The Romeo Section (2015) s01e02 Episode Script
Repel Monkey
Previously on the Romeo Section Could be a regime change coming for the Red Mountain Triad.
The top man is ill.
You have a great opportunity.
Are you ready to take it? This is the mythical General Wu? He could tell us what the next 20 years of the heroin trade is going to look like.
I cited something of yours, from your "Perspectives on Opium.
" I can trust you with it? Who is he? A Mexican national, a prosecutor.
He's holed up in a church, trying to claim sanctuary.
I'd really love you if you stopped smoking this shit.
She's talking about telling her husband we're having an affair.
I told you, she's ambitious.
I'm gonna need a new right-hand man, and I'm looking at you.
Dee just asked me, in all fucking seriousness, to kill her husband.
S01E02 Repel Monkey Reporting from Ottawa in the early hours of the morning that two Canadians have been arrested in China on charges of espionage.
Mr.
Daniel Gascoyne and his wife, Martha, were working as school teachers in Guangdong province, and have been well established in the area for over a decade.
Shit.
Shit! Canadian Defense officials have expressed dismay, and deny the Gascoynes are in any way connected Dammit! To any Intelligence apparatus.
I don't know if you heard, but the Gascoynes got pinched.
The whole fucking world heard about it.
When were they picked up? About 48 hours ago.
Jesus Christ.
Anything else you can tell me? I was hoping that you might have heard something.
No, nothing, which is unusual.
Leads me to wonder why not.
Why not? Is this why the Service is looking at me for a leak? For the Gascoyne thing? I'll dig into it.
Have the Gascoynes been active? No.
Quiet.
No meetings that we're aware of.
Should know more in a few hours.
I'd like to get together in person.
Today would be good.
I'll get back to you.
Likewise if you hear anything.
Bastard.
Why is Vince's truck here? I'm tuning it up.
He borrowed my car.
Do you have time to talk? Not really.
Vince is coming to get the truck any minute now Where were you last night? - I called you a million times.
- I turned my phone off.
I had to get some sleep.
You'd better get going.
I'll call you later.
Rufus This is why I called.
Christ Vincent lost his shit on me.
I have to know if you're with me.
I'm with you, but please, he's going to be here any minute now, and I'll see you later.
I got you a present.
I hope you like it.
It's practical anyway.
Thanks.
I'll call you.
I didn't find anything wrong with it.
Probably just something in the fuel line.
Runs fine.
Good news.
You know Dee a long time.
Sure.
Just about as long as I've known you.
So you've noticed she's looking a little cokey.
I wouldn't know, but I guess I've noticed.
She freaks out every time I bring up divorce, goes off on some binge, disappears for a couple nights.
She came creeping in this morning at 6:00 a.
m.
with a black eye.
Says she hit it on a car door.
Could be she was at some crack house, she could be with somebody.
I had to stop caring a long time ago.
I just I just don't want her saying the wrong thing to the wrong person right now.
We got a really good opportunity.
It a game-changer, for me, for everybody, and Dee could really fuck it up.
I can see how that might happen.
So, I figure, if she goes to rehab Rehab? It's Dee you're talking about.
Yeah.
Can't you just buy her out? Dee doesn't want out.
She wants my job.
She wants to run the fuckin' thing.
I really need your help to talk her into rehab.
She respects your opinion.
Until I tell her to go to rehab, then I'm a douchebag.
If I were to try an intervention? Intervention? That's not gonna work.
I'm sorry, man.
If she could see that if she just steps back now, she can live in comfort forever, buy a mountain of crack, whatever.
You gotta help me out.
Sure.
Whatever you want.
Come to my place tomorrow for a barbecue, we'll chill.
You're one of the only sane guys I know, man.
You gotta do what you can.
Okay.
You got a little rattle in the back of your trunk you should check out.
Good morning.
How do you feel? A little bit foggy.
I could sleep forever.
Yeah, well, you've been through a lot.
You make that bed like a man that's been in the military.
Habit.
Listen, I'm afraid I'm going to have to put you through the wringer for the next while.
I'm ready.
You'll have to walk us through it all, your life story.
No mistakes, errors, omissions.
They're very good at their job.
First question, are you in imminent danger here in Canada.
I believe it is quite possible.
Thought I'd find you here.
Wolfgang! Good God.
My movements have become predictable, have they? That's what retirement does.
What's troubling you? I'm wondering if you've heard anything recently.
Don't be silly.
I'm out of the loop.
Well, there's rumors of a leak flying around, and it seems I'm being trotted out for a good smearing.
So your time has come.
You poor thing.
I thought you would find it amusing.
This is what happens when they tire of us, my dear.
We grow bitchy, and too much trouble to keep around.
I didn't really think I was all that bitchy yet.
Nobody does.
Does this have any relation to the recently detained schoolteacher friends? The Gascoynes.
You heard about that, did you? I glance at a newspaper every now and again.
Well, I'm sure the Service thinks I had something to do with the arrests.
Why would they think that? I'm just back from Hong Kong.
The Gascoynes were on the mainland, weren't they? Yes, but Martha, the wife, nipped across the bay to meet me.
No husband.
Just for coffee.
