"The sun is actually coming through the heavy cloud covers." "Well, not as the sun, but just as kind of like a mozzie dot out in the sky." "It's not giving any heat, that's for sure." "Make sure that your water, for your dog in the bowl it's not frozen." "A terrible thing happened like three dogs..." "It was so cold, it was like 5 degrees in the morning." "Three dogs got brought to the vets... 'cause their tongues got stuck..." "I thought you had to be back at work." "I do." "Looks like a peach." "We call it "Taupe. "" " Hey." " Hi, Laura." " Mr. Fuller is here to see you." " 2:10." "What?" "I was starting to think it might be some kind of holiday." "I had a lunch meeting." "Hey, Dennis." "Mr. Fuller." "What are you doing here?" "Came to see my lawyer." "Uh, listen." "You can't..." "You can't keep coming here." "Well, my wife wants me out of the house." "Well, go to the library." "Read a book." "Make some friends." "Oh, I can't read." "The lines are all squiggly." "Who set this door?" "What?" "It's out of plumb." "He may have been slow but he sure was sloppy." "Look, uh, I know a personal injury lawyer in Billings." "He's willing to give you a second opinion." "So, I set something up for Friday." "And we can meet there." "It's at noon." "See, it's good I came by." "Otherwise, how would I know we're having a meeting in..." " Billings." " Yeah." "Billings." "Well, I was gonna call you." " Well, now I know." " Well, now you know." " Friday at noon." " Mm-hmm." " Okay." " Okay." "Good work." "So, now, we can prepare." "No, no, no." "We don't need to prepare." "We just get there and explain your situation." "And that's it." "Mr. Fuller, I don't want you to get your hopes up." "He's gonna tell you the same stuff I've been telling you." "I just, I want, I want you to hear it from somebody else." "You want, uh, to get a coffee?" "You know, so we can strategize." "I have court." " Friday at noon." " Friday." "Noon." "Okay." "See you Friday." "The contractor was clearly negligent." "Yes." "You see?" "But your previous settlement precludes a tort claim." "Employees are required to have insurance so workers' injuries can be covered." "But as soon as you take that first money, you've settled." "And you give up your right to..." "That money didn't cover the month's mortgage." "But when you accepted what they offered you cleared them of any further penalties." "So?" "So, I'm afraid you have no tort claim." "You can't sue." "Okay." "Okay?" " Thank you." " Laura." "Eight months of telling him, and now it's okay." "Hey." "I was expecting your voicemail." "Ha, you got me." "I thought you had a meeting." "I do." "I did." "It's a thing done." "The lawyer said you have no case and my client said: "Okay. "" " Just like that?" " Just like that." "He repeated the same things" "I've been saying for the last eight months." "It'd be so lovely to think that if I were a man and I could explain a law people would listen and say "Okay. "" "Oh, that would be so restful." " Hmm." " So?" "What were we gonna tell my voicemail?" "Well..." "Well, it's just my situation." "Being what it is." "I just think, maybe..." "Oh, I may not have long here." "Thank you." "I just think maybe, I have my hands full." " Um..." " I'm riding with you." "Um, look, I've gotta go." "Uh-uh..." "Do you want something to eat?" "No one understands what my life has become." "What a total fucking miserable thing my life has become!" "No one understands one fucking thing!" "I wish my wife would roll over on the highway." "Oh, my God." "I swear, I will leave you right here." "The only thing left to do is get a machine gun and kill everyone." "No." "No." "You're gonna have to get out." " Alright." "Uh, uh..." " Out." "No." "You can't say those things to me." "I'll, uh, uh..." "Not another word." " I'll be..." " You can't talk like that." "Never mind." "I'll be quiet." "Okay." "I got seas to sail" "I'm gonna build me a boat" "With these two hands" "It'll be a fair curve" "From a noble plan" "Let the chips fall where they will" "'Cause I've got boats to build" "Sails are just like wings" "The wind can make them sing" "Songs of life" "Songs of hope" "This type of ware is generally referred to as China painting." "Now, in the late 19th century and into the early part of the 20th century ladies of fashion would get together at China painting parties and paint these plates, or blanks." "So, all these blanks have a mark on the back of them." "We won't turn them around." "But they all say "Limoges. "" "There were also German and Austrian makers that made the