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Thanks, friend.

Hi. Two coca-colas, please.

I found her.

What, right now?

About 10 feet away. Yeah, him, too.

Tomorrow afternoon if I can get a flight out of here.

Room number?

I feel like a...

137.

Yeah. Hey, finding her was the hard part.

The rest is easy.

Hurry.

Ow.

Jeff?

Huh?

Do you love me?

Yeah.

Of course I love you.

It's ok if you don't.

Wouldn't be here if I didn't.

Let me guess. My parents sent you.

I'm telling my father you were manhandling me.

He's not gonna be happy.

I feel like sending up a flare.

What the hell is going on?

- What are you doing? - It's no concern of yours.

Look, pally, take your hands off her.

- Come on. - Hey.

You ought to take lessons... pally.

Listen, she's 17 years old, I'm taking her home.

Don't try anything.

What should I do with this?

Ooh.

Oh, God.

I'm sorry. I'm really sorry, mister.

I'm really and truly sorry.

Give me the gun.

You're not gonna die, are you?

Oh, God. They're gonna throw me in jail.

They gonna throw me in jail in Mexico?

Coffee?

No, thanks.

Cigarette?

I quit.

All right, let's get started.

It's October 20, 1997...

at approximately 0127 hours.

This is a tape-recorded interview being conducted...

My name is Harry Ross...

and here's the way my life has gone:

First I was a cop, then a private detective...

and then a drunk.

Also in there somewhere a husband and a father.

You'd think with all that...

the world would lose its power to seduce...

but you'd be wrong.

Harry?

Yeah?

Honestly, Harry.

Did you see me in The Last Rebel?

Yeah.

And you saw me in The End of Desire?

Yeah.

Then you've seen all there is of me to see.

I remember a movie your husband made.

He shot 12 guys with a six-shot revolver.

I ain't arguing with that marksmanship.

It's safe to turn around now.

Got a light?

Yeah.

I'm also short a cigarette.

Thanks.

What's your ration for the day?

Seven. Eight yesterday, six tomorrow.

How many so far?

Twelve.

- Including this one? - This doesn't count.

If you don't light it yourself, it's free.

Harry? My wife's never gonna sleep with you anyway.

Might as well come play cards.

If my lame-brain husband asks you if I'm still angry...

the answer's yes.

What's he done now?

The usual. Bouncing checks...

making withdrawals without telling me...

not listening to his doctor's recommendations.

In short, being Jack.

In short... being Jack.

One game.

I gotta go into town and get this thing fixed.

How much do I owe you?

Four million, six-hundred thousand dollars.

How much?

Four million, five-hundred thousand.

And change.

Harry, I don't mean to be critical...

but pink shirts with little polo players on them?

It was a gift.

Beware of the person who gave it to you.

You gave it to me.

Really? Me?

Are you sure?

Said you picked it out yourself.

Thanks.

By the way... how much do you get these days?

Not much.

No, I mean for detective work.

I told you I don't do detective work anymore.

I want you to run an errand for me.

Give this to a woman named Gloria Lamar.

Here's the address.

Put it in her hand, ok?

I suppose you think it's blackmail, right?

Well, it's not.

You satisfied?

I hope this won't be a problem, because I no longer carry a gun.

No, there won't be a problem. Harry, don't be such a wimp.

It's a lot less bother than going to Mexico.

Which reminds me. You never paid me for that.

You're living here rent-free.

I'm working here salary-free.

Don't worry. I'm keeping track of how much I owe you.

That's what worries me.

I gather you don't want Catherine to know about this.

You gather right.

Gin.

Dick.

"There's nothing that concentrates the mind...

"like the prospect of death."

Samuel Johnson.

I'll do the maths, if you don't mind.

It's official.

I'm no longer in remission.

I'm trying to count here.

Doctors are suggesting something they call aggressive therapy.

I have, respectfully declined.

My wife is very angry with me at the moment.

She says I'm taking the coward's way out.

I have a year, 10 months maximum.

You ok about this?

No, as a matter of fact.

Hanging.

What?

The prospect of hanging concentrates the mind.

You don't think you're the only guy in America...

that watches Jeopardy, do you?

Did you ever figure out why the dryer overheated?

It didn't overheat. It caught fire.

There's a difference.

It caught fire because nobody cleans out the lint trap.

And this didn't help.

You think you're a member of this family, don't you?

Well, you're not.

You're just the hired help.

Harry, do me a favour on your way back.

Will you stop off and get some basil?

Sure.

You know what that is, don't you?

That green stuff in the produce department?

Jack in some kind of trouble?

Don't worry about it.

If he were, would you be there?

You bet.

What about me? Would you be there for me?

What do you think?

I think it's a dumb question.

Gloria Lamar.

Miss Lamar?

Hey. I was supposed to meet Gloria Lamar here...

and I was supposed to deliver a package.

