Sleepers Page #9

---

What are you saying, Mike?

I'm saying it's time for all of us to get a taste.

I'm saying it's time to put an end to this.

Let's walk.

So, I asked for the case.

I told them I was from the same neighborhood as the accused...

...knew the mentality of the area, blah, blah, blah...

They bought it.

And the connection between John, Tommy and Nokes?

What connection? All juvenile records are destroyed after seven years.

We were never at Wilkinson's.

We gotta go after the guards. I gotta get Wilkinson's.

Bring it all down.

Adam Styler, plain-clothes cop, works narcotics in Queens.

Known to shake down dealers for dope and cash. He's got a cocaine problem.

Other personal information there.

Henry Addison now works for the Mayor, if you can f***ing believe that.

He's a Community Outreach Director in Brooklyn.

His sexual habits haven't changed. He still likes sex with young boys.

Ralph Ferguson works in a Social Service agency in Long Island.

How long have you been working on this, Mike?

He's recently divorced, got one child, and on weekends...

...teaches Catholic Sunday school.

Well, he seems clean then, right?

That's exactly why I want the piece of sh*t.

The plan is to call Ferguson in as a character witness.

Get him talking about his best friend, Sean Nokes.

Once I got him on the stand, I'm gonna open the door to Wilkinson's.

Mike, are you sure you want to go this way?

I mean, we buried this a long time ago.

Do you still sleep with the light on?

John and Tommy, do you want them to know anything about this?

No, it'll play better in court if they don't know.

The 'not guilty' verdict had to be a verdict that no one would dare question.

Danny Snyder was to remain as Tommy and John's attorney.

Michael's plan relied heavily on Hell's Kitchen...

...to deliver information and keep quiet.

Both were skills the Neighborhood had in abundance.

We'd set up a simple method of communication.

If Michael was sending, messages were left at work...

...for me to call my non-existent girlfriend, "Gloria".

If I needed to get word to Michael, I'd have someone from the neighborhood...

...pick up an early edition of the New York Times...

...write the word "Edmund" in the upper right hand corner of the Metro section...

...and drop it in front of Michael's apartment.

For this plan to succeed...

...we needed total secrecy of the only people we completely trusted.

The plan depended on keeping Michael alive...

...which meant that word had to get to John and Tommy's killing crew...

...that he was not an open target.

After this night, Michael would not be available to any of us.

The only time we would see him would be in court.

-That's it? -Not quite.

We've got four witnesses who saw the shooting and are willing to testify.

Gotta get that number down.

-I'll talk to King Benny. -Good.

I can handle two, but... you gotta get us one for our side.

-One of what? -One witness.

A witness who'll put John & Tommy elsewhere on the night of the murder.

A witness they can't touch.

Don't they have a name for that?

A judge would call it perjury.

And what are we calling it?

A favor.

Get up!

-Tony! -Yeah, King?

Bring Danny Snyder to see me.

Who? Danny Snyder, the lawyer?

You know more than one Danny Snyder?

Bring me the one you know.

I can't do this now, you gotta know that. It's been a long time for me.

You need somebody younger, you know. Somebody like I used to be.

Younger is not better.

Doesn't have experience, doesn't know its way around a courthouse.

Yeah, I'm lucky I can find the courthouse.

I had only four cases last year. You know how many I won?

None. That's how many. None.

In two of them, I think the...

...the jury blamed me personally.

They must've been innocent.

It's tough to get innocent men off a rap.

I wasn't even planning on going to court with this one.

I was just gonna plea it down best I could and walk away.

I wasn't planning on taking this to trial, sir.

Well, your plans have been changed.

Well, I am afraid that I'll make a mistake and say the wrong thing...

...make a wrong turn somewhere. And you don't want to take that risk.

Life is risk.

I'm sorry.

Life is risk.

Life is a risk?

I haven't been in here before.

What do you need me to do?

You're gonna be given the answers and the questions.

All you have to do is read. You can read, can't you?

Is it in English?

Just don't drift, don't drink, and don't lose.

What if I do lose?

Then you'll go down for the dirt nap.

Never heard that expression before.

Dirt nap.

I'm not really cut out for this anymore. I mean, a guy gets hit by a bus...

...and sues, I like that.

Some lady slips in a supermarket... I'm with her.

The discussion is over.

I'm an alcoholic. This is a murder case. This isn't for me.

It was once.

Before you let the drink lead.

Be sober by tomorrow. And don't look so worried, Snyder.

You've got nothing to lose... just like the rest of us.

I don't want to be a burden to you, but l...

...along with my alcohol problem, I have a slight drug problem.

I mean, nothing big.

Go away.

Within days of Michael taking the case...

...the West Side Boys got a visit from King Benny.

The King requested that the verbal abuse directed towards Michael continue.

"Traitor" and "gutter rat" were heard up and down the avenue.

Rate this script:2.0 / 1 vote