THE ALGIERS MOTEL

by

Peter O'Keefe

June 15, 2004 Revision

CONTACT: Peter O'Keefe 1305 Wall Street South Bend, IN 46615 (574) 234-4208 Okpete@aol.com

REPRODUCTION

ALL WITHOUT

RIGHTS RESERVED SPECIFIC WRITTEN

PERMISSION

PROHIBITED

CAST OF CHARACTERS JIM: MIKE: CANDY:

LISA:
LEE:

A white policeman A white policeman

White, age 16 to 18 White, age 16 to 18
Black, age 18 to 22 Black, age 18 to 22 Black, age 18 to 22

TONY:
CARLOS:

NOTE POLICE INSPECTOR, REPORTERS, POLICE DISPATCHERS and fantasy roles doubled by cast members as indicated. SETTING A large suite in the Algiers Motel, a rundown inner-city motel in Detroit. The suite serves as a combination sitting room and kitchen for several adjoining bedrooms. There are windows overlooking the street and doors leading to the boys bedroom, to an enclosed courtyard with a swimming pool, and to the outside. There is one small bedroom (the girls room) adjoining the suite with its interior visible to the audience. There is a card table and chairs in the middle of the suite. A blinking neon Algiers Motel sign with palm trees is visible through one of the windows. The other required physical elements are a refrigerator, a hotplate or stove, and a radio. TIME
The summer of 1967.

1.

Scene 1

1
(Lights rise to reveal the crumpled bodies of TONY, CARLOS and LEE. Carlos is sprawled just inside the entrance to the suite. Lee lies just outside the door leading to the girls bedroom. Tonys body is inside the girls bedroom.)

(The door to the suite slowly opens and LISA peers cautiously inside. CANDY hangs onto her arm.)
LISA

You wait here.

(Lisa moves gingerly past Carlos body. Lees body is blocking the door to the bedroom. Lisa kneels by Lees side and reaches out to touch his face.)

CANDY Are they gonna kill us too?

(Lisa gets to her feet.)
LISA If we dont get the hell out of here they will.

(Lisa goes into the bedroom. Once inside, she steps gingerly around Tonys body. She opens two suitcases on the bed and begins to throw clothes into them. She reaches into a dresser drawer and freezes. She pulls a revolver out of the drawer. She stares at the gun for a moment and then slams it down on the dresser top. Again. And again. And again. And again. And again...)
LISA STUPID! STUPID! STUPID! STUPID! STUPID!

(Candy hurries over and grabs her.)

2.

CANDY
Somebodyll hear you.

(Lisa sobs and Candy pushes her down into a chair. Candy throws the gun into a suitcase. She finishes packing both suitcases and takes them out of the suite. She returns for Lisa.)
LISA
Wherere we gonna go?

CANDY
Some place theyll never find us.

(They exit.) BLACKOUT 2

Scene 2

2 (Lights rise on the interior of the suite as the NIGHT SOUNDS of the city at peace drift in through the open windows. The three bodies have been replaced by CHALK OUTLINES.) (MIKE, a plainclothes police officer, moves about the suite, fixated by the chalk body outlines on the floor. He stops and brandishes an imaginary gun at them.)

MIKE Everybody just be cool and nobodyll get hurt. (swivels) Hey! You, hotshot Keep the hands where I can see em. Good. Thats good. Groovy (pause) Now Listen up punks We can do this easy, or we can do this hard
(The door opens. Startled, Mike reaches for his real gun as a second plainclothes police officer, JIM, strides into the suite. He carries a duffel bag.)

3.

MIKE Jesus fuck You startled me.

(Jim opens the duffel bag and sets a pair of binoculars, a thermos, and two cups on the table.)

JIM What are you afraid of? Ghosts? MIKE

Place gives me the creeps.

JIM Those three snipers cant hurt anybody now. MIKE You know what I mean. I mean, Christ, Ive worked crime scenes before, but I never spent the night in one.
(Jim is looking around the table for something.)

MIKE
What?

JIM Gabe always brings the grub when we draw extra duty. MIKE Case you havent noticed: Im not Gabe. JIM Got that right.
(Jim goes to the window and looks through the binoculars.)

JIM Least were on the right side of Woodward. Am I right? All the hookers are white. Ive seen a couple around this place that arent too bad... Not like those scraggly-ass bunnies over on John R. Never could understand why anyone would pay for black pussy when you can come over two blocks and get the real thing.

4.

MIKE
Christ almighty...

JIM Course, the white ones all got nigger pimps. Thats one I never could figure out.
(looking through the binoculars)

Oh. My. God. MIKE

What?

(Jim waves him off and continues to stare through the binoculars.)

MIKE What? I dont see anything. JIM Just the most gorgeous piece of ass that ever graced Gods green earth. And a redhead to boot. MIKE
(moving away from the window) Christ. I thought it was something

JIM
(eyes glued to the binoculars) She is taking off her clothes. Correction. She has taken off her clothes. She is bare. Bucknaked. Nude. Oh yes.

MIKE
Let me have a look.

JIM
(ignores him.) Serve her up on a fucking platter with whip cream and a cherry and I will die a happy man. (MORE)

5.

JIM(cont'd) (focuses) Oh, sweetheart I want to die fucking you. MIKE

Whats she doing?

JIM (with great satisfaction) Absolutely nothing. (focuses) And shes not a real redhead either Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait MIKE
What?

JIM It seems our little redhead is just the tit (winks at Mike)
The tip of the iceberg.
(focusing)

That is one big stud. (Mike tries to grab the binoculars. Jim retains possession.) JIM Oh my MIKE
What?

JIM The redhead just pulled the pants off the big--and I do mean big--nigger. She is, ladies and gentlemen, down on her knees and going down on Oh my
(Mike grabs the binoculars. He peers through them.)

MIKE
Where? Which window?

6.

JIM Second floor. Last window on the right. MIKE I dont see anything.
(focusing)

I still dont see...

(lowers the binoculars)
You son of a bitch.

(throws the binoculars to Jim) Anyone ever tell you youre a jerk? A complete fucking jerk? JIM
Yeah. You. Every day.
(Silence.)

JIM Cmon, you gotta admit: It was pretty damn funny. (Beat) Youre just pissed cause you thought it might be your little red-headed hooker over there chomping down on some spook. MIKE Go fuck yourself. JIM
Excuse me: Your little runaway.

(pours himself a cup of coffee) Why dont you catch yourself a few Zs?

MIKE Every time I do I have the same damn nightmare. JIM

Snipers?

7.

MIKE I never should have told you. JIM Never should have told me a lot of things. MIKE That must really be something... To kill a person. Ive never had to use my gun. Sometimes I wonder if I actually could shoot somebody. JIM You wouldnt have any problem if some nigger... If some colored sniper was pointing a gun at you. MIKE
Killing a sniper--thats different. Thats like the kind of killing you do in a war. But this I dont know... I mean, cmon, they still havent turned up any weapons.

JIM If they didnt have any guns then whyd they kill them? Tell me that smart guy.
(Silence.)

JIM I wouldnt lose any sleep over it. Way I look at it, if it aint broke, dont fix it. (Mike just stares at him.) JIM The cops that did it are back on the street busting assholes. Right? Theres three less punks out there pimping white women. Right? Everybodys happy. It aint broke, so dont fix it. Am I right or am I right? MIKE
Right.

(checks his watch)

Hunan Gardens is still open.

(They each pull out a dollar bill and scan the serial numbers.)

8.

JIM Two pair. Sixes and nines. Get me some extra rice. MIKE
Three deuces.

JIM Let me see that.

(Jim grabs the bill and examines the serial number.)

JIM
First time for everything I guess.

MIKE
Guess my luck is changing.

(Jim puts his hat on and opens the door to leave.) JIM Watch out for spooks. MIKE Ghosts? JIM
Them too. Sweet dreams.
(Jim closes the door behind him. Mike remains seated at the table. His head begins to nod and he falls asleep.)

BLACKOUT 3
Scene 3

3
(Lights rise on Lisa as she walks slowly around the suite, lost in thought. Mike awakens with a start.)

MIKE Howd you get in here?

(Lisa does not acknowledge him and continues to explore the suite. Mike jumps to his feet.)

9.

MIKE
What are you doing here?

(Lisa is staring at the spot where Lees body had rested.)

LISA

(sadly)
I used to have friends here.

MIKE Who would you know in a place like this?

LISA

People. MIKE Just people?

LISA

Yeah, just people.

(a smile)

Good people. MIKE (snorts)

LISA You dont know anything about them.

MIKE Everything I need to know.

LISA

You maybe lookin for a date?

MIKE Maybe.
LISA

You a cop? Maybe?

10.

MIKE
Do I look like a cop?
LISA Just what kind of action you lookin for? I dont go for any of that weird stuff, Ill tell ya right now.

MIKE Oh no... Just the... Regular.

LISA Twenty dollars. And you pay for the room.

(She leans seductively against him, caressing him.) Were gonna have us a real good time.

(She begins to kiss his neck while running her hands sensually over his body. She slips her hand into his coat, feeling for his gun.)
LISA

Cmon... Ill give ya a blowjob...

(They wrestle for the gun. Mike regains control of the revolver and pushes her away. He stands, hands shaking, and points the gun at her.)
LISA
You gonna kill me too?

MIKE
(perplexed) Ive never killed anyone in my life.
LISA

That dont mean nothin. BLACKOUT 4

Scene 4

4 (MORE)

11.

(Mike stands, eating Chinese carryout with chopsticks while Jim sits and stares at his food.)

JIM
Didnt give me a fucking fork.

MIKE Chopsticks. JIM

Suck this.

MIKE (studies the body outlines)

Could have been us.

JIM No way. MIKE We were through here couple a times during the riots. JIM So were a hundred other guys. Must have been fifty radio calls to this dump. MIKE I was just saying, could have been us in their shoes. JIM
Whose shoes?

MIKE Guys that did this.

JIM No, not us. (Jim disappears offstage. He returns with sawhorse barricades under each arm. He sets up a police checkpoint.)

12.

JIM Might have been you. Might have been me. Might have been me and Gabe. Might have been you or me with a fucking space alien. Not us.
(Jim disappears offstage again. He returns with police uniforms for himself and Mike.They put them on while they talk.)

MIKE (holds out his hand) Panasuk. Mike Panasuk. JIM

(ignores his hand) I know who you are. I know all about you.

MIKE Not like it sounds. JIM

Did you sign out a radio?
(looking around)

Fuck. Dont tell me...

(spots a police radio, now visible on a chair) Whered you find this fucking museum piece?

MIKE It was the last one. JIM

Figures.

(Jim disappears off stage again)

MIKE All three shifts are on the street. The fucking cage was picked clean.

13.

(Jim returns cradling an armload of riot gear. He dumps it on the floor. He and Mike proceed to strap on the gear over their uniforms.)

JIM This really blows. Were gonna spend the fucking riot staring at the ass-end of the Algiers Motel. BLACKOUT
Scene 5

The distant sounds of GUNSHOTS and SIRENS are heard. The flickering flames from burning buildings cast nightmarish shadows across the suite.
Lights rise briefly on CANDY and LISA. They are seated facing each other and wear RADIO HEADSETS.

DISPATCHER/LISA Saint Jean north of Mack, firehouse under fire. Fire, Dexter and Davidson. Correction, entire block on fire. Looting, John R and Canfield, police officer injured...

DISPATCHER/CANDY Mack/St. Jean, two white civilians shot. Hold on... (pause) One might be a fireman. Police fired on, Hilger and Charlevoix. Guardsman shot, Burns and Gratiot.
DISPATCHER/LISA Livernois north of Grand River, sniper cornered, may be in church tower. Saint Jean and Mack, firehall besieged. Almost out of ammo. Mack/St. Jean, sniper fire. Jefferson/St. Jean, firing at rear of precinct, all officers go in the front door...

DISPATCHER/CANDY Gratiot /Mack, officer and national guard shot. Sniper fire on fire station at Grandy and Gratiot. Heavy sniper fire at Eastern High School command...
DISPATCHER/LISA Mack/St. Jean, fireman shot, need car in hurry. Woodward/Euclid, guard unit under fire. Leslie and Lawton, woman wounded, need ambulance...

14.

DISPATCHER/CANDY Taylor and Woodrow Wilson, man shot. Woodward and Collingwood, sniper on top of church. Number seven needs two wagons, officer shot.
(Silence.)

DISPATCHER/CANDY Hamilton/Lawrence... Shooting at newsboys? BLACKOUT 6

Scene 6

6
(Lights rise inside the suite to reveal TONY, CARLOS and LEE. Each is positioned at a window, firing at unseen targets on the street below. Carlos and Lee have RIFLES. Tony has a PISTOL.)

TONY Damn! Missed that honkey!

CARLOS Ooh-ie! Clean hit! Knocked that sucker right off the back of that hook and ladder. Makes two for me. Im ahead.
LEE

Bullshit! I got three already.

CARLOS Three? Quit talking shit. Ive only seen you drop one... And he crawled away. He aint even dead.
LEE

What about the bitch in the car?

CARLOS
What car?
LEE

The green one fool. The Buick.

CARLOS

That was mine, sucker.

15.

LEE

Bullshit.

TONY This is like shooting pigeons in the park. Those fat ass pigs dont even know what hit em.
(They all laugh. Carlos turns back to the window and aims his rifle at someone or something outside. Before he can fire, three GUN SHOTS ring out from outside. Perplexed, Carlos lowers his rifle.)
CARLOS Damn... Was I supposed to get hit by the second shot or by the third one?

TONY Third shot wasnt it?

LEE

Uh uh, second. TONY Yeah, right, now I remember... You get wasted on the second shot.
CARLOS

Damn, I messed up. TONY Just go on and take your fall.

CARLOS I missed my cue, man. I cant get shot without no shootin.

TONY
Here ya go bro...

(He fires his pistol into the air.)

16.

CARLOS
(clutching his chest)

Im hit!
(Carlos goes through a drawn out, melodramatic death.)
LEE

Oh man... What a hambone.

BLACKOUT 7
Scene 7

7
(Lights rise on JIM, wearing the uniform and jacket of a POLICE INSPECTOR. Questions are posed to him by REPORTERS (actors playing Tony, Lee and Carlos.)

INSPECTOR Please gentlemen, no photos inside the motel. REPORTER Inspector, does the Police Department have a statement on the so-called Algiers Motel Incident? INSPECTOR The Department has no official statement at this time. All I can tell you right now is that three Negro snipers were shot to death in an exchange of gunfire with police officers. REPORTER Why didnt the officers involved in the shooting report the incident? INSPECTOR Obviously because they did not realize that anyone had been hit in the exchange. You have to realize: there was a riot going on. REPORTER
(to a colleague, sarcastic)

A riot? Did we cover that?

17.

INSPECTOR Many officers were involved in numerous fire fights. Some units were almost constantly under fire. They seldom actually saw their assailants. BLACKOUT 8
Scene 8

8 (Lights rise on Lee and Candy as they enter the suite. Candy enters first, struggling with two bags of groceries. Lee follows with the two suitcases from Scene 1. He is angry and kicks the door shut behind him.)

LEE I knew it. They always do this to me.

CANDY Maybe they had a flat tire or somethin.

LEE I let Carlos an Tony use my car and they go goofin off an forget about me. I told them I didnt want to take all this stuff on the bus.

CANDY They probably got a good reason for missin us.

LEE Yeah, they always got a good reason.

(Candy stands holding the two bags of groceries.)

CANDY Tick, tock... Tick, tock... Tick, tock...

(Lee grabs one of the bags and sets it on the table.)

CANDY Tick, tock... Tick, tock... Tick...

(Lee snatches the second bag.)

18.

LEE

I swear...
(he sets the bag down and goes into the bedroom)

This is yours and Lisas room. CANDY

(follows him in, dubious)

Its nice...
LEE Me and the boys, we got the room on the other side.

(gestures around the room) Got carpeting, and theres a shower in there. Kind with the glass door an all. Cept you cant see through it. Well, maybe just a little.

CANDY
You already checked it out huh?
LEE

(embarrassed) Oh no, you know, theres one like that in our room.

CANDY (walks into the suite) So... This is the famous Algiers motel...
(Silence.)

CANDY Its not quite what I expected.

LEE What do you mean? Aint seen no roaches have you?

CANDY Thats not what I meant. I mean, you know, the name: Algiers motel. Sounds like something mysterious. Exotic. Like it was far away in some foreign country.

19.

LEE I dont want to bring you down or nothin but youre still in Detroit. Were about as far away from exotic as they come.

CANDY Its just... The way you guys always talk about the place. I guess I was expecting something else, something special. Its just a motel. I mean, its nice an all. (She starts to put away the groceries.)
LEE

Its just not exotic. CANDY Cant have everything I guess. Theres not gonna be any problems about me an Lisa staying here?
LEE You paid your money just like everybody else.

CANDY I just dont want nobody to get the wrong idea, this being a motel an all. I mean, we just needed a place to stay an you said it would be all right.
LEE Like I said, the Algiers is cool. Everybody minds their own business. Anybody be bothering you, you let me know. Ill take care of business.

CANDY Me and Lisa are gonna chip in something for all the stuff you bought.
LEE Lisa dont even got a job yet. And you barely got one.

CANDY
Shes gonna get one.
LEE

How you doing for money? (pulls out his wallet) I can front you something if you need it.

20.

CANDY When we paid for the room it was just about all we had....
LEE

(pulls money out of his wallet) Youre gonna need some walking around money. CANDY Oh no... I cant...
LEE

Go on, take it. (He holds out the money.) CANDY

(examining it)

Ten bucks aint gonna get us very far. (He pulls out another bill. Candy takes the money.) CANDY I get paid on Friday.
LEE Plenty more where that came from. They might make me an assistant manager at the restaurant.

CANDY Carlos says he can get Lisa a job as a dancer.

LEE

Man, that Carlos. CANDY He says it pays eight dollars an hour.

LEE

Least her job will be exotic.

21.

CANDY Very funny.

LEE She shouldnt have to do that, all them drunks starin at her... Trying to touch her...

CANDY Shes pretty, aint she?

(Silence.)

CANDY Which one of us do you think is prettier?

(Lee looks out a window.)
LEE Nobody on the street now but army men. We got us a ringside seat if they start rioting over here.

CANDY Long as the riot stays out there and I stay in here you wont hear me complainin.
(Silence)

CANDY Must be nice to have friends like that. Like Tony and Carlos I mean.
LEE Theyre always talking shit, and then I gotta fight somebody. I have to smash somebodys face to get them out of a jam. If I couldnt fight maybe they wouldnt want me around at all.

CANDY You dont have to fight if you dont want to. You got nothing to prove. Besides, dont look to me like they need a bodyguard or nothin. Least not Tony.
LEE Tony and Carlos, they think they slick. Ever since they did a trip together in the juvy home they act like they keepin a big secret from the rest of the world. Like they know something nobody else does. Used to be, Tony and me was real tight.

(demonstrates with his hands) (MORE)

22.

LEE(cont'd) In junior high, in grade school, we was always tight. Were still tight--Tony , Carlos and me--were the Three Musketeers. CANDY
Tony got a girlfriend?
(Silence.)

CANDY Tick, tock... Tick, tock...

LEE

Im counting em up in my head.

CANDY Ha. Ha..

(Lee performs an exaggerated count to ten on his fingers. He sits and starts to unlace his shoe.)
LEE

Ran out of fingers.

CANDY
So funny I forgot to laugh.
LEE

What about Lisa?

CANDY
What about Lisa?
LEE I dont know... I was just, you know... Wondering...

CANDY Didnt you tell me there was a swimmin pool here?

LEE

There is. CANDY

Well?

23.

LEE

Well what?

CANDY You gonna show me the swimmin pool or not?

LEE

Hell yes. Come on.

(Lee opens the door. Candy starts to leave.) CANDY

We can go swimmin.
LEE

(stops by the door) I didnt bring no trunks. CANDY (shouting as she runs out of the suite)
We can go skinny dippin.
LEE

(hangs back and watches)

Girl, youre crazy. (He turns away, embarrassed to watch her undressing. He cant help himself and turns back to stare out the open door again.)
LEE You cant do that! Somebodyll see ya.

CANDYS VOICE

I dont see no helicopters. (There is a loud SPLASH as she jumps in the pool.)

24.

CANDYS VOICE Cmon in. Feels great.

(Lee runs into the bathroom and returns with a towel. He hesitates in the doorway for a moment before going out.)
LEE

Oh man...

(There are the muffled sounds of SPLASHING and GIGGLING as Lee tries to get Candy out of the pool.)
LEES VOICE

(frustrated) Dont you know theres a riot going on?

(Candy giggles and splashes him. The sounds from outside recede and then fade away.)

BLACKOUT 10
Scene 10

10
(Lights up on Mike and Jim manning their checkpoint. Jim is monitoring the police radio.)

JIM They killed a cop over on Rivard. MIKE

You get a name?

JIM Gabes on the west side today.

(Jim is having difficulty getting a clear signal. He gives up in frustration.)

MIKE Look, theres phones over in the motel. I can hold down the fort here if you... You know.

25.

JIM So, what was it like? Running around with hair down to your ass? MIKE
Never got that long.

JIM Smoking reefer. Sucking on a bong. MIKE Doesnt work that way. You know that. JIM What I wanna know is--whats it like? Sucking on a big fat joint while some fat hippie chick sucks on yours? MIKE
I was a marine.

JIM Hey, bro Dont bogart that joint. MIKE

Enlisted at eighteen.

JIM Black lights. Water pipes. Brothers banging on the bongos. MIKE Just biding my time until I was old enough to join the department. JIM Hashish. Head shops. MIKE They pulled me right out of the academy JIM
Head lice. Brown rice.

MIKE
On account of I looked so young.

26.

JIM Shakin your ass at the Grande Ballroom. MIKE In the beginning, I didnt even know how to roll a joint. JIM
Mescaline. PCP. LSD. VD.

MIKE Turns out, I was pretty good at it. Undercover, I mean. JIM Roach clips. Cock roaches. Cock suckers. MIKE I guess I kind of have a knack for mixing with all sorts of people. JIM
So does a shoe salesman.

MIKE Not drawing attention to myself. Keeping a low profile. Kinda like a fly on the wall. JIM Fly on shit , more like it. MIKE All in all, it was a good experience. JIM For what? MIKE For police work. For seeing what things look like on the other side of the badge. JIM I see things just fine from this side. You ought to try it some time. MIKE Fuck you. Ive got close to four years on the job now.

27.

JIM
Right. In a manner of speaking.

MIKE Im just as much a cop as you, or Gabe, or anybody else. JIM Maybe in your dreams. MIKE It was no fucking dream strolling into drug houses. All by my lonesome. No backup. No badge. Making buys. Pulling all-nighters with dealers, and dopers, and whackos. JIM Degenerates. That how you met your redhead? MIKE
What if I did?

JIM
You tell me.

MIKE Met her at the Blackstone. Over on Second. JIM I know where it is. MIKE Sort of a rooming house. Lots of college students. JIM Runaways. MIKE Maybe a few welfare types. JIM Hookers. MIKE Not all of them. This one is really different. I gave her a break. Im just letting her crash at my place until she gets back on her feet.

28.

JIM Yeah, just like that other one What was her name? You bought her groceries for a month. And then she goes and shacks up with some buck. MIKE I never said she owed me anything. (Mike looks up to see Candy--wrapped in a towel and dripping wet--enter noiselessly from the pool. She is bathed in an eerie light that gives her the appearance of a specter. Jim remains unaware of her presence throughout) JIM Maybe you should use that payphone. By now shes got your stereo in the back seat of your car on the way to square things with her pimp. (Candy goes into the bathroom and returns with a second towel. She sits down and starts to dry her hair.) JIM
Go ahead.

(Mike remains transfixed.)

JIM Probably wouldnt get through anyways. What do you expect from a white woman who lives down here? You see a white girl around this part of town and you know right off the bat shes a hooker, a drug addict, or shacking up with some spook. Or all three. Right? MIKE (distractedl) Thats not necessarily true. JIM Right. And the Pope aint Catholic.
(Candy gets up and walks into the bathroom, leaving the door open. She remains out of view as she tosses, first one, then the other towel out onto the chair.) (MORE)

29.

JIM(cont'd) (Mike, fascinated, gets up so he can see into the bathroom.) BLACKOUT
Scene 11

(Lights rise on the Police Inspector/Jim. Questions are posed by cast members as before.)

REPORTER Is it true that the Algiers was a notorious haven for drug dealing and prostitution? And was already under police surveillance before the outbreak of the riot? INSPECTOR The Algiers Motel was well known to the members of the Vice Bureau. Undercover officers made a number of arrests for prostitution in the motel and it was frequented by known narcotics users. However, there was no investigation concerning the Algiers Motel or any of its residents under way at the time of the outbreak of hostilities... Excuse me. Prior to the civil disturbance we have recently experienced. REPORTER Inspector, weve been hearing reports of two white girls who claim to have been present at the time of the shootings who contradict your findings. Anything to these stories? INSPECTOR I would have you place these allegations in the proper context. None of these so-called witnesses has yet to step forward. I think this reluctance to undergo any type of impartial scrutiny speaks for itself. I would also remind you--if these individuals did reside at the Algiers--there is a high probability they were engaged in highly illegal and unsavory activities. Not exactly what I would characterize as the most reliable of witnesses. REPORTER Youre saying these two girls are prostitutes? INSPECTOR Lets just say that the type of women who frequent a place like the Algiers Motel are not interested in selling Girl Scout cookies.
(General laughter from the reporters.)

BLACKOUT

30.

SCENE 12

(Lights up as Carlos, Tony and Lee enter laughing and drinking. They drag Candy and Lisa along with them. The girls are disheveled and sobbing. Tony proceeds to go through Candys purse. He pulls out a wad of bills, throws the purse aside and counts the crumpled money.)

TONY Bitch! Forty seven dollars. What am I supposed to do with forty seven motha-fucking dollars? You were out all damn night. (Tony grabs Lisas purse and rifles through it. He counts the money.) TONY Thirty two dollars. (He slaps Lisa. She starts to cry.) TONY You aint worth shit. I cant even get my Caddie out of the shop with this chicken feed. (Candy comforts the sobbing Lisa. Tony takes a threatening step toward her.) TONY You whiny white bitch... (Candy shields her protectively. Tony turns away in disgust.) TONY I dont even know why I waste my time.
LISA I want to go home. I want to go back to mom and dad.

TONY Shut up, bitch. (to Carlos) gonna And I was go downtown and cop me some shoes.

31.

CARLOS I saw some sharp ones down at Florshiems.

TONY Maybe these bitches are holding out. CANDY You know we wouldnt do that Tony. We give you every penny we make. TONY Seems to me, good looking white girls like you, young an all, oughta make good money out there.
(grabs Lisa) Youre holding out on me, playing me for a fool.

LISA

No, Tony, youre wrong. TONY

(shaking her) Wheres it at? Wheres the rest of my money?

(he rips the front of her dress open) Laughin at me behind my back, spending all my money.
LISA

(twisting in his grip)

No Tony... Please... TONY

Playing me for a chump.

(He pushes her violently away.)

LISA Give us another chance Tony. Please. Well do it better. It was a bad night, the rain an all...

32.

CARLOS

(counting the money on the table) Shit man, this is just walking around money.

TONY Know what their problem is? They just arent properly motivated.
LEE You cant knock em around much moren you already do.

TONY No man, Im thinking in terms of some psychological motivatin. The kind of motivatin drives a junkie to steal from his own mother. When you got the monkey on your back, aint nothin gonna come between you and your jones. You dig?
LEE Yeah, I got ya. Give em a little taste of the needle.

TONY (to Carlos) You holding? I think these ladies are in the mood for picking up a little habit.
CARLOS
(produces a small foil packet and a syringe) I have something in a light brown Mexican the young ladies might enjoy.

TONY Why, its their lucky day. Cook up a couple of samples for the senoritas. Bout time we put these bitches on the incentive plan. Well take em out of circulation for a few weeks. Keep em flying so high, by the time we let em come down theyll have fucking King Kong riding on their backs. When they dont bring home the bacon, we let em have a little taste of cold turkey.
(He sniffles loudly in imitation of a junkie and then slaps hands with Lee.)

TONY Theyll learn to produce. Real fast.

(Carlos is cooking up the heroin on a spoon. (MORE)

33.

TONY(cont'd) Tony is playing with the syringe, an evil smile on his face. He gestures for Candy who is huddled in a corner.) TONY
Bring her over here.

(Lee drags her over. Carlos rips off part of her dress and uses it to tie a tourniquet on her arm while Tony prepares the needle. Suddenly, the door to the suite bursts open.)
CARLOS

What the fuck? (JOHN WAYNE (Jim) strides into the room. He is dressed in a cowboy hat, buckskins, boots with dangling spurs, and an ornate holster complete with two pearlhandled revolvers. A Detroit policemans shield is pinned to his chest.) TONY Whos this crazyass motherfucker? JOHN WAYNE Reach for the sky. (Lee and Carlos pull guns. John Wayne draws his pistols and shoots the guns out of their hands. Tony grabs Candy and holds the syringe to her throat.) TONY One more step cowboy and she gets it. JOHN WAYNE (returning the guns to their holsters with a flourish) I guess youve got me this time hombre.
(raises his hands over his head)

TONY Damn straight cowpoke. Keep your right hand raised and with your left... Slowly now... Unbuckle your gunbelt.
(John Wayne complies and the guns fall to the floor.)

34.

TONY Now keep your hands over your head and move away from the door. (John Wayne moves away from the door. Tony drags Candy to the door and stops in the open doorway.) JOHN WAYNE You harm one hair on that pretty little head and therell be no place on the face of this earth for you to hide. Ill track you down no matter where you go. No matter what rock you crawl under. TONY Cut the shit honkey. Im running this show. (Lisa runs up and grabs Tony by the arm.)
LISA What about me Tony? You cant just leave me here.

JOHN WAYNE
I never could figger women.

TONY Get the fuck out of my way.

(He kicks Lisa away. She falls but crawls back and kneels at his feet, grasping his legs.)
LISA I know you treat me mean but I need you. I thought you loved me. I dont have nowhere to go. Whos gonna take care of me?

(Lisa lunges for the syringe and Candy breaks away. Tony backs away from John Wayne who has drawn a gun from a concealed holster.) JOHN WAYNE Good thing I had my backup piece. There aint no playing fair with a sidewinder like you.

35.

TONY I havent got a gun. You wouldnt shoot an unarmed man. I surrender. I want a lawyer. (Tony backs out the door. John Wayne calmly pulls the trigger and kills him.) JOHN WAYNE Scum like that doesnt deserve to live.
(He hands the gun to Lisa.)

JOHN WAYNE Take these hombres down to the sheriff before I forget what a nice guy I am.
(Lisa takes Carlos and Lee out, prodding them with the gun. They hold their injured arms. John Wayne wraps his jacket around Candy.)

CANDY You saved my life. How can I ever repay you? (John Wayne pulls open the jacket to look hungrily at her body.) JOHN WAYNE Oh, I figger we oughta be able to work something out little lady. BLACKOUT 12
Scene 13

12
(Lights rise to reveal Candy, seated, drying her hair with a towel. Lee is drinking a beer and pacing in front of the window.)

CANDY Riots over on Twelfth Street.

LEE Not any more. Its half the city now. Theres fires everywhere you look.

CANDY Nothins gonna happen around here with all those police out there.

36.

LEE I like watching people. Looking at their faces.

CANDY Theres nobody on the street but police.

LEE

So? They got faces.

CANDY
I guess.
LEE

Heres Tony and Carlos. CANDY

And Lisa?
LEE Yeah... Lisas tagging along with Carlos. Just like always.

CANDY
Whats going on?
LEE

Police is talking to em.

(Candy goes quickly to the window.) CANDY How come theyre making them lean on the car like that? They didnt do anything. I hope Carlos doesnt say something stupid.
LEE

Then he better not say nothin. (They continue to watch.)

LEE Everythings cool. Here they come.

(Carlos and Lisa enter.)

37.

LISA Did you see us? We were frisked. Just like on TV.

CARLOS Chumps. Thought they had themselves some looters.

(mimics a cop) What you boys doin out here in the middle of a riot?
LEE You were supposed to pick us up. We had to walk.

CARLOS Hey, we were there. We looked all over for you.

LEE

Where? We waited an hour...

CARLOS

Musta been a mixup. (Tony enters last. He slaps the door shut and leans against it in mock desperation.) TONY
(imitating a movie gangster) Its the fuzz! Louies turned canary. Hes selling up down the river.

(Candy giggles. Tony grins at her, always glad to have an appreciative audience.)
LISA I seen stuff like this on TV but I never seen it, you know, in person before. We went down to Twelfth Street...

CANDY
Lisa!
LEE

(to Carlos) Youre crazy.

38.

LISA There was hundreds of police but they couldnt do nothin...

CARLOS Cause there was thousands of crazy niggers out there.

LISA They broke all the windows in the stores and took everything.

CARLOS Could a had me a brand new LazyBoy chair if Tonyd helped me carry it.
LISA

I said I would.
CARLOS

(sarcastic)
Right.

TONY
You dont need no couch.

CARLOS

It was right there for the taking....

TONY We wouldnt have got two blocks...

CARLOS Could of took it to my mothers. Could of sold it.
LISA Yeah, lots of people would buy a chair like that.

TONY Im not gonna get shot over a damn chair.

CARLOS Used to be, you werent afraid of nothing.

39.

TONY Maybe I used to be stupid.

(Tony and Carlos glare at each other.)

CANDY At least nobody got hurt. TONY Boy, I tell ya, it was crazy out there.
CARLOS Bunch of crazy niggers grabbed this old white dude out of his car over on Grand River... Tore that motherfucker up.
LISA

He was just an old man.

CARLOS Somebody said they cut the dudes tongue....

TONY Shut up Carlos! Why dont you just shut the fuck up?
LEE

Oh man... CARLOS Ease up. Wasnt me doing it.

(Carlos goes and puts his arms around Candy.)

CARLOS

Hows my main squeeze? (Candy pulls away.)

CARLOS You were supposed to come down with Lisa last night. I had my friends waiting. We got Lisa all fixed up.
LISA I told you already: she was working.

40.

CANDY
I have a job. Waiting tables.

CARLOS Now I gotta set everything up again.

CANDY
I have a job.

CARLOS Dont waste your time workin for that chump change.

CANDY
I like it.

CARLOS How much you make running your ass off in that dump? Two dollars an hour?

CANDY (sheepish) Dollar forty five.

LISA

Dont forget all them tips.

CARLOS

Chump money. Listen... CANDY Least they dont stick mine in my underpants.
LISA Good thing. Youd have all them nickels and dimes stickin up your butt.

CARLOS My friends are gonna be at the club this weekend...

LISA
You got a cig Carlos?

41.

CARLOS

(throws her the pack)

Here ya go babe.

(Lisa holds out a cigarette for Carlos to light.)

CARLOS

You aint no cripple.

(He flips her a book of matches.)

CANDY I like waiting on tables. You meet lots of interesting people.

CARLOS Who you gonna meet in a place called the Ho Ho Inn? And you aint even Chinese. I can set you up with the right people, people who can help you out.
(Candy takes a cigarette from the pack Lisa is holding.)
LISA

Its easy, dancing. Easy money.

LEE

Dancin huh?
LISA
Yeah. Dancin.

(Candy holds the cigarette up to Carlos, who lights it. She sticks her tongue out at Lisa.)
LEE I seen how those girls dance. Watch out you dont catch no cold, working up a sweat and not hardly wearin no clothes.

LISA
I like dancing.

(Candy rolls her eyes.)

42.

LISA

Youre just jealous.

CANDY
Since when?

LISA

Cause you got two left feet. CANDY Says who? (Lisa trips her as she walks away. The others laugh.)
LISA

Everybody.
LEE Way I hear it, lot of those girls do more than dance for their dinner.

CARLOS What they do is their business. All Lisas got to do is dance. Six dollars an hour free and clear.
LISA

You said it was eight.

CARLOS Hey baby, Im not doing this for no charity.

CANDY skill--like being a waitress-you can go anyplace and get a job. Once you have a

LISA

Yeah. Chinatown.

CANDY
You can travel...

43.

LISA
Where? Hong Kong?

CARLOS
Wong Bong.

LISA
Ying Bing.

TONY Sound like a couple of ding dongs. CANDY You can travel to Europe and stuff like that and always be able to support yourself.
(Lisa approaches Tony from behind and starts massaging his shoulders. Candy goes to the fridge and looks inside.)

CANDY We bought a bunch of food and stuff. For a party.

(Tony disengages from Lisa and joins Candy at the fridge.)

TONY You done good doll. Me an the boys can hole up in here til the heats off on that bank job.
CARLOS Were gonna have a party huh? Whats the occasion? The riots?

Candy
Yeah, we can have a riot party.
LISA

Thats stupid.
LEE Yeah, cause were in here and the riots out there.

LISA

Thats really stupid..

44.

LEE

Really stupid?
LISA

Really really stupid.

LEE

Really, really, really stupid?

LISA

Really, really, really...

CARLOS

Damn. Shut the fuck up already. TONY

Amen.
LISA

(to Lee, mouths the word) Stupid. BLACKOUT 13

Scene 13

13
(Lights rise on Mike and Jim manning their checkpoint.)

JIM Remember that broad who was always flaggin down patrol cars on Second Avenue? MIKE Sure. The crazy one. JIM What the fuck was her name? MIKE Dont think I ever knew it.

45.

JIM I dont think she even had a name. We just called her Hoover. Definitely the floor model. That horny bitch sure had a thing about men in uniform. MIKE I kinda used to feel sorry for her. JIM What are you talking about? She was the one always out on Second Avenue flaggin down patrol cars. Am I right or am I right? MIKE
Yeah, I guess. But...

JIM Said the reason she would only give blow jobs was cause she was married. What a hoot. MIKE Poor lady should have been committed. JIM gave her a medal for boostin the Departments morale. Committed? Hell, shoulda
(Silence.)

JIM
You fucking her?

MIKE
Hoover?

JIM
Your redhead. You asshole.

MIKE Thats not what this is about. Im trying to help her. Im doing this to get her out of that environment. (gestures out the window) This environment. To get her away from From these people so she has a chance.

46.

JIM Youre shitting meyoure not even trying to fuck her? A girl thats been practicing on three niggers a day since she was twelve? Dont tell me you sleep on the couch? (SHRIEKS with LAUGHTER.) I dont fucking believe it. I dont fucking believe it. No wonder youre always walking around with a fucking stick up your ass. (beat) I dont know, maybe you got a point. Its girls like that are the reason they invented penicillin. Besides, with what shes been doing for a living, whod want to kiss her? MIKE Jesus. Its a miracle Gabe didnt smoke his thirty-eight. Trapped in a fucking black and white with you for six years. JIM My first wife She was flat as a goddamn board. MIKE I never said I slept on the couch. JIM But my God: She had an ass on her that would give fucking Liberace a hard-on. MIKE I just wanted her to know Im not like all those other guys. JIM No tits though. I used to dream about women with big, big fucking tits. MIKE Im not putting any pressure on her. JIM I used to pray to God: Please, God, next time let it be a woman with big tits. MIKE
I dont expect anything from her.

JIM Please, please, please, God, Ill do anything. Anything.

47.

MIKE Not like that I mean. JIM Then I met Gloria. First thing I saw were those tits. I used to just stare at her MIKE Dont you ever fucking quit? JIM Id just imagine unbuttoning that blouse. Touching those tits. The first time It was like Id died and gone to fucking heaven. MIKE With you it would be fucking heaven. JIM That woman has no ass to speak of though. Her rear-end is flat as a goddamned ironing board. All I think about now is women with nice asses. God, what I wouldnt give for a nice big juicy MIKE What I wouldnt give for a fucking intelligent conversation. JIM Call your redhead. Long as you dont mind a woman talks with her mouth full.
(Silence.)

JIM Cmon... What do you know about her? Beyond what shes told you? Not a damn thing. Am I right? MIKE What do you know about anybody? Besides what they tell you? Lots. I know lots of things about her. JIM Does she swallow? MIKE Jesus.

48.

JIM Only need five bucks to find out. Blackstones right over on Second. MIKE Who says shes there? JIM Me. I say shes fucking there.
(takes out a dollar bill)

Loser pays for the blowjob. MIKE Why are you always on my ass? What about you? What about fucking Gloria? What kind of blowjobs does she give? Or do you just whack off between her tits? JIM
(examining the serial number)

Four of a kind.

MIKE Fuck you. Fuck you and the horse you rode in on. JIM Aces. MIKE She does art. Thats what she wants to do some day. Guy at the museumsome curator or somethinghes gonna help her out. Says shes got talent. Says he can get her a show maybe. JIM
Hes doing her.

MIKE
Bullshit.

JIM You fucking chump. Hes doing her. Am I right? MIKE I dont know why I even bother.

49.

JIM Wait a sec Redhead. Blackstone. Artsy type. I remember her now. MIKE
Bullshit.

JIM No, no, no, on the level. Real nice piece of ass. Petite. Wears them little tight-ass shorts all the time. Too much fucking makeup. MIKE
Youre so full of shit.

JIM (holds out his hand) Ill prove it. Hundred bucks. MIKE Fuck you. How? JIM
She has a big ol mole on her tit.

MIKE How would you know? Which tit? JIM Fuck, I dont remember. MIKE
Bullshit.

JIM I wasnt taking notes--Im not a fucking doctor. Am I right? MIKE

Bullshit.

JIM You know, maybe I got her mixed up with some other girl. Easy enough to do.

50.

MIKE She really is talented. You can tell just by listening to her talk. Had some bad breaks is all. JIM Ive arrested hundreds of girls like that. They always give you some hard luck story, trying to get some sympathy, hoping for a break. Ive heard em all.
(While Jim is talking he is taking off his jacket. He goes off to the side and returns with a flashy sports jacket and a microphone on a long cord. Mike settles into a chair.)

14

SCENE 14

14 (The stage lights go up very bright. Jim strides out to center stage to the accompaniment of MUSICAL FANFARE and APPLAUSE. He accepts the applause graciously, does a few strokes with an imaginary golf club, and takes his seat at the table, as if behind a desk.)

JIM Tonight ladies and gentlemen, my guests are two fascinating young ladies who have adopted a rather unusual lifestyle. These sweet young things have turned their backs on loving and upright parents--rejecting everything good and decent that white middle class society has to offer--and run away from home to sleep with... (pause for effect) Black men. Lets have a nice welcome for Candy and Lisa. (There is GENERAL APPLAUSE as the two girls walk to center stage. They acknowledge the audience, grasp hands with and kiss their host, who is standing at his seat and joining in the applause. They all take their seats, Lisa closest to the host.) CANDY
(beaming)

Its so good to be here Jim.

LISA Yes, its so exciting. Imagine! Us being on your show!

51.

JIM Its a pleasure to have you here.

(Lisa waves to a friend in the audience.)

JIM Candy... (Candy gives the host her total attention.) JIM Candy, its my understanding that you and Lisa not only sleep with black men, but, to the total exclusion of members of your own race. CANDY Well yes Jim, I guess you could say that. JIM My question is, and Im still directing this to you Candy, why do you prefer black men?
LISA

White boys are such wimps! (There is CANNED LAUGHTER at Lisas remark.) JIM Turn that damn thing off. (The LAUGHTER is abruptly cut off.) CANDY Lisa! Not on TV! JIM
(regaining his affability) Is it true Candy, that black males have a more.... A more impressive sexual apparatus than white males? Now remember, Candy, were on the air.

CANDY You want to know if theyre better hung?

52.

JIM Well yes, if you want to be crude about it. CANDY Id say so.
(She looks questioningly to Lisa, who nods in agreement.) Yes, Id definitely have to say yes.

JIM
Fascinating.

CANDY Of course thats just my opinion. I mean, you know, other people might come to a different conclusion. You see, Im just speaking for myself. I... JIM
Of course. Lisa?
LISA
Yes?

JIM Lisa... Do you sleep with men in exchange for money? In other words, do you have sexual relations with men not known to you on a personal basis in return for a monetary reward? CANDY You dont have to answer that.
LISA Sexual relations? You mean like incest?

CANDY
Hes asking if youre a hooker.

JIM How do you support yourself? Do either one of you have a full time job? CANDY I work in a restaurant... Part time..

53.

LISA Sometimes we borrow money from friends. Or they buy us things.

JIM
Men friends? Black men friends?

CANDY Well yes. Most of our friends are black....

LISA
(giggles)

And men.

JIM So.... With the money your black men friends sometimes give you, youve never needed any more than that to get by?
(The girls are silent.)

JIM Youve never had sex with a man purely for money? CANDY
Well yes, I mean, sort of...
LISA

Sometimes.

CANDY But were not hookers. We dont do it for a living. I mean, theres been a couple of times when we needed money to pay the rent or something and the guy would give it to us. Its not like what youre saying. JIM
(a benign smile) Its been stimulating chatting with you two lovely ladies but Im afraid were out of time. Ladies and gentlemen, a big hand for our two lovely guests.

(APPLAUSE) (The host and the girls stand up.)

54.

CANDY Guess its time we shoved off. MIKE Whats the rush? Why dont we go some place? Have some drinks? (The girls start to edge away.) CANDY
We have to meet somebody.

MIKE
So? Bring em along.

LISA

I dont think so. MIKE (puts his arms around the two girls) Cmon, itll be good for some laughs.
(A spot illuminates Lee and Carlos near one of the wings. They are dressed very superfly , with sunglasses, Panama hats, etc. They are leaning against a wall, smoking cigarettes, checking their watches. The girls squirm out of Mikes grasp and rush to the two boys. They greet them with hugs and walk off hand in hand.)

(Mike turns to see Jim looking at him. Jim makes KISSING sounds with his puckered lips)

MIKE Go fuck yourself. BLACKOUT 15

Scene 15

15 (Lights rise to reveal Tony playacting in front of the fulllength mirror on one of the closet doors. A cigarette dangles from the corner of his mouth. (MORE)

55.

He affects a demeanor and a voice somewhere between Bogart and Shaft.)

TONY
(speaking to an invisible assailant) Thats right Mabu ... Your days of selling dope to the children of the ghetto are over. The Black Avengers are here and we mean to kick some ass.

(He takes a deep drag on the cigarette and doubles over coughing. He flings the cigarette away.) Poison cigarettes wont work Mabu.

(He looks disdainfully around at a whole phalanx of attackers.) Only brought six? That was your second mistake Mabu.

