East Side, West Side Page #9

- You wanna sit in?

- Yes. Thanks.

Jessie, why did you come?

- To help, if I can.

- I didn't want you to be mixed up in this.

If you are, I have to be.

Mrs. Bourne, wouldn't you be

more comfortable waiting outside?

I'll be asking Mr. Bourne a lot of questions.

I don't think any of the answers

will surprise me.

Won't you sit down?

Bill, Jim, this is Mark Dwyer.

You've probably heard of him.

Till we're blue in the face.

Okay, Mr. Bourne,

let's start at the beginning.

When you came here,

why, and what happened.

Miss Lorrison called me at the office

a number of times this afternoon.

I didn't answer any of the calls,

until the last one,

at a few minutes to 5:00.

What was your relationship with her?

I knew her for several years.

She'd been away.

Since she returned,

I tried to make her realize

that I didn't want to be involved with her.

Why did you take the last call?

She told my secretary that she'd

keep on calling until I spoke to her.

Did she say where she was calling from?

- The Del Rio.

- Since when is Del Rio open at 5:00?

Alec Dawning took it over

for a private cocktail party.

He's one of Isabel's guys, isn't he?

Okay, you talked to her. What did she say?

She insisted that I meet her here.

She was leaving the Del Rio immediately.

I got here at 5:
45 exactly.

I was supposed to pick up my wife

at home at 6:
30,

I didn't want to be late.

I rang the bell several times.

There was no answer,

so I thought perhaps

she hadn't arrived yet. So, I let myself in.

- How?

- He has a key.

I'd forgotten to give it back before.

She wasn't in the living room. I called.

There was no answer,

so I went into the bedroom.

I didn't see her for a moment.

She was on the floor

between the bed and the wall.

There were marks on her throat.

Jake, do you mind if...

Yeah, the medical examiner

is on his way up.

She said she'd seen you.

- I ought to have known she was lying.

- She had seen me, she wasn't lying.

Then you must understand why I came.

I wanted to know what had happened.

Why didn't you come to me

and ask me what had happened?

She said she'd call you

and you'd come running.

She knew you, Bran.

Got everything you need?

Yes, sir.

Find anything under the nails?

A little skin.

Can't tell anything till the lab report.

Mark, is everything going to be all right?

Well, it's a little too early to tell you,

Jess, but...

Don't make yourself sick over it,

because if Brandon's telling the truth,

and, actually, I believe he is,

well, it will work out all right.

Jake, can I talk to you a minute, please?

Yeah, sure.

Found a little something.

No, no. I looked. No red polish.

Nothing broken.

But you didn't show me

till after you looked.

- Friends, huh?

- Well, she was with me from 4:15 on.

Look, Jake, if the girl left the Del Rio

at 5:
00, she got here about 5:25, right?

Yeah.

Well, if Bourne's telling the truth,

he got here at 5:45.

She was killed in those 20 minutes.

Well, it's only five minutes to 7:00 now,

so everything's still pretty hot.

Do me a favor, will you?

Let me dig around a little at the Del Rio.

I know these people, and I might be

able to recognize a lead easier, huh?

By all means, Mark.

Mrs. Bourne, I'm going to put you in a taxi.

I think you should go home.

And I think, Mr. Bourne, you'd better come

down to the station with us.

Are you accusing me of this murder?

No, I'm not even booking you... yet,

- unless you refuse to come along.

- Of course I don't.

I told you the truth,

and I want to prove it.

You'll get the chance.

I'm taking him to the 12th precinct, Mark.

I'll be there as soon as I find out

whether anything's doing.

Take it easy, huh?

You're right, Bran.

There's nothing much to say right now,

is there?

Sorry, but the bar won't be open

for a few minutes.

Just winding up a private party.

Thanks, but I'm not looking for a drink.

- Business call?

- So-so.

- Can I do anything for you?

- I hope so.

That guy Alec Dawning,

how long has he been here?

Since 4:
30. It's his party.

- Did he bring a girl in with him?

- Miss Lorrison. Isabel Lorrison.

- Is she still here?

- No. She left early, about 5:00.

She hadn't even had a drink

when another girl crashed the party...

- Another girl? What was her name?

- Backett, Felice Backett.

Built like the Empire State.

I think I've seen her around. Big girl.

Yeah. Big enough to know better.

She was tight

and burned up about something.

She walked over to Dawning's table

and started making cracks

about Miss Lorrison,

so Lorrison got sore and left.

And then Miss Empire State settled down

with Dawning?

Hardly. She threw a glass of champagne

in his face and walked out on him.

How soon after Lorrison left?

Maybe five minutes, I don't know.

The big girl. Where did she go?

I didn't notice. Sorry, but with a party on...

John.

Ah, Miss Backett.

Tell Mr. Dawning to join me at once

at our table, I'm ready for dinner now.

Tell her I'm quite happy right where I am.

Mr. Dawning asked me to tell you

he wishes to remain where he is.

Thank you, John. Thank you so much.

I'll go to my table now.

Oh, Miss Backett. I held it for you an hour

after you left, then I had to give it up.

It's reserved,

the people will be here in a moment.

I haven't been gone

for more than 20 minutes,

I've been in the powder room.

I'm sorry, I thought you'd left,

I'll get you another table.

I'll tell you what, John.

You keep your tables,

you and Mr. Dawning.

You keep all of them.

See what I mean?

Real big girl.

And real rough.

What is your bartender's name?

- Bill.

- Brief me on him, will you?

Sure.

He's been here about four years.

- Good evening.

- Scotch.

Yes, ma'am.

Now, don't pay any attention

to what I do at the bar.

Scotch, straight.

- Yes, sir.

- No chaser.

That's French for "if you please."

That's a...

No, no, you have a...

A very unusual hand. Do you...

Do you do a little sketching

in your spare time?

Yeah.

Don't... Don't I astound you?

- Nothing astounds me, mister.

- No, well, give me time.

And a napkin. You got a napkin?

- Yes, sir.

- And a pencil.

Pencil, and now...

Put your hand like so.

I shall now reveal the dark

and hidden secrets of your life.

I like my mother-in-law,

that's the dark and hidden secret

in my life.

Yeah, up.

Your name is Bill.

Been here four years,

your wife's a blonde, she's very pretty.

- You've got one boy.

- Hey, what's the gimmick?

Gimmick, there's no gimmick.

You see, it...

It's a scientific method. The fingers tell all.

The shapes reveal the past,

the present and the future.

Like, maybe the wife will go platinum

next week, huh?

Right.

I didn't astound him, did I?

How about you, huh?

How about me?

Well, the past, I could make you forget,

the present, I could improve,

and the future,

I could definitely take care of.

I can see the future worries you, honey.

Not me.

From now on,

what happens to me, I make happen.

No longer fate's plaything, huh?

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes