"Take for instance last week." "A woman's going to visit her mother." "She has a bag of groceries and a bouquet of flowers to brighten up the place." "Mom." "Mom?" "Mom?" "What she doesn't know is three days prior, her mother's fallen off a footstool busted her head open and broken her neck." "By the time she gets there, her mother's body is bloated with bacterial gases." "There's fluids leaking from her eyes, ears, nose, mouth." "You get the picture." "Well, death is tragic." "But it's also big business." "Some people deal with it spiritually." "Others deal with it legally." "But what most people don't know is that when someone dies in your house it's up to you to clean up the mess." "Well, sure, the city will come and take the body away." "But what they leave behind is your own personal little souvenir." "Now, most people don't have the stomach for that." "That's where I come in." "Now, cleaning a body is actually a lot like cleaning any other household spill." "There are three basic steps." "First, get rid of all the bugs." "HIV, herpes, tuberculosis, adenovirus, hantavirus, E. coli." "Now, I assume all those things are present, so I spray everything with my own personal little cocktail of antivirals and disinfectants." "And just between you and me, I also throw in a little Listerine." "The original flavor." "It has an enzyme that liquefies coagulated blood." "You gotta use the original flavor, not that new blue or orange shit." "Well..." "Tom, that's..." "I" " I mean..." "I'll be right back." " Didn't you use to be a cop?" " Yeah." "Yep, I did." "Didn't have the stomach for it." "So, Jeff." "Well, what's going on with you?" "Well, I'm still in the mortgage game." "Doing good there." "Of course, there's Laura and the kids, all great." "Laura's mom, she's getting up there." "She's been sick." "She's staying with us now in the back bedroom." "There's some days she doesn't come out of there at all." "Tom, you wouldn't happen to have a card on you, would you?" "Oh, yeah, sure." "Sure." "Yeah." "Here you go." " Can I have one?" " Oh, yeah, definitely." "There's enough here for everybody." "Yep, this is good." "Call me." "That's Steri-Clean." "That's me." "Gee, it's great to see y'all." "Quit stalling." "Get the typewriter." "Pound out a lead." " How much do you want?" " All you got." "Hello, give me Duffy." " Call the mayor a bird of prey?" " Anything." "How about the time he had his house painted?" "Give him the works." "Hello, Duffy?" "Get set." "We got the biggest story in years." ""Earl Williams... "" "How was it?" "It was funny." " Funny how?" " Oh, you'll see in about 30 years." "Rekindle any old flames?" "No, baby." "That candle burned out years ago." " I'm beat." "I'm going to bed." " Good night." "You're gonna stay up and watch this movie with these people talking like:" " Yeah." "I wanna see how it ends." " All right." "Rose, I'll love you until the end of time because you're the girl I've wanted, and you're the girl of my dreams." "Love you, baby." " Is she there?" " No, I can't hear you." " Where'd she go?" " Out someplace." "Last night- Last night I dreamed I was changing my baby's diaper, and it was filled with blood." "And when I looked up, I mean, he was fucking dead." "You know, and then I had to come in and..." "I had to come in and clean the crib." "I gotta clean it up before the mama comes in." "You want something?" "Gum, mints?" " Aspirin?" " I could use a drink." "How about we start with the aspirin?" "Hey, you got a little girl." "What do you tell Rose?" "What do you tell her you do?" "She knows what I do." "There's nothing to be ashamed of." "We don't clean up blood." "We clean up anger and grief, heartache." "Looks like blood." "Just tell yourself that our clients are in trouble." "We help them out." "Well, I hate to see you go, Miguel." "I don't wanna burn you out either." "Say you come in a couple days a week, restock the vans and give Cherie a hand around here, lighten her load, okay?" "Yeah, man." "Yeah, I- Yeah, thank you, brother." " Thank you, man." "Look, I owe you one." " You don't owe me shit." "We all good." " Go spend the day with your family." " All right." "He quit?" "No." "He's gonna help you out around here." "Yeah, I'll believe it when I see it." "These two are yours." " Forty-five cats?" "Give this to Paulie." " We're short-staffed." "Paulie's sick." "Freddie and Jose are in that meth lab in Howell." "Miguel quit." "No, he didn't quit." "And Victor's allergic." " Hey, at least nobody died there." " Probably smell better." "Good morning, Steri-Clean." "Please hold." "Lorenzo's on 2." " I'm in the field." " Again?" "I'm in the field." "You're gonna have to take it sometime." "Okay." "I'm so sorry, Mr. Lorenzo." "He's in the field." "Thank you." "Can I take a message?" "Steri-Clean." "Anybody here?" "Initial recording." "This is Tom Cutler." "On April 6." "Case number three-Mary-four-four- five-Charlie-three-seven-eight." "Personal residence." "Homicide." "No one home." "Key was left on the front porch." "Blood and tissue on the sofa wall tile floor glass coffee table." "Blood, soft chip, approximately one day old." "Something smells good." " How was your day?" " Long." " Why is your mom's box out?" " It's a surprise." " Are your eyes closed?" " Yeah, they're closed." "Okay." "Open." "I found the recipe in her old book." "I can't remember, but is this how it used to look?" "Yeah." "Yeah, it's exactly how it used to look." " Why'd you take the box out?" " It's..." "It's interesting, actually." "I have to do a history report on a historical figure from the last 50 years." "Really?" "So who are you doing?" "Mom." " Your mom's a historical figure?" " My teacher thinks it's a good idea." " She said it's original." " Yeah, it's original, all right." " You