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TRANSCRIPT:
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Detectives Joel Stevens and Fearless Smith are sitting in a car, on a stakeout.

Joel:  A nationwide man-hunt and Chimera's been right under our noses the whole time.

Fearless:  Yeah...hide in plain sight.  You know, some fish, they have colors that blend into their surroundings and some fish have these bright zig-zag patterns that look like a jumble to a predator.  But, either way, they go on to live another day.

Joel:  Yeah, and some fish get fried.

Joel watches a house across the street through binoculars:  Come on!

Fearless:  It's been 26 years, man.  A few more minutes won't matter.

A man comes out of the house and walks to his car.

Police radio:  We see movement.

Joel:  Wait.

Police radio:  Roger that.

A young girl hurries out of the house, carrying a briefcase:  Daddy!  Daddy, here!

She hands her father his briefcase and he gives her a hug.

Fearless:  That child's life is going to be ripped apart.  Man, it's going to be her last carefree memory. 

Joel to radio:  Wait until the child clears.

Police radio:  Roger that.

The girl runs back into the house, as her mother comes outside. 

Her father gets into his car.

Joel:  Wait.

The man drives off and his wife begins jogging down the street.

Joel:  Go!

Fearless pulls out into street.  Police cars quickly surround the woman.

Joel gets out of the car with his gun drawn:  LAPD!  On the ground, now!  On the ground!

 

RAY

At the police station, Ray encounters Tom's father, Paul Turcotte.

Ray:  Hey, Paulie.  How's things in public affairs?

Paul:  Ah, you know, some pretty boy actor wants a ride-along.

Ray:  Well, that's what happens when you retire.  You quit solving murders and start baby-sitting 20-year-old millionaires.

Paul:  Tom send you here?  Are you carrrying his water?

Ray:  I'm a cop, not a shrink.

Paul:  And barely one, at that.

Ray laughs:  You know, I forgot what a sweet man you are.  Paulie, your boy just thinks he's doing the right thing.

Paul:  Well, he's thinking out of his ass.  You don't have to go with him.

Ray:  Sure, I do.  He's my partner.

Paul:  It's an insult to my partner's memory.  He was just a cub scout, Alfandre.  You don't know what they did to him.  His family had to have a closed coffin at the service.

Tom walks up:  Ray!  Gotta go!

Paul to Tom:  Give me a buck.

Tom hands his father the money and starts to walk away.

Paul:  If you think you're getting to me, it's a candy-ass way to do it.

Tom stops and walks over to his father.

Paul:  I got to go back through that again, huh?

Tom:  Ray...

Paul:  The worst day of my life.  Give us a minute, Ray.

Paul and Tom walk off together.

 

JOEL

Joel is sitting at a table in a coffee shop when he sees Teresa at the counter.

Joel:  Hey.

Teresa:  Hey!

Joel:  They got good coffee here, huh?

Teresa:  Yeah.  Yeah, I used to hate coffee until I started pulling these double shifts.  Now, I can't get enough of the stuff.

Joel:  You want to sit down?

Teresa:  Sure.

Joel:  So, the good thing about double shifts, you make a lot of bank.  You can splurge and buy yourself a lifetime supply of French Roast.

Teresa:  Yeah, right.  First, I need a new transmission for my car.  And, then, I got to buy my Dad a new mattress for his birthday.  You wouldn't believe that thing he's been sleeping on. 

It's like, somewhere in my brain, I knew that I was going to be the parent of my parent.  I just didn't think it was going to happen so soon.

Joel:  Yeah, it's a full-time job. Teresa:  Yeah, never a day off or a thank you.

Joel:  Yeah.

Teresa:  So, how's she doing?  Your wife?

Joel:  She's making a speedy recovery.  No scars, thank God.

Joel's cell phone rings.

Joel:  Sorry. (He looks at the number on the phone.)

Joel:  It's my partner.  Excuse me.

Teresa:  Yeah, that's fine. I got to get going.

Teresa leaves the coffee shop.

Joel to phone:  Fearless...Where are you?...What?

