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Badge 373 (1973)
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Eres nuevo? S. De donde eres? S. What's your story, pal? All right! Freeze. Everybody stay right where you are. All right, this is a police raid! What the hell's happening? If you're clean, nobody gets hurt! Freeze, goddamn it! Hey, come on, now. Let's settle down. Don't move! Don't move your hands! Anything found on the floor belongs to you! Hold it! All right. Relax. Relax! Es puta coo. All right, four lines. You, over there. Make four even lines. You've got no goddamn right to do this, you big goddamn ape. Haven't you ever heard of goddamn Constitutions? Hey, Sweet, you're the funniest thing since sneakers. I hope you're circumcised, because your freedom depends upon a matter of interest. Now, send him to the circumcision division and charge him with violation of the penis code. - You big prick. - All right. Get in line. - I'm clean, Eddie. I swear it. I'm clean. - Clean, my ass. The last time you were clean was in your Communion suit. Now, look at your arms. You got more tracks than a Long Island railroad. All right, I want your name, where you live. Hey, Billdock, you do have a mother's instinct. You keep this stuff warm long enough, it hatches into a 237-pound monkey. Jesus! I can't go away again. Everybody goes when the whistle blows. I don't know, Eddie. They look clean. What do you expect? Sweet William's always clean. But Chico's gotta be dirty. For now, we'll book them for consorting with each other. That way, the photo unit'll get a new picture of them, if nothing else. - Right. - Give the officer your name, address and social security number. You, too, baby. Come on. All right, folks, you can all leave. Come on, for God's sake. Get out of here! Come on. Come on. Mucho quicko. Let's go. Get over there in the corner! You! - Come on, move it along! - Give me identification. Come on! Move! Hey, you, pick that up! Move up there! - Yo, sister, get your ass in line over there. - Girls, over here. Come on. Date of birth? Hey! Hey, you! Hey, you little spic! Hey, you! Where you goin'? Hey, you! All right, move it. Everybody in. Watch your step. Come on. Move it, goddamn it. Get in there. Come on, get on there. Now listen, sweetheart... Chico! You taking a little air, Chico? You got no place to go but down, buddy. Grab a cloud. I don't understand you spics. You get the best deal in the world up here. Took you out of the banana trees, gave you shoes, gave you welfare. Even learned how to speak English. But you gotta break the law. You just gotta break it. Why is that, hmm? You're giving us a lot of shit, you know? But you took away one thing. You took away our orgullo. Our pride, maricn coo. Maricon? Now, what does that mean? It means "faggot". Faggot, huh? Bet you've taken it up the chocolate covered speedway yourself a few times. How do you say it in spic? The culo, right? Now you tell me about it, Chico. You like it up there in Green Haven? I bet they thought you was pretty. Some of them big spades having you chewing on their liquorice sticks? Hey, Eddie! Shit. Ryan, what's wrong? Don't you like Puerto Ricans? Ryan, you pig, how many Puerto Ricans you killed this year already? Hey, you spic-hater! Come on, try it with me! Hey, Ryan, why don't you kill some of your own kind? You pig, Ryan! You pig Puerto Rican hater! Detective Ryan, what happened? Did you really push that guy off the roof? Mr Ryan, do you realise that by disguising yourself as a Puerto Rican, your actions constituted entrapment? Detective Ryan, are you a racist? You know, you're going to hear from the Civil Liberties Union on this one. Commissioner, was there any pressure from City Hall on this one? Wasn't there a time when you got in trouble once before with the Puerto Ricans? Eddie, you think you can beat this one? What did I tell you, Eddie? This time you went too far. Did he jump off that roof, or did you help him a little? I was making an arrest, one of 26 made that night, and he tried to get away. Commissioner, how long did deliberations take? Detective Ryan, how do you feel about Puerto Ricans? It has been the opinion of this board that Detective Edward Ryan be suspended pending action by the grand jury, police department trial, and a determination to be made by the Police Commission. This is the way it ends, huh? What do you mean, ends? You're going to get a departmental trial. Departmental trial? Who are you kidding? You know, cops are always guilty until proven innocent. Especially when you throw spics off buildings. Give it a chance. It may work out for ya. Chance, my ass. Before, when a cop killed a guy, he was automatically transferred, not suspended. Look at Jerry Hannon. It took him eleven months to go to trial and they still threw him off. Yeah. That was a shame, but that's not going to happen to you, Eddie. Any chance of getting GiGi to work on it? Not a chance. They sent him up to Bronx Park to chase peeping Toms and squirrels. Just my luck. Hey, you thick-headed Irish bastard. Why don't you treat it as a couple of days off? Take yourself to a ball game. Go out and get drunk. Get laid. Yeah, might as well. I'm sure getting fucked around here. Eddie, you'll always be a cop to me. You know that. If there's anything I can do for ya, just gimme a call, huh? I will. Listen, have you got any plans? Do you know what you're gonna do? What do jammed-up cops always do? Take it easy, pal, huh? Hey, bartender! Scotch on the rocks. Hey! Hey! How are ya? You're under arrest, eh? What's the charge? Impersonating a bartender. How you been, GiGi? This is my new partner. Frankie Diaz, Eddie Ryan. - Heard a lot about you. - Pleasure. What can I get you? - Same as usual. - Scotch rocks, with a twist. How's the family? Joey? Lea? Lea's losing all her teeth. Yeah? What do you hear? Nothing. Not a goddamn thing. It's been five weeks now. Twist, please. Yeah. So, what about you? Strictly Mickey Mouse. - Yeah? - Bartender! Can you hit me again with a Scotch on the rocks? It's a bad deal. All I heard of him, it's demeaning. Hey, it could happen to any of us. So it can't be all Mickey Mouse. Well, there's, er... You know, it's mostly locking up guys for illegal possession of a stickball bat. Caught a murder one. Yeah, you know, wife kills husband. Husband kills wife, three kids, and himself. Page four of that Puerto Rican paper. Social notes. Tell me, er... you getting laid, at least? Some piece of work, eh? You sticking to your own kind, huh? - A nice girl, GiGi. - Oh, I'm sure. A plain-clothes nun if I ever saw one. Go into the head and get ahold of yourself. Yeah. - Come on. I got to go. - What? You just got here. See you around. I'll see ya, Eddie. Take it easy. Honey, I'll get it. Yeah? Yeah, this is Ryan. What the hell time is it, for Christ's sake? GiGi? Bullshit. I seen him myself, tonight. Well, last night. Whenever the hell it was. Around midnight, with his new partner. Jesus. Jesus Chr... Oh, no. Jesus Christ. Yeah... where? Fourth Avenue and Carroll... The 82? He doesn't even work there! What is it? Yeah. I'll try and get over there. Jesus Christ. What is it? They just found GiGi over in Brooklyn. With his throat cut. Damn it. Come on. Get over! Come on! Get over! Hey, chief. Where's the 82? 82. 82? I think it's... the 82... Forget it, guy. Cops! We got about four men left. Some of you guys finish up. My six men will wrap up everything. Then we'll be moving on. - Yeah, about five minutes. - Then we'll see. Yeah, about that. You got five minutes. We'll wrap it up about... - Who's in charge here? - Who are you? Eddie Ryan. He was my partner. Oh. Oh, yeah. Where's GiGi? Kings County. The coroner's out there with him now. Shit. They really ripped him. Yeah. Where'd the bosses go? They're all down the borough office. That partner over there? Jeez, Ed, I really don't know. Poor bastard. It was a professional job. Not a trace, not a weapon, nothing. So, whoever did it had to be behind him to do it. Therefore, he had to know GiGi and had to know the car. - Where did you leave him last night? - We don't have to tell you anything. - Hey, mind your own business! - This is my business! - He worked with the guy for three years. - That's just my point. This worm thinks I have something to do with it, doesn't he? Hey, relax, relax. Don't worry about it. We'll get the guy that did it. Leave it to us, will you please? What's with that little Jew prick, anyway? He's young. He's got it into his head that GiGi was into something. Figures that's why this was done. He thinks you're involved, too. Well, GiGi wouldn't take a cup of coffee! So, what about his new partner, Diaz? Diaz left GiGi at Jilly's last night. GiGi took a ride out to Brooklyn and Diaz went to some joint up in Harlem. We woke him up in bed. He isn't flooding New York with tears. So, how did you get involved in this? GiGi was my man before they sent him up to the Bronx. They asked me to sit in to see if there's a tie-in with one of his old cases. His old cases are my old cases too, you know. I know. IAD and the DA's office are going over them with a fine-tooth comb. GiGi had nothing but a couple of felonious assaults and a stick-up since he went up there. Strictly Mickey Mouse. Mickey Mouse is getting to be a badass. So what about Marie? I spoke to her earlier today. They're waking him tonight, at Farenga's. Closed coffin. Excuse me. The Caputo funeral service? Yes, sir. Upstairs, to your right. Chapel D at eight. It's a fine thing, this life business, isn't it? Yeah. His wife here? She's inside. They're all wailing pretty hard in there, but she's taking it all right. Your friend the Commissioner's in there. He knew you guys would be here. - Want to talk about it? - No. - Marie. - Don't. You want to talk about it? The hell I do. Marie, I don't understand. What's the problem? He was my problem. Him. And you, and that Spanish broad. I don't know what you're talking about. I'm talking about how your buddy GiGi is dead, and I gotta pick up the pieces. You saw more of him alive than I did. But you're not going to put Lea and Joey through school, or put steak on the table once a month. You two had a great time, didn't you? - Sometimes. - Sons of bitches, boy scouts. There was a Spanish girl? Yeah, there was a girl. Guess there were a lot of girls I didn't know anything about, weren't there, Eddie? You and him up all night on a case. Case of the clap, I bet. Marie, he didn't have a girl. I swear to that. Maybe you didn't know him as good as you thought you did. He was out every night for a week. So, I followed him one night, and he picks up this bitch, up in the Bronx. He picks her up, and he drives her to Coney Island. Takes her up to some cheap apartment. He stays up there a long time. I should have gone up there and thrown her out of the window. Maybe GiGi'd be alive. Dirty little bitch. - Marie, when was this? - Two weeks ago. I found out who she is, too. Garcia. Her name is Rita Garcia. Hello, Ryan. I'm sorry. He was a good man. Well, if you're sorry, put me back on the force and I'll find the guy who did it. Well, I'm afraid that... - This is not the place to discuss it. - Fine. By the way, the Mayor's on his way up. - I think he'd like to express his... - Stick the Mayor up your ass. Hey, Eddie. Eddie, listen, I'd still like to do a piece on GiGi, if it's possible. You knew him better than anyone. Pete, sometimes you think you know a guy, you find out you didn't know shit. When I think I know GiGi, I'll give you a call. I'm looking for the Garcia apartment. I don't know no Garcia. Rita Garcia. Not bad-looking. Garcia... Who wants to know? I'm investigating a murder, pal, so maybe you better start remembering better. Oh. You, er... You must mean, er... 3E. She used to get some mail here by that name, but... she calls herself Ortega. 3E? Wait. She ain't up there. She ain't up there since two days ago. You got a passkey? - Yeah. - Let's go. Come on. She's a hooker, huh? I'm a God-fearing man, I truly am. Well, she didn't need all that stuff to work as a nun. Where'd did she go? I don't truly know. Didn't know she was gone until the other man come around looking for her this morning. - What other man? - A Spanish man. He come looking for her this morning about eight, eight-thirty. That's the first time that I knew she was... Truly wasn't home. You're not lying? No, sir. You better not be, pal. Hey! All right. Thanks, old man. Keep your mouth shut. How you doing? Can I help you, sir? I need a room. What for? You're kidding. We got a convention. Of what, mice? Sorry, pal, we're booked. In that case, er... I'll have a drink. We just had last call. I'll dance a while. How many cars can you park in this dump? What do you mean? I mean that if you touch me again, I'm going to turn this place into a fucking garage. What do you really want? Looking for a girl named Rita. Garcia or Ortega. She uses both names. Never heard of her. Puerto Rican. Hans, we got a Puerto Rican by the name of Ortega here? Not that I see. Thanks. I can get you a drink if you want to. Thanks, but I'm driving to Ireland. Rita. I'm GiGi's partner. Hello, hello... Hello, hello, hello. GiGi Caputo. The guy you were sleeping with. My friend. Que bonita bandera... Shit. I can't talk to you. Que bonita bandera Que bonita bandera Es la bandera Puertorriquea Listen, you coked-up whore bitch, if you don't tell me what I want to know about you and GiGi right now, I'll book you for prost, set of works, aiding in a homicide, and anything else I can come up with. You won't see white powder for fucking twenty years, baby. Papi had a moustache that smelled like tobacco. - Hey, muchacho... - Get on out of here. We can lay the guns on the beach and march on Ponce. You know... GiGi... GiGi had a salchichon. He was full of muscle, and full of bone. You know, muchacho... Viva Puerto Rico libre. We'll land on the beach and march on Ponce. Sweet William has the ticket. Sweet William? What do you mean, Sweet William? What do you mean, guns? A million guns for Puerto Rico, and Sweet William has the ticket. Now, Rita, wait. Listen to me. I'm your friend. I'm GiGi's friend. I won't hurt you. I swear to that. Just tell me about Sweet William and a million guns. Tell me about that. Come on. Come on. Viva Puerto Rico libre. Rita. Scanlon? Ryan. I found GiGi's girlfriend at the Harbor Lights Inn. She don't have a face anymore. You better tell Homicide. Yeah. Well, you look for a blue, what do you call it, '71 Olds. I didn't get any numbers. I'll call you when I get in, all right? Twenty after four. Holy Christ. You were wiped out, Eddie. I figured I'd let you sleep. Want some eggs? Maureen, I got work to do, all right? Jilly says you can take off for a while. He got a sub in there now. It was awful last night. Out of town guys, all with umbrellas. I did 36 bucks in tips. Beautiful. Scanlon called. Beautiful. Fried or scrambled? Maureen, I'm sorry. Forget it. Maureen, understand something. I know you, what, five weeks? I worked night and day with GiGi for the last three years. He was my best friend, my partner. He was like a brother to me. Now, all of sudden, somebody comes along and they kill him. They kill a girl he knew. They tried twice to kill me... What do you mean, somebody tried to kill...? That's right. Now, maybe if I'd have been with him it wouldn't have happened. Maybe if I didn't throw that spic off the roof. Maybe if I hadn't got suspended. I don't know. But, Maureen, try and understand, please. I don't understand, Eddie. That's the problem. I met you, I didn't expect much. I didn't ask much. I just wanted someone there, more than anything else, that someone be there. You were nice to me. Nice to me. I didn't care what you were, or what you did. I couldn't preach to no-one, the things I did wrong in my life. But I didn't have no secrets either. That's true. You laid it right on the line, the ex-husband, two kids. Yeah, but you, you got secrets, Eddie. You go off and don't call and come in late and don't say nothing. Nothing at all. It's like living with the wind. All right, I'm sorry. I'll call more, all right? Just call, huh? But I'm still a cop, badge or no badge. That's the bottom line. What are you gonna do? Find him and fuckin' kill him. - The traffic is some mess. - Sure. Eddie, I wanna tell ya something. You're gonna get yourself in some trouble. Well, I've been there before, you know. - But you don't need it. Just let it cool... - Look, don't worry about it. If you worry, what am I gonna start doin'? - Go back to work at Jilly's, will ya, please? - No, I can't do that. Let us handle it. I can't go back to work there. Nah, I guess you can't. It's kinda rough. So what about that Garcia broad? We checked her out. She comes from South Bronx, somewhere around Fort Apache. I figure that's where GiGi ran into her. Usual shithouse. A welfare case. Got a yellow sheet. Three arrests for Class 3 convictions. Is Rita Garcia jammed up with Sweet William? Sweet William? Everybody up there is jammed up with Sweet William one way or the other. He owns them all. Hookers, junkies, everyone. No, I mean directly connected. I don't know. I can check it out. I got a pretty good stool up there. What about guns? What do you mean guns? You're losing me. Is Sweet William into guns? What kind of guns? I mean, his boys, they all know what they are. I don't know, but there's guns in this thing someplace, that's all. I don't understand. Neither do I. What? What do you mean, what? Wanna tell me something? Look, Eddie, I don't know how to tell you this. As far as I'm concerned, you're the best cop in the department. - You know that. - Yeah? They called me in today, the guys from upstairs. They want me to stay completely away from you. They came down pretty hard on me, too. Why? Well, number one, because you were GiGi's partner, and number two, you were the last one to see Rita Garcia alive. You mean, they think that I had something to do with this, huh? - Eddie, relax. It's all routine. - Relax, listen! I've been to one too many funerals, and you're standing there telling me they think I had something to do with these homicides? Something like that. Eddie, come on, now, please. They got to get everybody off their behind. The Mayor is breaking their chops. The newspapers are on them. They gotta come up with answers. Just take it slow. Don't take it personal, please. Come on. Look. Let's go up to Chance's, huh? Let's grab ourselves a drink. - I'm not in the mood. - It's loaded with girls. Come on. - Maybe we'll get lucky. Come on. - I'm not in the mood. Where else are you gonna go? What the heck can you do? Come on up and have a drink with me. Come on. - I'm going to a wake. - Eddie, please. Eddie! Yeah? I want to visit the Garcia family. He wants to visit the Garcia family. Hey, that's good, man. - He wants to visit the Garcia family. - That's right. What for, big man? I'd like to pay my respects. He wants to pay his respects. That's pretty good, man. Look, I could stand here all night and joke with you guys, but I'd like to go upstairs. Get Ruben. I read about you in the paper, Ryan. I read you don't have a job no more. You read wrong, pal. I read you threw a spic off a roof. No, he fell attempting to escape. That's pretty good, man. Look, tell Ruben I'll be outside, all right? I'm Ruben. Rita's brother. How are ya? I saw her right before she died. Can I talk to you about it? All right, GiGi Caputo was my friend and my partner. He was somehow connected to your sister. And when he was killed, I tried to track her down. I found her out at, what do you call it, er... Harbor Lights Inn. Now, I know that you were there with her sometime before that, but she was stoned. I didn't know what she was talking about. Not long after that, she was dead. What am I supposed to do? Write you a citation? Help me find out who killed her. Help me get Sweet William... and get him right. I never heard of a Sweet William. Well, I bet he heard of you and I bet he heard of your sister. If I was making book, friend, I'd even bet that he had her killed. Sometimes the guy holding the gun... doesn't pull the trigger. What do you mean by that? Sometimes a city can do it. Que viva Puerto Rico libre! Manuel... Manuel here? I'm clean, Eddie. I know. Clean as a bean. At least until the next time. What's up? I wanna see Sweet William. You know how to find him, I don't. - Goodbye, Eddie. - Wait a minute! Sweet Willie don't see nobody. I saw him a month