Where the Truth Lies (2005) - full transcript

Live, until they drop dead...

from the beautiful carlou theater

in the heart of sunny Miami beach, Florida,

it's the veterans day polio telethon!

And now, please welcome your hosts,

the beautiful, the talented, Lanny Morris

and Vince Collins!

Do you realize, Lanny,
we have to present ourselves

in front of these lovely
people for the next three days?

Hello, lovely people
for the next three days.

- Look at you. You're a disgrace.
- What?



Look, your hair's a mess,
your shoes aren't shined,

your shirt's not pressed.

Look at your tie.
It's not even straight.

Look at yours.
It doesn't even clip on.

Now...

I'm upset.

You know what happens when I get upset.

No, no, no.

Please. Please
don't hurt me, Vince.

I've had a terrible day already.

All sorts of bad things have happened.

- I don't wanna be hurt again.
- You've been hurt already?

- Yep, it hurt bad.
- And what happened, pray tell?

- Want me to pray, want me to tell?
- I think you better pray.



I don't know whether
you're singing or speaking.

There's always a woman involved.

That's what you said last time,
Lanny, and the time before that.

You have to make sure there's no first time,

then there can't be a next time.

Let's hope so, Lanny.

Lanny Morris, ladies and gentlemen.

My manager sent me over some of your work.

It's funny how you're really in them a lot.

Whenever I read one of these
interviews where the writer says,

"this is how I felt the morning
I woke up to meet the pope,"

"this is how I felt when the pope greeted me

"and how the pope reminded me

so much of my very best friend Mike,"

I always think,
"who the fuck is Mike?"

So who are you?

I was a young journalist

with a few awards,

a couple of cover stories

and a desperate need to prove myself.

If you look through my work,

you'll see I try to present
a balanced view of my subjects.

I leave the conclusions to the reader.

I'm not sure we like balance.

Or leaving the conclusions to the reader.

I'm used to being publicized, not analyzed.

It would be your words.

We'd publish it as a transcript.

My questions, your answers.

If you say it, I can use it.
If you don't, I can't.

And they're gonna pay me
a million dollars for this?

An excerpt will be published
in a magazine as a way

of amortizing the investment
they'll be making in the book.

They're looking for some...

provocative stories for the first issue.

Any thoughts on what
these "provocative stories"

might be about?

The breakup.

Why Lanny and you split.

And the girl.

Maureen.

What happened to Maureen o'Flaherty.

No one had ever been able
to pin Lanny Morris

or Vince Collins to the girl's death.

All that was clear was that Maureen

was found dead in their hotel suite.

It was unthinkable to me
that Lanny and Vince

could have had anything to do with it.

They were my heroes.

The reason I consider
myself to be a miracle girl

is because I had the good fortune

to meet Lanny and Vince when I was sick.

Their love of life is what gave me hope.

And it's hope
that gives us the power to live.

Thank you, Lanny.

Thank you, Vince.

Come on, let's hear it for her.

Denise handled publicity
for the polio foundation.

And it was her idea to plug the
girl's story on the telethon.

The day before,
it was my idea to plug Denise

at the Miami versailles hotel.

You could tell a lot about
a woman by the way she acts

when you're having sex,
and room service comes in.

See, some girls will sit up
and light a cigarette

like there's nothing funny in the world

about her being naked.

It's obvious we were
in the process of screwing,

so why not let a complete
stranger into the room?

Come on in.

Then there's the kind
that will pull the sheets up

over their head and act like they're asleep.

Where would you like it, sir?

Sweetheart, wherever you'd like it.

And then, of course, there's
the ones who scrunch real flat,

thinking that the bed will look empty.

With Denise...

It was kind of hard
to tell which way she'd go.

Can I have your autograph,
Mr. Morris?

Sure.

Should I make it out to Maureen?

I mean your autograph on the bill.

Okay.

I-I mean, I'd love
to have your autograph.

And maybe a few minutes of your time?

I-I'm a huge fan, and...

well, I was thinking about

writing an article on you
for my campus paper.

I'm the editor.

Any interview requests

go through me, honey.

You know, it's just a college paper.

Thank you.

No, thank you.

Thank you, Maureen.

I said goodbye to Maureen,
knowing I'd see her again,

closed the door and then turned to look
at Denise, thinking, "I know this girl"

from every college town
we have ever played."

They're called "career girls."

The absolute easiest lays
in this great nation of ours.

Now, since you're reading this,
you'd be interested to know

that my favorite catches
were the intellectuals.

They'd be the ones
in the straight black dresses,

severe black hair,

your basic neurotic, eyeglasses,

cool-jazz, liberal,
"I'll fuck any black guy

"as part of my personal apology
for racism in America" type.

Anyhow, on this particular night,

we're in a club in New Jersey,
it's the '50s,

and I'm mingling with the crowd.

Now, when I say mingling, what I mean

is I was scouting
for who I would sleep with.

Didn't matter if the girls came with dates.

That was Reuben's job.
Reuben is my valet.

I never figured out how Reuben
helped them get rid of their dates,

but they were always
gone by the second show.

Reuben could clean up any situation.

Excuse me, miss.
May I say that I think

you have the most beautiful eyes
I have ever seen.

- Thank you.
- Notice I say, "I think you've got"

the most beautiful eyes I've seen,"

because I haven't seen them yet.

I've been too busy staring at your cans.

Now, Lanny!

I can't believe he just said that.

That is completely unacceptable.

Madam, I do apologize.
I apologize,

ladies and gentlemen,
for my friend's behavior.

You cannot speak that way
to a perfect stranger.

- Look, her husband's not offended.
- It's okay.

- He's not?
- No, her husband's not offended.

Her husband's not here.
This lucky guy is her boyfriend.

And even he's not offended,
and do you know why?

Well, I can certainly hazard a guess.

What the hell is "hazard a guess"?

For chrissake, Vince, this is America.

We don't say "hazard a guess."
We say "yes," or we say "no."

Well, I say "no" to you, Morris.

Excuse me, sir.
Could you repeat that?

I don't think the entire audience heard you.

- Go back to where you came from, bastard!
- Let it go.

I get hecklers all the time,

but this schmuck came off pretty personal.

Where did he think I came from?

"Bastard." "Bastard"!
He called me a "bastard."

Now, it doesn't show from the front, Lanny.

Now, please, would you kindly not mount me?
It's very disagreeable.

Vince plunges straight
into quoting some lines I wrote

from a song from our first motion picture.

I happen to be honored
to work with this jerk.

- Is that a compliment?
- I never frown with this clown.

Never, never, never.

I get a kick from this...

friend of mine.

Fine, but don't give the Mike to this kike.

- Well...
- Just relax.

