CHAPTER 16
INT. VITO’S HOTEL ROOM – DAY Vito opens the door and a ROOM SERVICE WAITER enters, pushing a cart full of breakfast. Vito pays the waiter and he leaves. Vito sits down, anxious to eat. Agents Ryan and Howard enter from the connected room. They pick at Vito’s food. VITO Hey, keep your hands off my food! Order your own. HOWARD Pack your stuff, Vito. We’re going back to Philly. VITO Get the fuck outta here, you’re not pinning shit on me! RYAN You’re the best suspect we have. Howard snatches a sausage link off Vito’s plate and takes a bite. Vito’s eyes turn black. VITO I told you to order your own food! Vito grabs a fork and sticks it into the agent’s Adam’s apple. Howard tries to scream, but he gurgles on the sausage link and his own blood. He falls onto his knees choking, then falls forward onto his face, dead. Ryan reaches for his gun, but Vito grabs the butter knife and plunges it into Ryan’s belly. Ryan opens his mouth to speak, but blood trickles out. RYAN (gasping) You can’t kill FBI agents. VITO (Scarface voice) Whoever said you was one? Ryan plops onto his butt. Vito crouches behind him and snaps his neck. Both cops are dead. Vito sits back down at the table. VITO (CONT’D) I told you not to touch my food. He pulls the fork out of Howard’s neck, wipes it off with a napkin and eats his breakfast. INT. JESSICA’S APARTMENT – DAY Anthony walks in. JESSICA Morning sunshine. Anthony Let’s stick to business. JESSICA Alright tough guy, how much did he offer for the earrings? Anthony Fifty thousand. JESSICA That’s it? I had them appraised at two hundred thousand. Anthony He thinks they’re hot. JESSICA I told you they were a gift. I earned them. Anthony I’m sure you did. JESSICA That’s way too low. Will he come up at all? Anthony He’ll come up substantially. JESSICA How? Anthony He wants the matching bracelet and necklace. JESSICA How much will he pay for everything? Anthony Two million for the set. JESSICA Two million? Why so much? Anthony Have you seen the movie Cleopatra? JESSICA Who hasn’t? Anthony Well your diamonds are Cleopatra’s jewels. JESSICA You’re kidding me. Anthony Burton gave them to Liz as a gift during filming, but they went missing during the divorce. Cut to: FLASHBACK – Ext. Old movie theater – night A 1960s Hollywood premiere. Liz gets out of a limousine onto the red carpet. Flashbulbs pop. The diamonds sparkle. CUT TO: FLASHBACK – INT. HOLLYWOOD HOME – NIGHT Liz and Burton argue. He throws a bottle of gin through a window. Back TO: INT. JESSICA’S APARTMENT – DAY JESSICA I read about that. Anthony Burton drank himself to death a few years later, and the jewels were never recovered. They’re part of Hollywood lore. JESSICA And worth a bundle. Anthony Listen, it’s a lot of cash. I might have to bring in Jimmy, for back up. JESSICA I trust you, not Jimmy. You put this together, you finish it. Anthony Okay, but my end goes up to fifty percent, due to risk. JESSICA You’ve earned it. Jessica walks behind the bar, grabs a little bag and tosses it to Anthony. Anthony looks inside to check the jewels. Anthony After tonight, we’re done. JESSICA If that’s how you want it. Anthony exits. Maxwell comes out of a closet. MAXWELL Two million bucks, plus the jewels. Sweet. JESSICA He’ll never know what hit him. MAXWELL Do we have to kill them? JESSICA Only if they put up a fight. INT. VITO’S HOTEL ROOM Vito pours ice on the dead bodies of Howard and Ryan, laying in the tub. VITO (to dead bodies) Don’t go anywhere. I’ll be back in a little bit. He fixes himself in the mirror, then puts the ‘Do Not Disturb’ hanger on the door, and leaves. |