Rag and Bone (1998) - full transcript
The life of a priest seconded to a New Orleans police department begins to fall apart when he is wrongly implicated in the shooting of a suspect. However, it comes to light that the precinct is haunted by the spirit of a deceased policeman, who helps the beleaguered cleric to solve the case and clear his name.
[♪♪]
[POLICE SIREN WAILING]
[MOUTHING DIALOGUE]
[♪♪]
[FOGHORN BLOWING]
Call it in!
Paramedics!
Father Tony.
Bless me.
[PANTING]
Bless me, Father.
I can't.
Call it in!
[TONY PRAYING IN LATIN]
The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
[SIREN WAILS]
DET. RITCHIE: Medium height?
TONY: Yeah. Medium build.
Mm-hm.
And you're sure he was a cop,
and not some worker on that ferry?
He was a cop.
[INHALES]
And he saw you shoot this kid?
He had to see it, man. He was standing right there.
All right, all right, I'm on your side.
[SIGHS] Let me see, we got a...
We got drugs on the kid,
we got a stolen car.
The guy who lost me was Keshawn Parker.
He's a fence.
He was taking delivery on that sedan.
We got everything. It all works in your favor.
But we do not have a gun.
I told you, it flew out of his hand
when I shot-- It's gotta be out there.
Look, and I understand it,
what I'm telling you
is Internal Affairs didn't find diddly.
Lana said you knew him.
His family.
The O'Fannons. They live over on Third.
Uh-huh.
Well, we'll find that gun.
Or the cop. Or the cop.
One of them's bound to show up.
[INHALES, EXHALES]
Tony.
[TONY SIGHS]
You hang in there.
Don't let this thing beat you.
[♪♪]
[TRAM BELL RINGS]
[PHONE RINGING]
OFFICER 1: It could have been a reflection.
Maybe a glint of sunlight off the ferry or a building.
It was a gun.
Sometimes in stressful situations,
the mind plays tricks on you, you know.
You've been on the street for how long now?
Two months.
I finished the academy in March.
First in your class?
Yes, sir.
And first in the combat range.
Before that you were a Catholic priest,
is that right?
Two years, after the seminary.
Where was that?
Texas. Plano.
Gotta be a little slow.
Church life.
There are good things and there are bad.
I mean, obviously, you're a man of action.
You know, the P.D. shrinks put me through all this
when I first applied.
Now, if you had spent this time looking for the gun or that cop,
then we wouldn't have this conversation.
We're on your side, Tony. Relax. No one wants to find that gun
or that guy more than we do.
OFFICER 1: These questions are procedure.
OFFICER 2: Exactly. Procedure.
If we don't find the weapon, it usually means
a wrongful death suit.
OFFICER 1: This ain't nothing compared
to what the lawyers will ask you.
Is it true that you knew the victim?
[SIGHS]
[INDISTINCT CHATTER OVER RADIO]
[PHONE RINGS]
Hey, Moran,
I heard you dropped in with the Holy Trinity.
Boom the Father, boom the Son, boom the Holy Ghost.
Duchow, shove it deep.
You got a quarter?
It'll take a dollar.
You ever seen it take a dollar?
Thanks.
[CLANGING]
RITCHIE: Hey, hey, hey!
Walk away.
CHIEF: TKO.
This machine's never lost a fight.
[SODA CAN CLANGING]
[SIGHS]
You lease that rat hole on Magazine?
Yeah. Academy housing finally kicked me out.
So move in.
It's a mandatory 48 till the shooting clears.
And you gotta see the shrink downtown.
Ritchie'll take you home.
No, no, I'm fine.
[TONY CLEARS THROAT]
Is he?
I'll tell you one thing,
he's wondering why he ever left the church.
[♪♪]
[DOG BARKING]
[CHURCH BELL TOLLING]
[DOG BARKING IN DISTANCE]
[DOOR SQUEAKS]
[♪♪]
Aunt Marie?
Is it breaking and entering if the door's unlocked?
I don't think so if a nun does it.
Oh, rats. I was hoping to get arrested.
I'm sorry. I didn't bring my cuffs.
Mm. You know,
an old beau and I spent a lot of time here once.
I used to love to sit
right here at this bar.
Look at it now, would you?
To think of you moving in, right upstairs.
Yeah. It's the old neighborhood.
I guess I just felt attached.
Not what it used to be.
It's close to the church, and it's close to you.
Oh, don't you go blaming me, especially not to your daddy.
Does he know you moved into this dump?
Stupid question.
My advice, hold off telling him as long as you can.
[CHUCKLES]
[♪♪]
So when did you hear?
Sister Bea came running into my classroom
10 minutes after it happened.
Word spreads fast in the projects.
You knew this could happen, Tony.
It goes with the territory.
Yeah.
He asked for his rights, Marie.
The O'Fannon kid.
After I shot him.
He knew who I was.
Did you give them to him?
Of course you did.
Oh, dearest.
That's one tough road you chose.
Is this really what you needed to do?
I guess we all have our own ways of seeking redemption.
Yeah.
[♪♪]
MAN: Sinner.
[♪♪]
[SIGHS]
Bless me, Father, for I have--
MAN: Sinned.
[SPEAKING IN LATIN]
[IN ENGLISH] Who are you?
[♪♪]
[ORGAN PLAYING]
[SPEAKING IN LATIN]
[IN ENGLISH] Amen.
[PRIEST SPEAKING IN LATIN]
[IN ENGLISH] Bless me.
[♪♪]
[SIGHS]
[SOBBING]
[PHONE RINGING]
Moran.
GINA: Hey, it's Gina.
Hey, what time is it?
It's almost 10:00.
How are you doing? Are you okay?
[GRUNTS]
Yeah, I'm fine.
I'm sorry.
Yeah, me too.
So how's the place?
Well, I'm still unpacking.
Well, do as much as you can because this is a daddy alert.
Oh, you gotta be kidding me. Today?
No, no. This morning.
Mom said he was on the phone all night
with his cronies from the department.
By the way, do you want that microwave? I never use it.
Yeah, definitely.
So I'll just bring it by tonight or something?
[DOORBELL RINGS]
Uh-oh, he's here.
Great.
Is tonight okay?
Uh, yeah, yeah.
All right, if I'm not here, Marie's got a key.
Hey, why does he have to come by here anyway?
[CHUCKLES]
Look, you really need an answer?
I hate this, G.
Good luck.
[DOORBELL RINGS]
You just get up?
Or is that the fashion these days?
You know, last time I was in this place,
we were busting a couple of junkies.
In the mid-'70s, I think.
They had this big old dog.
Never let him out.
Yeah, I can still smell it.
Can't you smell it?
No, Daddy, I can't smell it.
It's bad enough Marie's gotta be here in the Channel.
I wanted better for you.
But I guess you know what you want.
Yes, sir.
I spoke to some of the boys last night.
IA can't find a gun.
Well, there was one.
There was a cop that saw it?
I believe there was, yeah.
That's a little strange he's not coming forward.
Yes, sir, it is.
So it was John O'Fannon's kid.
Jesse.
You should talk to her.
I'm gonna do that today, Daddy.
[CHUCKLES]
I remember when your mother made this for you.
She couldn't wait to see you wear it.
Hmm.
If only we all knew, hmm?
[♪♪]
You're gonna tell us one of these days, Tony,
the real reason you left,
not that bull about wanting to do more.
That woman deserves to know, you understand?
We both do.
[♪♪]
Look at me.
Gun or no gun...
you did the right thing yesterday.
You can't be a priest in a cop's uniform.
God in heaven, this place stinks.
Mr. O'Fannon?
I know you.
Yes, sir.
Tony Moran.
Is it Father or officer now?
It's officer, ma'am.
But I did give Jesse his absolution.
He asked for it.
I just wanted you to know.
He came by here yesterday morning.
First time since John kicked him out of the house.
Been three years, next month.
What did he want?
Money.
He was still on drugs. You could see it in his eyes.
Him and his daddy started to fight,
just like before.
[SIGHS]
I've never seen John so...angry.
I don't know, so...disappointed and...
And after they told us,
all he's done is sit there,
watch TV.
Mrs. O'Fannon, do you know if Jesse had a gun?
Seems to me you ought to know the answer
to that question.
My son was an altar boy. You remember.
Baseball player.
This isn't how it was supposed to turn out.
I'm sorry.
That's why this door is still open.
But I tell you what, Officer Moran,
I'd rather you saved him in the church
than gunned him down in the street.
[♪♪]
Looking for something?
You know what I'm--
Hey!
Hey!
Where did you go?
What the hell's going on?
[SIGHS]
Keshawn Parker is now at large.
For those who haven't heard,
we tried to bust up his operation yesterday,
and wound up with a chase and escape.
Flip side has names and addresses
of known girlfriends and business associates.
