The Woman in the Window Page #5

FRANK:
Well, let's go over this layout first.

Then we'll get to her.

- All right, Inspector.

- Over here.

Now, here is where he parked his car.

The tire tracks are gone, of course,

but we have casts and photographs.

They're Goodrich 716s,

between 15,000 and 20,000 miles,

standard equipment on two or three

popular make of cars.

The motorcycle officer on duty remembers

seeing a Cadillac at the traffic signal.

- That may be worth keeping in mind.

- Did he see who was in it?

Yes, the driver, a man. But he doubts

very much if he could identify him.

So I don't think

that's gonna lead us anywhere.

Well, anyway, he got the body here.

Where'd he take it?

I'll show you.

We got casts of his shoes

going and coming.

- Richard.

- What?

You're going to be the guide?

Am I going right?

As straight as an arrow. Professor, eh?

Say, you think we'd better look into this,

Mr. Lalor?

Well, that's very funny. I wasn't even

thinking where I was going. I...

I was just thinking

what the Inspector said.

That's all right, Richard, don't get excited.

We rarely arrest people

just for knowing where the body was.

I don't imagine our killer

was very familiar with this spot,

because the fence was too near the road

for his purposes.

At any rate, he couldn't go much further

without a great deal of difficulty.

So he just dumped it over down there.

Now, there isn't anything

in particular to see

except you wanna keep

the whole setting in mind.

He tore his coat, probably his sleeve,

as he lifted it over,

because we picked up

a couple of shreds of woolen fiber.

Couldn't have been

from Mazard's clothes?

No, different material.

And we got a sample of blood

from this barb.

He certainly didn't pick himself

an easy job.

Mazard weighed close to 200 pounds,

you know.

Yes, it must have been pretty tough going.

Yes, especially at night.

- Well, yes, it may have been at night.

- I suppose so.

But I was thinking of it as early morning,

along about daylight.

Well, I thought the paper said night.

Anything else, sir?

I can't think of anything else.

You, Richard?

Well, why ask me?

I'm simply bowled over

by the amount of information

the police have got out of

such apparently insignificant details.

Well, it's hardly spectacular.

Really police routine, so far.

But there is one thing

we have in our department

that is really worthwhile, Professor.

- What's that?

- Patience.

I imagine so.

- Wanna see the woman?

- Might as well.

What's that for?

Oh, I had one of the men

put that there this morning

so you wouldn't brush against that bush.

- It's poison ivy.

- Very thoughtful, Captain.

- Well, too late to do me any good.

- That's right.

Looks as if you have

a little more explaining to do, Richard.

Closing in on me, huh?

If you'll only confess, Professor, we could

wrap up this whole case before noon.

Well, not me. I'm afraid you'll have

to work for this one, Inspector.

There you go,

you've never any consideration

for us poor cops.

- Let's have the woman.

- Yes, sir.

- All right?

- All right.

If you don't mind,

I'll go and sit in the car for a little while.

I'm not feeling very well.

What's the matter, Richard?

It's not serious, is it?

Oh, no, no, no, not at all.

You go on, I'll be all right.

Well, if you need me...

No, no, you go right ahead.

Well, that's all.

We can go now.

Well, goodbye, Professor.

Hope you'll be feeling better soon.

Thank you.

Well, what do you think?

The woman?

You think she's the one?

I don't know.

She's got something on her conscience.

But what woman hasn't?

Yes. Where did they find her?

Second-class hotel off Broadway.

I don't know.

She seems a bit dingy to me for Mazard.

He'd do better than that, I'm sure.

Cheap-looking?

Bottom of the barrel.

It's the bodyguard who is hot now,

anyway.

(PHONE RINGING)

Hello?

How...

How did you find...

Have you seen the early editions?

- No.

- Your picture's in The Times.

Congratulations.

Will you tell me what you mean?

Listen.

"Dr. George Felix Reynolds,

president of Gotham College,

"yesterday announced the promotion

of Dr. Richard Wanley

"to head of

the Department of Psychology."

Oh.

Oh, of course, I wasn't expecting it before.

Did I frighten you?

A bit.

Is everything all right?

I suppose so.

You've heard nothing from anybody?

Have you?

No.

Not so far.

Oh, I'm not worrying now.

I'm sure we're out of it.

Aren't you?

I hope so.

And I'm not going to bother you,

believe me.

Oh, it's quite all right.

I'm rather glad that I've heard from you.

Good night and thank you.

Good night.

(INTERCOM BUZZING)

- Yes?

-MAN:
Miss Reed?

- Who is this?

-Open up.

I wanna have a little talk with you

about our friend Mr. Mazard.

I don't know you and I don't know

your friend Mr. Mazard,

so beat it.

Listen, you don't want me to get tough,

do you?

I don't care how tough you get.

You're not coming in here at this hour.

I'm not kidding, lady.

Either you open this door,

or I'm going to the police.

Well, will you say what you've got to say

and get out of here?

Sure.

If you didn't hear it,

it was on the radio tonight.

Another reward for $10,000

for any information leading to the arrest

of the murderer of Claude Mazard.

You didn't hear it?

And if I had,

it wouldn't have meant one thing to me.

Now, if you're gonna start claiming

you never knew him,

you can save your breath.

Because I've been tailing him for months,

and I've tailed him here many a time.

He's been here.

But not under that name.

I never knew anything about who he was

until I saw his picture in the paper,

after he was killed.

So you're the one

that's wasting your breath.

Well, let's see if I am.

Don't mind

my looking around a little, do you?

You bet I do!

I know nothing whatever about

the death of Mr. Mazard,

- And you've got no right to...

- Listen.

Take it easy, will you?

It's been in the papers that

they're looking for some woman he knew.

And I'm telling you you're the only one.

But have you been to them

and explained to them

how you had nothing to do with it?

Of course not!

It's not me they're looking for.

Oh, come now, Miss Reed.

What are you looking for?

I can't tell you till I find it.

I'd settle for some blood

or a photograph.

Or a confession.

Or some hairs.

Any little thing like that.

Some brown, some black.

Mr. Mazard's was brown.

No.

All wiped clean, huh?

Pretty good housekeeper, I guess.

Yes, sir, clean as a whistle.

Not a finger mark anywhere.

Not even where

you'd think they'd be naturally.

Could be, you know.

Those little stabs.

"R.W."

That ain't Claude Mazard,

and it ain't Alice Reed.

And you had it hid, too.

What's his first name?

Robert?

Richard?

Oh, I'm getting warm, all right.

No question about that in my mind.

All right. What do you want?

Now you're talking.

I don't want to make trouble for anybody.

I can, of course, but I don't want to.

But the way I figure it,

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