"Oh, thank you for the peaches." "Yes, ma'am." "So how you been?" "Oh, pretty good, I reckon." "You had a health problem since I saw you last?" "Ma'am?" "Have you been sick?" "Back's been hurting a little." "No, no, it's not your back." "You bleeding somewhere?" "Yes, ma'am, a little." "Have you been to a doctor?" "I don't much like going to no doctors." "Well, I think maybe you should go." "No, it's not a venereal disease." "I think it's just some kind of kidney or some bladder infection but it's been around for a while." "Lead to more serious problems." "Do you want me to call the doctor?" "All right." "Okay." "You need to get on to bed now." "It's nearly 9." "Mama, can't we stay up just a little bit?" "No." "You heard me, mister." "Mama?" "What does "fuck" mean?" "It's a bad word for something nice." "But what does it mean?" "Well, it means "making love"." "It's how your daddy and me made you." "Take your turtles off, hon." "Mike, did you hear me?" "What?" "I said, get to bed." "Your lip will freeze like that if you're not careful." "You act like I'm a kid." "You are a kid, honey." "Valerie, you can take your glasses off." "I know he's been hitting you." "I see your lip." "I know." "It just embarrasses me." "It's okay." "Come on." "He got worse." "I went to the store yesterday because we was out of some things." "And he got home from work early before I could get back." "He was waiting with a razor strap." "I got welts the size of footballs on my back and my legs...." "I feel guilty you paying me money to tell you get away from him." "You got to get help." "Legal help." "You don't know Donny Barksdale, Annie." "He'll kill me if I leave him." "He'll find me." "He said he would." "No, he's not crazy enough to kill anybody." "He's just an insecure redneck." "What?" "I think he's got a woman on the side." "He's been laying out at night." "Excuse me, but the school called." "They say Mike's in some trouble." "Mrs. Wilson." "Hi." "Come on in." "Have a seat." "Where's Mike?" "He's in the infirmary." "It's nothing to get worked up about." "He's fine." "Sit down." "He's got a few nicks and bruises." "He might have a pretty good black eye by tomorrow but he's okay." "He was in another fight." "Yes, he was." "His grades are getting worse too." "How's he doing at home?" "Not much better." "He's real distant." "I don't pretend to be a psychologist but it's obvious to me that your boy's got a lot of anger in him." "Well, it's about this time last year his daddy passed away." "He's still messed up over it." "Yeah, I never knew your husband." "I understand he was a fine man." "Yes, he was." "I don't know how therapy" "Mike don't need a" "If you think Mike needs somebody to talk to, l" "Mike doesn't need a therapist." "He can talk to me." "Do you think he will, though?" "Sorry, I didn't know anyone was here." "Oh, hi." "Ruby wasn't at her desk." "She's out sick today." "Mrs. Wilson, this is Jessica King, my fiancée." "Nice to meet you." "You too." "We're just gonna be a couple of minutes." "I gotta go anyway." "I got people waiting." "Thanks a lot, Mr. Collins." "I'm real sorry about all this." "It's my job." "He's just a boy, that's all." "You're not that Wilson that's a fortuneteller?" "I don't call myself that." "I'd love for you to read mine." "I'm pretty booked up." "Will we live happily ever after?" "What's the matter?" "You see something bad?" "Of course not." "I'm sure you'll be real happy together." "Hey, Mrs. Wilson." "How you getting along?" "I'm fine, Buddy." "Except I just can't keep my car door from flying right open." "Can you fix it?" "I can get to it about an hour or two." "You want to wait?" "No, I got to get home." "I got people coming." "You just want to leave it here, then I carry you on home." "I can have it to you by 6:00." "Will that be all right?" "Yeah, that's fine." "All right, all right." "Buddy." "Yeah?" "I'm a little low on money this week." "I was just wondering" "Don't worry about" " No, stop it." "I feel bad." "Oh, come on." "Now look." "For all what you done for me, I just think the world of you." "You're about the only one I call a friend to me." "Yeah, you know." "I'll get the truck." "Take your time." "How you been, Buddy?" "I've been having some bad thoughts lately." "You know, yesterday I was feeling so happy." "I was feeling on top of the world." "Good old you." "And I didn't feel like I needed my medicine." "But I took it anyway." "I'm getting hooked on that stuff." "Well, I think you're gonna have a lot of happy days, Buddy." "You're gonna get better and better." "Yeah, well, I believe you when you say so." "Buddy?" "Honey?" "Honey, what's wrong?" "You have to tell me and you have to tell me now." "I'll tell you, hon." "If I look into a blue diamond and I think a negative thought am I gonna die?" "No." "You're not gonna die." "You are not gonna die, Buddy." "Oh, my God." "Oh, my God." "Oh, my God." "Thank you, because if you'd said yes I'd likely kill myself before the sun goes down." "Oh, Buddy." "Oh, honey." "You don't have to kill yourself, honey." "You know I'll always tell you, Buddy." "I'll always tell you, Buddy." "Oh, man." "You're gonna be fine." "You can always talk to me, Buddy." "Always." "Don't use that." "I'm embarrassed." "Here." "Oh, no, I can't soil that." "I want you to have it." "I want you to have it." "This one's Ben's." "I mean, I...." "He wants you to have it, hon." "Thank you." "Thank you." "You all right?" "Yeah, yeah." "Yeah, I'm all right." "All right." "All right." "I can walk home." "You don't have to drive me." "No, no, I'm good." "I'm good." "You sure scared me, hon." "No, I'm all right." "I'm all right." "All right." "You just take it nice and slow." "Nice and slow." "Can I help you?" "Yes, ma'am." "I'm Donnie Barksdale." "I'm sorry to bother you so late but I believe you know my wife, Valerie." "Yes, I do." "I know who you are." "Can I come in and talk to you?" "It's about my wife." "Something's happened to her." "What's happened?" "She okay?" "Well, no, she's not, ma'am." "Ma'am, I promise I'll just take a minute." "All right." "What happened is, she's getting filled full of shit by a Satan worshipper." "Or a damned good con artist." "One of the two." "I know she's been coming over to see you and your damn voodoo." "You tell her bad things about me, don't you?" "You ain't no better than a Jew or a nigger." "You know what this is?" "It's a voodoo doll." "I'm gonna use this voodoo doll on you." "Some of your own medicine." "If you don't stop seeing my wife I'm sticking a pin in this every night till you leave folks alone." "Go back to bed." "Everything's fine." "I bet you love those little children, don't you?" "I bet they need their mama." "What's your name?" "Get your ass out of my house!" "Don't you threaten me or my kids." "What I do is my business." "If your wife has sense, she'll leave you so far behind, you won't find her." "Now get out of here before I have you thrown in jail." "Messing with the devil's gonna get you burned." "Everybody knows that." "I'll see you soon, boys." "Go back to bed." "Come on." "Something smells like cat pee." "It's perfume, Benny." "You can't cuss in front of appointments." "Something smells like cat pee." "Be quiet!" "He's got a great sense of humour." "Oh, he loves you." "Valerie." "You know you shouldn't be here." "I'm sorry about the other night." "It's okay, I can take care of myself." "And I hate coming over here, but I really need to talk to you." "Maybe you can read for me under a bridge or something." "I'll read for you, but you got to start listening to me." "I can't leave him." "Don't you understand?" "He'll keep hurting you till he puts you in the hospital." "I don't have anything to look forward to." "Maybe you can give me some hope." "I don't know how to make myself any clearer." "Valerie!" "Oh." "Annie, Annie, it's him." "Calm down." "I'll call the law." "No, Annie, no!" "You're my friend." "You won't!" "I'll handle you later on, you goddamn bitch." "Witch!" "Get your wicked ass in the truck!" "That ain't fast enough!" "I told you not to come here!" "Damn it!" "You let her go!" "Come here!" "Get in!" "Mike, you stay there." "What did I fucking tell you?" "!" "Sweet Jesus." "Mike, go bring Mrs. Francis her clothes." "Thanks, hon." "Granny." "Hey, Annabelle." "Granny, what are you doing here?" "I brought you some persimmons, hon." "Remember how you liked persimmons when you was little?" "Granny, you're not supposed to be here." "How'd you get here?" "Oh, it ain't far to walk." "That boy's got your granddaddy's eyes." "Well, hon I better get back." "Looks like there's a storm coming." "No, Granny." "It's clear." "Annie, always use your instinct, honey." "Tell Ms. Francis I'll be home by 9:30." "9:30?" "All right." "I love you too, Mama." "I know." "Mama loves you too, hon." "Be good." "Bye-bye, Mama." "Bye." "Ready?" "Why'd I let you talk me into this?" "It's time to quit living like a nun." "You're gonna be the prettiest girl here next to me." "You're still a married man." "I don't know about that." "Thank you." "Thank you very much." "Do we pay him now?" "Sign for it later." "Is it good?" "Annie, there he is." "Who?" "That guy I told you about." "Look." "He's right over there by the bar." "Don't he look like Antonio Banderas?" "Oh, my God, he saw me." "Shit." "He saw me staring at him." "Get your cards out." "Tell me if he'll come over here." "I don't have my cards with me." "Hello, Mrs. Wilson." "It's Annie." "Wayne, sit." "You're blocking my view." "You remember Jessica." "Hi, Annie." "I didn't know you were a member." "I'm not." "I just kind of tagged along with Linda." "How nice." "That's a great outfit." "Thank you." "What's Mike up to?" "He's moping around his babysitter's." "Yeah." "He's a great kid." "I was thinking you should have him go to school" "Wayne, let's not talk shop tonight." "Let's just have fun." "Okay." "Hi there, fun-seekers." "Hey there." "So how about a dance with Daddy?" "Of course I will, handsome." "Mr. King, I don't know if you know Annie Wilson." "Oh, yeah." "Yeah, I think I've seen you at church." "That is quite a dress, Ms. Linda." "Glad somebody noticed." "You want to give it a try?" "Oh, no." "No, I don't think so." "No, thank you." "Come on." "I asked you to dance, not walk on hot coals." "When was the last time you danced?" "I think it's so long, I've forgotten how to do it." "I'll make you look good, because I'm a terrible dancer." "Wayne." "I'll dance." "Good luck." "Yeah." "Missed your big chance." "Thank you." "Somebody might come in here." "Guess you'd better fuck me fast." "You having a good time?" "Me neither." "You seen Jessica around?" "She up and disappeared on me again." "She got a way of doing that." "What do you think of Jessica?" "She's very beautiful." "Yeah, the main thing about her is she's just so full of life." "We're different in that respect." "I'm used to tennis shoes." "This reminds me of when I was a kid." "I'd sit out on that porch." "I'd have so many thoughts, couldn't count them." "How did you wind up in Brixton?" "My husband." "Got a job here at the plant." "Right." "What?" "Did you know something was gonna happen to your husband?" "In an ESP kind of way?" "Well, I don't know if" "You don't believe in it." "I don't know." "I guess I just don't believe in great mysteries." "I figure what you see is what you get." "Well, I didn't know that there was gonna be an explosion but the night before, I had these real bad, bad dreams, you know?" "I dreamt that I was all by myself." "That Ben he wasn't around anymore and...." "Tried to stop him from going to work the next day, but...." "You can't keep a good man from work, right?" "You kind of remind me of him." "Wayne." "I looked for you everywhere." "I've been right here." "I see." "Hi." "Come on, let's talk to Daddy." "He's depressed because of the deal." "Oh, we got a major crisis here, Annie." "Excuse us." "Okay." "Bye." "See you later, alligator." "ln a while, crocodile." "Good night, boys." "Go to sleep for Mama." "What's that, hon?" "Blueberry muffins." "What are you doing with muffins in your pockets?" "Ms. Francis cooked them." "What are they doing in your pockets?" "They're in my pockets because we put them there when she wasn't looking so I didn't have to eat them." "Her blueberry muffins is terrible, Mama." "Y'all wait here a minute." "Take Ben, hon." "And your boy, he conquered all of them." "Everywhere he went, even the kings got together and became a confederacy against Joshua, but they couldn't stand." "Everyone came and Joshua destroyed them." "When the walls of Jericho fell, they went in and professed the land." "And the beauty of this is not one Israelite soldier lost the fight." "Not one." "When God's fighting for you, every soldier's important." "When God's fighting for you, every soldier's important." "God does not give one to the devil." "If every child of God obeyed, the devil cannot wipe you out." "He cannot take you out before your time." "If you obey God, I don't care what the devil does!" "Jesus came to deliver you!" "Jesus came to bring you out of your prison house!" "Mama, is everything okay?" "Yeah, everything's fine." "You sure?" "Yeah, time to go to bed." "Come on." "I know him." "He's a squirrel-hunting buddy of mine..." "...but I don't think it was Donnie." "Well, I'm telling you it was him." "Why would he want to bust into your house?" "Well, his wife, she's a client of mine." "He thinks I'm trying to break up their marriage." "Are you?" "Listen Donnie's high-strung." "No doubt about that." "But I don't think he busted into your house." "I appreciate the coffee and everything." "Take care." "I just can't get through a wall of some kind in my head." "Or in my soul." "Sometimes I don't even know the difference between my head or my soul." "I think everybody has that trouble, Buddy." "All right." "Your daddy he took things away from you when you were a little boy." "Do you understand that?" "He seen me playing around with something like a toy or something he'd just take it away from me." "Did he take other things away from you?" "Buddy." "You gotta find out, hon, why you hate him so much." "My daddy's a good man." "I don't hate my dad." "He was good to Mom and me." "Yeah, every kid needs a hit with a belt sometimes." "I mean...." "Buddy, you got to try to get past this wall that you're talking about." "You need to talk about your daddy." "You tell me why I hate him." "You're the goddamn psychic!" "Huh?" "You're the goddamn psychic!" "I have to go home right now." "I'm sorry I yelled at you." "It's all right." "I just need your help." "I just keep thinking about that blue diamond" "Buddy, if you think about these things in your childhood, hon and you face up to them, then I will be able to help you." "I know, hon." "I just" "I think you gotta do some thinking on your own." "Okay." "I'll help with that." "Okay, you put it up there." "Hey, Ben." "Hello?" "You got a lot of pretty things." "I like looking at them." "You ever see anybody skin a squirrel?" "You stick a knife in its belly and zip." "That's what I'll do to you and your children, you call the police again." "Mama?" "How come you're not asleep?" "I don't know." "What's that bat for?" "Don't worry, honey." "I'm just working on my swing." "How come we never go to the cemetery and see Daddy?" "Well, we went out there just last month on his birthday." "Hon, I've been real busy." "You know that." "Well, you have time for a lot of strangers." "When we talk about my appointments, they're not strangers." "They're the ones that put food on our table." "How come we don't talk about Daddy?" "Go, Mike." "I'm trying to read." "Annie!" "I'm gonna frame that." "It's a painting." "It's beautiful!" "Hey, I know why Kenneth King wasn't in church today." "Put your belt on." "Why?" "Because his daughter disappeared." "Jessica?" "What do you mean, she disappeared?" "Kenneth woke up this morning, and Jessica wasn't there." "Her bed hadn't been slept in, and he thinks she ran off." "Her and Wayne were to be married in June." "Maybe she got cold feet." "Maybe." "Maybe this will clear the way for you and Wayne." "What are you talking about?" "Oh, come on!" "I saw the way you were looking at each other Friday night." "Ya'll both just had stars in your eyes, you did." "Linda, that's nuts." "Yeah." "Annie, love is nuts." "Come on." "Go home." "Listen, I want you to get some rest." "You look terrible." "Bye, boys." "I gotta go." "Bye, Ms. Linda." "Ben!" "Get your hand out of there!" "That's for the cake tonight!" "What am I gonna ice the cake with?" "I like icing, Mama." "I can see that, pumpkin." "Miller!" "Would you go ask Mrs. Francis if she's got another can of icing?" "Please?" "I'm coming, Ben." "Where you going, son?" "You want to ride in the truck?" "I got a question for you." "You know my wife, Valerie?" "She been around to see your mama lately?" "Hey, boy!" "I asked you a question." "Give me my hat." "I feel sorry for you and your brothers." "Your mama being a witch and all." "If she don't stop her evil ways someday, somebody's gonna burn her up." "And then you boys are gonna be without a daddy or a mama." "Hey, Miller!" "You all right?" "He said Mama's a witch and they're gonna burn her up." "Oh, he did?" "You better mind your own business." "I intend to, Donnie." "Motherfucker!" "Goddamn it!" "Fuck!" "Motherfucker!" "Shoot me!" "Shoot me!" "Shoot me, you motherfucker!" "Shoot me!" "Shoot me!" "You all right?" "Tuscan rouge." "What was I thinking?" "I want icing, Mama." "You've had icing enough to put you in a coma." "From now on, I want to know where you are every minute of the day." "Mike, I'll drive you and Miller to school." "I wish Daddy was here." "He's not, hon." "But Mama is." "Okay?" "Eat your cake." "Hello." "This is Kenneth King." "Mr. King." "I imagine you heard about my daughter's disappearance?" "Yes." "Well...." "I don't believe in what you do." "I'll be straight with you." "Not only that, I don't like it." "But we're at the end of our investigation and looked under every rock there is and we'd like you to tell us what you can to help us." "Now, not no hocus-pocus and chanting and carrying on." "But you talk to many folks, know a lot of folks' business." "You might have heard something, or something." "The only thing we know is one of Sheriff Johnson's men found my daughter's car in the parking lot of that honky-tonk, A.J.'s." "But nobody there on Saturday night admits to having seen her." "So I'm afraid she might have been kidnapped or something." "Oh, Mr. King, I'm sorry." "I don't know anything about her disappearance." "I think we were just hoping" "Is there anything you can tell us?" "I can read for you." "But that's about all I can do." "I need you to cut the cards for me." "Oh, boy." "Thank you." "All right." "You ready?" "When were you getting married, Wayne?" "June 20th" "We're supposed to ask the questions." "Shut up!" "I have a hard time concentrating with more than one person in here." "I'm staying right here." "I'm the law and I need to hear this." "Please, ma'am, just try to tell us what you see." "I'm trying." "All right." "All I'm picking up...." "It's like a" "It's a fence." "Like a split-rail fence." "Do you know how many fences there are in this county?" "And some pillars with an opening going through." "And there's lots of white flowers I can" "Yes." "Is that where Jessie is?" "Well, that's all I'm seeing." "This is mishmash." "I said it wouldn't lead to nothing." "You're right." "It won't." "I can't concentrate." "I can't do this now." "I'm sorry, Mr. King." "Please, ma'am?" "I really do hope you find your daughter but I'm just not the person to help you with this." "Hey, Butch." "It was horrible." "That chain that was wrapped around her when she was floating up in my tree it was the same chain that I had in my dream and" "I don't know." "I just thought" "Dave?" "Yes, sir?" "There was an éclair in there." "I didn't get it." "Tim was in a little earlier." "So you saw all this in a dream?" "It wasn't just a dream." "I don't investigate somebody's dream." "I think she's dead, sheriff." "And I think she's in a pond." "What do you know about this that you ain't telling me?" "Withholding information is illegal." "Does it sound like a place you know?" "Yeah, a bunch of places I know." "Split-rail fence, a pond, woods." "Every raw-boned county boy got that." "What about the fiddler?" "Well Tommy Lee Ballard plays, but he wouldn't kill nobody." "I've known him since he was a kid." "No, it's not him." "Who are his neighbours?" "Well, his closest neighbour would be...." "Let me see, here." "I guess...." "Well, his property borders Donnie Barksdale's place." "Do you know Donnie Barksdale?" "Ma'am?" "Tim!" "Open the gate!" "You did get a search warrant?" "I want everything legal and proper." "Didn't have to." "I got permission from the owner." "Donnie Barksdale gave you permission?" "His wife did." "I told her it was routine, we're checking all the ponds." "Donnie's gone fishing today." "Excuse me?" "Sheriff Johnson?" "How much longer you all gonna be?" "As long as it takes." "You just said you were gonna be a few minutes, and we're going on two hours." "Hey, Pearl!" "I think I got something!" "False alarm." "It's just an old bicycle!" "None of you brought a thermos of coffee out here?" "That day at school you looked kind of strange at me and Jessica." "Did you think something bad then?" "Shit." "Come on." "Donnie, he called." "I told him you were still at work" "Shut your mouth." "What are you doing on my property?" "I'm on sheriff's