" ¶ ¶ Pretty red plane ¶ ¶" "¶ ¶ in the sky ¶ ¶" "¶ ¶ Billowing clouds ¶ ¶" "¶ ¶ go by and by ¶ ¶" "{singing echoing}" " He has his mother's eyes, her hair." "My face, my laugh." "First time I held him, I knew he was my son." "All the best of me... and his mother." "I can still see his eyes light up watching those fireworks." "I gave him everything a father could give his son." "And now, with all this searching... being a cop, being a father... I still can't find my boy." " Detective, would you please describe the last time you saw your son." " Fourth of July, 2000." "Roadside diner in Barnstable." "All right, bud, I told your mom we'd meet her down by the river for fireworks." "We better get going." " Can I bring my swim trunks?" " What are you, Mr. Cannonball?" "You going to get us all wet?" " Happy Fourth." " Thank you, Donna." " "Keep the home fries burning."" " All right, I'll be right back." " Can I go outside and get a balloon?" " Why don't you stay here until I come back?" "All right?" " And your statement says that you- you just turned away for a few seconds, and he was gone." " Tommy!" " Can I have a blue one?" " Yes, there's plenty for everyone." " Hey." "Thought I told you to wait" " There you go." "oh!" "Well, you lost your balloon." " Hey, man, have you seen my kid anywhere?" "About ten years old, light hair, jeans, T-shirt?" " Are you kidding' me, man, or what?" " Thomas Adkins!" "Tommy!" "{machinery clanking}" "Tommy!" " Is it still raining?" " No, it just stopped." " We've got something here." "Back up." " Whoa." "Oh, Jesus, Mary, Joseph." "{phone ringing}" "{phone beeps}" " Hello?" " Is Detective Adkins there, please?" "{birds chirping}" " What's wrong?" " l'm going with you." " Hey." "Just wait here." "What's going on?" " l don't know." "I just got here." " What's that got to do with anything?" " Just trying to get the facts." " Pete, what's going on here?" " Tom, everybody's been waiting for you, man, but they wouldn't tell us anything until you got here." " What do you got?" " Not much to tell you." "Found this laying on the body." " Will you go talk to Barb, make sure she's okay?" " Yeah, I got it." " And then we also found this." " "Keep the home fries burning."" " We don't know exactly what we're dealing with here." " Jesus." " When they first brought him in, I noticed some cranial anomalies which suggest the boy had some form of mental impairment." " Impairment?" "Tommy wasn't" "That doesn't make any sense." " It's definitely not your son, Tom." " Are you sure?" "I mean, he's... exactly the same size he would- l know I recognize that whistle." " Decomposition of the body in relation to where it was found, depth, temperature, it reflects he's been in there a lot longer than eight years." "We're not going to know for sure until the tests are back, but I'd say it was closer to 50 years." "I know this is really difficult for you and Barb." "If you want to do this some other time, I understand." " No, no, I'm fine." " We missed this at the crime scene." "Found it underneath him in what was left of his pocket." " 1958." "What about cause of death?" "Were you able to determine that?" " No, we got nothing." "I don't know what to say, Tom." "I'm sorry." "So what do you want me to do?" " Well, secure the body." "His parents might still be alive." "And they would want to know." "it's not him." "Come here." "  l was so sure it was." " Me too." "Me too." "{indistinct voices echoing}" " Why don't you show Daddy the picture you made?" " Detective, you believe Bert Rogianni kidnapped your son because he was arrested for two similar crimes." "is that right?" " Yes." " Based on a hunch, lacking concrete evidence." " Why do you keep bringing this up?" " Mr. Rogianni went to prison for the other crimes and still wouldn't confess to your son's kidnapping." "And in the eight years your son's been missing, you haven't been able to find his body." "is that correct?" " Tom?" " l'm going to go for a run." "{door closes}" " Hey, Surge." " Some duty you pulled." " Actually, I didn't pull it." "I put in for it." "Thought the case might be interesting." " Anybody been around asking questions?" " Nah, just a bunch of kids." " Well, keep your eyes open." "Someone might want to come back and inspect their work." " You really think you're going to figure out what happened to this kid?" " l'm going to try like hell." " Well, it suggests that the boy was literally shoved into the box post-mortem." "it's definitely not your son, Tom." " l've given you the evidence you need." " That may be so, Detective, but still the conviction on one crime was overturned on appeal and the government is now considering commuting Rogaine's death sentence." "And so you've come to voice your opposition to this committee." "is that correct?" " Tommy was my son, my responsibility, and Bert Rogianni took him from me." " 50 years is a long time." " People remember." "People know." "{airplane engine rumbling}" "¶ ¶ Lonely me ¶ ¶" "¶ ¶ But I'm afraid ¶ ¶" "¶ ¶ So afraid ¶ ¶" "¶ ¶ Just say you love me ¶ ¶" " Sorry to keep you waiting, Matt." " It's all right, Bill." "Why do I feel like I'm being called into the principal's office?" " l got to be straight with you, Matt." "We're not in high school anymore." "Defaulting on a loan isn't like being sent to Mrs. Johnson's detention." " Bill, I'm going to make a payment real soon." " l hear you can't find a job." " Well, it's not just me." "There's no work in this town." " Maybe you should try Looking elsewhere." " l can't." "Not with Pearl's illness getting' worse and needing' to be there for John." "I need to be as close to home as possible." "  - l can't lose that house." "it's the only thing holding my family together." "If this bank forecloses now, we'll have nothing." " l can't cover for you anymore, Matt." " Two weeks." "You can give me that." "Two weeks." " l can give you two days." "After that, it's out of my hands." "I'm sorry, Matt." " Hey, Pa." " Papa!" " Hey, boys." "Did you guys mind your ma today?" " Yes, Papa." " Pearl, honey, food looks good." "You coming down?" "Boys would love to see ya." " Mark, look!" "Look!" " "Yea, though I walk through" ""the valley of the shadow of death," ""l shall fear no evil, for thou art with me." ""Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me." ""Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me" ""all the days of my life," ""and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever."" "Amen." " Amen." " Now, you boys get yourselves a nice treat with this." "And Mark, see that John doesn't lose his." " Yes, Miss Betsy." " "Dearest Matthew," ""l'm so sorry for your loss of Pearl." ""Please, don't mind Jonas, and come to us immediately." ""Bring the boys." "Your loving Aunt Coral."" " Have you boys helped John pack?" " Yes, sir." " Anyone need to use the restroom?" "John?" "Mark." " Hey." " Anywhere okay?" " Yeah, anywhere is fine." "Here you are." " Thank you." " Thank you." " Thank you." " What handsome and well-mannered boys you have here." "Your mama must be especially proud." " Mama's with Jesus now." " Oh, I'm sorry." " We'll have, um... four hamburgers, three Cokes, and a coffee, black, please." "You got a bathroom?" " Mm-hmm, out back." " Order up, Sally Ann." " Damn it, Pearl, why did you do this?" " Burger's up." "You mind if I give your boys a little something?" "it's just some advertising for the diner." ""Keep the home fries burning."" "Came up with it myself." "it's kind of cute, don't you think?" " {blows loudly}" " John." " {blows lightly}" " Boys." " l hope I didn't cause any harm." " No, it's just that we got far to go, and I- l won't have you boys blowing these in the Rambler." "I'll give them to 'em tomorrow." "Thanks." "Boys." " You take care of yourself." " You boys know how to be polite and respectful, so... don't show me wrong." " Yes, Papa." " Yes, Papa." " They're here!" "They're here!" " l can't believe she's gone." " l miss her so much." "I want to introduce you to my boys." "This is Mark." "Mark, he's real good with woodwork these days." "Got a real talent for that." " Hello, Mark." " Ma'am." " And this, this is Luke." "Luke, real book smart." "Good with animals." " Hello, Luke." " Ma'am." " And this is John, my youngest." " l got to pee!" "  l suppose it was a long trip." "You must be tired after your journey." "Come on, now." " Jonas." " Matt." "Been a real long while." " Yeah, it has." "Hi." " This is Edvena." " Hi, Edvena." "You're even prettier than your ma." " You all going to stand there forever or you going to come in and eat something?" " l guess I can eat." " And before you could blink, this whole table was cleared." " Your aunt Coral kicked all us men out." " l was mid-bite into an ear of corn." "" "You have-you have never seen such a flurry." "And then your ma and I counted all your fingers and toes." "Turns out you were perfect." "And then we brought your pa in to see you." " l'd never seen anything more beautiful in all my life thank you and your ma Lying on this very table, Mark." " Pa." " And I helped your ma with you too, Luke." "You boys brought your ma such happiness when you arrived." " What about me, Aunt Coral?" "Did I make Ma happy?" " Especially you, John." "Especially you." "Now, why don't you boys show your appreciation and go ahead and clear this table?" " Oh, no, no, leave it." "Edvena and I'll get it." " Matthew... let's me and you go talk." "I admit, I was kind of expecting a pack of wild Indians." " They're good, Jonas;" "they're good." "They're not going to give you a lick of trouble, I can promise you that." " l believe you, Matt." " So it's okay?" "You can keep 'em?" " That's just it." "it isn't easy to say, so... I'll just speak it plain." "We can take two of the boys." "We can't keep all three." " You and Coral are the only family we got." "I can't break up the boys, Jonas, give me a chance." "I'm asking for six months, Jonas, six months, maybe a year." "Just, just give me time to get something going, maybe even meet a woman who can help take care of them." " Kind of like you shouldn't have married in the first place." " What Pearl did had nothing to do with me." "She was never right after John was born, you know that." " Don't blame that backwards boy of yours, neither." "Told Pearl she should never have married you." " You watch your filthy mouth." " You count your blessings." "At least two of them boys, they got Pearl's blood in 'em and not yours." "I've said what I had to say." "it's Mark and Luke Or no One." "{door opens and shuts}" "{sombre piano music}" "¶ ¶" " You're the co-pilot now." " Pa, don't go!" " You boys be good." "Get in the car, John." "{engine turns over}" " Good-bye!" " Pa!" "Pa!" "Here's your whistle." " Did you see this?" ""Boy in the box"?" "What is that?" " Pete's just doing his job." " That boy had a name." " Well, I'm sure if he knew it, he'd print it." "Nothing we need to get worked up about, right?" " That's my job." " Look, your job doesn't include you getting upset about a headline." " l'm not getting upset about it." "I'm just taking care of it, as usual." " When do you ever bring work home?" " Barb, goddamn it." " l've got it." " It's fine, just leave it." " It's my fault." " l'll take care of it." "it's fine." "There are copies." "They're just fine, don't worry about it." " God forbid anything should get out of place in this house." " Just leave it!" "{singing echoing}" " Thomas Adkins?" "Tommy!" "Tommy!" "What the hell were you thinking?" " What's wrong?" " "Boy in the box"?" "What is that?" " It's a news story like any other, Tom." " No, Pete, it isn't." "This is different." "This is a 10-year-old boy who was found dead, and he damn sure didn't die to make sure your rag of a paper doesn't go out of business." " Look, if I can create a little buzz for the few days this story is fresh, so much the better." "{cell phone rings}" "And if calling him the boy in the box helps spread the word, it's going to help you as well." " Let's try to show some respect, huh?" "Hey." " Your mother called." "Did she tell you that she was coming?" " She must have seen Pete's article." " Anytime she sees anything with the slightest connection to Tommy, Jr., she has to make her way over here." " l'll call her and tell her we're okay." " No, you can't." "She's on her way, and she said she'd be here in an hour." "When are you going to come home?" " l don't know." "I'll try to make it early." " Okay." " Look at this." "According to this inspection, the building was started in the spring of 1958." " Who was the contractor?" " Guy named Bill Byrnes." "Where are you going?" " l think I know his son." " Jesus, you're talking about '58." "I was a kid." "How the hell am I supposed to remember shit like that?" " Can you give us any names?" " Well, Swede was around back then." "He was a foreman." "Other than that, you're on your own." "They're probably all dead by now, anyway." " No real names?" " l told you, they were all drifters, only nicknames." " You ever see any kids around?" " It was a construction site." "I wasn't even allowed to hang out." "Look, guys, it's been real, but I got to get to work." " You need some gas?" " Yeah, go ahead and fill 'err all the way up." " Papa!" " My boy needs a restroom." " Oh, we got an outhouse in the back there." " How far to the nearest town?" " That'd be Barnstable,15 miles or so, just a straight shot down 32 here." " Thanks, much obliged." "Come on, John." "Come on." "Hey, you remember the Munsel bathroom outside their house?" " Uh-huh." " It's different from ours, right?" "There's no flusher." " No flusher, okay, I won't flush." " It's not that you don't- don't flush, it's that there is no flusher." " Okay, so I won't flush." "{wind gusts}" " Whoops!" "You don't have to do that." "Oh, thank you." "That's sweet." " It's not a problem." " l suppose I'm going to have to start over again." " Guess so, huh?" " You passing through?" " Yeah, yeah, looking for work." " That's got to be tough with a kid in tow." " You have no idea." " l'm sure you'll be all right." "Let me know if you need anything." " Thank