"All right, snob, so I'm a public servant." "It makes you sweat." "Hi, Johnny." "Stewart speaking." "Begin." "Pull yourself up a block and get your head chopped off." "Necktie's hotter than a five-alarm waltz." "Yes, madam, this is the editor." "Yes, this is Mr. Stewart." "Up a dime." "Necktie's lifting it, eh?" "I guess the bookie business ain't so profitable." "He makes up his losses what he loses on the horses." "Yes, madam." "Thank you." "Good night, madam." "I'll bet madam told him where he could go." "It'll cost you 10 cents." "Greetings and salutations." "How is life on the Subway Circuit?" "Madam says she has inside information." "Ronny Melville was trapped in that fire on East 16th Street a couple of hours ago." "Four unidentified gents burnt to a crisp." "Melville toast." "That's good." "What did I tell you?" "He stole it with a pair of fours." "Swanson, you better check with the Coroner." "Madam might know what she's talking about." "What's the matter with the prince?" "He got a special dispensation from the publisher?" "He can get in any time he likes?" "You let Johnny alone." "He's a sick man." "Hasn't been home for two weeks, now he's afraid to go." "Go on." "Jump." "Jump, he says." "In this heat, I can hardly walk, and he says jump." "Human beings are strange, complex things." "Yeah, yeah, people are nuts." "Come on, deal the cards." "Three-handed, eights are high." "Hi, Doc." "Hello, Doc." "Take a hand?" "Come on." "Sit in." "The deck's loaded with aces." "Not tonight, sweetheart." "I've got a little homework to do in the morgue, if you don't mind." "What would you cops do without us newspaper guys?" "Great kid." "Hey, Johnny." "Are you quick, or are you dead?" "I ain't quick." "Wanna take a hand in this game?" "No, thanks, and you don't have to shout." "The guy's digging his own grave." "Yeah, it happens that way." "A guy will make a mistake, then he'll get in deeper and deeper, and the first thing you know, a mountain falls on him." "Remember Tony Cochrane?" "Doc'll hear you." "Sure, you remember Tony." "You ought to." "You covered the case with me." "Oh, yeah." "Yeah, during Prohibition." "Sure, I..." "How could I forget?" "Tony Cochrane." "There was a guy that loved his home, his wife and his kid." "How he loved his kid." "That fixed it." "I ought to know better than to use gun cleaner on roller skates." "You'd better learn better than to go into my gun case for anything." "You working late tonight?" "Yep." "Anything special?" "Yep, special." "You want I should come along to cover the getaway?" "What's the matter, Doc?" "Something troubling you?" "Gee whiz, I hardly ever see you anymore." "Yeah, I know, kid." "It's tough." "You know what?" "What?" "Georgie, my friend from school, his pop went away." "I told him when you weren't so busy, you could be his pop, too." "Then he could go fishing with us like we used to." "Sure, we'll take him along." "Pa?" "Yeah?" "I'm scared maybe you won't come back, like Georgie's pop." "He gets awful lonesome." "Don't worry, kid." "I'm not going away and leave you, ever." "You just take care of the beefs at your end, and we'll have this case cleared up in no time." "I got you." "You're the inside man on this job." "Inside bed." "Remember what I told you." "Check." "Keep your nose clean." "Check." "Tony." "Out again tonight?" "Of course." "I told you, Martha." "Trying to get rich quick?" "No, that's what you get for marrying a cop." "I love a cop." "I'd like a husband, too, for a change." "Well, I gotta be going." "Good night, Tony." ""Keep your nose clean." What a kid." "This will only take a few minutes." "Tony." "What?" "Kiss me before you go." "I told you I'd be right back." "Kiss me." "What do you want, blood?" "Yes, blood." "Don't boil over yet, Jill." "It ain't time yet." "We got a little talking to do." "Hiya, slug." "What's the bad word?" "What shift you working?" "Days." "Standby Monday and Thursday." "You've put in an average 12, 14 hours off-time a week for nearly a month, mostly nights." "How come?" "I've been working on the Tully case." "We crossed that one off some time ago." "I ran into a new angle." "I'll give you a report on it in about a week or so." "That's fine, Cochrane." "Only don't overdo it." "Try and get a little more sleep." "Thanks, Captain." "If anybody calls, I'm working, Ole." "I'll check with you later." "Anybody?" "Anybody." "Hiya, slug." "What's the bad word?" "There goes a very busy man." "Well, this is it, kid." "What do you mean?" "The end of the line, baby." "This is where I get off." "Did she find out about us?" "Is that why?" "Nobody found out anything." "You're just no good for me." "We both add up to zero." "So, that's it?" "Yeah, that's it." "I'm sick of the whole crazy mess." "Sick of playing games." "The office, my kid." "I shouldn't be playing those games with my kid." "Afraid your little angel will find out about it?" "She and that sweet little kid of yours?" "I would have