[Woman gasping and sobbing in pain]
[Gasping and groaning]
_
[man barking in sari]
_
Salaam.
_
[♪♪]
_
she has been in labor 15 hours.
_
[guard shouts in sari]
You speak English.
We have a television in our village.
I know who you are.
You brought medicine to our village once.
[Sudden pained gasping]
Hold on tight.
[Panting]
- What's her name? - My daughter is Nilofer.
I am Asad.
And her husband?
The father wants a son.
A girl can accomplish great things
when she's free to do them.
[Praying silently]
Freedom...
Is not impossible...
But it may take time
and you do not have much.
[Bag thuds]
[Newborn bawling]
_
♪ ah-hah! ♪
♪ oh, yeah, baby ♪
♪ like a fool I went and stayed too long ♪
♪ now I'm wondering if your love's still strong ♪
♪ ooh, baby ♪
♪ here I am ♪
♪ signed, sealed, delivered ♪
♪ I'm yours ♪
♪ ooh ♪
♪ then that time I went and said goodbye ♪
♪ now I'm back and not ashamed to cry ♪
♪ ooh, baby ♪
♪ here I am signed, sealed, delivered... ♪
All rise.
♪ ...I'm yours ♪
[Hushed]: This better be good.
Madame chairman, this committee is called into emergency session
in light of new and time-sensitive information
that may involve military action.
Thank you, senator.
Before we begin,
let me reiterate
that this is a closed session regarding national security,
and all testimony given here today is sealed.
Let's see...
Mr... O'Toole?
Yes. I'm Oliver O'Toole.
These are my colleagues, Ms. Mclnerney,
Ms. Haywith, Mr. Dorman.
And I understand you comprise a task force from...
The D.L.O.?
That is correct.
Is this C.I.A., F.B.I., or N.S.A.?
U.S.P.S.
We work at the post office.
[Reporter]: That's right, Bob.
This was the image we saw nearly two years ago,
when 12-year-old Phoebe Amidon tied a yellow ribbon
around the tree in her grandfather's yard,
awaiting news of her mother.
Lieutenant Randilynn Amidon went missing
while serving with American troops
in Afghanistan, near the Pakistan border.
But now, 22 months later,
with Amidon still missing
and the circumstances of her disappearance still sketchy,
and no answers in sight,
this "welcome back" ribbon
is a sad reminder of the reputation
lieutenant Amidon may never return home to defend.
I would like to know what bearing
four postal employees from Denver
have on the status
of a missing American soldier in Afghanistan.
[Oliver]: Yes, well.
Several months ago,
in the course of performing our duties
as postal detectives in the dead letter office,
we became acquainted
with a Phoebe Amidon,
the 14-year-old daughter of lieutenant Randilynn Amidon,
as well as her grandfather, Mr. Harper Ferguson.
We came to believe
that lieutenant Amidon did not abandon her duties
the night she went missing,
and, in fact, she conducted herself heroically
and yet, uh, sadly,
most likely, was, uh, probably not living.
And to that, of course, we have no comment.
Of course.
However, we now have information to suggest
that lieutenant Amidon may well be alive
and urgently in need of your assistance.
And that is based on the contents
of the letter we have here?
Yes.
And you came to this conclusion last night?
Yes, and if I may, I need to go back a few days.
Please.
Last Thursday,
we were preparing to travel to Washington, D.C.,
for the national miss special delivery pageant.
Is that a real thing?
I was finalizing some paperwork before our trip...
♪ One of these days my time will come... ♪
I understand you have something very unique
planned for the pageant.
Oh, well, this year's theme is "delivering inspiration."
And for my talent,
I will be doing a dramatic reading
from my unpublished historical romance novel
Renita Hayweather: Frontier duchess.
A dramatic novelist!
Amazing! Brilliant.
No one can compete with that.
We'll all be crossing our fingers
for you this Saturday.
Thank you, Ramon.
That was very nice,
miss Rita.
- [Smooching] - Thank you.
[♪♪]
[Nervous chuckle]
Time for us to go on our trip to Washington, D.C.,
together.
- Oh, yeah, okay. - Goodbye!
As always, miss Rita... A pleasure.
[Giggling]
[Chuckling]
Oh, it must be very hard to say goodbye.
Oh, not really.
No, not to me, my friend.
Goodbye to miss Rita.
She will win, of course,
and then she's off traveling the world
on her triumphant goodwill tour.
[Chuckles]
Just imagine all the places she will go...
All the people she will meet...
Tsk, tsk, tsk.
[♪♪]
Just a couple more things to sign,
then it's all yours.
I am sorry for your loss.
But at least your father made sure
that you'd be well taken care of.
My biological father.
I never knew him.
I have your skinny caramel steamer coming,
just the way you like it.
Oh, that's so sweet, Norman.
Who's Oliver talking to?
[Norman]: His lawyer.
He inherited so much money, she comes to see him now.
With all of this money,
I suppose you will want to start talking about early retirement.
And quit the post office?
Well, why not?
You're young, you're single, and you're rich.
Ms. bullock,
the only thing Harvey Schmidtz gave me,
besides this inheritance,
was a piece of advice.
"You never have enough money if all you have is money."
What does that mean, anyway?
It means...
It's time to get back to work.
Have you seen your itinerary, Ms. Mclnerney?
I'm sorry. What?
[Oliver]: Well, I made copies for all of us
and highlighted
the events pertinent to each of us
in corresponding colors.
You're yellow.
[Laughs] Yellow! Huh.
We arrive at 3:56.
Check in the hotel at 5:10,
arrive at the capitol grill at 6:45 for a quiet dinner
before curfew at 10:30.
And tomorrow morning, Rita... Right here in pink...
Registers for the pageant at 9:00,
and you and I and Norman leave at 9:30
to take a tour of the library of congress,
Ford's theater, and, uh, the national postal museum.
Postal museum?
Uh, think you're ready to go back there?
It's time.
I'd like to get it over with.
Of course.
And then I can show you around my old stomping grounds.
Oh. I-is there a museum you'd like to add?
Or... or... would you like to visit old postal friends?
Well, Rebecca Starkwell
was my only friend at the D.C. office,
and she's on her honeymoon.
Oh. Is there an old boyfriend
to visit at the post office?
I'm not in the habit of calling up old boyfriends.
And even if I were,
his work is...
