Dennis Lehane - Coronado

GWEN Then he’s nothing.

BOBBY His nothing’s a whole lot stronger than our something.

GWEN Why not run now, baby?

BOBBY Because we are going to burn him. Because I can accept losing to the prick, but not every fucking time. We’re going to take our cut first before he can burn us. And then we’ll send him his share from a state or two away. And we will fucking disappear, baby. Vanish.

GWEN Did I mention you set my heart aflutter and make me feel all funny inside? How sometimes, like now, I just want to shove my hand in your jeans and—

[ BOBBY jerks away from her, but she rolls on top of him. ]

BOBBY Hey. Witnesses.

GWEN Where?

BOBBY They could come.

GWEN So could you, fool.

BOBBY I’m serious, I’m serious. If it goes south, you bury it here and send him a postcard telling him how to find it. You don’t get clever. You don’t try to wrangle with him. You tell him it’s here.

GWEN I’ll tell him it’s here.

BOBBY By then, it won’t be our future. It’ll be our noose. I’m serious.

GWEN I’m serious.

BOBBY Gwen.

GWEN Gwen.

BOBBY I am.

GWEN I am.

[ She covers his face and body with her own. ]

HAL, WILL, and GINA.

HAL Here’s my thing.

WILL What’s your thing, boss?

HAL I’m pedaled out.

WILL You’re a lying sack of shit.

HAL I’m plumb done. I want to reach in that belly right now and pull out a whole baby and spend my final years raising it. I do. Let you—

[ HAL fires at WILL’S feet. WILL jumps back. GINA shrieks. ]

HAL — run off together and take some of my property and a whole shitload a’ my money. And that’s fine. I just want to raise that child. Problem is, I can see your eyes, boy. And I know you can’t abide that.

WILL I might could.

HAL Might could be full of shit.

WILL The thing is? Hal? You say it now and maybe you feel it but you couldn’t live it then. You’d try, I’ll grant you. But one day, that kid’s one or one and a half or four, and you’ll get bored. Nothing else to do but watch it grow? Fuck, man. And then you’ll need a goal. And you’ll come after us. Because your pride and your fucking money won’t allow you to take it.

HAL You say. But, see, I just want to make someone safe. One person. My person, my child. That’s a long-ass goal. And I’m going to hold its chubby legs and show it how to walk and keep it from biting into the extension cords on the Christmas tree and walk it to school and—

[ GINA hits HAL in the head with the bottle. The train whistle blows. GINA hits HAL again. ]

GINA Fucking Christmas trees? You’ll keep “IT” safe? What about me?

[ WILL grabs her, pulls her back. ]

WILL Train’s closing, honey. Ticktock.

BOBBY and BOBBY’S FATHER.

BOBBY Held it in my hand, you know.

BOBBY’S FATHER I assumed.

BOBBY Filled the center of my palm. The whole center of my palm.

BOBBY’S FATHER Big, huh?

BOBBY Big enough.

BOBBY’S FATHER Kinda money that stone’d bring? A man could retire.

BOBBY To what?

BOBBY’S FATHER Mexico.

BOBBY To what, though? Mean old man like you? What you got if you ain’t stealing something, killing somebody, making sure no one alive has a good fucking day?

BOBBY’S FATHER It’s the idea.

BOBBY The idea.

BOBBY’S FATHER Man needs a goal.

BOBBY Uh-huh.

BOBBY’S FATHER Getting awful bored now.

BOBBY Heavens.

[ He points the gun at BOBBY. ]

BOBBY Where’s Gwen?

BOBBY’S FATHER This is a real fucking gun.

BOBBY This is a real fucking question. You want your rock? Where’s Gwen?

BOBBY’S FATHER You get taller in prison? I think you did. I’m pretty sure you grew an inch, maybe two.

BOBBY I told her that night to just go, just get, just put as much country as she could between you and her until I got out. I told her even if I told you I had it, you’d have to cover your bets, you’d have to come looking for her.