business." "I got permission from your wife." "You think I let her talk for me?" "How'd your arm get all scratched up?" "Stray cat." "She didn't like it when I killed her." "What brought you here?" "Routine investigation." "Checking all the ponds in the county." "I knew it was you!" "No, you" "Hey!" "I'm on county business." "Don't fool with me." "Hey, Pearl!" "What?" "You need to take a look at this!" "Watch him." "It's her!" "Donnie?" "Get those hooks out of my baby!" "Get her off them hooks!" "Cuff him!" "Mr. King!" "Get an ambulance!" "He's having a heart attack!" "I didn't do this!" "Get him out of here!" "This ain't right, Pearl!" "Bitch!" "Bitch!" "Come in." "Somebody might come in here." "I guess you better fuck me fast." "You want some coffee?" "Mrs. Wilson?" "You want some coffee?" "No, thank you." "Have a seat." "Why did you call me here?" "Tomorrow, Donnie Barksdale goes on trial for murder." "I feel that we have a powerful case." "Today, the coroner verified Donnie's tissue under the victim's fingernails." "Now, I only have one weak link I gotta worry about." "What?" "You." "You see, you're how we found out where the victim's body was." "And how you found out, well...." "That might open up a real can of worms for us." "Psychic phenomena, ESP, dreams, visions...." "The defence could go to town on you." "If that's not bad enough, there was bad blood between you and Donnie Barksdale." "Yeah." "He threatened my kids." "That's what I heard." "I also heard you threatened him back." "Told his wife to leave him." "Donnie's quite a ladies' man." "Were you involved with him?" "What?" "I can deal with any revelation now." "But at the trial, there can't be any surprises." "So is there anything I need to know about you or Donnie or Donnie's wife or the victim?" "No." "Will that be all?" "Yes, ma'am." "You know, Mr. Duncan the victim had a name." "It was Jessica King." "Mr. Hawkins." "How long have you worked out at A.J.'s?" "About 10 years." "Were you working at A.J.'s on Saturday night, April 8th?" "Yes, sir." "Did you see the defendant, Donnie Barksdale, there that night?" "Yes, sir." "Could you describe the circumstances?" "The circumstances were I come outside to throw out some trash." "Do you recall the time?" "About midnight, I reckon." "Anyhow, I seen Donnie Barksdale out by his truck having an argument with this white lady." "She scratched his arm, and he slapped the tar out of her." "About that time, I go back inside." "Is this the woman you saw with Donnie?" "Yes." "Your Honour, let the record show that I've just shown Mr. Hawkins a photograph of Jessica King." "You just said that your attention was drawn to the defendant's pond." "Well, drawn in what way?" "Me, Wayne Collins and Kenneth King went to see Annie Wilson." "What made you think she would be able to help you?" "Well, word around town was that she was a" "I don't know what the right word is." "lsn't it "fortuneteller"?" "I guess so." "What did this fortuneteller see when she looked into her crystal ball?" "Well, she didn't have no ball." "She had these special cards." "What did she see when she looked in those special cards?" "She didn't actually see nothing then but next day, she come to see me and told me she'd had this dream." "She had a dream?" "Yes, sir." "She'd seen this pond." "It looked a lot like Donnie Barksdale's." "Then she woke up from her dream and she went outside and looked up in this tree...." "I'm all ears." "She seen Jessica King floating in the tree half-naked with a chain wrapped around her." "Floating around a tree?" "Yes, sir." "Floating in a tree half-naked chain wrapped around her." "Thank you, sheriff." "That squirrel, Gerald Weems, is mean and skinny." "Never was worth a damn." "He was just doing his job." "Mrs." "Wilson?" "Can I talk to you for a minute?" "Just call me later on, okay?" "Oh, okay." "Okay, bye." "Goddamn witch!" "Look, I got a lot on my mind, hon." "It's not a good time, okay?" "You did tell me to do some thinking and talking." "And I've been thinking." "What?" "What?" "Well, can you tell me why I do things to myself when I think about my daddy?" "Well, Bud, you call me later, hon and we'll talk, all right?" "No, I need to talk to you." "Buddy!" "I think about my daddy, and I touch myself." "You touch yourself?" "How?" "Why do I do that?" "Buddy" "Why do I do that?" "It's not a good time." "Something's bad wrong with me." "And I keep thinking about that blue diamond." "If you look into a blue diamond, you won't think a negative thought." "I promise." "Now, hon, I'm going through a hard time myself." "I can't talk to you now, okay?" "You're gonna burn in hell, Annie Wilson!" "Mike, I know you skipped school and went to that trial." "How'd you know?" "Doesn't matter." "A bird told me." "It's time you make things easier on me, instead of harder." "Very disappointed in you." "Phone's ringing." "Second of all, I'm gonna have to testify at that trial tomorrow." "Phone's ringing, Mama!" "I'm not deaf, Miller." "Let the machine get it." "Donnie Barksdale's side is gonna try and give me a hard time." "They're gonna call me names." "And I just want you to be prepared if you hear any bad stuff about me, all right?" "We're all gonna have to stick together on this one." "It's Buddy's mother." "He's gone crazy!" "He's threatening to kill his daddy!" "He's got Odell tied up in the back yard..." "...accusing him of