The Contemptuous Ruby

!
The Contemptuous Ruby
by
Robbin Michael Wagner
&
Brooke Laurel Denman
Final Draft
© 2014 Robbin Michael Wagner

© 2014 Brooke Laurel Denman
WGA # 1364087
IndieWorldProductions@gmail.com
! 1!
FADE IN:
We hear a man’s voice over as the credits roll. He is Sheriff

Ted Danyan.
SHERIFF TED (VO)

My name is Ted Danyan. Sheriff Ted to
the hobbits who live here in Bodega
Bay. But...I’m Teddy to my friends...
(pause)
...you can call me Teddy.
(pause)
Bodega Bay.
(pause)
The Russkies came here in 1809. Bodega
Bay is the site of the first Russian
structures built in California that
year by Ivan Kuskov of the Russian-
American Company. That led to the es-
tablishment of Fort Ross; just a little
north of here. But, that’s another
story. This is a story about a fellow
soldier. A guy I didn’t know too well
ten years ago. His name is Walter and
Ruby was his worst nightmare...
EXT. BODEGA BAY ESTATE - SWIMMING POOL - LATE NIGHT
We see only the bare derriere of a woman, RUBY, 40’s swimming

freestyle along the inside edge of a pool. We hear music and we
see an outdoor speaker. We now see a close-up of a tattoo of the
the greek mask Comedy and Tragedy on her left butt cheek. As the
credits roll, we see the eerie blue light from the pool bottom
as she swims in silhouette. Moonlight glistens off her undulat-
ing ass.
SHERIFF TED (VO)

I knew her as Ruby Riggs from Stockton.
She was a stripper then. That was in
another life. I met her again many
years later. She just turned up one day
like a big purple pimple. The hobbits
didn’t know where she came from. She
threw a Bon Voyage party for a few guys
in the neighborhood in this one guy’s
! 2!
house. Walter Wilson. She seemed liked

a nice girl back then...
(pause)
... but, the Vietnam war made it all
bad.
Ruby swims to the end of the pool and steps up and out of the
pool. We see Ruby only from behind. We see a woman’s hand hold-
ing a white terry cloth robe and a cocktail enter the frame.
Ruby takes the cocktail and downs it in one gulp. She sets the
glass in the upturned palm of the woman. Ruby takes the robe
from the woman’s other hand. We do not see the woman’s face. No
words are spoken. Ruby dons the robe. We now see the woman from
behind as she turns and walks away from Ruby. She is wearing a
knit bikini bottom and stilettos. The woman, KAT, 20’s, fit,
athletic dons a big floppy black sun hat and lays on her back on
a patio lounge pulling the hat over her face. We see Ruby walk
towards Kat. We still do not see Ruby’s face. Close-up of Ruby’s
hand pulling a wad of money from the robe pocket reveals a hand-
ful of one hundred dollars bills. Ruby grabs the hat off of Kat
and tosses it like a frisbee into the pool. It floats in the
center of the pool. Ruby counts out five bills. She stuffs the
rest back into her pocket. Ruby fans out the counted bills onto
the taught flat stomach of Kat. Ruby speaks to Kat.
RUBY
(with a cutting edge)
Go get him. Now!
KAT
Who? Mr. Clean with the Hungarian ac-
cent?
RUBY
(sarcastic)
Very cute!
(now gentle)
Meet me in the library first.
INT. BODEGA BAY ESTATE - FIREPLACE - LATE NIGHT
We see a very dark interior. No details can be seen. We see in

the corner in total darkness the glowing ember of a cigarette.
We see the glint of the metal of a wheelchair. We see the sil-
houette of a woman who walks into the room from our right. We
hear the STRIKE and see a flame from a long match. The woman be-
! 3!
gins lighting candles one by one with the match. Each candle she
lights begins to show more details. We see an extreme close-up
of a familiar stiletto. We see that it is Kat. Kat is still
wearing the same knit bikini with stilettos. Kat lights the last
candle. She lifts a stylus on a turntable. She puts on a 33 1/3
LP Vinyl. It is a TANGO. Suddenly we see a woman’s hand on Kat’s
ass. We do not see their faces. The woman is wearing a sheer
kaftan and stilettos as well. They start to slow tango. As they
tango, we see the slow rhythmic gyrating close-up of Ruby’s tat-
too Comedy and Tragedy through the sheer fabric. They tango for
a long while. No faces are seen. Ruby finishes by dipping Kat
and then dropping Kat with a THUD out of the frame. The music
plays on.
SHERIFF TED (VO)

When I say bad, I mean it was bad for
everyone. Even the folks in Bodega Bay
felt the effects of Vietnam or ‘Nam as
folks in some parts call it. There were
just a few hundred people here when
that strange little fat man from Eng-
land put Bodega Bay on the map with his
famous bird movie about ten years back.
Before Alfred Hitchcock... before Viet-
nam... Bodega Bay was pure.
(pause)
Nothing dark...just a bucolic little
burg where any hobbit could
flourish...nothing sinister... nothing
evil...isolationism by choice, not by
fate...a place where you wanted to be.
But...Ruby didn’t live here then.
(pause)
The Vietnam war was a scourge to every
American, every Vietnamese person and
probably to everyone else. Citizens,
students, politicians and conscientious
objectors were all united. The Vietnam
war is an atrocity that should never
have happened. It was a plague on the
pristine innocence of my little and
much beloved, Bodega Bay. There are
only two evil birds here now.... one of
them is Ruby. But, birds of a feather
flock together. Kat is a bird of an-
other kind.
! 4!
(pause)
A pterodactyl.
INT. RUBY’S SPORTS CAR - LATE NIGHT
We see a close-up of Kat’s right foot wearing her stiletto. She

removes the heal converting it to a flat. She punches the accel-
erator pedal. We hear the revving engine.
EXT. BODEGA BAY ESTATE - MAIN ENTRANCE & DRIVE - SAME TIME
We see a low angle shot of a late 1960‘s model sports car accel-
erating away from our POV.
INT. BODEGA BAY ESTATE - RUBY’S BEDROOM - LATE NIGHT
A woman’s finger pushes a button on a wall mounted intercom ra-

dio and music starts. We see a close-up of a woman’s finger
spray perfume from an atomizer behind her right ear. She pulls
down the front of her dress and sprays her cleavage. She lifts
the hemline and sprays under her dress. In extreme close-up we
follow a chain that is around her neck to a cheap plated signa-
ture with bangled jewels that form letters. It spells RUBY.
INSERT - RUBY NECKLACE
INT. RUBY’S SPORTS CAR - LATE NIGHT
We see a close-up of the same woman’s right foot punch the brake
pedal. We hear the crunch of gravel.
EXT. BODEGA BAY ESTATE - MAIN ENTRANCE & DRIVE - LATE NIGHT
We see a low angle shot of the Ruby’s sports car sliding towards
us and stops directly in front of our POV.
We then see a close-up of the passenger door on the sports car

open and we see a Coast Guardsman’s uniform pants and service
shoes get out of the car.
We see a low angle shot of Ruby’s sports car accelerating away

from our POV.
We see an extreme close-up of a woman’s lips. They fill the

frame. They are bright red, luscious and we see the fine detail-
ing of a woman’s hand as she deftly applies more lipstick with
masterful strokes of a lip brush.
! 5!
We see an empty Martini glass with lipstick on the rim.
As we pull back from the lipstick on the rim we see the re-
flected face of RUBY. She is stunning, beautiful with entrancing
eyes.!
It is still late night. A middle-age man, WALTER, in a wheel-

chair sits staring into the flickering flames of a warm fire-
place in the library of a large estate. The room is completely
lit only with candles and the fireplace. He is chewing gum. He
has a plaid wool blanket covering his legs. On the fireplace
mantle is a clock under a glass dome with a pendulum that swings
back and forth. There is a chrome plated Colt M1911 .45 caliber
automatic in his right hand. The slide is back. Close up reveals
the chamber is empty. The clock STRIKES Midnight. On a small ta-
ble next to him is a small silver frame with a photograph of a
much younger Walter in a tuxedo standing next to a very young
and beautiful RUBY in a bridal gown. Next to the frame is a full
clip for the .45. Also on the table is a soft cover copy of the
HOLY BIBLE. On the mantle are Army photographs of a much younger
Walter intermixed with photos of Ruby and Walter in happier
times. A purple heart sits proudly in the center of the mantle.
We hear voices coming into the room. Walter does not move. Ruby
and a muscular man, 30’s, in a Coast Guardsman’s uniform, LON,
are LAUGHING. Ruby is drinking Vodka from a pint bottle. They
both see Walter and stop a few feet directly in back of him.
Walter does not react or move. He stares into the fire. They mo-
mentarily stop talking. Ruby slips her hand down the front of
Lon’s pants while staring directly at the back of Walter's head.
Ruby is fondling Lon. Lon appears confused about Walter. Ruby
WHISPERS in Lon’s ear.
RUBY
Don't worry baby...
(slurring)
...he loves it when I bring guys home.
FADE TO WHITE
We see a white screen. We hear music. We see people laughing, we

see glasses clinking and only the sound of an 8mm projector. We
fade in to an early afternoon patio party being projected on a
small silver screen. As the projector ratchets the film through
the gate, we see a younger Ruby celebrating, giggling and
! 6!
drinking cocktails with friends. She is stunning, sexy and beau-

tiful and fresh. She is hamming it up for the camera. She is
wearing a bright ornamental button. It is the picture of an or-
ange. It has the silhouette of dark man’s profile in a Fedora.
We see Ruby reach up and grab the camera and turn it on the op-
erator. It is young Walter dressed in Officer’s Whites. He takes
the camera back in a playful manner and turns to film his re-
flection in the large plate glass window. A younger Rhonda and
Beatrice are cajoling a hapless attendee. In another scene we
see Rhonda and Beatrice at an anti-war rally on a campus. As we
pull back from the silver screen we see Walter (present day)
sitting in his wheelchair next to the same 33 1/3 LP Vinyl re-
cord player. We see the close-up of the stylus and the vinyl go-
ing round and round. We hear what he hears, Our Day Will Come by
Ruby and the Romantics. It is late night and a fire in the fire-
place is flickering and the flames are lively. As Walter is
staring off into the flames we see a woman’s hand enter from off
screen, place a cigarette in Walter’s lips and light it with a
Gold Dunhill lighter.
FADE TO WHITE
INT. CASINO BAR & POOL HALL - DAY
We transition this scene into a close-up of a flame from a Gold

Dunhill lighter as it is lighting a cigarette. We pull back to
reveal a man (Bar Patron #1) lighting Ruby’s Salem Menthol in an
Ivory cigarette holder. He tries to keep the lighter. Ruby
deftly reaches over and without looking at him retrieves it. Her
finger nails are intense bright red. She is dressed to kill and
sitting at this dive bar drawing attention to herself. She is
out of place here and knows it. She likes it that way. We see
three scruffy looking dark and conflicted seedy young men play-
ing pool and drinking beer from long neck bottles. One of them
BAR PATRON #2, starts to heckle Ruby.
BAR PATRON #2
Jeeeeezuz Christ! Look at you sweet
thang! What’s a nice girl like you
doin’ in a place like this?
No reply from Ruby. She ignores him and motions to the bartender
for another round. EVIE, a beautiful, t-shirt wearing, blonde,
40’s, speaks to Ruby. BAR PARTON #2 lines up a shot.
! 7!
EVIE
Hey Precious! You alone tonight?
RUBY
No. I’m with this draft dodger asshole
over there.
Ruby is pointing at BAR PATRON #2. He is just about to take his

shot on the cue ball. The other two patrons remain silent.
RUBY (CONT)
The little coward says he’s buying me a
drink!
Ruby smiles as BAR PATRON #2 flubs his shot and the cue ball and
another ball are airborne and they hit the bar and fall to the
floor. They roll in opposite directions. He glares at Ruby.
BAR PATRON #2
Mother Fucker! You stupid bitch! You
made me fuck up my shot!
We see Evie pour some vodka and limeade into a shaker of ice.
She then strains it into a chilled martini glass floats a slice
of lime in the center and pours a drizzle of grenadine on top of
the lime. Close up of glass as the red mixes with the drink.
Ruby picks it up, fetches the lime from the glass and sucks the
grenadine off the lime, then tosses it at Bar Patron #2. It
sticks to his forehead. Ruby downs the drink in one gulp. Bar
Patron #2 picks the lime off his forehead. His mouth is frozen
open and he can’t speak.
RUBY
I call it “The Ruby”. By the way, your
balls are on the floor.
Ruby bites into another lime. Bar Patron #2 can’t take it any-
more and throws down the cue on the table and comes over to Ruby
in a very aggressive manner. Ruby seems unconcerned as she is
licking the inside of her glass while looking him right in the
eye.
BAR PATRON #2
You fucking bitch! I’ll show you some
real balls!
Bar Patron #2 puts his hand on Ruby’s thigh and just at that mo-
ment, Ruby holds the martini glass by its base and hits the bar
at the right angle and breaks off the glass from the stem. She
! 8!
immediately puts the remaining glass stiletto to his throat and

gets in his face. She speaks to him through clinched teeth.
RUBY
Like I said. Your balls are on the
floor. Go get em‘ before I get really
nasty!
Evie comes around the bar just as Ruby has Bar Patron #2 by the
hair and is putting pressure on his jugular vein with the glass
stiletto. Ruby relinquishes Bar Patron #2 to Evie. Evie proceeds
to throw him out the front door. Evie then looks over at the
other two scruffy guys and speaks to them.
EVIE
You two fucks want some of me?...‘cuz
if you do, I’m gonna go outside and
drag your friend back in here and beat
you two idiots to a pulp with his sorry
ass! Am I clear?
The two scruffy guys put down their cues very slowly and qui-
etly. They don’t take their eyes off Evie. They appear very in-
timidated by her. They slide past her with their backs to the
door and walk out backwards so as to keep their eyes on Evie.
Ruby see this, smiles, and takes a snort directly from the
shaker. They exit. Evie walks back behind the bar and speaks to
Ruby.
EVIE
Hey Precious! You alone?
Ruby does not respond. She stares Evie down and sits back on a
bar stool.
(pause)
Well.... those bums won’t bother you
again.
SHERIFF TED (VO)

Its like I always say, when danger is
staring you in the face, make sure
you’re not looking in the mirror.
INT. BODEGA BAY ESTATE - FIREPLACE - LATER THAT NIGHT
Walter is sitting in the dark, sitting next to a projector

watching an 8mm home movie that he watches over and over and
! 9!
over again while the turntable next to him plays Ruby and the
Romantics; Our Day Will Come.
We see an old car pull up outside. Low angle of the passenger

door opening and a pair of ladies’ boots steps out of the the
car. She stands, we slowly crane up to see her face. She is a
beautiful early 20‘s ingenue. Her name is FAWN. She looks up at
the dark house. She speaks to the driver. She leaves the door
slightly ajar.
FAWN
Could you just....
(pause)
.... wait a few minutes?
His face is not shown.
DRIVER
Sure.
Fawn walks slowly up to the front door. The wind is blowing. She
is dressed in a classic trench coat. Her hair is long. She wears
no make-up. She doesn’t need it. Before she knocks, she reaches
into her pocket and pulls out (3) $100 dollar bills. As she is
about to knock, the door is already ajar and opens. It is dark.
There is only a dim light in a corner. She steps in and speaks.
FAWN
Hello?
(pause)
Anybody home?
As she awaits an answer, she looks to her left and sees Walter
in his wheelchair in a dark corner. Only the glint from his
wheelchair and the the burning ember from his cigarette can be
seen. Fawn walks slowly to Walter and stops directly in front of
him. He is in shadows. Walter reaches under his plaid blanket
and pulls out a larynx speaker and sticks it to his throat.
Walter speaks slowly and with great difficultly to Fawn.
WALTER
Agent Orange...
! 10!
(pause)
Throat rotted out. This fucking war.
Fawn is caught in the glare of Walter’s statement. She freezes;

eyes wide. Transfixed. Walter continues.
We see Ruby in a robe. It is open and she is wearing lingerie

leaning on the car door and talking to the driver. The wind,
waves and seagulls drown their voices.
INT. BODEGA BAY ESTATE - FIREPLACE - SAME TIME
WALTER (CONT)
245-T.
(pause)
20,000,000 gallons.
(pause)
Operation Ranch Hand. Poison from the
sky. Rotted out my throat.
Close-up shows Fawn’s face has softened. Walter continues...
WALTER
They shit on the Geneva Protocol. Stu-
pid idiots. ROTC cowards had no fucking
idea. I shouldn’t have listened to her.
Fawn, still standing directly in front of Walter does not see

Ruby enter the room. Ruby is now dressed in a sensible business
suit. Ruby listens unnoticed by both.
FAWN
Shouldn’t have listened to who?
Ruby speaks and startles Fawn.
RUBY
So...I see that Kat has paid you.
Fawn is still clutching the money in her right hand.
FAWN
Oh! Hello.....
! 11!
Ruby is holding a cocktail in one hand and two more $100 dollar
bills in the other. She rolls the money back and forth between
thumb and index finger. Fawn sees this.
FAWN
I was just speaking with...ah.... this
gentlemen here.... what am I here for?
RUBY
Didn’t Kat tell you?
FAWN
She said you needed.... a dancer.
RUBY
That’s right. A command performance.
Fawn shows Ruby her hand.
FAWN
Three in my hand and another two when I
got here?
RUBY
Correct.
FAWN
I’m not taking my...clothes off.
RUBY
This ol’ coot in the wheelchair here
would love to watch you dance...
(pause)
...no matter what you wear.
Ruby walks over to the mantle, lights a cigarette, stares at

them. She appears agitated. She starts prancing in front of them
while lecturing them on her innocence.
RUBY
Oh little girl! Don’t believe for one
minute anything that ol’ coot tries to
get you to believe. His brain is numb
from the war. Do your little dance and
go.
As Ruby is leaving the room she reaches down and puts on the
stylus on an LP Vinyl. Then she throws the other two bills on
! 12!
the floor directly in front of Fawn. The record begins to play,

Ruby and the Romantics. Our Day Will Come.
She exits. Fawn stands for a moment while the record plays the
opening refrain and she immediately drops her trench coat to
reveal that she is dressed in a ballet leotard, tights and warm-
ers.
WALTER
(larynx speaker)
Thank you.
FAWN
For what? I haven’t done anything yet.
Fawn stands as if ready for a routine rehearsal and puts her

long hair in a tight pony tail. She begins a synchronized rou-
tine to Ruby and the Romantics. Our Day Will Come. As she is
dancing around the room she does a step, stops and looks at all
of Walter’s war memorabilia and then she leaps to another posi-
tion, pirouettes and looks at more memorabilia. We see extreme
close-up of tennis balls under the furniture as she dances.
Walter is watching her intently. The flames from the fireplace

flicker and cast her silhouette on the far walls. As the record
plays its last refrain, Our Day Will Come, Fawn stops in front
of a photograph of Ruby and Walter. In it, he is wearing his Of-
ficer’s Whites and Ruby is in a little white dress with the same
ornamental pin that she wore in the 8mm movie. Close-up reveals
the same dark profile of man in Fedora on a large navel orange.
The song stops. Fawn stares intently at this photograph. Extreme

close-up of the pin Ruby is wearing shows tiny letters from a
fine point ink pen spell out AGENT ORANGE.
Just to the left of that photograph is a frame with a newspaper

article showing a photograph of airplanes spraying liquid over
the jungles.
INSERT NEWSPAPER HEADLINE
AGENT ORANGE PILOTS NOT THE HEROES OF THE DAY!
Walter is watching Fawn. Next to the airplane photograph is a

small toy model on a pedestal of a C-123 Provider. Next are
military medals. One is a Purple Heart. Next to that is a silver
framed photograph of young Walter and young Rhonda in tennis
whites holding their tennis racquets and smiling.
! 13!
Fawn turns to Walter.
FAWN
What did you mean when you said...
(pause)
...“I shouldn’t have listened to her”?
The room is silent. Walter is looking at Fawn. He puts his lar-

ynx speaker to his throat.
WALTER
I was ROTC. No danger. Selective serv-
ice would take care of ROTC grads. No
danger; no action. “Front line support
only!”, they said.
FAWN
What did you mean when you said, “I
shouldn’t have listened to her”?
WALTER
Grunts; officers...all saps!
(pause)
Ruby never really wanted children. I
just got my multi-engine rating. Only a
few months crop dusting the jungles.
Spooks couldn’t hide. I get out. Go
Captain, TWA. It was all planned out.
WALTER (CONT)
But, I didn’t want to do that. My peo-
ple grow grapes. Wine. That was to be
my life. Now look at me. No kids. Per-
vert for a wife.
Fawn listens intently. She slips into her trench coat. Steps
into her boots; zips them and she is about to speak when Kat en-
ters the room. She is wearing a trench coat and boots. She is
dangling keys. She motions Fawn to the door. Fawn nods and mo-
tions to Kat that she’ll be one minute. Kat exits the room. Fawn
turns to Walter.
FAWN
(whispering)
I have a friend who is our family law-
yer. She is suing the Federal govern-
! 14!
ment for Crimes of Genocide. I’ll ar-

range to have her see you.
WALTER
She’s a crazy, jealous bitch. Don’t
worry about me.
FAWN
She’s not crazy. She is my friend,
Priscilla Barnes. She’ll want to talk
to you about the war.
WALTER
I mean Ruby. She’s crazy, jealous
bitch. Don’t worry about me.
(pause)
Priscilla Barnes is a good girl.
FAWN
Oh! How do you know her?
Walter says nothing more. He puts his fingers to his lips with
great difficulty and blows a gentle kiss to Fawn. She is over-
come...
At that moment, Kat sticks her head in the door and rattles the
keys again. She says nothing. Fawn exits with Kat. She looks
back to see the same glint of the wheelchair and the burning em-
ber of the cigarette. Our Day Will Come starts playing.
FADE TO BLACK
INT./EXT. - KAT’S CLASSIC OLD CAR/BAY FLAT ROAD - LATE NIGHT
Kat is driving Fawn back through the foothills of Bodega Bay.

They drive along the coast, north of town. There are no words
between them. The car radio is blaring Sam the Sham and The
Pharaohs, Lil Red Riding Hood. Kat gently reaches over and lays
her hand on Fawn’s knee. Fawn does not object. They drive on.
INT. CASINO BAR & POOL HALL - POETRY ROOM - SAME TIME
We see a beautiful hippie woman, RHONDA, 30’s and her beautiful

hippie friend BEATRICE, 30’s and BRIAN, 30’s, sitting around
listening to poetry. A few diehard beatniks are there. One man
has dual bongos and is drumming. It is BEATRICE’s turn to re-
cite. She does. Brian is tapping a slide rule on his knee in
time to the bongos.
! 15!
BEATRICE
Here is a piece that inspires me to be
all that I can be without actually
joining the Army.
Beatrice holds a bright-colored spiral notebook. She opens it.

She prepares herself.
“You live like this, sheltered, in a

delicate world, and you believe you are
living. Then you read a book… or you
take a trip… and you discover that you
are not living, that you are hibernat-
ing. The symptoms of hibernating are
easily detectable: first, restlessness.
The second symptom (when hibernating
becomes dangerous and might degenerate
into death): absence of pleasure. That
is all. It appears like an innocuous
illness. Monotony, boredom, death. Mil-
lions live like this (or die like this)
without knowing it. They work in of-
fices. They drive a car. They picnic
with their families. They raise chil-
dren. And then some shock treatment
takes place, a person, a book, a song,
and it awakens them and saves them from
death. Some never awaken.”
or, in a nutshell, “There was a little

girl who had a little curl right in the
middle of her forehead.”
(big silent pause)

Thank you.
(pause)
Most of that was Anais Nin.
A few people politely applaud. She hands the notebook to Rhonda.

Brian immediately yanks the book out of Rhonda’s hand and exist
the frame. Then Beatrice proceeds to go over to a dark corner
where Brian is now folding origami windmills out of one dollar
bills using his slide rule to quickly crease the edges of the
folds. Beatrice looks around, sits on Brian’s lap and proceeds
! 16!
to stick her tongue down his throat and her hands down his
crotch. Brian temporarily does not fight this, but, then slaps
her ass with his slide rule and then jumps up and walks over to
the bar as if nothing happened. We then see Beatrice go casually
over to Rhonda now sitting at a table. Rhonda has seen the en-
tire thing. Beatrice stands quietly behind Rhonda and puts her
hands on Rhonda’s shoulders and she gently kisses Rhonda on the
back of her neck. Rhonda giggles. We see Brian staring at her
and Beatrice. Rhonda turns to face Beatrice, she is about to
kiss Beatrice, but, makes momentary eye contact with Brian
first.
FADE
EXT. BODEGA BAY - SEA SHORE - LATE NIGHT
Ruby is walking along the beach late night. She is wearing a

long white sheer under a trench coat. She has no shoes. She
walks just inside the wave crest on the beach. We see a lone
shadow coming in her direction a long way off down the beach.
Ruby stops and reaches into her pocket. She pulls out a small
derringer revolver, checks the cylinder and sticks it back in
her pocket. She reaches into her other pocket and pulls out a
silver cigarette case and unsuccessfully tries to light up a
cigarette in the howling wind with her Gold Dunhill Lighter. She
tries one more time and fails. The figure looms just ahead in
the distance and is much closer now. Ruby looks up at the house.
All windows are dark save one.
The figure is fast approaching. The sounds of the late night

surf is a crescendo of raw nature. The figure stops a few feet
feet in front of Ruby. He is wearing a dark rain parka with a
hood. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a Zippo and holds
it and before lighting it takes the Dunhill from Ruby’s hand and
throws it towards the water. He then flicks his Zippo. His name
is Sheriff Ted. He pulls back his hood and speaks to her.
SHERIFF TED
Evening Ruby. Kinda dark to be out on
the beach alone don’t you think?
RUBY
Well, if it isn’t Sheriff Ted.
Hello Teddy.
(pause)
Lets see....
! 17!
I’ve got this big strapping hulk of a

Sheriff and both of us are armed. What
could happen to a girl like me? Can’t
imagine anybody around here feeling un-
protected with you on the job. Makes me
want to get naked and climb up on a
tall horse and ride bareback through
the waves.
Ruby pulls out a flask. Takes a big one. She pulls out her der-
ringer. She points it at the ocean. She pulls the trigger. The
little derringer is noisy.
SHERIFF TED
You’re gonna wake up Walter.
RUBY
He’s sleeping... I gave him something
to quiet his nerves. I took a little
for myself, but, I’m so on edge to-
night.
Ruby shoots another round.
SHERIFF TED
Do that again and I am gonna handcuff
your wrists to your ankles and show you
what a popgun really sounds like.
RUBY
You know Teddy... you took an oath not
to make empty promises to lonely ladies
on the beach.
Ruby points the derringer again and pulls the trigger until it
goes click click and the cylinder is empty. She then waves the
gun around in her hands while clasping her wrist together and
presenting them to Sheriff Ted. Sheriff Ted proceeds to grab
Ruby by the hair and cuffs her wrists together. He then pushes
her over to a log and and forces her to bend over a stump of
wood on the beach. He reaches down and pulls her trench coat and
sheer up over her ass. Ruby doesn’t resist. Sheriff Ted is seen
unzipping his pants.
SHERIFF TED (VO)

Its like I always say, when danger is
staring you in the face, make sure
you’re not looking in the mirror.
! 18!
RUBY
I just love law enforcement.
As wee see Sheriff Ted on his knees behind Ruby, we see a dark
LONE FIGURE bend over and pick-up something in the surf and then
continue on.
FADE TO BLACK
INT./EXT. VAN/DARK STREET - LATE NIGHT - SAME TIME
RHONDA is sitting in a van parked on dark street. She is looking

intently through binoculars towards the beach. We see what she
sees:
EXT. BODEGA BAY - BEACH HILL - CONTINUOUS
The Lone Figure is walking away. Ruby is walking up the hill

from the beach. Sheriff Ted is walking behind her. Ruby slips
and Sheriff Ted grabs her ass from behind and helps to push her
up the hill.
INT. VAN - CONTINUOUS
Brian and Beatrice are kissing in the back of the van. Beatrice
is completely drunk.
RHONDA
I wonder who that guy is?
(pause)
That fucking bitch!
Brian disengages lips with Beatrice. She immediately blacks out

and falls back into a drunken stupor.
BRIAN
What guy? What bitch?...
BRIAN
Oh yeah.
(pause)
Why do you give a shit about Ruby?
RHONDA
I don’t give one shit about her. But I
do give a shit about my brother Walter.
Why he ever fell for that poly resin
bimbo is beyond anyone’s imagination!
! 19!
BRIAN
Like....maybe its because she’s real
sexy.
Rhonda reaches down and grabs an empty leather boda bag and at-
tempts to beat Brian about the head a few times in disgust.
RHONDA
Sexy? Sexy! That whore dog? Get your
lazy ass out of my van!
Brian nonchalantly wards off each boda bag attack with feigned
sincerity and obvious familiarity. He does this while lighting a
joint with a zippo. Not one whack actually touches him on the
head. After she finishes her feigned assault on Brian he gently
grabs her and puts her down on the floor of the van. He looks
her in the eye. He is still holding the joint. He speaks.
BRIAN
Did it ever occur to you that every
time I mention Ruby to you, we end up
fucking like two animated rabbits in a
porn toon?
RHONDA
I’m sorry baby.
She reaches over and takes a hit from the joint while it is
still in Brian’s hand.
(gently)
Hey man... don’t Bogart that joint!
(reflective)
I hate that fucking bitch. She’s a total.... bunny! Can you dig
it?
BRIAN
Like I said, two animated rabbits, two
bunnies; whats the ‘dif babe?
Brian is now sliding his hands down Rhonda’s thigh. Beatrice in

an unconscious state is sliding her hand down Rhonda’s other
thigh.
RHONDA
Like... I don’t dig her shit with my
brother. He went off to Vietnam to
kill the only fucking rain forest north
! 20!
of the equator.... just to please her.

Now look at him.
Brian is concentrating on taking Rhonda’s mind off Ruby. He con-

tinues to fondle her. He gently caresses her body with his slide
rule. She responds.
BRIAN
You got to admit it though....
(dominating her)
...she’s got a groovy little ass!
Brian is kissing Rhonda. She moans in protest. Brian continues.

She gives in. Beatrice is now fondling Rhonda’s face. She acci-
dentally sticks her finger in Rhonda’s nose. Brian gently re-
moves Beatrice’s hand from Rhonda’s nose. We pull back to see
the gentle rocking of the van with all windows dark save one in
synchronicity to the pounding waves of the Pacific.
SHERIFF TED (VO)

Sometimes in a man’s life is he chal-
lenged with honoring the virtues of
women or sometimes a WOMAN. I think
that female evolution plays out its own
fate. Even if we want to see just the
beauty in a woman, we eventually must
be introduced to her power.
Sheriff Ted and Ruby are standing at the front door.
SHERIFF TED
How is Walter doing?
Ruby is hanging all over Sheriff Ted. He is pretending to be in-

different to her affections.
RUBY
That ol’ coot is just fine. He gets
three squares a day and all the visual
delights he could want. What do I care?
Besides...
(slurring)
...you get the spoils of war.
! 21!
Sheriff Ted gets in Ruby’s face very slowly. His lips are a mere
inch from her ear.
SHERIFF TED
Walter has more integrity in his little
finger than you have in your whole
fucking family tree. I made it back! In
one piece! I’m here just to look out
after his interest... and to fuck his
drunken wife just to keep her from get-
ting any crazier than she already is.
Any good soldier would do the same.
RUBY
Oh my... Teddy! Didn’t you get enough
of me tonight?
SHERIFF TED
Thats the problem. I got too much.
Ruby finally pulls her coat up around her face, indignant and
slams the door. Sheriff Ted smiles and leaves.
SHERIFF TED (VO)

We can only judge the success of our
society by the success of our women.
EXT. COFFEE CAFE - EARLY MORNING
Fawn is sitting at a table reading The Bell Jar and drinking

coffee. A beautiful, petite woman, PRISCILLA BARNES, 30’s,
quickly approaches Fawn.
PRISCILLA BARNES
Morning Fawn... Sorry I’m late!
Priscilla Barnes quickly sits and pulls out a notebook. She

leans in towards Fawn. The waiter comes over and she points at
Fawn’s coffee cup, doesn’t look up and waves him off. Fawn is
still reading.
PRISCILLA BARNES (CONT)

So, it seems that we both have a mutual
admirer?
FAWN
Who?
! 22!
PRISCILLA BARNES
Walter Wilson. I handle his estate and
his legal affairs....
(pause)
... Ruby is a piece of work isn’t she?
FAWN
Oh my god! That poor man. That horrible
woman is so cruel to him. He is such a
nice man. Why are they together?
PRISCILLA BARNES
I was out there earlier this morning. I
am doing some, um, alterations on his,
um, paperwork.... I can’t really say.
Client-lawyer thing; you know. But, I
want you to get in touch with his sis-
ter Rhonda and tell her everything that
happened last night.
(pause)
Incidentally, what did happen last
night?
FAWN
There was so much tension between her
and me. I showed up, danced for Walter
and I left. But, he reached out to
me... somehow.
PRISCILLA BARNES
I can say this. I am involved with a
class action suit. Lots of Vietnam
Veterans...Walter is one of them...some
of them have long term health effects
from a defoliant they sprayed in the
jungles of Vietnam.
FAWN
245-T. Walter told me everything.
PRISCILLA BARNES
Everything?
! 23!
FAWN
I told him about your Genocide case
against the United States Government
too!
PRISCILLA BARNES
Everything?
FAWN
He also blames his wife for talking him
into enlisting.
PRISCILLA BARNES
(sighs)
Ruby is a classic example of a gold
digger. She sauntered up to his side
after meeting him one night in a strip
joint out in Stockton. Ruby comes from
“white trailer trash bottom feeders”.
Her words; not mine.
SHERIFF TED (VO)

Priscilla didn’t know the half of it.
Only I knew the real Ruby. The angry
Ruby. The Ruby who thought the world
owed her a living. The Ruby Riggs from
Stockton who hated anyone and everyone
who didn’t let her have her own way.
(pause)
There is only way to describe Ruby.
(pause)
Contemptuous.
Fawn puts down her book. We see her take a drink of coffee and
she starts to speak with Priscilla. A city bus drowns out their
voices. Priscilla starts to jot things down in her notebook. We
see the waiter. It is Brian. Fawn appears to recognize him. He
is looking over their shoulder and is eves dropping when he can.
Fawn and Priscilla do not see this.
EXT. BODEGA BAY ESTATE - POOL - LATER THAT DAY
We see Ruby sitting in the pool drinking a cocktail. Kat is lay-

ing on a lounge chair. She is wearing a knitted bikini. We see
the afternoon starlings of Bodega Bay doing their ballet in the
sky.
! 24!
Walter is watching his movie. He is squeezing something in his

hand. We can not identify it. We see a scene where younger Wal-
ter is playing tennis with a younger Rhonda. She is smiling and
laughing and Walter is doing the same. We see extreme close-up
of tennis balls under the furniture. Our Day Will Come plays
on...
INT. CASINO’S BAR & POOL HALL - LATER THAT NIGHT
Ruby is bent over the pool table in a short dress and stilettos.
She is shooting eight ball like Minnesota Fats. There are a
bunch of pool hall punks, floozies and day trippers watching
her. There is a stripper pole attached to one of the bar tops.
Evie is tending bar.
As Ruby is about to take a shot, Rhonda and Brian walk in. They
see Ruby. Ruby does not see them. They sit closest to the door.
The place is noisy. Close-up of their conversation can be heard.
BRIAN
She hangs out here all the time.
RHONDA
How do you know that?
BRIAN
You know I play pool here sometimes.
Anyway, that bitch owes me $100 bucks.
She tried to give it to me in trade the
other night when I dropped off that
skinny little dancer chick for her.
RHONDA
You’re kidding?
BRIAN
“No can do”, I said. I need the money.
“Besides”, I said. “I love Rhonda.”
RHONDA
That fucking bitch! What’d she do then?
BRIAN
She spit on me.... and the bitch still
owes me a hundred bucks.
! 25!
At that moment Ruby has won the game. She is chalking her cue
and suddenly an aging blues singer, GINGER, is heard singing Our
Day Will Come in time to a 45 on the turn-table. Brian jumps up
and goes over to Ruby and places a quarter on the edge of the
table. Ruby looks around and sees Rhonda and then she looks over
at Ginger.
RUBY
So.... I win and I don’t owe you the
hundred bucks.
She does not take her eyes off Ginger as she speaks to Brian.
BRIAN
I win and you....tell you what. I’ll
make it pot luck. Lets wait and see
what I win. Rack ‘em.
Suddenly, without warning Ruby throws a chalk cube at Ginger and

it hits her.
RUBY
(sarcastically)
Just what I want to hear! Some old, fat

tart hound dogging her way to another
whiskey. You gotta be kidding?
(pause)
I’ll tell you what. I'll buy you a
drink just to shut you up!
Ruby reaches over and picks up the quarter that Brian has laid
there and throws it at Ginger. It hits her. Ginger is mortified
and exits the front door immediately. The entire place is quiet.
Brian runs back over to the table and places another quarter on
the edge. Brian runs back over to Rhonda and kisses her gently
on her forehead. He says nothing, turns back to the table,
sticks his slide rule into his back pocket and grabs a cue off
the rack and starts chalking. Ruby breaks; nothing in. Brian me-
thodically puts away the table. Ruby is sitting on a stool ex-
posing herself to everyone in the bar. Rhonda sees this. She
gets up and goes over to Ruby.
RHONDA
You’re nothing but a fucking tramp! The
day Walter married you was his death
sentence!
! 26!
RUBY
Then we’re all sitting on death row to-
gether; aren’t we?
Rhonda doesn’t retort. She turns and goes back to her table. At
that moment, three big biker dudes walk in. They are regulars.
Evie hands each of them a long neck as they pass the bar on the
way over to the table. Brian misses a shot and Ruby leans way
over and shows everyone in the bar that she is wearing no pant-
ies. The bikers dudes see this as well. She proceeds to run the
rest of the table. She misses the eight ball shot and now it is
Brian’s turn. He slams it in. Ruby nonchalantly walks over to
Brian.
RUBY
Take it in trade; later?
Brian says nothing. He looks Ruby in the eyes and then walks
over to the turn-table on the bar and pushes a few buttons. He
turns to Ruby from across the room. Takes out his slide rule,
makes a quick calculation with it and then points it at her.
BRIAN
If you can stay on the pole for the en-
tire song, we’re tight. Ok?
RUBY
That pole? Hmmm...
(pause)
It doesn’t remind me...
(hiccups)
...of anyone I know.
(burps)
But I dated a fireman once in college.
RHONDA
You stupid moron! You never even gradu-
ated from high school.
RUBY
Me and this pole. I feel like.....
we’re old friends.
! 27!
RHONDA
You would probably set a building on
fire just to get a date with somebody
in uniform.
RUBY
(slurring)
I’ll deal with you later. But, look and
learn while I show you what real men
like.
Ruby slips off her shoes and hands them to one of the biker
dudes. She climbs on stage. She is holding a long neck. She sits
it down by the base of the pole. Brian pushes the final button.
She grabs the pole and looks directly at one of the biker dudes,
pulls up her dress and leaps on the pole, wraps her legs and
leans back and touches the floor with her bright red nails and
taps the floor like she was typing. Then she takes one last
drink upside down from the long neck. She throws it at the biker
and it hits the table knocking off a bunch of long necks like a
bowling ball making a strike. The song begins. It is The
Viscounts-Harlem Nocturne. Ruby is fantastic on the pole. She
mesmerizes the audience. As the song ends, the crowd goes crazy
and claps for Ruby. She nonchalantly glides off the stage and
reaches for her shoes from one of the biker dudes. He doesn’t
relinquish the shoes. He pushes her and she falls back on the
lap of one of the other biker dudes. She tries to jump up and
the guy she is sitting on grabs her breasts. Ruby reaches down
between her legs and grabs his crotch and holds on like she was
riding a mechanical bull. The other one tries to put his hand up
her dress and she bites him on the ear. Brian stands frozen in
his tracks not knowing what to do. Suddenly, Sheriff Ted walks
in the door. Ruby and the rumble don’t see him. He pulls out his
service revolver and hands it to Evie as he walks by the bar.
She takes it and is holding a sawed off pump shotgun.
EVIE
I’ll just keep it with this one.
Sheriff Ted doesn’t take his eyes off the scuffle and then
speaks to Evie as he is looking straight ahead.
SHERIFF TED
Evening Evie. We have to have a little
talk sometime about the legal length of
your weapon.
! 28!
Sheriff Ted walks quietly through the noisy crowd and presents
himself to the melee. The biker dudes don’t seemed concerned.
Ruby is still holding onto the crotch of the one biker and he
raises his arm to hit her. Sheriff Ted reaches down and grabs an
empty long neck and proceeds to bash it over the head of the me-
chanical bull. Ruby lets go and falls to the floor. The biker,
completely knocked out falls down on top of her. The other bik-
ers take a stance and Sheriff Ted looks at them with indiffer-
ence. He speaks.
SHERIFF TED
You boys havin’ a good time? I think
you know this woman. She can get real
nasty with you, if you know what I
mean?
Sheriff Ted steps aside and Evie is standing there with her
sawed off shotgun. This time it has a toilet plunger duct taped
to the stock and a big rubber dildo duct taped to the barrel.
Evie sticks it right in face of one of the dudes.
EVIE
Harry, get your fat ass out of here and
get yourself home to your wife!
(big huge pause)

And take these other two bums with you.
Huge pause. They see it Evie’s way and reluctantly leave.
Sheriff Ted stands quietly. Ruby has passed out on the floor.
Sheriff Ted and Brian help her to her feet. Rhonda is now stand-
ing next to Brian and Sheriff Ted. Ruby is totally wasted. She
looks at Brian and slurs her speech.
RUBY
So, are we tight?
SHERIFF TED (VO)

I couldn’t help myself. I was con-
flicted by the desire to have a three-
way with an angel and a demon.
EXT. CASINO’S BAR & POOL HALL - SAME TIME
Ruby is sitting in her sports car in the passenger seat. Rhonda

is sitting in the driver seat. Sheriff Ted is poking his head in
at Rhonda. Brian is seen leaving in the van. He yells out of the
window at Rhonda as he is leaving.
! 29!
BRIAN
Every time I think I’m getting laid,
you two bitches get into it with each
other. I’m over it.
(pause)
And I’m thinking that Deputy Dawg here
is getting more action than I’ll ever
see.
He speeds off; pissed. He sticks his hand out the window and
flips his middle finger at the three of them.
RHONDA
Teddy; do you see now what this tramp
is doing to our lives?
SHERIFF TED
Get her home. Check on Walter. I’ll
drive by later. I’ve got a hit and run
I’ve got to look into.
RHONDA
Ted.... I hate this bitch. Why don’t I
just dump her on the road and let some
local drive over her. She won’t be
missed.
SHERIFF TED
Too much paperwork. Get her home.
Rhonda starts up the car and throws gravel all over the road.
She is pissed. Sheriff Ted stands there scratching his head.
INT./EXT. - RUBY’S SPORTS CAR/RUBY’S SLIPPERS - NIGHT
Rhonda is driving Ruby through the late night hills of Bodega

Bay. Ruby is completely out of it. Rhonda notices something
rolling around on the floor of the car. She reaches down and
picks it up and almost crashes the car. It is Walter’s larynx
speaker. Rhonda drives on.
INT. BODEGA BAY ESTATE - KITCHEN - LATER
Ruby is passed out on the kitchen floor. Our Day Will Come is
playing. Rhonda is sitting on the floor next to Walter’s wheel-
chair. She is holding Walter’s hand next to her face and is
resting her head on his knee. She is crying.
! 30!
RHONDA
I am so sorry. I didn’t know how bad it
was. Daddy didn’t want this for you. We
have got to do something about her. She
is completely out of control. She made
a complete ass out of herself tonight.
Teddy was there. He is coming over
later to check on us.
Walter now has his larynx speaker to this throat.
WALTER
Don’t worry about me. Talk to Pris-
cilla. If anything happens to me....
its all there.
RHONDA
What are you talking about?
WALTER
Its all there... talk to Priscilla.
FADE
EXT. BODEGA BAY - SEA SHORE - NEXT MORNING
Ruby is wading through the surf in the same spot where she met
Sheriff Ted. She is looking over at the Coast Guard station in
Bodega Bay. She lights up a cigarette and stands contemplating
something. She turns her head and looks up back at the house.
She reaches into her pocket and pulls out an envelope addressed
to Walter. It is from Priscilla Barnes’ law firm.
INSERT ENVELOPE
It is already opened. She pulls out the letter and reads it. We
don’t see its contents.
FADE
EXT. COAST GUARD STATION - A FEW HOURS LATER
Kat pulls up in Ruby’s sports car. On the dock of the Bodega Bay
Coast Guard Station we see a young Coast Guardsman, JIM, assess-
ing the hull of a cutter. She approaches him.
! 31!
INT. RUBY’S SPORTS CAR - A FEW MINUTES LATER
Kat is driving Ruby’s car around Bodega Bay with Jim the Coast
Guardsman in the passenger seat. He is counting out three one
hundred dollar bills.
EXT. COAST GUARD STATION - SAME - LATE AFTERNOON
Kat pulls up to the Coast Guard Station again and drops him off.
Jim waves. Kat drives away.
EXT. BODEGA BAY ESTATE - POOL - THAT EVENING
We see an inflatable duck in the pool. Close-up of the duck sees

it suddenly deflate. Ruby surfaces with the duck skewered on a
glass stiletto. The same kind that we saw prior at the pool
hall. She is laughing. We then see Kat surface as well.
RUBY
There’s more than one way to fuck a
duck.
Kat for the first time speaks.
KAT
Quack! Quack!
Ruby kisses Kat with passion. Kat reciprocates. Ruby and Kat
disappear below the surface. The duck carcass is still floating.
FADE
INT. LAW OFFICE OF PRISCILLA BARNES - EARLY NEXT MORNING
Priscilla Barnes is at her desk and Rhonda is standing on the

other side.
PRISCILLA
Walter changed it a few weeks ago. You
are the sole heir if anything happens
to Walter or if he....
(pause)
....anyway, you are the sole heir.
RHONDA
What about Ruby?
! 32!
PRISCILLA
If, God forbid, you go before Walter
does. She gets it all when Walter
passes.
RHONDA
Why would Walter change his will?
PRISCILLA
I’m really not at liberty to say. But,
my guess is he has had a change of
heart regarding his marriage to Ruby?
The new pre-nuptial laws are very popu-
lar with people of their ilk.
RHONDA
Oh....you think?
(pause)
(touching her belly)
Uncle Walter may want more changes once

he finds out.
Priscilla says nothing and drops her mouth wide open with sur-
prise and gives a huge hug to Rhonda. Rhonda is smiling with
glee.
RHONDA
Brian doesn’t know yet.
Rhonda exits office.
Priscilla pushes an intercom button and speaks.
PRISCILLA
Maggie!
(urgency in her voice)
Don’t file the Wilson Estate docs just

yet. I’ve got an additional item to en-
ter.
FADE
INT. LAW OFFICE OF PRISCILLA BARNES - LATER SAME DAY

