Mystery of the Wax Museum Page #2

Wonder how they'll settle the heavyweight

argument while you're around.

Hello, sweetheart. How's your sex life?

So you're in again.

Hey, Jim, call out the riot squad.

- How's every little old thing?

- Fine.

You're the first reporter here in two hours.

- You people been seeing the old year out?

- I'm people which the old year saw out.

- I'm fired.

- No kidding.

I gotta make news if I have to bite a dog.

Hey, Kelly.

Oh, my gosh, even he walked out on me.

I've got a story for you.

You know the Joan Gale girl?

She committed suicide yesterday.

I read about it last year.

Yeah? Maybe she didn't commit suicide.

- She may have been murdered.

- No kidding? Any suspects?

- You know George Winton?

- Old Howard Winton's cub?

- That's him.

- They don't suspect him?

Don't they?

He's down at the Tombs right now.

- lf you're stringing me, old timer....

- Why should l?

- They were sweeties till last month.

- What does that prove?

Nothing. Only she may have tried

to blackmail him.

You know, such things have happened.

Anyway, he was in her apartment

a few hours before she was found dead.

- Saved, one job.

- The press room for yours.

- Wait till I give you the rest of the dirt.

- Make it snappy.

They've ordered an autopsy over

at Bellevue immediately. Go there.

- Don't give this to anyone else.

- It's yours.

Thanks!

Fresh kid!

- Feeling tough?

- Rotten.

]That's too bad, sister.

I have a case of jitters

that will cop the Pulitzer Prize.

If they don't hurry up,

they'll have another corpse on their hands.

Bring in number seven. The Gale girl.

She's a very interesting case.

When I was called, the girl had been dead

for possibly three or four hours.

My examination clearly showed

that she died of laudanum poisoning.

I thought at first it might have been

an accident. An overdose.

Her eyes indicated

that she used narcotics frequently.

- What was the police theory?

- Suicide.

- Leave any message?

- No.

That's why I thought it was an accident.

- Are you in charge of the case?

- Yes, sir.

Who got the information about Winton?

Everyone knew they were living together.

But he was playing around

with some other twist.

Winton was in bad though

because he left before she folded up.

If she committed suicide with laudanum

she probably took it in its true form...

and we'll find it in that

or very close to that state.

If someone gave it to her,

it would be diluted.

- But how could he give it to her?

- ln a cup of coffee or a glass of whiskey.

- That's possible.

- The Gale body is gone.

- What are you talking about?

- Absurd!

What do you mean? The body is gone?

Just that. It's vanished.

Gone. Disappeared.

You mean to say someone stole the body?

We found the slab empty

and the window to the alley was open.

Come on.

Boy, and he asked for a story.

Is his face red!

Bryant, 2626.

- Hello.

- Hello, slug.

Kill that Winton story for this.

Joan Gale's body was....

Not John Brown's.

Joan Gale's body was snatched

from the morgue two minutes ago.

I'm here now.

Yeah, there were nine or ten witnesses.

No, they didn't talk. They're pretty stiff.

No, dope, not drunk. Dead.

Get out of the Tombs and get to Winton.

I'll have Harry write the first flash.

A cow does that, and gives milk besides.

Send Harry in.

- How do you do? I'm from the Express.

- Yeah?

I don't want to talk to you.

I know you people. You'll try to crucify me

for something I didn't do.

Anything you print about me,

you've got to prove.

You know you're innocent

till you're proven guilty.

That's fine.

But while I'm proving my innocence...

you people will uncover

every petty kid trick I ever did.

You'll write editorials

about every cocktail I drank.

Anything that any normal person

might have done...

will have a sinister meaning if I did it.

It'll be a lot easier if you come clean.

Let's get down to cases.

- When did you see this girl last?

- ln the afternoon before--

- Why didn't you tell that to the police?

- They didn't give me a chance.

We had a couple of drinks.

She was all right. She seemed happy.

Do you remember what she said?

What did you talk about?

She laughed

and she said we were being very silly...

that we didn't care for each other anymore

but we needn't hate each other.

- Said she wanted us to be friends.

- Was that all?

No. We planned a trip.

I was sending her to Bermuda.

- You weren't going with her?

- No.

- Why didn't I take her away somewhere?

- Let's get back to the case in hand.

They ordered an autopsy

and found her body had been stolen.

No.

What are you trying to do to me?

- You're working with the police--

- I'm trying to help you...

if you're on the square and I think you are.

- Why are you telling me a crazy lie, then?

- That happens to be the truth.

- But who'd steal her body?

- That's what they'll ask you.

- Come on, time's up.

- Be right with you.

Keep a stiff upper lip, kid.

I think you'll come out okay.

Go ahead, I'm listening.

The whole thing sounded

on the up and up to me.

Poor guy's too scared to lie.

I think he's getting a raw deal.

Ain't that a shame.

Nice little chap, wouldn't harm a fly.

Everyone picking on the poor little fellow.

If he was unknown,

they wouldn't have pinched him.

He's George Winton

and they're playing it up.

It's a Roman holiday for every editor

in New York.

Why the goose pimples?

If he was someone like me,

you'd be trying to hang him.

I wouldn't be trying, beloved,

I would hang him.

All that gaga

about that body disappearing....

Eight bodies have been stolen in New York

in the last 18 months.

Isn't it more reasonable

to hook this up from that angle?

And ruin a perfectly good story?

Don't be silly.

I think this kid's entitled to a break.

- He's getting it. He's front page.

- You give me a pain.

I'm glad to hear it.

Since when did you start crusading

for justice?

This mug with all the money

has had two or three nasty affairs.

He's kept out of print,

because his grandfather was smart.

He couldn't have stolen the body from jail.

Don't think he'd be sap enough

to do the job himself, do you?

I hope they give him the works.

Even if he didn't kill her,

he's responsible for her death...

and they can fry him any time

without making me sore.

- I won't work on it from that angle.

- You won't?

You were pretty tough about

Judge Ramsey, a while ago.

They didn't prove anything against him.

Except that he disappeared

when things got too hot.

Or was killed by someone afraid of him.

- He took a run-out powder.

- That's got nothing to do with this case.

- Can I handle this my way?

- You cannot.

I'm still editor of this newspaper.

You said I was fired. Well, I quit!

- Give the assignment to somebody else.

- Wait a minute.

No, I'm through!

Come here, sob sister.

All right. Go ahead.

Do it your own way.

On the square,

if you'd seen that kid down there...

I'm not holding for him,

maybe he is a dirty pup, but he's scared...

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