"Makes no sense." "No sense at all, Ben." "I mean, that cabbie ran him down just like that." "Moore had time to get one shot off." " Moore?" " Don Moore." "Did you notify the chaplain, the Chief's office?" " Yes, sir." " DA?" "Yes, sir." "Let's take a look at that cab." "Apparently, the cab driver panicked after he rammed that rig." "Maybe." "It still isn't much of a reason for Moore to be dead." "I want lots of coverage on this, Dave." "That gun certainly knocks out the panic theory." "Possibly used that gun on Moore, if the cab hadn't been a handier weapon." "Sure looks that way, Ben." "Why?" "Fred!" "That's too bad about Moore." "We heard most of it while we were rolling." "Anything to add?" "Well, nothing from the truck driver." "The other witness is Philip Dressler of the San Francisco Opera Company." "Just got in on the Ansonia." "Dressler says a porter at Pier 41 took his bag, threw it in this cab, the porter disappeared and the cab dug out fast." "Witnesses corroborated the story." " That Dressler's bag?" " Yeah." "We'll book it for evidence." "Run it through the lab for prints." "This Dressler seems pretty reputable." "You don't think his bag means anything, do you?" "I don't know what to think." "The whole case doesn't add up." "What about this cab driver, Fred?" "You make him?" "No." "No ID, wallet, nothing." "Call the cab company, get a rundown on the cab." "It's possibly hot." "And run that gun, too." "When the coroner arrives, tell him we want a set of his prints as soon as we can get them." "Run them though the Bureau." "Can't identify them, we'll get a FBI make on them." " All right, Ben." " See you, Fred." "I see this cab's coming at me, like suicide's back in style." " Are you Mr. Dressler?" " Yes, that's right." "Well, I'm Lieutenant Guthrie." "This is Inspector Quine." "How do you do, gentlemen?" "Well, it's unfortunate we have to meet under these awful circumstances, I know." "We meet a lot of people under unpleasant circumstances, Mr. Dressler." "I understand that that bag in that cab belongs to you." " That's correct, sir." " Mind describing the contents for us?" "Not at all." "There's really nothing of value in the bag." "Some personal things, and a few knickknacks I picked up in Hong Kong." "What kind of knickknacks?" "A few ebony pieces and a rather unusual statuette." "I think that's about it." "Is the statuette very valuable?" "You mean valuable enough to have this happen?" "We're looking for some kind of a motive." "I only paid $20 for it." "Now, you told Inspector Asher this porter took your bag, threw it in a taxi cab and the cab took off" " without waiting for you, is that right?" " That's absolutely right, sir." "You know, stealing a bag that's worth nothing, it..." "Well, it seems pretty senseless, doesn't it?" "It would be, except two people are dead." "Would you recognize this porter if you saw him again?" "Possibly, possibly not." "I'd be glad to try, though." "We'd appreciate it, Mr. Dressler." " What is your address?" " 3960 Lake Street." " Phone?" " Seabright 10711." "We might be calling on you." "Well, I'll be at the opera house most of the afternoon." "All right, Mr. Dressler." "That'll be all for now." "Thanks." "Well, what about my bag?" "Well, we'll have to hold it for a while." "The crime lab will want to go over it for fingerprints and so on." "Yes, of course." "Well, good day, gentlemen." "Good day." "Why, Ben?" "No rhyme, no reason." "Yet Don Moore is dead." "The gun is as dead as your cab driver, fellows." "I'm sorry." "We can usually bring the serial number right out, no matter how well it's been filed down, but in this case it's been completely gouged out, probably by a gunsmith." "Somebody sure wanted to guarantee it couldn't be traced." "It's a pro's gun, all right." "Lab." "Thompson speaking." "Yeah, yeah, he's right here." "Ben." "Guthrie." "You did?" "Fine." "Who?" "What does his rap sheet show?" "Well, try and confirm his last address and let us know, will you?" "All right, thanks." "The B of I made the cab driver." "The coroner's got the prints right over there." "His name is James Sanford Jenkins, nicknamed Lefty." "What are his priors?" "His rap sheet shows his last big fall was at Q." "Did five years on a 211 robbery." "Drove the getaway car in a Sausalito bank job." "He's supposed to be one of the best wheelmen on the coast." "Maybe we're getting somewhere." "Norm, did you get any prints off Dressler's bag?" "Yeah, we lifted a good clear set, but they don't match up with anything we have here." "Well, maybe they will later when we get the FBI make." "Hey, now." "She shows up hollow under the lights, and there's something inside." "I'm sure it's heroin." "Give it the Marquis reagent test." "All right." "If that's the pure stuff, there's enough in there to fix every addict in San Francisco for the next two weeks." "And after it's cut, it'll be worth over $100,000." "What was it Dressler said?" "Just a few knickknacks?" "We'll get him in here fast." "No, Al, we'll go and talk to him." "The opera house." "How do we handle it?" "We'll soft-pedal it." "We won't tip." "Thompson, I want a dummy package of milk sugar in that same wrapping." "And put the statuette together exactly the way it was." "Okay." "Then the plan is that we let Dressler make the delivery if he's guilty." "Well, obviously this is a big narcotics smuggling operation." "There's more than one man responsible for Don Moore's death." "But I want to get them all." "Where can we find Mr. Dressler, please?" "In his office, down the corridor there, second door to your right." " Thank you." " Okay." "There was sure a slew of stuff in here to mark and photograph." "We might need a record of it for evidence." "Yeah, but suppose Dressler spots our marks on these items." "That'll throw the