"A violent act, yes." "Act of vengeance, as well." "Act of justice." "He was taught to fire quickly upon any enemy out in the open." "He simply did what he had done thousands of times." "Pierre Rouvier was not the one who fired." "No." "It was soldier Rouvier, officer in the paratroopers, comrade to those who shouted to the world, "I shall not die in vain."" "Soldier Pierre Rouvier has earned the right to our pride and to our affection." "And if it is not possible for you to express our eternal gratitude to those who shed their blood so that France might live, may you at least have the solace of easing the burden of one of their bravest comrades, who was" "miraculously spared from the terrifying furnace." "I knew right off that I had them in the palm of my hands." "They all but had their handkerchiefs out." "Like at the theater." "And it was almost improvised." "I didn't even look at my notes, did you notice?" "May I ask you a question?" "Please." " Haven't you said enough nonsense?" " What?" "I did kill my wife." "Of course." "Everyone knows that." "I, Pierre Rouvier, killed my wife, Hélène Rouvier." "When she showed up naked, I saw her, not an enemy soldier." "I wanted to shoot her." "The paratrooper didn't shoot her." "The cuckold did." "See the distinction?" "That defense would have never gotten you off." "So what?" "Did I ask to get off?" "Goodbye." "What did you do?" "Before..." "Law student." "Why?" "No reason." "What will you be doing now?" "Getting the hell out of here." "THE LOVERS OF THE TEJO" "Translated for KG by rentboy." "Shot on location in Portugal, all thanks to the Portuguese authorities." " What's he saying?" "I couldn't follow." " He doesn't like folks who travel a lot." "What about Vasco de Gama?" " He still says no?" " He says you've already been in Portugal for too long." "I'm not traveling enough now?" "They're all the same." "Ask him for another 3 months." "Tell him I'm getting out as soon as a cargo ship comes in." "You idiot!" "Will you get your cart out the way?" "Hell with you." "30 escudos, please." "I'm sorry, but I have no Portuguese money." "Wait." "This is much too much." "£ 5, that's..." "I don't know, that's... 400 escudos. 30 for the ride, and the rest for the Parisian accent." "Mme Kathleen Dinver." "Your suite is ready, Lady Dinver." "Would you please come with me?" "Postcard, sir?" "Hello, Mosquito." "Grab a seat." "Well?" "Are you thirsty?" "Yeah." " Order up." " What are you drinking?" " Me too." " No way." "Grow a mustache first." "That's right." "All of them." "How's the postcard business?" "Tougher and tougher." "Take a look." "They're making their own." "So I sell them stuff to make cards with." "For a bit more, I act as their guide." " You have a head for business." " From my dad, they say." "He was from Marseille." "They say there's nothing better." "Is it true?" "It's true." "Nothing better in Marseille in any case." "Is it true what Manuel says?" "That a lady paid you £ 5?" "Here." "Look." "They're in your pocket like a hanky?" "Fold them." "So many escudos..." "It's a lot for you and me, but maybe not for her." " The little lady is touched in the head." " Why?" "Maybe it was a good deed by a stranger hoping for luck in a new land." "And she chose me as a good luck charm?" "Poor judgment." " She came from far away?" " From London, I think." "She had lots of tags on her bags." "That got to me." "Every time I see a tag on a suitcase, I feel like taking off." " To go where?" " Dunno." "Some other place." "Why?" "Don't you like it here?" "I like it fine, Maria." "But I can't help it, my legs are asleep." " I want to travel too." " Naturally." "With a father like yours..." "Another one who couldn't sit still." "What a man, that one." "Yeah, right." "He gives you a kid and he runs off." "Yes, what a man." "And to top it all, you admire him." "Poor Maria..." "Why?" "He was good to me." "He gave me his house for Manuel." "He also gave me happiness." "Otherwise, he was free." "We weren't married." "So what?" "Pierre." "Don't ask providence for too much." "I'm not asking for anything." "I just want to be left in peace." "I'll take it from there." "But swine can be tamed." "If I was in your place, I'd have snuffed out your sailor." "Are you talking about my father?" "Don't play with that, you fool." "You're a good kid, Mosquito." "From time to time, stuff comes back into my head, and I lose my marbles." "Peace?" "Yes." "Because you're my friend." "And because you're always sad." " This and this." " That's ham twice." "Well, give me something else, whatever you want." "She's French, you know." "A compatriot of yours." "Poor Lord Dinver." "Thinking about it always spoils my appetite." "I feel even sorrier for her." " Oh?" "Why?" " I don't know." "I think your friend Miguel is susceptible to young widows." "How interesting." "Did you hear, Sir Oliver?" "Note that I too feel very sorry for her." "Well... as sorry as one can be for a girl her age who's left with an income of 30 or 40 thousand pounds." "That much?" "Apparently, she fainted twice during the funeral." "Well done, I say." "Excuse me, Madam." "I speak French, you know?" "No, I'm not a beggar." "I'm working." "In that case." " What do you do?" " I'm a guide." "Don't you need one?" " To go to sleep?" " It's not late." "You're already sleepy?" "Lisbon by night?" "Well?" "What extraordinary sights do you suggest?" "Fado?" "Do you like fados?" "Fados it is." " What did he say?" " We're completely full." "If you don't mind waiting, the first free table is yours." "No, it's all right." "I'll come back another day." "The lady is with the gentleman." "Over there." "He's waiting for her." " Pierre!" " Mosquito." "What are you