"Well... did you wash behind your ears?" "He sure looks nice and clean, hair combed and all." "Hey, what did you do?" "Comb it with goose grease?" "Uh, I'll open for a deuce." "All right." "Gimme two, will you?" "Kind of forgot my cap." "Need a little fresh air." "I'll walk you out." "Gimme a trey." "Here." "Give me one." "That's yours." "Back to pappy." "Back to pappy, buddy." "All right, let's play." "Let's play." "I wouldn't wanna get you in trouble." "No, you're not, Jamie." "Hm." "My pa was like you." "He was big like you." "You're a pretty big kid yourself." "How long has it been since your father's been dead?" "Oh." "I don't know." "It" "Well, I ain't sure." "It's" " It's kind of mixed up." "I sure miss him." "He was an engineer on the railroad." "And he knew lots of things." "He" " He used to read to me out of big books." "Well" " There's only Mom and me now." "And" " And Dottie." "Dottie, she's small." "I know." "I'm the only one big enough now, so I gotta help Mom." "I gotta work." "And...well, I'm strong." "I can work." "I can work hard." "Paul?" "You think I can work?" "Oh, I think you're doing fine, Jamie." "Mrs. Harmon, she's teaching me too." "She reads stories, and then she" "And she teaches me some of the words." "Yeah, Mrs. Harmon, uh... you better not keep her waiting." "Hey." "You wanna climb up to that place again Sunday?" "Okay, Jamie." "My pa used to let me climb with him sometimes." "See you, Paul." "See you, Jamie." ""A little afternoon, I found the sea very calm," ""and the tide ebbed so far out, that I could come within a quarter of a mile of the ship."" "Jamie... you haven't even touched your cocoa." "I guess I ain't hungry." "You're still thinking about this afternoon." "Mrs. Harmon?" "Yeah?" "Why'd they do like that to me?" "Because that's the kind of men they are." "Jamie... this is something you must learn." "The world is full of men like that." "They're mean and vicious." "I wouldn't say they were as decent as most animals." "If I hadn't found someone like Buck..." "Well..." "I'll warm this up for you." "Hi, honey." "Your dinner almost got tired waiting." "Oh." "Y-y" "Yeah, well, I got hung up on specifications." "Cold bottle of beer will hit the spot." "Jamie, we're going to have to stop now." "I'm sorry." "But we'll work some more tomorrow night, hm?" "Here, why don't you take this with you... and try to make out some of the words I showed you." "It's not hard, hm?" "Maybe Mr. Beaumont will help." "Okay." "Good night, Jamie." "Good night." "Did you have to do that?" "Oh, shut up and come here." "Oh." "I mean... did you have to run him off like that?" "Honey, it's late and I'm hungr" "I don't like to find him here every night." "Buck, he- He needs a little help." "He's just like a child." "A child?" "He tops me by 20 pounds." "That's a child?" "Oh, ho, ho, ho." "Buck." "I mean..." "Well, he's" " He's got the mind of an 8-year-old kid." "Ruth, I just don't want him here, that's all." "Why?" "I'm asking you something." "Why don't you want him here?" "First of all..." "you never can tell what a kid like that'll do, you know." "Meaning what?" "Meaning I work darn hard all day." "I got a right to come home and take my shirt off and relax without having that kid underfoot, huh?" "Um..." "Has he ever bothered you?" "Now, what has he done?" "All right, maybe I just don't like kids." "Well, then, maybe you should have married somebody else!" "Buck..." "What's wrong with me?" "Why don't we have a family?" "It's not natural... and it's not right." "People who get married should have kids." "You're not a family until you have kids." "Buck... if it is me" "Oh, uh, here we go again" "Look, if anybody wants me, I'll be down at the shack." "Oh, no" "Hi." "Is Buck around?" "Well, he's over at the far end." "Oh, darn." "I've gotta go have my hair done." "Well, I'll tell him you stopped by." "Will you?" "Thanks." "Oh, Mrs. Harmon." "I, uh..." "I think somebody ought to thank you for what you're doing for Jamie." "Oh." "Teaching him a few simple words." "Well, it's