"Tell me.." "Tell me!" "Tell me about Jenny." " Edward Roel?" " Eduardo Roel." "Edward Roel?" " Eduardo Roel." " You're home, then." "My name's Wilson." "Wilson?" "You wrote me about my daughter." "Oh, uh.. yeah, come in." " Who done it, then?" " Huh?" " Snuffed her?" " What are you talkin' about?" "I sent you the newspaper clipping, OK." "I tell you what I know." "I never said anyone was snuffed." "There was an investigation, OK?" "The car was stolen." "Jenny was.." "Her neck was broken, on impact." "She wouldn't have felt the effects of the fire." "Those streets up them hills, you gotta' be careful." "Gotta keep your eyes on the ball." "Two o'clock in the morning, it's dark, your mind's agitated." "You're driving too fast." "Those curves don't kid around." "Could've happened to anybody." "I didn't know her to be reckless but she'd have a drink and smoke pot and that was it." "No, not my girl." "Self-control, she had." "It was a point of pride." "Where did she get it?" "This grass or whatever." "Oh, no." "Look, I am no drug dealer." "What do you think?" "You didn't get that ink doing National Service." "I already told you." "Corcoran, you know." "You know what that is?" "State prison." "I did my time." "My sister's man is in Chino, doin' eight years." "I go to work." "I put my life together." "Put all that shit behind me." "Five years in the joint!" "That's it!" "I just got out meself, didn't I?" "This bloke she was bunked up with," " Terry Whatsit.." " Terry Valentine." "What's he got to say for himself?" "I dunno." "What he gonna say?" "They had a fight, she drove away." "She was upset." "Couple of weeks before Jenny died, she asked me to drive her downtown." "She said she wanted to talk to her boyfriend, Valentine." "I think she was looking for him." "To catch him with another bird?" "Exactly, that's what I thought, but we didn't go to no hotel." " We went someplace else. - Whereabouts?" "Some bad place, bad people." "Some guy unloading trucks." "Some kind of deal going down." "I dunno and I don't care, OK?" "Could've been shipping fava beans to Eskimos.'" "Did Jenny know?" "Valentine wasn't there, so.." "if he was involved, or she was, who knows?" "But I wanna tell you.." "Jenny stood right in front of those guys, eyeballing them, checking them out." "It felt like she was covering MY ass." "I can't believe that." "Really?" "What'd she say?" "Hang on." "Can I help you?" "You can't be too careful nowadays." " Lot of tea leaves about." " Excuse me?" "Tea leaves." "Thieves." "Terry Valentine." "D'you know him?" "And.. who are you?" " Wilson." "My name's Wilson." " Well, Wilson, to start.." " I never heard of you." " I'm not that well known." "Except in except some districts, some police nicks." " Police what?" " Me?" "No." "Can't be bothered." "Who the fuck are you?" "How did you get in here?" "Only a little bird told me that you and Terry Valentine have business dealings.." "I don't know anybody named Terry Valentine." " Don't you?" " Now, take a walk, pal." "You're making a big mistake." "Get the hell out of here." "Hey!" "What you been up to, pal?" "What you been doing?" "You got to buck your ideas up." "What you been doing?" "Jennifer Wilson." "Jennifer Wilson.." " That name mean anything?" " What's the deal here?" "Hold on." "What the hell.." "Who is this guy?" "The only reason you're not dead is I want to find out who the fuck you are." "Jennifer Wilson was my daughter." " Who the fuck is.." " Wasn't she the chick that showed up down here?" "Yeah, talked the same as this cocksucker." "Terry Valentine is a friend of mine." "I don't talk about my friends with strangers." "But that cunt daughter of yours, she come here, sticking her tits in my face." "Who am I?" "How do I know Terry?" "What's the nature of our business together?" "I admire Terry a lot, but I gotta say, he let himself get royally pussy-whipped by that bitch." "You know what I would like to have done to her?" "You know what I would like to have done?" "I bet she would've like that." "Too bad she had to