Dead Guy Running
[27th
precinct; the place is packed]
[a bride & groom are being led in, hand in hand]
Drunk Man : [sings] There goes the bride.
Hooker
: Yeah, yeah, yeah...
Welsh:
[to
bride]
Scuse me. [bride
turns around – it’s a
man!]
Carry on. [bangs
into Dewey’s hockey
stick]
Ow!
Dewey: Sorry,
sir.
Welsh: Is
Vecchio back yet?
Dewey: He
wouldn’t go.
Welsh: I told
you to take him to the hospital.
Dewey: He
wouldn’t go!
Welsh: What’s
that?
Dewey: What’s
what?
Welsh: Your
eye. [it’s
blackened]
Dewey: I took a
puck. What happened to your thumb?
[it’s heavily
bandaged]
Welsh: Never
mind.
Francesca:
Sir, they got him. Kuzma. They got him.
Welsh:
Yeah!
[cops all
cheer]
[Kowalski
enters]
Welsh: They
got Kuzma. Huey’s bringing him in now.
Ray: Five
minutes alone with him is all I want.
Welsh: How’s
your ear? [it’s
bandaged]
Ray: I’ll live.
Just five minutes.
Welsh: You’re
off the case!
Ray: I’m off
the case? Why-what-why-why-why?
Welsh: Huey’s
collar now.
Ray: Look,
Kuzma was my collar. I had him!
Welsh: Yeah,
you had him and you lost him.
Ray: But he
practically bit my ear off!
Welsh:
Exactly, now go home.
Ray: There’s
nothing wrong with me.
Welsh: Oh
yeah? You’re fine, huh? Then make yourself useful. When
the Feds find out we got Kuzma, they’re gonna turn this
into a circus, alright? Let’s see how fast you can clean
this room up.
[exits]
Ray: How about
a general amnesty? No.
[announces]
Okay!....Stanley Smith, you are our next
contestant on “Prison Life.” Come on down!
[a young man turns
around]
You Stanley Smith? You Sta-- Okay, you can stay cuffed to
the chair all day.
Stanley Smith:
All right, yeah, yeah, yeah, it’s me. Come on. Cuffs were
starting to hurt. Yo, what happened to your ear,
man?
Ray: I asked
too many stupid questions like that.
Smith: Ah,
right. [makes a dash
for the door]
Ray
: Hey, hey, hey, hey!!!
Fraser:
[stopping the
escape]
Whoa, settle down, son.
Smith: Yo,
man, what are you?
Fraser: I’m a
Canadian.
Ray: Thanks,
Fraser.
Fraser: You’re
welcome, Ray. What happened to your ear?
Ray: It’s a
long story. Michael Johnson here goes into...number
one.
Fraser: Oh,
just a second.
[removes cigarette
from the drunk’s
mouth]
Sorry, sir, this is a non-smoking environment.
[drunk protests unintelligibly as they walk to interrogation room 1]
Fraser
: You know, Ray, that thing with your ear kind of reminds
me of a wrestling match I once saw in Great Slave Lake,
where Yukon John actually bit off Haystack Calhoun’s ear,
although my friend Innussiq, who knew such things, he said
it was entirely fake, and that the next night Haystack
Calhoun would bite off Yukon John’s ear.
[chortles]
Ray:
[fake
chuckles]
What is the point of that story?
Fraser: It’s
just an ear anecdote.
Ray: Look,
they are taking my collar! Adolph Kuzma is my
collar!
Smith: Yo, yo
man, what’s up? You guys for real?
Ray: Hey, we
ask the tough questions around here. Keep your feet off
the table and shut up, homes. All right. Possession of
burglary tools, attempted theft auto, apprehended inside
‘95 Mercedes 280 SL.
Smith: I was
just looking for a place to sleep, that’s all.
Ray: So you
broke into a hundred thousand dollar car.
Smith: Yeah, I
did. Get me my lawyer.
Ray: Oh, you
got no place to sleep, but...you got a lawyer on retainer.
Good one.
[Kowalski goes to
the window, sees Kuzma being brought in]
Ray
: Kuzma, you little freak show, come on, come on! Come on!
Come on!
[Kowalski charges at
Kuzma, but Welsh restrains him]
Welsh : Get him out of here!! Take it easy! [to Fraser] Calm him down, would ya?
[Kowalski is shoved into interview 1; he punches a hole
the wall]
Fraser: All
right?
Ray: Yeah,
yeah, yeah.
Smith : It’s like a zoo up in here!
[Kowalski growls at
him]
[Dief barks at the
hole Kowalski has made; Fraser pulls away some of the
drywall and sees a plastic-wrapped body hidden
inside]
Ray: What’s
going on?
Fraser: Oh
dear.
[interrogation room
1; Fraser & Kowalski lift the body out of the
wall]
Fraser:
Careful, Ray, careful.
Ray: Like I’m
gonna hurt him.
Fraser: No,
you’re standing on my foot.
Ray : Oh.
Fraser
: Let’s set him down.
[Dief barks at
Stanley, who is heading for the door]
Fraser
: Whoa. sit down, sir. Sit down, slowly. Sudden movements
set him off.
Smith: Okay.
[very slowly moves
to the table]
[Fraser cuts open
the plastic bag and looks intently at the body]
Fraser:
Hmm.
Ray: You know
the guy?
Fraser: No, I
don’t believe so.
Ray: What’s
with the ‘hmm’?
Fraser: It’s
just an interesting smell.
Smith: You
guys look a little busy, y’know what I’m saying? Why don’t
I just split?
Ray: Look,
shut up and sit down! Or you go in the wall.
Smith: Yeah
right, okay.
[sits]
Ray: All right,
I’m gonna go get Welsh.
Fraser:
Why?
Ray: Well
obviously, we got a dead body here.
Fraser: Oh,
right you are.
[Frannie enters,
and drops her files]
Francesca: Oh
my god, oh my
god! He killed
him! Oh my god!
[runs out,
hysterical]
Fraser: Give
me five minutes.
Ray: Five.
[Fraser
exits]
Smith: Hey,
hey, listen, man, I know my rights, all right? I ain’t got
to stay in no room with no dead guy!
Ray: No, you
don’t. We can take you down to the cage, and you can stay
in with the skinheads, the crackheads, and the bikers
who’re dusting. You prefer that?
Smith: All
right. I’m cool.
Ray : You’re cool?
Smith : Yeah, yeah, I’ll stay.
Ray : All right. Nice.
