
next to a bottle in in a bucket of ice.

Sip champagne from flutes.
Danny raises his glass
to the others in a toast.

DANNY
Thanks for not trying anything
while we were --

CASEY
Busy?

They stare at each other.
Smile.

EASY
Well, I’m not really
in fighting shape anymore.

DANNY
HEY.
Feeling sorry for yourself
is not allowed, got it?

EASY
That’s easy for you to say.

DANNY
Oh, yeah? Please.
You lost your arm,
but you’ve got millions.
And you’re gonna be
remembered as a hero.
I’m gonna be lucky if I
get out of this alive.
Any minute now the cops
could break down the door.

SKY
So we should come up a plan.

MIA
I told you.
He can take my car.
Angel can drive me home.

ANGEL
Yeah, sure.

CASEY
Wait a minute, I’ve got it.
What if I drive,
Easy rides shotgun,
Bettie and Sky sit behind us,
and Danny hides in the back
under a blanket?

DANNY
That’s fucking brilliant.

CASEY
Four celebrities going to breakfast
after a night of partying?
We could get through any roadblock.

DANNY
You guys would do that for me?

SKY
We could say you had a gun on us.

DANNY
(raises his glass)
As an expression of my gratitude,
I’ll give you each a hundred-k,
in cash, tax-free.
I’ll get the fuck outta here,
and you’ll have some mad money.

CASEY
(raises her glass)
To The Gentleman Bandit.
He robs from the rich --
to give to the rich.

SKY
Holy shit.
You mean that?

ANGEL
All of us?

MIA
Ohmigod.

HARRY
Dude. Really?

DANNY
Sure. Why not.
Now that my partner’s gone,
I’ll still have over a million
to head off into the sunset.

CASEY
What about me?

DANNY
You wanna come with?

CASEY
It’s my story, too.

DANNY
(nods)
We’ll hole up in a shitty motel
until the heat dies down.
You can go out and
get food and shit.

CASEY
The start of act three.

The buzzer RINGS.

CASEY
Shit.

DANNY
(to Angel)
Go see who it is.
If it’s the loan shark guys,
I’ve got you covered.
(beat)
Everybody else get
down behind the bar.

Angel walks over to the door.
Danny follows.

The rest scamble off their stools.
Get down on the floor behind the bar.

Danny takes position to
the side of the door,
shotgun ready.

ANGEL
(at the door)
Who’s there?

MALE VOICE (O.C.)
Liquor delivery.

ANGEL
We just had one.
It’s a mistake.
We don’t need anything.

Angel shoots a look at Danny.

MALE VOICE (O.C.)
No mistake.
Owner ordered that
new vodka from Croatia.
Expensive shit.

ANGEL
Really?

MALE VOICE (O.C.)
Yeah.
C’mon, can you open the door?
I gotta take a wicked piss.

Danny looks at Angel. Nods.
Angel unlocks, opens the door --
and two HUGE GUYS (20’s)
walk in carrying shotguns.

PUB, a crazy-looking Brit,
and NED, a scary-looking redneck.

PUB
(aims his gun at Angel)
Just the bloke we’re lookin’ for --

Thank Heaven For Small Miracles

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 17 of EXIT, in the aftermath of dirty cop Vin Vargas shooting death, fugitive Danny Peel and Oscar-winning screenwriter bond when she reveals the reason she has writer's block ... so then Danny unblocks it ...


INT. THE EXIT ROOM - EARLY MORNING
Vin reaches for his gun, but Danny’s faster --
and SHOOTS him with the sawed-off, BOOM.

He FLIES backwards, HITS the floor, THUD.
Blood starts PUMPING out of his belly.

Casey stares, wide-eyed.
Heart beating a mile a minute.

SKY
Holy shit.

BETTIE
Good riddance.

EASY
Asshole.

ANGEL
I was getting tired of his shit.

HARRY
(low)
Remind me not to make him mad.

Casey gets up.
Walks over to Danny.

CASEY
You meant that?

DANNY
What?

CASEY
Permission to tell your story.

DANNY
Yeah.

Angel nudges Sky.
Points at Vin’s body.

They nod. Get up, pick him up
and carry him out of the room.

MIA
(softly)
I’ll go make us some drinks.

Bettie and Easy
follow her to the bar.

Danny watches them
out of the corner of his eye.

CASEY
Wilshire Boulevard’s a true story.

DANNY
No shit?

CASEY
(nods)
I’m Jenny.

DANNY
But you said you
liked to fuck girls.

CASEY
Doesn’t mean I don’t
like to fuck guys.

DANNY
Thank heaven for small miracles.

CASEY
That’s why I haven’t
been able to write.

DANNY
Why don’t you just
find another true story?

CASEY
I tried, but it didn’t work.
The story’s gotta happen to me.
(beat)
Watching my boyfriend
kill my parents
and my brother really --
(beat)
So I wrote about it.
It was the only way
I could let go.
(whispers)
But I haven’t been able
to have sex.

