The Sentinel Page #3

Malcolm Stinnett.

Th-Th-The Clotkin's cousin.

This is my wife, Rebecca.

Hi. What apartment

do you live in?

We used to live in

the one above you.

But the ceiling leaked

so we moved to Murray Hill.

They couldn't let it anymore.

We come back here a lot.

You know Gerde and Sandra.

Have a hat and noisemaker

for the party.

Everybody, listen.!

The polka! Everybody, the polka!

I used to dance at

the Foxland Casino in the Bronx.

And one and two,

and one and two,

and one and two,

and one and two, and one and two.

The gals would sit in one side,

the guys would sit in another.

Then we'd meet.

We'd go one and two.

- It brings back memories!

- I remember!

Around we go and around we go

and around we go and around we go.

- All right, here we go.

Around we go, and around...

- Oh, well, never mind.

- Oh, more. More.

No, dear. It's time for the cake.

Good.

Now, everybody,

now tune up your voices.

Black-and-white cat,

black-and-white cake.

Ready.

Happy birthday, dearJezebel

Happy birthday to you

Ah, dear sweetheart.!

Note the utility and the workmanship

of the items, Miss Parker.

My dear, your taste is impeccable.!

I'm sure you've been stared at before.

This is Mortimer.

He's from Brazil.

He's blind.

Black-and-white cat,

black-and-white cake.

Surprise.! Surprise.! Surprise.! Surprise.!

We used to live

in the apartment above you.

But the ceiling leaked.

Gramercy 7-9945.

Yes, let me have Brenner, please.

- Hello.

- Yes, Jim, this is me.

I've, uh...

I've got something for you.

Alison was just here in my office.

Some story about footsteps

and clanging metal

in the apartment above her last night...

when it's supposed to be empty.

I'd like you to get over there for me.

It's 10 Montague Terrace.

Yeah?

Brooklyn Heights.

Hi.

Hello.

I hope this isn't

too inconvenient for you.

Oh, not at all.

It's because my associate

is interviewing in the office.

Do you mind? Come along.

We're this way.

I've ordered

some coffee for you.

Thank you.

It takes forever in this place

when it's crowded.

Here.

Is everything going well with you?

Oh, yes. Renting out

apartments by the dozen.

Well, I'm glad

somebody's doing well.

You're not?

Not exactly. I haven't been able

to get much sleep lately.

Oh, not the old priest?

No, it's the others.

The others?

Mr. Chazen in 4B.

He keeps coming around.

And those ladies downstairs

really carry things a little bit too far.

The Clotkin sisters...

they are very strange.

And that old Mrs. Clark...

I don't know where she comes from.

I don't know

what apartment she lives in.

But what really scared me,

there was somebody upstairs...

walking back and forth last night.

Just banging on some

sort of metal or something.

I couldn't get to sleep at all.

And this is what you...

you wanted to see me about?

Yes.

My dear Miss Parker,

aside from the priest,

and now of course you,

nobody has lived in

that building for... three years.

Well, if they're squatters,

there's certainly no sign from here.

True, I haven't been here

for a long time,

but whole families?

Oh, he exists.

I am here, Holy Father.

I have come that you may

shed your burden in peace.

This is where the lesbians live.

Be my guest.

The furniture was different

in here before.

Oh, come now, Miss Parker.

These pieces have not

been touched in years.

The landlord's renovating

all the apartments.

Renovating?

Well, rather slowly.

Well, it certainly doesn't look

as if anybody was clattering

about here last night, does it?

My God, could I have

just been dreaming?

So the only other one

you thought you were in was, um...

Mr. Chazen's apartment.

Miss Parker, it's getting late,

and I have to get back to my office.

Just one more.

Happy birthday, dearJezebel

Happy birthday to you

Where's the cake?

Believe it or not,

I attended a birthday party

here last night...

for a cat.

Oh, I'm sorry I missed it.

I want to see the old priest.

I'm sure he can't hear.

Have you ever met

or spoken to him?

No.

Well, then how does he live?

The Diocesan Council of New York

own the building.

I'm sure they see

he's cared for.

Well, I'd like you to let me in, please.

That would be highly improper.

Watch the office.

Will you be back later?

Miss Parker?

Yes.

Mr. Lerman said to tell you

that he had to go out of town tonight

to get a client out on bail.

All right. Thank you.

Hello?

What do you want from me?

Who are you?

Well, well, well.

You have an ill effect

on your women, Mr. Lerman.

This isn't police business.

A girl running through the streets

at 4:
00 a. M...

saying she's knifed her father,

blood on her...

that's police business.

You know the girl, Gatz.

You know how she is.

I haven't seen her,

not since

your wife Karen's... suicide.

Don't get in too deep.

Closed. Closed, closed.

The case is closed.

Mrs. Lerman jumped

from the 59th Street Bridge.

Miss Parker... mistress

of the bereaved husband...

took an overdose, but lived.

And now, here we are again...

in a hospital waiting room,

you and me.

Except this time...

there's no corpse for you

to invent murder theories about.

Certainly not the lady's father.

He died in Baltimore

three weeks ago.

Cancer, we were told.

And no body in the apartment.

Just a poor, deranged girl...

who thinks

she killed someone.

You can have five minutes.

She's still heavily sedated.

Will the following doctors

go to the emergency room stat.

Dr. White. Dr. White...

Alison?

It's me, Michael.

Can you hear me, Alison?

She can't respond.

She should be better in a few days.

Can't we be alone?

Mr. Brenner's office.

- Is Mr. Brenner there, please?

- He's not.

Did you call here before, sir?

When do you expect him?

Uh, I don't know.

If you'd like to leave your name...

Hello? Are you there?

Gatz,

we've had a complaint.

Michael Lerman?

Senior partner in his law firm

called the deputy commissioner.

And said I threatened him

with a closed case...

his wife's suicide.

And you did.

Not so much a threat, sir.

More an observation.

Lerman took you apart

in court, Gatz.

He made you look like a liar.

If we didn't exaggerate

some of the evidence

every crook in town would go free,

instead of only 90% of them.

That's over.

We all took a beating on it.

Now, just lay off him

unless you've got any real evidence.

Thin pickings.

The blood on the girl

was her own.

"O" Rhesus-negative.

There was no sign of a struggle

in the room where she claimed

she killed someone.

No body.

She's in the hospital

blurbing about neighbors

that don't exist.

Except one... a priest.

And he wouldn't know it

if the building burned down.

Anna Clark.

One of the invisible neighbors.

That's funny.

I know that name from somewhere.

Did you ever see her before?

That's Anna Clark.

She was at Charles Chazen's

birthday party.

"Mrs. Anna Clark.

"Convicted murderess.

"Sent to the electric chair

at Sing Sing...

"March 27, 1949...

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