EXT.  TEXAS SCRUB -- DAY               Two men in shorts and Hawaiian shirts are poking around a                sandy section in the middle of scrub flats.               SERGEANT CLIFF POTTS is in the f.g., a plant-and-tree                guidebook in hand, as SERGEANT "MIKEY" HOGAN works a metal                detector over a large, sandy bank in the b.g.  Both are Army                career men with a morning off to pursue their hobbies.                                     CLIFF                          We got ocotillo, devil's walking                           stick--what's this stuff--it's                           that whattayoucallit--horse-                          crippler.               Mikey bends to scoop something out of the sand, putting it                in a canvas bag slung on his bip                                     MIKEY                          This place is a gold mine.                                     CLIFF                          Lead mine.               MIKEY sees that Cliff is talking, pulls his headset off.                                     MIKEY                          What?                                     CLIFF                          It's a lead mine.                                     MIKEY                          Right.                                     CLIFF                          I don't know why I'm talking to                           you, you've got that thing on                           your head.                                     MIKEY                          You finding lots of cactus and                           shit?                                     CLIFF                          It's not just cactus.  There's                           the nopals, the yuccas--                                     MIKEY                              (Puts headset on)                          Looks like a lot of cactus to me.                                     CLIFF                              (Grumbles)                          Man knows a hundred-fifty varieties                           of beer, he can't tell a poinsettia                           from a prickly pear.                                     MIKEY                              (Troubled)                          Cliff--                                     CLIFF                          You live in a place, you should                           know something about it.  Explore--                                     MIKEY                          Cliff--               CU MIKEY               MIKEY in the f.g.  now, looking down at something as he pulls                his headset off again --                                     MIKEY                          Cliff, you gotta look at this--               Cliff wearily turns and approaches from the b.g.                                     CLIFF                          Don't tell me--Spanish treasure,                           right?  Pieces of eight from the                           Coronado expedition--               He stops by Mikey and looks down, his expression changing                                     CLIFF                          Jesus--               GROUND -- CU BONES               Sticking out from the sand bank are the SKELETAL BONES of a                MAN'S HAND.  There is a ring on one finger.                                     MIKEY (O.S.)                          Was Coronado in the Masons?               EXT.  ROAD -- DAY               A distant cloud of DUST appears on the horizon MUSIC                underscores that we are in Texas, and we SUPERIMPOSE the                OPENING CREDITS as the dust takes form around an APPROACHING                CAR.  The car comes close enough to see it has a County                Sheriff's insignia on the side.               INT.  CAR               We see SAM DEEDS, the Sheriff, driving.  Sam is 40, quietly                competent to the point of seeming a bit moody.               He sees something up ahead.  MUSIC, CREDITS END as Sam pulls                off the road and we see the sergeants standing in the scrub               EXT.  SCRUB -- DAY -- BONES               The hand and forearm down to the elbow of the skeleton are                visible now.               WIDER               Cliff stands looking at the arm with Sam.  MIKEY is a few                yards behind them, playing with his metal detector.  Beyond                him we see the Sheriff's car parked.                                     SAM                          I was driving back from Apache                           Wells when they got me on the                           radio.                                     CLIFF                          This was a rifle range way back                           when.  But we figured it isn't                           Army land anymore, it's your                           jurisdiction.                                     SAM                              (Nods)                          I've got the forensics fella coming                           down from the Rangers.  No way to                           know how old the body is without                           some lab work.                                     CLIFF                          That ring--                                     SAM                          Masons been around a long while.               Mikey has come up to them, still sweeping with the metal                detector.                                     SAM                          Treasure hunter?                                     CLIFF                              (Apologetic)                          Old bullets.  He uhm--makes art                           with them.               Sam just nods.  Mikey frowns, goes down on one knee and                scratches something out of the dirt at their feet--                                     CLIFF                          The Sheriff says we shouldn't                           touch anything,                                     MIKEY                              (To Sam)                          He can't hear with that rig on--                          Mikey!               Mikey comes up with something, holds it before them.  An                encrusted piece of metal--                                     MIKEY                          What've we got here?               Sam takes the thing, lays it back down where Mikey found it.                                     SAM                          S'posed to leave everything right                           where we found it.  They're real                           particular about that.                                     MIKEY                          The scene of the crime.                                     SAM                          No telling yet if there's been a                           crime.               Sam frowns down at the piece of metal as he rubs the face of                it.               CU METAL               Sam's thumb wipes across the face of the encrusted metal.                 It is roughly star-shaped.                                     SAM (O.S.)                          But this country's seen a good                           number of disagreements over the                           years.               INT.  HIGH SCHOOL CLASSROOM -- DAY -- TEXAS MAP               We look at a beautiful old pull-down map of Texas.                                     PILAR (O.S.)                          We do the best we can here--               A teacher in her late 30s, PILAR CRUZ, steps in front of the                map and we FOLLOW her across the room, carrying a poster                                     PILAR                          --but hey, public education these                           days is a bit of a battleground.               Posters bung on the walls beyond her show luminaries from                Texas history--Sam Houston, Stephen Austin, Juan Seguin.  A                new parent, CELIE PAYNE, stands in the middle of the otherwise                empty classroom.                                     CELIE                          He went to school on base when we                           were in Okinawa.  it's all--you                           know--kids in the same boat--Army                           brats.                                     PILAR                          His record shows that he's a good                           student.                                     CELIE                          I'm more worried about the social                           thing.  Are there like--gangs,                           or...?               PILAR starts to put the poster up.  CELIE moves to hold it                in place for her.                                     PILAR                          We haven't had any serious                           violence, if that's what you mean.                            We've got a pretty lively mix                           though--you walk into the cafeteria                           and the Anglo kids are in one                           section, the Mexican kids in                           another and the Black kids have a                           table in the back--thanks--                                     CELIE                          So Blacks are--                                     PILAR                          They're the smallest group except                           for a couple Kickapoo kids.  Look,                           you're obviously a concerned                           parent.  Chet has no history of                           getting into trouble--I'm happy                           to have him in my class.               She steps back to see if the poster, an old pboto of Geronimo,                looks straight.  Another teacher, MOLLY sticks her head in                the door---                                     MOLLY                              (Uncomfortable)                          Pilar, is uhm--is Amado okay?                                     PILAR                          Okay?  He's not here?                                     MOLLY                          No.  Is he sick?                                     PILAR                              (Mutters)                          He's going to wish he was dead.               EXT.  STREET -- DAY -- CU VAQUERO PICTURE               On the door of a deluxe pickup truck is an airbrushed picture                of a Pancho Villa-looking vaquero with bandoliers crossing                his chest and a gun blazing in each hand.  We hear LOUD MUSIC --                                     AMADO (O.S.)                          Luis!  Give me that Phillips-head                           back--               WIDER               A small group of teenage Chicano BOYS hang around the truck                in the bed, on the hood, leaning against it.  A BOOMBOX placed                on top of the cab blasts RANCHA MUSIC out at the neighborhood.                 Somebody's legs are hanging out the open passenger-side door.                 The kids suddenly look as a Sheriff's Department car slides                into the f.g.  A Deputy Sheriff, TRAVIS, gets out               KIDS               Trying to look tough and unworried as we TRACK across the                street toward them.  Travis's hand reaches out from behind                the camera to flick the MUSIC OFF.               INT.  PICKUP               Amado CRUZ, Pilar's 15-year-old son, lies on the front seat                installing a compact disc player into the dash slot.               He reaches up to the dash, can't find what he wants                                     AMADO                          Somebody hand me the CD player--                          damelo pendejos--               He looks up and we TILT to see Travis leaning in the window,                examining the new radio                                     TRAVIS                          They come a long way from those                           old 8-track jobs, haven't they?                                     AMADO                          Something wrong?                                     TRAVIS                              (Waves radio)                          This is stolen property.  Alla                           you fellas are coming down to the                           station.               INT.  CAFE SANTA BARBARA -- AFTERNOON -- ENRIQUE               Sweat beads the forehead of a thin, tired-looking recent                immigrant, ENRIQUE, as he delivers platters of chile rellenos                to a booth.  MEXICAN MUSIC plays on a jukebox in the b.g.                 We HOLD on the booth, where HOLLIS POGUE, in his 60s                entertains two GOOD OLD BOYS--                                     HOLLIS                          So Buddy walks up to the porch                           and there's old Fishbait McHenry,                           cleanin' the dirt out his toenails                           with a pocketknife--he was the                           most hygienic of all the McHenrys--               The breakfast companions are laughing already--                                     HOLLIS                          "Fishbait," says Buddy, in that                           quiet way of his, "what you know                           about them tires that went missing                           from markets?" Fishbait thinks                           for a minute, then he lifts up a                           loose board from the porch floor                           and calls down into it, "C'mon                           out, Pooter, they caught us!"                                     FENTON                              (Laughing)                          Buddy Deeds.  He had a way.                                     HOLLIS                          He known who it was onnaconna the                           tire tracks in the dirt from the                           back of the garage to where they                           loaded up.  "Old Fishbait," he                           says, "never lifted a thing in                           this world if there was a way he                           could roll it."               More laughter--                                     FENTON                          Won't be another like him.  That                           boy of his doesn't come near it.                            You ask me, he's all hat and no                           cattle                                     SAM (O.S.)                          Fellas--               We WIDEN to see Sam standing by their booth.  No telling how                long he's been listening, Fenton is embarrassed.                                     HOLLIS                          Sam!  I was just telling a few                           about your old man.                                     FENTON                          He was a unique individual.                                     SAM                          Yeah, he was that.               We sense a little strain when Sam has to talk about his father--                                     HOLLIS                          Big day coming up--I wish we'd                           have thought of it while he was                           still living.  But he went so                           unexpected                                     FENTON                          Better late than never.  Korean                           War hero, Sheriff for near thirty                           years--Buddy Deeds Memorial P---                                     SAM                          I heard there was a bit of a fuss.                                     HOLLIS                          Oh, you know, the usual                           troublemakers.  Danny Padilla                           from the Sentinel, that crowd.                                     FENTON                          Every other damn thing in the                           country is called after Martin                           Luther King, they can't let our                           side have one measly park?                                     