"A Mavi Film production made with the support of Efes Pilsen" "Tales of Darkness 1" "FATE" "Mum!" "Mum!" "Come on!" "Get up and go to bed." "I have such a headache." " Was I asleep long?" " Yes." "Yes, you were." "Mum?" "Mum?" "Mr Haluk, you don't understand." "When did these goods reach customs?" "And when did I find out?" "Well..." "We don't even have the paperwork yet." "How can it be my fault for God's sake?" "You talk as if we're making things difficult just to annoy you." "Mr Naim wants to see you before you start on this." "How many times have I told you?" "It's the same story every time." "No, Mr Haluk." "Then I'll be quite open about this." "I can not take Mr Turan's attitude any more." "No, don't get the wrong idea." "We have no complaints about you." "But no one's his slave." "He treats us worse than his wife." "No, go and tell him straight out to find himself another customs man." "There's plenty around." "I'm not going back on my word." "OK, I'm sorry." "There's nothing we can do about it now." "All right..." "Good bye." "Bastards." " How's it going?" " Fine." "I was going to tell you something." "It was on my mind just a minute ago." "Oh God..." "Anyway..." "These need checking thoroughly." "Some of them are a real mess." "Don't let anything through." " Shout when you find something." " OK." "Don't do anything without asking." "We're in enough trouble as it is." "Now get started." "I hope you'll be done by this evening." "Sure." "I'm not eating this." "Anyone want it?" "I'll have it." " You must be hungry." "No breakfast?" " No." "Wow." "How could your mum send you to work like that?" "She overslept." " What's the matter?" " Nothing." "You should go and check up on her." "There's work I have to get done by this evening." "So?" "You'll feel better about it." "Hello?" "Just a moment, please." "Mr Turan's on the line." "Shall I put him through?" " Yes." " I'm putting you through." "Hello, Mr Turan." "How are you?" "Fine, thank you." "The usual." "Thanks..." "Thanks..." "Mr Turan..." "I do understand, but believe me that wasn't our intention." "It's always the same old story." "Then it makes us look incompetent." "How many times have we told you?" "No, I only said we couldn't do the job under these conditions." "It's nothing personal." "I can't promise." "We don't even have the paperwork yet." "I understand." "OK, get them here by 9.00 tomorrow morning." "I'll talk to my colleagues." "I see." "OK." "We'll do what we can." "OK, then." "Good night." "Sinem, get Muhittin and Recep to take the Star paperwork along to customs tomorrow, too." "Musa, will these guys' declarations be ready by lunch time?" " Hard to say." " Don't give me that." "These guys will really think we did it on purpose." "Then the As Tekstil job doesn't get done." "We promised it for tomorrow." "Can't be helped." "Make something up." "Really, Musa, we do have to get this job done on time." "Hello?" " Aren't you leaving, Musa?" " No." "Ignore what the boss said." "He's forgotten already." " You go." " OK." "Come on, Sinem." "Good night." "Don't be too late." "There's Mr Turan's job to get done by tomorrow morning." "Mum?" "Mum?" "Musa, where on earth have you been?" "What's the matter?" "My mum's died." "Your mum's died?" "When?" "This morning." "Or maybe last night." "I don't know." "It's not my fault." "Sorry, it's hard to know what to do in situations like this." "There's the funeral to organise." "I was going to ask about that." "I have no idea what to do." "Have a seat." "I'll have a word with the manager." "His father just died." "Sorry to bother you." "Do you have something like a clean bandage?" " I'll have a look." " Sorry for the trouble." "It's a real mess." "I'll stick it under water." " OK, I'll bring it over." " Thanks." " How do you take your coffee?" " White." "There's whisky, too, if you want." "No, coffee's fine." " I heard your mum died." " Yes." "I've been in such shit, I couldn't make it to the funeral or anything." " Doesn't matter." " There's the sugar." "What was the problem?" "Look, Musa." "I'm not a bad guy." "Just a bit rough, that's all." " Mind if I smoke?" " No." "I ran into the guy on the bus." "He said: "If you're a real man, get off." So I did and whacked him one." "Then the son of a bitch pulled a knife." "Well, brother Musa..." "I was going to drop by sometime but the bandage has been a good excuse." "It would be great if you'd help me with something, you see." "If I can." "I had this woman." "A mistress actually." "The guy I beat up at the bus stop is her brother." "I was looking after this woman." "Paying her bills and everything." "We got on just fine for ages." "Then she suddenly began blubbering about not getting on any more." "I was annoyed but didn't say anything to begin with." "When it carried on, I realised there was some shit going on." "Anyway, to cut a long story short, I went through her bag one day." "You won't believe it, I found a lottery ticket worth TL 5 billion." "Plus three or four guys' phone numbers." "Then I hit her with it." "Before saying anything I asked her what was with the lottery tickets." "I wanted her to confess but instead she started playing games." "I smashed her face in, told the cunt she was a whore and left." "If you want the truth, I'm still mad about the bitch." "But the point is, ...beating her up hasn't stopped me feeling angry." "I just can't accept what she did." "I can't sleep." "I'm a wreck." "I first thought of getting her to a hotel having her busted by the cops and registered as a whore." "Then I talked to some mafia guys, and told them what was going on." "But all the jerks could come up with was knifing her." "So I just said I'd think about it." "Now what I want to ask you is what should I do with the whore?" "I really don't know what to say but it's kind of interesting." "You think the bitch really cheated on me?" " Seems that way to me." " So she should be punished, right?" "I don't know about that, but I'd say you're in the right." "I'll write her a letter." "A really heavy letter." "So when she reads it, she'll regret everything and come running back." "Then I'll bring her home and fuck the bitch." "And just as she's about to come, I'll pull out, spit in her mouth and throw her out." "How's that sound?" "Great idea." "Then she'll get what she deserves." "But there's just one problem." "I can't write the letter." "That's why I thought you could help." "After all, you're an educated guy." "Sure." "I don't mind." "I'll get a pen and paper then." "You've cracked it, Musa." "You're the best." "It's late." "Time flies." "You shouldn't let yourself go." "I mean your mum dying." "It was going to happen one day anyway." "It's nice to meet a sound guy like you." " Good night." " Good night." "What are you up to tonight?" "Don't know." "I'll probably stay at home." "I'm going to the cinema." "You want to come, too?" " Sure." " Then we'll check out Beyoglu." " Have a good weekend, Naim." " Good night, boys." "Have fun." "Sinem, you want to come to the cinema with us?" " I still have work to do." "You go." " OK." " Yavuz, I'm not coming." " What's up?" "Nothing." "I just don't feel like it." "We'll do something else then." " No." "I'm going home." "To bed." " At this time?" "And it's Friday." "I'm going now." "See you Monday." " Musa, did I do something wrong?" " No, no." "Musa!" " Hi!" "What are you doing here?" " Nothing." "Looking at the posters." " Didn't you leave with Yavuz?" " Yes." "But then I changed my mind." " And I went home." " But you're here..." "When I got home I changed my mind again." "You're so funny." " Are you going to watch the film?" " I don't know." "Maybe." "I'm waiting for my friends, but they're not here yet." "You still have time." "I don't suppose they'll show up now." "Come on, let's go in." "Come on then." "I have to go to the toilet." "Can you take this?" "Switch the light on." "Stop it." "What are you doing?" "Stop it!" "Stop it!" "Musa, I said stop it." "Musa, stop it." " What's wrong?" " Don't go too far." " Why not?" " Just don't." " Are you angry?" " No." "It's up to you." " Can I ask you something?" " I don't mind." "Go on." "I don't mind about this." "I don't mind about that." " What do you mind about?" " Nothing." " What's that?" " A dog." "I know it's a dog." "Why's it whining?" "It just is." "Breakfast's ready." "But there's no bread." "OK." " Fuck off!" "Fuck you!" " Son of a bitch!" "This place is actually quite nice if you took a bit of care." "I haven't been able to do a lot since my mum died." " Are you very upset?" " Not really." " You don't beat about the bush." " Why?" "I don't know." "You're almost about to say you're glad." "We more or less wish the death of those we love." "Even if it's their mother." "Hey, you insulted me." "You humiliated me." "What's this about?" "Necati's punishing his mistress." " Who's Necati?" " From the apartment opposite." "What do you mean he's punishing her?" "It's complicated." "Hard to explain." "You humiliated me!" "Humiliated me!" "What is this?" " Fuck off, cunt!" " Don't do that!" "Fuck off!" "Go on, fuck off!" " Go and call the police." " I don't like the police." "What do you mean you don't like the police?" "Go on!" " You humiliated me!" " Now fuck off!" " Just you wait." "I'm going." "You know I was going to ask you something last night?" "Yes?" "I'm going." " Do you really fancy me?" " I don't know." "What do you mean you don't know?" "Exactly that." "But I guess I don't." "That's the apartment." " Has he gone out?" " I didn't notice." " What's your name?" " Necati." "Take that cigarette out of your mouth." "Take it out." "Didn't you hear what I said?" "Show some respect, asshole." "Bastard, you can only handle women, right?" " You keep quiet, lady." " Just you wait..." "Move, come on!" "Down to the police station." "Take your jacket." "Move!" "Play your games down there." "Now move, come on!" "Come on!" "Come on!" "Come on!" "Come in." "Well, what happened?" "Like I said, just as she was about to come, I pulled out." "I spat in her mouth." "She slapped me." "You know the rest anyway." "You could say the woman got what she deserved." "And how!" "Did the police do anything?" "What could they do?" "I'd fixed the problem anyway." "This world sucks." "I want to ask you, did you expect me to get the cop back when he hit me?" "No, I didn't expect anything." "I don't like the police." "I was going to, then I changed my mind." "But I know that bastard." " Let's go out." "Get some fresh air." " I really don't feel like it." "Neither do I actually." "The best idea's just to go to bed." "Anyway, I should go." "Don't get up." " Good night then." " Good night." "Can I ask you something?" "Will you be my witness in court?" "Sure." "But what am I supposed to say?" "Just say she banged on my door and insulted me." " All right." " Thanks." "Hello?" "Just a second." "Hello?" " The