- Fax for Miss Hardaway. - Thanks.
I take it back, Harry Barber. You are predictable.
Yeah, are you there?
Pick up.
It's me.
Listen, I'm sorry I didn't get to you sooner. It's a busy day and...
...it's like the crime of the century's going on at the DA's office...
...and Renick wants me to be press liaison.
I can't talk about it, but, I just-
Well, I'm gonna be late.
I'm gonna be very late, so don't wait up. Bye-bye.
In an hour this'll be over. You'll have your money.
And you'll have yours.
All right, get on in there and wait for me.
You know...
I can't help but think about what happened in that bungalow.
What? Nothing happened.
I know.
It's a shame.
Sure you don't want me to come?
The instructions said to come alone.
I can't risk my child's life.
Okay.
We did it.
We sure as hell did it.
You want to check this out?
Wake up, sleeping beauty.
What are you, drunk?
You're a fucking idiot.
Straight back to jail.
Straight back.
You fucking did it.
Twenty years.
Christ, you did it!
Come on! Come on!
Just light!
Fuck!
Son of a bitch.
You all right under there?
I took my eye off the road for one second and I slid into a guardrail.
Been drinking?
No, I don't drink.
- This yours? - Girlfriend's.
Sir, let me see your license and registration, please.
You know, I work at the DA's office.
I don't know if it's too late, but you could contact...
...the assistant DA, John Renick, there. He could vouch for me.
You mean the John Renick?
You know him?
- We went to the Academy together. - God.
He's my girl... my wife-
No, my girlfriend's sister's boy-
Husband.
- He's a good cop. - A great cop, according to him.
Look, I got an idea.
Open up that trunk there.
We'll get the spare out and I'll help you fix that tire.
All right.
You know...
...the spare is no, is no good. No good spare.
Well, you sure?
Oh, yeah, yeah, I'm...
No, I'm positive. It's-
My girlfriend had a flat.
Well...
We might better check and take a look-see. Maybe she got it fixed.
No. She wouldn't, 'cause she's... You know, women.
They don't care about...
...spare tires. They-
I know women. It'd be foolish not to check, though.
No, but I know my girlfriend. She-
Why don't we just pop her open anyway, take a look?
Might be surprised at what we find.
Go on, open her up.
Shit!
Well, I'll be damned!
How about them bananas?
Done broke it off. I'll tell you what, I'II...
I'll just call you a tow truck, all right?
- Thanks. - You bet.
- Very kind. - You're welcome.
Thanks.
Here's $10...
...$25, that's $30.
Thirty? That's 50 bucks for the tow.
Fifty bucks! Give me a break.
That car won't come off the hook until you pay me.
Come on.
- All right, I'll be right back. - I'll be here.
Is that you, Harry?
Go back to sleep, baby.
John? Yeah, here he is. Hold on.
Harry, it's John on the phone.
New development. Mr. Malroux just called us. His daughter didn't show up.
Now we're officially involved. We need you to write a statement, a press release.
I'll be right there.
Oh, hey, I need someone to pick me up.
- Yeah, just sit tight. - Thanks.
What's happening?
This case I'm working on, a kidnapping case, the girl was...
...kidnapped, the money was given, but...
...she was never returned. And now-
Seems to really be affecting you.
Did you know her?
No, it's just that- Well, of course not.
So...
...that's why you started drinking again?
A guy's entitled to a drink every once in a while.
You were the one who said it affected your judgment.
Well, I was wrong. My judgment's as bad as it ever was.
What's going on, Harry?
Tell me.
So, what was it that finally got Malroux to call in the calvary?
- Wife talked him into it. - His wife?
It's about time.
We've been in touch with the FBI. They're sending up an agent this afternoon.
Stop here.
- It was exactly here, Mr. Renick. - Right there?
I set the odometer when I left home.
Let's go check that out.
Come on, let's go!
Hey, over here!
Get some plastic on that. We need that thing protected.
That's a footprint. Great.
All right.
Hey, Harry.
Put your foot over next to this print here.
What size shoe are you wearing?
Same size as the kidnapper.
- Come on, where's that plastic? - I got tire tracks!
I can tell you he was no pro, that's for sure.
Whole thing's sloppy, half-assed and not very well thought out.
I bet he's local.
Let's get somebody on these tracks! We don't want them covered up.
It could be important evidence you're standing on.
Sorry.
Am I still needed, Mr. Renick?
Yes, sir. I'll be right there, Mr. Malroux.
Who is that guy with Malroux?
That's Donnelly, the ex-cop I told you about.
- Looks familiar. - Maybe you remember his face from TV.
He was the bagman for that crooked bunch at City Hall.
He plea-bargained his way out of jail time, but he still had to quit the force.
It was his testimony that sprung you out of prison.
Damn!
Told you they'd be all over this like shit on a stick.
It's time for you to earn your keep, my friend. Keep them off me, brother.
In-law.
- There'll be a press conference upstairs... - Are you involved in this?
...in three minutes.
My name's...
...Harry Barber. I'll be the press liaison for the DA's office.
I used to be one of you, so I know how anxious you are to get going...
...but I'll ask everybody to turn off their cameras...
...and turn off their tape recording devices, please.
Do as I'm asking you, please-
You see, I...
The DA's office and the police department...
How come they let you out of jail?
...have asked that you hold off on your story for the next 24 hours.
Why is that?
We don't know a heck of a lot more than you.
Pretty much what you all received in your statement.
And thank you. So...
...the district attorney doesn't want to...
...jeopardize this girl's situation if we break this story too soon.
We're not just talking about kidnapping, we're talking about a murder case.
- That's not true. - Do they have a suspect?
- lf not, they will soon, right? - lf the girl's already dead...
...why are we sitting on this story?
- They're just trying to flush the killer out. - Throw us a bone.
Kind of rough, huh?
You know the press; they think they know everything.
They'll cooperate though, right?
Yeah, for now.
What about you? Anything I should know?
We sent the ransom note and the drop-off instructions to the FBI.
We'll just wait and see what they'll come up with.
What do you mean? Like fingerprints?
Fingerprints?
The guy's dumb, not brain-dead.
They'll take saliva samples from the envelopes, the cigarette butt...
Profile his DNA with it.
DNA?
They can do that?
Don't you watch TV?
There's something more concrete I want to show you.
Some people might call this luck.
I'd like to look at it as good investigative work.
Checked the routine police report the night the girl was taken.
Oh, it's hot.
This guy was discovered out cold in the parking lot, right next to the girl's car.
- Somebody gave him a thump on the head. - Is that right?
I look like hell.
And he had receding brownish-blonde hair.
He was about that tall.
Had to be about, God, about yea wide.
And he had kind of a small but longish face.
Jesus, Harry.
He could be talking about you.
Yeah, me and a hundred other guys.
- I'm gonna grab some lunch. - All right. Go ahead.
It turned out to be a red wig.
I forgot. Nina called, said she couldn't find her car keys.
The car.
Are you here?
Do you have the keys? I need my car.
What are you doing?
What are you doing with that briefcase?
Nothing, I just-
It doesn't concern you, Nina.
If it concerns you, it concerns me.
Not this time.
- Tell me what's in the briefcase. - Nothing's in the briefcase.
What's going on?
Nina, nothing is going on. Nothing.
This is about that girl, isn't it?
The one that was kidnapped.
I need a few minutes alone, right now.
- Where are you going? - I need to take my car.
- No, no, not now. - Why not?
- Just not now, Nina. - Harry, what is going on?
Nothing! Nothing's going on! Nothing! Okay?
Nothing!
It's the girl, isn't it?
Harry, answer me. The girl, she's in the garage, isn't she?
Dead?
Did you kill her?
I didn't kill anybody.
God, I knew something was wrong, Harry.
Now you see why I didn't want to get you involved.
Okay.
What do we do now?
One thing's for sure. We gotta get rid of the body.
God, don't talk like that.
I'm sorry. I'm not a good little scout lost in the woods. Not anymore.
We'll rent a car and dump the body somewhere.
We have all the money we need right here.
Oh, God.
I thought I was one step ahead of her. She played me like Chinese chess.
Checkers. Are you talking about Rhea Malroux?
All she wanted was the girl dead and somebody to pin it on.
Why?
I don't know. It doesn't make sense.
Unless she wanted the whole fortune to herself after the old man dies.
- You think she killed her daughter? - Stepdaughter. Not a chance.
Maybe there's somebody else involved.
Maybe Rhea Malroux's got a friend.
Donnelly.
Who's that?
Don't answer it.
It'll be John Renick.
It's a matter of time before he comes up with the name Harry Barber.
Why don't you tell John what happened? He'll believe you.
That I was gonna extort a half a million from Malroux and not kill his daughter?
It's the truth.
It'll be Rhea's word against mine.
What?
Rhea Malroux's word.
I've got a message from Harry Barber.
Who's Harry Barber?
Maybe this will ring a bell.
My stepdaughter's got to be kidnapped.
The ransom will be $500,000.
I need someone to be the threatening voice on the telephone.
For the call and collecting the ransom I'm willing to pay...
- I've heard enough. ...ten percent.
What does this have to do with me?
You're fucking Rhea Malroux, for starters.
What do you want?
There's a body of the girl in the trunk of my car.
It needs to be taken care of or somebody's gonna find it.
- And if it's taken care of? - Nobody will hear the tape...
...and you can go on fucking Rhea Malroux.
I expect to hear from you.
I'm not the only one who fucked Rhea.
Maybe you should listen to the rest of your tape, sweetheart.
In all of this...
...excitement, Mr. Barber...
...I don't remember hearing whether you were in...
...or out.
In all this excitement, I don't remember saying.
I need to know.
Time is of the essence.
Where have you been? I've been on pins and needles.
I listened to the tape, Harry.
All of it.
It's not what you think. It didn't mean anything.
It sounded sincere.
Well, yeah. Nina, Nina...
Harry, I don't understand why.
I don't understand. Why did you do this?
I don't know. She-
She's a beautiful woman.
I'm not talking about Rhea Malroux.
Everything. I don't understand. Don't tell me you did it for the money.
- I didn't do it for the money. - Then why?
Well, I guess I felt like...
...somebody owed me something for those two years. This is my way-
Well, well.
If it isn't the missing link.
I'm not surprised you're mixed up in all this.
A snake can't change the fact that it crawls on its belly for a living.
Sticks and stones, Barber. Now, give me the tape.
Look.
You take the body, you get the tape.
I'm making the fucking deals around here. Give me the tape.
Give me the other one.
What other one?
You met Odette alone. If you taped Rhea, you taped the girl.
Well, Harry?
Did you tape the girl, too?
Now, about that problem of yours...
Here's the solution.
This stuff dissolves the flesh off bones, then dissolves the bones...
...just like piss on a snowman.
All right, give me a hand. You want to play, you must pay.
Oh, Jesus!
You got a bathtub?
- Yeah, why? - Where's the bathtub?
- For her. - You're gonna do this here?
- We're doing it here. - No, you can't do it here!
You know, we'll use that.
- No. Take her out. - It's happening.
- Not here! - We'll do it. Shut up! Okay?
You shut up!
It's gonna take a couple of minutes.
Shit! Don't get it! Don't get it!
Don't answer it! Don't answer it!
Just keep the water running.
Your phone's ringing.
Want me to get that?
I almost forgot, Harry.
Guess you earned it.
Good-bye.
Counting your money, Harry?
I don't know how you can even stand to touch it.
Fuck you!
Taking kind of a long lunch, aren't you?
Get in.
Buckle your seat belt.
So what do you think?
About what?
Don't tell me you haven't heard?
They found her.
They found who?
Odette Malroux.
In a bungalow down at East Beach. Right under our noses the whole time.
Let's go, Harry.
We're live at East Beach, and this is Harry Barber...
Did you know that it was Malroux's daughter? Did you know she was dead?
Did you know she was dead?
Are you involved in this?
Come on. Meadows is waiting on us. Let's go.
Would you give us a statement?
It's seaweed.
Mr. Malroux, I hate to do this, but it's very important.
Let's get on with it.
Is this your daughter, Odette?
Mr. Renick...
...this is Billy Holden. He manages the place.
- Was it you that called this in? - Yes, sir.
The maid found her a little while ago.
Was she renting the bungalow?
Ah, no, sir.
Who was?
Get him.
Harry, stop!
Oh, my God! My God!
- I'll get you a doctor. - No, I'm all right. No, no doctors.
Don't think anything's broke.
You probably hurt that old truck more than it hurt you.
That gunshot wound's another matter.
It might be best if you just gave yourself up.
I was hoping the rain would wash away the whole dirty business.
And me right along with it.
Thank you.
I was in it right up to my ears, and had no idea how the hell I'd get myself out.
There was only one thing I could do.
I've been waiting for you, Harry.
I'm sure you have.
I have a boat.
We can go away together.
Just you and me.
Why don't I believe you?
Nobody was supposed to get killed.
Tell that to Odette Malroux.
It was Donnelly.
He's such an animal.
I'm so scared!
Will you hold me?
I need you so much.
Not this time.
Somebody's gotta pay the piper. It's not gonna be me.
Where's your husband?
- Upstairs? - You won't tell him.
- I think he deserves to know. - No, he'll kill you.
- Better him than the state of Florida. - What about us?
Us?
Where does somebody like you come from?
I'm just a girl with...
...a little ambition.
A little ambition?
We're no different!
You and me, Harry, we're the same.
That's where you're wrong.
Who are you?
My name's Harry Barber.
Do I know you?
We have a mutual acquaintance or two, yes.
What do you want?
My neck is in a noose and I gotta get it out.
And you're my only chance.
Does this have something to do with my daughter?