blanks." "They would be imported to the States." "Listen, now, Will..." "Yeah, I don't wanna press you, I want you to take your time." "But could you, could you just give me a sign that Big Man is doing alright?" "Hey, Will." "Good news." "Your lawyer's here." " Thanks for coming down." " Yeah." "Uh, got Fuller on the phone." "Well, we had him on the phone." "Uh, he seemed calm." "He's holding the night watchman." "Wait, that's the one they call "Big Man. "" "Yeah." "Football player." "How'd Fuller take him down?" "No idea." "Oh, um, oh..." "Well, this is Mac." "Our resident hospital specialist." "So, uh, he's got Big Man up here on the 3rd floor." "Uh, here's where they keep the dead files." "And, uh, this is a little sketch to, to find your way in." " Wow, really?" " Oh, yeah." "Little precaution." "As soon as you take off your coat, please." "Okay." "Alright, arms out." "I remember you." "You, uh..." "You wrote a report for a child custody case of mine." "The defendant instructed me to consume feces." "Hey, is this a sane thing to be doing?" "While you're doing that." "Here, Tommy." " Uh..." " Oh." "Okay." "Yeah." "Okay, I want you to take this." "Take it in with you, I'll call it." "You pick it up, so we know you're okay." "You don't pick up, we're wondering." "You don't have to go in there." "There's other ways to go about this." "No, we got this handled." "Don't need any big production, right, Wells?" "Well, I'm here." "So..." "Okay, you just, you know, keep him engaged in the, in the conversation." "You know, just try to be compassionate." "You know, let him feel like he's being heard." "It's important that he sees you as being his advocate." "And there's nothing wrong with throwing blame on someone else." "You know, blame the system, you know." "Make him feel like you're on his side." "You got that, Wells?" "Keep him talking." "Here you go." "Take this." "Okay." "Don't sweat it." "You'll be great." "Oh, just right in there." " Center door." " Okay." "Fuller?" "It's me." "I'm here to find your file." "Should I come to you, or go get the file?" "Go get the file." "Is Big Man okay?" "It's, uh, it's Amituana." "You know, he's a member of the Samoan royal family." "Huh." "No, I didn't." "Mm-hmm." "So, uh, does that make him a prince?" "Uh, sort of." "If 14 people die, I'll be king." "Wow." "How likely is that?" "Not very." "Okay." "I've got the file." "Should I come?" "We're in the 3rd cubicle from the door." "I'm sorry to get you out of bed." "Sit down." "Hey." "I'm Laura Wells." "Amituana." "Read me the file." "Not the stuff I said." "Just the stuff they said about me." "I wanna hear all the letters." "That would take all night." "It's, uh..." "So start." ""Dear Sir/Madam, enclosed herewith" ""please find a copy of the investigative report" ""pertaining to case file number 117-616." ""As you will see at section 7, I've made a finding" ""that the employer John Grant Incorporated was negligent" ""in failing to properly secure the trusses" ""and other supporting structures at the job site." ""And that such negligence was a contributing factor" ""in causing the accident involving William Fuller" ""which occurred at" ""46 East Meadowlark Lane, Livingston, Montana." ""In accordance with Montana general obligation law 5505D" ""impertinent federal regulations" ""an employer's ordinary negligence" ""will not sustain an independent cause of action in tort." ""Rather, any such claim must be brought pursuing to the workers' comp... "" "Leave it." "Sorry, chief, she's not picking up." "Let me call in some backup." "We'll be alright." "Tommy, give it another try." "No, I really think that's a mistake, sir." ""Failure to make a finding with respect to the issue" ""of Mr. Fuller's own contributory negligence." ""As you are aware, at least one worker allegedly smelt" ""alcohol in Mr. Fuller's breath as he lay on the ground" ""after the fall." ""From Adele Harris, legal assistant" ""regarding William Fuller." ""Mr. Fuller called today and asked me to give him" ""JG Grant's home address." ""He said I should let JG and the whole crew "of any JG's" ""know that he'll be coming down there" ""to break skulls like his was broken." ""September 20th, 2014." ""Mr. Fuller called again today." ""When I informed him that you were not available" ""to speak with him, Mr. Fuller started yelling and cursing at me and called me a bitch. "" "I've watched him work." "Man, you should see the the intricate things he did in my study." "You can't tell where the old wood ends and the new wood begins." "Before he fell on his head." ""Please be reminded that I did in fact" ""meet with you on three separate occasions" ""in order to explain the terms of the settlement" ""prior to assigning the stipulations setting forth terms of the settlement. "" " Go on." " Uh, I..." "Some of this is dictated, I'm, I'm sorry." "I'm not good at dictating letters." "Just keep going." ""And accordingly, no additional cause of action lies." ""This remains the case despite the neurologist report" ""citing your lingering double vision, memory loss" ""and fainting spells." ""Please accept my wishes for a speedy recovery." "Truly yours, Laura Wells. "" "You got screwed." "Thank you." "What can I do now?" "Tell me." "Now, what can I do?" "Give yourself up." "No." "Goddammit, I'm serious here." "I'm talking about the case." "I don't think you can do anything." "Go to physical therapy." "Be nice to your wife." "I'm letting Amituana go." "Alright." "If you, if you get to be king of Samoa and, uh, I show up there you'll have a job for me, right?" "You remember." "I got screwed, and I let you go." " Sure." " Okay." "Buddy, take the stairs, and you go on outside." "And tell them if they try anything, I'll kill the woman." "She's my lawyer." "I got reason to kill her." "You tell 'em that." "You can still help me." " Yeah, if you turn yourself in we can..." " No." "...turn up a mental defense, and get you a good lawyer." "I'll slip out the back, where they don't expect me you go out the front to the parking lot where you came in, and keep 'em busy." "Stand near the door and pretend I've got the gun on you." "And relay messages to the cops like I'm hiding there." "Tell them I want a car." "And I want $3,000." "And I want an hour's head start." "Afterwards, they'll never know I wasn't there with the gun." "Just give me a chance to get out the back and get away." "Uh, don't you think there's cops out back too?" "No, no, they, they all stayed out front where I told them I'd come out." " Will you do it?" " Okay." "It'd be so much better for you if you turn yourself in." "We're coming out." "Let's go." "Okay." "Okay." "Now, you wait a minute before you go out." "Alright?" " Okay?" " Okay." "He's in the back." "He's unarmed." "You did good." "Hey." " What's so funny?" " Uh, nothing." " How'd you sleep?" " Fine." "You didn't hear those coyotes howling?" "I was asleep." "How was your run?" "Fine." "What were you two laughing about?" "Oh, nothing." "I was, um..." "I was showing her my poses." "This is "The Crab. "" "We call it "The Crab. "" "At least she thought it was funny." "Uh-huh." "You hear those coyotes last night?" " Crazy." " Yeah." " I wonder what they got." " I don't know." "I'm gonna put this stuff in the car." "Here." "Thanks for helping out." "No one asked me." "No one asked me to either." "I just kinda figured it out all by myself." " Did you brush your teeth?" " Yeah." "Really?" "'Cause your toothbrush is in here and there's a bottle of water." "Mom, I said I brushed them." "Okay." "Because now would be a good time." "Oh God!" "Why you even bother asking me if you're never gonna believe me anyway?" " Now?" " The sandstone." " Wait, what, you..." " One more stop." "You said I wouldn't be out all day." "You said I could have Sunday at home." "I'm gonna grab the fence." "You know, Guthrie, you might get a kick out of this." "It's got sandstone from pioneer days." "Chiseled by pioneer hands." "It was a school house once." "Dad..." "Like I care." "Listen." "Let's you and I make an effort." "We're gonna be nice to your mom today." "Okay?" "Let's cut her some slack." "Why?" "Is she sick or something?" "No, she isn't sick." "Gonna just be nice to her." "'Cause?" "Because she works really hard." "She does a lot for us." "Because neither of us would do very well without her." "Gosh, dad." "You're building her a house." "How much better can you be?" "So, you'll ask Albert?" "You always know what to say to him." "What's to know?" "I just mean he trusts you." "Guthrie." "Guthrie." "Guthrie." " Come say hi to Albert." " No." "No way, dad." "Every time we come out here, you guys swear it won't take all weekend, but it always..." "I don't know why you indulge her." "I was just talking to her." "I mean, we did tell her that we weren't gonna keep her out here all day." "God, you really can't help it." "What?" "Making me the bad guy." "Always." "Whatever." "I wonder how much more there might be buried here." "I don't know." "Let's let him know we're here." " You ask." " You'll help." "We should've brought him something." "Hello, Albert." "Hey, Albert." "Hi." " You're back in town?" " Yes." " Come in." " Thank you." "Nice and warm." " Ha!" " Yeah." "Um..." " Please." " Thank you." "How are you?" "I, uh, I fell last week." "Uh, I was on the phone." "Well, some people were here." "And I banged my head." "Is there anything that we can do to help?" "Do you need anything?" "No, I don't need anything." "I cook up big soups." "So I've got stuff in the freezer." "You still play guitar?" "I can play." "Are we supposed to play somewhere?" "I don't, I don't think so." "But it would sure be fun to hear you play." "Well, yes." "I've got milk and everything." "When my friends came by, they brought milk." "The friends who were here when you fell." "I was on the phone when I fell." "I was alone." "Oh, I'm sorry, I thought that... that you said that you had friends who were visiting." "Some people were here." "I wasn't stuck on my back like a turtle all night." "Poor Albert." "I can't find the date the Catfish are supposed to play." "Just ask in town." "Albert, so we were wondering about the sandstone in the front yard, and if you'd be willing to sell it to us." "I mean, if you wanted to get rid of it we, we'd take it off your hands." "Have you talked to Kyle Gazi lately?" " Is he gonna help you build your house?" " I think so." "Oh, he's gonna let him use his backhoe anyway." "Well, you should dig up a garden when you got the backhoe." "We're not really planting a garden." "Just, uh, desert plants." "We won't have to water too much." "Russian olives, very nice." "They make good shade trees." "It'll be tough to care for a garden since we can't really move out here, full time." "At least not until our daughter gets through high school." "Kyle's a nice young man." "Plays a good banjo." "His kids have been out to play on our land." "I guess I trust him alright." "Can't always see the numbers." "Well..." "I guess I'll give you that sandstone." "We'd wanna pay you for it." " It was the old school house, you know." "From when the town was settled." "They cut it from the massive sandstone around here." "They built that school house before they built the church." "I always thought the school house must have been prettier than the church." "I never thought it was a pretty church." "We want native stone to build with." "Railroad ties." "Uh, things that fit in." "We thought before we cut new stone we would look and see if we could find some that was..." " My brother and I..." "He's dead now." "When we bought this property in '66 that stone... was there." "We built this house that year." "Had it built." "I still have things to finish." "I've got a back porch." "I'm 76." "Probably not gonna finish it." "Okay, yes, I'll give you that sandstone." "You don't have to sell it if you don't want to." "It's just that, Gina wants this new house to be authentic." "When do you need it?" "Uh, well, as it happens, Ryan's brother has a flatbed truck that we could use the week after next." "So we just have to hire some helper, find some help." "Okay." "Tentatively, you can have it." "I wanna think a little more." "Uh, okay, well..." "If you change your mind, no problem." "Okay." " I'll get that door." " Thank you." "We can call you in a couple of days?" "We'll leave you our numbers too." "Whatever is best for you." "It's a lot of rock." " Look." "Quail." " Oh, yeah." "I hear them all the time." "And their call is, is like, uh, here goes..." "Sounds like..." ""How are you?" "How are you?"" "And then, then they answer, that goes..." ""I'm just fine, I'm just fine. "" "It's not gonna be enough for a whole house but a wall maybe." "We could plant some trees where the rock pile is." "Ryan would help you." "Oh, honey, give him our cards, so that he has our numbers." "Well..." "All of those numbers will work." "Your wife works for you." "Huh, that's funny." "No, she's the boss actually." "You come back to our place when the weather gets warmer." "And, and no more falling down." "I don't plan to." "And if you wanna sell, think of a good price." "I don't know how much rock costs." "I'm starving." "God, you really weren't helping me at all." "I was helping." "I was in there." "What?" "By repeatedly telling him that he didn't have to sell to us?" "I just wanted to give him some wiggle room." "That almost didn't feel worth it." "I thought he knew he wasn't gonna use it." "You wanna give it back?" "No." "Someone else will just take it." "You sure he understood?" "We just have to think of something really good to do with it... then it won't feel so sad to take it." "You really can't play a