[bar]
[a sedan pulls up outside and several thugs enter, wearing
ski-masks & suits, carrying weapons; they enter the
bar and smash up the place]
Thug
: No one move. Stay where you are!
Bartender: Hey,
what the hell are you doing?! We’re protected!
Thug: Not
anymore. [shoves
Bartender aside and goes into the back
room] This
is from the Dorio Brothers.
[thugs tear up in-progress games & tables, slot
machines, and everything else; patrons protesting
mightily]
Bartender: What
are you crazy?! This is Frank Zuko’s place!
Thug: Tell
Frank Zuko he’s out of business. As of now.
[thugs leave and
get into the sedan; one thug hands a gift to the guy in
the front]
Thug in
backseat: Michael. Present.
[Riv; finding a
parking spot in front of a restaurant]
Huey: Look,
you can’t afford this. Let me stop you before you
embarrass yourself.
Ray: Eat your
heart out, Jack.
Gardino:
Everything’s on you? The whole check?
Ray: This is a
significant raise, my friend.
Gardino: Yeah,
I remember mine.
Huey:
Ha! Golden
Arches, here we come.
Ray: Hey, let
me tell you something, all right? This is the best
restaurant in the world. They got a
puttanesca like
no other. And the wine cellar? Forget it.
Huey: Wine
cellar?
Please. You see this man? The last time he got a
promotion, he bought us a case of *generic* beer. That
man.
Gardino: And we
had to give him five cents for every bottle we didn’t
return.
Ray: Yeah,
well, this time it’s first class all the way.
Gardino: Okay,
great. Then I’m going to have the
calamari, after
the
stracciatella.
Followed by the
mostaccioli
primavera. Then I’m going to have...
Fraser: Ray,
if you don’t mind me asking, what exactly does a Detective
First Grade make?
Ray: 35,580
dollars.
Fraser: And
what did you make before that?
Ray:
Thirty-three five.
Fraser: The
average cost of an entree?
Ray: Oh, 15
bucks.
Fraser: And
the wine?
Ray: I don’t
know, say 20 dollars a bottle. Why?
Fraser: Oh,
nothing, nothing.
Gardino: And
after the espresso, I’m gonna top it off with a chocolate
tartufo.
No, I’m gonna have two.
Huey: I think
I’ll have the same. Three maybe.
[they laugh and go inside the restaurant; Fraser looks at
the posted
menu]
Ray: How
much?
Fraser: I
think I’m going to have the soup.
Ray: You’re a
good man.
[Dief yips]
Ray
: Who invited him?
Fraser: You
did.
Ray: To stay
in the car.
Fraser: Oh,
well then I misunderstood. I just thought it being a very
special occasion, and that Diefenbaker was in part
responsible for your--
Ray:
Responsible? He tagged along!
Fraser: He’s
been looking forward to this. He hasn’t eaten all
day.
Ray: Fraser,
there are no wolf portions on the menu.
[Dief grumbles]
Ray : All right, all right, I’ll bring you a doggie bag!
[Dief yips]
Fraser: I’m
just having the
soup.
[ristorante]
Ray:
[to
host]
Thank you, we have a reservation.
Huey: “Happy
Birthday Frank?” What is this?
[lively, crowded party is in full swing. Music: ‘Finiculi,
Finicula’]
Gardino: Zuko.
This is going to be good.
Pat: Hey, Ray!
How you doing, buddy? Look, I tried to call you. It’s a
private party.
Ray: What are
you saying, Pat, you kicking me out?
Gardino: These
guys hate each other, Pat. You didn’t think about that
before you made the reservation?
Pat: It’s
Frankie Zuko’s birthday. What am I going to tell him,
no?
Fraser: The
man does have a point, Ray.
Ray: You know
the rules of the neighborhood. You cater to both sides and
you don’t play favorites.
Pat: But Ray,
come on.
Ray: What do
you say I walk in there and see if I can find a valid
carry permit for every gun in the house.
Pat: You
trying to get me killed?
Ray: No, Pat,
I’m just trying to get a table.
[walks across the
room] Hey,
Frankie! Good to see you.
Zuko: Ray.
What brings you to Pat’s on a night like tonight?
Ray: A
reservation.
Zuko: What, no
gift?
[laughs]
[a woman (Irene) sits down beside Zuko; Vecchio notices
her]
Ray: Look,
Frank, all I want is my table, all right?
[pause]
Zuko: Pat, get
him a table.
Pat: Jimmy,
set up 27.
Ray: Hey, come
on, Pat, look. 27’s the side room, huh?
Zuko: Ray, Ray
– you want to sit on my
lap?
[laughs]
Ray: No thanks,
Frank. Your cheap cologne’s giving me a headache from
here.
[Zuko whispers to Charlie, who makes his way through the
restaurant to the cop’s table. Music: ‘Mi’Amore, Mia
Pistola’ arranged by Jay Semko & Jack
Lenz]
Ray: What do
you want, Charlie?
Charlie: Mr.
Zuko wants to say hello. To the Mountie.
Ray: What, he
can’t wait?
[Fraser gets up & follows
Charlie]
Gardino: We’re
never gonna eat. Never gonna eat.
[Fraser finds Zuko
talking to guests]
Zuko: Uh,
Fraser, right?
Fraser:
Yes.
Zuko: I’m so
glad you could be here for my birthday. It looks like the
scars have healed pretty nicely.
Fraser: I beg
your pardon?
Zuko: I mean,
I’m sorry, you know, sometimes the boys can get a little
carried away. Blood on the tracks?
[offers
hand]
Fraser:
[shakes
hand] I
have no idea what you’re talking about.
Zuko: All
right. Come here, I want you to meet some people. Hey,
Jimmy. Come over here, I want you to meet somebody. My
boyhood friend, Jimmy Roast Beef, Constable Fraser.
Jimmy: How you
doing? Good to meet you.
Fraser:
Likewise, Mr. Roast Beef. Is that your given name?
Jimmy: Yeah,
sure.
Zuko: Ha ha.
Hey, where you been?
Michael:
Sorry, Frank. Just keeping an eye on things.
Zuko: Keeping
an eye on things. Driving me crazy, keeping an eye on
things! Let me
introduce you to somebody. This is my good friend and
business associate Michael Serento, Constable
Fraser.
Fraser: My
pleasure.
Michael: How
you doing?
Open it. [hands Zuko
the gift]
Zuko: Michael!
You shouldn’t have.
[opens it: a humidor
full of
cigars] My
favorites.
[laughs]
Constable?
Fraser: No
thank you, I don’t smoke.
Zuko: Your
loss. Jimmy? Michael.
Michael: Thank
you.
[untended bar; Vecchio approaches with unopened wine
bottle, then goes behind the bar, searching]
Irene: What’s
the matter, can’t you say hello?
Ray: Hi.
Irene:
Irene.
Ray: Yeah, I
know. I know.
Irene: What
are you looking for?
Ray: I got
it.
Irene: It
doesn’t look like you got it.
Ray: I got
it!
Irene: What
are you looking for? How’s your mom doing?
Ray: Oh,
she’s, uh, she’s good. How’s, uh, what’s his name?
[she finds corkscrew, & hands it to
him]
Irene:
Actually, we, uh, we split up.
Ray: Oh. It’s
about time. [she
laughs]
No, what I mean is, I’m sorry.
[pulls out wine
glasses]
Irene: Yeah,
well I’m not. It’s really good to be home.
Ray: Frank’s
house?
Irene: My
father left it to both of us.
Ray: I’ll try
to remember that.
[sighs, then
remembers]
Four. [gets another
glass] So,
uh, how’s the kids?
Irene: They’re
good. You were always so good with kids.
Ray: Yeah,
well what can I say, I’m a hell of a catch.
Irene: Yeah,
too bad you can’t
dance.
[outside; a waiter brings a salad to Dief (who doesn’t
seemed thrilled)]
[Zuko’s table.
Music: ‘Raimondo Sta Sanguinando’
arranged by Jay Semko & Jack Lenz]
Michael: Those
young guns on the west side may be more of a problem than
we thought.
Charlie:
Punks. I never heard of them. Nobody’s ever heard of
them.
Michael: Yeah,
you’d better tell ‘em that, cause they busted up another
one of our places tonight, bad. Frank, you can’t sit on
this any longer. People are starting to talk. Maybe we got
a problem we can’t handle.
Zuko: Michael!
Let me handle the Dorio Brothers, all right? I don’t want
to hear any more about it, it’s gonna spoil the party.
Just relax. It’ll
keep.
[Cops’ table]
Ray:
[waves his badge to
a waiter]
You see this? This comes with a gun. Now do we get
dessert?
Gardino: Good
one, Ray.
Huey: Forget
it. I’ll go.
Gardino: Get
me an espresso while you’re at it.
Fraser: Maybe
we should go somewhere else for coffee.
Ray: We get
the side room, he gets the whole joint. He drinks hundred
dollar bottles of wine, and we get spit.
[watches as Zuko
laughs
heartily]
He still runs this neighborhood. Boy, what I wouldn’t give
to go another round with him.
Fraser:
Perhaps we should just skip coffee altogether and go
bowling.
[Zuko chuckles through a thick cloud of cigar
smoke]
Ray: Ah, what
the heck. I’m gonna go shake his peaches.
Zuko: Hey,
Pat, a song for my birthday!
Fraser:
[to
Louis]
Shake his peaches?
Gardino: Yeah,
the part where we break chairs over their heads.
Fraser:
Ah.
[Mrs. Zuko’s table]
Ray: Excuse me,
Mrs. Zuko. May I say how lovely you look this
evening.
Mrs. Zuko : Grazie.
Ray
: [to
Irene]
Would you like to dance?
Irene: With
you?
Ray: No, with
the man in the
moon.
[glances at Zuko –
he’s occupied]
Irene : Okay.
[Music: ‘My Foolish Heart’ performed by Pat Ferenga.]
[Vecchio & Irene move to the dance floor; Zuko notices]
Irene
: You always did like to take chances
Ray: And you
always looked good in blue velvet.
[Vecchio’s eyes are riveted to
Zuko’s]
Irene: Who are
you dancing with, him or me?
Ray: What do
you mean?
Irene: You
know what I mean. I can’t do this.
Ray:
Hey-hey-hey-hey-hey... Come on. Come on.
[they continue to dance]
Ray
: You look beautiful.
Irene: Thank
you.
[he kisses her; Zuko whispers to Michael, who approaches
them]
Michael: Irene?
Your brother would like you to cut the cake.
Ray: Yeah,
well, tell him to cut it himself.
Zuko: Irene.
Now. Let’s go.
Irene: Why
don’t you just go, Ray?
[exits]
Michael:
Perhaps you should leave, huh?
[takes Vecchio’s
elbow]
Ray : Hey, I can leave on my own.
[Music: ‘Finiculi,
Finicula’]
Michael:
Pig.
[Vecchio hits him, then another henchman]
Zuko:
[to
guys] No
guns. Get in there.
[cops & thugs
all join the melee]
Zuko : Irene, back here.
[patrons leave quickly, but calmly; Dief
enters]
Woman 1: Look,
I broke my nail. I paid 15 dollars for these nails!
Woman 2:
Fifteen dollars? Where?
[Vecchio punches Michael down; he nods at a thug, who
produces a knife; Fraser punches a guy out, then comes
running]
Fraser: Excuse
me. I believe--
[grabs the guy’s
wrist, and flips him] --that’s an unfair
advantage.
[fight continues; Dief sits at a table eating]
[Irene mouths something to Vecchio; he mouths “What?”; she does it again, and he gets decked in the face]
[27th precinct, Welsh’s office; everyone is
shouting at once]
Welsh: Enough,
enough, enough. Constable?
Fraser: Mr.
Zuko’s sister was involved, Leftenant.
Ray: Oh,
great.
Fraser: But
Mr. Serento did start the altercation.
Ray: What did
I say?
Fraser:
Although Detective Vecchio provided ample--
Ray: Didn’t I
tell you to shut up?
Fraser: Yes,
you did.
Welsh: Mr.
Serento charges that Detective Vecchio punched him in the
face, causing serious bodily harm.
Ray: It was a
love tap.
Fraser: That’s
not entirely true--
Ray: All
right, so I belted him. But he pushed me first.
Fraser: Well,
that much is true.
Welsh: Thank
you.
Gardino:
That’s exactly how I saw it.
Huey:
Absolutely right, sir.
Welsh: All
right, shut up. Mr. Zuko is pressing charges.
Huey
& Ray:
What?!
Gardino: Son
of a bitch.
Ray: Charges
for what?
Welsh:
Harassment, assault, trespassing.
Ray: In Pat
Scarpetta’s place.
Welsh: Real
charges. The kind that come with F.O.P. lawyers,
suspensions for misconduct, not to mention civil suits
that could threaten your career.
Huey: It was
his fault, sir.
Gardino: We
just came there to eat.
Welsh: You two
are on report. Go see the duty sergeant on your way out.
Not you, Vecchio.
[Huey & Louis
exit]
Vecchio, how come every cop in this station can sit in
Scarpetta’s, side by side with the Zukos of this
neighborhood, enjoy a meal without breaking up the
place?
Ray: You need
an answer?
Welsh: The
sister.
Ray: Look,
Lieu, this is my business, all right? This is
private.
Welsh: I know.
But when you went into Scarpetta’s place breaking heads
you made it my business. Now I’m telling you straight out.
Go to Zuko, bury the hatchet. End this thing.
[pause]
All right. A week’s suspension without
pay. You can leave your shield.
[Vecchio slams his badge on the desk, and
exits]
Fraser: What
about me, sir?
Welsh: Oh, you
can go, too.
Fraser: Ah.
Thank you
kindly.
[outside the station]
Ray: What a
night!
