Say Amen

[people spill out of a theater]
Ray: How ‘bout those special effects? That spaceship flew over, I thought I was getting a buzz cut.
Thatcher: That might be an improvement.
Ray: So what’d you think?
Thatcher: I thought it was non-stop mindless violence.
Ray: Everything a movie should be.
Turnbull: Well, I for one was quite drawn to the costumes.
Thatcher: Costumes?
Turnbull: And the emotional landscape painted by the acting was delicious.
Thatcher: Acting? They could’ve been robots.
Ray: There were playing robots. What’d you think?
Fraser: Well, you know, Ray, I couldn’t really hear.
Ray: There was a huge sound, Fraser.
Fraser: Well exactly. My ears are somewhat more attuned to the silence of the northern forests.
Ray: You’re living in a city, Fraser. Come on, adjust.
Fraser: I’ll try.

[marquee titles: Dead Guy Running, Good For The Soul, Seeing Is Believing, Burning Down The House]
Ray: Look at that. [indicates the young couple kissing]  Still at it.  I bet you they didn’t see five minutes of the movie.
Fraser: There’s something to be said for young love.
Ray: Yeah, it sucks.
Turnbull: I think it’s beautiful.
Thatcher: How would you know?
Man (Sandy): [into walkie-talkie]  Don’t worry. I’ll make it.

Fraser: Hmm.
Thatcher: I agree.
Ray: What?
Fraser: Well, that man. He seems to be taking an undue interest in that young couple.
Ray: Well, he’s probably a security guard. Takes ‘em for shoplifters.
Turnbull: They don’t look like shoplifters, Ray.
Ray: Well, he’s a security guard, and so that’s sorta like a cop, he’s got instincts, and uh, you know, he thinks it’s a cover and they’re shoplifting.
Fraser: You know, I’m a police officer and I have instincts, and my instincts tell me that they are not in a store and there’s nothing to steal.
Ray: Ah. Good point. Taken.
Sandy: [into walkie-talkie]  They’re on their way out.
[Fraser goes after the couple (Davie & Eloise) & Sandy]

Ray: Fraser, the car’s this way. Fraser.
Turnbull: I believe he’s following his instincts.

[Dief barks, and they all follow Fraser]

[street]

Sandy: [into walkie-talkie]  They’re outside. Let’s go. [walks away from the couple]

Ray: See? The guy’s gone the other way.
Fraser: Apparently, they were unrelated.
Ray: Let’s go. It’s cold out here.

[Dief barks]

[car pulls up to the couple, and Man (Addie) gets out & grabs Eloise]

Fraser: Ray!

Eloise: Ow!

Addie: Now. Get in the car.

Eloise: Ow!

Davie: Let go.

Eloise: Leave him be!
Davie: Hey, leave her alone!

[Davie tries to stop him; Addie knees him (making him drop his pocketknife) & shoves him aside]

Davie: Ah!!

Eloise: DAVIE!! Davie! Davie!

[Addie pushes Eloise into the car]

Davie: Eloise!!

[Davie grabs onto car as it speeds away; he lets go as it goes around a corner; Fraser rolls them to safety]
Davie: ELOISE!! Eloise!!
Fraser: [holding Davie back]  Easy, son. Calm down.
Davie: They got Eloise!

Ray: That’s all right, we’ll get her back.
Thatcher: Eloise what? What’s her last name?
Davie: I don’t know. I just love her!!

Turnbull: Beautiful.  [Thatcher & Fraser give him a look]
 

[27^th precinct]
Ray: Okay, okay. You love her, but you don’t know her last name. How does that work?
Davie: Well, we met at the mall.
Ray: When?
Davie: Last week.
Ray: Last week. Oh, so this is a long term thing.
Davie: Hey, you think this is funny, man?
Ray: No, but it would help if we knew something about her.
Davie: Okay, we met at the mall last week. We went out a couple of times. And she was just...well, from the first time I met her, man, I knew, I knew she was the one. You know what I mean? I knew she was special. It’s like, no one’s ever let me feel like that, never.
Ray: Love at first sight.
Turnbull: Romeo and Juliet. Tristan and Isolde.
Welsh: Abbott and Costello.
Francesca: He’s talking about love at first sight. Which does happen. It happened to me. [looks at Fraser, who looks back dramatically, cracking his neck]
Welsh: That’s a crock. Lust at first sight maybe, but love?  No, never happens.
Thatcher: I’d have to agree with the lieutenant. What we refer to as love at first sight is actually just a combination of chemical reactions triggered by pheromonal stimulation.
Welsh: Say what?
Thatcher: It’s about how you smell.
Francesca: Oh. That is so cynical. And-and so wrong. I mean...Fraser, what do you think?
Fraser: Well, there was a lot happening, and the boy was holding onto the bumper, which partially obscured the license plate. But I do know it was a white 1996 Cadillac four-door sedan [Francesca sighs and holds her head]  and the first three letters of the plate were H-A-P.
Francesca: Okay, well, I’ll just go and check that out, then. [exits]
Fraser: But I do think it happens. [looks over at Davie, talking to Kowalski]
Welsh: Do you have any proof of that, Constable?
Fraser: He was willing to lay down his life for her. [exits]

[Kowalski’s desk]

Davie: Yeah, I know it sounds like, really ridiculous, but she never really talked a lot about herself.
Ray: Look, you don’t know where she lives, you don’t know who her parents are, where she works, or if she goes to school?
Davie: Yeah, but I know she was unhappy, man, you know? She never really liked her life much. [gets up, frustrated]

Ray: Unhappy, is that all she ever talked about?
Davie: No, we talked, all right? All the time.
Ray: About?
Davie: Well, about us. About the future.
Huey: Well, the thing is, you can’t really love someone until you know them.

