*For Introduction with submission guidelines go to April 4.
*Heywood Gould is the author of 9 screenplays including “Rolling Thunder”, “Fort Apache, The Bronx”, “Boys From Brazil” and “Cocktail.”
CONEY ISLAND BLUEFISH
By Heywood Gould
ACT FOUR (CONT)
INT. SILHOUETTE CLUB. NIGHT. (CROSSCUT TO DETECTIVE CAR)
Burke is in a dark corner on a cell phone. Across the room he can see Lupo and PATRICK, his partner, talking to Lena. He waves to Lupo. Lupo waves back.
BURKE
He’s got this guy Patrick
with him. Coupla other guys.
AT THE BAR
Lupo is flirting with Lena, while Patrick and other HOODS loom behind.
LUPO
How do you know Sammy?
LENA
My husband is on the same
cell block. They play soccer
football every day.
LUPO
Sammy loves to play soccer.
What’s his name your husband,
Misha?
LENA
Marty. He’s American.
LUPO
Sammy never talked about a
Marty. I’ll have to talk to
Sammy first, you know,
before we do business. You
understand?
LENA
Sure, but I have to score
tonight, so I’ll go to
someone else. Catch you
next time.
LUPO
You’re in a big hurry, huh?
LENA
I have to take care of people
upstate. Nobody wants to wait,
you know how it is.
LUPO
Got the money?
LENA
I brought for two keys.
Twenty eight Sammy said.
LUPO
Twenty eight’s for steady
customers. Forty for new
business.
LENA
I can do that.
Opens her bag. Shows him the money.
INT. DETECTIVE CAR. NIGHT.
Sloan and Conti are putting on KEVLAR BULLETPROOF VESTS. Sloan is on the cell phone on a conference call.
SLOAN
Jerry says he’s got a
little office. Probably
take her in there.
INT. VAN. NIGHT.(CROSS CUT DETECTIVE CAR)
Derek and Third are checking their “nines…”
DEREK
Once she gets out of our
sight we give it five
minutes and then go in.
SLOAN
We don’t know what’s goin’
on behind closed doors.
Maybe he’s just talkin’.
DEREK
Maybe he’s killin’ her.
SLOAN
Only takes a second to kill
somebody, Derek, We gotta
trust her like she said.
INT. DETECTIVE CAR.(CROSS CUT INT. SILHOUETTE AND OTHER CARS)
Conti’s cell rings. It’s Burke.
BURKE
They’re movin’. He took her
out the back way. He’s got a
black Range Rover.
CONTI
Derek, go down Aveue X.
We’ll slide over and drive
past him and tell you which
way he’s headin’. Then you
pick up the tail.
PUTTS
Hang with him awhile, then
hand him off to us.
THE DETECTIVE CAR
makes a sharp left onto a narrow street.
IN THE CAR
Conti spots them.
CONTI
There they are.
The RANGE ROVER pulls out of an alley in front of them. Their headlights pick up Lena in the front seat. Sloan cuts his lights and pulls to the curb, as if parking. Conti talks into his phone.
CONTI (CONT’D)
They’re headin’ west onto
Avenue X.
EXT. VAN. NIGHT.
Third sees the Rover pulling out ahead.
THIRD
We got ‘em.
IN THE SEDAN
Bagels turns onto a broad thoroughfare.
PUTTS
We’re goin’ west on Avenue
V.
EXT. STREET. NIGHT.
The Rover turns onto a narrow side street.
IN THE VAN (CROSSCUT WITH OTHER CARS)
Derek gets on the phone.
DEREK
They’re goin’ up West Fourth,
toward the ocean.
SLOAN
We’ll get them on Neptune.
EXT. NEPTUNE AVE. NIGHT.
The Detective Car drives up just as the Range Rover turns onto the street.
IN THE DETECTIVE CAR
SLOAN
Got ‘em…
EXT. TWO FAMILY HOUSE. NIGHT.
The Rover parks in front. Lena, Kenny, Patrick and another HOOD get out. The Detective Car drives past.
IN THE DETECTIVE CAR
CONTI
We all on the same page?
DEREK
Here.
PUTTS
I see ‘em.
CONTI
Jerry, can you cover the
back?
INT. BURKE’S CAR. NIGHT.(CROSSCUT WITH OTHER CARS)
Olga slips into jeans and sneakers as she drives. Burke is on the cell phone.
BURKE
Got it.
LIGHTS go on in the second floor of the house.
EXT. BACK YARD. NIGHT.
Burke and Olga climb over a wall.They drop into a pool of light from the second story window, then dart quickly into the shadows. Olga checks her WATCH. It’s 10:51.
IN BLACK…11;42;06..
Conti whispering…”No, baby, I did not push you into the closet…
INT. DETECTIVE CAR. NIGHT.
Conti on the cell phone.
CONTI
I asked you to step in as a
personal favor to me.
SLOAN
Doin’ it in the closet now?
CONTI
I’m on the job right now.
You don’t believe me, ask
Donnie. Tell her.
And hands Sloan the phone.
SLOAN
Boy, could I screw you up…
(into the phone)
Hi, Betty, Donnie. We are on
a stakeout. We’re lookin’ to
lock somebody up. No, nobody
you know… Thanks, you’re
sweet.
(disconnects)
She says you can call her
until one. She also says how
come all the good guys are
married.
