Another Thin Man Page #4

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- Where is he?

- In the bureau drawer.

In the bureau?

Well, that's fair enough.

He loves it, he went right to sleep.

I hope it doesn't get to be a habit.

It'll be a little inconvenient

when he grows up.

Hey, you didn't put my things

underneath there?

No, they're in that chest.

I may be a little prejudiced,

but I think he's all right.

Asta, just a minute.

There you are.

My, it's stuffy in here.

Open the windows, Dum-Dum.

- What time is it?

- Five minutes to 11:00.

You've got to go right away, don't you?

I've got a few minutes.

I hate these schemes

where all the pieces have to fit together.

- Too many things can go wrong.

- We can't miss.

I wish you'd dream up some way

to get that Nick Charles out of there.

I don't trust him.

He looks like a guy with insomnia to me.

I don't like him around,

but I don't see how he can gum our game.

It was airtight without him,

it'll be airtight with him.

Don't let this goog bother you.

Plenty of winners have had them.

Hello, Smitty.

- Busy?

- No.

No, never too busy to see a friend.

Come on in.

- What do you know?

- Nothing much.

- Why, hello, Church.

- Hiya, Diamond Back.

- Come on in, sit down.

- I only got a minute.

A guy came in from up the river

this morning...

with a line from your husband.

What is it? What did Tip say?

- Do you mind?

- No.

Well, what's Tip up to now?

Still kicking about wanting a larger cell?

He's been thinking again.

He sent down a lot of orders

for material and stuff...

- with the warden's name forged on them.

- Let's see.

He wants you to make a deal

with someone...

who can pass himself off

as the warden's go-between...

- and collect the rake-off.

- Nothing can stop that boy.

- He's a smart little guy.

- Too smart.

Seven years I've been married

to him and...

he's so slick he hasn't been out of the can

to finish our honeymoon.

Don't seem to be breaking your heart.

You spend a lot of time

with this guy, Church, don't you?

Now don't start that again.

He's just a friend, like I told you.

Any guy can get to be too good a friend,

like I told you.

When's he going to Cuba?

- How did you know he was going?

- I get around.

- He's going tomorrow.

- Good.

Hope nothing happens to upset his plans.

Be seeing you.

Some day I'm going to skin a knuckle

on that four-eyed gent.

You'd better catch him

without the cheaters on.

- He's plenty good as long as he can see.

- Yeah?

11:
00, time to go.

- Adis.

- Good luck.

Wish me luck.

Say, I thought this was strictly business.

- You know, I could go for you.

- Don't give me that.

- I've been fooled too many times.

- You love me, don't you?

What if I do? I'm only in this for the coin.

We'll have plenty of coin

from now on, baby.

- We?

- You and me.

What do you say? Want to play for keeps?

Okay.

Maybe I ought to know a little more about

the ins and outs of what you're doing.

What's the matter? Losing confidence

in me since I stopped that punch?

I haven't got that much sense.

Time for you to make that telephone call.

- Goodbye, honey.

- I'll keep my fingers crossed for you.

Hello, this is Mrs. H. Culverton Smith.

I'd like to speak to...

I would like to speak...

You wanna play.

All right, if you promise

to go back to sleep.

There.

You wanna play with him? No, he's asleep.

All right, you can play with him,

but promise not to wake him.

No, it's all right. It won't come off.

Pull it, you'll see.

Work hard, honey.

Maybe you can get it out.

It's all right, darling. It's just the baby.

He's getting so big.

We're going to have to make up

our minds who's going to tell him.

- Tell him what?

- About life.

Life.

- Who's life?

- Now, Nickie, this is important.

This is your responsibility.

If he were a girl, that would be different,

then I'd do it.

But you know more about boys than I do,

so you ought to tell him.

All right. Where is he?

Not now. I mean, when he's about 14.

Here, you hold him.

How nice.

I heard you talking

and wondered if anything was wrong.

We were playing with the baby.

I'm sorry we woke you.

No, you didn't.

I couldn't get to sleep anyway.

- Come on in.

- I don't want to disturb you.

Nonsense, we're dying for company.

- Nick just has to put on his robe.

- Yes, dear.

Please don't. I mustn't stay.

You wanna go to sleep.

Well, some of us do and some of us don't.

Isn't he lovely?

In all the excitement,

I hadn't even seen him.

- He's a darling.

- We sort of like him.

- We might as well, we're stuck with him.

- Hello, sweetheart.

- Isn't it kind of late for you to be up?

- He's still running on California time.

Come on, give me a smile. Come on.

- That sounded like a shot.

- That was a shot.

- Just a minute.

- Please hurry.

- Father. See if he's all right.

- Wait here with Nora.

That's a mean way to die.

- Know any good ways?

- I'd better tell Lois.

- I heard the noise.

- MacFay's been murdered.

Well, we all have to go someday.

- Shall I call the Sheriff?

- Yes.

Calling all cars. Attention all cars.

Wanted for murder:

Phil Church, age 37, height 5'11"...

weight 185 pounds, eyes brown...

hair dark, gray at the temples.

Last seen wearing a light gray suit.

Photograph every inch of that sill.

- What have we got, Doc?

- Bruise on left temple, blunt instrument.

Throat cut with fairly large heavy blade.

Death instantaneous.

Right wrist broken.

Been dead about half an hour.

- That check with the time they found him?

- Check.

Ought to be enough to go on. I'll go

into things more thoroughly tomorrow.

Thanks, Doc.

He says that Cuban threw a big knife

at him. Might be the same one.

It'll have the marks of his dog's teeth

on the handle.

Get the some of boys busy in the bushes

to look for it.

Yes, sir. Come on, Jim.

He must've gone out the front door.

- He? Who?

- Church, or the Cuban.

- How do you know?

- I don't know.

I just seen the front door open

when I went down the cellar.

- What was you doing in the cellar?

- I went down to fix the fuse.

- What fuse?

- The fuse that was blowed out.

- How did you know it was blowed out?

- I don't know nothing.

I was just doing what Mrs. Bellam told me.

- And you were here reading?

- Yes.

Ain't that late for a lady your age to be up?

I don't think so.

Got things on your mind that worry you?

Keep you awake?

No, I just don't sleep much.

- You've been working for him a long time?

- Sixteen years.

And you knew this Phil Church

when he worked for the old man?

Yes, indeed, I knew him.

Now, you just sit right down here

and make yourself comfortable.

We're gonna have a nice, long talk

about what you knew about him.

You weren't in bed and you're all dressed.

- Where were you?

- I was sitting here, writing.

- Writing what?

- A play.

Go on, what kind of a play?

- A mystery play.

- So you write about murders?

- Do you ever think much about murders?

- No.

And you say

Miss MacFay and Mrs. Charles...

were the only ones in your room

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