Fallen Angel Page #6

- What is?

That a man doesn't spend

his wedding night at home.

- Did Clara tell you?

- No. She didn't say anything.

I saw you around myself.

[Engine Starts]

[Man]Out of the way, folks.

One side, please.

Hi, Mr.Judd.

One side, please.

One side.

Out of the way.

- Hello, Mr.Judd.

-Johnson.

[Crowd Chattering]

Hello, Pop.

You can sit down now.

- Thanks for coming, Mr.Judd.

- Chief.

Coroner was here. He'll send in

his report as soon as possible.

In the meantime, however-

[Clears Throat]

here's what he said.

"She was killed by a blow

on the left temple.

Weapon:
Undetermined.

Probably a lead pipe.

Time of death:

Between 3:
00 and 4:00 a.m."

- Find the weapon?

- It's not in here.

- Who's she?

- She lives downstairs, Mr.Judd.

Says someone ran out ofhere

late last night.

She found the girl's watch

under the step this morning.

Guess he must have

dropped it.

- What did he look like?

- Oh, I don't know, mister.

It was so dark

I couldn't see him.

Just as I went to close the window,

I- I saw him running down the street.

How do you know

it was a man you saw?

- I didn't say it was a man.

- Then it was a woman?

- No.

- Then it had to be a man.

- Well, I guess it was. A man always took her home.

- Who?

I don't know.

I saw him come up.

And once I saw him.

Which one did you see

last night?

Oh, I can't say

it was them. Honest.

Can I go now, mister?

I should be down in the store.

- Please. I don't like to stay in here.

- You can go.

So can you, Pop.

I don't need you

right now.

Let me stay, Mr.Judd.

It's her room.

It was her room, Pop.

She was a good girl,

wasn't she, Mr.Judd?

She never meant bad.

- Everybody liked her.

- Yes.

Everybody.

- Your name?

- Atkins.

I gave my statement

to the chief.

- What do you do?

- Well, you know me.

I operate jukeboxes around here.

- And slot machines.

- Only in Nevada where it's legal.

Now, look. I already said

what I had to to the chief.

I'm not answering

any more questions.

What makes you think

I'm going to question you, Mr. Atkins?

- I know how cops work.

- How do they work, Mr. Atkins?

Well, you're

supposed to show me.

Perhaps we'd better

go in there.

- If you don't mind.

- No. I don't mind.

[Chief]

Here's his statement, Mr.Judd.

Check his alibi. There's a phone

in the store downstairs.

Right away.

Sit down.

Now, let's get down

to facts, Mr. Atkins.

You've got my alibi

right there.

If you don't believe me, why don't

you wait till the chief gets back?

But I'm not interested

in your alibi.

I'd like to know when

you gave her this watch.

When? Why don't you

ask me if I gave it to her?

- I know you did.

- You don't.

I told you I know

how cops work.

I don't believe you know

how I work, Mr. Atkins.

- With kid gloves?

- Certainly.

I don't like to mess up

any case I'm on.

- You gave her the watch, didn't you?

- No.

- You did.

- No.

You gave it to her.

- You gave her the watch, didn't you?

- No.

- You did.

- [Slap Lands]

- You gave it to her.

- No.

- [Slaps Landing]

- [Atkins Groaning]

- [Judd] You gave it to her.

- [Slaps Continue]

All right.

Let's pick it up.

What about you and Stella?

Well, I've known her

for a long time.

I used to board at her mother's home

down in San Diego.

I... didn't have

any money then...

so I couldn't marry her.

Skip the romance. Last night

you picked her up at 10:15.

You were with her until 2:00.

What happened in between?

[Atkins]

We had dinner.

Drove down to the beach.

[Judd]

Well? You got there, didn't you?

[Atkins] Yeah, yeah.

That's when she said she'd marry me.

[Judd] Then you brought her home.

You came up to kiss the bride.

[Atkins] No, no. I didn't come up.

I left right away.

You see, when Stella was

murdered...

I was in a motor court

just outside of Glenolden.

That's a hundred miles away.

How do you know

what time Stella was murdered?

The coroner's report.

It says around 4:00.

Oh, you know I couldn't

have murdered her.

Sit down.

- You did give her the watch, didn't you?

- No.

- Tell him I went home.

- [Judd] Come on, Mr. Atkins.

Just for the record.

So we can clear that up.

Doesn't make you any more guilty

if you did give it to her.

You quarreled, you took it back,

then you lost it on the way down.

No. I never gave her

any jewelry.

- Come on, Mr. Atkins. Admit it.

- No.

- Admit you were generous just once.

- No.

- Admit it.

- No.

- [Atkins Groaning]

- [Slaps Landing]

[Thud]

- Mr. Stanton.

- Look. You don't try that on me.

I wouldn't think of it.

I just happen not to like his face.

Mr.Judd,

his alibi is okay.

The Lido Motor Court in Glenolden

said he checked in at 2:30.

All right, Mr. Atkins.

You may go now.

- I knew his alibi would hold up.

- You got the watch?

I didn't say

you could go, Mr. Stanton.

- Sit down.

- I'm onto the rules.

You can't ask me anything

or hold me without charges.

You seem to be

an expert on loopholes.

Perhaps you could tell us

who might have murdered the girl.

- I don't know. Could have

been anybody. Atkins maybe.

- No. It isn't Atkins.

- Pop. He was stuck on her.

- Perhaps.

- Orwas it a woman? Clara Mills.

- Or the woman downstairs.

- Or you, Mr. Stanton.

- Or you, Mr.Judd.

A splendid deduction.

Possibilities are many.

And all quite interesting,

don't you think?

In a cold-blooded

sort of way. Sure.

- You still aren't helping us get anywhere.

- It's your case.

But you're involved in it.

More than you realize.

- Now, look.

- I'm looking.

The facts-

They're all against you.

You came into town

with no obvious reasons-

of course,

you were going elsewhere-

meet a young lady,

spend some time with her...

then you come up here.

The woman downstairs

saw you.

Then you meet another

young lady and marry her.

On your wedding night you walk the streets

looking for young lady number one.

How dowe know you didn't

wait for her until-

I didn't.

You're an expert,

Mr. Stanton.

You know the exact value

of a man's word against facts.

- Are you accusing me?

- Not yet.

Perhaps after

we find the weapon.

However, I wouldn't plan on any

out of town honeymoon just yet.

We might need you

any moment.

Good day.

What are you packing for?

You're not going away now, are you?

Yes, I am.

Oh, June, I won't let you go with him.

Not after that girl was murdered.

- I'm going, Clara.

- How can you?

Why throw yourself away on someone

who's not worth it? He isn'tworth it.

Oh, June, it's no use. There's no happiness

in it. I know. I've been through all this.

It's not the same thing, Clara.

Please try to understand.

I do understand.

Once I believed

in someone too.

No matter what people said,

I believed in him.

You don't know

what he meant to me-

what all of his lies and broken promises

and dishonesty did to me.

I can't let you

ruin your life too.

June, a man who went out after another

woman the night of your marriage.

Maybe you're right, Clara,

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