" What do you want, Egan?" " You know me, Briggs." "Good." "I read the papers." "Well, then you must read that Augie Gorman testifies to the Grand Jury tomorrow." "Yes." "I hope he ruins you." "You're going to make sure that doesn't happen, Briggs." "What's the matter, Egan?" "Can't your boys get to him?" "Well, the District Attorney has him locked in a hotel room downtown." "Lots of police around." "Nobody can get him out of there except you, Briggs." "Get to the point." "You have some reason to think I'll help you." "You recognise Sandy Forrester, the daughter of George Forrester?" "Somebody picked her up on the way to school this morning." "Since you're a friend of her father's," "I figured you should be the one to break the news to him." " Not even you." " That's right, a trade." "Sandy Forrester for Augie Gorman." "You've got less than 24 hours, Briggs." "If Augie Gorman makes it to that Grand Jury or if Forrester talks to the police, that girl dies." "I've got nothing to lose." "Get started, Briggs." "I'll keep in touch." "Then it's a squeeze between Egan and the law." "If we pulled it off we'd be kidnappers and if we didn't we'd be murderers." "Yes, this one's different." "I won't blame any of you for not seeing your way clear..." "Wait a minute." "What's this gangster's life compared to the girl's?" "Can't you talk the District Attorney into making the exchange?" "He can't and he won't." "Can't because of the precedent." "Won't because Gorman's testimony would finish Egan." " That would save dozens of lives." " Right." "If the DA knew, he'd put so many men around Gorman we'd never get near him." "We can't get to him as is in that hotel." "There are police in rooms on every side of him, above and below." "What about the hall outside?" "There are three officers covering it plus one with Gorman at all times." "And the windows?" "Steel shuttered so that nobody can get to him from the other building." " And how do you plan to get him out?" " I don't." "The police are going to do it for us." "Kidnapped?" "Dear God, Dan." "Why?" "Because you're a friend of mine, unfortunately." "What do they want?" "What are they after?" "I haven't got a lot of money." " I'm a high school principal." " They're not after money, George." "They've kidnapped Sandy to force me to do something they know I'd never do otherwise." "Don't call the police." "I beg you, don't." " I've got to." " You can't." "Egan will know immediately and he'll kill her." " I've gotta do something." " We'll get her back." " Just give me a few hours." " Dan..." "Yes, I know what I'm asking, but it's the only way." "George, I'll get your daughter back." "All right, I'll give you a few hours." "But I've got to know if she's all right." "I've got to know if she's still alive." "Okay, Forrester, you've got 30 seconds." "Sandy?" "Sandy, can you hear me?" "Yes, Daddy." "Sandy, are you all right?" "They haven't hurt me, Daddy." "But I'm so scared." "I want to come home, please." "Please." "I want to come home, Daddy, please." "Okay, Forrester, put Briggs back on the phone." "I'll get money somehow." "I'll pay you anything you want." "Just return my daughter." "I beg you." "I said put Briggs back on." "Just make sure nothing happens to that girl." "Unless I see her alive you don't get Gorman." "Don't worry." "As long as we get Gorman, nothing's going to happen to the girl." " When will you be ready?" " I'll let you know." "Don't you forget, you ain't got much time." "Need her later." " Anything you can use?" " No." " Willy, you got the hotel plans?" " Right here." "The room's three floors above but directly over his." "Did Barney check you out on the x-ray table?" " We're ready." " Let's get going." "The fracture is long healed." "Will it show up on plates?" "It better or I'm finished practicing medicine." "We're ready, George." " Dan..." " George, I promised you now." "I promised you." " How sick will it make him?" " Very." "It will look like a stroke." "Ready for the package." "Okay, Barney." "What's that?" "The mike's picking up a TV show on the floor below." " Tie it off at exactly 30 feet 9 inches." " We're almost there." "That's 26. 27." "28. 