"And still, the questions remain." "Was it economic, was it social or was it cultural?" "Or was it simply a matter of human nature?" "What was it that made some people do what they did... and other people do nothing at all?" "Good job, Mr. Bowden." "It's nice to see a few more A's this time around... including Mr. Bowden's, of course." "This concludes our week on the Holocaust." "It you wanna know more, you may find the Santo Donato library... to be an excellent resource." " Guess who likes you." " Who?" "Becky Trask." "Are you gonna ask her out?" " You know who I'm talkin' about?" " I know who she is." " I'll think about it." " No, don't think." "You just do it, all right?" "And can you give me your trig notes from last year, because Fiscarelii..." " I knew this was leading to something." " Fiscarelii is kickin' my ass." " I'll bring them in tomorrow." " Cool." "Ask Becky out." " I gotta think about it." " What are you doin' after school?" "I'm busy." "All right, I'm coming!" "Oh, for God's sake." "Yes?" " What do you want?" " I" "If you're selling something, I'm not interested." "I have your newspaper." "I'm not..." "I'm not selling anything." "Then what do you want?" "It you could let me in, I just wanna talk." "Talk?" "I don't have anything to say to you, boy." "Good day to you." "Bergen-Belson, January of '43 to June '43." "Auschwitz, June '43 to June '44." "And then you went to Patin." "After that, you disappeared." "But then in 1965, you were spotted in West Berlin." "Listen, boy." "I don't have time for this game." " Now leave before I call the police." " Call them if you want." "I'm sure they'd love to meet you." "Who are you?" "My name's Todd Bowden." "I didn't mean to scare you." "I just really wanna talk to you." "It you could let me in for a minute?" "Please, Mr. Dussander?" "All of this... because you saw an old man with a raincoat and an umbrella?" "It wasn't that easy." "I mean, these pictures are 40 years old, at least." "But when I held 'em up next to the ones I took, I knew I was close." " You took photographs of me?" " Yeah." "But even then, I couldn't be sure." "I needed real proof, so I dusted your mailbox for fingerprints." "You know, that's a lot harder than people think." "I had to go back to Toytown three times to get all the stutf." "Then I waited till you were at the movies." "You put dust on my mailbox for fingerprints?" "You took photographs of me?" "What else did you do?" "I already had a copy of your fingerprints." "They're on your want sheet from the Israeli government." "It's all on database at U.C. Irvine." "Are you okay?" "Would you care for a drink, boy?" " How about milk?" " Milk." "You told your parents about all this then?" "You think I'm crazy?" "It takes eight good matches for a print to get accepted in court." "They're called compares." "One or two is not so hard to find, but eight good ones, that's really tough." "It all sounds very exciting, boy... but I'm afraid all your work has been for nothing." "I found 14 compares." "Boy, what you have done..." "I have to explain this to you because, clearly, you don't understand." "What you have done is a violation." "Like those experiments with the decompression chamber." " Now, that's a violation." " To hell with this and to hell with you." "I'm calling the police." "Your father will beat your behind when he picks you up from the police station." " My parents don't believe in violence." " They should start." "I'm calling." "My name is Denker." "Arthur Denker." "I'm an American." "I became a citizen in 1955." "I vote." "You've no right to come here and say these lies about me." "I have your fingerprints." "I have your photographs." "One way or another, I'll get them to the right people." "This is unforgivable." "What do you want?" "Tell me." " I wanna hear about it." " Hear about what?" "The stories." "Everything." "What "everything"?" "Everything they're afraid to show us in school." "You were there." "You did those things." "No one can tell it better than you can." "That's all I want." "Then I'll leave you alone." "And just so you know... everything I have on you... the compares, the want sheet, all the photographs... are all in a very safe place." "It anything happens to me, someone will find it." "Believe me." "Tell me, boy... why should I consider any of this?" "Because you hung up the phone, that's why." "Judging by the results of your first exam..." "I think that for most of you, we moved a little too fast through chapter one." "By a show of hands... how many of you think you know what sociology is?" "That's what I thought." "All right, class." "Let's turn to chapter two." "Once they were in the chamber, how long did it take?" "Five minutes?" "Gott, no." "The prussic acid... took about l5 minutes." "But the monoxide... could take an hour, sometimes more." "What happened to them?" "I mean, exactly." "It was a mess." "They would lose control of their bodies." "They vomited, urinated and defecated themselves." "Even though the gas came in from the vents in the ceiling... they would climb on top of each other... desperately reaching for fresh air that wasn't there." "They died in a mountain of themselves." "What about the children?" "On the bottom." "Did anyone ever survive it?" "One time... the gas didn't work." "There was a leak in the pipes... so oxygen mixed with the monoxide." "It was horrible." "But after an hour they were still moving... stumbling around the room like drunks... their eyes glassy." "What did you do?" "I ordered more gas, but we didn't know about the leak." "Soon they began to twitch all over... like they were dancing." "Some even tell to their knees... laughing this terrible high-pitched squeal." "Even the guards were frightened." "It didn't kill them." "After two hours..." "I sent five men in with ritles." "It's getting dark." "Your mother will be worried." "Oh, shit!" "I gotta go." "I can be here tomorrow by 3:15." "I want to hear the end of this." "The end?" "The end." "Todd?" "Are you up?" "Honey, let's go." "Joey's outside." "Tell him I'm comin', will you?" "You said you were up halt an hour ago." "Yeah, I must have fallen back asleep." "Listen, honey, I'm gonna see a client tonight at 7:00." "But I've got some cold chicken in the fridge and plenty of..." "It's okay." "I'm gonna eat over at Mr. Denker's house." "What are you gonna do all night?" "Watch TV?" "Mom, I told you." "He doesn't watch TV." "I read books to him." "Will you not worry about it?" "Listen to me." "I want you to invite him over here... because Daddy and I still want to meet him." "Okay?" "So the policeman said to me..." ""Mr. Denker, if you can't see the road, you shouldn't be driving." "Now, how many fingers am I holding up?"" "And I said, "Well now, officer." "Let me guess." "One?"" "That was the end of my driving in America." "I've taken the bus ever since." "Well, of course, I'm not drivin' much either with this wheelchair... but my eyesight is not what it used to be." "That's a whitetail buck." "That's a remnant from our life in Carolina." "Dick brought that down in the Yadkin River..." " seven or eight years ago." " Seven." "You know, your grandson never told me that he came from a family of hunters." "Oh, Todd never took a shine to guns." " He's good at other things." " Baseball is Todd's game." " Arthur, sure you don't want a cigar?" " No, thank you." "It you don't mind, I'll have one of my cigarettes." "Where are they?" "Ah!" "Let me help you with that, Arthur." "My dear... your generosity humbles me." "I thank you for a most enchanting evening." "Well." "I wonder it you'd mind it I asked you a personal question?" "Not at all." "What'd you do during the war?" "I was in the reserves, as were most young men, Victor." "But then, my poor eyesight kept me out of combat, I thank God." "No, I spent most of the war in the military hospital... washing bed linens and nurses' unitorms." "You've been pretty quiet tonight." "I'm sorry." "It's just that I've heard all of these stories before." "That's all right, my dear." "The boy's just being honest." "It's a privilege of boys." "A privilege that men must sometimes give up." "You know, that reminds me." "I..." "It must have been my first year at the university." "There was a group of about three or tour of us, and we dropped in and..." "At first my men took turns shooting them in the head, but there were so many." "Two or three bodies could be packed into each oven." "They were ground into fine ash." "A whole town was wiped off the face of the earth." "And still, it wasn't enough for Himmler." "That was a dark year." "We ordered every Jew in Kiev to come to the Babi Yar Ravine." "You must remember, boy, the '20s were a desperate time in Germany." "The Treaty of Versailles had left us crippled." "God, we must have..." "They would hide..." "The shooting" " The walls" " The sewers-- But we always found them." "If the dogs didn't, the smoke and fire would." "We would round them up and march them out to a large pit." "At the time, the shooting was no longer killing." "Nothing could stop the killing." "It was no longer death." "I will never forget the sound that night." "So many of them on top of each other like that." "After a few hours, they began to settle." "A head would fall." "Yeah, an arm would drop." "It was a bit like the sound of blowing leaves." "What did it teel like?" "It was something that had to be done." "A door had been opened and couldn't be shut." "It was the end..." "You don't understand." "You've done it a million times!" "Let's go!" "That's it!" "Hit the showers!" " So, where you been?" " What do you mean?" "Well, it you'd return your phone calls... you'd know that Damon's havin' a party on Saturday night." " I've been busy." " Too busy for your best friend?" "I've been studying a lot, okay?" "I'm sorry." "You gonna go?" "I don't even know it I can get the car or not." " I know someone who'll give you a ride." " Who?" "I've been accepted!" "The Ritzy Vista Country Club." "Hee-hee-hee, my life's ambition." "Officer, can you tell me where to catch the bus... to the Ritzy Vista Country Club?" "Ritzy Vista Country Club." "Here it is." "Where you goin', pop?" "Why, this is the bus to the country club, isn't it?" "Very humorous." " What do you want?" " The name is Magoo." "I have my papers." " Hello?" " Judge Stevens put me in." " Okay, sit down." " Thank you." " This way, buddy." " My, what an impressive entrance." "Just look at those big iron gates." " Wake up." " I'll kill you!" "I thought you were dead." " You look terrible." " Today is, uh, Saturday." "Since when do you come here on Saturdays?" "I brought you something." "Aren't you gonna open it?" "Wait, wait." "Let's put the shades down." "What for?" "To be safe." "To hell with this." "You open it." "Relax." "Open it." "You wrapped it yourselt, I see." "Merry Christmas." "Mary, Mother of God." " Where did you get this?" " It looks pretty real, huh?" ""E.F. Montgomery..." "Costume Clothiers..." "Topenstein, New Jersey."" "Well, try it on." "Have you completely lost your mind?" "What on earth makes you think I'd put something like that on?" "I thought you would like it." "Like it?" "You are a bigger tool than I thought." "Maybe I'll put it on and do a little shopping." "Is that what you thought?" "The indignities I've suttered with you." "I should smash you." "What you've suftered with me is nothing compared... to what the Israelis would do to you." "You forget that, and I'll admit that's my fault." "But don't ever forget the file I have on you." "I tried to do things the nice way, but you don't want it." "So we're gonna do it the hard way." "You'll put this on because I wanna see you in it." "Now, move!" "I see I've been promoted." "Yeah, I know." "It's all they had." "But that's a perfect fit." "I checked in one of your suit coats." " It itches like hell." " Quiet." "Put the hat on." "Please." " Please, put the hat on." " Good Gott." "Attention." "What's so tunny?" "March." "Do it." "I'm serious." "Stop fucking around!" "March!" "That's it." "Face right!" "Okay, that's enough." "Stop." "Stop it!" "Boy, be careful." "You play with fire." "Okay, I can tell you're not into this." "No, I am, really." "It just takes me a while." "Right." "You know why I like you, Todd?" "Because you're the only guy that never tried to impress me." "Can I ask you something?" "Sure." "Do you ever wonder why people do the things they do?" "You think about it." " Okay." " Seriously." "It's better not to think." "It's better to just do it." "Who are you, kitty, kitty?" "It's getting cold out here... kitty, hmm?" "Kitty." "I'm sorry." "Maybe you'll be more in the mood later." "I don't know." "That's never really happened to me before." "It's all right." "Could you blow that the other way, please?" "Maybe you just don't like me." "No, it's not that at all." " I really do." " Maybe you just don't like girls." "Kitty, kitty." "Good-bye." "You motherfucker!" "Class, you have five more minutes." ""Dear Mr.  Mrs. Bowden:" "This note is to suggest that we have a group conterence... concerning Todd's first semester grades." "In light of his previous excellent work, the sudden decline in his grades... suggests a specific problem which should be addressed... before his academic advancement is jeopardized permanently." "I'm ready to work out a time for us to meet." "In a case such as this, earlier is usually better." "Sincerely yours, Edward French."" " Jesus, man." "What are you gonna do?" " Fuck it I know." " What?" " I said, "Fuck it I know."" "You're throwin' it up hard." "Let it roll of your fingers more." " I don't need a lesson, okay?" " All right." "Man, with your dad too." "I'm a fuck-up." "My dad expects this from me." "But you?" "You're talkin' to yourselt." "What's goin' on with you?" "Nothing." "I fucked up." "I'll fix it." "Whatever you say, man." " What's happening between you and Becky?" " Who?" "Becky Trask, idiot." "What did you call me?" "You're bein' a real dick, man." "I gotta get to practice." ""You're talkin' to yourselt, man." "You're bein' a dick."" ""...a time for us to meet." "In such a case as this, earlier is usually better." "Sincerely yours, Edward French."" "Who's this Edward French?" "Headmaster?" "No, he's a guidance counselor." " Well, what is that?" " He guides and he counsels." "You read the letter." "What stinks in here?" "Oh, I bet it's my TV dinner, I'm afraid." " We've got a problem here, you know?" " We?" " I'm not the one in trouble." " We'll see about that." "You don't turn this around on me, boy." "It's not my fault your grades have fallen." "That's where you're wrong." "The shit you tell me keeps me up half the night." "I fall asleep during class." "I need a fucking pencil." "Do you have one?" "What will your parents do about this letter?" "They're never gonna see it." "That's the whole point of this." "This isn't just a little slipup here." "My parents will freak." "They're gonna wanna know exactly what happened, and what happened is you." "You get what I'm telling you?" "I think so." "You better be sure... 'cause it's your sorry ass that winds up in jail, not mine." "Goddamn it!" "I need a pencil." "A sharp one, please." "Thank you." "Does this Edward French... know your parents in a social way?" "No." "My parents wouldn't mix with a geek like him." "How about professionally?" "Has he ever spoken to them?" "No." "I've never needed it until now." "You're messing things up with that carbon paper." " What do you know about it?" " Here." "Out of the way." "I was forging documents before your parents were born." "Todd, Mr. French will see you now." " Do you know what this is about?" " I'm sorry, I don't." "See ya." "He means the world to me." "Hey, Todd." "Have a seat." "Hello there." "It's okay." "Sit down." "We were just talking about what's been going on." "Do you wanna talk about it?" "Not really." "You know, this is nothing to be embarrassed about." "It's not your fault, and both of us... wanna help you get back on track." "Both of you?" "I must admit that... the situation in Richard's home is appalling." "I was raised to believe that a man should take responsibility... for his family." "But when you came to me in tears... and asked me to intervene... well then, I realized that this was not a matter to be trifled with." "That's why..." "I arranged this meeting." "We all appreciate your concern, Victor." "I've been looking at your record... and according to your progress report this quarter... every grade is way down, even your strongest subjects." "History:" "You went from a solid "A" to a "C" minus." "Trigonometry:" "Down to a "D"?" "Todd, did you know you were on your way to finishing first in your class?" "Yes." "Your grandfather and I have been talking and we both agree... that with what's been going on, what with your father's work problems... and your mom with the drinking... that maybe home isn't the best place to be studying." "So he's offered to let you study over at his place... every day after school." "Todd, I think it's a good idea." " You do?" " Yeah." "In fact, I offered to go a step further." "But it means you and I gotta make a deal." "What kind of deal?" "Well, finals for this quarter are in 31/2 weeks." "Right?" "Now, if you can give me all A's... then I'll talk to your teachers... and see if we can't discount your midterms... and let this quarter's grades rest with your final exams." "But it you come back with B's or C's, I can't help you." "But all A's... that shows everybody that you're serious." " You can do that?" " Yeah." "But first you gotta start being honest with me." "No more forging your father's signature." "No more hiding my letters." "For now we can deal with just the three of us... it it makes things easier at home." "But you try and pull one over on me, next time I show up on your doorstep." "Is that clear?" " He's oftering to help..." " I know!" "But that's a whole lot to do in three weeks." "What if I can't do it?" "Mr. Bowden, I can't thank you enough for coming down here today... but it it's all right with you I'd like to talk to Todd alone... for a few minutes." "Yes, it's quite all right." "If you didn't excuse me..." "I'm afraid that my desire for a cigarette would." "You can take my word, when the time is right..." "I'll tell Richard about all this, you know." "He and Monica need to know what's happening to their son." "I'll expect you after school." " He's a very persuasive man." " Tell me about it." "Listen, Todd." "I understand what you're going through." "I really do." "My wite and I, we just went through the nastiest divorce since Henry Vlll's." "And I know it's not easy being a senior and only 16." "And now we're asking a lot of you." "But your grandfather thinks you can do this." "Todd, I know you can." "So from now on..." "I don't want you to feel like you have no one you can talk to, okay?" "Your parents, or girl problems..." "Anything at all." "Here's my home phone." "Anything at all." "Anything." "You call me, Todd." "Call me." "Deal?" "I'm telling you, buddy, you get past this little hurdle..." "I promise you the world's gonna open up for you like you won't believe." "Bye." "Have you lost your mind?" "What the hell were you thinking, "Grandpa"?" " What are you so excited about?" " Oh, you've got some fucking balls!" "I could've screwed you up." "Anything could've happened." "You played it beautifully, boy." "I knew you would." "Are you fucking drunk?" "I could've busted you right there." "Yes, you could have, but you did not." "Now why was that?" "Your Edward French is not going to give you any more trouble." "Now you are upset because the only way you can make things right is to work." "I'm upset because you had that asshole thinking I can do something..." " that can't be done." " Oh, but it can, and it will." "You will simply have to work." "No more stories." " No more screwing around." " I don't take orders from you." " You do now." " Oh, you think so?" "Don't forget, I can walk in there and pick up that phone." "And do what?" "Do you really think that I would stand aside... and let you turn me in without dragging you with me?" "Do you?" "Your American self-confidence is so bloated... you've forgotten the reality of the situation." "90,000 died in Patin." "To the whole world, I am a monster." "And you have known about me all this time." "It I'm caught, when those reporters stick their microphones in my face... it will be your name that I will repeat over and over again." "Todd Bowden." "Yes, that was his name." "For how long?" "For months, almost a year." "He wanted to know everything." "That was how he put it, yes." "Everything." "You're crazy." "They'll never believe you." "It doesn't matter." "Oh, you're going to be infamous, boy." "Take my word for it." "And you know what such a scandal can do." "It never goes away." "Not for you." "Not for your parents." "And besides, lying to judges and reporters isn't as easy as you think." "You'd have to be brilliant." "Can you do that?" "I know I can." "There's no way in hell..." "I'm gonna be able to pull myselt out of a half-year's slide in a few weeks." " This shit just doesn't happen." " Boy, the time for discussion is over." "This is the way it is." "You're going to work." "You're going to spend the rest of this quarter and all your vacation studying." "...one of the most interesting writers of his time." "...longitude and latitude." "There are coordinates both sides by "y," leaving you with 3xy made some people do what they did, and other people do nothing at all." "This concludes our week on the Holocaust." "If you wanna know more, you may find the Santo Donato library an excellent..." "You are a monster." "Is the thrill enough?" " What you have done is a violation." " I wanted to know more." " I wanted to know more." " A door had been opened..." " I wanted to know more." " ..." "lose control of their bodies..." " I fucked up." " You'd have to be brilliant." "Lying isn't as easy as you think." " Maybe you just don't like girls." " He's good at other things." " I'll fix it." " You gotta start being honest with me." "Boy, be careful." "You play with fire." "It never goes away." "Not for you." "How about some melba toast?" " Sure." " Sure." "I would have expected you to be doing back tlips... down the hallway after such good news." "But you're so quiet." "Today, I think I will give you the day off from studying." "How's that?" "Hmm?" "How about... one of my stories instead?" "I still have a few good ones left." " I don't care." " Let's see." "I could tell you about the special soap... we made." "Or there's always the story of how I escaped from Berlin... after I was so foolish as to go back." "That was a close one, I can tell you." "No, none of these." "I think you don't seem to be in the mood." "I think today I will tell you the story... of an old man who was afraid." "He was afraid of a certain young boy who was... in a clear way... his friend." "The boy proved to be a very good student." "But not perhaps in quite the way... his mother and his teachers had envisioned." "At first, the old man disliked the boy intensely." "But then he began to enjoy the boy's company." "Ot course, there is still a great deal of distrust between them." "Each knew something the other wanted to keep secret." "Over time... the old man felt... his hold on the boy slipping away." "He thought the day might come when the boy no longer needed him." "So... one sleepless night... the old man got out of bed... and wrote down the story of his involvement with the boy." "Everything he could remember... from the first day forward." "He wrote how the boy forced his way... into the old man's house and blackmailed the old man... to serve his own morbid fascinations." "When the boy's grades began to fall... he blamed the old man and ordered him... to impersonate his grandfather." "At the end, his hands were stinging with arthritis... but he telt happy for the first time in weeks." "He telt safe." "On the tollowing morning, the old man... put on his best suit... and went down to one of the local banks... and rented a safe deposit box." "The bank officer explained to the old man... that only the old man could use the old man's key... with one exception." "The exception was... in the event of the box holder's death, then..." "Then what?" "The box will be opened in the presence of a bank official... and a representative of the Internal Revenue Service." "The contents of the box would be inventoried." "But in this case... they would only find a 12-page document." "Nontaxable, but highly interesting." "You didn't do this." "I don't believe you." "My boy... it is already done." "Jesus fucking Christ!" "Look at you!" "You could go at any time." "Don't be so theatrical." "A man five or ten years older than me, worries more... about his ailing heart than being... sent off to Israel." "And the day will come, if I live long enough... when I decide that what you know no longer matters." "But then, and only then, I will destroy the document." "So many things can happen in between." "Accidents, sickness." "You could slip in the fucking shower, for Christ's sake." "Whatever will be will be" "The future's not ours to see" "Que sera, sera" "I can see you're thinking it now, even now." "It's in your eyes..." "killing me." "All it would take would be the tlick of a knife." "Push me down the steps, make it look like an accident." "I am old." "You are strong." "You're angry." "Good assets for killing." "But there is something missing." "To have someone in your control..." "To have them know that they are alive... only because you have not decided to the contrary." "Do you have that power?" "Ask yourself." "It's not an easy question." "I think you know that." "You know this means we're through, don't you?" "You won't be seein' me around here anymore." "I suppose I won't." "What are you doing?" "This is the end." "Here." "A drink." "To our lives together." "The beginning and the end." "I think you should fuck yourselt." "Oh, my dear boy." "Don't you see?" "We are fucking each other." "Strike!" "Two outs!" "Strike three!" "What are you guys waitin' for?" "Let's go!" "Rebound!" "Move it!" "Watch your step." "Sir?" "Excuse me." "I can help you carry those." "You don't gotta be afraid." "I can help you." "I don't need your help." "Excuse me." "I'm not a bad guy." "You don't gotta worry." " Please, I just wanna..." " What do you want?" " Why do you bother me?" " We're practically neighbors." "You know, I stay right over there most nights." "I mean, I see you walk down the street." "I just wanna help." " It's called being neighborly." " Piss off." "You don't..." "There's no reason to be rude!" "No reason!" "I know something about you." "I know you're a nice guy." "I'm nice too, just like the boy." "I see." "I'm not ashamed to say that I could use a drink about now." "But I don't take no charity." "It you were to invite me in like a friend... then we could have a nice drink." "A drink." "That's what I'm sayin'." "You smell like a toilet." "Maybe you'll let me use your shower." "But first a drink." "Then I will do anything you say." "I had 'em hooked up, rollin'... 41/2." "But three minutes, that was my best." "I was, like, movin' double time." "Gosh, you know..." "I didn't... didn't see that dog in the back seat." " Didn't see it." " What dog?" "That dog." "I heard it barking." "But I hear dogs barking all the time, even when they ain't there." "So I didn't pay no mind." "D.O.T. Didn't wanna hire me 'cause of that thing with the..." "Anyway." "Who wants to talk about that?" "So I was..." "I was an independent, you know... which meant that I could go all over the whole city." "You know, I believe... we need another bottle." "It you're oftering, then we accept." "That's no trouble at all." "Look, why don't you drink mine?" "Thank you." "So, like I was sayin'..." "I was..." "I worked as an independent." "'Cause the D.O.T., they wouldn't hire me, right?" "So I was able to go... all over the whole city." "Midtown, downtown, left side, right side..." "Where is my bottle opener?" "There it is." "You stay right there." "So then I moved on." "Washington Heights was good." "It was always good... because there were a lot of nooks and crannies, you know." "The D. R.'s... the Dominicans there, they liked to... go around in their cars like they were buses." "Then they dropped that cinder block on that cop from three-four." "And it got all crazy." "But you gotta be movin', 'cause... they come back, they catch you hooking' their ride." "Do you mind?" "No." "Not at all." "Maybe in the morning... perhaps everything goes okay, you could let me have $10." "Perhaps." "Even a 20..." "Perhaps." "We shall see." "You can relax, you know." "I've done this before." "That's all right." "So have I." "Let me go pee first." "Did you look at this before you signed it?" "That bill was written in Japanese." " I told you that." " Numbers are numbers in any language." "That man did not speak one word of English." " That's not the point." " Ot course it's the point." "The point is you look at a bill before you pay it." "I did not understand one word." "That's exactly the point." "Hello?" "Yes." "Maybe it was in yen." "Maybe it is." "It's Mr. Denker." "He sounds very anxious." "Why would he be calling at this hour?" " Hello?" " Come over right away, boy." "I'm having a heart attack." "A bad one, I think." "That sounds exciting, but I have to study for my trig final." "I understand you cannot talk, but you can listen." "I cannot call an ambulance." "I need help." "And that means you need help." "It you put it that way." "Tell you parents I have an important letter... and I need you to read it to me." "I'll be right over." "Now we'll see what you're made of." "What happened?" "Ah, boy." " Where are you bleeding?" " It's not my blood." "It was seit- defense." "Boy, now listen." " What are you talking about?" " Shut up." "Nobody comes here until you have done what needs to be done." "Go down the steps." "What did you do?" "Go down the steps, huh?" "That's right." "Let me out!" " Let me the fuck outta here!" " No, boy." "If you won't help me, I have to make you." "That's enough!" "Open the goddamned door!" "Do you hear me?" "Fuck you!" "If you're going to behave like a fucking schoolgirl, I'll..." "I'm gonna break your goddamn door down!" "Fuck!" "Don't be afraid, boy." "I know what you're doing." "I'm gonna break the goddamn door down!" "What are you doing?" "There is no point." "Why are you doing this?" "Call an ambulance." "The key." "The key to the safe deposit box." "Where is it?" "Boy, I need a doctor." "Now." "Give me the key." "I'm dying." "I know." "Oh, no." "Not like this." "Please." "You did good, son." "You did real good." "It's a good thing you called us when you did." "You saved his life." "Dad." "Let's go make sure he gets checked in all right." "You shouldn't have." "It's from my mother." "They say the operation was a success." "They say I have another 20 years." "A new lease on life." "I took care of everything, except for the key." "Where is it?" "There's no safe deposit box." "There never was." "I lied." "I had to protect myself from you, boy." "You understand?" "I suspect that we will never see each other again." " No, we won't." " Wait." "I want to ask you something." "What?" "What did it feel like?" " I better go." " Wait." "Perhaps I..." "Perhaps I could persuade you to stay." "Just until I fall asleep." "My medicine makes me drowsy." "Please?" "Excuse me, young man." "You are a very good boy to visit your grandfather like that." "Thank you, but he's just a friend." "Then you are a very good friend." "Tell me." "Is he very bad off?" "He doesn't talk much." " The doctors say he'll be out soon." " That's good news." "From the way he speaks, I would guess he was German." " From the south, I think." " I don't know." "I wonder it he was in the war." "I don't think so." "He's never mentioned it, anyway." "It doesn't matter, I suppose." "It was a long time ago, the war." "Soon, in this country... we will have a president born after the war was over." "How about that?" " I'm sure you're right." " He is so very lucky... to have you." "A great man once said..." ""No man is an island... entire of itself."" "John Donne." " Have a nice evening, sir." " Good-bye." "Mr. Jefferson, I don't have to listen to that kind of talk." "Then how about this kind of talk?" "That's just a warning." "Anytime you crave for Florence's food, that's a weird craving." "Jenny's the one who's pregnant." "They said they had something to tell us." " Something important." " Oh, we're gonna be grandparents again!" "Oh, I just can't wait to tell everybody!" "Hey, Ralph." "Great!" "Huh?" "Thanks, Ralph." "The kids just got out of a cab." "They should be here any second." "What's wrong?" "What's wrong?" "Yes." "I'm speaking to you." "Mr. Kramer is recuperating elsewhere." " Are you awake now, Dussander?" " Yes, of course." "But you seem to have confused me with someone else." "My name is Denker." "Perhaps you need a different room." "My name is Weiskopf, and you are Kurt Dussander." "No, I don't know no one by that name." "Should I call a nurse?" "The man in the next bed was Benjamin Kramer." "He was imprisoned for ten months at Patin." "You were responsible for the death of his wite and two daughters." "My name is Denker." "Arthur Denker." " I am an American." " Please, don't bother." "Your papers won't stand up to serious examination and you know it." " I think we have all we need here." " Who are these men?" "I'm Dan Richler, special agent with the F.B.I... and this is Detective Getty with the L.A.P.D." "And I think you know who I work for." "When you regain your strength, you will be moved." "Until then, this entire ward will be under guard." "You can expect to be in Jerusalem by the end of the summer." " So where do you want us to sit?" " Anywhere but the front row." " Yeah?" "There's, uh, Carla." " Carla!" "How are you?" " Hi." "Hi, Chelsea." " I thought that was you." "Hi." "Congratulations." "It's a big day for everybody." " How are you?" " Excuse me." "You did it." "I knew you could." "I am so proud of you." " Thank you." " Oh, hi." "These must be your parents." " Yeah." "Dick Bowden." "Nice to meet you." " Ed French." " Todd pulled one off." "You must be proud." " Yes, we are." " This is my wite, Monica." " Hi." " Are you a teacher of Todd's?" " Actually, I'm his guidance counselor." " Oh, great." " Nice to meet you." "Yeah." "I was looking forward to seeing your grandfather, Victor." "Where is he?" "It's a long trip from Charlotte." "He's been in a wheelchair for a few years." "So they don't get out here much." "Usually Thanksgiving." "I'm-I'm sorry." "I don't..." "I don't understand." "That's your cue." "That's my cue." "Okay." "Good luck up there." " Nice to meet you." " Take care, Ed." "I don't feel so well." "Maybe after the ceremony, we could go straight home." " Are you okay?" " You know what?" "It's probably nerves." " Just take a deep breath." " We'll see how it goes." "All great achievements arose from dissatisfaction." "It is the desire to do better... to dig deeper... that propels a civilization to greatness." "All of us have heard the story of Icarus... the young boy who took the wings his father built for him... wings that were meant to carry him over the ocean to freedom... and used them instead for a joyride." "For a brief moment..." "Icarus felt what it was like to live as a god... to touch the sun... to soar above the common man." "And for doing so, he paid the ultimate price." "You boys better come down to the cellar." "You're not gonna believe this." "Like Icarus, we too have been given gifts:" "Knowledge, education... experience." "And with these gifts comes the responsibility of choice." "We alone decide how our talents are bestowed upon the world." "This is our destiny... and we hold it in the palm of our hands." "...of an investigation by local police... the sheriff's department, F.B.I... and the Department of Justice." "Police have confirmed that a body has been found... in the basement of Arthur Denker... the Santo Donato resident believed to be... a Nazi war criminal." "The cause of death has not been revealed... and authorities are withholding identification of the body... until more information is available." "The apprehension of Dussander would bring to a close... a manhunt that's been underway now for 40 years in three continents." "I'll be taking care of you from now on." "Try to relax." "Todd, I'm Dan Richler." "I'm a special agent with the F.B.I." "And this is Dr. Weiskopt." "If you don't mind, I'd like to hear about... your involvement with Dussander." "Well, actually, you knew him as Arthur Denker." "Isn't that right?" " Yes." " How did you know him?" "Are you sure you feel up to this?" "Yeah, I'll be fine." "Let me tell you what we're interested in." "You told the admitting nurse that Arthur Denker... had a heart attack while you were reading him a letter." " Yes." " Was it in English or German?" "German." " You speak German?" " No." "So you had no idea what you were reading." "No." "But he seemed to understand every word I was saying." "What we can't seem to figure out is the letter, Todd." "Do you have any idea what happened to it?" "I guess it's still on the table." "I couldn't swear to it, though." " Then it still should be there." " It isn't?" "No." "Well, when you arrived, Mr. Bowden, do you remember seeing a letter?" "But I wasn't looking for a letter." "I was more concerned about Todd." "Maybe somebody broke in and took it." "Why would somebody break into a house simply to steal a letter?" "Unless, of course, they wanted to protect him." "You know, a close friend, another fugitive." "Look, I know all this sounds like Robert Ludlum kind of stuff... but we think that while Dussander was in the hospital... our "Mr. X" scooted over to the house and swiped the letter." " That doesn't make sense." " Why not?" "Well, it he had an old Nazi buddy in town... why didn't he come over and read the letter himselt?" "Well, maybe he's in a wheelchair." "Or maybe he's blind." "Well, guys that are blind don't normally go scooting out to steal letters." "Did he ever talk about his past?" "Excuse me, Dr. Weiskopt." "I'm just curious." " What kind of doctor are you?" " I'm a schoolteacher." "Dr. Weiskopf is a professor at the Judaic Institute in Munich." "He assists the Israeli government in certain matters." "Hey, buddy?" "You okay?" "Yeah, I'm fine." " You sure?" " Yeah." "I just can't believe it, even after what those guys told me." " It's mind-boggling." " Your mother and I teel terrible." "It's like we let you down." "It's not your fault." "We're gonna go down and talk to a lawyer." "He's very good." "It's nothing for you to worry about." "It's just I don't trust these cops." " Okay." "I think that's a good idea." " Yeah." "Well, your old man's on top of this, all right?" "We'll take care of this." "I know." " Dad?" " Yeah?" "I really never knew anything about this." " I never thought you did." " I know." "See you later." "Are you going to talk to the boy again?" " I don't think so." " Somehow, he didn't even..." "When you were a boy... what did you do for fun?" "Went to the movies." "Why?" "What'd you do?" "I used to chase girls." "And now, I chase old men." "Special Agent Richler, Dr. Weiskopt... this is the hospital administrator, Dr. McCormick." "His chief of statt, Dr. Sfewart." " How do you do?" " Hello, ma'am." " Do we have a plan?" " McCormick's arranged an exit for us." " Mr. French." " Hello, Todd." "What are you doing here?" "I came by to see your parents." "Are they home?" "No." "What about?" "That's between me and your parents." "Why isn't it between you and me?" "Do you want to tell me what happened?" "He needs to be turned on his left side." " Watch his line." " Get him over." "I wouldn't know where to begin." "Well, you're gonna have to tell me something." "I can tell you that it'd be better it we both just forgot about that." "Well, I'm sorry." "I can't do that." "Get the crash cart!" "Stat!" "Why don't you tell your parents I'll be back to see them later." " What?" " I thought we had a deal here." ""Pull up your grades and the world will open up for you."" "What do you mean?" "You want me to just forget about this?" "I just want to go to college and get on with my life." "Todd, okay." "You know, we're not gonna talk about this right now." "It was a mistake to come here." "I'll do this over the phone." "Clear the way!" "Can I ask you something, Ed?" "You don't mind it I call you Ed, do you?" "Now that I'm out of your fucking high school." " Does it ever work?" " What?" "I really wanna know." "Does it ever work, or am I the first one?" "'Cause if I'm the first, I'm flattered, but somehow I can't believe that." "Not after you fixing my grades." "And giving me your home phone number?" "And then you come out here when my parents aren't home." " What are you talking about?" " I mean, you've got some balls." "Is this why your wife left you?" "You must have really wanted to shake my hand." "Or something else." "Now, wait a minute." "What are you..." "Are you gonna tell people I did something to you?" "I don't wanna drag you down with me, but I will." " I'm better at this than you are." " Better at what?" "I'm trying to help you." "Can't you see that?" " You've helped enough." " Well, I won't just do nothing." "Well, you're gonna fucking have to!" " Still a flat line." " Clear!" "The things I'm gonna say, they'll never go away." "Not for you." "Think of your job." "Think of your son." "And clear!" "So, what's the story here, Ed?" "Do we have a deal?" "You can't do this." "You have no idea what I can do." "And still, the questions remain." "Was it economic, was it social or was it cultural?" "Or was it simply a matter of human nature?" "What was it that made some people do what they did... and other people do nothing at all?" "Good job, Mr. Bowden." "It's nice to see a few more A's this time around... including Mr. Bowden's, of course." "This concludes our week on the Holocaust." "It you wanna know more, you may find the Santo Donato library... to be an excellent resource." " Guess who likes you." " Who?" "Becky Trask." "Are you gonna ask her out?" " You know who I'm talkin' about?" " I know who she is." " I'll think about it." " No, don't think." "You just do it, all right?" "And can you give me your trig notes from last year, because Fiscarelii..." " I knew this was leading to something." " Fiscarelii is kickin' my ass." " I'll bring them in tomorrow." " Cool." "Ask Becky out." " I gotta think about it." " What are you doin' after school?" "I'm busy." "All right, I'm coming!" "Oh, for God's sake." "Yes?" " What do you want?" " I" "If you're selling something, I'm not interested." "I have your newspaper." "I'm not..." "I'm not selling anything." "Then what do you want?" "It you could let me in, I just wanna talk." "Talk?" "I don't have anything to say to you, boy." "Good day to you." "Bergen-Belson, January of '43 to June '43." "Auschwitz, June '43 to June '44." "And then you went to Patin." "After that, you disappeared." "But then in 1965, you were spotted in West Berlin." "Listen, boy." "I don't have time for this game." " Now leave before I call the police." " Call them if you want." "I'm sure they'd love to meet you." "Who are you?" "My name's Todd Bowden." "I didn't mean to scare you." "I just really wanna talk to you." "It you could let me in for a minute?" "Please, Mr. Dussander?" "All of this... because you saw an old man with a raincoat and an umbrella?" "It wasn't that easy." "I mean, these pictures are 40 years old, at least." "But when I held 'em up next to the ones I took, I knew I was close." " You took photographs of me?" " Yeah." "But even then, I couldn't be sure." "I needed real proof, so I dusted your mailbox for fingerprints." "You know, that's a lot harder than people think." "I had to go back to Toytown three times to get all the stutf." "Then I waited till you were at the movies." "You put dust on my mailbox for fingerprints?" "You took photographs of me?" "What else did you do?" "I already had a copy of your fingerprints." "They're on your want sheet from the Israeli government." "It's all on database at U.C. Irvine." "Are you okay?" "Would you care for a drink, boy?" " How about milk?" " Milk." "You told your parents about all this then?" "You think I'm crazy?" "It takes eight good matches for a print to get accepted in court." "They're called compares." "One or two is not so hard to find, but eight good ones, that's really tough." "It all sounds very exciting, boy... but I'm afraid all your work has been for nothing." "I found 14 compares." "Boy, what you have done..." "I have to explain this to you because, clearly, you don't understand." "What you have done is a violation." "Like those experiments with the decompression chamber." " Now, that's a violation." " To hell with this and to hell with you." "I'm calling the police." "Your father will beat your behind when he picks you up from the police station." " My parents don't believe in violence." " They should start." "I'm calling." "My name is Denker." "Arthur Denker." "I'm an American." "I became a citizen in 1955." "I vote." "You've no right to come here and say these lies about me." "I have your fingerprints." "I have your photographs." "One way or another, I'll get them to the right people." "This is unforgivable." "What do you want?" "Tell me." " I wanna hear about it." " Hear about what?" "The stories." "Everything." "What "everything"?" "Everything they're afraid to show us in school." "You were there." "You did those things." "No one can tell it better than you can." "That's all I want." "Then I'll leave you alone." "And just so you know... everything I have on you... the compares, the want sheet, all the photographs... are all in a very safe place." "It anything happens to me, someone will find it." "Believe me." "Tell me, boy... why should I consider any of this?" "Because you hung up the phone, that's why." "Judging by the results of your first exam..." "I think that for most of you, we moved a little too fast through chapter one." "By a show of hands... how many of you think you know what sociology is?" "That's what I thought." "All right, class." "Let's turn to chapter two." "Once they were in the chamber, how long did it take?" "Five minutes?" "Gott, no." "The prussic acid... took about l5 minutes." "But the monoxide... could take an hour, sometimes more." "What happened to them?" "I mean, exactly." "It was a mess." "They would lose control of their bodies." "They vomited, urinated and defecated themselves." "Even though the gas came in from the vents in the ceiling... they would climb on top of each other... desperately reaching for fresh air that wasn't there." "They died in a mountain of themselves." "What about the children?" "On the bottom." "Did anyone ever survive it?" "One time... the gas didn't work." "There was a leak in the pipes... so oxygen mixed with the monoxide." "It was horrible." "But after an hour they were still moving... stumbling around the room like drunks... their eyes glassy." "What did you do?" "I ordered more gas, but we didn't know about the leak." "Soon they began to twitch all over... like they were dancing." "Some even tell to their knees... laughing this terrible high-pitched squeal." "Even the guards were frightened." "It didn't kill them." "After two hours..." "I sent five men in with ritles." "It's getting dark." "Your mother will be worried." "Oh, shit!" "I gotta go." "I can be here tomorrow by 3:15." "I want to hear the end of this." "The end?" "The end." "Todd?" "Are you up?" "Honey, let's go." "Joey's outside." "Tell him I'm comin', will you?" "You said you were up halt an hour ago." "Yeah, I must have fallen back asleep." "Listen, honey, I'm gonna see a client tonight at 7:00." "But I've got some cold chicken in the fridge and plenty of..." "It's okay." "I'm gonna eat over at Mr. Denker's house." "What are you gonna do all night?" "Watch TV?" "Mom, I told you." "He doesn't watch TV." "I read books to him." "Will you not worry about it?" "Listen to me." "I want you to invite him over here... because Daddy and I still want to meet him." "Okay?" "So the policeman said to me..." ""Mr. Denker, if you can't see the road, you shouldn't be driving." "Now, how many fingers am I holding up?"" "And I said, "Well now, officer." "Let me guess." "One?"" "That was the end of my driving in America." "I've taken the bus ever since." "Well, of course, I'm not drivin' much either with this wheelchair... but my eyesight is not what it used to be." "That's a whitetail buck." "That's a remnant from our life in Carolina." "Dick brought that down in the Yadkin River..." " seven or eight years ago." " Seven." "You know, your grandson never told me that he came from a family of hunters." "Oh, Todd never took a shine to guns." " He's good at other things." " Baseball is Todd's game." " Arthur, sure you don't want a cigar?" " No, thank you." "It you don't mind, I'll have one of my cigarettes." "Where are they?" "Ah!" "Let me help you with that, Arthur." "My dear... your generosity humbles me." "I thank you for a most enchanting evening." "Well." "I wonder it you'd mind it I asked you a personal question?" "Not at all." "What'd you do during the war?" "I was in the reserves, as were most young men, Victor." "But then, my poor eyesight kept me out of combat, I thank God." "No, I spent most of the war in the military hospital... washing bed linens and nurses' unitorms." "You've been pretty quiet tonight." "I'm sorry." "It's just that I've heard all of these stories before." "That's all right, my dear." "The boy's just being honest." "It's a privilege of boys." "A privilege that men must sometimes give up." "You know, that reminds me." "I..." "It must have been my first year at the university." "There was a group of about three or tour of us, and we dropped in and..." "At first my men took turns shooting them in the head, but there were so many." "Two or three bodies could be packed into each oven." "They were ground into fine ash." "A whole town was wiped off the face of the earth." "And still, it wasn't enough for Himmler." "That was a dark year." "We ordered every Jew in Kiev to come to the Babi Yar Ravine." "You must remember, boy, the '20s were a desperate time in Germany." "The Treaty of Versailles had left us crippled." "God, we must have..." "They would hide..." "The shooting" " The walls" " The sewers-- But we always found them." "If the dogs didn't, the smoke and fire would." "We would round them up and march them out to a large pit." "At the time, the shooting was no longer killing." "Nothing could stop the killing." "It was no longer death." "I will never forget the sound that night." "So many of them on top of each other like that." "After a few hours, they began to settle." "A head would fall." "Yeah, an arm would drop." "It was a bit like the sound of blowing leaves." "What did it teel like?" "It was something that had to be done." "A door had been opened and couldn't be shut." "It was the end..." "You don't understand." "You've done it a million times!" "Let's go!" "That's it!" "Hit the showers!" " So, where you been?" " What do you mean?" "Well, it you'd return your phone calls... you'd know that Damon's havin' a party on Saturday night." " I've been busy." " Too busy for your best friend?" "I've been studying a lot, okay?" "I'm sorry." "You gonna go?" "I don't even know it I can get the car or not." " I know someone who'll give you a ride." " Who?" "I've been accepted!" "The Ritzy Vista Country Club." "Hee-hee-hee, my life's ambition." "Officer, can you tell me where to catch the bus... to the Ritzy Vista Country Club?" "Ritzy Vista Country Club." "Here it is." "Where you goin', pop?" "Why, this is the bus to the country club, isn't it?" "Very humorous." " What do you want?" " The name is Magoo." "I have my papers." " Hello?" " Judge Stevens put me in." " Okay, sit down." " Thank you." " This way, buddy." " My, what an impressive entrance." "Just look at those big iron gates." " Wake up." " I'll kill you!" "I thought you were dead." " You look terrible." " Today is, uh, Saturday." "Since when do you come here on Saturdays?" "I brought you something." "Aren't you gonna open it?" "Wait, wait." "Let's put the shades down." "What for?" "To be safe." "To hell with this." "You open it." "Relax." "Open it." "You wrapped it yourselt, I see." "Merry Christmas." "Mary, Mother of God." " Where did you get this?" " It looks pretty real, huh?" ""E.F. Montgomery..." "Costume Clothiers..." "Topenstein, New Jersey."" "Well, try it on." "Have you completely lost your mind?" "What on earth makes you think I'd put something like that on?" "I thought you would like it." "Like it?" "You are a bigger tool than I thought." "Maybe I'll put it on and do a little shopping." "Is that what you thought?" "The indignities I've suttered with you." "I should smash you." "What you've suftered with me is nothing compared... to what the Israelis would do to you." "You forget that, and I'll admit that's my fault." "But don't ever forget the file I have on you." "I tried to do things the nice way, but you don't want it." "So we're gonna do it the hard way." "You'll put this on because I wanna see you in it." "Now, move!" "I see I've been promoted." "Yeah, I know." "It's all they had." "But that's a perfect fit." "I checked in one of your suit coats." " It itches like hell." " Quiet." "Put the hat on." "Please." " Please, put the hat on." " Good Gott." "Attention." "What's so tunny?" "March." "Do it." "I'm serious." "Stop fucking around!" "March!" "That's it." "Face right!" "Okay, that's enough." "Stop." "Stop it!" "Boy, be careful." "You play with fire." "Okay, I can tell you're not into this." "No, I am, really." "It just takes me a while." "Right." "You know why I like you, Todd?" "Because you're the only guy that never tried to impress me." "Can I ask you something?" "Sure." "Do you ever wonder why people do the things they do?" "You think about it." " Okay." " Seriously." "It's better not to think." "It's better to just do it." "Who are you, kitty, kitty?" "It's getting cold out here... kitty, hmm?" "Kitty." "I'm sorry." "Maybe you'll be more in the mood later." "I don't know." "That's never really happened to me before." "It's all right." "Could you blow that the other way, please?" "Maybe you just don't like me." "No, it's not that at all." " I really do." " Maybe you just don't like girls." "Kitty, kitty." "Good-bye." "You motherfucker!" "Class, you have five more minutes." ""Dear Mr.  Mrs. Bowden:" "This note is to suggest that we have a group conterence... concerning Todd's first semester grades." "In light of his previous excellent work, the sudden decline in his grades... suggests a specific problem which should be addressed... before his academic advancement is jeopardized permanently." "I'm ready to work out a time for us to meet." "In a case such as this, earlier is usually better." "Sincerely yours, Edward French."" " Jesus, man." "What are you gonna do?" " Fuck it I know." " What?" " I said, "Fuck it I know."" "You're throwin' it up hard." "Let it roll of your fingers more." " I don't need a lesson, okay?" " All right." "Man, with your dad too." "I'm a fuck-up." "My dad expects this from me." "But you?" "You're talkin' to yourselt." "What's goin' on with you?" "Nothing." "I fucked up." "I'll fix it." "Whatever you say, man." " What's happening between you and Becky?" " Who?" "Becky Trask, idiot." "What did you call me?" "You're bein' a real dick, man." "I gotta get to practice." ""You're talkin' to yourselt, man." "You're bein' a dick."" ""...a time for us to meet." "In such a case as this, earlier is usually better." "Sincerely yours, Edward French."" "Who's this Edward French?" "Headmaster?" "No, he's a guidance counselor." " Well, what is that?" " He guides and he counsels." "You read the letter." "What stinks in here?" "Oh, I bet it's my TV dinner, I'm afraid." " We've got a problem here, you know?" " We?" " I'm not the one in trouble." " We'll see about that." "You don't turn this around on me, boy." "It's not my fault your grades have fallen." "That's where you're wrong." "The shit you tell me keeps me up half the night." "I fall asleep during class." "I need a fucking pencil." "Do you have one?" "What will your parents do about this letter?" "They're never gonna see it." "That's the whole point of this." "This isn't just a little slipup here." "My parents will freak." "They're gonna wanna know exactly what happened, and what happened is you." "You get what I'm telling you?" "I think so." "You better be sure... 'cause it's your sorry ass that winds up in jail, not mine." "Goddamn it!" "I need a pencil." "A sharp one, please." "Thank you." "Does this Edward French... know your parents in a social way?" "No." "My parents wouldn't mix with a geek like him." "How about professionally?" "Has he ever spoken to them?" "No." "I've never needed it until now." "You're messing things up with that carbon paper." " What do you know about it?" " Here." "Out of the way." "I was forging documents before your parents were born." "Todd, Mr. French will see you now." " Do you know what this is about?" " I'm sorry, I don't." "See ya." "He means the world to me." "Hey, Todd." "Have a seat." "Hello there." "It's okay." "Sit down." "We were just talking about what's been going on." "Do you wanna talk about it?" "Not really." "You know, this is nothing to be embarrassed about." "It's not your fault, and both of us... wanna help you get back on track." "Both of you?" "I must admit that... the situation in Richard's home is appalling." "I was raised to believe that a man should take responsibility... for his family." "But when you came to me in tears... and asked me to intervene... well then, I realized that this was not a matter to be trifled with." "That's why..." "I arranged this meeting." "We all appreciate your concern, Victor." "I've been looking at your record... and according to your progress report this quarter... every grade is way down, even your strongest subjects." "History:" "You went from a solid "A" to a "C" minus." "Trigonometry:" "Down to a "D"?" "Todd, did you know you were on your way to finishing first in your class?" "Yes." "Your grandfather and I have been talking and we both agree... that with what's been going on, what with your father's work problems... and your mom with the drinking... that maybe home isn't the best place to be studying." "So he's offered to let you study over at his place... every day after school." "Todd, I think it's a good idea." " You do?" " Yeah." "In fact, I offered to go a step further." "But it means you and I gotta make a deal." "What kind of deal?" "Well, finals for this quarter are in 31/2 weeks." "Right?" "Now, if you can give me all A's... then I'll talk to your teachers... and see if we can't discount your midterms... and let this quarter's grades rest with your final exams." "But it you come back with B's or C's, I can't help you." "But all A's... that shows everybody that you're serious." " You can do that?" " Yeah." "But first you gotta start being honest with me." "No more forging your father's signature." "No more hiding my letters." "For now we can deal with just the three of us... it it makes things easier at home." "But you try and pull one over on me, next time I show up on your doorstep." "Is that clear?" " He's oftering to help..." " I know!" "But that's a whole lot to do in three weeks." "What if I can't do it?" "Mr. Bowden, I can't thank you enough for coming down here today... but it it's all right with you I'd like to talk to Todd alone... for a few minutes." "Yes, it's quite all right." "If you didn't excuse me..." "I'm afraid that my desire for a cigarette would." "You can take my word, when the time is right..." "I'll tell Richard about all this, you know." "He and Monica need to know what's happening to their son." "I'll expect you after school." " He's a very persuasive man." " Tell me about it." "Listen, Todd." "I understand what you're going through." "I really do." "My wite and I, we just went through the nastiest divorce since Henry Vlll's." "And I know it's not easy being a senior and only 16." "And now we're asking a lot of you." "But your grandfather thinks you can do this." "Todd, I know you can." "So from now on..." "I don't want you to feel like you have no one you can talk to, okay?" "Your parents, or girl problems..." "Anything at all." "Here's my home phone." "Anything at all." "Anything." "You call me, Todd." "Call me." "Deal?" "I'm telling you, buddy, you get past this little hurdle..." "I promise you the world's gonna open up for you like you won't believe." "Bye." "Have you lost your mind?" "What the hell were you thinking, "Grandpa"?" " What are you so excited about?" " Oh, you've got some fucking balls!" "I could've screwed you up." "Anything could've happened." "You played it beautifully, boy." "I knew you would." "Are you fucking drunk?" "I could've busted you right there." "Yes, you could have, but you did not." "Now why was that?" "Your Edward French is not going to give you any more trouble." "Now you are upset because the only way you can make things right is to work." "I'm upset because you had that asshole thinking I can do something..." " that can't be done." " Oh, but it can, and it will." "You will simply have to work." "No more stories." " No more screwing around." " I don't take orders from you." " You do now." " Oh, you think so?" "Don't forget, I can walk in there and pick up that phone." "And do what?" "Do you really think that I would stand aside... and let you turn me in without dragging you with me?" "Do you?" "Your American self-confidence is so bloated... you've forgotten the reality of the situation." "90,000 died in Patin." "To the whole world, I am a monster." "And you have known about me all this time." "It I'm caught, when those reporters stick their microphones in my face... it will be your name that I will repeat over and over again." "Todd Bowden." "Yes, that was his name." "For how long?" "For months, almost a year." "He wanted to know everything." "That was how he put it, yes." "Everything." "You're crazy." "They'll never believe you." "It doesn't matter." "Oh, you're going to be infamous, boy." "Take my word for it." "And you know what such a scandal can do." "It never goes away." "Not for you." "Not for your parents." "And besides, lying to judges and reporters isn't as easy as you think." "You'd have to be brilliant." "Can you do that?" "I know I can." "There's no way in hell..." "I'm gonna be able to pull myselt out of a half-year's slide in a few weeks." " This shit just doesn't happen." " Boy, the time for discussion is over." "This is the way it is." "You're going to work." "You're going to spend the rest of this quarter and all your vacation studying." "...one of the most interesting writers of his time." "...longitude and latitude." "There are coordinates both sides by "y," leaving you with 3xy made some people do what they did, and other people do nothing at all." "This concludes our week on the Holocaust." "If you wanna know more, you may find the Santo Donato library an excellent..." "You are a monster." "Is the thrill enough?" " What you have done is a violation." " I wanted to know more." " I wanted to know more." " A door had been opened..." " I wanted to know more." " ..." "lose control of their bodies..." " I fucked up." " You'd have to be brilliant." "Lying isn't as easy as you think." " Maybe you just don't like girls." " He's good at other things." " I'll fix it." " You gotta start being honest with me." "Boy, be careful." "You play with fire." "It never goes away." "Not for you." "How about some melba toast?" " Sure." " Sure." "I would have expected you to be doing back tlips... down the hallway after such good news." "But you're so quiet." "Today, I think I will give you the day off from studying." "How's that?" "Hmm?" "How about... one of my stories instead?" "I still have a few good ones left." " I don't care." " Let's see." "I could tell you about the special soap... we made." "Or there's always the story of how I escaped from Berlin... after I was so foolish as to go back." "That was a close one, I can tell you." "No, none of these." "I think you don't seem to be in the mood." "I think today I will tell you the story... of an old man who was afraid." "He was afraid of a certain young boy who was... in a clear way... his friend." "The boy proved to be a very good student." "But not perhaps in quite the way... his mother and his teachers had envisioned." "At first, the old man disliked the boy intensely." "But then he began to enjoy the boy's company." "Ot course, there is still a great deal of distrust between them." "Each knew something the other wanted to keep secret." "Over time... the old man felt... his hold on the boy slipping away." "He thought the day might come when the boy no longer needed him." "So... one sleepless night... the old man got out of bed... and wrote down the story of his involvement with the boy." "Everything he could remember... from the first day forward." "He wrote how the boy forced his way... into the old man's house and blackmailed the old man... to serve his own morbid fascinations." "When the boy's grades began to fall... he blamed the old man and ordered him... to impersonate his grandfather." "At the end, his hands were stinging with arthritis... but he telt happy for the first time in weeks." "He telt safe." "On the tollowing morning, the old man... put on his best suit... and went down to one of the local banks... and rented a safe deposit box." "The bank officer explained to the old man... that only the old man could use the old man's key... with one exception." "The exception was... in the event of the box holder's death, then..." "Then what?" "The box will be opened in the presence of a bank official... and a representative of the Internal Revenue Service." "The contents of the box would be inventoried." "But in this case... they would only find a 12-page document." "Nontaxable, but highly interesting." "You didn't do this." "I don't believe you." "My boy... it is already done." "Jesus fucking Christ!" "Look at you!" "You could go at any time." "Don't be so theatrical." "A man five or ten years older than me, worries more... about his ailing heart than being... sent off to Israel." "And the day will come, if I live long enough... when I decide that what you know no longer matters." "But then, and only then, I will destroy the document." "So many things can happen in between." "Accidents, sickness." "You could slip in the fucking shower, for Christ's sake." "Whatever will be will be" "The future's not ours to see" "Que sera, sera" "I can see you're thinking it now, even now." "It's in your eyes..." "killing me." "All it would take would be the tlick of a knife." "Push me down the steps, make it look like an accident." "I am old." "You are strong." "You're angry." "Good assets for killing." "But there is something missing." "To have someone in your control..." "To have them know that they are alive... only because you have not decided to the contrary." "Do you have that power?" "Ask yourself." "It's not an easy question." "I think you know that." "You know this means we're through, don't you?" "You won't be seein' me around here anymore." "I suppose I won't." "What are you doing?" "This is the end." "Here." "A drink." "To our lives together." "The beginning and the end." "I think you should fuck yourselt." "Oh, my dear boy." "Don't you see?" "We are fucking each other." "Strike!" "Two outs!" "Strike three!" "What are you guys waitin' for?" "Let's go!" "Rebound!" "Move it!" "Watch your step." "Sir?" "Excuse me." "I can help you carry those." "You don't gotta be afraid." "I can help you." "I don't need your help." "Excuse me." "I'm not a bad guy." "You don't gotta worry." " Please, I just wanna..." " What do you want?" " Why do you bother me?" " We're practically neighbors." "You know, I stay right over there most nights." "I mean, I see you walk down the street." "I just wanna help." " It's called being neighborly." " Piss off." "You don't..." "There's no reason to be rude!" "No reason!" "I know something about you." "I know you're a nice guy." "I'm nice too, just like the boy." "I see." "I'm not ashamed to say that I could use a drink about now." "But I don't take no charity." "It you were to invite me in like a friend... then we could have a nice drink." "A drink." "That's what I'm sayin'." "You smell like a toilet." "Maybe you'll let me use your shower." "But first a drink." "Then I will do anything you say." "I had 'em hooked up, rollin'... 41/2." "But three minutes, that was my best." "I was, like, movin' double time." "Gosh, you know..." "I didn't... didn't see that dog in the back seat." " Didn't see it." " What dog?" "That dog." "I heard it barking." "But I hear dogs barking all the time, even when they ain't there." "So I didn't pay no mind." "D.O.T. Didn't wanna hire me 'cause of that thing with the..." "Anyway." "Who wants to talk about that?" "So I was..." "I was an independent, you know... which meant that I could go all over the whole city." "You know, I believe... we need another bottle." "It you're oftering, then we accept." "That's no trouble at all." "Look, why don't you drink mine?" "Thank you." "So, like I was sayin'..." "I was..." "I worked as an independent." "'Cause the D.O.T., they wouldn't hire me, right?" "So I was able to go... all over the whole city." "Midtown, downtown, left side, right side..." "Where is my bottle opener?" "There it is." "You stay right there." "So then I moved on." "Washington Heights was good." "It was always good... because there were a lot of nooks and crannies, you know." "The D. R.'s... the Dominicans there, they liked to... go around in their cars like they were buses." "Then they dropped that cinder block on that cop from three-four." "And it got all crazy." "But you gotta be movin', 'cause... they come back, they catch you hooking' their ride." "Do you mind?" "No." "Not at all." "Maybe in the morning... perhaps everything goes okay, you could let me have $10." "Perhaps." "Even a 20..." "Perhaps." "We shall see." "You can relax, you know." "I've done this before." "That's all right." "So have I." "Let me go pee first." "Did you look at this before you signed it?" "That bill was written in Japanese." " I told you that." " Numbers are numbers in any language." "That man did not speak one word of English." " That's not the point." " Ot course it's the point." "The point is you look at a bill before you pay it." "I did not understand one word." "That's exactly the point." "Hello?" "Yes." "Maybe it was in yen." "Maybe it is." "It's Mr. Denker." "He sounds very anxious." "Why would he be calling at this hour?" " Hello?" " Come over right away, boy." "I'm having a heart attack." "A bad one, I think." "That sounds exciting, but I have to study for my trig final." "I understand you cannot talk, but you can listen." "I cannot call an ambulance." "I need help." "And that means you need help." "It you put it that way." "Tell you parents I have an important letter... and I need you to read it to me." "I'll be right over." "Now we'll see what you're made of." "What happened?" "Ah, boy." " Where are you bleeding?" " It's not my blood." "It was seit- defense." "Boy, now listen." " What are you talking about?" " Shut up." "Nobody comes here until you have done what needs to be done." "Go down the steps." "What did you do?" "Go down the steps, huh?" "That's right." "Let me out!" " Let me the fuck outta here!" " No, boy." "If you won't help me, I have to make you." "That's enough!" "Open the goddamned door!" "Do you hear me?" "Fuck you!" "If you're going to behave like a fucking schoolgirl, I'll..." "I'm gonna break your goddamn door down!" "Fuck!" "Don't be afraid, boy." "I know what you're doing." "I'm gonna break the goddamn door down!" "What are you doing?" "There is no point." "Why are you doing this?" "Call an ambulance." "The key." "The key to the safe deposit box." "Where is it?" "Boy, I need a doctor." "Now." "Give me the key." "I'm dying." "I know." "Oh, no." "Not like this." "Please." "You did good, son." "You did real good." "It's a good thing you called us when you did." "You saved his life." "Dad." "Let's go make sure he gets checked in all right." "You shouldn't have." "It's from my mother." "They say the operation was a success." "They say I have another 20 years." "A new lease on life." "I took care of everything, except for the key." "Where is it?" "There's no safe deposit box." "There never was." "I lied." "I had to protect myself from you, boy." "You understand?" "I suspect that we will never see each other again." " No, we won't." " Wait." "I want to ask