"They were my two best friends in the whole world." "For five weeks." "It was a total accident we even met." "Me, a bum from Brooklyn using phoney frequent-flyer miles." "Tony Croft was kind of a golden boy from Harvard School of Architecture." "We met Lewis McBride, this long-haired Greenpeace tree-hugger guy." "So the plan was to party till we ran out of cash in Malaysia." "It was a paradise of rum, girls, and good, cheap hash." "Whoo!" "Whoo!" "I don't understand a word you're saying to me." "But this is my least favourite part anyway, the talking stuff." " Do you know what I mean?" " Hm." "You do?" "Good morning, bro'." "What's up?" "Did you sleep good, you little dreamer?" "What did you do that for?" "It's my last day, Lew." "Get up." "We'll go do some stuff." " Maybe it shouldn't be your last day." " Maybe it shouldn't." "Maybe you should get a haircut." " Wow!" " You're up early." " What kind of party's this?" " My party." "Your party?" "Oh, yeah." "It's your aggressive instincts." "I can hear them." " Where you boys from?" "America?" " Malaysian for, "Do you have money?"" " Yes, we're from the States." " You have fun here?" "Uh, it could be better." "Listen, I got something special for you." " Yeah?" "What?" " I got special animal potion." " You want?" " Animal potion?" "Number one aphrodisiac." "Keep you hard as a rock all night." "You want?" "It sounds painful." "Thanks." "It's all right." " Yeah, I want to see this." " You want to see." " Your friend?" "You want to see?" " Sure." "Yeah." " OK." "Follow me." " I'll tell you what this is about." "Yeah." "All right, this is good." "This is all good." "Lewis, this doesn't look like the number one pharmacy to me." "Hey, yo!" "Brother, yo!" " Special delivery for you." " Oh, this is good." "Good stuff." "Original." "Good." "Very good." " This is rhino horn, isn't it?" " Ah, smart man." "Rhino horn good." "American, Japanese like it." " What are you doing?" "Come on." " You take it." "Listen, listen." "Woman like it." "Keep you hard." "Keep you hard." "Good." "Even if this worked..." "You listen to me." "If this worked, which it doesn't, you're murdering an endangered species." " They're not gonna get that." " Yo, yo!" " I know you're trying to make a buck..." " Ten bucks!" "Ten bucks!" "It doesn't have to get fuckin' violent." "I'm talking to you." " You listen!" " Whoa, whoa, whoa!" "Hey, man!" "Fuck!" "What the fuck is up, man?" "Get the fuck out of here." " Fuck you, you little fucker!" " Easy." "Easy." "OK." "OK." "Yihoo!" "Stop moving the bike." "You've got to balance it." "Ha-hah!" " Slow it down!" " This is a really steep hill." "Brake!" "Are you all right, man?" "Are you all right?" "Are you OK?" "Oh, my God." "Holy shit, bro'." "Thanks for the help, guys." "Are you gonna push that back to Penang?" " Let the bike go, brother." " I'm not gonna leave it." "Lewis, the deposit we put down on that bike is five times its worth." "Why are you pushing the fucking bike?" "I'm not gonna leave it." "This is his bread and butter." " You're out of your mind." " Maybe if you helped me out." " We'd go so much quicker." " Here, I'll push it." "I'll push the fucking thing." "Here." "Thank you." " You know what?" " Oh!" "Nice shot, Sheriff." "Really." " Oh, that's great." " Let's get home." "Come on." "Friends for life, man." " You guys gotta give me your addresses." " Yeah, give me yours." "When I get mine, I'll give you my address, down there in Borneo." " Where?" " Borneo." "You got a girlfriend there, man?" "No." "I got the Orang-utan Reintroduction Project." " The what project?" " This group rescues orang-utans that have been kept as pets, and integrates them back in the wild." "I'm gonna go down and volunteer." "Bro', if the apes need humans to save them, then they're fucked." "Pay no attention to him." "He's always dumping on somebody." " That's cool." " What about you, golden boy?" "You can't wait to put all those things you call buildings up in New York." "Skyscrapers." "No, man, they'll be beautiful." "Touching the clouds." "You guys don't realise how good you have it right now, right here." "So eager to get on with your charmed lives that you miss what's happening now." "You know what I mean?" "We got mellow hash, right?" "We got coconuts filled with rum." "We got beautiful, gracious chicks that like us just cos we're Yankees and tall." " Some of us." " And you've got this warm, calm water." "It's like God's own bathtub or something, man." "Hey, Lew, are you really gonna stay here and try to save those gorillas?" " Yeah." " That's cool, man." "That's totally cool, Lew." "Totally cool." "You sound, uh, interested." "You wanna join me?" "The flight's tomorrow." "Can't change the ticket." "No refund." "Think about it." " Morning." " Hey, good morning, man." " How do you feel?" " Good, good." "So?" "Is it civilisation and its discontents or uh..." "you, me and the monkeys?" "I don't think I'm cut out for that kind of thing, Lew." "That's for you, man." "To tell you the truth..." "I don't have that kind of stuff in me." "Well, I think you're wrong about yourself, but..." " Give 'em hell." " Where are you gonna go?" "New York is calling you home." "Martinis, pretty girls, the Yankees." "Or do you want to stay here?" "Don't smoke it all in one bowl." "You keep this." "I got Tony's." "I wouldn't take Excedrin out of this country." " Why did we buy so much hash?" " At those prices we had to." "Uh-oh." "Well, I guess this is