One thing you can count on if you're a P.I...

is that any time a client says, "You don't need a gun..."

that's when you ought to bring two.

The guy was dead all right...

but before he was dead, he was a very sick man.

As it turns out, his name was Lester Ivar.

He was a retired cop.

Anyway, I went to the address on his driver's licence.

It was a run-down joint called the Sun Rise Court...

over in Monte Vista.

The back door was open, so I let myself in.

Ok, Lester, talk to me.

Hands up. Hold it right there.

Interlace your fingers behind your head and slowly walk up.

Yes, sir.

Turn around.

Don't move.

It's all right.

Harry?

Verna?

It's been a long time.

A real long time.

Catalina.

Cuff him.

Jesus Christ.

What's the matter?

See that guy with Verna?

Yeah?

- Hey, Harry. - Carl.

That's Harry-fucking-Ross.

So?

What's your worst fear?

Getting shot.

Getting shot where?

Inglewood?

Not that kind of where.

Oh, shit.

Goes down to Mexico, looking for this runaway kid.

When he finds her, she won't come.

She gets a hold of the dumb son of a bitch's gun and whammo.

She shoots him in the dick?

Blew it right out of the hangar.

Captain?

Yeah.

Harry, great to see you.

Since when?

Hey, sure, we've had our differences over the years...

Can we get started?

Sure. Sure.

If Harry feels up to a few questions.

If I feel up to questions?

I'm sure Harry doesn't want to be treated differently.

I can understand that.

Well, then...

what exactly where you doing at Lester Ivar's house?

I was waiting for Lester. I was supposed to meet him.

Why should I be treated different?

My point exactly, Harry.

What was your business?

He was doing a surveillance. Wanted me to take night shift.

Am I missing something here?

Missing? No.

Work for Lester often?

Now and then.

Mostly when his asthma kicks up, he'll call me.

Are you aware Lester Ivar was murdered today?

No. I'm sorry to hear that.

Well, here's the thing, Harry.

One half hour after Lester is killed...

at a flophouse over on Palmetto...

we find you in his apartment which had been ransacked.

So that could be construed as breaking and entering.

You say you were working for Lester...

but your licence expired a year ago.

I better call a lawyer.

Relax. We're not after you.

A man with his own cross to bear.

Cross... to bear?

You think that I...

I think that'll be all.

If there are more questions, we know where to find you.

Isn't that right, Captain?

Sure thing, Lieutenant.

- Ok, what's going on? - Nothing's going on.

- Hey. - What?

We worked together, remember?

We were partners, among other things.

- Harry, cut it out. - My ass.

Nobody thinks you killed Lester Ivar.

Never stopped you guys from reaming my ass before.

We cut you some slack this time.

A little slack?

I let my goddamn licence expire a year ago.

All right. Everybody knows what happened in Mexico.

I took a bullet.

Oh, Harry, please.

Lieutenant, can I have a word with you?

Be right there.

I'm really sorry about everything...

and...

just know I'll always be there for you.

You may not know this, but when I was still a cop...

Hey, hotshot.

I had one ambition... to get into Verna's knickers.

Failing was one of a series of professional disappointments...

that drove me into the private sector.

People told me you were more fortunate.

Ah.

You must be confused, Raymond.

Oh, Lord, I do hate a modest man.

Care for a drink?

I could use a cup of coffee.

If we have to.

Jack Ames send you to look after me?

The cops called the Ames house to verify your address.

Jack wanted me to make sure they hadn't electrocuted you.

I appreciate his confidence.

Want some milk or sugar?

No, not for me.

You want some thinner?

No, thanks.

Back when I was working security at the studio...

it was a full-time job keeping Jack out of trouble.

No. Doctor's orders.

If there was an actress he missed boinking...

I don't know who she was.

They all loved him, even after he dumped 'em.

The man had the gift.

Their husbands took a dimmer view, if I remember.

- Well, they would. - Especially Catherine's.

Billy Sullivan. It hurt Billy so bad...

he swam out to sea and never swam back.

Of course, he also lost a bundle gambling about the same time.

Lose a woman like Catherine...

and a whole lot of money in the same week...

you can begin to feel sorry for yourself.

I can see how you might.

Never having had either.

I used to think Jack Ames...

was about the luckiest man I'd ever run across.

Looks like he's run out of luck, though.

Cancer's what I heard.

Yeah, looks like we all run out of luck in the end.

Your prostate started acting up?

Not yet.

Something to look forward to.

I better get on my horse.

This is late for me.

Sad, ain't it?

You tell Verna if she ever gets the urge to hump an old man...

she can hump me. I'm in the book.

Under "Hump."

The very thought of you...

and I forget to do...

the little ordinary things...

that everyone ought to do.

I'm living in...

a kind of daydream.

All alone?

I have my thoughts. Piss-poor company, though.

This way it don't count.

Oh, Harry, you're a pal.

I was kind of hoping to talk to Jack.

Oh. And here I thought it was my company.

Jack took a sedative and went to sleep.

Something got him terribly upset this afternoon.

I have an idea that you might know what happened.

That's why people hire you, because you're mute.

Where's Mel?

She came home for 20 minutes and then went to work.

She's got a night-shoot on a low-budget film.

She asked me a very interesting question.

She wanted to know why the hell you're still living here.

What'd you tell her?

I was mute.

Did you ever hear of a guy named Lester Ivar?

No.

Somebody killed him today.

I'm sorry. Was he a friend?

No.

Never heard of him, huh?

No.

You're lying.

You knew Lester Ivar.

You were at his apartment this afternoon.

Find what you were looking for?

What are you talking about?

What's that perfume you wear?

The reason I ask... it was still in the air when I got there.

Harry, a lot of women wear Bal a Versailles.

Smells different on them.

I've noticed how familiar you've become...

with everything in this house.

You know what I think?

I think you're right.

What a guy. I piss you off...

and you're out in the time it takes to pack one bag.

My husband would need vans, a whole army of movers...

and it'd still take him two weeks.

Got a light?

Thanks.

The thing is, we're broke.

No. I'm broke.

You and Jack are overextended.

I'll explain the difference sometime so you'll understand.

The thing is, we're broke, and my husband's dying.

And I thought that I could gut it out, you know?

Kind of hold everything together the way...

So that there'd be enough time.

So that he could die in peace...

but that doesn't seem like it's gonna happen.

This God...

damn fucking thing.

Goddamn fucking...

- Here. Let me... - No.

Ok, go. I don't know why you've been around so long anyway.

You don't?

Don't forget your lighter.

I remember the first morning I met you.

I opened the door, and there you stood in an...

old blue shirt with a frayed collar, and...

whoever cut your hair forgot about this little part there.

I bet you don't even remember.

Well... in the first place, it wasn't morning.

It was afternoon. The maid answered the door.

You and Jack were having lunch by the swimming pool.

He gave me a picture of Mel.

And I don't...

even think you said hello.

I suppose you're gonna tell me you don't own any blue shirts.

No. I got a bunch of those.

I know.

I remember.

Harry. Harry, I can't breathe.

I can't find Cath. Help me.

Jack. Jack.

Oh, Jack.

Jack. Jack.

Live, you son of a bitch.

Yes.

- Cath, I tried to call you. - I know.

I got 911.

- Don't talk. - Here's the tank.

Harry. Harry.

You're a pal.

Son of a bitch.

Get out, Harry. Just get out. Go.

Cath, how could you?

How fucking could you?

Watch the walls, guys.

Ok.

Coming up on the stairs, Joe.

Daddy.

Call Dr. Hayes. Tell him we're going to Cedars.

What happened?

Mel, you're in the way.

Excuse me, miss.

Hello.

Mr. Ames?

He's not here right now.

When do you expect him?

I can't say.

This wouldn't be Gloria Lamar, would it?

I ask because Mr. Ames gave me a package to give her.

That would make you Ross.

Right.

Mr. Ames is anxious that Miss Lamar get this envelope.

Is there some place we can meet where I can give it to her?

You know the Santa Monica pier?

Yeah.

One hour from now at the water pistol range.

How will I know who you are?

Blonde, big. Mucho hair, mucho tits.

I can't wait.

A buck, huh?

Yeah. Wanna try your luck?

Your name wouldn't be Ross, would it?

Good first guess.

A woman called earlier...

told me she'd be waiting for you under the pier.

Fuck. Shit. Piss.

Look at that.

A $40 pair of shoes ruined.

No good deed goes un-fucking-punished.

That's what I get for...

You Ross?

Hiya, Mucho.

You better have an envelope for me, handsome.

I got sand in my pantyhose...

and that doesn't improve a girl's disposition.

Wait. Hold it.

I went to a place on Palmetto to meet a Gloria Lamar.

Instead, I find Lester Ivar with bullets in his chest.

Hey, it's a violent world.

If you don't believe me, watch television.

But I got to explain that to Mr. Ames.

I'd prefer to know what's going on.

I'd prefer to have met with Mr. Ames in person.

I'd prefer to be a natural blonde.

Let's not get started on the subject of what we'd prefer.

If Mr. Ames wants me out of his life, I get the package.

No package till you tell me what you know about Lester Ivar.

That wasn't part of the deal.

This is a new deal.

Fine. Have it your way.

Here.

Hold my shoe.

Sure.

Here's something you should see.

I like the old deal bet... Hey.

Ow. That hurt.

Like I said, no good deed goes unpunished.

Ain't that the truth?

Remember Mexico, pally? Mel's little friend?

You see? I've been taking lessons like you told me.

Did we or did we not agree you weren't gonna show your face?

I know what I'm doing, ok?

Smart. Real, real smart.

You know where I've been taking lessons?

In jail.

Yuma, Arizona.

Have you ever been to Yuma?

That's where they put me...

after your friend, Mr. Jack Ames...

had me arrested for transporting a minor.

You wanna learn to kick ass, no better place than Yuma.

Is this gonna take all night?

Ok. Come on. I need you to wake up, pally.

Listen.

I want you to tell Mr. Ames...

that this...

is just a down payment on what he owes me.

Can you remember that, pally?

Are you finished?

Yes, I'm finished.

Ooh.

Did we or did we not make a plan?

What is the point of making a plan...

if you're just gonna say "Fuck it?"

Why are you always so negative?

Oh, shit.

Hey.

Hey, chief, wake up.

Hey, wake up, man.

You can't stay here. The tide is coming in.

Harry. Harry, it's me, your old partner.

Somebody beat the shit out of you.

It's lucky I came along. Otherwise, you would've drowned.

But I saved your life.

Don't worry. You can thank me later.

I'm sitting in the limo at the Santa Monica pier...

I'm on the job. Rich kid, sweet-16 party...

and who do I see but my old partner Harry Ross.

We are not partners. We were never partners.

I'm telling you how I saved your life.

It's not nice to interrupt.

Where was I? Oh, yeah.

So I'm waiting. I see you go to the beach.

I figure you're gonna need backup.

I'm cool. I pick my spot.

You what?

I wait, just like you taught me.

After a while, I see two people come out from under the pier...

and there was no sign of you.

I think to myself, hey, this doesn't look so good.

I go down to the beach, and there you were.

That's when I saved your life.

Let me get this straight.

I was getting the shit kicked out of me...

and you were in the parking lot waiting?

And you call that backup?

Hey, I got a good look at them.

I got a better look than you did.

When are you gonna realise...

that I'm not a private investigator anymore?

You can't just quit. You were the best, the greatest.

Ok, maybe not the greatest, but you were good, man.

We were good. We were a hell of a team.

Reuben, we were never a team.

Every once in a while...

I gave you some leg work, which you usually screwed up.

That doesn't make us a team.

Listen, you got to let me in on this case.

I can't take this job anymore.

If it's not the freeways, it's the dispatchers.

If it's not the dispatchers, it's the clients.

Speaking of which, where are the kids?

What kids?

The sweet-16 kids.

Ay, carajo. You think they're still there?

I would look.

Oh. Oh.

Listen, boss, if you ever get into a jam...

you need some backup again, then you give me a call.

Any time, day or night, I'm your man.

Nice place you got here.

I'm glad you like it.

I have to hand it to you. You always land on your feet.

Verna, I live over the garage.

Jack Ames owns the place. I just work here, more or less.

You need stitches.

I brought his daughter back from Mexico a couple of years ago...

and I was in pretty bad shape, so he let me hole up here.

Then he got sick, and I was helping out.

That's the best I can do.

Actually, there's more to it than that.

It's time I was leaving.

That's that actress.

Catherine Hayward, right?

Yeah.

Didn't she used to be married to that actor...

He disappeared. What was his name?

- Billy Sullivan. - Yeah.

That was 20 years ago.

Bet she doesn't look like this anymore.

Hey, she's...

She's ok.

Ok, Harry, what are your plans?

Got no plans.

Come on. What are you gonna do?

You gonna go back to work, renew your licence? What?

Verna...

I was a cop for 20 years...

a private investigator for five.

I started out...

with a wife and daughter, and I ended up a drunk.

Slept in the office and showered at the YMCA.

You think I wanna go back to that?

Besides, I'm getting rusty. I'm a danger to myself.

I know.

What's that supposed to mean?

You used to be a better liar.

Really?

Lester Ivar didn't have asthma.

He had emphysema...

which you'd have known if you worked for him.

We're gonna have to question Jack Ames.

His wife, too, probably.

He's really sick.

Come on. This is a murder case.

Lester Ivar was the investigating officer...

when Billy Sullivan disappeared.

Lester Ivar was on the force for 30 years.

He had a thousand cases like this.

What makes this one special?

You, Harry.

You're the guy who showed up at Ivar's house.

You're the guy who led me here.

Like you say, you're getting rusty.

The only person I could think of who could help me...

was Raymond Hope.

Plus, he owed me.

Or I owed him. I couldn't figure out which.

It was Raymond who pulled me off the barstool...

I was living on two years ago and introduced me to the Ameses.

Seen in a certain light...

everything that had happened since then was his fault.

Maybe I'd tell him that.

You always were a show-off, Raymond.

Harry?

I almost peed on one of the few remaining friends I have.

Hotshot.

Your sprinkler fritzed, or are you just lazy?

Don't you know better than to walk underneath a man...

Jesus. Look at you.

Well, somebody disagreed with me from behind.

No shit. Let's go find him and disagree back.

You any tougher than you look?

Hell, yes. Least I used to be.

I used to be. We all used to be.

Then have a drink.

You still a bourbon man?

Take a ginger ale.

Do I look like a man who'd have a ginger ale?

Water.

That I can handle.

It gonna bother you if I drink?

Go ahead.

Nice place you got here.

Sure beats Los Feliz.

You're above the smog.

I like to think I'm up above a lot of things...

since I retired.

So...

you were playing things pretty close to your vest last night.

Are you in trouble?

Oh, nothing I can't handle.

It's just that...

Jack.

Yeah, I figured that much.

And you wanna talk to me about Jack and Lester Ivar.

Ok.

You probably know that Ivar was the investigating officer...

when Billy Sullivan killed himself.

Can't call it suicide. They never found a body.

L.A. Times called it a suicide. That's good enough for me.

But not good enough...

For Lester Ivar.

Yeah, Lester didn't believe in good luck...

never having had any himself.

Billy's suicide was good luck for Jack and Catherine.

With him out of the way, they could get married.

Lester couldn't believe the way it worked out so smooth.

I have never been a great believer in luck...

not as a way of explaining things.

Anyway, he's dead now.

End of story.

Would be...

if I hadn't passed those suspicions on to Verna.

Forgive me, Harry...

but it sounds like you passed them on to you.

By the way...

I heard a rumour I didn't want to believe was true, so...

I thought I'd ask you directly.

The way it was told to me...

when you were down in Mexico bringing the Ames kid back?

She, she...

She shot your pecker off.

Harry.

Harry.

Harry.

No. I'm fine.

But thanks for telling me. That explains a lot.

I'm glad to hear it. Keep me posted, huh?

Like you said, Jack and I go way back.

If there's anything I could do for him, I would.

And I'm glad nobody shot your pecker off.

Me, too.

Me, too.

How you feeling?

My husband had a heart attack...

and the doctors ordered him to stay in the hospital...

and the nurses advised him to stay in the hospital.

I pleaded with him to stay.

So naturally, he's on the way home.

That's not what I meant.

I know what you meant.

Fact is, I...

Catherine?

The ambulance is here.

Excuse me.

You wouldn't be falling in love with my mother, would you?

Poor you.

I'm curious.

What kind of man fucks his dying best friend's wife?

Not a good one.

How long has this been going on?

Bet you've been sleeping together since I've been sick.

One night.

If you had an ounce of decency in you...

you'd have left this house by now.

Catherine know you're being blackmailed?

There's precious little that Catherine doesn't know.

What she doesn't know, she suspects.

I'm the one that never suspects.

I delivered the envelope to Gloria last night.

She's lovely.

You ought to meet her.

Good.

So it's over.

It is over, right?

I kept the money.

She's got the restaurant section of the phone book.

Why? Why didn't you just do what I asked you to do?

Because the first time I did what you asked me to...

somebody emptied a nine-millimetre automatic...

in my direction.

And the second time, Gloria...

She brought along a pal.

Jeff. Remember him? Mexico?

The guy that ran off with Mel.

You had him thrown in jail in Yuma.

He sandbagged me.

He left you a message.

He said that was just a down payment.

Been a busy little beaver, haven't you?

Playing detective.

Fucking my wife.

What really happened to Billy Sullivan, Jack?

Oh, Jesus Christ. You're fired, Harry.

Now I'm curious.

How are you gonna fire somebody you never paid?

I'll find a way.

Ok.

I guess this is goodbye.

Hey. Sit down.

Find this guy Jeff and deal with him.

You owe me.

Harry.

You haven't said you're sorry.

You haven't been listening.

Where is he?

- Where's who? - Where's Jeff?

I don't know what you're talking about.

I don't give a rat's ass what you think about me.

This is not about you and me. It's about your old man.

Harry, you were a cop.

How do you know who to trust?

You don't.

Not if you're a cop.

You learn who not to trust.

It's a tricky life.

Jeff showed up a couple of weeks ago.

He didn't have a job or any money...

so I gave him the keys to the ranch house.

I said it was just till he got back on his feet.

It was a pretty dumb thing to do, right?

Harry, I'm sorry, ok?

I know I've been a pain in the ass.

I didn't mind.

I didn't like it when you shot me, though.

The Ameses owned a place north of the city.

None of them had been there in years.

You might think they had forgotten about it...

but how do you forget a house?

Then again, maybe they hadn't forgotten...

or maybe they were trying to forget.

Maybe there was a reason...

not to sell a million-dollar property...

even when you're hard up for cash.

Somebody else had apparently come to the same conclusion.

Somebody who thought they could dig up the past with a shovel...

without knowing where to dig.

Somebody who wouldn't have to break in because he had a key.

Somebody without much interest in housekeeping...

but with a serious appetite for barbecued chicken wings.

Somebody not too bright with a lot of time on his hands...

and the kind of patience you learn...

doing time in places like Yuma, Arizona.

Ok, pally.

Ross and Escobar. Confidential investigations.

"Ross and Escobar?"

I thought your name should go first, friend.

But you're gonna have to start pulling your weight.

I'm gonna need some backup.

How soon can you meet me at Garvey's?

This time of night? 15 minutes.

Remember the pier? Remember the guy that was there?

I'll be inside with him. If we come out together, follow us.

If he comes out alone, follow him...

and, Reuben...

being backup means being there when I need you.

I can't be underneath the pier getting beat up...

while you're doing surveillance.

Can you handle that?

What, you think I'm a fuck-up?

Fifteen minutes.

Guess you didn't drown, huh, pally?

Nope.

That's good.

I got that envelope home, and guess what?

No money.

You know how that made me feel?

Silly.

Stupid. Incompetent.

Pissed.

No kidding?

You know who else is pissed?

Mucho.

You think I'm trouble?

You don't even wanna see Gloria when she's mad.

Maybe this would help.

Yeah. You mind if I take a peek?

I already got a phone book.

That's good.

Have a seat, pally.

You know what?

I'm all done being pissed.

You know what? I'm not.

Mama Cass died choking on a chicken bone, you know?

Everything ok over there?

Too much Tabasco.

These guys.

Why doesn't this surprise me?

Hi, Mucho.

Your pally needs another line of work besides blackmail.

He don't have the knack.

I don't have the knack? She doesn't have the knack.

Ask whose idea this was.

God, you've got a big mouth.

Ask who wanted to find Ivar...

and look for something on the Ames guy.

Ow. Gloria, where are the Q-tips?

We don't have any.

You can't find anything in here.

Ow. Oh, man. I could sue you for this.

Put some ice on it.

Put some ice on it?

That's the best you can do, huh?

Jesus.

Hi, Shelly, it's me. Yeah, I'm upstairs.

Could you bring me some of those Percodan? Yes, now.

Boy, you sure can pick 'em.

It's a knack.

Whoa. Wait a minute.

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Oh, ho ho.

Do you realise what I went through to get that money back?

- You got the money? - Yes.

Where is it?

God, you are so pathetic.

You mind telling me how you fit into all this?

I'm his parole officer.

Like he said, we located Ivar.

Found out he had a soft spot for Wild Turkey.

He went on and on about the old Billy Sullivan case.

Said he'd have solved it 20 years ago...

if he'd had a court order and a bulldozer.

The way he figured it...

the body had to be buried at that ranch that Ames owns...

the one nobody goes near.

That's when I got the idea to call Mel.

Get her to let me stay at the ranch house...

so I could look for the body.

I tried to explain we didn't need the corpse.

We just had to convince Ames we knew where it was buried.

I might as well have saved my breath.

Ok, listen up, you two.

There's $10,000 here.

I got no interest in seeing you go to jail...

and neither does Jack Ames.

But I'll tell you one thing.

You're getting out of L.A. And staying out.

Get a move on. We don't have all night.

Listen, do me a favour.

If there's any more trouble...

leave her out of it.

I still don't understand why you don't put some ice on that nose.

Will you stop saying that? All right?

You think you can be nice to me, and I'll forget what you did...

but I won't.

I got a long fucking memory.

Right. Your memory's about an inch longer than your dick.

That's very funny, Gloria.

You should take that act to Vegas.

- Jeff. - Get down.

No.

Hyah.

Jesus Christ.

I was just doing what you told me.

You said don't stay on the pier...

while you're getting beat up under the pier.

So I was under the pier.

Mucho?

God.

- I'll get an ambulance. - No.

Stay with me.

Stay with me, please.

How is he?

I never learn.

All my life, I...

I picked the losers.

I know better, too.

Jesus Christ.

Sure you wanna be in this line of work, huh?

Jack, it's me.

What do you think that house of yours is worth?

Somebody's gonna have to stand bail for me tonight.

And, Jack, one other thing.

I am fucking fed up working for you.

Lieutenant Verna Hollander, please.

I'll wait.

I'm going to pretend you weren't here tonight...

which is almost true.

Verna... it's me.

Hold on a second.

Hold this for me.

Go on home. I'll call.

Verna, listen.

I got a real mess.

Yeah.

There's two of them.

They're dead. Better get up here.

You expect anybody to believe this?

Ok.

So just between us... the truth?

For old time's sake?

Did it ever strike you this is a lousy way to make a living?

You start out thinking you're going to win a few...

but mostly, it's...

It's just like tonight...

watching people run out of the...

little bit of luck that they got left.

You think you're going to beat the odds, but you don't...

or not very often.

Excuse me, Lieutenant. The captain's on his way.

God help you, Harry.

Let me go, Verna.

Not a chance.

Give me 24 hours. I will find the son of a bitch.

You hear that?

That's my career if I let you walk out of here.

I screwed up, right from the very beginning.

Two people died because of it.

You got to give me some time...

so I can find whoever did it and...

I don't know, square things up at least a little bit.

Hey, what's-your-name, get him out of here.

The captain said...

I said get him out of here.

Harry.

Reuben, I need you to meet me.

Three-six-double-0-one Mulholland Highway.

It's above the canyon. How soon can you get there?

Ok, and...

Bring my gun. I might need it.

You mind telling me what we're looking for?

I guess not.

Hey, listen, boss, I got to tell you something, ok?

Sure.

I hope you're not going to be mad at me, but...

the thing is...

after we crack this case...

I'm going to find another line of work...

if that's ok with you.

It's ok with me.

I don't know, man...

Watching that lady die tonight...

I can't get it out of my head.

Yeah.

I know you had been counting on me, but...

I said it was ok.

You don't think that I'm, like... a coward?

Not for a second.

I guess we can still be friends, right?

We can still...

Harry?

What do we do now, Harry?

Cover it up.

I know I'm the one that keeps flunking the P.I. Exam...

but when something like this happens...

shouldn't you call the cops?

I said cover it up.

That's a bullet hole. Don't you wanna know who it is?

I know who it is.

The thing you just don't get about Jack and Catherine...

is they live for each other.

They have the starring roles in their own lives...

and you're just a bit player.

Me, too.

It's their love story, not yours.

You don't get to kiss the girl in the end.

She's somebody else's girl.

You'll be pleased to know I've decided to do chemotherapy.

It worked before, so...

you never know.

At least I thought you'd be pleased.

We found Billy Sullivan last night...

or what's left of him.

I guess I've been expecting that for 20 years.

Look, you can think what you like.

It wasn't murder. It wasn't like you murder somebody.

Catherine and I had fallen in love.

As you know, Catherine's easy to fall in love with.

Eventually, Billy found out about it and came after me.

I was staying out at the ranch.

Suddenly, I turn around, and there he is...

so drunk he can hardly stand up, swearing he's going to kill me.

The swimming pool was empty.

You should've heard the sound his head made...

when he hit the bottom.

You should've seen the way he lay there and didn't move.

One second is all it took and his life was snuffed out.

You are good.

You are very good.

And I would've believed you, except I saw the corpse.

What are you talking about?

There's a bullet hole in the back of his head.

- That's impossible. - Nope.

Did you bother to go down and see whether he was alive?

Of course not.

There was blood and a body. You didn't want any part of it.

You wanted someone to come along and make it all go away.

So you called Raymond Hope. What'd he say?

Told me to get out of there.

And he'd come clean up the mess.

But Raymond... lived in Los Feliz back then.

It would've taken him... what... an hour to get there?

Who else did you call?

If you harm her in any way...

I swear I'll come back from the grave...

and I won't be in a fucking wheelchair, either.

Quick, come look at the sun.

See it hanging there half an inch above the horizon?

Looks like it's gonna be there forever, doesn't it?

You look tired.

Yeah. I am tired.

I'm tired of people getting killed.

I'm tired of being lied to.

When have I lied to you?

When you acted as though you loved me.

Whereas, I love my husband? That's what I'm accused of?

I never made it a secret that I love my husband.

Enough to kill for?

You bet.

Feel better now that we've cleared that up?

I don't feel worse.

Well, then...

why don't you just ask me some more questions?

Feel free.

You'll tell me the truth?

Yes.

Did you kill Lester Ivar?

No. Next question.

Did you have him killed?

No. Next question.

Did you kill Jeff Willis or have him killed?

No. Next.

Twenty years ago...

and Jack called to tell you what happened to Billy Sullivan...

Did I drive to the ranch, find Billy still alive...

put a gun to his head, and pull the trigger?

No.

I said I loved my husband enough that I would kill for him...

not that I did.

Now let me ask you something.

Do you believe me?

I'll tell you what I believe.

I believe that you're smart...

and you're beautiful and rich.

I believe that life has worked out for you...

in ways that it doesn't for most people.

I think people like you get used to having it work out for you.

After a while, you begin to...

think you're entitled to all the things you got.

You think I care about anything in this house...

but my husband?

You think...

You think people like me care so much about things...

that we would kill for them?

Is that what you think?

That I just care about things, Harry?

Is that what you think?

That I care about all these things?

All these fucking goddamned...

things?

Then maybe people like you...

shouldn't get close to people like me.

You wanna come inside...

or do you like it better out there?

When was the last time that we went fishing?

You tell me.

It's too long.

Let's go.

Right now, you and me, head down to Baja.

Fine.

Let's have a drink first.

Got ginger ale in the fridge.

I'll take bourbon.

Things that bad?

You said I might learn something I didn't want to know.

Catherine.

You going to turn her in?

I thought about it...

then I decided to go fishing instead.

That would be the sensible thing.

I mean, screw it.

Everybody pretty much got what they deserved.

If we leave soon, we could be deep in Baja by morning.

We ought to take the Explorer. Your beater will never make it.

Lester Ivar was a crooked cop.

It's my hunch he was trying to shake Jack down.

