follow that limousine. don't get too close, don't let it get too far away. just keep with it.
nope.
how about this.  every cigarette i smoke, i give you five dollars?
do you know how much i missed you?
smoking? i'm not smoking.
you know, amy, i've been sitting around in bars and everywhere following this guy.  i mean, is this what i get first thing? before you even "hello," you accuse me.  ?
well, i'm not smoking, okay?
we've been all through that. i've been on my best behavior.
hello, pumpkin-head, did you miss me? i sure missed you.
let's get my bags and get the hell out of here.
business was fine. i'll tell you what, you couldn't pay me enough to live down there.
honey, i'm not, please.
i love you.
what's all the trouble, cinderella? what are you crying about, huh?
your son-in-law dealt with the dry cleaning franchise during the day, saw that woman every night. the specifics are in the report, and information about the woman. it's unpleasant, i know. i apologize.
no, sir, he is not.
the um.  you'll find my invoice in the envelope. if that's all.
certainly, senator. if i can ever be of further assistance.
sure. i'll call the guy.
i'm not using him again for anything. he was worthless. you have bridge here saturday?
hello. yes.  could you hold on a minute?
okay, i've got it. hello.  sorry, i was switching phones. it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, mrs. christian. yes. yes, i understand.  tomorrow evening should be fine.
i try to be.
uh huh, pleasure.
i'm listening.
of what sort?
that's right.
thank you.
he's odd.
i've been privileged to provide services for people i admire.
my condolences.
i'll do whatever i can to help.
pittsburgh?
he succeeded.
i wear a gun when i can tell a client expects me to. other than that, there's never any reason.
you hired someone to open it. i'll bet the lawyer loved that.
do you want to tell me what you found?
i'm afraid i don't.
mrs. christian.  please, will you sit down a moment? i want you to listen carefully. what you're talking about is a "snuff film." but, from what i know, snuff films are a kind of.  urban myth. like, red light district folklore. there's no such thing, i can assure you.
please, believe me. this is probably a stag film. simulated rape. hard to stomach, and it might seem real, but there are ways of making it look realistic.  fake blood and special effects.
if you were to study it you'd see the camera cutting away.  you'd see the tricks they can play.
i'm sure it is. it's probably something your husband was given as a bad joke. more than likely he never even watched it.
of course. but, i'm certain it's nothing to worry about.
you.  you need to go to the police.
you don't have any other choice.
it won't work like that.
i deal in divorce cases. corporate investigations.
nothing remotely like this.
this is the mortgage. this is cindy's college money.
sometimes you can't know what i'm doing. it's better that way.
it's a missing persons case.  a long shot. i'll give it two months, two months at most, then i'll be back. we'll take a vacation.
i'm not gonna need it. i won't even wear it. it's a precaution. don't worry about me.
hello, honey, it's me. i'm fine, how are you?
call me tom.
what i'd like, very simply, is access to your archive. and, now i understand this isn't something you normally do for private citizens.
absolutely. of course i'll abide by whatever decision you make, but i'd appreciate if you'll hear me out.
few days ago, i was contacted by a couple living in philadelphia, a doctor and his wife. what happened was they picked up a young girl hitchhiking off 81, which heads into philadelphia, started up a conversation with this girl, she looked homeless, seemed about eighteen maybe. they convinced her to let them buy her a meal in the city. nice kid, mature, didn't have much to say, but they got a sense she's a runaway, so all through dinner the doctor's working on her, trying to convince her that at the very least she should pick up a telephone. not surprisingly, she ate her food, excused herself.  that's the last they saw her. the reason they came to me for help, the reason i'm coming to you, is we had a friend of mine in the department work up a sketch.  they want to see if i can i.d. this girl, somehow pass along a message to let the parents know the kid's alive, doing alright.
i figured you share information.
for whatever reasons i thought you might be more receptive.
this doctor and wife, they're nice people, but they don't want to get too involved. they're not trying to have the parents come looking for the girl either. you and i both know sometimes, not often, but sometimes there's real reasons why a kid'll run. molestation, whatever. besides that, the girl's probably eighteen, so she's legal.
they're putting themselves in place of this kid's parents and thinking they'd want to hear their girl's okay, even if that's all they hear.
they were pretty clear they didn't want this coming back on them.
who knows.  maybe she's already given her parents a call, right?
fuck.
any good?
you're gonna be seeing a lot of me. you're sure you don't mind?
hello, mrs. christian? tom welles. here's where we stand. i checked the film stock and it's called supra- lux 544. the company that made that stock discontinued it in '92.  yeah, about five or six years ago. anyway, do what you can to dig up your husband's old financial records, look for anything out of the ordinary.
hello, mrs. mathews, my name's thomas jones, i'm a state licensed investigator.
i've been hired as an independent contractor by the u.s. resource center for missing persons as part of an internal audit. if you have any time over the next few days, i'd like to make an appointment to ask some questions about the disappearance of your daughter.
i'm sorry, let me explain, the r.c.m.p. is a support organization and archive, not unlike the center for missing and exploited children in washington. i'm sure you've dealt with them before?
these volunteer organizations are sort of interconnected, functioning hand in hand with law enforcement. the r.c.m.p. brought me in to review their investigations.  .  fact-check their records, see if there's anything they missed, anything they should be doing different. i'm here for a few days, before i head back up to virginia. these reports go to the justice department eventually. i spoke to your f.b.i. contact a few days ago, uh.
what was the name.  ? i've got it here somewhere.
right, agent cole told me he'd call and let you know to expect me. he didn't call?
well, i'm following up on your daughter, mary, height; five four, weight; hundred ten pounds, brown eyes, blonde hair. born april 24, 1976. missing june 11th, 1992. a runaway, that's how she's listed. is this information correct.  ?
i'm sorry, i know this isn't easy. is there a more convenient time.  ? can i buy you lunch, would that be alright?
it's very important you don't let this raise your expectations. it's not going to effect any ongoing efforts. all i'm saying is, please know, i'm not here to create any false hope.
that's exactly what i am.
you probably expect me to be wearing a trench coat and a hat. drinking whiskey, chasing women and getting beaten up by guys with broken noses. want to know what it's really like? it's sitting in a car and staring at a hotel window for three days straight, pissing in a plastic bottle, pardon me, because some guy thinks his wife's cheating on him. glamorous, huh? and the guy who hired you, he has a hair-lip, dandruff and crooked teeth, and you could have told him the minute you laid eyes on him his wife's cheating, and you don't blame her.
it's refreshing to actually sit down and meet someone face to face, someone nice like you.
so, she didn't leave a note? she never gave any indication where she might go, before she left?
she just seemed.  depressed.  ?
what was she running from?
if there's anything you feel uncomfortable talking about, tell me, but i have to ask. your husband.  he committed suicide?
september 4th, 1993. about a year after mary disappeared.
why do you think he did it?
you have to forgive me, but in these circumstances.  with your daughter.  were there any indications of.  any sort of abuse?
i didn't mean to.
i had to ask. i apologize.
of course.
i.  i shouldn't take anymore of your time. maybe we can finish tomorrow. i'll call tomorrow.
you should be able to take a shower and still have hot water left, honey. call him back and tell him i said so. the goddamn thing's still under warranty. i'm okay. it's hard here. it's hard. i've got a lead i have to follow through. to be honest, i don't think i'm going to get very far. i miss you. i love you.
we're all like that.
no.
i've got what i need for my report. there is.  there is one thing that bothers me though.
it's not really my place, but it's not easy for me to set aside the private detective part of me either. see, i know a little about missing persons. when kids run, they almost always leave a note. it's guilt. they want to say goodbye.
do you think the police did a good job?
it is possible.  and i know this isn't something you want to hear. your daughter may have tried to hide a note where she thought you would eventually find it, but where she knew your husband would never find it. she might have wanted to tell you something.
if the police focused their search in her room, her belongings, well that'd be only natural, but they may have been looking in the wrong place.
will you let me look?
you're probably right, and i probably won't find anything. i don't have a right to ask this, and you can kick me out of your house if you want, but this is my profession and there's a part of me that can't let it go. police are just as human as you or i. they could have missed something. they probably didn't. wouldn't you rather know?
you were right. i didn't find anything. i'm going to run and get something to eat. are you hungry?
do you ever consider.  do you realize that mary may never come back?
it's been six years.
excuse me, i have to use your bathroom.
is this pretty much it?
just.  just videos?
nothing.
yeah.  guess so.
pardon me?
well, it's tempting, but no thanks.
i'll risk it.
what are you reading?
catchy title. what are you really reading? hard to believe that book's got any parts worth highlighting.
truman capote.
wouldn't want to embarrass yourself in front of your fellow perverts.
hi, honey, how are you? how's cindy? the way it's going i'm about ready to pack my bags.
i miss you too. i love you very much. give cinderella a kiss for me and tell her i love her, alright? goodnight.
remember me?
i need some information. thought you might be able to help.
i'll be outside having a cigarette.
good for you.
how long you been working there?
what's your name, if you don't mind me asking?
well, here's the deal, max. this thing i'm on right now has something to do with underground pornography. stuff that's sold under the counter, illegally.
well, whatever there is, whoever's dealing, however it's done, i want to know. i want a good look, so if you've got that kind of connection, great. if not, speak now.
i'm not a cop.
not quite.
well, there's the thing; you're not gonna know anything about what i'm doing, but you can make some money.
how much do you make now?
okay, let's pretend i live in the same fantasy world where you make four hundred a week in that dump. i'll give you six hundred for a few days.
here's my number if you need it.  when can you start?
see you then. oh, and, don't call me "pops."
 hello.  ?
no.
what are these?
anything harder?
snuff?
you know where i can get it? i have a lot of money to spend.
interesting theory.
child pornography.
snuff films.
what other ways are there to get illegal films? who do you see?
how old are you?
where are your parents?
i don't mean any offense.  but what are you doing mixed up in all this?
you just strike me as smart enough to be doing something else.
you're telling me it doesn't get to you?
what about me?
a daughter.
good question.
okay.
i'm not positive this means anything.
okay, i follow you so far.
you're joking.
i'm here.
for a human life.  murder on film, no statute of limitations. who knows? it sure could have. i'd like you to overnight me a copy of those checks, then put them in a safe deposit box.
send it to me through the post office like we arranged. no return address. you dug this up all by yourself?
you're one hell of a detective, mrs. christian.
her name was mary anne mathews.
you.  you do? you're sure? please, sister, will you take another look, make sure.
i'm trying to find out. she was a runaway. i'm looking into it for her parents.
what is this?
her belongings?
whatever possessed you to keep this all this time?
i'll do what i can.
this is better. this will be fine.
no thank you.
okay, i'll take it all.
cash.
no, you may not.
yeah, i know the spiel. if you could bag it, i'll be on my way, thank you.
eddie.
i know what you did.
i know what you did.
you murdered that girl, eddie. six years ago.
you killed that girl and you put it on film. you and your pals, you're fucked. you fucked up real good.
come on, eddie.
 come on.
that is you, isn't it, eddie?
two one two.
what do you know about a guy called dino velvet? dino velvet films?
a weirdo making s+m films? who'd have thought it?
specialty product.
where does he sell it?
alright, i get the picture.
well, i'm in new york now. what do you say to flying out and giving me a hand?
take a vacation. i'll pay you four hundred a day, plus expenses.
consider it. meanwhile, dig up whatever dino velvet films you can. get receipts. i'll call back.
mrs. christian, tom welles here.
i don't know if luck's the word. are you feeling alright?
i hope it's nothing serious.
i've made progress. i'm in manhattan. once a few more pieces fall into place, i'll drive to you and give you an update.
i've got about five thousand left in cash, but i'll need another thirty, if you approve.
if you have a pencil and paper, i'll tell you how to send it.
it's their presidential suite.
it's cheap, and people know to mind their own business. what have you got for me?
max.  wake up.
who is this, in the mask? who is he?
no.  it's nothing.  that's not him.
who is he?
who is he, his name?
you don't need to be here.
we're looking for mr. velvet.
why don't you tell him we're here to give him a large sum of money. if he's not interested, we'll go.
you heard the boss, milo.
it's an honor to meet you. thank you for seeing us.
i'd like to commission a work. i'm a great admirer of yours.
a fellow investor.
"devil" frightened me as much as it excited me, but i'd be hard pressed to choose a favorite.
yes. what we're looking for is rather specific.
that's five thousand dollars.
five thousand now, five thousand on delivery. two women, one white and one black, as long as they have large breasts. hard bondage, or course. other than that, trusting your artistic interpretation, i have only two stipulations.
i want to watch you work.
and the other performer.  it has to be that monster you use.  the man in the mask.
if it's not him, there's no deal.
we can do that.
i'd rather you didn't.
i'm camera shy.
those are two different kinds of trust. thank you for your time. i hope we can do business.
so, what do you say?
machine's in?
where's that?
i'm trying to figure that out myself. i have to see machine without his mask.
nope.
this is for you.
it's money. people use it to purchase goods and services.
it's not my money. the woman i got it from is never going to give it a second thought. let's not make a big deal out of this, okay? go be a race car driver. go run for president. whatever.
i'll see you around.
hello.
right here.
where are the women?
what are these for?
sure.
what are you.  ?
look, i don't know what this.
i remember him.
no.
look, he's got nothing to do with this.  let him go.
he doesn't know anything.  he's got nothing to do with this.
i'll get it. it's in a safe deposit box, in the city.
you were the middleman, am i right? old man christian wasn't about to go shopping for a snuff film himself.
so, he sent you, gave you the money, his errand-boy. and if you refused, it wasn't like you could tell anyone your pervert boss just asked you to get him a snuff film. that's the beauty of lawyer. client privilege.
must have paid you a lot, for you to risk everything. would've had to have cut yourself a real nice piece of money.
that's why you got scared when mrs. christian hired me. you knew about the film, figured it had to be in that safe. how'd you find me?
followed me.  must have freaked out when you saw me closing in on your buddies.
except, you're willing commit murder with them.
mary anne mathews, that was her name. her mom remembers her.
you found these smut dealers and asked to buy a snuff film, right? wanted them to find you one. well, they didn't find you one, longdale, they went out and made you one.
mary anne mathews was alive till you paid money to have her murdered.
did it get him off, huh, watching them cut her up? tell me, because i really want to understand. did he jerk off to it? you watch it with him, sit there giving him a handjob while you both watched.  ?
just tell me. tell me some more of the secrets you and christian shared. what kind of degenerate pervert was he really? what the fuck did he want with a snuff film?
i'm asking.
why did he buy a film of some poor, lost girl getting butchered?
enlighten me.
no, i've got it.
fuck you.
you'll get it when we get there.
go ahead, shoot me. then try driving to brooklyn with my brains all over the windshield.
no!!
you fuckers!
don't.  please.
motherfuckers. small time, motherfuckers.  ! tell me something.
i know why you did it, dino, eddie.  but, why'd the lawyer do it? must have been a helluva lot of money, right? one fuckload of money.
so, what are you all still doing small time, huh? what are you still doing in the sewer, eddie?! christian gave longdale a million dollars to find him a snuff film. how much did you ever see.  ?
one million dollars, dino. how much did he tell you he had.
look at him. you think he played it square? how much did he give you, how much did he keep for himself?
no, no, no.  please, don't kill me.  please.  !
back off, eddie.
stop eddie!
i swear to christ i'll shoot you in the back.  !
come back, or i put a hole in him.
you might make it to your gun, but not before i shoot machine. and if i have to shoot him because of you, and i don't kill him, right after he kills me, he's gonna kill you.
take off the mask.
take it off!
amy, it's me. listen very carefully.
amy, just listen. take cindy and get out of the house. do it now. go to a hotel and stay there.
i'm okay. please, honey, i can't explain. don't use the phone, just pack a bag and get out. i'm on my way. i'll be back at the house in three hours. call me from the hotel when you get there
just do it, amy, please, go.
honey.  ?
i don't know if i can do that.
i'm okay, honey, i'm okay. are you alright?
i can't tell you, amy. you know i can't. you have to trust me.