Dewey: Sure you can. The hard thing is to love them after  you know them.
Francesca: Okay, it looks like I’ve got three possible matches, here, Fraze.
Fraser: A dentist in Bellwood, a plumber in Park Ridge, and the Unfettered Evangelical Church of the Holy Bible.
Thatcher: Holy Rollers.
Fraser: Well actually, sir, the term ‘Holy Rollers’ properly refers to the evangelical Pentecostals of the 19^th century.
Thatcher: Whatever. It’s still just a lot of yelling and jumping around.
Ray: Anything else to help us identify her?

Davie: She’s pretty.
Ray: Uh-huh.
Davie: She’s got a great voice.
Ray: Uh-huh.
Davie: And she got a great southern accent.
Ray: Uh-huh.

 

[The Unfettered Evangelical Church of the Holy Bible; parking lot]
Thatcher: There’s the car. [runs over to the sedan]

Fraser: Sir, sir, you needn’t--
Thatcher: No, Fraser, I’ve been behind a desk too long. This is exactly what I need. Field work. Gets the blood pumping.
Ray: Same car?
Fraser: Very possibly, Ray. These handprints may well have been made by Davie as he was dragged all over Hell’s half-acre.
Thatcher: Exactly.
Ray: [to Davie, aiming for front door]  Hey. Back of the line.

[Dief grumbles]

Fraser: Uh, Diefenbaker, I think you should probably stay here.

[Dief growls]

Fraser: No, it’s not discrimination, it’s...
Ray: Health regulations.
Fraser: Health regulations.

[inside the church; pews are packed full. Music: “I Do Believe In Miracles” performed by the Youth Outreach Mass Choir]

Choir: [singing]  I do believe/ I do believe in miracles/ I do believe/ I do believe/ I believe / I do believe...
Fraser: It’s a very interesting example of ecclesiastical archi-- Inspector, are you all right?
Thatcher: [trance-like]  I don’t know. I...feel kinda tingly.
Ray: Tingly, sir?
Thatcher: Flushed. My knees feel kinda weak.
Voices: Oh my God.... to the lord!
Thatcher: [sings, walking to the stage]  I do believe/ I believe/ I believe/ I believe/ I do believe in miracles/ I do believe, yeah!!

[Reverend welcomes her]
Reverend Barrow: Thank you. That was beautiful. A special thank you to our guest. We always have a place here for another beautiful voice.

[Thatcher joins the choir]

Choir: [singing quietly]  I do believe, ooh...

Reverend Barrow: [laughs]  Brothers and sisters, lift your voices, lift your voices and praise the Lord!
Ray: So maybe we should come back later.
Fraser: Actually, I think the administrative offices are right through there. Someone may know about the car. Shall we?
[Fraser, Kowalski & Davie move down the aisle]

Reverend Barrow: [shaking their hands]  Good evening. Welcome. Welcome to the Unfettered Evangelical Church of the Holy Bible!
Fraser: Thank you.
Ray: [aside]  Churches make me nervous.
Fraser: That’s an odd reaction.
Ray: Well, I’m more of a human sacrifice kinda guy.

Fraser: Oh, yeah.
Reverend Barrow: Lift your voices!

Voices: Amen!

Reverend Barrow: Let him hear you...

[corridor]

Fraser: Ray. Ray. Ray. Ray.
Ray: What?!
Fraser: It’s this way.
Ray: Oh.

[church]

Reverend Barrow: We can move mountains. We can heal the sick. We can live miracles!

Choir: [singing]  I do believe, ooh...

Reverend Barrow: You know, you know, there are people who think that miracles are nothing but old stories from the Bible...

 

[office]
Mrs. Barrow: God bless you.
Fraser: Well, thank Him kindly.
Mrs. Barrow: Well, we could always use more volunteers.
Ray: My dad said never volunteer for nothing. Uh... Chicago PD. [flashes badge]

 

[church]

Reverend Barrow: Miracles are proof of His love and charity...

[office]

Mrs. Barrow: Oh. I am sorry. I thought you were here to help with the collection.
Ray: Collection?
Mrs. Barrow: From our radio audience? [ushers them out of the office into the hallway]  They like to contribute to the ministry, so we have phone volunteers to help take those donations. Um. It makes them feel like they’re actually here at the service.

[church]

Reverend Barrow: Miracles are ours for the asking!

[corridor]

Ray: You own that white Cadillac out there?
Mrs. Barrow: Well, the church owns a number of vehicles.
Fraser: We have reason to believe that a young woman may have been abducted by men who were driving that particular car.
Mrs. Barrow: Well, this is a church, uh, Constable, is it?
Fraser: Yes. My name is Constable Benton Fraser, Royal Canadian Mounted Police. I fir--
Ray: Uh-yuh-yuh-yuh.
Fraser: I’m sorry.
Mrs. Barrow: We don’t go around abducting people.
Fraser: Well, that’s a commendable policy.
Davie: Well, she’s a young girl about five-three. She’s really, really beautiful. Got long blonde hair. And there’s something about her, something special.
Mrs. Barrow: You know this girl?
Davie: Oh, I love this girl.
Ray: Okay, whatever. See, the point of the fact of the deal is, we gotta find out who was driving that car.
Mrs. Barrow: Well, I don’t imagine anybody was, Detective, because we’re having a service?