29." "30." "That's it." " Now what?" " We wait." " How long?" " Until Gorman takes a drink of water." " I'm due at the hospital, Dan." " Right." " Thanks, Ira." " Forget it." "I hope everything works out." "I have had it." "I can't stand being cooped up in this dump any more." " Is that him?" " That's him." "Take it easy, Gorman." "Tomorrow it'll be all over." "What do you suppose happens after I testify?" "I'll have to go into hiding for the rest of my life." "Egan'll hunt me down wherever I am." "After you tell the Grand Jury what you know," "Egan will be behind bars." "He won't be able to hurt you." "Where are those sleeping pills?" " They were there last night." " Well, they ain't here now." "Now try to get some sleep, will you, Gorman?" "Okay, okay." "You found the pills." "I'll have you promoted to Captain." "Don't break the pouch until he turns on the tap." "Right." "Come on, Gorman." "Take a drink." "Don't just stand there." "Turn out the lights." "He left." "He's going to sleep." "He didn't drink." "It didn't work." "It isn't going to work." "I'll never see Sandy again." "They'll kill her." " I'm calling the police." " No." "Yes." "I have to." "What else can I do?" "Call the police and Sandy's dead in five minutes." "Egan's desperate." "He has to back his play." "He'll pick the child of someone else I know, call me, and it'll start all over." " But your idea's finished, Dan." " Not yet." " We'll wake him up." " How?" "These air-conditioned hotels are just too comfortable." " It must be 90 in here." " Yeah and our windows are open." "Gorman must love steam baths." "It's him." " Now?" " No." " But he's filling the glass." " That's not Gorman." "Unless Gorman sleeps with his shoes on, that's the police lieutenant assigned to stay with him." " Then Gorman's still asleep." " Yes." "Where are you going?" "This time I'm really going to wake him up." "Oh, I'm sorry, Officer." "I did not know I was exceeding the speed limit." " That's all right, sir." " No, it's not." "I won't try to talk you out of a ticket." "I was speeding, I deserve it." "I was speeding." "No, it's okay." "You'd just better get some sleep." "You're right, Officer." "I'd better." "Good night." "Sir, your room must be down the other way." "No, it's right there." "Sir, people are trying to sleep." "Now, keep your voice down." "My voice is down." " Okay, move along." " What's going on here?" " Why are you cops guarding my room?" " This is not your room." " What's going on here?" " Sir, you're on the wrong floor." "Oh, yeah, now I remember." "You're guarding a celebrity in there." "Augie Gorman!" "Killer Gorman!" " Who's that?" " Come on out!" "Come on out, Augie!" "Augie Gorman!" "It's just some drunk." "I'll get him out of the hall." "No!" "Don't open that door." " I want to see what he looks like." " Look, mister, I told you to move on." "Okay." "Okay, Officer." "I'm going." "He's gone." "All right, Gorman." "Go back to sleep." "What a dump!" "Drunks yelling up and down the hall, the air conditioning busted." "How do you expect a guy to get some sleep?" "Try." "He's awake." "With the noise I made, everyone in the hotel should be." "Now." "Go!" " Now what?" " I don't know." "I don't feel so good." "Gorman!" "Gorman!" "Stu, get an ambulance right away." "All right." "Hold it right there." "MD, Lieutenant." "Phil Sanderson." "Memorial Hospital." "Let me see that." "All right, he's all yours, Doc." "Could be a stroke." "Let's get him to the hospital." " How long's he been like this?" " Oh, about 10 minutes." "He tried to get out of bed and he fell on his face." "It happened all of a sudden." "Why hasn't this man been given oxygen?" "I didn't think it was called for, Doctor." "This man is nearly comatose." "Nurse, oxygen." "Yes, Doctor." " What's your diagnosis, Doctor?" " Possible cerebral haemorrhage." "Yes." "And?" " Nothing I saw, Doctor." " Well, it's not obvious." "Unless I miss my guess, this man's also got a slight skull fracture." "Order up a set of x-rays right away." "There's no radiologist on duty at this hour." "Then I'll have to do it myself." "Get an oxygen tent sent up to his room." "Let's go." " I'll have to stay with him, Doc." " All right." "Give us a hand, Officer." "You'll have to stay behind the shield while we take the pictures." "Excuse me, Officer." "Ready, Doctor." " Left, profile, Nurse." " Yes, Doctor." "Ready, Doctor." "Okay, that's it." " How is he, Doc?" " Too early to tell." "Well, I guess I'd better notify the DA." "Gorman's gone." "Seal off the hospital." "Search every room." "Emergency Entrance, please." " Hello." " Ask the two officers to report to the third floor desk immediately." "Right." "They want you up at the third floor desk immediately." "Doctor!" "I'm sorry, Doctor, but the police have ordered the hospital sealed." "No one leaves." " Doctor, where's Gorman?" " Who's Gorman?" "The man in the oxygen tent." "He claims total loss of memory." "I wouldn't know, Officer." "He's the man I x-rayed." "Nobody mentioned his name." " Get out of my way." " I'm sorry, sir." " I've been ordered..." " Orderly, are you prepared to take the responsibility for this man's death." "What?" "The heart-lung machine just malfunctioned." "We're rushing him to University Hospital." "There's another machine there." "I can't stop now." "Nurse, let's get him in the ambulance." "I'll take full responsibility." "You try to understand me." "Augie