LEVENE
You are a sh**head, Williamson...
Pause.
WILLIAMSON
Mmm.
LEVENE
You can't think on your feet you
should keep your mouth closed.
(pause)
You hear me? I'm talking to you.
Do you hear me...?
WILLIAMSON
Yes.
(pause)
I hear you.
LEVENE
You can't learn that in an office.
Eh? He's right. You have to learn
it on the streets. You can't buy
that. You have to live it.
WILLIAMSON
Mmm.
LEVENE
Yes. Mmm. Yes. Precisely.
Precisely. 'Cause your partner
depends on it.
(pause)
I'm talking to you, I'm trying to
tell you something.
WILLIAMSON
You are?
LEVENE
Yes, I am.
WILLIAMSON
What are you trying to tell me?
LEVENE
What Roma's trying to tell you.
What I told you yesterday. Why you
don't belong in this business.
WILLIAMSON
Why I don't...
LEVENE
You listen to me, someday you might
say, "Hey..." No, f** that, you
just listen what I'm going to say:
your partner depends on you. Your
partner...a man who's your "partner"
depends on you...you have to go
with him and for him...or you're
sh**, you're sh**, you can't exist
alone...
WILLIAMSON
(brushing past him)
Excuse me...
LEVENE
...excuse me, nothing, you be as
cold as you want, but you just
f**ed a good man out of six
thousand dollars and his goddamn
bonus 'cause you didn't know the
shot, if you can do that and you
aren't man enough that it gets you,
then I don't know what, if you
can't take some thing from that...
(blocking his way)
you're scum, you're f**ing white-
bread. You be as cold as you want.
A child would know it, he's right.
(pause)
You're going to make something up,
be sure it will help or keep your
mouth closed.
Pause.
WILLIAMSON
Mmm.
Levene lifts up his arm.
LEVENE
Now I'm done with you.
Pause.
WILLIAMSON
How do you know I made it up?
LEVENE
(pause)
What?
WILLIAMSON
How do you know I made it up?
LEVENE
What are you talking about?
WILLIAMSON
You said, "You don't make something
up unless it's sure to help."
(pause)
How did you know that I made it up?
LEVENE
What are you talking about?
WILLIAMSON
I told the customer that his
contracts had gone to the bank.
LEVENE
Well, hadn't it?
WILLIAMSON
No.
(pause)
It hadn't.
LEVENE
Don't f** with me, John, don't
f** with me...what are you saying?
WILLIAMSON
Well, I'm saying this, Shel:
usually I take the contracts to the
bank. Last night I didn't. How
did you know that? One night in a
year I left a contract on my desk.
Nobody knew that but you. Now how
did you know that?
(pause)
You want to talk to me, you want to
talk to someone else...because this
is my job. This is my job on the
line, and you are going to talk to
me. Now how did you know that
contract was on my desk?
LEVENE
You're so full of sh**.
WILLIAMSON
You robbed the office.
LEVENE
(laughs)
Sure! I robbed the office. Sure.
WILLIAMSON
What'd you do with the leads?
(pause, points to the
Detective's room)
You want to go in there? I tell
him what I know, he's going to dig
up something...You got an alibi
last night? You better have one.
What did you do with the leads? If
you tell me what you did with the
leads, we can talk.
LEVENE
I don't know what you are saying.
WILLIAMSON
If you tell me where the leads are,
I won't turn you in. If you don't,
I am going to tell the cop you
stole them, Mitch and Murray will
see that you go to jail. Believe
me they will. Now, what did you do
with the leads? I'm walking in
that door--you have five seconds to
tell me: or you are going to jail.
LEVENE
I...
WILLIAMSON
I don't care. You understand?
Where are the leads?
(pause)
Alright.
Williamson goes to open the office door.
LEVENE
I sold them to Jerry Graff.
WILLIAMSON
How much did you get for them?
(pause)
How much did you get for them?
LEVENE
Five thousand. I kept half.
WILLIAMSON
Who kept the other half?