[church]

Reverend Barrow: Let Him hear your voice! And God...

Choir: [sings]  I do believe in miracles/ I do believe...

Reverend Barrow: [chuckles]  God!

 

[corridor]
Ray: Do you have a record, a vehicle log, anything like that?
Mrs. Barrow: Nnnno.
Fraser: Would you mind if we just had a look-see?
Mrs. Barrow: Well, this is private property, Constable. But we don’t have anything to hide. I’d be happy to show you--

[Addie walks through the doorway, sees them & heads back in]
Davie: Hey-hey-hey, there he is! Hey!

[church]

Reverend Barrow: Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

[corridor]

Davie: Hey, tell me where she is. Where is she, huh?! [pushes Addie]  Where is she?

[Addie slaps Davie & he falls to the ground; Davie gets up & they struggle]

Ray: Chicago PD! Up against the wall.
Mrs. Barrow: Addie?

Addie: Yes, ma’am.

Fraser: Do you know this man?
Mrs. Barrow: Why, yes. He’s one of our larger assistants.
Ray: Assistants? He just kidnapped a girl off Maitland Street.
Addie: Eloise.

Davie: Eloise? Don’t you hurt her, man!
Mrs. Barrow: Eloise is my daughter. 

[she leads them to the church, where Eloise is laying hands on a man in a wheelchair]

Choir: [sings]  I do believe in miracles/ I do believe...

Mrs. Barrow: [grinning]  She is blessed by the Lord. She can perform miracles.

[man in wheelchair slowly stands up]

Choir: [singing]  I do believe in miracles/ I do believe/ I do believe/ I believe / I do believe./ I do believe in miracles...

[27^th precinct; Eloise sits at Frannie’s desk]

[Kowalski’s desk]
Dewey: Here’s your statement. Read it and sign it. Okay, so you had no idea that she knew this guy that put her in the car?
Davie: I’m telling you, I’ve never seen him before.
Dewey: She never mentioned him?
Davie: Uh-uh.
[Eloise & Davie can’t keep their eyes off each other]

Dewey: Okay. This is your permanent address, right?
Davie: Yeah.

[Dewey realizes Davie isn’t paying attention]

Dewey: For-get it. [walks to Frannie’s desk & sits blocking Eloise’s view of Davie]  All right, let me get this straight.  Your guy...
Eloise: Addie, his name’s Addie.
Dewey: Okay, Addie. When Addie put you in the car, it was of your own free will.
Eloise: Well, I wanted to stay with Davie, but it was time for the service. He came to get me. It’s his job.

[Dewey exits; Frannie looks at Davie, too] 

Eloise: He’s not in any trouble, is he?
Francesca: Kinda like him, huh? [sits in Dewey’s chair]
Eloise: I know it’s wrong.
Francesca: No, it’s not wrong. I mean, you know, he seems like a nice-looking guy, kinda sweet--
Eloise: It’s wrong for me. I belong to God.
Francesca: What do you mean, like...a nun or something?
Eloise: I’ve been blessed. I can heal the sick.
Francesca: Really? I mean, for real? Not, you know, fake or magic or something?
Eloise: I can do it.
Francesca: Wow. That’s great!
Eloise: No. No, it isn’t. I mean, I know it’s a gift and all, but to be perfectly honest, it’s real hard. I don’t have much of a life of my own, and I thought with Davie... I don’t know why God gives me these feelings if they’re so wrong.
Francesca: Well, couldn’t you just, you know, heal people and have a boyfriend, too?
Eloise: I have to be pure.
Francesca: Ohhh. Oh. Wow. That’s, uh, that’s really too bad.
Eloise: I should never have talked to him.  Gotten to know him. Then this wouldn’t be so hard.
Francesca: Have you, um... known very many guys?
Eloise: I’ve been raised up in a church all my life. He’s the only one.
Francesca: Yeah, that’s what I kinda thought.
Davie: [mouths]  I love you.

[Welsh’s office]
Dewey: She confirms his story.
Reverend Barrow: That’s good. So can you let us all go now, Lieutenant?
Welsh: Yeah. Take them outside and finish the, uh, paperwork.
Reverend Barrow: You’re lucky we don’t sue you for false arrest.
Ray: I saw him grab your daughter, Reverend, and he did not do it in a very friendly manner.
Mrs. Barrow: Addie takes his responsibility very seriously.
Fraser: Perhaps a little too seriously. You might want to speak to him about that.
Reverend Barrow: Eloise is a headstrong young girl. She needs a firm hand.

[bullpen]

Huey: The kid’s in the washroom. Let’s go get a coffee. Can you believe this?  I was just talking to the guy at the radio station that runs the church service. Did you know that they get over a million listeners every week?
Dewey: Unfiltered Church of the Holy Bible gets a million listeners?
Huey: Unfettered.
Dewey: Unfettered, unfiltered whatever. A million listeners. Each one of those guys  phones in for a buck, that’s a million dollars a week That’s a scam.
Huey: Not everyone is gonna phone in, though.
Dewey: Hey, they’re not gonna be listening if they’re not gonna phone in.
Huey: Not necessarily. Ever watch PBS? They never get phone-ins.

