[music continues]
[music continues]
[instrumental music]
(Spenser) 'Get, up, boy. Come on, come on, come on, come on. Alright.'
[indistinct chatter on TV]
'Get the ball! 'Get the ball! Steal it!'
'Take it away.'
'A three-point line. Whoo-ho!'
'It's all tied up, folks! Over to Ferris.'
Ferris to Berg, Berg in the corner.
In to the key..
Hup. Sven, stop it, baby.
Whoo! Alright! Alright!
[laughing]
[knock on door]
- Yeah. - 'Spenser?'
[indistinct chatter on TV]
Yeah.
- Rita, hi. Come on in. - Hi.
The game's on. It's all tied up. Sit down.
Great game. Have a beer.
Well, look..
I probably should have called first.
Um, I hope.. I don't mean to be interrupting--
- Come on, don't drop the ball. - I just, uh..
I need to talk to you for a second.
I just got this phone call
'and I got a little crazy, and, uh, I didn't know'
what to do, so I came over here.
- 'Can we talk?' - Sure, we could talk.
Sounds important. Right after the game. Two minutes. Sit down.
Great game.
(man on TV) 'Foul! And the sh*t..'
Come on, ref, he's walking with the ball! Come on!
Give me a break! Why'd you..
No, wait a second. The game is almost over.
No, it's no problem. I should have called first.
I don't even know what I'm doing here.
- Rita, come on. - Didn't know who else to call.
No, it's no problem.
(man on TV) 'Alright, and Isiah steps up to the line with a chance to put..'
I'll turn it off.
'I didn't wanna mess up your Sunday.'
Hey, no problem. Game's tied.
Two minutes to go. Play-off's on the horizon. No big deal.
- 'It's alright. Want a beer?' - Yes.
- When I got this phone call-- - What call?
A case just fell apart on me. I mean really fell apart.
My key witness just disappeared.
I don't have a case without him.
You want me to find the witness?
Hmm. I wouldn't know where to start looking for him.
He's some ex-felon and a bookie
with ties to Mick Williams.
- Mick Williams? - 'Yeah.'
'His name is Ralph Glennen.'
[sighs] 'But the funny thing is I know he is flat broke'
'I can't figure out where he got the money to skip town.'
Well, as a matter of fact, uh...I gave it to him.
- You what? - Uh, I did. Yes.
Hey, check this out seconds to go. Whoo-ho!
Spenser, now, w-w-wait a minute here.
You gave my key witness the money to get out of here?
Come on, Ralph's a harmless old guy
who committed a dumb bank job when he was .
He's already paid for that crime.
You are talking about my only witness.
'Your only witness. Your key witness.'
This guy couldn't remember
what he had for breakfast yesterday--
I wasn't gonna ask him what he had for breakfast yesterday.
Well, I didn't, I didn't know it was your case.
[sighs]
Look, when he got the subpoena
Mick Williams put a contract out on him.
He had to get out of town. He didn't have any money.
- So I gave it to him. - Where did you send him?
South. He went to the southern hemisphere.
You just gave him some money.
Mm-hm.
[sighs] Well, that pretty much sums up
how you feel about our legal system.
'Oh, come on, you're making too much of this.'
I mean, just for the hell of it would it have made
any difference if you had known it was my case?
Just for the hell of it? No.
You're gonna have a lot of cases before your illustrious career
is over, Ralph's only got one life to live.
You know it must be wonderful having the answers
to everything, huh, Spenser?
I mean, who needs a judicial system?
Let's just run it past Spenser.
It's not easy being me.
You are the most arrogant do good do-gooder..
- Now, wait a second. - Don't you ever find this--
It's okay to come in here and ruin a perfectly good Sunday
with a legitimate argument
but when you start name calling
that's where I draw the line, lady.
What line? Who drew a line? You?
Look, there are some rules
when friends fight, you know what I'm saying?
- Rules? Now that is terrific-- - Yes, rules.
Look, you can get as angry as you want.
We could disagree as much as we want.
But the fact is people who care
about each other don't get personal.
- If you care about me-- - I do care about you.
I don't want Ralph to be dead and I care about you.
But you don't get personal when you fight.
Are we getting personal?
Well, I-I..
I'd say we are sort of getting personal, yeah.
There's personal, then there's personal, you know?
Not always bad to be personal.
[knocking on door]
Mm-hmm. I think there's someone at your door.
- Rita. - No.
I think that you should answer your door.
Answer your door.
[clears throat]
[sighs]
- Hi. - You're Mr. Spenser?
Yep, that's me.
My name is Long Van Lihn.
I need to speak with you.
Uh, come on in.
This is, uh, Rita Fiore. She's, uh..
- Just leaving. - You're leaving?
Uh, yeah, I have a big case tomorrow.
No witness, but still a big case.
Uh, it's nice to meet you, Mister...um..
We'll just talk about this later.
Uh, tomorrow night, dinner, here o'clock.
Okay.
(Spenser) 'Have a seat.'
(Long) I have been in this country for only two years
uh, Washington DC. So I'm a stranger to Boston.
- Oh, your English is very good. - Thank you.
I had an excellent teacher. A United States Marine Corps.
I apologize for disturbing you now
but my time in Boston is limited.
I would like to hire you.
As long as it's legal.
I want you to find an old friend.
We fought together years ago
in my country.
'His name is Brad Griffin.'
'He was a lieutenant then.'
- Brad Griffin, the author? - 'Yes.'
But I know him only as the man who helped evacuate
my wife and children from Saigon.
I owe him more than just my life.
I owe him the lives of my entire family.
Hmm.
Mr. Van Lihn, I don't mean to be myself out of a job
but Mr. Griffin is a very famous author.
He shouldn't be too hard to find.
I've tried, but he is unlisted.
Uh, his publisher would only agree to forward my letter.
That would take more time than I have here.
- How much time is that? - Two days.
I would like to see him before then.
I'll do my best.
[instrumental music]
(Spenser) The prospect of meeting Brad Griffin
a man whose work about Vietnam had helped me adjust
after the w*r was something I looked forward to.
But there was something else.
The truth was I'd lost touch with most of the men
from my own platoon, some I'd heard never made it home.
Others did, but we never got together.
The rest I don't know, maybe I didn't wanna know.
But now I had the chance to bring
two old friends from the w*r together.
And that meant something to me.
I'd already called Brad Griffin's publishers
and they gave me the name of his agent.
Joan Cahill.
- 'You recognize him?' - Hm, give or take pounds.
What did you say the other man's name was?
Long Van Lihn.
He hasn't had that much luck in finding Mr. Griffin
so as a last resort he hired a private investigator.
He just wants enough time to say thank you, shake hands
swap a few stories.
I'd say yes in a second, but I don't know about Brad.
Why not?
'Well, he hardly sees anybody anymore.'
I couldn't get him to do an interview
if my life depended on it.
He refuses to do public readings, signings
won't even allow his pictures on book jackets.
Yeah, but this is different.
The is the man he fought side by side with.
Sentimentality isn't Brad's strong suit.
He has a brother he hasn't seen in years.
Most of it has to do with the writing, the work.
That's the vital thing for Brad.
For him, even his personal life takes a backseat.
Hmm. I understand he's working on his last book
of the Vietnam trilogy.
Oh. So somebody did read that press release.
You try publicizing a book without the author's help.
Is he close to finishing?
Yes.
He spent five years researching this one.
It's about the w*r a decade later.
The Agent Orange controversy.
The problem of veteran unemployment, mental health.
There's even a special chapter devoted
to the Vietnamese community in United States.
Hmm.
Well, thank you for your time.
I read something in one of his first books.
About his fear of having friends in Vietnam.
How he hoped he wouldn't carry that fear home.
You might remind him of that passage when you talk to him.
Long only has one more day in town.
'Mr. Spenser.'
There are only certain things I can do as Brad Griffin's agent.
There's a lot more I can do as his wife.
[instrumental music]
(Spenser) Joan called home, but couldn't reach her husband.
Brad, she said, sometimes took the morning off.
So, she suggested we pick up Long
and surprise Brad for lunch.
Brad.
Brad.
Come on out here. Someone wants to see you.
Hmm. I wonder where he could be.
Brad.
Oh. Somebody came to see you. I tried to call, but..
Well, uh, this is Mr. Spenser, he's a private investigator.
- 'And, uh, this is--' - Lieutenant.
(Joan) 'Did you recognize him?'
I told Nguyen I never saw any of you people here..
You were unreachable. There was no alternative.
Get out!
If you would allow me, it's only a letter.
You, Long, of all people, why?
What would you have me do, lieutenant?
Open a laundry.
A poor little grocery perhaps. I'm an educated man.
'In your country, I take what I can.'
By robbin' your own people?
By helpin' Tommy Nguyen run his protection racket?
- Please. - I won't touch it!
I'm not interested in anything Nguyen has to say.
Which is why Nguyen sent me.
He'd rather not read your words either.
And asks me to remind you, lieutenant
of a young man we both knew.
William Johnson.
I told you get out of my house!
You heard the man, come on.
Sorry about this.
[grunting]
You know a building down on Huntington Avenue..
How many stories?
You wanna talk about it, be easy on my shoulder.
Gotta do my homework on a case.
Took the bait hook, line, and sinker.
- Who's fishin'? - Tommy Nguyen.
Dang.
You know him?
'Past tense, babe. Knew him.'
- Where? - 'Saigon, right near the end.'
He was an ARVN attache. State department rat.
Made his way profiteering, favouritism, politics, bribery.
Never saw a day of combat.
'Word is that he bought his way out of the country'
'using the money meant for the families of dead ARVN troops.'
And he's workin' the same scam now.
Sellin' protection to his own people
but the only thing they're protected from is him.
Man needs killin'. Sorry, I was never asked.
You know, Hawk, you never did tell me what you did over there.
I did what we all did, babe. It's over, right?
Peace with honor.
[dramatic music]
Yeah, peace with honor.
[grunting]
[inhales and exhales deeply]
Feels good.
Be with someone and not feel like you have to talk.
Maybe talking right now would be better.
What's bothering you?
Brad Griffin. The w*r, what it meant to us.
It's hard for me to really identify with.
At that time Vietnam was some far away thing
they showed on television.
Not me. I was fresh out of high school.
I bought the whole program. Honor. Duty.
Making the world safe for democracy.
They really said those things.
- Didn't they? - Yeah, they did.
And they meant it..
...believed it.
So did I.
I still do.
But none of it seemed to apply once you got over there.
It all just boiled down to staying alive
until your tour of duty was over.
Maybe that's all it ever boils down to.
Maybe. Maybe that's what bothers me most.
After all those time I still can't give you a clear, simple
intelligent reason why I was fighting.
Maybe it doesn't matter anymore.
It matters.
I guess I was just too young while it was happening.
Yeah. So was I.
But look at you now, grown up.
You done growed up.
[instrumental music]
[telephone ringing]
Spenser.
Thank God you're there. It's Joan Cahill.
Look, I'm really sorry to involve you in this
but I just didn't know who else to call.
Brad is really upset. He didn't sleep at all last night.
And he, he left this morning and he didn't tell me
where he was going.
- When did he leave? - 'Just a few minutes ago.'
'Look, I'm-I'm really afraid. He was so angry.'
What kind of car was he driving?
Um, he has, uh, an ' blue Bronco.
Plate number?
(Joan on phone) ' KSR.'
Okay, Mrs. Cahill, the best thing to do
is stay right where you are.
You wanna be there if your husband calls.
Okay. Thanks.
[indistinct chatter]
[speaking in foreign language]
[speaking in foreign language]
Lieutenant Griffin.
How long has it been?
Not long enough.
You're still what we call in Vietnamese..
[speaking in foreign language]
Bull headed.
You haven't changed either.
You're still a ruthless bloodsucker.
I did what was necessary to preserve my country.
'And now you're bleedin' mine?'
Ours. And while you seem intent on maligning me
I'm still regarded as a hero.
And that only among Vietnamese.
Then why are you so afraid of my book?
Why do you dwell on my struggling community
and my efforts to build it?
'Because you're not building it.'
You're keepin' it squashed down with fear
prostitution, dr*gs, protection money.
Who appointed you watchdog?
I write what I see.
That's all.
As far as William Johnson goes, you got no leverage.
'I made my peace.'
My book is coming out and I hope the third chapter
drives the first nail in your coffin.
[dramatic music]
[indistinct chatter]
(Spenser) Looking for Brad Griffin was the most I could do for Joan
and the least I could do for myself.
I had nothing more to go on than my hunch
that it had something to do with Nguyen.
The section of Chinatown called Little Saigon
covered only a few square blocks.
If Brad Griffin was here
I knew that I'd find him sooner or later.
I was hoping for sooner.
[instrumental music]
[music continues]
[man groaning]
[groaning]
[Brad groaning]
[monitor beeping]
(female #) Thank you. When you get these results
'please check them with the last results.'
Takes a strong man to make it through six hours of surgery.
I'm so scared.
Come on.
(woman on PA) 'Mandy Knight, you're wanted in OR-four.'
'Dr. Knight.'
