"Is he awake yet?" " Why are you whispering?" " I don't know." "I think he's in the bathroom." "Okay." "Well, the plan is to stay in Atlanta tonight, finish packing, be back tomorrow as soon as I can." "You don't need more time than that?" "I'll be fine." "Not much to pack, really." "A phone." "I didn't get him a phone." " Mom did." " You did?" "That's wonderful." "When did you..." "Yesterday." "You were right." "We need to be able to get ahold of him." "I hope he's receptive to the idea." "He's got 1,500 minutes, I think." "Okay." "Well, we'll see how he does with that." " I should get the number before..." " Patience." "What?" "Such a show-off." "Why is efficiency considered showing off in the modern world?" "Well, okay." "I'm just a phone call away." "We'll be fine." "I will." "Can't vouch for Mom." "Oh, now." "Love y'all." "Drive safe, okay?" "'Morning." "Good morning, Daniel." "Mom." "Yes?" "I think I need glasses." "Oh." "Okay." "I'm sorry, Mr. Stern." "Miss Person will be with you in just a moment." "Mr. Stern." "I'm sorry, I got caught on a conference call." " You know how those are." " I do." " Jon." " Sondra." "Please." " Lenton, did you offer Mr. Stern..." " Yes, ma'am?" "I did." " And my dinner plate?" " It's on its way." "Okay." "Please." "Please." "Sorry it took me so long to get to you, but I have four counties that I have to attend to." " Of course." " Not like the city, I imagine." " Which city?" " Take your pick." "Anyhow, how can I help you?" "And I encourage getting to the point." "You have no case." "Oh, that's subjective." "The confession was coerced." "He was in there for 11 hours without a lawyer and only the last hour was recorded." "I'm sorry." "The only interruption I okayed was for lunch." " Do you mind?" " Of course not." "Lenton." "Please, go on." " Well, I think it's clear..." " Yeast rolls." " Butter?" " Yes, ma'am." "Excellent." "The interrogation?" "11 hours, no counsel, so on, so on." "I'll move to have it suppressed." "Okay." "And those great witnesses back then, the party boys, if you call them in again to testify against Daniel," " I will skewer them." " Okay." "I mean, come on, hasn't he suffered enough?" "Not if he's guilty." "But he's not guilty, Sondra." "Surely you know that." "Jon, please don't tell me what I know." "I'm reviewing the case and it's still exceptionally strong" " no matter the DNA results." " Seriously?" "Jon, it's inconclusive." "It's confusing." "Now, the results may have been sufficient to vacate the original case, but you barely squeaked by with the judges up there in that court and you know that." "It's not gonna play down here with regular folk." "But if you'd like to bring me some truly compelling arguments, my door is always open." "First or second?" "First." "First or second?" " First." " First or second?" " First." " Good." "Well, it's mild, the nearsightedness." "There is a thing called near work myopia." "The muscles lock in to near focus from prolonged use at closer distances or from lack of use at longer distances." "Same thing, really." "Okay." "Glasses should clear things up in the short term." "Or your eyes may just do it all on their own." "I see." "How are they?" "Like I've been looking at shadows on a cave wall." "As in Plato's "Cave"?" "Yes." "I haven't thought about that since..." "Our book report?" "Well..." "I was more of an advisor." "I didn't really understand the allegory back then." "But I will say this, Mother..." "Yes?" "Plato was on to something." "He was considered fairly astute." "...two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine." "Two of hearts." "Man." "One, two, and three for good measure." "Don't strain anything." "King of diamonds." "Oh, bullshit." "Don't shoot me." "I'm just the messenger." "How I know you ain't lying to me?" "How do I know you're actually doing the push-ups?" "True." "All right." "Hell, loser of this game is really the winner anyway." "You know, with this new group behind you, you might actually get out one day, D." "He ain't getting out." "Shut up, ho." "Seven of diamonds." "I mean, when they call themselves nonprofit, that means they got the money to get your ass out." "You know that's right." "I don't know that's right." "Man, sometimes you act like you don't want to get out." "Queen of hearts." "You're the most reluctant innocent man I ever seen." "That's 'cause he ain't innocent, are you, Daniel?" "Listen, man," "I will come through these walls and tear your cracker ass up." "You hear me, you sucka bitch?" "Damn!" "Queen of hearts, Kerwin." "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, 10." "Just imagine, D, you could have a world of windows." "Just imagine, voodoo, you can get your own window, too." "You get to look right at that little girl's mama as she watches you go bye-bye." "Tick-tock." "Tick-tock." "Tick-tock." "Ace of spades." "Meet up later, okay?" "Okay." "Relevance." "That's right." "Simple." "Relevance." "In the age of the Internet and the big box store, this has become the greatest challenge to the independent tire dealer." "Our industry is facing a grim economic reality." "But, folks, if you are prepared to think outside the box, this time next year, you could be looking at your highest sales in a decade." "Now, how do we get there?" "Two core principles... specialization and synergy." "Now, the Georgia-Alabama region is made up of 768 different tire centers." "You kidding me?" "Ethnic minorities, that's their answer?" "I got a store in Montgomery." "I know a little something about ethnic minorities." "This damn Rent-a-Rim, they can get 29s, 31s, spinners, anything they want delivered right to their door for next to nothing." "Now, how are we supposed to compete with that?" "I heard that." "I might as well say it." "Read all about your half-brother." "Stepbrother." "Saw that press conference, too." "Man." "How is he?" "Seems like an odd duck." "Well, he was on death row for 19 years." " You know, been through a lot." " No, I know, I know." "No, I'm not judging him or nothing, just... he seemed odd." "You know, the whole thing does." "I got something I want to discuss with you in confidence." "Something that might get us out of this nickel-and-dime game all together." "Sonic and Sega All Stars Racing!" "You got to push start." "Hello?" " Daniel." " Yes?" "Where are you?" " Plastics." " What?" "Boxes." "Plastic boxes." "Oh, okay." "Hold on." "I'll come find you." "Okay." " Get your batteries?" " I did." " Mother." " Yes?" "I think it's time." "Time?" "Time we got into yarn." "Oh, my." "Oh, yes." "Wow." "I just hope we're not too late." " Late?" " The yarn bubble." "Well, we could always fall back on flip-flops." "They're seasonal, though, flip-flops." " True, but isn't yarn?" " Oh, I'm not sure." "Excuse me." "You know, if you're clothes shopping, Kohl's is having a great big sale." "Kohl's Cash counts double through the weekend." "Well, welcome home, Daniel." "I know your mama's thrilled to have you back." "Thank you." "Yes." "Ready to go, Mother?" "Yes, sirree." "Daniel Holden." "Daniel Holden." "How does it feel to be free, Daniel?" "Is there anything you want to say to Hanna Dean's family?" " Janet." " No comment." "Janet, is it strange having your son back?" "No comment." "Do you have any comment on Judy Dean's statement yesterday that Daniel should have been executed for Hanna's murder?" "Do you have anything you'd like to say to Mrs. Dean?" "No." "No comment." "Maybe I should look, Mother." "Daniel, does the possibility of a retrial scare you?" "Daniel, how does it feel to be free, but not exonerated?" "Get the drive-away." "Daniel, can you look at the camera again for us?" " Maybe I should drive." " Daniel, look at the camera." "You don't have your license." "Then perhaps we should just sit a while." "Janet, what about from you?" "Daniel, say something." "Hey there, darling." "Your daddy home?" "How's it going, Sheriff?" "It's going." "Daddy, watch!" "Uh-huh." "Looks like Hanna Dean wasn't quite the portrait of purity everybody thought she was." "Well, that's the portrait that Roland painted." " What are you saying?" " What are you saying?" "Come on, Sheriff." "There's at least half a dozen boys she slept with before she was 15 years old." "And at least one adult from what I heard." "That's a god-awful mouthful, Trey." "But not the best kept