Project 15: Part Seven

EXT. LOCAL PARK - DAY

Chuck is seated on a park bench, when Police Officer Tim Drake sits beside him.

OFFICER DRAKE: I checked out that Hal Calhoun. He’s nowhere to be found on the system, at least not in Tuscan or anywhere near it. There’s over a hundred such names in the country but none of them match the description. 

CHUCK HUMPHREY: Well, thanks for looking Tim. I really do appreciate it. You’re the only guy I figure I can trust.

OFFICER DRAKE: A word of advice. This ex-con you’re hanging around with; he could be using you. Word is, that he was offered money by Vance to find this guy. A lot of money.

CHUCK HUMPHREY: I trust him

OFFICER DRAKE: Do you? How do you know he didn’t kill, this guy Schmidt? How do you know he’s not playing you? Once a con artist, always a con artist. All I’m saying is: watch your back.

INT. DENTIST OFFICE - DAY

Elias walks into the dentist’s theatre, where he is greeted by Dr Schreiner 

DR SCHREINER: 67 years old, thick glasses, slim, average build

DR SCHREINER: Please, Mr Duckworth, sit down.

ELIAS: I understand you know my neighbour, Isabelle Kajinska.

DR SCHREINER: We were sweethearts once. What exactly is bothering you, Elias?

ELIAS: Toothache, lower right handside.

DR SCHREINER: Ok. Open your mouth.

Elias opens his mouth and Dr Schreiner uses his equipment. His hands are unsteady.

DR SCHREINER: Ah, I think I have the culprit. No. Or is it this one. Maybe it’s this one. We’ll get it sorted in a jiffy. 

Dr Schreiner powers up his drill 

DR SCHREINER: Don’t you worry now Mr Duckworth.

INT. SCHOOL FOR YOUNG CHILDREN - DAY

Loren is sitting at her desk after the rest of her class have left. Cassandra addresses her.

CASSANDRA: Loren, are you not going home?

LOREN: Mr Socovich says that my Father is a liar.

CASSANDRA: Your Father probably tells more tall tales than most.

LOREN: You mean, its not true that he was training to be an Astronaut or that he goes hunting for treasure in South America?

CASSANDRA: It simply can’t be the case, Loren, that everything he says is true. It takes years of training to be an Astronaut or a Doctor or a Pilot. Maybe something he says is true but not everything.

LOREN: You mean, he didn’t spend three years as the captain of a cruise ship?

CASSANDRA: I really don’t know, Loren

LOREN: I wish I had a real parent and not a...

CASSANDRA: You have your friends Loren. You have your foster parents and you have me.

LOREN: You’re the best teacher ever.

EXT. OUTSIDE ELIAS HOME - DAY

Cassandra raps on Elias door and Elias answers.

CASSANDRA: I just had a conversation with Loren. You’ve been neglecting her, haven’t you.

ELIAS: I’ve been trying...

CASSANDRA: Where were you? Off on another one of your schemes?

ELIAS: I was out of town

CASSANDRA: Typical. Exactly what I’d expect from you. You have the most wonderful little girl. She wants to believe in you and you’re just a fraud. A liar, and god knows what else.

ELIAS: I wasn’t a good father in the past but I’m...

CASSANDRA: Oh yes, you’re trying alright.

Cassandra walks away.

EXT. OUTSIDE SCHOOL FOR YOUNG CHILDREN - DAY

Loren along with some of her friends exit the school building after their school day. Elias is waiting for her.

ELIAS: What’s the matter honey? You look glum.

LOREN: Sookie Chan called me a liar today and some of the other kids laughed

ELIAS: Why, you’re no liar honey.

LOREN: She said so because of you.

ELIAS: If nobody told lies honey, the world would be a boring place.

LOREN: I don’t like it when you tell lies. I don’t care if I have a boring father and I don’t like being laughed at.

ELIAS: Scouts honour honey. No more lies.

LOREN: Promise?

ELIAS: Promise.

Elias opens the door of his battered old car.

LOREN: Now lets get you home in my time machine.

LOREN: Dad!

I/E. ELIAS RENTAL CAR (MOVING) - DAY

Elias drives a small rental car slowly beside Chuck who is walking home with a bag of groceries

ELIAS: Harvey’s on the move. Come on lets go.

CHUCK HUMPHREY: I have to go to work tomorrow Elias.

ELIAS: Can’t you take another few days off. If we don’t get to Josh before Harvey, he may turn up floating in a river somewhere.

CHUCK HUMPHREY: I can’t

ELIAS: Did somebody get to you? 

CHUCK HUMPHREY: No

ELIAS: Did you cough up information you shouldn’t have? Did you confide in someone?

CHUCK HUMPHREY: How do you know Harvey’s on the move?

ELIAS: Honestly?

CHUCK HUMPHREY: Yes. Honestly

ELIAS: I put a tracker on his car.

CHUCK HUMPHREY: Elias. That could get me thrown out.

ELIAS: Who is going to know it was us? We can tell them it was your superior detective work that brought us to the scene of the crime. You are a superlative detective aren’t you Chuck?

