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Clearing, The (2004)
Excuse me, honey.
- Cologne? - I better get going. ...61 degrees downtown. In Harrisburg, the governor has given... Remember we have the Finches tonight. - You sleep okay? - Yeah, fine. Why are we having the Finches? We haven't seen them in ages, and I think we should make an effort with Eva. - Is there an occasion or... - No, no occasion. He used to be your good friend. You know? Yeah. Are you gonna speak to Jill today? No, I spoke with her yesterday. Why? You worried about her? Should I be? Well, why don't you give her a call? I think I'll give her a call this afternoon. Well, that's a good idea. She likes her job? Yes, she seems to. She wouldn't tell me if she didn't. No, but that's only because you've made your opinion on the matter so clear. Bye. Okay, you hound. Hey. Come on. Come on, hey. Come on. Attaboy, attaboy, come on. No, not... Hey, that's cruel. Well, he's gotta learn how to swim. It's how I taught the children. You did not. Anyway, I taught them to swim. See you later. Wayne, please don't be any later than 6:00, okay? - 6:00. - Yes, please. Not active. Press the services button now. Shut up. ...dashing optimism that profits will soon show signs of rebounding. Dow Jones Industrials were down by a third of a percent, a half percent decline for the S&P 500. Near 2.5 percent lower for the NASDAQ. Graciela, that's beautiful. Thank you. Hi. Wayne's late. Can you believe it? - Hi. - What's he doing? - He's working. - Why the hell is he doing that? What else is new? Tom, can you make us drinks? Yes, and I want that good Scotch. I'd like to speak with Wayne Hayes. This is his wife. One moment, please. I'm afraid he's not at his desk. Well, is he gone for the day? I'm afraid I don't know, Mrs. Hayes. I'd like to speak with Alex Rice, please. One moment, please. He's gone for the day. Would you like his voice mail? No, no message, thank you. Please leave a message. Well, I hope you're on your way. - As usual, you've spoiled us. - Yes, Eileen. Everything was absolutely delicious. It was nothing. I didn't do anything. If this isn't doing anything, well... You should be so lucky, Tom. Well, I'm so sorry Wayne couldn't be here. That's all right. He never liked us. What is your emergency? Yes, hello? I need to report a missing person. - Hello? - This is Detective Seymour. There was no sign of break in. Doors were locked, alarm was set. Can you think of a reason why he'd be parked there? No. Did he know anyone in the neighborhood? No, not that I'm aware of. Was he under any particular kind of stress? No, I don't think so. What's your husband's height? - He's 6'. - Weight? About 175, 180 pounds. - Eyes? - Blue. Blond hair. Mom? Hi. How's the baby? He's still such a bad sleeper. I wonder how he's gonna get on in the world. He'll be a grown man living with his mother. Your next one will be better. I think you get one of each. No, we're not gonna have a next one. He's in our bed every night. Oh, I'd love to see them. Do you think they could come out? Yeah. We'll see. So tell me more about what the police said. Well, it was questions mostly. They wanted to know if anything had been bothering him recently. Apparently, people wander off all the time. They said that? They said they were going to check the river. No, that's not Dad. No. Wayne! Wayne! - Yeah? - Hi, Wayne. - Hi. - I don't know if you remember me. Arnold? Arnold Mack from Hadley. That was a long time ago. Yeah, it sure was. I'm supposed to show this to you. What the hell are you doing? If you make a noise I'll shoot. Give me the keys. Your hands. Behind your back! Legs out. Let's have your shoes. Now, tell your wife you're all right. Am I? Yes. This is Wayne. Eileen, I'm fine. Jill! The possibility that they're watching the house, we have to take seriously. We'll set up surveillance and stay with you until the situation is resolved. They've instructed you to confirm receipt of the keys in a personal ad. It's a common mode of communication. We'd obviously like to get them on the phone. So we'll monitor all calls in the event that we're successful in doing that. I understand that our presence here is an imposition on you. But I need to ask all of you to try to be as open with us as you can be. So if Mr. Hayes mentioned anything, something on his mind, something bothering him, any information that you can give us, the better off we are. I want to assure you that our first priority is Mr. Hayes' safety. In a situation like this, lack of control can be the hardest part. We're here to get you back some of that control. Hello. Where have you been? - Talking to Lane. - How is she? We spent most of the time discussing the color of what's in Oscar's diapers. I hope the FBI found it interesting. How's Mom? She's okay. I think she thought he left her. - She tell you that? - No. Of course not. He would never do that. Why not? Because he'd be lost without her. He might think about it, but he'd never do it. Most kidnappings in this country are small in scale. Usually over disagreements about drugs. They usually work themselves out. Someone pays the bill and on they go. A high-profile case is a different matter... We're free. We'll be on our way in five minutes. Everything's fine. Put those on, please. Sit down. All the way. Put your butt down. Straighten your legs. Hold it a minute. Hold it. Your hands'll be better in front. Do you mind? Do you mind if I take off my coat first? A little hot in the trunk. Okay. Okay. Hands in front. All right. Let's get going. Oh. No, please, please, sit down. Thanks. Pepsi for breakfast? One of those bad habits. Everything will be paid for by the bureau. I don't know if that was explained. No, that's all right. You have a wonderful place here. Yes, we built it about five, no, six years ago. I hope we're not getting in your way too much. - No. I think we'll be all right. - Good. Well, enjoy your breakfast. Thank you. It's good once you're in. It's cold. Keeps you young. You know, I can't remember the last time we swam together. Yeah, it's been a while. When you were little we had a hard time getting you out. Cigarette? I quit. But under the circumstances... The shoes all right? I mean, they fit okay? Yeah, they're... They're fine. No, no. Those things are killers. I've been telling my wife that for years, but... Are we gonna have a conversation now? Is that it? Okay. I don't need to talk. What made you think I smoked? Look, Arnold, how much are we talking about here? I could call my lawyer. Whatever it is. This has nothing to do with me. I'm just doing my part. - What... What is your part? - I'm doing it. This is my part. Did you take the pictures? No. I'm not a photographer. We should really get going. We've got a long way to go. - You mind telling me where that is? - I'm sorry, I can't. Were there disagreements you can remember? With former employees? Any unpleasant departures, grudges? Someone who may feel they were owed something? Anything like that? No, not that I know of. I hear there was anger over your husband's use of foreign automobiles? No, there was just a few letters. That was all. About a year after he sold primary control in the car-rental business, he resigned and formed a new company, right? - Right. - A consulting firm? - Yes. - But it wasn't successful. No. So he's been advisory director at Lennox-Stuart for the two years - since closing the consulting firm? - That's right. Do you know a Ms. Louise Miller, formerly in the employment of your husband at Lennox-Stuart? Yes, my husband had an affair with her. And she left your husband's employment in June of 2001? I told him to let her go. Ah. And as far as you know, that was the end of the relationship? Yes, as far as I know. Your husband's phone records indicate they were in regular contact beyond that date. Is that all? Sure. That's it for now. Thank you. My children don't know about this. I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell them. I understand. Ham or tuna? Ham. We'll split it. Thank you. You know, Arnold, I think you may have the wrong man. - Yeah? - Yeah. You want my neighbor, Mr. Shipley. He's loaded. You think I made a mistake? Happens all the time. Perfectly intelligent people, pick up a wrong bag at the airport... I know all about you. "The man Hertz and Avis are afraid of." Oh. - I see... - You grew up in Altoona. You married your high school sweetheart. You won a scholarship to Penn State. You had a good job, but you quit to start a car-rental business. Didn't make sense at the time, but you made it work. In those days the greatest challenge was keeping your marriage together. - They wrote that. I didn't. - You like to watch the Pirates. You have a house on a lake in the woods. A boat in which you like to float on summer afternoons to clear your mind. And two children, a son and daughter, all grown up now. That about sums it up. So when did you lose your job? I guess it's obvious, huh? Eight years ago, November. And what did you do? I was a manager of sorts. And you thought if you were hardworking and loyal you'd be safe, right? I worked there 17 years. Out of their hands, they said. - Well, it probably was. - That's what they said. Changing economy. Gotta keep things profitable. - I've heard it all. - Nothing personal. - Yeah, right. - It's a terrible thing. A lot of good people lost their jobs. I'd say 30 percent of our work force at one point was from Hadley. You could have come work for us. I'd appreciate it if you didn't condescend me, Wayne. I know how the world works. That's why I'm out here with you. So, what does your wife think about this plan? - My wife? - Yeah. Those are her cigarettes. You can keep things from your wife. - I don't know. - What? You've never deceived your wife? Well, there are levels of deception, Arnold. I mean, this is a whopper. Oh. Well, how about you? - Me? - You know everything about me. Tell me about yourself. All right. Um... I have a wife and two daughters. One of my daughters supposedly lives with us. She's got some boyfriend. I think he's a mute. Can't tell you the last time I saw her. My wife is trying to kill herself with cigarettes. We live with her father. He sleeps in the den. He has his own TV, but he's hard of hearing, and he doesn't like to wear his hearing aids at night so he lies in bed and plays it so loud, we can hear it in our room. Sometimes he leaves it on all night. But what can I say? It's his house. I don't say anything much at all, Wayne. It's a household of... ...disappointed people. But... We have our health, and we have each other, so... Ah. Everybody suffers, isn't that right? Yeah, everybody suffers. Did you always have that moustache? So long as I could grow one. This is Wayne. Eileen, I'm fine. Our profilers believe the letters are probably being written by one person. Male, some college education, white, over 30. But we do believe we're dealing with a group. To keep a hostage for a prolonged period requires multiple participants. Why haven't they asked for anything? They're showing you who's in control. I'd like to suggest a different approach. They haven't acknowledged our request to communicate by phone, so we should place a personal ad confirming you received the recording, but we also claim you got a ransom demand. You're willing to pay. You just want to pay the right people. If they think you'll give their money to someone else, they usually call within 24 hours. Okay, so we're agreed. We do what Fuller says. Well, I'm not gonna make this decision alone. You're not alone, sweetheart. Where are you going? I'm going to get something for Oscar. You're going shopping? It's his first birthday. It's important we celebrate it. Are you coming? Happy birthday dear Oscar Happy birthday to you - Is he asleep? - Finally. He woke up the minute I put him down. Wayne will be sorry to have missed it. Yeah, he loves birthdays. You know, Lane, for my first birthday after Wayne and I were married, he wanted to surprise me, so we drove to a hotel in the mountains. We could not afford it, but he insisted, as usual. Anyway, when we got there, they'd never heard of us. I don't know, he messed up the reservations or something. Anyway, he was devastated, so he pleaded and then he tried to sound important. - But they took no pity on us. - Poor Dad. We finished up at an all-night diner, because there were no hotel rooms. But he made them put candles on everything we ate. In the rice pudding, in the hamburgers... And they all sang "Happy Birthday." it was great. I remember once he convinced me it was a special birthday treat to go to work with him and help clean cars. I fell for that too. You loved it. Both of you. He really made you feel like you were the center of the world. I hope Oscar gets to feel that. He will. Hold it. This is where we meet the others? - No. - What then? Just a break. You can sit over there. May I see the pictures of my wife? What for? May I see them? She'd hate the idea of being watched. She's self-conscious. Even with me. She's beautiful. You know what I think? What? I don't think there's anybody watching my wife. And do you know what that means? No. It means I'm gonna have to give you the slip. You wouldn't want to do that. You'd get me into a world of trouble. - I'd be sorry about that. - Anyway, your wife'll pay and then you can go home. If she wants you back. Have you done anything terrible? I've never pointed a gun at anyone. Does your wife know about the company you keep? That woman? I told you I know all about you. I followed you there once. I sat outside. - You followed me? - They asked me to. I'd say that's a whopper, Wayne. Isn't that a whopper? - We should get going. - This is a beautiful spot, Arnold. You picked a great day for it. I didn't pick it. Let's go, Wayne. I love my wife, Arnold. We have two beautiful kids. And I'm just getting to know them. For most of their lives I've been working. I missed a lot. I'm not suggesting you didn't love them. Come on. Let's go. No. - Come on. - No, this'll do just fine. - Tell me where we're going. - Let's go. Look at yourself. You've lost your job, you put people in trunks... - Get up. - What if everybody did that? You goddamn lunatic. How many times have you fired that gun, Arnold? There's a hunting cabin near the top. I'm gonna drop you off, then I go. That's it. There's some guys waiting for you. I work for them. They're okay. I wish I'd paid better attention, you know, but I was mowing the lawn. All I remember is, he wasn't a gardener. He was white, middle-aged, I guess. He was wearing a suit, I think. And he was standing at the side of the car, talking to Mr. Hayes. A driver from one of the local bus routes remembers a man of similar description. We've come up with a composite sketch based on those descriptions. Here you go. Does that resemble anyone you might know? Yeah, it resembles a million people I might know. What about the personal ad? There's still no response. As they have so far refused to make phone contact, I'd like to demand an assurance of Mr. Hayes' safety. I think this organization would expect such a demand. Wait a minute. Mr. Fuller, at your suggestion we threatened to give their money to someone else. Since then, they haven't contacted us. They've made no demand. We're further from resolving this than we were to begin with. What difference does it make who was on the bus? I think you don't have the faintest fucking idea who those people are! So, what would you consider an assurance? A phone conversation. If they won't confirm your husband's safety, we should consider the negotiation over. Come here. Mrs. Hayes, if they can make you desperate, they know you'll give them anything they want. I want to apologize for my son. Well, that's not necessary. - Please, sit down. - You know, it's strange. You've never met my husband, but you know all about him. Yeah, I'm used to it. You'd like him. He inspires confidence. It's his great talent. A man like that needs to be appreciated. It gets worse as they get older. They feel themselves being