whole plan out the window, won't it?" "I don't think so." "If our friend Dressler can spot police identification marks, at least we'll know one thing about him." " And what's that?" " He's guilty." "Yes?" "Gentlemen." "I didn't expect to see you so soon." "I see you brought my bag." "Thank you very much." "Yes, we want to talk to you about the porter that took it." "Do you think you could identify him?" "I don't know, possibly." "We'd appreciate it if you'd come down to the Hall of Justice tomorrow morning at 9:00, and take a look at the porters who worked the Ansonia dock in the lineup." "You might be able to recognize the man who took the bag and threw it in the cab." "Well, yes, I'd be glad to." "Good." "There's one thing more, Mr. Dressler." "We'll have to check the contents of the bag with you." "We like to be sure nothing's missing before we release it." "Of course, of course." "Do you mind?" "I think over on the table we'd have a little more room." " Sure." " Thank you very much." "You know, I still don't know why anyone would want to steal this bag." "Let's see." "Yes, everything seems to be here all right." "Here's an interesting item." "Yes, I found that in a curio shop in Hong Kong." "Beautiful carving, isn't it?" "You know, it's amazing the buys you can still find." " But you do have to know your merchandise." " I can well imagine." "Now here's a case in point." "Day I was leaving Hong Kong, an Oriental came to my room with this." "Said one of the local antique merchants thought I might be interested." "Well, when he told me the price, I was." "How much did you say you paid for that again?" "$20." "Can you imagine?" "Must be 400 or 500 years old." "Certainly sounds like a great buy." "What would you say it's worth here?" "Well, if I were interested in selling it," "I'm sure I'd get a great deal more than I paid for it." "Well, thanks, Mr. Dressler." "See you at the lineup tomorrow morning." " Yes, of course." " Good day, Mr. Dressler." "Good afternoon, gentlemen." "I still think we should have booked him on possession, Ben, and then turned him over to Customs on the smuggling rap." " Both cases seem open and shut." " Maybe they are." "But if Dressler's involved with a narcotics ring, he's more good to us out on the street." "We can pick him up any time." "If he's smuggling heroin, sooner or later, he's going to have to try and make contact with his connection here." "Inspector's operator." "Inspector Asher, please." "Fred, Ben." "We just left Dressler at the opera house." "I want a 24-hour tail on him and his house staked out." "That's right." "And I want all the porters who are on the Ansonia dock today brought in tomorrow morning for the lineup." "Well, ask them if they'll cooperate, but I want them there." "Well, if you want us, we'll be in Chester McPhee's office at the Customs House." "Yeah." "Come in." " Ben, Al, sit down." " Hello, Chet." "Chet, a tourist's valise got two men killed this morning." "One of them was a police officer named Don Moore." " I'm sorry, Ben." " So am I, because the bag was cleared through Customs." "What was the contraband?" "A quarter kilo of heroin, concealed in an Oriental statuette." "That's a lot of junk to miss, isn't it?" "I don't want to see any of the boys get killed, especially through someone else's carelessness." "What?" "Take it easy, Ben." "Ben feels pretty badly about this, Chet." "I know, Al, and I don't blame him." "Approximately 130 million people are cleared through Customs nationwide every year." "And my baby is the biggest port on the coast." "Come here, Ben, I want to show you something." "Now, this area is the chief target in the country for running in narcotics." "Forty-five hundred ships a year, almost 400 a month, come into this port." "That's about one million people annually." "Now, my men are the best in the business, but there's just not enough of them to go around, there are too many loopholes." "And that's why, now and then, we miss a big one." "I'm sorry, Chet." "Maybe we can help each other on this." "What's your rundown, Ben?" "Well, the bag belonged to a man named Dressler." "Philip Dressler." "He came in on the Ansonia this morning." "Philip Dressler?" "Why, he'd never risk his reputation by being involved with narcotics, and he certainly doesn't need money." "We've interrogated him, of course, without tipping him." "He tells a pretty straight story." "He said he bought the statuette from an unidentified Oriental in Hong Kong." "How'd you handle it?" "We replaced the heroin with a dummy shipment, then returned the statuette and the bag to him." "But we have Dressler under 24-hour stakeout now." "It sounds like the usual MO." " You've run across it before?" " Tourists." "Reputable travelers being used as innocent smugglers." "And I'd say that's what happened to Dressler." "A shipment of heroin is planted on him." "He brings the stuff in through Customs, doesn't suspect a thing." "Once past us, his bags get stolen, it's just that simple." "How can a handful of agents check out every single tourist that goes through?" "Precisely." "Sure, we get tips from overseas about narcotic shipments." "We nab them just as soon as they hit port, and we know who the regular runners are, and which seamen are suspect." "But where do you look if every tourist who comes in is a potential runner?" "This man's first long fall was in '46." "He did three and a half in Q on a 211." "In '50 he was back in, same conviction." "Now, he's finally hit bottom." "All right, get out, all of you." "You all know about Officer Don Moore being deliberately run down and killed yesterday by a cab driver known as Lefty Jenkins." "Now, we hope this lineup will show up the porter who worked with Jenkins." "Mr. Philip Dressler, who saw the porter, is sitting in with us