Best Seller Page #4

They all tally, Dennis. Check the dates.

I have checked the dates.

A nice little chronicle of murder.

Tell me, what happens to your family

when the book comes out?

They'll deny it. Defend me.

It'll give them a cause, a reason to live.

Dennis, it'll add ten years to their lives.

- What a thoughtful son you are.

- I am.

You've been planning

this trip home the whole time.

I had to. You had to take it seriously.

This farm. My family.

Dennis, I want people to know

what I had to do and why.

Oh, they'll know, Cleve. They'll know.

Rural America. Growing up

on a farm. The American dream.

Exactly.

Only this time... this time

something went wrong.

This time these nice country people

produced a mistake of nature.

An aberration. A freak.

That's all I am to you?

A freak?

Get out. I'm tired. I want to sleep.

A fraction of an inch.

The weight of a feather.

That's how close you are, Dennis.

You wouldn't wanna wake up

your mother, would you?

I didn't much like our conversation.

You pull that trigger, your father's

gonna have to repaper the walls.

All I want is a little respect.

You don't have to like me, although

I suspect you do, in spite of yourself.

Yeah, Cleve. You're a real charmer.

You're not taking this

very seriously, Dennis.

Please --

If you ever aim a gun at me again,

it better be loaded.

Shall we call this one a draw, Dennis?

Goodnight, Cleve.

Goodnight, Dennis.

- Thanks very much.

- You'll look after him, won't you?

- Well, I'll do my best.

- He's never had a big brother.

Right.

They're decent people.

Make sure that's in the book, Dennis.

And make sure it's in there

that I love them.

Am I coming off lovable?

Why don't you buy a copy

of the book and find out?

- Don't I get a say in it?

- No.

I got you something.

Go on, open it.

Read the back.

''To Dennis, from his friend Cleve.''

Surprise.

To celebrate our partnership,

so to speak.

I mean, we are partners, aren't we,

Dennis? In the book, I mean.

It's a Patek Philippe.

The best.

Did you see the back?

I read it.

I'm still a cop.

And I'm still... what I am.

Is that it, Dennis?

Yeah, that's it.

You don't think I'm capable of doing

something decent, something unselfish?

Maybe I'll surprise you.

I doubt it.

Lt Meechum, this is Mr Graham

and his associate, Mr Pearlman.

Mr Graham's an attorney. I'll make

sure you gentIemen are not disturbed.

I thought you'd be more comfortable

if we talked to you here,

on your own turf, so to speak.

Let me see if I can guess.

You're Madlock's lawyer.

Technicly, I represent Kappa International.

It amounts to the same thing.

And I bet you two studied

for the Bar together, am I right?

Mr Pearlman is not a lawyer.

He's in public relations.

Public relations? An image maker, huh?

You might say that.

How's the new hair?

It's fine.

Looks painful.

I want to talk to Madlock.

He feels that any direct communication

would be inappropriate at this time.

It's no secret.

Former employees rarely have anything

good to say about their former company.

I'd love to hear Madlock's version.

Didn't those people really die?

It's that kind of irresponsible remark we

feel would be characteristic of this book.

Let me talk to Madlock.

If he can convince me, I'll drop it.

- No.

- Then forget it.

Try this:
we'll tie you up in court

for the next ten years.

We'll take your house, your car,

attach every nickel you earn.

Even your pension -

which you won't get anyway,

because we have friends in every major

political office in the city, in the nation.

We're a very big business, Mr Meechum.

F*** you. And f*** your hairy friend.

- Hold it.

- What?

I said hold it.

- Jesus.

- What do you think, you're Al Pacino?

- Don't break my f***ing hand!

- Your hand?

You're threatening a police officer on the

second floor of the Southeast Division.

Scumbag!

I'll kick your f***ing goon ass

all the way to Pasadena and back.

They'll be picking your new rug

out of the freeway, you f***ing a**hole.

Now spread 'em!

What's this?

What's this?

- I hope you don't have a permit for this.

- He's a licensed private investigator.

He has a permit to carry a handgun

anywhere in the state of California.

The only threat that's been made

in this room has been made by you.

Public relations, huh?

You wanna write a book, I'm prepared

to offer you a substantial cash advance

to write an authorised biography

of Mr Madlock with his full cooperation.

You scumbag. You lowlife scumbag.

You try to blow me up in a taxi.

Now you offer me a bribe.

You tell Mr Madlock he can

read all about it in my book.

I'm sorry you feel that way.

Mr Pearlman?

Mr Pearlman, we're leaving now.

Good luck with your hair.

Friends of yours?

Business associates.

Well, that's most of it.

Couple of chapters to go.

It'll ruin Madlock.

- You'll get sued.

- Good.

I'm dying to see the rest.

You like him, don't you? Cleve, I mean.

Yeah.

And you're going to arrest him.

Yeah.

But first I've got one more trip to make.

- I'm not fighting. Do what you want.

- I don't want Dennis's discards.

- So that's who you are.

- Poor Dennis. You're stepping out on him.

- Have a good time?

- It was a business dinner.

- Business.

- What do you want?

I want to know how the book is.

What Dennis has to say about me.

You're in good hands.

I can hurt you.

It's not a problem for me.

Do you understand?

Am I sympathetic?

Will they like me? Hm?

Please do not lie to me.

- Is it an important book?

- Yes!

Good. Good girl.

My God, you must be

beautiful all dressed up.

Those long, sexy legs.

There are some women in the world,

decent, kind women. Women who work

all their lives, taking care of their families,

who never in their wildest imaginations...

ever dream of clothes like these.

What makes you better than them?

Nothing.

That`s right.

What makes you better than they are?

Nothing!

Now, do you know what I want?

I want a copy of the manuscript.

I don't have one. I swear to God.

If I look, and I find one,

I will hurt you like you have

never been hurt before.

I tried to keep a copy.

But he took it. He knew.

Good old Dennis. Of course he did.

I like you.

And most of all,

we understand each other.

I'd prefer that Dennis didn't know

we had this conversation. OK?

You wanted corroboration. I tracked

her down. She was Hilliard's maid.

She's the one who let me in the house. He

was gonna lose his seat in the election.

- One he'd held for four terms.

- Why didn't Madlock just let him lose?

He had two very dangerous qualities.

He was broke and he was a drunk.

- Why did she let you in?

- Money.

- Why isn't she dead?

- Because I knew someday I'd need her.

I think I never see you again.

Tell my friend everything about us.

About Senator Hilliard, the night he died.

Will you hurt me?

Not if you tell the truth.

The senator, he was not a very nice man.

But what we did,

that wasn't very nice either.

Que Dios me perdone.

Why do we speak of this now?

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