" Anna." " Steve, I had to see you." "He'll get wise." "The last minute, you'll ruin everything." "I slipped out." "He was dancing." "Oh, Steve, I keep thinking and thinking." "Will you just not think about it?" "I'm so worried about you." "I'm all sick inside." "Oh, if it was only all over now." "If it was only this time tomorrow." "You know what to do?" "Have you got it right?" "Suppose you get hurt." "Remember, you'll go to the cottage at Palos Verdes." " Suppose something goes wrong?" " And you'll wait there." "It'll take time." "A few weeks." "Why do you say weeks?" "Why not days?" "Just stay at the house at Palos Verdes." "Don't try to get in touch with anyone." "Don't do anything until I get there." "I'll hate it." "I'll hate it every minute until you're with me again." "You'd better get back before he starts looking for you." "Steve..." "I don't want him to see the two of us coming in together." " Go on now." "Go on back." " Steve." "All those things that happened to us, everything that went before, we'll forget it." "You'll see." "I'll make you forget it." "After it's done, after it's all over and we're safe, it'll be just you and me." "You and me, the way it should've been all along from the start." "Be careful." "Why, yes, indeed, Mr. Dundee." "Why, just a few moments ago, I noticed her pass by." "I didn't ask, "Did you notice her pass by?"" "I asked, "Did you know where she went?"" "Well, no, no, I just didn't..." "Oh!" "There she is, Mr. Dundee." "Now, there is Mrs. Dundee." " Where have you been?" " Outside." "Just a minute." "What do you mean, "outside"?" " In the parking lot." " What'd you go out there for?" "Because it looked like rain." "Because I wanted to tell the boy to put the top up on the car." "Why did you have to go yourself?" "Because I had the car keys." "Because I had to give the keys to the boy, didn't I?" "Why didn't you send a waiter?" "Why didn't you send Waxie or one of the fellas?" " What are you asking me questions for?" " Why don't you answer them." "Will you shut up and leave me alone?" " What are you lookin' at?" " Nothing." "Anybody ask you to stick around and get an earful?" " No, you see, I was just..." " Get outta here." "Yes, Mr. Dundee." "Thank you, Mr. Dundee." "This rotten line of work." "The rotten class of people you have to put up with." "Good evening, folks." "Good evening." "How are you tonight?" "Table for four, huh?" "Follow me." "Why don't you go outside, Steve, and find some other place down the street?" "What's the matter with this place, Lieutenant?" "Pete." "The name is Pete." "I'm your friend, believe me." "You know what's the matter with this place." "He's giving a farewell party, isn't he?" "Well, I just dropped in to say good-bye." "He didn't invite you." "The way you know everything." "Look, they're going to Detroit." "Let them go." "Be intelligent." "Stay out of there." " Stay out of trouble." "Why should there be trouble?" "Oh, who's kidding who?" "You walk in, two minutes later, you'll start swinging." "The way you know everything, the way you've got it all figured out." "There'll be a fight." "You gonna pull me in?" "You gonna send me up too?" "All right, forget it." "Just excuse me for getting nosy." "That's all right, Lieutenant." "That's your business." "Go on, honey." "Go on out and dance." "But I don't want to dance." "Go on, find yourself a partner." "Take the girls to the powder room, Harriet." "What for?" "I just fixed my face." "Go on, dear." "Beat it." "See ya later, baby." "Hello, Stevie." "Glad you were able to make it." "Frank, if they're gonna fight in there, why don't you stop it?" "Not me, I never butt in." "These days, it don't pay." "You can't have people brawling around, gives the place a bad name." "Pretty soon, nobody'll want to come in." "You'll come in." "You're my best customer, morning till night." "She sits on that stool so much, that frankly someday I think she's gonna get stuck to it." "Hey, I thought Mr. Thompson was a friend of yours." "Ah, let them punch their heads off." "I give it up." "I don't care anymore." "You always wanted to get Slim Dundee." "Now is your chance." " What do you mean?" " He's got a knife on him." "I didn't say nothin'." "Now remember that." "Just a friendly argument, Lieutenant." "Just scufflin' around." "This is too good to be true, Slim." "I was hoping to get something on you before you left town." "This is just between me and Dundee." "I'm not swearing' on any complaints." "You sure you know what you want to do?" "This is just between him and me." "Oh!" "You didn't happen to see anything, did you, Walt?" "Not a thing." "Neither did you, Vincent, huh?" "Anna, who pulled the knife?" "What's the matter with you, Lieutenant?" "She's his wife." "You can't get a wife to testify against her husband." "Everybody knows that." "Can I go out now and wash up?" "Is that okay with you, Lieutenant?" "Go and wash." "Go to..." "Detroit." "If you should happen to change your mind before he leaves..." "I'll let you know, Lieutenant." "Chump." "What happened?" "He didn't come down here tonight to have a fight, a real fight." "It was supposed to be a phony, strictly for the cop's benefit." "What went wrong?" "Why did you have to go and pull a knife, Slim?" "He flared up." "In the middle of everything, he started to ask a bunch of screwball questions." "What time did he come in here tonight?" "Where was he?" "Was he in the parking lot?" "The parking lot?" "Don't be foolish, Slim." "Let bygones be bygones." "Do you realize how much dough there's gonna be in that truck tomorrow morning?" "In six figures." "Six figures!" "Come on, this is no time to be sore and blow up." "Why should you throw away the only chance of a lifetime?" "After all the planning, all the hoping." "What I say is, let's not be foolish." "I say, let's go right ahead." "Don't you realize it's even better now?" "That cop in there, he'll never guess in a million years you both are in a deal together." "Chance of a lifetime." "Six figures, Slim." "I went off my head." "I appreciate it, what you told the cop." "That's the way to talk!" "That's the ticket!" "What about the third man on the truck?" "Don't forget you gotta do the driving." "Can you get rid of that third man?" "No worry, I'll get rid of him." "I'll be driving." "Then it's all okay." "It's on." "Sure." "That's the ticket!" "That's the way to be!" "Boys, excuse me, but I got a date with my baby!" "I had to lay down the law." "I told my wife, "No more ordering on the telephone."" "But it's legitimate." "The store charges for delivery service." "I know, but compare." "Soap powder, 43 cents on the telephone." "At the Great Western Market, 37 cents." "Six