Ripped & Corrected By mstoll
Hello?
Who's there?
No. No! No!
I have to go, love. I'm in chambers at nine.
- Lunch later? - I'll call you.
Mum, Dad, help!
David!
This is where the incision will be made.
The operation will remove all malignant tissue.
Recovery time ranges from four to six weeks.
Any questions?
Jack, anything you want to ask the man?
Ah...
No.
Now, Miss Noonan, as I've told you before,
only a double mastectomy will prevent possible reoccurrence.
I've decided against that.
In my experience, most women who do not follow my recommendations
- regret it later on. - I've made up my mind.
Yes, quite.
- Until Saturday, then. - Thank you.
Thank you, Doctor.
Next time, show a little more respect
or I'll break your fucking femur.
Are you OK?
Try not to kill my consultant until after the operation.
What do you mean? I like him.
Lovely pair of hands on him.
How about a stroll on the prom?
Don't you have an appointment?
It can wait.
Nah, you go. I'm just gonna go home and lie down.
I'll pick up pizza on the way back.
Jack Taylor. You rang?
Are you alone?
Just me and Harvey.
- Harvey? - My invisible friend.
It's this way.
Sorry, I'm...
It's just I don't know what the fuck is going on.
First he disappears, then the parcel.
- Then he... - Whoa. Whoa. From the top.
Right, OK.
- Ronan Meyers. - I know Ronan. What about him?
He's my boyfriend. Fiancé.
- And they say romance is dead. - When we got out,
- we started living together... - Got out from where? Prison?
No, it's called Coreeva Lake. It's like a...
I don't know, a rehab place for fucked-up rich kids.
Is that what you are?
Probably still fucked-up.
But rich? Nah.
Anyway, when we got out,
Ronan got a part-time job down at the petrol station.
I've been temping here and there.
A couple of days ago, Ronan didn't come home from work.
You've called friends, family, places he might be?
I figured he was on a bender,
fallen off the wagon, or something.
If only he had been.
This morning, this was outside the door.
Jaysus!
Any idea who might have sent it?
I wouldn't have fucking called you if I did!
Why did you call me?
Ronan is...
I know you and him have a history.
And, well, he'll never forgive you about the eye...
...but he always says if I'm in trouble, that I should call you.
You're one of the few people who actually gives a fuck.
Have you noticed anything in the past couple of weeks
that struck you in any way as unusual?
People you wouldn't normally see hanging around?
Cars you don't recognise parked in the street?
No, I don't think so.
I'll be right back.
Who was that?
Go back inside, lock the doors.
I'll call you as soon as I know anything.
Fuck that! You read the note. I'm next.
The answer is no.
You haven't heard the question.
I have an exam next week and I've got to deliver a paper
on Shared Psychotic Disorder.
You can do that with your eyes closed.
I can do most things with my eyes closed. The answer's no.
There's a girl outside your door.
Her name's Bethany.
She got her boyfriend's finger in the post this morning.
She might be the next in line.
I need someone to look after her.
- Sounds dangerous. - Afraid so.
Lethal, even.
Entirely possible.
All right.
You twisted my arm.
Bethany!
This is Darragh, your guardian angel.
Darragh, this is Bethany. She's engaged.
I know. I know he looks like a self-important twat,
but Darragh will take good care of you.
Just don't drink his tea.
Darjeeling?
Judge Meyers, I don't know if you remember me...
Do you think I'd ever forget?
You are not welcome here.
Have you spoken to your son Ronan recently?
That's none of your business. Now leave.
Does this look familiar to you?
Any ransom demands?
We received another e-mail.
250,000 to be put in one of the bins
at Eyre Square Shopping Centre tomorrow afternoon.
250K.
Why did they send the finger to Bethany and the footage to you?
Maybe because Ronan is closer to that girl than he is to us.
How do you mean?
We haven't seen Ronan for a while.
After the swan killings, we thought it best
to find him a place where he could gather his bearings.
- Coreeva Lake? - That's right.
It's where he met Bethany, thankfully.
Do you have enemies?
Anyone you can imagine might have done this?
I'm a judge. Making enemies is a job requirement.
You've not gone with this to the guards?
No guards or they'll kill him!
We just want Ronan back.
We've decided to hand over the money.
I see you have a delivery boy.
Hey, Juicy Fruit!
Don't be shy.
You're not quite as stupid as they say you are, Taylor.
Do you have a name to go with the attitude?
Mason, a private investigator we hired from London.
It's all right. I'll take it from here.
Thanks for your help and goodbye.
I'd like to be there for the drop.
- That's not possible. - Bethany has been threatened
with the same fate. It's in our interests to find Ronan.
- No! - He's right.
Two is better than one.
Killer tie, 007.
That was a mistake.
How can you study like that?
I'd need fizzy drinks and a bar of chocolate to open a book.
Discomfort focuses the mind, sharpens the senses.
Do you have parents, friends?
Anyone you want to ring?
My parents are dead.
I have an uncle, but he's a king-sized ass.
It's just Ronan. Just him.
Ronan and Jack have a history, I gather.
Yeah. Ronan was killing the swans in the Claddagh.
Jack Taylor stopped him
and Ronan wasn't too happy about that.
Later, when I met Ronan, I don't know...
...it was like two negatives make one positive.
You know?
Stand up.
Some simple silk reeling
- will help calm the mind. - Piss off.
Just... Just copy me.
First of all, a deep breath.
And now just watch my hand.
Yeah.
How can you do this?
After what Taylor did to Ronan?
I'm not losing another son, David.
I'm not.
- Hello. - Hi.
Some red?
Oh, I thought you'd never ask.
Are you OK?
It turns out I'm not as tough as I thought.
None of us are. It's not about toughness.
It's about strength.
You have that, Kate.
What's for grub?
Well...
Hear of a place called Coreeva Lake?
Some sort of rehab centre for rich kids near Gort.
I went to school with the guy who runs it,
Anthony Bradford-Hemple.
Ronan Meyers went there. His girlfriend too.
Maybe you could check it out for me tomorrow.
You want me to do legwork for you
- the day before my mastectomy? - Take your mind off things.
Easy on that now.
You're giving me advice about drinking? Fuck off!
Here.
There's something I've been meaning to ask you.
So long as it's not a proposal.
No, Kate, it's not a proposal.
Look, all this: The meal, the flowers, the music,
I really appreciate it.
I sense a "but" there.
Well, it's not really you, is it?
Which part? The overcooked chicken?
The sappy trad music?
Look, the problem is I know you too well.
You go your own way without bothering to tell people.
You hold back when you should be honest and you let people down.
OK, since we're going all Oprah Winfrey on this,
I'm knackered, you're drunk.
Doesn't make for good bedfellows.
- I'll catch you later. - Jack!
Bring it on.
How long were you on the force?
You done your research?
I think you flatter yourself. You've just got that look,
like you're about to reach for your badge,
but, oops, no, it's not there any more.
Well, unlike you, Taylor, I'm a fully-qualified investigator.
I'm here to tell you you can officially retire from the case.
Do I get a gold watch?
You're a funny guy, Jack.
So assholes keep telling me.
You're like some mangy alley cat.
The nine lives have gone, but no-one's told the poor bastard.
Listen, you're rushing into this.
You got no back-up, there's no CCTV access.
At least if we covered this together...
I've got micro-transmitters on several of the bills.
I'll track 'em, I'll catch 'em.
I'll rescue the hostages.
Simple.
I can't just sit here and do nothing.
Ronan's out there. He's hurt. Maybe he's...
The hardest thing to do is do nothing.
Is that supposed to make me feel better?
No, but a little meditation might.
This is my meditation.
Come to Daddy!
- Got the time? - What?
The time. What time is it?
It's just aft...
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!
You can come out now, Taylor!
Get the bag from the bin!
I'm wearing my best shirt.
Easy, easy.
Get the bag with the money and empty it on the ground.
Don't get any ideas.
- Now light it up. - What?
You're a smoker. You've got a lighter. Set fire to the money.
This is 250K. All you asked for, it's here.
Light it up.
I'm not gonna tell you again.
This is so wrong.
Shit!
- You know what to do. - Blind date, huh?
- Now what? - Come on!
Get in there!
Fuck!
Who are you?
Fuck!
