Red Page #3

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I'm sorry to hear about Red.

I've got an idea

I want to run past you--

A modified course

of action.

What about the present

course of action?

Well, Jack Wentz declined

to prosecute

and McCormack's already

got himself a lawyer.

A fella by the name of Cummings.

He's good.

Did you--

did you ever throw Danny

McCormack out of your store?

I never laid eyes

on him before Sunday.

What they're saying

is you did.

That you threw him out for

trying to steal a penknife

a few months back

or some damn thing.

They're trying to make out

like you're some kind of crank

who's got a grudge

against Danny.

What about their father?

He's backing them up,

lying all the way.

They've closed ranks, Ave.

So they got an anonymous

phone call

in the Sheriff's office,

went down

to investigate it.

They found two dogs

barely alive

chained outside

in the yard.

It was the dead

of winter,

no food, no water.

The owner had been on vacation

in Florida for a week.

Now the D.A. wasn't going

to prosecute the case

until the local papers

got hold of it.

Then she changed her mind.

How are you guys

doing over here?

That pie's still waiting

on you in the back, Ave.

Oh, sure, Gloria.

Sure.

Maybe in a minute, huh?

Are you saying you want to

report all this

on television?

I want you to report it,

Mr. Ludlow.

I want to take a film crew

down to where it happened.

Well, what about slander?

You won't name any names.

You're just going to tell

your story.

What those boys did

and what the D.A.'s Office

isn't willing to do,

I want to piss people off

about it.

I don't suppose you have

a dog, do you, Carrie?

Cats.

- Cats?

- Cats, Mr. Ludlow. Three of them.

Ave will do

just fine, Carrie.

- I was sitting down here.

- Oh, is that right?

That's where we usually

get the best catch.

So this is where you were?

Dave, I think you can

just set up over here.

Red, he knew this lake

like his front paws.

And he was sitting

just here.

That's where he sat.

And the boys...

Sam said you didn't have a T.V. and

I wouldn't want you to miss the show.

This thing's heavy.

You want to get the door for me?

Oh, let me help you

with that.

Oh no, I appreciate

the chivalry, Ave,

But the door

will be just fine.

- Okay.

- Thank you.

( sighs )

So the report ran a few hours

ago, but they're gonna replay it.

- Oh.

- So where's your cable connection?

Right, no T.V.

Uh, do you have

any wire hangers?

- Wire hangers?

- Yeah.

Uh, yes.

Try the closet.

Found one.

You were a soldier?

Mmm-hmm.

Carrie:
And the dog was a

birthday gift from your wife?

Avery:

Yeah, that's right.

About 13 years ago.

And your wife Mary,

she's gone now, isn't she?

Avery:

Uh-huh, a couple years after that.

She never did get to see

Red fully grown.

Carrie:

So far the District Attorney

has refused

to prosecute the case.

Nationwide for the killing

and violent abuse of animals,

offenders are fined

on average

only 32%

of the maximum fine possible

and have spent a mere 14%

of the maximum jail time.

Most offenders never

even come to trial.

It has been said that

the greatness of a nation

and its moral progress

can be measured

by the way it treats

its animals.

Here in York County

it might also be measured

by the justice it seeks

for Avery Alan Ludlow

and his dog Red.

This is Carrie Donnel

reporting for KPZS...

So what do you think?

Well, I don't know

if it'll do any good,

but what you said,

you certainly said it well.

And that means a lot to me.

( man coughs )

( Carrie screams )

- Are you okay?

- Yeah.

( car engine revs )

Well, we certainly got

their attention.

Carrie:

Well.

This McCormack son of a b*tch

has got one long reach.

The D.A. is still declining

to prosecute.

After last night?

Well, there are no prints

on the rock or the note.

Anybody could have

done it.

- Nobody else had reason to.

- You know that and I know that.

The court's

a different story.

But that note implied a threat.

Maybe that'll help, Sam.

Not necessarily.

But what it could mean

is that Carrie had better

call into work ASAP.

Right.

( dialing )

So that's it?

No, we could still sue--

hire our own forensics man,

subpoena the shotgun.

Maybe they'd even settle.

But that's just money.

Yeah, just money.

So, uh, you want to

go ahead with this?

Of course I do!

You know I can't do this

for free, Ave.

But I'll try to keep

the cost down.

Thanks, Sam.

I appreciate it.

Oh come on, Barry.

We can't just lay down and let--

Yeah, but we're the only

division that has the freedom

to go after stories like this.

If we give into them now we're just--

( sighs )

Yes, yes.

No no, I understand.

Yeah.

Okay.

That was my editor.

Wants me to cover an apartment

building fire instead.

A goddamn fire that nobody

was injured in.

He got ordered off.

Yeah, damn right he did.

It's okay, Carrie.

It's not your fault.

I just can't

walk away from this.

But you have to.

I'm so sorry, Ave.

Okay.

Oh boy.

When I drink

I get so hungry.

You know what I could use?

I could use a piece of that

cherry pie right about now.

and speaking

of sweet things,

You know, I think that

waitress was sweet on you.

Who?

Gloria?

It's those eyes.

And of course now you've

been on television.

- You better look out.

- You're crazy.

Maybe you should have

some cherry pie,

soak up some

of that alcohol.

Thank you.

You know, Ave,

I'm just so disappointed.

I swore that I would

never let--

I've been suited for this job

from the very beginning

and I'm good at it.

I know what I want.

What about you, Ave?

What do you want

out of this life?

There must be something.

The truth?

The truth about what?

When I lost Mary...

all I had left of her was

a house, our store

and Red.

Those boys nearly took

all that away from me

and I...

I just need to make

some sense of it.

What if you can't find the

answers that you're looking for?

What if there's no answer?

How do you know when

to stop trying?

I learned one thing

during the war:

That you fight with

whatever you've got,

Whatever you can

lay your hands on...

and you never stop.

The minute you do,

that's the minute the world

rolls right over you.

This is Mary?

She was 53 there.

She was beautiful.

She never thought so.

Carrie:

Well, she was wrong.

She looked so young

for her age.

How old are you, Ave?

I ever ask you that?

- No.

- Well, then.

How come you don't have

any pictures of your sons?

I don't have any sons.

Yes you do,

Sam told me.

He shouldn't have.

We had Timmy late.

I was 48,

Mary was 42.

So it was a kind of surprise

to both of us.

We had to fix up the attic in

order to give him a bedroom.

He was a good boy.

An easy boy.

Favored Mary that way.

But the older boy, Billy,

had been different

right from the start.

He always had a way of turning

a good thing sour on himself.

He always had

a problem with lying,

here at home

and to other people.

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