HOLLIS                          King wasn't Mexican, Fenton--                                     FENTON                          Bad enough all the street names                           are in Spanish--                                     SAM                          They were here first.                                     FENTON                          Then name it after Big Chief                           Shitinabucket!  Whoever that                           Tonkawa fella was.  He had the                           Mexes beat by centuries.                                     HOLLIS                          There was a faction pulling for                           that boy who was killed in the                           Gulf War--Ruben--                                     SAM                          --Santiago.                                     HOLLIS                          Right.  But nobody here ever                           noticed him till they read his                           name on the national news--                                     FENTON                          They just wanted it to be one of                           theirs--                                     HOLLIS                          That's not the whole story.  The                           Mexicans that know, that remember,                           understand what Buddy was for                           their people.  Hell, it was                           Mercedes over there who swung the                           deciding vote for him.               Sam looks to the register where Pilar's mother, MERCEDES                CRUZ, whacks rolls of change apart on the counter.  She seems                to be avoiding looking toward him.                                     SAM                          That so?                                     HOLLIS                          She put it even at three to three,                           so as the Mayor I get to cast the                           tiebreaker.  The older generation                           won't have any problem with it.                            They remember how Buddy come to                           be Sheriff, that it was all 'cause                           he took their part.                                     FENTON                          Tell that one, Hollis--                                     HOLLIS                          Hell, everybody heard that story                           a million times.                                     SAM                          I'd like to hear it.  Your version                           of it.               Something about the way Sam says it puts Hollis on guard.                                     FENTON                          Go ahead, Hollis.               CU HOLLIS               Hollis is hooked into it now --                                     HOLLIS                          The two of us were the only                           deputies back then me and Buddy--                          it's what--'58--                                     FENTON (O.S.)                          '57, 1 believe--                                     HOLLIS                          And the Sheriff at the time was                           Big Charley Wade.  Charley was                           one of your old-fashioned bribe-                          or-bullets kind of Sheriffs, he                           took a healthy bite out of whatever                           moved through this county.               He looks down at the table--                                     HOLLIS                          It was in here one night, back                           when Jimmy Herrera run the place.                            Started right here in this booth.               We PAN down to the table, The food has changed.  The tortillas                are in a straw basket instead of plastic.  The jukebox changes                to ANOTHER SONG and the LIGHT DIMS slightly.  A hand with a                big Masonic ring on one finger appears to lift a tortilla --                underneath it lie three ten-dollar bills.  The hand lifts                them up and we TILT to see the face of SHERIFF CHARLEY WADE,                a big, mean redneck with shrewd eyes               It is 1957 --                                     WADE                              (Grins)                          This beaner fare doesn't agree                           with me, but the price sure is                           right.               WIDER               Wade sits across from his young deputies, YOUNG HOLLIS (30s)                and BUDDY DEEDS (20s).  A chicken-fried steak sits untouched                in front of Buddy.  Hollis has the anxious look of an errand                boy, while Buddy is self-contained and quietly forceful for                his age.                                     BUDDY                          What's that for?                                     WADE                          Jimmy got a kitchen full of                           wetbacks, most of 'em relatives.                            People breed like chickens.                                     BUDDY                          So?                                     WADE                          I roust some muchacho on the                           street, doesn't have his papers,                           all he got to say is "Yo trabajo                           para Jimmy Herrera."               Wade folds the money and stuffs if in his pocket--                                     WADE                          You got to keep the wheels greased,                           son.  Sheriff does his job right,                           everybody makes out.  Now this is                           gonna be one of your pickups,                           Buddy.  First of the month, just                           like the rent.  Get the car,                           Hollis.               Wade and Hollis slide out of the booth to stand.                                     BUDDY                          I'm not doing it.               Hollis stops a few feet away, shocked.  Wade just stares                down at Buddy.                                     WADE                          Come again?               Buddy looks Wade in the eye, seemingly unafraid.                                     BUDDY                          It's your deal.  You sweated it                           out of him, you pick it up.                                     WADE                          There's gonna be some left over                           for you, Buddy.  I take care of                           my boys                                     BUDDY                          That's not the point.                                     WADE                          You feeling bad for Jimmy?  Have                           him tell you the size of the                           mordida they took out of his hide                           when he run a place on the other                           side.  Those old boys in Ciudad                           Leon--                                     BUDDY                          I'm not picking it up.                                     WADE                          You do whatever I say you do or                           else you put it on the trail,                           son.               The CUSTOMERS are all watching now, nervous.               Buddy thinks for a moment, not taking his eyes off Wade.                                     BUDDY                          How 'bout this--how 'bout you put                           that shield on this table and                           vanish before you end up dead or                           in jail?               Wade rests his hand on his pistol.  It is dead silent but                for the MUSIC on the box                                     BUDDY                          You ever shoot anybody was looking                           you in the eye?                                     WADE                          Who said anything about shootin'                           anybody?               Buddy has his gun out under the table.  He slowly brings it                up and lays it flat on the table, not taking his hand off it                or his eyes off Wade.                                     BUDDY                          Whole different story; isn't it?                                     WADE                          You're fired.  You're outta the                           department.                                     BUDDY                          There's not a soul in this county                           isn't sick to death of your                           bullshit, Charley.  You made                           yourself scarce, you could make a                           lot of people happy.                                     WADE                          You little pissant--                                     BUDDY                          Now or later, Charley.  You won't                           have any trouble finding me.               Wade feels the people around him waiting for a reaction.  He                leans close to Buddy to croak in a hoarse whisper                                     WADE                          You're a dead man.               He turns and nearly bumps into Hollis.  He gives the Deputy                a shove.                                     WADE                          Get the goddam car.  We're going                           to Roderick's.               CU BUDDY               He watches till the screen door shuts behind them, then                holsters his gun and begins to saw at the steak as if nothing                had happened.  He calls softly--                                     BUDDY                          Muchacho--mas cerveza por favor.               He looks up at somebody and we PAN till we see Sam, still                standing over the booth, listening.               We are back in 1995 --                                     HOLLIS (O.S.)                          "Mas cerveza por favor."                                     FENTON (O.S.)                          That Buddy was a cool breeze.               We PULL BACK to see Hollis and his buddies at the table,                eating their lunches as they listen                                     FENTON                          Charley Wade were known to have                           put a good number of people in                           the ground, and your daddy gets                           eyeball to eyeball with him.                                     HOLLIS                          We made our collection at                           Roderick's place and that was the                           last anybody seen hide nor hair                           of him.  He went missing the next                           day, along with ten thousand                           dollars in county funds from the                           safe at the jail.                                     SAM                          Never heard from him again?                                     HOLLIS                          Not a peep.  Buddy run the man                           out of town.                                     FENTON                          Buddy Deeds said a thing, he damn                           well backed it up.  Won't be                           another like him.                                     SAM                          So he arrested all of Jimmy                           Herrera's people and sent 'em                           back to the other side?               Hollis sees what Sam is getting at, grins--                                     HOLLIS                          Oh--he come to an accommodation.                            Money doesn't always need to change                           hands to keep the wheels turning.                                     SAM                          Right.                                     HOLLIS                          Look, I know you had some problems                           with your father, and he and Muriel--                          well--                                     FENTON                          Your mother was a saint.                                     HOLLIS                          --but Buddy Deeds was my salvation.               Sam nods, speaks softly--                                     SAM                          Won't be another like him.               EXT.  ARMY INSTALLATION -- DAY -- CU DEL PAYNE               COLONEL DELMORE PAYNE (DEL), a very direct, by-the-book Black                officer, addresses them.  Artillery pieces angle toward the                sky behind him--                                     DEL                          --it's an honor for me to assume                           command of this unit, and I look                           forward to working with all of                           you.               OFFICERS               Cliff and Mikey, in uniform now, flank SERGEANT PRISCILLA                WORTH, a Black woman in her early 40s, as they stand in                formation--                                     DEL (O.S.)                          I'm sure you're all aware of the                           Army's decision to close this                           installation under the Reduction                           in Force plan.  That does not                           mean, however--               REVERSE               We look over the shoulders of assembled OFFICERS and NCOs                toward Del.                                     DEL                          --that we've been sent here to                           mark time until we are absorbed                           by another unit.               CU DEL                                     DEL                          You may have heard rumors that I                           run a very tight operation.  These                           rumors are not exaggerated.               INT.  SHERIFF'S OFFICE -- AFTERNOON -- BUDDY PHOTO               We are looking through a magnifying glass at an old photo.                 Buddy's face is slightly distorted by the glass.                                     SECRETARY (O.S.)                          Sam?  I got Danny Padilla from                           the paper for you--                Sam sits at his desk in the Sheriff's office, looking down                at the photo--                                     SAM                          Tell him I'll catch him later.               CU PHOTOGRAPH               An old photo of the 1957 Sheriff's Department officers on                the courthouse steps.  Wade, Hollis, Buddy, a few others,                all in uniform                                     SECRETARY (O.S.)                          He says he needs to talk to you                           before the ceremony.               SAM               Sam puts a magnifying glass over the photo and bends close                to look.                                     SAM                          Tell him to try me tomorrow.               EXTREME CU PHOTO -- BADGE               MAGNIFIED POV of the badge on Wade's chest swims into view.                 A metal star.  We hear the secretary getting rid of the                caller.                                     SECRETARY (O.S.)                          He thinks you're trying to duck                           him.               CU SAM               Looking at the photo, troubled--                                     SAM                              (Mutters)                          He's right.               EXT.  BIG O'S ROADHOUSE -- NIGHT -- NEON SIGN               We start on a BLINKING SIGN -- BIG O'S, then PAN to see a                full parking lot outside the low, neon-lit roadhouse.  R&B                MUSIC blasts from inside               EXT.  DOORWAY -- CHET               CHET, a Black kid around 15, stands nervously at the door                building up his courage.  