"Good evening." "No, this is not an effort on our part to add sex to the program." "I'm dressed for the party, a come as you are party." "This is what one gets for having a telephone in the bathroom." "Well, it could've been worse." "I feel a bit like Cinderella." "I've been warned that I must positively leave the ball before low tide." "And I can't afford to take chances." "After all, I was once arrested for indecent exposure when I removed a Halloween mask." "All of you, of course, are invited to the party." "But remember, don't drop what you're doing." "Bring it along." "But first we must greet the man who throws these weekly soirees and who always manages to spoil the fun, our dear host." "Norm?" "You asleep?" "No." "What's wrong?" "Nothing." "You've been so moody lately." "You hardly spoke to me all evening." "Have I done something?" "No, it's not you, Paula." "It's me." "You?" "I might as well tell you about it." "You'll hear about it anyway." "The new housing tract up on Pine Hill." "Frank Kennedy got the exclusive listing." "Oh, Norm." "Why?" "Why?" "Because no one likes Norman Frayne." "Oh, darling, that's not true." "Why, everybody likes you." "Yeah." "That's why I didn't get the listing." "Your father would have gotten it." "My father was in real estate for 30 years." "Well, I was with him for 10." "Frank Kennedy's only been in the business about three." "You did so well." "Sure, when your father was alive." "By myself, I'm nothing, I'm nowhere." "Because you were raised in an orphanage?" "I thought that was over." "Honey, don't you see what you're doing to yourself?" "You're acting the way you did when Daddy hired you." "Always worried about people and afraid you might make a mistake." "Jumping every time the mail came, or a phone call." "Yeah, I'm a real prize, aren't I?" "Norm, my father knew what you were afraid of." "What's that?" "It was your background." "That you'd always worry about your family, who they were, what they were, until you'd accomplished something for yourself, until you had the self-confidence to know it doesn't matter." "Is that what he thought?" "Yes." "He had faith in you." "Why do you think he left you his business?" "What everybody else thinks." "Because I married you." "You make it sound as though he had to buy me a husband." "I didn't mean that, Paula." "Even if he did, he bought me the best." "Yeah, I'm some bargain." "I think so." "If men don't like you, I know why." "It's the way women look at you." "Norm, it is the business, isn't it?" "I mean, it's not someone else?" "Of course, not." "You're the only one in my life." "You know that, Paula." "I'd know it if you told me once in a while." "I'll try to do better." "Just give me a little time." "Just a minute." "Take your time, buddy boy." "Long time no see, Norm." "You shouldn't have come here." "You think I crashed out of the pen or something?" "They sentenced you to life." "Well, I know, but life doesn't mean forever." "I saved the state a trial by pleading guilty to second degree murder, didn't I?" "That meant a parole someday, just so I could see you again." "Hey, but you're disappointing me, buddy." "You haven't said you're glad to see me." "Of course, I'm glad to see you, Al." "You know I am." "I thought about you a lot." "I thought about you for 12 years." "Yeah, 12 whole years, buddy." "Hey, but you're looking good." "A lot better than I do." "Of course, we've been living different, too." "How did you find me?" "Sentiment." "Ah, buddy, you know what a sentimental guy I am." "Hey, I even went back to the scene of our childhood, the orphanage." "Yeah, old man Elliot told me where I could find you." "They haven't heard from me since the day we walked out of there." "No, but they heard from your wife." "Didn't she tell you about it?" "She sends them $100 every Christmas ever since you've been married, to buy toys for the kids." "You know something, buddy?" "You're the big, shining success of the old joint." "Yeah, big success." "The boy who made good by marrying the boss' daughter." "It wasn't like that." "Oh, excuse me." "So it's a romance." "Hey, I'm the last guy in the world to knock it." "I believe in love and friendship and loyalty." "Who knows that better than you, buddy boy?" "What do you want, Al?" "Everything I'm entitled to." "One night, 12 years ago, you and I got into a little deal together." "A partnership." "We never dissolved that partnership." "So we can dissolve it now." "I'm gonna sell out to you for $50,000." "Get out." "If you're on parole, you're violating it by being out of the state of Missouri." "Now you get out before I call the police." "You're hesitating, buddy boy." "You did that once before, remember?" "You killed that watchman." "I didn't." "To save your life." "You froze that night with a gun in your hand." "I had to rip it away from you." "But you killed him." "You were an accomplice." "You can't prove anything." "I've got no record." "You're just somebody