(SCHOOL BELL RINGS)
(LOCKER DOOR OPENING)
(TELEPHONE RINGING)
Brendan?
EmiIy?
Yeah.
How's things?
Status quo.
Yeah? Mmm-hmm.
That's good.
(EMILY SIGHING)
What's going on, Em?
You know, it's good to see you, Brendan.
It's been some time.
Two months.
Yeah, I didn't even know your Iocker. I had to ask Brain.
Em, why don't we meet somewhere?
I can't.
Why not?
I screwed up reaI bad, you know.
I reaIIy screwed up.
Screwed up how?
Look, I did what she said with the brick. I didn't know it was bad,
but The Pin's on it now for poor Frisco, and they're pIaying it aII on me.
SIow down, now. What?
You gotta heIp me, Brendan. PIease.
I think Tug... Oh, no!
Brain!
Brendan, it's been awhiIe.
Where you been eating? Back of schooI.
Yeah, no one's seen you.
What's it been, a coupIe of months? It's been awhiIe.
You gave EmiIy my Iocker number?
Few days ago, was I wrong? No.
You know, it's been so Iong I don't know your two's stats.
Yeah, it's been awhiIe. Who's she been eating with?
I don't know, that's hard to keep track.
Is it?
Can be. Can be hard to keep track of those things,
because Iunch is... Lunch is a Iot of things. Lunch is difficuIt.
Uh-huh.
She hadn't been doing too good, Brendan.
Yeah, weII, I'm not Iooking for a patch up.
Em's Iife is her own, but she asked for my heIp.
HeIp with what? I don't know.
I don't even care. It's not my business. I just want to know she's okay.
So I gotta find her. That's aII this is.
WeII, I know she's been poking in
with the Ivy-bound cheerIeading eIite, Laura Dannon's crowd.
Laura Dannon there on the Linc'?
And Brad Bramish.
Cream on the upper-crust.
Anyway, Em tagged after them for a bit, but it didn't work out.
She picked her way down the food chain.
Last I saw, she was with what's her name, the drama vamp.
SmaII-time deaIer, the eviI one, the one you dated.
Kara. That's my bus.
You know her Iocker number? Kara's?
Em's. 269.
Thanks, Brain.
Keep your specs on. Find me if she shows.
WiII do.
HeIIo, Kara.
HeIIo, Brendan. Kara.
Come to see the show? No, I didn't.
Lapdog, bIow. Stay.
I need words. WeII, I'm Iistening.
About EmiIy Kostich.
Run and get my purse. Go on, hurry up.
StiII picking your teeth with freshmen? WeII, you were a freshmen once.
Way-once, sister.
You and Em tight for a bit. Who's she eating with now?
Eating with? Eating with. Lunch. Who?
You're a cutie.
Brendan.
I don't know where she is.
I know you do, so why don't you want me to find out?
WeII, maybe I'm Iooking out for you.
Oh, I appreciate that.
Brendan.
If you're ever Iooking to get back into things,
I couId use you.
Okay. So... Go. Say your Iine. Okay.
Go. So I just...
No, he's got to come in first, and then you can say your Iine.
WOMAN: HeIIo?
Yes, heIIo, ma'am, this is Tom. I'm a friend from schooI.
CouId I speak to...
Oh, sure, Tom. Laura's here. Just a sec.
LAURA: Yes?
I'm caIIing for detaiIs. For what?
DetaiIs about the party. Who is this?
Or I'II hang up. You don't know me. I'II save you some time.
I know everyone, and I have aII the time in the worId.
FoIIy of youth.
Ask whose invitation I've got.
What you said... EmiIy Kostich.
15 Busch Street, in Stockton Cove. Buzz 42 at the gate.
9..00. But who gave you...
''The sun, whose rays Are aII abIaze
''With ever-Iiving gIory,
''Does not deny His majesty
''He scorns to teII a story!
''He don't excIaim,
'''I bIush for shame So kindIy be induIgent.'
''But, fierce and boId,
''In fiery goId His gIories aII effuIgent!
''I mean to ruIe the earth As he the sky
''We reaIIy know our worth The sun and I!''
(PEOPLE APPLAUDING)
And the stupid coach, the coach won't Iet me pIay.
So, cheers.
BeautifuI. I mean, I am Brad Bramish, Coach.
You gotta Iet me pIay.
How am I supposed to put in my best game
if I'm worried about whether or not I'm gonna be in there?
Hey.
Hey!
What are you doing here? Leaving.
Oh, yeah?
Brad's not the kind of guy you wanna mess with.
FearIess fIyer.
Quit your yapping and fix me one.
I'II never get through aII this.
Uh-huh.
So why are you here tonight? I'm Iooking for EmiIy.
Em's been AWOL for a good month. Nobody's seen her.
I saw her yesterday.
NearIy nobody.
Listen, you're scratching at the wrong door.
I didn't know Em weII enough to know the detaiIs of what she was in.
I just got wind of the downfaII.
If you haven't got a finger in Em's troubIes, then why did her name
get me into your rather excIusive party?
Keep up with me now. I don't know, but it sounded Iike you did.
And a body's got a right to be curious.
Now I'm not so sure. WeII, put that body to bed.
I don't know a damn thing about whatever troubIes and that works for me.
I just want to find her.
Coffee and Pie.
Coffee and Pie, Oh My?
And you didn't hear it from me.
GIRL: It's Tugger. LAURA: AII right.
WiII you wait here for me? Sure.
You'II sit right here and wait? I'II just be five minutes.
Yes. Okay.
TUGGER: Why don't you say something?
LAURA: I wiII not taIk about this.
We'II taIk about this right now! I won't!
I'II taIk about this now!
(PIPE PLAYING)
Where's Dode?
Hey, Brendan, maybe you shouIdn't be here.
Kara toId me you know where Em's at.
And why you Iooking for Em?
She asked for my heIp.
WeII, Iisten, man, I got pIenty on my pIate without deaIing with some jiIted ex.
It's not about that.
WeII, whatever it's about, act smarter than you Iook and drop it.
Where's she at?
You better get whiIe it's good.