this morning while we run through the 31 porters who work for the Ansonia Steamship Lines." "All right, bring on the line." "Okay, boys, this way." "Right up the stairs." "Move a little farther down, please." "That's it." "Now spread out." "We thank you gentlemen for your cooperation." "We know it isn't pleasant to be standing up there like goldfish in a bowl." "Look, we don't mind cooperating, but let's get it over with." "This is costing us money." "We'll get it over with just as fast as possible." "Now, if you'll all straighten up and face forward, please." "Now, first man step forward." "Now turn to your right, please." "No, to the right." "That's it." "Now to the left." "Okay, step back." "Next man forward, please." "Down the stairs, please." "Step back, please." "Thank you." "Next man." "Okay, to your left." "Fine, step back." "Next man." "Step back." "Third man." "Would you remove your glasses, please?" "Thank you." "All right, thank you, gentlemen." "Step down, boys." "All right, thank you." "Step back." "Next man." "Turn to your right." "That's it." "Now to the left." "All right, step back." "Now, the last man forward, please." "Turn to your right." "And to your left." "Okay, step back, please." "Okay, I want to thank you for your cooperation." "That's all, gentlemen." "Well, that's it for today." "I'm sorry, but I just wasn't sure." "Well, none of them came even close?" "Yes and no." "You know what I mean?" "Well, it's like a waiter, you order lunch and you just concentrate on the menu." "No one ever remembers what his waiter looks like." "The same thing yesterday with that porter." "I never did get a good look at him." "Well, thanks very much for coming down." "Will you see Mr. Dressler gets home, Fred?" "Sure." "Finally ran down Lefty Jenkins' address, 11 Kent Street." "If you need me, I'll be downstairs." " Thanks." " Thanks." "Jenkins certainly had a great spot here for a Halloween party." "Yeah, no self-respecting witch would bring a broom into this trap." "Al, a fit." "The coroner's report will probably show the usual number of needle marks." "You know, if Jenkins had a big habit, that could account for a wheelman with his reputation piling into that rig on a routine job." "He might have needed a fix pretty bad, lost his control, lost his coordination." " You know, one thing bothers me, though." " What's that?" "Why a well-organized operation would hire a junkie as a wheelman." "You know, that could be the mistake that'll nail them, Ben." "Folsom's full of mistakes." "Let's prowl the rest of this place and get out of here." "I'm in favor of that." "I wonder where that lab man is." "He ought to be here by now." "If this mark is in our file, it'll give us one more guy to talk to about Jenkins and his playmates, his laundryman." "Any relationship between Jenkins and a laundryman is purely coincidental." "Al, there's a funny thing about this calendar, two days are circled, and one is yesterday." "Yesterday?" "That's the day Jenkins got himself killed." "Hey, maybe he was psychic." "What's the other?" " Tomorrow." " Tomorrow?" "Do you suppose he was scheduled for a repeat, you know, to pick up another dope shipment for tomorrow?" "A 901 just came over the air for you as we were driving up, Ben." "Call your office." "All right, thanks, Murry." "Go over the whole place thoroughly, and let me know if you come up with anything." " Right." " See you, Murry." "Okay." "Okay, we'll cover it." "Coast Guard just found a John Doe in the bay." "They're bringing the body in now." "Dressed in a porter's uniform." "He's one of the porters we saw in the lineup, all right." " Sure bet he's been murdered." " They're eliminating each other, all right." "But for every one you get rid of, there's two more ready and waiting." "Fasten your seatbelts, please." "We're coming in now, sir." "Would you mind extinguishing your cigarette?" "We're coming in now, sir." "Would you fasten your seatbelts, please?" "Please fasten your seatbelts." "Case." "Julie, you take this whole business about the subjunctive, I don't know..." "All right, Dancer, all right." "What's so difficult about the subjunctive?" "Well, you take this, for instance." ""If I was you..." You know?" "That's all wrong." "It says here, "If I were you..."" "How far can you go with this special stuff?" "It sets you up, Dancer." "It sets you up." "Remember that." "How many characters do you know hang around street corners can say," ""If I were you"?" "How many, huh?" " If I were you." " If I were you." "Yeah, yeah, I see." "It's going to be a good day." "A real good one." "I can feel it." "It's going to be a tight one, Julian, that's what it's going to be." "In and out." "No, Dancer, it's going to be a good one." "Look, are you Dancer?" "Who are you?" "I'm McLain, you know." "Sandy McLain." "I don't know any McLain." "Look, you see, Jenkins got himself killed." " So?" " So he's out." "I mean, it's just as simple as that." "Look, I brought the car along." "Would you like to take a look at it?" "What car?" "The car we're going to use." " How do you like it?" " How does he like what?" "The car." " Who are you?" " He says McLain." "What do you want?" " I'm your wheelman." " Wheelman?" "Yeah, I'm going to drive you." "You know, on the job." "Job?" "Why, we're here to see the sights." "What sights?" "What's the matter?" "You think I'm a cop or something?" "Why don't you call our people?" "Yeah, yeah, I'll call Chicago." "Chicago?" "Now wait a minute." "I was told you guys were from Miami." "Yeah, you know, I could believe it, with them tans." "You've got a lucky sense of geography, my friend." "Maybe." "Why don't you give us a name?" "Lasky." "Lasky sent you." "Okay." "I don't like the car." "I like my wheels stored in a prepared drop." "I like them kept under cover