"Well, now who's holding up the caravan?" "Now who's holding up the caravan?" "Asta, fall in." "My gosh, we'll never get this roadwork done." "Hey, Nick, how about taking the chain off?" "Yes." "Have you disappear like you did yesterday?" "What's your mother going to think?" "Look, I tell you what." "Let's sit down, huh?" "You're tired." "I'm not tired." "You're tired." "Look, if you'll fall off the roadwork, I'll read you a new fairy tale." " Oh, no." "I've heard all those, Nick." " No, no." "This is a brand-new one." "This is one you've never heard before." "Okay, Asta?" "Okay, Nick." "You're on." "All right, now, you fellas hop right up here on the bench." " Here, you be leash holder." " All right." "Now, hold on to your bench because this one's gonna be a wow." "Now..." "Once upon a time, there was a horse." "There were hundreds of horses." "White ones, black ones, brown ones beautiful horses." "And how they could run." "Mrs. Charles." "Mrs. Charles!" "Yes, Stella?" " Baby's lunch is waiting, ma'am." " Oh, of course." "They should have been back 10 minutes ago." "But you know how men are." "They like to stay out late to show their independence." " They sure do." "I'll see if they're still in the park." "I see them." "They're sitting on a bench." " You mean, Mr. Charles is sitting down?" " So is Nicky." "You mean, they ain't walking at all?" "The boss must've done some tall conniving before that baby let him squat." "They're such great pals." "He's getting more like his father every day." "He sure is." "This morning he was playing with a corkscrew." "The darling." "He's reading the baby fairy tales." ""Foxy Gent, who stops in the stretch..."" " hasn't a chance to win, but he's liable to come in first in case he forgets to quit." "Nick, why don't you just put down the book and read the racing form." "Nicholas, you know, you're getting more like your mother every day." "All right." "Son of a Gun is 40-1." "Nicky, something tells me that something important is happening somewhere." "And I think we should be there." "He's up on his feet!" "He's heading this way!" "Ma'am, did he hear that, or did he smell it?" " That's Mr. Charles, isn't it?" " Yes'm." " This is a cocktail, isn't it?" " Yes'm." "They'll get together." "Yes'm." "Must be tele..." "Telescope..." "In the old days, they put a lamp in the window." "Stella, the lost patrol has returned, finally." "Well, Mommy, we had to get Jack down off the beanstalk." " Hi there." " Mommy!" "Hello, darling." " Did you have a good time?" " Yes." " Did Daddy read you a story?" " Yes." "Tell Mommy the story." "Son of a Gun is 40-1." "Don't you think we should have a rug over there to cover that bare spot?" "Someday, when you're president you're going to be able to say, "My daddy was a tout."" "You'd better hurry up with your lunch." "Your baked potato's waiting." "Come on, Long Shot." "Swing it, sugar." "I've got a sleeper in the first and I don't wanna miss it." "It's a honey." "I'll be with you in two shakes of a cocktail." "Cocktail?" "Cocktail." "I think I'll try one of those things." "Estrellita!" "Estrelli..." "Yes, sir." "Here it is." "What do you know?" "Must be telepathy." "Doggone!" "That's the word I was looking for." "A gorgeous gal, a cocktail, seven winners this afternoon." "Am I in a rut." "Seven winners." "Let's see if you can pick one winner for me right now." "What, a dress?" "Sugar, winners are what I pick nothing else than." "Of course, there you are, right there." "That's my favorite." "Oh, Nicky, that's a nightgown." " It's still my favorite." " Mr. Charles!" "Here it is." "That telescope is working regular now." "And not a moment too soon." "Oh, give me the road The wide country highway" "Oh, give me a gal who 's going my way" "Oh, give me the road The wide open spaces" "And give me a wife who 's going... places" "That's very touching, dear, but I wish you wouldn't drive so fast." "I don 't tell you how to run the house" "Oh, give me a hole I'm just a mouse" "Well, what's new?" "Thank goodness neither of us was driving." "We don't know a thing about it." "I know, I know." "You were just hurrying downtown to cash a relief check." "Officer, that's a very funny line." "You mean, it was, five years ago." "Your license, please." "I realize that you're the guardian of our safety but this was an extenuating circumstance." "Now, now, just open up your license." "Come on, open it up." "Wider." "Wider." "Now, don't worry." "This isn't going to hurt a bit." "Dear, if you went to the dentist when you should he wouldn't have to follow you around on a motorcycle." "March 23rd." "Nick..." "Charles." "Nick...?" "Nick Charles, the detective?" "Say, Mr. Charles, this sure is a pleasure!" "I should have recognized you, seen your pictures in the papers." "I follow all your cases." "We still talk about the Thin Man job and the Landis case." " Yeah?" " Why, it's the slickest detective work in 50 years." "Nick Charles." "The last time I read about you, Mr. Charles you was in New York, you was." " I were?" "I was?" "Yes, you was." "Say, Nick, you working on a new case?" " Well..." " You can tell me, Nick." "What kind of a job you on this time?" "I'm trying to fix a speeding ticket." "Well, you could do it if anyone could." "What's the address?" "We're staying at the St. Cloud Hotel." "St. Cloud Hotel." "Say, isn't this a great day to get out of the city?" " Yeah." " Especially in an open car." "When you go 80 miles an hour in this job, I bet you don't even feel it." "He's feeling it now, aren't you, Nicky?" "Boy, oh, boy." "Wait till I tell the family I met Nick Charles and Mrs. Charles." "This is Mrs. Charles, ain't it?" "Well, that's the way we check in at the motels." "No one will get a word out of me, Nick." "It's okay, honey." "Just sign it, Nick." "I made a carbon copy for the kids." "They save autographs." "I'm flattered." "Where you heading, Nick?" "The track?" "Yes." "But we'd just as soon sit here and talk." "No, that'd make you late." "To show you how the force feels about you, I'll escort you to the track." "Oh, boy, wait till the gang hears about this." "Follow me, Nick." "I'll get you there!" "Now what?" "Scads of police cars and motorcycles." "And I see an ambulance too." "Keep an eye on that." "It may come in handy." "Well, not bad." "Get second money." "You almost got insurance money." "What's happening?" "Looks like a riot." "Maybe somebody hit the daily double." "Hi, Nick." "How are you, pal?" "What do you know?" "If it ain't Nick Charles." "Hiya, Nick, it's good to see you!" "How've you been, Nick?" "Nick, how'd you get here so soon?" "We only got the flash a couple minutes ago." " We were swept into it." " Don't let us keep you, boys." " There's no hurry, Nick." "We were..." " So there's no hurry, there isn't, huh?" " Lieutenant Abrams." " Hello, lieutenant." "You flannel-headed playboys!" "There's been a murder." "You're on the scene of the crime, and you're here jawing." "Get to work before I hand out a flock of suspensions!" "Come on, shake it!" "Hello, Nick." "Hello, Mrs. Charles." "What's the good word?" "Did I hear something said a minute ago about speed?" " That's discipline." " You said a man was murdered." "Don't worry." "He won't get away." "I haven't seen you and Nick in ages." " What happened?" " You know that jockey, Goldez?" "The one caught throwing the fourth race yesterday?" " He was shot." " My, they're strict at this track." "What?" "I don't think the track officials shot this one, do you, lieutenant?" "He was undoubtedly bumped off to keep him from talking." "Sounds exciting." "Who did it?" "Person or persons unknown did the job, and it's my job to see that they don't stay unknown." "Well, so long, Nick." "Goodbye, Mrs. Charles." " I gotta see a man about a murder." " Good luck, lieutenant." "With luck, we'll be out of here by the last race." "There go my seven winners." "The body's back in the shower, lieutenant." "This way." "All right, one side." "Heads up." "All right, boys." "Heads up." "Coroner, here's Lieutenant Abrams." "Nice of you to come over, lieutenant." "The DA thought you'd better be in on this." " Probably be laid in your lap anyway." " Okay, okay." "What's the score?" "Death was instantaneous from a bullet wound penetrating the left eye and then the brain." "A.38-caliber bullet, or maybe a little bigger." "I'll get it for you later." "Would the angle of fire be okay if it was fired from that window?" "Mind your own business, Clarke." "I'm running the Homicide Squad." "Not you and your paper." "A couple guys get out there and beat through the grounds for the gun." "Come on!" "Okay, you guys." "You took enough pictures to paper a house." " Well, Nick Charles!" "What's cooking, kid?" " Give us the lowdown." " I've got nothing to do with this case." " Oh, come on, Nick." " I'm looking for Lieutenant Abrams." " Come on, Nick." "You're only wasting your film." "I'm just a bystander." "Hello, Paul." "Will you call these newshawks off?" "I've got nothing to do with this." "I'm looking for Abrams." "He been around?" "I thought I told you guys to beat it." "Mr. Charles has got no connection with this case." "What did I tell you?" "Lieutenant, have you any influence with the police?" " Sure, I got great connections." " Maybe you can help me out." "My car is completely surrounded by your mechanized division." "Sure." "Say, get some of those squad cars out of Mr. Charles' way." " Right." " Thanks, lieutenant." "Nick!" "Nick, I wanna ask you something." " But..." " Just a minute, Nick, I'll be right back." "I room with Goldez, and last night he didn't sleep a wink." "He was scared." "He knew they were laying for him." "Poor Goldez." "He never kept a horse from winning till they made him do it." "Is it all right with you if I question these witnesses?" "Get back in there, kid." "Get him out, and keep him out!" "The gamblers, they murdered Goldez." "They were afraid he'd squeal." "They laid for him, and they got him." "Get it, quick!" "Let him get the picture." " Okay." " Dry up!" "All right, let's go." "Clarke, how about splitting with us on this picture?" " Sorry, Barrow, that's exclusive." " Don't be like that." "Let me take it." "I'll have prints made for all of us." "I wouldn't trust you with that plate." "Something might just happen to it." "Why, you punk newshog." "Another crack like that, and I'll..." "Fight outside, you scribblers!" "Go on, get outside and kill each other." "See if I care." "Get them out of here!" "Wait a minute, Mr. Charles." " Look, they're almost at the post now." " We're old friends." "So I don't mind letting you in on the dope before the papers." "Every time I miss a race, I'm losing dough." "The murderer couldn't get in from this side and there are no footprints on the outside." "There's no gun, no clue, no nothing." "Very interesting, huh?" " Yes, very." " Of course, I know just what to do." " Oh, of course you do." " But, Nick, what would you do?" " Well, if I were you..." " Yeah?" "...and I was in the spot you're in..." " Yeah, yeah?" "...I'd take a shower." "All right, there we are." "Did Daddy win at the races today?" "Darling, just keep quiet." " Doesn't Daddy ever win at the races?" " Darling, don't ask questions." "Daddy go to the races tomorrow?" "No, dear." "Daddy go to court on speeding rap." "Reference to the father's police record may tend to undermine the child's parental respect." "Perhaps you're right, dear." "Asta, are your hands clean?" "That's fine." "Daddy, drink." "Thanks, pal." "Mommy, he's a great kid." "I'm much obliged." "It was nothing." "Any time." "Daddy, drink milk." " Daddy doesn't like milk." " Stella, bring Mr. Charles a glass of milk." "But, darling, we mustn't let him become headstrong." "Daddy, drink milk!" "He's made up his mind." "He won't drink it unless you do too." "But I can't drink milk." "I'm a big boy now." "I wear long pants." "I go out with girls." "No." "Drink milk." "If you let him down now, you'll kill all his respect." "Stella, take the shaker away." "Well?" "It's awfully white, isn't it?" "You wanted to be a father." "Drunk, dear?" "I keep seeing purple cows." "Mr. Charles, there's some gentlemens to see you." "A Mr. Paul Sculley and Mayor Clarke." "Paul...?" "That could be Paul Clarke and Major Sculley." "I think perhaps I'd better see them." "Can't they wait until you've finished dinner?" "This may be very important." "I hate to tear myself away." " Well, hello, Paul." "Hiya, major." " Hello, Nick." "You don't know how happy I am to see you." " You are?" " You got here just in time." "My son just put me on the milk wagon." " Will you have a snort?" " Not a thing." "No?" "Well, sit down." "I'll have just a short antidote." "What's up?" "Well, I suppose we might as well get down to cases." "I hope you don't mean murder cases." "Nick, when they appointed me special deputy for the State Legislature they handed me a headache." "This gambling racket getting you down, major?" "That jockey was our first real witness." "Goldez might have talked, Nick, so they shut him up with a bullet." " And we're right back where we started." " That's a luckier break than Goldez got." "The syndicate responsible for this has gotta be smashed." "But we're helpless unless we get actual evidence to convict them." "I can think of pleasanter pastimes than tangling with the Stephens-Macy crowd." " It's not who they are, Nick." " It's how to nail them." " You're the one man who can do that." "He can do anything, if he'll get to work." "Why, grandma, what long ears you've got." " Good evening, major." " Mrs. Charles." "Hello, Paul." "How's my favorite reporter?" "Not doing so well at the moment, Nora." "That's why I'm here." "Shall I get your hat?" "What, me go to work?" "Why, I'd feel like a cad, leaving you to spend dull evenings alone." "Dull?" "I'd just love to see you catch those crooks." " Good." " Well, Nick, we're a united front." "Well, thanks, major, but I really haven't the time." "Mrs. Charles has to be taken places." "Dances, prizefights, nightclubs, wrestling bouts." "You never take me to wrestling bouts." " Well, you're always asking me to." " There's some tonight." "Will you take me?" "Well..." " Too late to get tickets now, dear." " Nick, you can have my press pass." "Oh, thanks, Paul." "Saboteur." "Well, you see?" "Yes, Nick, I think I do." "Well, it was a good idea while we had it." "Nora, if you ever get tired of wrestling, lend him to us, will you?" "What will I wear for the wrestling?" "The little girl has never wrestled before." "They're wearing tights this season, dear." "Yeah, tights." "You know." "Joe!" "Joe!" "Oh, excuse me, lady." "Gee, that's a screwy-looking hat." "Hey, Joe!" "Two, please." "Tickets for Paul Clarke." "Yes, sir." "Nick Charles, alias Paul Clarke, huh?" "Hello, Macy." "Yes, Clarke's letting us use his tickets tonight." "All right with you?" "Sure." "I didn't know you were a friend of Clarke's." "Oh, bosom pals." "He's a smart reporter." "Is he?" "I never read his stuff." "You should." "It's fellas like you that help him write it." "Thank you." " Nick Charles, glad to see you." " Oh, Mr. Stephens." "You're gonna see some great wrestling tonight." "How do you know?" "You at the rehearsal?" "My mistake." "Sorry, dear." "That's one of the babies Sculley wanted me to tackle." "Which one?" "The man or the fur-bearing animal?" "That's right." "Study the case from all angles." " Hello, Whitey." " Hello, Link." " How do you do, Miss Porter?" " How do you do?" "Link, I wanna see you about something important." "Sure." "Always glad to talk to the press." "Drop up to the office later, Whitey." "Link and I got something to talk over first." "Honey, you wouldn't mind sitting alone for a while." "Darling, of course not." "May I see you to your seat, Miss Porter?" "Big crowd tonight." "You needn't bother." "Thank you, Mr. Barrow." "It'll be a pleasure." "Whitey, I haven't seen the papers." "What's new on the jockey?" "Police got any leads?" "No, they don't know any more about it than you do, Fred." "I think it was sweet of Paul to let us have his tickets after you turned him down." "Hot dogs!" "A pound of meat and a loaf of bread for a dime." "Hot dogs!" "A pound of meat and a loaf of..." "Well, I'll turn in every cent I collect if it ain't old Nick Charles." "Hiya, Nicky boy." "Hiya, Meatballs." "Honey, meet an old pal, Meatballs Murphy." "I'm charmed." " The girlfriend, Nicky?" " No, the wife." "Well, what do you know!" "Here you are, baby, a wedding present." "I wouldn't take a dime if it was offered to me." "Well, I don't know what to say, Mr. Meatballs." "You're too kind." "Not at all." "Not at all." "Hot dogs!" "Last call!" "Positively none sold during the contest." "It's gonna be a great fight tonight." "Got the 5000, Miss Porter?" "No, not yet." "Whitey, I'm afraid to ask Link." "That's rich." "You, afraid to ask for dough." "I gave you until tonight." "Now I'll see Stephens." " He'll be glad to hear my story." " Whitey, listen to me, please." "Make it fast." "My time's valuable." "Link would never give me that much." "Why, you've got him eating out of your hand." "You know, I'm a softy myself when it comes to women." "Forget about the money." "I'll take this instead." "No, you don't." "Link would find out." "Not unless you tell him." "And you won't." "Just say you lost it." "Presenting the Irish Thrush at 365 Mike Michael!" "Presenting the Hindu champion at 333 Gunga Dean!" "Hiya, Nick." "Hiya, Spider." "Where you been?" "I ain't seen you around." " I've been around." "Where you been?" " I ain't been around." "No?" "In stir?" "I was a victim of circumstances." "The DA framed me, not knowing I was guilty." "Ain't that a coincidence?" "Yeah." "Spider, I want you to meet Mrs. Charles." "Dear, this is Spider Webb." " You're Nick's wife." " Yeah, ain't that a coincidence?" "Baby, meet Mr. And Mrs. Charles." "Folks, meet Lana." "Any friend of Spider's is a friend of mine." "Baby, you've arrived." " Says who?" " Says me." "You're nuts." "What are you talking about?" "Sit down!" "Sit down!" "Sit down!" "Sit down!" "You wanna fight?" "Get in the ring!" "Hey, look at the screwy hat on the dame." "Enjoying the wrestling, dear?" " Are they there?" " Yes, Benny." "What kept you so late?" "Too many cops." "They got nothing on me, see?" "But I don't like them." "Any dirt about the jock?" "The one that got drilled?" " I only know what I read in the papers." " Yeah?" "Well, that ain't much." "I'll tell Mr. Stephens." " Yeah?" " Rainbow Benny's here." "Send him in." "So you got here at last." "What's loose?" "What's the matter?" "Something gone screwy?" "Pull yourself together, Benny." "Oh, sure, sure, Fred." "I'm all right." "It's been a heavy day." " How heavy?" " Fifty G's, no less." "And spread from the pine-clad hills of Bangor to the Golden Gate with stopovers at Pittsburgh, Chicago..." " Let's see the list." " Sure, sure." "Yeah?" "Tell him to wait." "Get in the other room." " You don't seem glad to see me, kid." " Mr. Stephens said you were to wait." "Okay." "Oh, let me by." "What's going on here?" "Come in." "You don't have to stand for any guff while you're working for me." "Thank you, Mr. Stephens." "Here's the figures on tonight's sales." " Thanks." " Good night." "Good night." "What's on your mind?" "I don't like dead jockeys, Link." "That's what's on my mind." "What's it to us what you like?" "It's like this." "I've done the best I could for you up till now." "I've whitewashed you plenty in all the papers." "So now you're losing your nerve?" "Too bad." "But it's getting hot around here." "I need a change of air." "I suppose you need carfare?" "Would 500 help you out?" "I'm not going for a weekend, Link." "This is for good." "I need 10,000." "Why, that's cheap enough for all the fixing I've done." "That's a lot of dough, Whitey." "More than I've got on me." "Just stick around downstairs." "We'll see you later." " Yeah, later, Whitey." " Okay." "Thanks." "Thanks a lot." "Looks like we could use a new whitewasher." "Yeah." "Suits me." "Say, boss." "On the level, is Whitey taking a powder?" "Is he leaving right away?" "Suppose he is." "Will you miss him?" "I hope to kiss a pig, I will." "He owes me dough." "Eight G's." "Eight." "Eight G's." "And he never said a word to me about leaving." "You can't trust nobody, fellas." " Molly, darling." " Hello, Paul." "Darling." "You sounded worried, though." "I've been anxious ever since you phoned." "I've gotta get action right away." "Have you read the papers?" "They'll stop at nothing." "That's why I'm frightened, for you." "I can't get the goods on those crooks." "Tonight I asked Nick Charles if he'd help." "He turned me down." "Well, you can't blame him." " Waited on, sir?" " Give me some tea." "Yes, sir." "Help yourself until payday." "No longer, mind you." "Paul, what are you doing?" "Paul, you mustn't!" "I'm going to search that office right now, tonight." "I made up my mind." "Those racketeer bosses of yours will be somewhere down in the arena." " They must keep records somewhere." " But what would happen if we're caught?" "If we're caught, did you say?" "What kind of a heel do you think you're going to marry?" "Sit tight." "Have a drink." "I'll be back in a jiffy." "I can't let you do that." "Mr. Stephens' desk is locked." " I haven't got a key to that." " I'll find a way." "Now, take it easy." "Wait." "Wait, Paul." "You mustn't." "I'm afraid." "Back up." "Keep moving." "Back into that office." " Now, see here, Whitey, let's..." " Let's not." "I could drop you right on that floor and collect a reward." "You're a prowler." "You broke in here." "Well, what were you looking for, a stamp?" "Get your hands up!" "Up!" "So you found the family archives." "You know, I can use that little book in my business." "I'll make a bargain with you." "I'll see that you get..." "Get up by the window." "Hey there." " What's the matter?" "What is it?" " Get a doctor, quick." "Call the police!" "I hope you get out of it all right." "Thanks, lady." "Good night." "Good night." " Hiya, Nick!" " Lf it ain't Nick Charles." "Nicky, pal, how's tricks?" " You certainly got on the spot quick." " How come you beat us here, Nick?" "We took a shortcut." "Don't let us keep you, boys, if you're busy." " We've got plenty of time." " So you've got plenty of time, huh?" "Why, you anemic pack of bloodhounds, there's been a murder." "Rigor mortis is setting in, and you lounge here gabbing!" "Come on, upstairs!" "Well, folks, here we are again, and here's another murder." "Say, did the Irish Thrush win?" "He's my cousin." "Either I'm dreaming, or I've lived through this before." " I meet you at all my homicides." " We won't be at this one long." "Maybe not, but a friend of yours will." "Two newspapermen just had it out." "One of them is now dead." "The other is Paul Clarke." "Paul?" "Come along, Nick." "I don't know what happened." "We had a fight." "I was knocked cold." "You were knocked cold?" "I suppose Whitey's just taking a nap in there." " I didn't kill him." " Hey, come back here, you!" " Paul, I thought you'd been killed." " You shouldn't have come." " I told you to keep people out." " She busted right by me." " Pardon me." " That key's mine." "It wasn't Paul's." "I gave it to him." "Oh, so that's how you got in here." "This girl was in it with you." "Who are you?" " I work here." " Nice work." "He came to get evidence." "That's all." "I helped him." "I knew it was wrong, but it isn't murder." "Nicky, do something before they both convict themselves." " Is this your gun?" " No." "No, it was Whitey's." "And it hasn't been fired." "So it hasn't been fired." "Then it's using a new perfume, Burnt Powder." "I didn't fire it." "I came up here to get Stephens' records and I found them in his desk in a black book." " Where is it?" " Barrow took it." "Why, he had the gun." "There's no book in Stephens' desk, on you or in Barrow's pockets." "Paul's telling the truth." "There was a book." "Ask Mr. Stephens." "Or Mr. Macy." "When I get to them." "I sure wish that watchman could describe the guy he almost caught." "Almost caught?" "Someone was running down the stairs right after the shot was fired." "It was too dark to get a description." "Let's take another look inside." "Keep those lovebirds apart." "They might try to cook up a story." "What if they do?" "You didn't care for the first one." "Nicky will get you out of it, just like that." "Well, doc?" "Shot." "No kidding." "I thought maybe he drowned." "Can you tell us when he left this nice peaceful world?" "Dead approximately half an hour." "There's quite a lump on the back of his head." " They tap hard in his fraternity." " A large bruise, not serious." " Well, lucky for Barrow it isn't serious." " But he isn't supposed to have a bruise." " Clarke claims he bumped his head." " No contusion on Clarke." "He may have struck his head on the desk, but no mark." "Which often happens." "What about the angle of the bullet?" "Downwards?" " How did you know that?" " Very simple." "Paul is only a little taller than Whitey so I figure he must have been hanging on the chandelier when he shot him, or standing on a chair." "Any footprints