cents' difference, huh?" "Tomato juice, two cans for a quarter." "At the Western, 19 cents." " Yeah, I see your point, all right." " You bet your life." "It all adds up." " Hiya, Bailey." " Hello, Bailey." " Hello, Pappy." " Hiya, Andy." "Where's Thompson?" "Isn't he working today?" "He's working." "Steve's the outside man." "We were discussing the difference in shopping prices." "There's one woman that knows how to shop." "Steve's mother, Mrs. Thompson." "She serves the best." "Since my wife died, I'm a guest there often." " Okay." " Here." "Well, so long, Chester." "So long, Pappy." "So long." "Now my wife, I don't know how much she spends on the house." "She's extravagant." "Beach in the summertime, uses up all my razor blades shaving her legs." "I don't get sore." "She's for me." "I love that kid." " Bailey?" "Which one of you is Bailey?" " Who wants me?" "Your office called." "Your wife isn't well." "You got to go home." " The office said it was okay." " My wife?" "Hey, Steve." "Yeah, what is it?" "My wife's sick." "You two guys can manage without me, can't you?" "Yeah, sure, go ahead." "I'll do the driving." "I'll catch the bus at Olympic." "I'd better go right out there." " Steve?" " Yeah?" "I'm worried about that phone call." "To tell you the truth, I don't like the smell of the whole thing." "You?" "It's strictly against regulation." "Don't worry about regulations." "Man's wife got sick." "I understand that, but a phone call." "Steve, I really think maybe we oughta check it." " We got a schedule to make." " Yes." "But there's supposed to be three of us on the truck." "With a load like we got today..." "All right, what do you want me to do?" "Find a phone booth someplace and stop and call the office?" "Anything you say." "No." "Go on, drive." "We'd be late." "Relax." "Everything's gonna be all right." "I don't know, Steve." "I guess you're right." "I guess I'm just kind of nervous lately." "Sure." "Take it easy." "You got a long ride ahead of you." " It's a 40-minute run to San Rafelo." " Yeah, that's right." "After it's done, after it's all over and we're safe, it'll be just you and me, you and me, the way it should've been all along from the start." "From the start." "The beginning." "It all happened so fast." "It was only eight months ago that I came back." "I came home." "The Los Angeles sun was shining, the way it's always supposed to." "The old trolley line looked the same, the old street, the old houses." "I was glad to be back." "I'd been all over the country." "I connected with a trucking outfit in Chicago." "Did construction work down south." "Drifted around the Oklahoma oil fields." "Jobs like that, one after the other, until finally I got her out of my system." "I didn't come back on account of her." "That had nothing to do with it." "I wasn't gonna go looking for her." "I didn't expect to run into her." "I didn't particularly want to see her." "I was sure of that, if I was sure of anything." "But then from the start, it all went one way." "It was in the cards or it was fate or a jinx or whatever you want to call it, but right from the start..." "Attaboy!" "Are you glad to see me, Corky, huh?" "How are ya, huh?" "Where's Mom and Slade?" "Mom go window shoppin' again, or is she out gabbin' with the neighbors?" "Which is it, huh?" "Come on, say something, you funny-lookin' little mutt." "Can't you talk?" "Ah, you stay here and watch my bag." "Stay here and watch it." "I'll be back later." "Now, watch it." "Watch it." "Attaboy!" "I went to the drugstore to call up Ramirez." "Pete Ramirez." "We grew up together, he was an old friend." "I thought I might drop over and kill an hour." "But it all went one way that sunny afternoon." "In the cards." "He was out." "His wife told me he was away somewhere, working on the job." "Pete always had the night shift, but this afternoon he was on day duty." "This particular afternoon." "And then somehow, there I was, in the round-up." "The old place, the old hangout." "There I was, all right, looking for her, whether I felt like admitting it to myself or not." "A little strange to see the place in the daytime." "Empty, quiet, dim." "We put in a lot of evenings here," "Anna and I." " Howdy." " Howdy." "You wanted something?" "A beer?" "You the new man around here?" "Depends on what you mean by "new."" "Where's Harry?" "Harry who?" "Harry used to be the bartender." "Worked here." " Must've been before my time." " Oh." "You want a beer?" "Does the, uh..." "Does the old crowd still come in here?" "Lots of people come in here nighttimes." "Depends on which old crowd you mean." "Tell me, do you know..." "Hey, mister." " Yeah?" "You looking for some special party?" "No." "No, I'm not looking for anybody." "Then what are you, a checker?" "Well, what's a checker?" "Are you an investigator for the state liquor board?" "I never even heard of them." "Well, if you're not lookin' for anybody, and if you're not a checker like you say you're not, what are you tryin' to strike up a conversation for?" "Let's have some nickels, huh?" "Swell-looking, well-built man like that, a checker." "Hot tip." "Hot tip, please." "I think I'll have that beer now." "If you're not a checker, then I apologize." "But if it turns out that you are a snooper, then I want an apology out of you." "I think I got that right comin' to me, ain't I?" "Oh, so unlucky." "Too late." "Too late." "Hot tip won $16." "But too late." "Well, for cryin' out loud." "I call up the house, and out of the blue sky Eve tells me..." "Yeah, that's right." "How are you, Pete?" "Fine." "I came right down." "I knew I'd find you here." "You did?" "Well, how come?" "Well, this was your old hangout, this is where you and Anna always used to go." "I'm not here looking for Anna." "Well, you came back to town on her account, didn't you?" "Why, no." "Well, then why did you come back?" "I mean, you know, all of a sudden like that." "Well, Mom's getting along, and then there's the kid, Slade." "You see, he's running around with some girl and he wants to get married." "So, I thought I'd come home and get my old job back if I could." " Take care of the house, see?" " Yeah, I see." " You want a beer?" " No, thanks." "Say, I'm not stopping you, am I?" "Stopping me from what?" " Didn't you want to use the phone?" " The phone?" "No." "Why?" "Uh, nothing." "I just noticed those nickels in your hand, that's all." "The way you know everything." "The way you figure it all out." "That's for the beer." "Well, Peter, I hate to break things up, but Mom ought to be home now." "I ought to be getting along." "I'll see you later, huh?" " Well, let me drive you home." " Oh, it's all right." "I've got the car right outside." "I insist." "City pays for it anyway." " It's such a bother." " No bother." "Fella comes home, been away a whole year." "Wants to see his mother, can't wait to see his brother." "Good old Steve." "I'll take you right to the door." "I'll go to Horten's in the morning, Mom." "Pop says he thinks I can get my old job back." "Then I'll take care of the house, same as I always did." "That's the only reason I came home." "Sure, Mrs. Thompson, that's the reason." "What else?" "You're all set, Slade." "Go on and get married." "Hey, wait a minute." "I don't want to get hooked into anything." "Just don't rush me." "I might get a better offer." "Well, honestly, the way you talk, I realize you're supposed to be kidding, but I really wish you wouldn't." "No, don't mind him, dear, when they tease like that, it's just because what they really want to do is pinch you." "Only they know it's not nice in public." "Why don't you go with the children, Steve, and take in a picture show?" "My first night?" "Well, don't stay home on my account." "You know I'll only go to sleep in a little while." "Sure, Steve." "Why don't you come with us?" "No, thanks." "I don't think I feel like a movie tonight." "You want to go bowling?" "No, I'm no bowler, Pop." "Hey, Steve, were you gonna call somebody up or something?" "Who, me?" "Well, you keep looking over at the telephone." "Oh, do I?" "I didn't realize." "Say, where's the evening papers?" "Ah." "Hey, look, Steve, I still have your old ice skates." "Now, what do you say we go down to the Ice Palace and have fun?" "Now, what is this anyway?" "I came home to settle down, not to go ice-skating." "Leave me alone." "All I wanna do is lie around the house and read the paper." "Now, go on, both of you." "Beat it." "Brute." "I'll do the dishes, Helen." "Never mind." "Go ahead." " Mmm, let me help you, Mrs. Thompson." " Thank you." "Excuse me." "Hey." "Psst." " Steve!" " Oh!" "Anna." "We were married about two years ago." "It lasted seven months." "A man eats an apple." "He gets a piece of the core stuck between his teeth, you know?" "He tries to work it out with some cellophane off a cigarette pack." "What happens?" "The cellophane gets stuck in there too." "Anna." "What was the use?" "I knew one way or the other, somehow, I'd wind up seeing her that night." "Steve!" "Oh, Steve, if you knew how many times a day I think of you." "How are you?" "When did you get back?" "Why didn't you answer my letter?" "Your letter?" "Yeah." " Well, you got it, didn't you?" " Yeah, I got it." " Well, why didn't you write?" " Well, I..." "I..." "I guess I never had anything to say." "Oh, Steve!" "A fella can't write if he's got nothing to say, can he?" " When did you get back?" " Oh, a couple of days ago." "I don't know, a week." "A week, and you never called me up?" "Steve, did you come in here tonight to see me?" "Is that why you're here?" " I was just passing by." " Oh!" "Like that!" "Well, I saw the old place and thought I'd drop in and look around." "I guess I figured I'd see you." "All the fun we used to have in this place, Steve, remember?" " All the good times we had together?" " Yeah." "And all the fights." "Ha, ha!" "The fights we had." "Boy, we sure used to go round and round." "What did we ever have to fight about, anyway?" "It was crazy." "We were in love, weren't we?" "Well, I guess you can't fight with anyone unless you really like 'em." "Wouldn't be much fun, would it?" "And then we'd make up." "Yeah, we'd make up." "Those were the times, weren't they, Steve?" "That was the best part, I think." "The making-up part." "Excuse me." "You're sitting in my chair." "You running around with him?" "Steve, this is Slim Dundee." "I know." "He's a well-known man." "Steve Thompson." "You want to join us?" "No." "We just ran into each other and stopped for a minute to say hello, that's all." " Well, so long." " Wait a minute, Steve." " What?" " You'll give me a ring, won't you?" "Sure, sure." "We'll probably run into each other now and then." "Why shouldn't we?" "Here you are, Pop." "Papers from the bonding company." "Sign 'em, and I'm all set." "How did he make out on the gun range, Johnny?" "Did he pass?" "289 out of a possible 300." "289?" "I don't know how you ever got along without me." "Pip, pip." "Look at him go." "I can still shoot rings around you any day in the week." "Oh." "Reading glasses." "Used for reading purposes only." "I've got perfect eyesight." "All the doctors remark on it." "Here they come." "You got a defense against an aerial holdup?" "They're liable to start coming at you someday with a helicopter." "I'll tell you something." "Nobody got away with a heist on an armored truck in 28 years." "As a matter of fact, they don't even try anymore." "You hear that, Pop?" "The deal is off." "Holy smokes!" "Is that you, Thompson?" "Are you coming back to work here?" "Well, I figured you guys needed a hand." "Holy smokes!" "They're takin' Thompson back." "Company's goin' to the dogs." "What do you want to sit around inside these armored trucks for?" "Take O'Hearn." "He's got the jitters." "He goes out to Catalina, spends his two-week vacation in a glass-bottomed boat so he can look out four directions at the same time." "Hey, Walter." "How's the wife?" "My wife?" "She's at the beach." "We took a place down at Balboa." "See, she thinks she's run-down, needs a change." "Actually, she likes to take sunbaths." "All women are nuts about gettin' sunburned." "But I don't care." "I indulge her." "I'm not picayune." "Hey, Steve, you used to have a wife, didn't you?" "Whatever happened to her?" "How is she?" "Well, so long, Pop, and thanks a lot." "So long, fellas." "I'll see you all soon." " So long." " Yeah, take it easy." "I certainly made no hit with that crack about his wife, did I?" "Well, you know how it is." "He's divorced, but he's still got her in his bones." "I guess it takes some time." "Oh, but it's all finished." "Don't get me wrong, he's all through with it." "There's no question about that." "That's just like you, calling me up at my house from a drugstore around the corner." "You're sore?" "Keep eating that stuff, you're gonna get as fat as a horse." "Steve, I want to tell you something." "That fellow, Dundee." "Slim Dundee?" "He just asked me for a date." "He just took me out, that's all." "Eat your lunch these days?" " Come on, Steve." " "Come on" what?" "You can be a nice guy when you want to." "I don't think you eat your lunch." "I think you still spend your money on costume jewelry junk instead." "Just like old times." " What's like old times?" " Bawling me out." "Only this time, in front of a drugstore counter." "I'm not sore because you went out with somebody." "It's perfectly all right." "It's