I could have lied there forever, but the phone rang.
Hello?
Good morning. Is this Mr. Rosow?
Mr. Rosow?
Yeah.
Yeah, hi. I'm Drexler Hewitt, an attorney.
Shit, I'll pay your bill tomorrow. Promise.
No, it's not that kind, not that kind of attorney.
You're Mr. John Rosow, aren't you? Private Investigator?
ROSOW MUMBLES
Yeah? Okay. I want you to board the California Zephyr at 7 o'clock this morning.
There will be a middle- aged man on board.
We've had someone tailing him from the East Coast and... well, it doesn't matter.
Now we need a fresh face.
You mean your spy got spied.
Yeah, I guess. Now, we have reasons to believe the middle-aged man,
or the Subject, let's call him, is on his way to Los Angeles.
I'd like you to follow him, wherever he goes, whatever he does, you report. Understood?
Zephyr is wind, right?
I think it is, yeah. Wind.
My secretary will be coming by your office in ten minutes.
And you can reach me here at this number twenty-four hours a day.
I get paid for this?
Five hundred dollars a day. Plus expenses. Not including gin.
It says Banquo on my buzzer.
But I thought you were Rosow?
And I thought you needed a P.I.
Touch?. Miss Charley will have a retainer and some expense money for you.
Hey, coach, how did you get my name and number?
Oh, a business associate of ours with the NYPD.
A buddy of yours from your past life. Gus Papitos. A good guy.
Gus?
Yeah.
Pappy.
What exactly did he say?
We know your history, Officer Rosow.
He was very complimentary. Gus. Pappy. Funny guy. But
Hang on.
Who's there?
Miss Charley.
Miss Charley who?
Miss Charley, an associate of Drexler Hewitt.
May I come in?
Take it easy, Drexler.
How did you get here so quick?
You were on a conference call. I know how to keep quiet.
Some guy the your building opened the front door for me.
I bet he did.
It's a little early in the morning for flirting.
Hey, you got a good arm.
You're pretty now, but you used to be a tomboy.
You got three older brothers.
Perceptive.
No. I played with dolls and was an only child.
Open the envelope.
He's got an okay face.
Chicago L.A. Any other questions?
Yeah. What makes this Drexler Hewitt think I'll tail this guy without any more information?
Good day, Mr. Rosow.
So far, I guess.
Where's Drexler?
I'm sorry, Mr. Hewitt is in a meeting. May I take a message?
Who's the kid?
I'm sorry?
Yeah, me too. Who's the kid?
I don't know what you're talking about.
You should've told me this was one of those.
You'll have to talk to Mr. Hewitt about this. I can't help you.
Yeah. I would've charged more if I knew.
He's hiding in plain sight, his door is open.
Like he's no more on the lam than I am.
I'll have Mr. Hewitt call you.
Yeah, right. Thanks.
What can I get you? Sir? Sir?
Chicken, fish or vegetable lasagna?
You pick one.
Chicken.
Martinis any good?
Well, you mix them yourself. We have mini-bottles.
One gin one vermouth, with olives and ice.
Everything but the olives, sir. Sorry about that.
The 8 o'clock dinner is now being served.
8 o'clock dinner in the dining car is now being served.
And here's your pennant race of date.
Manny Ramirez has tied the game with a home run.
Um... ok, why don't you go this... go on.
Excuse me.
Hey, you can't smoke in here.
Sorry about that. I'm almost done.
No, no, no. We have to follow someone.
He's friend of yours?
What's the difference?
We don't do that kind of thing in L.A., you know.
It's too much hassle.
Look.
Ok but I have to report all this to the dispatcher,
and the dispatcher, he has to report it to the police. Okay?
All right. My guy's cab is pulling out. You see it?
Yeah, I see it.
Hey, you think twenty dollars buys you smoking privileges?
I don't hear you on the radio reporting any of this.
I pick my spots. No hurry.
Looks to me like your friend is going to Saint Monica.
Do you know Saint Monica?
No.
She's the patron saint of widows, unhappy wives, and mothers of wayward children.
Rosow, does your cell phone have a camera?
A camera? In my phone?
Please purchase one. Go to a cell phone store, get a cell phone with a camera,
and send us photographs of the man you are following.
I don't have a computer.
You don't need one. You send it through the cell phone,
the one you're going to buy.
And make sure to keep the receipt.
Can I just transmit an image of the receipt back to you
instead of keeping little pieces of paper all over the place?
All right, Rosow, transmit an image of the receipt.
Will my new cell phone receive images?
Why?
I don't know. You spark my imagination, Charley.
Hi.
Hi. I hear you have rooms here.
Do you have a reservation?
Unexpected visit.
How many in your party?
No parties.
How long will you be staying with us?
As long as he does.
As long as who does?
That man who just checked in. He had a little boy with him.
So you know the man? Or you know the kid?
All right. You know what? I'm just going to be honest with you, Missy.
My name's not Missy.
Oh, I see. What's your name?
Mabel.
Mabel. This man, the man who just checked in, he's my best friend.
So?
I'm worried about him. He drinks too much.
I see.
Yeah. See what?
I have a friend in AA is all.
Yeah.
I just want to be close to him so I can hear if he needs some help.
I mean, really, I don't want to get you into.
Trouble's my middle name.
Room 101. Right next door.
Thanks a lot. I mean really. It's an ugly thing.
Hey, I'm gonna' need a rental car. Can you arrange that?
Done.
The merciless pressure of warfare has developed highly specialized types of planes.
The dropping of grenades and hand bombs
led to a new and terrible instrument of war: the bomber.
Javier, do you mind if I play some music?
Do you like jazz?
I love jazz.
When I traveled, on business,
every city I'd go to had a jazz club, and I'd stay up all night.
I couldn't go when I was home, because my wife was only interested in classical music.
Ah, just listen to him play. Bud Powell.
He loves Stravinsky.
Who doesn't?
You know Stravinsky?
Yeah, I do now. But you're still strangers.
Strangers? No. Chambers. Special Agent Anne Chambers.
This is my partner. Special Agent Tom R. Craig. We've been watching you.
You have a sad disposition, Mr. Rosow.
Sit still and let them examine you. That's what I always say.
That's a really funny motto for a guy who's always running from everything.
You know, you're gonna' need some sunglasses out here.
We have a couple of extras from our 7-11 excursion. Would you like a pair?
You're not trying to bug me, are you?
No. We just got carried away at 7-11.
It's the Slurpees, right?
No, for you, it's the beer!
Be nice.
Here.
Yeah, I got them for two dollars. They shine in the dark.
Oh, brilliant! Sunglasses that shine in the dark!
Two dollars though! It's a hard deal to pass up.
Well gee, I get paid a thousand dollars a day to tail this guy. How about you?
You know, some of us in here, Rosow, aren't really doing it for the money.
So, are you really a private detective?
That's what they tell me.
We were just talking about that.
We didn't know they still had those private detectives.
Well, you know what? If I call 911 and tell them I got a couple of peeping toms in my alley
we could make a really big scene, scare someone away.
You know, the thing is, you really just don't know what you're dealing with yet, is all.
My partner is right.
You better stay sober for this one.
Well, I'll drink to that. When you two vamoose.
Good evening.
Hi, how are you?
Pretty good. I hear they got phones that take pictures.
Oh yeah, we've got plenty of those.
Oh yeah?
You saw the special that we're having, right?
No, I didn't.
Okay, we got plenty.
You sell balloons?
We've got balloons. We've got a special every day especially for you.
All right, let's get some phones out for you.
Do you have anything in mind specifically?
Yeah, a phone that takes pictures.
Okay. Now, I'd be cheating you if I didn't tell you that we have top of the line phones.
George Lucas bought this one right here.
George Lucas?
He's a famous guy, a director or producer, or something like that.
What's your name?
Me? Boogle.
Boogle?
Yeah.
I just want a phone that takes pictures, Boogle.
Okay.
Hey, don't you see the walkway there?
What?
There's a walkway over there.
You can't just cross wherever you want. I could give you a ticket for jaywalking.
A ticket for jaywalking?
You mocking my job, dude?
No. I mean, you're a cop, right?
Let me see your I.D., please.
You're from New York?
Originally, yeah.
We do things different here.
Because of the earthquakes, right?
Okay, lay off the jokes, guy. Is that supposed to be a joke?
Sure.
Well we're in Hollywood, okay? We leave the entertainment to Soupy Sales.
I suggest you go home.
There's no smoking on the Promenade, fuck wad!
From a woman at the bar. She wants you to know her name is Lana.
May I?
Hey. Hey, you're not one of those gals that uses sex as a weapon, are you?
No. I don't like violence.
That's good.
Are you like everyone else here? You in show business?
No. I'm in the hide and seek business.
No. That is a game that kids play.
Yeah but if you add some money to it, it's for adults.
Well, what are you doing right now, hiding or seeking?
Right now I'm drinking.
Do you want another drink?
No, come on. Come on.
I got to go to the bathroom.
What's wrong, lover?
Are these the kind of games you're into?
No, they're for work.
Come on. It's alright. You want me to cuff you up, huh?
You want to cuff me up?
Slow dance.
May I have this dance?
Lana. I never did figure out if that was her real name.
Maybe it was, just for the night.
She ended up passing out on her pillow, and sleep-talking into the dawn.
She was asking her mother for the extra-special blueberry pancakes.
There was a lot of cursing.
Hello, Drexler Hewitt's office.
Hey, Charley. Is Hewitt in?
No, Rosow, he is not.
I would've told him I am still in contact with the Subject and the Boy.
Am presently tailing them south to Mexico, I'm guessing.
Guessing, Rosow?
Guessing, Miss Charley.
I haven't received the image yet.
Oh, yeah. I forgot. I'll do it right now.
This is instantaneous, huh?
What is this? Who is this?
It's just a trial run, Charley.
I just want to make sure the new technology really works.
Don't hang up on me, okay? You're always hanging up on me.
What do you want, Rosow?
See, I just want you to talk to me for a little while.
And why would I do that?
I'm out here on this old spooky desert highway,
following some defective bastard with a poor little Mexican boy.
You and me, we work together.
I figure you could find a couple of moments to tell me something about yourself.
Tell you about myself?
Nothing too personal.
I'll tell you one thing about myself, Rosow...
Goodie.
and one thing only
What is it?
I'm hanging up the phone now.
Your loss. Your loss.
This is some prime real estate.
Hey, baby.
Hey.
Looks like you need a light, huh?
There.
Hero Furillo. Hello.
Yeah.
That's nice.
I already got customers.
I know.
So, what do you want?
Where are you taking them? Here.
See? Mine.
No, you keep it. You might want to call me sometime.
I got my cell phone on there.
Look, I got this new cell phone. It takes pictures.
What do you want with those two?
An American man, a Mexican boy. You see what I mean?
Yeah. But I'm not allowed to talk about destinations.
I can get in big trouble. I don't know you.
Where are you from?
What do you care?
What's a guy from New York doing all the way out here, huh?
If you must know, because New York is crazy now.
I used to have a place on West 4th Street for four hundred bucks a month!
You can't even get a place in Red Hook for that much anymore.
It's crazy. The guppies took over.
You lived on West 4th? By the cage?
Yeah, why? You been there?
I grew up on Minetta Lane.
Get the fuck out of here!
Yeah.
No shit? You know, that's where they shot the movie "Serpico".
My dad knew Serpico. The real Serpico.
Yeah, he grew up on Perry and Greenwich.
Get the fuck out of here!
Get out of here! No shit?
Yeah.
Let me ask you something. Did he really have one of them big dogs like in the movie?
Oh, yeah, right. I can't remember. I was just a baby.
Because in the movie, Serpico's got one of them big dogs, you know?
Like the kind in Peter Pan that goes flying through the air with Wendy.
No, that's a flying Saint Bernard.
Saint Bernard. Saint Bernard.
Yeah, but Serpico's dog was one of them shaggy dogs with the hair in its eyes.
What, are you telling me that's not a Saint Bernard?
I don't think so.
I think you might be wrong. I'll google it.
Yeah, I'm gonna' google that shit.
Look, I'd love to talk movies, and New York, and dogs,
and googleplex configurations all day long,
but you got to make a decision here, all right?
I'm not going to get you into any trouble.
I just want to know where this man and the little boy are going.
You looking to hurt somebody, man?
No, no, I'm trying to help somebody.
Here, take this money and tell me where they're going.
Santa Reyes, through the hills and down by the ocean.
But the only way to get there is to follow me.
That's what I had in mind.
Yeah, but everybody's gonna' see you.
I mean, everybody's gonna' see you.
You stick out like a broken nose.
Hey, you make money at this shit?
Oh yeah? Well, this five hundred dollar bill says that I'm smashing.
Five hundred?
Yeah, or is that against the rules, too?
I'm no cabbagehead. I know that cabs are expensive in L.A.
You get this half, and I'll give you the other half when we get to our destination.
Now, come on, pop the trunk.
What? What are you, crazy?
Come on. The trunk!
You're putting me in a very idiosyncratic spot here.
I hope you can breathe in there.
I've had apartments smaller than this in New York.
I heard that.
Here's the other half.
Which way did they go?
I can't see anything.
The glasses.
Oh, right.
Doggy. Okay. Good. Good boy.
How are you doing, my friend? How's your stomach?
It hurts.
Can I offer you some coffee? Delicious.
Sure.
How's the coffee coming?
It's coming, sir.
In the meantime, if I may inquire.
what are you doing sneaking around in the dark on private property?
You upset my dog.
Are you with the FBI?
The FBI? No, I'm with myself.
I'm not after you or your dog.
So it's Harold?
Harold? Yeah, right, Harold.
I'm just trying to figure out what Harold's doing.
He works for us. For the orphanage.
He goes out and he finds children who are in trouble and he brings them here.
He has saved the lives of countless children.
Harold could be the only saint I've ever met.
Saint?
That's correct, my friend.
So that's all? That's why you're here?
That's it.
Would you like some sugar or some cream?
No. No, thanks.
This is good, right? Having coffee together?
I'm in a good mood. What can I say? I went surfing tonight.
Oh?
It was great. Over at a place called Punta Abreojos.
Punta. I know what that means. What's Abreojos?
It means "open eyes".
Means I can see you, man.
Oh, man. I like you, brother.
Well, that's great, I like you, too.
I don't have any reason to, but I just like you.
Sometimes that's just the way it goes.
Sometimes you meet somebody, you don't like them. That ever happen to you?
Sometimes.
That's why I don't go out a lot, you know?
People, they can hurt you.
My wife... I'm having some trouble with her, you know?
So I stay by myself a lot of times. It's okay.
Oh, man. You're a nice guy.
I'm going to have to take your phone and delete the photos in the gallery.
Fine.
You know, if I didn't like you, I'd take this phone and I'd just smash it into the wall.
I appreciate that you don't.
Hey, that's a good shot of me! Too bad.
Everything all right, don Edgar?
I think so. Our friend here was just leaving.
Take care, my friend. And please tell whoever is wondering about Harold
that he is doing fantastic. He is a very virtuous man.
Do you know where that diner is out of town? The truck stop?
Let me talk to Coach Hewitt. Please.
Hold on.
Drexler Hewitt.
His name is Harold. He's not a pederast.
Why am I finding out things that other people already know?
You have to give me more information before I go any further.
Of course I will. And some more money, too.
Where is Harold Fullmer now?
Harold Fullmer? That's his name?
Yes.
Well, why don't you tell me why I'm following Harold Fullmer,
and I'll tell you where I'm following him.
Okay, okay. I have a counter offer, Mr. Rosow.
Why don't you retrieve him, and deliver him to New York.
New York?
No. No, thanks.
