Josh Becker: "Crime After Crime" (page 4 of 4)

EXT. LEONARD WOODWARD'S HOUSE - NIGHT

Leonard Woodward's house is a large, colonial suburban house in Long Island. His beautiful old Mercedes-Benz is parked in the driveway.

INT. STUDY - NIGHT

Woodward sits at his desk with the briefcase full of money before him. A television set is on and a boxing match is playing.

                                                                 WOODWARD
                                                           (To the TV)
                                Come on you bum, keep your right up.

The phone rings and he answers it.

WOODWARD
Hello.

It is Mario Lahserini.

                                                                 LAHSERINI (O.S.)
                                Hello, Leonard. I'm surprised to find you at
                                home.

WOODWARD
Why is that, Mario?

                                                                 LAHSERINI (O.S.)
                                Because I would think you'd already be on your way
                                here to Atlantic City. You only have three hours until
                                your deadline.

                                                                 WOODWARD
                                I'm very aware of that, Mario. I'm booked on the ten
                                o'clock flight.

LAHSERINI (O.S.)
I'll have my men meet you at the airport.

WOODWARD
That's fine. Thank you very much.

LAHSERINI (O.S.)
My pleasure, Leonard.

Woodward hangs up.

There is a knock at the door and Woodward quickly shuts the briefcase. An Oriental BUTLER opens the door.

                                                                 BUTLER
                                Excuse me, Mr. Woodward, but there is a man
                                to see you.

                                                                 WOODWARD
                                                           (Annoyed)
                                At this hour. Show him in.

Lt. Tobias steps into the room.

TOBIAS
Leonard Woodward?

WOODWARD
Yes. What can I do for you?

Tobias flashes his badge.

TOBIAS
Lt. Tobias, New York Police Department.

Woodward looks a little tense, but hides it.

WOODWARD
What can I do for you, Lieutenant?

                                                                 TOBIAS
                                I'm sorry to have to inform you of this, but
                                your bank has been robbed of two million
                                dollars.

Woodward looks stricken with grief.

                                                                 WOODWARD
                                Oh my God! This is terrible! Have you apprehended
                                the robber... or robbers?

TOBIAS
No, we haven't.

Now Woodward is truly panicked.

WOODWARD
You haven't?

TOBIAS
No.

WOODWARD
Do you have any clues?

                                                                 TOBIAS
                                We received an anonymous phone call tipping
                                us off as to the two robbers whereabouts, but
                                they escaped. Also, we found the sacks of money
                                in the road and they were filled with cut newspaper.

WOODWARD
And what do you make of that, Lieutenant?

                                                                 TOBIAS
                                It makes me suspect that there is a third person
                                involved.

WOODWARD
A third person?

                                                                 TOBIAS
                                That's how it looks to me. I'm sorry to have had
                                to give you this bad news, but don't worry. We'll
                                catch them. Goodnight.

                                                                 WOODWARD
                                                           (Flatly)
                                Goodnight.

Tobias leaves.

Woodward stands frozen for a moment, then pounces on the telephone. He dials quickly.

                                                                 WOODWARD
                                                           (Into phone)
                                Hello, TWA. This is Leonard Woodward. I'd like
                                to change my ten o'clock reservation to Atlantic
                                City. What's the next flight you have going to the
                                furthest place? ...Tahiti at ten-ten? Book me.

Woodward puts on his coat, takes the briefcase and leaves the study.

INT. FOYER - NIGHT

As Woodward crosses the foyer toward the front door, the doorbell rings.

WOODWARD
Now what?

Woodward opens the door and finds reporters with cameras, lights and microphones pointed at him. Woodward looks horrified.

WOODWARD
Oh, shit!

INT. THE LAST CHANCE BAR & GRILL - NIGHT

Ray and Frank enter the dark bar and find Mickey sitting at his regular table.

MICKEY
Fellas, it's good to see ya. How'd it go?

                                                                 FRANK
                                It was a big scam. The cops were waiting for
                                us and it was fake money. What the hell's the
                                deal?

Ray and Frank step toward Mickey with their fists clenched. Mickey looks at them helplessly.

MICKEY
Fellas, please, I had nothin' to do with it. I swear.

RAY
Then who did?

Mickey shakes his head.