! 33!
We see Sheriff Ted and County Detective Michael Vincelli stand-

ing over a large army bag sitting on Priscilla Barnes’ desk.
Sheriff Ted unzips the bag, showing the body of Priscilla Bar-
nes. She has a bullet hole in her head.
VINCELLI
I think what we got here Ted... is a
bullet hole.
SHERIFF TED
You think?
(rolling eyes)
VINCELLI
And my guess is that it is also the
cause of death.
SHERIFF TED
You think?
(rolling eyes)
VINCELLI
I do Ted.
SHERIFF TED (VO)

I’ve known this guy for years. If I
ever needed a resistance fighter I’d
want Vincelli. He is the classic diver-
sion. This guy can explain in excruci-
ating details the details of the
smaller parts of the details until the
only thing left is when he gives you
the Latin root of his final word.
Detective Michael Vincelli is still seen discussing the finer

points of bullet telemetry.
SHERIFF TED (VO)

But, you would be waiting awhile for
his final word because he does all of
this in a single breath.
While Det Vincelli is ranting, Sheriff Ted turns and leaves the
office.
! 34!
SHERIF TED (VO)

I didn’t know Priscilla Barnes. But, I
knew that Walter Wilson was her client.
We see Sherif Ted in the hallway outside Priscilla’s office

thumbing through an appointment book.
SHERIFF TED (VO)

One other thing I forgot about
Vincelli. When he is ranting, he always
closes his eyes and misses lots of
other important details.
We see a name circled on her appointment that morning. It reads

FAWN.
INSERT - CLOSE-UP APPOINTMENT BOOK
SHERIFF TED (VO)

Now, Priscilla Barnes lies quietly
while the strong arm of the law avenges
her demise. What part I played in that
was yet to be determined.
EXT. BODEGA BAY ESTATE - LATER THAT EVENING
The Bodega Bay House windows are all dark save one.
INT. BODEGA BAY ESTATE - HALLWAY OUTSIDE OF BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS
Sounds of carnal moaning are coming from a bedroom. Next to the

door are a pair of men’s black service shoes. There is a small
table next to the door. On it is a small bottle of pills laying
on its side. Pills are splayed on the table.
INT. BODEGA BAY ESTATE - KITCHEN - A FEW MINUTES LATER
Ruby is seen dialing a phone. She is talking to someone. We do

not know who it it is.
RUBY
Sometimes I can be so.... off. You are
like family to me.
(pause)
I’ll make some coffee. Come on over and

we’ll talk...
! 35!
(pause)
....oh please do! That would be great!
See you in a few minutes.
(pause)
Are you at Evie’s?....oh, that is
great! Could you be a dear and do me a
favor?
(pause)
There is a young man sitting at the
bar.... yes.... Coast Guard. Dressed in
white...
(pause)
...yes! That’s him! Could you finagle
the keys to his car? He has been drink-
ing. His friend is here. He’ll go back
and pick him up and drop you back to
Evie’s. Can you do that for me?
(pause)
...oh you’re such a dear. Bye.
Ruby hangs up the phone. We see Ruby approach Walter in his

chair. Walter is dozing. Ruby is carrying something wrapped in a
towel. She reaches in and pulls out Walter’s .45 automatic and
sets it on his table. She lays an empty clip next to it.
INT. CASINO BAR AND POOL HALL
Rhonda is seen leaving. She turns back and waves at Beatrice who
is stepping up to the microphone with a violin. Beatrice ges-
tures a questioning shrug but Rhonda exits without response.
Brian is seen in the corner working on an art piece. Beatrice
proceeds with her performance of Little Boxes by Melvina Rey-
nolds. She finishes to crowd applauds.
EXT. BODEGA BAY - SEA SHORE - LATER THAT NIGHT
Ruby and Rhonda are walking along the beach. They are having a
heated conversation.
RHONDA
It doesn’t make any sense? Why would
you want Walter to do another will?
RUBY
! 36!
Don’t play cute with me missy! I want

it all. If Walter goes down, you get it
all. You fucking know that! I had a
little talk with with your cute little
college friend today; Priscilla is it?
RHONDA
So what! If I go down, you still don’t
get a goddamn dime as long as my
brother is alive! He may look ill,
thanks to you you fucking witch, but-
Walter will outlive us all.
RUBY
That’s true. He’ll probably outlive
you... But only for a short while.
Ruby is now pointing her derringer at Rhonda. Rhonda is staring

at Ruby in complete disbelief.
RHONDA
You’ll never get away with it. Teddy
will have your ass in an hour.
RUBY
Teddy’s already had my ass... many,
many times....and it never took him
more than a...
(smirking)
...few minutes.
RHONDA
You fucking whore dog! Priscilla knows
what a bitch you are to Walter. Any-
thing happens to...
At that precise moment, Ruby slaps Rhonda very hard across the
face. Rhonda is in shock. Ruby now raises the gun point blank at
Rhonda. The waves are crashing and seagulls are chatty. The wind
is blowing.
RUBY
(clinched teeth)
Don’t concern yourself over that little
mouse. Teddy is probably balls deep in
paperwork as we speak. They found her
! 37!
body minutes after you left her office

this morning.
Rhonda is in shock. Ruby slowly rants.
RUBY (CONT)
You sniveling little brat! You haven’t
had to do a fucking thing other than be
the brat of the litter! You don’t de-
serve one red cent of that money! I’ve
had to put up with that useless excuse
of a man every since he got back from
‘Nam. He’s fucking useless! You’re use-
less and the whole lot of you are use-
less! That fucking money is mine... do
you here me?
(getting louder)
Mine!
RHONDA
(hysterical and crying)
You’re nothing but a piece of shit! I

don’t care if you kill me. I’ve done
more for this world in one breath than
all the fucking blow jobs you’ve done
from here to San Diego!
Rhonda is getting bolder and more hysterical. Ruby is holding

steady but is starting to take a few steps backward. Rhonda con-
tinues her death rant.
RHONDA (CONT)
You are everything that is wrong with
this fucking world! You’re nothing but
a two bit uncultured floozie and a stu-
pid airhead bimbo! My poor brother in a
temporary state of insanity let his
little head do the thinking for his big
head.
(crescendoing)
You talked him into Vietnam! You evil
fucking witch! And then, instead of
giving him a going away party, you gave
him a death wish party!
! 38!
(crying)
Now look at him!
(screaming)
NO children! No voice! No life! And a
perverted fucking bitch for a wife!
Ruby is slowly backing as Rhonda rants.
RHONDA (CONT)
Go ahead you gutless wonder! You’re
nothing but pile of nothing.... you
haven’t done a damn thing in your life
except fester like a bad boil and then
somebody squeezed you like puss out of
that gutter rot trailer trash mother of
yours!
Ruby has now got her back to the water and she is stepping into
the cresting breakwater of the surf. Ruby holds up the gun and
stops dead in her tracks. She is not taking any more of this.
She pulls back the little hammer on the derringer and holds it
at eye level.
Rhonda doesn’t care. She is determined to die out loud.
You...you lot lizard! You bedded down

every trucker that ever crossed over
the state line.
(pause)
Just like that. You infected my beauti-
ful brother with your vile!
Ruby takes one step back and loses her balance in the surf and
falls down while dropping the gun in the sand. Rhonda bends and
picks it up before Ruby can recover. Rhonda points it at Ruby.
She is now smiling.
RHONDA
(gleefully)
Oh!..... this is rich!
Rhonda points the derringer at Ruby and pulls the trigger. Noth-
ing. Pulls it again, four more times and nothing. Rhonda is
looking at the gun in disbelief.
RUBY
(sarcastic)
! 39!
It works every time. I shoot off my

little gun three nights a week and
Teddy shoots his load.... three nights
a week. Its a nice arrangement. Don’t
you think?
Rhonda is getting ready to throw the derringer at Ruby, but Ruby

quickly throws sand in Rhonda’s face. As Rhonda drops the der-
ringer and is momentarily blinded, Ruby picks up a piece of
driftwood and hits Rhonda in the head. Rhonda falls down in the
surf. Rhonda and Ruby battle to the death. Rhonda tears the
clothes off Ruby and falls backward on her back. Ruby picks up a
smooth bowling ball size rock with both hands and proceeds to
bash Rhonda’s head in in the breaking waves. Rhonda is dead.
Ruby nonchalantly reaches into her coat pocket and pulls out
five live rounds and reaches down and picks of the revolver. She
quickly loads the revolves and points it at Rhonda’s head. She
shoots once. She pulls an i.d., card from her pocket. We don’t
see who’s it is. She throws it down on the beach way up from the
water line. She picks up what is left of her clothes and hooks
them with her index finger, throws them over her shoulder and
proceeds to walk up the hill towards the house. She doesn’t look
back. The waves are crashing. The seagulls are chatty. Bodega
Bay is alive at night. Rhonda’s body is gently rocking in the
cresting waves of the big sleep.
INT. BODEGA BAY - SEA SHORE - EARLY NEXT MORNING
We see Walter sitting quietly in front of the picture window

overlooking the restless Pacific. He notices something in the
water. We see what he sees. A corpse laying in the water. Sea-
gulls are flocking all around. Walter is too far away to see
that the loneliness of the death mask is his sister Rhonda.
Three young girls and a couple are beach combing. They discover
the body. One man is seen running back in the opposite direction
they came.
FADE
EXT. BODEGA BAY ESTATE - MAIN ENTRANCE & DRIVE - MINUTES LATER
Sheriff Ted is seen driving up to the house. He gets out of his

cruiser. He doesn’t bother knocking. We seem him go in. As he
opens the door, he removes his hat.
INT. BODEGA BAY ESTATE - FIREPLACE - CONTINUOUS

! 40!
Sheriff Ted looks over at Walter in his chair. Walter is playing

Our Day Will Come. He is playing the 8mm movie again. This time
we see young Rhonda hugging her brother. As Walter watches, we
see tears streaming down his cheeks. He picks up his larynx
speaker, puts it to his throat and yells.
WALTER
(crying)
...Teddy. My baby sister. My baby sis-
ter. Why my baby sister Teddy?
Sheriff Ted quietly stands next to Walter and puts his hand on
Walter’s shoulder.
SHERIFF TED
(softly)
Walter. Did you see who did it?
Walter shakes his head.
SHERIFF TED
Did you see anything at all?
Walter shakes his head. Tears are streaming.
SHERIFF TED
I’ll find who ever did this. I’ll take
care of it.
His hand is still on Walter’s shoulder. Walter reaches up and

touches Sheriff Ted’s hand. A moment of solace and comfort pass
between them. Sheriff Ted slowly removes his hand from Walter’s
shoulder. He sees Walter’s gun. He sees the empty clip.
SHERIFF TED (VO)

I picked up the gun and sniffed the
barrel. I didn’t have it in me to tell
him about Priscilla.
He picks up the empty clip and inspects it.
SHERIFF TED (VO)

Walter didn’t notice and didn’t care.
Sheriff Ted sets the clip down. He puts Walter’s .45 auto in his
pocket. He looks at Walter.
SHERIFF TED
! 41!
I’ve been meaning to clean it. I’ll get

it back to you this afternoon.
Walter doesn’t protest. He waves Sheriff Ted off. He stares out

the window. Sheriff Ted goes to the door and turns. He looks at
Walter, and then he looks around at the memorabilia, medals and
photos of Walter’s life. He sees a framed photograph of Rhonda.
Tears start streaming down Sheriff Ted’s face.
SHERIFF TED (VO)

Tragedy and Epiphany visited me today.
In just two days my beloved little cove
at the edge of the sea lost two beauti-
ful sirens to treachery...
(pause)
I didn’t know then what I know now. The
rolling hills above Bodega Bay harbored
some evil little hobbits.
Suddenly! We see and hear the seagulls.
SHERIFF TED (VO)

The seagulls agree.
(pause)
Something had to be done.
He exits.
FADE
EXT. BODEGA BAY DOCKS - EARLY NEXT MORNING
We see a bright day with seagulls chatting and fishing boats

lapping at their moorings at the docks. A distinguished looking
man, 60’s, RETIRED DETECTIVE RHETT NOLAN is sitting on a dock
box and smoking a pipe. Brian approaches him.
RHETT NOLAN
I heard.
(pause)
You ok?
BRIAN
Seriously Uncle Nolan! Do I look ok to
you?
! 42!
Brian is completely overcome and slumps to the dock and sobs.
BRIAN
I loved her so much!
(sobbing)
She was my other half. Rhonda could
have had anybody she wanted, but, she
loved me... why, why did she have to
die like that?
(grief stricken)
Why?
Brian and Rhett Nolan sit for awhile while Brian composes him-
self. Rhett Nolan gently puts his hand on Brian’s shoulder. Af-
ter a long silence, RDR Nolan speaks.
RHETT NOLAN
You remember your little cousin Re-
becca? Becca you called her. Remember
when you two were little and I took you
out on this very boat right here?
(pointing at boat)
Brian nods while dazed and staring off into space.
RHETT NOLAN (CONT)

You two couldn’t been more than five
years old then. You remember! Your Aunt
Jean; god rest her soul, took you in
when your dad died and your mom ran off
with that guy with two jobs. Come to
find out, he was a full-time pedophile
and a part-time prison guard. You re-
member? And she left you behind?
(pause)
Believe me son, she did you a favor. I

had just gotten out of the academy,
working my fingers to the bone on this
here boat, while waiting to sign on
with Santa Rosa PD.
BRIAN
I remember Uncle Nolan. You taught me
whale watching over on the Head... I
still have the old binoculars you gave
! 43!
me... I taught Rhonda your glassing

techniques.
RHETT NOLAN
Remember the day that Becca.... fell
off the boat...because I had forgotten
to snap her safety harness?
Rhett Nolan is having memory recall and wiping tears from his
eyes.
RHETT NOLAN (CONT)