take a nosedive off that cliff." "Probably dried her all up." "Got him!" "Keep your cool." "Get him out." " You want to call an ambulance?" " NO!" "Call Avery." "Go, man!" "Just get outta here." "Come back here, Pop, and we'll kill you." "Understand?" "This is private property." "We'll shoot you, fuck-o." "Get it?" "Fuckin' old fart coming here." "BIG, dangerous gun!" "We're quaking'!" "We're quaking'!" "Yeah." "Shit!" "Hey, you come back and visit and trespass." "We look forward to it, asshole." "Stupid English fuck!" "Hey!" "What.." "What the.." "You tell him!" "You tell him I'm coming." "Tell him I'm fucking coming!" "Tell 'em I'm coming?" ""Tell HIM I'm coming."" " Who?" " Nobody knows." "Adhara." "I remember telling your parents, if you're looking for a name, you can't go wrong with a constellation." "I used to hate it." "Now I like it." "It could be worse." "They could have called you.." "Reticulum, Pleiades." "God, you're beautiful." "Is there anything in this world you want or need?" "I want to know why you need that scary man here." "Gordon?" "He's been with me for years." "He's not as tough as he looks." " Then what good is he?" " Heard of loyalty?" "Yeah.." "I'm loyal to things that make me happy." " Oh, am I a "thing"?" " You're certainly not a person." " I'm not?" " No." "You're not specific enough to be a person." "You're more like a vibe." "God, I'm glad we're having this little chat." "Come here." "Get out of the pool." "Terry." "I don't know what transpired exactly." " What?" " Our friends downtown." "Someone took them out." "Took them out?" "What the fuck does that mean?" "It used to mean, it was similar to a gangland slaying." " Maybe it still is." " Well.. well, who?" " Well.." " Blacks?" "Blacks?" "No Terry, it's not their style." "No, from what I gather, it was a lone gunman." "You sound like the 5 o'clock news." "Why tell me this shit?" "If you don't know," "I didn't want you to hear it and then freak out." "Fuck you, Jim." "I don't freak out any more." "Well, it's probably nothing." "It's what senseless mayhem comes down to, isn't it?" "Bad loan, bad judgment, bad faith." "These were bad people, involved with worse people." "Cops got leads." "Great, as long as nobody connects anything to me." "No one'll connect it to you." "That was a one-off deal, like a moving freight train." "Anything else, I would've had you walk away." " You never saw them again." " Are you crazy?" "They're your friends, not mine." "What?" "Your "clients"?" "I befriended them when you needed them." "Well, the cops." "I mean, you know, I'm.." "Are they satisfied with this.." "gangland shit, or what?" "You know the cops don't get satisfied." "They get placated." "They're talking to the kid who got away." "The kid who called me." "Well, I called them.." "Scared out of his wits." "All he can say is that the shooter is some crazy guy." ""Shooter"?" "Jesus Christ." "Yeah, he said he went nuts." "He was yelling and screaming, "Tell him I'm coming."" ""Tell 'em I'm coming?"" ""Tell HIM I'm coming."" "Who?" "Nobody knows." "Great." "This is sure making the fuck out of my day." "Terry, relax, would you, please." "The goods are long gone." "Money's been turned around." "Middlemen are dead." "This is a good thing." "So, don't panic, OK?" "No one can link anybody to you." "Jenny did." "Yeah, well, Jenny could." "She'd already got to you." "Terry Valentine.." "D'you know him?" "Valentine came into the restaurant sometimes." "The guy's a money guy." "They were together how long?" "Five years." "A long time." "There you go." "Jenny must've liked him." "Jenny would say, "Here's my friend Eddie."" "He'd shake my hand but wouldn't even see me, you know?" "Jenny met him at a beach, got blinded by his smile." "You believe that?" "Son of a bitch never smiled at me." "Jenny and I were friends, but we didn't travel in the same social circles, you know?" "She had her life." "I had mine." "How'd you two hook up then?" "Jenny was in my acting class." "She was 21 when she came to me." "Straight from leaving you." "You should talk to Elaine." "That was her best friend." "I do double duty as a voice coach." "Not that her accent would've hobbled her progress." "Not with that look." "She didn't write me, did she?" "She didn't know what to say." "I figured somebody should say something to someone." "You're Jenny's father." "Why did you come here?" "Thought it'd be nice to have a chat with you, that's all." "No.." "Why did you come here?" "Get a few things sorted out." "Been busy, have you?" "How do you mean?" "I heard you were.." "What is that adorable expression.." "at Her Majesty's pleasure." "It was the bars, then." "What was it, uh, Wembley Stadium job?" "That was it, right?" "Pink Floyd concert receipts." "Earning interest in an offshore account." "Tidy little premium per annum, that." "Security like that can't be bought." "Must be more comforting than having a daughter to greet you." "Oi, ain't you gonna let me in?" "You can call me again." "Weren't you in a soap on the box?" "Three Seasons." "Who told you that?" "Eddie?" "Yeah, Eddie." "Yeah." "He's my new china." " Ch.." "What?" " China plate, mate." "Me and him." "Quite a character, isn't he?" "Not to you." "To us squares in the outside world." "He give me your address." "I gave him yours." "I guess I was being loyal to Jenny, who told me she didn't have a father." "Before, of course, proceeding to tell me why." "Yeah.." "Well.." "She was right in a way." "Her mum died when she was six." "After that she was on her own." "Aunts and uncles and then.." "How can you keep her down on the farm after she's seen L.A.?" "I got compassionate leave from Parkhurst to see her in hospital." "Cos we was always mates," "Jenny's mum and me." "I like to think they're together now, you know?" "Heavenly choir." "That's where you got the word?" "That's where Eddie wrote you, in prison?" "Oh, no, no." "I knew." "I knew before Ed." "Uh.." "What time was it supposed to have happened?" "Eddie said.." "two in the morning." "That's eight hours difference between here and London, that would have made it about like.. ten o'clock my time." "I was going out in the yard." "I was in the habit of saving my newspaper till then." "Stretch me legs, breath of fresh air, bit of a read, stretch out the good part of the day." "And I couldn't open the newspaper." "It was like the pages was glued together." "Me hands were that weak." "I thought I was havin' a heart attack." "Course I know I wasn't." "Guy I knew come up." ""Here, Wilson", he said, "You're as white as a sheet."" "I said, "Fuck me, I've been in prison half me life."" "But he was dead-on." "I'd felt all the blood drain out of me head." "And I knew.." "Huh, I knew something must've happened to Jen." "She was.. magic." "I can't believe Jenny told you all that about me." "She was always so embarrassed." "Not embarrassed." "Ashamed?" "Not ashamed." "Disappointed." "Do you even know who Terry Valentine is?" "Some pop music producer, isn't he?" "Rock and roll we call it." "Kind of a promoter, I guess." "Whatever that means." "He took the whole '60s Southern California zeitgeist and ran with it." "Packaged and sold it." "Made out like a bandit." "What's the deal, hm?" "You and Terry Valentine at 20 paces?" "Come on." "Is that it?" " I don't see why not." " Are you serious?" "Have you ever known me not to be?" "You fucking guys and your dicks, man." "What do you expect me to do?" "Stay at home doing sweet F.A.?" "You don't believe it was a car accident?" "Oh, yeah!" "She fell asleep at the wheel!" "Terry is never gonna give you that satisfaction." "He is NOT the type." " Depends, dunnit?" " On what?" "What makes you so certain?" "I bloody ask 'im." "Fine, there's the phone." "Want his number?" "I've got his number!" "Whatever you gotta do, man." "Better go do it." "Looks like he's brought in the 'eavy mob." " You're kidding me?" " Extra muscle." "Bodyguards." "They look a right load of wallies." "You should see 'em." "Patrolling up and down there." "Let me see." "Done up like fucking household