Big Jim McLain Page #3

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I almost had to go to one myself once,

about my ex-husband Joe.

My third, that is.

His folks said I drove him nuts.

I think he had a head start.

Sorry to hear it.

That's all right.

He wasn't up to specifications.

Hey, is this where Willie Nomaka lives?

- Yeah.

- Here. I come for his trunk.

Well, I don't know.

You don't know what? There's the note.

Where's the trunk?

Listen. Watch how you talk to me

in my own house.

I ain't gonna talk to you at all.

Where's the trunk?

Doesn't cost anything to be polite.

You're talking to a lady.

You can say that again.

You looking for a belt in the mouth?

No, thanks. I can't use it.

Well, then, keep your trap shut.

Look, I ain't got all day.

Where are you taking the trunk?

I ought to know, to protect myself legal,

in case Nomaka comes back

and wants to know where it is.

Hey, Ed, go look in that room.

It must be in there.

Hey!

You ought to tell the lady

where you're taking the trunk.

Look, I told you not to mind my business.

Now, make it so's I don't have to

tell you again.

You're pulling my shirt.

Well, I may pull your ears off.

This shirt cost four bucks.

I don't know.

I wonder, should I let them take it?

After all, Nomaka wrote the note

saying they could take it.

I think you should let them have it.

In there.

Thanks, mister, for lowering

the boom on that character,

but I've been running

a sailor's boarding house for 10 years,

and none of these here apes scare me.

I don't take any lip

in my own house, either.

I'll be seeing you.

Why?

Unfinished business.

I don't let it go by when some joker

slugs me when I ain't looking.

You should keep looking.

Say, how tall are you?

6'4".

Seventy-six inches. That's a lot of man.

I'd appreciate it if you'd call me

at this number

if you get any information on Nomaka.

Anything you say, 76.

Sure you don't want to rent that room?

I'm already located.

Everything's included.

Laundry service, maid service, everything.

Oh, I'm paid up at this other place.

I wonder, does that wife of Nomaka's

know he's sick?

Wife?

Well, he was married to some woman.

Then they got a divorce.

A couple of weeks ago

he was on the long-distance phone,

trying to call her on Molokai,

the leper colony.

Is she a leper?

No, I think she's a nurse over there.

Oh.

Thanks for the information.

So long. Drop in any time.

Can I use your phone?

It seems that mY tough opponent

had a long police record,

and while Chief Liu was questioning him

about a certain market robberY,

the entire contents of Nomaka 's trunk

were microscopicallYphotographed.

When theYpicked up their truck and left,

naturallY, there was a tail on them.

And the final destination of the trunk was

the Okoli Malunu club,

a new name for our list.

The next daY was SundaY.

While Mal was developing prints

of our findings in the trunk,

I took NancY to the Pali.

She touted its beautY.

I guess it was beautiful.

I didn't look at it

except as a background for her.

No matter where she stood

she was going to be the foreground.

I've been thinking.

That's a good idea.

A girl studying to be a psychiatrist

should think.

Has anything come up

in your investigation

to prove one way or another

about Gelster being a Communist?

Not so far.

Well, if he is, why?

I don't know.

I've been trying to analyze him.

I think he has a frustration.

Oh?

He's a good boss,

but you never have the feeling

that you'd like to do something for him

outside of the line of duty.

You do and I'll beat his brains out.

Don't be an ape.

I mean he doesn't draw affection

from people.

In your case, he'd better not.

Stop that! You know what I mean.

If he asked me to do a favor,

the only reason I'd do it

is because I don't wanna lose my job.

He doesn't attract people.

In fact, he doesn't even have

the quality of repelling people.

That, at least, is an active emotion

between individuals.

He just is a neuter as a personality.

I think he had to try and search

for a cult of some kind.

- Something to make him feel...

- Look, baby,

I don't know the "why."

I've heard all the jive.

This one's a Commie

because Mama won't tuck him in at night,

that one because girls wouldn't

welcome him with open arms.

I don't know the "why."

The "what" I do know.

It's like when I was wearing the uniform.

I shot at the guy

on the other side of the perimeter

because he was the enemy.

Hey, we'd better get out of here

or I'll start talking politics.

Hello, the house!

Hi. Say, Jim,

I've got something here

I want you to take a look at.

What?

I haven't developed all the stuff yet,

but there's something funny here.

Ten policies, all made out to Juan Garcia.

And on every one of them,

the beneficiary's last name

is a single letter.

Yeah, that is strange.

If a fellow was going to take

$10,000 worth of insurance,

generally, he'd take one policy, not 10.

Well, we'd better check it.

Yeah.

At last, we had something

to send to Washington,

where theY went through the mill

that grinds so verY small

and not so verY slow.

LowrY to McLain. Urgent.

Examination,

fraudulent insurance policies,

establishes 10 secret Communist agents,

gathered Honolulu.

Objective unknown. Press investigation.

Check the rest of that list

at the sanatorium.

Kalaupapa, a small,

completelY isolated peninsula

jutting out from

the sheer cliffs of Molokai.

Kalaupapa, the ancient leper colonY.

LonelY, desolate, no bars,

but escape-proof.

I wasn't too happY about

this angle of the investigation.

FranklY, leprosY scared me.

Scares most people, I guess.

I still remember when we were kids

and mY mother used to read

the Bible to us.

The chill that ran up and down backs

when she said the ancient word "leper."

- Mr. McLain?

- Yes.

I was sent to guide you to the hospital.

Thank you.

- Mrs. Nomaka?

- Yes.

I'm Jim McLain,

the House Un-American Activities...

Oh, yes, Dr. Peterson told me about you.

I'd like to talk about Willie Nomaka.

He's in trouble?

Well, I don't know.

He seems to have vanished.

Willie was my husband.

We've been divorced for some years.

Please, sit down.

Let me explain.

After being a hard-working,

dedicated Communist for almost 11 years,

I came to my senses

and recognized Communism for what it is.

It's a vast conspiracy

to enslave the common man.

Excuse me.

Are those the inmates' babies?

Yes.

They're taken from the mothers

immediately on delivery,

and brought here.

That's tough.

At least they may see them.

It's much worse later.

At six months of age,

the babies are removed to the mainland.

It may seem hard to the parents,

but it's really much better for the babies.

Let me resume.

I left the Party, wrote a full account

of my past activities and association

to the FBI and came here.

I thought, I suppose,

that I might atone

for the injury I had done humanity

by helping these unfortunates.

When I left the Party, I could not

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