quit long ago." "You're worse than blood poisoning." "To hear you talk, you'd think I was crawling after you." "I don't need you." "I can buy and sell you." "I don't know why I bother seeing you." "You don't know why?" "I'll tell you." "You're rotten rich, through and through." "Like something they serve at the Ritz, only it's been laying out in the sun too long." "That's right, Tony." "You're not my kind." "You're the clean-cut type." "Little tootsie-wootsie loves her great, big, stupid peasant." "Yeah, for all your dough, like a ton of bricks." "How picturesque, and you were totally unresponsive." "You're like a sickness." "I was sick." "No, Tony, it was a fever." "It's a nightmare with convulsions." "No more fever." "You can go back to that little rat race of a home of yours." "Never mind what I'm going back to." "Pretty little house, pretty little wife, pretty little brat." "Shut up!" "You'll never get away from me, Tony." "I won't let you." "You're like me." "There's a meanness inside of you that has to hurt or be hurt." "We were meant for each other, Tony." "I guess they didn't see us." "It's a man and a woman." "I guess they came down to look at the ocean, too." "Tony, no." "Tony, no." "Stop." "Tony, stop!" "Stop." "Tony, please, stop, or there'll be a scandal." "Your wife, she'll leave you." "You'll lose the kid." "You working late tonight?" "Out again tonight?" "Out again tonight?" "Maybe you won't come back, like Georgie's pop." "Won't come back..." "Won't come back..." "Out again tonight?" "He killed her." "Beat her brains out with a tire iron." "He got away." "You're not going to say anything, Tony." "Let the cops find out for themselves." "I let him get away." "You had to, Tony, for me, and for you, too." "You don't get it." "She's just a kid in there." "He killed her." "I'm a cop." "I didn't even try to stop him." "Tony, I wanna see her." "I wanna see her, Tony!" "Shut up!" "I wanna look at her, Tony!" "Shut up!" "I wanna look at her!" "Did you find a clue to the Tully case in the funny papers, eh, Tony?" "I was just reading them for laughs." "I don't know." "You weren't laughing." "I think maybe you work too hard, eh, Tony?" "Every night." "What does Martha say?" "Don't worry about me, Ole, I'm okay." "Sure, you're okay." "You just need a rest, huh?" "I told you, I'm okay." "Homicide." "Strom speaking." "Yeah." "Wait a minute." "Give me a pencil, Tony." "Yeah." "What time?" "How do you spell it?" "Yeah." "Yeah." "Okay." "Just leave everything alone, we come right down." "Come on, Tony." "We got work to do." "Pardon me, sir, but do you perceive the faint aroma" "of sudden and violent death?" "I don't know." "Stick around." "Your move, if you can find one, wise guy." ""...by Highway Patrolman Dickstein, 1328 Mitchell Beach Sub-Station." ""Kids found it about 35 minutes ago." ""Head bashed in." "Name on registration slip," ""Elaine B-L-A-N..." "Blanchard, 1 164 Falcon Drive."" "What did you say that name was?" "Elaine Blanchard." "Could be LD Blanchard's daughter, or somebody using her car." "Was the car smashed?" "No." "Did you call the Coroner?" "Dickstein called the District Coroner" "out there." "Any crumbs for the press?" "Stay on the phone." "Call Faniman." "Tell him to come down here and stand by." "Come on, Tony." "Get me Faniman." "You leave them just like that, Max, and you've got him beat." "Listen, Ole." "Ole, what's the dope?" "Dead woman, off highway, near Mitchell Beach." "Maybe murdered, maybe Elaine Blanchard." "Thanks." "Give me that telephone." "Any other cars been down here, Dickstein?" "No, sir." "Not since I got here." "My name's Moppes, Captain." "JM Moppes." "I examined the cadaver, careful not to disturb anything, of course." "She's been dead about, I should say, from 10 to 14 hours." "Skull crushed like an eggshell by repeated blows with a blunt instrument." "Terrible, terrible." "Come on, Tony." "Time to go to work." "Yeah." "Yeah, let's get going." "Ain't that something?" "She must have been a pretty little girl." "Plenty of prints on the dash, maybe on the handle of her purse." "Looks like some rings have been torn off her fingers." "They're bruised." "There's no money or nothing left in her pocketbook." "Not a dime." "Hey, mister." "Me and my friend found her, mister." "We found the body." "Ain't there a reward or something'?" "You didn't touch anything, did you?" "Oh, no, sir." "I know better than that." "I'm a Junior G-Man." "That's fine." "Here comes the meat wagon." "Come over here, Tony." "There's a fresh tire track that crosses the convertible's." "It looks like a brand-new balloon-tire track." "And look, there's a crescent-shaped cut in it." "You better get the plaster and take an impression." "Yes, sir." "Hi, Ole." "Howdy, gumfoot." "You got any leads, Ole?" "Right this way, gentlemen." "Thank you." "Max called me and we beat them out with an extra." "It's the Blanchard gal, all right." "I called her house, and she hasn't been home all night." "You'll never make a good detective." "You're just a nosy reporter after all." "Yeah?" "Look, taken about a year ago at the horse show." "Yeah, could be." "Her pop's on his way out here." "Any angles, any motive?" "I guess the Captain thinks it's a robbery." "Yeah." "Do you?" "What do you think, Tony?" "Oh, boy." "Some of you seem to think that robbery as a motive is too easy." "Maybe it is, maybe it ain't." "She'd been drinking." "She had about $200 in cash and somewhere around 12 grand in jewelry on her." "She could've been driving by herself and picked up a hitchhiker." "Someone could easily have seen that jewelry in a bar someplace where she stopped, and followed her." "Sure, Chief!" "You're right, she could have..." "She..." "Anyway, there was another car down there last night." "It had a Regal balloon tire on one of its rear wheels with a big cut in it." "There probably isn't a chance in the world of tracing it unless it belonged to one of Miss Blanchard's friends." "But take a crack at it anyway, Ole." "Andy, here's the list of the ice." "Give copies to the Pawn Shop Detail and check with some of your fence friends." "We've got some swell fingerprints, and at least two sets that aren't hers." "Some on the dashboard and door handle, and some on the clasp of her handbag." "We haven't been able to match any of these in our own bureau, and we've sent photostats to Washington." "Unfortunately, there was nothing on the tire iron, not a print." "Did Ms. Blanchard booze much, Captain?" "Her best friend, a Miss..." "A Miss Myra Laird, said she'd been acting up for the past several weeks, drinking a lot and half-hysterical most of the time." "Hey, that sounds like maybe some guy..." "Miss Laird thinks maybe she'd been seeing somebody, and since she was so undercover about it, it'd probably be a married man." "Yeah, that would just about add up if maybe she was putting the pressure on some gent." "Tusco, I want you to check this possibility with the Blanchard servants and all her friends." "Here's a partial list to begin with." "Give a copy of it to Strom." "The first thing in the morning, Cochrane, if we haven't heard from Washington," "I want you to go over to her bank and take a gander at her statement, canceled checks for the month." "You might pick up something." "Yes, Captain." "That'll be all for now." "Get to it." "You wouldn't hit a guy on the nose for trying to be a friend, would you?" "What's eating you?" "Maybe I'm just a dumb cop, but whatever's bothering you, Tony, believe me, it ain't worth it." "Yes, Cochrane." "l..." "I wondered if you wanted me to go on with the Tully case, or..." "Drop it for a few days." "Nothing's as important as this right now." "Yes, sir." "Then robbery is still our best bet?" "Still no love angle?" "Not yet." "You can always write in your own, just like always." "Sure, use your imagination." "She was a she and the murderer was a he." "Now ain't that romantic?" "Say, Willie, you making enough copies of that so I can have one?" "Merrill residence." "One moment, please." "It's for Mrs. Merrill, sir." "It's probably Mr. Haskins." "We're hours late." "Hello?" "Hello, Maury." "Hello, hello?" "We were disconnected." "It's probably Maury." "Do you realize, my dear, that we're very late?" "I'm sorry, darling." "Hello?" "Tony, I'm so glad you called." "I read the papers about that poor girl, and I figured you'd be out on the case all night." "It's been pretty rough on you, hasn't it, monkey face?" "Oh, Tony, I love you so much." "I don't mind that you have to work." "It's just that I miss you so." "I know, baby, I know." "Where's Doc?" "At the movies?" "Well, look, I thought maybe I'd eat home." "But now it's even better." "Maybe I can take you out, like I was dating you." "I guess I must be like a stranger to you." "Oh, Tony, you big dope." "Well, I'll have to call Mrs. Wallace and tell her I won't eat there." "I was so sure you wouldn't be coming home." "What?" "You know Mrs. Wallace, she wouldn't care." "No, go ahead." "I want you to go." "You made the date, didn't you?" "But, Tony..." "But honestly..." "But you just said that I..." "Forget it, will you?" "I told you to forget it." "Yeah." "Okay." "What time are they picking you up?" "What time will you be getting back?" "Yeah." "All right." "Have a good time." "In a..." "In a minute." "So my theory is, this dame, she says to this fella she's going to call a copper, and this fella can't stand still for that, so he conks her, see?" "He wants to make it look like a heist, see?" "So he gloms her jewels and scrams fast." "See?" "You sound just like a detective story again, Mike." "Evening, Lieutenant." "What will it be?" "Buttermilk." "Four glasses of buttermilk." "Don't you go home anymore, Tony?" "Sure." "I just stopped by for a glass of beer." "Find anything interesting on the list?" "What's on your mind, Ole?" "If you've got something to say, spill it." "I don't like this pussyfooting around." "We've been friends for a pretty good long time, Tony." "I just wanted to know how you make out." "Well, don't be such a good friend to me." "I'm okay." "How are you making out?" "I wanted to tell you about that." "You know them tire tracks?" "I ain't so sure that one was a Regal." "It could just as easy be a Caddy." "Yeah?" "Well, I gotta be going." "How's Doc?" "Fine." "And Martha?" "Fine, thanks." "Well, I'll see you in the morning." "Good night, Mike." "Good night, Mr. Cochrane." "You know, he don't look so good lately." "No, not so good." "Tony?" "I thought you weren't coming back till 10:00." "I was tired." "What on earth are you doing in the dark?" "What do you think I'm doing?" "I'm changing the tire." "I had a flat." "I'm sorry, darling." "What's the matter with the light?" "It's busted." "Don't touch it!" "I told you it was busted!" "I got a shock from it before." "It was a loose wire." "I fixed it." "Tony." "Don't touch me!" "I'm all dirty." "It's a funny thing about the capacity guys like Tony have for hurting the people they love the best." "He was a swell guy." "A sweller guy you'd never wanna meet." "But he had to go and get himself all twisted up." "Some guys got a talent for it." "Talent?" "Say, this guy was a genius." "Come on, Stew, make with the words." "Tony came from the wrong side of the tracks and had to fight his way up." "Maybe that's why he was always fighting." "Fighting himself and fighting her." "What are you doing here?" "I hope I'm not inconveniencing you, Mrs. Merrill." "You no doubt heard of the unfortunate death of Elaine Blanchard." "I have a list of her friends and your name appeared on it." "Just a routine checkup." "What is it, my dear?" "This young man is from headquarters." "He's checking on poor Elaine's friends." "Oh, a dreadful thing." "Of course, if we can help..." "It's hard to believe, such a nice girl." "Haven't I met you before?" "Yes, sir." "I investigated a burglary here about a year ago." "That was before I was assigned to the Homicide Detail." "Of course, of course." "Certainly you remember him, dear." "He's the nice young man I was so taken with." "Indeed, indeed." "Now, what can we do for you, Lieutenant..." "Cochrane." "Lieutenant Cochrane?" "Just a few routine questions." "Sit down, Lieutenant." "Thank you." "When did you see her last?" "Miss Blanchard, I mean." "Oh, not for ages." "It was the Fullerton reception, wasn't it, dear?" "There were hundreds of people there." "Two weeks ago, Saturday night." "She seemed so happy." "I'm sorry, but I'd hoped to be at the office early this morning." "An appointment, you know." "Certainly." "It was just routine." "That's all right, darling." "You run along." "I'm sure I can answer all of Lieutenant Cochrane's questions." "If we run into any difficulty, I'll call you at the office." "Why, certainly." "Be more than happy." "You can reach me anytime." "Goodbye, dear." "Yes, yes, yes, of course." "Anything at all, Lieutenant, just call." "Goodbye, dear, goodbye." "What's the idea of putting on the act?" "Mix me a drink, Tony." "I'd like to mix you a drink." "Wouldn't you?" "Isn't it a little early for you to be drinking?" "Oh, no." "This is kind of a celebration by way of a reunion, isn't it, Tony?" "I thought you said we were through." "I'm here on business." "Of course, darling." "Won't you sit beside me?" "Why not?" "We're old friends." "Here's to old friends." "I don't get it." "Why the sudden switch?" "No switch." "I'm just giving up struggling." "I know when I'm hooked." "Really?" "Yeah, you got my number and I know it." "I like you better the other way, Tony." "No." "I says to myself, what's the use of struggling?" "You go for her and she goes for you." "Wait a minute, Tony." "Tell me, baby, what was the name of the guy that bumped off the Blanchard kid?" "What?" "You heard me." "He's one of your fancy friends." "Let go of me." "If you're such a smart detective, find out for yourself." "You know him." "Sure I do." "Now you try and find out who he is." "That's a criminal offense, what you're doing." "That's right, but it works both ways." "I could sure throw a monkey wrench into your pretty little domestic merry-go-round." "Don't be cheap!" "At these prices?" "I won't be threatened!" "Okay, Jill." "I don't know his name, Tony." "Honest." "I must have seen him at a party or something." "That's all right, Jill." "I just wanted to find out whose side you were on." "Your side, Tony." "Your side." "Sure." "Don't go, Tony." "I gotta." "You know, the wheels of justice, they gotta keep turning." "Come back and see me, Tony." "I'll come back and see you, baby." "That's one thing you can be sure of." "We're partners, ain't we?" "So, if I could see Miss Blanchard's canceled checks," "sometimes we get a lead that way." "Anything at all, Mr. Cochrane." "Mr. Loring, please." "He's our vice president, he'll..." "Hello, Douglas?" "I'm sending you Lieutenant Cochrane." "He'd like to look at the Blanchard account." "Yes, right away." "He'll be able to help you." "Just across the bank, third desk." "Loring?" "Yes." "Thank you." "Lieutenant Cochrane?" "You're Mr. Loring." "I've sent for the things you want, Mr. Cochrane." "Sit down." "I'll be happy to do anything else I can to help." "Thanks." "How..." "How well did you know Miss Blanchard?" "Oh, quite well." "Known the family for years." "Same club, all that." "She was, however, one of my wife's dearest friends," "and I suggest that you talk to her." "Is..." "Is there anyone you could think of who might have had some reason to kill her as brutally and savagely as they did?" "None." "She was a sweet girl, and so far as I know, didn't have an enemy in the world." "Don't the police seem to think that robbery..." "Thank you, Mr. Graham." "Here you are, Lieutenant." "Well, I hope we can get something out of these." "Thank you." "You're very welcome, Mr. Cochrane." "Any time at all that we can be of service." "Tell me, do the police have anything definite upon which to base their theory of robbery?" "No." "Her jewelry was gone, but, you see, the man who murdered her, a clever man with an entirely different motive," "might easily have taken it to throw us off." "I see." "When did you see her last?" "Well, let me see." "Last weekend, Mrs. Loring and I..." "No, no, I saw her for just a moment day before yesterday." "The day she was..." "The day of the tragedy." "She was here, in the bank, just a little while before closing." "Did you talk to her?" "Yes." "Something about a dinner party she was planning." "She was quite keyed up about it." "She..." "Poor Elaine." "She was so young to be brutally struck down like that." "Thanks again." "Read all about it!" "Get your paper!" "Blanchard murderer arrested." "Beach mystery solved." "Police nab killer of Elaine Blanchard." "Get your paper here." "Blanchard murderer caught." "Police hint full confession." "Get your paper." "All about the murder mystery." "Murder solved." "Yes, yes..." "I know what I'm talking about..." "Certainly." "Yes." "That was a quick one, eh, Tony?" "Yeah, quick." "What do you mean?" "Thirty-six, no, just 34 hours since the murder and we got him." "We're pretty smart gents in this department." "Who is he?" "He said his name is Phillips, a journeyman carpenter." "A radio car picked him up over in Queens on a wag and found Miss Blanchard's jewelry on him." "Has he confessed?" "He don't need to." "He's told three completely different stories, and his prints are all over her purse." "He said he was asleep in an old shack on the beach and found her yesterday morning dead and took her things." "It's open and shut." "He'll break pretty soon and tell who was with him." "He'll break." "He'll get the chair." "Murderer." "He killed her." "He'll sing." "Open and shut." "Lead-pipe cinch." "Guilty." "Well, Mrs. Merrill." "How nice to see you, Mr. Cochrane." "It is Mr. Cochrane, isn't it?" "Well, did you see him?" "Yes." "Is that him, or isn't it?" "Of all places, in a bank." "Sitting there as calm as..." "I had to make sure." "In a bank." "Doesn't look like a murderer." "I think he's rather attractive." "So is a snake." "Don't be bitter." "Anyhow, I'm glad it's all over." "How about a date, Tony?" "Remember?" "The day is still young." "What do you mean?" "Oh, Tony." "Forgive me, Mrs. Merrill, but I'm a busy man." "Well, they got the murderer, didn't they?" "Some thieving little tramp." "I'll meet you by the car." "No." "Just a minute." "So nice seeing you." "Thank you." "Remember me to your husband." "Where's your car?" "No." "Not the car." "In the library, behind the stacks." "Time's a-wasting, Tony." "Are you crazy?" "What are you talking about?" "The murderer." "The guy in the bank." "Oh, don't be a fool, Tony." "Elaine was a nasty little brat." "She probably had it coming to her." "What?" "Keep quiet." "Excuse me." "I'm sorry." "No, indeed, sir." "I'm sorry." "You're acting like a fool." "You looking for more trouble?" "The guy they picked up is innocent." "What's the difference?" "The difference is, we gotta go tell them." "Or else it'll be you and me that'll be pulling the switch on that poor little slob when he kicks out his last breath for something he didn't do." "Tony, honey, he's just a little nobody." "Who's going to miss him?" "Besides, he did rob the body." "What about our Mr. Loring?" "He's not the type that goes around killing people." "But we saw him." "Of course we saw him." "She probably deserved it." "That's twice you said it." "Tony, dear, you're not the Galahad type." "Do you want to mess up both our lives?" "Lose your job, your wife, your child?" "What about his wife?" "If you feel so bighearted, why don't you think about what it'll do to her?" "How do you know he's married?" "I know." "I know." "You're rotten." "Pure, no-good, first-rate, high-grade, A-number-one rotten." "Tony, I love you." "A fine kind of