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41 A Crime in the City
Оглавление(F = Frenchie, L = Lauren, W = Waitress, A = Attendant, N = Newscaster, Man)
| (At a lunch counter in a deli-restaurant in New York City) | |
| F | Oh! So sorry. |
| L | Excuse me. Is this seat taken? |
| F | No. Of course it’s free – for you. |
| L | Gee, thanks. Thanks a lot. I haven’t seen you here before. |
| F | No, you haven’t. It’s my first time in New York. |
| L | Well, you can spend your whole life at this counter waiting to be served. But you gotta hand it to them. |
| They have the best pastrami in town. Say! You’re British, aren’t you? | |
| F | English, actually. |
| L | My name’s Schmidt. Lauren Schmidt. |
| F | ffrench. The Honourable Pilkington Booth ffrench. With two f’s. |
| L | The Honourable? |
| Son of a lord? No kidding? You here on vacation? | |
| F | I suppose it’s a sort of holiday. |
| I’ll do a bit of sightseeing. Maybe a bit of work, too. | |
| L | Oh! What sort of work? |
| F | Oh, business – you know – |
| L | Real estate? Stock market? Wall Street? |
| F | Anything to do with money, actually. I’ll take what comes along. |
| L | So what do you think of the Big Apple? |
| F | Big Apple? |
| L | New York. We call it the Big Apple. |
| F | Fine city. Romantic … |
| L | Romantic? Let me give you a piece of advice. For free! Take care where you go in this city. It’s a mighty rough place. There’s a lot of crime around. |
| F | What about your police? They can handle it, I’m sure. |
| L | Yes. But they’re very busy a lot of the time. Too busy to keep an eye on everybody. |
| F | Oh, I see. A useful piece of information. Thank you. |
| L | So take care where you go. Specially at night. Keep away from Central Park. And mind how you go on the subway. |
| F | Subway? Ah, yes. Not quite like the London Underground. Excuse me. I must be going. But I’d like to see you again. |
| L | Sure! What about here? Around noon, tomorrow. |
| F | Yes. Splendid! Well, cheerio! |
| L | Have a good day! And take care! (Frenchie leaves) |
| W | Hey, mister! Your check! |
| L | Don’t worry. He’ll be back tomorrow. Now, how about a pastrami on rye and a coke? |
| W | All right, lady. You got it. |
| (Frenchie somewhere in New York City, knocking at a door) | |
| F | Good afternoon. Joe sent me. From London. |
| (the door is opened from inside) | |
| F | Silent type, isn’t he? |
| Man | Guess so. You’re Frenchie, aren’t you? |
| F | At the moment I’m the Honourable Pilkington Booth ffrench, with two … |
| Man | Aw, you can cut that out with me. You’re Frenchie and you’re here for a piece of the action. Right? |
| F | Well, I certainly need a bit of cash. |
| Man | You got it. On my terms. I say what goes round here. OK? |
| F | OK. |
| Man | Right. It’s a hold-up. A liquor store. Uptown. Corner of 96th and Lexington. |
| F | All right. Sounds fine. |
| (man gives him a gun) | |
| Man | You’ll need a piece. Here! |
| F | Oh, no. I don’t like guns. |
| Man | I said a hold-up. |
| F | Oh, all right. I’ll take it. |
| Man | You have transportation? |
| You have a car? | |
| F | No. But I’ve got a map. Now, let’s see. I’ll take a cab to Grand Central Station. Then Underground – sorry, the subway. Take the subway to Times Square. That’s down the stairs and into the line 7. Change to line 1 for West 59th Street. Walk through Lincoln Center and across Central Park. That takes me out on Fifth Avenue. A bus uptown to 96th Street. Walk three blocks and I’m there. |
| Man | You crazy? That’s round the world. |
| F | I like to make sure I’m not being followed. |
| Man | Well, you sure will be followed if you wear those clothes … |
| F | Oh, I’ll change my jacket and my trousers. And I’ll put on this pair of spectacles. And … |
| Man | OK. Do anything you like, but get there just before closing. It’s the end of the week, so you should get about five grand. Bring it back here. We’ll split it fifty-fifty. |
| F | Two thousand five hundred dollars each, eh? |
| Man | Say! He’s quite smart after all. |
| F | I’ll be off, then. See you later. |
| Man | Make sure that you do. It wouldn’t be healthy otherwise. |
| Get hold of Larry for me and tell him that if he doesn’t … | |
| (scene changes to liquor store) | |
| F | That’s good. But don’t move for two minutes because you might get hurt if you do. |
| A | Please, mister. I didn’t do anything. I didn’t move. |
| F | No. But I nearly forgot the cash. |
| A | I didn’t move. |
| F | And I forgot my map. I’d be lost without it. |
| Lincoln Center, New York City | |
| (scene changes back to deli- restaurant) | |
| N | … and the weather in New York City will be hot again, with a little light rain … |
| W | What can I get you? |
| F | I’m waiting for someone, actually. But I’ll have a cup of coffee. |
| N | And here is the local news. The police are looking for a man who held up a liquor store last night and took five thousand dollars at gunpoint. The police have issued the following description of the man, who is thought to be a well-known London criminal, Frenchie Boots, alias the Honourable Pilkington Booth. He is about six feet tall, a hundred and eighty pounds, with fair hair … |
| (F is making for the door when he comes up against Lauren) | |
| F | Ah, hello. I’m afraid I’ve got to leave. I’m in a bit of a hurry. |
| L | Lauren Schmidt, lieutenant, 31st Precinct. Sorry, Frenchie. I’m taking you in for armed robbery. |
| I’d like to see the contents of that bag, officer. | |
| F | I think there’s been some kind of mistake. |
| L | It was your mistake, Frenchie. |
| I gave you a piece of advice, remember? Take care where you go at night. |