Conti’s PHONE BEEPS.
CONTI
Maybe this is Sandra…Oh,
Derek…
INT. VAN. NIGHT.(CROSSCUT WITH OTHER CARS)
DEREK
It’s been a half hour. What
do we do?
CONTI
We wait. Can’t break down
the door. We’ll just be
endangering her.
DEREK
I suppose she’s not in
danger now.
PUTTS
You guys wanna take your
heads outta your butts and
look outside the house…
LENA AND LUPO
are walking out of the house, laughing.
IN THE DETECTIVE CAR
Sloan grabs Conti, gleefully.
SLOAN
She did it! Let’s get him.
Sloan starts the car and they drive up as Lupo is opening his door. Conti rolls down the window.
CONTI
Hey Kenny…
(shows him the gun)
See this?
(and the badge)
And this?
LUPO
What’s this all about?
CONTI
Put your hands on top of the
car.
Sloan hustles out.
SLOAN
Hiya doin’ Kenny. Wanna
spread your legs a little
bit for me?
LUPO
You guys are embarrassing me
in front of my girlfriend.
LENA
(holds up a shopping bag)
Don’t worry about me. Kenny.
The cocaine will console me.
LUPO
(understands and snarls at
Lena)
Are you a cop you scurvy
little bitch?
Sloan slams his head against the door.
SLOAN
Hey, watch your language, I
got a picture of my mother
in my pocket.
Lupo is subdued; a crafty look comes into his eye as the other cops run up.
LUPO
I got good friends in this
precinct, you know what I
mean. Ask Jerry Burke, he’ll
vouch for me…
Sloan slams Lupo’s head into the car again.
SLOAN
This is fun. One of you guys
wanna take a turn?
Conti tightens the cuffs on Lupo. And drags him up the walk to the house.
CONTI
You wanna do yourself some
good, Kenny? Walk us into
the house, nice and easy,
so we can meet your friends.
LUPO
Okay, I can do that. It’s
their stash, you know. I’m
just along for the ride.
CONTI
Yeah I know, you thought you
were sellin’ grated cheese.
You got a secret code or
knock that gets you in?
LUPO
Nah, I just ring the bell.
Derek rings the bell. A VOICE GROWLS over the SPEAKER.
LUPO (cont’d)
It’s me Kenny. Let me in…
The cops hear a curse on the SPEAKER. Suddenly, the lights go out. Conti smacks Lupo.
CONTI
Cute Kenny. Just bought
yourself five more years.
(shoves him at Lena)
Watch him…Call Emergency
Service to help us bust
into the house.
Third runs at the door, kicking it in. The cops step over the shattered frame into a two family house. They rush up the narrow stairs. Putts bangs on the door.
PUTTS
Police! Open up!
IN THE BACK YARD
CELLOPHANE PACKAGES sail out of the second floor window. Olga runs to catch them as a MAN jumps out, followed by another. Burke kicks one man’s legs out from under him and slams the other with the butt of his gun.
INT. STAIRWAY. NIGHT.
The cops stand, impatiently outside the door.
CONTI
Can’t wait, they’re flushin’
the evidence.
Derek throws a kick at the door. Then, Bagels lowers his shoulder and breaks it in. Conti and Sloan rush into the LIVING ROOM where a WOMAN and TWO MEN rise hands up, shouting “Don’t shoot, we give up.” Derek and Third run into a BATHROOM where Patrick is flushing cellophane bags of white powder down the toilet. They pull him up by the collar and drag him into the living room where Conti is cuffing the others and Sloan is looking into two SUITCASES full of cellophane bags.
SLOAN
We got a major cocaine
seizure here.
EXT. HOUSE. NIGHT.
Lupo is lying face down, hands cuffed. Lena stands over him.
LUPO
Sammy Capelli gave me up,
didn’t he? The one guy in
the world I trusted.
LENA
Oh Kenny, darling, what a
pretty boy. All the girls
are going to miss you. But
you just wear that nice
cologne you’ll make a lot
of new friends in jail…
ACT FOUR (CONT)
CONEY ISLAND BLUEFISH By Heywood Gould
I pitched a show about how cops deal with the new ethnically diverse New York.
The executives looked up from their blackberries…
Thought Coney Island–home to refugees from the former Soviet Empire a burgeoning Mexican population, Indians, Pakistanis, Hasidim, not to mention retired garment workers, Mafia holdouts, yuppies, hipsters and health nuts who want to be by the sea–would be a good arena.
The executives leaned forward in their chairs—a good sign.
Police precincts field sports teams that play other city departments and go to a state championship every year.
The executives had never heard of that.
“Great hook,” someone said.
I wrote the script. Joy was unconfined. We were on our way.
Then it was bounced down from the “upstairs.”
The verdict:
“Is he kidding?”
Enjoy
Best,
Heywood
Our first script was EMPIRES OF CRIME. Seven years in development was a six part mini-series commissioned by a broadcast network and later reacquired by a cable station.
Click on EMPRIES OF CRIME link below for the entire script.
The story is about the founders of Organized Crime, Meyer Lansky, and “Lucky” Luciano, their fifty year partnership and the empire they created. Their friendships and families, lives and loves. It is also about their implacable enemy Thomas Dewey, a young Republican attorney who built a political career prosecuting the Mob that propelled him to the NY Governor’s Mansion and almost to the White House.
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