Bethany!
Get off me! No! No!
They must've had a key or something.
And how did they know she was here in the first place?
Jack's phone keeps going to voicemail.
Something's happened.
Yeah, you're probably right.
- You need these more than I do. - I'm fine.
Tell your Super everything that's happened.
Get a search going for Bethany.
I do have experience in this area, Darragh, thank you.
Right, I'm off.
Where are we going?
- You're staying out of this. - I'm already in, cousin.
Phone.
Bethany?
Are you OK?
Hey, Rossi. Why are you doing this?
Oh, you'll find out, Jack.
- Come on now. - No! Please!
- Leave her. Leave her! - Hold still!
You do this and I'll fucking kill you! Do you hear me?
- No, please! - Take mine. Leave her alone!
Take mine!
You're a real gentleman, aren't you?
Which hand do you drink with?
The one that shakes the least.
You're enjoying this, aren't you, you little prick?
Jesus!
Jesus! God!
Jesus!
How do you know the place?
The guy who runs it is an old school friend.
He's certainly done well for himself.
He was born into it.
Inherited the country pile and wanted to give something back.
Rich kid helps rich kids.
Good to see you, Anthony.
Kate!
- I heard you became a guard. - You heard right.
I never would've thought that now.
Always thought you'd become a Greenpeace activist
or a musician or something, huh?
Yeah, your cousin was quite the wild one at school.
- What was your nickname again? - Oh, I don't know.
- It's been so long. - High Noon!
- You? High? - Yeah.
So you've been running this place a while, Anthony?
Yeah, nearly ten years now.
Very simple philosophy.
There's no moralising, no preaching, no analysing.
But, if my clients want to talk, I'm there to listen, you know.
And it works?
Yeah... I mean, it does.
Business is slow, you know, and banks are on me back.
It's only a matter of time now before this place is...
Well, you know how it goes.
I'm looking for information about
Ronan Meyers and Bethany Williams.
I'm sure you knew before coming here
that I'm bound by client confidentiality.
Ronan and Bethany have been abducted
and we believe that their lives may be in danger.
That's awful.
So any information you might have
would be invaluable to us in trying to find them.
Yeah, look, I really wish I could help you
but, confidentiality, it's the very foundation
upon which this place is built, Kate.
Betraying that would be morally wrong.
What if your failure to help results in
Ronan and Bethany dying?
What moral can you draw from that?
Anthony, I'm not here in a professional capacity.
Anything you say to me, it'll go no further.
I'm sorry, I can't.
Christ!
We're gonna die here, aren't we?
I don't intend departing this life
with the stench of stale cat's piss in my nostrils.
Did Ronan mention anybody that held a grudge
against him or his parents?
When Ronan first came here, he had issues
with practically everyone. He kept to himself.
The only person who managed to ingratiate himself with him
was this fella here, Jimmy.
Jimmy Bennett.
What did Ronan see in him?
I think Ronan admired him.
I think he admired his intelligence,
but he also felt sorry for him.
And Jimmy boy there, Jimmy was just happy
to have found a friend, you know.
- They were close? - Oh, yeah.
Until Bethany arrived. Now, that was amazing to watch.
There was an instant connection between her and Ronan.
Star-crossed lovers.
- No exaggeration. - What did Jimmy do?
He was the jilted lover, wasn't he?
And he was angry and in the end...
...just checked himself out of here.
Do you have an address for Jimmy Bennett?
It's in there.
He's not there.
Are coppers supposed to carry that?
I'm on sick leave.
And right now, I'm just a concerned citizen...
...who heard what sounded like a cry of help from inside here.
Nice one, High Noon!
I swear to God, Darragh...
Nietzsche, Spinoza, Sun Tzu... Hardly light reading.
Darragh, I found him.
That's Jack's place, but where's the rest?
- Are these live feeds? - Shit.
They've got cameras everywhere.
Can you get a location?
I don't know what I'm looking for.
- What did you do? - I don't know.
- We can take him. - No, no, we'll follow him.
Hurry up, for fuck's sake!
Jesus.
You're all heart, girl.
Hold still.
Come here.
Come on.
Open up! It's an emergency. Open up!
There's no-one here.
This way.
Over the wall!
Go, go, go, go!
Bethany.
Beth?
Beth.
Bethany? Beth.
Jack, it's me!
Oh, God!
- Leave her! Leave her! - No! Let go of me!
Go, Darragh, go!
If you're in pain, Jack, try some simple...
Darragh, if you start any of your Zen shite,
I swear I'll rip your tongue out and feed it to the swans.
Good to see you, Jack... what's left of you.
Your sympathy's overwhelming, Ned. What do you have?
Two lives are at stake. We have to move fast.
What do you have?
We traced the motorcycle reg to James Bennett.
He placed monitors in several locations.
Bethany Williams' apartment, Meyers' house, your place.
I think we can safely assume
that he's well-apprised of all your moves.
What about the e-mail we got off the laptop?
"Only by killing the weak do we become strong.
St Mark 1:4-5. Bine."
As far as I know, the gospel of St Mark's has no such passage.
Headstone, however...
Found that in my apartment last night.
Do you recognise any of these?
No. Who are they?
This man, paralysed as a result of a road traffic accident.
He was a well-known junkie. She was a prostitute.
All three died accidentally within the last two weeks.
Drowning, hit and run, fell from the fifth floor.
In each case...
...one of these was found nearby.
If Jimmy really was responsible for those deaths, why kidnap us?
Why not kill us outright, like those poor souls?
I have a theory.
Jimmy Bennett had an interesting collection of books.
Everything from Nietzsche to Hitler,
which emphasise the need for the strong to eliminate the weak.
Combine that with Jimmy's high opinion of himself
and his tendency to blame others
and you've got the seeds for Headstone.
Each of these victims could be considered
physically or morally weak.
Ronan and Bethany could be considered mentally weak.
Jimmy didn't kill them straightaway
cos he had personal issues with them.
He wanted 'em to suffer, you know, just like you.
Why burn the ransom money?
To make a point.
Headstone's agenda is ideological, not financial.
Lovely theory, Darragh, but it's not getting us any closer
to locating Ronan and Bethany.
Odds are both of them are dead.
Screw the odds!
Headstone have made two mistakes.
The first was setting a pattern that we can trace.
And the other?
Not killing me when they had the chance.
Thank you, sir.
Kate...
...all the best tomorrow.
Darragh...
...find out more about the e-mail, St Mark's 1:4-5
and the signature Bine.
Kate, go back to Anthony Dimple-Whatshisname.
- Anthony Bradford-Hemple. - Right.
Find out more about Bennett -
friends, connections, psychological profile.
When you get the chance, check out this fella Mason.
- Who the hell is he? - And what are you gonna do?
Kick back by the pool?
It's a pathetic excuse for you covering your own screw-up.
I don't know what 007 there told you,
but the kidnappers never intended taking the money.
Your son was not taken for ransom.
He was taken to make an ideological point
- and for revenge. - Revenge for what?
Listen, I think Ronan and Bethany are still alive.
- Now, I suggest... - Thanks to you, we had a visit
from Superintendent Whelan who now wants to know everything
and insists on monitoring the situation.
You have signed Ronan's death warrant.
They took me.
I've gotten close to them and I've paid the price.
You escaped to save yourself. You left Bethany.
- You didn't look for Ronan. - He wasn't there.
How can you be sure?
Hey, Marlowe!
If we'd worked it together, co-ordinated properly,
- this wouldn't have happened. - I'm hearing you.
Right. Want to know what I saw?
A description of the person who took me. All the gory details.
Maybe you were right. Pooling resources is the best option.
What are you bringing to the table? More gizmos?
I've got a notion how to crack this nut.
Given your reputation, I think you'll like it.
- I'll think about it. - Here...
If you change your mind...
There.
You should be at home resting, you know, with your condition.
- My condition? - Sorry, erm...
After meeting you again this morning,
I was talking to some old school buddies and...
Well, it is Galway and I heard about your condition.
You can call it what it is.
I'm not going to start crying on you.
Are you on chemo, or radiotherapy or?
Mastectomy.
Tomorrow afternoon.
What are you doing working here in the middle of the night?
All right.
Tell me what you're looking for. I'll print the relevant files.
Thank you.
