"I can see all obstacles in my way" "Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind" " It´s gonna be a bright" " Bright" " Bright" " Bright" " Sunshiny day" " It´s gonna be a bright" " Bright" " Bright" " Bright" " Sunshiny day" " I think I can make it now the pain is gone" " One thousand rounds, .357 Magnum, steel core." "One thousand rounds, .380, soft points." " All of the bad feelings have disappeared" " Good." "Account #65934752." "Please transfer to account..." " Here is the rainbow I´ve been praying for - six-one-niner-seven- one-eight-five-seven-five-three." " It´s gonna be a bright" " Bright" " You got it." " Thank you." " Sir?" " What?" " l" " I wanna read you something." " I´m working, Marcella." " I think you should hear this." " All right." " "Dear Pointes High Alumnae..." "Can you believe it´s been ten years since you left Grosse Pointe?" "Where are you now?" "Are you in an Outward Bound canoe trip like Brook Stinson... or perhaps in charge of public appearances for the NFL like Leslie Gunther?" "Sandy Glasser owns a cheese shop." "Looking at yearbooks and pictures evokes so many memories... some good, some bad, but all interesting." "Whenever news of you filters back... the school is excited and proud of your accomplishments."" "Hold on a sec." "I can see clearly now The rain is gone" "I can see all obstacles in my way" ""As a graduate of the class of 1986... you are someone special." "Remember: there´s nowhere you can go... that you haven´t learned how to go in time."" " Whatever the hell that means." " Shred it." "I thought it might be good for you." "Open some new accounts." "Network." " You know." " Don´t tease me." "You know what I do for a living." "Here is that rainbow I´ve been praying for" " It´s gonna be a bright" " Bright" " Bright" " Bright" " Sunshiny day" " It´s gonna be a bright" " Bright" " Bright" " Bright" " Sunshiny day" " It´s gonna be a bright" " Bright" " Bright" " Bright" " Sunshiny day" " It´s gonna be a bright" " Bright" " Bright" " Bright" " Sunshiny day" "I just got off the phone with a very unsatisfied customer." "Well, ask them how that could possibly be my problem." "I was paid for one job-- the cyclist-- not two." "And, uh, you know, why don´t you find out what the hell Grocer was doing there and maybe we can talk." " I have Mr. Grocer for you." "Ask him." " Uh, patch him through." " Martin!" "Where are you?" " Budapest." "Ah, city of cathedrals." "Yeah, I see you right there on the bridge of the Danube, kid." " l´d kind of like to talk to you, you know." " Well, all right, why don´t you e-mail me?" "Nah, kind of like a, you know, one-on-one, kind of a face-to-face type of thing, you know." " Like do it personally?" " Yeah. I´d love to see you." "You know what I mean, kid?" " All right, let´s do it." " How you doin´, kid?" " How are ya?" " Good." " Good." "Good." "Hey." "Mental telepathy, astral projection, you know." "Here" " Here you are." "Right." "What do you want?" "Kid, I´m putting together a little concern which would enable those of us in our rarefied profession... to avoid, uh, embarrassing overlaps." "What?" "Like a union?" "More like a club." "Work less, make more." "That´s a great idea, but, uh, thank you." "No." ""No." Remember Burma?" " Yeah, I do." " That nut, General Kwang." " You were like a colonel in that army or something, right?" " Yeah." "Yeah." " And he sold you all those tanks and you shipped them to Alabama." " T-34s." "I took a bath on that." " Yeah." "That was fun." " That´s what I´m talkin´ about, kid." "We could be workin´ together again, for God´s sake." "You know, makin´ big money, killin´ important people." "I want to structure an arrangement where you get, like, you know, shares-- original shares on the ground floor." "And you would be the president of this organization, or maybe just a father figure to me." " Hey, if you want a father, I´ll give you a spanking." " Yeah." "Forget about it." " Look, the employers are gettin´ us a lot cheaper ´cause there´s so many of us." " Yeah." " Well, after the Berlin thing, what can you do?" " The Soviet bloc collapsed." " And the market´s flooded." " Okay." "That´s what I´m lookin´ at." "I´m lookin´ at consolidated bargaining, okay?" " Mm-hmm." " Look, I don´t wanna play against you." "This thing is real." " How real?" " Morango brothers, uh, them, uh, East German ex-Stasi guys." " Oh, I don´t like those guys." " Them, uh, butch Filipino ladies." " The little-- uh, the dwarf, uh, maid" " The stabbers." " Queens of the hotel hit, you know." " You got a great crew." " Everybody´s in." "Yeah, well, not me, so don´t paw at me with your dirty little guild." "All right." "Well, you know, life´s full of second chances, and, uh, here´s chance two for you." "You think about comin´ in with me." "You ponder, okay?" " I´ll think about it." " Because either way, I´m gonna get you, kid!" "Yeah?" "Get what?" "Get back." "Hey." "Bing-bing-bing-bing-bang." "Popcorn!" "Yeah, whatever." " Nice to see you again." " Yeah." "Good to see you, too, buddy." "You like that Pacific Northwest country?" "All the mist and that up there?" "I haven´t been there in years." " Catch you." " Yeah." "You look great." "Nice to see you again." "Drive safe." " Yeah." " "So come on back to the old oak tree, acorn."" " Signed, "Pointes High School Reunion Committee."" " You´re fired!" "Don´t ever read that to me again, ever!" " Don´t hang up." "Wait!" "Did you read yesterday´s offer?" " Hold on a minute." "It´s in French." " It´s a Greenpeace boat." "It´d be so easy." " No way." "I have scruples." "Listen, uh, is everything set uh, for my arrival in Miami?" " It´s covered, sir." " Good." "Good." "Good." "Sir, are you all right?" "You don´t seem like, well, your old self lately." "If you don´t mind my asking, sir:" "ls it the job?" "ls it getting to you?" "You know, when you start getting invited to your ten-year high school reunion... time is catching up." "Are you talkin´ about a sense of my own mortality or a fear of death?" "Well, I haven´t really thought about it quite like that." " Did you go to yours?" " Yes, I did." "lt was just as if everyone had swelled." "Why are you so interested in me goin´ to my reunion?" "I just find it amusing that you came from somewhere." "Bye." "Fuck!" "Whatever it is I´m doing that you don´t like, I´ll stop doing it." "It´s not me." " Morning." " Hi." " Sir, may I come in?" " Uh, gimme a second." " Sir, they´re very unhappy." " I´m very unhappy." " lt was supposed to look like a heart attack." "He was supposed to die in his sleep." " Well, he moved." "His sleep research pattern suggested deep sleep at that hour." "There´s nothing to be done about it." "Sir, this is a very valuable firm." " Come in here." " We´ve done a lot of business with them over the years... and they blame you for the snafu." " They say you´ve got to make amends." " When?" "A canary decided to sing." "They scheduled his deposition for early Monday morning." "You´ve gotta do it this weekend." "This weekend?" "No. impossible." "Tell them I need my normal lead time." "Where?" "I´m getting a black cat, Friday-the-13th kinda feeling about this one." "It´s in Detroit." "You can take care of business and stop by Grosse Pointe for your reunion." "Hey, look, Sergeant Pepper." "I really need you to shut up about that." "Sir, it´s outta my hands." "The gods want you to go back home, and they want you to delete someone while you´re there." "Would you describe their position on this matter as inflexible?" "lntractable, sir." "I booked you on an early flight tomorrow morning." "Dossier." "All right" " All right, listen." "I´m gonna call you from Detroit." "And just make sure that you pick up the dry cleaning and feed the cat." " Okay?" " Don´t forget your identity." "All right." "Thank you." " Could you, um, tell Dr. Oatman that I´m on my way?" " Oh, yes." "Of course." " All right?" " Mm-hmm." " Bye-bye." " Bye." "So I got invited to my ten-year high school reunion." "I´m conflicted." "I mean, I don´t know if I really want to go." "It´s in Detroit, you know, and I grew up there, but I just honestly don´t know... what I have in common with those people anymore." "I mean, or with anyone, really." "I mean, they´ll all have husbands and wives... and children and houses and dogs, and, you know, they´ll have made themselves... a part of something, and they can talk about what they do, and what am I gonna say?" ""l killed the president of Paraguay with a fork." "How have you been?"" "I´m just thinkin´ it´ll be depressing." "It´ll be depressing." "Shouldn´t you be taking notes or something?" "I´m not taking notes, Martin, because I´m not your doctor." " Please don´t start with that stuff again." " Martin, I´m emotionally involved with you." " How are you emotionally involved with me?" " I´m afraid of you." " You´re afraid of me." " And that constitutes an emotional involvement... and it would be unethical for me to work with you under those circumstances." "Don´t you think maybe you´re just upset because I told you what I do for a living... and you got upset and you´re letting it interfere with our dynamic?" "Whoa!" "Martin, you didn´t tell me what you did for a living" " Yes, I did." " You didn´t tell me what you did for a living for four sessions." "Then you told me, and I said, "l don´t wanna work with you."" "And yet you come back every week at the same time." "That´s a difficulty for me." "On top of that, if you´ve committed a crime... or if you´re thinking about committing a crime, I have to tell the authorities." "I know the law, okay?" "But I don´t want to be withholding." "I´m very serious about this process." " And I know where you live." " Oh, now." "See." "That wasn´t a nice thing to say." "That wasn´t designed to make me feel good." "That´s a kind of a not-too-subtle intimidation... and I, uh" " I get filled with anxiety when you talk about something like that." " Come on." "Come on." " I mean, that´s" " I was just kidding, all right." "The thought never crossed my mind." "You did think of it, Martin." "You thought of it and then you said it." "And now I´m left with, uh-- with the aftermath of that... thinking I gotta" " I gotta be creative in a really interesting way now or Martin´s gonna blow my brains out." "You´re holding me hostage here." "That´s not right." "I just wanna work, okay?" "There are some issues that I need to work on in my life." "I´ve read your books." "Your best sellers, on the top 20." " They were both ghost written, Martin." " What?" "The Annihilation of Death?" " Yeah." " Kill Who?" "A Warrior´s Dilemma." "I read it." "The New York Times top 20." " Well, l" " I don´t know what to say." " Well, what do you say to other patients, you know?" " I don´t know." "How does it work?" "Ask me how I´m feeling." " How do you feel?" "I´m feelin´ uneasy, man." "Um, I´m just dispassionate." "I´m bored." "I´m" " It´s hard to stay in a good mood." "I´ve had problems at work." "You know, concept/execution stuff." "And I´m just ill at ease." "Well, look, Martin, I don´t want to suggest anything that might be uncomfortable for you... but you might consider-- just consider the possibility that part of your problem... part of the thing that´s making you so miserable is the angst over killing a lot of people." " Maybe" " Just put it in the background there." " Come on." "I show up at your door, chances are you did something to bring me there." "Okay?" "I don´t care about that stuff." " You don´t care about what stuff?" " You know, morality." " Hmm." " I don´t want to talk about work... because I don´t think necessarily what a person does for a living reflects who he is." "So what do we do?" "We talk about dreams?" "Or what´s next?" "What´s next?" "What´s the score here?" "We´ll talk about dreams." "We can talk about dreams." "It´s your nickel." "Sure." "Uh, I had another one about Debi." " That girl you´re obsessed with?" " Don´t you think "obsessed" is a strong word?" "Uh, recurring dreams of loss and pain for ten years featuring the same person." "Yeah, maybe that´s a bit excessive." "Um, I had one where I was, uh, that television mechanical rabbit." "You know, with the-the-the" " The battery bunny." " Yeah." "I was the bunny." " That sounds like a very, very depressed dream." " Really?" " Yes." " Why?" "Martin, it´s a terrible dream!" "It´s a depressing dream to dream about that rabbit." "It´s got no brain." "It´s got no blood." "It´s got no anima." "It just keeps banging on those meaningless cymbals endlessly... and going and going and going." " Time is up." " Time´s up already?" "You really wanna do half a session?" "Could we just pretend like we have a normal doctor/patient relationship?" "I´ll ask you a piece of advice and you give me an answer?" "You know-- advice." "Should I go to the reunion?" "Yes, yes." "Get out of town." " Thank you." " Go see some old friends." "Have some punch." "Visit with what´s-her-name." " Debi." " Debi." " Don´t kill anybody for a few days." "See what it feels like." " All right, I´ll give it a shot." "No, no." "Don´t give it a shot." "Don´t shoot anything." ""Services for Detroit contract terminated." "Contract being serviced by alternate vendor for original quote."" "What fucking alternate vendor?" "No, no, no." "Preparations have begun in good faith." "Fuckin´ Martin Blank." "Snaked the Detroit job from under me." " Agent Farrell." " Yes." "Extension 1715, please." " Yeah?" " Lardner?" " Yeah." " I´ve got your pigeon for ya." "Arriving Detroit airport today." "He´s supposed to hit a star federal witness." "Now, my advice is you wait till he gets the witness and then you guys do him." "When I´m a-walking I strut my stuff Then I´m so strung out" "I´m high as a kite l just might stop to check you out" "Let me go on" "Like I blister in the sun" "Let me go on" "Big hands I know you´re the one" "Remember to kick it over" "No one will guide you Oh" "You´ve never met Martin Blank." "You know, Grocer pointed him out to me." "I´m tellin´ you that you never met Martin Blank, okay?" "No." "Seventeen months ago, I was posting´ a walk in Lisbon and he was there." "He hasn´t been in Lisbon since 1990." "You know how I know that?" "I read the file." " Read the file." " You know, as a matter of fact, I actually talked to him in Bonn." "You always" " You always have to know everybody." "I tell you what." " Why don´t I take the weekend off and you kill him, since you two are so close?" " All right." "I´ll do that." "The battle is getting harder ln this racial armageddon time" "Hi." "I´m Debi Newberry." "This is WGPM-FM, Grosse Pointe." "Window on the Pointes." "You heard from Massive Attack, Public Enemy." "Morphine." "It´s my personal favorite." "And Duane Eddy´s twangy guitar." "Good to hear Toots  The Maytals, huh?" "And as you know, this weekend is Pointes High Class of ´86 reunion." "So in honor of this momentous event, I´m making this an all-´80s, all-vinyl weekend." "Stay tuned to Window on the Pointes and I´ll keep you posted on all this reunion-related nonsense." "Hey, I know everybody´s comin´ back to take stock of their lives." "You know what I say?" "Leave your livestock alone." "Kick back and relax and ponder this:" "Where are all the good men dead?" "ln the heart or in the head?" "So here´s another cold cup of coffee from The Clash." "Oh, sing, Michael Sing" "On the route of the 19 bus" "Welcome back, Pointers." "We hear them sayin´" "How you get a-rude and a-reckless" "Don´t ya be so crude and a-feckless" "You been drinkin´ brew for breakfast" "Rudie can´t fail Okay" "I went to the market to realize my soul" " What I need I just don´t have" " Oh, no" "First, they curse Then they press me till I hurt" "They say Rudie can´t fail" "Mrs. K. Miss Kinetta." "It´s Martin." "Martin." "My God." " It´s you." " Hey." "Oh, God." "You´ve been Detroit´s most famous disappearing act since white flight." "You look exactly the same, Mrs. K. Well, l" " You look great is what I mean." " You look great." " Oh, thank you." "Thank you very much, Martin." "You have always been very good at saying that and not sounding like a kiss-ass." "So, what happened?" "I mean, we-- we thought Princeton, Harvard." "You fooled us all in the teacher´s pool and went nowhere." "I guess you could say I went west, you know, the way of Horatio Alger and Davy Crockett." " The Donner party" " Thank you." "Thank you." "That´s a, a barrage of imagery." "Are you still, uh, you know, inflicting all that horrible Ethan Frome damage?" "ls that off the curriculum?" " It´s off the curriculum now." " Oh, that was a horrible book." " That´s a very nice tie you have on." " Oh, thanks." " You look like a mortician." "I mean" " You like it?" " Yeah." "Thanks." "So, I gotta" " You still got that whole Mary Tyler Moore thing." " Yeah." "Thank you." "Thank you." "That´s enough." "Uh-huh." " Right." "Good to see you again." " Yeah." "Good to see you." "Where" " Where are you off to?" " I´m, uh" " I´m goin´ home." " Are you?" "Gosh." "Well" " All right." "Well" "They´re playing my song." "Take care, Martin." " lt was nice to see you again." " Okay." " Mrs. K." " When you were young" "And your heart was an open book" "You used to say Live and let live" "You know you did, You know you did You know you did" "But if this ever-changing world in which we live in" "Makes you give in and cry" "Say live and let die" "Live and let die" " Here´s your receipt." " Thanks." " Have a nice day." " You too." "What are you doing here?" "I´m doin´ a double shift." "What´s it look like?" " How long have you worked here?" " A couple months." " Yeah?" "ls the manager here?" "Do you have a supervisor?" " No." "They" " How long have they worked here?" " I´m not tellin´ you." " Yeah?" "Where do you live?" " I´m not tellin´ you that, either." "Where´s your manager live?" "Who" " I used to" " W-What are you doing here?" "What are" " I work here." " What are you doing here?" " I work here." " And how long have you worked here?" " Only a couple months." "All right, all right." "What´s done is done." "Just forget about the whole thing." " You all right, man?" " Sure." "Sure." "Hello, this is Dr. Oatman." "If you´d like to leave a message I will get back to you shortly." "Dr. Oatman, please pick up." "Pick up." "It´s Martin Blank." "I´m, I´m standing where my, uh, living room was... and it´s not here because my house is gone and it´s an Ultimart." "You can never go home again, Oatman, but I guess you can shop there." "Pick up!" "I know you´re there, Oatman!" "You got any ideas how you want to wax this guy?" "Can´t you just say "kill"?" "You always got to romanticize it." "Go." "Go, go, go." "Marcella-- Never mind that." "Find out where my mother is." "I want my mom." " Pardon me." "Do you know where I might find Mary Blank?" " She´s over there." " Thank you." " You´re welcome." "There