"Doomed." "Doomed to a violent end, that Clara Nash was." "I'm telling you, Sergeant." "Doomed to a violent end." "I know, Mrs. Slocum, you told me." "Three times, already." "And I'm trying to find out, with your help, who murdered her." "The horror of it all." "And that wonderful Mr. Nash." "And that poor little boy." "Whatever is gonna become of him." "Mom, please, mom." "Try to control yourself." "And to think that I was practically the last one to see her alive." "Me." "Mrs. Slocum, if you could just give me a few minutes of your valuable time, I" "My valuable time." "Well, thank you very much, Sergeant." "You hear that, Janie?" "The Sergeant wants a few minutes of my valuable time." "Just goes to show how a person's whole life can be changed... just by somebody getting murdered." "First, there was the flowers from the women's club... with a very kind note of sympathy." "Plus an invitation... to tell about my experiences on the fatal night." "And now the Sergeant wants a few minutes of my valuable time." "Well, let's face it, Janie." "How much was my valuable time worth, yesterday?" "85 cents an hour, plus carfare." "I was just a plain, simple baby-sitter." "But look at me now." "Mom, lie down for a while." "The Sergeant will come back later." "I just remembered something." "That's more like it, Mrs. Slocum." "I sent my black taffeta to the cleaners... and it's never gonna be back in time for that meeting at the women's club." "I'll be back." "Really, Sergeant." "My mother's a wonderful woman." "She just suffers from overacting." "That's the understatement of the year." "Oh, mercy." "You must be that detective." "Say, I got a few ideas about that murder." "I'll bet you have." "Well." "Where's your mother, honey?" "Mrs. Armstedder, take it easy." "She's really had a rough day." "There you are, Lottie." "Boy, do you look a mess." "Well, come on, honey, refreshments." "We got a lot of talking to do." "Now." "Oh." "Move over." "Isn't this exciting?" "Look at that." ""Baby-sitter questioned in murder."" "It's in every paper." "Your name, your picture, everything." "Gee, makes a person afraid to go out on a job." "You know, I was supposed to sit for the Thompsons tonight." "But now..." "I bet you never wanna baby-sit again." "Well, you'd always be imagining a killer was sneaking around or something." "Come on, Lottie, I bet you're just dying to tell me all about it." "Move over, will you?" "Well, if that's your attitude." "It's cherry chocolate with tutti-frutti." "There." "Come on now, tell me." "What was she really like?" "It's a long, long story, Blanche." "Well, don't worry." "I've got refills." "Well, go on." "You know, how I've often said... that sometimes a pretty face will do you more harm than good." "Well, that Clara Nash was doomed to a violent end." "Way she was carrying on, she deserved what she got." "Shame on you, Lottie." "Go on." "You know how particular I am about who I sit for." "Well, I never would've sat for her." "Except I had a soft spot in my heart for the boy." "And that wonderful Mr. Nash." "What a gentleman he was." "And the way she treated him, he deserved something better." "Did you see the flowers the women's club sent?" "Potted plant would be less trouble." "The way she's been carrying on." "Since the separation, not even divorced, mind you." "Running around with lounge lizards like that Mr. de Mario." "He was the one that took her out last night, before she was killed." "Listen... do you think that de Mario did it?" "Who knows?" "Gives me the creeps." "He's the slippery type, you know." "Well, why not him?" "Listen, he brings her home, see." "They've been drinking maybe." "Then she asks him to drive you home to get rid of him." "But he fools her, he comes back." "Did act kind of peculiar in the car, coming home." "Never opened his mouth once, except to say good night." "That was kind of funny, wasn't it?" "Yeah." "Well, as I say, anybody could've done it." "They say when they found her strangled" "I don't even wanna think about that." "She was never any good." "Even right from the beginning, when I first started sitting for the Nashes." "Long before they were separated." "I remember one night." "They were supposed to go to his boss's house for dinner." "So I got there at 7.:00 like I was supposed to." "Mrs. Nash was picking on Mr. Nash something awful." "It wasn't as if I was snooping or anything." "She must've known I was standing there, but that didn't stop her." "Not for one minute." "Yakety, yakety yak." "Mad as a wet hen she was." "Poor Mr. Nash, you could see he was suffering... but didn't have a chance with Big Mouth." "And what was she blowing her top about this time?" "Well, I'll tell you." "Because she didn't want to go to the boss's house for dinner." "Just because Mr. Nash asked her to change her dress." "You should've seen her, decked out like a showgirl or something." "But she refused to get into something respectable." "She'd rather go out someplace fancy the way she was... than keep her husband on good terms with his boss." "I won't even repeat some of the things she had to say." "And that poor man, what he must have been going through." "She even had the nerve to make him call his boss... to say they couldn't come." "And do you know what she was doing while he was calling?" "She just laughed." "Well, she could afford to." "She won." "I couldn't keep my mouth shut any longer and I let her have it." "I simply told her that she didn't deserve a man like Mr. Nash." "And she had the nerve to get sore about it, even though I was right." "It might've ended up in a real hair-pulling contest... if it hadn't been for Mr. Nash." "But..." "Such a gentleman." "He just couldn't stand by and let her abuse me." "He had to tear us apart practically." "But I guess he didn't really mind." "I guess he was flattered that I stuck up for him... because, right then and there, he asked me... how such a wonderful, understanding woman like me... had stayed a widow so long." "Blanche, he was divine." "So what?" "So what, what?" "So you don't think he meant anything personal?" "I mean about your being so wonderful and still single and everything." "Who knows what he meant." "Well, what's so funny?" "Lottie, you ought to be ashamed of yourself, and at your age." "My age." "His age." "Same age." "Give a little, take a little." "Besides, who'd have him even if he asked me?" "That I'd like to see." "Well, don't kill yourself laughing, Blanche." "I may be a size 14, but I could get to be a size 10 for him." "For a man like that, I could even get to be beautiful." "For a man like that, a woman would do anything." "Just anything." "Lottie, you didn't..." "Didn't what?" "You didn't kill her?" "What?" "Have some more cake, Mom." "No, not for me." "I'm gonna start cutting down." "You know, Janie, you wouldn't believe it." "But when your father and me was married, I weighed only 98 pounds." "He used to call me "Peanut."" "Used to brag about my figure to everybody." "In a nice way, of course." "Funny how a woman lets herself go when there's no man around." "Well, those afternoon teas that you and Mrs. Armstedder indulge in... don't help either, Mom." "You know, Janie, sometimes I think Blanche Armstedder isn't all there." "Only sometimes?" "I'll do the dishes, honey." "You run down to the drugstore and get me tonight's papers." "I wanna see what they say about me." "Okay, I'll be right back." "All right." "Get all the papers." "98 pounds." "For goodness' sake." "A person has no privacy around here." "Mr. de Mario." "Mind if I come in?" "No, of course not." "My daughter" "I just saw her going down the street, so I know you're alone." "Yes." "As a matter of fact, I am." "To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit, Mr. de Mario?" "Pleasure?" "I just dropped in to give you a little piece of advice." "What about?" "About the murder of Clara Nash." "I don't know anything about that." "Yeah, I know." "But you've got an overworked imagination." "Clara used to tell me how you liked to dream things up." "She thought it was very funny." "Only it might not be so funny now." "I've already told them everything I know... and I didn't tell them anything but the truth." "That's what I'm worried about." "When you run out of the truth, what are you gonna say then?" "Nothing, nothing at all." "You just keep repeating that, Mrs. Slocum." "It could mean a whole lot to your future." "Thanks, honey, I don't mind if I do." "Say, where's your mother anyway, it's almost dinner time." "Well, she can't be out much longer." "As soon as the stores close, she's got to come home." "What a good girl you are." "Always waiting for your mother." "Like the other night, for instance." "It was real nice of you to wait till she got home." "What time was it, anyway?" "She got in around 2:00 a.m." "You're sure 'cause you were up?" "No, I'm not sure." "Then how can you be sure?" "I'm not." "It's just that she said she got in then." "Then you wouldn't know if she went out again." "Really, Mrs. Armstedder." "Why don't you stick to solitaire?" "Janie, what do you think?" "A lady at the hairdresser's asked me for my autograph... and the man at the corner said I ought to sell my story to the Chronicle." "Are you still here, Blanche?" "Well, Jane asked me to dinner." "Say, you've got a new hairdo." "Well, looks pretty nice." "Gives you height." "Say, what all did you buy, Lottie?" "Nothing really." "Jane, it's for you." "On second thought, it's too young for you." "Size 10?" "I don't get it." "Well, you will." "With this, I'm gonna lose pounds like water." "Wait, I'll show you." "All this wouldn't have anything to do with a certain gentleman... whose initials are "Charles Nash"?" "Where do you get your ideas?" "Now, look, this is what you're supposed to do." "You're supposed to kind of, like, lasso your feet." "Lasso your feet." "Like that, see." "And then you pull yourself up." "You're bending your knees." "Shut up." "Well, I'm glad to see you're feeling better, Mrs. Slocum." "How do you do?" "May I help you up?" "Well, I'm not feeling better, I'm not well at all." "I just keep trying." "That's why I'm