He's a ladies' man, so check them out.
What you doing here?
CHIEF: ...sit on the pros up in L zone tonight.
Getting complaints that they're exposing themselves
to passing traffic.
Remind the ladies this ain't Mardi Gras.
[ALL LAUGH]
You see the shrink? Not yet.
And Zone D has lost another showboat.
This one's a '96 silver gray Jaguar sedan,
license S22T47,
belonging to our city councilwoman.
MAN: Oh, man. CHIEF: Exactly.
She reported it missing a half-hour ago,
so maybe it's still in this country.
That's it.
Y'all have a good night.
[INDISTINCT CHATTERING]
If you wanna talk, I've got an empty seat.
[♪♪]
[SIGHS]
Gum?
No, thanks.
DISPATCHER [OVER RADIO]: Six-twelve, there's a 27 up on Washington & Barone.
Please respond.
I knew this cop once, worked over at Acadian Parish.
Ran over an alligator during a car chase.
Now, it was nobody's fault, mind you.
That an old gator just happened to be trying
to cross the street at the wrong time.
Well, if it had been anybody else,
they would have just clipped that gator
and it would have been done with.
But his conscience just wouldn't let it go.
[CHUCKLES]
Poor Lloyd, he was seeing gators in his living room.
Gators in his kitchen.
He saw gators on his commode.
The man was afraid to go out of his own house.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER OVER RADIO]
All right, what's the point?
The point is his conscience was wrong.
He had no reason to feel guilty.
Neither do you.
[POLICE SIREN IN DISTANCE]
You ain't seeing gators, are you, Junior?
I'm not telling you what I'm seeing.
Well, I don't really care what you're seeing,
as long as you ain't seeing gators.
I'm sure as hell ain't seeing gators.
Then you can ride with me all night.
[BOTH CHUCKLE]
[INDISTINCT CHATTER OVER RADIO CONTINUES]
OFFICER [OVER RADIO]: Copy that.
Hey, the cemetery gate's open.
There's someone inside.
[♪♪]
Oh, man.
Now, this is the last place I'd hide a stolen car.
You carrying? No.
[GATE CREAKING]
Police.
Put your hands up on that dashboard.
Hey!
Ain't gonna tell you again.
[♪♪]
Keshawn Parker.
[♪♪]
I'll go call it in.
[SIGHS]
[♪♪]
[THUNDER RUMBLES]
[DOOR OPENS]
GINA: Tony?
Tone?
Oh, at least he could have let the light on or something.
MARIE: There is no light. That or a broken switch.
GINA: Great. MARIE: I'll go first. Argh.
GINA: Watch your step. It's slippery.
MARIE: Argh. Leaky roof.
GINA: Oh, this place is gross.
[MARIE GROANS] [THUNDER RUMBLES]
GINA: Oh, man.
It's just like Tony to live in a hole like this.
MARIE: The kitchen's down here at the end.
[THUNDER RUMBLES]
[♪♪]
Oh, that's better.
GINA: Oh, I don't know.
Now we can actually see this mess.
[THUNDER CRASHING]
DET. RITCHIE: My mother'd swear she'd see this ghost lady
mending socks in our basement every Tuesday at 4:00.
Now, it was always socks, always Tuesday,
always at 4:00.
Now, personally,
I've never been able to respect anybody
in that kind of rut.
Now, I'm not saying you didn't see those numbers.
You understand?
All I'm saying is you've been under a little stress.
And those numbers, they ain't on that windshield now.
[♪♪]
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
Hey, you all right? Thank you.
MAN: Councilwoman!
Councilwoman!
Any problem?
I'm just recovering my car.
Can I be of any help?
I'm fine, thank you.
FEMALE COP: Single needle mark.
Heroin.
When he got good and numb, he took the gun,
put it in his mouth and pulled the trigger.
No note? Not unusual.
Why steal the car?
Maybe he liked the smell of new leather.
It sure don't smell like that no more.
I'm gonna let you break that to the owner.
KAREN: Tony?
TONY: Karen. Here, I'll take her.
Your father said you were back.
Yeah, a little over a year now.
I'm surprised it's taken this long
to run into each other.
Miss Toms, you want to identify the car
and your personal belongings?
Absolutely.
KAREN: Um...
Everything's mine,
except for the gun and the syringe.
What happens now?
Well, we'll keep it until it clears Forensics.
That shouldn't take too long.
It kind of looks like a suicide.
Come on now, bring it on through here.
You all right?
No.
MARIE: I never liked those things.
Tony know how to use it?
What, are you kidding?
Man, meat, microwave.
It's about the one appliance they do.
The only reason I ever kept it around was for Josh.
Oh, yeah, that's right.
How you doing?
Well, I'm better off without him.
But not so good.
Does that make any sense?
Completely.
[CHUCKLES]
Oh, wow.
Wow, this, this place is truly awful.
Daddy must have had a fit when he saw this.
Whew.
Oh.
Not bad.
Argh. Oh, heavens.
GINA: What?
[MARIE GASPS]
MARIE: I'm looking in the mirror
and I think I'm seeing myself years ago.
[MARIE GIGGLES AND GINA CHUCKLES]
Daddy does that to me all the time.
Do I really look that much like you did?
Oh, yes.
[CHUCKLES]
Especially in these old rooms.
[THUNDER ROLLING]
Why here, Tony?
Of all the places.
[♪♪]
Something wrong? You okay?
Uh...
I guess my mind is playing tricks on me.
[THUNDER RUMBLES]
GINA: Whew.
Look at the moldings in this place.
It must have been pretty nice one time, huh?
Yes. Yes, it was.
Were you truly that in love, Aunt Marie.
They teaching you mind reading in med school these days?
[CHUCKLING]
Oh, yes. I was, dear.
You will be too.
Just don't force it.
No matter what it looks like now,
I'm sure the right one will come along eventually.
I'm gonna get the umbrella and turn out the kitchen light.
[THUNDER ROLLING]
[THUNDER CRACKS]
Weird.
[♪♪]
His mother, Etta, represents project residents
at district meetings.
DET. RITCHIE: And Keshawn?
He assisted her sometimes.
TONY: He controlled the projects, Karen.
Stolen cars, stolen goods. He moved everything.
KAREN: Look, I heard that. I'm not completely naive.
But you have to understand,
the projects are being torn down in June.
He's connected and he offered his help.
I hear they're talking about making the projects
into an industrial park.
The council's voting on it next week.
It's a very emotional issue.
It would kick people like Etta out of their homes.
DET. RITCHIE: She has your vote.
From the start. You can pull in up here.
Ten, 48 and 17?
Mm-hm.
I don't know. Is that a trick question
or your high school locker combination?
Heh. Actually, my high school locker combination
was 36, 14...
Twelve. Yeah.
[CHUCKLES]
I can't believe I still remember that.
We didn't even go to the same school.
[CHUCKLES]
This is nice. Thank you.
Can I give you a hand here? Oh, no, no, no. That's okay.
I, uh...
I heard about the shooting yesterday.
Yeah.
I still keep tabs on you.
Let me guess.
This belongs to Megan?
Yeah. Yeah.
Charlie's moved on to action figures.
[CHUCKLES]
I bet your divorce was pretty tough on them?
Yeah.
They, uh...
They miss having him around.
I'll bet.
Do you think that, uh,
they'll be discreet about it?
Finding Keshawn in my car?
It's not up to me, Karen.
[CHUCKLES]
What?
You said the same thing to me
when you left me for the church.
[CLEARS THROAT]
Yeah.
[♪♪]
[MOUTHING DIALOGUE]
[JAZZ MUSIC PLAYING]
[INDISTINCT CHATTERING]
MAN: Better love them while you can.
[♪♪]
STREET PREACHER: Lead us not into temptation.
Lead us not into temptation, brother,
but deliver us from evil.
Lead us not into temptation, brother,
but deliver us from evil!
[DOG BARKING IN DISTANCE]
MAN: Love her while you can.
[♪♪]
DJ [OVER RADIO]: And now it's your 1951 Lucky Strike Hit Parade.
[PLAYING OVER RADIO]
♪ That's lightning calling ♪
[MOANING]
Huh?
Marie.
Marie.
Marie, come back!
[♪♪]
[DOG BARKING IN DISTANCE]
DOCTOR: I realize, with your background,
that this shooting may be causing you
a great deal of stress.
Have you experienced anything
such as night sweats, headaches?
Nothing at all.
DOCTOR: And if you're placed
in that type of situation again, would you--?
I wouldn't hesitate to do the exact same thing.
DOCTOR: To use deadly force?
Yes.
MAN: Right now,
we're walking on prime commercial land
that borders the river and is a stone's throw
from the center of our city.
A city that needs commerce, safety and jobs.
ETTA: That Johnny Roykin is a smooth one.
ROYKIN: Does this make sense to you?
ETTA: Look how he leads them around by the nose.
Look around you.
You use this land for new housing
and this is exactly what you're gonna get
10 years down the road.
A waste of the taxpayer's money.
A breeding ground for crime.
Is that really what these people need?
I don't think so.
Industry, income, that's what they need.
Work, for a better life.
He's not gonna hire these people.
He'll say they're unqualified and move on.
The man's just lining his pockets.
You think he's gonna win?
The council's split 50-50.
I thank God for Karen. She's putting up a fight.
Is that why you don't think that Keshawn stole her car?
Do you really think he'd do something so stupid?
He knew Karen, worked with her.
And I honestly think he was looking
to increase his stature in this town.
If Keshawn's boys stole that car,
he was bringing it back to her last night.
This is his. I haven't been inside yet.
[♪♪]
Oh.
Look at this place.
Nobody would have dared laid a finger on it
when he was alive.
Not that he spent much time here.
I think he kept it for sentimental reasons.
Keshawn was always into the finer things.
Good furniture, stereo.
Video equipment?
ETTA: Oh, yeah.
Yeah, he was always playing with the latest cameras,
shooting tapes.
Did he ever do drugs?
Absolutely not.
Put a bullet through his brain?
Never.
Keshawn was vain.
He liked himself too much.
I taught him from the fourth grade up.
I can't see it either.
What about those numbers?
Ten, 48, 17?
They don't mean nothing to me.
Look.
Here, the night he spoke at the council.
You take that and look at it.
That's how I remember him.
That's my son.
They can couch this however they like.
The bottom line is that you're moving people
from one slum into another.
While Johnny Roykin
and the faceless men who control this city
get rich off of it. [CROWD CLAPPING]
There's nothing there.
[BANGING]
DET. RITCHIE: Come on out of there!
Walk away, Ritchie.
Well, it got my dollar now.
I walk away from this,
you walk away from Keshawn Parker?
It was not suicide.
Why?
'Cause his mother said so?
Or 'cause he gave a nice speech?
[CLANGING]
[SCOFFS]
You rigged this, didn't you?
[SIGHS]
The gun was his,
the fingerprints on the car was his.
He had no problem with nobody
out there on the street.
We had his fence operation nailed.
The man was finished and he knew it.
You tell him, boss.
Homicide cleared it, Moran, and you are still suspended.
IA boys catch you playing cop,
they're gonna be all over you and me.
Well, is there any news?
The O'Fannons filed for wrongful death this morning.
DET. RITCHIE: Which doesn't mean you won't be cleared.
No, the kid turned on you, and you saw something.
And that should be enough.
Well, there will be a hearing, right?
Unless we find a witness, like that cop.
[BREATHES HEAVILY]
Go home, Moran.
Don't drive yourself crazy, all right?
Look, I'm doing everything I can to find this guy.
I know you are, man. I know.
I appreciate it.
Thanks. All right.
[♪♪]
Daniel Ryan.
Chief.
Didn't I just ask you to go home?
Yeah. Do you know anything about this guy?
Yeah, he died in '51.
How old do you think I am?
Do you think there's any records on him anywhere?
Maybe down at Central.
Didn't your old man work in the Sixth?
Thirty years.
You got a problem with him, don't you?
[LAUGHING]
All you're gonna get over there is a dead branch or two.
You gonna start in on me now, Daddy?
Well, what's the point? You never listen.
I talked again to my guys at IA,
and the O'Fannons are gonna file.
That's the word.
Well, don't let it bother you.
Anyone turns on you like that, you shoot.
It'll clear.
That's what everybody keeps telling me.
It's the truth.
And you gotta know that when the situation comes up again,
no hesitation, no doubt.
Could you do it again, Tony?
That's the question I would like answered.
Because if you can't,
trading in that collar for your shield is--
Look, enough, okay? It's not enough!
We're talking your life here.
Yeah, my life!
My life, Daddy, not yours. You have nothing to do with it.
The hell I don't!
It affects all of us!
What? What affects all of us?
My decision to leave? Is that what we're talking about?
You had five years of the sermon,
five years to decide to enter the Church.
I was wrong.
I made a mistake, I was wrong.
There's something more to it.
Forget it.
Come on back, Tony. Come here.
You asked me about Danny Ryan.
Did you find his name in your apartment?
Because he used to live there after the war.
The local bosses owned the bar downstairs,
and Ryan, he was hooked in pretty tight.
He was crooked?
[CHUCKLES]
And then some.
Come on back, son. Come on.
Come on.
Remember the street lottery?
Eh, probably not.
You bet on three-number combinations.
Used to call them gigs.
And everyone in town had their special numbers.
I mean, 1-2-3,
that was called a Chinaman's gig,
4-11-40 was Washwoman's.
There was a million of them.
What about 10-48-17?
No, I don't remember that.
[REEL TURNS]
There was big money in that game.
And a lot of cops on the take.
And Ryan, he was one of the worst.
I couldn't stand to see him with Marie.
I cou--
And I warned her,
I told her he was trouble.
But she wouldn't listen.
Just as stubborn as you.
The official report says he was killed on duty.
We found his squad car in that old cotton warehouse
on Adele.
There was blood on the ground.
We never found the body.
And Marie...
she entered the order right after.
[SPLASHING]
Whoa! Oh! Yep, got one on.
[CHUCKLES]
That is terrific.
Absolutely beautiful.
Now you'll never listen to me.
[♪♪]
[THUNDER ROLLING]
[♪♪]
[GRUNTS]
Evening, boys.
Anybody have any money on the Pels tonight? They won.
I guess their pitcher's improving.
It's the usual gratuity.
What? You expected more?
Only if you boys don't want me singing
to Senator Kefaufer.
[THUNDER ROLLING]
"Ten-48-17."
Now, what the hell's that supposed to mean?
It's the Blackmailer's gig, Danny,
you ought to know that.
And if you wanna play those numbers,
you better be prepared to pay the price.
MAN: Wrap him up. Take him over to the harbor.
[THUNDER ROLLING]
[CAR ENGINE STARTS]
[THUNDER CRASHING]
[♪♪]
[THUNDER ROLLING]
[CAR HORN HONKING]
[TIRES SCREECHING]
MAN: Come on.
[THUNDER ROLLING]
MAN 1: Okay, Johnny, that's deep enough.
Now throw the garbage in, all right?
All right, when you're doing it, the bricks,
make it look like it was before.
MAN 2: Okay, boss.
MAN 1: I'll meet you in the car, yeah?
[♪♪]
[DOG BARKING]
[BARKING CONTINUES]
[BANGING ON DOOR]
MARIE: I'm coming!
[BANGING ON DOOR CONTINUES]
All right, all right. You'll wake up the entire order.
Tony.
I believe God put a special person
for each and every one of us on this earth.
It doesn't necessarily mean you'll wind up with them.
They're out there for you to find.
And Danny was yours.
He was the world to me.
The air I breathed.
I believe he felt the same way about me.
I forgave him everything.
There was plenty to forgive.
TONY: He was crooked.
Your daddy hated him.
I used to have to sneak out of the house.
We'd meet at The Harp.
Danny's uncle owned it.
In the end,
I suppose Danny got what he deserved.
TONY: Something to do with Kefaufer.
Senator Estess Kefaufer was coming down here
with his crime committee.
I think Danny thought he could make
a little something off the deal.
By blackmailing the bosses.
They made an example out of him.
They silenced him and scared the other cops.
[CHUCKLES]
Danny was fearless.
He never knew when to back down.
You know how I said that each and every one of us
has our own way of seeking redemption?
Well, this is mine.
I'm doing it for both of us.
I'm doing it for my soul
and the soul of Danny Ryan.
[♪♪]
Ryan!
Ryan!
[GRUNTS]
MAN: Leave them where they are.
They're just bones.
What do you want from me?
Nothing.
Then why are you haunting me?
Is that what I'm doing?
Then I'd be asking me
some really big questions, friend.
Like, what's the meaning of life?
Of death?
I'd be asking me if there really is a God.
Is there?
What if I told you
I don't know what the hell's going on,
would you believe me?
No.
It's the truth.
We're just two sinners here.
A couple of nice Catholic boys gone wrong.
You're not hiding anything from me, Tony.
So don't try.
What, you always--?
Over your shoulder?
There's an uncomfortable thought.
Come on, Tone,
don't make it even more uncomfortable.
You know, most of the time, I'm...
I'm in cold.
In cold darkness.
There's no heaven, there's no hell.
There's nothing really.
Until you.
I heard your voice,
I felt the warmth of your room.
Almost as if you were giving me the strength,
the strength to gather.
And I could see you slowly come into focus.
Your room.
Like I could see yours.
Why is that, Moran?
Somebody playing some kind of trick on us?
