"#I was the third brother of five #" "#Doing whatever I had to do to survive #" "#I'm not saying what I did was all right #" "#Trying to break out of the ghetto was a day-to-day fight #" "#Been down so long gettin' up didn't cross my mind #" "#But I knew there was a better way of life and I was just trying to find #" "#But you don't know what you'll do until you're put under pressure #" "#Across 110th Street is a hell of a tester #" "#Across 110th Street #" "#Pimps trying to catch a woman that's weak #" "#Across 110th Street #" "#Pushers won't let the junkie go free #" "#Across 110th Street #" "#Woman trying to catch a trick on the street #" "#Ooh, baby Across 110th Street #" "#You can find it all in the street #" " How are you doing?" " #I got one more thing I'd like to talk to y'all about #" "#Right now #" "#Hey, brother There's a better way out #" "#Snorting that coke, shooting that dope Man, you're copping out #" "#Take my advice It's either live or die #" "#You got to be strong if you want to survive #" "#The family on the upper side of town #" "#Will catch hell without a ghetto around #" "#In every city you find the same thing going down #" "#Harlem is the capital of every ghetto town #" "#Let me sing it Across 110th Street #" "#Pimps trying to catch a woman that's weak #" "#Across 110th Street #" "#Pushers won't let the junkie go free #" "#Oh, across 110th Street #" "#A woman's trying to catch a trick on the street #" "#Ooh, baby Across 110th Street #" "#You can find it all #" "#In the street #" "#Yes, you can #" "#Oh, look around you look around you, look around you #" "#Look around you Yeah #" "Flight 710 to Cabo San Lucas now boarding gate 103, first class only." "Flight 710, Cabo San Lucas, now boarding gate 103." "First class only." "Buenos dias." "Welcome aboard." "Welcome aboard." "Hi, I'm Sidney." "I'm a personal trainer and Miss Orange County finalist." " This is my TEC-9." " That there is a TEC-9." "Little cheap-ass spray gun made outta South Miami." "It retail for 380, I get 'em for 200, sell 'em for 800." "They advertise this TEC-9 as the most popular gun in American crime." "Can you believe that shit?" "It actually says that in the booklet that comes with it." ""The most popular gun in American crime. " Like they're proud of that shit." "I love my TEC-9." "Let me run this up." " Design emphasis behind this weapon." " Check out this gun here." "This here is a Styer Aug." "Styer Aug's a bad motherfucker." "Listen." "Ooh!" "That shit's expensive too, man." "Made in Austria." "My customers don't know shit about it, so there ain't no demand for it." "Baby, I really could use me some more ice." "Hold it." "Whoa, whoa, whoa." "Let me tell you, though, man." "You put this bad boy in a flick, every motherfucker out there want one." "I'm serious as a heart attack." "When them Hong Kong flicks came out, every nigger in the world had to have a.45." "And they ain't want one, they want two, 'cause all them niggers want to be the killer." "But what them flicks don't tell you and what they don't know... is that a.45 got a serious fuckin' jammin' problem." "Now, I try to steer my customers toward a 9 millimeter... 'cause it's damn near the same weapon and it ain't got half the jammin' problems." "But you know how them niggers is out there." "You can't tell 'em shit." "They want a. 45." "The killer had a.45, they want a.45." "Thanks, baby." " Who's your partner?" " Cat named Mr. Walker." "Runs a fishing boat out of Mexico." "I get the merchandise to him, he gets it out to my customers, on all my bulk sales anyway." "Before I set that nigger up, he didn't have a pot to piss in or a window to throw it out of." "Now that motherfucker rollin ' in cash." "Got hisself a yacht with all kind of high-tech navigational shit on it." "Here we go." "AK-47, the very best there is." "When you absolutely, positively got to kill every motherfucker in the room, accept no substitutes." "Nothing gets between me and my AK." "This here is the Chinese model." "I get 'em for 850 and double my money." "Grab that for me, would ya, baby?" "You know it's for you." "Girl, don't make me put my foot in your ass." "The AK-47 is the most popular assault rifle in the world." "This is the Chinese model." "You can tell by the extra rivets running through" "Hello." "It's for you." "Yo, Junebug." "What's up?" "Yep." "Still hanging with that stripper Chantelle?" "Boring, isn't it?" "I can sit through it once." "Thinks he's Joe Gunn now." "Well, I'm impressed." "He seems to know a lot." "He's just repeating shit he overheard." "He ain't any more of a gun expert than I am." " You want?" " Sure." "It shoots 500 rounds of full metal jacket, 9- millimeter Luger at 1,270 feet per second." "At ten pounds, it's really heavy for such a small gun." "Demi Moore." "Really reduce muzzle lights during firing." "I've never held anything that felt so strong." "So when'd you get out of jail?" "Four days ago." " Where at?" " Susanville." "How long?" "About two months shy of four years." "Four years?" " For what?" " Bank robbery." "Really?" " Ah-iight." "Later." " Shit, I'm impressed." "Ha-ha." "See what I'm talking about?" "Now, that was about a man in New York... wants a 9-milimeter Smith and Wesson, model 5946." "And why does he want it?" "'Cause it's the same gun that nigger on New York Undercover uses." "'Cause of that nigger, I'm gonna make 1,250 off of this nigger." "So- What's your cost?" "Low as two." " You're serious?" " I'm telling you, Louis." "Start adding these figures up, tell me this ain't the business to be in." " Oh, I got me five M-60 machine guns too." " Hello." "Motherfuckers come straight out the Gulf War." "I already sold 3 of them, 20 grand a piece." " Wow, that's good money." " I'm gonna make a million dollars out of this, man." "I already got a half million sitting' down in Mexico." "When I deliver this next load, it'll get me another half mill." " Then what?" " Then I'm out." "Spend the rest of my life spending." "Pull the trigger and let her rip!" "Hi, my name is Melinda." " Well, you gonna tell me who it is?" " It's Beaumont." "Don't clown on me, bitch." "Beaumont, what's up?" "What the fuck you doin' in jail?" "What the fuck you doin' that for?" "Goddamn, nigger." "Ain't you got better sense than to be drunk driving with a goddamn pistol?" "Beaumont." "Beaumont." "Listen to me." "Yeah, number one, you gots to chill." "Yeah, yeah, yeah, 'course you're scared." "That's what the motherfuckers get paid for, to scare the shit out of you." "That's their motherfucking job." "The judge doesn't give a fuck about that." "He's ready to habitualize you." "Is that what you want?" "You wanna look at ten years?" "Tomorrow I'll get you out, I promise, but that means I gotta pick you up tonight." "Reggie, there ain't no two ways about it." "You're gonna spend the night in jail, but I already told you I'm gonna get you out tomorrow." " Now, where are you?" "You're at your mother's?" "Put your mother on." "Miss Gi 1 more." "Miss Gilmore, this is Max Cherry." "This is Reggie's- That's right, his bail bondsman." "Look, Reggie is in big trouble." "I want to pick him up, and I want you to be responsible for him before I" "Sit down." "Yeah, I'd like you to make sure that he's there when I get there." " And look, this is a second chance for him." "They don't get- That's correct." "All right." "So I'm counting on you to help me help your son." "Thank you very much." "Put him back on the line, please." "All right, Reggie, we're clear on this." "You got it?" "Good." "Do yourself a really big favor and be there when I get there." "How can I help you?" "Where can I put my ash?" "Use that cup there, if you like." "Oh, and I need me a bond for 10,000." " You all right out there?" " Yeah." " Have some coffee?" " Go right ahead." "Who's that big, Mandingo-looking nigger you got up there on that picture with you?" " That's Winston." "He works here." " Damn!" "He's a big 'un, ain't he?" "Y'all tight?" " Yeah." " But you're his boss, though, right?" "Yeah." "Bet it was your idea to take that picture, too, wasn't it?" "All right, you want a $10,000 bond?" " What have you got to put up for collateral?" " I'm gonna have to use cash." " You have it with you?" " Got it right here in my rapper bag." " You have cash." "What do you need me for?" " Come on, man." "You know how they do." "Black man show up with 10,000 cash, first thing they wanna know is where I got it." "Then they gonna want to keep a big chunk of it, start talkin' that court-cost shit." "Fuck that noise, Jack." "I go through you." "Cost you a thousand for the bond." "I can do that." "Who's it for?" "A relative?" "A fellow named Beaumont." "They got him down in County." "Started out drunk driving, but they wrote it up as possession of a concealed weapon." " Dumb monkey-ass had a pistol on him." " Ten thousand sounds high." "They run his name, got a hit." "He been inside." "Plus, he from Kentucky, and I think they're kind of prejudiced... against brothers from down South out here." "If he runs, and I have to go to Kentucky to bring him back, you pay the expenses." "You think you can do that?" "I've done it." "What's his full name?" "Beaumont." "That's all I know." "Would you say that Beaumont is his first or his last name?" "Uh, if I had to guess, I'd say Beaumont's his Christian name." "Records office." "Hello, this is Max Cherry, Cherry Bail Bonds." "Who's this, please?" " Ordell, I'm gonna wait in the car." " Hi, Vicki." "All right, man." "Cool." "We're almost done here, right?" " Gettin' there." " Yo, yo." "You check out some music while you're sitting in the car." "Take the keys." " Which one's for the car?" " Uh, this one right here." "Use that little black thing to turn off the alarm and unlock the door." " What do I do?" " You ain't gotta do nothing, man." "Just point it at the car, push the button, you hear a little "ooh-ooh-ooh. "" " That means the door's unlocked and the alarm's off." "Get in." " Okay." "Play the volume loud as you want to, but don't touch my levels now." " I got them set just like I like 'em." " Okay." "Beaumont Livingston." "Livingston, huh?" "On his prior, he served nine months." "He's working on four years' probation." " You don't say." " You know what he's on probation for?" " Ain't got a clue." " Possession of unregistered machine guns." "Damn." "Now, they're gonna consider that a violation of his probation?" "They do consider this a violation of his probation." "Your boy's looking at ten years, plus the concealed weapon." "He ain't gonna like that." "Beaumont ain't got a doing-time kind of disposition." " I need your name and address." " Ordell Robbie." "O" " R-D-E-L-L..." "R" " O-B-B-I-E." "1436 Florence Boulevard," "Compton, 90222." " Is that a house or an apartment?" " That's a house." "Who the fuck is this?" "It's your benefactor, nigger." "I'm comin' up." "Come on up, nigger." "It's open." "My pleasure of living... demands that I have a good-looking woman, that I'm with a good-looking woman." "I couldn't go out with a woman old enough to be my wife." " O.D.!" " Ah-ha-ha!" " Look at you and your free ass." " What's up, man?" "Come here, boy." "Give me a motherfuckin' hug." " I didn't know you were coming by." " Yeah." "My nigger." "Good lookin' out, man." "I don't know what to say." "Thank you, thank you." " Uh-huh." "Who was there for your ass, huh?" " You was there." " Who?" "Who?" "Who?" " You." "You, nigger." "You." "You goddamn right." "See?" "That's how that shit works." "You get your ass in trouble, I get your ass out." "That's my motherfucking job." "And I don't mind telling you, nigger, it's steady work." "Hey, look here, man, I'm still scared as a motherfucker, O.D." "They talkin' like they serious as hell... givin' me time for that machine gun shit." "Oh, come on, man." "They're just trying to put a fright in your ass." "If that's what they're doin', they done did it." " How old is that machine gun shit, huh?" " About three years." "Three years?" "Come on, man, that's a old crime, man." "They ain't got room in the joint for all these niggers out here killing