- I got nothing. - On Anthony.
I'm so fucking petrified, Jack.
James Mason.
Formerly a DI with the Met.
A good detective, by all accounts.
A couple of high-profile arrests.
However, in the last few years, his behaviour became
increasingly erratic and violent.
- Mm. Job got to him? - Yeah.
I had a police psychologist report e-mailed over.
Apparently, Mason was frustrated with
the amount of perpetrators slipping through the net.
I quote, "If we could do to the scum
what the Americans do in Guantanamo,
there'd be no crime on the streets."
- A regular Mandela. - Yeah.
Mason also expressed disgust for victims, drug users,
people on the periphery,
whom he accused of propping up the whole system of crime.
Get rid of the users and you get rid of the criminals.
The weak.
It doesn't have to mean anything.
Only one way to find out.
Get some spuds and bacon into you, Noonan!
Christ, of course!
I'll be back in time to take you to the hospital.
Don't worry. Darragh's gonna come with me.
I'll be there before you go in.
What was it you were going to say to me the other night?
I'll tell you later on.
- Hi. - Darragh?
- Hey, I'll be right over. - I want you to go to Jimmy's.
- Doorstep the neighbours. - I'm taking you to hospital.
Finding Bethany and Ronan is more important.
The guards must have interviewed the neighbours.
Sometimes you get something useful the second or third time.
Nah, bad idea, cousin. I'm taking you to hospital.
Jack will be there. I'll be grand.
Do this for me, Darragh.
Please.
OK, but I need the car.
- Hiya. - Hi.
Sorry to bother you.
I was wondering if you'd seen this guy.
Yeah, he comes here. You a guard or something?
"Or something", yeah.
I was wondering if you'd, er, noticed anything about him
that was out of the ordinary?
No, that guy's always the same.
Buys cornflakes and milk, sausages and frozen food
and he buys a box of chocolates on Saturdays.
Probably for his aunt, or his granny, or something.
- Why not a girlfriend? - Cos the other day,
he bought a birthday card, said "Happy 75th".
And he also bought one of those mugs.
Do you remember which name he picked?
Yeah. Sara. He asked if I had one spelled Sara without the H.
Hiya.
Any idea where Sara might live?
Er, no, but he said
the chocolates make up for the garbage they feed her,
so she's probably in a home.
Thanks. You've been very helpful.
Hang on!
I thought you said her name was Sara.
Saoirse's my name. Number's on the back.
Sorry.
Good afternoon. Erm...
I was just looking for someone
and I wondered if you could help me.
Er, yes.
She is, er...
What do you want, Taylor?
I want to discuss your offer about pooling resources.
- Why the change of heart? - Something's come up.
Something only you can help with.
Really? There's a warehouse by the fuel depot.
Hello, Mrs Bennett.
My name's Darragh Noonan.
I'm a friend of Jimmy's.
Oh, thank you.
Are the cows milking again?
- Excuse me? - The cows.
Are they milking?
After the thunderstorm?
Oh, er, yeah. Yeah, they are.
You're lyin'!
Mrs Bennett, would you mind
if I asked you a few questions about your nephew?
Oh, why not? Go ahead.
Er, Jimmy comes to visit you, erm...
And Jimmy's the only visitor she gets?
Yeah, he's a lovely lad. If there's any justice
in the world, she'll leave him the farm.
- Farm? - Yeah.
Sara used to run a farm.
She had great grazing land.
My da used to say that he'd not have much time for the Bennetts,
they were "Too uppity for farm folk," but Mam...
Do you know where the farm is?
Ah, fingerless Taylor.
- What's with the gun? - Come on up.
- Expecting trouble? - Don't worry. It's legal.
I like what you've done with the place.
So, what's the story, Marlowe?
How many wackos are in Headstone?
Eh?
Thanks.
There have been three deaths linked to Headstone.
Among them a drug user and a homeless person.
I thought, "That's funny. The people you've gone on record
as saying are responsible for society's ills."
That's priceless!
You think I've got something to do with this?
- You tell me. - Or else what?
You'll beat a confession out of me?
With lives at stake, I'd beat a confession
out of a Carmelite nun.
Now you're talking my sort of language.
Follow me.
