"My God, it's hot." "Stepped out of the shower and started sweating again." "Still burning?" "Jesus, it's bigger." "What is it?" "It's the Seawater Inn." "My family used to eat dinner there 25 years ago." "Now somebody's torched it to clear the lot." " It's a shame." " Probably one of my clients." "I'm leaving." "What do you care?" "You're watching the fire." "You're done with me." "You've had your fun." "You're spent." "My history is burning up out there." "I don't mind." "I'm leaving." "I'm just getting into my uniform here." "Why do they make these damn skirts so hard to zip?" ""You're spent"?" "Where did you hear that?" "Mr. Racine, I no longer care whether these alleged toilets were ever actually en route from Indiana or not." "I think we're wasting our time here." "Now, it's pretty clear that your client has attempted to defraud the county in a not very ingenious manner." "The assistant prosecutor has made what I consider a generous offer." "Given that you failed to offer even the semblance of a defense..." "Judge, perhaps when I've presented all the evidence..." "Listen, if I were you, I would recommend to your client that he quickly do as Mr. Lowenstein here has suggested:" "Plead nolo contendere, file chapter 11 and agree to never do business with Okeelanta County again." " You look favorably on that?" " He could walk." "But don't test my patience for even five more minutes." "If he hesitates, I'll nail him." "I'll talk to him." "And Mr. Racine the next time you come into my courtroom I hope you've got either a better defense or a better class of client." "Thank you, Your Honor." "I've underestimated you, Ned." "I don't know why it took me so long." "You started using your incompetence as a weapon." "My defense was evolving and you guys got scared." "Costanza doesn't like me." "What'd I ever do to him?" "Hey, Danny." "He's unhappy." "He thinks he belongs in circuit court." "Here he is in the state where there's top-notch corruption and he's stuck with the county toilets." "Surprised you weren't in on that toilet caper." "Could've been your quick score." "Or maybe Costanza was in on it." "That's why he was so mad." "What's the good word from the hallow halls of justice?" "Anything juicy?" "Maybe Stella was in on it." "When will you get a real air conditioner in here?" "You don't like it, there are lots of other places." "They don't have you." "I've got to go." "You can't buy me." "I don't come cheap." "Lowenstein, you're a fag." " Why does he do that?" " He's pretty good." "That's the weird part." " You hear about Dr. Block?" " No." "Do I want to?" "Agnes Marshall." "It must have been Mrs. Block's idea, some kind of punishment." "That's right." "How did you know that?" "Christ, you are better plugged in than I am." "I suppose you know about Mrs. Block's friend over in Ocean Grove." "Stella, this is beneath even you." "Things must be slow." "It's the heat." "You can stand here with me if you want but you'll have to agree not to talk about the heat." "I'm a married woman." " Meaning what?" " Meaning I'm not looking for company." "Then you should've said, "I'm a happily married woman."" "That's my business." "What?" " How happy I am." " And how happy is that?" "Not too smart, are you?" "I like that in a man." "What else do you like?" "Lazy?" "Ugly?" "Horny?" "I've got them all." "You don't look lazy." "Tell me, does chat like this work with most women?" "Some, if they haven't been around much." "I wondered." "Thought maybe I was out of touch." " Can I buy you a drink?" " I told you, I've got a husband." " I'll buy him one too." " He's out of town." "My favorite kind." "We'll drink to him." "He only comes up on weekends." "I'm liking him better all the time." "You better take me up on this quick." "In 45 minutes, I'll get up and go away." "Want to buy me something?" "I'll take one of those." " What kind?" " Cherry." "Make it two." "You're not staying in Miranda Beach." " I would have noticed you." " Is this town that small?" "Pinehaven?" "You're staying down in Pinehaven." "On the waterway." " You have a house." " How do you know that?" "You look like Pinehaven." "How does Pinehaven look?" " Well-tended." " I'm well-tended, all right." "Well-tended." "What about you?" "Me?" "I need tending." "I need someone to take care of me someone to rub my tired muscles, smooth out my sheets." "Get married." "I just need it for tonight." "Nice move, Matty." ""Matty"?" "I like it." "It's right over your heart." " At least it's cool." "I was burning up." " I asked you not to talk about the heat." "Would you get me a paper towel?" "Dip it in some cold water." "Right away." "I'll even wipe it off for you." "You don't want to lick it?" "Look who's here." "Isn't this a coincidence." "I know you." "You're the one that doesn't like to talk about the heat." " Too bad." "I'd tell you about my chimes." " What about them?" "The wind chimes on my porch." "They keep ringing and I go out there, expecting a cool breeze." "That's what they've always meant, but not this year." "This year it's just hot air." "Do I remind you of hot air?" "Bourbon, any kind, on the rocks." "Do you want another?" "Yeah." " What are you doing in Pinehaven?" " I'm no yokel." "I was all the way to Miami once." "Some men, once they get a whiff of it, they trail you like a hound." "I'm not that eager." " What's your name, anyway?" " Ned Racine." "Matty Walker." " You all right?" " Yes, I'm fine." "My temperature runs a couple of degrees high, around 100." "I don't mind." "It's the engine or something." "Maybe you need a tune-up." "Don't tell me." "You have just the right tool." "I don't talk like that." "How did you find me, Ned?" "This is the only joint in Pinehaven." "You shouldn't have come." "You're going to be disappointed." "What did I do?" "A lot of them have tried that seat." "You're the first I've let stay." "You must come here a lot." " Most men are little boys." " Maybe you should drink at home." " Too quiet." " Maybe you shouldn't dress like that." "This is a blouse and