"Somebody help me!" "Jesus!" "Darl?" "Come on in, I'll scramble you some eggs." "So say..." "You haven't seen my keys, have you?" "Why did you do that for?" "l love you." "Good morning, Lauren." "Hi, Katie." "Hey, Darl, you sure were shaking your petootie last night." "Come here a minute, honey." "Why?" "Just come here, okay?" "How old are you?" "21 and got an l.D. to prove it." "Poor shit!" "Advice for you: go to Crawfish Bay or wherever you're from." "Work in a place like this and you are going to develop bad habits." "You've got a booger on your nose." "lt's Rhonda." "Darl, it's C.B. -l'm not here." "He said something about a truck wreck." "Put down the shoes, Al." "l've got 6 kids..." "Put down the shoes, Al." "Hey, C.B. -lt's a whole situation." "Yeah, it looks like it." "Pass me that umbrella." "Have you seen my sunglasses?" "l don't think so." "Do me a favor and look for them, will you?" "Some marketing!" "How you doing, Bud?" "The driver said some woman ran in front of him." "Did you talk to her?" "No." "Couldn't find her." "Can't find her?" "I'll be darned." "what's up, buddy?" "Whose dog is this?" "His license and title were clean, but his insurance lapsed." "is that right?" "Are you hurt, son?" "Are you alright?" "Yeah, sir, I'm alright." "Dumped her in there, didn't you?" "Yes, sir." "Sure did." "I nearly rolled over." "Listen, I don't know where you drive through... but in Louisiana you can't drive around with no insurance." "I tried to keep it up." "I got to feed my kids though." "Yeah, I get you." "Yes, sir." "It's an awful lot of shoes." "I'll give you a breathlizer test." "That 's all there is to it." "Hell, no, I ain't no drunk!" "You find that woman. lt 's her fault!" "C.B., make the call, will you?" "This is Rhonda." "Rhonda,it's C.B." "We got high tops." "Want some?" "You best save me a pair." "Pot Goose's." "I appreciate it, C.B.!" "And what they're building right down the road... is a gambling casino that will destroy..." "Truck wreck on 65." "Darl's giving out free shoes." "You cannot bring in Las Vegas' style of gambling!" "I bet you US$ 1 million it fits that girl." "Hey, Goose, what's up, buddy?" "You're drunk yet?" "Sir, this is the Lord's day." "Jack Daniels got to wait till midnight." "Are you a son now?" "They're tasty." "Just clean them up." "I'm just cleaning the mud." "that's a 7 medium, so..." "So, Cletus.." "You see, you got to say the magic words, okay?" "Who are you going to vote for?" "Well, you, sheriff." "Ornelle, planning on pulling that thing out with that truck?" "Before I start, I got to get it right: who do I send the bill to?" "Judge executive pays the bills." "Hey, Darl!" "You ought to look at this!" "What?" "There's a woman out here." "And she ain't moving." "Damn, she's good looking, huh?" "Anybody knows her?" "No." "Nice if I did!" "Charge him for man slaughter?" "l don't know, maybe." "There's a camera under my seat, C.B. Get it and take pictures." "Jesus." "Amen." "She's a believer." "Good grief, little feller." "You're about to get squashed!" "Now run." "Run like the wind!" "How you doing, sister?" "Looks good. I didn't think God would let a miss work on Sunday." "I have to be open for business before the casino is." "I'm trying to identify this gal." "You haven't seen her, have you?" "No, she doesn't come to my church." "I guess you wouldn't know her, would you?" "Say, Henry?" "Ain't playing much football." "Hell, no." "Help me out with something." "Have you seen this little sweetheart?" "She is a looker." "Yes." "She's got hit by a truck." "I heard that. I don't know her." "Your money is no good here." "My wife picked out hush puppies." "They fit?" "Good deal." "Thanks for your help." "Okay, Darl." "Hear anything, let me know." "Sure will." "Hey, Darl... those kids out front, please run them off. I'm getting complaints." "All right." "See you later, Henry." "that's dangerous!" "You little shits will have to get out of here." "You're running off all of Henry's customers." "What are you just standing there for?" "Get in the car. what's wrong?" "You come with me." "Why?" "Because I said to." "Come on." "Come on, let 's just go." "Your mom doesn't let you smoke." "Not in front of her." "Who's this?" "l'm trying to find out." "So how's school, honey?" "Amazing." "that's good." "Can I get a tattoo?" "A tattoo of what?" "Gaia." "what's Gaia?" "Gaia, the earth goddess." "When I was a kid, the girls who had a tattoo worked in tit shows." "Don't walk around like trash." "Thanks." "C.B. to Big T-One." "You copy?" "We're over at the doc's." "You got to see this." "See what, C.B.?" "Damn, Squeegee." "Wait until you see this!" "You ain't supposed to be in here." "You just wait." "what's going on?" "She's got a pecker." "And teeties." "Don't say that, C.B. Jesus!" "She's got a bigger dick than I do." "Squeegee, I'll have to take your word on that." "Oh, Lord!" "You call it a"transvestite"." "Technically... because of the hormone induced breasts, she's a"transsexual"." "A transvestite just likes to dress up." "An accident?" "No." "This is the copper that killed her, or him." "22 caliber, shot to the back and lodged in the chest cavity." "Feet are cut up, so..." "I feel she ran a long way with this in her." "The actual time of death probably just 45 minutes ago." "Asphyxiation." "Lungs slowly filled up with the blood." "Damn, Darl." "She was alive while we were unloading those shoes." "identifiable markings:" "Jesus as a tattoo... but this here, that's a stamp, like you'd get in a nightclub." "Homicide." "You should've called investigators before moving her." "Excuse me, Mrs. District Attorney, I was called for the accident." "l didn't