"I've had no experience with detective agencies, Mr. Wickersham." "Just how good is Intertect?" "Do you expect an unbiased answer?" "I'm willing to listen to what answer you choose to give me." "You built Pearson Astro from scratch to the biggest thing of its kind in the country." "Now you didn't do that by accepting people's evaluation of themselves." "I've heard about you from others." "Now, I want to hear your view of yourselves." "We're efficient, well-equipped, we hire the best men available, and we charge all the traffic will bear." "We're the best in the business." "You're not handicapped by false modesty." "No." "Are you?" "No, I guess not." "Shrinking violets aren't worth $5 million at age 35." "You're worth more than $5 million." "I'm over 35." "Well, you'll have made up your mind about my organization by now." "Can we talk business?" "I've got a job for you." "And it isn't a normal security operation, otherwise one of your employees would have phoned to hire us." "I want a political figure investigated." "Why?" "I want you to dig up every rotten thing you can find about him." "Anything that'd be used to smear him." "This isn't the sort of job we usually take on." "Will you do it?" "That depends on your reason and who the subject is." "The reason is simple-- to dig deep enough to destroy him if you can." "And who is this man?" "Me." "Three shots in the bull's-eye and five clean misses." "That just barely qualifies you." "As what?" "Mr. Mannix, according to the records, last month you shot a man in the kneecap at 50 yards." "Luck." "Obviously." "Well, Mr. Mannix, why do you want me to repeat myself?" "I thought that Mr. Wickersham told you what's required." "Yes, he did, but, uh, it's an unusual request." "I'd like to hear it firsthand." "Well, the, uh, Citizen's Committee-- my party have asked me to run for governor." "Now, politics is a dirty business." "I want to know what can be used against me." "Now, just what is it you're worried about?" "Take it easy, Mr. Mannix." "I haven't said I'm worried about anything." "Well, no one sets a bear trap unless there are bears around." "Thank you, Miss Ellis." "Mr. Mannix, this is my secretary." "How do you do." "Pleasure." "Mr. Mannix?" "Black." "I divested my holdings in Pearson-Astro six months ago." "Not for me." "The Adam Pearson Foundation got 51%." "The bulk of the funds go into a science scholarship for the underprivileged." "In a political campaign, anything can be slanted to look bad." "The people that I'll be up against are past masters at the art of smearing." "Well, you must have some idea of what they might use against you." "Anybody trying to build a scandal can take an insignificant incident and blow it up." "I want you to start from scratch-- no help from me." "See what kind of a case you can do." "Well, I don't want to talk us out of business, but a good detective agency can usually find dirt no matter where it digs." "No doubt, but I want to see how bad it can be." "This is a dry run with you as the enemy." "If you can't find anything that hurts, then I'm quite confident that they won't be able to." "Suppose I can." "Mr. Mannix, my wife's happiness and peace of mind mean more to me than any political office in the country." "If she can be hurt by any smear against me," "I won't walk away from the nomination, I'll run." "Keep me informed of your progress." "Fine." "Oh, one thing-- I, uh..." "I'll handle this my way." "Of course." "I only have one condition." "I don't want my wife involved." "Stay away from her." " I don't understand," " Mr. Mannix." "What do you mean you're investigating my husband?" "Mrs. Pearson, I'm doing a magazine profile for Business Progress." "Most people know what your husband has done, but not really what he is." "The company's public relations firm prepared a biography." "If that would be of any help..." "I gather it wouldn't." "I'm not interested in the official campaign biography." "I told your husband that, and he agreed." "I've come to you for the person behind the image, the human interest." "That usually means human frailties... weaknesses the reader can identify with." "We all have them." "When Adam and I were first married, it bothered me that I couldn't find any weakness." "Well, I've long since given up that search." "Good luck to you, Mr. Mannix." "Mrs. Pearson, you come from a rich, socially prominent family." "How about his adjustments to..." "If you're trying to do a "she had to teach him which fork to use", let me tell you that my husband does a pretty thorough job of everything he tackles." "He could give any Washington hostess a lesson or two in protocol." "Do