"Around the country, the bookies Npay off winners at track odds." "It's dangerous when a longshot Ncomes in, unless you have someone at Nthe tracks to lower those odds." "Bet you can't do that with Na quarter." "Are you kidding?" "Sure I can." "I'll give you a dime for every quarter Nyou can lay down." "It's a bet" "Hey." "You got any quarters?" "N-Sir?" "How're you doing?" "NCan I get a Miler please?" "You got it." "Outta 20. 3, 4, 5, N5 is 10, 10 is 20." "Thanks." "Next." "OK, ace, they're on a row." "N-Yep, you're right." "That's a dollar I owe you." "Hey?" "That was the deal." "NA dime for every quarter." "5000 on the 3 horse to win, Nplease." "Thank you." "2000 on the three horse to win." "Mrs. Langtry, I'm sorry." "N-Why?" "What's wrong?" "You are a valued customer, as Nyou know." "But what's wrong?" "I can't understand this." "It's Nsomething you almost never see." "This is some of the finest filegree Nplatinum I've ever seen." "But the stones... no." "They're not Ndiamonds, Mrs. Langtry." "But they must be!" "They cut glass!" "N-Glass will cut glass, Mrs. Langtry." "Almost anything will." "Come with me." "Let me show you a positive test Nfor diamonds." "Take this." "Do you see, how the water splashes Nover him?" "How it slides off in a sheet?" "With real diamonds, it won't do that." "It clings to the surface in tiny Ndroplets." "I see it." "I hope you're not too badly Ndisappointed with us, Mrs. Langtry." "It's not your fault." "You'll give us Nan opportunity to serve you again." "I hope." "If there's anything you think Nwe might be interested in..." "Well, I have only one thing now." "Are you interested?" "Well, I would have to see it, Nof course." "You are seeing it." "You're looking right at it." "Mrs. Langtry, something like this very rarely Nhappens." "A fine setting in workmanship Nusually means precious stones." "It always hurts me when I find Nthem not." "I always hope I'm mistaken." "Can I get a Miller, please?" "One too many, mister?" "What?" "N-Step away from the car." "May I see your driver's license?" "You seem pretty sick, Mr. Dillon." "No, it's a bad shrimp, I think." "Didn't Nquite taste right when I was eating it." "I'm getting over it, though." "N-Must I take you to the doctor?" "No, I'm fine now, thanks." "NI still got a lotta clients to see." "Take it easy now." " I will, thank you." "Have a good day now." "Hi, Lilly." "Hi." "I'm done here." "ndo I come back to Baltimore?" "No." "Bobo wants you to go on Nto La Jolla." "La Jolla?" "I never go to California." "nit's a thousand miles from here." "Come on, Lilly." "You don't argue with NBobo." "He needs someone to handle playback there." "N-Maybe I'll swing out to Los Angeles on the way." " Take two or three Ndays." "Call when you get there." "Put it this way." "Say I rent it to a Nwoman." "Of course, she has to have a room with a bath because otherwise Nshe's got the hall bath tied up all the time washing their goddam hair and her clothes" "I had my first hotel 37 years in NWitchita Falls, Texas and that's when I learned Nabout women." "They don't make the money, see, for Na place like this." "Not regularly." "There's only way they can get it: by Nselling'theirself', tapping them cute little piggy banks they all got." "nmr." "Dillon." "Mr. Simms." "Here's a potential neighboor Nof yours." "Mrs. Langtry may drop by." "N-I'll send her right up." "That's the fine type of person I have in Nmind for here, like yourself, I'm sure." "Don't you wanna see me?" "nof course, I do." "Come down." "No, honey, I can't go there." "N" " What do you have in mind?" "Come on, you could be here Nin 20 min." "Oh, I don't know, Roy." "I gotta get Nthru all this traffic downtown." "In a minute." "Smack." "Heads." "What do you want, kid?" "Show me how ya did that other one." "N-Scram." "Go home." "I can't." "I've just left home." "N-Too young." "Ya oughta be in school." "I am in school." "5 of spades." "Where's the 5?" "N-In your other hand." "Good." "You learned something." "Goodbye." "I wanna learn everything." "Wanna be a grifter?" "N-Grifter?" "Yes." "Not partners." "That's your first lesson." "Cut Nyour score in half, right down the middle." "Worse than that, you take a partner, you Nput an apple on your head, and hand the other guy a shotgun." "Grifters, ah?" "You're one, allright." "Grifters Ngot an irresistible urge to be the guy who's wise." "There's nothing to whipping a fool." "NHell, fools were made to be whipped." "But to take another pro, even your Npartner, who knows you and has his eyes on you, Nthat's a score." "No matter what happens." "You wanna learn a few tricks?" "I'll Nteach you a few tricks." "But you hand does not get into my Npocket." "It's a deal." "Roy." "All right, forget the long con." "NIf the fool tips, you're caught." "You'll do time." "Never do time." "Don't go dressing like that." "Ah?" "!" "N" " Showing off." "Showing off!" "Any blind man can spot you." "Give me 10 dollars." "Come around tomorrow, NI'll take you again." "Well, that's fine." "NTwo months we know each