...and you immediately unsnapped your
harness and dove right in after her!
Hell, we were doin’ 12 knots at the
time. God only knows how you did it,
but, as soon as I came about you and
Becca were clinging to that cheap dime
store beach ball that blew out to sea
from Doran Beach.
(pause)
Christ...I’m startin’ to blabber here.
Ok...what I am saying is this. That
girl of yours, Rhonda, wouldn’t have
wanted you to grieve for her for more
than five minutes. She lived out loud,
she gave every penny she inherited to
every one else; including you...
(pause)
...and she never demanded a penny back
from anyone. She was a saint among
beautiful and common women. But, what I
loved so very much about Rhonda is that
she openly loved you. The fact that the
entire town supported your ongoing con-
scientious objector stance regarding
‘Nam was testament to her love of you.
And look at Becca now. She’s a ‘Nam
widow. Spends most her time getting
fucked over by the Veteran’s Admin-
istration.
As Rhett Nolan is talking he is slowly pulling out two red ban-

danas each with a yellow star. The Flag of Vietnam. He hands one
! 44!
to Brian and then Rhett Nolan immediately dons it and ties in on

his head as a bandana. Brian does the same.
RHETT NOLAN (CONT)

In case you didn’t know it, secretly,
Walter supports your efforts. It was
that two-bit tart Ruby who was Gung Ho
about him going to ‘Nam.
(pause)
I guess now with Rhonda.... I mean that
Tart is getting what she wants now...
Brian abruptly snaps out of his self mesmerization trance.
BRIAN
What do you mean. What does she want?
RHETT NOLAN
Just like I said, she’d want you to
keep protesting... and tell the Feds
they can stick it straight up their
asses.
BRIAN
Who? Ruby?
RHETT NOLAN
No! Rhonda!
BRIAN
Oh!
(pause)
But, you called her a tart.
RHETT NOLAN
Called who a tart?
BRIAN
Rhonda.
RHETT NOLAN
No I didn’t! You weren’t listening. I
said that Tart is getting what she
wants now that Rhonda is gone.
BRIAN
What do mean?
! 45!
RHETT NOLAN
It ain’t like information isn’t avail-
able. The grapevine says that in Wal-
ter’s Will, Rhonda’s family inheritance
goes back to Walter, the only surviving
heir. The tart’s got it all now.
(pause)
You know they made an arrest this morn-
ing already?
BRIAN
Who?
RHETT NOLAN
Young Coast Guard guy. I was out on the
boat early and saw Ted and Vincelli
from Santa Rosa PD putting him in
Vincelli’s car. I radioed into the
Guard Tower and they told me....
Rhonda’s alleged killer... Coast Guard
guy; I don’t fucking believe it...
(pause)
The tart’s got it all now.
BRIAN
Brian jumps to his feet. He appears agitated.
BRIAN
Not quite Uncle Nolan. There has been a
recent change to Walter’s Will. Rhonda
mentioned it to me. Ruby was cut off
with just an allowance and can only get
the estate if Rhonda AND Walter are
dead.
Brian turns and quickens his pace. Looks back, waves and yells.
BRIAN (CONT)
Thanks Uncle Nolan. See you later...
Rhett Nolan is cupping his hand and yelling back.
RHETT NOLAN
So. You taught her how to glass, ‘eh?
(pause)
She’s just a two-bit tart.
! 46!
(pause)
Don’t forget that.
FADE
EXT. BODEGA BAY ESTATE - MAIN ENTRANCE & DRIVE - MORNING
We see Brian’s van and two other cars in front of the house.
Ruby is sitting in a chair, smoking a cigarette, wearing dark

glasses and drinking from a flask. Sheriff Ted, Brian and Detec-
tive Michael Vincelli are present as well. Only Sheriff Ted and
Det Michael Vincelli are interrogating Ruby.
VINCELLI
Young Guardsman said he didn’t do it!
Said you...
(looking at notes)
...compromised his christian virtues by
seducing him.... and....
(looking at notes)
...he can’t remember anything after
that.... said you made him swallow
something that knocked him out... said
he woke up and was tied to the bed,
face down, with.... this object stick-
ing out of... his ass....
Close-up of back of head of Ruby. We see all them men looking

down at something that Vincelli is holding. We don’t see what it
is. Ruby pulls a cigarette out of her silver cigarette case and
proceeds to bend over.
SHERIFF TED
Ruby? Does this belong to you?
At that exact moment we see what Vincelli is holding. Ruby tries

to get a light from what appears to be her Gold Dunhill lighter.
Vincelli instinctively lights it. He flicks the wheel and Ruby
momentarily puts her hand on Vincelli’s hand to steady his shak-
ing. She then grabs the lighter from his hand and sticks it down
her cleavage.
! 47!
Ruby then looks straight ahead. She says nothing. Detective Mi-
chael Vincelli looks at Sheriff Ted and shrugs in complete dis-
belief that he allowed that to just happen.
SHERIFF TED
Rhonda’s dead. Walter is incapacitated.
Young guy up for murder.
Sheriff Ted turns and looks at Vincelli.
SHERIFF TED (CONT)

I guess the lighter puts him and Ruby
together?
(pause)
Now what?
VINCELLI
What do you mean, “now what”? This
doesn’t prove a damn thing. All it
tells me is that she drugged him, tied
him up, stuck her alibi up his ass and
nonchalantly takes a hike in the middle
of the night down to the beach to bash
Rhonda’s head in.
(pause)
So, what you do you mean “now what”?
Det Michael Vincelli holds up a plastic bag with a driver’s li-

cense in it.
VINCELLI (CONT)
We found this on the beach not more
than ten feet from Rhonda’s body...
(pause)
Guardsman said he had it last night
when he came here. I got no reason not
to believe him.
(points at her chest)

I’m thinkin’ you planted that there
lighter in his ass and planted his
driver’s license on the beach. That way
one suspicion cancels out the other.
(pause)
! 48!
Pretty goddam clever if you ask me!
SHERIFF TED
At this point I think it goes to the
matter of motive. What motive would
Ruby have? Her own sister-in-law; why?
Vincelli, you don’t have shit so unless
you’re making charges lets just back
off a tad bit. Ruby has lived here in
Bodega Bay for almost 10 years and
don’t forget whose town this is. The
only reason I called you in is because
Rhonda lived in Santa Rosa and you’re
Santa Rosa PD. Purely a courtesy, so
don’t forget that. Ruby is a prominent
citizen. My interest is investigation
first...then interrogation when you got
something.
Ruby is staring straight ahead. Still wearing her glasses and

smoking. During the entire interrogation, we see Brian boring a
visual hole right through Ruby’s head. Vincelli and Sheriff Ted
don’t see this. Ruby appears amused by it all.
DET MICHAEL VINCELLI

Mrs. Wilson let me ask you a direct
question?
RUBY
Why... Michael! You can still call me
Ruby.

I’ll call you Mrs. Wilson as long as
you’re a suspect. Don’t try and get
cute with me or I’ll take you all the
way in to Santa Rosa right now and hold
your ass until I get good and ready to
let you go. You got me?
Ruby doesn’t flinch or react in anyway.
(pause)
So, start talking...
RUBY
Well, Lieutenant....
! 49!
(she’s interrupted)

...that’s Detective.
RUBY
...well, Detective. I’ll gladly give
you details. But Brian can’t be here.
This is too hard on on him already.
Both Vincelli and Sheriff Ted turn to look at Brian in a ques-

tioning manner. Sheriff Ted speaks first.
SHERIFF TED
I have known Rhonda for a long time. I
know how you felt about her. You don’t
have to be here for this?
BRIAN
Even one of Ruby’s tall bareback horses
she claims to ride naked through the
crashing waves couldn’t drag me away.
Sherif Ted looks over at Ruby. Ruby doesn’t move a muscle. She
looks straight ahead. Still wearing her sun glasses. Sheriff Ted
looks over at Vincelli who is staring at Ruby.

Ok...he stays. What gives Mrs. Wilson?
Explain it to us.
Ruby doesn’t remove her glasses. She lights up another ciga-

rette. She turns her head and glances at Brian. He is still
glaring at her.
RUBY
I should probably have my attorney
here. But, I haven’t been able to re-
place her yet.
(pause)
She’s....dead you know.

Yeah. We know. We wanna talk to you
about that next. But, first what gives?
Did you do it? Did you kill Rhonda?
“Cuz everything I’ve got is pointing at
you.
! 50!
SHERIFF TED
That’s just your opinion Vincelli. Do
your job and question her, but, she
isn’t represented by an attorney and
she is obviously in grief!

You call this grief?
Vincelli now looks at Sheriff Ted.
...are you...fucking her?
BRIAN
Yeah Ted... are you?
RUBY
You know boys...
(pause)
...wouldn’t it be more interesting if
the three of you ask yourselves whom
amongst you hasn’t fucked me?
Sheriff Ted, Brian and Det Michael Vincelli look at each other,
than at Ruby and then at each other again. No response from
them.
RUBY
It occurs to me that what we have here
is a case of.... you got no real leads.
And...you got no motive!
(she stands)
My grieving husband is sitting in his
wheelchair with the body of his dead
sister still fresh from the surf!
(starting to rant)
And you question me? Who the hell do
you think you are? Don’t you have real
leads to chase down?
(now pacing)
You know what’s wrong with you two?
(pause)
! 51!
Teddy...how dare you let

this...this...these outsiders treat me
like this?
Ruby is now pointing at Detective Michael Vincelli and Brian.
You two are nothing but cowards.
(pause)
...you’re cowards. Both of you. Are you
kidding me? My husband gave everything
to defend the American Dream. And I’m
living proof of that. Walter will love
me to the end of his time.
BRIAN
You are such a freak! Walter won’t make
it to the end of his time with you
around.
Brian turns to exist. At the door he turns to the group.
BRIAN
Ted. You’re Walter’s friend. Why are
you defending this bitch?
Sheriff Ted does not respond.
RUBY
To Walter, I represent everything he
fought for so gallantly in Vietnam.
Teddy knows that... don’t you Teddy?
Sheriff Ted does not answer.
He loves me and worships the ground I

walk on. He gave me everything he
could. He knew my happiness reflected
on his success. Walter’s love of me re-
flects the America Dream.
BRIAN
Get your boots on boys. It’s gonna get
deep in here.
RUBY
Rhonda knew that. I supported her
causes on every level. Even if she
! 52!
didn’t have to claw her way to the top

like I did.
(voice quivers)
And she was a saint! She even supported
bums like you two cowards. I mean, af-
ter all Brian, I got all of Bodega Bay
to rally around Rhonda. Never would she
have a friend in Bodega Bay if it
weren’t for me.
BRIAN
That’s bullshit!
Ruby looks at Brian. After a long pause she lights a cigarette

and slowly begins to pace.
RUBY
I gave my heart and soul to Bodega Bay.
I gave my heart and soul to Walter.
Bodega Bay would be nothing without me
and Walter would be even less.
(pause)
And you can’t get much lower than less.
(pause)
You think my life is easy? You have the
gall to stand there and judge me? I
live in this glass house like a fish in
a bowl. Everybody in this little bird
shit town wants to be me. But nobody
has the courage to take it for them-
selves. They wait and they wait and
they wait for someone to give it to
them.
(pause)
Well, boys...I have been giving myself
freely to little cowards like you two
just to show the world the power of my
vagina. I’ve been giving myself an edu-
cation. I didn’t learn it at a truck
stop in Stockton, contrary to popular
belief. Its a boy in a uniform that
does it for me. He is used to standing
at attention awaiting orders. His cock
does the same thing. How pathetic to be
! 53!
a slave to the very thing that gives

you shamelessly away.
(pause)
Yes ma'am, no ma’am, stand at attention
and all that.
Brian has been standing at the door the entire time.
BRIAN
Ted? You gonna take this shit? Or you
gonna do something about it? Walter’s
will is changed and the lawyer ends up
dead? An now Rhonda? She comes in wear-
ing a trench coat after an early morn-
ing walk.
Brian does not wait for response and exits. Ruby glares at Sher-
iff Ted.
RUBY
Fuck you Teddy!
Ruby rushes immediately to the door after Brian’s exit and

watches Brian depart. We see what she sees. She turns to them.
RUBY
If you boys are officially finished,
then you can politely leave.
DETECTIVE MICHAEL VINCELLI

Not so fast tootsie. You’ve done a lot
fast talking now its time for some slow
answers.
RUBY
You want some slow answers Detective?
I’ve got a few for you. Like here is
answer number one. The little drawer
next to my bed.

What’ll we find there?
Brian is seen casually circling back to the door.
RUBY
Your handcuffs Detective. You remember?
! 54!
Brian is now seen listening at the window. He hears everything

that is being said.
RUBY (CONT)
The ones you left here last summer by
“accident”. You almost missed your PTA
meeting with the Mrs. in Santa Rosa be-
cause we couldn’t find the key.
(slowly)
So, I was forced to use one of Teddy’s
keys to his pair he leaves on the other
side of the bed. My guess is they’re
both standard issue for law enforce-
ment.
Brian quickly slips away before being detected. Ruby stands

aside and casually gestures both of them out the door. Sheriff
Ted and Detective Michael Vincelli look at each other and say
nothing. They turn to exit past Ruby. As they pass her she
speaks.
RUBY
I just love law enforcement.
SHERIFF TED (VO)

