"Belyakov?" "Bad dream?" "l´ll take two." "l´m good." "Got it?" "Who do you like in the fight tonight?" "What fight?" "Where the hell have you been, Mars?" "Baer vs. Louis?" "It´s the so-called "fight of the century."" "You got that right." "Joe Louis is gonna tear that fellow apart." "Damn, if you don´t got the corner on stupid." "Ease up, Fletch." "Give the boy a break, here." "Look, what these two greenhorns need is a little schooling in the manly arts." "Now look, boys." "Lesson one:" "When a white fellow gets in the ring with an eight ball... the eight ball´s got no chance." "You see, ´cause they call boxing the sweet science." "And that´s where your colored just runs into trouble." "That´s just that science part." "Yeah, but Joe Louis is a big ´un." "Bullocks." "Hell, I don´t care if he´s big as an ox." "No jazzbo´s half the athlete a white man is." "How come?" "Well, because he can´t think on his feet." "It´s his Achilles´ foot, so to speak." "Now please, don´t tell me you put any of your rag money on Joe Louis." "A couple of bucks." "That is a lesson hard-learned, my friend." ""Fight of the century." lt´s more like "lock of the century."" "Look, I´ll tell you both what, if I was you I´d put every chit I got on Max Baer." "Tears are gonna fall like rain tonight in Harlem." "Mark my word." "Morning." "Hey, Ruthie." "How´s it going?" "All right." "That coffee tastes like passed water." "lt tastes fine to me." "Well, you´re used to it." "You been here longer than me." "Sugar, it isn´t how long you been here that counts." "It´s where you´ve been before." "French beans and chicory." "Now that´s coffee." "You get used to the finer things in life, honey, there´s no turning back." "Heard from the Professor?" "Not a thing." "You don´t really think Samson did him in, do you?" "I do, and I will see to it that little shrimp picks a number for what he done." "And you can stake on it." "Maybe he run off with Catalina." "Catalina?" "That little chili pepper that danced the cootch back in Loving?" "Run rabbit the same night as Lodz." "It´s probably just a coincidence." "It´s tragic." "That´s what happens when spirochetes eat your brain." "Excuse me." "Sure are." "lt should be up under it." "Maybe give it a space to get your fingers in." "l´ll go get it." "No problem." "Don´t think I´m crazy, but I´ve seen her, too." "Who?" "Your mama." "My mother´s dead." "Hey, Sofie, wait." "What happened?" "Nothing." "What?" "Ruthie says she´s seen my mama." "l´ll go set her straight." "No, don´t say anything." "That ain´t right." "It´s okay." "When do you start pouring the foundation?" "Six weeks from tomorrow." "If you want it sooner, I´m gonna have to put on a second shift." "Cost is no object." "This is the Lord´s work we´re doing here, Mr. Bowler." "Isn´t it beautiful, Norman?" "is this the ramped entrance here, at the rear of the temple?" "Yes, sir, I believe so." "There it is." "Do you see?" "That way you won´t miss a single service." "Justin, I...." "Good morning, Iris." "Mr. Dolan." "I´m sorry I´m late." "Got held up on the road." "God almighty, it´s backed up for miles." "Folks in jalopies, on foot." "Swell design." "Thank you, Tommy." "Iris, could you take Mr. Bowler outside... and show him where we´d like to place the fountain?" "Of course." "Thank you." "Mr. Bowler?" "Disturbing news?" "l´m afraid so." "I´ve been following Iris." "Hawkins, where you headed?" "There´s a fellow I need to talk to." "I saw you and Sofie this morning." "Getting kind of close, huh?" "Yeah." "So?" "Listen, kid, she´s hurting." "She´s looking to you." "Things happen." "What the hell are you saying?" "l´m saying, stay away from her." "I´m saying, she don´t need the grief." "I´m saying, it´s none of your goddamn business." "You know, you´re right. lt ain´t." "But we both know that wherever you´re headed... it´s likely to be a one-way trip... and that little girl...." "She´s lost enough already." "Hawkins!" "Come in." "I just wanted to say I´m sorry." "That´s all right, honey." "Besides, I´m the one who should be sorry." "You must think I´m tetched." "Maybe." "Sofie... I ain´t crazy." "Close the door." "Please." "You told me once... you thought your mama had one foot in this world and one in the other." "Did she ever see dead folks?" "I´ve been seeing ´em... every day, ever since I got snake-bit." "Rousties I used to know, a couple of others." "Carnies." "Just going about their business." "You´ve seen my mama?" "Her most of all." "Well, has she told you what she wants?" "Why she keeps coming back?" "Anything?" "Nothing." "None of ´em speak." "Not a word." "They´re just... there." "You´re not crazy." "She did it, Justin." "There´s no question." "She burned down the mission." "She killed those kids." "No." "Innocent people don´t drive out to the middle of nowhere to burn their clothes." "It had to be what she was wearing that night." "Nothing else makes sense." "I always said I´d follow the truth, no matter where it led." "And now here it is, at my doorstep." "Hello?" "Are you lost?" "I´m looking for a Mr. Geddes." "I´m Evander Geddes." "Do you make masks?" "Hey, mister." "l´ll be just a minute." "I don´t really got a lot of time." "Nonsense." "There´s always time for hot cider and good company." "Now... where were we?" "Henry Scudder." "Oh, yes." ""Hack" Scudder." "We had quite a time together in the old days at Hyde  Teller." "You made a mask of his face?" "Indeed, I did." "And a fine mask it was." "Exquisite." "You see, young friend, since my retirement I only make masks of children... those still close to womb time." "Their sweet little faces not yet ravaged by broken dreams." "Henry Scudder was a rare exception." "In fact, he´s the only adult I´ve done in years." "Every pore, every nuance perfectly rendered." "Have you seen it?" "l never seen nothing like it." "And I´d wager you´re not likely to see its equal again." "l bet it was expensive." "Cost a lot?" "Yes." "But what price can one place on immortality, young friend?" "Who paid for it?" "Why, Henry did, of course." "You mean, he paid for it before he died?" "What?" "My young friend, no." "It wasn´t a death mask I made for Henry." "He´s very much alive." "Damn it." "Best ride in the whole world, kids." "Thanks, Dad." "You hold on tight now." "You just let ´em keep riding and riding, okay, slugger?" "You sure?" "They´ll be spinning around for a half-hour at least." "That´s what I figured." "This is their first time up, and, well, I just want them to always remember it." "Yes, sir." "Good man." "There goes one-in-a-million." "I can´t even imagine having a dad like that." "Come on." "Your dad loves you." "Sure, he loves me, but not like that." "Nothing like that." "Of course, you can´t really blame him." "I mean, look at me." "I´m not very lovable." "That´s not true." "Not true at all." "Don´t talk about yourself that way." "Okay. lf you say so." "l say so." "Jonesy!" "What?" "Where´s Ben?" "Hell, I don´t know." "When did you last see him?" "What does he look like, a damn babysitter?" "My word." "Hey, look at that." "Nice try." "Place your bets." "Here we go." "Watch it." "Watch it now." "Why are you doing this?" "There´s no other way." "I´ve supported you." "I´ve given you everything, even this place." "The money, the temple... none of it would´ve happened if it wasn´t for the fire." "Yes, you´re right." "You needed martyrs. I gave them to you." "l did not ask you" "You never ask." "You never have to ask." "I´ve always known what you want... and I´ve always been the one to pay the price." "You´re right." "Alexi." "Alexi, please." "I will take responsibility for the fire." "I´m not one of your followers." "Iris." "If you had any intention of following through with that... you would have done it a long time ago." "If you want me to do this... you´re going to have to ask." "Go ahead, Justin." "Ask me." "Ask me to turn myself in." "I can´t." "Ask me." "Love of mother." "It´s a powerful thing, young friend." "Even the hard heart bears a soft spot for dear old mom." "is that why he had you make it?" "Yes, and a uniquely suitable gift, I might add." "She´s blind, I´m told." "l know that." "Look, I´m trying to find where he went to." "I couldn´t tell you." "He must have left something, some way for you to reach him or send the mask to." "He must have left something, some way for you to reach him or send the mask to." "Now, I may have an address." "Where?" "I´ve got some old records tucked away somewhere. I´ll take a look later." "No, now." "Take a look now." "We have so much to talk about." "I don´t get many visitors." "Look, mister, you´re wasting my time." "Please go find that address." "Certainly." "Certainly." "May I say... you have a most interesting face." "Still youthful." "Skin, soft and supple." "The address." "And yet there´s the strong brow, the cheekbones... the deep-set eyes of a powerful man who will soon emerge." "I´m sorry. I´m being foolish." "I´ll go look now." "No, to the left." "Take it to the left." "To the left." "Come on!" "To your left, for God´s sake." "Like a monkey humping´ a football." "To the left, you jackass!" "There´s too much damn static." "I gotta be able to hear Louis´s big old noggin when it smacks the canvas." "Can it, Dreifuss." "You´re wrecking the suspense." "Drink Moxie, the only soft drink with the genuine Moxie taste...." "Okay, don´t touch it." "I´m gonna go check in with the warden." "I´ll be back before the bell." "All right?" "And now, ladies and gentlemen, lend a kind ear as we bring you...." "That gal´s really something." "Yeah, she surely is." "Everything good?" "Now this next guy, he´s really something." "Handsome to the core." "Fascinating personality." "Razor-sharp wit." "He is a real man´s man, yet surprisingly... tender." "Sounds like a real catch." "He is." "He surely is." "A real big spender?" "Generous to a fault." "Must be quite a lover." "He could teach Clark Gable a thing or two about a thing or two." "Well, he´d better get his trousers off in a hurry, because we ain´t got all day." "Felix?" "How much do you owe?" "Jesus, baby, not now." "You can tell me. ls it more than $100?" "Later." "$200?" "Three?" "Come on, baby." "Get it off your chest." "lt´s four and change." "Felix." "Jesus, whatever." "It´s just a God-awful run of shit luck." "How much you got riding on that fight?" "Tonight?" "Nothing." "Not a plugged nickel." "No, I´m through with it." "No more gambling." "You better be telling me the truth." "l am." "God´s witness." "Baby, you don´t want to do that." "I should have my head examined." "Now, you pay what you owe, and then never again." "You hear me?" "Yes, loud and clear, angel." "Never again." "Quite a responsibility." "All those kids with their life in your hands, trusting you nothing will go wrong." "Guess I don´t look at it that way." "l guess you better start." "You´re the only thing that stands between them and an untimely death." "Hastings, Nebraska, 1908." "I remember it like it was yesterday." "A little girl started rocking the carriage when it reached the top." "Kind of like that kid´s doing right now." "Little girl, beautiful child... blonde hair, big blue eyes." "Flipped it over." "She must have fallen 40 feet." "Like a doll in a crinoline dress... until she hit one of them crossbars." "Damn, what a sight." "Her mama screaming, "Baby!" Picking up the pieces of that little child... trying to put it back together like a precious Humpty Dumpty." "Hey, there!" "Quit that rocking!" "Let me ask you something." "You got a fellow working for you, name of Scudder?" "Can´t help you." "Can´t or won´t?" "You gonna ride or what?" "You´re a pretty tough guy." "Always careful." "Accurately render each plane and curve." "A form of perfection that is the additory sum... of individual imperfections." "My objective, you see, is to capture the soul." "is to capture the soul." "Easy, my young friend." "I´ll be with you in a moment." "What is this place?" "My workshop." "What the hell are you doing?" "Something magical." "That´s right, keep struggling." "Perspiration opens up the pores." "Listen." "Please." "Just let me go." "I won´t go to the police, I swear." "I know you won´t do that." "No, no one ever goes to the police." "Now, don´t fret, young friend." "It´s a simple paralytic." "I just need to have you hold perfectly still." "Can you hear me?" "That was very foolish." "You could´ve cut yourself or raised a bump." "Now." "You´ve heard of plaster of Paris?" "This is plaster of Genoa." "A much finer casting agent." "Of course... I do add a few ingredients of my own." "Boiled linseed oil and a touch of beeswax." "A tiny dose of paraffin." "A little bit of alum... to speed up the settling process." "It´s lovely." "Yes, that is... lovely." "You´re up." "What happened?" "You fell asleep on the couch." "I do hope you had a nice rest." "What did you do to me?" "Nothing. I was just...." "I was here. I was painting." "You got a workshop?" "A what?" "Where is it?" "l don´t have one." "l know you´ve got a basement." "No." "What´s under the house?" "l don´t understand." "Show me!" "You see?" "There´s nothing there." "Nothing." "Perhaps you had a bad dream." "Well, it must´ve been a doozy." "I found an address for Henry." "That´s his ma´s address." "I´ve already been there." "That´s the only one I have." "Say, why don´t you stay for dinner?" "I´m cooking a brisket." "No." "Thanks. I gotta get back." "Welcome to the Church of the Air." "An hour of faith and hope featuring our own Brother Justin." "I won´t lie to you, brothers and sisters, when Eve ate the apple... man´s fleeting hopes for a life in eternal paradise were crushed." "As a result, we now live in a world of pain and despair." "A world of pain and despair." "There´s a right to the head and a powerful left hook to the body..." "There´s a right to the head and a powerful left hook to the body... as Baer is driven into the ropes!" "There´s a right cross, and another, and another!" "Joe Louis is merciless in his pursuit of Max Baer." "Baer staggers back into a neutral corner." "The "clown prince of boxing" seems out on his feet!" "Doctor, has he taken a royal beating tonight!" "The Brown Bomber closes in... firing vicious combinations to the head and body." "There´s a powerful right, and Baer is down!" "Get up, you son of a bitch." "Get up!" "Seven, eight, nine, it´s all over!" "In one of the most lopsided fights in boxing history... big Joe Louis has annihilated Max Baer... in two minutes and 23 seconds of the fourth round." "What a night." ""Lock of the century."" "Well, that´s what you get for betting on a Hebe." "What did you say?" "l´m just saying" "Max Baer ain´t no Jew." "Sure he is." "Everybody knows that." "Sheeny to the core." "So, it weren´t a... white man fighting a Negro." "It never was." "Son of a bitch." "It´s a goddamn Jew." "This way out, folks." "Right this way." "I had the best time." "Good night, folks." "Good night." "Okay." "Where is it?" "This way, folks." "This way out." "Must be nice." "What´s that?" "It must be nice being so small." "Every man, woman and half-growed tyke just towering over you... wanting to pick you up and cuddle you just like a little baby." "Yeah, that´s what it´s like all right." "Someone actually told me you run this place." "Could that be true?" "Could be." "Does it ever tire you out dealing with all the big folks?" "Sometimes." "Like right now." "You know, you´re all right." "Knee-high to a bedbug and all full of spunk." "How about that?" "You ever travel with a boy, name of Scudder?" "Not that I recall." "Now that is curious." "Because a fellow down in Loving, New Mexico, one of these lodge boys... he told me that this Scudder boy was buddies with a midget... so I figure he´s gallivanting with a carny show." "Not this one." "That´s what everybody´s been telling me." "They´ve been giving me the run-around all day." "And then I see you." "And I get to thinking, "What are the odds?", you know?" "How many runts like you could be running down... the same road this Scudder boy´s on?" "Scudder, huh?" "I might be able to help you out with that." "It´s about fucking time." "What you got?" "You might try the Daily Brothers show." "It´s a first-class operation." "He probably works for them... and they´s lousy with midgets." "You better cooperate, knee-high, or I´m gonna run you in." "If you´s a lawman, I guess I´m John Dillinger." "Save it for Halloween." "This carnival is shit!" "It´s nothing but half-wits, whores, and two-bit freaks." "You´re lucky l don´t burn it to the ground." "You bet on that damn fight?" "Weeping Jesus, woman." "Why you always giving me the up-and-down?" "Look me in the eye, and tell me you didn´t." "As a matter of fact, I did." "All of it?" "You bet your Brunswick, all of it." "You lost everything?" "Who said anything about losing?" "You bet on Joe Louis?" "Of course I did. lt was a dead cert." "You put all that money on a shine?" "What do I care what color he is?" "What, do you think I´m some kind of hillbilly?" "You see, that´s the shit there." "That´s what I...." "They´re closed." "Yeah, I see that." "You work here?" "No." "Smoke?" "Yeah, thanks." "You´re coming to the carny all on your lonesome?" "What´s the matter?" "Couldn´t find a date?" "I don´t see a gal hanging on your arm." "You got me there." "That you did." "I´ve had plenty of women in my day." "All back-stabbing bitches and outhouse whores." "I´ll tell you, kid, the more I know women... the more I like dogs." "Hey!" "I told you they were closed." "Hey." "I´ve been looking for you." "What changed your mind?" "Just something I need to try." "You seem nervous." "Cut." "The two of wands." "There´s a lord overlooking his dominion, yet he turns away." "Ashes, agony, disfigurement." "It´s happening again, isn´t it?" "Should I stop?" "No." "Keep going." "What did you see?" "Nothing." "It´s the lovers." "Attraction, passion, trials conquered." "Don´t you want to hear what it means?" "I think I know." "You were always the one who read the cards." "I poured the gasoline on the floor." "I lit the match." "I don´t know how long l stood there." "I just remember the match... burning my fingers." "And then everything caught fire." "I ran." "I watched it burn from across the street." "I needed to see it happen... but I didn´t want to hear the screams." "Why?" "I fell under a shadow." "It preyed upon me." "lt needed to be done." "That´s enough." "Did you get everything?" "Everything." "You´ve done the right thing, Irina." "You are forgiven." "is that what you seen?" "I´ve been there." "Reckon that´s where Scudder is?" "Yeah." "I´ll tell the man." "You got someone on your tail." "He´s a big guy in a brown suit?" "I think I hooked up with him when I come in." "A real peach, that one." "Smiles a lot, but he got dead man´s eyes." "Who do you reckon he is?" "Johnny Law." "His type´s more comfortable behind bars than in front of ´em." "I got a feeling he´ll be back, though." "There you go." "Got her?" "That´s gonna do it." "Straight ahead." "Which one?" "Keep going." "Over there?" "Put her down over there." "We gotta go!" "Give it to me." "Here you go." "That´s it." "Okay, set her down." "lt´s heavy." "Got it." "Right here." "This came special delivery." "Who´s it from?" "There´s no return address." "Thank you, Dinah." "Hey, kid, pick it up over there." "We ain´t got all day." "Let´s go." "Put those bags over there." "Bring it right over here." "Come on, we got a storm coming." "Let´s get with it." "Let´s go!" "Bring it up!" "There´s a bunch of poles and siding." "Let´s go, kid." "Come on." "Come on." "God damn it, Hawkins." "Quit your gawking." "Move!" "There you go."