other," "You're already so bored, you fall Nasleep before I get here." "When you're not here, all I can do Nis dream about you, Myra." "You stink." "I hate you." "The twins seem to be very restless." "NMaybe we oughta put them to bed?" "You know what I'm gonna do?" "NI'm gonna smother you." "Death, where is thy sting?" "You smell good, Myra." "NLike a bitch in a hothouse." "Darling!" "What a beautiful thing Nto say!" "Maybe you don't smell so good." "N-I do, too." "You just said so." "It could be your clothes." "It's me." "Do I have to prove it?" "N" " Naturally." "What?" "Sims here, Mr. Dillon." "Sure, Mr. Sims." "What can I Ndo for you?" "A visitor, Mr. Dillon." "NA very attractive young lady." "She says she's your mother." "Send her up." "Come on in, Lilly." "Hi, Lilly." "Roy." "Long time no see you." "Eight years." "I'm just making some coffee." "You Nwant some?" "Just instant." "It'd be nice." "Here we are." "Come on, Nsit down, Lilly." "So, what are we up to these days?" "Still handling playback money at Nthe track." "I'll be going back to Baltimore as soon Nas the races at La Jolla are finished." "So you're working for that same Nbookmaker?" "Yes." "An easy life?" "Usually." "Got a great view, Roy." "I guess you've been getting my NChristmas cards." "You always did have a sense Nof humor." "Glad to see ya, Lilly." "I'd have been hurt if you hadn't Ndrop by." "I'm glad to see you too, Roy." "Though I'm not sure what Nyou're up to." "Up to?" "I'm not up to anything, Lilly." "N-Come on, Roy, you can't kid me." "You got so much more in the ball Nthan I ever did." "Do you know what it does to a person..." " Lilly, I want Nyou to mind your own goddam business!" "Roy, what is it?" "It's no sweat." "God, you're ice cold." "Don't laugh at me." "N-Laugh?" "I'm not laughing at you, honey." "Did somebody hurt you, Roy?" "N-Got hit in the stomach a couple of days ago." "Let me see!" "N-Oh, no." "Let me see." "No." "Dr. Mittchel?" "nit's Lilly Dillon, doctor." "I work for Justus Amusement Company Nout of Baltimore." "What?" "NDon't you brush me off, buster." "If I have to have Bobo Justus Ncall you..." "Mrs. Dillon, I am sorry about our Nlittle disagreement on the phone." "I'm really sorry." "About Nyour son..." "It's hard to believe this strapping Nyoung man is your son." "Never mind that." "Just take Ncare of him." " Yeah, but he's had..." "He's had an internal hemorrage." "NHe's bleeding to death." "Well, make it stop." "His blood pressure is under 100." "NI don't think he's gonna make it to the..." "You know who I work for?" "N-There's just not much I can do." "My son's gonna be allright." "NIf not, I'll have you killed." "No, really?" "NYou're Roy's mother?" "That's impossible!" "Not quite." "NBut, I'm not sure who you are, Mrs..." "Langtry, was it?" "I'm Roy's friend." "Yes, I imagine you're lots of Npeople's friend." "Oh, oh, of course." "Now that I see Nyou in the light, you're pretty old enough Nto be Roy's mother." "Aren't we all?" "Play nice." "NDon't fight." "Darling!" "N-Roy!" "You're gonna be allright." "What am I doing here?" "You were bleeding inside, honey." "NRemember that bruise you had?" "You called the doctor, ha?" "N" " Well, no Roy." "Your mother did." "Thanks." "How long do they say till I can get outta Nhere?" "Roy, your mom saved your life." "Yeah." "Second time I gave it to ya." "I was kind of, inconvenient for Lilly." "She was Nonly 14 when I came along." "In fact, I used to be her kid Nbrother, well, or so she'd say." "N-Well, you're allright now, I guess." "It's a two-hour drive, I'm late, NI have to go down to the track." "Thanks, Lili." " Don't mention it." "N-I guess I owe you my life." "You always did." "Down to the track?" "La Jolla." "A job." "I wanna know everything about you." "Damn it!" "Number 7, "Troubador", Nrank outsider, stays unchanged at 70:1." "70:1." "Now at the start, N"Blue bay", 5:2." ""Celadon Star", the favorite, Nmoves in at 2:1." "Now "Troubador" goes into the gate, Nstill running high odds at 70:1." "An they're off!" "From the start Nit's "Zreli poklon", "Troubador"," ""Otis Blue", "Buck Meister", N"Uncle Louis"." "Down the back stretch, "Celadon NStar" has the lead by two lengths, with "Warmy hep" second. "Six Streams" Ngoes along in third." "Now "Troubador"" "now moving stoutly on the far outside." "N-No, "Troubador"." "running the far turn, N"Celadon Star" at front." ""Warmy Hep" second. "Blue bay" begins Nto drop back a little bit as "Six streams"" "moves up." "Now "Troubador" Nmaking a bold move on the outside." "They round the turn around into the home Nstretch and it's "Celadon Star" in front." "On the outside, "Troubador" now coming Nstrong with "Warmy Hep" along the rail." "Those two running for the second Nposition but it's "Celadon Star" in front." "Now "Troubador" begins to pick up the Npace" ""Celadon Star" holding the lead, "Troubador" Ncoming on it." ""Celadon Star" and "Troubador" Ntracking on the outside" "It's "Troubador" on the outside coming behind to get the lead." ""Troubador" winning it by