It is at this juncture in any story to
look at the facts. The fact is Ruby was
no longer a viable suspect. She knew it
and she knew that I knew it and that
Detective Michael Vincelli knew it.
As Sheriff Ted and Det Vincelli leave, we see Kat quietly walk
out the door behind them, undetected. She is wearing the exact
same outfit as Ruby is down to the smallest detail.
EXT. BODEGA BAY ESTATE - MAIN ENTRANCE AND DRIVE - CONTINUOUS
Kat gets into Ruby’s sports car and drives away.
FADE
INT. BODEGA BAY ESTATE - FIREPLACE - LATE MORNING
We see Ruby walk over to Walter and reach into her pocket and
take out Walter’s larynx speaker and hand it to Walter. He takes
it and puts it to his throat. She takes the flask out of her
other pocket and takes a quick nip.
! 55!
RUBY
Before you get started lover boy, I did
that for your own good. Those two have
no clue how to find a clue which makes
them clueless. They would have tired
you out you poor dear. Nobody can bring
Rhonda back. I did you a favor!
(pause)
I mean, I did you a favor by getting
them out of here.
Walter holds us his hand to stop her. He adjusts the larynx

speaker. He motions her over to him. He then motions her to push
his wheelchair over to the window. She does.
WALTER
(slowly)
Do you remember the day I met you?
Ruby does not answer.
WALTER (CONT)
Of course you don’t. You were so damn
drunk that night. You were clinging to
that pole like a grape vine. You were
so beautiful then. You don’t remember
any of the good times. But I do. I was
always there looking out for you. Me
and Teddy saved you from a gang of
hoodlums in the parking lot that night.
Then after shooting down 8 shots of
Irish Whisky, you jumped on that pole,
fell and hurt your head. You haven’t
been the same since. Something broke.
(pause)
Nobody there would help you. It was in
the middle of the night. Stockton was
nothing more than a trailer park to me.
And you were nothing but trailer trash
until I saved you.
(pause)
You were bleeding. I stuffed that black
vinyl bag you had with ice after I
dumped everything out. Later you told
me it was everything you owned....I put
! 56!
you in my car and drove the 150 miles

back out here to Bodega Bay with your
vinyl bag on your head. You haven’t
been back to Stockton since.
Ruby is now standing next to Walter. She, too, is looking out

the window as Walter speaks. She is smoking a cigarette.
WALTER (CONT)
The only person who knew you before was
Teddy. He and I went off to ‘Nam to-
gether. I came back as this lump of
coal. Teddy came back wearing his
badge. His MP days in country served
him well.
(pause)
I have asked Teddy many times to just
shoot me. I didn’t want to live knowing
that I couldn’t be the man you met. I
asked him to watch over you. I know
about you and Teddy. He is a soldier
first and foremost. He is doing me a
favor. He isn’t doing you a favor.
Ruby is still looking out the window. Walter is gathering his

thoughts. After a very long pause, he speaks.
WALTER
You’re a woman of needs. I know that.
But I want you to look at me now.
Ruby doesn’t take her eyes from the view out the window.
WALTER
Look at me!
Ruby looks down at Walter. She has a blank stare on her face.
WALTER
What happened to Rhonda? What did you
do? Why is Priscilla dead?
RUBY
Don’t be ridiculous! I had nothing to
do with Rhonda’s death or that little
mouse Priscilla... you should be asking
that question to...to...Teddy.
! 57!
WALTER
Teddy! Why Teddy? What does Teddy know
that he hasn’t told me already?
RUBY
(sarcastic)
Well lover boy...everyone knew you
changed the will to keep me from what’s
mine!
(venomous)
Teddy loves me! He’ll do anything to
make me happy!
WALTER
You mean...Teddy killed Rhonda? Shot
Priscilla?....I don’t believe you!
RUBY
Don’t be daft you stupid useless man!
Teddy’s too smart to get his hands
dirty. Priscilla pissed off lots of
people. The Government doesn’t appreci-
ate little cry babies who get in the
way of their plans. Those slant-eyed
little gooks deserved everything they
got. Including you crop dusting their
useless asses out from under their rice
paddies.
(sarcastic)
You could have been a hero. But, oh no!
Not you! No...you had to be a dumb
chump! You just had to disobey orders
and land that fucking plane in the mid-
dle of a rice paddy and rescue those
little varmints. What an idiot!
(pause)
And look what it got you. Dumped that
shit all over yourself.
(pause)
Priscilla was just unfinished business
for the Government. They did it. They
killed her...not Teddy.
(pause)
! 58!
But, what about that draft dodger cow-

ard boyfriend of hers? Brian. He
doesn’t work, he’s a useless musician
and artist. Who needs those people? He
thought Rhonda was gonna support him
forever. With that will changed, Rhonda
was no good to him. The only brave
thing he ever did in his life was to
bash her brains in with a rock.
(pause)
So lover boy. It looks like its just
you and me. Oneness; you know. Teddy
will eventually take down Brian. You
stay out of it.
(pause)
You really need your rest dear. I’ll
just take this...
Ruby reaches down and yanks the larynx speaker out of Walter’s
hand.
RUBY (CONT)
...and that will keep anyone from pes-
tering you with questions. Be a good
boy and stay out of my way.
Ruby sits on the other side of Walter’s table. We see them in

silhouette as Ruby is smoking a cigarette and Walter is leaning
to the side. Walter is seen looking out the window. Ruby is seen
looking out the window. Close-up reveals his eyes. Extreme
close-up reveals rage. Close-up reveals her sunglasses. They re-
flect the open sea.
FADE
EXT. BODEGA BAY DOCKS - AFTERNOON
Retired Detective Rhett Nolan is seen sitting on the same dock

box. Detective Michael Vincelli is seen walking towards him.
Vincelli stops in front of Nolan. He wears dark glasses. He
lights a cigarette. Looks around and sees empty nets and empty
traps.

You’re kidding me; right? When was the
last time you caught anything?
! 59!
RET DETECTIVE RHETT NOLAN

(slowly; calculating)
I talk more fish into jumping onto my
boat in one hour than all the criminals
you’ll chase and never catch in your
whole fucking life! Don’t you remember
how I recruited you?
(sarcastic)
Look at you now. You bought it hook,
line and sinker. You were saying?
VINCELLI
Is it that bad?
(slowing smiles)
You miss the action don’t you?
NOLAN
I don’t miss shit. But you did.
VINCELLI
Yeah. How so?
Nolan stands and turns to open the dock box. He pulls out a pair
of binoculars. He closes it, turns and sits. Pulls a pipe out,
loads it with tobacco and lights it.
NOLAN
I taught him whale watching over on the
Head when he was just a tyke. He came
to me through Jean; God rest her soul,
took him in when his dad died and I
think it was your first year on the
force.
(pause)
Remember that?
VINCELLI
Brian. Yeah, so what?
NOLAN
He taught Rhonda my glassing tech-
niques. She was a good glassing stu-
dent. She never missed a thing. She
spotted whales before anybody ever did
! 60!
in the group. She was a hell of a glas-

ser. She never missed a detail.
VINCELLI
Yeah. So what?
NOLAN
The other night, Rhonda picked-up Lon,
my chief mate, when she and Brian were
coming round the bay. It was really
dark that night.
At that moment, Nolan motions over his shoulder to a bulky, fit

blonde man, LON, 40’s whom Vincelli had not noticed before. He
is seen picking up netting on the dock. LON is listening in-
tently.
NOLAN
Lon! Come on over here for a minute.
Lon obeys immediately!
NOLAN (CONT)
Lon. Tell Vincelli here about what you
found the other night walking along the
beach.
Ret Det Nolan puts up his hand before LON starts.
NOLAN
Hey Vincelli. He tells it once. That’s
it. No bullshit. He’s got no papers so
this is it. You know what I’m sayin’?
Besides, his people were here way be-
fore we were.
(hand still up)

Got me?
Vincelli nods in agreement. Turns to Lon.
VINCELLI
So? What do you have?
LON
Well...it’s like I told the Skipper.

Skipper?
! 61!
Lon points to Ret Det Rhett Nolan.
VINCELLI
Am I gonna have to take notes?
NOLAN
(sarcastic)
You obviously don’t get out here to the
coast much?
(pause)
Rhonda was murdered right in front of
Walter. Boy, you would really have to
be stupid to do a thing like that. She
may be a two-bit tart, but she’s smart
as a whip. She didn’t do her own dirty
work.
(pause)
Sometimes Vincelli, when you really
wanna be a good thorough cop, check out
all the other cops involved first. Get
me?
VINCELLI
Hmmmm.....
Vincelli looks over at Lon.
VINCELLI
Ok. To hell with the notes. And other
than a confession of murder, I don’t
bring you in for what you saw or think
you saw.... OK?
So...Mr.,uh,uh Lon,
(facing Lon)
...what gives...?
LON
I told Miss Rhonda that I found this on
the beach.
Lon is holding up a Gold Dunhill lighter. Vincelli takes it from

him. He examines it. On the bottom is an engraving. It says,
RUBY.
! 62!
INSERT - CLOSE-UP “RUBY” ENGRAVING
Vincelli stares at the lighter in disbelief.
VINCELLI
Where did you find it...exactly?
LON
On beach, right where I saw Sheriff and
Miss Ruby...ah....fucking.
VINCELLI
Did you see who dropped it?
LON
Sheriff.
VINCELLI
Are you sure?
LON
I am sure.
VINCELLI
Did.... ah...Miss Ruby see him drop it?
LON
Miss Ruby gave him lighter. He threw it
onto beach.
VINCELLI
Did you see anything else?
LON
Sheriff handcuff her because she fire
pistol.
VINCELLI
Pistol?
LON
Small handgun.
VINCELLI
I know what a pistol is!
(pause)
Anything else?
! 63!
LON
Miss Rhonda say she saw too. Mr. Brian
did not see. He was sleeping in back of
van with some other woman.
VINCELLI
Did yo know this other woman?
LON
I see her sometimes. She is Mr. Brian
and Miss Rhonda’s spare girlfriend.
VINCELLI
Spare?
LON
I see them all kissing sometimes.
VINCELLI
Each other?
LON
Yes.
Ret Det Nolan puts up his hand to end the interview.
NOLAN
That’ll do Lon. You can go back to
work.
LON
I am in no danger? No trouble?
Nolan looks at Vincelli with a questioning gesture.
VINCELLI
No. You’re good to go. But if you think
of anything else....
Nolan interrupts.
NOLAN
He won’t.
Nolan motions Lon away. Lon goes back to netting. Nolan looks at
Vincelli.
NOLAN (CONT)
! 64!
Brian tells me you handed over to Ruby

a key piece of evidence similar to that
one?
Vincelli is still holding the lighter. He looks at the lighter

and then yells to Lon who turns to see him. Vincelli looks at
the lighter once more and then tosses it to Lon.
VINCELLI
Hey! Finders; keepers.
Lon catches the lighter. Sticks it in his pocket and turns away,
but suddenly comes back over to Vincelli. He looks at Nolan.
LON
I speak with policeman alone.
NOLAN
Lon, I don’t think that’s a good idea.
LON
I speak with policeman alone.
NOLAN
Ok. But don’t incriminate yourself.
Lon nods and walks down the dock to where Vincelli is now stand-
ing. He arrives at Vincelli and speaks softly.
LON
I take money from Ruby to wear uniform
and....and fuck her sometimes. I don’t
want the Skipper to know. He take good
care of me. He hates Ruby. I just want
you to know.
VINCELLI
How does she hire you?
LON
Miss Kat come to me and give me $300
and I get $200 more when we finish.
VINCELLI
Finish what?
LON
We make love in front of man in wheel-
chair. I don’t think he like it much.
! 65!
(pause)
I go now?
Vincelli nods his head to Lon who then turns and walks past
Nolan on his way back to the netting. Vincelli moves closer to
Nolan.
NOLAN
That two-bit tart has got you looking
like an idiot. The Sheriff seems to be
doing some “private detail” work? Who
knows what he knows? But I know this.
Rhonda is dead. You got no more sus-
pects and that two-bit tart just took
herself out of the line-up. So
Vincelli, go back to Santa Rosa. All
fingers are pointing to Sheriff Ted. I
will call you if he gives a confession
anytime soon. But, don’t hold your
breath. Got me?
Vincelli takes another drag from his cigarette and throws it

into the water. He looks at Nolan. He turns and exits without a
word. The seagulls are chatty and the morning sun brightens the
day in Bodega Bay.
SHERIFF TED (VO)

Of course I have known Rhett Nolan
longer than Vincelli. When I found out
Rhett was trying to finger me, I fig-
ured he knew what he was doing. Rhett
knew me better than anyone. But,
Vincelli didn’t know that and neither
did Ruby.
FADE
INT. LIBRARY STACKS - LATE AFTERNOON
We see Fawn as she searches intently for a title. Fawn is

dressed in tights, knits and tweeds. She reaches in and pulls a
copy of a book depicting Vietnam. As she pulls the book out, Kat
is standing watching from the other side. Kat is wearing a black
leotard, black boots, black tights and black sweater. Fawn is
momentarily startled.
FAWN
Oh!...
! 66!
(pause)
...Hello! What are you doing here?
KAT
The only people for me are the mad
ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad
to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of
everything at the same time, the ones
who never yawn or say a commonplace
thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabu-
lous yellow roman candles exploding
like spiders across the stars...
We then see Kat slam close a Jack Kerouac book and slide it,
spine first back through into Fawn’s face. Fawn is speechless.
Fawn takes the book out. Then Fawn pushes through a book on
Vietnam with the spine title facing Kat. Kat takes the book out.
FAWN
Research.
KAT
Why? Walter is an open book. Just look
at him.
FAWN
I don’t get your relationship to those
two?
KAT
Either does anybody else. I like it
that way. Ruby likes it that way.
FAWN
Why are you here? What do you want with
me?
KAT
I’m here because you’re here. What do I
want with you?
(pause)
Everything and anything. Completely,
deliberately, indefinitely and immedi-
ately....
FAWN
(in disbelief)
...you don’t even know me. Why me?
! 67!
KAT
Walter likes you. I saw that right
away. Ruby saw it too. Ruby is afraid
of anyone who connects to Walter with-
out her approval or manipulation.
FAWN
I thought she was your.... eh...
friend?
KAT
We are lovers; that’s true. But, I need
something more...
FAWN
... I think you have made a mistake. I
am not really....eh...into women.
KAT
Me neither. But you’re a cutie! Who
wouldn’t want you?
Fawn is completely in shock. She is quickly stacking books and

appears to be digging for something. She reaches in a grabs a
notebook and a pencil. She tears a piece of paper and off and
jots down an address.
FAWN
I’ve got to go. I’m late for class.
Here is where I live. We can talk about
this....eh...later. Maybe tonight?
Kat reaches through the stack and takes the note. She then comes
around the corner gets right in Fawn’s face. Fawn is clutching a
stack of books with both arms. Kat reaches up an puts her hand
on the back of Fawn’s head and pulls her into a mouth crunching
kiss. She hands the note back to Fawn.
KAT
I already know where you live. I slept
in my car last night out in front of
your place. My client wants me to pro-
tect you.
FAWN
Me? Protect me? From who? What client?
KAT
Walter. Protect you from Ruby.
! 68!
FAWN
Who are you anyway?
KAT
I’m Ruby’s private little free range
chicken...I go and get her store bought
chicken when I’m bored entertaining
that silly aging hag.
FAWN
Am...I...store bought chicken?
KAT
At first I thought so. Then after I saw
you with Walter, I realized you were
free range like me. We’re organic, you
and I.
(pause)
Anyway...I’m sick and tired of the way
Ruby treats Walter. It’s total bull-
shit.
Kat gently takes Fawn’s right hand and kisses her palm. She
closes her eyes and lingers in Fawn’s rapture.
KAT (CONT)
I will pick you up after class and
we’ll sneak back to the house and slip
in below the surface. Ruby is out to-
night.
(pause)
Don’t worry. I won’t let anything hap-
pen to you.
FAWN
Maybe... maybe...I want something to
happen to me?
Fawn and Kat stand there gazing at each other among the stacks.
Neither says a word. Kat gently touches Fawn’s palm.
FADE
! 69!
INT. BODEGA BAY ESTATE - LATE NIGHT
We see Kat drive up to the Estate House. She and Fawn exit the
car and enter the house. We see Walter. He is watching his 8mm
movie and listening to OUR DAY WILL COME. Fawn gestures to Kat
that she needs a moment alone with Walter. Kat exits the room.
Fawn quietly steps over to the LP player and removes the stylus
in mid-song. She reaches into her shoulder bag and removes a new
cassette recorder. Walter looks up at Fawn and smiles. Fawn says
nothing. She inserts a cassette into the player and pushes the
button. We then hear BARRY MCGUIRE's EVE OF DESTRUCTION. Fawn
quietly walks away. Close-up of Walter's eyes reveals tears. He
begins sobbing.....
FADE
EXT. BODEGA BAY ESTATE - POOL - LATE NIGHT
It is a dark and foggy night. Fawn is sitting on the edge of the

