"Hey." "Come on, get away from that car." "Come on, come on!" "Beat it." "Creeps." " Hey, Eddie!" " What do you want, Mr. Green?" "What do I want?" "I'll tell you what I want." "I want you to get a broom and bash anybody who gets near my chariot, all right?" " Those punks again?" " Give me the passkey." "I gotta rouse Sleeping Beauty upstairs." "Remember, they get near it, bash them." "Those no-good little bastards." "Ray!" "Ray!" "Come on." "Come on, get your ass out of that sack." "Come on, come on, up and at them." "Hey, the day's half over." "Let's go, let's go." "Raymond, time is money." "Hey, hey." "Why don't you answer the box?" "I left a half a dozen messages yesterday." "You think I got nothing better to do than ring you all day?" "Raymond, we've got business to talk over." " We got a summons from your wife." " Ex." " Ex-wife." " One thousand dollars a month." "One, zero, zero, zero." "On top of that bad news, there's more bad news." "The first chapters of your novel have been returned by another publisher." " That's only the fourth one." " It's the sixth, but who's counting." "The point is, there's no advance." "If you finish, we'll be able to sell it." "But that's not gonna happen today, right?" "Hey, come on, you mothers, get away from that car." " Up yours!" " Son of a bitch." "All right, now for the good news." " You got an offer of employment." " Not interested." " You better be, buster." " Abner Procane, male, white, 65 years old." "Extremely wealthy, eccentric, lives on an estate in Holmby Hills." "He's had something stolen." "The thieves offered to return it for a potful of money." "You function strictly as a go-between." " For which I'll get paid?" " Ten thousand, cold cash." "And if we can finagle it a little bit, possibly even tax-free." " Do I have to murder anybody?" " As your lawyer, I would advise against it." "Look." "Please, your appointment's at 2:00." "Be prompt for a change, huh?" "I don't know why I feel this affection for you." "I mean, you sleep late, you don't pay me." "I don't understand it." "St. Ives here." "What are the odds on the Rams-Dallas game?" "Okay, 500." "Yeah, Rams." " and the Cowboys call time." "A play came in from the sidelines." "Staubach didn't like it, so he'll go talk it over with Tom Landry." "With the timeout, 8: 14 remaining before intermission  with the score:" "Dallas 7, Rams nothing." "Ray St. Ives for Abner Procane." "Timeout, 8: 10 left in the second quarter." "Dallas 14, the Rams nothing." "Mr. St. Ives." "Please make yourself comfortable." "Mr. Procane will be with you directly." "Oh, Mr. St. Ives?" "Do come in, come in." "That film, The Big Parade, is one of my favorite favorites." "Better days then, Mr. St. Ives." " You are Mr. St. Ives?" " Yes." " Mr. Procane?" " Abner Procane." "Can I get you a drink?" " Yes, please." " What will you have?" "A whiskey and soda, please." "Has Mr. Green informed you of my problem?" "I wanted to hear about it from you." "Five brown leather-bound ledgers, 81/2-by-14 were removed from a safe in an upstairs office." "A very tidy job." " When did they contact you?" " Friday." " But he didn't speak with me." " Who talked to him?" "I did." "The thief, or the man I spoke to, will call again this afternoon with specific instructions as to the exchange." "He insisted you be here when he called and that you act as a go-between." " I think that's the expression he used." " This is Janet Whistler." " What else did he say?" " He demanded $ 100,000." "Old money, mixed serial numbers." "How do you know I'm not in business with the thief?" "Apart from the fact that you gamble excessively your reputation is flawless." "Yes?" "He's here." "St. Ives." "This is St. Ives." "Yes." "Yes." "Yes, I got it." "Sounds okay." "At a Laundromat, 2 a.m., come alone." "It's the usual." " Where's the money?" " It's here." "Do you want me to come with you?" "That's not necessary." "I'm being well-paid for the risk." "You'll be sure to call us immediately afterwards?" "Better than that." "I'll be right here at your door." "Is that your Jaguar?" " Yeah, what about it?" " The lights are on." "Sweet Jesus Christ!" "Hold it right there!" "Now, don't move." "All right, spread yourself against the wall!" " I'm Detective Deal." "He's Oller." " Officer Frann, sir." " What's going on here, officer?" " There's a stiff in the drier." "This guy was standing beside it when I walked in." "Well, you better call the meat wagon." "You, up against the wall." " Jesus." " You know him, Ollie?" "No." "I think his neck's broke." "Here." "See what's in the bag." " What's your name?" " Ray