forgotten. You don't have to explain anything... I'm trying to explain my husband, Mr. Fuller. Did you tell my son about that woman? I asked him to look over some phone records. - I don't know... - You said you wouldn't. - I said that I understood. - What if I looked into your marriage? It wouldn't look very good at the moment. What are you doing? I was thinking about Dad. I'm afraid I'm never gonna see him again. What would you say to him if you could? That I love him. You know, when I told him that I was pregnant with you that's the only time I've ever seen him cry. He knows you love him. These guys waiting for us, have I done something to them? No. And you. You seem to know a lot about me. Have I done something to you? No, you haven't done anything to me. You're good with names. You're famous for it, you know? I read somebody can meet you once and you see them again 10 years later, and you greet them as if you saw them every day of your life. That way you manage to make each and every person feel important. Fortune magazine. To be honest, I'm not surprised you don't remember me. Give me a minute. I started at Hadley a few months before you left. One day we crossed paths in the hallway. The man I was with pointed you out and said, "That's the guy to watch." We met in the cafeteria a few days later. I introduced myself. We talked for a while, actually. I wanted to see what the hotshot was like. That was a stressful period in my life. - Can't blame me for not remembering. - You were very gracious, don't worry. You bought me a cup of coffee, and we talked. I think actually we saw eye to eye on quite a few things. I think you might have enjoyed talking to someone of like mind for once. And you kept up with me? In the papers? Like the man said, I watched you. Like the man said. And that's it? That's why it's me? - Let's go, Wayne. - I worked hard my whole life. Everything I've got, I've earned. Nobody handed it to me. I don't deserve this. What... You all right? I think that was my wife. I have something for that. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. So, what's the plan when you're done here? I'm going away. - Someplace hot? - That's right. I'm taking my wife away from here. Get back to the way you were. That's right. I see. - So she'll go with you? - Of course she will. And give up everything for you? Leave her father behind, and the kids? They'll be all right. She'll miss them. You can't go back, Arnold. My wife doesn't look at me the way she did 30 years ago. Nothing you can do about that. Is there... ...any news about Wayne? No. You know, the FBI came to, um... To speak to me. - How can anyone be so cruel? - When did you see him last? It was a while ago. I didn't... I didn't know he'd started seeing you again. I'm sorry. I mean, what was it like when he was here? I want to know. Did he bring you things? Were you in bed? Sometimes he'd bring me things. What things? He brought me that book. He hates New York. Um... I've never been. You know, when I left the company, he helped me with this place. And then he just started coming around now and then, you know, to see how I was. We were here for each other. I think I'd prefer if you'd been fucking in hotels. You know, Eileen... I don't know what I would have done without him. He's a great man. I went to see her. I know. You know, I never talked to him about it. I never asked him why. I just told him to get rid of her, and we got on with our life. I didn't want to know. I love him, and she admires him. They may allow your husband to watch the news. Hey! What are you doing? I'm tired, Arnold. There's a stream up ahead. You can soak your feet in the water. It'll feel good. How long you been married? 24 years. She stood by you. Yes. You're a lucky man. Would you do something for me? Would you mail a letter for me? To my wife? You could mail it when you go home. I might not get along too well with the guys at the cabin and I'd like to tell her something. You can do that for me. Shit. Would you... Please, could you cut me free? You can read what I write. I won't say anything about you or where we are. Be careful where you mail it, so they can't trace the postmark. After we were married and she was pregnant with Tim, she sometimes had this feeling when I'd walk out of a room, like maybe I wasn't coming back. I traveled a lot with the businesses then and I think she got over it. I don't think she suffered much. When I asked her to marry me, I wasn't completely sure. I had my doubts. But I... I couldn't imagine my life without her. And that's never changed. I think that's the same as being sure. You think? I don't know. I think it is. We can go now. We have a demand. Do you recognize these? The demand comes to approximately $10 million. They've requested that you, Eileen, deliver the ransom. It's 9.5 in diamonds, 2 karat, round D flawless. The most common stones on the market, easy to move. And half a million in non-sequential 100-dollar bills. Why do they want my mother to go? We can't send an agent in her place. They know what she looks like. They've requested that we put the ransom in Wayne's sports bag. The lining's too thin for us to put in a tracking device of any range. I advise you not to pay the ransom without confirmation that your husband's all right. Eileen, they've given us three days to get the stones together. Tell them you need more time. Tell them you need proof that your husband is alive. Do you know how you do something completely beyond the realm of your normal behavior? How? You imagine it. Every piece of it. Until it feels real. Like something you do all the time. I wasn't nervous this morning. It was like driving to work. The sky, the weather, I knew what it was gonna be, even before I opened my eyes. They offered me money. Real money. And all I have to do is bring you to them. Tell me, Wayne, if you were in my shoes, wouldn't you do it? No, I wouldn't. Do you know what it's like to see your wife go to work every day instead of float in her pool? - No, I don't. - Well, it stinks. It stinks seeing your life fall apart. Everything you planned for, everything you counted on. To see it happen and not be able to do anything, as if you'd become invisible. You don't know what I'm talking about, do you? Do you? My mother was sick when I was growing up. My father worked in a mill just like everybody else. He should have done something else with his life but he accepted his place in the world. People would try to get him to settle their arguments, whatever the argument. He was above it. - He knew everything. - It's a nice story... Hey, goddamn it, listen to me! I listened to you. And when he got sick, they'd come around the house, stand by the bed and try to brighten his mood. And after he died, they raised a glass to him, came by the house to see if they could help. And even though he was dead, felt like he hung around. Now, all of a sudden, he really was dead. He might not have lived for anybody except my sick mother and me. Just the two of us. But we missed him. Really missed him. I don't know that I've even got that. So all you have to do is just take me to them. You think they'll let me go, once they know I've seen your face? What about you? Think they're gonna let you go? It'll be all right, Wayne. No, it won't. No, it won't. You don't understand, Wayne. I understand. Look at you. You don't even have any shoes on. I understand there's plenty of people like you. You think this is for your wife? You think if you steal my money, go to some beach someplace, your life won't be such a waste? This is for you, Arnold. This is what you amount to. Because the truth is, you can't make it yourself. And my family is gonna suffer because of you? You're a piece of shit. You're a miserable piece of shit. - You have no right to speak to me... - Shut up. Just take me to whoever it is you work for. I'm done with you. "This is your final chance. Thursday, 1:00 p.m. "The exact location will appear in a personal ad on the day of the drop. "Do not involve the FBI." What is it? It's blood. Let's get this to the lab for analysis. Can you grab some evidence bags? According to the lab report, Wayne's white blood cells have begun to expand to an unsafe size. What does that mean? It's not a conclusive indication that Wayne is alive. Does that mean he's dead? Wait. I can't let you go, Wayne. Mrs. Hayes. Phone call for you. Hello? Hello? Mrs. Hayes here. What are you doing? - What do you mean? - You were told no FBI. No. No, I told them to stay away. You think I'm an idiot? No. Why? They're all over the hotel. No, but... No, I told them to stay away. There's a subway station across the street. Exit through the side. I'll call you on a pay phone. She just hung up. Hold on. She's on the move. I don't see her. Yes? She made phone contact. Did the FBI ask you to carry anything? - My phone. - Get rid of it. She dumped the phone, west entrance of the station. Yes. Stop here, please. - There's a deer-crossing sign. - Sign? - Do you see it? - Yes. Now, there's a viaduct up ahead. Stop the car between the lights. You drop the bag here. Turn off the engine. Turn on the interior lights. I wanna hear his voice. Do you hear me? Eileen. Wayne? Eileen. Tell them you need proof he's alive. - Eileen. Eileen. - They're showing you who's in control. I wanna hear his voice. Do you hear me? Eileen. This is Wayne. Eileen, I'm fine. Wayne? Hello? Wayne? Wayne? No! Wait! No! Fuller. Same series number? Same place? ...like blueberries, coffee, and look at this, even red wine! Look at that. Arnold? Yes? Don't forget the trash. Have you ever spilt chlorine bleach on your colored clothes? Yeah, this is Larry Schmidt over at Foodland. I think I got another one of those hundred-dollar bills. Right. Charlie, baker, one, one, four, zero, one, two, one, seven, Charlie. Here we go. That'll do you. $83.13 is your change. Okay. Thank you for shopping at Foodland. Thank you. It's Fuller. Did you want us to catch you, Arnold? You passed several consecutive 100-dollar bills, in a two-week period at a store that sees maybe a handful in a month. I don't think you're stupid, Arnold. My wife won't understand. She's not so unhappy. Why did you wait all day? I imagined it that way. In the dark. Arnold? You know... There is no cabin. Arnold? I said... There is no cabin. Arnold. I couldn't have done it in the light. - How did you pass the time? - We talked. - About what? - About our families, our wives. Regular stuff. And then as soon as it was dark... "I feel about you now the Way I did when Jill was born. "If you love me, I have everything I need." Do you love me? Yes. Then I have everything I need. |
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