know who would be really good?" " I kind of already started." "Maybe if you have time later you can help me?" "Sure, but not tonight." "I have to do payroll." "I don't have to do Mom." " Who were you gonna say?" " Nobody, no." "Mom's a good idea." "I got a call from your math teacher today." "Says you've been sleeping in class." "I nodded off, like, twice because he's so boring and he's making this huge thing out of it." "Well, bottom line is it's gotta stop." "Now." "So no more of those mocha things after 5 and I want you in bed by 11:30." "We clear?" "Hey." "I'm not punishing you, I just want you to get your sleep, okay?" "Now, you know if there's anything bothering you I'm here for you, right?" "I know." " Is there?" " What?" " Anything bothering you?" " No, it's the mochas." "I'll cut back." "One thing's for sure." "You're just as good a cook as she was." "Dad." "Dad." "We're gonna be late." "Come in." "Hello." "Surprise!" "Hang on." "Hang on." "It's not him." "It's not him." "Hi." "We thought you were my little nephew not that you look like you're turning 10 today, but..." " Can I help you?" " Yes." "Is...?" " Is this your house?" " Yes." "Well, I'm Tom Cutler." "I run the cleaning service you hired." "I'm sorry." "We have a housekeeper and we're really happy with her." "No, no, no." "We're not that kind of cleaning service." "I was saying, we did a job here yesterday and inadvertently we" "Excuse me, sir." "We weren't home yesterday." "What kind of cleaning service are you?" "Oh, is your husband home?" "Perhaps I could talk to him." "No, he's out for the moment." "You can talk to me." "Okay." "We cleaned up after what happened." "After what happened?" " I'm sorry, Mrs...?" " Norcut." "Norcut." " Not Collins?" " No." " Is this Ridgecrest Lane?" " Ridgewood Way." "See." "There." "There's the mistake right there." "Once again, my office got things mixed up." "I'm sorry to have taken your time." "Three-Mary-four-four- five-Charlie-three-seven-eight." "Hey." "Sign these." "I'm going to Betty's." "You want anything?" "I'm sorry." "There are no matches for that case number." "Who called this in?" " West Trenton P.D." " Who, exactly?" " Right there." "Jones." " Sir?" " Detective Jones, please." " There's no one by that name, sir." "Oh, thank you." " What happened?" "They stiff us?" " I'm just trying to sort some stuff out." "All right." " What do you want from Betty's?" " I'm not hungry." "Police Commissioner Robert Vaughn stepped down in disgrace last year following allegations of widespread corruption and bribery." "Earth to Dad." "The grand jury is expected to hear..." "I said, next Tuesday is T ake Your Daughter to Work Day." " No." "Ain't gonna happen, sport." " I'm totally joking." "Eddie Lorenzo, Line 1." "In the field again?" "No." "No, I'll take it." "Well, it must be a full moon." "What the hell's going on, Tom?" "You think I'd never find out?" "Rosie makes the playoffs, I gotta read about it in the sports section?" "I'm gonna be there." " I already marked it down." " That would be really great." " She'll appreciate that." " If she remembers me." "Of course she remembers you." "You think you'll be thirsty tonight?" "Oh, I think I can probably be persuaded." " Vic's?" " Hey, yeah, Vic's." " Eight o'clock?" " All right." "Vic's at 8." " Just like old times." "Excellent." " See you there, man." "She worked at a movie theater." "She used to sneak me in and we'd watch movies." "Well, she'd watch them." "I'd watch her." "It was a very small wedding." "Just me, her, her parents, her friend Jules, and Eddie." "We went on vacation in Mexico and nine months later, you showed up." "That's the short version, and that's all you're getting." "How much more?" "Just a couple." "I wanna talk a little bit about what happened to her." "Where'd you find that?" "It was in the box." "So, what happened to him?" " I thought this was about your mother." " I'm supposed to be thorough." "He was killed, right?" " Yes, he was killed." " How?" "In prison, where he should have been for what he did to her." "I know, but how?" "I don't know, Rose." "It's prison." "Prison's a dangerous place." "Look, I really don't think you ought to be putting all that in there." "I'm sorry." "Any more questions?" "That's all for now." "I guess." "I have to go out for a while." "You gonna be okay?" "Yeah, I'll be fine." " Yo, Vic." " Coming up." " Hey, where you been hiding, Tom?" " Oh, I've been around." "Are things as bad down there as they say in the paper?" "Worse." "Thirty-five guys filed for early retirement this month alone." "Everyone's afraid they're gonna find the trail and start naming names." "IA's everywhere." "The DA's subpoena happened." "You brush by Robert Vaughn in the hall, they wanna know about it." " You think he'll go down?" " You know how it is, Tom." "He's got a lot of guys around, loyal guys." "He's protected." "When she came home, she found his clothes and car gone." "The police have recovered his car at the Berkeley Square train station." "But security tapes show that he never boarded a train." "Know anything about that?" "Rumors of foul play..." " Yeah, that came down today." " So, what's the story?" "No story." "Some guy skipped out on his wife." " Why?" " No reason." "You better catch up." "I'm gonna kick your ass here." "I'm still working on this." "How am I gonna know what's on your mind if you don't get hammered?" "You know, something happened at work has got me a little turned around." "Considering the work you do, it must have been something." "Vic." "Turn that up." " Fears for John's safety." " Turn it up." "What can you tell us about Norcut?" "We're treating this as a missing persons case." "Thank you very much." "Can I have your autograph?" "Man, I spoke to that asshole for 15 minutes, man." "Holy shit." "Here he comes, Tommy." " Tom Cutler." " Jim Vargas." " Hey." " Holy shit." "How you doing?" " Good, man, good." " Good to see you." "Lorenzo." "Regular class reunion, huh?" "Hey, somebody told me you're cleaning up stiffs?" " That's right." " No shit." "Man, I thought they were yanking my chain." "Of all the crazy rackets, huh?" "Hey, we can't all be TV stars like you, Jim." " Come on." " When you go to Missing Persons?" "Missing Persons?" "I'm Homicide, baby." "Oh, that." "That's for the press, man." "Fuck the press." "Technically, it's a missing persons case." " I'm just getting a head start." " What makes you think he's dead?" "His bags were packed, they found his car at the train station." "You sound like you know more than Jim." "Well, you know, the paper doesn't tell you everything." "And I get that old Columbo feeling every now and then, you know." "Come on, Jim, help me out." "Throw me a bone." "Off the record." "All right, all right." "Off the record." "The neighbor saw a plumbing van there day after he disappeared." "If he'd left his wife, why would he hire a plumber, huh?" "Wow, Detective Jim." "That's some crack police work there." "What's your badge made out of, chocolate?" "Solid brass, Lorenzo." "You wanna come by sometime and polish it?" "Oh, you mean the IA's letting you keep it?" "Hey, hey, we're just talking here, okay?" "Good to see you, Tom." "Good to see you're doing well after all that shit." " What are you drinking?" " I'm good." "You good?" "All right." "Next time." " What's wrong with you?" " He's a fucking asshole." "Wanna hear something that won't make the papers?" " Yeah." " This missing guy, Norcut?" "He knew Vaughn." "The word is he cut a deal with the DA to testify." " How'd you come by that?" " I didn't." "I don't know shit." "All I know is, before the grand jury convenes Norcut goes missing this asshole's put on the case." "But, Tommy, it was that domestic on 36th" "Hey, hey, hey, where you going?" "Come on, get under here." " I'm not letting you drive." "Come on." " We are parked in a red zone." "That's not the only thing that's in the red zone." "Come on." "All right, all right." "How old is my goddaughter now?" "Thirteen, 14?" "Fourteen." "Buckle up." "It's the law." "We're getting old, brother." "You had the right idea, though." "Family first." "Man doesn't have a family, he doesn't have shit." "I'm doing that outreach stuff now." "You know, after-school programs?" "It's the only thing keeps me sane." " What?" "What's so funny?" " After school, outreach?" "Who are you and where did you put Eddie?" "I'm a very complex man, Tom." "And I'm fucking starving." " Let me buy you some waffles." " All right." "Hey, what happened at work today that you wanted to talk about?" "Nothing." "I can handle it." "Hey." "Anything pressing?" " No, but" " I'll be in the office." "There's someone waiting for you." "Mr. Cutler." "I'm not sure if you remember me." "You came by my house." "Oh, yeah, yeah." "The birthday party." "Sorry about the mix-up, Mrs. " "Arms for Hope Ann Norcut" "Norcut, Ann Norcut." "Not Collins, as you could see." "Yes." " You wanna sit?" " I'd rather stand." "How can I help you?" "I asked a question back at my house and you never answered me." "What kind of cleaning service do you run here?" "Biomedical and biohazardous abatement and sanitation." "You clean crime scenes." "Yeah, but that's only a part of what we do." "Cherie give you our brochure?" "I'm not sure if you've read your paper yet, Mr. Cutler but my husband is missing." "That's your husband?" "I'm sorry." "The day after my husband disappears a crime-scene cleaner shows up at my door talking about a job he did at my house." "What am I supposed to think about that?" "I explained to you why I came by your house." "Sorry for the mix-up." "If you have information that'll help police find your husband, go to them." "What makes you think I haven't done that?" "Well, if you had, I'd be talking to them and not you." "I'm a retired police officer, Mrs. Norcut." "In my line of work I'm in regular contact with the police." "If there were anything questionable about a crime scene I'd be the first one to step up." "Look, I know what you're going through is rough." "I lost my wife a few years ago." " So I understand" " Should I be grieving?" "No, no, no." "Of course not." "Then why would you empathize with me?" "Well, I'm just saying that your concern is understandable." "You said you mistook my house for one on Ridgecrest Lane?" " What kind of work did you do there?" " I'm afraid I can't discuss that." "I'm afraid I checked, Mr. Cutler." "There is no Ridgecrest Lane." "So yes, I'd say that my concern is more than understandable." "Look, my husband made his share of enemies but I have a feeling you're not one of them." "Please." "I won't repeat anything you tell me." "I just need to know for myself:" "Did you do any work at my house?" "Look, I would love to be of more assistance to you." "And I hope the police find your husband." "Now, if there's nothing else, I have a really full day." "I'm glad you're so friendly with the police." "Any time." " Mr. Cutler." "The police are here." " Thanks." "Stay on the plastic." "Did you hear me say stay on the-?" "That's one way to skip out on your bill." "You got a second?" "Oh, what a dump." "If I was gonna off myself, I think I'd go to the Four Seasons." "Yeah, a lot of people do." "I'm sorry I got a little drunk last night." " I know you wanted to talk." " I'm kind of busy." "Maybe you could find some time." "Forensics searched the Norcut place yesterday." "Floor to ceiling." "Not a drop of blood and no sign of a struggle." "Nothing." "What they did find was chemicals, cleansing agents." "Lots of them." "And I'm not talking Ajax." "So I hear this I remember you asking me about the case last" " You following a lead here?" " It's not my case." "It's not my department." "And right now, if you want, I'm not even a cop." "The last time I asked for your help, you almost lost your job." "Yeah, it got a little choppy back then." "But I survived." "So did you." " I don't regret what we did." "Do you?" " Does it matter?" " Still gotta live with it." " Yeah, I've lived with it pretty good." "What's on your mind, Thomas?" "And why didn't you call it in?" "I don't know who Vaughn's got working there." "I call it in to the wrong person, I'm the one that goes missing." " You could've told me last night" " I tried, I wanted to, but" "I wasn't supposed to know about it, so I decided not to know." "Old habit." "You still got all the papers, right?" "Yeah." "Release forms, crime-scene photos, everything's at the office." "Hang on to everything, it's your alibi." "That just proves I was there, not that I didn't do it." "You were just doing a job." "No one can hang a case on you." "But I had opportunity and ability." "But not the motive, right?" "We never took a penny from Vaughn." "Right, Tom?" "Tom." "You want me to help you out, you're gonna have to tell me what's going on." "You ever wonder why they stopped questioning us about Hill getting shanked in prison?" "Vaughn comes to me, he says he can make the whole inquiry go away if I just do a job for him." "I'm thinking about Rose, and she's already lost a parent so I do the job." "Then I get tapped out by the funeral." "I need money to start the new business, so I do another job." "And another." "I shake somebody down." "Look the other way." " Pull some evidence." " That was years ago, Tommy." "Jury's gonna see an old soldier marching to orders." "Ain't gonna be any jury." "Everything Norcut knew, you think Vaughn's gonna let anybody find him?" " Vaughn's not running things." " But his guys are." "This case was closed before it opened." "The whole investigation is a show." "You remember how things were." "I panicked as she soon as she told me her name was Norcut." "I remember the name from back then." "Norcut was the money man." "I looked her in the eye and lied to her face." "Just straight-up lied." "What, Vaughn ever try to get to you?" "Yeah, after you left." "I told him where he could insert his offer." "I've been riding a desk since." " The price of honor, right?" " Right." "Listen, sit tight and I'll find out where Vargas is steering this and I'll let you know." " Eddie." " Yeah." "Thanks." "Fuck "thanks. " Fuck "you're welcome. " This is you and me." "I'll talk to you soon." "That's the old redhead." "No bitterness." "No recrimination." "Just a good swift left to the jaw." "Oh, thank you, Edward." "Come, Seth." "We have so much to talk about." "There's this thing." "Alexander Graham Bell invented it." "Things ran a little late, I'm sorry." "Dinner smells good." "It's not okay to leave a child home alone." "Anything could happen." " Wanna start staying at Anita's again?" " I want you to be home." "I am home." "Hey, what's going on here?" "You're the one always saying how you can take care of yourself." "Rose, this school project..." "Hey." "Hey, I'm talking to you." "This project about your mom got you thinking" "At least someone's thinking about her." "Three, four, five." "Seven, eight." "Nine, ten." "I told you he's out." " Then call him." " Jim." "Is there a problem?" " Tom, how you doing, buddy?" "This is my partner, Darrin Harris." " I've heard a lot about you." " Well, you know, Jim likes to talk." "How can I help you?" "They wanna search the place, but they don't have a warrant." "We don't wanna search the place." "Look, Tom, I'm in a bit of a bind, okay?" "Forensics found industrial cleanser at a scene." "They need samples to match them against." "I figured you're in the business." " Why didn't you give the OSHA list?" " He didn't ask for it." "Instead, he came in here, barking like a damn dog..." " ... without a warrant." " Cherie, Cherie." " Could I please have the OSHA list?" " Of course." "Do any work in Ewing County?" "No, not a lot." "You know, rich people tend to die in hospitals." "Maybe you could check Ridgewood Way about a week or so ago?" "Last name Norcut." "Ridgewood Way?" "Norcut." "Yeah, I read about that case." "No, no." "Sorry." "No Ridgewood Way." " Think we could snag a few samples?" " Yeah, sure." "No problem." "Come on." "It's right here, guys." "Nice ink." " Where you get those?" " Miguel?" "Would you go out to the van and get me some of those red bags, please?" "No problem, Tom." " You ever heard of "excuse me"?" " Is that English or Spanish?" "When did he get out?" "Six months ago." "I know his probation officer." "He's a good kid." "What was he doing last Thursday night?" "How the hell should I know?" "Ask him." "What about you?" "Home." "I'm home every night." "Credit card records say you were downtown at the Ivy Thursday night." " Oh, yeah." "High school reunion." " High school reunion, huh?" "I skipped mine." "Fuck them." " What time you leave?" " Eleven-thirty." " Why you checking my records?" " I'm just following up." " What about Friday afternoon?" " Downtown." "Feline infestation." "You wanna see Polaroids of the litter boxes?" "Maybe some other time." "Is that it?" "I gotta go back out." " No." "No, you've been very cooperative." " Make me happy if you wrote that down too." "Happy?" "As a pig in shit." "Miguel, give these guys a hand, would you?" "Oh, hey, I'm not done with stocking this one yet." " You can do it later, okay?" " Okay." "Listen, my wife wanted me to invite you for dinner tomorrow." "We wanna say thanks, you know." "And Mama can cook." " She's always watching food channels." " You know, I'd really like to but I can't." " But I'll take a rain check, all right?" " All right." "Look, Miguel, if those cops ask you any questions, don't sweat it." " Just answer them straight, okay?" " Yeah, no problem." " And, brother, you okay?" " Yeah." "Yeah, I'm good." " Come on." " Go kids, go." "Come on, come on." "Go, Rosie." "I have maybe a day and a half before Vargas gets those test results and puts me at the scene." "He ordered enough tests to keep the lab busy for a month." "Hoping the thing dies down." " Vargas is going through the motions." " If he's not?" "Once they find Vaughn's payroll and those test results come in, I'm suspect number one." "When they need somebody to throw to wolves, that somebody's me." "Not throwing anybody to wolves." "Norcut stays missing they can't prove there was a crime." "Something fishy here." "The wife." "The wife." "Why hasn't she told Vargas about it?" "Maybe she believes you." "Yeah!" "All right, Rosie!" "Tom, you missed it." " Way to go, Rose." " You missed it, man." "You should have seen it." "She was great." " How about pizza?" " No, we can't." "Can't." "She's got homework." "I got work to do." "I did my homework." "Another time, kiddo, okay?" " Thanks for coming, Uncle Eddie." " You're so welcome." "You just broke a rib." " It was great to see you." " It was great seeing you too." "She's great, man." "I'll dig some more." "Give you a call tomorrow." "You think you could sit on those hands till then?" " Done." " All right." " All right." " Nice being with you." "See you, Rosie." "See you." "Come in." " Hey." " Hey." "To Kill a Mockingbird's on 46." "You wanna watch?" "Thanks." "I'll be out in a minute." "Finish that report yet?" "Not yet." "Where did you dig this up?" "This was years ago." " Internet." " Internet." "Why did they question you if he was killed in jail?" "Well, you know sometimes people think the police can do anything they want." "That's not the case." "They questioned us, nothing came of it." "What was his name?" "The man who did it." "It only says "inmate. "" "I just wanna know." "I told you a hundred times." "Daniel Hill." "He can't hurt us anymore." "I've driven by this church a thousand times and never came in." "It's lovely." "It's private." "So were you followed?" "Who would be following me?" " You wearing a wire?" " No." "Are you?" "Why were you watching me yesterday?" "Do you have something to tell me?" "Ask you." "Why haven't you told the police about me?" "I don't trust the police." "Look, I know your husband was talking to the DA." "He was gonna testify against Robert Vaughn." "So I need to know who else he was gonna implicate." "Did you clean my house?" "Look, Mr. Cutler, this has to be a two-way street." "I haven't gone to the police and I'm not about to." "But, please, I need to know what happened for myself." "I used to come to this church twice a week." "Once for Mass, once for confession." "That was a long time ago." "Yes." "Yeah, I cleaned your house." " Oh, God." " Looked like a legitimate crime scene." "Whoever did it had access to the materials and they knew procedure." " How did he-?" " He was shot." "Where, exactly?" "Living room." "On the couch." "Who hired you?" "That's what I'm trying to find out, Mrs. Norcut." " Two-way street, right?" " Yeah." "What was your husband going to tell the grand jury?" "I think it's better if I show you." "This used to be an old fire station, and now it's a safe haven for kids." "That's a mighty big pair of scissors." "Oh, that's Robert Vaughn." "He did the initial fundraising." "Without him, we wouldn't be here." "My office is upstairs." "John wrote everything by hand so that it could be authenticated." "He called this his "get out of jail free card. "" "What is it?" "It's an account ledger, but it's in some kind of code." "Look." "These numbers look like dates." "I'm assuming these are dollar amounts." "But this middle column, I don't know." "They're too short to be account numbers, right?" " Could they be phone numbers?" " No." "Badge numbers." "Are you sure?" "Yeah." "This is a record of every cop who's on the payroll." "Jesus, this thing goes back at least 10 years." "Is there any way we can find names?" "If I still had access, which I don't it could take days possibly weeks to match these badge numbers with names." "Plus we don't have any evidence." "Everybody in here's a suspect." "All right." "A couple of weeks ago Vaughn came over with another man." "It ended up in a shouting match and I haven't seen Vaughn since but after that John became really paranoid about the book." "He kept talking about going to the DA." " And who was the other man?" " A Detective Vargas." "Okay." "Look." "I need you to write down the names of every cop you talked to since, including Vargas." "Okay." "Maybe I can get their badge numbers." "Charming neighborhood." " I been looking for a summer home." " You got that list for me?" "Marty Pappas, Darrin Harris, Jim Vargas." "What do you need with all these badges?" "I met with the wife." "Seems Mr. Norcut kept records." "Every cop that's ever taken a cent is written in a ledger and listed by badge number." "Jesus, Tom." "What are you-?" "You know how many guys Vaughn would send if he knew you had that?" " Let me worry about that." " Well, take my advice." " Forget you ever saw any ledger." " Not that simple." "Yeah, it is." "Somebody asks, you say, "What ledger?"" " I'm in the ledger." " Jesus Christ." "So burn it." "It's your motive." "Get rid of it." " It's practically got a bow on it." " Poor woman's husband's dead." "Burn the thing that might help her find the killer?" "What do you care?" "She's some rich bitch wearing a million-dollar blindfold." "Get the book, light a match." " Thanks, partner." " What the fuck you call me?" "Partners stick together, huh?" "Partners follow the plan." "I told you sit tight, you dig up some book half the fucking city will kill you for?" " Walk away, Tom." "Forget it." " Walk away?" "I tried to walk away." "From everything." "From all this shit." " And look where I am." " All the shit." "Shit like me, right?" "You pick up the phone for the first time in how long and is it because you wanna catch up or bullshit and, you know, let me see my goddaughter?" "No, you need a goddamn favor." "And then again." "You're family to me, Tom." "What am I to you?" "Some fucking last resort." "You don't want my advice, fine." "Take it or leave it." "But don't go calling me partner like it means a thing." "Scared I'm gonna find you in the book there, Eddie?" "Four-nine-seven-three-three." " Here, you want a pen?" " No, I got it." "You always had a good memory." "That's your fucking problem." "You're gonna get yourself killed, man." " You okay?" " Yeah." "Oh, Tom, please don't." "Just leave it." "It's not worth saving." "No, I know how you feel." "Tom?" "I can't stay here." "Well, where you wanna go?" "You got relatives?" "Yeah, but no family right now." "Here, Tom, I got it, I got it." "I'm sorry." "I'll make us some more" "I really need to go someplace." "I just don't feel safe being alone." "Okay." "I think I know a place." "Hey, bro." "Hey, come on in." "Come on in." " This is Ann." " Ann, pleasure." " This is my wife, Gabriella." " Hey." " Hi." "Nice to meet you." " This is Ann." " Hi." "Very nice to meet you." " Hi." "And this is Baby Julio." " Hey, little man." " This one's Lila." " Say hello, Lila." " Hello." "Hello." " Hello." " Put me down, Daddy." "Don't let that halo fool you." "Come see my horsies." " Not now, mi amor." " That's okay." "Want me to see your horsies?" "Wanna take me?" " Yeah." " Okay." " I'm gonna go check on dinner." " Okay, sweetie." "She didn't feel safe, and I couldn't take her to my place because Rose wouldn't understand." " Thanks." " Yeah." "It's like you said." "Client's in trouble, we gotta help them out." "Hey." "Come on." " That smells so good." " Thank you." "Be careful." "This is very hot." " Lila, honey." "In your chair, please." " No, no." "It's fine." "I used to eat like this all the time." "Hey, Tom, could you give us the honors and say grace?" " Me?" " Yeah." "Heavenly Father thank you for good friends, good food and bless the hands that prepared it." " Amen." " Amen." " Amen." " Please." "Please, dig in." "I know this is less than what you're used to but" "It's perfect." "Hey, believe it or not, I used to live about three blocks away from here." "A studio apartment above this Korean place." "You remember Sun's Kitchen?" " Yeah, I know Sun's." " Yeah." " It's not there anymore." " No." "That whole building isn't there anymore." "You know, if you were to ask me back then how my life was gonna turn out I would have said like this." "Warm house, kids running around, magnets on the refrigerator." "John didn't want kids." "But we almost had one recently." "We lost it." "Sorry." "So am I." "What's the worst thing you've seen?" "Oh, I wanna know." "The worst thing I've ever seen." "That would have to be before this job when I was a cop." "A homicide." "Victim was a woman in her 30s, two gunshot wounds to the chest." "Shooter was there to rob the place victim put up a fight and he shot her." "There was moderate blood pooling on the floor some spatter on the beds and walls." "That's the worst thing?" "Down the hall in another bedroom, there was a kid." "Two paramedics were sitting with her." "She was clutching a stuffed animal, a frog." "She found her mother's body and called 911." "Tough kid, if you think about it." "Six years old and she still had sense enough to call 911." "But those eyes." "Those eyes that saw something no kid should ever have to see." "Those eyes looked at me." "Looked into me." "Through me." "Those eyes." " That's the worst thing I've ever seen." " She was your daughter." "Did you catch him?" "Oh, yeah." "Yeah, we got him." "License and registration, please." " Is there a problem, officer?" " Your taillight's out." " So where you headed?" " Was I speeding too?" " I asked where you're headed." " Home." "I live a couple of blocks from here." "Look, I'm a retired police officer." "Is there a problem?" "I know who you are, Tom." "Hi." " What happened to your face?" " Nothing, I'm okay." " Don't be a baby." " It burns." "You're not gonna tell me what happened?" "It's nothing." "Your dad's a tough old bird." "I can take it." " That's it?" " Yeah." "Oh, you're pretty good at this." " Should I be saving for med school?" " I don't care what you do." "What was that?" "What did you say?" "Hey, hey." "That attitude of yours has gotta stop." "Now." "Why won't you tell me what happened?" "It doesn't involve you." "I'm handling it." "I thought we were a team, Dad." "What if you come home stabbed?" "Shot?" "What if you don't come home?" "It's not gonna happen." " Happened to her." " Think that's gonna happen to me?" "Yes!" "I'm fucking terrified of it!" "Rose, that's not going to happen." "Look at me." "I'm never going to let anything like that happen again." "And we are a team." "We're a good team." "We look out for each other." "But we don't dwell on things we have no control over." "This project." " I mean, look what it's doing to you." " There is no stupid report, Dad." " There's no-?" "I don't understand." " I'm starting to forget her!" "Oh, Rose." "Look, you can't spend your life going through this box looking for her." "She's not there." "She's gone." "It's just you and me now, okay?" "So let's just put this away, all right?" "Just put it away." " Rose, pick this stuff up." "Rose." " You don't understand!" " You don't understand." " Pick that up." "What is wrong with you?" " Have you lost your mind?" " You don't get it." "You don't get it." " Hello?" " I'm coming to get you." "Wait, wait, wait." "I'm not at the house." "I'm at the hospital." "Vargas called this morning." "He said he wanted me to identify a body." "The press found out John was gonna testify." "It's on the news, everywhere." " What hospital?" " West Trenton General." "All right." "Just stay there." "I know a back way in." " You all right?" " Yeah, thank you." " What happened to your face?" " Nothing." " Sure it's not John's?" " No." "His key was still on the ring found in his car." "Anybody else have one?" "Sister, neighbor?" "No one." "John was paranoid." "He didn't want copies lying around." "Maybe he had one made for someone he didn't tell you about." "As in a woman?" "That wasn't John's style." "Not making keys for them anyway." "Look, I don't see how any of this is helping us." "Vaughn didn't need this to look like an abduction." "If he'd known about the ledger, he'd have ransacked your house to find it." "Someone with a key wanted you to come home to a clean house." "Arlo." "Oh, Tom." "You scared me." " This is Ann Norcut." " Norcut." "Right." "Wait." "Does Vargas know you're here?" "I was hoping we can get through this without him." "He kind of needs to be here, but I don't know." "Maybe we could do the paperwork without him." "I don't understand why I have to do this." "They have photos of John." "They didn't tell you." "Well, the corpse does not have much of a face." "Mrs. Norcut, I guess all we need from you is to identify a couple of DMs and the wedding band." " dms?" " Distinguishing marks." "If I could get you to sign these, the top portion." "Excuse me." "Is there a restroom?" "I feel faint." "Yes." "I'm sorry." "Just the way you came in, right" "Boy, you don't get to practice your bedside manner around here." " Well, how bad is the body?" " Rat food, but it's him." "I checked the scars against the records." "Got an appendectomy work over here." "Got the one from Bob Barker." "I got Larry coming over to check his teeth, to make sure." " You know Larry?" " Bob Barker?" "Yeah." "You know, spay and neuter your pets?" " Guy got snipped." " When did he have a vasectomy?" "A few years ago." "Something like that." "It's right here in the records." " Hey, I was just about to call you." " What the hell you doing here?" "Lunch with a colleague." "Thai still good?" "Yeah, but I gotta finish this thing up." "I got a good spot too." " Detective." " Miss Norcut." " You know this man?" " No, I've never met him." "Excuse me." "Can we get this over with?" "I don't feel very well." "Thank you." "I don't like this, Tom." "I'm seeing you all the time these days." " That's not good." " Well, that hurts me, Jim." "Well, here's the deal." "We've never been tight but I never been against you, even after that thing." " And what thing would that be?" " I mean, so what?" "Piece of shit catches a knife in the arm." "Big fucking deal." "Some wanted to bring you down." "Make an example of you." "Not me." "He violated your family." "You had every right." "This have a fucking point?" "Point is you don't want me against you." "That guy in there didn't die in prison." "He's connected." "I gotta bring all the guns." "So why don't you tell me?" " What are you doing here?" " Lunch." "You wanna join us?" " Okay." "We don't have to have Thai." " Are you fucking her?" "Nothing to be ashamed of." "I would." "I'm not gonna hit you." "You have to find another reason to arrest me." "Oh, I don't need a reason." "I could just take you in." "Sweat you out a few hours." "A few days maybe." "Okay." "So let's settle this between us." "How's 10 grand sound?" "I can get Vaughn to write you another check." "Detective?" "Nice knowing you, Tom." "Don't fucking move." "Mrs. Norcut has identified the deceased as her husband, John H. Norcut." " Jesus, what happened to you?" " Ran into a blue wall." "I called the precinct." "They told me you were here." "I'm surprised you remember where here is." "Vargas is in the ledger." "I don't think he had anything to do with this." " You want a soda, a beer?" " They didn't kill Norcut for the book." "She's got some guy on the side." "It's his key I used to get in the house." "You still on the same place on Eighth?" " I haven't been down there in forever." " Cut the shit, Eddie." "Oh, I'm sorry." "This isn't a friendly visit?" " Did you hear what I said?" " Yeah." "Her boyfriend killed her husband." "What else is new?" " What do you want, an apology?" " Oh, fuck your apology." " You don't owe me anything." " I changed jobs, okay?" "I changed houses, cars, clothes." "Only thing I kept was Rose." "I'm doing a hell of a job with her." "I didn't wanna cut you off, man." "I had to." "Okay, I fucked up, all right?" "Is that what you wanna hear?" "I just want my partner back, Tommy." "Not for a day." "You know, not for one last thing." "Back, man." " I'm back." " Yeah?" "All right." "All right, so let's shut up about that." "Where is she now?" "Talking to Vargas." "God knows what she's telling him." "Can you get your hands on the book?" "Then call Vargas, arrange a trade give him the book, he'll drop the case." "No." "We gotta go over his head." "Cut him off before he can make a case." " Cut him off with what?" " The truth." "They're gonna wanna know how you know, why you didn't come forward." " They're gonna be all over your ass." " Well, she can back us up." "What if she doesn't?" "She's probably loyal to this guy." " That's a chance I'll have to take." " Listen, Tom." "The best shot we have is with Vargas directly." "I'll go with you." "Make sure he doesn't pull any shit." "We could take care of this." "The three of us." "We could do it tonight." "I'll make the call." "I gotta pick Rose up first." "Give me an hour." "We can make