St. Ives." " Where do you live?" " Hotel Lido, on Wilcox." "Look at that." "A whole pisspot full of money here." " How much is in there?" " I don't know." "I ain't counted it." " Well, count it." " There's 100,000." "What do you do?" " Retired." " Oh, yeah?" " Did you twist that guy's neck?" " No." "Is that your money?" "Well, let's just say I'm keeping it for somebody." "On my way home, I was driving past this all-night Laundromat." "We don't have one where I live, so I thought I'd drop in and have a look around." "I just walked in when the motorcycle cop showed up." "You always carry a hundred grand on evening drives?" "A friend of mine, a little old lady, asked me to hang on to it." "You know, the banks are closed." "She lives alone." "No record, huh?" "Okay, thanks." "You're entitled to call your lawyer if you want." "Why do I need a lawyer?" "You're asking questions, I'm answering." "Hello, Robbery?" "This is Detective Oller down at Homicide Central." "You guys have any big heists tonight, like maybe 100,000 bucks?" "Okay, thanks." "No record, no robbery." "Jack Boykins, male, white, 43." "Arrested 16 times, mostly for stealing." "Indicted eight times." "Convicted twice." "Did nine years in Folsom." " Hey." " Hi, Charlie." " How are you?" " You know this guy, lieutenant?" "What do you mean?" "Everybody knows St. Ives." "He's a bigtime columnist." "Crime reporter." "Was, I mean." "Now he's an author." "He's writing a book." "How's the book coming?" " Not worth a shit." " Maybe you got a weak story." " Yeah, I guess so." " Hey." "Found him walking around with 100,000 bucks in a bag." " You didn't steal it, did you, Ray?" " No, and I'm not that hard up." "Give him back his 100,000 bucks." "Let him get out of here." " See you later, Ray." " Thanks, Charlie." " Aren't you gonna count it?" " What for?" "You wouldn't steal from a little old lady, would you?" "Hey, Eddie, up and at them, up and at them." " Time is money..." " St. Ives." "...like Myron's always saying." "I..." "I must've dozed off." " What can I do for you?" " Put this in the safe then give me the key." "There's nothing in the safe." " I guess it's all right to give you the key." " Put that in." "This is St. Ives." "The exchange, it got fouled up." "I'll talk to you about it later." "No, no, no." "I'm gonna lock it up in a safe place." "Now lock it." "Give me the key." "Now go back to sleep." "I'd like to get even for yesterday." "Tonight, Vikings over the Colts." "No, not 500." "Make it 50." "Thank God for Monday Night Football." "Mr. Procane sent me to find out what went wrong." " All he had to do was call." " Oh, I asked him to send me." "Well, in that case, come on in." " Like some coffee?" " Fine." "Now, about last night." "I met up with a small-time thief named Boykins, in the Laundromat." "Someone you know?" "Past tense." "When I saw him, he was bouncing around inside a drier with his head on backwards." "That's chicory coffee." "Takes getting used to." "You can say that again." "If you're gonna sit there, I'll make the bed." "No, no." "I like beds that have already been slept in." "They're warmer." "I don't think you understand about Boykins." "Or maybe I didn't make myself clear." "He was dead." "Was that all there was to it?" "Maybe for you but it was of some importance to Boykins." "We had another call this morning." "Another voice wanting ransom for the ledgers." "He also wanted you to act as a go-between." "He said he'd call tonight at 9:00 with instructions." "I'll be there." "Do you always live like this?" " In cheap hotels?" " Yeah." "By choice?" "Why else would anybody live in a cheap hotel?" " You don't like me, do you?" " I don't like your questions." "As for you you're tough, smart and you've got a lot of great-looking bits and pieces." "I wondered when you'd notice." "It's a little early for me to notice." "Mornings are for getting over the nights." "You should come around in the afternoon." " Well..." " See you at 9:00." "Are you throwing me out?" "No man in his right mind would throw you out." "It's just that afternoons are better." " Afternoons are perfect." " I'll remember that." "Hey, Ray, what do you say?" " Hesh." " How about a little corned beef today?" "Sounds good to me, but no fat." "Give mine to Angie." "Boykins got his ticket punched last night." " Yeah, that's right." " You was there." " You got busted." " Come on over and sit down." "Hey, Rudy." "Take over for a minute, will you?" "Seen Boykins the last couple of days?" "Yeah, he was in two nights ago with... what's-his-name." "That guy who always looks like death warmed over." " Finley?" " Yeah, that's