[check-cashing shop; night]
[clerk hands Herb Colling a small stack of cash]
Colling : Thank you. [counts it, then walks home... he is spooked by noises... a man follows him]
[apartment hallway; Colling thought he made it safely, but the man (Steg) hits him, knocking him down, and threatens with a knife]
Steg
: Give me the money. Money! Come on!
[he does]
This all the
money you got?
Colling: Yeah.
Take what you want. Just leave me alone.
Steg: Keep your
head down. Keep it down, you
understand?
Keep it there!
[escapes]
[Riv;
day]
Ray: Okay.
‘Safety on the street is a matter of common sense. You
must ask yourself ...’ Damn. What? What? You must ask
yourself what?
Fraser:
[reading from
brochure]
‘You must ask
yourself “Is
it safe to walk in my neighborhood during the day or
night?’”
Ray: This
neighborhood? Of course it’s not safe. It’s a slum. What
kind of bozo comes up with a safety tip like that?
Fraser:
[reads back of
brochure]
The Mayor’s Blue Ribbon Panel on Safety for Senior
Citizens.
Ray: Yeah, a
bunch of do-gooders sitting around solving other peoples
problems, sipping on
cappuccinos.
I’m dead,
Fraser. These
people are gonna eat me alive.
Fraser: They
don’t seem particularly threatening, Ray.
[especially the guy
on the stalled motorized scooter]
Ray: Old people
just make me nervous.
Fraser: Well
you know, the aged are just like people, too. Only they’re
older.
Ray: In the
last five weeks, six of their neighbors have been beaten
and robbed. Nobody can I.D. the guy. We got no leads, and
division sends me down here to reassure them?
[sigh]
They’re gonna rip me limb from limb.
Hey, maybe I should get a night stick.
Fraser:
Ray.
Ray: Okay,
okay.
Fraser:
Diefenbaker. [Dief
doesn’t
budge] Now
don’t be selfish. I’ve told you, taking an hour out of
your day to visit with the elderly can be as rewarding an
experience for you as it is for them. Come on. When was
the last time I asked you to do a good turn?
[Dief
grumbles]
No-no-no-no, that was different. Those were orphans and
that taffy pull was for charity.
[Dief
complains]
Well, I shaved it out of your hair, didn’t
I?
[to
Vecchio]
It’s
hopeless.
[community
center]
Ray: Step six.
How can I prevent myself from becoming a victim?
Man:
Deadbolts.
Ray: Deadbolts.
That’s correct. Uh, purchase a strong deadbolt lock, and
be sure to keep it fastened at all times.
Woman: I got a
dead bolt. It doesn’t help when the door jam is
rotting.
Ray: Yes, and
uh, windows. Make sure the windows are fastened with key
lock mechanisms, and that bars are installed on all the
lower levels.
Man: Yeah. Tell
that to my landlord. And while you’re at it, tell him to
put in a hot water heater.
[general
agreement]
Ray: Yes sir,
we appreciate your plumbing problems but that’s not what
I’m here for.
Daughter: Then
what are you here for? You sure didn’t do nothing when
that animal attacked my
mother! I want
to know what you people are gonna do!
Ray:
Psst!
Benny.
Fraser:
[loudly]
It’s an honest question. Ray.
Ray:
[quietly]
Well I realize that, Fraser, but the
division doesn’t want me to answer it. They only want me
to talk about deadbolts and window bars.
Fraser:
[loudly]
Well, perhaps these people don’t
consider that to be a realistic solution.
Daughter: Damn
right, it isn’t.
Ray:
[quietly]
Will you keep your voice
down?!
[Fraser steps back]
Ray
:
[loudly]
Yes, uh, when on the street, what is the
best method of personal protection? Anyone?
[Fraser raises his
hand]
Anyone?
Fraser: A
positive attitude. I’m merely suggesting, Ray, that one
shouldn’t allow fear to dictate one’s actions. Oh, and
traveling in a group is good deterrent, and it can provide
some pleasant companionship.
Ray: Fraser,
these people aren’t going lawn bowling. They’re trying to
survive in an urban hellhole.
Fraser: Well,
they can try to survive in it alone, Ray, or they can meet
the challenge. But that’s up to them.
