HOW TO RUN A
BUSINESS
(The curtain is closed. At center is a table with two chairs. Sitting in the stage right chair is PAULIE, and sitting in the stage left chair is DET. PETERSEN. PAULIE has a cup of coffee and a bowl of soup, while PETERSEN only has a cup of coffee. PETERSEN is a man in his early 40s, with graying hair. He’s still quite in shape.)
PETERSEN
You’re Paul, right?
(PAULIE nods.)
I’m Detective Petersen. We spoke on the phone.
PAULIE
I know.
PETERSEN
It’s good to finally meet you.
PAULIE
Yeah, you too.
PETERSEN
So what was it you needed to talk to me about?
(PETERSEN pulls out a pen and paper. He occasionally writes notes down throughout all of the scenes he is in.)
PAULIE
I need your help.
PETERSEN
Why me?
PAULIE
My name’s Paulie. Paulie Jreembottom.
PETERSEN
Paulie Jreembottom? As in New York Paulie? As in I left New York for some unexplained reason Paulie?
PAULIE
Yeah, that’s me.
PETERSEN
Now I’m really curious why you need my help.
PAULIE
Have you ever heard of Damien Hasbro?
PETERSEN
Wasn’t he your old partner or something?
PAULIE
Somewhat. He worked for me.
PETERSEN
That’s it! Paulie and Damien. You two were involved in the failed takeover of New York’s businesses.
PAULIE
Yeah, he planned, I led.
PETERSEN
What happened?
PAULIE
We were set up.
PETERSEN
Set up? By who?
PAULIE
I’m not sure. Everything was going smoothly. The project was perfect. We were to the point where we could start eliminating actual owners. The first hit was going to be on a man named Carlo. That’s all anyone knew him by. Everything was in place, all we had to do was carry it out. Damien led was then set up with enough people to make sure the job was done. However, when Damien got there, Carlo had more than enough people to shut down any sort of attempt of a takeover. We lost a lot of people that day, and Carlo hasn’t been seen since.
PETERSEN
How did Damien get away, then? You guys were pretty much ambushed, right?
PAULIE
I’m not sure how Damien got away. He was always crafty like that. He’s able to get himself out of anything.
(Pause.)
PETERSEN
Why do you need my help then?
PAULIE
I think Damien is the one who set us up.
PETERSEN
Why would you think that?
PAULIE
He told me Carlo wasn’t there on the day of the hit. The funny thing is, nobody has ever really seen him.
PETERSEN
So I think Damien made Carlo up. I knew he wanted out. He didn’t like the project anymore. He said something about too much change. If we took a large enough blow, the project could fail. If the project fails, we’d be outcast.
PETERSEN
So now you want to get Damien?
(There is a long pause.)
Tell me about him then.
PAULIE
I guess I never realized what kind of friendship we had. We met in New York not too long after I arrived. We shared an apartment while I worked at the restaurant as a busboy and he had random jobs. He never could hold down one steady income. He would always get fired from every place he worked at. Never listened to anybody. When you ask him to do something and he doesn’t want to do it, he doesn’t do it. Until The Owners finally broke him. He did listen to me, though. I think maybe because of the connections I had. He knew what I had gotten into before I did.
PETERSEN
Why didn’t he work there, then?
PAULIE
He just never got hired. He had a bad reputation, so a lot of places wouldn’t hire him.
PETERSEN
Couldn’t you have brought him in?
PAULIE
Not at that point. I was only a busboy. I didn’t even know what was going on.
PETERSEN
And he did?
PAULIE
I guess. He was always bugging me about how work was going.
PETERSEN
I still don’t get it. If you both were such good friends, why are you here now?
PAULIE
Because I lost.
PETERSEN
Lost? You lost what?
PAULIE
Rachel. She was mine and he took her from me.
PETERSEN
Who did? Damien?
PAULIE
After everything I did for him. This is how he treats me.
PETERSEN
This isn’t what I need to know. What I need to know is what happened that night. Someone’s been digging around the station, and they’re gonna find out soon enough.
(Pause.)
Paulie. Where is Damien?
PAULIE
Why would I know that?
PETERSEN
You were the last to see him.
PAULIE
I’m sure others have seen him.
(Slight Pause.)
How’s your soup?
PETERSEN
Dammit, Paulie, stop playing games. I’m trying to save all of ours asses here. We can’t keep playing around like this is a game. We need a story.
PAULIE
You want a story? Alright. Last week, Rachel and I were going to my parent’s for dinner. I had just moved here from New York and I wanted to see them. Dinner with the folks is great. Later, something else happens, when we get back to my apartment.
PETERSEN
What?
PAULIE
That’s what I’m tellin’ ya.
(Lights fade to black as the curtain opens, then lights up very dimly on Paulie’s apartment. It’s a well furnished, modern apartment. There are two leather couches and a leather arm-chair that surround a long coffee table. On the stage right and stage left of the couches are end tables. On the stage right end table is an answering machine and cordless phone. The answering machine blinks as it has one message. The entrance to the apartment is at stage right, and there is a window at the back. The opening to the kitchen is stage left. They are on the third floor of the building. DAMIEN slowly opens the door to the apartment and sneaks in. He walks in toward the answering machine, and then steps on a bat lying in the middle of the floor. The bat rolls out from under him, making him fall onto the end table closest to him, knocking off the answering machine and phone. The answering machine begins to play as DAMIEN begins to pick himself and everything else up.)
PAULIE’S VOICE
Hey, this is Paulie. Leave me a message so I’ll know who to contact. Thank you.
(The answering machine beeps.)
JOHNNY’S VOICE
Paulie, it’s Johnny. We need to talk as soon as possible. There was a situation at the restaurant. I’m not sure if we have the ability to take care of it right now.
(Pause.)
Oh, shit. Paulie, hurry up.
(Beep.)
DAMIEN
(Sighs.)
Perfect.
(He goes to the door, and as he is going to reach for the handle, he hears muffled voices on the other side. He realizes PAULIE and RACHEL are back. He runs back to the couch and sits down. The door opens and PAULIE enters, followed by RACHEL. Then PAULIE flips the light on, lights come up full.)
PAULIE
(Noticing DAMIEN, startled)
Oh my God!
(PAULIE reaches to his side.)
DAMIEN
You can just call me Damien.
PAULIE
Damien! What the Hell are you doing here?
DAMIEN
I heard you had gone back home. I just came by to see for myself. Rachel, it’s great to see you.
RACHEL
It’s been a while, Damien.
PAULIE
You scared me half to death. How did you get in here?
DAMIEN
The door.
RACHEL
(Laughs.)
You always do this, jerk.
DAMIEN
What can I say? I have a knack for being places.
PAULIE
How long have you been here?
DAMIEN
Not too long. I just sat down as I heard you coming in.
PAULIE
Did I have any messages?
RACHEL
(Noticing the bat.)
What’s this doing here?
DAMIEN
No, and I’m not sure. I tripped on it on my way in.
PAULIE
Must be losing your touch.
DAMIEN
You wish I was.
PAULIE
When did you get in?
DAMIEN
About two hours ago.
RACHEL
Where are you going to stay?
DAMIEN
I’ve already got a hotel for the night.
RACHEL
Damien, you’ve known Paulie were coming back here for quite some time. Why’d you really come?
DAMIEN
I just had some time off coming to me, so I decided to see how you guys were doing.
PAULIE
We’re fine.
(Pause.)
Rachel, would you mind getting everyone something to drink?
RACHEL
Um, sure. What would you like?
PAULIE
(To DAMIEN.)
Scotch?
(DAMIEN nods, to RACHEL)
Scotch.
(RACHEL exits to the kitchen. There is a pause.)
Why are you here?
DAMIEN
I told you, I had some time off. I thought you’d be glad to see me. After all, if I’m here, I can’t hurt you there.
PAULIE
Are you sure there were no messages?
DAMIEN
Absolutely.
PAULIE
Hmm.
(PAULIE sits on the couch DAMIEN isn’t on. Pause.)
So have you got any news for me?
DAMIEN
Yeah, there’s something we need to talk about.
PAULIE
Is there a problem?
DAMIEN
No, no problem. We just have a situation.
PAULIE
Really? What’s that?
RACHEL
(Entering with two scotches.)
Here you guys go.
PAULIE
(Not really caring.)
Thanks.
DAMIEN
Thanks. You didn’t get yourself anything?
RACHEL
No, I wasn’t thirsty.
DAMIEN
Okay…
PAULIE
What’s going on out there, Damien?
DAMIEN
It’s looking like there’s going to be some trouble.
PAULIE
Why?
DAMIEN
With you gone, people are starting to think again. Things aren’t going like they used to. There’s been too much activity to keep track of. We don’t know what’s happening in a lot of places.
PAULIE
Who’s missing?
DAMIEN
Well… the deliverymen went missing about a week ago. We haven’t seen a lot of the busboys from other restaurants lately. I think they may try to sneak up on us.
PAULIE
Nope, that’s not how it’s going to happen.
(Looks at RACHEL.)
Um, maybe you’ll wanna not be here for this. Isn’t your show on by now?
RACHEL
Not for another half an hour.
PAULIE
Well, maybe find something?
RACHEL
Okay…
(She exits stage left.)
DAMIEN
Did she have to leave?
PAULIE
Did you want her to stay?
DAMIEN
I guess not. I mean, she could do what she wanted, right?
PAULIE
Not really. She doesn’t really know why we came here.
DAMIEN
Paulie, you swore you’d tell her.
PAULIE
I know, but it just ain’t gonna happen.
DAMIEN
Dammit.
PAULIE
What are you so upset about?
DAMIEN
You do this every time. You tell me you’re going to do something. You even swear it. Then you just forget about it.
PAULIE
Name one time.
DAMIEN
The hit on Carlo!
PAULIE
A slight miscommunication.
DAMIEN
I was almost killed!
PAULIE
A lot of people were killed.
DAMIEN
You just don’t care, do you?
PAULIE
Does it matter?
(Pause.)
I know why you came here.
(PAULIE gets up, he starts pacing back and forth beside and behind DAMIEN. He doesn’t stop pacing.)
DAMIEN
(Finishes his scotch.)
What?
PAULIE
I know what you’re doing. Why you snuck in.
(Pause.)
You came here to take me out.
DAMIEN
No…
PAULIE
I checked my messages before we left my folks’ house. Johnny called. Something happened. What was it?
DAMIEN
I… I don’t know.
(Pause.)
I was sent to keep an eye on you. Nobody back home trusts you or what you’re doing. Everyone knew you had no intention of quitting. They were scared of what you were going to start to do.
PAULIE
So who was at the restaurant? Why did Johnny call me?
(He stops.)
Who’s after me?
DAMIEN
They all are, Paulie.
(PAULIE begins pacing again.)
I’m here to warn you of that. You’re making a lot of people pissed off because of what you’re doing. Frankly, I’m worried for both of our sakes. If they take you down, it’s only a matter of time before they come for me.
PAULIE
Nobody’s comin’ after you, Damien.
DAMIEN
Why don’t you listen to me? You’re not respected any more. Times are changing and they’re not gonna be the way you want. They’re coming for us and there’s nothing we can do about it.
(PAULIE stops pacing. He sits next to DAMIEN.)
PAULIE
It doesn’t matter. It’s too late. By the time they get here, I’ll be too well established for anything to happen to me.
DAMIEN
What about me, Paulie? What am I supposed to do?
PAULIE
I don’t know. What’s your plan?
DAMIEN
I don’t have one. I need your help, Paulie. Some shit’s going down and I don’t like it.
(Pause.)
You might want to call the restaurant.
PAULIE
Something did happen, didn’t it? Why didn’t you tell me, Damien? They’re here already, aren’t they?
(No response from DAMIEN.)
PAULIE (cont.)
Shit. I’m going down there. You better be here when I come back.
(Yelling offstage.)
Rachel! Make sure Damien doesn’t leave. I’ve got to talk to him.
RACHEL
(Entering from hall.)
What’s going on?
PAULIE
I’ve got some stuff to see at work. Just sit tight.
(After he exits, RACHEL sits on the couch that DAMIEN isn’t on. There is a long silence.)
DAMIEN
Why are you here?
RACHEL
What do you mean?
DAMIEN
I mean exactly what I asked. What are you doing here, in Chicago?
RACHEL
I’m here for Paulie. We’re going to get married.
DAMIEN
I know that.
RACHEL
So why is there any question?
