Blackway

Stupid.

Go kill something.

Can I help you, miss?

- I'm waiting for the sheriff. - I'm the sheriff. Name's Windgate.

- You're not wearing a uniform. - I rarely do.

Then how do I know you're the sheriff?

Well, I don't know what to tell you, miss, you can wait out here as long as you like.

Maybe another sheriff'll come along.

Wait. Wait!

What you got there?

My mother's cat. Mine, since she passed.

Oh, my God. What happened?

- He cut her head off. - Who?

This guy. Blackway. I don't... I don't know his first name.

Richard.

- You know him? - Oh, yeah, most around here do.

- I'm surprised you don't, actually. - I'm not... from here, originally.

I mean, I was born here, but... that was a while ago.

So, what brings you back here?

- My mother died in June. - You're Betsy Warren's daughter.

My condolences. She was a fine lady.

So... how long's Richard Blackway been bothering you?

I think this goes way beyond "bothering me."

Harassing.

He attacked me.

- When was this? - Last week, after work.

- Where? - Sullivan's.

- I waitress there a couple of nights a week. - Why didn't you report it then?

I didn't think that I was ever gonna see him again. I thought he was just passing through.

But now he's everywhere I go. The grocery store, the gas station...

Well... it's a small town. You run into the same people.

No, no. He's following me.

- Well... - Watching me.

'Fraid there's not much I can do for you.

If you'd come in, last week, after the alleged assault...

"Alleged"?

There were witnesses.

Let me ask you something.

- Did your mother leave you the house? - Yes.

Well, my advice is, you unload it for whatever you can get for it,

and catch a bus back to wherever it was you were living before Betsy passed.

Can't you do something? Call him in for questioning or something?

I... just get him to leave me alone. Give me a restraining order, something.

It's just not the way it works around here.

How do things work around here?

You sit on your asses until he breaks into my house and does God knows what to me?

Fuck it, whatever, I don't even know why I bothered.

Miss Warren.

You know the saw mill, the other side of town?

Big place, by the side of the road.

Maple Lake Timber.

You might try going out there, and see if Scotty's around.

And he can get Blackwell to leave me alone?

- Well, he will if Whizzer asks him. - Who's Whizzer?

Whizzer's the boss, he... he runs the place.

You go see him, go see Whizzer.

Oh, and if you want, you can leave your cat with me,

- I'll make sure she gets cremated. - No, I got it.

- 'Night, Lillian. - Fuck you!

You say "fuck you" again...

one of these nights, I just might.

- Stop. Stop. Stop. - Get down, get down.

- I can't hear you. What? - Get down here.

- Want to get a coffee? - Get out of here, go on.

Lonely old timers took me out back to the log bunkhouse,

to show me a big douglas fir they'd left standing.

And I'm not just talking about an ordinary pine,

I'm talking... this one was special.

It's what old wood choppers used to call a "wood's wife."

Had a knothole in the trunk, about yea high.

And what you did, the mood strikes you,

you got yourself a hand full of lard for the kitchen.

And you greased up that knothole real good.

And...

then...

well...

- You're shitting me. - God's truest.

What do you think goes on up there?

50 loggers stuck up there in the woods, all winter? No women?

There's just so much checkers a man can play.

I'll be damned.

Some folks call 'em "pussy pines."

You screwed a tree?

Still picking the splinters out.

Hey, what's up?

- Lady in a little car. - Recognize her?

Yeah, I seen her waitressin' over at Sullivan's.

Helps out with the kids at the elementary school, too.

Which one of you is Whizzer?

- Help you? - Guy named Scotty work for you?

- Who told you that? - The sheriff.

- Scotty ain't here. - He's upstate, went to White River.

- He got a brother up that way. - Ain't his brother, it's his uncle.

It's his brother, I played pool with the guy.

What do you want with Scotty?

This guy's been bothering me.

He killed my cat. He trashed my fucking car.

I need someone to help me... talk to him?

I don't know, threaten him, if that's what it takes.

The name's Blackway.

You tell Sheriff Windgate about Blackway bothering you?

He said there's nothing he can do. He said to come here, and ask for Scotty.

- He said Scotty would know what to do. - He'd say, "get another cat."

- There you go. - Or leave town.

I am not leaving.

- Why not? - Because this is where I live now.

A pretty girl like you could live plenty of places. Where were you before this?

- Seattle. - Seattle's nice, go back.

- You know where else is real nice? - Portland.

What is wrong with you people?

I grew up here.

This property's all I got, and I put a lot of work into it.

I will be damned if some asshole is gonna run me out of town.

So I will ask you one more time.

How do I find Scotty?

I'm sorry, miss, Scotty's not here, and I can't help you.

Pathetic.

Fuck!

Damn it!

Anybody wants to go with her, I'll pay ya a week's wages and...

cover your funeral expenses.

Yeah, I'll do it. I'll go with her.

- What's that, Les? - I said, "I'll go with her."

You gonna go find Blackway?

Sure, why not?

You're not... seriously thinking of taking on Blackway by yourself?

No, I'll take Nate with me.

- You think he's up to it? - I can ask him.

Nate?

What do you say, Nate, you wanna go with Les?

I don't mind.

You know who Blackway is, don't you?

I seen him.

Think you'll be up for it?

I guess.

He's kinda old, ain't he?

Yeah, like me.

- You sure about this, Les? - Yeah.

This ain't your fight, you didn't go askin' for this.

- No, she didn't either, did she? - Maybe so. But...

sure as hell would be better for everyone involved if...

she just left town.

Yeah.

Well...

Okay, I'm leaving this here.

Don't you touch it with that thing on your lip. Come on, let's go. Come on.

- Hey. Trouble? - Damn thing won't start.

I'm not surprised, your battery's screwed up.

Terminal's corroded.

Useless. Okay, we'll...

- use Nate's truck, okay? - For what?

What do you think? To find your friend Blackway, isn't that what you want?

Scotty's not gonna help you, he's as scared of Blackway as everyone else is.

My name is Lester, by the way.

That's Nate.

He's like 100 years old.

Close.

Shit. You don't have any friends who could help me?

- Pickup only seats three. - Give me the keys.

- It's my truck. - Give me the keys. Get in the truck.

You think Whizzer's serious about paying us a week's wages...

- No. - I can pay you.

- Yeah? - I've got some money from my mom's...

We don't need your money. Get in.

- We don't want her money? - No, we don't. Get in.

Okay.

Girl is a piece of work, ain't she? Callin' us pathetic.

I'll tell you who's a piece of work. Windgate.

Sending her to us because he's too chicken shit to do his job.

Yeah.

He's still thanking his lucky stars Blackway got bored of being a deputy.

- Moved onto bigger things. - Badder things.

I don't know what Les is thinking.

I'll tell ya.

He's thinking, he sees a young girl in trouble and needs help.

Could be any one of our daughters.

- Nate didn't seem to scared by Blackway. - He don't know better.

What about Lester?

Lester's scared of Blackway, all right.

If he ain't...

he should be.

- Okay, quick stop for supplies. - Can I use your bathroom?

- Want to take a bath? - No.

- You want the can? - Yeah.

Then say so. Inside.

- What's all this stuff? - Whirligigs. He makes them.

His wife used to sell them.

Don't know why he still makes them. She's long gone.

- She died? - She left.

Ran off with the dentist.

That's what I hear, anyway.

Les lets me crash here when my mom and I aren't getting along.

Oh, yeah?

- Where is the bathroom? - Up the stairs.

You gotta jiggle the handle after you flush.

- You go to Mckinley? - Nah, I was home schooled.

Don't play well with others?

Mom's real religious.

What happened to his daughter?

Killed herself.