have any idea..." "Wow!" "That 's cool!" "What?" "Get back in the car!" "She's riding back with me." "Come." "What?" "I wish to hell she hadn't proposed to me. lt would've been easier." "lt 's my fault you're miserable." "that's what I said." "You're getting any alimony?" "l should." "Put her through school." "Doc, won't you put some over this. I always love this bit." "Those goodies look so real." "They are real." "What do you think?" "They're not exactly real." "They're weren't real." "They're real now." "They sure are pretty." "Hey, cut that out." "Seems you know a lot about this." "l've read a lot. I'm sorry." "l just read a lot." "l don't know what the deal is." "We don't want to know what's going on..." "behind closed doors." "Stop that." "I'm going back to the desk." "Want me to call the State forensics?" "Why?" "Carla said we should've done it." "I don't give a rat 's ass." "Call in the State boys on a Sunday... to investigate a"homocide"?" "They don't give a shit." "Have you seen my sunglasses?" "No." "Shit!" "Good morning, Lana, how you doing?" "is the judge home?" "He's out back." "Take the Baby Bear." "Mr. Grandpa Bear." "He's got a tie on." "You've got your hands full." "Daughter thinks I'm a babysitter." "I have done nothing to dissuade her of that notion." "We have a policy problem with Darl I should let you know about." "That D.O.A." "Darl doesn't want to call in the State investigation unit." "Darl can be mule-headed." "He should've checked with me before stealing those shoes." "I mean it's been years since Darl has handled a murder case." "The first 48 hours are crucial." "Some crime investigations don't deserve the tax payer's money." "This is one of them." "l beg your pardon?" "Having the wrong kind of publicity in Le Salle at the wrong time." "With the casino pendent?" "l know we shot it... but, right now, Darl just might be the best man for the job." "Pretty precious!" "I missed you. I was just gone for a minute and I missed you." "Good grief!" "Darlene, this milk stinks!" "There's creamer in the cupboard." "l don't like that powder shit." "This lady..." "She would like to speak to a sheriff or a deputy." "Hi." "My name is Darl." "Pleased to meet you." "Are you the sheriff?" "Yeah." "Except I don't use my gun unless the charm fails, you know?" "I'm worried about a friend of mine." "You're not from here, are you?" "Why do you say that?" "Because you look better than the people around here." "No. I drove up from New Orleans." "How's everything down there?" "It 's fine." "You get down there much?" "If I got a good reason, I go down there every now and then." "Yeah, I'm worried about my girlfriend." "She called me..." "Saturday from Le Salle." "I haven't heard from her since." "This might not have anything to do with it, I don't know... but did she happen to have a..." "A what?" "It 's..." "A Jesus tattoo?" "Where are we going?" "Across the street." "Full name?" "Mona." "Mona what?" "She just had one name." "I felt something was wrong." "What happened?" "Got shot." "We found her at a swamp." "Who did it?" "l don't have a clue." "Do you?" "Listen, this sex question over here is a little problem." "What box should I check?" "However you like." "Alright, both boxes." "Next keen?" "Me." "Are you like her sister or something like that?" "I'm her wife." "Legal?" "Legal." "I'm sorry, I just..." "I never really..." "Hey!" "I'm sorry, but it's strange for me. I don't see it every day." "Ma'am, this is a murder case." "I'll have to ask you some more questions, so..." "Ask!" "What was she, or he..." "She!" "Alright, what was she doing in Le Salle?" "Mona called our house on Saturday night and left a message... around 3." "She said... she was working in a Christmas party in Le Salle and... her ride left her stranded and in the morning she would catch a bus." "Sunday came and she didn't come home." "Monday I started to worry." "I called everybody..." "Nobody heard from her." "Last night, I drove up here." "That's it." "That's all I know." "Where was this party at?" "l don't know." "She's an entertainer, she performs a lot of parties." "What was she driving?" "Doesn't have a license nor a car." "Where did she call you from?" "I don't know." "How about this Jesus tattoo she had on her?" "what's that about?" "A few years ago, she went through this religious phase...." "She got this tattoo." "Jesus over her heart." "What about that stamp on her hand, that J.A.?" "what's that?" ""Johnny Angels", a nightclub in New Orleans where we work." "Both of you work there?" "Are you the same as she is, you know?" "What does that have to do with my husband being murdered?" "C.B., what do you want?" "Sorry, but we got an emergency." "There's a protest at the casino site and..." "Your daddy's got a shotgun." "Of course he has." "Would you mind waiting in my office?" "I got to take care of this." "Get back here!" "This was to a be a nice protest." "Nobody invited him to show up." "You hear me?" "He won't let me near him." "He's going to kill somebody." "Hey, it's me!" "Put the gun down!" "I've seen better sheriffs in Saturday morning cartoons!" "There he is, God himself." "Mr. Own lt, Mr. Buy lt." "Well, these raisins ain't for sale!" "Bull, you stupid drunk, put that gun down!" "Stay back!" "He's crazy!" "All bark and no bite!" "Flatter than yesterday's beer." "You are gone." "There's nothing left." "I'm a dangerous man." "I'm a killer!" "If you were to kill me, you'd have killed me a long time ago." "Give me that gun." "Get him out of my site." "Come on, daddy." "Get up." "Get off this hill, damn it." "What are you doing shooting at things?" "I don't believe it would do any good to lock him up." "Do you?" "How are you coming with that freak murder?" "We made an l.D. She came from New Orleans." "I figured." "All shit that floats ends up in New Orleans." "That's for sure." "Darl, I don't want you to make too much noise with that case." "I'd hate to have the newspapers stick the words Le Salle parish... and transsexual murder in the same headline." "I hear you." "See if you can talk some sense into that alcohol soaked head." "All right." "That son of a bitch!" "That judge's a tad wacker, that's what!" "He's brought up every land this side of the lake, except mine." "And I'll fry in hell before I sell out to that son of a bitch!" "No, sir, not for Fort Knox!" "When he asked for my badge, I thought "how bad can that be"?" "It 's only a piece of tin. I didn't realize that that badge... was my skin. lt held me together." "Don't let him do that to you." "Don't have to worry about me." "l don't." "Your brother took the wrong turn." "Took after your momma." "But you are me." "Big chief to station 1." "Station 1." "Tell that Scarlet person to go back to New Orleans. I'm tied up." "She's left already." "But she wasn't going back to New Orleans." "She said she was going by the bus station... see if anybody had seen her husband." "Over." "All right." "I use 2 sticks of butter." "No more, or it doesn't taste right." "Plus, it puts pounds on you." "l think I could use a few pounds." "Sheriff?" "Can I help you?" "How you doing?" "All right." "l was looking for somebody." "She was looking for somebody too." "Then we got to discussing shortbread recipes..." "Sorry I couldn't help you with your friend. I'll keep an eye out." "Thank you." "Sure." "Who are you looking for?" "I think I know where to find them." "All right." "I thought I told you to wait for me at the office..." "Thought I could help. lt turns out Mona never bought a bus ticket." "Yeah, well..." "Okay..." "That's you right there?" "what's your sign?" "Your astrological sign?" "Capricorn." "Stubborn." "Selfish and stubborn." "I'll handle everything from here." "Just go back to New Orleans..." "Look, you think that Mona belongs in a Petri dish... but you're wrong." "Mona was the best person I ever met." "The gentlest person." "Never put on errors, kind to everyone." "You think that's easy, the choice that she made in her life?" "It isn't." "She's the bravest person I've ever met." "So, you put your prejudice aside... and swear to me you're going to find out who did this." "Okay, we'll handle that, right off the bat." "That 's what we'll do." "Ho, ho, Paradise Casino has got to go!" "I want 3 of whatever those deals are." "You look lovely." "Thank you." "You bought that dress in N.Y.?" "New Orleans, right off the rack." "You're charming." "How are you?" "Great, thanks." "The governor is here." "We all know about your politics." "Come give us a bit of that guitar." "Come on, judge." "You're going to play for us, gov?" "Come on and give us..." "Come on up here!" "Come up here!" "Come on, governor!" "Play something nice!" "For God's sake!" "Darl, where are you going?" "I don't want to listen to that son of a bitch try to play the guitar." "What do you care?" "C.B., I was just being nice." "Hey, hey, ho, ho, Paradise Casino has got to go!" "Hey, hey, ho, ho, Paradise Casino has got to go!" "Hey, Darl!" "Hi!" "Darl, those asshole mother fuckers won't let us in their damn party." "Get back in the car!" "Who's that you're with?" "Nobody." "l'm leaving." "You coming?" "Does it look like I'm coming?" "Hey, there, listen." "Behave now, all right?" "l always behave." "You're not doing a good job." "That 's not his daughter, is it?" "There you go." "Hi, everybody." "This is..." "Party hardy girl." "My friend Hannah." "Hey, I know you from the Tavern." "How you doing?" "This must be the husband you're always running down." "Hey, I told you to behave." "Let 's hear it for the governor!" "Thanks. I want to talk a couple of minutes about Le Salle parish." "Not like my opponent, Hart Burnson, or as I call him..." ""Heartburn, son!"" "He's marching marionettes right outside that door." "Paradise Casino has got to go!" "You know me?" "No, I don't think so." "You tried to fuck me." "I own a picking pan in Shreeport." "This is a shipping invoice." "You stole US$ 2O,OOO worth in my shoes." "l don't know anything about it." "My driver says you were there." "Well, your driver ought to be a better driver, you know what?" "My brother-in-law is the attorney general." "He'll rip you a new one." "I don't know who you think you are, but this ain't Shreeport." "So you'd better keep your finger out of my face!" "Burnson doesn't want jobs for you." "You know what?" "They're going to vote you off the ticket." "Did they tell you yet?" "Good party, judge." "Darl, how are you doing?" "You're cutting me off the ticket?" "Where did you get that idea?" "Don't bullshit me." "Easy, Darl." "You easy!" "Get your fucking hands off of me!" "You're embarrassing yourself." "Don't fuck with me in my parish!" "You need to calm down, hear me?" "Get your nose out of his ass!" "Always good to see you, Darl." "You too, governor." "Thanks for coming." "Merry Xmas." "Merry Christmas to all of you." "What is everybody looking at?" "Just enjoy yourselves." "Shit!" "Home, sweet home." "What are you doing?" "What did you do, girl?" "Some girls are spitters, but I'm a swallower." "I guess I'll carry you." "Where are you going to take me?" "Where are we going?" "Take off my boots." "Hello?" "Sheriff?" "Who is this?" "Scarlet." "Did I wake you?" "I got the number Mona called from. lt 's on my new phone bill." "You got a pencil?" "Yeah, I got one." "Okay,it's 294-367 2." "Got it?" "I