Shadow of the Thin Man Page #8

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I've been leveling on this case.

You missed the excitement.

Rainbow Benny ran out

just as the cyclone came in.

- What?

- You know the fella that the watchman...

...saw running from Stephens' office?

Rainbow Benny.

- He told you that?

- No, but when I suggested it...

...he scooted out like a scared lizard.

- Nick. Nick, do you mind? I wanna...

- No.

Paul, come and play with the boys.

Here's your cigarette case.

Minus Miss Porter's fingerprints.

- Did they make interesting reading?

- And how.

That swanky dame of Stephens'

is a career girl.

Her right name is Clara Peters.

Served three months for shoplifting...

...served one year for playing

in a badger-game setup.

- Here's the record on her.

- Good work.

- And who do you think was mixed up?

- Whitey Barrow.

Do you mean Whitey

was blackmailing Claire?

Sure, sure. That's what he means.

Nick, it's an open-and-closed case.

Whitey was making the Porter dame

pay off.

So she shut him up for good.

I pick her up, she confesses.

No, no, but wait a minute, lieutenant.

True enough, you've established

a great motive for the lady...

...but we've got one equally good

against Stephens, Macy...

...Rainbow Benny and...

Oh, here comes Major Sculley.

I think he'll have some dope

on Rainbow.

Plenty of it. Paul, I'm delighted

to see you. I can't tell you how bad...

We've got work to do.

Hold the reunion later.

Yes, of course, lieutenant.

Well, here it is.

We checked the bets

indicated on that laundry list...

...and Rainbow Benny

was behind every one.

- That's enough.

- My car's outside.

Benny doesn't live far away.

- I think Paul's entitled to be in on this.

- Sure.

Hey, what about me? I mean, us?

This is a stag. Look, Mommy,

you drink up some of your winnings.

Barkeeper, bring Mrs. Charles

240 martinis. We won't be long.

I've heard that before. Come on, Molly.

- Follow that car, quick.

- Yes, ma'am.

This way, lieutenant. I know where it is.

I've been to see Rainbow before.

He lives upstairs.

Just to the right here, gentlemen.

- Nick, maybe he skipped.

- Let's hope not.

Let me take a look at that.

No key in the lock. It's a cinch.

Paul. Come here, Paul, will you?

Give me a lift.

That's it, grab hold of him. Lieutenant,

see if you can cut him down, will you?

Got it.

That's it. Now let's get him over

on the bed. Here we go.

Just drop him on the bed.

This is the worst yet.

- It's awful.

- Phone the coroner.

- Yes, sir.

- Rigor mortis already setting in.

I guess he knew we had him cornered

and decided to do it himself.

Look here, Nick. Is this anything?

- What's this?

- That's the book!

The book Whitey took away

from me in Stephens' office.

What? Nick! Nick, this is the evidence.

Rainbow might as well have signed

a confession before he hung himself.

- Major, we've got it.

- I hope so.

Lieutenant, I'm afraid the suicide theory

doesn't quite stand up.

But, Nick, there's no sign

of anything but a suicide.

Look, he got up on that,

hung himself on the chandelier...

...jumped and kicked the chair over.

Then he used his own bathrobe sash

as a rope.

I think that's all window dressing.

Look here.

Look at the sash.

Silken, smooth. Now look at his throat.

Well, he was hung.

There's bound to be marks.

Yes, but not raw lacerations like that.

I think he was strangled first,

with a rough, heavy cord. A rope.

And then the stage was set

with this overturned chair...

...and the chandelier and the sash.

And another thing.

When Benny skipped out

of Mario's tonight...

...he was wearing a bulletproof vest.

- What?

- It's not on him now.

- Maybe he took it off.

- Or it was taken off.

- By who?

By whoever hung him there.

A murderer didn't want us

to know that Benny...

...had been living in fear of his life.

Nick, who could that have been?

I don't know yet.

Lieutenant, I think perhaps we'd

better have a little powwow...

...in your office tomorrow.

Keep your hands off!

- Here we are.

- Hold it a minute, will you, Macy?

Snap Dick Tracy.

He'd look good in the comics.

You and Nick Charles can't push me

around. Dragging me here is illegal!

So is killing people illegal in this state.

- Are you accusing me of...?

- Yeah! Of spoiling my lunch!

- I wanna call my lawyer.

- That'll be a nickel.

Hello, lieutenant. Here's laughing boy.

Sit there, Macy. Thanks, boys.

Wait outside.

Hello? Fenster? This is Stephens.

Come down to Abrams' office

at police headquarters right away.

I don't care how busy you are.

Right away.

- Paul, hello.

- Hello.

Just sit there.

What do you want Clarke here for?

He don't know nothing.

He was just standing over Barrow's body

with a gun.

If I was you, Macy,

I wouldn't talk too much.

Is it all right if I tell Mr. Stephens

that company is coming?

What's the idea

of bringing Porter here?

I want her here.

Is that all right with you?

- Where will you be, Baku?

- I'll be here.

No, please.

Honey, I'm sorry

you're being dragged into this.

It's quite all right, Link.

I want to be here if you need me.

Fred, let Miss Porter sit here.

Let her sit there.

Thank you.

Hello, Maguire. Glad to see you.

Just sit over there, will you?

We flew Maguire in just for you, Fred.

Now, Mommy, if any trouble starts,

you dive right under the table.

- Major Sculley and I will join you there.

- What kind of trouble, Nick?

Frankly, I don't know. But I'm going

to do my level best to stir it up.

Well, I'm counting on you, Nick.

Good luck.

Thank you.

Hello, Mrs. Charles. Hiya, Nick. Major.

Lieutenant, Molly, Paul, Miss Porter.

Well, the condemned man ate

a hearty breakfast.

This is yesterday's breakfast.

On this job, I don't get a chance to eat.

- Sit down, Mrs. Charles.

- Thank you. Go get them, Nicky.

Asta, you keep Mommy quiet.

- I invited you all here to meet a murderer.

- Good afternoon, Macy.

Have your fun, Charles, but make it

quick. I ain't got much time.

Then maybe the state will give you some.

Now, nobody speak until he's spoken to.

Quiet, Asta.

You're in contempt of court.

Now then, Mr. Stephens.

I've told you everything I know

about this.

Good afternoon, gentlemen.

The morgue is the floor below,

isn't it?

He's my lawyer.

Mr. Fenster, you're just in time

to hear your client tell...

...why he visited Rainbow Benny

last night.

If you wanna deny it, I can get

the cab driver who took you.

What of it? That was four hours

before Rainbow was killed.

If I was going to murder him, do you

think I'd want a cab driver to know?

No, l...! No, I don't.

Pardon me, lieutenant,

but speaking of drivers...

...is Miss Porter's chauffeur here?

Why, yes.

He's downstairs in the car. Why?

I thought he might enjoy

the view up here.

On a clear day, you can see the jail.

- Larsen, get Miss Porter's chauffeur.

- Yes, sir.

Now I want a word from Maguire.

One word.

Was Macy in the ticket office with you

when Whitey Barrow was killed?

- No.

- You double-crossing sneak!

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