It's never just for coffee with you, though, is it? She was worried that Daniel was having an affair.
It was a personal call.
I'd keep all that under your hat, if possible.
I'm feeling a titch vulnerable on this one.
If The Service is truly concerned about you, three things will come to pass.
One, they will cut you off, take away your cash flow, make it difficult for you to pay your assets.
Two, they'll misdirect your focus.
Have you chasing up dead ends.
And three, they'll slowly begin to feed you rotten intel.
If they haven't begun already.
Watch out for that.
Well, I admit, retirement is starting to sound more enticing, before I wake up on a Chinese prison farm.
I'm gonna go grab lunch and pick up those parts.
Should be back in an hour.
Your father was the oldest.
I thought he was crazy.
But he understood, to make things grow, you need seeds.
No supply.
Every year, it was like beginning all over again.
Boom and bust, bust and boom.
We lost customers.
We were fighting over crumbs.
I worked on the street corner.
Every chance I got, I put away a little bit of product.
Your father did the same.
This way This was how we built the Red Mountain.
A lot of bid names coming through here.
Yes, we have a good term coming up.
There's a gallery opening you might be interested in.
A young artist from Beijing.
It's full, but I can put your name on the list.
I'll be there.
Wonderful.
Okay, we'll do that, then.
So, my paper.
What was your impression? It's very good.
It left me wanting to know more context.
How long is the book intended to be? Currently it's clocking in at a far too brief 1,100 pages, and that's only half done.
Lots of dead ends and dark alleys, just not ready.
I would love to have a peek someday.
Who was running the schoolteachers? Can we do this later? I'm just heading into a meeting.
I won't keep you.
Who was running the Gascoynes? Morrison runs them out of our Beijing office.
What does Morrison got to say for himself? He's shocked like everybody else.
He hasn't seen either of the Gascoynes in weeks.
That's all? That's all, buddy.
Why do I get the sensation I'm being kept in the dark? You are in the dark, I'm in the goddamn dark.
Everybody's got their heads up their asses lately.
You know how this works.
Has anyone asked you anything directly about me? Not yet, but I'll probably get that call.
And? And I'll tell them you're the best man we ever had the privilege of working with.
When's the last time you saw the Gascoynes? Are you really asking me that question? Did you meet with them on your recent trip over there? Well, this is certainly getting formal, isn't it? The answer is no.
Thank you.
Now, I hope that's enough to free up my finances.
I've been waiting for a week for that money wire to drop.
I'll check with accounting.
You can see why a man might be getting paranoid if he wasn't already.
First, they come for your money One thing has nothing to do with the other, I assure you.
I will get you your money.
Oh, I'm so relieved.
I mean, what the fuck? This the recent issue of your rag? Yeah.
You know, I've got a colleague in the department who's been cooking up some pretty good things recently.
Well, have her send over the pitch.
Now, what's the big picture with that triad man? Why the sudden interest? Because if you maybe come up with something big, I.
E.
, the mythical General Wu, that would give them something to think about.
Oh, he's just a myth, is he? Well, where's the evidence? I don't know if he's for real, or if you've been chasing a fucking ghost all this time.
Well, I can't be entirely certain either, to tell you the truth.
But you know what you haven't asked me yet? You haven't asked me anything about our man in the church.
The one that was top priority, remember that one? Have you got someone close to him yet, or what? I'm not a miracle worker.
These things take time.
And by the way, You were supposed to get me the file on him.
You haven't.
There it is.
The story as we know it so far.
Not hungry? You gotta eat, my friend.
Can't eat.
You can't eat? What is this, a hunger strike? Sick.
You're sick because you don't eat.
Have a couple bites, buddy, you'll feel better.
Eva Walker? Can I help you? You could slow down a little.
Do I know you? I'm Rupert Holmby.
I'm a government man.
What is that supposed to mean? Well, it means that you pay part of my salary, if you're the tax-paying sort, which I have my doubts about.
I've seen you before.
That's right.
In the church.
Yes, and I will be more impressed if you can remember what colour tie I was wearing.
You can call that number anytime to verify I'm with the government.
Is there somewhere we can talk? What's wrong with right here? Well it can't be very comfortable.
With that steak stuffed down your back, the one you just boosted from the grocery store.
What would you say if I gave you $50 to go back to the store and pay for it? What the fuck is this? I've got a cushy little job for you, $200 a day, but I need to know that you won't be doing anything stupid like shoplifting in the future.
So, you go back to the store, pay for the steak, and whatever else 50 bucks buys you.
Bring me the receipt, and I'll tell you more about it.
Or you can just keep the steak, and the 50, don't come back, and I'll forget all about you.
I'll wait 10 minutes, that's all.
How do you like your steak? Medium.
Very good.
You're not eating? Not hungry yet.
There you are.
What do you do exactly? To your health.
Dig in.
I don't do very much, really, but I do find good people to do things on my behalf.
Talented people like yourself.
Yeah, what's my talent? Your discrete powers of observation.
What am I supposed to be observing? There's a man hiding in your church, isn't there? There's a lot of men come and go.
I don't pay much attention.
I think you do.
I can offer you $200 every day you report back to me on what you observe inside the church.
What did he do? Who? Miguel.