It's not often we get topped
by a member of our audience,

but tonight, this gentleman
has done the near impossible.

What is your name?

It's Joe.

Joe, we were just wondering
if you'd be a great sport...

And help us out onstage.
What do you say, folks?

Go on, Joe.

Joe, here, is going to play
a crazy high school Professor

who's about to give Lanny and I
our final high school exam.

So if you'll just excuse us while we help
Joe change into his crazy Professor outfit.

Lanny, a little costume-changing
music, if you please.

Step this way.

I'll have a quiet word with my partner

about the way he spoke to your wife.

Completely unnecessary.

Just this way.

You call any Jew on this
planet anything you like.

But nobody calls my partner a kike.

Do you understand?

Boffing ladies and bashing gentlemen.

I tell you, there was nothing under the sun

Vince and I wouldn't do for each other.

Are you finished?

Thank you, mamie.

I'm sorry about that, miss o'Connor.

We just needed to be sure
you didn't take any notes.

Lanny gave me very specific
instructions on that point.

I don't understand why
he'd want me to read this.

Why would he ever want
anyone to see this side of him?

When you contacted us about
meeting Lanny for your book,

it wasn't simply a question
of letting you know

he wasn't interested in speaking with you.

I believe my client wanted you to understand

that he, in fact,
was completing a book of his own

which would serve
not only his autobiography,

but also as the definitive
account of the joint careers

of Morris and Collins.

You've had, at first hand,

a sample of Lanny's writing voice.

Yes, I have.

Such a book, miss o'Connor,

this raw, this honest,

would make your own efforts look...

Well, there's been some very
nice translations of the Bible

over the centuries,

But they would run a very poor
second in popularity

to the discovery
of the actual ten commandments.

Single best part about teaching
grade two is the difference

between the bright ones and
the dumb ones isn't so obvious.

- What's so great about that?
- Well, the results of my work

as a teacher aren't so depressing.

Also, there's no homework
to correct in the evenings

and... Well, none of the kids
know how to use drugs.

Bonnie had come from New York
to visit me that summer.

We'd been best friends since kindergarten.

At school we started
the Lanny and Vince fan club,

raising almost $200
for that year's telethon.

All of you, send in a bit of your allowance.

Just a little bit.
A dime, a nickel, a penny.

Every bit helps.

The goal of the telethon that year

was $3.9 million,

which was a lot of dough at that time.

Thank you, tom.
You're a prince among men.

- Lanny!
- There are children watching.

Where does he get his energy?

To remind the viewers of the goal,

we agreed the telethon
could run 39 hours, non-stop.

The show would begin at 9 P.M. on
Friday, and finish at noon on Sunday.

We paced it so that Vince and I
were together for the kickoff,

most of the day on Saturday,

then the big finale on Sunday
with us bleary-eyed and weeping

as America got ready to go to church.

- Lanny! Lanny!
- What are you doin'?

I'm ordering a pizza.
I'm starvin'.

No anchovies on mine, Lanny.

Hey, so who are you talkin' to?

I'm talkin' to little Suzie
from whittier, California,

and she is going to donate
three weeks of allowance.

How about that, folks?

Suzie from whittier!

Thank you!
Three weeks of allowance.

Surely, that's a challenge for all you...

See, what you have to understand

is that Vince and me were
essentially a boy-girl act.

I was the tramp,
ready for any sort of action,

and Vince was the gentleman,

always trying to make me behave myself.

I was pleasure, and he was control.

I was rock 'n' roll, and he was class.

His presence gave America
permission to like me.

My deal with the publisher gave
me first-class travel,

a luxury I'd never enjoyed.

Is there any chance
of switching to a window seat?

Sorry, we're completely booked in first.

But these center seats are really wonderful.

See, if you push here...

can I show you?

Sure.

The chair swivels to the left and the right.

And this converts
to a full-size dining table

during our pan am platinum service.

With damask linen and silverware by fornari,

so you don't have to eat off a tray.

Again, that's only for these center seats.

How does that sound?

At that time,
when you traveled first-class,

people would always ask you

if you met someone famous on the flight.

Mr. Morris.

Thank you.

You're welcome.

Though he would later
accuse me of engineering this,

I didn't.

It just... Happened.

Reuben, so they...
they record these songs

in a studio that I am paying for.

Songs that are recorded for me

that they are contracted to
provide. Are you with me here?

Yes, Lanny, it's just that...

no, it's just that nothing, irv.

Please, let me finish.
So they record...

I read an interview
where Lanny was given credit

for insisting his Butler
travel in the same class

and stay at the same hotels as his boss.

The valet's attentiveness was impressive.

Looks like you'll be having
dinner with Lanny Morris!

Hello.

Hi.

We should get a waiter to slide
a matchbook under the airplane.

There we go.

That should hold.

This is my friend, Reuben.

- Hi.
- Hi.

And this is also my friend,
technically speaking,

and business manager, irv.

Hi.

My name is Lanny.

And what's your name?

Bonnie. Bonnie trout.

What do you do, Bonnie?

I teach.

And what do you teach?

- Second grade.
- Well, we have a lot in common.

You teach second grade,
I went to second grade.

Irv, you went to second grade
too, didn't you?

- Many times.
- Tell me, miss trout,

I don't mean to be impolite

but I was wondering

how a second grade school teacher

affords to fly first class.

Well... I have a pass

that allows me free use
of the subway on weekends,

and the hot lunches
at school are only 50 cents...

And I'm the mistress
of a wealthy, married man

and when he and his wife go on vacation,

he treats me to a first-class
trip in the opposite direction.

But look at me, talking only about myself.

What do you do for a living?

I'm a French impressionist
painter out of Tahiti, mainly.

But I'm just doing that to pay the bills.

My real ambition is to become
a stockbroker in Paris.

- I don't get it.
- Paul Gauguin.

He gave up being a successful stockbroker

to become a painter in the South seas.

You think the average person knows that?

Well, we're not talking about
the average person, irv.

In some ways,

he had never stopped being a hero to me.

That's why it was impossible to think

he might also be a killer.

Well, this has been great.

I'm gonna see you inside your apartment.

There's really no need.

Don't be silly.

I'm not gonna try to come in.

Promise.

- You've been away from your apartment for how long now?
- Ages.

You never know if somebody's
broken in while you were gone.

I'll just see you inside your door.

Believe me, I'm...
I'm not trying to seduce you.

I have to do
the today show at 7 A.M.

They want me in makeup
at 6:15.

Bonnie had moved to New York
for the teaching job

a little over a year ago.

I had never visited her and had no idea

if this was the right place.

Which floor?

Why...

- 4-d.
- Forty?

It only goes up to six.

Four-d...

Four-d, the fourth floor.

Which way?

Guess.

Why?

It's a test.

A test?

Okay.

This way.

So why didn't we take this elevator?

Doesn't work.

Well... good night.

No, I'm going to see
you into your apartment.

And then I'm gonna leave
you alone until tomorrow.

I never get which key goes
in which lock the first time.

Hey, looks like they fixed it.

You okay?

Maybe we should turn on a light.

Whoops.

Well...

I'm going to leave you now

because I have Reuben and irv

waiting in the limousine downstairs,

and I should get some sleep
for the today show.

So...

It was lovely to meet you, Bonnie.

By the end of the telethon,
we had no voices.

Thirty-nine hours
of non-stop entertainment.

A telethon was a superhuman feat.

We weren't just heroes, we were gods.

A couple of the boys were there
to make sure we got out alive

to make the flight to New York.

Everyone. Listen.
Listen.

Gentlemen...
gentlemen, please.

Gentlemen, if I could
just have your attention.

Everyone, Mr. Collins
and Mr. Morris

will answer no questions
until the press conference

at the palace del sol.

Gentlemen, there will be plenty of time

to answer your questions
at the palace del sol.

Thank you, and we will answer your questions

at the press conference.
Thank you for coming.

We had a full police escort,

along with several bodyguards who were there

to protect us from any thoughts
we might have had

of going awol
prior to this press conference.

A pair of New Jersey's finest
walked on either side of us

as we entered the lobby of the hotel.

See, it was an indication of how legitimate

the mob had gone, that they could bring in

the local police to guard
the facade of their racket.

The local chief was a man
named Jack scaglia.

And of course,
the two gentlemen on my right,

who need no introduction,
have come here directly

from their record-breaking
polio telethon

in Miami, Florida.

So the first thing I'd like to
announce is that Mr. sanmarco...

I wish I could tell you that Sally sanmarco

"was a slim, 6'6" guy
who looked like a prince

and spoke with an English accent.

Then I wouldn't seem to be
falling back on the stereotype.

The trouble was,

Sally was straight out of central casting.

A gangster who looked and talked

just like you would expect from the movies.

How did it feel to raise
all that money for polio?

It felt great. It felt...
felt really great.

From a publicity angle and in
terms of giving him legitimacy,

this was a huge coup for Sally.

Like I said, we were gods.

We'd only been in the New York
area for an hour or so,

during which time we were constantly watched

by police and reporters,

which ended up being a good thing for us.

We got ya our best bridal suite.

Fuckin' nice?

People talk about having fancy
apartments and hotel rooms

on the West Side of Manhattan.
What do they see?

Fuckin' New Jersey.
Here, you see New York City.

Unfortunately, Vince and I were
acquainted with the dead girl

in the bathroom of
our hotel suite in New Jersey.

Her last name was o'Flaherty.

Her first name was Maureen.

Karen, we decided to trade
apartments, not identities.

Why didn't you make up a name?

Bonnie, I was looking
at a five-hour flight.

I-I didn't want to make up
a life story

that wasn't attached to anything.

Well, I returned the offense.

- I got to pretend I was you.
- What do you mean?

You received a package. Messenger service.
I signed your name.

- Who's it from?
- No return address.

- Want me to open it?
- Sure.

That's good. I already did.
It's a manuscript.

Excerpt from the memoirs of Lanny Morris.

Hey, all your dreams are coming true.

He's writing you love letters already.

Bonnie, I need to know what he's written.

Well, I'll send it to you.

No, now.
Before he calls me

tomorrow.

Please?

All right.

All right.

Here we go.

"Let me explain to you
why two very famous guys

"just finishing
a nationally-broadcast telethon

ended up in New Jersey."

For years, the palace del sol

was one of the centers of mob prosperity.

Needless to say,

a major headliner in the showroom

helped legitimize the entire operation.

- Give 'er a kiss.
- Yeah, beautiful.

One more guys. That's it.
That's great. Thank you.

Now, Vince and I needed help
in keeping us up all the time,

and in a way of thinking in the '50s,

anything you didn't take
with a needle was okay.

It wasn't "serious" serious.

It was like running a red light.

Everyone used bennies.

Vince added them to his
morning coffee like sugar.

Not that you could tell.

When we did finally decide to flatten out,

we'd take two or three tuinals,
or three or four "threeinalls."

They were really good. Between the
moment you took them and passing out,

it felt really... Sexy.

Sure.

Enjoy the show.

Thank you.

That must have been good for you.

The walls of the blue grotto

were made of a mixture
of plaster and styrofoam.

Flammable as all hell.

But the boys had learned it was cheaper

to give the inspector $200 and
a ringside table to our show

than to spend thousands
of dollars on fireproofing.

Besides, it was always vital in a
business enterprise of this sort

to have the option to torch
the place at a moment's notice,

should the need present itself.

One night, after our show,

we were taken to Sally's office.

We wondered what we had done wrong,

but what we had done, was done good.

Sally started going on about
how much he liked us,

how he thought we were
a good fit with his crowd,

meaning that we brought in
an audience of heavy drinkers,

adulterers and gamblers.

So, what we want is for you boys

to come back here three months from now,

and open our new showroom for us.

A two week, exclusive, limited engagement

that we want you to do for us for six weeks.

God help you when a killer
takes a shining to you.

I looked at Vince and scratched my nose,

which meant our strongest no.

That's... that's a very great honor, Sally.

You're damn fuckin' right it is.

The thing is, we're just trying to cut down

on the nightclub work at the moment.

We turned down the sands
so we could do a TV special,

and the only reason
we still work the versailles

is out of friendship for you.

What dates were you thinking of?

We open November 15th.

Sally, any other day
we would be here in a flash

but, you know, that's the day right
after the next polio telethon.

I mean, we always take two weeks
off right after that to recover.

- Right, Vince?
- At least.

- I mean, we're tired.
- That's the way I want you.

After the fuckin' telethon,
we fly ya up from Miami,

hold a press conference,
all fuckin' exhausted,

so people know what heroes you are.

I'll keep a suite for ya
with the best hookers I got.

Your own personal cathouse.

And I'll have them send you up

a shipment of lobsters and stone crabs.

You like lobsters?

Love 'em.

And a case of these special grapefruits

that I get special down there.

The most delicious thing
you ever tasted in your life.

Juicy, thin skin.

Months later, on the night
before the telethon in Miami,

we got back to our room and found that Sally

had been more than good to his word.

Laid out around the room were various crates

bearing the addresses of their destination.

Our suite at the palace del sol
hotel in New Jersey.

You like lobsters?

They're wonderful.

See you in New Jersey.

New Jersey.

Thin skin, fuckin' most
delicious fuckin' thing

you ever had in your fuckin' life.

"What I thought was a box
of beach balls turned out"

"to be the thinnest-skinned,
dripping-wet grapefruits"

"I'd ever tasted in my life."

"The six-foot crate was filled
with fruits of the sea"

"slowly shifting
over a bed of ice."

Yeah, this is Lanny Morris. S-send
up three steaks, all right?

- Yeah. Make 'em rare this time?
- Yeah, rare.

- Like, bloody.
- Bloody.

A... Couple of bottles
of that... that champagne.

- Make that three.
- Three bottles of champagne.

And can you make sure
that Maureen delivers 'em?

Yeah, Maureen.

We called down for Maureen,

the room-service girl
I'd met earlier,

who wanted the interview
for her school paper.

She brought up three steaks, one for her,

as her last official delivery of the day.

As much as I love lobster,

seeing all that shellfish
nestled on ice in the crate

put me in the mood for hooves, not claws.

The interview for Maureen's campus paper

went better than expected.

Vince and I popped some tuinals

to insure that we would sleep like babes,

after we wore off the general horniness

that the pills first give you.

Vince bought insurance on his bet

by havin' a few babes on hand.

Well, not exactly on his hand.

That wasn't his preference.

- "Not exactly on his hand."
- That wasn't

his preference."

"Not exactly on his hand"?

"That wasn't his preference"?

"The tuinals, coupled with
a nice amount of booze,

"guaranteed us the sleep of the dead.

"Late the next morning,
Maureen was sent packing

"and Vince and I prepared ourselves

for that night's broadcast."

Well, I guess this is one story my kids
won't have to give a book report on.

Thanks.

Must be weird to find out that the object

of all your adolescent fantasies is a pig.

He's not like that.

So it's just the way he describes himself.

She was right.

Which was the real Lanny?

I'd find out later that the story
of the hookers in the hotel suite

was a complete fabrication.

That night, Maureen was alone.

Hello?

So how did you like the show?

Lanny?

The today show.
You did watch, didn't you?

The show.

You didn't watch.

Wow, that's scary.

You see, when you're a star, you...

you live in terror,
wondering if it's all over yet.

Y-y-you keep
looking for the signs.

You're shooting a scene from a movie on a
New York street, and a crowd doesn't form.

You meet a girl on a plane, and
ya tell her that you're gonna be

on the today show the next morning,

and she doesn't wake up early to watch.

It's... Very scary.

Hey, you know, I mentioned you on the air.

You did?

Yes, I proposed to you on the air.

Your apartment building is probably

surrounded with photographers

at this very moment.

You're kidding.

Yes, I'm kidding.

So...

What time would you like to meet?

Stanley, this is Bonnie.
Bonnie, Stanley.

Nice to meet you.

Is the food almost ready, Stan?

Yep. I'll bring it
right out, Mr. Lanny.

I was very hungry, so I asked Stanley
to prepare us something special.

That sounds great.

Tell me, what kind of a meeting

does a schoolteacher have to go
to during the summer vacation?

I'm exploring the possibility
of another job.

Something in publishing.

How did it go?

Okay.

Have you ever thought about writing a book?

About what?

Your life.

Sure. When I'm dead.

No, seriously.

It would have to be published after I died

when I wouldn't care
what anybody thought about me.

So, what would you write about...

If you were going to tell the truth?

In my book.

Well, the truth is,
I've met four presidents.

Each one of them seemed like
they were totally out of it.

Like they had no idea what was going on.

Even j.F.K.
Left me unimpressed.

I felt like I was with the boss' son.

You don't think you could say that?

Not if I was planning on living
in this country. No, no.

I don't think that Judy garland
was such a great singer

after she turned 16.

That quiver, you know,

it was like... She had
no control over it.

I would get killed for saying that.

Or... or that Marilyn Monroe
was no better an actress

after she studied with
Lee strasberg than before.

Yeah.

I'm saying what really happened.

Having to be a nice guy

is the toughest job in the world
when you're not.

This is, lamb in tea sauce.

This is twice-cooked pork
with shredded, pickled cabbage.

Kung pao chicken.

And this is kung ping loh haa,

lobster in tangerine peel

for you and your lovely lady friend.

You shouldn't have done that, Stanley.

I don't eat lobster.

I'm Jewish.

But you eat pork.

Do you have a problem with that?

- No, I just thought...
- No shrimp, no lobster.

They're disgusting.
Take it away.

I will pay for the dish,
but take it away, please.

I-I... I'll change it.

I'm sorry, I...

I should have asked.
Maybe you love lobster.

I'm fine.

Have you ever had szechwan cuisine before?

It's from the northern part of China.

It must be strange for you.

If you complain to a waiter...

You're not just some jerk at table five.

You're Lanny Morris.

I know that everyone
dreams about being famous,

but it would be really interesting to know

what it's like to relinquish all anonymity.

Gets me a date.

Does that bother you?

That people only wanna be with
you because of who you are?

As opposed to?

Well...

The real you.

The real me.

The real me...

Was brought up
as a nice, middle-class kid

which is not the easiest thing in the world

when you are extremely poor
and living in a slum.

The real me spent most of his time

getting the shit kicked out of him...

And dreaming about something better.

Like being here with someone like you.

Fifteen years ago,

he had, for one brief moment,

made me feel like the most
special person in the world.

The miracle in my life
is not that I survived polio

and am standing here today.

No. The reason I consider myself
to be a miracle girl

is because I had the good fortune

to meet Lanny and Vince when I was sick.

It was a moment seen by millions of people,

but felt only by me.

That moment had changed my life.

I was about to find
my own way into Lanny's book

after he had found
such a powerful way into mine.

Checking out today.

Is there a message for Bonnie trout?

From one of our guests?

Yes, Lanny Morris.

I'm afraid not.

Are you sure?

Yes, I'm sure.

Do you need a cab?

I still don't understand
why Vince Collins is willing

to be involved in such an exposé of himself.

Vince is a realist.

The days of his box-office power
are drawing to a close.

Given the amount of money we're offering...

and it's because the investment
in Mr. Collins is so large,

I've compiled a list of questions

we'd like the miracle girl to ask.

I don't wanna look at your questions.
I have my own approach.

Miss o'Connor, we're not paying a
million dollars for your approach,

we're paying for what
Vince Collins has to say.

To me.
What he has to say to me.

Greg,

this is not as easy as it looks.

If you go to Vince Collins

and ask him a series of questions,

you'll come back here
with a 300-page press book.

Well, as I've always understood
this company's policy,

while the book is being written,
the relationship

between the author and editor is sacrosanct.

This isn't your typical book deal.

