1 (DARK MUSIC) MAN: Are you wasting my time, Bourdette? Are you wasting my time? MAN 2: If they find out I'm talking to you, they'll... ..they'll kill me. MAN 1: Tell me how it works. No, this is...this is wrong. This is a mistake. Whoa, whoa. You're doing the right thing, the brave thing. Please, sit down. What does, "The hungry rabbit jumps" mean? (STARTS ENGINE) (TYRES SQUEAL) Ohh! (ENGINES REV) Arggh! Ohh... Stop! Arggh! (MAN SCREAMS) (CAR ALARMS BLARE) (UPBEAT JAZZY MUSIC PLAYS) PERSON: Beads! Throw us some beads! -(JOYFUL MUSIC) -(PEOPLE CHEER AND CLAMOUR) (MEN PLAY CHEERFUL TUNE ON HORNS) (WOMEN CHEER AND YELL) (UPBEAT SOUL MUSIC PLAYS) (PEOPLE CHATTER INDISTINCTLY) WOMAN: Thank you. -Happy anniversary. -Happy anniversary. So, where are we five years from now? Right here at the Lafitte Hotel, except we have a babysitter at home. -I like that. -Me too. A babysitter - blond, about 19, Swedish, and he's very handsome. -Don't fuck with me. -(LAUGHS) NEWSREADER: ..plunged to his death today off the roof of a parking structure on Burgundy Street. -Catherine James was on the scene. -That's where I parked my car. REPORTER: Joining me is Lieutenant Durgan with the NOPD. You think we have a murder victim here? I'm not gonna comment at this time, but I will tell you that NOPD is gonna do everything in its power to get to... Yeah, right, another unsolved case. I know what's happening. It's New Orleans. -The city's going to hell. -Oh, come on. We love New Orleans. "Who dat?!" -(CHUCKLES) -Well, this city may be going to hell, but we are going dancing. That's right. (BAND PLAYS UPBEAT FUNKY MUSIC) (PEOPLE CHEER AND YELL INDISTINCTLY) -Hey, can I ask you something? -Yeah. How did you two meet? I bet it was really juicy and romantic. -No, not really. -I thought it was. -Well... -Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Stop. There's a "Well..."? (ALL LAUGH) I didn't know there was a "Well..." He was sitting with all these kids, like, 14-, 15-year-olds. It was their first time at the symphony. You could tell. -They were actually listening. -One or two of them. I just thought it was incredible, what he was doing for those kids. Bullshit! No, listen. Those kids were juvenile delinquents. They were supposed to be in detention and Will was supposed to supervise, but instead this sonofabitch uses his own hard-earned cash to take them to a concert. -I love my students. -Of course you do. Some bad-ass kids. I'm gonna get another Sazerac. You want one? Oh, go get them, James. (IMITATES JAMES BROWN YELL) Ow! No, it's not "Ow!" It's... (SCREAMS AND YELLS WILDLY) (ALL LAUGH) (BAND PLAYS FUNKY MUSIC) -WOMAN: Yeah! -(PEOPLE CHATTER INDISTINCTLY) Yeah! (DREAMY MUSIC) (CHUCKLES) -What? -Close your eyes. -What? Where are you going? -Don't look at me. -Come back. -Close your eyes. Close your eyes! Tight. OK. Put out your hands. What are you going to do? -Unspeakable things. -(LAUGHS) Happy anniversary. Ohh. It's beautiful. I didn't think you had gotten me anything. Of course I got you something. They're little rubies. Thank you. WILL: I love you. MAN: One at a time, please. One at a time. -Phone, beepers, knives, guns. it rings or sings, hand... -(BEEPING) -Hand over the phone, Edwin. -What phone? I'm clean. -And the beeping is...? - Thank you. Mr Will. - Mr Jimmy. -Hey, are we still on for tonight? -You're going down. -Keep dreaming. Remember, if you bring your phone to school, your parents... WILL: "The expense of spirit in a waste of shame is lust in action "And till action, lust is perjured, Murderous, bloody, full of blame, "savage, extreme, rude, cruel Not to trust." Do you see what Shakespeare's doing here? He's using words to create emotions. What kind of words are these? They're violent words. And why is this important? Because when you feel angry, when you wanna punch somebody in the face, you put it on paper instead. You find words that evoke emotions in you, and you do something positive with it. Edwin! I could have sworn I saw the principal take a phone from you this morning. Guess what? If you applied yourself half as much to class as you do to scamming the school, you could accomplish anything. (OVERTURE FROM 'DIDO AND AENEAS' BY HENRY PURCELL PLAYS) (GROUP PLAYS 'DIDO AND AENEAS' OVERTURE BY HENRY PURCELL) (PHONE BEEPS) Ready to suffer? Bring it on. (GROUP CONTINUES PLAYING 'DIDO AND AENEAS') (WILL CLICKS TIMER) -I'll see you later. -See you. I'm this way. - Goodnight. 'Bye. -Goodnight. ('DIDO AND AENEAS' CONTINUES) (MUSIC FINISHES) (CAR DOOR OPENS IN DISTANCE) (SCREAMS) (BOTH CLICK TIMER) (MAN GRUNTS) Oh! Huh? Bitch. (GRUNTS) Get in the car. Get in! (BOTH GRUNT AND STRUGGLE) (SCREAMS) Really? Check mate and mate, mate. (SIGHS) I didn't see that coming. (CHUCKLES) Your problem, my man, is you play it too safe. You gotta take some chances. You play not to lose. It pretty much ensures defeat. -Set 'em up, asshole. -(LAUGHS) (SOMBRE MUSIC) -Alright, good playing tonight. -Alright. -'Night, Jimmy! -Goodnight! (PHONE BEEPS) (DARK MUSIC) I'm here to see Laura Gerard. I'm her husband. WOMAN: Hello, Mr Gerard. I'm Dr Charbonnet. If you would follow me. I've been caring for your wife ever since she came in. We've been keeping her pretty sedated on pain medication. She's not likely to respond to you just now. She has several deep lacerations, internal bleeding. We're keeping a close watch on her. Lieutenant Richards, NOPD. She gave us a description. We're working up a composite likeness. We're gonna get there. Could you all give me a moment with my wife, please? Mm-hm. (INDISTINCT ANNOUNCEMENT ON P.A.) I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I wanted her to come out with us and... Hey, Will. I'm so sorry. The sonofabitch who did this to Laura, they're gonna find him. Go home, Jimmy. It's late. I'll be alright. Anything you need, man, OK? Anything. You just call me. Thanks. WILL'S VOICE: Close your eyes! Tight. LAURA'S VOICE: Thank you. (RETCHES) (INDISTINCT ANNOUNCEMENT ON P.A.) I'm sorry to hear about your wife. Sounds terrible. Laura, right? Is she OK? -Are you with the police? -No. No, but I, um... A couple of years ago, I experienced something similar to probably what you're going through right now. -You did? -Yeah, yeah. The man who raped your wife, he was, uh... he was paroled three weeks ago. You know who did this? He's done it before. He'll do it again. If you want, uh... ..we could take care of him for you. Take care of who? What do you mean? Arrest him? Uh, well, if we hand him over to the police, it'll take at least six months for DNA tests to be completed. Ultimately, there would be a trial, in which your wife, assuming she didn't drop the charges, would be dragged through this nightmare over and over. She'd be in court. She'd be questioned by the lawyers. And even if the DA gets a conviction, which is not guaranteed, a rapist can serve as little as 11 months, you know, which is half the time you get for tax evasion. Who are you? I'm Simon. I represent an organisation that, uh... ..that deals with people like the man who raped your wife. We would very much like to take care of him for you. I...I really don't know what you're talking about. You know what I'm talking about. This wouldn't cost you anything financially. I mean, if you did want us to deal with this, we may ask a favour of you at some point in the future - look out for somebody for a couple of hours or break a security camera, make a phone call, just something that would help us out. Uh... You... ..you know where he is? We do, but we have a time issue, so we would have to get an answer from you pretty quickly. (STAMMERS) Listen. We're just a few citizens who are seeking justice. You know, we love this city. We're tired of watching it go to hell. No. No. OK. That's OK. You take care. (LAURA LAUGHS) Wait. There's a row of vending machines in the oncology department cafeteria. If you want this to happen, select the Forever Bar. Buy two of them, OK? Two of them. And do it in the next hour. And, Mr Gerard, we never spoke. You never met me, OK? You do not repeat this conversation to anybody. (LAURA MURMURS) (PENSIVE MUSIC) (MAN TALKS INDISTINCTLY IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE) (CONTINUES CHATTING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE) 1 1 1 1 -I see you got the healthy ones. -Excuse me? I just figure if you're gonna have a treat, you wanna have something that's worth it, huh? (LOCK CLICKS) (COUGHS, EXHALES) (MOANS SOFTLY) (GASPS) Oh! Fuck! Hey. Cool, man. It's alright. What...what the fuck? What do you want?! You raped a woman tonight. Your wife? Not my wife. I don't know who she is. My wife was murdered three months ago by some scumbag just like you. (STAMMERS) (GRUNTS) Oh, shit! (GRUNTS) Shit! Hey... (GUNSHOT) (PHONE BEEPS) (RINGING TONE) MAN ON PHONE: Kirksey Funeral Homes. The hungry rabbit jumps. MAN: Mr Gerard? -Mr Gerard? -Yes. We need you to sign a few more insurance forms, please. (TENSE MUSIC) 1 I talked to the police this morning. They found the... rapist. He...he's dead. Committed suicide. (GENTLE MUSIC) We'll find a way to get over this...together. I know. I'm sorry. No. Don't say that. It's just hard. Sweetheart, that man is gone. -I want a new lock on the door. -OK. -And bars on the windows. (UNEASY MUSIC) -(DOOR OPENS) -Will? Yeah, just me. -Did you lock the door? -Door's locked. I sound like a crazy person. No, you sound like a person who's getting over something difficult. (MOUTHS) I wanna buy a gun. We're not keeping a gun in this house. No guns. Alright, if your stance is not stable, your shooting's not gonna be stable. Remember - feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, lean forward at the waist, bring the gun to your eyesight. Pick up that front sight and rear sight. Squeeze the trigger. And there's your pepper