The Woman in the Window Page #3

Well, do it very thoroughly, will you?

I've read of laboratory tests

that make the fine signs of blood

that the naked eye could never see.

I can clean it.

And the scissors, you better boil them.

Something might be left

on the neck of them.

- All right.

- Is there anything else that we forgot?

His hat.

Help me with the table.

Now, when I leave here, I want you

to go over the whole place thoroughly.

Wash these glasses,

put them back on the shelf.

Get rid of these bottles.

Clean everything thoroughly.

There mustn't be one sign left

that you had any visitor tonight.

Him, me or anybody else.

Give me that paper.

I'll give you the blanket back

as soon as I've got him in the car.

They'll examine it very carefully too.

I'll clean everything. I won't go to bed

until I've cleaned every single place.

Now, put out the lights.

Go out and see.

All clear.

(THUNDER CRACKING)

Thank you.

I won't see you again, I suppose.

For both our sakes, I hope this ends

the whole thing completely and forever.

All right then, goodbye.

Goodbye.

Hey, come back here.

- What was it? A dime?

- Never mind. Here's another.

Well, it couldn't have gone far.

That's all right.

If you find it later, you can have it.

Thanks. Hey, this is a penny.

- Sorry.

- That's okay.

Well, thanks for the dime if I find it.

- Excellent port, that.

- Yes.

- William, check please.

- Yes, sir.

- This is mine tonight.

- Thank you.

Did Frank say what kept him?

Something important, I imagine.

He sounded excited.

Well, I can't quite picture Frank excited.

- Here you are, sir.

- Must have left mine.

Thank you, sir.

- Coffee in the lounge.

- Very well, sir.

He was talking

from the police commissioner's office.

Ah, there he is.

Well, shall we go back?

No, I'm not going to eat now.

I'm gonna have a drink.

- How are you, Richard?

- Fine, thank you. Account for yourself.

FRANK:
Come inside,

you'll be interested in this.

Oh, Collins, get me an Old Fashioned,

will you?

Yes, sir.

- Let's go over here.

- Hot news?

Very.

But confidential for the moment.

Claude Mazard has disappeared.

- Claude Mazard?

- Yes.

MICHAEL:
But how do you

mean disappeared?

Exactly what the word means.

He left Washington yesterday afternoon,

and he arrived at Penn Station last night

and from there he's literally disappeared.

(MICHAEL WHISTLES)

- Is that the promoter?

- My dear Richard, don't be vulgar.

When a promoter has promoted a colossus

like World Enterprises Incorporated,

he's no longer a promoter, he's a financier.

- Oh, yes, yes, of course. I remember now.

- We're gonna wait until...

No, not for me.

I've got an Old Fashioned coming.

Going to wait until midnight

on the odd chance he shows up.

But if he hasn't checked in by then,

we'll give it to the papers

and then watch the fireworks.

- The market?

- And how.

What did he look like? Or rather, I mean...

- What sort of fellow was he?

- MICHAEL:
A true perfect nuisance.

- He was a patient of mine for a while.

- For what?

Nerves, blood pressure.

He had the most ungovernable temper

I've ever known.

He had no idea how pleased I was when

he called me a quack and stomped out.

Well, just because a man doesn't show up

for a day,

I see no reason to assume

that he's been murdered.

I didn't say he was murdered.

- ATTENDANT:
Mr. Lalor. Oh, Mr. Lalor.

- Yes.

- Telephone, Mr. Lalor.

- Thank you. Excuse me.

I... I don't know why I said that.

I suppose it's because

of his whole manner.

The way he talked

seemed to indicate murder,

- Violence of some kind.

- It did. That's what he's suspicious of, too.

He has an uncanny instinct

for things like that.

The old head goes up like a bird-dog's.

Yes, I can imagine he'd be pretty terrifying

once he got the scent.

You bet.

(MUSIC PLA YING ON RADIO)

ANNOUNCER ON RADIO: 12:00

and the midnight news from station WPQ

with the courtesy of Castola Rex,

that tangy, bracing acid remedy

for that tired feeling.

But first, a word about Castola Rex.

Wise Mother Nature has balanced

the chemical contents

of the gastric juices so carefully

that heart burn, acid stomach,

or an upset digestive system

resulting from over indulgence

in food and drink

can blight a person's whole outlook on life.

But why suffer when Castola Rex,

Mother Nature's own helping hand,

is available at your nearest drug store?

Try it today and everyday.

Now for the news.

The police have just announced

the mysterious disappearance

of Claude Mazard,

founder of the fabulous public utilities

empire of World Enterprises Incorporated,

under circumstances indicating foul play.

At the same time,

World Enterprises Incorporated

have offered a reward of $10,000

for any information as to his whereabouts,

dead or alive.

After checking a briefcase

at Pennsylvania Station

about 10:
30 last night...

I was practicing woodcraft in the woods

just off the Bronx River Parkway extension

when I found Mr. Mazard's remains.

No, I was not scared.

A Boy Scout is never scared.

If I get the reward,

I will send my younger brother

to some good college

and I will go to Harvard.

I think we can be pretty confident

about this one.

- Looks easy to you?

- Well, not exactly easy, but not too tough.

- Plenty of clues, eh?

- Some.

And the circumstances add up, so far.

For instance,

he wasn't killed in the woods, of course.

He was killed somewhere else

and the body taken

to the spot where it was found.

- How do you know that?

- We got the tire marks of a parked car.

That's as good as a fingerprint,

so far as the car's concerned.

But how do you know

it was the murderer's car?

FRANK:
Footprints in the same soft ground

leading from the car and back to it.

Deep prints

when he was going into the wood,

carrying something heavy.

Lighter coming back, without his burden.

Not much question as to that, is there?

No, I suppose not.

We got photographs

and plaster casts of everything.

While that doesn't help us to name a man,

once we've lined up on a suspect,

there'll be a positive check on him.

Especially the shoe prints.

How's that?

Well, the print of new shoes

isn't of much use,

but these were well-worn shoes,

and from the print of a worn shoe,

we can learn a great deal

about the wearer's weight, height,

length of stride,

any peculiarity of gait he may have.

- Could you tell that from these?

- Yes.

The man weighs

in the neighborhood of 160 pounds,

wears an eight shoe and is probably

of moderate circumstances.

You're rather guessing at that last,

aren't you?

No.

The shoes have been half-soled.

We have a number of bits of evidence

like that.

But the trouble with them, as you say,

is they don't offer leads.

They only offer checks,

like the kind of suit he wore.

- Do you know that too?

- Yes, and his blood.

The keen-eyed Inspector Jackson

found some on a wire fence

over which the body was dropped.

He probably scratched his hand

lifting it over.

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