till I'm ready." "I want my plates snatched not more than one hour before I move." "Return it." "It's too new." "Look, you don't get it." "You see, I rented this car with a fake set of credit cards, a phony driver's license, and I fixed it up all by myself, so nobody's going to catch us." "Because she's so souped-up nobody can catch us." "Maybe the clerk will remember you." "No, a chance in a thousand." "It's one chance too many." "It's your mug in the lineup, not ours, if you get caught." "We got a cool car for a change." "I'd like to meet our employer." "This spread, all rented, no check-in." "No luggage." "No bellhops remembering how much you tipped them." "That's sharp." "I got your money." "You going to count it?" "Dancer never counts." "Nobody ever gave us a short count yet." "Well, it could be the porter who stole my bag." "Are you sure?" "Well, I'd hate to say "yes,"" "and then find that the man who was responsible was still at large." " Yeah, sure." " Would it help your memory at all to know that the fingerprints we found on your grip match the fingerprints of that man in there?" " Do they?" " They do." "Well, then, I guess that's it." "Yes, he does look like the man at that." "Who was he, Ben?" "His name is Blinky Simms." "He has a long record with the FBI." "How was he killed?" " Someone gave him a shot that was hot." " "Hot"?" "Blinky was on heroin." "He was probably promised a fix for stealing your bag." "Instead, he got a hot-shot, a deadly poison injected directly into the bloodstream." "Well, thanks very much for coming down, Mr. Dressler." "This has all been quite upsetting, gentlemen, but if you need me for anything else, please call me." "I don't like Mr. Philip Dressler." "Too smooth." "Well, like him or not, he's clean as a plaster saint as far as we're concerned right now." "How does it feel to make five G's in one day?" "Dancer derives no particular feeling from it." "No, not much." "I've been watching you, McLain." "You've been coming on too big." "I don't like that." " Look, I just..." " Please, we prefer as little conversation as possible from outsiders." "Dancer works better that way." "You didn't know before." "Now you do." "Where do we meet this guy?" "Pacific Dock, straight ahead." "How do we know that's him?" "He's wearing horn-rimmed glasses, ain't he?" "He's wearing a trench coat, ain't he?" "With the collar turned down." "It's got to be him, because who wears a trench coat with the collar turned down?" "That's Staples, huh?" "I knew a guy like him, once." "No, you didn't." "There's never been a guy like Dancer." "He's a wonderful, pure pathological study." "He's a psychopath with no inhibitions." "Lasky sent me." "Well, right on time." "I'm always on time." "They're due to get off the boat pretty soon." "I'll point out the marks to you." "You see, Dancer is an addict." "An addict with a real big habit." "H?" "Like in "heroin," huh?" "H, like in "hate."" "Well, I tell you, he don't chill me none." "It's bad enough Dancer's got a rough job." "We have to be saddled with a cripple, too?" "Listen, dipso, if I ever see you with a bottle..." " Okay." " ...if I even smell it..." "Okay, okay, okay." "Look, I drive better with it, you know?" "I think better, too." "It's just like a medicine for my mind." "Your prescription's just been canceled." "Two of the three parties we want are passengers." "The other one's in the crew." "So?" "The Man told me to deliver it to you." "What you pick up, you put in it." "How do I make the pass?" "At 4:00 today, you're at Sutro's Museum." "You're at the Maritime Exhibit." "You got that pouch." "You see a ship's binnacle at the end of the room." "It's got a sliding panel behind it." "You slide it open, put that pouch inside." "You close it." "You do this so nobody sees you." "That's all." "You've got a time spread, but you've got to be out of Sutro's no later than 4:05." "Want me to repeat?" "The pouch will be picked up at 4:05?" "All I know is you got to be out of that place by then." "You're repeating yourself." "Pretty neat operation, huh?" "But then it figures." "The Man is a very neat type." "Here they come." "There, the tall man in the Homburg, the lady in the white hat." "Their name is Sanders, they live at 9020 Jackson." "Private residence." "Sanders, 9020 Jackson." "Better write it down." "I said hadn't you better write it down." "I never write anything down." "I hope you know what..." "They got two in help, an Oriental houseboy and a maid named Elsie." "Elsie wears a hearing aid." "The stuff is packed in the handles of a set of ivory and silver flatware they bought in Bangkok." "There, the lady and the kid." "Dorothy Bradshaw and her daughter, Cindy." "Is she a carrier?" "Those are the breaks." "Our Tokyo connection fingered her." "She bought a doll for the kid." "The stuff's in the doll." "Eighth of a kilo of the purest." "Like the rest, she's a carrier and doesn't know it." "How can you finger these people?" "You've never seen them before." "I saw their photographs." "They were air-mailed to me from Hong Kong." "No chance of a mistake?" "The Man don't make mistakes." "So she's a carrier?" "It's too bad, lady." "She's stopping at the Mark Hopkins." "The last one is still aboard." "We can see him from over there." "He's one of the crew." "That's Warner coming down on that thing." "He's carrying a shipment in a Tang Dynasty horse." "All you gotta do is ask him for it." "He was told to deliver it himself to a Mr. Evans." "You're Evans." "He just comes breezing in with a package of stuff under his arm?" "A clean-cut kid like that?" "You think Customs got enough men to frisk everybody 100%?" "Plus, he doesn't know what's in the horse." "He's strictly a pigeon." "One of The Man's Hong Kong suppliers set him up." "Where do I make my meet with him?" "He was told a Mr. Evans would contact him at the Seaman's Club." "Well, my job is done." "Evans." " Do you mind if I ask you something?" " Ask." "Never mind." "Ask." "No offense, you understand." "I was just going to ask, what makes a guy like you tick?" "I had an old man once." "Well, most people do." "I never met mine." "I'll see you around, Finger." "The pass is at 4:00." "What's that?" "The siren on top of the Ferry Building." "Blows three times a day, just like now." "8:00 in the morning, 12:00 noon, 4:30." "Like I told you, Julian, it's going to be a tough one." " In and out." " And I say it's going to be a smooth one." "The pass is at 4:00." "When the siren blows at 4:30, we'll be all finished." "So relax." "Now, what's your procedure?" "I want to look the ground over." "2090 Jackson, the Mark Hopkins and the Seaman's Club." "In that order." "Hi." "I just got off a ship." "I'm filthy." "I'd like a steam." "All right, you'll find some towels down by the steam room." "Thanks." "And say, will you tell the operator I'm expecting a call from a Mr. Evans?" "Larry Warner's the name." " Sure, Mr. Warner." " Thanks." "Mr. Evans calling Larry Warner." "I'll come by." " Mr. Warner?" " Warner?" "Here." "I'm Evans." " How about a steam?" " What?" "How about a steam?" "Got the room all to myself." "Sure, why not." "Steam." "Don't stay in too long." "It opens the pores." "That's a yock." ""Yock"?" "Okay, okay, that's amusing." "Better." "Much better." "Yock's a crude word." "I'll hang up your things." "Hey, you like it thick, don't you?" "Who likes it thin?" "I don't like it when I can't see who I'm talking to." ""Whom."" "My friend in Hong Kong said you were a top collector of Tang Dynasty in this country." "He ought to know." "Shows you what a small world this is." "Well, I always liked Chinese art, so I'm standing in front of this store window in Hong Kong, and the guy who owns the store said, "Come on in."" "We hit it off." "He put me up at his house, fed me, got me on a ship's crew." "He asked me to bring it in for you." "Said it was very rare." "He was afraid it'd get chipped if he sent it by freight." "I took good care of it, Mr. Evans." "Real good care." "You got it here?" "Yeah, upstairs." "If you've had enough steam, we'll go upstairs and get it now." "No, no, kid." "You stay here and take some more steam." "I'll run up and get the horse." "What's your room number?" "No, that's okay." "I want to come along." "Right upstairs, 604." "You just tell me where the key is and I'll..." "Look, there's no keys here." "This is the Seaman's Club." "People trust each other." "Like you." "You trust me, don't you?" "Or do you?" "You think I was born yesterday?" "You're no more a collector of antiques than I am." "I found out what's really inside that horse." "You took a chance smuggling that stuff into the country, kid." "No." "Never broke the law in my life." "Nobody'd ever figure me to do anything wrong." "So what's now?" "So I'm broke, that's all." "Just B-R-O-K-E." "But if you give me, say $1,000, we could both forget I know anything." "You think that'll about cover it?" "Why be greedy?" "No, the repair man's in there, boys." "It'll be about five minutes." "Let's go for a swim." "Two kids tried to get in." "They got a good look at me." "We'd better leave separately." "Okay." "Room 604." "It's unlocked." "Get the junk out of the horse while I dress." "In the car." "In three minutes." "Okay." "Did he say anything for me?" "He said, "Why be greedy?"" ""Why be greedy?"" "Those were his last words." ""Why be greedy?" That'll print well for an epitaph." " Thanks." " Okay, okay, stop drooling," " and get going, Julian." " Yeah." "Let me have another one from this angle, only closer." "How soon can I get the autopsy report?" "Today sometime." "That's a help." "Don't commit yourself." "Ben, you've known me for 15 years." "You know you don't have to push me." "Well, I want to get that slug as soon as possible to run a ballistics make on it." "No!" " You through with him?" " Yeah." "Ben." "Nobody heard a shot, including a half dozen kids who've been hanging around the locker room all morning." "Could have been a silencer." "All right, boys." "Would you mind giving us a rundown on the story again, please?" "Well, there's not much to run." "Warner came in for a steam." "Said he was expecting a call from a guy named Evans." " So I relayed it to the switchboard." " And what time did Warner get here?" "Well, it's marked right here, yeah." "Signed in at 11:05." "Well, was anyone around here asking for Warner this morning?" "Either before or after 11:00?" "Nobody I saw." "And I've been on duty since 8:00." "But then, anyone can get past me when I'm away from the desk." " Well, is there anything else you can tell us?" " No, that's it." "All right, thanks." "Get his name and address, Fred." "Okay." " Hi, fellows." " Hi." "Hi." " A guy really got killed in there?" "Shot?" " He sure did, son." "Having himself a steam." "Boom, just like that." "What time did you boys get here this morning?" "Around 11:15." "Guy says it'll be about five minutes before we can get into the steam room." " The attendant?" " No, some other guy." "He was standing right over there by the steam room door, keeping us out." " So we went and took a swim." " Well, what did he look like?" "I'd say he was about 5'9", 5'10", 160, maybe." "Wouldn't you?" "Yeah." "And he was wearing a dark gray suit." "And he had a tan, a real good tan." " And he was pretty old, too, 50 maybe." " And he has a mustache." " Got that, Fred?" " Yeah, I'll get it right on the air." "We'd better get down to the desk and have them send someone up" " to Warner's room to go in with us." " Yeah." "You stick around." "We want you to come down to the Hall," " look at some mug