spray. Remember, squeeze the trigger. -Take care. -Thanks. -Oh, poo on you! I missed. -(CHUCKLES) Well, you still have to make it. Alright, side pocket. A lot of green, Laura. A lot of green. Whoo! -Ohh! Good game, honey. -You're a pool shark. -You noticed. -Let's go again. It'll give me a chance to even the score. -Alright, I'll rack them, you grab drinks. -Fine. Good idea. (UPBEAT ROWDY MUSIC PLAYS) (PHONE RINGS) -Hello. -Will? Come outside. I need to talk to you. -Who is this? -It's Simon. I have to talk to you. Come outside. Just tell Laura it's your sister. -Hello? -You see the store on the corner? -Yes. -Go in there. Now, I want you to buy a pack of gum, then come out the back entrance. -Have any gum? -Yep. - How much is it? -$1.50. -Is that the back entrance? -Yeah, through there. -Hey, Will, come on in. -What do you want? Just a quick talk. Relax. You're looking good. So is your wife. I'm glad to see you guys are back on track. -What do you want to talk about? -What do you think? There is a, uh, mailbox at the entrance of the zoo, and we would like you to go there tomorrow after work and mail this at exactly 4:15. -What is it? -It's a letter to Santa Claus. (SCOFFS) Santa Claus? -And then I'm even? -Well, that's not up to me. Well, who's it up to? All I know is I need you to mail that at 4:15 tomorrow. (UPBEAT ROWDY MUSIC CONTINUES) -Where did you go? -My sister called. It was too noisy in here so I had to step outside. -Are you OK? -Yeah, everything's fine. -Play again - double or nothing? -Uh, no, I'm a little tired. Let's go home, OK? OK. GIRL: I wanna go see the flamingo! (KIDS CHATTER EXCITEDLY) (TENSE MUSIC) (PHONE RINGS) -Yes. -SIMON: Are you at the mailbox? -I am. Open the letter. OK. Hold on. -OK. -Go into the zoo, pay for a ticket with cash and wait by the entrance. If the woman and the girls show up, you follow them. If that man appears, you call that number immediately and say, "The hungry rabbit jumps". -You got it? -"The hungry rabbit jumps"? -That's right. -What does it mean? -It means what it means. Now memorise the number and their pictures and tear up that sheet until it's confetti. You got it? OK, good luck. (ALL CHATTER INDISTINCTLY) -I like dolphins. -Jump over the puddle. -My fantasy animal is a dolphin. Oh, dolphins. (GIRL CONTINUES CHATTERING INDISTINCTLY) MAN: I wanna welcome you to the zoo and to our elephant show. We have two elephants here at the Audubon Zoo, both Asian females. -This is Jean. -(BELLOWS) Jean is 36 years old, and she weighs 7,600 pounds. Anya is 45 and she's 10,400 pounds. What we're gonna show you today are a few behaviours that the elephants know and things that we need to do daily to take a look at them to make sure they're healthy and doing well. GIRL: Whee! (LAUGHS) (CAR ENGINE STARTS) (STUDENTS CHATTER INDISTINCTLY) -BOY: What you looking at? -BOY 2: At you, bitch. Alright, alright! Nobody's looking at anybody. -Settle down. Come on. -Don't touch me. I'm not touching you. I'm guiding you. Alright, I need everybody to... -SIMON: Hey, Will. -You came into my classroom?! Why? I don't get this. No need to shout, Will. I'm right here. I've done everything you've asked - the Santa Claus letter, the zoo. -The man didn't show up? -No, I don't think so. But look, I'm finished. Will, you've been very helpful, and we appreciate it, but what you've done is only part of it, OK? -We just need you to do one more thing. -I think you've made a mistake here. -I'm not cut out for the kind of activity... -(PHONE RINGS) -Yeah. -MAN ON PHONE: The hungry rabbit jumps. Will, a promise is a promise, OK? I'll be in touch. -Oh, oh! Hey. -Excuse me. -No, my bad, brother. -It's alright. -Oh, uh, you dropped something. -No, that's not mine. -Oh, sure it is. Hey, this isn't mine! (ELEVATOR DINGS) (PEOPLE CHATTER INDISTINCTLY) (BEEP!) (FOLK MUSIC PLAYS ON STEREO, DOOR CLOSES) -Will? -Yeah? -We finished rehearsal early today. Do you wanna go out for dinner? -(PHONE RINGS) Uh, sure. -Hello. -I assume you got the package. Yes. OK, tomorrow morning you'll have an issue with your car. You'll take the number seven Broad Street bus to school and get off at the Earhart Boulevard stop. You'll see a pedestrian ramp that goes down to the ground level. Walczak takes the bus to work. He arrives about 8:15. Wait for him on the ramp. As he passes, you're gonna bump him and knock him over the edge. It'll be easy. There's a low rail. It's gonna look like a suicide. Now, there's two security cameras that cover that spot. Don't worry. We've had them both disabled. When it's done, you call me. -No, I AM done. -Will... I followed that woman, those girls. I'm done. All you have to say is, "The hungry rabbit jumps." You got it? "The hungry rabbit jumps." -What are you doing out here? -I couldn't get reception inside. (MURMURS) 1 -What is it? -Huh? Does it have something to do with me? I read that sometimes the partner of the victim has trouble readjusting. Oh, no. God, no, no. We're fine. Then what is it? Whatever it is, you can tell me. It's nothing! I love you. (LOCKS CLICK) SIMON'S VOICE: So take the number seven Broad Street bus to school, and get off at the Earhart Boulevard stop. Walczak takes the bus to work. He arrives about 8:15. You'll see a pedestrian ramp that goes down to ground level. It'll be easy. There's a low rail. It's gonna look like a suicide. (BUS BELL DINGS) -Hey, you're late. -I'm sorry. -But you're never late. OK, I get it! How many times do you want me to apologise? "'And I wished that I had died' "And far into the night he crooned that tune. "The stars went out and so did the moon. "The singer stopped playing and went to bed... "While the weary blues echoed through his head. "He slept like a rock... "Or a man that's dead." (BELL RINGS) What happened? You back out? -I told you I couldn't do it. -Will, You know what a child pornographer does. He arranges for men to have sex with children and videotapes it. I get it! He's the scum of the earth, needs to get what's coming. But I'm not the guy to do it. I am not a killer. -Will, let's not forget what we did for you. -I wasn't myself that night. Nobody said anything in the agreement about killing anybody. So get the hell out of my life. Why would someone slash our tyres? Well, how would they even get into the garage area? It wouldn't be all that difficult. -What's the matter? -Nothing. Why are you acting so weird? -What if somehow... -SIMON: Will? Will Gerard? I thought it was you. -Simon Adams. We taught over at Bartram together, remember? -Right, right. (CHUCKLES) Hey. Simon. Laura, Will's wife. So how's it going? Still fighting the good fight? -Yeah. -Good. I got out. I moved to Seattle. I'm just back consoling a friend. His, uh...his wife got murdered. Oh, my God. That's awful. Yeah, unbelievable. It really, uh... really shouldn't have happened. Well, would you like to join us, Simon, and have a drink? Sure, just for a moment. I, uh, don't wanna intrude. Don't tell me you're a teacher too, Laura? -I'm a musician. -Nice. I'd love to hear you play. Simon, not to be rude, but Laura and I were actually having a private meal together. Of course. Yeah, I understand. Nice to meet you, Laura. It's funny how people come in and out of each others' lives. Don't you think? Call me, Will. Take care, guys. That's terrible about his friend's wife being murdered. Mm-hm. What the hell are you doing? Have you seen my bag? It's right there. Honey, I think I left something in the car. I'll be right back. OK. (DIALS NUMBER) -(RINGING TONE) -MAN: Kirksey Funeral Home. Hello. Kirksey Funeral Home. Yeah, I want to talk to Simon. Oh, is this Mr Gerard? -Yes. -Mr Gerard, I know this is a very tough time for you, -but we here at Kirksey... -No, no, no. Tell Simon to leave my wife the fuck alone. Hey, you realise somebody slashed your tyres on the other side? Yeah, I know that! Thank you. Jesus. Alright, man. Sorry. -LAURA: Will? - Yeah. Are you alright? Yeah. -Where have you been? -I told you. I had to go down to the car. Oh, I thought I heard you walking around. What? Nothing. Just watching you. Laura. Uh... I love you. -I love you too, honey. -OK. I called AAA. They'll be here this morning to put the new tyres on. (BUS BELL DINGS) (TENSE MUSIC) (MUSIC CONTINUES) 1 1 1 Mr Walczak, I need to speak with you. -Arggh! -Ohh! No, no! Stop! Stop! -Stop! Stop! -Ohh! -Please, I need a... -Arggh! No! (CAR HORN BLARES) No! (TYRES SQUEAL, HORNS BLARE) (FRANTIC MUSIC) (MUSIC CONTINUES) 1 Hi. I'm gonna need your card and the locking key to your wheel nuts. Do you have it? Uh,... good question. (MARCHING BAND PLAYS ROWDY MUSIC) (PHONE RINGS) -Yes. -SIMON: Hello, Will. I just wanted to thank you. You did a hell of a job. Walczak's dead. Now you're done. Have a great life. BOY: What's up? What's up, punk? Say something. -Hey. -Huh? Come on. -Hey! Hey! -BOY: Bitch! -Come on. Break it up! Break it up! -Get your hands off me, faggot! -(PEOPLE GASP) -I'm sorry. I'm sorry. -Get off me, man. -Will, what's... Striking a student is a minimum three-week suspension. Three weeks. What the hell were you thinking, Will? You're home early. Yeah, it was a half-day. Student conferences. That's funny, because Jimmy called me to check on you. -What did he say? -He said that you hit a student and got suspended. Yeah, well, that kid is, uh... He's just a...a total mess. And that makes it right? Thank you. Thank you, darling, for your support. -My support? -Yes, your support. Here. Where did you get this? Where did you get it? -I can't tell you that. -You can't tell me? I just... I can't. I can't tell you, alright? -It's not... -I'm going to rehearsal. Mahalia Jackson Theater, please. -(KNOCKING AT DOOR) -Laura? Mr Gerard, I'm Detective Rudeski. This is Detective Green. Sir, we have a warrant for your arrest for the murder of Alan Marsh. -Who? -Turn