staring straight up Wayne ’s nose.
‘Maybe. Long as she don’t call us no names. Now I’ll just take of shitforbrains here down into the kitchen, huh? Jes’ tidy him away, so to speak. Scout, you’re in charge.’ He departed, taking the corpse with him.
Scout looked up at Brooke. ‘I’m sorry I shouted at you, Brooke.’ She was contrite. ‘I didn’t mean nothing, it’s just you pulled my hair.’
Brooke knew she had only minutes in which to attempt to complete the task she had begun when Wayne had last exited from the room. Scout’s attitude, at least, was encouraging. She seemed to care what Brooke thought of her, which was the best start Brooke could hope for. She knelt down beside Scout.
‘Scout, listen to me. This can’t go on. Sooner rather than later you’re going to get caught, and the more trouble you cause the worse it’s going to be.’
Scout’s stare found its familiar focus on the cushion in her lap underneath which she held her gun.
‘We know we’re in trouble, Brooke. Big trouble. But Wayne ’s got a plan.’
‘What plan can he possibly have?’
‘I dunno, Brooke, but he’s got one. “I got me a plan, hon,” he says, “and everything is gonna be just fine.” That’s what he said. He has a plan for our salvation.’
Brooke had no time to be gentle. ‘His plan is to get you both killed, that’s what his plan is, and that’s how it’s going to happen. The cops will come, Wayne ’ll fight and you’ll both be shot to ribbons. Us too.’
‘He’s got a plan.’
‘To get you killed.’
‘Well, if that’s his plan, then it’s OK with me. We’ll go out together, in a hail of blood, love and glory.’
Brooke’s mind raced. She had only minutes – maybe less – to connect. What could she say? Where was Scout vulnerable?
‘Love and glory,’ Scout repeated. ‘Me ‘n’ Wayne gonna get that tattooed on us one day. It’s our motto.’
Brooke plunged. ‘And you do love him, don’t you, Scout? You love him very much.’
She had connected. This was a subject about which Scout could talk for hours.
‘I love him more than my life, Brooke. If I could pull down a star from the sky and give it him I would. If I had a diamond the size of a TV I’d lay it at his feet. I got feelings bigger than the ocean, Brooke, deeper than the grave.’
It was now or never. ‘ Wayne needs help, Scout. If you love him, you won’t let him die. If you love him, you have to let us be your friends, Scout, let us be his friends.’
Brooke took Scout’s free hand. Scout stiffened a little but allowed herself to be held.
‘Will you help us to be his friends?’
‘If they take him, they’ll put him in the chair,’ Scout whispered. ‘They’ll melt his eyeballs. That’s what the chair does t’ya. I read it.’ A tear began to steal its way down her cheek.
‘But it doesn’t have to be that way,’ said Brooke, gently squeezing the small hand she held. ‘Maybe if we bring him in peacefully they’ll put him in a hospital. They’ll try to find out why he gets so angry. Bruce is a big man in this state, Scout. He can help.’
Bruce was transfixed. Could Brooke pull it off? There could be only moments left to do it in. She was close, very close. Ask her for the gun! He wanted to scream it. Every sinew of his body was taut like a dog on a straining leash.
Scout raised her head to look at Brooke, her eyes as big as fists. ‘You know what I think, Brooke?’
‘What’s that, Scout, honey?’
‘I think you think I’m dumb.’ She seemed to say it more in sorrow than anger, as if she desperately wished it was not so.
Brooke hurried to reassure her. ‘No! No, it’s not true. I don’t think you’re dumb, Scout. I like you, I think you’re smart and you’ve got to be smart now. You don’t want, to die and you don’t want us to die either. Above all, you don’t want Wayne to die. One day you’re gonna to lay diamonds at his feet. Give me the gun, Scout.’
Scout sighed. It was almost wistful, almost as if she was daydreaming. ‘You want me to give you my gun?’
‘It’s best for us all, Scout, including Wayne.’
Bruce realized he was holding his breath. He’d been holding it for quite some time. He tried to let it out slowly so as not to make a sound. If he intruded on the moment it could be disastrous. Scout was still daydreaming into Brooke’s face.
‘If I give it to you, will you be my friend?’
‘I said I would be, didn’t I, Scout?’ Brooke replied. ‘And I keep my word. Give me the gun.’
This was it. Bruce stared at the cushion that hid Scout’s hand. Was her hand moving? Was she going to bring out the gun? Her hand was moving.
Scout’s voice was quiet and scared. ‘OK,’ she said, the sweetest two letters Bruce ever heard.
Closeup on Scout’s hand emerging from under the cushion, holding a gun.
Close up on Scout’s face, which has totally changed. No longer docile and teary, it fills suddenly with naked hate and fury.
Wideprofile two shot. Scout on the couch, Brooke kneeling before her. In one extremely fast, shockingly sudden movement, Scout pulls back her gun hand and then slams the butt of the gun into Brooke’s mouth. There is a nasty crunch as metal connects with gum, bone and tooth. Brooke is propelled backwards out of shot as Scout rises.
Pull back and pan across to bring Scout fully into frame. She is standing over Brooke, hand raised to strike again. Brooke is bleeding heavily at the mouth.
SCOUT
I sure fucking gave it to you, didn’t I, you bitch? You my friend now? Huh? You always keep your word, don’t you! So now you’re my friend, right?
Cut to Brooke’s POV of Scout’s face, contorted with fury, staring down at her.
SCOUT
Say it!
Cut to Scout’s POV of Brooke, lying face up on the carpet, bleeding, stnugglingto reply.
BROOKE
I’m your friend.
SCOUT
Well I don’t want you for my friend, you whore! Because you tried to turn me against my man and that is unforgivable! Maybe you want him for yourself. Is that it? Are you coming on to my Wayne? If you try it, bitch, I’ll kill you.
While Scout was working herself up over the unlikely idea that Brooke might ever make a pass at Wayne, Detectives Jay and Crawford, having left Susan Schaefer to her breakfast, were pondering their next move.
‘Well, I guess we drew a blank,’ Crawford said sympathetically, for he knew how seriously Jay took his work. ‘Don’t feel bad, though. It was kind of a cute idea. I mean, the papers have been linking our murderers with that movie for weeks.’
‘We have one more call to make,’ said Jay. ‘The Oscar guy.’
‘Delamitri?’
‘Yeah. In fact, thinking about it, I guess we should have tried him first. I mean, the directors are the damn stars these days, aren’t they? They get to be more famous than the actors.’
‘That’s true. Did you see Delamitri at the ceremony? He made a beautiful speech. You could see he really meant it. You know, like he’d really given it some thought. My wife nearly cried.’