people now." "How they gonna find room for you?" "That ain't what they're telling me." "That's why they call it "fuckin' with you. " Now, let me tell you how we're going to retaliate." "All right?" "Tomorrow I'm gonna pick you up, take you over to Century City, introduce you to my lawyer." "Let me tell you something about my lawyer." "This brother's name is Stacin Goins." "This nigger is a junkyard dog." "He my own personal Johnny Cochran." "Matter of fact, he kicked Johnny Cochran's ass." "And like Johnny Cochran, this nigger hate cops." "I'm serious, man." "He live to fuck with the police." "Now, as a favor, I had him look at your case." "He say you ain't got shit to worry about." "They just fuckin' with you." "So we're gonna sic the junkyard dog on their ass and make 'em stop fuckin' with you." "Good lookin' out, man." "Good lookin' out." " Come on in, man, and let's celebrate." " No, no." "Look here, I'm really supposed to be somewhere." "Matter of fact, I was kind of hoping you could come run with me." "What you mean?" "You know, man," "I hate to be the kind of nigger that do a nigger a favor, then bam- hit the nigger up for a favor in return, but I gots to be that kind of nigger." " What?" "What you want?" " I need a favor, nigger." " That requires me to go out tonight?" " Just a bit." "Aw, man, I wasn't plannin' on goin' no place tonight." "It is late as hell, man." "I'm home, I'm high, man." "Come on." "And why are you home, huh?" "You home because I spent $10,000 to get your ass home." "Now, look, I got a little problem, all right?" "I need some help, and you can help me out." "Go in the house and throw some shit on." "Let's walk out to the car." "Come on." "I'm ready, man." "What's your problem?" "There ain't no problem." "It's more like a situation." "You remember them three M-60 machine guns I sold last year outta the five I got?" " Yeah." " Well, I'm gonna sell the other two tonight." "There's this group of Koreans over in Korea town starting' this little Neighborhood Watch thing." "They need some weapons so they can show the neighborhood niggers they mean business." "Now, I'm gonna sell them the other two machine guns, all right?" "The problem is, I ain't never done business with these Koreans before." "I ain't worried, 'cause by and large Asians are very dependable." "They don't want no trouble." "You might argue with them about price and shit, but you ain't gotta worry about them shooting' you in the back." "But I got me a rule." "Never do business with people you ain't never done business with before without backup." "That's why I need you." "Backup." "Look, all you've got to do is lay in here and hold on to this motherfucker." "All right?" "I'm gonna tell 'em I'm goin' in the trunk to show 'em the goods." "When I open the trunk, you pop up and rack this motherfucker." "Man, fuck that shit." "I ain't for shootin' nobody." "I ain't said nothin' about you shootin' nobody." "All you gotta do is hold on to it." "They'll get the idea." "You must be out of your mind if you think I'm gonna get in this dirty-ass trunk." "We ain't goin' nowhere but to Korea town, man." "You ain't gonna be in here no more than ten minutes." "I ain't riding' in no trunk for no minute." "Why can't I ride up front with you?" "You can't ride up front with me." "The surprise element is 90% of it." "I'm sorry, man, but I ain't gettin' in no goddamn trunk." " I can't believe you'd do me like this." " Do you like what, man?" "I just ain't climbing in no goddamn, dirty-ass trunk, man." "I got a problem with small places." "I got a problem with spending $10,000 on ungrateful niggers to get them out of jail, but I did it." "How small was that jail cell, motherfucker?" " I know I owe you, you got to bring all this up." " Then get your ass in this trunk." "I want to help you, but I won't be locked in no goddamn trunk of no car." "You think I wanted to spend $10,000 on your ass, huh?" " I know you helped me out." " Do you think I wanted to spend $10,000 on your ass?" " Yes or no?" " Of course you didn't, but look, in the trunk?" "That's the only way I could help you, right?" "So that's what I did." "Now, look, man, all I'm asking you to do is get in the trunk, hold this fuckin' shotgun, point it at these Buddha-heads when I open it, all right?" " You're catching a nigger off-guard with this shit." " Look here." "I tell you what." "When we get through fucking with these Koreans, me and you go to Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles on me." "Think about it now." "That 'Scoe's Special, smothered in gravy and onions, side of red beans and rice, some greens." "That's some good eatin'." "Man." "Exactly how long do I gotta be in this motherfucker?" "Hey, you said ten minutes." "Hey, motherfucker, you like to hit my goddamn head!" "You pony tail-wearing motherfucker." "What the hell's wrong with you?" "#Hello, my love I heard a kiss from you #" "#Red magic satin playing' near #" "#Too #" "#All through the morning rain I gazed #" "#The sun doesn't shine #" "#Rainfalls and waterfalls run through my mind #" "#In the garden I see #" "#Washed purple shower bells and tea #" "#One early bitter cousin Misty green #" "#Pretty music I hear #" "#So happy in mind #" "Do a nigger a favor" "#Baby love my baby love #" "#I need you Oh, how I need you #" "#But all I you do is treat me bad #" "#Break my heart and make me sad #" "#Tell me what did I do wrong #" "#To make you stay away so long #" "#'Cause baby love my baby love #" "#I'm missin' you, miss kissin' you #" "#Instead of breakin'up #" " Excuse me, baby." "#Just want some kissin' and makin' up #" "#Don't throw our love away #" "#I n my arms, why don't you stay #" " Hello." " #Need ya, need ya #" " Hello, baby." "# Baby love #" "Well, you know, I'm just doin' that thing I do, baby." "Oh, no." "Okay." "Hold on." "Uh, Louis, baby." "It's Ordell." "Oh, I'm just gonna go pee." "# Separate, my love #" "# All of my whole life through #" "# I never loved no one but you ##" " Hello." "Louis, my man." "What ya doin'?" "Okay." "Okay." "I'm just hanging out with Simone." "Oh, yeah?" "She doin' that show for you?" "Yeah." "I can hear the Supremes in the background." "She ain't bad, is she?" " No, she's pretty good." " She do Mary Wells for you yet?" "Nah, I don't know the names of everybody, but she's done a whole bunch of them." "Well, guess where I am?" "I don't know." "I'm in the cozy confines of an Oldsmobile... parked right outside Simone's house." " Oh, you're outside?" " Yeah." " Come on in." " Ah, no, man." "I already caught that show." "I got some for-your-eyes-only shit to show you." "Why don't you step outside?" " Who was that?" " That's Beaumont." "Who's Beaumont?" "A employee I had to let go." "What'd he do?" "He put hisself in a position where he was gonna have to do ten years in prison." "That's what he did." "And if you know Beaumont, you know there ain't no goddamn way he can do ten years." "If you know that, then you know Beaumont's gonna do anything Beaumont can... to keep from doin' them ten years, includin' tellin' the federal government any and every motherfucking thing... about my black ass." "Now, that, my friend, is a clear-cut case... of him or me, and you best believe... it ain't gonna be me." "Now, Louis," "if you gonna come in on this thing with me, you've got to be prepared... to go all the way." "Now, I got me, so far, a half million dollars in lock boxes... in a bank down in Cabo San Lucas." "I make this delivery," "I'm gonna have me over a million." "Hey, you think I'm gonna let a little cheese-eatin' nigger like this fuck that up?" "You best think again." "Before I let that happen, I'll shoot this nigger in the head... and ten niggers look just like him." "You understand what I'm saying?" "Yeah." " Sowe on the same page then?" " Yeah, I follow." "My nigger." "Miss Brown!" "Hi, I'm Detective Mark Dargas, L.A.P.D." " Can I ask what you have in that bag?" " The usual stuff." "You know, I'm a flight attendant for Cabo Air." " Can I help out here?" " Who's this?" "Sorry, this is Special Agent Ray Nicollet with Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms." " Oh, yeah?" "May I see some I.D.?" " Yeah." "Sure." "Would you mind if we just took a look in that bag?" "Do I mind?" "Do I have a choice?" " Yeah." "You have the right to say no." " No." "I have the right to make you wait here with Ray while I go get a warrant." "If I don't want to go to all that trouble, I'd just take you in on suspicion now." " Suspicion of what?" " Uh, could I say something?" "He just wants to peek inside the bag for a minute." "I'll keep my eye on him so he doesn't take anything." " Go ahead." " Thanks a lot." "Bad knees." "You have a good flight?" "It's a shitty flight down to Cabo." "I went down there one time with Susan, my wife." "Fuckin' turbulence was unbelievable." "Hey, can I look in this envelope?" "Ah." "Goddamn." "I'd say there's about, oh, uh," "$50,000 here." "What would you say, Ray?" "Looks like about 50,000 from here." " Is this your money?" " What if I say no?" "You should know if you bring in anything over 10,000, you have to declare it." "You forget, or what?" "You can get a $250,000 fine, plus two years in prison." "You want to talk to us about this, or do you want to talk to Customs?" " I'm not sayin' another word." " Jackie" "I hope you don't mind if I call you Jackie." "Those guys down in Customs?" "They're a bunch of pricks." "Excuse me, but they are." "There's something about that job makes those people really hard to get along with." "You can go down and talk with those guys... who are really suspicious and really disagreeable human beings, or you can talk with a couple of good-hearted guys like Mark and myself." "It's up to you." "Let's take a look here at the file on Jacqueline Brown." "According to this, this isn't the first time you've run afoul of the law." "In 1985, while a stewardess for Delta, you were busted while carrying drugs for a pilot?" "That pilot was my husband, and I got off." "You mean they offered you a deal, and you grabbed it." "He did time, you did probation." "I didn't hear you ask permission to smoke in my office." " May I smoke?" " No, you may not." "So you get off with a slap on the wrist, but all this criminal activity fucks up your shit for good with the big airlines." "Cut to 13 years later, you're 44 years of age, flying for the shittiest little shuttle-fuckin 'piece of shit Mexican airline there is, where you make what- $ 13, 000 a year?" "I make 16, 000, plus benefits." "You been in the service industry 19 years, and all you make is 16,000, plus benefits?" "Didn't exactly set the world on fire, did you, Jackie?" "Jackie, you have a good lawyer?" "Can she afford a good one, is more like it." "Otherwise you'll be in Sybil Brand three weeks... before the public defender gets around to ya." " Hey, Jackie, do you know a guy named Beaumont Livingston?" "Yeah?" "No?" "Because he knows you." "Well, he knew you." "He doesn't know anybody now." "He's dead." "They found him in a trunk of a car this morning, shot twice." "Once in the chest, once in the head." "Here you go." "So I guess I'm wondering." "If you don't know Beaumont, why do you suppose Beaumont knows you?" "Look, Miss Brown, we don't give a fuck about you." "You know who we want." "If you cooperate, tell us what we want to know, we'll help you get out of this." "If you refuse to cooperate, continue to cop a shit attitude like you're doing now, we will give you to Customs and they will take you to court." "With your prior, the judge will give you two years." "Now, you'll probably only end up serving a year and some change, but if I was a 44-year-old black woman... desperately clinging on to this one shitty, little job I was fortunate enough to get," "I don't think that I'd think I had a year to throw away." "So let's start again now, shall we?" "Who in Mexico gave you this money, and who in America were you bringing it to?" "I'm not sayin' another goddamn word." "I'd like your permission to look through this again so we'll know how much we're talking about." "Sure." "Go