call's not transferring again." " What can I do?" "It doesn't do it." "How do you mean, it doesn't do it?" "It just doesn't." "Hasn't all morning." "Call a technician." " Evening, Naim." " Thanks, Yavuz." "Yavuz, tell Sinem to look in on me before she goes." "Sinem, Mr Naim wants you." " Musa, aren't you coming?" " You go." " Yes?" " Sit down." "I need to talk to you." "Mr Naim, we're out of paper towels." " What am I supposed to do?" " Get some more in." "Good night." " Sit down." " I'm fine standing." "Sit down for a couple of minutes." "Look at me..." "Look at me." "I love you." "I said, I love you." " God damn you." " Say whatever you like." "I love you." "What kind of love do you call that?" "You've been fooling me for years." "Behaving like a dog." "It'll all work out." " Don't lie." " I'm not lying." "Bastard." "You're cheating everyone." "You see the state your family's in..." "Wasn't everything going to be fine?" "And everyone going to be happy?" "You don't know what's going on." "My wife's sick." "She won't leave me." " She threatens me with the kids." " It's you who's sick." "Let me go." "Let me go!" "What are you doing here?" "Waiting for you." "Aren't you coming in?" " How are you doing, Musa?" " Fine." "Where have you been?" "Your friend's been waiting here for hours." " Wandering around." " I asked her in, but she wouldn't." " Well don't let me keep you." "Night." " Good night." "Do you want to marry me?" "I don't mind." "But we can get married if you want." "Well, do you love me?" "I don't know." "Why would you want to get married then?" "It doesn't matter." "If you want, we'll get married." " But marriage is serious." " No, it's not." "If some other woman had asked, would you have said "yes"?" "I suppose so." "Well, do you think I love you?" "I never thought about it." "I want to marry you." "Whenever you want." "I have to go." "Don't you wonder where I go at this time of night?" "Good night." " The tea's for Mr Yavuz?" " Yes." "They still haven't got any paper towels in." "It's 10 o'clock." "Where are they?" "Fuck the tea man." "The tea's stone cold again." " Welcome." " Thanks, Yavuz." "How are you?" "Not bad." "Busy working." "Please, come through." " Welcome, Mrs Nermin." " Thanks, Musa." "I'm sorry." "I didn't have the chance to offer my condolences." " That's OK." " Isn't Naim here yet?" " No." " He didn't come home last night." "He'll be here any minute." "Go in and have a seat." " Can I get you something to drink?" " No thanks." "Naim's such a womaniser." "He could have called." "Look at the state the poor woman's in." " Enjoy." " Where were you?" "It's noon already." "I know." "I was in a state the whole night." " What do you want?" " Nothing." "Just some water." "Have you been at the salt at this time of day?" "I asked for some beans on this." "Dad got worse last night." "We've been trekking round hospitals ever since." " What's wrong with him?" " I don't know." "They won't say." "They took a load of x-rays." "It may be old age." " How's it going, Musa?" " All right." "Mr Naim and his wife are fighting in the office." "Something happened?" "He didn't go home last night." "Didn't even call." "They were yelling and shouting." "Then he told me to leave, too." " Musa, is something wrong?" " Like what?" "Stop answering my questions with questions." " I want to ask you something." " Go ahead." "Why do you act as if I don't exist?" "How do you mean?" " Don't!" " Don't do what?" "It's like you're accusing me of something." "If you're trying to say something, just say it." "You're very beautiful." "Aren't you coming in?" "Look, our photos are back." "Can't you stop watching TV for a couple of minutes?" "You'd think you were the registrar." "Even he looks happier than you." "Yavuz is so serious, look." "Like he's been waiting for today for all his life." "Oh, Mum..." "We should find someone for Yavuz." "He'd make such a good dad, right?" "Mrs Nermin's a really nice person, too." " Hi, Musa." " How are you, Necati?" "Look, I'm sorry." "I had to disappear for a few days." "And you didn't say anything either." "Congratulations." "You got married." " That's great." "I'm so glad for you." " Do come in." " Don't let me disturb you." " No, no." "Come in." "Come and sit down." " A gift for you." "It's only small." " You needn't have bothered." "Thanks." " You're welcome." " Come in and sit down." "This place has changed." "It looks really nice." "Thanks." "What can I get you?" "What would you like?" " Don't go to the trouble." " It's no trouble." " Whatever there is." " I make good coffee." "Let's do that." " With sugar?" " Yes, right." " You?" " White." "The wedding photos, ha?" "Don't you both look good all dressed up." " So what have you been up to?" " 'Course you don't know the latest." "After that day the woman's brothers went crazy." "Recently they've been following me The whole time." "I've seen them hanging around here a few times, too." "It's not that I'm scared." "I just don't want to end up inside." "It's their business if they really want to go for it." "There's this friend of mine over in þile." "A fisherman." "I stayed with him a bit to keep out of trouble." "Well, fish and all that." " What's that?" " A Browning." "Takes 14 bullets." "15 if you count the muzzle." "Is there one in the muzzle?" "All these payments have piled up." "I don't know how I didn't notice." "The bills are OK." "It's just I can't pay all of this right now." "How about next week?" "Fine by me, but Mr Naim insisted that I pick up the money today." " I have to ask him." " Sure." "You can give him a call." "Yavuz, is Mr Naim there?" "When will he be back?" "OK, I'll call back later." " He's not there, right?" " No." " What shall we do?" " I don't know." "Look, see to your other business first." "And have a word with Mr Naim." "And I'll try and fix the money by this evening." "I don't have any other business." "Then you tell me what we should do." "Musa?" "How come you're not at work?" "I had some time to kill so I came home." "I was at home, too, but I got bored so I dropped by the café." " You want to hang out for a bit?" " Sure." " You like playing pool?" " Yes." " You want to play now?" " Sure." " For what?" " Whatever you want." "To the death then." " Which ball was mine?" " That one." " See the guys sitting over there?" " Who?" "Don't make it obvious." "That woman's brothers." "It's your turn." "These guys mean business." "You go." "Don't get yourself in trouble." " I don't mind." " I knew you'd say that." "But you're only just married." "I don't want any trouble." "Shall we go this way?" "They don't have the guts to follow us." "Let them if they want to." " What are you going to do?" " I don't know." " You want to go to Beyoglu?" " Sure." "They're following us." " What shall we do?" " Up to you." "Let's sit down over there." "See what they do." "They've stopped." "I don't get what they're up to." "Should I shoot them?" "If you want." "But they haven't done anything yet." "Then I'll curse their mothers." " And shoot if they answer back." " OK." "Fuck your mothers!" "Fuck your sisters!" "They didn't fall for it." " Lf you're real men, lets fight." " Come here." "What do I do with my gun?" "Give it here." "If he tries anything, I'll shoot." "Hey, come on." "I'm waiting..." "I beat your brother up once." "Guess you want the same treatment." "Run!" "He has a gun!" "Son of a bitch!" "Bastard!" "Ass hole!" "Thanks." "I knew you were a sound friend." "Musa..." "Are you asleep?" "Our men are at customs right now." "If there'd been a problem, they'd have let us know for sure." "Sure." "We'll call around 5:00 to let you know." "No need to worry." "No, no, definitely." "Goods like these usually take two days to clear." "But they may already have been cleared today." "Yavuz, is this document OK?" " Musa, how are you doing?" " Fine." " How's Sinem?" " Fine." " OK." " Good." "File it." "She's pretty relaxed then." "Has no intention of coming back to work." "Wait a bit..." " You've done a good job with them?" " Yes." " Do you have a shoehorn?" " Yes." " How much?" " Whatever you feel like." " Whatever you feel like?" " 100 thousand." " Here's two hundred." " Thanks." "What's up Musa?" "You like my shoes that much?" " Yes." "They're very nice." " Shall we get some for you, too?" " Really, what is Sinem up to?" " She's fine." "I miss her." "Maybe I'll come over for coffee one evening." " Sure." " How about this evening?" " Sure." " OK." " Yavuz, come here a sec." " Coming, Mr Naim." " You know about computers?" " Yes, but Musa is better." " Where's Musa?" " On his way." " Send him in." " OK." " Musa, Naim wants to see you." " OK." "I need a favour." "We got our Cenk a computer, only he can't work it." " Can you have a look at it?" " All right." " Can you remember the house?" " I guess so." "Great." "Get it sorted then, will you?" "Come in, Musa." "Sorry to do this to you." "Don't let your coffee get cold." "Have a break." "Hello?" "Yes, he's here." "Hang on a minute." "I'll go through." " OK so far?" " Yes." "Then start it up again and have a go while I go to the toilet." " OK." "You see nothing but bad." "Enough, damn it." "Enough." "I've kept so much inside, I don't feel human any more." "Why do I have to do this?" "Why do I have to do it?" "I'm not your slave." "Got that?" "How could you humiliate me like this when I've been your wife so long?" "Don't waste your time coming here." "There's nothing left to talk about." "I'm going to tell Cenk everything." "If he doesn't come that's up to him." "I'll have some pickles, too." " How much is that?" " 200 thousand." "Thanks." "Don't look at me." "Take a look at these." "Don't look at me." "Look at them." "What's going on?" "Go on, tell me about it." " You have a lawyer?" " No." " Why not?" " I just don't." "That's also a concept." "But you have to have one by law." "If you don't, the state will appoint one for you." "Then let it." "I'm so happy we spared you the trouble." "People say you're quiet, a bit of an introvert." "Well?" "I don't have a lot to say." "That's why I keep quiet." "What better reason than that?" "Sinem Demircan, née Arca." " She's your wife, right?" " Yes." " You just got married recently." " You could say so." " How long have you known her?" " A long time." " How long?" " I don't know." "A few years." "As a colleague or a lover?" "She wasn't my lover." "I don't know her that well." " Don't know or didn't know her?" " Both." " You'd marry someone you didn't know?" " Yes." "Maybe you have a point." " Can I ask how you got married then?" " She wanted to." " You didn't want to know about her?" " No." "I don't get this." "A normal person wouldn't want to know anything?" "Maybe, but I didn't." "You're not that mad about your wife then." "I mean emotionally." "Is that right?" " You could say so." " Why?" "No reason." " Were you suspicious of