Manhattan Night Page #5

I thought that the...

That the video would be in his

collection, and it wasn't.

Look... why me?

Come on.

You know you're perfect

for this.

So, all this, between us?

This is all for me to help you

get back some video file?

Just tell me.

Yes.

- Do you forgive me?

- No. Or me.

You have to understand that

initially I asked you for help,

and then I got to know you

and I really liked you.

Porter, you've got

to believe me.

Hobbs is serious about

getting this video.

He's going to take

everything away from me.

You know, you're

saying a lot of things,

but you're not telling me

what I need to know.

- I've told you everything.

- No.

There is a reason

why Hobbs is so adamant

about getting this

flashcard back,

because a guy his age would be

proud to have proof

of f***ing a woman as young and

beautiful as you without paying for it.

And if Simon told you to go

have sex with somebody,

there's a reason why he got so

upset when he saw the footage.

So tell me the truth.

Now. Or I'm leaving.

I've told you everything.

I promise you.

I promise.

Please help me.

Porter, please help.

Porter, please.

- Wren?

- Okay, okay, okay.

What can I do for your fellows

on this lovely evening, huh?

Give us the file.

- I don't have it yet.

- - Are you sure about that?

- You just came from her apartment.

- Hey. What the f***?

How come you're not

answering your phone?

Do you want to sell

to somebody else?

I don't know.

You think you can

f*** with Hobbs?

[Groaning

don't let us come back here tomorrow

and find it in your house, a**hole.

Please. Please.

Jesus.

Oh, I'm fine.

- What the hell happened?

- I'm fine. I got jumped.

It was only a matter of time.

It was stupid.

I didn't put my wallet away

while I was in the cab.

I got mugged.

I'm sorry.

It was only a matter of time.

You scare me when you say that.

I'm sorry.

Shh.

Good morning.

You have a furious wife,

you have blood in your piss,

and you still have a column due.

But instead of doing your job,

you dig around and you find

that Simon Crowley's father,

frank, lives in

a nursing home in queens.

Mr. Crowley?

Hi. I'm a friend of Caroline's.

I was hoping you could help me.

Did Simon leave with you

a video camera, a memory card?

You know, a memory card?

Mr. Crowley?

Is he okay, though?

Okay. I'm on my way.

I'm on my way.

Paging Dr. bender.

Paging Dr. bender.

How serious is it?

I examined the wound myself.

The bullet pathway in the muscle

will leave scar tissue,

but not going through

the entire depth.

What does that mean?

It means that he will never have

the absolute contraction

in that muscle

that he should have.

- Josephine?

- It hit the left patella.

She'll need surgery and rehab.

It'll take at least a year.

What the f*** happened?

What happened?

She rode with the kids

in the ambulance.

But the cop who was trying

to get the story

said that she

was pretty incoherent,

just that a man forced his way

into the house with a gun

and was searching for something.

You know who the man was?

I have a good idea.

I will not let my children

be a part of this, Porter.

- No.

- - Daddy?

Sally-bird.

Don't cry, sweetheart.

Come here.

Oh, Sally-bird.

Everything's going

to be all right.

- How did I get here?

- No, sweetheart, you're okay.

I'll tell you later.

I'm taking the kids

to my mother's.

Sit up, baby.

What about his arm?

They need this room.

He's free to go.

He can travel.

I'll take good care of him.

- Here, you be careful with this thing, okay?

- Daddy,

- are you coming to grandma's?

- Such a good boy.

Not on this trip, sweetie.

- Why?

- Oh. Shh.

- Come on, baby.

- Let me walk you to the street.

I would rather you didn't. I don't know if

I'll be able to contain my rage that long.

Come on, sweetheart.

When your little boy has been even

grazed by a bullet, all bets are off.

I needed to get to Hobbs.

And I knew that the only way

was through his gatekeeper,

Campbell.

I was now past being afraid of

what my desperation could do.

- Oh!

- Open the other door.

- Take my wallet!

- Shut up. Get inside.

- Ah. Ahh!

- Get inside.

- Oh, god!

- - Move!

Don't kill me, please.

Do you know who I am?

- No.

- I'm wren.

Porter wren.

Your goons shot my little boy

this afternoon,

did you know that?

Yeah.

Which drawer has

the sharpest knives?

Oh, god, no, please.

Which drawer?

Now, call Hobbs.

I can't.

He's in London.

- No...

No, we're going to tell him

to call off his goons.

He's unavailable.

I swear.

Ah!

Start thinking, Campbell.

My son is three years old.

He is a perfect angel.

He's innocent.

All right!

Wait, wait, wait, wait.

0-11-44-955-646-7287.

Hobbs?

- Campbell?

- So sorry to wake you.

Hobbs, this is Porter wren.

One of your goons

broke into my house today

and shot my three-year-old son

and his babysitter.

You listen to me,

you motherf***er.

If you do not

call off your goons,

I will make 1,000 copies

of that video

and I will send one

to every newspaper,

every television station

in the world.

I will be a f***ing wild man.

I don't care.

I don't give a sh*t.

I will go down

in a glorious ball of fire,

and I will take you

with me, you fat f***.

Now you call off your goons

right now.

You have a 24-hour grace period, Mr.

wren. How about that?

Fail to hand me the master video when

I'm back in New York tomorrow evening,

and your troubles today

will be longed for fondly

compared to the realm

you will find yourself in.

I don't know how

he got up there, but he did.

- You're funny.

- Okay, daddy? Dad?

Daddy? Tell me again how to make

the elevator run from the remote.

Out of the key paid

in the back of the panel.

- Some dessert, frank?

- - I know, the quick patch or the boot patch, or...?

Boot patch. You need a boot

patch to complete the circuit.

Mm-hmm.

The camera annoys me.

What?

What's the matter?

Frank doesn't like the camera.

I know. Well, I got...

I'm going to go away tonight

for a little while, dad, and I

want you on,

on the camera, okay?

Okay, I'm going to go.

I have to go.

I have to pick up some

medicines for Irv.

Mrs. Segal, I need

to get a key made.

Can I get a ride with you to

the hardware store?

- Well, of course you can.

- Thank you.

Dad? Dad. I'm going to say

goodbye now, okay?

Okay.

- Me, too.

- Bye.

- Okay.

- Mrs. Segal?

Would you mind if, uh...

We had, you know, a minute?

Father/son moment?

Thank you.

- Say goodbye. Say goodbye.

- Yeah, i... I said.

Okay.

Daddy?

Here's what I want you to know.

I want you to know that I never

blamed you for what happened,

for what happened to mom, okay?

And no matter what happens now,

or tonight, I don't want you

to blame yourself.

Okay?

And you watch this as many times

as you need...

...until you accept

that that's the truth, okay?

I love you, daddy.

All right. Okay.

Mrs. Segal in the

video had to be Norma Segal,

a name I had noticed in

the nursing home guest book.

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