"previously on thief... the chinese mob." "we take their money, they will come looking for us." "you find these quai doi." "you steal, you pay." "i gave the money back." "gimme the names." "i never saw anyone. it was all just voices on a phone." "what brings you out here?" "got a gig. i could use your help." "you're here because someone took roz moore down." "nobody knows how to move money around like you do, how to wash it, how to clean it." "wanda got it. she bled out." "everybody's treating me like i'm a freak, like, "look, there's the girl whose mom died." can't wait to get out of this school." "she's goin' to live with her father in hawaii after the funeral. end of story. i wanna know where you are at all times." "ok." "who are you?" "uncle lao sent me." "you a friend of rosalyn moore?" "your number was in her cell phone." "sorry, i can't help you." "they're comin' for us, jack." "i saw what they did to her." "she was tortured first." "there were burn marks on that woman--pyrotechnics, chinese cracker fuses." "counselor!" "i do your ass a favor, and you tie me to a double homicide?" "!" "you want me to build you a jumbo jet?" "part of the cargo hold." "how we gettin' the carts on the plane, we got an inside guy in new york?" "yeah, we have one." "you met him?" "not yet." "my husband's in insurance." "looking' for somethin'?" "why is this always locked?" "keep nosy little girls like you out!" "i can't get izzy out of my head." "that little white girl can i.d. us to a murder, nick, but do we do what we did with izzy?" "found a dead gator. that right there popped out." "where's the rest of him?" "we found it!" "beer." "you must be atwater." "rozzy had some balls. balls big enough to vouch for you, so... i'm sure we could do business." "i'm not here to meet the family." "lucky for you." "how we gonna do it?" "ticket to the ball game's 100 large up-front." "i'm at the wrong game." "nobody vouched for you." "united airlines will vouch for me. you wanna call 'em?" "on the house. i give you the day, the time, the runway, size of the tits of every stewardess passing out peanuts, but you are not getting on that plane without me." "tick-tock." "yeah?" "hi. just checkin' in." "everything good?" "yeah. doing my homework." "ok. appreciate the call." "ok, bye. come here." "come here. aah!" "i once saw this guy carrying a really big cross right through the middle of mardi gras on his disco skates." "was he preaching?" "he didn't get a chance to." "some guy ran up to him with a cup of beer and threw it in his face and said, "jesus pushed his cross without the skates."" "anything else for you folks?" "no, sir, that'll be all." "there you go. keep the change." "it's an aardvark." "i see what it is. trying to see if it's money." "shh, it's my boss. hey." "how's tammy?" "oh, she's great." "ok." "stop." "what is it?" "it's nothing." "what, this?" "no, it's not about sex." "jesus." "sorry. it is your mom?" "you can trust me." "can i?" "the only person i trust to speak for you is dead." "hey, ace, for all i know, you killed roz." "50 grand up-front." "and?" "50 the day of the job sent by courier the minute we're on board." "all right. but you step on your dick after that, it's on you." "deal." "we'll call it a verbal contract." "oh, holly?" "sorry i'm late." "my ride never showed. thanks." "oh, nick atwater." "nice to meet you. holly selby." "pleasure. did you look around?" "i sure did." "let me show you the inside." "looks good." "true believer, huh?" "hmm." "i know what origami is." "paper airplanes and shit, right?" "uh-huh. pentecostal. got it." "i owe you one. how'd it go?" "p.i.b.'s referring your case to the grand jury." "based on what?" "you tell me. they been looking through your financial records. they must have something." "you know what?" "they ain't got shit. been a cop 20-something years, decorated 3 times, and now, all of a sudden, somebody sneezes in the p.i.b.'s ear, and i lose everything?" "i don't think so." "don't do something stupid, john." "i'm just now starting to get smart." "did you do all of these renovations yourself?" "no, no. everything you see reflects my wife's... these are all hers." "i heard. i'm sorry." "so, uh, what's top dollar around here?" "before katrina, about 390,000. now, house down the street went for 410, and i think we can do even better than that." "ok. i want it to be a private sale. no signs, no ads. pocket listing." "ok." "do