ahead." "While we're at it, let's see what else is in there." "Do you mind?" "Beauty case." " Mm-hmm." "What's in it?" " Beauty products." "Alarm clock." "Glass case." "Birth control." " What's that?" " My diet shit." "Let's see what else is in there." "Here." "Here." "Here." " What's this?" " What's that shit?" "Let's go, ladies." "First door on the left." "# Ninety-nine years is a long, long, long time #" "# Ninety-nine years is such a long, long, long time #" "# Ninety-nine years is a long, long time #" "# Well, look at me #" "# I'll never be free #" "# I'm a long-time woman ##" "Brown, case 70032." "The charge is... possession of narcotics with the intent to distribute." " How does your client plead?" " Uh, Your Honor, she wishes to stand mute." "Very well." "Detective..." "Varga." " Dargas, Your Honor." " Sorry." "Uh, you were the arresting officer in this case?" " That's correct, Your Honor." " And do you have a bail recommendation?" " Yes, I do, Your Honor." " And that would be?" "Based on the defendant's prior conviction... and the extreme possibility of flight due to the occupation, the state requests a bond of no less than 25,000." "You people are fine with this?" "I'm gonna set bond at 10,000... and set the date of August 21... for the prelim." "Your Honor, when will that be?" "That's six weeks from now." "We'll continue this matter then." "Owens, case 72242." "The charge is possession of a concealed weapon... and striking an officer." " How does your client plead?" " I thought it'd be 25." "Uh, my client would like to plead guilty, Your Honor." "Is the arresting officer here in the courtroom?" "I didn't hear you wash your hands." " Comfortable?" " Yeah." " Door was open, so I just come on in." " I can see that." " Why?" " Got some more business for you." "Oh, yeah?" "What did he do?" "She is an airline stewardess." "Got caught coming back from Mexico with some blow." "They set her bond this afternoon at $10,000." "Now, I'm figuring you could take that $10,000 you owe me from Beaumont, move it over to the stewardess." " The bond for possession's only a thousand." " Hmm." "Yeah." "Man, they fuckin' with her." "They callin' that shit "possession with intent. "" "A 44-year-old black woman caught with less than two ounces, they calling that shit "intent. "" "The same thing happen to a movie star, they call it "possession. "" "Still sounds high." "Well, um, she had on her, I believe it was 50 grand in cash." "All right, before we start talking about stewardesses," "Let's get Beaumont out of the way first." "You know, I think somebody already did." " What?" " You ain't hear?" " Hear what?" " Somebody with a grudge blew Beaumont's brains out." "Oh, shit." "That shit rhymes." "Blew Beaumont's brains out." "Police make contact with you?" "Oh, hell, yeah." "First motherfucking thing they did." "You know, they see I pay a big money bond for my boy, they start thinking that "where there's smoke there's fire" logic." "Rousted my ass out of bed .00 in the morning." "Scared the shit out of my woman Sheronda." "She thought they was gonna take my ass away for sure." "This stewardess" " You know her last name?" "Brown." "Jackie Brown." " What does she do for you?" " Who said she do anything for me?" "She's my friend." "My friends get in trouble, I like to help them out." "Beaumont worked for you." "This you and me talking, like lawyer-client thing?" "You can't tell nothing I say to you?" "You're not my client till you get busted and I bond you out." "Well, we ain't got no, uh- What you call that shit?" "Confidentiality." "Why should I tell you anything?" "'Cause you want me to know what a slick guy you are." "You got stewardesses bringing you 50 grand." "And why would a stewardess be bringing me 50 grand?" "Now you want me to speculate on what you do." "I'd say you were in the drug business, except the money's moving in the wrong direction." "Whatever you're into, you seem to be getting away with it, so, uh, more power to you." "All right." "You want another bond?" "You want to move the 10,000 you got on Beaumont over to the stewardess." "That means paperwork." "I gotta get a death certificate, present it to the court, make out a receipt for return of bond collateral, I type up another application," " Hey, hey, hey, hey." " another indemnity agreement." " I haven't got time." " I'm telling you what I have to do." "What you have to do, in case you forgot," " is come up with a premium of a thousand bucks." " I can do that." "You know I got the money." "I just ain't got it with me." "Come back when you do." "I'll bond out the stewardess." "Look, you got to look at this with a little compassion, all right?" "Jackie ain't no criminal." "She ain't used to this kind of treatment." "Gangsters don't give a fuck, but your average citizen, a couple of nights in County get to fuckin' with their mind." "Ordell, this isn't a bar." "You don't have a tab." "Listen to me, all right?" "You got a 44-year-old, gainfully employed black woman falsely accused" "Falsely accused?" "She didn't come back from Mexico with cocaine on her?" "Falsely accused of "intent. "" "If she had that shit- and mind you, I'm saying if- that was her own personal shit to get high with." "Is white guilt supposed to make me forget I'm running a business?" "Oh, it's like that, huh?" "All right." "I got your little thousand bucks." " Hey, Candy." " Hey, Max." "Dropping off Lopez, Anita." "Picking up Brown, Jackie." " Okay, no problem." "You armed?" " You bet I am." "Max, here she comes." "# Why do I keep my mind #" "# On you all the time #" "# And I don't even know you #" "# I don't know you #" "# Why do I feel this way #" "# Thinking about you #" "# Every day #" "# And I don't even know you #" "Miss Brown?" " Yes?" " # Take me in your arms #" " I'm Max Cherry." "I'm your bail bondsman." " # Thrill me with all #" " # Of your charms #" " I could give you a lift home, if you like." " # And I'll take to the sky on a natural high #" " Okay." " # Loving you more till the day I die # - # On a natural high #" " # Take to the sky on a natural high # - # I want you to be mine #" "# Loving you more #" "# If you have anything to do #" "# Call me and I will do it for you #" "You really a bail bondsman?" "Well, who do you think I am?" " I showed you my card in there." " Can I see your I.D.?" "You're serious?" "# That wish would be for you to live #" "# Forever and ever #" "Who paid my bond?" " Ordell?" " I n cash." "# My heart skips a beat #" " # And I take to the sky on a natural high # - # I just take to the sky #" " # Loving you more till the day I die # - # On a natural high #" " # Take to the sky on a natural high # - # I don't know you #" "# Loving you more ##" "You got any cigarettes in here?" "You won't find any cigarettes in there." " Can we stop and get cigarettes?" " Sure." "Have you ever been to the River Bottom?" " I don't think so." " It's all right." "It's a cop bar." "Can we just stop at a 7-Eleven or something?" " I thought you might like to have a drink." " I'd love to, but not there." "How 'bout the Hilton by the airport?" " Is it dark?" " Kind of a sports bar." "It doesn't sound dark." "Why does it have to be dark?" "Because it looks like I just got out of jail, that's why." "You're dropping me off at my place." "There's a joint near me." "No, thanks." "I quit three years ago." " Gain weight?" " Ten pounds." "Take it off and put it back on." "That's why I don't quit." "If I can't fly, I'm gonna have a bitch of a time trying to find my rent." "You know, the other day I figured out that I must have written about... 15,000 bonds since I've been in the business." "I figure about 80% oft hose were drug-related, so... if you want, I could help you figure out your options." "So far, they told me if I cooperate, then I'll get probation, maybe." "Or if I stand mute, I can get as much as five years." "Does that sound right?" "I'd say that if they try you and convict you, you won't get more than a year and a day." "That's state time, prison." "But they won't want to do that." "They'll offer you simple possession, a couple of months of county time... and a year or two of probation." "Do you happen to know who put the dope in your bag?" "Yeah." "But that's not what this is about." "They were waiting for my ass." "They knew about the money." " They even knew the exact amount." " What did they want to know?" "Who gave me the money and who I was givin' it to." "They found this guy in the trunk of a car with his head blown off." "They said it was him who told them about me." "That would be..." "Beaumont Livingston." "How do you know about him?" "I wrote him on Monday." "They found him dead on Tuesday." "Ordell pick up his bond?" "Same as you- $10,000." "# Back about 18 and25 #" "# I left Tennessee very much alive #" " Thanks for the drink." " You're welcome." " The legal advice and the ride." " You bet." " # On a Tennessee stud #" " Good luck." "We'll be in touch." "# Had some trouble with my sweetheart's pa #" "# One of her brothers was a bad outlaw #" "# I wrote a letter to my Uncle Fudd #" "# And I rode away on a Tennessee stud #" "# The Tennessee stud was long and lean #" "# The color of the sun and his eyes were green #" "# He had the nerve and he had the blood #" "# There never was a horse like the- ##" "How ya doin', Miss Jackie?" "Come on in." " Do you got some booze?" " I got some vodka in the freezer." "Got some O.J.?" "Why don't you be a good hostess... and hook a brother up a screwdriver?" "Sure." "Well?" " You gonna thank me?" " For what?" "Who the hell do you think got your ass out of jail?" "The same guy that put my ass in jail." "Thanks a lot." "Hey, you got caught with blow." "That's your business." " It wasn't mine." " What?" "Oh, shit." "I bet that was that present Mr. Walker was sending Melanie." "Yeah." "If you didn't put it in there, he must have." "Damn." "That shit wasn't called for." "Baby, I'm sorry." "Bet they asked you a whole shit load of questions about it, huh?" "And all that money, where it came from." "Probably asked you who you was bringing' it to too." "They asked." "And you said?" ""I want to talk to my lawyer. "" "You sure you didn't get nervous and kind of let something' slip?" "I mean, if you did, I ain't mad at you." "I just gotta know." "You ain't asking the right questions." "You should be asking why they picked me up." "They were waiting for me." "They knew about the money and they knew the exact amount." " They tell you how they happen to come by this information?" "Beaumont Livingston?" "I knew it." "I knew it." "They even asked me if I knew Mr. Walker." "Yeah?" "I didn't tell them anything about him." "My name come up?" "You ain't said nothin' about me?" "Ah, that's mighty noble of you." "They tell you what happened to this Beaumont fellow?" "Yeah, they told me." "Yeah." "Somebody must have been real mad at old Beaumont." "Or else they pretty scared about what he might say to keep from doing time." "Yeah, I bet they asked you a whole shitload of questions." "And you ain't giving' them no kind of answer?" " Mm-mm." " You scared of me?" "You got any reason to be nervous around me?" "Is that what I think it is?" "What do you think it is?" " I think it's a gun pressed up against my dick." " Well, you thought right." "Now, take your hands from around my throat, nigger." " What the hell's wrong with you, Jackie?" " Shut the fuck up." "Don't you move." "Oh, what is this?" "What the fuck is this?" "Hey, that ain't got nothing to do with you." "I carry that all the time." "You been talking to them police too much." " The police didn't try and strangle my ass." " Come on, girl." " I was just playing with you." " I ain't playing with you." "I'm gonna unload both of these motherfuckers if you don't do what I tell you to do." " You understand what I'm saying?" " Jackie, stop acting crazy." " Do you understand what the fuck I'm saying?" " Yeah, woman." "Damn!" "Now, sit your ass down on that sofa." "See?" "Police start fuckin' with your mind, start pitting' black against black." " That's how they do." "They been doing this since" " Shut