around, please, sir. Who's Alan Marsh? GREEN: To the left. Hand over your cell phone, please. Need you to hold this here. Stand up straight. Go ahead. No, it's preposterous. I'm a schoolteacher. I teach English at Rampart High. I am not a murderer. -How do you know Alan Marsh? -I don't! I want you to take a look at something. That's you, right, Mr Gerard? (MUMBLES) Yes. And here comes Alan Marsh. Now, how do you know Mr Marsh? I don't. That's you again. I mean, you're clearly distressed, right? What happened down there? There is another camera that shows the ramp under the freeway. Good, good, because that'll prove that I didn't kill him. Unfortunately, someone forgot to put the tape in the machine. Empty. No tape. What were you doing on the ramp? I took a bus to work. Someone slashed my tyres. You can go and check if you like. I wanna show you something else. Alan Marsh's cell phone. (KEEPER TALKS INDISTINCTLY ON RECORDING) Now, what were you doing there at the zoo? I...I never saw that man... until the day he died. I swear. Was he gonna write something bad about you? -What do you mean? -Investigative journalists like to pry. He's a journalist? Look. Why don't you walk us through what happened? Will, here's the thing. You tell us the truth, we can help each other. I want a lawyer. Will Gerard - no priors, teaches high-school English, married, no kids. The only, I guess, semi-interesting thing is his wife, Laura Gerard, was raped in September. -Why would he wanna kill Marsh? -We're getting there, right? You got anything connecting him and the victim? Yeah. A video of Gerard on Marsh's phone. Looks like Marsh has been following him. Let me have a go at him. Can you give us an hour? He'll break soon, boss. I said I wanna go at him. You got 23 unsolveds up there on the board. Work those. 22, actually. Look again! It's 23. Good afternoon, Mr Gerard. I'm Lieutenant Durgan. I'm gonna ask you a few simple questions - just procedural, nothing to worry about. I want a lawyer. The day after Monday is...? I want a lawyer. You haven't been charged with anything, Mr Gerard. The day after Monday is...? -Tuesday. -Mm-hm. My favourite colour is...? What the hell is this? My favourite colour is...? My favourite colour? Uh, purple. Purple. If a baby is unhappy, he...? He cries. The hungry rabbit...? Jumps. The hungry rabbit jumps. Got it. Get up. Put that on. I'm gonna leave the room. Wait 10 seconds and get the fuck outta here. -And then what? -If you don't go now, you won't make it through the night. They'll kill you and make it look like a suicide. Shut the door behind you. (TENSE MUSIC) Hold on for a second. (ELEVATOR DINGS) Afternoon. Lieutenant, did you move Will Gerard to Holding? -No, he's still in Three. -I was just there. It's empty. -The fuck you talking about? -He's not in there. Well, what do you think he's hiding? I don't know. I've never seen him like that before. An affair? No. No, it's... it's something worse than that. Call him, tell him you want answers, or you're not coming home. I'll give you some privacy. (RINGING TONE) (PHONE RINGS) Homicide. -Who is this? -Ma'am, this is Detective Rudeski. Is this Will Gerard's wife? (CLAPS AND TAP-DANCES RHYTHMICALLY) ON RECORDING: Hey, it's Trudy. Leave me a message, and I'll call you back. Trudy, it's Will. I need you to do me a favour. I need you to tell Laura in person, not on the phone. -Tell her I'll try to meet her at rehearsal tomorrow. -LOUDSPEAKER: Leave this corner now. -Tell her I'm... I'm OK. -Move off the corner. MAN: Alright, come on, buddy. You're going in. You're sleeping it off tonight. Let's go. Come on. Hands behind your back. (SPOOKY MUSIC) (MUSIC CONTINUES) ON RECORDING: Hey, this is Alan Marsh. This is my website. Click around on things you wanna look at, have some fun. You'll find my very first by-line, my very second by-line... BOY: Hey, man, forget this school. They can kiss my ass, for real. All these people, man. Damn. Get the side. Get the side right there. Yeah. You know vandalising school property is illegal, Edwin. What you doing here, Mr G? I heard you got busted by the cops. What they get you for? Sucker-punching a kid? Uh, no. Murder, first-degree. I'm sorry I hit you, Edwin. I really am. It's alright. Maybe I had it coming. Could you do me a favour, Edwin? I never saw you, Mr G, and you never saw us. Right. Come on. Let's go. (EDGY MUSIC) (MUSIC INTENSIFIES) (DISCORDANT NOTES IN DISTANCE) (PEOPLE CHATTER AND TUNE INSTRUMENTS) (WHISPERS) Laura. Will. What the hell is happening? What? And you're sure we can't go to the cops? -We could tell them everything. -Some of them are cops. You can't stay at home. Go to Lafitte Hotel. Wait for me there. Use this to call me. The number's in it. Here. It's all I've got. Take this. Where did it come from? -I was scared. -I should never have put us in this mess. If they had've asked me that night, I would've done the same thing. What are you