whole lot better than move the mob into the anticipation of the passers." "And look at that effort by Paul Jones." "It's a mysterious realm, full of danger and full of promise." "A new frontier... just waiting to be explored." " What..." " But it was cold..." "Hello." "Uh..." "I've never done this before." "Um..." "I don't quite know where to start, uh..." "Y'all wanna introduce yourselves?" "We all know each other." "Um..." "Wanna tell me what you already know about school of law?" "I don't think we know anything." "Okay." "Okay, well, I guess we'll just start at the beginning." ""The idea that the state must provide a free public education" ""and that children can be required to go to school" ""goes back to 1642" ""when first such laws were passed in Massachusetts." ""By 1918, all states had passed such legislation." ""It's been said that students do not leave their rights" ""at the school house door." ""The United States Supreme Court has ruled" ""in a case called Goss versus Lopez" ""which was decided in 1975" ""that a school district cannot just expel a student without following some type of procedure. "" "That procedure is referred to as "Due Process. "" "The same with a criminal defendant being entitled to due process before being locked up a student is entitled to the same before you can expel them." "Can a student be expelled and then not let back in?" "Can a student say anything he wants to me and just get away?" "Hey, are you staying?" "No." "Are you registered for this class?" "No, I just saw people coming in." "I have to drive all the way back to Livingston tonight." "I've never done anything so stupid in my life." "Livingston." "Hey, do you know where I could get some food?" "Oh." "Yeah, I could show you where the diner is." " Yeah, that would be great." " Yeah." " Thank you." " Oh, follow me." "I took this job before I finished law school." "I wanted any job." "I was afraid of my loans coming due." "I didn't know where Belfry was." "I guess I was thinking about Belgrade which is a lot closer." "So stupid." "Then I got a law job." "They're letting me do this because they think it's funny." "The passes I see, it takes me four hours to get here." "It's gonna take me four hours to get back." "I have to work in the morning." "Did you tell me how you ended up in this class?" "I just saw people going in." "Mmm." "I make a fool of myself?" "No." "It was interesting." "I never knew a student had any rights." "Are you gonna come back?" "When's it next?" "Thursday." "Every Tuesday and Thursday for nine weeks." "I'm not signed up or anything." "They're not gonna check." "I don't even know school law." "I'm gonna have to learn enough to teach it every time." " Here you go." " Thank you." "Sure you don't want anything?" "Where do you work?" "Out on the Hayden ranch." "Caring for the horses." "It's just a winter job." "You want the other half?" "No." "I could show you if you could stay longer." " Show me what?" " The ranch." "The horses." "Well..." "I, I have to get back." "I have to work in the morning." "Sure." "It's already quarter to 10:00." "Oh." "Come on." "Here, come on." "Here." ""Key Supreme Court decisions affecting school law. "" "In a Supreme Court case from 1969 ten students in Ohio were expelled for wearing armbands as a form of protest against the Vietnam War." "Uh..." "The court said that was unconstitutional uh, for it violated their due process and their freedom of speech." "That was the Tinker versus Des Moines case." "Is there a law that says teacher's pay has to keep up with cost of living increases?" "Uh, I'm not a labor organizer but you should, you should take that to your union." "Can teachers get reserved parking spaces for faculty only included in the..." "You going to the diner?" "Do you happen to know anyone in town that could teach this class?" "I don't know anyone at all." "How'd you break your arm?" "It's just my wrist." "Ridin' an unbroken horse." "Breaking horses?" "Is that part of your job?" "No." "Just back home with my brothers." "You know, when we were kids, my brothers and I would sneak out and jump on any old horse we could find." "No saddle, no halter..." "Just bring a piece of twine, that was it." "Once broke my tailbone." "I was too afraid to tell my mother for two weeks." "Had to sit on the edge of my chair in class." "That was awful." "And I was so afraid I'd get out of law school and be selling shoes." "Hello." "Sorry." "Can I give you a ride to the diner?" " Umm, uh..." " Not in the truck." " Just..." " Uh..." "Just wait here." "Um..." "Uh, really?" "Uh..." "I mean, it's, it's been a while, it's been a while." "Don't think about it." " Ah, uh." " Okay." "Well." "Luke wants to know if that's your horse is out back." " It is." " Can he give it some water?" " Sure." "Thank you." " Truck break down?" "Nope." "Truck's alright." "Here, have some fries." "No." "Why were you afraid of selling shoes?" "Have you ever sold shoes?" "I mean, why were you afraid you couldn't get anything else?" "I don't know, because my mom works in a school cafeteria my sister in a hospital laundry, so selling shoes is the nicest job a girl from my family is supposed to get." "It all worked out." "See, I'm a lawyer, with a wonderful job driving all the way to Belfry every 15 minutes until I lose my mind." "And it's, it's 10 o'clock." "I'm not gonna be home until 2 o'clock." "And there's roaming cows in the road." "Black ice just outside of Edgar..." "If I get through that, there's a road block just outside of Livingston." "Then I get to sleep for five hours take a shower, go to work at 8:00 do a bunch of crap nobody else wants to do and learn some more school law tomorrow night leave work early the next day" "and drive all the way back here with my eyes twitching." "It was nice of you to bring the horse." "Can you take me back to my car?" "Thank you." "Thanks, and have a good night." "What?" "Apparently, Ms. Travis found the drive from Livingston too arduous so I'll take over the class for the rest of the term." "I practice law here in town and as some of you know and the rest of you, you would find out soon enough I am recently divorced." "Excuse me." "Do you happen to know a lawyer named Elizabeth Travis?" "No." "Hi, Denise." "It's Patty Gardner." "Do you know a lawyer in town named Elizabeth Travis?" "Sure." "Denise knows everyone." "Oh, she took a teaching job in Belgrade." "Belfry." "But she's got another job here." "We believe she has another job here in town." "I drove over." "Thought I was in the wrong place." "You drove here?" "I was sorry you stopped teaching the class." "I looked forward to it." "I was gonna tell you on Tuesday" "I asked for a replacement, 'cause of the, uh, drive." "That drive is pretty bad." "Right." "I don't mean to keep you from getting to work or anything." "I just knew if I didn't start driving I wasn't gonna see you again." "I didn't want that." "That's all." "Okay." "I have to go feed now." "Animals will be wondering where I'm at." "Hi." "Ah!" "You must have some real pull getting in here on a Sunday." "I guess you've had lunch, but..." "You got a shake in there?" "Chocolate one and a vanilla one." "Vanilla." " There it is." " Thank you." "Thank you." "Mm." "It's good." "So..." "How's it going in here?" "Not what you'd expect." "Noisy." "Um..." "lonely." "No privacy." "You know, my wife's gone." " No, I didn't." " Mm-hmm." "After I stopped working, and started getting crazy she got a pen pal." "A guy in prison in Wyoming." "They wrote back and forth all year." "Then he got furloughed and she went to live with him." "She sent me a letter." "They're living on a farm." "And, uh, they got 40 cats." "And she's never been so happy." "Can you believe that?" "She mailed me the letter from another town so that I couldn't find her." "But do you wanna find her?" "Yeah." "No." "I don't know." "A guy in prison." "I can't believe she found a guy in prison." "I'm a guy in prison." "What's wrong with me?" "What'd the guy do?" "She won't tell me." "Probably an axe murderer." "It's Wyoming." "Did you get my letter?" "Yeah." " You never wrote back to me." " I meant to." "I, uh..." "I kept meaning to." "Man, you wouldn't believe how, how good mail feels." "Think I told you that." " I just didn't know what to say." " Oh, that's the thing..." "You don't have to say anything special." "I told you, it's okay about what happened." "You know, they, they would've got me anyway." "I fucked up." "But I mean this." "You could talk about anything." "Talk about the weather." "Talk about your day." "Just so you..." "put it in an envelope and..." "put it in the mail." "Doesn't have to be a tome." "Okay." "Awesome." "Stop working." " Yes?" " Can you get me a beer?" "Just kidding." " They see far too often this year for Montana state..." " What?" "If you don't have to drive, well, then, don't drive." "I made a mistake, I left the house..." "I had to go to the bank and cash some checks and I should have known, should have stayed at home." "And instead of this one..." "It's colder in Europe in the north..." "I don't know." "It doesn't matter how many..."