I sound like a wife that's very much in love with her husband?" "It's a nice sound." "He's a nice husband." "He told you to stay away from his wife!" "He just phoned and he's furious." "Look, while you're working for him, at least try to follow his orders." "Will the opposition follow his orders?" "He didn't hire them." "So he won't be able to control them." "Oh, and Lew, you can tell him if he's gonna try and control me, then we're both wasting our time." "Reproduce and distribute." "That's the earliest picture we could find on him." "That should be great for the campaign." "The Governor's known poverty." "A little log cabin never hurt anyone." "Here are a couple from college, graduation photo," "B.S. in Electrical Engineering." "That's when he won the Conference Billiard Championship." "Here's an Astro plant, wedding, society, sports." "There's a fairly detailed report in the folder." "Your boys have done a good job." "Well, I'll just take that." "Where are you going?" "Detecting." "I don't know why I keep asking." "Someday I'll hang a bell around his neck." "Why would he take the Billiard Championship photo?" "What kind of a lead is that?" "Well, even for Mannix, there's got to be a reason." "Seems to me the most logical move would be in the area of Pearson's business dealings." "His company had big government contracts." "Let me try to follow the path of Mannix's twisted mind." "Pearson won the Billiards Championship when he was a freshman in college." "That means he had to be very good before he got into college." "Sure, how does a slum kid get that good at billiards?" "You got a 20/21 cue?" "50 cents." "How long you been here?" "Too long." "Eight years." "This place has been here a lot longer than that." "Huh." "Looks like it's been here as long as they have." "They come with me." "You think I let bums off the street just sit here." "Them I gotta." "One's my wife's uncle." "The other's my brother-in-law." "Now, Schneider was born here." "Probably gonna die here." "I figure we'll have to bury him in the side pocket." "Want to game?" "Okay." "Go for a buck?" "Sure." "I, uh, hear you've been around here a long time." "Adam Pearson grew up in this neighborhood, huh?" "For break." "Ever run into him?" "Who?" "Adam Pearson." "Never heard of him." "I won the lag." "You break." "Three ball." "Hey, you ain't bad." "But I still think I can take you." "You want to raise the stakes to two bucks?" "Sure." "Four ball into the side pocket." "13." "Now make the 13..." "from there." "Why?" "Play it." "Could you make it any tougher?" "Yeah... but it wouldn't be fair." "Out." "Yeah, that's a pretty tough shot." "I-I-I didn't say you have to play it from there." "Yeah, I know, that's all right." "For ten bucks, right from where it is." "Interested?" "All-all I got is eight dollars." "You're covered." "Well, you cleaned me." "You're a pro." "What do you want to hustle me for a stinking ten bucks?" "That's pretty lousy in my book." "I wouldn't hustle another hustler." "That way, nobody makes a living." "I'll give you a chance to get your money back-- 20 bucks." "I told you, you cleaned me." "I've got nothing to put up." "Put up your mouth." "Adam Pearson used to hang out around here when he was a kid." "You must've known him." "He lived one door from the corner." "They tore it down." "It's a market now." "Does that buy me 20 bucks?" "For another 20, what kind of a kid was he?" "Shoot good pool?" "He was weak on nine ball." "He used to hustle a little." "Overall, he wasn't too bad." "But that was so long ago." "Another 20." "Have you seen him since?" "No." "That's all that's going down." "You want to play for it or not?" "60 bucks!" "Honest, I don't know too much about him." "He hustled a little pool." "He was a punk kid." "He ran some numbers." "Honest, that's all I know about him." "You've just won yourself a game." "He's still in there, Mr. Sobel." "He's using the phone." "Lew?" "You're calling from the neighborhood pool hall." "You found somebody that knew Pearson as a kid, right?" "Right." "And there's a chance it'll lead to something." "Tell me, uh, did Pearson belong to a fraternity?" "Yeah, Rho Sigma Delta, I believe." "Thanks." "I'll, uh..." "talk to you later." "Mannix, before you go, I..." "Good afternoon." "May I help you?" "Yes." "You'll have to pardon the confusion." "We're redecorating, and about time, too." "I'm writing a magazine article." "My name is Mannix." "I'd like to write about..." "About how all college students use drugs, have wild parties?" "Well, I didn't say that." "In all the years I've been here," "I've not seen one example of behavior that's any worse or as bad as anything you find anywhere else." "If a magazine or a newspaper can't find anything else to write about, it always blames the younger generation for delinquency." "Yes, I know." "Either the older generation skipped their youth or they spent their childhood with halos and harps." "I'm Mrs. Osborne, the housemother." "I'd like to do an honest story about one of your alumni-- Adam Pearson." "Class of '41." "Oh, of course," "I couldn't place the name." "Would the annual help?" "You know, it has..." "it has pictures of all the boys and, uh, comments." "1941... that was the war class." "We lost so many of the boys." "Some of them still come back and tell me what things were like when they were visiting with us." "Did you know a Beverly Rennick?" "I was Beverly Rennick." "It's Cortina now." "I'm Mrs. Cortina." "Bev, what's going on?" "Well, I'm, uh, doing research for a magazine article on someone Mrs. Cortina went to school with." "What kind of magazine?" "Those sexy pictures?" "He's a writer, Eddie." "Come on in, Mr. Mannix." "Won't you sit down?" "Thank you." "Mrs. Cortina, you knew Adam Pearson quite well." "My husband, he's a little jealous." "How did you meet Pearson?" "Oh, every pretty girl on campus knew Adam." "He saw to that." "We were engaged." "You beat out the competition." "Oh, aren't you nice?" "You want a chocolate?" "What's the deal?" "We were just talking, Eddie." "Talking, huh?" "Yeah." "Lay off that candy." "You're beginning to spread." "How did you and Adam become unengaged?" "Well, you know how it is with campus romances." "You remained friends?" "Oh, I-I've never forgotten Adam." "Tell you one thing, he was a tough act to follow." "Hey, Mac, you got nothing better to do than bug my wife about some bum she used to go with?" "You'd better go." "He gets sore." "Mrs. Cortina, can you tell me what Adam was like, who his friends were?" "It's very important." "Uh... wait in the hall." "Good-bye, Mr. Mannix." "Is he gone?" "Yeah, honey." "How about a beer?" "Coming up." "Just one minute." "I can only stay a second." "Actually, there isn't much I can tell you." "I mean, I'm younger." "Adam was a year ahead of me in Engineering." "You know, math, and all that stuff." "Who were his friends?" "You mean, besides girls?" "Mm." "I don't think he had time for any other...." "I ought to kick your teeth in." "Stay away from my wife!" "Eddie!" "Eddie, I'm so embarrassed I could die!" "What's the matter with you?" "!" "We were just talking!" "Mr. Mannix, I'm sorry." "Aah!" "Sorry." "That's two games." "I'll just never learn." "Don't give up." "You're getting better." "No, honey, I know when I'm outclassed." "Mr. Pearson, your wife has a very impressive overhand." "Mr. Mannix, come in." "Uh, don't let me interrupt." "No, we're finished." "At least I am." "My wife deserves better competition." "I don't care about competition." "I just like to play." "Adam has a puritan conscience." "He feels that it's a shameful sin to lose." "Mr. Mannix, you've hurt yourself." "Oh, uh, clumsy shaver." "Would you believe a jealous husband?" "You'd better come with me." "I've got the first-aid kit." "Oh, Mr. Mannix, you got a lead on something?" "Well, I spent a little time with an old acquaintance of yours at the Fourth and Emmett Street pool hall." "You used to hustle pool." "Well, if that bit of information got you that cut, you were cheated." "I used to pick up spending money like that when I was in high school." "That's not going to hurt my "Abe Lincoln" image." "I don't seem to remember Abe Lincoln running numbers." "Mr. Mannix, I was a slum kid picking up a few pennies." "Now you don't think they can build that into a scandal, do you?" "I'm beginning to wonder if I've hired the right detective." "You're the one who asked for the progress reports." "Yes, and so far, your progress consists of standing still." "I talked to another old friend of yours" " Beverly Rennick." "Beverly Rennick." "Ah, that takes me back." "She was a pretty girl." "I understand you always had pretty girls around you." "Say, there's an interesting angle." "A sex scandal is always good for a smear." "I'm sorry, I've misplaced the first-aid kit." "I'll have to go into the house." "Oh, that's all right, Mrs. Pearson." "I heal quickly." "You also have a very pretty secretary." "Does she type?" "Ask her." "I will." "We've got a date." "The preliminary reports on Pearson-Astro's contracts and the Department of Defense work show nothing irregular." "Mannix get back yet?" "Did he phone in?" "Thank you." "Gonna have to put that bell around his neck." "Odd you should mention that." "Mr. Hayden." "Ye-Yes, sir." "Did you get