DAMIEN
Because I remember you telling me you hated Chicago.
RACHEL
I did. It was always full of crap when I lived here. And it smelled.
DAMIEN
Exactly. I don’t get it. When we were all in New York, you swore you’d never come back here.
(Pause.)
You wanted to act, right?
RACHEL
(Quietly.)
I still do.
DAMIEN
Then stop wasting your time. Sure this is a big city, but New York is the place to be.
RACHEL
New York can’t be the place anymore.
RACHEL
You don’t get it, though. I’ve been around ‘the business’ my whole life. I was born in Detroit. My best friend growing up was Mia Giacolone. Her real name is Maria. Her grandfather is Tony Jack. It’s all in the Metro Detroit area. I move to New York, to act. Then I meet you guys. Not even close to what I wanted in friendships. Basically because you guys were involved.
DAMIEN
You knew about Paulie and me?
RACHEL
I knew about Paulie before Paulie knew about Paulie.
DAMIEN
Then why didn’t you say anything?
RACHEL
It didn’t bother me so much. Paulie never brought his work home with him, and he never discussed it. I was happy pretending to be in the dark.
DAMIEN
But the way he treats you. Like you’re not even there.
RACHEL
What do you mean?
DAMIEN
He’s been treating you like crap. How can you not see that?
RACHEL
(Pause.)
I needed him so I could get out.
DAMIEN
…Get out of what?
RACHEL
I had heard that he wanted to leave. If this was true, and he did it right, I’d be left alone too if I was with him.
DAMIEN
I thought you weren’t involved.
RACHEL
We’re all involved, Damien. The plan was to get all three of us right from the beginning. We all pissed of The Owners somehow, and now we’re going to pay. I didn’t know how until I saw you. You’re here for Paulie, right?
DAMIEN
Yeah, they sent me to take care of him. They said it would be my last test. If I could do this, I could have Paulie’s place.
RACHEL
They knew you weren’t going to do it. That’s why they sent you to Paulie’s new place first. If you destroy his income, it’ll be easier for others to come in and wipe him out. You were just the first step. They knew what Paulie would do.
DAMIEN
Just tell me what’s going on.
RACHEL
You were to take everything away from Paulie, but not kill him. Paulie would retaliate by killing you. Then The Owners would send people in to take care of Paulie and me.
DAMIEN
Why not just go straight after us?
RACHEL
That way no one on the outside would suspect The Owners of being involved. The story would look like it was just a love triangle gone horribly wrong.
DAMIEN
I know what Paulie and I did, but what did you do to The Owners to make them so upset?
RACHEL
They think I was in on it with you and Paulie. They think we’re still a threat. We’ve failed once, but it would be too easy if we were to try again. Enough people are secretly against The Owners that an uprising would be simple.
(Pause.)
DAMIEN
So what do we do then? We’re boned.
RACHEL
Not yet. This is going to be hard… But you have to kill Paulie.
DAMIEN
I can’t kill Paulie. He’s been there for me since the beginning.
RACHEL
He’s never looked out for anyone but himself. He almost got you killed. He’s heartless, Damien. You should know as well as anyone what he does to people he doesn’t like.
DAMIEN
That was just once. It was just a miscommunication.
RACHEL
You were almost killed!
DAMIEN
I knew I wasn’t going to die. I can get out of anything… Except this.
RACHEL
There’s only one way out, Damien.
DAMIEN
What about you, then? Won’t they still come after you?
RACHEL
I’m leaving again. I’m going to hide out for a while out west, then maybe come back when things have cooled down.
DAMIEN
I’m coming with you.
RACHEL
You can’t, Damien. You have a job to do in New York. I need you to start the uprising. People will respect you. They’ll follow you.
DAMIEN
Why can’t Paulie be with me, then? Why does he have to be taken out of the equation?
RACHEL
You said it yourself. Nobody trusts Paulie. He abandoned everyone who was working on the project. He is near the top of a lot of people’s lists. Especially The Owners’.
DAMIEN
Exactly. We’d be playing directly into their plans.
RACHEL
Paulie’s death is in everyone’s plans. There’s no way around this.
DAMIEN
How can you take this so lightly? This is the man you’re going to marry, and you just want me to kill him. What stake do you have in this? Why is he at the top of your list, too?
RACHEL
Who says I’m taking this lightly? I don’t want this to happen as much as you. But I’ve realized that in this life, business comes before emotion. I didn’t want to leave New York. I didn’t even want to take over New York. Why couldn’t we just live our lives the way they were supposed to be lived?
(There is a long pause.)
RACHEL (cont.)
I never wanted to be with Paulie. There was no reason. I just needed to get out of New York. They were coming after me, and Paulie was my only way out. The problem was, the only way I knew he’d take me, was if I was with him.
DAMIEN
No, you were with him before the project even started off the ground. You latched on to him the moment you two met.
RACHEL
I did not! We all went out. The three of us. It only seemed that way because Paulie was the only one who took a chance.
DAMIEN
What?
RACHEL
I liked you, Damien. You were the one I wanted to be with. People would stop trusting in Paulie if I had turned him down. We couldn’t afford to lose morale so close to the project. This was the only way to keep everyone together.
DAMIEN
Keep everyone together? Do you know what happened after you two started dating? Of course you do. Somehow you magically know what’s going to happen. Well, tell me if you saw this coming… I’m leaving.
(DAMIEN gets up, starts heading towards the exit.)
RACHEL
You can’t leave.
DAMIEN
Why not?
RACHEL
You still have a job to do.
DAMIEN
Fuck the job. Fuck you, fuck Paulie, and fuck the whole organization! I can’t do this anymore! Do you understand that? I want out.
RACHEL
This isn’t a game, Paulie. You can’t just quit and run home to mommy when you skin your knees. If you don’t do your job, there will be nothing for you to get out of.
DAMIEN
(Pause.)
Were you really telling me the truth? We’re you waiting for me?
RACHEL
I could only wait so long, Damien. Someone had to take action. It’s just a shame it was Paulie and not you.
DAMIEN
If I finish this job, will that be it? Can I get out?
RACHEL
If it comes down to it, yes. You will be able to leave. You can come with me.
DAMIEN
What about New York?
RACHEL
New York needs you, but it can wait. We can take some time off. Lay low for a while, gather some strength. Then we can take back our town.
DAMIEN
I don’t know if I will be able to come back.
RACHEL
This is what you’ve wanted for so long. You were the one who suggested we take control of the city. You planned the whole thing out. All Paulie had to do was gather the manpower and execute the plan.
DAMIEN
But I can’t do it anymore. I’m losing my touch. I’ve seen too much. I don’t want to hurt any more people. I don’t want this life. I just… I can’t do this anymore… I…
(DAMIEN collapses onto the couch, close to tears. RACHEL rushes to him and comforts him.)
RACHEL
Okay, okay. You won’t have to do anything after this job.
DAMIEN
Can’t we just leave now and let The Owners take care of Paulie?
RACHEL
If we leave before Paulie gets back, he’ll know something’s up. Then he’ll go into hiding while having others search for us. We’d get found, then dead. I’m looking out for us first.
DAMIEN
(Pause.)
I just can’t do it. I just… I’ve known Paulie for so long. I don’t believe he would kill me either. I just don’t see that in him.
RACHEL
He’s going to do whatever it takes to stay alive. If he has to go through you and me, he will.
DAMIEN
It’s just not possible.
RACHEL
Face it, Damien. It has to happen this way. We have to take care of this now. It’s come down to him or us. And I don’t want to lose us.
DAMIEN
We’ll be together?
RACHEL
Of course. It’ll be just us two.
DAMIEN
Promise?
RACHEL
Promise.
DAMIEN
Why did it take this long?
RACHEL
I don’t know. But I guess it’s better late than never.
(They kiss passionately. They move toward the kitchen exit and leave, still in the embrace. The lights fade and the curtains close. The lights come up again with PETERSEN and PAULIE, as in the first scene.)
PETERSEN
If this happened a week ago, how come you’re coming to me about it now?
PAULIE
I tried handling it on my own. I couldn’t get the resources together in enough time. Rachel was right. They had all lost faith in me. No one trusted that I could deliver what I promised anymore. I mean, if one man can ruin my entire business here, what does that say about me? I got run out of New York because we failed at a takeover.
PETERSEN
That wasn’t your fault, though.