skirt." "I don't know what you're talking about." "Then you shouldn't wear that body." "Sometimes, I don't know..." "I just get so sick of everything, I'm not sure I care anymore." "Do you know what I mean, Ned?" "I know that sometimes the shit comes down so heavy I feel I should wear a hat." "Yeah, that's what I mean." "I'm gonna get out of here." "I gotta go home." " I'll take you." " I have a car." "I'll follow you." "I want to see the chimes." "You want to see the chimes." "I want to hear them." "That's all." "If I let you, then that's all." "I'm not looking for trouble." "This is my community bar." "I might have to come here with my husband sometime." "Would you mind leaving before me?" "Waiting in your car?" "I know it seems silly." "I don't know who you think we're going to fool." "You've been pretty friendly." "Now, leave me alone." "It's just like my place." "No help?" "She goes home nights." "You're not nervous here alone?" "No." "You do have chimes." "What's that?" " A gazebo." " No, no, out there." "A boathouse." "What's in it?" "A boat." "It's a mess, really." "There's a old rowboat, and some lounge chairs, things like that." "I think you should go now." "I just got here." "You've seen them." "Please go." "Thank you." "I'm sorry." "I shouldn't have let you come." " You're not so tough after all, are you?" " No, I'm weak." "Yes." "Oh, yes." "Yes, it's so right." "Please, Ned, do it." "How are you doing?" "Good walk, right." "Mrs. Singer." "Mrs. Singer." " I would have gladly come to your house." " Oh, no." "The doctor said I should walk, and I did have some shopping." "Not that the quack knows what he's talking about." "Mr. Racine, I'm just not sure that his testimony is going to be useful." "Don't worry about it, we'll find a doctor who's more understanding." " Is it bad today?" " You just can't imagine." "Nobody can repay me for the pain I've been through." "How well I know." "We'll sue those reckless bastards dry." "Excuse my language." "No, don't apologize." "You have to have an attitude like that these days." "I like this place." "It's got a nice feel." " You were on top." " So it could use a better mattress." " See to it, will you?" " Yes, sir." "Give me a break here." "It takes a little while." "It's your own fault." "I never wanted it like this before." "It throws everything else out of whack." "It takes me a good 30 seconds." "Are you sure?" "I just want to be sure." "What are you doing?" "I have to wash these." "Afraid of your maid?" "That's right." "My mother told me, "Knowledge is power."" "This is an interesting interpretation." "Isn't that why you've started smoking my brand?" "No one must know, Ned." "Promise me." "No one." "Take it easy, all right?" "You look terrible." "Don't you sleep?" "I had a dream last night so boring it woke me up." "I was afraid to go back to sleep." " Where the hell have you been?" " I've been around." "I've barely seen you for a month." "Wait a minute, some new quiff, isn't it?" "What's wrong with me?" "You've never been shy about this before." " Oscar." " Weren't at the Y last week." "We lost." "He's getting discreet." "I can't believe it." "What you got in pie today, Stella?" "There's cherry, cherry and cherry." " What do you recommend?" " I like the cherry." "Bring it on." "And a gigantic Coca-Cola." "I'm really disappointed in you." "I've been living vicariously off of you for years." " If you shut up now, I only have my wife." " Nothing to tell, I lead a lonely life." " Right, and it'll snow later on today." " And people are basically decent." "Probably somebody I know, somebody in uniform." " Come on." " No army personnel around." "Waitress?" "Could it be?" "Oh, I know, I know." "You finally got to Glenda." "How was it?" "Did she let you into the no parking zone?" "I happen to know Glenda is seriously involved with a narc from Palm Beach." " There you are." " From Palm Beach, what is that, his hobby?" " How's the cop business?" "Real good." "Always starts hopping in weather like this." " When it's hot, people try to kill each other." " That's right." "I know some people who'll be dead if we don't get a break soon." "We got more of everything bad since the wave started." "It's that crisis atmosphere." "People dress different, feel different, they sweat more wake up cranky and never recover." "Look at Lowenstein." "Everything is just a little askew." "Pretty soon people think the old rules are not in effect start to break them, figuring nobody'll care because it's emergency time." "Time out." "I can't figure out how you can be doing advanced theoretical thinking like that and still be stuck in our little town." " Lowenstein dreams of bigger things." "Assistant county prosecutor isn't the end of the line." "Someday, deputy county prosecutor." "When the truth comes out about some of the dirt I've been involved in my future in this state will be unlimited." "Hi, Ned." "Hi, Glenda." " You all right?" " Don't stop." "You are killing me." "I'm red, I'm sore." "You're sore?" "You've got nerve." "Look at it." "It's about to fall off." "Is there any more ice?" "I'm burning up." "He's coming up tomorrow." "I can't stand the thought of him." "He's small and mean and weak." "Lady, you want to fuck?" "Gee, I don't know." "Maybe." " This sure is a friendly town." " I'm sorry." "You are?" "You mean the offer is no good?" "I feel like a jerk." "Well, maybe you were supposed to deliver it next door." "You must be looking for the lady of the house." "Ned, this is Mary Ann." "We were just meeting." "Ned made me feel very welcome." "I am an idiot." "How are you?" "I'm..." " You staying in town?" " No, just passing through." "Nice area." "A little hot for my tastes." "It's unusual." "We're famous for our cool breezes." "Want to stay for dinner?" "I've got to go." "Got to go." "Bye." "You two have fun now." "I didn't see her car." "I'm sorry." "I've got to be more careful." "Mary Ann is an old friend." "She's like a sister to me." "She wants me to be happy." "How do you know?" "I saw the will once." "He showed it to me." "He was trying to prove something." "How much he loved me, or something." "How did he get so fat?" "Stock market, real estate, investments." "He doesn't tell me much, but I've picked up a little." " They own a lot of land along the shore." " Who's "they"?" "He's never introduced me to anyone." "I'm not sure if they're all legitimate." "I wonder what they call themselves." "Maybe I've heard of them." "I know they own that place in Miranda Beach, The Breakers." "The Breakers?" "I thought Morrie Fisher owned that land." "Edmund mentioned it once." "It scares me to talk about these things." "Why?" " You know." " No, I don't." "Let's just not." "Let's just not think about all he's got." "Wait a minute." "Tell me exactly what it is that frightens you." "I'm afraid because when I think about it I wish he'd die." "That's really what I want." "It's horrible and it's ugly and it's what I most want." " That's where we're at, isn't it?" " What do you mean?" "That's what we're both thinking." "How good it would be for us if he was gone." "No, Ned." "Please, don't." "Don't talk about it." "Talk is dangerous, sometimes it makes things happen." " It makes them real." " Don't get scared." "Because he is not going to die." "Nothing wrong with him, is there?" "No reason to think he'll die, is there?" " No." " That's right." "So we might as well forget about it." "It's not going to just happen to make things nice for us." "It won't just happen." "If you do leave him, you'll come out all right." " A divorce?" " Yeah, he's ripe." "No, I signed a prenuptial agreement." " What?" " He insisted." "He blamed it on his sister, Roz." "She's always hated me, but I know he wanted it too." " How is it?" " It's bad." "I get some money for a year, not much." "That's it." "Does it matter, Ned?" "Tell me the truth, please." "The truth." "I wish you were going to be loaded." "Does it matter?" "No." "No." "God, you make me happy." "It's time for your present." "From now on, when it starts coming down on you, I'll be there to protect you." "Try it on." "I bet I guessed the size right." "I love it." " I want to see." " Here." "Hello, sweetheart." "Have I got a nice present for you." "Hi, Aunt Matty." "Heather." " What is it again?" " Rover." " It's between first and second." " That's not a shortstop?" "No." "The shortstop is between second and third." "Good, that's the way I remember it." "Have a good time." "You don't really mind, do you?" "Roz will pick her up Thursday." "Don't worry, Roz won't stay overnight." "She can do whatever she wants." "Oh, my God." "You scared me." "You shouldn't be here." "Heather's upstairs." "Asleep." "And I know what I want." "I know." "I know, I missed you so badly, but it's too dangerous." " She won't wake up now." " You're so wet." "I'd been waiting out there for two hours." "So salty." "Let me." "Lie back." "Aunt Matty?" "What do you say?" " I did." " She did." "Thank you, Aunt Matty." " Thanks, Matty." "We appreciate it." " A pleasure, Roz." "Any time." " Hi, Ned." " It's just me tonight, Filomena." "Okay." "Just one minute, all right?" "Well, hello to you." "Hello." "Darling, this is Mr. Racine." "I'm sorry, I don't know your first name." "Ned." "Edmund Walker." "Nice to meet you." "Mr. Racine is the lawyer I told you about." "You remember, darling, he had a client who wanted to buy the house." " I told him we weren't selling." " Right." "That hasn't changed, has it?" "No, we're very happy with it." "I can understand that." "It's a terrific place." " Are you going in?" " I was gonna grab a bite, yeah." "Well, join us." " No." "Thanks, I don't want to interfere." " No, don't be silly." "We have room for three, don't we?" "I've heard this place is great." "But you can't get near it on weekends." " I don't get down during the week much." " Is that right?" "I was a lawyer." "I still am, I guess, but I don't practice." " I went to Columbia." "You?" " F.S.U." "A good school." "I got bored with it quick." "I guess I didn't have the temperament for it." "I wanted to make the money faster." " Is there a living in it here?" " I can afford to send out my shirts and eat here once a month if I don't order an appetizer." "Yeah." "Yeah, I figured that honest lawyers didn't make very much and the other kind are too slimy for me." "I'd rather be up-front about shafting somebody." "Edmund, really it's Mr. Racine's profession." " No, that's all right." "I don't like it much." "Call me Ned, will you?" "What's to like?" "That's the way of the world." "Most people despise their jobs." " Do you?" " No." "No, I love it." "But it's not a job." "What is it exactly?" "Well, various things." "This and that." " Here and there." " You don't have to be specific." "Finance, basically." "Venture capital, real estate investments." "We're into a few things." " Around here?" " Some." " We own some things here." " Edmund's company owns The Breakers." " Really?" " It's not that simple, really." "We have an interest in a few places along the shore." "For the land, you know, someday." "Don't try and explain that to her." "I'm too dumb." "A woman, you know." "Well, I'll be right back." "Then maybe we can talk about pantyhose or something interesting." "She's something, isn't she?" " She is a lovely lady." " Yes, she is." "And I'm crazy about her." "If I thought she was seeing another guy..." "I don't know." "I could understand how it could happen, her being the way she is." "I could understand it but I think I'd kill the guy with my bare hands." "That's understanding." "Please." "You'd never believe the dorkus she was with when I met her." "The guy came to us with a business proposition." "We're always looking for opportunities." "We're willing to take an occasional risk if the downside isn't too steep, if the conditions are right." "But this guy, he hadn't done his homework." "He didn't know the bottom line." "That's how I knew he was full of shit." "Got to know the bottom line." "That's all that counts." "But he didn't have the goods, this guy." "He's like lots of guys you run into." "They wanna get rich." "They wanna do it quick." "They wanna be there with one score." "But they're not willing to do what's necessary." "You know what I mean?" "I'm not sure." "You mean do the groundwork?" "Earn it?" "No." "No, I mean do what's necessary." "Whatever is necessary." "Yeah I know that kind of guy." "I hate that." "It makes me sick." " Me too." " I'm a lot like that." "Some messages are on your desk." "I'll be back in an hour." "Jesus." "Did Beverly see you?" "I waited until I saw her leave." "Please, don't be angry." "Angry?" "I'm not angry." "How did you get in?" "It didn't lock." "Ned, hold me." "Please." "Just hold me." "God, I love you." "He left this morning." " I had to see you." " I know." "I couldn't call." "I was afraid to." "I was afraid you wouldn't let me come." "That's right, you mustn't call." "Never call." "Be very careful." "The phone company keeps records." "I am careful." "Ned, I hated it." "I hated sitting there with the two of you." "I thought I'd scream." "You called my apartment from the house." " No, never." " Those two times?" "I went to phone booths." "I'm afraid of him, Ned." "That's good." "You have to be very careful now about the phones." " Why do you say this now?" " We can account for a couple of calls." " We've had some contact." "It'd make sense." " Why, Ned?" "What's happened?" "Because we're going to kill him." "We both know that." "It's what you want, isn't it?" "We knew it was coming." "It's the only way we can have everything we want, isn't it?" "That man is going to die for no reason but we want him dead." "He doesn't deserve it." "Let's not ever say that." "We'll do it for us, and you'll inherit half of everything he owns." "That's what the will says, right?" "That's it, then." "That's it, then." "We're going to kill him, and I think I know how." " It's real, then?" " It's real, all right." "And if we're not careful, it'll be the last real thing we do." "Her mother works plenty hard to keep Heather on Edmund's mind." "Always bringing her around, reporting on everything she does in school." "That Roz is a smart one." "And anything Heather inherits goes straight to Roz." "Heather won't even get a look at it." "That's the part I can't stand." "That's what seems so wrong that half of it should go to her." " There's nothing we can do about it." "Are you sure?" "I was thinking that maybe there is." "The will is with Edmund's lawyer in Miami." "I know that." "What if I can get him to bring it home?" "Then couldn't we rewrite it?" "Change it?" "Every little change would mean a lot for us." "And you're a lawyer, you know how to write it." "It wouldn't seem so odd." "I could say he brought it home, and we talked about it and decided to make some changes up here." " And I knew you already..." " No." "Forget it." " I don't see why Heather should take half?" " Listen to me, Matty nothing strange can happen in his life right now." "Not one thing out of the ordinary." "That's vital." "That's the most important thing." "If it does, the chances double that we get caught." "You'll get half of everything." "It'll be plenty." "No matter what it is, we'll be satisfied." "We won't get greedy." "If we do, we'll get burned." "You're right, darling." "I'm sorry." "I know you're right." "I know where he is." "It's not far from here." " I don't want you with me." " I thought we settled that." "I'll wait in the car but I want to take the risk with you." "We're both doing this." "What's the matter, you can't think with a little music?" "It's like this, I said." " It's fast, it's hot, it's simple." " That's it?" "Yeah, you can use the clock, or rig it to something that moves." "It starts big." "It will go with just the mag chips." "You want a little more, splash a little accelerator around." "Is it just regular gasoline?" "Yeah, regular, unleaded, supreme, whatever you like, counselor." "I got to tell you, this mama has got a big drawback to it." " What?" " It's easy to spot." "Even after the meltdown, they're going to know it's arson." "I don't care about that." "That's all there is to it?" "No, that ain't all there is to it." "You gotta get in, you gotta get out." "You gotta pick the right spot, the right time and you gotta try not to get famous while you're in the act." "If that's all there was to it, any idiot could do it." " I'm sorry." " I want to ask you something." "Are you listening to me, asshole?" "Because I like you." "I got a serious question for you." "What the fuck are you doing?" "This is not shit for you to be messing with." "You ready to hear something?" "I want you to see if this sounds familiar." "Any time you try a decent crime, you've got 50 ways you can fuck up." "If you think of 25 of them, then you're a genius." "And you ain't no genius." "Remember who told me that?" "Hey, no smoking in here." "Look, why don't you let me do it for you?" "Gratis." "I'll do it." "I wouldn't even be on the street if it weren't for you." "Thanks." "I sure hope you know what you're doing." "You better be damn sure, because if you ain't sure, then don't do it." "Of course, that's my recommendation, anyway." "Don't do it." "Because I'll tell you something, counselor." "This arson is serious crime." "And?" " You'll be downstairs." " And?" "Two thirty, I send him down." "We won't talk again after I leave here tonight." "I'll be in Miami by noon Friday." "You won't be able to reach me." "When I see you again, he'll be dead." "I'm frightened." "Jesus, take it easy." " I thought I was tense." " Where are you going?" "I can't sleep." "I'm going to get something to drink." "Edmund." "I can't sleep, either." "Come back to bed, darling." "No, don't stop." "You trying to kill me?" "What's wrong?" "I think someone's downstairs." "I heard something." "Are you sure?" "Want me to call the police?" "Will you be quiet." "I'm going to nail this bastard." " Edmund, what's that?" " Would you be quiet." " I've never seen that." " I've got a surprise for this fucker." " He has a gun!" " Where?" "The car's at the end of the drive." "Spend 15 minutes cleaning up, then come." "You have to be careful driving in this fog." "Are you all right?" " Yeah." " Okay." "Thank God." "I thought..." "They're right on time, and I'm running late." "We won't talk for a long time." "Mr. Racine's office." "Just a moment, please." "Ned, Miles Hardin." "Do you want him?" " Who is he?" " She says he's a lawyer from Miami." "Hello." " Mr. Racine?" " Yes." "Miles Hardin of Morris and Dale in Miami." "As you know, we represented Edmund Walker." "Yes?" "Yes well, Mrs. Walker has submitted the new will you wrote up there." "I see." "And frankly, Mr. Racine, I think we may have a problem." "What problem is that?" "I'd rather discuss it in person." "In fact, I think it might be best if we could all get together up there." "That is, if you wouldn't object." "No." "No, that would be all right." "Good." "We have a relationship with a firm in West Palm, Shiller-Hastings." "Yes, I know them." "I've arranged to have the use of their offices." "I thought we might try to make it tomorrow, say 10:00." "Would that be possible for you?" " Yes, I think so." " Good." "Mrs. Walker told me she'd be back up there by then and I've asked Mrs. Kraft, Mr. Walker's sister, to join us also." " I'll see you then." " Right." " Goodbye." " Bye." "I don't have her." "Should I?" "I thought the temporary put her in." "She came in while you were on vacation." "Look her up." "They were in Pinehaven, I think." "Get no answer at the Pinehaven number." "Okay, try again later." " Miles Hardin, Mr. Racine." " How are you?" "I don't think you know Mrs. Kraft." "No, I don't." "My condolences." "Thank you." "Mrs. Walker, I am very sorry about your husband." "Thank you, Mr. Racine." "You know Mr. Lowenstein." " Hello, Peter." " Hi, Ned." "I've asked Mr. Lowenstein to join us because he's handling the inquiry into Edmund Walker's death for the county prosecutor's office." "He and I have discussed this matter and he's made it possible for us to speak very frankly here today off the record, so to speak." "As I've told Mrs. Walker, I was more than surprised at the existence of this new will." "Edmund hadn't mentioned anything about it to me." "Mrs. Walker explained to me when she and her husband decided to make a few changes they took care of it up here for simplicity's sake." "Indeed, as you know, the new will is almost identical to the old but for the disposition of a few items." "At the risk of oversimplifying, the thrust of the will is to divide the estate in almost equal parts between Heather Kraft and Mrs. Walker." "Would you agree with that assessment, Mr. Racine?" "Yes, well, you witnessed Edmund Walker's signature along with this Miss Mary Ann Simpson." "Apparently, it will be impossible for us to contact Miss Simpson." "Mary Ann is a lifelong friend of mine." "She was visiting on her way to Europe." "She'll be in touch on her return." "Although, it's really not required." "Witnesses of a will's signing are often unavailable when the will is entered into probate." "It's not standard by any means." "Edmund Walker's death was not standard." "I'm confused." "Is there some question as to the authenticity of the will?" "I'm confused too." "You have a problem with the witnessing or the signatures?" "What are you getting at?" "No, I'm afraid the problem lies elsewhere." "Would anybody mind if I smoked?" "No, I don't need my own." "I'll just breathe the air." "Everything's in order up to there." "The problem comes in the language of the bequest to Heather." "It's a technical matter." "In writing the will, I'm afraid Mr. Racine violated what's known as "the rule against perpetuities."" "It forbids an inheritance to be passed down indefinitely for generations." "I knew that a probate judge in Miami would spot the mistake right away so I thought I'd bring it up here to Okeelanta County since Edmund had the residence here and see if I could get lucky with a judge who didn't know estate law quite so well." "Perhaps find one with the same kind of training as Mr. Racine." "Unfortunately, my plan backfired." "I ran into a judge who had had other dealings with Mr. Racine a Judge Costanza." "It seems there were problems with an estate in a case four years ago." "Very different problems, it's true but on a will that Mr. Racine prepared." "It was quite a mess." "Accusations of carelessness and malpractice suit." "I think he called it the Gourson case." "Gourson." "Once again, Mr. Hardin, you've lost me." "Yes, what does this all mean?" "It means, I'm afraid, that Edmund's will is invalid." "Edmund Walker died intestate, as though there were no will at all." "So what happens now?" "You don't know?" "No, I don't." "Perhaps Mr. Racine would like to tell you." "In the state of Florida, when a person dies without a will and there are no children or surviving parents then the spouse inherits everything." "My God." "You mean it's all mine?" "Though that was clearly not your husband's intention." "My God." "He intended Heather to benefit." "Of course." "Of course, I understand." "Of course." "You look good in black." "I've missed you so badly." "I need you." "At first, I couldn't figure out how you got my stationery." "Then it came to me." "Edmund's signature was a snap." "You knew I wouldn't challenge mine." "Please stop." "I don't blame you for hating me right now." "You have really done it, Matty." "You really have." "Will you come to the house tonight?" "I want you more now than I ever have." "I know how you must feel but please come tonight." "I hope you haven't done us in." "Hi, guys." "Just come on in." "Make yourself at home." " Sorry about that." " Not me." "The door was unlocked, inviting illegal entry, which makes Oscar's job so hard." "Sorry, Oscar." "You guys want a beer?" "No thank you." "I already had one." "Ned, how in the fuck did you ever get involved with this Matty Walker?" " What do you mean?" " I mean, she's poison." "What do you know about her old man's death?" "What I read." "He died in the fire." "Looks like arson." "Was arson." "Okay, was arson." "You don't know if he set it and fucked up or if that's how somebody wanted it to look like." "He didn't set it." "Somebody offed him." " His people owned the place, right?" " That's right." "And a very rough group of fellows too." "Possible they wanted to cut Edmund out, but it doesn't seem like a very neat way to handle something like that." "No, it's not their style." "They're very smooth." "They'd rather destroy you than kill you." "And they hate publicity." "Me, I'm more interested in the grieving widow." "Her sister-in-law has got plenty of ideas along that line too." "She could barely contain herself today." "I noticed that." "But she wants to wait and see how Matty treats her on the estate." " Doesn't want to blow it." " How'd you get involved?" "They asked me to redo the will." "I met with her and Edmund." "It was pretty simple." "Mary Ann Simpson witnessed it with me." "Walker didn't think it was a big deal." " That's it?" " That's it." " What was this Simpson's story?" " I don't know." "She was just passing through." "Old friend of the family's." "Good-looking broad." "On her way to Europe?" "The passport people didn't have any record of it." "What do you think?" "About the wife." "I suppose it's possible." "I don't know much about her except what I've seen." " It wouldn't shock me either way." " I have this feeling she's very bad news." "Take some incredibly intelligent advice and stay away from her." "He's right, for once." "Well, I'm sorry, guys." "I just can't do that." "Why not?" "For one thing, did you get a look at her?" "That wouldn't be quite so meaningful, except today she came on to me and that lady is about to come into a great deal of money." "In fact, she invited me out there tonight and I'm going, and I'll keep on going as many days or nights or weekends as she'll have me." "Ned, someday your dick is going to lead you into a very big hassle." "That lady may have killed her husband." "Yeah, but she won't inherit anything by killing me." "Besides, maybe she'll try to fuck me to death." "Ned, you've messed up before and you will again." "It's your nature." "But they've always been small-time." "This might not be." "She's trouble, Ned, the real thing." "Big-time, major-league trouble." "Watch yourself." "Mary Ann and I left Wheaton together and went to Chicago." "We didn't know what we were doing." "I got into bad trouble with drugs." "Speed." "Real bad." "I did things that..." "Worse than you can imagine." "I thought I would die." "I prayed I would." "And then a man helped me." "He got me clean." "He didn't want much in return, either." "He was a lawyer." "He put me to work in his office." "I learned a lot there." "That's where I picked up the business about making a will invalid." "It happened to him." "I swear, I never would have used you if I had known about your case." "I was afraid to tell you." "I knew you wouldn't let me do it." "I'm greedy, like you said." "I wanted us to have it all." "I don't blame you for thinking I'm bad." "I am." "I know it." "I'd understand if you cut me off right now." "If you never trusted me again, you'd probably be smart but you must believe one thing:" "I love you." "I love you, and I need you." "And I want to be with you forever." "They already think you're involved." "I don't care." "Great." "There's nothing we can do about it now." "In a little while, we'll either have the money or we won't." "It's out of our hands." "I fired the housekeeper." "We can stay together as long as we want." "We're all alone now." "That's right, I've been going down there a lot lately." "Isn't that amazing?" "Miami." "Jesus." "I'm handling the purchases of some property down there." "I'll be going back again in the future if that's okay, if it's still legal to go to Miami." " He's mad." " Why should I be mad because my friend I've known for years asks my whereabouts the night of a recent murder?" "It's not so recent anymore." "Maybe he feels a bit of pressure." "You brought this on yourself, man." "I don't run this department." "There are people watching this thing." "They hear you out there every night banging the widow it tends to call attention to you." "So don't give me that shit." "That is my business." "You mean that's your fucking business." "This whole damn case is getting crazy." "You tell him about the glasses?" "Seems that Walker always wore steel-rimmed glasses a real fanatic about them." "But they weren't on the scene." "Coroner says they should have been there." "He says that even after the fire, the frames would've been seared right into his..." " You don't want to hear the details." " So what?" "So it's looking more and more like he was killed somewhere else and brought there in his own car." "Your honey, his wife, said he left the house in the night driving himself to some mysterious meeting." "Is that vague enough for you?" "Look, what is this?" "What do you want?" "Am I supposed to be an undercover agent for you guys, or something?" " That's an interesting choice of phrase." " Well, suppose tonight I ask her:" ""Say, did you kill your husband?" "My friends were just wondering."" "That's a great idea." "While you're at it, ask where the glasses are, where she did it..." "Am I forgetting anything, Oscar?" " That one thing." " Oh, yeah." "You're going to love this latest development." "This is from the sister-in-law, the Kraft woman." "She's driving me batty." "She's convinced she won't be cut in on the will." "It seems a couple of weeks before the murder Walker's niece spent a while up here with your friend Matty." "One night, she wakes up, goes to see her aunt and catches the lady with some guy." "You get it?" "In the act, or some fucking thing." "We don't have the details yet, but Mrs. Kraft is bringing the little girl up here to tell her story." "They're here." "I passed them on the way in." "They're waiting outside." "Christ." "I'm not sure I'm up to dealing with this scene." "Listen you probably don't want to see the Kraft woman right now." "She's pretty wild." "Why don't you just slip out the back way here." "Are we done here?" "Yeah, I've got it all here." " Ned, I'm sorry I had to ask." " I'll go out this way." "I've had a lot of experience with disgruntled people." "I'll be at Stella's." "Hello, Mrs. Kraft." "Hello, Mr. Racine." "How are you making out?" "We're doing all right, I guess." "You must be Heather." "I'm Ned Racine." "I've heard a lot about you." "It's nice to meet you." "Thank you." "I'm sorry our town is so hot for your visit." "It sure is." "Well goodbye." " Bye." "Bye." " The usual, my sweet." " Two iced teas for Fred Astaire." "Rosemary, I'm going out for 10 minutes." " Ready to hear something really wild?" " I don't know, I've had my share today." "No, this is right up your alley." "Little Heather goes out on the porch and there's this dude with her aunt." "And the guy is turned around with his pants or shorts dropped so he's mooning the little girl." "He and your friend are going at something that Heather can't quite figure out but which sounds suspiciously to me like oral-genital contact which I'm proud to say is no longer illegal in this state." "And the guy turns around to Heather." "Do you follow me so far?" " Guess what he looks like." " I don't know." "He looks about seven or eight inches long, shiny and very, very bald." "Poor little Heather." "She'd never seen one angry before." "Made quite an impression on her." "Yes, sirree." " That's all she can remember about the guy." " That's it?" "No, no." "One other thing." "She said the guy had very greasy hair, wore it slicked back." ""Like a Cuban," she says." "I love that part." "Can you imagine poor little Heather?" "After getting a gander at that, she has to slip back to bed." "This is the capper, why she woke up in the first place:" "She had a nightmare." "Can you imagine the kind of dreams she had for the rest of the night?" "Don't say that." "Don't say you don't have them." "I swear to you, I don't." "What's wrong with you?" "They had to be here that night when you cleaned up." "Think." "They've probably got my prints on them." "I must have missed them." "I thought they were on Edmund." " Where could they have gone?" "!" " I don't know." " Betty." " The housekeeper?" "Where would she have put them?" "She might have taken them." "Listen to me." "That's why I fired her because after Edmund's death, she started acting strangely." "She was always watching me, listening to my calls." "That is crazy." "You imagined it." "I know." "I've been imagining things too." "Plenty." "No, I could tell there was a difference." "Maybe she knew about us." "Maybe she wants something." "Don't you think we'd have heard from her by now?" "I don't know what to think." "I'm worried, Ned." "But it's not about the glasses or your friends, it's us." "Your first reaction is to accuse me." " What's happening to you?" " I'm sorry." "Hardin called today." "He said everything should be cleared up by next week." "I'll get the money." "He apologized for the delay." "They've been stalling." "They're dragging it out hoping to find a way to implicate you." "But they haven't been able to." "Soon it will be all ours." "That's why we've got to stay together, Ned." "It won't be long then we can get away from here, out from under all of this." "All we have is each other." "I'd kill myself if I thought this thing would destroy us." "I couldn't take it." "That's great." " Hi, Ned." " What are you doing here?" "I was looking for you." "Do you always run this late?" "No." "I'm going down to Miami tomorrow." "I won't have time." " What's in Miami?" " I'm closing that real estate deal." "You're some kind of health nut." "Matty Walker smokes that same brand, I noticed that." "Is this one of those conversations?" "Maybe my lawyer should be present." "Buddy, your lawyer is present." "Walker was a bad guy, and the more I find out about him, the happier I am he's dead." "I figure it's a positive thing for the world." "You're not known for being a hard-liner." "I have my own standards." "I just try to keep them private." "As far as I'm concern, I don't care who killed him and I don't care who gets rich because of it." "But Oscar..." "Oscar is not like that." "His whole life is based on doing the right thing." "He's the only one I know like that." "Sometimes, it's a real pain in the ass, even for him." "Oscar's unhappy right now." "He is in pain." " Why is that?" " Because he likes you." "He likes you even better than I do." "That's why he's busting his butt trying to find this Mary Ann Simpson." "They found her place in Miami yesterday." "But the woman herself was gone." "Seems like she left in a hurry." "Oscar thought any story she could tell might help." "He thinks you need help." "Someone is putting you into deep trouble, my friend." "From 3:30 to 5 a. m." "On the night Walker was killed someone called your hotel room repeatedly." "The hotel didn't want to put them through but whoever it was convinced him it was an emergency." "Your phone rang and rang, but you didn't answer." " That's easy." " Don't." "Don't say anything." "Just save it for some other time." "It gets worse." "Now someone's trying to give us Edmund's glasses." "We don't know who, and we don't know what the glasses will tell us but our negotiations are continuing." "Wish I knew what to tell you, but I don't have any good ideas." "I'll see you." "We know each other, don't we?" "Michael Glenn, with Bashford-Hillerman." "Ned Racine." "Christ, I've done it again." "I'm just here waiting for some people." "This is silly." "You're not still mad about that Gourson business?" "We had to do it." "Costanza practically insisted that we sue you." "Nobody at our place likes malpractice against other lawyers." "Forget it." "I tried to make it up to you." "You ever meet a lady named Matty Walker?" "You'd remember her." " A very hot number." " Matty Walker." "Yeah, I met her at a party." "She said she was going up there and wanted to know about lawyers." " So I gave her your name." " When was this?" "Oh, boy, a long time." "Maybe last year sometime." " I gotta get going." " Did you tell her about the Gourson case?" "Hey, pal, I was trying to get you work." "Jesus!" "Are you nuts?" "Did you tell her about Gourson?" "Maybe I told her how we met." "Yeah, maybe." "Is there something wrong with your phone?" "It's just off the hook." "Why?" "Teddy Lewis is in county." "He's very anxious to talk to you." "I don't know." "It's a thing in Lauderdale." "Something must have gone wrong, but they're not telling me." " I'm a little worried." " I'll find out." "No, that's not why I called you." "In fact, I got me another lawyer." "I think it would be better." "You know..." " You know Schlisgal?" " Yeah, he's good." "This broad came to me last week, a real looker." "She said that you told her how she could reach me and I figured that you must have because she knew all about it." "She said that you wanted another one." "She had me show her how to rig it to a door with a little delay." "Does any of this mean anything to you?" "Then I'm glad I told you." "You better watch your step." "Thanks, Teddy." "Racine, don't thank me yet, because these guys have been asking me about The Breakers." "I ain't told them shit, but I don't like the look on their faces." "Mr. Racine's office." "Ned, Mrs. Walker." "Do you want her?" "Yeah." " Hello." " Hello, Ned." "Can we talk?" "Okay." " Where are you?" " I'm in Miami." "I've been running around like crazy, and I couldn't reach you before I left." "Ned, everything is going to be all right." " Tell me." " I've got the money." "I've taken it and sent it somewhere safe." "It's all ours now." " But that's not the best part." " What's the best part?" "The glasses." "I got them back." "That is, they should be ours by now." "Betty had them." "She wanted money." "That's why I had to come down here." "She made it all very difficult, but I think it worked out." " Do you have them?" " No." "She wouldn't do that." "She's putting them in the boathouse." "In the top drawer of the dresser." "They should be there now if she's kept up her end." "Yeah." "I think you'd better get them right away." "I don't trust her." " In the boathouse?" " That's right." "The top drawer of the dresser." "Ned, we're going to be all right." "I'll leave here as soon as I can." "I should be there by 7:30." "I can't wait to see you, darling." "We've made it." "Are you all right?" "Yeah." "Goodbye, sweetheart." "I better go get him." "Hello, darling." "Hello, Matty." " Where's your car?" " It's out back with yours." " Why didn't you turn the lights on?" " I could see." "It's all ours now." "We could leave tonight if we wanted to." " It's all over." " Yes, it is." "What is that?" "It's Edmund's gun." "You remember it, don't you?" "What is it, Ned." "What's happened?" " I think you know." " No, I swear I don't." "It's the glasses, Matty." "Weren't they there?" "Didn't she bring them?" "I didn't see them." "She promised me she would bring them." "Maybe I missed them, the way you missed them that night." "I don't know what you're thinking, but you're wrong." "I'd never do anything to hurt you." " I love you." "You've got to believe that." " Keep talking, Matty." "Experience shows I can be convinced of anything." "I did arrange to meet you, Ned." "But that all changed." "You changed it." "I fell in love with you." "I didn't plan that." "You never quit, do you?" "You just keep on coming." "How can I prove it to you?" "What can I say?" "The glasses, Matty." "Why don't you go down there and get them?" "You said they weren't there." "I said I didn't see them." "I'll go, Ned." "I'll go and look for them." "Ned no matter what you think I do love you." "No." "Matty!" "She's alive." "They found the body in the boathouse." "What if that was somebody else's body in the boat house?" "What if it was already there when I got there, dead and waiting for me?" "Maybe her friend, Mary Ann." "Her teeth were left, man." "They were sent back to Illinois." "The identification was positive." "That was her." "That was Matty Tyler Walker." "That was her, and she is dead." "You are not listening to me." "Maybe she was using this other girl's name since she first met Walker three years ago since she first spotted him decided to take him, one way or the other." "Maybe Walker, or any of us, never knew her real name." "Why would she want to hide her identity?" "I don't know." "Maybe because there was something in her past, something so bad she thought it would queer it with Walker if he knew that he'd never marry her." "Let's say that she's living as this other girl, this person from her past." "So there's only one person in the whole world who knows who she really is." "And then just when she's got me on the line she's finally going to collect, that person shows up." "That girl finds her and threatens to expose her so Matty starts paying her off." "Maybe she even promised to cut her in on Edmund's money." "Now she's got to share it with two people." "But then Matty sees a way to get rid of both of us at once." "At the boathouse." "A way to solve all her problems and get clear with no one looking for her." "She was right too, because I would have never stopped looking for her." "Matty killed this other girl and put her body in the boathouse." "It was so perfect." "So clean." "You find two bodies, me and this girl two killers, dead." "Case closed." "You can't find the money, can you?" "Doesn't that tell you something?" "It tells me she moved it, and we can't find it, and that don't mean shit." "It could be sitting in a bank anywhere in the world waiting for some dead lady to come for it." "Do you hear what you're saying?" "It's crazy." "This Matty would have to be one quick, smart broad." "Oscar, don't you understand?" "That was her special gift." "She was relentless." "Matty was the kind of person who could do what was necessary." "Whatever was necessary." "Is that what you've been waiting for?" "What?" "It is hot." "Yes."