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Leverage Main | When Darkness Falls

4x04 The Van Gogh Job
[Roller Palace]

(many people are skating while Charlie stands to the side, looking up at the Wurlitzer)

Man: It's quite a place.

Charlie: Hmm. Should have seen it in the '40s. Man, this was the place to be. Yeah, they'd have shows and professional skaters from all over. That Wurlitzer, it would shake the rafters.

Man: Where is it, Charlie?

Charlie: I beg your pardon.

Man: You went to war in 1942. You came home with a very valuable painting. Looting art from the battlefield is a serious crime. (pulls back his jacket to show badge) Tell me where it is right now, you won't go to jail.

Charlie: I never looted anything in my life. And if anyone's going to jail, it's you, for waving that fake dime-store badge in front of my face.

Man: Fair enough. But know this, the man that hired me to get that painting will hunt you like a dog until he gets it. (walks away)

Charlie: Son of a –

(Charlie falls against the bench, clutching his chest)

Skater: Hey, you guys. Is he all right?


[McRory’s Pub]

Nate: 'Cause I just don't see how I.Y.S. Insurance would force you out. I mean, nobody closed more investigations than you, except me.

Bartender: Gentlemen?

Nate: Um, Irish, neat, and, uh, what'll you have?

Owen: Coffee, thanks. Dereliction of duties. They just said I was obsessed, chasing a ghost. And they were right. Until this week.

Nate: You found it?

Owen: A woman in Dusseldorf found these in her attic two weeks ago. (pulls letters from his briefcase) They're love letters from a Conrad Becker, a Nazi infantryman, to this woman's mother. In them, he refers to a painting he stashed in his gear.

Nate: Hmm.

Owen: The painting.

Nate: Okay, but we -- we have heard these claims before.

Owen: Yeah, but this time the facts bear him out. Look, he was stationed at the Friedrich-Kaiser Museum on the night of the bombing of Magdeburg. He helped put out the fire. I know this is true. He saved the lost Van Gogh.

Nate: Where does, uh, where does this trail lead?

Owen: Oregon.

Nate: Why don't we, uh, sit down? (they move toward a table) Go on.

Owen: In 1944, Becker's unit was sent to France, where he was killed by U.S. troops. (they sit down) And there, it seems, the painting was taken by this man, Charles Lawson. (hands Nate a picture)

Nate: And what does, uh, Mr. Charles Lawson have to say about this?

Owen: Nothing. He refuses to talk to me or to anyone. He was just checked into a local hospital with chest pains.

Nate: You know, uh, Owen, I'm out of the art-recovery business.

Owen: But you are in the people-helping business, right? The word is out on this, Nate. The Billionaires' Club wants this painting, and they're not gonna ask a lot of questions about how they get it.


[Leverage HQ]

Sophie: I thought I found it years ago in a vault in Kyoto, but it was a fake.

Nate: Yeah, no. I-I chased it, too. Buenos Aires, Damascus, Kiev. I mean, it was the white whale of art-theft recovery.

Eliot: Where's Hardison and Parker?

Nate: I sent them on ahead. You'll understand after the briefing. Sophie.

Sophie (uses new touch screen panel on desk): The "Painter on the Road to Tarascon." It's a self-portrait by Vincent Van Gogh completed in 1888. It was confiscated by the Nazis as part of Hitler's drive to accumulate all the great European works of art. It was hanging in a museum in Germany when allied bombing set the place on fire and it was destroyed. There's always been rumors that it survived, but it's never resurfaced.

Eliot: Until now.

Nate: We think. An old colleague of mine believes it was smuggled back into the U.S. by an American G.I. after the war.

Eliot: What's it worth?

Sophie: Judging by recent auctions, I'd say $100 million, give or take.

Nate: Which, uh, brings us to your former line of work; retrieval. How much trouble do you think this elderly veteran is in?

Eliot: Finder's fee on an item like this is probably 10%, so it depends what you think a man will do for $10 million.


[Hospital Room]

Hardison: Nate, we're in. Target is secure.

Parker: Well, if nothing here catches your fancy, I can always come back later.

Charlie: Uh, I-I'm fine, thank you. I-in fact, I've got to get out of here.

Parker: Whoa, Mr. Lawson, it's okay. We're here to keep you safe. Okay? (glances at Hardison, who nods) We're not gonna let anything happen to you. I promise. Just relax. It's all right. (pulls her cart of books toward the door) Okay, if you need anything else, anything at all, just call me, okay? (to Hardison) Okay, did you get what you needed from his wallet?

Hardison: Girl, I had to go down to the hall of records. You know what the dust does to my sinuses. I can't half breathe. I'm about to suffocate.

(from the bed, Charlie watches them closely)

Parker: I know. It's okay. What did you find?

Hardison: Not much. Birth certificate. Bunch of old addresses. He left the country in 1945 and never came -- came -- came back.

(Hardison sneezes and Parker hands him a tissue)

Hardison: Thank you.

Parker: You're welcome. Come on.


[Leverage HQ]

(Sophie answers the phone by touching the new screen. Hardison’s face appears on screen)

Eliot: Where you at?

Hardison: I'm in a damn storage closet! Smells like mothballs and old people.

Nate: Hardison, what can you tell us about Charlie Lawson?

Hardison: Well, he's 88 years young. He lived and worked all over the world, France, Botswana, Australia. His passport shows that he came back to Willamette City for the first time since the war. It's his hometown.

Sophie: The same week, he's identified as a suspect in the disappearance of the painting. Coincidence?

(Eliot begins playing with Hardison’s picture on screen)

Nate: Oh, I think that painting is hidden somewhere in that town.

Sophie: We need to find it.

Nate: Yeah, or that old man is gonna be hurt or worse.

(Eliot makes Hardison’s face disappear)

Nate: Or -- but -- not -- no, not -- not a toy.

Eliot: What, man? He's telling me to learn technical stuff all the time.

Nate: Well, that'll never happen. We got a plane to catch.


[Hospital Room]

Charlie: I don't have any painting.

Nate: Mr. Lawson, uh, we are not the police.

Charlie: I don't care if you're Vincent Van Gogh himself. I can't help you.

Sophie: Mr. Lawson, this painting is a lost masterpiece. It belongs in a museum. The longer you stay quiet about it, the more danger you're gonna be in.

Charlie: I've been on my own a long time. I can take care of myself.

Nate: All right, well, if you change your mind, give me a call.

(Nate lays a card on Charlie’s bed and he and Sophie leaves the room. Hardison goes to follow)

Parker: What? No, wait. (grabs Hardison’s hand) Wait. We can't just leave.

Hardison: I'll talk to Nate. We'll think of something.

Parker: Okay.

Charlie: Wait. I'll tell you what you want to know. But I'll only talk with her. (points to Parker)


[Hallway]

Parker: This is really a job for Sophie.

Nate: He didn't ask for Sophie.

Parker: Yeah, but, I mean, what do I do? Play the status game, mimic his emotions, disrupt his timeline to keep him from lying?

Nate (grabs Parker): All right, you listen. I have no idea what he's gonna say to you, but right now he's the only lead we have. We'll follow his clues. (turns her toward Charlie’s Room) Just listen.


[Exterior House]

(Eliot standing near a city gas truck gathering a notebook)

Eliot: All right, Nate, I'm at Charlie Lawson's house he grew up in. You sure this is worth it?

Nate: We got to start somewhere.

(a woman opens the door as Eliot comes up the stairs)

Eliot: Hi. How you doing, ma'am? I'm with the gas company. We've had a couple of reports of gas leaks in the neighborhood, and so, uh, if you wouldn't mind, just (pulls out a sensor) might have to get up in there. (holds sensor inside of the doorway) Uh, and there we are. Oh, boy. That's a, that's a, that's a level one right there. You've got 84% L.O.L. So, if you could do me a favor and just step out on the porch just for a second. I'm gonna check the rest of the house. Shouldn't take but just a minute. Okay. All right.

Woman (steps out on porch): Wait. You'll have to tell the mold inspector. He's out back.

Eliot: Is he?

(Eliot walks around the house to find a man looking at the back of the house)

Eliot: What are you doing here, Frank?

Frank: Retiring.

(Frank extends a club and attacks Eliot, who blocks it. Frank hits Eliot, who falls back. Eliot picks up a pink baseball bat as he gets to his feet)

Frank: Barbie leave that in her dream house?

Eliot: Frank.

(Frank swings again but Eliot blocks him, then swings and misses. Eliot grabs Frank’s arm and knees him in the ribs before punching him in the face. Frank falls to the ground and scrambles to his feet, looking at Eliot)

Woman: Sir, is everything all right?

(Frank jumps the fence before the woman comes into the back yard)

Eliot: Yeah, your, uh, your mold inspector just left. He said you're all clear.

Woman: What about the gas leak?

Eliot: I'm still looking for a source, uh, for that. I-I need to know what year the house was built. You don't have any original features that would help me pinpoint the year, do you?

Woman: No. But I did find some old art.

Eliot: That might help.


[Hospital Room]

Charlie: It all started at the Roller Palace. When I was a kid, it seems everyone in town was there on a Saturday night. That's where I met her.


[Flashback]

(young Charlie cleans skates as Dorothy walks by with her mother)

Man: Here you go.

Charlie: Her name was Dorothy Ross. She was the daughter of Alfred Ross, a lumber baron who owned half the town.

(Young Dorothy turns and smiles at Charlie)


[Hospital Room]

Charlie: She used to have her lessons on the Wurlitzer at the palace. Soon we became friends.

Parker: What was she like?

Charlie: She was stubborn as a mule. She wouldn't listen to anybody. Her daddy wanted her to be a society girl, but she was gonna be her own person. W-when we first met, I thought Dorothy Ross had-had it all. Big house, fancy clothes. But as I got older, I realized she was just as trapped as I was.


[Flashback]

(Teen Charlie is cleaning skates talking to an older Dorothy who is playing the Wurlitzer)

Charlie: The Empire State Building?

Dorothy: The Empire State Building!

Charlie: That's it? That's where you want to go? Dorothy, I said anyplace in the world!

Dorothy: New York City is in the world. I've never been there. Have you?

Charlie: New York City is a place where you get on a boat. How about the Taj Mahal?

Dorothy (comes to sit next to Charlie): Well, sure, you didn't say what palaces I wanted to visit.

Charlie: The Taj Mahal isn't a palace. No one lived there. It's a mausoleum the Shah built for his dead wife.

Dorothy: How do you know so much about the world?

Charlie: Oh, they still let me in the library.

Dorothy: I did not mean it like that. I guess I don't have your imagination.

Charlie: I don't imagine. I plan.


[Exterior House]

Eliot: Nate, this town's crawling with treasure hunters. I'll do a sweep and report back to you. But do not let Charlie leave the hospital.

Woman (comes out of house): I found this behind a wall when we first moved in.

Eliot (to comm): Stand by.

Woman: Couldn't bear to throw it away. Does this help you?

Eliot (unrolls poster): No, but it looks like somebody that lived here really wanted to visit –


[Hospital Room]

Parker: The Eiffel Tower!

Charlie: Yeah. That's where Dorothy wanted to go, too! Her daddy was thrilled she was finally aspiring to the finer things in life. Oh, so he started giving her French lessons. What he didn't know that she was turning around and teaching me French, too.


[Roller Palace]

Dorothy: "Please tell me where I can find the nearest bakery."

Charlie: S'il vous plaît, ou se trouve la boulangerie la plus proche?

Dorothy: Hmm. "The last boat left an hour ago. You'll have to take the bridge."

Charlie: Le dernier bâteau est parti depuis une heure. Il vous faut passer par le pont.

Dorothy: Oh, for Pete's sake! I have a private tutor, but you speak better French than I do!

Charlie: Pour l'amour du ciel, j'ai un professeur particulier, mais toi tu parles le français mieux que moi. I just have an ear for languages.

Dorothy: I'd say you're ready to go to France right now.

Charlie: Maybe we can go together, after the Germans leave.

Charlie (voiceover): I said it as a joke, just so I could take it back, but I meant every word of it. I was in love with Dorothy Ross.

Dorothy: I'd like that.

Ross (enters rink): Dorothy!

Dorothy: Daddy! Oh, I dropped my book. Charlie was just helping me.

(Charlie hands Ross a book)

Ross: Of course. How's your mama? She still working for Harold Dole's family?

Charlie: Yes, sir. Going on 20 years now.

Ross: Good. Well, you give your mother my regards, won't you?

Charlie: Yes, I'll do that, Mr. Ross.

(Dorothy and Ross walk away)

Ross: You look splendid today.

Dorothy: Thank you.

(Charlie walks outside nervously setting something on a crate before going back inside)

Charlie (voiceover): Now, Willamette City is not Selma, Alabama, but it was 1942. And a black man making overtures to a white woman was literally a crime. But I had gotten away with it.


[Hospital Room]

Charlie: Or so I thought.


