The Killer Is Loose Page #3

And for goodness' sake,

don't worry.

Bye.

Bye, dear.

It's a shame to let all

this food go to waste.

Gee, Lila,

we thought

you'd never ask.

Yeah.

Wide forehead,

marked lines from

nostrils to mouth.

Firm chin, slight cleft.

Fairly prominent Adam's apple.

The ears, upper helix

of the left is cupped,

as you can see.

Both lobes close to the head.

But you get

a better angle with this.

Darwinian extension.

The antitragus

obliquely slanted type.

The nose,

slight turn up at the tip.

Eyes deep set.

The way you'd probably

spot him is like this.

Hi, Sam.

Sam.

Glasses. He can't see

across the street

without them.

Incidentally, you'd better

run off about 2,000

of this print. This last one.

We want it in

full circulation.

Okay, boys. That's

your target for the day.

Well, there's

the target's target.

Morning, Sam.

Morning.

What's new?

What have I missed?

Come on, I'll show

you on the map.

How's Lila?

Can't you guess?

That's the greatest

ammunition she

could have had.

Maybe she'll cool off

when she finds

you're a celebrity.

State highway police,

county patrol.

Every crossroad's

constabled between

here and the farm.

It's like

an international incident.

I guess they think

you're important.

That target idea.

You guys talk like Lila.

How does anybody know

what Poole has on his mind?

Could be another

grudge altogether

or no grudge at all,

who knows.

Anyway the whole

city is ringed off,

you couldn't crack

through with a tank.

This concentration

around Tilden.

What's that for?

That's the first

real break we have had.

I was going to

tell you about that.

One of the merchants

reported his store was

robbed during the night.

We got

some fingerprints.

It's Poole, all right.

This gives us

a fix on his position.

This store

that was robbed,

what was it?

Hardware.

He got a gun?

Yeah, a .357 Magnum.

But gun or no gun,

all he is going to find

is cops and lots of them.

Now, between

here and Tilden,

look what they've got.

There's a roadblock

on every cow path,

back alley and state highway.

They're shaking down

anything that moves.

A .357 Magnum?

He's not after me,

he's after elephants.

All right, go ahead.

Thanks, Officer.

Let me see

your license, please.

James Chandler.

RFD Lamberth.

Headed into the city?

No, just over to get

some farm equipment.

Yeah?

My uncle's got

a secondhand...

It checks out.

Crates and vegetables,

nothing else.

Could you use some?

Some what?

Fresh vegetables.

I'll sell them to

you for farm prices.

No, thanks, Mr. Chandler.

We're going to be

standing here all day.

We can't use any

fresh vegetables.

Go ahead.

All right, come in.

Go on.

How? How?

The highway patrol

had the description

the same as the rest of us.

He was right in

front of your boys.

The same face, the same man.

And he had

a driver's license.

They can't arrest

everybody they stop.

If a man says his

name's Chandler,

if his papers bear him out,

they have to

let him through.

Tell the truth,

I'd have let him

through myself.

We're lucky that

farmer Chandler's body

was found so soon

or we still

wouldn't know.

That makes

two murders now.

All right, what's Poole got?

An hour head start?

About that.

We've covered the area

with every available man.

From the roadblock,

all the way around the city.

We do have

the new rundown

on him.

Truck license,

farm getup and so on.

Your men have it now, too,

so that's another break.

If you wanna

look at it that way.

It's a good way

to look at it.

I'd have let him through,

too, Captain.

Don't worry about it.

Just catch him.

Sent for us, Chief?

Yes.

Sam, I understand you

don't go for the idea

that Poole's after you.

No, I just said

there's no proof of it.

As far as I know,

there isn't.

We were in touch

with the honor farm

this morning.

Poole's been

talking about me

up there?

Never. Not even to

the other inmates.

He was the world's

most perfect prisoner.

Sure. That was

his bill of goods.

So then we

called the state pen.

Figured if he

wasn't too well organized

when he started his sentence,

he might have talked more.

You should've asked me.

Poole told me,

he was gonna settle my hash.

The pen just had a meeting

with Poole's first cellmate.

Poole used to bend

this fellow's ear

asking him why

your wife was better

than his own.

How's that go again?

Poole wanted to

know why,

since you'd killed his wife,

your wife should be alive.

He said if it was

the last thing he ever did,

he was gonna bust

out and kill Lila.

He didn't say it once.

He said it over and over.

That's how he plans

to settle with you.

He'll still take you

if he can't reach her.

But, Sam, she's

the number one target.

Lila?

That makes

even less sense.

Now, wait a minute.

Here was a guy

on an honor farm,

a cinch for an early parole.

So he murders

a guard to get away.

If I can believe that,

I can believe anything.

The guy's a psycho.

I'm trying to

tell you exactly that.

He meant what he said.

You've got to believe him.

I believe it, Sam.

It's all there.

He never stopped working

for that one chance.

He hasn't stopped since.

We've been

one beat behind

him all morning.

He's had three years

to plan. We've had

less than a day.

As of right now,

we're two beats behind him.

They just found his truck.

Where?

Near the corner of

Jefferson and Pine.

Dog in the front,

vegetables in the back.

No Poole.

He made it,

he's in the city.

Chief.

I sent some more

men out to your place,

so don't worry about it.

They won't tell Lila.

That Poole's after her?

Thought I'd leave

that to you.

I better telephone

up there.

Operator, Sam Wagner.

Get me my phone.

Let's just figure what

we're going to do

about Poole first.

Then you can go out there.

Cancel it.

Any suggestions?

Of course, if he does

go straight to Sam's,

you're covered and it's over.

That's assuming

he doesn't see

how well we're covered.

He can see that

without his glasses.

Cops are falling all over

each other out there.

He'll be off again

and where are we.

Did he get any dough

from that farmer,

what's his name, Chandler?

About 35 bucks,

all he'll need.

Probably hasn't

slept much.

I wouldn't think any.

That's about

a 30-hour stretch so far.

He's gonna be

tired and hungry.

Is his new

description out,

I mean, to the public?

Radio, Television

and the afternoon paper

should be

hitting the street now.

Wouldn't go to

a hotel or rooming house.

He wouldn't

wander around much,

not in that get up.

What about friends?

They'd have to be

awfully good friends.

Far as we can find,

he doesn't seem to

have any.

Good, bad

or indifferent.

So, where does he go?

He's gotta duck

in somewhere.

Wherever he ducks,

he'll probably

kill again.

Bill, listen.

Why do the cops have

to be out at my place?

What?

Poole doesn't know,

does he?

He doesn't know

that we know

he's after Lila.

How could he? He doesn't know

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes