Duke of Earl’s (The Duke of Earl’s is a small atmospheric bar and pool hall in a dimly lit back street. A neon side at its front entrance glows boldly in the mist shrouded dark. Inside, Jarod sits at the bar where the owner, Earl, has just placed a bowl of Chilli in front of him. Jarod takes a bottle of hot sauce and adds some of its contents to the bowl.) Earl: Hope you’ve got fire insurance. Jarod: (Jarod looks up at the bar-keeper/owner in puzzlement.) Excuse me? Earl: Dumping hot sauce on top of Chilli Pepper Gumbo. You might as well sit down with a blow torch. Jarod: (Jarod smiles with all innocence.) Well I like it hot. (He takes a mouthful.) Earl: Hey let me get you a glass of water. Better yet why don’t I reel in the garden hose from out the back. (Jarod laughs. His attention is drawn to the action at the pool table him. Fontenot, a dapperly dressed man is just finishing off a game with a young African-American opponent.) Fontenot: It’s been a pleasure doing business with you but I’m afraid it’s past my bed time now so I’ll be on my way. (He speaks with a pronounced southern but superior drawl. He holds out his hand and the younger man hands over some cash.) Pool Player: I don’t appreciate being hustled. Fontenot: Now hustle is such a distasteful word. Outplayed yes. Outsmarted definitely. But hustled, there’s no gentlemen sportsmen any more. You all call me again sometime alright? (A young girl wearing jeans and plain shirt, her hair worn fashionably long and straight appears at the bar. Her attention is focused on the man at the pool table.) Billie: Earl? (The bartender turns to her.) Earl: Billie. Billie: You let that murderer in here? Earl: You know as well as I do that there’s no stopping Eddie Fontenot. Sometimes it’s better to see the devil than to guess where he is. (Fontenot stops and looks at Billie a small smile on his lips. She turns away from him in distaste. Jarod notes the exchange with interest but becomes concerned when he notices Billie taking a revolver out of a box from behind the bar, tucking it under her shirt and heading out the back way.) Outside the Club (Fontenot and his 'friend' emerge from the club onto the damp street and head towards their parked car.) Fontenot: Ha ha ha. He don’t appreciate that. (Billie steps out from the alley that runs down the side of the club and raises the gun, aiming at Fontenot's back.) Billie: This is for you Marvin. (Jarod steps out from behind her and grabs the gun from her hand.) Jarod: You don’t want to shoot that man. (Fontenot and his companion do not notice the happenings behind them.) Inside the Club (Earl places the pistol on the bar.) Earl: Girl have you lost your mind? You don’t point a gun at a man like Eddie Fontenot unless you plan to pull the trigger. Billie: I did. Dammit Earl. Marvin was your brother. You owe him better than this. (She turns to Jarod.) And you should mind your own business. (She turns and goes up the stairs to the right of the bar.) Earl: I appreciate you helping out. Name’s Earl Dupree. (He shakes Jarod's hand.) Jarod: Jarod . . . (He looks at the bar where the bottle of hot sauce that he used earlier is still standing.) Pepper. Would you mind if I asked what happened to your brother? Earl: (He reaches under the bar and pulls out a newspaper. He lays it flat on the bar.) It happened two weeks ago. Marvin was the closest thing to a father that Billie knew. (Jarod picks up the newspaper and reads the headline "Local Man Found Shot to Death".) She worshipped the man. (Earl picks up a tray and moves from behind the bar to the pool table, collecting glasses.) She was also the one who found his body out in the alley, behind the club. Jarod: That must have been tough for her. Earl: Marvin was a good man. Best pool player I ever saw. He just hustled the wrong man. Jarod: (Jarod moves across to the pool table.) The devil at the pool table. Earl: His name is Eddie Fontenot. The police could never prove that he pulled the trigger but . . . Jarod: You think he did. Earl: Marvin was looking for a big score, enough money to send Billie to a fancy drama school, and get ‘em off the road for good. She was his life. He just wanted to give her a different future. So, Eddie Fontenot invited Marvin over for a pool game. A thousand dollars a rack. Jarod: That’s big money. Earl: It had to be. The only black folks that Eddie Fontenot would let in his house come through the back door carrying a mop. Jarod: So what happened? Earl: Marvin beat him like a rented mule. (They laugh) He was up fifty grand when I left to come back here to close up the club. Jarod: So if you think Fontenot killed your brother why do you allow him in your club? Earl: Club’s all I got. Eddie Fontenot could make one phone call and I’d wake up to a pile of cinders. (He throws his cleaning cloth at the bar in anger and frustration.) Jarod: (Jarod sits on the edge of the pool table.) Don't you think it’s time somebody stopped him. Earl: There’s only one way to get Eddie. Jarod: How’s that? Earl: Are you a pool player Mr Pepper? Jarod: (Jarod picks up a ball and rolls it with force across the table sending another ball into the far pocket.) I am now. OPENING CREDITS The Centre Blue Cove Delaware (Miss Parker enters her father's office. Mr Parker is standing in front of his desk.) Parker: Daddy where have you been? I’ve left messages for you all week. Mr Parker: Bridget and I stole away to Arubar. Real romantic. (He winces when he sees Miss Parker's look of hurt at his tactlessness. He follows her across the room and caresses her hair.) Your mother will always be the first love of my life. She gave me you. And your brother. Nobody can replace that. Parker: She’ll try. A second family of Parkers. Mr Parker: She can’t have children. (He moves away from her, the tender moment passed. He picks up a file from his desk and moves towards the door.) Parker: How can you be sure about that? Mr Parker: I don’t land at an airport without knowing the conditions. I had her medical records checked. Sweetheart, at my age I certainly don't want a baby. Besides I’ve already got the best. Parker: Hmm Mr Parker: Which reminds me, I need a favour. Parker: Favour? Mr Parker: We're planning a little family get together tomorrow night. You know, dinner, drinks, nothing fancy. Parker: Sounds nice. Mr Parker: Yeah the new floors won’t be finished yet so I thought maybe we could have it at your place. Parker: Daddy, I’m not prepared to host. Mr Parker: It'll only be for family. Bring that gentleman friend of yours. What’s his name? Parker: Thomas? Mr Parker: It’s about time I got to know the fellow who’s wooing my little girl, don't you think? Parker: Daddy. Mr Parker: Eight o clock sharp and easy on the dairy. And I do love you so. (He turns and leaves.) Parker: My God. The Club (Jarod and Earl are walking up the stairs that lead to the rooms above the bar.) Earl: It’s no fancy hotel but it’s warm and it’s clean. Jarod: oh, I appreciate the hospitality. (He stops and looks at the array of framed photographs that line the wall beside the stairs. His attention is drawn to various shots of Marvin and Billie, on a swing together, at a pool table, a posed shot of them smiling into the lens.) Earl: People didn’t always make it easy for those two but through good times and bad Marvin loved that little girl. Jarod: It shows. (From above them the sound of singing is heard.) Earl: There’s her now. She has a voice of serenity and a heart of turmoil. (Jarod enters the pool room upstairs. Billie is standing in the centre of the room near a pool table. She is humming and looking at a photograph.) Jarod: You sing like an angel. Billie: You’re still here? Earl: Mr Pepper’s going to be staying with us for a while. You mind your manners now. (He pats Jarod on the shoulder as he takes his leave.) Billie: What do you really want here Mr Pepper? Jarod: I don’t want anything. And my name is Jarod. Earl said that Marvin was like a father to you. What happened to your real family? (Jarod wanders around the room looking at the objects there. He picks up a pool triangle and looks at it with interest.) Billie: My daddy died in a car accident when I was a baby. Momma got sick and passed a few years later. There was no other family. Marvin was their best friend so he adopted me. Jarod: It's lucky for you. (He smiles his most winning smile at her and she thaws enough to smile back.) Billie: See this picture. (He returns the ball rack to its position and walks over to her.) I’d just gotten the lead in “My Fair Lady” at my high school which was a big deal because I was only a sophomore. Marvin stands up at the club and tells everybody how proud he is of me. Flashback (Marvin stands up at his table at The Duke of Earls where he has been sitting with Billie.) Marvin: Listen up ladies and gentlemen. My little Billie is going to play the lead in the high school play. You should hear this girl sing. (Billie shrinks onto the table in embarrassment and places her hands over her head.) She’s got her mother’s golden voice. I’m so proud of you Billie. (He bends down and kisses her on top of her head.) Billie: (Sitting at the window seat of the room.) He always wanted me to become a singer just like my mother. That dream died in the alley along with Marvin. Jarod: A dream can only die if the dreamer allows it to. Billie, I’d like to help you find the truth behind Marvin’s killing. (He walks across the room to her.) Billie: How do you plan to do that? Jarod: (He walks back to the pool table and picks up a cue.) If I can hustle my way into Eddie Fontenot’s world like Marvin did maybe I can find some evidence that would connect him to the killings. Billie: Do you play pool? (The doubt is obvious in her tone of voice.) Jarod: Well I’m familiar the architectural theory of dynamic symmetry, as well as Decart’s theory of coordinate geometry - lines, angles. Billie: Have you ever chalked a cue? Jarod: Excuse me? Billie: You can put away your maths books Mr Pepper. (She stands and walks to the pool table.) They may help you learn how to play pool but they can’t make you into a player. Jarod: No. But you can. Billie: Me? Jarod: Do it for Marvin. (She pauses to absorb this statement.) Billie: Alright let’s pick you out a cue. (She selects one from the rack, looks down its length before giving it to Jarod.) Okay? That’s for you. (He copies her actions, and looks down its length.) See? Good. (She picks a cue for herself. She takes the cue chalk and scrapes it across the end of the cue then blows off the excess. She hands the chalk to Jarod who once again imitates her. He looks at her like an eager child.) Okay. (Jarod leans over the table, the cue held awkwardly between his fingers. Billie leans over and adjusts his fingers around the cue.) Fingers. Great. Now turn your hips into it and explode into the shot. Jarod: (Jarod ‘explodes into the shot, the balls scatter but with little success.) Ah. Billie: Not bad. Jarod: I’ll get it. (Jarod practices with Billie looking on. With each shot he becomes more confident and competent.) Billie: It’s not the shot that you’re hitting you need to think about. It’s the one three shots ahead. (She lines up a shot.) Nine in the side. (And sinks the nine in the side.) Remember pool is a mind game. Make your opponent think about you and his game is lost. Can you do that? (Jarod sinks a ball which involves spinning the cue ball around another ball to sink the one that is directly behind that ball and against the cushion. Billie looks amazed.) Jarod: You tell me. (Jarod looks totally un-amazed by this outstanding display of talent.) The Duke of Earl Downstairs (Jarod is at the pool table and has just defeated his opponent. The man slaps money into his hand.) Jarod: It was a pleasure doing business with you, sir. (Fontenot’s companion approaches Jarod from behind him.) Man: Excuse me. Mr Fontenot would like to have a drink with you. (Jarod follows Fontenot’s companion over to where Fontenot sits between two young ladies and with a couple of other companions.) Fontenot: Mr Pepper, or may I call you Jarod? Jarod: You know my name. Fontenot: Oh, I make it my business to know interesting people. Jarod: You wanted to see me. Fontenot: Well, I noticed that you shoot a particularly fine game of pool and I was certain that you could appreciate this. (He slides his pool cue out of its case.) Pigeon black. Custom. Elephant ivory casing, gold and diamond inlays. Cost me fifty thousand dollars. Jarod: Does it sink the ball for you too? Fontenot: Oh, touche. Now would you care to indulge me in a game? Strictly for sport of course. Jarod: I never play for sport. Fontenot: Ah! (Jarod looks over to where Billie is standing, glaring at Fontenot.) Jarod: Is she a friend of yours? Fontenot: Oh no. Poor child was raised by a bad element. Jarod: Bad element? Fontenot: Primal, if you get my meaning. It so happens that one of his element got himself killed and rumour has it she blames me. Now please, join us. Jarod: No thank you. (He turns and walks away.) Fontenot: He’s a good pool player. The Duke of Earls Jarod’s Room (Jarod sits cross-legged on his bed, hands in lap, DSA reader open beside him, his face lit by the glow from the screen. On the DSA, young Jarod sits cross-legged on the floor in front of two projection screens, where black and white images of MLK and inter-racial violence flicker.) Martin Luther King: . . . be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream. That my . . . (Young Jarod speaks over Martin Luther King’s impassioned words.) Young Jarod: Why do other people hate other people because of the colour of their skin? Sydney: (Sydney steps in front of the screen, his shadow cast on it.) I don’t know Jarod. It’s called racism. Young Jarod: Why do I have to look at this? Sydney: It’s important that you learn what’s wrong in the world as well as what’s right. Young Jarod: Are they taught to do this? Sydney: In some ways, yes. Jarod there is no simple solution to racism. Young Jarod: But there is. Stop hating. Sydney: I wish it were that easy. It takes time and compassion. Do you understand this Jarod? Young Jarod: I understand it but I can’t accept it. (Jarod on his bed, picks up the picture of Billie and Marvin, posed and smiling for the camera.) I’ll never accept it. The Centre Main Concourse (Sydney, Broots and Miss Parker stand in the middle of the concourse as those with more pressing matters move around them.) Sydney: This anxiety over your father is understandable Miss Parker. Symbolically speaking Bridget is taking your mother’s position. Parker: No she’s not. (Sydney is prevented from continuing his train of thought by the arrival of Sam (the sweeper). He is holding a roll of papers in both hands, the fingers of his left hand tapping nervously on it.) Sam: Ah hm. I ah . . . Parker: Yes. Sam: I gained access to Bridget’s house like you asked. Broots: You broke in? (Sam and Miss Parker turn and stare at him and he wilts under the magnitude.) Parker: And? Sam: Her medical records. Sydney: (He looks at the file over her shoulder.) Your father would not be happy to know you had his fiancee’s house burglarised. Parker: (She turns to face him and fixes him with her most wilting stare.) Then let’s not tell him. (She hands him the file.) Broots, dissect this file and leave no pap smear unturned. (She strides away, indicating for Sam to follow her.) Sam! The Club Jarod’s Room Flashback Earl: Marvin was the closest thing to a father Billie ever knew. She worshipped that man. (Jarod checks the Memphis City Hall Archives and discovers that Billie’s surname was changed to Vaughn by her father, Marvin Dupree.) Jarod: Marvin Dupree wasn’t like a father to you Billie. He was your father. The Club Downstairs (Earl is cleaning ashtrays as Jarod steps up behind him.) Earl: Jarod, where’d you come from? Jarod: That’s a question I should ask Billie. The problem is she won’t be able to answer it. Why haven’t you told Billie that Marvin is her real father? Earl: What are you talking about? Jarod: I found her birth records Earl. Why did your brother keep this a secret from her? Earl: (He walks to the bar.) He had his reasons. Jarod: (Jarod follows him, his tone persistent.) She has a right to know who she is. Earl: (He takes out a photo album from beneath the bar, opens it and takes out a photograph.) Billie’s mother, Janice. She sang at the club here. Had a voice like honey. She was a real nice lady. She was also white. (He hands the photograph to Jarod.) When Marvin met her she was engaged to a local boy but they fell for one another and she took off with my brother a few days before the wedding. (He walks over to the pool table.) After a year Billie was born. Now when Janice’s family realised that she had had Marvin’s child they told her to take her black baby and never come back. When Janice took sick she made Marvin promise that he would never tell Billie that he was her father. She thought that that would make the world less cruel to Billie if they thought that Marvin was a friend. Jarod: So he lied to her, to protect her. Miss Parker’s Residence (A waitress picks up a vase of flowers but is prevented from moving away by Miss Parker.) Parker: Um ah, drinks first, then dinner, then I’ll climb up onto the top of the roof and jump head first onto the driveway. (She takes the flowers from the waitress and puts them back on the table.) Waitress: Mam? Parker: Just an old family tradition. (The waitress leaves and Miss Parker tries to rearrange the flowers. Thomas comes up to her.) Thomas: Relax would you? Your father and I are going to get along just swell. Parker: (She laughs bitterly.) Swell? God. This is never going to work. (The door bell rings. She walks over to the entrance Thomas tries to repair the damage to the flowers on the table. Miss Parker twists this way and that in front of the mirror. She turns as Thomas walks over to her.) Okay? (She is wearing a strappy close fitting black dress cut low at front and back.) Thomas: (He embraces her.) Incredible. (He kisses her. The doorbell rings again. She disengages from Thomas’ grasp and opens the door. Bridget and Mr Parker are standing facing each other, his hands on her waist, laughing at each other.) Mr Parker: Angel. Parker: Daddy. (He steps forward and kisses her.) Bridget Can we come in? Parker: Looks like you’re already in. Bridget We appreciate you hosting this little shindig. Damn floors. You know how slow construction workers can be. Morons with hammers. Parker: Bridget . . . Bridget Bridgette. (She pronounces it carefully softening the ‘G’.) Parker: Whatever. Daddy this is Thomas. Thomas: The construction moron. (He shakes Mr Parker’s hand.) Don’t worry I left my hammer in my other outfit. Mr Parker: I’ve heard a lot about you son. Thomas: Well don’t believe everything that you hear. Mr Parker: (suspiciously) Like what? (There is a knock on the door and it opens. Lyle steps into the room.) Mr Lyle: Hi. I hope I’m not late. Parker: Tommy this is my . . . brother, Lyle. Thomas: Hi nice to meet you. (They shake hands.) Mr Lyle: So this is the lucky guy who won my sister’s heart. Thomas: Yeah. (He turns and looks into her eyes.) I’m the lucky guy. (He turns back to Lyle.) What happened to your thumb? Parker: (She laughs nervously.) Who needs a drink? (She turns and moves into the room. Bridget and Mr Parker follow. Lyle laughs and pats Thomas on the chest. Thomas seems confused by everyone’s reaction.) The Club Downstairs (Jarod and Earl are in the main pool room when Fontenot enters, overcoat draped across his shoulders, smoking a cigar. He is accompanied by his ever-present male companion.) Fontenot: I hope I’m not interrupting. I was hoping that you and me and Mr Black here could play some pool. Jarod: I already told you I don’t play for . . . Fontenot: Play for sport. I remember. Nine ball. Five hundred a rack. Jarod: Let’s play some pool. (Jarod picks up a cue and Earl racks up the balls.) (Some time has passed. Jarod is leaning across the table lining up a shot.) Jarod: Nine in the corner pocket and your five hundred in mine. (He makes the shot successfully.) Well that’s pool, isn’t it Mr Fontenot? Sometimes the balls roll for you and sometimes they don’t. Let me buy you dinner. Fontenot: I have a better idea. I propose a rematch, say later tonight at my place. We could bump the action, a thousand a game. Unless that’s too rich for your blood. Jarod: Well I’ll be playing with your money of course so if you can stand the embarrassment. I can. Fontenot: My driver will pick you up at eight. Jarod: No. I’d rather walk. Fontenot: Oh you don’t want to walk alone in this kind of neighbourhood. You wouldn’t want to end up dead next to a dumpster like Marvin Dupree. Would he Earl? Huh! (Earl just stares, open mouthed at the nerve of the man. He turns away from him and Fontenot and companion leave.) Jarod: Patience Earl. Patience. Miss Parker’s Residence (Miss Parker and her guests sit around the table. There is some conversation going on but Mr Parker brings it to a halt by tapping on his glass with a knife.) Mr Parker: Family and friend. Bridget and I have set our wedding date. This weekend. (There is general laughter from around the table . . . except from Miss Parker of course.) Mr Lyle: Outstanding. Congratulations. Mr Parker: Thank you. Parker: Daddy um, why are you rushing into this? Bridget Well it’s because we’re in love. Mr Parker: Time goes by very quickly. Mustn’t waste a minute of it. Mr Lyle: (He stands.) A toast to the happy couple. Mr Parker: I’ll drink to that. Bridget Cheers. (The phone rings. Miss Parker finishes her drink, dabs at her mouth with a napkin, before standing. Thomas goes to stand but she places a hand on his shoulder indicating him to stay seated.) Parker: Excuse me. (She answers the phone.) What? Broots: (He steps into the sim lab through the automatically opening door.) I’ve finished Bridget’s medical file. Parker: And? Broots: Well a lot of it is gynaecological. It’s kind of embarrassing to be talking about it. Parker: This isn’t junior high Broots. We’re adults. Talk to me. Broots: Well it all looks legit. Dr Noah Lindquist diagnosed her as infertile due to complications arising from endometritis. Parker: But? Broots: I did some checking. According to the AMA there is no Doctor Noah Lindquist practising in the United States or anywhere else for that matter. Parker: She faked it all. He doesn’t exist and neither does her infertility. Broots: What’s she up to Miss Parker? Parker: I don’t know. (She hangs up. Her father calls to her from the table.) Mr Parker: Come on Angel. Time for charades. Miss Parker’s Residence Later That Night (Miss Parker steps into the room. She is wearing a robe and her hair is dishevelled.) Parker: Oh, I thought the dinner party from hell would never end. Thomas: (He hands her a cup and then holds out the chair from the table as she sits down.) I made something to help you sleep. Parker: Hmm. Thomas: Well I thought that tonight went, ah, pretty well. Parker: Nobody died. Thomas: Bridget seems like a nice person and she makes your father happy. Parker: It’s so hard to watch him throw his life away like this. Thomas: Then don’t. If it’s making you this miserable stop spending time with them. Parker: They’re my family. Thomas: Maybe you should think about (He stands and kisses her on top of the head.) . . . starting a new one. (He leaves the room.) The Club (It is night and Jarod is in the alley near the side of the club.) Flashback Earl: She was also the one who found his body out in the alley at the back of the club. Billie: Marvin stands up at the club and tells everyone how proud he is of me. But that dream died in the alley along with him. (Jarod takes out a newspaper and opens it. It’s headline reads “Local Man Found Shot to Death in Alley”. He is grabbed from behind and rammed face-first into a metal fence and then again. He grunts as one of the two assailants punches him in the kidney. Jarod falls to the ground where one of the men lands a final kick on his body.) Man: Let’s see him sink a nine ball now. Fontenot’s Residence (Fontenot’s home is reminiscent of the grand southern plantation homes. It has a high walled fence surrounding its grand opulence, a high white pillared porch seen through the ornate gate. Inside Jarod is lying on a settee. He is just regaining consciousness. Behind him, Fontenot’s young companions are playing pool in the library. Fontenot crouched in front of the settee hands Jarod a white handkerchief.) Jarod: Where am I? Fontenot: You’re in my home. I did warn you about that neighbourhood. Jarod: Oh. (He sits up, dabbing at the blood at the corner of his mouth with the handkerchief.) Fontenot: Good thing for you my driver happened by when he did. You might have been killed. Jarod: (Dryly.) I count my blessings. Fontenot: Good for you. Let’s play some pool. Later (Jarod steps up to the table lining up his next shot. He grabs his shoulder and rubs at it, the discomfit evident in his facial expression. He lines up the shot and then adjusts the cue slightly before spinning the cue ball onto the black ball and sinking it in the centre pocket. However, the white ball rebounds off it and rolls into the end pocket.) Fontenot: (He laughs.) A valiant attempt. But as Hamlet said “As he was valiant I honour him. As he was ambitious, I slew him.” (He takes the cue ball out of the pocket, positions it on the table and uses it to sink the last ball.) Jarod: Actually Brutus said that. Trying to justify killing Julius Caesar but then he discovered there really is no justification for cold-blooded murder so he killed himself. Fontenot: Well I’m sure that if Brutus thought a little harder he would have come up with a better solution. It doesn’t take a genius to know that we live in a world where only the truly fit can survive. Jarod: Meaning that the unfit should be eliminated. Like Marvin Dupree. (He chalks the end of his cue.) Fontenot: Marvin didn’t know his place, so he paid the price. Jarod: What exactly was his place? Fontenot: Why, in the back of the bus of course. (His companions laugh.) Flashback Young Jarod: I will never accept it. Fontenot: I believe you owe me another thousand dollars. (He rolls the cue ball up the table to the end where Jarod is standing. Jarod walks down to the other end of the table, past Fontenot to where his jacket hangs over the back of a chair.) Jarod: Are you doing some remodelling? (It is an ornate room, book-lined, the pool table the central item, but with a desk over to one side. He picks up his jacket and takes some money out of a pocket.) Fontenot: Pardon me? Jarod: I smell fresh paint. It looks like you’ve just laid down a brand new carpet. Fontenot: I like to keep my home presentable for special guests such as yourself. Jarod: (He counts out the money and hands it to Fontenot.) Hmm. Fontenot: Another game? Jarod: Not tonight. Fontenot: Well like you said Mr Pepper, sometimes the balls roll your way and sometimes they don’t. Jarod: Why don’t we play again tomorrow when both my arms are working. Unless of course you don’t like the odds. Fontenot: It’s a date. Jarod: Good. Tomorrow . . . afternoon at Earls. Now if you don’t mind I’d like to use your rest room. Fontenot: By all means. (He points.) It’s on your left down the hall. (Jarod goes down the hall but rather than ending up in the rest room he finds the kitchen. He searches for, and finds the security code panel. He examines it and then goes to the window to examine the connection at the window. He looks around until he spots a magnet on the refrigerator. He uses it to form a wedge between the two parts of the security device on the window. He then unlocks the window and slides it up a fraction. He smiles and leaves.) (Later that evening Jarod watches from the shadows as Eddie and his men exit the premises by the front gate and drive away. He runs to the fence, throws his jacket across the spikes, grabs the fence and bounds over the eight foot construction, showing no discomfit in his arm – or anywhere else for that matter. He enters the house via the window that he left unlocked and goes to the pool room using a small flashlight to guide his steps. He checks the carpet, and then examines a framed photograph from the bookcase. It shows a group of armed men and boys posed, standing around a truck, a confederate flag displayed. He examines the book case and finds two recently filled bullet holes. Using his finger he pushes the putty. He discovers a photo album on the desk. One particular picture grabs his attention and he holds it up to get a better look at it.) The Club (Earl is at the bar a book open in front of his, newspaper clippings scattered across the pages. Jarod enters from upstairs.) Jarod: Well that’s not your average scrap book. Earl: After Marvin was killed, I collected every scrap of information I could on Fontenot trying to figure out what would possess a man to murder out of pure hate. I found an answer in an old Huntsville newspaper. Jarod: I’ve seen that picture. It’s in a frame in Fontenot’s pool room. Earl: Fontenot’s daddy. White sheets, burning crosses. Jarod: Fontenot’s father was a member of the Klu Klux Klan. Earl: According to people who would know. Jarod: I paid a visit to Fontenot’s house tonight. He has two newly patched bullet holes in his the wall and he laid down a brand new carpet. Earl: To cover up Marvin’s blood? Jarod: He was trying to cover up something. But he’s not the only one. You told me that Billie’s mother left her fiancee a few days before the wedding and ran off with Marvin? Earl: That’s right. Jarod: Well you left out a pretty important detail from that story. You told me that Marvin was Billie’s father but you didn’t tell me that Eddie Fontenot was the fiancee. (Billie appears at the bottom of the stairs.) Billie: Marvin was my daddy? Jarod: Billie. Billie: Marvin was my daddy. Earl: Billie. Billie: No. No more lies. (She turns and runs back up the stairs.) The Wedding (Mr Parker is outside on a patio, pacing nervously. He is wearing his wedding suit. Miss Parker approaches him. She is wearing a red two piece outfit, her hair piled high on her head.) Mr Parker: Ah. Ah, I haven’t been this nervous since the day you were born, ah, you and your brother. Parker: Daddy there’s something I need to tell you about Bridget. (She places her hands on his chest, grasping at his lapels.) Mr Parker: I know you have issues with her but people change. Look at us, all dressed up on my wedding day, hey. I’m happier now than I’ve been in a long, long time. Please try to be happy for me, Angel, huh? Oh God you’re pretty. Mr Lyle: So there you are. Mr Parker: Hmm. Mr Lyle: Time to go. Mr Parker: Well I can’t keep my bride waiting now, can I? (Lyle and Mr Parker stride away. Miss Parker turns her back and holds a finger to her mouth to prevent her lips from quivering, the tears brimming in her eyes.) The Duke Of Earl (Earl adds another chalk mark to the board at one end of the pool table.) Earl: Five games to Jarod, five games to Fontenot. Run these Jarod and the match is yours. Fontenot: You’ve had the run of the table all day Mr Pepper. I can practically feel that fifty thousand dollars in my pocket now. Jarod: (He leans over the cue lining up his shot.) You know, I’m beginning to think that fifty thousand isn’t enough. Maybe we should put some more on the line? Fontenot: Fifty thousand dollars is not enough for you? Jarod: (He straightens up.) Oh I wasn’t talking about money. I was talking about something far more costly like ah . . . honour. Fontenot: What? Jarod: That is after all what you lost to Marvin Dupree . . . (He leans over the table and without looking at the cue or the cue ball sinks a ball.) . . . isn’t it? Fontenot: (He looks at the table in amazement at Jarod’s demonstration of pool playing skills.) I don’t know what the hell you are talking about sir. Jarod: (He moves around to the side of the table.) You know it finally occurred to me that losing a game of pool or being hustled by Marvin Dupree for a few thousand dollars wasn’t why you killed him. No you killed him because of the colour of his skin. (He flicks the cue behind his back and just as effortlessly as the previous shot, sinks another ball. Fontenot is still exhibiting signs of confusion.) You just couldn’t keep that hatred locked down any more could you? Fontenot: Who the hell are you? Jarod: Powerful hatred even from a bigot like yourself, knowing that your woman ran off with a black man. (Jarod executes another ‘trick’ shot, sinking a ball that is directly in line with another directly in front of the cue ball. Fontenot: You don’t know anything about it. Jarod: Oh, I do know that pictures never lie. (He takes some newspaper clippings and throws them on the table. On top of those he throws a picture of Janice and Marvin, smiling at the camera.) Billie’s mother was supposed to be your wife before she ran off with Marvin Dupree, that is. And then there was that notorious pool game between you and Marvin where you lost your misguided honour, right there in your Daddy’s house. That must have been more than you could stand. Fontenot: That boy deserved what he got. Jarod: He was a man. What he got was your fiancee. I think they make a fine looking couple, don’t you? Fontenot: That’s it. Let’s go. Billie: Well don’t cha? (She steps into the room. Once again she has the gun and has it pointed at Fontenot. This time though he is very aware of her presence and that of the gun.) Jarod: Billie what are you doing? Billie: Well don’t cha? I’m waiting for an answer Fontenot. (She fires into the ceiling. Fontenot tries to use his companion as a shield.) Fontenot: Yes a handsome couple. Jarod: Billie, don’t do this. Billie: Stay out of it Jarod! Earl: Billie he’s right. Billie: You too Earl. Not even God can save him now. Jarod: Billie please. Billie: Tell me how you did it. How you murdered my father in cold blood. Fontenot: She’s crazy. Billie: (She fires at a group of glasses on a table and they disintegrate in a spray of glass and liquid. The companion moves right out of the field of fire, leaving his friend to fend for himself.) Tell me! Fontenot: Talk to her. (She shoots again, this time putting a hole in the wall just to the left of Fontenot. He falls over and pulls a chair in front of him.) Billie: I want to hear you say it! Now. Fontenot: Oh alright! Yes, yes, I killed him. I killed Marvin! (He looks her