half a Nlength." "The results were as follows:" "Nto this amazement sucess story" ""Troubador", outsider, at 70:1 Nmeets first place, second place..." "Roy, what happens when you get outtta here?" "N-Tick-a-tick parade, a key to the city, sex with my baby, Nthe usual I guess." "And that's it?" "N-What else?" "Well that's what I wanna know." "NIs this all we have, Roy," ""sex with my baby"?" "NNot that I'm knocking it but is that all?" "N-What're you driving at, Myra?" "Marriage?" "I didn't say that." "But that's what I asked." "N-I don't think so." "I'm a very practical little girl, Nand I don't believe in giving any more than I get." "And that may be Npretty akward for a match-book salesman or whatever you are." "N-Everybody needs matches." "What do you sell anyway?" "N-Self-confidence." "God knows you have it Nto spare." "I'll see you tomorrow." "No kiss?" "Hello, Mrs. Langtry." "NTime to rest." "Well, I'll leave you in Carol's Ngood hands." "You're looking much better today." "But Nyou're not." "You're looking very bad." "You belong in bed, Mrs. Linn." "Here, I'll give you part of mine." "But you must." "I've seen girls with Nthis look before." "Bed is the only thing that will Ncure them." "Bed without dinner might cure you." "N-You'd better behave, or I won't kiss you goodnight Nand then you'll be sorry." "You'd better behave, Nor I'll tell your mother." "Well, we wouldn't want that Nnow, would we?" "Oh, hi, Myra." "NI didn't recognize you." "No, I'm sure you didn't." "Myra's been here." "And what's your objection to Myra?" "N-Same as anybody's." "I stopped by your place, picked up Nyour mail." "Just bills." "I'll take care of them." "NI can take care of my own bills, Lilly." "Whatever you say." "The manager at your place Nsaid your boss called." "Really pulled the wheel out of Neveryone's eyes, ha?" "What're you talking about?" "So I got Na job, so what?" "Stop kidding me." "Four years in a town like Los Angeles, Na peanut selling job is the best you can do." "D'ya expect me to believe that?" "N" " What's there?" "The boss called." "NYou said do yourself." "That dump you live in, those Nclown pictures on the walls..." "I like them." "You do not." "Roy Dillon, Ncorn-ball clown pictures, comission salesman it's all a front." "NYou're working some angle." "Don't tell me you're not,'cause I wrote Nthe book." "You want to talk?" "You still want to run Nplayback money for the mob?" "That's me." "That's who I am." "You were Nnever cut off for the rackets, Roy." "How come?" "You aren't tough enough." "Not as tough as you, ha?" "N-How d'ya get tha punch in the stomach?" "I tripped on a chair." "N-Get off the grift, Roy!" "Why?" "You haven't got the stomach for it." "Oh, good, Carol." "Come in." "ndr." "Mitchel says you can get out of here Friday." "But that you should have someone to look in Non you, so I hired Carol." "You hired?" " You'll pay me back, I'm sure." "N-Lilly, I make my own decisions for a long time now." "N-Roy, you couldn't possibly object to a pretty young lady coming to Nvisit you." "Carol!" "Do you know why my mother Nhired you?" "Ha, yes." "I'll come every afternoon Nand make sure you feel..." "She hired you for me to fuck." "To keep me away from bad Ninfluences." "Isn't that right, Lilly?" "It is not." "Mrs. Dillon, perhaps I..." "N" " Go wait in the hall!" "Don't go away!" "You didn't have to do that." "N-I thought I did." "So you won't take a thing from me, Nis that it?" "Sex?" "I'm not offering you sex, you little punk!" "N-That's not what I meant." "Lilly, you're just throwing that wall flower Non me'cause you don't like Myra." "Moire is nothing!" "NShe's less than nothing." "Why does she bug you?" "You jealous?" "Of what?" "NYou wanna lie down with dogs?" "Then I'll pick the dog." "N-Go ahead, Roy." "Thanks, mom." "That's right." "I just give you your life." "NWhat you do with it is up to you." "That's right." "Myra here." "So you miss me." "NTell me how to reach you." "And I will." "Baby, I'm getting outta here today." "NThat's it." "Listen, let's go down to La Jolla this Nafternoon." "We'll hit the beach!" "Have some fun, ha?" "Take some Ntime off." "Forget all this sorry stuff." "Myra!" "Don't tell me." "You're Addison NSims of Seattle!" "And we had lunch together in the fall of 1902?" "N-Myra, listen!" "Myra, damn it!" "Listen!" "Myra!" "Joe." "How's your wiry zone?" "Are Nhidden germs lurking in your nooks and crannies?" "Allright, this is your final warning." "NYou've got to settle your bill today." "Joe, don't I always pay my bills?" "none way or another?" "Well, this time it's just None way." "Stop getting up nights, man." "NYou too could learn to dance." "All you need is a magic step." "NSimple as one-two-three." "Here's your bill." "It's a lotta money, Joe." "NYou wouldn't have padded it?" "You owe every damn cent Nof that." "Maybe I could get the dough from Nyour wife, you suppose?" "Maybe your kids would crack their Npiggy banks?" "You take one step towards my family..." "N-Don't wet your pants, for Christ's sake." "Come in, Joe!" "The money!" "There it is." "The automatic clutch, Joe." "nit comes with a deluxe upholstery, and the highspeed wiry zone..." "Myra, please." "NI've let you..." "I've been very good to you." "NI've let you stay here..." "Can't be done, Joe." "nail passangers must pay as they enter." "NNo free passes or rebates." "That's a strict rule of the intercourse Ncommerce comission." "Oh, God!" "Only one choice to a customer:" "Nthe lady, or the loot." "What's it gonna be?" "The difference between a folded towel Nand a clean towel is a trip to the laundry." "When you're cleaning those baths Nwhat you do is, you pick up a towel, and you give it a good shake and Na good look, and you say to yourself:" ""Would I dry myself in one Nof those towels"?" "If the answer is "yes", you fold it." "N-What if it's wet?" "Mr. Dillon, wellcome back." "You're looking fine, just fine." "Thank you, nmr." "Sims." "I'm feeling fine." "I'm glad you're better." "Sickness comes Nto us all, Mr. Dillon." "That's true, Mr Sims." "We never know when, we never know why, Nwe never know how." "The only blessed thing we know is that it'll come in the most Ntime, just when you've got tickets to the World Series." "And that's the way Nthe permanent waves." "Well..." "That fellow could be a congressman." "If it's wet, you don't fold it." "NYou shake it and hang it neatly on the knob provided." "N-Yes, sir." "What're you laughing at?" "Nothing." "noh, no, nevermind, Joe." "It's just that I was remembering, Nat lunch, on the menu it said" ""Today's special:"" "Broiled hothouse tomato, under a generous slice Nof riped cheese." "Hi, Bobo." "Did I buy you that dress Nyou piece of shit?" "Well, I guess so." "You're the guy I work for." "N-I'm the guy you work for, ha?" "In that case I may just flush Nyou down the toilet." "Take me to my hotel." "Troubador!" "How did you figure you were Ngonna get away with that?" "I'm not getting away with anything, NBobo." "You're fucking right!" "How much did your pals cut you in Nfor on that nag, or did they give you the same kind of screwing you gave me?" "NI was down on that horse, Bobo." "Maybe not as much as I should've been." "NThere was a lotta action..." "One question!" "You wanna stick to that story or Nyou wanna keep your teeth?" "I wanna keep my teeth." "N-Allright." "I'll ask you another: you think I got Nno contacts out here?" "That nag paid off at almost Nthe opening price." "There wasn't hardly a flutter on the tote board from the time Nthe odds were posted." "There ain't enough action to tickle the Ntoteboard and you claim a ten-grand win." "You send me 10.000 dollars like NI'm a fucking marker in rip off." "No, Bobo..." "Are we talking Nstraight up?" "My son." "Your what?" "N-My son was in the hospital." "What the fuck are you doing with a son?" "N-He left home a long time ago." "He's was in a hospital, up in Los NAngeles." "He was real sick." "Motherhood." "I never fucked up before, Bobo." "You got any kind of long coat in the car, Nsomething you could wear home over your dress?" "No." "I'll loan you a raincoat." "You guys take a walk." "You wanna go to the bathroom Nand bring me a towel?" "Ever hear about Nthe oranges, Lilly?" "You mean the insurance Nframmis?" "Tell me about the oranges, Lilly, Nwhile you put those in the towel." "You hit a person with the oranges Nwrapped up in a towel, they get big, ugly-looking bruises, but they Ndon't really get hurt, not if you do it right." "It's for working scams against Ninsurance companies." "And if you do it wrong?" "It can mess up your insides." "You can get pe-pe-pe..." "What?" "Permanent damage." "N-You never shit right again." "Bring me the towel." "Come on." "Get up." "Coat is on Nthe bed." "Oh, I won't forget. 10 grand." "NYours. "Troubador"?" "You want a drink?" "Gee." "I'd better Nnot, if that's OK?" "Still got a drive up to Los Angeles." "N-See your son, ha?" "That's nice, Lilly." "Side of you NI never knew." "He's a good kid." "Salesman." "N-On the square, ha?" "How are you hanging out these days?" "NStealing much?" "From you?" "My folks didn't raise no stupid kids." "You're not scheming a thing, Lilly?" "Well, you know, I clip a buck here, Nand a buck there." "Not enough to notice." "That's right." "Take a little, leave a little." "N-A person who don't look out for himself is too dumb to look out for anybody else." "NHe's a liability, right, Bo?" "That's a 1000% right, Lilly." "N-Or else he's working an angle." "If he's not stealing a little, Nhe's stealing a lot." "You know it, Lilly!" "You know what, I like that suit, Bobo." "I don't know what there is about it, but somehow it makes you look taller." "N-Yeah?" "yeah." "You really think so?" "Yeah." "N-A lotta people've been telling me that." "Well, you can tell them from me Nthey're right." "Well, I'd best be going." "Roy will wonder where I am." "N-Worries about his mother, does he?" "You give him a hug from me." "N-I will." "Thanks, Bobo." "So long, Bobo." "I don't see why we have to take Nthe train." "What if we wanna drive somewhere, Nwhile