called there a bunch of times." "Nobody ever answers." "This is kind of late." "I don't know what to do with her things." "Have you ever lost anybody close?" "Yeah." "I'm sorry." "So, good night." "Good night." "Hey, Carla." "Listen... I said some pretty ugly things last night." "l made a fool out of myself." "Yes, we all remember very well." "I remember pretty well." "I'm very sorry." "She's watching us, so let 's be civil with each other." "What are you doing for Christmas?" "Drive up to your momma's?" "No, because I only get a day off." "It 's too far to drive." "She won't speak to you." "At least try to do that." "Yeah, I guess not." "Darl, there were a lot of phone calls made about you last night." "Phone calls don't scare me." "lf you heard them, you'd be." "Watch your back." "Let me make a deal with you:" "invite me over for Christmas." "I'll bring a tree, a turkey and fruit cake." "We'll have a big..." "You think you can act like an ass, show up and everything be fine?" "You don't get off for free." "You're a cop, you should know." "If you want to come over in the afternoon to see Ashley, fine." "There's a party in Baton Rouge I'm going to." "is that right?" "l bet the governor will be there." "Move your car." "Hey, judge." "Let 's just get right to the point." "If you're taking some heat, I'll call the governor right now." "Last week I visited an elementary school and I saw this girl... on a computer talking to Kazakhstan." "I'm not smart to know where it is, but I know things are changing." "What was good enough for Le Salle parish 1O, 2O years ago... I don't have a clue what you're talking about!" "Not a fucking clue!" "Well, there it is, in a nutshell." "The party is running Jackson for sheriff." "ls that right?" "That 's right." "Well, I'm running. lf l have to run against you and the party." "Your father tried that once with very little success." "Don't talk about my father, okay?" "You and him both can kiss my ass!" "That 's exactly it." "Excuse me, it's real quick." "Lucy, I need that voter petition for elective office." "All right." "Thanks, honey." "Sure, Darl, I'll sign." "You're a good man." "I'll tell that to everybody." ""Always good to see you, Darl."" ""You told all sorts of lies to get elected." "They'll all catch you"." "What do you say, Goose?" "l've already signed for Jackson." "l understand." "Sorry, Darl." "Keep trash of my parking lot." "You got it, Henry." "I really appreciate it." "Ornelle... you're going to go blind looking at that nookie." "I'm looking for my car catalogue." "He's been looking for it for half an hour." "I need you to sign something for me. what's wrong with him?" "Hey, sister, are you going to sign for me?" "Well, what are your views about the State supporting gambling?" "What does it have to do with it?" "Well, our governor... who coverts with harlots on the Sabbath, our sheriff steals shoes." "Come to think of it, I think Jackson might be the better man." "Know what I'm beginning to think?" "That I liked you a lot better... when you smoked all that reefer and went fucking in your Pinto." "The Lord's arms are big enough to embrace all who've fallen down." "l think you'd better get with it." "So you're not going to sign it?" ""There were a lot of phone calls made about you last night." "Watch your back."" "Red light usually means "stop"!" "Goddamnit!" "You little shits stay out of the road, you understand me?" "I don't think I can keep my shoes." "Scarlet called 3 times." "Did you know Jackson is running this year?" "Well?" "Yeah, I heard." "C." "B., I gave him his job." "And you know damn well that he's going to get all the black vote." "I don't know what he said, but his deputy will come from swamp town." "C.B... I need you on my side." "I found your sunglasses, Darl, on the back seat of my wife's car." "Hello?" "Sheriff's office." "I've done everything you've ever asked of me... haven't I?" "Darl, it's that Scarlet person again." "Pulled a fast one, did he?" "I told you. lt was just a matter of time." "He did it, you know?" "Who did what?" "Killed that freak." "You mean the judge?" "Who else?" "Nobody squeezes a shit without his thumb prints in it." "He's running the nigger to fill your slot." "What will you do?" "I didn't raise you to roll over, buddy boy." "Why don't I just bitch and moan and soak myself to death?" "Let the record show I never missed one day at work." "Not one, no sir!" "Go ahead, run, you son of a bitch!" "Come on, boy!" "Come on!" "Come here, buddy!" "All right." "Feeding the little doggies?" "How's it going, Cletus?" "Good." "is it about 8 days till hunter season?" "Yes. lt 'll be in about 8 days." "Was that dog at the wreck?" "Yes, sir." "That 's Buster there." "He must have heard the breaks squealing." "Busted loose." "Hey, Darl!" "You look lost." "l walked in from the highway." "How are you all guys doing?" "Hey, sheriff, what you got there?" "It 's a shoe I found in the woods." "It might belong to that freak." "I thought you weren't so interested in that case." "Well, I'm getting more interested in it." "You have a party Saturday?" "Why are you asking?" "I don't know. I guess I thought I might get invited to it." "You're not a member." "Hey, sheriff... when you catch him, you'll lock him up or give him a medal?" "I don't know." "I haven't decided it yet." "Good seeing you." "Don't be bitten by snakes walking in the woods." "I'll try." "Hey, Marcus!" "What are you doing in my car?" "Darl Hardwick, move over to the car, place your hands on the roof." "I don't know what you're talking about." "For what?" "Taking shoes?" "Statutory rape." "What are you talking about?" "The girl you brought to the party was fifteen." "l didn't touch her." "That 's not what she said." "l don't give a shit to what..." "Darl!" "Let me see your gun and up with your hands." "Here's my hands up." "What are you going to do?" "Right." "Excellent." "You marginal piece of shit!" "Up against the car!" "What are you looking at, Marcus?" "You're some kind of friend, huh?" "l can get in the fucking car." "Get in there!" "Hey!" "Hey!" "It smells like shit in here!" "Oh, man!" "Here goes this up." "I'm recusing myself from the case." "We're bringing in another prosecutor." "Carla, I didn't do anything to that little girl." "They must 've paid her off to lie about me." "That 's all I... I read her deposition." "You'll need a really good lawyer." "I'm happy to make some recommendations." "They're trying to push me out, that's all this is about." "The freak case can hurt them." "l read her birth certificate." "She was fifteen." "Everybody saw you leaving with her." "She's Ashley's age." "You just live in your own play pen with your own rules, don't you?" "I can't shop without people looking at me like I'm pathetic." "I'm not pathetic, you're pathetic!" "I married a good man... but these last several years I've been miserable." "Where did you go?" "It was a set up." "I can prove it." "We dropped to a lessercharge, attributed to delinquency." "Throw out the statutory rape." "And you get out on 12 months probation." "Darl, I'm trying to keep you out of jail." "For a cop, it's a felony offense." "I'll piss away my law enforcement career." "I saw you serve that girl drinks." "That 's against the law." "The condition is you can't leave the parish without permission." "Howdy." "Need a ride?" "A ride with who?" "Gizmo. I play a zodiacal accordion on an anti-gambling website... and I'm a good friend of your good friend sister Felicia." "This is Mark, my unpaid intern." "That party at Tidewater. I heard a rumor the governor was there." "They say in Louisiana politics the only way you can get reelected... if you get caught with a dead girl or a live boy." "Our governor's done the combo." "You work for Burnson?" "Who I work for is not as important as getting out the truth." "You know the State police moved your D.O.A. to Baton Rouge?" "Records on the case were sealed." "l've been kind out of the loop." "I heard." "You possess a special gift, Darl." "I'm talking about the ability to bring politicians to their knees." "I can help you get even." "I don't need any help." "It 's a rough league, bubba." "Sooner or later... at this level, everybody needs help." "Can you tell me where a bar named Johnny Angels is?" "You wouldn't know where a place called Johnny Angels is." "US$ 5." "Only US$ 5." "I'll read your tarot." "So, is he dead?" "No." "Not officially, no." "Have you come in to do a little Christmas shopping?" "I'm on a case. I thought you might know where Johnny Angels is." "You're a little out of your jurisdiction, aren't you, sheriff?" "Nice place you've got, though." "This is Luna, my partner." "This is Darl." "My, my, the sheriff!" "Oh, we've heard about you." "Well, I'm not a sheriff anymore." "There's a story right there." "Any freak on the street can tell you where Johnny Angels is." "Why did you come in here, Darl?" "Well, it is Christmas, you know?" "So I thought I'd just come by and say..." "Maybe say you're sorry?" "See if you were alive." "Y'all got a lot of diseases." "How considerate of you." "Good to know you haven't changed a bit." "Canal and Belvedere Street." "Green door behind a warehouse." "Merry Christmas, Darl." "Yeah, Merry Christmas." "Hey, gorgeous, look at you." "Watch the nails." "what's in the bag?" "lt 's a shoe." "Let 's see." "Nice." ""A stamp, like you'd get in a nightclub."" "Hello, cowboy." "You're my little flower" "Flower, flower l remember when" "You were in my hands" "Time falls like a shower" "When I see you, flower" "There's a place where grace" "Will take me to you" "I'll breathe" "Through you" "Flower, fly" "Nice job, sugar." "Thank you so much." "That was great, darling." "Thanks." "Hey, sheriff." "l'm not a sheriff anymore." "Why?" "They caught you with your fingers in the cookie jar?" "I'm being set up for investigating the murder of your husband." "That 's funny. I can't even get you to return my phone calls." "Watch it!" "what's your problem, faggot?" "Say you made a mistake!" "Relax, buddy!" "Listen, I'm breaking my parole to talk to you." "What do you want?" "A star on your forehead?" "A round of applause?" "Did this belong to Mona?" "No." "Are you sure?" "I'm sure." "Get the fuck out of the way!" "Stop!" "Stop!" "What?" "l found out where the party was." "Tidewater." "Two years ago, a girl who worked in here was beaten to death... with a tire iron, right here, on the side of this wall." "And the cops told me to my face that she deserved it!" "If I help you, will you go all the way with this?" "This is about real justice for Mona." "So that's her shoe back there?" "It 's mine." "We wore the same size." "Darl, could you hold my lipstick?" "My pocket 's got a hole." "what's happening, little momma?" "Good to see you." "Haven't been here for a while." "We're going to hop in and out." "This is my friend Darl." "what's happening, Darl?" "You think you could comp him?" "Comp?" "It will cost you sugar." "It 's okay." "Just tell him what you told me." "I got friendly with a guy in Baton Rouge." "I won't tell you who." "It 's not in my best interest." "Once a month he pays us to put on a lingerie show in Le Salle." "It 's a deal." "You ain't got to do nothing you don't want to." "Some girls make dates to make extra cash." "l'm not that greedy." "At the Tidewater?" "lt 's