the trade at the old depot." "He's back, ladies and gentlemen." "The old depot, in an hour." "Hey." "What, I don't even get a goodbye?" "Bye, Eddie." " Ann." "You all right?" " How did you get in?" "Of course." "I'm actually fine." "It just keeps opening up." " So where you going?" " Nowhere." "Why's your car packed?" "I know who this key belongs to, and so do you." "You really shouldn't be here." "Vargas is asking a lot of questions about you." "Eddie Lorenzo was my partner." "He was my friend." "My best man." "He's my daughter's godfather." " Don't know what you're talking about." " Stop lying to me." "We need to go to the police and tell them everything." "Tell them what, Tom?" "It's a key." "So what?" "It could belong to anybody." "And what about that baby?" "Could that be anybody's too?" "Get out." "Did you ask him to do it?" "Is that what happened?" "He didn't do it." "He'd never do that." "He told me that and I believe him." " Now get out, Tom." " He's lying." "Oh, go ahead." "Call the police." "I'll just tell them you broke in." " I'm calling Eddie." " Wait." "If he still has his key, he's innocent." "And I'll go." " Just ask him." " Please don't do this." "Ask him." " Please." " Annie?" "Annie?" " Annie, are you okay?" " Yeah, I'm fine." "Hey, I was gonna ask you." "Can you give the key back, just in case?" " Okay, good." "Okay, no, that's all." " Well?" "He already threw it away." "You should've seen him, Tom." "He was so happy when I told him." "He said it was a girl and he ran out and bought all these presents." "But I couldn't tell John." "So I told Ed that I had a miscarriage, but he didn't believe me." "He thought John forced me." " We have to tell the police." " No." "Tom, just give me the key." "Nobody needs to know about this." "If you go to the police, I'll deny it and so will he." "That's a chance I have to take." "Tom, please don't be so naive." "We all have secrets." "I'm tired of keeping secrets." "I have to see someone." "It may take a while, so I need you to stay at Anita's." " I don't need a babysitter." " I called." "She's expecting you." " Dad." " Look." "No arguments, please?" "Hey, hey, hey." "No hug?" "Love you." "Yes, Detective Vargas, please." " Where's Lorenzo?" " He'll be here." "Look, relax, Tom." "We got three units covering the road in." "Two more down on the tracks." "No way he's getting out of here." "I know it doesn't feel like it right now, but you're doing the right thing." "He may be your buddy, but he's made some mistakes." " Best to let the law handle it from here." " Save that shit for the TV cameras." "We both know why you're here." "You're saving Robert Vaughn's ass." "Fair enough." "You got that ledger?" "We'll get Lorenzo." "This goes away." "You go on with your life." " You'll get it when he's in custody." " Fair enough, okay." "Rose, I thought I told you to go to Anita's." "Oh, it's okay." "I'm not alone." "Uncle Eddie's here." " Put him on." " Okay." "Uncle Eddie?" "Hey, Tom." "Running a little late." "We need to talk." "Come alone." "Yeah, great." "See you soon." "Tom, where you going?" " Hey, here he is." " Hey, Dad." " Rosie insisted on making dinner." " Rose, I want you to go next door." "Now." "I got one ready for you." " Dad." " That's okay, Rosie." "Take it easy." "Everything's all right." "He just had a hard week at work." "We're gonna sit, have dinner, talk things over so everybody knows..." " ... what's going on here." " Next door, Rose." "Now." "All you had to do was show up, do your job and go home." " I had it all figured out." " You set me up." "I had you protected." "I was protecting both of you." " I couldn't let her come and see that." " You call this protection?" "I needed you to back off." "You know, I'm sorry." " I should have known better." " Come on, let's go." "What are you doing to me?" "Wait." "Listen, we could still do this." "Get Vargas on the phone." "We can hammer out some kind of angle." " I don't work like that anymore." " You take some oath as a janitor?" "Stop it." "Okay." "I see how it is now." "Anything goes when it's good for you." "But when I need help?" "Where was that conscience of yours when Daniel Hill was bleeding to death in the prison yard, huh?" "That keep you up too?" "No, you were fucking sleeping like a baby." "Check your loyalties, buddy." " You owe me." " Put the gun away, Eddie." "Norcut was a fucking murderer." "Period." " Who'd he kill, Eddie?" "Nobody." " No, not nobody." "He made her do it." " He made her kill her own baby." " She lied to you." "You think I can't have what you have?" "She was gonna have our child, but he bought her off." "Just like he buys everybody off." "He tried to buy me off." " Put the piece away." " Remember that night I went there?" "He tried to write a check so I would leave." "A check." "She was gonna have a baby with me." "Tommy, with me." " She was gonna have our child." " Stop waving your gun in my house." "She was gonna have our child." "I had no choice." "Man is allowed to do anything if he's protecting his family." "You know I'm right, Tom." "Still family here?" "We still family?" "It's over, Eddie." "Oh, God." "Who's gonna clean you up, Tom?" "Thanks." "I'll burn this book and we'll all sleep better." "Go on, Tom." "We'll clean this up." "Most people don't know this." "But when someone dies in your house and leaves a mess it's up to the family to clean it up." "Most people don't have the stomach for that kind of thing." "That's where my dad comes in." "My dad says that stains have memories." "They remember their shape, their color, their smell." "And the really deep ones return again and again." "With these stains, it's easier to start over than to try cleaning them." "Sometimes you have a choice." "Sometimes you don't." "All you can do is hope."