the transmitter installed in Mannix's car?" "Yes, sir." "The other receiver's located on top of the Thompson building." "Now, by simple triangulation, we get precise..." "Mr. Hayden, Mr. Hayden," "I'm familiar with the method." "Where is he now?" "Oh, he's just coming into Seventh Street, sir." "Range, uh..." "one quarter mile." "From now on, we'll know where he is at all times." "Don't put all your money on it." "Except for Roman candles, it's like the Fourth of July here every night." "That's why I picked this restaurant." "I like to live dangerously;" "flaming shish kabob to the right of us, fiery crêpe suzettes to the left of us." "And now cherries jubilee." "And if they don't start cooking in the kitchen pretty quick, they're gonna have to serve their guests in foxholes." "It was fun." "I'd like to see you again." "I'd like that, too." "Would you like to come up and have one drink?" "I'd like." "What's the matter?" "Just a loose wire." "Mr. Wickersham, there's something wrong with the transmitter, sir." "I don't know." "It just suddenly went dead." "Nothing about Mannix ever goes right." "Brandy or scotch?" "Brandy." "You came out from New York just to do this one story?" "Just to get the lowdown on your boss." "He's going to be our next governor." "He's got one vote for sure, hasn't he?" "He'll have a lot of them." "They say that every secretary is just a little in love with her boss." "Do they?" "Is it true?" "I worship Mr. Pearson-- there's a difference." "Well, I don't want to be worshipped." "Is your drink all right?" "Oh, fine." "You said one drink, so I'm... sipping." "I hope you're not going to put everything in your article." "No, I'm very selective." "So am I." "But I meant it about just one drink." "Mm." "Well, uh... if you get a bigger bottle, give me a call." "Oh, that's my, uh, that's my New York number." "I'd better give you my local phone." "It's an exchange, but they can get me anytime." "There you are." "And call soon." "Good night." "And thank you." "Good night." "Owney." "What are you doing here?" "Where's your wife?" "She ran down to the drugstore." "It's okay-- she won't be back for a few minutes." "Come on in." "Oh, uh, you're going to a ballgame." "What ballgame?" "What do you care?" "You've already missed three or four innings." "Look, Owney..." "I don't know what this is all about." "You don't have to know." "I don't have to know." "I got my orders." "There's only one ticket." "That's right." "Just make sure you get seen." "So I get to go to a ballgame, huh?" "Alone." "Yeah." "What are you gonna do?" "Standing here talking, you're gonna miss the whole game." "Look, Owney..." "I don't know who's heard what, but something is wrong here." "Nothing." "Listen, Beverly doesn't know anything... about me or anything." "It's a mistake, you hear?" "She doesn't know anything!" "Why are you yelling at me?" "I got my orders." "Owney..." "I love her." "You could say we were gone when you got here." "Give me a break, Owney." "You can't do it!" "Who could get hurt if we weren't around?" "Nobody could fault you for that." "You know how I work." "I won't hurt." "Now, go on already." "No." "If you want to fight me, I ain't betting' on you." "But maybe you got a chance." "You're gonna fight the whole Syndicate." "Run a routine print check on that, will you?" "Sure." "Whose?" "Just mark it Exhibit A." "Why didn't you use this?" "I don't want to hurt nobody." "Who sent you?" "What sent?" "I was just standing there." "You've been following me." "What following?" "It's a free country." "Owen Thompson-- is that your name?" "Yeah." "How many names you got?" "That's it." "You a cop, mister?" "You know who I am." "You got a record?" "I'm clean." "Honest." "On my mother's grave." "You keep following me, that's exactly where you'll end up." "I had an important appointment this morning, but I cancelled it because you said it was urgent that you get background on my first meeting with Adam." "I'd be delighted to help you in any way that I can, but you seem rather hostile." "Yeah, well, this may be more important to you than it is to me." "You ever heard of a man called Owen Thompson?" "No." "Recognize him?" "No." "Why?" "Mrs. Pearson, did you, uh, know that your husband had a reputation on campus of being a local Don Juan?" "Is that going to be the level of your article?" "Let's talk about his secretary." "If a wife were to pick her husband's secretary, she wouldn't come out looking like Sandra Ellis." "I think you'd better leave." "Oh, I know that you're loyal and love your husband very much, but haven't you ever wondered when he couldn't be reached at the office, those sudden