we're there?" "We will rent a car." "N-Expender!" "You ain't seen nothing yet." "N-Why so many people?" "The races at La Jolla." "Where your mother is?" "You don't wanna see her, do you?" "N-No." "Hit the beach, eat well is good Nenough for me." "I must stretch my legs, you wanna Ncome along?" "No." "N-Wanna drink?" "No." "N-See you in a minute." "A drink for you, a drink for Generson's Nday grandmother." "Right." "But junior gets milk." "N-Right, right." "A minute." "I'm sorry." "I spilled Nall your drinks." "Sure you're ok?" "Yeah." "What were those?" "NBeers?" "Four Millers." "Hey!" "Did one of you guys drop this?" "N-No." "I don't know." "I wouldn't have taken a chance." "Another round, I'm buying." "N-No, come on guy, you can't buy every round." "It's like our turn." "N-Come on, we've got plenty of cash." "Tell you what." "NWe'll roll off one?" "Low number buys." "N-Very good." "You're on for it." "Let's go, Junior." "NThat's just four." "Gimme a chance to get one of you back." "N-You got it." "Wanna go one more time?" "NI got four." "It's great to get away, isn't it?" "NTo take some time off?" "Next week, I'll be back to work." "N-You already went back to work." "What?" " I watched you." "Working Nthe tatt on those sailor boys." "Working the what?" "Oh, come on, Roy." "NThe tatt." "What you do for a living." "I'm a salesman." "You're on the grift." "NSame as me." " Myra, I'm not following this." "Roy, you're a short-con operator." "NAnd a good one, I think." "Don't talk to me like NI'm another square." "You talk the lingo." "NWhat's your pitch?" "The long end." "Big con." "N-Nobody does that single out." "I was teamed 10 years with the Nbest in the business." "Cool Langley." "N-I've heard the name." "It was beautiful, and getting better Nall the time." "Is that right?" "It is, Roy, it's where you should be." "NWhat are you bringing?" "3, 400 a week?" "We used money like that for tips." "N" " Wow!" "And now, right now, it's the perfect time." "NThe best time since I've been in the game." "All over the southwest you've got Nthese businessmen." "They were making money when everybody was Nmaking money." "They think that means they're smart." "And now they're hurting." "NWhen the price of oil fell, so did they." "They've still got money, Nbut they need more money." "When the oil money was good, they put Nup all these office buildings." "Now they're half empty." "They'd give you anything to Nmove in: first two months free, redecoration, whatever you want." "They help you set up the store." "I'm the roper." "I go out and find them, Nand bring them in." "Morning, gentlemen." "Gloster Hebing, may I present my Nfine stock broker, Henry Fellows?" "Gloster." "What we have here today, NMary Beth, is strickly between..." "Oh, I told Mr. Hebing all Nabout it." "How brilliant you are at making money for your Nspecial clients." "Well, I certainly hope that you're not Nspreading the news a little too widely." "Well, of course not!" "But I'd trust nmr." "Hebing with anything." "Wouldn't I, darling?" "Well, I guess I'll just have to take Nyour word for that." "Won't I?" "Here's the money." "Goodie!" "Please, let me help you." "Once they saw that money, Nthey were hooked." "And I made sure they saw it." "NAin't that just beautiful?" "Then, all Cool had to do was Ntell the story." "We are talking about breaking the law here." "I just wanna Nmake sure you understand that." "No one is gonna get hurt, but the law Nis gonna be broken." "Laws were made to be broken." " Lose talk is the one thing I Nworry about." "I can keep my mouth shut." "Gloster, come on over here Nand sit down." "Tokyo exchange is 9 hours behind us, Nthe NY exchange is 1 hour ahead of us." "There is never one hour in which Nboth exchanges are open." "Information moves, but it has to wait." "NNow, I have a fellow working for me." "D'ya know what a hacker is?" "Yeah, sure." "That's like a computer expert, Na genius." "Very good." "And what this boy has been able to do, Nis tap into that main link between Tokyo and NY Nand when we really need it he's been able to give us Na 7 second delay in the transfer of that information." "ndo you know what that means?" "Well, I can see that you get your Ninformation ahead of NY." "Every once in a while Na major change happens." "And we have a 7 second advantage Nto put a buy order, a sell order, into that computer in NY just before Nthat data from Tokyo comes pulling in right behind it." "Not much time." "N-No, we have to be ready, we have to have the money, we have to know Nwhat that information means and we have to move like grease Nlightning." "But boy, when it works, Nit is beautiful!" "Seven seconds, ah?" "I don't see how you can do it." "N-Machines!" "Machines, Gloster!" "I've got a whole room full of machines Nmachines back here.Y'wanna see it?" "Henry, no." "I've got a whole suite full Nof mainframe computers back here." "They are so beautiful!" "N-No, Henry." "Oh, you got a minute?" "NCome on, Gloster!" "Listen to them hum." "Henry, don't try Mr. Hebbing's