9
Wilbur at the Dam Control Office is on the radio. "I'd love to help you, Sheriff, but I can't leave! If the water goes over the top again it's bye-bye, dam! Bye-bye, town! In fact, I could use a little help up here myself."
The Sheriff is in his boat; Andy is back in his own. The Sheriff is on the radio. "Wilbur, remember when Sean Crane holed up in Jack Finch's barn and said he was gonna burn it down?"
"Hey, I was the one who got the dumb son-of-a-bitch to come out." Wilbur replies.
"Right. And before you went in, I deputized you, you dumb son-of-a-bitch! So when I say get down here, it's not a request, it's an order." Sean roared "So get down here! Now! I won't need you for long. And bring your gun."
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Meryl is talking to Jack "We were gonna hit you just before you got on the Interstate, but then you got stuck so we had to change our plans and take you …"
"Bullshit. This is all bullshit."
"I knew Archie when we were both working construction for the Johnstown
company. His middle name was McCarthy because his parents loved Archie
McCarthy on the radio. His wife's name was Mary. She died of a heart-attack last year. He has a daughter and a son, both grown with children of their own. I'm afraid I don't know the names of the grandchildren."
Jack looks down, not wanting to believe.
"What else do I know...? Oh, yes. I know Uncle Archie was trying to steer his favourite nephew away from a life of crime."
Jack suddenly lunges for Meryl. Dean yanks Jack back as Jack ylls with anguish "Why'd you shoot him? Kill Archie and you get to keep another share?"
No, That was an accident. Gene shot him." Meryl eyes Eugene sadly "I never told him Archie was on my side. Gennie liked to talk. He shouldn't've been here. But his dad asked me to watch over him. I guess I didn't do the best job."
"Excuse me, Meryl. I hate to interrupt and all, but could we just get the money and get the hell out of here?" Dean asks softly.
Meryl nods then turns back to Jack "I'm gonna ask you one more time. And before you think of bullshitting me again, keep in mind I have had a very frustrating night. And while I know I'll never get the money if I kill you, it's getting to the point where I just don't care."
Meryl casually aims his gun at Jack.
"I'll tell you where it is. But it's not going to do you any good."
Meryl arches an eyebrow.
"The Guard may not be coming, but someone else sure as hell is."
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At the controls of his boat Sean is looking towards the cemetery, moving fast, splattered by rain. Ianto and Gwen are in the back of the boat. Andy is close behind in his boat.
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"I'll take my chances." Meryl says calmly.
Jack pauses, looks over to... the crypt. Just the top of it is visible. Two more coffins float nearby.
"There."
Meryl steers the ski-boat over, hands Jack a flashlight. "Well, go get it."
Jack climbs over the edge of the ski-boat and into the water. He turns on the flashlight and drops below the surface.
Dean is eyeing Jack in water "At night we'd go down to the river and into the river we'd dive." Springsteen, "The River." I'm all out of bible quotes."
Jack shines his light on... the crypt One end of a rope is tied to the crypt. The other end, cut and frayed, is suspended in the water, waving in the current.
Meryl watches Jack's light rise. Jack comes up fast, takes a breath. "It's gone."
"What?"
Jack looks smug "Looks like somebody beat you to it."
"Oh for Christsake - I'm gonna shoot him, Meryl."
Dean grabs pistol in his belt. Before he can pull it out, holes puff out of his chest, followed by blood and then the sound of the rifle-shots. Dean tumbles into the water. A half-second later there's... a hail of bullets ripping into the ski-boat, water, trees, crypt.
The Sheriffs bot and Andy's boat are outside the fence, a hundred feet from the crypt. He and Andy and Gwen fire their guns.
Jack ducks underwater.
Meryl pulls his pistol, returns fire.
Mr. Mehlor opens fire with a shotgun, shooting wild, yelling. Then he's hit and knocked out of the boat, dead.
"Stop! You'll hit Jack!" Ianto screams with horror.
The Sheriff stops shooting, yells at the others. "Hold your fire!"
Andy and Gwen stop shooting.
Jack is holding onto a coffin, out of view of the Sheriff. He hears a rush of bubbles and turns as... Meryl comes to the surface, breathing deep.
Meryl's gun comes out of the water fast and the barrel goes to Jack's forehead.
There's an adrenal fire in the Sheriff's eyes. He starts his boat forward, Andy following. Their lights find...No sign of life. Then there's a sound and the lights sweep over to find... Jack and Meryl climbing up on top of the mostly-submerged crypt. Meryl is behind Jack with his gun to Jack's head.
Sean stops his boat. Andy stops, too. They are thirty yards from Meryl and Jack.
A look passes between Jack and Ianto.
Meryl shouts to the Sheriff "Now, sir, I can imagine you'd love nothing more than to shoot me, but I caution you - in order to do that, you're gonna have to shoot through young Jack here."
Sean thinks for a second, then shrugs. "Okay."
He raises his rifle.
Ianto realizes what is about to happen.