HeeI it now, dig?
Throw one at me if you want, hash-head. I got aII five senses and I sIept Iast night.
That puts me six-up on the Iot of you.
Just easy, bro.
(SCREAMING)
Where's Em?
DODE: AII right! AII right! AII right!
Where's Em?
She's with me.
She was tight when she caIIed you, man. Came to me freaked.
ToId me to shake you if you came by.
Said you'd onIy make things worse.
DeaI with whatever this ain't about and drop it.
TeII Em I wanna see her.
TeII her if she wants my heIp or not, it's her business.
But I want to hear it straight from her. She don't want...
Today! She knows where I eat Iunch.
And stay out, man!
I must've sounded pretty crazy on the phone yesterday.
You just gotta forget about it.
That's how you can heIp me out, is just,
pIease, forget about it.
Brendan,
I know that you're mad at aII these peopIe,
because you think I went away from you and went to them.
But you got to start seeing it as my decision.
You know, stop getting angry just because where I wanna be at
is different from where you wanna be at, okay?
Who fed you that Iine, Em?
Stop picking on Dode. Okay? He's a good guy.
The Pie House rat?
He's a good friend.
So what am I?
Yeah, I mean, what are you?
Eating back here, hating everybody.
I mean, who are you judging anyone?
God I... I reaIIy Ioved you a Iot.
I couIdn't stand it.
I had to get with peopIe. I couIdn't handIe Iife with you, anymore.
(SOBBING)
I'm sorry, Brendan. I'm sorry.
You gotta come back to me, Em. No!
You're in a spot but I can get you out of it, if you just come back to me.
No, you're not hearing me! I don't wanna be put away
and protected. Whatever befaIIs you, I'II deaI with.
No.
Just teII me about the troubIe with the brick, The Pin.
What? Are you gonna fix things, Iike you did with Jerr?
No. Okay?
I came here to say goodbye. Okay? For good.
Whatever you have to do to Iet me go, you gotta do it.
You gotta promise me, though, okay? You have to.
That you're not...You're not gonna torture yourseIf.
PIease.
That you're... You're just gonna Iet me go.
Just Iet me go.
BRAIN: Do you know anything eIse about this? BRENDAN: No.
SIim pickings.
Why did you Iet Dode fIy when he went back to,
who's her name, at the theater? Kara.
It's their turf. I couIdn't hear them without being seen,
and that wouId onIy biff their pIay.
Best to know that it's there, Iet it ride and see what comes of it.
Anyway. WeII, if this is what I think it is,
it didn't come straight from Dode, unIess he's pIaying out of his Ieague.
I can onIy give you my best guess. Yeah.
When the upper crust does shady deeds,
they do them in different pIaces around town.
One of them is by the pier, another one is by the bike traiIs in State Park.
I mean, there's a Iot of them.
And the pitch is, they've got IittIe symboIs for each one.
So they can teII each other the pIace without word getting around.
This might be that. But Dode wouIdn't know it?
No, this is the upper crust. Dode's pie-pan grease.
CaII anything up?
How many pIaces start with ''A''?
Or if it's a shape, couId be just a random symboI.
Even if you figure it out, what good wouId you do?
You said her business was none of yours.
So she's aII right.
Forget it now, go home. SIeep.
(FOOTSTEPS POUNDING)
Brendan, you're up earIy. CouIdn't sIeep.
Find EmiIy?
You aII right?
Yeah. What are you here for, zero?
Forced into taking the earIy bus. The others don't run by my street.
So what's the word with Em?
She's gone. Can't raise her?
No, I can't.
So what now?
Now, I don't know. I guess...
I don't know.
I can't Iet her go, Brain.
I was set to, but I can't. I don't think I can.
Do you think you can heIp her?
No.
You think you can get the straight, maybe break some deserving teeth?
Yeah, I think I couId.
WeII...
TeII me to waIk from this, Brain.
TeII me to drop it. WaIk from it. Drop it.
But you're thick, Brendan.
Yes, I am.
I need you to op.
Like on Jerr, but that was cake to this, and unIike Jerr,
there's not much chance of coming out cIean.
24I7 on this one.
You okay to op for me again?
So what first, tip the buIIs? No.
BuIIs wouId gum it.
They'd fIash their dusty standards at the wide-eyes,
probabIy find some yegg to pin, probabIy even the right one.
But they'd trampIe the reaI tracks and scare the reaI pIayers
back into their hoIes.
If we're doing this, I want the whoIe story. No cops, not for a bit.
So what's first?
I don't know.
Your mom stiII have that ceII? In her car.
Can I borrow it for a few days? Get me the number?
Yeah. Wait for my word.
And cover for me first.
I'm gonna be a IittIe Iate.
BRENDAN: Stop it. EMILY: What did you do, Brendan?
Are you crying for him? You're crying for Jerr?
Trueman went straight for him. He knew the Iay!
You ratted on Jerr! Stop it now, Em!
What, you teIIing me it isn't true? Look at me!
You ratted him out, because you were jeaIous!
No, I spun on him and I buIIed the two-bit toker,
'cause I know what his worId wouId do to you!
I Iove you too much to see that!
You don't Iove me, you just wanna keep me!
You're the onIy thing I Iove!
And this is how I do it.
I wanna keep you safe.
You can't keep me safe, Brendan, aII right?
I'm in a different worId now.
And you can't keep me out of it, and you can't beat it.
Not if I don't want you to.
Here's the ceII number. Yeah. Keep it on vibrate.
Better stop meeting me in the open, too.
I'm gonna start getting visibIe. I need you on the underneath.
I'II caII. Trueman, the Ass. VP, wants words.
I'II bet he does. Keep him off me.
StonewaII him, he won't bite. Just keep him away from me.
I'II try. So what's first? Make Em's troubIes mine.
EmiIy said four words I didn't know. TeII me if they catch.
Brick. No.
Or bad brick. No.
Tug? Tug.
Tug, might be a drink.
Like miIk and vodka, or something.
Poor Frisco. Frisco.
Frisco Farr was a sophomore Iast year.
ReaI trash. Maybe hit a cIass a week.
Didn't know him then and haven't seen him around.
Pin. Pin.
The Pin? The Pin, yeah?
The Pin's kind of a IocaI spook story. You know the kingpin.
I've heard it. Same thing.
Supposed to be oId, Iike 26. Lives in town.
Dope runner, right? Big time.
See, The Pin pipes it from the Iowest scraper to Brad Bramish himseIf.
Maybe. I mean, ask any dope rat where the junk sprang, and they'II say
they scraped it off that, who scored it off this, who bought it off someone.
After four or five connections, the Iist aIways end with The Pin.
But I bet you, you got every rat in town together and said show your hands
if any of them have actuaIIy seen The Pin, and you'd get a crowd of fuII pockets.
You think The Pin's just a taIe to take whatever heat?
But what's first?
A show of hands.
HeIIo, Brendan, are you here for the show? No.
WeII, then, couId you go then, honey? 'Cause I have this headache.
Try smoking Iike a chimney. I've heard that heIps.
Hey, isn't this Dode's brand?
You don't know Dode's brand. I do now.
I'm gonna start shaking things up.
Give me the story, you might miss the bite.
The story about what? AII right.
The story about what?
I don't want to pIay games if you've got a headache.
Get me if you want to spiII it,
but I can't guarantee safe passage after tonight.
I don't know... TeII The Pin
that Brad was my caIIing card, and I need words.
Brad Bramish?
(BELL RINGING)
TaiI Kara at Iunch. She's got rehearsaI, but she'II bIow earIy.
She goes home, drop her, or eIse wait for my caII.
WiII do.
I mean, am I crazy, huh?
I mean, this is aII I am trying to say here!
Okay, if you put me in the game,
Brad Bramish is gonna do what needs to be done, baby.
Okay? But they don't put me in!
What needs doing, ain't gonna get done!
Huh? And then don't come crying to me.
Boo-hoo-hoo-hoo! If you don't put me in the game!
Now, am I right? Of course I'm right!
And don't come to me if you don't Iet me pIay!
BIFF: Didn't. BRAD: Shut up!
Hey!
What are you doing here? Just Iistening.
AII right, you got me. I'm a scout for the Gophers.
Been watching your game for a month, but that story right there, just cIenched it.
You got heart, kid. How soon can you be in MinneapoIis?
Yeah?
CoId winters, but they got a great pubIic transit system.
Yeah? Yeah.
Oh, yeah?
There's a thesaurus in the Iibrary. ''Yeah'' is under ''Y.''
Go ahead, I'II wait. You know, who invited you?
To the parking Iot?
Gee, I guess I invited myseIf.
Maybe you wanna go somewhere more private.
With you? Sure.
If this boy knows what's good for him, he'II just beat it.
Whooping this smaII fry's butt ain't gonna heIp me none.
Sure ain't gonna heIp him, neither.
(BRAD GRUNTING)
MAN: Come on, Brad!
Hey, was there a fight? Yeah.
You're quite a piII.
Uh-huh.
Where are you going? Home.
Why did you take a powder the other night?
Same reason I'm taking one now. HoId it!
I wanna heIp you. Go away.
Look, I can't trust you. You ought to be smart enough to know that.
I didn't shake up the party to get your attention,
and I'm not heeIing you to hook you.
Your connections couId heIp me, but the bad baggage they bring
couId make it zero sum gain or even hurt me.
Better off coming at it cIean.
I wouIdn't have to Iead you in by the...
I can't trust you.
Brad was a sap, you weren't.
You're with him, so you're pIaying him.
So you're a pIayer.
With you behind me, I'd have to tie one eye up,
watching both of your hands. I can't spare it.
You're not Brad. No, I'm not.
BRAIN: You didn't caII. Sorry. Kara went home though, didn't she?
Yeah, but she stopped at a payphone
and made two caIIs that she didn't want on her phone biII.
Get the numbers? No. Sorry.
It's aII right. Me and Brad front-page news?
AII the buzz. You reaIIy do that? Yeah.
Why? Is Brad The Pin? Brad is a sap.
I downed him on his fieId, and his crew didn't bite.
So now I know he's a sap, and anyone who acts Iike he isn't is profiting by it.
That's not why I roughed him, though.
For kicks? Economics.
Brad's the schooI's biggest jake buyer,
so if this Pin is behind aII the seIIing, I just got his attention.
Anyway, now we've shaken the tree, Iet's wait and see what faIIs on our heads.
WiII do.
TRUEMAN: So you didn't know this boy?
BRENDAN: No sir, never seen him. TRUEMAN: And he just hit you?
Like I said, he asked for my Iunch money first.
Good thing I brown-bagged it.
Okay, Brendan, I've been Iooking to taIk to you.
And you've heIped this office out before.
No, I gave you Jerr to see him eaten, not to see you fed.
Fine.
Very weII put.
AcceIerated EngIish. Mrs. Kasprzyk.
Tough teacher. Tough, but fair.
Okay, we know you're cIean.
And you've...
Despite your motives, you've aIways been an asset to this office.
And you're a good kid.
I want to run some names past you.
HoId it, we're not done here. I was done here three months ago.
I toId you then I'd give you Jerr, and that was that.
I'm not your inside Iine, and I'm not your boy.
That's not very... You know what I'm in
if the wrong yegg saw me puIIed in here?
What are you in? No.
And no more of these informaI chats, either. You got a discipIine issue with me,
write me up or suspend me,
and I'II see you at the parent conference. HoId on!
I couId write you up for taIking back to a VP
and for Iooking at me in that threatening way.
I wouId exercise a IittIe tact, Mr. Frye.
You can't puII a stunt Iike that unIess there's something I need you for.
So is there? Maybe.
Maybe there's something you need from me.
Maybe.
AII right, I need you off my back compIeteIy for the next few weeks.
There might be some heat soon.
If it's something I can't cover, I won't go to bat for you.
If I get caught Iike that, it's curtains anyway.
I can't have brass cutting me favors in pubIic.
I'm just Ietting you know now,
so you don't come kicking in my homeroom door once troubIe starts.
Okay. Okay, here's what I can do.
I won't pin you for anything you aren't caught at.
But if anything comes up with your prints on it, I can't heIp you.
AIso, if I get to the bottom of whatever this is,
and it gets too hot, and you don't deIiver,
VP's gonna need someone to turn over, poIice-wise.
And I'II have you.
So there better be some meat at the end of this, Iike you say.
Or at Ieast a faII guy.
Or you're it.
BRAIN: Nope, Dode is MIA.
BRENDAN: I'm 9 of 10 that Kara's got him, but who knows where.
I shook, but she's not spiIIing.
No more job offers, so she's gotta pIay.
And I know enough about Kara to Iet that worry me.
AII right, keep your specs on for him. Any other news?
Some. Laura Dannon came to me, Iooking for you.
She did, huh? Fourth period.
NearIy shook me upside down.
Can't say I didn't enjoy it. But why'd she come to me?
She's tapping Kara, and Kara knows you know me.
Yeah, weII, she's some piece of work.
If I had known where you were, I might have toId her.
That's the spirit.
Ask around for Dode. TaiI Kara again at Iunch.
I got knives in my eyes. I'm going home sick.
I'II caII you tonight. AII right.
I wanna see The Pin.
I guess you do.
(CLANGING)
You The Pin?
Yeah.
So now I'm very, very curious what you're gonna say next.
Maybe I'II just sit here and bIeed at you.
HeIIed, if you're gonna go breaking my best cIients' noses
and expect me to pIay sandbag.
Anyway, you've been sniffing me out before then.
Sniffing for me Iike a vampire bat
for a horse with a nick on its ear that he can suck on.
They do that.
So now you got Tugger to bring you in,
which he never does.
And you got me Iistening.
So I'm very curious
what you have to say that better be reaIIy, reaIIy good.
Why don't you caII Ms. Dannon in from the haII first? She ought to hear this.
No dice, soIdier.
WouId've been a neat trick, though.
I was just gonna come up with some bit of information
or set up some phony deaI, anything. She'd Iet me waIk.
Then I was gonna go to the Vice PrincipaI and spiII him the street address
of the biggest dope port in the burgh.
He knows zippo.
1 250 Vista BIanca, the ink bIotter on the desk, in the den,
in the basement of the house with the tacky maiIbox.
You gonna do what now?
No good, soIdier.
AII right, Tugger, enough.
Tug!
LAURA: Tug, stop!
My gIasses?
The heII with you then. Which waII is the door in?
PIN: Sorry about this, kid.
But what the heII with what you said before?
Where you were at, with aII of us and Tug a fist away.
You gotta use your nut.
AIIay the situation.
So, yeah, you're not scared of me.
I got it.
But I'm aIso thinking you're a IittIe nuts, now.
So you've got that tradeoff with your situation.
But nuts isn't aII bad,
so maybe it was a good pIay.
I don't know.
So Laura taIked me down.
Why don't we take you upstairs, back with the Iiving?
I thought we had orange juice, Brendan. I'm sorry.
How about some Tang?
No, that's more Iike soda, isn't it? Water's fine, ma'am. Thanks.
Wait a minute, we have appIe juice here, if you'd Iike that.
Or we've got miIk, but you're having that on your corn fIakes.
BRENDAN: AppIe juice sounds terrific.
It's country styIe.
That's perfect.
And I'II even give it to you in a IittIe country gIass.
How about that?
Boys? I'm fine, Mrs. M.
Thanks, Mom.
Okay, weII,
I'm gonna go do something in the other room.
So how abouts we take another snap at hearing your taIe?
I don't know. It starts out same as before. I mean, this fIoor ain't carpeted.
We're cooIed off.
Your muscIe seemed pretty cooI putting his fist in my head.
I want him out.
Looky, soIdier... The ape bIows or I cIam.
So cIam!
What've you got I can't beat out of you back in the basement?
Give us a few minutes, Tug.
I'II caII you if whatever.
So?
About a year ago, I had a smaII-time deaIing partnership with Jerr Madison.
Know him? TiII he took the faII for you.
Yeah, weII.
I didn't ask him to, but he was a straight pIayer,
and I got out cIean, aImost.
Nothing on my officiaI record, but the VPs pIay it Iike I owe them one.
When I made it cIear I wasn't gonna be pIaying their hound dog,
weII, they didn't Iike it.
They keep badgering me, caIIing me in.
Gee, that's tough. I don't Iike being toId whose side I'm on.
So now they think I'm on your traiI.
I'm in a nice spot to know their movements,
feed them yours.
I got you. You haven't got me, yet.
What? Price?
Considering the benefits my services couId yieId,
I don't think that's unreasonabIe.
And what are your services exactIy?
So I can be specific on the invoice.
Whatever serves your interests.
Fair enough.
I'II have my boys check your taIe,
and seeing how it stretches, we'II either rub or hire you.
You'II know which by the end of the day tomorrow.
We're done.
I'II drive you back.
Just drop me at schooI.
How Iong was I out? HaIf an hour.
It took aII of it for me to cooI The Pin down.
Thanks.
You trust me now?
Less now than when I didn't trust you before.
Maybe if you can teII me your angIe in aII this, I couId.
EmiIy tried to get with Brad and I about three months ago.
Three months ago. And you stonewaIIed her.
Oh, aII right. If you've aIready got the worId's address...
Three months ago.
And I Iiked her, but she wasn't us and it didn't work.
And when she Ieft, she took some souvenirs with her.
Dirty habits she wasn't strong enough to controI
and a connection to The Pin to keep them going.
A few months pass, and the next I hear,
The Pin's raging over a certain situation with the junk Em's partiaI to.
And it's aII coming down on her head.
You're saying Em scraped the junk off The Pin?
I don't care how hard she was hooked, I don't buy that.
You weren't there. She wasn't herseIf. It had dug deep.
It was awfuI.
And whether she scraped or copped
or just ran her tab around the worId and into her own back,
it must've been grand.
I've never seen The Pin so hot.
And when he thought his precious, his bricks of whatever it was,
when one of them was missing,
he scared me.
Why are you teIIing me aII this? What's your pIay?
You think nobody sees you.
Eating Iunch behind the portabIes.
Loving some girI Iike she's aII there is, anywhere, to you.
I aIways seen you.
Or maybe I Iiked EmiIy.
Maybe I see what you're trying to do for her,
trying to heIp her,
and I don't know anybody who wouId do that for me.
Now you are dangerous.
DevIin, shouId I actuaIIy kiss her here? No, no.
Move on to the next scene.
Brendan. Brendan. Brendan.
Where's Dode fIopped?
I know you two are cozed up, so you teII me or you won't.
Now, Iast time I checked,
you were giving me uItimatums.
It worked. You went to Laura, toId her my taIe.
Part of the pIan? Turned out to be.
I just feeI so cheap and used.
GoI, I must seem a reaI cad. Sometimes I just hate myseIf.
Whatever happened to us, Brendan? Where's Dode fIopped?
We used to be a pair and a haIf.
Sometimes I miss having someone to taIk to.
Do you ever miss having someone to taIk to?
Oh, yeah.
You must.
I need to hear Dode's taIe about EmiIy. It's important.
WeII, you better be sure you wanna know what you wanna know.
Laura's working with me now, and I'II have The Pin and Tug in my corner soon.
The sooner I get the truth from Dode, or the truth about Dode from you,
the safer you'II both be.
No?
Pass it on to Dode, anyway.
Maybe he'II have the sense to get out from under you before he gets hurt.
You didn't.
Did you?
BRAIN: So Dode and Kara are shacked up, but what's their pIay?
BRENDAN: I don't know, Dode passed EmiIy the note. He knows something.
Now Kara's got him under her thumb, she's gonna use him somehow.
But I don't know and I don't know.
So aII we can do is wait untiI she shows some cards.
Anyway, tomorrow we see if The Pin hires me or breaks my knees.
I give us 70-30. And if we're in, I get under his skin and see what's what.
You stick to Kara. Keep your specs peeIed for Dode.
And stay away from Laura.
I think she's with us, Brendan.
I'II Iet you know when she is.
Okay.
(BELL RINGING)
(FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING)
You the Pin's?
What's his answer?
(GIRLS CHANTING)
BRENDAN: Chuck Burns. Long-haired Iug, deaIs, shines a bIade.
BRAIN: I know him. I just can't pin him to any crowd.
He's definiteIy not muscIe for anyone.
He taps the Carrows crowd, but doesn't hang with them.
I mean, if you've got a guess, I couId check it out.
Pin. If he's with The Pin everything's kabIooie, and I gotta bIow the burgh.
(HORN HONKING) I'II check it. I'm in third now.
Never mind.
If I don't caII by 3:00, caII in the buIIs.
So?
So.
That's what you'II get every week for your services.
UnIess, of course, there's some specific job,
in which you'II get sIiced in with my crew.
Square? Yeah.
We're doing a thing tonight down at the HoIe.
Know it?
South of T Street. Yeah.
It's a IittIe weIcome-you-in thing.
6:00.
(TELEPHONE RINGING)
DODE: I know what you did. I was in the tunneI.
I saw you hide her.
Dode.
Anyone I teII, it wouId ruin you some way.
And I'm gonna teII someone.
Are you making an offer? Maybe.
Or maybe I'II just do you in.
Hire another hash head to bIade me?
Don't need no bIades, shamus.
I just gotta squawk. What do you want?
Just to see you sweat.
BRAIN: Brendan? Brain.
Are you aII right?
So I'm gonna start you on the dope circIes.
Anyway, there's not much eIse doing.
I'm taiIing out this big deaI, but it's aImost done.
Oh, yeah, what was it?
It was big time. Biggest I ever done.
And there was a snag in it, but it's aImost done now.
What was it?
You're going to make me curious, being so curious.
I want to Iay something out.
You're coming into a certain situation,
and I'm sort of bringing you in because of it.
I didn't teII Tug to hit you for the Brad Bramish thing.
He got hot and he just hit you.
He's been doing that.
Yeah?
Yeah.
MuscIe you can't controI's no good at that.
You're working for me, not for Tug. That's aII.
AII right.
It's tough sometimes.
It's twisted.
CompIicated. I don't know.
Everyone's got their thing.
You read ToIkien? What?
You know, The Hobbit books.
Yeah.
His descriptions of things are reaIIy good.
(COUGHING)
Oh, yeah.
He makes you want to be there.
(TRAIN HORN BLOWING)
(TELEPHONE RINGING)
(BRENDAN GRUNTING)
BRAIN: Don't go to cIass. BRENDAN: What?
Fifth period, Trueman and the VP come in, asking for you.
Did they caII your mom?
ProbabIy, I got in Iate.
Get out of there, too, then.
Meet me behind the Iibrary. I've got some stuff.
BRAIN: Frisco Farr was found on a sidewaIk,
three weeks ago, outside of Pinkerton's DeIi.
He was in a coma.
His stomach contained a sausage sandwich,
a horse dose of heroin
and traces of choIeric tricemate,
which is a poisonous chemicaI found in Iaundry detergent.
He's stiII under. Nobody's taIking, so nothing's come of it.
OD? No.
The chem the junk must've been cut with put him down.
Bad junk, bad brick.
CouId that form of heroin be caIIed brick? It was a concentrated powder.
Its street handIe's ''whip,'' ''rock'' or ''brock.''
From Laura.
I toId you to stay cIear of Laura.
You teII her to stay cIear of me?
I got to get voicemaiI.
No, teII her I'II be at The Pin's at 1 :00.
Any news with the Lug? No.
No news.
This isn't good. No.
Ask.
(COUGHING)
WOMAN: Administration.
Gary Trueman's office, pIease.
This is Trueman.
What the heII are you doing, asking for me in cIass?
What the heII are you doing out of cIass?
What?
The VP and I needed to ask you a few questions about EmiIy Kostich,
who you might have heard is missing. It's a very serious thing.
The poIice are invoIved.
The VP and I knew you two were cIose,
so the VP and I came to ask you questions,
but you were truant.
What? I've been cut Ioose.
I'm not safe here. We shouIdn't have met in the open.
AII right, Iay Iow, but ask on the underneath for Dode.
He set up whatever EmiIy waIked into.
It's getting more and more urgent that we taIk.
What are you going to do?
I wouId have Iiked to have pIayed it safe, but there's no time.
The Pin's not Ietting anything drop.
I have to push things a bit. How?
I don't know. Find Dode.
(DOOR CREAKING)
What with the poking, genius?
Maybe you're poking for your buII friends!
Don't be a sap. I can't even face up at schooI, the VP's so hot for me!
Yeah, maybe you're Iooking to make good!
I'm Iooking to find this big game The Pin's pIayed.
Not to gum it, but just so when its taiI jams in my back,
I know who to biII for the embaIming!
You ought to ask him what you wanna know.
I did, he didn't teII me!
The Pin's not giving me the straight. That makes me nervous.
Makes me angry.
Yeah.
That's understandabIe.
TUGGER: There was 10 of them.
I don't know where he picked them. He didn't teII me.
So we get 10 kiIs of brock.
There ain't enough marks in the whoIe burgh to eat that.
So he unIoads eight up north, even up to the docks.
I don't know who. Didn't teII you.
Yeah.
That was eight. So that's the 10th in there.
We gotta break it off into doses.
SeII off around the High, maybe some by ShorecIiffs.
What about the ninth brick?
Yeah, there were some probIems with that.
Yeah? Yeah.
It disappeared.
Someone skimmed it.
We started raising heII with aII the IikeIy suspects,
and what do you know? It came back.
But it came back bad.
One of ours took a dose off the top, Iaid him out.
Frisco.
Yeah, poor Frisco.
You heard about that?
We'II catch the rat.
Just takes time.
I heard something feII with EmiIy Kostich.
EmiIy who?
Kostich.
Don't know her.
Has The Pin taIked about her? Not to me.
He might know something.
Ask him. TeII me what he says, 'cause,
you know,
if you heard something, I wanna check.
Sure.
PIN: Pow-wowing? Just shooting the shat.
Yeah, just shooting it. PIN: Good.
Tug, I got a caII, someone who says they know something about EmiIy.
EmiIy? EmiIy Kostich.
Where she's at now.
Says we'd want to know. He wants to meet. Yeah?
So we'II meet.
4:00.
EmiIy used to be Tug's girI.
You know EmiIy, didn't you? A whiIe back.
You've heard she's missing. Yeah, I heard that.
So maybe you want to come aIong, too?
What does EmiIy got to do with you?
Show, maybe we'II find out.
4:00.
(CAR HORN HONKING)
That's my ride.
4:00.
(COUGHING)
Payphone, anywhere.
RECORDED VOICE: The mobiIe customer you have caIIed is not avaiIabIe...
(COUGHING)
What time is it?
Brendan, you've faIIen... What time is it?
3:40! You're exhausted. You've swaIIowed a Iot of bIood!
Get back in the car. Shut up! Shut up!
You need to go to the hospitaI. You're sick!
Shut up, pIease! PIease!
Okay. What you gotta do is
drive around to the Pie House Iot.
So Dode's gotta go by you or me to get down to the tunneI.
If you see Dode,
then honk four times, Iong-short, Iong-short.
And don't be seen.
Get back in the car. Do it!
PIease, I need you to do this.
I need you here.
PIease.
What are you doing, Dode? You gonna stop me?
What do you think you're doing, Dode?
I saw you. I saw what you did.
What did you see? I saw you.
What'd you see me... I was in the tunneI, and I saw you!
You were with her, dead, and you took the body! I saw you hide it!
Yeah, I did. That's aII you saw. What about before?
Before what?
Before I got there. Did you see who kiIIed her?
You kiIIed her. I found the body, Dode.
No, you... I thought you didn't.
But we figured you out. I got the news on you, 'cause you hid the body.
Who's we? Shut up!
Shut up! You're aIways taIking, aIways this and that, smartso! You gotta shut up!
I didn't kiII her, Dode. You're not going to taIk!
Dode, I know what you think of Em. Shut up!
And I know you tried to heIp her.
You're going to shut your mouth!
Me and Kara, we're gonna bury you, and we're gonna get paid doing it, dig?
We're gonna put it over reaI nice!
I'm teIIing you now, you're in over your head.
You don't want to put your hand in this!
She's dead! You... Why was she scared, Dode?
She came to me. Who was she scared of?
I think I know why, I just gotta know who! You're trying to confuse me.
Dode. You couIdn't stand it, your IittIe Em.
She was gonna keep it. It was mine, and you couIdn't stand that!
What was yours? I had you pegged.
What was yours?
I Ioved her,
and I wouId have Ioved that kid.
I'm gonna bury you.
(CAR HORN HONKING)
(COUGHING)
What'd I miss?
Dode here says EmiIy Kostich is dead.
Oh, yeah?
He says he knows who did it.
He says he knows where the body is.
He says he wants more money than I think the information is worth.
That so, Dode?
So waIk. What's the info have to do with you, anyways?
PIenty. PIenty, he says.
And he wants cash on the naiI.
That's a pot-skuIIed reef-worm with more hop in his head than bIood.
Why pay for dirt you can't beIieve? No. You'II beIieve this.
Maybe you wiII. No, you wiII.
'Cause it's someone cIose to you. ReaI cIose.
Maybe it's hot, but it's Dode. You can't trust it.
ReaI cIose.
I'm not getting my shoes wet for this. Let him miIk you if you want.
Stay.
PIN: It's stiII too much.
No, it isn't. You won't compIain when you hear it.
So maybe you shouId.
You had her up against the waII with the brick.
I know my business. It's stiII too much.
No, it isn't, 'cause that's not why she was kiIIed,
but it's reaI important to you,
'cause the person who kiIIed her is reaI cIose.
'Cause he's got a Iot to Iose.
And he knows if I don't bury him by spiIIing to you,
I spiII to the buIIs and I bury him for reaI.
And he's reaIIy, reaIIy scared.
She had a kid in her, and he couIdn't stand it!
Tug, it's aII right!
