The Blue Iguana

Yeah?

Vince, it's Veronica. I'm at the Playboy.

Oh, I'm trashed, Veronica. Can I get back to you?

Listen, I think that guy you were asking about...

the bail jumper, he's over here.

- Louie Sparks? - Yeah, that's him.

He's been drinking speedballs all night.

He's getting pretty mean.

Keep him happy. I'll be right over.

Hey, don't forget the $100 you promised me.

Yeah. Ciao.

$100. Jesus.

I'm lucky if I have enough for cab fare.

My rent check's bounced twice this month.

The IRS is digging info my pockets again...

and my Galaxie 500 was just repossessed.

Well, I guess that's how it goes in my business.

At least that's what I've found out after two years...

of working the pavement and getting nowhere.

I guess you might call me a bounty hunter...

but I really don't like that name.

I prefer to think of myself as a recovery specialist...

people and property.

You name it, I'll get it back for you, as long as I get a decent commission.

The Playboy. Hit it.

I've been tracking Louie Sparks for two exhausting months.

He was caught kidnapping well-bred babies...

and selling them to impatient yuppie couples...

who can't manufacture their own.

He skipped bail right before going to trial in Saturn City.

The bond company is offering me $56,000 if I bring him in.

Louie's got a bad reputation for losing his temper.

There he is.

Louie Sparks.

- Do I know you, Mr... - Holloway.

Vince Holloway.

You're worth a lot of money back home.

Just think of me as your personal escort back.

- You got the wrong guy, mister. - Get up. We got a plane to catch.

I'm scared of flying.

Guys like you really get on my nerves.

You just can't learn to mind your own business, can you?

Well, this is the last time, snoop.

You got a light?

Say hello to hell, mister.

I can't swim!

Vince, that was very impressive.

It's been a long time since I've seen you, Vince.

Not long enough.

Oh, you hurt my feelings.

But, you know, I always remember you looking so sharp, Vince.

Now, you look like shit.

Give me a break, for Christ's sake.

I won't give you shit.

On your feet, slime suck.

You're gonna see the boss at headquarters.

As Louie Sparks sank, I felt that $5,000 slip...

just like my luck.

The last person in the world I wanted to see...

was Detective Carl Strick...

career agent for the Internal Revenue Service.

Ever since we ran into each other tracking down a bail jumper...

who owed the IRS a bundle, he's hated me.

Strick wound up going down a flight of stairs the fast way...

headfirst.

It wasn't my fault, but since then, he's tried to crucify me

instigating two deep probing audits...

and hounding me on every case.

This time he was out to settle the score.

That's enough, Carl!

You're a mess, Vince.

So, what else is new? What do you want from me, Vera?

We got a problem, Vince.

You've been in business less than two years.

What do you call yourself...

a "recovery specialist"?

The only trouble is most of your recoveries seem to wind up dead.

By my estimate, it's over five now.

Five's an awfully big number, Vince.

And every one of them is self-defense. You've seen the reports.

Yeah, so has the DA and he wants an end to it. You understand?

I warned you about this the last time, Vince.

You realize that with your record...

I could set up this little incident to give you a minimum of five-to-eight...

and that's with parole?

Name your price. I can always write you a bad check.

Doesn't work with me, buster. I love my job.

- You want something. - Right.

What is it?

I think he's ready to play ball with us, Carl. Go ahead.

Why don't you fill him in?

We got a suicide mission out in the boondocks, Vince.

It's a real shit job.

Naturally, I suggested you.

Thanks.

Got a little show here might cheer you up.

Great. So, pass the popcorn.

This is an aerial reconnaissance photograph.

Diablo, a south-of-the-border tax haven for criminals.

Legally, we can't touch them. Nobody can.

They've gone completely outlaw.

And this is what's causing all the commotion. The Bank of Diablo.

Its rules and methods of operation are...

How can I put it? Totally unique.

I think you'll find this concept intriguing, Vince.

You see, this bank charges its depositors interest...

for keeping their money there, because all the money is illegal cash.

Cash made in the worst possible way.

By smugglers, by hit men, by scam artists, by the dreck!

This is Cora. She owns the bank.

She cleans all this dirty money...

then sends it out back into the world smelling fresh as a daisy.

My sources tell me, last year alone it was over $200 million.

Tax fucking free.

Well, that sounds like a good business to get into.

Well, it isn't, Holloway!

Go ahead, Carl.

Now, that's Reno.

Reno's the leader of one of the toughest smuggling rings in all of Diablo.

Reno and Cora have teamed up to provide the town with protection...

except lately, Reno's becoming more and more powerful on his own.

Now, Cora has her own set of bodyguards to protect the bank...

but they're defecting daily.

She's tried to appease him by giving him half interest in the bank...

but it's not enough.

He's on the verge of taking over the whole operation by himself.

Yeah, but Cora's gonna move the cash out of Diablo...

before that can ever happen.

Our estimates predict that it's over $20 million in international currency.

The pickup's gonna happen in five days.

That's where you come in, slime suck.

You're going to intercept that bank transfer...

get it out of Diablo and we make the pick up.

The government wants in on this underground economy.

We want it bad.

Well, that's a big order, Carl.

- What's my incentive? - We drop all charges.

Well, that's good but it's not worth dying for.

- I think I'll pass on this one. - I think you won't.

If you can stay alive long enough to collect it...

we've got a 5.5% recovery fee waiting for you.

- Now that's over... - $1 million.

- Thanks. - When do I start?

You just did. Transport moves out in 10 minutes.

I'm on it. Window seat. Smoking.

On my jobs, I try to get the client...

to provide me with an expense account...

and first-class transportation.

It's one of those perks I like to think I deserve.

This time I got $200 and three days on a banana boat.

Kind of a no-frills arrangement.

What seems to be the problem, Captain?

This is as close as I get to Diablo, mister.

If you were smart, you'd do the same.

- That place is a sewer. - Well, how much further is it?

- Good day's walk. - A good day's walk?

Oh, no. I hate to walk.

Now, get going-

Solo.

Come, sit. Come, sit.

I don't get much time to relax at this job, mister.

And you just fucked up my schedule.

You know what that means in my book? You owe me.

Now, get going-

Oh, leave those city-boy shoes behind, eh, Solo?

Yeah.

That ought to make us even.

God damn it.

Dude, welcome to our factory showroom.

Come on down.

Everything's gotta go, "cause I got to make some dough.

And you really do get the best for less.

Basic economy model.

If you want this in black, real cool these days, that's extra.

- I just need some water. Could you... - We also have aquatic blue...

- psychedelic pink, orange and yellow. - You got any water?

Yeah, I got water. You got money?

Fact is, mister, the only thing worth nothing around here is your life.

Everything else is gonna cost big.

I got a pair of shoes that are gonna look real natty on you.

- Yeah? - Yeah.

- How much? - Cheap, dude. Check them out.

Sharp, huh?

These beauts still have a lot of miles left on them.

Yeah, they're sharp all right.

But I don't like the idea of wearing a dead man's shoes.

Why not? I'll throw in a free ride to the town.

One thing's for sure...

this isn't Vegas.

This is a restricted area.

Only customers with a current savings account...

or new customers making a cash deposit...

will be admitted to the premises.

This is a restricted area.

Come on, Dakota, don't be so mad. I'll behave myself.

A little higher, Dakota!

Don't even think about her, dude. That's Dakota.

She used to be Reno's lady.

Didn't you see those bodies hanging on the outskirts of town?

They were her lovers until Reno got a hold of them.