Npatience!" " You sure?" "Well..." "OK, then." "Cole liked to take risks, huh?" "N-He didn't think they were risks." "He was so good, Roy, Nhe could just play with the mark." "He was so crooked, he could Neat soup with a corkscrew." "And when he got serious?" "N" " He'd explain he had to have cash, so there wouldn't be any paper Ntrail for the SEC." "And a lot of cash, or it wasn't worth while." "The least we ever took Nwas US$ 40.000, and the most was 185.000$, Nfrom one sucker!" "I thought these people were broke." "NNo, no, Roy, just cash poor." "They had savings accounts, Nstocks to sell, houses to mortgage." "NSell their wife's jewelry." "Oh, they had a lot of money, Nwhen they put their minds to it." "Or when I put their minds to it." "And a month later, the sucker calls Nthe cops and you're on the run." "No no!" "He never calls the cops, Nnot after we give him the blow-off." "FBI!" "Everybody hold Nwhat you've got!" "Back off!" "It's right here!" "You was it!" "N-No!" "You and your goddam bigmouth!" "N-No!" "Henry, no!" "You don't move, backwards, Nnobody move!" "You stay there!" "Come with me!" "N-No!" "Go, go, go!" "They never came back." "We were rolling in dough, Nlived wherever we wanted, only pulled two or three Nscams a year." "It was great!" "NGreat!" "Great!" "What happened to Cole?" "He retired." "N-Retired..." "Where?" "Upstate." "Upstate where?" "Atascadero." "No, baby." "Not again." "It's hollow." "I can't move." "Cant' move." "Can't move." "It's just the stress again." "NWe'll take a vacation." "Cole, you scare me Nwhen this happens!" "No, no!" "Turn around!" "Cole, please!" "Please!" "That's where they keep Nthe criminally insane, isn't it?" "He retired, and that's it." "But I didn't." "NI'm still the best long-con roper you'll ever see." "N-I bet you are, too." "Now you're trying to rope me." "N-Join up with you!" "A beautiful woman like you?" "NYou shouldn't eat alone" "Go away." "What d'ya wanna eat alone for?" "N-Can I have some more coffee?" "Coming up!" "N-We can have coffee together." "My name's Kenny." "Your pal wants you." "niet'm find his own pretty woman." "This fellow bothering you, miss?" "N-Yes." "Why don'y you go back there Nand just go sit down?" "I'll sit here." "You all right?" "N-You didn't need to do that!" "I thought I did." "You should Ntake better care of yr friend." "Get outta here!" "I'm sorry a lady can't eat in here Nwithout been bothered!" "Will never happen again, miss." "See you later." "N-Why d'we have to have separate rooms?" "Expect your father to come through?" "N-Separate bathrooms, darling." "I will not lay out all my Ncosmetics for you to knock over." "Things a man isn't Nsupposed to know." "You don't mind, really, d'ya, Roy?" "nit's been such a wonderful evening," "I guess I just wore myself out." "Sure." "I'm pretty tired myself." "Forget the longcon,'cause I'm Nthe one who's been conned." "Screw this noise!" "Open your door!" "What for?" "Open it, and find out." "Gangway!" "I hope you don't mind, sir." "NI just washed my clothes, and I couldn't do a thing Nwith them." "If you could have seen the look on Nyr face when I told you good night!" "You looked so..." "Roy!" "Can I come in?" "N-Sure." "What'r'ya doing in La Jolla?" "N-Me and Myra came down yesterday, we're leaving tonight." "If'ya come out to the track, don't Nknow me." "We won't hit the track." "What's that?" "4 grand." "nit's for the hospital, is it enough?" "Roy, I don't want yr money." "N-I pay my debts." "Oh, you do?" "NYeah!" "Expecting somebody?" "No." "That was the point." "Where did ya get that?" "Accident." "NTake the money back, I don't want it." "No." "I thought..." "I was hoping we could play it Nstraight with one another." "I guess not." "I guess you won't Nbe getting a straight job, either?" "Not this week." "Not ever!" "N-It's up to me." "I'm strictly short-con." "I've heard that one before." "N-Yeah, but I'm in control." "Sure." "You're only 25 years old Nalready you can lay down" "4 grand, without even Nturning a hair!" "Goes like anything else, Roy." "NYou don't stand still, either go up or down, usually Ndown, sooner or later." "Well, that oughta be Na surprise, then." "You'll gonna head east Nfrom here?" "After the meet." "NBack to Baltimore." "It was nice to see Nyou again." "You little prick!" "OK?" "I see him." "Just wait." "Hold it." "N-That's the guy we followed." "Just wait!" "Excuse, me?" "Can I borrow your Nbinoculars?" "Thanks!" "Excuse me." "What did you do to yrself all Nafternoon?" " I went out to the track." "What were you doing at the track?" "NDid you run into my mother?" "No, how could I?" "NI was in the clubhouse." "Lilly wouldn't be in the clubhouse, Nwould she?" "How did ya know that?" "OK, I saw her." "But she didn't Nsee you, in other words?" "I saw her out there, and I was curious." "NYou know she's always so nasty to me." "I know she was knocking me Nto you every chance she has." "So, I called a friend of mine in NBaltimore, so now I know who she is." "You must have some very Nknowledgeable friends." "I'm