Well, he's hardly ever in town.
Great!
It's settled then.
Taxi should be arriving any minute.
Almost forgot!
What?
Don't ask. Can't tell. It's a surprise.
Ahh!
Field kit!
Norman! We're going on holiday.
All you need is your suitcase.
Uh-oh.
I know it's a horrible thought,
veering off your blue itinerary into my yellow itinerary,
but I was wondering
if we could make a tiny detour on our way to the hotel?
A detour?
I wanted to...
Drive by the house where I grew up,
for old time's sake.
Please?
[Exhaling]
[Norman]: Okay!
All set. Let's do D.C.
Has anyone seen my crown?
Oh! Ah.
[♪♪]
[Rita]: Where's your house?
It's gone.
Are you sure this is the right street?
Of course I'm sure.
That's the tree I used to climb.
The garden where we planted the...
Those bricks were
the fireplace where my mother and I always...
[Deep breath]
18 years...
And now it's like we were never here.
Did you plant those?
[Shane]: For mother's day.
[Quiet chuckle]
Every fall, after all the other blooms would die,
my mom... my mom would take the last one,
and put in a vase and say,
"look. It's the last rose of summer.
Still holding on."
[Chuckles softly]
Then, every fall...
Even after I went away to college,
and every September after that, until she moved away,
I would get an envelope in the mail
with the last rose of summer
wrapped in wet paper towels, in a plastic bag.
She was sending you a message.
"Pay attention
"to the simple, little things right in front of you...
Or they could be gone before you know it."
Forgive me, Mr. O'Toole,
but other than the sad truth that we can't go home again,
we've still heard nothing to shed any light
on the letter that I hold here,
addressed to the secretary of defense
of the United States of America.
With respect, madame chairman,
uh, it was stopping
at the site of Ms. Mclnerney's former home
that put us in the lobby of the Franklin Adams hotel
at the exact moment we crossed paths
with Phoebe Amidon and her grandfather.
If that letter is what we think it is,
then it's compelling us to pay attention to the details,
or the chance to bring lieutenant Amidon home again
will also be gone before we know it.
So your presence here today, Mr. O'Toole,
is the result of a prior relationship
with Phoebe Amidon and her grandfather?
Well, that,
and the prior relationship of Ms. Mclnerney with, uh...
Actually, I'd like to turn this part over to her now.
My name is Shane Mclnerney.
I provide I.T. Services
for the dead letter office in Denver.
I used to work right here in Washington
in direct line operations.
When we arrived at the hotel on Thursday,
we were checking in and...
Rita was registering
for the miss special delivery pageant.
Oh, wait.
[♪♪]
Ms. Mclnerney.
Mm?
Uh, I was thinking,
perhaps this week
might present an opportunity for...
For... for an evening out.
We're in Washington, D.C., Oliver.
We're already spending the whole week out.
Yes, but I was thinking,
um, you and I might have dinner together,
just us, to...
To talk and...
Perhaps I can offer some perspective
on the recent loss of your childhood home.
You're asking me...
Out...
For dinner?
Yes.
Yes!
I'll put it in the schedule.
Do that.
In yellow.
Of course.
[Host]: Next... Miss Oklahoma!
[Contestant mindy]: Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!
[Perturbed huff]
Are you okay?
Well, they've got me scheduled for my talent rehearsal
at the same time I'm supposed to get my nails done,
but if I move the nails, then there's no time
for some fitting they've got me down for.
Or maybe I shouldn't do my nails.
Maybe I shouldn't rehearse, but if I don't, then... oh!
This is worse than a stampede on Sunday.
No. No! This is wonderful.
You're miss...
Wyoming.
You're miss Wyoming!
And look where you are.
Well, that's the problem!
There are more people in this hotel
than there are in big piney.
Oh, big piney, Wyoming. Population 576.
How do you know that?
Oh, I have a photographic memory.
I remember everything I read.
Well, as long as I remember to remember.
[Laughs] It's hard to remember
anything in a place like this.
I'm afraid, when I get up to sing,
there'll be so many people in the room,
I'll forget the words.
And the notes.
And the song.
Look.
I don't have to rehearse tomorrow.
Why don't you take my time?
I don't mind.
- Really? - Yeah!
Miss Colorado.
We're practically neighbors, right?
Okay, Ms. Mclnerney, you are on the eighth floor.
Thank you.
Norman, you are on the sixth.
Oh, my goodness.
[Man]: Thank you very much.
Oh!
It's Phoebe.
Hey! What a surprise.
I can't believe it!
- For heaven's sake. - Hi!
Harper. Oliver O'Toole.
For heaven's sake,
what are you guys doing here?
- Are you staying here? - Yeah.
Where's Rita?
Oh, she's in the pageant.
We came to cheer her on.
And what brings you to the capitol?
Oh, we're trying to get some answers about Randilynn.
See if there's any...
Resolution.
We had an appointment
with someone from the state department tomorrow,
but it looks like they've had to postpone.
Not again.
[Norman]: Well, that's a shame.
[Harper]: Well, that's Washington.
We've spent two years,
but we always seem to knock on the wrong doors.
Isn't there anyone else that you can meet with?
Mm, we've run out of ideas.
I've got a standing appointment
with a dialysis machine back home,
so we can't extend the trip.
[Oliver]: Of course.
Would you excuse me for just a minute?
[♪♪]
So, we have you penciled in
to join us at 9:30 tomorrow.
Excellent.
Can't have you heading back
without having at least
some good memories in Washington.
Sounds like a plan!
Okay, well, we'll see you guys tomorrow, then.
- Okay, great. - Bye.
Bye.
Wow.
What a coincidence, huh?
I don't really believe in them, Norman.
[Chuckling breathlessly]
Is that who I think it is?
Yeah! It's Phoebe Amidon.
No way!
You've checked in?
Oh, yeah, I've got my room key
and my roommate... Miss Louisiana.
It sounds like you have some pretty serious competition.
Oh, I don't mind.
There's more to life than winning, right?
Right. Um, speaking of which,
I was thinking that, before dinner,
um, you and I could...
[Mindy]: Rita!
We're going out for yogurt. You wanna come?
Oh! Um...
Yeah! [Giggles]
Bye, guys!
She seems happy.
Yes. She does.
I suppose it's just the three of us for dinner.
Yeah. Yeah.
