Which men?
MARIA ALEKSEEVNA
They say theyre your friends.
Angela looks up at Maria Alekseevna, holds her gaze for a second then shuts her laptop.
ANGELA (CONTD)
Show them in, please.
INTERCUT
Maria Alekseevna grabs MacBride and Pavel by their arms. MacBride tries to twist his arm out of her grasp.
MACBRIDE
Let me alone, woman!
Tightening her grip, Maria Alekseevna drags MacBride and Pavel along the hallway towards the living room.
MACBRIDE (CONTD)
Pavel, tell her its a mistake!
PAVEL
Take it easy, man.
Maria Alekseevna pushes MacBride and Pavel into
THE LIVING ROOM
Angela rises from the sofa.
Engulfed in silence, MacBride and Pavel stare at her.
Maria Alekseevna heads into the adjacent room and returns with a bottle of Russian Standard vodka and three goblets. She puts them onto the coffee table by the sofa.
Angela pours vodka into the goblets and hands them to MacBride and Pavel. They hesitate.
ANGELA
Please, MacBride and I dont believe weve been introduced.
PAVEL
Pavel Nekrassov.
ANGELA
Delighted to meet you, Pavel.
PAVEL
Likewise.
Pavel takes the goblets, passing one to MacBride.
An awkward SILENCE lingers around them.
Angela sits down on the sofa. MacBride and Pavel follow her.
Seated, MacBride and Pavel look down at the floor. Angela looks at them.
ANGELA (CONTD)
(to MacBride)
What are you doing here?
MACBRIDE
I dont really know.
ANGELA
What do you mean?
MacBride looks into his goblet.
MACBRIDE (CONTD)
You see
Fiddling with the goblet, MacBride glances up at Pavel then at Angela.
MACBRIDE (CONTD)
Well, I was supposed to meet you at the Ritz, but instead I met an elderly man there.
ANGELA
What elderly man?
MACBRIDE
The rather suave looking bloke. He gave me a note from you.
ANGELA
I havent written any notes to you.
MACBRIDE
He said it was from you.
Reaching for the bottle, MacBride refills his goblet and takes a swig.
ANGELA (CONTD)
What was in the note?
MacBride pulls the note out and hands it to Angela.
ANGELA (CONTD)
(reading the note)
Whats the name of the elderly suave man, you say?
MACBRIDE
Jack. No. Jacques. Yeah, Jacques.
Angela gives the note back to MacBride.
ANGELA (CONTD)
Never heard of him.
MACBRIDE
Are you telling me you dont know who they are?
ANGELA
I thought there was just the elderly suave man in the Ritz.
MACBRIDE
(whispering)
I think I was followed.
ANGELA
By who?
MACBRIDE
There was this blacked-out Benz S500 sitting on my tail all way to the Ritz.
ANGELA
There is a certain Kazimir I know who drives in a S500.
MACBRIDE
Yeah. But where were you? I thought we were supposed to meet at the Ritz!
ANGELA
In hospital. Id been shot at.
MACBRIDE
By who?
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. ANGELAS FLAT/DINING ROOM (MOSCOW) NIGHT EARLY EVENING
In the middle of the oval shaped dining table, covered with a linen table cloth, a vase with the red roses stands. Around the table eight French style chairs are placed.
Maria Alekseevna sets up the table for dinner, arranging glasses and silverware around porcelain plates.
INT. ANGELAS FLAT/KITCHEN (MOSCOW) NIGHT EARLY EVENING
Maria Alekseevna stands by the gas stove, a frying pan placed on one of the rings. Scooping batter, Maria Alekseevna pours it into the pan and tips it around from side to side.
INTERCUT
Angela is seated at the head of the dining table with MacBride on her right and Pavel on her left.
Maria Alekseevna walks in and puts a plate with a pile of blini before them.
They reach out to the plate, taking pancakes.
PAVEL
(to Angela)
I heard youre acquainted with Kazimir?
ANGELA
Yes.
PAVEL
Is he the one known as Kazimir Stankevitch? The one who owns the aluminium syndicate SurLa?
ANGELA
How come youre so well-informed about different Kazimirs?
PAVEL
I work for the Special Police Unit.
ANGELA
Does it offer you the privilege of knowing Kazimirs and their businesses?
PAVEL
Sort of. We sometimes have to deal with his stuff.
ANGELA
His stuff sounds most intriguing.
PAVEL
Hes a frequent customer of the 911 Club.
ANGELA
Are you a frequent customer of the Club too?
PAVEL
I dont have the budget. We sometimes do raids on the Club.
ANGELA
Must be a very exciting job.
PAVEL
Youve mentioned that Kazimir drives in a Benz S500.
ANGELA
So?
PAVEL
It might be the same Benz that tailed Mac.
ANGELA
I doubt it.
PAVEL
What makes you sure?
ANGELA
I dont think Kazimir would personally tail anyone.
PAVEL
And what if he would?
ANGELA
He deals with far more important things.
PAVEL
Like laundering money?
ANGELA
He might.
PAVEL
The information weve gathered suggests that Kazimir Stankevitch uses clubs to launder his money.
ANGELA
Interesting point.
PAVEL
So, something rings a bell?
ANGELA
What rings a bell is that perhaps youre right about laundering money.
PAVEL
But?
ANGELA
But what?
PAVEL
You tell us.
ANGELA
Tell you what?
PAVEL
Is Kazimir your lover?
ANGELA
What are you getting at?
PAVEL
Im not getting at anything, just asking.
Maria Alekseevna starts clearing their plates from the table.
Pavel stands up and lends her a hand.
A stack of plates balanced in his arms, he carries the dishes out of the room.
Maria Alekseevna takes a porcelain tea set out and puts it on the table.
MacBride reaches out and picks up a cup from the set. Turning it over, he looks at the feature of a flower sprig depicted on the cup.
Maria Alekseevna gives him a stern stare, takes the cup from him and puts it back onto the table.
Pavel enters the room and sits down at the table.
PAVEL
(to Angela)
Perhaps, we can help you figure out who shot at you.
MacBride reaches out for the cup again. Maria Alekseevna slaps his hand.