I met in an orphanage." "An ex-convict trying to blackmail me with some phony story." "It's just your word against mine." "I know what you told the police." "I read every word of it." "You told them you didn't even know who your accomplice was." "Just some guy you met in a bar." "You're forgetting something, buddy boy." "The second set of fingerprints on that gun." "Your fingerprints." "The ones the police couldn't match." "The set that's on file, the set that'll always be on file." "That was 12 years ago." "There's no statute of limitations on murder, buddy boy." "Why didn't you tell them then?" "And have both of us go to jail?" "Now, who would have watched the store?" "Why did you come back?" "You're my investment, buddy boy." "Why do you think I kept my mouth shut?" "Look, I saw your face that night." "I knew if you ever got clear you'd be scared to even jaywalk." "That's why I did 12 years for the both of us." "So you could be working on the outside while I was in." "Then I wouldn't have to come out empty-handed." "You're my meal ticket, buddy-boy." "$50,000 worth of everything I've been going without." "I haven't got it." "Then you'd better get it." "Sell out!" "Look, Al, even if I sold out, I couldn't raise half of that." "Don't stall me, Norm." "I'm not stalling, Al!" "You can check the bank, any place." "Look, Al, I never begged for anything in my life." "But think of my wife." "I'm sorry you had to go it alone." "Give me a break." "Yeah, yeah." "Yeah, sure." "I guess 12 years of stirs got me a little on edge." "We grew up together." "I don't know what came over me." "Just jealous, I guess." "Yeah, you got a nice business going here for you, a pretty wife." "Hey, I saw her this morning." "You saw Paula?" "Well, not to speak to, but I saw her through the window." "You know, you've really got it made, buddy." "And me, I come in here yelling for $50,000 you haven't got." "Look, I'll help you all I can, Al." "I really will." "I understand." "You do?" "Of course, I do." "Good." "Then you can pay off on the installment plan." "Yeah." "I want 50% of every buck that comes in this joint till I get what I came after." "$50,000 in cold cash." "Understand?" "But first we gotta cut down on my living expenses." "Call your wife and tell her to have a room ready for a long lost buddy from the orphanage." "Make it a nice, pathetic, hard-luck story." "Go on and call her!" "Buddy boy, you better make it good." "I'll see you around 5:00, buddy, when we go home, huh?" "When I came to, I was in the hospital." "I didn't have to ask about Louise or the boy." "I could see it in the doctor's face." "Both killed instantly." "Al." "If only I'd have stopped for the night when she asked me." "But all men are like that on a driving trip, Al." "Norm has done the same thing with me." "Well, anyhow, nothing mattered after that." "I lost the business and the house." "You must have loved her very much." "Yes, she's all I had." "That is, until today." "I'm sorry, I didn't know I was talking so long." "I didn't mean to ruin your evening together." "You didn't, Al." "We're delighted to have you with us." "Thank you, Paula." "I'm so glad you two have found each other." "It's almost like a story, isn't it, Norm?" "You know this morning when the bus stopped for breakfast," "I looked across the street and I saw this sign." "It said, "Frayne Real Estate Company."" ""Well, it couldn't be Norm Frayne," I said to myself." "But I had to find out and I was lucky." "We'll put you in the downstairs guestroom, Al." "You'll have more privacy there." "Norm will show you where everything is." "Good night, Paula." "Good night." "That's right, Mr. Hastings." "Cash to loan." "Well, good, then we'll put it in escrow tomorrow." "Thank you, sir." "Hi, buddy boy." "What are you doing here?" "The pool room burn down?" "Hey, that's very funny." "I'm glad you got your sense of humor back." "Because you're gonna need it." "I'm broke again." "I gave you $50 yesterday." "So I lost a bet." "Pool was never my game, anyway." "I'm strictly a poker man." "Hey, you know what I found out?" "A little town up the line's got legalized gambling." "So tonight I'm gonna need the car and, say, $100." "Oh, look, Al, I gave you $800 last month." "Now I've already given you $300 this month." "There's a limit." "And you know what it is, buddy boy." "Oh, Norm, I hate to keep bothering you about the car keys, so I had a duplicate set made." "Hi, Norm." "Hello, Walt." "Not interrupting anything, am I?" "No." "Of course, not." "Walt, I'd like you to meet Al Revnel, our new salesman." "This is Walt Haney, our Chief of Police." "Hey, Chief." "We've seen each other around." "Yeah, sure." "And I'm gonna drop in and see you so we can get better acquainted." "Yeah, you do that." "Oh, Norm you're not gonna be using the car till after lunch, are you?" "No, go ahead." "Thanks." "See you around, Chief." "Old pal, I hear." "Yeah, we were kids together, Walt." "He living