Somebody got us haunting each other?
Ooh.
Wait a minute.
Somebody's letting the air out.
Those numbers in the cemetery, on the windshield.
Blackmail gig.
Was Keshawn Parker blackmailing someone?
Well, you can't blame a guy for having ambition.
Who were you blackmailing?
Come on, Tony.
What about the gun?
It's there. Well, where is it?
You're the cop.
[SIGHS]
[FOGHORN BLOWS]
[FOGHORN BLOWS]
[♪♪]
Hey!
Hey!
[FOGHORN BLOWS]
Hey!
[♪♪]
Sir!
[TONY WHISTLES]
Excuse me!
Sir!
[WHISTLES]
Hello?
Hello?
[♪♪]
Hello?
Hello?
[CLANGING]
[♪♪]
Hello?
Whoa, whoa, whoa.
Take it easy.
Look, I'm not here to hurt you.
I'm not here to rob you,
I'm not here to arrest you or anything.
I just wanna ask you a question.
Okay? A question about where you got that gun.
DET. RITCHIE: I know this cop at the Eighth, works the Quarter.
[DET. RITCHIE CHUCKLES]
Three years ago, Mardi Gras,
he found himself right in the middle
of a marital dispute.
Seems this guy caught his wife
sleeping with a car dealer from Houston.
Now, everybody was drunk, and they all had guns.
Well, one thing led to another, and they all started shooting.
I mean, bullets was whizzing by
and ricocheting all over the place.
So our guy, he hits the floor.
he decides to wait till they're all fired out.
Now, everything gets real quiet before he gets to his feet.
Two other beat cops, they arrive.
And they're looking all around the place,
like they just can't believe their eyes.
I mean, this place was all shot up to hell.
And no one,
I mean not one single person, including our guy,
had a scratch on them.
There is a point to this, right?
Man, now, just slow your roll, I'll get to the point.
Okay.
See, our guy, he just escaped with his life,
but he's walking around
looking like he just lost his best friend.
The young cop couldn't understand,
so he asked him what the problem is.
I mean, he should be celebrating.
So he shows him his watch and says, "Look at it, man.
It's 11:00.
We got one more hour of Mardi Gras to go."
I--
I must have missed something. I don't see the point.
[CHUCKLES]
The point is your face, man.
You just dodged a major bullet.
But you look like you got one more hour to go.
Hey!
You guys done with me?
I gotta get.
Where the hell are you going? City council.
The vote's in, like, 45 minutes.
I just wanna be there.
[SIGHS]
[CHUCKLES]
One more hour of Mardi Gras to go.
That's funny.
[CHUCKLES]
Isn't it?
[CAMERA SHUTTERS CLICK]
CHAIRPERSON: The motion before
the city council is whether to approve the sale
of the Sixth District projects property
to Roykin and Associates.
District One, Mr. Duran.
Aye.
Recorded aye.
District Two, Miss Sheridan.
Nay.
CHAIRPERSON: Recorded nay.
District Three, Mr. LaBlanc.
MR. LaBLANC: Aye. Recorded aye.
District Four, Mr. DuVallay.
MR. DuVALLAY: Nay.
CHAIRPERSON: Recorded nay.
District Five, Miss Rodriquez.
MISS RODRIGUEZ: Aye.
District Six, Miss Toms.
Aye.
CHAIRPERSON: Recorded aye.
Oh, no. No, no.
WOMAN: Oh, no.
[INDISTINCT CHATTERING]
KAREN: I voted with my conscience.
It wasn't an easy decision.
That's all I have to say.
If you'll excuse me.
Excuse me. Excuse me.
REPORTER: Why did you change your mind?
Thank you.
Keshawn Parker was blackmailing you.
Don't be ridiculous.
What did he have on you, Karen?
Nothing.
And how does Roykin fit into all this?
Does he take care of Keshawn?
Is that how he got your vote?
Look, I'm really sorry, Tony,
but I've got work to do.
Listen to me, damn it.
You're an accessory to murder, okay?
So if you don't come forward, I can't do anything for you.
There's still a way out of this, Karen.
[♪♪]
Do you really wanna put those people out of their homes?
You're not in the pulpit, Tony.
Stop preaching.
[GUNSHOTS]
[CASINGS FALL]
DANIEL: Still under your skin, isn't she?
Did you two ever do it?
Do the mambo before you took your vows?
Of course you did.
This is the '90s.
Everyone's a sinner now.
Politicians, priests.
Isn't that right, Tone?
We all have our dirty little secrets.
Get out of the way.
Anyone can pull a trigger on a target.
You think you can do it again
when you got someone looking you in the eye?
Thou shalt not kill, Moran.
Or covet.
Or lust.
Or steal.
If everybody followed the Commandments,
you'd be out of a job.
But you're so busy singing mea culpas for your own sins
that you're blind to everyone else's.
Why can't you see what she's doing?
Why don't you just tell me?
You already know.
Pull the trigger, choir boy.
Come on.
Pull the trigger.
[♪♪]
[PHONE RINGING]
[SIGHS]
Congratulations, Moran.
You're officially cleared.
Excuse me.
What are the O'Fannons doing here?
Ran a registration on the gun.
Turned out it belongs to the father.
Did he know it was missing?
Not until after you shot the boy.
Figures that he took it out of the house that morning.
[♪♪]
[SIGHS]
It was nothing against you.
I just needed to protect Jesse, you know.
I didn't want people to think of him...
Think of him that way after he was gone.
[SOBS]
I'm sorry.
Yes, sir.
CHIEF: I need bodies, people.
Got a 10-55 from Valley Projects.
Say it's looking like trouble down there.
TONY: It's the council decision?
Radio announced that Roykin's throwing a party for them.
Can you believe it?
I'd be in the street too.
You stay clear of this, Moran.
I don't need you in any more trouble.
Roll call, let's go!
[♪♪]
[♪♪]
[INDISTINCT YELLING AND WIND CHIME TINKLING]
DANIEL [WHISPERING]: Moran.
[CRASHING AND GLASS SHATTERING]
[♪♪]
[KAREN MOANING]
DANIEL: You're so busy singing mea culpas for your own sins
that you're blind to everyone else's.
[KAREN MOANING]
[DANIEL SPEAKING IN LATIN]
PARAMEDIC: He's back!
Ugh. No. It's all right.
Just don't try to move.
I'm a police officer.
You're an injured police officer.
Oh. I'm glad to see you're all right.
The gas lines in these old buildings.
Will you please tell your friend if he'd just--
He's a police officer. Tapes.
RITCHIE: What are you talking about?
Tapes.
[INDISTINCT YELLING]
[♪♪]
These are the only ones with her on it.
Nothing intimate, but...
This has something to do with the vote, didn't it?
[POLICE SIREN WAILING]
Keshawn was involved.
MAN 1: You know our man.
MAN 2: Yeah, all right. WOMAN: Hey, wait.
MAN 2: All right, let's move.
MAN 1: You returned my money?
[INDISTINCT CHATTERING]
KAREN [OVER TV]: Keshawn, would you turn that off?
Keshawn, stop following me.
Looks like they were more than acquaintances.
Keshawn.
[CHUCKLES]
You're such a little--
[GRUNTS]
KAREN: Ooh!
Come on. Mommy's big girl.
Oh.
Okay, so, what do you guys want for dinner?
Chicken. Chicken?
Yeah?
Okay, we're gonna have chicken.
Um, I want you guys to go ahead inside
and wait for Mommy, okay?
I'll be right in.
Hi.
Hi.
[♪♪]
Keshawn was your lover, wasn't he?
I was vulnerable.
Was he working for Roykin then?
Or after he shot the tape?
Does it matter?
Karen...
Where'd you get the tape?
It's not the one you want, Karen.
Roykin's got that one.
You're never gonna get it back.
I told him that it didn't matter,
that they couldn't buy my vote.
So they went
and they killed Keshawn in your car.
Tony, you have to understand something.
I have two kids.
They need me.
I couldn't take that chance.
The projects, my career.
Nothing else mattered.
[SIGHS]
I'm sorry.
[SOBS]
It's okay.
[KAREN SNIFFLES]
I'm sorry. No, it's--
I'm sorry. I'm so...
[SOBBING]
[♪♪]
ROYKIN [OVER RADIO]: Karen, long as we have your support,
that tape will never see the light of day.
[♪♪]
[NO AUDIO]
[NO AUDIO]
[GUNSHOT]
[POLICE SIREN WAILING]
[♪♪]
[MAN YELLING INDISTINCTLY]
[SIREN WAILING]
[CAR DOOR OPENS, CLOSES]
[ENGINE STARTS]
[SIREN WAILS]
DANIEL: You did the only thing you could do, Moran.
What's it all about, Ryan?
Don't look to me for answers.
[♪♪]
Maybe it's something Aunt Marie said.
Maybe we've all gotta find our own way
to seek redemption.
See you around, Ryan.
[♪♪]
[♪♪]
[POLICE SIREN WAILING]
[MOUTHING DIALOGUE]
[♪♪]
[FOGHORN BLOWING]
Call it in!
Paramedics!
Father Tony.
Bless me.
[PANTING]
Bless me, Father.
I can't.
Call it in!
[TONY PRAYING IN LATIN]
The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
[SIREN WAILS]
DET. RITCHIE: Medium height?
TONY: Yeah. Medium build.
Mm-hm.
And you're sure he was a cop,
and not some worker on that ferry?
He was a cop.
[INHALES]
And he saw you shoot this kid?
He had to see it, man. He was standing right there.
All right, all right, I'm on your side.
[SIGHS] Let me see, we got a...
We got drugs on the kid,
we got a stolen car.
The guy who lost me was Keshawn Parker.
He's a fence.
He was taking delivery on that sedan.
We got everything. It all works in your favor.
But we do not have a gun.
I told you, it flew out of his hand
when I shot-- It's gotta be out there.
Look, and I understand it,
what I'm telling you
is Internal Affairs didn't find diddly.
Lana said you knew him.
His family.
The O'Fannons. They live over on Third.
Uh-huh.
Well, we'll find that gun.
Or the cop. Or the cop.
One of them's bound to show up.
[INHALES, EXHALES]
Tony.
[TONY SIGHS]
You hang in there.
Don't let this thing beat you.
[♪♪]
[TRAM BELL RINGS]
[PHONE RINGING]
OFFICER 1: It could have been a reflection.
Maybe a glint of sunlight off the ferry or a building.
It was a gun.
Sometimes in stressful situations,
the mind plays tricks on you, you know.
You've been on the street for how long now?
Two months.
I finished the academy in March.
First in your class?
Yes, sir.
And first in the combat range.
Before that you were a Catholic priest,
is that right?
Two years, after the seminary.
Where was that?
Texas. Plano.
Gotta be a little slow.
Church life.
There are good things and there are bad.
I mean, obviously, you're a man of action.
You know, the P.D. shrinks put me through all this
when I first applied.
Now, if you had spent this time looking for the gun or that cop,
then we wouldn't have this conversation.
We're on your side, Tony. Relax. No one wants to find that gun
or that guy more than we do.
OFFICER 1: These questions are procedure.
OFFICER 2: Exactly. Procedure.
If we don't find the weapon, it usually means
a wrongful death suit.
OFFICER 1: This ain't nothing compared
to what the lawyers will ask you.
Is it true that you knew the victim?
[SIGHS]
[INDISTINCT CHATTER OVER RADIO]
[PHONE RINGS]
Hey, Moran,
I heard you dropped in with the Holy Trinity.
Boom the Father, boom the Son, boom the Holy Ghost.
Duchow, shove it deep.
You got a quarter?
It'll take a dollar.
You ever seen it take a dollar?
Thanks.
[CLANGING]
RITCHIE: Hey, hey, hey!
Walk away.
CHIEF: TKO.
This machine's never lost a fight.
[SODA CAN CLANGING]
[SIGHS]
You lease that rat hole on Magazine?
Yeah. Academy housing finally kicked me out.
So move in.
It's a mandatory 48 till the shooting clears.
And you gotta see the shrink downtown.
Ritchie'll take you home.
No, no, I'm fine.
[TONY CLEARS THROAT]
Is he?
I'll tell you one thing,
he's wondering why he ever left the church.
[♪♪]
[DOG BARKING]
[CHURCH BELL TOLLING]
[DOG BARKING IN DISTANCE]
[DOOR SQUEAKS]
[♪♪]
Aunt Marie?
Is it breaking and entering if the door's unlocked?
I don't think so if a nun does it.
Oh, rats. I was hoping to get arrested.
I'm sorry. I didn't bring my cuffs.
Mm. You know,
an old beau and I spent a lot of time here once.
I used to love to sit
right here at this bar.
Look at it now, would you?
To think of you moving in, right upstairs.
Yeah. It's the old neighborhood.
I guess I just felt attached.
Not what it used to be.
It's close to the church, and it's close to you.
Oh, don't you go blaming me, especially not to your daddy.
Does he know you moved into this dump?
Stupid question.
My advice, hold off telling him as long as you can.
[CHUCKLES]
[♪♪]
So when did you hear?
Sister Bea came running into my classroom
10 minutes after it happened.
Word spreads fast in the projects.
You knew this could happen, Tony.
It goes with the territory.
Yeah.
He asked for his rights, Marie.
The O'Fannon kid.
After I shot him.
He knew who I was.
Did you give them to him?
Of course you did.
Oh, dearest.
That's one tough road you chose.
Is this really what you needed to do?
I guess we all have our own ways of seeking redemption.
Yeah.
[♪♪]
MAN: Sinner.
[♪♪]
[SIGHS]
Bless me, Father, for I have--
MAN: Sinned.
[SPEAKING IN LATIN]
[IN ENGLISH] Who are you?
[♪♪]
[ORGAN PLAYING]
[SPEAKING IN LATIN]
[IN ENGLISH] Amen.
[PRIEST SPEAKING IN LATIN]
[IN ENGLISH] Bless me.
[♪♪]
[SIGHS]
[SOBBING]
[PHONE RINGING]
Moran.
GINA: Hey, it's Gina.
Hey, what time is it?
It's almost 10:00.
How are you doing? Are you okay?
[GRUNTS]
Yeah, I'm fine.
I'm sorry.
Yeah, me too.
So how's the place?
Well, I'm still unpacking.
Well, do as much as you can because this is a daddy alert.
Oh, you gotta be kidding me. Today?
No, no. This morning.
Mom said he was on the phone all night
with his cronies from the department.
By the way, do you want that microwave? I never use it.
Yeah, definitely.
So I'll just bring it by tonight or something?
[DOORBELL RINGS]
Uh-oh, he's here.
Great.
Is tonight okay?
Uh, yeah, yeah.
All right, if I'm not here, Marie's got a key.
Hey, why does he have to come by here anyway?
[CHUCKLES]
Look, you really need an answer?
I hate this, G.
Good luck.
[DOORBELL RINGS]
You just get up?
Or is that the fashion these days?
You know, last time I was in this place,
we were busting a couple of junkies.
In the mid-'70s, I think.
They had this big old dog.
Never let him out.
Yeah, I can still smell it.
Can't you smell it?
No, Daddy, I can't smell it.
It's bad enough Marie's gotta be here in the Channel.
I wanted better for you.
But I guess you know what you want.
Yes, sir.
I spoke to some of the boys last night.
IA can't find a gun.
Well, there was one.
There was a cop that saw it?
I believe there was, yeah.
That's a little strange he's not coming forward.
Yes, sir, it is.
So it was John O'Fannon's kid.
Jesse.
You should talk to her.
I'm gonna do that today, Daddy.
[CHUCKLES]
I remember when your mother made this for you.
She couldn't wait to see you wear it.
Hmm.
If only we all knew, hmm?
[♪♪]
You're gonna tell us one of these days, Tony,
the real reason you left,
not that bull about wanting to do more.
That woman deserves to know, you understand?
We both do.
[♪♪]
Look at me.
Gun or no gun...
you did the right thing yesterday.
You can't be a priest in a cop's uniform.
God in heaven, this place stinks.
Mr. O'Fannon?
I know you.
Yes, sir.
Tony Moran.
Is it Father or officer now?
It's officer, ma'am.
But I did give Jesse his absolution.
He asked for it.
I just wanted you to know.
He came by here yesterday morning.
First time since John kicked him out of the house.
Been three years, next month.
What did he want?
Money.
He was still on drugs. You could see it in his eyes.
Him and his daddy started to fight,
just like before.
[SIGHS]
I've never seen John so...angry.
I don't know, so...disappointed and...
And after they told us,
all he's done is sit there,
watch TV.
Mrs. O'Fannon, do you know if Jesse had a gun?
Seems to me you ought to know the answer
to that question.
My son was an altar boy. You remember.
Baseball player.
This isn't how it was supposed to turn out.
I'm sorry.
That's why this door is still open.
But I tell you what, Officer Moran,
I'd rather you saved him in the church
than gunned him down in the street.
[♪♪]
Looking for something?
You know what I'm--
Hey!
Hey!
Where did you go?
What the hell's going on?
[SIGHS]
Keshawn Parker is now at large.
For those who haven't heard,
we tried to bust up his operation yesterday,
and wound up with a chase and escape.
Flip side has names and addresses
of known girlfriends and business associates.
He's a ladies' man, so check them out.
What you doing here?
CHIEF: ...sit on the pros up in L zone tonight.
Getting complaints that they're exposing themselves
to passing traffic.