shots." " Yes, sir." "Apparently, the hood on lookout had a triggerman who was his partner on the job." " It's funny no one saw the other guy." " Yeah." "You really didn't need me here, gentlemen." "These rooms are never locked." "Well, it will be now till the coroner gets through with it." "We'll have an officer stand by." "Ben." "Customs report." "The victim docked today on the Pacific Princess." "Only one declared item." "An antique Tang Dynasty horse." "No stated value." " Looks like Warner was quite a traveler." " And nothing like the trip he just took." "It's hollowed out just like the Dressler statue." "If that thing was filled with dope, it'd be worth a million bucks." "Well, that's why Warner was killed." "Let's get the lab boys up here." " Keep this door locked." " Yes, sir." "Now remember, take your time." "Just take your time and keep it impersonal." " Do you understand?" " Okay, okay." "Now, by 4:30 we'll be finished." " You sound like a coach between halves." " Just drive the car, dipso." "Didn't mean nothing." "You know, but would you mind if I were to buy just a little jug?" "Just take a belt once in a while." "I don't wanna get a heat on," " I just..." " No." "Did he have to kill that kid?" "When you live outside the law, you have to eliminate dishonesty." "That kid, as you call him, made a deal, and tried to shake us down." "That's fundamentally dishonest." "So he had to die." "Besides, a dead man can't point at you." "Your buddy gives me the creeps." "What does he think, he's the only expert around here or something?" "If he continues to listen to me, he'll be the best." " Yes?" " I'm Evans, from the ship," " the one Mr. and Mrs. Sanders just..." " They are resting now, Mr. Evans." " Would you like to leave your card?" " No, that's all right." "I'd just as soon not get them involved in this anyway." "It's some mix-up down at the dock." "Something about a set of flatware the Sanders brought in." "Yes." "Please come in." "This way, please." "In the dining room, sir." " We started to put it away." " I'm glad you didn't put it away yet." "I may have to take this set back for an hour or two." "Take it back?" "Someone else brought in a set exactly like this." "And they're claiming this is their set, while the one they're holding belongs to the Sanders." "Well, I don't understand, sir." "You know, like sometimes they get babies mixed up in a hospital." "Well, Mr. Sanders is a very precise person." "I don't see how." "Well, the shipping cartons are exactly alike." "Maybe they got them mixed up down at the docks." "Maybe they didn't." "That's what we've got to find out." "It's a routine matter." "I'll take this stuff back and let the people satisfy themselves," " and then I'll bring the right set back here." " But I couldn't let you do that, sir." " I must first ask Mr. Sanders." " But you said he was resting." " You come back, two hours." " No, I can't." "Those people are waiting there." " You come back." "Please." " Put those back there." "You go now." "I'll ask Mr. Sanders when he wake up." "Put them back." "Mr. Sanders!" " The last thing he said was, "Mr. Sanders."" " I like that." "It demonstrates his servility, his need for help, his dependence." "That's very interesting." "Ben, here are the reports on the airline hostesses we interviewed." "Anything?" "Well, most of the ones that came in on the long nonstop flights are off-duty." "We've only located 5 out of 18." "You run down anything else on that cab that Jenkins was driving?" "I'm afraid not, Ben." "It was stolen yesterday morning over at Lake Merritt in Oakland, while the cabbie was having coffee." " Dressler's stakeout comes up with nothing." " Well, could be he's clean." "Better keep a tail on him, though, for his own protection." "Right." "For his own protection?" "Well, that was a sizeable shipment of heroin." "Those gunmen don't know we spotted it." "They might write it off, or they might pay a call on Dressler." "You know, somewhere out there are a couple of hired gunmen in town to do a job." "Maybe right now, they're lining up that Smith  Wesson .38 on another target." " Are you looking for the lady in 942?" " Yes." "I have something for her." "Well, you'd better leave it at the desk, or come back later, because she's left." "I'm a little short on time, madam." "Well, I heard her tell the little girl that they were going shopping," " and then to the Steinhart Aquarium." " The aquarium?" " Yes." " Thank you very much." "You're welcome." " Well, if there is any way I can cooperate..." " We'll let you know, Mr. Sanders." "Thank you." "The second killing involving someone who was aboard the Pacific Princess." "Yeah, and there'll be more if there were more narcotics brought in, in souvenirs." "Do you know any way to run down a whole boatload of people and warn them in time?" "About all we can do now is put out a supplemental to our broadcast, notify all stations to be on the lookout for a teakwood chest containing Oriental flatware, possibly in the possession of the man previously described." "It's not very much to go on." " Something will turn up, Ben." " It better, before someone else gets killed." "Two hours and a half to go." "I told you this was going to be a smooth one." "Smooth one?" "That girl is not going to be as easy as the other two." "Why not?" "All we have to do is get her back to the hotel." "Yeah, that's right, that's all we got to do." "Get her back to the hotel." "Pardon me, miss." "Weren't you on the Pacific Princess?" " Why, yes, I was." " Now I remember." "My friend and I, we saw you onboard." "We got on at Honolulu." "We even made a bet about you." "Wondered if the little girl were your kid sister or your daughter." " And how did you bet?" " Neither side." "I said you were the daughter and she was really your mother." "That's