"They're not as bad as you might think." "In fact, sometimes they're pretty good company." "Cuff up!" "You can get used to just about anything in prison." "Even a Palmetto bug." "I tried writing again." "Nothing came out that didn't sound bitter and cynical." "There's nothing worse than a writer who doesn't have anything to say." "That's me." "Harry Barber." "Hey, Harry." "I've got some good news." "I mean some real good news." "You know what this is?" "This is your ticket out of here." " Here's the judge." " Right here, Barber." "Mr. Barber, your conviction has been overturned by a federal judge." "Flipped like a buttermilk pancake." "Testimony in a related case contradicted key evidence presented at your trial." "What he's saying is someone's turned states and 'fessed up." "You were framed." "Your sentence has been commuted, effective immediately." "Don't thank me." "Not much, anyway." "The paperwork has been filed." "You'll be released within 24 hours." "All right!" "All right." "What's wrong?" "You're free." "Your Honor..." "I don't want to be ungrateful." "That's it, I'm done." "I'm free." "This is justice." "What about the two years of my life?" "Two years of my life wasted because I was honest." "Because I wasn't dirty like everybody else." "What about that?" "You can take that up with your attorney." "No, I'm taking it up with you!" "You're the justice system!" "What about my..." "Don't turn me off!" "Don't turn me off!" "You bastard!" "I want my two years back!" "I want it back!" "I want it back!" "I want my two years!" "Oh, my goodness, Harry Barber, as I live and breathe." "John Renick." "Aren't you a little out of your jurisdiction?" " Maybe." " Got a cig?" "Let me give you a lift." " It'll be 105 today." " I can take a little heat." "Come on." "Hop in." "I'm heading right back to Palmetto." "I ain't going to Palmetto." "Is that right?" "Where are you going?" "Miami." "It's all over with, Harry." "Palmetto's cleaned up top to bottom." "Trust me." "Yeah, I'll just bet it squeaks." "Thanks for the cig." "Wait." "You're really going to Miami?" "Miami, Atlanta, Houston, San Francisco." "As long as it ain't Palmetto." " What's Nina say about that?" " I didn't ask." "Maybe you should." "You smell good, Harry." "Nina, I am not going back to Palmetto." "Oh, you taste good." "Nina, it's been a couple of years." "I know." "I'm going to Miami." "Shut up, Harry." " 'Morning." " 'Morning." "Is it morning?" "I don't know." "I think so." "Thanks for making the coffee." "Pretty good, huh?" "Strong?" "Weak?" "Bad." "It's been a couple years." "I was looking at your piece there." "The marquet?" "Marquet." "I don't understand how you make any money." "If you sell it for 12 bucks the metal itself has gotta be worth more than that." "Well, actually it's $1,200, Harry." "It's $1,200." "This is what I do now." "Yeah, I don't blame you." "Find anything?" "Sure." "There's nothing I'm good at." "It'll be tough for you in this town, Mr. Barber." "Think so?" " Don't you like my bourbon?" " I do." "Why don't you take it?" "I don't drink." "Maybe tomorrow I'll ask why you ordered it if you don't drink." "Maybe tomorrow I'll tell you." "How'd it go today?" "Humiliating." "Listen, baby, you can't expect something good just to happen overnight." "I've got my exhibition coming up." "If you want to, I have so much work to do..." "I don't know how I'll ever finish." "I have deliveries, I have to figure out the space..." "We can maybe do it together." "It might be fun." " I could make some deliveries for you?" " That'd be great." "I'd be your fucking errand boy." "I didn't mean it that way." "I just thought that..." "Don't think!" "You worry about your scrap metal, I'll worry about Harry Barber." "I need to make a phone call." "Right over there." "Thank you." "Oh, God!" "I left my handbag in there." "I was just gonna hand it in to the bartender." "How thoughtful of you." "Is there a problem, lady?" "No, I left my handbag in the phone booth and this gentleman was going to turn it in." "Make sure everything's there." "Yes, it's all here." "Thank you." "And thank you." "Can I buy you a drink?" " It's not necessary." " But it's customary." "Excuse me." "Another round for the gentleman." "I'll have a vodka martini with a twist." "You lost?" "Do I seem lost?" "No, just a little out of place." "I'll take that as a compliment." "Take it any way you like it." "My name's Harry Barber." "So, Mr. Barber..." "How do you spend your time?" "What do you mean?" "I mean, what do you do?" "I don't smoke." "Well, what do I do?" "What does anybody do?" "I just try to survive, I guess." "Maybe you'd like to do more than just survive?" "Who wouldn't?" "I may know of something." "Would you be interested?" "I'm interested now." "The money's good." "It's very good." "But, in exchange, there's an element of risk." "Risk?" "Does that worry you?" "Question is, does it worry you?" "If I could, I would do the job myself." "What is this job exactly?" "Call me tomorrow and we'll talk some more." "I'm gonna settle the check." "I almost forgot." "I didn't." "Until tomorrow then?" "I noticed your sign there." "It said help was wanted." "What kind of help do you need?" "The $6 an hour kind:" "to pump gas, cut bait..." "Wow, look at that boat. "Rhea M."" "Who owns that?" "Fella by the name of Malroux." "Got an "x" on the end of it." " "X" on the end of what?" " His name." "It's French or some such." "Oh, yeah, French." "His Christian name is Felix." "That's got an "x" on the end of it, too, by the way." "I bet you were a spelling bee champion in school." "He owns that boat and he owns that big house out on Cranleigh Key." "He bought that place?" "What's a fella with all that money doing in a one-horse town like Palmetto?" "Sorry." "He's a lung cancer case." "He's here for his health." "He ain't got that much longer left to live, I hear." " And the blonde?" " Mrs. Malroux." "Boat's named after her." "Got another boat named Odette." "That's named after his daughter." " Two "t's"?" " Yeah." "But he don't keep her here." "The boat, I mean." "Malroux." "Must be worth a fortune." "I wouldn't trade places with him for all the tea in Chinee." "He's a lung cancer case." "You still interested in this job?" "No thanks, old-timer." "I think I might have a better offer." "Hi, baby." "I'll see you in about an hour." " Where are you going?" " I've got a delivery to make." " Let me do it for you." " No, after yesterday, no way." "Let that go, first of all." "It'll make me feel like I'm contributing." " Are you sure?" " I'm sure." "Here." "Can I help you?" " Special delivery for Mrs. Malrow." " I'll take it." "She has to sign for this herself." "It's a telephone order." "Okay, wait right here." "Hope I'm not disturbing you, Mrs. Malrow." "It's Malroux." "No, you're not disturbing me at all." "I was just gathering some rosemary." "Hey, you!" "It's okay, Donnelly, I'll handle it." "The next time you have a delivery, can you wait outside?" "Yes, sir." "I like your initiative, Mr. Barber." "Just checking my facts." "And what are your facts?" "That you're Rhea Malroux." "You're married to Felix Malroux." "You have a daughter named Odette and that you live in the biggest house in Cranleigh Key." "Anything else?" "You have a job for me." "Your facts seem to check out, Mr. Barber." "So, let's talk." "Not here." " Do you know East Beach?" " I know it." "The bungalows for rent by the water?" " I've seem them." " Rent one." "Then what?" "Meet me tonight." "Give me one good reason why I should." "I can do better than that." "You have a phone call, ma'am." "Let me pay you for that then." "Hundred, was it?" "Two." "Give the man his money and show him the way out." "Can I use the car?" "Can I use the car?" "Oh, sorry." "Can I use the car?" "Yeah." "Sure." "Wow." "You sure you got a job at the marina?" " What do you mean?" " Well, you look pretty swanky-do." "Yeah, well, I'm excited to be working again." "What, should I change?" "No, you look really handsome." "Go ahead, impress the fish." "Come here." "Give me a kiss." "See you later." "Have fun." "Don't do that to the fish." "Good evening, Mr. Barber." "Excuse me." "May I have a drink, please?" "Vodka martini with a twist?" "Bravo, Mr. Barber." "You were paying attention in class." "Are you married, Mr. Barber?" "No." "Do you have a girlfriend?" "Yeah." "We're living together." "How old-fashioned of you." "I didn't know we were here to discuss my personal life." "What's wrong with talking about your personal life?" " It's personal." " Pardon me." "So..." "You wanted to talk with me about something, Mrs. Malroux-row?" "I have a job for you." "Yeah, you, so you said." "As I mentioned, there's an element of risk involved." " You mentioned that, yes." " You do take risks don't you, Mr. Barber?" "Do I?" "You took a rather large risk when you took the money from my purse." "Sorry, we're all out of twist." "So, what is this job anyway, Mrs. Malroux?" "My stepdaughter is going to be kidnapped." "The ransom will be $500,000." "I need someone to be the threatening voice on the telephone." "For that and collecting the ransom, I'm willing to pay ten percent." "That's $50,000." "Yeah, I can do the math." "Are you interested?" "I'm no kidnapper." "I don't need you to kidnap anyone because nobody's going to be kidnapped." "My stepdaughter, Odette, is simply going to disappear for a few days." "Does she know that?" "It was her idea." "What do you need $500,000 for?" "Your husband's rich." "Why don't you just ask him for the money?" "My husband believes that his daughter and I should be able to manage on the allowance he provides." "I admit it's a generous allowance for reasonable people." "Just so happens that neither my stepdaughter nor I are reasonable people." "May I have another drink, please?" "You realize, of course, that kidnapping is a federal crime and that the FBI is probably gonna get in on this?" "First of all, there's not going to be any kidnapping." "Secondly, my husband will not involve the authorities." "So what makes you so sure about that?" "I know my husband." "So, let me get this straight:" "Girl disappears." "I make a phone call, collect the money." "I take my cut, I give you the rest, the girl goes back home and everybody's happy ever after." "Is that the deal?" "Essentially." "That sounds easy." "It will be." "Are you a cop?" "Do I look like a cop?" "Answer the fucking question." "No." " You wearing a wire?" " A what?" "Did you find what you were looking for?" "Maybe you better check again." "I don't want you to miss anything." "In all this excitement Mr. Barber, I don't remember hearing whether you were in or out." "In all this excitement, I don't remember saying." "I need to know." "Time is of the essence." "I need to meet with this Odette." "That could be arranged." "Tomorrow, here." "Alone." "She's only 17." "You might need a chaperon." "You don't have to worry about me." "I can behave myself." "It's not you I'm worried about." "How was it?" "Well, you know, dull, tedious, boring, in no particular order." "I got the strangest call from Mrs. Wintergarden." "Who?" "Mrs. Wintergarden, the woman whose house you took the vase over to when you made the delivery yesterday." "She says she never got it." "You sure you had the right address?" "Sure, there was no one home." "I just, you know, rang the doorbell, put it on the steps." "It's weird." "It had such a beautiful