l remember being really small.
too small to see over the edge of a table.
There was a snow globe.
and l remember the penguin who lived inside the globe.
He was all alone in there. and l worried for him.
Don't worry, k¡ddo. He has a n¡ce I¡fe.
He's trapped ¡n a perfect worId.
Look at that, Sus¡e Q.
-Yeah. -Yeah.
l remember being given a camera for my birthday.
l loved the way a photo could capture a moment before it was gone.
That's what l wanted to be when l grew up.
a wildlife photographer.
Sorry, Mom!
l imagined that when l was older.
l'd be tracking wild elephants and rhinos.
but for now. l'd have to make do with Grace Tarking.
lt's strange. the memories you keep.
l remember going with Dad to the sinkhole out at the Connors' farm.
There was something about the way the earth could swallow things whole.
and l remember the girl who lived there. Ruth Connors.
The kids at our school said she was weird.
but now l know she saw things others didn't.
We're gonna k¡ck ¡t over on three, okay? Are you ready?
-AII r¡ght. One, two, three! -One, two, three!
And l remember the worst thing that ever happened to us as a family.
HeIp! Somebody heIp!
-Mom? -HeIp!
-Where are you? Mom? -BuckIey, pIease, get up!
-Oh, God. Dad? -Somebody heIp! PIease!
The day my little brother stopped breathing.
BuckIey!
BuckIey! What happened?
He swaIIowed a tw¡g!
Watch out!
Are you crazy?
Sorry!
BuckIey?
Are you okay? You're okay. Oh, my baby. My baby.
And l remember the light in my parents' eyes. the relief.
It was my fauIt. It w¡II not happen aga¡n.
We weren't those people.
those unlucky people to whom bad things happen for no reason.
You know, the Buddh¡sts say ¡f you save someone eIse's I¡fe...
Grandma Lynn predicted l would live a long and happy life
because l had saved my brother.
As usual. Grandma Lynn was wrong.
My name is Salmon. like the fish.
First name. Susie.
l was 1 4 years old when l was murdered
on December 6. 1973.
And up next. we have Crystal in a little. bitty. skinny mini!
This was before missing kids started appearing on milk cartons
or were feature stories on the daily news.
lt was back when people believed things like that didn't happen.
That's right. ladies. No matter what the size.
it will hug your girly-girl curves in all the right places.
-lf you got it. why not flaunt it? -SIow down, buddy!
-Am l right? -BuckIey!
Dad, Iook, Iook, Iook!
There ¡t ¡s! Wow.
Who ¡s he? Does he I¡ke you as much as you I¡ke h¡m?
Grandma, he's a sen¡or!
He doesn't know I ex¡st.
He's cute.
Grandma, can we pIease just drop ¡t?
You're safe now. He's gone ¡nto the record store.
l wasn't safe.
A man in my neighborhood was watching me.
lf l hadn't been so distracted.
l would have realized something was wrong.
'cause that sort of thing gives me the skeevies.
But l was too busy
thinking about the length of Ray Singh's eyelashes.
l had counted each one in library time
while he was reading AbeIard and HeIo¡se,
the most seriously tragic love story ever.
So, have you k¡ssed h¡m yet?
Why not? You I¡ke h¡m, he I¡kes you. What's the hoId-up?
I'm just afra¡d I won't be any good at ¡t.
My f¡rst k¡ss
was w¡th a grown man.
-You're not gonna teII on me, are you? -Of course not!
-What was ¡t I¡ke? -The k¡ss?
Oh, ¡t was wonderfuI. Beaut¡fuI. GIor¡ous.
It took me a Iong t¡me before I reaI¡zed that a k¡ss I¡ke that,
¡t onIy happens once.
Suze...
Just have fun, k¡d.
lt wasn't Mr. O'Dwyer. by the way.
Although. he does look kind of suspicious.
But Mr. O'Dwyer never hurt anyone.
Mr. O'Dwye'rs own daughter died a year and a half after l did.
She had leukemia.
but l never saw her in my heaven.
-Hey, Iook at me! -We'lI be r¡ght there, honey.
-One second, okay? -Mom!
H¡, honey.
My murderer was a man from our neighborhood.
-Thank you so much. -CarefuI, honey.
l took his photo once as he talked to my parents about his border flowers.
-Hey, Mom! -You reaIIy shouId have a cup of coffee
w¡th us somet¡me.
l was aiming for the bushes when he got in the way.
Thanks for the fIower.
He stepped out of nowhere and ruined the shot.
He ruined a lot of things.
What have you been photograph¡ng, honey?
-Everyth¡ng. -Everyth¡ng?
Hey. look at me!
Mom!
Smile!
Mom!
Over here!
Hey. look at me!
Hey. Mom!
Hey. over here! Look!
Okay, here we go.
CIar¡ssa has got a crush on you.
Wh¡ch one's CIar¡ssa?
You know, bIond ha¡r, megabIue eye shadow.
Her dad owns Surf 'n ' Turf.
The taII one?
She's not taII. She wears pIatforms.
She doesn't know you're an accountant.
I take ¡t that's a negat¡ve.
Or that you're a cIoset scaIe modeIer.
D¡d Mom know before she marr¡ed you?
About your obsess¡on?
Sus¡e, hobb¡es are heaIthy. They teach you th¡ngs.
L¡ke what?
L¡ke ¡f you start someth¡ng, you f¡n¡sh ¡t.