doing here?" "You should be in bed." "I'm working as a guide." "That lady with the £ 5?" "I'm showing her Lisbon." "I see." "Don't you think she's managed to find change since this afternoon?" "You never know." "The doorman wouldn't let her in because it's full." "So I said she was with you." "Are you nuts?" "What nerve." "I said I wanted to be alone." "Alone." "You'd stop a poor kid from making a living?" "OK, she can come." "But you carry the conversation." "I'm warning you, I'm not talking." "Agreed." " Do you like it?" " Very much." "I'm sorry I don't understand Portuguese." "It must be beautiful." "It's the wife of a fisherman who died at sea." "She goes down to the beach every night and talks to him as if he were alive." "She tells him..." "She tells him..." "love things." "I woke up this morning trembling next to you" "Afraid that I was less beautiful than yesterday." "But your eyes told me no." "When you opened the door" "The sun was gliding along the sea" "And your black boat was dancing in the light." "Standing on the rocks, I saw you hoist sail" "And turn towards the open sea, while waving happily." "The women praying at night along the shore" "Say that you never returned." "Madwomen, my love" "Madwomen." "You never left." "You're everywhere around me as always" "In the wind throwing sand against the windowpanes" "In the water singing on the fire" "In the empty chair staring at me" "In the dark of the hearth" "In the warmth of the bed" "In the crook of my shoulder" "You are there always" "Always" "Always..." "Thank you." "Not at all." "That came included for the £ 5." "A princely tip." "It's not every day one gets to carry the suitcases of a high end tourist." "Isn't that so, Lady Dinver?" "My maiden name is Catherine Clairand." "And my mother was a seamstress." "Forgive me." "Do you like Lisbon?" "I don't know yet." "Countries are a bit like faces." "They all look different." "Yet they're all alike." "I recognize them by smell." "Take Lisbon, for example." "It smells of algae, rock candy and grilled sardines." "Kathleen sweetheart!" "Not again." "You here?" "What a surprise!" "They wouldn't let us in because it's full, but I said that I..." "I love these little Portuguese cellars." "They're so louche, don't you think?" "I had decided to turn in early, but Miguel insisted on going out." "You can only breathe here at night." "How do they manage to have a sun like that in such a tiny country?" " You know, it's barely been..." " Yes, of course, you just got here." "And as they say in Paris, you still can't see straight." "But you'll see." "There are lots of amusing things to see." " On Augusta Street, for example..." " The taxi you called is here, Madam." " Oh, how sweet." " Ah, yes..." "Thanks, I'll be right out." " Would you excuse me?" " But Kathy darling..." "Allow me to take you back." "You're very kind but I don't want to be a bother." " See you tomorrow." " Goodbye." "I realized they were bothering you, so..." " Are you going back to the hotel now?" " Not much choice." "The Avis is the fanciest hotel in town." "Why?" "Don't you like it?" "I do, but I came here to be alone." " Obviously, that..." " Tell me." "Can you think of where I might find a room or small flat in a quiet neighborhood far from the high end tourists?" " No." "In any case, you'd soon tire of it." " Why?" "You can show the lady Lisbon." " You can tell her your stories." " Stay out of this." "He has great stories of what happened to him..." "Will you shut up?" "Don't worry about the flat." "I'll talk to mom." "You can come up, Mosquito." "Yes?" "Good morning, Sr. guide." " Where are we going this morning?" " Augusta Street." "Full of fancy shops." "You're starting to know women." "Are you happy going out with me?" "I'm not too little for you?" "You're a darling kid and my favorite guide." "And I love visiting Lisbon with you." "Do you like Lisbon?" " A lot." "Especially when you explain it." " Of course, it's not Paris or London." " How do you know?" " Pierre told me." "Finally, M. Rouvier." "You hadn't mentioned him since you got here." "I was getting worried." " It bothers you that I talk about him?" " Why would it?" "We have to talk about something." "What is it?" " Triumphal return of the errant armchair." " Just a minute." " Where do I put it?" " Anywhere." " Well?" "Is it holding together now?" " It's holding." "It could take a polar bear, and you're barely larger than a sparrow." "Relax." "How are you?" "Brilliant." "OK, well..." "I have to go..." "See you around." " Wait." "What do I owe you for the repair?" " Nothing." "I added things up, and with my lavish income, I still owe you £ 3." "Such recall." "It looks like I'd better not insist." "Thanks anyway." "Between neighbors..." "Well, see you around." "Goodbye." "If one day you need anything..." " I go to the window, and I call out." " That's it." "Well, goodbye." "Goodbye." "Do you know Nazaré?" "No, who is it?" "It's a fishing village on the coast of Estremadura." "You could say, it's the capital of sardines." "You practically walk on them." "At night, the guys pull up nets like silver carpets." "So we're planning to take..." "a trip there tomorrow with a whole gang." "Porfirio, Amália..." "Porfirio's a friend." "Would you like to come?" "You're kind, M. Rouvier, but you know, group outings and I..." "I don't know your friends." "And I'm a loner, not at all the group ticket type." "I understand of course." "OK, goodbye." "Thanks." "What if just the two of us went out?" "Ladies and gentlemen, you are now on the Tejo." "near the river mouth." "Lisbon lies along the Tejo..." " What did she say?" " She's English." "She has a grave concern:" "will she find a decent cup of tea?" "You can't have everything in life:" "the Tejo plus a good cup of tea." "Given that you hate crowds, you must feel right at home." "I love crowds, M. Rouvier." "They're blind and deaf." "What could be better?" "It's beautiful." "Do you like the Tejo?" "I like all rivers." "Because they go to the sea." "When I'm feeling down, I stroll along the docks." "I smoke a cigarette, and I watch the water go by. 5 minutes later," "I'm in China." "You like to travel that much?" "I like leaving most of all." "This reminds me of the bateaux mouches going down the Seine, minus the guide." " Have you ever been on one?" " Never." "Each time one went by, I'd tell myself, "You'll have to decide someday soon."" "But they enticed me far less than the canal boats." "How I wanted to ride on a canal boat..." "I spent my childhood watching them go by..." "I'm sure your father would have paid for a ride if you had asked him nicely." "My father died when I was 5, M. Rouvier." "In any case, he only made 2300 francs a month." "As for my mother, she was a seamstress." " I told you that the other night." " Yes, I'm sorry." " I'm spoiling everything." "I'm so clumsy." " You're not spoiling anything." "What about yours?" "What did he do?" "My father was a cabinetmaker." " We lived on Île Saint-Louis..." " And we, Place St. Michel." " No!" "So we were neighbors?" " Already." " I saw the back of Notre-Dame..." " I, the front." "And we had to come to Portugal to notice that." "Lady Dinver." "What a happy surprise!" "Truly." "Allow me to present my respects." "Hello." "So you had the idea to come visit dear old Portugal." "I did too, as you can see." "I must say that I find you looking much better than the last time we met in Cornwall, during..." "I wasn't well." "It must also be said that English weather is much less pleasant, always full of fog and of ghosts." "I apologize for keeping you in that climate for a while." " Please, forget about it." " Bravo." "I'm happy to see you don't hold a grudge for that sad and tragic..." " How do you say in French...?" " Oh, I didn't introduce you." " Pierre Rouvier, M. Lewis." " Very pleased to meet you, M. Rouvier." "I apologize for chattering away like... an old magpie." "Is that the word?" "I'm delaying you." "My respects, Madam." " See you soon." " Do you plan to stay in Lisbon long?" "Who knows?" "Maybe, maybe not." "I'm so stubborn." "Goodbye." "A friend of yours?" "Here we are in front of ancient Nazaré known for her brocade, her Atlantic ocean front and her famous schools of sardines brought in at night by old tired fishermen." "She's also known for her joys, her customs, her tragedies which make her a destination for poets, musicians and writers." "Follow the guide!" "Pierre, what are these women doing?" "Praying until the last sail has come in." " The coast is dangerous?" " Terribly." "There are no families in Nazaré not missing a father, brother, or husband." "That may be why girls wear black from birth." " Why do they caress the sand?" " To calm the sea." "Are these your friends?" " You don't mind?" "They're very nice." " Of course, since they're your friends." "I'm a little tired." "I've never known how to walk on the sand." "The trick is not to walk on it, but in it." "Dig in your feet as far as they'll go." " In the end, it's less draining." " You know a lot of things." "That one, I learned at Bir Hakeim." "This is nice." "I could stay here my whole life." "Not you?" "Yes and no." "Boats in the sand always get me down." "I only like things that move." "Nothing ever ties you down anywhere, right?" "Nothing and no one?" "And no one has ever tried?" "That would be going to a lot of trouble for not much." "How can you know that?" "Have you been married?" "Once and for all." "You too, right?" "You can still see the ring mark on your finger." " Are you divorced?" " Widowed." "Must be recent." "The mark is still fresh." "A year." " You took off your ring to..." " To avoid pity and questions." "Excuse me." "Are you angry?" "No, I'm mad at myself." "It's odd, I have this extraordinary feeling..." "Can you tell me what it is?" "You see, Pierre, we've had at least ten chances to say nasty things to each other." "Well, each time invariably, something... very strong has kept us together." "Perhaps it's misfortune." "The unlucky recognize each other on sight." "No need to wear to sign." "Perhaps." "It started the first time we looked at each other, when I saw you again sitting alone at that table at Amália's, and then every time Mosquito would speak of you." "Out of all the street noises, only one wakes me up every time, the sound of your taxi when you come home at night." "The purr of the engine, the little screech the brake makes, two squeaks, the door opening and closing" "then your steps on the cobblestones." "And I pass by your house, thinking you're behind that lit window, and I..." "No, Pierre." " Sorry, I should have understood sooner." " Understood what?" "Just that deserted beaches, moonlight, melancholy ladies aren't reason enough to behave like a kid." "A pretty girl lets herself be kissed, well, she was probably bored." "She wanted to be alone with you, probably for this melodrama." "Poor fool." "Out of all the words you've just said, only two are true: the last two." " You're coming to dinner tonight, swear?" " Swear." "Here." "Take the key." "It's simpler." " Do you insist?" " Yes, I have another." " I don't like keys." " Why?" "Have they done something to you?" "Perhaps." "Silly." "Don't come too late tonight." "I'll be counting the minutes." "If you're hell bent on draining the cellar, you might as well say so." "Leave me the hell alone!" "I understand getting drunk at night." "But in broad daylight