"God, no!" "No!" "Oh no, please, don't!" "Put all this back at once." "You wanna mix it with me, nigger?" "The term "nigger" does not offend me." "A corruption of "Negro", and I am certainly that." "And I have already mixed it with you, with something more powerful than my fist: the law." "Now, take all these back." "Later we'll itemize the breakages, and you can pay for them." "I'd like you to hit me." "I already have you for harassment." "I'd like to add assault to that." "I really would." "You did the right thing calling me, Mr Culver." "Don't worry." "Everything's going to be all right from now on." "As though they own the world." "I saw him making you back down." "I didn't like that." "Neither did you." "You'd like to do something about it, wouldn't you?" "You're damn right, I would." "Well, you can." "Come to this address tonight, and if you know anyone else who feels the same way as you do about... all this, bring them, too." "We had 'em out on the street, Mr Miller, then this lawyer geezer turns up and" "Oh, you got the documents." "Well, of course I held off." "You can't buck the law, can you?" "I've met some guy who thinks he can." "Yeah, name of Hulton." "Hulton!" "He runs some kind of society, and he wants us to join." "You know" "What?" "You want us to join?" "When?" "Sorry, darling, slight change in programme." "I was going to give you a very special treat." "I'm hooked!" "Alas, the Dover sole" "So, it's sausage and mash?" "Fillet steak." "I was going to put it in the freezer." "What do you want, claret or burgundy?" "Don't worry;" "I'll get it, my love." "Wait there!" "You-- you bastards!" "You bastards!" "I don't like it." "I hate it." "I revile it." "It's still police business, sir." "Not any more." "I'm making it our business." "My business." "That's over-reacting a bit, isn't it?" "I mean, after all, all they did was plant a cross in a spade's garden." "Bodie." "You're taller than me, you're bigger." "But if you ever use that word again in this office, you'll find out that you're not tougher." "All right, so I'm over-reacting." "But I've seen and fought prejudice of one kind or another all my life, and I intend to keep on fighting it." "Yes, I'm over-reacting all right, but, by God, somebody's got to!" "Me, you, all of us!" "Any questions, Bodie?" "No, sir." "They lit a torch last night, a small one." "But fire spreads fast, that's why this is a CI5 job." "We're the fire fighters." "Now get to it and stamp it out." "I appreciate your concern, gentlemen, but I'm afraid I have to disagree with your boss." "I think we'd rather you tell him that, Mr Zadie." "No, I don't see it as the start of a movement." "No, more personal." "How do you mean?" "I'm a lawyer, and, immodestly, I know I am a very good lawyer." "I specialise in the underprivileged, my own people." "Every day somebody's trying to toss them out of their own homes, and every day I intercede and prevent it." "That makes enemies, Mr Doyle." "What about last night?" "Some thugs attacked my house." "With a burning cross?" "Well, some people like to put the boot in." "Did you see anyone?" "White-hooded figure, burning cross." "I rushed outside and took the count rather quickly, I'm afraid." "And having seen these symbols, you think it's only a personal vendetta?" "Yes, because I believe in this country." "I hope you're right." "I really do." "I've got it!" "It's an old family remedy, but, anyway, that embrocation" "Oh!" "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know you were in conference." "Darling, let me introduce you to these gentlemen from CI5." "Ah, how do you do?" "Well, I'll leave you" "Mrs Zadie, your husband said about last night that you couldn't identify these men." "No, they were hooded and covered with sheets." "Not much chance of seeing who anybody was." "Anyway, I was more concerned about my husband." "Well, I'll, uh, go, if you'll excuse me." "Sit, gentlemen." "Mr Bodie, "Having seen those symbols, you think it's only a personal vendetta?"" "that was the question you asked me, correct?" "Yes." "Yet, you were unable to hide your shock." "A black man and a white woman" "Mr Zadie, our interest, whether black, white, or sky-blue pink, is just with lawbreakers." "Yes, I'm sure it is." "All right, we'll just have to convince you." "Thank you, Mr Zadie." "Well, you played that nice, really nice." "I didn't say a word." "You didn't have to." "Where are you, Bodie?" "This is England, you know-- now!" "Don't look behind you, 'cause there's no gunboat and Victoria's long gone." "You see his car?" "More than I could afford." "And the house, more than I could ever afford." "And he's a spade." "And I'm saying it outside of Cowley's office." "Where are we going?" "Black Town." "Where in Black Town?" "Well, Zadie held up five evictions from property held by the Miller Trust." "Maybe they can tell us what happened last night." "Mr Miller?" "Dinny." "That break-in we had yesterday." "I found one of the kids in the street, trying to sell some of the stuff." "Yeah, says he works for Arty." "Arty Pymar, he's just a thief." "A thief who raises pigeons." "In a couple?" "I don't know." "Hey, when Arty broke in here yesterday, did he take a book?" "I don't know." "Just some stuff." "A radio, stuff!" "He don't know, Mr Miller." "What?" "Oh." "Hold on." "You listen to me." "I don't want to see your ugly face within a hundred miles of this place, now, you got it?" "Now, get out." "That's a bit short notice, Mr Miller." "I mean it's gonna take some arranging." "And money." "Arty?" "Arty!" "Arty?" "Hey, Tommy!" "Hallo?" "Uh, Mr Zadie there?" "He's not here right now." "Can I help?" "Well, he, he did me a favour some time ago, you see, and, uh, sort of kept a roof over my head." "I owe him a favour, now." "I'm sorry, this is Mrs Zadie speaking." "You're a very pretty lady." "I saw you once." "Can I take a message?" "I just want to warn him, that's all." "Warn him?" "What of?" "Well, I found something in a book that might, uh, concern him." "Uh, I ought to speak to him." "I'll call him later." "Well, who shall I say called?" "Just tell him Arty, the pigeon man." "Hey, baby." "Come to Daddy." "Come to Daddy, girls." "Listen, you tell Cowley." "I'll stay around and nose about a bit." "Terrorise one black man, then escalate and kill the next." "And, before we know where we are, it's them against us, black against white, and not unconfirmed." "Arthur Pymar." "Arty, the man who was pushed." "He called my home minutes before it happened." "My wife took the call." "He was trying to warn me about something." "Where's Bodie?" "Checking on the dead man." "He took off fast." "Maybe he had something on his conscience." "Watch this, watch." "Gambling's illegal!" "In public places." "Except in betting shops, of course." "You busting us?" "Or are you gonna try to bust us?" "It's Topaz, isn't it?" "I hear you like to bet." "I hear you like to bet on Arty's racing pigeons." "You remember Arty: fell off a roof." "His pigeons could fly, but he couldn't." "Tommy!" "You have to be Tommy, don't you?" "Hey?" "I don't know nothing!" "Well, you must know something." "I mean, you worked with Arty, didn't you?" "I don't know nothing!" "All right, you don't want to talk here." "Well, I better get you" "Bodie." "Water tower." "Cockpit." "I'm hit, bad." "Bodie, you half-Irish son of a bitch." "What'd you wanna go and do that for?" "Ray?" "What?" "Tell Cowley a couple of spades did this." "Two big black spades." " I'm pulling you off the case." " No, you're not." "You're too keyed up, too involved." "You pull me off, you suspend me, and you'll have to put a bullet through me because I shall still be there." "Do you understand me, Cowley?" "Mister Cowley?" "Well." "I wouldn't want all that hot air working against me." "All right." "Thank you." "And I'm sorry." "So am I. Bodie was a good man." "Is a good man, even if he will call a spade a spade." "Here." "I'm Cowley the Cow." "Well, just you remember:" "a cow gives milk." "A cow looks after its