STRAY DOGS

                              by

                          John Ridley











                                   SECOND DRAFT: OCTOBER 1994











     EXT. SOMEWHERE IN THE DESERT SOUTH WEST - DAY

     BEGIN TITLES OVER:

     It is only mid-morning, but it is hot.  Insects scurry for
     shade.  Prairie dogs burrow under ground to escape the sun.
     We can see the heat shimmering off the surface of the Earth.
     It adds a surreal quality to the surroundings.

     In the distance, where a long, dusty road meets the horizon,
     a small shape appears.  A Sixty-four-and-a-half Mustang
     convertible.  Its candy-apple red burns like a brilliant
     fireball under the sun.  As the car drifts closer we can see
     steam escaping from under the hood.  Martha Reeves' HEATWAVE
     plays on the car's radio.

     The car rolls on, looking as if it won't make another ten
     feet, until it reaches a small gas station on the edge of a
     desert town.  The station is made of weather-beaten wood,
     it's windows long since dusted over.  The pumps themselves
     look to have been around since the early Fifties.  Above the
     station is a sign so faded it's barely readable:  HARLIN'S.

     JOHN STEWART - Young, good looking - gets out of the car
     and, mindful of a bandaged left hand,  opens the hood.  A
     plume of steam rises from the engine and hits him in the
     face.

                         JOHN
               Oh shit!

     John looks around for someone, anyone.  After a few moments
     he reaches into the car and blows the horn.  He waits, then
     blows it again.  From out of the station walks DARRELL - a
     skinny man in coveralls that are caked with grease and dirt.
     He looks the part of a yokel.

                         DARRELL
               You want somethin'?

                         JOHN
               You Harlin?

                         DARRELL
               Nope.  Darrell.

                         JOHN
               Harlin around?

                         DARRELL
               He's up at the Look Out.

     Darrell points a scraggly finger at a plateau in the
     distance.

                         JOHN
               Will he be back soon?

                         DARRELL
               Doubt it.  He's dead.  The Look
               Out's a cemetery.

                         JOHN
               You own this place?

                         DARRELL
               Yep.

                         JOHN
               Then why do you call it Harlin's?

                         DARRELL
               'Cause Harlin used to own it.

                         JOHN
               But he's dead.

                         DARRELL
               So?

     John is confused, but chooses to drop the matter.

                         JOHN
               You want to take a look at my car?
               I think the radiator hose is--

                         DARRELL
               Damn.  Gonna be another hot one
               today.

     Darrell mops his brow with a greasy rag.  It doesn't so much
     wipe the sweat as it does streak his forehead with dirt.

                         DARRELL(CONT)
               That'll make five in a row.  Never
               seen it so hot.  Sometimes I don't
               even want to get out of bed.  I'd
               rather just lay there and try to
               catch a breeze.  I was in Mexico
               this one time--

                         JOHN
               Look, pal, I've got places to be.
               Could you just take a look at my
               radiator hose.  It's busted.

     Darrell is clearly upset at being cut off.  He leans into
     the car and looks at the engine.

                         DARRELL
               It's your radiator hose.  It's busted.

                         JOHN
               I know it's busted.  What did I just
               tell you?

                         DARRELL
               Well, you know so much why don't you
               just fix it yourself?

                         JOHN
               If I could do you think I'd be
               standing here wasting my time.  Can
               you fix it, or do I have to go
               somewhere else?

                         DARRELL
               Somewhere else?  Mister somewhere
               else is fifty miles from here.  How
               you planning on getting it there?
               You gonna push this heap yourself?

                         JOHN
               Okay, I'm stuck.  You happy?  Now
               can you fix it, or not?

     Darrell slams down the hood.

                         JOHN
               Hey!

                         DARRELL
               Yeah, I can fix it.  Gotta run over
               to the yard and see if I can find a
               hose like this one, or close enough.
               Gonna take time.

                         JOHN
               How much time?

                         DARRELL
               Time.

                         JOHN
                    (Frustrated)
               What time is it now?

                         DARRELL
               Twenty-after-ten.

                         JOHN
               Jesus.  Twenty-after-ten and it must
               be ninety already.

                         DARRELL
               Ninety-two.  Only gonna get hotter.
               I remember one time . . .

     John wipes the bandaged hand across his forehead.

                         DARRELL
               What happened to your hand?

     Self-consciously John quickly drops his hand to his side.

                         JOHN
               Accident.

                         DARRELL
               You got to be more careful.  I
               remember one time--

                         JOHN
               Yeah, right.  Someplace in this dust
               bowl I can get something to drink?

                         DARRELL
               Truck stop up a piece.  Not much,
               but us simple folk like it.

                         JOHN
               I'll be back in a couple of hours.
               And be careful with her, will you?

                         DARRELL
               Just a car.

     John reaches into the car, pulls out a back pack which he
     throws over his shoulder.

                         JOHN
               It's not just a car. It's a sixty-
               four-and-a-half Mustang convertible.
               That's the difference between you
               and me, and why you live here and
               I'm just passing through.

     Darrell watches John walk away . . . and spits after him.

                                                            CUT TO:

     EXT. DESERT ROAD - LATER

     John walks along a dusty patch of road into town.  As he
     walks on a pair of motorcyclers roar past John on their
     Harleys blanketing him in a cloud of dust.  He shouts after
     them, but his words are lost under the whine of the cycles
     engines.

     John hits town . . . such as it is:  It's really nothing
     more than a detour off a desert road.  There are only a few,
     little stores.  A general store, a catalog outlet, a post
     office that doubles as a bus depot.   All of them in
     buildings of graying wood.  Just beyond is a truck
     stop/diner with a few eighteen wheelers parked outside it.

     Along the side of the street sits an old, blind man dressed
     in raggedy clothes.  His seeing eye dog lies next to him.
     As John passes the old man yells out.

                         BLIND MAN
               Hey!  You there!

                         JOHN
               You want something, old man?

                         BLIND MAN
               Don't call me old man.  Ain't you
               got no respect, boy?

                         JOHN
               You want something?

                         BLIND MAN
               Yeah I want something.  I want you
               to run over to that machine and get
               me a pop.

                         JOHN
               You can't do that yourself?

                         BLIND MAN
               Hell no, I can't do that myself.
               I'm blind.  Can't you see that?

                         JOHN
               I'm sorry, I didn't--

                         BLIND MAN
               What'd you think I was doing out
               here with these glasses on?  Sunnin'
               myself?

                         JOHN
               I don't know.  I thought you were
               keeping the sun from your eyes.

                         BLIND MAN
               I ain't got no eyes.  You want to
               see?

                         JOHN
               Christ no!

                         BLIND MAN
               Lost my eyes on Okinawa.  Lost them
               fighting the war.  Fought the war
               and lost my eyes just so you could
               come around here and make fun of me.

                         JOHN
               I said I was sorry.

                         BLIND MAN
               Don't be sorry.  Just run over there
               and get me my pop before I die of
               thirst.

                         JOHN
               Yeah, sure.  You got change?

                         BLIND MAN
               Change?  You want my change?  I
               fought the war and lost my eyes just
               so I could give you my change?

                         JOHN
               All right, old man.  Christ.

     John walks across the street to a very old soda machine; it
     has bottles instead of cans.  The blind man shouts to John.

                         BLIND MAN
               Get me a Dr. Peppa!  I don't want no
               Pepsi.  Pepsi ain't nothing but
               flavored water.

                         JOHN
               Yeah, yeah.

     John puts change in the machine and pulls out a bottle of
     Dr. Pepper.  He starts back to the blind man.

                         BLIND MAN
               Don't forget to open it for me.  I
               can't be opening my own bottle.

                         JOHN
               Christ!

     John goes back to the machine and opens the bottle, then
     walks back to the old man who takes a hearty swig of the
     soda.

                         BLIND MAN
               Ah!  Just what I needed!  Want some?

     The blind man holds the bottle out to John.  A string of
     saliva runs from his lips to the bottle's neck.

                         JOHN
               I'll pass.

     John reaches down and pets the old man's dog.

                         JOHN
               I think you'd better give your pooch
               a sip.  He looks sick.

                         BLIND MAN
               That's 'cause he's dead.

     John jumps back.

                         JOHN
               Oh, Jesus.

                         BLIND MAN
               I hope you wasn't pettin' him none,
               was you?

                         JOHN
               What the hell are you keeping a dead
               dog around for?

                         BLIND MAN
               He's only just dead.  What was I
               supposed to do with him?  I can't
               take him away anywhere.  And nobody
               wants to take him for me.  Do you?

                         JOHN
               He no!

                         BLIND MAN
               See.  Ain't nothing I can do but
               keep him here beside me.  That's
               where he belongs anyways.  Me and
               Jesse, that's my dog, not anymore,
               but me and Jesse we been pals since
               the war when I lost my eyes.  He was
               just a pup then . . .

     As the blind man talks on John notices a very beautiful
     woman down the street, GRACE McKENNA  She is dressed
     unpretentiously in cut-off jeans and a t-shirt.  With her
     Raven hair and caramel skin it is obvious that she is Native
     American.  Her arms are full with an awkward package she can
     barely manage.  John walks to her leaving the blind man
     rattling on to himself.

                         JOHN
               Can I give you a hand, beautiful?

                         GRACE
               I'm just going to my car.

                         JOHN
               That's right on my way.

     Grace stops walking.

                         GRACE
               My mother told me never to accept
               offers from strangers.

                         JOHN
               My name is John.  Now I'm not a
               stranger anymore.  See how easy it
               is for us to get to know each other,
               beautiful?

                         GRACE
               Do you have to call me that?

                         JOHN
               I don't know your real name.

                         GRACE
               Maybe I don't want you to.

                         JOHN
               Maybe, but if you didn't I think you
               would have kept on walking.

                         GRACE
               You're pretty full of yourself,
               aren't you?

                         JOHN
               My cup runneth over, beauti--

                         GRACE
               It's Grace.

                         JOHN
               May I carry your package, Grace?

     Grace hesitates, then gives the package to John.  He has
     trouble with it himself.

                         JOHN
               Jesus.

                         GRACE
               You sure you can manage?

                         JOHN
               I got it.

                         GRACE
               Do you want me to carry your pack
               for you?

     John blurts out emphatically:

                         JOHN
               No!

     He catches himself, and softens a bit

                         JOHN(CONT)
               No, I've got it.

                         GRACE
               What happened to your hand?

                         JOHN
               Accident.

                         GRACE
               You should be more careful.

     They start walking towards Grace's car.

                         GRACE
               It's very nice of you to help me.
               That package is kind of heavy, and
               it's so hot.

                         JOHN
               No trouble at all, really.

     They get to a car and John puts down the package.

                         JOHN
               Wasn't nothing.

                         GRACE
               Oh, this isn't my car.  It's down a
               ways.  I should have parked closer.
               I just didn't think it would be so
               heavy.  I could drive up.

                         JOHN
               That's all right.  I got it.

     John takes up the package and they begin walking again.  The
     package seems to have gained weight.

                         GRACE
               It's just new drapes and curtain
               rods.  If I had known it was going
               to be so heavy I would have had them
               delivered up to the house.

     John struggles with the package.  Sweat starts to sheet his
     face.

                         JOHN
               It's nothing.  Really.

                         GRACE
               I just got tired of looking at the
               old drapes.  Had them long as I can
               remember.

                         JOHN
                     (Panting)
               That a fact?

                         GRACE
               I saw these in the Penny's catalog,
               and I just knew I had to have them.
               You ever seen something and just
               knew you had to have it?

                         JOHN
                     (Straining)
               Yes, I have.

                         GRACE
               'Course they cost a little more than
               I should really be spending.  But,
               damn it, I don't hardly ever do
               anything nice for myself.  I deserve
               nice things.

                         JOHN
                     (Can barely talk)
               I . . . can't . . . argue . . .

     They arrive at a Jeep Sahara.

                         GRACE
               This is it.

     John practically drops the package.  He is covered with
     sweat.

                         GRACE
               Thank you, John.

                         JOHN
               You're welcome, Grace.

                         GRACE
               You're not from around here, are you?

                         JOHN
               Why you say that?  Just because I
               help a lady with her package?

                         GRACE
               You don't have that dead look in
               your eyes like the only thing you
               live for is to get through the day.

                         JOHN
               I just drove in this morning.

                         GRACE
               Drove into Sierra?  What for?

                         JOHN
               Didn't have a choice.  My car
               overheated up the road.

                         GRACE
               Good luck it didn't happen a few
               miles back.  Maybe they never would
               have found you.  Day like today
               you'd be dead for sure.

                         JOHN
               Yeah, my luck.  I get to be stuck
               out here in this hole in the desert.

                         GRACE
               Least you can leave.

                         JOHN
               Not until my car's fixed.  I don't
               know how long that's going to take.

                         GRACE
               And here I've made you all hot and
               sweaty.

     Grace steps to John and places her hand against his chest.
     She rubs away some of the sweat.

                         GRACE(CONT)
               I could use some help carrying this
               box into the house.  Not far.  You
               could shower, get something cool to
               drink.

     John considers the offer, but there's not much considering
     to do.

                         JOHN
               Well, I could use something cool.

                                                            CUT TO:

     EXT. DESERT ROAD - DAY

     John rides along with Grace in her Jeep.

                         GRACE
               Where you coming from?

                         JOHN
               All over.  Chicago, Miami, Detroit.
               Just lately Albuquerque.

                         GRACE
               You've been around.

                         JOHN
               I guess I've got wander in my blood.

                         GRACE
               Where you headed?

                         JOHN
               I don't know.  I have to make a stop
               in Vegas.  Business to finish.  Then
               maybe I'll head to Santa Barbara.  I
               might be able to pick up some work
               there.

                         GRACE
               You just travel around, no
               direction, no steady work.  You must
               like taking chances.

                         JOHN
               If you're going to gamble, might as
               well play for high stakes.

                         GRACE
               What happens if you lose?

                         JOHN
               I pack up and go somewhere else.

                         GRACE
                    (Wistfully)
               Somewhere else.  I've never been
               anywhere else.  Just once.  Years
               ago.  Went to the state fair.  It
               was nice, but it wasn't nothing.

                         JOHN
               I couldn't stay in this place.  I
               wouldn't.  I'd just pick up, do
               whatever I had to do, and get out.

     Grace looks to John and smiles.

                         GRACE
               Sometimes I feel the exact same way.

                                                            CUT TO:

     INT. GRACE'S HOUSE/BATHROOM - LATER

     John, naked, steps into the shower and turns on the water.
     It shoots from the shower head and cascades over his body.
     As the water falls over him we hear:

                         VOICE(V.O.)
               I want my money.

     John press his left hand against the white tile to steady
     himself.  His hand is curled in such a way we cannot see his
     pinky or ring finger.  John leans back in the shower.  Just
     as he does:

                                                            CUT TO:

     EXT. ALLEY - NIGHT

     It is raining hard.  Matching the backwards motion of the
     last scene John is thrown violently against a brick wall.

                         VOICE(V.O.)
               I want my money.

     THE ANGLE WIDENS TO REVEAL John being pressed against the
     wall by a big GOON.  Another MAN stands partially hidden
     behind the goon's frame.  With one hand the goon flattens
     John's hand against the brick, with his other he flicks open
     a switch blade.  THE CAMERA FOLLOWS THE GOON'S HAND as he
     brings the blade around to John's fingers, THEN PANS TO A CU
     OF JOHN'S FACE which suddenly, violently, contorts in pain.
     John slides to the ground until he is framed between the
     legs of the two men.  As John clutches his left hand the
     rainwater runs in streaks down his ashen, blank face.

                                                            CUT TO:

     INT. GRACE'S HOUSE/BATHROOM - MOMENTS LATER

     We see John's face reliving the experience as once again we
     hear the voice.

                         VOICE (V.O.)
               I want my money.

     THE CAMERA PANS WITH JOHN as he looks to his left hand.  As
     a streak of blood snakes down the white tile we see that the
     pinky and ring fingers have been cut off, sloppily, at the
     joints.

                                                            CUT TO:

     INT. GRACE'S HOUSE/BEDROOM - LATER

     John, his hand rebandaged, is putting on his clothes.  As he
     does he looks at himself.  He bends to pick up his shirt
     which is draped over the back pack.  As he lifts it we can
     see that the pack is filled with money.  He closes the pack
     and stands.  In the mirror, hidden in the doorway, he sees
     Grace watching him.  John slows perceptibly, but does not
     try to hide himself.  After a moment Grace walks into the
     room carrying a glass of lemonade.  She has changed into a
     sun dress.

                         GRACE
               Thought you might like a refill on
               your lemonade.

     John takes the lemonade and drinks it down.  He rubs the
     glass against his forehead.

                         JOHN
               That's good.  Cools you right off.
                    (Tentatively)
               I saw you watching me.

                         GRACE
               I'm sorry.  I didn't mean to.

                         JOHN
               I didn't say it bothered me.

                         GRACE
               Did you like it; me watching you?

                         JOHN
               I guess.  I've got an ego same as
               any man.

                         GRACE
               Good, 'cause I liked what I saw.

     John gives a smile as devilish as it is pleasant.

                         JOHN
               Nice place you got here.

                         GRACE
               Thank you.

     Grace sits on the edge of the bed.

                         JOHN
               Must get kind of lonely for a woman
               living by herself in a big house.

                         GRACE
               I guess it must.

                         JOHN
               What do you do anyway?

                         GRACE
               A little of this, a little of that.
               Mostly I tell fortunes.

                         JOHN
               Where'd you learn to do that?

                         GRACE
               From my father.  He was the tribe's
               Shaman.

                         JOHN
               A medicine man?

                         GRACE
               Those are white words, not ours.

                         JOHN
               Nice house for a Shaman's daughter.
               You must be good.

                         GRACE
               Come here.

     John goes to Grace and kneels before her.  She takes his
     head in her hands and looks deep into his eyes.  Her voice
     goes thick, but soft, like a morning fog.

                         GRACE
               There's something in your past;
               something you want to keep hidden.
               There's a pain.  Something . . .
               someone you can't forget.  And there
               is something you want very badly.
               It seems very far away to you, but
               you are determined, and you will do
               what you must to get it.

     John closes his hands on Grace's and takes them from his
     face.  He is more than slightly spooked by the accuracy of
     Grace's reading.

                         JOHN
               My face tell you all that?

                         GRACE
               It tells me what every face tells
               me.  Everybody has a past, they have
               a pain, and they have something they
               want.
                    (Seductively)
               What is it you want?

                         JOHN
               The same thing you do.

     They silently stare into each other's eyes.

                         GRACE
               Really?  I want to hang drapes.

     Grace walks from the room.  For a moment John stares after
     her.  He takes an ice cube from his glass and crunches it in
     his teeth.

                                                            CUT TO:

     INT. GRACE'S HOUSE/LIVINGROOM

     Grace is standing on a step ladder trying to hang the
     drapes.  John stands behind her.

                         GRACE
               Hold me.

     John gently places his hands on Grace's waist.

                         GRACE
               Tighter.  I won't break, but I sure
               don't want to fall.

     John holds her tighter as she finishes hanging the drapes.
     His eyes are transfixed on her ass.

                         GRACE
               There.  All done.  Lift me down.

                         JOHN
               What?

                         GRACE
               Lift me down.

     John lifts Grace down from the ladder.  He holds her, his
     hands around her waist.

                         GRACE
               You can let go of me now.
                    (With a wicked smile)
               I'm safe.  How do they look.

                         JOHN
               Like you.

                         GRACE
               Beautiful?

                         JOHN
                    (Kidding)
               Like they're made of polyester.

                         GRACE
               I like them.  I was sick of looking
               at this room.  I think they add a
               little life.

                         JOHN
               Nothing like a little liveliness.

     With a sexy pout Grace loads the next question.

                         GRACE
               No more drapes to hang.  Now what
               should we do?

                         JOHN
               I have ideas.

                         GRACE
               Such as?

     John steps close to Grace and takes her by the shoulders.
     He pulls her to him and presses his lips hard to hers.
     Grace doesn't respond.

                         JOHN
               All right, Grace.  No more games.

                         GRACE
                    (Innocently)
               Games?

                         JOHN
               You flirt with me, then you run
               cold.  You lead me on, then slap me
               down.  I don't go for being jerked
               around.

                         GRACE
               Really?  And what game did you want
               to play?  You carry my box for me,
               and I fall into bed with you?

     John grabs up his pack.

                         JOHN
               I think I can find my own way back
               to into town.

                         GRACE
               Maybe I like to find out about a man
               first.  Maybe I like to know what
               he's made of.

                         JOHN
               I'm just flesh and blood, baby.
               That and a few memories of bad
               women; just like most guys.  But you
               already know that.  You read my
               fortune.  Thanks for the lemonade.

     John turns to leave.

                         GRACE
               You never did answer my question.

                         JOHN
               Still playing?

                         GRACE
               That's not an answer.  What is it
               you want?

                         JOHN
               You know what I want.

                         GRACE
               Maybe I just want to hear you say it.

     For a beat John stands and stares hard at Grace.  His pack
     slides from his shoulder and thuds on the floor.  With great
     determination, like a beast closing for the kill, John moves
     for her.  Grace stands firm, ready for him; her head tilts
     back.  Her breath comes deep and hard.

     Just as John is about to reach her, just as he is about to
     take her, he is stopped dead by the booming voice of JAKE
     McKENNA.

                         JAKE(O.C.)
               Grace!

     John turns to face Jake:  An older man, still large and
     formidable for his age.  A Charlton Heston with a thick
     Irish brogue.

                         GRACE
                    (Nonplussed)
               Jake.  I thought you would be at
               work, dear.

                         JAKE
               Who the hell is this!?

                         JOHN
               Who the hell are you?

                         JAKE
               I'm her husband.

                         JOHN
                    (Shocked whisper)
               Husband . . .?

                         JAKE
               Now who the hell are you, and it
               better be good, or God help me I'll
               break you in half.

                         JOHN
               I . . I was helping your wife.  I
               met her in town.  She needed a hand
               with her drapes.  That's all.

                         JAKE
               Didn't much look like you were
               hanging drapes.

                         JOHN
               I swear to you that's all that
               happened.  I haven't so much as set
               foot in your bedroom.

                         JAKE
               A lot that means.

                         JOHN
               Grace, tell him.

     Grace says nothing.  She picks up a glass of ice tea and
     sips at it coolly.

                         JOHN
               Damn it, Grace!  Tell him.

                         GRACE
                    (Coyly)
               If he says that's what happened,
               Jake, it must be true.

                         JAKE
               I have half a mind to--

                         JOHN
                    (To Grace)
               Is this what it's all about?  You
               sucker me up here so you can watch
               the two of us beat the shit out of
               each other over you?  Forget it.
                    (To Jake)
               You want to take my head off,
               Mister, I won't even try to stop
               you.  I deserve it for being an
               idiot.  But if you're not, I think
               I'll be on my way.

     For a moment John and Jake stare at each other down before
     Jake steps aside.  John grabs up his pack and storms from
     the room and the house.

                                                            CUT TO:

     EXT. DESERT ROAD - LATER - DAY

     John walks along the side of the road back into town.  He
     couldn't have been walking more than a few minutes, but
     already he is caked with a mixture of sweat and dust.  He
     looks up at the relentless sun that beats down on him.

                         JOHN
               Damn it.

     John walks on a short way before a Cadillac slows beside
     him.  Jake is driving.

                         JAKE
               Get in, lad.  I'll give you a lift.
               It's over one-hundred degrees out
               there.  Too hot to be walking.

     John hesitates.

                         JAKE
               Come on, get in.  If I was going to
               give you trouble I would have done
               it already.

     John climbs into the car.  For a short time the two men ride
     in silence.  Jake notices John's bandaged hand.

                         JAKE
               What happened to your hand?

                         JOHN
               Accident.

                         JAKE
               You've got to be--

                         JOHN
               Yeah, I know.  More careful.

                         JAKE
               I guess we've never been introduced
               proper.  Jake McKenna.

                         JOHN
               Jake McKenna.  That's a solid name.

                         JAKE
               I'm a solid man.

                         JOHN
               John Stewart.

                         JAKE
               What brings you to Sierra?

                         JOHN
               My car overheated.  I pulled in to
               have it fixed.

                         JAKE
               Where you headed?

                         JOHN
               I've got to make a stop in Vegas,
               then I'm heading to Santa Barbara.

                         JAKE
               Live there?

                         JOHN
               Got work.  I know a man who's got a
               boat.  Wants me to sail it for him.

                         JAKE
               You a sailor man?  That'd be the
               life.  Drive across the country,
               step on a boat and just sail away.
               A man could pretty well disappear
               like that.  Just sail away until all
               he was was a memory.  I guess a
               little place like this would just be
               a dot on a map to you after awhile.

                         JOHN
               I hope so.
                    (Beat)
               Listen, Mr. McKenna, about your
               wife:  If I had known she was
               married--

                         JAKE
               It wouldn't have made a difference
               to you, now would it?  Not a wit.
               Do you know why?  Because you're a
               man without scruples.

                         JOHN
               Wait a second--

                         JAKE
               Ah, I can smell it on you.

     Jake wipes his hand across the back of John's neck and holds
     it to his nose.

                         JOHN
               Hey!

                         JAKE
               That's the sweat of a man who hasn't
               an honest bone in his body.  Don't
               be offended, lad.  A man who's got
               no ethics is a free man.  I envy you
               that.  Beside, I can hardly blame
               you.  That Grace has a mind of her
               own, and a body to match, don't she?
               Eh?

     Jake nudges John who smiles a nervous smile.

                         JAKE
               She does at that.  I knew when I
               married her she was a free spirit.
               A woman with her looks and a man my
               age; what was I to expect?  But you
               see a woman like that in a town like
               this and you don't think, you do.
               So, I married her.  What are you to
               do, eh?  Women.

                         JOHN
               Can't live with them, and you can't
               shoot 'em.

     Jake looks at John, his lips curled into a sly smile.

                         JAKE
               I bet she led you on good, didn't
               she?  Taking you up to the house
               with that smile of hers.  Bet she
               wiggled her ass in your face more
               than once.  Then me busting in like
               some wild bear.  Bet you had a fire
               going under you.

                         JOHN
               Like you don't know.

                         JAKE
               Mad like a dog in heat, I bet you
               were.  I can tell you got a temper
               on you.

     John gives a little laugh.

                         JAKE
               Bet you just wanted to snap her neck
               right then, didn't you?  Bet you
               just wanted to kill her.

     John starts to laugh heartily.  Jake joins in, then stops
     abruptly.

                         JAKE
               Would you?

                         JOHN
               Would I what?

                         JAKE
               Would you kill her?

     John starts to laugh again.

                         JAKE
                    (Deadly serious)
               I asked you a question.

     John stops laughing.

                         JOHN
               Why would I kill her?

                         JAKE
               Because I'm sick and tired of her
               little games.  Because you could do
               it and drift away on your boat and
               no one would ever see you again.
               Because I've got a fifty-thousand
               dollar life insurance policy on her,
               and I would be more than happy to
               give the man who does her in a good
               chunk of it.

     For a moment John sits in silence not sure of what to make
     of the offer.

                         JOHN
               I'm not a murderer, Mr. McKenna.

                         JAKE
               How do you know if you've never
               tried?

                         JOHN
               This is a joke, right?  You just
               want to rattle me.  Right?

     They reach town and Jake stops the car.

                         JAKE
               That's right.  Nothing but a joke.
               That's all.

     John gets out of the car.  With a big smile Jake says:

                         JAKE
               Enjoy your stay, lad.

     Jake speeds away.  John looks after him.

                         JOHN
               This fucking town is crazy.

                                                            CUT TO:

     INT. SMALL GROCERY STORE - LATER

     The store is small and dark and empty save for a tiny, older
     Mexican WOMAN who is behind the counter.  John enters.

                         JOHN
               Got any cold soda?

                         WOMAN
               Eh?

                         JOHN
               Soda.  You got any soda?

                         WOMAN
               Hablar slowly, por favor.  My ingles
               no es bien.

                         JOHN
               Soda.  You know.

     John cups his hand and brings it to his mouth pantomiming.

                         WOMAN
               Oh.  Something to eat.  Si.

     She holds up a pack of Twinkies.

                         JOHN
               Not eat.  Drink.  What the fuck is
               drink in Spanish . . . uh, agua?

     The old woman's eyes widen.  She starts to scream, but
     quickly clamps her hands over her mouth.  For a moment John
     thinks the woman is screaming at what he has said.  Then, as
     if he feels a presence behind him, John turns slowly to face
     the tow though-looking, unshaven, tattoo-covered BIKERS.  One
     holds a gun.

                         BIKER
               That's right, lady.  Keep it in you
               and nobody gets hurt.  That goes for
               you too, stud.  Gimmie the money.
               Now!

                         WOMAN
               Eh?

                         SECOND BIKER
               The dinero, Senora.  Hand it over.

     John shifts his weight trying to hide his pack behind his
     back.

     The woman goes to an old-fashioned cash register and rings
     it open.  She hands the money to the biker.

                         BIKER
               That's it?  Lady, I got kids to put
               through school.

                         WOMAN
               Es all I have.

     The biker turns to John.

                         BIKER
               Okay, pal.  The wallet.

     John pulls his wallet from his pocket and tosses it on the
     counter.  The biker scoops it up and starts to leave the
     store.  He stops.

                         BIKER
               Toss me the pack.

                         JOHN
               There's nothing in it.  Just books.

                         BIKER
               I'm a reader. Toss it.

     John takes an unsteady breath.

                         JOHN
               No.

                         BIKER
               No?

     The biker starts to walk back towards John.

                         SECOND BIKER
               Hey man.  Forget about it.

                         BIKER
               No?

                         WOMAN
               Senor, give him the pack.

                         BIKER
               That's all right.  He doesn't want
               to give me the pack . . .

                         SECOND BIKER
               He's fucking with you man. Shoot him.

     The biker lightly taps John on the temple with the barrel of
     the gun.

                         BLIND MAN
               He doesn't have to give me the pack.

     Again he taps John on the temple.  John flinches in
     anticipation of a shot.  The biker goes to tap John's temple
     again, but this time swings the gun hard, clipping John
     across the forehead.  John falls against the counter and to
     the floor.  The woman starts to scream.

                        SECOND BIKER
               Fuck, man!  Come on!  Let's get out
               of here!

     The biker grabs up the pack, then, looking back at the
     woman, sees a ring on her finger.  He grabs her hand and
     pulls at the ring.  The woman screams wildly.

                         WOMAN
               No!  No!

                         SECOND BIKER
               Christ, man!  Would you come on!

                         BIKER
               A little extra never hurt.

     He pulls the ring from the woman's finger and pushes her
     back.  With John's pack slung over his shoulder he turns to
     leave.

                         BIKER
               Now we go.

     From beneath the counter the woman pulls a shotgun.

                         WOMAN
               You go to El Diablo!

     The woman fires a shot that rips through the pack and into
     the back of the biker.  He falls to the ground, very dead,
     amid a shower of blood and shredded money.

                         SECOND BIKER
               Oh, shit!  Oh, shit!  Oh, shit!

                         JOHN
               Nooooooooo!

     As the second biker tears from the store the woman fires
     another shot that rips into the doorway, but misses him.  We
     hear a motorcycle fire up and race off.  John sits on the
     floor trying to grab pieces of the still falling money as
     the woman comes around the counter to his aide.

                         WOMAN
               Senor?  Senor, are you all right?

     John clutches at the side of his bleeding head and mumbles
     something.

                         WOMAN
               I call the policia.

                         JOHN
               No!

     John struggles to his feet.

                         JOHN
               No police.

                         WOMAN
               But, Senor--

                         JOHN
               No police!  Wait until I'm gone.

                         WOMAN
               Senor, you need a doctor.

                         JOHN
               No police!

     John stumbles from the store as the woman calls after him.
     The screen burns a bright white.

                                                           FADE TO:

     EXT. STREET - LATER

     WHAT FOLLOWS IS A QUICK MONTAGE:

     John walks along the street dazed and holding his head.

     He sits on the ground next to a spigot that is dripping
     water.  He cups his hands under the water and splashes it
     against his face, lightly wiping the cut above his eye.

     John stands on the street side digging into his pants
     pocket.  He pulls out a five dollar bill which he looks over
     before stuffing it back where he found it.  He walks on.

                                                            CUT TO:

     EXT. HARLIN'S GARAGE - LATER

     Darrell is leaning under the hood of a car working on it's
     engine as John walks up.

                         JOHN
               Hey.

                         DARRELL
               Hey, your . . . what the hell
               happened to you.

                         JOHN
               Nothing.

                         DARRELL
               Don't look like nothing.

                         JOHN
               Just banged my head.  It was an
               accident.

                         DARRELL
               Another accident?  You got to be
               more careful.

     John rolls his eyes.

                         JOHN
               Look, I just want to pick up my car.

                         DARRELL
               She's all yours. Put a new hose in
               it, and she runs like a dream now.

                         JOHN
               How much?

                         DARRELL
               Well . . . parts, labor . . . let's
               call it a hundred-fifty bucks.

                         JOHN
               How much!?

                         DARRELL
               Hundred-fifty.

                         JOHN
               To replace a God damn radiator hose!?

                         DARRELL
               A God damn radiator hose in a sixty-
               four-and-a-half Mustang.  You know
               how long it took me to find that
               hose?

                         JOHN
               About an hour and a half, because
               that's all the longer I've been gone.

                         DARRELL
               That's about an hour and a half
               longer than I usually spend looking
               for parts.  You're the one thinks
               that car's so damn fancy.  What you
               expect but fancy damn prices?

                         JOHN
               That's a Ford, not a Ferrari.  You
               going to tell me no one else in this
               shit hole drives a Ford?

                         DARRELL
               That's not just a Ford, that's a
               sixty-four-and-a-half Mustang.

                         JOHN
               What's that got to do with the
               radiator hose?

                         DARRELL
               I don't know, but it's the reason
               I'm living here and you're just
               passing through.  Now you owe me a
               hundred-fifty dollars.

                         JOHN
               It might as well be fifteen-hundred
               dollars, because I don't have the
               money.

                         DARRELL
               Then you ain't gonna have the car.

                         JOHN
               Listen, man.  I got rolled half and
               hour ago for everything I had.

     John digs through his pocket and pulls the five dollar bill.

                         JOHN
               A five is all I've got.

     Darrell snatches the five from him.

                         DARRELL
               Then you're only a hundred-forty-
               five in the hole.  Now why don't you
               just take your Visa Express Silver
               Card, call Karl Malden and have him
               send you the money lickity split.

                         JOHN
               I don't have a credit card.  They
               took my wallet.

                         DARRELL
               Now that's too bad.  I sure hope you
               know how to wash dishes or shovel
               shit 'cause you're gonna have to
               work this one off.

                         JOHN
               You son of a bitch!

                         DARRELL
               Sweet talk me all you want, I still
               want my hundred-forty-five dollars.