whatever you need to do, just sell it." "ok." "you're selling the house?" "what are you doing home?" "i live here." "um, i'll call you tonight." "please do. you got a good thing here, mr. atwater." "i'll show myself out." "thank you." "have a good day." "you're selling the house?" "i have to leave town for a business opportunity. it's something i can't pass up." "it's gonna benefit-- when?" "8 days." "you're selling the house, and then you're gonna disappear in 8 days?" "no, not exactly." "then what exactly?" "were you gonna drop me off at the salvation army on your way to the airport?" "or were you gonna leave me here alone?" "tam, you're not alone." "apparently i will be in 8 days. i can't believe you would do this after everything that's happened." "hey, hey. it's jerry landers." "i can't take your call, 'cause i'm having a piña colada, but i'll call you back as soon as i'm done. see ya later." "this is nick atwater, jerry." "it's urgent. we have to talk about your daughter. we have a serious problem. i'm waiting for your call." "so where the hell is everybody?" "you ok?" "yeah." "what's wrong, bro?" "we're gonna have to be in there at least a hour and a half." "i know, i know. it's just not enough air in there." "i didn't have a problem in there. how'd it go back in new york?" "i don't trust him." "i need the boarder-row for the flight." "i can't be in the box and watch the monitor at the same time." "what's the point of going into the box without the boarder-row?" "what's the boarder-row?" "it's like a rider for the flight's insurance policy. it has the time, the destination, and so we ain't opening up every box of unicef powered milk, the container numbers for the money." "what about his e-mails?" "anything in his e-mails about the flight?" "the program i installed in his computer only lets me see what he sees. i can't open his files unless he does. spends most of his time on golf and porn." "no wonder his wife's so easy." "and what's elmo spending his time on?" "where's elmo?" "hey, how you doin'?" "everybody's grown up. look at you girls." "mrs. jones." "mr. atwater." "good to see you." "you, too. yeah." "hey, little man." "say, "hi, uncle nick."" "it's ok. it's ok." "let me talk to you for a second, elmo." "i was just about to feed the baby. hey, man." "nobody's gonna tell me i can't see my kids." "ok, i don't have any kids look like me, but that don't mean i don't know how you feel about your babies." "man gotta be outta his mind to coming' down to louisiana to go campin'." "man's gotta be out of his mind to bring his family to the same town where a bunch of chinese water bugs trying to take his head off. mo, i don't know what you're thinkin'." "i don't know where your head is." "this heist is superlotto. our no-deductible insurance policy against anything comes down the road. your boy?" "hell, your girls, too. they're never gonna have to wear a uniform, never have to take shit from some middle-management asshole." "or do what we do." "look, after this is over, you still got a beef with me, we'll take care of your hurts, but right now, we got less than a week to take the plane." "i need you back on the clock." "pregnant?" "get up. we got addresses to run down." "you know, read the label on that shit you're taking. googled it, too. man, that parkinson's thing is like banging scarlett johansson. doesn't get any better." "let's go. we got work to do." "so what's your problem, man?" "excuse me?" "they don't have phones in hawaii?" "you can't return calls to your flesh and blood?" "you don't seem to understand how complicated it can be." "that's bullshit. you can run that line on tammy, but not me." "i'm trying to work out the details, all right?" "you have exactly one week to figure out what to do with your daughter." "or what, you gonna stick her in an orphanage?" "should've thought of that stuff before you married my wife." "she wasn't your wife when i met her." "she must've changed. i never knew she had such exotic tastes." "i can't be responsible for tammy." "well, from where i sit, it looks like you are, brother." "brother?" "you wanted a white girl, you got one now." "you know this means the world to me, coming down here." "you know that, right?" "yeah." "what's wrong?" "i didn't wanna spoil our time, but we got turned down for the home equity." "turned down?" "ain't nothin' but equity in that crib." "i know." "someone stole your