Where is Ms. Mclnerney?
Hi. It's Shane.
I'm in town at the Franklin Adams and...
[Takes a breath]
Steve, I-I need to see you.
I'd like another Arnold Palmer.
A little more Arnold than Palmer this time, please.
Why do they put tiny umbrellas in drinks?
Why not tiny cars?
Or tiny cats?
Something on your mind?
I just keep thinking about Phoebe coming all the way here
to find out if anyone knows what happened to her mother.
Everything else just seems so... Trivial compared to that.
The miss special delivery pageant
is perhaps not an event of great import
to the world at large, Norman,
but the world is a terribly complicated place,
and so much of it can be ugly.
That's why what is gentle and beautiful
and joyful is worth fighting to preserve.
And it's also why we honor those who fight.
Yeah.
So, Norman...
What's in the envelope? Hmm?
Well, it's a surprise f...
[Heels clopping]
[♪♪]
Ms. Mclnerney.
Hello, beautiful!
- Ooh! - Oh...
Look at you!
Whoo. Look at you...
I got your call.
Yes, and I thought you were going to
call me back.
[Steve]: I was just right around the corner.
I couldn't wait, so I staked out your hotel,
figured you'd show up sooner or later.
[Shane, awkwardly]: Yes, well, good timing.
Uh, Steve Marek,
these are my co-workers...
My boss, actually...
Oliver O'Toole
and Norman Dorman.
Denver D.L.O., right?
Yes.
I heard about you guys. You do great work.
Oh, thank you.
And what is it you do for the post office?
Oliver, Norman, would it be okay
if I begged off of dinner tonight? Um...
Steve and I have...
Some catching up to do.
I can see that.
But perhaps we could meet later?
Later?
Tonight? A-after Mr. Marek?
For a nightcap? In the lounge?
Yes. All right.
[♪♪]
Norman.
Shall we dine?
Yes. Dining.
Starving.
Mr. Marek.
[♪♪]
So that was Oliver O'Toole?
Yes.
Does he know?
No.
But after tonight...
We may have to tell him.
[♪♪]
[Mindy]: And one, two, three...
[Contestants]: ♪ down by the old ♪
♪ mill stream ♪
- ♪ where I first ♪ - [Knocking]
Oh! The pizza!
[Excited chatter]
Oh!
Hi.
Hi. It's Norman.
[Overlapping]: Hi, Norman!
He's cute.
Thank you!
Uh, Rita, sorry to interrupt.
Oh, you're not! We were just sitting around and stuff.
I-I didn't know that you played that.
Well, my parents were flower children.
Right.
I was born under the Pepsi challenge tent
in Sedona, remember?
[Rita chuckles]
[Whispers] Was there something you needed?
Oh. Uh...
No.
Aww.
[Awkward chuckling]
See ya tomorrow.
Okay.
Sleep tight!
[Ladies]: Bye, Norman!
[All giggling]
[Laughter and chatter carrying]
[Woman]: Aw, he looks like a Teddy bear!
[♪♪]
I think that was our song.
We never had a song.
We should have had one.
So why'd you leave D.C.?
To get away from you.
Mm. Ouch.
I always know where I stand with you.
But I never knew where I stood with you, Steve.
And then I finally realized that's bad for relationships.
But it's what makes you so good at your job.
Betrayed by my own excellence.
And your humility.
But you came back.
On vacation.
I wasn't going to call you.
But now...
I guess I need you.
Good.
I'll see what I can do.
Am I... early?
No. No, I was just leaving.
How was dinner?
Fine, thank you.
Okay.
I'll see you tomorrow?
Okay.
Tomorrow?
Oliver.
I will just adjust my itinerary
to reflect that you will not
be joining us
for our tour in the morning.
No, I will. I'm coming.
We just have to adjust our plans for the afternoon.
I couldn't bear
to see how disappointed Phoebe and her grandfather were.
She's lost her mother,
he's lost a daughter...
And I guess...
After seeing...
Or not seeing my house today...
[Sighs]
I just felt like, at least... at least, with them,
maybe...
Maybe there was something that I could do,
maybe I could...
Help them in some way.
Well, that's admirable,
but I'm afraid lieutenant Amidon's situation
does not fall under the purview
of the United States postal system.
I don't see how you or I
or your friend, Steve, can hope to make a difference.
Well...
You or I can't, but...
Oliver, I haven't been
completely honest with you about Steve.
He's not exactly
with the post office.
So, Ms. Mclnerney,
it was you who made the initial contact with agent Marek?
[Shane]: Yes.
And it's not something that I did lightly,
but now I'm glad that I did.
Sir, can I assume that you are agent Marek?
Yes, I am, senator.
And has the testimony
you've heard so far been accurate?
Yes, ma'am.
All right. Continue, Ms. Mclnerney.
[Shane]: Thank you.
Well, needless to say,
this was all news to Mr. O'Toole.
The clandestine services?
One of them. Yes.
You... [scoffs] You dated a spy?
An intelligence analyst.
Officer.
Agent.
Kind of a spy, yeah.
You lied to me.
I didn't lie to you.
I like to think that you were on
a need-to-know basis, and now you need to know.
And what else do I need to know, hmm?
That Steve has agreed to meet with Harper and Phoebe
if we take them to the Pentagon tomorrow.
It seems he'd agree to anything
if it meant re-igniting the flames of...
You know, whatever, with you.
First of all, Oliver,
my flames are none of your business.
And second, you don't have to like him,
but he's a good man,
and whatever he may have meant to me in the past,
all he means now is a chance to help Phoebe.
Really.
[♪♪]
Really.
[♪♪]
Mr. O'Toole, I am due at the senate committee in an hour,
can I begin to hope that there is a way or a meaning with this story of yours?
Hmm?
Oh, absolutely.
[Flash pops]
- The next day... - Hi!
We took Phoebe
and her grandfather to the national postal museum,
where Rita and the other contestants
were making an appearance
and I was...
Well, I was on something of a sentimental journey.
[Flash popping, contestants giggling]
[♪♪]
[Takes a shaky, deep breath]
[Sighing]
You seem...
Deep in thought.
Three years ago,
I, uh, stood on this very spot with my wife...
Expounding on the early days of the pony express.
I turned around and, uh...
She wasn't there.
I stood here waiting and waiting until they closed,
but, by then,
she'd already left me and caught a plane to Paris.
