Zero Effect Page #2

I'd have to go there?

I don't like it.

F*** it! Sure. Yeah.

Tell him I'll do it.

Wait. Don't you even want

to hear what it is?

What is it today?

What day is it?

Sunday.

I'll get on the plane to Portland...

...at 11:
15 tonight...

...arriving Portland at 1:32 am.

You'll give me the details on the way

to the airport tonight.

- Wait a minute. Tonight?

- Yeah. 10:
00.

Can't it wait till tomorrow?

I can have one night with Jess?

No, you'll go tomorrow...

...at 7:
36 a. M...

...because I need you to drive me

to the airport tonight...

...at 10:
00.

Do you want that low-cal breakfast?

My abilities are seriously impaired...

...maybe even disabled...

...right at the moment.

Because I got to...

...get to sleep right now.

- Daryl.

- I'll see you at 10:00.

Jess?

You're all wet.

I don't care.

- Thank you for the flowers.

- You're welcome.

You want to come in?

I'm glad you're back.

I'm glad to be back.

Where are you taking me tonight?

Jesus.

He wouldn't say what's in the box.

It sounds like some sort of financial

record, but he didn't want to tell me.

So whatever he's hiding,

he keeps it in a safe deposit box.

But then he keeps the key to the box

cleverly hidden on his key ring...

...with his car keys and his house keys?

I'm telling you what he said.

So anyway, about a year ago...

It'll be a year on the 12th...

...he loses his keys.

They had a gold-plated...

... Swiss Army knife attached.

A couple days pass.

- He gets a little panicky.

- Flight 2064 to Portland.

Harold Burges.

Then on June 23rd,

he gets a letter at the office.

Comes FedEx.

Stamped "Personal and Confidential."

Sender's name marked as

"Past Due Collections."

That's nice.

Laser-printed, not very long.

Starts out:
"Mr. Stark, I have evidence

linking you to your crime.

You may entertain notions of impunity.

But in the end everyone is culpable."

There's a succession of

$ 100,000 payments to be collected.

He gets letters

which lay out a maze...

... and at the end of the maze he makes

the drop. He's done it 7 times so far.

He gave me copies of the letters

which are in a file...

...that I'm putting in your briefcase

with the case file.

There's a drop tomorrow.

I said he should plan...

...to go through with it.

Good.

There's a lack-of-information

problem here, and he won't say much.

- What's wrong with these people?

- I said not to lie.

Eventually you always figure it out.

It just slows things down.

You mention the case

of the guy who lied about his age?

Of course.

Was he impressed?

Really impressed?

F***ing flabbergasted.

I think if you look truthfully

you'll see...

...you maybe moved in

with her prematurely.

What?

You heard me.

Your problems with Jess...

...aren't my fault.

Could we please

not talk about this now?

You're not ready to get married and

I think you should look at that and...

Please?

I'm thinking maybe I should get

in touch with Hodgemeyer for this case.

Reservation for Hodgemeyer...

...Mitchell...

...Hodgemeyer.

This guy will be a pain in the ass.

- Try to figure out which bank it is.

- All right.

We got one shot to break through this.

Tomorrow afternoon.

That's about the size of it.

Easy enough.

It's not without serious

reservation that I begin...

... the seemingly impossible task...

... of documenting my own methods.

It always seemed that...

... someone else should do it.

Unfortunately, my faithful

legal representative...

... has shown no interest whatsoever.

And so I am forced

to take on the task myself...

... with no intention...

... of glorifying or aggrandizing

or immortalizing my own memory...

... but rather in the hope...

... that such a memoir might someday...

... be useful to others.

I begin my examination...

... of the method.

I always say my work

relies fundamentally...

... on two basic principles:

Objectivity and observation.

Or the 2 Obs, as I call them.

My work relies on my ability

to remain absolutely...

... purely...

... objective.

Detached.

I have mastered...

... the fine art...

... of detachment.

And while it comes at some cost...

... this supreme objectivity is what

makes me...

... I dare say, the greatest observer

the world has ever known.

Observing a subject,

particularly a client...

... in his or her own element

is usually very telling.

Behavior is always more revealing

than language...

... if you know what to look for.

No rain. Would you believe it?

What? You talking to me?

I said, would you believe

it finally stopped raining?

What are you doing over there,

if you don't mind my asking? Level 8?

What?

Are you doing about an 8?

Seven.

Seven.

That's funny.

That's what I'm doing.

What?

Nothing. I didn't say anything.

Name's Carmine.

- Nick Carmine.

- Greg Stark.

Real pleasure to make

your acquaintance, Stark.

Likewise.

You're right, but remember...

...since Maxwell's gone,

we don't have a fast break.

No team's gotten to the finals

without a fast break.

The Celtics...

...of the mid-80's...

...had no fast break.

That's true.

They were a slow team.

One of the best shooting teams.

I know. I went to school in Cambridge.

The Starks are a long dynasty

of Celtic fans.

This is my good friend Gerald Auerbach.

Nick Carmine.

How was everything for you, Mr. Carmine?

Terrific.

Daisy, could I book

a massage for tomorrow morning?

Sure, no problem.

Betsy comes highly recommended.

Betsy is excellent.

How about 9:
00?

Betsy has an appointment

every morning at 9:00.

How about 10:
00?

That's the time I wanted.

- Sorry.

- It's all right. You beat me to it.

Are you a paramedic?

Yes. How did you know that?

Just a hunch.

What do you mean, just a hunch?

How did you know?

I'm very intuitive.

Give this lady the 10:00 massage.

You take it.

You need it more than I do.

What does that mean?

What'd she mean?

Who was that?

Her name is Gloria Sullivan.

She's not married.

Fantastic.

Wait at the end.

I really hope you're being followed.

You can't be too careful...

...because we need to talk now.

First of all...

...how was your trip?

Fine.

Good.

I just left Stark at the gym.

Some major revelations. Guy's a mess.

Somebody's holding something

serious over his head...

...and I don't think it's about money.

He doesn't move

like a white-collar criminal.

When he walks, his shoulders...

... ride at ear level.

Also, he cut himself shaving

These are symptoms

of a deeply ingrained paranoid fear.

Fear of being found out.

I get on the treadmill next to his and I

get my machine going at his exact pace.

I ask him what level he's running at.

I guess 8. He says level 7.

I'm running at the same speed he is.

Level 5.

He'd sooner lie to

a complete stranger...

... than to admit to being

As soon as I talk to him,

he runs the other way.

It's conditioning, though.

A reflex.

He obviously didn't think to connect me

to the blackmail business at all.

If he'd suspected me...

... he would have remembered my name,

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