Gardino: I
think it was worth it. You see that big guy go down?
Ray: Yeah, you
could hear his teeth pop.
Huey: Which
reminds me – one gold filling. You owe me.
Ray: I owe
*you*?
Huey: Yeah,
you owe me, Vecchio.
Gardino: I’m
starving. Let’s go eat.
Ray: How can
you still be hungry? You ate through half my raise!
Gardino: What
can I say. Fast metabolism.
Ray: All
right, Olympo’s.
[they cross the
street]
Gardino:
Keys.
Ray: For
what?
Gardino: I’m
gonna take the car for a spin.
Ray: Hahaha I
don’t think so.
Gardino:
Relax, my coat’s in your front seat.
Ray: All
right. [tosses
keys]
Good catch.
Gardino: Order
me pigs in a blanket.
Ray: All
right.
[Fraser notices a figure running in the
shadows]
Fraser: Uh,
Ray, will you order me pigs in a blanket, as well?
Ray: You don’t
even know what they are.
Fraser: They
sound yummy. [runs
off]
Ray: What did
*he* leave in my car?
Huey: I have
no idea.
[they enter the restaurant; Fraser runs after Gardino]
Fraser
: Louis?
[inside the
restaurant]
Ray:
[to uniformed
cops] Hey,
Mario. What’s up, Lar?
[outside]
Fraser:
Louis?
[Gardino ignores him]
Fraser : LOUIS!!
[Gardino opens the car door, and the Riv explodes violently, shattering the restaurant’s windows; Vecchio & Huey come out, stunned, then run to Fraser in the middle of the street]
Huey
: Louis!! We gotta get him out!
[Fraser and Vecchio
restrain
him] We
gotta get him out of there! We gotta get him out of there!
We gotta get him out!
Ray: It’s
over, man! It’s over!
[Riv is engulfed in flames]
[27th precinct, Welsh’s office]
O’Neil: If it
*was* a bomb, and they haven’t even collected up the
pieces yet--
Ray: It was
Zuko. He meant to hit me.
O’Neil: Right
in front of the stationhouse.
Ray: Look, he
hit the Cadero brothers in their own bedroom. It was a
pipe bomb. Their kids were in the next room.
[Welsh hands back
Vecchio’s badge]
[bullpen]
Huey: Who is in
charge of these?
Cop: I got
it.
Huey: This is
sloppy work! [pushes
him]
Cop: Hey, back
off!!
Huey: Hey, you
break a seal, you tamper with evidence!
[grabs
him]
Cop 2 : Relax.
Huey
: He’s an idiot! He’s going to destroy evidence.
Welsh: Go
downstairs.
Ray : It’s okay.
Elaine
: Come on.
Huey: The guy’s
an idiot!
[Elaine leads him away]
Bomb
Expert
: [to
Fraser]
Each one of these has a signature, a distinctive way in
which a bomb is made. To us it’s like a fingerprint.
Sometimes you get lucky enough, a piece of this survives
the blast.
Fraser:
[holds up a wire in
a plastic
bag] And
double knots at either end?
Expert:
Yeah.
Ray: What is
it?
Fraser: It’s a
signature.
[interrogation room]
Bomber: I’ve
got nothing to do with Frank Zuko.
Ray: You
helped take out the Cadero brothers.
Huey: You went
to jail for him.
Bomber: Ten
years ago.
Ray: And now
you’re out. Lucky for you.
Bomber: I want
to talk to a lawyer.
Ray: I’m sure
Frank’ll be happy to supply you with one. All right, lock
him up. And then call his
lawyer.
[corridor]
Ray: You got
the warrant?
Huey: Thirty
seconds.
Fraser: Ray,
the plastic coating on the wire barely melted.
Ray: So?
Fraser:
Ammonium nitrate fuel at over 2340 degrees Celsius, and a
burn rate of 4270 meters per second, it should have
incinerated.
Huey: But it
didn’t.
Fraser: Look,
nitric acid leaves a yellow coloration on the skin. Now
did anyone check his hands?
Ray: Saddle
up.
[Zuko house; cops are everywhere]
Zuko:
[on
phone]
Well, there’s fifty of them, all right? They’re all over
the street. They’re tearing up the lawn, they’re ripping
up the house, and they’re terrorizing the kids....Well,
I’ll tell you what I want you to do. I want you to get
your 300 dollar an hour butt over here and get these
people out *now.*
[hangs
up]
Charlie:
[looking over the
warrant]
It’s in order.
Zuko: Shut up.
What are you, a lawyer?
Irene
: [to
kids] Go
see Nella, please? Come on.
[urges them
upstairs]
Zuko:
[to
Irene]
Resta
qui.
Ray
: Get the computer.
Irene: What’s
this about?
Ray: Why don’t
you ask him.
Irene:
Frank?
Zuko: Stay.
Upstairs.
Officer: We
got a device.
Michael: I
couldn’t stop it, Frank. They dug up the whole damn
backyard.
Officer:
Detonators under the floorboards in the tool shed.
Zuko: In the
tool shed?
Officer:
Cyclonite. Won’t initiate without electricity.
Welsh: All
right, cuff him.
Zuko: You. You
did this. You
planted that crap in my backyard!
Ray: You
killed a cop! You think you’re gonna get away with this?
Let me tell you something, pal. You’re lucky you’re not
outta here in a stretcher, pal!
Welsh: Get him
out of here!
Zuko: This is
a setup! You call the lawyer, you have him meet me
downtown.
[Irene gives Vecchio a look, then goes upstairs; cops take
Zuko
away]
[outside the house]
Michael:
[to
Charlie]
Get the car.
Fraser: You’re
arresting him?
Ray: We got
everything we need.
Fraser: Ray,
it is not logical. The detonators in his own house, 10
meters from his daughter’s bedroom window?
Ray: It’s more
consideration than he gave the Cadero brothers’ kids.
They’re dead.
Fraser: The
box was found in the shed in the backyard. Anyone could
have planted it there.
Ray:
Maybe.
Fraser: Ray,
think. Zuko constructs a bomb on his own, plants it
underneath your car, in front of a police station?!
Huey: Come on,
Fraser, Frank’s a psycho. Everybody knows that.
Fraser: The
man I saw on that street was not Frank Zuko.
Ray: Look, you
pay anybody enough money, they’ll do anything, and Frank’s
got plenty of it.
Fraser: What
about his alibi?
Ray: He was
home.
Fraser:
Witnesses?
Ray:
None.
Fraser: None.
Ray, please, think this
through! Zuko
kills somebody and he does not arrange for an
alibi?!
Ray: Who the
hell do you think died out there, huh? So you got a wire
that should be melted but it’s not. You got an absence of
finger stains, and you got Zuko without an alibi when he
should have one. All right, maybe someone did plant those
detonators, and maybe they didn’t. All I know is that we
got a dead cop, a friend, and we got the guy who did it.
DO you follow me?!
[pause]
Fraser: Yes, I
think I do.
Ray:
Good.
[Music: ‘Full Circle’ by Lorenna McKennitt.]
[27th precinct; Welsh ponders; Elaine gets coffee, takes a cup to Vecchio, who sits at his desk in uniform]
[cemetery; there is snow on the ground. Vecchio &
Fraser, Welsh & Huey, + two others, all in dress
uniforms, carry the coffin, over which an American flag
rests; many many cops are in attendance; the flag is
folded and given to Gardino’s mother; there is a 21-gun
salute]
[coffee shop; Charlie & Fraser play
dominoes]
Charlie: You
want to help Frank Zuko?
Fraser: No, I
have no interest in seeing Mr. Zuko anywhere other than in
prison.
Charlie: So.
How can I help you, Constable?
[gives Dief a
cookie]
Fraser: A
police officer, a friend, has been killed. And I would
like to see the killer brought to justice.
Charlie:
Agreed. Dead cop’s bad for business. Even Frankie boy
knows that.
Fraser: And
yet every piece of evidence points to him.
Charlie: This
bothers you.
Fraser: Yes,
it does. If it means the real killer of Louis Gardino goes
free.
Charlie: What
a piece of work. You got Zuko in the ringer, and you don’t
want to pull the handle? And you call yourself a
cop?
Fraser: What I
would like for Mr. Zuko and what the law dictates are two
different things, and right now that difference is the
only thing that’s keeping him alive.
Charlie:
You’re renewing my faith.
Fraser: Well,
I’m glad. Now someone has gone to a lot of trouble to help
the police. That would presume a motive.
Charlie: To
bring Frank down. Find me somebody who doesn’t have one.
He ain’t like his father.
Fraser: Very
few of us are. And yet you stayed. You protected
him.
Charlie: Out
of respect for his father.
Fraser: And
now?
Charlie: Look.
I’m 56 years old, my arches have fallen. I don’t run too
good. And the young guys, they got me winded before I’m
down the front stoop. You gotta know when to get out,
before somebody decides you need a push.
Fraser: Is
someone pushing you?
Charlie: Young
men have ambitions. But, um, Frank’s troubles are Frank’s
troubles. He’s gonna have to get somebody else to watch
after him now. I wish him luck.
[to
Dief] Hey.
Wanna come to Florida with me?
