Part 61: Larry Damon

Music: On the Rocks


Show lobby newspaper

Hey...
That article...
The guy who got robbed in Beverly Hills is named Damon. The same name that's on this student ID.
That's...
And guess what was taken from the Damon residence? Twenty large and a gun.
Er...

Show stack of cash

That's...
What're you doing with this much scratch? You steal it from mommy and daddy?
Uh...

If we hadn't taken the stack of cash back from the suitcase, Kyle wouldn't go into this room. The responses for non-evidence items are still the same.

Show pistol

...Ah.

Show Jeff's student ID

Hey...that's...
My student ID.

Show duplicate room 215 key

Uh...

NOW we can actually get somewhere with the questions.

I know about the cash.

There's a reason you hid that cash in my room.



If Jeff had stayed quiet, no one would've even know about the money.

You wanted trouble.

You wanted to cause a big stink. So you took the master key to my room and hid the money in the john.
Er...
Those aren't the actions of your average Joe, pal. The only one who's gonna get hurt in this mess is you. So why'd you do it? Twenty large just something to play with for you?
You mistake me for a sap that would just take the fall? Is this a game to you? That it? Stop playing the fool and grow up!
Grow up... Like I haven't heard that before.



That makes me so mad!
Stop treating me like I'm stupid! I'm not a kid! Don't pretend to know one single thing about me!

Who do I sound like?

Who do I sound like?
Huh?
I told you to grow up, right? You said I sounded like somebody.
Yeah... Like my poppa.
...Poppa?
You telling me you call your old man "poppa"?
That's right. What of it?
Uh... Nothing, I guess.
So, uh, what kind of man is your...poppa?
What kind of man is he?
What's he do for a living?
He's a lawyer.
Lawyer, huh? Sounds like he's got his act together.
Not even close.
Look, I've had about-
You're wrong! DEAD WRONG!



Your old man that bad?

Your old man as bad as all that?
Worse. He's an arrogant scumbag who thinks he's always right about everything. And he doesn't trust anyone but himself.
Not even his own family.

I know about the gun.

I know why you hid the pistol in the laundry cart.



Again, if Jeff just stayed quiet, no one would've even know that there's a gun.

You wanted it found.

It's because you wanted somebody to find it. You stole the gun from your own house.



Why put the gun there?

Why'd you put the gun where somebody would find it?
I figured they'd call the cops once it got found. That's all.

Your real name is...

Your real name is...



The answer to these questions are actually already shown when we asked it before getting the newspaper.

Jeff Damon.

Jeff Damon. The proof's on your student ID.
Er...
Why're you hiding your real name?
It's my father's name...



You hate your dad's name?

Why you hate your old man's name so much?
I don't want to have a jerk like him as my father. That's why.

Music: Resolution
Look, kid, I don't care if your name's Angel or Damon or McGillicutty. Got it? I don't even care whose money that is. All I want to know is why you did it.
You think I know? Why are we talking about this? Nobody understands me.
Give it a rest, will ya? You're an open book, kid. Had you pegged from the moment I laid eyes on you.
You're such a liar. What do you think you know about me?
Where do you want me to start?
Never worked a day in your life, so you got no idea about the true value of money. That's why you can steal twenty grand from your old man without blinking an eye. That's why you could take it and use it and lose it just to get a little attention.
You never used a gun in your life. Oh sure, you imagined what it would be like. But you got no idea what it's like to pull the trigger. To take a life. You got no idea what it takes to bleed a man out and watch his light go.
That's why you toss a gun into a laundry cart like it means nothing.



That's why you took his cash and his heater and ran like hell. 'Course, you didn't know what to do with 'em after you stole 'em.
And after you showed your belly and ran, you had nowhere to go.



And that's when you meet me. Just some down-on-his-luck salesman. Not too bright. Not too dangerous. You plant the goods on me, then sit back and wait for Poppa to love you again.

Music stops
I... I didn't... I wasn't...
ENOUGH! I did NOT come to this hellhole just to hear you bleat like a damn sheep! You are going to tell me everything, and you are going to do it now. Do not make me ask twice.





Music: Violet Sky
...All right. All right. What do I say? I mean...you're right. You lived in the world. Me?
I mean, I'm just a kid. I'm nothing. Just a spoiled little rich kid.
This I know. Keep going.
It's...it's true. Everything you said is true. I can't stand my poppa. I can't forgive him for who he is and what he does. I did all this just to get under his skin. I didn't plan it. I just...opened the safe and grabbed the stuff and ran.
But I didn't know what he'd done until I saw the newspaper. He knew it was me who took his precious money and his damn gun. He knew it was me, and he still called the cops.
You know what my parents are doing right now? Mom's crying on the sofa. And Poppa? He's telling her how he's doing this for me. Teaching me a lesson.
You want to know what my poppa's like, right? Let me tell you.



Hire Poppa, and he'll convince a jury that black is white and night is day. That's why people spend a fortune getting him to defend them. And if you can pay, it doesn't matter what you've done. Theft? OK! Assault? Sure! Tax evasion? No problem! Murder? He's your man.
He'll go to bat for anyone. Even organized crime. Hell, ESPECIALLY organized crime.
Organized crime?
Yeah, right now he's working for a group of lowlifes called Nail or Nile or something.
...What?

Music stops
(Jeff's old man is working for Nile? Oh, kid...)
Yeah, that's who he is. That's my poppa...
Scum of the earth!

Music: Insomnia
Where'd you learn all this?
He'd bring these men by the house from time to time. Unsociable types, you know?



I happened to...overhear some of their conversations, and that's how I found out. That these guys were part of Nile, I mean.
That's it, huh?
Poppa's getting filthy rich off what these guys are paying him. So it's cool that I, uh, boosted a small chunk of it. Right?



So what's the plan?
Since I learned Poppa called the cops, I've been thinking...
He wants me to come crawling home with my tail between my legs. And hey, why not, right? That's what I've always done...
But I've changed. I'm not going to do that again. I'm going to embarrass him. That's why I did all this and tried to get Dunning to call the police.
I figure they'll get here, see through my story, and arrest me. My being arrested will cause all kinds of trouble for Poppa. Then the press will come and ask why I did it... And I'll tell 'em. I'll tell them what a crook Poppa is. I'll tell them all the dirty stuff he's doing.

Music stops
Ha ha ha!
What's so funny?
You know something, iid? I've seen dumb before, but it's not often I meet stupid.
Wh-what?
You trying to punch your old man's ticket to the morgue?
I don't...
Knock this crap off!



Music: Violet Sky
This is yours. Take it and go home. Go see your father. You think this is a good idea? Think you're smart? What happens when you go to the press and talk about how your old man's mobbed up? You think Nile's just going to sit back and do nothing? Go ahead. Shoot your mouth off. You and the old man can push up daisies together.
But...
SHUT UP! You want your poppa away from Nile? You want him to keep breathing? Here's what you do: take your sorry ass home and NEVER do anything like this again.
But, how...how am I... What am I supposed to do then?
You want the old man to change? You change first. Stop depending on him for everything. Try standing on your own two feet.
Mr. Hyde...
Do that, and your old man'll come around. You'll be showing him how to live. Now get outta here.

Contrary to what he said, Kyle is the one who go out of the room.



(Still can't believe Jeff's old man his ties to Nile. The coincidences are piling up faster than I can count. How many times have I heart the name Nile since I've been here?)

Um, three times? From Ed, Louie, and Jeff.

(I'd better take a breather and clear my head.)
(I need to have all this sorted out before I go on.)