EXT. TANNER’S OFFICE BUILDING - NEW YORK - DAY

Nick hops out of a cab and hurries in.

INT. OFFICE LOBBY - DAY

Nick is scanning a DIRECTORY. HE finds BOLT ASSOCIATES, FLOOR 52, just as TANNER BOLT, surrounded by OLD-ESTABLISHMENT * lawyers, strides through the lobby. NICK weaves his way urgently through the lunch crowds.

NICK : Mr. Bolt. Tanner Bolt, I--

TANNER is used to this: He keeps walking, is about to give the brush—off, when he recognizes Nick.

TANNER: Nick Dunne. I’ve been sitting by the phone, my friend.

INT. LOBBY - DAY

NICK and TANNER are sitting on a lobby bench as people go in and out for lunch. Tanner is having the laugh of his life.

NICK: You don’t believe me.

TANNER: Sure I believe you! It’s just the craziest thing I’ve ever heard. I love it. I mean, for you, it sucks...but you gotta have a grudging respect for your wife at this point.

Tanner leans back, still laughing; Nick is flummoxed.

NICK: Are you laughing me out of your building?
TANNER: No! Are you kidding me?! I’m in, I’m way in! (more serious) This is what I do, Nick. This is why I have a $100,000 dollar
retainer—because I win unwinnable cases. You’ve come to the right guy.

NICK: One hundred thousand dollars?

TANNER: We’ll figure something out. I’ll give you a special My Wife Is Skilled in the Art of Vengeance rate.

NICK: OK, so what’s the plan?

TANNER: So far, this is a he-said she said.

NICK: And she’s telling a better version.

TANNER: No, Nick. She’s telling a perfect version.

(MORE)

TANNER (CONT’D): I want to start today preparing a defense, should we need it. Now, if we decide to go with your story-

NICK: The truth

TANNER: We’ll need to realign the public’s vision of Amy. Make them stop seeing her as America’s sweetheart, and start seeing her for what she is: a mind-fucker of the first degree. That’s a big realignment. We need other voices besides yours. There has to be someone she’s seriously screwed with before—

NICK: She filed charges against an old boyfriend. Tommy O’Hara. New York guy.

Tanner texts something into his phone.
TANNER: Easy to find.

NICK: There’s another guy in St. Louos—Desi Collings—who supposedly stalked her.

TANNER: Go talk to Tommy. I’ll draw up the contracts.

NICK’s phone text buzzes. He looks at it: holds up the screen: TOMMY O’HARA with a phone number. Tanner grins.

TANNER (CONT’D): Told you you came to the right guy.