it, man." "Yeah?" " See ya, buddy." "Good luck." " I'm gonna miss you guys." "Bullshit." "You'll find a couple of chimps prettier than both of us." "You fucker." "Take care." " I'll see you." " All right." "Safe travels." "Yeah, Gaby, listen." "Yeah." "OK." "You know what?" "No, I just, you know, I can't talk about anything right now." "Listen uh..." "No, I'm not interested in discussing this right now." "I got two people in the back of my car." "I'm working." "Gaby, maybe when this shift's over, I'll call you, we'll grab a bite, OK?" "That's my dispatcher." "I gotta go." "I gotta go." "Bye." "Yeah, it's Four, under way." "Can you sling a pick-up at the Stanhope?" "Lady named Eastern, asked for you." "Eastern?" "Eastern, yeah." "Where's the drop at?" "She didn't say." "Fuck!" "I apologise for the sudden stop, folks, but hopefully you were belted in." "OK." "Here we are." "Here." "Take that." "Pleasure serving you as always, Mr Homer." " This is Ravitch." " Hey, it's Sheriff." "How much is a famous divorce attorney worth to you?" "He's worth squat, brother." "I'm single." "What if he's out boinking and getting bombed and his wife's not with him?" " That's a different story." " Ravitch, can't you find another desk?" " I say two bills." " You're a cheap son of a bitch." " Grab a pen." " I'm sorry." "OK, give it to me." "Thank you." "We headed anywhere in particular?" "How about we just drive around the park for a bit?" "You got it." "Around the park." "I haven't driven you before." "I never forget a face." "Do you mind if I smoke in the car?" "It's the only place in town left that you can smoke." "Go ahead." "So who recommended me, Miss Eastern?" " Please call me Beth." " OK." "Who recommended me, Beth?" " Lewis McBride." " Lew?" "Did he say to look up old Sheriff when you got to town?" " How did you know where to find me?" " Lewis said you lived in Brooklyn." " Odds were you'd be in the book." " Yeah, huh?" "And odds were I'd still be stuck in Brooklyn, which obviously I am." "So where is Lew?" "Is he in town here?" "Sheriff, the day you and Tony left Penang, a man came looking for a bike you guys had rented." "He brought the police." "Only they didn't find the bike, but they did find 104 grams of hashish, some stashed in the hut, some in the trash." "Jesus Christ." "And Lewis caught hell for that, huh?" "Yeah." "He's spent the last two years in prison." "Oh, my God." "Jesus Christ." "What a nightmare that must be, huh?" "Is he still in prison now?" " For eight more days, yeah." " I wish I'd have known sooner." "I don't know if I could have done anything but..." "At least he's getting out in eight days though, huh?" "That's not the case." "Anybody found with more than 100 grams of hashish is considered to be trafficking." "Trafficking?" "What is that, like, dealing?" "Sheriff, in order for Lewis not to be considered a dealer, you and Tony have to fly back to Penang and accept your share of the responsibility." "And what about me and Tony?" "What happens to us?" "The deal was that if both of you go back, it's three years apiece, and if only one of you goes back, it's six." "Wait." "Hold on." "It's three?" "It's six?" "Finish that sentence for me please." "You're talking about three years in prison." "Six years in prison." "Let me make this clear to you." "In Malaysia, dealers get death." "Jesus Christ, for a shitty brick of hash?" " So in eight days from now..." " Lewis McBride is going to hang." "What are you, his lawyer?" "I'm his American lawyer, yeah." "So how about we have dinner and talk more about this?" "I can't." "I'm on till 2:00." "But thank you very much." " Drinks then?" " At 2:00?" "Don't you sleep?" " I want to do this more." "Breakfast?" " Can't." " Lunch?" " I pulled a day shift." "Let's have dinner then." "Tomorrow night." "Here." "Say 7:00?" " Tomorrow at 7:00." " Night." "Thanks." " Excuse me, I'm looking for Tony Croft." " Yeah, he's up top." "Thanks." "So if you don't go back, Tony, Lewis will hang." "Sorry." "You can't come out of nowhere and tell me the bottom's dropped out of my life and I've got a week to brace for the impact." "I'm sorry, Tony." "That's exactly what I am doing." "I don't understand." "How come it took you guys two years to tell me this?" "Lewis never mentioned the two of you." "Not when he was convicted two years ago, not when he was sentenced to death." "It was only last week when his final pardon appeal was rejected." "I found a detective, the second he found you, here I am." "You gotta understand, this isn'tjust about me, all right?" "Like anybody, I have a lot of responsibilities." "I'm engaged." "I have a fiancée." "I want to start a family." "Family's wonderful." "Lewis would like to have kids too." "If you can postpone having yours for a few years, he'll have that chance." "I'm staying at the Stanhope." "Could you call me there tonight?" " All right." "I will." " Thanks." "Thanks, Tony." " This is Beth." " Miss Eastern?" "Hi." "It's Tony Croft." " Tony, hi." " Listen." "Kerrie and I talked this over and we want to, um..." "Well, first of all I wanna say..." "this is ridiculous." "There is no way in hell that I'll do the six years." "But if Sheriff agrees to go back..." "Um... well, that's another..." "Uh..." "In that case, um... you know, it'd be pretty hard to say no." "Uh..." "OK." "What you've said has been very clear." "I'm about to have dinner with Sheriff." "I'll call you in the morning." " All right." "I'll talk to you then." " Thank