                                                                 MICKEY
                                He never told me his name. I just talked to him
                                on the phone. I'd help ya I swear, but I don't
                                know a thing.

FRANK
Thanks, Mick. Thanks a lot.

                                                                 MICKEY
                                Look, I'm sorry. Have a couple a beers, on
                                me.

Mickey yells over to the bartender.

MICKEY
Two beers for my friends. On me.

Frank and Ray go to the bar and are given two beers in tiny shot glasses.

                                                                 MICKEY
                                                           (Smiles)
                                Enjoy.

FRANK
What are we gonna do now?

RAY
Order bigger beers?

On the TV over the bar a news report is on. It is about the armored car robbery. Ray and Frank both pay close attention.

                                                                 NEWSCASTER
                                                           (On TV)
                                Our mini-cam is standing by live at the home
                                of bank president, Leonard Woodward.

We see Leonard Woodward standing in a doorway with microphones in his face.

REPORTER (O.S.)
How much money was stolen, Mr. Woodward?

WOODWARD
I was informed that it was two million dollars.

                                                                 REPORTER (O.S.)
                                What do you think about the theory that there was
                                an inside man involved?

                                                                 WOODWARD
                                                           (Stuttering)
                                T-t-that's still open to conjecture...

Ray and Frank look at each other.

Mickey steps up to Ray and Frank.

MICKEY
I just remembered something.

FRANK
What's that?

                                                                 MICKEY
                                The guy that set you up. I got his voice on the
                                answering machine.

RAY
Really?

MICKEY
I think so, if it didn't get erased.

Mickey steps over to the answering machine at the end of the bar. He rewinds the tape and hits "play."

MICKEY'S VOICE
Last Chance Bar & Grill.

WOODWARD'S VOICE
To whom am I speaking?

                                                                 MICKEY'S VOICE
                                This is Mickey. Hold on, the damn answering
                                machine went on...

The tape is turned off.

Leonard Woodward is still being interviewed on the TV set. At that moment another reporter shoves his microphone past the others into Woodward's face.

                                                                 OTHER REPORTER
                                Mr. Woodward? Isn't it true that your are divorced
                                with two children, but do not pay alimony or child
                                support?

Woodward looks furious.

WOODWARD
To whom am I speaking?

Frank and Ray are both struck at the same time.

RAY
It's him!

FRANK
It sure is.

They all look back up at the TV set.

Woodward is still on the screen.

                                                                 WOODWARD
                                ...If you'll excuse me, I have a flight to catch. For
                                business. Important bank business.

Woodward walks past all of the reporters to his brown Mercedes-Benz and drives away. The camera pans back to the reporter with the microphone.

                                                                 REPORTER
                                That was Leonard Woodward, president of the
                                First International Bank of New York...

Ray and Frank look at each other with fire in their eyes.

RAY
Let's go burn this Woodward guy bad!

Frank goes over to the pay phone and pulls out the phone book. He looks up Leonard Woodward.

FRANK
He's got a long drive to the airport. I've got an idea.

DISSOLVE:

EXT. FREEWAY - NIGHT

Leonard Woodward drives up the freeway in his old Mercedes Benz. On the seat beside him is a plane ticket to Atlantic City. He looks up and sees a sign that reads, "TO AIRPORT."

The Road is under construction and traffic is being funneled down to one lane. Workmen with hardhats and orange jumpsuits work on the roads and flashing yellow lights blink on sawhorses.

Then the one lane is forced off of the freeway and onto a secondary two-lane road.

EXT. TWO-LANE - NIGHT

Woodward looks at the clock on the dashboard. It is 8:36.

WOODWARD
Come on with this...

In the road ahead a workman is standing beside a sawhorse. A flashing arrow forces Woodward's car off to the right onto an even smaller road.

                                                                 WOODWARD
                                                           (Pissed)
                                Now what?

EXT. DARK ROAD - NIGHT

Woodward drives up a dark deserted road when suddenly someone leaps in front of his car and he plows right into them.

Woodward swerves the car and screeches to a halt, his forehead slamming into the steering wheel. He lifts his head up and blood is trickling across his forehead. He quickly gets out of the car holding his briefcase.

Woodward runs into the road and sees an inert body lying in there. He steps up taking a closer look and sees that it is Richard Nixon.

Woodward is shocked.

