BASIC INSTINCT by Joe Eszterhas BASIC INSTINCT INT. A BEDROOM - NIGHT It is dark; we don't see clearly. a man and woman make love on a brass bed. There are mirrors on the walls and ceiling. On a side table, atop a small mirror, lines of cocaine. A tape deck PLAYS the Stones: "Sympathy for the Devil." Atop him... she straddles his chest... her breasts in his face. He cups her breasts. She leans down, kisses him... JOHNNY BOZ is in his late 40's, slim, good-looking. We don't see the woman's face. She has long blonde hair. The CAMERA STAYS BEHIND and to the side of them. She leans close over his face, her tongue in his mouth... she kisses him... she moves her hands up, holds both of his arms above his head. She moves higher atop him... she reaches to the side of the bed... a white silk scarf is in her hand... her hips above his face now, moving... slightly, oh-so slightly... his face strains towards her. The scarf in her hand... she ties his hands with it... gently... to the brass bed... his eyes are closed... tighter... lowering hips into his face... lower... over his chest... his navel. The SONG plays. He is inside her... his head arches back... his throat white. She arches her back... her hips grind... her breasts are high... Her back arches back... back... her head tilts back... she extends her arms... the right arm comes down suddenly... the steel flashes... his throat is white... He bucks, writhes, bucks, convulses... It flashes up... it flashes down... and up... and down... and up... and... EXT. A BROWNSTONE IN PACIFIC HEIGHTS - MORNING Winter in San Francisco: cold, foggy. Cop cars everywhere. The lights play through the thick fog. Two Homicide detectives get out of the car, walk into the house. 2. NICK CURRAN is 42. Trim, good-looking, a nice suit: a face urban, edged, shadowed. GUS MORAN is 64. Crew-cut, silver beard, a suit rumpled and shiny, a hat out of the 50's: a face worn and ruined: the face of a backwoods philosopher. INT. THE BROWNSTONE There's money here -- deco, clean, hip -- That looks like a Picasso on the wall. They check it out. GUS Who was this fuckin' guy? NICK Rock and roll, Gus. Johnny Boz. GUS I never heard of him. NICK (grins) Before your time, pop. (a beat) Mid-sixties. Five or six hits. He's got a club down in the Fillmore now. GUS Not now he don't. Past the uniformed guys... nods... waves... past the forensic men... past the coroner's investigators... they get to the bedroom. INT. THE BEDROOM They walk in, stare -- it's messy. It's like a convention in here. LT. PHIL WALKER, in his 50's, silver-haired, the Homicide guys: JIM HARRIGAN, late 40's, puffy, affable; SAM ANDREWS, 30's, black. A CORONER'S MAN is working the bed. LT. WALKER (to Nick and Gus) You guys know Captain Talcott? They nod. GUS What's the Chief's office doin' here. CAPT. TALCOTT Observing. 3. LT. WALKER (to the Coroner's Guy) What do you think, Doc? THE CORONER'S GUY The skin blanches when I press it -- this kind of color is about right for six or eight hours. LT. WALKER Nobody say anything. The maid came in an hour ago and found him. She's not a live-in. GUS Maybe the maid did it. LT. WALKER She's 54 years old and weighs 240 pounds. THE CORONER'S GUY (deadpan) There are no bruises on his body. GUS (grins) It ain't the maid. LT. WALKER He left the club with his girlfriend about midnight. That's the last time anybody saw him. NICK (looks at body) What was it? THE CORONER'S GUY Ice pick. Left on the coffee table in the living room. Thin steel handle. Forensics took it downtown. HARRIGAN There's come all over the sheets -- he got off before he got offed. GUS (deadpan) That rules the maid out for sure. CAPT. TALCOTT This is sensitive. Mr. Boz was a major contributor to the mayor's campaign. He was Chairman of the Board of the Palace of Fine Arts -- 4. GUS (to Nick) I thought you said he was a rock and roll star. LT. WALKER He was a retired rock and roll star. CAPT. TALCOTT A civic-minded, very respectable rock and roll star. GUS What's that over there? We see the white powder laid out in lines on the small mirror on the side table. NICK (deadpan) It looks like some civic-minded, very respectable cocaine to me, Gus. CAPT. TALCOTT (evenly, to Nick) Listen to me, Curran. I'm going to get a lot of heat on this. I don't want any... mistakes. Nick and Talcott look at each other a beat, then -- NICK Who's the girlfriend? Lt. Walker looks at the notepad in his hand. LT. WALKER Catherine Tramell, 162 Divisadero. Nick writes it down. He and Gus turn, leave. Captain Talcott watches them. He looks disturbed. INT. THE LIVING ROOM as they head out -- NICK Talcott doesn't usually show up at the office 'till after his 18 holes. What are they nervous about? GUS They're executives. They're nervous about everything. 5. LT. WALKER (O.S.) Nick! He stops, turns, sees Walker behind them. Walker comes up to them. LT. WALKER (to Nick) Keep your three o'clock. NICK Do you want me to work the case, Phil, or do you want me to -- LT. WALKER I said keep it. EXT. A VICTORIAN ON DIVISADERO - DAY It is more a mansion than a house. They ring the bell. An Hispanic MAID answers. They flash their badges. NICK I'm Detective Curran, this is Detective Moran. We're with the San Francisco Police Department. We'd like to speak to Ms. Catherine Tramell. THE MAID (after a beat, an accent) Just moment. Come in. She leads them into a lavish, beautifully done living room that offers a sweeping view of the Bay. THE MAID (continuing) Sit, please. Just moment. They look around, impressed. There is a Picasso on the wall here, too. GUS Ain't that cute? They got his and her Pig-assos, son. NICK (smiles) I didn't know you knew who Picasso was, Gus. 6. GUS (grins) I'm a smart sonofabitch. I just hide it. Nick smiles -- and at that moment a beautiful BLONDE walks into the room. She looks like she has been asleep. She is in her early 20's. She wears a very sheer robe. NICK We're sorry to disturb you, we'd like to ask you some -- THE WOMAN Are you vice? GUS (after a beat) Homicide. THE WOMAN What do you want? THE WOMAN (continuing) Is he dead? NICK (after a beat) Why do you think he's dead? THE WOMAN You wouldn't be here otherwise, would you? GUS Were you with him last night? THE WOMAN You're looking for Catherine, not me. NICK Who are you? THE WOMAN I'm Roxy. (a beat) I'm her -- friend. She looks at them a beat. 7. ROXY She's out at the beach house at Stinson. Seadrift. 1402. NICK Thanks. They start to head out. ROXY You're wasting your time. Catherine didn't kill him. A beat, they look at her, and go... EXT. SEADRIFT - STINSON BEACH - DAY Foggy. Cold. It is an expensive spit of land on the ocean. Multi-million dollar "beach houses" with gardens and swimming pools. There are two Ferraris in the driveway -- one black, one white. They get out of the car in front of the house. They see a woman in back of the house, sitting on a deck chair, staring at the sea, a blanket around her. As they get to her -- NICK Ms. Tramell? She takes a long look a Nick, then looks away. CATHERINE TRAMELL is 30 years old. She has long blonde hair and a refined, classically beautiful face. She is not knockout gorgeous like Roxy; there is a smoky kind of sensuousness about her. NICK (continuing) I'm De-- CATHERINE (evenly) I know who you are. She doesn't look at them. She looks at the water. CATHERINE (continuing) How did he die? GUS He was murdered. CATHERINE Really. Maybe that's why you're from Homicide. How? Nick glances at Gus. 8. NICK With an ice pick. She closes her eyes a beat and then, still staring out, we see a thin smile. They see it, too, and glance at each other. NICK (continuing) How long were you dating him? CATHERINE I wasn't dating him. I was fucking him. They glance at each other again. GUS What are you -- a pro? Catherine looks at him -- that thin smile again. CATHERINE No. I'm an amateur. She looks away. NICK How long were you having sex with him? CATHERINE About a year and a half. NICK Were you with him last night? CATHERINE Yes. NICK Did you leave the club with him? CATHERINE Yes. NICK Did you go home with him? CATHERINE No. We had a drink at the club. We left together. I came here. He went home. NICK Was there anyone with you last night? 9. CATHERINE (looks at Nick) No. I wasn't in the mood to have sex with anyone last night. They look at her a beat. NICK Let me ask you something, Ms. Tramell? Are you sorry he's dead? Catherine looks at him. CATHERINE Yes. I liked fucking him. They stare at her. She looks out at the water. CATHERINE (continuing) I don't really feel like talking anymore. GUS listen, lady, we can do this downtown if you -- CATHERINE Read me my rights and arrest me and I'll go downtown. She doesn't even look at them. CATHERINE (continuing; quietly) Otherwise, get the fuck out of here. Please. A long beat as they look at her. INT. A CORRIDOR - POLICE HEADQUARTERS The door says: Dr. Elizabeth Gardner, Counseling. Nick opens the door, peeks in. The receptionist is not there. A clock says 3:15. INT. THE COUNSELING OFFICE He walks in -- sees the inner door open, walks in. NICK I'm sorry, Beth. I -- I got hung up in Stinson. 10. DR. ELIZABETH GARDNER, the police psychologist, is a very good-looking, dark-haired woman. She is 30. BETH (smiles) How are you, Nick? NICK I'm fine. Come on, Beth! You know I'm fine! How the hell long do I have to keep doing this? BETH As long as Internal Affairs wants you to, I suppose. Sit down, Nick. NICK It's bullshit. You know it is. BETH (smiles) I know it is -- but sit down anyway so we can get it over with, okay? He sits down. BETH (continuing) So -- how are things? NICK (after a beat) Things are fine. I told you. They're fine. She watches him closely. BETH (after a beat) How is your -- personal life? NICK My sex life is fine. (a beat) My sex life is pretty shitty actually since I stopped seeing you -- maybe I should think about my Electrolux again. That embarrassed her; she looks away from him. NICK (continuing; after a beat) Sorry. She shrugs. A beat. 11. BETH How about the booze? NICK It's been three months. BETH (after a long beat) How about the coke? NICK No. BETH No? NICK (hard) No! I'm working my tail off. I'm off the sauce, I'm not even smoking anymore. She smiles. BETH How's not smoking? NICK It's fucked -- now will you please tell I.A. that I'm just you average healthy totally fucked-up cop and let me get out of here? BETH (after a beat; smiles) Yes. NICK Thank you. And he starts heading out. BETH (behind him) I still miss you, Nick. He doesn't even turn, pretends he didn't hear. INT. THE DETECTIVE BUREAU He walks in. Gus Moran gets up from his desk as soon as he sees him. GUS Talcott's in there. They're waiting. They start heading for Lt. Walker's office. 12. GUS (continuing) How'd it go, son? NICK She misses me. GUS (grins) Hallelujah. INT. LT. WALKER'S OFFICE He and Gus sit there with Lt. Walker, Harrigan, Andrews and Captain Talcott. HARRIGAN Sixteen stab wounds to the chest and neck. No usable prints, no forcible entry, nothing missing. No prints on the ice pick, either -- it's available at any Safeway. The scarf is Hermes, expensive -- they sell about 20,000 a year worldwide. ANDREWS The powder was cocaine, high- quality, high-content. He inhaled it; there were minute quantities on his lips and penis. Mr. Boz leaves five million dollars, no insurance, no direct survivors. He liked his coke, he liked his girls, and he liked rock and roll. NICK He liked the mayor, too, right? Talcott gives him a look. GUS What about his girlfriend? TALCOTT Is she relevant here? I didn't know she was a suspect. LT. WALKER She's a suspect. TALCOTT On what basis? LT. WALKER (looks a notes) Catherine Tramell. Age 30. 13. LT. WALKER (continuing) No priors, no convictions. Double major, magnum cum laude, Berkeley, 1980. Literature and Psychology. Daughter, sole survivor -- Marvin and Elaine Tramell, killed in a boating accident, 1978, Catherine Tramell sole heir. Estimated assets: $110 million. It hangs there. NICK Are you kidding me? LT. WALKER (continues) Formerly engaged to Roberto Vasquez, deceased -- ANDREWS Bobby Vasquez? LT. WALKER Bobby Vasquez, former middleweight contender, killed in the ring Atlantic City, 1984. NICK (smiles) I love it. She's got a hundred million bucks. She fucks fighters and rock and roll stars. And she's got a degree in screwing with peoples' heads. LT. WALKER You forgot her degree in literature. She's a writer. She published a novel last year under a pen name. Do you want to know what it's about? They just stare at him. LT. WALKER (continuing) It's about a retired rock and roll star who is murdered by his girlfriend. It hangs there a long beat. INT. NICK'S APARTMENT - NIGHT His apartment is very bare -- very few things -- with wide open spaces. There is a lot of chrome. 14. He sits on the couch, reading a book. It is a paperback. We see the title -- Love Hurts, by Catherine Adams. He puts the book down a beat, then picks the phone up, dials. NICK Page 67, pop. Do you know how she does the boyfriend? With an icepick, in bed, his hands tied with a white silk scarf. INT. A POLICE DEPARTMENT CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY Nick, Gus, Lt. Walker, Harrigan, Andrews, Captain Talcott -- and Beth Gardner. With them is an older, white-haired man, DR. ANDREW LAMOTT. There are copies of "Love Hurts" around the table. LT. WALKER Dr. Gardner? BETH I've asked Dr. Lamott to consult with us. This isn't really my turf. Dr. Lamott teaches the psycho-pathology of psychopathic behavior at Stanford and is also a member of the Justice Department's Psychological Profile team. Dr. Lamott? DR. LAMOTT There are two possibilities. One: The person who wrote this book is your murderer and acted out the killing described in ritualistic, literal detail. Two: Someone who wants to do the person who wrote this book harm read the book and enacted the killing described to incriminate the writer. NICK (after a long beat) What if the writer did it? What are we dealing with? DR. LAMOTT You're dealing with a devious, diabolical mind. This book must have been written at least six months, maybe years before it was published. That means the writer planned the crime, at least in the subconscious, back then. 15. DR. LAMOTT (continuing) The fact that the writer carried it out indicates psychopathic obsessive behavior in terms not only of the killing itself but in terms of applied advance defense mechanism. A long beat. GUS Most times I can't tell shit from shinola, Doc. What was all that you just said? Some grins, titters. BETH She anticipates the book to be her best alibi. DR. LAMOTT Correct. BETH She's going to say: Do you think I'd be dumb enough to kill anyone in the exact way I've described in my book? I wouldn't do that because I'd know I'd be a suspect. A long beat -- as they think about it. NICK What if it's not the writer? What if it's someone who read the book? DR. LAMOTT You're dealing then with someone so obsessed that he or she is willing to kill an irrelevant and innocent victim to place the blame on the person who wrote this book. We are talking about deep-seated, obsessional hatred; an utter lack of sense of proportion or perspective. GUS We've got a top-of-the-line, once- in-a-lifetime loony-tune either way you cut it -- that's what you're saying, right, Doc? DR. LAMOTT You're dealing with someone very dangerous and very ill. 16. INT. THE PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE - DAY PROSECUTOR JOHN CORRIGAN, a big man in his 50's, with Captain Talcott, Lt. Walker, Nick, and Gus. Corrigan is reading a file. He gets up, yawns, goes to his window, looks out. CORRIGAN Come on, you know there's no case here. There's no physical evidence -- okay, she doesn't have an alibi: but there's