Human Desire Page #3

How do you do,

Mr. Warren?

Mrs. Buckley.

See you later.

They must have

found him by now.

Now or later, what

difference does it make?

Why'd you take

that money from him?

They'll think it was a robbery.

Sure carried a bankroll,

didn't he?

Don't bother to look.

It's not there.

Burn it, Carl. Please.

You'd like that, wouldn't you?

We're going to go on like Owens

never existed. Better maybe.

How, Carl?

Owens was an accident.

An accident I took care of. That's all.

If you don't burn that letter,

it means the end of everything.

No. This letter is going

to keep us together.

There's not going to be anybody else, Vicki.

There's nobody else.

Jeff?

(DOOR OPENING)

Yeah?

Honorable sir, breakfast ready.

So am I. That's quite an outfit.

Who gave it to you?

A fella.

Well, you look like a quiet afternoon

at the Teahouse of the Rising Moon.

Eggs, Jeff?

No, just coffee, Vera.

I had breakfast on the train.

Come on.

Where's Alec?

Down at the yards.

Uh, fix the toast,

Madame Butterfly.

Did you do anything

in the city?

Oh, nothing exciting.

Do you know

Carl Buckley's wife?

Vicki?

Oh, is that her name?

She's pretty.

Did you meet her?

Yeah, I saw them

at the depot this morning.

She used to work

at the station in the city,

the magazine stand.

That's where Carl met her.

A little young to be married

to Buckley, isn't she?

Does that matter

if she's young?

No, I guess not.

They get along all right?

If they don't,

she hides it pretty well.

You up? I was going

to wake you.

Didn't you come in

on Number Four?

Yeah. Why?

They had some trouble on it.

Scratch my back, will you?

Found somebody this morning

up at Rainbow Gap, murdered.

Just came in over the wires.

Don't stop scratching,

over a little further.

Murdered?

Yeah, knifed in a drawing room.

There, that's it, right there.

(SIGHS)

Porter found him.

Did they identify him?

A man named Owens.

They got the sleeper off

on the spur.

The police are all over it.

There, that's good.

Well, that's bad for the

line, a thing like that.

You're not safe

anyplace nowadays.

It must have happened

while you were on the train.

I thought you told me

skirts were getting shorter.

(LAUGHING) Oh!

Vera, why can't somebody check

the buttons on my shirt?

What would men do if there were no

women around to sew buttons on?

If there were no women around,

we wouldn't need any buttons!

Oh!

(LAUGHS)

CORONER:
The body of John Owens was

found in Drawing Room F of Car 842.

Compartments G and E.

on either side. were unoccupied.

Due to the autopsy report

on the time of death.

we are particularly interested

in the hours before midnight.

The robbery and murder took place

sometime during that period.

What is your occupation?

Brakeman.

Brakeman.

CORONER:
How often during that time did

your duties take you through Car 842?

Well. That's the rear end of the train.

so I'm there pretty often.

Do you recall seeing anyone

who didn't belong in that car?

Or in the next one?

Jeff Warren.

He was in the corridor of 843.

He was deadheading home.

He told me to remind Russ.

That's the conductor.

that he was waiting for

a place to sleep.

Mr. Warren, how long were you

in the corridor of the Car 843?

About 20 minutes.

From when to when?

Well. it'd be just a guess.

I'd say between 12:30 and 1:00.

During that time,

did you see anyone exit

from the Owens' car?

JEFF:
Yes.

Who?

The brakeman.

on this way through.

Who else?

Just a couple of passengers.

Would you recognize them again?

I might.

We'll start with the car in

which Owens' body was found.

Will the passengers who occupied

Car 842 please stand up?

PROSECUTOR:
Any of these,

Mr. Warren?

And of these people go in or

out while you were in Car 843?

No.

Sit down, please.

And now, will the occupants of

the next car, 843, please rise.

Any of these,

Mr. Warren?

Answer the question please,

Mr. Warren.

Any of these people go in or

out while you were in Car 843?

No.

None of these. Either.

A lot of good that

does the railroad.

"Murdered by person

or persons unknown."

Well, I've got the police

checking the passenger list

for anybody with

a prison record.

You think it was robbery?

Could be.

What about the missing watch?

Can't you put a tracer on that?

Whoever did it would have

to be pretty stupid,

trying to fence

a hot item like that.

Well, that's your department.

We've got a...

A big responsibility

to the public.

Sure, I know.

If a guy has to get himself murdered,

why don't he pick one of the airlines?

(JAZZ MUSIC PLAYING

ON JUKEBOX)

Hiya, Buckley.

Oh, hiya, Warren.

Buy you a drink?

Naw. Naw, naw.

This is on me.

Hey, we'll have

the same thing again.

Give Mr. Warren

whatever he wants.

I'll have a beer.

Make mine a double

this time, will you?

You seem very quiet tonight,

Mrs. Buckley.

"Mrs. Buckley"?

What, are we being formal or something?

Her name's Vicki.

Well, here's to us.

(MUSIC STOPS)

(MUSIC RESUMES)

Excuse me. Would you

care to dance?

Beat it.

All I did was ask

your wife for a dance.

I said beat it!

Stop it, Carl.

Aw, I'll push his face in.

What does he think Vicki is?

A pickup or something?

VICKI:
Carl!

Come on, take it easy.

Go on, take a walk.

I'll put a ring in his nose.

Do you think you ought to

call it a night, Carl?

I don't mind my friends

dancing with Vicki,

but I don't like no

grease monkeys coming in.

Here. Come on, let's go home, huh?

Come on, Carl.

Now, wait a minute.

Wait a minute, wait a minute.

Come on, lets go.

All right.

(TRAIN PASSING)

(TRAIN HORN BLOWING)

Easy.

I think I can manage now.

Come on, I'll put you to bed.

I can get to bed myself.

In the morning,

he'll have a prize hangover.

(HORN BLOWING)

When I first came here,

I thought I'd never

get used to the trains.

Now when it's quiet,

I get nervous.

Don't you think you owe

me an explanation?

About that night on the train?

I should have told you I

was married, shouldn't I?

When I met you, you were coming out

of the car where Owens was killed.

You don't think I had

anything to do with...

I don't know.

What were you doing in there?

Owens was an old

friend of my family.

He'd been so wonderful about getting Carl's

job back that I wanted to talk with him.

I left Carl asleep

in our compartment

and I went to Mr. Owens'

drawing room.

And?

He was dead when I got there.

It was horrible.

You found him dead and you

walked right out of the car?

Why didn't you call the

porter or the conductor?

I was frightened.

Not when you met me,

you weren't.

I didn't want to get involved.

I couldn't tell anybody.

Didn't you even

tell your husband?

I couldn't.

Why not?

You don't know what

my life's been like.

You don't know my husband.

I used to know

Carl pretty well.

Nobody knows him.

Nobody but me.

I couldn't tell him I went to

Owens' compartment that night.

I wouldn't dare.

He'd suspect something awful.

I don't know what

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