"Financial times, 100 index of 11 points just above the key 3,800 level." "As for the rest of Europe, Frankfurt's DAX gaining 9 points to 25.32." "In Paris, the CAC-40 losing 7, the weaker franc weighing on the market." "Thank you, Ilsa." "Have a nice day." "...actually are on time this morning according to dispatchers." "San Francisco's freeways are..." "Good morning, Sir." "Well, tell me what we're supposed to do." "I mean, you may be perched on majority shares, but we all get fucked if the actuals crash." "That old man is going to sink us." "Soon as I have Baer-Grant's P and L report in hand" "I will be speed-dialing your number." "Is that a promise?" "I'm sorry, I'm not aware of that term." "Well, what do I do if Anson calls about substantiation procedure?" "Take evasive action." "Have your secretary say you're in a meeting." "Thank you, Jack." "Yes, Maria." "Invitations." "Mmm-hmm." "The museum gala." "No." "The Fitzwilliam botanical annual fundraiser." "No." "The Hinchberger wedding." "Hinchberger wedding." "Tuxedos, droning conversations." "I don't think so." "No." "I'll send your regrets." "Honestly, why must I bother?" "You don't know about society, Maria." "You don't have the satisfaction of avoiding it." "Yes." "I have an Elizabeth on line 3." "Your ex-wife." "I know who it is." "Take a message." "Oh, happy birthday, sir." "Thank you, Maggie." "I don't like her." "I wouldn't even mention the following, but he was very insistent." "It's obviously some sort of prank." "What?" "Well, a gentleman called requesting to have lunch with you." "I tried to assure him that you were very busy..." "What's his name?" "A Mr. Seymour Butts." "Under the Bleachers by Seymour Butts." "I'm sorry?" "Cancel my lunch." "Make a reservation at the City Club for myself and Mr. Butts." "My usual table." "Maria, put the reservation under my name." "You ready to order, sir?" "No, I'm still waiting." "This was ice tea." "Conrad, what a surprise." "Happy birthday, Nickie." "Seymour Butts." "I'll never get tired of that one." "That's why it's a classic." "This is a nice restaurant." "They gave me a free jacket." "I'm sure they're gonna want it back." "I remember being here a long time ago." "Yeah, I took you here once." "No." "I used to buy crystal meth off the maitre d'." "Oh, really?" "In college." "Which college?" "Touché." "Miss me?" "As much as that's possible." "You look good." "So do you." "To think I was worried." "Worried about me?" "How long has it been since Mom's funeral?" "Two, three years?" "I thought you quit." "I did." "It didn't take." "Well, you can't smoke here." "I'm with you." "It's illegal to smoke in restaurants in California." "Fuck California." "How are you?" "Couldn't be better." "Elizabeth?" "We're divorced." "She remarried a pediatrician or a gynecologist, or a pediatric gynecologist." "Lives in, uh, Sausalito." "That's too bad." "I liked her." "And what about you?" "What, you don't keep track of me anymore?" "Not since family week at rehab." "So what brings you to town, Conrad?" "Everything all right?" "Yeah." "Need anything?" "Nope." "Really?" "No I don't need anything from you." "I just found myself laying naked on the beach near Ibiza, and all of a sudden it clicked." "October 12th." "Nickie's birthday." "October 11th." "Whatever." "This is for you." "You shouldn't have." "What do you get for the man who has everything?" ""Consumer Recreation Services. "" "Well, I do have golf clubs." "Call that number." "Why?" "It'll make your life fun." "Fun?" "You know what that is?" "You've seen other people have it." "It's an entertainment service." "An escort service?" "A profound life experience." "Sorry." "I'll just..." "No, that's all right." "Just..." "Tell me you'll call." "I said I would." "No, you didn't." "You still on medication?" "Why would you say that?" "You gentlemen ready to order?" "I didn't mean it the way it sounded." "I'm not on anything." "I'm not even seeing a shrink." "And I feel great." "Do you mind?" "I think you'll like this." "I did." "And it was the best thing that ever happened to me." "I'll call them." "Do it." "For you." "I said I'll call, okay?" "All right, I'll call." "It's just that, uh, I hate surprises." "I know." "Happy birthday to you" "Happy birthday, Mr. Van Orton" "Happy birthday to you" "Thank you." "Someone's got to fly to Seattle and drive a stake through Anson's heart." "Have you seen the profitability report?" "You can imagine how much more unhappy I am." "So, you're gonna deal with Anson?" "That's correct." "We're furious." "Sleep well, Nicholas." "I will." "Good night, Ilsa." "Dinner's in the oven." "Thank you." "Oh, I saw Conrad today." "Did you?" "How is he?" "He's okay." "I think he's in one of those personal improvement cults or something." "Well, send my love if you see him again." "Happy birthday." "Goodnight." "Aw." "...from companies that defaulted on their payments." "The FCC expects to receive more than $500 million in bids as the licenses eagerly soar..." "Elizabeth, good evening." "Happy birthday, Nickie." "1140." "You almost missed it this year." "Have you had a nice birthday?" "Does Rose Kennedy have a black dress?" "I went, not once, but twice through the spanking machine." "I can only imagine." "How are you?" "Connie asked me the same thing today." "Connie?" "Really?" "I've always liked your brother." "Anyway..." "I..." "I just thought this might be difficult for you..." "Just another birthday." "...because of your father." "That's right." "He was 48, wasn't he?" "I hadn't really thought about it until now." "Why do I call?" "I honestly don't know." "Please send Dr. Mel and Rachel my best." "She has a little brother on the way." "We did the ultrasound." "Official nuclear family." "You must be very pleased." "We are." "We are very pleased." "Well, it's good to talk with you." "I guess I should let you go." "Take care of yourself." "You too, Nicholas." "I mean that." "I really do." "Uh-huh." "Be well." "Bye." "A proposal to encourage small businesses to provide their employees with health insurance is now being debated by Washington legislators." "The bill which attaches a small-business health plan to those of larger corporations is receiving initial support from a number of key Republican leaders." "However, Democratic lawmakers are voicing serious concerns about the bill, claiming that it would undermine local efforts..." "I just wanna make sure that we understand each other." "Once you get it down on paper then you can count on my full support." "We understand