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Have any trouble?

  YOAKUM

  No, Judge Knight was very cooperative. But, listen, man –

  AARON

  (cuts him off)

  Don’t start that stuff, Bernie. I want her out.

  YOAKUM

  Will you just, for cryin’ out loud, take a look at the charge sheet? Will you? Can it hurt, it’ll take a second!

  Aaron shrugs okay. Bernie leads him back to the counter whereon he can rest the attaché case. He opens it with a key and fumbles through papers in the pockets, coming up at last with a Boston “rap sheet.” Aaron scans it, looks it over, hands it back.

  AARON

  Where do I sign?

  Yoakum looks heavenward. Then he fishes in the case, brings out the bail bond papers and gives Aaron a pen clipped inside the case. He indicates where Aaron should sign.

  YOAKUM

  You understand you’re gonna be on the hook for fifteen hundred dollars if she doesn’t show up for the arraignment on Monday morning?

  AARON

  (ignores him)

  Do I sign here?

  YOAKUM

  (points)

  And here…and here. Both copies. Christ, you’re stubborn.

  Aaron signs. Claire stands behind him, watching, looking worried, but keeping it to herself. She knows nothing can dissuade Aaron. He’s working on three-year-old memories, than which there is no deadlier drug.

  31 ANGLE INCLUDING DESK SERGEANT, AARON AND YOAKUM – CORRIDOR TO CELLS IN B.G.

  Yoakum looks over the papers, purses his lips in finality, tears off the proper forms, hands them to the Desk Sergeant and turns back to Aaron.

  YOAKUM

  You got a hundred and thirty bucks cash?

  Aaron fishes it out, peels off the amount and hands it to Yoakum, who gives it to the cop. The Desk Sergeant does some paperwork as Yoakum and Aaron talk, then hands Aaron a receipt.

  AARON

  Thanks, Bernie. I appreciate your losing the sleep.

  YOAKUM

  It’s my business. I don’t mind so much; it’s when I get back in the middle of the night and go to bed, my wife makes bad noises about my cold feet.

  The Desk Sergeant laughs, then speaks into a microphone on the counter.

  DESK SERGEANT

  Ted, bring up the Benda girl. We’ve got a release on her.

  YOAKUM

  Aaron, listen, I’ve got to tell you, babe, this girl isn’t what you think she is—

  AARON

  (angry)

  Bernie, listen, I appreciate your concern, man, but I’ve got to tell you this is a sweet innocent girl. I know her. She’s mixed up in all this by mistake…

  DESK SERGEANT

  Listen to your friend, fellah. This girl’s a wrongo. She used the card and tried to pin it on her girlfriend. We’re holding the other one, too, and it looks like she didn’t know a thing about it. It was all this Benda kid’s play. She’s a real—

  32 CLOSE ON AARON

  as he blows his top. He’s had people raining on his parade all night. He hasn’t slept much, he’s hocked or sold everything he owns, he’s mad and he’s wild:

  AARON

  Shut up! What the hell do you know about what people are like? Everybody comes through that door has to be salted away, that’s all you know…you wouldn’t know a saint if she came in here in cuffs!

  33 ON DESK SERGEANT

  DESK SERGEANT

  Are we talkin’ about the same girl?

  34 BACK ON AARON, WITH CLAIRE PROMINENT IN F.G.

  She’s looking past him, down the corridor.

  AARON

  (still mad)

  Yeah, that’s right. I know her, not you. She was something to put in the lockup to you, to me she’s something else…

  But even as Aaron is talking, CAMERA FOCUSES ON Claire and her expression of disbelief. HOLD on the expression for several beats as Aaron’s tirade continues, but then we realize Claire is staring down the corridor as a girl is being led toward us by the MATRON.

  Then Aaron stops short as he sees Claire’s face. He turns and stares down the corridor.

  35 SHOT PAST AARON TO HALLIE

  as she comes closer and closer, and we

  INTERCUT WITH:

  36 MEMORY SHOTS OF HALLIE

  as she was—beautiful, young, vibrant, the very essence of hopeful, untainted womanhood…

  As she is—hair lank and dirty…skin covered with sores…eyes dark and haunted

  …the ankles thick with body water…spastic movements, heavy breathing…all the marks of a speed freak, a righteous amphetamine user…(and please makeup men, get it on! Show it the way it really is!)

  37 WITH AARON

  as he turns back to the Desk Sergeant.

  AARON

  Okay, where is she already?

  DESK SERGEANT

  (confused)

  That’s her, buddy.

  Aaron slowly turns back and we

  FLASH INTERCUT:

  38 MEMORY SHOT – HALLIE

  CUT BACK TO:

  39 PAST AARON – ON HALLIE

  as the ruined thing that was Hallie Benda comes through the unlocked door of the corridor, and comes closer. Yes, there is the shadow of the girl in the memory shots, but this is a caricature, a hideous travesty of what Aaron remembers.