he is." "Martin." "Mom." "Why don´t you have a seat over here." "It´s not very nice, but sit down." "Sit down." "They´re fun." "Why are you wearing black?" "It´s so like a gangster." "So, I spoke to your father the other day." " I imagine that´d be rather difficult." " No, no. lt wasn´t. lt wasn´t." " No?" " No." "They told me you have been taking lithium." "Yes." "Oh, those blabbermouths." " We´ve had some laughs, haven´t we, Martin?" " Mm-hmm." "It´s good to see you again." "Mom, what happened to the house and all the money I sent?" "They stole." "I don´t do money." "You know, time allows miracles." "Time." "And you need time." "That´s all." "Sir?" "Excuse me." "It´s time for her medication." " Oh, nurse Scott." "My best friend." " We met." " Okay." " Okay." "Here we go." "Oh, God." "I do so much here." "You gonna be okay, honey." "Okay?" "Okay." "Oh." "Martin?" "What´s happening?" "Uh" " Mom?" " Yes, dear?" "Oh, you are a handsome devil." "What´s your name?" " Martin." " Martin." "Right." "So, the Colonel´s lady, like Judy O´Grady... are twins under the skin." "Silly." "Bye, Martin." "I say there´s somebody" "Who´ll find a way outta here" "Here´s hoping´ somebody" "Can find a way outta here" "Martin´s back." "Hey, I´m Debi Newberry and stand by your phones... because any time now I´ll be giving away tickets to see Palace this Saturday night in concert at Cobo Hall." "You can call in for tickets or just show up at Cobo Hall and say my name." "No, I´m just kidding." "Hi." "Uh" " And here´s The Specials... doing one of their songs." " It´s Martin." " I know who you are." "You´re not dead." " Hi." " Hi." "Shake my hand." "How are ya?" "Wow." "It is you" "Oh, yeah-yea-yea lt is you Oh, yeah-yea-yea" "How are" " How are you?" "It´s good to see you." "You look great." "How long has it been, ten years?" "How long has it been?" "Since you stood me up on prom night and vanished without a word?" "Yeah." "Ten years, I think." " Yeah." " Mm-hmm." " You tell me about yourself." " I´m in California." " Travel a lot around on business." " That´s it?" " Yeah." " That´s ten years?" " Yeah." " I would hope for a great abduction story or something." "Well, I´ve had a few thrilling moments here and there, but, you know, it just flew by." "So what´s your business?" "Professional killer." " Do you get dental with that?" " No." "I gotta go." "So, you´re working." "It´s a great" " I mean, it´s a great show." "I´ve been listening." "I mean, since I got back into town." "But I´ll come back." " What are the odds?" " Very funny." "I´ll" " See you." "Pressure, pressure pressure" "Pressure´s gonna drop on you" "I say pressure, pressure pressure, pressure" "Pressure´s gonna drop on you" "Someone has come to me out of the past... reviving a feeling long since forgotten." "I know I should be mad, and I am." " What´s he doin´?" " I have no clue." "He says cryptic things and is gone abruptly again." "Oh, boy." "What-- What is this I´m feeling here?" "What-- ls this pain?" "ls this panic?" "ls it pleasure?" " Am I hungry?" "Who´s hungry?" " 79.5." "Okay, first five callers will receive a sentimental breakfast from Cuppa Joe´s... courtesy of the long-lost love of my life." "The man who vanished." "The man who is walking right back into the station... and into my booth." "Sit." "Okay, let´s take a random day." "Uh, spring of ´86." "Two young lovers with frightening natural chemistry." "A girl sits... in a $700 prom dress... on the front steps of her house waiting for the most romantic night of her young life." "The boy never shows up." "Not until now." " So, what´s the question?" " Where have I been?" " More like "What happened, Mr. Blank?"" " I don´t know." "I mean, I could" " I could venture a guess, but I think it would sound like a rationalization." "You know, some sort of a cop-out." "I thought coming home, seeing some friends... and I thought maybe, you know, seeing you, of course, would be the most important part of that equation." "That didn´t-- That didn´t come out right." "Uh, there´s" " This is not my idea." "This whole" " This whole thing is my therapist´s idea, really." "ls this bothering you?" "Okay." "So, you´re back... a decade late, and you´re on some sort of therapeutic assignment... and you wanna sort things out with me." "So the question now becomes:" "Do I allow you access to me, or do I call security?" " I don´t think that´d be a good idea." " Grosse Pointe, I need your help." "555-WGPM." "Do you think maybe we could go get a cup of coffee and I could try to explain and apologize?" "Come on, Marty." "This segues so nicely into my ´80s weekend." "Should a once brokenhearted girl give a guy a second chance?" "Let´s go to the phones." " You´re on the air." " Hi, Debi." "It´s Gail." "Oh, hi, Gail." "You know, I wouldn´t take him back yet." "I´d make him jump through some hoops for a while, walk over hot coals." " Make him beg for it." " Harsh." "That´s very harsh, Gail." "Maybe we could discuss this in a more discrete setting?" "Make like a beggar." "You know." "Come on" " Next caller." "You´re on the air." " Debi, man, it´s Nathaniel." "I don´t hear any real remorse, dude." "I mean, like, I don´t think I´d let this guy back in your life." "And, dude, I´d make him wear that prom dress." "Does anybody else have a question for Marty?" "I do, but he´s a shifty one." " Put that down." " I have a question for Marty." " Uh-uh." " I´ve a question for Martin." " Next caller." "You´re on the air." "Yeah, Debi." "Hi." "Longtime listener, first-time caller." "I love the show." "Uh, so, Martin, what?" "No yellow ribbons?" "Didn´t anybody miss you?" "Don´t you think you should tell her why you´re really in town, tough guy?" "Huh?" "You know what we love?" "We love tough guys like you." "Thanks." "That was our own Michigan Militia with their latest chart-topper." "Come on, people." "Do I give this guy the time of day?" "Marty, do you have any deeply personal responses... you want to share with our listeners?" "No?" "Okay." "He´s shaking his head "no." ln radio, that usually signals the end of the interview." "Grosse Pointe, Michigan, I hear you loud and clear." "If you love something, set it free." "If it comes back to you, it´s, well-- broken." "Damn it!" "Never trust my instincts." "Marty!" "Paul." "Don´t leave me hangin´, baby." " Hey, man." " How the hell you doin´?" " Walk with me, man." " Sure." " I got my car parked around the corner." " Okay." " Yeah." "Goddamn." "I was worried you joined a cult or something, man." "I half expected you to come back into town in a fennel wreath and paper pants." " No money in it." " Says you." " Look at you." "You´ve gone respectable." " Well, you know, I stopped pouting on the sidelines." "I got in the game." "You know, joined the working week." "So why don´t you valet park your high horse, slick, and take it easy on your old buddy Paul?" " Fair enough." "Fair enough." "It was a cheap shot." " Yeah, it was." " Man!" "L-Let´s catch up, huh?" " Yeah!" "Let´s catch up." " I got a real estate deal." "I´m takin´ ´em through a final walk-through, you know." " Okay." " This your Beemer?" " Yeah." " ln Detroit?" "That´s sacrilege." " Well, you know, guess who I got it from?" " I have no idea." " Bob Destepello." " Bob Destepello sold you a car?" " Yeah, he did." " Didn´t he, uh, break your collarbone and steal, uh, your woman?" " Yeah." " So you´re in real estate, huh?" "Yeah." "I got a couple newlyweds with a decision-making disorder." "I´ll just hold their hands and reinforce their clarity." " lsn´t there some sort of Frank Lloyd Wright connection with this?" " You know what?" "There is indeed." " For the life of me, I can´t believe I forgot." " Blank!" "Hey, Blank." "Hey, I was drivin´ by, saw you on the lawn." "I thought there was gonna be a problem at first, you know, before I recognized you." " Terry Rostand." "How you doin´?" "P.H.S." " Terry Rostand." "Oh, yeah, from-- You were always the guy who was" " Yeah." " Yeah, I remember you." " Yeah, ´86." " Yeah, cool." "How you doin´, man?" "You look good." "You´ve become a cop." "Nice badge." "Oh, no, no." "I´m not a peace officer." "No, no, no." "This badge isn´t a meaningful symbol or anything." "It´s just a badge of my company, you know." "We don´t" " We don´t enforce the law." " We just execute company policy for homeowners." " Oh, I get it." "Cool." " Well, you mind talkin´ a little shop?" " Sure." "When are you authorized to use deadly force?" "Well, you know, of course-- you know, taxes provide your basic service, police and whatnot." " Uh-huh." " But our customers need a little bit more than that, you know." "So if we find you on the property, you know, we do what we have to do." "So, if I just look suspicious on your customer´s property under those, you know, "heightened" circumstances..." " you have the authority to shoot me?" " Correct." "Wow, all right." "All right." "How´d you get the gig?" "Oh, you know, they were hiring." "It was only a two-week course." " Yeah, that´s good." "Well, that made it easy." "You look good." " Yeah." "Thanks." "It´s a beauty." "What more can I say?" "You know, you´ll be raising your family in a work of art." " A work of art in a work of art." " Oh, yeah." " Well, l" " I´ve always felt very temporary about myself." "And looking at the two of you and this house... when my time comes-- if it ever does-- l want a house like this;" "I want a wife like