Is that his name? That's what the minister told me.
There you go.
You see? I'm learning already.
Miguel.
Hello, dear.
Hi.
- Can I help you? - No, just checking.
You like wine? Isn't that the whole point of wine, to like it? I wasn't expecting anybody.
I would have cleaned up.
- I didn't say a word.
- Yeah.
But I can observe you observing.
You'll let me know if you're interested.
Thanks for dinner.
Hey.
You weren't wearing a tie.
I hope you'll decide to help us both out.
So sorry I'm late.
It's still early.
I'm glad you made it.
Where's the man of the hour? That's him, in the dark glasses.
And do his handlers have him on a leash? No, he's a star.
And he's making a killing in the international market.
Cachet.
Art of the oppressed.
I'm more of a classicist myself.
He represents the new freedom of expression in the People's Republic.
Bit of a cultural propaganda campaign.
Well, I guess you go with whatever works.
May I introduce you? Yes.
Ni hao.
This is Professor McGee.
How do you do? I understand from his handler what he really likes to do is to get really drunk and sing opera.
Oh, a man after my liking.
Without the opera bits.
Do you want another? - Sure.
- I should do the rounds, but don't leave without me.
Would you mind? Thank you.
- Hey, hon'.
- Hey.
I brought you takeout.
Ribs and wings.
Thanks.
I'm starving.
So, you been thinking about us? Where we're going? I'm willing to entertain the idea, how's that? I suppose it's a place to start.
First off, the first person they're going to look at for it is you.
You realize that.
Why would you assume that? They always check the spouse out first.
Lots of bangers getting shot, one or two a week.
Lots of people pissed at Vince.
Lotta jealousy in the air, lotta young guns.
Okay, I see you've been doing some thinking on this already.
Little bit.
Just some ideas.
Not sure I wanna share 'em yet.
Only one I'm going to share with is the one who's gonna do it.
Okay, I got a few words to say about it, about the whole approach and I think putting Vince out of the way has gotta be the last step of a very careful plan.
Obviously.
He's just promoted me.
That's huge.
I want to settle in and prove myself first, do my job.
Vince has got the connections My connections mostly.
I went to high school with these guys, Sanjay, Boots, Red? We don't need Vince.
I'm only talking about letting me settle in for a while It's sales.
That's all it is.
It's nothing new.
You could be selling vitamins.
We don't need him.
Go ahead, you were saying.
I'm only talking six months or a year.
So I'm gonna be his punching bag for another year? I'd kill him with my bare hands before the six months was up.
I can't talk to you when you're like this.
Like what? Never mind.
Come on, you opened your mouth, you said it.
You're doing a lotta dope.
So, why you think that is? I'm fucking anxious.
I got Vince, who looks at me like he wants to stick me in a barrel of acid.
You don't see the other side of him, behind closed doors, curtains drawn, when all the poison comes out No, I don't need a fuckin' hug.
I know that we have to be careful and do it right.
I just don't know if you're up to it.
Did I ever tell you about my Turkish towel boy? I would have remembered.
Ah, I'll never top him.
Sources come, and they go.
You invest everything you've got in them.
Everything.
And then it all goes bust.
Then sometimes, something just floats down from the heavens and lands in your lap, and you almost miss it because it's so ludicrous.
I almost missed this one.
That once-in-a-decade asset.
I'm not convinced they exist anymore.
Mind, it was Ottawa in the '80s.
The baths.
The kid was getting banged by everyone, Russians and Americans alike.
Then I opened my eyes and I saw his treasure chest glistening right in front of me.
He had access to the dressing rooms, their clothes, their briefcases, conversations, everything.
Literally with their pants down.
He got less discrete as time went on, but still, I'll never forget that kid.
What's he's doing now? Something fucking brilliant, I hope.
All right, Al, let's set sail, race out to the point and back.
I gotta have a leak.
You hungry? Know what, you can just drop me at the beach, and I'll make my way from there.
You can take the skiff.
Perfect.
There we go.
That's the game Oi! What the fuck are you doing? It's the middle of the fucking night.
It's all right, I've caught the tide.
Thanks, Al! Lovely skiff.
Jesus Christ Professor? What? Someone's here for you.
Sake.
Who? Oh, hi.
Uh, come in.
Thank you.
- Thanks, Kelly.
- Yup.
Come in, please.
I brought umeboshi.
Ah, you are a lifesaver.
- Thank you.
- Have a seat.
How late did it go at the gallery? Oh, just another hour or so.
What a great space this is.
Yes, well, I'm dug in here like a tick.
Someday, there'll have to be an excavation.
Is that your opium book? Uh, part of it.
How long has this been in the works? Uh, better part of a decade now.
Oh.
Yes, the Dean casually suggested the other day that I take a sabbatical to finish it.
Well, that's great.
Well, I'm suspicious.
I think a sabbatical is just the first step towards the exit door.
Nonsense.
Here.
Oh, look at that.
Give it a shot.
How is it? Uh Well, it certainly made me forget about my hangover.
Oh, sorry.
He keeps texting me.
Who? Jiang.
The artist.
You have a fan.
I'm gonna shut it off.
We're ready for you again.
They have these sticks they carry, I don't know what you call it.
Batons.
Yes.
Batons, and that's what they use, and they take it, and they rape you with it and they rape the man next to you with the same baton.
And so on.
When you say "they," is this the police, or the cartels? The police or the cartels.
Yes, but which one was it in this instance? Can you tell me the difference with a blindfold on? The police are the cartels.
The cartels are the police.
And do you know where it was you were being held? No.
I was taken blindfolded and left that way for months.
My eyes have not recovered.
You also have some hearing loss? I am partially deaf.
They fired their guns off beside my head many times.
I have a permanent ringing.
Loud.
Like your church bells.
Why did they pick you up? It was for tax evasion, they said.
My wife, too.
I never saw her again, after they took her away.
The police or the cartels? I told you, they are the same.
You tell Dee you'd take the job.
Yup.
She gave me this.
Okay.
She is the eager type.
She's not convinced I can do it.
If it comes to cutting Dee out of the picture, still think you can do that? How would that work? You'd testify to the feds that she solicited you to commit murder.
Somebody offers her a plea deal.
She gets her half in the divorce and relocates, or she does time.
You'd be in no danger.
Wow.
You've grown attached.
We all do.
You'll get over it.
Dee hit on you yet? Hell no.
She will.
She'll try and poison you against me.
That's not gonna happen.
You'll see.
Just let me know if she has any plans for me and a car bomb.
Yeah.
I'll let you know if I hear anything.
The sooner she's in rehab, the easier I sleep.
You clean out your car? Mm-hmm.
Good.
No questions.
Nope.
I get it.
Hey, Cindy I wanna talk to you about selling the house.
- Yeah? - Yeah.
Don't tell Dee.
Hey, handsome.
Gimme a triple gin and tonic.
Am I going to see you later? I have to hang around and clean up.
Do you like my present? Very thoughtful of you.
Looks good on you.
See? She's trying to wind me up.
I can't take it anymore.
Hello.
Hi.
Are you hungry? There's lots left over in the kitchen.
No.
I'm just craving a cigarette.
You want one of mine? I can't go outside.
Follow me.
Come on.
Oh, wow.
This is really nice up here.
This is great.
It must drive you crazy, being cooped up in here all alone.
I actually find it quite peaceful.
Especially the night time.
What are you guys doing in there? Are they interviewing you? Yes.
About what? About how I got here.
How did you get here? I'm sorry, I don't think I have the energy.
That's okay.
It's none of my business.
But thank you for showing me this place.
I think I'll be needing more cigarettes now that I know it is possible.
I usually leave a pack up here.
You're always welcome to mine whenever you're hurting.
Pneumonia.
We are in the advanced stage now.
Set him up on oxygen.
What do they pay at Western Strategy, do you know? Shh-shh-shh, thinking, thinking.
Hmm, who is this gorgeous woman? Which one? Yeah, looks like somewhere in the Greek Islands.
Uh Oh, that's Marietta.
She was studying witchcraft.
Things got a bit intense.
I was never sure when something strange would end up in my soup.
Lovely though.
Mm-hmm.
All right.
There we go.
Time for cocktails.
"Sanctuary first came into international law "blah-blah-blah-blah "re-emerged during the mass exodus of the 20th Century.
" Okay, and it's right in here that I think you could spice it up and insert this quote from Hugo.
About Quasimodo? It's when you're talking about the demonization of the outsider.
That is Hugo describing the hunchback.
Read it out loud.
"We shall not attempt to give the reader an idea "of that tetrahedron nose, "that horseshoe mouth, "that small left eye "overshadowed by a red bushy brow, "while the right eye disappeared entirely "under an enormous wart, "of those straggling teeth with breaches here and there "like battlements of a fortress, "of that horny lip, "over which one of those teeth projected "like the tusk of an elephant, "of that forked chin, "and, above all, "of the expression diffused over the whole, "that mixture of malice, "astonishment, and melancholy.
"Let the reader, if he can, figure to himself this combination.
" I am not going to speak many words.
Some of us speak different languages, but we all have spoken the same words.
We all have taken the same oath, and that makes us brothers.
Gan Bei! Gan Bei! Out of my house! Out! Get the fuck out! Don't you Don't you fucking touch me! Take your hands off me! Come here, goddamn it! Get the fuck Don't touch me! Fuck away from me! You little bitch, you little bitch! Get the fuck out of the way! You fuckin' Get! Out! Out of my house! Out! Looks like I'm staying at your place.
Is Dee okay? She's just getting started.
Let's go.
Out of my fucking house! Get the fuck out! And last but not least, an interesting report from the west coast.
Romeo 1.
Saving the best for last.
What does he got to say for himself? Or herself? Do we know which by the way? No, sir.
I'd be curious.
- Go on.
- Yes, sir.
The gist of it is, Romeo reports that the capital inflow from the People's Republic remains unabated, if anything, it's an uptick, and that's consistent with patterns globally.
The PRC appears to be covering all bets.
In Beijing, under cover of an anti-corruption action, the new regime is targeting opponents in a broad smear campaign, to great success.
Same old ball game.
There's more about that, then another bit on the events in Latin America, and Romeo's opinion on the teachers detained in the Guangdong Province.
Okay, you leave that with me.
And that's enough for now, thanks.
Thank you, Prime Minister.
The top man is ill.
You have a great opportunity.
Are you ready to take it? This is the mythical General Wu? He could tell us what the next 20 years of the heroin trade is going to look like.
I cited something of yours, from your "Perspectives on Opium.
" I can trust you with it? Who is he? A Mexican national, a prosecutor.
He's holed up in a church, trying to claim sanctuary.
I'd really love you if you stopped smoking this shit.
She's talking about telling her husband we're having an affair.
I told you, she's ambitious.
I'm gonna need a new right-hand man, and I'm looking at you.
Dee just asked me, in all fucking seriousness, to kill her husband.
S01E02 Repel Monkey Reporting from Ottawa in the early hours of the morning that two Canadians have been arrested in China on charges of espionage.
Mr.
Daniel Gascoyne and his wife, Martha, were working as school teachers in Guangdong province, and have been well established in the area for over a decade.
Shit.
Shit! Canadian Defense officials have expressed dismay, and deny the Gascoynes are in any way connected Dammit! To any Intelligence apparatus.
I don't know if you heard, but the Gascoynes got pinched.
The whole fucking world heard about it.
When were they picked up? About 48 hours ago.
Jesus Christ.
Anything else you can tell me? I was hoping that you might have heard something.
No, nothing, which is unusual.
Leads me to wonder why not.
Why not? Is this why the Service is looking at me for a leak? For the Gascoyne thing? I'll dig into it.
Have the Gascoynes been active? No.
Quiet.
No meetings that we're aware of.
Should know more in a few hours.
I'd like to get together in person.
Today would be good.
I'll get back to you.
Likewise if you hear anything.
Bastard.
Why is Vince's truck here? I'm tuning it up.
He borrowed my car.
Do you have time to talk? Not really.
Vince is coming to get the truck any minute now Where were you last night? - I called you a million times.
- I turned my phone off.
I had to get some sleep.
You'd better get going.
I'll call you later.
Rufus This is why I called.
Christ Vincent lost his shit on me.
I have to know if you're with me.
I'm with you, but please, he's going to be here any minute now, and I'll see you later.
I got you a present.
I hope you like it.
It's practical anyway.
Thanks.
I'll call you.
I didn't find anything wrong with it.
Probably just something in the fuel line.
Runs fine.
Good news.
You know Dee a long time.
Sure.
Just about as long as I've known you.
So you've noticed she's looking a little cokey.
I wouldn't know, but I guess I've noticed.
She freaks out every time I bring up divorce, goes off on some binge, disappears for a couple nights.
She came creeping in this morning at 6:00 a.
m.
with a black eye.
Says she hit it on a car door.
Could be she was at some crack house, she could be with somebody.
I had to stop caring a long time ago.
I just I just don't want her saying the wrong thing to the wrong person right now.
We got a really good opportunity.
It a game-changer, for me, for everybody, and Dee could really fuck it up.
I can see how that might happen.
So, I figure, if she goes to rehab Rehab? It's Dee you're talking about.
Yeah.
Can't you just buy her out? Dee doesn't want out.
She wants my job.
She wants to run the fuckin' thing.
I really need your help to talk her into rehab.
She respects your opinion.
Until I tell her to go to rehab, then I'm a douchebag.
If I were to try an intervention? Intervention? That's not gonna work.
I'm sorry, man.
If she could see that if she just steps back now, she can live in comfort forever, buy a mountain of crack, whatever.
You gotta help me out.
Sure.
Whatever you want.
Come to my place tomorrow for a barbecue, we'll chill.
You're one of the only sane guys I know, man.
You gotta do what you can.
Okay.
You got a little rattle in the back of your trunk you should check out.
Good morning.
How do you feel? A little bit foggy.
I could sleep forever.
Yeah, well, you've been through a lot.
You make that bed like a man that's been in the military.
Habit.
Listen, I'm afraid I'm going to have to put you through the wringer for the next while.
I'm ready.
You'll have to walk us through it all, your life story.
No mistakes, errors, omissions.
They're very good at their job.
First question, are you in imminent danger here in Canada.
I believe it is quite possible.
Thought I'd find you here.
Wolfgang! Good God.
My movements have become predictable, have they? That's what retirement does.
What's troubling you? I'm wondering if you've heard anything recently.
Don't be silly.
I'm out of the loop.
Well, there's rumors of a leak flying around, and it seems I'm being trotted out for a good smearing.
So your time has come.
You poor thing.
I thought you would find it amusing.
This is what happens when they tire of us, my dear.
We grow bitchy, and too much trouble to keep around.
I didn't really think I was all that bitchy yet.
Nobody does.
Does this have any relation to the recently detained schoolteacher friends? The Gascoynes.
You heard about that, did you? I glance at a newspaper every now and again.
Well, I'm sure the Service thinks I had something to do with the arrests.
Why would they think that? I'm just back from Hong Kong.
The Gascoynes were on the mainland, weren't they? Yes, but Martha, the wife, nipped across the bay to meet me.
No husband.
Just for coffee.
It's never just for coffee with you, though, is it? She was worried that Daniel was having an affair.
It was a personal call.
