American Rust (2021) s01e09 Episode Script

Denmark

1
Previously on "American Rust"
[GRACE] Thank you for taking me in.
[HARRIS] You can stay
here as long as you need to.
My son is gonna spend
the rest of his life
in that prison,
and he's not gonna make it.
[MILO] Tomorrow, down that hallway.
That's where you're gonna take him out.
He needs to cease
existing.
Nod twice to let me know
you understand your mission.
[GRUNTING]
Picked the wrong group
to fuck with, Poe.
Good luck with the Aryans
when you get out of here.
Wesley Ives? We'd like
to ask him a few questions.
Well, he died.
That Buick's been sitting
outside since he passed.
[HARRIS] Hi, Karl.
- We thought we'd find you here.
- Oh. Right.
Well, that's not mine, Harris.
I swear on my mother.
I've been thinking a lot
about your brother.
I made things tough for him.
Maybe it's a good thing he left.
And where's Billy now?
[ISAAC] He was charged with murder one,
for the man I killed.
I think he's giving up his life for me.
Seems like you have
a big decision to make.
[JACKSON] I'll bet my flat, white ass
that Nimrod'll take
a fucking deal from the D.A.
and rat us out.
[HARRIS] I know where he is.
- That Bobby guy.
- [GRACE] You found him?
[HARRIS] I know what has to be done.
[EXHALES]
[MICHAEL] You hanging in there?
[BOBBY] A little lonely,
to tell you the truth.
[MICHAEL] I bet. [CHUCKLES]
I mean, she's a nice old lady,
but she can't hear a fucking thing
so I'm yelling all the time.
And I'm a gentle soul,
so it don't feel right.
You'd shoot your sister if you had to.
I don't have a sister.
No, I know. I'm just
- Look out, my friend.
- Oh, Jesus.
[BOBBY] Set a few of those
out on the property
in case anyone comes snooping around.
I'll tell you the one person
who's been messing
- with my equilibrium.
- Hmm?
Jackson's such a pussy
the last few days.
They'll never be able to track it back
to his piece-of-shit pharmacy.
- That's right.
- I mean,
you haven't been dealing lately?
Nah, I'm keeping a low profile.
Haven't sold anything in days,
which sucks for my wallet, but at least
I don't have the cops knocking
on my door.
Good. That's good.
Man, I just pawned my watch.
You know,
I'm sacrificing a whole hell of a lot,
just so that you could
[GASPING, WHEEZING]
- [GRUNTING]
- [GRUNTING]
[BOTH GRUNTING]
- [GRUNTS SHARPLY]
- [GASPS]
[BOBBY PANTING]
[SOFT, DRAMATIC MUSIC]


[INDISTINCT, DISTANT CHATTER]
Thanks.
Don't get too comfortable.
You go back out soon.
- Back where?
- General population.
Why?
I thought I was supposed
to be here for at least a week.
I'm just telling you what I heard.
You know it's not safe for me.
Who makes the decision?
In this place?
Guards, inmates, the warden.
It's hard to tell sometimes.
Just know it's coming.
[SLOW, DRAMATIC MUSIC]

[CAR ALARM CHIRPS]
[SNIFFLES]
[GRUNTS]
[SIGHS, SNIFFLES]
[ENGINE STARTS]

[GRUNTS]
Hey, Daddy?
I have a bit of money
from selling the car.
Not a huge amount, but enough
if we're careful with it.
I'm ready to do what I should
have done a long time ago:
take care of my family.
Maybe eventually
I'll enroll at Pitt Law,
but for now, what I know is that
this is the right place for me.
This is home.
Lee, this isn't what I meant to happen.
What does that mean?
You made a whole life
for yourself on the East Coast.
I didn't intend to drag you back
to Buell forever.
You didn't drag me.
I came here because I wanted to.
You came because I called you
in the middle of the night
and told you to.
Since you've been here,
I'm seeing how hard
I push people to do
what I want them to do.
A month before your mother died,
she told me she'd been dreaming
about going back to Mexico
after both you and Isaac left
for college.
Just having these dreams, over and over.
You know what I did?
I cut her out of our bank account
so she wouldn't take money and run off.
Started leaving her a few
dollars every day for groceries.
Taking care of me
was killing your mother.
I won't be responsible
for that happening to you.
It isn't your decision.
Maybe we've all had enough
of you making decisions
for other people.
I have spent so long
trying to figure out
where I belong.
I adapted, I contorted myself
to fit in every place I went.
In New York City, in New Haven.
Now I just want to be home
and take care of my father.
Why is that wrong?
[DRAMATIC, PULSATING MUSIC]

[BEEPING]

[ENTRY BELL JINGLES]
[HARRIS] Hey, buddy.
Got some, uh, new wheels?
Yeah, I'm sick
of driving my truck everywhere.
Found this old beauty, couldn't resist.
Let me buy you a drink.
All right.
[DOOR SQUEAKS OPEN]
It was basically a disaster
for me. Couldn't sit still.
Joined the Army as soon as I graduated.
Bet it was a different story for you.
Even so, I remember a few things
from high school.
Couple morsels of information
lodged themselves one place or another.
Here's one Tenth grade, all right?
I remember one line from one play.
How about that? Huh? [CHUCKLES]
No idea which play,
but I'll tell you something. I like it,
and I say it to myself from time to time
whenever something's screwed up.
Actually, it was two lines.
One guy says to the other,
he says, "Something's rotten in"
Somewhere. I don't remember.
Who the fuck knows? But it was true.
Something was rotten,
wherever they were.
But you know what? What stuck
with me was the next line.
The next guy says,
"Heaven will direct it."
That line, that answer
has always comforted me.
'Cause we're all going out of
our minds down here, you know?
Trying to control things, you know?
But at the end of the day,
God's got it taken care of.
We can't help driving ourselves
crazy, you know?
Trying to fix the rotten stuff,
trying to cut out the cancer.
But Heaven's got a plan, and
we're all just carrying it out.
I'm-I'm carrying it out.
I'm carrying out God's plan.
You know what I'm saying?
[CHLOE] Denmark.
What's that?
Rotten in Denmark.
You're right. That's what it was.
You clearly did better
in school than I did.
Everybody did better
than you did, Chief.
Ha! She's right.
Mmm.
- Del, are you feeling all right?
- Ah.
I'm feeling great. Why? [SNIFFLES]
Well, you seem a little wound up.
Seriously, going cold turkey,
dropping all your meds
at once, that's-that's hard.
I'm feeling great. I'm doing God's work.
That's what I'm saying. [CHUCKLES]
I shouldn't tell you this.
Trent, the football player?
Mm-hmm?
His local dealer's starting to spill.
Which whoever gets the intel,
me, the sheriff, who fucking cares
But it's good for the community.
Get to the bottom of this drug
dealing that's killing people.
Make the arrests,
cut out the cancer. God's plan.
You want another drink?
Uh, no, no. I'm good. I
Come on! Have another drink with me.
Celebrate the downfall
of illicit narcotics in Fayette County.
The brotherhood of man pulling together
- to cut out the rotten
- [PHONE RINGING]
Goddamn it.
[SIGHS]
Excuse me a sec. Yeah?
Steve, slow down.
[SLOW, DRAMATIC MUSIC]
Are you sure?
We got clearance to cross state lines?
All right, I'm not in my truck. I
I'm coming anyways. Yeah.
Sorry, bud.
Could you cover the drinks
this time? I got to roll.
- Mm-hmm.
- Rip out the cancer.
Cut the whole thing out.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]

[SIGHS]
[DOG PANTING LOUDLY]
[SLOW, SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]

[ENGINE STARTS]

[ENGINE REVVING]

[SIGHS]
[PANTING]
[TIRES SQUEAL]
[TIRES SQUEAL]