none of my business." "What do you expect me to do, sit home and mope?" "I didn't mean to do anything wrong." ""I didn't mean to do anything wrong."" "Half the time, you don't know what you're doing." "Trouble is, you always know what you want." "If you're gonna get nasty..." "Working these days?" "I get jobs." "Department stores, selling." "What'd you want?" "I mean, why did you call me up?" "Do you have to ask?" "I don't know what you're talking about." "I made the first move, Steve." "You don't have to be proud." "What's being proud got to do with it?" "Do you think I like meeting you like this?" "Don't you think I know what went on in your mother's mind when she heard my voice on the phone?" "Oh, Steve, when I sent you that letter, and then when I saw you back in town, I thought..." "Well, I hoped..." "We'd get together again?" "Yes, Steve." "Why not?" "Take in the races, the shows?" " Start goin' around again?" " We could try, couldn't we?" "Maybe even get married again." "It happens." "Lots of divorced people..." "Then we start fightin' like cats and dogs, the same old business all over again." " What?" " Oh, what's the use, Anna?" "You know you." " Steve!" " We tried once before." "It didn't work out." "Wait a minute." "I'm not blaming you." "Maybe it was my fault." "Maybe it was nobody's fault." "Whatever it is, why don't we let it go and call it a day." "Every time we get together, there's nothing but trouble." " All right, Steve." " I'm sorry." "Yeah, I know, you're sorry." " Good-bye." " So long." "Can't you see what you're doing, running around with people like Dundee?" "Sooner or later, he'll break your neck." "Thanks for taking an interest." "You're welcome." " Wait a minute." " What?" "I got the day off Saturday." "I'm going swimming." " Are you?" " Going up to Zuma Beach." " Zuma?" "Where's that?" " Up the coast, past Malibu." "What's the difference where it is?" "You want to go along?" "Oh, sure, sure." "We'll fight on the beach at Zuma." "Don't get so funny." "I'm leaving early." "For once in your life, you'll have to get up early." "Don't worry." "I can get up early." "You'll have to be ready at 6:00." "I'll be ready, Steve." "You know I'll be ready." "Hello, Mom." "Well, that's a nice thing to do." "Make believe you didn't catch me." " What are you all excited about?" " I'm going out." "You been going out every night since you got back." "What happened?" "Get yourself a new girlfriend?" " You're my girlfriend." " Well, that's very sweet." "Thanks." "But I don't see you taking me to nightclubs and movies lately." "You got to wait your turn." "You know, Steve, you're a very nice-looking boy." "Out of all the girls in Los Angeles, why did you have to pick on her?" " Who?" " "Who"?" "Anna." "Oh, do you think you can fool me?" "Don't I know what's been going on?" "Don't I know why you came back in the first place?" "Don't worry, Mom." "If I wasn't your mother, I wouldn't worry." "She's all right." "She's just young." "In some ways, she knows more than Einstein." "You sit around watching me like I was a 10-year-old kid." "How old do you think you are?" "I've voted for two presidents already." "Ah, look, Mom, you don't understand." "What makes you think I don't understand?" "I understand." "A girl puts on a piece of silk, and the next thing that happens, a young fellow like you is sure he knows exactly what he's doing." "You don't know anything about her." "You had trouble with her once, didn't you?" "All right." "Let's forget it." "There's nothing you can do anyway." "Nothing?" "I spoke to Pete." " Well, what can he do?" " Plenty." "He's a detective." "Look." "You, Pete, the whole Los Angeles police department, are not gonna do anything about it." "I'll make my own decisions." "Better hurry." "I got a date." "Well, hurry." "Make your own decisions." "Here, wipe your nose." " Hello, Frank." "She here yet?" " No, Mr. Thompson." " You sure?" " Oh, positive." "I'll wait down here at the bar for her." "Well, now, here's a girl you can always find when you want her." "I don't think I quite like that." "The innuendo, I think I resent it." " Bad taste." " Oh, I beg your pardon." "But he won't need the table tonight." "Why keep it for him?" "I realize, but the trouble is I don't know how to tell him about it." "It's simple." "Just say I had to take the liberty." "Say I had to give the table away." "But you don't understand." "He only just came in." "He don't know yet, nobody's told him." "Then tell him." "Tell him." "I should tell him?" "But what do you want me to do?" "Get stuck with an empty table on my hands all night?" "Tell him I took the liberty." "The average fellow, just because a girl takes a drink now and then, right away he jumps to conclusions, won't treat her with respect." "Well, I treat everybody with respect." "I have to." "I'm on the public payrolls, remember?" "I'm a checker." "Ah, get lost." " I didn't order this, Frank." " On the house, Mr. Thompson." "Well, what's the occasion?" " Have one with me." " You?" "See, I thought you fellas knew about this stuff and never touched it." "What's happened?" "Oh, nothin', nothin'." "Only, you see, I'm in sort of a spot." "Yeah?" "I guess it's up to me to break the bad news." "You see, the headwaiter, well, he went ahead and gave your table away." "Wait a minute." "I want it." "I'm waiting for her." "Where is that headwaiter?" "That's just the point, Mr. Thompson." "I don't think she's going to be here tonight." "That's why he took the liberty." "You see, she went to Yuma." "But you got it all balled up." "I'm meeting her here." "I got a date." "I know it's something of a shock." "I could hardly believe it either, but..." "She really did go to Yuma, Mr. Thompson." "You see..." "Well..." "She got married." "I think what it must be, nowadays a girl will marry anybody that asks them." "Imagine!" "A man like Slim Dundee." "A man with his known character." "I'm sorry about that table, Mr. Thompson, but..." "He kept on talking, jabbering away." "I didn't hear a word of it." "I couldn't think." "So she went to Yuma." "So she married Slim Dundee." "Of course." "He had all the dough, and that's all she ever wanted." "I told myself, "Fine." "It was a lucky break." ""Probably the best thing that ever happened to me."" "I told myself that someday I'd look back and realize it." "But I was wrong." "It was in the cards, and there was no way of stopping it." "A month went by." "A second, a fourth." "It was all finished, done with." "Water over the dam." "Only, it wasn't." "You know how it is." "You don't know what to do with yourself." "You want to travel, get away, anywhere." "Every place you go, you see her face." "Half the girls you pass