He takes a deep breath, plunges in               INT.  BIG O'S               We TRACK with Chet, very nervous, as he makes his way through                the crowded roadhouse.  The customers are all Black, many                from the nearby Army post, SHOUTING and LAUGHING over the                loud MUSIC.  Chet, edgy, is looking for somebody.  He sees               CHET'S POV -- OTIS               Seen through the crush is OTIS "BIG O" PAYNE, a large man in                his early 60s, laughing as he stands behind the bar               CHET               He nervously puts his hand under his jacket.  A gun?  He                pushes forward to get a better view.               CHET'S POV -- OTIS               Moving in on him.  Otis looks over, sees the boy, frowns --               CHET               Reaching under his jacket, he pulls out -- a photograph.               He looks at it -- suddenly there is a SCREAM from behind,                then GUNSHOTS, patrons diving for the floor.               Chet whirls around and we WHIP PAN to see a young man, SHADOW,                emptying his pistol into RICHIE, a young soldier, as a young                woman, ATHENA, screams and tries to pull the gun away.  With                the last shot, Shadow turns and heads for the door, but is                tackled and swarmed by angry men, SHOUTING.  We PAN to Athena,                kneeling over the bleeding, twitching body of Richie --               CHET               Chet backs up, horrified.  A large hand grasps him on the                shoulder from behind.  He turns to see Otis standing over                him, strangely calm amid the chaos                                     OTIS                          You weren't in here tonight, were                           you?                                     CHET                          No sir.                                     OTIS                              (Points)                          Go out through the back.               Chet hurries away.  Otis watches him for a moment, then turns                to the mess in his club.               INT.  AUDITORIUM -- NIGHT -- CU ANGLO MOTHER               An angry woman stands from her auditorium chair --                                     ANGLO MOTHER                          You're just tearin' everything                           down!  Tearin' down our heritage,                           tearin' down the memory of people                           that fought and died for this                           land                                     CHICANO FATHER (O.S.)                          We fought and died for this land,                           too!               We WHIP PAN to see another standing parent --                                     CHICANO FATHER                          We fought the U.S.  Army, the                           Texas Rangers--                                     ANGLO FATHER (O.S.)                          Yeah, but you lost, buddy!               We WHIP PAN to a man in the rear --                                     ANGLO FATHER                          Winners get the bragging rights,                           that's how it goes.                                     PRINCIPAL (O.S.)                          People--people--               WIDER               We are in the High School auditorium, a hot-and-heavy teachers-               and -parents meeting in progress.  Pilar sits at the end of                a long table facing the agitated parents, taking some heat.                 DANNY PADILLA, a young, long-haired reporter, sits in the                front taking notes, enjoying the show                                     PRINCIPAL                          I think it would be best not to                           put things in terms of winners                           and losers--                                     ANGLO MOTHER                              (Points at Pilar)                          Well, the way she's teachin' it                           has got everything switched around.                            I was on the textbook committee,                           and her version is not--                                     PRINCIPAL                          We think of the textbook as kind                           of a guide, not an absolute--                                     ANGLO MOTHER                          --it is not what we set as the                          standard!  Now you people can                           believe what you want, but when                           it comes to teaching our children--                                     CHICANO MOTHER                          They're our children, too!                                     ANGLO FATHER                          The men who founded this state                          have a right to have their story--                                     DANNY                          The men who founded this state                           broke from Mexico because they                           needed slavery to be legal to                           make a fortune in the cotton                           business!                                     PILAR                          I think that's a bit of an                           oversimplification--                                     ANGLO FATHER                          Are you reporting this meeting or                           runnin' it, Danny?                                     DANNY                          Just adding a little historical                           perspective--               REAR OF AUDITORIUM               PALOMA CRUZ, Pilar's teenage daughter, peeks into the room,                then moves down the side toward the stage.                                     ANGLO FATHER                          You may call it history, but I                           call it propaganda.  I'm sure                           they got their own account of the                           Alamo on the other side, but we're                           not on the other side, so we're                           not about to have it taught in                           our schools!                                     PILAR                          There's no reason to be so                           threatened by this--               Pilar is trying to stay calm despite her anger.                                     PILAR                          I've only been trying to get across                           some of the complexity of our                           situation down here---cultures                           coming together in both negative                           and positive ways                                     ANGLO MOTHER (O.S.)                          If you mean like music and food                           and all, I have no problem with                           that.               REVERSE               We shoot past Pilar toward the parents in their seats.               PALOMA steps up to whisper to her.                                     ANGLO MOTHER                          --but when you start changing who                          did what to who.                                     TEACHER                          We're not changing anything, we're                           presenting a more complete picture                                     ANGLO MOTHER                          And that's what's got to stop!               Pilar looks troubled by what she's heard.  She shoots a look                toward the others at the table, then slips away with Paloma--                                     TEACHER                          There's enough ignorance in the                           world without us encouraging it                           in the classroom--                                     ANGLO MOTHER                          Now who are you calling ignorant?                                     PRINCIPAL                          Folks, I know this is a very                           emotional issue for some of you,                           but we do have other business to                           attend to--                                     CHICANO FATHER                          We're not going to get some                           resolution on this?               CU PRINCIPAL               Weary --                                     PRINCIPAL                          Would you people like to form                           another committee?               GROANS from the parents--               INT.  SHERIFF'S OFFICE -- NIGHT -- SHADOW               Shadow, face bruised, hands cuffed behind him, is pushed in                through the door to be booked.                                     SHADOW                          I hope the sucker does die, man!                            Mess with me, that's what you                           get!               Sam steps in behind him and meets his Chief Deputy RAY                HERNANDEZ, coming from the other direction.                                     RAY                          Hospital says the other kid is in                           bad shape--                                     SAM                              (Glances ahead)                          The shooter local?                                     RAY                              (Shakes his bead)                          Down from Houston.  I think he                           knew the girl before.                                     SAM                          Okay--we'll take a statement from                           all the GIs before they go back                           to post.  You can get the story                           from Otis over at the club.                                     RAY                          Any poop on the John Doe you found                           out there today?                                     SAM                          Nothin' much.  The Rangers put                           Ben Wetzel on it.  Catch you later.               As Ray steps out, Pilar looking distraught, walks into the                station, passing right by Sam without seeing him.               CU SAM               Wonders what she's doing there --               SAM'S POV -- PILAR               She stands by an unoccupied reception desk, very upset, unable                to attract anyone's attention because of the activity around                the shooting.  She looks tired and a bit scared under the                harsh overhead light                                     SAM (O.S.)                          Pilar.               PILAR AND SAM               Pilar looks around.  Sam is standing by her.  We can tell                there is some history between these two.                                     SAM                          Something wrong?                                     PILAR                          They've got my Amado.                                     SAM                          Got him here?                                     PILAR                          Somebody called--something about                           an electronics store.                                     SAM                          I'll see what's going on.               He starts away, stops, comes back--                                     SAM                          I was--I was real sorry about                           Nando.  He was a good fella.  We                           haven't talked since.                                     PILAR                          We haven't talked since high                           school.                                     SAM                          Yeah.  I'll go check on your boy.               Pilar watches Sam go--               REAR OF OFFICE                Travis sits typing away at a word processor as Athena, in                tears, gives testimony.                                     ATHENA                          --so Richie just didn't say nothin'                           'cause he didn't want to get into                           it, see, and the next thing I                           know there's shots and Richie is                           down.  It happened so fast--                                     SAM (O.S.)                          Excuse me--               We WIDEN to see Sam standing over the desk --                                     SAM                          We got some boys you run in earlier                           today?                                     TRAVIS                          Yeah.  I pulled the bunch that                           hangs at Pico Bernal's place.  We                           finally caught them with something.                                     SAM                          You got a juvenile with 'ern--                          Amado Cruz?               Travis looks at his booking sheets--                                     TRAVIS                          Yeah--let's see--the other ones                           say he wasn't in on the theft,                           lie just knows how to hook things                           up.  We've been trying to contact                           a parent               INT.  JAIL HALLWAY               Sam walks with Amado, who is trying to look defiant --                                     SAM                          They tell me you're good at fixing                           things.               Nothin--                                     SAM                          Your father was a hell of a                           mechanic               Still nothing--                                     SAM                          You know, if you figure minimum                           wage on the time most thieves                           spend in jail, they could have                           bought most everything they stole.                                     AMADO                          I didn't steal anything.                                     SAM                          I didn't say you did.  My name is                           Sam, by the way.               Amado just gives him a look--               INT.  SHERIFF'S OFFICE               Sam and AMADO step out into the office, where Pilar stands                waiting.                                     SAM                          He's all yours.                                     PILAR                          Are you okay?                                     AMADO                          I don't know what the big deal                           is.                                     PILAR                          You'll find out when I get you                           home.  Thanks, Sam.                                     SAM                          No problem.               Pilar yanks AMADO outside by his arm.  She turns to shoot a                look back at Sam, then steps out through the glass door.               CU SAM               Watching her go--                                     SAM                          Any time.                                                                  FADE OUT:               EXT.  OBSTACLE COURSE -- MORNING -- PIT               We shoot up from a pit in the ground.  WHUMP!  WHUMP!  WHUMP!                 Three men leap over, landing on the far side and running                away from us.               MEN               Del Payne runs with Cliff and Mikey on a pathway along a                security fence, the two sergeants struggling to keep up,                occasionally vaulting or scaling some mild obstacle                                     MIKEY                          There's not that much down here,                           Colonel.  Big O's is the only                           place in the county that our                           African American soldiers are uhm--                          that they feel comfortable in.                                     DEL                          Have we had trouble there before?                                     CLIFF                          Since I've been stationed here?                            