     John stands his ground for a moment as if deciding whether
     or not to fight for the car, then wheels and walks away.

                                                            CUT TO:

     EXT. PHONE BOOTH - LATER

     John is placing a call.

                         JOHN
               Yeah, operator.  I'll wait.

                                                            CUT TO:

     INT. MR. VESCI'S OFFICE - DAY

     It is the kind of well appointed office one would expect to
     find in a Las Vegas high-rise casino.  MR. VESCI, dressed in
     a smartly tailored silk suit, sits behind his desk.  RICHIE,
     a burly but impeccably dressed Italian, answers the phone.
     They are the two men from the flashback.

                         RICHIE
               Yeah?

                         MR. VESCI
               Richie, how many times do I have to
               tell you?  You answer a phone hello,
               not yeah.  You got no manners?  What
               are you, a fucking Neanderthal?

                         RICHIE
               Sorry, Mr. Vesci.
                    (Into phone)
               Hello?

                         OPERATOR(V.O.)
               I have a collect call from John
               Stewart.  Will you accept the
               charges?

                         RICHIE
               Mr. Vesci, it's that deadbeat
               Stewart.

     Mr. Vesci doesn't acknowledge him.

                         RICHIE
               He's calling collect.

     At this Mr. Vesci's head springs up.  He snatches the phone
     from Richie.

                         MR. VESCI
                    (Overly sweet)
               John, what a surprise.  I expected
               to be seeing you, not talking to you
               over the phone.

                                                            CUT TO:

     JOHN

                         JOHN
               I know, Mr. Vesci.  I know.  I was
               on my way to you, it's just . . .
               what a day I've had.  You're not
               going to believe what's happened to
               me. I had the money, I swear I had
               it. I was on my way to you when my
               car breaks down in the middle of
               nowhere.

                                                            CUT TO:

     MR. VESCI

     Mr. Vesci cleans his nails completely disinterested in what
     John is saying.

                         MR. VESCI
               That's a shame, John.  A real shame.

                                                            CUT TO:

     JOHN

                         JOHN
               You don't know the how, Mr. Vesci.
               And that's not the half of it.  I've
               got your money, and I go into this
               little grocery store to get
               something to eat and it gets robbed.

                         MR. VESCI(V.O.)
               Let me guess.  This robber; he gets
               your money.

                         JOHN
               No.  He gets shot by the old lady.

                         MR. VESCI(V.O.)
               The old lady?

                         JOHN
               With a shotgun.  It kills him, and
               it shreads the money.  I mean, what
               are the odds?

                         MR. VESCI(V.O.)
               You're the gambler.  You tell me.

                         JOHN
               I had to beat it before the cops
               showed up.  I don't have a cent to
               my name.  I can't even get my car
               out of the garage.  I tell you, Mr.
               Vesci, if it weren't for bad luck I
               wouldn't have any at all.  So, I was
               wondering if you could wire me a
               hundred fifty-dollars so I could get
               my car.  I'll pay it back with the
               rest of the money.

                                                            CUT TO:

     MR. VESCI AND RICHIE

     Richie looks as if he is ready to pound heads.  THE CAMERA
     DOLLIES IN on Mr. Vesci as he speaks.

                         MR. VESCI
               Let me get this straight:  You owe
               me thirteen-thousand dollars, you
               call me - collect - then ask me to
               wire you one-hundred-fifty dollars
               just so you can get your car fixed.

                         JOHN(V.O.)
               A hundred-forty-five really.

                         MR. VESCI
               A hundred and . . . Now you listen
               to me you deadbeat, little punk:  I
               don't care if you got hit by a truck
               and run over by a steamroller.  You
               owe me thirteen-thousand dollars and
               I want it.  I don't care how you get
               it, or where from, but I want it on
               my desk tomorrow, or I'll show you
               what real bad luck is.

     Richie snaps a pencil he's holding in his hand.

                         MR. VESCI
               Do you understand me you little fuck?

                                                            CUT TO:

     JOHN

                         JOHN
               Yes, Mr. Vesci.

                                                            CUT TO:

     MR. VESCI

                         MR. VESCI
               And John, don't make me come look
               for you.

     He hands the phone back to Richie who hangs it up.

                         MR. VESCI
               Fucking kid.  And look at you;
               breaking fucking pencils.  You're a
               Neanderthal.

                                                            CUT TO:

     JOHN

                         JOHN
               Hello?  Hello!?  Operator, I got
               disconnected.  Hello . . .

     John slams the phone down into the hook.  His hand lingers
     for a moment and he stares at the bandages that wrap it.  He
     lifts the receiver again and desperately dials a number.

                         JOHN
               Cici?  Hey Cici, it's John.  Look,
               I know it's been a while, but I'm
               kind of . . . John Stewart . . .
               Yeah, look, I know it's been awhile,
               but I'm kind of in a jam . . . yeah
               . . . One-hundred-fifty bucks . . .
               That's a lie.  I don't only call you
               when I need money . . . on your
               birthday . . . Two years ago . . . I
               can't help it if you didn't get the
               message.  Cici, I don't want to
               argue.  I really need you to wire me
               the money . . . What do you mean
               serves me right . . . I didn't steal
               your CDs . . . Well, you still got
               my Mr. Coffee!  Cici . . . Cici,
               don't hang up on me . . . Cici!
               Cici!

     John slams the phone against the hook several times.

                         JOHN
               God damn it!  Shit!  Damn!  Damn!
               Damn!

     We hear an operator's voice from over the phone:

                         OPERATOR(V.O.)
               Hello?

                         JOHN
               Hello?

                         OPERATOR(V.O.)
               Are you finished with your call?

                         JOHN
               Yeah.

                         OPERATOR(V.O.)
               Please deposit an additional seventy-
               five cents.

     John again slams the phone against the hook, each time
     punctuating it with:

                         JOHN
               Fuck you!  Fuck you!  Fuck you!

     John marches from the phone booth.  The phone falls from the
     hook and we hear a recorded voice:

                         VOICE(V.O.)
               Thank you for using AT&T.

                                                            CUT TO:

     INT. TRUCK STOP/DINER - LATER

     It is a little diner-type stop one would find on most any
     open road:  A counter with stools, laminated menus, a
     Wurlitzer in the corner belching out country tunes.  A
     little worse for the wear, it's obvious the place does a
     brisk business although now it's a little slow.  There is a
     SHORT ORDER COOK in the kitchen, and FLO - a stereotypical
     waitress with a bouffant and chewing gum - is behind the
     counter.  A couple of regulars, ED and BOYD, are seated on
     the stools.

                         ED
               One-hundred-thirteen degrees.  That
               was back in July of forty-seven.
               Now there ain't no way it's gonna be
               hotter than that.

                         BOYD
               Hundred and eight already.

     John enters and sits at the end of the counter.  He is
     sweating and obviously tired.  He buries his face in his
     hands.

                         ED
               Hundred and eight ain't a hundred
               and thirteen.

                         BOYD
               Will be.

                         ED
               You ain't nothing but an old fool.

                         BOYD
               You got two years on me.  What's
               that make me?

                         FLO
               Why don't you both shut up and drink
               your coffee?  How you can drink that
               stuff on a day like today is beyond
               me.

                         ED
               He's always going on about
               something.  This morning he wouldn't
               shut up about that coin.

                         BOYD
               It's true.

                         FLO
               What about a coin.

                         ED
               It's nonsense.

                         BOYD
               It is not.

                         ED
               A coin's got two sides.  When you
               flip it there's a fifty-fifty chance
               it'll be heads or tails.  Boyd
               thinks if you flip a coin ten times
               half the time it'll come up each
               side.

                         BOYD
               It will.

                         ED
               No it won't.  You just don't know
               shit about statistics.

     A young couple - teenagers - enter.  TOBY looks the part of
     a local.  He is wearing jeans and a white T-shirt.  His hair
     is cropped close and he looks to be a senior in high school.
     His girl, JENNY, is nondescript.  She is not ugly, nor is
     she beautiful.  She is the kind of girl most guys would pass
     without a second look.  They sit at a booth.

                         BOYD
               And what are you?  A rocket
               scientist?

                         ED
               I got more brains than you've got
               teeth.

                         BOYD
               Put your money where your chicken-
               lipped mouth is.  I'll bet this
               mornings pay I'm right.

     Hearing this John's head jerks up from his hands.

                         ED
               I ain't wasting my money on
               something so stupid.

                         FLO
               You two are like children.

                         JOHN
               I'll take a piece of that bet.
               I say it doesn't come up five times
               each side.

                         BOYD
               Well, a man with some gumption.  How
               much money you got?

                         JOHN
                    (Sheepishly)
               Nothing.

                         BOYD
               You want to make a kiddies bet?

                         JOHN
               I'll bet my watch against your pay.

     John takes off his watch and slides it across the counter to
     Boyd.

                         JOHN(CONT)
               It's a Movado.

                         BOYD
               Never heard of it.  It's got no day
               or date.  Hell, it ain't even got
               numbers.  What's the matter?  You
               couldn't afford a Timex?

                         JOHN
               Next city you're in take it to a
               jeweler.  He won't give you less
               than four-hundred for it.

     Boyd looks the watch over.

                         BOYD
               You're on, Mister.  You got a
               quarter, Ed?

     Ed hands over a quarter.

                         ED
               I want that back when you're
               finished.

     John takes up a closer stool.

                         BOYD
               Sugar, you officiate.

                         FLO
               I ain't got time for this.

                         BOYD
               It'll only take a minute.  Be a gal
               and help out.  Everybody ready?
               Here we go.

     Boyd flips the quarter, catches it, then flips it onto the
     back of his hand.  It's heads.

                         FLO
               One heads.

     Boyd flips the coin again.

                         FLO
               Two heads.

     Three more flips and each time it comes up tails.  The
     childishness of it all begins to wear off and everyone
     becomes more tense.  Two more flips, both heads.  Boyd flips
     the coin two more times; a heads and a tails each.

                         BOYD
               One more.  A tails is five and I get
               the watch.  Heads, and you is a rich
               man.

     Boyd flips the quarter in the same manner he has each time
     before.  He uncovers it.  It's a heads.

                         JOHN
               Yes!

                         ED
               Told you.

                         FLO
               Stupid.  Just plain stupid.

     Boyd hands the quarter back to Ed.

                         BOYD
               You was right, Ed.

     Boyd starts to move off.  John grabs him by the shoulder.

                         JOHN
               Hey!  I won; fair and square.

     Boyd reluctantly fishes around in his pocket, pulls out a
     wad of money and hands it to John.

                         JOHN
               Thirty-bucks?  That's it?

                         BOYD
               That's my morning's pay.

                         JOHN
               I'm a rich man off of thirty bucks?

                         ED
               You are around here.

                         JOHN
               This is great.  This is fucking
               great.  I sit here and watch you
               toss a coin, sweat my balls off, put
               a thousand-dollar watch on the line
               for thirty fucking dollars?

                         BOYD
               I thought it was a lot of money.
               Ain't that a lot of money.

     John slumps down in the counter stool.  Flo comes over to
     him.

                         FLO
               Now that you're so well off, can I
               get you something, Hon?

                         JOHN
               You got beer?

                         FLO
               What would a truck stop be without
               beer?

                         JOHN
               Let me have a Beck's.

                         FLO
               We ain't got no Beck's.

                         JOHN
               Kirin?

                         FLO
               No, we ain't got no Kirin.  We got
               Miller.

                         JOHN
               Genuine Draft?

                         FLO
               No.  We got Miller.  Regular Miller.
               You want it, or don't you?

                         JOHN
               Yeah, give me the Miller.

                         SHORT ORDER COOK
               Flo, order up.

                         FLO
               I'll be right back with that beer.

     Flo moves off.

                         JOHN
               A waitress named Flo.  Christ.

     John feels something against his foot.  He looks down and
     sees a cat rubbing against his leg.  He gives it a good kick
     sending it sliding across the floor with a screech.

                         JOHN
               Fucking cat.

     In the background Toby gets up from his booth and goes to
     the bathroom.  After he is gone Jenny walks to John.

                         JENNY
               Hey, Mister.  You gotta quarter?

                         JOHN
               What?

                         JENNY
               I wanna play a song on the juke.
               You got a quarter?

     John digs his good hand through his pocket and comes up with
     a quarter.  He flips it to her.

                         JENNY
               What happened to your hand?

                         JOHN
               Accident, and yeah, I got to be more
               careful.

                         JENNY
               Got any requests?

                         JOHN
               That country shit all sounds the
               same to me.

                         JENNY
               How about I pick one out for you?

     John shrugs.  Jenny plays a song.  Patsy Cline's Your
     Cheatin' Heart.  Jenny takes up a stool next to John's.

                         JENNY
               You like Patsy Cline?  I just love
               her.  How come, I wonder, she don't
               put out no more new records.

                         JOHN
               She's dead.

                         JENNY
               Gee, that's sad.  Don't that make
               you sad?

                         JOHN
               I've had time to get over it.

                         JENNY
               You're not from around here, are
               you?  Where you from?

                         JOHN
               Oz.

                         JENNY
               You ain't from Oz.  Oz is in that
               one movie.

                         JOHN
               You're too quick for me.

     Toby walks back into the room.  He looks at Jenny.  He looks
     at John.  He looks at Jenny talking to John.  He loses it.

                         TOBY
               Hey!  What are you doing with my
               girl?

     John says nothing, ignoring Toby.

                         TOBY
               I asked you a question.

                         JENNY
               Aw, Toby, we weren't doing nothing.
               We was just talking.

                         TOBY
               You shut your mouth, girl, and get
               back over to our table.
                    (To John)
               Now, I'm not going to ask you again,
               Mister.  What were you doing with my
               girl?

                         JOHN
               I wasn't doing anything.

                         TOBY
               That's not the way it looked to me.
               Looked to me like you was trying to
               make time with her.

                         JOHN
               Make time?  Is everybody in this
               town slap happy?

                         JENNY
               Honest, Toby.  I just asked him for
               a quarter for the jukebox.

                         TOBY
               Stay out of this, Jenny.  We got
               man's business to take care of.

                         JOHN
               Look, pal, I wasn't making a play
               for your girl.

                         TOBY
               You expect me to believe that?

                         JOHN
               I don't care what you believe as
               long as you leave me alone.

                         TOBY
               Mister, I'm calling you out.

                         JOHN
               What?  You want to fight?  Over her?

     John looks Jenny over.

                         JOHN
               You're fucked.

                         TOBY
               You know who I am?  Toby N. Tyler.
               My friends call me TNT. You know
               why?

                         JOHN
               They're not very imaginative?

                         TOBY
               'Cause I'm just like dynamite.  And
               when I go off somebody gets hurt.

                         JOHN
               Fine.  I was making time with your
               girl.  Now I'm all scared, and I'll
               never make that mistake again.  Now
               go away.

                         TOBY
               Not before I settle with you.

                         JOHN
               Christ, I don't believe this.

                         TOBY
               Stand up.

                         JOHN
               I wasn't hitting on your girl!

                         TOBY
               Stand up, Mister, or I'll beat you
               where you sit.

     John sits for a beat, then reluctantly stands and squares
     off with Toby.

                         FLO
               Wait a second.  What's the matter
               with you two; wantin' to bash each
               other's brains in?  Take it outside.
               I don't want you bleedin' in here.

                         TOBY
               Don't you never mind, Flo.  This is
               gonna be over real quick.

     John and Toby stand opposite one another clenching fists and
     waiting for the other to make the first move.  The tension
     builds.  We see it on the faces of Jenny, Flo and the
     regulars.  Just then the record on the juke ends and the
     needle scratches off.  The door to the truck stop opens and
     SHERIFF POTTER walks in.  The tension is shattered.  Toby,
     mindful of the sheriff, steps closer to John and whispers
     menacingly into his ear.

                         TOBY
               You're lucky, Mister.  Don't think
               it's over.  I called you out and I'm
               gonna see this through.  You hear me?
                    (To Jenny)
               Come on, girl.  I got half a mind to
               make you walk home.

     Toby takes Jenny by the arm and pulls her from the truck
     stop.

                         SHERIFF
               What was that all about?

                         FLO
               You know how that Toby is.  Thinks
               every man he sees is after his Jenny.

                         SHERIFF
               More like Jenny is after every man
               she sees.

                         FLO
                    (To John)
               You pay Toby no mind.  He just likes
               to show off for his girl.  Give him
               a couple of hours, he'll cool off.
               Still want that beer?

                         JOHN
               Yeah, I'll take it to go.

                         ED
               How's it with you, Sheriff?

                         SHERIFF
               Already started out bad.  Couple of
               guys knocked over Jamilla's grocery
               store.  She killed one of them.

     John holds his hand to his face to cover the cut on his
     forehead.

                         FLO
               Poor thing.  Is she all right?

                         SHERIFF
               'Cept that she lost her money and
               the sons of bitches stole her
               wedding ring.  That's when she
               started shooting.  Can't blame her.
               The ring was all Carlos left her
               when he died.

                         BOYD
               It's this heat.  That's what it is.
               The heat makes everybody crazy.
               Ain't that right, Sheriff?  People
               go crazy with the heat.

                         SHERIFF
               I seen some bad ones in the heat.
               Once, couple of years back on a
               white-hot day I had a woman went
               crazy.  Her little baby was so hot
               it kept cryin' and cryin' all day
               long.  Husband came home and ask
               where the baby is.  Turns out the
               wife put it in the freezer to keep
               it cool.

                         FLO
               Lord!  Put the baby in the icebox.
               Killed the poor thing.

                         SHERIFF
               Baby didn't die.  Just froze off all
               it's finger and toes.  Just a little
               fingerless, toeless boy now.  But
               the husband; he sees what the wife's
               done, so after he saves the baby he
               locks the wife in the refrigerator
               to see how she likes it.  Now she
               died.

                         ED
               What happened to the husband?

                         SHERIFF
               State got round to frying him about
               a year later.  Two people dead, and
               one boy who won't so much as be able
               to pick his nose.

                         BLIND MAN
               It's the heat, I tell you.  Just
               gets under a man's skin and turns
               him crazy.

                         ED
               Come on, Boyd.  We got to make
               tracks.  That yogurts got to make
               Santa Fe before it spoils.

     Ed and Boyd toss a few bills on the counter and exit.  Flo
     stands near the cash register with John's beer.

                         FLO
               Here's your beer, sugar.

     John pays for the beer.  Flo opens the register.

                         FLO
               Let me get your change.

                         SHERIFF
               Flo, I'm just gonna help myself to a
               refill on the coffee.

     The Sheriff reaches around the counter for the pot.

                         FLO
               You be careful now, Ned.

     Just as the words leave Flo's mouth the Sheriff spills the
     pot.  It shatters against the floor spilling hot coffee
     everywhere.  Flo runs over to him.

                         FLO
               Ned!  Now look at what you done!
               Are you all right?

                         SHERIFF
               I think I burned my gun hand!

                         FLO
               It'd serve you right.  Jose, run get
               a mop and clean this mess up.

     While everyone is distracted John notices that the register
     drawer has been left open.  He looks around to make sure he
     is not being watched.  Slowly he eases his hand towards the
     drawer.  It gets closer and closer.  As he his about to grab
     the money there the cat - the same one he kicked away
     earlier - hisses and claws at his hand.  John jumps back
     startled.

                         FLO
               Shasta!  Now why'd you go and scare
               the nice man like that?  Sorry about
               that, hon.  Enjoy your beer, and try
               to have a nice day.

                         JOHN
               Yeah, I'll try.

     John exits.

                                                            CUT TO:

     EXT. EMPTY STREET - LATER

     John walks a bit going nowhere in particular.  He shields
     himself with on hand from the sun.  At the side of an old
     building, in the bit of shade it throws, he stops to drink
     his beer.  He twists at the cap trying to get it off.  It
     sticks and won't turn.  John tries again and again twisting
     harder, and working up a sweat from the effort.  Finally the
     cap twists off, cutting into his hand as it rotates.  John
     yells in pain.  At the same time the beer comes foaming from
     the bottle and spills onto the ground.  He throws the
     bottle, and clutches his bleeding hand.

                         JOHN
               Damn it!  God Damn it!  I hate this
               fucking town!  Do you hear me?  I
               hate it!
                    (Quieter)
               I got to get out of here.  I got to
               get out of this place.

     Across the street John sees a sign on a building:  JAKE
     McKENNA  REAL ESTATE.  He thinks for a moment, then starts
     to walk towards the building.

                                                            CUT TO:

     INT. JAKE'S OFFICE - LATER

     Jake's SECRETARY opens the door to his office and shows John
     in.

                         JAKE
               Thank you, Tracy.  Why don't you
               take lunch?

     Tracy exits closing the door behind her.

                         JAKE
               Good Lord.  What happened to you?

                         JOHN
               Just ran into a little trouble.

                         JAKE
               Another accident?  You've really got
               to be more careful.  Can I get you a
               drink?

                         JOHN
               No.

                         JAKE
               Hungry?

                         JOHN
               No.

                         JAKE
               I'm surprised to see you.  I thought
               you'd be halfway to Vegas by now.

                         JOHN
               I had a problem getting my car back.

                         JAKE
               You just seem to attract trouble,
               don't you?

     Ignoring the question:

                         JOHN
               Nice office you've got.

                         JAKE
               I do all right.  Real estate isn't a
               bad game such as it is around here.
               The trick is to underestimate the
               price when you buy it, and overvalue
               when you sell.  You can turn a few
               dollars that way.

                         JOHN
               Isn't that illegal?

     Jake smiles.

                         JAKE
               Now what can I do for you?

                         JOHN
               I was hoping we could talk.

                         JAKE
               Talk?  About what?

                         JOHN
               About things.  About your wife.

                         JAKE
               Sweet Grace?  What about her?

                         JOHN
               About what you said this morning.

     Jake shakes his head as if he doesn't understand.

                         JOHN
               You said you had an insurance policy
               out on your wife.  Fifty-thousand
               dollars.

                         JAKE
               I do.

                         JOHN
               You said you'd cut that up with the
               man who did her in.

                         JAKE
               I did?

                         JOHN
               Don't play simple with me, Jake.
               You want me to spell it out for you?
               I'll kill Grace if you cut me in on
               the money.

                         JAKE
               I think this heat's getting to you
               the way you're rambling on.

                         JOHN
               I'm not rambling.

                         JAKE
               You're talking like a mad man.

                         JOHN
               You're the one who brought it up.
               This morning.  In your car.

                         JAKE
               That was just loose talk.  I don't
               want anybody dead.

                         JOHN
               Bullshit.  You wanted me to kill her.

                         JAKE
               A man doesn't always mean the things
               he says.

                         JOHN
               You meant it.

                         JAKE
               What makes you say that?

                         JOHN
               Because I think you're a slimy
               bastard who would have his wife
               killed just to get his hands on some
               money.

                         JAKE
               And what does that make you?

                         JOHN
               The slimy bastard who's going to do
               it for you.

     For a moment Jake stares quietly at John, then walks to the
     office door and locks it.

                         JAKE
               Let's say I do want her dead.  What
               is it you want?  This morning you
               weren't a killer.

                         JOHN
               This morning I didn't know how badly
               I'd want to get out of this fucking
               town.

                         JAKE
               And for that you'd kill Grace?

                         JOHN
               For that I'd kill a nun on Easter
               Sunday.

                         JAKE
               Just to get out of here?  That
               doesn't seem much for a murder.

                         JOHN
               How do you put a price on murder?

                         JAKE
               I put it at fifty-thousand dollars,
               minus your cut, of course.  Which is?

                         JOHN
               Make it twenty.

                         JAKE
               Twenty-thousand?  I don't have that
               kind of money.  I won't get the
               insurance until months after she's
               dead.  I don't imagine you'll want
               to be around after poor Grace's
               demise.  Twenty-thousand; that's
               more money than I could ever get my
               hands on.

                         JOHN
               How much could you get?

                         JAKE
               Maybe . . . ten-thousand.  And
               that's a maybe.

                         JOHN
               I need thirteen.

                         JAKE
               That's a bit much.

                         JOHN
               You're not buying a car, for Christ
               sake.  You're having your wife
               killed.  I'm the one who's neck is
               stuck out.  It's thirteen, or it's
               nothing.

     Jake considers all this for a moment.

                         JAKE
               You drive a hard bargain, but I had
               a feeling you were my boy when I met
               you.

                         JOHN
               I'm not your boy, Jake.  I don't
               like you, and I don't like what you
               are.  I got no choice but to do
               business with you.  This is just a
               nasty little marriage of convenience.

                         JAKE
               Don't say that.  I had a marriage of
               convenience with Grace, and look
               where that's lead.  Well, looks like
               we got ourselves a pact.

                         JOHN
               Do we shake hands?

                         JAKE
               If you can't trust the man you've
               hired to kill your wife . . .?

     For a moment the two men stand silent.  All we hear is the
     ticking of a grandfather clock that stands in the corner.

                         JOHN
               I guess I might as well get this
               done with.

                         JAKE
               The sooner it's over, the sooner
               you're on your way.  Now listen to
               me:  It's got to look like an
               accident; that's the thing.  If it
               doesn't, then it's no good.  I won't
               get a dime, and it's my neck that'll
               be on the chopping block while
               you're living it up somewhere.

                         JOHN
               What should I do?

                         JAKE
               How the hell should I know?  I've
               never had a wife killed before.  I
               guess I should have hired a
               professional.

                         JOHN
               You want to do this yourself?  I
               don't have to do this, you know.

                         JAKE
               Be quiet, boy.  I'm thinking.  It
               can't be done at the house.  It
               should be . . .

     Jake walks the office thinking a bit.  An idea comes to him.

                         JAKE
               This is what you do:  Go to the
               house to see her.

                         JOHN
               And tell her what?

                                                            CUT TO:

     EXT. MCKENNA HOUSE - LATER

     John stands on the porch talking to Grace through the screen
     of the front door.  The look on his face is sincere.  Her's
     is skeptical.  IN THE FOLLOWING SCENES WE SEE THE ACTION
     TAKE PLACE AS WE HEAR JAKE'S VOICE OVER.

                         JAKE(V.O.)
               I don't know.  Tell her you had to
               see her.  Tell her you don't care if
               she's married or not, you had to be
               with her.  Sweet talk the woman.  A
               stud like you must be good at that.
               Then . . . maybe shift the
               conversation.  Get her thinking
               about that jeep of hers.  She loves
               that thing.  Maybe the only thing
               she does love.  She'll want to take
               you for a ride.

                                                           FADE TO:

     EXT. DESERT - DAY

     Grace's jeep cuts hard across the desert.  Grace has a wild,
     excited look on her face.  John sits next to her looking
     somewhat nervous.

                         JAKE(V.O.)
               She'll take you out somewhere in the
               desert.  She loves it out there;
               ridin' through the red rock and the
               mesas.  So do I.  I guess we got
               that in common.  She'll ride you out
               someplace quiet.  Someplace deserted.

                                                           FADE TO:

     EXT. DESERT - LATER

     Grace has stopped the jeep on a plateau.  John sits beneath
     its shade while Grace walks in the sun seemingly unaffected
     by the heat.

                         JAKE(V.O.)
               There won't be anyone for miles
               around.  Just the two of you and
               some prairie dogs.  That's all.  You
               can sweet talk her a little if you
               like.  Makes no mind to me.  Just
               put her at ease, make her feel
               relaxed, then do it.

     JAKE'S V.O. ENDS.  The scene is now synch with real time.

                         JOHN
               Doesn't the heat bother you?

                         GRACE
               Yeah, but I like the sun.  I grew up
               on a reservation.  The sun, the
               desert; they were like a religion to
               us.  Jake's the same way.  He loves
               the desert.  I guess we're alike
               that way.  That's about the only way.

                         JOHN
               You love him?

                         GRACE
               No.

                         JOHN
               Did you ever?

                         GRACE
               Depends on what you call love.  When
               I was growing up I had nothing.  I
               learned to want everything.  I
               wanted more than Sierra anyway.
               Jake was my ticket.  He's not much;
               he's older than me, different than
               me, but he's got more money than
               half this town put together.  I
               courted him.  I let him think he was
               courtin' me, but I reeled him in
               like a fish on a line.  I wanted
               him.  I wanted what he could give
               me, and I would've done anything to
               get him.  Is that love?

                         JOHN
               I'm guessing no.

                         GRACE
               Yeah, I guess you're right.

                         JOHN
               And I take it things didn't much
               work out the way you planned.

                         GRACE
               I'm still here, aren't I?  See this?

     Grace sweeps her hand before her across the expanse of the
     desert.

                         GRACE(CONT)
               All this nothing?  I've spent my
               life in this stinking desert.  It
               doesn't get to Jake like it got to
               me.  He doesn't mind being out here.
               He doesn't mind being nothing but a
               land broker.  Big fish in a small
               pond, he says.  More like a little
               fish in a dried up watering hole.

                         JOHN
               You could just leave him.

                         GRACE
               I don't know how.

                         JOHN
               You just walk away.

                         GRACE
               It's not that easy.  Maybe you can
               take chances; maybe you can wander
               around like some stray wherever you
               please.  I can't.  I don't want to
               be alone.  I need to know I'm going
               to be taken care of.

                         JOHN
               You need a meal ticket is what you
               mean.  Some guy you can latch onto
               just long enough for him to get you
               out of here.

                         GRACE
               Is that so bad?  It's not like I
               wouldn't try to make him happy.  For
               awhile, anyway.  I mean, I would . . 
               . do things for him.  I guess I'm no
               good that way.  I guess I tried to
               sucker you along like that.  Do you
               hate me for it?  I wouldn't blame
               you if you did.  But maybe it's like
               you said:  You just got to do
               whatever it takes to get out.

                         JOHN
                    (Soft echo)
               Whatever it takes.

     Grace steps to the edge of the plateau.

                         GRACE
               I wish I was a bird.  I know it's
               stupid.  Every child says that.
               When I was growing up some of the
               old ones on the reservation believed
               people could actually change into
               animals.  I wish I could.

     We see John behind Grace.  He stares at her standing on the
     edge of the plateau.  He rises and walks towards her slowly,
     but with deliberation.

                         GRACE(CONT)
               If I was a bird I would fly to
               Florida; to Disney World.  I always
               wanted to go there.  I'd fly to New
               York.  Maybe.  I guess New York
               isn't the best place to be a bird.
               I'd fly to St. Louis, then New
               Orleans, all over Texas.  Then I'd
               fly to California.  I guess by then
               I'd have seen it all and I could die.

     John now stands a few feet behind Grace.  She kicks a rock
     and watches it sail over the lip of the cliff into the
     nothingness below.

                         GRACE(CONT)
               They say you don't feel anything.
               The shock kills you before you hit
               the ground.  I don't know how they
               would know that.  But I heard it's
               just like flying; straight down into
               the ground.  I guess if it doesn't
               hurt it's a beautiful thing.

     John tenses himself.  Sweat forms on his brow as he stands
     directly behind Grace with his hands extended before him.
     They hover just below her shoulder blades ready to push
     forward.  Suddenly Grace wheels.  Startled by John she
     almost falls over the edge.  John grabs her, her weight
     still going back.  Grace's life is literally in his hands.
     She looks down at the ground far below, then up into John's
     eyes.  She shows no fear, but instead wears a curious smirk.

                         GRACE
               Hate's a funny thing.  Right now I
               bet you don't know if you want to
               kill me, or fuck me.

     John hesitates, then pulls Grace close and kisses her hard
     on the lips.  The screen burns white and we:

                                                     DISSOLVE TO:

     INT. MCKENNA HOUSE/BEDROOM - LATER

     John sits shirtless on the edge of the bed staring out a
     window.  Grace lies next to him stroking his back.  They
     both glisten with sweat.

                         GRACE
               How far is it to California?

                         JOHN
               From here?  I don't know.  Far.  Far
               enough.

                         GRACE
               Have you ever been there before?

                         JOHN
               Yeah.

                         GRACE
               Is it pretty?

                         JOHN
               Beautiful.  Beautiful beaches.  Blue
               water and clear skies as far as you
               can see.

                         GRACE
               Take me with you.

                         JOHN
               I can't.

                         GRACE
               Please.  I won't hang on you.  As
               soon as we get there you can dump
               me.  I don't care.  I just want to
               get out of here.

                         JOHN
               Grace, I can't.  I can't even get
               out of here myself.  I need a
               hundred-fifty bucks to get my car
               back from that crazy mechanic.

                         GRACE
               I know where we could get the money.
               A lot more than one-hundred-fifty
               dollars.

                         JOHN
                    (Suddenly intrigued)
               Where?

                         GRACE
               Jake.

                         JOHN
               You think Jake's going to give me
               money just so I can take you out of
               here?

                         GRACE
               He doesn't give it to us.  We take
               it.

                         JOHN
               From?

                         GRACE
               He's got money.  In a floor safe in
               the living room.  I've never seen
               it, but he talks about it all the
               time.  More like brags.  He loves
               his money.  Wouldn't think of
               spending some of it on me.

                         JOHN
               You live pretty good.

                         GRACE
               Yeah, a bird in a gilded cage.

                         JOHN
               How much money has he got?

                         GRACE
               Near as I can figure must be about a
               hundred-thousand.

                         JOHN
               One-hundred-thousand!?  That son-of-
               a-bitch lied to me.

                         GRACE
               Lied?  What do you mean?

                         JOHN
                    (Covering)
               I . . . nothing.  Just something he
               said.
                    (Changing gears fast)
               So if the money's in a safe we'd
               have to get the combination--

                         GRACE
               It's not a combination lock.  It
               takes a key.  He keeps it on him all
               the time.  I mean all the time.  It
               scratches up against me when we do
               it.

                         JOHN
               If the key's on him, to get the key
               we'd have to . . .

                         GRACE
               We'd have to kill him.

     John takes a beat, then begins to laugh hysterically.  He
     stands and starts to dress.

                         GRACE
               John?  John where are you going?

                         JOHN
               I think this heat is making me
               crazy.  I was crazy to come back
               here, I'm crazy for listening to
               anyone in this town, and I'd sure as
               hell be crazy if I spent another
               minute in this place.

                         GRACE
               John, please--

                         JOHN
               I don't know what I was thinking,
               but I can't do it.

                         GRACE
               What are you talking about?

                         JOHN
               Kill someone.  I can't do it.

                         GRACE
               Is it so bad?  It would be quick.
               He wouldn't even have to feel it.

     As she talks Grace comes up behind John.

                         GRACE
               Sometime in the middle of the night;
               when it's quiet.  When he's asleep.
               You just come up behind him and . . .

     Grace lays her hands on John's back.  Spooked, he jumps.

                         JOHN
               Shit!

                         GRACE
               It's not like he's a young man.
               He's had time to live.

                         JOHN
               Jesus Christ!  Listen to yourself!
               I can't do it, Grace.  I can't do it.

     John starts to leave, but Grace grabs him.