with you?" "Yeah." "Makes good company for Paula." "I guess that's why he goes home for lunch every day." "Is that a crack, Walt?" "Look, he's your business." "Maybe he's your friend, maybe not." "Me, I'd get rid of him." "How do I know what he meant?" "Why didn't you ask him?" "I'm not asking anybody." "I'm warning you, Al." "You stay away from Paula." "You're warning me?" "You worry, don't you, buddy boy?" "How do you know you're not too late?" "Well, come on." "You made your play." "Now come on in." "I'll show you how to use that thing like I showed you how to use a gun." "Come on, Norm." "That's better, buddy boy." "Now we understand each other, don't we, Killer?" "Now you trot over to the bank and get that dough." "And have more ready in case my luck runs bad." "The racetrack's opening at Detroit next week." "I think I'll run up there for the weekend and give you a little rest, buddy." "Oh, as for Paula, better keep me occupied so I don't get bored." "Good old Al." "Right on the dot." "Yes." "Every night this week." "Suppose he's found a girl?" "Why?" "Would that bother you?" "No, I think it would be very nice for him." "Then why don't you ask him, say tomorrow at lunch?" "Oh, Norm..." "Oh." "Is that why you've been glowering at me all week?" "Why didn't you tell me, Paula?" "He asked me not to." "He thought you might misunderstand." "Would I?" "He's lonely, Norm." "He said I was the only woman he's been able to talk to since his wife died." "Is that what he does, talk?" "Yes." "Which is more than you do." "Norm." "Maribelle Walsh invited me to go to Detroit with her next weekend." "You refused, of course." "Yes." "But I've changed my mind." "I think it would do you good to be alone for a few days." "Hello?" "Pelley Hardware?" "Pete?" "Norm Frayne." "Say, you carry dynamite, don't you?" "No, no." "I wanna clear some stumps on a lot." "No, I'll pick it up." "Thank you." "You don't think I'm gonna let you go away with him, do you?" "With who?" "With Al!" "Al?" "I'm going with Maribelle." "Look, it's too late to lie!" "For either of us." "I'm gonna tell you what Al is." "And what I am, too." "He's a murderer." "He killed a night watchman 12 years ago, and I was there." "He was caught and I wasn't." "Norm." "You don't think his coming here was an accident?" "He came to collect for 12 years of silence." "And I let him." "I let him blackmail his way into my house." "Well, he's not going to get away with it." "I'll see to that." "What are you going to do?" "I'm going to get rid of him." "He'll kill you." "You hope." "What are you saying?" "Look, you don't think I believe that story about Maribelle." "I know you're going to Detroit with him." "Norm." "Don't." "Stop." "Now listen, please." "Her mother is going with us." "Call and ask." "Here." "You must call and ask them." "I love you." "Don't you know that?" "Why didn't you tell me?" "Why didn't you trust me?" "I'm no good, Paula." "I never was, I never will be." "And Al's gonna take everything if I don't stop him." "I don't care." "Let him." "All I care about is you." "And all I care about is you." "Then you can't be what he is." "Then you can't kill him." "Where are you going?" "Hello?" "Maribelle?" "It's Paula." "Listen, dear, don't come for me." "Norm?" "Norm?" "Norm!" "Norm!" "Norm!" "Norm!" "Norm." "Norm." "Norm." "I believed him." "I believed him." "I thought it was something we could work out together between us somehow." "And then I heard the explosion." "And the door was locked." "And I couldn't get out of it." "So that's how it was?" "I knew Norm was under pressure for a long time, but I thought it was the business made him do it." "I know you'll have to arrest him." "I know that." "But could I see him, please, before he goes?" "Bring him in." "I had nothing to do with it." "I was in the driveway when I heard him hit the starter." "All right." "You're clear." "But you'll still do life for parole violation." "Take him out." "He killed himself, Walt." "He killed himself." "He must've figured it was the only way out." "I'm not holding with it, Paula, but I guess he thought it was best for you." "He must've loved you a lot." "Yes." "I know that now." "I know it now." "This is not part of the festivities." "I found this bottle with a message in it floating in the tub." "It could be a plea for help from some castaway or even a last note from the hero of tonight's saga." "This is certainly a sneaky way to get a message in." "It's from big brother again." "I'll just put some soap on the floor and slip back at the conclusion of his remarks." "Well, the evening wasn't a total loss, for I got my back washed and also received a very good job offer." "An Italian actress needs a stuntman to take a bubble bath for her in her next picture." "I was hired when it was discovered that the actress and I had the same measurements." "In different places, of course." "I shall be finished in time for next week's program." "Until then, good night."