A fistfight now and then--                                     MIKEY                          We had a kid pass out in the men's                           room.  The town isn't much.                                     DEL                          They didn't come for a vacation.                                     CLIFF                          Yes sir.                                     MIKEY                          You know how it is, Colonel--first                           time away from home, dealing with                           new people--I remember my first                           hitch--                                     DEL                          Substance abuse?                                     MIKEY                          Well, yeah, but I went through                           the Program.  I haven't had a                           drink since--                                     DEL                          I meant on the post.  In general.                            How are you dealing with it?                                     CLIFF                          We throw a urine test at them                           once a month.  Random numbers,                           maybe a hundred people at a time                                     DEL                          Why don't we make it once a week                           for a while?                                     CLIFF                          No problem, sir.               Del notices bow hard they are breathing--                                     DEL                          I sprint the last quarter mile.                            You gentlemen don't have to keep                           up if you don't care to.                                     MIKEY                          Appreciate it, sir.               Del accelerates and we HOLD with the sergeants, slowing to a                near-walk.                                     MIKEY                          Guy cracks walnuts with his                           asshole.                                     CLIFF                              (Grins)                          You get the feeling he doesn't                           want to be here?               INT.  FORENSICS LAB -- VARIOUS SHOTS               We hear Hank Williams' gospel song "I'll Have a New Body                (I'll Have a New Life)" as we see the gathered bones of the                skeleton tagged and photographed and measured, impressions                made of the dental work in the skull, photographs of the                excavation of the body at various stages marked with Fed                grease pencil, the piece of metal laid in a detarnishing                dish, the ring put under a microscope               CU METAL               MUSIC CONTINUES as we TIGHTEN on the piece of metal, a pair                of tongs pulling it from the detarnishing solution.  It is a                star-shaped badge, bearing the words "SHERIFF -- RIO COUNTY."               INT.  COUNTRY AND WESTERN BAR -- AFTERNOON               C&W MUSIC playing, the regulars starting to show up.  Sam                makes his way to a table where BEN WETZEL, a Texas Ranger,                sits with a file of forensic reports                                     BEN                          Sam the Man.                                     SAM                          Hey, Ben.  Thanks for coming down.               They shake, Sam sits.                                     BEN                          How's business?                                     SAM                          Business is booming.  Got your                           drugs, got your illegals--had a                           shooting the other night at Big                           O's--Soldier got ventilated.                                     BEN                          I hear they're closing that post                           down.                                     SAM                          September '97, that's all she                           wrote.                                     BEN                          Gonna pull a lot of jobs out of                           this county.                                     SAM                          Yeah, we'll have folks swimming                           over to Mexico to work in the                           sweatshops.               Sam looks at the folder of reports.                                     SAM                          That the word on our boy?                                     BEN                          Yeah, this is Skinny.                                     SAM                          Skinny?                                     BEN                          We find a body, it's either Skinny                           or Stinky, depending on how much                           meat there is on the bones.                                     SAM                          Nice job.                                     BEN                              (Opens folder)                          Male, 40 to 50 years old, five-                          foot-eleven, chewed tobacco--then                           we get into the dental records--                                     SAM                          Charley Wade.                                     BEN                              (Nods)                          That badge--                                     SAM                          --it didn't come out of a cereal                           box.                                     BEN                          Yeah.                                     SAM                          You know the popular version of                           how he left town.                                     BEN                          Everybody on the border knows                           that story.                                     SAM                          You got a cause of death?                                     BEN                          Skull was intact, no soft tissue                           left--not much to go on.                                     SAM                          So he could have gone out to the                           base, hopped the fence, dug down                           into the dirt on the old rifle                           range and had a heart attack.               Ben smiles, closes the folder--                                     BEN                          You uhm--you remember what old                           Buddy carried for a side arm?                                     SAM                          Colt Peacemaker.                                     BEN                          A .45--                                     SAM                          He swore by it.                              (Ben frowns)                          What?                                     BEN                          Just wondering.                                     SAM                          So is Buddy on your short list?                                     BEN                          If it was some poor mojado, swam                           across at night, got lost in the                           scrub and starved out there, we                           wouldn't go any further.  But                           this is a formerly prominent                           citizen.                                     SAM                          You got to investigate.  No                           question about it.                                     BEN                          What I will do is keep names out                           of it till we got some answers or                           hit a dead end.  You know how the                           press is with a murder story--                          even if it's forty years old.                                     SAM                          Yeah, it's a pretty cold trail.               They sit in awkward silence for a moment.  Ben feels bad                about it.                                     BEN                          I remember Charley Wade come to                           my father's hardware store once                           when I was a little boy.  I'd                           heard stories how he shot this                           one, how he shot that one--man                           winked at me and I peed in my                           pants.                              (Shakes his head)                          Winked at me.               INT.  CLASSROOM -- DAY               Pilar stands at the blackboard by her outline of 19th century                Texas history.                                     PILAR                          Okay, we have the fight against                           the Spanish with bloody conflict                           for dozens of years till they're                           finally defeated in 1821 and                           Mexican independence is declared.                            Anglo settlers are invited--               CU DRAWING               Somebody making a skillful pencil drawing on the corner of a                sheet of lined notebook paper.  A bald, muscular shotputter                after releasing the shot, his hand large in the f.g.                                     PILAR (O.S.)                          --to colonize the area and by the                           time they begin the movement                           against Santa Anna they outnumber                           the Mexicans here by four to one.                            The war between Mexico--               CHET               Drawing intently.  He takes the notebook and lays his thumb                over the corner                                     PILAR (O.S.)                          -and the Anglo forces ends in                           1836 with the formation of the                           Texas Republic.  Texas joins the                           United States as a state where                           slavery is legal in 1845--               NOTEBOOK               Chet "flips" the corner of the notebook and the series Of                drawings he's made form a brief cartoon of the shot-putter                blowing his cheeks out and heaving the shot right past us.                 Extremely well-drawn--                                     PILAR (O.S.)                          -after the so-called Mexican war                           and then secedes to join the                           Confederacy in 1861.  The                           Confederacy is beaten, and the                           Reformation period here is marked                           by range wars and race wars--               PILAR               Looking out at the class --                                     PILAR                          --and all this paralleled by                           constant battles between both                          the Mexican and Anglo settlers                           and the various Indian nations in                           the area.  What are we seeing                           here?  Chet?               CHET               Startled, he hides the notebook under his hands --                                     CHET                          Uhm--everybody is killing everybody                           else?               EXT.  LAKE -- DAY -- CU FISHING LURE               A nasty-looking thing.  Only a bass would want to eat this.                 Hollis leans in to peer at the thing dangling before his                face.               WIDER               Hollis sits in the swivel chair of a bass boat tied to a                dock at the lake, going through his box of lures.  Sam appears                on the dock and steps down.                                     SAM                          I always wondered what you Mayors                           do when you're not cutting ribbons.                                     HOLLIS                          Sam!  Hey podner!  You caught me                           playing hooky--                                     SAM                              (Looks across lake)                          Floating around out here, playin'                           hell with them bass--play a little                            cards, play a little golf, drink                           some beer--                                      HOLLIS                          Sounds great.  Where do I sign                           up?                                     SAM                          I haven't been out here for a                           while.                                     HOLLIS                          You go by your old house?                                     SAM                          No.                                     HOLLIS                          Just as well.  The new people                           just painted it some God-awful                           color--                                     SAM                          We found a body out by the Army                           base yesterday.  Been there for a                           long time.               Hollis squints at a rubber lure, rejects it--                                     HOLLIS                          Was it Davy Crockett or Jim Bowie?                                     SAM                              (Smiles)                          You recall if Charley Wade was a                           Mason?                                     HOLLIS                          Charley?  I believe he was.  Used                           to go for lodge meetings over to                           Laredo.  What's he got to do with                           your body?                                     SAM                          All it was wearing was a big old                           Masonic ring and a Rio County                           Sheriffs badge.               Hollis reacts.  Sam puts a foot on The gunwale of die boatSAM                You don't remember anything else from that last night you                saw him, do you?                                     HOLLIS                          I told the story enough times--                          hell, we were just in the car, he                           was stewing about the fight with                           Buddy while we drove over to                           Roderick Bledsoe's--                                     SAM                          Bledso                                     HOLLIS                          He owned the colored roadhouse                           before Big O--                                     SAM                          He still living?                                     HOLLIS                          No.  I think his widow's still in                           their place in Darktown, though.                              (Shakes his bead)                          You think it's Charley Wade, huh?                                     SAM                          Forensics people are sure of it.                            You have any idea who might have                           put him there?               Hollis makes a great show of considering--                                     SAM                          Besides my father, I mean.                                     HOLLIS                          There's no call for that, Sam,                           Fella made himself a pile of                           enemies over the years.                                     SAM                          And Buddy was one of them.                                     HOLLIS                          We got that dedication tomorrow.                            This is a hell of a time to be                           draggin' up old business                                     SAM                          People have worked this whole big                           thing up around my father.  If                           it's built on a crime, they deserve                           to know.  