yes? yes, i'll accept the charges.
i'm in a car wash.
why are you calling me, zoe?
nothing's wrong with trying to talk to me, zoe.
the problem is i have no idea who i'm talking to right now.
yes.
i. i just need to know what state you're in so i know. how to talk to you. how to act.
need a hand?
you always think you're prepared for these things.
how old is she?
is this it?
here we go.
yes, operator, i'm in a strange situation. i'm calling from my car, and i appear to be stuck in a car wash. a car wash, yes. is there anyway you could. hello?. hello?.
hello?
hello.
no, i. had an accident.
do you have a room?
hard to say. i might have. some business here.
no.
yes. i'm a lawyer. i realize this is an awful time, but it's important that we talk.
in what way?
any criminal record?
how does the family survive?
what about doreen?
when?
that's the local bar?
he beat her?
you see, to do this right, to actually have a chance at winning - of getting some money to compensate you for the loss of your boy - we need folks like you. sensitive, loving parents. people with no criminal background or history of trouble in town. do you understand?
now, of all these parents you've told me about whose kids were killed, who would you consider to be good upstanding neighbors?
people who will help our cause.
that's great, wendell. that's the sort of thing i need to know. so it doesn't come back to haunt our case later on.
tell me about the ottos.
indian?
that's good. judges like adopted indian boys. tell me more about the ottos.
what do they do?
crafts?
have they ever been busted?
yes, i'll accept the charges.
do you mind if i step outside for a moment? it's a private call.
zoe. zoe, where are you?
i'm not getting any sound.
alison jones.
yes.
ally. that's right.
i'm just fine, ally. what about you?
and what does he do again?
ally jones.
we're. not together.
yes. fine.
what do you mean by that, mrs. driscoll?
what do you mean by that, dolores?
yes. what do you mean by 'hippies'?
do they have any reputation for drugs?
and they loved bear.
for rabbits?
so billy was driving behind the bus at the time of the accident?
from what?
did he have any particular problems that you knew of? financial pressures. run-ins with the law.
you talked about it?
are you still in touch?
which one?
which clinic?
sunnyridge. that was a long time
other clinics? oh sure. clinics, half-way houses, treatment centers, detox units.
she didn't.
that's where i'm going. to see her.
yes. do you find there's something strange about this meat?
i'm afraid this meat is overdone.
what is it?
do you have a cold plate?
is there shrimp on it?
if you could pick the shrimp off, as well as anything that touches the shrimp.
well, let's see what we get.
if you could excuse me for a moment.
mrs. otto, my name is mitchell stephens. the walkers told me you might be willing to talk to me.
i'm sorry for coming over unannounced like this, mrs. otto, but the walkers said you would understand. i know it's an awful time, but it's important that we talk.
i'm a lawyer.
please, let me explain. i'll only take a moment of your time.
please.
a cup of tea would be nice. would it be alright if i sit down for a few minutes, mrs. otto? i want to talk to you.
the walkers spoke very highly of you.
yes.
it should be said that my task is to represent the walkers only in their anger. not their grief.
you are angry, aren't you, mrs. otto? that's why i'm here. to give your anger a voice. to be your
it's my belief that dolores was doing exactly what she'd been doing for years. besides, the school board's insurance on dolores is minimal. a few million at the very most. the really deep pockets are to be found in the town, or in the company that made the bus.
mrs. otto, there is no such thing as an accident. the word doesn't mean anything to me. as far as i'm concerned, somebody somewhere made a decision to cut a corner. some corrupt agency or corporation accounted the cost variance between a ten-cent bolt and a million dollar out-of-court settlement. they decided to sacrifice a few lives for the difference. that's what's done, mrs. otto. i've seen it happen so many times before.
how long has dolores been driving that bus, mr. otto? how many times has she steered clear of danger? what went wrong that morning?
someone calculated ahead of time what it would cost to sacrifice safety. it's the darkest, most cynical thing to imagine, but it's
excuse me?
listen to me, mrs otto. listen very carefully. i do know what's best.
who is responsible for this tragedy. then, in your name and the walkers' name and the name of whoever decides to join us, i shall sue. i shall sue for negligence until they bleed.
it's unlikely that anyone will go to prison, mrs. otto. but he or his company will pay in other ways. and we must make them pay. not for the
no. a little sugar though.
i'll. take it straight.
no.
if you agree to have me represent you in this suit, i will require no payment until after the case is won, when i will require one third of the awarded amount. if there is no award made, then my services will cost you nothing. it's a standard agreement.
it's in my car.
i'll just be a minute. anyhow, you should discuss this all without me before you make any decision.
i've done everything the loving father of a drug addict is supposed to do.
i've sent her to the best hospitals, she's seen all the best doctors. it doesn't matter. two weeks later she's on the street. new york, vancouver, pittsburgh, toronto, l.a. the next time i hear from her, it's a phone call scamming for money. money for school, or money for a new kind of therapist,
it turns to steaming piss.
i'm. so sorry.
berries.
berry-picking.
and what's that?
were his parents. attentive to him?
you mentioned that he had a learning disability.
did his parents attend to that?
did they give him special care?
every time i get on one of these flights to rescue zoe, i remember the summer we almost lost her. she was three years old. it happened in the morning, at this cottage we used to rent. we were all sleeping together in bed. it was a wonderful time in our lives. we still thought we had a future together, the three of us. did you ever visit the cottage?
i woke to the sound of zoe's breathing. it was laboured. i looked over and noticed she was sweating and all swollen. i grabbed her, rushed to the kitchen, and splashed water on her face.
i didn't know. i was in a panic. i guessed she'd been bitten by an insect, but there was no doctor. the nearest hospital was forty miles away, and zoe was continuing to swell. klara took her in her arms and tried to breast-feed her, while i dialed the hospital. i finally got a doctor on the line. he sounded young, but cool. he was confident, but there was a nervousness. he have been an intern. this was the first time he ever had to deal with anything like this. he wanted to seem like he knew what he was doing, but he was just as scared as i was.
he surmised that there was a nest of baby black widow spiders in the mattress. he told me they had to be babies, or else with zoe's body
which was true enough, especially at that moment. klara was wild-eyed with fear, and her fear was contagious. i was a better actor than she was, that's all. zoe loved us equally then. just like she hates us both equally now. the doctor told me that i should hold her in my lap, and let klara drive to the hospital. he asked me to bring a small, sharp knife. it had to be clean. there was no time to sterilize properly. he explained how to perform an emergency tracheotomy. how to cut into my daughter's throat and windpipe without causing her to bleed to death. he told me there'd be a lot of blood. i said i didn't think i could do it. 'if her throat closes up and stops her breathing, you'll have to, mr. stephens. you'll have a minute and a half, two minutes maybe, and she'll probably be unconscious when you do it. but if you can keep her calm and relaxed, if you don't let her little heart beat too fast and spread the poison around, then you might just make it over here first. you get going now', and he hung up.
it was an unforgettable drive. i was divided into two people. one part of me was daddy, singing a lullaby to his little girl.
the other part was a surgeon, ready to cut into her throat. i waited for the second that zoe's breath stopped to make that incision.
nothing. we made it to the hospital. i didn't have to go as far as i was prepared to. but i was prepared to go all the way.
i'm here about your children, mr. ansel.
my name is.
i understand.
i can help you.
here. you may change your mind.
no, mr. ansel. i wouldn't sue you.
you can help each other. several people have agreed to let me represent them in a negligence suit. your case as an individual will be stronger if i'm allowed to represent you together as a group.
the walkers have agreed. the ottos. nicole burnell's parents. it's important to initiate proceedings right away. things get covered up. people lie. that's why we have to begin our investigation quickly. before the evidence disappears. that's why i'm out here tonight.
you're angry, mr. ansel. you owe it to yourself to feel that way. all i'm saying is let me direct your rage.
that's my daughter. or it may be the police to tell me that they've found her dead. she's a drug addict.
i'm telling you this because.  we've all lost our children, mr. ansel.
they're dead to us. they kill each other in the streets. they wander comatose in shopping malls. they're paralyzed in front of televisions. something terrible has happened that's taken our children away. it's too late. they're gone.
what's that, dolores?
that would complicate things.
billy ansel will insist that you were driving fifty-one miles an hour. just like you've done every morning for the past fifteen years.
yes. he does.
i did.
mrs. driscoll, if billy ansel does not volunteer to say so in court, i will subpoena him and oblige him to testify to that effect.
but in order to do that, you must let me bring a suit in your name
it's clear to me and other people that you have suffered significantly from this event.
excuse me?
dolores, people have to know that you've suffered too.
and they won't understand until you let me clear your name - your good name - once and for all. will you let me do that? will you let me do my duty?
yes.
there might have been a word or two that slipped by. maybe you could clarify it for me, just to be absolutely sure.
that's what he said, is it?
that's my daughter. or it may be the police to tell me that they've found her dead. she's a drug addict.
i'm telling you this because we've all lost our children, mr. ansel.
they're dead to us.
yes, i'll accept the charges.
yes.
news?
yes. give me your news, zoe.
tell me your news, zoe.
that's not news, zoe.
yes.
yes.
what do you want me to do, zoe? i'll do whatever you want.
what for?
do you have the blood test?
of. course i do. i just thought. i could get you another
yes. i can hear you breathing too.
i love you, zoe. i'll be there soon, and i'll take care of you. no matter what happens. i'll take care of you.
well, nicole, i've been wanting to meet you for a long time now. not just because i've heard so many good things about you, but because, as you know, i'm the guy representing you and your mom and dad and some other folks here in town. we're trying to generate some compensation, however meager, for what you have suffered, and at the same time see that an accident like this never happens again. you're central to the case i'm trying to build, nicole. but you'd probably just as soon let the whole thing lie. just get on with your life as quickly and smoothly as possible.
you hate that.
people can't help it, you know. they really can't. when they see you in this wheelchair, knowing what your life was life eight months ago, people are going to feel sorry for you. there's no way around it, nicole. you and i just met, and already i admire you. who wouldn't? you're a brave tough smart kid. that's obvious. and i didn't know you, know how exciting and promising
that you didn't die? like the other children?
it is the truth.
it would be strange if you didn't feel that way.
they work for the people we're trying to sue. their job is to try to minimize damages. our job, nicole, is to try to maximize them. you have to think of it that way. as people doing their jobs. no good guys or bad guys. just our side and their side.
i don't want you to lie.
there's no such thing as an accident, nicole. not in a situation like this.
i'm absolutely positive.
that's fine. i want you to be absolutely truthful. and i'll be right there to advise and help you. and there'll be a court stenographer there to make a record of it, and
yes. dolores. and even your mom and dad. but i'll make sure you go last.
so you can keep on getting well before you have to go and do this. it's not going to be easy, nicole. do you understand that?
depends. this could drag on for quite a while. but we'll be there at the end, sam. don't you worry.
why would he be frightened?
what happened then?
i object to the form of that question. note that.
i object to that form of question. note that.
note my objection. she said, 'as i'm talking.'
note that she said 'pretty clearly'. not 'clearly'.
unless the report from the national weather bureau for the district on january 23 goes into the record, i will object to that question.
i have no questions.
you'd make a great poker player, kid.
mitchell. it was nice to see you again, ally.
alison.
i will.
i'll tell her that.