out-of-town business trips?" "If you're trying to upset me and make me say something that you can print..." "I'm asking questions to get answers." "Now, you'd better tell me everything you know so I can help you instead of dumping this out into the open." "What did you find out?" "For one thing, you're worried." "Please don't print that." "My husband's career is more important than anything that..." "How long have you known?" "I don't know." "I mean, I'm not sure." "I've made myself believe that when he's away, it is business." "Please don't print that." "Please don't." "You've got my word." "Adam is a complete man." "The physical part of his life is very important." "I've always tried not to be an inadequate wife, but I guess I always expected to fail." "Uh, look, Mrs. Pearson," "I have no actual proof that your husband..." "There are so many things that I don't understand." "I was brought up in a sterile world... where everything was given to me." "Adam had to fight." "His needs were different." "If he's had to turn elsewhere... if I've driven him into the arms of another woman... then I'll have to win him back and try to live with the idea." "Well, if you'll excuse me, Mr. Mannix," "I think I'd better keep that appointment." "It was with my analyst." "Absolutely nothing." "I checked him out, and there's no record on him." "So, coincidence?" "I saw him outside the pool hall." "A few minutes later, the hustler was killed." "I caught him outside here this morning-- armed." "Well, good enough for a hunch, but I've heard no facts." "Facts come hard in this case." "Adam Pearson, the people's choice." "There's a wife who's afraid he's playing around." "Is he?" "I don't know, but I sure shook her up." "I didn't enjoy doing it." "Try to remember we're working for Pearson." "We're on his side." "Exhibit A." "Yeah, thanks." "What's that?" "Like the man said, Exhibit A." "It's a report on some prints he wanted checked." "Has he turned up anything?" "He is betting on a sex scandal." "Another hunch based on vague testimony of a Mrs. Cortina, who hasn't even seen Pearson in years." "Who?" "Mrs. Beverly Cortina." "She and Pearson were engaged when they were in college..." "You obviously haven't seen this." "So, what's the big problem?" "He's just doing what he's supposed to." "It's what he was hired for." "The big problem is that he's upsetting my wife." "That's exactly what he wasn't hired for." "All right, we hired him-- we'll fire him." "Okay?" "Okay." "Thanks." "Send in Owney and Matt." "Pearson's getting nervous." "Yeah." "Mannix is doing too good a job." "I'll check with you later." "Come in." "Mannix is giving us trouble." "Like?" "He doesn't know too much yet, but he's beginning to learn." "That ain't good." "He's been sniffing around places he doesn't belong." "That's to be expected, but it still isn't welcome." "A guy don't sniff so good with a busted nose, especially when he's also..." "No, no, no, no, no, none of that." "Kill him." "You sure you don't know this guy?" "Never saw him." "He was outside here yesterday." "So?" "So it was just a few minutes before the old man was killed." "What do you want from me?" "There's a lot of people outside there." "That's a wide street." "This is a big town..." "It's a free country." "...and it's a free country." "Yeah." "Mannix here." "Any messages?" "Yeah, thank you." "Hello." "I just got your message." "I wondered if you'd like that other drink." "Sounds interesting." "I'm still thirsty." "I'm glad." "When?" "How soon can you get here?" "I wouldn't want the ice to melt." "Well, I'm at Ninth and Ellis." "I can be there in about..." "20 minutes, more or less." "I'll try and make it less." "Oh, you didn't slip into something comfortable." "You got here so quickly." "I'm flattered." "Yes." "But then you didn't expect me to show up at all, did you?" "Your janitor may have a little trouble cleaning up the elevator." "Darling, I'm afraid I'm not following you." "Somebody was following me and I guarantee he won't again." "Well, if you want me to know what you're talking about, you'll have to be a little clearer." "You set me up to be killed." "Clear enough?" "Why would I want you to be killed?" "Now don't tell me you weren't involved in any of those syndicate killings in Chicago." "I don't know what you're talking about." "When you were what the papers referred to as a "party girl."" "If that's a joke, it's in bad taste." "Please go away." "You were never convicted, but you were booked once." "I got a make on your fingerprints." "I've asked you to leave." "Why, you got somebody outside as a backup in case that first punk missed?" "I have