[corridor]
Francesca: His
name is Guy Rankin. He’s from the neighborhood. We heard
that, uh, he was into a lot of bad stuff, but you hear a
lot of things. He was okay. He was-he was kind of funny,
actually, he used to do these impressions of, you know,
Mr. Frank Sinatra and stuff. Anyway, one night he asked me
out for a drink. I thought we were going out for a drink,
but...I guess he thought...we were going out for...a
drink. We got
outside the house, and um, I could handle him at first,
cause you know, he wouldn’t keep his hands off me.
[near
tears] But
then he really started to hurt me, and that’s when Ray
came...came outside. He just went crazy. He was like, um,
Sonny in The
Godfather,
remember, when Sonny found out that his sister Connie was
being beaten up by Carlo?
[Fraser shakes his
head] Ray
was just like that. I had to pull him off so that Guy
could get out. Anyway, after that, um, he was just waiting
for Guy to make a mistake, and when he found out that he
was shaking down some of the local merchants, he hauled
him in.
Fraser: And
you think Ray killed him?
[Frannie
nods]
Fraser: What
makes you think that?
Francesca:
Because he said he was going to.
[interrogation room
1]
Smith: Damn,
man, what is that smell?
Ray: Dead guy.
They smell.
Smith: Nah nah
nah, not that smell.
[Fraser
enters]
Fraser: It’s
shellac. It’s made out of bugs. It’s very effective as a
wood treatment for protecting wharf pilings from the
effects of permafrost.
Ray: Fraser,
what the hell is going on?
Smith: Yeah,
Fraser. [Kowalski
gives him a ‘look’]
Fraser: Ray,
can I have a word with you in private?
Ray:
[to
Stanley]
You sit there.
Smith: No no
no, whoa whoa whoa, nah nah nah, I ain’t gonna sit in no
room with no dead guy, all
right? This is
cruel and unusual punishment, okay? This is America and I
know my rights.
Ray: Oh, they
always know their rights. How about the rights of the guy
with the Mercedes?
Smith: He
don’t need no rights. He got a Mercedes.
Ray: Sit
there!
[corridor]
Ray: Look, I
didn’t kill the guy, the real Ray Vecchio killed the
guy.
Fraser: No, I
didn’t say he killed him, I said he is a suspect.
Ray: Well,
pass it over to Internal Affairs, and let them sort it
out.
Fraser: No,
I’m afraid I can’t do that Ray, because if Internal
Affairs investigates--
[Kowalski is distracted by woman walking past]
Fraser: Ray.
Ray. Ray. Ray. Ray. If Internal Affairs investigates, they
will undoubtedly discover that you are not the real Ray
Vecchio.
Ray: Maybe.
Personally I don’t give them that much credit.
Fraser: Well,
perhaps, but let’s just say that it becomes public that
you’re not the real Ray Vecchio. That will probably put
the real Ray Vecchio’s life at risk.
Ray: Well,
what am I supposed to say? Better him than me?
Fraser: No, of
course not.
Ray: What are
we supposed to do?
Fraser: I am
suggesting that we don’t report the body.
Ray:
[whispers
urgently]
(Oh Fraser, you are talking about suppressing the
evidence!)
Fraser: (No,
delaying.)
Ray:
(Suppressing!)
Fraser:
(Delaying. Delaying reporting the body to give us enough
time to find the real killer.)
Ray: (You’re
not playing with a full mukluk, Fraser. How long do you
think we can keep a dead body hidden in a police
station?)
Fraser: (Well,
if you could hang onto that room at least until the end of
your shift.)
[Welsh
appears]
Welsh: Oh, a
little coffee break?
Fraser: No,
sir. No, no, we’re just, uh, strategizing.
Welsh: I need
that room.
Ray: The kid’s
just starting to open up, sir.
Welsh: Oh
good, good, I’ll wait until the movie comes out. Get rid
of him!
[Fraser follows
Welsh through the bullpen]
Fraser: Sir, I
wonder if I could perhaps have a word with you?
Welsh: I am
very busy, Constable.
Fraser: I
understand that, sir, but it is extremely important.
Welsh:
[sighs]
What is it?
Fraser: Well,
sir, I have a hypothetical question.
Welsh: Oh
great, hypothetical and important.
Fraser: Well,
some questions can be
both.
[they enter Welsh’s office]
Fraser
: If the need were to arise, sir, to speak to Ray Vecchio,
the real Ray Vecchio, in person, would that be
possible?
Welsh: If Ray
Vecchio’s mother were on her deathbed, and her last dying
wish was to see her son’s face again, hear his voice just
one last time, I would send the new Ray Vecchio. Does that
answer your question?
Fraser: Yes,
sir. What happened to your thumb?
Welsh: Never
mind.
[bullpen; Frannie
gives Fraser a picture of Rankin]
Francesca:
Okay, I printed this
up. I looked
for the file, I can’t find it anywhere, by name, by date,
nothing.
Fraser: Are
you sure he was booked?
Francesca:
Yeah, I’m positive. Oh, but I did find this. You were
right.
Fraser: Thank
you. Will you keep looking for the other files?
Francesca:
Yeah, of course.
Fraser: Thank
you kindly, Francesca.
Francesca: Uh,
Fraser? About what I told you before, you won’t tell
anybody?
Fraser: No,
no, of course not.
Francesca:
Okay. It’s just that those things are really kind of
personal to me and I just hope that you won’t think any
less of me.
Fraser:
No.
Francesca: I
just felt I could really–I could really talk to you, you
know. I don’t know, I guess I thought talking to a Mountie
from Canada is kinda like talking to a priest.
Fraser: Well
no, not exactly.
Francesca: I
mean, not that I think of you as a priest, ‘cause, you
know...I don’t. I think of you...I think of you as a
man.
Fraser:
Ah.
Francesca: Not
that priests aren’t men, it’s just that priests can’t
do...certain things.
Fraser: Well,
not necessarily. You know there was a Father Macaulay of
Fort Assiniboia, and he once tracked a cougar for five
weeks over 300 miles--
Francesca: No,
Fraser, no. Those aren’t exactly the things I’m referring
to. [gives him a
‘look’]
Fraser: Oh.
Oh, I see. Right. Um.
[clears
throat]
Excuse me.
Francesca:
Fraser, is my brother gonna be okay?
Fraser: Oh
yes, sure, sure.
[flustered, backing
rapidly
away]
Yeah.
[interrogation room
1]
Smith: Can’t
be doing this
man. Can’t
just hold me, know what I’m saying? That’s what they do to
people in them places like Sweden, and Canada, and all of
them other torture places.
Ray: Hey look,
I play by my own rules, kind of a wild card, kinda kooky.
Now you wanna help me?
Smith: All
right. Ain’t gotta shout. Woo! How long you think he been
like this?
Fraser:
[entering]
Ninety-two days.
Ray: How would
you know that?
Fraser: There
was electrical work done in here 92 days ago, that’s when
the wall went up.
Ray: So
somebody killed him, shellacked him so he wouldn’t rot,
and then stuck him in a wall?
Fraser:
Surprisingly effective. Looks almost as good as
new.
[the body falls slowly over, and Kowalski catches him just
in
time]
Ray: You got a
file on him?
Fraser: No,
that’s what’s intriguing. There are no files.
Ray: So,
Vecchio had ‘em destroyed.
Fraser: Ray
Vecchio didn’t do this.
Ray: How can
you be so sure?
Fraser:
Because the plastic was sucked into the man’s mouth and
his throat. That means he was alive when they put him in
the wall.
Smith: Ooh,
man!
Fraser: Ray
Vecchio’s not capable of an act so monstrous, so heinous,
so repulsive, so repugnant to the human condition, so....
Can I borrow your car?
Ray:
Why?
Fraser: Well,
in the absence of any other leads, and time being the
factor that it is, I think it expedient that I have a chat
with a Mr. Dinardo.
Ray:
Who?
Fraser: He
owns the company that did the drywalling.
Ray: Take a
shortcut. I don’t know how long I can keep this
room.
Fraser:
Understood. Oh, it’s...
Ray
: [miming actions
with
hands]
Brake, gas. Brake, gas. Careful.
[Fraser
exits]
[*thump* from next door]
Ray: Oh, that’s
just one of my fellow officers interviewing a
suspect.
[interrogation room
2]
Dewey: All
right, let’s try this
again. Were
you the shooter?
[Kuzma rams himself against the wall]
Huey : Were you on Alcorn Street when the cop was shot?
[Kuzma does it again]
Dewey : How long do you cook a 14 pound turkey?
[Kuzma does it again]
[Welsh enters]
Welsh: What’s
going on?
Dewey: Ask him
a question. Any question.
[Welsh forces Kuzma
into a
chair]
Welsh
: Is your name Kuzma? General Adolph Kuzma of the American
Patriots Army?
[Kuzma slams head
on table]
Welsh: Ah,
nice try scumbag, but I’m not gonna make you look better
for the Feds. You and your psycho army, you think you can
go around blowing up banks and shooting cops, huh? Think
our laws don’t apply to you? Well you better thank God for
those laws; it’s the only thing keeping you alive. Nice
face. Tell me something. Five weeks ago the Feds had you
surrounded at Diamondback Ridge, but you escaped. It was a
miracle. What, you make a deal with the Feds? Huh?! You
think they’re gonna waltz in here and save you? I got news
for you. You killed a Chicago cop. You’re not gonna leave
here, ever. Not ‘til they put a needle in your arm.
Dewey: He
might enjoy that, sir.
[Kuzma licks Welsh on the
cheek]
Welsh: There.
Don’t clean him up. Just keep asking him questions.
Huey!
[corridor]
Welsh: Did he
say anything in there? Did he ask for a lawyer?
Huey: No. I
think he’s going for insanity.
Francesca
: Sir, FBI’s on the phone.
Welsh: All
right. See if you can locate the whereabouts of Assistant
State’s Attorney Kowalski. All right?
[Frannie
exits]
Welsh: All
right, the games begin. Get him talking about something,
doesn’t matter.
‘Kay? If we
can get him started, it’ll give us reason to keep the Feds
out.
Huey: I don’t
think he’s gonna say anything.
Welsh: Get him
talking.
Huey: All
right.
[Welsh knocks on
door of interrogation room 1; Kowalski appears]
Welsh: Look, I
imagine the Feds, within the hour, will be here to see our
friend Kuzma. I want to be privy to that conversation from
in there. I need this room.
Ray: Yes,
sir.
[front
desk]
Desk Sergeant:
[on
phone] You
didn’t know? Margaret Moynahan told me....Well she heard
it from Jerry Kovacs....Yeah.
[Fraser shows her a
picture of Rankin]
Desk Sergeant:
So what did he do anyway?
Fraser: Well,
we’re not sure exactly. But if you could just cast your
mind back 92 days ago.
Desk Sergeant:
92 days ago? That would be, uh, Tuesday night, wouldn’t
it?
Fraser:
Yes.
Desk Sergeant:
See, I know that because Darlene Carmichael in accounting?
She had her baby three months premature, and I was just
saying to Laurie in personnel how the spicy pizza we had
at the shower – which was on a Tuesday night – probably
induced the contractions, you know, causing the premature
labor.
Fraser:
[impatiently]
Yes, I’m quite sure you’re right. About
the man in the picture?
[phone
rings]
Desk Sergeant:
Oh, yeah. Let me think about it.
Fraser: Right.
[picks up
unanswered phone & hands it to
her] Thank
you kindly.
Desk Sergeant:
No problem. Listen, if I come up with anything, I’ll give
you a call. [Fraser
gives her a
‘thumbs-up’]
District 27.
[Kowalski’s
car]
Fraser:
[to
Dief] In
the back. In the--
[sighs, then gets
in]
[Robert Fraser
clears throat, and Fraser turns around]
Robert Fraser:
You’re getting roped in, son.
Fraser: Look,
I know what you’re thinking, ordinarily I would agree, but
these are very special circumstances.
Robert Fraser:
Oh, they always are, but concealing evidence in a murder
investigation. I thought I taught you how to uphold the
law.
Fraser: And I
will.
Robert Fraser:
When?
Fraser:
[pause]
Later today.
Robert Fraser:
You’ve got to live by the principles you protect.
Otherwise everything caves in, like an igloo during spring
thaw.
Fraser: Look,
I know what I’m doing, Dad. You just have to trust
me.
Robert Fraser:
Oh no, that’s where you’re wrong. I don’t have to trust
anyone anymore. I’m dead. But you’ve got to trust
yourself. One step in the wrong direction and it
snowballs. Next thing, you’ll be lying to cover your
tracks. And when cops are involved in murder, gets even
uglier. I was gunned down by one of our own on my own
turf. Well, ice cap. Remember?
Fraser: I
remember.
Robert Fraser:
I trusted Gerard for the better part of 30 years. It
wasn’t easy to accept what he had become.
Fraser: Ray
didn’t kill anybody.
Robert Fraser:
If that’s true, then stay within the law.
Fraser: I
don’t have any choice.
Robert Fraser:
That’s where you’re wrong.
Fraser: You
want to know something, Dad--
[turns around to
find father has
disappeared]
Great. [to
Dief]
Look, I’m sorry I shouted at you, I didn’t realize he was
back there. All right, here we
go.
[puts car in reverse and almost crashes into another car]
Driver : [honks horn] Idiot!
[Fraser waves at driver apologetically]
Fraser : Brake gas-- No, gas brake, gas brake.
[construction
site]
Dinardo:
[on cell
phone]
Yeah, Frank, don’t worry about it, I mean if your kid’s
sick, your kid’s sick. Nothing you can do about
it....Yeah, take a coupla days off. All right? See ya
then. [over radio to
secretary]
Marilyn, wanna do me a favor? Mangioni’s kid’s sick. You
wanna send her over a teddy bear or something?
Marilyn:
[voice]
Frank’s kid is 14.
Dinardo: Well,
send her something.
Marilyn:
[voice]
Okay.
Dinardo:
[to
Fraser]
Who are you?
Fraser: Good
day, my name is Constable Benton Fraser of the Royal
Canadian Mounted Police. I first came to Chicago on the
trail of the killers of my--
[truck horn
honks]
Dinardo:
Maurice! No! You wanna go in Row B!
Fraser: It’s
not really important, sir. What is important is that 3
months ago you did some renovations, drywalling to be
exact, at Chicago PD, District 27. I wonder if it’s
possible for me to speak to the men who did that
job.
Dinardo: You
must be joking. I can’t remember 3 months ago. I got 18
crews out here today.
Fraser: It’s
very important, sir.
Dinardo: All
right. You give me the name of your tailors, and I give
you the number.
[into
radio]
Marilyn, listen, pull out a file, Chicago PD, about 3
months ago.
[to
Fraser] Is
there a problem with something? I mean, I got no calls,
nobody’s complained or anything.
Fraser: No,
it’s strictly routine, sir. Do you, by any chance,
recognize this man?
[shows a picture of
Rankin]
Dinardo: Is he
one of the guys? To tell you the truth, I don’t recognize
anybody that works for me, my friend. Here we go.
[Marilyn hands over
the file]
It’s nice, huh? Here we are. Tom Harvey was the foreman,
the crew he never listed. Tom, well, lots of times we pick
up guys at the local hospitals, give them a day’s work,
hod carriers and such, puts a little money in their
pockets, know what I mean?
Fraser: Well,
do you know where I can contact this Mr. Harvey?
Dinardo: Had
to let him go. Last I remember, he was in one of those
flophouses over on Diversey, and he’s probably long gone
by now. Anyway, Marilyn’ll give you the address if you
want, I gotta get back, and get that dog out of here.
[shouts]
Lou! You don’t understand English?
[interrogation room
1]
[Kowalski & Stanley are moving the body into a chair]
Smith : Yeah, I heard what the man said, Ray. Yeah, you need me! Now I wanna make a new deal!
Ray : Here’s the deal. You give me the day, I give you the rest of your life.
Smith : What, you let me walk, man?
Ray
: I don’t kill ya.
[knock knock knock;
Kowalski opens the door]
Francesca: Hi.
[gives Kowalski a
file] I’m
not gonna come in if that’s okay. Where is he?
Ray: Behind
the door. [looks at
the file]
Francesca:
Okay. I found the Rankin file misplaced way at the
back.
Ray: Thanks.
[reads]
Assistant State’s Attorney Stella
Kowalski? It was Stella’s case?
Francesca:
Hey, is Fraser back?
Ray: No.
Francesca:
Okay. Ray didn’t do this.
[Kowalski shuts
door]
Smith: Hoo
yeah. Hey, let me ask you something. She said, ‘Ray didn’t
do this.’
Ray:
Right.
Smith: But I
thought you was Ray.
Ray: Like
there’s only one Stanley Smith in the world?
Smith: Yeah,
that’s true. She’s a babe though, huh, File Lady?
Ray: Hey!
That’s my sister.
Smith:
Oh! I’m sorry,
I didn’t know.
Ray:
[reading Rankin’s
file]
Extortion. Carrying a concealed weapon. Resisting arrest.
And he walks?
Smith: Yeah,
well, like me, you probably had no evidence.
Ray:
Eyewitness testimony. Marked bills. Wire tap. This is as
good as it gets. How the hell do you walk on charges like
that?
Smith: What,
you asking me?
Ray: Do you
wanna help me, or do you wanna stare at the dead guy all
day?
Smith: Yeah,
that’s true. All right. Check this out. Maybe he got off
on one of them, um, one of them technicalities.
Ray: Yeah yeah
yeah like, uh...
Smith:
Uh...
Ray: I mean,
he was here on the day that the wall went up, and he got a
walk.
Smith: Well
yo, he didn’t walk too far, you know what I’m saying?
[laughs & raises
his hand for high five, but Kowalski just gives him a
look]
[knock knock
knock]
Stella: Ray. I
was looking for Lieutenant Welsh. What happened to your
ear?
Ray: Nothing.
You’re here for Kuzma?
Stella:
Yes.
Ray: That was
my collar!
Stella: I
heard it was Huey’s. Oh my God, what is that smell?
Smith: Hey,
how you doing?
We haven’t been introduced, my name is Stanley Smith, I
been working on a case with Ray here.
Ray: Detective
Smith?
Smith:
Yeah?
Ray: Sit
down.
Smith: Okay.
I’ll be over here.
Stella: See
you later, Ray.
[Kowalski follows
Stella into corridor]
Ray:
Stella?
Stella: I’m
working.
Ray: This is
about work. Remember a few months ago you handled a case,
a guy named Guy Rankin? Vecchio and Huey were the
arresting officers. Extortion, concealed weapon, and the
guy walked. You remember anything about that? This is
nice. [feels her
suit]
Stella: Yeah, I
do. They failed to read him his rights.
Ray: Vecchio
and Huey screwed up on the Miranda? You believe
that?
Stella: All I
know is Rankin said they didn’t read him his rights and
they agreed with him, so he walked. Maybe the fact that
Ray Vecchio used his face for a punching bag had something
to do with it. I don’t know. I gotta go.
[she knocks & enters interrogation room 2]
[interrogation room
1]
Smith:
[wearing Fraser’s
Stetson]
Yo, man. What’s up, scout?
[grins & gives
the three-fingered scout salute]
Ray: What do
you think you’re doing?! The hat’s sacred, okay?
[grabs the
hat]
Smith: Yo,
man, just joking around. Hey yo, you know that girl
man? She’s a
babe, what’s up?
Ray: My
wife.
Smith: Ah man,
you really know how to pick ‘em, huh?
Ray: My
EX-wife.
Smith: Whoo, I
can see you’re the man to get to know around here,
huh.
[*thud* from next
door and someone screams]
Huey : Goddammit, son of a bitch!! Cuff him behind his back!
[Kowalski runs out; Stella is standing at the door; Huey comes out holding his face]
Huey : Son of a bitch broke my jaw!
Dewey
:
[voice]
Okay, big mouth. You had your chance!
Ray: Huey, I
gotta ask you something.
Huey: Let it
go, Vecchio!
Ray:
[to
Stanley]
Back in there.
[pushes Stanley back
into room; then to a uniformed cop] Can you watch that
door? [to
Huey] It’s
not about the
collar!
[men’s room; Huey is tending to his jaw]
Ray: Hey, how
can you not
remember 3 months ago? You, Vecchio, Guy Rankin. He was
released. You forgot to read him his rights. Look, I found
the file, Jack.
Huey: What the
hell is the matter with you? You trying to get a job in
Internal Affairs or what?
Ray: I’m gonna
let that pass. Once.
Huey: Look,
Ray Vecchio had some personal thing with Rankin. I didn’t
know. I didn’t ask. So he roughed him up a little. All I
know is Rankin walked out of here in one piece. Now if no
one has seen him since...guys like him, who misses
‘em?
[bullpen]
Welsh : I don’t tell you what to do, and the FBI doesn’t tell me what to do. [closes office door]
[Fraser enters squad room, Frannie falls into step with
him]
Francesca:
Fraser, the FBI’s here and Welsh wants the room. We have
to move him.
[they change
direction]
Fraser:
Understood.
[interrogation room
1; Kowalski puts up a poster over the hole]
Ray: She’s no
Rita Hayworth, but she gets the job done.
Fraser:
[preparing Rankin
to be
moved] You
know, Ray, I had another friend, well, acquaintance
really. Anyway, one day he was fishing, and he ripped his
ear off with a hula popper.
[to
Stanley]
Coat, please. Anyway, he was able to sew it back on with
some 8 pound test monofilament. Unfortunately, he sewed it
on backwards, and from that day forward he claims he was
dyslexic.
Ray: What is
the point of that story,
Fraser? I
don’t get that.
Fraser: There
is nothing to get, Ray; it’s just another ear
anecdote.
Ray:
[fake
chuckles]
Cool. [to
Stanley]
Glasses, come on! Where the hell do we put him?
Fraser: Well,
if you want to hide an apple, you don’t put it in a bag
full of golf balls.
Ray: Glasses,
glasses. Oh, cooler downstairs!
Fraser:
Right.
Smith: No no,
that wasn’t part of the deal, man.
Ray:
[grabs Stanley’s
sunglasses]
Well, I’m changing the deal.
Smith: Oh
yeah, I’m changing the deal, too.
[runs to the door,
shouting]
Yo, yo, we got a dead guy in here!!
[Fraser &
Kowalski grab him and cover his mouth]
Ray: Shut
up!
Smith: What
you gonna do, hit me?
Fraser: He’s
got a point, Ray.
Ray: All
right, all right, I’ll make you a deal. You help us with
him, you walk, no charges.
Smith: Not
good enough.
[Stanley yells, and
they grab him again]
Ray: What do
you want?
[Stanley mumbles,
and Fraser & Kowalski remove their hands]
Smith: I want
y’all to deputize me.
[Frannie brings in
a wheelchair]
Francesca:
Come on, let’s go.
Fraser: All
right, 1, 2, 3.
[Fraser & Kowalski lift Rankin into wheelchair]
Fraser : The legs.
[Frannie bends the stiffened legs, with loud cracking
sounds]
Ray:
[disgusted]
Ahh..
Francesca: I
can debone a whole chicken in under 3 minutes. Okay, let’s
go.
[she makes sure the coast is clear, then Fraser pushes chair down corridor]
Francesca
: I know he was a miserable bastard. But when I’m dead, I
hope no one’s rolling me around in a funny outfit.
Fraser: Mr.
Smith, would you get the elevator?
[they freeze as Welsh appears around the corner]
Fraser
: It’s Welsh.
Francesca: Oh
God.
Fraser:
Francesca! [pushes
the chair towards her, but it rolls right into the
wall]
Welsh:
Vecchio! Where’s your prisoner?
Ray: Uh, in
the can, sir.
Welsh:
[to man
(Bentley)]
We’ll set up right in here.
[Welsh goes into
interview 1]
Ray: Look, this
is stupid, Fraser. It’s not gonna work. How the hell can
you think this is gonna--
Fraser: Just
stay the course. Ray Vecchio’s life may well depend on
what we do here today. Godspeed.
[runs off]
Ray: Godspeed.
Smith!
[interrogation room
1]
[Welsh enters &
sees the plaster mess on the floor]
Welsh: What is
this? Did a bomb go off in
here?
[corridor]
[Frannie is pushing
Rankin quickly down hallway]
Francesca:
Move it or lose it!
Welsh:
[voice]
Francesca!!
[she puts chair in
a corner and runs to Welsh; Fraser appears]
Fraser: Where
is he?
Francesca:
Around the corner.
[exits]
[Fraser walks down
corridor – Rankin is gone]
Man:
[voice]
Call for you
Sergeant? Something about giblets?
Desk Sergeant:
Oh, there’ll be no parking spot for Nicky at NASA.
Fraser : Oh, dear.
Male Bride:
Ooh, red.
[Fraser looks all
over, and finally finds Rankin in break room, at a table
with the drunk man]
Drunk Man: I
says to Smokey, I’ve never even been in the freaking
woods!
Fraser: Excuse
me. [grabs chair and
exits]
Drunk Man:
Hey! We was just talking! He was trying to get me to go on
the patch!
Fraser: Good
idea.
Drunk Man:
Hey! I’ll see ya pal, I’ll call! So long, buddy! I’ll
call.
[corridor; Kowalski & Stanley approach
Fraser]
Ray: We gotta
wait for 10 minutes. Feds are in the room.
Smith: Man,
you should see the size of their gun!
Fraser: Hang
on for 15 minutes, then call.
Smith
: Okay, I’ll call, I’ll
call.
[Fraser takes Rankin into the men’s room & puts him in
a toilet stall; he locks the stall & climbs over the
partition, just as Welsh walks in]
Welsh:
[to
Fed] I’ll
be right with you.
[sees Fraser
standing on toilet]
Fraser?
Fraser: Yes,
sir?
Welsh: I guess
they do these things a little different where you’re from,
huh?
Fraser: In
what sense, sir?
[flushes
toilet]
Welsh: Never
mind.
[they begin to wash their
hands]
Fraser: Sir, I
wonder if I could ask you a question?
Welsh: Yeah,
be quick.
Fraser: It
involves – well, it’s a case involving Ray Vecchio,
sir.
Welsh: What is
it with you and Ray Vecchio today?
Fraser: Well,
nothing, sir. As a matter of fact this does actually
involve the former Ray Vecchio and a man named Guy
Rankin.
Welsh: Leave
that one alone, Fraser.
Fraser: Why is
that, sir?
Welsh: It
almost cost Vecchio his badge. He almost did time. The
only reason he’s still a cop is that this Guy Rankin
disappeared, and it’s best he stays disappeared. Oh God,
what, did something die in here? Better lay off those
mooseburgers.
Fraser: Yes,
sir.
[Fraser exits men’s
room pushing Rankin in the wheelchair; he tries to go down
hallway, but the path is blocked; turns the other way, and
it’s blocked, too; he finally lifts Rankin onto his
back]
[front desk]
Desk Sergeant:
[into
phone] No
no, Nicky, you’re thinking of a capon.
[Fraser runs by carrying Rankin, Frannie close on his heels]
Desk Sergeant : Constable Fraser!
Francesca
: [under
breath] Oh
my god.
Fraser: Yes,
sergeant?
Desk Sergeant:
Listen. Listen, I’ve been thinking about what you asked me
earlier, you know, did I see Rankin leaving the station
that night? [into
phone] No,
no, that would be the bantam rooster.
[to
Fraser]
Well, I did. I’ve been thinking about it and I did, I
definitely saw him leaving.
Fraser: You’re
sure it was him?
Desk Sergeant : [into phone] Oh yes, that’s right, that would be the guinea hen!
[Fraser leans far forward: Rankin is almost eye-to-eye with sergeant]
Desk
Sergeant
: He was one of those kinda guys, you know, kinda
different-looking, odd-like? I don’t forget a face like
that.
Fraser: Right,
well, thank you. You’ve been very helpful.
Desk Sergeant:
Any time. What’s wrong with him?
Fraser: Oh
nothing, no, he’s...sleepy.
Francesca:
Really
sleepy.
[they exit]
Desk Sergeant : [into phone] Yeah, 325 for about an hour and a half.
[interrogation room
1]
Ford: Come on,
Adolph. Adolph! Talk to me.
Deeter: Maybe
we should just hand him back over to Chicago PD.
Ford : Yeah, looks like they know what to do with him. You killed one of theirs, sonny boy. They’re dying to get their hands on you.
[video
monitor]
Deeter: You
want us to help you, you gotta give us something.
[observation room:
Welsh watches agents via hidden camera]
Ford : All right, now look. We let you walk last month on condition you give up your partners, not so you could go shoot a cop! Now we can help you with that, but you’ve gotta guarantee that no one finds out about our deal, and you have got to tell us about your partners.
[Kuzma knees Ford in the groin]
Ford : Ohhhh! Oh, mommy-mommy-mommy-mommy-mommy! Ooooh!!!
Welsh : Bentley, go get Assistant State’s Attorney Kowalski fast!
[Welsh pops out the videotape & chuckles]
[walking to
Kowalski’s desk]
Ray: So you
can go. That was the deal, that was the deal so you can
go, so go.
Smith: Okay,
but I gotta make that call.
Ray: No, I
make the call.
Smith: But you
said I could make the call.
Ray: No no
no.
Smith: Yes you
did.
Ray : No, I didn’t--
Smith
: Yes you did!
Ray: No, no, no
you said you were gonna make the call, I just didn’t say
no.
Smith: So
what? That’s the same thing as saying yes.
Ray: No, it
isn’t. That’s the same thing as ignoring you.
[Stanley is very disappointed]
Ray
: Okay, make the call.
Smith: Yeah,
all right!
[laughs]
Woo!
[sits at desk, then
pauses]
What’s that number again?
[Fraser &
Frannie rush Rankin to the morgue, and pause just outside
the door; Mort is taking samples from a corpse’s hand
& singing]
[phone rings]
Mort:
[to
corpse]
Don’t go anywhere, I’ll be right back.
[exits]
[Fraser &
Frannie enter and put Rankin on gurney, covering him with
sheets]
Mort : [voice] Hello? Why yes, the offer is still open...
Francesca : These sheets have seen better days.
Fraser : Let’s go!
Francesca : No!
[they hide behind a gurney as Mort returns,
singing]
Robert Fraser:
Now you’re in a pickle.
Fraser: Oh,
this is just what I need.
Francesca:
Well you don’t have to snap at me!
Mort:
[into
microphone]
Now we
proceed with the... We
continue with
the scrapings under the nails of the left hand.
Robert Fraser:
These people look dismal. Well, of course, I watch what I
eat. Do my calisthenics. Get plenty of fresh air.
Fraser: At
least they know their place.
Francesca:
Well, what’s that supposed to mean?
Fraser:
Nothing, nothing, I’m sorry.
Francesca:
That’s okay. I’m kind of on edge too.
Fraser: You
are?
Francesca:
Yeah, well. Actually I find this kind of thrilling. You
know what I mean?
Robert Fraser:
Carpe diem, son.
Francesca: I
mean, thrilled I
guess is the word. My breath is short, short little
breaths, and uh, I mean it’s just... it’s so
forbidden!
Robert Fraser:
I like it.
Fraser: Oh
yeah, well, some people, some dead people, they are
exciting. Some dead people
[looks right at his
dad] are not exciting.
Mort: Who’s
that?
Francesca: Uh,
it’s me, Mort. Constable Fraser just wanted to see the
morgue.
Mort: Well,
you’ve selected a good day. We have a full house. Traffic
jam. A postal worker gone totally berserk. I don’t know
what’s with the postal department. What drives perfectly
good people to desperate acts? How hard can it be
delivering mail? Ah
well. See you
around.
Francesca
: Okay, bye.
[Fraser &
Francesca exit quickly]
Mort: Now we
are going to go to the right hand.
[Robert Fraser
stands next to Mort... Mort takes scrapings from Robert’s
hand, as they sing
together]
[corridor]
Ray: How’s your
kisser?
Huey: S’okay.
The ear?
Ray: Okay.
Feds still talking to Kuzma?
Huey: Yeah.
Listen, the Vecchio thing you were talking about this
morning? Vecchio didn’t do Rankin.
Fraser: How
can you be so sure?
Huey:
Lieutenant Welsh made us follow up on it. We talked to his
landlord, he said he saw Rankin a couple of days after we
released him, when he went around to collect his
rent.
Smith: Man, a
couple of days after the walls went up? That’s a pretty
neat trick, huh guys?
Huey: What’s
he talking about, what wall?
Ray: Uh, kid’s
a psycho.
Huey: Yeah,
you oughta be in the bucket.
Fraser: Did he
say who the landlord was?
Huey: Offhand,
I don’t remember his name, but he was the same guy that
did the renovations on the interview rooms. He owns a
building over on Roscoe Street.
Fraser: He
lied to me.
Ray: That in
itself does not prove anything.
Fraser: Shows
he has a guilty conscience.
Ray: Let’s get
him in here, mess with his head.
Smith:
[amused]
Yeah, you guys are so cool, man!
[observation room;
Welsh shuts off the tape]
Welsh: Sorta
puts things in a whole different light, wouldn’t you
say?
Stella:
Obviously Agents Ford and Deeter were not aware this
interview was being taped.
Welsh: Well, I
didn’t want to make them feel self-conscious, you know?
Candid Camera approach.
[bullpen]
Ray: It
appears that Mr. Dinardo has priors, assault on a couple
of his tenants.
Fraser: He’s
coming in.
Ray: What’d
you tell him?
Fraser: Well,
it pains me to admit it, but I-I lied to him.
Ray: Oh,
nothing happened, did it? You know, you weren’t struck by
lighting, the sky didn’t fall in?
Fraser: Well,
not yet, but it might have, it might well be the start of
a slippery slope.
Ray: Oh yes, I
believe you’re going to hell in a handcart.
Fraser
: It’s not something to laugh about. I might well
be.
Desk Sergeant:
Oh listen, the fellow you were with earlier, what was his
name?
Fraser: His
name was Guy...
[looks to
Kowalski]
Ray:
...Lombardo.
Desk Sergeant:
Doesn’t ring a
bell.
Stella
: It’s illegally obtained evidence. They had a reasonable
expectation of privacy in that room. No judge in the state
will allow it.
Welsh: But I
don’t have to play it for the judge. I only have to play
it for the deputy director of the FBI.
Stella: That’s
blackmail. I can’t be involved in that.
Ray:
Lieutenant, I need interview 1 ASAP.
Welsh: Oh, be
my guest, I’m through with it. This guy still here, huh?
He doesn’t have a home?
Ray: As a
matter of fact, no, sir.
Fraser: I’m
going to, uh, get our friend.
Smith: Yeah,
I’ll go with you.
Welsh: Wait
wait, Fraser?
Fraser:
It’s all right, Leftenant.
Welsh : All right. Tell Ford to come into my office.
[morgue]
[Mort is shaving a corpse’s head & singing
(‘
Figaro, figaro, Figaro,
figaro
...’), as Fraser enters & uncovers Guy
Rankin]
Mort: You know,
I’ve been thinking about the postal workers, and the
problem is they don’t get any respect. Everybody tells
jokes about the mailman.
Fraser: Our
mailman used to wrestle grizzly bears, for money.
Mort: Oh,
well... [sees what
Fraser is doing]
Is he one of
mine?
Fraser: No, he
is, uh, he’s material evidence in a criminal investigation
and I just took the liberty of storing him here
earlier.
Mort: Was he
dead at that time?
Fraser: Very
dead.
Mort: Oh.
Then...
[sings]
Addio,
addio
.
Fraser : [sings] Addio ... [exits]
[corridor; Fraser & Stanley run through busy
hallway...]
Smith: Dead guy
running! Watch out. Dead guy running! Watch out, watch
out.
Fraser: Thank
you.
Smith: Dead
guy running!
Fraser: Thank
you kindly.
[...and into the observation room]
[Welsh’s office;
Ford enters, limping]
Ford: What?
What is it? I’m kinda busy.
Welsh: What
happened to you?
Ford: Look, do
you want something?
Welsh: Yeah. I
want you to leave Kuzma in my jurisdiction. You can have
him back when we’ve finished with him, say 25 years to
life.
Ford: Look,
we’ve been through this already, all right? Kuzma is a
very important witness in an ongoing federal
investigation. Now you got something else? Because you’re
wasting my time.
Welsh: As a
matter of fact I do.
[puts tape into
VCR]
[interrogation room
1; Deeter locks Kuzma up in chains]
Deeter: You
are one crazy bastard.
Ford
: [bursting
in] Pack
up, we’re outta here.
Deeter:
What?
Ford: You
deaf? Let’s go!
Kuzma: What’s
going on?
Ford: You
killed a cop, man. Deal with it.
[Kuzma steals keys
with his mouth]
Deeter: He’s
all yours.
Ford
: You got yourselves a real prize.
[Kuzma bites Dewey
on the arm]
Dewey
: Ahhhh!!!
Huey: What
happened?
Dewey: He bit
me! Get the mask!
Huey : Let’s go.
[Huey wheels Kuzma out into the hallway]
[bullpen]
Ray:
[to
Bentley]
That sounds good. Set it up.
Desk Sergeant:
Hey Vecchio! Mr. Dinardo here to see you. Listen, Nicky
called, and that recipe you gave him? Doesn’t work in the
microwave.
[exits]
Dinardo: Ain’t
a recipe if you gotta put it in the microwave.
Ray: Mr.
Dinardo?
Dinardo : Yeah?
Ray
: Thanks for dropping in.
Dinardo: Yeah,
so what’s all this about? Guy said something about stolen
supplies?
Ray: Well, I
know this is a pain in the butt, but my lieutenant, he’s a
stickler for paperwork. He just wants you to sign a
statement saying that nothing got, uh, stolen from your
worksite when you were here.
Dinardo: You
gotta be kidding me. Listen, can we make this quick? I’m
double-parked.
[Kowalski finally
sees Bentley come out of interrogation room 1; Bentley
gives him a thumbs-up]
Ray: No
problem. Follow me.
Dinardo: What
happened to your head?
Ray:
Nothing.
Dinardo: It
was a woman, huh?