okay." "He needs to know." "l'll never say this in court." "We finished up our show, counted up our tips and we're leaving." "It 's 2:15. I always check to see how long the ride back takes." "We almost ran over her." "She was walking away from the club." "I really didn't even know it was Mona until you told me, sweetie... that it was in Le Salle that she was found." "And the governor was there?" "We're well paid to say "no" to that question." "Well, I hate to see a pretty woman standing all alone." "You didn't answer my question." "What question was that?" "what's the deal with Darl?" "You know more about his situation than I do. lt is a local matter." "Somebody paid that girl." "If it wasn't her, it 'd be the next." "Or the drinking or the graft." "You know he wouldn't have done anything that hadn't been done." "Are you telling me you want me to turn the clock back?" "18.5% of my appointments have been to women and minorities." "Nowadays, a smart, qualified woman like you... has a place in Louisiana public service." "But not Darl." "So how could Mona model lingerie?" "You saw her, brownie." "She had the body for it." "No, I don't mean that. I mean..." "When the big Cadillac bump in the road there you might notice." "Here's how you do it, Darl: you tuck it in between your legs... and put on a little G-string." "All right..." "So what's next, inspector?" "The phone number Mona called you from, do you have that?" "Did you lose it?" "lt 's in a file at the office." "Well, I know it by heart." "I memorized it." "Maybe you'll have better luck." "Are all the girls here lesbians?" "Well, some of them." "Now, you see the worst side of men working here." "So you worked here?" "Yeah." "Tips are good, money is good." "So do you have to do that tuck in job yourself, I mean..." "Darl, it's eating you up, isn't it?" "Hello?" "is this Tidewater?" "No,I don't think so." "This is Darl Hardwick." "Who am I speaking to?" "Darl, it's me." "Me who?" "You got the phone booth out front my place." "Darl, I have never been paid for that shoe truck job." "I am not the sheriff anymore." "I can't do anything about it." "I ain't got no shoes either." "Everybody got new shoes... I don't got no new shoes." "We'll talk later about it. lwant to ask you something important:" "do you know that D.O.A we found at the swamp?" "She made a call from your phone booth at 3 am." "Did you see her?" "Sundays I don't open till 8." "Excuse me, I need to run your credit card." "Ornelle, listen, I've got to get going." "Bye-bye." "I ain't getting no new shoes." "Tell me something personal." "You don't want to hear that." "No..." "No..." "My daddy is a crazy drunk." "Well, like father, like son." "l'm not either." "I drink like everybody else does, you know?" "What about your momma?" "l never really knew her." "She died when I was pretty young." "My daddy didn't know how to take care of kids really so... me and my brother pretty much were raised by my grandparents." "Well, what's your brother like?" "He's..." "He's different." "I don't know." "My mother's death kind of affected him differently." "Probably more, really." "How so?" "He turned out... just a little off somewhere, I don't know." "Problematic kid, really." "He's... I'll put it this way: when they asked me to run for sheriff... they said they'd badge me only under one condition:" "that I'd run my brother out of the parish." "So..." "Who's they?" "The people who sign my checks." "So I ran him out of the parish." "But that's not helping us connect the governor to Mona, is it?" "l'm going to try to do something." "You can't drive home like that." "Look, I've got a couch, okay?" "It 's got "Darl" all over it." "Flower" "Come to me" "Winter is almost here" "If you drink water before you go to bed, the room won't spin." "Thanks." "Are you sure you don't want a pillow?" "No, I'm alright." "Frankly, I'm just glad to have a couch." "Sweet dreams." "You too." "Good night." "l just..." "Darl... I just... lt 's too soon." "l can't." "No, I know. I was just... I was thinking about not being able to sleep or something." "Wake up!" "Darl!" "I thought you'd gone." "l forgot my keys." "You left them inside." "Go inside and warm up." "I'll go fetch some coffee." "Hello?" "Hello?" "Anybody home?" "Oh!" "is Mona here?" "I had an appointment at 9." "Are you running over?" "Running over what?" "l'm going to come back later." "So you know, some old shit came by saying he had an appointment." "Shoot!" "It 's one of Mona's monthly's." "Whatever operation it is, it's disgusting." "Did you see my keys?" "His name is Mr. Prestman, and he isn't a freak!" "He misses his wife, okay?" "They were married for 5O years." "She dies, so he misses her, so he likes to wear her dresses." "ls that so fucking horrible?" "That 's perfectly normal." "Your keys are on the mantel." "Darl, what are you so afraid of?" "I think the whole damn situation here is a little odd." "Really?" "You ran your own brother out of town. ls that normal?" "You don't know my family!" "Girls get fucked by their dads!" "You're a stripper that lives with a freak!" "Call that normal?" "Don't talk about someone I love!" "l talk about who I want to!" "You wanted to fuck me and didn't even know if I had a dick or not!" "Somebody who couldn't deal with their sexual impulses killed Mona." "Shut up!" "You shut up!" "Fucking freak!" "Get out of my fuckingway before I slap the shit out of you!" "Shut up!" "Mona, the D.O.A., was sent here as a lingerie model." "I've got a witness that puts him at your gate at 2:15... and a phone record that puts him at a phone booth at Ornelle's... a mile that away." "And... there's this little deal here." "I