We've really just leased
an oil well called Vince Collins

and granted miss o'Connor the right to tap.

I think we have a responsibility

to...

Monitor the drilling.

Hello.

Mrs. o'Flaherty?

Yes.

My name's o'Connor.

I'm the one writing the book.

The book will be centered
around Vince Collins.

I'll be asking him a lot of questions.

I wanted to know if there were any

you'd like to have answered yourself.

Maureen and I planted this tree
on her fifth birthday.

Father did most of the digging, of course.

She'd be 38.

I'm 59, myself.

If she were alive now...

We'd be talking about things,
back and forth,

like two women.

Like you and I are doing.

And Maureen's father?

Frank died six years ago.

He took his own life.

One night, just before he died,

he dug up the earth around this tree.

He took the urn with Maureen's ashes in it

and spread them around its roots.

So this... Is my daughter.

This is what I have of her.

Are you catholic?

My... my mother was.

Then you will understand my dilemma.

Our faith offers an afterlife.

A daughter needs her mother.

So I have to live out this life

as far from sin as I can manage.

I'll never see my husband again.

He's consigned himself to hell.

But what if Maureen killed herself too?

She's in hell with my husband.

The life I'm trying to lead
will bring me to heaven's grace

only to hear their screams of torment.

Chief scaglia, you were in the hotel room

when they found Maureen's body in the tub.

So was Sally, so was Lanny, so was Vince.

And there was also a PR lady
there from the hotel.

How do you think she died?

She died in an auto accident
two weeks later.

It was terrible.

No, Maureen.

H-how did Maureen die?

She drowned.

- Why?
- What do you mean, why?

Well, you and I take baths all the time.
We don't drown in them.

You and I do not mix
sleeping pills with booze.

She committed suicide.

Overdose is the official story.

What's the official story on the fact

that the staff of the hotel in Miami

all seemed to know
she delivered room service

to the boys' suite three days before,

and was never seen alive again?

What happened to her?

How did she end up
in a hotel room in New Jersey?

Sally never had any problem
moving girls around, okay?

- He had two hotels.
- So Sally arranged it?

No, I don't think so. You see, she was
brought up there as a reward for the boys,

and I think she started a party
just a little too early.

She was a student.
This was a summer job.

Listen to me.

The palace del sol

was very important to Sally, okay?

He launched his new wing

with a push from Lanny and Vince.

And this... this...

Stupid girl shows up dead.

She's not gonna come back.

We do the best thing for all of us.

We speed up the investigation,
and we cremate her. Okay?

End of story.

Here you are.

Here's your lobster.
Bon appétit.

Enjoy.

Looks great.

"And Sally said, 'I'll have them send you up

"'your own shipment of lobsters.

You like lobster?'"

We said we did because we really did.

You shouldn't have done that,
Stanley. I don't eat lobster.

Were there any signs
of violence on her body?

No, no. There were some,

small scratches on the torso.

Why did my daughter die?

Did she kill herself?

What had they done to her
that would make her do that?

What had they done?

Once upon a time,

when terrible things happened to people,

they were left as a mystery.

Even the tabloids kept a distance.

Some things were allowed to be left

just the way they were.

Any trouble with the directions I gave you?

Only the parts where I had to turn.

Sorry.

It's the price of seclusion.

You haven't switched over to cassette?

Actually, it's my dad's.

And what does he do?

He was a journalist too.

He did a big story on you once.

Followed a little girl who had polio.

You took her under your wing...

And now she's interviewing you.

Your father must be very proud that his
daughter's making such a name for herself.

I'd like to think so.

He died last year.

Sorry to hear that.

Would you like some coffee?

Sure.

Are you alone here?

Yes. The thought
of having live-in help

is a little poisonous to me.

Why's that?

Well, I'd have to talk to them.

Ask them how their family was doing.

Hear about this and that,
introduce them to the guests

and tell them how their family was doing.

All so that I would seem to be a nice guy,

which is an awful lot of work

considering what I cherish
most in life these days

is not to have to be Vince Collins.

No Reuben in your life?

How do you know about Reuben?

He was in a lot of the material
I've been looking at.

No, I never had a Reuben.

Lanny always paid him directly.

He was Lanny's man.

Right.

You know, what I like is to...

Read...

Think.

It's to have the freedom to...

Get up and leave without
telling anyone about it.

Any time of day.

Or even having to say goodbye.

To be backstage,

surrounded by acrobats, actors, magicians,

it was...
it was intoxicating.

You know, I was
only 12-years-old.

That's a...

That's a pretty impressionable age.

To hear all these stories of touring...

My father always told me
that nothing had meaning

unless it could be put on the record.

I also like the idea...

Yet, things had changed.

As Vince had pointed out
at our first meeting,

it had become fashionable
to put yourself into the story.

The question became how far
you were prepared to go.

Excuse me.
That's not mine.

I'm sorry.

Aren't you miss trout?

We've met, on the plane to New York.

- Reuben.
- Excuse me, sir.

Can I leave you for just a second, please?

I'm so deeply sorry, miss trout,
the way you were treated.

He could have left a note.

Of course.

Miss trout, I would like you
to understand something.

I have a great loyalty
to Mr. Morris.

He's treated me very well.

I'm very grateful.

He has done wonderful things
for many people,

and I have been...

Privileged to work for him.

But I do have certain principles,

especially about how women are
to be treated and respected.

Mr. Morris can be
very attentive,

but once he has a woman...

God, I think it's almost a sickness.

When he left you that morning,

you may have felt bad,
but believe me, miss trout,

to have him out of your life

is the best thing that
could have happened to you.

At that point, you may have felt
your life was wounded.

It wasn't.

It was saved.

Vince, I was very clear
about this from the beginning.

I'm not out to play games with you.

This is why you're being paid
such a huge amount of money.

This isn't entirely about money, you know.

A million dollars is more than
the gross of your last film.

You know, I was somehow under the impression

that my entire life might have been

of more than passing interest.

But if my fleeting encounter with
a girl named Maureen o'Flaherty

is all you really want to talk about,

then that's what we'll do.

I have to make an appearance
at the clinic tomorrow.

We can come back and talk after that.

It's wonderland.

I imagine you might remember that.

He was right.

I did remember wonderland.

- You ready?
- Ready.

When I was a girl,

the entire hospital was devoted
to children with polio.

Since that time...

It had become a clinic for kids

with a variety of different
physical handicaps.

Once a year,

the children would put on a pageant,

playing different characters
from Alice in wonderland.

Vince, in his continuing
support of the hospital,

had hired a band and a singer.

Who is that?

I don't know.

She's good, whoever she is.

Karen, do you mind if we start
this conversation tomorrow?

I'm just...

I'm not feeling all that well...

- Vince...
- In fact, it won't make

any difference over there.
The office will be closed.

They've been working late.

Then they've been working much too hard.

First thing tomorrow.
First thing.

I hope your editors were reasonable.

Reasonable?

No, they weren't.

We can go as late as you like.

That's good. It might
take us into the evening.

I had a feeling that might be the case.

So I've ordered a hot and cold
smorgasbord to be brought in.

Can work through dinner if you like.

We'll be having company?

Yes.

I have...

A surprise for you.

Actually, this is a fairly
big deal for me as well.

I've asked Lanny to join us today.

Lanny?

Well, this is something.

Neuman and newberry

will certainly be getting
their money's worth.

I thought that if I was going
to discuss something

that had such an impact on our lives,

it would be fair for Lanny
to hear what I had to say...

Given that we've never talked about it.

I'm sure I'll have lots to ask him.

When is he coming?

He should be here any minute now.

This is very exciting.

Shit.

- Yes?
- Bonnie, I have to talk fast.

I need you to do exactly as I tell you,

and I can't tell you why, okay?

Sure.

Excuse me,

that might actually be him now.

Yes, hello?

Yes, thank you.

That was my office.

There's a woman.
A friend or relative of yours?

She said she called
on a number you gave her.

She's gonna call back.

Yes?

Hi, kiddo.

Now, listen, your brother, Clifford,

has just been rushed to the hospital.

He was doing construction when a thing...

- a steel girder?
- That's it.

So you better come back to the city

and make your peace with him.

I booked you on the next
flight to San Francisco.

I'm waiting here for you
in front of the terminal.

They've already reserved me a seat

on the next flight to San Francisco.

- I'll drive you there.
- No, no.

Sharon is waiting at the airport for me.

You can't stand Lanny up.

Please give him my deepest apologies.

Hey.

- Please, I can explain.
- Hey!

You've broken the law, Bonnie fucking trout.

You've assumed another person's
identity for the purposes

of getting information
from a business competitor.

Obviously I lied about
who I was. I'm sorry.

It was a huge untruth.
It wasn't planned.

I was just freaked out about suddenly being

on the plane with...

With you, and...

And how did you manage to get
the seat behind me on the plane?

- It was pure coincidence.
- Bullshit.

It's true.

How could you...?

How could you have just
left me at the hotel like that?

You were asleep.
Reuben woke me

to say I had to be a substitute performer

at a charity concert at the Hollywood bowl.

I had to get the first flight out.

You could have left me a note or called me.

I did leave you a note.

Where?

I don't know why we're
even talking about this.

I don't like you.

All right?

I wish we had never met.

Hello, Vince.

What the fuck's going on?

Vince, a few days after we first met,

I found myself next to Lanny
on a flight to New York.

It was... it was
a complete coincidence.

- He asked my name...
- And she lied.

I had just finished reading
the first chapter

of Lanny's own biography.

His lawyers had let me see it

in the hope of discouraging our own project.

As a reflex, since I knew
he would view me as the enemy,

I gave him the name of a friend

whose apartment I was going
to stay at in Manhattan.

I thought I simply had to get

through the awkwardness
of the flight itself,

but the trouble is...

you slept with him.

- Vince...
- You slept...

With my ex-partner.

Technically.

Doesn't sound like things
were particularly technical.

Now, you listen to me, sweetheart.

Vince doesn't always do
what's best for Vince.

That's why he needed me here today.

The story of this girl is the
most painful thing in his life.

What happened to her, Lanny?

Well, you're not gonna find out.

Not now.

Not after what you've done to him.

Vince!

Shit.

Vince...

I made a terrible mistake in New York.

I... I apologize to you more
than I know how to say.

I'm so sorry.

Vince...

The realization of your life's story

shouldn't be threatened
because of my failings.

Please, let me continue
to work with you again.

I'll help you tell your story right.

Come back tonight.

Let me think about it.

How do you like the wine?

It's magnificent.
What is it?

1961 haut-brion.

People make a big deal of 1959, but I don't
think there'll be a year as special as 1961.

It was a great year for French wines.

Will you join me?

What are they?

They're like...

Very mild-mannered
quaaludes.

Must have done a few of those
in your time, right?

Are you sure they're okay with alcohol?

They're even better with alcohol.

Believe me, I'd know.

Come on in, honey.
The water's fine.

All my life,

I've had this idea that I could
always be in control.

Ever since I was sick, I had this sense

that I could make my body
do anything I wanted.

If I could will my polio away, I'd certainly
be able to will away the effect of any drug.

Do you mind if I close the drapes?

The sun's in my eyes.

It's moonlight.

Go ahead.

I remember you.

You're Alice...

In wonderland.

I don't know.

I'm really stoned out of my head already.

Is it good?

Jesus, Vince.

It's like monster grass.

Do you get this stuff all the time?

All the time.

You're Alice.

You're so beautiful.

She's ours.

Isn't that so, Alice?

I'm yours.

I had always been fascinated

by how some women could cross the line

between who they were

and who they would let themselves become.

Maureen...

Alice...

And now...

Me.

Morning.

That was not a quaalude you gave me.

I've had quaaludes.

I said it was like a quaalude.

And you didn't take one yourself.

You palmed the pill.

Somebody had to drive.

Don't worry, you won't get pregnant.

Not from Alice and certainly not from me.

I never took off my pants,
as you may or may not remember.

There are laws against drugging people.

Please.
You took it voluntarily.

Nobody slipped it into your drink.

And you chased it with one of the
most expensive wines in the world.

I think you're just in a dither

because you've discovered
you can swing both ways.

You see... I needed
to get something on you.

Of course, your behavior
with Lanny might have been

even better than this, but...

Well, I'd already set the wheels in motion.

And as I was dying to see you
and Alice get it on...

Well, these are just a sample.

Why would she agree to do this?
Doesn't she want a career?

Well, it's your career I'm worried about.

You're a journalist
playing loose with the rules.

She's just a vulnerable
young singer you seduced.

A promising...
good heavens...

Promising artist that I happen to manage.

You met her through me...

And had your way with her.

What do you want from me?

You're going to continue writing the book.

I'm going to continue
telling you juicy stories,

funny stories,

heart-tugging stories.

And you're not gonna ask me
a single question

about what happened
to the girl in New Jersey.

You're going to go to your publisher,

say you tried every angle,

but you could find nothing odd or suspicious

in what I told you.

I'll even...
Try to spice it up a little.

Talk about how the night before the
telethon, I wanted to sleep like a babe,

so to cover my bets,
I kept a few babes on hand.

Well, not exactly on my hand,

and that's not my preference,

as you might have gathered by now.

So you get your best-seller,
I get my million.