I'd keep all that under your hat, if possible.
I'm feeling a titch vulnerable on this one.
If The Service is truly concerned about you, three things will come to pass.
One, they will cut you off, take away your cash flow, make it difficult for you to pay your assets.
Two, they'll misdirect your focus.
Have you chasing up dead ends.
And three, they'll slowly begin to feed you rotten intel.
If they haven't begun already.
Watch out for that.
Well, I admit, retirement is starting to sound more enticing, before I wake up on a Chinese prison farm.
I'm gonna go grab lunch and pick up those parts.
Should be back in an hour.
Your father was the oldest.
I thought he was crazy.
But he understood, to make things grow, you need seeds.
No supply.
Every year, it was like beginning all over again.
Boom and bust, bust and boom.
We lost customers.
We were fighting over crumbs.
I worked on the street corner.
Every chance I got, I put away a little bit of product.
Your father did the same.
This way This was how we built the Red Mountain.
A lot of bid names coming through here.
Yes, we have a good term coming up.
There's a gallery opening you might be interested in.
A young artist from Beijing.
It's full, but I can put your name on the list.
I'll be there.
Wonderful.
Okay, we'll do that, then.
So, my paper.
What was your impression? It's very good.
It left me wanting to know more context.
How long is the book intended to be? Currently it's clocking in at a far too brief 1,100 pages, and that's only half done.
Lots of dead ends and dark alleys, just not ready.
I would love to have a peek someday.
Who was running the schoolteachers? Can we do this later? I'm just heading into a meeting.
I won't keep you.
Who was running the Gascoynes? Morrison runs them out of our Beijing office.
What does Morrison got to say for himself? He's shocked like everybody else.
He hasn't seen either of the Gascoynes in weeks.
That's all? That's all, buddy.
Why do I get the sensation I'm being kept in the dark? You are in the dark, I'm in the goddamn dark.
Everybody's got their heads up their asses lately.
You know how this works.
Has anyone asked you anything directly about me? Not yet, but I'll probably get that call.
And? And I'll tell them you're the best man we ever had the privilege of working with.
When's the last time you saw the Gascoynes? Are you really asking me that question? Did you meet with them on your recent trip over there? Well, this is certainly getting formal, isn't it? The answer is no.
Thank you.
Now, I hope that's enough to free up my finances.
I've been waiting for a week for that money wire to drop.
I'll check with accounting.
You can see why a man might be getting paranoid if he wasn't already.
First, they come for your money One thing has nothing to do with the other, I assure you.
I will get you your money.
Oh, I'm so relieved.
I mean, what the fuck? This the recent issue of your rag? Yeah.
You know, I've got a colleague in the department who's been cooking up some pretty good things recently.
Well, have her send over the pitch.
Now, what's the big picture with that triad man? Why the sudden interest? Because if you maybe come up with something big, I.
E.
, the mythical General Wu, that would give them something to think about.
Oh, he's just a myth, is he? Well, where's the evidence? I don't know if he's for real, or if you've been chasing a fucking ghost all this time.
Well, I can't be entirely certain either, to tell you the truth.
But you know what you haven't asked me yet? You haven't asked me anything about our man in the church.
The one that was top priority, remember that one? Have you got someone close to him yet, or what? I'm not a miracle worker.
These things take time.
And by the way, You were supposed to get me the file on him.
You haven't.
There it is.
The story as we know it so far.
Not hungry? You gotta eat, my friend.
Can't eat.
You can't eat? What is this, a hunger strike? Sick.
You're sick because you don't eat.
Have a couple bites, buddy, you'll feel better.
Eva Walker? Can I help you? You could slow down a little.
Do I know you? I'm Rupert Holmby.
I'm a government man.
What is that supposed to mean? Well, it means that you pay part of my salary, if you're the tax-paying sort, which I have my doubts about.
I've seen you before.
That's right.
In the church.
Yes, and I will be more impressed if you can remember what colour tie I was wearing.
You can call that number anytime to verify I'm with the government.
Is there somewhere we can talk? What's wrong with right here? Well it can't be very comfortable.
With that steak stuffed down your back, the one you just boosted from the grocery store.
What would you say if I gave you $50 to go back to the store and pay for it? What the fuck is this? I've got a cushy little job for you, $200 a day, but I need to know that you won't be doing anything stupid like shoplifting in the future.
So, you go back to the store, pay for the steak, and whatever else 50 bucks buys you.
Bring me the receipt, and I'll tell you more about it.
Or you can just keep the steak, and the 50, don't come back, and I'll forget all about you.
I'll wait 10 minutes, that's all.
How do you like your steak? Medium.
Very good.
You're not eating? Not hungry yet.
There you are.
What do you do exactly? To your health.
Dig in.
I don't do very much, really, but I do find good people to do things on my behalf.
Talented people like yourself.
Yeah, what's my talent? Your discrete powers of observation.
What am I supposed to be observing? There's a man hiding in your church, isn't there? There's a lot of men come and go.
I don't pay much attention.
I think you do.
I can offer you $200 every day you report back to me on what you observe inside the church.
What did he do? Who? Miguel.
Is that his name? That's what the minister told me.
There you go.
You see? I'm learning already.
Miguel.