I've got a question for you too. What's the common denominator
between Ronan, Bethany and Jimmy Bennett?
- How do you know about Bennett? - Same way your lady friend did.
You think Bradford-Hemple is the common denominator?
- That's a load of shite. - Really?
You checked him out? Watch your head.
Yeah.
Anthony Bradford-Hemple lost a fortune in the crash of 2008.
Since then, he's barely been able to keep things running.
- He's sky-high in debt. - So is half the nation.
Where the fuck are you taking me?
Jimmy was under Anthony's personal supervision.
They got to know each other very well.
Did Anthony use Jimmy's hate
of Ronan and Bethany to his own gain?
It's a grand theory, 007,
but why burn the money you need so badly?
Maybe he knew there was a tracer on it.
Maybe to show that he was serious
and that we'd better do as he says next time.
New ransom demand came in this morning.
One million.
Now wouldn't you at least like to talk to Tony boy?
That's what I thought.
Have you completely lost the run of yourself?
I knew you'd approve.
You're finished, Mason.
What if it's the only chance to save Ronan and Bethany?
Huh?
Sign here.
We're almost ready for you.
You have no-one with you today?
I'll manage.
You're second in line so it shouldn't be too long.
Who are you?
What do you want?
Tony, I'm a fairly intense guy.
So, when I ask you a question, I want you to bear that in mind.
You lie to me once...
...and you're fucking toast, right?
All right.
Did you and Jimmy Bennett conspire to kidnap
Ronan Meyers and Bethany Williams?
What? No! What are you talking about?
We don't want to hurt you, Anthony.
We just need you to clear up a few things for us.
What was your personal opinion of Ronan and Bethany?
They were clients.
I didn't form personal opinions.
Not even when they went to the papers about the harsh treatment
they'd been receiving at Coreeva Lake?
- That wasn't true. - Why would they make it up?
I don't know. They were messed up.
That's why they were at Coreeva Lake.
Leave him! Leave him!
How would you describe their personalities?
They were loners.
They both suffered from traumatic experiences.
Bethany was in a car crash that killed both her parents
and Ronan was left stranded on a mountain,
climbing with his father and brother. He was thought dead.
Can I have some water, please?
I don't think he's hiding anything.
You're prepared to stake the lives of two people
on a gut feeling?
My gut feeling is you should be in that fucking chair.
I'm starting to like you, Marlowe.
That's it.
Must be frustrating, dealing with troubled kids.
Always staying calm, never losing your temper.
Well, that's what I'm trained to do.
It can't be pleasant to see Coreeva Lake go down the drain.
That's how it goes, isn't it? I have historical debts so...
So you roped in Jimmy Bennett whom you knew to be pliable.
Ah, this is insane!
Mason!
- Jesus! - Fuck!
Fuck!
Ah, shite and onions!
Now, OK, Kate, start counting from ten down.
Ten, nine, eight, seven...
OK, surgeon, we're ready.
I don't suppose there's any chance of you
keeping this under your hat?
Yeah, figured.
I'll see you both in court.
You're just gonna let him walk out of here?
You're right. Let's shoot him in the back of the head
and dump his body in the bog.
I'm coddin' you. Get out before I change my mind.
If he's involved and those kids die, it's on your head.
Ah, Jaysus.
- Hi. - Hi.
Shh.
Sh.
- Fuck you! - Bethany, come on!
How are you feeling?
Like 40 cats shat in my mouth.
Listen, I'm sorry I didn't make it earlier.
Something came up.
Hey.
You know that thing I wanted to talk to you about,
a couple of nights ago?
Had a little left over from the funds that Mrs Bailey left me.
Enough for a down payment...
...if you fancy a change.
There's no rush, no, no.
The deposit is refundable, so...
...have a think.
I already have.
How did it go with Mason?
Oh, Mason's just your garden variety asshole.
He's not clever enough to concoct something like this,
but he, er...
Something else happen?
No. No, just a big waste of time.
In my bag, Anthony's files on Ronan, Bethany and Jimmy.
I didn't finish going through them.
Might be something there.
Give me that!
I'm freezing!
Hey, Ro, will you grab this?
Take your time. Don't worry. We're not in a rush.