the creep." "Two of them had their heads together for hours." "Last time I saw Boykins." " What time does Finley come around?" " He comes in late, around 10:00." "Gary, get a mop and get out here!" "Where are you?" "Hey, what's the matter with you?" "You all right, lady?" " Hi, Ray, what's going on?" " Hey, Seymour." "Nothing much." "Sit down, sit down." "How's the book coming?" "Gary, will you get out here with that mop?" "Hey, Seymour." "You know a vest called Abner Procane, lives in Holmby Hills?" "You want me to ask around?" "Yeah, but quietly." "I got a car in the parking lot." " I'm going this way." " Good night." "Good night, now." " Well, you two dance well together." " Feel it?" "Inside." "Twenty, 40, 50..." "Fifty lousy bucks!" "You ain't got no money, you pay with your ass!" "You got the $50 for five minutes' work." "That adds up to $600 an hour." "That's a lot of money." "What are you, some kind of wiseass?" "Who put you nice, clean-cut boys up to this?" " Who do you work for?" " You know, you talk too much!" "We're gonna take you out, go-between." "Shit!" "Cut him off!" " Mr. St. Ives." "Just a moment, sir." " I know my way." "Mr. Procane has given explicit instructions that he's not to be dist..." "Quiet, please, quiet." " What is it?" " This man insists on seeing Mr. Procane." "Mr. Procane can't be disturbed now." " May I be of any assistance?" " Who are you?" "Properly I should ask that question." "Who are you?" "Mr. St. Ives." "We're expecting him." " Thank you, Horace." " Mr. St. Ives." "You're the man helping Abner regain his journals." "Yeah, something like that." " Dr. Constable." " Do you mind waiting a few moments?" "Abner's just on the last reel of Birth of a Nation." "What happened to you?" " Are you hurt?" " No, not very much." "Show me your hand." "Please, Mr. St. Ives, please." "Don't worry." "I was an MD before I became a psychiatrist." "Friction burn." "Come with me." "Why don't you wash your hand, Mr. St. Ives." " Janet, could you get me some scissors?" " In the drawer." "Yes, here are the scissors." "And now I need some gauze and a mild astringent." "Mild astringent." "Mild astringent." "Mild astringent..." "Mild astringent." "Why don't you sit down, Mr. St. Ives." "Yes?" "No, this is Procane." "Shall I or shall I not ask you how you came by these burns?" "I missed the elevator and had to slide down." "Such impatience." "Now, this will sting a little." "Where did you say?" "Yes, I'll give him the message." "What is this with Procane and the old movies?" "Films really are dreams especially old movies, and Abner loves them." "They're good dreams for Abner." "They're splendid, splendid therapy." "You can remove this bandage tomorrow, if you like." "I see you two have met." "Mr. St. Ives." "A message." "Union Station, Wednesday, 10 a. m men's room, first stall." "You're to bring the same Pan Am bag as before." "First it was a Laundromat, now a men's toilet." "Classy bunch of crooks." "No imagination." "Or appreciation." "You've had an accident?" "Goes with the territory." "Hey, where's Parisi?" " Who?" " Johnny Parisi." "Tell him it's Ray St. Ives." "I don't know him." "I'll wait." "St. Ives." "Hi, Ray." "Come on in." "I wanna show you something." "Looks just like any other car on the street." "Get in." "I got a surprise." "The boys are real artists, aren't they?" "Quarter-inch armor throughout." "Quartz-glass windshield." " Expensive?" " Ray." "How can you put a price on personal safety?" "I had to test it anyway." "You're right." "Personal safety's very important." "What's on your mind, Ray?" "Stolen journals." "Who stole them?" "Who's got them?" "Why are they so valuable?" "And why is someone dead?" "Maybe Albee Shippo can help." "Are you involved?" "If I were, we wouldn't be talking." " You called?" " Yeah." "Come on in." "Like I said on the telephone, I don't do retail." "Everything here is strictly high-class art." "For instance, you wanna go into business for yourself something you can do from your own home, I'm your man." "I'm interested in journals." "Jack Boykins." "Wait a second." "Wait a second." "Boykins was a thief!" "I had nothing to do with him." " Who are you anyway?" " I'm investigating the murder of Boykins." " You're a cop." " Before Boykins was murdered, he said..." "I don't care what he said!" "Some guy runs off at the mouth." "He gets bumped off." "Suddenly, an innocent man's in the shit house." "All right." "But if you can help me out..." "Look, all I know is, some guy calls up to see if I'm interested in journals." "I said, no." " Did you talk to anybody else after