what he needs." "It gives him confidence." "It helps to make him feel like he's other people." "Mm-hm." "Well..." "I could do a lot more for him if Buck" "You know, I never will be able to figure how you talked Buck into putting him on." "That makes us even." "Neither will I." "Oh, I don't mean that Buck is that tough." "Not the way he wants you to think." "When you get to know him, he's" "I mean, really get to know him, he's..." "Well, I talk too much." "Looks like it paid off." "Talent." "And I want you to load more every run." "Buck." "I'll talk to you about it later." "You were sleeping when I left." "It was kinda early and" "Twenty to 5." "Buck... one of us has to say it." "I'm sorry." "Two of us." "Buck..." "love me." "Trust me." "Love me, please, the way I love you." "Honey." "Every time we fight, it tears me apart." "Then let's not fight anymore...ever." "About anything." "I" " I've gotta go into town." "I'm gonna have my hair done, but..." "I'll be back by 5." "Don't work late tonight." "Not for this company or seven companies like it." "Come on, I'll walk you back to the car." "What's that?" "Oh, Buck." "It's hot." "All the women dress this way." "Yeah, b" "Oh, come on." "What a woman, pappy." "What a woman." "She's stuck-up." "Always was." "Even when she worked in that bar in Elko." "Hey..." "You do that again, and I'll break my appointment." "Big baby, huh?" "Yeah." "Wouldn't you like to drive one of these?" "Oh, I sh" " I sure would." "Well..." "I could show you how to operate it." "Oh, I don't think I better." "Heh." "Why, if you drove one of these, you'd make a lot more money than being a water boy." "Buck, uh... he'd like to see you learn the controls." "Mr. Harmon said so?" "Sure." "You don't think I'd lie about it, do you?" "Well- Come on." "Come on, get up there." "It won't bite you." "I'll show you." "Here we are." "Right here's your, uh, brake, here on the left." "These are your foot feeds for the rear and front." "Right here is your, uh, gear shift." "Here, take my... helmet." "Now you look like a real driver." "You go ahead and familiarize yourself with it." "Take your time." "Wait'll that thing starts moving." "Then you'll hear him yell." "Looks mighty dangerous to me, Dan." "No, it's in low gear." "I showed him where the brake is." "Go ahead." "Rev up a little!" "Hey!" "You all right, Jamie?" "!" "Jamie!" "Don't!" "Buck, he might be hurt." "He's lucky I don't break his neck." "He could have killed somebody." "I told you, Buck." "All right." "I'm gonna get him out of here." "You check the scraper." "All right, you guys, back to work." "Go ahead." "You take the jeep, drive him into town." "I'll see that he gets a week's severance pay." "Look, Buck, he's just as scared" "I want him out of here!" "Can't it wait till tomorrow?" "At least let me find him, uh, drive him home, explain to his mother." "Overnight." "I'll be responsible for him." "Okay." "Don't forget it." "Jamie?" "Ha." "I been looking for you." "Had a feeling you might be up here." "You're not afraid of me, are you, Jamie?" "We're friends." "Them others." "Well, they won't hurt you anymore." "They ain't mad about that machine?" "Why should they be?" "You didn't do any damage." "Mr. Harmon... he ain't mad neither?" "Well, that's why I came up here, Jamie." "I wanted to tell you he understands." "He likes you..." "But he's gonna have to send you home." "I can't go home." "I gotta work." "Mom is counting on the money." "This isn't a very good job for you, Jamie." "I" "Look, I'll tell you what." "We'll, uh" "We'll look around." "We'll find you something better." "You trust me, don't you, Jamie?" "We're friends." "Well, come on, let's go down the hill." "We'll talk about it." "You take my word?" "Hi, honey." "I'm sorry." "I know I was gonna come home early." "One of the big shovels conked out." "How are you?" "Mm-hm." "The boy, huh?" "You know about the boy, right?" "Mrs. Hendricks told me." "Honey, I have to let him go." "A kid like that, you gotta watch him 24 hours a day." "Believe