Decoy

Morning, friend.

Say, it looks like we're...

Driving all the way into San Francisco.

Going that far?

Now I remember the end of that story.

The other Scotchman says, he says,

"Well, since it's a long story,

"we might as well blow out the... "

"Candle," he says.

- Sixth floor, quick!

- Okay, okay, mister.

- What's all the rush?

- Get going.

Oh, Dr. Craig.

You've come to see Miss Shelby off.

No.

I've come to take her with me.

You'll find a couple of cops

in the car downstairs.

- Send one of them for an ambulance.

- Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Right away!

Jo Jo.

- Hello, Jo Jo.

- Hello, kid.

The box. The box!

- Take it easy.

- There it is.

Give it to me. I want it.

- All right.

- I want it.

Give it to me! I want it!

Careful, you'll cut yourself.

That iron's rusty.

Careful? That's funny. You're funny, Jo Jo.

It's broken. He broke it.

He shouldn't have done it.

It's mine, it's all mine now.

Everything's mixed up.

What mixes things up,

Jo Jo?

Simple arithmetic, kid. Remember?

Yes, simple arithmetic.

You're laughing at me.

You rotten...

Oh, I hurt inside.

Simple arithmetic.

Yes.

One and one make two.

I wanted money.

Frankie Olins had it.

He took it from a shiny red bank truck

two days before Christmas.

$400,000.

Only,

before he could take it,

he had to kill the driver.

Frankie was in jail now.

The people of the State of California

said he had to die.

But only Frankie knew

where the money was hidden.

- And he'll be three next Saturday.

- That's swell.

It seems just yesterday...

We get to practice baseball twice

a week now. Isn't that great, Pop?

Get hold of Vincent,

tell him O'Hara's no good.

Tell him I want

a new mouthpiece for the appeal.

The best mouthpiece in the world.

That takes money, Frankie, a lot of money.

Tell Vince to lay it out.

He told me he laid out 30,000 already.

Have you been seeing Jim Vincent?

No, Frankie boy, of course not.

He just phoned.

Said he was running short.

Frankie, we may need

part of that bank money to get...

Forget it.

The secret of where that money is

doesn't walk out of here

unless I walk out with it.

Listen, baby.

You don't think I care anything

about that money, do you?

No.

You're the only thing I care about.

That's all that money means to me, you!

Clothes for you, pretty things for you.

That's why I did it,

that's why I took the chance,

even on a murder rap,

because I want you to be beautiful for me.

For me. Not for anybody else, just me.

All right, time's up.

Come on, come on, you'll see him again.

He ain't going anywhere.

Listen, Margot, honey.

Tell Vince he's gotta get up that dough.

You gotta go now, lady. Time's up.

He knows he'll get it back.

I'll make it worth his while.

I'll get out on appeal. I'll get out.

- Goodbye, Frankie darling.

- So long, honey.

Frankie was kidding himself.

He was through.

And when he went,

the money would go with him.

Unless...

There was still one small chance,

a long shot.

Something I had read about

a long time ago.

Something I hadn't mentioned before.

Something called Methylene Blue.

Yes, Methylene Blue.

What kind of stuff is it?

- It's a sort of chemical...

- Hold it.

It's the stuff they use

when there's been an accident

in a laboratory somewhere.

Is this straight? How does it work?

I don't know that.

We'll have to get a doctor.

But I do know this,

Frankie's appeal doesn't stand a chance,

and in California

that means the gas chamber.

They'll execute him with something

they call hydrocyanic gas,

and the antidote

for that is Methylene Blue.

- What's the catch?

- The catch?

It'll cost plenty and it's a long shot.

We'll have to find a doctor

who's willing to risk it,

we'll have to get Frankie to him

within an hour after the execution,

and we've got to make sure

there's no autopsy performed.

Who's gonna pick up the body?

Frankie's got no relatives.

Add another $5,000 to the bill.

Yeah? And who pays off?

Frankie, if it works.

And if it doesn't?

Oh, I know, two slugs.

Well, let's drink to your future, huh?

Look, honey, I spoke to Harry.

I think he'll find a spot in the show for you.

Oh, that would be wonderful.

Please, Sarge, no trouble.

He's kind of nasty

when he's been drinking.

Why don't you keep

that two-bit hood out of here?

Come here, Ruthie.

I want you to meet an old friend of mine.

Well, well, if it ain't Little Boy Blue

throwing his buffalos around.

Here he is, Ruthie.

Jo Jo, the wonder boy himself.

The best dressed flatfoot in town.

Come here.

- Yes, sir.

- Put her in a cab.

Okay.

I told you not to play with babies.

Don't call me Jo Jo. The name is Joseph.

Beat it.

I'm closing you up, Mike.

It ain't our fault, Sarge. Honest, it ain't.

Kelsey brought her in here.

Louie asked her how old she was,

she said 23.

- If she's 20, I'll eat that glass.

- Well, Kelsey brought her in.

Okay, okay.

But if I catch you selling liquor to minors,

I'll bust this joint into toothpicks.

Oh, no, that's all right, Sarge.

It's on the house. It's a pleasure.

Take it.

Playing the second team, kid?

- Frankie mightn't like it.

- What's on your mind, Jo Jo?

A few hundred thousand dollars.

Why not talk to Frankie Olins about it?

I'd rather talk to you.

I've already told you

I don't know anything.

Why don't you stop

trying to push her around, you...

What?

I thought when I got Frankie

you'd have sense enough

to climb up off the trash heap.

- To your level?

- There's worse.

Do they have this kind of trash

on your level, Jo Jo?

No.

Don't have this kind either.

Someday you're gonna

go too far, Portugal.

Uh-huh.

When I do, I'll be coming after you.

I'd like to skin that flatfoot.

- His skin's pretty tough, Vince.

- Maybe.

I'm gonna find out someday.

Well, what about Frankie?

- What about him?

- That's up to you.

Look, honey, that appeal ran me 15Gs.

That means that altogether

I've got 45 grand invested in that guy.

You'll get it back

if we get Frankie out.

I'm not so sure I want to get him out.

$45,000 is a lot of money.

Maybe I don't mind losing it.

Well, which is it?

Me or your $45,000?

I don't know.

I don't know.

Maybe I might wind up with both.

Jim Vincent was tough

and shifty, like an alley cat,

and about as hard to handle.

But if I wanted Frankie out of jail,

I needed help,

and Vincent was willing.

Simple arithmetic it was.

Step one was finished.

It was now time for step two.

Good morning. Can I help you?

- Is Dr. Craig in?

- Yes. Come in, please.

Is it anything serious?

You see, the doctor is asleep right now.

Of course, if it's terribly important...

Oh, no, no. I understand.

Don't wake him. It's just a shoulder pain.

Doctors don't have much chance to rest,

do they?

Dr. Craig doesn't.

There's a lot of work in this neighborhood.

Then there's the free clinic

and, of course, two days a week

at the state prison.

There was an execution

at the prison late last night

and he's the officiating doctor.

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