Shadow of the Thin Man Page #10

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...leaving your friend Paul Clarke

to take the rap.

You can't mean this, Nick.

It's nonsense, every word of it.

You were clicking beautifully

until we released Paul...

...and used the accidental death

of the jockey for bait.

Accidental death?

Yes. Goldez wasn't murdered.

He shot himself by accident.

But we let it stand as a murder.

And we spread the news

that whoever had killed Barrow...

...had also killed the jockey.

We said we were looking

for one murderer.

Then, major, you did just what

Lieutenant Abrams said you would do.

Yeah. What was that?

You tried to frame someone else

to fit that picture.

So you picked

on poor little Rainbow Benny...

...because he'd been mixed up

with jockeys and crooked races...

...and to the police, he might seem

like the double killer.

You strangled him. And in his fireplace,

you planted Stephens' ledger...

...which contained the records

of the syndicate's crooked deals...

...including your rake-off.

Of course, you carefully burned the ledger

so that only the cover remained.

You removed Benny's bulletproof vest...

...so the police would never know that

he'd been living in fear of his life.

And then you strung him up to make it

look like a suicide...

...which would have closed this case.

- Nick, you must be mad.

You can't prove a word of this.

Major, you said last night

that you'd visited Benny before.

Why, yes, I did.

- When was the last time you visited him?

- Why, a week ago.

A week ago. Then that's how it was

that last night you could lead us...

...directly to his apartment?

- Why, yes, I remember the way.

But that wasn't the way a week ago.

That was the way

only after 7:
00 last night.

I don't know what you're talking about.

Rainbow Benny moved

from apartment 32A to apartment 25C...

...at 7:
00 yesterday evening.

The janitor just said so.

If you hadn't visited Benny for a week,

how did you know...

...that he was in 25C

when you led us there last night?

Your partner, Mr. Stephens,

settled this case...

...when he said he stood outside

Benny's apartment and saw the stairs.

Well, you cannot see the stairs

from apartment 25C.

You made only one misstep, major,

but you left a big, bloody footprint.

Well, lieutenant, I should say...

- Stop this shooting, or I'll drop Charles!

- No, major!

Nick! Nick, look out!

So that's what became

of the bulletproof vest.

That, Mr. Charles,

will be your last deduction.

Yes, I almost closed the case

with Rainbow Benny...

...but now I'll close it with you.

Paul, you've got your scoop...

...but you won't be able to write it.

I've got two more bullets.

One for each of you. We'll dissolve

our partnership right now.

You're the smartest, Mr. Charles,

so you're first.

- Run, Nicky, run!

- Grab him, men!

Let go of me!

- Run, Nicky! Run!

- Grab him!

Get off me!

- Run, Nicky!

- Get out of the way!

Run!

Run, Nicky, run!

- Are you all right?

- Oh, Nora, you were wonderful.

She certainly was.

Mommy, you're a heroine.

- What happened? What did I do?

- Do? Why, you saved all our lives.

You jumped right

into the muzzle of the gun.

I did?

Nick, this gun isn't loaded.

When did you empty it?

Oh, about three years ago.

When Nicky was cutting his teeth on it.

Well, then I'm not a heroine.

Oh, yes, you are, Mommy.

You're the bravest gal in the world.

Wait a minute. Almost forgot something.

For valor.

Oh, Nicky.

Is this one for keeps?

So is this one.

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