The Grief Tourist Page #4

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I just wanted

to be the first person

to wish you

a Happy Birthday.

Night-night.

Yeah, I'm sorry I couldn't

be there today,

but I'm coming up to visit you

this weekend.

And we can go to six flags,

okay?

I love you, cookie.

Have a great day.

Love you.

Bye.

Man, over record: Lord of

our far-flung battle line.

Beneath whose awful hand

we hold dominion

over palm and pine.

Lord, God of hosts,

be with us yet

lest we forget,

lest we forget.

The tumult

and the shouting dies.

The captains and the kings...

(Sighing)

Whew.

Is it cold enough

in here, sweetie,

or you want me to turn it down

some more?

Damn Santa Ana's

got so hot today, huh?

No, this is fine.

I guess we don't want it

too cool, do we?

(Laughing):

No, we don't.

Why don't you

turn over for me, baby.

(Grunting)

Back massage

on my clients' backs first.

Yeah.

You got a nice one.

You work out.

Yeah, a little.

Yeah?

Yeah? Does that feel good?

Oh, yes.

Yeah, relax.

(Groaning and sighing)

That's really nice.

Oh, my God!

Get out!

You're a fag! You're a fag!

You think I'm a fag?

Huh? You think I f***ing

like that sh*t?

You disgust me!

Oh!

F***ing whore!

(Yelping)

Sick.

I f***ing hate it!

(Grunting)

F***ing whore!

F***ing b*tch!

F*** you!

(Exhaling)

You think it was

an accident? Huh?

Me ending up

being roomed next door to you?

It's no accident.

That's him.

That's God

f***ing with me again!

I didn't ask

for this sh*t!

You made those kids

do that to me.

F*** you!

(Crickets softly chirring)

(Gasping weakly)

(Gurgling)

This is what it's like

to be a victim.

(Faintly exhaling)

Well...

You preached the sermon.

Jim:

What'd it feel like?

Carl:

You only got about 40 seconds

once you cut it.

I just close my eyes.

Ain't got to do nothing

but be there.

Jim:
I felt like an engine

with a million Miles on it.

Carl:

That's how it is, Jim.

That is the true telling

of a thing like this.

Female newscaster:

We are getting breaking news

from our affiliate

in California.

We're going to correspondent

Rachel marden

in ventura county.

Rachel?

Rachel:

Law enforcement have worked

at bringing to justice

a killer

who has been preying on

and murdering

six transsexual

prostitutes.

Police have begun a state-wide

manhunt for this man:

James tahna.

Police have searched

the man's room,

and they think they have

the name of someone

they are now calling

a person of interest.

Male newscaster:

Police say they have witnesses

who say they saw a man

badly beat a prostitute

at a nearby hotel and put her

in the trunk of his...

Female newscaster:

The grief tourist's moniker

comes from the fact that

the killer had left the bodies

at the murder sites

of other serial killers,

even leaving behind a picture

of the other killers

as sort of a signature.

Well, the grief tourist

seems to have struck again.

Male reporter:
This spot,

the church behind me,

is significant because it was

the site of what locals call

the seventh-day adventist

church massacre,

which refers to a church

which was burnt down

by infamous mass murderer

Carl marznap in 1968.

Carl:
People, they...

they come here to see this.

Now people's gonna

come here to see it,

the spot where you...

Jim:

Come here to see me.

Carl:
They going to

come to the hotel room.

Jim:

My hotel room.

Carl:
The spot where you killed her.

Jim:
The spot where I killed the whore.

And then they'll go

to the spot where I worked.

And they're going to want

to know everything about me.

(Crow cawing)

(Door hinge creaking)

All the bullshit's

almost over, Jimmy.

You had no say about the way

you was born.

But you got all the say

about the way it's going to end.

Yeah.

And when they think

of Jim tahna,

they goin' to fear him.

Hey? They're not gonna think

of the victim he was.

They're gonna think

of the victims he made.

Yeah.

That's it, Jim.

(Wheezing softly)

That's it, Jim.

It's all over now.

(Flies softly buzzing)

(Birds chirping)

Announcer, over radio:

Time, weather and...

(Radio dial turning)

Talk show host:
We're talking

this morning about this tahna guy

they found out there

in California.

Man 1:
I'm from

yonkers. I got kids here.

I got my family out here.

And I just wish I could have

grabbed my...

Woman 1:

He was abused as a child.

Man 2:

I think it's very clear

that tahna and marznap

were both victims of abuse.

And this is what's possible

when victims of abuse

do not receive...

Man 3:
Some people are looking

at this as a hate crime.

Man 1:

Obviously it's a hate crime.

You know, he's hating somebody.

I mean, he's killing somebody.

If it's a hate crime,

you know, whatever...

It's very, very freaky

being here.

It's like you can

feel him.

His energy.

It's wild.

My hair's standing up.

I love it.

(Tapping)

(Traffic ambience)

(Car horn honking)

(Police siren blaring)

(Instrumental "aloha oe" playing)

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