Cindy, my daughter." "My name is Tom Evans." "And that's my associate over there." "His name is Tom, also." "Hope you forgive us for breaking in like this." "We were just kind of taking in the sights, you know." "He's okay." " Is there just the two of you?" " Yes." " Something's disturbing you." " Why do you say that?" "I can see it in your eyes." "They're almost sad." "You're very discerning." "Well, you haven't got a monopoly on sadness." "Besides, why else would a lady like you be traveling alone with a daughter?" " Nobody likes to travel alone." " No." "Nobody likes it." "Now you sound bitter." "That's something I thought I had a corner on." "I guess I was hoping San Francisco would be an answer." "That he'd be here after all." "At least, if not for me, for our little girl, for Cindy." "But he didn't show up, did he?" "I mean, you are alone, aren't you?" "There wasn't even a message from him at the hotel." "That's too bad." "Here, I'm not making a very good impression on you." " Let me take these packages." " No." "Thank you, though, Mr. Evans." " I didn't mean to..." " I know you didn't." "No, I don't want you to get the idea that I was," " well, trying to pick you up or something." " Weren't you?" "I guess I was at that." "Maybe I'm lonely, too." "A fellow like me gets that way sometimes." "Even in a crowd, all alone and lonely." "It's easy to sell yourself that the world is black, Mr. Evans." "But I suppose they call it negative selling." "I'm not a very good salesman." "I was trying to do a job of positive selling with you." " And what are you selling?" " Free transportation back to the hotel, for you, the little girl and all these packages." "We've got a car outside." "Well, frankly, I am tired." "Mr. Evans, you just made a sale." "Good." "Let me introduce you to my associate." " Cindy." " This is my friend, Tom Getts." "Hello." "Cindy, we're going to drive back to the hotel with Mr. Evans." "Got a new car." "This is Richards." "Well, here I go again." "This time I have two characters with heavy tans." "One of them fits the make we have on the air." "The other's dark, medium build." "They headed out of here in a '57 gray Plymouth sedan." "License MTH 889." "The guy driving has medium complexion, blonde hair, bow tie and no hat." "Now, the other men are wearing gray hats." "There were also a woman, about 30, and a child in the car." "Right." " I'll give you the packages now." " Thank you." "Thank you." "Well, you've been so kind." "Won't you stay a moment?" "Yes, thank you." "Thank you very much." "I'll put these in the other room and freshen up." "Cindy, you entertain the gentlemen." " Yes, Mommy." " Some doll." " Mommy got it for me in Tokyo." " Did you get any other dolls in Tokyo?" "No, that's all." "Pretty, isn't she?" "She's beautiful." "That's silk." "Pure silk." "Do you know how they make silk?" " No." "Suppose you tell us." " Silk worms." "They make their beds and sleep, and when they wake up, that's silk." "Worms?" "Do you mean to say that worms made this?" " No!" "You see, the worms..." " The doll!" " Do you mind if I take it out?" " Of course not." "I had it out lots of times on the boat." "Go on, examine it." "See what holds it together." "See, she has all these petticoats." "Only in Japan you don't call them petticoats." "Mommy knows what they call them, but I forgot." "Now this stick, is that what holds it together?" "Does it go all the way up?" "Yes." "It isn't here." "It's got to be." "You're hurting her!" " Mommy!" "Mommy!" " Mr. Evans!" "Mommy!" "My doll!" "Put that down this second and get out of here." " What is this?" " Mommy!" " Where is it?" "You found it, didn't you?" " Please." "Please leave us alone." "We'll forget about the doll." "Just leave us alone." "That tired line you fed me." "Thought I'd bought it, huh?" "Think I'm a patsy with "good thing" printed all over my face?" " Trying to come on big with me, huh?" " No!" "No!" "Listen, kid." "Now listen good." "Did you ever see a package inside that doll?" "You tell me where your mother put it and I'll let her go, okay?" " You saw it?" "Okay, okay." " I put it on my dolly's face." "You want your mother to live, you tell me where it is." "I'm telling you." "There was a bag of powder, under my dolly's dress." " Yeah." "Yeah, where is it now?" " I used it on the boat." " You used it?" " To powder my dolly's face." "Kid, nobody ever used a more expensive dusting powder." "Mr. Evans." "Think, Mr. Evans." "If you do what you have in mind, then what follows?" "They crossed us, didn't they?" "What else is there to do?" "Us, Mr. Evans." "You and me." "If you do this, you'll put us right in the dead-letter drop." "Remember, The Man, he'll want an accounting." "He'll want to ask questions about the missing stuff." "So we'll tell him." "Maybe he won't believe us." "It's worth a fortune." "Maybe he'll think we tried to cut ourselves in on part of the action." "Yeah." " Yeah, I see." " But not if they tell him." "Then we're clear." "We're free." "We can sleep nights." "We can walk down dark streets, we can stand on busy intersections at high noon." "Now you had to do what you did to Warner and to the houseboy, but..." " I've got to kill them, too." " No." " No?" "What do you mean, "No"?" " No!" "Not if the lady is wise enough to follow our instructions explicitly." "Not if she's wise enough to walk quietly out of this room, into the elevator, and down through the lobby." "Are you that wise?" "I hope so, for the sake of you both." "Yes." "I'll do whatever you say." "I'm personally very pleased with your decision." "Because, in my profession, there's one thing I dislike, and that's hearing someone's last words." "You know, famous last words." "Be firm with him." "You understand?" "What happened wasn't our fault." " We've performed