Cape Fear Page #5

I just won't believe it.

I just can't.

You said yourself,

he's too clever to take chances.

How could he even touch her

without taking a chance?

What would you do

if she were attacked?

- Have him arrested?

- How can you ask such a thing?

Of course!

What's the matter with you?

Would you have him tried?

Pull him into court?

Naturally, he'd deny

the whole thing.

That means that Nancy

would have to testify.

You've never watched a child

testify in such a case.

Thank God you haven't.

It's the clinical reports...

and the questions...

and the detailed answers

that she'd have to give.

She'd have to give them,

all right...

because he'd deny it,

and we'd have to prove his guilt.

A beast like that...

Who'd believe him?

No one.

No one at all!

But that wouldn't

spare her the questions.

And Cady knows that.

He knows...

that we'd never put her

through an ordeal like that.

There's got to be something we can do.

There just has to be.

There is.

There is.

Well, is this Mrs Bowden?

Yeah, I knew it was.

I just wanted to hear your voice again.

You know something?

For eight years I dreamed about

a chick with a voice like that...

just whisperin'in my ear,

real close...

Don't. Don't.

Sayin', "Baby..."

Sam!

Shut up, you!

Counsellor, you really stepped

on it this time, didn't you?

I don't know what

the Bar Association thinks...

about its members

compounding a felony...

but I do know

what the law thinks about it.

You just put the law

in my hands...

and I'm gonna break

your heart with it.

Ain't nothin' can stop me.

You understand that, don't you?

That house and that car

and that wife and kid...

they ain't worth nothin'

to you now.

Now you listen to me.

You asked for this.

You asked for it,

and if you don't get out of...

You're wrong, man. I'm gonna

show you what it's like to be wrong.

Speakin'about

your wife and kid...

I got a little caper

planned for them.

Remember the story

I told you about my old lady?

That was just laughs, Counsellor.

That was kid stuff.

I got something planned

for your wife and kid...

they ain't never gonna forget.

They ain't never gonna forget it,

and neither will you, Counsellor. Never.

You'll never forget it.

I can't believe we're...

standing here talking about...

about killing a man.

There's still a few ifs,

ands and buts about it.

I can't go into this alone.

I'll have to have help.

Of course, he wouldn't fall for it here.

He knows we're too much on our guard.

But if he got the idea...

that we thought she was

safely hidden away someplace...

"She"?

You can't be talking about Nancy.

Don't worry.

I won't go into this

until it's airtight.

I won't make a move that

will put her in any danger.

That won't stop the terror of it.

She's only a child.

And what about the terror

if he catches her really alone?

- Sam.

- Good morning, Dave.

Sleep well last night?

Well enough.

You needn't bother to open that.

You've tried your last case

in this state.

Your three hired hands landed

in the hospital last night.

One of them thought he was gonna die,

and he talked.

- Oh, the judge wants to see you.

- Good. I want to see him too.

He's gonna tell you I'm instituting

disbarment proceedings against you.

- You didn't waste much time, did you?

- I'm just getting started.

The committee on ethics is meeting

up at the State Capitol right now.

They work real fast. Better have your

story ready to tell 'em by tomorrow.

You don't think the committee will wait

to see if I'm convicted of anything?

The committee is interested in keeping

the legal profession beyond reproach.

After last night, I'm real interested

to see how you answer to that one.

- Good morning, George.

- Good morning, Sam.

I only came down to tell you that

I have to turn the case over to you.

I'll break the news

to the judge.

Have you gone out of your mind?

You've come to the wrong man.

Dave Grafton was here ten minutes ago.

You haven't got a leg to stand on.

Jepson's in there being interrogated.

If he talks, I'm gonna have to arrest

you before you leave the building.

If I'm arrested, who's gonna

protect my family? You?

That's below the belt, Sam.

Grafton's watchin' every move I make.

The only answer to Dave Grafton,

the ethics committee...

and all the rest of it

is to show Cady up for what he is.

You can't do it with a stake-out!

Cady's too smart for that!

But I've got it

carefully worked out.

There's a houseboat.

It's up on the Cape Fear River.

It has a shore cabin, a telephone.

It's isolated, hard to find.

- The perfect place to hide my family.

- No place is perfect!

Do you expect Cady to believe that

you'd leave your family alone anywhere?

That's the one thing

that had me stumped.

And this morning...

Grafton handed me the answer

on a platter.

He's forcing me to fly

to Atlanta tomorrow...

to appear before this committee.

You can bet that

his friend, Mr Cady...

will be tailing me

clear to the airport.

But the moment

I get to Atlanta...

I'll hire a car

and cut across to the coast.

I'll get a boat

at Hennessey's Landing.

In a few hours, I'll be at

the houseboat with Peggy and Nancy...

and Cady will think that

I'm sweating it out in Atlanta.

The next step is to lure him up there

when we're ready for him.

That's your department too.

He knows you're tied in

with the case.

He'll follow you when you leave town

if you make it look right.

- He steps ashore and you shoot him?

- That's about it.

You can't shoot a man for

simple trespass. Not any more.

- Cady's built a good case against you.

- It'll be more than simple trespass.

But I won't wait until he wipes

the blood off his hands either.

Now hold on.

Just hold on.

I've listened.

Now you listen.

You're gonna do a foolish thing without

help, and you're gonna need lots of it.

Now, I can't help you

if I wanted to.

That's county territory.

You know the sheriff. Are you gonna

stand on ceremony at a time like this?

All you have to do

is pick up the telephone!

And do what? Ask for half a dozen

deputies to help a man I should arrest?

I don't want

half a dozen deputies.

That would be a sure way

of tipping off Cady and Grafton.

It'd be all over town

in no time.

One is all I can risk.

One is all I'm asking for.

Do I get him?

Well, this time next week,

I may be back poundin' a beat.

We should've gone to the left

of this island, about a mile back.

Are we gonna be completely marooned?

No visitors at all?

- You didn't say anything to Betty?

- I didn't say anything to a soul.

Have a nice voyage

to nowhere.

- I'll see you in a day or two.

- Don't get lost on the way home.

Do you think she'll be able to stand

all this shattering peace and quiet?

Don't you worry about Nancy.

That's pioneer stock.

Cast off.

Flight 403 for Atlanta

now boarding at gate three.

Attention, please.

Passengers for Atlanta...

flight 403 now boarding

at gate three.

- I have a brief here for Sam Bowden.

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