that." "Thank you." "We'll talk soon." "Well, you shouldn't feel this reflects negatively on you." "I do feel that it reflects negatively on me." "I received this..." "Just a moment." "I took these tests in good faith." "I'm sorry you feel that way." "I understand." "We hope we haven't caused you any inconvenience." "Thank you for choosing CRS." "Mr. Feingold, could you assist this gentleman?" "Oh, yeah." "Sure." "Jim Feingold, VP Engineering, Data Analysis." "I don't know exactly how this works." "My brother sent me this card..." "Oh, here we go." "Yeah." "... as a gift." "All right, excellent." "Well, let's get started." "Yeah, I'm sorry about the..." "You know, all this hullabaloo here." "We're, uh..." "Well, we're still moving." "I got an office around here somewhere." "You mind holding that?" "Thank you very much." "Thank you." "Are you hungry?" "New Moon Cafe." "No, thank you." "Next to Chinatown." "A gift from Conrad Van Orton." "Interesting." "What is?" "Well, your brother was a client with our London branch." "We do a sort of informal scoring, and his numbers are outstanding." "Really?" "Hmm." "You sure you're not hungry?" "No, thank you." "Okay, fine." "Now, you need to fill out these forms." "There's an application and then a couple of psych-tests there." "A MNPI and a PAP." "Oh, uh, for the financial questionnaire, don't answer anything you don't feel like." "We'll run our TRW." ""I sometimes hurt small animals, true or false"?" ""I feel guilty when I masturbate. "" "Well, I don't write the questions." "I just review the answers." "What is this for?" "Well, to give us an overall sense of your capability..." "No, what is this for?" "What are you selling?" "Oh." "It's a game." "A game?" "Specifically tailored for each participant." "Think of it as a great vacation." "Except you don't go to it, it comes to you." "What..." "What kind of vacation?" "It's different every time." "Humor me with specifics." "We provide" "whatever's lacking." "And what if nothing is lacking?" "May I make two suggestions?" "You really think that I'll participate without knowing any..." "First, admit to yourself that it sounds intriguing." "Second, you don't have to decide today." "Take the silly test, fill out the stupid forms." "One day, your game begins." "You either love it or hate it." "Decide then." "You know we..." "We are like an experiential book-of-the-month club." "You can drop out at any time with no further obligation." "That was my sales pitch." "How long will this take?" "About an hour for those, another hour for the physical." "Physical?" "It's a cursory examination, turn-your-head, cough sort of thing." "You'll be out of here in no time." "Confused." "Risky." "Bloody." "Whoops." "Mr. Sutherland called about Baer-Grant Publishing." "Cancel it." "Push it back till Wednesday." "And Anson Baer called about tomorrow." "Tomorrow?" "Yes, that's correct." "How much longer is this going to take?" "Shouldn't be long." "We're almost done." "You said that two hours ago." "All right." "Put it back until tomorrow." "Selection before the following emotional responses." "You have 0.9 seconds to enter your emotional response." "Reaction time is a factor." "Please make a selection for the following emotional responses." "You have 0.9 seconds to enter your emotional response." "Does this thing end?" "I'm sorry to keep you waiting." "Oh, don't worry." "It's been just terrific spending my entire day with your crack team." "Well, it's all down to this." "This is an insurance company requirement." "It states that you're aware that the game exists, that you're a willing participant in said game, so on and so forth." "Our guarantee, payment's entirely at your brother's discretion as a gift." "It's dependent on your satisfaction." "Does that mean that if I'm not happy he doesn't have to pay?" "That's never happened." "We've never had an unsatisfied customer." "I think you mean, dissatisfied." "That's right." "You're a left-brained word fetishist." "Initials, initials, and sign there in blood." "Just kidding." "All right." "Now, your copy will be at the front desk in this folder." "And I'll..." "Keep the pen." "We'll let you know." "What about Monday or Tuesday?" "No, that's bad for me." "Well, how about tonight?" "Well, I'm working all this evening." "Wednesday is the only possibility right now." "Do you wanna do dinner?" "Okay." "By the way, I went to CRS." "Really?" "What did you think?" "Well they seemed just a little bit disorganized." "Well, when I did it in London they'd been around a while." "Are you gonna do this?" "No, I haven't decided yet." "Telling you, it's like getting in on the ground floor of the next Disneyland." "CRS won't go public." "They're family-owned." "Stranger things have happened." "No, they haven't, actually." "They opened here." "The game in San Francisco?" "See?" "They're doing fine without any of us." "Nicholas." "How are you?" "James, good evening." "Good evening, sir." "We have new members here?" "Believe so, sir." "Put their next round on me." "Got you, sir." "No, no, no, no." "Last time I played Pebble I swore I'd never pick up another club again." "Speaking about games..." "Couldn't help but overhear you talking about CRS." "Well, the reason I mention it is I took the test today at the Montgomery Street office." "You did?" "Kudos." "So, yours hasn't started yet?" "No, not yet." "That was one of the questions I had for you." "What is it?" "Oh, what is it?" "The eternal question." "You know, I envy you." "I wish I could go back and do it for the first time all over again." "Here's to new experiences." "Hmm, if you'll excuse me, I got to go." "Good night, Ted." "Nicholas." "Nice to meet you." "So, you played recently?" "Oh, about a year ago." "I was working in Los Angeles." "Oh, I hear the London office is very good, too..." "It sounds like a lot of fantasy, role-playing nonsense, though." "You wanna know what it is?" "What it's all about?" "John chapter 0 verse 25." "I, um, haven't been to Sunday school in a long time." ""Whereas once I was blind," ""now I can see. "" "Good night, Nicholas." "Best of luck." "Goodnight." "If the Baer-Grant meeting is not held tomorrow may as well not be held at all." "When Mr. Van Orton boards his plane on the morrow he will have every agreement and addendum in the complete closing package flawlessly revised." "So you will miss another opera you would have slept during anyway." "We now have an opportunity to show our clients how well we will rise to his exhilarating challenge." "Yes." "Nicholas