"Yes." "I think so." "Right." "We'll check into it." "Hi, Lou." "Go home." "Of course;" "I agree with you." "Look, may I call you back later, please?" "Thank you." "Good-bye." "You know, Lou, I was thinking... 20 minutes ago, your doctor called." "He said you're to stay off that foot-- that bullet wounds don't heal overnight, that you have the constitution of an ox, and the disposition of a mule." "He's a great doctor, but he's got no sense of humor." "Look, you're in no shape to work, so go to the beach, go to the mountains, take a vacation or something." "I've been on a vacation, Lou." "Two weeks flat on my back, with my leg in traction." "You are of no use to me." "You tail somebody in that thing, you'd be spotted in a second." "Supposing some..." "I know all the arguments." "Think positive." "There's got to be something I can do." "Forget it." "Excuse me." "Look, take a holiday, will you?" "Wait a minute-- there is something you can do for me." "Some local attorneys want a signature." "The party lives in a town called Grandvale." "Get a paper signed, bring it back with you." "Sounds thrilling." "If it was thrilling, I wouldn't ask you." "Now, look, you might as well go fishing." "I don't want you back here until that leg is healed up." "Now, if you don't want to stop in Grandvale, that's okay with me, too." "It's not that important." "Oh, come on, Lou." "Okay, you want to work, get behind one of those desks." "Okay." "Whose signature do I get?" "Amos Silo." "Hi." "Is there a taxi around here?" "In this town?" "Is there someplace I could rent a car?" "Oh, yeah, you can, uh..." "you can rent mine." "Only, uh, it depends on how long." "I have a date when I get off the station." "Well, it depends how long it takes to get to the Twin Horn Ranch." " Oh, well, uh..." " Ham!" "Finish adjusting the brakes." "Oh, it can wait." "This fella wants to go to Twin Horn." "Don't worry about where he goes." "You go to the grease rack." "Boy, what's bugging you?" "I'm sorry, the car's not for rent." "Oh." "Why not?" "Ham's a big operator when he smells a chance to hustle a buck." "You could get killed in this car." "Seals are leaking, the brakes are gone." "I haven't had a chance to fix it." "I see." "Are there any other cars available?" "No." "I sure am sorry." "Well, uh, you mind if I leave my bag and fishing rod here?" "I don't run a check stand." "Why don't you try the motel down the road?" "You must be new in the business." "Yeah?" "Why?" "Well, you had to take the wheels off to check the seals." "It seems kind of silly to put them back on before you fixed 'em." "I sell gasoline, mister." "If you don't want to buy some... why don't you move on?" "I guess I might as well." "Out of gas or something, buddy?" "Give you a lift?" "It'd sure help." "Where you headed for?" "The Twin Horn Ranch." "I'm sorry about that, buddy." "Wish I could help." "But I hang a left on the cutoff just down the road." "Can I help you?" "It'd be a nice change." "Uh, you walk up here?" "From where?" "Grandvale." "That's a long way." "Mind if I ask what you want?" "I'm looking for Amos Silo." "You a friend of his?" "No." "Shame you had to waste your time." "Amos is dead." "Nope." "Twin Horn went before Amos." "Lot of heat lightning this time of year." "Like a match head exploding." "Whoosh, and you're on fire." "When'd he die?" "Yesterday." "I'm heading on to Silton." "Take you there; glad to." "No, thanks." "Wrong direction." "Nothing much in Grandvale." "Don't even get a bus but once a week." "They got a daily bus out of Silton." "Yeah, well, I, uh, made it out here." "I guess I can make it back." "Oh, friend, uh..." "We do have a time with people who wander in the desert and don't know the country." "Easy to get lost." "Temperature gets way up, over a hundred." "A man could die of thirst." "Did you know Amos Silo?" "Oh, I knew most all these folks." "This is where all my friends are." "Uh, Amos Silo." "There's a headstone with his name on it." "Over there." "You said a headstone;" "you didn't say he was buried." "I got here early in the morning and the headstone was there." "It wasn't the night before." "Thanks." "You know, there could've been a funeral after I left." "Could've been one before I got here." "It's possible." "As far as I know, Lou, Amos Silo is dead." "As far as you know?" "!" "The word is, he died suddenly and was buried even more suddenly." "Oh, next of kin can sign." "Lou, I don't like this town." "I don't like the people, I don't..." "Wait a minute, look, let me get the file and I'll look up Amos Silo's next of kin, then..." "Hello?" "Lou?" "Lou!" "Operator?" "Oh, you're mad." "I know." "I get furious." "About what?" "About being cut off." "You're saying something, you're listening, and all of a sudden, there's nothing." "Would you mind placing my call again?" "Oh, I wish I could." "But it wasn't me, it was the board." "It went dead, just like that." "It's happened before." "I see." "Well, thanks anyway." "I'll get the call through." "How?" "There's a telephone at the gas station." "Oh, you don't understand." "It's not just my board, it's the line." "All the phones." "Uh-huh." "Tell me, uh, is there a telegraph office?" "Uh-uh." "Train?" "No." "Inter-urban bus?" "Sorry." "Interstate." "Next week." "The one you came on." "Well, I guess I won't be going anyplace." "Amos Silo died of a coronary-- heart attack." "There wasn't anything I could do for him." "Massive damage to the heart." "Happened just like that." "You do a postmortem?" "No." "No reason." "Maybe Silo had a history of heart disease." "Or was he healthy up until the day he died?" "I don't give medical information on my patients, even after they're deceased, to anybody who happens to walk in." "Is Silo's next of kin classified information?" "He died without relatives." "Did he leave a will?" "Ask his lawyer" " Sam Glass." "Information is tough to come by around here." "Can't seem to get any answers." "Well, I'm Amos' lawyer." "I'm the only lawyer in town." "Also the mayor." "Only mayor." "What about Silo's will?" "Well, he died intestate." "No relatives?" "As far as I know." "Well, thanks." "Mr. Mannix you don't talk much about yourself." "I'm not curious about me." "Well, I'd like to know why you came to Grandvale." "To get Silo's signature." "Well, he wasn't famous." "You weren't interested in his autograph." "Eh, you're right;" "I wasn't." "Thanks for your help, Mayor." "Hendie's place." "We keep the lid tight on this town until Wednesday." "And I mean tight." "So, we help Mr. Mannix keep cool, and be our guest." "You tuck this in the vault, Sheriff." "Anybody asks to examine the Hall of Records, we've got nothing to hide." "Okay." "Yes...?" "Miss Brooks?" "Yes." "It's very important." "Good-bye." "Not yet." "Our little telephone operator." "You're the one that pulled the plug on my long distance call, aren't you?" "Are you goofy or something?" "Now, why would I do a thing like that?" "I don't know why anybody does anything in this town." "Look, I know you're shook up." "I'm sorry about the phones, but it happens." "Tell me about Amos Silo." "What?" "You're his next of kin." "Well, I'm his second cousin, if you call that next." "Oh, hi, Sheriff." "Violet." "I want you to come with me." "Where?" "You gonna give me trouble?" "Yeah, I'm gonna give you trouble." "I'm getting tired of being pushed around." "Get against that wall." "Concealed weapon." "There's a permit for it in my wallet." "Did he do something wrong?" "Don't you worry about it, Violet." "All right, Mr. Mannix." "Let's go." "Wickersham." "Yes, put me through to the sheriff, please." "What can I do for you?" "I'm trying to locate one of my men." "He's registered in the motel but he hasn't been in his room." "His name is Joe Mannix." "He's in jail." "What's the charge?" "Suspicion of breaking and entering." "I'll post bail." "How much?" "I'll have to check that and get back to you." "I'd appreciate that, Sheriff." "Can I expect to hear from you within the next hour?" "Well, I don't know if we can get things sorted out quite that fast." "Try, Sheriff." "Try hard." "Is that a threat, Mr. Wickersham?" "No threat, Sheriff." "A promise." "I'm getting a lawyer for Mannix." "He's going to make very sure that no rights have been violated." "Thanks for your courtesy, Sheriff." "Good-bye." "You finished with your dinner?" "Yeah, thanks." "Violet, I've got to have your help." "I have to know about your cousin." "Amos is dead." "Are you sure?" "Look, I know there's a name on a gravestone." "That doesn't prove a thing." "I was at his funeral early this morning." "Did you look into the casket?" "No, you're wrong." "He died and he's buried." "Somebody's trying to hide something." "Now what is it, Violet?" "Is it murder?" "It's the sheriff, Violet, and the mayor." "Vi!" "Now you can scream all you want." "Help!" "What's the matter...?" "Mannix, out the window." "What did he want?" "He asked about Amos." "What did you tell him?" "I told him he was dead and buried." "You just keep saying that, Violet." "Operator." "I'd like to make a long-distance call, Operator." "It's urgent." "Area code 311..." "KL5-2271." "What number are you calling from?" "Uh... 7853." "Thank you." "One moment, please." "What number were you calling again, please?" "KL5-2271-- area code 311." "Did you wish to speak to anyone in particular?" "Yeah, anyone." "Thank you." "Operator?" "Operator?" "Hello, Operator?" "The circuit is busy." "If you wait there, I'll call you as soon as it's free." "We know he was at the gas station not ten minutes ago." "How far could he get in that time?" "Sheriff." "I'm Sam Nash." "I just drove in here from Silton." "What can I do for you?" "I got a telephone call from Intertect's attorneys." "They want me to represent a prisoner you're holding here" "Joe Mannix." "Mind if I see him, Sheriff?" "That's gonna be a little