pool. She is wearing a one-piece tank bathing suit. Kat steps
into view. She is wearing a crochet bikini bottom. She wears no
top. She is carrying two martini glasses.
KAT
My bounty is as boundless as the sea...
My love as deep; the more I give to
thee...the more I have. For both are
infinite.
(pause)
Move over cutie, you and I are getting
into it.
Fawn stands and deftly slips into the pool and immediately sits.
FAWN
I knowest not from whence thou speaks.
‘tis my clouded mind that brings me
here. Oh, that I might in nights’ dark-
ness forget that I too am a woman. Be
gentle as a feather that floats down-
ward to thine heart. Hurt me not, yet
love me.
Kat is completely dumbstruck when hearing Fawn’s poetic retort.
KAT
I am beside myself oh beauteous angel!
! 70!
(pause)
So, you got a bit of Shakespeare in
you, huh?
FAWN
Not really. I just like to put on aires
whenever I get the chance. You gave me
that chance.
Kat slips deftly into the pool while holding the cocktails. She
doesn’t spill a drop. She sits next to Fawn. She gives a cock-
tail to Fawn. She holds up her glass to toast Fawn.
KAT
I sit out here every night with Ruby.
She’s getting out of control.
FAWN
Why is she so mean to Walter?
KAT
Because she thinks the world owes her
something. She has no regard for other
people’s feelings. I am done being her
lackey.
(pause)
Walter is sleeping now. Every night I
put him into bed. I am his only care-
giver. He tells me things.
FAWN
What things?
KAT
You know. Secrets.
FAWN
What secrets? You can tell me.
KAT
Things about Bodega Bay. The history.
The people here. Walter is a good man.
He doesn’t deserve the treatment that
he gets from her. I’m fed up with it.
I’m going to do something about it.
FAWN
Do you know what happened to Rhonda?
! 71!
KAT
Yes. I mean no. I mean... I’m not sure.
FAWN
Did Ruby do it?
KAT
If she did, she would never show it.
The cops were all over me for three
hours. I told them the same thing I am
telling you. If Ruby did it, she cov-
ered it up well.
FAWN
What about Priscilla?
KAT
Ruby tells everyone the government did
it. She was getting too close for com-
fort. My money is on the Sheriff. He
spends lots of time with Ruby. Walter
knows it, but, doesn’t care.
FAWN
What about the will? Does Ruby get it
all if Walter goes next?
KAT
Who told you that?
FAWN
Priscilla Barnes. The morning they
found her..... dead.
KAT (CONT)
Yes. Ruby wouldn’t have it any other
way.
FAWN
Now what?
KAT
Nothing! Without proof or witnesses she
walks away.
FAWN
The talk all over town is that Rhonda’s
boyfriend is a suspect. What do you
think?
! 72!
KAT
Brian! No way! He was madly in love
with Rhonda. Anyone could see that.
We see Ruby just inside the door looking out at the Sapphic duo.
She is listening intently. Fawn notices Ruby and motions to Kat
to be quiet. Kat looks around just as Ruby runs out and screams
at the top of her voice at Kat.
RUBY
You little tramp! After everything I
did for you and this is how you treat
me?
KAT
Ruby!
(screams back)
Calm down. You’re always jumping to the
conclusion that everyone is out to get
you.
RUBY
Don’t you dare lecture me you little
twit!
Ruby is now glaring at Fawn.
RUBY (CONT)
Oh...I see! It’s the skittish little
dancer. So, you like girls, huh? Well,
lets have some fun, shall we?
Ruby, very drunk, starts to climb into the pool and Fawn immedi-
ately gets out. Ruby is standing in the pool and pulls her dress
off over her head. She is naked. She reaches over and grabs Kat
by the hair. She gets in Kat’s face and with clinched teeth
speaks.
RUBY
Why baby?
(hysterical)
What could you possibly see in

this...this....girl scout?
Kat reaches up and removes Ruby’s grip on her hair and proceeds
to hold onto Ruby’s arm with a death grip. She pushes Ruby down
! 73!
into the pool. It hurts Ruby. Ruby is wide-eyed with terror. Kat
gets close to her face.
KAT
(clinched teeth)
You want to know what she’s got that
YOU don’t have?
(pause)
A FUTURE!
(pause)
Your days are numbered...bitch!
Ruby is cowering in the pool. Fawn is boldly staring at Ruby.

Kat has stepped out of the tub. Kat grabs a towel. She and Fawn
exit. Close-up of Ruby. Her make-up is a mess. The only sound is
the bubbling of the pool. The pool light suddenly burns out.
FADE
INT. FAWN’S APARTMENT - LATER THAT NIGHT
We see Fawn in her kitchen making tea. Kat is unpacking a back

pack on a bed. Kat looks around at the room. She walks over and
inspects Fawn’s clothes hanging on a rack. She then opens up a
drawer and reaches in and picks up a pair of Fawn’s panties. She
inspects them very carefully and puts them back. She picks up a
pair laying on the floor. She gently puts them to her face. She
sniffs. She carefully folds them and sticks them in her pocket.
Fawn see this and does not protest. Kat does not see Fawn look-
ing. Kat then looks at herself in the vanity mirror. She smiles.
Fawn approaches Kat from behind holding two cups of hot tea. We
now see them both in the mirror.
FAWN
I’ve got a class in less than four
hours. I need some sleep. This chamo-
mile should help calm my nerves.
KAT
What are you nervous about?
Fawn reaches around Kat and hands her the tea. She then stands
in between Kat and the mirror and sets her tea on the dresser.
She proceeds to brush her hair while continuing her conversation
in the mirror with Kat.
FAWN
! 74!
What am I nervous about? Well...for

starters....you! You make me nervous.
I’m still in shock about Priscilla... I
didn’t know Rhonda. Now...Ruby hates
me. And what about you? You can’t go
back there.
Kat smiles. Kat starts to undress where she stands. Fawn sees
this and continues.
KAT
Ruby won’t remember a thing. She gets
drunk and does this all the time. Be-
sides, I am Walter’s court appointed
custodian when Ruby is not in visual
sight.
Fawn suddenly drops her brush on to the vanity top and turns to
face Kat with her back to the mirror. We see the back of Kat and
we see Fawn’s face and the back of Fawn in the mirror. Fawn
drops her robe. The wind is rustling gently through the trees.
FAWN
How lucky for Walter that you are in
his life!
KAT
How lucky for me that Walter wants you
in our life.
Fawn reaches over and turns off the lamp next to the vanity.
Only the candle flickers...the rustling wind gives way to the
close-up of a gentle flame as Kat and Fawn bask in each other’s
nocturnal beauty.
FADE
EXT. BODEGA BAY CEMETERY - EARLY MORNING
A group of people are gathered around. All dressed in dark

clothing attending Rhonda’s burial. Walter is in his wheelchair,
Ruby, Sheriff Ted, Brian, Kat, Det Michael Vincelli, Ret Det
Rhett Nolan, Lon, Evie, Beatrice and a few other folks are in
attendance.
From across the road, we see Fawn standing against a road sign
with a pair of binoculars. We see her perspective of the fu-
neral. Fawn sees Kat. Kat looks back and waves.
! 75!
Ret Det Rhett Nolan speaks to the gathering.
RET DET RHETT NOLAN

The family of Rhonda has asked me to
say a few words. Well, I mean Walter
Wilson has asked me to say a few words.
(pause)
I remember Rhonda when she was a little
girl. Every Sunday after church at St.
Teresa’s she would come over to this
very spot...
Nolan points to Rhonda’s wreath.
...and placed a daisy on every grave...

What can I say about Rhonda that every-
one doesn’t already know? Her life was
cut short by an evil presence in Bodega
Bay. She exemplified all that was great
in a woman who, at the heart of it, was
a humanitarian. A philanthropist at
times.
Close-up reveals that everyone is holding a daisy and their eyes

are cast downward, except Ruby’s, as Ret Det Rhett Nolan deliv-
ers his eulogy. Ruby is wearing all black, a feathered hat and
wears dark glasses. She defiantly stares straight ahead. She is
the only person in the entire gathering smoking a cigarette.
RET DET RHETT NOLAN (CONT)

It was her incredible ability to see
the obvious good or the obvious bad in
people. She was an anarchist, an activ-
ist, a conscientious objector and would
risk it all for righteousness. But more
importantly than anything else; she was
loved. By everyone here in Bodega
Bay...well, almost everyone. And I know
from personal observation the deepest
pain of loss will be from Walter, her
brother and the love of her life, my
nephew Brian. Brian...would you like to
say a few words?
Brian looks up. All in the gathering look at Brian. He doesn’t

speak. He carefully, slowly, methodically walks through the
crowd, stopping momentarily and looks each person in the eyes.
! 76!
He stops directly in front of Ruby. She stares right through him

as if he wasn’t there. The tension is high. He stares at himself
in her dark glasses.
BRIAN
Rhonda never hurt anyone. She didn’t
have a mean bone in her body. That fact
alone won’t bring her back though. It
is God’s Will. But, I think it was an-
other type of WILL. And that was the
reason she was brutally and savagely
murdered just yards from her childhood
home.
(dead silence)
I have nothing more to say.
Brian stares at Ruby. He then spits in her face. She doesn’t

move a muscle or even flinch. Spit is all over her dark glasses.
Brian stands there looking at her. His tears fall. He exits.
Fawn is watching as Brian is walking away, Lon approaches Brian

and speaks to him privately. Fawn is watching all of this activ-
ity. Everyone is dispersing. Sheriff Ted walks over to Walter
and leans down very close to him. Walter looks him in the eyes.
At this point Ruby turns and walks away. She acknowledges no
one. Sheriff Ted looks around to see if anyone is looking. He
very carefully pulls out Walter’s .45 from his coat pocket and
slips it under Walter’s blanket. No one sees this but Fawn. He
then takes a fully loaded clip and pushes it under Walter’s leg.
Walter is looking at Sheriff Ted with a questioning eye. Sheriff
Ted whispers into Walter’s ear.
SHERIFF TED
Ballistics shows that your gun killed
Priscilla.
(pause)
There is no record of you owning it.
Remember, you got yours at the P/X....
Oh yeah, almost forgot. There was a
mix-up in some paperwork. Seems that
Priscilla’a body was accidentally cre-
mated.
Walter nods in agreement.

! 77!
SHERIFF TED
(hesitant; grieving)
One other thing I think you should
know.
WALTER
What Teddy?
SHERIFF TED
County Coroner says that Rhonda was
pregnant.
A well of tears pours silently from Walter.
WALTER
Does Brian know?
Sheriff Ted shakes his head.
WALTER
Teddy. Promise never to tell Brian. It
would kill him.
Sheriff Ted nods.
Walter puts his hand on Sheriff Ted’s arm and squeezes it. Sher-
iff Ted squeezes back. Only Fawn sees this. Fawn stares for a
while and then notices that Kat is nowhere in the viewfinder.
She pans left and right; no Kat. She lowers her binoculars and
Kat is standing right next to her. Fawn is startled. Then she
chuckles. Kat kisses her gently on the cheek. Fawn is oblivious
to its intimacy.
KAT
So my princess. Anything unusual?
FAWN
The Sheriff gave a gun to Walter. He
gave him something else to. I didn’t
see what it was.
KAT
Hmmm.....
FADE
! 78!
EXT. BODEGA GENERAL STORE - LEMONADE STAND - MOMENTS LATER
We see Ruby walking towards her car, parked in front of the Gen-
eral Store. There is a young girl, ALICE, selling lemonade. She
has flowers in a vase. Ruby is not even aware of the stand. AL-
ICE speaks to Ruby.
ALICE
Pretty lady...some flowers?
Ruby is caught off guard. She smiles at Alice. Alice hands her a
flower. Ruby gently takes it and puts it to her nose and sniffs
it. She is silent for a moment. Alice breaks the silence.
ALICE
Buy some lemonade?
Ruby suddenly snaps out of her memory recall trance and recoils
at Alice's question. Ruby leans down and gets in Alice's face.
RUBY
Thats right little girl. Life gives you
lemons and you make lemonade. But, no
matter how much sugar you add; they're
still lemons.
Ruby straightens her back. She quickly tosses back the lemonade
and throws the flower at Alice. Alice is dumbstruck. Ruby leaves
without paying. We see a lone black bird on a fence ECU.
EXT. BODEGA BAY - SEA SHORE - LATE NIGHT
Ruby is walking along the beach late night. She is wearing her
usual long white sheer under her trench coat. She has no shoes.
She walks just inside the wave crest on the beach. We see the
familiar lone shadow coming in her direction a long way off down
the beach. Ruby stops and reaches into her pocket. She pulls out
a small derringer revolver, checks the cylinder and sticks it
back in her pocket. She reaches into her other pocket and pulls
out a silver cigarette case and unsuccessfully tries to light up
a cigarette in the howling wind with her Gold Dunhill Lighter.
She tries one more time and fails. The figure looms just ahead
in the distance and is much closer now. Ruby looks up at the
house. All windows are dark save one.
The figure is fast approaching. The figure stops a few feet feet
in front of Ruby. He is wearing a dark rain parka with a hood.
! 79!
He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a Gold Dunhill lighter
and holds it for Ruby and is about to flick the wheel. Ruby no-
tices something strange about him. He then pulls back his hood.
Is is Lon. He lights it and she sees RUBY engraved on the bottom
of the lighter. She lights her cigarette and he quickly grabs
the one that is in her hand. He holds it up to the one he has
lit and sees that RUBY is engraved on this one too.
LON
I see you and Sheriff fucking. I see
you toss lighter. Fire pistol. Rhonda
saw it too. I also see you kill Rhonda
with big rock. I got no papers so I say
nothing.
Ruby looks like she has seen a ghost. She says nothing. She lis-
tens to Lon.
LON (CONT)
I your only boyfriend now. Kat come get
me every night except Tuesday and Fri-
day. You pay me every night. You miss
one night, I send note to Brian. He
tell policeman Vincelli from Santa
Rosa.
Ruby is glued to her spot. She is speechless. Lon reaches down

and grabs Ruby’s ass.
LON (CONT)
No worries.
(in Ruby’s face)

I fuck you extra hard. Take less time.
You being drunk make it easier for me.
Ruby stands looking at Lon. She then makes an about turn. She
speaks to Lon over her back.
RUBY
No time like the present to get
started. Lets have at it. Shall we?
Ruby starts to walk away.
LON
I give you tonight off. It’s Friday.
Have Kat come get me tomorrow. Cash up-
front.
! 80!
Ruby doesn’t respond. She walks towards the house. Lon turns and
walks away in the opposite direction.
FADE
EXT. BODEGA BAY DOCKS - EARLY NEXT MORNING
Brian is seen drinking coffee and drawing in his notebook. Lon

comes over to Brian.
LON
I told her I saw her kill Rhonda. She
say nothing. She admit nothing.
BRIAN
Are you with us on this?
LON
Yes.
FADE
INT. BODEGA BAY ESTATE - FIREPLACE - SAME EARLY MORNING
Walter is looking out the window. We hear seagulls. He is star-

ing into space.
INT. FAWN’S APARTMENT - SAME EARLY MORNING
Fawn is quietly sleeping in her bed. Kat is sitting on the win-

dow reading passages from Fawns copy of the The Bell Jar. The
sun is shining though the window.
INT. CASINO BAR & POOL HALL - SAME EARLY MORNING
Sheriff Ted is sitting typing on the Underwood typewriter at the

bar. He is drinking coffee.
EXT. COFFEE SHOP - SAME EARLY MORNING
Brian is drawing in his notebook. We see his sketches. They are

drawings of some mechanical devices.
INSET - NOTEBOOK
INT. FAWN’S APARTMENT - SAME EARLY MORNING
Fawn is now sitting in bed and Kat is bringing her tea in a cup
with saucer.
! 81!
EXT. BODEGA BAY DOCKS - SAME EARLY MORNING
Lon is busy gathering netting on the dock. Ret Det Rhett Nolan
is sitting on the dock box smoking a pipe. Admiring the day.
EXT. BODEGA BAY - SEA SHORE - LATER IN THE DAY
Flocks of seagulls are milling about in the surf.
INT. BODEGA BAY ESTATE - FIREPLACE - AFTERNOON
Walter is looking out the window. We hear seagulls. He is star-

ing into space.
EXT. THE TIDES SNACK SHOP - AFTERNOON
Det Michael Vincelli is reading the Bodega Bay newspaper.
INT. COFFEE SHOP - AFTERNOON
Brian is paying his bill at the cash register.
INT. BODEGA BAY ESTATE - FIREPLACE - AFTERNOON
Walter is still looking out the window. We hear seagulls. He is

staring into space.
INT. FAWN’S APARTMENT - AFTERNOON
Kat is now sleeping in Fawn’s bed and Fawn is sitting on the

window sill reading a book about California Probate Law 1971.
INT. THE TIDES SNACK SHOP - AFTERNOON
Det Michael Vincelli is paying his bill at the cash register.
INT. CASINO BAR & POOL HALL - AFTERNOON

bar. He is still drinking coffee.
EXT. BODEGA BAY DOCKS - LATE AFTERNOON
Ret Det Rhett Nolan, Lon, Brian are standing in a huddle talking
near the dock box.
INT. FAWN’S APARTMENT - EARLY EVENING

