In a Lonely Place Page #4

- Right.

- You want me to help you?

- I wish somebody would.

You have to have enough imagination

to visualize the crime. Here, get up.

Put this chair here.

This one here.

Brub, you sit down there.

Sylvia, you sit there on Brub's right.

You're the killer. You're driving

the car. This is the front seat.

What makes you sure this murder

was done in a car?

If she was already dead,

he'd have put her body in the back.

In that case, he couldn't have

dumped her without stopping.

Now, you're driving up the canyon.

Your left hand's on the wheel.

Yeah, go ahead.

She's telling you

she'd done nothing wrong.

You put your right arm

around her neck.

You get to a lonely place in the road,

and you begin to squeeze.

You're an ex- GI. You know judo. You can

kill a person without using hands.

You're driving the car,

and you're strangling her.

You don't see her bulging eyes

or protruding tongue.

Go ahead, Brub, squeeze harder.

You love her, and she's deceived you.

You hate her.

She looks down on you.

She's impressed with celebrities.

She wants to get rid of you. Squeeze.

Harder.

Squeeze harder.

It's wonderful to feel her throat

crush under your arm.

- Brub, stop it!

- I didn't hurt you, did I?

No.

Now, are you convinced?

I think so.

Well, I'm not.

You forgot my hands. I could scratch

his eyes out before he could kill me.

But you didn't. Your instinct

was to try to loosen his grip.

That's where you lost,

like Mildred did.

- You've given this a lot of thought.

- I've had a lot of experience in this.

I've killed dozens of people,

in pictures.

No, I didn't do it.

I could never throw a lovely body

from a moving car.

My artistic temperament

wouldn't permit it.

No, naturally.

Creative artists have a respect for

cadavers. We treat them with reverence.

Put them in soft beds, lay them on fur

rugs, at the foot of a staircase...

...but we could never throw them from

a car like cigarette butts.

No. What would Emily Post say?

And having confused you,

I have to go.

Don't go. It's only 10:00.

It's past my bedtime.

Besides, I have a late date.

- May I come again?

- Often.

Thank you.

Give Lochner a report

on my theory of the murder.

- Do you think he would want me to?

- I would.

Tell him to look for a man like me

without my artistic temperament.

Which may or may not be phoney.

I'll walk down with you.

- Next time we'll skip the murder kick.

- Can I depend on it?

Sure. Bring a girl.

Give us another chance.

- Quite an evening.

- Yes.

- What do you think?

- I'm glad you're not a genius.

- He's a sick man, Brub.

- No, he isn't.

- There's something wrong with him.

- He's like that. He's ex citing.

I took abnormal psychology--

When we disagree,

you throw that college stuff at me.

I know Dix better than you do.

There's nothing wrong with his mind.

- He's ex citing because he isn't normal.

- Cops could use abnormality.

I learned more about the case from him

than from investigations--

I still like the way you are: average!

- Well, thank you kindly!

- You're welcome.

I heard you the first time.

Sit down.

All right, Martha.

I'll see you in the morning. Goodbye.

- You annoy me.

- If I do, it isn't intentional.

- Would you like a drink?

- No, thanks. I don't need one.

- Had too much?

- One martini.

- I knew I was gonna see you.

- Very thoughtful.

Sit down and relax.

- Who's Martha?

- Who?

Oh, Martha.

The only thing left of my movie career.

She's about 50. She's married.

Her son goes to UCLA.

She comes to me twice a week,

beats me black and blue, for which I--

Have you thought about it

a second time?

I'm interested.

When did you decide?

Yesterday, about 3 p.m.

I see, just...

...just didn't get around to

announcing the official results?

I wanted you to think about it twice too.

I've been looking for someone

for a long time. I didn't know her.

I'd never seen her before.

A girl was killed...

...and because of that I found

what I was looking for.

Now I know your name, where you live,

and how you look.

Snooping through windows.

And in broad daylight too.

- Where are your manners?

- Don't tell Dix.

- He'll think I'm checking on him.

- Come in.

- No. He shouldn't be disturbed.

- Oh, yes he should.

He worked all night.

He hasn't left the house in days.

- Won't take me for a drive.

- lncredible!

He hasn't worked like this

since before the war.

- What do you use, witchcraft?

- Only as a last resort.

He's kind of dopey this morning.

I love him that way. I'll show you.

Dix on.

Mel is here to take you

to the beauty contest.

I'll be ready in a minute.

He thinks you'll be voted Mr. America.

Good.

Are you really

the handsomest man alive?

Yep. Just let me finish this page.

You're a conceited good- for- nothing.

And I don't love you.

- lt's your money I'm after.

- Hey, turn off the radio.

- Genius is going to bed.

- Don't! Let me finish this scene.

If he'd met you 10 years ago,

I wouldn't have ulcers today.

What's my first name?

- Hi.

- Say hello to our guest.

Oh, hello, Mel.

What are you doing up?

Can we have coffee?

- No, you're going to bed.

- lt's not dark outside.

That's because it's tomorrow. Today.

You haven't slept since yesterday.

If Brody could see, he'd be delighted.

We've got lots of pages for him.

Come on, you're going to bed.

If you don't let me alone,

I'm gonna kick you out.

I'll go back to Chicago

and be a Fuller Brush girl.

They were crazy about me

in the Near North Side.

You go when I tell you to go.

Remember that.

- I'll try.

- See, he's right.

You can't go.

You couldn't do that to us.

Lower the bridge, open the gates!

Charles Waterman is here!

- lt must be Thursday.

- Speaks poetry and borrows money.

- The better to drink brandy.

- Ready to pay homage to an immortal!

Fair princess, most noble princes, I

bring greetings from a humble peasant.

Welcome, thespian.

There he goes again.

He can never figure that step out.

- You may arise, thespian.

- Easier said than done.

You've come at the wrong time.

We were putting Dix to bed.

Do me the honour

and let me prepare him for repose.

To secure pleasant slumbers,

I shall recite to him.

- Wouldn't you rather have a brandy?

- Most beautiful words in English.

Come, royal boy.

When in disgrace

With fortune and men's eyes

I all alone beweep my outcast state

And trouble deaf heaven

With my bootless cries

And look upon myself and curse my fate

Really, you must stop snooping!

Just a few pages.

I won't say a word.

- He'll show you when it's finished.

- How many pages?

- Many.

- ls he sticking close to the book?

I don't know. I didn't read the book.

Miss Gray,

there's a man upstairs to see you.

Thank you, Effie. Don't vacuum.

Mr. Steele's just gone to sleep.

- Well, I gotta vacuum sometime.

- By all the bulls of Bashan!

If anyone else did it, I would shout,

" lgnorant swine!"

I am perplex ed. As I said:

" From sullen earth sings hymns at

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