DANNY
Really.

CASEY
Yeah.
(beat)
But now --

DANNY
You’ve been waiting for
another triple homicide
to come along?

CASY
More like --
waiting for a muse.

DANNY
I inspire you?

CASEY
Scary, huh?

DANNY
Boo.

CASEY
Gonna huff and puff?

DANNY.
Blow your house down.

They GRAB each other.
Start going at it, hot and heavy.

Angel and Sky come back in,
see what they’re doing.

Go to the bar.
Join the others.
Whisper to each other.

Danny pulls Casey over to the banquet
so they won’t be seen.

Lays her down.
Kisses her neck.

Pulls his sawed-off
out from his waistband.
Points it at her crotch.

DANNY
Ever had both barrels?

CASEY
Go ahead.
(beat)
Fill me with buckshot --

Dirty Harry

Happy Tuesday, 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 16 of EXIT, gunman Danny Peel and dirty cop Vin Vargas have sandwiches with the hostages, but when screenwriter Casey Montana asks Danny what went down at the home invasion earlier that night, thinking it might be a good story for her next screenplay, Danny blames Vin for the carnage, and then things take a violent turn ...


INT. THE EXIT ROOM - EARLY MORNING
A big spread of food is on the table.
Everybody sits on the banquet eating sandwiches.

Vin’s there, too.
Looks like hell in greasy, filthy clothing.

CASEY
Ohmigod, this is so fucking good.

VIN
Boar’s Head.
I don’t eat that cheap shit.

HARRY
Righteous sandwich.
You know your way around munchies.

VIN
Great fucking weed.
Took the edge right off.

DANNY
(to Vin)
You really paid a homeless guy
to switch clothes with you?

VIN
Yeah. Gave him a hundred bucks.
There were so many cops around,
I had to disguise myself --
(takes a bite)
That’s what took me so long to get back.

DANNY
I gotta say I’m impressed.

VIN
What about the cop?
How long before they start looking for her?

DANNY
(holds up a walkie talkie)
We’ve got some time.
Now that we got her radio
we can listen to what’s going on.

VIN
I can tell you what’s going on.
Full media blitz, cops everywhere, choppers.

DANNY
We gotta come up with a new plan.
They’re gonna find the stolen car.

VIN
Yeah. We’re gonna need new wheels.

MIA
You can take my car.

DANNY
What kind of car do you have?

MIA
A Honda SUV.
Has tinted windows.

DANNY
I dunno.
There’s gonna be roadblocks.
I gotta think about it.

MIA
(to Danny)
While you think about it,
can I use your phone
to call the hospital?

DANNY
That offer was good
if you kept the cop away.

MIA
I tried, but she saw the blood.
It wasn’t my fault.

VIN
You were gonna let her use your PHONE?

DANNY
(to Mia)
Okay. Make it quick.
I’ll be listening.

MIA
Ohmigod, THANK YOU.

VIN
What the fuck?

Danny pulls out his cell phone.
Hands it to her.

Mia takes it, dials a number.
Relieved.

DANNY
Chill out.
Her mother had a stroke.
It’s not her fault you fucked up tonight.

VIN
WHAT?

DANNY
Shut up, Vin. I wanna listen.

MIA
(into the phone)
The UCLA Medical Center in Santa Monica.
(listens)
Thanks.
(listens)
Yes, hi. I’m calling to get some
information on a patient of yours?
(listens)
Lucy Tanaka.
(listens)
Sure, I’ll hold.
(to Danny)
I’m holding --

DANNY
It’s okay.

MIA
(nods)
Yes? She IS? Thank god. Thank you.
(listens)
She’s going home tomorrow?
(listens)
Is my sister there?
Can I talk to her?

DANNY
Time’s up.

MIA
But I want to ask her --

DANNY
(GRABS the phone)
You found out your mother’s okay.
Can’t risk you talking to your sister.
She’ll be able to tell something’s up
by the tone of your voice.

VIN
I can’t believe you let her fucking do that.
Hostages aren’t allowed to make phone calls.

DANNY
You really are a pain in the ass,
you know that?

VIN
HEY. I risked my BADGE for you.
And what’s this bullshit about
‘I fucked up the job?’

DANNY
You DID fuck up the job.

CASEY
Wait a minute. Vin’s a COP?
DANNY
(nods)
A cop with a gambling problem.

VIN
Why the fuck did you have to tell her THAT?

DANNY
Cause it’s true?

VIN
I didn’t fuck up the job.
He was going for his piece.

DANNY
No he wasn’t.
He was reaching for his glasses.
He was blind without them.
(to Casey)
They were fucking when we walked in --
(to Vin)
And Dirty Harry here just HAD to go in,
guns blazing.

CASEY
Oh my god.
This WOULD make a great movie.

VIN
A MOVIE?
You can’t make a movie outta this
without our permission.

DANNY
I’m giving her mine.