her?" " About what?" "Her having an affair with someone else." "I think she's having an affair with Mr Naim." " You think?" " Yes." " What makes you think that?" " I don't remember that well." " Have you ever talked about it?" " To who?" " Your wife, of course." " No." " Why not?" " I never thought of it." " You never thought of it?" " No." "Do these words sound at all convincing to you?" "I don't understand." " Where did you grow up?" "In Paris?" " I don't understand." "I read this French novel when I was young." "You're just like the hero." "This neighbour of yours." "Necati Pinarcik." "Is he a good friend of yours?" "I don't have any friends." "But I like him." " Why?" " No reason?" "I just do." "I suppose you know he's a pimp." "I know he works at a warehouse." " What kind of warehouse?" " I don't know." " You never asked?" " No." "The morning your mother died..." "She didn't wake you up like she normally did." "She didn't get you breakfast." "Didn't you wonder what had happened to the woman?" "I thought she was asleep." "But didn't you talk to your friends at lunch?" " Yes." " They told you to check up on her." " Yes." " Well?" " I didn't." " Why not?" "I don't know." "I suppose I couldn't be bothered." " You got home late that night, too." " I was working." "Didn't you think something might be wrong?" "No." "So what did you do when you realised she was dead?" " Nothing." " Nothing at all." "I didn't know what to do in a situation like that." "I waited for the morning to tell my boss." " What?" "Naim Tuglaci?" " Yes." "So what did you do all night?" "Did you sleep?" "I sat around then fell asleep on the couch." " So you slept." " Yes." " Did you cry?" " I never cry." " Why not?" " I don't know." "I just don't." "What were you thinking, what did you do, before you fell asleep?" "Nothing." "I watched TV and made a couple of coffees." " You had coffee?" " Yes." " Did you love your mother?" " Yes, like everyone does." " Were you upset that she died?" " Yes." "But you told your wife that you were glad." " Yes, but that's different." " How do you mean?" "It's hard to explain." "I mean, I don't know how to explain." " I see." "But just try and explain." " Like I said, it's hard." "Go on, just try." "Maybe I'll understand." "Of course everyone loves their mother." "But sometimes you get bored and want to be alone." "I mean, you don't want her to die, but at the same time you do." "Well..." "Something like that." "So you were glad when she died?" " Something like that." "Or relieved." " I understand." "Really, I do understand." "You dropped out of law school in your final year." " Yes." " Why did you drop out?" "I don't remember, but I was probably bored." "Right." "It really is boring." " Do you believe in God?" " No." " In anything else?" " Like what?" "I don't know." "You could have other beliefs." "Like Satanism or whatever." "I don't believe in anything." "Why do you always answer questions with questions." "I don't do it consciously." "I guess it's because I don't understand." "There's a couple of things I don't understand in this case." " I suppose you'll help me." " I'll do what I can." " Were you angry with your boss?" " No." "Why should I be?" "I don't know." "Because he was having an affair with your wife." "I don't know this for sure." "I told you, I just thought he was." "Let's put it like this." "Were you angry because you thought he was?" "I asked myself the same question at the time." "But I felt nothing." " So you weren't angry." " No." " Were you jealous?" " Of my wife or my boss?" " Both." " No." "Did you make it obvious to your boss that you suspected something?" "How?" " By acting accusingly or whatever." " No." "Did your boss make it obvious to you?" "No." "If he did, I wasn't aware of it." "You suspected something but carried on working hard." "I don't know about hard, but if you mean without problems, yes." "And I never said I suspected, I said I thought something was going on." "You're quite right." "Did you know the victims?" " I mean your boss's family?" " Yes." " Well?" " Not really." "Did you like them?" "There was no reason for me to like them or not." "I just knew them." "Right." "Meanwhile, your boss confessed to a long-standing affair with your wife." "And your wife confirmed it." "What do you have to say?" "What can I say?" "It's possible." "How did you spend that day?" "Tell me about it." "I've told you so many times before." "There's not even anything to tell." "Fine, but just go through it again." "The statement you gave at the police station is easy." "Anyway you were being tortured when you gave it." "But the one you gave the prosecutor is just unbelievable." "I was never tortured or anything." "Let's get this straight." "I agreed to take on your case from the start." "I mean, I want you to know I'll do everything I can for you." "Thank you." "But to win this case, you have to trust me and be completely honest." " I'll do what I can." " Good." "One of our biggest problems is the media." "They've talked to your wife, your colleagues and neighbours and got them to say exactly what they want to hear." "They mostly talked about what you told your wife and the prosecutor about your mother's death." "As a result, the whole thing stands to be blown out of proportion." "Especially by the prosecutor." "I reckon he'll build his case on it and attack you for being socially alienated and immoral." "There's also your friend Yavuz's