(Tony springs into action. He dispatches the six invisible goons with a hodgepodge of kung fu, karate, and boxing. Finished, he brushes his hands together in a dismissive gesture.) Its just you and me now Mabu. (Tony circles his final invisible opponent, stops.) Youll have to do better than that little pinsticker Mabu.
(He resumes circling, stops again.) And that ax handle dont scare me neither.

(Tony resumes circling his invisible opponent. The outside door opens and Carlos enters with a dry cleaning bag slung over his shoulder. He puts the bag on the table and begins to carefully examine the garments one by one.) TONY Nobody but you would go out in the middle of a riot to pick up his laundry.
CARLOS Had to fight my way through ten thousand crazed niggers and army tanks to get these rags.

TONY Yeah, and Im Sammy Davis Junior.

56.

CARLOS When I got there these two dudes were dragging the cash register down the street. People pulled the gates off the window, tore that store up. People were stealing the dirty laundry.

TONY Howd you get your stuff?

CARLOS I saw this dude come running out with my shit. I said: Wheres your receipt motherfucker? He said: Receipt? This is a riot. I said: Damn straight Turkey! Knocked that sucker on his ass.

TONY Get out of here.

CARLOS Nah... I just went by the house and got it.

TONY Police dont know that. They coulda shot you for a looter.
CARLOS Theyre not stoppin nobody. Police are standing around letting people take anything they can carry. Its a trip.

TONY I dont want nothin to do with that lootin stuff.

(Tony affects the bowlegged stance of a gunfighter. He turns to Carlos and flings his shirt tails back as if he is uncovering a brace of six-guns.)

TONY This town aint big enough for the two of us Ringo.
CARLOS gonna Youre not go off on that shit again.

TONY
(mimes operating an adding machine) One point two million people in Detroit... Approximately six hundred thousand female... (MORE)

57.

TONY(cont'd) Approximately fourteen thousand, four hundred and seventy two meet minimum requirements of age, looks, availability and disposition...
(crouches in a gunfighter stance, ready to draw) Ringo. There just arent enough women to go around. One of us has got to go. Im sorry

CARLOS dreamin about all them big-legged women out there and take care of Why dont you quit whats in your own backyard?

TONY
(falls out of character)
What?

CARLOS If I can see the way Lisa be giving you the eye, I know you can.

TONY Lisa? You must be high. Besides, Lees sweet on her. I dont want to mess nothin up. Theres a lot of fish in the sea.
CARLOS She wont go for no boy that smells like a hamburger. You gotta jump on it man.

TONY
She aint nothin special.

CARLOS Hey, I can dig it. I wouldnt want to get on the wrong side of Lee myself.

TONY Why dont you quit bad-mouthing the boy. Hes never done nothin to you. Some times I feel bad about the way were always ducking him at parties and stuff. Ive known Lee for a long time.
CARLOS It aint like that at all. It aint like we try to dodge him because we think were too cool. We can pick up the ladies even with that chump around.

TONY
Youre all heart.

58.

CARLOS Remember that girl he was dancin with when we met Candy and Lisa? She looked like the Bride of Frankenstein. People was running away and screaming.
(Carlos imitates a lurching monster.)

TONY She sure was a trip.

CARLOS One look at her made you want to go on a trip.

(Lee bursts into the suite. He is pissed off.)

LEE Hey! I been looking all over for you guys.

TONY
Were right here...
LEE

I can see that.

CARLOS
(extending his hand)

Hamburger man... My man.

LEE

(seething, refuses to take his hand)

I told you to stop callin me that.

CARLOS Im sorry man, I cant help it. You been workin in that joint so long you smell like a Big Mac.

(Lee clasps his hands at his sides and turns to the window. Tony shoots a warning glance at Carlos. Carlos, whistling to himself, returns to examining his laundry. Tony picks up a can of soda and holds it like a microphone. He approaches Lee.)

59.

TONY
(ring announcer voice)

Champ, how do you feel?

LEE

Huh? TONY You went into this one the heavy favorite champ. Were you underestimating your opponent?
LEE

Cut it out. TONY You seemed to have difficulty with your opponents style champ. Were you prepared for some of the moves she put on you?
LEE
She?

TONY The low blows in the fifth champ. The late hit in the ninth. Were you expecting that kind of treatment?
LEE

Nah... TONY Her clutching style seemed to confuse you champ. And in the twelfth.... In the twelfth champ... She had you on the ropes. Your eyes were glazed. It looked like it was all over.
LEE

I was hurtin. TONY But then... Then you pulled it out. One of the great comebacks in sports history. You turned it around. You were brutal champ. A man on a mission. A man without mercy. A man among men. You took her apart champ. You dissected her.
LEE Yeah, I guess I whupped her pretty good.

60.

TONY One last question champ... Your strategy... That flash of genius in the final round when you turned certain defeat into devastating victory. Tell us in your own words champ, how you did it... (Tony thrusts the microphone in Lees face.)
LEE

I kissed her.
CARLOS

It was brutal. (He slaps hands with Tony.) TONY Her defenses crumbled. She was helpless, against the ropes. And then you moved in for the kill...
LEE

I kissed her again.

(Carlos whoops. He slaps hands with Tony. He holds his hand out for Lee. Lee hesitates, then slaps hand with Carlos.)
LEE Like my mamma said: Kiss the girls and make them cry.

(There are whoops of delight all around and another round of handslapping.)

BLACKOUT 16
Scene 16

16 (Lights rise on the Police Inspector. Reporters as before.)

REPORTER Inspector, is it true that no weapons were found in the motel? INSPECTOR We have not, as yet, recovered the weapons used by the snipers.

61.

REPORTER How do you explain that Inspector? How did three dead snipers manage to hide their weapons so well that the entire Detroit Police Department cant find them?
(There is general laughter from the reporters.)

INSPECTOR There was a time lapse of several hours between the shootings and the discovery of the bodies. The motel was wide open during that time frame. Anyone, including confederates of the snipers, would have had access to the premises. It would be to their advantage to remove any evidence of sniping, perhaps, even attempt to put our investigation on the wrong track. BLACKOUT 17
Scene 17

17
(Lights rise on Mike and Jim manning their checkpoint. Jim is frantically trying to get a clear signal on the radio. He is not succeeding.)

MIKE Theres not really much of a chance it was Gabe. JIM OConnor said it was definitely a cop from the Tenth. MIKE You said yourself: Gabes on the west side. JIM Wise up: Assignments have been thrown out the window. Theyre sending everybody anywhere. We got no back-up. We got no relief. We got no cars. We got a radio thats a reject from the fucking Goodwill. Goddamned fucking piece of shit! (He keeps trying.) Cop was shot in the back trying to collar a bunch of looters at the meat market. (Gives up on the radio.) You just wait. Itll be the same old song and dance. Nobody saw nothing. Nobody heard nothing. Nobody knows nothing. Just another white honkey cop getting his brains scraped off the sidewalk. And the nigger that did it walks. Free to shoot more cops.

62.

MIKE Why do you always have to make everything such a goddamned black and white issue? Christ, when your car breaks down you blame the niggers. JIM Well? Theyre the ones putting the damn things together nowadays. MIKE Forget it. Just forget it. JIM Look, its not my fault. Thats just the way things are. Am I right or am I right? Its like when I was in high school... MIKE Oh Christ... JIM Colored all went in one door in the morning and whites all went in the other. Wasnt like anyone made people do it--that was just the way it was. First floor john was the colored john. Third floor john was white. And God help you if you went into the wrong one. MIKE
Doesnt mean a damn thing.

JIM Youve worked this part of town long enough to know what its like. How many times have you seen things like that old lady the other day? How many? Raped her... Beat her half to death... Five of em. Eighty years old if she was a day. You dont suppose the fact she was white had anything to do with it? How many cases have you seen like that in the last couple of years? How many? MIKE Lots. JIM Youve seen what they do to each other in the lockup. And God forbid we put a white boy in with em. Am I right or am I right? MIKE
All right already.

63.

JIM When are you gonna quit hiding behind that nice guy bullshit? Youre no better than me. Im just up front about it.
(Silence.)

JIM With Gabe and me, we know what the other guy is gonna do even before he does. MIKE I had to hang out with shitheads. Seven motherfucking days a week. JIM Always know the guys got my back. MIKE Had to pretend to like these morons. Laugh at their dumb ass jokes. JIM Dont even have to think about it. Its like a fucking instinct.
(Silence.)

MIKE At first, I didnt want to do it. Took me out of circulation for two years. Guys I came up with in the academy were riding around in black and whites. Learning the ropes from guys like you. Nobody knows me. Nobody trusts me. Nobody. The dealers, the shitheads, they trust me. Fucking doped up, dumb ass, deranged, derelect assholes. JIM Right. I know the type. MIKE It was a good opportunity to see how these guys operate. How they think. Stay one step ahead of em. Get some insight. Tell the sleazebags from the citizens. I mean, I could learn a lot from you. But theres things I know too. JIM I dont need to roll around in shit to know it stinks. Am I right? MIKE You dont see everything when youre riding around in that black and white. When youre always looking out at the world from behind a badge.

64.

JIM You want to make up for lost time? You want a fucking crash course in police work? MIKE I got two solid years on the job since I did the undercover. JIM Theres two things I learned riding around in that black and white. While you were diddling your bunkmate in camp buttfuck Mississippi. Or peddling pot on Plum Street.
(pulls out his badge)

This gives me the authority. (He pulls out his gun and points it at Mike.)
This gives me the right.

MIKE Dont ever point your weapon at me. JIM

I may be a son of a bitch...

MIKE Do not ever point your fucking weapon at me. JIM But I know it, you know it, and every goddamned son of a bitch I meet knows it.
(Jim holsters the gun.) Hell, with you Nobody knows what the fucks going on inside your head.

(Mikes hand hovers near his holstered gun.) JIM What are you fucking gonna do? Draw on me?
(takes an exaggerated gunfighter stance) Reach for the sky motherfucker. What is this? The fucking OK Corral?

(The radio SQUAWKS. Jim grabs the receiver and listens intently. Still nothing. Jim slams the receiver angrily back into its cradle. (MORE)

65.

JIM(cont'd) He sits in silence for a moment, head buried in his hands. Then, he hurls the radio into the darkness.) BLACKOUT 18
Scene 18

18
(Lights rise on Tony, Lee and Candy lounging about the suite. From outside can be heard the distant sounds of GUN SHOTS and SIRENS.)

TONY You gonna still have a job when this is over? CANDY Sure. He cant expect people to come in to work in the middle of a riot. TONY Wouldnt be much of a loss. You only work two nights a week. CANDY Im supposed to be going on full time. TONY Maybe you ought to go out to the club with Lisa. CANDY Carlos! Hes got Lisa so full of his bullshit shed jump out a window if he told her. Now he wants her to go out with some of his so-called friends. TONY I dont see nobody holdin a gun to her head. CANDY
(mimicking Carlos) Just be nice to him Lisa. Hes a real good friend of mine Lisa. Just this one time and I wont ask you no more Lisa.

TONY Sorry... I didnt mean nothin. Tell you what, Ill have a little talk with my man Carlos. CANDY Could you? Hed listen to you.

66.

LEE Yeah. Tell him to cool it with Lisa. Cut the poor girl some slack.

CANDY Whats that supposed to mean?

LEE Just, you know, how shes kinda goofy. Carrying on all the time, giggling and stuff.

TONY (points to his head) Yeah, you know, all the lights is on but there aint nobody home. CANDY
You got your nerve.
LEE No man, thats not what Im saying.