Hello, dear.
Hi.
- Can I help you? - No, just checking.
You like wine? Isn't that the whole point of wine, to like it? I wasn't expecting anybody.
I would have cleaned up.
- I didn't say a word.
- Yeah.
But I can observe you observing.
You'll let me know if you're interested.
Thanks for dinner.
Hey.
You weren't wearing a tie.
I hope you'll decide to help us both out.
So sorry I'm late.
It's still early.
I'm glad you made it.
Where's the man of the hour? That's him, in the dark glasses.
And do his handlers have him on a leash? No, he's a star.
And he's making a killing in the international market.
Cachet.
Art of the oppressed.
I'm more of a classicist myself.
He represents the new freedom of expression in the People's Republic.
Bit of a cultural propaganda campaign.
Well, I guess you go with whatever works.
May I introduce you? Yes.
Ni hao.
This is Professor McGee.
How do you do? I understand from his handler what he really likes to do is to get really drunk and sing opera.
Oh, a man after my liking.
Without the opera bits.
Do you want another? - Sure.
- I should do the rounds, but don't leave without me.
Would you mind? Thank you.
- Hey, hon'.
- Hey.
I brought you takeout.
Ribs and wings.
Thanks.
I'm starving.
So, you been thinking about us? Where we're going? I'm willing to entertain the idea, how's that? I suppose it's a place to start.
First off, the first person they're going to look at for it is you.
You realize that.
Why would you assume that? They always check the spouse out first.
Lots of bangers getting shot, one or two a week.
Lots of people pissed at Vince.
Lotta jealousy in the air, lotta young guns.
Okay, I see you've been doing some thinking on this already.
Little bit.
Just some ideas.
Not sure I wanna share 'em yet.
Only one I'm going to share with is the one who's gonna do it.
Okay, I got a few words to say about it, about the whole approach and I think putting Vince out of the way has gotta be the last step of a very careful plan.
Obviously.
He's just promoted me.
That's huge.
I want to settle in and prove myself first, do my job.
Vince has got the connections My connections mostly.
I went to high school with these guys, Sanjay, Boots, Red? We don't need Vince.
I'm only talking about letting me settle in for a while It's sales.
That's all it is.
It's nothing new.
You could be selling vitamins.
We don't need him.
Go ahead, you were saying.
I'm only talking six months or a year.
So I'm gonna be his punching bag for another year? I'd kill him with my bare hands before the six months was up.
I can't talk to you when you're like this.
Like what? Never mind.
Come on, you opened your mouth, you said it.
You're doing a lotta dope.
So, why you think that is? I'm fucking anxious.
I got Vince, who looks at me like he wants to stick me in a barrel of acid.
You don't see the other side of him, behind closed doors, curtains drawn, when all the poison comes out No, I don't need a fuckin' hug.
I know that we have to be careful and do it right.
I just don't know if you're up to it.
Did I ever tell you about my Turkish towel boy? I would have remembered.
Ah, I'll never top him.
Sources come, and they go.
You invest everything you've got in them.
Everything.
And then it all goes bust.
Then sometimes, something just floats down from the heavens and lands in your lap, and you almost miss it because it's so ludicrous.
I almost missed this one.
That once-in-a-decade asset.
I'm not convinced they exist anymore.
Mind, it was Ottawa in the '80s.
The baths.
The kid was getting banged by everyone, Russians and Americans alike.
Then I opened my eyes and I saw his treasure chest glistening right in front of me.
He had access to the dressing rooms, their clothes, their briefcases, conversations, everything.
Literally with their pants down.
He got less discrete as time went on, but still, I'll never forget that kid.
What's he's doing now? Something fucking brilliant, I hope.
All right, Al, let's set sail, race out to the point and back.
I gotta have a leak.
You hungry? Know what, you can just drop me at the beach, and I'll make my way from there.
You can take the skiff.
Perfect.
There we go.
That's the game Oi! What the fuck are you doing? It's the middle of the fucking night.
It's all right, I've caught the tide.
Thanks, Al! Lovely skiff.
Jesus Christ Professor? What? Someone's here for you.
Sake.
Who? Oh, hi.
Uh, come in.
Thank you.
- Thanks, Kelly.
- Yup.
Come in, please.
I brought umeboshi.
Ah, you are a lifesaver.
- Thank you.
- Have a seat.
How late did it go at the gallery? Oh, just another hour or so.
What a great space this is.
Yes, well, I'm dug in here like a tick.
Someday, there'll have to be an excavation.
Is that your opium book? Uh, part of it.
How long has this been in the works? Uh, better part of a decade now.
Oh.
Yes, the Dean casually suggested the other day that I take a sabbatical to finish it.
Well, that's great.
Well, I'm suspicious.
I think a sabbatical is just the first step towards the exit door.
Nonsense.
Here.
Oh, look at that.
Give it a shot.
How is it? Uh Well, it certainly made me forget about my hangover.
Oh, sorry.
He keeps texting me.
Who? Jiang.
The artist.
You have a fan.
I'm gonna shut it off.
We're ready for you again.
They have these sticks they carry, I don't know what you call it.
Batons.
Yes.
Batons, and that's what they use, and they take it, and they rape you with it and they rape the man next to you with the same baton.
And so on.
When you say "they," is this the police, or the cartels? The police or the cartels.
Yes, but which one was it in this instance? Can you tell me the difference with a blindfold on? The police are the cartels.
The cartels are the police.
And do you know where it was you were being held? No.
I was taken blindfolded and left that way for months.
My eyes have not recovered.
You also have some hearing loss? I am partially deaf.
They fired their guns off beside my head many times.
I have a permanent ringing.
Loud.
Like your church bells.
Why did they pick you up? It was for tax evasion, they said.
My wife, too.
I never saw her again, after they took her away.
The police or the cartels? I told you, they are the same.
You tell Dee you'd take the job.
Yup.
She gave me this.
Okay.
She is the eager type.
She's not convinced I can do it.
If it comes to cutting Dee out of the picture, still think you can do that? How would that work? You'd testify to the feds that she solicited you to commit murder.
Somebody offers her a plea deal.
She gets her half in the divorce and relocates, or she does time.
You'd be in no danger.
Wow.
You've grown attached.
We all do.
You'll get over it.
Dee hit on you yet? Hell no.
She will.
She'll try and poison you against me.
That's not gonna happen.
You'll see.
Just let me know if she has any plans for me and a car bomb.
Yeah.
I'll let you know if I hear anything.
The sooner she's in rehab, the easier I sleep.
You clean out your car? Mm-hmm.
Good.
No questions.
Nope.
I get it.
Hey, Cindy I wanna talk to you about selling the house.
- Yeah? - Yeah.
Don't tell Dee.
Hey, handsome.
Gimme a triple gin and tonic.
Am I going to see you later? I have to hang around and clean up.
Do you like my present? Very thoughtful of you.
Looks good on you.
See? She's trying to wind me up.
I can't take it anymore.
Hello.
Hi.
Are you hungry? There's lots left over in the kitchen.
No.
I'm just craving a cigarette.
You want one of mine? I can't go outside.
Follow me.
Come on.
Oh, wow.
This is really nice up here.
This is great.
It must drive you crazy, being cooped up in here all alone.
I actually find it quite peaceful.
Especially the night time.
What are you guys doing in there? Are they interviewing you? Yes.
About what? About how I got here.
How did you get here? I'm sorry, I don't think I have the energy.
That's okay.
It's none of my business.
But thank you for showing me this place.
I think I'll be needing more cigarettes now that I know it is possible.
I usually leave a pack up here.
You're always welcome to mine whenever you're hurting.
Pneumonia.
We are in the advanced stage now.
Set him up on oxygen.
What do they pay at Western Strategy, do you know? Shh-shh-shh, thinking, thinking.
Hmm, who is this gorgeous woman? Which one? Yeah, looks like somewhere in the Greek Islands.
Uh Oh, that's Marietta.
She was studying witchcraft.
Things got a bit intense.
I was never sure when something strange would end up in my soup.
Lovely though.
Mm-hmm.
All right.
There we go.
Time for cocktails.
"Sanctuary first came into international law "blah-blah-blah-blah "re-emerged during the mass exodus of the 20th Century.
" Okay, and it's right in here that I think you could spice it up and insert this quote from Hugo.
About Quasimodo? It's when you're talking about the demonization of the outsider.
That is Hugo describing the hunchback.
Read it out loud.
"We shall not attempt to give the reader an idea "of that tetrahedron nose, "that horseshoe mouth, "that small left eye "overshadowed by a red bushy brow, "while the right eye disappeared entirely "under an enormous wart, "of those straggling teeth with breaches here and there "like battlements of a fortress, "of that horny lip, "over which one of those teeth projected "like the tusk of an elephant, "of that forked chin, "and, above all, "of the expression diffused over the whole, "that mixture of malice, "astonishment, and melancholy.
"Let the reader, if he can, figure to himself this combination.
" I am not going to speak many words.
Some of us speak different languages, but we all have spoken the same words.
We all have taken the same oath, and that makes us brothers.
Gan Bei! Gan Bei! Out of my house! Out! Get the fuck out! Don't you Don't you fucking touch me! Take your hands off me! Come here, goddamn it! Get the fuck Don't touch me! Fuck away from me! You little bitch, you little bitch! Get the fuck out of the way! You fuckin' Get! Out! Out of my house! Out! Looks like I'm staying at your place.
Is Dee okay? She's just getting started.
Let's go.
Out of my fucking house! Get the fuck out! And last but not least, an interesting report from the west coast.
Romeo 1.
Saving the best for last.
What does he got to say for himself? Or herself? Do we know which by the way? No, sir.
I'd be curious.
- Go on.
- Yes, sir.
The gist of it is, Romeo reports that the capital inflow from the People's Republic remains unabated, if anything, it's an uptick, and that's consistent with patterns globally.
The PRC appears to be covering all bets.
In Beijing, under cover of an anti-corruption action, the new regime is targeting opponents in a broad smear campaign, to great success.
Same old ball game.
There's more about that, then another bit on the events in Latin America, and Romeo's opinion on the teachers detained in the Guangdong Province.
Okay, you leave that with me.
And that's enough for now, thanks.
Thank you, Prime Minister.