statement." "He said you knew your mother was dead at lunch-time because she hadn't got you breakfast that morning." "He said they'd wanted you to go home and check up on her but that you couldn't be bothered to go." "The prosecution is beginning to lean heavily on this." "In the circumstances, I'm worried they may call for an autopsy and open a new inquiry." "I mean, the case is a complete mess." "So first let's get this mother and God business sorted out." "Turkey is a secular country." "They can't go into the business of religion in court." "The idea of being glad or upset has nothing to do with the law either." "But you shouldn't expose yourself like that again." "Now I want you to help me and tell me honestly." "What did you really feel the day your mother died?" "As I told the prosecutor, it's hard to explain." "I don't know how to." "I loved my mum, but once I knew she was dead, I was kind of glad." "You can't help feeling like that." "But believe me, it would have been much better if she hadn't died." "Look, I'm not a judge." "But if I was your explanation still wouldn't do." "Since we're talking, let me spell something out for you." "All suspects are charged on the basis of their actions." "They are punished, however, for the social and moral implications of those actions." "What I don't understand is this:" "Am I going to be tried for not being upset at my mother's death, or for murdering 3 people?" "It sounds like you've never been to court before." "I haven't." " How are you?" " Fine" "You can go through." " How's it going?" " OK." "I sent you a few things." "I don't know if you got them." " But if you need anything else..." " No, I have everything." "Necati says hello." "He said you shouldn't worry because everything would be fine." " Say hello to him from me." " I will." "You look gorgeous." "TV reporters, the police, everyone is after me." "They make me say the opposite of what I want to say." " I suppose I made you more trouble." " Doesn't matter." "I'm thinking of going away till the trial starts." "Whatever you want." "Can you undo your blouse a bit?" "Quick, hurry up." "Sit down." "You come with me." " Verdict day, ha?" " Yes." " Are you nervous?" " No." "Good." "Most people who get convicted lose temper." "Unfortunately we then have to treat them badly." "And that feels bad when it's people you've spent days with." "The courtroom's packed with journalists." "We'll get to watch it on the news this evening." " The defendant's here." " Bring him in." "In you go." "Take a seat." "Sorry, I was reading your files." " How are you?" " Fine." " I guess you heard what's happening." " Yes." "The whole country's been talking about you for days." "Your boss volunteered a statement to the public prosecutor last week." "Then he asked if he could go to the toilet and shot himself there." "This letter arrived yesterday from the Istanbul Serious Crimes Court." "It's addressed to the prosecutor at Amasya Prison." "The death sentence passed on inmate Musa Demircan on 11.09.1997 ...by the Istanbul Criminal Court in accordance with law no. 13863 has been reviewed pursuant to the voluntary confessions made by one of the victims, Naim Tuglaci, to the Istanbul public prosecutor." "It has consequently been ruled that the case shall be reopened and defendant, Musa Demircan, be released from custody for retrial." "You're not happy." "Anyone would think you didn't want to get out." "Mr Dursun..." " Mr Dursun..." " Yes, Mr Prosecutor?" "Tell maintenance to get this door fixed." "Yes, sir." " You read the confession letter?" " No." " Why not?" " I just haven't." " But it concerns you." " No, it doesn't." "How do you mean?" "It's thanks to this confession that you got off the death sentence and are now a free person." " Do you want to hear it?" " I don't mind." "He explains what happened that day, how he got home after you, etc." ""My wife had the kids ready." "She was all set to leave."" ""I tried to stop her." "This made her hysterical."" ""And she started smashing things."" ""It made me crazy." "I hit her, then knocked her to the floor."" ""She hit her head on the pillar and collapsed."" ""I went to her." "I wanted to help her."" ""But I realised she was dead."" ""My son showed up and began yelling that I'd killed his mother."" ""I tried to calm him down, but he kept on yelling."" ""I was scared the neighbours would hear."" ""So I put my hand over his mouth." "But he put up a fight."" ""I cried." "I pleaded with him." "But he wouldn't shut up."" ""I couldn't see a thing, I was crying and sweating so much."" ""I couldn't wipe my eyes either as I had my hands over his mouth."" ""First, I kind of panicked." "Then I felt really angry."" ""Soon I could feel he'd stopped fighting."" ""I took my hands away, and he collapsed in my arms."" ""I don't remember how long I stayed like that..."" ""...or what I did to my daughter." "Not then or now as I write this."" " I'm here to fix the door, sir." " OK." " Are you listening?" " Yes." ""Then I called the police."" ""I just told them this was exactly how it was when I got home."" ""Everything at the police station and afterwards was unbelievable."" ""Being a father with a dead family concealed a lot of my mistakes."" ""I acted the role of a broken, disillusioned man brilliantly."" ""I confessed right away to my affair with Musa's wife..."" ""...to make them believe I blamed myself for what happened."" ""I got Yavuz to