are her." "Did it ever happen to you?" "If I hadn't been hanging around the Union Station that day, if the clerk at the newsstand hadn't picked that moment to run out of cigarettes, to reach down for a fresh pack..." "I just saw you leaving." "You did?" "You got on the train." "I saw you." "You and him both." "I just saw him off, that was all." "Oh." "Well, I can't stay." "Why not?" "Vincent will see us together." " Vincent?" " Yeah, he's driving me home." " Might get the wrong idea, huh?" " That's right, he would." "What'd he do, leave Vincent to keep an eye on you while he was out of town?" "If you want to put it that way." " Shame I can't stay." " What a shame." "There he is." "Don't turn." "Don't let him see you." "You don't have to worry, he won't see me." "Thanks a lot." "Good-bye." " Here I am, Vincent." " I can't take you home." "You can't?" "They gotta drive the car up there, meet him at Las Vegas." "I thought ya knew that, didn't ya?" "Yes, I did." "But it can wait, can't it?" "He wants the car up there." "He wants it fast." " You know how he is." " Yes, I know." " You can take a cab." " All right." "There's a bunch of them right over there." " All right, Vincent." "I'll take a cab." " Okay." "You smoke a lot, don't you?" "You pass the time." " You happy?" " Oh, I love it." "He gives you everything?" "Diamonds." "You want me to go?" "Go, don't go." "Anything you like." "I didn't think he was the kind that married people." "Oh, he did." "He did." "I take my hat off to you." "Yeah, yeah, I'm a prize." "Tramp." "Tell me all about it." "Tramp." "Cheap, little no-good tramp!" "Stick around." "You make it all so nice and sad." "Why did you do it?" "You told me why..." "Diamonds." "Why?" "Why did you do it?" " You." " Me?" "Your mother, your brother, your whole family, and your lovely friend Ramirez." " Pete?" " You didn't know." "What did he do?" "Told me to stay away from you." "He was afraid I was poison." "He told me to get out of Los Angeles and stay out." "Oh, how could he do that?" "He said if I didn't, he'd run me in every time he saw me." " He said he'd frame me." " Frame you?" "That's right." "Send me to jail, to the women's prison at Tehachapi." "He wanted me up there with the rest of them, my hair cut short, wearing striped cotton, digging potatoes, and working in the factories." " I don't believe you." " Ask him." "Go and ask him." "He brought me down to headquarters." "Sent two men in plain clothes." "Why didn't you come to me?" "Because I was sick and tired of running after you all the time." "Begging you, "Please, Steve." "Please, please, don't get sore, Steve."" "Because I was sick of you and your mother and your wonderful friend Ramirez." "Because every day you were away, Slim was after me." "You didn't know that, did you?" "Slim always wanted me." "Always wanted to give me everything." "I got sick and tired of being a fool!" "I got fed up and didn't care!" "Oh, Steve!" "What happened?" "How did it happen?" "How did I get all mixed up?" "I didn't know, Anna." "I didn't know." "I'm scared." "They're killers." "Killers!" "I can't even sleep." "Look at the way he treats me." " Anna..." " Oh, Steve!" "What are we gonna do?" "What are we gonna do?" "What do you say, Mr. Thompson?" "I'm perfectly all right, Frank." "Nothing for you to worry about." "You know, you came in 9:00, 10:00." "You been sittin' there stewing' all by yourself." "You been belting' that stuff into you since 9:00, 10:00." "That's not good, Mr. Thompson." "That's not like you." "Mr. Thompson, don't you think you've had enough?" " Don't you think you're outta line?" " Yeah, I guess so." "Don't you think you oughta mind your own business?" " I'm sorry." "My error." " All right." "Bighearted joker!" "Too many bighearted jokers around here." "Bad day at the races?" "How did you guess?" "No kidding." "Did I hit it right?" "Right on the head." "I can size a person up like that." "You know everything too." " Is that it?" " I didn't quite say that." "See, everybody's got their own individual problem." "I can always spot it." "You people got a gift." "Well, I'd call it intuition, rather." "Size Frank up for me." "Hey, what is this anyway, an inquisition?" "Go ahead, you're a sizer-upper." "Size him up for me." "What's his problem?" "Fallen arches." "Say, what are you getting at anyway?" "You got nothin' to worry about." "You know everything." "I didn't say that." "You people got intuition." "Look, Mister, I'm sorry you lost at the races." "I know what it's like myself, but, well, you shouldn't ought to bet if you can't afford to lose." " I'll bet anything I like." " Gosh, what have I said now?" "And I'll bet anytime I like." "Say, what do you think you're doin'?" "Nothing." "Nothing." "Well, now, slow down, Mr. Thompson." "This isn't like you at all." "It's about time somebody did something about you nosy jokers." "Please don't make a commotion." "It's all right, Frank." "I'll handle it." "Well, the lieutenant." "I had to phone him, Mr. Thompson." "That's perfectly all right." "You needed a pal, the way you were belting' it in." "That's all right." "It's all right." "We're always glad to see the lieutenant." "Matter of fact, I got a question I want to ask the lieutenant." " Come on, Steve." " Did you see Anna?" " Come on, this is no time..." " Did you go and have a little talk?" " Not now." "Let's go." " No." "I want to know." "Is it true?" "Steve, how it happened, your mother..." "Never mind my mother." "Did you tell Anna to get out of town?" "Did you say you'd send her to Tehachapi?" "Yes, I did." "I said it." "It's true." "Was that nice, tryin' to throw a scare into a girl?" "Tryin' to bluff her?" "I wasn't bluffing." "I meant it." "Oh, you meant it." "Well, now, that's fine, Lieutenant." "Sincere." "I want to thank the lieutenant." "Come on, Steve." "Come on." "I'll take you home now." "You'll take me no place." "You done me enough favors." "Frank, tell 'em the show's over." "Come on, boys, you heard what the lieutenant said." "Come on." "Get back." "You saw her." "You're going to keep on seeing her." "I told you to stay out of it." "I tell ya, I'm not wrong." "I tell ya, I know it when I see a bad one." " Do I have to sock you again?" " Okay, let it go." " But leave that girl alone." " You're gonna try to stop me?" "He'll stop you." "Don't you see that?" "Dundee." "He'll get you." "He'll throw a knife into you." "I can handle him." "Get away from me." "You don't use your head." "You don't know what I'm talkin' about." "You don't hear me." "Hear me, Steve." "I hear you!" "I'm not drunk, I'm sober." "Cold sober!" "I'm gonna see Anna." "I'm gonna see her anytime that I want." "I'm gonna do anything I please, and