Act of Violence Page #3

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Sure, I was in the hospital.|But I didn't go crazy.

I kept myself sane.

You know how?

I kept saying to myself:

"Joe, you're the only one alive|that knows what he did.

You're the one|that's got to find him, Joe. "

I kept remembering.

I kept thinking back to that prison camp.

One of them lasted until morning.

By then, you couldn't tell|his voice belonged to a man.

He sounded like a dog|that got hit by a truck and left in the street.

Get out.

Get out of here and leave us alone.

Save it. He isn't worth it.

You be good now, Georgie.

Mommy's gotta go next door|and she'll get your breakfast right away.

Hi, Edith.

Martha, would you take care|of Georgie for me?

- I have to go to Los Angeles.|- Why? What's the matter?

Nothing. I've just gotta see Frank.|Something's come up.

Did Frank go to Los Angeles?|Must've left in sort of a hurry, didn't he?

Yes. He decided to go|to the convention...

...after all.

Look, honey, I've been married|for 35 years and believe me...

...these things are never serious.

It's nothing like that, Martha.

Please, Martha, I can't talk about it.|Can you take care of Georgie for me?

Yeah, sure. I have|a dentist appointment this morning.

But you can bring him over|after lunch, huh?

Well, all right.

Thanks, Martha.

Frank.

Edith.

Oh, Frank.

What's the matter now? What's happened?|Edith, get ahold on yourself. What is it?

He came back. He was in the house.|He forced his way in.

What do you mean? He didn't hurt you...

No, nothing like that.|He just frightened me.

Oh, Frank.

The awful things he said.

What did he tell you?

- What difference does that make now?|- Tell me what he said. What did he tell you?

Some crazy stuff about something|that you did in that prison camp.

Oh, darling. I know it isn't true,|but he believed it.

That's why he's so dangerous.|He had a gun.

He wanted to kill you.

You've got to think of yourself.|Frank, we've got to do something.

There's nothing to do.

Frank, a man's trying to murder you.|Of course there's something you can do.

- And if you won't do it, I will.|- No.

There's nothing you can do.|There's nothing anybody can do.

But why not?

Because...

...I told you he was crazy.

Well, he's not.

No.

I didn't want to tell you.|I didn't want you to know it.

Why should you carry it too?

All right.

Suppose there is a grain of truth to it.

Suppose you did have|some kind of trouble with him.

I can understand how something like that|could happen in a prison camp.

No, you don't know what happened.

What was it, Frank?

Whatever you did,|you must have had reasons.

You can always find reasons.|Even the Nazis had reasons.

I did it to save lives.|That was my reason.

Did what? What did you do?|Tell me what happened, Frank. Please.

After we were shot down|and sent to a prison camp...

...Joe, myself, some other officers...|I wrote you about that.

I know.

I was the senior officer in my bunkhouse.|I was responsible for the rest of the men.

Toward the end, it got...

We were all starving to death|and going crazy.

One day, Joe came to me.|They'd dug a tunnel.

He and some of the others.|They were gonna try to escape.

I told him not to do it. I begged him.

The week before, in the British section,|12 men had been shot for the same thing.

I told him that they didn't have a chance.|They'd be dead before they started.

He wouldn't listen to me.

I lay awake all night trying to think...

...trying to figure out|some way of stopping him.

The next morning,|I went to the prison commandant.

He was an SS colonel.

I made a deal with him.

Frank.

I said that I'd tell him|if he'd go easy on the men.

He promised.

Word of an officer.

So I waited. I waited all day.

I thought that the guards|would close up the tunnel or something.

But they didn't. They acted as though|they didn't even know about it.

That night, I tried to talk to Joe again.

But he wouldn't pay attention to me.

The men were getting desperate.|Anything to get out.

So they started through.

And then I heard the guards|at the other end of the tunnel.

They'd set a trap for them.

They bayoneted them.|They set dogs on them.

And when it was over,|they didn't even shoot them.

They just left them there.

Oh, Frank.

You only did what you thought was right.|You made a mistake, an awful one.

But you can't suffer all your life|for one mistake.

We can do something now.|We'll go to Washington.

And have it in every paper|in the country?

We can save the clippings for Georgie|when he's old enough to read.

Look, Frank, they'd listen to you.|They'd know the truth.

Sure they'd know, like the Nazis knew.|They knew before I did.

Even before Joe did.

Do I have to spell it out for you?|Do I have to draw a picture?

I was an informer.

It doesn't make any difference why I did it.|I betrayed my men. They were dead.

The Nazis even paid me a price.|They gave me food and I ate it.

I ate it.

Oh, Frank, no.

I hadn't done it just to save their lives.

I'd talked myself into believing it,|that he'd keep his word.

But in my guts from the start,|I think I knew he wouldn't.

And maybe I didn't even care.|They were dead and I was eating.

And maybe that's all I did it for.|To save one man. Me.

There were six widows.

There were 10 men dead|and I couldn't even stop eating.

Go on.

Go on home.|You don't have to say anything.

We were in the same outfit together...

...and I thought as long as I was passing|through town, I'd look him up.

But he seems to be kind of hard to find.

- Sorry to bother you like this but...|- It's no bother at all.

Only I'm afraid I can't help you much.

Yeah, he's out of town.|Yes, he's gone to Los Angeles.

Builders and Contractors Convention?|Well, that shouldn't be too hard to find.

Thanks for the information, Mrs. Finney.|Thank you very much.

- Yes, ma'am?|- Excuse me...

...do you have a Mr. Parkson registered?

- Joseph Parkson.|- Just a minute, madam.

Never mind. Joe.

How much do I owe you?

Well, you could be more enthusiastic.|Do I look that bad?

I haven't seen a mirror|since I got off the plane.

Seven dollars, sir.

Thank you.

- How'd you find me?|- Was nothing much once I got here.

- I just asked people and described you.|- Oh.

- No, Joe, it had nothing to do with that.|- Well, you can't stay here now. I'm leaving.

Why? Where are you going?|Joe, I wanna talk to you.

I haven't got time.|Anyway, you've got to go back.

Joe.

Ann, you shouldn't have come here.|You need any money?

- No.|- Then get on a train. Get back to New York.

- Right now. Quick.|- Why? What's going to happen?

Joe, you promised me.

All right, I promised you.|What more do you want?

Anyway, it's got nothing to do with that.|I got an offer of a job out here.

- I was gonna wire you when I got set.|- Don't lie. Don't you think I know that look?

I thought I'd seen the last of it. Here.|I found this in your room in New York.

Joe, you can't do it. Don't you know that?|Don't you understand that yet?

Joe, do you love me or don't you?|You can't do it...

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