[laughs and gives
him a
cookie]
[Zuko house. Music: ‘Ghost of a Feeling’ by Cindy
Valentine. Irene changes into nightclothes, sits down on
her bed with a steaming mug of something; she gets
irritated and pulls down the curtains on her four poster
bed...there is a noise, and another; she investigates,
sticking her head out the window... Vecchio pops up,
scaring her & she bonks her head]
Ray:
Sorry.
Irene: Damn
it!
Ray: I’m
sorry.
Irene: What
the hell are you doing? You scared me to half to
death!
Ray: The
signal. I thought you’d remember.
Irene: That
was 15 years ago. Are you insane?
[Vecchio slips,
dangles
precariously]
Get in, get in. I got you.
Ray
: Okay, pull.
Irene: Shh shh
shh.
Ray:
Okay.
Irene: Shh
Shh. Almost
in?
Ray : I’m almost in.
Irene : Oh gosh.
Ray
: Oh god, oh god.
Irene: Oh my
god.
[they lie, panting
on the floor for a moment, then Irene shuts the window,
then her bedroom door]
Irene
: Shh. [she returns
to his side on the floor]
Ray: You know,
uh, that vine’s dead. You should have someone cut it
down.
Irene: I know.
My father tried twice, but it grew back. You look like
hell.
Ray:
Thanks.
[she rubs his shoulder, fingering his
uniform]
Irene: That cop
who died, huh?
[he looks away, she touches his face]
Irene
: Oh, you’re so cold. Let me warm you up. Come here come
here come here come here.
Ray: It’s only
snowing outside.
Irene: I know,
come here.
[she wraps him in the thick curtains]
Ray: Mm, wow,
yeah, I remember these, I always like these.
[she chuckles]
You were the
only girl I ever knew that slept in a tent.
[they are sitting very close
now]
Irene: And that
was information that you shouldn’t have had.
Ray: Well, I
never told a soul.
Irene: Yeah,
right. Outside of the basketball team, maybe.
Ray: I swear.
I never told anyone.
[she moves close to
him...]
[outside the Zuko house; Fraser walks...he notices a
person inside the house across the street; he knocks on
the front door; a man
answers]
Fraser: Excuse
me. I couldn’t help noticing that you have rather a good
view of the house across the
street.
[Irene’s bedroom; she & Vecchio are
kissing]
Irene: This was
really stupid of you, coming up here, you know that?
Ray: That’s
what I do best.
Irene: Frank
is going to get crazy.
Ray: I won’t
let him.
Irene: You
know what? Go home.
Ray: What,
what, the, uh, the little prince is gonna--
Irene:
Don’t-don’t-don’t talk--
[quietly]
Don’t talk about him like that in his own
house, okay?
Ray: I thought
it was your house, too.
Irene: Yeah,
it is.
Ray: Yeah, but
that doesn’t matter, right? Cause nothing changes. You’re
just as scared of him as you were of your old man.
Irene: The way
I deal with my family is none of your business.
Ray: Yeah, and
they keep going around killing people, and I gotta turn
the other cheek because I’m in love with you?
Irene: No, no,
no! You’d be going after him even if it weren’t for me.
You two have been going at each other since you were
kids.
Ray: Your
brother is a murderer, Irene. You’ve known that, you’ve
always known that.
Irene: He did
not kill that cop. He was in this house! You know
it!
Ray: So
what?
Irene: What,
that makes no difference to you?
Ray:
My friend is
dead.
Irene:
[whispers]
He didn’t do it. He’s my brother,
Ray.
Ray: I’m
sorry. Look, I’m sorry. I didn’t come here to get into
this with you.
Irene: What
did you come for then?
Ray:
[whispers]
I came for you. I love you. I’ve always
loved you.
Irene: This is
never gonna end. This is never gonna end. You’re gonna end
up killing each other first.
[they
hug]
[tobacco shop; Dief waits patiently outside (even though a
herd of dogs passes by); Fraser begins to count out money,
and the clerk simply takes the wad, then gives Fraser a
humidor; Fraser holds open the door for a lady and her
afghan hound, then leaves... Dief stays put, eyeing the
hound, until Fraser returns and urges him
along]
[27th precinct; interrogation room]
Lawyer (Eddie):
I’m trying to get you into County, but I’m not getting
much cooperation.
Zuko: Of
course, you’re not getting much cooperation. I’m
surrounded by a hundred cops who want me dead!
[knock knock; Fraser enters]
Zuko
: It’s okay. Your friend come to his senses yet?
Fraser: No,
I’m afraid not.
Eddie: Frank.
You don’t have--
Zuko: Eddie.
Do me a favor, go make yourself useful, okay?