[Welsh’s office]

Ray: Addie’s an old felon. Three assault convictions in Mississippi.
Mrs. Barrow: A long time ago, Detective. Addie has been with us from the very beginning of our ministry.
Reverend Barrow: One of our first converts. Sometimes lost sheep make the most fervent believers.
Ray: And sometimes people who like to hit, they just like to hit.

[break room]

Dewey: Okay. Let’s say half of ‘em phone in, right? For two bucks. That’s still a million bucks.
Huey: Mmm. If half each gave, what, 10 bucks? That’s five million dollars. That’s not bad.
Dewey: See? Religion *is* the way to go.
Huey: Go?
Dewey: Yeah. Think about it. You and I aren’t gonna be cops forever, you know. Listen, we could make people feel good about themselves, cure a few hemorrhoids, make a few bucks. Everybody’s gonna be happy.
Huey: What, are you trying to start a religion now?
Dewey: Yeah. It’s like country music. How hard can it be?
Huey: What ever happened to that comedy club idea we had?
Dewey: This is easier.
Huey: Mmm, there goes my man. [exits]
Dewey: Comedy. Religion.

[Welsh’s office]

Reverend Barrow: That kid should not have been within one hundred miles of Eloise.
Ray: Davie was doing nothing wrong.
Welsh: Your man had no right to assault him, Reverend. Being this is a family thing and a bit of a misunderstanding, we’ll let it go for now. But tell your man to keep his fists in his pocket next time.

Mrs. Barrow: We will do that, Lieutenant. [urges Reverend out the door]
Reverend Barrow: You tell that boy to stay away from Eloise!

[Rev. & Mrs. exit]
Welsh: Oh, nice.
Fraser: Well, it’s not uncommon for parents to be protective of their daughter.
Ray: Especially when she’s a miracle meal ticket.

[bullpen]

Davie: Eloise.
Ray: Hey, Davie.
Reverend Barrow: Eloise, we can go now. [keeps walking, then comes back to get her]  Eloise.

[Davie follows after them]

Huey: Hey. Hey, hey!
Davie: Eloise!
Eloise: No. No, Davie. You can’t see me, you have to stay away from me.
Davie: Eloise, you know, you know I can’t do that.
Addie: [pushes Davie]  Step off.

Davie: Don’t touch her! [grabs Addie, who turns around & slaps him]

Eloise: [screams]  No!

Huey: [to Davie] Take it easy, take it easy.

[Dief growls at Addie]
Addie: If he comes near me again, I swear to God, I’ll shoot him.
Ray: You’re pretty tough with kids and dogs. How about me? Come on.
Addie: Kid went after me first.
Reverend Barrow: You keep him away from me and my daughter.
Eloise: Daddy.
Reverend Barrow: You keep him away. You keep him away, I won’t be responsible.
Welsh: Let it go, Detective.
[Davie holds his nose in pain]

Ray: You okay?

Davie: [mutters tearfully]  Yeah.
Francesca: Fraze, is he all right?

Fraser: Mm-hmm.

Francesca: You know, she is such a nice kid, I feel really sorry for her.
Fraser: Why?
Francesca: She never goes out. She’s never been to school. Her parents keep her locked up in that church all the time. What kind of life is that for a kid? I mean really, what kind of parents would do that?

[break room; Davie yells & hits things, hurting himself more]
Ray: You finished? Are you done? Look, I’m trying to help. Here’s the deal of the thing. She’s 17. Her parents don’t want you hanging around, so you gots to stay away from the girl.
Davie: I can’t, man!
Ray: Look, I know what it’s like to be in love and lose the girl. You think that your life is over, but it isn’t.
Davie: How would you know?
Ray: ‘Cause it happened to me.
Davie: Yeah, what’d you do?
Ray: Well, this and that and then I got, uh... [trails off]

Davie: What?
Ray: I got married.
Davie: Y--You didn’t even lose no girl, man.
Ray: Yeah, but eventually I got divorced.
Davie: So what, you get over it?
Ray: [pause]  Look, the point is--
Davie: Ahhh!
Ray Look, you keep hanging around there, she’s gonna press charges. Look, I pulled your file. Drug possession, break and entry, shoplifting--
Davie: I was a kid, man, I was twelve years old!
Ray: Look, that doesn’t matter. Mr. and Mrs. Reverend file a complaint, you go down.

[Davie exits angrily]

[Frannie’s desk]
Francesca: Look, they started in Georgia.
Fraser: And at the age of seven, she apparently cured a deaf woman.
Francesca: Yeah. And after that the Reverend’s church thing really took off. Went from a travelling tent show to a huge radio ministry in five years. Now they’re looking at TV.
Fraser: Isn’t that very expensive?
Francesca: Yeah, but when you’ve got thousands of people mailing you money every week... Pffff.  You think she’s for real, Fraze?
Fraser: A number of people seem to believe she is.
Ray: It doesn’t matter. Let’s go, Fraser.
Fraser: Where are we going, Ray?
Ray: Follow the kid.
Francesca: Why? He didn’t do anything.
Ray: Preventative policing. He’s gonna go see the girl. We’re gonna stop him.
Francesca: Preventative policing? Can you do that?
Fraser: It might be a violation of his rights.
Ray: To hell with his rights. He’s gonna do something stupid. Nobody has the right to do something stupid. Well except, well... [points at Frannie, then exits]
Fraser: He doesn’t mean that, Francesca. Thank you kindly.
Ray: Anytime. Fraser.