and a half ago. I had him locked up at the Caborrojeo. They let him out faster than it took to lock him up, but I seen him. What do you want to see him about? Business. I'll see what I can do. - Guns? - Guns. I don't remember anything about guns. Do you remember if GiGi was involved in some gun deal, like, for some of your people? What do you mean, "my people"? The revolutionary kids with the berets. The kid gangs, maybe. Or Rita's brother's people. Somebody like that. You got some imagination. Well, I didn't imagine what they did to GiGi! What are you driving at? I think you know more than you're telling me! That's what I'm driving at. And you're out of bounds, Ryan! You don't have your tin anymore, remember? Now get the hell out of here while you still can. Look, Pedro, I don't know what that's supposed to mean, but don't let that shield go to your head. You may not have it long. - Hey, Eddie, you back? - Not yet, chief. Just visiting. Well, there's that big ass cop Eddie now! How you doing, Eddie? Whatcha gonna do now, Eddie? You all alone. Nobody with ya. Come on, Eddie. Let's see how good you are. Come on! Don't just stand there. How about taking a piece of me now, Eddie? Come on, cut me. Come and get us, Eddie. Come and get your babies! Come on! Don't just stand there. Come and get me! Get him, Luis! Don't let him get away! Get that mother! Kick his ass! - Hey, Luis, get that big bastard. - Get him, Luis! - Get him! - Hurry up, man. Get that motherfucker! Come on, man, get up. I've got this honky faggot. Move it, man! Move that shit, man! Move it! - Damn. - Who's this silly fool? What is this, a hijack? Hey, man, it's gotta be Superman. It's some bad motherfucking shit, man. - What the fuck is going on? - Goddamn, man. There goes that motherfucker. - Let's go, Mac. - Thirty-five cents, Mac. - Look, I'm a cop, all right? - Badge, please. Look I... I haven't got any badge, and those guys over there are coming after me. Regulations say you can't ride free without a badge. I got a dollar here. - Exact change. - Get out of here, goddamn it! Come on! All right, get your asses out of the car. Give me the keys. Get out, I said. Get the hell out of the car. Go! Go! Give me the keys! Come on. Let's go. Move your ass. Come on. Move it! - Let's go! - Come on! Hey, they're chasing us! Hey, what are you guys doing, man? - Stop this goddamn bus! - Sit down! Are you out of your mind? Everybody get down on the floor! I think I'm going to break my leg. Come on, man, stop this bus and do something, man. Hey! I don't know, man. This guy is crazy. What the hell is he doing? Hey, why don't you stop this goddamn bus? Get that son of a bitch. Get him off! Get him off! - Get him. - Come on. All right, I got him. Come on, man! Let me get a few. Hey, you son of a... - What? - Now that's enough! Now, let's get outta here! C'mon, let's go! You look like some scattered shit. Forgot my bus pass. Who are they, Eddie? What's it all about? You know they all look alike. Wanna look at pictures? Giving me the civilian treatment? Look at pictures, try to pick them out? Sign a complaint? Forget about it. I don't need the department. Eddie, it's bad. Real bad. First GiGi, and now you. Internal Affairs and the DA's office are in a huddle. They think both of you are up to your ears in something. Those guys are playing with themselves. They found out something about GiGi. He was working on something involving guns. Guns? A shipment of machine guns was heisted about six weeks ago down south. - How many? - Three million dollars worth. Holy shit. It's all rumours now, it's coming up from the street. They picked it up from some stool. We don't know where they're at or where they're going. All we know, it's worth three million dollars. That's a lot of guns. Yeah. Enough to kill a couple of people for. Maybe even a third guy who's snooping around like you. Lot of guns. Eddie, don't go any further with it. Don't do anything that's going to get you hurt for good. Want me to stop breathing? You know what I mean. Peace, huh? Please. So long. We gotta get out of this town. We're leaving New York. Yay! How long a drive is it? About an hour, an hour and ten minutes. You get up there, you take exit 33 and you go right for a couple of miles. Remind me when we get near it. I hope the place is okay. I haven't been there since I got divorced. It was the year before that. I didn't even know you had it. It was all she left me after the settlement. - Eddie? - Yeah. Why did she leave you? She didn't like the company I kept. This is a mistake. Come on, let's go. No. Look, I don't know what's in there, and I just don't care. But whatever it is, you can't run away from it, Eddie. That's not you. Maybe you're right. Come on. Cold up here. Aren't you going to carry me across the threshold? Yeah, okay. Come on. I'll have the gas and electric turned on tomorrow, and the telephone. And I'll make some corned beef and cabbage. That's what I call variety. How about rice and beans? Sounds good. - How about a beer? - Sure. Where are you going? To the can. I can handle it. What are you going to do with that? Some