[Eddie leaves as Fraser sits, opening the humidor & unwrapping a cigar]
Zuko
: My favorites. Good memory, Constable.
Fraser: I like
to study people’s habits. For example, this is your brand,
hand-rolled to your specification.
Zuko: Yes, it
is.
Fraser: And
before smoking it, you cut off the tip. Like this.
[demonstrates with a
cigar
cutter]
Now our friend the bomb-maker, he also has his habits. He
tells me he likes to use an articulating set of wire
snippers. Now we found these in his room, so I assume that
he is telling the truth.
[cuts
wire]
There, you see? It’s a very straight cut. Very easy to
attach to a detonator. Now he has other habits. He likes
to tie double knots at either end of his wire. Now we can
assume that this is his work. This was found at the bomb
site. [shows the
wire in plastic
bag]
However, this wire was cut using a different implement.
So. Either our bomb-maker has changed his habits, or...
[Fraser cuts wire
with the cigar
cutter]
Well now. Isn’t that strange. Especially for a bomb-maker
who doesn’t smoke.
Zuko: I like
your thinking. What’s the point?
Fraser: Your
humidor tells me he doesn’t sell very many of these,
they’re too expensive. In fact, you are apparently his
only customer for this item, and that you give most of
them away as gifts. The police didn’t plant the detonator
caps in your backyard. Whoever cut this wire, did.
Zuko:
Who?
Fraser: I
can’t imagine. Can you?
Zuko: Yes, I
can. The Dorio Brothers.
Fraser: Are
they on your list?
Zuko: Not that
one.
Fraser: Well
then. You have a problem. Perhaps it is somebody closer to
you. Someone who is on the list.
Zuko: Who,
Charlie?
Fraser: No.
His arches have fallen.
Zuko: You
trying to turn me against my own people? People who are
loyal to me, huh? Ya cop? Ya Mountie?
Eddie: Come
on, Frank, let’s go. Somebody just did you a big
favor.
[bullpen; all the cops in the station are shooting daggers
at Welsh’s closed door]
Ray: What’s
up?
Huey: The
Mountie. He’s in with Zuko and the State’s
Attorney.
[Zuko bursts out of Welsh’s
office]
Ray: Where the
hell do you think you’re going?
St. Laurent:
His alibi has been confirmed.
Welsh: He was
at home. The kid saw him.
Huey:
What?
Zuko: Thanks
again, Constable. See ya later, Ray.
[points his finger
like a gun, and shoots him]
Ray: You’re
helping Zuko? Is this what you call justice?
Fraser: He
didn’t kill Louis.
Huey: And what
do you base that on? Mud? You licked off his boots? Answer
me!
St. Laurent:
[to
Huey]
Don’t push this off on him. You didn’t even canvas the
neighborhood. What were you thinking, no one would?
Ray: So that’s
it? He walks?
St. Laurent:
Oh, we’ll get him. On conspiracy. His phone’s tapped and
we have a surveillance truck on his house 24 hours a
day.
Ray: That
could take weeks.
Welsh: All
right, Vecchio, Huey. In my office. Come on, don’t push
it.
Ray:
[to
Fraser]
What is it with you, man? You’ve gotta know when to hold
the line. You gotta know when to work the rule.
[Vecchio walks away; all the cops now shoot daggers at
Fraser as he leaves]
[restaurant]
Fraser: Good
evening, gentlemen.
Michael: You
must be lost.
Fraser: What
makes you say that?
Michael:
Intuition. Is this your guard dog?
Fraser: He’s a
wolf, actually.
Michael:
[to
Dief] Hi,
buddy. [goes to pet
him, but Dief growls]
Fraser: I have
a present for you from Mr. Zuko.
[puts the cigar
cutter on the table]
Michael: I
already have one.
[shows it]
Fraser: Yes,
well, he thinks yours may be damaged. You know, these
really should not be used to cut wire. Good night.
Michael: You
and Frank been spending time together?
Fraser: Not
anymore, no. He’s been released.
Michael:
Frank’s out?
Fraser: Yes.
An hour ago. [begins
to exit]
And I have a feeling he’ll be looking for you.
[phone rings in the
background]
Bartender:
[voice]
For
you.
[Zuko house; Vecchio and Huey watch from a van, listening
to the phone tap]
Zuko:
[on
phone]
That’s not my problem. That’s your problem. All right? I
want you to find him *now.*
[hangs
up] Where
the hell is he?
Charlie: Out.
Keeping an eye on things.
Zuko: Don’t
get smart with me, Charlie. I need you now.
[Irene comes
downstairs with a
suitcase]
Irene. Where you going?
Irene: I’m
going to go see a movie, Frank.
Zuko: No, no,
wait. Movie? Where’s the movie, Toledo?