you and Dundee and nobody else is gonna tell me what to do." "See?" "Steve?" "Steve..." "Anna." "What is it?" "You gotta hide." "You gotta do something quick, today." " What happened?" " He's on his way back." "He's gonna go looking for you." " How do you know?" " He found out." "He must've." "Crazy chances we took, being seen together." "Steve, we were crazy." " When is he coming back?" " I don't know." "Tonight, tomorrow." "You got to hurry!" "I'm not leaving you." "Oh, Steve, please." "Look, there's one thing sure, you're not staying with him." "Oh, forget about me." "I don't care what happens to me." "I'll go to him." "I'll tell him." " Tell him what?" " To let you go." "What's the matter with you?" "Don't you think I've talked to him a hundred times?" "You don't know him the way I do." "You don't know the people he's got around him." "He'll kill you." "He's got ways." " The minute he sees you..." " Stop it!" "We'll work it out." "We'll..." "We'll go away together." "Where?" "How?" "Where can we go?" "We've got no money." "Don't you understand?" "We haven't got a cent." "He'll always find us." " Look." " What?" "You go up to the house at Palos Verdes." "The house up there, what for?" "Stay there." "Wait for me." "I'll clear it up here." " You can't!" " I'll find a way." "I've got to..." "What was that?" " Refrigerator door." " Refrigerator?" "Why don't you come down and join us?" "You don't mind it, do ya?" "Our helping ourselves, I mean." "Hello, baby." "You know, uh, it don't look right." "You can't exactly say it looks right, now, can you?" "I asked her to come here." "I wanted to reach you." "I wanted to talk to you." "Oh." "So it was me all the time." "Between you and I, I had it all wrong." "So it's not the way it looks." "Is it, baby?" "No, it's not the way it looks." "That's right, Slim." "Just like he says." "He wanted to talk to you." "You were out of town, so I said I'd come over." "You really wanted to see me?" "But tell me now, Stevie, what kind of business could you and I possibly have together?" "A job." "A job?" "Well, why come to me?" "'Cause you're the only crooks I know." "Is that polite?" "Is it hospitable?" "Tell me, Stevie, what kind of a job is this you need crooks?" "Where I work." "Where you work?" "Armored trucks." "What are you talkin' about?" "You can't hijack an armored truck." "It can't be done." "You know it can't be done." " It can be done." " How?" "If you have an inside man." "Picturesque, ain't it?" "Down the hall to the right. 113." "What are we meeting here for?" " Who lives here?" " Finchley." "Finchley?" "Gee whiz, I thought he was dead." "But why do we all have to go to him?" "When they're the top men in their line, you go to them." "Hello, Finchley, I'm glad to see ya." "I mean it." "I thought you was dead." "Finchley, they're all waiting." "A lunatic idea." "I told you." "Won't go near it." "Wouldn't be bothered." "Finchley, there's a month's credit for you at Conrad's liquor store on Hill Street." "I'm going out this evening." "A previous engagement." "We can't go ahead without you." "You're top man." "Relax." "It'll take just a minute." "He'll come around." "You don't like the whole thing, say so." "Call it off." " I'm not taking any short count." " I figured it all out." "It's a two-way split." "One for you, one for me." " Cut your half any way you like." " In a pig's eye." " Can you work it without me?" " You know I can't." "All right, then let's get this straight before we start." "This is the way I want it: 50-50." "That boy is no fool." "He's got cards in spades." "Don't worry." "There'll be plenty left for all of you." "Slim, he's right." "Okay." "You're the boss man." "Any way you want it." "Where's Finchley?" "Why don't you go see what's holdin' him up." "Just a minute, Slim." "You know Finch, you can't rush him." "Slim, why do I have to stay here?" "Why don't I go to a movie?" "What do you want to go to a movie for?" "Don't you want to stick around?" "Doesn't this interest you?" "Sit down." "Come on." "Hurry him up." "Here he comes." "Walt talked him into it." "Just dropped by to tell you you're wasting your time." "We know all that, Finchley." "Come on." "Let's go to work." "Believe me, I know more about the armored truck business than you do." "You'd be surprised." "I work for them." "Indeed." "Indeed." "Now, that certainly makes an interesting problem, doesn't it?" "You think you can lay it out for us, Finchley?" " What have you in mind?" " The Bliss Company payroll." " At San Rafelo?" " That's right." "Very interesting." "Delightful." "Delightful." "What's so interesting about it?" "You're on the coast at San Rafelo." "There's only one highway available to you until you pass the bridge." "Don't you see how that complicates your getaway?" "I don't think that's so wonderful." "I think it's rotten." "Give me the road map." "That'll take some doing." "I suggest that you send out for sandwiches or what you will." "Oh." "It is definitely settled, the arrangement down at Conrad's, hmm?" " Paid for." "All been paid for." " Thank you." "Now, take these cigarette butts off the table." "Can't stand the stink of 'em." " How long is your run?" " Forty minutes." "What time do you leave?" "9:30 in the morning, on the dot." "Mmm-hmm." "Who's your chemical man?" "Hey." "Here." " What's your experience?" " I know my stuff." " Can you get what's needed?" " I can put my hands on it." " You sure?" " He makes it." "He's a registered druggist." "Was." " What's that?" "I can't read it." " SiCl4." "I thought you said you knew your business." "Thompson, you looking for something?" "Ran out of cigarettes." "Here." "Take my pack." "Thanks." "Who's your getaway man?" "I got a Ferrari motor in my job." "I can take anything out." "I wouldn't handle the money that way." "Mine's the fastest heap there is." "I can do 114." "No, I'd use the slowest vehicle to take the money out." "The very slowest." "Something that nobody would suspect." "An ice-cream wagon, say." "That's a new wrinkle." "An ice-cream wagon." "How can it miss?" "Here." "Take a drink, you deserve it." "When I'm finished." "In the Rubel ice factory holdup years ago, they knocked off an armored truck for $427,950." "But the cops caught 'em, every one." "They're all dead now." "Electric chair, everything." "Yeah, I realize." "But 400 grand." "Where's Anna?" "She just stepped outside for a paper." "You're gonna need a cover story." " Why do we need a cover story?" "For the getaway." "I told you, that's the ticklish part, the most intricate." "That's where you'll need the oil truck." "One of those big ones?" "What for?" "To stall at the proper time and block the bridge." "Oh, jam the truck sideways, right