Kiss Me Deadly Page #4

- You can't top this.

They said they'd let me breathe.

Hello. Pat Murphy, please.

Tell him Mike Hammer's calling.

Hello, Pat.

What do you know about a pair named

Charlie Max and Sugar Smallhouse?

Never mind what I know. All you have

to tell me is whose whistle they jump to.

Carl Evello?

- Yeah... Yeah...

- (racetrack fanfare over radio)

Go ahead. I can hear you.

Just a minute, I'll ask Mr Evello.

- What do you wanna do, Carl?

- We'll take half his action.

Carl says we'll take half. They out for

the fifth yet? We can get down a bet, huh?

- Would you give me a light, Sugar?

- Don't bother me.

Aw, come on, Sugar.

Give us a thousand on Big Boy,

on the nose.

Aren't you gonna

light my cigarette, Sugar?

Blow! Dames are worse than flies.

You playing cards, Charlie, or ain't you?

(racing commentary from poolside)

Hello.

Well, this is a coincidence.

- How do you do, ma'am?

- How do I do? Crazy.

Don't be afraid. I won't bite.

You don't taste like anybody I know.

But it's all right. In fact, it's wonderful.

Come on, crazy.

- Seconds?

- OK.

Sure we haven't met before?

Never.

Who are you?

Who am I? Who are you?

I'm Friday. I'd have been named Tuesday

if I'd been born on Tuesday.

I'm Carl's sister. Half-sister.

Same mother, different father.

You know, you're not like the others.

Carl's friends, I mean.

Maybe because I'm not his friend.

Wonderful. Then you can be my friend.

All mine, nothing to do with Carl.

(radio) There they go!

They come away from the gate...

(Friday) They're big, hairy and ugly.

They chew long black cigars

and they talk loud.

I don't like them.

But I like you.

Then why don't you

invite me into the house?

- Will you come into my house?

- Why not?

What's that horse doin', walkin'?

He ain't even in on the call.

Gin.

Gin? Gin?!

He don't pay no attention

and he kills me with his gin!

Here's to... friendship.

Friendship.

- I have lots of friends.

- I'll bet you have.

I'm not hard to get along with.

Really I'm not.

I can be a very... good friend.

Will you be my friend?

What do I have to do?

If you wanna be a... close friend,

ask me something.

And no matter what it is,

the answer is yes, huh?

Maybe.

Let's see how good you are at spelling.

Can you spell ''no''?

N-o spells no.

That's a good girl.

Now you practise saying that.

Because one of the best ways

to be friendly is to know when to say no.

Your brother wouldn't be wearing

blue suede shoes by any chance?

Hardly. He's more

the black moccasin type.

You know, it's a hot day

and I'm feeling kind of warm.

Why don't you invite me for a dip?

Sure. Just get all wet.

(racing commentary on radio)

Hey, look who's here.

You'll find a suit inside. I'll wait.

- Are you kidding?

- Why not?

Charlie, Sug.

Send him into the house.

How do I know what he knows?

All I know is he's snooping around.

- (door opens)

- All right, I'll be polite.

- (Mike) Mr Evello?

- In here.

I'll call you back.

Hello, Mr Hammer.

You handle yourself pretty well.

I figure it's good

to speak a lot of languages.

Any country you go to,

you can take care of yourself.

- Maybe you can speak my language, eh?

- Like putting torpedoes in gifts?

(Evello chuckles)

I'll admit that was a little crude.

We keep underestimating you.

I don't know what's on your mind.

What do you want, Mr Hammer?

Yesterday I was looking for a thread.

Today, a piece of string.

And tomorrow, who knows? You don't

even know what you're looking for.

- Tell me.

- Trouble. That's what you're looking for.

You're lucky. That drop off the cliff

didn't kill you, the torpedo should have.

Or Sugar. What'd you do to him, anyway?

You scared Charlie half to death.

Look, Mike. I like you.

I like the way you handle yourself.

You seem reasonable.

Why don't we make a deal?

What's it worth to you to turn your

considerable talents back to the gutter?

- Name a price.

- And you'll try it on for size, huh?

You're cute. You oughta know

better than anyone what it's worth.

I set my fee according to the case.

This one keeps getting higher.

lt does, huh?

Maybe you'd like to make an exploratory

offer just to get the ball rolling.

OK, Mr Hammer. lt's been nice talking

to you. Drop round again sometime.

Maybe then I'll have

a better notion of my fee.

lt's too late to set a fee, Mr Hammer.

Suddenly it's too late.

(faint opera music )

I've been out here three times

and this dame keeps brushin' me off.

I gotta make a living, too. Send somebody

else. How much can a guy take?

I'm not comin' out again. Get somebody

else. There are other guys around here.

(opera music gets louder)

A guy could get a heart attack

walkin' up here.

Who invited you?

- Carmen Trivago. What room?

- Follow your ear.

Thank you.

(man singing along to ''Martha''

by Flotow, sung by Caruso)

He love her. She's dead.

He sings, il maestro.

Magnifico. Che bella voce. Bello, bello.

Bravo! Bravissimo!

- Who are you?

- You're a friend of Nicholas Raymondo.

Raymondo?

- That's right. Raymondo.

- I know nothing. Nothing!

- Quite a stack of records you got here.

- Oh, yes.

- Caruso's Pagliacci.

- ll maestro.

- That's a collector's item.

- Yeah.

Please, what you wanted

to know? I will tell you.

Raymondo is my friend.

Very sad friend. Always he's sad.

He's - how you call? - engineer scientist.

Very smart. Very bright. Very sad.

He was murdered. Why?

I don't know. I don't know.

- What was he so sad about?

- For the way the world is, he is very sad.

He says to me...

''I'm very intelligent, Trivago,

but I'm very stupid.''

''I'm very rich, I'm very poor.''

''I have a little secret, and it's very

important. And it's not important at all.''

- What did he mean by that?

- When I ask him,

he says it's a riddle without an answer.

I think he's making a joke.

But when he's dead, I know it's not a joke.

Somewhere... somewhere he has a secret.

- How do you know that?

- They come, the ones that kill him.

They want something small. Something

he can hide where they don't find.

And they ask ''Where is it?!''

But I don't know. I don't know!

(turns on ''Martha'' record)

lt's a lovely record.

(knocks)

Mike?

They came last night, right after you left.

I heard them. I hid in the basement.

- They think you know something.

- But I don't.

- Tell them that.

- I've got to get out of here.

They found you once.

They'll find you again.

I'm going down to my car.

When you hear the horn, come running.

(horn)

(singing)

(laughing)

Mikey!

- Hi, Mikey.

- What happened?

I went to Culver City. They know nothing.

But they wanted to know why I asked.

- What did you tell them?

- Nothing.

Uh... Look, I've got to drop something off,

but I'll be back. We'll go together.

(whistling cheerfully)

(Nick hums)

Oh, hi. Anything I can do for you,

mister? I'm busy right now...

What are you doin' there?

(screams)

Use anything in the closet until we can

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