[INSECTS CHIRRING]
[PANTING]
[INSECTS CHIRRING]
[INSECTS CHIRRING]
[MAN ON TV] Glad to know you, Doctor.
[MAN ON TV 2]
Well, what brings you here?
[MAN] I'm curious about
Cannonball McKay and Clem Jones.
[MAN 2] Reckon nobody
knows much about them, friend.
Not even me, and I'm Clem's doctor.
[MAN] Oh? Something wrong with him?
[MAN 2] Poor old fella has a bad arm.
Hurt it years ago
in that stagecoach holdup
- that sent him to jail.
- [MAN] I see.
But if Cannonball's
as harmless as they say,
why should he take
in an ex-convict as a partner?
[MAN 2] That's something
we'd all like to know,
but Cannonball won't talk.
[MAN] Marshal, I'd like
a closer look at those two.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER ON TV]
[MAN 2] The stage is due in
any minute now.
- [MAN 2] So long.
- [MAN] Fine.
[CANNONBALL MCKAY] Hurry up, Collins.
I got to shove on to Rustfield
in ten minutes.
[MAN 3] You're not shoving on
to anywhere, Cannonball.
What do you mean? My contract
with Wells Fargo's still good.
Pulling out of here on schedule.
No, you're not.
Wells Fargo's not gonna lose
any shipments if I can help it.
Well, I never lost them a
shipment of gold yet, have I?
[MAN 3] No, but you never had
a crook working for you.
Not until now.
[MAN 4] Nobody's gonna call me
a crook again.
[MAN 3] Oh, no?
[INDISTINCT CHATTER ON TV]
the last shot you'll ever fire.
[MAN 4] Put up your gun.
- [GRUNTS]
- [GRUNTS]
[BOTH GRUNTING]
[SHOUTS]
[GROANING]
[GRUNTING]
- [PANTING SOFTLY]
- [GRUNTING]
- [GUNSHOT]
- [PANTING]
[INDISTINCT CHATTER ON TV]
[DRAMATIC, SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]

[PANTING]
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATION
ON TV CONTINUES]
[CONTINUES PANTING]
[GUN SLIDE RACKS]
Okay, now. Let's not
[PANTING]
[SOMBER, DRAMATIC MUSIC]

[EXHALES]
[PANTING]
[GRUNTS]
[GRUNTING, PANTING]
[GROANS]
Okay.
Ow.
[GRUNTING, PANTING]

[LINE RINGS]
[DISPATCHER] 911. What's your emergency?
Hello? 911. What's your emergency?
Hello?
[QUIET, EERIE MUSIC]

[PULSING, DRAMATIC MUSIC]

[SIRENS WAILING]
[INTRIGUING, DRAMATIC MUSIC]


[ENGINE TURNS OFF]
[PANTING]
Ow.
[EXHALES, GROANS]
[GRUNTS, PANTING]
[GRUNTS, GROANS]
[PANTING]
[WHISPERS] Fuck.
[GRUNTS]
[PANTING]
[GRUNTING]
[GRUNTING, PANTING]
[SNIFFLES]
[ENGINE SHUTS OFF]
[DOG BARKING]
[HARRIS PANTING]
Is it done?
I'm almost finished.
[HARRIS GRUNTS]
[GRACE] Shh, shh, shh, shh, shh, shh.
- [GRUNTS]
- Just a few more,
and
what's done is done.
[HARRIS BREATHING HEAVILY]
Do you want to tell me how you got shot?
I can't talk about it.
It's okay. You don't have to.
So long as no one saw,
- no one will know.
- [EXHALES]
No one saw.
Good.
- [HARRIS EXHALES]
- [GLASS CLINKS]
I picked up your phone from the ash can.
Brought it back here. It's been on
and charging all night.
- [GLASS CLINKS]
- [HARRIS EXHALES]
It'll show the one call from me
while you were at the bar
and then you staying at the bar
for a bit
and then the phone traveling back here
to the cabin.
[PANTING]
[GLASS CLINKS]
I think I need to sew that one up.
[PACKAGING RUSTLES]
And soon enough,
when they identify
the dealer
that named Billy,
the case is gonna fall apart.
Two dealers gone.
And my son is free.
All 'cause of you.
Take a long drink, baby.
That's good. Take another one.
There is a balance
between good and evil in the world.
[GENTLE, DRAMATIC MUSIC]
Tonight,
that balance just shifted
a little more towards good.
You bring good into the world, Del.

[HARRIS GRUNTS]
[GRUNTS, EXHALES]
[TRAIN WHISTLE BLOWING]
[BIRDS SINGING]

[SIGHS]


- [WIND BLOWING]
- [CREAKING]
- [VEHICLE APPROACHING]
- [BREATHES DEEPLY]
[BRAKES SCREECH]
[BUS DOOR OPENS]
[DRIVER] Watch your step.
- Hey.
- Hey, buddy.
- Open nine.
- Copy.
[LOCK BUZZES, LATCH CLICKS]
[DOOR CLANGS]
Up. Let's go.
Back with everybody else.
Come on, it's time to go.
[SIGHS]
I'm not gonna resist.
[ROBINSON] No, you're not.
All I ask is you deliver one message,
for me.
I don't do that kind of thing.
To a woman named LeeAnn English.
Just do it.
If something bad happens to me,
deliver the message.
She works with the public
defender I got assigned.
Tell her I said this:
"I kept my promise."
[SNIFFLES]
[TENSE, DRAMATIC MUSIC]

Close nine.
[LOCK BUZZES, LATCH CLICKS]
He's all yours.
General population.
All right, Dad, I have to get going.
After work, I'll get something
to cook for dinner.
- Pork chops okay?
- Sure.
With string beans or broccoli?
Or just a salad, maybe?
Your choice.
We got a whole routine going here.
Routine's the way to get things done.
Don't get into any trouble.
Not me.
[CHUCKLES SOFTLY]
[DOOR OPENS]
[DOOR CLOSES]
[NEWSWOMAN] Officers
uncovered a triple homicide
- Morning.
- [OFFINGER] Hey.
- You seen this?
- southeast of Morgantown.
Local police
aren't releasing names as of yet, but
Hold on
Just getting this.
Okay. So, now police are saying
another body has been found
on the property.
[EXHALES]
[PANTING SOFTLY] Ow.
[EXHALES]
It's gonna be a good day.
Maybe it will be.
It will be.
Call me if you hear anything.
[FRANK] They're gonna
release names in an hour.
What you need to know is
we finally got a positive ID
for our anonymous witness. Robert Lord.
Turns out there was a good reason
people called him Jesus.
[CHUCKLES] Aside from the beard
and the long hair.
Is that your punch line?
The punch line is he's dead.
Punch line number two
Jackson Berg, the pharmacist in Buell?
He's dead, too.
Looks like they shot each other.
Now,
maybe it was a lovers' quarrel,
but more likely,
Jackson was supplying to Lord Jesus,
and they had somewhat of a disagreement.
And get this. Jackson's second cousin,
87-year-old woman who owned the cabin?
She's also dead.
She was clutching a pump-action shotgun
when one of them popped her
clean through the chest.
Hope she got a shot off.
I can find that out for you.
Wouldn't be the worst way to go.
In a shootout, holding your rifle.
Given all the other possibilities.
That's one way of looking at it.
Projecting ahead to when I'm 87. [SIGHS]
That's what you want,
I hope you get your wish.
But another way of looking at it, Frank,
is it would have been
extremely fucking swell
for the county sheriff to have
tracked down our star witness
- before the local pharmacist did.
- All right, Sue.
But let's you and me
just concentrate on next steps.
The next step is I probably need
to get on the judge's docket
to discuss releasing Billy Poe.
I've got no case against him now.
I don't like it any more than you do.
Is that right? Because
I've been under the impression
that you haven't been fully
on board this one from the jump.
You're right. I haven't been.
I thought you went after Poe too early.
I told you that at the time,
but you dragged me into this,
and I am deep in now.
I booked him. You charged him.
I find the notion of just letting him go
truly fucking embarrassing,
so thank you for that.
[OMINOUS, DRAMATIC MUSIC]

[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
- [LOCK BUZZES]
- [CHATTER GROWS LOUDER]

[INMATE] Yeah, hit him. Come on.
[OVERLAPPING CHATTER]
[CHEERING, OVERLAPPING SHOUTING]
You seen this?
[TV PLAYING INDISTINCTLY]
If you're talking
about the West Virginia thing,
I heard it on the radio. Steve.
Boss.
You okay there?
- [HARRIS] Ah, slept the wrong way.
- [COFFEE POURS]
You know you're getting old
when you injure yourself sleeping.
- [COFFEE POT THUDS]
- [OFFINGER] Oh, Chief.
You got a visitor in your office.
Who?
Virgil Poe. Said he had
something important to tell you.
Thought I'd let him wait for you inside.
Next time, don't do that.
Sorry.
[HARRIS SIGHS SOFTLY]
[TV continues indistinctly
[GRUNTS]
Del Harris.
Good of you to see me.
Well, not sure
I had much of a choice, but
always a pleasure.
- [EXHALES]
- You all right there?
I'm fine.
[GRUNTS, EXHALES]
Threw your back out
doing something acrobatic?
- What can I do for you?
- [INHALES DEEPLY]
Well, to tell you the truth, Chief,
I've been feeling pretty bad
about the last couple times
we've seen each other.
In particular, that time
that we hung out together
at your cabin.
You know, that I might not
have been at my best.
And I think it's important
to name your faults, you know?
Otherwise, you can't fix 'em.
So, I lashed out.
I spoke in anger.
Took my beers back home with me.
It wasn't a good look,
and I'm not too proud of that.
Well, I appreciate that.
It's kind of you to stop in and tell me.
Hey, you know what I've been
doing a lot of lately?
Yogi meditation.
Mm. The Indian kind.
The real deal.
You breathe deep,
let your mind investigate.
Surreal. It's a beautiful process.
You know what I'm talking about?
- Not so much.
- Well, let me give you
an example then, man.
Like, earlier today,
I'm walking around our-our property
Mine and Grace's 'cause,
you know, I'm just trying
to personally investigate
what I might've done
to contribute
to our current situation, right?
[INHALES] I mean, our son's in jail.
Our home's burned down.
I believe we all bear a certain
responsibility, you know?
So I'm [INHALES]
I'm just walking
through the ashes, you know?
I'm breathing and thinking,
just, you know,
running things over in my mind.
And, suddenly, out of nowhere,
I get this flash of inspiration
that I ought to turn around.
So I do.
And what do I see?
Our tool shed,
still standing there.
Untouched by the flames.
That's a lucky thing, right?
At least something remains.
So I'm feeling good in that, you know?
I'm I-I go over to it. I open it up.
I look inside and [INHALES]
Looking at my tools and
some of 'em are in good shape
and I'm j I'm happy that
they're still there, you know?
And-and I look over on the shelf
and I see my son's old gym bag.
- [RATTLING]
- This one,
right here.
That's another good thing.
Billy's bag, you know?
So I-I take it down
and-and I open it up.
And, lo and behold,
there's all these pictures in there.
Look at that. Snapshots of Billy
when he was younger.
Yeah. Now, mind you,
these were hung all over
the walls of our trailer
before it so tragically burnt
to the ground. And
and these here
Yeah. Those were stuck
on the refrigerator
for years.
You know? One of those
pretty little magnet things.
I don't know. I'm feeling blessed.
[CHUCKLES] I do not know
who packed this shit up
before our place burned down,
but somebody did.
And I am grateful.
See where I'm going with this?
Oh, fuck, I almost forgot.
Yeah, we always have, like,
three, four cans of kerosene
in that shed.
You know, for emergencies.
In case we can't pay the power bill
and the lights go out.
Well, there was
only one empty can in there.
And I don't know why or
what the hell it got used for,
but, uh
it's an interesting question
to ponder, don't you think?
Feel free to leave all this here
if you'd like me to look into it.
Thank you.
So nice of you.
Yeah, thanks. But no.
[INHALES] I'm, uh
I think they're gonna give me comfort
in any rough times ahead.
[INHALES, CLEARS THROAT]
I think us men ought to really
look out for one another, you know?
Like, let them know
when maybe they got a wild one
on their hands?
'Cause gentlemen like us,
we could tend to think
we done something special
Or, worse, we are something special
To deserve the attentions
of a particular female.
When in reality, if we
just breathe deep and ponder,
we'll see we're getting all used up.
You take care, Chief.
I'll see you around.
[DOOR OPENS]
- [DOOR CLOSES]
- [PHONE RINGING]
Rachel Walton's office.
[EXHALES] She's not in right now.
Can I take a message?
This is LeeAnn English.
I'm sorry, who is the message from?
[GENTLE, SOMBER MUSIC]


[INHALES]
[EXHALES]
[WHIRRING, CLACKING]
[BIRDS CHIRPING]


[LOW, TENSE MUSIC]

[VELCRO PULLS APART]

[INDISTINCT RADIO TRANSMISSION]
Sheriff.
How you doing, sir?
- [CAR DOOR SHUTS]
- All right.
Can you open it for me?
I need to take one more look around.
[LOW, TENSE MUSIC]