There is more money in it than you've ever earned.
I don't do that sort of thing.
How does $500,000 sound?
I can wire the money into your checking account when the Subject is delivered.
Delivered to whom?
His wife. She's my client. She loves him. She misses him.
She just wants to talk to him.
She must want to talk to him real bad. That's a lot of money.
He might turn tail and run again after a couple of words.
Well, Mr. Rosow, that's not your problem.
Maybe it is, and maybe it isn't.
We thought that with your history, you would comprehend the situation.
You could sympathize. You would understand.
I don't understand anything.
Okay, he's coming back now, I get it. What do you want me to say to him?
Just say hello.
Hi, Rosow, I just decided to stay in your motel room for twenty-four hours
waiting for you to come back to my loving arms.
There you go.
I convinced him that I was lonely and desperate.
I don't think even he believed that I was that lonely but...
Just pour him a drink.
Are these the kind of games you like to play?
No, it's not what you think.
Hey, I promise, I have no idea at all.
I don't know what you're doing or who you're working for.
I work for myself.
Who was on the phone?
Ex-boyfriend.
How long have you been here?
You work for Harold? Hewitt? Don Edgar? The Feds?
No, no, no and no.
You're hurting me!
Yeah, come on, Miss Lonely hearts. Tell me something I don't know.
Papitos.
Gus?
Let go.
You work for Gus?
Let me go.
Pappy. Oh, shit.
Care for a cocktail? I sure do. It's been a long night.
Gus.
Oh, damn! That hurt!
All right, all right.
Hello?
It's Hero Furillo. I just dropped off your guy at Union Station. You need a ride?
You saved my bacon.
You better be doing the right thing, you know.
Yeah.
I mean it. You know, I'll probably never see you again,
so it's not like I'll ever really know.
But you better be doing the right thing, homes. You know?
I like to think that you're on the right side. The Serpico side.
Because that's the side I want to get on.
I wish it was that simple.
Oh, don't give me that, man.
Come on, don't give me that.
I won't let you down, Hero.
Aren't you a little tired of trains?
Do I know you?
You recognize me all right. I've been following you.
Why?
I'm getting paid.
Oh. For the money.
Why is the FBI tailing you?
I don't know.
I'll try another question. You ready to come back with me, Harold?
Back to your wife?
Absolutely no.
If you don't come with me, I'll cause a ruckus.
I'll scream that you robbed me, or propositioned me, I'll probably punch you,
the miso soup will go flying everywhere, the little waitress will call the police,
and we'll both get arrested.
Which is fine for me, but not for you.
If I were you, I'd rather talk to my wife than to the authorities.
And you could start by talking to me.
I find children that are in distress, and I take them to a safe haven.
Doesn't anybody miss these kids?
The world is filled with children no one wants.
This last kid, from Chicago, he seemed okay enough.
Javier? He was in twenty porno films before I found him.
He tried to kill himself twice.
His mother had eight children, husband gone.
Someone offered her a thousand dollars to take Javier to America,
to feed him, clothe him, enroll him in a good Catholic...
All right, all right, that's enough. We got a plane to catch.
I can't fly.
What?
You heard me.
No, we're not taking a train back to New York.
Those sleeping cars are like coffins.
New York?
Yeah. You're going back to her. She's worried about you.
I don't like flying myself. I'm not a big fan of New York either.
Why? What happened in New York?
Sometimes when you try to make things better, you end up just making them worse.
That's bullshit. Harold, what about your wife, huh? You don't just drop out.
The life I lead now is the very contrary of dropping out.
Most people can't wait to get home to their house, their apartment,
shut the door and turn on the TV.
To me, that's dropping out.
Right.
I've never felt myself as a civilian.
This kind of life, being missing, it suits me.
It all changed so fast.
One day I was one person, then came the explosions, then I was another person.
Some things are too terrible to be true.
Explosions?
Didn't they tell you?
No. What? Tell me what?
I worked in the World Trade Center. I barely made it out in time.
I ran down those steps out of the north tower.
I haven't seen my wife since.
You were a missing person?
I am a missing person.
I thought of calling home and trying to tell her I was all right, but I couldn't do it.
I didn't know why. The next day it occurred to me that she probably thought I was dead.
I was relieved.
She'd always think of me as a hero of sorts. A reluctant hero.
How the hell do you do that? How do you leave your wife like that?
We lost a child, Megan and I. A kidnapping.
It changed everything. Nothing was right after that.
Well, I'm sorry. That's terrible, but still... still...
Ladies and gentlemen, if you'll look outside your window,
you'll see the lights of New York City coming up.
We're about a half hour outside of JFK. The weather is beautiful.
Baby, what floor are you on?
We're on the fiftieth floor.
Fiftieth floor?
We have seven people here, and we can't get out.
Babe, don't worry. The guys are on their way there now, and I'm gonna' be running up there, too.
You're gonna' see me before you know it. Okay?
Okay, baby.
The line's on Broadway! Bryant and Broadway, Doug!
Stand back! The tower is coming down!
The towers are coming down!
They're coming down!
The second tower is down!
Does my wife know what I've been doing?
How much is she paying you?
Hey, do you have any idea what it's like to be abandoned by somebody?
I have an idea what it's like.
Hey just shut the fuck up! I'm tired of you.
Excuse me.
Can I have another bloody mary?
Sorry, we're on our descent.
Better make it a double.
Charley!
I didn't know you'd be accompanying us. Terrific!
Trust me, it wasn't my idea.
Oh, I'm sorry to hear that.
The Seymour Hotel, midtown.
That's not what the lady said, boss.
Well, are you gonna' listen to the lady or are you gonna' listen to me?
What are you up to?
You cannot smoke in here, boss.
It was a long flight. Give me a break, Kit-Kat.
I thought we were going straight to my wife.
Why the Seymour?
There's some business to take care of. I want to make sure it goes right.
Sorry boss, you cannot smoke in here, boss.
Okay.
I'm glad you're here, Charley.
I could use your help. Closing out the ninth inning has never been my strong suit.
I'm still trying to find your strong suit.
Oh, but I forgot. You never played baseball.
If you insist on smoking, boss, I will have to ask...
No, okay, okay. See?
Thank you, boss.
Oh, you're most welcome. And please stop calling me boss. I am not Bruce Springsteen.
You can drive now.
So, this your first time in New York, buddy?
Who's there?
Who? Whooo? Don't cry. It's just me.
Yeah.
They made you a lieutenant? Lieutenant Pappy?
Yeah. It's crazy, huh?
It's crazy.
Do my eyes deceive me?
Gus.
Harold.
The homecoming gets larger.
How did you know?
Little birdie.
Lana sends her love.
What love?
I know, I owe you an explanation. Give me a drink, will you?
I was responsible for you, John.
You were my recommendation, so I had to send Lana down to keep an eye.
Oh, she learned some weird stories about you.
I had to make sure you were still compis mentis. You blockhead.
God, it's good to see you!
Why are you so serious? Move along. Shove off, sailor.
Who's Lana?
You weren't in on that?
No. Who is she?
This lady. She dropped Gus's name, I didn't see a connection, so I did some googling.
You found out that Gus worked on our case, the kidnapping.
I did.
And then Gus called me and volunteered to help out when we got to New York.
It didn't work out the way we wanted, but Gus was a good man. Throughout.
I still have some bad nights about that, Harold. You know I do.
I'm sorry it's going down like this, but Miss Megan, she's beside herself.
And then she finds out you're still alive, I mean, you can imagine...
What are you doing here, Gus?
I'm gonna' baby sit you, Harold, while John and Miss Smiley over there
take care of some business.
Whose side you on?
Whose side am I on? I'm on your wife's side. Don't you think she's been through enough?
Besides, I got a soft spot for New Yorkers who stay in New York.
Hey, Miss Charley.
Yes?
Do me a favor?
Yeah, well.
Hello?
Mr. Rosow, I presume. Sit down, please.
I'm sorry about the darkness.
I'm afraid I've become quite a bit of a cave dweller over the past few years.
Please don't smoke that in here. I'm sorry.
No, that's all right. It's a nasty habit, I should quit.
I like your place. It's very nice.
Thank you. Can I get you anything? Some water? Coffee?
No that's all right. I don't think your maid likes me very much.
What makes you say that?
I was just kidding, I guess.
I'm sorry. I'm not sure I got your joke.
I've never had any dealings with private detectives, Mr. Rosow.
I've seen them in Bogart films though.
Was that one of those kind of jokes? Those dry and sardonic detective jokes?
It was my sad attempt.
So you make jokes and you smoke cigarettes.
Do those ancient customs make you a more efficient, detective?
Probably not, but I'm not really a detective on this case anymore, am I?
I'm more what you'd call a delivery boy.
Don't underestimate your value, Mr. Rosow.
How did you find out Harold was alive?
A friend ran into him in Mexico. Of all places.
Some small village on the west coast of Mexico.
Impossible, I thought. She was certain.
She swore it was Harold despite the fact that the medical examiner had just ruled him...
Where is he? Where is my husband?
He's close by. He's ok. But I gotta' tell you...
Why is he not here? With you?
That was the agreement.
It's about the money.
We can arrange for more.
I don't want more money. I want what I'm owed, up front, now, beforehand.
Paid on delivery is what I understood.
Mrs. Fullmer, Harold's not the same man. He's different, you know?
I mean, I didn't know him before...
Everything is different. Of course Harold is different.
I just want to make sure he is okay. And I know when he sees me, he'll remember.
He'll remember himself.
So I'll write you a check.
I understand you. I really do, but sometimes when you try and make things better...
I know you do understand. Because they told me about you.
Oh.
About your wife. They told me about her and, Mr. Rosow, I'm very sorry for your loss.
Yes, thanks.
Sorry.
You know, thanks.
Whatever my chances are, I need to take them.
Could you make the check out to cash?
I'll deliver Harold tomorrow morning after this check clears.
Yes. And tell him one thing for me, Mr. Rosow. Will you?
Sure.
Tell him I can't wait to be with him.
Bad news.
Want a hit?
That kid blocks the plate like Thurman Munson.
I drank too much. Harold's gone.
No. You think I drink too much, too much to bring this guy back to his wife.
You were banking on that. Lana almost pulled it off.
You always did like your conspiracy theories, John.
You sure you don't want a pop?
No. Can I have a couple of scallion pancakes though?
Knock yourself out. Don't forget the sauce.
Yum. I do miss the take-out Chinese.
There's no place good in Chicago that delivers.
I could've told you that, and I've never even been in Chicago.
What about the pizza? They got that Chicago style, right?
Yeah, they got your Chicago style pizza, sure, but you know what that is?
And I just found this out myself. It's just Sicilian style.
It's just a different name for Sicilian.
We went over to Difara's the other night and got seven pies.
I think he's still making them.
The boys miss you, John. We all miss you.
How long have you been on Drexler Hewitt's payroll?
Here we go.
You get paid by Miss Fullmer to find Harold,
but you get paid even more by Hewitt not to find him.
Is that it? So you hire me to bring him back to Miss Fullmer,
but you hire me more for Drexler, because you figure I'll muck it up.
You got a napkin?
I earn my money.
You get the medex to forge Harold's death certificate.
With Harold officially dead, case closed.
All the insurance and compensation money gets collected,
and the estate gets divvied up, and Drexler Hewitt gets his piece of the Fullmer pie.
I'm sure you got your crumb. But then, oh, a friend of the missus sees Harold in Mexico.
Harold wasn't coming back. He was gone, might as well have been dead.
It was high time she figured that out for herself.
Why do you care?
9/11 families were paid by the government
according to how much the victim would have earned in a lifetime.
I know. And Harold was a big deal broker.
That's a lot of money. Enough for a greedy lawyer to want to make sure he stays dead.
So Drexler bought you to help him.
He knew how much Miss Fullmer trusted you.
Listen, John. Harold wasn't going to stay home. He's nuts.
His old lady is a kookjob. All that money, for what?
It's crazy. People like that, they're not like us.
She just wanted to talk to him, Gus.
I'm gonna' need you to leave your cell phone.
It's got all those nice pictures on it.
Oh well. I had the feeling it was gonna' get old anyway.
Oh, John, one more thing.
Your old buddy, Don Edgar?
Taking care of all the little kiddie widdies down Mexico way?
What about him?
That orphanage is a front.
Don Edgar, the most major dope dealer in Tijuana.
Yeah, that's right. Whether Harold knew it or not, he was in cahoots with a very bad hombre.
I don't believe you.
No? It's true. Why do you think the FBI was snooping around?
Christ, what happened to those kids?
Don Edgar says he sends them back to their families.
Right. And I'm Tinkerbell.
You seem upset, John. What are you thinking?
You thinking you want to come over here and hit me?
No. I'm just trying to remember what I ever saw in you.
Did he give you any trouble?
No. He was very nice. No trouble at all.
Put your hands under the table. Yeah.
He plays like an angel, doesn't he?
Tomorrow morning, you go back to her.
The gig is up. This is the old reality, Harold.
You're in New York. You ain't dead, there aren't any angels,
and the missus wants to see you.
Matter of fact, she said she can't wait to see you.
You know about angels, Rosow.
Oh, I do?
I saw you listening to the song.
Did you see him, Miss Charley?
No, I did not.
You know the music is okay, but the service stinks.
We're empty here. Where's the waitress?
Good morning.
What the fuck are you doing, you idiot?
Who's the saint who looks after money?
I can't hear ya.
Never mind.
Do you have a problem with me smoking?
NO!
Come on!
I appreciate this, Charley.
Oh, that's okay.
No, I really do.
You want me to go up with you?
I think I should go alone.
Okay. Well, I have some business with Drexler Hewitt, so...
Good luck.
Memories flooding you right about now, huh?
No, not really.
Hey, listen. There's no way you're going in with this kind of attitude, okay?
You stand up straight and look happy to see her. Come on.
Remember me, darling?
Is that you, sir?
Don't be rude to the lady.
I need to use the bathroom.
Hey, this is what, one of those recreations of a famous painting?
Yeah.
Kind of funky looking, isn't it?
Julian, Mr. and Mrs. Fullmer's son.
He won the contest at school with that piece.
The theme was Masterpieces of American Art.
Julian was only eight years old when he painted it.
Pretty good for an eight year old, I guess.
Don't touch it.
John?
Let me go, please.
Please let me go.
You wake up one day and you're an adult.
And all the people you were just dreaming about have gone or changed.
So you shake the sleep dust from your eyes and you say,
was it really so long ago that you and I sat together in fun?
No. Not so long ago. But life goes by in the blink of an eye.
Sobriety, after all this time, isn't as bitter as I thought it would be.
Recently, for a second or two, I almost felt like things were okay with the world.
Strange to feel that way, when you know there are wars everywhere,
and everything is going to hell in a hand basket.
But still, I must admit, for a moment, I felt some kind of peace.
Charley, she finally said yes to a date with me.
I have a confession. I lied.
You were right.
I have four older brothers.
And I was an All-Star shortstop in the boy's little league three years in a row.
Till they kicked me out.
Remember when it was like that?
When we were all together? And I figured we'd play forever.
I had no idea.
She's not a half bad girl, Charley.
She's looking for a job now.
I told her she could be my secretary once I got a few more assignments,
but she said she didn't mix business with pleasure.
I promised her I was no pleasure. Yuk, yuk, yuk.
Sometimes I think back to that day at Miss Fullmer's place, and I ask myself,
did you do the right thing?
I don't know. What is that, the right thing?
A police reporter once said that when we pass beyond the lights of a precinct station,
we go into another world, a place beyond right and wrong.
I don't really mind living this way. Quiet.
Not much to say.
But sometimes, every once in a while,
I remember back to when I had you.