Now I un derstand why                           you might want to believe he                           couldn't do it                                     HOLLIS                          And I understand why you might                           want to think he could, This is a                           low blow, but accurate enough to                           shake Sam.                                     SAM                          Thanks for your time, Hollis.               Hollis holds up a double handful of lures--dozens of rubber                and plastic worms and shiners and frogs and spinners--                                     HOLLIS                          Look at all this, would you?  My                           tackle, the boat, all to catch a                           little old fish just minding its                           business on the bottom of the                           lake.               He gives Sam a look--                                     HOLLIS                          Hardly seems worth the effort--                          does it, Sam?               Sam walks away--               INT.  CLASSROOM -- ARMY BASE -- DAY -- CU ATHENA               Athena stands at attention, trying to keep her composure --                                     CLIFF (O.S.)                          So you knew this young man before?                                     ATHENA                          From back in Houston.  We both                           come up on Fifth Street.                                     PRISCILLA (O.S.)                          Did you know he was going to be                           there last night?                                     ATHENA                          If I had I wouldn't have gone in.                                     PRISCILLA (O.S.)                          And you and Private Graves--                                     ATHENA                          We were just dancing--               WIDER                Cliff leans against a desk, a blackboard covered with radar                diagrams behind him.  Priscilla sits nearby, both of them                focused on Athena                                     PRISCILLA                          We're not running a dating service                           here.                                     ATHENA                          I know that, Sergeant.  We were                           just dancing.  There was a bunch                           of us there.  Shadow just come                           down looking for trouble.                                     CLIFF                          It's not our job to get involved                           in your personal life, but when                           it interferes with the training                           here--                                     ATHENA                          I'm sorry, Sergeant Major.  There                           wasn't anything I could do.  Shadow                           gets crazy--               A silence as the sergeant lets her stew for a moment.  She                works up her courage--                                     ATHENA                          Sergeant Major?  How is Richie                           doing?  Private Graves?                                     CLIFF                          He'll live.                                     PRISCILLA                          He'll be transferred to a military                           hospital as soon as he's stabilized--                                     CLIFF                          He'll probably be getting a medical                           discharge--                                     ATHENA                          Out of the Army?                                     CLIFF                          He's going to lose a lung.               This is not good news for Athena--                                     ATHENA                          Will this go on my record?               Cliff considers for a long moment--                                     CLIFF                          If the incident happened the way                           you say it did, there hasn't been                           an infraction.                                     ATHENA                          Thank you, Sergeant Major.                                     CLIFF                          You're dismissed.                                     ATHENA                          Thank you, Sergeant Major.               Athena steps out of the room.  Cliff sits on the desk--                                     PRISCILLA                          You spoil 'em, Cliff.                                     CLIFF                          Hey--she's in a tough situation.                            I cut her some slack--                                     PRISCILLA                          But I'm the one in charge of her                           sorry ass.                                     CLIFF                          She's pulled herself out of a                           pretty rough neighborhood               Crossing to the door--                                     PRISCILLA                          And if she isn't careful she's                           gonna slide right back into it.               EXT.  BLEDSOE HOUSE -- DAY -- ROCKER               We start on a CU of a rocker creaking back and forth on an                old wooden porch.  A WOMAN HUMS               MINNIE               MINNIE BLEDSOE, in her 60s, sits on her porch in the old                Black section of town, playing with a Gameboy.  She has very                thick glasses on.  Sam walks up to her from his car--                                     SAM                          Mrs. Bledsoe?                                     MINNIE                          That's me.                                     SAM                          I'm Sheriff Deeds--                                     MINNIE                          Sheriff Deeds' dead, honey--you                           just Sheriff junior.                                     SAM                              (Smiles)                          Yeah, that's the story of my life.                                     MINNIE                          You ever play one of these?                                     SAM                          I've seen 'em.                                     MINNIE                          Well, don't ever start up on 'em,                           cause once you do you can't stop.                            I tell myself I'm gonna play just                           three little games after breakfast,                           and here I sit with half the day                           gone.                                     SAM                          You mind if I ask a few questions                           about your husband?  Roderick?                                     MINNIE                          I won't say nothing bad about the                           man, but you can ask away.                                     SAM                          He had the club out on the old                           trail road--                                     MINNIE                          We run that twenty-odd years.                            Give it over to Otis Payne in                           1967.  April.                                     SAM                          So you must remember Sheriff Wade.                                     MINNIE                          Not if I can help it.                                     SAM                          You had to deal with him in running                           the club.                                     MINNIE                          Them days, you deal with Sheriff                           Wade or you didn't deal at all.                            First of the month, every month,                           he remind you of who you really                           workin' for.                                     SAM                          He squeezed money out of you?                                     MINNIE                          Wasn't legal to sell liquor in a                           glass back then unless you was a                           club, see.  Roderick used to say,                           "Buy yourself a drink, you get a                           free membership." But Sheriff                           Wade, he could shut you down                           anytime.                                     SAM                          And my father?                                     MINNIE                          Sheriff Buddy was a different                           story.  Long as Roderick throw                           his weight the right way on                           election day, make sure all the                           colored get out to vote-we was                           called colored back then, if you                           was polite--maybe throw a barbecue                           for the right people now and then,                           things was peaceful.  That Sheriff                           Wade, though, he took an awful                           big bite.                                     SAM                          People didn't complain?                                     MINNIE                          Not if they was colored or Meskin.                            Not if they wanted to keep                           breathin'.                                     SAM                          Do you remember the last time you                           saw him?               Minnie thinks, puts down the Gameboy--                                     MINNIE                          I seen him in our place the last                           week before he gone missin'.               We TRACK in to a close-up of her.  R&B MUSIC FADES UP slowly --                                     MINNIE                          He used to come in whilst we was                           in full swing, make people nervous.                            Had him a smile like the Grim                           Reaper--                                                               DISSOLVE TO:               INT.  ROADHOUSE --               The joint is crowded, people drinking, talking, laughing, a                few dancing, all trying to avoid locking eyes with Sheriff                Wade, who sits with his legs stretched out at a table.  Young                Hollis sits by him, smiling uncomfortably.  Sax-wailing R&B                blasts from the jukebox.  YOUNG OTIS, a slick, confident                character with straightened hair and a silk shirt on, in his                early 20s, stops to talk with a MAN on his way to bring a                tray with a couple beers and glasses over                                     MINNIE (V.O.)                          --just sit back with his hand on                           that big ol' gun and act the                           kingfish with everybody.  Otis                           Payne had come to work for us by                           then, and that boy had him some                           attitude--               CU WADE               Watching Young Otis with narrowed eyes--               CU WADE'S POV -- OTIS               A man puts a slip of paper in Otis's pocket, pats his back.                 Otis winks to acknowledge the bet, turns, makes eyes at a                PRETTY WOMAN sitting at the bar, who is eyeing him back.  He                lays the beers and glasses on the table, starts away                                     WADE                          Pour it.               OTIS TURNS, CUPS HIS BAND AROUND HIS EAR-                                     WADE                          Pour it.               Expressionless, he starts to pour the beer into Wade's glass.                 The Sheriff looks up into his face--                                     WADE                          I know you?                                     YOUNG OTIS                          Name's Otis.                                     WADE                          Otis what?                                     YOUNG OTIS                          Payne.                                     WADE                          One of Cleroe Payne's boys?                                     YOUNG OTIS                          Uh-huh.                                     WADE                          I sent your Daddy to the farm                           once.                                     YOUNG OTIS                          I know that.                                     WADE                          Why you think that was?               Otis feels people watching.  He doesn't want to lose face--                                     YOUNG OTIS                          Some crop needed pickin' and the                           man was shorthanded.               A very insolent answer for the time and place--                                     WADE                          As I remember it was because he                           had a sassy mouth on him.  Must                           run in the family--You wouldn't                           be runnin' numbers out of this                           club, now, would you, son?                                     YOUNG OTIS                          Runnin' numbers illegal.                                     WADE                          Runnin' numbers without I know                           about it is both illegal and                           unhealthy You remember that.               The beer is poured.  Otis starts away--                                     WADE                          Whoah, son.  You're not finished.                            Pour his.                                     YOUNG HOLLIS                          I prefer it in the bottle--                                     WADE                          Shut up, Hollis.  Pour.               Otis meets Wade's look now, pours the other beer--                                     WADE                          How come you don't took familiar?                                     YOUNG OTIS                          Been away.  Up to Houston.                                     WADE                          Houston, huh?  I hear they let                           you boys run wild up there.               No response.  Wade deliberately pushes the glass away so                beer splashes on the table and drips into Hollis's lap--                                     WADE                          Aw--look what you done now.  Better                           get something to wipe it up, son.               Half the people in the room are watching now, the other half                moving away to relative safety.  Otis tries to keep a lid on                his temper, looks around the room--                                     YOUNG OTIS                          You spilt it, you wipe it up.               Wade stands, steely-eyed, and looks at Otis nose to nose--                                     WADE                          I told you to do something.  Are                           you gonna hop to it, or are we                           gonna have a problem?               Otis is starting to shake, but holds his ground--                                     WADE                          Don't want to turn tail in front                           of your people.  I understand.               He starts to turn away then WHAP!  brings the butt of his                pistol up under Otis's chin, knocking him to the floor A                woman SCREAMS and Otis, enraged, grabs the chair he has fallen                over, starts to get up -- but Wade has the pistol levelled                at his face--                                     WADE                          Come on, Houston, give it a try!                            Come to Poppa--               RODERICK is out on the floor now, hands held out in a gesture                of peace, as YOUNG MINNIE watches from behind the bar,                petrified--                                     RODERICK                          Don't mind him, Sheriff.  Boy's                           just a bit slow, is all.  He don't                           mean nothin' by it--                                     WADE                          That the problem, son?  You Slow?                                     RODERICK                          Otis, apologize to the Sheriff--               Otis eases the chair down but doesn't say anything--                                     RODERICK                          You got him too scared to  peep,                           Sheriff.  Maybe if you put that                           gun up--                                     WADE                          You telling me what to do,                           Roderick?                                     RODERICK                          No, Sheriff, I'm just--               Wade looks around, widens his eyes in mock surprise--                                     WADE                          What's this I see?  Is that whiskey                           in them glasses on the Bar?                            Roderick, I'm onna have to cite                           you for a violation of state law--                                     RODERICK                          This is a club, Sheriff--you been                           in here--                                     WADE                          And people better clear out of                           here!  Now!               A few people start for the exit.  Wade swivels and BLAM!                 sends a bullet past Minnie that shatters a crystal decanter                behind the bar.  People run for the door.  Wade squats down                to look Otis in the face--               CU WADE                                     WADE                          You learn how to act your place,                           son.  This idn't Houston.               He stands and we FOLLOW him toward the bar--                                     OTIS (V.O.)                          'Course I was young and full of                           beans then--                The camera passes Wade and instead of Minnie there stands                Otis, PRESENT DAY, reminiscing.               We are back in '95--                                     OTIS                          I didn't understand the spot I                           was putting Roderick in.                                     SAM                          And that was the last time you                           saw him?               We SHIFT to see Sam sitting where Wade was headed--                                     OTIS                          Oh--I think he came in one more                           time with Hollis and--naw, your                           Daddy wasn't with them.  Made                           their monthly pickup.  Roderick                           wasn't in so I just kept my mouth                           good and shut and handed over                           that envelope.                                     SAM                          That was the night he disappeared?                                     OTIS                              (Shakes his head)                          Could of been.  That was white                           people's business.                                     SAM                          And when my father was Sheriff?                                     OTIS                          What about it?                                     SAM                          What was your deal with him?               Otis smiles, chooses his words carefully--                                     OTIS                          Buddy was more a part of the big                           picture--county political machine,                           chamber of commerce, zoning board                           if I kept those people happy, he                           was pretty much on my side.                              (Smiles)                          Whenever somebody thought--they                           start up another bar for the black                           folks, they'd be--how should I                           put this?  They'd be officially                           discouraged.                                     SAM                          He ever accept cash for a favor?               Otis smiles, looks away to ponder his response--                                     OTIS                          I don't recall a prisoner ever                           died in your father's custody.  I                           don't recall a man in this town--                          Black, White, Mexican--who'd                           hesitate a minute before they'd                           call on Buddy Deeds to solve a                           problem.  More than that I wouldn't                           like to say.               INT.  CAR -- LATE AFTERNOON               Pilar drives Amado and her daughter Paloma home--                                     AMADO                          If you had your way I wouldn't                           have any friends.                                     PILAR                          Oh, come on, Amado--                                     AMADO                          Just 'cause I'm not like Little                           Miss Honor Roll here--                                     PILAR                          Leave your sister out of it.                                     AMADO                          You and all of the teachers in                           this dump--your story's over, so                           you don't want anybody else to                           have fun.               We see on PILAR's face that he has scored--                                     PALOMA                          You jerk--                                     AMADO                          I'm not talking to you.  You don't                           have any friends.               PILAR eases the car down San Jacinto street, seeing something                on the street and she's tuning her kids' conversation out--                                     PALOMA                          Who'd want to be friends with                           that bunch of pachuco wannabes?                                     AMADO                          I don't pretend I came over on                           the Mayflower--                                     PALOMA                          And those stupid girls who hang                           out with them--                                     AMADO                          Just shut up.               PILAR'S POV -- SAM               Sam walks on the sidewalk parallel to them, talking with                three other MEN--                                     PALOMA (O.S.)                          Joanie Orozco's telling the whole                           school she's like desperately in                           love with Santo Guerra.                                     AMADO (O.S.)                          So?                                     PALOMA (O.S.)                          It's pathetic.  You can't he                           desperately in love when you're                           14 years old.               INT.  PILAR'S CAR               Pilar is still looking fixedly out the window--                                     PALOMA                          Not if you have half a brain in                           your head.                                     PILAR                          Of course you can.                                     PALOMA                          What?                                     PILAR                          It doesn't have anything to do                           with being smart.               EXT.  SAN JACINTO STREET -- LATE AFTERNOON               Danny Padilla is arguing with H.L.  BRIGGS, a construction                company big shot, and JORGE GUERRA, a Council member in his                40s and Sam, as they walk down the sidewalk of the main street--                                     JORGE                          What I'm saying is, I don't see                           the point.  You had your chance                           when the dedication committee was                           meeting--                                     DANNY                          I've got new information--                                     H.L.                          It's ancient goddarn history,                           Danny--                                     DANNY                          1963, they dam up the north branch                           to make Lake Pescadero.  A whole                           little town disappears--                                     H.L.                          Squatter town--                                     DANNY                          People had been living in Perdido                           for over a hundred years.  Mexicans                           and Chicanos are deported, evicted,                           moved forcibly out of their houses                           by our local hero, Buddy Deeds,                           and his department--                                     JORGE                          There was a bill from the state                           legislature--                                     DANNY                          Families were split apart, a whole                           community was destroyed--                                     H.L.                          They were trespassing, Danny--                                     DANNY                          --and who ends up with lakefront                           property bought for a fraction of                           the market price?  Buddy Deeds,                           Sheriff of Rio County, and his                           Chief Deputy, Hollis Pogue.               They all look at Sam, who has been listening patiently the                whole while.  They've reached his office                                     SAM                          You finished?                                     DANNY                          Look, I'm not after you, Sam.  I                           just think people in town ought                           to know the full story on Buddy                           Deeds.                                     SAM                              (Nods)                          That makes two of us.               Sam steps into his office, leaving H.L.  shaking his head--                                     H.L.                          You best be thankful that's the                           son and not the father.  Buddy                           woulda kicked your ass from here                           to sundown.               INT HALLWAY -- DEL'S HOUSE -- LATE AFTERNOON               We TRACK down a hallway as Celie walks toward us, call ing                ahead.  Chet stands in the middle of the hall behind her                                     CELIE (O.S.)                          I don't see what the big deal is.                            Go back over, talk to the man,                           and bury the hatchet, Del--               CELIE passes us and Del crosses back in the other direction                from behind the camera, carrying boxes of their belongings.               We continue our SLOW TRACK forward--                                     DEL                          Otis Payne was never embarrassed                           about a thing in his life.                                     CHET                          Dad--                                     CELIE (O.S.)                          You were 8 years old when he left--                                     DEL                          He didn't leave, he moved three                           houses down with one of my mother's                           best friends.                                     CHET                          Dad--?                                     DEL                          "Hey, Delmore, where's your Daddy?"               Del disappears into the bedroom at the end of the hall--                                     DEL (O.S.)                          everybody else's business.  And                           everybody loved Big O--               DEL comes back out, empty-handed--                                     DEL                          Big O was always there with a                           smile or a loan or a free drink.                                     CHET                          Dad, can I talk to you about track?                                     CELIE (O.S.)                          People change.                                     DEL                          Not that much.                                     CHET                          Dad, I talked to the track coach--                                     DEL                          I thought we already had this                           out?  Next year, if your grades                           are high enough--                                     CHET                          I have a B average.                                     DEL                          How many B-average students do                           you think they take at West Point?                                     CELIE (O.S.)                          We're going to have to see him.                                     DEL                          No, we don't.                 Del steps away past us, leaving Chet, defeated--               INT.  CAFE -- NIGHT -- ENRIQUE               We start on Enrique, talking surreptitiously on the pay phone                on the way to the kitchen                                      ENRIQUE                          Sabado por la noche--Si, es el                           mas seguero-- a cruzar por la                           manana y pues tendremos que esperar--                           [Friday night--Yes, that's the                           safest--I'll cross in the morning                           and then we'll have to wait--]               Mercedes bustles by, snapping her fingers--                                     MERCEDES                          Off the phone, by we've got people                           waiting.  Andale!               We FOLLOW Mercedes back into the kitchen, where she moves                through, kibbitzing the operation--               WAITRESS               Mercedes stops by a young girl prepping a pork loin to be                cooked.  She isn't wearing gloves                                      MERCEDES                          Donde estan sus guantes?  Tonta!                            Quiere matar a mis clientes?                            [Where are your gloves?  Stupid!                            You want to kill my customers?]                She continues past, shaking her bead, bringing us to Pilar,                who is trying to stay out of the way--                                      MERCEDES                          These ones coming up are getting                           stupider every year.                                     PILAR                          Maybe you're just getting less                           patient.                                     MERCEDES                          If they're going to survive here,                           they have to know how to work,                           Elalco!  Adelante!  Los clientes                           esperan!                                     PILAR                          Well, you hire illegals--                                     MERCEDES                              (Indignant))                          Nobody is illegal in my cafe!                            They've got green cards, they've                           got relatives who were born here--                          if they only had a little common                           sense I'd be very happy.                                     