hunting. Shit. Hey. - Hey, I'll do that. - No. I gotta do it. What are you doing that for, Eddie? Row, will you? I am! I am! What are you doing that for now? Look at where we are. I mean, it's so pretty. You're not paying any attention. Well, you know, I... I'm just practising, Maureen! Jesus. What for? You're still going to go after those guys, huh? I don't understand you sometimes. You don't understand me? I don't understand you. I thought we came up here so we could be together, I thought we were gonna just get away from all... We're together, aren't we? Yeah, we're together, but we're not together. You spend more time playing with that gun than you do with me. Eddie, what...? What did you bring me up here for, huh? Huh? - To be with you, that's why. - But not like this! Not like this. I mean, you could have hired a maid for what I'm doing for you. Maureen, what do you want from me? I just want you to pay some attention to me. I just want you to spend a little time with me instead of playing with that gun all the time. Row! Will you row? Shit. You don't really like it, do you? It's what you're used to. I'm not used to this kind of noise. You like the peace and quiet of New York. Yeah. What do you want, Eddie? What do you mean? Out of life, you know. What are you gonna do with it? I don't know. Get through it. That's all? That's all. Just once, I'd like to hear you tell me that you love me. What? I said I'd like you to tell me that you love me. I don't know what those words mean, Maureen. You want a beer? - Ryan? - Yeah? Groceries. Bring 'em in. Sweetheart. I knew you'd go. I have to. If you say so. That kid'll come out every day to see if you're okay, if you need anything. He'll take you to the bus, too, if that's what you want. What I got to do will only take a few days. It'll be longer than that. We'll see. I'm sorry, Maureen. Just go. Have a nice vacation. I now present to you Ruben Garcia. We didn't ask to come here. Every time my mother is hassled at the welfare office, I tell her to tell them that we didn't ask to come to this madness called the United States. They invaded our country, robbed our land right from under us, and then forced us to come here by the hundreds of thousands, by the millions. To serve as cheap sources of labour in their garment centres, where we sew the clothes that we can't even afford to wear. We came here as farmers, many of us. Poor, but proud. And we ended up as porters, we ended up as dishwashers, we ended up as messenger boys, we ended up as 45-year-old errand boys and doormen. I mean, can you dig that? Brown kings and queens with a proud past holding some doors open and forcing themselves to smile? What's happening, Eddie, baby? How'd you like me to bite your nose off? You try it. You tell him. And what has American imperialism done for the island? I'll tell you. What it has done is that it's turned our island into a combination whorehouse, a combination gambling casino and dope drop. Right on! And the puppet governors have stood by while 13% of the best farmland in Puerto Rico has been made into military bases. The puppet governors stood by while they destroyed our culture and substituted it by telling our children that to look as pale and sick as them was hipper and healthier than having the colour of the sun. American businessmen pay one third what they pay here in the United States, yet the workers in Puerto Rico have to pay 25% more for the junk surplus that they throw in Puerto Rico. No. Hell, no. We're not going for it anymore. And we'll do whatever is necessary to free our island from the shackles of American imperialism. We'll do whatever is necessary, and if we can't rap about it, then we're gonna shoot our way into liberation. We've got to march from New York to San Juan. Let us march from Chicago to Mayagez. Let us march toward the free land of our ancestors. Que viva la lucha! Que viva Puerto Rico! Que viva Puerto Rico libre! Nice speech, huh? He speaks nice, that kid. Pardon me. Your rod is showing. You wanted to see Sweet William? Well, you're gonna see him now. Ah, Mr Ryan! Well, welcome to my home. How nice to meet you formally, Mr Ryan. Please, come in. My name is William Salazar. Let's see... The last time I saw you, you were a police officer. And maybe I still am. No, I checked you out, Mr Ryan. - First, I must apologise. - Why? Well, for the actions of some of my more, er... zealous associates. - Your hand, I mean. - Forget it. Please relax and make yourself comfortable, hmm? Young men are like that. They're either zealous like young Ruben, or they think they're immortal bundles of muscle, like the young men who chased you that unfortunate evening. Mr Ryan... Brandy? A beer. You talk pretty fancy. For a spic? Yeah. As you can see, your country taught me well. Did you know that I was the third Puerto Rican in history to go to Harvard? The first was an unfortunate man named Albizu Campos. They patronised him. They demeaned him. Poor Albizu went mad. Tried to start a revolution without enough guns. Well, you might recall, his men shot up the White House trying to kill President Truman. They say he died in an insane asylum. I knew better. Albizu made himself into steel, and they broke him. I'm the best argument for the advantages of bamboo. Why don't you get to the point? The point, my dear Mr Ryan, is that I'm in the business of survival. I have made much money. I will make much more. And I'm even better at it than the Italians. I only want to give you a job. I'm not looking. Wait a minute. Since your partner passed away, the position is open. What happened to him? Well, let's put it this way, Mr Ryan. Mr Caputo became an unacceptable form of overhead. What do you mean by that? There is a certain business consignment. A shipment to Puerto Rico. Mr Caputo learned about it through a most unfortunate young woman. He demanded a half a million dollars in exchange for silence, and that was too much. You're lying. I knew GiGi better than anyone. He was a good cop. He wouldn't take a dime for anything. Large sums of money can do strange things to human character. Three days after he arrived in the Bronx, GiGi became an employee. I like to think of it as a labour management problem. Quite simple. Just like that, a labour management problem. So you cut his throat, he's gone. You look around, the girl's still there, so you send some friggin' hood out to shoot her to keep her quiet. And all for a shipment of guns! You know about the guns? Three million dollars' worth. You really are a cop, aren't you, Ryan? Until they kill me. That just might have to be arranged. Mmm. Ay yay yay, it's a pity. I thought you would understand. I offered you a new career. You won't accept. It's a pity. Forget it. He's gone. Hey, Captain, there's someone out there. About 200 yards to starboard. Hey! I'm over here! A little more starboard. You see? Hey! Over here! Maureen, don't hang up on me again. Please. I need you, all right? Please. There's a set of keys in the kitchen cabinet. Bring them down to the Mall in Central Park. I've got my car there. And bring me some dry clothes. All right? Meet me in 45 minutes. Where we gonna dock this thing? This is the Mr F I was talking to you about. - Where are they? - One second. The finances. Of course. One third now, one third this evening, and one third when they're on the ship on their way for Puerto Rico. Very good. The ship is tied up right now. Unloading rum. Come on. Para Puerto Rico libre! Para Puerto Rico libre! You don't really approve, do you? Young man, as Andr Gide once said, "Do not understand me too quickly." I never got that French literature. You will. Everybody does. - If they live. - Yeah, but... I know. I know. "It's better to die on your feet than to live on your knees." The first citation in the EBQ, Emiliano Zapata. Mexico, 1910. The second, La Pasionaria, Spanish Civil War, 1936. I know it. I know the rhetoric. I have friends who died in Spain. I've seen how the revolutionaries in Mexico turned out. Full of pus and corruption. Young man, there is nothing in life that can be reduced to a slogan. You will take our money, though. That's no problem, is it? Money's not a slogan. Money is something you can see and touch and count. You... You're trying to count the wind. And yet... What were you going to say? We lived in Bayamn. House made of old boards, Coca-Cola signs. There was a dirt floor, some chickens, a pig my brother had stolen. My father... My father read books. He had Lope de Vega in that shack. And Machado and Ortega y Gasset. He might've been a good farmer, except that he dreamed too much. He dreamed. And in 1935 there was a hurricane. The tobacco crop failed, sugar failed. There was nothing that books could do. Books could not feed my mother, or cure the disease that lived in her chest. Books did not make my brother strong enough to survive. My father sold the books. He sold the land, and took the ship to New York. And? Ah, basta. Basta! I've talked too much. It is not my habit. What happened to your father? He was a dreamer. The world always kills a dreamer. He could be in there forever. No, sooner or later, he'll come out to play. Sooner or later. - Lu Chow's at seven? - That's right. They'll be coming in gate three, the navy yard. 11:30 tonight. - I'll see you there. - Okay. Ruben? Can I have that? For a souvenir. You have an extra clip? Let's go. Come on. Why are we following Diaz? Because he killed GiGi. I don't want to do it anymore. I didn't count on this. Why can't we just walk away from it? Just give it up? Go out to the coast? Start over someplace? Don't talk like that, Maureen. It's foolish. Why is it foolish? What's so foolish about wanting to live a normal life? Sweet William had my partner killed, he can't do that. I don't care if GiGi was on the take. He killed him, he could kill me. He could kill anyone. All right. Gun it. Gun it. Don't lose him. Don't lose that son of a bitch. Don't stop, Maureen! - Keep going! Fuck the light! - I can't! Well, don't go out! Come here! Don't... Maureen. Maureen... Please. Maureen, come on. We'll go away to the country, all right? I love you, sweetheart. I love you. Jesus Christ, I love you. I do love you so fucking much. Don't say a word. Don't say