Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil Page #10

I don't know.

Do you remember when you told me

that dead men tell no tales?

See, I think...

...that may be true,

but it does not apply here.

I mean, look around.

Every picture on every wall in this town

is of someone who's gone.

Every story you hear begins

with someone who's dead.

The only living national treasure

you have is your own slavering mutt.

You writing your book?

What the hell are you talking about?

Billy Hanson may not be talking,

but his hands are.

Billy Hanson's hands?

I got to go.

Where you going?

"To understand the living...

...you got to commune with the dead.

I need Shango.

Now go.

And don't you dare look back."

I hope you can communicate

with someone.

JOHN:

Mandy, feel like going for a walk?

Where you headed?

I don't know, I was thinking about

maybe stopping by the morgue.

Are you a necrophiliac or something?

We agreed you wouldn't talk

about my ex-wife.

- How long you been at the bar?

JOHN:
Long enough. It'll be fun.

MAND Y:

Why do you want to go?

If I could answer that question,

I wouldn't have to go.

The morgue's closed, and by tomorrow

this won't seem like such a good idea.

Precisely. I'll break in if I have to.

I don't care. I'll pretend I'm dead.

- You sure you want to do this?

- I think so.

There is a back way...

...a hallway off the emergency room.

It's off-limits.

- How do you know that?

- I candy-striped one summer.

At the morgue?

- We'll create a distraction...

- We?

You create the distraction

and I'll just slip in and check it out.

No, you'll get lost.

All right, it's a 3-man job.

Where's Joe?

Perfect casting, but he's out of town

till tomorrow.

Who do we know

who can cause a commotion?

(CHABLIS YELLING)

JOHN:

Hello! Nurse!

NURSE:
What's wrong with her?

JOHN:
Her stomach.

CHABLIS:
Appendicitis.

My water broke.

NURSE:
Get the doctor to exam 4.

Water broke? She's pregnant.

CHABLIS:
I don't know what's up.

Just help.

NURSE 2:
What's wrong?

NURSE:
A stomach problem.

NURSE 2:

Let's get her up on the table.

Okay, here we are.

Commune away.

Is this where it hurts?

Just...

Oh, doctor, wait.

Here?

You know, I think you need to go

just a little bit lower.

JOHN:

Never been in a morgue.

MAND Y:

What are we looking for?

I don't know. Something about

the bagging of the hands.

Oh, look.

Teddy Lipscomb.

Excuse me?

- You know this guy?

- Yeah, he was my dad's dentist.

Oh, man!

Cardiac arrest.

Right. Medical term for dying in the

arms of a 25-year-old cocktail waitress.

Poor guy.

See, now, remind me

never to get sick in Savannah.

He's wearing a hospital I.D. Bracelet.

You're supposed to get well

in hospitals, but not in this city.

The morgue doesn't have its own ramp,

so all DOA's come through emergency.

Technically, they'd have to be admitted.

They're all wearing bracelets.

It's bureaucratic red tape.

I told you, I candy-striped.

You did.

That's like volunteer work?

Yeah, cute little striped outfit,

short skirt.

Girl Scouts.

- Is this where it hurts?

- Almost.

Just a tad bit...

That's the spot.

I love you.

I love you.

Oh, Dr. Feelgood, that's the spot.

You got it.

You wouldn't take a bag off

to put an I.D. Bracelet on, would you?

Yeah, probably.

Maybe.

CHABLIS:

Pleasure's been all mine, Doctor.

MAND Y:

How you doing, Mom?

JOHN:

Nurse, I have a question for you.

Were you on duty the night

Billy Hanson's body came in?

I was.

How'd you get back there?

Back door.

I was here with the sick lady?

I have a question.

Hanson's hands were bagged.

Someone had to put the I.D. Bracelet on.

Would you take the bag off

to slide the bracelet on?

No, they snap on.

They snap on?

JOHN:

Thank you.

It was easier with him

because I bagged him after.

Excuse me?

Doc Poe called from the crime scene and

said to bag the hands when he came in.

You bagged the hands?

Yes, I wrote it up

on the admission sheet.

JOHN:

May I see that?

We'll let Sonny tell you.

He'll be here any minute.

Before Sonny gets here,

I'd like to run something by you.

JOHN:
Fire away.

JIM:
About that night.

What do you got?

The evening started out

as I've always said.

JIM:

The argument...

...the shouting...

You let me down, Jim.

Like everyone else.

My mama let me down. She hates me

because I look like my daddy.

JIM:
What are you yelling about?

BILLY:
I'm yelling about you!

It's fine for you to talk to me

about living in this grandeur and all.

You could do it

if you took responsibility.

Bullshit, Jim!

If you don't like it,

why don't you just get the hell out?!

JIM:

Get the hell out.

This candle is about ready

to go through that painting!

I'll stop paying the insurance

on your Camaro.

JIM:
You want to leave,

you can do it tomorrow morning.

JIM:

The damaged clock...

JIM:

Goddamn it.

JIM:
Walk into my house

and ruin my furniture. I've had it.

JIM:
You're going to jail, young man.

That's it.

JIM:

Billy pointing the Luger...

BILLY:

I may be leaving tomorrow...

...but goddamn it.

JIM:
But here's the difference:

When he pulled the trigger...

BILLY:

You're leaving tonight.

JIM:

...nothing happened.

The gun was on safety.

As he fumbled to take the safety off,

I grabbed my own gun...

...and I shot him.

He fell dead.

He never fired?

No.

JIM:

I thought, "What have you done?!"

It explains...

...why there's no powder

on Billy's hands.

When I sit on that stand

and I tell this to the jury...

...Largent's case...

...will crumble.

I don't see how you figure that.

If you tell that story...

...you're admitting...

...that you lied.

Lied to everyone.

The police...

...the press...

...everyone.

Yes.

Of course.

I'd rather be convicted of lying

than of murder.

So...

SONNY:

Hey, coach.

SONNY:

We got it.

Keep your seat.

Sonny, I need to tell you something.

SONNY:
Now, me first.

You know that gunshot residue test?

What I have to say has direct bearing

on the gunshot residue...

Can I get this out?

SONNY:

We got them by the gonads.

Detective Boone lied.

Doc Poe called the admitting nurse

and told her to bag the hands...

...if they were not already.

Which she did.

Right here in this document.

Many could have handled the body

between the crime scene and the hospital.

Which explains how the powder

got rubbed off.

There it is.

The death knell to Finley Largent's

precious gunshot residue test.

Your turn.

What was it?

Oh, it's not important.

Take a look here.

We got them, Jimbo.

(KNOCK ON DOOR)

SONNY:

Going somewhere, coach?

What's his story?

You're still under oath.

SONNY:

Frank...

...are you absolutely sure...

...that you bagged Billy Hanson's hands

at Mercer House?

Yes.

I have no further questions.

Redirect, Mr. Largent?

No, Your Honor.

Detective, you're excused. You're still

under subpoena. Thank you very much.

Defense calls Sara Warren...

...R.N.

You won't find her in your notes.

She's not on your list, Finley.

Sara Warren is a direct rebuttal

to the testimony of Detective Boone.

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