your raggedy ass up." "Sit the fuck down!" "And put your hands behind your head." " This is gettin' silly now." " Oh, silly?" "You want to see some motherfuckin' silly?" "If I have to tell you to shut up one more time, I'm gonna shut you up." " I just came over here to talk to you." " To talk?" "The way I see it, you and me got one motherfucking thing to talk about." "One thing, and that's what you are wiling to do for me." " I can get you a lawyer." " No, let's be realistic." "Now, sooner or later they're gonna get around to offering me a plea deal, and you know that." " That's why you came here to kill me." " I ain't come over to kill you." "No, that's all right." "It's okay." "Now, I forgive you." "Now, let's say, if I tell on you," "I walk." "If I don't, I'll go to jail." "I want $100,000... in an escrow account in my name... if I'm convicted up to a year or put on probation." "Now, if I have to do more than a year, you pay another $100,000." "I can do that." " You know I got that problem." "All my money is" " In Mexico." " Right." " Well, I been thinking about that too." "I got me an idea." "Let me hear that." "We friends again." "Why don't you point that motherfucking gun somewhere else?" " I'll talk to the cops tomorrow and tell you if it's on." " All right." "You want your gun back?" "Come in and I'll get it for you." "Max, look, I am so sorry about this." "You know, I was afraid to ask to borrow it, 'cause I was afraid you would say no." "I mean, you'd have to." "Would you like some coffee?" " If you're having some." " I am." "Come on in." "Why don't you make yourself at home?" "Just, you know, have a seat." "Did you get a chance to use it?" "I felt a lot safer having it." "Oh, the milk went bad while I was in jail." " Black's fine." " Cool." "Would you, uh, care to hang on to it for a while?" "It wouldn't be legal, but if it makes you feel better, I guess" "Well, thanks." "I got one now." " You went out this morning and bought a gun?" " What?" "I didn't hear you." " You went out this morning and bought a gun?" "Well, let's say I got one now, okay?" " Somebody loan it to you?" " Yeah." "All right!" "We're on." "It might be a little black." "Would you like to hear some music?" "Sure." "Cool." "You know, I couldn't wait to get home last night... and wash the jail outta my hair." " It looks nice." " Thanks." "You never got into the whole CD revolution?" "Oh, I got a few, but I can't afford to start all over again." "I mean, I've invested too much time and money... in my albums." "Yeah, but you can't get new stuff on records." "I don't get new stuff that often." "# I gave my heart and soul #" "# To you, girl #" "# Didn't I do it, baby #" " # Didn't I do it, baby #" " It's pretty." " Who is this?" " The Delfonics." " # Didn't I do it, baby #" " It's nice." "# Didn't I do it, baby #" "I called in sick today." "As far as the airline knows, I'm still available." " Are you?" " I don't know." "I'm gonna go in and talk with Nicolet and Dargas today." "I'm going to do what you suggested- offer to help and see what happens." "What I meant was to have a lawyer do the negotiating for you." "No, I want to talk to them first." "I know more now about Ordell's money." "Well, if it's the A.T.F. guy that wants you, that'll only interest him up to a point." "I know, but it's a lot of money." "It's a half a million dollars all in Cabo, and more coming in." " How'd you find that out?" " Ordell told me last night." " He called?" " He came by." " What'd you do?" " We talked." "Do you think he still trusts you?" "He had his doubts at first, but he's always trusted me." "And he wants to believe more than anything else that he still can." " Why?" " Because he needs my ass." "Otherwise, that money's just gonna sit over there in Cabo." "You want some sugar?" "No, thank you." "There's gotta be other ways of getting it out." "Maybe, but I'm the only one he's ever used." "I mean, he can't use his other people." "They're crooks." "I mean, he might try to..." "bring the money in himself, but he ain't gonna wanna stand in no customs lines." "So, either he recruits another Cabo stewardess or he continues to trust me." "And I made him feel like he still can." "Are you gonna offer to set him up?" "Yeah, if I get off." "Otherwise, fuck 'em." "It's very possible that Ordell's killed somebody." "Do you realize that?" "Well, I ain't going back to jail and I ain't doing that probation thing again." "Max, how do you feel about getting old?" "You're not old." "You look great." "No, I'm asking you how do you feel about getting old." " Doesn't it bother you?" " It's not really something I think about." " Really?" " I guess I got sensitive about my hair a few years ago." "It started falling out, so I did something about it." "How'd you feel about that?" "I feel fine with it." "Otherwise, I wouldn't have done it." "I did it to feel better about myself, and, you know, I do." "I look in the mirror." "Looks like me." "Yeah, but it's different for men." "You know, I can't really feel too sorry for you in this department." "I bet that, except for possibly an afro, you look exactly the way you did at 29." "Well, my ass ain't the same." "Bigger?" "Yeah." "Ain't nothing wrong with that." "Something else worry you?" "I always feel like I'm starting over." " How many bonds you said you wrote?" " 15,000." " Is that a lot?" " That's plenty." "# Pass them by #" "Well, I've flown over seven million miles, and I've been waiting on people for 20 years." "Then after my bust, the best job I could get was with Cabo Air, which is the worst job you can get in this industry." "You know I make 16,000 a year, plus retirement benefits that ain't worth a damn?" "And with this arrest hanging over my head, Max, I'm scared." "And if I lose this job, I gotta start all over again, and I ain't got nothing to start over with." "I'll be stuck with whatever I can get." "# Oh, baby, please now #" "And that shit is more scary than Ordell." "# La, la, la means #" "# I love you ##" " Let's go." " You don't have to" " Ow!" " Hey!" " Hey, great, you're here." " Yeah." "Hey, Jackie." "How're you doing?" " Fine." " Can I have a word outside with Ray for a minute?" " Sure." "Take your time." " I'll just be a minute." " May I smoke?" "Absolutely." " Dude, what up?" " She wants to make a deal." " Oh, yeah?" "Did she sound scared?" " She almost sounds scared." " What's she want?" " She wants to go back to work." " Oh, yeah?" "So what's she going to give us?" " She hasn't gone into specifics." " She's been waiting for you to get here." " She knows it's my case, right?" "Well, she hasn't said it, but she's not stupid." " She knows it's you who wants her." " Let's go." "Cool." "Jackie, sorry to keep you waiting." "Now, what can we do for you?" "I need permission to leave the country so I can keep my job." " Yeah, we can look into that." " I need it tomorrow." "If I don't show up for work tomorrow, I'm fired." "Well, you know what we want." "If I'm working, I can help you." "Help us do what, Jackie?" " Help you get Ordell Robbie." " So now, you do know him." "You never asked if I did or not." " So you're telling us now that you do know him." " Of course I do." " I deliver money for him." " No shit?" " You know how he makes his money?" " He sells guns." " You ever see him sell a gun?" " No." " Then how do you know he sells guns?" " He told me." "Besides, why else would a A.T.F. man be after him?" "Well, how can you help us?" "I'll do anything I can to help you get his ass, short of wearing a wire." "And in return for my help, I need permission to leave the country, and immunity." "You don't want much, do you?" "Can you do it or not?" "You know, I mean" "It's possible." "You're going to hear a guy beg for his life, lady, 'cause he betrayed Nani Vitali." "Read the paper." "Read it!" "Nani Vitali, a dangerous criminal." "He's already killed two people." " You know what he's known as?" "The Mad Dog Murderer." " Hey, girl." " Hola!" "Hey!" "Hey, hey, hey!" "Looks like somebody got some new clothes." "Yeah, we did a little shopping'." "You know, I couldn't have my boy running around looking like no bum." " I don't know." "I didn't look like a bum." " Come on now, man." " You know you had that Salvation Army thing going." "Goddamn, girl." "You getting high already?" "It's just 2:00." "It's that late?" "You smoke too much of that shit, that shit's gonna rob you of your ambition." "Not if your ambition is to get high and watch TV." " Oh, y'all a couple of Cheech and Chongs, huh?" "Oh, don't get up." "I got it." "Have a seat." "Yo." "Jackie!" "What's up?" "No, Jackie, I didn't get your message." " I was gonna tell you!" " No, no, no, no, no, not on the phone." " Is she a good lay, huh?" " Here." " You gotta make sure ain't nobody following you." " It's ready to go?" "Yeah." "There's another bowl left." "Let me go!" "Take your thumb off the carb." "You mean, the sign that's got the rooster on it?" "Shit." "You okay?" "I'm just... gettin' old." "I can't... smoke or laugh now without coughing." "Coughing's good." "It opens up the capillaries." "You know, when you cough, you're pulling air- or in this case, smoke- into parts of the lungs that don't normally get used." "And so, coughing's good." "It gets you higher." "You definitely know a lot about that." "Look here, Louis, I got to run out for a little while." "So, since you like getting high so much, why don't you hang out here with Mel, watch a little TV?" " Way ahead of you." " See, I get high later on when I come back." "See, I get high at night when I get through with all my business." "That Rutger Hauer?" "No, it's Helmut Berger." " Why don't you walk me to the door, space girl?" " Okay." " You know, I hope you don't mind hanging out with Louis." " No problem." "Try not to tear his clothes off of him, all right?" "They're new." " Ha, ha, ha!" " Ha, ha!" " Yo, Louis!" "Catch you later, man." " Okay." "Later." "Want a Metrix?" "Uh" " Damn." "Shit." "What's a Metrix?" "It's like this major meal that you drink in a shake instead of having a big meal." " It's like a diet thing?" " No." "It's what bodybuilders drink to, you know, beef up." "No, thanks." "Okay." "When was the last time I saw you?" "Oh... six, seven years ago." "It doesn't seem like that long ago." "It was that long ago." " How old were you in this picture?" " Which one?" "The roller disco picture." "This one." "Oh." "Um, 14." " You were 14 here?" " Yup." "Shit, man." "I thought you were at least 16." "Well, I'm about the same height now as I was then." "Bruno!" "Sanchez!" " That other picture, that green one?" " Yeah?" "That was taken at that place called Flippers." "Do you remember that?" "It was in Hollywood." "Were you in L.A. then?" " No." " Where were you?" "I was in Detroit." "With Ordell?" "Yeah." "We had done some time already." "Oh." "Were you a..." "disco guy?" "Nah." " Come on." "Don't lie." " No, I wasn't." "I don't like to dance." " Were you ever in one?" " I went to a few just to meet women, but... it was so loud and I didn't like to dance." "During that whole scene, I just drank in bars usually." "So who didn't make the cut?" " That's a picture of me in Japan." " Whose arm is that?" "Uh, that's the guy that I lived with." "His name was Hi-Hiro- Hiro" " Hiroshi." "He must have made quite an impression." "If you count cheese." "I never got to know him really." "You know, I couldn't speak any Japanese, and his English was terrible." "But what am I going to say?" "His English was better than my Japanese, you know." " That sounds like a problem." " Not really." "You know, we didn't have that much to say to each other anyway." "I never really got to know him, but I knew enough to know... that I wasn't missing much, so" "Anyway, I keep that picture because, of all the fucking time I was there, that's the only picture I've got of me in Japan." " That's Japan." " Oh." "Yeah." "Well" " Yeah, I can- Yeah, it looks" " I could tell." "Wanna fuck?" "Yeah." "That was fun." "Yeah." "Yeah, that really hit the spot." "Now we can catch up." "Yeah." "You got a beer?" "Yeah, sure." "In the fridge." "# Uh, I mean, damn Me and you forever hand in hand #" "# I'm married to the firm, boo You got to understand #" "# I'll die for 'em, gimme a chair and then I'll fry for 'em #" " # And if I got to take the stand I'm a lie for 'em # - # Lie for 'em #" " # It's me and you hand in hand # - # Forever #" " # I'm married to the firm, boo You got to understand # - # That we be #" "# I'll die for 'em, gimme a chair and then I'll fry for 'em #" " # And if I got to take the stand I'm a lie for 'em # - # Uhh, sugar ##" "I'm going to the bar, baby." "# Two people #" " Jackie Jack!" " Hey." "Damn!" "I'm gonna have to remember this place." "This is all right." "About two minutes from your crib, ten minutes from the gig." "Not bad." " What's your drink, brother?" " Let me get a screwdriver, homie." " How're you doing?" " Oh, I'm fine." "Yes, you are." "Damn!" "I bet you come in here on a Saturday night, you need nigger repellant to keep them motherfuckers off your ass." " Oh, I do okay." " Bullshit, Jackie." "You're a fine motherfucker." "I bet you do a damn sight better than okay." " You think anybody followed you?" " I don't think so." "But it don't matter, 'cause they already know I'm meeting you." " How the fuck they know that?" " I told them." " You told- - 3.25." " Here." "Keep it." " Thank you, sir." " You told 'em it's me?" " They already know it's you." "Goddamn, that don't mean you got to confirm it." "Look, the only way they're going to give me permission to fly... is if I agree to help 'em, which is what I have to appear to be doing." "So I might as well give them somebody they already know-you." "You tell 'em anything else?" "Yeah, you got a half a mill in Mexico and you want me to bring it in." " Goddamn" " You told them all that?" " It's true, ain't it?" "What the fuck that got to do with anything?" "They know I'm delivering for you." "I told 'em about the half mil." "They could give a fuck about it." "All they wanna do is catch your ass with guns." "So I said, "Look, you want proof he's getting paid for selling 'em?" " Let me bring in the money. "" " And they said?" "Yes." "Hey, what's the matter?" "I mean, that's what we discussed last night." "This is just seeming kind of risky now, you know." "Fuck this." "Now, let me lay it all out to you, okay?" "I make two deliveries- the first with 10,000." "You know, like a dry run?" "They watch it, see how it works." "Then the second delivery, I come home with the half mil." "See, that's too much exposure." " Now, I ain't goin' nowhere near that money." " You don't have to." "I told them you never pick up the money yourself." "You always send someone, and I never know who it is." " That's a good idea." " If you listen, it's a damn good idea." "Now, the first time I do it, they're looking around, they see me hand the 10,000 to someone." " Who?" " I don't know." "A friend of yours." " Like a woman?" " If you want." "Yeah." "Yeah, I'm thinking a woman." "Wait a minute." "If they're gonna let you go," " how come we don't bring all the cash in the first time?" " 'Cause I don't trust 'em." "Now, the next trip, when I bring in the half mils, it's gonna look like I'm doing the same thing as I did before." " But you don't?" " No." "I hand it to someone else first." "Hmm." "And they follow the wrong one, thinking she's bringing the money to me." " That's the idea." " So, we gonna need two women." " Can you cover that?" " Yeah." "Yeah, I got the women covered." "Where are you planning on puling this off?" "The Dell Amo Mal, the food court." "And I suppose you see a piece of this for yourself?" "It's my plan." "We're in this together." "Yeah, but it's my money and I don't need no fuckin' partners." "I ain't your partner." "I'm your manager." "And I'm managing to get your money out of Mexico, into America, in your hands, and I'm managing to do it all under the nose of the cops." "So, therefore, I'm your manager, and a manager gets 15%." " No, a manager gets ten percent." " No, that's an agent." " I'm gonna give you ten." " No." "No." "A manager gets 15%, agent gets 10." "I'm getting 15%, all right?" "All I'm gonna give you is ten." "And the same deal as before." "I can do that." "So he says, "Fuck that, " and moves over into guns." "See, you can sell guns wherever there's a demand, and nobody gives a shit." "He's acting like he's this big international arms dealer... when, come on, face it, the only people he ever sold to were dopers." "Well, he seems to be making out." " Is it dead?" " Yeah." "Yeah, well..." "so far, he is." "But you got to admit, he's not too bright." "Oh..." "I wouldn't go so far as to say that." "He moves his lips when he reads." "What does that tell you?" "Let's say that he's streetwise, you know." "We'll give him that." "He's still a fuckup." "He killed a man who worked for him the other day." "Well" "So, what are you trying to tell me?" "That I should get out of here?" "That's not what I'm saying at al." "You know where he went?" "He went to go meet that stewardess." " Does that bother you?" " Please!" "Well, I don't know." "You live with him, so" "No, I live here." "He just drops in and out." "Did he tell you about that half million he's got down in Mexico?" "Of course he did." "He tells anybody who's gonna listen." "Well, that's what him and that stewardess are doing." "They're scheming on how they can get that money over here." "And your point is?" "Let him and the stewardess get the money over here, and then just take it from them." "# A man we passed just tried to stare me down #" " Can I ask you a question?" " Oh, man." " You ain't gonna get serious while we're in here chilling?" " No." "It's just about Melanie." "You know what?" "I'm really sorry about that, man, but I had to be somewhere all of a sudden." "I figured, well, shit, Louis ain't had no pussy for a while." "So I thought, let him kick it here with Mel." "# The things that you do #" "So, what she say?" "She didn't have to say shit." "I know Melanie." "That bitch is gonna be fucking you two minutes after I'm out the door." "Melanie really good about throwing a fuck a nigger's way." "I mean, she ain't no damn good at it, but she likes to fuck." " Oh, so she ain't your girlfriend?" " Is that what you thought?" " No, I wasn't sure." "I didn't know." " But you fucked her anyway?" "Well... the "not your girlfriend" part I felt more about." "Oh." "Well, I hope you felt appropriately guilty afterwards." "Afterwards, I did." "Oh, oh, shit." "But, um" " But, like, you know, what is she to you?" "You know, she's just one of the bitches I got set up." "I got Mel over in Hermosa Beach, and I rent this little place for Simone over in Compton where you're staying, and about four blocks away I got this young 19-year-old country girl named Sheronda." "I found her on the bus stop two days out of Georgia, barefoot, country as a chicken coop." "Took her to my place in Compton, told her it was Hollywood." " She believed you?" " Hell, yeah." "To her dumb country ass, Compton is Hollywood." "Closest she ever been, anyway." "But you trust Melanie around your business?" "She trying to play your ass against me, ain't she?" " Yeah." " Uh-huh." "See, I knew it." "I knew it." "I knew it!" "See, you didn't have to say nothing." "I know that bitch." "I don't understand why you keep someone around your business and you can't even trust 'em." "I ain't gotta trust her." "I know her." "I don't know what that means, man." "Well, you can't trust Melanie, but you can always trust Melanie to be Melanie." "Well, I don't understand why you keep her the fuck around." "I told you, man." "She's my fine little surfer girl." "You know, she ain't pretty as she used to be... and she bitch a whole lot more than she used to, but she white." "You have one message sent at 8:06 p. m." "Hi, Jackie." "It's Max." "I was just calling to find out how everything went today at A. T.F." "If you want to call me, my home number is... 915-9302." "Or you can reach me at my office, which is... 313-3688." "It's on the card I gave you when we first met." "I don't know whether you still have it, but it's on it." "Oh, let me give you my beeper number." "It's 991- 1075, then dial 6872." "Wait for a beep, dial 59... and hit the pound." "Um, okay, so I'll talk to you later." "Hope everything's well." "Bye-bye." "End of message." "Now, the money's gonna be in a Dell Amo shopping bag, all right?" "I get some food, sit down here in the food court, then your girl comes in." "Did you find somebody yet?" " Who?" " What you care?" "What I care is my ass facing the penitentiary." " You send some hardheaded rock whore up here and she" " Hey, hey, hey, hey!" "She ain't gonna be no rock whore." "She's gonna be cool, promise." "All right, so we straight, right?" "I'm gonna roll up over here and check out this shirt I was looking at." " I'll catch you." " Hey, don't forget your bags." "Shit!" "Max!" "Max!" "Hey." "Well, hello." " Hey, surprise." " I walked right past you." "I know, ignoring me." "So, what are you up to?" " Just catching a movie." " What'd you see?" "What the fuck is up with this shit?" " I called you last night." " I know." "I got your message." "Ray wanted to have dinner with me so we can, you know, talk about the sting we're plotting." "That's what he calls it, a sting." "He's been- He's been really nice." "You think he's got a thing for you?" "Maybe." "But I'm thinking it's something more like he wants the money for himself." "Has he hinted around?" "No." "He just tries to act cool." "You know, I don't think there's anything wrong with that." "He's just a young guy having fun being a cop." "I know the type." "Trust me on this." "He's more interested in Ordell than he is in the money." "If he does anything suspect, it'll be cutting corners to get the conviction, but he wouldn't walk off with the money:, it's evidence." " And what about you, Max?" " What?" "If I was in Nicolet's place?" "No, I mean you right now, not if you were somebody else." "If I saw an opportunity to walk away with a shopping bag full of money, would I take it?" "You know where it came from." "It's not like it's somebody's life savings." "It wouldn't even be missed." "Half a million dollars will always be missed." "You're avoiding the question, Max." "Okay, sure, I guess I'd be tempted, especially now since I'm getting out of the bail bond business." " Why?" " A lot of reasons." "I guess the main one would be, uh..." "I'm tired of it." "When did you decide?" "It's been a long time coming, but I finally made up my mind." "I guess it was..." "Thursday." "Miss Brown?" " Yes?" " I'm Max Cherry, your bail bondsman." "The night you got me out of jail?" "Yeah." "I went to pick up this guy." "I hear he's staying at a house, and, uh..." "I sneak in and I'm waiting for him" "Wait a minute." "After we were together, you snuck into a guy's house?" "Yeah." "I went back to my office and found out that you took my gun, got another gun and the stun gun, went to this guy's house in Ell Monte and waited for him to come home." " What do you do when he comes home?" " Shoot him with the stun gun." "While he's incapacitated, you cuff him and take him to County." " You do that?" " It's my job." " Did you do that that night?" " Well, the guy never came home." "But I'm sitting on his couch in the dark holding my stun gun." "The whole house smells of cat pee." "And after a couple of hours, I think," ""What am I doing this?" "It's 19 years of this shit. "" "And I make up my mind." "That's it." "I'm not sure you answered my question, Max." "Which one?" "If you had the chance, unemployed now, to walk away with a half million dollars, would you take it?" "We gotta stop meeting like this." " How was your flight?" " Fine." " Bet you're happy to be working again." " Yeah." "This is A.T.F. Agent Ray Nicolet." "Jackie Brown, Ordell Robbie." "Money exchange, trial run." "Time is 3:07," "July 1, 1995." "Location is a parking structure at LAX, row "F '.' parking structure "D."" " What are you doing?" " Recording all this." " I thought you were going to let this one go through." " We are." "Don't worry about it." "Every bit of this goes in my report." "The subject is carrying a flight bag." "I am now removing from the flight bag a manila envelope." "The envelope contains currency." "All the same denomination?" "One-hundred-dollar bills." "Okay, I'm now counting it." " What time do you have to be there?" " 4:30." "I'm meeting a woman." " What's her name?" " He wouldn't say." " You gonna follow her?" " When she leaves, somebody'll be on her." " You're not gonna stop her?" " No, not this time." "Okay." "The total amount of cash... in the manila envelope is $10,000, right?" "The subject is delivering the currency in a" "Dell Amo Fashion Center bag." " The bag is, uh... purple" " It's white." " Huh?" "White." " It's white." " Fine, the bag's white" " With pink lettering." " Purp" " Image is purple." " Lettering's pink." " Fine" "Okay, the bag's white." "It's got purple on it, and the lettering's pink." " Right." " And a really good-looking woman on the cover." "Okay." "There you go." " This seat taken?" " No." "Have a seat." " You're hungry." " Yes'm." "Put the bag on the floor, okay?" "Under the table, next to mine." "And then when I leave- Well, you know." "So, what's your name?" "Sheronda." "Sheronda, that's a nice name." "Sheronda, go ahead." "You can eat." "Well, Sheronda, it was nice talking to you." "All right." "I'll be back." "I'll check the bag." "Stay here." "Max, you said it yourself." "Ray wants Ordell." "He doesn't give a shit about the money." "The money won't convict him." "Guns will." "You're rationalizing." "Well, that's what you do to go through with the shit you start." "You rationalize." "I can do it, Max." "I know I can." "I just can't do it without you." "It's cool." "Excuse me, baby." "Uh, do you know what time it is?" "No, ma'am." "I ain't got no watch." "It could work." "If she handles the cops right, it could work." "# I gave my heart and soul #" "# To you, girl #" "# Didn't I do it, baby #" "What?" "Jackie Brown." "It ain't like I'm asking you to go somewhere and spend the night." "I just want you to go out for a little while while I work this deal." "So now you're going to pout!" "Now it's going to take her 20 minutes to find her purse, look for her sandals, find her sunglasses, get outta here." "Jackie, Louis." "Louis, Jackie." "That chick you saw stomping around the back there, that's Melanie who about to leave!" "Have a good time in there, baby." "Don't burn now." " Want a drink?" " No." "I want to talk to you now, outside." "Now." "Mm." "Let's step into my office." "The day I follow Audrey Hill Clayton" " What's up?" " ... that day, I cut my throat." "You got that we do it the way I laid out, or we don't do it at al!" " What the hell you talkin' about?" " What the hell I'm talkin' about?" " Sheronda passed the money on to somebody else." " How do you know she did that?" " I was there!" "I saw it!" " You weren't supposed to be there." " I knew you would try to pull some shit like that!" " Hold on!" " I ain't puling no shit!" " What do you call it, then?" "It's my goddamn money!" "I can do what the fuck I wanna do with it." "With my ass on the line, oh, no, you fuckin' don't!" " If we don't do it my way, then fuck it!" " Jackie, Jackie, Jackie!" " Now chill!" "Chill!" " Oh, no!" "Chill, my ass!" "No!" "Listen!" "Listen!" "The woman you saw was my friend Simone." "She's the one gonna be receiving the money." "I think she oughta see how the shit go down." "She's a nice woman." "You'll like her." "Matter of fact, she's on her way over here right now." "Hold on." "Louis, call Simone." "Tell her to get her ass over here." "We waiting on her." " Damn!" "That what you're pissed off about?" " Oh, just a little pissed?" "Mm, mm, mm." "I'm sorry." "I'm about ready for a refill." "Are you sure I can't tempt you a little bit more?" " Come on." " Okay, fine." "Yeah." "You better give me something strong." "Now, Nicolet and Dargas are gonna stop me at the airport and mark your bills." "I don't like that part." "It washes off!" "I tell 'em we do the same thing as before, and they'll follow Sheronda." "Yo, Louis." "Louis?" "She ain't there?" "Yo!" "No answer?" "Now, you gotta listen to this, man, 'cause this concerns you, all right?" "Lou!" "Okay, now, this time you're going to get Sheronda a Billingsley bag, right?" "Right." "The same one Simone gives me, okay?" "Now, Simone and I make the switch in Bilingsley." "She knows what I look like?" "She's seen you with Sheronda, remember?" "All right." "Now, Simone's gonna meet you in the dress department, right?" " Right." "Designer clothes." " Right, right, right, right." "The place y'all try shit on." "It's a fitting room." "Big sign over the door." "You can't miss it." "Why over there?" "Because they're gonna be watching my ass hard." "That's why we can't take the risk in doing it out in the open... or even in the dining area." "That's why we got to do it in the fitting room with a woman." "Okay." "Now, you're going to take... the Bilingsley bag Simone gives you and give it to Sheronda." " Right." " And Simone gon' to wait." "Then she's going to peep out the dressing room, wait on you... to give her the sign there ain't nobody watching." "She's going to leave the store, get in the car, mission accomplished." "Hey!" "See?" "So, what are you going to be doing during all this?" "Now that you got 'em watching my ass, I'm gonna be in a titty bar waiting on Louis... to call me and tell me everything's cool." "I got to go!" "Hey!" " Damn!" "Who's wantin' to page you like that?" " It's Ray, the A.T.F. guy." "That shit work my nerves, you and that motherfucker being so buddy-buddy." "Hey, if I wasn't so buddy-buddy with that motherfucker, this wouldn't work." "Ordell has a guy working for him named Louis." " You two meet?" " Yeah, this afternoon before I came here." "He was at Ordell's apartment in Hermosa Beach." "Yeah." "I don't know if he lives there, but I can find out." " Did you talk to him?" " Not really." "His full name's Louis Gara." "Just did four years up in Susanville." " For what?" " Bank robbery." "We've been following him." "He definitely works for Ordell." "They did two years together about, I don't know, 20 years ago or so over at Huntsville." "He's not living over in Hermosa Beach, though." "Ordell's got him staying down in Compton." "Living with some 56-year-old petty thief, some woman named, uh..." "Hawkins, Simone Hawkins." " You know her?" " No." " They ever talk about her?" " Not yet." "Okay, who's the other one?" "Some white chick named Melanie, another girlfriend of Ordell's." " What's her deal?" " It was her coke I got busted with." " Oh, yeah?" " She knows everything." "She's not a part of it, and she's pissed off that she's not a part of it." "Well, this is definitely somebody I wanna meet." "Okay, are we all set up for tomorrow?" "Everything okay?" "Everything's the same, except for one change." " I told him Ordell's changing the amount he's bringing in." " Think they bought it?" "Mm, oh, yeah." "I got 'em thinking that Ordell's real nervous, and they love thinking that he's scared of' em." "You know, a good cop will never let you know that he knows you're full of shit." "All he needed was a reasonable explanation." "Everything's the same, except for one change." "What's that?" "Ordell feels way too hot for him to bring in his money, and he knows you're watching him and he's fucking paranoid." " So he's sweating a little bit." " He's gonna keep his half mil where it is, but he's gonna bring in 50,000 just in case he needs bail." " It'll be more than that." " Don't be so literal." "Ray believed it." "You still have to show him the money at the airport." "I'm not gonna show him the whole amount." "He'll see 50,000." " And where's the rest of it?" " In the bag, underneath." " What if he checks?" " He won't." "He didn't before." "He's expecting to see 50,000, and there it is, on top." " You're taking a hell of a chance, kid." " Not really." "If he finds it, I'll say Mr. Walker put it in there... and I didn't know anything about it, like the coke." " Well, then you're out." "You get nothing." " Yeah, but I'm not in jail... and at least I tried." "You're going to have surveillance all over you." "That's why you don't make a move until I come out of that fitting room." " Wearing a dress." " Well, a suit." "There's this one I had my eye on." "You know, it's like" "Excuse me." "Hello?" "Look here, we got a little change in plans." "No, no, no, no, it ain't no thing." "Everything's the same, except one little difference." "You know that bitch Simone you saw in the mal?" "Well, she wasn't here today 'cause she done split on my ass." "Yeah." "Me and Louis went by her pad." "She gone." "She gone, her shit's gone and my 10,000 motherfucking dollars is gone." "Hey, hey, hey!" "Don't start buggin' on me." "Goddamn it, I'm telling you, ain't nothing different." "Everything's just like we discussed." "Now, except for this time when we make the split, instead of Simone it's gonna be Melanie." "I think someone's knocking on the door." "Goddamn it, Melanie got just as much sense as that bitch has, she'd be in the same place." "All right." "Yeah, later." "Yeah?" "Well, I'm gonna open it." "I hope he's a good sailor." "Chicken shit." "Okay, the envelope contains $50,000." "I've counted it, and I'm now marking the bills... in the upper left-hand corner in the second zero with a green felt-tip pen." "Ever been tempted?" "What?" "Put one of these in my pocket?" "If I did, I'd have to give one to you, wouldn't I?" "Of course, nobody knows how much there is." "I guess we could take as much as we want." "Isn't that right?" "Yes." "All those things are true." "I mean, it's not like the money belongs to anybody." " That would be one point of view." " Yeah." "Except it's not a point of view shared by the A.T.F." "Once we make this evidence, it belongs to us." "You're officially out of trouble now." "Don't go doing something stupid." "How can I do anything stupid when I'm being watched every second?" "You know, I'm glad you pointed that out, 'cause it saves me the trouble of pointing it out to you." "Now, look." "Here's the deal." "I want you to take all this cash." "I want you to put it in this Bilingsley shopping bag." "And that is exactly what I expect to see... when I look inside Sheronda's Bilingsley shopping bag." "Comprende?" " Si, comprende." " Cool." "Hey, there's only three reasons you couldn't make your court appearance." "One, you in a hospital; two, you in jail; three, you ass is dead." " That means you're not my friend, man." "Why're you putting" " Winston!" " Wait." "Hold on a second." "Wait a minute." " I'm gonna be gone a few hours." " Where you going?" " Dell Amo Mal." "Catch a movie, maybe somethin' to eat." " What you gonna see?" " Something that starts soon and looks good." "Cool." "Have fun." " Let's go!" " In a minute!" "You said that before." "Let's go!" "# Found out she couldn't fly #" "# It was too late #" "# And if it's too late and she's gone too far #" " Hello?" " Louis?" "What the fuck you still doing there, man?" "Well, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm waiting on her." "I'm ready to go, yeah." "You're the one in motherfucking charge!" "She keeps saying, "In a minute," right?" "Go in there, grab that bitch by the hair, drag her fuckin' ass outta there!" "That's my goddamn money we" "# She didn't know what she was headed for #" "# And when I found what she was headed for #" " Hey, we gotta go!" "We're late!" " # But it was too late ##" " Come on, Mel!" "We gotta go!" "Let's go!" " Kiss my ass, fuck wad!" "# I play the street life #" "# Because there's no place I can go #" "# Street life It's the only life I know #" "# Street life #" "# And there's a thousand parts to play #" "# Street life Until you play your life away #" "# You let those people see #" "# Just who you wanna be #" "# And every night you shine just like a superstar #" "# The travel life has played A ten-cent masquerade ##" "# I love you #" "# The little gold ring you wear on your hand #" "You wanna turn it down?" " # Makes me understand #" " I'm listening to