[sniffles] I'm sorry.
Oh, God! I hate hospitals.
Tomorrow makes five years
that Brad and I have lived at the farm.
He was starting his book.
[exhales] I thought he just wanted to get out of Boston for a change.
Some peace and quiet.
I didn't know he was writing about organized crime.
Why didn't he tell me it was dangerous?
To protect you.
He didn't want you to worry.
[sighs]
No publicity, no pictures.
Now I understand.
(woman on PA) 'Dr. Kauffman, Dr. Richard Kauffman.'
'Please report to the nurse's station.'
'Dr. Kauffman to the nurse's station, please.'
Spenser, how is he?
Better than most guys who catch slugs in the chest.
- The locals see anything? - Are you kiddin'?
The people in Little Saigon never see anything.
What about Tommy Nguyen?
(Martin) 'What does Tommy Nguyen got to do with this?'
Griffin wrote a book that Nguyen didn't want published.
'I don't know, I'm only guessin'.'
'But I think Nguyen had somethin' on him.'
Griffin wouldn't back down.
Nguyen's the guy you wanna go after.
Without probable cause, huh?
I just gave you probable cause.
All you gave us is your guess that Nguyen's involved.
The last I checked, a guess is an inadmissible evidence.
You can't go for a surveillance warrant?
Come on, Spenser. You know the rules as well as we do.
Nick!
It took this to get you here?
I came because I was worried.
A little overdue.
Well, you're here now.
That's all that really matters.
I am and I'm sorry.
[knock on door]
- Hi. - Hi.
I'm Nick Griffin. I, uh, I saw you at the hospital.
Yeah, come on in.
What can I do for you?
(Nick) I want to help you try and find the men
who tried to k*ll my brother.
Well, finding 'em is not the problem
proving it is.
- What can I do? - Sit down.
Tell me about Brad.
How come you two have such bad blood between you?
I guess there's not that much to tell.
Brad went to Vietnam..
Extended his tour of duty twice.
He got a bunch of medals.
Me, I stayed home.
Did the student protest bit.
You know..
Teach-ins, sit-ins, marches.
You see, I thought the k*lling was wrong.
I don't believe in taking a human life.
I understand.
Anyway, I got drafted.
There was no way I was going.
- Where'd you go? Canada? - Alberta.
I had a wife at that time.
But no work for the first three months.
Anyway, my wife left me.
Oh, I don't blame her.
I would've left me too if I could have.
But during all this, Brad wouldn't answer my letters
or talk to me on the phone.
Then amnesty comes, and I go home
and he won't see me.
Calls me a coward.
And..
Then it just gets to being a habit
me hating him and him hating me.
Have you read any of his books?
(Nick) 'Sure.'
Got me to thinking that maybe I was a coward.
Somehow missed out on my big chance to be a man.
[horns honking]
[speaking in foreign language]
[door clanks]
You owe me $ for the Celtics-Knicks game
two months ago.
I don't think you came here to square your debts.
And both of know the food is better across the street.
(Hawk) 'You be real intuitive, Phan.'
I got a friend who wants to see Tommy Nguyen
about that business with Brad Griffin.
(Phan) 'I am an old man, Hawk.'
Past fighting.
If the man wants to take this w*r to your house
it'd be me answerin' the door.
What is your friend's name?
Spenser.
I will do what I can.
You know how to reach me.
I also know what happened to Brad Griffin.
'It would not be like Nguyen to leave it undone.'
Police been lookin' after him.
Nguyen does not stop at locked doors.
The only thing greater than his determination
is his disregard for the law.
Hm.
[device beeping]
[wheels squeaking]
[dramatic music]
[grunting]
[music continues]
Psst.
I don't think so.
Drop it or you a dead man.
Real good, now..
Simon says, walk over here with your hands in the air.
[grunting]
- Who you working for? - Nobody.
I know who sent you, I just want to know where he is.
- I'll never tell. - What's your name?
- Haven't got a name. - You broke the rules, babe.
Which means there ain't no rules.
Talk to me!
They'll k*ll you slower than I will.
[dramatic music]
[instrumental music]
(Spenser) I spent the night and the better part of morning
explaining Hawk's presence at the hospital to Marty Quirk..
...who only agreed to listen because Hawk
however, unwittingly had kept the department's
sterling reputation untarnished.
There was a ride waiting for me outside police headquarters
which I accepted mostly because
I had no better plan.
[music continues]
Sounds corny I know, but doesn't your conscience ever bother you?
(Long) Necessity has no conscience, Spenser.
- Survival has even less. - I don't believe that.
I don't think you do either.
[door closes]
(Tommy) The only reason you're here, Mr. Spenser is because
you're in a position to save me a lot of trouble.
I want Brad Griffin's manuscript.
I want you to get it for me.
It's not mine to give you.
I consider myself a fair man, Mr. Spenser.
Fair because I allow the other man options.
What kind of option did you give Brad Griffin?
You may think you know what you are dealing with
but you do not.
[chuckles]
Why do you find that funny?
That's the same thing my lieutenant said to me
the day I arrived in Saigon.
Was he correct?
You're in a position to get that manuscript.
I'm willing to pay you $,.
That's a high return for something
that's really not your business.
Became my business..
...the day you used me to get to Brad Griffin.
[dramatic music]
[door opens]
(Spenser) There were a lot of questions
to be answered about Brad Griffin's past.
Not to mention his troubled present.
One name that held promise
was that of Private Willian Johnson.
It was a name I heard only two days before
in Griffin's house from Long.
Nguyen seemed to think the very mention of the name
a thr*at to Brad.
But William Johnson had been k*lled in action
almost years before.
I was hoping that his mother
could somehow help us understand
what kind of leverage a dead man could exert.
- Mr. Spenser? - Yes.
- Come in, please. - Thank you.
I'm sorry I didn't tell you when you called earlier
but I can only spend a little time with you.
- Please, come on. Sit down. - Thank you.
I do volunteer work at St. Mary's three times a week.
Thank you for seeing us, we'll try not to
take too much of your time.
Oh, please, you two will have a cup of my hot cinnamon tea.
Please, sit down.
Ah, this is Nick, Brad Griffin's brother.
Oh, yes. I can see. It's in the eyes.
You, uh, know my brother?
Well, I met him once.
But I know him very well.
He was my son's commanding officer over in Vietnam.
I got letters in nine months.
Did you know that?
And in every one
William went on about Lieutenant Griffin
about the man he was, and went on like that.
You said you met him. Uh, when was that?
- Uh, two months ago. - Had he come to see?
- Yes. - What about?
Mrs. Johnson, this is very important.
[sighs] It's all over now.
Why do you want to know?
Brad's life's in danger.
Somebody tried to k*ll him again last night.
What you know might help me understand
what they have on him.
[sighs]
We had a long talk that day.
We talked about William, and what a good soldier he was.
Then..
...Brad told me, he really came to tell me how my son d*ed.
That it was different from the official story.
They were ten of them.
They were going to meet a helicopter
that was supposed to evacuate them.
Before they got to where they were going
an ambush found them first.
They were all k*lled right then..
...except William and..
...Lieutenant Griffin and a Vietnamese soldier
whose name I don't remember.
Long Van Lihn?
Hm, could've been.
Well..
My William was alive, but he was wounded real bad.
So bad that..
...Brad couldn't stop the bleeding.
He couldn't carry him.
And at that time they tortured prisoners.
As the..
...VCs were about to...land..
...William begged him to..
And Brad sh*t him.
[instrumental music]
My boy was dying..
...but he didn't die alone.
I thank God for that.
No, I don't curse Lieutenant Griffin.
He did the right thing.
(Spenser) Tommy Nguyen had a lot of things.
Money, power, influence.
The French call it an embarrassment of riches
but what he didn't have was Brad Griffin's manuscript.
And that upon publication would prove
to be an embarrassment of a different kind.
I thought it was time we had a look at it.
In the meantime, Joan had found something
she thought both Nick and I should hear.
Go ahead, Nick.
Start with the middle paragraph.
"The first question was courage.
"You asked it of yourself everyday.
"How should I act?
"Should I fight or run?
'"The question was not fearlessness'
'"but how to function in spite of the fear.'
'"That was the real courage.'
'"The kind exhibited every minute of everyday'
'"by men like William Johnson.'
'"The other question was knowledge.'
'"In the w*r you never knew anything'
'"who to trust, what to believe.'
'"You tried not to be stupid.'
'"You read the articles, listened to the speeches'
"but you still never knew.
"Which is why it's terribly important to recognize
"another kind of courage.
"Those who made the tough choice not to go at all.
"Those who endured the prison
"or hid out in America like criminals.
"Those who went to Canada
"and faced the difficult prospect
"of starting their lives over again.
'"Those who risked the censure and disgrace of their families'
'"for what they believed.'
