Original subtitles

NARRATOR: The film which you are about to see

is an account of the crimes committed by Karen Bird and Jack Blueblood.

By June of 1974, they would be responsible for 11 homicides

and wanted dead or alive in six USS states.

Karen Bird was born in the shadow of the Appalachian Mountains

in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on January 24th 1956.

She weighed six pounds eight ounces

and was described by the hospital staff as being a particularly pleasant baby.

Jack Blueblood was born a half-breed seven years earlier

on an Indian reservation in South Dakota.

His dather was a Lakota Sioux

and his mother, who died giving birth, was Irish Catholic.

Try as he might, Jack's father could never forgive his son

for taking away the love of his life.

(BEATING)

Not a day went by that young Jack wasn't reminded of his guilt.

Unlike Jack, Karen grew up a model child in a model American town.

The only symptom of her budding misbehavior was an aversion to church,

and CCD, and an obsession with guns.

(CLATTERS)

Jack inherited from his mother a sweet tooth,

her good looks, and an extensive record collection.

When Elvis Presley broke in 1955, Jack became his disciple.

ln EIvis and his music, Jack felt something ancient.

Something primal. He feIt freedom.

Both Jack and Karen would continue to lead aimless, reckless lives

throughout their adolescence,

both searching for something better, something more,

something elusive they couldn't quite define.

lt was only a matter of time before this yearning led them to one another.

They would eventually meet

at the Second Chances RehabiIitation CIinic

located in Floodwood, Michigan.

Karen was sent there involuntarily by her parents

after she was suspended from high school

and turned to nicotine, vodka and teenage boys.

Jack was sent there by the state for his barbiturate addiction

and an increasingly abnormal obsession with Elvis Presley.

WeII, at the time of your evaIuation,

you said that EIvis was straying from the righteous path

and it was your duty to guide his souI to saIvation.

Yep.

Diagnosed with a delusional disorder,

Jack was prescribed daily sessions of electroshock therapy

at twice the recommended dosage.

(SIZZLES)

on March 13th 1974, Karen and Jack would cross paths for the first time,

setting in motion one of the most destructive love affairs

in the annals of US crime.

JACK: Get your fuckin' paws off me, man!

My peopIe was born here in this dirt and I'II do as I goddamn pIease!

Can I heIp you?

(CLATTERS)

So what's a pretty girl Iike you doing here stuck with aII these juggIe heads?

I don't know.

My parents thought I shouId take it easy for a whiIe, I guess.

- I got nerves. - Yeah, they say I got the nerves too.

I mean, how can't a smart person with a brain have the nerves?

You see the world we Iive in? You gotta wonder.

It's the peopIe that don't have nerves

who shouId be Iocked up in here, I think.

- They're the reaI suspicious ones. - Yeah, I guess.

- So what's your name? - Karen.

- That's a pretty name. - Thanka.

My name's Jack BIuebIood.

(CHATTER OVER WALKIE-TALKIE)

Can I see you again?

- Maybe. - I gotta get.

Hey. He's in the Iadies' room.

(MUFFLED VOICES)

- (LOUD THUD) - GUARD: Ow!

(GLASS SHATTERS)

I just don't wanna be some...

Chattanooga chambermaid.

I want something different.

Like what, Karen?

- I don't know reaIIy. - And that is the crux of your anxiety.

The unknown.

- You mind if I have a smoke? - No.

- Dr Sanborn, can I ask you something? - Of course.

Why is that Jack BIuebIood guy here?

Because he hears voices in his head that teII him to kiII.

- I aIso think he might be queer. - (LAUGHS)

You can Iaugh if you want to but Jack BIuebIood is a very dangerous man.

You need to stay away from him. Trust me.

On top of soIar fkares and sun spots,

what I'm reaIIy most freaked about is pandemics.

Toby! Get!

Checkmate.

LittIe birdie toId me you snitched on my hiding spot.

Oh, yeah?

Look, sugar tits, I don't know who the fuck you think you are,

but there's ruIes around here.

Don't caII me sugar tits.

RuIe number one, I'II caII you whatever the fuck I wanna caII you.

RuIe two, do not cross me.

I carry artiIIery in my boot just Iike the King and I ain't afraid to use it.

I'm 50% Irish, 50% Lakota Sioux.

I'm 100% white trash.

NARRATOR: Jack and Karen fell for each other quickly.

According to an entry in Karen's diary at the time,

Jack is unlike anyone she'd ever met before.

KAREN: Sure, he's crazy but he's alive.

He's got mercury for blood and fire in his eyes.

And although he might look rough and primitive,

deep down he's sensitive and kind.

Last week at movie night, he cried during "Pride of the Yankees",

and he whittled me a statuette of the Virgin Mary out of a bar of Lava.

He says that sometimes his head feels like it's crowded

with a bunch of black dogs who won't quit barking. lt drives him mad.

And l can relate to that feeling.

Plus we tell each other secrets we ain't never told anyone before.

When I was eight years oId, I kiIIed a baby bIuebird just to watch it die.

I feeI bad about that.

I Iike The Beach Boys more than The BeatIes.

Don't teII anyone. It's controversiaI.

My one true dream in Iife is to step foot into the Pacific Ocean,

feeI the warm frothy water on my Iegs, breathe in the fresh saIty air.

Your turn.

I hate my daddy.

My favorite month of the year is October when the air smeIIs aII wet and fun.

When I Iisten to EIvis, it's Iike the gospeI.

Those two minutes and 30 seconds

I forget I'm just a kid trapped in a box somewhere waiting to die.

I'm free, baby.

You are the most beautifuI, most far-out chick I've ever seen in my whoIe Iife.

NARRATOR: Karen had never felt this way about a boy before.

When she was with him she didn't feel that funny, lonesome feeling,

and neither did he.

But this carefree time would soon come to an end.

PATIENT: FeIt Iike the waIIs were caving in,

Iike the air was disappearing and the sky was faIIing.

Like nothing was reaI no more and I was being erased from it aII.

Like I was being rubbed out.

DOCTOR: Very courageous. Thank you for sharing that.

DOCTOR: AII right, everyone, Iet's discuss what Toby toId us.

(KNOCKING)

- Who's there? - JACK: It's me, baby. Open up.

- What's the password? - JACK: Pretty pIease. Open up.

I gotta teII you something. I gotta teII you something. HoId on.

What?

Now, we've been going steady for a coupIe of weeka now. Right?

So there's something you shouId know about me.

- OK. - A coupIe of years back...

My dead mama made contact with me.

She toId me that I gotta kiII EIvis.

NARRATOR: By 1972, it had become clear to Jack

that a distinct change had occurred in EIvis and his music.

Shortly after the "Aloha From Hawaii" special, while high on mezcal...

(BACKWARDS SINGING)

...Jack accidentally spun his davorite Elvis record backwards,

and claimed to have heard a message from his dead mother

spinning in the grooves of the wax.

(DISTORTED VOICE) Kill Elvis.

Kill Elvis.

EIvis, Iike EIvis EIvis?

Look, I knew you were gonna say that and I know it sounds crazy, baby,

but you gotta trust me on this one, OK? Look, I got proof.

Elvis is pIaying the Sports CoIiseum in Los AngeIes, CaIifornia, on May 11th.

Which aIso happens to be my dead mama's birthday.

Now, does that sound Iike a coincidence to you? Cos it don't to me.

- What are you trying to say? - I'm gonna bust out of here.

I'm gonna hitch west and I'm gonna kiII the son of a bitch.

Are you gonna come with me, sunshine?

You always said you wanted to see the ocean.

The beaches and the sunscreen. Don't you just Iove that smeII?

I thought you Ioved EIvis, Jack.

I do.

So then why wouId your mama want you to kiII him?

I don't know, Karen.

I've been waiting on a sign from my mama just to make sure this is 100%,

and then this came in the maiI today.

This is my destiny, Karen. It's my caIIing.

I need you to come with me.

Look, I ain't never had the courage to do this tiII I met you.

Hey. What I teII you two about being in each other's rooms, huh?

Fuck off. Get off me. Hey, just think about it, OK?

Dr Sanborn wouId Iike to see you in his office.

- It's time for your 'sis. Let's go. - (JACK RANTS)

(DOOR SHUTS)

(JACK GRUNTS)

(SIZZLES)

Miss Bird. Come in.

Have a seat.

(LOCK CLICKS)

I want to taIk to you about your affairs with Jack BIuebIood.

- (SIZZLES) - (GRUNTS)

- (SIZZLES) - (GROANS)

(SIZZLES)

(PROLONGED GROANS)

(KNOCKS ON DOOR)

What's the matter, baby?

(VOICE BREAKS) Dr Sanborn.

- What? - He... He touched me.

He did what?

Hey, Doc. I think that therapy is working out reaI great.

(GLASS TINKLES)

(PILLS RATTLE)

(ALARM BELL RINGS)

AII right, everybody. Time to go home.

TeII your friends, you whackos, this party's over.

Baby, it's me.

I kiIIed that scumbag piece of shit, cos he deserved it,

and I ain't ever gonna Iet anyone touch you

or Iook at you funny or say a bad thing ever again.

I Iove you.

I Iove you too.

Pack your shit. We're going to CaIifornia.

NARRATOR: By the time the police arrived,

Jack and Karen had hotwired a 1961 Cadillac DeVille and hit the road.

They would arrive in LA eventually,

but first they would enjoy the sights and sounds of America.

Dr Guido Nash, an expert on adolescent psychology.

Look, in rare cases, patients of his sort

receiving experimentaI therapies can have vioIent reactions, sure.

DR NASH: But the girl, she haunts me.

l don't know what to say about her.

Her file reads like Jackie onassis's.

She had parents who loved her, affluence, good looks.

She had every privilege in life.

She should have been a debutante.

Jack?

You think you're going to heaven or heII?

Eternity anywhere sounds Iike heII.

After 2,000 years of pIaying basebaII and fkying around,

I think I'd be Iooking for a way out.

You know what I think?

CIose your eyes.

KAREN: I think it's Iike this. But forever.

# Hmm, mm-mm-mm

# Will you walk along with me

# To the dark side

# Of the twilight

# Will you come along with me

# Stay by my side

(HUMS)

(RADIO JINGLE)

OVER RADIO: A seIect committee of the United States Senate

is about to begin pubic hearings on something called Watergate.

one year ago today, Watergate was just an address,

a rather fancy, expensive address in this capital city,

but now it has come to symbolize much more.

The word "crisis" is perhaps too mild to apply to Watergate.

President Nixon's White House has been shaken,

indeed the entire executive branch of the government

has been jolted by the continuing accusations and revelations.

Most of them, it must be kept in mind, not yet proved.

Seven men, only seven men,

have been convicted for their part in the burglary.

We see now Senator Sam Ervin, who is the chairman of the...

NARRATOR: Elvis Presley, despite all his trying otherwise,

had somehow gotten caught in the lazy river of time.

At 39 years old, he had more than betrayed

the fresh-faced boy from Memphis he once was.

You know, l just sing the only way l know how to, really.

And people seem to like that, so l'm real glad about that. l'm lucky.

What do you plan on doing

after this whole rock and roll thing has run its course?

Well, um... I don't know, sir.

Maybe l'll go back to being an electrician or something like that.

NARRATOR: But rock and roll had never run its course.

For better or for worse, it was here for good,

and Elvis was its accidental king.

(GIRLS SCREAM)

A king navigating the zeitgeist of a time and people

he didn't always understand.

After this rehearsaI, you have a one o'cIock meeting with Mr Beefy.

People who had led him astray, who had made him their song-and-dance man,

and when they got bored, stopped seeing his movies,

stopped listening, really listening,

to the voice that had grabbed them by the shirt collars

and shook their souls.

The summer tour of 1974, his first in years,

was a concentrated effort to win back those who had strayed from the King.

To reassert his seat at the throne.

The first date, at the Los Angeles Sports Coliseum,

was to be the big send-off. They had been planning it for weeks.

What is it?

# That powers throughout

# The universe displayed

That's it.

MAN: AII right, EIvis, we shouId take ten, I think.

AII right, damn it, don't...

(CLATTERS)

Don't teII me when to take a break, aII right?

We're doing a song up here, we finish the song.

And yet mere days away from the show...

That's just unheard of.

...Elvis was ill prepared. He was 20 pounds too heavy.

You boys don't Iisten to him, you Iisten to me.

And his voice was unrehearsed.

Perhaps worst of all, he didn't really care.

And it was that nihiIism, that black-hole feeling in his chest,

that scared him the most.

AII right, take ten, Iet's do it.

- MAN 1 : Cut. SIate. - MAN 2: 634, 278 to nine.

But Elvis was a religious man. He prayed for redemption.

He prayed for a return to glory.

Somebody get me another Coke, pIease?

And little did he know... salvation was on its way.

KAREN: Our Father, who art in heaven, haIIowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come, thy wiII be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daiIy bread and forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those that trespass against us.

And Iead us not into temptation but deIiver us from eviI.

Amen.

(SIGHS) OK.

(HORN BEEPS)

(ENGINE TURNS OFF)

Jack?

- Jack! - Hey there, T.

Hey!

NARRATOR: Jack's only companion on the reservation

was another outsider,

a slight-figured nancy boy by the name of Teijo Littlefoot.

I was going for a kind of ethereaI Joni MitcheII by way of PauI Bunyan

for the decorating scheme.

A Iot of kinda Iike feminine trinkets next to mascuIine knick-knacka.

I made that one.

Oh! And I got these cute IittIe thingamajigs at the doIIar store.

- Aren't they cute? - Mm-hmm.

They remind me aIways to smiIe even if I'm feeIing bIue.

So, Jack, what you in town for, huh? You aII right?

Right as rain, Teijo.

We had to kiII a few foIka back at the Ioony bin so we're on the Iam.

- We're headed to LA. - Los AngeIes. Oh, my goodness!

Hey, Jack, couId you take me with you?

(LAUGHS)

I don't think so, Teej.

Oh, come on, pIease. I get so bored here.

AII I do is watch this stupid teIevision.

And when nothing's on, I hang out with Kimbo.

Do you remember Kimbo, the IittIe handicapped kid?

He's so annoying.

Look, you don't wanna get yourseIf mixed up or kiIIed on our account, OK?

We got an objective. We can't have any dead weight. I'm sorry, buddy.

- Oh, my. You're finaIIy doing it, huh? - That's right.

This is big. This is big. He's been thinking about this for years.

That's exactIy right.

That's why I'm gonna need to get that map I gave to you.

Yeah.

NARRATOR: Before Jack was committed,

he had buried a duffel bag full of guns,

money and rare first-edition comic books.

He drew out a map of its location and wrote the directions in pig Latin

and entrusted it in Teijo's safe-keeping

while he was away from home.

Teijo, this is aII I have.

This is everything.

You're my best friend but if you fuck this up, I wiII kiII you.

You can trust me, Jack.

TEIJO: Oh, I must have seen that movie, Midnight Cowboy, I don't know,

Iike seven times in the theater. It was so good.

KAREN: Is that the one about the two queer men?

- TEIJO: Yeah. - KAREN: Yeah, I Iike that one too.

JACK: They were not queer in that movie, they were friends.

It was about friendship. Get y'aII's heads out of the gutter, man.

(KAREN LAUGHS)

- JACK: What's so funny? - KAREN: Nothing.

Goddammit, Teijo. This don't make no sense.

We shouId have found it by now.

Things move. The earth moves. You never heard of pIate tectonics?

(DULL THUD)

JACK: Sweet mother Mary.

(LAUGHS)

Teijo, where's the money?

Oh, I don't know.

- What do you mean, you don't know? - I don't know.

Teijo, you got about five seconds before I come over there.

It's gone. OK? It's gone. I used it aII, it's gone.

No!

- Come here. - KAREN: Jack!

- Gonna whup your ass, boy. - Jack! Stop it!

Come here.

(PANTS)

- I bought piIIs, OK? - What kind of piIIs?

Estrogen piIIs. Lots of them.

What the fuck are you taIking about?!

Read about it in Newsweek. They're supposed to make you more womanIy.

So if I get my operation, I want my body to accept my new girly parts.

- Are you out of your goddamn mind?! - That's not fair.

I wasn't gonna Ieave the money in there for aII the wormies.

Fuck you, Teijo.

Jack. Jack. Jack.

- Be reasonabIe, Jack. Come on. - Come on, Karen.

- Not you, bro. - Oh, yes, me.

You're not Ieaving me out here with aII this shit.

(EXHALES)

Daddy. It's Jack. Open up.

I know you're in there.

CaIifornia, huh?

- (RAPS ON DOOR) - Daddy, it's Jack.

I need to taIk to you.

There's a Iot of peopIe there that can heIp me.

- Yeah? - Yeah. Doctors and stuff.

- (TAPS LOUDLY ON WINDOW) - Open up, you drunk son of a bitch.

WeII, I wouIdn't get any ideas, Teijo. I mean, you know Jack.

(FOOTSTEPS APPROACH)

Daddy.

NARRATOR: Jack hadn't looked his dather in the eyes for many years.

Doing so then was the closest he ever came

to feeling a sense of love for the old man.

(SNIFFS)

Hey, K!

Daddy, this is my femaIe friend Karen. Karen, say hi.

Hi.

Don't she Iook an awfuI Iot Iike Mama?

Kiggy, what do you want?

Look... We ain't here for no troubIe, aII right?

It's just that... You remember Teijo.

He used aII my money to...

WeII, we need to borrow some bread.

Goddamn it, no!

Goddamn it! Hey! Open the fucking door!

(RAPS)

Open up!

That ain't who I think it was, was it?

(SIGHS)

Goddamn it, I toId you I didn't want any troubIe.

You have been troubIe since the day you were born.

(GUNSHOT)

Oh, God.

Where's the money?

Where's the fucking money?!

(RATTLES)

You know, if you think about it, I kinda did you a favor here.

You're gonna be reunited with Mama again.

WiII you teII her I said I Iove her? I can hear her Ioud and cIear.

It's a shame we never got on right.

It's too Iate now, I guess.

There's cops. There's cops out...

TEIJO: Shit!

- Fuck, is he dead? - JACK: Yeah, he's dead.

OK, no, no, you both are taking me with you to LA.

- AbsoIuteIy not. - No! You can't Ieave me with this.

I said no, Teijo.

Jack, Iet him come with. I couId use a friend on the road.

Ah, come on.

AII right, Iook, you guys go out back. I'II take the pigs in the front.

You go on my signaI, OK?

- Is everything cooI, baby? - I'm wiIIing.

(DRAMATIC MUSIC)

(GUNSHOT)

(BANG)

(WHOOPS AND LAUGHS)

NARRATOR: Karen's usually sedated suburb found itself in a media frenzy

not seen since the high-school football team won state 16 years prior.

The death count is now five.

Jack Blueblood and Karen Bird, Iovers, dreamers, seriaI kiIIers.

FEMALE REPORTER: Karen Bird, the silver-spoon delinquent,

enjoyed riding her bike,

donating to charity, and participating in religious education.

Then something went astray.

l didn't really know her.

My dad said l couldn't talk to her

after she supported McGovern in our school's mock election.

Just fun, l guess. l don't know.

The Bird family has been kind enough to open up their home to our cameras.

l'm in Karen's room right now.

l want to show you all something we found

while investigating her record collection.

NARRATOR: A poem Karen had written on the inside sleeve

of Karen Dalton's "ln My Own Time" was analyzed for clues.

KAREN: Moonbeams and daydreams and buttons and bows.

Saltwater kisses and hot sand between toes.

My mom in her summer dress and the smell of her hair.

The sounds of July and life without care.

NARRATOR: Amid Jack and Karen's honeymoon of bloodshed,

the law was hot on their tail.

They were traced to a motel only seven hours from the reservation

where they had signed into the guest registrar with phony names.

Having been informed that his client

was on the precipice of a nervous breakdown,

Colonel Tom Parker flew to Los Angeles

in hopes of interceding a mental collapse and protecting investments.

Hey.

What did I teII you about sungIasses where I can't see your eyes?

- Take 'em off. - Yes, sir.

Now, what's this I hear from Charlie about you not hitting your notes?

Tour starts in two days, EIvis.

How is everything?

CoIoneI, you remember when we first met?

Of course.

You toId me I'd be the brightest star ever did shine.

Yes, I did.

And I was.

You are stiII the brightest star, EIvis.

No, sir, I... I think...

What do they caII them oId dead stars burned out a Iong time ago?

Dwarfs. I'm Iike... I'm Iike a dwarf star.

What are you taIking about?

Sir, I'm taIking about quitting. Quitting the whoIe racket.

Do you have any idea what kind of money is tied up in this tour?

Contracts, the tickets, the paychecka?

Not to mention that canceIing such an event

wouId cause an irreparabIe rift between you and the pubIic,

and we don't need any more of that.

EIvis, Iisten.

Once this tour is through, by aII means, take some time off.

That Lisa Marie, she ain't gonna be a IittIe girl forever.

Mama came to see me in a dream. CoupIe of nights back.

I think she was trying to teII me something but I don't understand what.

Things just ain't the same since she passed, sir.

- That's when aII this reaIIy started. - AII what started?

Just aII this sorrow.

NIXON ON TV: ...that l weIcome this kind of examination,

because people have got to know whether or not their president's a crook.

Well, I'm not a crook. l've earned everything l've got.

(MUSIC PLAYS IN BACKGROUND)

Can I heIp you?

- HeIIo. My name's Jack BIuebIood. - What do you want?

WeII, sir, I don't know if you remember me but we met a few years back.

Sioux FaIIs EIvis convention. You gave me your address here

and toId me you might be abIe to heIp me find Elvis.

Yeah.

Jack BIuebIood. We got shithoused that night, didn't we?

- Yeah, we certainIy did, sir. - How are you, man?

- Doing good. Do you mind if we come in? - Yeah, you can aII come in. Come on in.

It's been a whiIe since I've been on that convention circuit.

I don't know, been what, four or five years, Jack?

Oh, that was... That was 1970, sir.

- Long time. - AwfuI cooI pIace you got here, man.

Yeah, thank you. My wife had a reaI eye for things.

It's reaIIy aII herjunk. Yeah.

She's in a better pIace.

So, what brings you out west? Where y'aII heading?

Oh, we're just passing through on our way to LA.

Ooh! City of AngeIs.

Who's this girl standing next to EIvis?

Oh, yeah. That wouId be Miss Dixie Locke.

Yes. That was EIvis's high-schooI sweetheart.

Mr X knew EIvis way back when, Karen. Ain't that something?

Yeah. OId, oId friends.

And where is she now?

I don't know. Suppose just another name in the phonebook.

Just a footnote in the Iife story of a boy that she Ioved when she was 16.

Huh. I'm getting aII sentimentaI. Sorry about that.

Let's taIk shop. What can I do you for, Mr Jack?

WeII, I came here to get the name of the hoteI EIvis stays at in LA.

(LAUGHS)

As weII as his room number and whatever name he uses for the reservation.

Why wouId you need that information, son?

You toId me a coupIe of years ago I couId buy that information off of you.

80 bucka. That's what you toId me a few years back.

Jack, we was Iaid out drunk.

I might have said a few things that I reaIIy couIdn't...

Look, man, we both know I didn't drive out here

in the middIe of goddamn nowhere to shoot the shit with you.

What's the name of the hoteI?

I heard about y'aII on the radio. Oh, yeah.

I heard your name, Jack BIuebIood. I remembered our IittIe conversation.

You son of a bitch. I teII you what.

I was mad at EIvis way back then but I'm not now. I found it in my heart--

(GUNSHOTS)

Come again?

PresidentiaI suite. Beverly Canyon HoteI.

(CLICK)

Directory assistance.

I need the Beverly Canyon HoteI in Los AngeIes, CaIifornia, pIease.

Hi, uh... Can I be connected to... What's the name on the room?

Mr X: Woodrow WiIson.

To Woodrow WiIson's suite?

One second, darling. Password?

- Sea saIt. - Sea saIt.

(CHUCKLES)

That wasn't so hard, was it? AII right, deaI's a deaI, man. 80 bucka.

I'm gonna need to take your phone.

I'm aIso gonna sIash the tires on your Dodge out there.

I'm reaIIy sorry about that.

So here's 140. That shouId cover it.

That shouId pay for everything. Let's go.

He's just a man, Jack.

He's just a sad, poor oId man.

NARRATOR: That afternoon, Karen felt a sensation in her gut

she hadn't felt for a long time.

She looked for familiar shapes and daces in the desert clouds,

but there were none to be found.

At a truck stop in Mexican Hat, Utah,

she stole from the book rack a "Vixen" magazine for Jack,

a "Total Teen" for Teijo,

and a picture book on Ancient Egypt for herself.

on their long car ride to the Grand Canyon,

she wrote a short memoir about herself in hieroglyphics.

She didn't share it with Jack or Teijo,

and when she arrived at the Grand Canyon later that day

she ripped it up into a million pieces

and watched as her biography fell to the bottom of the earth like snow.

KAREN: Did you know the sun's gonna burn out one day?

- TEIJO: My God. ReaIIy? - KAREN: True story.

When?

About five biIIion years, give or take.

That's crazy.

Yeah, once it runs out of hydrogen, it'II become, Iike, a red giant,

and then expand and swaIIow the Earth and aII the other pIanets.

And then it'II expIode and turn into a bIack dwarf or something.

BIack dwarf? No, thank you.

Yeah. It used to reaIIy scare me when I was a IittIe girl, but...

Now five biIIion years seems Iike an eternity.

Teijo, can I teII you something? You promise you won't teII anyone eIse?

Oh, my God, secrets. Yes.

I missed my monthIies.

WeII, when were you supposed to get 'em?

I don't know. CoupIe of days ago. I haven't reaIIy been keeping track.

Baby Jack. Imagine that.

I... I think you're gonna make a great mama one day, Karen.

Thank you.

I Iook at you and you're just... You're so cooI and confident and pretty.

You're an inspiration to someone Iike me who doesn't have a Iot of confidence.

No, that's not true, Teijo.

It is.

You know what? You don't need to worry anymore, Teijo.

Cos in CaIifornia everything's gonna be different.

There's a Iot of peopIe Iike you there. A Iot of peopIe Iike us.

# There's a city of light

# Where there cometh no night

# For the sun never sets

# ln the sky

# In the Bible we are told

# That the streets are pure gold

# And a cool genfle river

# Runs by

# oh, l'm bound for that city

# God's holy white city

# oh, yes, l am

# I'll never turn back

# To this world anymore

# No matter how rough may be the way

# No matter how oft l stop to pray

# l'm bound for that city

# on that evergreen shore

(BUOY BELL RINGS)

(LIFT BELL DINGS)

(DOORS SLIDE OPEN)

- Daddy! - Hey, babies.

- You aII right? - Yeah.

The CoIoneI said you were having a nervous speII or something.

No, I ain't having any damn nervous speII.

AII right.

Hope you're being heaIthy.

Yeah. I am, PrisciIIa.

Good. Let's go, sweetie.

WeII, hoId on there. Where you going?

It's Lisa's bedtime. Got a big day tomorrow.

(BELL DINGS)

We're gonna go to the beach before Daddy's show, aren't we, Lisa?

Mm-hmm.

AII right, why don't you put her on the bed and come on back for a whiIe?

EIvis, I can't.

Enjoy your party.

- Night, Injun. - Good night, Daddy.

Party's this way, EIvis.

Want one of these?

What's that?

Doctor dropped by this afternoon.

- Which doc? - New guy.

(MUSIC PLAYS)

- You go ahead, I'II be right in. - AII right.

(PSYCHEDELIC MUSIC PLAYS)

(ENGINE HUMS)

Jack, I need to say something.

I don't think you shouId kiII EIvis.

(CHUCKLES)

You're a reaI riot, Karen.

I ain't kidding.

Mr X's story and the photos on the waII,

it made me reaIize EIvis is reaI.

He's got bIood in his veins and Iove in his heart just Iike us.

Thank you, Karen. I know that.

I think the Iaw wiII Iet you off easy for kiIIing Sanborn.

He was a perv and you protected me.

And your daddy...

WeII, he treated you wrong your whoIe Iife and he got what was coming.

But EIvis is an innocent man.

Karen, there ain't nobody that's innocent. AII right?

Jack, you Iove EIvis.

- That man is a fucking phony! - Phony?

You know that I have strict orders from my mama to do this.

Your mama's dead.

(TIRES SCREECH)

You better take it back.

What? It's the truth.

You take it back right now.

No.

Let go. Let go!

You shouIdn't have done that.

I'm sorry. AII right? I'm sorry.

Karen, wiII you get back in the goddamn car?

- PIease? - No!

Karen, honey. Get back in the car.

TurtIe dove. Most beautifuI girl I've ever seen.

WiII you pIease get back in the fucking car right now?

Karen, when you joined this thing,

you knew fuII weII what you were getting into

and now you're just as much a part of it as anybody eIse!

Not true. I ain't kiIIed no one.

- (LOUD GUNSHOT) - (GASPS)

- (ENGINE REVS) - (LOUD METALLIC THUD)

(GRUNTS)

Teijo! Get back in the goddamn car!

- (GRUNTS) - AII right, BIuebIood.

On the count of three, I'm gonna shoot your queer IittIe companion.

Three... two... one.

JACK: OK!

(METALLIC CLUNK)

(COCKS GUN)

# I don't know if

# We're in a garden

# or on

# A crowded avenue

# Sha bop sha bop

# You are here

# Sha bop sha bop

# And so am I

# Sha bop sha bop

# Maybe millions of people

# Sha bop sha bop

# Go by

# But they all disappear

# From view

# And l only have eyes

# For you

# Sha bop sha bop

WouId you guys Iike the Shangri-La Suite?

It's for Iovers.

Yeah, OK.

(SIGHS)

This is your thing.

Your whoIe Iife's pIan, not mine.

I thought maybe it was but it ain't.

I aIways make that mistake.

PIus I think I'm pregnant.

How Iong have you known?

I don't know-know.

I just haven't had my Iady time in a whiIe.

It's been on my mind.

I'm sorry if this interferes with your destiny.

It don't reaIIy.

I'd just adopt it into my whoIe pIan.

Destiny pIus baby.

(EXHALES)

(KNOCKS)

- MAN: Yeah. Who is it? - The CoIoneI.

He's not in good shape, CoIoneI.

COLONEL: Open the goddamn bIinds.

Things got crazy. I made sure he had a good time.

I asked you to get his spirits up, not Iay him out.

EIvis. Wake up, son.

EIvis, you got a concert in seven hours.

Hey. Daddy.

Just fkying...

If he is not at the sports arena for that soundcheck,

you and the rest are fired.

And I wiII bIackIist every singIe one of you. Do you understand me?

Loud and cIear, sir.

Elvis! Hey! Come on, man, you gotta work with me, brother.

Gotta heIp me out.

# ooh-ooh! ooh-ooh!

# ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh!

# When they gave out

# Eyes like diamonds

# That would shame...

Are you sisters?

Y'aII Iook Iike sisters. You Iook Iike twins.

# My darlin'...

I'm a twin.

# My darlin'

# You were the first in line

I had a brother, Jesse, he was...

He was number one, he come first, but he's... he's dead.

# That hold a new thrill every time

# My darlin'

# You were the first in line

# There may be others

# That knew you longer

# Who pledge their hearts to you

# But there's no other

# Could love you stronger...

Are we going to the ocean, Jack?

Soon as I get back, baby.

- Don't you go without me, OK? - OK.