Joel walks into the police station and sees Fearless at the computer.

Joel:  Nobody told you to be a Boy Scout.

Fearless:  Sssss...All this damn paperwork, he's lucky I didn't punch his lights out.  The little pissant!

Joel:  Yeah, yeah.  Amateur video footage of my partner beating up a suspect, that's all I need.  You could have looked the  other way.

Fearless:  Would you?

Joel grins:  Absolutely!

He walks over to join Fearless at the computer.

Joel:  What have you got?

Fearless:  All right, let's see what our guy's about.

Joel and Fearless enter an interrogation room where the suspect, Dwayne, is waiting.

Fearless:  California Penal Code, Section-677E.  You ever heard of it?

Dwayne:  No.

Joel:  He's heard of it.  Three strikes.

Fearless:  Now, I'm agnostic on three strikes but Einsteins like you usually trip up on some penny-ante felony for their third and wind up doing 25 to life for stealing a video from Blockbuster.  It makes our job easier.

Dwayne:  I didn't mean to hit that lady.

Joel:  There'll be a uniform coming to take you to County.  Take a long look around during the drive.  It's the last freedom you're going to see until at least 2027.

Joel and Fearless head for the door.

Joel mutters:  You had to be the Boy Scout.

Fearless:  Um-hmm.

Dwayne:  Wait.  Wait!  Wait, wait.  What if I give you something?

Fearless:  Now, what would a low-life, no-account-ass basehead like you have that we would want?

Dwayne:  You got to get rid of that third strike, though.  You got to give me that.

Joel:  We don't make promises, Sir.  Next!

Joel and Fearless, once again, start to leave the room.

Dwayne:  I can help you find a cop killer.  The one they used to call Chimera.

Flashback to Joel and Fearless at the stakeout.

Joel:  A nationwide man-hunt and Chimera's been right under our noses the whole time.

Fearless:  Yeah...hide in plain sight. 

They watch the little girl run back into the house as the man drives off and his wife prepares to go jogging.

Joel:  Go!

The police cars surround the woman as Joel gets out of the car with his gun drawn.

Joel:  On the ground!

A policeman runs up behind the woman, pushes her to the ground and handcuffs her.

Joel walks up:  Sharon Loftin, I'm placing you under arrest for the 1976 murder of LAPD officer Victor Alfandre.

 

FEARLESS

Fearless gets a newspaper and heads to the coffee shop.  He stops outside the door when he sees Joel  and Teresa sitting together in the booth. 

A woman yells:  Help!  My bag!

Fearless looks around and sees a man, clutching a purse, running away from a woman.

Woman:  Somebody stop him!

Fearless chases the thief, who looks over his shoulder and sees Fearless in pursuit.

Thief:  Help!  There's a black man after my wallet.

Fearless tackles the thief and handcuffs him.

The thief in the interrogation room:  I can help you find a cop killer.  The one they used to call Chimera.

Fearless, Joel and a woman named Cynthia interrogate Sharon Loftin.

Fearless:  So, where did the name "chimera" come from?

Sharon/Nora:  My name is Nora Jean Flannery.  I live at 748 South Beckett Dr.

Fearless:  A fire-breathing dragon.  Head of a lion...

Sharon/Nora:  My social security number is...

Fearless:  Body of a goat.

Sharon/Nora:  900-

Joel:  05-5768.  Yeah...it checks out.

Fearless:  Do you know what else "chimera" means?

Cynthia:  An impossible quest.

Fearless:  Which fits you like a glove, Sharon.

Sharon/Nora:  My husband works at Dinwiddie Pharmaceuticals in Victorville.

Cynthia:  We don't give a rat's ass about your husband.  July 3rd, 1976.  Where were you?

Sharon/Nora:  I was in Europe, travelling alone.

Fearless:  Independence Day.  The Bi-Centennial.  The perfect time to plunder the spoils of the imperialist swine.

Cynthia:  Bring the war home.  Wasn't that your rallying cry?

Joel shows Sharon/Nora a photo:  Look at the picture.

