Exterior. Late afternoon near sunset. A Southern California back yard in the summer. The area has been decorated with tiki torches and Chinese lanterns. There's muted rock music coming from the house. Seven or eight people in their thirties and forties, mostly couples, casually dressed, are gathered outside for a party. One man is tending a barbecue.
We see from above a car pull up in front of the house and park. Two men exit dressed in business suits and ties. Both men are in their fifties. Morley is tall and thin, bookish in appearance. Greer is short with coarse features. Both men are wearing dark glasses. They look around them as they approach the house. The tall man starts for the front door but the short man motions for him to go with him around the side of the house to the back.
The two men walk into the back yard. The conversation and laughter of the guests doesn't subside although one or two people are slightly distracted by the appearance of the two men who look so out of place amid the other guests. Porter, the host of the party, approaches the men. He's holding a beer.
Porter
(Cheerful) Gentlemen, may I help you?
Greer
I wouldn't mind a beer.
Porter
(Somewhat amused) Well, sure. Help yourself. There's an ice chest over there.
Greer
(To Morley) See if they got Heineken.
Porter
Oh, I'm sorry. I don't think we do. Are you guys here with someone?
Morley
(Digging through the ice chest) Nothing but domestic.
Greer
What are you cooking over there?
Morley takes two bottles of beer and hands one to Greer.
Porter
Uh? Oh, uh, chicken and hot dogs. Are you guys....?
Greer
I'm with him. (Indicating Morley)
Porter
(Still in a jovial mood but a little more confused) I just meant, are you with anyone here? I don't think I know you.
Morley
I came with him. (Indicating Greer)
Greer
We're with each other.
The attitude of the two men in suits is mocking and unfriendly. Morley moves about observing the guests, particularly the women. Greer stays in one place, focused on Porter.
Porter
(With a chuckle) Listen guys, I don't understand what's going on. Is there anything I can help you with?
Morley
Do we look like we need help?
A good looking man who has been listening to the exchange now steps up next to Porter. He's wearing a Hawaiian shirt and shorts.
Collins
(To Porter, smiling) What's going on, Jack?
Porter
(His mood becoming somewhat dampened) I don't know. These guys just showed up and they won't tell me what they're doing here.
Collins
(Friendly) Can we help you fellas?
Morley
Here's another one thinks we need help.
Greer
(To Collins) That's a nice shirt, pretty boy. Your wife pick that out for you?
Porter
Okay, I don't get it. Are you guys putting us on? What's the deal?
Morley circles around Collins, sizing him up. Greer's eyes never leave Porter's. Neither man answers Porter.
Porter
Look, guys, really, if you're not going to tell me what you're doing here I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave.
Greer
That's not very friendly. We come to your party, you offer us some of your cheap ass beer and then you say get out? That's not very friendly at all.
Morley
It's rude, in fact.
Greer
Very rude.
By now the attention of the others at the party has been slowly drawn to these two men. Although most of the guests don't seem too concerned a few are quietly making comments to one another about what's been going on. Porter expresses mock exasperation to no one in particular.
Greer
Aren't you going to introduce us to your guests?
Porter
But I don't.....
Greer
You don't know who we are. You don't know who we're with. You don't know why we're here and you want us to leave with your pussy lite beer in our hands just like that.
Porter
(Vaguely, to his guests at the party, a note of concern in his voice) Hey guys???
Morley
Laura Caskey.
Porter
(Spinning around to face Morley who is behind him) Laura? You guys are with Laura? Oh wow, I didn't know what was going on for a minute. But Laura's not here. She was invited but I don't think she's coming. I haven't seen her for a few days now.
Greer
But she does live here.
Porter
Well, yeah, she rents a room. Did she tell you guys she was coming?
Morley
She didn't tell us anything.
Greer
We don't know her.
Morley
We don't want to know her.
The group has started to subtly divide. The men are gravitating toward the conversation and the women are gathering together behind them further away. Now a heavy set man moves over next to Porter.
Randazzo
What's going on, Jack? Who are these guys?
Greer
What business is it of yours, fat man?
Porter
Okay, listen, if Laura invited you, I'm really sorry that she didn't show up, but I don't think she's coming and, you know, since nobody knows you here I think it would be better for you guys to just leave, okay? Really. I'll try to straighten this out with Laura on Monday.
Greer
Monday will be too late.
Morley
Too late for her.
Greer
I've had two sips of my beer and now you want me to leave. We could have all had some laughs.
Morley
Maybe he doesn't know how much fun we can be.
Greer
That's right. We can be very entertaining with the right crowd. But this group looks dead. This whole party looks dead.
Collins
You want me to call the police, Jack?
Greer
That's an idea. You want him to do that, Jack? Call the police? And tell them what?
Morley
You could tell them there's been an assault.
Porter
What?
Morley suddenly smashes his beer bottle over Randazzo's head. Randazzo groans and falls to the ground. One of the women screams and the other men move toward Greer and Morley but in that instant the two men in suits pull out hand guns and stand shoulder to shoulder with their guns trained on the guests. It only takes a few seconds of gun waving to gather all the guests into a tight group on the lawn. One woman kneels over Randazzo who is holding his bleeding head.
Morley
All of you on your knees. Now! Keep your hands out of your pockets. I see anyone with a cell phone you'll end up like fat man there.
All the guests drop to their knees, their hands in the air.
Greer
You know, this is the worst fucking party I've ever been to.
Porter
(Beseeching) What do you want?!?!
Greer
We told you. We want Laura Caskey.
Porter
But she isn't here. She hasn't been here for days. She's been in some kind of depression or something. I don't know. I don't know where she's been staying. The last time I talked to her was on the phone to tell her about the party and she said she didn't think she'd be here. I don't know where she is.
Morley
(To Greer) That sound right to you?
Greer
Why would he lie?
Morley
Because he has a gun in his face.
Greer
That's why he wouldn't lie. He's no hero. A guy with tiki torches in his back yard is no hero.
The woman who has been trying to help Randazzo cries out to the two men, "He needs to go to the hospital!"
Morley
His head hurts. He ain't going to die from a headache.
Greer
(To the woman) Your head will be hurting, too, if you don't shut up.
Greer crouches down close to Porter.
Greer
(To Porter) Here's what I think. I think you need to call Laura. Get her on the phone and make up some excuse why she should get over here fast. Say it's an emergency. Say whatever you want but be convincing. It's in your best interest to be convincing, you understand?
Porter
Why do you want her?
Greer hits Porter across the face with his gun.
Greer
None of your fucking business!
Morley
He's not going to sound too good on the phone with his mouth caved in.
Greer
He'll be fine. He'll be convincing. You will be convincing, won't you? Now make the call.
Porter reluctantly reaches into his pocket for his cell phone. Collins says, "Jack" weakly, knowing what Porter might be setting Caskey up for. Porter says, "I know." He starts to dial. Greer pulls the phone from his hand.
Greer
You really think I'd let you dial?
Greer searches through the Contact List, finds Caskey's number and dials it. He puts the phone on speaker and hands it to Porter. The phone rings several times, then....
Caskey
(An emotionless voice) Hello.
Porter
Laura, listen, it's Jack. I'm at the house. We were in the back yard with the party and.... Look, this is going to sound crazy but....
Porter hesitates, afraid of what Greer might do next.
Porter
....these two guys showed up.... (His voice starts to break down, almost in tears) ....they...they....
Morley gives Greer a look of concern but Greer waves him off.
Caskey
(Still without any affect) Are they there now?
Porter
What?
Caskey
The two men. Are they there now?
Porter
Yeah. They're listening. They want....
Caskey
(Calmly, flatly) I know what they want. I'll be right over. It will take about twenty minutes. Do whatever they say. I'm leaving now.
She hangs up. Porter is utterly confused. He slowly puts the phone down and looks at it.
Morley
(To Greer) You think it's bullshit, her coming over? She could take off.