Colling: It’s
easy for you to say.
Fraser: Well
yes, perhaps it is. I haven’t lived in this neighborhood
as long as you have. Where I come from, the challenges are
quite different. There are no drug dealer or pimps, few
thieves to bother with. There’s only the environment. And
surviving in the face of it is the challenge of the Inuit.
A mother gives birth somewhere out on a glacier field,
hundreds of miles from the nearest outpost. And she knows
the odds are stacked against her son even living to see
the spring. Disease, or lack of food, the
elements. And
even if they should survive and he should grow to be a
boy, she knows very well that all he has to do is lose his
footing on the smooth surface of a glacier and that’ll be
that. In other words, she should know that her son cannot
live. So, why should she try? Well, I know this woman. I
helped deliver her son. She was weak and, uh,
undernourished, but the next morning she stood up and she
picked her child up into her arms and...and she set out
again into the blinding snow and I think...I think that
was the single most courageous act that I’ve ever
seen.
[27th
precinct]
Ray: This is
what’s wrong with you, Fraser. You see a problem and you
gotta fix it. You can’t even go to the men’s room without
stopping and telling some simple stupid charmingly witty
Inuit story that inspires people to take on the worlds
social ills!
Fraser: Well
I’m sorry, Ray, but I fail to see how a small group of
people banding together to form a neighborhood watch
constitutes a form of political anarchy.
Ray: Well, at
least this morning they had the good sense to be scared.
Now there’s probably hordes of them wandering the streets
doing God knows what.
Fraser: Ray,
that’s just silly.
Ray: Remember,
it’s on your head. If one of those old people so much as
slips putting up a poster on that ice, just remember,
you’re the one they voted block captain.
Fraser: I’ll
remember that. Oh - what exactly is a block
captain?
[outside (inside the box
perspective)]
Elaine: You’ll
be needing these. We ordered them the last time someone
tried to do a watch in this neighborhood. The guy got shot
before he could get them out of the box.
[Fraser takes out a
walkie-talkie]
So far, so
good.
[inside community center]
[Fraser is sitting at a table passing out vests and
whistles]
Fraser: Thank
you Mrs. Fisher and Mr. Porter. Thank you very kindly. Mr.
Rubens, there you go.
Rubens: Can I
keep it?
Fraser: Uh, no
sir, I’m afraid not.
Rubens: Do I
get a badge?
Fraser: None
appear to have been provided.
Rubens: How
about a hat? That’s nice.
Fraser: You
mean?
Rubens: Yeah,
your hat.
Fraser: Oh well
I’m...
Rubens: What
size is it?
[sitting
room]
Gladys:
[to
Dief] It
was 1942 and Benny Goodman was playing his bit at the
Orpheus. And I’m telling you, back at that time I could
really cut a rug. Would you like a taffy?
[Dief whines &
hides under a
chair]
[common
area]
Ray: Now if
anybody bothers you, you take this,
[a
whistle]
you put it to your lips and you blow as hard as you can.
Elaine?
(tweeeet)
Ray: You think
you can do that? Good. You
ready? On
three. One, two--
(tweeeeeeeeeeeet)
[park]
Fraser: Good
morning, Mr. Colling. I was hoping you’d join us.
Colling: I come
here everyday. What’s new?
Fraser: The
neighborhood watch. We could use your help.
Colling: I’m
busy.
Fraser: Uh,
well, yes, sir. I can see that you are.
Lady: He keeps
to himself.
Fraser: Ah.
Shall we?
[street
corner]
Porter: No,
this is my post! 16th and Morgan. It’s marked
right here on the map!
Rubens: You’re
guarding my building?! You, who twice cheated me at
canasta?!
Porter: I
didn’t cheat you, old
fool! You fell
asleep and missed your turn.
Ray: Well, the
neighborhood is definitely in safe hands now.
Fraser: They
just need a little drilling,
Ray. They’ll
get the hang of it.
Ray: Yeah,
right.
[passing out
flyers]
Fraser:
Neighborhood watch meeting Thursday night, I hope you’ll
join us.
Ray
: I double-checked every statement. I’ve interviewed the
neighbors, I’ve talked to every shop keeper on the street.
Nobody’s seen this guy, and even those who did can’t
describe him. It’s like the guy doesn’t exist.
Fraser: Well
maybe he doesn’t, Ray, at least not to the casual
observer.
Ray: He follows
people through the neighborhood, he beats and robs them,
yet nobody notices him?
Fraser:
Apparently so, but we do know he’s in a position to notice
them. How else could he know his victim’s movements well
enough to know when to rob whom and when not to?
Ray: Okay, so
he notices them, they don’t notice him, but he’s
here?
Fraser: He has
to be.
[park]
Mrs. Chaffey:
[into
walkie-talkie]
Edith. I’m on my way. Edith!
[man (Steg) begins to follow her into the tunnel; another man (Colling) waits on the other side]
Mrs.
Chaffey
: [into
walkie-talkie]
Hello? Hello? Anybody there? Hello? Hello? Hello?
[she runs out; Steg
struts out, and other man hits him in the stomach with a
bat; Mrs. Chaffey screams]
Porter : [into his walkie talkie] Hello?
Rubens : [into walkie-talkie] Hello?!
Porter
: [into
walkie-talkie]
Who’s there! Come
in! There’s
screaming down in the
passageway!
Call the police!
Fraser:
[into
walkie-talkie]
It’s all right, Mr. Porter, we’re on our way!
Colling: You
see this face? You take a good look. You come back here
again, and it’ll be the last face you’ll ever see.
[they
scuffle]
Fraser : [voice] Mrs. Chaffey?
[Colling & Steg run off in opposite
directions]
Mrs.
Chaffey: Hey.
Hey!
Fraser: Mrs.
Chaffey, are you all right?
Mrs.
Chaffey: I
seen him. He was following me!
Ray: Who?
Mrs.
Chaffey: I
don’t know. There was two of them.
Fraser: Ray.
[finds fresh blood
on the
sidewalk]
[tunnel; many cops
around]
Ray: Now the
attacker, was he the smaller man or the bigger one?
Mrs.
Chaffey: I
don’t know. By the time I looked they were both running
away.
Ray: Okay,
would it be safe to say that what you actually saw was two
big blurs?
Mrs.
Chaffey: Yes,
I suppose it would.
Fraser: Thank
you very much, Mrs. Chaffey. You’ve been a great
help.
[she
exits]
Ray
: No wonder he robs old people.
Fraser: Well
why Mrs. Chaffey? It’s broad daylight, she is wearing a
red vest and carrying a walkie-talkie. It’s like mugging a
bulls-eye. It doesn’t make sense.
Fraser: Which
is why he picked another victim.
Fraser: And
where’s the victim. Why did he run?
Ray: Well, for
the same reason people don’t hang around to report crimes
– either too intimidated or too embarrassed.
Fraser:
Maybe.
Ray: You got a
weapon?
Crime scene
investigator: I don’t know. Probably something big and
blunt.
Vecchio, you’ll get my report in the morning.
[to
assistant]
Come on! Come on!
Ray: Great. We
got witnesses, we got evidence, we still got
nothing.
Fraser: What
about this.
Look at this, by the right footprint.
Ray: It looks
like a crutch.
Fraser: Or
something he was using as one.
[Dief whines, as he
appears wearing a knitted cap and coat]
Fraser:
Diefenbaker?
Hi, Gladys.
Gladys: Hello,
how are you?
Fraser: Hi,
Dief! [quietly]
Now listen, I
had no idea it would come to this. I swear. She’s very
nice, and there’s a very nice dog biscuit in this for you,
I promise.
Gladys: Come
on, Corky.
[Dief grumbles and
follows her]
Fraser: Dief...
[to
Vecchio]
Oh boy. He’s so embarrassed.
Ray: It’s
hideous.
[tracking the footprints]
Ray
: It looks like his right heel is dragging.
Fraser: He must
have been injured in the assault. The man he attacked was
indeed bigger and, I think...wait a minute. It’s this way.
He didn’t climb it.
[the low
fence]
Ray: Well,
maybe his ankle is--
Fraser: Even a
young man with an injury could step over a wall like
this.
[they are being
followed by a small boy with a bat and a
sandwich]
Ray
: Okay, so he goes around the fence, he hits the sidewalk
and the prints disappear.
