The Interpreter Page #2

To escape the International Criminal Court.

Security Council was debating whether

to bring charges of ethnic cleansing,

so he'll come,

talk about free elections and reform

and pray that that appeases everyone.

So the stakes are high.

He's not going to cancel.

Tell me about the interpreter.

Born here, but lived mostly

in Africa and Europe.

She studied music in Johannesburg

and linguistics at the Sorbonne

and various countries in Europe.

Parents?

British mother, white African father.

Moved here five years ago.

Interview couldn't have taken long.

She's just what they want.

- She is the UN.

- Can she cook?

What else do we know?

Since the initial clearance.

Is she married?

Does she have a child?

Does she belong to any clubs?

Is she registered to vote?

Democrat? Republican?

What religion is she?

Who is she?

Silvia.

[They speak Spanish]

Secret Service Dignitary Protection Squad.

We're responsible for visiting heads of state.

- I don't recall seeing you around.

- They hire us for our forgettable faces.

- Is she on guard?

- Yes, ma'am.

Ma'am. Why is it you guys who carry guns

always sound like cowboys?

I don't concentrate on faces in my job.

But you listen to voices.

Do you think you could identify the voice?

Well, I'd say yes, if it were...

It was almost a whisper.

Whispers disguise the quality of a voice.

You, I imagine, study faces.

- You know, I'm not really a dignitary.

- I know.

How'd you happen to be up there after hours?

We had an evacuation.

I'd left some things in the sound booth.

And there just happened to be some fellas

talking about an assassination

in a language that you and eight other people

understand, in a room full of microphones.

Do you think I'm making it up?

Why would I report a threat I didn't hear?

- People do.

- I don't.

- Some people like attention.

- I don't.

- You don't want Zuwanie here.

- I didn't make it up.

- How do you feel about him?

- I don't care for him.

- Wouldn't mind if he were dead?

- If he were gone.

- Same thing.

- No, it isn't.

If I interpreted "gone" as "dead", I'd be fired.

If they were the same, there'd be no UN.

- Your profession is playing with words.

- I don't play with words.

- You're doing it now.

- You are.

If I wanted him dead, I wouldn't have

reported it. It's not what I want.

- That's not why I'm here.

- Here?

Working at the UN, instead of standing

on a road somewhere with a machine-gun.

- You believe in diplomacy?

- I believe in this place.

- I believe in what it tries to accomplish.

- Well, you've had a tough year, lady.

Listen.

I'm scared, and my protector

is someone who doesn't believe me.

You don't look scared.

People handle fear in different ways, Mr. Keller.

It turns some people into stand-up comedians.

You don't know me at all.

Maybe I should see about assigning someone

to look after me who's better suited to the job.

I don't look after you,

I look after the man who's been

threatened, if there was a threat.

My job, as it concerns you,

is to investigate you.

So you're not here to offer me

any protection whatsoever?

No, ma'am.

And we were getting along so well.

- So what do you think?

- She's a liar.

Agent Keller? Morning.

Special Agent Lewis, FBI. This is Agent King.

We're on loan.

So they have to be returned

in the same condition, or no refund.

- Keller.

- Woods.

- Are you sure you're ready to come back?

- I'm better working.

- We got a credible threat?

- We should assume so.

As popular as we are in the rest of the world,

the last thing we need is to have

a foreign leader get popped here,

particularly a guy like this that we don't like.

So State wants you to know, NSA, CIA, FBI,

whatever you need to keep this maniac's

heart beating till he gets out, it's yours.

- [phone rings]

- Woods.

[Caller indistinct]

[Dot] Zuwanie's head of security's arrived.

He wants a meeting right away.

[Tobin] He'll have to wait

till we get back from Washington.

- He's white. He was a Dutch mercenary.

- He'll still have to wait.

[Jon] It's hard to remember

that Zuwanie was once a good man.

That's not unusual for these guys.

They begin as liberators. 20 minutes later,

they're as corrupt as the tyrants they topple.

He liberated the country from one of

the most corrupt governments on earth,

gave the people hope, and was a hero.

They need another name for what he is now.

- Man likes his gun.

- He'll have it with him.

He knows he won't be scanned.

Who are his enemies?

Aside from the thousands of victims' relatives?

These two.

Both his opponents, both want his job.

On the right, Ajene Xola.

Son of a doctor, Paris-educated,

pacifist to begin with.

- Aren't they all?

- He managed longer than most.

- And the other?

- He has two names, he's always in the Post.

One name, twice. Kuman-Kuman.

He's been yelling about Zuwanie being

a madman and the UN not doing enough.

He's in exile in Brooklyn.

A socialist and a capitalist,

both gaining strength with the people,

both with the motivation to see Zuwanie gone.

- Gone?

- Dead.

But not just dead.

Dead in front of the delegates of 191 countries

and every news service with a camera.

- In front of the world.

- Nobody needs to be that dead.

In my opinion,

we're wasting tax dollars staying late.

It's a con.

- This is the interpreter?

- I need everything CIA has on her.

[Phone ringing]

[Answer machine:
Male French voice]

[Speaks French]

[Lud] So what do we make of this interpreter?

Is she making it up? Is she imagining things?

I'm looking for Mr. Lud.

- Is she pretty?

- I brought you a copy of her UN file.

Dr Zuwanie won't cancel his speech,

you know.

That's up to the GA President,

but you might want to think about it.

- Ms Broome has a Matoban passport.

- Excuse me?

She was born here, she was raised there,

so she has dual citizenship.

Are you serious?

Black or white?

No, thank you.

- Is she black or white?

- White.

- [Lud] Did you give her a polygraph test?

- [Tobin] Not yet, no.

Well, shouldn't you?

[Cell phone]

Hi, Ma.

Back off, you're too close. Way too close.

What are you, on a date?

Hey, you got the Kellers. We're out

having a good time, so leave a message.

[Female voice] Hey, you there?

Maybe I made a mistake.

Are you there?

Sh*t.

I told him I want to come back.

He's dropping me off at the airport now,

and I was wondering...

Anyway, you don't have to meet me.

Unless you want to.

I hope you haven't changed the locks.

[# Lyle Lovett:
If I Had a Boat]

# If I were Roy Rogers

I'd sure enough be single...

# It'd just be me and Trigger

We'd go riding through them movies #

They're ready for you.

I'll be right there.

- I'll be right there.

- OK.

Ms Broome.

- Can I get you anything?

- How about a hood?

- I want to split that.

- When do I know the results?

Right away.

You know when you're lying, don't you?

Look straight ahead, feet flat on the floor.

Is your name Silvia Broome?

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