Unfortunately, sir, it's got everything to do with your daughter.
Do you know who killed her?
Yes, I do.
I am waiting.
You got no reason to believe me...
...but I promise you it was-
Should I call the police, sir?
Continue, Mr. Barber.
Your wife and Donnelly.
He's lying, sir.
I know you got no reason to believe me, but it's true.
They suckered me into this phony kidnapping thing.
- And then they killed your daughter. - He's lying, sir!
And they did it for money. They're in on it together.
- I swear to God. - Shut up!
Rhea?
Could you come in here?
Please!
I don't like doing this. My wife is very upset.
It's an act, I'm telling you.
Your wife and this guy killed your daughter.
Who is that?
That's not your wife.
That can't be your wife.
Shut up!
Although this is a death penalty state, Mr. Barber...
...I won't live long enough to see you die for the murder of my daughter.
I didn't kill your daughter.
Make sure he isn't found.
I didn't do it.
- Ever. - I swear to God I didn't kill her.
Listen to me! I didn't do it.
I'm telling you-
Malroux, l-
I didn't kill your daughter.
Help me!
You had to get her involved, didn't you, dumb fuck?
You know the wife, Harry.
To be.
Intimately.
She said you were lousy, just like your writing.
I did not say lousy, I said predictable.
Like showing up tonight. She figured you would.
It's not rocket science.
Guy coming out of prison on a bum charge is gonna want to even the score a little.
It's only human nature.
The wife's good at human nature.
She's not bad at the physical stuff either.
But you couldn't keep your shirt on, could you?
Or his pants.
Flash a little green under your nose, a little pink...
...you panted like a big dog on a hot day.
I'm a sucker, me and that poor girl you had playing like she's Odette Malroux.
She was very cute.
And a good little actress, wasn't she?
Some runaway from the Midwest. Idaho, I think.
- That's the Northwest, hon. - Who cares?
Nobody's gonna see her again anyway.
I can't believe you killed her and Odette just for the ransom money.
Listen, Barber, a guy's so broke his fucking cash bounces.
$500,000...
...is $500,000.
You always were small time, Donnelly.
Fuck you with a pile driver, Harry.
Hon?
Which one for the plane ride?
I feel...
...I don't know, dark and mysterious.
I don't know. Surprise me.
The little lady and I are going to Vegas to get married, take some R and R.
Get the fuck off me.
Mr. Malroux gave us the week off...
...and his blessings, sweetheart.
- Mr. Malroux? - That's how we met, Harry.
I do the cooking, cleaning and...
...take care of the old man. - She does the gardening, too.
Rosemary, herbs, that sort of thing.
- I've always been a working girl. - I'll bet.
I gotta hand it to you.
When you showed up that day, I thought you blew the whole deal.
You got a fucking knack for that.
I had a damn good thing going when I was a cop. Until you fucked it up.
- Couldn't just take the money, could you? - Not Harry Barber. He's Mr. Clean.
You just don't learn, do you?
- Maybe next time- - You're out of next times, Sunny Jim.
You understand me?
Well, I guess this is good-bye.
Can I have a moment?
This must be what you want.
I'm gonna miss you.
Okay, Lovebugs, that's...
...enough.
You don't really think she's gonna marry you, do you?
- You talk too much. - She won't marry you, I promise.
She'll fuck you over.
You know...
...the world's full of Harry Barbers.
Guys who want to play in the big leagues but don't have the talent.
My advice is: Don't go in the deep end if you can't swim.
What're you doing, Harry? You want to fucking play games?
Want to make this painful?
What's that?
Is that a wire? You wearing a wire?
Hold it, Donnelly!
Clear!
Check the back. Get her! Take care of her!
All right, I got you.
- Where have you been? - Right outside.
That could've been me.
- It could've, but it isn't. - That could've been me!
This had to look good to be believable.
You were late! That could've been me.
Jesus Christ! What?
Hi, baby.
I love you.
You did it, Barber.
Nice work.
Free at last.
- Read him his rights. - What're you doing?
Conspiracy to kidnap, accessory to extortion...
...hindering in investigation. - This was my idea.
The whole wire thing. I got you re-elected!
Over here!
- Come out of there! - Open the door!
Would you mind, please, holding my bag for me?
Move it!
This isn't right, Renick.
I helped you out, you know.
- This isn't right. We had a deal. - Let's go. Get her out of here.
Take them downtown. Move it! Move it, come on!
- Let's go. - This isn't right.
Well...
...I'm back in prison...
...back with my little friends.
It's part of the deal I cut with Renick.
But it isn't going to be for long.
The way I figure, just long enough for me to write my story.
And then, who knows?
They might even turn it into a movie.