here, Mrs. Slocum." "I'm gonna ask you to try to remember if there are any details that you overlooked." "Like what, for instance?" "Well, supposing we go through the whole thing again." "Right from the start." "Read me what I said yesterday." "That's not exactly the idea, Mrs. Slocum." "It's a cross-examination." "That's where they catch you if you're lying." "Shh." "Fire away." "I'll answer your questions." "Thank you, ma'am." "Let's start with de Mario." "De Mario?" "Yes." "He says that he brought Mrs. Nash home at approximately 1:45 a.m." "Now, does that check with you?" "Check." "Do you have anything further to say about this?" "No." "And he left immediately after with you in the car, right?" "Right." "What did he talk about on the way home?" "Nothing." "Nothing?" "Nothing." "Well, didn't he say anything when he dropped you off?" "Nothing." "Nothing?" "Nothing!" "Well, he must've said something when he dropped you off, Mrs. Slocum." "He said, "Good night."" "Now, look." "De Mario has been unable to account for his time... from then until 4:00 a.m. Now, exactly what time did you get home?" "They can't prove it, Lottie." "Now, don't say another word until you see a lawyer." "I don't need a lawyer." "I answered all the questions." "I think I've got a headache." "I wish you'd go away." "Mom." "I don't know what got into that police officer... but don't be upset." "Everybody knows you had nothing to do with it." "Do you still want me to sit for you at the Blakes tonight?" "Are you sure you're gonna be all right here alone?" "I'll be back as early as I can, Mom." "Dear Mr. Nash... the time has come when I need you." "I'm all mixed up... especially after what happened the night of the murder." "I like to keep myself busy when I'm baby-sitting." "Makes the time go by quicker." "It was a good book, very romantic." "I couldn't wait to find out what happened." "So after I finished the book I looked around for something else to do." "You've no idea how empty the life of a baby-sitter is." "And how quiet." "It's not as if I were a teenager... with lots of friends to keep me company." "Bobby was sound asleep." "Such an angel." "And with a mother like that." "But again, you're his father." "I guess it takes two to tango, if you get what I mean." "That woman sure was some housekeeper." "Never saw such a mess." "But then, I guess she didn't have time for such things." "Dust, just like I expected." "It was funny seeing the two of us hanging there." "Her and me." "I remember when your coat used to be there, too, Mr. Nash." "I always used to hang mine next to it." "I guess you can tell by now I'm romantic." "You always bought her such pretty things." "Maybe it's not nice of me to talk about the dead." "You gave me quite a turn coming in like that, Mr. Nash." "But you had your key, and why not?" "You pay the rent." "I could smell you'd been drinking... but who could blame you, with all your troubles." "You weren't even sore at me for trying on the coat." "I guess you never thought I could look so good." "It's that blonde beaver." "It does something for a woman." "Even me." "Such a good father." "It was so cozy, just the two of us." "Just as if it had always been that way." "And then she came back." "We heard them out there." "Her and that Mr. de Mario, laughing." "It was shameful the way those two were carrying on." "It really hurt me to see the look on your face." "It was nice of you not to want to be present... when she came in with that boyfriend of hers." "You knew you could trust me not to tell her you were in the bedroom." "Of course, I don't believe that you had anything to do... with what happened later." "But you see, it's the police I'm worried about, Mr. Nash." "Maybe tomorrow they'll ask me about you." "So I thought if we could get together..." "You know... dinner for two, tête-à-tête." "Mr. Nash, come in, come in." "What a wonderful surprise." "I wasn't expecting anybody but you're very welcome, I'm sure." "You won't believe this, but I was just writing a letter to you." "Wait a minute and I'll go and get it for you." "Now, isn't that a coincidence." "If you'd given me a little warning..." "I might've fixed up a tiny bit." "I never was so surprised to see anybody in my life." "Well, here it is." "By special messenger." "I was beginning to get worried." "But I didn't tell them anything, like I promised." "Not a word." "They never asked me if you were there the night of the murder... so I didn't think it was wrong not to tell them anything." "Well, Mr. Nash, whatever are you doing?" "Mr. Nash!" "And now, I suppose you babies who have just put the sitter to bed... are wondering about Mr. Nash." "He escaped in his automobile, but not for long." "He was soon arrested... for failing to yield the right of way." "Well, he wasn't exactly arrested." "You see, it was a train that he failed to yield to." "And now, children, if you aren't naughty... and if the rabbit doesn't get drunk... drinking too much carrot tea... and fall on the elephant's trunk... next week I'll tell you another story." "Good night."