[Flashback]

Lewis: Hey!

(Lewis turns Charlie around and punches him in the face and then in the ribs. Charlie falls back against the wall)

Charlie: What did I do?

Lewis: You know what you did. (shows brass knuckles on his hand) And I'm just getting started.

Charlie: Well, what you waiting on? Hit me! Hit me!

(a gun moves toward Lewis’ face)

Sheriff: Lewis. I was wondering what your car was doing here.

Lewis: Sheriff. This spook tried to have his way with the Ross girl.

Charlie: It's a lie!

Sheriff (holds Charlie back): Easy, Charlie. (puts up gun)Now, Lewis, you run Mr. Ross' mill, right?

Lewis: Yes, sir.

Sheriff: Does that job come with a badge now, too?

Lewis: You're making a mistake, sheriff.

Sheriff: Well, it won't be my first time. Now get on. (Lewis and his men leave) Hello, Charlie.

Charlie: I'll be all right.

Sheriff: Now, messing with Alfred Ross' daughter, you are playing with fire, son.

Charlie: I can take care of myself.

Sheriff: Well, no, you can't. Now, I'm shipping off to training camp and, after that, the war. The deputies that I'm leaving behind, they don't know you as well as I do, and they're not gonna give a rat's tail if those boys come back. I can promise you that. All right? And they will come back.

Charlie: What-what am, what am I supposed to do?

Sheriff: Everybody's got to find their own way right now. I'm just giving you the lay of the land. (leaves)

Charlie (voiceover): At that moment, I realized I had to do something to change Mr. Ross' mind about me. Maybe Dorothy was right, maybe I was ready to go to France.

(the next day Dorothy walks through the rink, looking for Charlie)

Woman: Charlie's not here.

Dorothy: Huh?

Woman: He enlisted this morning.

(Dorothy looks worried and sad. In the French countryside, a group of men surround a truck which Charlie is driving)

Charlie (voiceover): Now, there weren't a lot of choices for a black man in the army. I drove a supply truck as part of the red ball express. And I was good at it. And I could use my French to horse-trade for food and wine and whatever. Well, not that I got the chance to enjoy it. It was after D-Day, and we were clearing pockets of Germans in the French countryside.

Lieutenant: Let's hold up here.

Charlie (voiceover): Paris was gonna have to wait.

McClusky: I need another pineapple. This is from that batch of duds. (Charlie goes to the back of the truck) Need some ammo, too.

Woman (running down the road toward the truck): Écoutez! Aidez-moi, monsieur, s'il vous plaît! Faites demi-tour! C'est dangereux!

Lieutenant: Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. What is it?

Woman: C'est dangereux, monsieur!

Lieutenant: Great. The day I lose my translator.

Woman: Un soldat allemand. Je l'ai vu en train de voler de ma ferme. Vous êtes en danger.

Lieutenant: What the hell is she saying?!

McClusky: Hey, supply. You listening to me?

Charlie: Krauts! She's saying krauts! Get down!

(one of the soldiers is shot in the leg)

Soldier: Aah!

Woman: Aah! Allez!

(Lieutenant grabs the woman and pulls her behind the truck as the sniper continues to fire)

Lieutenant: He's in the woods! (firing toward sniper) Lay down suppression fire!

(some of the soldiers move away from the truck and shoot at the sniper)

Lieutenant (to shot soldier): Can you move? Move to me! Move!

(Lieutenant moves out and drags the soldier to safety. Charlie tries to get McClusky to go help the other men take down the sniper, but McClusky won’t move)

Soldier: Help me! Help me!

Lieutenant: I need a position!

(a bullet goes through the windshield of the truck and breaks a bottle in the front seat. Charlie looks down the sight line and sees movement in the trees. Charlie grabs McClusky’s rifle and shoots the sniper. He moves forward toward the sniper)

Lieutenant: Supply! Supply!

(Charlie continues moving into the trees)

Lieutenant: Charlie!

(Charlie finds the sniper dead)

Charlie (voiceover): Ah, it didn't make sense that he would be alone like this.

(Charlie begins to go through the sniper’s things)

Charlie (voiceover): In the chaos of the invasion, anything was possible.

(Lieutenant and another soldier come up, Charlie hides a book and some letters in his coat)

Lieutenant: Take this. Take his supplies. (hands a satchel to another soldier) Give me the bag. (Charlie hands him the bag) There might be some intel on the maps. Go. (soldier leaves) Nice shot, Lawson.