finish." "I'll call her tomorrow." "You come here." "I've missed you." "I gotta take a shower." "I smell like fish." "Be right back." "Hurry up." " Wild Bill." " Hi, Mr. Barber." "You think I could rent the bungalow a couple extra days?" "Sure!" "Season's been pretty slow." "We got cancellations up the wahzoo." "In that case I'll take it for the weekend." "Okay." "Paying cash, Mister B?" "Here." "No need for a receipt." "Okay." "Hey, good luck." " With what?" " The writing." "Thanks." "I'm Odette Malroux." "Odette, yeah, come in, come in." "You..." "Can I get you a Coke or something?" "Do you have anything stronger than that?" "I don't know." "The law says you gotta be 21 to drink." "So?" "I always obey the law." "My granddad used to wear suspenders." "So did mine." "So, is Harry Barber your real name or did you make it up?" "You don't like it?" "No, I love it." "Sounds delicious." "It's just that you don't look like a Harry Barber." "What's a Harry Barber supposed to look like?" "I don't know." "I never met one before." "Odette Malroux?" "What kind of a name is that?" "Malroux's French." "Odette's on my mother's side." "She was from New Orleans." "Was?" "She drove herself off a cliff in the Pyrenees mountains three years ago." "I'm sorry to hear that." "They never did figure out if she meant to or not." "So Rhea's your stepmother?" "I'd hardly call her my stepmother." "She's like a big sister." "We're only 14 years apart." "She calls you her stepdaughter." "That's her problem." "So, Odette..." " The reason I wanted you to come here..." " You want to know if I'm in on this." "That's a good place to start." "Yes, what?" "Yes, I'm gonna pretend to be kidnapped." "Yes, Rhea and I are gonna ask my father for 500 grand." "And, yes, he'll pay it." "Yes, yes, yes." "You mind if I ask what it is you need the money for?" "My father wants to send me away to boarding school." "An awful, boring Swiss school run by awful, boring Swiss nuns." "He doesn't like the idea of me being so American." "Tell him you don't want to go." "Why don't you tell him?" "Why can't I ever find a match?" "Look, I love my father, I really do, but I'm not going away to that school." "I figure 500 grand will get me through till my 18th birthday." "Then I'll be on my own." "You think half a million might last you till you're 18?" "You think it's enough?" "I don't really know much about money." "Rhea came up with the amount." "So this was her idea?" "I thought it up." "Do you like it?" " You ever see the inside of a jail cell?" " On TV." " They make it look pretty on TV." " I'd just say it was all a prank." "The cops won't think it's funny." "Neither will I." "You're way too serious, Harry Barber." "Lighten up." " You son of a bitch, you hit me!" " Get out of here before I hit you again." " Get out of here!" " No!" "I don't play games when I could spend the next 20 years of my life in prison." "The cops will question you till your ears bleed." " I'm a good liar." " I don't doubt it." "You got me right in the eye." "I'm sorry." " Did I hurt you?" " Yeah, you hurt me!" " Let me kiss it and make it better." " Get off!" "I'm saying we need a story." "You know, a simple story." "Let's say I meet a girlfriend Saturday night." "Let's say we're gonna have a drink and go to a movie." "Let's say my girlfriend shows up and can't find me because someone grabbed me out of the parking lot." "That's not bad." "Needs work, but it's not bad." "You're losing your hair, Mr. Barber." " How're you doing?" " Oh, just peachy." "You look great." "I could gobble you right up." "You invited your sister." "Don't start." "Of course I invited my sister." "She's married to a cop, but he's not a cop anymore." "Once a cop always a cop." "Hi, Alda." "Hi, Harry." " Hey, baby sister." " How are you?" "How are you?" " Hi, Nina." "Nice work." " John." "Thanks." "I've got something to tell you." "Did you hear that the Ledger's got a new owner?" "I heard." " Nice guy." "We play golf on a regular basis." " So?" "So if that part-time marina job gets a little old, let me know." " I could mention your name." " Don't do me any favors." "Hello, Mr. Barber." "What the hell are you doing here?" "I'm just checking my facts." "Well?" "I'm in." "Saturday night." "I got everything worked out." "The girl knows exactly what to do." "And what do I do?" "You make sure your husband finds this Sunday morning in the paper." "It has a lock of Odette's hair and a ransom note." "That and a phone call should convince him this is the real deal." "And then?" "Then just try to act like a grief-stricken stepmother." "I'd like a Coca Cola." "Bartender." "This is for the Coke..." "All right." "Fuckface, watch it!" " Fuckface?" " Look what you did!" " You put a fucking dent in my door." " Look, I'm sorry." " No, fuck sorry!" "You can pay for it." " Give me a break." " I didn't dent your door." " That's 100 bucks to get fixed." " Let it go." " I won't give you $100, young lady." " Your deductible's more than that." " This is not good." " Don't fuck with me, mister!" " Don't screw around with me." "Have you lost your mind?" "Get the wig." "Now you've done it." "Come on." "Come on!" "Son of a bitch!" "Way to go." " He hit my car!" " So have Daddy buy you another one." "What if some jerk-off dented your door?" "I'd ignore it, because now not only are we late, we have a witness." "Don't worry, he didn't see you." " You can be sure of that." " Don't worry." "I'm worried, okay?" "I'm worried." "I'm very, very worried." "Rhea told me you were gonna get paid $50,000 for this." "So?" "You know what I said?" ""If he's collecting ten times that..." ""...what makes you think he won't take all the money and run?"" "This lipstick does not go with red hair." "Anyway, she said you wouldn't because you were predictably dishonest." "She said that?" "She meant it as a compliment." "Well, Harry Barber, are you predictable?" "I used to write for the Palmetto Ledger." "I don't read the newspaper." "Why doesn't that surprise me?" "I was covering a none too exciting meeting in the city council I stepped out back to have a smoke and I noticed this brand new car out there." "Expensive, foreign the kind your daddy might drive, but unusual in Palmetto." "And then I see another new car." "A big Lincoln." "I see another one and another one and pretty soon I notice there's half a dozen shiny new cars all parked in spots reserved for the city council." "What's wrong with shiny new cars?" "Nothing, except I discover that they just voted to allow gambling boats to dock at Palmetto." "The zoning commission's in on it, the cops..." "It's a big story." "I write it up." "I drop it on the editor's desk." "Next day I come in and the owner of the paper himself calls me into his office." "I think he's gonna pin a medal on me." "Instead, he hands me a box of ashes." " All my hard work." " Cocksucker." "He tells me, "Harry, I can't print your story." ""Take the money and forget you ever knew what a gambling boat was."" "Corruption at City Hall." "What a shock." "The shock came when that $10,000 ended up in an account with my name on it." "Instead of a Pulitzer Prize, I end up serving two years of a four-year sentence." "And that did it, huh?" "If someone offered you small bills you'd take the money and run." " Am I right?" " You're very intuitive for your age." "All right, tell me what you'll do." " Not again." " Well, just come on." "I buy a ticket using cash in the name Anne Hardaway." "When I get to Miami, I check into the airport Holiday Inn." "Yuck!" "And I don't come out of my room until I hear from you." "All right, that's good." "Get going." "You know, Harry Barber you don't look predictable." "But I'm not a very good judge of character." "How's that?" "I bet Rhea $100 you wouldn't take the money from her purse." "And you see, I lost." "Why?" "Why didn't I pull out right then and there?" "I asked myself that question a thousand times." "Still I don't know why." "I understand." "I will pay." "How do you want me to hand you the money?" "I'll have it by tomorrow." "I'll have it by tomorrow." "Please don't hurt her." "You'll get your money." "It's okay." "It's okay." "Thank you." "Well, I hope this suits you a little better." "Oh, it's just perfect." "No, it's good, I mean, it's really good." "Mr. Barber?" "Assistant DA Renick would like you to come to the courthouse." "What'd I do?" "Nothing that I know, sir." "I mean, am I under arrest, or...?" "Not that I know of, sir." "Come on in." "Sorry for the early wake-up call." "I wanted to get you in on this as soon as possible." "Let me introduce you to my boss." "Harry Barber, District Attorney Miles Meadows." "Boss..." "This is Harry Barber." "How are you, Barber?" "I'd be better if I knew what I was doing in the DA's office at 9:00 on a Sunday morning." "Ever heard of a man named Felix Malrow?" "Malroux." "With an "x", right?" "I think it's French or something." "Sorry." "No smoking, public facility." " It's against the law." " Of course." "Did you ever hear of this guy or what?" "Just that he's rich." "He's very rich." "There's no law against that." "I got a call this morning from a banker acquaintance of mine." "Seems this Malroux was especially anxious to get his hands on $500,000 in small bills as soon as possible." "So?" "Tell him about the girl." "Malrow, Malroux has got a daughter." "Very young, 16, 17." "She went to meet a friend last night and never came home." "Maybe she eloped." "She doesn't have a boyfriend." "Well, so maybe this Malroux is a lousy poker player." "Maybe he wants to wallpaper his bathroom." "Harry, Malroux's bodyguard is an ex-cop." "I just spoke to him." "He confirmed the girl did not come home last night." "The first sign of trouble was last night." "They received a call from the girlfriend wondering where she was." "This morning, Malroux received a ransom note and a lock of her hair tucked inside the Sunday paper." "There was also a phone call at midnight from someone claiming to have the girl." "That sounds convincing." "You still haven't told me what it is you called me down here for." "Sooner or later the press is gonna get a hold of this." "You know exactly what that means." "We need somebody to handle it, act as the press liaison for the DA's office." "'Course you'll be on the payroll." "You're offering me a job." "So why me?" "Renick told me all about you." "Told me what they did to you." "We need somebody like you." "Somebody with integrity." "Somebody who's incorruptible." "You know the press, you're one of them." "I don't want this thing to turn ugly, become a circus." "The stakes are too high." "Right." "It's an election year." "Look, Harry..." "Malroux hasn't come to us yet." "That's why we can't act." "At least not officially anyway." "That's why this thing has gotta be handled very carefully." "Once the press gets this, there's no telling what might happen to the girl." "What do you say?" "Will you do it?" "Sure." "Glad to help." "Thanks for coming, Harry." "Sure." "Pleasure." "We'll set you up in here." "There won't be much to do now, but I got a feeling this is the calm before the storm." "Okay?" "Thanks." "I owe you one." "Is that gratitude?" "Let's say that you and Palmetto are even now, all right?" "Hello?" "It's me." "Who?" "Turn that damn thing down." "Is that you, Harry Barber?" "We're calling the whole thing off." "What do you mean off?" "I mean, off as in over, kaput, done, finished." "I think you're scared." "You're damn right." "The cops know all about this." "Get your ass on a plane and get back here." "Understand?" "Not until you get me my money." "I'm the one calling the shots around here." "You're just the hired help." "If you don't get me my money I'll do something stupid and adolescent." "I'll call the cops and tell them what you did to me in that bungalow." "Thanks." "Something on your mind, Harry?" "The girl." "Odette Malroux?" "You guys act like you got the biggest kidnap case since the Lindbergh baby." "No offense, but you might be on a wild-goose chase." "Believe me, the thought has crossed my mind." "I wouldn't be surprised if she showed up and announced it was all a big joke." "Oh, I'd like that." "What?" "All right." "Our ex-cop." "The girl just phoned her father, said if he didn't pay the ransom she'd be sent home one piece at a time." "Still think this is a joke?" "I guess not." "I'm gonna go." "I have to get my typewriter." "I can't use these computers." "We can dig you up a typewriter around here, no problem." "No, that's okay." "I gotta use my own." "Call me superstitious." "Sure, go ahead." " Just stick near a phone, all right?" " You got it." "People I was worried would get involved are already involved." "Where can I meet you?" "The beach." "Okay, I'll be there in 20 minutes." "What seems to be the problem, Mr. Barber?" "How'd you get in here?" "Easy." "The door was wide open." "The cops are involved." " How did that happen?" " You tell me." "For starters, that pitbull, Donnelly, is an ex-cop, or didn't you know that?" "How would I?" "The same way you knew that I'd take that money out of your purse." "You can't believe everything Odette says." "Yeah, speaking of that silly little stepdaughter of yours is taking matters in her own hands." " She phoned..." " Her father, I know." " How did you know?" " How did you know?" "You said your husband wouldn't involve the authorities." " Yeah, well, he isn't." " Somebody has." "Well, it wasn't him." "He's a sick man." "He loves his daughter." "He's not about to trust the police." "What I don't understand is why the hell he'd trust you." "Get off me!" "The money's there." "It's all there." "It's at the house." "The president of the bank dropped it off himself." "It's $500,000!" "Come on." "Unless you're not up to it." "Maybe we should call the whole thing off." "Fine." "You know, this still could work." "It's gotta be tonight." "I'll set a time and a place." "After I make the pickup, I'll call the house." "Make sure that you answer." "If anybody asks, tell them you're going to see Odette." "We meet back here, we can split up the money." "Unless, of course you don't trust me." "I trust you." "Just remember:" "Watch what you say." "Donnelly's an ear for the police." "I'll be careful." "What took you so long?" "He needed a little encouragement." "How?" " Fax for Miss Hardaway." " Thanks." "I take it back, Harry Barber." "You are predictable." "Yeah, are you there?" "Pick up." "It's me." "Listen, I'm sorry I didn't get to you sooner." "It's a busy day and it's like the crime of the century's going on at the DA's office and Renick wants me to be press liaison." "I can't talk about it, but, I just" "Well, I'm gonna be late." "I'm gonna be very late, so don't wait up." "Bye-bye." "In an hour this'll be over." "You'll have your money." "And you'll have yours." "All right, get on in there and wait for me." "You know..." "I can't help but think about what happened in that bungalow." "What?" "Nothing happened." "I know." "It's a shame." "Sure you don't want me to come?" "The instructions said to come alone." "I can't risk my child's life." "Okay." "We did it." "We sure as hell did it." "You want to check this out?" "Wake up, sleeping beauty." "What are you, drunk?" "You're a fucking idiot." "Straight back to jail." "Straight back." "You fucking did it." "Twenty years." "Christ, you did it!" "Come on!" "Come on!" "Just light!" "Just light!" "Fuck!" "Fuck!" "Son of a bitch." "You all right under there?" "I took my eye off the road for one second and I slid into a guardrail." "Been drinking?" "No, I don't drink." " This yours?" " Girlfriend's." "Sir, let me see your license and registration, please." "You know, I work at the DA's office." "I don't know if it's too late, but you could contact the assistant DA, John Renick, there." "He could vouch for me." "You mean the John Renick?" "You know him?" " We went to the Academy together." " God." "He's my girl... my wife" "No, my girlfriend's sister's boy" "Husband." " He's a good cop." " A great cop, according to him." "Look, I got an idea." "Open up that trunk there." "We'll get the spare out and I'll help you fix that tire." "All right." "You know the spare is no, is no good." "No good spare." "Well, you sure?" "Oh, yeah, yeah, I'm..." "No, I'm positive." "It's" "My girlfriend had a flat." "Well..." "We might better check and take a look-see." "Maybe she got it fixed." "No." "She wouldn't, 'cause she's..." "You know, women." "They don't care about spare tires." "They" "I know women." "It'd be foolish not to check, though." "No, but I know my girlfriend." "She" "Why don't we just pop her open anyway, take a look?" "Might be surprised at what we find." "Go on, open her up." "Shit!" "Well, I'll be damned!" "How about them bananas?" "Done broke it off." "I'll tell you what, I'II..." "I'll just call you a tow truck, all right?" " Thanks." " You bet." " Very kind." " You're welcome." "Thanks." "Here's $10 $25, that's $30." "Thirty?" "That's 50 bucks for the tow." "Fifty bucks!" "Give me a break." "That car won't come off the hook until you pay me." "Come on." " All right, I'll be right back." " I'll be here." "Is that you, Harry?" "Go back to sleep, baby." "John?" "Yeah, here he is." "Hold on." "Harry, it's John on the phone." "New development." "Mr. Malroux just called us." "His daughter didn't show up." "Now we're officially involved." "We need you to write a statement, a press release." "I'll be right there." "Oh, hey, I need someone to pick me up." " Yeah, just sit tight." " Thanks." "What's happening?" "This case I'm working on, a kidnapping case, the girl was kidnapped, the money was given, but she was never returned." "And now" "Seems to really be affecting you." "Did you know her?" "No, it's just that" " Well, of course not." "So that's why you started drinking again?" "A guy's entitled to a drink every once in a while." "You were the one who said it affected your judgment." "Well, I was wrong." "My judgment's as bad as it ever was." "What's going on, Harry?" "Tell me." "So, what was it that finally got Malroux to call in the calvary?" " Wife talked him into it." " His wife?" "It's about time." "We've been in touch with the FBI." "They're sending up an agent this afternoon." "Stop here." " It was exactly here, Mr. Renick." " Right there?" "I set the odometer when I left home." "Let's go check that out." "Come on, let's go!" "Hey, over here!" "Get some plastic on that." "We need that thing protected." "That's a footprint." "Great." "All right." "Hey, Harry." "Put your foot over next to this print here." "What size shoe are you wearing?" "Same size as the kidnapper." " Come on, where's that plastic?" " I got tire tracks!" "I can tell you he was no pro, that's for sure." "Whole thing's sloppy, half-assed and not very well thought out." "I bet he's local." "Let's get somebody on these tracks!" "We don't want them covered up." "It could be important evidence you're standing on." "Sorry." "Am I still needed, Mr. Renick?" "Yes, sir." "I'll be right there, Mr. Malroux." "Who is that guy with Malroux?" "That's Donnelly, the ex-cop I told you about." " Looks familiar." " Maybe you remember his face from TV." "He was the bagman for that crooked bunch at City Hall." "He plea-bargained his way out of jail time, but he still had to quit the force." "It was his testimony that sprung you out of prison." "Damn!" "Told you they'd be all over this like shit on a stick." "It's time for you to earn your keep, my friend." "Keep them off me, brother." "In-law." " There'll be a press conference upstairs..." " Are you involved in this?" "...in three minutes." "My name's Harry Barber." "I'll be the press liaison for the DA's office." "I used to be one of you, so I know how anxious you are to get going but I'll ask everybody to turn off their cameras and turn off their tape recording devices, please." "Do as I'm asking you, please" "You see, I..." "The DA's office and the police department..." "How come they let you out of jail?" "...have asked that you hold off on your story for the next 24 hours." "Why is that?" "We don't know a heck of a lot more than you." "Pretty much what you all received in your statement." "And thank you." "So the district attorney doesn't want to jeopardize this girl's situation if we break this story too soon." "We're not just talking about kidnapping, we're talking about a murder case." " That's not true." " Do they have a suspect?" " lf not, they will soon, right?" " lf the girl's already dead why are we sitting on this story?" " They're just trying to flush the killer out." " Throw us a bone." "Kind of rough, huh?" "You know the press;" "they think they know everything." "They'll cooperate though, right?" "Yeah, for now." "What about you?" "Anything I should know?" "We sent the ransom note and the drop-off instructions to the FBI." "We'll just wait and see what they'll come up with." "What do you mean?" "Like fingerprints?" "Fingerprints?" "The guy's dumb, not brain-dead." "They'll take saliva samples from the envelopes, the cigarette butt..." "Profile his DNA with it." "DNA?" "They can do that?" "Don't you watch TV?" "There's something more concrete I want to show you." "Some people might call this luck." "I'd like to look at it as good investigative work." "Checked the routine police report the night the girl was taken." "Oh, it's hot." "This guy was discovered out cold in the parking lot, right next to the girl's car." " Somebody gave him a thump on the head." " Is that right?" "I look like hell." "And he had receding brownish-blonde hair." "He was about that tall." "Had to be about, God, about yea wide." "And he had kind of a small but longish face." "Jesus, Harry." "He could be talking about you." "Yeah, me and a hundred other guys." " I'm gonna grab some lunch." " All right." "Go ahead." "It turned out to be a red wig." "I forgot." "Nina called, said she couldn't find her car keys." "The car." "Are you here?" "Do you have the keys?" "I need my car." "What are you doing?" "What are you doing with that briefcase?" "Nothing, I just" "It doesn't concern you, Nina." "If it concerns you, it concerns me." "Not this time." " Tell me what's in the briefcase." " Nothing's in the briefcase." "What's going on?" "Nina, nothing is going on." "Nothing." "This is about that girl, isn't it?" "The one that was kidnapped." "I need a few minutes alone, right now." " Where are you going?" " I need to take my car." " No, no, not now." " Why not?" " Just not now, Nina." " Harry, what is going on?" "Nothing!" "Nothing's going on!" "Nothing!" "Okay?" "Nothing!" "It's the girl, isn't it?" "Harry, answer me." "The girl, she's in the garage, isn't she?" "Dead?" "Did you kill her?" "I didn't kill anybody." "God, I knew something was wrong, Harry." "Now you see why I didn't want to get you involved." "Okay." "What do we do now?" "One