across the road." "Mmm-hmm." "That'll give your people a bit of a head start for the getaway." "Trouble is, there's radio nowadays." "Two-way radio." "Now, what are you going to tell 'em if they find you up ahead?" "Mmm?" "What's your story?" "I'm takin' a trip to Detroit." "Up along the coast, by way of San Francisco." "Good." "But really go there." "Advertise it." "Let the cops downtown put it on their teletype so that everybody knows." "I get it." "We'll pass the word around, and then we'll give a party the night before." "Good." "Good." " Do you understand?" " Steve, Steve." "Understand?" "You'll go to Palos Verdes." "I want to cry." "You go up to the house and wait for me." "I wish we'd never met." "It's done, it's settled." "It's the only way." "I wish you'd never seen me." "You'll stay there, you'll wait for me." "It'll take time to get away." "They'll hold me, ask me questions." "But stay there." "And don't worry." "You gotta hand it to the old man." "Now, is the new bridge up there all finished?" "Who checked the highways?" "What about the detours?" "There you are." "There you have it." "The way I understand it, there'll be no shooting." "No shooting whatever." "No matter how it goes, I don't want nothin' to happen to the old man that's with me." " Is that understood?" " You're the boss, man." "Anything else you'd like, boss?" "Yes." "Who handles the payoff?" "What's the matter, you worried because I'll be in Detroit?" "Don't tell me you don't trust me." "That hurt your feelings?" "No, anything you like." "Who do you want?" "Him?" "Him?" "Pick anyone." "I don't care." "What about her?" "I don't know any of the boys." "Okay, let it be her." " Is that okay with you?" " Yeah." "I can handle Anna." "When you get that ice-cream wagon back to town, give the money to her." " It's a deal then?" "It's all set?" " It's all set." "That's the ticket." "That's the ticket." "Cheers." "This is it now, the payoff." "Nothing will stop it." "Another five minutes, and we'll cross the bridge." "Another five minutes to San Rafelo, to Vincent, and the ice-cream wagon, to the rest of them." "Another five minutes to go." "Steve, there's a car tailing us." "Your imagination." "No." "Big, black car." "Swung out as we passed." "Lots of black cars on the road." " Let her out, Steve." " What for?" "Open it up." "Let's see if they stay with us." "All right." "I don't know what's the matter with me." "Getting jittery." "Sure." "Take it easy, Pop." "I'll be glad when this run's over." "Another four minutes." "There they go..." "Walt, Mort, Midget." "10:14." "10:14." "The oil truck." "On the nose." "Perfect timing." "Here, son." "Here I am, Steve." "He's coming out of it, Doctor." "He'll be kind of rocky for a while, Mrs. Thompson." "Why don't you all come back in the morning?" "He'll feel more like seeing you then." "You're a mighty lucky fellow, Thompson." "You know that?" "How's Pop?" "You're all right, Steve." "Don't worry about your arm." "The doctor says it's going to be fine, just as good as new." "Holy smokes, Steve." "If you only saw the newspapers." "How's Pop?" "Not now, Steve." "You did your best." "You can't blame yourself." "Yes, we're proud of you." "Pop's dead." "What more could you have done?" "You fought them off." "You saved half the payroll." "Look." "It's in the papers." ""Quarter million armored car holdup."" "And here's your picture." "You're a hero." ""Steve Thompson, now in the Angel of Mercy Hospital," ""saves half of payroll, foils perfect crime."" "Doctor?" "He'll be all right." "He just fainted." "Why don't you all come back in the morning?" "Hello, Pete." ""Lieutenant," Steve." ""Lieutenant."" "You were in with them." "You were part of it." "Is that why you came up here?" "To pull me in?" "Book me?" "They don't hijack armored trucks, Steve." "It can't be done." "They know it can't be done, not unless they've got an angle." "You were that angle." "What do you want me to do?" "Give myself up?" "Confess?" "Put up my other hand?" "They used you." "They took you." " Who did?" " Slim, Anna." "Oh." "You worked for the armored trucks." "They knew they had to have an inside man." "You were it." "You were the inside man." "You've got it all figured out, haven't you?" "Yeah, I figured it out." "Go ahead." "Keep talkin'." " You still haven't said anything." " You're no crook, Steve." "You weren't born for holdup." "I don't get it." "How did they ever get you in on this deal?" "What did she do, make you promises?" "Were you gonna run away together?" "What kind of a stunt did they pull on you anyway?" "Did they get you into a tight corner where there was no other way out?" "Tell the truth, Steve." "Didn't they work you for the prize sucker of all time?" "Shut up." "You don't know anything about it." "You don't know what you're talkin' about." "Get your stupid cop's face out of here." "You don't believe me." "You think I'm wrong." "I'll tell you something that might interest you." "Slim isn't dead." "You didn't kill him." "He got away." "So what about it?" "So he's alive." " What are you driving at?" " Just this, chump." "If she double-crossed you, if she's with Slim now, then you're all right." "A smashed shoulder, a crippled arm, 40 bucks a month pension, a $1,000 bonus." "But if she's on the level with you, if she double-crossed Slim, if she's really waiting for you somewhere, then he'll get you." "Never forget that." "You see that door?" "He'll send a gunman for you right here in the hospital, right through that door." " And he'll get you!" " Get out!" "You got nothin' on me." "You can't prove a thing." "So you still think I'm wrong, huh?" "What do you want me to do?" "Put a pair of police guards outside the door?" "She's with Slim." "Get out!" "I should've been a better friend." "I should've stopped you." "I should've grabbed you by the neck." "I should've kicked your teeth in." "I'm sorry, Steve." "I'm sorry." "Well, here we are, Mr. Thompson." "How are you coming along?" "Going to go dancing with your arm up in the air like that?" "Eh, you're my last customer." "I'll get you settled down for the night, and then I'm off duty." "But just think." "Isn't it terrible?" "I have to go all the way out to Monrovia, a barbecue at my friend's house in Monrovia." "Say, you don't know how lucky you really are." "Nurse." "Nurse, would you do something for me?" "Would you raise my bed?" "Oh, now, Mr. Thompson, that's not the idea at all." "You don't want to move that arm." "Lift me up." "Please." "Well, all right, seeing that you're a hero." "Can't refuse a hero." "And up we go." "Now, how's that?" "High enough?" "That's fine." "Thanks." "Now then, you've got to do something for me in return." "I brought