[Hallway]

Sophie: Did you hear him mention the letters, huh? Maybe it is true.

(Hardison sneezes)

Nate: What do you got?

Hardison: Oh, probably just my sensitivity to dust mites. It's what happens when you send me to the hall of records a second time.

Nate: No, no, no. No. Dorothy Ross. What do you have on Dorothy Ross?

Hardison: D--she died. Dorothy van Buren, formerly Dorothy Ross. She died three years ago. But it looks like she spent her whole life here in town, playing the Wurlitzer over at the Roller Palace. She, uh, she left her house to her daughter.

Sophie: Oh.

Hardison (hands her a piece of paper): That's the address right there.

Sophie: There's a daughter.

Hardison: Yeah. Dorothy married some local guy in '57. He died in the '90s.

Sophie: I'll check it out.

Nate: Hmm.

(Sophie leaves)

Hardison: Like hanging here in a hospital is any better. You know what, man, if I get out of this job without upper-respiratory issues, it will be a miracle.

Nate: Yeah. (puts a tissue against Hardison’s face)

Hardison: What? Really? This? What -- nasty. Don't know where this has been. (drops tissue)


[Flashback]

(Charlie’s truck is parked near several tents, soldiers moving about, talking)

Charlie: Hey. What's going on?

Soldier: Oh, McClusky got his first kill. Saved the whole unit. Lieutenant's putting him in for a medal.

Charlie (voiceover): McClusky, the man who hid behind my truck.

(Charlie enters the lieutenant’s tent)

Lieutenant: Did I send for you, supply?

Charlie: I killed that sniper. You know it. I know it. Everyone knows it.

Lieutenant: McClusky fired the shot. It's in my report.

Charlie: It's a lie.

Lieutenant: You're calling me a liar?

Charlie: Yes, sir, I am.

Lieutenant: This war is almost over. Think about what you're doing right now.

Charlie: Don't you tell me to think, lieutenant. My thinking saved your life! But I won't get the credit because I'm a negro, isn't that right?

Lieutenant: That's right. It's not the policy of the United States Government to hand out medals to negroes. Therefore, private McClusky fired the shot that killed the sniper, making him, and not you, a candidate for the bronze star. That's just the way it is, Charlie. You don't have to like it, but that's the way it is.

(Charlie leaves the tent and goes back to his truck, trying to control his anger. He realizes he still has the sniper’s book and letters, pulls them out and starts reading them)

Charlie (voiceover): When you speak English and French, German's not that hard. The letter was to his girl back home, a girl he'd never see again because of me. I didn't have time to dwell on this unfortunate situation because of what I read next. It was about a painting he had saved from the fire, and how it would provide for them for the rest of their lives.

(Charlie remembers the Lieutenant giving a soldier the sniper’s belongings)

Lieutenant: Take this. Take his supplies. Give me the bag.

(Charlie gathers himself and goes into the lieutenant’s tent. He finds the painting and takes it)

Charlie (voiceover): The sniper's gear was in his tent. Lieutenant hadn't looked at it yet. I was the only one who knew about the painting. At that moment, I realized that I didn't have to be a hero to get Dorothy.


[Hospital Room]

Charlie: I had the painting. And I had a plan.


[Interior House]

Daughter: How can they tear down the Roller Palace?

Sophie: Mm. It's a long story. (shows daughter her business card) The developer paid off the planning commission. My law firm are trying to help.

Daughter: Well, you came to the right place. My mom played the Wurlitzer at the Roller Palace for 50 years. (pulls out photo album)

Sophie: So I was told.

Daughter: And anytime someone would try to tear it down, she would fight them tooth and nail. She'd sit right there at her old desk, and she would write a letter to anyone who would listen.

Sophie: Hmm.

Daughter: This is her.

Sophie: Ah. Oh. She's beautiful.

Daughter: She was. She passed away three years ago.

Sophie: Oh, I'm sorry.

Daughter: Mm. It's your accent. You remind me of my aunt Cecilia. She was a war bride, and she taught my mom to play the Wurlitzer organ at the Palace after the war.

Sophie: Wow.


[Flashback]

(Dorothy skates in an empty rink while Cecilia plays)

Cecilia: Ooh! (stands up and moves to the rail) You know, your father pays me by the hour.

Dorothy: Oh, come on, Cecilia. I'm just taking a break!

Cecilia: My teacher would rap me on the knuckles with a ruler.

Dorothy: Well, that's why I'm so lucky you're my teacher!

(Charlie stands in the shadows watching Dorothy skate)


[Hospital Room]

Charlie: The first time I saw Dorothy since I left for the war, it was like she was floating on air.


[Flashback]

(Cecilia sees Charlie watching Dorothy)

Cecilia: Dorothy!

Dorothy: It's okay, Cecilia. He's an old friend. Charlie. When did you get back?

Charlie: Doesn't matter. I need to speak with you. Alone.

Dorothy: Yeah.


[Interior House]

Sophie: I can see the Roller Palace meant the world to your mother.

Daughter: It did. (phone rings) Oh, excuse me. (answers it) Hello?


[Closet]

Hardison: Hello, Miss Porter? This is Chad Jones calling from credit services. There has been some unusual activity on your credit card. Did you, by chance, purchase a jet ski?


[Interior House]

Daughter: I'm sorry, a what?

Hardison: I have some more charges I need you to confirm.

Daughter: Okay, this is ridiculous. Let me get my card. Just a minute. (to Sophie) I'm sorry. Will you excuse me?

Sophie: Oh. No problem. I'll, uh, I'll just look at the book.

Daughter: Oh. Okay. (leaves room)

Sophie: I'm clear. (sets the book aside)There's no sign of the painting here, but I've got a lead.

(Sophip moves to the desk and searches it, finding a key taped to the bottom of a drawer)

Sophie: Hmm. Hello, little hidden key to a safety-deposit box.


[Closet]

Hardison: Miss Porter, I'm almost done expunging these false charges from your credit card. It will just be another moment. (holds phone to chest) Guys. Guys, that painting's only 18 inches.


[Interior House]

Hardison: That can easily fit inside a safety-deposit box.

Sophie: Or she could have sold it and stashed the cash.

Nate: Sophie, Hardison—


[Hallway]

Nate: --uh, open that safe-deposit box. Uh, Eliot, I want you to secure the bank's perimeter.


[Hospital Room]

Nate: Parker, you're doing a great job. Keep it up.


[Flashback]

Charlie: Remember when I asked you to go to Paris with me? Well, now we can. W-we can sell this painting in New York, never come back to this town again. We can go to all the places that you want to go, together. Nobody can stop us. (grabs Dorothy’s shoulders) What do you say?

Dorothy: I say yes. (they hug) How do we do it?

Charlie: Well, you're playing the Wurlitzer tomorrow night, right? Everyone in town will be here. That's when we'll do it. But you'll need help.

Dorothy: She'll do it.

Charlie: Okay. Here it is. Step by step. (touches her face) We can do this.

Cecilia: Someone's coming!

Dorothy: My French. It's still terrible.

Charlie: I know.

(Charlie runs out the door, and the Sheriff sees him. Cecily comes out of the rink and kisses the Sheriff on the cheek)

Sheriff: How was your day, sweetheart?

Cecilia: Uneventful.

Sheriff: Really? Something bothering you?

Cecilia: It's the rain. Reminds me of London. Little homesick maybe.

Sheriff: We'll have to work on that. (walks into the rink)


[Bank]

(outside the bank, Hardison makes adjustments in an electrical box. He enters some information into a cell phone and tosses it at Eliot. Hardison and Sophie enter the bank)

Sophie: Excuse me. Are you the branch manager?

Manager: Yes. I'll be with you in just one moment.

Sophie: I'm afraid this can't wait. (shows FDIC IDs) Can we speak to you in private?

Manager: Of course. (to girl) Please excuse us for a moment.

Girl: Yes, sir.

Manager: What seems to be the problem?

Sophie: The "problem" is that your bank just failed a preliminary stress test. On a scale of 1 to 5, 1 being best, 5 being worst, your bank scored... (looks at papers) Risk management, 5.

Hardison: Delinquent loans, 5.

Sophie: Cash reserves, 5.

Hardison: So we're gonna need to see everything, the back office, the vault, everything.

Manager: This is outrageous. Why wasn't I informed?

Sophie: Go ahead and call D.C. check up on us.

Hardison: But I'd advise you to keep your voice low unless you want a run on your broke-ass bank. Just saying.

