Chinatown1974

Cross:
What does it mean?

Gittes:
That you killed Hollis Mulwray - right here - in that pond. You drowned him, and you left these [the bifocals]. Coroner's report shows Mulwray had saltwater in his lungs.

Cross:
Hollis was always fascinated by tidepools. You know what he used to say?...That's where life begins. Sloughs, tidepools. When he first come out here, he figured if you dumped water into the desert sand and let it percolate down to the bedrock, it would stay there instead of evaporate the way it does in most reservoirs. You only lose 20% instead of 70 or 80. He made this city.

Gittes:
That's what you were going to do in the valley.

Cross:
That's what I am doing. If the bond issue passes Tuesday, there'll be eight million dollars to build an aqueduct and reservoir. I'm doing it.

Gittes:
Gonna be a lot of irate citizens when they find out that they're paying for water that they're not gonna get.

Cross:
Oh, that's all taken care of. You see, Mr. Gits. Either you bring the water to LA or you bring LA to the water.

Gittes:
How you gonna do that?

Cross:
By incorporating the valley into the city. Simple as that.

Gittes:
How much are you worth?

Cross:
I've no idea. How much do you want?

Gittes:
I just want to know what you're worth. Over ten million?

Cross:
Oh my, yes!

Gittes:
Why are you doing it? How much better can you eat? What can you buy that you can't already afford?

Cross:
The future, Mr. Gits - the future! Now where's the girl? I want the only daughter I've got left. As you found out, Evelyn was lost to me a long time ago.

Gittes:
Who do you blame for that - her?

Cross:
I don't blame myself. You see, Mr. Gits, most people never have to face the fact that at the right time, the right place, they're capable of anything.