well connected, Roy." "Cole Nintroduced me to a lotta people." "Very valuable." "NValuable for us." "Running your broker scam, Nyou mean." "What a team we'll make!" "NYou won't regret this, Roy." "Regret what?" "I didn't say NI was coming aboard." "Why not?" "I thought it was settled!" "N-Nothing was ever settled." "It's yr mother talking against me!" "N-She's got nothing to do with it!" "I make my own decisions!" "N-It's not what Lilly thinks..." "Who cares what she thinks?" "NI don't care what she thinks." "Left home when I was 17, with nothing Nbut stuff I bought and paid for myself." "Nothing from Lilly." "Darling, guess what?" "NI had to tell you right away." "I called a fellow I know in Tulsa, Nthe one who plays my chauffeur." "He says that there's a sucker there Nthat's made for us." "And a broker that just shut down, Nwe can use their office, not change a thing!" "I can scrape up 10 grand if I try, NI got a couple of aces in the whole, some markers I could call on Nfor something real." "That leaves 15 or 20 to yr end." "NWe can start this weekend, get the sucker into position..." "N-Hold it!" "You're talking some Npretty tall figures," "What makes you think I have got Nthat kind of money?" "Now, you must have." "NNow, you know you do, Roy." "Maybe I like it where I am." "Well, maybe I don't." "I had 10 good Nyears with Cole, and I want'em back." "I gotta have a partner." "I looked and looked Nand believe me, brother" "I kissed a lotta fucking frogs!" "And you're my prince!" "Don't I get any say in this?" "N-No.." "That's what I say!" "What I say is no." "NWe don't do partners." "What is it?" "What's going on?" "Why don't Nyou wanna team up?" "The best reason I can think of Nis that you scare the hell outta me." "I've seen women like you before, Nbaby." "You're double tough, you're sharp as a razor, and you Nget what you want, or else..." "But you don't make it work forever." "NSooner or later, the lightning hits." "And I'm not gonna be around Nwhen it hits you." "By God!" "It's your mother." "It's Lilly!" "N-What?" "Sure it is." "That's why you act Nso funny around each other" "What's that?" "Don't act so goddam innocent!" "You and your own mother?" "You like to go back where you Nbeen, huh?" "Watch yr mouth!" "I'm wise to you, I should've seen it Nbefore, you rotten son of a bitch!" "How is it, huh?" "NHow do you like it..." "Stop!" "Stop!" "That's not like me." "NI don't do this." "That's why we wouldn't Nwork together." "Yr disgusting." "Yr mind's so filthy Nit's hard even to look at you." "Goodbye." "And you don't even know it." "Mama." "It's Mama." "She's the one." "NYou'll get yours, Mama." "Oh, yes." "Yeah?" "Lilly, it's Roy." "NLilly, I was wondering if..." "I was wondering if we could just talk." "NYou know, like have a conversation." "Maybe we've both grown up." "NMaybe we could just talk?" "Sure, Roy." "You want me to drive up?" "N-No." "OK." "I'll come there tonight." "N-Fine." "Come on down." "There won't be a home cooked meal." "N-That's good news." "Who's a boy gonna talk to, Nif not his mother?" "Lilly, listen, it's Irv." "You've always been decent to me, NI'm taking a hell of a chance here." "Somebody blew you out with Bobo." "NThe car full of money, he's...." "Lilly?" "Lilly?" "Bobo knows about all the money in Nthe car." "The money you stole from him." "A black and gold Cadillac." "Hi!" "Wellcome to Phoenix." "I'd like a single room Nfor tonight." "Everything's the same size, Nsame price." "I'm a very light sleeper, traffic Nnoise keeps me wide awake all night." "Trucks." "I know what you mean." "Do you have something around Nback facing away from the road?" "I'll put you in 19." "Very quiet." "NFaces the desert." "Sounds perfect." "Can I park Nmy car back there?" "Right in front of the room." "Something wrong?" "Oh, sorry." "I thought you were Nthe other lady." "No." "I'm me." "I'll give you n. 6." "Very nice room." "NVery handy." "In the front, right by the pool." "Don't you have sth round back?" "NWhere it's quieter?" "Everybody wants Nthe back tonight!" "I guess everybody Nwants privicy." "Roy Dilon?" "Lt. Pearson, NPhoenix police." "I have a car here." "There was a bunch of money Nhidden in yr mother's car." "Yeah?" "A lotta money!" "Would you know Nanything about that?" "No." "I realise this is a shock." "N-Mostly, I don't believe it." "That's natural." "No, I mean, I don't Nbelieve it." "I know my mother." "Lilly is not a suicide." "NNothing would make her check out." "I'm sorry." "It was her, all right." "It's her gun, even." "N-Her gun?" "There is one thing I have Nto caution you." "Normally, we don't do a next to kin NID, unless there's no other choice." "In this case, there's no fingerprints Non the file, the dental records don't help, because of the Nlocation of the wound..." "She ate the gun!" "I'm sorry." "This is going Nto be a shock." "Not many laughs in this room, eh?" "N-Not many." "Remove that, we want a full Nidentification." "Jesus!" "N-No question, ahn?" "No." "That's it, then." "N-Yeah." "That's that." "Mom." "The last modern thing I liked Nwas the miniskirt." "Your technology, now, Nnobody understands it, that's the simple fact Nof the situation." "Evening, Miss..." "NLangtrey." "Hello, Lilly." "Roy, you scared me." "You going somewhere?" "N-Somewhere else, that's for sure." "I just came back from Phoenix." "N-Oh, yeah?" "Is the frame holding?" "Looks very solid, Lilly." "Take a minute, tell me about it." "N-I've really got to go..." "You're dead, Lilly, it worked." "N-Yeah, but not for long." "Cops may buy it, but Bobo will Nspend money to make sure." "Even so, relax a minute." "NSit down!" "Just for a minute." "Put that down." "Myra followed you, huh?" "N-Yeah." "I guess She must have been the None that blew me off with Bobo." "To get me running." "Did you tell her Nabout my stash?" "No." "It was she was after, though." "NWhat happened at Phoenix?" "Oh, Roy." "It was terrible." "You read about people killing Npeople and all that," "But when it happens..." "My God!" "She was in her nightgown, you Nknow, the old grifter's dodge, nightgown and the ice bucket and she Njust got into the wrong room by mistake." "I sat in there with her," "I thought, what do I do now?" "Run, I've got Bobo Nand the law after me." "Stay, and how do I explain?" "N-This was perfect." "It is, isn't it?" "I've wanted Nout of the rackets for years, and now I'm out." "I can make a clean break and..." "NYou've already made a break." "I don't know how clean it is." "N-I'm sorry, Roy." "I hated to take your money, but -- NYou're not taking it." "Roy, I need this money." "I can't run Nwithouth money, and if I can't, I'm dead." "You must have some money." "N-Just a few bucks." "Myra's stuff?" "Her credit cards." "How far am I Ngonna get with that?" "Far enough." "San Francisko, St Louis." "NSome place new." "Start over." "You're smart, good-looking, you Nwon't have any trouble finding a job." "A job?" "I've never had a legit job in my life!" "N" "Well, you're gonna start if you wanna live through this." "You're gonna get a Nsquare job, live a quiet life." "You start showing up at the track or the hot spots Nand Bobo's boys will be all over you." "Roy, don't tell me what to do with myself, Nit's a big world ou there." "Not anymore." "Lilly, listen to me, it's good advice." "NI'm following it myself." "What?" "You wanted me out of the rackets, Noff the grift?" "I think I'm gonna get out." "Roy, that's fine, Nbut I don't have time for this." "Bobo's after my ass!" "N-I thought you'd be happy for me." "After all, you're the one who..." "NBobo isn't after you!" "Bobo's after me!" "And he's goddamn good, but so am I. NWhat makes you think I'm gonna let you outta here with my money?" "I'm a survivor." "N I survive." "And to survive, I need money." "No!" "You want a drink?" "No!" "You probably shouldn't Nhave one either." "No, but I'm goddam thirsty." "Ice water?" "Sure, that sounds nice." "I'll get it." "Take whichever one you want." "You wouldn't do that." "You don't know what I'd do." "You have no idea." "To live." "N-You'll live, Lilly." "I know what's bugging you, of course." "N-Oh?" "I didn't know anything was." "I wasn't a very good mother Nto you when you were a kid." "It was pretty lousy of me, I guess." "To be a child at the same time you Nwere." "For God's sake, Lilly!" "I gave you your life twice." "I'm asking you to give me Nmine once." "I need the money, Roy." "No." "So, you're getting off the grift, ahn?" "N-I might." "That's good." "You don't really belong on this Nside of the fence, you know." "I don't?" "If you stayed a crook, do you Nthink you'd live to be my ripe age?" "Well, I don't see why not." "I guess I got it wrong, then." "NSeems to me I heard about a guy just your age that got hit so hard N in the guts it almost killed him." "Well, uh..." "That's different..." "NThat doesn't count." "It doesn't really matter, does it?" "NIf I'm getting out..." "You're getting out?" "You're on the Nlevel?" "You don't need the money." "So why the hell can't I take it?" "Lilly, my money wouldn't last Nforever." "And then what?" "You'd be stuck in some other part of Nthe rackets, with another Bobo Justus to slap you around and burn Nholes in your hand." "If you can't change your life now, Nwhen you're still relatively young, how could you do it when you're Nsay... crowning 50?" "This way you gotta go Nthe square route." "Send me a card when you got settled, NI could maybe help you out sometimes..." "Roy..." "What if I told you NI wasn't really your mother?" "That we weren't related?" "What?" "You'd like that, wouldn't you?" "NSure you would." "You don't have to tell me." "Now, why would you like that, Roy?" "What're talking about?" "Of course Nyou're my mother." "Of course you are." "Roy..." "Roy..." "N-There's nothing more to talk about." "I want that money, Roy." "I need it." "What do I have to do to get it?" "You mean, you won't give it Nto me, Roy?" "Will you?" "Won't you?" "What can I do to get it?" "Is there nothing I can do?" "N-Lilly, Jesus, what're you doing?" "Nothing at all...?"