CANDY
What are you saying?
LEE

I mean.. I dont know... Its just... CANDY Tick, tock. Tick, tock... TONY Hes just saying how shell be kidding around all the time. Aint that right Lee? You know, like how she can never be serious an always be messing around. Hes kind of sweet on Lisa. Aint that right Lee?
LEE

Now wait a minute... CANDY Just cause she dances at that stupid club, dont go getting no ideas.
LEE

I havent got any ideas. I swear.

67.

(Tony cracks up.)

LEE

What?

TONY
Nevermind. Forget it, man.

CANDY Soon as I get some more nights we wont have to depend on nobody for nothin. Shell keep away from Carlos and that club if I have to lock her in the closet. (There is a KNOCK on the door and Candy runs to open it. Lisa and Carlos enter. They are loaded down with cardboard boxes filled with groceries.)
CARLOS
You all order some groceries?

TONY Must be the pizza we ordered. Give the boy a quarter. (Carlos sets his box down on the table. Tony walks over to check it out.)
CARLOS Bunch of kids busted out the windows and were throwing the shit out to anybody who wanted it.

(Tony begins to take items from the box, one by one.) TONY Bisquick... Two quarts of vinegar... Lightbulbs...
LEE You sure got a lot of good shit Carlos. Cant have no party without vinegar and lightbulbs.

CARLOS I dont recall nobody giving me no shopping list.

LEE I dont recall nobody saying they needed nothin.

68.

LISA You should see all the neat stuff we got out in the trunk.

(Carlos shoots her a look.) TONY

Carlos hasnt got a car...
LISA

(sheepishly, realizing her mistake)

He borrowed Lees.
LEE

What! (Lee frantically searches his pants pockets for his keys. He turns to Carlos.)
CARLOS Hey bro... Be cool. Your rides out front. Good as new.
LEE You didnt say nothin about using my car.

CARLOS You didnt get my note man?

LEE

What note?
CARLOS I put it on the mirror. Musta fallen on the floor.
LISA But you didnt write no note. You said Lee told you...

CARLOS

Shut up!
LISA

You cant talk to me like that.

69.

CARLOS

Says who?
(He eyes her menacingly. Lisa retreats.)

CARLOS

(under his breath)

Dumb-ass bitch.
LEE

What about my keys? (Carlos reaches into his pocket and tosses Lee the keys.)
LEE

Wheres my trunk key?

CARLOS You gotta get a damn key ring instead of that funky paper clip. Trunk key fell out on the street.
LEE

Dyou find it?

CARLOS gonna hang around lookin for no key. Was no way we was
LISA

I said Id look.

TONY But you got the stuff out...

CARLOS

Tore out the back seat.

(Lee turns and faces the wall.)

70.

CARLOS You should have another copy. I never heard of nobody having just one key.

(Lee lets loose with five or six rapid, vicious punches that fall barely an inch short of the wall. He places both hands on the wall and leans against it, head down.)
LEE

I want you to find my key.

LISA Ill find it. I remember right where we were...
LEE

I want Carlos to find it.

CARLOS

Youre crazy. TONY (looks out the window) No ones gonna look for anything today. Policeve got the whole street closed off now.
(Candy is at the table examining one of the boxes of groceries. She finds a package of party balloons.)

CANDY
Balloons!

(tears open a package) We can put these up for our party.

CARLOS

Thats kids stuff.

LISA

So? You dont have to help.

(Candy and Lisa start blowing up balloons.)

71.

CANDY (to Carlos) Youre so full of hot air you could blow these up in a minute. (Carlos turns away and remains aloof. Tony takes some balloons from Candy and starts blowing one up. Lisa hands one to Lee. He hesitates, then follows suit. The four of them are soon busy blowing up and tying off balloons.) BLACKOUT 19
Scene 19

19
(Lights rise on a large WHEEL OF JUSTICE that dominates the stage. A colorful COPS AND ROBBERS banner hangs from the ceiling. Two chairs are placed on one side of the stage with signs reading: Robber #1 and Robber #2. Two chairs on the opposite side of the stage are labeled Cop #1 and Cop #2.)

(Tony sprints out to front center carrying a microphone on a long cord. He is a typical, obnoxious Hollywood game show host. TWO STAGE HANDS act as PROMPTERS, using LAUGH and APPLAUSE signs in conjunction with CANNED LAUGHTER and APPLAUSE. They hold up the APPLAUSE signs as Tony runs out.) TONY Good evening ladies and gentlemen and welcome to Cops and Robbers. (MUSICAL FANFARE, APPLAUSE) TONY We have a real treat in store for you this evening: two of Detroits finest are here to match wits with some very capable adversaries. Lets have a big hand for our contestants!
(The APPLAUSE signs go up again. Jim and Mike come out and take their seats.

72.

Jim takes the chair labeled Cop #2. Lee and Carlos come out and take the seats labeled Robber #1 [Lee] and Robber #2 [Carlos].)

TONY Welcome. Welcome to Cops and Robbers. Good to see you all here tonight.
(turns back to the audience) All of tonights contestants have been on the show numerous times before. As a matter of fact, its been brought to my attention that this is Robber Number Twos forty-second appearance on our program.

(APPLAUSE)
A new record!

(The prompters shake their signs excitedly. Carlos, rises and bows.) TONY Still havent done any time, have you Carlos?
(Carlos shakes his head.)

TONY You sly devil you. (More LAUGH signs. Carlos takes his seat.) TONY Ladies and gentlemen, a nice round of applause for my two lovely assistants: Candy and Lisa!
(Candy and Lisa, in scanty, glittering outfits, smile, bow, and take up positions on either side of the Wheel of Justice.)

TONY Since the Robbers came out on top again last week, its only fair that the Cops get the ball rolling this time. (The APPLAUSE signs go up briefly. The Robbers applaud politely. Tony turns to the Cops.)

73.

TONY
Pick a category number two.

JIM I think well go with Murder/Rape this week Tony. Weve had some success in that area in the past. TONY How about that folks? Going right for the nitty gritty. Thats how we like to see the game played. Let that Wheel of Justice spin Candy baby! (Candy smiles and spins the Wheel. When it stops she takes a stack of envelopes from behind the number the Wheel has stopped at. She gives one copy to Tony while Lisa distributes the rest to the contestants. She starts up a whispered conversation with Jim. Tony opens his envelope. The contestants do the same.) TONY Okay... Robber number one has raped an eighty-seven-year-old widow and tortured her to death. With Robber number two as an accomplice. Robber number one was caught when he tried to sell the old ladys television set to her next door neighbor. Pretty brazen number one. (LAUGH signs) TONY How do you plead?
LEE

Not guilty.
(smiling)

Of course. TONY Good choice number one. Make them work for it.
(In the meantime, Jim is arresting Lisa. He handcuffs her and leads her off. Tony turns to Mike.)

74.

TONY Looks like youre a little understaffed officer. (LAUGH signs) TONY Would you like to switch to a less difficult category? MIKE No thanks Tony. Ill stick with our original choice. Im used to working short-handed. TONY Good. Youve got your work cut out for you number one. Are you still going to take it to them? MIKE You bet. Ill take a spin on the Evidence category Tony. TONY Turn the wheel sweetheart.
(Candy smiles and gives the wheel another spin. When it stops she takes an envelope and gives it to Tony.)

TONY
Lets have a look...

(tears open the envelope)

Unlawful search... Meaning...

(continues to read) If Im interpreting this correctly, youve got inadmissible evidence! You better work fast officer or youll get this thrown right out of court. Do you want to try Plea Bargaining or will you go for it and take it to court? Be very careful number one. MIKE
(reading over the information from the original envelope) I think we still have a strong case. Number ones fingerprints on the bloody butcher knife... Witnesses heard him bragging about the murder... And a signed confession. Ill go for it Tony.

75.

TONY
One more time Candy, darling.

(Candy smiles and spins the wheel. When it stops she gives the host another envelope.) TONY Lets see what happened to number ones case... (opens the envelope and reads) Oh, too bad...
(reading) Your case against Robber number one is thrown out of court on a technicality... Number two gets probation... Suspended Sentence... And youre being sued for unlawful arrest.

(LAUGH signs. A LIGHT begins to BLINK in the center of the Wheel of Justice.) TONY
Tough luck number one.

(sees the BLINKING LIGHT) Wait a minute... Hold everything... Theres the bonus light! Maybe youll work this out after all officer.
(Mike watches the blinking light hopefully. Candy exits. Tony takes another envelope from behind the Wheel and opens it.)

TONY
(reading)

Ohhh... Too bad. (with a flourish) Dead cop! (Lisa and Candy roll out the bloody body of Jim on a cart. There is a MUSICAL FANFARE. The APPLAUSE signs are up. Mike leaps to his feet in astonishment. The Robbers applaud politely. (MORE)

76.

TONY(cont'd) Candy and Lisa stop the cart in front of Mike, smiling, with arms extended toward the body as if it were a prize. The soothing voice of an OFF-STAGE ANNOUNCER is heard over a loudspeaker.) OFF-STAGE ANNOUNCER Your partner, Mike, has been shot by a sniper. No witnesses. No suspects. No pulse. Weve got a wonderful pension for the wife and kids and lovely funeral arrangements courtesy of the Detroit Police Officers Benevolence Fund. Thats all Tony. BLACKOUT 20
Scene 20

20 (Lights rise on the interior of the suite. It is decorated with balloons. The radio is playing softly. Motown. Tony and Candy are seated at the table. Lee and Lisa are hanging balloons. Carlos sulks in a corner.)
LISA

(opens the refrigerator) Ill make some dinner if anyones hungry.

LEE

Sounds good. Whatve we got?

LISA

Theres some hot-dogs here...

TONY
(grinning at Carlos)
Vinegar.

(Lisa cant figure out how to turn on the stove burner.) CANDY Tick, tock. tick, tock, tick tock... TONY Somebody throw that damn clock out the window.

77.

CANDY Somebody show this girl how to boil water.

LEE

(joins Lisa at the stove) Here ya go... Gotta turn it like this. Thats it... Took me a minute to figure it out myself. CANDY Lisa used to burn the muffins in her Easy Bake Oven.
LISA I never even had a Easy Bake Oven.

CANDY Then how come all them little boys called you easy?
LISA

Least they called me.

LEE

How about them tube steaks? (Lee turns to the stove. Lisa moves very close.)
LISA

Tick, tock. Tick, tock. TONY These damn clocks are worse than the cockroaches.
LISA

Tick, tock. Tick, tock.

LEE

What?

Tick, tock.LISA Tick, tock. Tick, tock.

CANDY Tick, tock. Tick, tock. Tick, tock.

78.

LEE

Cut it out man. TONY Thats it. Im buying a damn sun dial.
(Lisa makes it clear what she wants. Lee leans down to kiss her on the lips. Lisa playfully covers her mouth with her hand. Then, she gives him a shy kiss on the lips.)
LEE

(turning to the stove) Let me show you what a master can do with the most basic of materials. (Candy puts her hands on Tonys shoulders.) CANDY
Lets dance.

TONY Its too hot. CANDY

Then we can go swimmin.

TONY Maybe later. CANDY

We can go skinny dippin.
(grins, looks at Lee) Lee likes to go skinny dippin. He tried to get me to do it with him once.
LEE

I did not!
LISA
(mock anger) An you all the time talking about me dancin!

79.

LEE Was her... She was the one took her clothes off.

LISA

And you was watchin? (Lee turns back to the stove. Candy walks over and adjusts the radio. Carlos blocks her path and starts dancing. Candy tries to go around him but he moves to block her, twisting and spinning to the music. Tony dances over and cuts in. Carlos gives up on Candy and pulls Lisa away from the stove.)
CARLOS

Get down!
(Lisa pulls away. Carlos continues to dance around her.)
CARLOS Loosen up. I got some new steps you can use at the club.
LISA

Im not going back to the club.

CARLOS Right. So what you gonna do for money?

LISA Ill work in a restaurant. Ill be a waitress.

