I Want to Live! Page #6

Yeah, Babs. Why so quiet today?

I wanna thank the gentlemen of the press.

You chewed me up in your headlines

and all the jury had to do was spit me out.

You're all invited to the execution.

That's only fair.

You led the pack, Montgomery.

Bring your wife. She'll enjoy it.

For once how about a statement

from you? Are you satisfied now?

It looks like a college.

Yes. in fact, the giris at Corona

refer to the grounds as a campus.

Rah-rah-rah.

This place is a big improvement over

some of those menageries I've been in.

- Every dress different.

- Because no two giris are alike.

We want our giris to walk tall,

with their heads up.

- Hi, Barbara.

- Hi.

She knew me. Guess I'm sort of a -

what do they call it? - big man on campus.

This is your room.

Here we go again. Just show me where

you keep the hammerlocks and I'm all set.

We have to put you in isolation

because of your...

Death sentence? First time

I ever heard it was contagious.

Sorry, Barbara. It has to be this way.

I probably wouldn't have

made the team anyhow.

Never have yet.

- Is that Shelly Manne?

- Yeah. You like him?

He knocks me out.

- Are they electrocuting somebody?

- Two minutes to lights out.

- Gotta scoot.

- So long.

Good night, Bar...

I'm sorry. You can't wear that here.

Why not?

It's too... provocative.

Provocative?

There's nothing but dames here.

Not a man within miles.

And I've got these for a chastity belt.

Oh, boy, would I love

to have somebody to provoke,

It's very foolish to make trouble

on your first night, Barbara.

I'd advise you to wear

the nightgown we've provided you.

- Well?

- OK.

OK, I'll take it off.

But I won't wear your burlap job.

I'll sleep raw.

Well?

Cover yourself.

She refused to take a lie-detector test.

She wrote Tibrow

she wants to take one now.

Now she does, as a last-ditch gamble,

but she wouldn't risk it before.

- Could be she had other things to hide.

- Probably quite a iot.

There's something about her.

When you meet her...

Hello, Mr. Matthews. How's Mr. Tibrow?

Better, but still in the hospital.

He asked me to reconsider

taking your appeal.

I want Mr. Palmberg to talk to you.

Then I'll decide.

Hello, Barbara.

Sit over here, please.

Carl is going to make some tests on you.

He's a psychologist and a criminologist.

That's his probiem.

I don't like my mother.

I never knew my father.

Where's your hammer?

Sky, blue, Monday, wash.

- How's that?

- They're responses to the word test.

- All right, Al, I'll see you later.

- Oh.

Sure.

- What's the book?

- Poetry.

There was a young lad from Japan

whose verses they never would scan

When he was asked why

He said with a sigh

"Darn it all, I just can't help trying to get

as many words in the last line as I can."

- We might get along.

- I hope so.

I'd like to start with a Rorschach test.

inkblots. They'll tell you

what's on my murky brain.

Right. Go ahead. What do you see?

A rain cloud.

Bobby.

This one looks like a bed.

- What about her, Carl?

- She's totally amoral.

A compulsive liar, with no regard for law

and order or the conventions of society.

- You must have been reading my stuff.

- I think you should take the appeal.

- What?

- I think she's innocent.

Why don't Santo and Perkins speak up?

What have they got to lose now?

The only cure

they can think of for the cyanide.

Come again?

They believe in the end

her sentence will be commuted.

A young, attractive woman, a mother.

If you don't execute the killer, how can

you execute the ones who stood around?

That's why they decided to keep her

out front and say that she did it

and why they're gonna keep her there.

- That's just your own opinion.

- Just my own opinion, Montgomery.

Unfortunately,

I can't print it and make it a fact.

There's the reverse. The state has to gas

her if they wanna get Santo and Perkins.

I'm convinced she couldn't have done it.

She has a positive aversin to violence.

Physical violence, not emotional.

Forgery, perjury, vice are her crimes.

They're not crimes of violence.

They're the crimes of those

for whom violence is impossible.

- Also she's left-handed.

- I never noticed that.

No, I didn't see it mentioned

in any of your articles.

Bruce King testified

that the gun was in her right hand.

You can't use that in an appeal. That

evidence was availabie during the trial.

You didn't bring me out here to tell you

how to appeal, only whether.

- We shall have to...

- What do you mean, we?

Even if I take it,

there's no money for an investigation.

- Besides, in your present state of health...

- Stop interrupting.

We're gonna have to develop a great deal

of new evidence. That's my job.

You'll translate it

into your incomprehensible legal prose.

But evidence and jargon alone will not

save the lady. That's where you come in.

The press created the climate which

condemned her. Change that climate.

Whatever gave you the idea

that I'm on your side?

- You're here, aren't you?

- To get a story, that's all.

You could have concocted

your usual story without making the trip,

so it strikes me you already had it in mind

to change your point of view.

- I'm not sure what I had in mind.

- I am.

You're like a man looking for a hat

that's on his head the whole time.

Maybe, but at least

I haven't lost my head yet.

But today, Peg, things are looking up.

Mr. Matthews has taken my appeal.

There's a man with him, a Carl Palmberg.

I can't describe the effect

he has on a person.

But there, that's it. I'm a person again,

not a condemned person.

You can imagine how upset

I am, Al, that after all our efforts,

they positively refuse

to give me a lie-detector test.

Surely by now

there's some word on my appeal.

The suspense is killing me. Ha-ha.

I guess you're beginning to realise

What an impossible client I am,

especially for a nonpaying one.

Could be my upbringing.

Another thing, Carl.

Thank Montgomery for his latest article.

The interviews are beginning to pay off.

I don't Know what's making him change

toward me, but he sure seems to have.

Most important of all, though,

please, please, please, Carl,

bring me definite news

about my appeal or I'll go insane.

Please, Mrs. Graham,

you must sit still

You ain't got rhythm, Doc,

that's your problem.

My trouble is

15 other appointments today.

These inlays take time.

Pretty funny, putting in gold inlays

when they've already got cyanide eggs

marked with my initials.

- Such talk.

- Barbara.

- Carl.

- I'd like to talk to Mrs. Graham.

It's all right.

Don't just stand there. Give.

Your appeal has been denied.

Did they set a date?

December 3,

but Al put in for a stay of execution.

No, I don't want any stay.

If you can't get my sentence commuted,

then don't get me a stay.

- At least it'll be over on December 3.

- Barbara...

You heard me,

I can't stand it any more, I can't,

Barbara...

Oh, Carl, what am I gonna do?

You're gonna get your teeth fixed.

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