you." "Thank you kindly." "{gun clicks}" " Hey, I don't know where you're from, but I don't like strangers talking to my wife." " Papa!" " We don't want any trouble here." " You and that queer boy of yours found trouble, so you best be paying me and moving on." " How much do I owe you?" " $9.57." " Here's $10." " l don't expect I'll be seeing you this way again." " l sure hope not." " l didn't know where you were." " l know, John." "{engine turns over}" " Good-bye!" " John." "Hey, John." "John, I'm going to go in here and find us a place to sleep tonight, all right?" "You'll be able to see me right through that barbershop window there, okay?" " {singing indistinctly}" " Oh, uh, howdy, boss." "Uh, you want a cut?" " Uh, no, not today, thanks." "I was wondering if any of you knew a cheap place to stay in town?" " ¶ ¶ Pretty red plane in the sky ¶ ¶" "¶ ¶ billowing clouds go by and by ¶ ¶" "My daddy taught me that song, gave me lots of shiny gifts." "Your daddy give you shiny gifts, boy?" " You walk down this street, and you turn left on Dixon." " Maybe if you're a good boy, I'll get you that plane." "You can fly off into the wild blue yonder." " l'm a-l'm a good boy." " Yes, you are." " Do any of you know is there any work to get in town?" " Yeah, they're doing some new building on the north side of town." "You can talk to Bill Byrnes." " Byrnes." " You can tell him Delaney told you to look him up." " Delaney." " Yeah." " Thank you." "Thank you kindly." "John?" "John Wakefield." "John." " Sure is shiny, pa." " John, do you hear me?" " Yes, Pa." " Come on." " Wait." " Where'd you get that?" " Nice man gave it to me." " Who?" "What man?" "Where is he?" " The nice man." "  l think I found us a place to sleep tonight." " Can I go outside?" " Why are you going to stay in the car?" " 'Cause I'm a good co-pilot." " What does a good co-pilot do?" " A good co-pilot never leaves his post." " All right." "Excuse me, uh, Bill Byrnes?" " Over there." " You're standing' around like it's Christmas!" "Step it up." " Bill Byrnes?" " Can I do for you?" " l'm Matthew Wakefield." "I'm looking for work, sir." " l isn't hiring no more drifters." "Too many already." " Could use another man, and you know it." " What, you want him to take your job?" "Mind your own goddamn business." "Drifters." " Delaney said I should stop by." " Don't mean nothing to me." " If you want to get this thing up on time, you're going to need another man." " l don't need your calculations, college-boy." " Love you too, Byrnes." " Sir, I'm sorry to bother you, but, uh... I need the work." "I got a boy I need to feed." " You a thief?" " No, sir, I'm a God-fearing man." " Christian, huh?" "Well, what can you do, Christian?" " You name it, anything, sir." " Cement mixing and stonework?" " Sir, masonry, metalwork." "Got a real talent with wood." " When can you start?" " Right now, sir." " You go see the big Swede over there." " Swede?" " That's right." " Thank you, sir." "Sorry to bother you." " All right, let's move it!" " Matthew Wakefield." " Call me Swede." "" " Come on, Mark." "Give it back!" "" " "Dear Mark and Luke," ""l hope you boys are behaving for Aunt Cora1 and Uncle Jonas." ""l know you don't understand why I had to go," ""but I'll be back soon." ""l found a job in a place where we can start over" ""be a family again." ""John and I miss you two so much." "Your loving father."" " Swede, I know you don't like to hear this, but... the Russians were on to something." "Mark my words, in our lifetime, we will see men living on the moon." " If it'll make these things lighter, I'm all for it." " Whoa-ho!" "Swede, you hear that?" "We just got our first complaint from the man after one month." "Swede, you owe me a buck." " Only if you tell me why they are lighter." " That's easy." "They'd be lighter because on the moon, there's a weaker force of gravity." " Bullshit." " You're so full of it, Diploma." " No, gentlemen, I read." "And with knowledge comes power." " Swede." "Give the Italian a hand." "Now, you two knock off early." "And be on time tomorrow." "We're pouring the cement." "Christian." "I need to talk to you." " All right, I'm going to go get drunk, you coming?" "Yeah, fine." " We can't have this anymore." " He isn't done no harm to nobody." "I told you when I signed on, I isn't got no place for him." " Look, Christian, I come to like your kid." "I'd even ask some folks, but I don't think they could handle his quirks." " l'm a good worker, isn't I?" " You're the best worker I got." "But you getting fired and me getting fired is two different things." "Now, you can come to work tomorrow or not, but you can't bring the kid." " Come on." " Okay." "Spin me, Pa." "Whee!" "{wood