"These men too exhibited courage.
"And they should be counted
"along with all the vets and the refugees
"and the dead..
...as victims of the w*r."
[phone ringing]
- Miss. - No, please! Please!
Sir. Excuse me, sir. You can't go in there.
- He's my brother. - No, I'm sorry.
You have to wait out in the lobby, please, sir.
Go into the lobby, sir.
- V-tach, v-tach. - 'Two, three, four, five.'
'One hundred milligrams lidocaine.'
'Eight, nine, ten.'
- One, two, three, four, five.. - 'Two hundred watts defib.'
Seven, eight, nine, ten.
One, two, three, four, five, six.
- Lidocaine given. - Clear.
- One milligram epi. - 'One, two, three, four, five.'
- Six, seven, eight. - Epi given.
Clear!
[beeping]
One, two, three, four, five , six, seven, eight--
Flat lining.
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven--
Call the code.
Thank you.
[dramatic music]
[crying]
[intense music]
[music continues]
[instrumental music]
[knock on door]
Oh, thank goodness you're here.
Spenser, they got Nick.
- They kidnapped Nick. - Who's-who's got Nick?
The man on the phone. They've got Nick.
- He told me that they got him. - Alright, now calm down.
- They're gonna k*ll him. - Alright, alright.
I want you to calm down.
I want you to sit down and tell me everything.
- Right. - From the beginning, alright?
Yes, I, I spent last night at my mother's.
'And when I came back to the farm this morning'
I went into Brad's study.
I don't know why. Just to sit there, I guess.
- Go on. - 'Okay.'
(Joan) 'And, uh, when I walked in'
'the room was cold and then I noticed'
'that a window was broken'
and Brad's g*n from the w*r was missing.
I went to the phone to call the police
and just then the phone started ringing.
And the man said they got Nick.
They kidnapped Nick.
What did they say exactly?
(Joan) 'I don't remember exactly.'
Joan, this is very important.
- Did you hear Nick's voice? - 'Yes, just for a second.'
But then the man got back on the line
and he said that he wants to make an exchange.
What kind of exchange?
Nick's life for Brad's manuscript.
Did he give you a place to meet?
(Joan) 'No, no, he said I was to wait for a call tonight.'
Spenser, the man wants you to make the exchange.
Alright, that gives us some time.
(Joan) 'What do you want me to do?'
Now, you copy the manuscript for insurance, just in case.
Spenser, the man said if you don't come alone
they'll k*ll Nick just like Brad.
[instrumental music]
(Spenser) It was an educated guess
but Nguyen's estate seemed
the most secured place to keep Nick.
Okay.
[indistinct chatter]
[intense music]
[indistinct chatter]
[music continues]
[speaking in foreign language]
There.
[speaking in foreign language]
Halt! Put 'em down.
Put 'em down!
Over here.
Come on, move. Let's go.
[speaking in foreign language]
[speaking in foreign language]
I'm glad see you weren't hungry
until you found out what they were serving.
Remarkable.
To men from the same womb
but different as an apple and a stone.
The only thing you share with your brother
is your stubbornness.
'He's more dangerous now than his brother's book.'
What about the trade? You gave your word.
I will let you know when this becomes a democracy.
[g*nsh*t]
[expl*si*n]
Get him up!
Now!
[intense music]
Get back.
Your brother was stubborn, but he kept his word.
Now go, go.
[g*nsh*t]
[dramatic music]
Bring him!
[g*nsh*t]
[g*nf*re]
Ah!
[g*nsh*t]
[g*nf*re]
[dramatic music]
[g*nf*re]
[groans]
[dramatic music]
(Tommy) 'You should see yourself.'
You think I'm the one with the g*n.
I was right, yes?
You are nothing like your brother.
You can't sh**t me.
[dramatic music]
Was it all rhetoric, Nick?
Everything you said about not being able
to take a human life?
[g*nshots]
[instrumental music]
(Spenser) The delayed costs of w*r.
One man dead from a wound inflicted
years before on the k*lling fields of Khe Sanh.
Another man, a brother
faltering in the world, but finally strong enough
in his conviction to live according to his beliefs.
Did one balance out the other?
I didn't pretend to know.
Instead I thought of those lines from Theodore Roethke
and what they might mean to Nick and Joan and to me.
"This shaking keeps me steady.
"I should know.
"What falls away is always. And is near.
"I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.
I learn by going where I have to go."
[bugle music]
[theme music]
[music continues]