identity, ran up all kind of bills in your name. dumb shit, too, like a trip to atlantic city, membership at a tanning salon." "a tanning salon?" "at least we know they ain't black." "you mean to tell me there's some cracker out there pretending to be me?" "there's somebody out there spending your money." "god damn it." "so, for now, our formal banking business is on hold, but listen here. julius, whatever the hell your name is this week, i'm clearing up the banking mess, ok?" "it ain't even that unusual. but what i wanna say, mo, is this. don't screw this up with nick, ok?" "we need the payday." "pink the fink. since when you don't return my calls, bro?" "i been working. community service." "uh-huh. adulterating local cuisine, pink. health-code violation." "horseshit. i just got my one-month clean and serene keychain last night." "well, you're in deep shit now. out of here. go. hey!" "don't run from me, you little worm!" "get up here!" "don't you put your hands on me like that. you do that again, i'll put one between your eyes. you hear me?" "you're gonna cause me to lose my job, asshole." "i don't care, asshole." "i got a new one for you." "you know anything about that bank heist out there in san fran a couple weeks ago?" "anything at all." "what?" "i ain't never been west of abbeville." "well, we think the crew's in town, and this old boy right here likes to make origami out of dollar bills and go to holy-roller churches. you know what origami is, pink?" "huh?" "isn't that some kind of pasta?" "no, it's paper folded to look like airplanes, dolls, and dragons and shitheels like you." "now you're gonna go look for him, ok?" "and you look real hard." "and you look both ways before you cross the streets down here, 'cause i don't want nobody running your sorry ass over 'fore i get what i want." "we cool?" "all right." "don't y'all bitches know that snitches get stitches?" "it's a good thing the police wasn't lookin' for my ass." "i know you ain't talking to me, elmo." "i don't know nothin', except you boys ain't ever gonna eat this good again in your life!" "come here, homey. come take a union break, get some of sharonna's home cookin'." "thank you." "look at that chicken. you ever taste nothin' like that that?" "i'm not interested in selling off the inventory piecemeal." "i'm selling the dealership." "you want a '71 detomaso pantera, you gotta buy everything. yeah, every can of oil, every wrench." "that's the deal. i walk out, you walk in. it's a one-time offer, pierre. get back to me...soon." "liquidating?" "how you gonna spend the girl?" "i got more loose ends than a shag carpet. i'm thinking boarding school." "expensive." "it's like a gated community with math and field hockey." "it costs to be safe in america these days." "you like catfish, darlin'?" "yes, ma'am." "we got it fresh from the fonsecas." "hmm, i'll be damned." "rulo's is closin'. they ain't been the same since the storm, anyway." "we used to take keith there every year for his birthday." "yeah, those were always just so sweet, it was like eating candy." "so how's it goin'?" "it can't be that bad." "we gotta jump out of those coffins, cut through the bulkhead, switch out the cash, all at 30,000 feet, then houdini it back into those carts like nothing's happened with a guy who never took metal shop in" "prison. this is called a drill, bump." "well, at least i don't sweat like a pussy every time somebody turns out the lights." "keep talkin' shit!" "come on!" "hey, come on. what's wrong with y'all!" "chill!" "chill!" "now, this ain't nothin' we can't work out, a'ight?" "if it was easy gettin' rich, nobody would be poor." "so, where are we?" "some dough gets shipped to a bank in bangkok. appreciates my business, free checking, toasters when i open a new account. some headed for a currency-exchange outfit in myanmar." "why not moscow?" "the banks that'll do business with us there are russian mafia." "you crawl under the covers with them, you don't crawl out." "we take what's left, buy two or three yachts from a broker in manila, sail them to miami, and sell them to a rock star or one of the cartels." "you're up to cruising speed for a retiree." "ha ha ha ha. i'm a little dusty, but my word's still worth a little something." "ok, i'm gonna need a list of names--bankers, currency traders, brokers, everybody." "i thought you were the trusting sort." "that was amazing." "yeah, it was good. just catfish." "you have any idea how lucky you are?" "of course you don't." "you can't." "hey." "don't go live in hawaii." "i say you stay here and live with us. come on, i can talk to my mom. we can figure something out. it'll be all right." "come on." "i don't know where i'm going." "boarding school?" "no, there's no way. forget it." "tam, you got a lot of good places out there. some of these places have fabulous art programs. with your talent-- wait, didn't you talk to my father?" "because, you know, he said that once he got all-- tam, i can't wait for your father." "can we talk about this?" "talking about it now." "yeah, but it seems like you've made up your mind already, and you're just letting me know. like with the house." "when were you gonna tell me about that?" "look, i thought you would be living with your father by now." "when i sell the house, your mother's share goes into a trust for you." "trust. right. i have to go to school." "uh-oh, she's still got her baby fat." "i want a sausage biscuit." "come on, man, i'm hungry." "don't you think someone else might be livin' there besides the kid?" "how's that goin'?" "uh, simple. these coffin's lock on the inside, then drill a hole right here, dri a hole right there. once the cash is inside, unlock it with a wrench." "see that?" "nice job." "come on, bump." "you gotta focus." "hey, cool it. don't be stupid, ok?" "couple of days from now, we're outta here, we're gone." "yeah?" "we got a problem." "money not arrive?" "it ain't that. they're holding up the flight information." "who?" "united states government, that's who. my brother-in-law works in cargo. he confirmed what i gave ya before, but they just scrapped that 10 minutes ago." "god help you if you're playing me." "that is not the way i do business. i will call you as soon as i know, all right?" "aerial photograph--the airport...they can take the truck right here under the front. very little traffic, no security. there is where i suggest you park the truck." "nick... ok. ok." "ok, so now we got everything except the date, the manifest, and the flight number." "thought you had that covered." "it's past tense. gobb, i need ya. i need ya. drop it. ok, i don't know what you're gonna have to do. i need the hard drive. we'll open the files ourselves." "mo... yo." "ready to work?" "what does it look like i'm doing?" "i need you, papa." "where are we goin'?" "lila's." "oye, you wanna smoke some cubans, baby?" "i got the computer. let's go." "sorry, baby." "it's ok. i'm just here to pick you up." "i don't think so." "your father wants to see you." "he's not my father." "yeah, well, he is now." "you don't trust me, call him yourself. come on, i ain't got all day." "surely i'd come quickly." "amen. the spirit of the bride... what are you listening to?" "the ramones." "come on." "it's... what's that, bondage radio?" "might say that. it's more like a soap opera, except they're real-life stories about people in bondage to their sins." "that is until they accepted jesus as their savior." "wow, i didn't know nick had any friends that were into jesus." "you'd be surprised." "nothing about nick surprises me anymore." "what happened to that guy?" "what guy?" "you know, the... izzy." "nothin', nothin' happened to him, and he's in a better place now." "texas." "yh, yeah, texas." "how you doin'?" "hello." "new orleans police department. could i ask you a couple questions?" "sure." "you know that man?" "no. what'd he do?" "idolatry. worshipping false gods." "is that a crime here?" "you never seen him before?" "a lot of people pray here." "they come and go. i can't remember everyone." "the chauffeur for christ said you wanted to see me." "yeah, tam. come on in." "have a seat." "so, uh, tam, i think we got some real possibilities here." "there's st. james academy." "bible school?" "yeah. they send a lot of kids to the ivy league. ok, there's always happy valley in california." "happy valley?" "ok, hang tight. let me get rid of this guy." "yep, she's a real beauty, mister. unfortunately, she's already spoken f-- just lookin', mister." "this country used to put steroids in their rides back in the day. be embarrassed to drive an american car now." "i bet you would. or detroit building wind-up vans in china." "push 'em past 70, wheels fall off. guess how much they pay the average chinaman." "you tell me." "60 bucks a month. no wonder they all squeeze into shipping