horrible things." "Have you called the police?" "He said if I did that, he'd kill Odell." "He wants you." "Hey, Buddy." "I loved you, Daddy." "Buddy!" "Put that strap down, hon, and tell me what he's done to you!" "I'm here, Buddy, like you said." "You can talk to me." "It's too late for that!" "It's too goddamn late!" "This, here, is a criminal." "He's gotta be punished!" "Buddy, it's Annie" "You shut up!" "You shut up!" "It's all right." "Get away!" "Where were you?" "!" "I'm sorry!" "I'm sorry!" "You knew everything!" "And you did nothing!" "You ruined me." "You ruined me!" "I was just a little boy, Daddy." "I was embarrassed to go to school, Daddy." "How could you do that to your little boy?" "No, Bud, you put that down." "You put that down, Buddy!" "You listen to me!" "Listen to me!" "Get away!" "You get away!" "All right, Bud, all right." "It's all right." "Come on." "Why didn't you help me, Annie?" "What?" "Why didn't you help me?" "I had you for a friend and then" "I am your friend, Buddy." "Now I have nobody." "I have nobody!" "I'm gonna kill this thing." "No, Buddy!" "Help me!" "Look into that goddamn thing!" "Tell me what kind of thoughts you have!" "You look!" "You look into that thing!" "Mrs. Wilson?" "Mrs. Wilson?" "Mrs. Wilson, your husband, Ben Wilson, Sr was killed last year in the explosion at the Reinhold Cable Plant." "Yes, that's right." "You were left with three small children to raise on your own." "Yes, sir." "How do you provide for you and your sons?" "I get a little money from Social Security as a result of my husband's death." "I also give readings." "Psychic readings?" "Yes, sir." "What does being psychic enable you to do?" "I see things and I sense things that hadn't happened yet or they were happening someplace else." "My granny told me that I had a gift, that it runs in my family." "She told me not to be afraid of it." "I should always use my instinct and I'd be all right." "So you're swearing that you didn't get your information about this tragedy from any other means than your special ability?" "Your "gift"?" "Yes, sir." "I'm swearing that." "Yes." "Thank you, Mrs. Wilson." "Sir." "I have no further questions." "Mr." "Weems." "Mrs. Wilson." "How many fingers am I holding up behind my back?" "Objection." "Your Honour my client is on trial for his life partly because of powers this woman claims to have." "In all fairness, I should be given the opportunity to test the alleged powers instead of having to take her word for it." "You have a good point." "Objection overruled." "Can everyone in the jury box see how many fingers I'm showing?" "How many fingers, Mrs. Wilson?" "I don't know." "You don't know?" "Seven." "Seven fingers." "That doesn't prove anything." "Your Honour, I can't do this at the drop of a hat." "Well, then, ma'am, how about doing it at the drop of a dollar bill?" "What are you saying?" "Maybe this "gift" doesn't work unless you're being paid." "Like they say in the Army:" ""No money, no honey"." "No, that's not true." "Are you aware it's illegal here for a psychic to set up shop and charge money?" "Well, I don't charge money" "You just testified that you do charge." "I accept donations." "People give me gifts." "A distinction worthy of a lawyer." "Are you a rich woman?" "No." "Why not?" "If I had psychic powers and could read the future, I'd be filthy rich." "I'd be playing the stock market." "I'd be over in Mobile, betting on the dogs." "I'd warn my husband to stay home on the day I know the plant's gonna blow up leaving three little children to be raised in a carnival sideshow." "It doesn't work that way." "I can't use my gift for personal gain." "Except for those, what do you call them donations?" "You've had some personal trouble with Donnie Barksdale, haven't you?" "Yes, I have." "Just a few weeks ago, you told him that..." "...you'd have his ass thrown in jail." "He was threatening my kids." "Isn't it also true that in one of those famous readings of yours when you were doing your so-called ESP, you told Valerie Barksdale that Donnie was an insecure redneck and wasn't crazy enough to kill anyone?" "I did say that." "Then why say he did kill someone?" "No, wait, I've never said that." "You might as well have." "You wanted him in jail, and here he is." "I just told the sheriff what I saw." "And how could any of us ever forget that?" "Jessica King, just floating up in that tree naked with a chain wrapped around her." "It must be so much fun for you." "You must be entertaining yourself with your dreams..." "I'm having fun?" "...and visions." "You think it's fun seeing decomposed bodies in my tree, sir?" "You think that's fun?" "You think it's fun to have people trying to strangle me in my sleep?" "I'm blaming myself because some poor, crazy man decided to burn his daddy half to death and I'm having fun?" "Well, I'm sorry, sir." "You're crazy if you think that." "No more questions, Your Honour." "You're dismissed." "Like they say, let's just cut to the chase." "Did you or did you not kill Jessica King?" "I did not." "Did you or did you not see Jessica King on the night that she was killed?" "Yeah." "I seen her." "Would you describe the circumstances?" "I'd been seeing her for quite a while." "Would you clarify what you mean by "seeing"?" "I mean her and me had been having sex." "Okay, go ahead." "Well, she called me about 1 1 :00." "So I told her I'd meet her out at A.J.'s." "And I told my wife I was going out for a beer." "What happened after that?" "We got in an argument." "She said we were finished." "Did she say why?" "She said she was getting married soon and wanted to stop playing around." "At least till after the wedding." "During this argument you had with Ms. King did you, at any time, strike her?" "Yes, sir." "What happened after you struck her?" "She banged her head when she went down so I decided to take her to the hospital." "Did you reach the hospital?" "No, sir." "Are you feeling okay?" "I'm fine." "I want to go back." "I don't want to go to the hospital." "Someone might see me." "She said she was feeling better anyhow, so I took her back to A.J. 