found this bloody shoe in your backyard." "That 's it?" "No." "There's a matter of your dog." "Buster was found at the body." "Nothing that would stick." "Stand up." "ls that fun?" "Oh, yeah." "You're a sweetie." "He's clean." "You know what an "imbroglio" is?" "No, I don't." "That was one of my favorite words in college. lt means..." ""complicated situation"." "We had a party." "The kind that you don't bring your wife to." "That freak could've passed for Miss America." "Maybe she was here, and maybe she wasn't." "Whatever, bottom line we did not kill her." "Him." "Cletus can tell you." "We were locked and cleared out by 2:" "3O." "When that truck driver saw that woman on the highway... we were home with our wives." "Burnson's people are on my ass to go public." "If the press gets a worth of that... our governor partying with a transsexual who ends up dead." "He's going to drop like a rock." "And your casino project too." "Burnson probably set the whole thing up himself." "The members of this club are honorable men, Darl." "You want that kind of enemies?" "I always wondered what it was like in here. lt smells like shit!" "You threw a spit ball on my head." "Wait a minute, Darl." "I'm getting this thing overturned and my job back, I promise you." "You think you know what you're doing, but you don't." "Really?" "is that right?" "If by tomorrow the appeal board doesn't reconsider my case... I'm going to press. I'll call Burnson quicker than shit." "Sleep good." "What the hell do we do now?" "Something they didn't teach you at the Kennedy Business School." "Darl, wait up there!" "Hold on, son!" "We thought about it... and we generally accept your demands." "We'll work in good faith to get your job back." "But there's a loose end." "That Scarlet person, does she know you know?" "She gave a false address on the death certificate." "You know how we can contact her?" "She's in New Orleans." "We know that." "I'll get you an address." "I'll give you a call." "The sooner, the better." "what's wrong with you?" "So when you lost your badge, that's it, you lost everything." "You got that right." "So whatever it takes... I mean, to get it back, that's what I got to do, that's about it?" "I never missed a day of work, I had a perfect record." "Even after you cleaned her off the floor?" "What?" "Who?" "That wasn't my fault." "David always said you shot her." "That faggot is every bit as crazy as she was." "Myself, I never believed you had the guts." "She pulled my chrome handled Smith Wessonwitha6-inchbarrel... and was waving it at me, screaming her hysterical shit!" "She was crazy!" "She puts it right there to the side of her head." "That 's when I said these last words: "go ahead, bitch, do it!"" "I made it into work the next day... I pulled a full shift... I had a perfect record." "Here you go, sugar." "Howdy, ma'am." "Well, hello, cowboy." "l'm looking for Scarlet." "She ain't here." "She's over that strip joint?" "Maybe." "She said you're the one trying to find the bastard who killed Mona." "Any luck?" "We're making a little progress." "Girls like me got a free shot bull's eye on our backs." "If you solve this one, it 'd be a first." "And you are so fine that I might give you that purple heart myself." "I'd appreciate that." "Have a good day." "Yeah, we're here now." "I'll call you later." "All right." ""She gave a false address on the death certificate."" ""You know how we can contact her?"" "what's happening, man?" "ls Scarlet around?" "Yeah, she's here." "That's US$ 1O." "Scarlet is doing it foryou, working hard for appreciation." "Show it by stepping up there and tipping that sexy lady." "Hi, baby." "Can I get you something to drink, baby?" "It 's a 2 drink minimum." "Everybody in the house put those hands together,make some noise!" "ForScarlet." "We've got to get out of here." "l'm not going anywhere with you." "The governor's after you." "How do they know about me?" "Don't worry about that." "You can't be back here!" "l'm talking to her, all right?" "l don't care what you're doing!" "l said I'm talking to her!" "Okay, I know him!" "Gitter, it's me. I know him." "I don't give a fuck if he's your dad!" "We've got rules!" "You can leave on a stretcher or you can leave like a gentleman." "Come on, man." "Hey, stop it!" "Fucker!" "I told your mother-fucking ass!" "Darl!" "Darl!" "I'm going to call an ambulance." "Oh, my God, you think you..." "Look who we found!" "Stop it!" "Get up!" "Stop it!" "Come on!" "Let go, damn it!" "Just get in the car!" "Come on!" "Get off!" "No!" "Get in there!" "Let go of her!" "Let her go right now!" "Get your hand away from your pocket!" "Right now!" "Take the keys!" "Go to the truck!" "Calm down, buddy!" "I'm a cop!" "I said get your hand away!" "Calm down, buddy!" "Hand out of the pocket!" "Come on!" "Hurry up!" "We've got to get them!" "Pull over!" "What?" "They're going to kill me!" "Let me in!" "Let me in!" "The fucking door!" "Hurry!" "Hurry up!" "Where are we going?" "To the TV." "Everybody needs help." "See if you can read that?" ""Gizmo Hebert" " Republican Party Headquarter"." "Shit!" "They've i.d.'d the truck." "Where's David?" "What happened to you?" "We almost got caught." "Don't worry, I'll tell you later." "David!" "I know you knew Mona." "The guys who killed her are after us." "I need to borrow your car." "I really need your help out here." "Please?" "David, come on." "Do you have the keys?" "Yes." "What does it look like?" "It's out front." "It's a Volvo." "lf anybody comes around asking..." "l don't know anything." "Take these." "You might need a disguise." "Being kicked out of Le Salle was the best that happened to me." "I wonder what