Hammett Page #5

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Samuel.

Do you want

a nip before you go?

I could use

a snifter after that.

- [Exhales deeply]

- Mr. Hammett. You look terrible.

- [Bell tolling]

- Beat it, salt. I'm tired.

I heard you and ryan

got picked up.

Did he tell 'em anything

at all about crystal?

What'd he tell them

about crystal?

For that matter, what would you

tell them about crystal?

Oh, for pete's sake,

mr. Hammett.

- You know what i mean.

- Hey, look at that.

It's going to be the longest

suspension bridge in the world.

And the graft will probably

set a world record too.

Beautiful.

Yeah. It's beautiful.

I just hope

i live to see it.

Look, salt. I'm getting tired of

being treated like the village idiot!

Let's just pretend...

let's just pretend...

i'm gonna slap you to sleep

unless i get some straight answers.

- It was you that took crystal away

from the cameron dame, wasn't it?

- No.

She was on the run,

all right, but it wasn't

some penny-ante bullshit, was it?

Now crystal's dead, salt.

She's down there on a slab

with a sheet over her head!

- Go ask the cops!

- [Man] it's all right.

[Coughing]

Hello, hank.

What's cookin'?

Where ya been

hangin' out, son?

Good god, sam. You look like

somethin' the cat dragged in.

- What happened?

- Never mind. You wouldn't

believe me if i told ya.

- Would you like a snort?

- No, i'd like something

to take home, pops. I'm out.

The blue plate special.

I've been savin' it

for your weddin' day.

Fat chance.

Oh, mr. Hammett.

What happened to you?

- I slipped on a banana peel, rose.

- Oh, i'm sorry.

[Speaking chinese]

[Child] forty-five. Fifty.

Fifty-five. Sixty.

Sixty-five. Seventy.

Seventy-five. Eighty.

Eighty-five. Ninety.

Ninety-five. A hundred.

Ready or not,

here i come.

[Whispers]

Is he up there?

[Inaudible]

[Door closing]

Good god!

I don't know

which looks worse, you or this.

Don't worry about the blood.

It probably belonged to a chicken.

- A what?

- Or a duck. Or maybe it's

just another case of suicide.

In any case, it's just a warning.

Maybe the third or the fourth.

- I can't remember exactly.

- Warning to do what?

Lay off.

It all started with ryan.

After ryan came gary salt,

and after salt, the cops, and

after the cops, crystal ling.

Almost one, two, three.

Now ryan's gone, and crystal ling

is about to be buried by the cops.

- So that leaves only

gary salt, doesn't it?

- Who's gary salt?

- Gary salt's a guy who last thursday

put 50 cents down on 777.

- Numbers.

Okay. You figured out

he plays the numbers.

What do those names mean to you?

"Henson, chambers, norsette,

creel, michelson, dorn."

- Six of the richest men

in san francisco.

- Right again.

Would you be dippy enough, angel,

to spend a little shoe leather?

Doing what?

Looking for gary salt.

Who the hell are you now... hammett

the writer or hammett the detective?

I think you left out

hammett the fool.

What a waste.

Kit, this is eli, the last

of the i.w.w. Organizers.

- Are you really a wobbly?

- Ah, no. That's just hammett talking.

What i am now is sort of an anarchist

with syndicalist tendencies.

Eli, who uses pink number slips?

Oh, probably frank nestor

over in the old mission district.

He runs the newsstand.

Let's go have a word with 'im.

I thought you told me

that you were a strikebreaker

when you worked for the pinkerton's.

I was. That's why i quit.

just doin' my job,

if you please

fill 'er up.

Six twenty-six.

Thank you.

You lost, pal.

- I'm lookin' for the guy who bought it.

- Yeah, sure you are.

- You a cop?

- What about her?

Well, you can't

forget her, ever.

That studio up the stairs...

she used to come and go, in and out.

Thanks. Is she in trouble?

Maybe.

- Dames like her... they live on trouble.

- Stick around, eli.

[Siren blaring]

What a grand dump.

What are we looking for?

Wish i knew.

Maybe we'll find your manuscript.

I know where that is.

Too bad you didn't get to read it.

There's somebody in it

you might be very familiar with.

- A girl?

- Maybe.

"She had eyes too close for trusting

but wide enough for beauty."

- How'd you guess?

- Because all your women are like that.

How come you never write about women

with eyes like lost lakes?

'Cause everybody else does,

precious.

Look at this:

James ryan, $ 100 retainer.

It's dated the 27th.

That's a week ago.

Jimmy ryan's

big-time client, gary salt...

bought ryan for a hundred bucks.

This must be the bedroom.

Guess again.

[Kit] my grandmother

used to have a brass bed just like this.

[Gasps] oh, she used to hide

her old love letters in here.

She thought it was a big secret,

but my brothers and i used to read them.

Your grandmother...

how is old lizzy?

I have to write her.

- Oh, look. There is something in here.

- [Door closes]

- Yeah, what is it?

- Shh!

[Man whispering]

Keep moving, sweetie.

We're almost there.

[Man #2] i'm tellin'ya,

i haven't got 'em. I swear i haven't.

- Hagedorn says you got 'em.

That's good enough for me.

- Hagedorn's wrong.

Hagedorn's never wrong,

sweetie. Never.

- [Door opening]

- Look, can't we make a deal?

I don't make deals, sweetie.

You oughta know that by now.

- I could cut you in.

- No.

You can have

my end of the pool.

I said no. I just want

what i am sent for.

But i haven't got 'em!

Then you better find 'em!

Please. Let's talk about it.

Wejust run outta talk.

Get in the bedroom,

you squirm.

I want 'em now, pally.

Not tomorrow.

Not the next day.

Now!

I haven't got 'em anymore.

I swear to god.

I haven't got 'em. L...

what you got...

is five seconds.

One.

- Two.

- Don't.

- Four.

- For god's sake...

look, l...

- five.

- [Moans]

[whistling]

[Clanking]

[Kit screaming]

[Crying]

Don't be a chump.

Let her go!

Just one more step, sweetie,

and she goes.

But she goes slow... real slow.

I said let her go.

Come on.

That old wheeze.

Yeah? Call it.

Real soon. I'm gonna take you

right off the count real soon.

How 'bout right now,

goddamn it!

- What the hell?

- Johnny on the spot.

Where'd you get the artillery, eli?

You should put wheels on it.

You need a little protection

when you drive a hack in 'frisco.

[Chuckles]

It's san francisco.

I hack here, lady.

I call it 'frisco.

- Okay.

- The envelope. What was

in that envelope, kit?

Oh, ah, i don't know.

I didn't look.

You're a swell detective,

sweetheart.

Recognize 'em?

- The six on the list.

- Yeah. The salt's dead.

Oh. Shouldn't we

call the police?

Shouldn't we do

something legal?

First, we'll drop you off, angel.

You call the cops,

and i'll go see hagedorn.

What should i tell the police?

Tell 'em you know where they

can find another body that

we know wasn't a suicide.

And no names. Here.

Tuck these away

someplace safe.

You know the nicest people.

[Chattering]

Where's your gun?

In the top drawer of my desk.

Oh.

- Need a good monkey wrench, eli?

- Thank you.

[Brakes screeching]

- Pretty fancy.

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