it." "Louis, man, I've been meaning to tell you you're a little bit uptight." "# Street life But you better not get old #" "# Street life #" "# Or you're gonna feel the cold #" "# There's always love for sale #" "# A grown-up fairy tale #" "# Prince Charming always smiles behind a silver spoon #" "# And if you're keeping young your song is always sung #" "# Your love will pay your way beneath a silver moon #" "# Street life #" "# Street life #" "# Street life #" "# Oh, street life #" "# Yeah #" "# Ooh, I play the street life #" "# Because there's no place I can go #" "# Street life #" "# It's the only life I know #" "# Street life #" "# And there's a thousand parts to play #" "# Street life Until you play your life away, oh ##" " Hi." "Can I help you?" " Yeah." "Um, I think I like that suit." "I'd like to try it on." "Wow!" "You look really cool." " Hey, it looks cool on me too." " It looks great." "I mean, you wear that suit to a business meeting, and you'll be the badass in the room." "Yeah?" "I think I like it." "I'll take it." " I'm in a hurry." "Can you ring it up for me?" " Cash or charge?" "Cash." " Melanie?" " Jackie?" "Hey, girl, what's up?" " Hey, are you getting that suit?" " Yeah." "You like it?" " It looks really good on you." " You got something for me?" "You betcha." "I put a cherry on top." "Booh-yah!" "What the fuck did Ordell ever do for us, huh?" "Thanks." "I decided to wear this suit instead of my tired old uniform." " Oh, that's no problem." " So, how much is it?" "Okay, there's a blouse, pants." "Comes to $267." "Okay." "Wait!" "Your change." "Uh, by the way, someone left a bag of beach towels in the last dressing room." "Ray, Ray, Ray, come out wherever you are!" "Ray!" "Ray, come out!" "Ray, Melanie, she burst into the dressing room." "She took all the money and ran out!" "Aw, fuck." "Come on." "Goddamn, we're late." "Come on." " Come on." " What the fuck?" "We should've been there already, and we would've if it hadn't been for your fuckin' around." "Jesus Christ, Louis, maintain." " Jesus." "Ow!" " Just" " I'm telling you, cut the shit." "Ow." "Idiot." " Just let go." " Straighten up, bitch." " You fuckin' mongoloid." " Fuckin'" "Oh, now, look at this." "This is nice" "I think I like it." "I'll take it." "I'm in a hurry." " Can you ring it up for me?" " Cash or charge?" "Cash." "It's a nice outfit on her." "I'm gonna go over and look at this Michi Moon display." "You just stay right fuckin' here, all right?" "Just stay right here." "Are you sweating?" "Job a little too much for you?" "I'm gonna be over there." " You just stay right here." " 'Cause you're a little bit too conspicuous." "I don't care how conspicuous, you fuckin' stay here." "Hey, would you let go!" "Designer Clothes." "Fuck it." "Look, where you goin'?" " Getting out of here." "What do you think?" " Let me have the bag." " Fuck you." "I can carry it." " Goddamn, give me the bag." " Fuck you" " What, you're gonna rip the fuckin' bag?" "Give me that bag before I knock you the fuck up." " Take your fuckin' hands off." " Okay, okay." "Jesus, what's wrong with you?" " I'm carryin' the bag." " All right, you got it." "Take a chill pill, for chrissake." "Fuck you and your chill pill." "'Member where we came in?" "No, that's towards Sears." "Where the f- Which way?" "Which way?" "Jesus, but if you two aren't the biggest pair of fuck ups..." "I've ever met in my entire life." "How did you ever rob a bank?" "Hey, when you robbed banks, did you have to look for your car then too?" "No wonder you went to jail." "Is it this aisle, Louis?" "Is it?" "Louis?" "Lou-isss?" "Is it this aisle, or is it the next one over?" " It's this one." " You sure?" " Yeah, I'm sure." " You positive?" "You don't seem sure to me." "Hey, don't say" "Don't say anything else, okay?" "Keep your mouth shut." " Well" " I mean it." "Don't say one fuckin' word, okay?" "Okay, Louis." "See, just where I said it was." "God." "# In my midnight confession #" "# When I'm tellin' the world that I love you #" "# In my midnight confession #" "# When I said all the things that I want to #" "# A love you never knew, girl #" "# Ooh, didn't I do it, baby #" "# Didn't I do- ##" "Can I show you something?" "Not right now." "I'm just killin' time, waitin' for my wife." "Oh, sure thing." "Well, if anything grabs you, don't be shy." "I won't." "Thanks." " Wow, you look really cool." " Oh, yeah." " Hey, it looks cool on me too." " It looks great." "I mean, you wear that" " Straighten up, bitch." " You fuckin' mongoloid." " Now, look at this." " I think I like it." "I'll take it." "I'm in a hurry." "Can you ring it up for me?" " Cash or charge?" " Cash." "Hey, would you let go!" "Designer Clothes." "I decided to wear the suit instead of my tired old uniform." " Oh, that's no problem." "I understand." " How much is it?" " Okay, blouse, pants." " And away we go." "Comes to $267." " Here you go." " Wait!" "Your change!" "By the way, someone left a bag of beach towels in the last dressing room." "Excuse me." "My wife thinks she left a bag of beach towels in the fitting room." "Yeah, I think they're there." "Go get 'em." "There's nobody in there." " Thanks." " Last stall." "Got it." "I wasn't even gonna buy anything." "#... do it, baby #" "# I tried so many times and that's no lie #" "# It seems to make you laugh each time I cry ##" "All right." "Just keep drivin' to Ninth, where all them car dealerships is." "We gonna leave this heap in the parking lot and pick up... a car the cops don't know nothin' about." "Where's Melanie?" "Well, that's what I wanna tell you." "You see, she was buggin' me the whole time." "She got pissy with me 'cause I wouldn't let her carry the bag." "And then she started runnin' her fuckin' mouth about, you know, like- 'cause I couldn't remember where the car was parked right away when we came out." "So then she got on me about that." ""Is it this aisle, Louis?" "Is it that aisle, Louis?" It was totally fuckin' with my nerves, man." " So, what?" "You left her there?" " I-I shot her." "You shot Melanie?" " Twice." "In the parking lot." " You couldn't talk to her?" " Well, how can you talk to her?" "You know how she is." " You couldn't just hit her?" "Maybe, but at that time- moment, I don't know, I" "You shot her?" "Twice?" " Is she dead?" " I-I" " Pretty much." "What do you mean "pretty much," Louis?" "That ain't no fuckin' answer." " Yes or no." "Is she dead?" " I-I think so." " You think so?" "Tell me Louis." "Is she" " She's dead." "She's dead." " Well, where'd you shoot her?" " In the chest and the stomach." "If you had to do it, then you had to do it, brother." "What we don't want is that bitch surviving' on us." "Anybody but that woman." "Louis?" "What?" "Where's the rest of it?" " How much is there?" " I don't know." "Maybe 40." "Shit, maybe less." "Well, you- you said 550." "Yeah, so you light, ain't you?" "You light about half a million, ten." "Look, look, man." "That's the bag she came out with." " She never put her hand in it." "Neither did I." " Came out of where?" "The fitting room." "It went down exactly the way it was supposed to." " How long was she in there?" " A minute." "Not even a minute." "She came right out." " Louis, you tellin' me the truth?" " Listen, I swear to God, man." "I swear on my life." "She came out with that fuckin' bag, and I took it from her." " And then what?" " And that was it." "We went to the parking lot." " Where you shot her?" " That's right." "Louis, you sure Melanie ain't in a room somewhere with a half million dollars..." "I worked my ass off to get waiting' for you?" " Oh, fuck you for asking me that." " Hey, I know the bitch tried to set me up." " Fuck you, brother." "How could you fuckin' ask me that?" " She didn't ask you?" "Shit!" "Pull the car over a minute." "Why'd you ask me that?" " All right, so where's the gun you shot her with?" "It's in there." "Now, what the fuck's that gonna tell ya?" "I could've taken two out already." "It's Jackie Brown." "Well, you know, if she got to it, why didn't she take it al?" "Oh, I'll be sure and ask that bitch before I blow her brains out." "Well, maybe the Feds got it." "See, if there wasn't nothin' in that bag but them towels, then maybe she didn't get a chance to take the money... out of her suitcase and the A.T.F. got it." "But she put them books in there to trick our ass." "Well, that's why I didn't check it." "Because the bag felt right." "That's right." "And then she puts 40 grand or so in there to rub that shit in my face." "You know what I'm sayin'?" "She wants me to know she ripped me off." "Ah." "I don" " I don" " You know, I don't know." "I don't know." "Unless, you know, either she's got it or the Feds got it." "Or" " Or- Now, check this out." "What if she gave the money to somebody else first... before Melanie even went in the dressing room." " Oh, man." "You know what?" " What?" " Do you know who I saw in the dress department?" " No, tell me." "I didn't think anything of it." "I" " No, no, I did wonder what he was doin' there." "I wondered what he was doin' there, but I thought it had nothin' to do with us." "Like, maybe he was with his wife or his girlfriend." "It's a big place" "Louis, Louis, Louis!" "You gonna tell me who you saw?" " Yeah, Max Cherry." " Max Che" "You seen Max Cherry in the dress department where we" "Man, look at me when I'm talkin' to you!" "You see that motherfucker in the dress department when we about to get a half million dollars." " And you don't think nothin' about him bein' there?" " No." "Do they know each other?" "Hell, yeah, they know each other." "He bonded her ass out of County." " Well, how am I supposed to know that?" " You know your bail bondsmen." "You know all them motherfuckers is crooked as a barrel of snakes, don't you?" "Why should I think something's weird if I don't know nothin' about them knowing' each other?" " I don't wanna hear no fuckin' excuses, Louis." " I ain't giving' you excuses." "But I'm tellin' you" " I don't fuckin'- I'm givin' you fuckin' reasons." "Oh, you gonna tell me the reason... you lost every goddamned cent I got in the world?" " Hey" " Hey, man." " You gonna tell me reasons?" " You better" " Let me tell you the reason, motherfucker." "The reason is your ass ain't worth a shit no more." "You better fuckin' back off, man." "What the fuck happened to you, man?" "Her ass used to be beautiful." "You didn't tell me you were goin' shoppin'." " I thought I did." " Yeah, well, you didn't." "You know, if it's me... and I got all that shit hangin' over my head like you got hanging' over yours," "I don't know, I'd go shoppin' later." "Well, I got there early." "You see, I've had my eye on this suit... that I've wanted, and, well, I'm just gonna go try it on" " Wait a minute." "Wait a minute." " Wait, wait, wait." "Just wait a minute." "Just wait a fuckin' second, all right?" "Let me finish." "I got there early." "The idea was to try on the suit, see if I liked it." "If I did, they would wrap it up, and I would put back on my uniform... 