nothing to say to you." "Wrong." "You're going to tell me all your connections with the Syndicate, starting with Chicago." "What I used to do is none of your business." "Don't give me that "used to."" "Nobody "used to" work for the Syndicate." "You tell me all about Pearson, the Syndicate, the whole works and you'd better level with me or I'll knock it out of you." "And you know I'll do it." "I'll give you my name, rank and serial number." "Now, you..." "Mannix here." "Give me Wickersham." "Lew, better pull everybody off the case." "It's a syndicate operation." "You've seen the paper." "You're a regular Typhoid Mary." "Everyone you talk to dies." "They just tried to put me on the list." "I put your report and the paper story together and came up with the same answer you did." "Is Pearson tied to the Syndicate personally?" "Well, he was as a kid, probably still is." "The thing that clouds the issue is his wife." "Syndicate members, high up ones, usually marry into the Syndicate." "She doesn't fit." "Well, it's not your problem now." "You did a good job, Joe." "Look in when you get back to the office." "Yeah." "Good job." "Say, Jane." "Wickersham isn't in." "Is he gone for the night?" "Oh, no, he'll be right back, Mr. Mannix." "He said it would just be a few minutes." "Did he close out the Pearson case?" "We sent a full report to the client, along with the bill." "Have you got a copy?" "I'd like to see how you tell a client that he's tied in with murder and please send the check." "No, the files went to inactive storage a few minutes ago." "I'll order them up for you." "No, no." "It's not important." "Well, the delivery receipt should be included, and I only just received it." "Mr. Pearson was out, but his wife signed for it." "Are you sure?" "Yeah." "Something wrong?" "Tell me, if you suspected your husband of being unfaithful, and a detective's report marked "confidential"" "came into your hands, what would you do?" "There's not a woman alive who could resist opening it." "If that's what Mrs. Pearson did, she may not be alive." "Evening." "Emmett, you can go to bed." "Fix yourself a drink, I'll be right with you." "This isn't true, Adam." "Where did you get that?" "I couldn't have lived with you all these years and not have known you." "I don't know what this is all about." "But I'm sure it's exaggerated and not worth getting upset about." "It is true, then." "You are what it says, a criminal." "A member of the Syn..." "Don't say it, Martha." "Don't even know it." "But she does know." "Nice, you saved me the trouble." "Let's go." "Go where?" "What do you care?" "No matter where I tell you, you ain't gonna like it." "Well, then you can understand why I'm not too anxious to go." "That makes sense, doesn't it?" "Yeah, makes a lot of sense." "Come on." "The transmitter, it's working again, but it seems to be shorting." "There's still something wrong..." "Wait a minute, wait a minute." "That's Morse, that's Morse code he's sending." "Huh?" "That's S.O.S." "Get me a fix on it." "Yes, sir." "Is anybody around?" "Just us." "Well, keep my car phone open." "Yes, sir." "Mr. Mannix, I'd like to congratulate you on a job well done." "I turned up more than you needed, didn't I, Pearson?" "I'll drop out of the race." "I'll take Martha away somewhere." "We'll go to Europe." "I promise there won't be any trouble." "Your wife doesn't realize how this is going to end, does she, Pearson?" "Matt." "Shut up!" "It's too bad about that first step." "You could've made it without them;" "probably even been a good governor." "You don't hear good." "Come on outside, Adam." "Forget it." "I can handle it." "She won't talk." "Just give me a few minutes alone with her." "You know the rules." "You helped make 'em." "Mrs. Pearson..." "Mrs. Pearson!" "Your husband is saying good-bye to you." "You're to be killed." "It doesn't matter what he wants." "You jeopardized the whole Syndicate." "I thought I had a husband, a home, a life we built together." "You can't do any more harm than you've already done." "I'll take full responsibility for keeping her quiet." "I'll call Marty right away." "I'll explain it to him." "Rules, Adam." "Who do you think you're talking to." "You're not even on the Council." "If I say it's all right, it's all right." "Will you come outside?" "You take your orders from me." "Do you understand?" "It's my responsibility." "I got my orders." "I have to go, Martha." "You all in one piece?" "Yeah, fine." "You?" "Yeah, okay." "Mrs. Pearson, I'm sorry about your husband." "I have no husband." "I don't know who this is." "They killed my husband when he was 17." "Now all they have to do is bury him."