that?" " Nobody!" "Every time something happens, you cops jump on me!" "This guy that called, what's his name?" "Finley Cummings." "Finley Cummings." "Cummings wanted to know if I knew anybody interested in some journals belonging to some guy living out in West L.A." "You remember anything else, give me a buzz." " Sure, sure." " Ray St. Ives, Hotel Lido." "Thanks again." "Hotel Lido." "Hotel Lido." "You son of a bitch, you're no cop!" "What did they do, put the precinct in the hotel?" "I'm running a business here!" " What will it be, pal?" " Give him some of that, Hesh." "The roast beef is very good today." "Relax, I'm paying." "Couple of knocks some of the vegetables." "You look tired, Finley." "I think you need some vitamins and minerals." "We almost forgot the beans." "Give him some beans." "You like beans?" "Sure, everybody likes beans." "Come on, Hesh, don't be a piker, more beans." "What else you got?" "Pie." "Give him a big slice of pie." "Apple." "Apple pie." "There we go." "Now for something to drink." "Tommy?" "Nourishment's very important." "We gotta be careful what we put in the old furnace." " Ain't you hungry?" " No, I had a big lunch." "But you go on." "Dig in." "Something I wanted to talk to you about." "No, no, go on and eat." " Just listen." "I'll talk." " All right." "Food like that should be eaten hot." "What's on your mind?" "Your health." "Go on, eat, please." "I think it's very possible the guy that killed Jack Boykins might try to kill you." "Correct me if I'm wrong." "You and Boykins stole some journals from a guy in West L.A., right?" "Drink this." "Something's stuck." " Are you nuts or something?" " I couldn't care less." "You and Boykins stole those journals." "You realized how valuable they were and got rid of him to have the whole payoff yourself." "Or maybe after you and Boykins stole the journals, somebody else killed him." "Who told you this?" "Well, he's a liar." "I mean, Jackie Boykins was a friend of mine." "Where did you hear this?" "It wasn't me that did it." "Jimmy Peskoe." "He's an old-time safe guy." "He did the job." "He and Boykins?" "Alone." "He didn't know what to do with the stuff." "He sold it to Boykins." "Where does he live?" "Ask Hesh." "They're big buddies." " Oh, yeah, happy birthday." " It's not my birthday." "It's not?" "What the hell did I buy you dinner for?" "Hesh, where does Jimmy Peskoe live?" "What do you want him for?" "I have to give you my life story for a straight answer?" "Hotel Teris." "Hey, Ray, how about that game last night?" "A 48-yarder with three seconds left." "They should've been that lucky last Sunday." "Hey." "What about the guy Procane?" "You know Mitchell Danton?" "When I mentioned the name Procane "Pass," he says." "Thanks." " You hear anything else, let me know." " Okay." "Jimmy Peskoe." "Never heard of him." "What room is he in?" "Eight-nineteen." "Thanks." "Hey, Wally, who's the john?" "Captain Kangaroo." "Who cares?" "Well, fancy meeting you here." " How'd you get in here?" " The door was open." " You just walked in?" " Yeah." " Then you pushed him out the window?" " No." "Talk to the hotel clerk or the girl in the lobby." " Oh, yeah." "There was a girl there." "She smiled at you." " Why did you come here?" " Business." " Anything to do with Boykins?" " Yeah." "Every time we find a stiff, you're around." "Why is that?" "I guess I'm just lucky." "Don't be such a wise guy." "What was the connection between Boykins and Peskoe?" "He stole something from my client, sold it to Boykins, who offered to sell it back." "You show up at the Laundromat with the dough." "Boykins is dead, and the merchandise is gone." "Now you know everything I do." "Hey, nobody said you could go nowhere." "The lieutenant wants to see you downstairs." "Sit down here." "How'd you know that Peskoe was involved?" "I asked around." "Then you came over and helped him out the window?" " Because he had what you wanted." " lf Peskoe killed Boykins which I doubt, he would've had the merchandise." "If I pushed him out the window, then I'd have it." "Where is it?" "I got out of the elevator and I walked over to the desk and I'm rapping with Wally here and the guy takes his dive." "I don't see it." "I live on six." "He lived on eight." "And the guy who got on the elevator when you stepped off?" "What about him?" "How long after he got on did the body hit?" "Couldn't have been more than a couple of seconds." " How can you be...?" " Why...?" "How can you be so sure?" "It only takes that long to get from the elevator to the desk." " Thanks, miss." " You can ask Wally..." " You're off the hook, St. Ives." " What?" "Yeah, his