Roger and Gary - Costa Verde

Friday, July 20 and Monday, July 23, 1990

Scene: A small dirty dark room, containing a cot: Alan-Michael's temporary prison.

GARY SWANSON rushes in looking for ALAN-MICHAEL, ready to play hero. But he gets a surprise ...

GARY [as if to Alan-Michael]: Quick! I've got to get you out of here before ...

ROGER: Before you die?

ROGER grabs GARY and shoves him up against the wall.

ROGER: You made a very big mistake, Gary. Where's the money?

GARY: There.

ROGER: Good. [ROGER pulls a gun on him.] Now, I suggest you say your prayers.

[Throughout the rest of the scene, ROGER keeps the gun on GARY. GARY's reactions fluctuate between abject terror and pompous stupidity. ROGER finds him to be an idiot.]

GARY: Wait a minute. You don't think I'm the kidnapper. What are you doing?

ROGER: Tryin' to come up with a reason not to kill you. I just can't.

GARY: You got it wrong.

ROGER: I don't think so.

GARY: If I was in on it why would I be here with the money? I'd be in Tahiti. [He looks towards the entrance.]

ROGER: Nobody's gonna come through that door.

GARY: What?! The kidnapper . . .

ROGER: He's not gonna help you now. Nobody's gonna care.

GARY: Wait a minute. You won't do it. Because I've got something you want. Put the gun down, Roger. I'd say it's time to negotiate.

ROGER: You have nothing that I want.

GARY: I've got a tape! I've got a tape. Proof that Blake faked the pregnancy to Alan-Michael so that she could marry another Spaulding!

ROGER: That's it?

GARY: Blake must have told the story better. How long do you think Alan-Michael's gonna stick around when he finds out that she's snared another Spaulding. Huh? NO!!! She's not gonna let this Spaulding go. The list is getting too short.

ROGER: It's a shame . . . you aren't gonna be around to show that tape to anybody.

GARY: Anything happens to me, there's an attorney with instructions to release a copy to Alexandra.

ROGER: You're bluffing.

GARY: One of us is, Roger. And it's not me. People know I'm here. One way or the other, you can't afford to explain another corpse.

ROGER: It'll go something like this. You were desperate. You reached for the gun. There was a struggle. A horrible accident. That's all I have to say. I just won't say to anybody how much I enjoyed it.

GARY: But you won't do it. Will you? Because you've got . . . you're wrapped around Blake's little finger. And if she wants Alan-Michael, you will get him for her.

ROGER: YOU TRIED TO KILL HER!!! [Then, more quietly] She told me a lot about you, Gary. Like, how you tied her up in the boiler room the night of the bomb.

GARY: [Backing down onto the cot] I didn't know anything about the bomb, Roger. I just wanted to scare her!

ROGER: You're not very good at this, are ya?

GARY: It's the truth! I got around there before anything happened!!

ROGER: Only because you found something on the tape to blackmail her with!

GARY: WAIT A MINUTE!!! JUST WAIT A MINUTE!! I LOVE BLAKE!!

ROGER: Me too. Enough to kill for her! Did you think I was really gonna let you get away with this?

GARY: Wait a minute, Roger. I told you I wanted to marry her. I loved her. I would have done anything for her. I spilled my guts out to you and you know that. And all she did was just play me for the fool!!

ROGER: Yeah, and you were gonna kill her for it.

GARY: I'd already told you . . .

ROGER: But you decided to settle for blackmail.

GARY: HOW? HOW did you think I knew that something else was on that tape??!! HOW COULD I ??!! I just sat there alone in a hotel room watching this tape of Blake.

ROGER: I AM TOUCHED!!

GARY: AND I LOVED HER!! I loved her. What was I supposed to do? Just sit back, and just let her treat me like dirt? Is that what I was supposed to do? What kind of man would I be?!

ROGER: MAN!!!!??? You call yourself a man??!! You bully, you threaten, you HIT her!!!

GARY: I did not want to do that!! You don't know!! She made me do it!!

[ROGER looks at GARY very quickly, appraisingly, contemptuously, as though vaguely remembering something. The glance does not bode well for GARY, and GARY realizes it . . .]

ROGER: Who's got the tape, Gary?

GARY: If I tell you that I'm a dead man.

ROGER: Just tell me -- who has the tape?

GARY: You're crazy! Yeah, you're crazy. I was gonna give it all to her, lay it all at her feet, because I would have given her anything. And what did she do? She just SPIT IN MY FACE!!

ROGER: You have ten seconds.

GARY: I loved her. But she lied. Roger, she lied--and she just LIED and LIED and LIED! If everything had gone all right with Phillip, she would not have given him the divorce. Everything would have been perfect, just fine. All the money was right there for the taking. No, she didn't love Alan-Michael. She didn't even need him. She loved ME, Roger. She loved ME!!

[ROGER looks not only contemptuous but very quizzical at this moment.]

ROGER: You were gonna kill Phillip? You set that up?!

GARY: No! It was Neil!! I could never have done that. But it was perfect. It was perfect. Everyone would have gotten exactly what they wanted. Even you.

ROGER: I'm not sure Phillip would agree.

GARY: She should have trusted me. She should have trusted me, because she said she wanted money. And I was gonna give her the money. I was gonna give her all the money in the world, Roger ... because ... I loved her. You can't kill me for that.

ROGER: Look at you. Did you really think you were gonna pull this off? ... You're dangerous Gary. You know why: you're stupid. You're third rate. You're a coward. I'd be doin' you a favor, puttin' you out of your misery.

GARY: You need me, Roger.

ROGER: I'll tolerate you. For my daughter's sake. For the moment.

GARY: [Getting pompous again.] Fine. Fine. You call it whatever you want.

ROGER: YOU SHUT UP AND LISTEN!!! You never come near Blake again. Or her family. Okay. You resign from Spaulding, effective immediately. You tell Phillip, "Hey, I decided to branch out on my own." You know, tell him anything you want, but make it very convincing. You never set a foot on Spaulding property; you never call anybody on the phone. You don't exist. And I'm revoking your engineering license.

GARY: You can't do that.

ROGER: Watch me.

GARY: How am I supposed to work!!??

ROGER: Hey, pal. That's your problem. One more thing: If Alan-Michael ever finds out about that tape -- if ANYBODY EVER finds out about that tape ... [grabbing GARY by the necktie] you are going to die, and it will be VERY SLOW!!!! You understand??

GARY: Yes, I understand.

ROGER lets go of GARY's tie and lets him drop. Then, ROGER looks at him for a minute, and turns, picks up the briefcase full of money, and quietly, almost calmly, leaves the room.

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Honeymoon Reunion