Harper Page #7

That's the first chick I ever met

that was a human disaster area.

They ought to truck her back to the...

You can be very cruel, you know that?

What Betty and I have together,

you'd never understand.

But that doesn't give you

the right to sully it, either.

If you think she's Aphrodite,

that's your business, Beauty.

All I want is Sampson, if he's still alive.

He is, so far.

Then give him to me.

That's all I was hired for.

Take the money. I won't talk, I mean it.

But killing me gets you nothing.

Wrong, baby.

It guarantees me freedom of action.

In this state, it

guarantees you death by gas.

What kind of freedom are you gonna have,

running with an addict on your back?

Nobody's running.

We'll be sitting very happily at Castle Beach

in our lovely little cottage by the sea

while everybody thinks we're running.

You can have your lousy little

cottage. All I want is Sampson.

Top of the morning.

He was in on the kidnapping,

he and that Fraley broad.

She was in love with him.

Do you know that I almost stopped off

in the kitchen for a glass of water?

How could you get caught like that?

Well, I guess I hoped he wasn't involved.

You better get the Sheriff in

on this, if he's still around.

Come on.

I wonder how Miranda's gonna take that.

Well, there's a strong chance she

won't see the way it was. Really was.

- And I'm wondering if...

- What, you want me to tell her?

Well, I know it isn't strictly

within your province...

You got a big nerve, asking favors like that.

What have you done for me lately?

Miss Sampson?

I've got some moderately good news for you.

We have reason to believe

your father is still alive.

How do you know?

I just spoke to one of the

kidnappers. He's dead now.

His name was Allan Taggert.

You killed him?

He was trying to kill me. Albert got him.

Allan was so beautiful.

Typecast for the hero.

You keep getting fooled by appearances.

Go ahead, let it out.

Why don't you shut up?

Fooled by appearances?

I'm the grieving daughter, right?

Not right. I don't give

a damn about my father.

I never did.

He's a terrible man, and

whatever he gets he deserves.

Yesterday, when the note came, I

realized I didn't care about anything,

and that means I'm just like my stepmother.

So I thought, "You'd better

quick run, hide, Miranda,

"before everyone discovers what

a horrid little girl you are. "

Albert.

Do you think I'm horrid, Albert?

Horrid?

Why, no, no!

What? Certainly not.

What? Quite the contrary.

Actually, as a matter of fact, I...

- Hey. Castle Beach, right?

- Yeah.

Got a road that runs down by the ocean?

Yes, sir. You house-hunting?

More or less.

Well, you go down here and you

take your first left at the light

and go down to the ocean,

and it starts right there

and goes all the way.

Thanks.

No! Oh, no!

No! No! No!

Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh...

Betty, honey,

I simply cannot fathom

your lack of cooperation.

Betty, tell him. Please tell him.

It's no use with him! Tell him!

You and Eddie. Very devious,

you know. Very devious.

You know by now, along with my friends here,

that I enjoy inflicting pain.

As well as I know that you

do not enjoy enduring it.

So now I think the sensible thing for you

would just be to tell me where the money is.

No?

Well, then, I must warn

you, this last little trick

is gorgeously unendurable.

The locker in the frozen meat place.

The key's in that black shell.

Thank you very kindly, Betty.

You killed him in cold blood!

If you don't stop yelling,

I'm gonna kill you.

You remember this, don't you, buddy boy?

See this?

I'll give you everything. I'll

give you everything I have.

- It's a rich choice. I'll take your shoes.

- What?

All right! I'll give you...

- Look. Get in there.

- What...

Can you walk?

Maybe.

You're coming with me.

Fay'll get out.

What, a fat, barefoot

alcoholic? Sure she will.

I'm still looking for Sampson. Where is he?

I'll tell you what I think.

You got the key to the locker,

so you can have the money.

But I know where Sampson is,

and that's gonna buy me my

one last ticket for happiness.

Right?

Well, the happiness market's crashed, baby.

Taggert's dead.

Now, where is Sampson?

You're just trying to get me to talk.

You're right. I'm trying to get you to talk.

But I'm not lying about Taggert.

He's dead.

Now, you recognize his gun, don't you?

The far side of Santa Theresa.

The old section of the pier.

There's a deserted tanker.

Sampson's in the first

cabin behind the engine room.

Just rest your feet,

honey. Don't go anyplace.

Albert? Put on your skates, buddy boy. Yeah.

The old pier. He's in an abandoned

tanker down there. Meet me.

- You got that?

- Yeah.

- Think you'll be able to find it?

- No one's perfect, but I'll try.

All right. Oh, listen, you

better call Sheriff Spanner.

Yeah. Have him go down to

the end of Castle Beach Road.

A lovely little cottage down there

with a white Merc and a blue T-bird.

Yeah, that's on the outside.

On the inside there's a couple of guys

that are pretty badly chewed up.

Better get down there with an ambulance.

Yeah, well, listen, buddy, with a little

luck we'll all be bombed by suppertime.

- What?

- Stoned by suppertime!

- Did you kill Allan?

- No.

He was trying to kill me.

Don't I wish he had!

You know, I could feel a lot of sympathy

for someone as tenderhearted as you, Betty,

except I keep remembering that

you killed your brother last night.

- Shot him in the head.

- Yeah, my own baby brother.

I brought him up.

I taught him about music, and

he taught me about cars and...

Narcotics?

He fingered me as a user.

Eddie never knew I knew he fingered me,

but I always swore I'd get him.

I got him.

You sucked Taggert in 'cause you needed

someone on the inside for the kidnapping.

No. No, we loved each other. We cared.

Allan and me, we...

We needed money so we could be together.

Hell, I don't buy love's old

sweet song from you, Betty.

Yeah, well, it's true.

You're jealous.

Everybody was jealous of Allan and me.

Were you there when he died?

I bet he died...

Oh, I bet his last words were about me.

I bet he died saying my name.

Tell me

the truth now.

Tell me.

Yeah, you're right. I am

jealous. He died saying your name.

Don't you think I knew that?

Mr. Sampson?

Albert? Albert?

Lew? Lew, it's me.

Lew?

Lew, it's Albert.

- What happened?

- Oh, the same old thing.

- You gonna be all right?

- Yeah.

Somebody must have been

guarding Sampson, a fourth man.

He really suckered me.

- What kept you?

- I just knew you were gonna ask that.

I couldn't find this silly tug.

I been in one boat after another.

I was looking for your car. I'm sorry, Lew.

- You mean it's not there now?

- No, that's what threw me.

I didn't see it, anyway.

Well, the guy that mugged

me did the same thing I did.

He just hotwired the ignition

and took off with Betty.

But I wonder if they took off with Sampson.

We better check everything. Come on.

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