Sharon/Nora looks at the photo and quickly glances away:  Ohh...

Joel:  Look at it.  This man look familiar?  Look at the picture!  His name is Victor Alfandre.  He was a police officer and one of you shot him that day.  Take a good look at his face or what's left of it.

Fearless:  You're Sharon Loftin, arent' you?

Sharon/Nora:  My name is Nora Jean Flannery.  I live at 748 South...

Joel:  South Becket Dr.  Um-huh.

Outside the interrogation room, Joel, Fearless and Cynthia watch Sharon/Nora.

Cynthia:  Eith er we have the wrong woman or she's the best liar I've ever seen.  Besides my ex.

Joel:  Yeah.  No criminal record, no fingerprints on file, not even a parking ticket.  She's good.

Fearless:  She's had a quarter of a century to get her story straight.

Cynthia:  There's something about her flat voice and her body language.

Fearless:  Her voice is defensive.  She's definitely lying.  But, her posture...her sustained eye contact...

Cynthia:  You know, if she thought she was going to get away with it, she would have lawyered-up long ago.

Joel:  Maybe, part of her is opening the door.

Cynthia:  Are you saying she wants to be broken?

Fearless:  Well, if that's true, all we got to do is find the right key.

Fearless hurries around a corner in the police station and finds Andrea Little sitting at his desk.

Andrea:  Is it her?  Is it Chimera?

Fearless:  How do you know everything so fast?

Andrea:  I'm really, really good.  What has she told you?

Fearless:  Look, Andrea, I got nothing to say.  I got nothing to report.  I gotta to get down to Archives.

Fearless hurries down the hall and Andrea follows him.

Andrea:  Just ask her about Van Horn.  Come on, Fearless, he's an innocent man.

Fearless:  Everybody's innocent in prison.

Andrea:  All he did was lend her his car.

Fearless stops and stares at her.

Andrea:  What?

Fearless:  They lived in the same building.  I mean, that was the defense's position, right?  That they lived in the same building and they were friends.

Andrea:  I don't know about friends.  He had a crush on her.

Fearless:  Well, you know him better than anybody else.  If Van Horn saw her today, what would he do?

Andrea:  What do you mean?

Fearless:  Would he go off?

Andrea:  No.  Why?  What are you thinking?

 

NORA JEAN FLANNERY

Flashback to that morning when Nora Jean kisses her little girl before sending her into the house.  Her husband calls out "Bye, Honey" before driving away.  Nora Jean begins jogging.  As she jogs, we hear the police sirens, Joel says: LAPD.  On the ground, now!  On the ground!  Then Joel says:  Sharon Loftin, I'm placing you under arrest for the 1976 murder of LAPD officer Victor Alfandre.  You have the right to remain silent.

Fearless and Joel are questioning Sharon/Nora again.

Fearless:  Tell me something, here now, Nora Jean, because you obviously think you're a whole lot smarter than me.  You graduated from Parkmont High School in 1972?

Silence from Sharon/Nora.

Joel:  You already told us you did.  Be polite and answer the man, please.

Sharon/Nora:  Yes, I did.

Fearless:  Parkmont High School burnt down in 1973.  All the records were lost.  That's convenient.

Joel picks up a book and hands it to Fearless:  Parkmont High yearbook, 1972.

Fearless:  Guess what?  You ain't in it!

Fearless slams the book down on the table, making Sharon/Nora flinch.

Fearless:  Did you miss the photographer that day?

Joel:  It seems the paper trail on Sharon Loftin disappears around the summer of 1976.

Fearless:  Yeah, the same time Nora Jean's begins.  You know, it's funny how that happens.

Joel:  Let's cut the dance.  You and your friends went into that bank, you stole $60,000 and you killed whoever got in your way.

He picks up a photograph:  And this man, he got in your way and that was his punishment.  Isn't that right?

Sharon/Nora:  I have nothing more to say.

Fearless:  Yeah...well, before you shut us down, there's one face I'd like you to see.