's." "I dropped her off at the gate, then I went on back home." "And that was the very last time that you saw Jessica King alive?" "Yes, sir." "The very last." "Are you guilty of the charge against you?" "I'm guilty of cheating on my wife of being a bad husband a bad Christian." "But I ain't guilty of killing Jessica." "I swear to God." "No more questions, Your Honour." "Mr. Duncan." "Mr. Barksdale, you're a wife-beater, aren't you?" "I've swore to tell the truth here today." "Yeah, I've hit Valerie before." "I guess it ain't no secret." "You admit to a history of violence against women and to beating up the victim on the night that she was murdered." "I wouldn't say I beat her up." "You're the expert." "How badly do you have to beat a woman before it fits your definition of "beating up"?" "Your story is that you've been having an affair with the victim." "But tell us why a beautiful young woman like Jessica King from one of the finest families in Brixton about to be married to a good, decent man and with a bright, shining future in front of her...." "Why would she get involved with something like you?" "I asked her that myself one time." "She said I was the only man in town who knew how to fuck." "You're disgusting, you know that?" "Objection, Your Honour!" "Objection sustained." "You will refrain from making personal comments." "I apologize, Your Honour." "It won't happen again." "So let's get this straight." "Let's clarify this." "You're saying it's a coincidence that on the very night you physically assaulted Jessica King..." "...someone put her body in your pond?" "I'm not saying it was a coincidence." "What are you saying?" "I got framed!" "Well, what an original defence." "Did you think of Jessica King as a stray cat?" "Did you tell the sheriff a cat had clawed your arm?" "Didn't you just tell us Jessica King scratched your arm?" "You said the cat scratched you because she didn't like it when you killed her!" "But I was lying!" "My wife was right there!" "How do we know you're not lying now?" "I'm not!" "It's her!" "She's why I'm here!" "Be seated, Mr. Barksdale." "She's a goddamn witch!" "She's putting spells on every-damn-body in town!" "Witch!" "Witch!" "Yeah, you run, witch!" "In Brixton today, a sensational murder trial was concluded." "Donald J. Barksdale was found guilty in the sex and strangulation killing of Jessica King daughter of the prominent Brixton businessman, Kenneth King." "Is everything gonna be all right now, Mama?" "Yeah, hon." "We can get on with our lives now." "I guess I'm the last person you want to see." "How you been?" "Terrible." "If you tell me to get going, I will." "I wouldn't blame you, but I need you to read for me." "Give me a hand." "I feel like I can't hold on any longer." "I know Donnie's mean and everything, but I feel real lost without him." "I ain't never been on my own before and I'm scared, Annie." "You don't need to be scared, hon." "You'll be fine." "You see that in the cards?" "Right through here." "But can you see what I'm thinking?" "Can you see that in the cards?" "What do you mean?" "Well I've been thinking some real bad, bad thoughts." "Un-Christian thoughts." "Like what?" "Like I'm glad that girl's dead." "Jessica." "She messed around with Donnie and deserved what she got." "No one deserves that." "Like I said, I know it's un-Christian." "What?" "What, are you seeing something bad?" "I don't know." "It's not clear." "Fuck you!" "Son of a bitch!" "Wayne?" "Wayne?" "It's not normally like this." "You need to lie down." "I'm really not sleepy." "I think if you sleep, you'll feel better." "Thank you, Annie." "It's okay." "Wayne I don't think this is a good idea." "No." "It's not." "I just thought we could forget all of this for a while." "You want to, don't you?" "I know there's something between us." "I can't." "I guess I still feel married." "You're not, though." "He's gone." "I know." "You gotta learn to deal with that." "Same way that I gotta learn to deal with the fact that Jessica's gone." "She's dead." "Oh, Wayne, I'm so sorry." "It's okay." "No, it's not okay." "I don't think Donnie Barksdale killed her." "No, Annie." "I'm really sorry." "I can't do this." "It's finished." "I know." "I want to let that bastard rot in jail." "And he's guilty." "No, Wayne." "I see it." "I see he didn't do it." "Do you see who did?" "I'm trying but I don't know yet." "What are we gonna do?" "Well if I had a piece of clothing or maybe I could go out to the pond." "See if I...." "It's not over." "Jesus." "Come on in." "Well?" "What brings you out here?" "I'll come straight out and say it." "I don't think Donnie killed Jessica." "Sure he did." "It was open and shut." "I'm telling