That must have been very painful.
Why did you come back here today?
Closure.
You remind me of Randilynn.
When she was... Not even two,
she could barely talk, but she could walk.
We couldn't keep up with her.
One day, I turned around and she was gone,
then I heard this huge bang.
I went running into the bedroom and there she is,
on the floor, sobbing.
I said, "honey, what happened?"
Well, she was crying so hard, she couldn't tell me,
so she... she climbed up on the bed
and rolled off again just to show me.
[Both laughing]
That kid...
She was always going back
to the most painful places in her life
to make some sense of the pain.
All four verses?
Yeah. And if that didn't work,
she'd do every verse
of the star- spangled banner, too.
Wow. That is pretty patriotic.
She was.
Hey! Phoebe! How are you?
- I'm good. - How's lib?
- She's getting fat. - Oh!
I made the neighbors promise to walk her
twice a day while we were gone.
I love your crown.
Oh, thank you!
I have to wear it everywhere.
Photo shoots, interviews,
even a lecture on sportsmanship
by last year's miss special handling...
What's that?
Oh, it's like miss congeniality, only postal.
[Rita]: Anyways,
I am free as a bird for the rest of the day.
Great, uh, because
I have something back at the hotel that...
[Shane]: Phoebe!
[Shane rushes up]
After lunch,
I would like to take you and your grandfather
to meet a friend of mine.
I can't promise anything, but...
[Oliver]: Ms. Mclnerney.
[Quiet gasping]
Grandpa! Are you all right?
Grandpa?
[Door bangs]
I think he just overdid it a bit,
but we'll have him checked out just in case.
Thanks, Norman.
Get some rest, Harper.
Well, I guess it's up to us
to keep that appointment.
What appointment?
So you attended this meeting yesterday
as well, Ms. Hayworth?
Uh, it's "Haywith," with an "I".
Oh.
Yes, I did.
I had a free afternoon off, so I went along.
And I am very glad that I did.
I think. [Nervous chuckle]
Am I in trouble?
Just give us the facts, Ms. Haywith.
Oh, okay.
Well, first of all,
I had to leave my crown at the door.
Oh...
I feel so naked without it.
Here he comes.
Oh.
[Footsteps approaching]
I did some digging.
I got ahold of the file...
It's an active, working case.
Now, we never give up on our own,
no matter how long it takes,
but, after reading through this, we might be running out of time.
So you don't believe she was killed in the mission?
Look, I can't read you into the file,
but I can say that, as of six months ago,
I personally believe lieutenant Amidon was alive
and being held somewhere near Pakistan.
Likely by the insurgents that attacked her team
when she disappeared.
Then you think she was captured?
Off the record?
[Shane]: Go on, please.
[Exhaling deeply] Well, lieutenant Amidon was a medic.
She trained for the cultural support teams,
who interface with the Afghans,
collected intelligence.
See, the male soldiers
couldn't talk to Afghan women,
but the female soldiers could.
What seemed like suspicious activity...
Going off-base, consorting with the locals...
Had actually been covertly sanctioned by the army.
See, we can't always answer allegations
without putting other people in danger,
so the whole truth about lieutenant Amidon
is, really, yet to be told.
Is she alive, Steve?
[Sets glasses down]
She went back for two of our own,
who were cut down in a firefight.
Now, the insurgents had withdrawn,
but they waited, as they do,
for the rescue team to come back for the wounded.
And then they ambushed them?
[Gunfire exchanging]
Hang in there, Costas! You hear me?
We're gonna get you out of here!
Evac!
[Shouting]
Move out! Move out!
[Rotors beating, gunfire continuing]
[Rocket exploding]
Randi!
Get up! Randilynn!
[♪♪]
And then she was wounded?
And captured.
But not by any central group,
otherwise we would've known more by now.
There was a rescue attempt last year.
After that,
it appears that she was moved.
The drones haven't been able to find her.
We followed up on a sighting, but that didn't pan out.
Then there's this letter, which may or may not
have been written by lieutenant Amidon,
but that's gonna take some time to confirm.
I'm sorry, did you say a letter?
A letter. Yeah.
A point of clarification, please, madam chairman?
Ms. Haywith, have we finally
come to the reason for this hearing this morning?
You mean the letter?
Yes.
Oh, yes. That's when Mr. Marek showed us the letter.
Well, he actually didn't show us the letter,
that was the problem.
That's when I did the bad thing.
Go on.
This arrived almost two weeks ago
from Afghanistan,
made its way to us.
It's not in an envelope.
It's all Jerry-rigged together with tape,
it's addressed
"f-e-e-b."
"By the American secretary of the military embassy,
"Washington, D.C., U.S.A.,
from soldier female."
Now, the handwriting on the outside is different
from the inside.
Lieutenant Amidon may have written this,
but somebody else mailed it and routed it through kabul.
Kabul has mail?
Ah. You'd be surprised.
They have quite an efficient postal system in Afghanistan.
[Rita]: Oh.
And with all the cellphones and laptops
being hacked so often out there,
this may have been a good way
to get a message through unmonitored.
I have always maintained that
mail is still the gold standard of human communication.
Right.
The problem is,
I mean, except for something in here
about the fourth of July,
it all really just appears to be gibberish.
But that's what we do every day...
We figure out letters that don't make sense.
Let's see.
Oh, I-I can't let you look at that.
Oh, for heaven's sake, Steve. We're all on the same side!
It's classified. I've shown you too much already.
[Oliver]: Well, not to put too fine a point on this,
that was not addressed
to the secretary, but someone named "f-e-e-b,"
which I submit is someone's idea of how to spell "Phoebe,"
and, therefore, still has yet to be delivered
to its intended recipient,
and, therefore, falls clearly under
the jurisdiction of the united states postal service.
Is he kidding?
I'm sorry, he's not.
[Sighs]
Well, that's just not gonna happen.
There's too much analysis ahead.
There's handwriting, DNA, cryptography.
You think it's a coded message?
[Steve]: I hope so, otherwise, like I said,
it just doesn't make any sense.
I know.
I mean... I bet!
[Rita chuckles nervously]
We should go!
I have a big tap dance number to learn tonight.
[Shane]: Steve...
I think I should tell you that Rita has a photographic memory
and there's a pretty good chance
that she can remember everything that letter said.