[into the snow
again] Oh
great, another dead end.
Fraser: Gone.
The prints are still here. The crutch is gone.
[the boy is now part of the
gang]
Ray: Maybe he
pitched it.
[they look around, and Fraser spots a
dumpster]
Fraser:
There.
Ray
: Aw, no, Fraser! Not another dumpster! I am not getting
into a dumpster with you! Fraser! There is no way I’m
getting in this dumpster with you. Don’t even think about
it, don’t even suggest it. Do you know how many suits I’ve
ruined frolicking in refuse for you?
Fraser: Here.
Check these. [hands
Vecchio a bunch of pipes]
Ray: It’s a
waste of time. Half the stuff in there will qualify as a
weapon.
Fraser: It has
to be something concealable. Probably under a coat.
Ray:
No,
that’s not it. That’s not it. Ah ha! There it is.
[shows Fraser a
pipe]
Fraser: That’s
not blood, Ray.
Ray: Oh sure it
is. It’s red and it’s sticky.
[Fraser tastes
it]
Yecch!
Fraser:
Ketchup.
Ray: Well who
sits in a dumpster and eats ketchup?
Fraser:
Probably someone who likes French fries.
[picks one off of
Vecchio’s shoulder]
[they look at the
kid]
Kid: Uh-oh.
[runs]
Ray: Come here
ya little rugrat!
[they chase
him] Come
here, kid. Where do you think you’re going? Give me the
bat!
Kid: No!
Ray: Come on.
Now, be a good kid and give the detective the bat.
Kid: No! I
found it. Get your own!
Ray: Give
it!
Kid: No!
Fraser: Ray,
Ray. You know, children are just like people, only
smaller. All you have to do is reason with them. Now son,
that bat is important evidence in a criminal investigation
and we’d be most grateful if you’d cooperate.
Kid: A hundred
bucks!
Fraser: I see.
Ray?
Ray: Okay kid.
Can you spell penitentiary? Let’s try it together.
P-E-N-
Kid: Okay,
here!
Ray:
Scram.
Kid: Creep!
[runs
off]
Ray: I reasoned
with him.
Fraser: Ray,
Ray, Ray.
Ray: Okay, I’m
sorry but I got the bat and this is definitely not
ketchup.
Fraser: But all
the victims said the attacker used a knife. Now why would
you suddenly switch to a bat?
Ray: Who cares?
This is evidence, okay? We match up the blood type, we get
lucky with a print, and we got ourselves a thief.
Fraser: I was
wrong.
Ray: No-no, you
weren’t wrong, Fraser! Come on, we got a crime and we got
a weapon!
Fraser: I
tracked the wrong man, Ray. The man with the bat is not
the thief. [walks
away]
Ray: Aw, come
on, Fraser, don’t do this to me! ...At least wait up for
me!
[tunnel]
Fraser: He
waited here. The snow melted and then refroze under his
feet. An hour maybe longer.
Ray: You live
to do this to me, don’t you? No sooner do I find a piece
of hard evidence that may actually put an actual criminal
in jail--
Fraser: Well, I
didn’t say the man with the bat isn’t a criminal, Ray, he
just didn’t commit the crimes you think he did.
Ray: Oh, I see.
I betcha it’s that hero thing. One flub and you think you
have to over-compensate.
Fraser: Look at
these footprints. We know from the victims that he only
preys upon the weak, and yet this man, the man he
attacked, has long agile
strides.
Whereas this man, the man with the bat, walks with a limp.
He couldn’t even jump a fence to save himself, Ray. He’s
old. Now why would an old man try to rob a man bigger and
stronger than himself?
Ray: Maybe he
felt threatened by the bigger guy.
Fraser: Maybe.
Maybe this was his
solution.
[27th
precinct]
Welsh: A
vigilante. I send you out to solve a simple string of
robberies and you bring me a vigilante? A senior citizen,
no less!
Fraser:
Leftenant, the responsibility for this is entirely
mine.
Welsh: Oh I’m
sure it is. You know, just once I’d like someone besides
the Mountie come into my station and confess.