you something." "What?" "What did it feel like?" " I better go." " Wait." "Perhaps I..." "Perhaps I could persuade you to stay." "Just until I fall asleep." "My medicine makes me drowsy." "Please?" "Excuse me, young man." "You are a very good boy to visit your grandfather like that." "Thank you, but he's just a friend." "Then you are a very good friend." "Tell me." "Is he very bad off?" "He doesn't talk much." " The doctors say he'll be out soon." " That's good news." "From the way he speaks, I would guess he was German." " From the south, I think." " I don't know." "I wonder it he was in the war." "I don't think so." "He's never mentioned it, anyway." "It doesn't matter, I suppose." "It was a long time ago, the war." "Soon, in this country... we will have a president born after the war was over." "How about that?" " I'm sure you're right." " He is so very lucky... to have you." "A great man once said..." ""No man is an island... entire of itself."" "John Donne." " Have a nice evening, sir." " Good-bye." "Mr. Jefferson, I don't have to listen to that kind of talk." "Then how about this kind of talk?" "That's just a warning." "Anytime you crave for Florence's food, that's a weird craving." "Jenny's the one who's pregnant." "They said they had something to tell us." " Something important." " Oh, we're gonna be grandparents again!" "Oh, I just can't wait to tell everybody!" "Hey, Ralph." "Great!" "Huh?" "Thanks, Ralph." "The kids just got out of a cab." "They should be here any second." "What's wrong?" "What's wrong?" "Yes." "I'm speaking to you." "Mr. Kramer is recuperating elsewhere." " Are you awake now, Dussander?" " Yes, of course." "But you seem to have confused me with someone else." "My name is Denker." "Perhaps you need a different room." "My name is Weiskopf, and you are Kurt Dussander." "No, I don't know no one by that name." "Should I call a nurse?" "The man in the next bed was Benjamin Kramer." "He was imprisoned for ten months at Patin." "You were responsible for the death of his wite and two daughters." "My name is Denker." "Arthur Denker." " I am an American." " Please, don't bother." "Your papers won't stand up to serious examination and you know it." " I think we have all we need here." " Who are these men?" "I'm Dan Richler, special agent with the F.B.I... and this is Detective Getty with the L.A.P.D." "And I think you know who I work for." "When you regain your strength, you will be moved." "Until then, this entire ward will be under guard." "You can expect to be in Jerusalem by the end of the summer." " So where do you want us to sit?" " Anywhere but the front row." " Yeah?" "There's, uh, Carla." " Carla!" "How are you?" " Hi." "Hi, Chelsea." " I thought that was you." "Hi." "Congratulations." "It's a big day for everybody." " How are you?" " Excuse me." "You did it." "I knew you could." "I am so proud of you." " Thank you." " Oh, hi." "These must be your parents." " Yeah." "Dick Bowden." "Nice to meet you." " Ed French." " Todd pulled one off." "You must be proud." " Yes, we are." " This is my wite, Monica." " Hi." " Are you a teacher of Todd's?" " Actually, I'm his guidance counselor." " Oh, great." " Nice to meet you." "Yeah." "I was looking forward to seeing your grandfather, Victor." "Where is he?" "It's a long trip from Charlotte." "He's been in a wheelchair for a few years." "So they don't get out here much." "Usually Thanksgiving." "I'm-I'm sorry." "I don't..." "I don't understand." "That's your cue." "That's my cue." "Okay." "Good luck up there." " Nice to meet you." " Take care, Ed." "I don't feel so well." "Maybe after the ceremony, we could go straight home." " Are you okay?" " You know what?" "It's probably nerves." " Just take a deep breath." " We'll see how it goes." "All great achievements arose from dissatisfaction." "It is the desire to do better... to dig deeper... that propels a civilization to greatness." "All of us have heard the story of Icarus... the young boy who took the wings his father built for him... wings that were meant to carry him over the ocean to freedom... and used them instead for a joyride." "For a brief moment..." "Icarus felt what it was like to live as a god... to touch the sun... to soar above the common man." "And for doing so, he paid the ultimate price." "You boys better come down to the cellar." "You're not gonna believe this." "Like Icarus, we too have been given gifts:" "Knowledge, education... experience." "And with these gifts comes the responsibility of choice." "We alone decide how our talents are bestowed upon the world." "This is our destiny... and we hold it in the palm of our hands." "...of an investigation by local police... the sheriff's department, F.B.I... and the Department of Justice." "Police have confirmed that a body has been found... in the basement of Arthur Denker... the Santo Donato resident believed to be... a Nazi war criminal." "The cause of death has not been revealed... and authorities are withholding identification of the body... until more information is available." "The apprehension of Dussander would bring to a close... a manhunt that's been underway now for 40 years in three continents." "I'll be taking care of you from now on." "Try to relax." "Todd, I'm Dan Richler." "I'm a special agent with the F.B.I." "And this is Dr. Weiskopt." "If you don't mind, I'd like to hear about... your involvement with Dussander." "Well, actually, you knew him as Arthur Denker." "Isn't that right?" " Yes." " How did you know him?" "Are you sure you feel up to this?" "Yeah, I'll be fine." "Let me tell you what we're interested in." "You told the admitting nurse that Arthur Denker... had a heart attack while you were reading him a letter." " Yes." " Was it in English or German?" "German." " You speak German?" " No." "So you had no idea what you were reading." "No." "But he seemed to understand every word I was saying." "What we can't seem to figure out is the letter, Todd." "Do you have any idea what happened to it?" "I guess it's still on the table." "I couldn't swear to it, though." " Then it still should be there." " It isn't?" "No." "Well, when you arrived, Mr. Bowden, do you remember seeing a letter?" "But I wasn't looking for a letter." "I was more concerned about Todd." "Maybe somebody broke in and took it." "Why would somebody break into a house simply to steal a letter?" "Unless, of course, they wanted to protect him." "You know, a close friend, another fugitive." "Look, I know all this sounds like Robert Ludlum kind of stuff... but we think that while Dussander was in the hospital... our "Mr. X" scooted over to the house and swiped the letter." " That doesn't make sense." " Why not?" "Well, it he had an old Nazi buddy in town... why didn't he come over and read the letter himselt?" "Well, maybe he's in a wheelchair." "Or maybe he's blind." "Well, guys that are blind don't normally go scooting out to steal letters." "Did he ever talk about his past?" "Excuse me, Dr. Weiskopt." "I'm just curious." " What kind of doctor are you?" " I'm a schoolteacher." "Dr. Weiskopf is a professor at the Judaic Institute in Munich." "He assists the Israeli government in certain matters." "Hey, buddy?" "You okay?" "Yeah, I'm fine." " You sure?" " Yeah." "I just can't believe it, even after what those guys told me." " It's mind-boggling." " Your mother and I teel terrible." "It's like we let you down." "It's not your fault." "We're gonna go down and talk to a lawyer." "He's very good." "It's nothing for you to worry about." "It's just I don't trust these cops." " Okay." "I think that's a good idea." " Yeah." "Well, your old man's on top of this, all right?" "We'll take care of this." "I know." " Dad?" " Yeah?" "I really never knew anything about this." " I never thought you did." " I know." "See you later." "Are you going to talk to the boy again?" " I don't think so." " Somehow, he didn't even..." "When you were a boy... what did you do for fun?" "Went to the movies." "Why?" "What'd you do?" "I used to chase girls." "And now, I chase old men." "Special Agent Richler, Dr. Weiskopt... this is the hospital administrator, Dr. McCormick." "His chief of statt, Dr. Sfewart." " How do you do?" " Hello, ma'am." " Do we have a plan?" " McCormick's arranged an exit for us." " Mr. French." " Hello, Todd." "What are you doing here?" "I came by to see your parents." "Are they home?" "No." "What about?" "That's between me and your parents." "Why isn't it between you and me?" "Do you want to tell me what happened?" "He needs to be turned on his left side." " Watch his line." " Get him over." "I wouldn't know where to begin." "Well, you're gonna have to tell me something." "I can tell you that it'd be better it we both just forgot about that." "Well, I'm sorry." "I can't do that." "Get the crash cart!" "Stat!" "Why don't you tell your parents I'll be back to see them later." " What?" " I thought we had a deal here." ""Pull up your grades and the world will open up for you."" "What do you mean?" "You want me to just forget about this?" "I just want to go to college and get on with my life." "Todd, okay." "You know, we're not gonna talk about this right now." "It was a mistake to come here." "I'll do this over the phone." "Clear the way!" "Can I ask you something, Ed?" "You don't mind it I call you Ed, do you?" "Now that I'm out of your fucking high school." " Does it ever work?" " What?" "I really wanna know." "Does it ever work, or am I the first one?" "'Cause if I'm the first, I'm flattered, but somehow I can't believe that." "Not after you fixing my grades." "And giving me your home phone number?" "And then you come out here when my parents aren't home." " What are you talking about?" " I mean, you've got some balls." "Is this why your wife left you?" "You must have really wanted to shake my hand." "Or something else." "Now, wait a minute." "What are you..." "Are you gonna tell people I did something to you?" "I don't wanna drag you down with me, but I will." " I'm better at this than you are." " Better at what?" "I'm trying to help you." "Can't you see that?" " You've helped enough." " Well, I won't just do nothing." "Well, you're gonna fucking have to!" " Still a flat line." " Clear!" "The things I'm gonna say, they'll never go away." "Not for you." "Think of your job." "Think of your son." "And clear!" "So, what's the story here, Ed?" "Do we have a deal?" "You can't do this." "You have no idea what I can do."