CHAPTER 14
EXT. APARTMENT COMPLEX – NIGHT Vito’s car creeps up. Seconds later, a Mercedes-Benz 550 pulls in front. HYMIE, a traditional Hasidic Jew, gets out with a briefcase and goes inside. Vito walks over to the apartment complex quickly, ducks behind a row of bushes and crawls over to a window so he can hear inside Uzi’s office. INT. UZI’S APARTMENT – DAY Uzi introduces Hymie to Anthony. UZI Hymie, this is Anthony, Anthony this is my cousin, Hymie. Hymie is an expert in diamonds and jewels. Anthony and Hymie shake hands. HYMIE You’re sure this merchandise isn’t stolen? Anthony They’re from a friend who received them as a gift, but now needs the money. HYMIE Good, because if they’re hot I can’t touch them. Anthony They’re not hot. UZI He’s a good kid, Hymie. He’s not involved in anything dirty. HYMIE He’s with you, Uzi. That’s a red flag itself. Okay, let’s see the jewels. Anthony puts the box on the table and opens it. Hymie notices the quality immediately. HYMIE (CONT’D) Very nice. (peers through his loupe) The color is one of the brightest I’ve ever seen. Nice weight, no flaws. Your friend must have had a very wealthy benefactor. Anthony Why? HYMIE These are rare pieces. Anthony How much are they worth? HYMIE Probably about a hundred thousand. Vito hears this from outside and likes the number. Anthony A hundred thousand! Wow! UZI I knew I called the right guy! HYMIE Each. Uzi looks at him for a long beat, astonished. UZI Two hundred grand! (hugs Hymie) I love you, Hymie! HYMIE But that’s retail. Anthony So, what will you give for them? HYMIE Twenty-five thousand each. UZI Come on, Hymie! Uzi and Hymie argue viciously in Hebrew. Anthony is confused. UZI (CONT’D) It’s okay, we grew up together in the same kibbutz in Israel. HYMIE Look kid, I don’t know if these are hot or not. And it’s not like I can put them in my store window. Anthony Why not? HYMIE Because if the wrong person sees them, I have a huge problem on my hands. Fifty thousand, that’s all I’ll go for. Anthony What if I had a few more pieces? HYMIE What do you have? Anthony A bracelet and necklace. Anthony pulls out his phone and shows Hymie. CLOSE-UP on phone images of diamond necklace and bracelet. Hymie stares at the phone for a long time, then he re-examines the earrings. HYMIE You sure you have these other pieces? ANTHONY Yes, why? HYMIE Because the earrings, necklace and bracelet are a set. ANTHONY Does that matter? HYMIE You don’t know what you have, do you? UZI What are you talking about, Hymie? HYMIE These earrings, along with the bracelet and necklace are a set called the Pretorian Triplets. Anthony What are they? HYMIE They’ve been missing for decades. Anthony Why? HYMIE The stones were mined in Pretoria, South Africa and purchased by legendary actor Richard Burton. Did you ever see the movie Cleopatra with Liz Taylor? Anthony I’ve heard of it. HYMIE During filming, Burton and Taylor had a torrid love affair and he gave them to her. She wore them in the movie. UZI How romantic. HYMIE They divorced a few years later and the diamonds went missing. Everyone thought Burton took them. The diamonds have been missing ever since. UZI Until now! HYMIE Anthony, these diamonds are one of a kind. Anthony How much for the set? Long beat. HYMIE Street value, a million. For the whole set. Anthony That won’t get it done. UZI Hymie, they’re Cleopatra’s diamonds. Ante up! Anthony My cousin has a another connection. I’ll go to him. HYMIE I’ll pay two million. Not a penny more. ANTHONY Cash. HYMIE Done. Uzi has to sit down. UZI (muttering to himself) Two million dollars, two million dollars… HYMIE How quickly can you get the other pieces? Anthony How fast can you get the cash? HYMIE 48 hours. Anthony Two days it is. EXT. UZI’S OFFICE – NIGHT Vito jumps over the bushes and hurries to his car. VITO Two days to freedom. Vito pulls away. Manny, who is stopped at a traffic light, sees Vito drive by. Manny looks at the apartment building, then back at Vito, quizzically. |