cavalry." "Those are valets, man." "Valets?" "What do you mean, valets?" "Who does he think he is?" "The Marquess of fuckin' Tavistock?" "Valets, man." "They park cars." "They're having a party." "Are they?" "Thank you." "Oi!" "Trousers, keep it 'andy." "We're not gonna be staying long." " Yes, sir." " Vengo ahora." "Boy, we're a little early, huh?" "Well, first in, first out." "That's me." "Good evening." "Mind how you go." "Gentlemen, what can I get you?" "Babycham." "Eduardo.." "Do you want it with a twist?" "Tomato juice with Tabasco." "I'll have a coke." "You have the same posters." " What?" " That you have at your office." "No, they're different." " Well, I like the colours." " We all did." "Hmm, must have been a time, huh?" "In golden moment." "Have you ever dreamed about a place.." "you never really recalled being to before?" "A place that maybe only exists in your imagination?" "Some place far away, half-remembered when you wake up." "When you were there, though, you knew the language." "You knew your way around." "That was the '60s." "No, it wasn't that, either." "It was just '66 and early '67." "That's all it was." "I'm gonna have a butcher's round the house." "Who you gonna butcher?" "Butcher's hook, 'look'." "Butcher's.." "look." "Hm." "Mm, try one of these." "No, I don't like that." "Try one of these." "Hi." " Terry." "How you doing?" " Great, how you doing?" " Very well, thank you." " Good to see you." "Our counterfeit CDs are doing well.." "Do I know you?" "It was meant to be an infinity pool and go off the edge." " Definitely business affairs." " Terry Valentine." " Good to see you." " Nice to meet you." "Shit." "Hello?" "Hey." "No, it's Crestview Terrace, not Crestview Place." "Yeah." "No, there's three different ways up the hill." "The best way is to take Loma Vista." "Loma Lin.." "Loma Linda." "Yeah." "Yes." "OK." "All right, bye." "Hi, how you doing?" "Good to see you." " Well, you know.." " Unbelievable." "It's the record business." "What can you say?" " It's the 'how-are-you' crowd." " The 'how-are-you' crowd.." "There you are." " Well, you know Jim." " Of course." "We know." "Blimey!" "If you can afford a house like this you buy one." "What are we standing on?" "Trust." "You know, you could see the sea out there if you could see it." "Could yer?" "Mm." "Where are you going?" "Hello?" "The pool's hot, too, if you want to." "Well, you know.." "No, we're not doing this." "You produced the first Christopher Cross album?" "Come on, come on." "What was he like, huh?" " Just give me a bit, a nugget." " I just do the contracts." " That's it?" " Yeah, just the contracts." "Bring the motor round." "Bang out front." "Oi!" "Point it downhill." "As I was driving down Melrose, taking a left on Seward," "I saw this guy locking a car, so unmarked it was marked." "I mean it was just, w.." " There's a guy down there." " Call the police." "No, no." "Dame la llave, gracias, gracias." "Excuse me." "Can I help you?" "Ahh!" "Go, go." "Are you OK?" "Steady on, Fangio." "Man, you steady on!" "What the fuck you do?" "You didn't cap the guy, did you?" "Did you?" "That would have been too easy." " Too easy?" " He's gotta know why." "You think a guy like that ever will?" " Down!" " Whoa!" "Whoa!" "Fuck!" "Wilson, Wilson!" "Wilson!" "Come on, man!" "Come on, come on, come on." "Shit!" "Wilson." "Oh, boy." "Should have let ME do the talking." "Cos you're my security consultant?" "What's going on?" " What did you say?" " I said an employee flipped." "That he had drug problems, and he refused counselling.." "which is true.." "And he committed suicide." "One of the guests tried to stop him." "Jim, how the fuck do you stop Gordon at 400 pounds?" "That was good, that was good." " He's heavier now, isn't he?" " Oh!" "Jenny never told you about her dad." "Oh, what dad, what dad?" "He was in prison nine years and was released last month." "Jenny's father was in prison?" "For what?" " Armed robbery." "Again." " Again?" "Oh, my God." "Yeah, he a career criminal." "On leave of absence." "Get it?" "Where are you going?" "Don't you think I outta find him before they do?" "Oh, man." "I am screwed." "I'm screwed to the wall!" "He never entered the country under his own name." "Give me a fucking break, man, can you?" "Well, I would if I came this far to kill someone." "Oh, man." "OK, not even one of your guys should handle this." "Do you want me to tell them?" "No, I mean.." "I told them I didn't know who the guy was." "People come, people go." "How are you gonna find him?" "Terry, he's not James Bond, you know?" " This is a pathetic sad sack.." " Tell that to Gordon." "What's England?" "Some country half the size of Wyoming where the cops don't even carry guns?" "This is getting too close to me." "You know something?" "People close to you fall into canyons." "Oh, well now, that's brilliant." "Hey, relax." "I have other resources." "I have other resources." "No-one even near to me because I am out of here." "I'm gone." "How are you so lucky, Terry?" "I learned how to skate as a little boy." "Well, you know.." "Half a dozen interventions if a person won't face up to it." "I guess not." "People in this industry are taken down by doing too many.." "many.." "drugs." "Straight rotation, no bullshit, call your shots." " Scratch the eight, you lose." " That's good." " Let me break, right?" " Yeah, break 'em up." " He broke last time." " What did you say?" "I said he broke last time." "So what." "Look at him." "He loves to break." "Look, he's all excited." "I don't give a shit if he likes to break, it's my break." "I won the break." " I won the break!" " What's the fuck is that?" " Are these your quarters there?" " Yeah." " What's he doin'?" " I dunno." "Go and fuck yourself, and take Mr Goodwrench with you." "Blow it out your arse, but my dick's in the way." "Did I cross the line?" "Does that mean you forfeit?" " Just wanted to play a game." " Stacy!" "Come over here." "How's it going, kid?" "Not bad." " Could you kill someone for me?" " OK." "Same as last time." "The rest after." "Where do we go?" "When you find the guy you'll know." "I just do it." "I don't organise it." "I'll point you there, but you take it to the end zone." "A hit-and-run gunman." "I figure he's not cruisin' the polo lounge." "This is unprofessional, man." "Well, you see a successful man like me has limitations." "I lose touch with the street." "I depend on smart boys like you." "You're closer to the nitty gritty.." "Fuck you, mister, all right?" "This is a lifestyle I embrace." "So you take care of this." "You see, I'm the one with appearances to maintain." "But who gives a shit about you?" "Not even God." "Get it done." "Get a tie." " How much?" " Five grand." " Hey!" " Got half in my pocket." " Making trouble for someone?" " Yup." " Which kind?" " The forever kind." "Maybe she doesn't know the English dude." "Avery said she knew the guy's daughter." "That don't mean nothin'." " She's nice lookin'." " So what?" "I just said she's nice lookin'." "I said, "So what?" Think she's any happier?" " What do you mean?" " Happier than other assholes." "I dunno, I never met her." "Why don't they make shows about people's daily lives you'd be interested in watching, like sick old man or skinny little weakling, or big fat guy?" "I'd watch a show called 'Big Fat Guy'." "Extras, excuse me, 'background artists'." ""Hey, Mom and Dad." "How's it goin'?" "Yeah, Hollywood's great."" ""Yes, still a loser."" "I wonder what it's like to have tits." "Are you gay enough, or what?" ""Hello, Studio City." Fag." "Look at this guy." "Yeah, they need that right away." "What's the smartest thing to come out of a woman's mouth?" "Einstein's cock." "That kid's cute, though." "Know what I mean?" "She's a little young, but.." "You wanna run with me now?" "Did you forget your words?" "Step aside, ma'am." "Come with us." "Wasn't half crowded in that car, wasn't it?" "Drug enforcement?" "Huh!" "Narcs?" "God!" "I don't suppose you'd prefer a steady income?" "I've got a steady income." "I'm on the dole." "A leech on the welfare state in addition." "You don't miss a trick." "Just a fiddle." "They got me down as an immigrant with five kids." "Huh, yeah." "Jenny spoke fondly of her imaginary siblings." "Do you even remember the last time you saw her?" "I remember every time I saw her." "I watched her grow up." "In increments." "She told me you were a ghost in her life." "Daddy, the friendly ghost." "Well, she twigged by the time she was eight or nine" "I wasn't in the Royal Marines or playing Iago in a world tour of Othello." "She was always threatening me." "Can you imagine?" ""If you're naughty, Dad," "I'll put the law on yer, promise."" "She didn't want me inside again, see?" "And if she got wind that I was planning something," ""I'll shop yer, Dad." "I promise, I'll shop yer."" "I can see her on the phone." ""Look, Dad." "I'm calling the Old Bill right now."" "It became a sort of joke between us, only it wasn't really." "She never would've turned you in." "Not in a million years." "Oh, I know that." "But as time went on, when, in ever decreasing circles, the joke wore off." "She had a feeling 'bout this last job." "How long I'd get banged up for." "Said she wouldn't be around this time when I got out." "And she wasn't." "How you doin' then?" "All right, are yer?" "Look, squire." "You're the guv'nor 'ere, I can see that." "Don't get your knickers in a twist." "Whatever this is, going down between you and Valentine, it's nothin' to do with me." "Couldn't care less, OK, mate?" "Let me explain." "When I was in prison, second time, er.." "Er, no, tell a lie, third stretch." "Yep, third." "There was this screw what really had it in for me." "That geezer was top of my list." "Years later I sees 'im in Holland Park." "Sitting on a bench feeding bloody pigeons." "I could have gone up behind him and snapped his fucking neck." "Wallop." "But I left it." "I could have, but I didn't." "What I thought I wanted, I didn't." "I was thinkin' about something else." "I didn't give a toss, see?" "This berk on the bench wasn't worth my time." "It meant sod all in the end." "Choose when to do it and when not to." "When it matters, and when it don't." "Bide yer time." "That's what prison teaches if nothing else." "Bide yer time and everything becomes clear." "And you can act accordingly." "There's one thing I don't understand." "The thing I don't understand is every fuckin' word you've said." "Do you know what I reckon?" "You and I are after the same thing but for different reasons." " And what would that be?" " The reasons?" "Start with the thing." "I imagine whatever you're after involves a large sum of money." "And that's not what lights your fire?" "In the past, granted." "I have redistributed wealth." "But no, I'm after another kind of satisfaction." "Do you know what I mean?" "You're not from around here, are you?" "You're not carrying any kind of ID." "Who me?" "ID?" "No." "When your chaps went through my pockets, there was nothing there." "What's your connection to Terry Valentine?" "My daughter was living with 'im when she died." "I imagine about the same time as whatever the deal was, that Terry Valentine grafted you out of your share of." " When I say grafted.." " You think.." "Terry Valentine screwed me out of some deal?" "It wouldn't surprise me." "He's as straight as a dog's hind leg." "What could this deal have been, to have set in motion such an unfortunate chain of events." "Could've been anything." "Shit load of heroin imported from somewhere or other." "The usual scumbags involved." "But the thing about scumbags is.." "no matter what they do with the drugs, the harder thing to move is the money." "In my line of work the best thing to do is follow the money, cos you can't hide the money." "You can only disguise it." "So you do what?" "You find some rich fool to bank all the cash." "Make it look legitimate in exchange for skimming a percentage off the top." "Maybe as much as a million dollars commission." "Rich fool, who overextended himself over time, in danger of not being so rich any more." "But I can't