Jack and Meryl also clue in, but before they can move... Sean squeezes the trigger as... Ianto hits the gun with his arm.
The rifle fires.
Jack is grazed in the arm by the bullet.
Sean smacks Ianto hard with his rifle and Ianto tumbles out of the boat, unconscious.
Jack and Meryl throw themselves back off the crypt as... Sean and Andy empty their guns in their direction.
Meryl Returns fire, shooting blindly over the top of the crypt.
Gwen Reaches for Ianto, floating limp in the water, but... Andy Is closer. He grabs Ianto and pulls him into his boat, then grins at Gwen.
Jack and Meryl are behind the crypt. Jack holds his bleeding arm. Meryl reloads.
"Well, that was unexpected." Jack pants.
"Is he the one you thought was coming to your rescue?" Meryl laughs hollowly.
No answer from Jack, but the answer is clear.
The Sheriff and Andy reload.
"Anyone mind telling me what the hell is going on?"
The Sheriff, Andy and Gwen turn to see...Wilbur in his boat, right behind them, all dressed up in hunting gear, rifle at the ready.
"Hey, Wilbur. That money I told you about? From the armoured car? We're gonna keep it. Three million dollars. Four ways." Sean says conversationally as he shoots at the crypt "Seven fifty apiece. You okay with that?"
Wilbur is stunned. He doesn't answer.
"Wilbur? You okay with that?"
"Seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars?" Wilbur repeats then takes a beat, grins "Damn straight I'm okay with that."
Andy is grumbling, re: Wilbur "Don't see what we needed him for Sheriff"
"Then I guess you've never been hunting with Wilbur." Sean snorts, then calls to Wilbur "We got two behind that crypt. Get 'em."
Wilbur nods. He motions for Andy to go one way; he'll go the other. They start off. A blind shot comes from Meryl behind the crypt. The Sheriff shoots back.
Gwen finally musters up the courage to say something. "Maybe I'm not okay with it."
"Come on now, Gwen."
"You're gonna kill people?"
"They're looters, Gwen! They come and steal from an armoured truck in our town - they're looters."
"What about Jack? What about Ianto?" she demands "They're not looters."
"No, they're witnesses." The Sheriff fires off a flurry of bullets.
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Behind the crypt are Jack and Meryl, bullets winging by. Meryl looks over, sees...Wilbur motor into view.
Meryl opens fire.
Wilbur shoots back.
Jack flattens against the crypt, then turns to see...Andy coming into view on the other side.
Jack looks at Meryl, sees he's occupied in the fight with Wilbur. Then he sees...Dean floating in the water, dead, pistol still jammed in his pants.
Jack thinks, decides, and reaches out for Dean.
Meryl is shooting at Wilbur. He hears gunfire from Andy and is about to swivel to shoot in that direction when he hears a gun firing from right next to him. He turns to see... Jack shooting back at Andy with Dean's gun.
Andy Pulls back out of the line of fire.
Wilbur curses and pulls back, too.
Jack and Meryl exchange a look.
"How can you do this?" Gwen asks.
"Jeez, Gwen, I always thought Andy was the stupid one. Read my lips. Three million dollars. Look at it!" The Sheriff reaches down into a forward storage area of the boat and pulls back a tarp revealing the bags of money. "A couple of those bags are gonna be yours, Gwen."
"But - but - you're the Sheriff!"
The Sheriff rips his badge off and throws it away. "I'm the what?"
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Meryl looks at Jack, and then hands Jack his pistol. Jack doesn't know what Meryl's doing. Meryl slips beneath the water.
Wilbur whistles and gets Andy's attention. He motions Andy to try it again.
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"For twenty years you've been …" Gwen is still arguing.
"For twenty years I've been eating shit, breakfast, lunch and dinner." Sean roars at her with anger "Well, tonight I'm changing the menu! From now on everything I eat is gonna be shit-free!"
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Jack is looking for Meryl, to see what he's doing. And then...Andy and Wilbur come around on both sides.
Jack starts shooting at them with the two pistols.
Andy and Wilbur pull back. As they go... Jack sees Ianto's arm draped over the side of Andy's boat.
Jack takes another shot at Wilbur but stops firing at Andy.
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Meryl's hand appears over the gunwale of the speedboat. He reaches in and grabs... Mr Mehlor's pack and pulls it out of the boat.
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Sean is nearing the end of his tether with Gwen "Can I make it any clearer, Gwen? Do you want me to draw pictures?"
Gwen pulls out her revolver and points it at the Sheriff. "I can't let you do it."
"Oh for … Okay, Gwen. But here's how it's gonna go. I'm gonna hear one of two things out of you. Either I'm gonna hear you say you're in with us, or..." moves close to Gwen's gun "...I'm gonna hear a bullet come out of that gun and go into me."
Gwen is incredulous. The Sheriff weighs his hands like scales. "Well now (one hand)Seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars or... (other hand)...you kill me. Your choice."
The Sheriff weighs the hands a couple more times. Gwen slumps, lowers the gun.
"There we go."
