RED (V.O.)

The guards on the opposing teams all remembered to bring their W-2's.

ANDY

Moresby Prison issued you that gun, but you actually had to pay for it?

THE BATTER

Damn right, and the holster too.

ANDY

See, that's all deductible. You get to write that off.

RED (V.O.)

Yes sir, Andy was a regular H&R Block. In fact, he got so busy at tax time, he was allowed a staff.

ANGLE SHIFTS to reveal Red and Brooks doing filing chores.

ANDY

Say Red, could you hand me a stack of those 1040s?

RED (V.O.)

Got me out of the wood shop a month out of the year, and that was fine by me.

INT -- GUARD DESK/NORTON'S OUTER OFFICE -- DAY (1953)

Andy enters and drops a letter on the outgoing stack.

RED (V.O.)

And still he kept sending those letters…

INT -- ANDY'S CELL -- NIGHT (1953)

Dark. Andy's in his bunk, polishing a four-inch length of quartz. It's a beautifully-crafted chess piece in the shape of a horse's head, poise and nobility captured in gleaming stone.

He puts the knight on a chess board by his bed, adding it to four pieces already there: a king, a queen, and two bishops. He turns to Rita. Moonlight casts bars across her face.

EXT -- EXERCISE YARD -- DAY (1954)

Floyd runs into the yard, scared and winded. He finds Andy and Red on the bleachers.

FLOYD

Red? Andy? It's Brooks.

INT -- PRISON LIBRARY/ANDY'S OFFICE -- DAY (1954)

Floyd rushes in with Andy and Red at his heels. They find Jigger and Snooze trying to calm Brooks, who has Heywood in a chokehold and a knife to his throat. Heywood is terrified.

JIGGER

C'mon, Brooksie, why don't you just calm the fuck down, okay?

BROOKS

Goddamn miserable puke-eatin' sons of whores!

He kicks a table over. Tax files explode through the air.

RED

What the hell's going on?

SNOOZE

You tell me, man. One second he was fine, then out came the knife. I better get the guards.

RED

No. We'll handle this. Ain't that right, Brooks? Just settle down and we'll talk about it, okay?

BROOKS

Nothing left to talk about! It's all talked out! Nothing left now but to cut his fuckin' throat!

RED

Why? What's Heywood done to you?

BROOKS

That's what they want! It's the price I gotta pay!

Andy steps forward, rivets Brooks with a gaze. Softly:

ANDY

Brooks, you're not going to hurt Heywood, we all know that. Even Heywood knows it, right Heywood?

HEYWOOD

(nods, terrified)

Sure. I know that. Sure.

ANDY

Why? Ask anyone, they'll tell you. Brooks Hatlen is a reasonable man.

RED

(cuing nods all around)

Yeah, that's right. That's what everybody says.

ANDY

You're not fooling anybody, so just put the damn knife down and stop scaring the shit out of people.

BROOKS

But it's the only way they'll let me stay.

Brooks bursts into tears. The storm is over. Heywood staggers free, gasping for air. Andy takes the knife, passes it to Red. Brooks dissolves into Andy's arms with great heaving sobs.