gonna do? Where are you gonna go? Cops. Those were the same guys who came to our apartment. You have to go. Go! Mrs Gerard. -What do you want now? -RUDESKI: A little follow-up. Has your husband tried to contact you? -No, he has not. -I find that hard to believe. -Do you? -You seem a little tense. Yeah, I'm a little tense, Detective. In my situation, should I be relaxed? I have rehearsal. -MAN: Marshy! -CROWD: Marshy! -MAN: Marshy! -CROWD: Marshy! -Nobody chased a story like you. You were the best. -(PEOPLE CHEER) But Jesus, Marshy, you could've picked a more dignified way to go out. You escaped from a Chechen jail. You survived your own divorce, for crying out loud. -MAN 2: Just barely! -(PEOPLE LAUGH) And that piece you wrote about the music industry, that was beautiful, beautiful. A gorgeous story. Marshy, here's to you. You were the real deal. -Amen, brother. -The red-headed asshole! -ALL: Hear, hear! -Here's a little music for Marshy. (SINGS) # Of all the money that e'er I had # I spent it in good company # And all the harm that e'er I've done # Alas, it was to none but me... # (MAN CONTINUES SINGING) See here, lads. A toast to Marshy. ALL: Marshy! And to our new best friend, as long as he keeps buying. -Will. -MEN: Will. -Marshy was a great guy, huh? -He was one hell of a journalist. A couple of weeks ago we had lunch, and, uh, the weirdest thing happened. -What's that? He paid? -(ALL CHORTLE) No, he tells me about this secret organisation, some group that claims to hand out justice, you know, when the justice system fails and... -He told you that? -Oh, it's true. They killed him, made it look like a suicide. You better watch your back there, Will, because anybody associated with Marshy is a marked man. Why did they want him dead? Because. Joe, tell him. Because Alan Marsh... ..was an alien. He was sent here as a scout to prepare for the invasion of earth. Oh, Will! You are now obligated to buy us another round. -Absolutely. -Alright. Augie! MAN: Don't worry about it, Will. He's been telling that crazy story to everybody. He went so far as to even hide his own research. Where did he hide it? -That would be the $64 million question, wouldn't it? -Cheers. But he was obsessed. I mean, he said he was about to make that whole stuff public. Look, the truth is... I mean, Alan, he had some issues, you know? -Yeah, it had gotten worse. -One of his sources got bumped off. After that... I don't know, man. He just became like a... -Different man. -Yeah. Jumpy, paranoid, lying sonofabitch. You know, sort of like you, Will. So, what are you? A cop? Next time you wanna come snooping around, show your badge, and don't pretend to be his friend. Will! -Stop him! -SIMON: Hey, Will! Will, come back! I wanna talk to you. Go after him. Get in the car. (TYRES SQUEAL) (CAR HORN BLARES) (HORNS BLARE) (DRAMATIC MUSIC) (CAR HORNS TOOT) MAN: We'll get him. (BRAKES SQUEAL) MAN 2: He went over the side. Get down there. Get down below. Force him into the traffic. Will! No need to run, Will. I have something I think you may want. It's the tape from the security camera! I just wanna show you. I have it right here. Why don't you come out? I'll show it to you. Come on, Will. Will, come on out. It's very clear you didn't kill anybody. I just want to show it to you. Will! -Ohh! -(HORN BLARES) MAN: Hey! -Ohh! -(HORNS TOOT) (GUNSHOT) -(TYRES SQUEAL, HORN BLARES) -Ohh! -Oh! -(HORN BLARES) -(GRUNTS) Huh! -Oh, whoa! -(YELLS INDISTINCTLY) (TYRES SQUEAL) Goddammit! (PANTS AND WINCES) Mrs Gerard. I'm Detective Sims from the New Orleans Police Department. Would you come with me, please? -Now what? -Your husband, Mrs Gerard. We found some new information that indicates he's innocent. -You do? -We need your help to get him out of this mess. -Come with me, please. -Of course. Oh, thank you. So, what's this new evidence? -Excuse me? -You said there was new evidence. We'll show you when we get down the station. -Arggh! -Ohh! (MEN GRUNT AND YELL) Oh, motherfucker! Ohh! 1 (TENSE MUSIC) -(LOCK BEEPS) -(ALARM BLARES) -(LOCK BEEPS) -(ALARM BLARES) (RINGING TONE) COMPUTERISED VOICE: The wireless customer you are calling is not available. Please try again... (SPORTS COMMENTATOR CHATTERS INDISTINCTLY) WOMAN: Hey. In a hyphenated compound situation, do you capitalise the second word? Only if it's a noun and the words have equal weight, like 'Homeland Security'. If it's a participle modifying the first word, then you better, uh... you better keep it lower-case. Huh. Yeah, that makes sense. Thanks. (OMINOUS MUSIC) Edmund Burke, 'A Philosophical Enquiry'. "It is not what a lawyer tells me I may do, "but what humanity, reason and justice tell me I ought to do." (ELEVATOR DINGS) There's a guy in the newsroom going through Alan Marsh's desk. I've never seen him before. Look. Where'd he go? I'm telling you, he was right there. (DARK MUSIC) (BAND PLAYS UPBEAT JAZZY MUSIC) (PEOPLE CHATTER CHEERFULLY) 865, 865, 865... Here we go. 865. Be right back, sir. (HIP-HOP MUSIC PLAYS ON CAR STEREO) Thank you, sir. By the way, this is a nice car. Thank you. Paris Truck Stop. Paris Truck Stop. Paris Truck Stop. Paris Truck Stop. 2101 Paris Road. Alright, let's try that. (CLEARS THROAT) I wonder if you could help me. I work for the 'New Orleans Post', and I'm looking for a missing colleague. I know he would come here to get gas and supplies. Do you recognise him? I...I've seen him. He goes fishing on the weekends. He keeps his boat in one of those units over there. Which unit? 22, I think it is, but I haven't seen him in a few days. The truth is, uh... Well, he owes me quite a bit of money. Is there any way I could get in that unit? Well, no, I don't have the keys. I mean, those storage units have nothing to do with me. Uh-huh, so there's no other possible way I could in there and get what's owed me? Well, it looks like they're made out of some pretty cheap shit. I saw some guy accidentally back into one. It went right through the door. Really? So he went right through it? Right through. Well, I really appreciate your understanding of my situation. Well, we're all God's children. (CAR ENGINE STARTS OUTSIDE) (GRUNTS) (OMINOUS MUSIC) Hey, good morning. (GRUNTS AND MURMURS) Ugh! (TENSE MUSIC) (SIREN WAILS) (ENGINE REVS) (SIREN CONTINUES IN DISTANCE) -(CAR HORN TOOTS) -(BRAKES SQUEAL) (CROSSING GATE BELL DINGS) (ENGINE REVS) (TRAIN HORN BLARES) (BRAKES SQUEAL) (TYRES SQUEAL) -(TYRES SQUEAL) -(SMASH!) 1 (PANTS) (MONITOR BEEPS) MAN: If they find out I'm talking to you, they'll kill me. MAN 2: What does, "The hungry rabbit jumps" mean? "It's not what a lawyer tells me I must do, "but it's what humanity, reason and justice tell me I ought to do." Edmund Burke said it. Hungry - humanity. Rabbit - reason. Jumps - justice. Humanity, reason, justice. It was just supposed to be the worst. You know, rapists, murderers, child molesters. But then Simon, he started to widen the net, anybody he designated as 'unworthy of living'. MAN 2: Who's Simon? He runs my cell. I don't know his real name. MAN 2: Tell me about how your cell works. It's...it's just handful of men. Simon gives us our orders. He gets his from higher up. The idea is that if complications arise, then a cell can be cut off without any threat to the organisation. We also use people who have made a deal with us, who owe us a favour. Look, I got into this because I was sick of seeing this city rot. I wanted to help. I wanted to make it a livable place for my family, my two little girls, OK? But now it's...it's wrong. Simon's out of control, and I have no way of talking to anybody higher in the organisation. -Oh, God. -MAN 2: What is it, Mr Bourdette? -I can't. This is wrong. -Whoa, Mr Bourdette? November 3rd. This is Alan Marsh. (GASPS) JIMMY: Will! Jesus, man. Everybody's looking... What the...? Christ. What the hell is going on? -I know, Jimmy. -What the fuck do you know? I saw the pictures - you and Simon. You're part of this. Look. OK, Will, listen to me, OK? I'm a part of the organisation, OK? I joined 15 years ago when my brother got killed. They didn't even catch the bastard. I had to do something. So I'm sorry. That fucking scumbag that raped Laura, I wanted him crucified. Who set me up for the murder of that reporter, huh? Was it you, you fuck? I called Durgan. I told him to let you go. That was me. What's Simon's real name? Will, I can't tell you that. You have no idea what this guy is capable of. His name. I'm your fucking friend. No! You're Simon's friend. You tell me his fucking name! What's his name?! (ENGINE REVS) Get out of the car! Get out now! -Open the seatbelt. -Get out of the car! OK. Fucking paedophile. The hungry rabbit jumps? -The hungry rabbit jumps. -The hungry rabbit jumps? Oh! How long have you been following me? Answer me! Not long. Just from that house on Seaborne Street. I was just told to wait for you there. If you turned up, I was supposed to follow you... Why did you agree to kill me? I owe him. He killed the man that murdered my sister. -Simon? -What's his mobile number? -It's in my cell phone. -Get up. Get up! -Don't kill me. Please don't kill me. -Oh, please. -Get up! Give me the phone. Get out of here. Go! (BREATHES HEAVILY) MARSH: "What does 'the hungry rabbit jumps' mean?" "It's not what a lawyer tells me I must do..." (PHONE RINGS) Yeah. Eugene Cook, head of the RJ Allen Group. -Will? -You framed me. You framed me for the murder of Alan Marsh. I also know you had Bourdette killed. Watch. MARSH: "What does 'the hungry rabbit jumps' mean?" BOURDETTE: "It's not what a lawyer tells me I must do, but it's what..." -And there's more. -Very resourceful. I want the security tape from the overpass, the one that shows I didn't kill Marsh. So I've got something you want, and now it looks like you've got something I want. We should trade. Here's what's going to happen. You're