on the chairs?" " What are you driving at, Nick?" " Me for downtown." "It looks to me as if Whitey must have been lying on the floor when he got it." "Clarke's a fine sportsman." "He could've at least shot him on the rise." "I'll send the boys for the body." "Let's suppose, for the moment, that some third party saw Paul and Whitey fight." "Let's assume that the third party saw Paul go down." "Out cold." "The gun had been kicked right at his feet, let's say." "All right, let's say." "Our third party could have picked up the gun, slugged Whitey from behind which accounts for that bruise on the back of Whitey's head and taken the book from his pocket." " Sorry, Nick, it won't jell." "Why should this party of the third party shoot Whitey after he knocked him cold and took the book?" "If there was a book." "I'll say that Whitey came to and recognized him." "Our third party had to shoot him, leaving Paul to take the rap." "As far as I'm concerned, there isn't any third party and there isn't any book." "I'm sorry to pick on your friend, but I'm booking him." "If I didn't, I'd have the DA down my throat, and is he a pill." "I'd like to have a look at that stuff Whitey had on him." "Sure, out here." "It's just the usual junk." "Help yourself." "But what was Whitey doing in here, and how did he get in?" "Hello, lieutenant." "What's going on here?" "Evening, Nick." "Hello, Mrs. Charles." "Can you figure heads or tails on this affair?" " I just walked into the arena..." " I was in the ticket office." "What more do you want?" "Relax." "Relax, Fred." "They won't keep us long." "Hello, lieutenant." "Oh, you here too." "What's this, a convention?" "Cheer up, maybe the lieutenant will let you sell tickets." "All right." "All right." "This is all we found on Barrow." "If there was a record book, it crawled away." "Well, what record book?" "There's no record book." "We'll take you first, since you're so upset." "Where were you from 9 to 10?" "I was in the ticket office." "I never left it." "Ask Maguire." "Right." "He was in the ticket office." "He never left it." " Doing what?" " Checking up on the ticket sales." "He was checking up on the ticket sales." "At 10, I went out for a sandwich, then took a little drive." " Any law against that?" " Not if you got a driver's license." "By the way, Macy, what was the total ticket sale?" "Why..." "I should have telegraphed that one." "Mr. Stephens, do you mind telling us where you were from 9 to 10?" "I was with a lady, a Miss Porter." "Nicky, do you see this laundry list from Barrow's pocket?" " Yeah, we'll get to it later." " It's a woman's laundry list." " Well, maybe he had a wife." " Twenty-five kimonos?" "That's a harem." "I'd like to run along, lieutenant, if you're through." "Oh, just a minute." "Bloodhound." "Lieutenant, I think this laundry list of Barrow's might interest you." "Three bloomers, 25 kimonos, 10 slips five panties, 15 chemises." "Sounds like washday at Vassar." "That's the list that was in Stephens' ledger the one I found in the drawer." "Apparently the slip and the ledger parted company somewhere." "Just a minute, major." "What did Hotbox pay in that race you're investigating?" "Seventeen to one." "See here, lieutenant." "The laundry mark is GP." " That could stand for Greenway Park." " Go on, Nick." "I'm listening." "The weight of the bundle, 17." "Well, either that's a lot of laundry, or it's the odds on Hotbox." "Seventeen to one." "Twenty-five kimonos." "K. K. Maybe K for Kansas City, 25,000." "They got some big bookies there." "Fifteen chemises." "C for Chicago?" "Fifteen thousand bet there?" " Say, now we're getting somewhere." " Yeah, up crick." " Mr. Stephens." " Yeah." "Could this, by coincidence, be your list of out-of-town bets on that race?" " Keep swinging, lieutenant." " I'd like to look into this, Nick." "It may help the committee in its work." " What work?" " Work that'll put an end to your kind of vermin." " There wasn't a book so Clarke never saw one." " That's not true." "I've seen him making entries." "He and Whitey had an argument in there tonight." "She's Clarke's girl and obviously a double-crosser." "Took salary from me while she was spying for him." " Miss Porter is your girl, isn't she?" " Yes." "Does that let her out?" "She's your alibi, your only alibi." "I don't think I'll say any more without my lawyer." "All right, you can go now." "You too." "But stay where I can find you." "Good luck, Nick." " What really worries me is that jockey." " Yeah." "Still dead, huh?" "But since I've got two murderers to catch, it's nice to have one in the bag." "Five dollars will get you 10 there's only one murderer." " There's no connection." " I'm still betting there's one murderer." "Well, this is one bet I'll win." "Sorry, Clarke, I'll have to take you downtown." "You too, Miss Ford." "You can't arrest her." "She's done nothing at all." "She let you in, son." "That gives her credit for an assist." " Riley!" " Yes, sir?" "Stay with the body until they take it away." "Come on, folks." " Chin up." "I'll split that 5 with you, Paul." " Nick, you can just mail me the 10 bucks." "In a way, I'm responsible for Paul's being in this jam." "He was helping me." "If there was something I could do to help him..." " I'll call on you." " Good night, Nick." "Mrs. Charles." "Good night." "Nicky, do you really think there was only one murderer?" " Why?" " Hunch." " About what?" " Shower." "Where the jockey was shot?" " What about it?" " Don't know yet." "You gonna examine it?" " Okay, let's go." " Mama goes home." "Oh, Nicky, you know you click better when I'm around." "Not in a men's shower." "I'll tell you what." "You go home, cold cream that lovely face slip into an exciting negligee..." " Yes?" " And I'll see you at breakfast." " Hiya, Henry." " Hi, Mr. Charles." "I've been waiting for you." "Everything's open." "All right, fine." "I'm very much obliged to you." "Gee, that's a nice pup you have there." "Not too loud." "He could get a swelled head." "He's a brave little fella, isn't he?" "Say, they don't come any braver." "That dog would fight tigers for me." "Asta." "You bully." "A clue?" "Well, good boy." "I think this will work, Asta." "Now, if our hook just holds." "There we are." "What do you think of that?" "And without any bait." "Asta, not a word of this." " Stick them up, or I'll blow you in two." " Don't shoot, Nicky!" "It's me!" "Why, Mrs. Charles." "Well, followed me, huh?" " Nicky, help me." " Why, sure, sure, I'll help you." "Well, is that what you were trying to do for me?" "I was just trying to show you you can't neglect me." "I might've shot you." "Even that's better than staying home alone." "Here, hold this." "I like the way you sneaked up on me." "I was doing all right until the wind closed the door and everything went black." " Nicky, what'd you find in the shower?" " Evidence." "Really?" "Then you know who killed the jockey?" "Who?" "Stephens, Macy, Claire Porter, Maguire, Molly, Paul Clarke Lieutenant Abrams, Asta, Nicky, you, me." "What are you doing, young fella, chasing a tiger?" "Say, Mr. Charles, you done all right in there." "Oh, it's you, Mrs. Charles." "Gee, Mrs. Charles, that's quite a hat, ain't it?" "Where did you get a hat like that?" " You like it?" " You bet." "Screwy, ain't it?" "You can have it!" "You don't know nothing." "Nobody knows nothing." "People are getting murdered, but nobody knows nothing." "Benny." "Benny, after you saw Stephens in the office last night did you go back again?" "No, sir." "Honest, I told you all I know." "That's the truth, so help me, captain." "Flattery won't get you anywhere." "I'm a lieutenant." "But I'd like to be a captain." "Now, think." "Think." "What connection did Whitey Barrow have with Stephens and Macy?" "Why, none." "None that I know of." "On the level, I seen him around once in a while but they always got newspapermen around." " Hiya, Nick." " Hello, Mr. Charles." "Lieutenant." "Hiya, Benny." "I can go now, huh, captain?" "Yeah." "But stick around." "Don't get any notions to travel." "Not me." "No, sir." "Thanks." " So long." "So long, Mr. Charles." " So long." "You'd think the betting commissioner would know about the inside but that guy's like a clam." "Lieutenant, how would you like to buy a gun?" "Say, for $5?" "I got a gun." "Five doll...?" "Say, what is this, Nick?" " That's the gun that killed the jockey." " Nick!" "That's