Fearless walks over to door and opens it.  Kevin Van Horn enters the room.

Kevin:  Long time.

Sharon/Nora:  Kevin.

Fearless:  Mr. Van Horn, do you have anything you'd like to say to this woman?

Kevin:  I forgive you, Sharon.

Sharon/Nora starts crying.

Joel:  What is your name?  Say it.

Sharon:  My name is Sharon Renee Loftin.

Sharon:   When we first started robbing banks, we thought that we were freedom fighters and that we were storming the capitalist strongholds.  I mean, we were on this wild adventure for a while.  But, then, Billy and Shay discovered heroin and by the end, most of our cash was going into their arms. 

Joel:  Let's talk about the day of the robbery, okay?

Sharon:  Pacifica Savings was supposed to be our last job.  I was already inside, pretending to be a customer when Shay and Billy came in.

Flashback to bank robbery.  A young Sharon is standing at the counter when two armed men come into the bank.  One shouts:  Everbody on the floor, now!  The other says:  Move!  A few people scream as  everyone starts lying down on the floor.  The young Sharon hurries into another room.

Sharon:  I knew I had less than a minute to clean out the vault and I was about halfway finished when I hear these voices screaming and Shay yelling at someone.  So, I hurried out.  But, by the time I got there, the officer was already dead.  And, I mean, we all knew that killing was counter-productive to the Movement and I have no idea how everything got so ugly and I never had the chance to ask. 

Flashback to the three robbers running out of the bank.  The bank guard follows and starts shooting at them.  Shay stops and fires back, hitting the guard.  A man in civilian clothes points a gun at Shay and shouts:  Stop!  Police!   He shoots Shay.  Sharon and Billy get in the car and start driving away.  The off-duty officer fires at the car, shattering the rear window and hitting Billy, who was driving.

Sharon:  The bank guard started chasing us and Shay shot him.  And then, there was this off-duty police officer who was firing at us and there were bullets flying everywhere and at some point, the police officer shot Shay.  He, also shot Billy when we were inside the car.  We had this friend who was a nurse and she did the best she could.  But, Billy died two days later.

Fearless:  Wait a minute.  Did you say that the officer shot Shay and Billy?

Sharon:  That's right.

Joel:  Ms. Loftin, are you saying that Kevin Van Horn wasn't one of the bank robbers?

Sharon:  He wasn't even there.  Kevin was innocent.  Is innocent.

Cynthia:  Ms. Loftin, how do we know that you aren't just making this up?  Trying to spring an old comrade?

Sharon:  Because Billy died with the bullet still in him.  I buried him myself.  If you dig him up, you'll find the officer's bullet.

Joel:  Where is he buried?

Sharon:  In the woods off of Angela's Crest Highway.  I'll show you.

Cynthia:  I'll get Ballistics.  (She leaves the room.)

Sharon:  Whatever happens to me, I just want you to know that I did not kill the officer in the bank.

Fearless:  You know what's going to happen to you.  You were there.  Two innocent men died.  You're still going to be charged with murder.

Sharon:  I know.  I just don't want for my family - for my daughter - to think...

Fearless:  If what you're saying is true - why Kevin Van Horn?

Sharon:  We needed a car...and he had a crush on me.

 

KEVIN VAN HORN

Tom is driving a police car, Ray is in the passenger seat and Kevin is seated in the rear.

Tom:  Are you okay back there, Mr. Van Horn?

Kevin:  Just talking it all in.  LA - just like I pictured it - skyscrapers and everything.  What happened to the Pan-Pacific Center?

Ray:  Ahh - they tore that down 20 years ago.  Wait till you get hold of the Beverly Center.

Kevin:  I see a Starbucks every 10 blocks.  When did that happen?

Tom:  When the yuppies decided to pay four bucks for a cup of coffee.  Want to try a latte?  My treat.

Kevin:  Nah, I just want to see my Dad...and buy some new clothes.

Tom:  Would you like some music?

Kevin:  Yeah.

Tom turns on the radio.  It's 'Reelin' in the Years' by Steely Dan.