[Unfettered Church of the Holy Bible]

[Davie gets out of cab & goes inside; cab pulls away & the GTO pulls up]
Ray: He’s not coming, is he?
Fraser: Well, it’s after hours, Ray.

Ray: Oh.

[Kowalski, Fraser & Dief go inside]

[inside the church]

[Davie searches stealthily, pauses to watch Rev. & Mrs. in office... Addie confronts Davie]

Davie: Lemme go. Just try it. [backs away & draws pocketknife]  Come on. Stay back.

[*grunt*]

[Dief barks]
Mrs. Barrow: [voice]  Oh, merciful Lord, no!!

Reverend Barrow: [voice]  I told him to stay away!

[Fraser & Kowalski run to the scene: Addie lies dead, Rev. & Mrs. stand over him]
Reverend Barrow: He killed him!
Eloise: [running in]  NO!!
Reverend Barrow: The boy killed Addie!
Eloise: [kneels over Addie]  No! No, no, no, it can’t be.

 

[church hallway; cops are everywhere]
Ray: [on cell phone]  Davidson Abelard....Yeah, he’s got a record. Uh, put out a picture and an APB....No, not much doubt. The murder weapon was...
Reverend Barrow: [giving statement to Dewey]  He came in the door and, I don’t-I don’t know what was on his mind. Maybe he wanted to kill us. And he had this terrible look in his eye...
Mrs. Barrow: [giving statement to Huey]  I just can’t believe it. I mean, Addie has been with us from the very beginning. He is as much a part of the ministry as any of us.
Huey: You said there was a fight?
Mrs. Barrow: Yes. Uh. That boy  was lurking in the doorway, and then Addie grabbed him, and they came into the room fighting. And that boy stabbed him and ran. Addie was a good man...
Fraser: Excuse me, what is that?
Crime Scene Investigator: A newspaper clipping. Dead guy had it in his wallet. It’s a funeral notice from Arkansas. Probably his parents or something.
Fraser: Thank you kindly.

[Dief growls at Sandy] 

Fraser: Oh, I’m terribly sorry, but I believe he recognizes you from outside the theatre.
Sandy: I don’t think so.

[Dief grumbles loudly]

Fraser: Uh, yes, I believe you were carrying a walkie-talkie. You were following Eloise.
Sandy: Yeah. I look out for her.
Fraser: I see. Along with this gentleman.
Sandy: Yeah, that’s right.
Fraser: And are weapons necessary in your line of work?
Sandy: She’s very important to the church, and it’s our job to protect her. We’re licensed and registered.
Fraser: I see. Will you excuse me?

[he follows Eloise out as she leaves; Sandy goes to follow (at a nod from the Rev.) but Kowalski steps in his path]

Ray: Hang on a sec. I gotta ask you a couple of questions.

Dewey: So what were you doing?

Reverend Barrow: Uh, nothing. It all happened so fast I couldn’t even move.

[Eloise’s room; knock knock]
Eloise: Come in.

[door opens; Dief appears at Eloise’s knee, and whines]
Fraser: Are you all right?
Eloise: Davie was always so gentle, so nice to me. He just couldn’t kill anybody. He couldn’t.
Fraser: But your parents saw it happen.
Eloise: I know. But... How could I be so wrong about him? About everything.
Fraser: It’s difficult to know people, particularly if you lack experience.
Eloise: It’s all my fault.
Fraser: No. You know, you can’t be expected to predict the future.
Eloise: Davie will come back. I know that. He’ll want to see me. He’ll get into trouble... Billy and Sandy...
Fraser: They’re the men who look after you?
Eloise: They’re okay. They’re like Addie.
Fraser: Former criminals.
Eloise: Lost sheep. They kinda scare me. I couldn’t stand it if Davie got hurt.

[knock knock knock]

Fraser: I’ll do what I can.

[she nods; Fraser rises & exits]

Fraser: [to Sandy]  Good day.

[27^th precinct]
Ray: Fraser, we can’t just sit there and wait for the kid to show up.
Fraser: Well, she does a point, Ray. He’s powerfully drawn to her.
Ray: Yeah, well, he’s in love. I get that.
Fraser: Well, I assume that you don’t want Davie to be hurt.
Ray: I don’t want anybody to get hurt, but he stuck a knife in somebody and we gotta catch him.
Fraser: Well, when you’re hunting, Ray, the best policy, often times, is to wait for the game to come to you.
Ray: Well, that’s great. But this isn’t a criminal drive-thru. We gotta go out and get him. [to Dewey]  Anything about the family?
Dewey: Yeah, his parents are dead. His aunt and uncle haven’t seen him in three months, and he lives on his own.
Ray: And they got any idea where he might be?
Dewey: Nope. They didn’t seem that close.
Ray: How ‘bout where he works?
Huey: Works for a shipping company downtown. Everyone says he’s a loner. Stays to himself. Boss says he’s a good employee, though. Never in trouble.
Ray: Francesca, any known associates?
Francesca: Known associate. One Jimmy Lewis. They got busted together four years ago.
Ray: Okay, so we just gotta find Lewis, shake him down and see what he knows.
Francesca: Well, it won’t be hard to find him. He’s been in Joliet for the last year.
Ray: [to guy walking by]  Hey, you know anything about this?

[church]

[soloist sings with choir, including Thatcher, who now wears choir robes]

Choir: [sings]  I do believe/ I do believe...