great!" " Where did you find it?" " In the drainpipe in the shower." "I should have found that." "But that's all right." "We'll trace the gun." "Nick, how did you know where to look for it?" "Well, the angle of the bullet was peculiar." "It entered his eye and went upward toward the top of his head." "Well, if he'd been shot from the window he would have had to be holding his head back like this, which is unlikely." "The most logical place the bullet came from..." " Was below." " You've got it." "Sure I have." "What have I got?" "Lieutenant, the jockey wasn't murdered." "Suicide?" "You mean, he killed himself and then hid the gun?" "No, he hid the gun and then killed himself." "He may have been thinking of suicide when he went into the shower." "Perhaps he lost his nerve." "At all events, he wanted to get rid of the gun." "So he opened the cover of the drainpipe dropped the gun down, butt first." "The hammer of the gun hit a curve in the drainpipe, and the gun went off." "And when the body fell forward, it closed the drainpipe." "Lieutenant, you've solved it." "Well, you've helped me." "Nick, this is one bet I don't mind losing." "Thanks to you, I've only got one murder on my hands." "Will I be glad to tell that to those newshounds." "If there's anything I can do..." "Just one thing." "Let me give the story to the reporters and let me do it in my way." " Pal, your way is my way." " What's cooking?" " Did Paul Clarke crack?" "Gentlemen, there's the gun that killed Goldez." "Lieutenant Abrams found it in the drainpipe of the shower." "Yeah?" "Whoever shot Goldez hid it there, right?" "Right!" "And when we find the murderer of Goldez we'll find the murderer of Barrow too." "Both were rubbed out by the same guy." "Both of them knew too much for somebody's safety so they had to be silenced." "Right?" " No..." "Yeah." " What about Paul Clarke?" " Paul's innocent." " He'll be released." "Right, lieutenant?" " Yeah, right." "No!" "Yeah." " That's all, boys." " Thanks for the story." "Hey, Nick." "What is this?" "Lieutenant, look." "Everybody but you and me thinks that Goldez was murdered." "Whoever killed Barrow thinks so too." "Now, when he reads that we think the jockey's murderer committed both crimes he may try to help us find that murderer." "You mean he'll try to frame a substitute for Paul Clarke?" "Well, that's what I'm hoping." "Now, if he snaps at our bait, that's where you come in." "Sure I do." "Sure I do." "Where do I come in?" "Why, don't you see?" "You'll be the first policeman in history to use a fake murder to solve a real one." "What?" "Sure." "I'd like to talk to Mr. Charles." " He ain't here." "Who's calling?" " It's very important." "Who is it, Stella?" "Hello there." "Come in." "I gotta see Mr. Charles." "I got some information." "I only got a couple of minutes." "Mr. Charles isn't here." "Can you give it to me?" "No, I gotta give it to him." "I'm going away, see?" "And I gotta give it to him." "All right, you wait." "I'll get him on the phone." "Hello?" "Mr. Charles?" "Oh, hello, Nicky, darling." "Mr. Maguire is here." "Yes, from the arena." "He's got some important information for you." " He has to give it to you right away." " Let me talk to him." "Yes, I'll be sure to get the information correctly." "Bye." "Mr. Charles wants you to talk to me." "So you sit right down here." "He's very busy in a very important conference." "Now." "Okay." "Now, this is what I want Nick to know." "Last night, I was in the ticket office..." " Daddy, get another ring." " Another one?" " Here you are." " Daddy, get another ring, for this finger." "Hey, I'm groggy now." "Go on, Daddy." "You ride that one." "Not me." "Daddy go so far, but no further." "He's afraid." "Fraidy-cat!" "Fraidy-cat!" "Big man's a fraidy-cat!" "Look!" "Look!" "He's scared to get on the dragon!" "Look at that big scaredy-cat!" "Afraid to get on the dragon!" "He is not!" "He is not afraid!" "You're not afraid, are you, Daddy?" "Sure." "No, no, I'm not a fraidy-cat." "I was just fooling." "Yeah, fooling." "Hey, you, let go of my tiger." " Get off our boat." " Get off our boat!" " I told you he was afraid!" " Big guy's a coward!" "Fraidy-cat, fraidy-cat!" "The big man 's a fraidy-cat." "Fraidy-cat, fraidy-cat!" "There, who's a fraidy-cat?" "Who's a fraidy-cat?" "Who's a fraidy-cat?" "Enjoying the merry-go-round, darling?" "Nicky, I've got to talk to you." "Nicky!" "Nicky, I've got to talk to you." "What's up?" "It's stopping." "It's stopping." "Would you like some nice raw oysters, dear, or a dish of salt pork?" "It's nice sleuthing, Mommy." "Thank you, darling." "Are you going to see Macy?" "No, Claire Porter." "I had a feeling you'd be working that angle before long." "All in the line of duty." "Gee, you were swell, Daddy." "Thank you, sonny." "Tomorrow I'll buy you an earthquake." "Come on, let's get away from that Mickey Finn." " Where's Asta?" " What?" "I'm very flattered at your visit, Mr. Charles." "But if it's about the case, I don't think I can help you." "You see, I hardly knew Mr. Barrow." "You didn't miss much." "He wasn't exactly one of nature's noblemen." "Really?" "Well, how nice." " A camellia doesn't have any fragrance." " It doesn't need any around you." "I'm glad you like my perfume." "It's new." "It's called Out of This World." "Out of This World." "Well, that brings us back to Whitey Barrow." "He was talking with someone, having an argument in a corner at the arena last night." "That's rather important in a murder case." "I see." "And you thought it might have been me." "Well, it was a girl about your size." "I thought it might be well to run down the lead without checking with the police first." "I can't imagine why you should think that..." "Do you know, I think it might have been me." "I was standing in the lobby with Mr. Stephens when Whitey..." "Mr. Barrow came along, and he took me to my seat." " On the way, we stopped to chat." " Oh, well." "I'm glad you remembered." "It was silly of me to forget." "But it wasn't an argument." "On the contrary, we just..." "We just chatted about..." "About a mutual friend." "Don't we all?" "Well, I'm glad we cleared it up." "Now I can forget about it and concentrate on prettier things." "You know, you're really not like a detective at all, Mr. Charles." "You don't pound the table or shout or threaten." "I'm not really a detective." "I just use that as an excuse to get out of the house at night." "I don't suppose you enjoyed those wrestling bouts very much last night." " You left quite early, huh?" " I found it a bit too brutal." "It gave me a headache." "Yes, especially when that fat clown broke his arm." "That was dreadful." "But that was next to the last bout." "Then Mr. Stephens didn't take you home before the murder." "Yes, he did." "I didn't see that bout." "I read about it in the morning papers." "You are a detective after all." "Why did Whitey Barrow have to take you into a secluded corner to chat about a mutual friend?" "We just happened to meet in a secluded corner." "Mr. Charles, this cross-examination is becoming a bit tiresome." "I'm sorry, but you said that Barrow was taking you to your seat." " Why the detour?" " None of your business!" "I'm not on trial." "Not yet." "That's what I deserve for letting a double-crossing cop in the door." "Get out." "Get out." " Thanks for the camellia." " And don't come back!" "Don't look now, but your accent's showing." "Baku, did you hear what he said?" "Get the car while I get dressed." "Murder Time, with the compliments of Dr. Fang, your friendly dentist." "Folks, do you have shabby teeth?" "Do you have aching teeth?" "Do you have teeth?" "You don 't?" "How do you do?" "What's your racket, buddy, brushes or magazines?" "I have police permission to look over Mr. Barrow's apartment." " You wanna case the joint, eh?" " Yes, I'd like to glom the layout." "But the coppers snooped all through there this a.m." "But this is the p.m., and I've got another angle on Barrow." "That grifter owed me two months' rent." "The slug he got saved me the trouble of tossing him out on his ear." "Yeah, that's always such a bother, isn't it?" "After you, mother." "And now, before you die, my pretty one, I shall tell you  I am not Professor Fetlock, the astronomer, I am Baggo the Bat!" "Mothers, do your kiddies knock each other's teeth out?" "Do you figure it was the mob that blitzed Barrow?" "Or