story checked." "That whore downstairs." "Yeah, well, I don't care what the whore said." "I think you done it." "Jesus Christ, leave the man alone, will you?" "And stop calling people whores." "Cops!" "Jesus!" "Screw." "First, $ 100,000 and a stiff in a Laundromat." "Now a guy squashed on the sidewalk." "What the hell are you doing?" "Gathering material for a book." "Some book." " How many chapters you got?" " Six." " Let me read them sometime." " Be happy to have you read them." "Thanks, Charlie." "Good night, lieutenant." "Mr. St. Ives." "Laundromat." "The man in the drier." " Oh, Officer...?" " Frann." " Well, just hello." " Oh, nice to see you." " Hey, how did you know I was here?" " I called Coles, and Hesh told me." "Show me clear from Sixth and Whitmore." " Did you see who pushed him?" " No." " Did it have anything to do with the ledgers?" " Yeah, I think so." "Your attention, please." "Now arriving on track seven, Pacific Streamliner, city of San Diego." "Passengers will depart through gate three." "Now arriving on track two, Super Chief for Chicago and Salt Lake City." " Here, I'll save you a whole dime." " No, thanks." "I'm waiting for this one." "Hey, fella, a stall's a stall." "See, I got this mental problem." "I can't go unless it's the first one." "You've got a real bad problem there, don't you, sonny?" "I tried to hurry." "I heard what you said about going only in this first stall." "I'm like that at home, except I can't go on the first floor." "I go upstairs." " We both have a problem." " Yeah." "Your attention, please." "Now boarding on track four  the Pacific Limited for Portland and Seattle." "Departure will be in 20 minutes." "Your attention, please." "Now boarding on track four  the Pacific Limited for Portland and Seattle." "Departure will be in 20 minutes." "The journals." "So this time the connection was completed, Mr. St. Ives?" "There they are." "All five, 81/2-by-14, leather-bound." "He's read them." "Your life in crime, Mr. Procane, is fascinating." ""Exhilarating" is a better word." "Isn't it dangerous writing it down like that, as well as expensive?" "Abner has worked for years in combinatorics and functional analysis." "He's totally dependant on writing." "He must keep a record." "It's compulsive." "Well, Mr. Procane." "There are four pages of your compulsion missing from those journals." "Relax, Abner." "Relax." "Come, please sit down." "Sit down, sit down." "Sit down." "Close your eyes." "Close your eyes." "Think of something beautiful." "Never say things so bluntly." "You might cause someone his heart attack." "Here, there's a tension right there." "Right there." "No, no, no." "Please, no." "They are missing." "The devil." " The very devil!" " It's all right." "But we still have to pay Mr. St. Ives his fee." "I'm afraid 10,000 won't be enough." "I'll want something else." "Ten thousand?" "I think it's time for me to go." " I insist that you stay." " Look, Abner, really, I have a cold." "I don't wanna get involved with your business." "I'm not your lawyer." " I may need you!" " Abner, we have been through this before." "I don't want to be an accessory or a witness to any of your schemes." "Mr. St. Ives may wish to involve himself, but I do not." "Abner, dear." "Janet, darling." "I love you." "What do you want?" "I'd like to get a look at those missing pages." "That's your dangerous compulsion." "I read your journals." "You've never committed murder." "Not even a violent act." "Perish the thought." "Although, now I'm not so certain of the situation." "For the first time, there might be violence." "I can always duck." "Janet, welcome Mr. St. Ives as a new player to our game." "Ten thousand." " Could I have a pineapple?" " Yes, ma'am." "Place your bets, please." "Now, this last little caper of mine is the simplest of all, Mr. St. Ives." "International Electronics is bribing the Arabs to buy their product." "My plan was to intercept the bribe money." "That plan was written on those last four pages of my journal but please be assured, there has never been any gratuitous violence  in any of our encounters." "The result of detailed planning and meticulous execution." "Thank you, my dear." "However, the fact that those four pages are missing  means that the killer of Peskoe and Boykins..." "May drop by on Friday night at our local drive-in for more than popcorn." "If you were in the drive-in with us the risk would be reduced to an acceptable level." "Still in the game, Mr. St. Ives?" "Yes, I'll hang around a while." "What's special about them?" "They are the reason I brought you here tonight." "The