you, Tony." "Good night." " Hey." " Hi." " Surprised I showed?" " No." "Why?" " Cos I am." " Eastern party?" " Yeah." " Right this way." "Thanks." " Would you care for a cocktail?" " Glass of house red." " OK." " I'll have a rum and Coke, please." "Thank you." "Reminds me of Malaysia." "Rum and Coke." " So have you spoken to Tony?" " Yes, I did." " Yeah?" " Mm-hm." "Tony said he was going to go back." "Yeah?" "Tony said he was going to call me when he got back from Penang." "So..." "So what are you saying?" "I can't count on Tony's word?" "No, I'm not saying that." "Just, uh..." "I think it's good Tony says he's going back." "How come?" " Because I'm..." " Excuse me." "Your drinks." " Thanks." " Thanks a lot." "Tony's only going back if you're going back." " You didn't say that." " I didn't finish." "OK, please finish then, Beth." "Finish what you were going to say." "I don't expect you to do this without some sort of compensation." "Both of Lewis's parents have passed on." "They left a little something." "How does $50,000 sound?" "$50,000?" "That sounds fine." "Just fine." "But for each year." "$50,000 a year." "You want me to pay you $150,000 for assuming what is, in fact, your share of the responsibility?" "No, not you." "Lewis's estate." "I mean, they got the heavy money, right?" "You come to New York on what was pretty much a fishing expedition." "You stay on the Park, eat here, not some coffee shop." "All right." "So I will draw up the draft agreement tomorrow." "If you promise me right now that you're going to go back." "You know what's funny to me?" "Really funny?" "People like you think you can just buy people like me." "But guess what." "I wouldn't walk into your shit storm for any price." "Any chance there might have been that I'd go back went bye-bye when you tried to pay me off." " Menus?" " I'm sorry." "There's been a mistake." "I wouldn't want you to buy me dinner." "Because then I would be exploiting you." "Good night." "I'm sorry." "I didn't mean to insult you." "You insulted yourself." "You made your play." "We're finished." "I would make any play to save Lewis's life." "I know you care about that." "Don't let my nickname fool you." "It's a bastardisation of my name, Volgecherev." "I keep my mouth shut and my head down." "But I do wish Lewis luck." "I appreciate your concern for his wellbeing." "But I am persistent." "That's great." "Don't waste it on me." "You've only got a few days left." "You're appealing to emotions I don't have and morality I can't afford." "That doesn't change the fact that a man's life hangs in the balance." "Good night." "How're you doin', man?" "What's up, Sheriff?" "How're you doin', Tony?" "Yep." "Here we are." " Look, I'm freezing." " Yeah." "My secretary's out today." "I apologise for the inconvenience." "You'll have to seat yourself." "So this is the office, huh?" "Let's just sort this out without that lawyer breathing down our necks." " She's pretty intense, huh?" " No shit, man." "After she ambushed me, I couldn't eat for two days." "My girlfriend forced some toast down my throat this morning." "I threw it up." "That's kind of a dry run for our next three years in Penang Prison." "So you're gonna do this?" "You're going back?" "No." "You don't give a shit, do you?" " You think I don't care about Lewis?" " That's what you're acting like." "You don't know the first thing about me." "Fine." "All right." "Then how come you're so ready to slam the door on him?" "I know something about guys who have clubs and badges." "I've had my ass kicked by those bastards." "It's not how you think." "Doing something good doesn't mean there'll be a happy ending." " You could very easily die over there." " Yeah." " You think of that?" " This is the other side of the coin." "If this goes down, God forbid, and Lewis hangs, you don't think this is gonna be headline news?" "Sheriff, this is gonna follow you around the rest of your life." "Whereas the other way we come home heroes and the city throws us a parade?" "Tony, you're a fucking boy scout." "You really are." "Listen to me, OK?" "Lewis would have gone back for either of us." "You know that." "That's why I'll never be mistaken for Lewis McBride." " Afternoon, Miss Eastern." " Thank you." "Beth Eastern?" "Hi." "I'm MJ Major, a reporter for the New York Examiner." " You're a what?" " A reporter." "Really?" "And what would you want with me?" "Come on, Beth." "I know the hanging's in less than a week." "Press is exactly what you and the family need for a public outcry." " The family wants this kept quiet." " Really?" "In this instance, your interests and the interests of the public converge." " How did you find out about this?" " My sources at the State Department." "There's a blackout at the State Department." "They passed the buck." "They sold it as diplomacy." "That's why you need me, and fast." "I can make this happen fast." " In 48 hours, Lewis McBride can be..." " No." "Listen to me." "Do you remember Singapore?" "The American kid who graffitied a car?" "Because of the media frenzy, they had to cane the kid." "That was a caning." "To show some national backbone." " This is a hanging." " I know that." "Some Aussie dope dealer's mother went on every talk show from Sydney to London." "You know what happened?" "They hung her son a week early to shut her up." "Excuse me, I've got a really big week." "Beth, I can make miracles happen in a week." "Don't do this." "Don't do it." " Wait a minute." "Why..." " What?" "Jesus Christ!" "I'm sorry." "I'm very sorry." "Just..." "Can I have that, please?" " Is he boyish?" " What?" "Is he cute?" "Is he clean-cut?" " Cos if I put him on the front page..." " Give me some time." "Give me some time, some space, and I'll give you your story." "When?" "Soon." "I'm gonna call you, Beth." "What are you doing here?" " I have a tape I want you to watch." " Yeah?" "Jesus Christ, you don't let up, do you?" " I can't." " You know what?" "I'm gonna watch this." "Honest to God I am." "But I was actually gonna go get something to eat." "So I'll watch it later." "Are you inviting me to dinner, or are we still mad at each other?" "Both." " Cheers." " Cheers." "It's a toast to Lewis." "Sweet guy." "Loved the animals." "Loved his beer." " Did he?" " He did." "I never knew that about him." "Tell me something else." " Beer is all I really remember." " That's it?" " Yeah." " Wow." " He didn't leave an impression then." " Lewis?" "Are you kidding me?" " Have you spent a lot of time with him?" " I've never had a beer with him." "He is, honestly, Beth, one of the sweetest people I've ever met." "Lewis is the kind of guy..." "You'd have a beggar on the street, and he'd just... he'd touch them somehow, talk to them." "The guy could have an illness, language barrier, whatever it was." "He just could see people, I guess." "Got a big heart." "Yeah." "That's nice." "What else can you tell me about him?" "You are good, aren't you?" "Oh, Sheriff, what do you think about me?" "I don't know." "You seem to think I have all these wiles and stratagems." "I don't." "I have a man's life in my hands." "I get that." "But let me ask you a question, Beth." "And ask yourself this honestly." "Would you go back?" "I wouldn't ask you or Tony to do this if I hadn't already answered the question for myself." "Yeah." "But I guess, you know, I don't think you could ever honestly answer that unless you were in that situation yourself." " Hi, Gaby." " I'm not a piece of dirt you get off on then flush down the john, all right?" "He'll fuck you and then sneak out, by the fire escape if he has to." "Unless you don't give a shit." "Unless you're some whore." "I'm his wife." "What?" "Fuck you for not wearing a ring." "That's my friend Gaby." "Wow." "Good thing you didn't give her a social disease." "We'd all be dead." " Thanks, Frank." "I appreciate it." " So when did you guys tie the knot?" "You know what, Frank?" "Get the hell outta here, will you?" " OK?" " Yeah." " Well, that was fun." " That was something." ""I'm his wife. " I like that one." ""I'm his wife. "" "Thanks." "You left this on the table." " Please watch it." " I will, Beth." "I will." "Good night." "OK." "OK, Lewis, go ahead." "Um..." "Hey, guys." "Sheriff." "Tony." "Long time, huh?" "I guess if you're seeing this tape you've kind of figured that my vacation plans... changed." "I was set to go off and try and save the orang-utan, do what I can." "Kind of ironic, isn't it?" "Look who's caged and... they say soon to be extinct." "Um..." "this little docudrama here was not my idea." "I'm sorry, but, um... the folks at the American Citizen Service have done all they can and now they tell me that you guys are my last chance." "So..." "I don't know if you're even thinking about coming back." "But if there's the slightest chance, I will tell you this." "Um..." "I haven't been, uh... harmed in any way." "I haven't been tortured... except by boredom and hunger." "There's not a whole lot of good stuff to eat." "No burgers for you, Sheriff." "But, uh..." "There's rice." "Plenty of rice." "Your rice needs definitely will be met." "But, um..." "If you do..." "If you do come back," "I will feel guilty, yes, and..." "I already do, just for asking you." "But... at least I won't feel the fear, and I know that's not fair." "Um... so that's why I'm doing this." " Hey!" " I'm busy!" " Can't take you today." " Yeah, well, I can't take you either." "Pop, remember that trip I took a couple of years back, to Malaysia?" "Yeah, I remember." "Some sleaze was selling frequent-flyer miles, right?" "That's not the point." "The point is this guy is still over there in Penang." "He's kind of a pal." "But anyway, they're gonna hang him." "They found some hashish on him." " Really?" " Yeah." "But some of the hash was mine." "So if I go back there," "I'd have to serve three years in prison, Penang Prison." "But if I don't go back, they hang this guy." "They don't hang guys for hashish." "I'm not that naive." "You're leaving something out." "I'm not leaving anything out, Dad." "That's the way it is over there." "All right." "So maybe you're right and I'm wrong." "You still want my advice in this hanging stuff?" " Yeah." " It feels like an easy call." "If you weren't wasting your life here, it might be different." "But this pal you'll save, odds are he's worth more than you." "So my advice, you go, you do the time." "What's the matter?" "You look sick." "You're my dad." "You're supposed to beg me not to go back." "It's just not what I expected to hear, I guess." "Lighten up." "I'm just yanking your crank." "Why put yourself through the agony when you know you're not going?" "I mean, who's kidding who?" "What are we, suckers here?" "No, they did what?" "They weighed him?" "For what?" "Jesus." "Uh..." "Uh..." "I..." "I have to get my other..." "I have to get the call." "Um..." "It might be one of the guys." "We'll talk tomorrow?" "Um..." "This... this is Beth." "Beth, hi." "You sound stressed." "This is MJ Major." "Is this a bad time?" "No." "No, it's not a bad time." "Beth, what's wrong?" "How can I help?" "You know..." "You want to know how you can help?" "Just leave me alone, MJ." "Just leave me alone." "I've got the resources to a daily paper with worldwide readership." "We are picked up by the International Herald Trib." "We could be doing anything you want." "Photographs, articles, petitions..." "Every single one a death warrant, MJ." "A death warrant." "Now, I've asked you nicely to stay out of this until after the hearing." "If I don't get something from you soon, I'll go straight to your two guys." "You don't know who they are, or you'd already be there." "I'm hanging up." "Beth, I'm gonna need to hear from you very soon." "You will." "Sheriff." "Well, hi." "I didn't expect to see you." "Come on in." "Thanks." "How are you doing?" " Couldn't be better." " Yeah?" "Please give me some good news." "Are you, um..." "Did you get my message about dinner?" "Yeah, I got your message but I can't make dinner." "I got plans." "But I did want to return this to you." "The tape." "Uh..." "OK." " Did you watch it?" " Yeah, I watched the whole thing." "And, um..." "I did a lot of soul-searching last night with this." "And I figure you've got to know sooner than later because of everything." "I just wanted to come and let you know where you stand with me." "That's good." "Where do I stand with you?" "I talked to Tony and he said..." "He's halfway to Penang already." "I think he just needs a nudge." "I think he'll probably go back." "But, um..." "You know, I looked inside, deep inside, Beth, to find something, but, uh... it isn't in me." "Oh, it isn't... in you." "Jot that down." "Do me a favour?" "Write that down for me." "Just a few words." "I'd love to give them to Lew before he hangs." "Letter from a pal." "Listen, I... "Searched my soul" was the best part for me." "I don't know." "That's great." "He'd love to know that you searched your soul before you decided not to go." "Yeah." "They just told me that they weighed Lewis today for the trap doors of the gallows." " Beth..." " Get out of here." "Get the fuck out of here, Sheriff." " Sheriff is here." " What do you say?" "How're you doing?" " I thought you had plans." " I did." "A thing at Lincoln Center." "You know what I mean?" "But here I am." "Ready to discuss." "What did I order?" "Sheriff, this is Kerrie, my fiancée." "Kerrie, John Volgecherev." "Kerrie, nice to meet you." "You're not as platinum as I expected you to be." "Listen, Sheriff..." "It's pretty obvious that you have no intention of going back, right?" "Where?" " Is he drunk?" " Oh, you mean, like, back to prison." "Right, well, I've never actually been." "Do you have a fork I could use?" "I've never been to prison, thus, I can't go back to somewhere I've never been." "Thank you." "That is brilliantly unhelpful." " Yes." " Beth, I checked." "Penang Prison is at a third-world level of sanitation, nutrition, rice rations don't meet minimum..." "Lewis is provided with food from Amnesty International." "So would Tony be." " Inmates have been tortured." " He hasn't been." " Inmates have died of typhus." " Because of overcrowding." "Lewis has his own cell, as would Tony, and Sheriff if he goes back." "That's really good." "And the other thing I think you've overlooked is that that building's not up to code." " Oh, Jesus." " What are you, the class clown?" "And who are you to tell them to give up their freedom?" "I represent a boy sentenced to death." "Right." "For the sake of some client, you demand..." "Demand?" "No, no, no." "I don't demand." "I have not demanded anything." "...that they endure three or six years of God knows what." "That's insane." "Yeah, it's insane, OK?" " I'm gonna go back." " What?" "OK?" "I'm sorry, honey." "In the middle of this, what matters?" "That Lewis doesn't die." "Somebody's got to do something." "Please." "Where's the document that guarantees this deal?" "The Attorney General of Malaysia has agreed..." "So where is it?" "Why don't we have a copy?" " It's an oral agreement." " No." "Tony goes nowhere till we have that document." "They don't work that way." "I wish they did." "I cannot get anything to you in writing." "Don't." "I'll be at home if you want me." "Sorry, Tony." "I'm sorry." "She's just scared, all right?" "She's more scared than I am." "You're gonna have to excuse me." "If I'm gonna get her to wait three years for me..." "I guess six..." "I shouldn't keep her waiting tonight." "Tony, what can I say?" "Thank you." "Sure." "All right, Tony." " See you, man." " See you later." "Good luck with that." "Right, Sheriff." "I'll go talk to the firm." "Well, quite a party." " Are you gonna go back to your hotel?" " Oh, yes." "Gotta call Penang." "Give them the good news." "So I guess Lew's gonna be OK then, huh?" "Which means, you know..." "You're off the hook?" " I'm off the hook, huh?" " Good night." "Jaffe, I want a follow-up on the Canarsie fire." " Nice of you to join us, Ravitch." " It's my pleasure." "I'd like some pictures of the shopkeeper, burnt out." "You got it." "MJ, where's my pension fund fraud?" "I thought you had a CPA who was ready to talk." "I did." "And she's given me gold." "I'm just fact-checking a few points." "And I'm looking for a source called Sheriff." "Ring anybody's bell?" "Sheriff?" "OK." "Let's go, then." " Yeah?" " Hi." "It's Beth." "I talked to the garage and they said you called in sick." " Can I come up and see you?" " Uh... sure." " Hi." " Hi there." " Hi there." " I brought some goodies from Zabar's." "Jewish penicillin." "Cure you right up." "Isn't that nice?" "Should I beware of lawyers bearing gifts?" "Think I'm gonna have a beer." "Do you want one?" "Uh... beer?" "Sure." "You're quite the avid reader, aren't you?" " Or is this just..." " Yeah, just for showing off." "All the visitors I have." "I keep my place real impressive, don't I?" "It's nice." "The books are a recent development." "When I was in school, I tried to avoid reading." "Then I graduate and realise I don't know shit." " Yeah." "Who does?" " You know what I mean?" "So anyway, I start getting the books and... do some reading, learn about the world around me." "Just trying to be civilised I guess, Beth." "That's good." "Lewis said you were better than you thought you were." "A lot of them are pop-up books." "Colouring." "That kind of thing." "Where's your passport?" " What?" " I just want to see your passport." "In case it's not good." "I can renew it tomorrow on an emergency basis if you decide something different." "So when you said about me being off the hook, you were just lying to my face?" "I think you were lying to yourself." "Come on, Sheriff." "Only a total bastard would let Tony go back alone." "Yeah, well, I'm not in charge of Tony." " I'm not his dad." " I know that." "But Tony's a man who's got..." "Tony's a great guy." "But he's got a future and a sexy fiancée." "Yeah." "Six years under any circumstances would be hard as hell, but this case, it's inconceivable." "I think Tony's a man of his word." "Tony called me three days ago and told me that he couldn't do six years." "I know what he said last night." "I applaud his idealism." "But..." "I can't count on it." "I have to have you on that plane, Sheriff." "Please show me your passport." "No that it's any of your business, but my passport's good." " It is?" "Show it to me." " Take my word for it." "Show it to me." "You'd take three years from me but you wouldn't take my word?" "OK." "All right." "I pushed it." "I'm sorry." "I trust you." "You know what?" "Come on." "You're gonna go for me if you don't have a client?" "What are you talking about?" "Wh..." "What?" "You offer me money and I don't take that so you figure, "Why don't I fuck the guy cos then he'll do what I want. "" "That's exactly me." "That's actually exactly me." "I'll get you to go back because I'll give you a little sex." "That's me." " Go fuck yourself." " Whoo!" "That's fun." "I'm the guy who's gotta clean up." "That's fun." " Have fun, Sheriff." " Shut up!" "You're too noisy!" "You fucking crazy bastard!" "Shut up!" "You're making too much goddamn noise!" "Open the door!" "Open the door, you fucking pussy!" "Open the fucking door!" " Open your fucking door!" " Sheriff, that's enough!" " I'm calling the cops." " Sheriff." "Turnabout's fair game, huh?" "Now that you're news, all's fair." "You son of a bitch!" "Taking pictures of me?" " I'll bust your fucking face open!" " I'm doing my job, man." " I'm doing my job!" "I'm doing my job!" " Get the fuck outta my face." "I'll sue your ass." "Sheriff!" "Sheriff, can I talk to you for one second?" "Please?" " Is that your photographer?" " Is that Sheriff?" "Are you gonna print pictures now?" "This story is about to blow wide open, OK?" "I found this story first, I'm gonna print it first, period." "Your story could cost Lewis's life." "Do you understand that?" "You give me three days... three days, until the hearing is over, OK?" "You promise me that you will not talk to a soul and that I have Lewis exclusively." "Exclusive." "You promise me you're gonna hold off on the story." "Three days, Beth." "Slow down, driver." "You're making me nervous." "I'm sorry, sir." "It's a bad habit I got." "I was all mellowed out but you fucked that up." "I hope you're not gonna say I can't smoke." "It's the only place left in town you can smoke." "What the fuck are you doing?" "Smoking crack?" "Crack is for our African-American brethren." "This is pure rock cocaine." "If you don't like it, driver, you can raise the partition." " I can?" " Whatever you want to do." "You want to see what I want to do?" "Huh?" "Cocksucker." "What do you want?" "I want to see you." "OK." "What's happening here, Beth?" "You tell me, Sheriff." "I'm not sure but I know that I just..." "I can't take this any more." "So don't take it." "What do you want?" "Oh, my God." "You're killing me, Beth." "I'm killing you?" "You're killing me." "Sheriff?" "Oh, shit." "Sheriff, are you there?" "I was just gonna say that I hope that, um... you don't think last night was about..." "Um... could you call me when you get this message?" "That'd be good." "All right." "Can I sit next to you on the plane?" "Hi, Tony." "Tony?" " Hm?" " You all right?" " Yeah." "Yeah, I'm fine." " Sure?" "Do you wanna, um..." "Do you want to switch with us?" " Yeah, do you want to switch seats?" " No, I like my seat." "It's fine." "Sheriff, I'm a big boy." "I don't need somebody to hold my hand." " OK." " All right." "At least until we get over the Philippines." "Come on, move it, man!" "Let's go!" " Whoo!" " Look out!" "Woo-hoo!" "Yes!" "Maybe we should all wash up, meet in a half hour or so." "Fine with me." " Is that cool with everyone?" " Yeah, it's fine." " I'm right here." " All right, man." "Hi." "Sheriff..." "What's the matter?" "What's wrong?" "Um..." "What?" "I'm gonna miss you." "I'm gonna miss you." "They won't bend." "Only one visitor allowed in there." " One at a time?" " No, only one today." " Oh, great." " What do you want to do?" "Do you mind if I go back there and see him?" " No." "No, you go." " Are you sure?" "Go ahead." " Tell him I'll see him soon." " OK." "Can you come back here?" "I hear you." "Lew?" "Lewis?" " Sheriff?" " Yeah." "Didn't they tell you I was coming?" "I was praying." "I thought you were a dream cos no prayer of mine's ever been answered here before." "Yeah?" "I sure as hell ain't a dream." "I'll tell you that." "It's good to see you." " It's good to see you." " You too!" " How are you, man?" " I'm better now." "That's good." "That's good." " How are you?" " I'm all right, man." " You look good." "Nice." "Nice." " Spiff on." "You've come so far." "Are you thirsty?" "Do you want some tea?" " I can make some tea." " All right." "Yeah." "Let's have some tea." " It's not warm or anything but..." " It's OK." " You're not cold, are you?" " Nah, I'm not cold." "No?" "Tony is here to see you too." "He's outside." "You see, they..." " ... took away my blanket." " Why did they take your blanket away?" "Cos they were scared that I was gonna tear it into strips to hang myself." "I said, "Hey, guys, what do you think I'm paying you for?"" "Thank you, man." "That's good tea." "I know why Tony didn't come in here." "I know." "Cos there's no God in here." "They only let one visitor in at a time." "That's why I pray now, Sheriff." "I..." "Cos..." "Out there there's no need to... to pray where-where-where God's hand is felt." "You know?" "Where God is apparent?" "But in here there's definitely a need to-to pray, t-t-t-to beg, to plead, to sing for... for a sign like..." "You know how..." "You know how... how your voice sounds so pretty in the shower?" "Because... because there's nothing else there." "Because it echoes off the walls and it sounds so pretty." "That's why prayer sounds so perfect in here." "Because it's so..." "Because it's so totally empty." "Because it's so..." "it's so godless." "It's..." "It's so void of..." "of anything." "And do you know how I know, Sheriff?" "Do you know how I know?" "I know because... because I..." "I ask myself... would I come back for you?" "And the only answer is a godless empty evil..." ""No. "" "I'm sorry I wouldn't have come back!" " I'm sorry." " Don't be." "It's OK." "Because I didn't come back just for you." "I didn't come back just for you, you know?" "It's all right." "Man, it's OK." "Do you know what I mean?" "Come here." "It's OK." " OK, man." " OK." "I'm gonna see you in a couple hours, all right?" "All right?" "Thanks for the tea." "I liked that." "See you in a couple of hours." "You'll be cleaned up." "It'll be good." "Sheriff." "Yeah?" "I knew you'd come back." "Even if you didn't." "Thank you." "So how bad was it?" "I don't know." "I don't know how bad it was." "It was not good." "What wasn't good, the prison or Lewis?" "The prison sucks, for sure." "It's dirty, it's scary, it's third-world." "How's Lewis?" "Is he sick?" "Is he all there mentally?" "Is he the same guy we used to know?" "I don't think he's lost his mind, but it's not easy sitting around a cell waiting to hang." "Yeah." "What did he say?" "Did he tell you anything?" "He just babbled a little bit, Tone." "You know, like, rambled a little bit, you know?" "Like stream-of-consciousness stuff." "God's not in here." "There's no God in here." "The sound's beautiful, like singing in the shower." "Basically you're saying he lost it." "He's hanging onto anything he possibly can." " No one's questioning his courage." " But his sanity?" "You want a way out?" "Find one." "But Lewis has always talked that way." "How do..." "What do you mean, always?" "You're only his lawyer." "You've known him for two years." "24 years." " I'm his sister." " What?" "He's my baby brother." "Why didn't you tell me?" "I thought you wouldn't trust me, Sheriff." "I thought you'd think I'd do anything, that I'd say... say anything, that I'd sell you out, that I'd..." "I wanted to..." "I wanted to tell you." "I tried to tell you." "But you didn't tell me." "But you didn't tell me." "Sheriff?" "What are we still doing here?" "I wish it was that simple, Tony." "I think it's that simple." "I came back here based on what she told me, OK, and she gave me her word and she lied." "How are we going to trust her, Sheriff?" "She drags us into this nightmare, we find out it is her personal nightmare." "A woman we don't know from Adam." "I don't know her." "You don't know her." " What?" " I know her." "Like, know her." "Don't even..." "Don't." "Fuck." "All right, I'm an asshole." "No, Tony." "This time I'm the fucking asshole." "Why didn't you tell me?" "What do I owe you to tell you that?" "It's not like it's been going on forever." " It happened." " Listen to me..." "Don't make it like I'm holding out on you because I swear to God I'm not." "All right." "Listen to me, Sheriff." "This girl will do anything to get you to do what she needs you to, all right?" "That's her brother in there." "Her blood." "She'll lie to you, she'll sleep with you, she'll tell you she loves you." "She'll do anything." "She'll get down on her knees and beg you." "But don't believe it." "It's a setup." "If we walk out of here, that boy hangs." "And if we stay maybe we hang." "But if we leave, we live." "That's the one thing I know for sure right now." "He doesn't have clothes?" "Can't you give him a shower before he turns up in court?" "OK." "Listen." "I..." "What can I do for you, sir?" "We need two seats on any flight to New York, as fast as possible." "What, Sheriff?" "What is it?" "I trashed that bike, Tony." "So fucking what?" "Get on the plane, Sheriff." "Do you want to rot in one of these prisons?" " I'm gonna take my chances, Tony." " You don't have any chances, Sheriff." "Don't leave your life to fate." "This is stupid." "I don't know, Tony." "You have a safe flight." " What's he saying?" " He says they returned but became frightened and may have left." "We request adjournment till the two can be found." "Um... he's worried about the appearance of preferential treatment." "Hey, Lew." "How are you?" "My faith in humanity is half restored." "In returning voluntarily, you are to be commended for your courage." "Is there anything you wish to say to this court, Mr Volgecherev?" "Not really, Your Honour." "Just that we were young and stupid, I guess." "But not evil." "I didn't come back here today because I'm courageous." "I came back here because I've been careless for a very long time, and I'm sick of that feeling." "The simple fact, Your Honour, is that I am responsible." "And I'm also scared." "But I am willing to do whatever is necessary... in order for you to spare my friend's life." "How do you plead?" "I'm guilty." "You will be detained in Penang Prison to await sentence." "He asked the prosecutor if he will now reduce the charges." "The prosecutor has agreed." "Chief Justice will be back shortly with his decision." "Beth?" "We're back in session." " We're back?" " Yeah." "The Deputy Home Minister is angered about some international news story." "I'm not sure what." "A story that was picked up by the Asian International Tribune." ""In a country proud of its many species of exotic butterflies, a butterfly is about to be broken on a wheel. "" ""The wheel is Malaysian justice, a term which strikes one American woman as a cruel joke. "" " Your Honour..." " "The woman is Beth McBride... "" " I didn't do this." " "... whose brother was arrested two years ago in Penang. "" ""Blamed for having bought hashish with two friends, this nature-loving young man now, incredibly, faces death. "" " She was determined to write the story." " Silence!" "We know you westerners don't understand our attitude toward drugs." "But we don't understand yours." "Your cities are decaying, the souls of your young people are stolen from you." "Our laws may seem harsh but our streets remain safe and our youth is protected." "So when an American journalist criticises ourjudicial system..." " Your Honour, I begged her not to." " Silence!" "Lewis McBride..." "What is he saying?" "What is he saying?" "He will not amend the charge now." "Lewis must be hanged tomorrow." "What?" "Lewis!" "Your Honour, I came back here." "You can't hang him!" " You hang on, Lewis!" " Beth, I love you!" "Get your fucking hands off me." "What is the matter with you people?" "What is the matter with you people?" "You are gonna go straight to hell, you motherfucker!" "You lying son of a bitch!" "Goddamn it!" "Sheriff!" "I don't wanna die!" "No!" "You fucking bastards!" "I don't wanna die!" "Help!" "Lewis." "Lewis!" "Lewis!" "Please let go of me!" "You fucking bastards!" "No!" "No!" "Lew!" "Lewis!" "Lewis!" "Lewis!" "Lewis, goddamn it!" "Look up here!" " Sheriff!" " I'm here, Lewis!" "I'm right here!" "You're not alone, Lewis!" "Look at me, Lewis!" "You're not alone, Lewis." "Look at me." "You're not alone." "I'm here." "Look at me." "See me, Lewis." "You're not alone." "I'm right here." "I'm right here, Lewis." "I see you, Lewis." "I'm right here." "Lewis, you are not alone right now." "I'm right here." "You are not alone, Lewis." "I see you." "I see you, Lewis." "I'm here." "You're not alone." "You are not alone, Lewis!" "Right." "OK." "Where am I going here?" "Beth." " Were you there?" " Yeah." "He wasn't afraid, Beth." "He walked right past me." "And then I saw him go past all the guards and he was calm." "Come on, Sheriff." "Tell me the truth." "It was hard." "It was hard." "But, uh..." "You know, I think that, uh... he found, at the end, Beth, at the end..." "I mean, he was Lewis, you know?" "At that last second," "I swear to God, he was at peace with everything." "He was." "I just wish I could have done something." "If I could have been there to do something." "Fight harder." "You did everything you could." "Nobody could have done more." "You've gotta believe that." "Nobody did more than you did." "Nobody could have done more." " You did everything you could." " You should have gone back with Tony." "Why didn't you go back with Tony?" "I couldn't go back with Tony." "I couldn't go back because I knew that you were waiting for me." "And I'm not sorry, Beth." "I'm not sorry right now." "I'm not." "Cos if I would have went back," "I don't think I'd be able to look at you ever again." "And that'd be a lot harder than this shit." "You know what I mean?" "I like to look at you." "I like to look at you." "I like to look at you." "The ambassador heard through back channels that when all this publicity dies down," "they're gonna let you go, Sheriff." "They're gonna do it quietly to save face, but it's gonna be six months, maximum." "Sheriff?" "Yeah." "Oh, goddamn it!" "Oh, goddamn it!" "Sheriff." "I am gonna take my brother home... and I'm coming right back here." "And I will not leave Penang, until you're with me." "I know, Beth." "I know."