Nightmare Alley Page #7

That's very funny.

- Took me 20 years to find that out.

- Good evening.

- Have you written out a question?

- Yes.

Thank you.

I have a question here.

Will you tell me

how it is signed?

I get the impression

"Mrs. S.P."

But I have a feeling

that's incorrect.

Why do you feel

that is incorrect?

I don't know. But would you ask the lady

with the pearl necklace...

if it shouldn't be Mrs. A.P...

"A"for Addie.

- Is that correct?

- Yes.

The lady says yes.

Now will you please answer her question.

The lady wishes to know

if she will ever see her daughter again.

The answer is yes...

if she believes in the hereafter,

a life beyond the grave.

Is that true?

Has your daughter passed on?

- Yes.

- Wait.!

Don't anybody move.

I see someone standing

between me and that lady.

The figure is very dim.

But I see it's a girl.

A lovely girl of 16.

I get the name "Caroline".

That...

That's my daughter's name.

That's... That's Carol.

Yes, she...

she wants to speak to you.

She says...

Stan.!

- Stan! Stan!

- Gentlemen, gentlemen, please, please.

"Chicago, Illinois.

The city of Chicago...

"finds itself with a mixed personality

on its hands.

"Stanton Carlisle, known as the Great Stanton,

nightclub mentalist...

"fell into a deep trance

during his act in a nightclub.

"Before doing so, he was able to talk to

and see, so he claims...

"the departed daughter

of a famous Chicago society woman.

"Many proclaim him to possess

spiritual phenomena.

"Sir Oliver Green,

famous spirit sleuth of England...

"says that Stanton's contact

is undoubtedly genuine.

But in the meantime, Professor Samuel

Kaufman Brown proclaims him a trickster".

Addie, this is absurd.

I say again,

I am neither a child nor an imbecile.

And I won't be treated as one.

I didn't hear you knock.

Take the tea things, please, Maude.

Ezra.

Ezra, please.

Ezra, I know you were deeply devoted

to my late husband...

and I am grateful to you

for your interest in my welfare.

But I won't have

any further interference.

This young man has brought me

the greatest spiritual comfort I've ever known.

And I am going to continue

to do everything I can, regardless of cost...

to make it possible for him to bring

that same spiritual comfort to other people.

If I had my way...

I'd build him the finest tabernacle

in the world.

I can't figure it.

Addie's usually so levelheaded about everything.

That's what disturbs me.

Maybe she might not be so wrong

about this young chap after all.

Nonsense. He's nothing

but an uncommonly shrewd young trickster.

I have seen him work, and I grant you,

he has personality and flair.

But as far as Addie's concerned...

he seems to be

a bit of a hypnotist.

You know,

I'd like to get a crack at this fellow.

Do you think you could arrange for me

to see him privately?

I don't see why not. It's obvious

we can't get anywhere with Mrs. Peabody.

- Well, get him on the phone now.

- Very well.

I'll talk to him.

Stan?

Shh. Quit yelling.

Turn off that boat.

Well, how'd you come out

with Grindle?

Ah. No wonder he's the head

of one of the biggest outfits in the country.

You didn't let him

scare you off.

Sit down.

I wish you'd been there.

He came in like a lion

and went out like a lamb.

What happened?

Well, he started off by throwing

the district attorney at me.

He was going to

have me investigated.

He said that the things I told Mrs. Peabody

about her daughter...

anybody could have found out

just by looking through the newspaper files.

I wish you could have seen his face

when I started slipping him the stuff...

you gave me about his past.

Especially when I asked him if there was

anything in the newspaper files...

about his still being in love with some dame

that's been dead for 35 years.

And when I called her Dory,

that put the old boy

right on the carpet.

Have you got a cigarette?

- And he really did go for it?

- Go for it?

He stood there

and shook like a leaf.

Came apart

like a broken doll.

Crawled on his hands and knees to me and

begged me to get some message from this Dory.

Mm. Thank you.

But I told him he wasn't ready yet

for spiritual communion.

He should prepare himself a little more

with prayer and good works.

Well, he came back in about two hours

with a whole lot of good works.

He gave me enough to start building

the finest tabernacle in the country.

- Well, what's wrong with that?

- Nothing. Nothing at all.

And he's going to buy me

a radio station of my own.

A radio station?

Yeah. But...

there's a big "if" to it.

He wants me to fix it so that he can see

this Dory with his own eyes.

- See her?

- Yeah, that's all.

That's all he wants,

an absolute, blown-in-the-glass clincher.

Oh.

"Oh" is right.

I think somebody must have sold his mother

a wooden nutmeg.

Yeah, that's the way he is.

We should have expected

something like this.

You don't have a picture of this Dory dame

in your files anyplace, do you?

No, but it shouldn't

be too difficult to get one.

He has them in every room

of his house.

Yeah.

Well, I've got the tabernacle anyway,

no matter what happens.

- How much did he give you?

- 150 grand.

Feels like it's in cash.

It is.

He asked me to take it that way.

He said if I used his name,

he'd deny it.

- Why?

- Well, you don't think the old geezer...

wants Mrs. Peabody or any of the others

to know that...

that's how he got me to turn down

that old firetrap that she was gonna give me.

- You got anyplace to stash it?

- I have a jewel safe.

What's the good of me putting it away

if you're gonna start building?

I'm not going to start building anything

until we've got Grindle really in the bag.

This is only peanuts.

But it'll come in handy

in case anything goes wrong.

Stan, you're wonderful.

You think of everything.

- There's one thing I didn't think of.

- What's that?

If it was gonna be this chilly tonight,

I should have brought an overcoat.

Well, I'm freezing myself,

but I know a place where we can go.

- Where?

- Funny I never thought of it before.

It's not very far from here either.

- You mean that place down the road?

- Don't be silly.

I belong to the Rogers Park

Beach Club.

- I have a cabana there.

- Yeah, I know a better place.

- Where?

- Marshall Field's window.

Nobody ever goes to the beach club

this time of year.

Nix. We don't wanna take any chances.

This thing's too big.

I'm surprised

a smart cookie like you...

Supposing somebody saw us together

and Grindle found out about it.

Then where would we be?

Well, at least you can't say

I didn't try.

Good night, Lilith.

I'll give you a buzz tomorrow.

Good night, Stan.

Mr. Carlisle?

Special delivery, sir.

- Oh.

- Can you sign for it?

- Here we are.

- Thank you, sir.

- Here.

- Thank you.

Hello, dear.

Did you sleep well?

Why didn't you wake me

when you got up?

I have quite a difficult problem to solve,

and I don't seem to be able to make a dent in it.

- What's wrong?

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