makes people turn out the way they turn out." "I don't know." "Mona said she always liked her Barbies from the gecko." "Okay, so we tell them that you want to talk to the press." "Don't be afraid to tell them everything you know about Mona..." "Tidewater and the whole shooting match." "When your story gets out, that's your protection." "Are you all right?" "I can't believe I'm depending on republicans to save me." "Where's Gizmo?" "Hey, Darl." "Darl misread our intentions." "We weren't going to hurt you." "We wanted to give you a paid trip to Cancun till after the election." "Your little elves put a bullet through my truck." "That was a mistake." "A mistake?" "Darl, what's going on?" "Hell if I know." "A truce." "More like a Mexican stand-off." "Sister Felicia confessed." "The anti-casino folks... planned to pick up a transsexual from a New Orleans club." "Sister Felicia was in all this?" "Partially." "She would tip Gizmo... when the governor showed up at Tidewater." "Gizmo picked Mona up from the bar and invited to work a party." "Drove her out with a premeditated purpose of taking a few photos... of a transgender person socializing with the governor." "You killed Mona?" "No. I'll pass a polygraph." "But you drove her to Tidewater." "Okay." "But when our telephoto lens came out, freaks got offended... we had an M.O. Thought it was for money." "She was hysterical." "It got iffy, so we kicked her out of the car and George Jetson." "You just left her?" "Yeah, bubba." "We just left her." "Then who killed Mona?" "l can tell you with certainty... that nobody in this room committed a capital crime." "Both parties committed failures of judgment only." "Now we should negotiate a binding and good faith settlement... to keep this story in this room." "Let the campaign decide the issues." "It's what the people want." "If you can't tell me who killed Mona, you have nothing for me." "There it is." "A fly in the ketchup." "Somebody like Mona or Scarlet here might have a conscience." "This place stinks worse than Tidewater." "Let's get out of here." "You're the last person to be lecturing anybody on ethics." "You're right, judge." "You're always right." "Darl!" "Darl, hold up." "You're a parole violator who's fired on police." "Don't be stupid." "That's what I do best." "I won't go to the press. I don't give a shit who wins the election." "But I guarantee you one thing:" "I'll find out who killed Mona." "If anybody tries to stop me, I'll go kicking and screaming." "Are you going to let him leave?" "l'm out of my jurisdiction." "You're out of your job." ""Darll." "There's a woman out here."" ""It's about real justice for Mona."" "This is Darl Hardwick." "Who am I speaking to?" ""It's me." "You got the phone booth out front of my place."" "She made a call from your phone booth at 3 am." "Did you see her?" "No, I didn't." "Ornelle says he was asleep." "He didn't see anything." "Something about this place really feels weird." "is that it?" "O.65 + O,4O." "US$ 1.O5. With tax, US$ 1.6O." "Well, you got it down, don't you, Ornelle?" "l still haven't been paid." "Take that out of your judge." "You have a ladies room I could use?" "Ladies room is closed." "It's unclean." "Well, do you have a man's bathroom?" "I don't believe in that, ma'am." "There's a Dixie Burger up ahead." "She doesn't want to go there, she wants to use the bathroom." "You're not one of them?" "One of who?" "Them who use the bathroom they ain't supposed to use?" "Where's the key, Ornelle?" "Lost it." "Who's going to pay for this?" "What is it, Darl?" "Who do I bill for that?" "You can't go in there!" "That's employees only!" "Darl?" "Oh, my God!" "You sat there and watched that girl through that peephole?" "If this gun matches that bullet that killed her, it's all over." "Why?" "I want you to tell me." "Fuck!" "Tell me you want me!" "Fuck me!" "Fuck me!" "Fuck you!" "Bitch, bitch..." "Get out you freak!" "Freak!" "Oh, my God!" "You tricked me, you bitch!" "You tricked me, you whore!" "Stay away from me, you son of a bitch!" "Help me!" "Please!" "You ain't telling nobody on me!" "I'll kill you!" "I'll kill you!" "Bitch!" "He never should have went in the ladies'." "That's not right." "That's for ladies." "That's all I'm going to say about it." "Oh, my God." "I got it." "Hello?" "Hi." "How are things?" "Fine." "That's good." "Look, you want mom?" "Yeah." "Tell her it's important." "She might be needed here." "Hold on." "Hey, wait." "What?" "I just want to tell you I love you both." "Hold on... I'll get mom." "Mom!" "In a Baton Rouge press conference, the governor stated... that yesterday's loss is not the end of his political career." "And although I am conceding this race,I am not defeated." "Not when there's work left to do for the people of Louisiana." "Well, look how beautiful we are." "Mona is smiling down on us." "I know that all of us have lost people." "And every time I think about her being face-down that swamp... it breaks my heart." "But we're not going to talk about that today." "She was beautiful and she'd like to be remembered beautiful." "And she'd be so happy that all of you are here." "Thank you so much." "I was hoping you'd come." "I'm giving things away. I didn't want to go through it alone." "I'll confess:" "I knew who you were before going to your office." "David told me you were brothers, and that you were a real dick." "We both thought it best that I not tell you we knew each other." "Cause you might hold it against us." "I probably would have." "I'm sorry for lying about it." "I think I'm going to thank somebody for a car." "It's about time." "Are you going to be here?" "Yeah, I'll be right here." "All right."