Ah, give or take a few words here and there.
Your thumb was covering some of it.
Sorry.
Well, let's just pretend I didn't hear that.
Fair enough.
If you come up with anything,
I'd like to hear about it.
I didn't know the "department of agriculture"
was so clandestine.
You'd be surprised.
Don't forget your crown.
Oh, right.
[Norman]: Wow. A real spy. Steve?
Analyst.
A minor cog in the wheel.
How is Harper?
[Norman]: Oh, well, I wanted to take him to see a doctor,
but he insisted on going back to the hotel with Phoebe.
Harper's a tough guy, but he could use some good news.
Then we need to find him some, hmm?
Well, how?
We only had one... cog.
We are an elite postal task force, Norman.
Wide powers of postal discretion.
I think it's time we used them.
[Rita]: Okay, there was only six lines.
The first one was, um, "the day will end fast."
And then "the birthday of liberty,"
which is the fourth of July clue that Steve was talking about.
Go on.
Then there was this weird thing...
"Return to the four-poster."
What?
Some kind of army post, maybe?
Hmm.
Then there was, let me see,
"song 5-9-1-6"
and "proverbial 1-8-1-0."
Anything else?
No, just half a word or two.
"Grim feet."
Grim feet?
That's what it said.
That's the part where his thumb was covering it.
Steve's right. None of this makes any sense.
Everything seems like some sort of clue,
so it must mean something to someone.
Mm-hmm.
Well, if it was addressed to Phoebe,
shouldn't she know what it means?
Someone else wrote that on the envelope,
and I would hate to give Phoebe false hope
if we don't have to.
We are professionals.
We should be able to break this code.
[♪♪]
I hate to say this,
but I really do need
to learn to tap dance, but I promise you,
while my feet are tapping, my mind will be thinking.
Do you wanna come, Norman?
Oh, sure!
Okay.
Um, what was that last clue again?
It was a partial. "Grim feet."
[Sighing]
We may be in over our heads here, Oliver.
I mean,
the only thing that we have is the fourth of July clue.
The fourth has come and gone.
If that day is important, then this could all be too late.
♪ By planes, trains bus, mule, or livery ♪
♪ you bet she'll get those letters through ♪
♪ so hail miss special delivery ♪
♪ and all things coastal ♪
♪ from coast to coast'll sing ♪
♪ she's the damsel ♪
♪ we stamp and cancel ♪
♪ the holy grail of first-class mail ♪
♪ miss special delivery ♪
♪ that's you! ♪
Yeah!
Okay. Hold on.
[Weary gasp]
Miss Louisiana, slide you over here...
[Dancers panting]
So much harder than you'd think!
Yeah. Everybody's out of step but you.
How many people do you think are gonna be there?
Oh, like 500.
I can't sing in front of 500 people!
Oh, you'll be okay.
In Rita's book,
Renita Hayweather: Frontier duchess,
Renita has to sing "moon river"
while sitting on top of a wurlitzer organ
in the last chance saloon
while a bunch of cowboys eat pistachios.
But she knows that it'll inspire Mr. D'Lorman
before the big shoot-out,
so she does it.
Wow! I wanna read that book.
[Director]: Okay, ladies, let's go back to fifth position.
Fifth?
My dogs are barkin' so bad,
I can't get back to first.
"My dogs are barking."
Don't you just love her?
- [Rita laughing] - Yeah.
Five, six, seven, eight...
♪ She's miss special delivery ♪
♪ yes, she's our post office queen ♪
"My dogs"?
♪ From rocky mountain to field and fountain... ♪
Dog.
Dogs? Dogs!
Liberty! Let's go!
♪ You bet she'll get those letters through ♪
♪ so hail miss special delivery ♪
"Liberty"?
Yes, ma'am.
Randilynn wasn't talking about the fourth of July.
She was talking about lib.
Their dog's name is "liberty."
Are you telling me
that this committee convened a special emergency session
because of the birthdate of someone's pet?
The birthdate of Phoebe Amidon's German Shepherd
is of utmost importance, madame chairman.
It turned out to be the code-breaker,
the rosetta stone...
And the key to saving randilynn Amidon's life.
"The day will end fast,"
"the birthday of liberty,"
"return to the four-poster,"
"song 5-9-1-6."
"Proverbial 1-8-1-0,"
and "grim feet."
Grim... feet.
Abraham Lincoln slept in this hotel
after his election,
before he moved into the White House in 1860.
I wonder what they called the Lincoln bedroom
before it was the Lincoln bedroom.
Huh.
May I use this?
[Rita]: Guess what!
Room 1201, please.
Oliver.
Harper. Oliver O'Toole.
When you told me that story
about your daughter falling off the bed.
Uh, was it a four-poster bed?
And ask him when liberty's birthday is!
Harper, uh, I believe we need to talk.
Well...
Somebody's going to sleep tonight.
[Door shuts]
Well, so...
[Oliver]: Harper, when randilynn fell out
of that four-poster bed,
she was two.
Do you think she remembers that?
It was a family joke, yes.
And you're sure
that Phoebe's puppy was born on July 21st?
Yeah, can't forget that.
Do the words "grim feet" mean anything to you?
Grim feet?
No.
And how about "the day will end fast"?
Fast, "in a hurry,"
or fast as in "not eating"?
Hmm! Good point.
Um, "proverbial song"?
Proverbial...
Oh, my goodness.
Rita, we need a Bible.
There's one in the drawer there.
Proverbs and song... "Song" is the modern version
of the word "psalm."
Thank you.
Sir, is your daughter a woman of faith?
Oh, yes. [Chuckles]
She even taught some Bible study at the base.
So she knows her Bible?
Oh, chapter and verse.
[Rita]: Proverbs, chapter 18, verse 10.
Psalms 59:16...
They both talk about...
Oh, wow!
Oliver... "The day will end fast."
I think I know what it means.
[Rita]: Oh! Here we go.
"The name of the lord is a high tower.
The just run to it, and are safe."
I need to call Steve.
Who's Steve?
Well, he's not
with the department of agriculture.
Mr. O'Toole and his team contacted me last night,
they suggested
the letter was some form of escape plan
and they made a rather persuasive case.
But not a conclusive one.
No. But I felt there was enough information
to bring it to your attention,
especially considering the deadline.
Well, go ahead, Mr. O'Toole.
