Manhattan Murder Mystery Page #9

She's really something.

It's like one thing leads to another.

I'm surprised you didn't drool

yourselves to death.

- We just had a nice first date.

- I knew they would hit it off.

You were gonna jump into her lap.

What are you talking about?

I'm her editor. I'm a father figure to her.

The only thing you didn't do

is rub your hands together.

You're joking.

You're jealous of Marcia?

- It's not that I'm jealous.

- What are we doing here?

Look who's talking. You kept staring

at her like she was the Dragon Lady.

You're jealous because

he's interested in her?

- I am not jealous.

- What are you...?

Do you take all your authors

to the Caf des...?

Okay, I've got it.

Since he's gotten away with it,

all we can do is bluff.

As long as we have no body,

we have no case.

What do you mean?

We pretend he slipped up?

The molten steel didn't do the job?

It's possible. He saw you there.

He knows you're onto him.

- Why couldn't you retrieve the body?

- We couldn't have gotten her out.

I would've wound up with a few toes

and a shoulder.

What does he know? He was probably

too scared to be very lucid.

He's an amateur.

He dumped the body and ran off,

and then somehow...

...you two dug her out.

- Now you can send him to the chair.

- I like this woman. She's lurid.

- Let me tell you why he won't believe us.

- I can't bluff or lie without giggling.

No, because if we really had the body,

why tell him?

Why not go straight to the police?

If you tell the cops, you can't

shake him down.

She's wicked. Look how this works out.

You go to the law, what do you gain?

They put him in jail. What have you got?

You haven't got anything.

Right.

But if he wants the evidence,

and has to pay for it...

...now he's nervous, right?

- There's just so many fallacies in this.

- What? Name one.

- Name one? Okay.

The guy looks us straight in the eye

and says, "What body?

- What are you talking about? Prove it. "

- That's when we keep bluffing.

- How? What do we do?

- We produce the body.

But where are we gonna get it?

Madame Tussaud's?

Say we found someone he trusted

to corroborate.

- Like who?

- Like his lover.

Say she said, " I've seen Lillian's body.

They want $100,000 for it. "

Why would she do that?

Remember that book you recommended,

Murder in Manhattan?

Max Schindler's book.

That's right, the phone call.

You never mentioned that book to me.

- You don't like light reading...

- Since when?

- What is this book?

- It's fantastic! It would be so perfect...

...because she's an actress,

a would-be actress...

We could use his theatre.

He's a playwright. This is so perfect.

- Your theatre is empty all the time, anyhow.

- Thank you. That's great.

- What are we talking about here?

- Listen to this.

We get her in for a fake audition, and you

write some lines that don't mean anything.

And she does them,

and we tape-record it.

- Listen.

- I'm listening.

And then we edit the tape recording up

and we make one end of a phone call...

...and play it to Mr. House.

- Is it in the book?

- Come on.

- This is perfect.

That could never work.

You don't know what he's gonna say.

- In the book, they use several recorders.

- It's coordinated.

- You base your plan on a dumb paperback?

- This is great. This is great.

He's gotten away with murder. Our only

chance is to nab him when he kills again.

It provokes him to kill again.

They catch him the second time.

He's gotten away with the first murder.

You know what I'm thinking?

In the book what happens is...

...he kills the two people working

the scheme on him.

But you're not worried about that.

- It's perfect.

- Either that, or I've developed Parkinson's.

- No, we can handle him.

- He knows you're onto him, shake him down.

- He comes after you, we nab him.

- It's great. You're wonderful. I'm amazed.

- It's either that, or he walks.

- So, what you're saying is...

What you're saying is... Oh, boy.

You're saying you wanna provoke Mr. House

into trying to murder Larry and me.

Yeah. Perfect. You're not scared, are you?

No, I'm not scared.

I'm turning it over in my mind.

I just want to check with my clergyman

before we commit.

Hi, B-24, messages? Oh, really?

Audition for what? Did he say?

Okay. Wait, hold on. Let me get a pencil.

Yeah, well, I've heard just about enough

of this.

Great. Thank you, Suzanne.

- We'll let you know. Suzanne Raphael, right?

- Thank you.

Bye.

- This is Helen Moss.

- Hi, there.

- Hi.

- Hi.

Have you...? I know you

just got the material...

...just in the last little while, but

have you had a chance to go over it?

- I have, but I have just a few questions.

- Sure, yeah.

Is she divorced in this?

Yes. Yes.

- Recently?

- Yes. Yeah.

But she's... It's highly emotional.

You know, really, a lot of...

A lot of feeling. Very strong. Okay?

- Should I just begin?

- Yeah, whenever you feel into it.

- Hello, Joe? I was just...

- Let me stop you right there. Sorry.

If you'll start out more frightened...

...that will take you where you're gonna go.

- Right, right.

Hello, Joe?

I can't talk much now, and if I

sound strange, don't get alarmed.

Give me your hand. Hold on.

- Try not to fall. Hold on.

- "I'm trying, I'm trying. "

Quickly! Hurry!

They're asking $200,000 for it. Yeah.

They say it's Monet, but I say it's a fake.

Ever since Joe came home from Vietnam,

he's cast a pall on everything.

A dark cloud. A pall.

Hello, Joe?

I can't talk much right now, and if I

sound strange, don't get alarmed.

Hello, Joe?

I can't talk much right now...

Hello, Joe?

Ever since Joe came home from Vietnam,

he's cast a pall on everything.

A dark cloud. A pall.

A pall.

Pall.

Pall.

Hello, Joe?

Hello, Paul?

I can't talk much right now, and if I

sound strange, don't get alarmed.

- Perfect. Great. Great.

- That's great.

- Well, yeah, excuse me.

- It's fantastic.

- There she is.

- Where?

- Keep her busy all afternoon.

- I'll just keep improvising.

It shouldn't be hard.

She's a hungry actress.

I'll get her talking about the part,

her life, and her whole background.

- Stop the car.

- We'll hook up later.

- Good luck with your side.

- You too.

Does anybody want some guacamole?

Stop with the guacamole,

we have to get started.

- It's 2:
30.

- He should be back.

- All right, let's go.

- You got the tape recorder?

All right, one second. Then we can go.

So we're on speaker.

- This is so insane.

- Now, wait. There's...

I'm not nervous.

The contractor came and

nobody's here. See if...

- I'll get that. You go and call him.

- Yes, yes, all right.

Hello?

Hello, Paul. I can't talk much now.

If I sound strange, don't get alarmed.

What's the problem?

They have your wife's body.

They showed it to me.

Say that again.

They have your wife's body.

They showed it to me.

- Who has it? How many are there?

- Your neighbours. That's right.

They want $ 200, 000 for it.

Are you calling from a speakerphone?

There's an echo.

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