"d The baby was born d d nettles and ferns d d the evening, it chokes d d the candle, it burns d d this disguise d d covers bier lies d d repeating the joke d" "d the med it's easy ds d d don't let it go d d don't lose it d d the bankers have bailed d d the mighty retreat d d the pleasure, it fails d d at the end of the week d" "d you take it or leave d d or what you receive d d to what you receive d d is eternited leave d d it's easy d d don't let it go d d it's easy d" "d don't let it go d d it's easy d d don't let it go d d don't lose it d" "d don't lose it. d" "Gus!" "Israel check in?" "Gus!" "Did we hear from the kid yet?" " If you don't mind, my car waits here." " Yes, sir." " Welcome to The Morongo, sir." " Thank you very much." "Right this way." "I got him." "Good to have you here." "How was your trip?" "It was fine." "Oh, here he is, right here." "Mr. Cohen, I've been looking for you." "Yeah, I thought I'd make better time." "I remember when that Meat Loaf album came out..." " that album "Bat out of Hell."" " Easy-going guy." " I can ask him to come say hello." " Why don't you do that?" "Being party to the arrangements organized by Mr. Bernstein, it seemed good we might ought to go ahead and meet." "I go back with Ace." "I rely on him doing what he says." "Well, acts of God, force majeure... any eventuality, we plan to go forward with Mr. Bernstein's plans exactly as he had outlined." "That deal or terms," "I don't know if they're transferable." "From respect for your history with Ace... a long time build-up of trust." "We'd like to up that number considerably." "Hypothetically, you made me a gesture of commitment." "That could open a further conversation." " As far as Sacramento..." " Those crooks are your problem." "Our nickel, agreed." "Absolutely." "We'll secure the votes in Sacramento." "Ace." "Ace." "How'd it go with the chief?" "Plus we got an e-mail from that kid." ""For personal reasons I feel I have to resign"" "my position as go-between between" ""Mr. Bernstein and Mr. Smythe and his associates."" " Sons of bitches." " "Serving two masters" "I feel has put me in an untenable position."" "Bullshit." "Yeah?" "Who?" "Ace." "DiRossi." "Yeah, send him up." ""I've also decided to relocate"" "and don't wish to be available for further contact." "It's important for me to say my belief that, for their own personal reasons, everyone involved in this has acted in full good faith." " "It would distress me..."" " Where's my coffee?" ""...if my leaving undermines anyone believing that."" "Does he expect us to buy that?" "They killed him, Gus." "They fucking killed him." "The horses on the merry-go-round are gonna get dizzy and fall." "It's called a "hot-walker."" "There he is, the goat." "Yes." "Uh-huh." "I got a colic and two needing x-rays." "I got the Irish horse breezing next set, and you bring to my barn the monkey on the bike likes the chocolates." "What monkey?" "What bike?" "Where's the colic?" "Colic's in 16." "In the movie, on the bike, that crosses the moon." "Now, Rosie, there's no need to unless you want to." " I know that, Mr. Smith." " All right, as long as you know that." " Morning, boss." " Hey, jock." " Morning, Rosie." " Hey." " Oh, here, I'll get it." " All right." "All right." "As far as getting this guy rolling, Ronnie," " you won't be having to ask." " Okay, yeah." "Just smooch at him once and he'll quicken." "Which he'll fool you, too, on the clock 'cause you're liable to think that he's dogging'." "I'll be home early, mom." "Screw you, too, Ronnie Jenkins." "Home like you brought him out, boss." "Home like we brought him out." "It's probably just a bruise." "Thanks." "Okay." "Okay, here we go." "There you are." "Okay." "Okay." "Oh, oh!" "That was something." "Oh, yeah." "Hey!" "Jefe!" "Jefe!" "You okay?" "Yeah." "Came and talked to us on your instruction, told us you were meeting with the Indian, which, by the way, congratulations... laying the groundwork for Sacramento." "Bright a kid as I've recently come across." "And suddenly there's a follow-up message." "He finds his situation ain't tenable and he's suddenly serving two masters." " Resigns from out of left field." " Sent us the same message." "And we should believe Mr. Bernstein's on the square and that he wants to be partners with us... exactly how he says." " Like someone had to make that case." " Very highly-strung." "Ace always remarked that with him." "So Mike sends me out of a Cannon." ""Assure no disruption with Ace and next go-between, we'll pay for the therapist."" "Can you take a ride with us, Nick?" "I cleared my calendar." "Sure." "Business with Gus' horse." "Let's take a ride, sure." "Mr. Smith." "Walk with you a minute?" "Yes, yeah. 10:15." "I'll be there." "Ronnie, jog him back past the seven-eighth, break him off at the three-eighths, and then let him strut a little finishing." " Okay, boss." " Yeah, I know you got your... bumps right up against the goddamn drawing for the race, this stewards' hearing." "Bowman has made a settlement offer." "I've got nothing to settle with him, nothing!" "Yeah, well, he has this affidavit from a guy named Sloane that he intends to submit to the stewards." "Where is that no-good son of a bitch, huh?" " Where is he?" " Take it easy." "No, you... tell the goddamn bastard to submit it!" " Listen, we're just going to..." " Go ahead, submit it." "You know it's given by a horse killer?" "Mr. Smith, we're going to give this a wide berth, all right?" "You're just going to let me do our business at the hearing, all right?" "Now, you've got a colt to work, sir." " All right?" " Yes, sir." " It'll be all right." " All right." " All right?" " Yes." "Yeah, you're right." "No idea where Israel would be now, Nick, huh?" "Zero, no, uh-uh." "Wonder where his people are from." "Gus'll find everything out." "Gus Demitriou on the case." "Old man lucked into the best horse of his life." "Mm-hmm." "Okay, Bruiser, here we go." "Now let him strut some, son." "Come on." "Okay, I'll check on this guy in the morning." "Keep the one with colic walking." " Si, doctor." " Eduardo, time to go." " Swap to the last eighth and then go." " Back up or straight out?" " No, no, no." "Straight out." " You got it." " So what we do about you?" " Oh, I'm back to my rounds." "Business is coming." "Jesus Christ, we're taking him to work." " You're cutting it close." " Come here." "I wanna ask you a question." " E.R.?" " Yeah, you drive." "That I can have a private conversation?" "With who and who?" "You know, someplace private for me and Mr. Bernstein's friend." " Hey." " Listen to me." "You need to talk to his friend?" "Privately, yeah." "It's what Mr. Bernstein wants." "We've gotta go up here a second." "Give me the keys in case they gotta move the car." "Don't touch the G.P.S. I've got that thing all fixed up." "We got a shortcut?" "All right, now , pick it up." "You lying S.O.B." "Please." "The fuck is this, now?" "I don't know." "I guess it's where they used to keep the saddles and stuff." "I don't need no extra trouble." "30 years ago outside a track in New York" "I used to buy carrots from you." "I don't think I remember you." "Talked to Charlie Lacey... could he get you going as a groom?" "Rest Charlie's soul." "Why'd you get me a job?" "I thought maybe you'd be good." "What a great trainer, Charlie." " And what a lousy gambler." " That's how I knew him." "I used to book his bets." "And now you're giving me this horse... this is Gus' horse." "Now I gotta go someplace... two to one." "I can't find it... or what the ck is gonna happen?" "There." "Oh, there's the cars." "Am I getting hurt here, Gus?" "For events I have nothing to do with?" "You keep on insulting my intelligence" "let me have get you your cell phone." "Isn't the important thing to settle... to verify in Ace's mind our partnership's viability?" "Its absolute forward thrust?" "Ready to navigate." "Yeah, you do your job, I'll do mine." "Yeah, like poor relations he treats us, this arrogant Peruvian prick." "Marcus, between our horse 's training in a handicap for 75,000 on the undercard and his horse he trains in the derby who's running for a million... they're two different caliber races." "How ain't Escalante's derby horse gonna be his major focus?" "Well, his major focus on that limo driver's horse doesn't mean he has to short-change us, Escalante." "He says he's smoking out our field before he decides if to run." "No, I say the post-position pick in the derby where Escalante's temporarily tied down... we insist on consultation." " Turo." " Problem come out with the weights." "Yeah, 112, huh, Turo?" "They don't give your horse credit." "What weight your kid can do?" "Truthfully, m-maybe 116." "But one monkey don't stop the circus." "Your girl can do the weight?" "S-she can do 11 all day, that... that Rosie." "And e... she won't hurt you none on the odds." "Holy cow, I never think of that." "Okay, the board's considering a protest to the entry of gettin' up morning in the Western derby." "Present are Walter Smith, whose counsel, Mr. Hartstone, has presented the foal certificate, and a Mr. Dennis Bowman claiming reversion of title based on an agister lien for board and stallion service." "I have documentation of that stallion's stud fee and the rates the farm charged for board, none of which were ever paid." "I was give that breeding by the colonel." "Free gratis on a handshake, and board for my mare and foal for my years of service to that farm." "Does Mr. Bowman have proof of these bills ever having been sent to Mr. Smith?" "Seems to me, Mr. Bowman, to have standing to come before us, you'd have to prove the agister claim in a Kentucky civil court." "I'd also like to present an affidavit concerning some related events." "What rock did you find that horse killer under to run your little shakedown, huh?" "The fact the man's incarcerated doesn't prevent him from having a story to tell." "I ran Jimmy Sloane off that farm every damn time I laid eyes on him, that's what the hell I did!" "My hope here, sir, is Mr. Smith respond to a good-faith offer to settle all these open questions." "Well, Mr. Bowman's hope is to harass and embarrass" "Mr. Smith into some kind of nuisance payoff." "Okay." "Protest is found without standing." "Entry of Gettin' Up Morning in the Western derby is allowed." "Walter Smith is the owner-trainer." "It's over." "Get to the draw." " Thank you, sirs." " Good luck, Mr. Smith." "There's the fetal heartbeat, which is essentially regular." "Some..." "Placental distortion." "That would be due to the trauma of the kick." "And there's some irregularity of the uterine wall." "Let's be cautious and watch you here for six to 12 hours." "I've got my assistant and a little boy in the waiting room." "Oh, you'll be in an observation unit." "It's all right if they keep you company." "Welcome to our drawing post positions..." "For our million-dollar Western derby here at the track on Saturday." "Everyone please, enjoy the food." "How come at the barn she don't say you gonna take her to the hospital?" "Uh-huh, yeah, okay." "So you keep me posted what's what." "Or is your silent point you're conveying, Gus, that you and me are in some type of limbo till some outside something takes place?" "Which there's reasonable grounds to hope for." "Is that what I'm supposed to be getting?" "'Cause that I would understand completely... your telling me to just sit tight, let the major players work it out." "There's grounds for patience and hope." "Here we go, ladies and gentlemen... the post position draw for the derby's 75th running, a million dollars guaranteed." "And assisting our Western derby queen will be the connections of our race co-favorites:" "Owner-trainer Walter Smith..." "Thank you, Walter." " ..." " And trainer Turo Escalante." "Turo, will you get us started, please?" "Here we go." "The first horse drawn is..." "Kayden's friend." "Kayden's friend." "Turo, back to you." "Gettin' up morning is drawn." "And what post will he be breaking from, Mr. Smith?" "Gettin' up morning draws post position one." " Ooh." " Ouch." "The favorite draws the difficult rail." "I guess they don't give nothing away, huh?" "Ronnie Jenkins, the jockey there." "Turo." "Gus Demitriou's Pint of plain." "Now let's see where you'll be running from, Turo." "And Pint of plain draws post position number... two." "Ho ho." " With leading rider Rico Ramirez on board." " Nice." "Our two co-favorites will start side by side." "117.6, Joey." "Well, it's the right fucking direction." "So, listen." "So Escalante's taking a flyer, kid." " That one they're running on derby day?" " Y-yeah." "He's in for 112 pounds, so..." "so I don't have to tell you... y-you and I b-both know that we can't make that." "Let me try to pull the six pounds." "Physical impossible, "a."" "Plus, a weak breeze blows you right off the animal." "Upside is that Escalante has all but guaranteed that you're gonna be on that horse next out." "Who's he putting on?" "Who he puts on to your state of mind going forward." "You gonna answer my question?" "Rosie." "R-Rosie's putting on, which y-you could've knocked me over with a feather." "Rosie!" "I'll never get there." "Fuck!" "Times to come, which they will, you wonder why you got yourself an agent, you try to keep this moment in mind." "What's going on, then, Joey?" "I maneuvered you the mount on Escalante, the overnight stake on derby day." "Don't you fuckin' tell me!" " All right." "Okay, okay." " Yes!" "Oh, what about Leon?" "Well, the horse got 112." "The k-kid's five pounds over." "Oh, come on." "Okay, okay, who's got a... six?" " Go fish." " Go fish." "You guys are like..." " Who's got any fives?" " Go fish." " You stay over there, okay?" " Okay." "Thank you." "This is crazy!" "This is really nuts!" " Yeah." "Well, you're in the zone." " Yeah." "$45 you said you saw?" "Before post time, yep." "There it is..." "47-20." " Yes!" " Hey." "Come with me and get some popcorn." "Yeah." "Pink, baby." "Pink rules." "You told us, yeah." "Yeah, I know." "Don't where she works have a day shift?" "Ok, I'll deal with it, Marcus." "Right now she's running so hot." "Well, go somewheres else to sit." "I like to be among my friends." "Well, your friend's just about ready to roll himself off the roof." "All right." "You know the kind of situation, Gus, you keep meaning to eventually reach out?" "A daughter in Wittiger I've grown apart from." "This type of occasion reminds me to get that off the dime." "All right, Paco, go out and give him a couple turns." " Okay, boss." " Yeah." "Come on, big guy." "Yeah, they told him." "They told him, too." "No standing or no goddamn venue!" "Crawl back into the woodworks, you goddamn, parasitic son of a bitch." " Hey, there, boss." " Oh, hey, Rosie." "That overnight stake race on derby day." "News." " Yeah?" " Escalante gave me a ride." "Ah, good on you!" "That's fine." "I'm moving way up in company." "My mount, he's been running in with the cheap ones." "Well, running and winning, I hope." "He has that..." "like, a few in a row." "And got himself a touch of back-class." " "Mon gateau" he's called." " Oh, Mon gateau, huh?" "Maybe I'll bet a couple of bucks on him." "The thing is, Mr. Smith, even not riding in the derby," "I'll be riding on derby day, which is a pretty damn good feeling." " Yes, it is." " And having you to thank for the chance, 'cause it got me seen when I was up on him." "Oh, no, Rosie, you did it yourself." "And away they go!" "Emmett's daddy moving quickly to the lead and dictating the tempo to the field" "and Caleb junior." "Showing speed from the rail." "But here's Emmett's daddy opening up two, three lengths as they move into the clubhouse turn." "Watched Jenkins do this in the '92 derby." "Didn't work then." "The pace no more than prudent, so Ronnie Jenkins on Emmitt's daddy inches away to a several lengths' lead." "Ronnie's out there winging it." "He's looking halfway out of gas." " Well, he could be." " Emmitt's daddy's coming back to the field." "And a scramble shapes behind with Caleb junior the major danger." " The horse is worn out, man." " Emmitt's daddy now, it would seem, in deep water." "Thank you, Ronnie Jenkins, you washed-up, wrung-out has-been." "Hang on, o ye of little faith." "Yah!" "Now it's inside the final eighth, and Emmitt's daddy is finding more." "Emmitt's daddy in command" " and beginning to draw away." " Would you look at this?" " Yeah, I'm..." " What a dance!" "Emmitt's daddy all alone at the end." "Ronnie Jenkins, an impressive performance." "Atta boy, Ronnie." "You got yourself the right jock, Mr. Smith." "He's a good jock, yeah." "That Jenkins fella is a maestro." "Yes, he is, Rosie..." "When the spirit moves." "You understand?" "All right." "Paco, come on, let's go home." "Aren't you ever ashamed stealing these children blind?" "Just an old man treading water." "And I'm banging Hannah Montana." "Ace!" "By yourself, are we?" "I want to talk to you." "I can't help but register the absence of the indispensable Mr. DiRossi." "How about a drink, Ace?" "Maybe the ladies can leave." "Wh one word did that kid tell you any different from what I've been saying?" "Very much opened my eyes, Ace, that young man's presentation." "A freshness and conviction" "I really did find illuminating." "So you went batshit and took him out." "I choose to believe his e-mail we've lost him to a spasm of wanderlust." "No, you took him out, about which toward you I'd feel very different if I wasn't co-responsible." "I sent him to you." "I put that kid in harm's way." "I'm as guilty as you for what happened to him." "There's not going to be any blood over this." "Seeking forgiveness?" "Confessing, Ace?" "No old testament wrath?" "I am explaining why you are getting a pass so that you will believe me about what is next." "Pray tell, what is that?" "You are out..." "the move on the track." "You, Izzy, Nick... all of you." "All the other money." "Stay the fuck away, and stay the fuck away from me." "You ain't my partners no more." "Piece-maker Chester Bernstein..." "Ace always gets his partners their piece... cutting us out of this move." "What's on the disc, Ace?" "Cohen trying to get the Indian gaming lobby into continuing criminal conspiracy to bribe Sacramento to bring casino gambling into the track." "Sounds like a Rico prosecution to me, Ace." "Sad day to come to, hear you invoking the law." "Why am I not hearing one last search for common ground, soldiering on in forgiveness for the sake of a lucrative future?" "I don't give a fuck what you think, Mike, what you do." "You got the one pass." "There will be no blood." "You stay away from me, you stay away from the track." "Be well, my friend." "I'll let myself out." "My honest, sincere opinion, Mr. Smith... not to settle this now, you'll miss yourself a golden opportunity." "God damn you." "God damn you for a parasite!" "The further your colt progresses, the more races you and him win, the bigger this affidavit's going to play." "The colonel died." "The farm had money troubles." "The children ran it in the ground." "They insured this horse's daddy for a fortune." ""Died in its stall," they said." "They said it took its foot, put it through the damn stall!" "That's what they said." "I was sleeping in bed." "Sleeping in bed." "God, I wish I wasn't!" "But... it wouldn't do much." "Wouldn't do absolutely nothing, no more than telling lies with a goddamn horse killer." "Now..." "I'm a target of opportunity, Bowman." "Court of public opinion, sir." "Geraldo Rivera and the like." "Did you say Geraldo Rivera?" "ESPN and the like, all them horse racing... give 'em all my goddamn regards." "That there is an unprovoked assault!" "We don't answer to you." "Neither me nor him." "You understand?" "There comes a time when he's entitled to a life." "You go ahead and you post your bullshit affidavits." "Post them up." "You just stay the hell out of our life." "That horse is mine, old man." "Mine!" "Christ almighty, Ace." "I hope this means good news or some kind of meeting of the minds." "Some fuckin' smell in here." "Got money for cab fare, Nick?" "Jesus Christ, absolutely." "There's a pay phone out by the guard shack." "Nick had a cell phone malfunction." "Never mind my cell phone." "Cell phones are goddamn replaceable." "Ace, give me some positive inkling, some basis for optimism..." "the outcome with you and Mike." "We'll see how things turn out." "Gus and I just killed the clock, just sat here." " No one said nothing." " Yeah?" "See how that sounds on the boat." "Uh-huh." "That little stake on the