CHUCK HUMPHREY: Do you realise the big dudu I could get into because of this?

ELIAS: Last chance. Are you going to spend the night in front of the television waxing your legs or are you going to do what you’ve been wanting to do your whole life?

INT. ELIAS RENTAL CAR (MOVING) - DAY

Chuck is seated in the passenger seat with Elias phone in his hand.

ELIAS: How far do you think they are ahead of us.

CHUCK HUMPHREY: About eighty miles

ELIAS: Time to eat up the miles

Elias starts to pick up speed.

CHUCK HUMPHREY: Now Elias, you can’t afford to pick up a speeding ticket. It’s bad enough that you’re crossing the state line.

ELIAS: It’s about time Chuck you came to realise that rules are meant to be broken, so buckle up.

INT. ELIAS RENTAL CAR (MOVING) - EVENING

Elias and Chuck arrive in the town of Seltree

CHUCK HUMPHREY: The signal has stopped here.

Elias sees Harvey’s car.

ELIAS: That’s his car, right there.

Elias continues to drive past the car and parks down the street. 

CHUCK HUMPHREY: Do you think that Josh is in this town?

ELIAS: : My guess is that this is a stop on their way to the final destination.

Elias takes back his phone and proceeds to search through it.

CHUCK HUMPHREY: I don’t know why I’ve gotten myself into this.

ELIAS: You know, you’d make a great cop with that love for danger. 

He pauses while looking at his phone.

Looks like there’s only one paper in this town. The Seltree Gazette. Doesn’t seem to be the type of paper that Josh

Kajinsky would be working for. Baking competitions, an old lady reports her cat missing, a number of articles about faith.

CHUCK HUMPHREY: So what do you say, should we go in there and see what he’s up to?

ELIAS: I think it’s safe to say this is a stopover. Let’s go get something to eat and check into this hotel. He’ll be here in the morning.

INT. ELIAS HOTEL ROOM IN SELTREE - NIGHT

Elias awakes to receive a knife to his throat. A lamplight is turned on. Harvey is the man holding a knife and two other men are standing over Chuck who is in a second single bed.

HARVEY CHURCH: Well, well, well, isn’t this a coincidence? And what might you be doing in a town like this?

ELIAS: I guess Harvey, I couldn’t get enough of you.

HARVEY CHURCH: Always the wise guy.

ELIAS: Well one of us has to be.

HARVEY CHURCH: One day you’ll regret we crossed paths. I just want you to spend the rest of your life - what’s left of it - looking over your shoulder.

ELIAS: I missed you too.

HARVEY CHURCH: The difference between a guy like you and a guy like me is that I know when to pounce. Nobody even knows I exist. I’m like the ghost who walks. No record. Nothing. Nobody even knows my real name.

ELIAS: I could hazard a guess. Is it fathead?

HARVEY CHURCH: You’re in no negotiating position. You follow us and pretty soon you’ll be encased in concrete. Do you understand? I’m collecting the bounty. Not you? Your time will come.

Harvey turns to leave

ELIAS: I miss you already Harvey.

Harvey leaves

CHUCK HUMPHREY: What did he mean by bounty Elias?

ELIAS: Vance has a bounty on Josh’s head

CHUCK HUMPHREY: Is that why we’re really here?

ELIAS: Don’t you trust me Chuck?

CHUCK HUMPHREY: Not quite as far as I can throw you.

INT. RESTAURANT OF HOTEL - MORNING

Elias and Chuck are seated at a table for breakfast. A waitress serves Chuck a plate of food.

CHUCK HUMPHREY: I’ve been waiting for a proper breakfast for a long time. Something that’s better than beans on toast.

ELIAS: Well I’ve got some bad news for you Chuck.

CHUCK HUMPHREY: Oh no

ELIAS: Harvey’s on the move and this time we can’t let him get a head start.

CHUCK HUMPHREY: Now I can see why some cops want to work behind a desk all day.

INT. ELIAS RENTAL CAR (MOVING) - MORNING

Elias and Chuck are in the car. Chuck decides to ring the Captain.

CHUCK HUMPHREY: Yeah, Captain, I’m afraid I won’t be in a good state to make it in today. I think I’ll have to take a couple more days. My Dad was just such a great guy and I miss him so much.

CAPTAIN (O.S.): Where are you Humphrey?

CHUCK HUMPHREY: I’m partaking in a spiritual experience. One of them leaflets came in the door, promising enlightenment and I thought what better to get over my loss than a spiritual awakening?

CAPTAIN (O.S.): If I find out Humphrey that you’re lying to me..

CHUCK HUMPHREY: I swear Captain on the bible that these blessed people have given to me that I am ready...

CAPTAIN (O.S.): I’m smelling something Humphrey and its called bullshit.

CHUCK HUMPHREY: Well Captain I’ve got to go now and do some meditation. Goodbye.

Chuck hangs up the phone

ELIAS: I could teach you a thing or two about making up stories

CHUCK HUMPHREY: I’m sure you could

ELIAS: The bad news is that we’re gaining on this sucker quickly.

CHUCK HUMPHREY: How is that the bad news?

ELIAS: Harvey may have discovered the tracking device. Haven’t you noticed, we’re in the middle of nowhere tracking a lorry with sheep in the back. 

CHUCK HUMPHREY: That’s it? We’ve come all this way for a dead end?

ELIAS: Well he didn’t know we were tracking him until last night. At least we know the general direction he was headed.

CHUCK HUMPHREY: Yeah and you’re going to miss out on your bounty.

ELIAS: Don’t quit on me now. We just have to do more detective work. We know that if he’s found a job, it’s most likely as a writer in the last few weeks and that most of his articles are inclined to be anti-corruption articles.

CHUCK HUMPHREY: There could be hundreds of papers and thousands of articles and how do we know if he’s new? Does each journalist say “hey, I’m new?”

Elias fidgets with his phone as he responds

ELIAS: We’ve got to try Chuck. We owe it to him.

CHUCK HUMPHREY: Is that heart talking or money talking Elias?

ELIAS: Now hold my phone.

CHUCK HUMPHREY: What is this?

ELIAS: A second tracker. You don’t think I’d be dumb enough not to have a back up plan?

CHUCK HUMPHREY: Hopefully it won’t lead us to a lorry full of cattle. 

ELIAS: That’s why you better keep looking for that new journalist.

INT. ELIAS RENTAL CAR - EVENING

Elias parks the car on the side of the road.

CHUCK HUMPHREY: Are you sure this is the place?

Chuck wipes perspiration from his forehead.

ELIAS: It better be. You look nervous. I hope you’re not planning on making a career out of this. 

CHUCK HUMPHREY: Yeah well, lets get this over with.

ELIAS: And you’re the man with the gun.

EXT. OUTSIDE JOSH’S SHOLTON HOME - NIGHT

Elias and Chuck look at a small wooden house with lights on. 

ELIAS: The sooner we go in there, the better.

CHUCK HUMPHREY: After you.

Together they creep quietly up to the house. Elias whispers in Chuck’s ear.

ELIAS (in a low voice) I’ve got an idea

.

Chuck hides out of sight and Elias creeps up to the door. As he does so the wood underneath him creaks. He reaches for the door handle. Harvey opens it with a gun pointed at Elias. Harvey crosses the doorway and faces Elias.

HARVEY CHURCH: Never bring your fists to a gunfight you imbecile.

ELIAS: Well I’m sure there’s a few things I could teach you.

HARVEY CHURCH: Oh yeah?

ELIAS: Never think you’re the smartest man on the veranda.

Chuck is now behind Harvey with his gun pointed at his back.

CHUCK HUMPHREY: Drop it Harvey.

HARVEY CHURCH: You’re bluffing.

Chuck fires one shot in the air.

Harvey places his gun on the ground.

INT. JOSH’S SHOLTON HOME - NIGHT

They enter the house.

ELIAS: Where is he?

HARVEY CHURCH: Well Einstein, you work it out.

Elias enters an adjoining room where he sees Josh is bound and gagged.

ELIAS: Are you expecting someone?

HARVEY CHURCH: Vance could be here any minute with his men. They’re used to killing scum like you.

CHUCK HUMPHREY: Sit down in the chair over there.

HARVEY CHURCH: Nervous?

CHUCK HUMPHREY: What do we do now Elias?

The wooden floor outside creaks again.

Chuck turns and faces the door. Officer Drake enters.

OFFICER DRAKE: Put down the gun Chuck. Nobody needs to die.

CHUCK HUMPHREY: What are you doing here.

OFFICER DRAKE: I’m after Duckworth. He broke his parole. I’ll put in a good word for you Chuck. It’ll be ok. Don’t trust Duckworth, Chuck. He’s in it for the money. He’s using you. 

ELIAS: Don’t trust him Chuck.

OFFICER DRAKE: Put down the gun.

CHUCK HUMPHREY: Is that right Elias? Have you been using me?

OFFICER DRAKE: Come on Chuck. Let me handle this. You’ve never been in a situation like this before. Trust me. Duckworth is a career criminal. Use your head.

ELIAS: Chuck

Chuck puts down the gun. Officer Drake removes his gun from its holster.

OFFICER DRAKE: Now, get over there with your lover buddy.

Harvey takes Chuck’s gun. Officer Drake cuffs Chuck and Elias and places them in the room beside Josh. 

ELIAS: You couldn’t trust me, could you Chuck? After all that we’ve been through together?

CHUCK HUMPHREY: You’re not exactly an angel, now are you?

ELIAS: All those beers we had together and the long drives.

CHUCK HUMPHREY: Honesty isn’t exactly your middle name, Elias.

ELIAS: No. It’s Randolph.

CHUCK HUMPHREY: Now is not the time to joke.

ELIAS: If you had a name like Randolph, you’d want to keep it a secret.

CHUCK HUMPHREY: I don’t think you appreciate that this is a life or death situation.

HARVEY CHURCH (O.C.): Shut up in there