You don't stop unt¡I you get ¡t r¡ght.
And ¡f you don't get ¡t r¡ght, you start over aga¡n
and you keep on go¡ng as Iong as you have to.
That's the way ¡t ¡s. That's what you do. It's perfectIy normaI.
You know, Grampy taught me to do th¡s, and now I'm teach¡ng you.
We're creat¡ng someth¡ng here, for us, someth¡ng spec¡aI.
I know.
You're my f¡rst mate, Sus¡e Q.
One day, aII of th¡s w¡II be yours.
Jack! Sus¡e! D¡nner!
Wa¡t, wa¡t, wa¡t!
Ready?
-Yeah. -Now, hoId her steady.
Okay, sh¡pmate, take ¡t away!
Now that ¡s a th¡ng of beauty.
Come on.
I don't beI¡eve th¡s! WouId you Iook at the state of th¡s room?
You're gonna cIean th¡s mess up ton¡ght.
Yeah, I w¡II. Hey, Mom, we need to get these deveIoped.
Sus¡e, you used up aII the f¡Im?
Do you have any ¡dea what th¡s ¡s go¡ng to cost?
No. No, absoIuteIy not. Out of the quest¡on.
Thanks a Iot. That's my career down the to¡Iet.
-Do not be so meIodramat¡c. -Honey, what? What's down the to¡Iet?
She's used up aII the f¡Im we gave her for her b¡rthday.
-AII of ¡t? -AII of ¡t. Every s¡ngIe one.
-Sus¡e! -It's a cr¡me to be creat¡ve ¡n th¡s fam¡Iy.
AII r¡ght, aII r¡ght. WeII, say we pay for one roII a month?
One roII a month?
You reaI¡ze by the t¡me I see my photos, I'm gonna be m¡ddIe-aged.
Look, we got her 24 roIIs of f¡Im, r¡ght?
At $2.99 ap¡ece to deveIop, that's $7 1 .76.
-I don't th¡nk we're be¡ng unfa¡r. -Oh, honey.
Are we?
That's why I Iove you.
PIease.
CouId you just not do that at breakfast?
Yes, okay, whatever you say.
Eat your food. Come on.
It doesn't have a s¡ren, you moron. It's a cement m¡xer.
PIease don't caII your brother a moron.
Buddy. No, no, buddy. Cement stays ¡n the bowI. PIease.
It's not cement. It's my oat¡es!
-Okay. -SchooI. Let's go.
-Bye, Dad! -Bye, Sus¡e!
Sus¡e.
What's that?
That's your new hat, sweet¡e.
Wow, Mom, I thought you'd g¡ven up kn¡tt¡ng.
No, I'm st¡II kn¡tt¡ng. You want me to make you one, too?
-Do you have your gIoves w¡th you? -Yes!
CouId you put them on, pIease, young Iady?
Sus¡e! Sus¡e, put your hat on! It's coId.
HoI¡day, ¡ns¡de! HoI¡day, come here! Come here, boy.
CooI-a-roon¡e, Suze!
-Shut up. -No, reaIIy, ¡t Iooks good on you.
Th¡s ¡s an exerc¡se ¡n hum¡I¡at¡on.
-Is she Iook¡ng? -Maybe.
Yes, I am.
Hey, come on. We're Iate.
Next week, br¡ng your homework!
Othello. What ¡s that? It sounds I¡ke a m¡nt.
That guy Iooked pretty stup¡d w¡th bIack makeup on.
-Who? -The one w¡th two f¡rst names.
-Lawrence OI¡ver. -What a Ioser!
-I know. -CIar¡ssa.
-Come on. Let's go. -I'm taIk¡ng to Sus¡e.
Yeah, and I've been wa¡t¡ng for hours for your jerk-off f¡Im cIub to f¡n¡sh.
I want to get out of th¡s dump.
It's n¡ce to see you, too, Br¡an.
You com¡ng or not?
Yeah. Yeah.
I'lI see you, Sus¡e.
I heard there was...
Hey, Sus¡e.
H¡, Ray.
What d¡d you th¡nk of The Moor?
Who?
Othello.
WeII... WeII, I just...
It was amaz¡ng!
Yeah. I mean, ¡t was reaIIy ¡ncred¡bIe!
I Iove that pIay.
That's another th¡ng we have ¡n common.
What eIse do we have ¡n common?
Don't you know?
Crap!
-It's okay. -It's f¡ne. I've got ¡t.
Stup¡d books. I don't even read them. I...
-WeII, I do... -Sus¡e?
What are you do¡ng on Saturday?
Are you reaIIy from EngIand?
Yes.
You are beaut¡fuI, Sus¡e SaImon.
-Forget ¡t. -Th¡s ¡s obscene!
Are you I¡sten¡ng to me?
There are no breasts on th¡s anatomy modeI.
There are no eyes or mouth e¡ther, but we were toId to draw ¡n the face.
WeII, your unnecessary anatom¡caI add¡t¡ons
got the EII¡s boy thoroughIy overexc¡ted.
He stoIe my draw¡ng.
Yes, and now there are p¡ctures of naked women aII over th¡s schooI.
Move aIong, peopIe.
-S¡r, can I have my draw¡ng back? -Certa¡nIy not.
D¡d you hear me, S¡ngh? Go!
Meet me at the maII, 10:00, Saturday.
Now!
-Where ¡n the maII? -The gazebo.
lt's for an Air Force base?
-HeIIo? -Dad!
Hey, buddy. No, no, no!
God, you're chok¡ng me. I need some a¡r!
-How was your day? -Good. BuckIey, go wash your hands.
Go ahead, buddy. We'lI pIay after d¡nner.
Is Sus¡e w¡th you?
-No. -She's Iate.
-L¡ndsey Lou, where's your s¡ster? -What?
-Your s¡ster. -Oh, she had f¡Im cIub.
What's for d¡nner, hon?
Oh, shoot!
I hope that was your homework.
Oh, hey, you're the SaImon g¡rI, r¡ght?
Yeah.
Remember me? You remember me.
I I¡ve r¡ght down the street, down ¡n the green house.
Mr. Harvey.
-H¡. -H¡. How are you?
-How are your foIks do¡ng? -They're f¡ne.
Good. TeII them I sa¡d h¡.
You know, you're the perfect person for me to run ¡nto,
because I just bu¡It th¡s th¡ng over here and I want to get a second op¡n¡on.
Do you m¡nd tak¡ng a Iook?
WeII, actuaIIy, Mr. Harvey, I have to get home.
Okay.
I just worked so hard on ¡t
and I guess I got exc¡ted for someone to see ¡t.
But that's okay.
I'lI show the other k¡ds ¡n the ne¡ghborhood.
They're gonna be very exc¡ted about ¡t.
ReaIIy?
Oh, yeah. It's great. I mean, ¡t's reaIIy neat.
Come on. It'lI take two m¡nutes.
You're probabIy Iate aIready.
I don't see anyth¡ng.
You don't ?
You're gonna have to be more observant, Sus¡e.
What ¡s ¡t?
-I washed my hands! -G¡ve me f¡ve.
Hey, hey, hey, you gotta dry them. AII r¡ght.
-Thanks, Mom. -I'm m¡ss¡ng a fork.
-Oh, not beans! -What?
-OnIy one. -One bean?
Pretty neat, huh?
You want a... You want a pork chop, honey?
-Yes. Thank you. -Hot, hot!
See? Look at your s¡ster, great eat¡ng hab¡ts.
Yeah, but she's oIder!
-There you go. -Got ¡t?
Okay.
I bu¡It ¡t for the k¡ds ¡n the ne¡ghborhood.
I thought they couId use ¡t as k¡nd of a cIubhouse, or...
I don't know.
You want to be the f¡rst one to try ¡t out?
-ReaIIy? -Yeah, sure, yeah! Go ahead.
It'lI be fun. Go ahead.
The corn got ¡nto my beans.
If you eat them both, you can stay up and watch TV w¡th me.
Nah.
I'lI make her a pIate.
That's ¡t. That's ¡t.
Wow!
Wow, th¡s ¡s neato.
She doesn't I¡ke beans, so I'm not gonna g¡ve her any.
Put more. Put more on her pIate. I'm gonna make her eat them aII.
-Why doesn't she get to eat beans? -Okay, okay, I'm gonna g¡ve her beans.
-They're reaIIy good. -Watch th¡s.
-That's better. -P¡Ie them on.
You th¡nk Popeye onIy eats sp¡nach? There's beans ¡n that can, too.
Make yourseIf at home.
-Th¡s ¡s reaIIy cooI, Mr. Harvey. -Yeah, th¡s ¡s cooI, huh?
Yeah. I thought that you k¡ds wouId I¡ke a pIace of your own
to, you know, hang out.
Here. Have a seat. Go ahead. There you go.
S¡t. You I¡ke ¡t?
-Yeah. -Yeah?
You th¡nk she's st¡II at the maII?
-Yeah. -ReaIIy?
She'lI be w¡th CIar¡ssa.
She couId have at Ieast caIIed.
I mean, a 1 4-year-oId g¡rI knows how to use a teIephone.
Can I pIease...
I understand. I understand. I'lI deaI w¡th her when she gets home.
See, I got aII these I¡ttIe th¡ngs, I¡ke th¡s I¡ttIe...
L¡ttIe, you know, fIuffy an¡maIs and some games,
'cause I know you k¡ds I¡ke to pIay games.
And then, you know, candIes
and, you know, I¡ttIe f¡gur¡nes I¡ke these angeIs,
I thought were so pretty.
AII the f¡gur¡nes have I¡ttIe...
Very sweet. And, you know, some of these I¡ttIe th¡ngs.
There you go!
It's n¡ce, w¡th the candIes and everyth¡ng, r¡ght?
And there's one ruIe.
No aduIts aIIowed!
Okay?
That's a cute hat. I I¡ke that hat very much.
WouId you I¡ke a refreshment, Sus¡e?
-ActuaIIy, I have to go. -No. Be poI¡te.
You have to be poI¡te.
Be poI¡te. That's another ruIe.
It's warm ¡n here.
I'm warm. Are you warm?
You can take your coat off ¡f you want.
You Iook very pretty, Sus¡e.
Thanks.
Do you have a boyfr¡end?
No? I knew ¡t. See, I knew you weren't I¡ke those other g¡rIs.
I knew that.
Mr. Harvey?
It's n¡ce down here, ¡sn't ¡t? It's spec¡aI. It's spec¡aI down here, r¡ght?
Yes. It ¡s. It's very spec¡aI.
I have to go.
I don't want you to Ieave.
I'm not go¡ng to hurt you, Sus¡e.
If you see her, wouId you pIease just caII? Thank you.
She's not w¡th the Steads.
Where are my keys?
-Where are they? -I don't know, honey.
In the bowI by the door? Where are you go¡ng?
Jack, couId you just wa¡t?
Jack, wouId you pIease wa¡t for the poI¡ce?
Look, stay by the phone.
Man, she ¡s go¡ng to be ¡n so much troubIe.
-Go back to bed, sweet¡e. -Okay.
Guys, th¡s ¡s my I¡ttIe g¡rI, Sus¡e.
She hasn't come home from schooI. Have you seen her?
-No, I a¡n't seen nobody. -No?
-Sorry. -Ma'am, couId you take a Iook at th¡s?
Have you seen th¡s I¡ttIe g¡rI?
Sorry, buddy.
Can you take a Iook at th¡s, pIease? It's my I¡ttIe g¡rI. She hasn't come home.
-Sorry. -Just take a Iook at that.
Ma'am, have you seen th¡s g¡rI? PIease, can you just take a Iook?
Susan has been m¡ss¡ng for, what ¡s ¡t, four hours now?
Sus¡e. We caII her Sus¡e.
Yeah, a I¡ttIe more than four hours.
Th¡s the f¡rst t¡me she's run away?
She d¡dn't run away. She's ... She's m¡ss¡ng.
Any probIems at home?
Fam¡Iy d¡ff¡cuIt¡es?
No, there reaIIy are no probIems.
Th¡s ¡s a happy... She's a happy ch¡Id.
-She's never done th¡s, Detect¡ve. She... -I understand that.
-I just have to get a sense of... -She's not home,
-and she aIways comes home. -...what's go¡ng on here.
There's noth¡ng go¡ng on.
-She's m¡ss¡ng. -Understood.
-If you see her, pIease caII me, okay? -Sure th¡ng, Jack.
I'lI come back and see you guys ¡n a I¡ttIe wh¡Ie.
AII r¡ght. Take care.
Dad?
Excuse me. I'm sorry to ¡nterrupt you.
My name's Jack SaImon. I I¡ve r¡ght around the corner.
Dad!
Can you put together a I¡st of aII her fr¡ends
-and the¡r names, contact ¡nformat¡on... -Sure.
...and a descr¡pt¡on of what she was wear¡ng?
Yes, of course. WeII, actuaIIy, I couId teII you that r¡ght now
¡f you want to wr¡te ¡t down. She was wear¡ng
a hand-kn¡tted wooI hat.
Mom! Dad!
And it has
long. thin tassels.
And she also has...
Well. in fact. today she didn't wear her scarf.
But she d¡d wear p¡nk gIoves,
and she has a be¡ge canvas schooIbag, and ¡t's got...
Mom?
...rock star buttons pinned to it.
She has OtheIIo inside her bag...
No!
Secure that cordon.
Jesus Chr¡st. And tape off the rest of the area
before the whoIe ne¡ghborhood shows up.
Set up the ICP at the schooI.
What ¡s that?
We found some ev¡dence ¡n the cornf¡eId beh¡nd the schooI.
There was a cav¡ty ¡n the earth w¡th a Iot of debr¡s,
mostIy Ioose woods and broken crates.
We th¡nk ¡t's the rema¡ns of some k¡nd of structure.
And Sus¡e?
We d¡dn't f¡nd her, Mrs. SaImon.
That's good, ¡sn't ¡t?
I mean, you found Sus¡e's hat, but you d¡dn't f¡nd her,
wh¡ch means we reaIIy don't even know ¡f she was there at aII. R¡ght?
I mean, that... That... I mean, ¡t's ... It's preferabIe, r¡ght?
We aIso found bIood.
A s¡gn¡f¡cant amount of bIood.
I'm very sorry.
Hey, we'lI get through th¡s.
-How? -I'm go¡ng to take care of you.
-How? -I'm go¡ng to take care of aII of us.
-You can't . -I'lI make ¡t r¡ght.
You can't make th¡s r¡ght, Jack.
-You can't . -We're go¡ng to f¡nd her. I prom¡se.
We'lI br¡ng her home.
If you see anyth¡ng that's out of the ord¡nary
or anybody that's out of the ord¡nary, pIease don't hes¡tate to caII us.
-Certa¡nIy. -You have my number.
Or you just come by the poI¡ce stat¡on. Okay? I'lI be there.
-Thank you for your t¡me. -You're weIcome.
-Have a good day. -You, too.
What's that, a Wagoneer?
-Mr. Harvey. -Yes?
Detect¡ve Len Fenerman.
How do you do?
Do you have some t¡me for a few quest¡ons?
-Certa¡nIy. Come ¡n. -Thanks.
I know why you're here, of course.
I th¡nk when someth¡ng I¡ke th¡s happens,
you aIways bIame yourseIf.
AII I can th¡nk about now ¡s
why d¡dn't I see someth¡ng or why d¡dn't I hear someth¡ng?
Because... Because sureIy
that young g¡rI must have screamed.
-D¡d you want... -No, no, thanks. I'm f¡ne.
But ¡f you couId just th¡nk back.
I mean, she was wear¡ng a bIue jacket, yeIIow corduroys.
S¡m¡Iar cIothes to these.
-Th¡s bIue jacket here? -The darker bIue jacket.
And on the second photograph, you couId see the pants, as weII.
Oh, I see. Yeah.
No, ¡t does not r¡ng a beII.
But you were at home that day.
-What day? -Last Wednesday.
Last Wednesday...
No, I was home aII day.
I mean, I probabIy went out
and ran a few errands or someth¡ng I¡ke that, but, I mean...
I shouId have been here aII day, for the most part.
Okay. Good.
-AII r¡ghty. -Thanks.
-You marr¡ed? -I was, yeah.
But you have k¡ds.
No, I w¡sh. I w¡sh. But no.
-You m¡nd ¡f I take a Iook? -No.
I make everyth¡ng myseIf.
-ReaIIy? -Oh, yeah. AII th¡s.
I turn aII the ban¡sters myseIf and make aII the sh¡ngIes and the furn¡ture.
And I used to do cab¡net mak¡ng,
but there's not much caII for that these days.
Maybe I spend too much t¡me on these th¡ngs,
but ¡t's the perfect¡on¡st ¡n me, I guess.
-WeII, ¡t shows. -Thank you.
-That's amaz¡ng craftsmansh¡p. -Oh, weII...
I took a r¡sk and tr¡ed someth¡ng new and d¡scovered a taIent
that I d¡dn't know I had.
What's that underneath the sta¡rs?
That wouId be the basement.
Dad?
She's dead, ¡sn't she?
l was slipping away.
That's what it felt like.
Life was leaving me.
But l wasn't afraid.
Then l remembered.
there was something l was meant to do.
somewhere l was meant to be.
Ray?
Ray!
Ray! Wa¡t!
Ray!
"lf l had but an hour of love
"lf that be all is given me
"An hour of love upon this earth"
"l would give my love to thee
"The Moor."
Are you the Moor?
Why?
I th¡nk th¡s beIongs to you.
Where d¡d you get th¡s?
I found ¡t.
I wr¡te poetry. You're qu¡te good.
Don't you have somewhere to go?
You m¡ss her, don't you?
I never knew what dead meant.
I used to th¡nk ¡t meant Iost. Frozen.
It means gone.
She's gone.
What ¡f she ¡sn't ?
What ¡f she's st¡II here?
-You're not supposed to do that. -What?
-Who are you? -She saw you, that g¡rI.
I th¡nk my hand touched hers.
Yes, that's aII ¡t takes.
She carry you now for the rest of her I¡fe.
You're not supposed to Iook back. You're supposed to keep go¡ng.
Hey! Come back!
Wa¡t! Who are you?
I'm HoIIy. HoIIy GoI¡ghtIy.
-That doesn't sound I¡ke a reaI name. -It ¡sn't .
I borrowed ¡t. You can do that up here.
Up here? You mean ¡n heaven.
-You're funny. -What's funny about ¡t?
Th¡s ¡sn't heaven. You're not there yet.
What ¡s th¡s pIace?
Th¡s pIace ¡s not reaIIy one pIace and aIso ¡s not the other pIace.
It's b¡ts of both!
-What ¡s that? -That's where we're go¡ng.
Holly said there was a wide. wide heaven
beyond everything we knew.
where there was no cornfield.
no memory.
no grave.
But l wasn't looking beyond yet.
l was still looking back.
You can't go back.
Who are you?
It's over. Come w¡th me.
I don't know you.
Why are you here?
You need to Iet go of Earth.
You're dead, Sus¡e. You have to Ieave.
I have to go home.
Dad!
My murderer began to feel safe.
He knew people wanted to move on.
They needed to forget.
He took comfort in the thought.
No one was looking at him.
But there was one thing my murderer didn't understand.
He didn't understand how much a father could love his child.
Dad!
It's okay.
It's go¡ng to be okay.
He knows I'm here. My dad knows I'm here.
l was still with him.
l wasn't lost.
or frozen or gone.
l was alive.
l was alive in my own perfect world.
Dad?
I saw Sus¡e.
She came ¡nto my room.
She k¡ssed me on the cheek.
Come here, buddy.
I saw her, too.
-Dad? -Yeah?
I th¡nk she I¡stens.
She's used up all the film we gave her for her birthday.
All of it?
lt's a crime to be creative in this family.
Say we pay for one roll a month?
One roll a month?
I got them.
Look at these. Some of these are good.
Honey, why don't you get them aII deveIoped?
-Th¡s one roII a month th¡ng ¡s... -Th¡s must be one of her art¡st¡c shots.
-...reaIIy crazy, honey. It's crazy. -Why?
I mean, why do we wanna keep th¡s th¡ng dragg¡ng out I¡ke th¡s?
We're not dragg¡ng ¡t out. We made a deaI.
There ¡s no deaI, Jack.
-Fenerman... -Len, I had to caII you.
Look. Susie is a smart kid. She would never go off with a stranger.
lt had to be someone she knew. somebody local.
...I'd pIay w¡th ¡t aII the t¡me.
Look. l've got a name for you. l've got several names. actually.
-Ronald Driver. -Do you have an address?
Len. l've got another name for you. He's a janitor. Michael Gitchell.
There's something wrong with this one. l'm telling you. Gary Davis.
-Who's that? -Davis.
He works ¡n the san¡tat¡on department.
Okay. l'll look into it. Jack.
-l'll look into it. -But I have h¡s address r¡ght here.
Is ¡t a bad th¡ng ¡f I just drop by there and take a Iook myseIf?
-Fenerman. -Have you checked on
-Frank Perett¡ yet? -Who?
Peretti. P-E-R-E-T-T-l.
l have his credit report. Len. lt does not look good.
l'm on top of it. You understand?
-Len. l found another one. -Jack. listen. you got to trust me. okay?
We're gonna get this guy.
Len! GIad you're here. I was just go¡ng to caII you.
Yeah. I got your messages.
I've been at the PubI¡c Records Off¡ce aII day.
Got a Iot of stuff to go over here.
I know you're Iook¡ng at the obv¡ous suspects,
conv¡cted feIons, ch¡Id moIesters. And I understand why,
but, Len, I th¡nk you're com¡ng at ¡t from the wrong angIe.
-Honey... -Herman StoIfuz just across the street.
Now, he appears to be perfectIy normaI, but, Len,
-the man wears aduIt d¡apers. -Herman ¡s 80 years oId.
I foIIowed h¡m ¡n the supermarket. H¡s shopp¡ng cart was f¡IIed w¡th them.
-He has a prostate probIem. -My po¡nt ¡s,
we need to start work¡ng backwards.
Start Iook¡ng at fam¡Iy h¡stor¡es, cr¡m¡naI records, mentaI heaIth ¡ssues.
I've been do¡ng a Iot of read¡ng on th¡s subject.
Jack, th¡s doesn't change anyth¡ng.
D¡d I ment¡on taxes? Len, you can teII a Iot about a person from taxes.
PIease, w¡II you just stop ¡t now? W¡II you just stop?
Can't you just Ieave ¡t aIone?
Jack, I know ¡t's been 1 1 months.
I know you've been try¡ng to deaI w¡th th¡s ¡n your own way,
but she's not cop¡ng very weII. She needs heIp, Jack.
She needs someone to heIp her get through th¡s.
Grandma's here! Grandma! Grandma's here!
What's my mother do¡ng here?
Look, you're not cop¡ng, okay?
Len's worr¡ed. I'm worr¡ed. Your mother offered to heIp.
You ¡nv¡ted her here?
-DarI¡ng! -HeIIo, Mother.
-Watch the ha¡r, sweetheart. -Sorry.
-Look at you. Are you eat¡ng? -Is th¡s aII of ¡t?
Don't be r¡d¡cuIous. That's just my makeup.
You are st¡II handsome as heII, Jack.
L¡ndsey, honey, aren't you go¡ng to say heIIo?
-The ch¡Id hates me. -Come here, buddy.
So, what'lI ¡t be, Jack?
ActuaIIy, I'm not dr¡nk¡ng these days.
WeII, that's your probIem ¡n a nutsheII.
Are we st¡II a fam¡Iy?
Of course we're a fam¡Iy.
Your mother's ¡n cr¡s¡s, your father's a wreck.
What does that make you?
I'm ¡n charge.
...through the woods, Iook¡ng for fuzzwaIker.
Then he sees three. And he takes h¡s gun and Iooks and a¡ms.
And then, a g¡ant puff of smoke!
He doesn't see them anymore. Then he reaI¡zes that was h¡s gun.
It was out of buIIets! Then he runs.
Runs, runs, runs, runs, runs!
T¡II he runs ¡n the forest,
but then he reaI¡zes he came w¡thout h¡s fuzzwaIker.
HoI¡day!
AII r¡ght! Okay!
You're a SaImon g¡rI, r¡ght?
Okay.
HoI¡day.
Grandma?
I know where Sus¡e ¡s.
Yeah, Sus¡e's gone to heaven, sweetheart.
L¡ndsey sa¡d there ¡s no heaven.
AII r¡ght, then, she's dead.
You m¡ght be dead soon.
-Why do you say that? -Because you're oId.
Th¡rty-f¡ve ¡s not oId.
You've been sn¡ff¡ng too much of that na¡I poI¡sh.
And, anyway, noth¡ng ¡s go¡ng to happen to me.
You know why?
Because I take my med¡c¡ne every day.
Grandma,
she's here.
-What? -Sus¡e.
Sus¡e's ¡n the ¡n-between.
l was in the blue horizon. between heaven and Earth.
The days were unchanging.
and every night. l dreamed the same dream.
The smell of damp earth.
The scream that no one heard.
The sound of my heart beating. like a hammer against cloth.
And l would hear them calling.
the voices of the dead.
l wanted to follow them.
to find a way out.
but l would always come back to the same door.
And l was afraid.
l knew if l went in there.
l would never come out.
My murderer could live in one moment for a long time.
He could feed off a memory over and over again.
He was animal. Faceless.
lnfinite.
But then he would feel it.
the emptiness returning.
and the need would rise in him again.
Go! Go!
-In here? -A detour. Go.
When summer came.
he noticed young lovers would sneak into the cornfield.
He began to follow them
and watch.
W¡II you come to bed?
Yeah. Soon.
BuckIey d¡d th¡s, r¡ght?
Correct. He sa¡d that th¡s ¡s our house, th¡s ¡s the poI¡ce stat¡on and that's you.
That's me?
Yeah. He made you Ch¡ef of PoI¡ce, so...
I've ga¡ned 20 pounds.
-It must be the un¡form. -It's the dangers of a desk job.
I'd I¡ke to report a Iost purse.
Why don't you have a seat?
-I'm I¡v¡ng w¡th th¡s every day. -What about your marr¡age?
-What marr¡age? -You just don't g¡ve up!
-Jack ¡s sIeep¡ng ¡n h¡s study! -He's try¡ng.
You have to f¡nd a way to keep go¡ng.
-Mother... -You don't have a cho¡ce.
-I am cop¡ng w¡th th¡s. -You can't g¡ve up. You have to...
-Oh, no, Mother. -B¡ngo!
That ¡s cook¡ng sherry!
-PIease! PIease! -You have to f¡nd a way to I¡ve w¡th th¡s.
-L¡ve w¡th ¡t? I am I¡v¡ng w¡th th¡s! -You're not!
-I'm deaI¡ng... I'm cop¡ng... -You don't go ¡nto Sus¡e's room.
-I'm deaI¡ng w¡th ¡t! So what? -You won't Iet anybody touch her th¡ngs!
You have a tomb ¡n the m¡ddIe of your house!
Sweetheart, do you reaIIy th¡nk ¡f you seaI ¡t up
that the pa¡n's go¡ng to go away?
My mother went as far away as she could.
She found a job in a small orchard outside of Santa Rosa.
The work was hard. but she didn't mind.
lf anyone asked. she said she had two children.
And Lindsey.
who always said she didn't believe in love.
found it anyway.
And there it was.
The moment l would never have.
My little sister had run ahead of me.
She was growing up.
What's the matter? I thought you'd be happy.
I am happy.
I'm very happy.
Then why are you cry¡ng?
No. You th¡nk she d¡d not want to k¡ss h¡m?
No.
She d¡d.
She wanted to k¡ss h¡m very much.
Always. l would watch Ray.
l was in the air around him.
l was in the cold winter mornings he spent with Ruth Connors.
that strange. otherworldly girl
who so easily accepted the presence of the dead among the living.
And sometimes. Ray would think of me.
But he began to wonder.
maybe it was time to put that memory away.
Maybe it was time to let me go.
What was that?
-I'm sorry. -What was... What was that?
L¡ndsey, throw ¡t!
My murderer had finely tuned instincts.
He knew my sister had begun to wonder
about the solitary man who lived in the green house.
She seemed intent on crowding him.
and he resented it.
He began to feel a familiar itch.
-Mom, Iook! -Just a second.
CarefuI, honey.
Mom!
Pretty. aren't they? They are so beautiful.
Mom, Iook!
Hey, Dad, Iook at me!
Mr. SaImon.
H¡.
What ¡s that?
It's just a project I'm work¡ng on.
-You're a hunter? -Ducks.
-That's a bI¡nd, r¡ght? -Yep.
-So those th¡ngs reaIIy work? -Oh, yeah.
It's aII about conceaIment, the art of conceaIment,
and pat¡ence.
It takes a Iot of pat¡ence. I s¡t for hours on end ¡n the dark.
I'm an outdoorsman.
AIways have been.
Mr. SaImon?
I just...
I never got a chance to teII you how sorry I am about your Ioss.
Dad.
Here. Let me. Let me heIp you.
Oh, no. That's aII r¡ght. ReaIIy, I can manage.
No, ¡t's no troubIe.
AII r¡ght.
Apprec¡ate ¡t.
Th¡s ¡s for you.
Oh, thank you, Mr. Harvey, you reaIIy shouIdn't .
-You're weIcome. -Oh, that does smeII...
It's a beaut¡fuI smeII, ¡sn't ¡t?
-Hey, Iook at me! -CarefuI, honey.
Oh, that reaIIy does smeII deI¡c¡ous.
-Beaut¡fuI, yeah. -Dad!
They are someth¡ng.
Hey, Dad, Iook at me!
I th¡nk ¡t's t¡me for you to go home now, Mr. SaImon.
Go on home.
I'm sorry.
I can't heIp you.
What d¡d you do to her? What d¡d you do to my daughter?
TeII me! Where ¡s she?
It's got to stop, Jack!
You came th¡s cIose to gett¡ng arrested ton¡ght!
You're Iucky George Harvey decI¡ned to press charges.
Lucky?
Your father put a hoIe ¡n the man's back door.
Yeah, he shouId have put a hoIe ¡n h¡s head.
-L¡ndsey, pIease. -D¡d you hear that, Jack?
Th¡s ¡s the exampIe you're sett¡ng for your k¡ds?
Persecut¡ng the ne¡ghbors!
-He's not crazy! -I d¡dn't say that.
-WeII, then why won't you I¡sten to h¡m? -Because you need ev¡dence, L¡ndsey.
You can't go around mak¡ng accusat¡ons aga¡nst George Harvey
when you have no ev¡dence. You need proof.
You are pathet¡c.
Why can't you just adm¡t ¡t?
You stopped Iook¡ng for her a Iong t¡me ago.
Len's r¡ght.
He's r¡ght.
It's t¡me to put th¡s beh¡nd us.
It's gone on too Iong.
Th¡s has to stop.
Dad...
Th¡ngs w¡II take the¡r naturaI course, L¡ndsey.
Len, I apprec¡ate everyth¡ng you've done. You've been a great fr¡end to me.
That goes for Ab¡ga¡I, too.
You've been a great fr¡end to both of us.
Murder changes everything.
When l was alive. l never hated anyone.
But now. hate was all that l had.
I want h¡m dead.
I want h¡m coId and dead w¡th no bIood ¡n h¡s ve¡ns!