a word. Hey, honey. How do you feel? Hey, spic. What the hell are you doing, Eddie? Pick his gun up. Put it on the floor. You. Come on. Right now. On the floor. Get in there, you bastard. Sit down! Get over there, lady. Come on! - Sit down. - You're gonna go to the can for this! - You know that? - You might go into the earth, friend. Sit down. Take that jacket off. Empty your pockets. Take that ring off. Take the rest off. Strip. Or I'll kill every living thing in this house. You finally made it, didn't you, Diaz? A nice little house, and a nice little wife to cook for you! You're a friend of Sweet William's. A cop's pay just wasn't enough, was it, Diaz? Huh? But there was one score almost too big to settle. Big enough to kill two women and my friend GiGi! I didn't kill anybody. Who the hell did? The Hungarians? Maureen Crowley has two little boys in school, Diaz. Who's going to take care of them? Who's going to take care of Marie Caputo and her kids? And who's going to put a flower on Rita Garcia's grave? You? You... I didn't kill those people! Who did? The independentistas killed Rita. - They were afraid. - Yeah? She knew what was going on. Even Ruben accepted it. And GiGi? Sweet William did that one himself. All right. Get up. Get up. Come on! Now get down on the floor. - The floor? - Get down before I knock you down! Now crawl backwards that way, to the window. Come on, you fucking hump spic. Come on! All right, you. Lady. Get those handcuffs! Come on! Come on! Handcuff him and you to that pipe. Come on! Move! All right, now. Where is Sweet William delivering those fucking guns? Yeah, hello. Eddie, listen. I just heard about Maureen, and... I can't talk about that. Now, listen, the guns are arriving tonight by truck at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, and they're gonna be loaded on a ship called the Milocha, and they're going to Puerto Rico. For a revolution or something. Now, you can have the guns and all the rest of it. But I want Sweet William. Eddie, listen to me. Eddie? Hello? Hello? Shit. Evening, Officer. Fine night we're having, ain't it? Is this Lancaster, Pennsylvania? Here? Well, I'm looking for the A & B Lungwort Corporation of Lancaster, PA and a guy in Toronto told me that I'd find it somewhere around here. Over the... Dumb bastard. Jesus, you fucking guys go out like crullers. You know, my dear boys, this is the first job I've pulled in 23 years of which I have even a small bit of pride. Que viva Puerto Rico libre! All right, the party's over! Don't move! All right, relax, kid, get out of the way! You ruined it. Another half hour! You ruined it, you dirty motherfucker! Hey! Bring it back! I said, bring the ship back! Come back! Hey, check him out. See what happened to him. Here comes one. Get this guy. Get him. Throw him up there. Cripple him if you have to. I don't want him walking out of here. - I got him, boss. - Put the cuffs on him. Put him in the car. Get him in there. Now seal off these gates. Don't let anybody move. Randy! Scott! I'm coming after you, William, you hear me? I'm going to get you, Spanish boy. I'm going to kill you back. You spic son of a bitch! Pendejo... Hey... This is Lieutenant Scanlon. Do you read me? This is Lieutenant Scanlon! Do you read me? Roger. Go ahead, sir. Get on the air, get emergency service down here right away. Down to the Brooklyn Navy Yard, dock four. I want shotguns, rifles, and bulletproof vests. Bring two cars up. Leave one car at the gate. On the double. Have you got that? Roger. I've got it, sir. Put your shields on. You better run, you bastard. I'm coming up your ass! Come on, Ryan! I'm waiting for you! Come on, Ryan! I'm waiting! Come and get me! Hold your fire! Eddie! Come on down! Leave him to us. He can't go nowhere! One city, my ass. What do we do now, boss? Pray. Come on, you useless pendejos! Come up here! I own you all! I've purchased you! I've had you all! Come on! Get the spic who lived better than you ever did! Y que... que pasa? Come down! Do your worst! Strike me dead, you elaborate joke! It figures, right? Betrayed in the end. Well, Mr Ryan. How nice to see you again. Come and get me. No. Your kind doesn't know how to do that. Your kind believes in mercy and love and the rest of that Anglo-Saxon bullshit. Now, listen to me. I'll tell you what matters. This is what matters, my slow-witted friend. It is the most marvellous of your American inventions! With it, you may purchase souls and delight and other human beings. Que viva dinero! The easiest thing in the world to buy is a cop. Your friend GiGi. Now, that was a foolish boy. His appetite was obviously larger than his intelligence, and it cost him his life. Ruben, foolish in an even worse way. He was an idealist and a dreamer, and dreamers always lose to prosecutors. The others... The prostitute with a $100-a-day habit. Your red-headed girlfriend. What did she matter? She'd make it with anyone who'd ask her. What did they all matter? Tu madre... All right, Randy. We'll let the cops escort the ambulances in - and we'll wrap it up, huh? - Okay. |
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