Excess Baggage

EXT. PORTLAND, OREGON (ESTABLISHING) - DAY

Portland, home of rivers, bridges, and more parks than youcan shake a stick at. The Columbia River, spanned by the Highway 5 and 205bridges, glistens a muddy brown in the sunlight; the Willamette glittersoff to the South.

INT. PARKING GARAGE/UPPER LEVEL - DAY

EMILY ROSE T. HOPE cut her teeth on a million dollar teethingring, and it was bitter -- too bitter. It left her an old woman's attitudein a young woman's body.

She idly taps a cellular phone's keypad with one perfectlymanicured nail as she stares through the parking level's open struts ata distant bridge -- and an approaching river barge.

The barge draws closer to the bridge. Closer. Closer still.She takes a drag off a cigarette, stubs it out, and dials a number on thephone's keypad.

EXT. BRIDGE - DAY

AMADEUS T. HOPE, an older man who most assuredly broke histeeth on a Rolls Royce, stands in a phone booth just off the bridge, waitingfor the phone to ring and caressing a briefcase like it contained a milliondollars -- which it does. Nearby, idle joggers in the park are more thanobviously undercover cops. The phone rings and Amadeus lifts it.

AMADEUS:

I'm here.

EMILY (V.O./FILTERED)

Amadeus T. Hope?

AMADEUS:

Yes.

EMILY (V.O./FILTERED)

Did you bring the money.

AMADEUS:

Yes.

EMILY (V.O./FILTERED)

Listen carefully.

AMADEUS:

I wish to speak to my daughter.

EMILY (V.O./FILTERED)

I'm not interested in what you wish, Mr. Hope. Justfollow directions and stick to the plan. Am I clear?

AMADEUS:

Very.

INT. PARKING GARAGE/UPPER LEVEL - DAY

Emily watches the barge move towards the bridge and readjustsher speaking apparatus -- it's a voice filter and it's a real bitch talkingthrough this rig.

EMILY:

Do you see the barge approaching the bridge?

INT. PHONE BOOTH - DAY

Amadeus squints through glass booth walls, notes the approachingbarge, nods.

AMADEUS:

I see it.

EMILY (V.O./FILTERED)

Walk to the bridge, throw the briefcase onto thebarge, and come back to the phone booth for further directions.

AMADEUS:

How do I know you'll release her?

EMILY (V.O./FILTERED)

You don't.

INT. DETECTIVE VAN - DAY

DETECTIVE DAN SIMS is the kind of guy who does his job well,but everything always goes to hell anyway. This gives him a grim take onlife, but he keeps trying. He watches a fellow COP fiddle with telephonetracing equipment. Sims' less than garrulous partner, BARNABY, listens inon an extra set of headphones.

COP:

Shit. Cellular phone.

SIMS:

What did you expect? A silver platter?

COP:

Would'a been nice.

Sims stares out the van's polarized window at Amadeus, who'swalking steadily out along the bridge.

SIMS:

It's probably hers -- where's he going?

BARNABY:

To throw the money over the side.

SIMS:

What?

BARNABY:

That's what they just told him to do.

Sims, glaring, grabs for a walkie talkie.

SIMS:

Were you going to tell me before or after he tossedit?

Barnaby shrugs.

SIMS (CONT'D)

(into walkie talkie)

He's throwing the money onto the barge. I want fullsurveillance -- don't lose that barge --

INT. PARKING GARAGE/UPPER LEVEL - DAY

Emily's got the phone balanced precariously on one shoulderas she flips open the trunk of a gray Mercedes Benz and extracts some heavyduty tape. She stands again to stare out at the distant bridge.

Amadeus, stick figure tiny with distance, heaves his briefcaseover the side and starts back to his phone booth at a steady pace.

EMILY:

Nice throw, Dad.

Joggers (i.e. under cover cops), looking like ants fromhere, scramble to keep pace with the barge. Emily laughs softly as she tapesher ankles together.

The phone crackles to life.

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