The Big Easy Page #5

meet you in the flesh.

I know all about you, Lamar.

You're the man that

got the governor acquitted.

I know you're going to to

do a fine job defending my Remy.

Yeah, mama, yeah.

Of course, you know

about his outstanding record

and the citations they gave him?

Did he ever tell you

about saving the drowning boy?

The baby was in the water.

Hey, where you at?

Who is that?

That's the prosecuting

attorney, mama.

Yeah, ain't she cute?

Oh, yeah.

Oye, oye, oye,

criminal district court,

section 8, city of New Orleans,

is now in session.

The Honorable

Jim Garrison presiding.

What occurred next?

I saw George Joel hand

the defendant the white envelope.

I saw it very clearly.

And what did the defendant do?

He accepted the envelope.

And from the balcony

you weren't able

to hear the conversation

between this George Joel

and the defendant,

isn't that the case?

Yes, sir.

You testified there were eight

$50 bills in the envelope?

That's correct.

Can you produce this money

in court?

Sir, the defendant dropped

the money

in the center of

the crowded bar.

It was clear the people

in the bar took it,

but we just couldn't search

everybody that was there.

Thank you.

Mr. Joel,

did the defendant promise

that these uniformed officers

would stop harassing you?

Yeah, if I'd pay him,

he would.

What would happen if you did

not make this payment?

If I don't pay,

the police close me down.

Oh!

Have you ever been arrested?

The prosecution stipulates the witness

is currently under indictment.

I'm sure I don't have to remind

the court that clergymen

and bankers are seldom

witnesses at criminal trials.

Is it not true that you would say

anything the prosecution wanted

to avoid being sent to prison?

- Yeah.

- Objection!

- I mean no.

- Sustained.

Lieutenant, you said you went

to the tavern to see an informer?

Yes, ma'am.

Now if you were engaged in

your duties as a police officer,

why did you run away from

the Internal Affairs officer?

He did not identify

himself as a police officer.

I thought he was a mugger.

Were you armed?

Yes, ma'am.

And you ran away from a mugger?

I was calling for assistance,

which is proper police procedure.

Was it also proper police procedure

to chew and swallow the envelope

that Mr. Joel gave to you?

What envelope?

Lieutenant, earlier today

officer Crinky swore under oath

that he saw you accept

an envelope from Mr. Joel.

Were you here for that testimony?

Yes, ma'am.

Are you calling your fellow

officer a liar, lieutenant?

No, I just don't know what

envelope you're talking about.

The envelope Mr. Joel gave

you containing eight $50 bills.

Objection, your honor.

Counsel is drawing conclusions.

Sustained.

The $50 bills you threw in the air,

the envelope you ate!

Objection!

Sustained.

I have no further questions.

The witness may step down.

Your honor, tomorrow the prosecution

will present a video tape

that will not only corroborate

every state's witness,

but will refute every statement

the defendant has made.

And show that in addition

to the crime charged,

the defendant has per jured

himself before this court.

(gavel banging)

This court is adjourned until

10 o'clock tomorrow morning.

(phone ringing)

It's 3:
00 in the morning.

Yes, but this is McCabe;

sorry to bother you.

But somebody just blew

up Carmine Tandino's warehouse,

- With him in it.

- No kidding!

There's another body too,

nobody knows him.

- Maybe you can make him.

- I'll be right down.

I don't think

you better come down here.

Deputy Soup is talking

to the TV guys.

Film at 11:
00, huh?

Meet us at the morgue in an hour.

Hey, it's a free country,

isn't it?

I'll meet you at

the scene in 15 minutes.

(radio playing)

(phone ringing)

Anne Osborne.

Carmine Tandino was

just killed at his warehouse

down on the Third Street wharf.

I thought you would want to know.

Hey, Remy.

Pssst, come here,

come here.

Oh, Remy, I told you not to come.

I'm not here; where are the bods?

This way.

It looks like the killer

set a fire to destroy the bodies.

The fire explodes

a drum of paint thinner,

and the explosion

blows out the fire.

(glass breaking)

How did you identify Tandino?

Oh, yeah,

he had a glass eye, way to go!

Ain't that a beautiful shooter.

This is the guy we can't make.

He must have been hiding

here when they killed Tandino.

Oh god!

Hey, I know him,

that's Tandino's older brother.

I didn't know he had a brother.

Yeah, the poor guy's retarded.

The family kept him at home.

He did a little work

sweeping up the warehouse.

Oh man, now

they're killing retards.

Then why ain't you dead?

This is where they work up-

watch your step!

...the Mardi Gras stuff

and all that.

Some of these...

Hold it.

You okay?

Who does this remind you of?

That's for the World's Fair.

They got about 10

or 12 pieces of the thing.

Let me show you this one

cause when I was a kid we used...

Wait, hey!

Miss Osborne, are you sure

that you want to see this?

What the hell is this

man doing here?

What the hell is this man

doing here?

Better yet, what are you doing here?

Yeah, what are you doing here?

I got an anonymous call.

Anne.

They ripped the heart

right out of his chest.

Why would they do a

thing like that?

- Voodoo.

- Daddy Mention.

The heroin dealer?

And voodoo priest.

That's Daddy Mention's thing.

Yeah, the heart of

your enemy makes you strong.

So, what you're saying

is that Daddy Mention

killed Carmine Tandino?

Supporting your theory that Tandino

murdered Daddy Mention's

men the other night.

What we got here

is a cute little drug war.

Doesn't satisfy you,

Miss Osborne?

Not particularly, no.

I'll see you in

court tomorrow, McSwain.

That's a woman for you,

Jack, never satisfied.

Order in the court.

All remain seated.

What's her problem?

It seems her key piece of evidence

was erased when a powerful magnet

was placed beside it

in the police property room.

Really?

What, the video tape?

Unusable?

New Orleans is a marvelous

environment for coincidence.

Your honor, because

the key piece of evidence

has been suspiciously tampered with,

the state is compelled to drop its

charges against Lieutenant McSwain.

The defendant is ordered

released and bond is vacated.

Court is adjourned.

All right!

(cheering)

Great job!

Lamar, Lamar.

Wonderful!

I told you I'd get him off.

(singing in cajun)

Miss Osborne.

Yes.

Would you come with me, please.

What, where?

I really can't tell you right now.

Is this supposed to be a joke?

No, it's no joke, my friend.

Well, am I under arrest?

What are the charges?

Well, you were jaywalking

over there,

and when you ran across the bridge,

that's trespassing.

And that I'm going

to call resisting arrest.

You don't happen to be a relative

of Remy McSwain's by any chance?

Look, Cher,

listen to your uncle Solse,

put your pretty face in the car.

I thought so.

(singing in cajun)

Whooo!

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