The Kings Of Cool
254
Chon’s gassed out.
Blood flows freely down his leg as he lumbers up the hill to John’s house.
He stops down the street to catch his breath and recon the scene.
There’s a car parked in the driveway, and he can make out three men inside-two in front, one in the back.
Chon takes three long breaths, drops to his stomach, and crawls across the neighbor’s yard to the back. Then he climbs the fence into John’s yard, tears another strip off his shirt, wraps it around his hand, and punches the bathroom window.
He reaches in, unlocks the window, slides it open, and climbs in.
Walks from the bathroom into the living room.
John is standing there.
Old denim shirt, jeans.
255
“Surprised to see me?” Chon asks.
“I thought you were in Iraq. Someplace like that.” John turns and walks into the step-down living room, walks behind the bar, and starts to make himself a drink. “You want something?”
Chon doesn’t.
“A joint?” John asks. “You want to smoke up?”
“Keep your hands above the bar.”
“You don’t trust your old man?”
“No,” Chon says. “You taught me that, remember? ‘Never trust anybody’?”
“And I was right.”
John takes a sip of his drink and sits heavily on the sofa. First time Chon notices that he has a gut.
“Sit down.”
“No thanks.”
“Suit yourself.” He leans back into the cushions. “Who gave me up? Crowe?”
He looks almost amused.
“Crowe and Hennessy are both dead.”
“You did us a favor,” John says. “They had to go, anyway.”
“I thought you were out of the business.”
“And I didn’t know you were in it,” John says. He holds a hand up. “Swear to God, son. But I guess the apple don’t fall far from the tree, huh? Though I guess you’re some kind of war hero? Is that true?”
“No.”
John shrugs. “So what brings you here?”
“Believe me, I didn’t want to come here.”
“But here you are.”
256
Ben goes to Chon’s apartment.
He’s not there.
Ben drives the streets-the PCH, the Canyon, Bluebird, Glenneyre, Brooks-Chon is nowhere to be seen.
Of course he is, Ben thinks.
When Chon doesn’t want to be found, he’s not going to be found.
Ben hits his number again and again.
257
INT. JOHN’S HOUSE — NIGHT
SOUND OF CHON’S PHONE RINGING.
He doesn’t answer it.
CHON
I’ve never asked you for anything.
JOHN
But you’re going to now. What do you want?
CHON
A pass for Ben Leonard.
John shakes his head.
JOHN
Walk away from him.
CHON
I’m not that guy.
John laughs.
JOHN
You going to tell me who you are and who you’re not? I know who you are.
CHON
You don’t know a fucking thing about me.
JOHN
Your mother wanted to flush you down a sink. I know that.
CHON
Yeah, she told me.
JOHN
She would. (Beat) I wouldn’t let her do it. I dunno, I was feeling sentimental, I guess.
CHON
I’m supposed to, what, thank you?
JOHN
You’re the one asking for the favor.
CHON
You going to do it, or not?
JOHN
The fuck you owe this Leonard guy, anyway?
CHON
He’s family.
John takes this in-seems to hear the truth of it. He doesn’t have an answer.
CHON (CONT’D)