creaking}" " Fiola and Kramer Toys and Novelties." "Went out of business in the early '70s." "And I looked into this." " Yeah?" "What'd you find out?" " My best guess is that it's some sort of toy." " Good job." "Thanks." " Yeah." "{indistinct whispering}" " You've reached the office of the warden at Pleasant Valley state prison." "{indistinct whispering}" " Yeah, Lisa." "it's Tom." "I want you to look into something for me." " l just love all the work you've put into remodelling the house, but I can't find a single thing." "Thought it would be nice to mix it up." "Barbara?" "Barbara?" " Hmm?" "it's okay." "I'll get something to clean it." " You know, Barbara, we've got plenty of the plain." "I just thought it'd be nice to mix it up." "Barbara?" "Barbara?" " He doesn't like anyone to come in here." "I can't live like this anymore." " No, you can't." " Hello?" "Barb?" " We'll be right there, Tom." " How was your day?" " Pretty good." "So Barb will be down in a minute." "Sit down;" "I'll make you a cup of coffee." "You can tell me all about that boy you found." " l want to have Tommy, Jr." "declared legally dead." "" " It's time, Tom." "I can't keep pretending that he is going to come home." " l'm not talking about this right now." " And I'm not letting it go this time." "We have to come to an understanding." "I can't live like this anymore." "I want to clean out his room." " Barb, you have no idea what you're talking about." " He wouldn't even be that 10-year-old boy anymore." " You don't touch anything until there is a body." " He would be 18, already a man." " l'm warning you." " Just say it." "Just say it, Tom." "Just say, "My son is dead."" " Thanks, Dan." " It's okay." " Look, I know what you're going to say, but just hear me out." " You know you can't talk to him." " It's not about that." "I want to talk to him about this kid we just found." " Yeah, sure." "You have been up my ass ever since you heard his death sentence might be commuted." " Just give me five minutes." " You know I can't do that." "And besides, the last time I gave you five minutes, you almost put him in the infirmary." " That was my son, Russell." " l know." "But I can't help you, Tom." "Please don't come here anymore." "" " Opening exit." "Have a good night." " Look, you're trying to make this case about a guy who was found innocent, who's already serving a life sentence, and whatever shit you think you have on him, he can't be tried for it again anyway." " All right... someone owes me a drink." "This took a lot longer than I thought it would, but your idea... was brilliant." " Is that the" " That's the boy?" " l think it's pretty close to what he looked like." " This is unbelievable work, Lisa." "We got to get this out to all the channels we know." " l'm on it." " It's not right." "I mean, he's a good kid." " l'm tired." " l know, me too." " What's the matter, Pa?" "You sad?" " Yeah, John, I'm sad." " Sad like Mama was sad?" " No." "No, not like your mama was sad." " Okay." " Hey, Christian, I... I wish there was something I could do to help you." " l got to go." "I got to get out of here." "You ready to go, John?" " But I'm the co-pilot, not you." " Hold on." "This might just be you're lucky night." " What are you talking about?" " l think it's pretty damn clear what I'm talking about, don't you think?" "You just let me do the talking, shy boy." " Hello there." " Hey." " This is your son, right?" " Yeah, this is John." " Hello." " Oh, my." "Aren't you a polite little man?" "We were never properly introduced." "I'm Rose Montgomery." " Matthew Wakefield." " They call me Diploma." " l'm glad to have a chance to see you again." "Did you find a job?" " It's so funny you should mention that, actually, we were just discussing a situation that's arisen." " Papa, I'm ready to go to bed now." " l'm sorry, am I keeping you?" " No, not at all." "Christian and I were just about to have another drink." " Christian?" " Just a nickname we gave old' Matty boy here." "Come on, Matty." "Be a gentleman;" "buy the nice lady a drink." "Let John sleep in the car." " Paradise cocktail, Mike." " Diploma, I got to get him to bed." " Could you excuse us just one second?" "Uh, look after the boy, would you?" "" " What the hell are you doing?" "You're looking for someone to look after your kid, and she's standing right in front of you." " Diploma, she's got a husband." " Matty, I know you've seen the way she's looking at you." "You make that woman smile, she'll do anything you ask." " l can't." "it isn't right." "" ""it isn't right."" "What is right, you losing your job?" "Think about the boy." "Come on." " So you two got it all worked out?" " l believe we do." "Christian?" "See you