A Double Life Page #6

of coffee, ya think?

Who's the medic?

Stauffer. You got time

for a 10-course dinner.

Ray Bonner's

on it, too, though.

He'll bounce 'im along.

What did I tell you?

Ok, Ray?

that's all.

Get in close,

Bunny.

Kirk wants some heads.

All right, here we go.

I'm gonna say it slow now,

but I'm not gonna

say it twice.

I got no time. You ready?

Pat K-r-o-l-l,

this address,

age close to 30,

dead on arrival?

As long as

you're guessin', Ray,

you mind makin' it

close to 20-something?

All right. 26.

Attaboy.

Dead on arrival.

Apparently strangled

sometime between midnight

and 5 a.m.

No robbery.

No liquor.

Employed as a waitress.

Venezia cafe.

Look up the address.

Beautiful?

Hard to tell right now.

I guess fair.

Attractive waitress.

Several important leads.

That's all for now.

We'll try to have

the official aut,

the mimeo by 5:
00.

You got anything, doc?

Uh, well, um...

It's an unusual one.

Unusual.

Neck, throat,

unbruised.

Trachea, larynx,

windpipe, intact.

Small pressure markings

above and below

lips indicate, uh...

An unusual crime

of passion.

Unusual.

Hot dog!

Don't get too circusy now.

One look, Ray?

All right, but fast.

Come here, doc.

Yes?

Uh, you want a good quote?

How do you mean?

Kiss of death.

What?

"This young woman,"

said medical examiner

Roland F. Stauffer,

"may have been the victim

of a kiss of death."

Well, no, no.

I don't know.

Makes you

a very salty talker,

a colorful character.

Well, uh?

Don't you want to be

a colorful character?

Well...

All right.

Kiss of death.

Good.

Stop! Stop!

Oh, please, stop!

Good morning.

Guy out there

got his auto horn stuck but good.

Would you like

a couple of eggs?

What's the matter,

cat got your tongue?

What?

Eggs?

No. No, thank you.

She'll be right down, she said.

Thank you.

If they don't

fix that horn soon,

I'll give a scream.

Tony?

Morning.

Sleep terribly?

Yes, thank you,

and you?

Quite terribly,

thank you.

Oh, Tony, Tony, I...

I had such a bad dream.

My part any good?

It's wonderful

to be awake again.

Yeah. Yes, it is.

Whatever the terrors

of the waking hours,

at least you can fight them.

The other kind,

you're...

Helpless.

Yes.

Helpless.

What is it?

It's nothing.

I... ohh...

Is it that noise?

I love it.

Joys of the city.

Oh, thank you.

Here.

They're no good today.

Have you noticed

how nothing happens lately?

No, I haven't.

I have. I have.

You said it.

I always agree.

It saves so much time.

I'll see you tonight.

Wait a minute.

Be a good friend

and stay a while.

I'm afraid

I can't do either.

I'm sorry. I have

to get home anyway.

Why?

You must know. I

never have to tell you:

I need a shave.

And thank you for the use

of, um, whatever

it is I used.

See you tonight.

Do you want to see

mr. Cooley?

Cooley?

Yeah. Al Cooley.

Al.

Hiya, man.

Come on in.

Relax a little, kid.

It's a pleasure.

What brings you here?

You know me.

A fast buck.

I got quite

a proposition here.

Go ahead.

First, I ask you,

are you interested

in getting a lot of space

for your Othello show?

The answer's yes.

Next thing:

It's worth more off

the theater page, right?

Right.

Front page

is even better, huh?

You know, if this

is some kind of gag,

I'm, uh, very busy.

I can see your tongue

hangin' out, Buster,

way out.

Come on. Come on.

Well, look,

I'm on this job, see,

a very routine knock-off.

A girl -- waitress

or something, strangled.

So we're listening to

the hand-out,

and it's no good, sordid.

You know, they're no good

when they're sordid.

So then a medical examiner --

Stauffer -- you know him?

No.

Dr. Roland F. Stauffer,

a pinhead.

He drops something,

and I catch an angle.

Like what?

Like he says, it could be

she was the victim

of a kiss of death.

He said that?

He said that.

A very salty talker,

a colorful character.

I'm way ahead of you.

You go for it?

Me? Yes. I love space,

but on something

as big as this,

I'd have to talk to Tony John.

Why?

He's a big man for dignity.

This is dignity.

It depends on how you handle it.

With dignity, naturally.

Dr. Roland F. Stauffer,

The department's

medical examiner,

said the attractive,

young waitress

was a victim of what

he termed a kiss of death.

He likened the crime

to the murder of Desdemona

in a current Broadway

production of Othello.

That's not dignity?

That's all right.

What's it worth?

And don't tell me 2 tickets.

I would like some dough,

and I'll buy my own tickets.

Name it.

All right. With a little help,

I can keep you hot

for 9 or 10 days.

Make it 100 a day for as long

as I can keep you

riding high,

and you can be the judge

of when that is. Fair?

Fair.

If I get killed for this?

If you get killed,

I don't get paid.

Watch yourself.

I better be movin'.

Can I have a look

at your stills?

Yeah, sure.

Tony.

I looked for you

at the office.

I'm sorry.

This doggone sinus

got me down today and?

Have you seen this?

Why, yes.

Why didn't you show it to me?

Tony, Tony, please.

Why didn't you?

Bill, please,

this makes me look such a fool.

Isn't there something

you can do to get this?

I don't own the papers,

Tony, after all.

Did you have anything

to do with this?

Not exactly.

What do you mean,

"not exactly"?

It was some other guy's idea,

but I ok'd it.

I see.

What are you

trying to do to me?!

Aw, nothing, Tony.

you're makin' a thing of it.

You heel!

Now, wait a second.

You dirty heel!

You're through.

I'll see to that.

Well, fine with me.

You get this stuff

killed, or I'll?

Or what?

You'll do it!

Do it!

Wait a minute.

Come here.

Come on, Tony.

You?

Tony!

Tony, in the name of...

Tony!

Tony.

Been lives,

my stomach...

Being done, there is no pause.

Tony.

Get out of here.

Get out of here, you...

It was a dream.

You maniac.

Only a bad dream.

You're part of a bad dream.

Come in.

Be right with you.

Yes, sir?

I'm a friend of Al Cooley's.

Yeah.

I'm Max Lasker's

press agent.

He's a theatrical producer.

Yes, I've heard of him.

Sit down.

Bill Friend.

That's my name.

Heard of you, too.

If you want me in a show,

I'm pretty busy.

Well, no.

It's just that I've got an angle

about this Pat Kroll thing.

What do you mean

exactly:
"angle"?

I think I may know

who you're looking for,

or, anyway, it's a hunch.

You're a little late.

It's all over.

It is?

Cracked just after lunch.

Well, who? Who?

Can you tell me?

Sure. Joe!

Some poor slob.

Joe, see this gets

down to the inspector.

Some poor slob lives right

across the hall from her.

Claims he was drunk

and doesn't

remember the details,

but we remember the details,

so that's all right.

Everybody wants

to be a detective.

I think it's all

these radio serials.

What was your hunch?

What's the difference?

That actor in your show?

Well, yes.

Say, you guys'll do anything

to get in the papers.

No. No, really, I...

We checked your man.

You did?

Yes. Looked good,

Rate this script:4.0 / 2 votes