secret." "Back then, anyway." "Look, I just want to make sure you wasn't one of them." "I ain't gonna lie." "I slept with her." "But not on that night, if that's what you're asking." "Man." "Man." "How long we known each other, Carl?" "Huh?" "Your youngest, my oldest playing ball together." "Patty and Meredith doing that cancer drive every year." "Me and you..." "All right, then." "All right." "I got you." "Is that how it is?" "Hmm?" "Here." "Take that." "Ain't that how they do it?" "You take that, take it to the lab, do whatever the hell y'all do with it." " Now hold on." " No, hold on nothing." "I don't like you coming to my house insinuating things, Carl." " Daddy." " It's okay, baby." "Nobody's insinuating anything, Trey." " Just calm down." " Bullshit." "I don't know what you want from me, Carl." "I saw Holden and her arrive together." "I saw them arguing with each other." "I saw them wandering off together." "Now that's what I testified to then and that's what I remember now." "I hear you, Trey." "I just don't want any more big surprises." "Well, you ain't gonna get none from me." "Look, I didn't mean to..." "No." "I understand." "You got a job to do." "I just get a little... sensitive around the kid." "I hear you." "Look, I wish I had seen him do it, Carl, because I know he did." "But I didn't, so I can't lie." "Nobody's asking you to lie, Trey." "What about George Melton?" "What about him?" "You ain't happen to hear from him lately, have you?" "No, I ain't talked to George in a good while." "I'm trying to track him down." "You got any contact info on him?" "I got a cell phone number in the house, if it's still good." "Last I heard from Georgie boy, he was down in Jacksonville I believe it was." "Daddy!" "Daddy!" " Watch me!" " Mm-hmm." "I see you." "Here we go." "Whoo!" "Keep going." "There, you got it." "Aw." "You want your card back?" "No." "No, keep it in case the county commission approves a new jail." "That'll be the day." "Well, if they ever do, make sure I get a bid on it." "Top of the list, Trey." "Daddy, watch me." "Shame she ain't cute at all." "She gets it from her daddy." "Shit." " I'll catch you later, Trey." " Yeah, I'll see you, Carl." "George, this is Sheriff Carl Daggett up in Paulie." "I need you to give me a call back here as you possibly can." "Number's 678-408-0467." "Thank you much." "You gonna be long?" "I can wait." "I don't know." "I think I might walk back." "That's a long hike." "I don't mind." "I had a nice day, Mother." "Me, too." "For the most part." "Oh, Daniel." "Tawney." "You have a visitor." "So glad you got the card." "Come on, I'll show you around." "You didn't have to dress up." "No, I went to get glasses." "Oh." "They're sweet." "We're getting ready for the annual jubilee." "There are games for kids and fellowship." "Baptisms." "It's like a revival." "I don't want you to think we're Bible beaters or anything." "I just thought you might like to be around people." "I'm not against it in theory." "Oh, good." " Pastor Beau." " Tawney." "There's someone special I'd like to introduce you to." "Well, welcome." " This is Daniel." " Daniel, of course." " Yeah, hello." " Hello." "Well, we just think the world of Tawney here." "Oh, now." "Of course, we just kind of put up with Teddy, you know?" "I understand." "Pastor Beau, I thought it might be nice for Daniel to, you know, to meet some people." "Fellowship and all." "That's very considerate of you, Tawney." "I saw some of your slides on the chapel wall." "Oh, well, young people do like the multimedia these days." "And Raphael's painting the moment he became God's son." "I like to think he already was, but, yeah." "I used to wish I'd seen miracles like that." "But better to hear the tale thirdhand." "Might have been too overwhelming." "Scary to believe." "Well, many were afraid, certainly." "I'll bet." "Anyway..." "Picture tells a thousand words, doesn't it?" "Sorry to bother you, Pastor." "No bother at all." "It's nice to meet you, Daniel." " Yes." " Okay." "I hope you don't think I brought you here to put you to work." "Chop wood and carry water, it's soothing." "That's nice." "You're very accomplished." "With casseroles?" "Big deal." "Big to those who partake in the result." "Is there a church in prison?" "There was, but I was only ever allowed visits by the chaplain." "Oh, you'd meet with him?" "I would have met with the executioner had he stopped by." "What sort of things would you talk about?" "I mean, with the chaplain." "Well, Flannery O'Connor for one." "He was a big fan." "Did you ever talk about where you think you'll go when you die?" "It was kind of expected in the setting." "Did he come to any conclusions?" "That it wasn't worth pondering." "But of course it is." "It's what makes us human." "I think what makes us human is the ability to choose to ponder or not to ponder." "Free will." "Yeah, I focused on preparing for the act itself rather than the result of the act." "The act." "Of dying." "Of letting go." "Why can't you do both?" "Some do." "Well, why can't you if it is a choice?" "Finding peace in not knowing seems strangely more righteous than the peace that comes from knowing." "Even if that knowing might be true?" "What?" "You make a better case than the chaplain." "I don't pretend to know everything, Daniel, but I care about you." "And I would just hate it if you went to hell." "I mean, if there is." "I don't know." "You're my Beatrice." "What?" "From the "Divine Comedy."" "I don't know what that is." "She was Dante's guide." "His salvation." "Well, I don't know about that." "It was fiction." "He's in sheet metal roofing." "The price of steel, China regulations are all eating his ass up just like all of us." "But then last year, boom..." "tornado, tornado, tornado, all within a half hour of his business." "He gets in on this deal." "You know how much he makes?" " 50k." " $111,000." "♪ What's your name... ♪" "And he's just a subcontractor." "Jesus." "Just tornados?" "Mm-hmm." "Exactly." "Gives subcontractors a cut, Mexicans do all the work," "God willing the creek does rise, we could be clearing six figures by the end of next year." " Government money?" " And that tit don't quit." "That's exactly the damn problem, though." " It's government." " Piss on a boot, Ted." "You gonna get mad at me for trying to help you put food on your table?" "It's all gone to shit." ""Honest pay for an honest day's work."" "That's dead, son." "The game's rigged." "Somebody's gonna get on this gravy train." "Might as well be us." "♪ What's your name, little girl?" "♪" "♪ What's your name?" "♪" "♪ Shooting you straight ♪" "♪ Little girl, there ain't no shame... ♪" "It's beautiful here." "Comforting." "I'm real glad you came." "I hope you didn't feel pressure." "I never feel that from you." "Why are you so concerned about my long-term future?" "I'm concerned about everyone's." "But that's just part of it, you know." "I don't want you to think that's all my belief is." "It's the here and the now that my faith in God sustains me." "Sustains or numbs you?" "Oh, no." "I see and feel things more sharply now than before I found God." "More rightly." "More fully." "But it doesn't overwhelm me." "Fills me up with... indescribable joy." "I never told anyone this, not even Teddy, but I can see and feel God in all things." "Like Thomas Aquinas." "I don't know much about him." "He felt that God revealed himself in nature." "Yes, yes." "That's what I feel or sense." "He believed that supernatural revelation was faith and natural revelation was reason." "And the two are not contradictory but complementary." "You're different from how I thought you'd be." "Different how?" "I don't know." "You're above things." "Like you're pure." "Far from that." "Could you ever accept Christ into your heart?" "I don't think Buddha would mind making room." "Or Confucius." "Nietzsche might grumble." "You're so smart." "Not really." "I just spent long hours in the reading room." "Could you ever see yourself being baptized?" "It's a beautiful ceremony." "It isn't just a ceremony." "You're given new life." "Hard to fathom." "Just the feeling of it, being submerged" "and the water cleansing you of every sin." "And when you emerge, you're different." "It's like they say, you're born again." "I don't know." "Maybe." "Really?" "I... could be, sure." "I could be." "Oh, Daniel." "I'm