I think I'm gonna see you at the top!
- Right. - Then, when we're up there...
Are we ready? Right, give me that.
How do you take a photo on this, Da?
Ah, that's great.
- You sure you have the photo? - Climbing faces, please!
Bine.
Where are you going?
Just need to check up on something with the Meyers.
- Won't be long. - Tar ar ais.
Cinnte.
Brenda, I told you. One of us has to be here.
I think you should at least inform Mason.
No, this time we'll follow instructions to the letter.
No more interference from anyone.
It doesn't feel right, David.
Why there? Why today?
I think Taylor may be right.
It's about something other than money.
- What? - I don't know.
I don't think you should go.
David!
- We've nothing to talk about. - Columbine!
Excuse me?
The Columbine shootings in America in '99.
Ronan had an obsession with them.
A few years ago,
Ronan read a lot about the Columbine killings.
About the boys who did it.
He was in a bad place back then, as you know yourself.
This was around the time he attacked the swans?
Yes.
When he was 18, Ronan was mountain climbing
with his father and brother. Got lost in a storm.
Almost died.
That can change a person.
When Conor turned 16, the three of them went to County Kerry.
It was November.
The forecast wasn't great,
but David was confident that they'd make it up and down again
before the storm hit.
But they didn't.
They were all tied together.
But, in order to negotiate a crevasse faster,
David untied himself.
The weather was already turning.
Conor slipped and fell.
He took Ronan with him.
The storm was on them by now and David had a choice to make.
He could try and get them both up,
but that would take too much time
and the full force of the storm would strand them
and they'd all die.
Or he could choose one of them to save.
Christ.
There was no time to think.
David made his choice.
The younger one.
The weaker one. Conor.
He was able to pull him up to safety, just.
He told Ronan he'd be back for him.
He told him to stay strong.
To hang in there.
I think I'm gonna see you at the top!
And then, when we're up there, we can...
Ready?
How do you take a photo on this, Da?
When I saw Ronan walk down through that pass, I thought...
I thought I had made the right decision.
Now they're both gone.
- Ah, that's great. - We don't know that.
Ronan is not dead.
Ronan is not dead!
It was a miracle David and Conor made it down at all.
David rang the emergency services.
As soon as the blizzard subsided,
the search got under way.
They found no trace of Ronan.
As they were getting ready to pack it in...
...Ronan came walking down through a pass on his own.
He found shelter.
Was able to light his stove.
Those first few days, he...
...he couldn't speak to his father or his brother.
He blamed them.
Conor suffered for it.
Hated himself
for having gotten them into trouble in the first place.
Two years later, Conor...
...Conor took his own life.
Ronan never shed a tear.
And then, two months later, came the swan killings.
I need to speak to your husband.
He's attending a function.
He won't be back until around four.
Thank you, Mrs Meyers, for telling me.
This function you mentioned. What is it?
We donated to a refurbishment of a section of Conor's school,
St Mark's, in his memory.
St Mark's?
David put a lot of time and money...
250K.
Yes.
And the ceremony takes place at 1:45.
Whelan! St Mark's Secondary School.
Get an armed response unit down there now!
Mason, turn it around!
Turn it around!
Come on!
What?
- What? - Go! Go, go!
Thank you all.
Like you, Conor was a transition-year student.
And, like you, he loved football,
hurling, soccer, you name it.
He was constantly pushing himself to do better,
to reach a new level of achievement.
Both my wife Brenda and I hope
that the Conor Meyers Sports Hall...
...acts as an inspiration to you all
and a reminder that excellence comes from within.
Thank you.
Everybody, out!
- Get down! Get down! - Get down!
Everyone, down!
Your phones. Come on! Give me your phones.
Phones now.
Come on, hurry up.
- Ronan? - Hey, Da. That for me?
Stop this. You can't c...
Shut the fuck up!
Shut up!
Everyone, now, nice and calm. Yeah?
Dad, can I ask you to move this way, please?
Move!
Stop!
Had your own finger cut off, you just shot a guy. For what?
To make your dad suffer?
It's rude to stare.
You know full well how sorry I am about what happened.
More sorry than you can imagine.
- He needs help! He's gonna die! - Well, help him, then.