me." "You never can tell what he'll do." "Honey, he almost killed some men today." "Does that mean anything to you?" "I know he wouldn't have gotten up on that thing if somebody hadn't put him up to it." "Sure, there's always some excuse." "Did you try to check it out?" "Did you ask?" "Did you treat him like anyone else?" "He's not like anyone else." "All right." "So he's retarded." "But does that make him fair game for men like Dan Murdy?" "Mean, vicious animals." "Oh, Buck." "I expect it of them." "But not you." "I told you I was tired of it." "Every lost kid that comes along, why do you have to be the great earth mother?" "Maybe that's because I don't have one of my own." "Here we go again." "Why don't I, Buck?" "We've had seven years." "You know why." "Look at the way we live." "Job to job, place to place!" "A lousy 2-by-4 trailer." "This is no place to raise kids." "Mrs. Hendricks is raising hers." "And Mrs. Gustafson." "And Mrs. Beale." "Well, maybe I want more than their husbands!" "Maybe you want a wife you can trust." "Someone you didn't meet working in a cocktail bar." "Someone you think is fit to be a mother." "Oh, honey, that's not true." "Come on." "Honey." "Well, why don't you say it?" "You've thought it long enough." "A cocktail waitress in a two-bit bar." "Honey, you're wrong." "You're way off base." "Then what else is it?" "Go ahead." "Run back to the office." "I'm not going to the office." "I'm going into town." "What for?" "If I'm lucky, to get drunk!" "Oh, it's a good idea to pack the night before." "Get a good start in the morning." "Bet your mother will be glad to see you." "Paul?" "What, Jamie?" "You think maybe I ought to tell them I'm sorry?" "No reason to be sorry." "That yours?" "Uh, Mrs. Harmon's." "Robinson Crusoe, huh?" "You know, it's one of the best books I ever read." "She lent it to me so I could pick out some of the words." "I was thinking I'll take it back." "Jamie, why don't you?" "If you t" " Take it back, you can say goodbye to her." "I'll, uh" " I'll finish up this for you." "Okay." "Help!" "You hear that, Charley?" "Hear what?" "Was a scream or something." "Maybe it's one of the kids." "Both sound asleep." "You're imagining again." "I'm not imagining." "Jamie?" "Ruth?" "Charlie!" "Where'd you find him?" "In town." "She, um" "Suffering from shock." "I think she might have a slight concussion." "I'm sure she'll be all right." "Who made you the doctor?" "First-aid man went to town." "We telephoned for Dr. Santley." "Charley said you saw the boy outside." "Well, did you or didn't you?" "I think it was he." "He ran." "He never seemed the sort of boy that would" "How did this get here?" "It was on the floor up front." "He can't run far enough." "Buck." "Look, there's nothing to prove it was the boy." "Only his cap." "Her seeing him." "What was he doing here anyway?" "I sent him over... to return a book." "Robinson Crusoe." "Did you find the book?" "You talked me into letting him stay." "You're not gonna talk me into anything else." "Uh, he loved your wife like a kid loves his own mother." "He's not capable of something like this." "He's not the type." "I know what I'm talking about." "You're the doctor." "Tell it to the police." "It was the way she screamed that hit me." "I'm telling you, when you hear a woman scream like that..." "Well, she was scared." "Somebody coming at you like that." "Just like a wild animal." "She was my wife, I'd" "You know Buck's always been a square Joe with us." "He didn't deserve what's happened to him." "He sure don't." "And he ain't the only one with a wife in camp." "Charley, you think it's gonna be safe with that kid out there?" "Oh, I don't think he'd try it again." "How do you know he wouldn't try again?" "He's stronger than an ox." "He could be dangerous." "You know, I got a rifle in my locker for shooting rabbits." "Now some of you other fellows got guns too." "I say we get 'em out." "Let's get with it." "Come on, fellas." "And we'll meet right here." "Right." "There was a bruise on her cheek and a