love." "A female spider." "All right, Tony, have it your way." "But you'd better be clever." "I'll be clever." "Tony, no heroics." "I'll tell you when it's time to start worrying." "Tony, how about a date?" "I ain't got any time for dates, baby." "I'm gonna be busy being clever." "Tony." "Pretty, aren't they?" "They won't do her any good now." "Yeah, very pretty." "This is the one I want." "I'll bring it back to you tomorrow." "So long, Tony." "Well, well, Mr. Cochrane." "Back the same day." "We got him." "I read the papers." "Probably a psychopath." "Yeah..." "This is just routine, Mr. Loring." "Identifying the jewelry found on him." "Do you recognize this clip?" "She was probably wearing it that last day, when she was here." "Why, yes, I..." "It's an unusual piece." "I remember her having it on." "Oh, that's fine." "Would you just sign this, please?" "It's just a routine statement of identification." "Sorry." "We bank people are trained to read things pretty carefully before signing them." "Sure, I know." "You've been a big help." "Thanks." "You're very welcome." "And congratulations." "Congratulations?" "Of course." "I think all you men of the police force deserve the highest praise for apprehending the murderer so quickly." "Sure." "Well, so long." "Stewart speaking." "Okay, Swanson, fold up and get back here." "Melville turned up in bed." "Rain, rain, go away Ronny Melville's here to stay" "He'll marry another blonde today" "Hey, that cookie's fingerprints was on the fountain pen." "What cookie?" "Loring's." "What kind of a detective was that dope Cochrane?" "It didn't take him any longer to figure out the fountain-pen angle, either." "That was his first piece of evidence against Loring." "So the fingerprints matched." "Cochrane got his man." "And he goes back to his little home in the West with his wife and kid." "So they live happily ever after." "The fingerprints matched, all right, but he still didn't have enough evidence." "He worked a long time." "Tony was a good detective." "Only, when a guy gets himself so balled up, he don't get away with it so easy." "He had all the dope on Loring." "Enough to put him away if things worked out the way Tony thought they would." "I got plenty on him." "More than I need." "I told you." "Now I'm going down to the Chief's and get him to come with me to the DA." "Sure I'm sure." "This is the kiss-off, toots." "In more ways than one." "You're a free woman." "Oh, no, baby." "I'm not coming down to see you." "In the flesh, you're bad medicine for me." "I'll stick to the phone." "Well, I don't know what you're cooking up, baby, but whatever it is, I ain't buying." "Blanchard murderer to pay the full penalty!" "Phillips goes to chair tomorrow morning!" "Get your paper." "Phillips goes to chair tomorrow morning." "Get your paper." "Phillips goes to chair tomorrow morning." "Here you are, get your paper." "Get your paper." "That's a pretty impressive pile of work you've got here, Cochrane." "You did fine." "Do we go to the DA?" "You did fine." "Phillips has only got until 10:00 tomorrow morning." "It's worth a try." "I know this must come as a surprise to you, Bill, but that's a pretty good job Cochrane here did." "And he didn't get all his evidence together until tonight." "It's circumstantial." "That's right." "But it's worth a stay of execution until we get a hold of Loring." "I don't think that will be necessary." "Gentlemen, Mr. Loring." "Mr." "Cochrane." "I was just discussing you with Bill." "Our District Attorney, Bill Halloran." "Mr. Loring, these gentlemen want to ask you a few questions." "Do you mind?" "Of course not." "This is Lieutenant Strom." "This is Captain Lawrence of Homicide." "And I take it you know Lieutenant Cochrane." "Why, yes." "I should say we're almost old friends." "Captain." "Sit down, Mr. Loring." "Thanks, Bill." "Now..." "Before we proceed, Captain," "I think it only fair to tell you that Mr. Loring came here of his own free will and told me the whole story." "And I think it only fair to tell Mr. Loring that we checked the second set of fingerprints in the death car and find that they're his." "That's what he came up here to tell me about." "Well, supposing you explain it to me." "I'd be very happy to tell it again to you." "I knew that this Lieutenant Cochrane was more than slightly interested in me, and I felt it my duty to clear up any confusion that might arise." "Well, why did you wait until now?" "Wait a minute, Ole." "When you picked up the murderer of Miss Blanchard," "I saw no use to involve either myself or my family in an unnecessary scandal." "Had you not picked him up when you did, I assure you, I would have come forward." "Why would you have come forward?" "It's very simple, Captain Lawrence." "I suppose I must have been the last person outside of the murderer to see Miss Blanchard alive." "What do you mean by that, Loring?" "When did you last see Miss Blanchard alive?" "I was in her