A Stranger Among Us Page #3

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when I want to.

I am an independent woman.

Okay?

- Spectacularly happy, I might add.

- Of course.

- What do you want to be

when you grow up, Leah?

- A wife, a mother.

That's it?

But, Emily, what

could be more important?

War!

I gotta tell ya.

I'm getting really sick of this game.

Ah!

How's the diamond gig?

It's, um, it's different.

- They like, weird?

- No, they're not weird.

They're nice people. Sh*t!

They're very nice people.

They got a lot of rules.

You know those fringes the men wear

at the bottom. They're called tzitzit.

Now pay attention. This is important.

This is from the Kabbalah.

It's very mystical. It's numerology.

Ariel told me all this stuff.

- Who?

- Ariel, he's the Rebbe's son.

- No kiddin'.

- Oh, come on.

I'm like this untouchable

"shiksa," okay? Come on.

Come on!

Anyway, this

numerology thing. Now...

every letter in the Hebrew alphabet

has a numerical equivalent.

The word "tzitzit"

comes out to 600.

But with all the knots

in them it comes out to 613.

It's very cool sh*t, I mean, stuff.

War!

- What about the doers?

- Inside, definitely.

- My contact with Hassids --

- Hassidim:
one, Hassid; many, Hassidim.

Excuse me. What little contact

I've had, they are not doers.

I know it.

So you got any suggestions?

I mean, this isn't exactly

an exciting lifestyle I'm living.

I look like an ad for Laura Ashley.

It's funny, we been together on and off

what, four years?

Whole time, I never even knew

what color your hair was.

- You look, uh --

- What?

Radiant... you look radiant, Emily.

[ Sighing ]

- So who's running the thing?

- I don't know. It's over here.

Can I help you?

- What's new and exciting?

- Holy smoke.

- I thought you were like uh --

- Like a what?

- Come on, Marden.

- Like a lady.

You still got a great ass, Eden.

- I need a contact.

- One of the Jewish cops.

What about you, Levine?

Yeah, I'm Jewish.

Know what that means?

I eat bagels on Sunday mornings.

Besides, those people

are a friggin' embarrassment.

AJewish anti-Semite,

that's very nice, Levine.

- This is my case, Lou.

- Okay. Levine rides shotgun.

Why not Marden?

Nothing personal, Eden.

Just I got a wife, kids.

- You're a cowboy. I don't want

to hurt your feelings but --

- That's okay.

Face it, Eden.

We're destined for each other.

In your dreams.

I've done my time with enough

cold-blooded bastards, okay?

- I'm not looking for another one.

- Too late, I'm already here.

Hey, enough of this.

We're supposed to be professionals.

We gonna bicker

or do some police work?

[ Lou ] Okay.

I think you look rather nice, Emily.

Thanks, Tedford.

Yeah, I think you look cherry.

Now, why doesn't that

sound like a compliment?

Hey, you know what I heard

about how they do it?

- They do it through a sheet.

- A sheet?

They're so uptight about sex...

they make a hole in a sheet

and shtup away.

[ Laughing ]

I'll get back to you on that one.

[ Ariel Knocking ]

Breakfast.

- You ready?

- I'm ready.

Sih yadaim kodesh.

Baruch atah Adonai elohenu...

melech ha-olam ha-motsi...

lechem min ha-arets.

[ Indistinct Chatter ]

Mara. Mara!

Sit here.

Ariel, who 's the new lady

who 's jo ined us?

Ba'al teshuvah.

Madonna?

- Is that Madonna?

- Who?

You know, "Like a Virgin -- "

I listen to Rabbinic lectures.

That way my time isn't wasted.

Okey-dokey.

Okey-dokey, okey-dokey.

Emily, what are

you doing?

What's going on?

Um, listen, Mara,

I have to trust you with something.

I'm not who

you think I am.

I'm a cop and I'm trying to nail

the people that killed Yaakov.

Oh, God. Thank God.

- Somebody's gonna do something.

- You have to keep this quiet.

- Do you understand?

- Yes, yes, of course.

- Swear to me.

- We're not allowed to swear.

What are you allowed to do?

Promise. I can make

you a solemn promise.

Okay. Sounds good.

Emily, who are you looking for?

Serious scumbags.

Serious scumbags?

[ Teakettle Whistling ]

Emily! No!

- Okay, now, why?

- Well, when we were a desert tribe --

I want you to introduce me

to as many people as possible.

Yes, of course.

What do I do if they

start talking Jewish to me?

- This is my friend, Emily.

- Hello.

Ba'al teshuvah.

- They study all day?

- Yes.

Yassol.

[ Leah ]

So we bring them their lunch.

Ariel.

I'll get it.

Emily, this is Mendel.

The Rabbi's

beautiful daughter.

- How you doin', kid?

- Fine. Thank you.

- Who's she?

- This is Emily.

Listen, uh, it's an anniversary,

me and my girl.

Wanna get her somethin' nice, okay?

Something very special.

Something like, um --

I don't know.

Maybe you could suggest

somethin' to me?

A watch?

That's a nice gift.

Ah, in fact, my brother's

just finished restoring a beautiful one.

- It's very special.

- Hey, yo, Ariel!

Ariel, the Patek Philippe

you just finished?

Thank you.

- That was some mess, huh?

- Mess?

Yeah, that kid they found.

Yaakov Klausman?

That his name?

Hey, uh, Emily, what do you say?

- About what?

- About the watch.

- It's beautiful.

- It's a shame.

Should never have happened.

Could never happen around us, never.

You know why?

We take care of the people

we're in business with.

Nobody fools around with us.

Nobody.

And we take care of our own.

Follow what

we're sayin'here?

-I'm not sure.

-We got our own security company, private.

You pay once a month.

We take care of everything.

Nobody gets hurt. Everybody's safe.

It's too late for the kid.

- But --

- Can we think about it?

A week--

We'll be back in a week.

Don't let it go no longer than that.

We don't want anybody else to get hurt.

If you'd come to us sooner, that little

Hebe might still be walkin' around.

Murderers! Murderers!

What kind of people are you?

- What's the matter with you?

- You're askin' for it.

How much you want

for the watch?

$4,400.

- You can do better than that.

- Whatever you think is fair.

Yeah?

- Anthony and Christopher Baldessari.

- Christopher Baldessari.

They're outta Bay Ridge.

They run a little book, a little payoff.

Very fundamental scumbags.

- You got it?

- Every word on tape.

They wax the Klausman kid.

Now they're trying to sell protection.

- We don't know that they

waxed the Klausman kid.

- Yet.

- With a little luck

we can get them on extortion.

- Sounds good to me.

How do you want to play it?

We wait 'til they show again.

When Leah hands over the money

for the security system...

we come down on them

like Judgment Day.

I need their jackets.

Way ahead of ya.

Look at this. Rap sheet as long

as Ocean Parkway.

- Call Oliver. I'll catch ya later.

- Hey, Eden.

Admit it.

I'm an insanely great cop.

I made those guys as soon as

they hit the pavement.

I pulled their sheets, right?

You could do worse than me.

Here's a quarter.

Call someone who cares.

The truth is

we deserve each other.

No commitments, no romantic hassles,

no illusions.

Tell me I'm wrong.

Pop?

Pop?

Pop?

Hey!

You look different.

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