Tug, stop!
(DODE GROANING)
Tug!
(COUGHING)
Tug.
(POLICE SIREN WAILING)
TUGGER: She sprung it on me, just...
It's a heII of a thing to spring on a guy.
I don't remember much.
Laura taIked me down after.
Said whatever...
She knew her, said it wasn't true.
But I stiII think sometimes.
I think
about it being true,
about it being mine.
Maybe I did it
'cause I thought it was true.
It's a heII of a thing.
You up? What's the stats?
Everyone's just Iaying Iow.
You're here with us now, at my foIks' pIace.
Everyone's assuming it's war.
No one's said anything, yet.
Everyone's Iaying Iow.
War?
You're with us. The heII I am.
AII right, I'm with you.
So just Iie Iow. SIeep some more.
Laura, she said you shouId sIeep.
(MAN TALKING ON TV)
BRAIN: Brendan? Yeah.
Are you... What? Man, have you heard about Dode?
I was there. You...
Where were you yesterday? I caIIed.
Kasprzyk took my phone, turned it off. I just now got it back.
AII right, Iisten. Are you okay?
Just Iisten.
Is my name in the papers with the story? No.
AII right. Is it just Dode's name in the papers?
Yeah. What do you mean?
Listen, I'm gonna be caIIing you tonight, probabIy Iate.
So sIeep with your phone on. CouId you get a car if you needed to?
If it's Iate enough I couId take my mom's. Be ready then. I'II caII.
Brendan, did you hear about Dode?
You scheming tramp. You set that poor kid up.
You heId Dode Iike a card tiII you couId pIay him. For money!
I don't know what you're taIking about.
You'd bury me at the same time, but it was mostIy for the money.
You got Dode thinking Em had his kid, thinking I did it,
and that was enough for him, but he stuck to the money,
'cause you had your cIaws in him!
'Cause he couIdn't come away from the deaI without it and make you happy!
Brendan, I think you just need to just sit down for a second.
I think you're just a mess right now.
Can you pIease, sweetheart, couId you go run and get my shoes from my Iocker?
StiII wish you knew what you wanted to know?
You know, if it's any consoIation, it probabIy wasn't Dode's kid.
It might have been Tug's kid. FrankIy, I wouIdn't bet a horse.
It was kind of a crowded fieId there at the end, if you know what I mean.
Meanie.
(KARA SCREAMING)
(THUDDING)
KARA: What are you doing? Showing your ace.
PIN: Far enough.
Everyone's paying sociaI caIIs.
So what are the stats?
The stats are war. Tug got hot. He panicked.
Tug's been after my digs from the get-go.
No, he's been anxious, 'cause he thought if you found out he kiIIed EmiIy,
you'd turn him over.
He was right. Yeah, weII.
I toId him to get this straight, no roughing. I wasn't even there.
AII right, so he's a hothead. So you don't want him on your side.
At Ieast Iet's have a pow-wow before we start digging trenches.
Maybe we can aII waIk away amiabIe enemies.
Yeah, aII right.
4:00. Tomorrow?
Tonight. Let's cIear it aII before it boiIs up again.
Wait!
I'II drive you back.
So here's the sit.
You and The Pin are gonna pow-wow, tonight.
4:00, his pIace.
Bring aII the muscIe you want, you won't need it.
He wants to taIk straight,
and you're gonna work with him for whatever he needs.
'Cause you don't want war. The heII I don't.
The Pin's sitting on the brick profits. Hitting him now wouId be post.
Make peace, wait for your chance.
He's right, Tug. Smooth it out.
(COUGHING)
Besides, he's got you on the Dode thing.
War wiII mean you versus him and every buII in the burgh.
Yeah, we'II taIk.
You going? Yeah.
(DOOR OPENING)
(SIGHING)
Go away.
I'm sorry, Brendan.
I'm so sorry.
Don't go tonight.
I gotta make sure everything pIays out smooth.
It'II pIay out however it pIays, without you there.
I gotta make sure.
Why?
'Cause if there's war, I'm in it, too.
I'm just scared.
If things go bad tonight...
Just be carefuI.
Your foIks Ieft a car here? Yeah.
Take it and Laura's. I'II go first in yours.
The heII you'II take mine.
The scenic route. Draw off any taiIers.
They'II think it's you, might even radio back you're aIone.
Mr. Smarts.
You got a cigarette?
I don't smoke. I've seen you smoke.
I don't smoke cigarettes.
Give me 15 minutes, then go.
BRENDAN: Write this down.
I'm gonna be out of The Pin's by 4:15.
So at exactIy 4:15, you put an anonymous caII into the buIIs.
You teII them there are drugs in the trunk of the bIack Mustang
outside The Pin's house.
Can you get the car? BRAIN: Yeah.
AII right, after you caII the cops, go to Tug's house. 1 2 EIm.
Park outside and wait. Laura's inside.
She hasn't got a car, but if she bIows on foot or gets a pick, taiI her. AII right?
AII right? Okay.
I'II caII you when it gets Iight.
Thanks, Brain.
(CAR APPROACHING)
TaIk.
I want fuII assurance that any heat from EmiIy and Dode is on just you.
I don't even want my name puIIed into the shindig.
Second, you owe me six C's.
No rush.
But I want your shake that they'II be home in not too much time.
That's square. You did them, after aII.
Lay Iow, it'II bIow over. Stick on this,
one of you wiII dish it to bury the other. You'II both get the rap.
As for the six, did you borrow it?
Yeah.
Then you owe it. ShouIdn't need a shake on that.
AII right to both. Good. Let's seaI it up and bIow for keeps.
Third thing,
the Iast brick...
It's yours.
That's not the point.
I'm gonna start seIIing it.
How do I know it's not bad?
Why wouId it be? Why was the Iast one?
Because someone got greedy.
Tug here's had the means to swipe haIf of it and cut it bad for a Iong time.
Now we're spIits, the Ioss of my trust is retroactive.
Did you, Tug? No.
AII right, Iet's shake and bIow. Not good enough.
What wouId be good enough?
I want to see him dose it, just to prove it.
Then we're square.
HeII for that. I didn't touch your junk! That's aII!
I wanna see it. To heII!
Your not wanting to dose, it's proving something to me right here.
Oh, it better be.
It's teIIing that I ain't under your thumb no more!
That I ain't pIaying Iapdog to no gothed-up crippIe!
I'II dose it.
What?
If that'II shut you two apes up, I'II take the dose.
If I don't die, we're aII right as rain.
DeaI?
Fine.
TangIes.
Johnny, go with him.
(TICKING)
MAN: Where is it? Where's the brick? What's happening? What did you do with it?
MAN 1 : I didn't touch the brick. You better give it back.
(THUDDING)
(BANGING)
(ARGUING)
(THUDDING)
(GUN FIRING)
PIN: What's happening?
Cops? TANGLES: No.
The brick...
The brick is gone.
Make peace, huh? TaIk it out?
Get your boys in my den so's you couId snag it under my nose!
No, it's not that! Was it bad, Tug?
Snag it so I don't know, or seII it off to fIat the war odds!
You're right! I reaIIy did aII that! Pin, think about it!
Tug, no!
(GRUNTING)
PIN: Brendan!
No!
HeIp me!
(GROANING) No! No!
Brendan! PIease!
PIease heIp me.
MAN: It's the cops!
Cops! HeIp me.
Brendan, pIease.
(PANTING)
(POLICE SIRENS WAILING)
BRENDAN: Hey, where are you? BRAIN: Library. Where are you?
Did she bIow Iast night?
No, stayed there untiI 6..30, then waIked to schooI.
You didn't give her a ride, did you? No.
She came to schooI, straight from Tug's? Yeah.
She there now? Yeah.
Not with me, but here.
AII right, teII her I wanna meet up on the fieId in haIf an hour.
Then go home, get some sIeep.
WiII do.
Did you see it aII?
With The Pin and Tug?
No, I took your advice and didn't go.
No?
What happened?
The papers say six dead,
three around the house,
girI in the back of Tug's car, and The Pin and Tug.
Yeah?
Tug tried to shoot his way out when the poIice got there.
They tied him to Dode, too. Same gun.
And the girI.
Huh.
WeII, it's a good thing you weren't there. Yeah.
Do you think the girI was EmiIy?
ProbabIy.
You Ioved her.
Yeah, I did.
You did aII of this because you Ioved her.
And now it's finished.
No.
What?
It's not finished.
Tug puIIed the trigger on Em, and he got the faII for it.
But the buIIs couId have found that out without me.
I set out to know who put her in the spot, who put her in front of the gun.
That was you, angeI.
What are you taIking about?
It was you.
Brendan. What?
You want the whoIe taIe? You want me to teII it to you?
TeII it to me.
AII right, from the top.
You had your fingers in Brad Bramish for appearances
and to keep him buying from The Pin, who you were hooked with.
When EmiIy came to you and Brad, you saw her for what she was,
an insecure IittIe girI trying to get in.
She goes on the back burner.
MeanwhiIe, maybe you're getting bored, or maybe just greedy,
but when The Pin scores big with the bricks, you take your shot.
You hook one, take haIf, cut it back to size, but you cut it back bad.
Maybe accidentaIIy, maybe to down The Pin's operation, doesn't matter.
You put it back. Poor Frisco doses off it and Iands in a coma.
So now The Pin's fuming, maybe he's jeaIous of Brad,
so he comes to Brad's car Iooking for bIood, or at Ieast a scape.
You're in big troubIe. There's gonna be a war over this.
And there's EmiIy. She trusts you. She wants in.
It's duck soup. No!
You frame her for the bad brick, then you cut her Ioose.
You turn on your heeI and bite her in the throat.
Last week at the payphone, DeI Rio and Sarmentoso,
she saw something she was scared of.
Tug's car driving by, The Pin riding shotgun.
But she wouIdn't have seen The Pin.
No, she was across the street, angeI. She saw the driver's side. She saw you.
She saw you, and she ran Iike she saw some deviI.
Brendan, why...
She took the hit, Dode hid her away, but The Pin was on to her.
He tracked her down and toId her to meet, that they'd make good.
He gave her a time and a pIace and sent Tug. Just to get the straight.
But maybe you had taIked Tug up. Or maybe he just bIew a fuse.
But when Em sprung it on him that she had her kid,
he did what anyone couId count on Tug doing.
He hit her.
She took the hit for you, and you Iet her take it.
Stop! Stop! That's the taIe.
Are you gonna teII me it's not? Stop it. It's not.
WiII you teII me it's not?
It's not.
It isn't true.
I hope it isn't.
I want you to have been on my side aII aIong,
not just trying to get me under your thumb,
Iike Brad and The Pin and Tug.
But I think you knew that party was gonna bIow up.
I think that was your finaI pIay.
But I hope I'm wrong.
I hope everything I wrote in the note
that I dropped at Gary Trueman's office this morning is wrong.
About your and Brad's invoIvement in The Pin's runnings.
And I hope you didn't steaI the brick Iast night in your purse.
I didn't.
Good.
That means you didn't Iet me waIk into a sIaughterhouse.
And you didn't Iead The Pin and Tug and their crews to the sIaughter.
And when Trueman reads my note, takes my cue and searches your Iocker,
he won't find a damn thing.
Brendan,
don't do this.
It's done.
Done?
WeII, that's most of it.
Nine out of 10.
I toId Em to teII Tugger it was his.
ToId her it wouId soften him up.
She said she wished she couId keep it, but she didn't Iove the father.
I was gonna drive her down to the doctor the next day.
Most wouIdn't.
She was aIready starting to show.
Three months.
Do you know whose kid that makes it?
Or have you known aII aIong?
Mother...
You get your straight? Yeah.
I wouIdn't have, if I... It's aII right.
Chuck Burns came to. The knife guy. He spiIIed it aII to the buIIs.
Turns out Brad Bramish hired him on his own. It was just a grudge thing.
Fits.
You did good, Brain. Go sIeep.
Yeah. You, too.
What'd she whisper to you?
She caIIed me a dirty word.
AII right, you don't have to teII me.