one in the middle is Sheik Amani." "On his right is George McDuff, president of International Electronics." "On the other side is Marsh Chasman vice president and controller." "They're discussing the service charge that International is willing to advance to secure a contract of well over 100 million dollars." "They're the principals in the four missing pages." "How much will the charge be?" "That is what they're negotiating at this moment." "But you may rest assured it'll be a very considerable figure." "A minimum of 4 million." "And this money will change hands at the drive-in Friday night." "Well, you must excuse me." "It's past my bedtime." "I'm sure Mr. St. Ives will take very good care of you, my dear." " Which one is the inside man?" " Chasman." " Cost much?" " Not very much." "You might say he was a bargain." "You are a very lucky hot dog." "Yeah, why is it when I win, I'm lucky, and when I lose, I'm stupid?" "Forty-eight-yard field goal with three seconds left ain't lucky?" "Hey, what about the paper?" "I'll bring it back after I read it." "Mr. St. Ives?" "Officer Frann." "You look different in civvies." " Can I sit down?" " Sit, sit." "I'm on my day off." "Oh, I thought maybe you might've been promoted." " Oh, I'd like to be." " Well, that's nice." "I wish you a lot of luck." " I've got a friend down at Homicide." " What about him?" "He let me look at the statement you gave to Oller and Deal." " So?" " It got me to thinking that maybe you knew more about Boykins than you told them." "You trying to bust this case all by yourself?" "That's right." "I've never had a murder one on my beat." "Well, I'm glad things are picking up." "It can give me a chance to show what I can do." "Sound like you're trying to make detective." "Well, I don't wanna stay on motors." " Think I can help?" " Yesterday at Union Station you entered the men's room with a Pan Am flight bag containing $ 100,000." "A few minutes later, you walked out with a United flight bag containing journals stolen from Abner Procane." "Jesus." "You've been a busy boy." "I believe Procane would pay for certain information." " For example?" " Who killed Peskoe and Boykins." "Why should he care?" "He got back the journals." "So far, two men have died and $ 100,000 has exchanged hands for those journals." "My guess is you don't know what's in them." "But I do know who had them for three days." " How much?" " Twenty thousand dollars, cash." "You could end up like Boykins and Peskoe." "When can I have an answer?" "He's meeting me at my hotel in an hour's time." "The question is, is the identification of the opposition worth $20,000 to you?" "A peek at the other man's cards?" "That's always worth an investment." "By all means, yes." "Janet, get the cash for Mr. St. Ives, please." "Now, let me give you a preview of our little play." "First scene, the drive-in theater." "Time, 7 p.m. tomorrow night." " What's the movie?" " Western double bill." "The switch coincides with the finest Hollywood stampede." "Oh, great, great." "I hope it's good." "In case we have nothing else to do." "Twenty thousand dollars." "And now, gentlemen, if you don't mind, good night." " You have a big night?" " Cocktail party in Bel Air." "Then dinner in a beautiful restaurant." " Good night." " Good night." "Nice bit, that, Mr. St. Ives, yes?" "I wouldn't characterize her as a bit." "No, perhaps not." "How would "dangerous" do?" "I'm not that familiar with the lady." "I am." "Now, with you at the wheel of my car, we park here." "That's the exact spot." "Frann, Frann, who stabbed you?" "Frann, Frann, who stabbed you?" "Frann, Frann, who stabbed you?" " Hey, come on, get the hell out of the way." " All right." " Thank you." " Right." " Hello, St. Ives." " Hi." " Is he still alive?" " I don't know." "Lieutenant..." " Okay, thank you." " See you guys later." "Tell me, what was Officer Frann doing outside your hotel?" "He was there to meet with me." "Well, what did he want?" "Yesterday he saw me at the Union Station where I was exchanging $ 100,000 for merchandise belonging to my client." "If he saw you at the station, he could've seen the guy you gave the money to." " Maybe so." " Detective Oller." " Yeah?" " Telephone." "Excuse me." "Well, you know, according to Patrolman Bancroft's report here it says that Officer Frann was seen talking to you as they were wheeling him in." "Yeah, but you couldn't understand a word he was saying." "He was fading fast." "Lab report on the car." "Negative." "Is there anything else you can tell us?" "I found him, drove him here." "That's all." "You know, so far, everybody