[into interrogation room
1]
Ray: Have a
seat. You want a coffee, soda?
Dinardo: No,
nothing. Like I said, I’m in a bit of a hurry.
Ray: Okay.
I’ll just, uh, get the forms.
[exits]
[observation
room; Fraser,
Dief, Stanley (and Rankin) are watching Dinardo on the
video monitor/through the window; enter
Kowalski]
Ray: He’s
checking his nails.
Fraser: We can
give him a few more minutes.
Ray: Have we
got that kind of time?
Fraser: I once
stood watching an empty cabin for eleven days.
Ray: Did you
know it was empty at the time?
Fraser: Not
for the first nine days, no.
Ray: Why did
you watch it for two more if you knew it was empty,
Fraser? Actually, I don’t even want to know.
Fraser: Ah.
How’s your ear?
Ray: It’s, uh,
fine. Why?
Fraser: Oh, I
was just thinking of a relative of mine, well, distant
relative. 4th cousin 3 times removed, to be
exact. Malick Einer was his name. Anyway, one day he had a
seashell up to his ear and he was listening to the gentle
lapping of the surf when a narwhal broke the surface and
shoved the seashell deep into his eardrum. And from that
day forward instead of the gentle lapping of the surf, he
had a rushing torrent raging through his cranium.
[chuckles]
Relatives, huh?
[Kowalski gives him
a look]
Ray: Here we
go. [Dinardo stands,
moving toward
poster] Go
go go go go, come on.
Fraser:
Close.
Ray: Come
on.
Fraser:
Closer.
Ray : Take a peek.
[Dinardo moves away from the poster & towards the
door]
Ray: Aw damn.
What what what, where’s he going?
Fraser: I
could’ve sworn...
[Dinardo moves back to the poster]
Ray : Here we go, here we go.
Fraser
: This is it.
Ray: Yeah yeah
yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah!
[Dinardo lifts up corner of the poster]
Ray : We got him! There!
[interrogation room
1; Kowalski bursts in; Dinardo drops poster
corner]
Ray: Lose
something?
Dinardo:
You’ve got a hole in your drywall.
Ray: Yeah?
[gets in Dinardo’s
face]
Dinardo: Yeah.
You got a problem, my friend?
Ray: You got a
problem, my friend?
Dinardo:
[scoffs]
Tough
guy.
[Dinardo goes to leave and sees Fraser (& Dief &
Stanley) in corridor with Rankin]
Fraser:
Recognize this man?
Dinardo: I
don’t recognize anybody. I don’t need this.
Fraser:
[blocks Dinardo’s
exit] Take
another look.
Dinardo: I
said no. I gotta get back to work.
[walks the other
way]
Ray: Was this
guy leaning on you?
Fraser: Was he
affecting your business interests?
Ray: Was he
shaking you down?
Fraser:
Perhaps he was involved with your wife.
Ray: Your
daughter, maybe?
Dinardo:
[pulls
gun] Leave
me alone!
Man
: Gun!
Ray: Good
answer.
[Dinardo shoots twice; everyone hits the deck]
Welsh : Take it easy!!
[Dinardo shoots again]
Ray
: Calm down! Calm down!
Dinardo: Move!
Put it down!
[Stanley tries to cross the hall, but Kowalski motions him back]
Ray : Get back, get back, get back.
[Fraser stands up]
Dinardo
: I’ll kill them!
Fraser: Mr.
Dinardo, think about what you are doing. It’s impossible
for you to get out of this building.
Dinardo: Shut
up, shut up!
Fraser:
Perhaps Rankin provoked you. Maybe you didn’t intend to
kill him.
[Kuzma begins to unlock his chains]
Fraser : The fact that you shellacked him, wrapped him up in Saran Wrap, put him in a wall, drywalled it, taped it, plastered it, sanded it, painted it, maybe that was pure panic. It’s understandable.
Dinardo : You’re crazy, man.
Fraser : I’m sure it happens every day.
[cop tries to sneak forward, and Dinardo fires; the cop
drops his
gun]
Ford &
Deeter:
FBI!
Freeze!
[exchange of
gunfire; Fraser runs & tackles Dinardo to the
floor]
Smith : Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh--
[Stanley slides the cop’s dropped gun to Kowalski, who stands & hides behind wall]
Smith
: --ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh--
Ray: All right,
all right! Cease fire! Cease fire! Cease fire!
[Kuzma is getting out of his chains; Fraser disarms Dinardo]
Smith : --ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh--
[finally the agents stop shooting]
Ray : [holding gun toward agents & Stanley] Are you finished?
Smith : --ahhhhh ohhh. [shuts up]
Kuzma
: [laughs
maniacally]
I’m walking out of here.
[holds broken glass
to Rankin’s throat]
Anybody tries
to stop me, he’s a dead
man!
[realizes his
hostage is dead; Kowalski
grins]
[bullpen]
Smith: Thanks a
lot. Yeah. Thanks for lettin’ me go, man. It was a blast.
[exits]
Ray: Good kid,
I like that kid.
Fraser: Uh,
Ray?
Ray: He’s got
my badge! [runs
after Stanley]
Francesca:
Fraser, I just want to thank you.
Fraser: Thank
you.
[Frannie kisses him on cheek, then exits; Fraser clears
his throat & tugs at his collar]
[walking through precinct]
Robert
Fraser
: Good work, son. Bit unorthodox, but you got your
man.
Fraser: I had
my doubts.
Robert Fraser:
You’d be an idiot not to. One night, in ‘72 I think it
was, Joe Morgan and I were at this dance. Wasn’t much of a
dance really, just the five of us. In the wee hours, your
mother showed up, made me come home. Next morning one of
the trappers at the dance, Rene Tibeau his name was,
turned up dead with Joe’s knife in his back. I was
dispatched to bring in Joe for the murder. Joe said he
hadn’t done it, said he’d sold that knife a couple of days
before to buy me a birthday present. Was the hardest
decision I ever made. I let him go.
Fraser: He was
innocent?
Robert Fraser:
I thought he was, but it turned out he was guilty as sin.
That trapper was sleeping with Joe’s wife. Joe killed him
in a murderous rage.
Fraser: You
know, Dad, I’m sorry, but I fail to see how this relates
in any way, shape or form to my situation.
Robert Fraser:
Well, it doesn’t relate exactly, except that...sometimes a
man’s got to get things off his chest, do you mind?
Fraser: Not
really.
Robert Fraser:
Wait ‘til you’re dead.
Fraser: All
right.
End