no motive. Her defense would just beat us to death with the copycat thing. Anybody who read the book could have done it. A long beat; no one says anything. NICK So what do we do -- nothing? LT. WALKER (after a beat) We bring her in for questioning. TALCOTT She's got enough money to burn this whole department down. LT. WALKER She was the last person seen with the guy -- I'll take the responsibility. TALCOTT It's yours. CORRIGAN It won't do any good. She'll come in with Lee Bailey and Mel Belli trailing behind her on a solid gold chain from Tiffanys. TALCOTT Yes she will. NICK (after a beat) No she won't. They look at him. 17. NICK (continuing; smiles) I don't think she's going to hide behind anybody. I don't think she's going to hide at all. TALCOTT (after a beat) I think you're as crazy as she probably is, Curran. Nicks says nothing. GUS You know what they say: It takes one to know one. Nick looks a Gus, grins. EXT. HER HOUSE IN STINSON - DAY They walk from the car to the door of the big beach house. They ring the bell. They hear typing inside. The typing stops. She comes to the door in jeans and a tight-fitting sweatshirt. NICK Ms. Tramell, we'd like you to come downtown and answer some questions for us. CATHERINE Are you arresting me? NICK If that's the way you want to play it. They look at each other a beat. CATHERINE (smiles) Can I change into something more appropriate? It'll just take a minute. He nods. CATHERINE (continuing) Come in. INT. THE HOUSE It is beautifully done in a Santa Fe motif. She goes to a bedroom of the living room. 18. Nick sits down on a couch facing the bedroom she's walked into. Gus sits across from him, his back to the bedroom. There is a coffee table between them. She leaves the bedroom door halfway open. An old newspaper is on the coffee table them. Nick reaches for it. The headline says: VICE COP CLEARED IN TOURIST SHOOTINGS. A headline underneath says: GRAND JURY SAYS SHOOTINGS ACCIDENTAL. There is a photograph of Nick. He stares at the paper. CATHERINE (O.S.) How long will this take? Nick puts the paper down on the coffee table. He is lost in his thoughts. Gus picks the paper up. NICK (looks up) I don't know. Nick, facing the half open bedroom door, sees a mirror near the wall of the bedroom. The mirror reflects her in the other corner of the bedroom. She is taking her clothes off. He stares. She strips down. He sees her back. She has a beautiful body. Naked, she puts a dress on. She doesn't put any underwear on. NICK (continuing) Do you always keep old newspapers around? CATHERINE (O.S.) Only when they make interesting reading. And she is suddenly out of the bedroom. She stands there, smiles. They look at each other a long beat. CATHERINE (finally) I'm ready. They get up, head out. GUS You have the right to an attorney. CATHERINE Why would I need an attorney? INT. THE CAR - DAY They sit in the front; she is in the back. The car goes over the winding, two-lane Mt. Tamalpais road. 19. The fog is heavy. It's starting to rain. We see the beach far below. CATHERINE Do you have a cigarette? NICK I don't smoke. CATHERINE Yes you do. NICK I quit. She smiles, looks at him. A beat, and he turns away. Another beat, and she lights a cigarette up. NICK (continuing) I thought you were out of cigarettes. CATHERINE I found some in my purse; would you like one? He turns back to her. NICK I told you -- I quit. CATHERINE It won't last. A beat, as she looks at him, and then he turns away. GUS You workin' on another book? CATHERINE Yes I am. GUS It must really be somehtin' -- makin' stuff up all the time. He watches her in the rearview mirror. CATHERINE It teaches you to lie. GUS How's that? 20. CATHERINE You make it up, but it has to be believable. They call it suspension of disbelief. GUS I like that. "Suspension of Disbelief." He smiles at her in the mirror. NICK What's your new book about? CATHERINE A detective. He falls for the wrong woman. He turns back to her. NICK What happens to him? She looks right into his eye. CATHERINE She kills him. A beat, as they look at each other, and then he turns away from her. Gus watcher her in the rearview mirror. INT. A POLICE INTERROGATION ROOM - DAY It is large, fluorescent-lighted, antiseptic. She walks in with Nick and Gus. In the room are prosecutor John Corrigan, Lt. Walker, Captain Talcott, Harrigan, and Andrews. There is a police stenographer: a plain young woman in her 20's. As soon as she comes in -- CORRIGAN I'm John Corrigan. I'm an assistant district attorney, Ms. Tramell. Can we get you anything? Would you like some coffee? CATHERINE No thank you. TALCOTT Are your attorneys -- NICK (hiding a smile) Ms. Tramell waived her right to an attorney. 21. Corrigan and Talcott glance at Nick. She sees the look. CATHERINE (smiles) Did I miss something? NICK I told them you wouldn't want an attorney present. LT. WALKER Why have you waived your right to an attorney, Ms. Tramell? CATHERINE (to Nick) Why did you think I wouldn't want one? NICK I told them you wouldn't want to hide. CATHERINE I have nothing to hide. The two of them keep their eyes on each other. She sits down. They sit around her. Nick sits directly across from her. She lights up a cigarette. They watch her. She is poised, cool, in complete command of herself. CORRIGAN There is no smoking in this building, Ms. Tramell. CATHERINE What are you going to do? Charge me with smoking? Ever so casually, she blows her smoke across at Nick. DISSOLVE TO: INT. THE INTERROGATION ROOM - LATER CORRIGAN Would you tell us the nature of your relationship with Mr. Boz? CATHERINE I had sex with him for about a year and a half. I liked having sex with him. 22. She has control of the room: she looks from one man to the other as she speaks. CATHERINE (continuing) He wasn't afraid of experimenting. I like men like that. I like men who give me pleasure. He gave me a lot of pleasure. A beat, as they watch her. She is so matter-of-fact. CORRIGAN Did you ever engage in sado- masochistic activity with him? CATHERINE (smiles) Exactly what do you have in mind, Mr. Corrigan. CORRIGAN (after a beat, little flustered) Did you ever tie him up? CATHERINE No. ANDREWS You never tied him up. CATHERINE No. Johnny liked to use his hands too much. I like hands and fingers. They stare at her. DISSOLVE TO: INT. THE INTERROGATION ROOM - LATER LT. WALKER You describe a white silk scarf in your book. CATHERINE I've always had a fondness for white silk scarves. (she smiles) I have a very vivid imagination. NICK But you said you liked men to use their hands. 23. CATHERINE No. I said I liked Johnny to use his hands. (she smiles) I don't give any rules, Nick. I go with the flow. They have their eyes on each other. DISSOLVE TO: INT. THE INTERROGATION ROOM - LATER CORRIGAN Did you kill Mr. Boz, Ms. Tramell? CATHERINE I'd have to be pretty stupid to write a book about a killing and then kill him the way I described in my book. I'd be announcing myself as the killer. I'm not stupid. She smiles. TALCOTT We know you're not stupid, Ms. Tramell. LT. WALKER Maybe that's what you're counting on to get you off the hook. NICK Writing a book about it gives you an alibi for not killing him. CATHERINE Yes it does, doesn't it? She holds his eyes a second, then -- CATHERINE (continuing) The answer is no. I didn't kill him. DISSOLVE TO: INT. THE INTERROGATION ROOM - LATER GUS Do you use drugs, Ms. Tramell? CATHERINE sometimes. 24. HARRIGAN Did you ever do drugs with Mr. Boz? CATHERINE Sure. GUS What kind of drugs? CATHERINE Cocaine. She looks directly at Nick. CATHERINE (continuing) Have you ever fucked on cocaine? (she smiles) It's nice. He watches her. DISSOLVE TO: INT. THE INTERROGATION ROOM - LATER NICK You like playing games, don't you? CATHERINE (smiles) I've got a degree in psych. It goes with the turf. Games are fun. They are holding each other's eyes. NICK How about boxing? That's a game. Was that fun for you? They don't take their eyes off each other for a second. TALCOTT I think that's irrelevant to this inquiry. CATHERINE (to Nick) Yes it was. Bobby died. NICK How did you feel when he died? CATHERINE I loved him. I hurt. Their eyes are still on each other. 