Make your case.
Actually, I'd like to turn that over
to my colleague, Mr. Dorman.
Thank you, Mr. O'Toole.
Uh, as Ms. Haywith explained, the second clue,
"the birthday of liberty" is in reference to July 21st,
which happens to be tomorrow and, not coincidentally,
is also the birthdate of the Amidon family dog.
And that date is some sort of "key" to the code, you say?
Yes, when paired with the first clue...
"The day will end fast."
In Afghanistan, and around the world,
the holy month of ramadan is observed, uh,
with prayer, acts of charity, and fasting.
This year, those 30 days of fasting ended
with a traditional festival of fast-breaking four days ago,
and we suggest that that is the day
that lieutenant Amidon chose to escape.
[Locals cheering and celebrating]
[Celebratory gunfire popping]
_
[♪♪]
[Man]: It is time.
[♪♪]
_
If she's actually escaped,
it's likely she had help from a local,
someone willing to risk their life,
most likely a pashtun...
They have a great respect
for their traditions and hospitality and charity.
Even so,
it's hard to imagine,
because the punishment for helping an American
is death.
Assuming she did escape four days ago,
where is she going?
Well, that's the third clue. "Return to the four-poster."
[Oliver]: A reference to an Amidon family joke...
A four-poster bed where she fell as a child
and returned to re-enact her fall.
[Steve]: Which would suggest the village of darakht,
it was the site of the original firefight
and the location where lieutenant Amidon was seen last,
falling out of a helicopter.
According to Mr. Marek,
Darakht also has a distinctive high tower,
and twice in her letter, in clues four and five,
randilynn refers to a biblical tower or fortress
as a place of safety and refuge.
Wherever she is,
we know she wasn't trained in navigation
or advanced survival.
How can she possibly make her way back to Darakht?
[Shane]: Lieutenant Amidon
is the daughter of an air force captain.
Her husband was killed in action in kabul.
She is an American soldier,
but she is also an American mother,
and nothing is gonna keep a woman like that
from doing whatever it takes
to find her way back to her little girl.
[♪♪]
We cannot go on.
There is a roadblock ahead.
Come.
It's too dangerous
for you to stay in the truck.
I must go on before they find you.
It's okay.
Wait for me there.
I will try and return tomorrow and take you to Darakht.
I am sorry.
I have only a little food to leave with you.
Please, no.
You take it.
You've done so much already.
No. The fast is over.
We must all celebrate.
Thank you.
If I am not back in two days,
please know that I have tried, but I could not,
then you must walk the rest of the way.
Always keep the mountains on your right,
and at night,
the brightest star over that peak.
It is very dangerous... But God is good.
Yes.
But people, not always.
I think we are.
You... and me.
[♪♪]
Hold on tight.
[♪♪]
[Quiet sob escapes]
[♪♪]
[Gasps]
Ah!
[Groans] Oh!
[♪♪]
[Sighs]
[Wincing]
[Oliver] The letter written by lieutenant Amidon
is, in fact, a roadmap for a rescue mission
that began four days ago,
and we hope will end tomorrow
in a rendezvous with American troops
in the very same place where she was first captured...
The "high tower" in the village of Darakht,
as indicated by the clues she gave us.
Five out of six so-called clues, Mr. O'Toole.
[Oliver]: Yes, well, uh,
the last clue was partially obscured
when Ms. Haywith glanced at the letter,
but she was able to make out the words "grim feet."
We respectfully request the opportunity
to inspect the actual letter
in order to decode the final clue.
Ms. Haywith is fortunate
she hasn't been indicted for reading and disseminating
the information she has already seen.
And Mr. Marek may very well be disciplined for allowing her,
or any of you,
to even become aware of its existence.
Whatever "grim feet" may mean,
that is a matter
for our own intelligence service to determine.
[Norman]: But there isn't time!
She took a huge chance sending that letter.
And here we are, maybe the only people
who could solve that message in time to save her.
Why would a soldier hoping for rescue
purposely write something obscure
and run the chance that it wouldn't be decoded?
To protect anyone coming to help her.
Having spent quite a bit of time in the military,
madame chairman,
I can attest
that lieutenant Amidon would know
that should someone intercept a more specific letter,
that they could simply allow her to reach her rendezvous point
and then wait to ambush the entire rescue party.
It's what happened the night she was captured.
She wouldn't allow it to happen again.
We'll take a five-minute break.
I can't go to prison, Norman.
I think she was just saying that you could,
but you won't.
That's what I got out of it, anyways.
I mean, if anyone's in trouble,
it's probably that Steve guy.
I had you vetted.
It's what we do around here.
As it turns out,
you're what we call "a solid citizen."
Oh, well, I take that as a compliment.
I'm coming to suspect
that perhaps you are one, as well.
Maybe Shane has good taste.
Hmm. [Chuckles]
I must confess, at first, I was, um...
Suspicious of your motives for helping us.
Look, I know it sounds kind of corny,
but I still believe in all that stuff
we used to sing when we were kids...
The grand old flag, Amber waves of grain,
"the halls of montezuma."
[Shane]: Excuse me, gentlemen.
Hate to interrupt, but they're going back in.
We were just, uh, discussing patriotism.
[Chuckles]
[Norman]: Phoebe was telling me yesterday
her mom was so patriotic that, instead of lullabies,
she'd sing all the verses to "the star-spangled banner"
and "America the beautiful" every night.
All the verses?
[♪♪]
It is the conclusion of this committee,
that although you folks
have painted a very entertaining story,
we are unwilling to see American troops
put in harm's way at this time
for a rescue mission
based on a loose interpretation
of five so-called clues in a letter.
Madame chairman...
If you can't tell us what "grim feet" means,
Mr. O'Toole,
it renders the rest of your conjectures useless.
A few dates and a reference to an old outpost with a tower
is no indication of intent to escape.
- But we have it! - Mr. O'Toole...
If Mr. Marek would just confirm
the complete phrase in that letter...
The words ending in grim feet... We can give you
lieutenant Amidon's promise to escape.
You've shared enough already, Mr. Marek.
Do not respond.
Steve, the clue that Rita couldn't read...
Was it "pilgrim feet?"
The truth, now, please.
Answer that, Mr. Marek...
And you may live to regret it.
[♪♪]
Only if he's wrong, madame chairman.