a solo job?" "I'm just a little bit in doubt." "What do you think?" "I'll lay you 6-2 and even it was a dame." " Do you think..." " Visit Dr. Fang that your star boarder was...?" "I've got that commercial timed so I never have to hear it." "Now, you were saying that Mr. Barrow was..." " Have you packed the Tommy guns?" " Yes, chief." " Have you got the poison gas?" " Yes, chief." " The tickets for the train?" " Yes, super, chief!" "Then I go!" "Quick!" "My shortwave hat, my invisible cape  and my six-fingered gloves." "Now we shall see who is the master of..." " The battery." " Oh, you double-crosser." "Holy smoke." "I'll miss my Barrel of Blood program." "Asta, sharpen up your nose." "Well, we've got a little work here." "Not much work." "What's the matter?" "Don't you like Out of This World?" "Whitey Barrow did." "Come on." "Well, come on." "What are you trying to do, give yourself a hot foot?" "Oh, frostbite, huh?" "Well." "Asta, that's the hottest radiator in town." "Won't you come in?" "No?" "Well, then I'll come out." " How did you get in here?" " I was on a treasure hunt." "Same as you." "But I was the early bird." "Look what I dug up." " Yours?" " Yes." "Now, how did that get in here?" "And while we're at it, how did you get in here?" "I've been here quite a lot before." "Did Stephens knows about you and Barrow?" "No, I don't think so." "What about this?" "Whitey was in trouble." "He owed $8000 in gambling debts and he was being pressed." " By whom?" " Some bookmaker." " What bookmaker?" " I don't remember." "Was it...?" "Sorry." "Was it Rainbow Benny?" "Yes, that was his name." "I couldn't raise the money, so I gave Whitey the bracelet to use instead." "I took the risk of Stephens finding out." "I couldn't do anything else." "Whitey must've had something." "He did." "That's how it goes." "Mr. Charles, you can help me." "Give me back the bracelet." "If the police get it and Stephens finds out, I don't know what might happen." "It won't help you to ruin me." "Now, I told you the truth." "I loved Whitey." "I didn't kill him, and I wouldn't protect his murderer." "I can't give it back to you now but I'll try to see that the police don't bother you." "Thanks." "Asta!" "Don't run after her." "We did all right." "Come on, get away." "Fast." "Good evening, Mr. Charles." "Valentine." "Open any interesting doors lately?" " Just autos, no banks." "Evening, ma'am." " Good evening." " Good evening, Mrs. Charles." " Mario." "Good evening, Mario." "Well, if you strike oil, don't forget your old pals." "The lady would like to check the dog, no?" "I'm afraid he'd resent it terribly." "Stop it, Asta!" "We'd like to be introduced to the handsomest lobster in the establishment." " This way, please." "This way." " Hiya, Nick." " Well, Nick." "Glad to see you." "Sure you won't put the feedbag on with us?" "I'd like to, but I got a party there." " Come on, Nick." " Come on, Nicky." "What's going on?" "A celebration?" "Yeah, it's a birthday party for Lefty Rogan's kid." "The little tomato." "You know Lefty's missus?" " How do you do?" " He's exactly a year old today." "Yeah?" "Well, that's fine." "Where's Lefty?" " He's been in jail for five years." " Yeah, he broke out once." "Well, I hope you get all the breaks." "Both of you." " See you later, Nick." " Come back again." " Boys and girls." " Well, hi, Nick." "Hiya, Paul." "Molly." "A little Phi Beta Kappa convention." "Well, very nice timing, Mommy." "It was nice of you to ask us to dinner." "Even nicer to arrange this coming-out party." "Well, the main point is that thanks to Nick, we are out and together." "Hello, Mr. And Mrs. Charles." "Luis, we're famished." "Well, what is it gonna be to eat tonight?" " Molly, what would make you happy?" " Well, could you suggest something?" "If I no work here, if I just come in like you, I order one thing." "Sea bass." " I think I'd like that." " One sea bass." "I think shad roe will be my dish, Luis." "The sea bass, she's very good." "She's A-number-1." " But the chef recommends shad roe." " The chef!" " I'll take sea bass." " Two sea bass." " How's the cracked crab?" " You are Nick's friend." "For Nick's friend, the good is none too best." "Sea bass?" "Three sea bass." " Broiled lobster." " You no want sea bass?" " Broiled lobster." " But they all order sea bass." " They are easily led." " The sea bass is a filet." "No bones, almost." " Broiled lobster." " The meat, it is white." "The skin is crispy." "The butter is as yellow like the sunshine." "I serve it steaming hot." "It tastes something like you never taste in your whole life." "I'm talking about..." " Sea bass." " Four sea bass!" "Asta." "Asta's gone." "He's probably gone to the bar." "Excuse me." "Asta!" "Well, hello, Rainbow." "What's the matter, nervous?" "Yeah." "Yeah." "That's it." "Nervous." "The horses ain't been running right for me." "I see." "How were they running when Barrow lost that 8 grand to you?" "Oh, Nick, you're too smart to get sold on a pipe dream like that." "If I gave the police a drag on that pipe, they might get dreams about you." "Nick, it ain't like you to turn the cops on a guy who's clean." " Here's your coffee." " Give me my check." " Yes, sir." " Double." "Just like I was telling Abrams, I was nowhere near the office when Whitey got bumped." " Really?" "The watchman says differently." "The watchman saw you running away right after the shot." "You're kidding, Nick." "You..." "You don't mean that." "Benny, relax!" "Rela..." "Well, bulletproof vest, huh?" "Who makes those for you?" " Your check, sir." " Okay." "Thank you." "Hey, break that up!" "With the $2 dinner, you get machine guns." "Throw them out!" "Throw them all out!" "Of course, you wouldn't know how it started, would you?" " No." " Asta!" "Asta!" "Look, I won't say a word about this if you'll do as much for me sometime." " Asta!" " You can't find him." " You'd better get back to the table." " Or under the table." "No wonder we husbands stray from home." "They leave us alone all the time." "Say, did you ever hear of a gal by the name of Claire Porter?" "It was quiet until you two went to the bar." "Well, you're back." "Say, what started that cyclone out there, I wonder." "I wonder." "That was Rainbow Benny, wasn't it?" " Shall I call the police?" " No, no." "Abrams will be here any minute." "Besides, I don't think Rainbow will go very far." "Why'd he run out?" "I don't know." "Maybe he went home to change his conscience." " You mean, he killed Whitey?" " Well, he had a reason and the chance." "You know, if we only had a little more on Rainbow we might get him to sing a very pretty song." "Maybe I can get you that little more." "Excuse me." "Well, what is gonna be to eat tonight?" "No sea bass." "Hello." "Major Sculley, please." "Who's speaking, please?" "Just a moment." "Paul Clarke." "Thank you." "Hello, Paul." "It's great to hear from you." " I wanna see you." "Where are you?" " I'm at Mario's with Nick." "Major, Nick just had a run-in with Rainbow Benny but he got away." "Some records on Rainbow would help Nick." "Yes, Paul, of course." "Sure, I'll go through the files myself." "I'll see that you get them." "Right." "There they go!" " Come on, Rusty!" " Go on, boy!" "Come on, get those flippers out there!" " Come on." " Come on." " Come on!" " Come on." " You got them!" " Come on, boy." "Come on." " Look at them go!" " No, no!" "Get over here, get over here!" "You dope!" "What's the matter, you dope?" "You've got all the luck." "What did you do, swallow a horseshoe?" " That's 240 martinis you owe me." " You tell him, Mrs. Charles." "Don't worry, she'll tell me, all right." "Hiya, lieutenant." "Pull up a turtle and sit down." "While you been partying, I've been leveling on this case." "You missed the excitement." "Rainbow Benny ran out just as the cyclone came in." " What?" " You know the fella that the watchman saw running from Stephens' office?" "Rainbow Benny." " He told you that?" " No, but when I suggested it he scooted out like a scared lizard." " Nick." "Nick, do you mind?" "I wanna..." " No." "Paul, come and play with the boys." "Here's your cigarette case." "Minus Miss Porter's fingerprints." " Did they make interesting reading?" " And how." "That swanky dame of Stephens' is a career girl." "Her right name is Clara Peters." "Served three months for shoplifting served one year for playing in a badger-game setup." " Here's