young" "Heard that before." "Well, good epigrams merit repeating." "So does good malt scotch." "Eh, no, you've got to keep a clear head." "Swab, nurse." "Get off me, you black bastard!" "Black bastard." "To the theatre, nurse." "Now, who did it?" "White-robed men were observed running from the scene." "So that means some of us are implicated." "Some of us must have done it." "Who?" "The connotations are quite clear:" ""Arthur Pymar, Negro, unemployed"." "I don't weep tears for his kind." "A part of me approves the action." "But, by God!" "Not without my say-so." "Without my approbation." "Now, who did it?" "Perhaps I don't want to know." "But I do want you to know, an act like this threatens our organisation, threatens us." "The act of death only engenders sympathy, and people leaning towards our cause are suddenly shocked, revolted, wanting nothing to do with us." "A foolhardy gesture like this, no matter what the provocation, can stop us all before we've even started." "One more act of folly, and our movement will be held in contempt, hounded out of existence." "Now, let's go scare the arse off that flash nigger lawyer." "Nigger!" "Now you're the same colour as that wife of yours." "My God!" "And you're the same colour as him!" "Did you see it?" "Did you see his face?" "Yeah, he was scared white." "Scared white!" "Why didn't you move in and bust 'em?" "For common assault?" "I'm gonna bust this lot with murder." "You wanna get in, right?" "In like Flint." "That was before my time, Ray." "Mine, too." "Ah, don't worry." "I won't hit you anywhere it shows." "The face?" "My colour, nothing ever shows." "You fix it up, and I'll be there." "Thanks, Jax." "How's Bodie?" "No change." "Spades." "Dirty spades." "The Empire Society's known to us." "We could watch, observe, lay on a wiretap." "It's still on the outside, sir." "Undercover?" "That means virtually on your own, Doyle." "Well, I'd be that, anyway, wouldn't I, sir?" "While Bodie's laid up." "Gin and tonic." "I said, a gin and tonic." "Uh, yeah, I think that he was, I think" "I think what he's trying to say is, I was here first." "No, no, I was here first." "You might have been in Africa first, but I was here first." "Gin and tonic." "See, I've read all the history books, you see." "There was Vikings, there was Romans, there was William the Conqueror-- no spades." "A gin and a tonic!" "Who are you going to serve?" "Real people or the monkeys?" "Look, I don't like that word." "Which word?" "Monkeys?" "Or spades?" "Now, spades, you dig graves with." "Monkeys, well, they look a lot like you." "Why, you" "Forget the gin and tonic!" "Ah, wait a minute!" "Evening." "Good evening." "Uh, Mr Hulton gave me this." "A meeting he wanted me to attend." "Oh, yes." "They're gathering in the assembly room now." "I'll show you up." "This way, Mister--Mister--?" "Doyle." "Before we get underway," "I'd like to introduce a new member to you all." "Doyle, Ray Doyle." "Ray's on our side, to our way of thinking." "And a useful man, at that." "I know, I've seen him in action." "Thank you." "Thank you, gentlemen." "Now, tonight, just a keep-'em-on-their-toes, let-them-know-where-we-stand operation." "We'll start in Hampstead." "One of them's moved into a street that's always been white, and I think we should start persuading him to move out again." "Move now, before he has a chance to start putting down his roots." "Move him on." "Are we gonna kill him?" "Only, uh, I've got a shotgun in my car." "Kill him?" "Well, you killed the other one, didn't you?" "The one that, uh, fell off the roof." "Yeah, I read about that." "We kill no one." "We have killed no one." "Yeah, but" "Let's get something straight, Doyle." "I admire your enthusiasm, your attack, but, at this stage in our operations, no one gets badly hurt." "Well, uh, what is this, a moderate organisation?" "It's a growing organisation." "If we're caught, we can weather the assault charges." "And every time we do, one right-thinking citizen says, "I see their point."" "One citizen comes over to our side." "Public opinion can destroy us before we've even started." "Think of us now, at this moment, as the vanguard, the fifth column." "Our task: to get the blacks rattled, off-balance, scared-- and that's all." "All right?" "Hampstead, then!" "And let's make it quick, incisive, and so damned frightening the spade runs right back to the jungle." "You telling me you didn't push that blackie off the roof?" "No." "I wish I'd thought of it." "What was that?" "Use a shotgun?" "Well, there's a crazy nutter here's brought a shotgun." "Yeah." "It'll make a nice connection." " Mr Carter?" " Yes?" "It wasn't the Empire Society." "A Klansman was seen running away." "A man in a white robe was seen running away." "What does that mean?" "It wasn't Hulton's mob;" "I was with them all evening." "While that man was getting gunned down, we were spraying walls with paint." "Who was the dead man, anyway?" "Alfred Carter, my partner." "I'm sorry;" "I didn't realise." "It wasn't Hulton's mob." "You don't know that." "No, he doesn't." "We know about the Empire Society, but not that much about it." "There could be another group, a higher echelon doing the real dirty work." "Killing's not on their agenda." "They told you that?" "Yeah, they told me that." "And what else do you expect them to tell a raw recruit?" "All right, I'll find out some more about the Society." "How?" "Don't, you bastards!" "Don't!" "You're safe now." "You'll be all right." "Oh!" "Mr Doyle, how nice to see you." "And you." "Mr Hulton in?" "No, but I'm not expecting him back for maybe an hour or so." "Oh, dear." "Only he called me at my work and asked me to come as soon as I could, and if he wasn't here to wait for him in his office." "I see." "Well, I'll show you up." "No, no, no need." "You've done that already." "I know the way." "Just as you like." "I've called this emergency meeting because of last night." "Well, I thought we did pretty good last night." "Have you read the paper?" "Well, what's wrong with that?" "So another one got killed." "Now, there's a terrible thing, but it's one less for us to have to deal with." "He got killed and implicated us." "Mr Doyle?" "Yeah?" "Shop duty." "Just going to pop out for some teabags." "Mr Hulton shouldn't be long." "Don't worry, I'm quite happy." "Okay, then." "Everything all right, Miss Pearce?" "Yes, Mr Hulton, just popping out to get you some teabags." "Oh, I did as you said and showed Mr Doyle into your office." "He's waiting for you now." "You did what?" "Now, boys, gently does it." "Nothing." "But if he isn't a cop, then what is he?" "Now, in a moment or two," "I'm gonna let you up for air." "Take one gulp, right?" "You talk!" "Journalist." "I'm a journalist." "Which paper?" "No paper." "I only work freelance." "Why here?" "All this Klansmen stuff." "I thought I'd get an inside story, sell it to some black magazine." "Could be true." "Rings true." "It's the truth, it's the truth." "A snoopy reporter." "Did he find anything?" "Nothing, only membership stuff." "I don't keep anything important here." "That's lucky." "Where're we dumping him?" "Where it all happened." "The cockpit." "Eh?" "The water tower." "The disused water tower." "They'll know what to do with him there." "All right." "This may hurt a bit, but it's only water." "Help me up." "You're not going to walk for a week." "Help me up!" "A week, eh?" "How long have I been here?" "I dunno." "Found you here a couple of hours ago." "You proved your point, you better sit down now." "Who are you, then?" "Doesn't matter who I am." "I'd like a name." "I might want to mention you in my will." "Tommy." "I'll tell you what, you need a snort of scotch." "I've got most things here." "You?" "Hell, no, never touch the stuff." "I have to stay fit." "You're some kind of cop, aren't you?" "Yeah, some kind." "Boy, they were good." "The best." "I've never seen anyone so nicely beat up." "They went over you like a roller." "Yeah, they were good." "You're going to have an eye blacker than my arse." "Are you the kind of cop that handles murder, or are you just traffic?" "You're not traffic." "Why, who got murdered-- apart from me?" "My business partner." "No, he was my friend, too." "Arty was my friend." "Arty Pymar" "What do you know about Arty Pymar?" "Look, Tommy." "You say Arty was your friend?" "Well, I had a-- I've got a friend, too, and he was trying to find out who pushed Arty off the roof." "But somebody slid a knife between his ribs." "That happened right here." "Listen, what, what do you know about all this, eh?" "Well, Arty did a job, one of those silly little break-ins." "Along with the usual stuff, radio, typewriter-- he grabbed an account book." "I don't know why, but it was important, important enough for them to come along and take it back and push Arty off the roof." "Who?" "Where did he do the break-in?" "The Miller Trust." "The Miller Trust." "You either pick them right, George, or train them right." "He's very fit, tough, and he's out of danger." "A couple of days more, he'll be sitting up and taking notice." "A couple of days, eh?" "In that case, I think you should change that nurse's roster-- get an ugly one." "Or safer still, a male nurse." "Thanks, Henry." "Didn't give him any special care, just another human being." "Another human being still alive, thanks to you." "I'm obliged to you." "Now, if you'll forgive me, I've seen the sick." "Must think of the able-bodied." " See you." " Good-bye." "Jax!" "My God, Doyle, what happened to you?" " I'm all right." " Look, you're blowing my cover." "Never mind your cover." "Give me your gun." " Why?" " Give me your gun, Jax!" " Okay." " Now, listen to me." " Call Cowley." " Right." "Tell him it's the Miller Trust." "I'm on my way there, and I'll need backup." "You gonna shoot someone?" "You gonna kill him?" "I don't carry a gun to kill people." " No?" " No." "I carry it to stop them killing me." "Go home, son." "Four spades." "I accept it as a fighting bid." "As we say in my profession, without prejudice." "Excuse me." "I'm bidding five hearts, by the way." "No bid." "Hallo?" "Mr Zadie." "Yes, who is this?" "It's me, Josh Culver." "Josh, you know it's quite late." "Yes, Mr Zadie, but I've got to talk to you, sir." "Well, couldn't it wait until tomorrow?" "I'll be in the office at nine o'clock." "No, Mr Zadie, sir, it's now." "It's happening now." "What's happening now?" "They're evicting us!" "They're trying to throw us out again!" "Evicting!" "My God, they're defying a direct court order." "I just know they're throwing us out." "Listen to me, Culver." "I know you're upset, but this is the best thing that could have happened for us all." "They've gone too far, and this time I'll settle them for good." "I'm on my way, understand?" "Yes, Mr Zadie." "Thank you." "God." "I'm terribly sorry, and I really am." "I think I had the winning hand." "Darling, must you go?" "Yes, it's exactly the situation I've been hoping for." "I have to go." "You will excuse me." "Well!" "Scrabble?" "Now, when I let go, you get one gulp of air and then you talk." "Okay?" "Ah-ah-ah." "Cheating." "Just one gulp of air." "Who else is here?" "Who else?" "Merv." "Merv." "Where is he?" "Call him." "Call him." "Merv!" "Louder." "Merv!" "Say, you're pretty good!" "What are you doing here?" "Never know." "Might need some help." "Yeah, well, stay there." "Both ends against the middle, eh?" "You joined Hulton's mob, but you work for Miller." "Now, Hulton only plays at this Klan thing, but Miller does it for real." "And so do you, baby." "And between the two of you, you make sure the blame goes on Hulton." "Now, you would correct me if I was wrong, wouldn't you?" "I'm just hired." "I do as I'm ordered." "I do as I'm told." "You do what's in your nature." "Kill the Jews, run the blacks out of town, kick the weak." "Well, you kicked the wrong one when you kicked me, 'cause I'm gonna take you apart." "I'll get it, Mr Doyle." "Good lad." "Yeah?" "He's coming." "Lenny just saw his car." "Zadie is on his way