Hammett Page #6

---

- Yeah.

Hey, are you gonna be

a long time?

Never early, never late.

What's the difference?

Well, that's what they all say.

I'm only human. I just

wanna know what's goin' on.

Sure. Sure. I don't blame ya.

Everybody wants to know

what's goin' on.

- Piddle around here for a while,

then we'll go home. Deal?

- Yeah. Deal.

[Wind howling]

[Footsteps approaching]

[Whispers]

Who's there?

You don't want

a belly full of daylight!

- [Bird cawing]

- Come out with your hands up.

[Squawks]

Gee, you've got shifty eyes.

- [Squawks]

- Hold it, son.

Gee, you've got shifty eyes.

Let's go. Looks like eddie's

gonna need a new boy.

[Bird squawking]

A little kid took this away from him,

but i made him give it back.

You son of a b*tch.

I'll strangle you with your own guts.

People lose teeth talking like that.

What's in there?

Get in. Open it.

How do you do, mr. Hagedorn?

I thought we should have a little chat.

Indeed, sir.

I fear you have the advantage over me.

Truly, sir, i do.

What's the story

on you and jimmy ryan?

My god, sir. I think you and i

are going to get along perfectly.

I like a man who favors

the forthright approach.

You have a unique,

persuasive style, sir.

Perhaps a little lacking in finesse,

but then polish isn't everything.

Whom have i the honor

of addressing?

Sam hammett.

Samuel dashiell hammett.

Former pinkerton man.

Now what?

Master of the penny dreadful.

- Getting rich?

- Scraping by.

Aren't we all?

Now what shall we talk about?

First off... him, your gunsel.

Why is he tailing me all over town?

- Does he think i'm pretty or what?

- Gunsel?

My word, sir. What a precise use

of the english language.

You know the synonym

of gunsel, of course?

Catamite. Nance.

Fairy. Punk.

By the way, you shouldn't

let him carry this.

It smacks of ill will.

Again, why is he tailing me?

We're looking for

your mr. Ryan, actually...

who we feel might be in possession of

certain information useful to my client.

Mrs. Callaghan, whose late husband

killed himself, sort of.

Why did callaghan kill himself,

if he did?

Well, sir, he was ruined...

financially, i mean.

What was it?

Liquor, women, gambling?

He guessed wrong on

the commodity market. The market rose...

and he couldn't cover

his short position.

What about callaghan and crystal ling...

the late crystal ling. [chuckles]

- What about them?

- I understand he bought her from fong.

My word, sir.

You have been amongst the liars.

I'll say.

Crystal was almost like

a daughter to the callaghans.

Oh, i'm sure they had

some swell sunday dinners.

Anyway, they're both dead now.

One murdered and one a suicide...

according to the cops, that is.

Now there's a third body in the morgue

you might be interested in.

Not a suicide.

Very murdered, with a witness.

Might i ask whom?

- Gary salt.

- Salt?

- Short pornographer?

- Murdered, you say?

As in bumped off

by your little roomie.

It seems he got a little impatient

when he went after the dirty pictures.

Or maybe he

just likes his work.

- All i know is he blew a hole

through salt's chest!

- Oh, dear.

[Groaning]

[Snoring]

[Groaning]

I had to search you,

mr. Hammett.

My clients would never have forgiven me

if i hadn't. You do understand?

Of course.

I shall miss my winston,

mr. Hammett.

Well, i won't.

We were together for a long time.

A very long time.

We understood each other.

But as an officer of the court,

i have my sworn duty.

- Who are you calling?

- Why, the proper authorities,

of course.

- Who'll do what?

- Tidy things up, naturally.

- Just like that.

- Yes, mr. Hammett. Just like that.

- You're an original, hagedorn.

- The front door is to the left.

Thank you.

- [Knocking]

- [Tom] open up, samuel.

- I'm on the phone!

- Well, make it snappy.

[Whispers]

Kit.

- What?

- My lawyer's jim welch.

He's in the book.

Call him as soon as

i go through the door.

[Sighs] i don't think

i like this new career of yours.

It almost got me

killed tonight, and for what?

Answer me that, smart guy.

What was in it for me?

A peep in the cesspool?

A roll in the hay?

- A roll in the hay, at least.

- I'm serious.

Look, you went because i asked

you to, because you knew there

was nobody else i could ask.

[Knocking continues]

Take it easy, tom!

Hello, tom.

What's the good word?

I told you to stay

out of it, samuel.

- So ya did.

- So let's go.

And don't ask me where. Don't argue.

Because if you argue...

- i'm gonna put the cuffs on.

- Well, i guess you better

damn well do that.

How's that?

[Foghorn blowing]

Samuel, from now on,

you're on your own.

And god help ya.

Thanks.

Well, i'll be damned.

Welcome, mr. Hammett.

Welcome.

We have great need of you, sir,

great need.

You know mr. Fong

and lieutenant o'mara, of course.

- The other gentlemen, l...

- i can make my own introductions,

hagedorn. Thank you.

Let's see.

Shipping, isn't it?

And you go for

little miss muffett, right?

Big insurance.

And your preference,

little bo peep.

Railroads. Grandpa's railroads,

if i remember right.

Cinderella?

A little old, wasn't she?

Why, you old dog.

And you're sugar.

Maybe half the world's sugar.

Let's see. Daddy's little girl,

i'd say. But i could be wrong.

And you're oil. Used to be

mr. Rockefeller's oil,

but now it's yours.

Queen of the sixth grade

or fifth... fourth, maybe.

What the hell?

You're just the idle rich, right?

Good works, charities... always

a big power in the reform movement.

And you like...

well, let's see.

Looks sort of like

the poor little match girl.

- [Hagedorn] mr. Hammett, i must...

- shut up, hagedorn.

Let me see if i can figure out the rest.

It must have started...

- mr. Hammett, i must advise you...

- let him speak.

You know, you two

make a swell pair. It must

have all started at a stag party.

New year's eve maybe?

Anyway, a blue film was

the night's main event, right?

Starring crystal ling

and the wolf man.

And then what? A week later...

two weeks later... somebody...

maybe somebody like gary salt,

comes and whispers in your ear...

that you, too, for a small fee,

can take a turn in the hay with crystal.

So one by one, you sneak up

into that back room

at the friendly pornographer's...

and... bingo!...

it's arabian nights!

No fantasy too wild.

No taste too bizarre.

Except that all the time

the camera's clicking away.

Then somebody grabs the negatives away

from salt, right? Crystal, maybe.

And you turn san francisco

inside out looking for her.

Then all of a sudden

crystal's dead, and there's a body

in the morgue to prove it.

But now the blackmailer

lands on you.

And you either pay up, or prints

of you and crystal will be sent

to every ritzy club...

between here and new york...

not to mention your wives.

- Am i right so far, hagedorn?

- You are substantially correct, sir.

You know, i've lived in this town

for what, seven or eight years now.

It's not a bad town.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes