Manhattan Nocturne Page #3

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you liked watching me,

didn't you?

I couldn't help it.

I'm sorry.

I was thinking of you.

I got to go. I--

okay. Goodbye, watcher.

Glad you got a good view.

You know, you were right.

Opportunity really only

does knock once.

Hey. I'm watching you,

Caroline.

I see everything.

No, Tommy. Tommy,

i need the washcloth.

I need your face.

I need your face.

Just real quick.

- Real quick.

- Daddy-bird!

- Hello. Mm.

- Okay. Give me the washcloth.

- How's my family, huh?

- Tommy, I need the washcloth.

- Hey, you. Hi.

- Hi, sweetheart.

Hello to you.

I think Tommy peed

in the tub again.

- Oh, Thomas.

- Honey, can you

take care of it? Thank you.

- Sure.

- That's my cue,

after urination in the tub?

- Yeah, that's your cue.

How was your day?

Busy. Yours?

Slow.

I had awoke

with the odd desire

to visit the site of

the demolished building

- where Simon's body

had been found.

- Excuse me?

537 east 111th street

was now just a vacant lot.

And it held no answers

to the questions that

were troubling me.

Did Simon die in the rubble

or was he in the building

before it was demolished?

And if he was in the building,

why?

And how did he get in there,

if he didn't have the key?

In the building next door,

the super, Luis,

didn't have anything

to add since the investigation

17 months ago.

Any reason you can think of why

the victim might have a key?

Sure. Lots of reasons.

It's a big city.

Thank you for your time.

With my nagging guilt

growing,

I needed some time

to think this whole thing over.

I told myself I'd never

see Caroline again.

And yet,

when she called,

I told her I'd meet her

for lunch.

Well,

I don't feel guilty.

You know, Porter, I'm actually

kind of alone.

I have Charlie, but I can't talk

to him about everything.

Simon is very much

a taboo subject.

Charlie's already started

looking at houses in New Jersey.

White picket fence,

garden in the back.

Two-point-five kids?

You're the only one that I can

talk to about any of this.

And there's something that

i would like to show you,

today, now,

if you still have

the time for me.

You keep money

in this bank?

No. I keep Simon here.

This, as much as anything,

was who Simon was.

I'm going to need you

to understand this.

Simon was very

unhappy all of his life.

He was always...

"Searching for the truth".

On each of these video cards

is some truth

that he was proud

to have captured.

And if he wasn't happy with it,

he would throw it out.

He used to treat these like

original film in a camera.

He would never

reuse or copy them.

He likes them being

completely individual,

as a single source

of the truth.

Okay. So, which do we

watch first?

I'm not staying. I'm sorry.

I've seen them all so many

times, it's exhausting.

I'll let them know up front

that you'll be here a while.

Okay.

Thank you, Porter.

It's one of the weirder

moments in my life.

Call me

when you're done.

Okay.

Whoo!

- Stop.

- Really?

Ah, there's one.

Pull over. Pull over.

All right, pull

over, Max. Over.

- Hey, hey.

- - What's happening tonight?

- I'm cold and lonely out here.

- Ooh!

- We're lonely in here, too.

- Round the world is 200.

- Mm, mm, mm.

- She for you, Billy?

Too ugly for me.

Can't spend that much.

She's not ugly. She's,

she's, she's plain, perhaps.

- She's nondescript, generic.

- Ohhh!

Billy, it sounds

like you're interested.

Uh, I could be interested.

I could be very interested.

What's your names?

What's your names?

- Billy. Simon.

- Oh, yeah.

- Come on, Billy, Simon.

- - I like her.

- Get in here.

I don't know why I like

her, but I like her. Get in.

- She says something.

She's in it.

She says something.

- Yeah.

- Hello.

- Simon?

Hey.

Can you let me in?

Uh, I changed the lock.

Okay, fine.

Open the door.

Mm, first you

must answer me three questions.

Jesus, come on, Simon, let me

in. I really have to pee.

Three honest

answers is all I require.

Question one:
When I'm in L.A.,

how often do you masturbate?

Come on. F*** you.

Open the door.

Jesus Christ.

Every day, at least once.

Question two:
Have you

ever fantasized

about being with Billy?

Yes.

Third question, please.

Question three:

When you finally tracked down

your biological father,

what was the last sentence

he said to you?

F*** you. I am not

playing this game anymore.

Really?

That's your choice.

Come on. You already know

the answer to that question,

you sick f***.

Open the door.

I win.

Oh, my god.

He said,

"you ain't my daughter.

Now get the f*** out of

my sight. And when i--"

the last thing he said.

The last thing he said was,

"unless you want

to give me a blow job."

You want to order some food?

The f*** is wrong with you?

- Yeah?

- - Mr. wren?

This is waldon Campbell

from Mr. hobbs' office.

He'd like to meet with you

immediately.

Uh, himself?

Hey.

Hey.

F***.

Nice view.

Mr. Porter wren!

Chronicler of people's woes.

Good afternoon, sir.

Good of you to come.

Oh, do, please, sit down,

since I'd like to discuss

a certain matter.

Do sit down.

You, sir, are having an affair

with miss Caroline crowley.

That's of no--

please, please, please.

I ask you not to interrupt.

Now, miss crowley has been

sending me a video

on a digital card from a camera.

It's the same one each time.

What's on it?

Something... very compromising.

She's asking for

money in return?

No, no, no requests.

Oh, she's bloody

f***ing psychologically clever,

you know.

Are you certain

she's the one sending them?

She is the only one

who would, uh,

logically be

in possession of it.

Okay. So,

i ask her about it.

And she tells me

she's not sending it.

And I look through her stuff,

and I don't find it.

Then what?

Then, you keep going, sir.

You make do.

Look, this is crazy.

You are my employee.

And I can have you

fired and replaced

in the time it takes me

to tie my shoelaces.

I'm quite familiar with

your financials, sir.

Your salary just about

covers your mortgage,

and your wife

provides all the rest.

The firing would come with

embezzlement charges

and a long,

protracted lawsuit,

which would oblige the bank

to foreclose on that charming

house of yours.

I can sell the house,

Mr. hobbs.

You may have to,

when your wife,

distressed with news

of your affair,

operates on someone with less

than her usual skill.

Malpractice suits are the ruin

of many good doctors.

Yes, yes.

That's what you'll find

motivating.

You're famous for your

investigative skills.

You found the little girl

in the woods

when the best

detectives failed.

Too much limelight

causes you to

retreat to the comfort

of a column.

You're now a hack

in need of a challenge.

Oh, you were good once.

And now you're going to have

to be good again, sir, for me.

I had a funny patient

come visit me today.

- Oh, yeah?

- Mm-hmm.

She complained of basic

rheumatoid arthritis.

Well,

but you're a surgeon.

I know, but she insisted

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