PAULIE
That’s not the point. I ran. I came here to Chicago when I should’ve stayed there and fought. A war has been brewing in New York and not many of my people are going to make it.
PETERSEN
A war? What exactly happened with this project?
PAULIE
We were planning on taking over New York, basically. The city is run by a group called “The Owners”. The group consists of any number of people. As of our last report, there were seven people in the group. If Carlo turns out to be a fake, that would make six. The number of man. The Original Owners were very biblical people. They had set rules down before for how many members there could be at a time. In the beginning, there were four members, the number of creation.
PETERSEN
I don’t get it. Why would the numbers mean anything?
PAULIE
It explains why The Owners were so afraid of us. We fit everything to a ‘T’. That’s why we got so many followers too.
PETERSEN
Because there were three of you?
PAULIE
Because we were three. Because of the relationships we had.
(PETERSEN is not understanding.)
Three. The number of divine perfection. Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
(Pause. PAULIE suddenly has a revelation.)
It’s the story of Jesus. We just played out the greatest story ever told, and they knew it all along.
(PAULIE smashes his fist on the table.)
Dammit!
PETERSEN
What? Why is it such a big deal?
PAULIE
Because we were boned from the beginning. We had no chance of succeeding. That’s why they could never touch us. I can’t believe I’ve been a fool for them for so long!
(Pause.)
But that still doesn’t explain why Damien betrayed me.
PETERSEN
Maybe it wasn’t Damien.
PAULIE
Who else would it have been?
PETERSEN
Rachel was the third.
PAULIE
No, Rachel wanted the takeover as much as I did.
PETERSEN
How do you know the conversation that took place? Maybe they could’ve been discussing something different. They could’ve been planning this for a long time.
PAULIE
No, if this was all a plan, why leave me alive?
PETERSEN
I’m not sure.
PAULIE
It just doesn’t make sense.
PETERSEN
It could also be neither of them. Couldn’t The Owners just have known?
PAULIE
No, we were always so secretive.
(Pause.)
Even if it was neither of them, what happened next was just unforgivable.
(The phone then rings four times, after which the answering machine picks up.)
PAULIE’S VOICE
Hey, this is Paulie. Leave me a message so I’ll know who to contact. Thank you.
(The answering machine beeps.)
Rachel? Rachel you better be there. Keep Damien there. I’m comin’ up the stairs right now. I swear to God if either of you is gone, you’re both dead. Do you hear me?
(Beep. After a few moments of silence, the lights come up when PAULIE opens the door and storms in. He notices the light on the answering machine, then looks around the room for DAMIEN and RACHEL.)
PAULIE
Alright, where the fuck are you? Both of ya! Damien!
(He rushes off through the kitchen exit. There is a brief silence.)
Goddammit!
(Two shots are heard from offstage as DAMIEN rushes back onstage, followed by PAULIE then RACHEL. PAULIE holds his gun up as if to shoot at DAMIEN again.)
What the Hell is going on?
(To RACHEL.)
I told you to watch him, not fuck him!
(To DAMIEN.)
And you, I let you take care of New York for me, and this is what I get? You destroyed my restaurant, you come here to kill me, and now you’re foolin’ around with my fiancée. I should shoot you right now.
DAMIEN
Paulie, I had no intention of killing you. I came here to warn ya. I had to do the restaurant, or else they would’ve gotten to me. I swear, Paulie, it was my only choice.
PAULIE
You don’t think they’re not gonna come after you now? Just because you kill my business? No, Damien, the job was for you to kill me. If you fail, they will come after you.
(Pause.)
They knew this would happen though, didn’t they? Their plan was for me to kill you, and they’d come in and clean up. Clever. So no matter what we’re both dead. Unless…
PAULIE (cont.)
(He turns to RACHEL.)
We kill her.
DAMIEN
What?
PAULIE
It’ll be perfect. She’ll be out of the way, and we can hide underground until it’s time to rise again.
DAMIEN
No, Paulie, why does she need to go? Why can’t all three of us just go underground?
PAULIE
What’s the matter with you? You really are losing it, aren’t you? Rachel wasn’t kidding.
DAMIEN
What?
PAULIE
If none of us die tonight, The Owners are going to know that something is wrong. It’ll take at least two days for us to get completely underground. If nothing happens by then, they’ll know and they’ll come. Rachel being killed will be the last thing they expect, so we should be able to throw them off for a while. Or at least long enough to hide.