the record on her." " Good work." " And who do you think was mixed up?" " Whitey Barrow." "Do you mean Whitey was blackmailing Claire?" "Sure, sure." "That's what he means." "Nick, it's an open-and-closed case." "Whitey was making the Porter dame pay off." "So she shut him up for good." "I pick her up, she confesses." "No, no, but wait a minute, lieutenant." "True enough, you've established a great motive for the lady but we've got one equally good against Stephens, Macy Rainbow Benny and..." "Oh, here comes Major Sculley." "I think he'll have some dope on Rainbow." "Plenty of it." "Paul, I'm delighted to see you." "I can't tell you how bad..." "We've got work to do." "Hold the reunion later." "Yes, of course, lieutenant." "Well, here it is." "We checked the bets indicated on that laundry list and Rainbow Benny was behind every one." " That's enough." " My car's outside." "Benny doesn't live far away." " I think Paul's entitled to be in on this." " Sure." "Hey, what about me?" "I mean, us?" "This is a stag." "Look, Mommy, you drink up some of your winnings." "Barkeeper, bring Mrs. Charles 240 martinis." "We won't be long." "I've heard that before." "Come on, Molly." " Follow that car, quick." " Yes, ma'am." "This way, lieutenant." "I know where it is." "I've been to see Rainbow before." "He lives upstairs." "Just to the right here, gentlemen." " Nick, maybe he skipped." " Let's hope not." "Let me take a look at that." "No key in the lock." "It's a cinch." "Paul." "Come here, Paul, will you?" "Give me a lift." "That's it, grab hold of him." "Lieutenant, see if you can cut him down, will you?" "Got it." "That's it." "Now let's get him over on the bed." "Here we go." "Just drop him on the bed." "This is the worst yet." " It's awful." " Phone the coroner." " Yes, sir." " Rigor mortis already setting in." "I guess he knew we had him cornered and decided to do it himself." "Look here, Nick." "Is this anything?" " What's this?" " That's the book!" "The book Whitey took away from me in Stephens' office." "What?" "Nick!" "Nick, this is the evidence." "Rainbow might as well have signed a confession before he hung himself." " Major, we've got it." " I hope so." "Lieutenant, I'm afraid the suicide theory doesn't quite stand up." "But, Nick, there's no sign of anything but a suicide." "Look, he got up on that, hung himself on the chandelier jumped and kicked the chair over." "Then he used his own bathrobe sash as a rope." "I think that's all window dressing." "Look here." "Look at the sash." "Silken, smooth." "Now look at his throat." "Well, he was hung." "There's bound to be marks." "Yes, but not raw lacerations like that." "I think he was strangled first, with a rough, heavy cord." "A rope." "And then the stage was set with this overturned chair and the chandelier and the sash." "And another thing." "When Benny skipped out of Mario's tonight he was wearing a bulletproof vest." " What?" " It's not on him now." " Maybe he took it off." " Or it was taken off." " By who?" "By whoever hung him there." "A murderer didn't want us to know that Benny had been living in fear of his life." "Nick, who could that have been?" "I don't know yet." "Lieutenant, I think perhaps we'd better have a little powwow in your office tomorrow." "Keep your hands off!" " Here we are." " Hold it a minute, will you, Macy?" "Snap Dick Tracy." "He'd look good in the comics." "You and Nick Charles can't push me around." "Dragging me here is illegal!" "So is killing people illegal in this state." " Are you accusing me of...?" " Yeah!" "Of spoiling my lunch!" " I wanna call my lawyer." " That'll be a nickel." "Hello, lieutenant." "Here's laughing boy." "Sit there, Macy." "Thanks, boys." "Wait outside." "Hello?" "Fenster?" "This is Stephens." "Come down to Abrams' office at police headquarters right away." "I don't care how busy you are." "Right away." " Paul, hello." " Hello." "Just sit there." "What do you want Clarke here for?" "He don't know nothing." "He was just standing over Barrow's body with a gun." "If I was you, Macy, I wouldn't talk too much." "Is it all right if I tell Mr. Stephens that company is coming?" "What's the idea of bringing Porter here?" "I want her here." "Is that all right with you?" " Where will you be, Baku?" " I'll be here." "No, please." "Honey, I'm sorry you're being dragged into this." "It's quite all right, Link." "I want to be here if you need me." "Fred, let Miss Porter sit here." "Let her sit there." "Thank you." "Hello, Maguire." "Glad to see you." "Just sit over there, will you?" "We flew Maguire in just for you, Fred." "Now, Mommy, if any trouble starts, you dive right under the table." " Major Sculley and I will join you there." " What kind of trouble, Nick?" "Frankly, I don't know." "But I'm going to do my level best to stir it up." "Well, I'm counting on you, Nick." "Good luck." "Thank you." "Hello, Mrs. Charles." "Hiya, Nick." "Major." "Lieutenant, Molly, Paul, Miss Porter." "Well, the condemned man ate a hearty breakfast." "This is yesterday's breakfast." "On this job, I don't get a chance to eat." " Sit down, Mrs. Charles." " Thank you." "Go get them, Nicky." "Asta, you keep Mommy quiet." " I invited you all here to meet a murderer." " Good afternoon, Macy." "Have your fun, Charles, but make it quick." "I ain't got much time." "Then maybe the state will give you some." "Now, nobody speak until he's spoken to." "Quiet, Asta." "You're in contempt of court." "Now then, Mr. Stephens." "I've told you everything I know about this." "Good afternoon, gentlemen." "The morgue is the floor below, isn't it?" "He's my lawyer." "Mr. Fenster, you're just in time to hear your client tell why he visited Rainbow Benny last night." "If you wanna deny it, I can get the cab driver who took you." "What of it?" "That was four hours before Rainbow was killed." "If I was going to murder him, do you think I'd want a cab driver to know?" "No, I...!" "No, I don't." "Pardon me, lieutenant, but speaking of drivers is Miss Porter's chauffeur here?" "Why, yes." "He's downstairs in the car." "Why?" "I thought he might enjoy the view up here." "On a clear day, you can see the jail." " Larsen, get Miss Porter's chauffeur." " Yes, sir." "Now I want a word from Maguire." "One word." "Was Macy in the ticket office with you when Whitey Barrow was killed?" " No." " You double-crossing sneak!" "I thought it was Macy all along." "Why did you want an alibi so bad, Fred?" "Because I didn't want any thick-headed cops setting me up for suspect number one." " Don't you call Nick a thick-headed cop!" "Oh, yeah?" "And I didn't mean him." "Oh, yeah?" "I suppose you wanted an alibi for the same reason, Mr. Stephens?" "We'd like to weigh that question." "I didn't need any alibi." "I was out of the arena before Whitey was killed." "You...?" "You drove Mr. Stephens and Miss Porter home from the arena night before last?" " Does he have to answer that?" " I'm just thinking that over." "Did you drive them home, or didn't you?" "Yes, I drive them home." "Leave arena 9:45." "How come you remember the exact time?" "What do you do when you get into that car?" "Punch a clock?" " You'll verify that, no doubt?" " Yes." "Mr. Stephens, was it your idea that Barrow and Miss Porter were merely casual acquaintances?" "Link, be careful." "He's trying to trap you." "Sit down." "Mommy, let me see that present I gave you last night." " I wanna give this to another girl." " Nicky!" "I found this hidden in Barrow's apartment." "While I was there, Miss Porter came in." "She'd been there before." "That's a lie!" "Whitey stole it from me." "What are you getting at, mister?" "Maybe you and your partner, Macy, were relieved when Barrow was found dead." "But to Miss Porter, it was really glad tidings." "Whitey had been blackmailing her." "He knew who she was, all about her." "At first she charmed him into silence." "Then she had to use money and, finally, her jewelry." "Why, you cheap phoney." "And I was using you for an alibi." "That's a laugh." "You needed it a lot more than..." "So neither of you had an alibi." "I'd think that over if I were you." "I didn't have anything to do with it." "I was afraid the police would find the bracelet and trace it to me then they'd be sure I killed him." "But I didn't!" "I didn't know Whitey was dead until he told me." "You murderous tramp!" "He told me Whitey was dead before he took me