here." "You won't be bothered by him any more." ""Zadie's on his way." On his way where?" "What is it, a trap?" "A setup?" "Where?" "Tommy, did you ever see a man gutshot?" "No." "Then I think you'd better wait outside." "Go on." "No." "Where?" "The Culvers' place." "Rossmire Road." "Tommy?" "Yeah?" "Got any cord?" "Yeah, what you was tied up with." "Great, tie him up with it." "Tie him to the chair." "Move it!" "Put your hands down, put them through the slats, come on, move it." "Forgot about you." "Tommy, you got any more cord?" "Only what's holding up me jeans." "That'll do." "But they'll drop off without this." "Well, it's all in a good cause." "Come on, son, I haven't got all night." "Come on." "Now, listen, when my boss arrives-- that's Cowley-- you tell him where I've gone, and you tell him that you're my assistant." "Acting, honorary, and therefore unpaid, all right?" "He'll never believe me." "All right, I'll give it to you in writing." "Here, hold that, make it tight." "Your credentials, okay?" " Thanks." " Look, tie his legs up, 'cause he'll kick you." " Are you gonna be all right?" " Yeah." "This Mr Cowley, is he white or black?" "I forgot to ask." "All right." "A hundred and fifty then, right?" "Oh, just you wait, son." "I'll tell you this:" "what we done to Doyle, he'd be a pretty sight compared to what's gonna happen to you, son." "Mr Cowley?" "Yeah?" "What are you doing here, son?" "I'm Mr Doyle's assistant, temporary, honorary, and therefore unpaid." "Here are my credentials." "He told me to tell you that he's gone to Rossmire Road." "They've laid a trap for Mr Zadie." "Rossmire Road, APB all units." "Get over there yourself, Jax." "Doyle needs all the help he can get." "You'd better go home, son." "Not on your goddamned life." "And miss the payoff?" "Arty was a friend of mine, and so is Ray Doyle." "Ah, sit over there, quietly." "Doyle's angry at you." "That's bad." "That's the worst thing that could happen to a man." "In a moment, I'm going to dial Mr Miller's number, then you're going to talk to him." "You're going to get him here." "You're going to bring him here to me." "Why should he do that, eh?" "Mr Miller is a top man." "He won't come running just for me." "You've never met Miller, have you?" "He's just a voice on the end of the phone." "I think it's time you did meet him." "Zaaadeee!" "Hold it!" "Hold it!" "Mr Doyle?" "I was wrong." "I've lost faith in this country." "White trash." "Yeah." "You don't even know why you were doing this, do you?" "Slum tenements falling apart at the seams, but nevertheless home for some people." "And Zadie has stood between you and eviction many times." "But, if you could get them out, every one of them, the land is worth nearly a million." "Many men have killed for a lot less, a whole lot less." "You didn't know what you were doing or who you were doing it for." "That's the supreme irony." "A dyed-in-the-wool black-hater like you has never met Mr Miller." "Good evening, Mr Miller." "Do come in." "We have so much to talk about." "I'd like to thank you." "You have, by being up and around again." "No, you know what I'm trying to say." "Doctor, you know when I was thrashing around back there, did I say anything?" "Nothing I haven't heard before." "Yeah, well, you won't be hearing it again from me." "Well, good-bye and good luck." "Thanks, Doc." "You need it." "Well, we busted Miller and the guys who stuck you." "And Hulton, too." "He and his Klansmen have taken their last ride." "Yeah." "Status quo, eh?" "Yeah, all systems go, back to normal." "Well, it will be as soon as you can stand up straight." "That kid, Tommy." "There's a football match this afternoon." "I promised we'd take him, all right?" "Yeah, great, only I've got this other engagement." "Hallo." "Listen, enjoy the football, will you?" "Give my love to Tommy, will you?" "Mean it." " Jax?" " Yeah?" "First thing is a drink." " Yeah." " Then we plan our campaign." " Campaign?" " Yeah." "How to get rid of some of these damn whites!"