Mr. Marek... that last clue...
Was it "pilgrim feet?"
Yes.
[Stomps foot] Randilynn Amidon...
Randilynn Amidon sang every verse
of "America the beautiful" every night
as a lullaby to her little girl.
Every verse, including,
"oh, beautiful for pilgrim feet
"whose Stern impassioned stress a thoroughfare for freedom
beat cross the wilderness."
Ladies and gentlemen,
randilynn Amidon is somewhere in Afghanistan tonight,
beating a thoroughfare across the wilderness
in search of that tower,
in search of everything we stand for,
in search... in search of
the freedom that she was willing to die for.
And somewhere near that same wilderness
is a band of her brothers
with the courage to die for her, for us,
to bring randilynn home...
[♪♪]
If you will just have the courage to send them.
[♪♪]
Have you heard anything?
[Shane]: Nothing.
I wish we could
tell Harper and Phoebe what was going on.
[Shane]: You know we're sworn to secrecy, Norman.
How is he?
He's fine.
We'll all be on the same flight tomorrow.
We even made plans to get together in Denver.
Think we'll have anything to tell them by then?
I don't imagine we'll ever hear
what the committee decides to do...
Unless, uh... Unless the news is good.
But for now, however,
we must turn to the present.
Very best of luck, Rita.
Oh, thank you.
Yes, and have fun!
I will.
I think...
You might have a friend
that needs to be reminded of that.
[Rita]: Oh! Oh, my goodness.
Okay. I better get going, guys.
Uh, I'll see you later.
Um... Rita?
I'll be right back.
[Heavy sigh]
Norman? You all right?
I have a present for Rita.
I just wanted her to know...
If she wins,
she'll be gone for a whole year,
traveling around, giving speeches...
Shaking hands with people,
other people...
Are you afraid she'll forget...
Us?
There are a lot more things on this earth
than being miss special delivery, you know.
I think, after this week,
we all know that, Norman.
[♪♪]
Oh, Norman, thank goodness!
We've missed the bus
and Mindy's having a little trouble walking...
Forward.
Oh!
So are they going to charge you with anything?
Probably not.
But if I do get arrested, you'll bail me out, right?
I heard that Oliver came into a good sum of money.
How do you know that?
Oh, never mind.
I don't think all that money's gonna change him, though.
Well, that's too bad.
I was hoping you were going to give me another chance.
Ah.
Well, there's nothing actually official
between...
Between Oliver and me.
But unofficially?
Steve, we're friends.
And a solid friendship is a good way
to start anything.
You were always so unavailable,
for that... with all that "agricultural" work
that took you away all the time.
I'm back. I live here now.
[Shane]: It's not about where you live, Steve.
Home is more than just an address.
It's...
It's roses that you stick around to watch grow.
It's a porch swing...
And...
Taking the time to swing on it.
I can get you a porch swing.
[Laughing]
[♪♪]
I've already got one.
Mr. Marek.
[Cellphone vibrates]
Yeah. Hey, Oliver.
You, uh... Heard any news?
[Exhaling deeply]
Well...
Of course.
You can neither confirm nor deny.
I can neither confirm nor deny
that, based on a recommendation
from the senate subcommittee for military actions,
the president has approved
a plan for a special operations mission
that commenced at 1600 hours Washington time
with the objective
of recovering a lieutenant randilynn Amidon.
So it's a go?
[Laughs]
[Exhaling deeply]
[Ramon]: That's right, Jennifer.
We are here in the nation's capitol
as history is being made by Denver's own Rita Haywith,
the first Colorado miss special delivery
to make it to the final talent competition
for the national crown.
[Rita]: Take a deep breath and trust me, Mindy.
I swear, there are not 500 people out there
[voice shaking]: How... many...
Are... there?
473? [Chuckles]
Oh! It's okay, Mindy!
Just think about big piney.
Just pretend you're singing
to your friends,
and your neighbors, and, uh...
And your livestock.
We should take our seats.
I can't sit.
I keep thinking about the mission.
What time is it?
Eight.
It's happening.
Now, in just a few minutes,
she will step out
onto that stage
and hopefully into the hearts of the judges,
and then perhaps, tomorrow, into the headlines.
We'll have those final results for you
tonight at 11:00.
[Emcee]: And we're back.
And next, in the talent competition,
miss Louisiana, Peggy rhodes.
[Applauding]
[♪♪]
Rita?
Norman!
I just wanted to say...
Well, I, um, wanted to give you something
before you go on.
Tsk! Oh! Thank you, Norman.
I sent chapter 14 of Renita Hayweather
into the postal living quarterly
and they printed it!
This is a copy of their next edition.
You're a published writer, Rita!
See? Um, they wanted a photo,
so I sent that picture that I took
at last year's safety inspection.
I had to Photoshop it a little. Oh!
And you get a year's subscription
and a check for $500!
Norman... Wh-what have you done?
Oh, I just thought, in case you win,
I didn't want you to forget
that you're a great writer,
and a postable.
[Takes a deep breath] And you're my, um...
You're my...
But I can't win now.
I can't compete without a talent,
and y-y-you just got my talent disqualified.
What?
"No contestant shall perform
"using a talent
for which she has received previous compensation."
But...
I'm in print!
And they've paid me.
I'm not an amateur anymore.
Norman... What were you thinking?
Norman, this is a disaster. Can't you see?
[Applause continues]
Are we having our first fight?
[Sighs]
[Emcee]: Miss Wyoming... Mindy Maloney!
[Applauding]
Go on, Mindy!
You can do it! Go!
[Applause subsides]
[Orchestra begins playing]
[Words fail Mindy]
[Music continues]
[Orchestra halts]
[Silence falls]
[Rita]: No, no, no, no!
Everything is falling apart.
I'm sorry, Rita. I'm so sorry.
N... it's okay, Norman. Never mind.
[Rita chuckles nervously]
[Whispering]: It's okay. It's okay.
Um, uh...
[Rita chuckles awkwardly]
Ladies and gentlemen... heh.
My friend and co-contestant, Mindy,
just needs... She just needs a moment.
This year's theme is "delivering inspiration"
and... well, let's face it,
sometimes, inspiration takes a little... time.
So...
I thought I would go first.
You know, for my talent,
I was going to do
a dramatic reading from my unpublished novel,
Renita Hayweather: Frontier duchess,
but it turns out that I'm...