Van Orton?" "Who is this?" "This is Cynthia from CRS." "How did you get this number?" "We've finished processing your application." "Look, I'm in a meeting right now." "I'm afraid it was rejected." "I beg your pardon?" "You shouldn't feel this reflects negatively on you." "We hope we haven't caused you any inconvenience." "Oh, this is ridiculous." "Thank you for thinking of CRS." "Anything wrong?" "Uh, no." "No, nothing's..." "You may hang up or press pound for more options." "Oh, this is Conrad." "Leave a message." "Yes, Connie, it's Nicholas." "Give me a ring when you get in." "Oh, uh, regarding your birthday present, um, things are a little crazy right now." "I don't really know if I can fit it in my schedule." "But we'll talk about it at dinner tomorrow." "Thanks, bye." "Hello." "...the resulting rise of unemployment and decline into buyable small businesses." "Meanwhile, Republican leaders argue that this passage would be the very stimulant that a sluggish economy needs." "No one has expressed an opinion as to how it will impact the pampered existence of Nicholas Van Orton." "The one thing on which both Democrats and Republicans seem to agree is that most Americans harbor serious doubts about the economic future." "A recent poll suggests a staggering 57% of American workers believe there is a very real chance they will be unemployed within the next 5 to 7 years." "But what does that matter to a bloated millionaire fat cat like you?" "In other financial news, stock markets rose both domestically and abroad today after the announcement of stronger than expected earnings by several high tech companies but dipped again reacting to reports that Nicholas Van Orton had sneezed." "Are you gonna spend the rest of the evening prying at that clown's mouth?" "I..." "I don't..." "It's frustrating for me if you don't pay attention." "What is this?" "This is your game, Nicholas, and welcome to it." "I'm here to let you in on a few ground rules." "You received the very first key, and others will follow." "You'll never know where you'll find them or how you'll need to use them." "So keep your eyes open." "How do you..." "You can see me?" "Let us save the questions till afterwards." "How does this work?" "There's a tiny camera looking at you right now." "It's impossible." "You're right, impossible." "You're having a conversation with your television." "It's miniaturized." "You know how dangerous that is?" "Mr. Van Orton?" "And in domestic news, in Southern California..." "Yes, Ilsa." "What is it?" "Is everything all right?" "It's fine." "It's in the petroleum processing plant yesterday." "I've finished for the evening." "Will you be needing anything else?" "No, I won't, Ilsa." "Thank you." "Good night." "Good night, then." "...in a petroleum processing plant yesterday." "Several workers were injured in the..." "Who was that?" "Never mind who that is." "You wanna know how a camera got into your home, don't you?" "Yes, I would." "Cold." "Colder." "Warm." "Warmer." "Write this number down." "It's a 24-hour Consumer Recreation Services hotline." "For emergencies only." "But don't call asking what the object of the game is." "Figuring that out is the object of the game." "Good luck and congratulations on choosing CRS." "...regret to have the American ambassador expelled after the incident." "US State Department responded quickly with a formal apology." "An announcement of the ambassador's immediate voluntary removal..." "Hey, buddy, spare any change?" "Help me out here, huh?" "Huh?" "If you'd like to make a call, please hang up and try again." "May I help you?" "What is it?" "What?" "Thank you." "Buddy?" "Can you help me out?" "I need some toilet paper." "I ran out." "Just..." "Just go into the next stall." "Come on, help me out." "Hello?" "Hello?" "Didn't expect to see you here." "I wanted to wish you luck." "Been up all night?" "I checked it." "Personally." "I appreciate that, Sam." "Why don't you go home and get some sleep?" "You're sure you don't want me along?" "No, I'll be fine." "Hmm, nice shirt." "Don't ask." "Ciao!" "All of these years, the first time ever you've stepped foot in these offices, it's to ask me to step down." "You promised to meet the projections, Anson." "$1.60 a share is what you said." "I don't think this visit comes as a surprise." "Projections were far too optimistic." "Admittedly, yes." "Our EPS was 150 last quarter." "We're up 6 cents..." "The expectations were 10, and in this case the expectations meant everything." "Will you really hold me to it over pennies?" "My stock is falling." "I don't know about yours." "Those pennies are costing millions." "Give me..." "Give me next quarter." "If you still feel this way, vote your shares..." "Today is what counts, Anson." "You..." "You intractable son of a bitch." "If your father could see you now." "What?" "Your father was a friend." "A friend!" "God damn it." "I've watched you grow up." "Because you went fishing with my father I should sit on my hands while you're throwing my money away?" "I will tell you..." "I'm not finished." "Now, you misspoke before when you said you're stepping down." "I am firing you." "Action is taken." "Confidence is restored." "The stock goes up." "No." "There's no Baer-Grant Publishing..." "No Baer-Grant Publishing without Anson Baer." "Where's Stewart Grant?" "He's probably out there sailing enjoying his golden years wondering where the hell you are, Anson." "I'm sorry." "You failed." "I have prepared a severance package that is more than equitable." "Valid until this evening." "I could fight you on this." "If I leave without your signature, this agreement begins to disintegrate." "Benefits shrink, options narrow and your compensation will be shriveled." "I think it's in your best interest, Anson, to..." "Well, I guess this is your lucky day." "My lawyers will be in touch with you." "Excuse me." "Has Conrad Van Orton left a message?" "I'll check on it right away, Mr. Van Orton." "Thank you." "Oh, I'm so sorry." "Here." "Please, don't do that." "I'm so sorry." "I wasn't even looking." "I'm really having a bad day." "How about a bad month?" "You did almost exactly the same thing to me when I was here last week." "Here." "Don't do that." "Just get me some napkins and some soda water." "Looks like the, uh, cleaning bill's gonna be more than the suit." "I don't think so." "It was an accident, sir." "Terrific." "I said I was sorry." "Asshole." "Christine!" "Mr. Van Orton is a valued customer." "Fine." "Then you kiss his ass." "Don't you talk to me