The Big Clock Page #7

She'd start shooting before

you could open your mouth.

I'll take it.

Hello? Yes, Don,

this is George.

What? You have?

Who is she?

Pauline York.

She modeled for Styleways once.

Patterson recognized her.

She was in the antique shop

trying to buy that

picture herself.

York was with a man

who outbid her.

I'm going over

to see York right now.

Don?

Now, wait a minute...

You take over.

What is it?

New lead.

"It Might Have

Happened To You,"

the "Safety First" program

is on the air.

Presented as a public service,

"It Might Have Happened To You"...

comes to you each week

from a different American city.

Dramatized from real life,

"It Might Have Happened To You"...

hopes to reduce

the appalling casualty rate

on our highways and byways.

This week,

tragedy strikes in Elksburg.

A flourishing town in the

Midwest, where we hear the story

of Mr. Bundy's extra little nip.

The Elksburg Municipal

Orchestra opens now

with an American medley.

Hello, Don.

George, have you

seen Miss York?

Yeah, I saw Miss York.

Got all the information.

Who's the guy?

Jefferson Randolph,

publisher from Pittsburgh.

He's got his

own plant down there.

I want you to hop on a plane.

Find out all you can

about him.

Check the chamber of commerce,

talk to the mayor. Somebody'll

know where he is... Taxi!

Then call us back, understand?

I'm an art editor,

not an investigator.

Janoth's orders, Don.

Go ahead. La Guardia Field.

But my toothbrush and pajamas?

Put it on your expense account.

Go on. Beat it!

Oh, doorman. Do you

happen to know Mr. Janoth?

Yes, sir?

Mr. Janoth? Sure.

Fine fellow. He gave me

a wristwatch last Christmas.

Didn't happen to see him

last night around 1:00 or 1:30?

I quit at 12:
00.

How about

the telephone operator

or the elevator boy?

Everybody knocks off

at 12:
00.

By the way,

does Miss York have a maid?

Sure, but you won't find her.

She started her vacation

last Monday.

You sure?

I got a postcard

from her from Milwaukee.

Oh, where would you get a cab

around 1:
00 in the morning?

Two blocks.

Thanks.

Tails.

A dollar and a half.

Heads.

A dollar-six bits

I owe you.

Five I owe in return

for a little information.

You got a deal, mister.

Who's on duty here

after midnight?

Nobody.

Not an all-night stand.

That's right.

Nearest one's on 5th Avenue,

two blocks from here.

Thanks.

Half of that's mine.

"April 4, 1936.

Crowd catcher at the

Greenwich Village Sidewalk Show.

Louise Patterson's Birthright."

Research dug it up.

Decadent-looking thing.

Yes, but I can use it as bait.

Offer a reward for the original.

Ads in the afternoon papers,

big-scale reproductions

of the picture.

A lost masterpiece.

Randolph or somebody's

bound to bite.

Do that at once.

Get me Sheekman in

Press Relations and Paul Bell.

Yes, Mr. Hagen.

A thousand dollars?

Don't fool around with this.

Ten thousand.

How about the stand in front

of Scanlon's Drug Store?

No.

The Parkway Hotel?

The Ashendon Library?

Say, there's a stand

by an all-night hamburger joint

three blocks down.

How about that?

I could use a hamburger.

Thanks.

That your cab out there?

Yeah, you want it?

No, not exactly.

How many drivers

use this stand?

Just me and Kowalski.

Uh-huh.

Who was on last night

between 1:
00 and 2:00?

You trying to find out about

a fare Kowalski had then?

Yeah.

He was tellin' me.

Half-crazy the guy was.

No hat, mumbling to himself.

Gave a 20 for a 12-block haul.

Where'd he haul him to?

Didn't say.

Where does Kowalski live?

Somewhere around here.

Don't know exactly.

First name's Casimir,

if that's any help.

No, not much.

He'll be here at 8:00.

He will?

You have him call me, will you?

Tell him there's

another 20 in it.

Thanks.

Thank you, Betty.

Thank you, Mr. Stroud.

I certainly wish

I could find that picture.

Uh-huh.

Time:
eight hours.

In manpower, the efforts

of 46 employees.

It results in enough

information about this man...

his whimsicalities,

his clean-cut features,

his charming manners,

his penchant for green mint

stingers and modern paintings...

to write his biography.

Mr. Stroud, where is he?

That I don't know.

I've placed the blonde though.

Her name's Pauline York.

How did you discover that?

Klausmeyer and I just

came from her apartment.

Did you talk with her?

I couldn't very well

on account of she was dead.

That doesn't seem

to be much of a shocker.

Why do you think we've been

conducting the search?

How did you find out

she was dead?

Her maid discovered her

this morning,

telephoned Steve.

Telephoned Steve?

Yes, she was

a protge of his.

Why didn't the maid

call the police?

Steve asked her not to.

He's been rather generous

with her of late.

We wanted to trap

Randolph ourselves,

then hand him over.

Feather in our caps.

Yeah.

Yeah,

but where's all this dope

on Randolph come from?

The maid.

She heard them

talking, quarreling.

That's what makes you

think he killed her.

Who else could it be?

Well, how about Steve,

for instance?

She was his protge.

That's a very strange

suggestion, Stroud.

I telephoned over to his home,

spoke to him at 12:30.

Within seven minutes

of the time the murder

took place.

How do you know?

The clock broke

in the struggle.

Then you've been

in her apartment?

The maid reported it.

She's quite

a detective.

What is

the matter with you?

I just can't understand

why you're so sure

Randolph killed her.

Suppose an investigation

proved him innocent?

An investigation?

What sort of an investigation?

An inquiry around

the apartment house.

Witnesses who saw somebody else

enter or leave.

You have witnesses?

No, not yet,

but I shall have to look for them,

that is, unless you decide

to let the matter drop.

You're going to great lengths

to protect this Randolph.

Just trying to keep

an open mind.

Very open.

Have you some inside

knowledge of this matter?

Yes?

Oh, Cordette.

You have?

Oh, excellent!

Excellent!

You can forget

about your witnesses.

We have our man.

He was just seen

entering the building.

I want an emergency order

issued, all exits blocked,

the building closed.

Nobody's to leave

unless identified.

You take charge.

Yes, sir.

Stroud? Now!

Sorry, ladies and gentlemen,

but all exits have been closed,

except the main door.

We will try to inconvenience you

as little as possible.

If everybody will proceed

in the direction of the desk,

we will try

to get you out quickly.

Just a matter

of identification.

Just a matter of identification.

Your cooperation

will be appreciated.

Thank you.

Everybody on this side

of the rope, please.

Kindly form a single line.

Only routine.

You'll be out of here

in a couple of minutes.

Thank you.

Nobody leaves the building

except through the front.

Mr. Janoth's orders.

Have you sent

for the other witnesses?

Not yet.

Get them immediately.

Get Patterson and the people

at the Van Barth.

I've stationed the antique

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