Irene: Frank,
something is going on here, and I just don’t want any part
of it.
Zuko: No, you
stay.
Charlie: Let
me take her to a hotel.
Zuko: Look,
she’s not going to a hotel. All right? She’s running off
to see her boyfriend.
Irene : Oh, Frank--
Zuko
: Isn’t that right? No, isn’t that right, Irene?!
Irene: Frank,
I just want to get out, okay?
Zuko: Out of
your own house?
Irene: This is
not my house, Frank--
Zuko : This is half your house, Irene--
Irene
: No, it is not my house! It is
your house. Full
of guns and full of fear and full of hate.
You stay, Frank,
you earned it, you keep it.
Zuko: No, no,
you’re not gonna humiliate me like that. You’re not gonna
run off and leave this house and climb into his
bed.
Irene : Oh, Frank.
Zuko
: I’m not gonna have it. I won’t have it.
Irene:
Frank--
Zuko : No. I will--
Irene
: Get out of my way!
Zuko: I will
kill you first.
[Irene slaps him;
Frank slaps her back before Charlie can restrain
him]
Zuko: Don’t
you *ever* hit me.
Irene: Go
ahead, Frank.
Zuko: I’ll
kill you!
Irene: Just go
ahead!! [she runs
back up the
stairs]
[surveillance van; Vecchio rushes out]
Huey: Wait,
wait!
[Fraser steps into
his path]
Ray : Get out of my way.
Fraser
: Ray. [Fraser
pushes him against the
van]
Listen to me. You are not thinking. And a police officer
who doesn’t think is dangerous.
Ray: I know
where you stand.
Fraser: No,
you do not. You’re so full of hate, all you can see is
Zuko. That’s all you’ve been able to see right from the
beginning, but do you hate him enough to let the real
killer walk free as a consequence?
Ray: Let go of
me.
Fraser: Ray,
please. Do you
honestly believe that by jailing him, you won’t have to
feel guilty anymore?
Ray: Get your
hands off me!
[pushes Fraser
away]
Huey: Vecchio,
Zuko’s got company. Michael Serento.
Ray: All
right. I’m going in after her. Call for
backup.
[inside Zuko house]
Zuko: The
coffee bar was you. And the warehouse fire. And
Gardino.
Michael: Our
business, it’s a big responsibility, needs a strong hand.
You know that, Frank.
Zuko: I should
kill you right here.
[Vecchio runs into the house and straight up the stairs]
Zuko : What the hell is that? No, no, you get out. What are you doing here?
[Zuko gets gun from his desk]
[Irene’s
bedroom]
Irene: I can
handle him, Ray.
Ray: That’s
what that cut on your face says. Let’s go.
[upstairs]
Zuko: Take your
hands off my sister.
[points gun at
Vecchio]
Ray: Frank,
don’t be stupid.
Zuko: You’re
not going out of this house with my sister.
Irene: For
God’s sake Frank, no.
Ray: I tell
you what. Let’s take it outside.
Zuko: I’ll
tell *you* what.
[cocks
gun] How
about you get out of here, before I kill you.
Ray: Okay,
okay.
[Fraser rushes in & tackles Michael...Michael’s gun
fires; Vecchio goes for his gun, Irene pushes his arm
away]
Irene:
No!!
[Zuko fires...Vecchio fires wide...Huey runs up, holding
gun to Zuko’s head]
Huey: Drop it!
Drop it. Back off.
[Vecchio turns
around, and realizes that Irene has been shot]
Ray : Oh God. Oh my GOD. OH MY GOD!!
[Vecchio picks Irene up & carries her
downstairs]
Zuko: Irene,
wait. NO!
Ray: CALL AN
AMBULANCE!!
Irene: You
never listen. Promise me it ends here.
Ray:
[strained]
Shh. It does. Close your eyes.
Irene: Promise
me, promise me it ends.
[he carries her outside]
[hospital; Fraser, Huey, & Zuko (in cuffs) wait;
Vecchio exits the OR]
Huey: How is
she?
[pause]
Ray: She didn’t
make it.
Huey: Look.
Before you say anything, we can still nail Zuko.
Ray: It was an
accident.
Huey: All
you’ve got to do, is say he shot her with intent, and you
got him for murder.
Ray: It was an
accident, man. It was an accident.
[Vecchio turns to
leave through a mob of press]
Fraser: I
don’t think you want to go in there.
[leads him away, into the waiting area, and sits down with
him]
Ray: You know,
the first time I ever asked her to dance was in PE class.
She kept trying to lead. Finally I had to ask her to...to
relax. That it would be okay. Just put your head on my
shoulder and close your eyes. Everything’s gonna be
okay.
End