thing's for sure." "We gotta get rid of the body." "God, don't talk like that." "I'm sorry." "I'm not a good little scout lost in the woods." "Not anymore." "We'll rent a car and dump the body somewhere." "We have all the money we need right here." "Oh, God." "I thought I was one step ahead of her." "She played me like Chinese chess." "Checkers." "Are you talking about Rhea Malroux?" "All she wanted was the girl dead and somebody to pin it on." "Why?" "I don't know." "It doesn't make sense." "Unless she wanted the whole fortune to herself after the old man dies." " You think she killed her daughter?" " Stepdaughter." "Not a chance." "Maybe there's somebody else involved." "Maybe Rhea Malroux's got a friend." "Donnelly." "Who's that?" "Don't answer it." "It'll be John Renick." "It's a matter of time before he comes up with the name Harry Barber." "Why don't you tell John what happened?" "He'll believe you." "That I was gonna extort a half a million from Malroux and not kill his daughter?" "It's the truth." "It'll be Rhea's word against mine." "What?" "Rhea Malroux's word." "I've got a message from Harry Barber." "Who's Harry Barber?" "Maybe this will ring a bell." "My stepdaughter's got to be kidnapped." "The ransom will be $500,000." "I need someone to be the threatening voice on the telephone." "For the call and collecting the ransom I'm willing to pay..." " I've heard enough." "...ten percent." "What does this have to do with me?" "You're fucking Rhea Malroux, for starters." "What do you want?" "There's a body of the girl in the trunk of my car." "It needs to be taken care of or somebody's gonna find it." " And if it's taken care of?" " Nobody will hear the tape and you can go on fucking Rhea Malroux." "I expect to hear from you." "I'm not the only one who fucked Rhea." "Maybe you should listen to the rest of your tape, sweetheart." "In all of this excitement, Mr. Barber I don't remember hearing whether you were in or out." "In all this excitement, I don't remember saying." "I need to know." "Time is of the essence." "Where have you been?" "I've been on pins and needles." "I listened to the tape, Harry." "All of it." "It's not what you think." "It didn't mean anything." "It sounded sincere." "Well, yeah." "Nina, Nina..." "Harry, I don't understand why." "I don't understand." "Why did you do this?" "I don't know." "She" "She's a beautiful woman." "I'm not talking about Rhea Malroux." "Everything." "I don't understand." "Don't tell me you did it for the money." " I didn't do it for the money." " Then why?" "Well, I guess I felt like somebody owed me something for those two years." "This is my way" "Well, well." "If it isn't the missing link." "I'm not surprised you're mixed up in all this." "A snake can't change the fact that it crawls on its belly for a living." "Sticks and stones, Barber." "Now, give me the tape." "Look." "You take the body, you get the tape." "I'm making the fucking deals around here." "Give me the tape." "Give me the other one." "What other one?" "You met Odette alone." "If you taped Rhea, you taped the girl." "Well, Harry?" "Did you tape the girl, too?" "Now, about that problem of yours..." "Here's the solution." "This stuff dissolves the flesh off bones, then dissolves the bones just like piss on a snowman." "All right, give me a hand." "You want to play, you must pay." "Oh, Jesus!" "You got a bathtub?" " Yeah, why?" " Where's the bathtub?" " For her." " You're gonna do this here?" " We're doing it here." " No, you can't do it here!" "You know, we'll use that." " No." "Take her out." " It's happening." " Not here!" " We'll do it." "Shut up!" "Okay?" "You shut up!" "It's gonna take a couple of minutes." "Shit!" "Don't get it!" "Don't get it!" "Don't answer it!" "Don't answer it!" "Just keep the water running." "Your phone's ringing." "Want me to get that?" "I almost forgot, Harry." "Guess you earned it." "Good-bye." "Counting your money, Harry?" "I don't know how you can even stand to touch it." "Fuck you!" "Taking kind of a long lunch, aren't you?" "Get in." "Buckle your seat belt." "So what do you think?" "About what?" "Don't tell me you haven't heard?" "They found her." "They found who?" "Odette Malroux." "In a bungalow down at East Beach." "Right under our noses the whole time." "Let's go, Harry." "We're live at East Beach, and this is Harry Barber..." "Did you know that it was Malroux's daughter?" "Did you know she was dead?" "Did you know she was dead?" "Are you involved in this?" "Come on." "Meadows is waiting on us." "Let's go." "Would you give us a statement?" "It's seaweed." "Mr. Malroux, I hate to do this, but it's very important." "Let's get on with it." "Is this your daughter, Odette?" "Mr. Renick this is Billy Holden." "He manages the place." " Was it you that called this in?" " Yes, sir." "The maid found her a little while ago." "Was she renting the bungalow?" "Ah, no, sir." "Who was?" "Get him." "Harry, stop!" "Oh, my God!" "My God!" " I'll get you a doctor." " No, I'm all right." "No, no doctors." "Don't think anything's broke." "You probably hurt that old truck more than it hurt you." "That gunshot wound's another matter." "It might be best if you just gave yourself up." "I was hoping the rain would wash away the whole dirty business." "And me right along with it." "Thank you." "I was in it right up to my ears, and had no idea how the hell I'd get myself out." "There was only one thing I could do." "I've been waiting for you, Harry." "I'm sure you have." "I have a boat." "We can go away together." "Just you and me." "Why don't I believe you?" "Nobody was supposed to get killed." "Tell that to Odette Malroux." "It was Donnelly." "He's such an animal." "I'm so scared!" "Will you