  40 AARON – EXTREME CLOSEUP

  HOLD on his face. The sudden realization of the death of dreams. The pain. The disbelief. The terrible expression of something ripping inside him, wrenching, dying. HOLD HOLD HOLD on that expression and

  FADE OUT.

  END ACT ONE

  83: 6 NOVEMBER 70

  “THE WHIMPER OF WHIPPED DOGS”

  Part Two

  ACT TWO

  FADE IN:

  41 INT. CHARLES ST. STATION – ON CLAIRE – MORNING

  CLOSEUP on Aaron’s date as she stares at Hallie. In her expression we can see stark disbelief that this fractured creature from the lockup is the beautiful girl Aaron has been raving about.

  CAMERA PULLS BACK to include Yoakum, the Desk Sergeant and Hallie and Aaron as he helps her sign the release sheet.

  DESK SGT.

  Put down your home address, where you work, and the address of your next-of-kin.

  HALLIE

  (speaks for the first time on-camera)

  My sister’s address?

  DESK SGT.

  Is she your next-of-kin?

  HALLIE

  Yes.

  The Desk Sergeant nods. Hallie writes. Aaron copies the information on a piece of paper, beside Hallie. She finishes. She signs, Aaron signs.

  AARON

  Is that it?

  DESK SGT.

  She’s free to go.

  The four of them turn away from the desk and walk forward toward the front door. They stop.

  YOAKUM

  I’ll be in court Monday morning for the arraignment.

  (to Aaron)

  Don’t forget, that’s 8:45 in session two.

  AARON

  She’ll be there. Thanks, Bernie.

  Yoakum squeezes Aaron’s shoulder, then he goes. The three of them are left standing there.

  CLAIRE

  Aaron, I’ve got a nine o’clock class. You probably have some talking to do. I’ll get home okay.

  AARON

  Thank you, Claire.

  CLAIRE

  (to Hallie)

  I hope everything works out all right for you.

  HALLIE

  (wearily)

  Thank you. I’m sorry, I didn’t even get your name.

  CLAIRE

  Claire Zelazny. Take care.

  She smiles at Aaron – a smile tinged with concern – and she hurriedly leaves. Aaron turns to Hallie, who tries to look bright, but can’t carry it off. She’s too wasted.

  AARON

  Hungry?

  Hallie nods.

  AARON

  (continuing)

  Come on, I’ve got a few dollars. We’ll go have some break
fast.

  He starts to move, but she stops him. She looks at him intensely.

  HALLIE

  I didn’t have anyone else to turn to, Aaron. I waited a long time before I called…I didn’t want you to think badly of me…

  AARON

  Let’s go eat.

  They go out the door as we:

  DISSOLVE TO:

  42 EXT. DINER – DAY

  SHOT MOVES IN on a foggy window behind which we can vaguely make out the forms of Hallie and Aaron, sitting across from one another in a booth. VOICES OVER as we MOVE IN.

  AARON (v.o.)

  What happened to you after you dropped out of school?

  HALLIE (v.o.)

  I went to work. A photocopying place. They stayed open all night to make up in volume what they lost charging 4¢ a page to reproduce.

  AARON (v.o.)

  I tried to find you a couple of times.

  HALLIE (v.o.)

  I moved around.

  AARON (v.o.)

  You moved around a lot.

  CAMERA MOVES IN as we:

  DISSOLVE THRU TO:

  43 INT. DINER – DAY

  A funky little eating place. Typical diner. Hallie and Aaron in the booth, eating. Coffee mugs steaming. CAMERA MOVING IN on them with window behind them.

  HALLIE

  I suppose. It wasn’t easy.

  AARON

  Wouldn’t your sister help?

  HALLIE

  (sneering)

  Her? It’s all she can do to stay out of the way of the vice squad. No help there. Ever since Mom died she hasn’t wanted anything to do with me anyhow.

  AARON

  So you worked.

  HALLIE

  And I started dating.

  AARON

  You could’ve asked me, I’d’ve helped.

  HALLIE

  I couldn’t, Aaron. I respected you too much. It would’ve been crummy you seeing me when it was so flakey.

  (beat)

  Anyhow…

  (beat)

  I met Dennis and we started hanging out together. Finally we got married and Dennis took a job as a proofreader for a publishing company. One of those vanity presses, you know, the kind where people who haven’t any talent pay them to publish their book.

  AARON

  I didn’t even know you’d gotten married.

  HALLIE

  It wasn’t much of a marriage. Mostly my fault, I suppose. I always wanted to go to the ballet or some concert – there wasn’t any money. Then I had Vikki, and Dennis took off.