directly in the eyes.) And I’d kill the little animal again if I could. (She puts both hands on the gun and takes careful aim. Jarod steps between her and the man cowering on the floor.) Billie: Get out of the way Jarod. Please. Please. Get . . . Jarod: Would your father want you to do this? . . . . (He holds out his hand.) End the hate here Billie. (She stands still for some time before placing the gun in Jarod’s hand. Fontenot sinks to the floor.) The Wedding (It is a garden wedding. Bridget and Mr Parker stand in front of the marriage celebrant. Mr Lyle acts as best man. Bridget wears a traditional, white bridal gown complete with veil. Miss Parker, Broots and Sydney sit in the front row on the groom’s side. There are multiple rows of seats all occupied on both sides.) Minister: Dearly beloved, we are gathered here to join this couple in the bonds of holy matrimony. Do you Bridget take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, ‘til death do you part? Bridget: I do. Minister: And do you . . . (The celebrant halts in confusion. Mr Parker leans forward and whispers to him.) Mr Parker: Hmm. Parker. Minister: And do you, ah, Mr Parker take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, ‘til death do you part? Mr Parker: I do. Minister: The ring please. (Mr Lyle passes across the ring.) If anyone has any objections to the union of these two people speak now or forever hold your peace. (Broots turns to look at Miss Parker, as does Sydney. Bridget turns around and looks at Miss Parker, a smirk on her face. Miss Parker’s eyes fill with tears.) By the powers vested in me by the great state of Delaware I hereby pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride. (She kisses Mr Parker but winks at Lyle who is standing behind Mr Parker. He nods his head in acknowledgment. The string quartet starts playing the wedding music and Mr Parker and Bridget turn and walk down the aisle, hand in hand. Bridget laughs and breaks into a skip.) The Wedding Reception (The reception is also being held in the garden. Champagne is poured freely, and the string quartet provides a background wash of sound.) Mr Raines: Congratulations Mrs Parker. I wish you and your husband the very best. Bridget Thank you Mr Raines. I intend to do everything in my power to make his golden years memorable. (Miss Parker walks up behind Bridget and leans over her shoulder to talk in her ear.) Parker: I know I’ll remember them. Bridget Ah! Parker: Count on it. Mr Raines: I think I’ll get some cake. (He departs. Bridget turns to Miss Parker.) Bridget Beautiful ceremony, wasn’t it? Parker: The virgin veil was a nice touch. Bridget Do you need a little motherly advice? Parker: (She forces a smile.) Now that you mention it, let’s talk birth control, as in the kind that Dr Noah Lindquist provided for you. You do remember him, don’t you? Then again maybe you don’t considering he doesn’t exist. Bridget (Her tone becomes terse with suppressed anger.) Someone’s been a busy little beaver, misinformed, but busy. Parker: You lied to my father about being infertile. You get yourself pregnant and that makes it real difficult to trim you off the family tree. Bridget My husband and I have a very trusting relationship. Parker: (She grabs Bridget roughly by the elbow, preventing her from walking away from her.) Just answer me this. What kind of beast uses the miracle of birth to cement her own position in life? Bridget A baby with your father would be a child of love, nothing more, nothing less. (Miss Parker raises her eyes and shakes her head slightly.) You were right about one thing though, if there were to be a child it would truly be a miracle. (She grabs a glass of Champagne off the tray of a passing waiter.) Thank you. Duke of Earl Downstairs (Jarod stands near the bottom of the stairs. He peruses the front of a newspaper which proclaims “Fontenot Charged in Dupree Murder”. The club is quite crowded, the patrons sitting in the area near the small stage. Billie comes down the stairs and stands beside Jarod. She is wearing a short, black dress in direct contrast to the jeans and shirts that she usually wears. Earl is at the microphone.) Earl: I want to thank you all for coming out on this cold Memphis night. We got a special treat for you this evening. Billie: (She turns to Jarod.) I can’t do this. Jarod: Of course you can. Just keep your father close to your heart. You’ll be just fine. (She hugs Jarod.) Earl: Please put your hands together and give a warm welcome to Miss Billie Dupree. (Billie walks up to the stage and takes the microphone from Earl.) Billie: I’d like to dedicate this song to my father, Marvin Dupree, and to the man who helped me find him. Thank you, Jarod. (She sings: There‘s a somebody I’m longing to see I hope that he turns out to be Someone who’ll watch over me. Where is that someone, to watch over me. Jarod walks off into the damp night – alone.) CLOSING CREDITS