sorry." "I'm not trying to do anything." "I'm just..." "No, it's okay." "Everybody needs to be held." "It does something to you, not to be touched in any positive way for so long." "You begin to vacillate between being repelled by touch and seeking it out in any form, even the most negative." "I'm so sorry." "Out here, you... you're the only touch that soothed me." "I know that's not proper." "Well, hugging every once in a while is okay, I think." "Maybe just keep trying with others." "Okay, I will." "Hey, and I can still give you a ride home." "There's nothing wrong with that." "I think I'll walk." "Okay." "See you tomorrow?" "Yes, I'll be here." "Specialization might be dead." "My great-aunt Verna drove 60 miles from Cordele to Macon to save 20 bucks on a set of radials." "She call me for help?" "Hell, no." "And that's the damn problem." "Loyalty." "Those days are over." "Daddy can't see it." "Doesn't matter what we do now anyway now that Daniel's out." "So GD over." "You're right, Kent." "You're right." "Whole thing is over." "You're making out with a girl." "Very nice meeting you." "Oh, Teddy." "Teddy, come on, man." "Come..." "Hello?" "What are you doing?" "I'm just putting on my soft pants." "What are you doing?" "Old Kent's still at it." "I called it a night." "Of course he is." "What are you wearing?" "I..." "I told you." "My PJs." "Why?" "Oh, I was just..." "I was just kidding." "It's just because you're so beautiful." "I'm gonna watch some TV." "You... you go to bed now, Ted." "I love you." "I love you, too." "Tawney?" "...the week it's going to be warm." "Tomorrow's anticipated..." "What are you doing?" "They're just books." "Why are you throwing those away?" "They're just books." "It's over the allowed limit." "What does it matter?" "Huh?" "Why do you care?" "Get off me!" "Ow!" "God!" "They're just books!" " Books!" " That's right." "Challenge 'em, Danny boy." "Bitches!" "Bitches of the prison industrial complex." "There's nothing there." "Get off me." "Get off me!" "Daniel?" "Hey, it's Susan." "It's Susan Prescott." "Well, now it's Susan Gunter." "Of course, Susan." "It's been quite a while." "Indeed, it has." "I run the little beauty shop around the corner." "That's wonderful." "Yeah." "I opened it up about 10 years ago." "Area's taken a bit of a hit, but I've got my regulars." "Older ladies, mostly." "I call 'em the Bridge Club." "I saw you the other day, but I didn't want you to see me." "Not that I didn't want you to see me." "I just didn't want you to see..." "You look lovely, Susan." "You like a haircut?" "On the house." "So I was thinking mohawk." "You know, just a big strip right down the middle." " Right there." " Maybe." "Daniel, I'm kidding you." "What would you like?" "I trust your judgment." "Mohawk it is." "It was pretty corny that year." ""Arabian Nights" theme." "You didn't miss much." "Levi there is my oldest." "He's about to be a teenager." "Can you believe that?" "He wants a dirt bike for his birthday." "He ain't getting no dirt bike for his birthday." "And Christopher, that's my little baby." "Boy, doesn't he know it, too?" "They look like great kids." "Did you have a girlfriend while you were in there?" "That's a thing, right?" "Pen-pal girlfriends." "I don't know." "I mean, yes, that's a thing, I guess." "But I didn't have one, no." "That's a shame." "I'm just gonna come right out and say this." "I always told myself that if I ever had the chance, if you ever got out, that I would offer myself to you." "Offer my body." "If that's something that you would want." "I mean, I'm a happily married woman." "I don't want to be your girlfriend or anything like that." "I just thought that it... it's just something that I thought that you might need." "I'm sorry." "I'm being ridiculous." " I shouldn't even..." " I believe I would like that." "♪ When you're weary ♪" "♪ And haunted ♪" "♪ When your life is ♪" "♪ Not what you wanted ♪" "♪ When you're trying ♪" "♪ So hard to find it ♪" "♪ When an ocean ♪" "♪ Sits right between us ♪" "♪ There is no sign ♪" "♪ We'll ever cross ♪" "♪ You should know now ♪" "♪ That I feel the loss ♪" "♪ Hurt, too ♪" "♪ Hurt, too. ♪" "Ripped By mstoll"