[Kowalski & Fraser sit in a pew]
Ray: So, how long before the game shows up?
Fraser: Hunting requires patience, Ray.
Ray: Go, Thatcher, Go.
Fraser: She does seem powerfully drawn to the music, as though it touched something deep within her.

Ray: Mmm.
Choir: [sings]  I do believe in miracles/ I do believe, yeah, yeah!!
Reverend Barrow: Pray that God’s spirit will come down and bless us today. Pray that through His grace we will see a miracle done. Ellen has not walked in ten years. Her doctors have done everything they can for her, but they have failed. Only a miracle can take her out of that wheelchair. Pray...for a miracle. Pray for the bountiful mercy of the Lord God, Our Father.

Choir: [singing quietly]  I do believe, ooh...

[Eloise lays on hands, but she seems distant] 

Reverend Barrow: Pray God will reach out through Eloise and touch this poor troubled woman. Get up, Ellen. Get up and walk.

[she does]

Ellen: Oh, praise the Lord!

Choir: [sings joyfully]  I do believe in miracles/ I do believe/ I do believe in miracles/ I do believe...

[Eloise exits, despondently; Fraser & Kowalski follow her]  

Reverend Barrow: Let us give thanks to God for the miracle that we have seen today. I do believe. You do believe. We ALL believe! We believe in miracles! We believe in the miracle that has saved Ellen’s legs!

Choir: [sings]  I do believe in miracles/ I do believe/ I do believe in miracles/ I do believe...

 

[church office]
Fraser: Hi. That was very, uh...inspiring.

[Kowalski agrees; Fraser sees photos & framed news articles on the wall]
Fraser: And these are all of you.

Eloise: Mom and Daddy got more pictures of me than you can shake a stick at.
Ray: No baby pictures. My mom had pictures of me when I was a week old.  I hate that.
Fraser: When did you perform your first miracle?
Eloise: When I was five.  I saw God.
Ray: You saw God?
Eloise: He came to me. In a fire.
Fraser: It must have been very exciting. And the miracle you performed today, the woman...she didn’t seem to walk very far.
Eloise: Yeah. And she was real excited. Maybe she can even walk a little. Probably doesn’t usually. But what with all the fuss and wanting to be cured and all...
Fraser: So she may have been able to take a few steps.
Ray: It was a fake.
Eloise: Or maybe there was no way she could’ve gotten out of that chair. No way she could even move her legs.  That it was a real miracle.
Fraser: Is that what you believe?
Eloise: When I was five, I touched a blind woman and she regained her sight. That’s true. They’ve always told me that. I’ve made deaf people hear. I’ve stopped cancers from growing. I’ve done that. But I don’t know why it happens, or when it’s gonna happen, and it sure doesn’t happen once a day and twice on Sundays.
Fraser: So some of the miracles are not quite so miraculous.
Eloise: Do you know much about Babe Ruth?
Fraser: The chocolate bar?
Eloise: No, the baseball player.
Fraser: Ah.
Eloise: [sigh]  He only hit 59 home runs in a 162 game season. That’s not even one home run every two games. You think I can do better than that? You think miracles are easier than home runs? Daddy says we have to do it, to keep the ministry going.
Ray: To keep the cash flow going.
Reverend Barrow: To keep the faith alive. Money’s a means to an end, to make my daughter’s gift available to the world. Eloise, will you go to your room?
Eloise: Yes, sir. [exits]
Reverend Barrow: Don’t cast your doubts on her mind. You have no idea of the damage you could do.
Fraser: With respect, sir, I think the doubts are already there.
Reverend Barrow: Do you have any idea what a delicate thing her gift is?
Ray: The gift of making money?
Reverend Barrow: If you choose not to believe, I can’t help you. But we bring miracles to people who need ‘em. The world needs that. [exits]
Ray: Is that guy for real?
Fraser: Interesting to find out.

[Eloise’s room; knock knock knock at the window]
Eloise: Davie.

[they kiss]

[outside the church]
Fraser: [on cell phone]  Thank you kindly, Francesca. And, uh, anything else you find out would be greatly appreciated. [hangs up]
Ray: Now what, with the hunting?
Fraser: I think perhaps a little tracking is in order, Ray.
Ray: Tracking?
Fraser: This is a high-top cross-trainer with a full court pressed tread.
Ray: Uh-huh.
Fraser: It’s a kind of running shoe, the kind that Davie was wearing.
Ray: Well, he was here last night.
Fraser: True enough. But this track wasn’t here when we went into the church. I would have noticed it.
Ray: You would have noticed it? There’s thousands of tracks here.
Fraser: It’s a very distinctive tread.
Ray: You can tell what he had for breakfast?
Fraser: No, in order to do that, I’d have to pick through his stool.
Ray: That’s disgusting, Fraser.

[Eloise’s room; Eloise & Davie are kissing... Sandy enters]
Eloise: Davie, Davie, run!!
[Sandy chases Davie outside... Fraser, Kowalski, & Dief, then Eloise follow quickly; they chase Davie into the street... where he is hit by a car & thrown into another]
Eloise: Davie!!!

 

[street; cops and parishioners everywhere; Davie lies on a gurney]
Reverend Barrow: Eloise, come on. [tries to pull her away]
Eloise: I’ll go with him.
Reverend Barrow: No, I forbid it.
Eloise: I’m going! Maybe I can help him.
Reverend Barrow: He’s a murderer, Eloise.
Eloise: He’s innocent! I know it.
Reverend Barrow: You know nothing. Nothing about life, nothing about the world, nothing about that boy, leave him be!
Eloise: If anything, he’s a lost sheep. I know a lot about those.
Fraser: He can’t hurt her now, Reverend Barrow. And she may be able to help.
Reverend Barrow: Then I’ll go, too.
Eloise: No. You’ve done enough. [pulls away]

Thatcher: Maybe it would be better if you gave her some time alone.