Kevin starts singing along with the song:

Stowin' away the time

Are you gatherin' up the tears

Have you had enough of mine?

Kevin:  I love that song.

Tom:  My Dad used to play Steely Dan over and over until I got sick of it.  Then, I got even with him.  I threw it in the trash - stupid album.  I told him my Mom must have thrown it out by mistake.  Did you play much music when you were in?

Kevin:  Just air guitar.  That's all I had.  Until my cellmate got mad...cause I'd smile, you know, when I heard the music in my head.  Stomped my fingers and well...the doctors couldn't fix them, man.  It's like...I stopped hearing the music after that.  My Dad visited the first couple of years.  It was hard on him, you know, people calling me the cop-killer.  He got death threats, sold everything he had for my defense.  Still, he'd visit every week - three buses each way, not a word of complaint.

Ray:  He sounds like a good man.

Kevin:  Yeah.  He stopped coming in '85.  I think the doubt got him.  Maybe, his health - I don't know.  It's hard when you have a son the Trib calls "the embodiment of evil".

Tom:  Maybe he didn't give up on you.

Kevin:  I know he did.  He stopped writing five years ago.  But, that's all right.  I never gave up on him.

As the car stops at a traffic light, Kevin looks out the window and sees a young blonde girl standing on the corner.  For a moment, he thinks it's a young Sharon Loftin.

They arrive at his father's house and get out of the car.

Kevin:  Maybe, we should drive around the block a few times.  I just - I just feel like I'm going to the gas chamber.  It's all going too fast, you know?

Ray:  Yeah, I know.  Dig up a body, find a bullet, presto, changeo.  The next day, you're home.

Kevin:  Well, maybe he's not ready to see me, yet.

Ray:  Now, no matter what happened all those years ago, he's still your father.  Right, Tom?

Kevin:  Yeah, I hear what you're saying.  Just keep the motor running, in case.

Kevin walks up the steps to his home, alone. 

Family members and friends come rushing out of the house, greeting him with hugs and kisses.

Kevin turns to Tom and Ray:  Come on in.

They enter the house and Kevin sees Andrea.

Andrea:  Welcome home, Mr. Van Horn.

Kevin:  Thank you, Ms. Little. 

They hug.  Then, Kevin walks over to his father and kneels down beside the old man's chair.

Kevin:  Hi, Dad.

Mr. Van Horn:  Where have you been all day?  You were supposed to take me to the dry-cleaners.

Kevin:  That's okay, Dad.  I'm here to take care of you from now on.  Okay?  I really missed you, Dad.

Tom turns and walks out of the house.

 

ANDREA

Andrea watches Kevin enter his father's home.

Flashback to the prison four years ago.  Andrea is waiting in a cubicle as a prison guard unfastens Kevin's handcuffs.  He sits down across from her.

Andrea:  I'm Andrea Little.  I got your...

Kevin takes the telephone receiver off the wall and points to it.  Andrea picks up the phone on her side of the panel.

Andrea:  Sorry.  I'm Andrea.  I got your letters.

Kevin:  Yeah.  What paper do you work for?

Andrea:  The L.A. Weekly.  It's an alternative free-press publication. We're circulated in...

Kevin:  I've written every publication I ever heard of.  Every politician, too.  I lose track.  So, you believe me, huh?

Andrea:  I believe there's sufficient evidence to re-open your case.  I think the city was looking for a quick conviction and for a scapegoat.  And you were it.

Kevin:  Damn right.  How old are you?

Andrea:  Twenty-eight.  And, if you think my age disqualifies me from advocating your case, I'll just take that lovely three hour drive home, right now.

Kevin:  I didn't kill that cop.  I've been trying to get someone to believe me since you were seven years old.  Seven!  So, you think I'm innocent, right?

Andrea sighs.

Andrea is walking down a corridor when David McNorris calls to her.

David:  Andrea Little!

Andrea:  Yes.

David:  Hi, there.

Andrea:  Who are you?