like that." "I apologized," "I offered to help." "What do you want me to do?" "Clean out your locker." "What?" "You heard me." "I'm terribly sorry, Mr. Van Orton." "If you're not too uncomfortable, will this table suit you for a complimentary meal?" "It'll be fine." "I'll fetch your waiter." "Thank you." "Check, sir." "Fucking lamb vichyssoise, you little..." "Miss." "Pardon me, miss." "Oh, great." "It's you." "I don't know how this works, but do you have something for me?" "I, uh..." "I received this note..." "What're you babbling about, psycho?" "I need to know what is going on." "You wanna know what's going on?" "I'm going on my second job this month." "Now it looks like I'm going on unemployment." "Maybe I should try to explain..." "Don't explain, just fuck off." "Son of a bitch!" "I am..." "I'm trying to..." "I'm apologizing." "I..." "Jesus, what is this?" "What's with him?" "I don't know, he just..." "He fell down." "Can you hear me?" "Do you know what to do?" "I don't even know if he's breathing." "Here you are." "Move your head." "Don't stand there." "Get help." "Hey, hey." "It's okay." "We're gonna get help." "How do we know he's real?" "He's pissed his pants, mister." "Is that real enough for you?" "Oh, good God." "He's turning blue." "Police!" "Police!" "You will have to fill these forms out." "I don't know this man." "Here, what do you need?" "Can't get involved in this shit." "Hey, I might have to detain you." "Detain me?" "The report's gotta be filled out." "She can do the reports." "Ride with your wife." "We'll meet at the hospital." "The hospital?" "Two blocks away." "She's not my wife." "Let's go." "This is insane." "10 minutes ago, I'm about to enjoy a quiet little dinner." "I received this note..." "He's breathing, isn't he?" "Yes." "Is the siren entirely necessary?" "Let's just talk to someone who can get this over with, shall we?" "Hang on." "They need your driver's license number." "Oh, no." "You've got to be kidding." "What is happening?" "This was what I was trying to explain to you." "This is a..." "A game." "A what?" "It's a company." "They plan elaborate pranks." "Things like this." "I don't really understand it myself." "What are you talking about?" "This is a..." "The lights, they went out." "A hundred people ran away." "What, so you mean the guy who just pissed himself and turned blue was..." "Sorry about that." "You should be." "Why're they involving you?" "There's gotta be a..." "A flashlight." "Oh, great." "I thought that guy was going to die." "I gave him mouth-to-mouth." "I'll see you around." "How do you know that's the way?" "I don't." "Where did you all go, you motherfucking frat boys?" "You'd better hide." "Lobby?" "My brother got me this gift certificate to this company..." "Why, I got the key out of this..." "Out of the mouth of this wooden clown." "Never mind." "I can't take this." "There's no signal." "What is the going rate for a trapped-in-elevator adventure?" "Well, don't even think about it." "Why not?" "Read what the sign says." ""Warning, do not attempt to open if the elevator stops." ""Use emergency... "" "Phone?" ""... phone. "" "If there was one." "We'll wait for help, so..." "Let's just wait for help." "Okay, I'll give you a boost." "You get up, you go first." "This is not an attempt to be gallant." "If I don't lift you how are you going to get up there?" "I don't know, you'll pull me up." "It's easier my way." "Come on, step up." "No." "Oh, please." "I'm not wearing any underwear." "Okay." "There I said it." "Okay." "We can use this like a ladder." "My hero, let's go." "I don't think so." "Thank you." "Damn it!" "My briefcase!" "I'll wait." "Not as if anybody could open it." "Wait a minute." "This is CRS." "What's CRS?" "This is the company I was telling you about." "The one that gave me the gift certificate." "This is their building." "We'll wait." "We'll wait for security to come and we'll just explain." "They'll love that!" "Explain for both of us!" "Wait!" "We don't wanna draw any attention..." "Just out for a stroll." "Run!" "We can't fit down there!" "Are you trying to ditch me?" "Hey!" "You're a grown man." "I'm not responsible for..." "I'm not the one who started running." "Well I'm not the one that started this..." "Get up there!" "I'm going!" "Here." "Climb." "So, where's your modesty around attack dogs?" "Hey!" "Shut up!" "Stupid fucking dogs." "Let me guess." "I go first." "There goes a thousand dollars." "Your shoes cost a thousand dollars?" "That one did." "Here." "Come on." "Here you go." "Okay." "Watch out for nails and rats." "What?" "There should be a fire escape." "Yeah, it's classic." "Why me?" "Who are you?" "Nicholas Van Orton." "What are you, a czar or something?" "All right." "I think if we drop from here, the garbage will break our fall." "I think not." "Be careful!" "What the fuck are you looking at?" "Oh..." "Shit." "Table for two, please." "Where're we going?" "That tall bright building." "It's right near there." "Everything okay, miss?" "Yeah." "How are you doing?" "San Francisco's finest." "Is there some place I could throw this?" "There's a wastebasket beside the desk." "Oh." "Think I have a fresh sweatshirt for you somewhere." "That would be great." "You know, you've never even asked me my name." "The maitre d' said your name was Christine." "Oh, right." "I guess I'll call you a cab." "You got a shower in your office?" "Yeah." "You an athlete or something?" "No, I'm an investment banker." "I move money from one place to another." "Actually, would you mind if I just quickly rinsed off?" "No." "Is there a towel I could use?" "Yeah, it's behind the door." "Oh, I'll just be a second." "No problem." "Listen, I know the owner of the City Club and I'd be happy to give him a call if you'd like." "Don't, it was a shitty job anyway." "I overreacted." "I, uh..." "I have a confession to make." "Someone gave me 400 bucks to spill drinks on you as a practical joke." "Really?" "And what did they say?" "Well they said 300." "I said 4." "They said, "The guy in the gray flannel suit. " I think I said, "The, uh," ""attractive guy in the gray flannel suit?"" "Mr. Van Orton." "I was afraid you weren't going to make it back." "Thank you." "Hello." "Mr. Van Orton, it's Maria." "I thought I should call." "What time is it?" "It's 11:00." "I took the liberty of rescheduling your meeting with Alison and..." "No, no, no." "I'll be in there in an hour." "Can you..." "I left my briefcase at 1010 Montgomery Street." "Could you check with Lost and Found, please?" "Anson Baer's in town at the Ritz Carlton." "Really?" "He's requesting dinner tonight." "Well, we'll see about that." "And the Hotel Nikko called to say they have your American Express card at the front desk." "You left it there last night?" "Should I send someone?" "No, just give me the number." "555-1111." "I'll call you back." "Good morning, Hotel Nikko." "Yes, this is Nicholas Van Orton." "I'm told you have my American Express card." "Yes, Mr. Van Orton everything's in order." "The concierges has arranged for the wine and flowers in the room." "Has he?" "And a young woman phoned to say she's on route but running a little late." "Did the young woman leave her name?" "I'm sure I don't know." "Of course you don't." "Thank you." "Sorry, my fault." "Ah, Mr. Van Orton." "Welcome back." "Here we go." "Have we met?" "I believe so." "If you'll just sign here on the signature card." "Thank you." "My key?" "Huh?" "Don't I get a key?" "Didn't I give you one last night?" "No, I don't think so." "Cute, that's very cute." "This way, sir." "Have a nice day." "Housekeeping." "Could you come back a little later?" "Ah!" "Shit." "Thank you, sir." "Where the fuck is he?" "Jesus!" "Why are you following me?" "What are you talking about?" "I'm not following you." "I'm just driving it." "Hey, whatever I'm doing is none of your business." "Is Anson Baer the game?" "Is that what this is all about?" "Look buddy, back off." "Just back off, huh?" "What!" "Oh, that's cute." "That's really cute." "I suppose the game uses real bullets, huh?" "All right." "I'm a private investigator." "Somebody hired me to keep tabs on you." "Who?" "Who hired you?" "Who hired you?" "Mr. Van Orton..." "Maria, get hold of Sutherland." "Have him meet me at the Ritz Carlton." "I'm on my way." "What's happening?" "Follow me, Sam." "Ah, Nicholas!" "It's unexpected." "Now, do you really believe that just because you publish children's books people are gonna care about my reputation?" "You can have pictures of me wearing nipple rings, butt-fucking Captain Kangaroo." "The only thing they care about is the stock!" "And whether that stock is up or down." "Daddy?" "It's all right, dear." "It's all right." "And the fact that you bring Conrad into this juvenile game is unconscionable." "Are you finished?" "No!" "I'm not finished!" "I'd like you to meet my attorney, Samuel Sutherland." "I think the two of you have got something to talk about." "Oh, we met this morning." "I signed the termination contract for Baer-Grant." "I accepted your settlement, Nicholas." "You were right." "I'm going sailing." "You know, sailing." "You're welcome to join our lunch." "Maybe we can straighten this out." "You remember my wife, Mary Carol, and my daughter-in-law, Kaleigh." "Please accept my" "misguided, uh..." "How concerned should I be?" "It was a misunderstanding." "It looks a lot like you." "Well, you should see what they do with the nightly news." "What?" "Can I ask you to do me a favor?" "You know you can." "Find out about a company called Consumer Recreation Services." "Sounds like they make tennis rackets." "What do you know?" "Wait a minute." "They gave me a waiver." "What is this?" "It's a..." "What's..." "I don't believe it." "It's invisible ink." "You're joking." "This is what I'm dealing with." "I'm being toyed with by a bunch of depraved children." "This..." "Are you okay?" "Tell me not to worry." "You don't have to worry." "I promise." "Okay." "I'll call you later." "Right." "Okay, bye." "Maria, the other night, last night" "I got a taxi for a young woman named Christine." "What's the company that we use?" "United?" "What?" "United Taxi Company." "United Taxi Company." "Call United, find out who the driver was and where they took her." "Ilsa!" "Oh, shit!" "I have a gun!" "You fuckers." "Ilsa." "Ilsa." "Ilsa." "Mr. Van Orton!" "Are you all right?" "What do you mean?" "What's happened?" "The house, you haven't seen the house?" "What's wrong?" "There's been a break in." "Now, lock your door." "Stay inside, just lock your door." "Oh, be careful." "911 emergency." "Yes, I need the police." "There's been a break in to my house." "Just stay on the line and give me your address." "My address is 2210 Broadway." "It's the biggest house on the street." "Now sir, you said it was a break in?" "Yes." "Yes, there's been a break in." "Are you sure they're gone?" "What?" "Are you sure there's not still someone somewhere in the house?" "Nickie!" "Hello, sir?" "Are you still there?" "Meet me at your car." "Hello?" "Sir?" "All right." "What happened?" "Shh!" "Conrad, where're we going?" "Just wait!" "What are you doing?" "They're methodical." "If I can't trust the room service in the hotel," "I sure as hell can't trust a fucking car." "Who?" "CRS." "Who do you think!" "Jesus!" "When I think what I almost got you into..." "What are you saying?" "Oh, I'm so fucked." "They just fuck you and they fuck you and they fuck you!" "And just when you think it's all over that's when the real fucking starts!" "All right, calm down." "Just take a breath." "They won't stop, Nick." "I paid the bill." "I gave them their fucking money." "They won't leave me alone!" "What're they doing to you?" "Everything!" "I'm a goddamned human piñata." "Calm down!" "And why do they keep playing if you've already paid?" "I don't know." "I don't know." "I paid them more to make it stop!" "They did this." "It's a flat tire." "How do you know?" "Get a grip on yourself, will you?" "We'll figure it out!" "Okay, okay." "The phone doesn't work." "I can't get a signal." "Really?" "You know how to change a tire?" "No, don't you?" "It can't be that hard." "I don't think we should be out in the open like this." "Hit the Teletrack." "It's in the glove compartment." "You're with them." "What?" "You're doing this." "You're part of it." "Whose are these?" "I don't know about those." "Somebody put them in the car." "You're behind the whole thing, aren't you?" "What are you talking about?" "You brought them to me." "These were in your car!" "They're right there in your fucking car!" "Conrad!" "Listen to what you're saying." "No!" "You're not gonna control this conversation." "Why would I ever do what you're describing?" "Because you resent me." "Stop being emotional." "It kills you that I'm living my life." "Lower your voice, Conrad!" "What?" "You're afraid somebody's gonna witness the scene?" "Get back in your..." "Get back in your fucking house!" "Will you stop it?" "I'm calling the cops." "You're just so afraid that somebody's gonna see what a manipulative fucking control freak you are!" "What is wrong with you?" "What are you on?" "Oh, I'm sorry, Nick." "I'm sorry I didn't live up to your expectations." "Ah, bullshit!" "I'm not you." "I'll never be you." "I don't wanna be you." "There you go again!" "I'm your brother!" "Always pushing the responsibility out on me." "For Christ's sakes, I'm your brother!" "All I ever tried to do was help you." "I don't want your help!" "Nobody asked you to play dad!" "No!" "You don't say that." "Did I have a choice?" "Jackass!" "Conrad!" "What?" "I don't want your help!" "Nobody asked you to play dad!" "Did I have a choice?" "Did I have a choice?" "Taxi!" "2210 Broadway." "Hey buddy, you missed the turn." "Hey!" "Did you hear me?" "You missed the turn back..." "No, no, no." "Stop the car!" "Stop the car!" "Thank you." "Open the door." "Unlock the door." "Open, the goddamn door!" "Listen." "I am a very wealthy man." "And whatever they're paying you" "I'll double it." "Oh, Jesus Christ!" "What!" "No!" "What, are you out of your fucking mind?" "It's a game." "Here they are." "Detective, I'm Sam Sutherland." "Tim Foley." "You know where we're going?" "It's this way." "14th floor." "Okay." "Management for the building says this space hasn't been officially rented yet." "The county recorder has no listing for a Consumer" "Recreation Service or any derivation thereof." "The divers, they're still looking for the cab." "As soon as they find it they'll pull the plates and the VIN." "Have you spoken to your brother?" "He hasn't called me back yet." "No." "What about the house?" "The graffiti was an oil-based marine marking solution, illegal in the States." "It's not impossible to trace but it'll take time." "The photo, the gun, the clown, the ambulance." "It's all pending." "Breaking and entering we've got solid." "Malicious mischief, vandalism, harassment." "But that's all." "Illegal surveillance." "Reckless endangerment." "Attempted murder." "Except you said you hired these guys." "That's irrelevant." "Now, look." "It's our job to tell you what we've got." "So far, we don't have motive." "What was my father like, Ilsa?" "Why do you ask?" "I don't know." "All the time I've known you you've never once asked about him." "I guess he was just on my mind." "Your mother loved your father very much." "I think he just worked too hard." "Was he, uh, morose?" "I mean..." "What I remember most was that his manner was so slight." "You could spend time in a room and not even know that he'd been there the whole time." "No, what I mean is, before he..." "What happened?" "No." "Nobody expected it." "I wonder how much of him there is in me." "Not much, I think." "Was Mother worried about him?" "Nobody ever worried about your father." "Yes." "It's Maria." "I found the address you wanted from United Taxi." "Yeah, give it to me." "It's on Potrero Hill..." "Who are you?" "Christine, is she here?" "She's sleeping." "Amy, who is it?" "Hey!" "What're you doing here?" "Can we talk?" "Sure." "Hi." "Hi." "Didn't think I'd ever see you again." "What can you tell me about these?" "Is this you?" "Where did you get them?" "My hotel room." "Was in my hotel room." "Are you telling me that this is not you?" "What makes you, um..." "Think this is me?" "Well, the..." "The bra." "The red bra." "Okay." "Well, I thought that..." "Can I sit down for a minute?" "Sure." "Are you all right?" "You're not all right, are you?" "Is it this contest thing that you're in still or..." "I'm sorry, I am being a nuisance." "I should go." "No, it's okay." "We can talk." "I'll put some clothes on." "I'll be right back." "Do you have an aspirin?" "Can I get you something to drink with this?" "Is this you?" "Oh, yeah." "That's first communion." "Show it to me." "What's wrong?" "Take the picture out of the frame and show it to me." "All right." "They're watching." "What?" "Not here." "They can see here." "Smoke detector." "What do you say, uh..." "Let's go for a drive or something." "We could..." "No, no, no." "I am tired of this." "I am goddamn tired of this." "We'll go for a drink." "There's a..." "Who do you people think you are?" "Who do you think you are?" "Come on out of there!" "Nicholas, please." "Let's go, right now." "Come on." "Just, come on out of there right now!" "Now you've done it." "So, what are they going to do?" "Get away from the window." "What the..." "What is this?" "Wake up, it's a fucking con." "Get in, get in!" "You all right?" "Hold on." "Get out of the car." "I could've handed you to them." "And they find me now they..." "Get out of the goddamn car!" "You don't have a choice!" "No one else's gonna tell you what's going on!" "You wanna know?" "'Cause if I'm gone you never will." "I can't believe they didn't even take the time to get the fucking house right." "Who are they?" "I don't know." "Nobody does." "I'm an employee." "Then what good are you?" "I know things like who you can trust and that your brother was in it from beginning..." "That's a lie." "Yeah?" "I was your waitress on your birthday." "Connie told you about CRS that day." "Ever seen me in there before?" "Sorry." "I mean, it wasn't his fault." "I guess he thought it was his only way out." "They fleeced him real good." "How did they get to him?" "Same thing to him they did to you." "What are you talking about?" "Have you checked your accounts?" "That night in your office I got the number to your private line and modem that gave CRS remote access to your computer." "You gave them everything else." "What?" "You took their tests, handwriting, voice samples, psych info." "They used it all to figure out your passwords." "And Feingold, the guy who signed you up, he did 5 years for hacking Citibank." "They only had to keep you distracted while they broke into your financial network, transferred your holdings into dummy accounts..." "Overseas operator, please." "Why else were they willing to shoot at us?" "Alamein Bank, Zurich, Switzerland." "Because they're finished with you." "Live or dead's the same." "Long as you disappear." "Yeah." "Can I have your code, please?" "Yes." "Blue-two-backslash-0-6-0-0." ""D" as in David." "That's right." "The balance?" "That's impossible." "They already got it, Nicholas." "They got everything." "You've reached the Sutherlands." "Please leave a message." "As you get this message, Sam, I have checked them all." "I don't know how, but they have drained my accounts." "They're trying to kill me." "Now you call the cops." "I got one of them right here." "We'll make her testify." "I know how this sounds, but you call me on