Greer
And go where?
Greer has been staring at the phone, too, thinking about Caskey's voice and what she said. He picks up the phone, tosses it up and down in his hand a few times, then....
Greer
(Almost to himself) She said, 'I know what they want.' (Then, to Morley) There's some clothes line over there. Let's tie up the guests so we won't have to worry about them when Miss Caskey arrives.
Morley looks at Greer for a moment then shrugs and gets the line and cuts it into pieces with a pocket knife. Greer trains his gun on the guests as Morley begins tying them up.
There is a dissolve. It's dark now. All the guests are on their stomachs with their hands tied behind them. Morley is in the living room with the lights out watching from the front window. Greer remains by the back door guarding the guests. The men are no longer wearing their dark glasses.
From overhead we see a car approach the house. It parks and the headlights go out. The street is dark except for a single street lamp casting a pool of light over the arriving car. The driver doesn't immediately get out of the car.
Morley has seen the car arrive and moves to the back yard. The music in the house, which has been playing various types of music continuously since the men in suits arrived earlier is now suddenly turned up very loud and the tune playing has an oppressive, relentless beat.
An attractive woman exits the car slowly, mechanically, and walks to the passageway beside the house that leads to the back. We follow her, watching from overhead. The tiki torches and lanterns are the only illumination in the back yard now. The roof blocks us from actually seeing her go into the back but a moment after she disappears from view there is the deafening sound of rapid gunfire and blinding flashes of light with each shot.
Moments later the two men in suits calmly walk out to the front the same way they went in. They get into their car and drive away. As they disappear from view one or two neighbors come outside to see where the music and noise are coming from.
Fade Out
Porter hesitates, afraid of what Greer might do next.
Porter
....these two guys showed up.... (His voice starts to break down, almost in tears) ....they...they....
Morley gives Greer a look of concern but Greer waves him off.
Caskey
(Still without any affect) Are they there now?
Porter
What?
Caskey
The two men. Are they there now?
Porter
Yeah. They're listening. They want....
Caskey
(Calmly, flatly) I know what they want. I'll be right over. It will take about twenty minutes. Do whatever they say. I'm leaving now.
She hangs up. Porter is utterly confused. He slowly puts the phone down and looks at it.
Morley
(To Greer) You think it's bullshit, her coming over? She could take off.
Greer
And go where?
Greer has been staring at the phone, too, thinking about Caskey's voice and what she said. He picks up the phone, tosses it up and down in his hand a few times, then....
Greer
(Almost to himself) She said, 'I know what they want.' (Then, to Morley) There's some clothes line over there. Let's tie up the guests so we won't have to worry about them when Miss Caskey arrives.
Morley looks at Greer for a moment then shrugs and gets the line and cuts it into pieces with a pocket knife. Greer trains his gun on the guests as Morley begins tying them up.
There is a dissolve. It's dark now. All the guests are on their stomachs with their hands tied behind them. Morley is in the living room with the lights out watching from the front window. Greer remains by the back door guarding the guests. The men are no longer wearing their dark glasses.
From overhead we see a car approach the house. It parks and the headlights go out. The street is dark except for a single street lamp casting a pool of light over the arriving car. The driver doesn't immediately get out of the car.
Morley has seen the car arrive and moves to the back yard. The music in the house, which has been playing various types of music continuously since the men in suits arrived earlier is now suddenly turned up very loud and the tune playing has an oppressive, relentless beat.
An attractive woman exits the car slowly, mechanically, and walks to the passageway beside the house that leads to the back. We follow her, watching from overhead. The tiki torches and lanterns are the only illumination in the back yard now. The roof blocks us from actually seeing her go into the back but a moment after she disappears from view there is the deafening sound of rapid gunfire and blinding flashes of light with each shot.
Moments later the two men in suits calmly walk out to the front the same way they went in. They get into their car and drive away. As they disappear from view one or two neighbors come outside to see where the music and noise are coming from.
Fade Out
Written by C. S. Winter
(with apologies to Ernest Hemingway)