David:  David McNorris, with the DA's office.  You wrote that article in the Weekly about Kevin Van Horn.  I just have one question for you.  Are you out of your mind?

Andrea follows David into his office:  There's no way he could have been in the bank or drove the getaway car.

David:  The Weekly?  Isn't that, that free paper with ads for futons and liposuction?

Andrea:  You received the same letters from Kevin as I did.  Did you read them?

David:  Ms. Little, I've got 200 letters from inmates - child molesters, rapists, arsonists, murderers like your friend up there in Corcoran.  The funny thing is every single one of these guys thinks they're innocent.  What are the odds of that?

Andrea:  Oh, given our criminal justice system, about 50/50.

David:  Wow!  It must be so comforting to have the whole world figured out.

Andrea:  Just...just take a second look at the file.  Please!  It's a man's life.

David opens a drawer in the file cabinet and pulls out the file:  I'll see what I can do.

He tosses the file onto his desk.

Flash forward to David and Andrea in his office, six months ago.

David tosses a file onto his desk:  I'm sorry.

Andrea:  You tried.

David:  Yeah.  Ran out of cards to play.

Andrea:  Hmmm.  Are you out of your mind?

David:  Sorry?

Andrea:  That's the first thing you said to me when we met.

David:  Oh, that's right.  Well, you know, I was right.  You're a land shark.

Andrea:  After four years, you just figured that out?

Andrea stands up and begins putting her coat on.

David:  Let me help you with that.  So...I guess this is good-bye.

Andrea:  Maybe not.  I've pitched you for a profile for the Sunday magazine.  Try to sound interesting. I'm gunning for the cover.

David:  I'll do my best.

Flash to present day.  Andrea and David are walking outside his office building.

Andrea:  Twenty-six years in a jail cell.  What a waste!

David:  Aren't you finished with this guy?  I know his articles got you your job at the Trib; but, come on, he's not going to get you a Pulitzer.

Andrea:  You're just bitter because you didn't have anything to do with springing him.

David:  Guess what?  Neither did you.  Look, uh, Marian's at the Dorothy Chandler tonight.  I was thinking, maybe, I'd call your voice mail.

Andrea:  Not tonight.

David:  Okay.  Uh...how about if we...

Andrea:  I just have to figure out what I want.

David:  Wait...wait, wait, wait.  What are you talking about?

Andrea:  I'm going to take some time off...clear my head.  I really got to go.  I'll call your voice mail.

As she walks away, David calls out:  Thank you, Ms. Little!

 

PAUL

Paul Turcotte, Tom's father, enters his home.  He sorts through his mail and then stands, staring into the living room.

Flashback to 26 years ago.

Young Paul enters his home (same house). 

Donna, his wife, calls from another room:  Paul, is that you?

Paul:  Yeah, I'm just getting a beer.

Donna:  Okay.  I just put the kids to bed.  I'll be out there in just a minute.

Paul gets a beer and walks down the hall to hug and kiss his wife:  I need some time to zone out.  All right?

She nods and goes back into the bedroom.  Paul puts a record on to play.  It's Steely Dan's "Any Major Dude Will Tell You".  He sits down on the couch.

Flashback to earlier that afternoon.  Paul and his partner, Victor, are sitting in a parked car.

Victor:  Are you going in?

Paul:  No.  If you start flirting with that pretty teller, you'll be in there for a year and a half.

Victor:  No, I won't...They moved her to another branch, okay?  I'll be 10, 15 minutes, tops.

Paul:  You're a first-class schmo, you know that?

Victor:  Time me.

He gets out of the car, walks across the street and enters the Pacifica Federal Savings bank.        

Paul leans his head back on the car seat and closes his eyes.  The sound of a shot wakes him up.  He sees people running out of the bank.  He jumps out of the car and sees one of the robbers shoot the bank guard.

Paul pulls his gun:  Stop!  Police!

He and the bank robber exchange gunfire, the robber goes down.  The other two robbers jump in a car and drive away. Paul fires after them, shooting out the car's rear window.     