25. NICK How did you feel when I told you Johnny Boz had died -- that day at the beach. CATHERINE I felt somebody had read my book and was playing a game. NICK But you didn't hurt -- CATHERINE No. NICK Because you didn't love him -- CATHERINE That's right. Their eyes are digging into each other. NICK Even though you were fucking him. CATHERINE (after a beat) You still get the pleasure. Didn't you ever fuck anybody else while you were married, Nick? A bet; he stares at her, expressionless. LT. WALKER How did you know he was married? CATHERINE (watching Nick) Maybe I was guessing. What difference does it make? She lights a cigarette. He stares at her. CATHERINE (continuing) Would you like a cigarette, Nick? He just stares at her, expressionless. CORRIGAN Do you two know each other? NICK No. CATHERINE No. 26. INT. THE INTERROGATION ROOM - LATER ANDREWS How did you meet Mr. Boz? CATHERINE I wanted to write a book about the murder of a retired rock star. I went down to his club and picked him up. Then I had sex with him. LT. WALKER You didn't feel anything for him. You just had sex with him for your book. She looks at Nick. CATHERINE In the beginning. Then I got to like what he did for me. GUS That's pretty cold, ain't it, lady? CATHERINE I'm a writer, I use people for what I write. You write what you know. Let the world beware. She and Nick have their eyes on each other, then -- CATHERINE (continuing; to Corrigan, smiles) Would you like me to take a lie detector test? DISSOLVE TO: INT. THE POLICE BUILDING - NIGHT We see her in a glass-enclosed cubicle with a polygraph EXAMINER. Nick stands outside watching her with Gus and Lt. Walker. Her back is to them. The Examiner shuts the machine down, gathers rolls of papers, and comes out of the cubicle. THE EXAMINER No blips, no blood pressure variations, no pulse variance. Either she's telling the truth or I've never met anyone like her. A long beat, then -- 27. LT. WALKER Well, I guess that's it. A long beat, Nick watches her as she sits inside. NICK How does somebody beat this machine? THE EXAMINER Ninety-nine point nine percent of the cases, they don't. You'd have to be able to mask the truth from your own central nervous system, your circulatory system, your adrenal glands. In my opinion, this woman is telling the truth. The Examiner walks away. They stand there. Catherine stands at the door of the cubicle behind them -- CATHERINE Can I go now? LT. WALKER (after a beat) Yes. Thanks for coming in, Ms. Tramell. I'm sorry to inconvenience you. She says nothing, has a thin smile. CATHERINE Can I ask one of you for a ride? They look at her a beat. NICK Sure. CATHERINE (smiles) Thanks. And he and Catherine walk away. Gus and Walker watch them. INT. HIS CAR - NIGHT It is an old, mint-condition silver Porsche. It is pouring rain; the wind is blowing: a San Francisco winter storm. Nothing is said a long beat as he drives. She yawns. Stretches. He looks at her. 28. CATHERINE (smiles) I'm tired. NICK It's got to be tiring to beat that machine. She looks at him and looks away. A beat. CATHERINE If I were guilty, and if I wanted to beat that machine, it wouldn't be tiring. It wouldn't be tiring at all. NICK Why not? CATHERINE Because I'm a professional liar. I spend most of my waking hours dwelling on my lies. (a beat) For my writing. He looks at her. CATHERINE (continuing; smiles) I love the rain, don't you? He says nothing, doesn't look at her. CATHERINE (continuing) You took a polygraph after you shot those two people, didn't you? He looks at her now. NICK I passed. CATHERINE You see? We're both innocent, Nick. He pulls up in front of her house on Divisadero, stops. He sees the white Ferrari in the driveway. NICK How do you know all this stuff about me? CATHERINE You know all about me. 29. NICK I don't know anything that isn't police business. CATHERINE (after a beat) You know I don't like to wear any underwear, don't you, Nick? They look at each other a beat. CATHERINE (continuing; smiles) Thanks for the ride. And she's out of the car. He watches her as she hurries in the rain -- his eyes on her until the moment she opens the door and is inside. INT. THE TEN-FOUR - NIGHT It is a police bar, San Francisco style. Ferns Joe Montana and Will Clark posters. The jukebox has a lot of Tony Bennett. He walks in. He sees Lt. Walker at a back booth with Gus, goes to them, sits down. LT. WALKER What is all this "Nick" stuff -- Nick would you like a cigarette. Nick can you give me a ride. NICK She didn't ask me for the ride. She asked anybody. LT. WALKER And you volunteered. A BARTENDER stays behind the bar, but yells to him. THE BARTENDER Perrier, Nick? NICK Double Black Jack rocks, Harry. GUS (with concern) What you doin', son? NICK It's my first drink in three months. That okay with you, pop? (to Lt. Walker) She doesn't know me. I never saw her before Gus and I talked to her. 30. THE BARTENDER Here you go, Nick. He gets up, gets his drink -- NICK Thanks, Harry. He sits back down. He takes a big slug. They watch him. LT. WALKER You sure? NICK I'm sure. He takes another big slug. NICK (continuing) Now what? LT. WALKER What now what? Now nothing. She passed the polygraph. That's it. NICK She knew she could beat it. That's why she asked to take it. LT. WALKER How the fuck do you know? What is it with you and this broad anyway? NICK Come on, Phil. You're not gonna let this slide. What about her parents? What about what else she's published? At least we should get the stuff to see if we find anything else that's an amazing real-life coincidence. LT. WALKER Her parents died in an accident. I don't care what else she's written. What are you -- a book critic? NICK How did they die? Was there an investigation? LT. WALKER How you're saying she killed her parents? Did she kill Bobby Vasquez, too? 31. GUS Not unless she got up in the ring and turned into one mean sonofabitch. LT. WALKER Maybe she did, Gus. Maybe she grew herself an Afro and learned a left hook and put shoe polish on her face. Let's polygraph her again and ask her about it. NICK (casually) Fuck you, Phil. LT. WALKER Fuck you, too Nick. A beat, then -- NICK (calls to the Bartender) Can you get me another double Black Jack, Harry. Gus looks at him with concern. A man in his 50's -- LT. MARTIN NILSEN is suddenly there. He is overweight, florid. NILSEN (to Nick) Hey, shooter -- You back on the Black Jack, Shooter? He grins. Nick doesn't look at him. LT. WALKER We're discussing a case, Marty. NILSEN I know that. I had no doubt of that. THE BARTENDER Here you go, Nick. Nilsen takes the drink, hands it to Nick. NILSEN (grins) Double, huh, Shooter? Nick turns to him. He's sitting in the booth; Nilsen is standing there. Nick looks like he's barely restraining himself. 32. NICK I'm off-duty, Nilsen. You hear me? I'm off-duty discussing a case. Internal Affairs shouldn't have any trouble with that. Maybe I should put in for overtime. NILSEN (grins) You do that, Shooter. Why don't you send it to me? I'll give it special attention. A beat, and then Nick gets up, faces him. NICK I'm gonna tell you once more, Nilsen -- Lt. Walker and Gus get up and hold Nick back. Beth Gardner, the police psychologist, is suddenly there. BETH What's the problem? NILSEN (grins) No problem, Doctor. Here comes the Doctor just in time to save her patient. Take care, Shooter. And he walks away. Nick still looks like he wants to go after him. Beth pulls him away from the booth. BETH You okay? NICK (after a beat) Yeah. BETH (smiles) You don't look so okay. Nick looks at her a beat. NICK (smiles) What are you doing here? BETH (smiles) Baby-sitting. (she shrugs) Rookie cop. 33. NICK (smiles) What else is new? A beat. He looks at her again. NICK (continuing) You want to get out of here? She looks at him a beat. BETH (smiles) Yes. At the booth, Gus and Lt. Walker watch the two of them leave. GUS Maybe it's for old-time's sake. LT. WALKER (watches them go out) Sometimes I think he started banging her just to get himself off the hook with Internal Affairs. GUS (after a beat, smiles) He ain't that way. He's got heart. LT. WALKER (smiles) Yeah. I know. INT. BETH'S LIVING ROOM - NIGHT He is kissing her -- hard, rough. He forces her against the wall. BETH Don't -- please, Nick -- We hear her dress RIP. He kisses her harder -- we hear her panties RIP. He gets the dress off, pushes his hands under her bra -- BETH (continuing) Please don't -- don't -- He puts his mouth to her shoulder, bites it -- as they move down to the floor. 34. INT. BETH'S LIVING ROOM - LATER It is dark. The are still partially dressed. They are on the floor. He lies on his back, staring at the ceiling. She lies next to him -- the torn dress wound around her. There is a bite mark on her shoulder. A long beat, silence -- then -- BETH What was she like? NICK Who? BETH Catherine Tramell. NICK (after a beat) She said what you said she'd say. She sits up, looks away. He looks at her, puts his finger on the bite mark idly, gently. A beat, and he kisses her shoulder gently, then lies back down. BETH I met her at Berkeley. He looks at her. BETH (continuing) We were in some of the same classes. NICK (after a beat) Why didn't you tell me? She looks at him. BETH I'm telling you. They look at each other a long beat. BETH (continuing; with difficulty) You've never been... like that... before. He says nothing, looks away from her. BETH (continuing) Why? He doesn't look at her a long beat, says nothing. 35. NICK You're the shrink. She keeps looking at him. He won't look at her. BETH You weren't making love to me. A beat; he looks at her. NICK Who was I making love to? She looks at him a long beat. BETH You weren't making love. They look at each other, a long beat, then away. He lies back down. Beth doesn't look at him, keeps sitting up. NICK (finally) I need a cigarette. BETH (after a beat) I thought you quit. He says nothing. BETH (continuing) Top drawer in the foyer. (a beat) Get it on your way out. He looks at her; she won't look at him. INT. THE DETECTIVE BUREAU - MORNING He walks in. He looks hung-over. He sees Gus with Harrigan and Andrews and Lt. Walker in Lt. Walker's glass- enclosed office at the end of this big room. They look at him when they see him. LT. WALKER You look like dogshit. GUS (grins) He looks a little shrunk, that's all. 36. ANDREWS (after a beat) We got a call from Berkeley P.D. There was a killing. A professor. Icepick. In his bed. Multiple stab wounds. 1977. NICK (a thin smile) She was there, wasn't she? LT. WALKER University records say she was there. He and Nick look at each other a long beat, then -- LT. WALKER (continuing; suddenly) Gus -- go over to Berkeley. Harrigan -- find out what else she's published. Andrews -- get the files on her parents' accident. Carbon Beth on everything. I want some psychological input on this one. Andrews and Harrigan go; Nick is left there with Gus. NICK What about me? GUS You're already gettin' psychological input, son. LT. WALKER (to Nick) Go stick your head in a tub of ice water. (a beat; then seriously) See where she leads. EXT. THE BEACH HOUSE AT STINSON - DAY The black Ferrari is in the driveway. He sits in an unmarked police car on a hillside above the house, watching. It is a bleak, leaden gray day. Catherine comes out of the house. She is dressed casually. She gets into the Ferrari. INT. HIS POLICE CAR He stays behind her at a safe distance on the winding panoramic highway -- a two-lane mountain road which leads from Stinson Beach into Marin County. 37. She suddenly starts speeding up on this dangerous road, cutting in and out, passing cars very fast. He has to start cutting around cars to keep up. This woman really drives. He cuts out and can barely pass a car without hitting a Grey Lines Tour Bus head-on. Close call: sheer drops on either side. He looks frazzled. INT. HIS POLICE CAR He is behind her at a distance on a hilly Mill Valley road -- little streets, terraced hillsides, sharp turns. He goes slowly, looks around, thinks he's lost her. And then he sees the black Ferrari parked in front of a house obscured by hedges. He parks the car a distance behind the Ferrari, sits there a long beat. He gets out, goes carefully up to the hedges, looks. A small, nondescript house. He watches. He can't see anything inside the house. A beat, he reaches over to the mailbox and opens it. He takes an envelope out, looks at the name: Hazel Dobkins. INT. HIS POLICE CAR - NIGHT He watches as she comes out of the house. A frail old woman in her 70's is with her. She hugs the old woman, gets into the Ferrari, STARTS it up. He waits a beat and then STARTS after her. He stays behind her at a distance -- she is going slowly. And then she suddenly GUNS it, cuts her lights -- her wheels SCREECH. He GUNS his car after her. He makes a turn. She is gone. There is a fork in the road. He turns one way, goes a few hundred feet. Nothing. Blackness. He stops. NICK (quietly) Shit. INT. HIS POLICE CAR - NIGHT He pulls his car up to her house at Stinson Beach. The black Ferrari is in the driveway. A light goes on in an upstairs bedroom. The curtain is drawn. He sees the outline of her body now. 38. She starts to take her clothes off -- there in the window, behind the curtain. He watches her body as she does an almost languorous strip. His eyes are intense... ravishing. INT. THE DETECTIVE BUREAU - NIGHT He is alone, nobody else in the big room. He sits in front of a computer. We see the screen. He has punched in: HAZEL DOBKINS, WF, 145 ALBION RD., MILL VALLEY. He is waiting for a response. We see it come on screen: NOTHING CURRENT. A long beat, as he stares at the screen, and then we see these words: RELEASED, SAN QUENTIN, JULY 7, 1965. We see him type in the words: PRIOR ARREST RECORD. A long beat, and then it comes up: HOMICIDE, JANUARY 10, 1956 SAN FRANCISCO He stares at the screen a long beat. GUS (behind him) Ain't you go nothin' better to do than to come in here and jack off the damn machine? NICK (after a beat; lost in his thoughts) What are you doing here, Pop? GUS (grins) I came in here to jack off the damn machine. (a beat) One dead psychology professor. Noah Goldstein. Dr. Noah Goldstein. And guess what? He was her counselor. Nick looks at him a beat. 39. NICK Was she ever suspect? GUS No, sir. They never even got a statement from her. Nick sits back a long beat, his eyes off somewhere. NICK (slowly) Do you remember a case -- 1956 -- Hazel Dobkins? GUS (grins) Hell yes! Couldn't get it outta my head for years. Still can't. Nice little kids -- nice husband, wasn't porkin' around -- no financial problems. One day -- outta the clear blue sky -- she does 'em. All of 'em. Used a knife she got for a wedding present. Didn't even deny it. Sweet as honey. Said she didn't know why she done it. Nick just stares at him. EXT. THE STINSON BEACH HOUSE - NEXT DAY He pulls up to the house, gets out of his unmarked police car. He stands there a beat, thinking. He walks down to the beach entrance of the house. He hears a Rolling Stones SONG playing inside. He stands there. The door suddenly opens. Catherine stands there, smiles. She wears very tight-fitting spandex leotards. CATHERINE Hi. He looks at her a beat, then -- NICK Am I... disturbing you? CATHERINE No. Come in. They have their eyes on each other. A beat, and she turns to go in. 40. INT. THE STINSON BEACH HOUSE She goes in ahead of him -- he follows her inside. He watches her body. His movements are tentative, off- balance. She turns the Stones DOWN. On a table by the window, he sees a word processor. Spread around it are newspaper clippings. They are all about him. We see the headline on one: KILLER COP TO FACE POLICE REVIEW. She sees him glancing at the clips. CATHERINE I'm using you for my detective. In my book. You don't mind, do you? She smiles. He looks at her, expressionless. CATHERINE (continuing) Would you like a drink? I was just going to have one. NICK No, thanks. She goes to the bar. CATHERINE (smiles) That's right. You're off the Jack Daniels too, aren't you? She is making herself a drink. She takes the ice out and then opens a drawer and gets an icepick. It has a fat wooden end. She uses the icepick on the ice, her back to him. He watches her. NICK I'd like to ask you a few more questions. CATHERINE I'd like to ask you some, too. She turns to him, icepick in hand, smiles. CATHERINE (continuing) For my book. She turns back to the ice, works on it with the pick. She raises her arm, plunges it. Raises it, plunges it. He watches her. NICK (wary) What kind of questions? 41. She puts the icepick down, pours herself a drink, turns to him. CATHERINE How does it feel to kill someone? He looks at her a long beat. NICK (finally) You tell me. CATHERINE I don't know. But you do. Their eyes are on each other. NICK (finally) It was an accident. They got in the line of fire. CATHERINE Four shootings in five years. All accidents. NICK (after a long beat) They were drug buys. I was a vice cop. A long beat, as they look at each other. NICK (continuing) Tell me about Professor Goldstein. A beat. CATHERINE There's a name from the past. NICK You want a name from the present? How about Hazel Dobkins? She looks at him a long beat, sips her drink, never takes her eyes off him. CATHERINE Noah was my counselor in my freshman year. (she smiles) That's probably where I got the idea for the icepick. For my book. Funny how the subconscious works. (a beat) Hazel is my friend. 42. NICK She wiped out her whole family. CATHERINE Yes. She's helped me understand homicidal impulse. NICK Didn't you study it in school? CATHERINE Only in theory. (she smiles) You know all about homicidal impulse, don't you, shooter? Not in theory -- in practice. He stares at her a long beat. CATHERINE (continuing; quietly) What happened, Nick? Did you get sucked into it? Did you like it too much? NICK (after a beat) No. He stares at her, almost horrified. CATHERINE (quietly) Tell me about the coke, Nick. The day you shot those two tourists -- how much coke did you do? She steps closer to him. CATHERINE (continuing) Tell me, Nick. She puts her hand softly on his cheek, He grabs her hand roughly, holds it. NICK I didn't. CATHERINE Yes, you did. They never tested you, did they? But Internal Affairs knew. They are face to face. He is still holding her roughly by the hand. 43. CATHERINE (continuing) Your wife knew, didn't she? She knew what was going on. Nicky got too close to the flame. Nicky liked it. He twists her arm back behind her -- their bodies are pressed against each other -- their eyes digging into each other. CATHERINE (continuing; in a whisper) That's why she killed herself? He is twisting her arm, staring at her, pulling her against him. We hear the DOOR behind them. A beat, and he lets her go, turns away from her. Roxy stands there, staring at them. Her hair is up. She wears a black motorcycle jacket, a black T-shirt, and black jeans and cowboy boots. CATHERINE (continuing; brightly) Hiya, hon. You two have met, haven't you? Roxy looks at Nick. Catherine goes to her, kisses her briefly on the lips, stands there with her arm around her -- both of them looking at Nick. He walks by them, opens the door to go, his face a mask. CATHERINE (continuing) You're going to make a terrific character, Nick. He doesn't look at her; he's gone. INT. BETH GARDNER'S OFFICE - DAY He comes in. He looks like he's going to kill someone. A RECEPTIONIST sits there. RECEPTIONIST She's on the phone -- she'll be right with you, detective -- He sweeps by her into Beth's inner office. She hangs up when she sees the look on his face. NICK Who has access to my file? BETH What are you talking about, Nick -- what's wrong with you? 44. NICK Who's got access to my goddamn file? She gets up -- he goes closer to her; she backs away from him. BETH Nobody. He goes closer to her; she backs away. BETH (continuing) It's a confidential psychiatric record, it'd be illegal -- She backs into a wall. She looks very scared. He comes very close to her -- puts an arm behind her to the wall. NICK Don't, Beth. Don't lie to me. She says nothing, looks scared. NICK (continuing; suddenly) It's Internal Affairs, isn't it? BETH No, Nick, please -- NICK (loud, hard) Who? BETH (blurts it) Nilsen. INT. THE INTERNAL AFFAIRS DIVISION - DAY He storms into the big room. He sees MARTY NILSEN. He is sitting behind his desk in his glass-enclosed office inside this big room. About a dozen plainclothes policemen are in the big room. He goes by them into Nilsen's office. INT. MARTIN NILSEN'S OFFICE He closes the door. Nilsen sees the look on his face, backs his chair away towards the wall. NILSEN What do you want, Curran? 45. He goes to him, picks him up by his lapels, slams him against the wall. NICK (out of control) You sold her the file, didn't you? NILSEN (scared) What are you talking about? NICK (out of control) What'd she pay you? He slams him against the wall again. The glass EXPLODES behind them -- a chair comes into the room. Nick is frozen, holding Nilsen by the throat against the wall. ONE OF THE I.A. GUYS Let him go, Curran. Nice and easy. He looks back, sees two Internal Affairs men with their guns drawn, pointed at him. A beat, and he lets Nilsen go. He turns calmly and starts to walk out. NILSEN You're on sick leave, Shooter. As of right now. Pending the outcome of a psychiatric evaluation. EXT. THE POLICE PARKING LOT - DUSK He gets into his old Porsche. He STARTS the car up. Gus Moran comes up to the window. They look at each other a beat. GUS What's goin' down, son? NICK Nothin' (a beat) I'll be okay, pop. They look at each other a long beat. GUS No, sir. You won't. There's smoke off yonder on the horizon. They're gonna want your badge. 46. NICK (after a long beat) I got tired of being played with. GUS (after a beat) You sure got real conclusive ways of demonstrating that. They almost smile at each other, then -- NICK (almost to himself) She knows where I live and breathe. She's coming after me. GUS (after a long beat) What is it you got between you? NICK (after a beat; to himself) I don't know. GUS Somethin', though. A beat, and then Nick looks at him. NICK Yeah. (a beat) Somethin'. INT. HIS APARTMENT - NIGHT He sits in front of the TV, watching a lame sitcom. A bottle of Jack Daniels is half-empty in front of him. He is smoking a cigarette. BETH (behind him) I still have my key. He looks at her, looks away at the sitcom. NICK I don't want to see you, Beth. He keeps watching the sitcom. A long beat. BETH (suddenly angry) Damnit! Don't shut me out! You owe me more than that? 47. He goes to the TV, shuts it off. NICK I don't owe you anything; you don't owe me anything. (he looks at her) We went to bed -- what was it? -- ten or fifteen times? (he smiles) It wasn't memorable enough to carry any obligations. BETH (after a long beat) Sometimes I really hate you. NICK (smiles) Yeah? Well why don't you find some friendly therapist and work some of that hostility out. (a beat) But take my advice. Put a little more life into it than you usually do. A beat, and she suddenly hurls herself at him in absolute fury, trying to claw at his face. He grabs her, blocks her. They look at each other a long beat and then he lets her go. The emotion of the moment is gone now -- they turn away from each other. BETH (finally) I'm sorry... I don't usually... act like that. Nick looks at her a beat. NICK How could you let him have my file, Beth? A long beat, then -- BETH (not looking at him) He was going to recommend your discharge: a behavioral disability. I made a deal with him. He could review the session notes himself. It was the only way I could keep you on the force. 