Gorman is a key witness." "He was brought here under total security." "I never left his side, but he's gone." "That's another man in there." "Well, then he changed before I got him." "Are you kidding?" "I told you he never left our sight." "If you're calling me a liar, Officer, I hope you're a betting man." "Even pictures can lie but x-rays don't." "Any amount you want to name that man in the bed has the same occipital fracture right there?" "Watch him." " Hello." " Congratulations, Briggs." "I'll be ready to pick him up in an hour." " I've made all the arrangements." " Tell me about them." "You and Forrester meet me at Sixteenth and Jefferson." "I'll take you to the girl and you show me Gorman." "If we're both satisfied, we'll make the switch." " How do I know you'll deliver the girl?" " Well, I'll be alone." "You have Gorman somewhere in the Warehouse District." "All you have to do is show him and you'll get the girl." "And listen, my friend, no guns." " Does he mean it?" " I don't know." "I don't like the feel of it." "I want to make this exchange on my terms not his." "Dan, I don't care how you make the exchange." "I just want Sandy back." "I'm not sure we'll get her back this way." "If you don't do exactly as that man said, he'll kill her." "I think as long as we've got Gorman, Sandy's safe." "You think!" "Dan, I want you to do what Egan says." "Don't you see, George, he's just trying to lure Gorman out into the open so he can kill him." "I don't care what happens to Gorman." "This is Sandy's only chance and I intend to see that she gets it." "Now, if you don't agree to meet Egan, I'm going to the police, now." "I mean it." "All right, George." "We'll give it a try." "All right, come on in." "When that car passes, look in the back seat." "It was Sandy." " Egan, I tell you..." " No, George." " All right, now." "Where's Gorman?" " Follow us." "It's not far." "He's in that phone booth." "Old Augie." " He's not looking too good." " He's out cold." "How else would I get him here?" "Phone booth." "Now you get rid of all the witnesses, right, Egan?" " Right." " Wrong." "Take another look at Gorman." "It's a lousy dummy!" "Now we'll exchange Gorman for the girl my way." "You'll wait to hear from me." "And one more little thing, Egan." "If anything happens to that girl, anything," "I'll finish you." "Wherever you are, whatever you're doing," "I'll find you and I'll kill you." "And you know I can do it." "Your way, Briggs." "Only one thing has to be." "I handle Gorman personally." "No one else." "Anything you say." " Is the antenna on the truck?" " Right." " How's the signal?" " Loud and clear." "How powerful is it?" "I can pick you up anywhere in the county." "I'll plot the positions and Cinnamon will relay the information to Rollin." "Good." " How long, Rollin?" " Give me 10 minutes." " Hello." " Egan?" "Have a car waiting for us at the old railroad station." "From there we go on to the exchange point." " I choose the spot." " Right." "Fifteen minutes." "All right, take the girl where I told you to." "I'll meet you there after the exchange is made." "All right, let's roll." "Let's go, Gorman." " I don't like this whole thing." " You don't have to like it." "I ain't going." " You're going." " What's that mean?" "That means that all I care about now is getting that girl back." "I can do that just as easily by handing Egan a dead Augie Gorman as a live one." "You're not the type to shoot a man down in cold blood." "Really?" " I think you would." " You know I would." "Seventh Street." "Rollin, the truck just turned into Seventh Street." "May I see your driver's licence, please?" "Would you take it out of the wallet, sir?" "Now, look, Officer, I'm in a hurry." "I'm late for an appointment as it is." "I'm afraid you're going to be a little later, sir." "He's in the back." " That's him all right." " All right, George." "Daddy." " She seems to be all right." " Let's have the keys." " Let's see yours." " They're in the ignition." "Let's go." "Oh, Daddy!" "He's a little over a mile from it." "Rollin, keep your eyes open." "You're a little over a mile from the truck." " Where is he?" " He's in the back." "Augie!" "Come on out, Augie." " Do you want me to come in after you?" " I'm coming, Frank." "I'm coming out." " Hi, Frank." " Hi, Augie." " Goodbye, Augie." " What are you doing, Frank?" "Oh, Frank, now." "Don't do that, Frank!" "Now, please don't do that, Frank!" "Frank, now." "Please, Frank." "All right, all of you, get out of here." "Move." "What is this stuff?" "Sorry, it's not real, Gorman." " All right, Rollin?" " No damage." "Let's get out of here." "Go ahead, Egan, bring it out." "Now toss it away." "Now just stay there." "No, George." "You can't kill him, George." "He's got to face the Grand Jury this morning."