The marlin are running about now.

I know a guy who'll take us out...

for 80 bucks a day and a case of American beer.

But the funny thing...

is that...

you know, Lester lived in a rat hole.

You'd think if he was on the take, he'd...

You'd think he'd have a place that would be more like...

more like this.

You haven't touched your drink.

Raymond, this is not easy...

but you did a lot more than clean up Jack's mess...

didn't you?

Not a lot more.

Sullivan was going to wind up...

in a wheelchair the rest of his life.

I ended his misery, Harry. I did him a favour.

You see, I think...

that on that long drive out to the ranch...

you began spending that money...

Jack was gonna pay you to keep him out of jail.

I think that...

you bought this place in your head...

on that ride.

And then, when you got there...

you found out Billy Sullivan wasn't dead.

You knew you'd lose it before you could move in.

They really got to you, didn't they?

I can understand about Catherine.

A woman like that can twist a man's pecker into a knot...

I'll grant you.

And Jack's a charming guy, but I got to ask you, Harry...

don't you ever get tired of the beautiful people?

Doesn't it ever bother you...

that the Jacks and Catherines of this world do as they want...

because guys like you and me clean up after them?

Jack Ames couldn't get blood out of a sock...

with a washing machine and a gallon of Clorox.

Me? I can get blood out of a sock.

That's what I do.

I clean up messes, and I get paid for it.

You imagine it different, but you're the same as me.

You think it was Catherine who seduced you.

It was both of them, Harry.

It was the whole package.

Ah...

I know.

I was the same way.

Let's face it...

there's them, and there's us...

and right now, the thing for us to do is go fishing.

I'd like to, Raymond, but...

You know how many times I didn't kill you...

the past couple of days?

Ok.

I'll wait until I get into town before I call Verna.

You can make a run for it.

Oh, I can't do that, Harry, not at my age.

Besides, for what it's worth, you were right.

I couldn't give up this place.

Not then... not now.

Well... shit.

I know. It's a bitch, isn't it?

Good luck, hotshot.

Good luck to you.

I can see your reflection in the glass.

Funny, the things you don't think about...

when you're buying a house.

Oh, thank God.

I hate playing solitaire. I can't stop cheating.

One hand for everything that we own.

Do I have anything you want?

Yeah, your health.

Deal them, for Christ's sake, before you wear the spots off.

I had to shoot Raymond Hope tonight.

Dead?

Dead.

Turns out he killed Billy Sullivan...

so you can rest easy about Catherine.

I've always rested easy about Catherine.

If she had murdered him...

it wouldn't matter to you, would it?

No.

Is that the difference between us, you think?

Right, wrong, truth... doesn't mean anything to you?

Tonight, my daughter told me that she loves me.

You think that's true?

I'm sure of it.

My wife says she loves me.

Is that true?

Yes.

Are you sure?

I'm sure.

Me, too.

And you?

You say you're my friend.

Is that the truth?

That's the truth.

I'm satisfied.

Enough truth.

You prick, you.

You've got gin, haven't you?

Fuck you.

Just me? Not the horse I rode in on?

Him, too.

Here, let me give you a hand.

I got it. I got it.

You know, Harry...

you don't have to leave.

Yeah, I do.

I do.

Do you mind hitting "Play" on the way out?

Who's that handsome devil?

I'll see you.

Drop by anytime you feel like it.

I mean it.

I'm feeling a lot better.

I may just beat this thing yet.

Nobody races unless I say so.

That's why I'm here.

That's why they made me the coach.

Yeah, you ski fast.

You race.

But you're reckless.

You crack up.

That's it?

That's it.

Ok.

All right. That'll conclude the interview.

It's October 20, 1997, at 0600 hours.

But that's not quite it, is it?

No, not quite.

After my daughter died...

I started hitting the sauce pretty bad...

and it became obvious my wife and I weren't going to make it.

It was Raymond who took me in, let me sleep on his couch.

You could always count on Raymond.

While I was talking to Jack, you were talking to him.

You told him about Lester Ivar.

You had him take care of Willis and Gloria.

I never asked him to kill anybody.

Yeah, but you knew he would.

Tell me, does it bother you...

that all those people would've been alive...

if it weren't for you?

My husband is still alive. That pleases me.

I don't think I'm to blame for anything you've done.

Harry.

Still love me?

Love you, too.

So...

Catherine Ames gets away with it?

Not really.

Oh.

Somebody ought to get away with something.

Wanna buy me a cup of coffee?

Oh, yeah.

How about the captain? Any fallout?

Let's just say I'm not expecting a promotion soon.

Fuck it. It's only a career.

- But no discipline? - No.

I got vacation time coming...

and it was strongly suggested I take it.

Hey.

I've been thinking about going away myself.

I remember Catalina.

That was... nice.

How about a return engagement?

Maybe.

Oh.

Verna, I never knew you cared.

Just checking.

That's fair.

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