Double Indemnity Page #21

Neff is wearing a light summer suit, very much in contrast

to Lola's mourning. Apparently she is telling him a story

and now and then she laughs, but there is no sound.

CAMERA MOVES PAST HER TO A: CLOSE SHOT OF NEFF behind the

steering wheel. He is only half listening to Lola. His mind

is full of other thoughts.

NEFF'S VOICE

Next day was Sunday and we went for

a ride down to the beach. She had

loosened up a bit and she was even

laughing... I had to make sure she

wouldn't tell that stuff about Phyllis

to anybody else. It was dynamite,

whether it was true or not. And I

had no chance to talk to Phyllis.

You were watching her like a hawk,

Keyes. I couldn't even phone her for

fear you had the wires tapped.

D-6 INSURANCE OFFICE - 12TH FLOOR - DAY

Neff, with his hat on and no briefcase, is walking toward

Keyes' office. As he comes up close to the door, he stops

with a startled expression on his face. On a chair beside

the door sits a familiar figure. He is Jackson, the man from

the observation platform of the train. He is wearing his

Stetson hat and smoking a cigar. He is studying something in

the file folder. Neff recognizes him immediately but Jackson

does not look up. Neff controls his expression and goes on

to open the door to Keyes' office.

NEFF'S VOICE

Monday morning there was a note on

my desk that you wanted to see me,

Keyes. For a minute I wondered if it

could be about Lola. It was worse.

Outside your door was the last guy

in the world I wanted to see.

D-7 INT. KEYES' OFFICE

Neff is just closing the door from the inside. Keyes, his

coat off, is lying on his office couch, chewing on a cigar,

as usual.

KEYES:

Come in. Come in, Walter. I want to

ask you something. After all the

years we've known each other, do you

mind if I make a rather blunt

statement?

NEFF:

About what?

KEYES:

About me. Walter, I'm a very great

man. This Dietrichson business. It's

murder, and murders don't come any

neater. As fancy a piece of homicide

as anybody ever ran into. Smart and

tricky and almost perfect, but --

Keyes bounces off the couch like a rubber ball.

KEYES:

but, I think Papa has it all figured

out, figured out and wrapped up in

tissue paper with pink ribbons on

it.

NEFF:

I'm listening.

Keyes levels a finger at him.

KEYES:

You know what? That guy Dietrichson

was never on the train.

NEFF:

He wasn't?

KEYES:

No, he wasn't, Walter. Look, you

can't be sure of killing a man by

throwing him off a train that's going

fifteen miles an hour. The only way

you can be sure is to kill him first

and then throw his body on the tracks.

That would mean either killing him

on the train, or -- and this is where

it really gets fancy -- you kill him

somewhere else and put him on the

tracks. Two possibilities, and I

personally buy the second.

NEFF:

You're way ahead of me, Keyes.

KEYES:

Look, it was like this. They killed

the guy -- the wife and somebody

else -- and then the somebody else

took the crutches and went on the

train as Dietrichson, and then the

somebody else jumped off, and then

they put the body on the tracks where

the train had passed. An

impersonation, see. And a cinch to

work. Because it was night, very few

people were about, they had the

crutches to stare at, and they never

really looked at the man at all.

NEFF:

It's fancy all right, Keyes. Maybe

it's a little too fancy.

KEYES:

Is it? I tell you it fits together

like a watch. And now let's see what

we have in the way of proof. The

only guy that really got a good look

at this supposed Dietrichson is

sitting right outside my office. I

took the trouble to bring him down

here from Oregon. Let's see what he

has to say.

Keyes goes to the door and opens it.

KEYES:

Come in, Mr. Jackson.

Jackson enters with the file folder.

JACKSON:

Yes sir, Mr. Keyes. These are fine

cigars you smoke.

He indicates the cigar he himself is smoking.

KEYES:

Two for a quarter.

JACKSON:

That's what I said.

KEYES:

Never mind the cigar, Jackson. Did

you study those photographs? What do

you say?

JACKSON:

Yes, indeed, I studied them

thoroughly. Very thoroughly

KEYES:

Well? Did you make up your mind?

JACKSON:

Mr. Keyes, I'm a Medford man. Medford,

Oregon. Up in Medford we take our

time making up our minds --

KEYES:

Well you're not in Medford now. I'm

in a hurry. Let's have it.

Jackson indicates the file folder he is holding.

JACKSON:

Are these photographs of the late

Mr. Dietrichson?

KEYES:

Yes.

JACKSON:

Then my answer is no.

KEYES:

What do you mean no?

JACKSON:

I mean this is not the man that was

on the train.

KEYES:

Will you swear to that?

JACKSON:

I'm a Medford man. Medford, Oregon.

And if I say it, I mean it, and if I

mean it, of course I'll swear it.

KEYES:

Thank you.

Keyes turns to Neff.

KEYES:

There you are, Walter. There's your

proof.

Keyes remembers he forgot to introduce Jackson.

KEYES:

Oh, Mr. Jackson, this is Mr. Neff,

one of our salesmen.

JACKSON:

Please to meet you, Mr. Neff. Pleased

indeed.

NEFF:

How do you do.

JACKSON:

Very fine, thank you. Never was

better.

KEYES:

Mr. Jackson, how would you describe

the man you saw on that observation

platform?

JACKSON:

Well, I'm pretty sure he was a younger

man, about ten or fifteen years

younger than the man in these

photographs.

KEYES:

Dietrichson was about fifty, wasn't

he, Walter?

NEFF:

Fifty-one, according to the policy.

JACKSON:

The man I saw was nothing like fifty-

one years old. Of course, it was

pretty dark on that platform and,

come to think of it, he tried to

keep his back towards me. But I'm

positive just the same.

KEYES:

That's fine, Jackson. Now you

understand this matter is strictly

confidential. We may need you again

down here in Los Angeles, if the

case comes to court.

JACKSON:

Any time you need me, I'm at your

entire disposal, gentlemen. Expenses

paid, of course.

Keyes picks up the telephone on his desk and speaks into it.

KEYES:

Get me Lubin, in the cashier's office.

Meanwhile, Jackson crosses over to Neff and, during the

ensuing dialogue between him and Neff, we hear Keyes' low

voice on the phone in background. We do not hear what he

says.

JACKSON:

(To Neff)

Ever been in Medford, Mr. Neff?

NEFF:

Never.

JACKSON:

Wait a minute. Do you go trout

fishing? Maybe I saw you up Klamath

Falls way.

NEFF:

Nope. Never fish.

JACKSON:

Neff. Neff. I've got it! It's the

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