connected with the stolen journals is dead." " Who said anything about stolen journals?" " Oh, come on, St. Ives." "Give us credit for some smarts." " You know, you're the only one left." " I'm always careful." "Always careful." " Any of you wanna talk to Dr. Winston?" " How is Officer Frann?" " He just died." " Did he say anything?" "If you have questions, ask Dr. Winston." "He's available, but not for long." "He's got another operation in four minutes." "Need a lift?" " Hey, Charlie, what are you doing here?" " I'm waiting for you." "You working on a new chapter for your book?" "Look, I do need a ride home, but don't ask any questions." "Too many questions for the night." "Sure." "We can just count out-of-state license plates." "That's a cruel thing to do to a cop." "No questions." " I'm clean, Charlie." " Maybe." "But you're pushing a bucket of shit around with a short stick." "That's a nice figure of speech." "And you could fall in the bucket, easy." "Just like me." " You, Charlie?" "I don't believe it." " Oh, teeter-totter, buddy." "Teeter-totter." "I've thought about it, and so have you." "Like when you hustled crime exposures for the newspaper." "Exposés." "Yeah." "Well, the right kind of payoff here and there and some stories might not have appeared." "You're right." "I have thought about it, but if I fall in, I'll let you know." "Don't wait too long." "If you're in up to your ears, I might not be able to pull you out." "I'd depend on you, Charlie, anytime." "Yes?" "You're in early from a big night out." "I have to get some rest for tomorrow." " Where's Mr. Procane?" "He with you?" " Not with me, no." "But I'll connect you." " What is it?" " It's St. Ives." "Yes, Mr. St. Ives." "You have the information?" "It didn't work out." "I'll return the 20,000 tomorrow." "Good night." "St. Ives can I help you?" "That's all right." "Go back to sleep." "Pistol in the fifth." "You think he's ready to go?" "I don't know about him, but I am." "Give me my keys." " Do you dream much, Mr. St. Ives?" " Yes, I do." "Of course." "Only stupid people don't dream." "Do you have good dreams?" " No." " Neither do I." " You sure you won't have more coffee?" " No, thanks." "I dream always of dying." "I dream mostly of being hungry." " Were you ever hungry?" " Now and then, yeah." "I've never been hungry, so how can I dream of that?" "But then I've never died either." "So why should I dream of dying?" "Dr. Constable explains it quite easily:" ""Fear of impotence," he says." "Now, I can't quite make that connection." "Besides, I've always been impotent, so why should I fear it?" "You know, Mr. St. Ives, I'm truly pleased that you blackmailed me." "That's what it was, wasn't it?" "Blackmailed into taking you into this new venture of mine." "We could be friends, you know." "What makes you think so?" "Because we're both essentially so very honest." "And now we must rest." "We leave promptly at 6:30." "Let me show you to the guest room." "It's afternoon." "You know something?" "You're all right." " Did you have any doubts?" " That's what it's like these days." "You're all right." "Now that I've got you on my side, I have a question." "Go right ahead." "Briefly, your connection with Procane." "Well, I used to be a cop." "Nowhere, no time, did a cop ever look like you." "I was a special kind of cop." "That's how I met Procane." "And he made you a better offer, huh?" "Yeah." "That's it." "Briefly." " Hello." " Everything's set." "We'll check the money, then it's on its way to the drive-in." "Wonderful." "I can't decide whether I'm feeling apprehension or anticipation." " Perhaps a little of both." " You look nervous to me." " Nonsense." "He loves cloak-and-dagger stuff." " I really do." "Misterioso rigmarole." "Keeps you young!" "Okay, my dear." "Nine-millimeter Oberndorfer." "Really excellent." " No, thanks." " Worried?" "The usual nightmare, an early death after a long life in prison." "But we're a public company." " lf our shareholders ever get ahold..." " Relax." "Times change." "You just worry about the cost overage on QT-20." " Well, just be goddamn careful." " I've hired the best in the business." " What's his name again?" " Kluszewski." " Wasn't he involved in Watergate?" " No, that was Ulasciewicz." "All this Mickey Mouse cops and robbers." " Why can't we just meet in a hotel?" " Because this is the way they do things." "Here goes." "Time to go." "Pull in here." "There's Kluszewski, the moneyman." "In about 30 seconds, a blue Ford will park next to the moneyman's car." "That is the Arab go-between." "Now we wait until whoever took the plans steals the money." "Face