[SOFT KNOCKING]
[DOOR OPENS]
Yeah.
You have some visitors.
[SIGHS] Can I ask who?
Detectives down from Pittsburgh.
What do they want?
They didn't say.
All right.
Show 'em in.
[SIGHS]
Del Harris?
- Yeah.
- You have some time to talk?
I think I could spare a couple minutes.
Uh, this is Detective Munson.
Hey.
And I'm Detective Fisher.
We'd like to ask you some questions.
You want to tell me what about?
Your former partner, Chuck Castellanos.
Mind if I close this?
If you like.
Chief Harper still running
things into the ground
- over there?
- [MUNSON] No. He was all right.
Retired last year.
Did he?
May we sit?
Sure. Yeah.
I'm wondering if you know
what Detective Castellanos
has been up to lately.
What's he been up to?
I think he's been up to dying.
I read the newspaper,
so I know what's been reported.
Reported about Detective Castellanos.
- Right.
- Got it.
So that's where you first learned
about Detective Castellanos' death?
Correct.
Can I ask which newspaper?
Post-Gazette.
You get that delivered?
I live pretty far up a dirt road,
so I tend to pick it up
when I'm out and about.
Here, in Buell?
That's right.
Or in Brownsville.
[INDISTINCT RADIO TRANSMISSION]
[RATTLING]
[LOW, MYSTERIOUS MUSIC]

[CLACKS]
[LOCK CLUNKS]

[NURSE] Internal organ damage,
broken ribs, skull fracture,
- cerebral edema.
- What is that?
Brain swelling.
Your son is in a medically induced coma
while we monitor him and try
to get the swelling down.
But when it comes down, he'll be okay?
We hope. It's still too early to tell
whether he sustained
any long-term brain injuries.
Officer, this is Grace Poe.
She'd like to see her son.
Go ahead.
[MONITOR BEEPING STEADILY]
[GRACE] Is that really necessary?
[NURSE] I'm sorry. It's standard
for prison inmates.
He's not a fucking inmate.
He was awaiting trial.
I'll give you a minute alone.
[GENTLE, SOMBER MUSIC]

[GRACE SHUDDERS SOFTLY]
It's okay.
[SNIFFLES]
Sweet boy, it's gonna be okay.
You'll be home with me soon.
[SNIFFLES]
Just hang on.
[MONITOR CONTINUES BEEPING STEADILY]
[GRACE SNIFFLES]
[EXHALES]
Dad?
I'm home.
[KEY CLINKS]
[KNOCKING]
Are you in there?
[KNOCKING]
Dad?
[LOW, OMINOUS MUSIC]

[BREATHING HEAVILY]
Oh, God.

[BIRDS SINGING]
[LUGGAGE COMPARTMENT DOOR CLACKING]
[EXHALES]
[LIGHTER FLICKS]
Can I bum one of those?
Yeah.
There you go.
You live here?
Yeah.
Huh.
[SOFT, SOMBER MUSIC]

[FISHER] You hadn't seen
Detective Castellanos in a while.
That's right.
How long, you think?
Long time. Close to a decade.
I remember having a beer with him
maybe six months
after I left Pittsburgh.
- And that was ten years.
- Right.
His recent cell records
show several calls to you.
Do they?
- That's right.
- Interesting.
'Cause I got some calls
from a Pittsburgh number
but never any message.
What was the number?
It just said "Pittsburgh, PA."
If that was Chuck,
you'll see the calls were short.
He must've hung up as soon
as he went to voice mail.
[FISHER] Any idea
what he was calling you about?
Like I said, he never left a message.
Any guesses?
I don't like to guess.
Gentlemen, can you excuse me a minute?
[EXHALES, GRUNTS SOFTLY]
[LOW, TENSE MUSIC]

Hello, Isaac.
Hi.
You decided to come home.
I have something for you.
All right.

Put it back in your pocket.
Why?
Pick it up.
Put it back in your pocket.
And never show it to anybody.

"You Were Right About
Everything" by Erin McKeown

You were never broken ♪
By ordinary things ♪
You kept holding out ♪
For the big mistake ♪
I was fragile ♪
Too scared and delicate ♪
You kept trying ♪
I'm the one that quit ♪
Worn out by ♪
The baggage that we bring ♪
You were right about everything ♪

[SONG ENDS]
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