(Manager makes a phone call. Outside the bank, Eliot answers the cell phone)

Eliot: Yeah, this is... Marcus Dupree. Yes, this is the FDIC investigation bureau. What do you need? I can confirm that there is a spot inspection scheduled for today. That's r—

(a man walks by)

Eliot: I got to put you on hold. Randal.

(Randal stops and turns)

Eliot: Singapore, right?

Randal: Yeah.

Eliot: Paul McCartney's Hofner bass guitar. You owe me $27,000.

Randal: Or we can split this fee and walk away with $5 million each. What do you say?

Eliot: You should have paid me, Randal.

(Eliot grabs Randal and pulls him away. Inside, the manager waits on hold while Sophie and Hardison listen to the fight on their comms)


[Hospital Room]

Parker: I don't understand. Why couldn't you and Dorothy just run away in the middle of the night?

Charlie: In whose car? Her father's? We'd never make it to the county line. We had to slip away when everyone in town was watching something else.


[Flashback]

(many people move about the Roller Rink while Dorothy and her father walk across the floor)

Ross: You're not nervous, are you? You can play this piece in your sleep.

Dorothy: Yes. It's just... There are so many people here tonight.

Ross: Oh, honey. You're gonna be wonderful. As always.

Dorothy: I better go practice. (moves away)

Ross (to Lewis): Any sign of him?

Lewis: No, sir. Are you sure he's back?

Ross: Oh, he's here. You find him.

(Lewis moves away.

Near the train tracks, Charlie stands beneath a bridge and makes notes of the time and speeds of the trains. Back at the rink, a skater moves onto the floor to applause. Dorothy plays the Wurlitzer, but Cecilia comes to take over for her, allowing Dorothy to gather her things and head toward the exit

Outside, Charlie walks through the woods and hears a noise)

Charlie: Dorothy.

(several flashlights turn on)

Ross: Charlie Lawson. I think we need to have a talk.


[Hospital Room]

Charlie: When I saw Dorothy's father, my ticket was punched.


[Flashback]

Ross: You're just back from the war. Europe or the Pacific?

France. We landed in Calais after D-Day.

Ross: My sweet lord. We do owe you a debt. Your mother should be proud.

Charlie: Don't you talk about my mother. She's no friend of yours.

Ross: Now, here's the thing. Just because you served our nation honorably doesn't give you the right to speak to me like that. It seems to me you might have forgotten your place.

Charlie: You want to beat me? Go ahead.

Ross: Nah. I don't want to do that. I just want to ask you one question. What are your plans with my daughter?

(At the rink, Dorothy tries to leave through a back door, but it’s locked)

Sheriff: It's locked from the outside.

Dorothy: I have to get out. I have to!

Sheriff: Whatever it is that you and my wife are up to, it stops now. Now, I saw Charlie here yesterday.

Dorothy: You told my father?

Sheriff: I would never do that. But you got no business dragging my wife into this! This is my town!

Dorothy: You don't understand. If my father finds Charlie -- I have to get out there! Please!

(in the woods, Charlie doesn’t answer)

Ross: Hmm?

(Ross moves away, nodding to Lewis, who pulls a knife)

Charlie: Wait, wait, wait! Wait! Wait! Dorothy and I were going to Canada. She swiped your keys. We were gonna take your car. They're right there in my bag.

(one of the men bends to looks in the bag)

Man: What?

(the man straightens with a grenade in his hand. Charlie pulls the pin and runs)

Lewis: Grenade!

(all the men run away but when the grenade doesn’t explode, they go pick it up)

(in the woods of France)

McClusky: I need another pineapple. This is from that batch of duds.

(Charlie reaches the train tracks and sees Dorothy waiting for him. They hug)

Lewis: Hey! Hey! There they are!

(Charlie looks about wildly, but the Sheriff comes up behind them and shoots at Ross’ men)

Lewis: Oh! Get out of here! Go!

(Charlie and Dorothy run up an incline beside a moving train)

Charlie: Okay, we can jump off in Edmundville, catch the Westbound. Your father won't catch us.

Dorothy: That's not true. You know that's not true. My father will do whatever it takes to find us and bring me back here. He'll hurt you. I can't let that happen. I can --

Charlie: I can take care of myself.

Dorothy: I know you can. But I can't. I've never been to France, Charlie. This town, this place, it's my home.

Charlie: Here. (hands her the case)

Dorothy: What? No!

Charlie: No, keep it safe. Keep it safe for me. Keep it safe. (they kiss) I love you, Dorothy. So beautiful. I love you.

(Charlie moves away and runs to jump on the train, leaving Dorothy sobbing beside the tracks)


[Hospital Room]
Charlie: And... that was the last time I saw Dorothy Ross.

Parker: But the painting, you gave it back to her. I mean, you could have been set for life.

Charlie: Yeah, seems like I read that in a letter before. Didn't work too well for him.

Parker: Hmm.

Charlie: Maybe the painting's a curse.

Parker: So you didn't come back to town for the painting.

Charlie: I got to France on my own. I even walked the same road as Van Gogh did in the painting. I've had a remarkable life. I came back to this town to see her. And I was just a couple of years too late.

Parker: Where do you think the painting is now?

Charlie: Does it matter?


[Bank Vault]

(Sophie and Hardison are counting money)

Sophie: Well, we count around $70,000 in small bills. I told you. Dorothy did sell that painting.

Hardison: This must be all that was left.


[Hallway]

Nate: I know where the painting is. Sophie, Hardison, protect Charlie. Eliot, come with me. I'll send you the address.


[Roller Palace]

(Nate and Eliot walk into the rink)

Woman: Sir, we're closed.

Nate: We’re with the historical society. Here to fix the old Wurlitzer.

(Nate plays a scale on the Wurlitzer, hits an off note)

Nate: How long that one been out?

Woman: Oh, as long as I can remember. The lady who used to play it just figured ways around it.

Nate: Hmm.

(Eliot pulls down one of the pipes and hands it to Nate. Nate pulls the painting from the pipe and takes it from the protective paper, unrolling the painting)

Owen (cocks gun): I'll take that now.

(Owen stands behind Nate with a gun drawn, two men with him)

Nate: Owen. What are you doing?

Owen: I've spent the last 20 years of my life chasing a ghost. Lost my family. Lost everything. I'm not leaving here without it.

Nate: You know, Charlie Lawson said this painting was cursed. A German soldier died for it. Look what it's done to you, Owen.

Owen: Nate, I know you think you can talk me out of this. But you can't.

Nate: Well, you know, I'm not trying to reason with you, Owen. I just want you to understand why it is I'm doing this.

(Nate lights the protective paper and tosses it to the ground. Owen goes after it)

Owen: Oh, no! No, no, no, no, no.

(Eliot jumps from the balcony and takes out the two men with a pipe from the organ. Owen gets the paper out. Nate pulls the painting from his jacket)

Nate: This painting's about a man going to work. That's why you loved it. Somehow that got lost.

(Nate and Eliot walk away)


[Hospital Room]

Nate: I think The Boston Museum of Art is an excellent choice, Charlie.

Charlie: Hmm. H-how did you figure it out?

Nate: You told me. See, once I knew that Dorothy had the painting, the key to finding it was understanding her.


[Flashback]

Daughter: My mom played the Wurlitzer at the Roller Palace for 50 years. And anytime someone would try to tear it down, she would fight them tooth and nail.


[Hospital Room]

Nate: Now, she was loyal. Loyal to this town, loyal to you. She made you a promise. She said that she would keep the Van Gogh safe, and that's exactly what she did...


[Flashback]

(people dropping money into a tip jar as Dorothy plays the organ)

Nate: Watching over it every time she played the organ.

(Dorothy smiles at the Wurlitzer’s pipes. In the bank vault, Dorothy puts money into a safe deposit box)

Nate: She saved her tips all those years, hoping.

Charlie: In case I came back.

Nate: Yeah.


[Hospital Room]

Charlie: You know... When I came back here and found out she was gone, I felt cheated. I-I didn't know how she would have felt about seeing me. Now I-I guess I do.

(Charlie and Nate shake hands. Nate and Sophie walk toward the door)

Sophie: You can't possibly know that's the real story.

Nate: No, but it's the best story.

(Hardison and Eliot shake hands. Hardison sneezes. Eliot hands him a tissue)

Charlie: Ah. I guess this is it.

Parker: Yeah. They're gonna be discharging you in about an hour, so... Take care of yourself, Charlie.

Charlie: It's the one thing I've always done.

Parker: Okay.

Charlie (grabs Parker’s hand): There's one thing I want to tell you. (looks toward doorway) Don't waste time.

(Parker turns and smiles at Hardison, who is waiting in the doorway, smiling back)

Parker: Yeah.

(Parker goes to Hardison and takes his hand. They leave together)

The End

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