like this, it's vulgar." "Come on, take it easy, Parisian." "Bagaceira doesn't come out of faucets." "In 10 minutes, you'll be drunk as a skunk." "That's why I'm here." "Well, in that case..." "Oh, before you fall over, we need to talk." " Do you still want to leave?" " What's it to you?" "It's just that your cargo ship arrives in 15 days and leaves the next day." "So I'd like to know:" "you want to leave or not?" "I want to drink." " That's her key?" " Yeah." "She gave it to me?" "Like the other one." "I don't like keys." "Why don't you like keys?" "Because they open doors." "There are things behind doors..." "You open the door and it hits you right in the face." "Then 5 minutes later, you're a bastard." "You were a good man on one side of the door." "You're a bastard on the other side." "A bastard!" "Forgive me." "You're really too kind." "Don't you want to look under the bed." "Kathleen, try to understand." "Please try to understand me." "I wasn't going to come." " I swore to myself I wouldn't come." " You swore the opposite to me." "Don't look at me this way." "It's..." "horrible." "It's as if you hate me." "I'm measuring you." "Unfortunately, it's a precaution one always takes too late." "I know what you're going to say." "It's true, I promised to come for dinner." "It's also true I was very happy at the thought of seeing you again." "But I don't know..." "I started to think about a bunch of things." " I told myself..." " You talk to yourself too much." "I don't want it to start again, you understand?" "... to start again like with the other one." "What other one?" "The woman I killed." "My wife." "Yes, Kathleen, I'm a murderer." "Not a murderer on the run, don't worry." "Apparently there are distinctions in killing." "There is... the black crime of contract killers, the red crime of the insane, the white crime of countries at war..." "Well, I'm more in the category of candy pink killers." "You see the type?" "Acquitted unanimously." "It was a crime of passion?" "Yeah..." "She was cheating on you?" "Yeah." "You loved her?" "I thought I did." "I always thought I did." "But now I know I killed her for nothing... since you're the one I love." "You told yourself..." "She'll be like the other one." "She has to be like the other one." " And everything will start again." " Yes, that's it." "Nothing ever starts again." "There aren't... two drops of water," "There are no two women no two men no two loves that are alike." "I might hurt you too, but... not that way." "You love me?" "Go ask the beach in Nazaré." "I want to know if you love me." "And I don't want to know." "I can tell you that... when you're not there, I'm like an empty house." "And when you come back, even breaking down doors... it's as if the sun were shining in my face again." "No, don't say anything." "Be quiet." "Leave it, don't answer." " Who can it be?" " Who gives a damn?" "No one knows my number in Lisbon, except for you and Maria." "And Maria doesn't have a phone." "It might be a wrong number." "Who's calling?" "They must have hung up." "No, there's someone there, I'm sure of it." "Who's there?" "This time, he hung up." "Do you know who it was?" "That... that's Lewis." "He's your lover?" " My poor Pierre..." " Is he your lover?" "He was?" "Then who is he?" "He's a chief inspector at Scotland Yard." "A cop?" "What does he want with you?" "My husband died in a car accident." "That's his business?" "An accident is an accident, even in England." "The coroner ruled accidental death, but Lewis has never wanted to believe that version." "More precisely, he has been paid not to believe that version." " By whom?" " By the Dinvers, my husband's family." "They've always hated me." "To them, I was the intruder, the kid from Paris, who became Lady Dinver." "And now, I've become the heiress." "It's a real blow, you understand?" "Fortunately, I was 30 Kms away when the accident happened." "Bill was driving alone." "Bill was your husband?" "You called him Bill?" "Everyone called him Bill." "But that Lewis, what is he hoping for, following you around?" "What is he waiting for?" "He's waiting." "You've never seen a cat watching a bird in a tree?" "The bird hasn't done anything, but the cat still waits." "But your husband, your Bill... was he like them?" "Don't you want to talk about something else?" "Well, M. Lewis, what exactly do you want?" "I'm thrilled that you remembered my name, M. Rouvier." "I want to go to King George's Bar, quite simply." "Listen to me, Lewis." "I'm not as much of an idiot as you seem to think." "You didn't choose my taxi by chance." "I was 10th in line, and you came straight to me." "Why?" "Because you have an enormously likable face." "I'm glad to hear it." "So, did you have something to tell me?" "I'd like nothing more than to please you." "What's your pleasure?" "Would you like us to talk about Lady Dinver?" "Yes, but I'll do the talking." "Leave her alone, clear?" "Clear." "You don't like knowing, that's all." "Too bad." "You're foolishly depriving yourself of one of life's great pleasures:" "the discovery of a human being." "Pack up your literature textbook." "I'm not buying." ""Where are you, certainty?" Othello cried." "But you are not Othello." "No, I'm a taxi driver." "And I say to you..." "Emotions aside, how much do I owe you?" "7 escudos." "You want a receipt for the Dinver family?" "Oh, boy..." "She's told you a lot about me." "No receipt, thanks." "I negotiated a fixed price." "See you soon." "You can keep your tip." "I never accept any from cops." "Excuse me." "You forgot this on the seat." "I never forget anything, M. Rouvier." "I thought you'd want to see me again." "So..." "I gave you... a pretext." " Subtle, no?" " You want applause?" "You came." "That's the important thing." "Go on, take a seat." "Another 2 scotch." "I came back, but not to listen to your drivel about Kathleen." "I came back to dot the i's and cross the t's." "See what I mean?" "Yes, very funny." "I wouldn't want you to take me for a fool." "I might as well warn you Kathleen told me everything." "I know." "You know what she told you." "I do too." "You too what?" "I too know what she told you." "I have a good idea." "First, the marriage." "The lord marries the perfume salesgirl." "Very sweet." "Then, England." "The lord's family takes to hating this second-hand Lady." "Very sad." "Then the car accident." "The Lady is widowed, and she inherits." "So the Dinver family sics on her heels a Yard policeman." "Very nasty." "Correct, M. Rouvier?" "Correct, copper." "But do you know she was 30 Kms away when the accident happened?" " 35." " Well?" "Well, it's true, M. Rouvier." "So why the hell are you here poisoning her life?" " Because of the holes?" " The holes?" "I don't like holes." "Everything she said is true." "But there is also what she hasn't said and which is equally true." "If by any chance that little problem interests you," "I am at your complete disposal." "You're a bastard, Lewis." "M. Rouvier, a cop is always a career bastard." "You won't have her, Lewis." "Get this through your head." " Because I will do everything it takes." " In fact, you're the only one who can." "I think our conversation is taking a regrettable turn." "Compared to you, I'm 10 thousand years old." "You barely look them." "At worst 5, or 6." "It's because I'm happy." "Now, I'll ask you a crucial question that will decide my whole future." "How do you say lemonade in Portuguese?" " Pirolito." "Why?" "You want some?" " A tankerful." "Don't move, I'll be right back." "What's happened to you all this time?" "You vanished from the hotel with no warning." "Horrible." " Yes, I..." " Miguel thought you had left Lisbon." "But I was sure of the opposite." "I have antennae, I do." "Am I not right?" "We barely had the pleasure of meeting you before you vanished like... like the sun behind a cloud." "Miguel, how terribly poetic of you." "Allow me to introduce Mrs. Maisie Dixon from London," " Sr. Miguel Acevera" " How do you do?" " Pierre Rouvier, my cloud." "I'll explain later." "I'm thirsty now." " Would you like to take advantage?" " No, thanks." " You?" "It's good." " Excuse me." " What if he's thirsty?" " He's not thirsty." "In any case, we must leave right away." "Goodbye, dear." "And have fun, children." "Women are impossible to understand." "What's the matter?" "I don't understand English very well, but I think she's right." " She's a nutter." " She's still right." "I'm not a gentleman." "Not as she means it, but I think you're great as you are." "Are you sure?" "Are you sleeping?" "I'm too hot, and too thirsty." "Would you like me to get you some cold water." "Wait." "I've never seen heat like this." "In Paris at least, I had the option of walking along the docks until 1am." "If you could only see me crawl into work the next day." "Is it hard to sell perfume?" "How do you know I sold perfume?" "Because you told me, obviously." "I don't remember telling you." " Did you work far from home?" " Champs-Elysées." "Fancy neighborhood." "You must have seen plenty of high society." "Apparently, that's how you met him." " Who?" " Lord Dinver." "The famous Bill." "What, no answer?" "I don't like folks going through my drawers." "Or folks laying traps while acting innocent." "What happened before you doesn't concern you." "None of it." "Is that a demand?" "Please don't bare your fangs." "From the sands of Nazaré through this glass of water, every minute of my life belongs to you, but not the ones before." "Those are mine." "Yeah..." "You must be loved blindly, of course." "If you wish." "And you must take me as I am or leave me." "I know nothing of your life." "I've told you all about mine." "I didn't ask you anything." "I would have never asked you anything." "Kiss me." "Over here, M. Rouvier." "Please take a seat." "Above all, relax." "Breathe deeply." "You have to get your lungs quickly accustomed to the steam if you want to avoid feeling nauseated." "I already am." "Is something bothering you?" "You." "The worst thing in life is to need people like you." "But you don't need me." "I imagine Lady Dinver has already given you a lot of herself." "Why don't you try to be happy with that?" "That way lies happiness perhaps." "Officially, I come off like a brute." "Officially, Lady Dinver is entitled to every compassion." "When you suddenly lose such an extraordinary husband..." "What was so extraordinary about the guy?" "Did he have wings?" "Let's just say he rated... far above the average man." "Far above you... and me, for example." "Thanks, I feel less alone." "First, he was handsome." "You're not ugly, M. Rouvier, but Lord Dinver was handsome." "See the distinction?" "He was also rich, generous... kindhearted, cultivated..." " witty..." " All right, enough." "She must have loved him very much." "Put yourself in her shoes." "So why do you insist on suspecting her?" "That makes no sense." " Do people kill those they love?" " Allow me to turn the question around." "Do people kill those they love, M. Rouvier?" " You know about that, too?" " Yet I'm the least curious man on earth." "For 23 years, I've lived in the same building and I'd be at a loss to tell you the names of my neighbors." "Lady Dinver's exemplary grief was admired by all London." "No one had ever seen such beautiful eyes shed so many tears." "You'll understand under these circumstances how I might be surprised that such great pain could vanish so quickly in your arms." "Your anesthetic powers are quite remarkable." "Kathleen is 24, a widow for a year." "Isn't that enough for you?" "Bill Dinver died... barely... 