48. She looks at him. He looks away from her. NICK You did it for me. BETH Yes. I care about you. I did it for you. He turns away from her. NICK (quietly) Get out of here, Beth. (a beat) Please? He goes to the Jack Daniel's, pours some more. She looks at him pour it and turns to go. INT. HIS APARTMENT - NIGHT He is asleep on the couch -- the TV is on to a blank screen. The Jack Daniel's is mostly gone. The phone on the coffee table RINGS. It RINGS again. He wakes, picks it up, listens. NICK Yeah. (a beat) Okay. He hangs it up. He sits there a long beat, staring. He looks disturbed. EXT. THE ALLEY BEHIND THE TEN-FOUR BAR - NIGHT He walks down the alley. There are lots of police cars, flashing lights, uniformed men, coroner's men. As he walks down the alley, he sees Lt. Walker, Gus, and several of the Internal Affairs men we saw earlier in Nilsen's office. They are standing around a Lincoln Town Car. They look at him as he comes closer to them -- then move aside. He can see into the car now. Martin Nilsen lies against the front seat. He has been shot in the head. Nick stares. GUS One shot. Close range. Probably a .38 caliber revolver. 49. Nick stares at Nilsen's body. They watch him. LT. WALKER Give me your gun, Nick. A beat, and then Nick gives him his gun. Walker smells it, shakes his head, gives it to one of the Internal Affairs men. NICK (to Walker) You think I -- GUS I don't son, but I got the minority opinion. INT. POLICE INTERROGATION ROOM - NIGHT He sits in the same room that Catherine sat in -- surrounded by four or five Internal Affairs men, Lt. Walker, Gus, and Captain Talcott. Lt. Walker and Gus sort of sit back -- I.A. is running the investigation. The same police stenographer -- the same plain young woman -- is sitting in the room who was there with Catherine. NICK Okay. I went after him. I lost my temper. AN I.A. MAN Do you have any evidence that he showed your psychiatric file to anyone? NICK (after a beat) No. Beth Gardner comes into the room. They look at her. AN I.A. MAN We'll speak to you afterwards, Dr. Gardner. Nick gives her a look. BETH I'd like to sit-in if you don't mind. THE I.A. MAN I'd really rather -- 50. TALCOTT I don't see anything wrong with Dr. Gardner sitting-in if Detective Curran doesn't object. Nick looks at her, shrugs. AN I.A. MAN Where were you tonight? NICK Home. Watching TV. AN I.A. MAN All night? NICK Yeah. AN I.A. MAN Were you drinking? He looks at Beth. NICK Yeah, I was drinking. AN I.A. MAN When did you start drinking again? NICK (after a beat) A couple days ago. BETH I saw Detective Curran at his apartment around ten o'clock. He was sober and lucid. I asked him in my capacity as his departmental therapist about his altercation with Lt. Nilsen. He expressed regret and displayed no hostility. AN I.A. MAN (to Beth) How long were you at his apartment? BETH About fifteen minutes. I saw there was no reason for my concern and left. She and Nick look at each other. He looks away and lights a cigarette. 51. AN I.A. MAN There's no smoking in this building. NICK (after a beat) What are you gonna do -- charge me with smoking? It is the exact line that Catherine used. A long beat. LT. WALKER I'll ask you once, Nick -- for the record: Did you kill him? NICK No. They look at him a beat. NICK (continuing) Come on -- I'm going to storm into his office in front of everybody in the afternoon and then that night I'm going to kill him? I'd have to be really dumb to do that. AN I.A. MAN Going after him before gets you off the hook for killing him: that's your alibi. LT. WALKER Like writing a book about killing a guy gets you off the hook for killing him. AN I.A. MAN (to Walker) I don't understand. What are you talking about? What book? LT. WALKER (to Nick) Private joke. NICK I don't think it's funny. GUS (grins) Well, hell, son, it's got a certain ring to it, I'll say that. INT. POLICE DEPARTMENT - NIGHT He is by the elevators with Gus and Lt. Andrews. He spots Beth going for the stairway. 52. NICK (to Lt. Andrews) I'll get my stuff tomorrow. INT. THE STAIRWAY NICK Beth. She stops. He catches up to her. They walk down the flights together. They speak quietly. NICK (continuing) Thank you. She looks at him, smiles. They keep walking down the steps. BETH It's the least I could do... considering I got you into this mess with those reports. NICK (smiles) No. I mean it, thank you. She looks at him, smiles. BETH How do you know Catherine Tramell saw my reports? NICK She knows stuff about me that only you know. BETH (after a beat) She must really be something. (she smiles) From a clinical point of view. NICK What was she like in school? BETH I hardly knew her. She gave me the creeps, though. I don't know why. EXT. THE BUILDING - NIGHT They get outside. Beth kisses him quickly, softly on the cheek. 53. BETH Get some rest. Promise? He nods. She starts walking toward her car. NICK Beth. I didn't mean what I said. About -- BETH (smiles) Yes you did. I'm a big girl. I can handle it. She goes to her car. INT. THE DETECTIVE BUREAU - NEXT DAY He is cleaning his desk out, putting things into a duffel bag. Only Andrews is in the room. We see Lt. Walker sitting in his glass-enclosed office. He closes the duffel bag, looks at the place a long beat. Andrews is watching him. He goes up to Andrews ANDREWS (after a beat) Take care, you hear? NICK (after a beat) Did you find out about her parents? ANDREWS You're on leave, man. (a beat) You're on psycho leave. I'm talking to a possible whacko here. NICK You know I'm whacko, Sam, what'd you find? A beat, and Andrews opens the file. ANDREWS The boat blew. There was a leak in the gas line. There were two previous repairs. There was a five- mil policy on both of 'em. A real heavy investigation. Zilch. Goose- egg. It was an accident. NICK (after a beat) Thanks. 54. He sees Lt. Walker looking at him. He goes into Walker's office. LT. WALKER I.A.'s going to talk to you more about Nilsen. They're handling the investigation, we're not. Stay in touch with Dr. Gardner, it'll help on the evaluation. NICK (after a beat) She killed him. LT. WALKER Beth? Now you've got Beth killing people? NICK Catherine Tramell. It's part of her game. LT. WALKER First you've got her buying your file. Now you've got her killing Nilsen. Forget her, willya? Go someplace. Sit in the sun. Get away from this goddamn fog. Get her out of your system. NICK You don't but it, do you? She knew nobody would but it. (he smiles) She knew I'd say she did it. And she knew nobody would buy it. Lt. Walker looks at him a long beat. LT. WALKER She's screwing with your head, Nick. Pretty soon you're gonna look in the mirror and think you're seeing her. EXT. HIS APARTMENT It is in the Marina District; on a street like Cervantes. He gets out of his old Porsche; he sees her black Ferrari there. She is sitting on the front stoop. She wears an Indian jacket, jeans and a T-shirt. He goes up to her. She looks at him a beat. CATHERINE I heard about what happened. What good's a shooter without his gun? 55. She smiles. NICK (a beat) How exactly did you hear? CATHERINE (after a beat) I have attorneys. They have friends. I have friends. Money buys you a lot of attorneys and friends. NICK (after a beat) I don't know about that: I don't have any money: I don't have any attorneys: Gus is my only real friend. CATHERINE (smiles) I wasn't talking about real friends. Why doesn't Gus like me. NICK (after a beat) I like you. CATHERINE Do you? NICK (smiles) Yeah. Would you like to come up and have a drink? She looks at him a beat. CATHERINE I didn't think you'd ask me. He looks at her a beat. NICK (smiles) I'm not that easy to figure. They start walking inside. She walks ahead of him. He watches her. She turns suddenly. CATHERINE You're not easy to figure. I'm just very good at figuring. 