JUDY

  I’m just tellin’ you what she said. Anyway she sent me out here to help Charly. She wants to talk to you.

  INT—MINNIE’S HABERDASHERY—MORNING

  The FOUR PASSENGERS—SLOW MOTION

  Check out the way station, as they warm their hands by the pot belly stove.

  JODY—SLOW MOTION

  Checks out Minnie and Ed.

  MINNIE and ED—SLOW MOTION

  The black woman argues with the old white cowboy dude. As she does, she ROLLS HER OWN SMOKE from a bag of Red Apple Tobacco.

  BOB—SLOW MOTION

  Watches the two old men play chess.

  SWEET DAVE and GEN.SMITHERS—SLOW MOTION

  Play chess.

  OSWALDO—SLOW MOTION

  Watches the young girl Gemma pluck the chicken.

  GEMMA—SLOW MOTION

  She plucks the chicken.

  JOE GAGE—SLOW MOTION

  Watches Judy and Charly unload the baggage on the stagecoach, through the window.

  JUDY and CHARLY—SLOW MOTION

  Through the window unloading the bags from the stagecoach.

  The Four Passengers are definitely staking the place out.

  The Slow Motion kicks into twenty-four frames a second, and we can hear the argument between Minnie and Ed.

  MINNIE

  (meaning Gen.Smithers)

  This Georgia cracker has been here three days, and I’m sick of it. I wanna ’em ta’ go to Red Rock. He wanna’ go to Red Rock. Why can’t you take ’em?

  Ed points out the Four Passengers by the stove.

  ED

  Look over there Minnie. You see ’em? Four Passengers. Two drivers. Ain’t no seat.

  MINNIE

  Three days of ole’ white man stories. You hear what I’m sayin? Three goddamn days of OLD, WHITE, CRACKER, PECKAWOOD, HORSESHIT. I tell ya’ Ed, I stood what I could stood, but I can’t stand no mo’.

  Minnie starts making her famous coffy as she nags the stagecoach driver.

  MINNIE

  (CON’T)

  Naw naw naw, you need to take this motherfucker with you today. You feel that air out there don’t ’cha? We might be gittin’ a blizzard come tonight. I ain’t sittin’ holed up for three goddamn days with that ole’ cracker.

  We hear a LOUD SNAP and the death cry of a RAT OFF SCREEN.

  MINNIE

  (CON’T)

  I’ll be good and dammed, that’s another one of those little sonsabitches dead and gone!

  Minnie’s so happy about killing one of the basement rats, she temporarily forgets about the Confederate General.

  MINNIE

  Charly! You go down there and pick up that dead rat. I don’t want him stinkin’ up the place. Take Ceaser wit ya’.

  Charly picks up a broom, and a TABBY CAT named CEASER. He then walks over to a trap door in the floor that leads to the basement. He puts the cat down on the floor. Ceaser the cat is very excited. He knows what’s in the basement. When they let Ceaser hunt in the basement, those are the happiest moments of Ceaser’s feline life.

  Charly lifts open the trap door in the floor.

  Ceaser shoots down there like an arrow.

  We hear the commotion under the floorboards of the rats panicking and running away, and the cat chasing and killing them.

  After Ceaser’s got the rodents’ attention, Charly proceeds downstairs into the basement, broom held fast.

  Once he disappears in the floor, we hear him yelling at the vermin;

  CHARLY

  Git away you little bastards!

  You sonsabitches!

  We hear the broom banging around.

  The FOUR PASSENGERS

  by the stove watch all this and trade looks. That’s a very interesting room down there. They also trade looks that say, let’s get this party started.

  The Four Passengers, one at a time, take their positions.

  JODY

  starts the whole thing off. Moving from the pot belly stove over to where Minnie is making coffy. She’s smoking one of her hand rolled cigarettes.

  JODY

  Miss Minnie?

  She turns towards him.

  JODY

  Would you roll me a cigarette?

  MINNIE

  Sure honey.

  BOB

  crosses the room over by the fireplace to watch the two old men play chess. He just stands there watching their game.

  They notice him.

  Bob smiles at them and indicates for them to continue with their game.

  BOB

  Don’t mind me gentlemen, I’m just watching.

  SWEET DAVE

  You play?

  BOB

  You know, I must of had at least twelve people teach me that goddamn game. Just never could keep the moves in my head. But if I’m not disturbing, I like to watch?

  SWEET DAVE

  Hell no. I like whippin’ this old man’s ass in front of a audience.

  GEN.SMITHERS

  You ain’t whippin’ shit.

  JODY & MINNIE

  Minnie hands Jody the cigarette she just rolled for him. Jody accepts it with gallant flair.

  JODY

  Merci beaucoup Mademoiselle Minnie.

  Minnie giggles at being flirted to in French.

  MINNIE

  Oh that’s real nice! What is that?

  JODY

  It’s French.

  MINNIE

  You speak French?

  JODY

  Oui.

  MINNIE

  Oui.… what does that mean?

  JODY

  It means yes.

  MINNIE

  Yes—Oui.

  (to Sweet Dave)

  Hey Dave, ask me if my ass is fat.

  SWEET DAVE

  What?

  MINNIE

  Ask me if my ass is fat.

  SWEET DAVE

  It is.

  MINNIE

  I said ask me!

  SWEET DAVE

  Why?

  MINNIE

  Just do it!

  SWEET DAVE

  Is your ass fat?

  MINNIE

  Oui!

  (to Jody)

  Look at that, I can speak French.

  She giggles at herself, Minnie has a great giggle.

  Jody lights the hand rolled smoke on a nearby candle, takes a big drag, blows out a long stream of smoke, and says to her;

  JODY

  Delicious.

  She playfully hits him (Minnie loves being flirted with).

  OSWALDO

  moves away from his position by the pot belly stove, over to deeper in the kitchen area, where Gemma is plucking her chicken.

  He indicates to her he’s going to ask her a question.

  She perks up to listen.

  He asks with his most charming English accent;

  OSWALDO

  Are you the jelly bean salesman around here?

  He points at a large glass jar filled with multicolored jelly beans high on the top shelf of a cabinet.

  GEMMA

  giggles and smiles, nodding her head, yes.

  OSWALDO

  I’ll take two bags. One for me, and one for… you.

  GEMMA

  Really? You wanna’ buy me jelly beans?

  OSWALDO

  If I may be so bold.

  The way he talks makes her giggle. Her pretty smile gets even wider.

  JOE GAGE

  goes over to where the candy counter is. He opens up a glass jar of green peppermint sticks.

  JOE GAGE

  (yells over to Minnie)

  How many peppermint sticks a nickel buy me?

  Minnie interrupts flirting with Jody.

  MINNIE

  (to Joe)

  Five.

  Joe loudly slaps a nickel down on the counter. He removes five green sticks, sticking one in his mouth, and putting the other four in a little white bag.

  Judy comes in carrying some of their luggage. Plopping it on the floor.

  JUDY

  I brought in your bags in case anybody wants to change your clothes before Red Rock.

  She goes over to where Joe Gage is by the pot belly stove. She warms her cold hands off the stove.

  Handsome Joe Gage smiles at her.

  Cute Judy smiles back.

  He holds out the bag of candy and offers her a peppermint stick.

  JOE GAGE

  Peppermint stick?

  JUDY

  Thanks.

  She takes one and sticks it in her mouth.

  Oswaldo Mobray watches Gemma move the ladder in place to climb up and bring down the large jar of jelly beans.

  Joe Gage sucks on his stick.

  Judy sucks on hers.

  JOE GAGE

  Why do they call you Six-Horse Judy?

  JUDY

  Cause I’m the only Judy you’ve ever seen who could drive a six horse team.

  JOE GAGE

  You gotta’ accent there? Where you from, England?

  Oswaldo chimes in from across the room.

  OSWALDO

  I take exception to that!

  Judy and Joe laugh.

  JUDY

  New Zealand.

  JOE GAGE

  Never heard of it. Is it anywhere by Old Zealand?

  Judy flirts with the handsome bad boy.

  The trap door in the floor opens up, and Ceaser (dead rat in his mouth) comes leaping out of the basement, followed closely by Charly carring a dead rat in his hand.

  Oswaldo watches Gemma holding the large jar of jelly beans begin to climb down the ladder.

  Minnie calls out;

  MINNIE

  Coffy’s ready!

  ED

  It’s about damn time.

  Jody moves towards Ed and the coffy pot.

  Ed sees Jody;

  ED

  (to Jody)

  Best coffy on the mountain.

  Minnie smiles and waves away the compliment.

  MINNIE

  (to Jody)

  Stagecoach drivers like it. Passengers, not so much. Most find it a mite too strong.

  She pours Ed a cup of coffy.

  Bob watching the old men play chess, moves his hand by his gun butt.

  Minnie pours Jody a cup of her coffy.

  Oswaldo watching the pretty black gal struggling with the large jar of jelly beans, places his hand on his gun butt.

  Jody takes a drink of Minnie’s famous coffy.

  Joe Gage quietly removes the pistol from the holster on the side of his hip. The cutie pie in the buckskins doesn’t see this.

  Ed, all smiles, and Minnie, all eyes, asks Jody;

  MINNIE

  Well, what’d ya’ think?

  Jody answers by taking out his pistol and SHOOTING the surprised Minnie and Ed point blank.

  Both Minnie and Ed hit the floor dead, her last pot of coffy still clutched in her hand, as she crashes to the floor.

  Judy’s head turns in the direction of the carnage.

  Joe Gage raises his gun and FIRES into Judy’s shoulder, blowing her across the room, and slamming her into a wood post.

  Oswaldo removes his pistol from its holster and FIRES.

  Shooting Gemma through the glass jar of jelly beans. She tumbles from the ladder to the floor.

  Bob brings up his pistol and fanning the hammer SHOOTS Sweet Dave in his chair three times.

  Judy shot in the shoulder, against the wood post. She looks across to Joe Gage with a complete lack of understanding, but a big question on her face.

  He doesn’t answer her questioning look, he just SHOOTS her a second time, this time more effectively. The bullet hits her square in the chest, wiping away her questioning expression, and spinning her hard to the floor.

  Charly runs for the door.

  Bob takes three WILD POT SHOTS at him, missing the boy, but hitting the lock on the front door.

  Jody yells at Bob;

  JODY

  Christ almighty stop shootin’ at that nigger fore ya’ kill us all!

  Bob stops.

  JODY

  (to Joe Gage)

  Grouch, finish ’em off.

  EXT—MINNIE’S HABERDASHERY—MORNING

  Charly runs out, trying to escape.

  Joe Gage steps outside, and FIRES at Charly running away. The bullet hits Charly in the back, he plops down awkwardly in the snow.

  INT—MINNIE’S HABERDASHERY—MORNING

  Jody brings his pistol barrel against the temple of Gen.Smithers, cocks back the hammer, and is just ready to go bang, when suddenly Bob shouts at Jody in SPANISH;

  IN SPANISH SUBTITLED IN ENGLISH;

  BOB

  (SPANISH)

  Wait!

  Jody stops.

  BOB

  (SPANISH)

  He’s a nice touch.

  JODY

  (SPANISH)

  Him?

  BOB

  (SPANISH)

  He’s authentic.

  JODY

  (SPANGLISH)

  We can’t trust this

  (ENGLISH)

  old fart.

  BOB

  (SPANISH)

  Sure we can. You just have to convince him to trust us.

  (beat)

  Without those two fatsos, this place is going to seem real empty.

  (switching to ENGLISH to make his point)

  He adds something.

  Not much. But something.

  JODY

  (to Oswaldo)

  What do you think, Pete?

  Pete, it appears is OSWALDO.

  OSWALDO

  I admit, he does make the setup more convincing.

  JODY

  Okay, I’ll talk to the old man. You and Grouch

  (nickname for Joe Gage)

  start getting rid of the bodies. Now don’t try and bury nobody. Just stack ’em on top of each other, and shovel some snow on top of ’em.

  He goes over to the dead Sweet Dave, grabs him by his sweater, and yanks him out of the chair onto the floor.

  JODY

  Start with him.

  As Joe and Oswaldo move to get Sweet Dave’s body, Jody instructs;

  JODY

  Now stack ’em somewhere out back there. Just not by the two places where people go. The outhouse and the woodpile. Marco,…

  (real name of Bob)

  … start unhitching those horses and get ’em in the barn, and get ’em fed. When Ruth and Daisy get here, you’re gonna’ hafta’ do it for them. After I get through with this ole’ hickory tree

  (meaning Gen.Smithers)

  I’ll come help ya’.

  Bob goes outside to work on the horses.

  Oswaldo and Joe Gage carry out the dead bodies.

  Jody looks down at The Old Man.

  JODY

  Well old man, if you was a cat, what just happened here would count as one of your nine lives. You realize how close you came to being tossed on a pile of niggers?

  GEN.SMITHERS

  Yes.

  JODY

  And when it comes to that pile of niggers we building out back, won’t take nothin’ to make you General of it. You believe that?

  GEN.SMITHERS

  I expect no less.

  JODY

  Well not so fast old man. You might have a way out yet.

  Jody turns from the old man, and begins looking through some of the trading post goods. Looking for and finding a blanket. As he talks, he covers the blood stain on Sweet Dave’s chair with the blanket.

  JODY

  Later today, a dirty son of a gun’s gonna’ come in here. He’s gonna’ have my sister with him. He’s gonna’ have her in chains. He’s taking her into Red Rock to be hung.

  He finds a few other skins and pelts, and tosses them across the chair as well.

  JODY

  You know why? Ten thousand dollars, that’s why.

  Jody sits in Sweet Dave’s chair, and continues explaining his plan of action to the old officer.

  JODY

  (sits)

  When he comes here I’m gonna’ kill that fella’, and I’m gonna’ let my sister loose. Now do you have any reason you’d want to interfere with me saving my sister from a hangman’s rope?

  GEN.SMITHERS

  No.

  JODY

  You don’t?

  GEN.SMITHERS

  No I don’t.

  JODY

  Are you sure you don’t? I mean we did just kill Minnie and Sweet Dave. You and Sweet Dave seemed pretty chummy there.

  GEN.SMITHERS

  I just met those people. I’m here about my son. I don’t give a damn about them, or you, or your sister, or any son of a bitch in Wyoming for that matter.

  JODY

  Good answer old man.

  (beat)

  So when they get here, you just sit your ass in this chair. And you don’t do nothin’, you don’t say nothin’. Hello, thank you, good night—that’s about it—Maybe your name—but that’s it.

  GEN.SMITHERS

  Hello, thank you, good night, maybe my name.

  JODY

  Be an old man. Be dotty. Go to sleep. And don’t say nothin’—and I mean nothin’, to that bounty hunter got my sister. You understand?

  GEN.SMITHERS

  Yes.

  JODY

  Once it’s safe, I kill him, free my sister, and leave you be.

  (holds out hand)

  Deal?

  The old man shakes his hand.

  GEN.SMITHERS

  Deal.

  Jody the outlaw leader takes his hand away from the old man, and looks across at the General suspiciously.