Secret Window Page #3

Are you staying in town tonight?

Yeah, some motel out by Route 9.

Irv's Lakesider, I think it's called.

You know the place?

- Yeah, I know the place.

- Okay.

Good night.

Hello?

Sh*t.

I know you're in there, shithead!

If you don't come out

by the time I count to five...

...I'm gonna come in swinging.

One.

Two!

I killed a mirror.

And my shower door.

I don't care. I'm just gonna smoke.

I'm just gonna totally smoke.

I'll finish these, go to the store...

I'll finish these, go to the store...

...get a brand-new pack,

smoke the sh*t out of that one.

Thought you didn't smoke.

I took it up recently for my health.

How are you, Mr. Rainey?

Oh, I'm just peachy, Mr. Shooter.

How are you?

Well, it sounded like you pitched a fit

or something in there.

I don't think you're really

all that well.

Stealing from another man, that don't

seem to have ever bothered you none.

Being caught up on, though.

Or maybe it's just that

successful writers like you...

...throw tantrums when things

don't go the way they expect.

Why didn't you get that magazine?

You were down there at

her house today, weren't you?

If I get this story

and I show it to you...

...will you then kindly disappear?

There isn't any magazine

with that story in it, Mr. Rainey.

You and me, we know that.

Okay, then.

What can we do to make you

feel better?

I want you to fix it.

What would you like me to fix?

My ending.

The one you wrecked.

I can't decide what's worse...

...stealing my story

or ruining the ending.

Mine was perfect.

- I don't think I read your whole story.

- Oh, I bet you did.

"I know I can do it,

Todd Downey said...

...helping himself to another ear

of corn from the steaming bowl.

'I'm sure that in time...

...her death will be a mystery

even to me."

That's how the story ends, pilgrim.

It's the only ending.

You're going to write it for me

and get it published.

And it's gonna have my name on it.

I'd be more than happy to write your

ending, Mr. Shooter.

Saw that wife of yours

coming out of the house.

- She's purty.

- My wife?

Why don't we just

leave her out of this.

Would if I could...

...but I'm starting to think you ain't

gonna leave me that option.

You want to wake up from

one of your stupid naps...

...and find Amy nailed

to your garbage bin?

Or turn on the radio some morning

and hear she came off second-best...

...in a match with the chain saw

you keep out in the shed?

Do you?

You can't get away with it.

I know what you did...

...and I ain't quitting

until right gets put right.

- Is that you, John Wayne?

- Mort?

Are you there? Mort?

Yes, Amy, I'm here.

Just lower your voice a little.

- What is it?

- Where have you been?

I've been trying to get ahold of you

all night and this morning.

I was asleep.

Oh, great, so you unplugged

the phone?

How may I assist you, Amy?

Oh, God, Mort.

What happened? What?

Someone burned down our house.

That's what happened, okay?

- What?

- Someone burned down our house!

Bye, babe.

Pardon me, miss.

- You left $100 on the dresser.

- Shut up!

Surely the escort service told

you I was three.

Please.

Some guys are less, some guys

are 100 if you like that kind of thing.

Some guys are less than that,

but I'm three. I happen to be three.

There's something

on your mouth there.

Bye.

Mort!

- Hi.

- Hi.

- I'm really sorry about all this, Amy.

- So am I.

Me too.

Thank you, Ted.

- Mr. and Mrs. Rainey?

- Yes.

- You the owners?

- Yes, we are. We were the owners.

Were the owners?

What do you mean?

You don't own it anymore?

Were Mr. and Mrs. Rainey.

Are the owners.

- I'm Steven Bradley, Riverdale P.D.

- How do you do? Ted Milner.

- This is Fire Chief Wickersham.

- Chief.

We won't keep you long. The insurance

investigator needs to see you at 3.

You're victims of arson. The fire was

started by an incendiary device...

...made with a champagne bottle

and a couple of quarts of gasoline.

Oh, that really works, then, eh?

So first question:

Enemies. You got any?

- No. No one.

- No, no. Not a soul.

Bother you if I answer

one or two of these, Ted?

It's okay. It's cool.

Yeah.

I have an enemy.

Sorry I wasn't there to meet you

this morning.

I spent last night poking around the

site with a flashlight and a Polaroid.

Oops. Broke one of my own rules.

I don't like to call it "the site."

It wasn't a site, it was a house.

Your house,

and I'm sorry for your loss.

Thank you very much, Mrs. Evans.

It still says "Mrs."? Fran is fine.

These meetings are hard.

People in your situation

are already upset...

...and quite often

they see an investigator...

...as an accusation that they've

torched their own property.

And in this case, you've given us

a plausible suspect...

...who we'll investigate aggressively

along with the police.

But in the meantime, that's a list of

your claimed insurable property.

Read it and sign an affidavit swearing

that the items still belong to you...

...and that they were inside

when the fire occurred.

I'm told there was a separation

of residence recently...

...so that last bit will be important.

We're going through a divorce.

It's not final yet.

Well, the settlement agreement's

all done.

Everything's been negotiated...

...we're just waiting for it

to be signed by both parties.

I moved out about six months ago...

...and just hadn't gotten around to

hauling all the stuff out yet, so...

Been down that road. Sucks.

These things just have to follow

their natural course.

Things will wrap up when everybody's

ready for that to happen.

That's been my feeling.

In the meantime,

do the best you can with the list.

Thanks.

Do you actually intend

to rubberneck?

I hardly think my concern could be

construed as rubbernecking.

Amy, he's rubbernecking.

I'm not gonna freak out about this,

but, I mean, this is our stuff.

No. All right. He's right.

- This is our stuff.

- He's right. He's right, Ted.

He is right. The law says you have

no right to see the listed items at all.

We wink at things like this if nobody

minds, but it seems Mr. Rainey does.

Yes. Mr. Rainey minds a lot.

Would it help matters

if I took a walk around the block?

- Yes, thanks.

- Sure.

Oh, heck, Ted, live a little.

Make it two.

Rubbernecker.

Mort.

- Wait. I need to ask you something.

- What?

This guy, Shooter. His story. I mean,

is this situation like the other time?

I'm sorry. I wouldn't bring it up,

but it did happen once before.

Look, that is the only time I've ever

done anything remotely like that.

I paid the guy everything he wanted.

Never happened before or since.

- Okay. Okay.

- Okay.

- Amy.

- What?

Only you, me and the lawyers

know about that, right?

Right.

Because you haven't said

anything to Ted. Surely not.

No.

- Have you said something to Ted?

- Come on!

Well, do I have timing or what?

Yes, you do.

Sorry you had to miss that.

I know how much you like my things.

- Oh, Jesus.

- You and me are gonna have a talk.

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