He looks even closer and realizes that it is a dummy.

He looks up and standing before him is Frank, wearing an orange jumpsuit and hardhat. Ray steps up beside him.

FRANK
Hello, Mr. Woodward.

Woodward's eyes narrow.

WOODWARD
To whom am I speaking?

                                                                 FRANK
                                We're the guys that did that armored car heist
                                for you.

RAY
You know, the ones you double-crossed.

WOODWARD
I don't remember that at all.

FRANK
Maybe we can jog your memory for you.

Frank and Ray begin to move in on Woodward in a menacing way. Woodward looks from one to the other in fear.

Ray lowers his arm with a quick move and a sharp tool slides out of his sleeve and into his hand. Woodward sees this and gasps.

                                                                 WOODWARD
                                                           (Fearful)
                                No...

Ray raises the tool menacingly. He reaches out with his other hand, grabs the Mercedes hood ornament and snips it off. Ray has the hood ornament on the end of his finger and swings it around in Woodward's face.

RAY
What are you gonna do about it?

Woodward becomes furious.

WOODWARD
You little punk, that's a mint 1950 Mercedes.

RAY
Not anymore.

Suddenly Woodward hauls off and smashes Ray in the face with the heavy steel briefcase. Ray is knocked unconscious to the ground.

Frank is furious.

Woodward looks at Frank and smiles.

                                                                 WOODWARD
                                I hardly recognized you in your jumpsuit -- it's
                                "Iron-Fists Ryan." The quitter. And what, per
                                chance, are you going to do to me, Mr. Quitter?

Frank takes a step toward him and Woodward pulls a gun out of his pocket. He sticks it right into Frank's face.

Ray begins to moan. Woodward quickly turns and kicks Ray in the face, the gun still aimed at Frank.

Woodward turns back to Frank and pushes him in the chest with the briefcase.

                                                                 WOODWARD
                                You think you can mess with a man of my caliber?
                                Ha! You're nothing but a sniveling little piece of
                                shit!

Frank takes this and does nothing. Woodwood pushes him again with the briefcase.

                                                                 WOODWARD
                                You know, I happen to be an avid boxing fan. I
                                saw quite a few of your fights.

He pushes Frank again.

                                                                 WOODWARD
                                I also happen to know Terry O'Neil's manager.
                                What you didn't realize at the time was that O'Neil
                                had a brain tumor.

                                                                 FRANK
                                                           (Shocked)
                                What?

Woodward pushes him again.

                                                                 WOODWARD
                                My Grandmother could have punched O'Neil and
                                crippled him. You took the rap for O'Neil and now
                                you're going to take the rap for me.

Frank's eyebrow twitches, the veins throb on his temples and his hands ball up into fists.

Ray sits up in the background and rubs his bloody head.

RAY
Give it to him, Frank.

Frank turns to his right and points.

FRANK
Cops.

Woodward turns and Frank lets him have it with a right hook to the jaw. Woodward drops both the gun and the briefcase.

Frank's eyes light up. Standing in the glare of the headlights, Frank comes bobbing and weaving forward -- the fight is on.

Frank lets Woodward have it with everything he's got -- uppercuts, haymakers, jabs, hooks. What's amazing is that Woodward keeps standing.

Ray watches as Frank devastates Woodward. Ray is totally impressed.

                                                                 RAY
                                                           (Enthusiastically)
                                Yeah!

Woodward is stumbling around like a zombie and Frank gives him the final mighty punch that sends him flying over to the Mercedes. He lands on the hood, almost unconscious.

Ray reaches into his pocket and pulls out his set of car keys. He holds them in Woodward's face.

RAY
Suck on this!

Ray takes a key and runs it across the immaculate finish of Woodward's car scratching a deep line.

                                                                 WOODWARD
                                                           (In pain)
                                Original paint...

Woodward's eyes cross and he passes out.

Frank picks up Woodward's body and puts him in the driver's seat of the Mercedes.

Frank then picks up the briefcase. Ray stumbles over.

FRANK
Are you all right, kid?

                                                                 RAY
                                Yeah. Great fight. I thought you said you
                                didn't fight anymore?

FRANK
Well I'm back and better than ever.

Frank opens the briefcase and they see the money. They are both overwhelmed by the vast amount of cash.