Remind the ladies this ain't Mardi Gras.
[ALL LAUGH]
You see the shrink? Not yet.
And Zone D has lost another showboat.
This one's a '96 silver gray Jaguar sedan,
license S22T47,
belonging to our city councilwoman.
MAN: Oh, man. CHIEF: Exactly.
She reported it missing a half-hour ago,
so maybe it's still in this country.
That's it.
Y'all have a good night.
[INDISTINCT CHATTERING]
If you wanna talk, I've got an empty seat.
[♪♪]
[SIGHS]
Gum?
No, thanks.
DISPATCHER [OVER RADIO]: Six-twelve, there's a 27 up on Washington & Barone.
Please respond.
I knew this cop once, worked over at Acadian Parish.
Ran over an alligator during a car chase.
Now, it was nobody's fault, mind you.
That an old gator just happened to be trying
to cross the street at the wrong time.
Well, if it had been anybody else,
they would have just clipped that gator
and it would have been done with.
But his conscience just wouldn't let it go.
[CHUCKLES]
Poor Lloyd, he was seeing gators in his living room.
Gators in his kitchen.
He saw gators on his commode.
The man was afraid to go out of his own house.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER OVER RADIO]
All right, what's the point?
The point is his conscience was wrong.
He had no reason to feel guilty.
Neither do you.
[POLICE SIREN IN DISTANCE]
You ain't seeing gators, are you, Junior?
I'm not telling you what I'm seeing.
Well, I don't really care what you're seeing,
as long as you ain't seeing gators.
I'm sure as hell ain't seeing gators.
Then you can ride with me all night.
[BOTH CHUCKLE]
[INDISTINCT CHATTER OVER RADIO CONTINUES]
OFFICER [OVER RADIO]: Copy that.
Hey, the cemetery gate's open.
There's someone inside.
[♪♪]
Oh, man.
Now, this is the last place I'd hide a stolen car.
You carrying? No.
[GATE CREAKING]
Police.
Put your hands up on that dashboard.
Hey!
Ain't gonna tell you again.
[♪♪]
Keshawn Parker.
[♪♪]
I'll go call it in.
[SIGHS]
[♪♪]
[THUNDER RUMBLES]
[DOOR OPENS]
GINA: Tony?
Tone?
Oh, at least he could have let the light on or something.
MARIE: There is no light. That or a broken switch.
GINA: Great. MARIE: I'll go first. Argh.
GINA: Watch your step. It's slippery.
MARIE: Argh. Leaky roof.
GINA: Oh, this place is gross.
[MARIE GROANS] [THUNDER RUMBLES]
GINA: Oh, man.
It's just like Tony to live in a hole like this.
MARIE: The kitchen's down here at the end.
[THUNDER RUMBLES]
[♪♪]
Oh, that's better.
GINA: Oh, I don't know.
Now we can actually see this mess.
[THUNDER CRASHING]
DET. RITCHIE: My mother'd swear she'd see this ghost lady
mending socks in our basement every Tuesday at 4:00.
Now, it was always socks, always Tuesday,
always at 4:00.
Now, personally,
I've never been able to respect anybody
in that kind of rut.
Now, I'm not saying you didn't see those numbers.
You understand?
All I'm saying is you've been under a little stress.
And those numbers, they ain't on that windshield now.
[♪♪]
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
Hey, you all right? Thank you.
MAN: Councilwoman!
Councilwoman!
Any problem?
I'm just recovering my car.
Can I be of any help?
I'm fine, thank you.
FEMALE COP: Single needle mark.
Heroin.
When he got good and numb, he took the gun,
put it in his mouth and pulled the trigger.
No note? Not unusual.
Why steal the car?
Maybe he liked the smell of new leather.
It sure don't smell like that no more.
I'm gonna let you break that to the owner.
KAREN: Tony?
TONY: Karen. Here, I'll take her.
Your father said you were back.
Yeah, a little over a year now.
I'm surprised it's taken this long
to run into each other.
Miss Toms, you want to identify the car
and your personal belongings?
Absolutely.
KAREN: Um...
Everything's mine,
except for the gun and the syringe.
What happens now?
Well, we'll keep it until it clears Forensics.
That shouldn't take too long.
It kind of looks like a suicide.
Come on now, bring it on through here.
You all right?
No.
MARIE: I never liked those things.
Tony know how to use it?
What, are you kidding?
Man, meat, microwave.
It's about the one appliance they do.
The only reason I ever kept it around was for Josh.
Oh, yeah, that's right.
How you doing?
Well, I'm better off without him.
But not so good.
Does that make any sense?
Completely.
[CHUCKLES]
Oh, wow.
Wow, this, this place is truly awful.
Daddy must have had a fit when he saw this.
Whew.
Oh.
Not bad.
Argh. Oh, heavens.
GINA: What?
[MARIE GASPS]
MARIE: I'm looking in the mirror
and I think I'm seeing myself years ago.
[MARIE GIGGLES AND GINA CHUCKLES]
Daddy does that to me all the time.
Do I really look that much like you did?
Oh, yes.
[CHUCKLES]
Especially in these old rooms.
[THUNDER ROLLING]
Why here, Tony?
Of all the places.
[♪♪]
Something wrong? You okay?
Uh...
I guess my mind is playing tricks on me.
[THUNDER RUMBLES]
GINA: Whew.
Look at the moldings in this place.
It must have been pretty nice one time, huh?
Yes. Yes, it was.
Were you truly that in love, Aunt Marie.
They teaching you mind reading in med school these days?
[CHUCKLING]
Oh, yes. I was, dear.
You will be too.
Just don't force it.
No matter what it looks like now,
I'm sure the right one will come along eventually.
I'm gonna get the umbrella and turn out the kitchen light.
[THUNDER ROLLING]
[THUNDER CRACKS]
Weird.
[♪♪]
His mother, Etta, represents project residents
at district meetings.
DET. RITCHIE: And Keshawn?
He assisted her sometimes.
TONY: He controlled the projects, Karen.
Stolen cars, stolen goods. He moved everything.
KAREN: Look, I heard that. I'm not completely naive.
But you have to understand,
the projects are being torn down in June.
He's connected and he offered his help.
I hear they're talking about making the projects
into an industrial park.
The council's voting on it next week.
It's a very emotional issue.
It would kick people like Etta out of their homes.
DET. RITCHIE: She has your vote.
From the start. You can pull in up here.
Ten, 48 and 17?
Mm-hm.
I don't know. Is that a trick question
or your high school locker combination?
Heh. Actually, my high school locker combination
was 36, 14...
Twelve. Yeah.
[CHUCKLES]
I can't believe I still remember that.
We didn't even go to the same school.
[CHUCKLES]
This is nice. Thank you.
Can I give you a hand here? Oh, no, no, no. That's okay.
I, uh...
I heard about the shooting yesterday.
Yeah.
I still keep tabs on you.
Let me guess.
This belongs to Megan?
Yeah. Yeah.
Charlie's moved on to action figures.
[CHUCKLES]
I bet your divorce was pretty tough on them?
Yeah.
They, uh...
They miss having him around.
I'll bet.
Do you think that, uh,
they'll be discreet about it?
Finding Keshawn in my car?
It's not up to me, Karen.
[CHUCKLES]
What?
You said the same thing to me
when you left me for the church.
[CLEARS THROAT]
Yeah.
[♪♪]
[MOUTHING DIALOGUE]
[JAZZ MUSIC PLAYING]
[INDISTINCT CHATTERING]
MAN: Better love them while you can.
[♪♪]
STREET PREACHER: Lead us not into temptation.
Lead us not into temptation, brother,
but deliver us from evil.
Lead us not into temptation, brother,
but deliver us from evil!
[DOG BARKING IN DISTANCE]
MAN: Love her while you can.
[♪♪]
DJ [OVER RADIO]: And now it's your 1951 Lucky Strike Hit Parade.
[PLAYING OVER RADIO]
♪ That's lightning calling ♪
[MOANING]
Huh?
Marie.
Marie.
Marie, come back!
[♪♪]
[DOG BARKING IN DISTANCE]
DOCTOR: I realize, with your background,
that this shooting may be causing you
a great deal of stress.
Have you experienced anything
such as night sweats, headaches?
Nothing at all.
DOCTOR: And if you're placed
in that type of situation again, would you--?
I wouldn't hesitate to do the exact same thing.
DOCTOR: To use deadly force?
Yes.
MAN: Right now,
we're walking on prime commercial land
that borders the river and is a stone's throw
from the center of our city.
A city that needs commerce, safety and jobs.
ETTA: That Johnny Roykin is a smooth one.
ROYKIN: Does this make sense to you?
ETTA: Look how he leads them around by the nose.
Look around you.
You use this land for new housing
and this is exactly what you're gonna get
10 years down the road.