make a statement against Musa."" ""The thing with him being glad that his mother died was a good basis."" ""And the whole thing suddenly began to swing that way."" ""I got off easily thanks to Musa's strange and suspicious character and the fact that he took responsibility for the murder."" ""But what really surprised me was that such a heavyweight crime..."" ""...should bring me everything I ever dreamed of."" ""I have to admit that even then I found it unjust..."" ""...and maybe this is what triggered the problems that drove me to it."" ""When the whole thing was forgotten I began living with Sinem."" ""But my conscience gradually began to take over my entire life..."" ""...and everything began to lose its meaning."" ""First my job went to pieces, then I lost my home, my car, everything."" ""Sinem left me." "I didn't feel like doing anything to sort myself out."" ""I couldn't sleep or eat."" ""The weird thing is it didn't bother me."" ""I didn't go to hospital or see a doctor."" ""Writing this letter now helps me understand everything a bit better."" ""But it won't change anything."" ""The last and most painful thing I have to say is..."" ""...that I don't know who I'm writing this letter to."" ""Because I killed my wife and kids myself, and there is no one else."" ""That's why I decided to go."" ""All I want is for Musa and Sinem to forgive me before God."" "Why does this door keep playing up?" "The bolt's worn out, sir." " Why did you do this?" " No reason." "You never defended yourself during questioning or in court." "You haven't even contested the charges." "Not once have you even said you're innocent." "And after spending 4 years inside for nothing and doing the round of mental institutions, the truth comes out." "What if your sentence had been carried out?" "Or this mistake had never been exposed?" "What difference would it have made?" "What do you mean?" "Apart from the damage you've done yourself this is tantamount to murdering justice." "That doesn't interest me, but it's what happened anyway." "You could at least have stopped it." "I just haven't protested against being charged." "And that's my right." " Strange, isn't it?" " Not if you ask me." " Do you feel guilty?" " No." "I don't feel innocent either." " Why not?" " You can say you're guilty." "But you can't say you're innocent." "Why not?" "All murderers make a noise about being innocent." "It's their right." "You see being wrongfully accused and denying the charges as rights." "I don't understand." "By the way, your release papers are being prepared as we speak." " They'll tell us when they're done." " Makes no difference." " I forgot to ask." "Like a drink?" " No." " Have you eaten?" " I'm not hungry." " What are you planning to do now?" " I don't know." " You'll go back to Istanbul?" " Yes." " Have you heard from your wife?" " No." " Hasn't she ever been to visit?" " Once at the beginning." "That's all." " Well, did you get divorced?" " No." " Do you plan to call her?" " No." "Don't get me wrong." "This isn't an interrogation or anything." "I've given instructions for your release." "You're free." "I can't force you to do anything." "But the stuff I read in your file was really interesting." "I also followed your case in the press then." "We discussed you not believing in God and being glad your mother died." "That's why I wanted to meet you and talk to you." "There's something I'm dying to know." " Do you really not believe in God?" " No." "How do you know?" "Have you ever sat down and thought about it?" " It's not worth thinking about." " Why not?" "No reason." "That's what people think, but it may not be like that in reality." "I'm in no position to prove it." "If you'd been going to the gallows, would you still think the same?" "Yes." " What do you believe in then?" " Nothing." " You're really that cynical?" " I'm not cynical." "I've always been optimistic about certain things." " Like what?" " Things that directly concern me." " Like your desires and wishes?" " You could say that." " But that's true of others, too." " I can only speak for myself." "Other people don't interest me." " The door's fixed." "Anything else?" " No thanks." "Close it as you go out." " Sorry, but can I be more direct?" " That's up to you." "I hear what you're saying, but don't you realise this is behind all the stuff you've been through and the death of not 3 but 4 people?" " How come?" " How come?" "Isn't that why your boss took in a young girl?" "Isn't that why he murdered his wife and kids?" "I don't count the stuff you went through because you didn't object." "I don't see anything weird about a person acting as they want." "Then are we supposed to accept everything he did on the basis that he acted as he wanted?" " That's your job to decide." " Do you understand?" "I can understand for people I can apply to other people." "You mean, you don't wish none of this had ever happened?" "It makes no difference to me." "I told you I have no complaints." "Are you saying that killing kids is a good thing?" "Not for the kids, of course." "But it is for the murderer." "So you could do it too, then." "You forget that till a few days ago I was going to be executed for that." "I'm not trying to ignore the fact that kids get killed." "Hundreds of them die every day from starvation, war or other things." "But I don't see how anyone can defend this." "Then you tell me." "Like you say, hundreds of kids die every day." " Do you really believe what you say?" " Lf I didn't, why would I say it?" "Let me make a confession." "It may help you believe me." "Go on then." "That day at the house I felt like killing the woman and her kids." " Why?" "What did they do to you?" " Nothing." "No reason." " I just felt like it." " Maybe there was a reason." "Like getting revenge on your boss for sleeping with your wife." "That's what they thought in court anyway." "I don't remember wanting revenge." "I'd have remembered if I had." "But I do remember thinking about killing them." "Well why would any normal, decent person have thoughts like that?" "Prisons are full of decent people who've committed unthinkable crimes." "Shouldn't we ask why people want to kill kids for no obvious reason?" "Sure, but you'll have trouble finding an answer." "Right, but maybe you could help since that's what you want." "The woman kept blubbering." "And the kids couldn't care less." "For a moment it seemed like I'd be doing them a favour by killing them." "So why didn't you?" "I thought it wouldn't make any difference anyway." " You really thought that?" " I meant from my point of view." "That's really why you didn't kill them?" "Not exactly, but you could say so." "I'm not trying to put you back on the right track or annoy you." "As far as I can see, you're a guy who knows what he's doing." "But whoever we are, we're all human in the end." "And there has to be something we bow to." "I just want to know what yours is." "Then I'll tell you." "Whatever you say I couldn't care less about my scrape with execution and all of that stuff." "True maybe, but people have to have something they care about." "Sure they do, but none of that is as important as having money being a computer wizard or so goodlooking the women can't say no." " Being a human being's that simple?" " What else could it possibly be?" "Sorry, but I sense that it's anger that's driving you to say this." "Perhaps, but don't forget it's you who started this conversation." "Sorry, I can't accept that people are as facile as you say." "Whatever happens, people have to stand up for their actions." "If they can't do that, they'd destroy themselves." "Isn't that the position your boss found himself in?" "Didn't he commit suicide because he couldn't accept what he'd done?" " Maybe, but we can't prove it." " There are his confessions." "He convinced the court, too, by confessing his affair with my wife." "But he didn't commit suicide afterwards." "What's that supposed to mean?" "That his initial motive was evil, then a guilty conscience." " Isn't the difference crucial?" " Lf you ask me, yes, of course." "But for me evil is more important than a guilty concience." "But are you lumping together evil and evil with a conscience?" "The thing you call conscience, doesn't that originate from evil?" "No, that's unfair." "It's the real justice granted us by God." "Like in you and your boss's trial." "Personally, I prefer your justice." "Didn't you try and send yourself to the gallows without justification because you can't deal with being so unbelieving as to be glad when your mother died and indifferent to your wife's affair?" "Do you really think it's so complicated?" "I know at least that it's not as simple as you say." "It's even simpler, only you like complicating the issue." "It suits you to tell the person you're about to hang that they're going to pay for it." "Just like you did to me." " What did we do to you?" " Charged me with murdering 3 people." "But punished me for not being upset when my mother died and being indifferent to my wife's affair." "As if that wasn't enough, you're now trying to get me judged by God." "Doesn't this show that even bad guys want to believe in something?" " Doesn't it show they need meaning?" " It's hypocrisy if you ask me." "If that wasn't so, you'd punish yourself before anybody else." "So the entire human race are hypocrites." "Worse, they offload the burden of being human onto people like me." "What about the things they suffer?" "Take a look around." "The world is full of the suffering of believers." "You're showing me evil not suffering." "That's harsh." "Even if it was true and we admitted being indifferent to our wife's infidelity and glad that our mother died, there wouldn't be much left." " The human soul can't be so empty." " And if it is?" "Then there's nothing for it but to pray for that soul." " Are you hungry?" " No." "Let me make something hot then." "What would you like to drink?" " A coffee." "White." " All right." "Take it." "Sorry, Sinem." "Could you lend me a couple of eggs if you have them?" " 'Course." "Wait, and I'll get them." " Necati's not too well." "He keeps going on about omelettes." "And of course we're out of eggs." "Have a seat." "I'll be right back." " Thanks a lot." "Thanks." " No problem." "If you need anything else, do say." " OK." "Good night." " Good night." "Then we went to bed and had sex." "I woke up towards dawn and got up." "I opened the window, and looked out on the street." "Suddenly I felt like everything was coming to an end." "And I thought of my mum for the first time in ages." "I wondered what she was feeling, what was going through her mind that night when she was so close to death after all those wasted years." "Then something stirred inside me." "I felt a surge of excitement and listened to my soul." "But my soul was empty." "Inspired by Albert Camus's 'L'Etranger'"