Everyone goes home happy.

You've dreaded talking about
Maureen o'Flaherty since we met.

If it's something
you're so desperate to avoid,

why would you ever agree to do this book?

I need the money.

Vince, anything you say
in my presence is mine to use.

Everything you said last night and
everything you've just told me.

And since I'm also allowed to
include contextual background,

I can write about how you set me up,

how you tried to blackmail me.

I'll even include those polaroids.

It's your word against mine.
We have a contract.

Everything's in my words.

We've agreed to your answers,

but there's nothing to stop me

from putting any information
I want into a question I ask.

Information that I'd like
to be public knowledge

or that the police might want to look into.

Would you like me to fire
one of my loaded questions

on the record?

Sure.

Vince...

In your suite at the
versailles hotel in Miami,

was it your or Lanny's idea
to put Maureen's body

into the case containing shellfish and ice

and have it shipped to New Jersey?

No answer, Mr. Collins?

So noted.

And incidentally, by not answering,

you're in violation of your contract.

What a shame.

I understood you needed that money.

God. God.
God. God.

Was that how you murdered Maureen?

Ask Lanny.

He's the one who knows.

It wasn't that hard for him
to get the suite he wanted.

The versailles was still one of the fanciest

of the hotels along the beach.

But by then its era had passed.

Thank you, sir.

All the furniture was new.

It had been 15 years...

But the floor plan...

Was still the same.

In that spot,

that was where the truth had come out.

That was why she had to die.

Are you Japanese or Chinese?

Vietnamese.

The kitchen tell me you famous person.

Why you famous?

They didn't tell you my name?

No.

What is it?

Lanny Morris.

It's a Jewish name.

But I'm a nebbish.

You ordered three bottle of champagne.

You want me to open one now

or wait until friend come?

Open all three.

Are you really famous,
Mr. Morris?

In my day.

Before your time, I suppose.

I come from the north of Vietnam.

In my town, there's no television.

She explained that American movies

had been banned where she grew up.

She got better tips pretending
she was madame butterfly

than by telling people
where she was really from.

What did you do, Mr. Morris?

I made Vince Collins's life...

Very difficult.

She didn't understand,

but her policy was
not to linger in the rooms

of solitary gentlemen.

He signed the room service check

under Lanny's name.

Thank you.

There was no ice or water
left in the buckets

when his body was discovered
the next morning.

He had dumped the ice into the bathtub

and died in it.

He must have felt
there was some poetry in it.

His plan was to drink enough champagne

with enough sleeping pills

so that ending things would
become an acceptable idea.

He could manage that.

He knew for certain he couldn't
manage anything else.

Hi.

I thought you were gonna be
out all afternoon.

I'm sorry.

It's okay...
This was under the door.

What is it?

Chapter three.

John, as my lawyer, I want you to know

that this next chapter.

Is to be read after Vince and my death

and is only to be used

under the most extreme of circumstances.

We knew we wanted to make
an early night of it,

with the telethon starting the next day,

so Vince suggested we dine in,

so Maureen could do the interview

for her campus paper.

This is a gift for us from the audience...

From the people,

the people that are out there.

Sooner or later you gotta say,

"we wanna give
something back."

I think that's really important.

Not many people would take
the time out to do that.

Thank you.

She actually hid her tape recorder

in the room-service cart

because she didn't want
the hotel to find out.

We finished the interview
and then asked her to stay.

To help us get into the mood,
I did a tuinal.

Then she did one.

And Vince, he did two,

because he was always doing two.

We got into the second of the three bottles

of moët we'd ordered.

We... Thought it would be better
to keep the action

to neutral territory.

God...

She was beautiful.

I chain-locked the front door
to the living room

to make sure that housekeeping,

eager to turn down our beds,

didn't walk in on an employee
having a ménage à trois

with the hotel's headliners.

Then I went to chain-lock
the door to Vince's room.

I took a quick shower,

I put on my robe,

and brought a robe for Maureen,

in case she felt a little bashful.

So much for bashful.

I threw the robe on the bed
and moved into the room,

half-worried that
they would finish without me.

Watch it there, compadre.

It's a little hard to tell who's
who, under the circumstances.

I'm the one that's more
than "a little hard,"

you dumb fuckin' limey.

Well, I'm... I'm the one
with a foreskin.

Don't you forget that.

Hey, watch it. You got
the end zone there, Vince.

- Come on, come on. Fuck.
- You're gonna like it.

- What?
- You're gonna like it.

It's like from another planet when you come.

- I'd never hurt you.
- Get the fuck off me.

- I'd never hurt you.
- Get the fuck off me!

Trust me, trust me.
It's like double the sex...

get the fuck off me!

We don't fuck, Vince!

We're buddies, we're pals,
we're partners, we're a duo.

We love each other,
but we don't... Fuck!

We're fucking stars!
We can...

- we can travel together.
- Okay.

We can hang out together,
we can live together,

but we can't be queers!

It's... Not... Funny!

I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.

About?

About your nose.

It's not broken, is it?

Yeah.

Guess the question is...

who's gonna pay me?

This surprised me.

The girl was not a hooker.

My wallet was on top of my robe.

I took out some money.

I don't remember how much.

I don't think so.

That's more than you would
make in a month of tips.

I'm not looking for a tip.

What the hell are you saying?

Honey, I'm in my last year of college.

This is a summer job.

No, I...

I wanna write.

I wanna be a journalist.

So I could either use this information...

or I could use a lot of money.

I promise you this will only cost you once.

I'm so tired, I don't even think
I'm going home.

I think it's the tuinals.

Hey, Lanny, don't take it personally.

You were a great lover.

You have got the cutest little butt.

I guess Vince thinks so too.

Night, Lanny.

I would never see her alive again.

I put a "do not disturb" sign on my door,

fastened the chain lock,
in case the maid didn't read.

I left a wake-up call for 8,

and went to sleep knowing that a telethon

was the least of the ordeals I was
going to have to face in the morning.

The tuinals had really conked me out,

and I slept through
my wake-up call that morning.

The operator had called Reuben down the hall

to see if he could wake me,
but he couldn't get in

because we had chain-locked
all the doors.

Hey, hey, hey.
Reuben!

I yelled for Reuben to wake up
Vince while I worked on Maureen,

trying to make myself believe
that she was still sleeping.

Fuck.

No, no, no. Fuck.

The autopsy revealed the drugs
and alcohol in her body, but...

I knew it wasn't enough to kill her.

All three doors to the suite

were chain-locked
from the inside

when I found her.

I hadn't touched her.

That's how I know that my former partner

and friend, Vince Collins,

murdered Maureen o'Flaherty.

