The Making of 'The Number 23' Page #4

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on the 23rd of january.

It's all 23.

"She didn't understand,

Which was fine because neither did I.

All I knew was

The number had gone

after suicide blonde,

Isabel lydia hunt.

Now it was coming after me."

I can speak to Fabrizia if you like.

"I believe he said

it in total innocence at the time.

But looking back..."

I can speak to Fabrizia if you like.

"...I wish I had reacted differently."

"I should have realized the truth.

I know it's absurd,

- But even the color of his tie betrayed him."

Do you know what pink is?

Red 27, white 65.

Pink has four letters.

twenty-F***ing-Three!

In the meantime, I can

speak to Agatha if you like.

Paranoia. 23 is very good at this...

paranoia, paranoia.

In the meantime, I can speak to Agatha

If you like.

...of an axis of 23. When you

tell them it's actually 23.5,

They say five is simply two plus three.

In the meantime,

I can speak to Agatha

- If you like.

"Chapter 21..."

Oh, god!

Ag!

Oh, god! Oh, god!

It's a nightmare. It's a nightmare.

It's a nightmare. It's

gonna be all right.

No!

No!

Ag, I don't want you

To be worried.

I just need one night to clear my head.

Please don't give up on me.

Your loving dog-Catching husband,

Walter.

Why that street?

Why that hotel?

Like it was my choice.

- Morning.

- What can I do for you?

Yeah, um, I'd, um...

Like a room.

Sign the register.

What about 23?

We've been experiencing some

plumbing problems with 23.

Chapter

Tropic of capricorn.

It wasn't

the happiest of endings.

It wasn't an ending at all.

After chapter 22, there was nothing

But the question.

Did the number live to kill another day?

The number had gone after fingerling.

- And now it was coming after me.

You.

It's all your fault. If

you hadn't made me late...

all right, this suits me fine.

A place to rest in peace.

Yes!

I got you, you son of a b*tch.

It's okay, boy.

You'll get up in a couple

of hours with a bad headache.

That's all.

Not so tough now, are

you, nasty evil dog?

Ned.

L, m,

n-- 14.

A, b, c, d, e...

sh*t.

Ned, Ned!

I'm father sebastian.

I trust there's an explanation for this.

He's just sleeping, father.

I'm an animal control officer.

- Is this your dog?

- It belongs to barnaby, my gardener.

Don't worry, barnaby, he's

all right. He's just sleeping.

- Why did you name him Ned?

- He didn't.

He-- He took Ned

in as a stray.

He likes graveyards. He

sits and watches the stones

Like he was watching over them.

That's how he got his

nickname-- Guardian of the dead.

Lately it's been this one.

Oh, no way.

What's wrong, son?

She died on her 23rd birthday.

Well, we can only assume.

- What?

- That she died.

They never found her body.

This is only a marker.

- Where have you been?

- Library. It's not just a book.

It's true, the number

screws with your mind,

Makes you do...

terrible things.

Perhaps I should be going.

No, I want you to see this, all of you.

There was a college girl named

laura tollins who was murdered.

They never found her body,

But her bed was soaked in so much blood.

This is the man who

killed her, kyle flinch.

Police found a murder

weapon, a butcher's knife,

With his prints all over it.

Well, Walter, this was

nearly 15 years ago.

Ag, he wasn't just her psychology

professor. They were lovers.

Everything they did together sexually

Was exactly like the

characters in the book.

He said it was her

idea to buy the knife.

She wanted to fake an attack.

Kyle flinch is topsy kretts.

The book is his...

warped literary confession.

Agatha said a-A dog told you this.

Ned isn't just a dog.

He's the guardian of the dead.

But what about all these 23s

In-In-In your name

and everything?

- Is it all just a coincidence?

- I don't know.

But I know who can tell me.

Well, you're two days early.

You knew I would come?

Reporters always come on the 10th.

The day you killed laura tollins.

The day she was taken from me.

I'm not a reporter. My

name is Walter sparrow.

I was born february 3rd.

Happy belated birthday.

February 3rd. 2/3.

- Yeah.

- Don't pretend you don't know,

Topsy kretts. I read your book.

Tell me about the number.

Is that why you killed her?

I need to know. You have to tell me.

What happened to you? I'm

afraid it's happening to me.

What happened to me?

You want to know the worst

thing about being in prison?

Your family, your sister, your parents,

They come to visit you.

Over time, though, the visits get less

And your sister stops coming at all.

Then you start to notice your

mother won't look you in the eye.

Pretty soon, she stops coming too.

Eventually,

your--

Your father tells you your

sister had a breakdown...

unable to deal with having a murderer

For a brother.

Now there's tears in his

eyes when he says this,

But he's not sad.

He's angry.

That's the last time you ever see him.

I didn't kill laura.

I loved her.

And I didn't write a

book about a number.

You're lying.

I'm in prison for a crime I

did not commit, mr. Sparrow.

But somehow I think your

problems are bigger than mine.

F***ing liar!

No. Yeah, no.

If I was to write a book,

I wouldn't use a ridiculous

name like "top secrets."

He was real convincing

about his innocence.

Well, killers usually are.

His fingerprints were on the knife.

Her blood was on his

hands when he dialed 911.

- No, he's innocent.

All because his name

doesn't add up to 23?

The real killer, the

author, he's still out there.

I have to find him.

Wait, I--I--I--I know

how you can find him.

Last night w-when

I was reading the book,

I found a p.O. Box address in the back.

- Are you sure you don't want anything in this?

- Just the snow.

- When do you want it to get there?

- Tomorrow morning.

- It'll have to go express.

- Fine.

Is that all?

No no, we

want a--

We want 23 of them.

I dreamt that I killed you, ag.

- Fingerling had the

same dream about-- - Shh.

I'm going with you today.

And all this is gonna come to an end.

You wouldn't hurt me, Walter.

You wouldn't hurt anyone ever.

How do you know?

There's your boxes, kiddo.

Now we'll see if somebody shows up.

This may not be the author.

He may not even be a man.

Well, we'll know soon enough.

- Walter, look.

- Huh?

Somebody's gone in.

That's him. I-It's gotta be him.

- You think?

- Yeah, I mean, look at him.

It's gotta be him.

Game's over, topsy kretts.

You sh--

Should be dead.

You should be dead!

- Walter, no!

- I'm calling the cops!

Stop! Who are you?

The number, what does it mean?

I think you know.

- Oh my god. Get an ambulance!

- Watch out!

- Dear god.

- Get an ambulance!

Don't you die on me.

You hear me? Don't you die.

Walter, please.

He's the only person that can

help us get back to normal.

Honey, you're not helping, okay?

Now I want you to

take Robin and go home.

This man needs a hospital.

- I'll take care of it.

- But he knows, hon.

Take Robin and go home.

I said I'll take care of it.

He knows.

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