He checks the fallen robber's pulse, then tells someone standing at a pay phone:  Call the police station. Tell them there's a 211 in progess.  Do it!

Paul reloads his gun and enters the bank:  I'm a police officer.  LAPD.  Everybody get up slowly.  It's okay.  Victor.  Victor!

He yells as he sees his partner lying on the floor, with his head covered in blood.       

Paul wakes up on the couch to the sound of loud popping noises.  He grabs his gun and hurries down the hall.  He pushes a door open with the gun extended before him.

 

TOM

In the Squad Room, the Sergeant address the police officers.

Sgt:  All right, before we go on, a big "atta-boy" for Detectives Smith and Stevens.  Sharon Loftin has been arraigned for the murder of Officer Victor Alfandre.

Applause from the officers. 

Sgt:  And may she find fair and swift justice in hell!  Consequently, the DA's office is requesting a courtesy transport for Kevin Van Horn, who will arrive in L.A. from Corcoran State Prison within the hour.  Do I have volunteers?

No one volunteers.

Sgt:  I'd rather not assign it, but I will.

Tom raises his hand.

Sgt:  Thank you, Tom...Ray.

At the sound of his name, Ray looks up, surprised and turns to Tom:  What did you just get us into?

Flashback to Tom, Ray and Paul Turcotte in the hallway.

Paul:  Give us a minute, Ray.

Tom and Paul enter an empty room.

Paul:  Why?

Tom:  Why what?

Paul:  Why are YOU driving Van Horn?

Tom:  He needed a drive.

Paul:  He needs a drive to the gas chamber.  He's a cop killer!

Tom:  Oh, didn't you read in the newspapers - he's innocent.

Paul:  The hell he is!

Tom:  He was convicted for being the driver, right?  How could he be the driver?  You shot the driver.  They found your bullet in his body yesterday.

Paul:  Van Horn is involved.

Tom:  How?

Paul:  Maybe he's the brains behind it.

Tom:  Brains, Dad?  What are you - Dick Tracy?  He's a musician who loaned his car to a pretty girl.

Paul:  He's not innocent.

Tom:  You keep telling yourself that...

Paul:  It has to be YOU who drives him?

Tom:  It might as well be.

Paul:  You volunteered?

Tom:  That's right.

Tom heads for the door, but Paul grabs him and spins him around.

Paul:  You think I don't see what this is?  What - are you trying to get back at me?

Tom:  For what?

Paul:  Oh, please...What do you think - I don't see your face anytime anyone mentions Victor's name?  Whatever you think happened that night is a figment of your imagination.

Tom:  I know what happened.

Tom opens the door.  Paul slams it shut.

Paul:  YOU don't know anything!  You never had a partner that was murdered.  You know, I'd hoped, by now, that you know what it means to be a cop.  But, you don't.

Tom:  Now, see, Dad, that's where you're wrong.  I do know.  And one of the things I know is when a cop gets murdered, the first question you ask is 'where was his partner'.  Right?  Don't you ask yourself that question when a cop gets taken out.  I know I do.

Tom leaves the room.

Flashback to Kevin Van Horn kneeling in front of his father:  That's okay, Dad.  I'm here to take care of you from now on.

Tom watches this, then walks out of the house.

Outside Van Horn's home, Tom is sitting alone.

Ray walks out:  Well, that was a regular Hallmark moment.  Come on, cabbie, give me the keys.  I got us another fare.  Kobe Bryant's got to get to the Staples Center by 7:00. 

Tom doesn't respond.

Ray:  Doesn't feel right, does it?  This vision quest you concocted.  Van Horn - 1, Turcotte - Brick.

Tom:  You're talking out of your ass.

Ray:  No, I'm not.  Van Horn wasn't the only one in that car, today, looking for his father.

Tom:  My Dad...he can be a real son of a bitch.  We had words.

Ray:  Yeah, I heard.  What is it with you and him?

Tom:  I don't know.  We fight.

Ray:  I don't mean, now.  Back then - 1976.