                         GRACE
               John!  I grew up on a reservation.
               A fucking patch of desert in the
               middle of nowhere.  That's where
               they stick Indian's, John.  That's
               where they leave us to die.  My
               mother died there.  My father.  I
               had a brother who killed himself at
               twenty-two because he couldn't take
               it anymore.

     John tries to pull away, but Grace holds him tight.

                         GRACE(CONT)
               There's no hope there, John.  I was
               lucky to make it this far.  You've
               got to do this for me.  I'll do
               anything for you.  Anything.

     John looks into Grace's pleading eyes.  He sees all he can
     stand and pulls away.  Grace chases after him.

                         GRACE(CONT)
               How are you going to get out of
               here?  You need the money.  It's not
               so much for a hundred-thousand
               dollars.

     Pushing Grace aside John heads out the door.  Grace calls
     after him.

                         GRACE(CONT)
               Whatever it takes, remember?
                    (To herself)
               Whatever it takes.

                                                            CUT TO:

     EXT. STREET CORNER - LATER

     The old, blind man sits with his dead dog.  HE SPEAKS INTO
     THE CAMERA WHICH DOLLIES IN DURING HIS DIALOGUE.

                         BLIND MAN
               It's the heat that makes you crazy.
               I don't know what it is, but it
               works that way for man and animal
               alike.  I seen some peculiar things
               on a hot day.  I seen a scorpion
               sting itself to death.  It just
               keeps driving its tail into its body
               again and again.  A little killer
               killing itself.  Seen a coyote kill
               itself too.  Just kept on biting and
               tearing at its own legs.  Near tore
               one clean off before it bled to
               death.  And what a man'll do when
               it's hot . . . A man could get
               hisself killed just for rubbing
               shoulders with another.  I don't
               know what it is about the heat.  I
               figger it's sort of like putting a
               kettle of water over a fire.  People
               is mostly water.  We boil when it's
               hot.  'Cept when we boil the water's
               got no place to go.  It just churns
               inside of us until we can cool off.
               If it's not too late.

     JOHN STEPS INTO FRAME and sits next to the blind man.  We
     realize the blind man has been talking to him all along.

                         JOHN
               You sure seen a lot for a blind man.

                         BLIND MAN
               Just 'cause I ain't got eyes doesn't
               mean I can't see.

                         JOHN
               That a fact?

                         BLIND MAN
               I can see just fine.  For example:
               You're a young man who thinks he's
               got someplace to be.

                         JOHN
               Maybe I do.

                         BLIND MAN
               Or maybe you just think you do.  You
               can run just as far as you can, but
               wherever you go, there you are.

                         JOHN
               I think I've heard that before.

                         BLIND MAN
               What do you want for free?

                         JOHN
               You sure got a lot of philosophy,
               old man.

                         BLIND MAN
               That's 'cause I've done a lot of
               living.

                         JOHN
               Maybe one day I'll get to sit on a
               corner and spout wise.

                         BLIND MAN
               Think you'll live that long?

     John is clearly unnerved by this.  He stands and starts to
     walk away.  The blind man rattles his tin cup.

                         BLIND MAN
               Ain't you got a little something for
               the infirm?

                         JOHN
               I'm a little short. I'll catch you
               next time.

                         BLIND MAN
               I won't hold my breath.

                                                            CUT TO:

     INT. JAKE'S OFFICE - LATER

     John opens the door to the office and walks in.  Jake sits
     behind his desk ripping open letters with a very sharp
     letter opener.

                         JAKE
               Well?

     John hesitates for a beat, then:

                         JOHN
               I went to your place.  We talked,
               just like you told me.  We drove out
               into the desert . . .

                         JAKE
               Is the job done?

                         JOHN
               No.

                         JAKE
               You didn't kill her?

                         JOHN
               The time wasn't right.

                         JAKE
               You're out in the desert, the middle
               of nowhere with no one around for
               miles, and you say the time wasn't
               right?  What's the matter?  You were
               hoping to get it on home video?  A
               keepsake for the grandkids.
                    (Mocking)
               Thank God I waited, or I never would
               have gotten it on tape.

                         JOHN
               You know what I mean.

                         JAKE
               I know all right.  I know you're
               just enough of a shit to have a go
               at bedding a man's wife.  You've
               probably bagged a few at that.
               You'd probably lie, cheat and steal
               without thinking twice.  From that
               you'd just turn and walk away.  But
               to kill; to get that blood on your
               hands.  You can't wash that off.
               You'd be a marked man for life.
               Just like Cain.  And you're a sinner
               who wants to walk with the saints.
               Ain't that right, boy?

                         JOHN
               You know so much about killing why
               don't you do it yourself?

                         JAKE
               I guess I have what you'd call a
               love-hate relationship with Grace.

                         JOHN
               You love her, but you hate her?

                         JAKE
               I hate loving her.  I hate the kind
               of her person she is.  I hate having
               to tolerate the little games she
               plays.  I hate letting her use me.
               But I love her too much to do
               otherwise.  And I certainly love her
               too much to kill her.  I couldn't
               stand to watch her eyes roll back in
               her head as she sucks her last
               breath, or to see her pretty pink
               brains spill from her skull.  But
               you?  You got the killing in you,
               boy.

                         JOHN
               Shut up.

                         JAKE
               Came close this time and it scares
               you.

                         JOHN
               Drop it, Jake.

                         JAKE
               And next time, next time somebody is
               going to get dead.

                         JOHN
               SHUT UP!

     John lunges at Jake who, with surprising ease, grabs the
     younger man, twists him, and stretches him back down across
     the desk.  Grabbing up the letter opener he holds it at
     John's throat.

                         JAKE
               Like I said:  Next time somebody's
               going to get dead.  Best make sure
               it ain't you.

     Jake lets go.  John stands and collects himself.

                         JOHN
               There's not going to be a next time.
               Nobody's going to get killed.  Not
               by me.  Sorry we couldn't do
               business.  I'm getting kind of used
               to this place.  Maybe one day you
               could sell me a retirement plot.

     John starts for the door, stops, and turns back to Jake.

                         JOHN
               Jake, how much were you going to pay
               me to do the job?

                         JAKE
               Thirteen-thousand dollars.  Had you
               done it.  Isn't that what we agreed
               on?

                         JOHN
               You think that's a lot of money?

                         JAKE
               All I have in the world.

                         JOHN
               That's what I like about you, Jake.
               You're an honest man.

     John exits.

                                                            CUT TO:

     EXT. STREET - DAY

     John is walking, head down and defeated, towards Harlin's
     gas station.  He passes Jenny who is sitting on a corner
     drinking a soda almost as if waiting for him.  She runs to
     John.

                         JENNY
               Hey, Mister.  Mister.  I just. . .
               I just wanted to thank you.

                         JOHN
               For what?

                         JENNY
               For defending my honor this
               afternoon.

                         JOHN
               I hate to bust your bubble, but I
               wasn't defending you.

                         JENNY
               But you was going to fight for me.

                         JOHN
               I wasn't going to fight for you.  I
               was just going to beat the shit out
               of your boyfriend.

                         JENNY
               He's not my boyfriend.  I mean, I
               let him take me out and stuff, but I
               ain't spoken for.  Not yet that is.

                         JOHN
               Get it through your head, little
               girl; I'm not going for you.  If
               this Toby likes you, then if I were
               you I'd marry him.  You're not going
               to get much better in this town.

                         JENNY
               That's what I thought until you came
               riding in.  I saw your car over at
               the gas station.  It's cool.  Want
               to take me for a ride?  Desert's
               kind of lonely this time of day.

                         JOHN
               How old are you?

                         JENNY
               Eighteen.  Well, I'm gonna be
               eighteen in two years, but that
               don't mean you can't take me for a
               ride if you want.

                         JOHN
               No, I don't want to take you for a
               ride.  What I want is for . . . Hey,
               you don't happen to have a hundred
               and fifty dollars I could--

     From OFF CAMERA we hear Toby.

                         TOBY(O.C.)
               Mister!

                         JOHN
               Oh, shit!

     Toby moves menacingly up the street towards John.

                         TOBY
               That's right, Mister.  You better be
               afraid.  I told you it wasn't over,
               but you didn't listen.  Now I find
               you sneakin' around with my girl
               behind my back.

                         JOHN
               I wasn't sneaking around with your
               girl.  Would you please tell him?

                         JENNY
               You're too late, Toby.  We're going
               to get in his fancy car and ride off
               and leave you behind.

                         JOHN
               What the hell are you talking about?

                         JENNY
               What's your name anyway?

                         TOBY
               Oh, that tears it, Mister.  I'm
               gonna bust you up but good.  I'm
               gonna bust you into a million pieces
               and then . . . and then bust those
               pieces up, and then . . . and then
               spread them all around.  That's what
               I'm gonna do.  You don't know what
               you're dealing with, Mister.  I'm
               crazy.  I'm psycho crazy.

                         JOHN
               Yeah, I know.  You're TNT.  Just
               like dynamite.  When you go off
               somebody gets hurt.
                    (Frustrated)
               All right.  Let's do this.

                         JENNY
               Toby Tyler, it don't matter to me if
               you beat him all up and knock out
               all his teeth and he's just drooling
               and bleeding all over hisself,
               'cause we love each other and we
               gonna run off, and I'm gonna have
               his love child.

                         JOHN
               Will you shut up!

                         TOBY
               You gonna pay for that, Mister.

     Toby and John square off, sizing each other up and preparing
     for a violent confrontation.  Just as the two are about to
     clash we hear the voice of Sheriff Potter from OFF CAMERA.

                         SHERIFF(O.C.)
               Toby!

     The two men freeze in their tracks.

                         TOBY
               Sheriff Potter.

                         SHERIFF
               Toby, I just came from your mother's
               place.  She's worried sick about
               you.  She says she ain't seen you
               since this morning.

                         TOBY
               That ain't true, Sheriff.  I was
               home for lunch.

                         SHERIFF
               Boy, I'm not trying to hear nothing
               from you except that you're heading
               home.  Now run along.

                         TOBY
               Yes, sir.  Come on, Jenny.

                         JENNY
               I want to stay.

                         TOBY
               I said come on!

     Toby grabs Jenny by the wrist and literally pulls he along.
     As she goes she yells back to John.

                         JENNY
               Bye, Mister.  Don't go nowhere
               without me.  I wanna have your love
               child.

     Toby points a vicious finger at John.

                         TOBY
               Next time, Mister.  Next time.

     Toby and Jenny exit leaving John and the Sheriff alone.

                         SHERIFF
               Kids.

                         JOHN
               Yeah.  What are you going to do?
               That Toby's a hot head.

                         SHERIFF
               He is at that.  No so much a fault
               of his own.  Poor boy had quite a
               trauma as a child.

                         JOHN
               What happened?

                         SHERIFF
               His father worked in a strip mine
               north of here.  Toby's school class
               went up to the mine one day.  School
               takes field trips up there every
               year.  Big day for the kids when
               they can see ore tore up out of the
               ground.  Anyway, on this particular
               day Toby's dad up and falls into the
               machinery.

                         JOHN
               Jesus!

                         SHERIFF
               Yep.  Tore him up good and spat out
               little, refined pieces of him.
               Nothing like the embarrassment of
               having your father refined in front
               of your classmates to put the anger
               in a young man.

                         JOHN
               I guess.

                         SHERIFF
               Like I said; you really can't blame
               the boy.  Some people don't know how
               to avoid trouble.  Know what I mean?

     John stares at the Sheriff, but says nothing.

                         SHERIFF
               Saw you at the truck stop this
               morning.  You're not from around
               here.

                         JOHN
               No, sir.  And I'm not going to be
               around long if that's what you're
               worried about.

                         SHERIFF
               Just curious.  That's a nasty cut
               you've got.

                         JOHN
               Not as bad as it looks.

                         SHERIFF
               There was a young man over at
               Jamilla's today when it got hit.
               Way she tells it he got whacked
               around by one of the robbers.

                         JOHN
               Wouldn't know anything about it.

                         SHERIFF
               That's too bad.  I was hoping you
               were there.  Maybe you could help us
               catch the guy who got away.  Or
               maybe you could explain about all
               that money that got tore up when
               Jamilla shot that biker.

                         JOHN
               Wish I could help, Sheriff.  But if
               you'll excuse me I'm going over to
               Harlin's to pick up my car.  Then
               I'm getting the hell out of this
               place.

                         SHERIFF
               Stay as long as you like, son.  No
               rush.

                         JOHN
               Maybe not for you, Sheriff, but I
               think I've had my fill of your
               little town.

     John walks away up the street.  The sheriff watches him go.

                                                            CUT TO:

     EXT. STREET CORNER - DAY

     A dog licks at a small stream of water that drips from a
     fire hydrant.

                                                            CUT TO:

     EXT. PORCH OF HOUSE - DAY

     An old woman fans herself as she rocks in a rocker.

                                                            CUT TO:

     EXT. STREET - DAY

     Toby shadow boxes outside his house.

                                                            CUT TO:

     INT. HARLIN'S GARAGE - LATER

     Darrell is cleaning his tools.  John's Mustang sits
     prominently, washed and gleaming in spite of the dull light.
     John enters.

                         DARRELL
               Hey there.  I was beginnin' to think
               you wasn't comin' back.  You don't
               look so good.

                         JOHN
               Yeah, well, I've been around the
               bend a bit.

                         DARRELL
               One of those days you feel like you
               been runnin' in circles and you
               ain't no closer to where you tryin'
               to get than when you started?

                         JOHN
               You've been there?

                         DARRELL
               Hell, I've had days I would gladly
               trade with a whippin' dog.  Ain't
               much you can do when you feel like
               that 'cept tough it out.

                         JOHN
               You believe that?

                         DARRELL
               You think bad, and bad is what you
               get.

                         JOHN
               That's a good piece of advice,
               Darrell.

                         DARRELL
               No charge.

                         JOHN
               Listen, Darrell, about that hundred-
               fifty bucks for the car, as soon as
               I get where I'm going I swear I'll--

                         DARRELL
               Two-hundred.

                         JOHN
               What?

                         DARRELL
               It's going to cost you two-hundred
               dollars.

                         JOHN
               You said this morning the hose was
               going to run me one-fifty.

                         DARRELL
               Yep.  For the hose.  But while you
               was gone I replaced a gasket.
               That's going to run you another
               fifty.

                         JOHN
               I didn't tell you to replace any
               gasket.

                         DARRELL
               Yeah, but it was shot.

                         JOHN
               I didn't tell you to do it!  You
               can't just do unauthorized work.

                         DARRELL
               Well, now, you just know all there
               is about bein' a mechanic, don't
               you?  I can't do unauthorized work.
               I suppose I can just let you ride
               out of here with a bad gasket.  Then
               you get in an accident and get
               killed.  Or worse.  Who they gonna
               blame then?  They gonna blame me,
               and there goes my reputation.

                         JOHN
               What reputation?  You're nothing but
               an ignorant, inbred, tumble weed
               hick.

                         DARRELL
               Is that an insult?  Are you
               insulting me.

                         JOHN
               Listen you stupid fuck, I want my
               car.

                         DARRELL
               Take it.  As soon as I get my money.
               Fifty dollars for an almost new
               gasket.  You don't know what kind of
               a deal you're getting.

                         JOHN
               I'm taking my car, and I'm taking it
               now!

                         DARRELL
               You listen to me, you fancy city
               man.  You owe me money, and this car
               ain't going nowheres until I get it.
               And if you take another five hours
               I'll find another fifty dollars
               worth of work to do on her.  Now get
               out of here!  You're stinking up my
               garage.

     John is in a rage.  He turns to leave and walks a few paces.
     He sees a wrench lying on a table.  For a second his mind
     reels, then he snatches up the wrench and turns ready to
     smash it down on Darrell's head.  He stops cold.  Darrell
     holds a crowbar in a batter's stance ready to smash it into
     the Mustang.

                         DARRELL
               You want to play, Mister?  I'll play
               with you.  You want to smash
               something?  So do I.

     Darrell pulls back the crowbar, ready to swing.

                         JOHN
               No!

                         DARRELL
               What's the matter?  The fight gone
               out of you?  I'm just gonna smash a
               headlight.  Maybe two.

                         JOHN
                    (Pleading, almost crying)
               Please, just leave the car alone.

                         DARRELL
               Yeah, you better remember that.

     Darrell lays the tip of the crowbar on the hood of the car.

                         DARRELL
               Get on out of here.  And you better
               come up with my money.

     Darrell drags the tip of the bar across the hood leaving a
     long scratch.

                         JOHN
               Goddamn you!  You son of a bitch!

                         DARRELL
               There you go, sweet talking me again.

     Darrell begins to laugh.  It is a repetitive, almost demonic
     laugh that grows louder as the CAMERA SLOWLY DOLLIES IN ON
     JOHN'S anguished face.

                                                            CUT TO:

     EXT. STREET - LATER

     John walks along the street still in rage.  A voice whispers
     to him and he slows.

                         JAKE(V.O.)
               You've got the killing in you.

     John turns and looks behind him.  Jake is nowhere to be
     found.

                         JAKE(V.O.)
               Maybe not this time, but somebody's
               going to get dead around you.

                         JOHN
                    (Quietly)
               No.

     THE SCREEN BURNS A BRIGHT WHITE.

                                                           FADE TO:

     INT. BUS DEPOT - LATER

     THE CAMERA PICKS UP JOHN as he enters the bus depot.  The
     interior is poorly lit.  There are a few benches for people
     to wait on, but they sit empty.  Old, faded travel posters
     hang on the wall.  A CLERK stands behind a ticket window.
     John walks up to him.

                         CLERK
               Can I help you, sir?

                         JOHN
               I need a ticket.

                         CLERK
               Where to?

                         JOHN
               Out of here.

                         CLERK
               But, in particular?

                         JOHN
               I . . . Mexico.  You got a bus that
               goes to Mexico?  That's where I have
               to go.

                         CLERK
               Where in Mexico would you like--

                         JOHN
               I don't care, just get me there.

     The clerk is a little put off by John.  He goes through his
     schedule looking for a bus.

                         CLERK
               We have a bus to Mexico.  Arrives in
               two hours.  Have to make a couple of
               connections, but it will get you
               across the border.

                         JOHN
               How much.

                         CLERK
               One way, or round trip?

                         JOHN
                    (Pained laugh)
               One way.

                         CLERK
               Thirty even.

     John counts his money.

                         JOHN
               Twenty-seven, fifty.  That's all I
               got.

                         CLERK
               The ticket is thirty dollars.

                         JOHN
               I bought a beer.  That was two-
               fifty.  I bought a beer, otherwise I
               would have thirty.

                         CLERK
               I'm sorry, sir.  It's thirty dollars
               for the ticket.

                         JOHN
               Yeah.  Just a little short.
               Figures.  I just wanted to get out,
               that's all.

     John starts to walk slowly away. Suddenly he turns, runs
     back to the clerk, grabs him by the shirt and pulls him
     close.  John is half-crazed and almost in tears.

                         JOHN
               Please, you don't understand.  I
               have to get out of here.  They're
               going to come looking for me.
               They're going to kill me.  If I
               can't get this ticket then I'm going
               to have to do things to get out of
               here.  I don't want to hurt anybody,
               I just want to leave.

                         CLERK
               I'll give you the money!  Okay?
               I'll give you two-fifty.  Just . . .
               just, please.

     The clerk tears himself away from John and hastily writes up
     a ticket.  John shrinks, ashamed of what he as been reduced
     to.

                         CLERK
               Here.  Bus three-twenty-three.  Gets
               here in two hours.

     John hands the clerk his money.

                         JOHN
                    (Meekly)
               I'm sorry.  It's just . . . the heat
               . . .

     He walks away a few paces, then turns back to the clerk who
     puts a "closed" sign in the ticket window.

                                                            CUT TO:

     EXT. BUS DEPOT - LATER

     WE SEE A QUICK MONTAGE OF JOHN WAITING FOR THE BUS.  THE
     PICTURE BLENDS SHOTS OF HIM STANDING, SITTING, RECLINING ON
     THE BENCH.  OVER THIS WE HEAR:

                         JOHN(V.O.)
               Two hours.  Two hours and you're
               free.  Mexico's not so bad.  You'll
               makes some money, pay Mr. Vesci
               back.  Throw in a little interest.
               He'll understand.

     John runs this throat.  he has been waiting for awhile and
     is thirsty.  He sees a soda machine down the street.
     Digging through his pockets he comes up with a little change
     and starts towards the machine.  He looks back at the bus
     depot, then again to the machine.  He moves slow and with a
     sense of trepidation as if leaving the depot may jeopardize
     his only chance at freedom.  He begins to move more quickly.
     We feel the urgency in his action.

                                                            CUT TO:

     POV - JOHN

     THE CAMERA DOLLIES IN FAST on the soda machine.  Just as
     John is about to reach it a FIGURE jumps into frame.

                                                            CUT TO:

     WS - JOHN

     We cannot clearly see who the figure is, but he hits John
     violently in the gut.  The force of the blow doubles him
     over.  John clutches his stomach and stumbles forward a few
     steps before a vicious blow connects with his chin sending
     him reeling into the dirt a curled heap.  The bus ticket
     falls from John's pocket.  He chokes and spits up saliva,
     then rolls over.  We see clearly for the first time that
     Toby is the attacker.  He towers over John with his fists
     curled and a snarl on his lips.

                         TOBY
               Get up, Mister!  Don't ever let it
               be said Toby Tyler beat the living
               shit out of someone without giving
               them a fair chance.

                         JOHN
               What the hell are you doing?  Are
               you crazy?

                         TOBY
               I'm doing what any man would do if
               he'd been offended.  I'm beating you
               up.

                         JOHN
               You stupid punk!  You don't even
               know what you're fighting over!

                         TOBY
               My honor, that's what I'm fighting
               over.  Now get up off the ground, or
               do I have to whoop you where you lie?

     Jenny comes running up the street.

                         JENNY
               Toby!  Toby Tyler, leave him alone!

                         TOBY
               You stay away, Jenny.  I aim to mess
               him up, and that ain't a thing for a
               woman to see.

     Jenny runs to John and cuddles him where he lays.

                         JENNY
               Don't be afraid of him none.  I
               don't care what he does to you, we
               can still be together.

                         JOHN
               Get away from me!

     John sees his bus ticket on the ground.  He grabs for it, but
     Toby beats him to it.

                         TOBY
               Now, what's this?

                         JOHN
               Give it to me!

                         TOBY
               Mexico?  You're going to Mexico?

                         JOHN
               I'm leaving.  You never have to see
               me again.  Just please, give me the
               ticket!

                         TOBY
               This means something to you?  Jenny
               means something to me.

     Toby rips the ticket in half.

                         JOHN
               Nooo!

                         TOBY
               I'm gonna beat you so bad you gonna
               be eatin' nothing but soup the rest
               of your days.  Rain dogs is gonna be
               prettier than you when I'm done.
               I'm gonna mess you up so bad you
               gonna make your own momma sick.  I'm
               gonna . . .

     As John stares at the pieces of the torn ticket Toby's words
     seem to drift to him from a million miles away.  The world
     around him is like a dream, or a nightmare.  A primal rage
     wells inside of John that rises up in a howl as he lunges
     for Toby landing blow after blow on the boy's face and head.

     Jenny screams:

                         JENNY
               Stop it!  You're killing him!

     Jenny runs to John and grabs his arm, literally hanging all
     her weight on it, stopping him from striking Toby again.

                         JENNY
               You're killing him!  Toby!?  Toby!?

     Jenny sinks to the ground and cuddles Toby.  John stands.
     He looks at Toby, then at his bloodied knuckles in
     disbelief.  He backs away, then breaks into a run.

                                                            CUT TO:

     EXT. PHONE BOOTH - LATER

     John is on the phone.  He looks slightly frantic, but holds
     himself together.

                         JOHN
               Hello, Grace?  It's John.

                                                            CUT TO:

     INT. MCKENNA HOUSE - SIMULTANEOUS

     Grace, in the kitchen, is also on the phone.

                         GRACE
                    (Coolly)
               I thought you would be on your way
               to Vegas by now.  Is there something
               you wanted?

                                                            CUT TO:

     JOHN

                         JOHN
               I wanted to talk.

                         GRACE(V.O.)
               I don't think we have anything to talk
               about.

                         JOHN
               What about us?

                                                            CUT TO:

     GRACE

                         GRACE
               There is no us, remember?

                         JOHN(V.O.)
               Except I can't get you out of my
               head, Grace.

                                                            CUT TO:

     JOHN

                         JOHN
               I've thought about you every second
               since I left.  I can still taste you
               on my lips.

                                                            CUT TO:

     GRACE

                         GRACE
               Stop it.

                         JOHN (V.O.)
               Why?  Am I making you hot, or does the
               truth scare you?

                         GRACE
               Because I know you're full of shit.

                                                            CUT TO:

     JOHN

                         JOHN
               I mean it, Grace.  I'm getting out
               of here, and I want to take you with
               me.

                         GRACE (V.O.)
               I thought you couldn't leave.  I
               thought you couldn't get your car.

                         JOHN
               I could if I had Jake's money.

                         GRACE (V.O.)
               Is that what changed your mind?  The
               money?

                         JOHN
               I don't give a damn about the money.
               I want you, and I want to get us out
               of this shithole.  There's only one
               way to do that.

                                                            CUT TO:

     GRACE

                         GRACE
               Are you sure?  About me, I mean?

                         JOHN(V.O.)
               I came back for you; this morning I
               came back.  Before I even knew about
               the money. You're what I want.

                                                            CUT TO:

     JOHN

                         JOHN
               The only reason I stormed off is
               because you sort of spooked me
               talking about Jake.  But I've had
               nothing but time to think about it.
               It keeps coming back to you and me
               and us getting the hell out of here.
               But we've got to get the money,
               baby.  We get the money, I get the
               car, then we get the hell out.

                                                            CUT TO:

     GRACE

                         GRACE
               You said you couldn't kill anybody.

                         JOHN(V.O.)
               We don't have to kill him.  Just
               knock him out and tie him up 'till
               we get away.

                                                            CUT TO:

     JOHN

                         JOHN
               It was your idea, remember?  I'm
               doing this for you.  I'm doing this
               so you can fly.

                                                            CUT TO:

     GRACE

     She bites at a nail and fidgets, but says nothing.

                         JOHN (V.O.)
               Grace . . . Grace?

                         GRACE
               After dark.  I'll leave the back
               door unlocked.

     She quickly hangs up the phone.

                                                            CUT TO:

     JOHN

     Slowly, deliberately, John hangs up the phone.

                                                            CUT TO:

     INT. MCKENNA HOUSE - EVENING

     It is getting late.  Jake sits in an easy chair reading a
     paper.  Puffs of smoke from his pipe rise from behind the
     paper and hang like a cloud over his head.  Grace stands in
     the doorway, body stiff and arms crossed, staring at him.

                         JAKE
               Who was that on the phone?

                         GRACE
               Wrong number.

                         JAKE
               You spent a long time talking for a
               wrong number.  But then you make
               friends so easily.  Don't you, Grace?

     Grace has no answer for that, so she says nothing.  A long
     moment passes, then:

                         GRACE
               I put up new drapes, Jake.

                         JAKE
               I know.  I was here when your
               apprentice was helping you.
               Remember?

                         GRACE
               You never said anything.  About the
               drapes.

                         JAKE
               They look nice.

                         GRACE
               You haven't even looked at them once.

     Jake quickly lowers the paper, looks at the drapes, then
     raises the paper again.

                         JAKE
               They look nice.

                         GRACE
               I picked them out for you, Jake.  I
               thought you would like the colors.

                         JAKE
               Uh-huh

     Grace stares at Jake.  She stares at the chain barely
     visible around his neck that disappears under his shirt.
     She knows that hidden there is a key, and she fixes on it
     intently.  Jake looks up from the paper and sees Grace
     staring.

                         JAKE
               What the hell you looking at,
               girl?

                         GRACE
               Nothing, Jake.  Absolutely nothing.

                                                            CUT TO:

     EXT. DESERT - EVENING

     The sun is setting.  It strikes the horizon sending a ripple
     of golden light through the sky.

                                                            CUT TO:

     EXT. PORCH OF HOUSE - EVENING

     A man dances in the evening light with a small child in his
     arms.

                                                            CUT TO:

     EXT. CORNER OF HOUSE - EVENING

     A dog and cat huddle together in sleep.

                                                            CUT TO:

     EXT. STREET CORNER - EVENING

     The blind man along with his still dead dog sit on the side
     of the street.

                         BLIND MAN
               Well, that's it.  Sun's going down.
               People go home, trade stories over
               dinner.  They'll talk about the day,
               about the heat, laugh about
               something crazy it made them do.
               They'll kiss, sleep a few hours,
               then do it all over again.

     THE CAMERA PANS UNTIL JOHN IS IN FRAME.  He sits next to the
     blind man holding two Dr. peppers.  He hands one to the
     blind man, and takes a sip of the other one.

                         JOHN
               The day wasn't so bad.  We all got
               through it all right.

                         BLIND MAN
               Ain't over yet.  Night is part of
               day; separate, but equal.  Night is
               when you let your guard down; when
               you see things in the shadows and
               hear things in the dark.

                         JOHN
               You're a hell of a pessimist, old
               man.

                         BLIND MAN
               Night is when you want to sleep, but
               the dry heat keeps you tossin' and
               turnin'.  It's when you wish the sun
               was bakin' high in the sky so you
               could see what it is you're afraid
               of.

                         JOHN
               You afraid of the dark?

                         BLIND MAN
               Afraid of it?  Boy, I live in the
               dark.  People are afraid of what
               they can't see.  I can't see
               nuthin', so it's all the same to me.
               Kiss from a beautiful woman, a lick
               from a dog.  The kiss of death.
               It's all the same.

                         JOHN
               You don't fear death?

                         BLIND MAN
               We was born to die, boy.  From the
               minute you take your first breath
               you got a death sentence hanging
               over your head.  You just don't know
               where, or when, or how.  Don't make
               sense worryin' about the particulars.

                         JOHN
               We're all just floating along like
               twigs in a stream, so enjoy the
               ride.  Is that it?

                         BLIND MAN
               More or less.

                         JOHN
               Not this twig, friend.  I got plans.

                         BLIND MAN
               We all got plans.  I planned on
               seeing all my life.  I know you
               didn't plan on straying into town.

                         JOHN
               No and I don't plan on sticking
               around either.  I don't guess I'll
               be seeing you again.  Take it easy.

                         BLIND MAN
               Same back at you.

     John stands.  He drops a coin into the blind man's cup and
     begins to walks away.

                         JOHN
               Any parting words of wisdom?

                         BLIND MAN
               Things ain't always the way they
               seem. You got to ask yourself; is
               it worth it?

     John isn't sure how to respond.  He is not sure if the
     blind man is speaking in generalizations, or if he somehow
     knows of John's plans.

                         JOHN
               You talk too much, old man.

     John turns and walks away.

     The Blind Man lifts his sunglasses and we see that he is not
     really blind.  He reaches into the cup and pulls out the
     coin that John tossed in.

                         BLIND MAN
               Cheap bastard.

                                                            CUT TO:

     INT. MCKENNA HOUSE - NIGHT

     Grace stands by the back door staring at the bolt lock.
     Jake yells to her from off camera.

                         JAKE(O.C.)
               What the hell you doin', Grace?
               Are you coming to bed, or aren't you?

     For a moment Grace's hand wavers above the lock.  Suddenly,
     like a snake striking, her hand shoots out and unlocks the
     bolt.  Just as quickly she turns from the door and heads to
     the bedroom.

                                                            CUT TO:

     EXT. THE YARD JUST BEYOND THE MCKENNA HOUSE - NIGHT

     A light is on in the bedroom window.  After a moment it dims
     and the house is dark, silhouetted against the horizon by
     moonlight.  JOHN STEPS INTO FRAME.  The tip of his cigarette
     glows orange in the darkness as he takes a final drag and
     tosses it away.

                                                            CUT TO:

     INT. MCKENNA HOUSE - NIGHT

     The knob of the back door twists and the door opens.  John
     slips quickly through the space and into the house quietly
     closing the door behind him.  It is nearly pitch dark, and
     he has no bearings.  He steps gingerly through the hall, but
     in the darkness he bumps into a table nearly knocking over a
     lamp only to catch it just before it crashes into the floor.

                                                            CUT TO:

     INT. BEDROOM/MCKENNA HOUSE - SIMULTANEOUS

     Jake hears a noise and sits up in bed.

                         GRACE
               What's the matter?

                         JAKE
               You didn't hear something?

                         GRACE
               How could I?  I was sleeping.

                         JAKE
               There's someone in the house.

                         GRACE
               I don't hear anything.  You were
               dreaming.  Or maybe the wind blew
               something over.

                         JAKE
               The wind isn't blowing.

     Jake reaches into a drawer of the night stand.  Buried under
     some papers is an automatic

                         GRACE
               Jake, what is that?

                         JAKE
               What does it look like?

                         GRACE
               When did you buy a gun?

     Jake climbs out of bed and moves towards the bedroom door.

                         GRACE
               Oh my God, Jake, no.  If it is
               someone they'll go away.  Or call
               the police.  Don't go out there.

                         JAKE
               What are you afraid of?  I'm the
               one's got the gun.  Stay here.

                         GRACE
               Jake.  No.  No!

     Jake slips carefully out of the bedroom.

                                                            CUT TO:

     INT. LIVINGROOM/MCKENNA HOUSE - LATER

     John makes his way thought the livingroom.  He bangs his leg
     against something and nearly screams out in pain.  He slaps
     a hand across his mouth and hops on one foot.  After rubbing
     down his shin he starts through the house again.  He waits
     at the door to the next room and listens.  Hearing nothing
     he slowly pokes his head into the darkness.  A moment later
     John backs from the door and we see the barrel of Jake's gun
     pressed against John's forehead.  Jake continues to back him
     into the livingroom.  He switches on a lamp.

                         JAKE
               Well, well.  As I live and breath.
               I didn't expect to be seeing the
               likes of you again.  Thought you'd
               be long on your way by now.

     Jake continues to press the gun to John's head.  John, of
     course, is a little nervous.

                         JOHN
               Yeah, well, me too.

                         JAKE
               Trouble with the car again?

                         JOHN
               You could say.  I don't even have it
               yet.

                         JAKE
               Darrell giving you problems?

                         JOHN
               He did more work on the car.  He
               wants fifty bucks extra for it.

                         JAKE
               Fifty dollars more.  That's a lot of
               money when you don't have a dime.
               And where'd you plan on getting the
               money from?  Maybe you thought you'd
               pay your friend Jake McKenna a
               visit.

                         JOHN
               It's not like that.

                         JAKE
               Maybe you heard old Jake's got some
               money stashed away and you thought
               you'd help yourself to a little.