11 weeks ago, my friend." "74 days, exactly." "2 and a half months." "You're lying." "Would you like to check the newspapers?" "I have them here." "So... you were lied to." "There's one major question mark for you." "Isn't it?" "I can offer you three answers." "Either Lady Dinver pretended to love her husband, or you're the one she's pretending to love, or she pretended to love both." " Why?" " Why not?" "She needed Bill Dinver to be rich." "Then she needed you... let's say, to be..." "less alone." " Even if true, that's my business." " Sorry, but" "I'm paid -- rather badly by the way -- to clear up mysteries." "And Bill Dinver's death is one." "There had to be an inquest." "Kathleen's innocence must have been proven, no?" "It was not possible to prove her guilt." "There's a distinction." "Come on, the guy died in a car accident." "That's happened before, no?" "What would you think of a woman who lets you get in a car knowing perfectly well that you have every chance of getting into a crash?" "Prove it." "I have no proof, and I never will." "So why the hell are you still here?" "A good bridge player never throws out his cards before playing them all." "I still have one left... a very small one." "Which one?" "If I told you, where would the surprise be?" "Don't go out like that." "You'll catch cold, M. Rouvier." "Well, well, Parisian, your cargo ship finally came in with a captain made to order for you." "And he's from your country." "Everything OK?" "By the way..." "She's fueling up today." "And tomorrow at dawn..." " And what's this?" " Show me." "That's the small hotel where I lived." "I shared a room with a girlfriend." "Here she is." "Not as pretty as you." " You say that about every woman you see." " Because it's true." " And that?" " That is a church in Paris." "St. Germain-of-the-Prairies." " I don't see any cows." " Cows?" "There are cows in prairies, no?" "Not there." "There are no prairies either." "So those people with beards and long hair aren't keeping cows?" "No, they live in the neighborhood." "There are painters, sculptors, writers, philosophers..." "Like these?" "Here's Pierre." " Hello, Pierre." " Hello." " What's the matter?" " Nothing at all." "Something is." "I'm starting to know you." "Oh yeah?" "We're starting to know each other then." "That's it." " Did you see the photos?" " He's not interested." "Sure, why not." "It's good sometime to go down memory lane." "First class establishment and the famous stools on which the future Lady Dinver will meet her prince charming." "What does a prince charming do?" "He changes the fate of shepherdesses." "He looks like a god, with pockets full of money, and holes in those pockets." "And the shepherdess only has to stoop to fill hers up, you understand?" " You will soon enough, no hurry." " Pierre, what's the matter?" " I'm kidding." "I have the right, no?" " As long as you're funny." "He was funnier than I am?" "A thousand apologies." "It's the prince's castle." "And the noble family lined up before the front steps... welcomes the shepherdess." "Historic moment." "Some long faces, but they still welcome her." "Prince charming isn't there, though." "He's probably the one taking the picture." "Poor prince." " Why?" "Did something happen to him?" " Kinda." " Did he fall from his horse?" " That's it." "He fell from his 30 horsepower V8." "Leave us alone, my dear." " I have to go already?" " Do it for me." " Can I come back?" " Of course." "You can continue now." " I'm done." " Come on now." "Tell me at least where you met him." " Who?" " Your friend Lewis." "You're just itching to see that cop undressed in front of you." "Scotland Yard strip-tease in the presence of M. Rouvier the connoisseur." "I hope he gave you the Dinver money's worth." "I wanted to know." " I absolutely had to know." " So you know now?" "I know you lied to me." " Lewis or I?" " You." "About your husband." "How could I have lied to you?" "I've never spoken of him." "Sometimes being quiet is the ugliest kind of lie." "I'm paid and I've paid to know that." "The kind of woman you are, the kind of woman you were for Lord Dinver..." "His wife." " You loved him, eh?" " I was his wife." "I don't ask you what you did with yours." "Is that all?" "Let's talk about your so-called year of mourning," "Your husband died barely 2 and a half months ago." " Why did you tell me a year?" " I judged it more proper." "Deep down, you're so petit bourgeois." "Do you want to read the transcript of the coroner's report?" " I have a copy." " I don't want that!" " If it's necessary to divulge one's police record to become your mistress" " Stop it." "Then what?" "What is it you want?" "To be the pawn of a crooked cop whose only hope is to break us up?" "To spoil my happiness, to hurt me, to make things impossible between us?" " I'm miserable, Kathleen." " By your down doing." "Please forgive me." "You mustn't ask too often, Pierre." "I'm not that generous." "Be careful." " Your wife always... " "I don't like your eyes." "What is it now?" "Say it." "Go on, say it." "How often did you kiss him like that before he realized you were laughing at him?" "Go." "Go." "I'm going." "But further than you think." "A cargo ship leaves tomorrow." "I'll be on it." "I'm done with your lies and your silences that are also lies." "I leave you all alone with your past." "Here." "Just give it to the next one." "I am." "I don't understand Portuguese." "You must come to the precinct..." "today... with your passport." "What happened?" "What happened?" "My cargo ship is here." "I've been waiting for it for 2 months." "I didn't talk about it?" "You stopped talking about it weeks ago." "I thought you had changed your mind." "Is it because of her?" "Her?" "Who's that?" "I don't know a "her."" "You're going to hurt her an awful lot." "She had only you." "You're right, she really had me." "But don't worry." "I'm neither the first nor the last." "She'll have others." "She's too good a kisser." "Is it true you're leaving?" "Tell me." "Well, yeah." "You knew I'd be leaving sooner or later." "It's a good thing I was here." "I was planning to come say goodbye tonight before I left." "Word of honor." "Are you going far?" "You'll never come back to Lisbon?" "I might someday, but not for a long time." "You're not crying, are you?" "Listen, Mosquito." "The two of us are friends." "We're men." "Well, men must never cry." "Wet handkerchiefs are for girls." "I'm not crying." "Let's see." "Shake my hand, and say goodbye." " Goodbye, Pierre." " You can do better." "Goodbye, Parisian." "Well now you're a man." "Goodbye, Mosquito." "I'm sorry to inconvenience you, Lady Dinver." "But resident aliens are required to sign a change of address form." "You neglected to do so when you left the hotel Avis." "Sit down." " I didn't know." " Oh, it's not very important." "It's just a formality." "If you would let me have your passport..." "It will be ready in 2 days, on Monday." "No need to come here again." "I'll have it delivered." " Monday?" " Yes, Monday." "You need 2 days to stamp a passport?" "It's just... the person who handles changes of address is not here right now." "Do you mean Mr. Lewis?" "I don't understand." "I..." "We don't know... any inspector here by the name of Lewis." " I..." "I assure you..." " How do you know he's an inspector?" " I said, Mr. Lewis." " I don't think I..." "Since you're taking orders from Scotland Yard you'll allow me to seek counsel at the British consulate in Lisbon." "We'll see if you're allowed to deprive me of my passport for 48 hours." "What do you think, Inspector Lewis?" "I think you're a remarkably intelligent woman." "You're completely right." "More precisely, you'll be completely right starting Monday morning." "Until then, the consulate is closed." "As soon as it opens, I'll simply need to return your passport, to offer you my apologies for the unfortunate misunderstanding, and to withstand, respectfully, a dressing down from the consul." "You're beginning to play with trick cards." " It's a bad sign." " I hope so for your sake." "Well..." "She's doing rather well for someone who's supposed to be depressed." "At Monte Cassino during the war, I saw a sergeant take a bullet right in the heart, and continue to run for another 100 meters before falling down." "Lady Dinver has her bullet in the heart, my friend." "I hope she falls down before Monday." "Otherwise..." "I think so." "Her last hope was to leave Lisbon tomorrow, with her lover." "That too is gone." "He's good, don't you think?" "He's amazing." "And he looks so miserable." "He is miserable." "That's probably why he's playing so well." "You have to be miserable to understand that." "This cellar is his death." "Yes." "Only, he'll never have the courage to leave." "Because this cellar is his life." "When do you leave?" "In a few hours." "It's better that way, believe me." "I didn't come to hold you back." "I simply came to bring you what you were looking for so desperately in me:" "the truth." "It will be my farewell gift." "I killed Bill Dinver." "I married him to get rich, and I killed him not to become poor again." "It's not difficult to pretend to love someone who loves you." "You can cheat at love." "At pleasure too." "I cheated, Pierre... as much as I could, for as long as I could." "And one day, he finally understood." "Like I did." " You'll never understand." " I do." "You got fed up lying, so one day you threw it all in his face, like you're doing now." "Yeah." "A moment of faintness." "At least one, Pierre." "My faintness is you." "Did he agree to a divorce?" "Yes... as long as I agreed to void the deed he had signed to make me rich." "Poor Lady." "Goodbye, pounds sterling." "He wanted to send me back to my single cups of coffee, to my bar stools," "to my one night stands, to my poverty." "I got scared." "I begged him on my knees." "He slapped me, and he left." "I knew where he was going." "He had just phoned his solicitor." "I ran to the window." "I saw him get in the car." "I knew he would drive like a madman." "I also knew that at the slightest bump the axle could break, had to break." "I had done what was needed for that." "You still don't have anything to fear from Lewis." "He'll never be able to prove you saw your husband get in the car." "So?" "I can tell him." "I am going to tell him." "Are you mad?" "Even with the best lawyer in the world, you know what you're looking at?" "That's what he's been waiting for." "He's toying with my nerves." "He's looking for my weak point." "And my weak point is you, Pierre." "Now, go." "Because, in one minute, when I look up," "I know I'll start sobbing because I love you like you can't even imagine." "I will watch over you my whole life simply because of what you just said." " You're going to leave me, come." " It's impossible!" " Come on!" "Porfirio, is my taxi downstairs?" "Easy, I just sold you taxi!" "Forget it." "Take Kathleen to the cargo ship." "I'll go pack some bags at your place, then I'll join you." "Give me the key." "But, Pierre...!" "I can't go." "I don't have my passport." "Don't worry, Mme Dinver." "The best passports are made by the Bank of England." "Come along." "Come in." "Hello, copper." "Oh, if you're looking for an apartment, this