hold me?" "I need you so much." "Not this time." "Somebody's gotta pay the piper." "It's not gonna be me." "Where's your husband?" " Upstairs?" " You won't tell him." " I think he deserves to know." " No, he'll kill you." " Better him than the state of Florida." " What about us?" "Us?" "Where does somebody like you come from?" "I'm just a girl with a little ambition." "A little ambition?" "We're no different!" "You and me, Harry, we're the same." "That's where you're wrong." "Who are you?" "My name's Harry Barber." "Do I know you?" "We have a mutual acquaintance or two, yes." "What do you want?" "My neck is in a noose and I gotta get it out." "And you're my only chance." "Does this have something to do with my daughter?" "Unfortunately, sir, it's got everything to do with your daughter." "Do you know who killed her?" "Yes, I do." "I am waiting." "You got no reason to believe me but I promise you it was" "Should I call the police, sir?" "Continue, Mr. Barber." "Your wife and Donnelly." "He's lying, sir." "I know you got no reason to believe me, but it's true." "They suckered me into this phony kidnapping thing." " And then they killed your daughter." " He's lying, sir!" "And they did it for money." "They're in on it together." " I swear to God." " Shut up!" "Rhea?" "Could you come in here?" "Please!" "I don't like doing this." "My wife is very upset." "It's an act, I'm telling you." "Your wife and this guy killed your daughter." "Who is that?" "That's not your wife." "That can't be your wife." "Shut up!" "Although this is a death penalty state, Mr. Barber I won't live long enough to see you die for the murder of my daughter." "I didn't kill your daughter." "Make sure he isn't found." "I didn't do it." " Ever." " I swear to God I didn't kill her." "Listen to me!" "I didn't do it." "I'm telling you" "Malroux, I" "I didn't kill your daughter." "Help me!" "You had to get her involved, didn't you, dumb fuck?" "You know the wife, Harry." "To be." "Intimately." "She said you were lousy, just like your writing." "I did not say lousy, I said predictable." "Like showing up tonight." "She figured you would." "It's not rocket science." "Guy coming out of prison on a bum charge is gonna want to even the score a little." "It's only human nature." "The wife's good at human nature." "She's not bad at the physical stuff either." "But you couldn't keep your shirt on, could you?" "Or his pants." "Flash a little green under your nose, a little pink you panted like a big dog on a hot day." "I'm a sucker, me and that poor girl you had playing like she's Odette Malroux." "She was very cute." "And a good little actress, wasn't she?" "Some runaway from the Midwest." "Idaho, I think." " That's the Northwest, hon." " Who cares?" "Nobody's gonna see her again anyway." "I can't believe you killed her and Odette just for the ransom money." "Listen, Barber, a guy's so broke his fucking cash bounces." "$500,000 is $500,000." "You always were small time, Donnelly." "Fuck you with a pile driver, Harry." "Hon?" "Which one for the plane ride?" "I feel I don't know, dark and mysterious." "I don't know." "Surprise me." "The little lady and I are going to Vegas to get married, take some R and R." "Get the fuck off me." "Mr. Malroux gave us the week off and his blessings, sweetheart." " Mr. Malroux?" " That's how we met, Harry." "I do the cooking, cleaning and take care of the old man." " She does the gardening, too." "Rosemary, herbs, that sort of thing." " I've always been a working girl." " I'll bet." "I gotta hand it to you." "When you showed up that day, I thought you blew the whole deal." "You got a fucking knack for that." "I had a damn good thing going when I was a cop." "Until you fucked it up." " Couldn't just take the money, could you?" " Not Harry Barber." "He's Mr. Clean." "You just don't learn, do you?" " Maybe next time" " You're out of next times, Sunny Jim." "You understand me?" "Well, I guess this is good-bye." "Can I have a moment?" "This must be what you want." "I'm gonna miss you." "Okay, Lovebugs, that's enough." "You don't really think she's gonna marry you, do you?" " You talk too much." " She won't marry you, I promise." "She'll fuck you over." "You know the world's full of Harry Barbers." "Guys who want to play in the big leagues but don't have the talent." "My advice is:" "Don't go in the deep end if you can't swim." "What're you doing, Harry?" "You want to fucking play games?" "Want to make this painful?" "What's that?" "Is that a wire?" "You wearing a wire?" "Hold it, Donnelly!" "Clear!" "Check the back." "Get her!" "Take care of her!" "All right, I got you." " Where have you been?" " Right outside." "That could've been me." " It could've, but it isn't." " That could've been me!" "This had to look good to be believable." "You were late!" "That could've been me." "Jesus Christ!" "What?" "Hi, baby." "I love you." "You did it, Barber." "Nice work." "Free at last." " Read him his rights." " What're you doing?" "Conspiracy to kidnap, accessory to extortion hindering in investigation." " This was my idea." "The whole wire thing." "I got you re-elected!" "Over here!" " Come out of there!" " Open the door!" "Would you mind, please, holding my bag for me?" "Move it!" "This isn't right, Renick." "I helped you out, you know." " This isn't right." "We had a deal." " Let's go." "Get her out of here." "Take them downtown." "Move it!" "Move it, come on!" " Let's go." " This isn't right." "Well I'm back in prison back with my little friends." "It's part of the deal I cut with Renick." "But it isn't going to be for long." "The way I figure, just long enough for me to write my story." "And then, who knows?" "They might even turn it into a movie."