Tom:  I was 8 years old and no one had told me what was going on.  My Mom put me to bed and told me to leave my Dad alone.  It was summer, still light out and I couldn't go to sleep.  All I could think about was the firecrackers my cousin had given me and I just couldn't leave them alone.

Flashback to 8-year-old Tom in bed, reading a comic book.  He gets out of bed, pulls the firecrackers out from under the mattress and lights them.  His father bursts through the door, yelling, with his gun drawn and pointed at Tom.  He holds the gun on Tom for a moment, then pulls it back and points it toward the ceiling.

Paul:  Never do that again!      

Tom:  He pointed a loaded gun at my head.  And I don't think I ever really trusted him again.

Ray:  All because of that night?

Tom:  No.  It would have gone that way.

Ray:  Well, you were afraid of him.  You know what Spock says:  fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to the dark side.

Tom:  Wasn't that Yoda?

Ray:  Yoda, Spock, Dr. Laura - they all blur.  What are you going to do now?  Our hack's off the clock.  Come on, I'll buy a beer.

Tom:  Nah, I'm shot.  I'm going to make it an early one.

Tom drives to his father's home. The song on the radio is "Good Day" by Luce.

Paul opens the door:  What did you do now?

Tom:  I brought beer.  It's domestic.  Where's Mom?

Paul:  She's at your sister's.

Tom:  Did you lay out your three aspirin?

Paul:  I put out two.

Tom:  You had nothing to do with your partner's dying.  You're not responsible, Dad.  I just didn't want to go to my grave regretting I said that.  It wasn't your fault.  It's no different than him walking across the street and getting hit by a car.  There was nothing you could do.

Paul:  Is this where we hug?

Tom sighs deeply and heads for the door.  Then he stops.

Tom:  Tell me about him.

Paul:  Who?

Tom:  Victor.

Paul:  Why?

Tom:  Because he was your partner.  And, as much as he can be a pain in the ass with his constant yapping, I don't know what I'd do if Ray got killed.

Paul:  You mean you don't know if you'd do something stupid.

Tom:  I hope I wouldn't.  But, I don't know.

Paul:  You wouldn't.  You're a better man than that.

Tom:  You know, the only thing I remember about Victor is that he was tall.  He'd pick me up and swing me around.

Paul:  He loved you and your sister, too.  But, you, in particular.  He said he always wanted kids and I think he'd made a good father.  I just wondered whether he could have ever settled down.  He was so damn handsome.  A real ladies man.

Flashback to Paul and Victor in the car outside the bank.

Paul:  If you start flirting with that pretty teller, you'll be in there for a year and a half.

Victor:  No, I won't...They moved her to another branch, okay?  I'll be 10, 15 minutes, tops.

Paul:  You're a first-class schmo, you know that?

Victor:  Time me.

Victor runs across the street and into the bank.  He's standing at the counter, smiling and flirting with Sharon when the robbers enter the bank.  The robbers shout:  Everybody on the floor, now!  Move!  Most of the people lie down but a pregnant woman refuses:  I can't get on my belly.  One of the robbers grabs her roughly and pushes her to the floor.   Victor gets up on one knee and points his gun at the robbers:  LAPD!  Drop your weapons.  Drop your weapons! 

He hears a shotgun being cocked and turns his head.

         

 

SHARON RENEE FLANNERY

Sharon and her husband are saying good-bye.

Mr. Flannery:  Nora Jean, is it true what they're telling me?  You used our child and  me as camouflage, didn't you?

Sharon:  In the beginning...maybe.  But, we built a life together.  Chimera - that was a whole other life.

Mr. Flannery:  Tell me one thing.

Sharon:  Anything.  I love you.  Anything.

Mr. Flannery:  Did you kill that cop?

Sharon:  No.  I am not a killer.  I can take anything as long as Lilly? doesn't think that her Mommy is a killer.  I am NOT!

 

Flashback to Victor kneeling, pointing his gun at the two male bank robbers.  He hears the sound of a shotgun being cocked.  He turns his head and sees Sharon standing there with the shotgun pointed at him.  She pulls the trigger.