Bad Timing Page #6

Listen, it's a little late

for drunken phone calls.

Oh, Christ, the usual lecture.

jesus, Alex!

Why don't you

just f*** me to death?

I've done it, Alex.

I feel so strange and f***ed up

and confused in my head.

"No one there."

You are a creep.

- It's none of your business.

- You creep! You liar!

Why don't you just f*** off!

Milena, your scenes are boring,

dull and stupid.

Stupid?

[Chuckles] Not according to

that orange file of yours.

Not according to that, huh?

You know,

you really are a prick.

Don't worry. I won't embarrass you anymore.

You'll be able to close that file, Alex Linden.

Milena, I wanted to talk to you

about all this.

[Line Clicks, Dial Tone]

I hate to be hung up on.

She wouldn't do anything stupid.

I don't know.

I don't know.

Milena?

Milena?

Welcome to the wake!

Ehh!

[Laughing]

Chains, so you can lock me up,

and I'll forever be yours.

Did you bring your orange file

for protection? Huh? Huh?

Oh, don't worry about it.

It doesn't matter.

- You've won. [Laughing]

- I've won?

We are celebrating the death

of the Milena you don't want...

and the birth of the Milena

you do want.

Don't I look pretty?

Don't you like... - Mmm-mmm! Ehh!

Here! For you. The only one, sir.

The only one chains

for which you have the only key!

[Gags]

For you. For Milena's freedom.

Leave, and you've killed me!

Leave, and I'm dead!

Don't go. Help me!

I need you now! I need you, please!

Me? You need me now?

Milena, you have so many friends.

Call 'em. Call 'em now.

- I'll throw myself out the window!

- Be my guest.

Alex! Alex, no, don't go!

Alex, please, don't!

[Sobbing]

Alex!

Alex! Alex!

Where are you?

Come here, you... -

- [Crying]

- [Glass Shatters]

[Screaming]

Alex! Alex!

Alex! Alex!

Come on there, you!

You hear me?

There you are!

Get you!

You'd like me to do it, wouldn't you?

Admit it! Admit it!

You'd like to see me dead! Oh!

- Sh*t! Sh*t! Sh*t!

- Milena.

- Milena!

- Why ruin your neat little existence, Alex?

- Why?

- Stop that, you crazy b*tch!

That's what you wanted!

Neaten up your little f***ing life!

Get clear of it! F***er!

I hate you!

- I'll jump! I'll do it!

- [Angry Shouting In German]

- I'll do it!

- [Alex] Stop that!

Oh, blow it out your ass!

F*** you!

F*** you!

I hate your f***ing guts!

- Don't go away.

- [Shouts In German]

Watch! I'm going to do it, Alex!

I'm going to do it for you! Alex!

Don't go. Watch me!

That's what you want, isn't it?

[Crying]

I'll jump. I'll jump.

I'll jump. I'll jump.

[Crying]

God!

Who are you

Who, who, who, who

Who are you

Who, who, who, who

Who are you

Who, who, who, who

Who are you

Who, who, who, who

I woke up in a Soho doorway

A policeman knew my name

He said, you can go sleep

at home tonight

If you can get up and walk away

I staggered back to the underground

A nd the breeze blew back my hair

I remember throwin'punches around

A nd preachin'from my chair

- Well, who are you

- Who are you

Who, who, who, who

"The said, et cetera, et cetera,

telephoned me at about 1:30."

I can't remember the time

with any precision.

But I'm not asking you

for the precise time.

So could it have been

half past 12:
00 perhaps?

- 10:
00? 11:00? Midnight?

- No.

You see, it wasn't 11:00,

it wasn't midnight.

- Could it have been 1:00?

- Wrong again.

If you know I'm wrong, then you must

know what the correct answer is.

- It wasn't 1:
00.

- Later or earlier?

Which? Later? Earlier?

Later, naturally.

[Chuckling]

"Naturally"?

- Not 2:
00?

- Obviously.

"Obviously."

[Rings]

- [Rings]

- Yes?

[Milena]

I... - [Clears Throat]

[Slurred Voice]

I wanted to say good-bye.

You said it exceptionally well

the other night, Milena.

Alex, please... -

Alex?

I didn't mean to. I... -

Oh, Alex, please don't go.

Alex?

Please?

Oh, God.

I wanted... -

I wanted us

to have a real good-bye.

[Line Clicks, Dial Tone]

[Gags, Gasps]

[Tape Rewinding]

[Milena]

I wanted... -

I wanted us

to have a real good-bye.

Oh, God, I'm tired.

[Sighs] Very tired.

[Chuckling]

[Alex's Voice]

Tired or drunk?

[Milena]

That's right. Pissed.

How else could I get myself ready?

God... - Good-bye to you.

[Coughing]

No, Alex.

I've done something stupid.

Really stupid.

What did you do

after you got the call?

- Did you have to dress?

- No. I was working.

I put on my jacket and tie.

Your tie?

Then you went to your car?

[Piano:
Lounge]

[Piano:
Jazz]

[Horn Honking]

Like this, or faster? Or slower?

More or less like now.

[Piano Continues]

[Engine Starts]

[Cable Car Bell Dings]

- Was the radio playing?

- What does that mean?

While you were

on your way to see...

whether Mrs. Vognic had... -

Stop calling her "Mrs. Vognic."

While on your way to see whether

there had or had not been a suicide...

you switched the car radio on.

It was still on an hour ago

when I went for the first time...

to look at her apartment.

You wouldn't, by chance,

remember what was playing?

- [Lighter Flicking]

- I don't know. Music.

A news bulletin maybe.

Do you have a light?

Maybe it was the late station.

[Ticking]

No, it wasn't the late station.

The radio was tuned

to the second station.

I switched it off myself.

Thanks.

[Car Door Closes]

[Man Speaking German]

[Clock Ticking]

- Herr Hauptmann.

- [Man On Radio] Hauptmann Netusil.

- Go up. I'll join you in a minute. Stay here.

- Hauptmann Netusil.

Hauptmann Netusil.

- Hauptmann Netusil.

- Yes. Speaking. What?

[Gasping]

Alex?

[Whispers]

You came.

Well, we've decided it took me

about 20 minutes to drive here.

Where was she when you entered?

[Netusil] Mrs. Vognic rang you

between 1:
00 and 1:30...

which means she was in a condition

to dial and talk.

So?

She arrived at the hospital about one hour later

in a state of advanced coma.

- So?

- So?

An abnormally rapid toxic process,

wouldn't you say?

- Hmm?

- Not my branch. Ask a specialist.

I have.

When Mrs. Vognic reached the hospital,

she had swallowed the pills...

at least three or four hours before.

If she swallowed the poison,

let's say, between 10:30 and 11:30...

then at 1:
30 she was

in no condition to ring anybody...

or even move a finger.

You follow me?

Maybe she phoned earlier. I don't know.

Maybe I didn't leave that quickly.

- I wasn't convinced.

- Hmm.

I probably was... -

It must have been half an hour

before I got here.

I mean, she'd threatened before.

And there's that business about your radio

being tuned to the second station.

You know, don't you,

that the second station ends at midnight?

Now, please, Dr. Linden...

be kind enough to tell me...

exactly what did occur

when you received her call.

[Alex]

You're not gonna scare me, Milena...

not with a weak gesture like this.

Why don't you scare Konrad,

that slob you kissed at that caf?

He'd laugh at you now,

throw a bomb at somebody.

Or Giavanni, although he's probably

at the theater tonight.

If only you could've

gotten yourself together.

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