Pause.
LEVENE
Do I have to tell you?
(pause, Williamson
starts to open the door)
Moss.
WILLIAMSON
That was easy, wasn't it?
Pause.
LEVENE
It was his idea.
WILLIAMSON
Was it?
LEVENE
I...I'm sure he got more than the
five, actually.
WILLIAMSON
Uh-huh?
LEVENE
He told me my share was twenty-five.
WILLIAMSON
Mmm.
LEVENE
Okay: I...look: I'm going to make
it worth your while. I am. I
turned this thing around. I closed
the old stuff, I can do it again.
I'm the one's going to close 'em.
I am! I am! 'Cause I turned this
thing a...I can do that, I can do
anyth...last night. I'm going to
tell you, I was ready to Do the
Dutch. Moss gets me, "Do this,
we'll get well..." Why not. Big
f**in' deal. I'm halfway hoping
to get caught. To put me out of
my...
(pause)
But it taught me something. What
it taught me, that you've got to
get out there. Big deal. So I
wasn't cut out to be a thief. I
was cut out to be a salesman. And
now I'm back, and I got my balls
back...and, you know, John, you
have the advantage on me now:
Whatever it takes to make it right,
we'll make it right. We're going
to make it right.
WILLIAMSON
I want to tell you something,
Shelly. You have a big mouth.
Pause.
LEVENE
What?
WILLIAMSON
You've got a big mouth, and now I'm
going to show you an even bigger
one.
(starts toward the Detective's door)
LEVENE
Where are you going, John?...you
can't do that, you don't want to do
that...hold, hold on...hold on...
wait...wait...wait...
(pulls money out of his pockets)
Wait...uh, look...
(starts splitting money)
Look, twelve, twenty, two, twen...
twenty-five hundred, it's...take it.
(pause)
Take it all...
(pause)
Take it!
WILLIAMSON
No, I don't think so, Shel.
LEVENE
I...
WILLIAMSON
No, I think I don't want your money.
I think you f**ed up my office.
And I think you're going away.
LEVENE
I...what? Are you, are you, that's
why...? Are you nuts? I'm...I'm
going to close for you, I'm going
to...
(thrusting money at him)
Here, here, I'm going to make this
office...I'm going to be back there
Number One...Hey, hey, hey! This
is only the
beginning...List...list... listen.
Listen. Just one moment.
List...here's what...here's what
we're going to do. Twenty percent.
I'm going to give you twenty
percent of my sales...
(pause)
Twenty percent.
(pause)
For as long as I am with the firm.
(pause)
Fifty percent.
(pause)
You're going to be my partner.
(pause)
Fifty percent. Of all my sales.
WILLIAMSON
What sales?
LEVENE
What sales...? I just closed
eighty-two grand...Are you
f**in'...I'm back...I'm back, this
is only the beginning.
WILLIAMSON
Only the beginning...
LEVENE
Abso...
WILLIAMSON
Where have you been, Shelly? Bruce
and Harriet Nyborg. Do you want to
see the memos...? They're nuts...
they used to call in every week.
When I was with Webb. And we were
selling Arizona...they're nuts...did
you see how they were living? How
can you delude yours...
LEVENE
I've got the check...
WILLIAMSON
Forget it. Frame it. It's
worthless.
Pause.
LEVENE
The check's no good?
WILLIAMSON
You stick around I'll pull the memo
for you.
(starts for the door)
I'm busy now...
LEVENE
Their check's no good? They're
nuts...?
WILLIAMSON
Call up the bank. I called them.
LEVENE
You did?
WILLIAMSON
I called them when we had the
lead... four months ago.
(pause)
The people are insane. They just
like talking to salesmen.
Williamson starts for door.
LEVENE
Don't.
WILLIAMSON
I'm sorry.
LEVENE
Why?
WILLIAMSON
Because I don't like you.
LEVENE
John: John:...my daughter...
WILLIAMSON
f** you.
Roma comes out of the Detective's door. Williamson goes in.