59
Monday, July 27th, 1987, 8:15 P.M.
We now resume the conversation that was being held between Kathy and Jane from page 41 entitled “The Confrontation.” Jane has inquired about the mysterious and certifiably dead Anton Khudobin, indicating she might know more than she should, while Kathy has revealed that she has been investigating Charlotte, along with her sudden plans to sell her house and move back to Texas. All of this, including the upcoming conversation, has taken place before Jane’s horrific nightmare, in which she dreamt that Kathy attacked her with a kitchen knife and cut out her unborn child. This led to the subsequent comforting by Kathy in the guest bedroom. (That was good, wasn’t it?)
Needless to say, these two have a lot to talk about.
Kathy grabs a bottle of Scotch and a couple of tumblers from her cabinet. She fills the glasses to the rim with ice. Her and Jane then proceed to make themselves comfortable around the table in Kathy’s breakfast nook because everyone goes to the kitchen when it’s time for a serious conversation.
Why is that?
Kathy dims the light for the right atmosphere. She trickles some of the whiskey over the ice in Jane’s glass.
If this were a movie, there would be tense, string music going on in the background.
KATHY
I figured we’d better
have some of the good
stuff for this little talk…
This is forty-year-old
Johnnie Walker.
Yeah, I know.
Forty-year-old Scotch
should only be drank
neat. No ice.
JANE
Fine. At this point,
I’ll take anything.
Jane takes a sip.
JANE
(acknowledging)
It’s good.
KATHY
I’m not sure where
this conversation
should begin.
JANE
Maybe I should go first.
KATHY
Okay, go ahead.
JANE
You mind telling
me why you’re moving
back to Texas?
KATHY
Actually, I jumped the gun
a little bit on that one.
JANE
What do you mean?
KATHY
I’m only moving back there
temporarily… And I’m not
sure if I’m gonna sell my
house here.
JANE
Why are you going
back there?
KATHY
Uh… you’re not gonna believe
this.. but.. I’m looking into
some business ventures back
there.
JANE
Business ventures? …
You mean—This doesn’t
have anything to do with
the fact that you’re
from there?
KATHY
Nope.. It’s just
a coincidence.
JANE
(skeptical)
Okay… What business interests
could you possibly be looking
into in Texas?
KATHY
You’re not gonna
believe this.
JANE
Don’t tell me…
KATHY
Oil.
JANE
OMIGOD!!
They laugh.
JANE
Okay…Someone’s been
spending WAY too much
time with Charlotte!
KATHY
Actually, it was my idea.
JANE
You see! You see!
You do have that “Dallas”
shit on your mind… You’ve
never gotten over that! How
you gonna be in movies and
be an oil… baron.. at the same
time?
KATHY
I’ll just have to take it one
step at a time.
JANE
And I suppose Charlotte
pushed you into this?
KATHY
Like I said… It was my idea.. and..
she liked it.. so.. she said she
would back it… Whatever I wanted
to do… I did get the idea from seeing
all the derricks going up and down my
whole life growing up though.
JANE
You can’t leave…
I’ll miss you too much.
KATHY
You’ll still see plenty
of me.. Don’t worry.
JANE
You takin’ your
mom with you?
KATHY
Whenever she
wants to go.
Jane takes an
extended pause.
JANE
You sure you’re not
leaving California
because of the
trouble you’re in?
KATHY
Trouble? I’m not in
any trouble. In fact,
life is fantastic.
It couldn’t be better.
JANE
Really?
You sure about that?
KATHY
I’m assuming this is about
Mr. Khudobin?
JANE
Who else?
KATHY
Jane, no one is going to find his
body. We’ve been over this a
million times. No body— case
closed. The cops have nothing.
It’s been over a year now. If
something would’ve gone down,
it would have happened by now.
JANE
No, I get that. They’re not going
to find the body… I get that.
KATHY
Then what are
you worried about?
JANE
I’m a little more
concerned about
your involvement.
Kathy begins to
take a serious
interest in Jane’s
statement.
KATHY
Alright, Jane… Let’s have it…
The time has come..
for you to lay your cards
out on the table…
How did you find out I
hired Khudobin?
JANE
I might have screwed up.
KATHY
Jane? What did you do?
Did you go snoopin’ around
like everybody told you
NOT to do?!
JANE
I couldn’t help it.
KATHY
What do you mean, you
couldn’t help it?! What
did you do, Jane? Just
tell me.
JANE
I went and hired a private
detective of my own.
Kathy’s eyes
become wide
as saucers.
KATHY
You WHAT?… Ohh, Jane,
why did you do that?! Don’t
you know what that means?
You’ve brought a third party
into this. Now, some outsider
knows about our business.
Why would you do such a thing?
JANE
Because I wanted to find out what
really happened! None of it made any
sense. Like, why was Khudobin even
there in the first place? Why would
you invite a private detective— that
YOU hired to spy on Charlotte— to
a party where she could see him right
out in the open?!! Huh?!! Why would
you do that? And I don’t remember
even seeing him there!.. And neither
does anyone else! How can you
explain that?
Kathy is beside herself.
She tries to sidestep
Jane’s all-important
accusation.
KATHY
What difference does it make how
he got there, Jane?! The fact is, he got
there somehow.. And now he’s dead.. And
we buried him in the back yard. You, me,
Belinda, Charlotte, and Gina. Okay? We
buried his ass in the back yard. Those
are the facts and that’s all there is to it.
What more do you need to know?!!
JANE
Like how did he die, Kathy? HUH?!!
How did he die?!
KATHY
I don’t know how he died. You and
I have discussed this a million times.
We don’t know!…. But as far as
everyone else is concerned, he died
from a cocaine overdose. That’s
what everybody thinks and we’re
sticking to it. Belinda doesn’t even
care anymore. I don’t care. Gina
doesn’t care. Who gives a shit how
he died anymore, Jane?
JANE
There was no real evidence of a
cocaine overdose, Kathy. All we saw
was a dead body layin’ in Belinda’s bed.
There was no autopsy. You and I both
know this…. And why Gina and Belinda
don’t give a shit about this anymore, I’ll
never know… I guess we can thank our
lucky stars they’ve just let it go.
KATHY
Well, there was pile of coke layin’ on the
mirror next to Belinda’s bed… We’ll just
have to go with that…. It doesn’t matter
anyway, Jane. If everyone else is willing
to let the matter die, then why keep
bringing it up?
JANE
Belinda swears up and down that
she didn’t party with that guy.
KATHY
Oy, you’re not letting this go.
JANE
Got an answer for that?
KATHY
Oh, what does Belinda know?
She was all fucked up.
JANE
No, she wasn’t!!
And don’t say that
about her! I’ve known her
a lot longer than you have!
Kathy rolls
her eyes.
JANE
… and when she says something like that,
I believe her! Look, one thing about Belinda,
that chick can hold her own. She can yack,
come back and attack till the wee hours of
the morning… and still make it to work on
time. So when she says she didn’t party with
that guy, I believe her.
Kathy relents.
KATHY
So, what are you saying, Jane?…
You still think somebody killed him?
You still think Rocco did it?
I just told you that he didn’t.
Jane looks at
Kathy and smiles
like a Cheshire cat.
JANE
(suspiciously)
I don’t know, Kathy. (pause) You know…
you’ve changed your position a lot over
the past year… At first, you were on
my side… Right after it happened,
you told me ALL about your suspicions
with Charlotte… Then… all of a
sudden… about a month later… you
started to act completely different
about the whole thing… So maybe
you’d like to tell me… Did you do it?
KATHY
You gotta’ be fucking kidding me.
Copyright 2021
by Clark Wright