  (beat)

  Aaron…you won’t let them take my baby away

  …will you?

  AARON

  I don’t know, Hallie. We’ll see.

  HALLIE

  Things were just so hard, I didn’t know what to do. My baby, that’s all I care about, honest to god, Aaron.

  AARON

  Tell me about the credit card.

  HALLIE

  It belonged to my girlfriend’s mother. She told me her mother gave it to her so we could rent a car. We were going to New York.

  AARON

  New York? What about your baby?

  HALLIE

  We were going to take her with us. I figured if I made a new scene, in a new town, I could start over and bring Vikki up right. I had a job waiting.

  Aaron is confused. Everything Hallie says seems very logical, but he knows the baby is in custody.

  AARON

  I thought they took the baby to the county home till the hearing?

  HALLIE

  What hearing?

  AARON

  (at sea)

  Weren’t you arrested for desertion? The baby is with the authorities…or am I going crazy?

  HALLIE

  I don’t know what you’re talking about. My baby is with neighbors right now.

  (beat)

  They’re very nice people, next door. They’re watching her while I work.

  AARON

  Don’t they wonder what happened to you…last night?

  HALLIE

  I called them.

  AARON

  I thought you only had one call?

  Hallie gets very upset. She addresses herself to her plate, moving food with a fork. She doesn’t look up as she speaks.

  HALLIE

  I thought you wanted to help me?

  Aaron is confused by all this. It makes no sense.

  AARON

  I do. My god, Hallie, I’ve put up every penny I could scrounge to get you out.

  HALLIE

  (coldly)

  I appreciate that.

  AARON

  I’m only trying to find out what the circumstances are – I’m going to have to defend you.

  HALLIE

  You can always get someone else to do it.

  AARON

  Hallie! What’s wrong with you?

  HALLIE

  Nothing’s wrong with me, Aaron. What’s wrong with you? Why are you third degreeing me like this?

  AARON

  (suddenly)

  What are you using?

  HALLIE

  What?

  AARON

  (intensely)

  Hallie, I sold or hocked everything I own for you. I’m on the hook for fifteen hundred dollars for your bail. You look like hell. I know you’ve been doing some kind of dope. I can’t help you if you don’t get upfront with me!

  Hallie looks at him with gentle sadness.

  HALLIE

  You’ve changed, Aaron. You aren’t like I remember you. You’re very cruel now.

  AARON

  (bewildered)

  Hallie, what are you doing to my head? I can look at you, I can see you…your skin is all rough and broken out, your hair is dead, your ankles are thick from body water…I have eyes to see, Hallie. I know what speed looks like. Why are you lying to me?

  Hallie gets up from the table.

  HALLIE

  I think I’ll walk home now.

  AARON

  (angry)

  I want to talk to you.

  HALLIE

  (as if in a dream)

  The cool morning air will be good for me. I must look really crummy after a night in that place.

  She starts toward the door. Aaron gets up and follows her. She goes right to the door. The WAITRESS behind the cash register calls him.

  WAITRESS

  Sir! Your check!

  Hallie is out the door. Aaron is hung up between the two. He leans out the door and yells.

  AARON

  Arraignment is at 8:45 Monday morning. I’ll meet you outside session two at 8:00.

  (beat)

  Hallie? Eight o’clock!

  But she is gone. He slowly lets the door close, and comes back inside. The Waitress waits. He comes to her, head sunk, obviously still dwelling on Hallie. The Waitress gives him the check, he looks at it, not seeing, then digs all the bills and change out of his pockets. He counts it out and lays it on the counter.

  AARON

  I’m eleven cents short.

  The Waitress looks at him, sees what his face says. She smiles.

  WAITRESS

  That’s okay. Bring it next time.

  AARON

  I don’t have anything for a tip.

  WAITRESS

  Next time.

  He smiles thanks, turns to go, and stops.

  AARON

  It was very good pie.

  HOLD for several beats. Then Aaron goes. HOLD ON the Waitress as she looks after him compassionately.

  DISSOLVE THRU:

  44 INT. NLO – FOYER – DAY

  as Aaron drags in, looking like hell. He goes up the stairs.

  DISSOLVE THRU TO:

  45 INT. AARON’S OFFICE

  Nothing for a moment, then the door opens and Aaron comes in. He throws his coat on a chair and slumps down behind his desk. For a moment, he just stares at nothing, then begins shuffling papers around. The door opens and David Barrett e
nters. Aaron looks up, and his face hardens. He suspects Barrett may be right, and after what he’s just been through with Hallie, he doesn’t want any more static.

  BARRETT

  Got a free minute?

  AARON

  Sure. Just trying to get some of this off the desk.

  BARRETT

  You look whipped.

  AARON

  I’m okay.

  BARRETT

  Last night wasn’t the most pleasant evening I’ve ever spent.