my cellular." "And you be careful." "They..." "They cut your card in half so..." "My treat." "You take two sugars, right?" "Never mind." "My name's not Christine." "It's..." "I mean, it's not my real name." "Who fucking cares?" "It is just money." "You should be glad you're alive." "I'd rather not talk about it right now." "All I mean is someone like you..." "How many times have you done this?" "I'm curious." "What?" "These scams." "Con games, how many?" "Lots." "But, whatever nickel-dime bullshit you pulled in the past, this is more than just me." "This is pension plans, payrolls." "This is $600 million." "Yes." "Nick, it's Sam." "I got your message." "I was disturbed to say the least." "So, what are we gonna do?" "I've been on the phone for an hour already." "Nicholas, your funds are intact." "Nothing's been touched." "What are you talking about?" "I checked on them myself." "Who is it?" "I made the calls." "Nothing's changed." "I'm telling you." "Not one cent is unaccounted for." "Who is it?" "My attorney says that nothing is missing." "He's in on it." "I don't know what the hell is happening, but stay where you are until I get there." "Sutherland's in on it." "Nicholas, I have another call." "Give me your precise location." "Nicholas?" "We've got to get out of here." "How did they get to him?" "Why did..." "I wouldn't worry about it." "What do you mean?" "It's out of your hands." "Cellular calls can be intercepted." "Those calls you made to B of A, France." "B of A, France, Switzerland, you were talking to us." "You were talking to us." "Filled in the blanks." "Access codes, passwords, access codes, passwords..." "Stuff even your lawyer didn't have." "Stuff even your lawyer didn't have." "We have it now so we're done." "Bye, Nicholas." "Things have happened and it's important that..." "Shh, shh, shh!" "No money, no identification, no passport." "What happened to you?" "Where to begin..." "It's complicated." "It always is." "I was on holiday alone and I was robbed by two men." "Robbed?" "And what hotel were you staying at?" "I..." "I don't remember." "I..." "Have you gone to the police?" "I don't speak Spanish." "And I just need enough to get out of here." "Oh, we'll help with the local law enforcement if you wanted to bother." "As far as money is concerned, can I make a suggestion?" "You say you were mugged?" "And they didn't take that watch?" "How much is a watch like that worth?" "A couple of hundred at least." "Man with a watch like that doesn't necessarily have a passport problem." "Excuse me?" "Can I have your attention, please?" "Thank you." "Anybody here going to San Francisco?" "I need a ride." "I've got $18 and 70... 78 cents" "for a ride to San Francisco." "Anybody?" "Keep the change." "Thanks, pal." "Conrad Van Orton." "Could you ring his room, please?" "One moment, please." "Is there a problem?" "You're here for Conrad Van Orton?" "Yes." "I'm the hotel manager." "Pleasure to meet you." "Where's my brother?" "Will you come with me, sir?" "Wait a minute, is there trouble?" "Sir, this is a private matter for you." "There was some complaints by other guests, damage to his room." "We did the best we could to accommodate his behavior." "His behavior?" "Yes, sir." "There was an incident a few days ago." "A nervous breakdown, they said." "The police took him." "They left this address in case anyone came." "It's a hospital in Napa, sir." "I'm terribly sorry." "Elizabeth, I need to borrow your car." "Nickie, what happened to you?" "I mean..." "Look at you." "Look at me." "What happened, I..." "I don't know." "I..." "There're just some things I have to do, all right?" "I need your car." "Of course, you can have it if you need it." "Can't I get you something to eat?" "You know that you're the only person that I can trust." "Everyone else is..." "If Sam Sutherland calls you, you don't tell him you talked to me." "You lie to him." "And whatever else happens before he speaks..." "Okay, coffee," "English muffin, and your water." "This bottle is open." "Who opened this bottle?" "Yeah, I opened it." "I don't want an opened bottle." "I want an unopened bottle." "I don't want ice in the glass." "I want just a glass, please." "Nickie, talk to me." "You're scaring me." "I don't even know what you're saying." "I'm sorry, Liz." "I don't mean it." "I'm sorry." "You know, I've been thinking the last couple of days." "I've had some spare time." "And I wanted to tell you that" "I understand why you left me." "And I know that I resented it." "I want to apologize to you for shutting you out and not being there." "And I hope that you can forgive me." "You're tired." "You've been on the go for days." "There's nothing to forgive." "Then, pain sets in." "The onset of a migraine headache." "If this sounds all too familiar, relief is here at last." "Oh no, you bastards." "Taggarene." "For nearly a decade, doctors have been prescribing..." "How did you find me here?" "Taggarene is strong medicine for headaches, toothaches, muscle fatigue, joint pains..." "He's an actor." "So if you trust your doctor, trust Taggarene." "He's an actor on television." "Can't explain now." "Can I borrow your Yellow Pages?" "New Moon Cafe, best in Chinatown." "Get out of the car, fucker." "Open the door and leave it running." "You're making a mistake here." "Get the fuck out of the car." "I am extremely fragile right now." "New Moon Cafe." "He does commercials." "Do you know how many customers we have?" "Hundreds, thousands." "I know he ordered from you." "He went to Montgomery Street. 1010..." "Is there anybody here that can help me?" "He's an actor." "He's like one of these people you have here up on your..." "Hey!" "Why are you taking my picture?" "We were hoping he could audition today." "He'd really be perfect for this part." "Oh, this will break his heart." "Well is there any place we can contact him?" "Well, his beeper's here on the table." "He took the kids to the zoo." "The zoo?" "That's very, very sweet." "Which zoo?" "Oh, it's the one with the white tiger." "Lionel Fisher, I love your work." "Okay, please." "Look, I, uh..." "I got my kids." "Get rid of them." "All right, guys, uh, guys." "Snack time." "More snacks." "Here, go, go, go." "That's all." "Uh..." "It was just a job." "Nothing personal." "You know." "I mean, I play my part, improvise a little." "I mean, it's what I'm good at..." "I need to talk to who's in charge." "Nobody knows." "I mean nobody gets a big picture..." "Hey, Tammy, Alex cut it out." "Damn it, why do they do that?" "Your offices are