difficult to arrange." "Oh?" "Your client is not available for representation, Mr. Nash." "At the moment, he's a prisoner at large." "On bail?" "No, breakout." "Run him down!" "Make it look like an accident!" "Who is it?" "How is he?" "Oh, he'll live, if that's what you mean." "That seems almost a shame." "Well, we can't get him back to that jail;" "that lawyer would get to him." "He's going to have to stay here, Violet." "I don't want any part of this." "But you're in it." "We all are." "Until tomorrow." "You're a winner..." "you're a winner, Lou." "Vacations... great town... fresh air..." "How long before he comes out of this?" "Fresh air..." "Vacation..." "Buried cows... you know..." "Bandits... bandits..." "Men with masks." "You keep him under until this is over, you hear?" "Great town." "I'll leave something for him." "Two tablespoons every four hours." "Thanks for the tender, loving care, Miss Nightingale." "That's water." "Pure water." "I know that's pure 'cause I filled the prescription myself." "What's this town hiding, Violet?" "Where is Amos Silo?" "I swear to you, he's dead and buried!" "There's more to it than that." "Everything's changed now." "Mr. Mannix, they want you dead." "So have a lot of people." "That's how I make my living." "Right there!" "One move, you're dead." "Shoot, friend, and there'll be two of us." "Now put the gun down on that jeep." "You won't." "You'll burn, too." "That's right, friend." "But as long as you're holding that gun, I got nothing to lose." "Now put that gun down." "Shoot or put it down!" "Back off!" "Mr. Surayano, all we need is your signature." "Sheriff Weed, Mr. Surayano." "Honored." "Pleasure's mine." "Double pleasure." "Some of my cattle included out there." "You'll get no finer breeding stock in the whole world." "I wouldn't be buying them if I didn't believe that." "This seems to be in order." "Now, the delivery arrangements?" "Have your trucks deliver them at dockside." "Our ship is waiting." "My country needs this stock desperately." "Oh." "Excuse me." "Mayor Glass." "Sheriff's with me." "I'll take the message." "He did?" "When?" "All right." "A little pressing civic business." "The sheriff and I have to go." "I'll send a man in to drive you into town." "Mannix." "You head south." "Either you're out of your head or you're looking to get it busted wide open." "These trucks picking up cattle in Grandvale?" "Yeah." "Any more?" "30 more, coming from Silton." "Well, you better turn around and go back." "Are you kidding?" "Empty." "Now tell the others." "You're a persistent man, Mr. Mannix." "You've got a sick town here, Mayor." "I don't aim to see it die." "Killing me isn't going to help this place." "It was anthrax, wasn't it?" "We weeded out the sick ones, and immunized the rest." "The cattle are clean now." "Like Amos Silo was clean?" "That's why you burned his place to the ground, wasn't it?" "And he died from that disease, too, didn't he?" "Our cattle have to ship out." "These men's lives depend on it-- their families." "It's our only economic existence." "Your lives, your family, your survival, one town." "What about the other lives, other towns, other survivals?" "You'd ship sick cattle to them?" "The cattle are healthy!" "Maybe." "But you'd better let a government inspector decide that." "I won't!" "I can't!" "They'd kill the herd, and destroy the town in doing it." "They've got nothing at stake, nothing to lose." "Mannix, there are no more sick ones." "You can't be sure of that until it's too late!" "That's why they can't let those cattle live." "I don't want to have to kill you." "Put down that gun, Mayor." "Glass!" "Use your head!" "Hand over the gun, Mannix." "Let me get him, Sheriff." "Stand back!" "Don't shoot." "You killed him." "That's right." "He tried to kill me." "You'll find an empty shell in that rifle." "I had no choice." "Put it down, Hawk." "Put it down!" "We agreed to this thing to begin with, but not to the point of anybody getting killed." "I didn't think it'd go this far." "Get in the car." "Well, Violet, I'd like to place that call now." "Area code 311," "KL5-2271." "It's all right, Violet." "Put it through." "It's ringing, Mr. Mannix." "Yeah, Mannix here." "Put me through to Wickersham." "Lou..." "Mannix." "I asked you for a simple favor, just to get a signature." "I'll be getting that signature from the next of kin." "Congratulations." "And where do I send the bail money?" "The breaking and entering charge was dropped." "And the jailbreak?" "They're overlooking that, too." "But, uh, I had to kill a man." "Are they overlooking that, too?" "The sheriff knows it was self-defense." "Mannix..." "I don't know what went on there, and I'm pretty sure I don't want to know." "Just get that signature and leave town." "You think you can do that?" "Right." "I came to Grandvale to get this signed." "It's a quitclaim for a freight damage case." "Go ahead." "Value of merchandise: $6.30."