it has to be this way for now. it won't be long.
i don't know. i'm sorry.
i wanted to call. i couldn't.
you don't understand.
i was in hell. if i called you.  if i heard your voice.  it would have been so easy for me to quit. i couldn't do that.
amy, i'm not going to let anything happen to us.
i don't know what to say
don't.
amy.
forgive me.
we have to stay here a few days. i'll get more clothing from the house if i can. i'm sorry. we're going to be okay.
mrs. christian.
she's all i've got. she's the only witness.
i just talked to her.
promise you won't go back there, wherever you were. whatever it was, forget it.
i promise.
hello, eddie.
put your hands on your head.
put your hands behind your head, lock your finger together, get down on your knees.
i owe you a few.
don't go anywhere.
don't bore me with that bullshit.
don't ask questions.
starting to recognize a pattern?
who is machine?
i want his name.
i will never get tired of hurting you, eddie, so you might want to change your attitude.
okay, we'll come back to that. so, six years ago a guy contacts you, through the classifieds, over the phone, however he does it. it's longdale, looking for a snuff film. and you, entrepreneur that you are, tell him you can hook him up.
told him you could get him a snuff film.
how much did he pay you?
that's all? thirty each. that's all it took for you to murder her?
so.  you brought dino in, and he brought machine. and, one day, a girl walked into your office because you had an ad in the paper for models. and she never walked out.
what did you do, knock her out, shoot her up.  ?
i want to know. i want to know exactly what you did to her!
show me!
show me where you did it, on the map, exactly where you did it.
because we're going there.
that night.  you didn't have to be in the room, but you were. why? why did you watch?
you enjoy it?
tell me what happened.
nobody saw you bring her in?
what did you do with her body?
show me.
keep moving.
stop talking.
show me where you buried her.
where? show me where.
i can kill you. i can leave you out here, just like you left her.
don't think i won't.
easy enough for you.
that's right, you just stood there and watched, because you "felt like it." almost makes you worse.
mrs. mathews? it's thomas. do you remember, i was there a few weeks ago.  asking about your daughter.
i have to tell you something. it won't be easy for you to hear. it's about your daughter.  mary anne.  when i.  when i was there with you, her diary, in your attic, in silverware. if you read it, you'll know what i'm telling you is true.
she went to california, to los angeles.  she wanted to start over. she wanted to be an actress.
mrs. mathews, your daughter is dead. she's dead.
someone.  some men, they took your daughter and they drugged her, and they took her to a motel room.  they did terrible things to her.
they brought her into the room.  one man, he put a knife to her throat and he raped her.
he raped her and. and. and he murdered her. he cut her up with knifes.
they killed her, and they took her out in the forest somewhere and they buried her.
they murdered her, mrs. mathews, i'm sorry. it happened a month after she ran away. she's been dead all this time.
i'm sorry, i'm so sorry.  there wasn't anything anyone could do.
hello, can you connect me with the duty nurse? hello, this is lieutenant anderson down here in the thirteenth precinct. i've got a helluva problem i was hoping you could give me a hand with. we had a stabbing incident a couple of days ago, and it looks like the supposed victim gave us a false name and address. can you tell me if you had an adult male with an abdominal wound in you er in the last forty-eight hours? you'd remember this guy; a body- builder, real big guy, five foot eleven, with acne all over his chest and back.  alright, thanks for your help.
 guy sticks out like a sore thumb. five foot ten or eleven, body-builder, bad acne.  okay, thanks anyway.
 abdominal wound. you'd know him if you saw him.
he's a body-builder, stands just under six feet.
that's right.  covered in acne. that's him, that's the guy. listen, we, uh.  we think he filed a bogus report on this stabbing, gave us a false name and address.  yes, i'll hold.
yes.  yes. christopher higgins. thirty- fifteen, thirty fifth street. where? astoria, queens.
hello?! amy?
i can't talk about it yet.  not yet.
why.  why.  ?
i have to tell you.  i have to tell you what happened. i have to tell you everything, but we can't tell anyone else. no one else can ever know.
you're all i've got. you're all i've ever had. you're the only one who can save me.