empty." "I need to find out where they are." "Look, they own the whole building." "They just move from floor to floor." "And you work for them, right?" "You can get me in." "No, I can't." "Oh, yes, you can." "You can tell them the police called." "You got to speak to someone." "You tell them I'm gonna blow the whistle on them." "What whistle?" "There's no fucking whistle." "This is very dangerous." "I don't think that you understand." "Right now" "I am extremely dangerous." "Michael, guys." "Come on, we're leaving." "Well we're here." "Drive in." "What're you gonna do, anyway?" "You won't get your money back." "I don't care about money." "I'm pulling back the curtain." "I wanna meet the wizard." "He's eyeing us like Tiffany Towers." "Pull in somewhere where they won't see you." "Shit." "Stay down." "Stay down." "You're not allowed to be here." "They called me back." "I got a fitting." "He's with me." "You don't need me." "Shut up." "Get in." "Oh, my God." "Cuff him to the rail." "What floor?" "You're fucked, you both." "They're gonna miss me." "Where?" "I told you they hired me over the phone..." "Where did you pick up your checks?" "It was a different floor then." "Then guess." "I..." "It went on this way, sort of..." "I don't know." "All right, take it easy." "It's gonna be a surprise." "Oh, fuck!" "What are you doing here?" "Back from the dead." "Nicholas, you're not about to shoot anyone." "Turn around." "You're gonna come with me." "Everybody down!" "Stop!" "All right, what do you think you're doing?" "You tell me!" "Who's behind this?" "Who did this to me?" "Why?" "What do you mean, "Why?" How deluded can you be?" "Who is responsible for this?" "It wasn't you." "It wasn't personal." "It could've been any asshole with a couple of hundred million in the bank." "Get on that radio, all right?" "You get your boss up here." "You tell them I'm gonna shoot somebody." "Who am I gonna call, Nicholas?" "They won't do it." "Oh, yes, they will." "You get somebody up here because I'm gonna kill you." "They don't care about me, Nicholas." "They'll let me die." "You're not in a position to threaten anyone." "Wait a minute." "Where'd you get that?" "What?" "That gun." "That's not an automatic." "What the fuck are you talking about?" "The guard had an automatic." "Where did you get the gun?" "This is my gun." "But we searched the house." "Well I guess you missed this, didn't you?" "There's a situation up here." "We got a real goddamn gun up here..." "Nicholas, it's fake." "It's a part of your game." "Don't you start with me now." "No, no, listen to me." "Don't you fucking start with me." "I'm telling you the truth now." "This is all the game." "Bullshit, all right?" "Bullshit." "I know what happened to that guy." "They shot that guy, Feingold, Fisher, they killed him." "What did you see?" "Think about it." "What'd you see?" "I saw them kill him." "No, what'd you really really see, this whole time?" "Special effects, squibs." "Squibs like in the movies." "Nicholas." "Nicholas, listen." "I've got a real gun with real goddamned bullets..." "Okay, okay." "I'll put it down." "Feingold, Mr. Fisher." "He's on the other side of that door." "He's an actor." "You're trying to kill me." "No one's trying to kill you, Nicholas." "Please put that gun down." "You're about to make the biggest mistake of your life." "Nicholas, there was always a safety net." "The taxi, there was a diver." "My house, they shot at us with blanks." "It's not true." "It is." "It's what you hired us for." "They're waiting on the other side of that door with champagne." "Nicholas." "Please, goddamn it!" "Conrad." "Conrad's there." "It's your birthday party." "You stop lying!" "Let me show you." "Don't you move." "He's got a gun." "Get back from the door." "You shot him." "Someone..." "Someone call an ambulance!" "He's dead." "We thought you knew." "How did you let this get so out of hand?" "He wouldn't listen to me." "We went through this over and over." "The mark is your responsibility." "You never, never let the mark take over." "I'm sorry." "He could have almost killed us." "I had a walkie-talkie." "I used the walkie-talkie." "We're going to jail." "We're all going to jail for the rest of our lives." "Oh, God." "Nicholas!" "We've got him." "He's in the bag." "We have him here." "He came in right on target." "Keep everyone back until we clear away the breakaway glass." "Mr. Van Orton, don't open your eyes." "It's just breakaway glass, but it can still cut you." "Just gonna take a look at you." "I'm gonna check your pulse." "Just take it easy." "That was quite a fall." "Happy birthday, Nickie." "What is this?" "It's your birthday present." "I had to do something." "You were becoming such an asshole." "Ladies and gentlemen." "My brother, Nicholas Van Orton." "Amazing." "I just wanted to tell you." "Great job." "This was the best ever." "Thank God you jumped." "Because if you didn't," "I was supposed to throw you off." "Thanks." "We have to head home." "We just wanted to say goodbye." "Rachel." "Sweet dreams." "Thanks, Mel, for coming." "I'm sorry about your car." "I..." "I think I left it at the zoo." "No problem." "Happy birthday, Nicholas." "I'll call you." "I really will." "Nicholas, I haven't a clue what this is all about." "Your taste in champagne is excellent as always." "It was a great entrance." "Yes, and I want you to know that what happened on Sunday was..." "Oh, no, no, please." "I've never been happier in my whole life." "I thank you." "And my wife thanks you." "Thank you for coming." "Thank you, Sam." "What's this?" "This is the bill." "The bill?" "Keep the pen." "Thank you, both." "You wanna split it?" "Oh, God, yes, please." "I'll take you up on that." "Oh, my God." "Thank you, Connie." "What happened to that waitress?" "What was her name, uh..." "Christine?" "She said something about catching a plane." "I just saw her out front trying to hail a cab." "Christine?" "I, um..." "I didn't get a chance to say goodbye." "Thank you." "I..." "You know, I never did ask you your name, did I?" "No." "It's" "Claire." "So you catching a plane or..." "Yeah, we have a gig starting next week in Australia, so..." "Gonna shear some more sheep." "Just a walk-on this time." "Well, when you get back, maybe, you know, we could have some dinner." "You don't know anything about me." "No, I don't." "So you tell me." "Well, what..." "Where you're from?" "Originally," "Oklahoma." "Colorado?" "I've been doing this for way too long." "You know, would you like to have coffee with me at the airport?"