containers like dogs to get over here." "can you blame 'em?" "billions over here just waiting to be stolen." "now...if i shoot you and your houseboy in my place of business, police department will just thank me for giving them the day off." "nick?" "i'm gonna go back to the house." "i'll be in in a minute." "i have homework, so-- yo, starburst, you need a boyfriend with a better car." "wait for me in the office." "your daughter. spittin' image." "you wanna buy this car?" "if not, sayonara, asshole." "nah. just lookin' today." "i'll be back soon to buy." "ok, come on. we gotta go." "come on, let's go." "face to face with 'em, and we come away empty. close enough to stick your tongue down the guy's throat." "too many witnesses, too many guns. you don't like it, you know where the door is." "go ahead, shove your hand in your pants. it's trembling like a leaf." "be careful what you tell people." "or what, you'll shake me to death?" "look, you had a good run, bro, but this is a train wreck, and my uncle, he don't like bad news." "no." "just for a couple of days." "no. nick, this is crazy." "what is this?" "i don't have any clothes." "i'll bring you some clothes." "i don't know these people." "this is riley. he's an old friend of mine." "what, like your other friends?" "no, no, i wanna go to keith's." "that's not happening." "why?" "they're good people." "they eat dinner together every night. please, they like me." "it's safer." "safer from what?" "those thugs at heritage?" "trust me." "why?" "because i owe it to your mother to take care of you." "you really think this is what she would've wanted?" "nick. nick." "come on." "get out of the car." "hey. show him." "your boy was in here the other day. he paid his tab with it." "you sure?" "i'm sure." "all right." "doubled your money." "tell him the rest." "girl he was with works at the tambourine church down the street, corner of dante and apricot. they been coming in here after services." "so what's so important?" "why we here?" "i can't do it, bro. i can't be locked up in that cart, not for an hour and a half, not for" "10 minutes. bump was right." "is it ok if i use the computer?" "when bump and i was in fishkill, i tried to escape." "i ended up in the hole for 9 months. started seeing some weird shit, man, like lizards everywhere." "this is not the hole." "my head knows that, but my heart just keeps pounding away like i just can't breathe." "look, we're almost prepped." "we've got the hard drive, we've got the boarder-row, ok?" "we're less than a week out." "it's not like i don't wanna do it." "oh, goddamn." "where is she?" "upstairs." "so what?" "what's wrong?" "what is it?" "i know what you did." "what are you talking about?" "they found that guy's body in the swamp. i found it on the web." "tam, i told you what happened, ok, so... don't lie to me." "i'm not lying to you." "an alligator bit off his arm, and they identified him by his fingerprints." "ok, this guy that you're talking about, ok-- izzy. that was his name, wasn't it?" "i don't know his name." "all i do know is that i have the right to protect my home and my family, and this guy was high on drugs, he was waving a gun around, threatening me, threatening us. no jury in the" "world is ever gonna convict me." "then why didn't you go to the cops?" "they found 2 gunshot wounds in him, nick. not 1. 2." "as far as i know, they took him to the hospital, and then he went back to texas. that's all i know. i swear to you on your mother's grave, ok, everything i've ever done has been to" "protect you." "that is bullshit!" "that is bullshit. selling the house, dumping me here with somebody i don't even know." "bullshit!" "who's gonna protect me from you?" "!" "hit me!" "you wanna hit me, you hit me. that's what you people do, isn't it?" "you people...now listen, you spoiled little bitch. you have no idea how people live. my mother wiped white baby's asses, my father walked out before i was born." "that's your problem!" "no, no, no!" "you are my problem." "not anymore!" "now just get out!" "just leave me alone!" "nigger." "nigger." "that's a word you've been wanting to say for a long time, isn't it?" "isn't it?" "ok." "now, you think your mother married a cold-blooded killer?" "go ahead, call the cops." "be my guest. you wanna talk the talk, it's time to walk the walk. call the cops. no?" "no?" "this nigger suggests that you keep your mouth shut from now on"