Fraser: Sir, I
encouraged these people to not allow themselves to be
intimidated. Now I had no right to compare my experiences
to theirs and offer up solutions to a problem that was far
more severe in their minds than I could possibly
anticipate.
Welsh: That
might be so, Constable, but before you put on the hair
shirt, none of this would have happened if Detective
Vecchio would have found the thief before some little old
man.
Fraser: He’s
right, Ray.
Ray: Oh thanks,
Fraser.
Fraser:
No-no-no-no. About the little old man. He waited for the
thief in the park, which means he knows the thief. He
knows his movements.
Ray: So if we
find the vigilante, we find the thief.
[they’ve ended up in
Welsh’s office, and Welsh stands outside, waiting for them
to notice he’s not in there]
Fraser: Thank
you very kindly, Leftenant.
[shakes his
hand] And,
as usual, our conversation has been extremely
helpful.
Welsh: I’m so
glad, Constable.
Fraser: Also,
sir, I think you’ll be pleased to know I’ve taken the
liberty of officially reprimanding myself.
Welsh: Good,
good. Put ‘em in the file with the rest of them.
[Vecchio smiles
& offers his
hand] Get
out of my office.
Fraser: Uh,
yes, sir.
[looking at a map]
Ray
: I thought the thief was somebody nobody would
notice.
Fraser: He is.
Unless you were patient, and had plenty of time on your
hands, and he didn’t notice you noticing him.
Ray: So now we
got two people noticing?
Fraser: You
have to have a clear vantage point, somewhere with a view
of both sides of the tunnel. Here.
[points]
Ray: Fraser,
old people do not sit outside in this
weather. And
if somebody did, he’d be noticed right away.
Fraser: ‘I come
here
everyday.’
Where’s your
coat?
[Music: ‘Bone of Contention’ by Spirit of the West]
[street; two teens on bikes are causing general havoc; Colling notices]
[park; Colling’s
table]
Fraser: This
was his routine, Ray. Nobody questions a man who keeps to
his routine.
Ray: You can’t
arrest Herb Colling for playing chess.
Fraser: The
bruise on his
forehead. I
should have realized.
Ray: You’re not
a mind reader, Fraser. You’re just a Canadian. Come on,
maybe we’ll get lucky and he’ll blurt out a spontaneous
confession.
[street; the teens swipe bananas from a woman’s grocery
bag]
Woman: My
fruit. He took my fruit!
Teen:
[to man in his
path] Get
out of the way, ya punk!
[teens horsing
around, and Colling sticks out a bat, bringing down one of
the teens, and the careening bike takes out the other
one... teen2 rushes off, and teen1 lies motionless on
pavement... several people rush to his
aid; Colling
leaves quickly... Steg has seen the whole
thing]
[park; Colling’s
table]
Fraser: Good
morning, Mr. Colling. Do you mind if I...?
Colling: It’s a
public park.
Fraser: You
know, this park was created after the great fire of 1871.
The mayor at the time, uh, Joseph Medill, dedicated it to
all the citizens of Chicago to enjoy freely and equally.
But people don’t seem to feel very free, now, do they? In
fact, most people seem afraid to come here anymore.
Colling: I’m
not afraid.
Fraser: No. I
need your advice. I found this in a dumpster. Rather nice
bat. Hardly the sort of thing you’d toss away in the
garbage. Don’t you agree?
Colling: You’re
in my way.
Fraser: Oh,
terribly sorry. I thought it might be valuable to
somebody. It’s obviously been very well taken care of.
It’s been oiled and cleaned regularly. The oil, you can
see has been worked into the grain.
[Fraser takes out
his knife & slices off a rather large chip, to
Colling’s
dismay] As
a matter of fact, it’s seeped it’s way into the wood. It’s
rather like the rings of a tree, don’t you think? You see,
I think this bat was a memento. I think it belonged to
someone who played baseball, someone who loved the game.
What do you think?
Colling: I
wouldn’t know.
Fraser: It’s
not your bat, is it?
Colling:
No.
Fraser: Well,
that’s strange. I saw a picture in the trophy case in the
center. It was of a man with a boy’s team who’s smiling,
and he was holding a bat very much like this one.
Colling: This
was a nice park. Forty years ago, people came from all
over from the neighborhood. On Sundays they had picnics,
and sat in the shade. There was a fountain over there.