home." "That's a lie!" "Hey!" "Hey, that's enough of this!" " She can't do that to you!" " Oh, that's fine!" "Any more of this, and you'll both land in the cooler." " Maguire." " Yes, sir?" "Where did the police pick you up this morning?" " Treeport." " That's right." "I picked him up." "Treeport, huh?" "That's only a couple of hundred miles from here." "If you left town last night before Benny was killed how does it come you weren't further away?" "My car broke down." "Honest, Mr. Charles, I ain't in this." "That's the truth, so help me." "I lied once, for Macy, but I ain't lying now." "Barrow had nothing on me." "Supposing Barrow did have something on us." "I've been in plenty of scandals." "That didn't mean enough for me to kill him." "Why, you yellow welsher!" "Are you hinting that maybe I killed Barrow?" "Save this fight for the arena, boys." "But if I was milking a rich guy and Barrow was making me sweat for it maybe then I'd..." " Sure, I looked for Barrow that night to get my bracelet back." "But I swear I didn't find him." "Even if I did, even if I killed him, would I take that book?" " It didn't mean anything to me." " It might have, as a hold on Stephens." "Blackmail, I think it's called." "Yeah?" "And I suppose I could strangle Benny and hang him up." " No, but your chauffeur could." " Baku, he's trying to frame us!" "Hold it, son." "Let the big boys play with your knife." "Maybe they'll give you a nice little pair of cuffs." "Well, now, where were we?" "Benny was hanging from the ceiling." "Oh, yes." "Yes." "Because Benny had seen who killed Barrow." "Macy, you said you were not disturbed about Barrow's quitting." "Why did you threaten him?" " You did hear that, Molly?" " Yes, I did." "She should talk." "I caught Barrow pawing her that night right in my office." " And she was sore." " Is that the truth?" "Well, yes." "Barrow always said things." "He was angry because I wouldn't pay any attention to him." "Isn't she sweet?" "Did Paul know that Barrow was annoying you?" "No, I didn't tell him." "I was afraid he might do something rash." "Is this all news to you, Paul?" "But Molly did tell you that Whitey had had a falling out with his bosses?" "Well, why didn't you try talking to him?" "Nick, I didn't think it'd do any good." "Whitey and I were enemies." "I told Major Sculley, hoping he could do something." "But Whitey was killed before anybody could get to him." "Except the murderer." "Mr. Stephens, Benny was your betting commissioner, wasn't he?" "Yes, Nick, he was, and we can prove that." "And representing Stephens, he did do some bribing of jockeys, didn't he?" "If you're trying to hang the jockey's murder on me, save your breath." "You and the flatfoot claim whoever killed the jockey killed Barrow." "All right." "You can rule me out of that too." "I didn't go near the track that day, and I can prove it." "And I haven't killed a jockey in weeks, really." " When did you see Rainbow last?" " He saw him last night." "I went to his apartment, but I didn't see him." " Wasn't he home?" " I don't think so." "I rang his bell a long time, then I saw somebody coming up the stairs and I beat it." "Who was coming up the stairs?" "Some kid delivering papers." "I didn't wanna be seen there so I ducked away from the door." "When the kid went up, I left." "Lieutenant, that apartment house where Benny lived..." " The Embassy Arms." " Yes." "Would you mind getting the janitor on the phone?" "Get me..." "Get me the janitor of the Embassy Arms apartments." "There's one thing about a murder case." "If you just let people talk long enough sooner or later, somebody will spill the beans." "Well, somebody has." "Mr. Fenster, where were you last night at 10:00?" "Why, I..." "I was at home." "No, I mean, I was out." "In bed." "No, I was home, but I was in bed." "Are you sure you were in bed?" "I'd like to sleep on this." "Hold it." "This is the police department." "Oh, come on." "The janitor, Nick." "Yes, please." "This is the superintend." "I wanna know something about apartment 25C." "What I wanna know is, how long did Rainbow Benny live in that apartment?" "Not long." "He's move in last night at 7." "And he's dead at 10." "The throat." "I'm sorry, you gotta speak more noisy, please." "I said, where did he live before that?" "He live in apartment 32A." "That's right, at the top of the stairs." "Well, gentlemen and ladies we have our murderer." "Nicky, I can't stand it!" "Was it me?" "Yeah, Nick, is it her?" "Nick, who is it?" "You, major." "Nick, you're joking." "No wonder the Stephens-Macy syndicate was riding high with a special deputy for the state Legislature as a silent partner." "You were in a beautiful position to cover up the syndicate's racket." "Nick, what are you saying?" "Then you found your golden harvest was in danger." "Whitey Barrow was scared." "Threatened to talk." "That would have meant exposure for you." "Ruin." "So to protect yourself and your fellow thieves you caught up with him and killed him leaving your friend Paul Clarke to take the rap." "You can't mean this, Nick." "It's nonsense, every word of it." "You were clicking beautifully until we released Paul and used the accidental death of the jockey for bait." "Accidental death?" "Yes." "Goldez wasn't murdered." "He shot himself by accident." "But we let it stand as a murder." "And we spread the news that whoever had killed Barrow had also killed the jockey." "We said we were looking for one murderer." "Then, major, you did just what Lieutenant Abrams said you would do." "Yeah." "What was that?" "You tried to frame someone else to fit that picture." "So you picked on poor little Rainbow Benny because he'd been mixed up with jockeys and crooked races and to the police, he might seem like the double killer." "You strangled him." "And in his fireplace, you planted Stephens' ledger which contained the records of the syndicate's crooked deals including your rake-off." "Of course, you carefully burned the ledger so that only the cover remained." "You removed Benny's bulletproof vest so the police would never know that he'd been living in fear of his life." "And then you strung him up to make it look like a suicide which would have closed this case." " Nick, you must be mad." "You can't prove a word of this." "Major, you said last night that you'd visited Benny before." "Why, yes, I did." " When was the last time you visited him?" " Why, a week ago." "A week ago." "Then that's how it was that last night you could lead us directly to his apartment?" " Why, yes, I remember the way." "But that wasn't the way a week ago." "That was the way only after 7:00 last night." "I don't know what you're talking about." "Rainbow Benny moved from apartment 32A to apartment 25C at 7:00 yesterday evening." "The janitor just said so." "If you hadn't visited Benny for a week, how did you know that he was in 25C when you led us there last night?" "Your partner, Mr. Stephens, settled this case when he said he stood outside Benny's apartment and saw the stairs." "Well, you cannot see the stairs from apartment 25C." "You made only one misstep, major, but you left a big, bloody footprint." "Well, lieutenant, I should say..." " Stop this shooting, or I'll drop Charles!" " No, major!" "Nick!" "Nick, look out!" "So that's what became of the bulletproof vest." "That, Mr. Charles, will be your last deduction." "Yes, I almost closed the case with Rainbow Benny but now I'll close it with you." "Paul, you've got your scoop but you won't be able to write it." "I've got two more bullets." "One for each of you." "We'll dissolve our partnership right now." "You're the smartest, Mr. Charles, so you're first." " Run, Nicky, run!" " Grab him, men!" "Let go of me!" " Run, Nicky!" "Run!" " Grab him!" "Get off me!" " Run, Nicky!" " Get out of the way!" "Run!" "Run, Nicky, run!" " Are you all right?" " Oh, Nora, you were wonderful." "She certainly was." "Mommy, you're a heroine." " What happened?" "What did I do?" " Do?" "Why, you saved all our lives." "You jumped right into the muzzle of the gun." "I did?" "Nick, this gun isn't loaded." "When did you empty it?" "Oh, about three years ago." "When Nicky was cutting his teeth on it." "Well, then I'm not a heroine." "Oh, yes, you are, Mommy." "You're the bravest gal in the world." "Wait a minute." "Almost forgot something." "For valor." "Oh, Nicky." "Is this one for keeps?" "So is this one."