be sure." "Can't prove anything." "Anything at all." "What was your daughter's involvement?" "That's what I want to know." "I was hoping you might.." "The security guard that works for Valentine?" "He's the one who sent those creeps after you." "I shouldn't wonder." "Yeah, must've done." "He's quite a slippery fellow." "But he keeps his hands clean and Valentine's." "Darn it, there go my.." "slippery hands again." "There was an incident downtown a couple of days ago that may have spurred this.." "most recent activity." "You don't know about that, right?" "Thank you." "Your daughter, she had a fondness for dangerous men?" "Shame about the money, though." "Going into Valentine's pocket and not yours." "I don't give a shit about the money." "Personally, I prefer the heroin." "See, crooks move faster than the system, so if we're gonna clean up the neighbourhood, we don't have time for things like search warrants and trials." "Procedure becomes whatever you gotta do.. on the day." "Uh-huh." "Er, cheers mate." "Go with God." "Yeah." "I was coming back from a motorcycle classic in Sturgis," "South Dakota, on US Highway 14 just that side of Spotted Horse." "I ran into a deer, I had no chance." "Though the highway patrol had mowed the sides, where the culverts were they couldn't mow and this doe just jumped right in front of the bike." "I had a chance to say one word." "It was "Fuck" and I hit it." "I know if the bullet comes with my name on it," "I won't call for my mother!" "But man, the only reason I'm alive now is due to the big FL front end, and that tyre on my Fat Boy." " Oh, your Fat Boy." " Exactly." "I had on the Fat Boy." "I saw the ground and I thought "Mm, put it down."" "I rode the bike down into the ground." "Did perfect.." " You've told me this." " Did I?" " Yeah, you did." " I'm sorry." "But I'll hear it again." "Oh, you're sweet." "God, you are wonderful." "What's the matter?" "Nothing." "It must be hard to pass on this road, huh?" "Oh, the freeway's faster but it lacks a certain majesty." "It's just the car behind us has been following for a while." "I sure hope so." "Where is Big Sur?" "Up the coast." "How far?" "I don't know." "Uh, a few hours, I guess." "Why?" "That's where he's scarpered." " How do you know?" " Bloke told me." "You shouldn't go back to your place." "Not till this is settled." "What's a sliding scale?" "A sliding scale?" "Well, it's.. um.." "If we were in a union, we'd make different rates based on the time we served." " So, he's been.." " .." "That's not a sliding scale." " What?" " That's not it." "Well, what's a sliding scale?" "A sliding scale is.." "The scale, you know, you start somewhere and you move up." "Or down." "That's a sliding scale." " He doesn't know." " You move down?" "Dog shit cues." "I swear I could get a branch outside straighter than this thing." "Stacy!" "Go ahead, break 'em up." "Yeah." "I just got chewed out." "You believe that?" "What does he want?" "I said, "What do you want?"" ""You didn't say there were these Negroes following him, too."" " Something's on, man." " What?" "Well, let's say I know more about Mister Avery than he thinks I do about him and his 'operation'." " I got a guy on the inside." " Who's that?" "Know that putz, Tom, from Seattle?" " Tom.." "Tom Johanssen?" " Yeah, from Seattle." " I sent him to Avery." " What he say?" "They're taking a trip up the coast." "Him, Avery, a couple of guys." " We hit this guy again?" " Yeah." "If he hasn't gotten whacked, we might have our aces." "I just can't figure out who this guy is, you know?" "A courier." "A buyer." "Seller." "Anyway, Avery wants him." "Those jigs wanted him." "You can bet your ass there's a briefcase somewhere." "A briefcase." "What's in it?" "Drugs, cash." "Both if we're lucky." "While they fuck each other over, we move right in." "Hey, can I ask you a question?" "Another one?" "Yeah." "Like, you have any friends, man?" "Yeah." "Could call 'em that, I suppose." "Yeah, down the boozer, Saturday night." "Meet the chaps." "Friends and colleagues." "A lot of 'em have gone." "The old faces." "Dunno where." "Different characters nowadays." "Different assumptions." "You don't know where you are." "The last load of friends I had.." "Well.." "it turned out they weren't my friends after all." "Elaine, do you ever understand half the shit this guy says?" "No, but I know what he means." "I should be in Paris or Kurdistan." "No, he'd find you in Kurdistan." "Why not London?" "He has a history of being apprehended there." "You're a font of optimism." "What else have your techies come up with?" "Terry, we're trying to hunt them down." "My soldiers are out there." "What more can I do?" "And if he comes here?" "And, what if he does?" "Yeah." "So, you don't want to tell me about this?" "About being here with the bodyguards and everything." "I don't suppose you've ever had anything like enemies." "Well, I never went out for the cheerleading squad, and I never stole anyone's boyfriend that I know of." "So no." "I'd like to think not." "You never will." "Well, come on now." "I don't want anybody limiting my possibilities." "That won't happen either." "This is.." "This is just a precaution." "I'm sorry." "I didn't mean to drag you along." "I.." "I needed you to, um, I just don't.." "You don't want to be alone?" "You see?" "You.." "You understand that about me already." "Where is she?" "Terry.. scattered her ashes from a boat." "Buried at a private service." "Private for who?" "Him?" "Jenny lived at the beach when she moved here." "She loved the ocean." "She was from an island." "Shit!" "George Clooney comes to Venice as photographers and fans.." "Are you throwing the empty shells back in?" " Feel better?" " Yeah." "It's amazing here." "We went out last night to this Italian restaurant and they start with.." "Check the news." "Check the news." " Where's the remote?" " I dunno." "Fuck." "Where the hell is Rick?" "Hm?" "Shut off all the inside lights." "I'll get Adhara." "Stay away from the windows." "Hey!" "You heard of knocking?" "Look, come with me." " Why?" " Please." " Look, you see that?" " What?" "That shadow." "I don't see it." "I told you to stay away from the windows." "C'mon, everybody." "In here." "Behind the counter." "Let's go." "Let's go behind the counter." "Terry." "What is going on here?" " We think somebody's here." " What?" "We think?" "!" " We can't find Rick and.." " Larry." " Call the cops." " No!" " Why not?" " I'm taking care of it." " It's nuts." "I'll call the cops." " No!" "Mr Avery.." "Watch my back." "Son of a bitch." "Aahhh!" " Pow!" " What is it?" "I think Avery's down." "Fuck this." "Ah!" "Ah!" "Don't!" "I'm a friend of Stacy's." "Huh, Fuck you, Tom." "Oh!" "Shit." " Stay." " What?" "Where are you going?" "Jesus." "Tell me." "Tell me about Jenny!" "Tell me about Jenny." "Tell me about Jenny!" "I needed money." "I would have given her anything she wanted." "But she found out about my deal." "She tried to stop me." "Said she was gonna turn me in." "Said she was gonna call the cops." "I couldn't stop it." "Had already happened." "It was over." "She was gonna call the cops." "She meant it." "She had the phone in her hand." "She was gonna call the cops." "She meant it." "I couldn't stop it." "I couldn't do anything." "Ta." "You're English." "Yeah, that's right." "I can never decide what I like better." "Leaving home or coming back." "I prefer staying 'ome, me." "Oh, so you're a reluctant traveller?" "Got called out to LA unexpected-like." "Do a job of work." "No rest for the wicked." "Been away a lot." "Where else?" "Out on a an oil rig in the North Sea." "Nine years." "Nine years?" "Wow, is that legal?" "Well, time off for good behaviour." "I shouldn't have even been there." "It was these other lads what should have been in my place." "And then just when I finish me nine years.." "me contract, wallop." "I had to bugger off to the States." "Well, it sounds like you need a rest." "Yeah, could be." "That was very good." " Yeah?" " Yeah." " Gettin' better, ain't I?" " You are." "Huh." "SubText:" "NoRMITA.326"