I put a .22 in the desk drawer next to the BibIe, just in case.

I Iove you.

I Iove you too, baby.

# The first and the last in line

# There may be others

# That knew you longer

# Who pledge their hearts to you

# The first

# And the last in line

(STARTS ENGINE)

ANNOUNCER: And here comes the biggest news in entertainment history,

for here in person comes the singing sensation Elvis Presley in person.

WeII, I just think he's stiII the King, you know?

Once the King, aIways the King.

I just... I just...

(GIGGLES)

I just... I Iove him so much.

Eer since that first time I saw him sing on TV, I feIt the hoIy spirit, man.

I saw the Iight, brother. It was amazing.

I Iove him so much. I Iove him so much.

NARRATOR: The Pacific ocean was larger

and more inspiring than Karen had ever imagined.

Looking upon it, she thought of all the counfless waves

which had crashed along the beach throughout history.

A natural process, happening constanfly and endlessly,

without her involvement or observation.

This thought made her both happy and sad at the same time.

And then Karen said a prayer for herseIf, and for EIvis,

and for Teijo, and for Jack.

- Pretty neat sandcastIe you got there. - Thanka.

Lisa. Hey.

HeIIo.

I'm Iooking for a Mr, uh... Woodrow WiIson.

KAREN: Dear Jack, it's not easy for me to write this letter,

though l feel it's unlikely you'll ever read it.

I don't beIieve we have a guest here by that name, sir.

Sea saIt?

lt's been a whirlwind couple of months, and this last week especially.

I need your car keys.

l love you, and l'm sorry.

Now, pIease.

But eternity anywhere sounds like hell. KB.

Mr WiIson can be accessed via the service eIevator in the basement.

That gentIeman at the veIvet rope can show you the way.

- And what's your name, sir? - My name's Jack BIuebIood.

P.S. l hope you found whatewer it was you were looking for.

XOXO.

# I'm so hurt

# To think that you, you lied to me

# I'm hurt

# Way down deep inside of me

# You said your love was true

# And we'd never, never, ever part

# Now you want someone new

# And it breaks my heart

# whoa-oh

# I'm so hurt

# Much more than you'll ever know

# Yes, darling, l'm so hurt

# Because l still love you so

# But

# But even though you hurt me

# Like nobody else could ever do

# I would never

# Ever hurt

# Hurt you

(SILENCE)

(GUNSHOT)

NARRATOR: Looking into Elvis's eyes, it aII became cIear to Jack.

This was the man who sang "That's All Right" and "Blue Moon of Kentucky"

and "Mystery Train." This was his hero.

lt was a voice that had gotten him through many lonely nights.

This was Elvis Aaron Presley.

They were dream brothers,

and they were connected by some inextricable cosmic force.

And then Jack died.

lf you're just joining us, we have breaking news

from the Beverly Canyon Hotel,

where there has been an assassination attempt on Elvis.

Elvis's unidentified assailant

was shot down by one of the Memphis Mafia, Judd Feathers,

who we're hearing died soon after by wounds sustained to his chest.

We're going live to an interview with Elvis now.

My old friend J Feathers is, uh...

Well, he's a hero and he saved my life.

We're gonna dedicate tonight's show to him.

NARRATOR: The whole thing was covered up by RCA and the Colonel,

who feared that the incident might tarnish

Elvis's already tenuous relationship with the public and his fans.

The incident lives on in Elvis's can of urban legends,

along with his supposed abduction by aliens

and the faking of his own death three years later.

(ALSo SPRACH ZARATHUSTRA PLAYS)

(AUDIENCE CHEERING)

(WILD CHEERING)

Elvis played to the Los Angeles crowd that evening like he was 18.

He had found his Shangri-La.

He had found saIvation. He had found the righteous path.

And so had Jack.

As for Karen, some say her car slid off the highway and into the ocean,

where she's still trapped underwater, entombed by the sea.

Others speculate she moved to Canada, gave birth to Jack's child,

and became what she ran away from in the first place, her mother.

The most popular story is that she changed her name,

laid low for a few years and re-emerged a decade later

as recording artist Jennifer Fever, whose minor 1988 hit "Shangri-La Suite"

was said to have been about her brief affair with Jack Blueblood.

As dar as the evidence is concerned, she was Iast seen

entering a gas-station bathroom in Tulsa, oklahoma.

Billy Freehall, a transient male prostitute

and the last person to see her alive,

claimed he would never forget the look on her dace.

A mixture of freedom and despair.

lt would stay with him for the rest of his short life.

Sure, the sun would burn out one day

but that wasn't for a very, very long time.

The future was an endless highway,

and Karen would follow the sun untiI its end.