car with her that afternoon." "What time that afternoon?" "It was after banking hours." "From half past four to 6:00, say." "Where did she pick you up?" "Near the bank." "Where'd she let you out?" "At the same place, near the bank." "I'll explain everything to you, if you'll permit me." "That's what we're here for, Mr. Loring." "I admit my relations with Miss Blanchard were not everything that they should have been, and I'm more than sorry about that." "She fell in love with me." "It was my fault." "That afternoon, I went out in her car with her to try to make her see." "Well, she wanted me to divorce my wife, whom I love very dearly in spite of everything, and marry her." "She was hysterical, said she was going to tell the whole world." "So I thought..." "So you killed her, isn't that right, Loring?" "I killed her?" "You killed her, beat her to death with a tire iron." "I beat that poor girl to death and then come down here and tell you all this?" "What do you think I am, a fool?" "Believe me." "I tell you, I had no more to do with the death of Elaine Blanchard than you did." "What would you say, Loring, if we told you we could produce witnesses that weren't 30 feet from you and saw you kill her?" "What would I say?" "I'd say, gentlemen, you couldn't possibly produce such witnesses, because they don't exist." "Do you want to ask him any questions?" "Yeah, I would like to." "Go ahead." "Can you tell us where you were that evening, Mr. Loring?" "After Miss Blanchard left you at the bank?" "Really, gentlemen, it might appear as though this were premeditated, but I..." "Shall I have her come in?" "I had hoped to spare her the embarrassment." "It really isn't fair to involve her, but" "I suppose it would be better." "Yes, I think it would be better." "You see, I went to a picture that night." "My wife was out and I didn't bother going home to dinner." "I just happened to bump into..." "This is Mrs. Merrill, gentlemen." "This is Captain Lawrence." "You've heard of the Merrills, I'm sure." "Lieutenants Strom, Cochrane." "Don't be alarmed, my dear." "How do you do?" "You're all on the side of the law, I'm sure." "I meant to come here, to see Bill, of course, directly after cocktails at the Merrills'." "My car broke down and Mrs. Merrill was kind enough to drive me down." "lf you don't mind, Mr. Loring..." "Captain Lawrence would like to know what you did the night the Blanchard girl was killed." "What I was doing?" "No, my dear, they're only interested in me." "Why you?" "You'd help us, Mrs. Merrill, by simply answering." "This is so silly." "I..." "Of course." "I went to a late movie with Mr. Loring." "I ran into him quite by chance downtown." "Does that satisfy you?" "It does me." "Tony?" "Thanks for coming, Loring." "Thank you, Mrs. Merrill." "If we need you, we'll call you." "Won't you drop by later, Mr. Halloran?" "We're having a party." "Thanks." "Maybe I will." "Bill, if there's anything else I can do..." "Forget it." "Well?" "What kind of a hot brick did you hand me down at the DA's office?" "Did you drag me all the way down here to tell me that?" "I've got to get back to my party." "You're coming back to the DA's office with me and tell him you lied." "You're gonna tell him you weren't with that ape but with me that night." "What are you drinking, lady?" "Nothing for me, thanks." "But you better have a shot ready for the boyfriend here." "He's going to get a shock." "Where are you heading in?" "You poor, dumb cop." "Why do you think I got him to the DA's office ahead of you?" "So you got yourself a new boyfriend?" "He's more my type." "You can go back to your Martha now." "I'm leaving." "You're coming down to headquarters with me right now." "Listen, you fool, you can get me there, but who'll believe you?" "You can't do a thing about it, Tony." "Your hands are tied." "In just about ten hours, it'll all be over." "Who're you going to tell it to?" "The Marines?" "How about it, bub?" "The lady was only half right." "Make it a double." "Okay, Ole." "You don't have to follow me around anymore." "I was worried." "You didn't look so good." "You've been tailing me for weeks." "You look pretty tired, Tony." "Come on, I'll take you home." "Loring's guilty." "Sure, sure." "But we just can't do anything more about it." "Come on, we'll go home." "I saw him do it." "Yeah, yeah." "Well, we'll talk about it." "No, wait a minute, will you?" "You've got to believe me." "I believe you, Tony." "I believe you." "No, you don't, Ole." "You don't believe me for a minute." "Did you see that dame I was talking to in here a minute ago?" "She was with me." "She saw him do it, too." "You know I've been seeing her?" "Yeah, she's a pretty bad one." "You know so much and you don't know nothing." "What have you been tailing me for?" "I like you, Tony." "And I like Martha and Doc." "That's what I'm saying." "What else would I be telling you for?" "Okay, Tony, you seen it." "But who're you going to