you." " Uh-huh." " And you´ll be safe here." " We really gotta go." " Okay, so, uh, gimme a call, you guys." " Gimme a call." "You´re not gonna go through another broker, are you?" " Oh, definitely not." " Okay." " Cute couple." "I don´t think they´re real buyers, though." " l-l don´t know if you´re qualified to make that statement, Terry." " No, I´m just saying they look like" "From 11:00 to 3:00 I show the house, Terry." " Well, they don´t look like people who´d use the-- you know, live in this neighborhood" " Did you get a call, Terry?" "Oh, no. I, um" " I was just driving by and, um, you know, I saw some people milling around the, the lawn here." " No, there was just me. lt was just one guy." "I was right there." " Oh." "Okay." " Terry." " Well, that´s what I thought." "I just came by." " Look, l-l-l show people houses here..." " and I´d appreciate it if you don´t show up, okay?" " Well, I know you do." " But you think" " You´re coming around here in the neighborhood unannounced, you know." " Listen." "Did you get a call, Terry?" " No, but sometimes" " Did you get a call?" " You don´t know the alarm codes." " Did you get a call, Terry?" " No." "They go off and this-- How am I supposed to know?" " Okay, this is the part where you go." "You´re gonna have to go." " Listen." "Thing is, you know, I´m more a part of this neighborhood than you are." " Okay." "We´ll see you later, Terry." "Besides that, you know, a lot of times you don´t know the alarm codes when you´re checking the house and, uh, the alarm goes off." " Wow!" " Yeah." "Yeah, for sure." " You know, what can you do?" "I´m sorry about the "temporary" thing." "I was just" " No, don´t even worry about it." "I don´t" " I don´t even care." "Listen, I don´t usually pimp my friends... but I got an excellent piece of property I think you might wanna look at." " I got a few minutes." " Listen, I gotta get something off my chest." " Have you been home to see the old house?" " Yeah." " Torn down in the name of convenience." " Yeah, uh, I, I, I brokered the deal." " I tried to get" " I tried to get a family in there, but Ultimart made the best offer." " Wow." "Wow." " Well, thank you for profiting on my childhood." " Stop your fooling around" "Time to straighten right out" "Take a look at this, uh, new listing." "Debi´s house." "Yeah." "Kinda crept up on you, didn´t it?" "No, you drove us here." "Yep." "So, uh-- So, how´s the family, man?" " Oh, you didn´t know?" "Of course you don´t know." "You don´t know anything." " No, I mean I didn´t" " Parents are divorced." " They got divorced?" "Yeah, my dad´s-- He´s shacking up with his woman." "She´s like 20 years younger than him." "She´s like a biscuit older than me." "It´s ugly." "My mom´s making ceramic night-lights." "Takes, like, the plain shells and, you know, paints ´em." "How´s your sister?" "Did she ever-- Did she ever marry that guy Kenny?" " Kenny?" " Yeah." "Did that ever work out?" "Come on, man." "He did three years at Joliet." "They put one of those bracelets on him, like a LoJack, you know." "They know where he is at all times." " I think he´s at Pizza Hut right now." " So let´s not go there." " No." "Yeah, yeah." "So, you look good." "You seem good." "Thank you." "You may have, uh" "Ten years, man!" "Ten!" "Where have you been for ten years?" "I freaked out... joined the army, went into business for myself." "I´m a professional killer." "Oh, does that" " Do you have to do postgraduate work for that, or can you-- or can you jump right in?" " I´m curious about that." " No, it´s an open market." " Open market." "That´s good." "Wow." " Yeah." "Ten years, man!" "Ten year" " Ten years!" "Ten years!" "Ten!" "Ten years!" "Ten years." "I freaked out!" "I joined the army!" "I worked for the government!" "I went into business with myself!" "I´m a professional killer." "That´s what I did!" " Okay." "Well, can I join up?" " Yes!" "Come on." " Well, how´s your mom, man?" "ls she still-- ls she a little loopy?" " She´s" " She is uncorked, man." "All right, I´ll see you at the l-peaked-and-I´m-kidding-myself party." " Pacific Trident Global." " I need some data." "Hey, there." "How´d the assignment go?" " I´ll do it tomorrow." " What´s it look like?" "Looks fine." "Looks like it always does." "Nothing remarkable about it." "Nothing remarkable at all." "You´re taking your time?" "Just being professional?" "Something like that." "Look, I got a job to do." "I´m gonna do it, right?" "Um" " Oh, the reason I called." "Could you find out who else is in town and why?" "I´ve made two spooks and a ghoul so far." "So, if they double booked the job, and/or they´re gonna kill me, you know, I´d like to know about it." " That´d be great if you could find that out." " Okay, got it." " Bye, bye." " Amelia?" "Wait." "Hold on a second." "Pacific Trident Global." "Janice?" "Yeah, no, where the fuck is it?" "I ordered it three days ago." "No, that doesn´t work." "That´s" " That´s not right." "Let me go over it again, all right?" "Let´s see, 3,000 rounds of nine millimeter subsonic." "You had that." "I gave that to you on the fuckin´ list!" "Well, I don´t give a goddamn where it is!" "You get it here now!" "Amelia?" "I´m sorry." "Yeah, no." "No, I´m" " It´s not gonna be a boring soup." "It´s just" " That´s just the base." "You put the chicken in." "You´ve gotta add other flavors." "Carrots and celery are just a base of the soup!" "What the fuck, man?" " Cool." " What´d you do that for?" "It´s not me." "You all right?" " No, I´m not all right!" " Take it easy." "I´m hurt." "I´m pissed." "I gotta find a new job." " WGPM-FM." " Debra, it´s Martin." " Hi, Martin." " Listen, that thing didn´t go as I planned." "Uh, seeing you, it didn´t really go as I planned. l" " Oh, it was just as I planned." " Well, I´m wondering how you are." "And I would like to catch up with you if that´s possible." "I don´t know if it´s possible." " Well, okay, let´s catch up." " Well, I thought maybe we could go someplace and talk" " Well, I talk all day." " Well, then just listen." "Maybe, uh" " Maybe we could go to, you know, the Hippo Club, say, in 30 minutes?" " Yeah, okay." "By the way, is this, uh, live, or, you know, are we being broadcast again?" "Not right now, but I tend to record everything, ´cause you never know." " Right, right, right." "That´s a good point." "I´ll see you there and" " Okay." "And I´d like to explain some things to you and have a good" "Martin Blank." " You seem very nervous." " No, no, I´m not." "It´s just" "Why do you keep looking over your shoulder?" "No, I just don´t like having my back-- You know, it´s a habit." "But let´s not talk about that." " I come here, I wanna talk to you." " Okay." " Put the spotlight on you." " Sure." "You got married." "That´s hard to imagine." "It´s just un" " It´s unbelievable." "No, it´s, it´s pretty normal, Martin." "It happens all the time." " It´s not like you went away for the weekend." " Can I ask you a question?" "I mean, if it´s too personal, you don´t have to answer." "But what happened?" "I think" " I think I married him to get away." " Didn´t like where I ended up." " What was the guy like?" " Well, he-- - lt doesn´t matter." "Forget about that question." "But, uh, l" " Same thing happened to me, you know, when I joined the army; it´s a marriage of sorts." "Oh, on prom night." "That´s psychotic." "How could you possibly join the army?" "I just" " It´s something I felt like I had to do." "It´s hard to explain." "I mean, I know it doesn´t make sense." "No, it doesn´t make any sense." "Do you know how much time I spent on, on this masochistic cycle..." " just trying to figure out what I´d done to drive you away?" " Nothing." "Yeah, well, you tell me that now." "It´s a little late." "And I thought you´d been murdered or brainwashed or" " At least, I´d hoped that´s what had happened." "Well, I´m sorry to disappoint you." "So, you know." "Come on, spill." "What have you been doing the last ten years?" " Well, you must´ve had worthwhile experiences you wanna tell me about." " Bad experiences." " You met people?" " Bad people." " You´re pathetic." "You know what you need?" " What?" " Shockabuku." " You wanna tell me what that means?" "It´s a swift, spiritual kick to the head that alters your reality forever." "Ooh, that´d be good." "I think." "So, listen, I was thinking I could pick you up for the reunion around 7:00?" "We go" "Wait a minute." "Let me get this straight." "You are asking me to go as your date to the reunion?" " Yes." " It´s unbelievable." "Well, you know, what the hell." " You know, I´m not even planning on going." " Really?" "Really." "I´m" " I was just gonna be mean about them on the radio." " You know." " Yeah, yeah." " Besides, Marty, it´s-- it´s just gonna be depressing." "Maybe." "But listen, if you wanna go, I can´t think of any reason why we wouldn´t go together." " I can." " I think if you can open up, forget, forgive a little." " And I think it´d be good for you, and I´ll be on time." " Showing up would be a big step." " Well, I´ll think about it." " Really?" " Yeah." " Oh, my God!" "It´s Marvin and Debi." "It´s me, Amy." " Amy!" " Yes!" "You´re still together?" "Oh, God, you were the coolest couple!" " Whoa, whoa." " Still are." "Oh, I´m so sorry." " Here, you want my drink?" " That´s okay." "No, no, God." " No, no, don´t worry about a thing." "Debi, l" " I love your show." "It´s so timeless." " Yeah, it does run a little long