Out of the Past Page #6

- TILLOTSON:
Yes.

Fillmore 0710.

- Yes, Miss Carson. Right away.

- KATHIE (OVER PHONE): Thank you.

(PHONE RINGING)

- Yes?

- TILLOTSON (OVER PHONE): He isn't there.

He isn't?

- Did you go in the apartment?

- TILLOTSON:
Yes.

But he must be there.

Thank you.

(PHONE DIALING)

- MAN (OVER PHONE): Hello?

- Joe Stephanos, please.

MAN:
He isn't here.

Then leave word for him to call

Miss Carson's apartment right away.

Was there a slip-up, baby?

Did you send your friend up

there to find Eels dead?

- No, Jeff.

- Tell me.

- Tell me.

- Don't, Jeff.

- Don't what?

- I don't want to die.

Neither do I, baby. But if I

have to, I'm gonna die last.

Something slipped up, didn't it?

They told you they'd knock him off,

and haven't done it, have they?

They haven't because I

tipped him off. He blew.

- He's all right?

- Didn't you want him to be?

Yes. Yes, because if he

dies, they'll say you did it.

Oh, you're wonderful, Kathie.

You're magnificent.

- You can change sides so smoothly.

- Don't, Jeff. You're hurting me.

I'm almost getting it.

Very pretty.

Whit wants Eels out of the picture

and to square an account with me.

Two birds together. So I come

to town with an address.

A redhead takes me up to visit

the chump who has to go.

I have a drink, leave

my prints around.

I leave and somebody gets him.

Eels dies and the tax papers...

they were in the briefcase

that Meta took, weren't they?

The papers go back to

Whit. I'm the fall guy.

There's only one thing missing:

The plant.

What was there to give me a motive? I

wouldn't kill a guy for a martini.

- Tell me, Kathie.

- They made me sign it.

- Sign what?

- An affidavit.

- Go on.

- I couldn't help it, Jeff.

They made me sign it.

I swear I couldn't help it.

They said they'd find the body

and tell the police I killed him.

Fisher. Then you did

tell them about Fisher.

Only you told them I did it.

Perfect.

Foolproof and beautiful.

That Whit can really

hate, can't he?

You said it once, he can remember.

I never stopped hating him, Jeff.

I couldn't help myself.

I was caught too.

We don't have to be

against each other now.

- Aren't we?

- No. We can break out of it.

All we need is the briefcase.

Then we've got them, Jeff. We can

get anything we want from them.

I'd like that affidavit you signed.

We can get it. It's

in Eels' office safe.

We can make Meta get it.

We can make them do anything.

Sure.

Oh, Jeff...

You ought to have killed

me for what I did.

- There's time.

- No. You won't.

I've never stopped loving you.

I was afraid and no good,

but I never stopped...

even if you hated me.

Did you?

- Yes.

- But you don't now.

No.

We can be together again.

In a way we never were.

We can go back to Acapulco...

and start all over as though

nothing had happened.

Yes.

How do we get the briefcase?

Whit owns a club.

The Sterling Club on North Beach.

Meta took it there to

a man named Baylord.

I might get by with it.

You will, darling.

(DOORBELL BUZZING)

Hurry.

(KNOCK ON DOOR)

What happened to you?

I went to a bar and bought a

double. I must be slipping.

I guess you must be.

He just stood there shaking so

hard he couldn't even pray.

I never saw anyone

so afraid to die.

- I didn't like it.

- You killed him?

Certainly.

But I called. A man went up and looked

in the apartment and he wasn't there.

- Eels?

- Yes, Eels. He wasn't there.

I was there. And the way I

left him, he didn't walk away.

- What's going on?

- I don't know.

I do. Where's Bailey?

(BAND PLAYING UPBEAT MUSIC)

What do you want?

(PHONE RINGS)

- Yeah?

- MAN:
Mr. Baylord, a man just went up...

- heading toward your office.

- Forget it.

- You wanted to see somebody?

- JEFF:
I just saw him. Thanks.

- You know that hack driver?

- Yeah, I think so.

- Rafferty.

- Yeah?

Get Joe. Bring back that

guy any way you have to.

- Just so that briefcase comes with him.

- Right.

- All arranged, sir.

- Twenty for you, the rest for transportation.

Have the boy meet me at

the airport with the ticket.

- Thank you, sir.

- You know, a bad memory is like an ill wind.

- It can blow somebody luck.

- I always say everybody's right.

After you.

- You won't need this.

- I couldn't do nothing.

You can now. Start moving.

- I sure get into a lot of trouble, don't I?

- You shouldn't steal so much.

Well, we meet in all

kinds of places.

That evens this. Fold your

hands, or I'll do it for you.

You talk big, mister.

- All right, wise guy.

- I wouldn't.

I told you. I'm tired of

getting pushed around.

You'll only get yourself out

of breath. Won't he, Joe?

Cut it, Lou.

Your move now is to do a little

thinking. A little talking.

See, I've got the files that

were in your briefcase.

I also know the address of

the Treasury Department.

That's the theory, isn't it? Keep the

files away from the treasury boys.

Save Whit from doing 10

years in a federal pen.

- Now, you correct me if I make a mistake.

- We may do that.

Sure. Of course, the government may

just pat Whit on the back and say:

"Go on home. We got all the dough we need.

We'll never miss your million dollars."

You wanna lay a price on that?

How did you know I

had the briefcase?

JEFF:
I had Meta tailed.

You sure about that?

Look, I don't have to be sure

about anything except the files.

Now, do you wanna talk business,

or do you wanna play house?

What's your idea?

You get the files, and you

also get Eels' body...

in case you wanna keep

it from the cops.

What do you want?

I want the affidavit that Meta put in

Eels' safe when she took the files out.

A lie that somebody put on paper that

I killed a guy named Jack Fisher.

Because, you see,

I only buried him.

And you don't get the gas

for being the undertaker.

Four of us knew about that

affidavit outside of Whit.

Somebody talked.

- Did Meta tell you?

- No.

Sorry.

- Put in a call for Whit Sterling...

- No, sit down.

- We better keep Whit out of this.

- He's right, Kathie.

Oh, you've hurt her feelings, Lou.

I can tell you, she's a sensitive girl.

- I'm kind of sensitive myself.

- And you won't need Whit.

All you'll need is Meta to unlock

that safe in Eels' office.

- I hope Meta's still around.

- She's around.

Good. Then you can start right now.

I'll call you in about an hour. That'll

give you time to find her and get there.

Give you a little extra time to

figure out how you're gonna cross me.

But you won't.

(SIREN WAILING)

JOE:

Will you bust this for me, Jackson?

Sure.

That's right. Whit Sterling

at the Blue Sky Club in Reno.

- Shut the door.

- Don't forget, those dames listen in.

(PHONE RINGS)

- Hello?

- WOMAN:
Mr. Sterling?

- Speaking.

- WOMAN:
One moment.

- Thank you.

- WOMAN:
Go ahead.

- Whit, darling, this is Kathie.

- WHIT:
Everything all right?

- No.

- WHIT:
Seldom is.

I think you'd better stay

where you are for a while.

- Well, could you tell me why?

- KATHIE:
I can't talk now.

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