BOBBY’S FATHER Who’s this we’re talking about?

BOBBY Gwen.

BOBBY’S FATHER You don’t say.

BOBBY I told her if you did find her to tell you I’d only said one word about where I hid it.

BOBBY’S FATHER And what word was that, pray tell?

BOBBY Fairgrounds.

[ BOBBY’S FATHER smiles, taps the gun against his outer thigh. ]

BOBBY Told her if you truly believed she didn’t know anything you might — just might — show mercy for once.

BOBBY’S FATHER And why would I do that?

BOBBY Because I loved her.

BOBBY’S FATHER Ain’t no such thing.

BOBBY You say! You say!

[ BOBBY takes a few steps toward him and he raises the gun again. The sight of it makes BOBBY laugh. ]

BOBBY Go ahead. Really. Pull that fucking trigger, tough guy.

GINA and WILL drag HAL toward the train tracks, struggling with his weight. HAL comes back to consciousness but is still groggy as hell.

HAL Don’t. Just don’t. Just listen. I—

[ WILL shoves HAL’s gun under his chin. ]

WILL Got your gun, Hal. Now shut the fuck up.

HAL [ Screaming. ] I’LL BE A GREAT FATHER THIS TIME, I WILL, AND GINA, I LOVE YOU, I DO, I KNOW I’VE HAD A FEW WIVES AND A BUNCH OF COCKTAIL WAITRESSES AND SOME STRIPPERS BUT NEVER ANYTHING LIKE YOU AND I’LL BE A GREAT DAD, A GREAT DAD, AND IF YOU COULD JUST SEE MY SOUL AND HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU, GINA, BABY, PLEASE, I—

[ They hurl HAL onto the train tracks. SOUND OF IMPACT. GINA grabs her head and screams at the sky. ]

GINA Oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my god…

[ WILL tucks the gun under his shirt, stares off. ]

WILL Bye, Hal.

[ The DOCTOR and the PATIENT watch as the lights dim on WILL and GINA. ]

DOCTOR You’ve confused your sins.

PATIENT What?

DOCTOR The hierarchy of them. You think you did something worse than murder? Leaving your child to be raised by Will? You had no choice.

PATIENT I could have died fighting.

DOCTOR End result would have been the same. You can’t fight a guy like Will. You can’t, Gina. The only thing that can stop a guy like Will is a guy like Will.

PATIENT No, I—

DOCTOR Your sin was killing Hal. You had choice there and you made the worst one. Do you even know why?

PATIENT Because we were in love.

DOCTOR You were in love. You could have divorced him. Was it his money?

PATIENT Didn’t hurt.

DOCTOR He’d have given you that. So… Why’d you kill Hal, Gina?

BOBBY’S FATHER pointing the gun at BOBBY. [ Beat. ]

BOBBY’S FATHER It just come to me.

BOBBY Yeah, what’s that?

BOBBY’S FATHER You’ve known for, what, three years that Gwen is no more?

BOBBY Dead.

BOBBY’S FATHER Whatever.

BOBBY Dead.

BOBBY’S FATHER If you like. Dead.

BOBBY Yeah, Daddy.

BOBBY’S FATHER Three years. Lotta time to think.

[ BOBBY nods. ]

BOBBY’S FATHER Plan.

[ Another nod. BOBBY’S FATHER looks at his gun. ]

BOBBY’S FATHER This going to fire?

BOBBY I’d say the odds are a might dubious.

BOBBY’S FATHER It’s loaded. I can feel the mag weight.

BOBBY Jack the slide.

[ BOBBY’S FATHER yanks back hard. The slide is frozen. ]

BOBBY Krazy Glue. Filled the barrel too.

BOBBY’S FATHER Thought I felt a monkey on my head.

[ BOBBY produces a knife, expertly flips the blade free of the hasp. ]