one will be available in 5 minutes." "Mme Kathleen Dinver is leaving..." "no forwarding address." " With you?" " With me, yes." " Tough break, huh?" " Tough break." "I knew you'd get the truth out of her one of these days, but..." "But I thought the truth would be enough to tear you away from her." "Poor Lewis." "You were hoping to find here a woman alone, desperate, at the end of her nerves." "So you tiptoed quietly into the room, ready to finally pick the fruit of a patient labor:" "Kathleen Dinver's confession." "But what do you find instead?" "A common taxi driver." "So wham!" "your whole scaffolding collapses." "Is that it?" "You understood everything perfectly." "Now you understand why the rich Kathleen Dinver was hanging on desperately to the common taxi driver." "A common taxi driver who is ultimately richer and stronger than she is since he's able to bring down the great scaffolding as you say." "She told you... that she killed Lord Dinver?" "Yeah." "You lucky stiff." "It must be awful to hear that with absolutely no witness around." " Right, Lewis?" " It's awful." "Yes, Lewis, she killed him." "She killed him, and I don't give a damn." "Because I've killed too." "A crime on each side." "In fact, that's probably what brought us together." " You don't believe in fate?" " I'm a cop, M. Rouvier." "I only believe in fingerprints." "I still think you're wrong." "About what?" "You killed out of love." "And Lady Dinver killed out of self-interest." "Your two murders don't bring you together." "They separate you." "You don't know a thing about it." "Memories are memories." "And ours are the same." "We'll talk again once you've killed someone outside the line of duty." "You don't get it?" "Leave me your address." "We'll write." "Don't you want me to come with you?" "Don't be ridiculous." "You've nothing more to hope for." "I have only one hope, M. Rouvier:" "that we're not parting as complete enemies." " Sentimental, eh?" " In my spare time." "And I feel like I've just lost a lot of it." "Very well, officer." "It'll make for a nice memory." "Well here we are." "All I can do is to wish a good trip, and that the land of Brazil may be auspicious to you, M. Rouvier." "How could it be otherwise?" "Since you are loved passionately." "Passionately, right, M. Rouvier?" " Passionately." " Sure." "If she told you, it must be true." "Listen closely, Lewis." "I can tell you now." "You came this close to winning." "Kathleen and I were over." "We broke up." "I was leaving alone." "You know what she was about to do?" "Let me guess." "She was going to run to dear old inspector Lewis and throw herself in his arms, crying..." ""The man I love is gone." ""Nothing matters anymore." "Throw me in prison." ""I confess to killing Lord Dinver."" "More precisely, that's what she told you she was going to do." "And you believed her." "Which of course saved her the trouble of actually doing it." "Just as she expected." " I should have killed you the first day." " Take comfort." "That wouldn't have changed a thing in this business." "Sooner or later, you would have asked yourself some basic questions." "Why did she give herself to me on the very day she first ran into Lewis in Lisbon?" "Why did she tell me the truth only when there was nothing else left to do?" "Why wouldn't she be... hustling me..." "Is that how you say it?" "Why wouldn't she be hustling me the same way she hustled the other one?" "She needed me to protect herself the same way she needed the other one to get rich?" "Why wouldn't she have lied to me since she already lied to the other one?" "Why, why, why..." "Will you shut up?" "I'm done, M. Rouvier." "Bon voyage." "M. Rouvier..." "Allow me to give you a little present." "Lady Dinver's passport." "Which should raise one final question:" "Why did she confess everything to you on the very day" "I deprived her of her passport?" "M. Rouvier..." "Your suitcase." "Pierre, I was so afraid." "Afraid of what?" "I don't know." "You're afraid of everything when you're happy." "Don't worry." "In one hour, the sun will be up," "We'll be at sea, and everything will be over." "Everything will begin." "Yeah." " What did he say to you this time?" " Who?" "Lewis." "You're spying on me now?" "I was waiting." "I saw you arrive with him, that's all." "I almost ran out to the bridge, calling to you for help like a madwoman." "Here." "Look at my hand." "I bit myself to the quick to stop from crying out." "What did he want?" "Guess." "No, you're right." "You'd never be able to." "Well..." "M. Lewis slipped us his blessing." "He said, "Be happy, M. Rouvier."" "He even gave me a little present for you." "Your passport." "That way, you don't need anyone to get away." "You left so quickly earlier that I didn't..." "Listen, Kathleen, I beg you..." "Let's talk about something else." "What would be the point?" "That's all you think about." "You'll think about it your whole life and mine." "We're leaving together." "It's all that matters." "Leaving." "What does it mean?" "What matters is what you bring along." "We're bringing along Lewis on top of everything else." "Things will get better in time." "We'll get used to it." "Yeah..." "I'll get used to my loneliness and you to yours." "And our respective sorrows will eventually get along, right?" "Yeah." "Maybe we've lost the right to be difficult." "I haven't." "That's all I have left." "Oh, I left out the best part." "You know the last thing he told me?" "That you risked nothing threatening to turn yourself in, since you knew I'd stop you." "You believed him?" "No." "You want to come watch us leave dock?" "Pierre..." "I love you." "This is the second time I tell you." "I think this time you'll believe me."