I suffer every day because of what happened to you, Ronan...
Get the fuck back!
...because of what happened to Conor.
Isn't that punishment enough?
No.
This is between you and me, Ronan. No-one else.
You know what? You're right, Dad.
This is between you and me. So, you know what?
Let's really make it about you and me.
What are you doing?
Jesus Christ, Ronan! What the fuck are you doing?
It has to be like this.
- Ronan, no. - Trust me.
Now take him down there and watch him closely.
Ladies and gentlemen, court is now in session.
The Honourable Judge David Meyers
will be presented with a choice.
If the judge presses the red button,
I, his only remaining son, will be blown to bits.
If he presses the green button, Judge David will self-destruct.
If the counter runs to zero and he does nothing,
then both explosives will be triggered.
- Hey! - What the fuck is he doing?
He's gonna get you all killed.
If you hate me that much, why don't you just kill me?
It's in your hands now, Dad.
So the question is:
Can the Honourable Judge Meyers sacrifice himself
for his only fucking remaining son?
Ronan, please.
Bethany.
Fuckin' hell, Beth!
- You and me forever? - Forever.
Ronan, I'm begging you!
I love you, Ronan.
Forgive me, son.
Jesus!
Are you crazy?
You're fucking crazy!
Jimmy!
Grab the money! Get the van ready.
You left me to die on that mountain because you thought
saving me would get you killed.
It's good seeing you, Dad.
Let's go.
Hey, I didn't think you were gonna make it, Jack.
- I didn't know I was invited. - Oh, what?
With all those clues I left you?
This is what it's all about?
Revenge against your dad for leaving you up that mountain.
Revenge against me for what?
Taking your eye?
Hey, the finger hurt, didn't it?
I bet it hurt even more when you thought you'd failed Bethany.
What do you want? A pat on the back?
A pat on the back!
Sure, I had you dancing this way and that!
Sure, it never occurred to you that the eejit Ronan Meyers
could fuck with your mind like that, all on my own.
- You didn't do it on your own. - True. Didn't do it on my own.
Each one of us killed a weakling with our own hands.
Each one of us saw their fear and felt the power.
Life and death.
You can't imagine how strong those killings made us.
They bonded us. They made us a unit.
Made Headstone real.
In that case, I'm very sorry, Ronan.
Sorry for what, Jack? For taking my eye?
Sorry I didn't take both.
Cover me, Bethany.
A finger for a finger.
An eye for an eye.
On your knees.
On your fuckin' knees.
It'll hurt.
- It'll hurt a lot. - I know it will, Ronan.
No! Ohh!
- Hands up! Keep your hands up! - Don't you fucking move!
I'm scared.
No. No!
I'm not even gonna ask how the hell you ended up here.
But you did all right.
All right? I got taken in.
- Hook, line and sinker. - We all did.
I didn't think Bethany could be capable of all this.
She heard the music.
Music?
"Those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane
by those who could not hear the music."
Nietzsche.
Get well, Kate, and sure I'll talk to you soon, yeah.
So, what did Lord Dimple want?
He heard about the operation.
He just wanted to pay me a visit, like old friends do.
Right.
- Nothing else? - What else would there be?
What?
Is this what you've come down to?
It wasn't what you think.
- Why didn't you tell me? - Come on!
You were fresh from an operation. I'm not gonna st...
Not gonna what, Jack? Be honest? Trust me?
Stop it! It was Mason. It had nothing to do with me.
Of course. You were just the innocent bystander!
I thought two lives were at stake.
- I had to make a decision. - Based on what evidence?
This is bollocks.
Either you trust me or you don't.
- How are you? - I am very good!
How are you?
Jack, heard you lost a finger.
Lost more than that.
The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away.
Do you not have an altar boy, to grope, or something?
I'll buy you a drop of the craythur?
The last and only time you bought me a drink
was at your mother's wake, God rest her soul.
I doubt very much she's resting.
Can you not show some respect
to the person that brought you into this world?
The person who nurtured and reared you.
Reared me? She didn't rear me.
I was kept at room temperature, like Fruitfield jam.
You're the very devil, Jack.
Amen to that.
Ripped & Corrected By mstoll