tomorrow." " So can I get you a drink?" "  l already have one." " Are you sure this is okay, us having a drink together?" "I mean, with your husband and all?" " l'm a big girl." "You a big boy?" " Papa." " l'm sorry." "I got to get him home." " Good-bye." " If you change your mind." " Come on, John." "We've got a bit of a drive in front of us, so why don't you get in the back and lay down and go to sleep, all right?" " Okay." " Okay." " Go on in there, lie down." "I'm just going to cover you up, all right?" " When am I going to see the nice lady again?" " You liked her?" " Mm-hmm." "I thought she was pretty." " Yeah?" "Here, look, you just stay put." "I'll be back in a few minutes, okay?" "Go ahead and go to sleep." "Whatever you do, you do not leave this car, John." "John?" " Come on." "That's all you got?" "{breathing heavily}" " Papa?" " Maybe we could make this... a regular thing." "Huh?" "You could, uh, give me a hand with my boy some days." "Huh?" "" " What?" "What's funny?" " Well, you just got it all figured out, don't you?" "Oh, hey, come on, don't be mad." "Come on." " This was a mistake." "I got to get back to my boy." " Come" " Damn it!" "John?" "John?" "Have you seen my boy, my son?" " No, kids aren't allowed in here." " What?" "My boy was just here." " Look, I don't want any trouble, all right?" " What are you talking about?" "Don't lie to me." "Have you seen my son?" " Not since you left with him." " John?" "John?" "Rose!" "Rose!" "John!" "John!" "John!" "John?" "John." " What in God's name?" " Have you seen him?" " Who?" " Have you seen my son?" " No." "{knocking on door}" " Hold on." "Christian, what the hell are you" "What's wrong?" " It's John." " What happened?" " l can't find John." " Let me get some clothes on." "Hold on." " Johnny!" "John!" " l'm sorry to get you out of bed, Mike." " It's okay, chief, I just don't want any trouble." " Oh, don't worry." " He saw my kid." "He served all three of us." "He gave him a root beer!" " All right, all right." "Mike, you levelling with me or not?" "You know I don't want kids in that bar." " No, I wouldn't do something crazy like that, chief." " Now, officer, that's a lie." "The boy was in the bar, and there was another girl in there who could back us up on that." " What girl?" "I asked you what girl?" " Her name was Rose." " George's Rose?" " She came in after we did." "She ordered a paradise cocktail." "You've got to remember that." " Is that true, Mickey?" " No, Rose wasn't in there." " You son of a bitch." "My boy is missing." "You're lying through your teeth!" " Hey!" "Mickey, go inside." " That's it, you're just going to let him go?" " Hey, you want to come with me to the filling station and ask George if his wife's been out alone?" "'Cause we can do that." "You're a real gentleman, aren't you?" " It don't matter if my son was in the bar or not." "He's missing." "I'm just asking to give me a few more men to help look for him." " l'm going to need your names." " l don't want trouble with the law." "Sorry, Christian." " You come to the station in the morning." "File a missing person's report." "We'll talk then." " That's it?" "That's it?" "My son is missing now." " All right, come on, Christian, he's not going to do anything tonight." "Come on." "We'll keep looking." "We'll find him." "{engine turns over}" "Christian, what are we doing this far out?" " Everybody has to come by here." "{knocking on door}" "{rapping on window}" " We're closed." "Thought we had an understanding." " My boy, my son's gone missing." " The retard?" " Is everything all right?" " Yeah, seems, uh, the retard boy went missing." " Call him that again, so help me God, I'll rip your head off." " Let him go." " Christian, it's not worth it." "He don't understand." " What can we do?" " You see him, you call me." "Someone comes by here with him, you get their plates, you call me." "I'm at Birdie Wheeler's." " All right, consider it done." " All right, where to next?" " l'm going to take you home." "" " Christian." "Did you find him?" " No." "Any sign of him here?" " No." " l looked everywhere." "I called all morning for him." "Nothing's happening, but nothing." " Did you go to the police this morning?" " Yeah, he listened to everything I had to say, but... I could see in his eyes he isn't going to do nothing." "I got to keep searching." "I want to thank you for being a good friend to us." " How's he doing?" " l hate to see a good man suffer like that." " You think he'll find his kid?" "We have to pour the cement." " All right." " four days ago in this very hole, a gruesome discovery has shocked our quiet community." "in a wooden box, the body of a child, a boy between the ages of eight and ten was unearthed