cut on her, uh... you know, forehead there." "And I think he tried to choke her, 'cause she's still out." "I know it's rough, Mr. Harmon, but maybe you're lucky." "Yeah, lucky." "She could be dead." "You know who did it?" "I got a pretty good idea." "We'll be right out." "And don't let anybody leave." "Don't worry." "It'll take about 25 minutes." "Now, you keep hold of yourself." "It's Mrs. Harmon." "An 809." "I've just made some fresh coffee." "Won't you have a cup?" "Thank you." "Do you think the police will take the boy in?" "Uh-huh." "What will they do?" "Ask him a few questions." "Charge him maybe." "It won't come to anything." "Are you sure?" "I'm sure he didn't do it." "Where are the rest of 'em?" "They're a-coming, Dan." "We gotta get going." "Longer we wait, the harder it's gonna be to find him." "We'll start with the camp." "Search it out." "Every corner." "And don't hesitate to use those guns." "We're dealing with a mad dog now." "Oh, that's ridiculous." "You butting in again, Beaumont?" "Now, look, he's just a frightened kid." "Now there's no reason for all this." "Nobody proved it was Jamie, right?" "Who did Mrs. Hendricks see coming out?" "Santa Claus?" "Well, then let the police handle it." "It's their job, not yours." "Never mind, Beaumont." "If they don't get him now, they'll never get him with a 10-foot net." "If we don't get him... there won't be a man in this camp with a wife or kid be able to draw an easy breath." "Mike... go get the rest of the men." "They're going after Jamie." "They've all got guns." "Dan, Rufe, all the rest of them." "They'll kill him if he runs." "He's bound to run, he's frightened." "Look, uh, Buck, he's not a vicious kid." "I mean... look, there's no hostility." "He's got the mind of a child." "A child wouldn't do a thing like that." "I mean, basically and psychologically, he's not capable of it." "You know a lot of things, don't you?" "Buck, listen to me" "First aid, louse up your social security." "How to make yourself scarce when the cops are around." "What are you running away from anyway?" "We're talking about Jamie." "Ask your wife." "She'll tell you it wasn't the boy." "You know all about it, huh?" "Buck, take my word for it." "I know about kids like that." "So do I. I grew up with one." "Do you have any idea what that means?" ""No, Buck, you can't go swimming today."" ""No, you can't play ball today."" ""No, you can't go to the movies today."" ""No, you can't do anything like anybody else," ""because you gotta stay home and take care of your brother, Buck."" "Yeah. "Oh, he's bigger than you are." ""And he's older than you are." ""And he's twice as strong as you are." ""But you gotta hold him by the hand, you gotta lead him around." "And don't you ever dare let go."" "Buck" "Finally, you grow up and you get out of it." "You think it's all past, and you get married." "Then you find you're scared to have kids." "You're scared they'll be like him." "Buck, I" "I, uh" " I gotta get back to Ruth." "Ruth?" "Yeah, we're gonna bring that kid in, Buck." "They're gonna- They're gonna bring him in." "They're gonna kill him." "All they want's an excuse." "Now stay out of it." "Buck... what if you're wrong about Jamie?" "At least wait until your wife's able to talk." "You giving us any guarantees?" "Sure." "Look, I'm not guessing." "I know." "I was trained to know." "Buck!" "Hurry." "You wait." "She kind of moved a little, twice." "Ruth?" "Honey, it's gonna be all right." "I'm here." "Oh." "It's gonna be fine, honey." "Now, you're gonna be just fine." "Ruth." "Oh." "Do you know who it was?" "Was it the boy?" "Tell me." "Was it Jamie?" "Was it the boy?" "Wha-?" "I couldn't see." "I don't know." "I know." "Find him for me." "Not a sign of him, Dan." "He's not in camp, he's gotta be up on that mountain." "Yeah." "You got about one chance in a million." "In this dark, you'd have to be a mountain goat." "Dan?" "Nothing, huh?" "He's got to be up above." "Well, you'll never spot him in the dark." "Even with the big lights?" "The arcs?" "They