on the contract." " You worry too much." "I'm fine, see." "The Man don't scare me." "I'll bring him back here." " You tell him what happened to the stuff." " Another thing, be careful." " You think I can't take him or something?" " Sure, you can take him." "It's what he represents that you can't take." "Not even you." "They'd catch up with us, someday, someplace." "Keep thinking of that." " Okay." " Play it easy." "Remember, at 4:30, we'll be all finished and gone." "Step right this way." "Sutro's famous museum and ice-skating rink." "The most fabulous showplace west of the Rockies." "License, "M," Mary, "T," Tom, "H," Henry, 8-8-9, a gray '57 Plymouth sedan, parked outside of Sutro's Museum." "Occupants, two males, one woman and one child, and fitting the description." "Keep under surveillance, but make no attempt to apprehend the occupants." "They are armed and dangerous." "We're sending help." "KMA 438." "Attention all cars, vicinity Sutro's Museum." "Richmond three-wheeler now has car under surveillance." "Richmond 2 and 4, respond." "All motorcycle officers in vicinity, respond." "Inspectors 32, respond." "All units rendezvous with Inspectors 32, who will be in charge." "No sirens." "Inspector 32, we're rolling." "What happens when he brings this man back?" "What happens afterwards?" "What kind of men are you?" "You see, you cry." "That's why women have no place in society." "Women are weak." "Crime's aggressive, and so is the law." "Ordinary people of your class, you don't understand the criminal's need for violence." "You're sick!" "Shut up!" "Okay." "Yeah, but I wish your buddy would hurry up." "Mister, can you fix it?" "It's busted." " What's busted?" " This." "Now look." "If you turn this, you can see the numbers." "You see?" "You're The Man." "I'm Dancer." "The Warner kid, he was a push." "The stuff was right there in the horse." "The Sanders, no problem, either." "The houseboy had it all laid out for me." "The Bradshaw dame and her kid, that's where the job went to pieces." "The kid used the stuff as dusting powder for her doll." "Yeah." "It's all gone." "How about that crazy kid." "Julian and I figured you'd never stand for a short count, I know we wouldn't." "So what else could I do, but get to you?" "I don't have all the stuff, but the rest of it is here." "Here." "Listen, I just want to get Julian and me off the hook with you." "Well, you talk to that dame and her kid, they're right outside." "They'll tell you how it was." "Then Julian and I'll blow." "You want me to help you?" "I'll be glad to..." "Julian and I don't want no beef with you." "We didn't plan on that kid using that stuff to powder her dolly's nose." "When it got goofed up like that," "I couldn't drop a short shipment without some explanation, could I?" " Could I?" " All right, children, time to go." "There's lots more to see." "Are you going to say anything?" "You're dead." "Mister." "Mister." "Thank you." "Come on, Janet." ""Dead"?" "What do you mean, "dead"?" "I told you how it was." "They're right..." "That's the truth." "Nobody ever sees me." "That's going to make you dead." "Maybe you'll make it to the airport, maybe you won't, but your time is borrowed." "You're dead." "Now, get out!" "It's the first car beyond the bus." "Remember, there's a woman and child in that car." " Better notify Communications we're here." " Yes, sir." "Hold it!" "Police!" "We've got about two minutes to make Golden Gate Bridge before they set up roadblocks." "We can't make it." "We'd better scatter now." "I'm your boy." "I'll get you out." "Attention, all cars." "Effective immediately, a Signal 666 is imposed." "Fugitive vehicle, gray, 1957 Plymouth sedan," "License, "M," Mary, "T," Thomas, "H," Henry, 8-8-9, last seen heading east on Seal Rock Road." "All cars in the vicinity of Sea Cliff, watch for suspect car proceeding in your direction." "Alert highway patrol, vicinity Golden Gate Bridge." "Notify military police, Presidio." "There she is." "It's all right, honey, don't worry." " What happened?" " Our fee got raised for this job." "We can peddle this stuff for a mint." "I told you how to handle it." "What went wrong?" "I came on just like you said." "Real easy." "I told him what happened." "Then I tried to sell him, but he wouldn't buy it." "That's all." "That's all?" "You put us in the deep freeze and then you say, "That's..." Look out!" "What else is there?" "It happened." "You want maybe I should cry?" "Maybe it's not too late." "Maybe I could see The Man and I could explain it." "He won't hear you." "Not him!" "Not after what I told you would happen to us." "Maybe you want to go back and look at what's left of him on that ice." " He pushed me too far!" " Look out!" " So I pushed him just far enough." " Get us out." "You got us in, now you get us out." "They're trying to kill us!" "The way I see it, we got two choices." "Either we get killed by this jerk, or we stop and shoot it out." "You want to stop and shoot it out, Julian?" " You know I never fired a gun in my life." " Then cool it!" "From here on in, I'm running this show, me." "You're in the back seat, that's where you stay." "They beat us here." "The bridge is blocked." "It's okay, though." "I've got a hideout." "A warehouse in Folsom." "Fugitive car proceeding east on Fort Scott Road." "Inspectors 32 following suspect car east on Fort Scott Road." "The warehouse is on the next block." "You want to live, mac, you'll get us out of here and get us out fast." "There, you see?" "We're in luck." "There's a freeway just ahead." "Why, you stupid..." "Dancer!" "The last thing The Man in the wheelchair said, "Now, get out."" " Was that for the book, Julian?" " No, Dancer, no!" "And just before that, this!" "Say something for the book." "Mommy!" "Mommy!" "Mommy!" " Cindy!" " Mommy!"