sometimes." " Marvy, are you here for the reunion?" " Sure." " Where you been these last ten years?" " Yeah, Marv, where ya been?" " You look great." "Thanks." "I work at Kentucky Fried Chicken." " You do not." " I do." "I sell biscuits and gravy all over the southland." " No." " Mm-hmm." " You´re so funny." "He´s a funny guy." "You know, Tim, my husband" "Listen, why don´t I get you two another drink and you guys can just catch up." " Oh, could I have a Stoli with three olives and an onion?" " Yeah." " Oh, I´ll have what she´s having." " Sure." "Oh, hi." "That girl down there, she doesn´t trust me anymore." "I don´t know why." "I´m trying to earn back her trust." "I´m gonna go downstairs, finish my drink, walk her to the car, and I´ll be back at the hotel in about a half-hour." "I´ll see you there?" " That´s him!" " Yeah, we know." "Thank you." "We´ve been following him around." "Well, what´s the problem here?" "You guys on an hourly rate?" "If we observe the subject in an illegal act... only then can we intervene and terminate." " Yeah." " Why don´t you just go and shoot the fucker, huh?" "Because we´re not assassins, Mr. Grocer." "We work for the American government." "Hey, he´s coming back." "Ah, fuck you, guys!" "Hey, I don´t appreciate being hosed." " You´re exactly the same." " So are you." " I am?" " Mm-hmm." " How so?" " Just like I remembered you." "Oh, yeah?" "Troubled?" " I´m troubled?" "Yeah." "Well, I got-- l got a few problems." "Don´t you?" " Sure." " Yeah?" "What´d you do about it?" " Well, I tried everything, you know." "I went to the nutritionist, the herbalist, the psychiatrist." "Really?" "That´s quite a list." "Any of it work?" "Can´t tell yet, but you gotta try." "You know what I´m saying?" "It´s your duty." "Ah, yeah, patriot." "Sure, sure." "So, tell me more about your problems." "And I´ll tell you about mine." "And then we´ll solve them tonight." "Not so fast." "You´re still in the penalty box." "Oh, right, right, right." "Well, thanks for coming to see me." "Hmm." "So, is there a Mrs. Mysterio?" " No, but I have a very nice cat." " Not the same." "Well, you don´t know my cat." "It´s very demanding." " lt?" "You don´t know if it´s a boy or a girl?" " I respect its privacy." " You happy?" " Kind of." " Really?" " Sort of." " We´ll talk soon?" " Okay." "It´s a nice ride." "Nobody buys American anymore, huh?" " Hello?" " Marcella, what do you got?" " Hey, that town is hot!" "I got the stink from an assistant over at Rothchild´s." "We prepped together." " I downloaded everything, so just call it up." " I´m on-line." "We´ve got Steven Lardner, a.k.a. Steve." "And Kenneth McCullers." "No pseudonym." "Steve was a redshirt tailback from Ohio State." "McCullers, All-American wrestler from Northwestern." "M.B.A. from the same." " What are they doing here?" " Well, they´re domestic covert operatives for the N.S.A... up there as part of a new "Get Tough on Terror" campaign." "They´re looking for an Oswald;" "a patsy to take the fall." " Grocer fed them you." " Grocer set me up." " Surprised?" " No." "Well, they were supposed to catch you in the act, but I guess they weren´t quick enough, right?" " Who´s the ghoul?" " Whoa." "This guy is a badass." "Felix LaPoubelle." "An accomplished amateur with the Basque Nationalists." "Few odds jobs with the Algerian Separatists." "Went pro with a stunning debut aboard an elite Caribbean cruise liner." "Oh, that´s where I know him from." "He´s an asshole." "Did loan-outs for Likkenbakken." "Enjoys, uh, Native American art..." " ballroom dancing, pornography" " Yeah, yeah, yeah." "What is he here for?" "It´s part of that Oregon snafu with that dog, Budro." "So, you´re gonna get out of there, right?" "I mean, that´s not right, right?" "You gotta get out of there, right?" " You´re on a flight tonight, right?" " lt isn´t done." " This is not good." " I´ll do it tomorrow." "It´s fine." " Sir, I´m beginning to worry about your safety." " Look, I have to go." "Yeah, we all have to go sometime, sir, but we can choose when." "No one chooses when." "Ya can´t come in." "Well, I was in the neighborhood, so I just stopped by." "Wanted to say hi." "Can I come in?" "Ya can come in, but only for a second." "Unbelievable." "It´s exactly the same." "It´s a shrine." "It´s only temporary." "My apartment burned down on Devil´s Night." "Really?" "So you never gave me an answer." " I said we´d talk later." " Well, this is later." "See, I figure if we go together we have a much better chance of gettin´ out of there alive." "You know, we can partner up, watch for traps, you know." "Go tandem." "I think it´d be a lot safer than if we lone-wolfed it." " I have to say I´m curious as to what ten years has done to you." " You too." "ls, uh-- ls that the same bed?" " Uh-huh." " The magic bed." "The magic carpet." "Wow." "Hmm." "I´ll tell you what." "I´ll give you an answer if you give me an "airplane."" " Okay." " Cool!" " Ready?" " Okay." " Keep your feet low there." " I remember." " Oh, it´s been ten years." " Oh!" " Fly!" "Be free." " I´m flying!" " Be free." " Emancipation!" " Are you free?" " Of course." "Okay." " What if your Dad comes in?" "You can give him one too." "Okay." "You can pick me up at 7:00." "Put me down." "You can pick me up." "Okay, you can go now." "You want me to leave right now?" "You don´t wanna, you know, maybe watch CNN, Crossfire, something romantic?" " No, "airplane" was quite enough." " Okay." "I´ll go." "That´s fine." "I´ll go." "But this, this night-- tomorrow night-- the reunion... is gonna be an im-- important step... in our, you know, burgeoning relationship." "You´re a fucking psycho." "Don´t rush to judgment on something like that until all the facts are in." " I´ll just let myself out." " Go." "And, um, you can, you know, lock the door behind me because, you know, there´s a lot of undesirables around." "I´ll call you or-- I´ll" " I´ll go." "Oh, shit, there he is." "Man, why don´t we just do his job so we can do our job and get the fuck out of here?" "What do you mean, "do his job"?" "What am I, a cold-blooded killer?" "I´m not a cold-blooded killer." " Now, wait a minute." " No, you wait a minute." "You wanna kill the good guy, but not be the bad guy." "Doesn´t work like that." "You gotta wait until the bad guy kills the good guy." "Then when you kill the bad guy, you´re the good guy." "So-- just to clarify-- if we do his job, we´re the bad guys." " And if we do our job, we´re the good guys." " Yes." "That´s great." "Hey, hey." "Hi, Mr. Grocer." "Oh, he´s brown-bagging it today." "Oh, my God." "Easy there, chief." "I don´t see hollow point wound care on the menu." "Up, up, up." "What are you in Detroit for?" "The Red Wings need a new goon?" "Hi, my name is Melanie." "Let me tell you about some of our specials." "Today, there´s the Alfalfa On My Mind." "That´s our featured omelette." "Or there´s Gatsby´s West Egg omelette." "And if you´re in the mood for something different, there´s the I Left My Heart ln San Francheezy." " What´ll you have?" " Two poached eggs." "Scrape off the milky white stuff." "Hash browns, well done." "English muffin for the bread and a coffee." "Whole-grain pancakes and an egg-white omelette, please." " What would you like in your omelette?" " Nothing in the omelette." "Nothing at all." " Well, that´s not technically an omelette." " Well, I don´t want to get into a semantic argument over it." "I just want the protein, all right?" "Come on there, ice man, live a little." "Let Chef Raoul put in a little cilantro for your liver." " I don´t want that." " A little onions for the blood." " What are those?" " Nutrients." "Here´s the new stuff, kid." "Durazac-15." "Makes Prozac feel like a decaf latte." " You want a couple?" "I got jars." " I don´t do that stuff anymore." "No wonder you got the shakes." "And don´t say "do it."" "Because I don´t "do it." I ingest it on orders from my neurophysiologist." "It´s legal. ln five years, we´ll be puttin´ it in the water for the citizens like fluoride." "That´s fascinating. ls there anything else you wanted to talk about?" "Because I was gonna have breakfast." "I heard about that little blowup at the Ultimart." "It was a wicked, ripping´ shame." " One of yours?" "One of your fraternal brothers?" " No!" "Hey, listen, I wanna work with you." "That was some indie frog." "Some Basque whacker from the Pyrenees." "You sure Oregon doesn´t ring a bell?" "Pacific Northwest, a couple of months ago?" "Something about you doin´ some wonder dog named Cujo?" " Ohh." "Budro." "Yes, Budro." "Jesus Christ." " He knows the dog." " Yeah, I was out there trying to whack these three junk bond fuckos..." " Yeah?" "and these idiots were flushing game with sticks of dynamite." "And the dog that they borrowed, little Budro, was a retriever." "Get it?" "Budro was never a target." "Budro was acting on instinct." "I would never hurt an animal." "And I´m offended at the acc" "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, Chatty Kathy." "Clip your string." "I don´t need to know." "But just for the record, here´s what I heard." "The marks borrowed your client´s prized hunting pup." "So bad luck for Budro and bad luck for Blank." "Poodle pumper." "Hound hitter." "Pooch puncher." "Let´s not talk about Budro, huh?" "What about those two guys in the Caprice Classic outside?" " The word is you turned two governments on me, you turncoat." " Me?" " You." " Go "G"?" " Yes." " On you?" " Yes." " Never." "Listen, why don´t we get our relationship straight for a minute, all right?" "I didn´t get into this business to have any relationships!" "And I don´t wanna join your goddamned union, all right?" "Loner." "Lone gunman." "Get it?" "That´s the whole point." "I like the lifestyle, the image." "Look at the way I dress." "Why don´t you become a cop or something?" "You can have coffee in the morning with friends." "Look, this is a one-on-one business." "The minute you start relationships, bad things start happening." "If it´ll make you feel any better, I think this is my last job." " Oh, I believe that." " So what do you say-- What do you say we put away our guns... and forget the whole goddamn thing and have some breakfast, all right?" "No scabs." "From now on, all arrangements, all contracts, all engagements are regulated." "You got it?" " Ooh, meet the new boss." " Yes." " No deal." "Okay." "But we´re not gonna let you do your little job here." " No?" " No, because we´re gonna do it for you." " ls that right?" " And after we do your job, we´re gonna do another little job." " Tell me about it." " Like, I´m gonna put a bullet hole in your fuckin´ forehead..." " and I´m gonna fuck the brain hole!" " Nice talk, sugar mouth." " Hi." " You had the nada omelet?" "Hey!" " Pacific Trident Global." " Marcella, Oatman´s not returning my calls." "I need you to find him right now." "Try his office, try the car, try his club, but I need you to find him." "I´m already late for the reunion." "Okay?" "Okay, okay." " Patch him through on the land line." "This thing´s running low on batteries." " All right." "Hi." "How are you?" "Yeah. I, uh, I´m a pet psychiatrist." "Yeah." "Yeah." "l" " I sell couch insurance." "Mm-hmm." "Mm-hmm." "And I, and I, and I, and I test-market positive thinking." "And I lead a weekend men´s group." "We specialize in ritual killings." "Mm-hmm." "Yeah, you look-- you look great!" "God, yeah." "Yeah." "Hi." "Hi." "How are you?" "Yeah." "How are you?" "How are you?" "Yeah, hi." "Hi, I´m Martin Blank." "You remember me?" "I´m not married, I don´t have any kids... and I´d blow your head off if someone paid me enough." "Oatman, listen, don´t hang up." "All right, I didn´t kill anyone." "Uh, except some guy tried to kill me, so if I see that guy again I´m definitely gonna kill him." "But I´m not gonna kill anyone else, you know, except maybe the guy I was sent here to kill." "I don´t know." "But anyway, I saw Debi." "I´m on my way to the reunion with Debi." " But I´m just feeling a little anxious, so I wanna do a phoner." " Okay." "Repeat after me." "I am at home with the "me." I am rooted in the "me" who is on this adventure." "l am at home with the "me." I am rooted in the "me" who is on this adventure." "Good." "Now take a deep breath and realize that this is "me" breathing." "Uh, I´m sorr" " I´m sorry." "I´m confused here." "I don" " I don´t understand." "Do you want me to say it, or do you want me to realize it?" " What?" " That I´m breathing." " Say it." " This is "me" breathing." " Good." "Now go do that for about 20 minutes." " All right." "I gotta go." " Okay." "Keep it up." "Don´t kill anybody." "Right." "This is "me" breathing." "Yeah." "You´re a handsome devil." "What´s your name?" "This is not happening again." "Flowers." " That´s funny." " As long as I get the laugh." " Debi, you look beautiful." " Yeah?" " Mm-hmm." " Thanks." "Okay." "Hold on." " So, my dad´s down the hall." "He´s dying to say "hi" to you." " Okay." "Sure." " I´ll go put these in some rubbing alcohol." " Great." "Mr. Newberry, it´s, uh, Martin Blank." " Good evening." " Oh." " How are you?" " Good evening, Mr. Blank." " Sir." " You´ve beaten the millennia." "I lose my bet." "Yeah, well, it was completely unavoidable, sir, so" "Just wanted to say hello and, you know, ask you how you are..." " Martin." " how´s business, tricks." "I don´t know where you´ve been since you abandoned my daughter 10 years ago, and I don´t care." "It´s good that you left." "I´m glad that you did." "You´ve grown up a bit." "Did I have you figured wrong?" "I don´t know." "I mean, I hope so." "I visualized you in a haze, as one of those slackster, flannel-wearing... coffee house misanthropes I´ve been seeing in Newsweek." "No, no, no." "I went the other road." "Uh, six figures." "Doing business with lead pipe cruelty." "Mercenary sensibility, you know." "Sports, sex, no real relationships with anybody." "How about you?" "How have the years been treating you?" "Well, you know me, Martin." "The same old sellout." "Exploiting the oppressed." " Sure." " "Ah, what a piece of work is man." "How noble--"" "Ah, fuck it." "Let´s have a drink and forget the whole damn thing." "I´d love to, but, um, we´re a little bit late." "So I just wanted to say hello and, you know, wish you the best." " What have you been doing with your life?" " Uh, professional killer." "Oh." "Good for you." "It´s a growth industry." "Okay." "Good seeing you again." "Mmm." "We care a lot" "We care a lot" " Neutralize." "Did I say neutralize?" " I´ll give you 20 bucks for that." "Okay, he´s definitely falling´ for her." " Look at him." " Her hair looks really nice." " Yeah, it does, doesn´t it?" " You know, this is not" " No, no." "He´s using her." " No, listen, come on." "What a cruel bastard." "I´m gonna enjoy killing´ that son of a bitch." "Mmm." "Mm-hmm." "Me too." " I should´ve worn a skirt." " I should´ve brought my gun." " What?" " Should be fun." "Oh, it´s a dirty job but someone´s got to do it" "Welcome back, Pointers." "It´s Arlene Oslott-Joseph." " Hi!" " Hi." " Hi!" " How are you?" " I´m good." " Martin." " Blank." " Oh, Martin Blank." "Yes." "Why, you haven´t changed a bit." " Don´t say that!" " Hi, Debi." " Just love your show." " Oh, thanks." "Well, you´re our demographic." " I thought" " You´ve gone and got married, Arlene." "Yes, I did." "And three children." " It´s really neat." " Yeah." "I had the yearbook pictures put on so everybody knows who everybody was." "A special torture." " Hi!" "It´s Arlene Oslott-Joseph!" " Oh, well!" "Bye-bye now, kids." "Hi." "Oh, now, let´s see." " Who needs hard liquor?" " Me." "How are you holding up?" " A little shaky." " Okay, straight to the bar for us." " Ah, I´m starting to remember some of these faces." " What can I get ya?" " Vodka rocks, double, two." " You bet." " When do we actually have to start relating to anybody?" " I would say, you know, any, any moment now." " Ah." "Ken Alderosh." " Hey!" " Hello, Martin." " Hi, Ken." " Yeah, super." "Hi, Debi." "How are you?" " Hi." " Hey, Ken." "How are you?" " lsn´t this great?" " Yeah!" "What´s happ-- What´s been happening?" "Uh, Moss, Brice and Fromeyer." "Yeah." "I´m in divorce, mainly." "Some property, some personal injury, you know." " Those all seem kinda related." " Hey!" " Hey, I´m gonna use that." "I´ll take that line." " Sure!" "Hey, hey, let me give you a card here." "Oh, wait a second." "Actually, I´ve got a special one here for top shelf clients." " Don´t forget to read the cap." " Sure." "Thank you." "Thanks a lot." " Yeah." "Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah." " Great." "Sure." "Sure." " Martin Blank" " Sorry." "You slipped." "Sorry." " Take it easy, man." " Sorry." "Sorry." " Whoa." "Hey, Martin, what´s happening, man?" " Hi." "Hi." "Yeah." "Sure." " It´s Nathaniel." "Remember me?" "How´s it goin´, man?" " Hi, Debi." "How you doing?" "Yeah." " Debi." " Still very Newberry, I see." " Oldberry, I think." " How´s it goin´, man?" " Good." "Good." " Hey, you gotta say hey to Eckhart, man." "Come on." "He´s right over here." " Okay." " Hey, thanks for the pen." " Yeah, sure." " Do you remember Jimbo and Peanut?" " Bye-bye, Debi." " Yeah, sure." "Yeah." " Hey!" " Hey." " Hey, man." " How´s it goin´?" " Good." " They´re good, man." "They´re big." "They´re real big." "I´m supervising´ their training, man." " They´re goin´ pro." "Strictly Greco-Roman, man." "All torso." " Cool!" "I´m takin´ ´em on the wrestling circuit, man." "Yeah." "Hey, hey, hey, I got somethin´ for you guys." ""l don´t hear any real remorse here." "I don´t think you should get back together with this guy."" " Oh!" "A real man!" "You´re a real man!" " Oh, right!" "You´re the guy!" "Right." " Yeah." " That was cold, man." " Don´t mean any offense by it." "I was just speakin´ from the heart." " All right, well" " You know how it is." "Hey, hey, what are you doin´ later?" "We´re gonna go outside with Paul and blow a fat one, man." "Get so charred and toasted." " Just like in high school." " No, w-we gotta go, um" " We gotta go see somebody over there." " You´re gonna see some" " But we´ll come back and we´ll get toasted." " Yeah, man, come back around and have a drink." "Later, man!" " Okay, man." "We´ll see you guys." " Hi." " How are you?" " Great." " What happened?" " Oh, I was just telling him... it was like I was sucked up into the cosmos..." " all the while surrounded by these yowling..." " "Cosmos."" " nebulous forms." " Pardon me?" "And then I got to the threshold." "Mozart, music, flowers and poetry." " You died." " And came back." " See, that´s the beautiful part." " How did you die?" "Oh." "I lost it on some ice and ended up in Lake St. Clair." " Ah." " Yeah." " Wanna go somewhere else?" " Sure." " Maybe we can dance later." " Okay." "Good." "Good." "Okay." "Bye." "Hey, you know, I´m gonna go say hello to Amy over there." " Okay." " Okay?" " Governor." "How you holdin´ up, baby?" " Hey." "I don´t know." "How are you?" " Can´t believe you haven´t cracked open like a piñata by now." " I´m close." " You look good." "You look Tony Robbins good, man." " Yeah." "So do you, man." " How is that possible?" "I wanna be a part of it, you know what I´m saying?" " I know, I know." "How could you" " Listen, here" " Excuse me." " Martin Blank." " Hi!" "You look great." "It´s Jenny Slater." " Jenny Slater, yeah!" "How are you?" " How are you?" " Good!" "Ten years has been really good for you." "Hey, Jenny Slater." "Hey, Jenny Slater." "Good for you too." "You look great." " Thanks." " Hey, Jenny Slater." " You look really good." "Hey, Jenny Slater." "Paul." "Paul Spericki." " Paul." " Yeah." " Uh" " Had 11" " Had 11 classes with you." " Did the precious metals paper for you." " Oh." "Okay." "Well, I was looking for some validation in my life, but apparently I came up short!" " Yeah." "Yeah." "Yeah." "Yeah." " I thought that went quite well." " Yeah, it was good for you." "Yeah." "Yeah." " I thought that went quite well." "This" " How´s the" " How´s the rest of the night been going?" " Oh, it´s been going great." "You know, it´s a festival of pain." " The idea that-that they think that you can´t evolve." "Right?" " Right, right, right." " And I´m saying that l" " Excuse me." " Hey, Jenny." " Yeah, yeah." " Jenny." " Blank, Blank, Blank." " Yeah?" "Yeah?" "I don´t know." "All these people are drivin´ me crazy, talking like it was all great memories, you know." " People in the National Honor Society?" " Yeah?" "Blue stars on their name tags, like it fuckin´ matters now that they were in the honor club ten years ago?" " Right, right." " I don´t wanna talk about the old days." "What did we have together?" "Drafting?" " Archery." " Oh, yeah, archery." "Couldn´t stand that class." "You know, but I appreciate you helping me out, man." "You know?" "Taught me to hit my targets." " Sure." " Check this out." " That´s the" " I gotta go." "I gotta go, man." " That´s not right for this place." "Marty." " Tracy." "How you doin´?" " Yeah." "Good." "How are you?" " I´m all right." " Sit, sit." " So, how you been?" " Great." "I´m, I´m married." " And" " Robbie." " Wow." " Yeah." "Yeah." "And how-- how-- how is it all?" "It´s not like it was supposed to be, right?" " No, no, that´s not true." " No?" " It´s great." " Really?" " I am so great." "People think that when you get married you lose your freedom." " Not true?" " No. lt gets better and better." "So, how are you?" "How´s your life?" " ln progress." " Yeah?" " Wh" " Will you hold Robbie for a sec?" " No, l" "I´m gonna get his bottle." "It´s okay." "Go ahead." "You won´t break him." "You spend the first year just trying to keep these little guys alive." " Yeah, I imagine they´d be, uh, very vulnerable to the elements." " Yeah." "´Cause love´s such an old-fashioned word" "And love dares you to care for" "The people on the edge of the light" "And love dares you to change our way" "Of caring about ourselves" "This is our last dance" " Hey." "Last time I saw him he was in here." " I know." "Look at him." " Hey, what´s your name?" " Robbie." " Hey, will it-- will it disturb him if I hold him?" " No, no." "He´d love it." " Such a good little munchkin." " Hey, bunny." " Are you tired?" "Are you tired, little one?" " Here, wait a minute." " No." "No food." " Let me get a picture." "Let me get a picture." "Look." "Look up." " Hey!" " How you doing?" " Nice to see" " Good." " Hey, Martin." " How you doing?" "I saw you earlier, but I didn´t get a chance to talk to you." " Did you get a pen from Ken?" " Yes, I did." "Great." "You all look very nice today." " Well, I´m having a good night." " Hey." "Computer guy." "Right, Bob." "How you doing?" "Dan Koretzky." " I saw you over at your dad´s dealership." " Congratulations." " Yeah, I sell BMWs." " You guys remember Bob Destepello." " Oh, sure." " Sure." "Sure." " Debi Radio." " Bobby Beemer." " Go out and do some blow?" " What an incredibly sweet gesture." " But I think I´ll pass." " Hi, Bob." "It´s me, Martin." "From high school." "I´m drawing a complete blank." " Hate to see it." " I hate that." "Bobby, get away from me." "Do you know I have recurring dreams about you?" "Did I tell you that?" "Like, five nights a week for, like, six years." "Did I tell you that?" "You know, yesterday on the radio" " When you publicly humiliated me?" " Yeah, well, you know, no less than you deserve." "I think" " I think I was overly harsh when I said that you were broken." "H" " Really?" "How so?" " I don´t think you´re broken." " No?" "I think you´re mildly sprained." " Nothing that can´t be mended." " Wow." "Think-- l think that´s a compliment." "Yeah." "What was I gonna say?" "That you´re glad you came back and you´re real happy to see me." "Yeah." "I am." "I definitely am." "Sorry if I fucked up your life." "It´s not over yet." " Do you have a wife in Arkansas?" " No." " Do you want to dance?" " Sure." "Okay." "When people keep repeating" "That you´ll never fall in love" "When everybody keeps retreating" "But you can´t seem to get enough" "Let my love open the door" "Let my love open the door" "To your heart" "To your heart" " Oh." "The nurse´s office." " Health station." "I don´t feel well, and neither do you." "You know, there´s this big black cloud that´s following you around... that you´re gonna have to come out from under before it even can" "That´s just like you." "A little rain follows me to town, and you just fall to pieces." "God, it´s been so long, I´ve forgotten who gets tied up." " Wait." " What?" " No, stop." "Stop?" "What´s wrong?" "Too fast?" " I´m sorry." " Too fast?" " No, i" " Yeah." "Something" " Something is missing." " Something" " What?" "Oh, I know." "Welcome home." "I missed you." "Oh." "Welcome back, Pointer." "It´s Arlene Oslott-Joseph." " And who might you be?" " lt is I, Sidney Feldman." "Oh." "Been overseas?" "My." "You have changed." "Save a dance for me, now." "I think the best thing for both of us would be to go away someplace quiet for a few weeks... and work this whole thing out." "Fine." " Where are you going?" " Well, you know, there´s a few people I should say good-bye to." "I´m gonna go cruise by my old locker, and then I´ll meet you in front." "I´ll find you." " Hi, Bob." " Debi Newberry, huh?" " You gonna hit that shit again?" " Fine, Bob." "How are you?" "Real smart." "Come on." "Let´s see how smart you are with my foot up your ass!" "Do you really believe that there´s some stored-up conflict... that exists between us?" "There is no "us." "We" don´t exist." "So, who do you want to hit, man?" "It´s not me." "Now, what do you want to do here, man?" " I don´t know what that is." " These are my words." "It´s a poem?" "See, that´s the prob" "Express yourself, Bob." "Go for it." ""When I feel quiet... when I feel blue..."" "You know, I think that is terrific, what you have right there." "Really." "I liked it a lot." "I wouldn´t sell the" " I wouldn´t sell the dealership or anything... but I´m telling you, it´s intense." " There´s more." " Okay." "W-W-Why don´t you just skip to the end." "To the-- the very end." ""For a while."" "That´s good, man." " "For a while."" " That´s excellent." " You wanna do some blow?" " No, I don´t." " There you go." " I missed you." "Okay, I missed you too." "Okay." "Mirror in the bathroom please talk free" "The door is locked Just you and me" "Can I take you to a restaurant that´s got glass tables" "You can watch yourself while you are eating" "Mirror in the bathroom I just can´t stop it" "Every Saturday you see me window shopping" "Find no interest in the rags and shelves" "Just ten thousand reflections of my own sweet self, self, self, self" "Mirror in the bathroom" "You´re my mirror in the bathroom" "You´re my mirror in the bathroom" "You´re my mirror in the bathroom" "Mirror in the bathroom Recompense" "For all my crimes are self-defense" "Cures you whisper make no sense" "Drift gently into mental illness" "Mirror in the bathroom" "Mirror in the bathroom" "Mirror in the bathroom" "It´s not me." "It wasn´t me." " Oh!" "Oh, no!" " Hey, what´s going on?" "What´s going on?" " What´s going on?" "Where´s our boy?" "Where´s our boy?" " No!" "No!" "Hey. ls that-- ls that his-- that guy´s blood?" "Yeah." "A thousand innocent people get killed every day." "ls this guy dead?" "But a millionaire´s pet gets detonated and you´re marked for life." " Help me out here." " Okay." "Pull that down." " How´d he die?" " He´s a notorious terrorist." "There´s a contract out on my life." " He´s dead?" " He´s dead." " This guy´s dead?" " Yeah." "Look, are his feet covered?" "Here we go." "Come on." "Grab his feet." " All right, you ready?" " Yeah." "Put him there." "Put him there." "One... two... three." " Get in there." " Get that fuckin´ thing in there." "Motherfuck!" "Thanks." "Nobody´s gonna come looking for this guy." "Come on." "Come on." "Every story has to be about something, I suppose" "This one says I lose my head" "As the feeling starts to grow you know" " What can I get you?" " Whiskey." " Club soda." "Feel love thump as it tears you apart" "Feel love thump as the worrying starts" "Feel love thumping" "At the doors of my heart again" " Eckhart, have you seen Debi?" " No, man." " Ken, you haven´t seen Debi, have you?" " Nope." "Okay." "Every time it happens Seem to act a little touched" "Paul Spericki." "I´m in real estate." "What do you do, Martin?" "Why can´t we just feel love thumping´ at the doors of our hearts" "What now?" "Chase the girl?" "If you see Debi, tell her I´m sorry." "I can feel love thumping´" "At the doors of my heart again" " At the doors of my heart again" " How you doin´?" "I can feel those doors go thump" "Thump, thump" "I can feel those doors go thump" " Take care of yourself, Ken." "Thank you for the pen." " Oh." "Yeah." "Sure." "...latest series of threats-- on the WNA" " I am confident" " I didn´t touch no one!" " Chihuahua city!" "Look, boy" "Roger, South" " Baby-- Somebody political" "Plus, we´ll have more information-- And I´m working" " Burning building" "Right decision" " Are exploding" "Hello, This is Dr. Oatman." "I am not available right now." "But if you´d like to leave a message I will get back to you shortly." "Dr. Oatman, it´s Martin Blank." "Listen, I just wanted to tell you that I don´t wanna work with you anymore." "Things are going really well here." "They´re going a lot better than expected and I just don´t really feel like you´re helpful in any way... and I don´t think you´re serious about the therapy and" "So, I want you to take a deep breath and realize... that this is "me" firing "you."" " He was gonna kill you, right?" " Yes." " lt wasn´t the other way around?" " No." "No." " That wasn´t my intention." " ls it something you´ve done?" "It´s something I do." "Professionally." "For about five years now." "You were joking." "People joke about the horrible things that they don´t do." "They don´t do them." "It´s absurd." "When I left I joined the army, and when I took the service exam... my psych profile fit a certain-- moral flexibility would be the only way to describe it." "I was loaned out to a ClA-sponsored program and we sort of found each other." "That´s the way it works." " So you-- you´re a government spook?" " Yes." "I mean, no." "I was before, but I´m not now." "Uh, but that´s all irrelevant now." "The idea of governments, nations is public relations theory at this point." "Don´t." "I don´t wanna hear about the theories." "I wanna hear about the dead people." "Explain the dead people." "Who do you kill?" "Well, that´s very complicated, but..." "Why do you kill people?" "in the beginning, you know, it matters, of course, that you have something... to hang on to, you know, a specific ideology to defend." "Right?" "I mean, "taming unchecked aggression," that was my personal favorite." "Other guys like "Live free or die," but, you know, you get the idea." "But that´s all bullshit, and I know that now." "That´s all bullshit." "You do it because you were trained to do it, you were encouraged to do it... and ultimately, you know, you... get to like it." "I know that sounds bad." " You´re a psychopath." " No, no, no." "A psychopath kills for no reason." "I kill for money." "It´s a job-- That didn´t sound right." "Uh, let me see if I can put it another way." "If I show up at your door, chances are you did something to bring me there." "I mean, everybody´s doing it." "It´s like the natural order." "I mean, the states do it." "Sometimes there´s due process, and sometimes pilots carpet-bomb cities, you know." "Riot cops shoot demonstrators." "That´s indiscriminate." "I don´t do that." "You should read the files on some of these fuckers." "I mean, it reads like a demon´s resumé." "Look, I bottomed out here." "I´ve lost my taste for it completely." "That´s why I came back." "I wanted to see you, you know." "I wanted to start over, leave that behind." "Oh, so I´m part of" " I´m part of your romantic new beginning." "Right?" "How come you never learned that it was wrong... that there are certain things you do not do-- you do not do in a civilized society." " What civilizations are we talking about?" " Oh, shut up." " I mean, history" " Shut up!" "Everything about you is a lie." "Everything." "Stay away from me." "Debi, don´t go!" "You don´t get to have me." "Don´t you get it?" " You´re overreacting." " Yeah!" "Yeah!" "Whoo!" " Hello." " Are we out of business yet?" " I´m taking down the office now." " Good." " I´ll put things right, and then I´ll find you." " Why?" "It´s not like that, Marcella." "Look under your desk." "I left a little something for you." "All the way under." " You shouldn´t have." " That´s profit sharing." "You deserve it." "All right!" "You´re a handsome devil." "What´s your name?" "Dumb fuckin´ luck." "Ignacio" "Lay dying´ in the sand" " A single red rose" " Okay, good, good, good, good, good." "Clutched in her dying´ hand" " Here he comes." " And I don´t wanna watch" "To see them all die" "And the big black birds gathered in the sky" " What the hell is the matter with you?" " Get in the car now." "Keep your head down." "Shit." "Blank." "Go!" "Go, Chano, go!" "You must have done some naughty shit there, Bart, ´cause there´s a contract out on your life." "Believe me." "I was hired to kill you, but I´m not gonna do it." "It´s either because I´m in love with your daughter, or I have a newfound respect for life." "That punk is either in love with that guy´s daughter, or he has a newfound respect for life." " My whole life!" " Hopefully not." "Durazac?" "Design division wants me dead over a leaky sunroof?" "You wanna kill me because of that?" "It´s not me!" "Why does everybody think it´s personal?" "Get in here." "Dad?" "What´s going on?" "What is he doing here?" "They´re" " They´re" " They´re trying-- They´re trying to kill me." "My" " My testimony." "Martin saved my life." "I was sitting there alone on prom night in that goddamned rented tuxedo... and the whole night flashed before my eyes, and I realized finally... and for the first time that I wanted to kill somebody." "So I figured since I loved you so much it´d be a good idea if I didn´t see you any more." "They´re right behind us." "So, I was in the Gulf last year." "I was doing this thing." "Anyway, I came up over this dune and I saw the ocean, and it was on fire." "I mean, the whole thing." "It was beautiful." "And I just sat down and I watched it burn." "And I got the sneaking, dark suspicion that maybe there was meaning to life." "You know, a point, like an organic connection between all living things." "I don´t know, God, Yahweh, a higher power, whatever you want to call it." "Don´t move." "Debi, I´m in love with you... and I know we can make this relationship work." "Come on, come on, come on, come on." "Wait, wait!" " I was always afraid to commit to a relationship." " What?" "But now I´m ready to make it happen." "We need to go upstairs now." "It´s not easy for me." "I always control my emotions, my feelings, you know, and I just need time to change." "Go in there." "Lock the door." "Yeah, I wasn´t exactly raised in a loving environment." "It´s not an excuse, it´s a reason." "You know, my soul is empty." " I´ll be comin´ around the mountain when I come" " It´s up to me to fill it." "I´ll be comin´ around the mountain when I come" "I´ll be blowin´ your fuckin´ head off I´ll be blowin´ your fuckin´ head off" "I´ll be whacking´ your fuckin´ mind out when I come" "Popcorn!" ""See, and I saw a beast rise up out of the sea... having seven heads and ten horns." "And they worshipped the beast saying, ´Who is like the beast?" "Who is able to make war with him?"" " It´s okay." "It´s Martin." " Not you, Pinky!" "I know what I do isn´t, you know, moral, per se" " Make this gun work." " Sure." "But I think if you could just look past that, you can find a man worth loving." " I mean, I´m working on the redemption thing, but" " Hey, now, girl." "Don´t you listen to him." "He´s a professional." "Hold on a minute." "Smells like a wedding." "You´re breaking´ my heart down here, Blank." "I can´t aim through the tears." "Budro´s comin´ for ya!" " Comrade!" "Hey, Comrade!" " What?" "Why don´t you just join the union, we´ll go upstairs together and cap Daddy." "This union, is there gonna be meetings?" "Of course." "No meetings." "National Security, Blank!" "Workers of the world, unite!" "Look at that." "Empty." "Solidarity, baby." "You out?" "Yeah." " So, what are you gonna do?" "You gonna throw that gun at me?" " No!" " How about this?" "How about l sell you a piece for 100 Gs?" " Okay." "Front me?" "Deal." "Popcorn" "Ow." "Ow." "Ow." "I want you to think about this, and you don´t have to answer it now... but, Debi, will you marry me?" "You got my blessing." "This is WGPM-FM, Radio Free Newberry, Grosse Pointe, Michigan... winding down our all-vinyl reunion weekend..." "Pointes High class of ´86." "Some people say forgive and forget." "Nah, I don´t know." "I say forget about forgive and just accept." "And get the hell out of town." "When I´m a-walkin´ l strut my stuff" "Then I´m so strung out" "I´m high as a kite l just might" "Stop to check you out" "Let me go on" "Like I blister in the sun" "Let me go on" "Big hands, I know you´re the one" "When I´m a-walkin´ l strut my stuff" "Then I´m so strung out" "I´m high as a kite l just might" "Stop to check you out" "Body and feet I stained my sheets" "I don´t even know why" "My girlfriend She´s at the end" "She is starting to cry" "When I´m a-walkin´ l strut my stuff" "Then I´m so strung out" "I´m high as a kite and I just might" "Stop to check you out" "Let me go on" "Like I blister in the sun" "Let me go on" "Big hands, I know you´re the one" "Hey, hey" "Hey, hey"