Parishioner: I’ll go along with her, Reverend.
Reverend Barrow: Would you, my dear? Make sure she comes to no harm.

[hospital; waiting room]

Announcement: Dr. Clooney, please report to ICU. Dr. Clooney to ICU.

Ray: [into cell phone]  Yeah. [hangs up]  Frannie finally got a hold of the aunt and uncle. They’re not coming. But they wouldn’t mind if, uh, we were to call and let ‘em know how he’s doing. Uh, how is he doing? Doctor said he was gonna come out and tell us.
Fraser: You know, Ray, surgery does take time.
Eloise: I’ve been praying to God, but he won’t answer me.
Fraser: You know, it has been said that God does answer prayers. He answers each and every one. It’s just that often times, the answer is no.
Eloise: Well, He’s never said no to me before. He always comes through in a fire. He can’t let Davie die.
Fraser: Davie’s a strong boy. Eloise, you said that Davie was innocent.
Eloise: He didn’t stab Addie. They were fighting for the knife, he dropped it, and he ran.
Fraser: And you know this because...
Eloise: He told me.
Fraser: I see.
Eloise: No, you don’t. You think he lied, but he didn’t. He would never lie to me.

[pause]
Fraser: Ray, there are a couple of things I should look into.
Ray: I’ll wait here, and regulate his progress.
Fraser: Good. [to Dief]  You stay here. [exits]

[Dief whines & kisses Eloise]

[27^th precinct]
Francesca: Okay, I got everything, starting from the big miracle at age seven.
Fraser: That’s odd. Eloise said that the first miracle occurred when she was five.
Francesca: Well, pffft! Who remembers what happened when they were five? I don’t even remember what happened when I was seventeen. Well. Except for one thing. But anyway...
Fraser: Well, it *was* a miracle, Francesca.
Francesca: Yes, it was.

[Fraser gives her a look]

Francesca: Oh. Well, okay, but hers couldn’t be much of a miracle because they didn’t even report it and they report everything down south, miracles being top of the list, and fires being the number two attraction. This is the obituary the dead guy was carrying. The young couple died in a house fire.
Fraser: The fire occurred when Eloise was five. Hmm.
Francesca: What is it, Fraze?
Fraser: Just looking for a miracle, Francesca.

[church office]
Fraser: A miracle occurred in McKinley, Arkansas, 1984?
Mrs. Barrow: I don’t know what you’re talking about.
Fraser: Well, I think you do. A five-year-old girl cured a blind woman.
Mrs. Barrow: I don’t have to listen to you.
Fraser: You know, your story and your husband’s differed slightly over Addie’s death. And at first, I put that down to confusion arising from shock, but I think you and I both know it was something else.

[hospital]
Doctor: Detective Vecchio.
Ray: How’s he doing?
Doctor: He survived the surgery. Frankly, that was a miracle, considering all the blood he’d lost.
Ray: Is he gonna be okay?
Doctor: It’s a little too early to say.
Eloise: Can I see him?
Doctor: Are you a relative?
Ray: Yeah, she is, uh, his sister. Adopted, uh, sister.
Doctor: All right. We’ll have him in a room shortly.
Eloise: Thank you.

[Doctor exits]
Ray: You gonna be okay?
Eloise: Yes. Can he stay? [indicates Dief]

Ray: Yeah, but you’re gonna have to sneak him into the room, ‘cause I don’t think he’ll pass as a relative. Heh.

[cell phone rings] 

Ray: [answers]  Vecchio.

[church office]

Fraser: [to Mrs. Barrow]  I assume I have the basic parameters correct?

[she nods reluctantly]

Fraser: [on phone]  Yes, Ray, Mrs. Barrow is prepared to make a full statement....Right. [hangs up]
Mrs. Barrow: They were just ignorant trash. They would have squandered that beautiful jewel that they were given by God.
Fraser: I see.
Sandy: [whispers urgently into walkie-talkie]  Elliot. Elliot. I’m at the quarters. Get everybody over here quick.
Fraser: Perhaps we should go.

[Sandy steps into their path & pulls a gun on them]

Fraser: Oh dear. I imagine you’ve thought this through clearly?
Sandy: Yeah, I believe I have.
Mrs. Barrow: Sandy, it’s too late for this.
Sandy: Shut up.
Fraser: You know, sir, at the moment it doesn’t appear that you’re involved in any serious criminal activity. Perhaps it would be wiser to keep it that way.
Sandy: It seems to me that Addie was on a pretty serious gravy train. Now it looks like I can get me a piece of that.
Fraser: By eliminating me?
Sandy: That’s good thinking.
Fraser: I see.  He has thought it through clearly.

[Fraser kicks Sandy & runs off, punching a guy trying to stop him]
Sandy: [limping after Fraser]  Get him, get him!
[the chase goes down the corridor, and into the packed church]

 

[church]
Reverend Barrow: Listen to the voices of God in song. Listen, even as He listens. Listen, children. Listen to the...

[his sermon falters: he sees Fraser, and goons – one on left side, one on right side, Sandy in the middle following Fraser] 

Reverend Barrow: Listen. Listen to the love...in their voices.

[Thatcher sees them, too]

Choir: [sings]  Ooh, stand up, ooh/ Stand up, ooh...
Thatcher: [singing]  All God’s children/ Hear the Word from Brother Fraser!
Choir: [sings]  Stand up, hear the Word (Stand up!)/ Stand up hear the Word (Stand up!)/ Stand up and hear the Word...

[Fraser steps up onto the pulpit]
Reverend Barrow: What do you think you’re doing?
Fraser: I’m not really sure.
Robert Fraser: Tell ‘em a story, son.  You know how to do that.

Choir: [sings quietly]  Ooh, hear the Word (Stand up!)/ Ooh, hear the Word (Stand up!)...
Fraser: May I? [takes microphone]  Ladies and gentlemen, Brother Albert. I’d like to tell you a simple story. Well, not so simple story, actually. It’s a story about sin.
Robert Fraser: Sin is good! [brags to organist]  My son.
Fraser: The sin of greed.

[Kowalski enters & makes way forward (left side); Sandy sits down in a pew]

Choir: [sings quietly]  Ooh, hear the Word (Stand up!)/ Ooh, hear the Word (Stand up!)...

Fraser: If there are any among you out there who believe that the sin of greed is something overlooked by the heavens above, then you are...you are wrong.

[Kowalski disarms goon quietly]  

Fraser:  For they see everything and overlook nothing.
Thatcher & Choir: [singing]  Not one little bit (Not one!)/ Not one little bit (Not one!)/ Not even single grain of mustard seed...

[Kowalski handcuffs goon to handrail] 

Choir: [sings]  He’s been watching you and all your scheming ways... 

[Kowalski retrieves a bible from parishioner]

Choir: [sings]  Not one little bit does he miss (Does he miss)...
Ray: Now repent. [shoves goon’s face into the Bible]

Choir: [sings]  Ooh, not one little bit/ Ooh, not one little bit...

[Turnbull enters side door, knocking out right-side goon]
Fraser: And this story is one that Brother Albert knows well. It’s the story of Eloise, the young girl who’s performed miracles right here in this hall of God. No, Brother Albert, please stay with me. You can help me tell this story.

[Kowalski sticks gun in Sandy’s neck; he hands over his gun with no struggle] 

Fraser: As you know there was once an itinerant  preacher out of Arkansas. A man who was small in faith, but great in his greed. So great in his greed, that he stole from his God.
Thatcher & Choir: [singing]  Not one little bit (Not one!)/ Not one little bit (Not one!)
Fraser: One day, he met a five-year-old girl named Marcy Davenport who could make the blind to see. And this man realized that he could exploit her gift, that he could profit from it. So he did the unthinkable. He stole her. He stole the miracle girl, and he set a fire that killed both her parents.

Thatcher: [singing]  If you’re a sinner...

Reverend Barrow: That is a patent untruth!

Choir: [singing]  Put down your sinning ways...

Thatcher: [singing]  If you’re a liar...

Reverend Barrow: That man is lying!

Choir: [singing]  Put down your lying ways...

Reverend Barrow: Disgusting lies, stuck in a red crimson vest!
Fraser: [aside]  It’s a tunic, actually.

Choir: [singing]  And He will guide you to righteousness...
Fraser: [to crowd]  But there was a witness to his dark deed, a blackmailer, who bled the man dry e’en as the young girl made him rich. And then one day he saw his chance. The blackmailer was struggling with an innocent young boy. And so this false man of God rose up and slew the blackmailer!

[Reverend walks down aisle, but the Duck Boys enter through the doors, blocking his getaway] 

Fraser: Now we all know who this man is. We all know what he has done. The law can only punish him for his crimes, but a higher power will punish him for his sins!
Thatcher: There’s nowhere to hide, Reverend!  [soundly smacks him in the forehead with her palm]  You’ve been healed!!
Choir: [sings]  You’re gonna burn! (Gonna burn!)/ You’re gonna burn! (Gonna burn!)/ You’re gonna burn in hell for eternity...

[Kowalski ushers Sandy out, then whole congregation rises to its feet, cheering...]

[hospital; Davie’s room]
Doctor: He’s really made a miraculous recovery.
Ray: Really. You mean like a real miracle? You’re not just saying that? Like somebody’d say, like uh, the Immaculate Reception?
Doctor: What I mean is, I’m his doctor and I don’t know why he’s still alive.
Ray: And that’s pretty strange?
Doctor: Well, I don’t know about that. I’m not sure why most of my patients survive.

[pause]

Fraser: [to Kowalski]  Medical humor.
Ray: Ah, ha-ha. Yeah.
[Eloise & Davie kiss]
Doctor: Guys? They seem to have quite an unusual brother and sister relationship. Perhaps you could try and get them some help.
Fraser: Yes, Doctor. We will. Thank you kindly.

[Doctor exits]
Ray: So is she for real with this, uh, miracle thing?
Fraser: She believes she is. The events of the past? Hard to say.
Ray: What about him? Did she save him?
Fraser: Possibly. He might have recovered anyway, but...but she did give him a reason to live, and that’s important.
Ray: Young love. Cute, but it won’t last.
Fraser: It might.
Ray: Never.
Fraser: It’s possible.
Ray: No.
Fraser: Occasionally.
Ray: Not on my planet.

[Dief grumbles]
Fraser: Dief believes it will.


End