144
Thursday, September 23rd, 1988, 3:18 P.M.
Charlotte was a nervous wreck. How could she not be? Her whole world was crumbling down around her and she was completely helpless to stop any of it. Belinda had escaped from the Kaiser Mental Institution and could be coming for her at any time. How much retribution would be on her mind? What would be the limits of her revenge?
And what about Myles? Surely a confrontation with him was also right around the corner. Would he expose her to the world? Would anyone want to do business with her anymore once the word got out about her condition? Would there be any way to keep him silent about the issue?
Charlotte stopped pacing back and forth for the moment and went over to the cupboard of her kitchen to retrieve a Valium. Her hands were visibly shaking as she dropped the famous blue pill onto her hand and popped it into her mouth. After she washed it down with a glass of water, she put her hands on the edge of the sink and began talking to herself out loud.
“What am I going to do? What am I going to do? I have to use my power to get out of this… But how? I don’t know what to do… I’ve got to think of something… Think, Caffey, think! She won’t go to the police.. She can’t… She knows that won’t do her any good… Will she come after me? After what I said last night to her in the hospital room, she has to… She’s going to kill me… It’s over… The whole thing is over… My world is over… It came and went in a flash.”
Charlotte’s desperate thoughts suddenly came to a crashing halt. A knock came upon her apartment door. She walked over to it and spoke out—
“Who is it?”
“It’s me, Sheila… I’m sorry to bother you, Miss Caffey, but…”
Charlotte tore open the door and lashed out at her secretary—
“Goddammit, Sheila, I told you not to bother me!”
“I’m sorry, Charlotte, but this man insisted on seeing you… He pushed his way past me.”
A man appeared in the framework of the doorway. It was Myles.
CUE THE INTENSE MUSIC:
DAH- DAH- DAH- DAHHHHH !!!
“I’m assuming you two know each other?” asked Sheila.
Charlotte was frozen solid. She stared at Myles for several seconds before answering Sheila.
“Yeah… We know each other,” answered Charlotte. “Thank you, Sheila. I can take it from here.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Won’t you come in?” Charlotte offered, motioning with her hand for Myles to step inside.
Myles entered Charlotte’s office apartment as she closed the door. He didn’t get very far before he spun around addressed his sexy agitator.
MYLES
Well, well, it looks like
we have a bit of a crisis
on our hands, doesn’t it?
CHARLOTTE
Nice to see you
too, Myles.
MYLES
You know.. I can’t believe
I ever trusted you… You were
the one who told me that
Belinda needed help… You
were the one who suggested
that insane asylum.. like it
was some sort of a wonder
facility… Well, now we know
differently, don’t we?
CHARLOTTE
There’s nothing wrong
with that facility.
MYLES
Oh, no, of course not…
They just allow patients
to escape, don’t they?
And not just any patients…
They allow the famous ones
to escape and make the news.
CHARLOTTE
Belinda had help…
She couldn’t have done that
on her own.
MYLES
Yeah, she had help from Gina,
that little twit..
That doesn’t sound like a
very secure place to me if
Gina can come up with
a master plan.
CHARLOTTE
Gina can be extremely
conniving when she wants to
be… All my girls can. I’m
sure she had help from the
other two… In between
their pie-eating contests.
MYLES
Their what?
CHARLOTTE
Never mind.
MYLES
You know, it’s interesting that
you use the phrase “your girls,”
because none of your girls
want to have anything to do
with you anymore. In fact, one
of them probably wants to flat-out
kill you.
CHARLOTTE
No, she doesn’t… She knows
what’s wrong with me… And
she’ll forgive me… She loves me..
All of them do… In fact.. one of
them is under my spell at this
very moment…
So to speak.
MYLES
You’re sick.
CHARLOTTE
Exactly.
MYLES
(pointing out)
My name.. was on the news this
morning… I can’t have that.
CHARLOTTE
Calm down.
So was mine.
MYLES
Not in the same context as
mine was mentioned…
I.. am an important man in
this town…
They’re trying to vilify me..
Or have you forgotten
how cruel the press can be?
CHARLOTTE
I haven’t forgotten. They try and
vilify me all the time… And I’m
just an innocent, little member
of The Go-Go’s.
MYLES
Yeah, right.. an innocent
little member.
CHARLOTTE
You don’t think
I’m innocent?
MYLES
(pointing out again)
You planted those drugs in our
house… You made me believe
that Belinda had a drug problem,
when the whole time it was you
that had the problem… You had
this sick, twisted idea that you
and I were gonna be a couple.
After I told you repeatedly that
you and I were done with. That
we were never gonna be a couple.
That I loved Belinda with all my
heart.
Charlotte has
nothing to say.
MYLES
And now she knows that
you’re a schizo.
CHARLOTTE
Don’t call me that.
MYLES
Well, that’s what you
are, aren’t you? Some sort
of a schizophrenic or
something?
CHARLOTTE
I’ve been cured.
MYLES
Oh, you’ve been cured..
Bull-shit..
There’s no cure
for that stuff, I looked
it up… For all I know,
you’re… Bonnie Parker,
right now.