undercard, Ronnie..." "I lost my goddamn mount." "Sorry to hear that, kid." "Rosie got the ride 'cause..." "She can make the weight." "Toughest sport played outdoors." "What's the most specialist stuff, Ronnie?" "The most specialist stuff?" "You know what I mean..." "for pulling weight." "There ain't no most specialist stuff." "There's shit works some till it don't." "The most specialist stuff there is, 'cause I've tried everything I've heard of." "I won the Kentucky derby." "But where I've been since..." "This race coming up is the biggest race of my life." "I ain't about to fuck up my own luck ruining things for somebody else." "What worked for me today... nurse my horse on the lead and put them to sleep behind me." "Turo." "You should speak to the head nurse." " She's down that way." " Okay." "Doctor's doing a procedure to try to save the pregnancy." "They say you've got a good chance saving the pregnancy." "But, I mean, you know, you've got to stay here and rest tonight." "Could you look out for Eduardo tonight?" "Yeah, I look out for him." "You gotta believe me, Mike." "I didn't say word one." "I do believe you, Nick." "I really do." "I only hope you do, because I recognize the stakes." "Well I doubt Ace would have had the Greek press you, stalwart as I'm sure you would have been." "He was showing me, you see, Nick, how he had you in his control and could trust himself to let you live, yeah?" "Well, you had it figured he'd play it like that." "Must have been bit when young, maybe by the place itself or who he went racing with." "If not this pretext for rupture," "I believe he would have found another, you know." "So now we're out of his move?" "Out of his move, Nick?" "No." "It's Ace with whom we're severing connections." "We're businessmen, after all." "And sovereign savage bands are hardly in short supply." "We're going to take over and multiply Ace's plans, bring in slots and table games, put the sport on a sound fiscal basis." "While Bernstein is doing what?" "My thought, Nick, would be nothing at all." "You know, for all he's contemptuous Escalante, disrespects keeping us current... bottom line, we're all in harness." "You keep in mind he's cared for that horse two years with footing the bills himself." "My concern is who he's got riding." "If our horse belongs in the race, the girl don't preclude his success." "Not to mention she doubles the odds." "Well, if he's in above his caliber, who's on him ain't gonna matter." "Eh, just let him look good in the post parade." "The kid makes a serious wager." "Your idea of what's good-looking and a normal person's opinion don't always have to coincide, you know." "He's gotta put knock on Naomi." "Sports jacket and slacks for the owners." "Yeah." "I guess we should probably, huh?" "Yeah, I'm rocking my replacement Brioni." "That stalker handicapped broad is texting me pictures." " From the chief." " Who is it?" "That photo team that was surveilling us outside the casino... this guy was the spotter, a hitter from Chicago, says the chief." "You'd like to think that conversation I had with Mike... maybe that would change things." "Sits still for being out of your play costs his partners money." "Costs his partners money..." "he's gotta watch his own back." "He's gonna whack you, does Mike." "I'm gonna need that back." "So, from now on, you go nowhere by yourself, including the gym." "She's going to be awfully disappointed in not getting to go to the track." "She who?" " Miss Lechea." " She'll live." "Now, would you mind please moving the fuck away from the window?" "Thank you." "d Am I a good man?" "d d am I fool?" "d d am I weak?" "d d or am I just playing it cool?" "d d I have a woman d d and I know she's no good d" "d but still, I keep my head up high d d and try to do the things that a good man should d d whoa, am I a good man?" "d d am I a good man?" "d" " d am I a fool?" "d - d Am I a fool?" "d" " d am I weak?" "d - d No d d somebody tell me d" "I'm playing it cool d d oh, she has made d d my whole life a mess d" "d but still, I work day and night for her d d whoa, so she can always have the best. d"