All Roads Lead Home Page #2

for those kind of things.

I have a child to mis-raise.

So you have any plans tonight?

What did you have in mind?

Don't panic.

My plans include a book

and a bath,

and if I'm really adventurous,

maybe I'll have both at the same time.

Yeah, well,

good luck with that.

I'm out.

- I'll talk to you later.

- Okay.

- Bye-bye, Vincent.

- Hello.

You know, whenever I get

the whole Belle thing leveled out,

some night you and I should...

I'm sorry.

Hmm.

You were saying?

I was saying that one

of these nights

that you and I should...

Maybe we should?

Hello.

What?

They what?

I gotta take this.

Uh-huh.

Who was that?

Don't even ask,

feather britches.

Did you

scrub down Apache Wind?

- Yeah.

- Yeah.

You want some?

Dogs to be fed.

You know,

there's not a living, breathing,

feed-swilling critter

on these 5,000

God-splashed acres

holds a candle

to Apache Wind.

And my daughter picked him out

when he was a colt,

because that girl

knew her horseflesh.

Ain't nothing black

as a Kansas night.

Black as a bull's heart.

A man ought not

to stand around ruminating

in such darkness.

- Who's on duty?

- Who do you think?

Milo.

Hey, what the...

Hey, Cody.

- What's up, bro?

- What's up,

Milo, is that we have collected

and you've refused delivery.

What's up, bro,

is my blood pressure.

It can't be helped.

You know what I'm saying?

I've got two guys pulling down

time and a half because of you.

You know my department

can't afford it.

Get out there and help them

with the cats, man, come on.

I don't have the room.

Know what I'm saying?

Make the room, Milo.

I've been making

the room for four months.

Ever since they

shut down Number 2,

my place has become

the dumping ground

for half the city.

If you want to talk budget,

I can barely feed

what I've got.

I don't have the room.

You know what I'm saying?

Do your job.

Do my job, okay.

Okay.

Oh, you know what?

This is not gonna be enough, but I think

I have some more in the back.

What are you doing?

Just what you asked me to do.

Know what I'm saying?

No, I don't know

what you're saying, Milo,

because you don't know

what you're saying.

I need more Xylazine and Pento

because if I'm gonna do my job,

I gotta clear out 17 more cages.

And the only way

that's gonna happen

is if I "make the room."

This puts 'em down.

This takes 'em out.

Are you gonna come help me,

or you gonna stand there

being all righteous and loud?

What can I do to you?

Oh, I just need a room.

I hope you got cash.

Damn swipey things

haven't worked since '86.

Or was it '85?

When was the last time

the Royals lost last place?

I just need a room.

It'd be better if we got one

in the back.

Well...

far be it for me to judge.

Shh!

Look, kiddo, my day wasn't exactly

candy and nuts either.

Belle, you're not in trouble.

Mrs. Melton is just concerned

that your grades have slipped

since...

that your grades

have slipped

and you're punting away

all your extracurricular activities

and this whole

Greta Garbo routine.

Oh, I feel like I'm talking to myself.

You know what, Belle?

Have it your way, okay?

And in a role reversal

quite rare in the animal...

Oh, man, oh.

Really?

Oh, great.

Hey. Hey, lonesome.

Come here, huh?

Did you spot the perps?

Huh?

See who did this?

Hello.

What?

You're kidding me. Hold on.

Yeah, hold on.

Hold on.

Hello. Yeah.

Yeah, I just heard.

Look, don't yell at me.

Yeah.

Okay okay okay, I'm on it.

I'm on it.

Look, get dressed.

I'll take you by school.

Okay, except it's Saturday.

Come on.

Lil.

At least 30 dogs were set free...

What is going on?

Whoa! Look out, Kansas City.

This is for all you puppies on parole.

Walk with me.

You're turning my city

into a flea circus.

It's my job to catch 'em,

not to tuck 'em into bed at night.

What's the point of catching them

if you can't keep them?

Need I remind you that by some

archaic municipal flaw

in our legal system,

yours is an elected position.

- Are you threatening me?

- Absolutely.

I want to see every one

of those mutts behind bars

by the end

of business today.

And I want you

to make sure it never happens again.

We're on Imus,

for God's sake.

The whole country's

laughing at us.

Mr. Dennison,

are any of the dogs...

Yeah, no, great.

So how's school?

It's there.

I hear you're quite

the little gymnast.

I like gymnastics.

You could do it alone.

Can I feed Vinny?

Oh, sure.

Want a cracker?

It's not a cracker.

It's a...

French fry?

Why doesn't he fly away?

Oh, he can't.

You clipped his wings?

I don't think that's right.

- Pretty wings.

- Such a pretty bird.

You see, birds,

they have a radius and an ulna

just like people do.

And your hand is like his feathers.

But right here

where the radius meets the carpus...

it's basically like your wrist...

Vinny's is broken.

- Uh-oh.

- You couldn't fix it?

No, by the time

your dad found him

his bones had already knitted

in all the wrong places.

Vinny, poor guy,

he was not in a good place.

Were you, pal?

All he did was scream

and scratch and claw,

but your dad,

he sat up with him

for three weeks straight,

hand-feeding him,

bringing up his weight,

teaching him it was okay

to trust people again.

I mean, it's really amazing

that he can be handled at all.

By all rights,

he really should have been...

Put down.

Yeah.

Why should Vinny be any different

from all the other animals he kills?

Honey, euthanasia...

Call it what it is, Lily.

Killing is killing.

And my father...

Your father is...

"There are some men

in this world

who are born

to do our unpleasant jobs for us.

Your father is one of them."

You think you're the only young woman

who's ever read this book?

You see this money?

These donations?

This is your dad's project.

You know that, right?

He's been promising that

for years.

Like all his promises,

nothing ever comes of it.

Sweetie, I think

you don't understand.

You don't understand.

You don't kill things

because they're broken.

You don't kill things because

they're sick or hurt or dying!

You don't kill things

because it's easier.

You give things a chance.

You don't know

what'll ever happen.

You just don't ever know.

Belle.

Belle.

Mrs. Wimmer.

You said he was

in perfect health.

A perfect picture of health.

Oh, Mrs. Wimmer,

I'm so sorry.

Oh, I'm so sorry.

I don't know. I lost count.

I'll do a count later. Head count

of the dogs, I'll let you know.

- Just keep your cell on, okay?

- All right.

- Cody, a word.

- Sure.

That warehouse across

the street... don't look.

They've got a roof-mounted

surveillance camera

on a continuous

That... that's great.

Isn't it nice to think so?

I don't know if I can keep this

from breaking.

Finish your homework?

It doesn't matter.

School's out in a week.

- What do you want to do tonight?

- Whatever.

I was thinking we would watch a movie.

What do you think about that?

- Whatever.

- I rented this really really great one.

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