VIN
WHAT?

DANNY
Gonna do something about it?

VIN
(stands)
Maybe.

DANNY
I wouldn’t do that if I were you.
Be the last mistake you ever made.
(chuckles)
One in a LONG line --
(imitates him)
Hello, honey?
I lost our mortgage payment at the track.

Vin reaches for his gun,
but Danny’s faster --
and SHOOTS him with the sawed-off, BOOM.

He FLIES backwards,
HITS the floor, THUD.
Blood starts PUMPING out of his belly.

Casey stares, wide-eyed.
Heart beating a mile a minute.

Party Out Of Bounds

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 15 of EXIT, just as fugitive gunman Danny Peel and the celebrity hostages get high and listen to some music to try and chill out, a cop suddenly rings the buzzer, demanding to come in and search the place ... and everyone has to think fast ...


INT. THE EXIT ROOM - EARLY MORNING
The lush world beat of Thievery Corporation
gently pulses through hidden speakers over --

Everybody sitting on the banquette getting high.
Danny’s at one end with his shotgun on his lap.

Bettie stands in the middle of the room
doing an interpretive dance.

DANNY
(laughs)
I thought I said ‘no dancing.’

BETTIE
I’m not dancing.

DANNY
No shit.
(looks at Mia)
So what’s your story?
You an actress-slash-model?

MIA
I guess so.

DANNY
You guess so?
Then why do you look so sad?
You’re pursuing your dream.
(off her look)
There’s no need to be afraid of me.
I’m not gonna hurt you.

MIA
Right before you -- came,
I got a call from my sister.
My mother had a stroke and
she was being rushed to the hospital.
(starts crying)
And I don’t know if she’s okay.

DANNY
Oh, wow. Shit. I’m sorry.

MIA
(to Danny)
Can I use your cell phone
to call the hospital?

The buzzer RINGS.

FEMALE COP (O.C.)
Open up, it’s the police.

DANNY
(to Mia)
Go answer it.
Shut off the lights
and pretend you’re closing up.
If you can get rid of her,
I’ll let you call your mom, okay?
(to the rest)
Everybody else get behind the bar.

They quickly tip-toe toward the back.
Danny takes position next to the door.

Mia goes to a panel on the wall,
shuts off the lights.
Opens the door.

A tough-looking
FEMALE UNIFORMED OFFICER (30’s) appears.

MIA
Hello, officer.
I was just closing up.
Can I help you?

TOUGH-LOOKING FEMALE COP
You’re just closing now?
What kinda place is this?

MIA
After-hours club.
(smiles)
Very exclusive.

TOUGH-LOOKING FEMALE COP
I smell marijuana.

MIA
Yeah, I know.
It’s against the rules.
But who’s gonna argue
with Easy Washington?

TOUGH-LOOKING FEMALE COP
Easy Washingon was here?
Tonight? Shit.

MIA
Yeah. We had quite the crowd tonight --
Bettie Black, Sky Masters, Casey Montana --

TOUGH-LOOKING FEMALE COP
Who’s Casey Montana?

MIA
She wrote Wilshire Bouleward?

TOUGH-LOOKING FEMALE COP
Oh, wow. I loved that movie.
(peers in)
So they’re all gone?

MIA
Yep. Were you looking for somebody?

TOUGH-LOOKING FEMALE COP
Yeah.
Had a home invasion
up in the hills.
Cop got killed.

MIA
Oh, no. That’s terrible.

TOUGH-LOOKING FEMALE COP
Tell me about it.
Got everybody they can on it.
Got me outta bed.

MIA
Wow. That sucks.
(off his look)
Do you mind if I get going?
I’ve got a sick mother
at home that needs me.

TOUGH-LOOKING FEMALE COP
(keeps peering inside)
Yeah, sure.
(sees something)
Wait a minute.
Is that blood?

She pulls out her flashlight.
Shines it into the room.

Sees the pool of blood
where Easy’s arm got blown off.

MIA
Oh, they got into a little scuffle.
Cleaning crew will take care of it later.

TOUGH-LOOKING FEMALE COP
That’s a hell of a lotta blood, miss.
I’m gonna have to go in and take a look.

MIA
You sure?
It was just a little fight --

TOUGH-LOOKING FEMALE COP
Step aside please, Miss.

Mia shrugs. Moves.
Tough-Looking walks in.

TOUGH-LOOKING FEMALE COP (CONT’D)
Could you turn the lights on please?

She goes to the panel.
FLICKS them on.

Tough-Looking walks in.
Looks at the blood.

Then at the banquet area and table
where everybody was partying.
Sees the booze, the pot.

TOUGH-LOOKING FEMALE COP (CONT’D)
Jesus fucking Christ.
That was some party.
(turns to her)
You just left all that stuff lying around?
Why didn’t you clean it up?

A shotgun appears next to her head.

DANNY (O.C.)
Because the party’s just getting started.

Reveal Danny. Holding it.