Charlie Chan in London Page #4

going to see him now and make him tell?

No.

- Later, after sunrise.

- But why waste time?

Oh, please, don't you see

how little time there is? Why must we wait?

Lake now with himself.

Alone. He thinks.

He is afraid.

He will be more afraid.

More fear, more talk.

More talk,

more chance for us.

What else can you expect but to have your

throat cut when there's murdering men...

climbing all over the house?

Roger said he looked like

a nice, kind gentleman.

Kind? He's a sneaking,

murdering-

Look at him now, creeping about.

Why did he leave the house at 6:00 and

pretend he wasn't coming back till afternoon?

Oh.

- Good morning.

- Why, what-what are you doing down here?

What I am asked to do.

You-You mean you're

helping Pam- Miss Gray?

That is humble endeavor.

But may I return question to giver?

What you do here?

Well, I- I wanted to see Pamela,

but I was thrown out.

- Thrown out?

- I mean, she wouldn't see me. She gave orders.

But you're still here.

Yes, I-

Yes, like the fool

that I am, I-

Oh, what's the use of trying to explain?

You wouldn't understand.

No, there are many things

I do not understand.

- What do you want?

- To see, please, Mr. Lake and talk to him.

You can see him,

but you can't talk to him.

How this?

Suicide. And what's it

got to do with you?

There's no need to take

that tone, Thacker.

This is Mr. Chan. He's staying with me.

He's a detective himself.

Chan, this is Detective Sergeant Thacker

of the county police.

- Delighted to meet.

- How are ya?

What on earth induced Lake

to kill himself?

- When you talked to him last night, did he-

- One moment, please.

Yes, it is all there.

Nearly good imitation.

- Imitation? What do you mean?

- Murder.

- Murder?

- Mr. Chang enjoys his joke.

Murder not very good joke.

Quite unfunny.

I don't understand

what your idea is.

No idea. Facts.

Little things tell story.

See? Money talks.

What are you driving at?

Man in lowly station...

does not kill self

when possessing much money.

Aren't you rather jumping

at conclusions?

No. Conclusions jump at me.

Note man's hand.

Observe. Gun held

with finger on trigger.

But death wound

in center of brow.

Only way to make that wound...

use thumb on trigger.

- So.

- By Jove, you're right.

To make that wound with...

finger on trigger,

impossible.

But who on earth

would want to murder Lake?

Answer to that question

highly desirable.

I see what you're

driving at, Mr. Chang.

You mean it wasn't suicide.

That was humble deduction.

I must make a note of this. That's our method here

- make notes of everything.

Large sum of money.

Wound, center of forehead.

Humbly suggest only authorities

should know this not suicide.

I don't quite understand.

Let murderer feel safe.

That's a good idea.

Dead against

regulations, sir.

I'll have to take this up

with the chief constable.

It's all right. I'll speak to him.

He'll understand.

- Hello, Geoffrey.

- Hello.

They told us in the stables

about poor Lake.

Awful thing.

Anything we can do?

No. Nothing, thanks.

Everything's been done.

I'd have said he was the last fella

in the world to kill himself.

- If you're sure we can't help- - Quite

sure, thanks. Everything's been taken care of.

Thank you.

I noted it all down,

Mr. Chang.

Thank you so much.

Oh. Mr. Phillips.

- What do you want?

- Have they told you about Lake?

I heard that the unfortunate man

had committed suicide.

Suicide or not,

it's death.

Don't forget the words

of Alice Perkins.

There'll be death in this house

until we get rid of that...

creeping, murdering

foreign man.

This is no time for gossip.

Go on about your work.

Who's gossipin'?

- Oh, Phillips.

- Yes, madam.

- Have you seen Mr. Chan?

- No, madam. I have not.

But, uh...

lowly Chinaman here.

Saints alive!

Really, madam.

I had no idea the, uh...

gentleman was here.

Habit of being

sometimes invisible.

Very useful.

Oriental. Not British.

Is there anything further

that you require, madam?

- No, thank you. Nothing.

- Very well, madam.

- Mr. Chan, have you seen Lake?

- Yes.

What did he say?

What did you find out?

Nothing. He is dead.

What?

Someone killed him, trying to make

it seem as if he killed himself.

Lake dead?

Then all that

you hoped for last night-

Oh, I told you

to see him then.

I'm sorry.

I was wrong.

- We must start again.

- Start again?

With less than 48 hours?

Oh, I wish to heaven

I'd never seen you.

You give me hope

and then-

Hope is not gone.

Lake cannot talk,

but death talks.

It tells something

we did not know before.

That real murderer

of Hamilton is here.

Oh.

- It does.

- For lowly man, Lake had too much money.

Hush money...

given by murderer.

When I frightened Lake,

murderer must kill.

Couldn't we tell them

about Lake's murder?

And make them see that

this proves that Paul is innocent?

Wait, please.

Murder of Lake

proves nothing.

Except to us who believe

your brother innocent.

But what are we going to do?

There's so little time.

I work here.

Your work is to see that brother is told

of hope we have for him.

Yes.

Yes, you're right.

And thank you.

- Good morning, Phillips.

- Good morning, sir.

Good morning.

Morning.

Want something?

I'm busy. A lot of

hunt business to attend to.

Yes. I see.

Business of chasing fox.

Very interesting.

Yes. Last meet tomorrow.

Hmm.

Military training useful

for business of chasing fox?

Now, what the deuce do you mean,

"military training"?

You are major.

Therefore soldier.

You are hunt secretary.

Therefore I think perhaps-

Now look here, my good fellow.

In the first place, foxhunting has nothing

whatever to do with the army.

- No?

- Second, I was never a soldier.

Third, would you mind

not interrupting me?

So sorry, but understood

major army title.

If you must know, I was in the air force,

not the army.

Thank you so much.

- Pam!

- Paul, darling.

- What have you come for?

- To tell you that Mr. Chan has-

Has he found out anything?

What's he on to?

- Wait, darling. He has found out something.

- What is it?

- There's been another-

- Speak up, lady.

I'm sorry. Something's happened

down at Geoffrey's.

Something that makes it certain

that the real murderer is still there.

Has he told them at the home office?

If they knew-

His case isn't

strong enough yet, Paul.

They wouldn't realize

any connection with you.

But he knows.

Oh, Paul.

There's no time.

It's all useless.

Oh, but it isn't useless.

There is time.

Two days.

Not quite two days.

Why can't they kill me now?

Why do they make me wait?

Please, darling.

Please take hold of yourself.

Get out! Don't worry about me!

Don't think about me! I'm dead!

I've got a rope around my neck, and in

40 hours, they're gonna pull it tight...

- and my neck's gonna break, and I'll be dead, dead!

- Stop! Stop!

- For heaven's sake, stop!

- You best leave him be, miss.

- Do you really think I should go?

- Yes, miss.

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