masks." "They're following the plan exactly." "They're a little off." "I allowed 25 seconds." "They took 45." "Get out!" "Get out." "Out." "Come on, the bag!" "Let's have the bag over here." "Come on, the bag." "Let's see who they are." "That's Carl Oller and Frank Deal." " The two cops?" " Yeah." "We're almost a minute behind schedule." "Let's get out of here." "Let's all have a drink." "Mr. St. Ives, would you like to spend the night?" "That's all right with me." "How did you know it was Oller and Deal?" "Little things." "What little things?" "Well, at the Laundromat, it wasn't just coincidence." "What?" "Them dropping by like that." "That could happen." " There was something else." " What?" "The second phone call the one that set up the exchange at Union Station." "The instructions were to use the same Pan Am bag." "Now how did he know it was a Pan Am bag unless he had seen it?" "Who saw it?" "Oller and Deal." "What about the safecracker?" "Peskoe?" "They killed him too." "They were on the scene too damn fast, just like at the Laundromat." "Then they killed the officer you were about to pay $20,000 to for their names." " Yes?" " No." " No?" " No." "After I took Frann to the hospital, I called Deal." "He lives way over in Chatsworth." "Oller was with him." "There's no way they could have killed Frann driven to Chatsworth in time to answer my phone call." "That's devilish, Mr. St. Ives." "Then who did do poor Officer Frann in?" "I don't know." "Who's there?" "Who's there?" "Who is it?" "John?" "John?" "Yes, Abner." "That's a very theatrical entrance." "What on earth are you doing there?" "And what are you doing with that gun?" "I'm going to kill you, Abner." "For this money?" "For that money." "Old fellow, you can have the money." "Four million dollars, and it's all yours." "You don't need to kill me." "I must, Abner." "I know how your mind works." "There would be no way to e..." "Escape." "Sorry." "My cold got worse." " You too, Janet?" " There's no other way." "Mr. St. Ives, are you in this with them?" "I'm afraid I'm going down the tubes with you." "I'm sorry." "I really am." "Poor little Janet here." "What were you going to give her for her loyal support?" "Not even 10 percent." "And I, what have I been paid all these years to listen to your mewling little troubles?" "Your mewling little troubles drove me mad!" "For nights, for hours, I had to listen to them." "And what did you pay me?" "Compared to the millions you stack in your Swiss bank accounts I have been paid in pennies." "I had no idea." "I thought, John, I really believed..." "That we were friends?" "God knows I loved you, Abner." "And God knows I admired your devious intellect." "But this obsession of yours with money..." "And that you always took other people to do the job for you and then you did the job to them." "So I said to myself suddenly one night:" ""Why him?" "Why not me?" "Why don't I do the job to him?"" "It was a Freudian revelation, Abner." "God knows I loved you." "But God knows I hate you now." "I caught your bullet!" "You're just delaying matters, Mr. St. Ives." "Come out, Mr. St. Ives." "Come out." "There's no point in prolonging this, Mr. St. Ives." "No point at all." "Come out." "St. Ives, it really didn't have to finish this way." "I'd much rather be partners with you than Dr. Constable." "It's really worked out beautifully." "All that money and us." "I couldn't kill you, just as you couldn't kill me." "No, but Charlie could." "What the hell kept you, Charlie?" "I had to break a goddamn window to get in the house." "You were supposed to leave the door unlatched." "Better put cuffs on that one." "We might have been good friends, Mr. St. Ives." "How disappointing." "Charlie, that's Procane." "He had a bad dream that came true." "The guy in the pool was his psychiatrist, named Constable." "Constable tried to trade him in for 4 million dollars." "Now, that one, did you know she was a cop?" "Used to be a cop." "She's the one that stuck the ice pick in Frann, also for the 4 million." "That's the 4 million there, huh?" "You never told me who that money belongs to." "Why, Charlie, it belongs to you if you want it." "The people it really belongs to would never admit they had ever seen it." "Why don't you take it?" "Ah, Charlie." "It's expensive being honest." "It sure as shit is." "Look at that." "Did you ever see a cop crying?" "Sure, lots of times." "Tears as big as raindrops." "Wow, Charlie, can I use that dialogue?" "Be my guest." " Officer?" " Yes, ma'am?" "Before you call the station, would you help me get off my wet things?" "Good luck, Charlie."