                         JOHN
               Wait a minute.  Just listen to me--

                         JAKE
               You thought you'd come in here in
               the middle of the night and wham!
               Wail off and clock old Jake McKenna
               and turn his brains into wall paper.

                         JOHN
               Jake--

                         JAKE
               And then with Jake out of the way
               you could borrow two-hundred
               dollars.  Or maybe two-thousand.  Or
               twenty-thousand.  Who's to stop you?
               Not Jake McKenna, 'cause old Jake
               would be dead.

                         JOHN
               That's not the reason I'm here.  I
               swear it.

                         JAKE
               There's another reason?  It better
               be good.

                         JOHN
               I came for Grace.

                         JAKE
               You came to take my wife from me?

                         JOHN
               I came to kill her.

                         JAKE
               Liar.

                         JOHN
               It's the truth, Jake.

                         JAKE
               That's a thick change of heart.

                         JOHN
               Yeah, well, a couple of hours ago I
               just about killed some guy over a 
               girl.  Not for money, for a girl.
               And she was just going to stand
               there and let it happen, or let him
               kill me.  Same way Grace played us
               this morning.  I don't like that,
               Jake.  Not twice in one day.  And
               maybe I'm so pissed I'd twist the
               next off my own Grandma to get out
               of here.

                         JAKE
               That's a lot of talk.  A whole lot
               of talk.

                         JOHN
               Damn it, Jake.  If I don't get out
               of here some guys are going to come
               gunning for me.  And if it comes
               down to me or Grace, then I pick
               Grace.  You were going to give me
               thirteen-thousand.  Give me two-
               hundred.  I'll kill her and dump the
               body where no one will ever find it.
               But I need the money.  I've got to
               have the money.

     Jake is silent.  He takes his time thinking.  Finally:

                         JAKE
               She's in the bedroom.

     John stares at the automatic in Jake's hand.  Hesitantly he
     turns and walks towards the bedroom.

                         JAKE
               Hold a second.  Come here.

     John turns to Jake.

                         JAKE
               I'm curious about something.  I'm
               wondering just how it is you happen
               to know where the bedroom's at.

                         JOHN
               Wh . . . what are you talking about?

                         JAKE
               This morning when I came in on you
               and Grace, you swore you hadn't so
               much as been near the bedroom.  Now
               you make straight for it.

                         JOHN
               Come on, Jake--

                         JAKE
               Don't Jake me, boy!  It's a big
               house.  Odd that you would know your
               way, except maybe you've been in the
               bedroom before.  Maybe with Grace to
               keep you company.

                         JOHN
               Nothing happened with me and Grace
               this morning.

                         JAKE
               Then maybe this afternoon.  When I
               sent you to kill my wife you ended
               up sexing her instead.

                         JOHN
               Christ, Jake, please--

                         JAKE
               Is that what happened?  Did you even
               make it out to the desert, or did
               you just ply the afternoon between
               my sheets?

                         JOHN
               You're not talking sense.

                         JAKE
               Sense?  If I had any sense I would
               have killed you this morning and
               been done with it.

                         JOHN
               What are you . . . you can't . . .
               you can't kill me.

                         JAKE
               A drifter, a loner, a trouble maker
               like you?  Just passing through
               town, need money so he busts in on
               an, old man.  Only this old man's
               got himself an automatic, and he
               knows how to use it.  A man's got to
               protect his home.  His wife.  You're
               dead, boy, and your own mother
               wouldn't convict me.

                         JOHN
               What difference does it make if I
               slept with her.  You don't care
               about Grace.

                         JAKE
               You're right.  I don't give a damn
               about her.  But to fuck a man's wife
               behind his back?  That just makes a
               fool out of him.  I don't like being
               made a fool of.

                         JOHN
               I don't blame you.  What man would?
               I admit it, okay?  I came back here
               and I made it with Grace.  But if
               you kill me you're making a big
               mistake.

                         JAKE
               Not from where I stand.

                         JOHN
               It's not me you have to worry about.
               It's her.  She wants you dead, Jake.
               She wants you dead and she wants
               your money.

                         JAKE
               What are you babbling about?

                         JOHN
               Think about it.  How do you think I
               got in here?  Did you hear any glass
               break?  Did you hear a door
               splinter?  How did the evening end?
               After you went to bed did she linger
               a bit?  Maybe just long enough to
               leave the back door unlocked?  Is
               that what happened?

     Like an old rag, Jake gradually soaks all this up becoming
     heavier with the weight of the knowledge.

                         JAKE
               You'd tell me anything to save your
               pathetic life.

                         JOHN
               You know what kind of woman Grace
               is.  You know how badly she wants to
               get the fuck out of Sierra.  What makes you
               think when you were planning on
               killing her she wasn't doing the
               same for you?  What's she to you,
               Jake; a woman who would have you
               dead?  Let me kill her.  All I want
               is two-hundred dollars to get out of
               here with.

                         JAKE
               Two-hundred dollars.

                         JOHN
               Two-hundred dollars . . . that's how
               I put a price on murder.

     Jake lowers the gun and smiles a toothy smile which John
     returns.  Suddenly Jake swings his arm clipping John across
     the side of his head with the pistol and opening another
     bloody gash.

                         JAKE
               I think not.  Killing my wife for
               me; that's one thing.  But fucking
               her . . . well, that's another.

     Jake pulls back the hammer on the gun and levels it a John's
     head.  At that instant Grace, who as come to the doorway,
     screams at Jake.

                         GRACE
               Jake!  No!

     Jake whirls towards the shrill voice.  In that split second
     John jumps on Jake locking a forearm tightly across Jake's
     throat,  while pulling at the gun with his other hand.  The
     gun fires once, discharging into the wall.  The bullet
     shatters a picture of Jake and Grace that hangs there.

     Grace presses herself against the wall and watches as the
     two men struggle.  The expression on her face is an odd
     mixture of fear and excitement.

     The two men battle back and forth across the room.  John's
     arm remains locked in a death grip around Jake's throat.  He
     slowly squeezes the life out of the older man, riding him
     like a bucking bronco down to the floor.  Eyes bulging,
     tongue swollen, spittle dripping from his mouth, Jake looks
     up at Grace who returns a cold, distant stare.  Jake's head
     drops, and John falls back from the body puffing and
     dripping with sweat.

                         JOHN
               Why the hell didn't you do anything?

                         GRACE
               What was I supposed to do?

                         JOHN
               You could have hit him, or kneed him
               in the balls.

     Grace gives a little smile.

                         JOHN
               Christ!  You liked watching that,
               didn't you?

     Grace eyes the gold chain around Jake's neck.  She lunges
     for it.

                         GRACE
               The money!

     She yanks the chain, key and all, from the lifeless body.
     The action pulls Jake's head up, then lets it thump back
     down on the floor.

                         JOHN
               Where's the safe?

                         GRACE
               I don't know.

                         JOHN
                    (Incredulous)
               You don't know?  Jesus Christ!
               Don't you think you should have
               found out before we killed him?

                         GRACE
               I'm not sure where it is.  Not
               exactly.  I never saw it.  I just
               heard him talk about it.

                         JOHN
               Oh, that's great.  We killed Jake
               because you heard him talk about
               some money that you've never seen.
               That's fucking brilliant!

                         GRACE
               Don't yell at me!

     Grace goes to the wall and presses herself against it.  She
     counts out six steps, turns to her left and counts out three
     more.

                         GRACE
               Right here.  Six steps out, three
               steps left.  That's where I heard
               him say.

     John goes to the spot on the floor where she stands and
     claws at the wood paneling.  He is unable to move it.

                         JOHN
               Go get a knife, or something.

     Grace runs off to the kitchen to get a knife as John
     continues to claw like an animal at the floor.  After a few
     moments Grace comes running back.  John takes the knife and
     uses it to pry at the wood.  It slips a few times, then
     finally takes hold.

                         JOHN
               I got it!  It's coming!

     A panel breaks free.  Using his hands again John pries at
     another one until it pulls free.  He stops to look at the
     floor.

                         JOHN
               Nothing.  There's no safe under here.

                         GRACE
               There has to be!

                         JOHN
               There isn't!  There's nothing under
               here but more floor.  Jesus fucking
               Christ!  We killed a man for nothing
               but floor.

     Grace goes to the spot and frantically digs with her hands.

                         GRACE
               It's got to be here.  I heard him
               talk about it.  He bragged about it.
               Six steps out, three left.

                         JOHN
               This is good.  This is real good.
               This is so good they might not even
               charge us with murder when they
               catch us.  They'll probably just
               lock us up for being idiots.

                         GRACE
               If it isn't here, why would he wear
               that stupid key?

                         JOHN
               You're calling Jake stupid?  You!?

                         GRACE
               Don't yell at me!  I know it's here!
               I know it!

     A light of realization floods into John's eyes.

                         JOHN
               Wait.  Wait a second.

     John goes to the wall where Grace counted out the steps.  He
     walks off six steps forward.

                         JOHN
               Jake's taller than you.  He takes
               bigger steps.

     John turns and counts off three more steps.  He is now
     standing several feet from where they had been digging.  He
     goes to the floor and begins pulling at the wood.

                         JOHN
               Give me the knife.

     Grace hands the knife to John.  He pries at the floorboards
     pulling them free.  Underneath is a safe.

                         JOHN
               The key!

     Grace hands the key to John.  He opens the safe and thrusts
     a hand inside.  He swings it from side to side and we hear
     it slap against the metal sides.  A look of fear and
     desperation comes over John's face.  The look quickly
     dissolves.  He pulls out his hand clutching a fist full of
     money.  Grace runs to him and kisses his hand and the money.

                         JOHN
               Look at it all, Grace.

     John pulls out another fist full.

                         JOHN
               There's easily a hundred-thousand in
               there.  More than that.

                         GRACE
               I told you.  I knew it was there.
               Didn't I tell you?

     Grace kisses John on the neck and cheeks, then hard on the
     lips.  She falls back against the floor, and pulls John down
     with her.

                         GRACE
               We'll split it right down the
               middle.  Fifty-fifty.  You don't
               have to take me with you.  You can
               go your own way if you want.

     Grace presses their lips and gives him a deep, long, wet
     tongue kiss.

                         GRACE
               If you want.

                         JOHN
               We're going all the way.  Together.

     Again Grace kisses John as their passions rise.

                         JOHN
               Let's go in the bedroom.

                         GRACE
               No.

     She spreads the money across the floor and rolls in it.

                         GRACE
               Let's do it here.

                         JOHN
               What about him?

                         GRACE
               Let him watch.  I want him to know
               what he's missing.

     Grace kisses at John who is slow to get into it, but finally
     and definitely commits.

                                                           FADE TO:

     INT. MCKENNA HOUSE - LATER

     John, shirtless, SITS UP INTO FRAME.  Money is stuck to his
     sweat-covered back.  Grace, naked but hidden in the shadows,
     reaches up and peels the bills from John's back.  John pulls
     on a shirt and dresses himself as Grace lays in the darkness.

                         GRACE
               Now what?

     John gathers up some of the money.

                         JOHN
               You got a suitcase?

                         GRACE
               Never needed one.  I've never been
               anywhere.  I've got a backpack.

                         JOHN
               Get it, and put the money in it.
               Pack up anything else you want to
               take with you.

                         GRACE
               Where are you going?

                         JOHN
               To get my car.

                         GRACE
               Wait.  What about . . . him?

                         JOHN
               Put some clothes on him.  When I get
               back We'll load him in the trunk and
               dump him in the desert.  It'll takes
               days for anybody to find him.

     John exits.  Grace stares at the body of her husband with a
     blank face.  She sees Jake's gun lying on the floor and
     picks it up.  Like a child with a new toy a sly smile curls
     her lips.

                                                            CUT TO:

     EXT. OUTSIDE THE MCKENNA HOUSE - NIGHT

     John starts down the drive way and walks past Grace's jeep.
     He stops, thinks, and walks back.  Opening the hood he
     reaches into the engine and disconnects something, then
     quietly closes the hood and walks on.

                                                            CUT TO:

     EXT. OUTSIDE HARLIN'S GARAGE - LATER

     John walks to a shack near the garage and bangs on the door.
     He waits only a few seconds and bangs again.  A light goes
     on in the window.  Darrell shouts out.

                         DARRELL(O.C.)
               What you want?

                         JOHN
               Open up!

                         DARRELL(O.C.)
               We're closed.  Come back in the
               morning.

                         JOHN
               It is morning.

                         DARRELL(O.C.)
               Come back when the sun comes up.

     The light goes out.  John bangs and kicks against the door.
     The light goes back on and Darrell yanks the door wide.

                         DARRELL
               What the hell . . . oh it's you.
               Might've figured.  What do you want?

                         JOHN
               I want my car.

                         DARRELL
               You got the money?

     John pulls the money from his hip pocket and hands it to
     Darrell.  The mechanic fingers it suspiciously.

                         DARRELL
               Two-hundred dollars in hundred-
               dollar bills.  And this morning you
               was broke.

                         JOHN
               What's it to you?

                         DARRELL
               I don't want no dirty money.  I run
               an honest business.

                         JOHN
               Honest like Al Capone on tax day.
               Where are my keys?

     Darrell fingers the money a bit more, thinks, but not too
     much.  He disappears into the shack and returns a moment
     later with with John's keys.

                         DARRELL
               I think you know where to find her.

     John starts to walk away.

                         DARRELL
               By the way, I topped off the tank
               for you.  No charge.  Just my
               friendly way of doing business.

     John walks away.  Darrell looks at the money in his hand,
     smiles, and goes inside.

                                                            CUT TO:

     EXT. OUTSIDE THE MCKENNA HOUSE - LATER

     John turns the Mustang up the drive. The headlights cut the
     darkness and land on an empty patch where Grace's jeep had
     been parked.  John jumps from the Mustang and runs around
     frantically before admitting himself that Grace has left
     with the money.

                         JOHN
               Damn it!  God damn it!  I knew she
               was going to do this to me.  Damn
               her!  Damn her!

     Grace opens the front door and pokes her head out.

                         GRACE
               John!?  What the hell's the matter
               with you?

                         JOHN
               I . . . nothing.  I just stubbed my
               toe on a rock.  Hurt like hell . . .
               that's all.

                         GRACE
               I got the money all packed.  I put
               the jeep in the garage.  Figure that
               way people will think maybe me and
               Jake went away.  Might buy us some
               time.

                         JOHN
               Yeah.  Good thinking.

                         GRACE
               Had push it in.  Funny thing; it
               wouldn't start.

                         JOHN
                    (Dryly)
               Funny thing.

                                                            CUT TO:

     EXT. OUTSIDE/MCKENNA HOUSE - LATER

     John's Mustang is backed towards the front of the house.  We
     see a silhouette of John and Grace carrying something


     ------------------------------------------------------------
            [THREE PAGES (105 TO 107) MISSING FROM SCRIPT]
     ------------------------------------------------------------


                         SHERIFF
               Mrs. McKenna.

     Grace, too nervous to speak, nods.

                         SHERIFF
               Nice night for a drive.  Morning
               really.  I guess that's about the
               only way to keep cool; riding around
               with the top down on a fancy
               convertible in the first hours of
               the day.

                         JOHN
               Not taking a drive, Sheriff.
               Heading out of town.

                         SHERIFF
               Suppose you've had all you can of
               Sierra.  What with that ruckus you
               had with Toby.  Oh yes, I heard all
               about that.

                         JOHN
               Sheriff, he didn't give me any
               choice.  If I hadn't defended myself-
               -

                         SHERIFF
               Just cool down, son.  I ain't
               accusing you of anything.  Serves
               Toby right to get his ass whooped.
               If you hadn't done it, somebody else
               would've.

                         JOHN
                    (Cautiously)
               Is there a problem up the road,
               Sheriff?

                         SHERIFF
               Nope.  No problems up the road.

     Sheriff Potter looks in the back seat and sees the backpack.

                         SHERIFF
               That yours, Mrs. McKenna?

                         GRACE
               Yes.  Yes it is.

                         SHERIFF
               Taking a little trip?

                         GRACE
               I had a fight with Jake.  I . . . I
               just wanted to get away for awhile.
               Mr. Stewart was kind enough to take
               me as far as Montrose.  I'm going to
               take a bus to my sister's.  I
               thought I'd stay with her for a few
               days.

                         SHERIFF
               Is that right?  Can't say as I blame
               you for wanting to head out for a
               bit.  I know I've had my fill of
               this town.  Sixteen years I've been
               the law and order here.  So long I
               forgot why I ever wanted the job in
               the first place.  Help people, I
               guess.  Keep the peace.  Problem is
               there's so much peace around here
               they don't much need me.  Got a lot
               of speeders, but they're speeding
               through miles of nothing so I can't
               hardly blame them.  Other than that,
               well, there ain't much to steal.  I
               reckon that the last big crime we
               had was, what would you say Mrs.
               McKenna?  A murder?

                         GRACE
               I . . .

     The Sheriff slips his gun from his holster.

                         SHERIFF
               Why don't you step out of the car,
               son?

                         JOHN
               I don't understand what the--

                         SHERIFF
               Just step from the car.  Nice and
               slow.

                         JOHN
               Sure, Sheriff.

     John eases himself from the car.  He is obviously tense, as
     is Grace as she silently watches the scene unfold.

                         SHERIFF
               Now step around to the back of the
               car and open the trunk for me.

                         JOHN
               What for?

                         SHERIFF
               I think you might just want to do as
               I say.

                         JOHN
               There's nothing in the trunk,
               Sheriff.

                         SHERIFF
               And as soon as I see that you're on
               your way.

                         GRACE
               John . . .?

                         JOHN
               Grace!  Just . . . let me handle
               this.  Sheriff, I'm telling you
               there's nothing in that trunk.  If
               that's not good enough for you, then
               I'd be happy to open it.  Just as
               soon as you get yourself a search
               warrant.

                         SHERIFF
               I could do that.  'Course we'd have
               to go back into town.  There'd be a
               whole crowd of people around when
               the trunk was opened.  A whole crowd
               of witnesses.  That wouldn't be too
               pretty, now would it?

                         GRACE
               John . . .

     John thinks for a moment, then fumbles through his keys
     looking for the one that opens the trunk.  Clumsily he drops
     them.

                         SHERIFF
               Go on.  Pick 'em up.

     John goes down slowly to pick up the keys.  Just as he
     touches them he lunges forward at Sheriff Potter.  The
     Sheriff quickly steps to the side and lands a quick jab
     against the side of John's head that sends him to his knees.

                         SHERIFF
               Is that the way you want it, boy?  A
               bullet in the head in the middle of
               the desert?  Ends like this and you
               won't be able to spend a dime of
               that blood money.

                         GRACE
               He killed him, Sheriff!  I couldn't
               stop him!  He made me come with him.
               He told me if I said a word he would
               kill me too.

                         JOHN
               You bitch!  You were in on it froom
               the start!

                         SHERIFF
               Shut up!  The both of you.  Ain't
               neither one of you too smart.
               Especially you, boy.  Don't you
               think I had my eye on you since
               first you rolled into town?  You
               smell like trouble.  Stink of it
               like a ripe cesspool.

                         JOHN
               I didn't do anything.

                         SHERIFF
               Killing Jake McKenna's got to amount
               to something.  He wasn't much of a
               man, but that don't give you the
               right to murder him.  And don't tell
               me you didn't, 'cause I know you
               did.  I was there.  Like I said; I
               been watching you.

                         GRACE
               Sheriff Potter, please.  I can't go
               to jail.  I wanted no part of it.

                         JOHN
               You liar!  You wanted him dead.  You
               seduced me into killing him!

                         SHERIFF
               For the love of God would you two
               give it a rest?  Lord almighty.  In
               all my years I have never seen
               anything so pathetic.  How far did
               you think you were going to get with
               this?  Neither one of you can wait
               to slit the others throat.  Now use
               what little smarts you got.  If I
               was going to bust you I wouldn't
               have waited until after you killed
               Jake.

                         GRACE
               What do you want?

                         SHERIFF
               Same thing you want.  I want to be
               out of Sierra; to be able to do as I
               please.  But that takes money.

                         JOHN
               That's what this is all about?  A
               shakedown?  You picked the wrong
               people.  We don't have any money.

                         SHERIFF
               Sure you do.  Everybody in town
               knows about the money Jake kept hid
               in the house.  It's a wonder the
               Mrs. here just now got round to
               killing him.  Not for lack of trying.

     This hits John like a fist.

                         SHERIFF
               What'd you think, boy?  That you
               were the first man to drift through
               this town she came on to?  Not by a
               long shot.  You're just the most
               gullible.  How much did you get?

                         JOHN
                    (With trepidation)
               Thirty-thousand dollars.

                         SHERIFF
               You ain't passing these test, son.
               If I can't trust you I'm gonna have
               to arrest you . . .

     The Sheriff twists his gun in the air.

                         SHERIFF(CONT)
               . . .at the very least.  I know
               there was more than thirty-thousand
               dollars.  Now, how much did you get?

                         GRACE
               Don't tell him anything.  He can't
               do this.

                         SHERIFF
               Can't I?  You're out in the desert,
               all alone, with a body in your
               trunk.  What do you think, boy?

                         JOHN
               One-hundred-thousand dollars.  A
               little more.

                         GRACE
               Damn you!  What did you do that for?
               He can't prove anything.

                         JOHN
               No, you just wanted me to keep my
               mouth shut so I could go to a
               hanging alone.

                         SHERIFF
               Nobody's going to hang.  We're all
               gonna walk away with a little
               something.  I ain't a greedy man.
               And, hell, you did all the work.
               One-hundred-thousand dollars.  Split
               that three ways and it comes out to
               about thirty-three thousand.  Give
               or take.

                         JOHN
               And you're taking?

     Sheriff Potter smiles.  His features are distorted by the
     shadows cast from the headlights of his squad car.

                         GRACE
               That's all talk.  He's got nothing
               on us.  He let you kill Jake.

                         JOHN
               Not me.  Us.

                         GRACE
               It doesn't matter.  He was there and
               he let it happen.  He can't take us
               in.

                         JOHN
               Give him the money.

                         GRACE
                    (Stunned)
               What?

                         JOHN
               You heard me.  Count it out.

                         GRACE
               He can't prove anything, John.  He
               can't turn us in.

                         JOHN
               He can kill us.  I don't know about
               you, but my life is worth thirty-
               thousand dollars.

     Sheriff Potter reaches into his back pocket, pulls out a
     plastic garbage bag, and tosses it to Grace.

                         SHERIFF
               There you go, Mrs. McKenna.  Just
               put it in there.

                         GRACE
               John--

                         JOHN
               Do it, Grace!

     Grace hesitates, then reaches into the back seat for the
     backpack filled with money.  She sees something and her
     expression hardens.

                         SHERIFF
               That wasn't so bad.  What's thirty-
               some-thousand to rich folks like
               you?  It didn't hurt a bit.

                         GRACE(O.C.)
               Sheriff Potter.

     The Sheriff turns to face Grace.  She has Jake's gun in hand
     and aimed at Sheriff Potter.  The Sheriff panics.  Before he
     has a chance to take aim, Grace fires a round that hits him
     in the gut.  He staggers backwards and falls to the ground
     in a sitting position clutching at the river of blood that
     is flowing from his fat stomach.

                         GRACE
                    (Yelling at John)
               Come on!

     John cannot move.  He stares at the Sheriff who sits quietly
     on the ground with a dazed, confused look in his eyes.  He
     is soaked in blood, more dead than alive.

                         GRACE
               Get in the fucking car!

     John walks backwards, his gaze still fixed on Sheriff
     Potter.  He practically falls into the car, fumbles the key
     into the ignition and peels off.  He looks back and we see
     Sheriff Potter still sitting in the middle of the road lit
     in the darkness by the headlights of his car.

                         JOHN
               What the hell did you do?

     Grace answers in a voice that is either dazed or crazed.

                         GRACE
               I shot him.

                         JOHN
               You killed him!

                         GRACE
               He was going to take the money.

                         JOHN
               Thirty-thousand, that's all.  We
               would have been free and clear.  You
               didn't have to kill him.

                         GRACE
               It's our money.  He had no right to
               take it.

     John looks at Grace.  Her eyes are glazed as if she is
     watching a movie in her mind.  Her hands are wrapped tightly
     around the gun.  John stares at her.

                         JOHN
               You're crazy, you know that!?
               You're fucked up!?

                         GRACE
               Just drive.

     John continues to stare at her.

                         GRACE
               I said drive!

     The tail lights of the car fade until there is nothing but
     darkness.

                                                            CUT TO:

     EXT. DESERT - MID-MORNING

     A LONG SHOT of the Mustang parked out on a desert plateau.
     This is followed by another LONG SHOT, CLOSER THAN THE FIRST
     AND SET AT A DIFFERENT ANGLE.  THIS IS FOLLOWED BY A THIRD
     LONG SHOT, STILL CLOSER AND AGAIN AT A DIFFERENT ANGLE.  We
     can now clearly make out John who sits on the edge of the
     driver's seat, feet dangling out the open door and head
     buried in his hands.  Grace is reclined in the passenger
     seat.  She is asleep, covered with her jacket.  We can just
     barely hear the crackle of a voice over the radio.

                                                           FADE TO:

     CU - JOHN

     John rubs his head with his hands.  We can see the strain on
     his face.  Over the radio we hear a DJ

                         DJ(V.O.)
               . . . Nobody's sure where the biker
               was heading so fast, but the way he
               hit the semi-truck he won't be
               getting here now.  Hey, I got area
               weather.  It's gonna be hot, hot,
               hot.  Just like yesterday.  Just
               like everyday.  Some surprise, huh?
               Weather man says it's going to top
               one-hundred again, so if you have to
               go outside, don't.  makes you want
               to look into some retirement
               property in Alaska.  Here's some
               news from around the area.  Over in
               Sierra, that sleepy little town was
               tocked last night by the murder of a
               police officer.  Authorities say
               they haven't yet made any arrests,
               but they have leads and hope to
               bring in suspects within--

     John turns off the radio.  Grace sits up beside him.

                         JOHN
               Jesus, Grace.  Did you have to kill
               him?

                         GRACE
               He was going to--

                         JOHN
               I know.  He was to take the fucking
               money.

                         GRACE
               You're tense.  What are you all
               uptight about?

                         JOHN
               You killed a man for no reason!

     John stares at the automatic tucked in Grace's waist.  Grace
     follows his eyes to the gun.

                         GRACE
               Is that what's bothering you?

     Grace stands and slowly walks around to John's side of the
     car.  Nervously John stands.

                         GRACE
               You think now that Jake is dead,
               there's all that money there and I
               don't need you anymore I might just
               sneak up behind you sometime and . .
               .

     Grace points a finger at John, then pulls it back mimicking
     the recoil of a gun.  She lets her hands drop to her sides.
     The two stand separated like gunfighters at high noon.  Only
     John doesn't have a gun.

                         GRACE
               Is that the kind of girl you think I
               am?  What can I do to make you relax?

                         JOHN
               You could give me the gun.

     Grace smiles.

                         GRACE
               Why don't we just finish what we
               started.

     For a moment John doesn't move.  Slowly he turns and goes to
     the cracked trunk of the car and lifts it fully open.  We
     hear the sounds of buzzing flies.  John's face contorts as
     the stench fills his nose.

                         JOHN
               Christ, Jake.  You need a bath.

     John leans down to grab the body.  We see Grace circle
     around behind him.  John senses this and he tries to catch a
     glimpse of her from the corner of his eyes.  He pulls at the
     body, then again, but cannot lift it from the trunk.

                         JOHN
               Give me a hand.

     Grace doesn't move.

                         JOHN
               Are we going to dump him, or not?

     Grace slowly goes to the opposite end of the body and takes
     hold.

                         JOHN
               On three.  Ready?  One, two--

     John whirls quickly punching Grace square in the face.  It
     sends her to the ground, dazed, flat on her back.  John
     immediately steps to her and grabs the gun from her waist.
     As she comes around Grace puts a hand to her mouth, then
     looks at the blood on her finger tips.  Grace begins to
     laugh a wild, crazed laugh that cuts though John like a cold
     knife.

                         GRACE
               You hit me.  You hit a woman.
               Didn't your momma ever teach you
               anything?

     Grace sees the gun in John's hand and stops laughing.

                         GRACE
               Well?

     For a moment John does nothing, then slips the clip from the
     gun and tosses them as far as he can in opposite directions.

                         JOHN
               Well, nothing.

                         GRACE
               Now what?

                         JOHN
               Now we dump Jake, split the
               money, then you're on your own.

                         GRACE
               But you said we could be together.

                         JOHN
               Are you kidding?  I'm not going down
               with you for killing a cop.

                         GRACE
               What difference does it make?  You
               killed Jake.

                         JOHN
               We killed Jake.  And it's a big
               difference.  You kill an old man,
               that's one thing.  Nobody cares
               about an old man.  You kill a cop
               and they never stop looking for you.
               Never.

                         GRACE
               He was a crooked bastard.  He would
               have killed us.

                         JOHN
               The police don't know that.  And
               it's going to be hard to explain it
               to them with a noose around your
               neck.  I'll take you as far as
               California.  If we can even make
               that.  After that I'm cutting you
               loose.

                         GRACE
               But I want to say with you,

                         JOHN
               Why?  So when the cops catch up with
               us you can try and sell me out
               again?  You take your hald of the
               money and run.  You might want to
               try Mexico.  With all that dough
               you'll live like a queen.

                         GRACE
               I don't want to go to Mexico, John.
               I want to be with you.  Don't you
               think I care about you?

                         JOHN
               I think you're a lying, back
               stabbing bitch.  But it's nice to
               know you care.

     John goes back to the trunk and Jake's body.

                         JOHN
               Come on, Jake.  Time to go for a
               walk.

     John grabs a beer from a six pack and shoves it into the
     pocket of Jake's coat.  He lifts the body and carries it
     towards the ridge.

                         JOHN
               Poor, old Jake.  Had a fight with
               his wife, a few too many drinks,
               wandered out into the desert and
               fell off a cliff.  You got to be
               more careful, Jake.

     John reaches the edge of the ridge.  He stands Jake up and
     holds him so that they face each other.

                         JOHN
               Well, this is where we part company.

     John leans close to Jake's body as if whispering into his
     ear.

                         JOHN
               You should've just let me go into
               the bedroom.  I would have killed
               for you.  Now look at yourself.  Oh,
               well.  Bye bye, and thanks for the
               loan.

     John opens his hands and lets Jake's body tumble backwards
     down to the ridge several meters below.

                         JOHN
               Now all we have to do is try and--

     John turns.  Grace is standing directly behind him.  He is
     startled and begins to fall backward.  THE CAMERA ANGLES ON
     GRACE'S HANDS AT JOHN'S CHEST, but we can't tell if she is
     grabbing for him or pushing him.  John falls landing on the
     ridge below next to Jake's body.

                                                            CUT TO:

     WIDE SHOT - THE DESERT

     Grace stands on the ridge, and John and Jake on the ledge
     below.  We hear Grace's voice calling out.

                         GRACE
               John . . . John!?

     THE CAMERA CLOSES TIGHT ON JOHN.  We see his eyes flutter.

                         GRACE
               John!

                         JOHN
               Grace!

     John stirs.  He tries to sit up and a wave of pain crosses
     his body.  His scream echoes across the empty desert.

                         GRACE
               Are you all right?

                         JOHN
               I think I busted my leg.

                         GRACE
               Can you climb back up.

     John tries to pull himself up the side of the ridge, but the
     pain is too great.  He slumps back down on the ground.

                         JOHN
               I can't make it.  Grace?  Grace!?

                         GRACE
               I'm here.

                         JOHN
               Grace, listen to me.  In the trunk
               of my car is a rope.  It should
               reach down here.  Got get it, throw
               it down and I'll climb up.

                         GRACE
               I'll get it.

     John slumps further with pain.

     Grace runs back to the car.  She sees the rope in the open
     trunk.  She starts to make a grab for it, then stops.  She
     thinks for a moment before slamming the trunk closed.
     Running quickly to the driver's side she hops in the Mustang
     and grabs for the ignition key.  Her hand fumbles at it for
     a moment, then she realizes the key isn't there.  A look of
     panic floods her face.  She jumps from the car and runs back
     to the ridge.  She goes down on her stomach, dangling her
     head over the lip of the cliff, as if to get closer to John.

                         GRACE
               John!  Can you hear me?  Are you
               still there?

                         JOHN
               Where the hell am I going to go?

                         GRACE
               John, you have to throw the keys up
               to me.

     John's painfully fishes the keys from his pocket.  He is about
     to throw them up to Grace when he stops and thinks.

                         GRACE
               John, throw me the keys.

                         JOHN
               What for?

                         GRACE
               The trunk.  It's locked.

                         JOHN
               It's not locked.  I left it open
               when I took out Jake's body.

                         GRACE
               It's . . . it's locked.

                         JOHN
               You closed it, didn't you, Grace?

                         GRACE
               I was going to back the car to the
               ridge and pull you up.

                         JOHN
               Bullshit, Grace.  You were going to
               drive off and leave me here.

                         GRACE
               No.  I swear it.

                         JOHN
               And you're not one to lie, are you?

                         GRACE
               Throw me the keys and I'll pull you
               up.

                         JOHN
               Why don't you come down and get them
               so I can wring your pretty little
               neck?

     Grace rolls on her back and looks up at the sky shielding
     her eyes with her hand.  She rolls over again and yells down
     to John.

                         GRACE
               John, if you don't throw me the
               keys, then I'll just walk away.
               Walk away and leave you here.

                         JOHN
               Walk to where?  We're fifty miles to
               the nearest town.  It's going to be
               over one-hundred degrees today.  How
               far do you think you're going to get?

                         GRACE
               Someone will find me.

                         JOHN
               Yeah, they'll find you.  Dried up
               and twice dead.

                         GRACE
               You idiot!  You'll kill us both!

                         JOHN
               At least I'll have company when I
               die.  Ain't that right, Jake?

                         GRACE
               For Christ's sake, John!  Throw me
               the keys!

                         JOHN
               What do you say, Jake?  Should we
               trust her?  No?  I didn't think so.

                         GRACE
               Fuck you!  Do you hear me, John!?
               Fuck you!  John . . . John!?

     Grace stands and walks back to the car.  She takes the
     backpack full of money, slings it over her shoulder and
     heads out into the desert.

                                                            CUT TO:

     JOHN

     He reaches over to Jake and pulls the beer from his pocket.
     He pops it open.

                         JOHN
               Here's to you, Jake.  A friend to
               the end.  And to Grace.  What a
               woman.  What a fucking woman.

                                                            CUT TO:

     HELICOPTER SHOT - DESERT

     We see miles and miles of nothing.  Then in the middle of
     all this, we see a little speck.  As we cross over it we see
     that it is Grace; far from anything, and with miles and
     miles to go to reach something.  UNDER THIS WE HEAR Dwight
     Yokham's cover of Suspicious Minds.

                                                           FADE TO:

     BLACK

     ROLL END CREDITS