Kids used to take off their shoes and wade in it. Splashed
everybody. Made a hell of a noise. Was full of life, but
look at it now. When the muggers and the junkies came the
people didn’t fight back. They hid. Inside their homes,
behind their
doors. Until
finally one day, when they tried to come out, they
couldn’t. They just couldn’t. Now, it’s not much, but it’s
my home. I’m suppose to give it up? For them? For
you? No. Not
for anyone. [takes
his pieces & goes to leave]
Fraser: Mr.
Colling, this bat has been used to hurt people. Now maybe
they deserved it, maybe they didn’t. That’s immaterial.
The law simply does not allow us to go about hitting each
other over the head with bats. And if he tries again, I’ll
be
watching.
[Riv]
Ray: So you
decided to scare the vigilante by destroying the only
piece of evidence we have against him?
Fraser: Well he
may try again, Ray. I felt it was worth the risk.
Ray: You know,
Fraser, it’s about time someone told
you. It’s the
little things like this that make them not want you back
across the
border.
[apartment building
corridor]
Porter: I go to
the counter, I buy a paper. I give her a dollar. She gives
me my change, just like we’d done a thousand times. Only
this time, she sees my red vest and calls me Mister. Not
Rudy, but Mr. Porter.
Colling:
So?
Porter: So, I
wink at her and she winks back at me. We’re going to bingo
on Saturday night! Hey, go figure!
[laughs &
exits]
[Colling’s apartment]
[Steg jumps out & throttles Colling; Porter hears the
scuffle]
Porter:
[into
walkie-talkie]
This is unit 17. We got a problem at Parkview Towers,
third floor. Copy?
Fraser: That’s
Herb Colling’s building!
[Steg beats up
Colling, as the Riv speeds toward the building]
[Music: ‘Stain’ by Salvador
Dream]
Porter: He’s in
here!
Fraser: Mr.
Colling?
Ray: Open up!
Police!
[Vecchio & Fraser kick open the door, and Steg throws
himself out the window; Fraser
follows]
Porter:
[into
walkie-talkie]
All units. Intruder heading west through the quad.
Mrs.
Klapp
: He’s in the alley.
Fraser: Thank
you kindly, Mrs. Klapp.
[patrol people point
out the direction Steg went]
Rubens
: [watching from
window]
I’ve got him. He’s heading south.
[Fraser keeps
running]
Behind the building!
[Fraser reverses
direction]
Fraser: Roger.
Rubens : Watch out for the trash cans!
Fraser
: [who is now
rolling along on top of one] Thank you very much, Mr.
Rubens.
Gladys: Sick
him, Corky. Sick him!
[Dief barks, causing Steg to fall off the ladder; Fraser catches up]
[Dief approaches, dropping the knit cap at Fraser’s
feet]
Fraser: I’m
sorry!
[Dief runs
off]
[27th precinct;
line-up]
Gardino: Turn
left. Turn right. Face front. Do you recognize any of
these men, Mr. Colling?
Welsh: Mr.
Colling?
Colling:
No.
Ray: No? The
guy slammed the back of your head into the wall
repeatedly.
Don’t tell me you didn’t see his face!
Welsh: Vecchio!
Perhaps you’d like to take another look.
Colling: I’ve
seen enough
Welsh: All
right, cut him loose.
Ray: Cut him
loose? Lieutenant, you can’t cut the guy loose!
Fraser: This
won’t end here. He knows where you live. He knows you’ve
seen his face.
Colling: It
will end.
Fraser: And
someone may die.
Colling: So be
it.
Fraser: You
know, Mr. Colling, you had the strength to swing that
bat. You must
have the strength to put it down.
[Vecchio’s desk;
Vecchio is typing his report (hunt & peck), Fraser is
whittling]
[Fraser sighs & stops whittling]
Ray
: What?
Fraser:
Nothing. No, it’s just I can’t help feeling --
Ray: You see,
that’s your problem.
Fraser:
What?
Ray: Feelings.
Ya got to keep the feelings out of it. This way it’s just
a case. Just a docket with a file number and that’s
it.
Fraser: I
suppose that’s prudent....That’s an ‘h’.
