Tension Page #4

Both of you?

My husband sleeps during the day.

- I work nights.

- Yeah.

- But you've been out to Deager's place.

- Yeah, yeah, sure.

Uh-huh.

- What kind of a fellow would you say?

He was a liquor salesman.

- Big car and big bankroll. He was...

- He was full of laughs.

He's full of lead now.

Uh, may I use your phone?

- Yes, it's right out there.

Thank you.

I'd better call in.

- Yeah.

- What were you doing down there today?

- I went out there to swim.

And then I went to Santa Monica

to see a movie.

Mm-hm.

Later, I went back

to pick up my bathing suit...

...and he was dead.

Hmm.

There's questions we'll have to ask...

...but the important thing right now is...

And maybe you can help me.

Either of you have any idea

why Deager was murdered?

Who'd wanna do it?

- No, I... I haven't any idea.

He was such a big good-natured man.

Mm.

Well, maybe you know a man

by the name of, um...

- Say, Blackie?

- What?

What was that fellow's name?

- Sothern. Paul Sothern.

I'm checking on him now.

- That's it. Paul Sothern. You know him?

- Yes.

- No.

Yes. You do dear.

Remember that day out at Barney's?

This Sothern fellow, he called up

and threatened Barney. Remember?

I wasn't there.

I know, but I told you about it.

Yeah. Yeah, that's right.

Well, all we have to do now

is find Paul Sothern.

That's a cinch after what I just got

from downtown.

Hmm?

- Ha, there is no Paul Sothern.

What?

- Get a load of this.

Not in the phone directories,

has no car ownership.

He's not on any payroll

or hotel registry.

No hospital cards on him, no charge

accounts, never took out any insurance.

He doesn't take milk from a milkman.

Doesn't have a newspaper delivered.

And he's got no police record.

All we've gotta do is to find him.

Blackie, you worry too much.

We'll find him.

They always make one mistake.

All we gotta do is look for that one mistake.

Find it and we've got Paul Sothern.

Well, it beats pounding the pavements.

Thanks a lot, folks.

Much obliged.

- Sorry we had to trouble you.

- Oh, that's all right, lieutenant.

Feel free to ask anything at any time.

- Listen, lieutenant, I was...

- We'd like to help, wouldn't we?

Yeah.

- Barney Deager was a good friend of ours.

- Yeah.

So we wanna do all we can, lieutenant.

- Yeah.

- Good night.

Good night.

What's with you anyway?

You want the cops to move in here

and live with us?

If you haven't got enough brains

to agree with me, keep your mouth shut.

From here on in, I'm answering

all the questions, got it?

Well, Booboo, what about it?

The slug's from a. 38, all right.

My guess is Smith and Wesson.

I'll put them through the routine.

If the murder gun's ever been

through here before, we get a break.

- We get the serial number.

- Good. When can I call you?

- Oh, like, tomorrow night.

- Okay, fine.

- How are your arch supports, Booboo?

- I threw them away.

- Ha, I wish I could.

- Oh, you poor cops.

- She ever been in this theatre?

- Sure, I've seen her.

You know her name?

Her name?

How would I know?

- A lot of people come in here.

- How about him?

Yeah. That's the guy

she comes in here with sometimes.

A big flashily dressed fellow.

Drives one of these new fancy convertibles.

Uh-huh.

- Sort of a green, uh...

No, it's black.

- They, uh, come in here often?

- Well, I think so. I...

- Saturday night?

Can you remember

if the girl was in here Saturday night?

- Let me think. I, uh... Saturday night.

Uh-huh.

Saturday night.

- Yeah.

That's our giveaway night.

Bicycles, dishes, footballs.

I really don't remember.

So many people...

- It's all right. Thanks very much.

How about some of that popcorn, huh?

Thanks.

- That's all right.

- Thanks.

Give me a Coke, will you?

Come on.

- What round?

- End of fourth.

- A dive?

- My cousin is a good boy.

I told the other cops everything I know.

Tell us too, huh?

How long did you work

for Mr. Deager, son?

Since I got out of the service,

about three years.

Good boss?

- He was good to me.

- Fine.

Kept you pretty busy,

did a lot of entertaining, didn't he?

- On and off.

- Knew a lot of women, didn't he?

- Some.

- What about Mrs. Quimby?

Hey, why don't you answer

the man's question?

She was a day guest.

What makes that different

from the other guests?

She only came out to swim.

- Is he all right?

- Fine.

Fine.

- Yeah, he's all right.

Go on, huh? Yeah.

Narco, tell me about Paul Sothern.

I told you...

- Take it easy.

I told the other cops everything.

Even about him.

I'd never even seen him.

He called on the phone.

- I told them and they put it down in a book.

- That's right. We got it all here.

Now, what was it

you told the other cops?

- Go ahead, kid.

- He said, "This is Paul Sothern. "

- I said "Yes, Mr. Sothern?"

- He says, "Tell Mr. Deager...

...he's not gonna get away

with what he did. I'll get him. "

So I said,

"What did you say, Mr., uh, Sothern?"

And, uh, he hung up just like that.

- Isn't that right?

- That's right.

- Aren't you fighting in the semi wind-up?

- Yeah.

Well, go on out there and fight it.

Now, Narco, you went into the next room

and told all this to Mr. Deager, right?

Certainly. Then the boss said, uh,

"It's nothing. Forget about it.

It's just probably some drunk

that I took a punch at. " Uh...

- And that's right, isn't it?

- That's right.

Narco, you're a good boy.

With got a good memory.

What color's your tie?

Keep your chin up.

What's the color of your tie?

You ought to remember that.

It's, uh... It's, uh...

It's green. All right, Narco. Now tell me,

who was there when Paul Sothern called?

- Me, and, uh, the boss and Mrs. Quimby.

- What time was it?

- It was, uh...

- The time.

- Ten o'clock.

Day or night?

- Night.

- Night, huh? Day guest, huh?

What was Mrs. Quimby

doing there at night?

Yeah, yeah, I read it last night.

It's crummy.

Hi, Collie.

What's new? This way.

Give me that chair.

Where are you going?

- My boy needs coaching.

I wanted to talk to you.

- Back from Europe?

I hear you're drinking

all of Barney Deager's booze.

Only the imported stuff.

- Caught the killer yet?

I couldn't catch a head cold if I was

beside an open transom. Right here.

There we have it.

Don't let this place bother you.

It's a newspaperman's hangout.

Artie. How are you?

- Hello, Collie.

- Hi, Agnes.

- What's for the lady?

- Uh, better make it ginger ale.

- Bourbon, please.

- Bourbon.

- Uh-oh, I had to open my big mouth.

- What's the matter?

- We've got company. A newshound.

Oh.

Hi, Collie.

- How are you?

- Fine.

What's doing?

- My cousin.

- Yeah, yeah. And she just got into town.

- Lieutenant, what are you working on?

- Irish whiskey.

Still looking for Paul Sothern, eh?

Ha, why don't you give up?

I will, the minute I find him.

But remember,

that Sothern tip is off the record.

- Cigarette?

- No, thank you. I don't smoke.

Excuse me.

- There ain't no such guy.

- Look.

- Okay, so there is. What about the dame?

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