at the Byrnes construction site on North Dixon." "And once again, this town finds itself asking," ""Why?"" "For Detective Tom Adkins, whose boy went missing eight years ago along with three other children, the find was particularly troubling." "WXIW Channel 2 News now joins Detective Tom Adkins of the Barnstable police department live at the scene." " Through my office at the Barnstable police department, any questions should be directed there." "Needless to say, we have very little information as to the identity" " Andrews, what's up?" "No, I can't deal with that right now." "I'm here over at the construction site for the boy in the box press conference." "Yeah, well, what do you want me to do?" "Get Susie on it." "{indistinct voices overlapping}" " Help you with something, sir?" " No, I was just wondering what's going on." "They talking about that boy they found?" " Yes, sir." " Yeah, I read it in the newspaper." "Sorry to trouble you." " Oh, it's no trouble." "Heck of a ride you got here, huh?" " Oh, thank you." "{engine turns over}" " Thanks, Chris." " Well, if that doesn't get 'em, nothing will." " Hey, Surge, I don't know if it's anything, but I got a plate number on an old Chevelle." "Seen it around here a couple times." "Looked like he wanted to snoop around but didn't dare." " All right, well... stay on top of it." " Hey, Surge?" "About time you boys got back." " What do you got?" " Phones started ringing off the hook 20 minutes ago." " Maybe we're onto something." " You get started on these." "Call DMV about that old Chevelle." " Yep, I'm on it." " Don't forget about Mrs. Adams." "{line ringing}" " Fiola and Kramer Toys and Novelties." "{ringing continues}" "My best guess is that it's some sort of toy." " Hello?" " Mrs. Adams, this is Detective Adkins." "{knocks on door}" " Hello?" "May I help you?" " Mrs. Adams?" "I'm Detective Tom Adkins." "This is Pete Dunn." "We're here about the boy we found." "You called us?" " l didn't expect you so soon." "Please call me Edvena." "So when Uncle Matthew came back to get the other two boys, there was a lot of whispering between Ma and Pa." " Excuse me, other boys?" "John wasn't an only child?" " Oh, heavens, no." "Mark, he was the eldest." "Flying was his passion." "A hero in Vietnam." "He died young, though." "Just a few years after his father." " And the- the other son?" " Luke." "Luke just sort of... drifted away from us." "People do that, you know." " You, um..." "you mentioned a home?" " Uncle Matthew told everyone that John was being taken care of in a place for backward children." " Backward?" " l just saw him that once, but you could never forget him." "He was the sweetest boy." "I remember he kept showing me this half-dollar that someone gave him." "Such sadness." "Do you have children, Detective?" "{phone rings}" "{indistinct radio chatter}" " That the one?" " That's the one." "No mistaking that, huh?" " Can I help you?" " Luke Wakefield?" " Yes, sir." " l'm Detective Tom Adkins from over in Barnstable." "I'd like to talk to you about your brother John." "is there someplace maybe we can go sit down?" " Sure, yeah, we can go right in the back here." " And all this time you believed John was in a home?" " Well, no, when I got old enough, I asked my dad about John." "I had this idea that I wanted to go visit him." "And that's when my dad said to me that John had gotten sick and died." "Look, Detective, I got to be honest with you, none of this makes any sense whatsoever." "He was a good man." " Well, as you can see, there are some... discrepancies we'd like to clear up." "Now, is there anybody else that we can talk to about your father?" "{knocks on door}" " Come in, Luke." " These gentlemen would like to talk to you about Dad." "That'd be okay?" " Well, yes." " Mrs. Wakefield, I'm Detective Tom Adkins from the Barnstable police department." "I'm sorry to say I have some terribly sad news." "We recently found the body of a young boy we believe to be that of- of John Wakefield." " Hmm." "After all this time." "Matthew would have been so relieved." "His boy John." "That's how we met." " Hey, Sally Ann." " Hmm?" " It don't have to be perfect." "This isn't the Waldorf-Astoria." " You got that right, Chollie." " See you tomorrow." "{bell jingles}" " We're closed." "Hi." " Could you spare a coffee?" " Sure." "Where are your boys?" "" " It was very sad, really." " Yes, ma'am." " Here." "" " You passed out in Chollie's." " Where?" "Where am I?" " Well, don't worry, you'll be fine here." " l got to get going." " When's the last time you ate?" " l don't know." "It's not important." " l'm going to fix you something." "How you going to find your boy if you don't know where to look?" " You got any kids?" " No." " Well, he's my son." " You're in no condition to find anyone until you get your strength back." "Matthew left in a terrible state from the guilt he felt for not protecting his son." "That pain changed him for some time." "Everywhere he turned, he saw what he didn't have." "And one night," "Matthew believed he could actually get John back." "{man grunts}" " Hey!" " John, John." "John, John." " Soon after, we went back to get Mark and Luke to start our new lives together." "But Matthew could never shake the guilt he felt over John." "it was with him wherever he went." "He was a man who loved his children, and the loss of John changed him forever." " Mrs. Wakefield, did your husband ever... talk about any of the other men he worked with during his time in Barnstable?" " He only had one friend who he talked about who helped him." "And this is him." "Matthew called him "Diploma."" " Barbara." "Barb!" " It was not your fault Tommy, Jr. went missing." "Barb left that for you." "She knew you couldn't let it go." "There's-there's a lot of good that's still left in your life, Tom." "She's a good woman." "I don't know how she stayed with you this long." "You can't do anything about losing your son." "But if you lose your wife, that is your fault." " My best guess is that it's some sort of toy." " Russ." "Let 'em know I'm coming." " You better be sure about this." " l know what I'm doing." " Yeah, I hope so, or it's both our asses." " Remember, Detective Adkins, Mr. Rogianni is here to talk about a pending investigation." "There are rules you must follow in accordance with this procedure." "If you ask any questions or make any comments regarding your son's disappearance, we walk, and we sue." " Mr. Rogianni, are you aware that the body of a 10-year-old boy was recently found?" " l heard about it on the television." " Could you tell me where you were spring of 1958?" " Why don't you just go ahead and ask me what it is you really want to know?" " Just answer his questions the best you can." " Again, where were you in the spring of 1958?" " Tell me something." "All this torturing yourself, all those sleepless nights, all this caging yourself up till you have nothing left, what has it brought you?" " l'm going to ask you this one last time." "Where were you in the spring... of 1958?" " That retard's been dead and buried for 50 years." "What does that have to do with me?" " Who said anything about him being retarded?" " Newspaper, TV, I don't know." " In 1958, you worked for Byrnes Contracting." "You met a man named Matthew Wakefield." " You've got nothing." " Matthew Wakefield had a 10-year-old son named John." "Was that your first time, Mr. Rogianni... that you finally figured out a way to lure that little boy away from his father?" "Was it the first time you got a taste of what it was like to take a child?" "And was it the first time you- you gave out one of these, Mr. Rogianni?" "Or should I call you Diploma?" " Fuck you." " Just say it." "You murdered John Wakefield." " l don't have to listen to this." " You murdered that innocent little boy..." " Detective." " And you destroyed that family." "You saw a man who was vulnerable and weak, and you destroyed him." "You took his son away from him right under his nose." " That boy should never have been here in the first place." " You tell me what you did to that little boy!" " That boy was tearing him apart!" "Matthew was my friend." "I did what he couldn't." " What about the others?" "You do them a favour too?" "Or did you find you were beginning to like it?" " There was only one time I truly enjoyed it." "There was a little boy... who led me to his favourite spot underneath a tree." "And as we watched the fireworks, I snapped his little neck." " God damn it, you son of a bitch!" "I'll kill you, you son of a bitch!" " Come on, get him out of here!" "Get him out of here!" "Call the medic!" "Call the medic!" "" " This is WXIW with local breaking news." "After a desperate search for the last 10 years," "Detective Tom Adkins' investigation has led him to the grim burial site of his only son." " for many years I have dreamt of the moment I finally find my son." " And when you do, Detective, what then?" " 1'm not sure." "My biggest fear is that when I do find him, what's left of us may not be enough." "I haven't been able to forgive myself, and so I push my wife away." "I can't even look her in the eyes, because every time I do, I see my mistakes." "So I take the risk of losing everything, not because I want to, but because I have to." "Only then will I have the strength to go to my wife and ask her for forgiveness." "And I have to believe that one day... she will give it to me."