could spot a jackrabbit a mile or more." "Get 'em." "Right." "It's gonna take a couple of minutes to warm up." "Right." "He's up there, we got him." "Oh, he's up there all right." "Jamie?" "Jamie." "It's me, Paul Beaumont." "Jamie." "Jamie, I'm your friend, remember?" "I know you wouldn't hurt Mrs. Harmon." "That's gotta be him." "Get that light over there." "Higher." "Now, look, Jamie, we can't stay here." "And you can't run." "If you run, they'll say you did it." "And we both know you didn't." "Look, Jamie, come on down with me." "I won't let 'em hurt you." "That's a promise." "I wouldn't break a promise to you, Jamie." "Ja" " Jamie." "Do you hear that?" "It's the police, Jamie." "I want you to go down and... talk to them." "I want you to go down and tell 'em what happened." "You going along?" "Jamie, they'll listen to you." "That's their job, to listen." "Just go down and talk to them." "For me." "Do it for me, if we're friends?" "Okay." "We got him!" "Jamie, wait!" "Jamie!" "Don't run, Jamie!" "Jamie, it's a policeman." "Don't run, Jamie." "Don't run!" "Jamie!" "They, uh..." "They were after him." "They might have killed him." "Who are you?" "I- He's my friend." "He's the one that sent me over." "Over where?" "To Mrs. Harmon's trailer." "He told me I ought to take her book back." "That's him, sergeant." "I'm glad you found him." "You've found the boy." "That doesn't mean you've found the one that attacked your wife." "You stay out of this, Beaumont." "I'll put you in so deep" "You can take him in." "Look." "That's the book we were looking for." "Robinson Crusoe." "He never got a chance to give it to her." "You never got a chance to give her the book, did you, Jamie?" "I couldn't." "Why not?" "Well, she was on the- On the floor when I went in." "Real quiet." "And she wasn't screaming no more." "You heard her screaming?" "Yeah." "An-and I ran to the door." "And I went in." "And this man was just going out the back." "What man?" "Now, don't be scared." "He won't hurt you." "I give you my word." "Come on, Jamie." "Mrs. Harmon was a good friend of yours." "Tell 'em who it was." "Come on, Jamie, who was it?" "Who did you see going out?" "Come on." "You gonna take the word of a kid that doesn't know his left from his right?" "We don't have to take his word for it." "Look, Beaumont, you butt in again" "Now, you shut up!" "What do you mean?" "It's pretty obvious from the marks." "Whoever it was tried to choke your wife." "She must have put up a pretty good fight." "My hunch is she left a few marks of her own." "Could be some scratches." "On the arms maybe." "Show 'em your arms, Jamie." "Show me your arms, Dan." "Well" "Oh, now Buck, you don't" "Show me your arms." "No." "I'm not gonna show you my arms." "Show me your arms!" "I'm not gonna" "You were always after her, weren't you?" "You were always- Since Elko!" "You were always after her!" "Break it up." "Break it up!" "Jamie, if we're gonna get an early start now, better get some sleep, huh?" "Now we've got to get a statement from him." "Jamie?" "Don't count on much." "He's a little slow." "You know, retarded." "And the other one?" "Beaumont." "Who's he?" "My timekeeper." "Best man at the job I ever had." "See you." "Yeah." "Honey." "I was afraid, Ruth." "I mean, it had nothing to do with you, see?" "When you've grown up with a brother like mine..." "Well, I was just afraid, that's all." "You're not anymore?" "Well, he said I had no reason to be." "He said that in most cases, heredity had nothing to do with it." "He seemed to know what he was talking about." "But he said the first thing I ought to do... is tell you." "Well, that's another thing I have to thank him for." "Shouldn't I?" "Well, he's gone." "He's taking Jamie home first and then he's heading out." "Why?" "I don't know." "Maybe he's got something to be afraid of too." "Most men have some secret fear." "Most men manage to live with it." "To walk the world with others and live a quiet, normal life." "For one man, that is impossible." "Richard Kimble." "fugitive."