Well, I'm published after all...
[Chuckles]
Which is really too bad,
because I really like the part
where a mysterious cattle-bearing Mr. D'Lorman
gives her his trusty steed, Zephyr,
to pull her wagon!
You know, at first, she doesn't understand
why he would give away his favorite horse like that,
but then she realizes he did it because,
no matter where she went,
Zephyr would always find the way home.
Which is really his way of saying
that he is in love with her!
Oh...
He's in love with her?
Oh! [Gasps]
[Relieved laughing]
Oh, that's so cool!
[Rita laughing harder]
[Scattered chuckling amongst crowd]
Oh! [Whispers] You ready? Okay.
Ladies and gentlemen...
Miss Wyoming
is ready to sing now.
And for my new talent, I...
Well, I guess we're just gonna have to do this together.
Peggy, can I borrow your guitar?
Thanks.
[Whispers]: You still have a shot, Mindy.
Take it.
[Takes a shaky breath]
[Shakily]: ♪ to dream the impossible dream ♪
[Gaining confidence]: ♪ to fight ♪
♪ the unbeatable foe ♪
♪ to bear with unbearable sorrow ♪
♪ to run ♪
♪ where the brave dare not go ♪
♪ to right ♪
♪ the unrightable wrong ♪
♪ to love pure and chaste from afar ♪
♪ to try ♪
♪ when your arms are too weary ♪
♪ to reach the unreachable star ♪
♪ this is my quest ♪
♪ to follow that star ♪
♪ no matter how hopeless ♪
♪ no matter how far ♪
♪ to fight for the right without question or pause ♪
♪ to be willing to march into hell ♪
♪ for a heavenly cause ♪
♪ and I know ♪
♪ if I'll only be true ♪
♪ to this glorious quest ♪
♪ that my heart will lie peaceful and calm ♪
♪ when I'm laid to my rest ♪
♪ and the world ♪
♪ will be better for this ♪
[Randilynn whimpers and sobs]
♪ That one soul ♪
♪ scorned and covered with scars ♪
♪ still strove ♪
♪ with her last ounce of courage ♪
♪ to reach... ♪
♪ the unreachable ♪
[Belting it out]: ♪ star... ♪
[Applause erupts]
[♪♪]
[Cheering and applause continues]
There she is... Miss special delivery.
Only because of this lady right here.
Miss special handling!
Oh! No.
Thank you, Rita.
Oh, Mindy. You deserve it!
The way you sang...
Well...
You'll never know
how much some of us needed to hear it tonight.
Well, I guess I'll be seeing you.
You really are "special," Rita.
Oh, thank you.
I'm so sorry for everything.
I really don't know what I was thinking.
Oh...
Well, I think
you were thinking that...
You love me?
Yeah. I was definitely thinking that!
[Quiet chuckle]
Oh... [chuckles]
Aww.
- I'll... - Mm-hmm.
Okay.
[Chuckling]
Yeah.
We'll get it.
[Shane]: When you asked me
to have dinner with you in Washington,
I was hoping for a little more.
You know, chips and potato salad
to go with the sandwich.
[Both laughing]
I owe you one.
You owe me nothing, Oliver.
Whatever happens now,
you gave me something today that I'll never forget.
[♪♪]
A little hope for this world again.
Believe it or not,
I used to know all the verses to that song, too.
Mm.
"Thine alabaster cities gleam,
undimmed by human tears."
Harper told me
that Phoebe puts up a good front,
but...
She still cries herself to sleep
almost every night.
[Exhaling heavily]
Oliver, when I think
about what's happening over there right now,
I just hope we did the right thing.
Oh, I think we did.
I think...
We were called
to be a part of...
A lot of little miracles
that had to happen to get this far.
Well, now we just need one more.
[Sighs deeply]
[♪♪]
"In the morning,
I will sing of your mercy..."
"For you are my fortress,
"my refuge,
"my high tower
in times of trouble."
[Rotors beating]
[♪♪]
[Helicopter approaching]
♪ O, beautiful ♪
Delta bravo, we have eyes on soul sister.
I repeat. We have soul sister.
♪ For Amber waves of grain ♪
♪ for purple mountain majesties ♪
♪ above the fruited plain ♪
♪ America ♪
♪ God shed his grace on thee ♪
♪ and crown thy good with brotherhood ♪
♪ from sea to shining sea ♪
[♪♪]
Where's our taxi going?
Oh, you won't be needing it.
You must be Phoebe.
Yeah.
Hello, sir.
Steven Marek.
Department of defense.
Former air force?
- Yeah. That's right. - I thought you and Phoebe...
Would like to see what army rangers
are flying around in these days.
[♪♪]
Mom!
Mommy!
Oh, mama!
[Laughing and crying]
[♪♪]
[Phoebe keeps sobbing]
- Hi, daddy! - Oh! Oh...
[♪♪]
We're heading to the airport,
with one stop on the way.
[♪♪]
What's this?
Uh...
This is the first acquisition
by the newly-formed O'Toole foundation.
You bought this lot?
I did.
And you're building retirement homes?
Oh... all sorts of things.
Maybe a... school
or a library in Afghanistan.
We're starting small.
I assume you can use your computer to track down
the original blueprints for your ancestral home?
[Laughing]
Probably!
It was a pretty small house, though.
Oh.
Well, we'll just make it bigger.
There'll be a porch...
Uh, and a swing, of course.
Roses.
Oh, that reminds me.
Ahem.
What's this?
Is it...
I took a cutting from your rosebush over there.
If you take it home, plant it,
next year, you'll have the...
First rose of summer.
Yes.
[♪♪]
Are we all supposed to move here?
[Laughing]
Not for a long time yet, Norman.
We all have a lot left to do. Besides...
It's nice to have something to look forward to, hmm?
Wow, Shane! It's so cool...
Your first house will be your last house.
Ah, the great circle of life.
[Chuckling]
Can I have a workshop? And a laboratory?
Maybe a little...
Mini-anti-matter cyclotron in the garage?
No, Norman.
No cyclotron.
It's time to go.
[♪♪]
What a family.
The few...
The proud...
The postal.
♪ And crown thy good ♪
♪ with brotherhood ♪
♪ from sea to shining sea ♪
[♪♪]
Sync and corrections by parlobrito www.addic7ed.com