Deadline Page #6

We don't pray for those

who have gone ahead

Because they are with you.

We pray instead for those of us

who are left behind

And don't know why.

Thank you.

He had given me a poem

he had written for me,

And he told me he loved me.

Those were the last words

he ever said...

"I love you. "

Then I watched him

walk toward home,

And when he got near the store,

he stopped and he waved.

Oh, he had the sweetest look

on his face.

Then I heard the shot

and I saw him fall.

If it was dark,

how could you see him?

Lights. Some lights were

always on at the store.

Then I saw Billy Baker

running away.

Billy Baker?

Some old redneck.

He used to work on cars.

Haven't seen him around

in years.

Did he have a gun?

No.

Vanessa, why didn't you

tell anyone this before?

Nobody asked.

Plus, I was scared.

I still am.

We gotta get out of here.

Get in.

Bad news.

It's got to wait.

Trey did some more digging.

Guess who owns the store.

Who?

The judge.

Buchanan? You're kidding.

We left notes at his mansion

and town Hall,

Saying we want to speak to him.

All right, what's your news?

Uh, it's about the LeMans.

You did not wreck my car.

Uh...

Oh!

Oh, no!

Man!

Oh, mama!

Oh, no!

Okay, now it's personal.

Who the hell is Ronnie Bullock?

That would be me, sir.

I only shake hands

with gentlemen.

That note was not

intended for you, sir.

It was for judge Buchanan.

How dare you drag Rut Buchanan

into your cockamamie

Investigation

of some dead nigra kid?

You must do things differently

up there in Nashville.

'Cause around here,

when we have business

With a man, we go see him.

We don't write a note.

Sorry, I was just trying

to move things along.

Yeah.

Look...

we've been out bird-Hunting

all day.

We got skunked,

So we were kind of upset

before we saw your note.

So fetch some glasses.

Let's sit down.

I don't know

what I can tell you

About whatever

y'all are looking into,

But I'll try.

Come on.

Yes, I own the building

where they had the store,

But I own most of this town.

My daddy was judge before me

and his daddy before him.

It's been our habit to buy

foreclosed properties.

That may have been good for us,

But it also kept the property

on the tax rolls.

So it's been good for Amos too.

I've known

Rut Buchanan my whole life,

And there's not a man alive

that has done more for Amos.

Especially for the coloreds.

That's a mighty fine weapon.

Whose is it?

It's mine.

You a sportsman?

All my life.

Easy, father.

So you leased the store

to Braeford Watson?

No, Braeford was the only one

willing to go in there

And sell those people groceries,

doing them a favor.

Thing is, they didn't

seem to appreciate it

'Cause there were

cuttings and shootings,

All the stuff

that comes from being

On that side of the tracks.

I understand a firebomb

went off the night

Before Wallace Sampson

was killed.

Ah, that's a bunch of hotheads.

Probably been hopped up

on dope.

Judge, you ever hear

about prostitution

Being around in the back

of that building?

Never had a case like that.

That's not what I asked.

I don't believe

I like your tone.

I don't think the judge

answered my question.

That's it.

You, sir, need to get gone.

Calm down, Everett.

Mm.

What kind of southern boy

are you,

Taking up for the nigras?

I'm the kind of southern boy

who don't care

About the color

of murder victims.

You are a traitor to the south.

Is that a fact?

Mm.

He's the kind of bigot

who gives the south a bad name.

Ah, come on with yourself.

Matt, I don't wanna go.

- It's dangerous here.

- Well, you're staying.

I have to. You don't.

Okay, one thing before you go.

Hop in.

Okay, you see this thing

right here?

Whatever you do,

do not touch it.

The top doesn't come down?

The top comes down fine.

It's going back up

that's the problem.

Shoot, I always wanted

a convertible.

- Well, get on. Have fun.

- Be careful.

I can't believe you made her

take the LeMans.

Swapping cars keeps us

under the radar.

Besides, I had to get

the LeMans out of Amos.

It's been trashed

all I can stand.

Come on, let's go

track down Billy Baker.

Billy Baker?

Billy Baker?

Oh, you mean Possum?

That's Possum right there.

Uh-Huh.

Hey.

Hold on, you're breaking up.

It's a camera.

What? My god, all right.

We're coming to get you.

No, don't. I'm okay.

The LeMans

is a little roughed up,

But at least

I got my convertible.

Are you sure

you're okay?

Yeah, but you all

need to be careful.

Unless I miss my guess,

They were after you and Bullock,

not me.

I've got a bad feeling, man.

I'd kill myself if something

bad happened to Delana.

I mean, besides the bad stuff

I've done.

Eh, she seemed like a girl

who can take care of herself.

Look, we can chase

this Possum character tomorrow

If we get cracking

on these obits tonight.

Now, Walker says,

if we hand in three tonight,

We might have a crack

at employees of the month.

What?

It's a $20 bonus.

- Whoa, look at this.

- What?

Possum, right here

in this clip.

Says he was tried

alongside Braeford Watson

For beating civil rights

marchers in Montgomery.

He and the other guy pleaded

guilty even before the trial.

Now we got a story.

Okay, a man

who later pleaded guilty

To civil rights charges

was seen at the site of...

Make it "spotted fleeing from. "

It's stronger.

We gotta find Possum.

Maybe we can track him through

the department of corrections.

We'll go to Montgomery

tomorrow.

Right now, there's someplace

I gotta be.

What about employees

of the month?

Congratulations, you won.

Matt...

Take this.

Yeah.

Delana?

Hey.

You scared me.

I... I told you not to come.

No, I know.

I'm, uh... I'm sorry.

I was worried.

You're just feeling guilty.

You're right.

But not about getting you

involved with Wallace Sampson.

I'm totally ashamed

That I ever gave you

a reason to doubt us.

I'm sorry.

It breaks my heart to know

that I hurt you.

I never want to hurt you again.

I hope you didn't

jeopardize the story

Just to come tell me that.

I love you more than any story,

More than anything.

So...

Where is Possum?

One more stop.

The prosecutor

was Max McCallum.

Maybe he knows where Possum is.

We have fresh

eyewitness testimony

That Possum was there

at the time of the shooting.

And we know Possum was convicted

of civil rights violations,

Along with Braeford Watson,

the guy who ran the store.

He was not convicted.

He pled guilty.

Same thing.

Actually, it's not.

Yeah, but whenever Possum

was around, bad things happened.

You could write that story,

and it would be accurate.

But it would be a mistake.

Facts are never a mistake.

Son, I've been

around a lot of courtrooms.

Facts and truth

are not the same thing.

The fact is,

Possum may have been present

At the site

of the Sampson killing.

But the truth is, when it comes

to advancing civil rights

In Alabama, Possum was a hero.

You willing to go

off the record?

- Sure.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes