Cleaner Page #5

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is written in a ledger...

...and listed by badge number.

Jesus, Tom. What are you...?

You know how many guys Vaughn

would send if he knew you had that?

- Let me worry about that.

- Well, take my advice.

- Forget you ever saw any ledger.

- Not that simple.

Yeah, it is. Somebody asks,

you say, "What ledger?"

- I'm in the ledger.

- Jesus Christ. So burn it.

It's your motive. Get rid of it.

- It's practically got a bow on it.

- Poor woman's husband's dead.

Burn the thing that might help her

find the killer?

What do you care?

She's some rich b*tch...

...wearing a million-dollar blindfold.

Get the book, light a match.

- Thanks, partner.

- What the f*** you call me?

Partners stick together, huh?

Partners follow the plan.

I told you sit tight,

you dig up some book...

...half the f***ing city

will kill you for?

- Walk away, Tom. Forget it.

- Walk away? I tried to walk away.

From everything. From all this sh*t.

- And look where I am.

- All the sh*t. Sh*t like me, right?

You pick up the phone

for the first time in how long...

...and is it because you wanna

catch up or bullshit...

...and, you know, let me see

my goddaughter?

No, you need a goddamn favor.

And then again.

You're family to me, Tom.

What am I to you?

Some f***ing last resort.

You don't want my advice, fine.

Take it or leave it. But don't go calling

me partner like it means a thing.

Scared I'm gonna find you

in the book there, Eddie?

Four-nine-seven-three-three.

- Here, you want a pen?

- No, I got it.

You always had a good memory.

That's your f***ing problem.

You're gonna get yourself killed,

man.

- You okay?

- Yeah.

Oh, Tom, please don't. Just leave it.

It's not worth saving.

No, I know how you feel.

Tom? I can't stay here.

Well, where you wanna go?

You got relatives?

Yeah, but no family right now.

Here, Tom, I got it, I got it.

I'm sorry. I'll make us some more...

I really need to go someplace.

I just don't feel safe being alone.

Okay. I think I know a place.

Hey, bro. Hey, come on in.

Come on in.

- This is Ann.

- Ann, pleasure.

- This is my wife, Gabriella.

- Hey.

- Hi. Nice to meet you.

- This is Ann.

- Hi. Very nice to meet you.

- Hi.

And this is Baby Julio.

- Hey, little man.

- This one's Lila.

- Say hello, Lila.

- Hello.

Hello.

- Hello.

- Put me down, Daddy.

Don't let that halo fool you.

Come see my horsies.

- Not now, mi amor.

- That's okay.

Want me to see your horsies?

Wanna take me?

- Yeah.

- Okay.

- I'm gonna go check on dinner.

- Okay, sweetie.

She didn't feel safe, and I couldn't

take her to my place...

...because Rose wouldn't understand.

- Thanks.

- Yeah.

It's like you said. Client's in trouble,

we gotta help them out.

Hey. Come on.

- That smells so good.

- Thank you.

Be careful. This is very hot.

- Lila, honey. In your chair, please.

- No, no. It's fine.

I used to eat like this all the time.

Hey, Tom, could you

give us the honors and say grace?

- Me?

- Yeah.

Heavenly Father...

...thank you for good friends,

good food...

...and bless the hands

that prepared it.

- Amen.

- Amen.

- Amen.

- Please.

Please, dig in.

I know this is less

than what you're used to but...

It's perfect.

Hey, believe it or not, I used to live

about three blocks away from here.

A studio apartment

above this Korean place.

You remember Sun's Kitchen?

- Yeah, I know Sun's.

- Yeah.

- It's not there anymore.

- No.

That whole building

isn't there anymore.

You know, if you were to ask me

back then...

...how my life was gonna turn out...

...I would have said like this.

Warm house, kids running around,

magnets on the refrigerator.

John didn't want kids.

But we almost had one recently.

We lost it.

Sorry.

So am I.

What's the worst thing you've seen?

Oh, I wanna know.

The worst thing I've ever seen.

That would have to be before this job

when I was a cop.

A homicide.

Victim was a woman in her 30s,

two gunshot wounds to the chest.

Shooter was there to rob the place...

...victim put up a fight

and he shot her.

There was moderate blood pooling

on the floor...

...some spatter on the beds

and walls.

That's the worst thing?

Down the hall in another bedroom,

there was a kid.

Two paramedics were sitting

with her.

She was clutching a stuffed animal,

a frog.

She found her mother's body

and called 911.

Tough kid, if you think about it.

Six years old and she still had sense

enough to call 911.

But those eyes.

Those eyes that...

...saw something

no kid should ever have to see.

Those eyes looked at me.

Looked into me.

Through me.

Those eyes.

- That's the worst thing I've ever seen.

- She was your daughter.

Did you catch him?

Oh, yeah.

Yeah, we got him.

License and registration, please.

- Is there a problem, officer?

- Your taillight's out.

- So where you headed?

- Was I speeding too?

- I asked where you're headed.

- Home.

I live a couple of blocks from here.

Look, I'm a retired police officer.

Is there a problem?

I know who you are, Tom.

Hi.

- What happened to your face?

- Nothing, I'm okay.

- Don't be a baby.

- It burns.

You're not gonna tell me

what happened?

It's nothing.

Your dad's a tough old bird.

I can take it.

- That's it?

- Yeah.

Oh, you're pretty good at this.

- Should I be saving for med school?

- I don't care what you do.

What was that? What did you say?

Hey, hey.

That attitude of yours has gotta stop.

Now.

Why won't you tell me

what happened?

It doesn't involve you.

I'm handling it.

I thought we were a team, Dad.

What if you come home stabbed?

Shot? What if you don't come home?

It's not gonna happen.

- Happened to her.

- Think that's gonna happen to me?

Yes! I'm f***ing terrified of it!

Rose, that's not going to happen.

Look at me.

I'm never going to let anything

like that happen again.

And we are a team.

We're a good team.

We look out for each other.

But we don't dwell on things

we have no control over.

This project.

- I mean, look what it's doing to you.

- There is no stupid report, Dad.

- There's no...? I don't understand.

- I'm starting to forget her!

Oh, Rose.

Look, you can't spend your life

going through this box looking for her.

She's not there. She's gone.

It's just you and me now, okay?

So let's just put this away, all right?

Just put it away.

- Rose, pick this stuff up. Rose.

- You don't understand!

- You don't understand.

- Pick that up. What is wrong with you?

- Have you lost your mind?

- You don't get it.

You don't get it.

- Hello?

- I'm coming to get you.

Wait, wait, wait. I'm not at the house.

I'm at the hospital.

Vargas called this morning. He

said he wanted me to identify a body.

The press found out John was gonna

testify. It's on the news, everywhere.

- What hospital?

- West Trenton General.

All right. Just stay there.

I know a back way in.

- You all right?

- Yeah, thank you.

- What happened to your face?

- Nothing.

- Sure it's not John's?

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