going to meet me at the Superdome, five o'clock tonight. You bring the tape. Eugene Cook. WILL: There will be a prepaid ticket in your name. Go to your assigned seat and wait for me there. (ENGINE REVS, CROWD CHEERS) (ANNOUNCER YELLS INDISTINCTLY ON LOUDSPEAKERS) 1 Hey, Trudy. Look, I need to talk to you. Can I come in? Yeah, sure. By hiding out, she is not helping Will, and she may be charged with aiding and abetting a fugitive, or even as an accessory to murder. -Do you...? -I'm sorry, Jimmy. I don't know. She's not answering her cell. She's not returning my calls. You're her best friend, right? You know her better than maybe anyone else in the whole world. If you were in her shoes, where would you go? Uh... (KNOCK AT DOOR) Will? -Who is it? -Laura? It's me, Jimmy. -How did you...? -Can I come in? -Where's Will? (SCREAMS) (ENGINES REV, CROWD CHEERS AND SCREAMS) (PHONE RINGS) (YELLS) Will?! Yeah, I'm here. Where are you? WILL: Get up out of your seat and head towards the concourse. -What?! -Get up and head toward the concourse. (PHONE RINGS) -Yeah. -Go out on to the concourse. You'll see a men's room. Go in. (PHONE RINGS) -Yeah. -Take a leak. (PHONE RINGS) -Yeah. -Go to the hotdog stand and buy yourself a hotdog. Having fun? Look at you, trying not to kill a child pornographer. -He wasn't a child pornographer. -Oh, but you didn't know that. You must be a good man, Will, an endangered species. Where is the actual security tape? Yeah. Good. Send me a picture. (PHONE TRILLS) It's with your wife. Your friend Jimmy's done a good job. Now where's my DVD? I don't have it on me. I'll tell you where it is when I get my wife. Well, she's just in the abandoned mall next door. Let's go see her. Can you believe they haven't fixed this place up all these years after the hurricane? (WHISTLES) WILL: Laura! Sorry, buddy. You left me no choice. Let her go. -You make copies of this thing? -No. That's good, 'cause if you did, I'm gonna fly to Philly, find your sister and her two little kids and tell them a really scary bedtime story. You have what you want. Please let her go. What I do is too important to jeopardise. I'm sorry. So you and Laura are not gonna walk outta here today. (CLICKS) You're insane. What did you say? I said I think you're sick. On the contrary, I am very well. You don't see it, do you, this city and how close we are to absolute chaos? Jimmy sees it, don't you, Jimmy? Sick? I'm not sick. The sick ones are sitting on their fat fucking asses, eating and drinking and fucking themselves into a stupor, polluting the world without a second thought while it goes down the toilet. Nobody wants to do the nasty work, Will, you know, the shit that we all just think about. Most good citizens are just along for the ride, and then fucking bitch and moan and complain about everything when it doesn't work out. Well, not me. Get it done. JIMMY: Will! Ohh, arggh! (BOTH GRUNT) Oh! -Ohh! -What the fuck, Jimmy?! JIMMY: You promised not to hurt them! We didn't get into this organisation to kill innocent people! Laura, run! Oh! You happy now? (GROANS) (SINISTER MUSIC) (METAL CLATTERS) (SCREAMS) Oh! Oh! (BOTH GRUNT) Ohh! Ohh! (WILL GRUNTS AND YELLS) -Will! -Arggh! Arggh! WILL! (PANTS) Oh! (BOTH GRUNT) BOTH: Arggh! Oh! Oh! BOTH: Arggh! Oh! Oh! (COCKS GUN) (GUNSHOTS) (GROANS) So Jimmy's dead, huh? Eugene Cook killed him. Who killed Eugene Cook? I did. I don't think so. Here's what happened. Eugene Cook and Jimmy killed each other. I don't even think you two were here. A simple case of a dead man killing a dead man. I don't suppose I could interest you in joining our organisation? -No. -You sure? Well, if you have a change of heart you know where to find me, right? I think you two better get the hell outta here. Lieutenant. The story you just told us, is that how it's going to be? This is New Orleans. Yeah, that's how it's gonna be. Go on! NEWSREADER: Breaking news - we're going live to Catherine James on the scene. Detective, the bodies of four males were found shot to death in that abandoned mall. Can you tell us what happened? I'm not gonna comment in the middle of an ongoing investigation, but I can tell you that NOPD is gonna do everything in its power to get to the bottom of it. In other news, prosecutors have dropped all charges against schoolteacher Will Gerard, who was accused of murdering the 'New Orleans Post' reporter Alan Marsh. A security tape uncovered by the NOPD clearly proves that Gerard did not kill Alan Marsh and, in fact, was trying to defend himself when Marsh attacked him on the walkway under the Broad Street overpass. (SOMBRE MUSIC) This is for you. It's Marsh's research. It's just a start. -Thanks, Will. -He just scratched the surface, and I thought someone should finish it. I'll give it a look. The hungry rabbit jumps, hey? (DRAMATIC MUSIC) (DARK MUSIC) www.able.co.nz Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air. Able 2016