You must have guessed by now

that Vince and I had found a way

to relocate Maureen's body to New Jersey.

This is the one criminal act
the both of us committed.

But we were in a panic

and needed to create an ironclad alibi.

The crates were delivered to our room.

The publicist had opened
the crates for a photo op.

But the official story became that she
found Maureen's overdosed body in the tub.

A police officer, called scaglia,

was there to witness the whole thing.

Live, until they drop dead...

During the telethon, I kept telling myself

that I could forgive Vince for two reasons.

First of all, I don't think he could
have known what he was doing.

He was completely out of it,
even more than usual.

The second is that he was terrified

that this incident would become
public knowledge.

In those days, the slightest hint
that he could swing both ways

would destroy his show-business
career in an instant.

As it was, it was only to destroy us.

We completed the telethon,

but we both knew we were finished.

The marriage... Was over.

There was a moment
in the middle of the telethon

where I actually broke down.

I just couldn't control myself.

I remember I mumbled something

to a little girl who was
recounting her experiences

with the disease.

I don't remember what I said...

But I do remember feeling worthless.

Everyone thought that my tears were for her.

It made for a great picture
in the papers the next day.

Mr. Morris will see you now.

I expected to see you at Vince's funeral.

Kind of heartless of you not to show up,

don't you think, Karen?

Considering you're probably the one that...

drove him to it.

I won't answer that.

So don't.

So get the fuck out of my office.

Lanny, I have interview material with Vince

up until the moment he met you.

It would be great if this...

Warm, funny side of Vince
could reach the public.

And what the fuck do you know

about Vince's warm and funny side?

What about the warm and funny
fact that he killed himself?

Why would he do that?

I don't know.

That's the answer I'm giving you...

And anyone else that asks.

I don't know.

But you do know, don't you, Lanny?

Whatever I know, sweetheart,
I'm writing in my book.

Except you're never going
to finish your book.

You don't have to.

The person who needed your book is dead.

You'd always written
the material for your shows.

Every single word was rehearsed.

The book was a manual,

a set of notes so Vince
would get every detail

of the official story.

"A couple of extra babes for him
to sleep with that night"?

"A few of them on hand"?

"Well, not exactly on his hand.
That wasn't his preference."

So, what's your point?

He quoted that very line to me,

quoted it from your manuscript
as if he were saying it

for the first time.

You wrote it because you loved him.

And feared for him.

And feared for yourself.

And then you wrote this.

Wh...?

Where the fuck did you get that?

- Delivered to my room.
- Bullshit. You stole it.

Maureen o'Flaherty was killed
in the versailles hotel,

in your room...

The night before the telethon.

The night before we met.

Get out of my office.

Miss trout?

We walked through the deserted
backlot of the studio,

and I confessed
that I wasn't Bonnie trout...

That I was writing a book
about Vince Collins

and that I was trying to uncover the secret

behind what happened to Maureen o'Flaherty.

I told him what I found out.

He prayed that he would be forgiven

for having been there
as the murder was concealed.

Miss o'Connor...

I have a tape recording
of the night miss o'Flaherty

was killed.

She had...
Brought a machine.

- For the interview.
- Yes.

I found it as I was
getting rid of her things.

She... Kept it on?

Could you use this tape for your book?

Of course.

Miss o'Connor...

Is it something...?

My.

Is it something I could sell?

Reuben, I can't speak
on behalf of my publishers,

but I'm sure that we can settle on a price.

Thank you, miss o'Connor.

I'll even spice it up a little.

Talk about how the night
before the telethon,

I wanted to sleep like a babe,
so to cover my bets,

I kept a few babes on hand.

Well, not...
not exactly on my hand.

That's not my preference,
as you may have gathered by now.

I need the money.

Did you have a figure in mind?

Would...?

Would you think a million
dollars would be too much?

Vince was being paid a million
dollars for his life.

This is one night.

The most important night.

You could have left me a note or called me.

I did leave you a note.

Where?

Lanny left this for me at my apartment.

It's his version
of what happened that night.

On its own,

it's absolutely useless to me.

I could have typed it myself.

But if it matched
what's recorded on your tape...

It would make it priceless.

Which is why you sent it to me.

You just said Mr. Morris
left it at your apartment.

He was surprised I had it.

Like he was surprised that I hadn't found
the note he left for me at the hotel.

The note you must have disposed
of as you were tidying the room.

I told you how he deals
with women. I was afraid.

I was really afraid
of what he might do to you.

Maybe you were afraid of what I'd...

I'd do to him. And to you.

Why would I be afraid of a school teacher...

Called Bonnie trout?

Because you knew I was Karen o'Connor.

When I woke up, you folded my clothes...

And placed my pocketbook on the bed,

the pocketbook that had my name

and the letter from my publisher.

I was writing about the one thing

you wanted to have total control over:

Collins and Morris.

You made me abandon any thought
of trying to contact Lanny.

You made me feel like I was
less than nothing to him,

because you were playing
your own complex game.

And what exactly

was this complex game
I was playing, miss o'Connor?

You were in the room...

That night.

Lanny had a robe.

He dropped it on the bed.

After Maureen asked for money, the...

the wallet was on top.
It had been folded.

I always... always arranged
Mr. Morris's things.

After he went to bed.
You were there before.

How would I get out?

All three doors
were chain-locked.

Through Vince's room.

Then the next morning, you must
have chain-locked the door

before you went to wake him up.

Fuck!

Lanny let me

read the first chapter.

Vince sent me the second.

And you stole this...

To whet my appetite.

I wanna write.

I wanna be a journalist.

So I could either use this information...

or I could use a lot of money.

Is that why you killed her?

To protect them?

For 15 years,

he tormented Vince and Lanny.

He could never blackmail Vince
while Sally sanmarco was alive.

So he waited until Sally died

to activate his retirement plan.

A million dollars from Vince.

A million dollars for the same tape

he offered to me.

He would never get his money,

and I would never see him again.

He had taken her life...

And with it her mother's heart...

And her father's mind.

And now...

All that remained of Maureen o'Flaherty

was a tree...

In her mother's garden.

Your daughter learned something
about Vince Collins

that he didn't want anyone to know.

Because of that, she was killed.

If it's of any small comfort,
she probably didn't suffer.

I want people to know about this man.

I want them to know why he killed her.

There is someone in all this

who is totally innocent of any involvement

in the events of that night,

but whose life will be made infinitely worse

if I tell the truth at this time.

I wanna protect this person
from any further pain.

I promise you...

I promise you I will write down
the truth that I've learned,

but I have to let matters lie
until this person has died,

and the truth can no longer touch them.

I saw no indication on her face

that she knew I was talking about her.

You're a very special girl.

Forgive me.