Ray:
What?
Fraser:
Offender. You meant to hit a ‘d’, you hit an ‘h’.
Ray
: You heard that?
[applies
White-Out]
Fraser: Yes.
Ray, the thing is--
Ray: Fraser,
the guy had his chance, okay? There’s nothing more we can
do for him, okay?
Fraser: You’re
right.
Ray: I know I’m
right.
[tap]
Fraser: That’s
a zed.
Ray: What’s a
zed?
Fraser: A ‘z’.
You meant to hit an ‘s’.
Ray: All right,
that’s it. All right look, I’m trying to type here, and
what you’re doing is really unnerving, okay?
Ray: I’m sorry.
[tap...tap...tap.
Fraser
sighs]
Look, you don’t know what the guy’s going to do. Maybe he
learned his lesson.
Fraser: Ray.
He’s determined and he’s desperate.
Ray: And he
doesn’t want our help!
Fraser: That’s
true.
[tap...tap...tap. Fraser goes to speak]
Ray
: Don’t even think about it.
Fraser: I was
gonna compliment you on your spacing.
Ray: Oh yeah,
right.
Fraser: I
was!
[Vecchio tears out paper and crumples
it]
Ray: All right,
come on, look, maybe we can’t help your friend, but the
least we can do is sit on his
playmate.
[gun
shop]
Gun Salesman:
Here’s your I.D. back, you check out just fine. Now
there’s normally a three day cooling off period, but you
look like a reasonable man so uh, in your case, I think we
can waive it. But uh, you’re not going to go out and shoot
someone, are you,
sir?
[laughs] You
bought yourself a fine gun. You have any trouble? Just
give me a
call. Thank
you.
[Steg’s
apartment]
Steg:
[on
phone]
Yeah, could I have the number for the transit
authority?...Uh-huh.
[dials]
Yeah, a ticket to Philly. How much?...What’s
that?...Yeah....Naw Naw....Naw, I ain’t got no credit
card....No, forget it. Forget
it.
[Colling’s apartment building,
stairwell]
Colling: Oh,
Irving.
Irving
: I should quit one of these days.
Colling: Yeah
you should.
Irving: Who
would care? Not my son. He’s suppose to be here every
Thursday, end of the month, take me to the check cash. You
think he make it? No. Phone me up, got to work, can’t make
it, could I make it on my own. I say sure.
[coughs]
Isn’t that what I been doing the last 70
years? So, I’m
off.
Colling: Oh,
uh, Irving.
Irving:
Yeah?
Colling: Well I
just remembered, I left a package at Azarelo’s market up
there. I got to go there right now. You want me to stop at
the check cash for you?
Irving: Oh I
can make it, you know.
Colling: Yeah,
I know but uh, no need for both of us to make the same
trip.
[Steg’s apartment; Vecchio
knocks]
Ray: It’s the
police, Mr.
Steg. Open
up! All right,
stand back and watch how we do things here in America. No
neighborhood watch, no caring for your fellow man, just
good old-fashioned intimidation.
[goes to kick in the
door]
Fraser: You
know, Ray, your methods are a source of constant
inspiration to me.
Ray : Oh well, thank you, Benny.
[Vecchio kicks in the door & rushes in; they look over the stacks of mail]
Ray
: Look at this guy. He’s a junk mail
junkie.
[Riv]
Ray
: You sure he didn’t answer?
Elaine:
[voice]
I made the call, didn’t I?
Ray: What about
the Senior Center?
Elaine:
[voice]
No luck there, either.
Fraser : There he is. Mr. Colling? Herb.
[the man turns around – it’s
Irving]
Ray: Where’s
Herb?
Irving: He went
to the check cash for me.
Ray: Yeah, but
that’s his coat.
Irving: He
asked to borrow mine. He said he needed it for something.
What’s
wrong?
[check-cashing shop; Colling wears Irving’s clothes; Steg is waiting for him outside. Music: ‘Push’ by Moist]
[street; Colling walking the same path as in the
beginning; Steg
follows]
[check-cashing shop; Fraser notices the junk mail on the
street]
Ray: We just
missed him.
Fraser: He
doesn’t follow them home, Ray.
Ray:
What?