'cause Sheronda is expecting me to wear it." "Meet Sheronda, give her the shopping bag with the $50,000 and go home." "Yeah, but you didn't do that." "Because I couldn't." "Ray, I swear." "Melanie burst in." "She grabbed the bag." "And then somebody fuckin' killed her for it." "What happened to the bag she gave you?" "She didn't give me a bag." "Melanie was not a part of the plan." "Ordell probably told her to do it." "That's why she came into the dressing room, grabbed the bag, took off." "But I couldn't go after her, because I was in my fucking underwear." "And I had to put on this suit because I could put it on faster than my uniform" " You had time to pay the sales chick." " I had to." "Ray, I was frantic." "What was I supposed to do?" "All right, what you do after that?" "I went lookin' for you." "And I went back to the place in the mal... where you were before, but you weren't there." "What was I supposed to do if something happens?" "You didn't tell me how to do that." "There was a guy with Melanie?" "There was nobody in the fitting room." "Okay." "You've no idea what happened to the $50,000." " You're clueless, right?" "You've no idea where the 50 grand is?" " I have no idea." " None." " You have no idea" " It could've gone here, could've gone there?" "I know nothin'." "Not a clue." "I don't have an idea where the motherfuckin' money is." " Not even a little idea." "A maybe." " Not a tiny motherfuckin' idea." " You'd take a polygraph?" " Yeah, if it'd motherfuckin' make you happy!" "Yeah, put it right there." "I'll do it." "Man." "I sure hope you didn't do anything stupid, Jackie." "Can I talk to you for a second?" "Fuck." "Louis Gara's dead." "L.A.P.D. found him shot in the car on Ninth." "And we lost Ordell." "I thought you were fuckin' watchin' him." "We were, and we lost him." "He walked into a strip bar sometime around 3:30 and never came out." "The bar was on Ninth, what, less than a mile and a half from where they found Louis." "It looks like Louis' buddy shot him twice, point-blank range." " So what's gonna happen now?" " We pick up Ordell." "We got three murders we can link him to, and we got you." "What about me?" "What about you?" "You think I took some of that money?" "Hey, I have no evidence of you doin' anything." "You didn't pay for that snazzy new suit with marked bills." "I'm glad to see that." "You've been helpin' us out." "You gave us Melanie." "You gave us Louis." "Melanie was found with a packet of marked bills stuffed in her shorts." "That goes a long way in backing up your story." "I'll settle for Ordell with marked bills." "But if there's anything else... you haven't told me about, you know what, that's between you and Ordell." "I just got one thing to say." "You better hope we find him before he finds you." "No, no, no, I done told you, I can't leave here tomorrow, Mr. Walker." "I ain't goin' no goddamn way anyway till I get my motherfuckin' money." "Come on, man, if it wasn't for me, you wouldn't have that motherfuckin' boat." "Oh, yeah, yeah, right." "I'm seein' who my friends are, motherfucker, right" "Hello?" "Hello?" "Motherfucker hung up on me." "You believe that shit?" "Ingrate nigger." "See, you bring a motherfucker up, next thing you know they breaking you off some goddamned disrespect." "Motherfuck!" "Shit!" "Goddamn, girl." "How you live like this?" " Like what?" " Like this." "This some repugnant shit." "Bail bonds." " Yeah, Max there?" " He ain't here right now, man." " Well, where he at?" "Out of town?" " He's around, man." " Well, give me his home number." " No, I'll give you his beeper number!" "All right." "Break out the beeper number, nigger." " Yeah." " I've been looking for you." " Do you know who this is?" " This is Mr. Robbie, isn't it?" "I have your 10,000." "That's why you called." "The bond collateral that you put down on Beaumont Livingston... and moved over to Miss Brown, remember?" "Oh, she got off, did she?" "They decided to no-file this morning." "Tell me where you are." "I'll come give you your money." "You still there?" "Look here, man." "I know you helped her." "And I know you know what I want." "And Jackie can tell me any story comes into her pretty little head, as long as at the end of that story she hands me my motherfuckin' money." "Now, she wanna be my friend, she do that." "She don't want to be my friend no more, well, you just tell her to think about old Beaumont." "And if she go to the police, you tell her I will name her ass as my accessory." "And we'll go upstate, hand in handcuffed motherfuckin' hand." "And that's a promise." "Do you understand what I'm sayin'?" "You tell her that, and I'll call you back." "You're right." "It was Ordell." "If you have time, do you think you could find out where he's stayin' for me?" "Cops can't locate him, huh?" " They don't have your winning personality." "Sure thing." "I don't have to know what I'm doing, just as long as you know." "I think I do." "Good enough?" "You bet." "Fuck's wrong with you, knockin' on the door like the goddamned police?" " You lookin' to get shot?" " I thought you might be asleep." "You keep fuckin' with me, you the one gonna be asleep- forever." "I'm alone." "Get your ass in the house." "No, freeze, motherfucker." "What you doin'?" "Got your money- your bond refund?" "This al?" " I have a receipt for you to sign." " No, no, no, motherfucker." "You know what I mean." "You talked to her?" "She wants to give you your money." "If she didn't, there'd be cops batter-ramming your door down right now." " How'd you find me, anyway?" " Winston found you." " How'd he find me?" " That's what he does." "He finds people that don't wanna be found." "Oh, well, bully for that nigger." "So, she wanna give me my money, huh?" "Yeah." "She wants to give it to you herself, and she wants to collect her ten percent." "She also wants to explain why she had to hang on to it." "Oh, and I wanna hear that shit too." "Turn around." "Put your hands on your head." "Why don't you tell me why?" "Jackie didn't trust Melanie." "She'd already tried to get Jackie to go in with her, split the half million amongst themselves." "What she did was take quite a risk to make sure you got your money." "And you helped her, didn't you?" "All I did was walk out with it." "Y'all went to all that trouble just to protect my interest?" "In a way, yes." "My ass may be dumb, but I ain't no dumb ass." "Go over there and sit on that couch." "Don't worry about her." "She don't even know you're here." "Sit down." "Place stinks." "You get used to it." " Where my money at?" " My office." " Where Jackie at?" " She's been there since Thursday night." "If she want to talk to me, how come she wasn't home?" " She's afraid." " Oh, right." "That I gotta see." "She still is." "She doesn't wanna get shot before she can tell you what happened." " Tell her to bring the money over here." " It's in the safe:, she can't." "Call her and give her the combination." "Look, I'm tellin' you, you got her spooked." "She won't leave there till you get your money and you're gone." "Oh, you expect me to just go walkin' in there?" "If she wanted to set you up, you'd be in custody by now." "When you told her that you'd name her as an accessory, that scared her more than anything." "She believed you." "Then that's why she wanted to give me my money, ain't it?" "It ain't got nothin' to do with that bullshit about Melanie, huh?" "See, I ain't trust Melanie, either, but I could handle her." "That was my little blonde-haired surfer girl." "And I told that fuckin' Louis all he had to do was hit her in the mouth." "But no, he had to shoot her." "Jackie's at your office, huh?" "She by herself?" "That big-ass nigger Winston ain't there, is he?" "She's all alone." "All right." "I call over there, she better answer the phone." "She will." "I'll be here." "See you in a bit." "Goddamn." "In all the time I've known her," "I ain't never heard her scared like that." "Usually, she too cool for school." "Hold up, home." "Give me the keys." "I'll drive." "I didn't know you liked the Delfonics." "They're pretty good." "# I gave my heart and soul to you, girl #" "# But this time I'm really leavin' you, girl #" "# Oh, oh Hope you know it, baby #" "# Hope you know it, baby #" "# Didn't I do it, baby #" "# Didn't I blow your mind this time #" "# Didn't I, ohh #" "# Didn't I blow your mind this time #" "# Didn't I I got to leave you, baby #" "My money's in that office, right?" "I f she start giving me some bullshit about it ain't there... and we gotta go someplace else and get it," "I'm gonna shoot you in the head right then and there." "Then I'm gonna shoot that bitch in the kneecaps, find out where my goddamn money is." "She gonna tell I me too." "Hey, look at me when I'm talkin' to you, motherfucker." "Listen." "I go walkin' in there and that nigger Winston or anybody else is in there, you the first motherfucker gets shot, you understand me?" "Yeah." "There ain't nothin' you wanna tell me before we get out of this car, is there?" " No." " Last chance, motherfucker." "You sure?" "You better be, motherfucker." "All right." "Let's roll." "You got the key, right?" "All right, now, when we get up in here, you go up in here slow, all right?" "I want you to keep your ass in front of me." "Don't be fuckin' around herky-jerky or nothin'." "Why it so dark in here?" "Say, Jackie." "That you?" "Yeah." "Goddamn, girl." "What you doin' sittin' off in here in the dark?" "Ray, he's got a gun!" "He dead?" "Yeah, he's dead." "Does he have the marked bills on him?" "He oughta have 40,000 in his pocket there... and maybe another 10,000 I gave him." "Why'd you give him $10,000?" "Returned a bond collateral." "Brought it to him so he wouldn't have to come here." "Well, how'd you know where he was?" "I found him." " What do you mean you found him?" " That's my job." " You guys didn't tell the police?" " I told Jackie." "She said you wanted him." "Ray?" "Remember when you said you hoped you'd get him before he gets me?" "Well, you did." "Thanks." "Knock, knock." "Hey." "Hey, you." "I got your package." "It was fun gettin' a half million dollars in the mail." " Less ten percent." " Why'd you take so little?" " That's my fee." " This isn't a bail bond, Max." " I-I hesitated takin' that much." " Well, you earned it." "Well, I'm leavin' now, and, you know, I'm all packed up, ready to go" " That's Ordell's." " They confiscated everything else." "Registration was in the glove box." "Keys were underneath the seat." "Hey." "What's the matter?" "Haven't you ever borrowed somebody's car before?" "Not after they're dead." "I didn't use you, Max." "I didn't say you did." "And I never lied to you." " I know that." " We're partners." "I'm 56years old." "I can't blame anybody for anything I do." "Do you blame yourself for helpin' me?" "No." "Look, I'd really feel a whole lot better if you took some more money." "You'll get over that." "Where you goin'?" " Spain." " Madrid or Barcelona?" "Mmm, Madrid first." "Have you been there?" " I hear they don't eat dinner until midnight." " You wanna go?" "Thanks, but, uh, you have a good time." "You sure I can't twist your arm?" "Thanks for sayin' that, but no." "Are you scared of me?" "A little bit." "I'll send you a postcard." "Will you?" "I sure will, partner." "You're running a business, Max." "Cherry Bail Bond." "Uh, what is it your son's charged with?" "Yes, that's a very serious offense." "Is your son still in school?" "Does his father still live in the house?" "Could I excuse myself?" "Would you call me back in about half an hour?" "Yes, thank you." "#I was the third brother of five #" "#Doing whatever I had to do to survive #" "#I'm not saying what I did was all right #" "# Tryin ' to break out of the ghetto was a day-to-day fight #" "#Been down so long gettin ' up didn't cross my mind #" "#But I knew there was a better way of life and I was just trying to find #" "#But you don't know what you'll do until you're put under pressure #" "#Across 110th Street is a hell of a tester #" "#Across 110th Street #" "#Pimps trying to catch a woman that's weak #" "#Across 110th Street #" "#Pushers won't let the junkie go free #" "#Across 110th Street #" "#Woman tryin' to catch a trick on the street #" "#Ooh, baby Across 110th Street #" "#You can find it all in the street #" "#I got one more thing I'd like to talk to y'all about right now #" "#Hey, brother There's a better way out #" "#Snorting that coke, shooting that dope Man, you're copping out #" "#Take my advice It's either live or die #" "#You got to be strong if you want to survive #" "#The family on the upper side of town #" "#Will catch hell without a ghetto around #" "#In every city you find the same thing goin ' down #" "#Harlem is the capital of every ghetto town #" "#Let me sing it Across 110th Street #" "#Pimps tryin' to catch a woman that's weak #" "#Across 110th Street #" "#Pushers won't let the junkie go free #" "#Oh-oh Across 110th Street #" "#A woman's tryin' to catch a trick on the street #" "# Ooh, baby Across 110th Street #" "#You can find it all #" "#In the street Yes, you can #" "#Oh, look around you Look around you #" "#Look around you Look around you #" "#Yeah, yeah #"