A waste of the taxpayer's money.
A breeding ground for crime.
Is that really what these people need?
I don't think so.
Industry, income, that's what they need.
Work, for a better life.
He's not gonna hire these people.
He'll say they're unqualified and move on.
The man's just lining his pockets.
You think he's gonna win?
The council's split 50-50.
I thank God for Karen. She's putting up a fight.
Is that why you don't think that Keshawn stole her car?
Do you really think he'd do something so stupid?
He knew Karen, worked with her.
And I honestly think he was looking
to increase his stature in this town.
If Keshawn's boys stole that car,
he was bringing it back to her last night.
This is his. I haven't been inside yet.
[♪♪]
Oh.
Look at this place.
Nobody would have dared laid a finger on it
when he was alive.
Not that he spent much time here.
I think he kept it for sentimental reasons.
Keshawn was always into the finer things.
Good furniture, stereo.
Video equipment?
ETTA: Oh, yeah.
Yeah, he was always playing with the latest cameras,
shooting tapes.
Did he ever do drugs?
Absolutely not.
Put a bullet through his brain?
Never.
Keshawn was vain.
He liked himself too much.
I taught him from the fourth grade up.
I can't see it either.
What about those numbers?
Ten, 48, 17?
They don't mean nothing to me.
Look.
Here, the night he spoke at the council.
You take that and look at it.
That's how I remember him.
That's my son.
They can couch this however they like.
The bottom line is that you're moving people
from one slum into another.
While Johnny Roykin
and the faceless men who control this city
get rich off of it. [CROWD CLAPPING]
There's nothing there.
[BANGING]
DET. RITCHIE: Come on out of there!
Walk away, Ritchie.
Well, it got my dollar now.
I walk away from this,
you walk away from Keshawn Parker?
It was not suicide.
Why?
'Cause his mother said so?
Or 'cause he gave a nice speech?
[CLANGING]
[SCOFFS]
You rigged this, didn't you?
[SIGHS]
The gun was his,
the fingerprints on the car was his.
He had no problem with nobody
out there on the street.
We had his fence operation nailed.
The man was finished and he knew it.
You tell him, boss.
Homicide cleared it, Moran, and you are still suspended.
IA boys catch you playing cop,
they're gonna be all over you and me.
Well, is there any news?
The O'Fannons filed for wrongful death this morning.
DET. RITCHIE: Which doesn't mean you won't be cleared.
No, the kid turned on you, and you saw something.
And that should be enough.
Well, there will be a hearing, right?
Unless we find a witness, like that cop.
[BREATHES HEAVILY]
Go home, Moran.
Don't drive yourself crazy, all right?
Look, I'm doing everything I can to find this guy.
I know you are, man. I know.
I appreciate it.
Thanks. All right.
[♪♪]
Daniel Ryan.
Chief.
Didn't I just ask you to go home?
Yeah. Do you know anything about this guy?
Yeah, he died in '51.
How old do you think I am?
Do you think there's any records on him anywhere?
Maybe down at Central.
Didn't your old man work in the Sixth?
Thirty years.
You got a problem with him, don't you?
[LAUGHING]
All you're gonna get over there is a dead branch or two.
You gonna start in on me now, Daddy?
Well, what's the point? You never listen.
I talked again to my guys at IA,
and the O'Fannons are gonna file.
That's the word.
Well, don't let it bother you.
Anyone turns on you like that, you shoot.
It'll clear.
That's what everybody keeps telling me.
It's the truth.
And you gotta know that when the situation comes up again,
no hesitation, no doubt.
Could you do it again, Tony?
That's the question I would like answered.
Because if you can't,
trading in that collar for your shield is--
Look, enough, okay? It's not enough!
We're talking your life here.
Yeah, my life!
My life, Daddy, not yours. You have nothing to do with it.
The hell I don't!
It affects all of us!
What? What affects all of us?
My decision to leave? Is that what we're talking about?
You had five years of the sermon,
five years to decide to enter the Church.
I was wrong.
I made a mistake, I was wrong.
There's something more to it.
Forget it.
Come on back, Tony. Come here.
You asked me about Danny Ryan.
Did you find his name in your apartment?
Because he used to live there after the war.
The local bosses owned the bar downstairs,
and Ryan, he was hooked in pretty tight.
He was crooked?
[CHUCKLES]
And then some.
Come on back, son. Come on.
Come on.
Remember the street lottery?
Eh, probably not.
You bet on three-number combinations.
Used to call them gigs.
And everyone in town had their special numbers.
I mean, 1-2-3,
that was called a Chinaman's gig,
4-11-40 was Washwoman's.
There was a million of them.
What about 10-48-17?
No, I don't remember that.
[REEL TURNS]
There was big money in that game.
And a lot of cops on the take.
And Ryan, he was one of the worst.
I couldn't stand to see him with Marie.
I cou--
And I warned her,
I told her he was trouble.
But she wouldn't listen.
Just as stubborn as you.
The official report says he was killed on duty.
We found his squad car in that old cotton warehouse
on Adele.
There was blood on the ground.
We never found the body.
And Marie...
she entered the order right after.
[SPLASHING]
Whoa! Oh! Yep, got one on.
[CHUCKLES]
That is terrific.
Absolutely beautiful.
Now you'll never listen to me.
[♪♪]
[THUNDER ROLLING]
[♪♪]
[GRUNTS]
Evening, boys.
Anybody have any money on the Pels tonight? They won.
I guess their pitcher's improving.
It's the usual gratuity.
What? You expected more?
Only if you boys don't want me singing
to Senator Kefaufer.
[THUNDER ROLLING]
"Ten-48-17."
Now, what the hell's that supposed to mean?
It's the Blackmailer's gig, Danny,
you ought to know that.
And if you wanna play those numbers,
you better be prepared to pay the price.
MAN: Wrap him up. Take him over to the harbor.
[THUNDER ROLLING]
[CAR ENGINE STARTS]
[THUNDER CRASHING]
[♪♪]
[THUNDER ROLLING]
[CAR HORN HONKING]
[TIRES SCREECHING]
MAN: Come on.
[THUNDER ROLLING]
MAN 1: Okay, Johnny, that's deep enough.
Now throw the garbage in, all right?
All right, when you're doing it, the bricks,
make it look like it was before.
MAN 2: Okay, boss.
MAN 1: I'll meet you in the car, yeah?
[♪♪]
[DOG BARKING]
[BARKING CONTINUES]
[BANGING ON DOOR]
MARIE: I'm coming!
[BANGING ON DOOR CONTINUES]
All right, all right. You'll wake up the entire order.
Tony.
I believe God put a special person
for each and every one of us on this earth.
It doesn't necessarily mean you'll wind up with them.
They're out there for you to find.
And Danny was yours.
He was the world to me.
The air I breathed.
I believe he felt the same way about me.
I forgave him everything.
There was plenty to forgive.
TONY: He was crooked.
Your daddy hated him.
I used to have to sneak out of the house.
We'd meet at The Harp.
Danny's uncle owned it.
In the end,
I suppose Danny got what he deserved.
TONY: Something to do with Kefaufer.
Senator Estess Kefaufer was coming down here
with his crime committee.
I think Danny thought he could make
a little something off the deal.
By blackmailing the bosses.
They made an example out of him.
They silenced him and scared the other cops.
[CHUCKLES]
Danny was fearless.
He never knew when to back down.
You know how I said that each and every one of us
has our own way of seeking redemption?
Well, this is mine.
I'm doing it for both of us.
I'm doing it for my soul
and the soul of Danny Ryan.
[♪♪]
Ryan!
Ryan!
[GRUNTS]
MAN: Leave them where they are.
They're just bones.
What do you want from me?
Nothing.
Then why are you haunting me?
Is that what I'm doing?
Then I'd be asking me
some really big questions, friend.
Like, what's the meaning of life?
Of death?
I'd be asking me if there really is a God.
Is there?
What if I told you
I don't know what the hell's going on,
would you believe me?
No.
It's the truth.
We're just two sinners here.
A couple of nice Catholic boys gone wrong.
You're not hiding anything from me, Tony.
So don't try.
What, you always--?
Over your shoulder?
There's an uncomfortable thought.
Come on, Tone,
don't make it even more uncomfortable.
You know, most of the time, I'm...
I'm in cold.
In cold darkness.
There's no heaven, there's no hell.
There's nothing really.
Until you.
I heard your voice,
I felt the warmth of your room.
Almost as if you were giving me the strength,
the strength to gather.
And I could see you slowly come into focus.
Your room.
Like I could see yours.
Why is that, Moran?
Somebody playing some kind of trick on us?
Somebody got us haunting each other?
Ooh.
Wait a minute.
Somebody's letting the air out.
Those numbers in the cemetery, on the windshield.