! 82!
Kat and Fawn are both primping for the evening in Fawn’s mir-
rors. They are sisterly in their demeanor towards each other.
They both smile and chat. Their voices friendly but inaudible.
EXT. BODEGA BAY DOCKS - EVENING
Lon is seen sitting on the dock box waiting. He is wearing the

same uniform we see him before with Ruby.
INT./EXT. KAT’S CLASSIC OLD CAR/BAY FLAT ROAD - LATER THAT NIGHT
Kat is driving the same car we see her in before. Fawn is in the
passenger seat. The car radio is blaring Sam the Sham and The
Pharaohs, Lil Red Riding Hood.
INT. CASINO BAR & POOL HALL - NIGHT

bar. He now drinking bourbon and he has a stack of neatly typed
sheaves of paper next to him.
EXT. BODEGA BAY DOCKS - MOMENTS LATER
The old classic car with Kat driving pulls up in front of Lon.
Lon gets in the back behind Fawn. Kat speeds away.
INT./EXT. DETECTIVE’S OLD CLASSIC CAR/DOCKS - SAME
We see Det Michael Vincelli and Red Det Rhett Nolan sitting in a
car and watching as Lon is picked-up by Kat. They follow.
INT. CASINO BAR & POOL HALL - NIGHT

bar. He is still drinking bourbon and his stack of neatly typed
sheaves of paper have grown in size.
Ruby’s finger pushes a button on a wall mounted intercom radio

and music starts. Rub’s sprays perfume from an atomizer behind
her right ear. She pulls down the front of her dress and sprays
her cleavage. She lifts the hemline and sprays under her dress.
In extreme close-up we follow a chain that is around her neck to
a cheap plated signature with bangled jewels that form letters.
It spells RUBY.
INSERT - RUBY NECKLACE

! 83!
EXT. BODEGA BAY ESTATE - MAIN ENTRANCE & DRIVE - LATE NIGHT
We see a low angle shot of Kat’s old classic car sliding towards
us and stops directly in front of our POV.
We then see a close-up of the passenger rear door open and we

see a Coast Guardsman’s uniform pants and service shoes get out
of the car.
We see a low angle shot of Kat’s old classic car accelerating

away from our POV.
We see an extreme close-up of a woman’s lips. They fill the

frame. They are bright red, luscious and we see the fine detail-
ing of a woman’s hand as she deftly applies more lipstick with
masterful strokes of a lip brush.
We see an empty Martini glass with lipstick on the rim.
As we pull back from the lipstick on the rim we see the re-
flected face of RUBY. She is stunning, beautiful with entrancing
eyes.
WALTER is in his wheelchair. He sits staring into the fireplace.

He is chewing gum. His plaid wool blanket covering his legs.
Ruby is fondling Lon. Ruby WHISPERS in Lon's ear.
RUBY
He loves it when I bring guys home.
Ruby leads Lon past Walter into the center of the room. As she
passes by Walter she leans over and whisper loudly in his ear.
RUBY
Isn’t that right, lover?
LON
Yeah!... That’s kinky.
Close-up of Walter's eyes show concern. His left hand is

dangling down at his side. He struggles to move it with no re-
sults. He is still chewing gum.
RUBY
! 84!
Yeah, he loves to watch. 'Bout all he

can do now since he lost the use of
both legs and his left arm in ‘Nam.
(she whispers loudly)
He's completely useless.
LON
Jeez! Vietnam! No war is good war.
Lon casually points at Walter. He speaks to Ruby while pointing

at Walter as if Walter is not present.
LON
This is why.
Ruby is aggressively fondling Lon. She hands the Vodka to

Lon. He takes a big swig.
LON
How do you know he...
(moans)
...likes it?
Close-up of Walter. He is still chewing gum. He is drooling.

He does not speak.
RUBY
What makes you think he wouldn't
like it?
LON
I dunno...
(moaning)
...jealous maybe?
RUBY
Of who? You?
LON isn't talking and Ruby guides him backward towards a

couch just to the left of Walter. Close-up of Walter's eyes
reveal tears. Just as Ruby pushes Lon back down on the couch,
Lon spots Walter holding the .45 and he jumps up knocking
Ruby to the floor. He is still holding the Vodka.
LON
! 85!
What the fuck? He's got a gun!
Ruby doesn't even look at Walter. She reaches up and gently

pulls Lon back down to the couch. She takes the Vodka from
Lon and takes a drink.
RUBY
Don't worry. He has been fondling
that damn thing...his gun I mean...
(giggles)
...in his right hand for the
last...God...I can't remember how
many years.
(turning to Walter)
Haven't you lover?
Walter doesn't move.
RUBY
It ain't even loaded.
(slurring)
His gun I mean.
(giggles)
LON takes the Vodka from Ruby and takes the last drink. Ruby
grabs the bottle and tips it upside down. LON pulls a
condom from his jersey pocket.
LON
Can't be too safe!
Ruby yanks the condom out of Lon’s hand and TEARS open the con-
dom with her teeth. She puts the condom into her mouth and blows
it over the neck of the Vodka bottle. She throws the bottle at
Walter. It BOUNCES off his wheel chair. Walter does not flinch.
Ruby unbuttons her knit dress, two at the waist and one at the
neck. The dress drops to the floor. She kicks it so that it
lands in Walter’s lap. She wears nothing but her cheap RUBY
necklace. Lon is on his back and Ruby staggers over and pulls
Lon’s deck trousers down around his service shoes without remov-
ing them.
WALTER
(grunts in protest)
As Walter grunts the gum falls out of his mouth onto his lap.
Ruby looks over at Walter.
RUBY
! 86!
Of course darlin'...
LON
What'd he say?
RUBY
He loves to watch...he just wants a
better view. It’s about all he can do
now.
(pause)
Isn’t that right lover?
Ruby turns and walks back to Lon and pulls Lon up to a standing
position. His trousers are still down around his ankles. Ruby
takes Lon by the hand and guides him over to the fireplace di-
rectly in front of Walter. Lon waddles like a penguin as Ruby
stares with contemptuous defiance at Walter. Ruby is still glar-
ing at Walter as she eases Lon from a standing position onto his
back onto a big rug. She turns to Walter.
RUBY
So lover....are you ready? Because to-
night we're gonna make it...
(breathy)
...special!
Ruby turns her back on Walter and straddles herself onto Lon
facing his feet. We see the back of Walter's head as he
watches Ruby and Lon. Close-up reveals the wad of gum is now
on the night stand next to the clip. From Walter's back left
we see Lon’s shoes and trousers;toes up. From Walter's back
right we see Ruby's bare ass; heels up and toes down.
LON
(muffled)
Wait'll the boys back on board hear
about this.
We hear the sound of SHATTERING GLASS. Ruby looks over and

sees the silver frame laying on the floor with the glass
shattered. She looks at Walter as she is letting out a maniacal
laugh. Walter doesn't move. Close-up reveals rage in Walter's
eyes. Ruby pauses to look Walter in the eyes. She grins and gig-
gles and continues her carnal lust.
Close-up reveals the clip on the table is standing straight up

! 87!
with its base stuck in the wad of gum.
RUBY
(slurping)
Kinda like the old days...
(breathless)
...huh, lover?
We hear a CLICK. Lon and Ruby are too busy to hear. Close-up
of the .45 in Walter's lap shows the clip in the gun now with
the wad of gum stuck to the end of the hand grip.
RUBY
(orgasmic sounds)
LON
(orgasmic sounds)
We see the close-up of the back of Walter’s head
We hear two shots. We see what appears to be confetti falling on

Walter's head. As we dolly back we see Walter wheel his chair
left out of the frame exposing the lifeless form of Ruby. Lon
jumps up off the floor. He quickly gathers his clothes. Close-up
reveals the empty space on the table where the Holy Bible was.
Lon quickly dresses. Lon walks over to Walter.
LON
I know nothing. I come here because I
was friend of Rhonda. Brian friend of
mine. I love Bodega Bay. I get deported
if problem. I am safe to go?
Walter nods. Lon exits the room.
Close-up of Holy Bible with two bullet holes through it. It is

in Walter's lap as he propels his wheelchair down the hall with
both hands.
We see an extreme close-up of Ruby’s eyes. They are blank. Blood

oozes from a hole in her temple. As we track along Ruby’s body
in extreme close-up, our POV comes to rest on the tattoo Comedy
and Tragedy. The dusk before dawn fades as day conquers the
night in Bodega Bay. We pull back from the house as sun comes
over yonder hills.
SHERIFF TED (VO)

! 88!
There was a time when Walter Wilson

loved a beautiful woman they called
Ruby. She simply didn’t understand her
own limits. He still loves her. Bodega
Bay won’t be the same without her, but
the hobbits will be better off.
The real shocker for everyone is that

the will was changed. Everything was
left to Rhonda and Brian; singularly or
collectively. Brian didn’t need it. He
eventually used that brain of his and
his slide rule and invented the calcu-
lator. Someday, maybe Neil Armstrong
and his crew will look down on Bodega
Bay and see the Vitruvian Man covered
in windmills or some such thing.
Kat and Fawn were like two Disney char-

acters. They were madly in love with
each other and nobody cared. They moved
into the Bodega Bay estate with Walter.
Rhett Nolan never brought up Ruby’s

name ever again. The coroner said Ruby
oft herself with Walter’s gun. No one
cared. Detective Michael Vincelli
doesn’t come out here much.
(pause)
There is not that much to do.
(pause)
I like it that way.
It was a bright day in Bodega Bay. The seagulls were chatty.
FADE
As the credits roll we hear the sounds of Kenny Rogers singing.
KENNY ROGERS
“You've painted up your lips and
rolled and curled your tinted hair.
Ruby are you contemplating going out
somewhere? The shadow on the wall
tells me the sun is going down...
! 89!
Oh Ruby, don't take your love to town
It wasn't me that started that old

crazy Asian war. But I was proud to
go and do my patriotic chore. And
yes, it's true that I'm not the man
I used to be...
Oh, Ruby... I still need some company
It's hard to love a man whose legs

are bent and paralyzed And the wants
and the needs of a woman your age,
Ruby I realize, But it won't be long
I've heard them say until I'm not
around...
She's leaving now 'cause I just

heard the slamming of the door The
way I know I've heard it slam some
one hundred times before And if I
could move I'd get my gun and put
her in the ground...
Oh Ruby.. For god's sake turn around”
! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! FADE TO BLACK

The Contemptuous Ruby

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

The Contemptuous Ruby

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

!

The Contemptuous Ruby

Robbin Michael Wagner

Brooke Laurel Denman

© 2014 Robbin Michael Wagner

We hear a man’s voice over as the credits roll. He is Sheriff

SHERIFF TED (VO)

EXT. BODEGA BAY ESTATE - SWIMMING POOL - LATE NIGHT

We see only the bare derriere of a woman, RUBY, 40’s swimming

SHERIFF TED (VO)

house. Walter Wilson. She seemed liked

INT. BODEGA BAY ESTATE - FIREPLACE - LATE NIGHT

We see a very dark interior. No details can be seen. We see in

SHERIFF TED (VO)

INT. RUBY’S SPORTS CAR - LATE NIGHT

We see a close-up of Kat’s right foot wearing her stiletto. She

INT. BODEGA BAY ESTATE - RUBY’S BEDROOM - LATE NIGHT

A woman’s finger pushes a button on a wall mounted intercom ra-

INSERT - RUBY NECKLACE

INT. RUBY’S SPORTS CAR - LATE NIGHT

We then see a close-up of the passenger door on the sports car

We see a low angle shot of Ruby’s sports car accelerating away

INT. BODEGA BAY ESTATE - RUBY’S BEDROOM - LATE NIGHT

We see an extreme close-up of a woman’s lips. They fill the

We see an empty Martini glass with lipstick on the rim.

INT. BODEGA BAY ESTATE - FIREPLACE - LATE NIGHT

It is still late night. A middle-age man, WALTER, in a wheel-

INT. BODEGA BAY ESTATE - FIREPLACE - LATE NIGHT

We see a white screen. We hear music. We see people laughing, we

drinking cocktails with friends. She is stunning, sexy and beau-

INT. CASINO BAR & POOL HALL - DAY

We transition this scene into a close-up of a flame from a Gold

Ruby is pointing at BAR PATRON #2. He is just about to take his

immediately puts the remaining glass stiletto to his throat and

SHERIFF TED (VO)

INT. BODEGA BAY ESTATE - FIREPLACE - LATER THAT NIGHT

Walter is sitting in the dark, sitting next to a projector

We see an old car pull up outside. Low angle of the passenger

His face is not shown.

INT. BODEGA BAY ESTATE - FIREPLACE - LATE NIGHT

Walter speaks slowly and with great difficultly to Fawn.

Fawn is caught in the glare of Walter’s statement. She freezes;

We see Ruby in a robe. It is open and she is wearing lingerie

INT. BODEGA BAY ESTATE - FIREPLACE - SAME TIME

Close-up shows Fawn’s face has softened. Walter continues...

Fawn, still standing directly in front of Walter does not see

Ruby speaks and startles Fawn.

Fawn is still clutching the money in her right hand.

Fawn shows Ruby her hand.

Ruby walks over to the mantle, lights a cigarette, stares at

the floor directly in front of Fawn. The record begins to play,

Fawn stands as if ready for a routine rehearsal and puts her

Walter is watching her intently. The flames from the fireplace

The song stops. Fawn stares intently at this photograph. Extreme

Just to the left of that photograph is a frame with a newspaper

INSERT NEWSPAPER HEADLINE

AGENT ORANGE PILOTS NOT THE HEROES OF THE DAY!

Walter is watching Fawn. Next to the airplane photograph is a

Fawn turns to Walter.

The room is silent. Walter is looking at Fawn. He puts his lar-

ment for Crimes of Genocide. I’ll ar-

INT./EXT. - KAT’S CLASSIC OLD CAR/BAY FLAT ROAD - LATE NIGHT

Kat is driving Fawn back through the foothills of Bodega Bay.

We see a beautiful hippie woman, RHONDA, 30’s and her beautiful