CARLOS

Whos gonna hire you? CANDY She can work at my restaurant.

CARLOS You dont know nothin about waitin on tables.
LEE

Ill get her a job.

80.

CARLOS There you go. You can be a fry cook.

(continues to dance next to his unwilling partner.) Who you trying to kid? You know where your bread is buttered.

(Lisa puts her hands on Lees waist and squeezes past him so that Lee is between Carlos and herself. Carlos reaches angrily for Lisas arm.)
CARLOS

Quit fucking around. (Lee grabs Carlos wrist. Carlos tries to pull away but is unable to.)
CARLOS

You think Im scared of you?

TONY
Let him go Lee.

(Lee releases Carlos and pushes him roughly away.)

LEE You should quit running that mouth of yours.

CARLOS Now that you got her whos gonna show you what to do with her?

TONY Shut up. (Lee takes an angry step toward Carlos. Lisa puts her arms around his waist to stop him.)
LISA

It dont matter what he says. (Carlos avoids an attempt by Tony to grab him and skips away.)

81.

CARLOS Course, you dont need to worry about that. Lisa can show you anything you want to know.
(Lee makes another lunge for Carlos.)
LEE

Im gonna bust your head...

(Lisa wraps her arms around him.)

LISA

Hes just talkin.

CARLOS Yeah, shes a real pro. She even showed me a thing or two.
LEE Just shut the fuck up Carlos. You got no right to talk about her like that.

(Tony places himself between Lee and Carlos. He pushes Carlos away from Lee.) TONY Why dont you sit down and shut up?
CARLOS What you gonna do about it motherfucker? You think Im afraid of you? Hamburger man.
LEE Im gonna bust his head! Im gonna kill him!

(Carlos breaks away from Tony.)

CARLOS
Cmon... Ill kick your ass.

(Lee pulls free of Lisa. He starts for Carlos. Carlos reaches into his pants and produces a pistol. He aims at Lees head. Lee stops in mid-stride, stunned.)

TONY Carlos... Are you crazy?

82.

CARLOS Cmon big man... Just keep comin.

(Lees fists are clenched at his sides. The veins in his neck are bulging.)

TONY
Carlos...

CARLOS Im tired of this shit man. I think I should blow this ugly motherfucker away.

(Carlos pulls the trigger. There is a loud POP and everyone in the room flinches. Carlos grins maliciously: its only a starter pistol.)

CANDY
You asshole.

(Tony angrily snatches the pistol from Carlos.)

CARLOS

Hey...
LISA

I wish I had a real one.

(Lee continues to stare angrily at Carlos.)

CARLOS You shouda seen the look on your face.

TONY Shut up Carlos.

CARLOS It was a joke. Cant nobody take a fuckin joke?

(Lee makes a move toward Carlos. Lisa steps in front of him. She growls playfully and tries to push him away from Carlos by butting her head against his chest. Lee tries to fight it but cant help but smile.)

83.

LEE

Cut it out.
LISA

Give up?
LEE

What if I dont?
LISA

Then Ill have to beat you up.

LEE

You and what army?

(Lisa starts to tickle him. Hes ticklish. He tries to cover up and backs up against the stove. He leans against the stove to catch his breath. Lisa punches him playfully on the arm.)
LISA

You aint so tough.

TONY
(examines the pistol)
Looks just like the real thing.

CARLOS No shit. Had Lee prayin to that big fry cook in the sky.

(Lee stops smiling. Tony notices. He walks over to the window and fires out of it.) TONY Hey coppers! Pow! Pow! Pow! Youll never take me alive coppers! (He laughs and turns away from the window. Carlos holds out his hand for the gun.)

84.

CARLOS Give it back man. Its my cousins.

(Tony grins and puts the gun on a chair. He turns his collar up and reaches his hand out over the chair where the gun is sitting, to an imaginary convict.) TONY
(affecting an Irish brogue) Give me the gun son. Its me, your old friend Father OShaunessey...

(Tony turns down his collar and skips over to the opposite side of the chair. He picks up the gun and points it at the spot where he was just standing.) TONY (raspy convicts voice) Dont come any closer. Im warning you Fadder. (Tony puts the gun back on the chair. He flips up his collar and races around the chair again. He holds his hand out for the gun.) TONY
(brogue) Give me the gun son and well walk out of here together. I give you my word, no one will harm you.

(Tony flips down his collar, grabs the gun and reverses roles again.)

TONY (raspy voice) Ill never let em take me alive Fadder. Im not going back to the big house. I cant take it no more Fadder. Them little cells... Sadistic bulls... The TV reception is terrible.

85.

CARLOS

Give it to me. (Carlos tries to grab the gun. Tony tosses it to Lee. Carlos takes an angry step toward Lee and then thinks better of it. Lee grins at Carlos. He casually tosses him the gun, then turns and returns to the sink.) (Carlos stands with the gun held limply at his side. The others ignore him.) BLACKOUT 21
Scene 21

21 (Lights rise on the Inspector. Reporters as before.)

REPORTER Inspector, do you think this incident and other sniping incidents during the riot were part of a conspiracy? INSPECTOR We are investigating that possibility. We have obtained information from other law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, that would tend to support such a finding. However, as of now we have no firm evidence either way. REPORTER Anything you can tell us about the policemen involved? Specifically, can you comment on the rumors that one of them has been cited on several occasions for excessive brutality? INSPECTOR As to rumors, you boys should already know me well enough to know I wont dignify them with a statement. (begins to usher them out) I will have nothing more to say until the investigation is completed. Right this way gentlemen... (BLACKOUT)

86.

22

Scene 22

22 (A single spot finds Jim and Mike at their checkpoint. Sirens and sporadic gunshots are heard in the distance. Nearby fires cast flickering shadows across the stage. The two cops crouch down, weapons ready, and nervously scan their surroundings.)

MIKE Look at the sky. Looks like the whole west side is burning. Theyre burnin the whole goddamned city down. JIM These people dont care. I mean look at em, torching their own neighborhoods, their own houses. Theyve all gone off their fucking rockers. Am I right or am I right? MIKE Maybe its not really happening. Maybe its all just a bad dream. All of the sudden well wake up and everything will be back to the way its supposed to be, back to normal. JIM
(removes his helmet and gingerly touches his head) In my condition I shouldnt be out here period.

MIKE Look, Im sorry about your head. JIM Got a lump the size of a fucking golf ball. MIKE What was I supposed to do? Start working the old lady over with my flashlight? If you had just tried to talk to her... JIM Talk? You cant talk to these people. She was a fucking amazon. She goddamn tackled me. She tried to scratch my eyes out. MIKE Whatd you expect? We bust into her house. Were handcuffing her son... In front of all those other kids... Youre pushing him around...

87.

JIM Kid had a fucking portable tv under each arm. Running like a fucking gazelle. Remember? MIKE I just thought maybe we could have handled it a little differently. JIM
We? I dont remember any we.

MIKE
Christ! All right already.

JIM She didnt just hit me with the receiver. She picked up the whole fucking phone and clobbered me with it. MIKE I dont know, maybe youre right. Why dont you just drop it? JIM That fucking bitch. Oh no, we cant arrest her son, hes the man of the house. He hasnt done anything wrong. Were just harassing the poor lamb cause hes colored. And all the while his fucking closet has enough loot in it to open a fucking pawn shop. MIKE
All right already.

(Jim replaces his helmet. The two men resume their vigil.)
(Silence.)

JIM I used to take the bus downtown Saturdays when I was a kid. One time, I was sitting in the McDonalds over on Grand River. You know, waiting for the bus. Sitting there in the booth, minding my own business, eating my Big Mac and fries. This black kid slides in across from me. Big husky kid. Just stared at me real hard and started eating my french fries. MIKE Should have smacked the son of a bitch.

88.

JIM So, anyways , I pulled the fries closer to me. So he reaches over and pulls the whole fucking tray to his side of the table. Just staring at me. Like, what the fuck you gonna do about it? (beat) I picked up my tray and got up. He looked me right in the eye. He had this little fucking smile on his face You fucking pussy. MIKE
Bout time we got a relief isnt it?

JIM I was a little kid. I left. Got on my bus. Promised myself Id never let that happen to me again. Id rather die first. Started lifting weights. Took up boxing at the Y. MIKE Ate your fucking french fries JIM
(making light of it) Christ, if hed a snagged my Big Mac, Id of fucking ended up in the Green Berets. Am I right? I gotta take a piss.

MIKE Christ! As if theres not enough alleys around here. JIM Its too fucking dark. MIKE Thats the whole idea. JIM I dont want to end up like Gabe. MIKE That wasnt in an alley. JIM No. Some nigger blew him away in broad fucking daylight.

89.

MIKE Look, if you need to take a leak why dont you go over behind those trash cans. Ill cover you. JIM
Ill hold it.

(There are several GUN SHOTS. Very close.)

MIKE (points) Over there! (They each fire in the direction that Mike pointed. They are silent for a moment, watching.) JIM Anybody with white skin is a target. Its a conspiracy. They start shooting in one area, then, when we start to close in, someone else starts shooting a couple blocks away. MIKE Doesnt seem very organized to me. Who could even organize something like this? Who the fuck would want to? JIM (a conspiratorial whisper) Friend of mine downtown, told me that carloads of Black Panthers have been spotted on their way here. With automatic weapons. MIKE No shit?
(Jim cant hold it any longer. He moves offstage, unzipping his trousers as he goes.)

JIMS VOICE Yeah. And they also know that the Panthers had advance men here before the riot. They were disguised as traveling salesmen. Thats direct from the FBI.
(Several GUN SHOTS ring out, causing Mike to duck.)

90.

JIMS VOICE Its the street light. Were sitting ducks. (Mike raises his gun and shoots out the light.) BLACKOUT JIMS VOICE Theyve got infra-red nightscopes. So they can shoot you in the dark. 23
Scene 23

23 (Lights rise inside the suite. Tony and Carlos are by the window looking out. Lisa is sitting on Lees lap with her arms around his neck. Candy is at the sink.) CANDY

Yeah, theyre still rioting.

TONY All these people have gone crazy. Police runnin around actin crazy, niggers running around actin crazy, white folks running around actin crazy. Damn, its pitiful.
CARLOS Dont bother me. Long as nobodys knockin me on the head.

TONY Man, thats cold.

CARLOS Hey, its no different than New Years Eve when all those fools start shooting guns in the air... Seeing all them tracers youd think there was a war goin on.

TONY This time there is a war going on.

CARLOS Its just like New Years man. We hang out at the Algiers on account of all those fools shooting off guns and the drunks running into each other. We just leave those fools out there to carry on and we mind our own business in here. We party a little, drink a little, smoke a little, play cards and watch that old white dude on the TV sing about old acquaintances and shit. Only difference is, now, instead of waiting for all the drunks to run off the road we got to wait out these other fools. Rioting and burning and carrying on. (MORE)

91.

CARLOS(cont'd)
(reacting to what he sees outside) Theres police sneaking up on the building.

(None of the others look up. They dont believe him.)

LEE

(nuzzling Lisa)

Why dont you cut it out man?

(Carlos moves away from the window. He goes over and turns off the radio.)
CARLOS comin in the building. Im serious. Theres police
LISA

Turn the radio back on Carlos.

CARLOS

(frantically paces the room)

I got to get out of here.

(The others finally look up. Carlos panics, flings open the door to the suite and rushes out.)
VOICE

Theres one! (There is the sound of several GUN SHOTS. Carlos stumbles back into the room and collapses. Candy takes a step toward Carlos.) CANDY
Carlos...?

(Jim and Mike rush in. Jim is carrying a shotgun and both of them are dressed in riot gear. The girls and the two remaining boys are frozen in place. Lisa is still sitting on Lees lap. Jim WHISTLES when he sees them.)

BLACKOUT

92.

24

Scene 24

24
(A spot illuminates Lee and Lisa still in their embrace. They are kissing passionately, hungrily. Another spot illuminates Mike. He is staring at the two lovers with a mixture of awe and disgust.)

(Lee and Lisa rise and walk into the boys bedroom. Lisa is pulling Lees shirt off as they enter. They close the door after them. Mike is unable to take his eyes off the bedroom door.)

MIKE
(staring at the closed bedroom door) Jimmy Arnold. We used to play ball together. Six colored guys pulled him off his bike one day on Linwood. Beat him half to death with pieces of concrete. They didnt fucking know him. He never did anything to them.

JIM
Am I right or am I right?

MIKE Just because he was white. BLACKOUT 25

Scene 25

25
(Lights rise on Tony, Lee, Candy and Lisa spread-eagled against the wall. Jim covers them with the shotgun. Mike is kneeling by Carlos.)

MIKE
(checking Carlos pulse)

This ones still alive. Barely.

JIM Way he came bustin out of that door, I was sure he had a gun. (approaches the girls) (MORE)

93.

JIM(cont'd) Got yourselves some white girls. You boys like sleeping with white women?
(Carlos moans.)

MIKE We better get him to a hospital. JIM That can wait. MIKE
Hes bleeding to death.

JIM Breaks my fucking heart. The first thing weve got to do is find that gun or theyll be shooting us in the back when we leave. Am I right? (Jim puts his shotgun down and draws his pistol.) JIM
(gun drawn, he approaches Lee) How much you get for setting these girls out? Huh? Bet it makes you a big man with your friends having a couple of white girls supporting your lazy ass. You pass em around? Huh? Give all your buddies a shot?
LEE

I got a job. I work at McDonalds.

JIM (strikes him) Did I tell you to say something? Keep you smart ass mouth shut unless I ask you a question. Understand? (Lee nods. Jim moves to Tony.) JIM Wheres the gun? Wheres the gun you punks were shooting at us? TONY I dont know nothing about no gun.
(Jim strikes him and moves back to Lee.)

94.

JIM
Who had the gun? Was it you?

(gestures to Tony)
Him?
LEE Like he said, we dont know nothin about no gun.

(Jim strikes Lee with such force he falls to his knees.)

MIKE Jim... Take it easy... JIM Get up! Get the fuck up or I swear, Ill kill you. (Lee staggers to his feet. Tony has turned away from the wall. Jim rushes over to him.) JIM Who told you to move away from that wall? (Tony, with one hand still against the wall, gestures toward Jims gun.) TONY Quit pointing that thing at me.
(Jim slams him against the wall.)

JIM You just keep your mouth shut. TONY I just want you to listen, give us a chance. You got us mixed up with somebody else.
(Jim smiles maliciously and pulls out a knife.)

JIM You want to fight the police? That it? Youre pretty brave shooting out of a window. (Jim opens the knife and drops it at Tonys feet.)

95.

JIM Pick it up. TONY No. JIM (points the gun at him) Pick it up goddamn it! (Tony picks up the knife.) JIM I could shoot you now, for trying to kill me. Self defense. No one could do a damn thing about it. Am I right? (Tony nods.) JIM Give it to me. (Tony hands him the knife. ) JIM If any of you know any prayers, you should start saying them.
LEE Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name...

JIM I dont believe it... The niggers really praying. (He drops the knife at Lees feet.) JIM Pick it up.
LEE

Youll kill me.

96.

JIM Ill kill you if you dont. (Lee picks up the knife and quickly drops it.) JIM
Pick up the knife and come at me.
LEE

No. JIM Pick it up so I can blow your goddamn head off.

LEE

(straightening up)

Why dont you just kill me? JIM I want you to pick up the knife.
(Lee turns to face the wall. Jim hefts his shotgun like a club and strikes him across the shoulders. The gun breaks in half, the stock separating from the barrel. Lee slides down the floor to his knees.)

JIM
Goddamn nigger broke my gun...
LEE

(on his hands and knees) Im sorry, I didnt mean to break your gun officer.

(Jim sets the broken shotgun on a chair and draws his pistol. He prods Lee with it.)

JIM Stand up goddammit. MIKE Cmon, this is getting us nowhere.

97.

JIM I told you to stand up.

(Lee rises shakily and stands leaning against the wall. Jim turns is attention to the girls.)

JIM We got us some nigger lovers here. Am I right? (to Lisa)

Wheres the gun?

(No answer) Who was shooting at us? Come on, tell us where they hid the gun. (No answer) Which one shot at us? (No answer. He strikes her.) Answer me goddamn it. Im talking to you.
LISA

No one. No one had a gun.

JIM You going to protect these nigger bastards?

LISA

Im not protectin nobody. JIM They must be awful nice to you. We should take these ladies into the other room for some more detailed questioning. (He turns and winks at Mike. Mike is impassive.) CANDY Why cant you leave us alone? We didnt do anything. JIM You like sleeping with these colored boys? White men dont come up to your standards? Maybe you think youre too good for us. Am I right? (MORE)

98.

JIM(cont'd)
(Jim grabs Lisa and throws her into the center of the room. He holds onto her dress as he pushes her away. Her dress rips and he tears it completely off with a violent jerk. He then pulls Candy from the wall and shoves her over where Lisa is cowering.)

JIM (to Candy) Keep those hands over your head.

(He catches the hem of her dress with the barrel of his gun and lifts it up to her shoulder.)

JIM Take it off.

(she balks) Goddamn it you little whore! Take it off!

(Candy pulls off the dress and then tries to cover herself with it. Jim rips it from her grasp and tosses it aside. She is naked except for her panties. Jim whistles. He walks over to where Lee and Tony are spread-eagled against the wall.) JIM
Go ahead. Look.

(They turn and look at the girls.) JIM Proud of yourselves?

(They are silent. Jim pushes them back against the wall. He turns to the girls who are huddled together, Lisa clutching her torn dress, Candy hugging her body with her arms.)

JIM
Get back against the wall.

(Candy tries to retrieve her dress. Jim kicks it away. (MORE)

99.

JIM(cont'd) Mike hesitates and then picks up the dress. He gives it to Candy. Jim glares but says nothing. He forces the girls to lean against the wall.) JIM Were just gonna have to kill these niggers and whores one by one until someone tells us who had the gun. (cocks his pistol)
Who had the gun?

(He moves down the line of prisoners, slapping, hitting, threatening them.) JIM
Who had the gun?

(He puts the gun to each of their heads and asks them individually.) JIM You? Did you have it? How about you? Were you shooting at us? You want to end up like that one over there on the floor?
(He grabs Candy.)

JIM You want to die first or watch them die? CANDY We havent done nothin wrong. Why dont you believe us? JIM Oh, I believe you sweetheart. I believe youd say anything to save your nigger friends. MIKE Maybe we made a mistake. Maybe there isnt a gun here... JIM Whats the matter? Things getting a little too rough for you? MIKE Hey, forget it.

100.

JIM You never really know about a guy until the shit hits the fan. Thats when you find out who you can count on. Right? Am I right? MIKE Im okay. Its just, Im not used to this. JIM Im not some suburban boy coming down here and hating niggers without knowing em. I lived with em all my life. I got a right to hate em.
(Jim grabs Lee and pulls him out of the line.)

JIM Well start with lover boy here. (looking at the other prisoners) Anyone ready to talk?
(No one answers. Jim takes Lee into the adjoining bedroom and closes the door.)

JIM
(to Lee)

Get down on the floor.

(Lee lies down on the floor. Jim fires harmlessly into the
ceiling.)

JIM You stay here and keep quiet. One peep out of you and well come back and really blow your brains out. (Jim returns to the suite.) JIM Thats one less nigger to worry about. MIKE
You killed him?

101.

JIM What do you think? (to the prisoners) Anyone ready to talk? CANDY (to Lisa) It doesnt matter any more, hes dead. (to Jim) The one you just killed, he had the gun. You can leave us alone now. Hes dead. JIM Why didnt you say something before we killed the guy? CANDY
I was scared.

JIM
Where is the gun?

CANDY I dont know, it was just a toy or something. I dont know what happened to it. JIM
What?

CANDY It was just a toy, couldnt shoot nobody with it. He was just playing. JIM
(as if the previous exchange had not taken place) Who was shooting at us? Who had the gun?

(He pulls Lisa away from the wall.) CANDY No! You cant do this! We told you about the gun. (desperate) (MORE)

102.

CANDY(cont'd) Wait! I know where theres some more guns. In another room. Ill show you.
(Jim doesnt believe her. He drags Lisa into the bedroom. Lee remains face down on the floor, perfectly still. Jim closes the door and pushes Lisa face down onto the floor.)

JIM Keep your mouth shut and you wont get hurt.
(He fires into the ceiling and then returns to the suite.)

JIM Who was shooting at us? Who had the gun? (Candy and Tony are near collapse. Neither answers.) JIM
Lets kill the smart ass next.
(Jim grabs Tony and drags him over to where Mike is standing. Mike seems to be in a daze.)

JIM
Your turn to kill one.

(Mike prods Tony with his gun. Candy turns away from the wall and clings hysterically to Tony.) CANDY No... Please don t hurt him... Oh God... Please... (Mike yanks her violently away. Candy falls to her knees. She leans against the wall and sobs. Jim opens the door to the bedroom for them with a flourish.) JIM Make sure you do the job right, you know... (Mike and Tony enter the adjoining room. Mike is pushing Tony in front of him. Tony steps over the prostrate forms of Lee and Lisa and turns to face Mike.)

103.

TONY Please dont kill me. I dont want to die. (Mike is staring at Lisas prostrate form.) MIKE Shes got a nice ass. Dont you think shes got a nice ass? TONY
Please...

(Mike turns his attention to Tony. They stare at each other for a long moment. Mike, his face expressionless, fires. Tony collapses. Mike turns like a robot and returns to the suite.) MIKE
(in a monotone)

That one didnt even kick.

(A look of horror crosses Jims face. He rushes into the adjoining bedroom and sees Tonys lifeless body.) JIM
Jesus mother of god...

(He walks out of the room trying to maintain his composure. He stops and stares at Mike.) MIKE
(a monotone)
Am I right or am I right?

JIM (hissing at Mike) It was a game. You stupid son of a bitch. (Mike stands quietly, looking lost. Jim looks frantically around the room, searching for a solution.)

104.

JIM This isnt over yet.

(He goes into the bedroom and brings Lisa out.)

CANDY
(crying)

Wheres Tony? JIM You forget about him. I ever see either one of you around here and you can kiss your ass good-bye. Comprendez? (They nod.) JIM Were going to let you go this time. You ever talk about anything that happened here and well find you. Understand? Well kill you just like we killed that sniper. (points to Carlos body) Take a good look. We know where to find you. Get going. (The two girls stumble out of the room.) MIKE What if they talk? JIM (He backs slowly into the shadows as he speaks.) They wont talk. Besides, there was nothing else I could do. Thered be too many questions if two white girls turned up dead.
(Mike collapses into a chair at the table and buries his head in his hands. Jim disappears into darkness. Mike opens his eyes and looks around apprehensively.)

MIKE
Jim?

(No answer.)

105.

MIKE
(panicked)

JIM! (Mike realizes he is utterly alone.)

(A moment later, Lee crawls out of the bedroom, stopping in the doorway. Mike slowly raises his gun so that it is pointing at Lee. He is expressionless.)

(The stage goes dark except for a spot on Mike. The Algiers Motel sign goes out. Mike remains motionless, gripping his pistol. A look of horror crosses his face.) BLACKOUT
REPORTERS VOICE Were any of the officers injured Inspector?

INSPECTORS VOICE

No. Thank God.

REPORTERS VOICE Anything about the boys who were killed? Any background?

INSPECTORS VOICE

No. Nothing.
(SILENCE.)

THE END