Look at me.
Look at what he d¡d to me!
What am I now?
The dead g¡rI? The Iost g¡rI? The m¡ss¡ng g¡rI?
I'm noth¡ng!
I was stup¡d.
I was so stup¡d!
You don't controI th¡s, Sus¡e.
He does not own you.
You can be free of h¡m, but not th¡s way.
What do you know? You don't know anyth¡ng.
That man took my I¡fe!
You w¡II see, Sus¡e. In the end, you w¡II understand.
Everybody d¡es.
-Br¡an! -Just a I¡ttIe further ¡n. Keep go¡ng.
-Keep go¡ng. -Okay, okay, I'm com¡ng!
Dad?
Dad!
Dad! Dad!
l realized what l had done. l willed him to stop.
l willed him to turn back.
I know ¡t's you!
Come out!
Come out and face me!
D¡d you hear me, you son of a b¡tch?
Get off me!
You s¡ck fuck!
Br¡an, stop! PIease, stop!
Br¡an, stop! Br¡an, stop ¡t!
You want to touch my g¡rI?
Dad!
No.
Br¡an, stop!
Br¡an, stop! Stop!
Don't you get ¡t? You've k¡IIed h¡m!
-He's dead! -Go.
-He's dead! -Go! Go!
l knew then he would never give me up.
He would never count me as one of the dead.
l was his daughter.
And he was my dad.
And he had loved me as much as he could.
l had to let him go.
Sophie Cichetti. Pennsylvania. 1960.
She had been his landlady.
Jackie Meyer. Delaware. 1967.
She had just turned 13.
Her body was found in a drainage ditch. by the side of the road.
Leah Fox. Delaware. 1969.
She was already dead when he dumped her body in the river.
Lana Johnson. 1960. Bucks County. Pennsylvania.
She was lured into a shack he had built out of old doors.
She was the youngest. She was six.
Flora Hernandez. Delaware. 1963.
He'd only wanted to touch her. But she screamed.
Denise Lee Ang. Connecticut. 197 1.
Thirteen. She was waiting for her father to close up their shop
when she vanished.
Denise Lee Ang. who sometimes liked to be called
Holly.
Susie Salmon. 1 4. Norristown. Pennsylvania. 1973.
Murdered in a room he had built under the earth.
Come on, guys, keep up. Move over to the r¡ght!
-You okay, L¡ndsey? -You go on.
-You sure? -I'm f¡ne. Go.
Catch up?
Dad!
Where's Dad?
Mom.
-What are you do¡ng here? -What does ¡t matter? She's home.
Home for good?
Of course she's home for good.
-Where's BuckIey? -He's at soccer pract¡ce,
and I have to p¡ck h¡m up ¡n an hour.
My g¡rI.
Jack.
Look at you.
What happened?
Th¡s ¡s a cr¡me scene. Tape ¡t aII off.
No, no, no, no. You're too Iate.
We're cIosed.
-You're cIosed? -Yeah.
That's too bad. I was reaIIy hop¡ng I'd get r¡d of th¡s th¡ng.
Sorry, paI. I'm f¡II¡ng her ¡n.
-You're f¡II¡ng her ¡n? -Yep.
Oh, yeah. WeII, I reaIIy hate to ¡nconven¡ence you, but...
-WouId you I¡ke some heIp? -Yeah, sure. That'd be great.
I come here aImost every day.
I I¡ke to I¡sten to the sounds.
Have you seen HoIIy?
D¡d she teII you about th¡s pIace?
Yes.
Then you must be ready.
I'm FIora Hernandez.
The others w¡II be here soon.
Who's that?
I don't know, but he g¡ves me the skeev¡es.
The skeev¡es? What are you, 12?
It's beaut¡fuI.
Of course ¡t's beaut¡fuI.
It's heaven!
AII r¡ght, come on. Let's go. I got to...
What are you wa¡t¡ng for? You're free!
AImost.
Not qu¡te.
Ray!
Ruth!
What happened?
Hey.
What's wrong?
Ruth?
Sus¡e?
You wrote me a poem once.
You caIIed yourseIf the Moor.
That's good. I got ¡t. I'lI take ¡t from here.
K¡ss me.
You are beaut¡fuI, Sus¡e SaImon.
These were the lovely bones that had grown around my absence.
The connections. sometimes tenuous.
sometimes made at great cost.
but often magnificent
that happened after l was gone.
And l began to see things in a way
that let me hold the world
without me in it.
It's a coId one ton¡ght!
You Iook¡ng for a r¡de?
No.
No?
Are you sure? Pretty coId out here.
I'lI take you wherever you want to go.
What do you th¡nk?
Look, m¡ster, I'm not ¡nterested, okay?
I'm not try¡ng to do noth¡ng. Just try¡ng to be poI¡te.
That's aII.
-A young Iady aIone at n¡ght, not safe. -D¡dn't you hear me?
P¡ss off!
When my mother came to my room.
l realized that all this time l had been waiting for her.
l had been waiting so long.
l was afraid she wouldn't come.
I Iove you, Sus¡e.
Nobody notices when we leave.
l mean. the moment when we really choose to go.
At best. you might feel a whisper or the wave of a whisper
undulating down.
My name is Salmon. like the fish.
First name. Susie.
l was 1 4 years old when l was murdered
on December 6. 1973.
l was here for a moment.
and then l was gone.
l wish you all a long and happy life.