Fraser: He
waits for them. He already knows where they live. He
delivers junk mail to their doors. He watches them cash
their checks, then he cuts across the park and gets there
first. Come
on.
[tunnel; Steg tries to cut through, but the gates have
been locked; Colling appears, and removes muffler,
revealing it to be
him]
Steg: Stupid
old man. Huh?
[Colling points his
gun]
[Riv; driving full on into the
park...]
Fraser: Ray,
gates!
Ray: I
know.
[smashes through
them]
[tunnel]
Steg: You can’t
shoot me, man. You’re too old,
man. You can’t
even see! You can’t even hold that thing straight!
[Colling fires up, and a light fixture
explodes]
[Riv]
Fraser:
Gunfire!
Ray: I know a
shortcut.
[leaves the road & goes over the
snow]
[tunnel]
Collins: You
don’t like that. You’re frightened! I could take your
money. I could take your life. You don’t know which. Which
one should I take?
Steg: Take
it.
Colling: No. I
don’t want your
money.
[Riv]
Fraser: Ray,
sapling!
Ray:
Where?
Fraser: Twelve
o’clock.
[plows into
it]
Ray: Got it.
[he says with great
satisfaction]
[tunnel]
Steg: Take it!
Take it man, come
on.
[Riv]
Fraser: There!
There!
[tunnel]
Colling : You stay there. [to Fraser] What are you doing?
Ray
: [points his
weapon]
Drop the gun!
Fraser: You are
intending on shooting this man, aren’t you? Good evening.
[stands in front of
Steg]
Ray: Fraser,
what are you
doing?
Fraser: Well, I
thought I’d let him shoot me, Ray. All Mr. Colling has to
do is shoot me, then he can shoot him.
Ray: Oh, as
long as you’ve got a plan.
Colling: Get
out of the way. It’s him I want. I just want him.
Fraser: No-no,
I understand. I understand. After all he attacked you. He
stole your money. It’s perfectly reasonable.
Colling: That
man is evil.
Fraser: And the
boys you attacked, what about them?
Colling: It’s
not the same!
Fraser: Oh it
isn’t? Oh. Oh now, you see, now I’m not so sure I follow
you. I thought it was people like them that had taken your
neighborhood away from you. And I thought you wanted to
take it back. Now you see, Mr. Colling, from now on you
will have to decide who’s good enough to walk on your
streets and sit in your
park.
You will have to
decide who should be protected and who should be punished.
And if someone should just happen to get in your way,
someone you disagree with, well then you will have to
decide whether they deserve-- Oh, now I see. Now I
understand. If you
kill
him then he can
never walk on
your streets, he can never hurt another person, and he can
never sit in your park ever again. I see your logic. It’s
airtight. Right. Right well then, he’s all yours.
[steps
away]
Steg: Hey!
Hey!
Ray:
Freeze!
[Fraser holds his hand up to Vecchio; long pause...
Colling hands Fraser his
gun]
Colling: I
could have killed you.
Fraser: Yes, I
know.
Ray: Good plan,
Benny.
Fraser: Well
actually, I was just kinda making it up as I went along,
Ray.
Ray: Heh heh,
not you, Fraser!
Fraser: Yeah,
really.
Ray: Oh imagine
that!
Fraser
: Come on, Mr.
Colling.
[park; Colling’s table – chess game in progress]
Teenager
: So how much time did they give you?
Colling: Six
months community service. You?
Teenager: Five
months, suspended. Hey, I’m just a kid!
Colling:
Play.
Teenager: Why
are we sitting out
here? It’s
freezing!
Colling:
Because I like it. Did you know there use to be a fountain
over there?
Teenager: Who
cares?
Colling: I do.
You sit here long enough, maybe you will, too.
[points to
board]
Play.
[community
center]
Gladys: I
packed his sweater and a nice new tam-o’-shanter. You
know, he loves it so.
Fraser: Well
thank you, Gladys.
Gladys: And
I’ll see you on Saturday, Corky.
[exits]
Fraser: Well,
it’s just for an hour.
[Dief groans &
runs off]
All right, all right, half an hour!
[Fraser runs after
him,
shouting]
All right: ten minutes and then we’ll burn the
tam-o’-shanter!
End