Last Dance Page #5

See, we ended up juggling the books

and borrowing on false collateral...

and we lost everything, and,

and I beat a fraud charge...

and, uh...

and l-I almost got disbarred.

I mean, I don't even

know how it all...

It's just...

One thing led to another.

Yeah, I know how that goes.

Yard recall and lockdown.

Yard recall and lockdown.

You gotta go.

- Well...

- See ya.

Saturday?

Saturday.

Sam! Hold on there.

- Goddam it, what are you trying to do?

- Just hold on one second.

Let me see that stick

you got in your hand.

- It's a sand wedge.

- Ah, well, you don't want

to use a sand wedge.

I'm up to my eyeballs in sand, and

you're telling me I don't want to use

a sand wedge?

- That's right. You wanna use

a pitching wedge.

- Just back off.

- Give me the sand wedge.

- Listen to me. Pitching wedge, okay?

Break your wrists off right away,

cut straight down into it.

Trust me.

All right, but if you're wrong you're

working the Department of Highways

tomorrow.

Okay.

Right down now.

- Okay!

- You're welcome.

Goddang. I forgot

who I was dealing with.

Probably grew up on the

ninth hole at White Sands.

Well, golf's about as close as we came

to any kind of organized religion.

Let's put it that way.

- The Reese reports ready to go?

- Well, yeah, except for

your recommendation.

- You want this in or out?

- You can take it out.

Why don't you finish up

on Liggett.

Go to St. Charles County and

do those last few interviews.

No problem.

Nice.

You gotta watch yourself, Rick.

You get sucked in,

it does nobody any good.

- You hear me?

- Yeah.

So you do all this work

on these capital cases...

for a governor who, who never

grants clemency, huh?

Always a first time.

- Well, how do you stay with it?

- I'm highly motivated.

If I don't pay my child support,

I'll end up in state prison.

You never get involved

emotionally?

You ever hear of a guy

named James Nichols?

Um, no, I don't think so.

I got to know him pretty well.

Big kid in a man's body.

Killed three people.

Yeah?

He wanted me to be there

at the end.

- Here you go.

- Made me promise.

They were still using the electric chair

then, and they messed up.

Took a long time

for Jimmy to die.

He started to burn, literally.

His knees fused together.

Smoke started coming off of him.

You could smell it.

Jesus.

I can still smell it.

This is her senior picture.

The high school dedicated

the full page.

They were all wild kids.

We let 'em run wild.

I mean, the things they were doin',

it could've happened to any of'em.

But I don't believe in killing.

"Thou shalt not kill."

Not even Cindy Liggett.

L-I can only i-imagine that must

be difficult for you to say.

Well, I'm not saying

that I forgive her...

although I'm trying.

God, I known her since

she was five years old...

and they were sweet kids.

It's just that

putting her to death...

is only gonna keep us

locked in this darkness.

Well, ma'am, would you consider signing

a statement on behalf of Miss Liggett?

No.

Bu... Can you tell me why not?

No.

- Good day, sir.

- Hi. I'm Rick Hayes.

Mr McGuire's in the drawing

room waiting for you, sir.

Thank you.

Mr McGuire, hello.

- This is Mr Faring, my attorney.

- Hi. Rick Hayes.

You wanted some kind

of a statement.

Well, it's an update.

It's required by law.

A copy of this has already

been sent to the governor.

- All right.

- I'm not in the best of health.

But I promise you...

that I'm gonna live to see this

woman pay for what's she's done.

This scum brutally

murdered my son...

and she's brutally murdered

an entire family's chance...

for another moment

of peace or happiness.

There's nothing left

for us now except justice.

My boy would've been

about your age today.

He didn't deserve to die

like that.

What she did to him...

It had to be a closed casket.

Mr Hayes, what if

it was your son?

First time I picked her up

was on a Drunk and Disorderly.

I was a beat cop. She was 14.

Had a set of balls on her

even as a kid.

This was no surprise.

She and Barnes had committed at least

20 burglaries that we knew of

that summer.

The brutality of the crime...

uh, did that seem in character?

- Character.

- Yeah.

A crackhead's got no character.

Doug Barnes was so hot to cut

a deal with the D. A...

he testified against Cindy and then

tossed in a couple of dope dealers

just for good measure.

- I'll sign it after this hearing.

- Yes, sir.

I have to be in court

in 30 minutes.

Okay, we're just about

finished here, Mr Rusk.

- I am trying to find her brother though.

- Her brother.

- You think he's gonna help you?

- He's in Walkerton.

Next time he screws up,

state prison.

Okay, well, I appreciate

your time. Thank you.

You can include these

in your report, Mr Hayes.

They were considered too inflammatory

to be introduced at the trial.

I hear she's changed quite a bit in there.

Is that right?

- She has.

- That's great.

You know, it's a shame that these people

don't get to change.

They'll stay like this forever.

Look, I prosecuted this case.

It was my first big case,

and I know it cold.

The attorney general's office is totally

behind us, and so is the public...

and we're gonna see

this sentence carried out.

Now, you can dick around all you want,

but this sentence will be carried out.

It's good to see you, Joe.

"...call our grandfather

Grandpa."

Frances?

Frances?

What time is it, Frances?

3.30. Saturday hours are over.

Sh*t.

Ain't no man worth

gettin' upset over.

Shut up.

You wanna get mad, I can give you

a lot better things to get mad about.

- Just stay out of it, b*tch!

- Who you callin' b*tch, b*tch?

Calling' you b*tch,

you stupid b*tch!

You think anybody's gonna marry you

after you killed two husbands?

At least I ever got married.

That's more than you can say.

- Shut up!

- Girl, you losin' your mind.

...since the tender age

of 12 years old.

Carrie says that men are stupid,

and Carrie specializes in...

Hey.

Didn't think you were comin'.

Well, I was out of town.

So much for promises.

I was doing interviews

for your report.

Then I guess you know

everything now.

No, I know about the past.

You're not that person any more.

All right, look, I need you

to tell me about that night.

That night?

That night is...

inside me like this...

big, terrible shadow.

I hated Debbie Hunt.

I hated everything,

everything I didn't have.

And Debbie Hunt used to just

rub my nose in it.

And all that hate...

just blew everything apart.

I killed them.

I killed myself.

I know what I did.

I can't change that.

I can only change myself.

Uh, I guess there are just...

some things...

can't be forgiven.

Why not...

if a person's able to change?

'Cause the people doin' the

forgivin' have to change too.

Today for the first time

in my term as Governor...

in light of a number

of most-compelling reasons...

I am granting clemency

in a capital case.

I'm withdrawing my order of

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