(He points the gun at RACHEL.)
Rachel, I’m sorry, but it’s my only way out.
RACHEL
No… Paulie please… Damien, do something…
(DAMIEN reaches into his sock and pulls out a small gun, not unlike a Dillinger.)
DAMIEN
Don’t move, Paulie.
PAULIE
(Swings around and lowers his gun, seeing the size of DAMIEN’S.)
What do you plan on doing with that? Bee Bees really aren’t going to hurt me that much.
DAMIEN
(He fires the gun, which is extremely quiet.)
Not Bee Bees, tranquilizers.
(PAULIE falls to the ground, unconscious. DAMIEN first grabs the gun from PAULIE’S hand and sticks it in his pants.)
He’ll only be out for a couple of minutes. We need to secure him down.
RACHEL
(Moving toward DAMIEN.)
How?
(DAMIEN reaches into his other sock and pulls out some plastic ties. The ones that are supposedly unbreakable. He hands a couple to RACHEL.)
DAMIEN
Use these to tie up his feet.
RACHEL
You do this often?
DAMIEN
Not normally, I just like to be prepared.
RACHEL
Always the boyscout.
(When they’ve finished tying up PAULIE, they sit him on the couch.)
DAMIEN
What’s going on, Rachel? Honestly.
RACHEL
I was in on it the entire time… The plan was exactly how I told you it was going to be… The only difference came where I was not going to be killed. They actually thought I was working for them during the project.
DAMIEN
So you played both sides then?
RACHEL
I only gave them enough information to make them happy. It was normally very unimportant stuff. It was really odd. No matter what they tried, there was always something that went wrong for them. Like it was impossible to get us.
RACHEL (cont.)
(Pause.)
Who do you think had been getting all of the intelligence on The Owners? It was me, Damien. I was using them to get what I needed.
(There is a long pause.)
DAMIEN
They’re coming, aren’t they?
(RACHEL nods.)
You knew?
(RACHEL nods again.)
You were going to let them take us both out?
(RACHEL shakes her head.)
Then what was going to happen?
RACHEL
My plan was to leave Paulie here, and make The Owners take care of him if you wouldn’t. I anticipated you wouldn’t, so I called in plan B.
DAMIEN
Plan B?
PAULIE
(Slowly regaining consciousness.)
Storm the place and kill us both. They were just trying to use some finesse. If that failed, we gotta die somehow.
RACHEL
Right.
PAULIE
(Seeing he’s tied.)
Looks like I lost.
DAMIEN
I’m sorry, Paulie. But it’s our only way out.
PAULIE
What do you plan on doing? You can’t go back to New York.
RACHEL
We know that. We’ll probably head out west. Lay low in Seattle for a while till things cool down.
(PAULIE smiles.)
What?
PAULIE
You do know they’re not going to kill me, right? I know where you’re headed and what your plans are. They’ll be able to find you both too easily.
DAMIEN
Well, it looks like everyone is screwing themselves over tonight.
(He pulls the gun from his pants.)
This is a handy little gun you have here, Paulie… I really wish I didn’t have to do this.
PAULIE
You really don’t have to.
DAMIEN
Why not?
RACHEL
Don’t listen to him, Damien.
PAULIE
Be quiet, Rachel.
DAMIEN
You tell me why.
PAULIE
If we go right now, we should have time to hide in Chicago for the night. I know a guy who is always ready. We should be able to catch something out of here in the morning heading west. All three of us. We should be able to get out.
(Pause.)
PAULIE and RACHEL
(Simultaneously.)
Damien?
DAMIEN
We have to leave right now?
RACHEL
Damien, no.
PAULIE
Just untie me and we can take my car.
RACHEL
Damien, stop. Don’t listen to him. If you let him go, you will not make it out of this house alive.
DAMIEN
(To Paulie.)
Why should I believe you?
PAULIE
Because you trust me. We’ve been like brothers since the beginning. I’ve done everything I can to help you. We compliment each other. I’m the ying to your yang. You need me.
(Pause.)
DAMIEN
No.
PAULIE
No?
RACHEL
No?
DAMIEN
No. I don’t need you. I’ve done everything I can for you. I have someone else now. Rachel and I, we can start fresh. I’m done with this business. I want to try something else. Something with less… death.
PAULIE
Then what is it you’re doing now?
DAMIEN
My job. You see, Paulie, in this business the job comes before the emotion. I’ve realized this now. Ever since we knew each other you’ve been doing whatever it takes to get ahead, while I’ve been barely scraping by on what you leave me. I’ve had enough of it. I’m going to settle down, quit the business. I’m not going back to New York. At least not until everyone has forgotten who I am. And now, if it means I have to do my job in order to lead a normal life, it’s a hefty price…
(The lights quickly blackout. Then the sound of the gun falling to the floor is heard. After about a minute, the sound of a gunshot. The curtain closes. Lights up on PAULIE and PETERSEN, in the same arrangement as in the first scene.)
PETERSEN
I don’t get it. You were left there tied up, and you somehow managed to escape and kill Damien? That doesn’t make any sense.
PAULIE
You wanted a story, you have a story.
PETERSEN
It’s not believable though.
PAULIE
Why not?
PETERSEN
From the story you told, Damien would not have just let you go. And if he had, you wouldn’t be here right now looking for him.
PAULIE
Interesting theory. The problem here is that I have no manpower to search for him. So, I’m coming to the one place that always has the manpower available to search for a murderer.
PETERSEN
Murderer? Who did he kill?
PAULIE
Rachel.
PETERSEN
No, impossible.
PAULIE
Is it? Could he not have been so distraught over the story unfolding to him that he would end up killing her and thinking he left me for dead?
PETERSEN
But Rachel is still alive. We haven’t found her body yet either.
PAULIE
Then how do you know?
PETERSEN
Stop it. How much of this story is true?
PAULIE
(Pause.)
All of it.
PETERSEN
Bullshit. What really happened?
PAULIE
If you don’t want to believe me, fine. I’ll be able to find him myself.
(PAULIE gets up.)
PETERSEN
No wait.
(PAULIE sits.)
Okay, let’s say I do believe you and this story is real. Where do you suggest we start searching for Damien and Rachel?
PAULIE
New York.
PETERSEN
I thought you said they were planning on heading west for a while until things cooled off?
PAULIE
I thought about that for a while, but it wouldn’t have been worth it to them to hide out. If they were smart they’d be in New York right now, gathering some troops.
PETERSEN
So why me? Why not get to New York first?
PAULIE
You don’t get it. I’m a dead man if I go back there. I’ve got to stay here, and play it safe.
PETERSEN
Won’t they send more people after you?
PAULIE
With Damien and Rachel back in New York, they’ll forget about me for a bit. The Owners don’t know it yet, but they’re gonna get screwed.
PETERSEN
And you’re just biding your time out here until then?
PAULIE
No, I actually can’t go back unless I try to take New York myself. And if Damien and Rachel get a hold of it, it’ll be impossible.
PETERSEN
What do you need from me?
PAULIE
A distraction. I need something to get both of them back in Chicago.
PETERSEN
What would ensure that?
PAULIE
I need you to get the word out that Paulie is dead.
PETERSEN
How would that help?
PAULIE
They’re going to want confirmation. This is too big to send a grunt, so they’ll personally come. That’s when I’ll be able to track them down.
PETERSEN
You think your death will bring them out of hiding?
PAULIE
Why not? It put them into hiding.
PETERSEN
What?
PAULIE
You know that question, “Why do good things happen to bad people?” I’ve figured out the answer.
(Paulie pulls a gun under the table and shoots PETERSEN a la Han Solo shooting Greedo. This gun, however, has a silencer.)
There are no good people.
(PAULIE gets up and grabs PETERSEN’S radio, and speaks into it.)
PAULIE
We have an officer down at O’McFlausten’s. The attacker was identified as Paul Jreembottom.
OFFICER’S VOICE
Copy that. Putting out an APB to apprehend Paul Jreembottom on site. Is potentially armed and dangerous.
PETERSEN
(His last breath.)
Oh my God.
(PAULIE gets up from the table, wipes gun off on a napkin, then sets the gun on the table.)
PAULIE
(Exiting.)
You can just call me Damien.
(Quick Blackout.)