Summary

Mike Church is a Los Angeles private detective who specializes in finding missing persons. He takes on the case of a mystery woman whom he calls Grace. She is suffering from amnesia and has no memories of her own, but she keeps having nightmares involving the murder of a pianist, Margaret, by her husband Roman Strauss in the late 1940s. In an attempt to solve the mystery of these nightmares, Church seeks the help of Madson, an antiques dealer with a gift for hypnosis. The hypnosis sessions soon begin to reveal some surprises.

Quotes

Cozy Carlisle
You take what you've learned from this life and use it in the next. That's karma.
Mike Church
I thought karma was I do something bad in this life and I'm a termite in the next.
Cozy Carlisle
Hey, if you ask me, pal, you're already a termite in this life in a shitty suit, OK?

Mike Church
Cozy Carlisle?
Cozy Carlisle
Fuck you! I'm on a break.
Mike Church
Uhm, Mr. Carlisle, I've been retained by a law firm to find you and tell you that Myron Spargo died last month.
Cozy Carlisle
Who the fuck is Myron Spargo?
Mike Church
He was a patient of yours.
Cozy Carlisle
I had a lot of patients. Now, beat it!
Mike Church
Yeah, well, this one left you $11,000.
Cozy Carlisle
Myron! Myron!
Mike Church
Yeah, Myron.
Cozy Carlisle
Myron T. Spargo.
Mike Church
Plumbing contractor. Lived in San Marino with his wife Karen or Sharon.
Cozy Carlisle
Karen, yeah, she must be very lonely right now. Jesus, $11,000, that's a lot of grateful. You want a cigarette?
Mike Church
What? No, I don't smoke.
Cozy Carlisle
By my count you've looked at this pack 3 times in the last minute.
Mike Church
What is this?
Cozy Carlisle
See? You use that pen like a cigarette.
Mike Church
You helped Myron Spargo to quit smoking?!
Cozy Carlisle
No, Myron was impotent. Imagine that. A man lays pipe for a living, can't get it up at home.
Mike Church
He must have had a hard-on when he made out his will.
Cozy Carlisle
Hey, thumb-dick!! I was a damn good shrink! In 16 years I've worked a lot of people through a lot of shit. OK, I slept with a patient or two, not like I didn't care about them.
Mike Church
Okay.
Cozy Carlisle
I loved being a doctor. I used to not charge half of my patients. Then the fucking state comes along, they send some bitch undercover, and I'm fucked. It ain't fair, is it?
Mike Church
Why don't you call Opperman-Crowe?
Set up an appointment, go in, sign the paperwork, they'll cut you a check for the $8,800 right there, okay?
Cozy Carlisle
Excuse me. What happened to the $11,000?
Mike Church
Well, 11 less my commission. That is, unless you got a problem with that, Sigmund. Could I use your phone?
Cozy Carlisle
Help yourself.
Mike Church
Thanks.
Cozy Carlisle
Mr. Church?
Mike Church
Yeah?
Cozy Carlisle
Someone is either a smoker or a non-smoker, there's no in-between. The trick is to find out which one you are and be that.
Mike Church
Well, you know, I'm trying to quit.
Cozy Carlisle
Don't tell me you're trying to quit. People who're trying to quit are basically pussies who cannot commit. Find out which one you are. Be that. That's it. If you're a non-smoker, you'll know.
Mike Church
Thank you, nice place you got here. Fuckin' fruitcake.

Mike Church
Why would she want to kill me now?
Cozy Carlisle
Why do women do anything?