tell?" "Come on, we'll go home." "Nobody is believing you." "You've got no proof." "That's what she said." "What did who say?" "That Merrill dame." "She said nobody'd believe me." "No proof." "Proof." "You want proof?" "Okay, I'll show you proof." "Wait a minute, Tony." "Remember the tire?" "What tire?" "The one with the cut in it." "The tracks on the beach." "You were stinking with curiosity then." "Yeah." "Yeah." "It's my tire." "It's in my garage." "Yeah?" "Can't you see?" "We don't have any time." "Ma!" "Oh, go to bed, honey." "It's all right." "Is that you, Tony?" "Martha!" "Martha, honey." "I ain't the guy to say this." "I don't know how else to tell you." "I love you." "Oh, Tony." "No, wait a minute, I don't have much time." "I don't want to ever hurt you and Doc, not for anything in the world." "Oh, keep still, you big fool." "Do you think I'm blind?" "You know?" "I don't know anything." "All I know is, come home quickly, Tony, to us, quickly." "What's the matter, Pa?" "What's the matter?" "Oh, nothing's the matter, baby." "Everything's all right." "Yeah." "Everything's going to be fine from now on, ain't it?" "Are we going to go fishing?" "Hurry up, Tony." "It's getting later than you think." "Yeah, yeah, we're going fishing, the three of us." "A real vacation." "Just wait till I come back." "Soon." "Come back soon." "Even if I'm not a detective?" "Even if you're the popcorn vendor at the baseball game." "The police car will be here in a couple of minutes, Tony." "No." "I got to get her myself while I've still got my badge." "That's what they call poetic justice, isn't it?" "Yeah, I guess those poet fellows know what they're talking about." "I do it alone, see?" "I won't bother you." "Is Mrs. Merrill in?" "Good evening..." "Never mind, we'll find her." "Good evening, Lieutenant." "Good evening." "Not going to raid us, are you?" "Nothing stronger than 3.2, so help me." "Care to have a drink?" "No, thanks, I'd like to speak to Mrs. Merrill for a moment." "She was here just a minute ago." "I saw her." "Oh, yes, she went to the kitchen for some more drinks." "I'll get her." "No, never mind, I'll go." "Anything serious, Lieutenant?" "No." "This is Lieutenant Strom, Mr. Merrill." "I think maybe he wants a drink." "I'm all wet on the outside, I might just as well be wet on the inside, too." "Hello, Tony." "Tony doesn't know anything about manners." "He's very crude." "Hello, Cochrane." "I want to talk to you, Jill." "Oh, don't be silly, silly." "I'll take these drinks out." "Well, how do you like that?" "Can you hear me?" "Sure, I can hear you." "What do you think I am, deaf?" "I found somebody who believed me." "I said, I found somebody who believed me." "I heard you, Tony." "Now what happens?" "Now we go down to headquarters and sing a duet." "You're going to tell them you lied about Loring." "All right, Tony." "I shouldn't have tried to change your mind." "I can see that now." "I was a coward, Tony, but you give me strength." "Save your pretty words for the DA." "You meant a lot to me, Tony, and you mean a lot to me." "I'm a funny girl." "I don't understand it myself." "Why I do things." "Well, I suppose we're through." "You can give me one goodbye kiss." "Come on, one farewell kiss." "It won't hurt much." "You're a screwy dame." "Tony!" "Tony, I didn't mean it." "It's okay, Jill." "I guess you had to." "I'll tell them, Tony, honest, I'll tell them." "That's right, Jill." "I'll tell them, Tony, honest." "Take Loring and the girl to the first car." "You can take Cochrane in your car." "You know what this means." "You'll lose your job." "Maybe Martha and Doc." "You'll go to jail." "It took a lot of guts." "I'm proud of you, Tony." "Thanks, Ole." "I can guess why you told that story, Mr. Stewart." "Thanks, but, well, you see, I knew that story a long time ago." "Even more completely than in your files." "No, you're wrong, son." "I didn't tell that story for you." "Every guy who lets himself get mixed up should hear it." "It's a funny thing..." "Hey, where's Johnny?" "What happened to Johnny?" "He just left." "Hey, Tony, give me a package of cigarettes, will you?" "Hiya, Johnny." "You're lucky." "I just came down here to pick up the kid." "I always take him and the wife out fishing every Sunday." "The usual?" "Yeah." "Some kid." "The hottest detective in homicide." "Here you are." "Tony!" "What's the matter, you seen a ghost?" "You're Tony Cochrane." "Well, how did you know my last name?" "Oh, sure, you must know Doc." "Boy, I'm sure pleased to meet you, Mr. Cochrane." "Boy, I sure am." "Yeah, I'm sure glad to have made your acquaintance." "You'll never know how glad." "Well, thanks, Johnny." "So long." "So long, Mr. Cochrane." "Oh, hey." "Hey, Johnny." "Coffee?" "No, thanks." "Going home." "Johnny." "You forgot your cigarettes." "Thanks again, Mr. Cochrane." "Mr. Cochrane?" "What's the matter with the guy?" "He's been calling me Tony for years." "I'll be right down, Pa."