Wherever You Go, There You Are

My old man used to go hear this revivalist preacher.

They set up shop... big circus tent.

Once in a while he'd take me along.

It was about the only thing we did together.

Maybe he liked it 'cause we couldn't speak,

so he didn't have to try and talk to me.

I don't know.

And I don't remember how old I was,

but I could already see through this dude's hustle.

I loved listening to him preach.

Billy Grace, he called himself.

Let me tell you, that guy knew how to work a room.

I mean, 300 people in the palm of his hand, every single time.

By the time he was done with his sermon, he didn't have to ask for money.

The people, they wanted to give it to him.

They'd just pass the plate, everybody would just drop their cash into it.

And I remember looking around at all these people,

working-class people barely getting by,

giving their hard-earned money to Billy Grace,

and I thought,

"What a bunch of suckers."

So, they're passing the plate,

and by the time it comes down my row, it's already full of cash.

I mean, more cash than I had ever seen in my life.

And then I see my father drop a 20 in.

You never met my old man, but you can take it from me,

you couldn't get a broken nickel out of that guy.

He worked in the cannery,

wore the same shirt all week.

He wasn't cheap. He was just, you know, broke.

I'd ask him for two bucks to get an ice cream from the truck.

He'd look at me like I'd asked him for his fucking kidneys.

So, when I saw how easily he dropped that 20...

I mean, all I could think was, "My old man is just another sucker."

I mean, that's ten ice cream cones right there on the tray.

When he passed the plate to me,

I estimated there was already $700 in there

and I figured no one's gonna miss 20 bucks,

so as I pass it down to the next sucker...

I palm my father's 20.

I didn't know much,

but Billy Grace was not getting my ice cream cones.

Anyway... My old man saw me do it.

So, after the service, he grabs me by the neck,

and he marches me down to see Billy Grace himself.

Made me give the money back.

Billy was pretty cool about it.

I was humiliated.

When we got home...

my father gave me the belt

and grounded me for, I don't know, a month.

And I just felt this rage I'd never felt before.

I wasn't mad at Billy.

If anything, I admired what a sweet game he had going.

I was just pissed at my old man,

giving away money he couldn't afford to give,

and being a chump.

So, that night I snuck out.

I climbed through a window in this trailer outside the tent.

I stole the whole damn collection plate.

$942.

That was my first real haul.

And the last time I ever went anywhere with my dad.

Never told me that story before.

I guess I didn't remember it.

After two years inside, you remember a lot of things you forgot.

How old were you?

Oh. Eight, nine. I don't know.

Remember my first haul?

You did a Glass-In-A-Box.

You had me outside the mall.

God, I was so nervous.

Yeah, I know. But your timing... A thing of beauty.

The way you stepped in front of that mom at exactly the right moment.

And you sold that fall.

- What did you clear on that, 150? - Two twenty.

- Two twenty. - Come on.

That's right.

How old were you?

I was seven.

How do you want to handle Rand? She's smarter than I'd like her to be.

Yes. But she'll make the deal.

You trust her?

No.

But I don't have to trust her. I know what she wants.

You taught me that.

You understand that you have been read your rights

and have waived your right to have an attorney present?

- Yes. - And if you give me a warm liquid,

I'll think of you as a warm person.

That's what they taught you, right?

Crypto account checks out.

I just need the seed phrase to convert the money.

We're not up to that yet.

Oh, really?

Okay.

All right then. Let's hear it.

Immunity from all prosecution, and my father's sentence commuted.

That money won't buy you that.

You haven't even heard what we're offering yet.

"We?"

Who is "we?" There is no "we" here, John.

You have nothing I want.

She and I are the same person as far as you're concerned.

Wrong. You were bait.

And you're about to be headed back to lockup in the next hour.

And you're gonna be in the same car with him

if you don't come up with something better than that.

That's a good speech.

- It's the delivery that's the problem. - Right?

It sounds like a speech you've given before.

Maybe even in this room.

A bluff like that I feel like it's gotta be more organic.

I wasn't talking to you.

As you were saying?

- I can give you Priscilla. - You can't guarantee that.

Maybe not. But it is the best shot you've got.

We both know this has never been about me.

You made it about you when you stole that money.

And you can't shoot at me and think you can come in here and call the shots.

- Okay. I didn't shoot at anybody. - What?

Say it just like that when you get on the stand.

Okay, you guys are just being ridiculous now.

What do we have on them, Gates?

RICO, money laundering, wire fraud,

theft of government property, conspiracy, identity theft.

And that's just off the top of my head.

That's before we let the state take their bite out of you

for your little merry-go-round in La Jolla.

That's life.

That's life.

Lucky.

You're gonna spend the rest of your life in prison.

And since you and your daughter are the same person,

I won't send you back to Lompoc.

I'll send you to a controlled unit.

ADX Florence.

You heard of that, John?

I know you have.

Gates.

What do they call it?

- The Alcatraz of the Rockies. - Alcatraz of the Rockies.

Twenty-three hours of total confinement.

- Go fuck yourself. - What did you say to me?

Go fuck yourself.

Well, okay.

Okay, wait.

Tell me what you want me to do.

I want you to bring me Priscilla,

but I want you to bring Whittaker with her.

What?

I need Whittaker taking possession of the money himself.

Okay. But Whittaker never shows his face.

He always maintains a level of deniability.

Well, then you understand the problem that I have.

You just trying to get her killed? Is that it?

You wanted a deal.

This is the deal.

Bullshit.

Priscilla gives you the whole operation.

Gates, why don't you take John here to the kitchen?

I think he needs a snack.

No, thank you. I'm not hungry.

Sure you are.

So, how do I know you're not gonna screw me over like you did the last time?

Well, I guess you don't.

I was doing my job.

And if I had to break my promise to a thief,

then so be it.

Don't even think it.

Think what?

I see you checking the exits.

Force of habit, I guess.

But that's my daughter in the next room, so I'm not going anywhere.

But if I wanted to, I'd already be gone.

Always the con artist.

That term, con artist.

If anything, I'm just a con man.

There's a difference?

"Art" implies creation. I don't create shit.

There's nothing spiritual about it, no inspiration.

It's just nature. Survival.

There are other ways to survive.

Not for me.

Yeah, whatever you gotta tell yourself.

They do not have doughnuts in Lompoc.

You want one? Come on. Cops love doughnuts.

I'm not a cop.

Whatever you gotta tell yourself, man.

You wanna tell me why there's a convicted felon eating doughnuts in my office?

You went to Justice behind my back again

and sprang John Armstrong!

I didn't go behind your back.

Oh, no? Well, what would you call it?

I call it cutting through red tape.

So the chain of command is now red tape.

I think you just nailed your problem right there.

And yours is being stuck on procedure and not seeing the big picture.

Watch it, Billie.

I've got more than enough to send you home right now.