Another Thin Man Page #3

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That may interest Dudley.

But it doesn't mean a thing to me.

Look here, Freddie.

I know you have a crush on Lois

but don't make any cracks like that.

- Dudley.

- What's this?

What if I am in love with her?

That's nobody's business but my own.

If you cared, you wouldn't let him

talk to her that way.

Why, she's too good for you.

And for you, too.

And you needn't bother to fire me.

I'm going.

Is this true? Has that whippersnapper

been making up to you?

No, of course not.

He's never said anything that...

And you, Dudley.

You ought to be ashamed of yourself.

All right, desert me. All of you.

- Go on, you, too. Why don't you go?

- Col. MacFay, it's just the baby...

Take your precious baby and go.

But, understand, this is the end.

There's the mining company reports,

the lumber company, and the railway.

There you are.

You take them on from now on.

You manage them. I'm through.

How do you like your quiet weekend?

"Production of lumbers,

seasonally adjusted."

Good heavens, do you understand that?

Sure. That's...

That's "the indirect ratio

between the sales depreciation...

"and the unrealized inventory losses."

- Understand?

- Yes.

But "naturally...

"an allowance has to be made

for the major cyclical downswing."

You get that, of course.

- Naturally.

- Do you?

Of course, "you have to have

a fair degree of accuracy...

"by reference to a straight line

correlation formula."

Don't you think you'd better go

and see Church?

Mommy, I'm going.

Hey, Asta, come here.

That's not that kind of a cat.

What are you sticking your pretty nose

in here for, chum?

- Sorry, the door was open.

- All right, you made your joke.

Now, pull your freight. Get going.

Just as you say, Chief.

- Good evening, sir.

- How do?

Mr. Church expecting you.

You're going to catch a cold,

lying in damp roads on dark nights.

No, sir, I dress warm in this country.

- I'm Phil Church.

- How do you do?

- Sit down.

- Thank you.

This is Smitty. We can talk in front of her.

- How do you do?

- Have a drink?

- Yes.

- Dum-Dum.

Sit down.

- Go on with your packing, honey.

- You bet.

- Going away?

- Yeah, back to Cuba.

It'd be nice if you'd give us all

the gory details first, though.

- Gory details?

- Yes.

You mean, the dead dog,

and the burning bathhouse?

No, afterwards.

- Nothing happened afterwards.

- But I dreamed...

- Look, you're not tricking me, are you?

- No.

You give me your word

that nothing happened.

- My word.

- He's nuts.

If you listen to him,

he'll have you nuts, too.

You can laugh if you want to.

But I don't laugh at my dreams.

Listen...

I came all the way back from Cuba

after the second one...

to try to make the Colonel see reason,

before it was too late.

Because the third one's

the end on my schedule.

This afternoon I had the third dream.

How does he usually die in these dreams?

He's all battered up. His throat cut.

It's all kind of messy.

Just the sort of death

you'd expect that slob to have.

It'd be funny if it happened that way,

wouldn't it?

No, it's funnier that it didn't. Hey, look.

Are you sure he's all right?

How long ago did you leave him?

Half an hour.

It must have happened after you left.

That's the end of him

as a possible gold mine.

Now, we got to think about you.

- Me?

- Yes.

Why pick on me?

I can introduce you to a lot of rich people.

Don't kid me, Charles.

Your father-in-law was MacFay's partner

back in the days when my foot slipped.

If my father-in-law

had anything to do with this...

I'll give you a check right now.

But I want proof.

There's always the catch in it. Proof.

Nobody but me was putting anything

on paper in those days, Charles.

That's why nobody but me went over.

I knew you were going

to be tough to deal with.

And I can't honestly say

that I've ever dreamed about you...

or about your wife...

or about your baby...

yet.

Stop it, Dum-Dum!

Men are such rowdies.

That's to remind you

not to dream about my family.

Call a cab.

We'll catch the 9:00 train.

- Still headed for Cuba?

- Still Cuba. But I'll be back.

I think as time goes on...

you'll see your way clear

to doing business with me.

You mean,

continue to do business with you.

Come along, Asta.

He doesn't want to play anymore.

- Thanks for not shooting me.

- That would've only made things worse.

There you are. Three for New York.

Now, what'll you have?

Yes, just this minute.

Want me to stop them?

No, that's fine, thanks.

- They've left.

- Thank heaven.

- That's more like it.

- I knew you'd scare him off.

- I wouldn't be too sure it's over.

- What do you mean?

My guess is whatever he meant to do

in the first place, he still means to do.

If I were you, Colonel,

I'd move to New York.

I'm going to stay right here.

Remember, though, that if you stay here,

you're very apt to stay here.

Nonsense.

The moment he knew you were here,

he lit out. That's all there is.

I hope you're right.

But his talk with me didn't sound like it.

He wants to include Nora and me

in this shakedown...

on the grounds that her father

was your partner.

Was he in on this mess?

Because if he was,

I want to settle with Church.

Sure, give him anything he wants.

A few thousands here and there.

What does it matter?

- It all grows on trees.

- That isn't answering my question.

- Run along, all of you. Run along.

- Good night, sir.

- Good night, Father.

- Sleep well.

My father wasn't in this

if there was anything wrong.

My father was just as honest as yours.

Some day you'll find

what a hot recommendation that is.

You knew Nora's father, Charles.

- Do you think he was a crook?

- No.

- Do you think I'm a crook?

- No.

For the sake of argument,

can you pretend you think I am?

- I can do that all right.

- I thought you might.

Nora's father knew more about lumber

and mines...

than any man in this country.

But he didn't know

the first word about finance. I did.

So, if I'm a crook

and Nora's father's an honest man...

why should I give him a share

of any crooked deal I put over?

I don't get it,

but I know you've said something nice.

- Thank you.

- Come on, you big flatfoot.

- Good night, Colonel.

- Good night.

And don't let me hear anymore

about paying Church.

I've slaved for that money of yours...

and I feel about it

just as if it were my own.

His own?

You're suspicious of everything.

I'd hate to wake up some morning...

and find the fortune

I'd married you for is gone.

Stop talking that way.

Of course, I can always earn a good living

as a detective.

But what worries me is

what are you and Nickie going to live on?

- You needn't wait up any longer, Dorothy.

- Thank you, madam.

Good night.

Good night, sir.

She wouldn't be a bad looker

if she took her specs off.

- I'll speak to her.

- Don't get her hopes up.

- Nickie in there?

- No, I'm keeping him in here tonight.

- In here?

- Yes, I wanted to be sure he was safe.

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