The Blue Dahlia Page #6

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Am I?

Nice to know you, Mr Moore.

- That is your name, isn't it?

- You know my name and why I'm here.

I don't, but you can tell me

while I finish dressing.

If I were in your shoes,

I'd be 500 miles away.

Half the cops in L.A.

Are looking for you.

Only half?

All I have to do is pick up that telephone,

you go out of here in handcuffs.

Why don't you?

I don't happen to be that kind of rat.

What kind of a rat are you?

I'm not a police informer, anyway.

Neither am I.

So far.

Whatever that means.

You rate yourself a pretty

tough boy, don't you?

Tough enough to find

out who killed my wife.

Well, everybody seems to think

you killed her.

Not quite everybody.

I think you killed her.

Don't be a dope.

Just because I took Helen

out a couple of times,

and you put on that injured husband act.

What's a dope in your book?

A guy without sense enough

to get out while he can.

And hole up in some quiet place

where people don't know you.

- Nobody knows me here.

- They soon will.

Easy for you to call.

Me? I'd have to call long distance.

- I still don't get it.

- No?

How long has it been

since you were in New Jersey?

I don't get that, either.

Just why New Jersey?

Are you gonna answer the door,

or let them break it down?

- Hello, baby. Get you a drink?

- Oh, not now, thanks. I'll wait.

I'll just be a minute.

What made you change your mind?

- You still have trouble with your bow tie.

- Oh, come...

I'm sorry. This is Mr Moore.

Mr Moore, my wife.

How do you do, Mr Moore?

I'll get my coat.

Oh, uh, fix yourself a drink.

Well, why don't you say it?

I might just as well have told you.

You would have read it

in the papers tomorrow, anyway.

I didn't save myself much, did I?

You don't owe me an explanation.

- I didn't want it this way.

- I'll bet you didn't.

Johnny, don't you realise

you're in danger here?

That isn't what worries me.

I came here to do something.

But you fixed that, too.

- Johnny!

- So long, baby.

- Come on, George, will you hurry up?

- Are you boys going somewhere?

Well, for crying out loud.

Come in here. Hey, George!

Johnny!

- Gee, am I glad to see you.

- What a heel you turned out to be.

Where you been keeping yourself?

Well, I tried to call you,

but some strange voice answered the phone.

That was the cops. They took us down

for questioning. Are you all right?

Depends on what you mean by all right.

Hey, you got a drink?

- You bet. You want it in a glass or a funnel.

- As usual.

Bourbon straight with a bourbon chaser.

Coming up.

(GROANS) This is for me.

- You guys did all right for yourselves.

- Here you are. Pour that into you.

What are you gonna do, Johnny? Any ideas?

It's pretty obvious. I haven't much choice.

You're not going to give yourself up

to the cops?

- Why not?

- Johnny's right.

The longer he hides out, the tougher it'll be.

And he can't hide out forever.

- Not if somebody rats on him, he can't.

- Meaning me, I suppose?

Johnny, did that house

peeper see you downstairs?

House peeper?

The one at the Cavendish Court,

he was here just a while ago.

- He saw you go into Harwood's hotel.

- I wonder what he was doing there.

Maybe there was a buck in it.

George, what do you think my

chances are if I give myself up?

With a record like yours

and after what happened,

no jury in the world would convict you.

We're not gonna take that chance, Johnny.

You and me are gonna scram out of here.

The cops won't be looking for two guys.

Hey, wait a minute.

You boys think I killed her.

Well, it doesn't make any difference

what we think. Legally, you...

Legally?

You can skip the rest of it.

- Don't be a fool...

- Come on. Get out of the way.

Johnny, it don't matter to me

what you've done...

Let go of me.

Johnny, wait a minute.

Well, I hope you're satisfied.

Morrison.

I guess you've been expecting

this, haven't you, Mr Morrison?

How much dough

did you give that house peeper?

- Why?

- All you bought yourself was a pinch.

Take a look. They got him.

Now, maybe we can do something.

Hey, this isn't the way to headquarters.

Let me see that badge again.

This is a courtesy badge.

You got courtesy, didn't you?

- Can you handle him alone?

- Yeah.

Hope I didn't hit him too hard.

We might need him for bait.

Hold it.

Give it to him.

Wise guy, huh?

Mr Harwood, there are

two men asking to see you.

- Any idea what they want?

- I'm sorry, they wouldn't tell me.

Suppose they'll tell me?

These night club monkeys do all right

for themselves, don't they, George?

Looks like there's a living in it.

- You wish to see me?

- We're friends of Johnny Morrison's.

- Well?

- You've heard of him, haven't you?

Come into my office.

- Have a seat.

- We'll stand up.

What's on your mind?

About half an hour ago, Johnny

was picked up outside our apartment

by a couple of plainclothesmen.

Well, that's the best thing that

could've happened to him, isn't it?

That's what we thought half an hour ago.

Only they didn't happen to be

plainclothesmen.

We checked at headquarters.

And are you surprised?

Maybe you ought to tell me

what you're talking about.

Here's a guy you really got

to draw a picture for, George.

Take it easy.

Take it easy. That's all you do.

Take it easy. What does it get you?

What did it get Johnny?

Maybe you could answer that, funny face.

Before you answer that,

get this through your head.

If anything happens to Johnny,

you're looking at a couple of guys

who'll spend a lot of time

taking care of whoever did it.

- I'll remember that, if it seems important.

- We'll take care of that, too.

Hello?

- Captain Hendrickson? Put him on.

- These guys are full of nifties, George.

Yeah. Just a minute.

Yes, Captain?

HENDRICKSON:
We've dug up

a little more information.

Something we're rather anxious to talk

to you about, if you can spare the time.

I'll be right down, Captain. I'm leaving now.

- Okay?

- We'll wait till you get back.

Make yourselves at home.

- Look at that thing.

- Yeah, that's really something, ain't it?

- You think you busted it?

- Could be.

- The table hit it plenty hard enough.

- Here, you can put it in here.

- I put some salt in. It might help.

- Ouch, that's hot!

That does feel good.

Better tie him up, just in case.

- Give me another drink, will you?

- Yeah.

How much dough was in the billfold?

- What billfold?

- Pretty good fountain pen, too, huh?

- Huh?

- What else did you get?

- Nothing.

- Come on, hand it over.

Okay.

There's ethics in this

business the same as any other.

Excuse me. I thought

my husband was in here.

Hmm, give a look. Harwood's babe.

I bet she cost plenty, huh, George?

How much would it cost to get

you to button your lip just once?

I'm sorry. Mr Harwood went out.

You're George and Buzz, aren't you?

- Female detective.

- Johnny told me about you.

- Why would he tell you anything?

- It just so happens I'm a friend of his, too.

Since when? We only hit town yesterday.

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