you, he didn't." "Jessica's killer is still out there." "The Barksdales been threatening you?" "No." "I'll talk to Pearl Johnson." "It's not the Barksdales." "Listen, I know that Donnie didn't kill Jessica the same way I knew her body was in his pond." "And do you know who did kill her?" "No." "What do you care?" "He's in jail." "I got a warning today." "I think somebody's gonna try and kill me." "What do you want me to do?" "I want you to reopen the case." "I can't." "He was convicted." "I have no basis to reopen." "I'd look like a fool!" "I don't give a damn how you look!" "You listen to me." "I know you had an affair with Jessica." "How will you look if people find out you had sex with the victim the night before she was killed?" "Do you want money?" "No, I want you to reopen the case." "There's a saying about letting sleeping dogs lie." "You think you're in danger now?" "Be logical." "The real danger begins if this case gets reopened and someone starts worrying that you'll have another damn dream." "The wrong man's in jail." "I don't care how awful he is." "And I helped put him there." "I can't live with something like that." "So you find a way to reopen this case, sir." "Or I will." "Buddy!" "Buddy, I'm here if you" "Hello?" "Mrs." "Francis, I'm back." "Good." "How are the boys?" "They're asleep." "Want me to bring them over?" "No." "No, listen could we stay over at your house tonight?" "Sure you can." "Are you all right?" "Oh yeah, I'm fine." "I'll make a bed for you." "All right, I'm just gonna lock up." "Okay, doll." "Thank you." "Bye-bye." "Buddy!" "Oh!" "Did you see Buddy Cole?" "No, I thought he was in the hospital in Benton." "No, he" "You okay?" "Oh, maybe I imagined" "I don't know what to do." "Ever since you told me what you told me today, I feel like I'm going crazy." "I can't stand another night of this." "I need you to read for me." "It's no good." "Try it again." "Wayne, I can't make it happen." "How about what you said today?" "What?" "The pond." "What if we did go back out there?" "Do you think it might help you?" "I don't know." "Yeah." "Maybe." "Then it's worth a try, right?" "You mean tonight?" "No, Wayne, I can't do that." "I got my kids." "It's dark." "You know, it's a police matter now." "How long do you think that will take?" "It'll sit on somebody's desk for three months." "It's over for them." "It's up to us." "I know that." "But I'm telling you, I don't see anything." "You can't keep running from things." "Maybe if you just sort of walk around." "All right." "Oh, shoot!" "Jeez, you all right?" "You okay?" "Yeah." "Yeah." "What are you doing here?" "You seeing something?" "I've been thinking some real bad, bad thoughts." "I'm glad that girl's dead." "Jessica." "She was messing around with Donnie and deserved what she got." "I couldn't sleep." "Met the girls for a drink." "Take off your clothes." "Aren't you taking yours off too?" "There's a saying about letting sleeping dogs lie." "You just fucked him, didn't you?" "Donnie Barksdale?" "So?" "Why would you do this to me?" "I love you." "I wanted to be with a man for a change." "Watch your mouth." "You watch your mouth." "Fuck you!" "We're through." "I don't like being spied on." "The only reason I'm with you is because my daddy likes you." "Joke." "You horrible little bitch!" "I'll show you a bitch if you don't let go of me!" "Let go!" "I think we better go back." "Nothing's coming to you?" "No." "Nothing." "You know." "I knew if I got you close enough to it that you'd see it." "Wayne, I told you" "No, it's okay." "I swear to God, Annie, it's okay." "I wanted you to." "I swear to God." "I wanted you to see it so bad." "I mean, that's why we're here." "I'm not some killer, Annie." "I'm not." "You know" "I mean, do you know what it was like with her?" "She was so fucking hurtful and spiteful and" "I won't" "I know." "But it just happened in this flash of a moment" "Wayne, l" "Listen to me." "I'm a good man." "If it had been you with me instead of her, this wouldn't have happened." "It's all right, you know." "I won't tell." "I won't tell anybody." "Oh, Annie." "You all right, Mrs. Wilson?" "I thought you were supposed to be in the hospital." "I escaped, Mrs. Wilson." "I'm free." "Buddy, I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you." "I should've" "Now, don't you say another word." "You was the only one that was a friend to me." "And I love you." "You're the soul of this town, Mrs. Wilson." "And you just need to keep doing what you're doing." "I washed it." "Will you come back into town with me?" "Yeah." "You know, you're gonna have to go back." "Yes, ma'am, I know." "Can I have your keys, ma'am?" "I just talked to Wayne." "He pretty much admitted to everything." "I've known that boy half my life." "It just goes to show, you can know somebody and not know them." "How's his head?" "You put a pretty good dent in it." "Oh, no, sheriff, I told" "I told the deputy it wasn't me who did that." "lt was Buddy Cole." "He saved me." "No, it weren't Buddy." "Well, yes, it was." "I mean, why don't you just ask Wayne?" "I did." "He don't remember what happened." "Head injuries is funny." "Sheriff, I'm telling you, it was Buddy Cole." "What I'm trying to say is it couldn't have been Buddy." "I just called up the state hospital." "He told me he escaped." "Ma'am Buddy Cole is dead." "He hanged himself in his shower room 6:00 this evening."