Blackmail gig.
Was Keshawn Parker blackmailing someone?
Well, you can't blame a guy for having ambition.
Who were you blackmailing?
Come on, Tony.
What about the gun?
It's there. Well, where is it?
You're the cop.
[SIGHS]
[FOGHORN BLOWS]
[FOGHORN BLOWS]
[♪♪]
Hey!
Hey!
[FOGHORN BLOWS]
Hey!
[♪♪]
Sir!
[TONY WHISTLES]
Excuse me!
Sir!
[WHISTLES]
Hello?
Hello?
[♪♪]
Hello?
Hello?
[CLANGING]
[♪♪]
Hello?
Whoa, whoa, whoa.
Take it easy.
Look, I'm not here to hurt you.
I'm not here to rob you,
I'm not here to arrest you or anything.
I just wanna ask you a question.
Okay? A question about where you got that gun.
DET. RITCHIE: I know this cop at the Eighth, works the Quarter.
[DET. RITCHIE CHUCKLES]
Three years ago, Mardi Gras,
he found himself right in the middle
of a marital dispute.
Seems this guy caught his wife
sleeping with a car dealer from Houston.
Now, everybody was drunk, and they all had guns.
Well, one thing led to another, and they all started shooting.
I mean, bullets was whizzing by
and ricocheting all over the place.
So our guy, he hits the floor.
he decides to wait till they're all fired out.
Now, everything gets real quiet before he gets to his feet.
Two other beat cops, they arrive.
And they're looking all around the place,
like they just can't believe their eyes.
I mean, this place was all shot up to hell.
And no one,
I mean not one single person, including our guy,
had a scratch on them.
There is a point to this, right?
Man, now, just slow your roll, I'll get to the point.
Okay.
See, our guy, he just escaped with his life,
but he's walking around
looking like he just lost his best friend.
The young cop couldn't understand,
so he asked him what the problem is.
I mean, he should be celebrating.
So he shows him his watch and says, "Look at it, man.
It's 11:00.
We got one more hour of Mardi Gras to go."
I--
I must have missed something. I don't see the point.
[CHUCKLES]
The point is your face, man.
You just dodged a major bullet.
But you look like you got one more hour to go.
Hey!
You guys done with me?
I gotta get.
Where the hell are you going? City council.
The vote's in, like, 45 minutes.
I just wanna be there.
[SIGHS]
[CHUCKLES]
One more hour of Mardi Gras to go.
That's funny.
[CHUCKLES]
Isn't it?
[CAMERA SHUTTERS CLICK]
CHAIRPERSON: The motion before
the city council is whether to approve the sale
of the Sixth District projects property
to Roykin and Associates.
District One, Mr. Duran.
Aye.
Recorded aye.
District Two, Miss Sheridan.
Nay.
CHAIRPERSON: Recorded nay.
District Three, Mr. LaBlanc.
MR. LaBLANC: Aye. Recorded aye.
District Four, Mr. DuVallay.
MR. DuVALLAY: Nay.
CHAIRPERSON: Recorded nay.
District Five, Miss Rodriquez.
MISS RODRIGUEZ: Aye.
District Six, Miss Toms.
Aye.
CHAIRPERSON: Recorded aye.
Oh, no. No, no.
WOMAN: Oh, no.
[INDISTINCT CHATTERING]
KAREN: I voted with my conscience.
It wasn't an easy decision.
That's all I have to say.
If you'll excuse me.
Excuse me. Excuse me.
REPORTER: Why did you change your mind?
Thank you.
Keshawn Parker was blackmailing you.
Don't be ridiculous.
What did he have on you, Karen?
Nothing.
And how does Roykin fit into all this?
Does he take care of Keshawn?
Is that how he got your vote?
Look, I'm really sorry, Tony,
but I've got work to do.
Listen to me, damn it.
You're an accessory to murder, okay?
So if you don't come forward, I can't do anything for you.
There's still a way out of this, Karen.
[♪♪]
Do you really wanna put those people out of their homes?
You're not in the pulpit, Tony.
Stop preaching.
[GUNSHOTS]
[CASINGS FALL]
DANIEL: Still under your skin, isn't she?
Did you two ever do it?
Do the mambo before you took your vows?
Of course you did.
This is the '90s.
Everyone's a sinner now.
Politicians, priests.
Isn't that right, Tone?
We all have our dirty little secrets.
Get out of the way.
Anyone can pull a trigger on a target.
You think you can do it again
when you got someone looking you in the eye?
Thou shalt not kill, Moran.
Or covet.
Or lust.
Or steal.
If everybody followed the Commandments,
you'd be out of a job.
But you're so busy singing mea culpas for your own sins
that you're blind to everyone else's.
Why can't you see what she's doing?
Why don't you just tell me?
You already know.
Pull the trigger, choir boy.
Come on.
Pull the trigger.
[♪♪]
[PHONE RINGING]
[SIGHS]
Congratulations, Moran.
You're officially cleared.
Excuse me.
What are the O'Fannons doing here?
Ran a registration on the gun.
Turned out it belongs to the father.
Did he know it was missing?
Not until after you shot the boy.
Figures that he took it out of the house that morning.
[♪♪]
[SIGHS]
It was nothing against you.
I just needed to protect Jesse, you know.
I didn't want people to think of him...
Think of him that way after he was gone.
[SOBS]
I'm sorry.
Yes, sir.
CHIEF: I need bodies, people.
Got a 10-55 from Valley Projects.
Say it's looking like trouble down there.
TONY: It's the council decision?
Radio announced that Roykin's throwing a party for them.
Can you believe it?
I'd be in the street too.
You stay clear of this, Moran.
I don't need you in any more trouble.
Roll call, let's go!
[♪♪]
[♪♪]
[INDISTINCT YELLING AND WIND CHIME TINKLING]
DANIEL [WHISPERING]: Moran.
[CRASHING AND GLASS SHATTERING]
[♪♪]
[KAREN MOANING]
DANIEL: You're so busy singing mea culpas for your own sins
that you're blind to everyone else's.
[KAREN MOANING]
[DANIEL SPEAKING IN LATIN]
PARAMEDIC: He's back!
Ugh. No. It's all right.
Just don't try to move.
I'm a police officer.
You're an injured police officer.
Oh. I'm glad to see you're all right.
The gas lines in these old buildings.
Will you please tell your friend if he'd just--
He's a police officer. Tapes.
RITCHIE: What are you talking about?
Tapes.
[INDISTINCT YELLING]
[♪♪]
These are the only ones with her on it.
Nothing intimate, but...
This has something to do with the vote, didn't it?
[POLICE SIREN WAILING]
Keshawn was involved.
MAN 1: You know our man.
MAN 2: Yeah, all right. WOMAN: Hey, wait.
MAN 2: All right, let's move.
MAN 1: You returned my money?
[INDISTINCT CHATTERING]
KAREN [OVER TV]: Keshawn, would you turn that off?
Keshawn, stop following me.
Looks like they were more than acquaintances.
Keshawn.
[CHUCKLES]
You're such a little--
[GRUNTS]
KAREN: Ooh!
Come on. Mommy's big girl.
Oh.
Okay, so, what do you guys want for dinner?
Chicken. Chicken?
Yeah?
Okay, we're gonna have chicken.
Um, I want you guys to go ahead inside
and wait for Mommy, okay?
I'll be right in.
Hi.
Hi.
[♪♪]
Keshawn was your lover, wasn't he?
I was vulnerable.
Was he working for Roykin then?
Or after he shot the tape?
Does it matter?
Karen...
Where'd you get the tape?
It's not the one you want, Karen.
Roykin's got that one.
You're never gonna get it back.
I told him that it didn't matter,
that they couldn't buy my vote.
So they went
and they killed Keshawn in your car.
Tony, you have to understand something.
I have two kids.
They need me.
I couldn't take that chance.
The projects, my career.
Nothing else mattered.
[SIGHS]
I'm sorry.
[SOBS]
It's okay.
[KAREN SNIFFLES]
I'm sorry. No, it's--
I'm sorry. I'm so...
[SOBBING]
[♪♪]
ROYKIN [OVER RADIO]: Karen, long as we have your support,
that tape will never see the light of day.
[♪♪]
[NO AUDIO]
[NO AUDIO]
[GUNSHOT]
[POLICE SIREN WAILING]
[♪♪]
[MAN YELLING INDISTINCTLY]
[SIREN WAILING]
[CAR DOOR OPENS, CLOSES]
[ENGINE STARTS]
[SIREN WAILS]
DANIEL: You did the only thing you could do, Moran.
What's it all about, Ryan?
Don't look to me for answers.
[♪♪]
Maybe it's something Aunt Marie said.
Maybe we've all gotta find our own way
to seek redemption.
See you around, Ryan.
[♪♪]
[♪♪]