BOOK OF BLOOD

CHAPTER 09

INT. LOOMIS' OFFICE - MEW YORK - NIGHT LOOMIS:

A slob of a man, is in his office, eating pizza. INTERCUT PHONE CONVERSATION LOOMIS The case is closed. Harry. Tapert's given us a full confession. Get your ass back to Mew York. HARRY No. I'm taking a couple of weeks' vacation. LOOMIS You never took a fucking vacation in your life, Harry. What's going on? HARRY I got to go. I'm late. LOOMIS Call me tomorrow. HARRY There's other guys as good as me, Loomis. LOOMIS Yeah. But not as cheap. Call me. HARRY A couple of weeks. LOOMIS One question. HARRY What? LOOMIS Who is she? Harry can't help but smile to himself. LOOMIS I thought so. 'Night, Harry. Click. Harry puts down the phone. Glances at himself in the mirror. Raises a rueful eyebrow. CUT TO:

EXT. WILTERN THEATRE - NIGHT CRANE DOWN :

From a looming STANDEE of Swann, perched above the theatre marquee. SPOTLIGHTS rake the skies. The sidewalk below is jammed with AUDIENCE MEMBERS, STAR-SPOTTERS and PHOTOGRAPHERS.

This is a flashy, prestigious event. LIMOS are disgorging scantily- dressed STARLETS and smiling MONEY MEN; a NEWS TEAM is interviewing audience members as they file in. The atmosphere is noisy and excited. Amid the throng, Harry. He makes his way inside.

INT. WILTERN THEATRE - AUDITORIUM - NIGHT :

The atmosphere, is closer to a rock concert than a conventional stage show. Security people with walkie- talkies roam the aisles; the audience buzzes with barely controlled hysteria. Harry heads down the aisle, eyes on the stage. A star-lit CURTAIN covers it. Six rows from the stage is Dorothea, already in her seat. She smiles lavishly, happy to see him.

DOROTHEA I'm glad you could make it. Harry takes a seat beside her. HARRY Hey, this is a big deal for me. You know what seats like this cost in New York?

INT. WILTERN THEATRE - STAGE - NIGHT:

Center-stage, behind the closed curtains, Swann is ready for the opening of the show. TECHNICIANS buzz around him like flies. SWANN Valentin! Valentin emerges from the wings, patting the PANTHER that is waiting there. SWANN (irritated) Valentin! VALENTIN I'm here. SWANN The guy with Dorothea. Is that who I think it is? Valentin nods.

ON SWANN, his expression unreadable. SWANN He's young. MUSIC strikes up. A dramatic, Wagnerian chord. Valentin hurries away. Swann's expression becomes very focused.

1ST TECHNICIAN (to Swann) Ready? SWANN Ready. Swann rises up into the flies.

1ST TECHNICIAN How the fuck does he do that?

2ND TECHNICIAN It's wires, man.

1ST TECHNICIAN I never seen no wires.

2ND TECHNICIAN (sarcastic) So what is it? Magic?

INT. WILTERN THEATRE - AUDITORIUM AND STAGE - NIGHT :

The LIGHTS are DIMMING. Harry glances across at Dorothea, whose gaze is intent. The LIGHTS go OUT. The MUSIC SWELLS, and the CURTAINS fly apart. A spectacle worthy of Seigfried and Roy is about to blast our senses! Magic for the 90's: a wild, erotic ride into mystery. SWANN (V.O.) Ladies and gentlemen. You are standing on the threshold of a miracle... A vortex of SMOKE and LIGHT swirls in the middle of the stage.

The vortex BLAZES -- And suddenly Swann SWEEPS DOWN out of the flies, as the floor of the stage opens and the head of a glittering, razor toothed DRAGON emerges in a cloud of CRIMSON SMOKE. Swann raises his hands above his head and a SPEAR miraculously appears in his grasp.

He descends on the dragon. It's a classic image: St. Michael smiting the Devil. Swann drives the spear down the throat of the dragon. The theatre SHAKES at its dying ROARS. Then the head cracks open, and out of the dragon's mouth emerge a dozen scantily dressed DANCERS, male and female. Swann throws down the spear, and where it strikes the stage his PANTHER appears.

A ROAR of APPLAUSE from the audience. Swann's plain white tunic falls away from him as he descends. By the time his feet touch the stage he is dressed in a star- shot TUXEDO. The PANTHER licks his hand in welcome. The MUSIC comes to a crescendo. The DANCERS freeze in their erotic dance. In the sudden hush, Swann speaks in a whisper. SWANN My friends ... come with me...into the Great Beyond. A barrage of LIGHTS and MUSIC erupt.

The AUDIENCE APPLAUDS wildly. ON HARRY and Dorothea. HARRY He's good. DOROTHEA You haven't seen anything yet.