Original subtitles

Previously on The Pretender.

Who am I? Was I bought or was I stolen? Where are my mom and dad?

It was my fault. I should be the one lying in that bed.

Mr. Raines, Jarod has been harder to catch than we thought.

Bring Jarod back, or I'll get someone who will.

Are we clear?

[Ringing]

[Man] Here's your key, sir. You're in Room 323.

[Bell Dings]

[Loud Clattering]

[Man] Help me. Help me.

Hello?

[Door Closes]

Hello. Hello?

Is there anybody here?

Help me. Help me.

[Panting]

Sir?

Don't you die on me. [Blows]

Don't you die on me, damn it!

Don't die.

Come on. Wake up. Come on.

[Woman] Front desk. Can I help you?

No. Never mind.

[Phone Ringing]

- Yeah. - I'm downstairs.

We gonna do this hit?

- Hit? - Don't jerk me around.

We gotta take this guy out today. Are you in or out?

- I'm in. - How am I gonna recognize you?

I have a limp.

[Man Narrating]

Miss Parker is trying to quit smoking? How?

Nicotine patch. Personally, I can only applaud that resolve.

Sydney, resolve is one thing, but homicide is another.

I just got word Jarod made contact?

- How are you feeling? - Guess.

[Clears Throat] Okay.

We got a high-priority e-mail from Jarod...

but it was addressed to Sydney.

- Put it on the screen. - It was tagged "personal."

- On the screen! - It's all right, Broots.

I don't have any secrets from Miss Parker.

Haven't you ever seen anyone chew gum before?

"Sydney, you're expected at the Twin Cities Hotel in Minneapolis, Minnesota...

"on the 22nd for a very special gathering.

May hold key to the past. Jarod. "

The 22nd is today. Who else knows about this?

- Uh, no one. - Can you get the corporate jet ready for takeoff?

Minneapolis. One passenger.

One?

Well, the message was for me.

Well, when it comes to Jarod, there is no "me," only "us."

Oh.

Make it two passengers.

Take this. You'll need it.

[Man] We're around back. We'll meet you in the alley.

[Man] Check you all out front.

You don't look like no stone killer to me.

Well, looks aren't everything.

[Mock British Accent] Yes, I'd like to have a carton of menthol cigarettes...

waiting on her pillow for her for when she arrives.

Uh, yes, the name is Parker, Miss Parker.

Oh! Jolly good. That would be lovely.

Really. [Chuckling]

Well, thank you. Very good.

Cheers.

[Wheezing Laugh]

- [Phone Rings] - [Clears Throat]

[British Accent] Broots here.

Mr. Raines? Uh, sir.

Secur... S-S-Security situation?

Uh, no, I don't, uh... I don't know anything...

about any, uh, transmissions concer... concerning Jarod.

Come on in.

How you doin'? Come on over. Have a seat.

I'll stand.

Mr. Beaulieu offered you a chair.

Hush up, Donny.

You're gonna have to forgive my nephew.

He's young. He's just full of the devil.

You ever suck a crawfish, Mr., uh...

Doe.

Jarod Doe.

Not that I recall.

Well, it's real simple. You just rip the head off like that and suck.

I'd like to get this over with as quickly as possible.

Well, I admire your candor, Mr. Doe.

Ain't enough of it in the world to suit me.

Reason you was hired...

was you have no past connections here in New Orleans.

Nobody knows your face.

This, in turn, gives you no future connections to me.

Now the word is, you're clean and discreet...

except for that... picture-taking business.

Guy whacks people and takes snapshots? What's that about?

Your business is your business...

mine's mine.

I want you to know the fact that you're a cripple, uh...

has no effect on my confidence in you.

That's very generous.

Maybe if you hang around, we can get you a special parking place in front of the club.

[Chuckles]

This old boy's name is Benjamin Worth.

His address is on the back.

Why do you want him killed?

Your business is your business, and mine's mine.

Twenty-five thousand now...

and 25,000 when it's done.

After confirmation of Worth's death...

you'll get identification of a second target.

Second target?

Same deal.

I'm gonna send Donny here with you...

to act as my eyes and ears.

Have you got a problem with that or something?

'Cause if you do, I can make a phone call and get somebody else in here.

No problem.

I'm your man.

Yeah, I know you are.

[Clears Throat] What's this?

- I need film. - Go to a drugstore.

High-speed, S.G.R. 3200, black and white.

For my snapshots.

Where the hell am I supposed to find it?

That's not my problem. Pick me up in my hotel in three hours.

My instincts say Jarod wouldn't have brought me here without a reason.

I don't care about your instincts.

This whole thing is just another one of Jarod's snipe hunts.

- [Phone Rings] - [Sighs]

What?

Where have you been? I've been trying to reach you.

- Broots, calm down. - Listen, Raines knows.

- Knows what? - About the transmission from Jarod.

Did you tell him where we are?

No! It's just a matter of time before he comes down here and he's snooping around.

You know, he's got this place wired.

Broots, where are you calling from?

[Disgusted Sigh] Mutant.

- Is there a problem? - Isn't there always?

What the hell is going on?

[Sydney] I think I know why we're here.

It's only been on the market three weeks.

The plumbing's shot, and it needs a new coat of paint...

but you won't find a safer neighborhood in New Orleans.

It seems very nice.

- Are you from the real estate company? - Uh, no, ma'am, I'm not.

Actually, ma'am, I represent a vintage automobile house in Baton Rouge.

I was wondering... Do you know this man?

Sonny Herbert.

I haven't seen him in nearly 25 years.

- I'm interested in the car that he's leaning on. - His pride and joy.

He used to live here.

He had an office down in Fat City.

I don't remember exactly where.

I can still see all those photographs he had pinned up around his room.

- Photographs? - Of the kids.

Mr. Herbert was a private investigator.

He specialized in finding lost children.

[Frustrated Grunt]

What could possibly make this trip more depressing?

[Sighs]

- [Water Splashing] - [Man Grunts, Laughs]

Oh, I'm thirsty. Come on.

Sweetheart, go get yourself another Hurricane.

[Coughs] Hurry back. Go, go!

Hurry up.

Mmm. Ahh.

Hey.

What do you want?

I came here to kill you.

Well, that should work.

But I'm going to need your help.

[Knocking On Door]

Yeah. I'll be right there. Gotta go.

Stay cool.

- I'm telling you, I don't know where it all went. - No. Listen to me.

Listen to me! I don't care about excuses.

For $300 a night, I want ice!

[Both] Hi!

Very funny, Sydney.

I'm sorry?

The cigarettes that you left on my pillow.

I had nothing to do with that.

Jarod. You told him about the patch, didn't you?

- I? - [Both] Doctor?

- Excuse me? - We didn't realize...

- That you'd be attending... - The conference.

Excuse me.

I need a very large drink.

- Don't you... - Recognize us?

- It's Millie Pilcher. - And Tillie Pilcher.

- We were part of the week-long... - International study program?

I'm afraid you're mistaking me for someone else.

- We could never... - Forget you...

[Both] Dr. Jacob.

[Sydney's Voice Echoing] Jacob!

[Jacob's Voice Echoing] Sydney!

We're really gonna do this. We're gonna whack this guy out.

No, you're gonna stay here and watch that gate.

Hey, I came here to do the deed, not play watchdog.

Now you listen to me.

This is not some field trip...

or a correspondence course that you order off the back of a match pack.

People will die, and when they do...

it will be done by me, my way...

alone.

Is that clear?

Is that clear?

Don't have to get run over by no truck to get out of the road.

- [Two Gunshots] - [Thudding]

[Camera Shutter Clicking]

He's dead?

- What the hell are you doing up here? - I asked you a question.

Yeah, he's dead.

Everything went, um, smooth?

I didn't hear any complaining.

Help me carry him downstairs.

I wanna see the body.

- Are you kidding me? - What do you think?

Now the next time you get the urge...

to stick a gun in my face...

you better make sure you pull the trigger.

Help me carry him downstairs.

Why are we stopping?

Gonna get rid of the package.

- Here? - Uncle Tug's fond of fertilizing this field.

Shovel's in the back.

Jacob spent the next several months in the hospital.

He was eventually transferred to a private-care clinic.

- When did... - The accident occur?

August 2, '67.

- Would you... - Excuse us?

- It was nice... - Meeting you.

Thanks for your help.

You shoot 'em, you bury 'em.

Let's go.

Souvenir of a dead man.

- Did you see it happen? - Not exactly.

Not exactly?

I saw him plant the guy, but I wasn't there when he popped him.

I work alone.

The pictures will give you the up close and personal.

I'll take the double prints.

Here's our next target. This time I want it seen with real eyes.

Understood?

It's your party.

Hey. When do we move?

I'll call you.

- Why does Tug Beaulieu want you dead? - That's the $64,000 question.

He's only paying me 50.

Hey. Put yourself in my shoes.

You break into my house. You put a gun to my neck.

You tell me somebody's gonna kill me.

Then you fake my murder, you bury me, and you give me a straw to breathe through.

- Your point? - The point is I don't even know who the hell you are!

My name is Jarod. Why does Tug Beaulieu want you dead?

Business conflicts.

Conflicts?

I own some jazz clubs. Beaulieu wanted to buy me out.

- I wasn't interested. - He's willing to kill for those clubs?

The Quarter's a small place, but the land's invaluable.

Wait a second. Where are you going?

Look, you're not the only person that Beaulieu has a murder contract on.

- Oh, my God. - What?

[Sighs] That's my wife.

Y-Your wife? B-But you were in the pool with...

Separated. We're in a healing period.

She runs one of the clubs. I run the other one.

Don't answer the phone, and don't go in the bathroom.

Well, wait a minute. Supposing I gotta, you know?

I ain't goin' in this.

[Sighs] Come here.

Who the hell is that?

That's the guy that was really going to kill you.

Um... ice bucket will be just fine.

Good.

I've had the building on the market a couple of years.

Haven't had much interest since Mr. Herbert went away.

I'd have cleared out the rest of this junk...

but I'm just gonna blow the place up and sell the land.

I'm sure glad you didn't. Do you mind if I take a look?

Mm-mmm.

So you say you're one of those kids Sonny was lookin' for?

I don't know.

I was hoping there was something that Mr. Herbert had here...

that would help me find my parents.

You said there were some other men that came looking for him?

Just fore Mr. Herbert disappeared.

They claimed he owed them money.

Tell the truth, they looked like vending machines with heads.

[Chuckles] So I didn't ask too many questions.

Oh, there was a weird-looking one with an oxygen tank.

- Oxygen tank? - Yeah.

Spooky-looking guy. Had deep-set eyes. You know him?

We've met. Did they take anything?

They was in a pretty big hurry.

I never got a chance to tell 'em about the stuff down in the basement.

The basement?

A dozen boxes full of files and photos.

Mostly they're missing kids.

- Is this all there is? - That's it.

- It's not here. - Nothin' about your parents?

- These files, they only go back 20 years. - Oh, I'm sorry.

I'm not here.

I'm not here!

[Sighs, Panting]

I'm not here. [Sighs]

I'm not... here.

- [Thunderclap] - Get your mind off of your career for one second, will you?

I'm talking about the children.

What's so troubling about children, for God's sakes?

- Do you know how we got those children? - I know what I need to know.

No, no. You know what the Centre wants you to know.

You... You always do this.

You always push away what doesn't fit into your pristine view of the world.

- All you want to do is poison the good things in your life. - Sydney!

[Honking, Crashing]

[Knocking On Door]

[Whispers] Jacob.

[Simultaneously] We have to talk.

I don't wanna ruin your fun, but how long you plan on keepin' him in here?

I don't know. I've grown sort of attached to him.

That's a sick man.

I like it here.

Peaceful. Quiet.

The building manager told me that you worked for Sonny for the last 10 years.

Eleven. [Chuckles]

He put an ad in a local paper and misspelled a few words.

I took pity on him.

What you want with him anyway?

When I was a little boy...

I was... separated from my parents.

I believe they might have hired Mr. Herbert to find me.

- You check all the files? - They don't date back far enough.

I need to speak to Sonny personally.

- That's impossible. - Why is that?

He's in a hospital.

Burns over 80% of his body.

Police say it was an accident. Fell asleep smoking.

You don't sound convinced.

Sonny was an insomniac.

He'd never have fallen asleep so deep that he'd set himself afire.

I tried to tell the police...

but there's no record of his problem...

so they let it go.

There's something else.

Sonny thought he was being followed.

After he got hurt, I got scared.

Where is he now?

V.A. Hospital, Slidell.

- After we spoke earlier... - We both had the same...

- Thought about your... - Accident.

Yes?

You said the accident was on...

- August 2... - 1967?

- The last time we saw... - Dr. Jacob...

Was on the Monday before.

And you can both remember a specific Monday...

30 years ago?

- It was the day before our 10th... - Birthday.

- And the first time we'd ever seen... - [Both] A gun.

- Dr. Jacob was shouting. - [Sydney] At you?

- Oh, no, but it was a very... - Loud argument.

- The other man said... - "If you're not part of the solution"...

"Then you're part of the problem."

- Then Dr. Jacob began... - To argue back.

And that's when...

He pressed the gun...

into Dr. Jacob's neck.

- Dr. Billy. - Yes.

- Dr. Billy. - [Sydney] Billy?

You mean Dr. William Raines.

[Simultaneously] Dr. Billy scared us to death.

[Knocking]

[Grunts]

Son of a bitch!

[Grunts]

Now I'm going to forget you just did that...

and it would be disrespectful to kill you in front of family.

Where's Ben Worth's body?

[Jarod] Is that why you're here?

I moved him.

Just in case hotshot here started mouthin' off...

and somebody went looking...

you'd be protected.

- Not that you'd do something like that. - What about the woman?

- I saw you go to her house, and you never came out. - You've been a busy boy.

We all have quirks.

Mine happens to be taking photos, as you know.

But even that gets boring, so I decided to take some live ones.

Now what did I tell you about pointing guns at me?

Put it up.

- She still alive? - For the time being.

I'm going to do her in front of you.

I know this little spot in the woods not too far from here.

Perfect place for a woman who's been abandoned by her husband...

to park her car, roll up the window...

and gas herself.

Yeah. I knew you were the right man for the job.

- Wait a minute. - What?

Story on the limp is you took one running from the cops in Chicago.

Doctors had to take an inch of bone out. True?

- Yeah, it's true. - Show me.

- What? - [Gun Cocks]

Show me your knee.

Is there anything else you'd like to see?

Nah.

Let's go.

I gotta use the can.

[Beaulieu] Donny!

No.

We've bothered Mr. Doe enough for one day.

I'm not gonna let you foul up his hotel room on top of it.

Now let's go.

[Deep Sigh]

So, Jarod, is everything set?

Cops will think she killed herself...

depressed about the disappearance of her husband...

and the failed business.

[Chuckles] That's just fine.

Now about my money.

- Well, uh, got a little problem there. - What kind of problem?

- This kind. - Now you know why nothin' ever lands on my doorstep.

- Do him. - A pleasure.

Big mistake.

You never learn, do you?

Doris.

[Ben] Come here, baby. Come here.

- Get in. - How much you want?

How much does he want? You were gonna kill my wife. Think you can buy your way out?

All right, Ben. That's enough. He gets the point.

Yeah, right.

Get in, or die.

You too, squirrelly. Get in.

Well, I think it's time for my last photo shoot.

Now, I'm gonna ask you two some questions.

You answer correctly, this'll be over soon.

Did you hire an assassin...

to kill Ben and Doris Worth?

I saw your leg! I seen that scar on there!

It's neat, huh?

A little mortician's wax, a little pancake makeup, and voilà.

Now, did you contract for the killing of Ben and Doris Worth?

I'm afraid that's not gonna do you any good.

And I wouldn't try smashing the window.

Shatterproof glass.

Well, looks to me like you boys aren't interested in doing too much talking, so...

[Both Coughing]

The exhaust!

[Jarod] Hey, good luck to the both of you.

Okay, he hired you to kill 'em, to kill all of'em!

- Donny! - I could tell you where he buried the bodies!

- I can't hear you. - All right, Jarod. I did it.

All right, Jarod, I'll give you $100,000 to open this door!

My, that's an awful lot of money.

A man would be crazy not to think that offer over.

[Coughing Continues]

I thought it over.

No deal.

Jarod!

- [Coughing] - You're just gonna let 'em die?

I only put enough gas in the tank to scare them.

The engine should shut off in about 30 seconds.

I wish I could stick around to see how they try to explain that tape to the police.

They should be here any minute.

Hey, who could I say? Thanks, pal.

Thank you.

You two, you work well together. You should consider a merger.

- See? - Oh, please, don't start.

I miss you, Jacob.

And I've missed you too, Sydney.

Why has it taken you so long to talk to me?

I was afraid.

I thought that, um...

if I tried and failed...

you'd be gone forever.

Jacob... that night in the car...

I've already told you, Sydney.

It wasn't your fault.

But you see, I wasn't listening...

to what you were really trying to say to me.

You were in trouble. You needed my help.

I was...

ashamed.

I couldn't tell you what I'd done...

the things...

Jacob, did Raines have anything to do...

with what happened to you, to us?

You know the answer to that, Sydney.

- [Knocking, Door Opens] - [Miss Parker] Sydney.

You ready to go?

Don't say a word.

- [Machinery Hissing] - [Monitor Beeping]

[Woman] You can try to speak to Mr. Herbert...

but since the accident, he drifts in and out of consciousness.

Mr. Herbert.

- Mr. Herbert. - [Quiet Moan]

Sonny.

- [Grunts] - My name is Jarod.

Mr. Herbert, 30 years ago...

my parents may have hired you to find me.

You were a private investigator.

You used to help find lost children.

Ch-Children.

Mr. Herbert. M-M-Mr. Herbert.

Do you recognize this woman?

- This is my mother. - Oh.

Do you remember her name?

Nice... woman.

Wanted to find... her little boy.

Yes. That's right.

Do you remember her name?

Mr. Herbert. Mr. Herbert, do you remember her name?

[Sighs]

[Sighs] Remember her name.

[Rings]

- Hello. - [Jarod] Hello, Sydney.

Jarod.

I wanted to thank you for sending me the photograph.

What photograph, Jarod?

Sonny Herbert.

Jarod, I did not send you any photos.

In fact, I was just about to thank you...

for the message letting me know about the Twins Convention.

Sydney...

I didn't send you any message.

Then who did?

[Mews]