you some pills, and I want you to take them." "They'll let you sleep tonight." "Just a minute." "Who's that man out in the hall?" "What's he doing here?" "Who?" "Oh." "Oh, a visitor." "Just a visitor." "Poor man." "He's taking it so hard." "He's so devoted." "He's been sitting there for hours." "His wife, she was hurt in an automobile accident, and he hasn't left her for a minute." "He's from Bakersfield." "His name is Nelson." "Would you ask him to come in here?" "I want to see him." "I want to talk to him." "Well, uh..." "All right." "Mr. Nelson?" "Uh, Mr. Nelson?" "Will you come here a minute?" "I hear your wife was in an accident." "What?" "Oh, yes." "I'll never forget it as long as I live." "I'll never forgive myself." "You see, I was doing the driving at the time." "It had to be her, only her." "It couldn't be me." "I didn't even get a scratch." "I'm sick about it." "Oh, Mr. Nelson, you mustn't reproach yourself." "That's foolish." "And your wife's going to be perfectly all right." "Do you know who he is?" "Did you see the evening papers?" "Look." "Steve Thompson." "He's famous." " We often get famous patients." " Oh, is that so?" "That's certainly nice, ain't it?" "Now then, here's your nightcap." "Drink it up, and you'll get a good night's sleep." "Not now." " It's just the pills." " Later." "Leave it there." " I'll drink it later." " All right." "I've got to hurry." "Monrovia." "Barbecue." "Now, if you want anything, just press the buzzer." "And don't forget to take your pills, hmm?" "Good night." "Good night, Mr. Nelson." "Good night." "Can I get you anything?" "That table is a little out of reach, isn't it?" "What have you got there?" "Here?" "My..." "My order book." "My sales route." "You see, I'm from Bakersfield." "I got a wholesale hardware business." "What's the matter?" "Nothing." "I'm just a little nervous." "You understand." "Forget it." "Oh, sure." "I can realize." "Well, I guess I'd better be getting back to my wife." "No, don't..." "Don't go." "Mr. Nelson, could I..." "Could I ask you..." "Would you do something for me?" "A big favor?" "Sure." "Anything you want." " Close that door." " The door?" "Yeah." " Yes?" " Would you stay here with me?" "Would you sit in that chair and watch the door?" "If anyone comes, don't let 'em in." "If you hear anyone coming, would you wake me up?" "Would you do that for me?" "Well..." "I don't think I exactly know..." "I'd be very grateful if you'd do that." "I want somebody to be with me..." "To stay with me." "Would you do that for me?" "Please?" "Would you?" "Well, of course." "Certainly." "Thanks." "Thompson." "Thompson?" "Come on, Thompson." "I waited." "I got your clothes." "You're comin' with me." "Where?" "Slim wants to see you." "Wants to find out where the money is, where Anna is." "Come on." "You can't get me out of here." "You can't do a thing to me." "Not a thing." "Hey." "You're driving me to Slim?" "Do you hear me?" "What's he paying you?" "200?" "Five?" "Take me where I want to go, and I'll give you 10,000." "Ten grand." "Are you listening?" "Come on, what are you afraid of?" "What difference does it make who pays you?" "What can go wrong?" "Can I cross you?" "How can I cross you?" "You worried about Slim?" "Don't be a sap." "He's a dead man." "Cops are after him." "Do you hear me?" "This is a big chance for you." "Ten grand." "It's a lot of dough, but I got it." "You know I got it." "Be smart." "Take me where I want to go." "Ten grand." "Ten grand." "Anna, you're here." "I knew it." "I knew all the time everything would be all right." " Who is he, Steve?" " Give him 10,000." "Pay him off." "Pay him, Anna, pay him and let's get rid of him." "Don't shut the door." "Keep the door open." " Here's your money." " Thanks." "I didn't know what to think." "They got their hands on the money." "Then they started shooting." "Suddenly out of nowhere, the whole crazy thing blew up in my face." "I knew they'd double-cross me, Slim and the rest of them." "But I didn't care, Anna." "It meant nothing to me, so long as I knew" "I could count on you." "Pete said you were part of it, that you were in on it with Slim from the start." "That dumb cop." "He had it all figured out." " Who was that man, Steve?" " Who?" "That man." "How did you get away?" "Tell me!" "Who was that man?" "Oh." "He came to the hospital." "Slim sent him." "Slim!" "It's all right." "He's got his money." "We're through with him." "You think we're through." "Don't you see?" "Don't you know what's going to happen?" "He's on his way back to Slim." "He'll tell Slim where I am right this minute." "Don't worry about Slim." "I talked to Pete." "The cops will pick him up the minute he shows his face." "I have to get away." "You don't know what you've done, bringing him here." "I have to pack." "I have to hurry." "You're going away?" "You're going to leave me?" "Here?" "How far could I get with you?" "What kind of a chance would we have?" "You can't move." "You couldn't last a day!" "Don't you understand?" "You need help, doctors." "You could never make it." "What do you want me to do?" "Let him get us both?" "Would that make you feel happier?" "Does that make sense to you?" "No, not anymore." "Why did you have to come here in the first place?" "Why?" "Why?" "It was all working out." "Everything was fine." "Papers said you'd be in the hospital for weeks." "All those things you said to me." "You weren't lying." "You meant it." "I know you meant it." "You love me." "Love, love." "You have to watch out for yourself." "That's the way it is." "I'm sorry." "What do you want me to do, throw away all this money?" "You always have to do what's best for yourself." "That's the trouble with you." "It always was, from the beginning." "You just don't know what kind of a world it is." "Well, I'll know better next time." "Well, people get hurt!" "I can't help it!" "I can't help it if people don't know how to take care of themselves." "I'm sorry." "I can't be like you." "I'm not like you." "I wasn't born that way." "I guess you're right." "I am different." "I never wanted the money." "I just wanted you." "After we split up," "I used to walk around the streets in strange cities at night." "I used to think about you." "I just wanted to hold you in my arms, to take care of you." "It could've been wonderful, but it didn't work out." "What a pity it didn't work out." "I'm sorry." "I can't help it." "I'm sorry." "Steve!" "Steve!" "I figured you'd bribe Nelson to take you to Anna." "You always wanted her, didn't you, Thompson?" "You really loved her." "You know, I did too." "But you won out, Thompson." "You've got her." "She's all yours now." "Steve!" "Hold her." "Hold her tight." " Steve!" " Anna."