Twilight Page #3

Ain't that the truth. Remember

Mexico, pally? Mel's little friend?

You see? I've been taking lessons

like you told me.

Excuse me, but did we not agree

you weren't gonna show your face?

I know what I'm doing, OK?

Smart. Real smart.

Know where I've been taking lessons?

In jail.

Yuma, Arizona.

Ever been to Yuma?

Well, that's where they put me

after your friend, Mr Jack Ames,

had me arrested

for transporting a minor.

You can learn to kick ass in Yuma.

Is this gonna take all night?

OK. Come on.

I need you to wake up, pally.

I want you to tell Mr Ames...

...that this is just a down payment

on what he owes me.

Can you remember that, pally?

Huh?

- Are you finished?

- Yes, I'm finished.

Did we or did we not make a plan?

What's the point of a plan if you're

gonna say "f*** it" when it suits you?

Why are you always so negative?

Oh, sh*t!

Hey, chief! Wake up!

Wake up, man.

You can't stay here,

the tide is coming in.

Harry, it's me, your old partner.

Somebody beat the sh*t outta you.

Lucky I came along

or you'd have drowned.

But I saved your life.

Don't worry, you can thank me later.

I'm sitting in the parking lot at the pier,

I'm on a job, some kid's sweet-sixteen

party, and who do I see?

- My old partner, Harry Ross.

- We were never partners!

This is the story of how I saved

your life. Don't interrupt.

Where was I? Oh, yeah...

I'm sitting there waiting,

I see you on the beach

needing some back-up.

- So I'm cool and pick my spot to...

- Do what?

I wait. Just like you taught me.

After a while, two people come out

from under the pier,

and there was no sign of you,

so I think to myself,

"This doesn't look so good,"

so I go down and there you were.

- That's when I saved your life.

- Let me get this straight...

I was getting the sh*t kicked outta me...

...and you were up

in the parking lot waiting?

And you call that back-up?

- I got a good look at them.

- I got a better look than you did.

When will you realise that I'm not

a private investigator any more?

Man, you can't just quit.

You were the best!

The greatest!

OK, maybe not the greatest,

but you were good, man.

- We were a hell of a team.

- We were never a team.

I gave you some leg work,

which you usually screwed up!

That does not make us a team.

Listen, Harry, let me in on this case.

I can't take this job any more.

If it's not the freeways,

it's the dispatches or the clients...

- Where are the kids?

- What kids?

The sweet-sixteen kids.

Ay, carajo!

You think they're still there?

I would look.

Listen, boss, you ever get into a jam,

need some back-up again,

you give me a call...

any time, day or night.

I'm your man.

Nice place you got here.

Glad you like it.

I have to hand it to you, you always

manage to land on your feet.

Verna, I live over the garage!

Jack Ames owns the place.

I just work here.

You need stitches.

I brought his daughter back

from Mexico two years ago. I was in...

...pretty bad shape,

so he let me hole up here.

Then he got sick,

and I was helping out...

That's the best I can do.

Actually, there's more to it than that.

It's time I was leaving.

That's that actress.

- Catherine Hayward, right?

- Yeah.

She used to be married to that actor...

He disappeared. What's his name?

- Billy Sullivan. It was 20 years ago.

- Yeah, that was it.

Bet she doesn't look like this any more.

Hey, she's...

She's OK.

OK, Harry... what are your plans?

- Got no plans.

- Come on, what are you gonna do?

Back to work?

Renew your licence? What?

Verna!

I was a cop for 20 years.

I was a private investigator for five.

I started out...

...with a wife and daughter,

and I ended up a drunk.

I slept in the office and showered at the

YMCA. Think I wanna go back to that?

Besides, I'm getting rusty,

I'm a danger to myself.

I know.

What's that supposed to mean?

- You used to be a better liar.

- Really?

Lester Ivar didn't have asthma.

He had emphysema, which you'd

have known if you'd worked for him.

Sorry, but we'll have to question

Jack Ames. His wife, too.

- He's really sick.

- Come on, this is a murder case.

Lester Ivar was the investigating officer

when Billy Sullivan disappeared.

Lester Ivar was on the force

for 30 years!

He must've had a thousand cases

like this. Why's this special?

You, Harry. You're the guy

who showed up at Ivar's house.

You're the guy who led me here.

Like you say...

...you're getting rusty.

The only person I could think of who

might help me was Raymond Hope.

Plus he owed me. Or I owed him,

I couldn't figure out which.

It was Raymond who pulled me off

the bar stool I lived on for 2 years,

and introduced me to the Ameses.

Seen in a certain light,

everything that had happened

since then was his fault.

Maybe I'd tell him that.

You always were a show-off,

Raymond!

Harry? I almost peed on one of my

few remaining friends in the world.

Hotshot!

Your sprinkler fritzed

or are you just lazy?

You know better than to...

Jesus! Look at you.

Well... somebody disagreed with me

from behind.

No sh*t! Let's go find him

and disagree back!

- You any tougher than you look?

- Hell, yes!

- At least I used to be.

- I used to be.

- We all used to be.

- Then, have a drink.

- Bourbon?

- Ginger ale, if you've got one.

Do I look like a man

who'd have a ginger ale?

- Water.

- That I can handle.

- Is it gonna bother you if I drink?

- Go ahead.

A nice place you got here.

Sure beats Los Feliz.

You're up above the smog.

Well, I like to think I'm up above

a lot of things since I retired.

So, you're playing things

pretty close to your vest.

Are you in trouble?

Nothing I can't handle.

- Just...

- Jack? I figured that much.

And you want to talk to me

about Jack and Lester Ivar?

OK.

You know Ivar was the investigating

officer when Billy Sullivan killed himself.

Suicide? They never found a body.

LA Times called it suicide,

that's good enough for me.

- But not good enough...

...for Lester Ivar.

He never believed in good luck.

Billy's suicide was good luck

for Jack and Catherine.

Him out of the way,

they can get married.

Lester couldn't believe the way

it all worked out so smooth.

I have never been a great believer

in luck, not to explain things.

Anyway, he's dead now. End of story.

It would be, if he hadn't passed

those suspicions on to Verna.

Forgive me, Harry, but it sounds like

he passed them on to you.

By the way... I...

I heard a rumour I didn't want

to believe was true, so...

...thought I'd ask you directly.

I heard that when you were in Mexico

bringing the Ames's kid back,

she... she...

...she shot your pecker off.

Harry?

Harry?

Harry!

No... I'm fine.

But thanks, that explains a lot.

I'm glad to hear it.

Keep me posted, huh?

Like you said, Jack and I go way back.

If there's anything I could do, I would.

Harry... I'm glad nobody shot

your pecker off.

Me, too!

Me, too.

How are you feeling?

My husband had a heart attack and

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