56. NICK (after a beat) Don't get too cocky. CATHERINE Why not? NICK You can make a mistake. CATHERINE (smiles) Not me. And she turns, heads inside; he follows her. INT. HIS APARTMENT - DAY They walk in. She looks at the bareness of the place. CATHERINE You should put some warmth into it. You don't want it to reflect on your personality. She turns, smiles at him. He looks at the bottle of Jack Daniel's; there's not much left. NICK Jack Daniel's okay? It's gonna have to be. CATHERINE Fine. NICK Ice? CATHERINE (smiles) Please. There is a palpable tension between them. He takes the ice out, opens a drawer, takes out an icepick. CATHERINE (continuing) Let me do that. You like to watch me doing it, don't you? She smiles; a beat and he hands her the icepick. She takes it, starts to us the icepick, her back to him. He lights a cigarette. 57. CATHERINE (continuing) Can I have a cigarette, please? I told you you'd start smoking again. He watches her working on the ice. CATHERINE (continuing) Light it for me, will you? He does, steps to her. She parts her lips -- he puts it on her lip, watches it. Their eyes are on each other. CATHERINE (continuing) Thank you. She works on the ice again, opens the cabinets for glasses. NICK What did you pay Nilsen? CATHERINE (doesn't look at him) Isn't he the policeman that you shot, Shooter? She makes the drinks. NICK What if I as you not to call me Shooter? CATHERINE What if I call you Nicky? NICK (after a beat) My wife used to call me that. CATHERINE (smiles) I know, Nicky, but I like it. She hands him his drink, holds hers. CATHERINE (continuing) Cheers. My friends call me Catherine. NICK What did Bobby Vasquez used to call you? 58. CATHERINE Bitch mostly, but he meant it affectionately. You don't have any coke, do you? I love coke and Jack Daniel's. NICK (after a beat) There's Pepsi in the fridge. CATHERINE (smiles) It's not the same thing, is it? They look at each other a long beat, their eyes very involved. NICK (quietly) Where's it going? What do you want from me? Their faces are close together. CATHERINE Say -- "What do you want from me, Catherine?" NICK (after a beat, quietly) What do you want from me, Catherine? A beat, and she suddenly turns away. CATHERINE (brightly) I brought you something. She goes to her purse, takes a paperback book out of it. We see it -- The First Time, by Catherine Smith. He looks at it. CATHERINE (continuing; smiles) Aren't you going to thank me? NICK What's it about? CATHERINE A boy kills his parents. They have a plane. He makes it look like an accident. 59. He stares at her. A long beat, then -- NICK Why does he do it? CATHERINE To see if he can get away with it. They look at each other a beat. NICK When did you write it? CATHERINE (after a beat) You mean did I write it before my parents died? NICK Yes. CATHERINE No. I wrote it years afterwards. He watches her; she has turned away from him -- and then she turns back to him in a different mood. CATHERINE (continuing; smiles) You're not going to stop following me around now just because you're on leave -- are you? NICK (after a beat) No. CATHERINE Good. I'd miss you. (a beat) You can get into trouble, though. You're not really a cop anymore. NICK I'll risk it. CATHERINE Why take the risk? NICK To see if I can get away with it. She looks at him: she smiles. NICK (continuing) How's your new book? 60. CATHERINE I'm getting deeper and deeper into my character. They look at each other a long beat. CATHERINE (continuing) Thanks for the drink. He nods, say nothing as she goes to the door -- CATHERINE (continuing) I'm leaving the house around midnight. In case you're going to follow me. (a beat) I'm going down to Johnny's club. NICK (after a beat) I'll meet you there. She looks at him a long beat; and she's gone. INT. THE STAIRWAY As she is going down the stairs, Gus Moran is coming up. He does a real double-take as he goes by her. CATHERINE (smiles) Hi, Gus. He looks at him a long beat, and he goes upstairs, into Nick's apartment. INT. NICK'S APARTMENT Nick stands at the window, watching her outside. A long beat, and he looks at Gus. GUS (after a beat) Forgive me for askin', son, and I don't mean to belabor the obvious, but why is it that you've got your head so far up your own ass? NICK (after a beat) She want to play? Fine. I can play. GUS (after a beat) Everybody that she plays with dies. 61. NICK (after a beat, quietly) I know what that's like. INT. JOHNNY BOZ'S CLUB - NIGHT It is dark, cavernous: there are a thousand people in here. The MUSIC is ear-splitting, pulsing. Lights flash. The floor is huge. At one time, this club was a church. He walks around the sides, a drink in his hand, looking for her. He doesn't see her. The he catches a glimpse of Roxy. She is dancing with another woman. He watches her. She is wearing pants and a jacket, her hair off to the side. She looks very masculine tonight. Roxy laughs at the other woman, leaves her on the floor, starts moving through the sea of dancers. He follows her through the press of bodies. She goes towards the men's room. She walks in. INT. THE MEN'S ROOM It is large, dark, shadowy: It was once the sacristy. A crowd scene: men and women. Roxy presses through them. A haze of crack smoke; we see people doing poppers. She opens the door to a toilet stall, walks in. Nick is behind her. As the door opens, he sees Catherine. She wears a black motorcycle jacket, a very short skirt, stiletto heels. Her hair is up. He make-up is severe, I the darkness, in the shadows she looks about 19. A hot 19. A hot flash-trash 19. She is in there with two men -- one of them is a big, body- built black guy. She has a vial of something near her face. She sees Nick watching her. She whispers something to the tall black guy. He looks at Nick, smiles a condescending smile. The door to the stall closes INT. THE CLUB He is walking along the side, watching the floor, a drink in his hand. The song ends and it seques right into the Stones's "Miss You." He sees her. Her black leather jacket is off. 62. She wears a very tight, flimsy top, the short skirt, the heels. She is dancing with Roxy and the black guy. He watches her move... watches her body. She turns, sees him, dances, watches him... gets between Roxy and the black guy... they sandwich her with their bodies... keeps moving, turning... eyes on him... playing to him with her body. He watches. A long beat, and he goes up to them. His movements are almost trance-like. They look at each other. A long beat. Catherine stops dancing. he reaches for her. She moves away. A beat: their eyes are on each other. She moves a step towards her. A beat, as they look at each other... and they start to move together. Their eyes are on each other as they move, the eyes burning... the movements tighter, hotter... and he suddenly grabs her and kisses her... as they keep moving... the song seques into the Stones's "Gimme Shelter." She is melting into him now, kissing him... Tex watches, expressionless... the black guy is gone... he holds her by the back of the neck, kissing her... their bodies pressed into each other... his hands are on her butt now, pulling her into him now, almost holding her up now... and then under her skirt, under her panties... as he kisses her neck. People around them stare... he moves his hands under her top as she keeps moving with the song, her head back, her back almost arching... cups her breasts now... she keeps moving... the song sweeping them into its rhythm: "it's just a shot away, it's just a kiss away, a kiss away..." They devour each other. Right there on the floor. Barely able to hold it back. As Tex watches expressionless. As people stop dancing and stare.