PILAR                          If you spent a little more time                           training them--                                     MERCEDES                          Did you come here to tell me how                           to run my business?                                     PILAR                          No.  I was wondering if you'd                           like to take a trip down south                           with us.  Maybe see where you                           grew up--                                      MERCEDES                          Why would I want to go there?                                     PILAR                          Oh, come on--you must be curious                           how it's changed.  Amado is into                           this big Tejano roots thing and                           I've never been further than Ciudad                           Leon--                                     MERCEDES                          You want to see Mexicans, open                           your eyes and look around you.                            We're up to our ears in them.               Pilar gives up on the trip.  She watches her mother poking                at the plates of chips and salsa ready to go out--                                     PILAR                          Mami, how old were you when my                           father--                                     MERCEDES                          He was killed.                                     PILAR                          Right.  When he was killed.                                       MERCEDES                          A little older than Paloma is                           now.                                     PILAR                          How come you never got married                           again?                 Mercedes just glares at her--                                      PILAR                          There must have been somebody.                                     MERCEDES                              (Mutters)                          I was too busy.                                     PILAR                          Nobody's too busy.                                     MERCEDES                          Maybe now.  It was different back                           then.  I had this place, I was                           doing all the shopping, all the                           cookingwhat do I need some chulo                           with grease under his nails to                           drink up the profit?                                     PILAR                              (Pissed off)                          Thank you.                                     MERCEDES                          I don't mean Fernando.                                     PILAR                          Mami, the first time I brought                           him home, those were your exact                           words--"some chulo with grease                           under his nails"                                     MERCEDES                          I never said that.                                     PILAR                          You made it pretty damn clear you                           thought he was nobody                                     MERCEDES                          I felt that you could do better                           for yourself--                                     PILAR                          What?  Become a nun?  You didn't                           want me going out with Anglos--                                     MERCEDES                          I never said that.  It was just                           that boy--                                     PILAR                          "That boy"--Mami, say his name                           for chrissakes!               The employees are staring.  Mercedes won won't look at her                daughter as she steps out of the kitchen, banging into Enrique                on his way back in--                                     MERCEDES                          You people are stealing my money--                           Entiende?  Robandome?               Mercedes is gone.  The young girl, pulling plastic gloves                on, looks to Pilar                                      GIRL                          Su madre?  [Your mother?]                                     PILAR                          Si.               The girl puts her hand on her heart in sympathy--                                      GIRL                          Lo siento [My condolences.]               INT.  COUNTRY AND WESTERN BAR -NIGHT               A crowded room, C&W MUSIC plays on the box.  Sam sits behind                a bottle of beer as the bartender, CODY, in his early 50s                philosophizes                                     CODY                          Now I'm just as liberal as the                           next guy--                                     SAM                          If the next guy's a redneck.                                     CODY                          --but I gotta say I think there's                           something to this cold climate                           business.  I mean, you go to the                           beach-what do you do?  Drink a                           few beers, wait for a fish to                           flop up on the sand.  Can't build                           no civilization that way.  You                           got a hard winter coming, though,                           you got to plan ahead, and that                           gives your cerebral cortex a                           workout,                                     SAM                          Good deal you were born down here,                           then,                                      CODY                          You joke about it, Sam, but we                           are in a state of crisis.  The                           lines of demarcation has gotten                           fuzzy--to run a sucessfull                           civilization you got to have lines                           of demarcation between right and                           wrong, between this one and that                           one--your Daddy understood that.                            He was like the whatchacallit--                          the referee for this damn menudo                           we got down here.  He understood                           how most people don't want their                           sugar and salt in the Same jar.                                     SAM                          You mixed drinks bad as you mix                           metaphors, you be out of a job.                                     CODY                          Take that pair over in the corner--               Sam swivels to look where Cody points--                                     CODY                          Place like this, twenty years                           ago, Buddy woulda been, on them                           two--               SAM'S POV -- CORNER BOOTH               Cliff and Priscilla talk across a table --                                     CODY (O.S.)                          --warning.  Not 'cause he had it                           in for the colored               SAM AND CODY                                     CODY                          --but just as a kind of safety                           tip.                                     SAM                          Yeah.  I bet he would.                                     CODY                          Old Sam stood for somethin', you                           know?  The day that man died they                           broke the goddam mold.               BOOTH -- CLIFF AND PRISCILLA               Things are obviously more than professional between these                two--                                     PRISCILLA                          So where does that put us?                                     CLIFF                          Well--I don't see what's changed.                            No PDA:s, no necking on the                           obstacle course                                     PRISCILLA                          Seriously.                                     CLIFF                          Seriously, I think we should get                           married.                                     PRISCILLA                          We been through this before--                                     CLIFF                          We should just do it.                                     PRISCILLA                          And if I get a shot at a promotion                           somewhere--                                     CLIFF                          You could take it--                                     PRISCILLA                          It's up or out these days, Cliff.                            Say I get transferred to a                           different post--                                     CLIFF                          I'd quit the Army for you, if it                           came to that.                                     PRISCILLA                              (Grins))                          Man's gonna retire in two years                           and he offer to quit, Big goddam                           deal.                                     SAM (O.S.)                          Excuse me--               They look up to see Sam standing over them--                                     CLIFF                          Sheriff--hi--this is Sergeant-                          this is Priscilla Worth                                     SAM                          Pleased to meet you.                                     CLIFF                          Sheriff Deeds was in on our                           archeological find yesterday.                                     PRISCILLA                          It true they gonna build a shopping                           mall out there?                                     SAM                          If certain people have their way,                           it's going to be a new jail.                                     PRISCILLA                          Damn.  Maybe we got in the wrong                           business.  They closin' down                           military left and right, puttin'                           up jails like 7-11 stores.                                     SAM                          Do either of you have any idea                           when they stopped using that site                           as a rifle range?                                     CLIFF                          They stopped training infantry                           there in the late '50s.  It was                           just a playground for the                           jackrabbits till they gave it to                           the county last year.                                     PRISCILLA                          You know who it was they dug up?                                     SAM                          Not for sure yet.  But I kind of                           wish they hadn't.               EXT.  CAFE -- NIGHT               Enrique steps out of the darkened cafe, followed by Mercedes,                who locks up.  Mercedes steps over to an expensive-looking                car--                                     ENRIQUE                          Es muy lindo, su coche--                                     MERCEDES                          En ingles Enrique.  This is the                           United States.  We speak English.                                     ENRIQUE                          Is very beautiful, your car.                                     MERCEDES                          Good night, Enrique.               She slides into the car--                                     ENRIQUE                          Buenas noches, Senora Cruz.               Enrique walks in the opposite direction--                                                                   FADE OUT               EXT.  BIG O'S ROADHOUSE -- DAY -- CU DEL               Del, in uniform, approaches the front door of Big O's, not                open for business yet.  We TIGHTEN as he stops to read a                handlettered sign next to it: "BLACK SEMINOLE EXHIBIT REAR                ENTRANCE." He steps in--               INT.  ROADHOUSE               Late-50s R&B plays on the JUKEBOX.  Otis stands behind the                counter hooking the beer taps up.  Del steps in and sits on                a stool at the far end of the bar, tense, looking around the                place.  When Otis sees him, he stops dead.  They lock eyes                for a moment, then Otis turns to call                                     OTIS                          Carolyn--knock that off for a                           minute.               CAROLYN               CAROLYN SYKES, an attractive woman maybe ten years younger                than Otis, pulls the plug from the jukebox near where she's                scrubbing bloodstains off the floor.  She turns to look at                the newcomer--               BAR               Del doesn't move to come closer --                                     DEL                          Black Seminoles?                                     OTIS                              (Shrugs)                          Hobby of mine.  Got some artifacts,                           couple pieces one of your men out                           at the base made.  Free admission.               Del nods toward where Carolyn is mopping--                                     DEL                          That where he was shot?                                     OTIS                          That's where he fell.                                     DEL                          You get much of that in here?                                     OTIS                          It's a bar.  People come together,                           drink, fall in love, fall out of                           love, air their grudges out--                                     DEL                          Deal drugs in the bathroom--                                     OTIS                          If I thought it would help I'd                           put up a sign telling them not                           to.  Right under the one about                           the employees washing their hands.               Carolyn has come over by Otis, lugging the bucket and mop--                                     OTIS                          This here's Carolyn.  Honey, this                           is my son, Delmore.                                     DEL                          Nice to meet you, Ma'am.               Carolyn nods, shoots a look to Otis--                                     CAROLYN                          I'll be in back waiting for that                           delivery.               They wail till she is gone to start again--                                     OTIS                          So.                                     DEL                          So tell me why I shouldn't make                           this place off-limits.                                     OTIS                          This is an official visit, then--                                     DEL                          I assume a lot of your business                           is from our people.               Otis pulls a tap back and it coughs before squirting beer                                     OTIS                          Your boys out there cooped up                           together, need somewhere they can                           let the steam out.  If they're                           Black, there's not but one place                           in this town they feel welcome.                          Been that way since before you                           were born.                                     DEL                          We have an enlisted man's club at                           the post.                                     OTIS                          Well, you're the Man out there                           now, aren't you?  It's your call.                                     DEL                          That's right.                                     OTIS                              (Smiles)                          I been hearing rumors about this                           new commander coming for a couple                           weeks now.  Boys say they heard                           he's a real hard case.  Spit-and-                          polish man.  Full-bird colonel                           name of Payne, they say-- Bet you                           never figured you end up back                           here.                                     DEL                          The Army hands you a command, you                           go wherever it is.                                     OTIS                          Right.                                     DEL                          I hear things, too.  People call                           you the Mayor of Darktown.                                     OTIS                              (Shrugs)                          Over the years, this is the one                           place that's always been there.                            I loan a little money out, settle                           some arguments.  Got a cot in the                           back-people get afraid to go home                           they can spend the night.  Ther-                          e's not enough of us to run                           anything in this town-the white                           people are mostly out on the lake                           now and the Mexicans hire each                           other.  There's the Holiness Church                           and there's Big O's place.                                     DEL                          And people make their choice--                                     OTIS                              (Smiles))                          A lot of 'em choose both.  There's                           not like a borderline between the                           good people and the bad people--                          you're not either on one side or                           the other--               Del looks away, not wanting to believe this--                                     OTIS                              (Softly)                          I gonna meet that family of yours?                                     DEL                          Why would you want to do that?                                     OTIS                          Because I'm your father.               Del gives him a dark look and lets the statement hang between                them.  He gets up and heads for the door--                                      DEL                          You'll get official notification                           when I make my decision.               He is out the door--               Otis pulls himself a beer as Carolyn steps back out--                                     CAROLYN                          So that's him--                                     OTIS                          Yeah--that's him.  Got two, three                           thousand people under him out                           there, you count the civilians.                                     CAROLYN                          That must be a laugh a minute.               EXT.  SAN JACINTO STREET -- DAY               Sam walks down the main street of town.  A CROWD is gathering                at the other end for the ceremony--                                     H.L. (O.S.)                          Sheriff!               We WIDEN as H.L.  and Jorge catch up to him.  H.L.  slaps                Sam on the back --                                     H.L.                          Historic occasion, isn't it?                                     SAM                          Seems like we have another one                           every week.                                     H.L.                          Jorge and his Chamber of Commerce                           boys got to keep things hummin'--                                     JORGE                          We're building up tourism, Sam--                                     SAM                          People come here to catch bass                           and to get laid at the Boy's Town                           in Cuidad Leon--                                     JORGE                          Sam--                                     SAM                          You ought to put up a banner--                          "Frontera, Texas: Gateway to Cut-                          Rate Pussy"--                                     H.L.                          That kind of talk doesn't help,                           Sam.                                     SAM                          Rather have that than the ten-                          foot-high catfish statue--                                     JORGE                          I got Eddie Richter at the Sentinel                           to kill that story.                                     SAM                          The Perdido thing?                                     JORGE                          He agreed it wasn't exactly news--                                     SAM                          Danny's gonna be out for blood                           the next time.                                     H.L.                          Which is why we need to talk to                           you about the new jail--just so                           we're all on the same page.                                     SAM                          We don't need a new jail.                                     H.L.                          That's a matter of interpretation--                                     SAM                          We're already renting cells to                           the Feds for their overflow--                                     JORGE                          There was a mandate in the last                           election--                                     SAM                          It wouldn't happen to be your                           construction company gonna get                           the bid on building this thing,                           would it, H.L.  And Jorge, you                           wouldn't be thinking about a couple                           dozen new jobs to dangle in front                           of the voters--                                     H.L.                          Dammit, Sam, the people are                           concerned about crime--                                     SAM                          We need a drug rehab program, we                           need a new elementary school--                                     JORGE                          There isn't money allocated for                           that.  But a jail--                                     SAM                          Look, I'm not gonna campaign                           against your deal here, but if                           anybody asks me, I got to tell                           them the truth.  We--don't--need--                          a new jail.                                     H.L.                          When we backed you--                                     SAM                          When you backed me you needed                           somebody named Deeds to bump the                           other fella out of office.  Hey,                           folks--               Sam and the others smile as they reach the CROWD of                townspeople, mostly small business owners and retired people.                 Photographers from the paper and a local TV news crew wait                by a veiled Statue roped off in a little traffic island.                 Mercedes, dressed to kill, stands waiting next to Hollis                with a huge pair of scissors in her hand.               CU MERCEDES               Slowly working the blades of the scissors, she looks coldly                at Sam--               CU SAM               He nods to her as the crowd opens a path for him.                                     SAM                          Let's get this thing over with.               INT.  MIKEY'S WORKSHOP -- MORNING               We start on a two-foot-high statue of a cowboy made from old                bullets and shell casings.  We PAN past a few others, the                poses lifted from Frederic Remington paintings, till we see                Mikey, gluing together a work in progress, a Remington book                propped open in front of him.  Cliff sits at the worktable                playing absently with the old bullets spilled out from MIKEY'S                bag                                     MIKEY                          Never thought I'd see the day a                           buddy of mine was dating a woman                           with three up and three down on                           her shoulder.                                     CLIFF                          I think it's beyond what you'd                           call dating.                                     MIKEY                          You going to get married?                                     CLIFF                              (Shrugs)                          Maybe.                                     MIKEY                          You met her family?  They gonna                           be cool about you being a white                           guy?                                     CLIFF                          Priscilla says they think any                           woman over 30 who isn't married                           must be a lesbian.  She figures                           they'll be so relieved I'm a man--                                     MIKEY                          Always heartwarming to see a                           prejudice defeated by a deeper                           prejudice.  But marriage, man--I                           did two tours in Southeast Asia                           and I was married for five years--                          I couldn't tell you which                           experience was worse.               Cliff picks up a slug--                                     CLIFF                          Hey, Mikey--                                     MIKEY                          I knew she was Japanese going                           into it, but she didn't tell me                           the ninja assassin part--                                     CLIFF                          Mikey--                                     MIKEY                          Her parents acted like I was gonna                           blow my nose on their curtains--                                     CLIFF                          Mikey--                                     MIKEY                          If I stayed out past ten with the                           guys she'd go into her Madame                           Butterfly routine--                                     CLIFF                          Mikey look at this--                                     MIKEY                          What--it's a bullet.  I'm lousy                           with bullets here.                                     CLIFF                          it's a .45.                                     MIKEY                          Yeah?                                     CLIFF                          This is the stuff we picked up                           the other day, right?  The rest                           of this is all .30 caliber--                                     MIKEY                          They were using M-1's, yeah--                                     CLIFF                          What's it doing on a rifle range?               MIKEY holds the slug in front of his face--                                     MIKEY                          We better call that Sheriff.               EXT.  SAN JACINTO STREET -- DAY               Hollis is finishing his oration, having put the crowd in a                good mood.                                     HOLLIS                          Sometime in the early '70s a                           reporter from a national magazine                           was talking to the governor of                           our Lone Star state, and he asked                           him, "Governor, what's your ideal                           of what a real Texan ought to                           be?" Governor said, "That's easy,                           son-you just go down to Rio County                           and get a look at Sheriff Buddy                           Deeds."               Applause--               SAM               Watching the crowd --               SAM'S POV               We PAN with his gaze across smiling faces, till he comes to                Danny and a couple of Chicano friends, looking grim.  We                RACK FOCUS beyond them to see Pilar, watching the ceremony                from a few yards back--                                     HOLLIS (O.S.)                          Thank you.  We've got one more                           person to hear from--               HOLLIS                                     HOLLIS                          --and he's somebody who probably                           knew Buddy better than any of us,                           Sam--would you say a few words?               SAM               Not thrilled to be called on.  He steps forward reluctantly                to APPLAUSE--                                     SAM                          You folks who remember my father                           knew him as Sheriff.  But at home                           he was also judge, jury               He looks to Hollis--                                     SAM                          --and executioner.               LAUGHTER.  Sam holds Hollis's eyes for a moment before                continuing--                                     SAM                          This is a real honor you're doing                           him today, and if Buddy was around                           I'm sure his hat size would be                           gettin' bigger every minute.               PILAR               Watching --                                     SAM (O.S.)                          I used to come to this park to                           hide from him.  Now that you're                           putting his name on it--               SAM                                     SAM                          I'll have to find someplace new                           to duck out.               More LAUGHTER--                                     SAM                          I do appreciate it, and wherever                           he is, Buddy's puttin' the beer                           on ice for the bunch of you.                            Thank you.               APPLAUSE -- Sam steps back and Mercedes steps forward with                her scissors without looking at him--                                     HOLLIS                          And now my fellow Council member                           and one of Frontera's most                           respected businesswomen, Mrs.                           Mercedes Cruz, will do the honors                           for us               MERCEDES               She freezes, smiling, till the still photographers have gotten                their shots, then snips the cord to a pulley system that                lets the cloth drop--               STATUE               The cloth drops to reveal a bas-relief in brass set in a                block of smooth limestone.  A decent likeness of Buddy in                uniform, his hand on the shoulder of a small Chicano-looking                boy who stands beside him, eyes raised worshIpfully.  APPLAUSE                from the gathering--