RAY
Oh, wow!

                                                                 FRANK
                                Two million dollars. The real McCoy. Let's get
                                outta here while the gettin's good.

Frank slams the briefcase shut revealing Lt. Tobias!

TOBIAS
Hello, boys.

FRANK
Who're you?

Tobias flashes his badge.

TOBIAS
New York Police Department.

Frank and Ray both groan.

                                                                 TOBIAS
                                I really appreciate you stopping this felon and
                                retrieving the stolen money.

Tobias reaches out and takes the briefcase. Frank just let's it go.

Lt. Tobias goes back to his car and picks up the microphone to the police radio. He keys the mike.

                                                                 TOBIAS
                                                           (Into microphone)
                                Officer requests assistance on Route 36 at
                                Jefferson. And send an ambulance.

Tobias turns back to Ray and Frank who are helplessly standing there.

RAY
We didn't do anything.

                                                                 TOBIAS
                                Oh, now, don't kid me. You two did the armored
                                car heist.

FRANK
Where's your proof?

Tobias points at Ray's truck.

                                                                 TOBIAS
                                It's stupid to keep driving that truck around. It
                                was identified.

Ray and Frank look even more forlorn. The sound of sirens can be heard approaching.

                                                                 TOBIAS
                                Look, I know that Mr. Woodward here is the
                                one that really stole the money. You two were
                                just dupes. That, however, doesn't exonerate
                                you from having robbed the armored car. Today
                                just happens to be your lucky day. Just get into
                                your truck and leave and we'll forget the whole
                                thing.

Ray and Frank are really shocked.

RAY
Really?

                                                                 TOBIAS
                                This offer lasts exactly one more minute. Then
                                you're looking at five to ten years.

Frank and Ray can't believe their luck. They quickly run to the truck and get in.

INT. RAY'S TRUCK - NIGHT

Ray quickly starts the engine and drives away. Frank has a skeptical look on his face.

FRANK
Wait a minute.

RAY
What?

FRANK
That's two million dollars back there.

RAY
So?

FRANK
So, there's only one of him and there's two of us.

RAY
Frank, that guy's a cop.

FRANK
So what? We're talkin' about two million dollars.

RAY
Well, I'm not beating up any cops.

                                                                 FRANK
                                Take my word for it, kid, we're never gonna get
                                a chance at two million bucks again.

RAY
Then we won't. I'm not beating up a cop.

FRANK
Look, are you a criminal or not?

RAY
If that's the case then I guess I'm not.

Ray looks in the rearview mirror and sees police cars approaching the area they just left.

RAY
Besides, it's too late now anyway.

Frank looks back and also sees this.

                                                                 FRANK
                                                           (Exasperated)
                                Two million bucks, shot! Let me off here.

                                                                 RAY
                                What are you talking about? This is the middle
                                of nowhere.

                                                                 FRANK
                                If I never see you again it'll be too soon! Let
                                me off.

RAY
Well, if you're gonna be that way about it.

Ray pulls over.

Frank gets out of the truck and slams the door. Ray's rearview mirror drops off.

Ray floors it and leaves Frank in a cloud of burnt rubber smoke.

EXT. DARK DESERTED ROAD - NIGHT

Frank begins walking up the dark deserted road.

Frank looks up the road and the only thing around is a 7-11 Store.

FRANK
At least that 7-11's still open.

Just then the lights at the 7-11 blink off. Now there is nothing around at all, just darkness.

                                                                 FRANK
                                                           (Exasperated)
                                Terrific!

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. NOVELLA'S BEAUTY SALON - DAY

Frank pulls up in front of Novella's Beauty Salon in his car. He goes inside.

INT. NOVELLA'S BEAUTY SALON - DAY

Frank comes in. Irene sees him and walks over.

IRENE
Hi, Frank. Right on time.

Frank takes an envelope out of his pocket.

FRANK
I've got the money.

He counts out two thousand dollars and hands it to her.

IRENE
But you already gave me six hundred.

FRANK
Call it late charges.

IRENE
I guess you must've pulled off a big one.

Frank shakes his head.

                                                                 FRANK
                                Nope. I let the big one go by. I'm giving up
                                crime, Irene. I'm going straight.

                                                                 IRENE
                                                           (Surprised)
                                Really? What happened?

FRANK