Lady in the Lake

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- Jesus Christ. Shit. - Alvin?

- - Shit.

Alvin?

You gonna tell me what happened?

Uh, just, uh... Mr. Shell Gordon's found out...

... I ain't turn in some fews and twos, and...

Ain't your gambling bad enough?

Now you thieving other people's bets?

Merva, I paid him.

Don't lie to me.

I paid him.

Your trumpet?

I swear to God, Alvin, if you don't stop working for that man

and get your horn back, I will leave this house and take Cleo with me.

- Baby? -

Baby? Merva?

Merva, come on, now.

Where you got $10 from?

Been saving it all year from my runs with Charlie.

Oh, no, no, no.

You know your old man don't take no handouts, right?

This ain't a handout.

You gotta work for it.

Excuse me?

I've got to work?

- Yes. Come on. - Okay, Miss Sherwood.

All right.

Ladies and gentlemen,

it is my honor to introduce to you the one and only,

- Cleo Sherwood. - Thank you. Thank you.

And accompanying her, the human trumpet,

Alvin Sherwood.

This is Wallace White with a special late breaking news report.

It was just after 10:30 last night

that an assassination attempt was made

on Councilwoman Myrtle Summer's life,

shocking all of Baltimore .

The would-be killers are still at large. The police are looking for...

Ho, ho, ho.

Ho, ho.

- Hello? - Reggie, it's... it's me, Cleo.

What's going down?

You know what the fuck is going down.

- Myrtle Summer's down. -

News said she barely got her leg scraped.

And I don't know nothing about it. Neither do you.

They made me drive 'em.

You understand?

- Anyone know you were there? -

Uh, yeah, Carol the pigeon.

And the two other motherfuckers he brought with him.

The nigga pulled up in a red convertible, Reggie.

- Excuse me. - He did what?

- Excuse me. - One minute!

I'ma take this up with Shell.

I wouldn't do that, Cleo.

Mind my words. You asked for this, remember?

You wanted to earn Mr. Gordon's trust.

Now you got to show him he made no mistake.

Or did he?

He ain't make no mistake.

Don't you bring his name into this, Cleo.

Stay low and go about your business till this shit blows over.

- You ain't working this week. -

- Excuse me. - All right!

God.

Hurry up, Cleo. We've been waiting on you.

- I'm sorry, ma'am. - Oh, my goodness.

All right. Here you are.

- Hey, let's check out these birds. - Yeah.

- Hey. -

Ho, ho, ho.

- - Ow!

I didn't expect it to hurt so much.

Don't you people have a rule against tattoos and piercing your ears?

Yeah, we're not supposed to deface our bodies

so that we don't disrespect the divine within.

Oh, I thought it was to keep the devil out.

- No, the devil prefers other holes. -

Oh, it-it-it didn't go in all the way.

I'm gonna have to put it in by hand.

Ow!

Your writing dreams ruined your life.

Now you wanted those same dreams to rewrite it.

But why did you need to drag my dead body into it?

I was safe at the bottom of that fountain.

Good morning, ma'am. How can I help you?

Good morning. I'm, uh...

I'm here to see Bob Bauer.

Is he expecting you?

He'll be glad to see me.

And your name is?

Maddie Schwartz.

Please wait over there.

Mr. Bauer. There's a girl here to see you.

Her name's Maddie Schwartz, but I don't think she's anybody.

Mrs. Schwartz, last desk on the right.

How can I help you, Mrs. Schwartz?

Looks like I'm the one who helped you.

Thanks.

Anything else?

Yes.

- I read in your paper... - Help yourself.

... that a Black man with a bruised eye

was spotted chatting up Tessie Durst at the fish store.

Oh, come on. Says Stephan Zawadzkie's mother.

Well, maybe I could go speak to her, mother-to-mother,

and see if there's more to the story.

You know, if we thought a mother would help,

we would send Edna, 'cause she's like a mother to us all.

Isn't that right?

Send one of your cockless babies. I got some work to do.

It sounds like you still need me.

Let me understand this, Mrs. Schwartz...

It's Maddie.

You want to just waltz into a serious place of business

that employs skilled and experienced people

and start working on stories.

And your only qualification is being a mother?

Your name is on that paper

because I gave you a good lead that got you a scoop.

No, you deflected me,

and I had the skill and experience

to turn that deflection to my advantage.

In my book, that still means you owe me one, Mr. Bauer.

Bob. No, I am in the news business,

not the handing-out-favors business,

which is what you're asking me to do.

I have writing experience.

Oh. In your poetry club or your school newspaper?

Did you bring a résumé?

You know, I'd show you to the door, Maddie.

But believe it or not, I'm a busy man.

Gladys, who'd I hang up on?

Are you drunk or in jail?

Thank you so very much for your time.

Dear Stephan,

I can only imagine what you must be feeling right now.

I want you to know that some of us are sympathetic to your situation.

My name is Maddie, and I'm the one who found Tessie in the lake.

We're live with Myrtle Summer

for her first statement after being released from the hospital.

Yesterday, an attempt to murder me took place outside my home.

I was shot in my foot,

but I'm standing on it today

to reaffirm my commitment to this election.

My campaign, my supporters

and the people of this city will not be shot down.

I was the first to see her dead.

They say you were the last to see her alive.

Which makes me feel we are connected in some way.

A feeling I thought you might share.

Our police will find these cowardly men.

Operator, can I please have the address

for the Clifton T. Perkins Psychiatric Hospital?

Uh, could I make you a little offer?

Let's hear it.

I see you have a phone behind the bar.

If I paid you a nickel for each message, would you take calls for me?

A quarter, and I will consider it.

Could you answer without mentioning that it's The Silver Dollar?

Would you like me to wear a tie too, ma'am?

It's just until I get a phone in my own apartment.

You live here?

It takes a while for that on this block.

I actually live in this building.

Hmm. Well then, 30 cents and you've got yourself a deal, neighbor.

Man, every morning. A minute to warm my hands up.

You just gotta hold him tight like this.

See, he gonna try to take you in to the stables.

So you gotta...

Mmm.

Take it off like that and grab it from the top.

And pull.

And take it all out back 'cause you don't wanna drag it.

- This stuff... - Hey, now.

Long night?

Doing here, pig brother?

There ain't nothing bad going on here.

You better watch that mouth of yours, Teeth.

It's all right. Let him play tough in front of his boy.

June, how's tricks?

- Okay. - Flowers still got powers?

Come on, man. What's that you got with us?

You know the ACD don't like seeing the horses live like this, boy.