The Woman in the Window Page #6

you just don't want the police

nosing around in any of your business.

Isn't that right?

- Who does?

- That's what I mean.

So I'll tell you how we can fix it.

There's a $10,000 reward out

for just the kind of information I've got.

But I don't see it that way.

The way I see it, if I got $5,000 from you,

that'd be the end of it,

so far as I'm concerned.

- Are you nuts?

- From you and the guy I mean.

I haven't got $5,000

and there isn't any guy to get it from,

so you may as well

go right along to the police

and tell them whatever you wish.

Now, you don't want me

to do a thing like that, Miss Reed.

Mr. Mazard was a very rich man,

and you can't tell me

you didn't get something off him.

And don't forget,

you'll be a lot better off dealing with me

than you would with the homicide squad.

You don't want to go to the chair, do you?

I want you out of here.

That's all I want.

I've a pin and bracelet he gave me

worth more than $1,000.

Will you take them and get out of here?

No, ma'am. Nothing like that.

Nothing but cash.

Five grand.

Cash.

As a matter of fact, you're simply bluffing.

If you can get $10,000 from the police,

why would you be satisfied

with $5,000 from me?

What if I told you to just get out of here

and go whistle for it?

You want to take a chance on that?

You see, honey, you did it,

you and this guy.

Otherwise, you wouldn't even

be talking to me about it.

If you had been in the clear,

you would have called the cops

the minute I walked in. I know that.

So you gotta look at it my way,

don't you see?

I have to think it over.

I have to have some time.

That's okay, I'm not pushing you.

Take tonight and tomorrow.

Think it over, see if I am right.

See the guy, explain it to him.

And I'll be back here tomorrow night

at 8:
30 for the dough.

Cash.

But don't try to run away

or pull any tricks like that,

because I'll be keeping an eye

on things pretty close.

Good night, and don't fret.

You get the money

and that'll be the end of the whole thing.

Something's happened.

I've got to see you right away.

What else did he find?

Your pencil.

I kept it because...

Because I wasn't sure of you then.

I wanted something.

Oh, well, it's done now.

- Are you angry with me?

- About the man?

No, I can't think of anything else

you could have done.

I don't expect you to pay all the money.

I have a little and I can raise

a little more on that bracelet,

and some other things

Mr. Mazard gave me.

You're very fair, Alice. Quite generous.

It's worth it to get rid of him.

Well, paying him $5,000

isn't getting rid of him.

That's just the first installment.

If we pay him once,

it'll go on as long as we live.

But we've got to, haven't we?

If we don't, he'll set the cops on us.

I'm sure of it.

So am I. That's what blackmail means.

You pay or the blow falls.

What can we do?

There are only three ways

to deal with a blackmailer.

You can pay him and pay him and pay him

until you're penniless.

Or you can call the police yourself

and let your secret be known to the world.

Or you can kill him.

- Good evening.

- Good evening.

Will this take long?

I have it ready in powders.

- Will that be all right?

- Yes, I suppose so.

Same dosage.

You needn't wrap it.

- How much?

- Three and a quarter.

If you got any children, you better not

leave that laying around loose.

I won't.

- Up.

- Down.

Sorry.

Down.

Were you followed? Do you know?

- I don't think so.

- Did you look?

Yes, but there wasn't anybody, I'm sure.

- Is it the police?

- Now, please, Alice.

If you want to play,

you must do your homework first.

If you do your homework

first then you can go...

Mom.

- Down.

- Up.

I give you my word of honor

that there isn't a thing

to say the police know we're alive.

- Believe me, please.

- I'm all right, go on.

There's $5,000 in that package,

but if you run into any kind of difficulty,

don't let him have but part of it.

Tell him that's all you could get today,

that he'll have to come back sometime

tomorrow evening for the rest.

- Do you understand?

- I understand.

What about the...

That's in there, too. It's a powder.

But you needn't worry about his seeing it

because it dissolves almost instantly.

- How much?

- You'll find a note about that in there.

I don't know what else we can do, Alice.

But if you don't think

you can go through with it,

we'll try and think out another plan.

There's nothing else we can do.

I know that.

How soon does it work?

It takes effect, I'm told,

in 20 or 25 minutes.

So you better make sure

he's out of your apartment.

All right.

You better go now.

Wish me luck.

Good luck.

If you lose your nerve,

don't get frightened.

We'll find another way.

I won't lose my nerve.

(INTERCOM BUZZING)

- Miss Reed?

-ALICE:
Yes?

It's me, open up.

- Who else you got here?

- Nobody.

I didn't know but what

you might have got some cute idea.

No.

Pretty dolled up, huh? Is that for me?

- I'm glad if you like it, of course.

- It's okay.

That Mazard knew

how to pick 'em, all right.

Will you sit down for a minute?

Sure, but make it short, will you?

- $5,000 is a lot of money.

- Uh-oh.

It's a lot for me anyhow and I haven't been

able to raise it on such short notice.

And what am I supposed to do about that?

I only want you to be reasonable,

that's all.

I want you to give me a little more time.

How much have you got?

$2,900.

- That's what I thought.

- What do you mean?

That's the kind of a figure, I'd say,

if I had some other idea in mind.

Not too little, not too big.

- Don't you believe me?

- Stop kidding.

Let's have it.

Come on.

I can get the rest by tomorrow night,

if it's all right with you.

Who told you to say all this?

Nobody.

Nobody, huh?

Is it all right?

You're pretty cute, you know that?

Is it all right?

Well, what else can I do

if you haven't got it?

I think I need a drink.

- Would you like one?

- I don't mind. What d'you got?

- I'm going to have a scotch and soda.

- Make it two.

Where's the boyfriend all this time?

There isn't any boyfriend.

- I told you that.

- Isn't he kicking in?

You don't believe a thing I say, do you?

I'm just naturally

what they call a cynic, honey.

What kind of a guy is he, anyway,

shoving a nice kid like you out in front?

What's the use of

my trying to tell you anything?

So all right.

If everything's so kosher,

what are you giving me this dough for?

Just because you like me?

I'm giving it to you because I don't want

to be mixed up in this thing in any way.

- Not because I had anything to do with it.

- Oh, indeed.

But because in my position,

you can't tell

what they'll try to hang on me.

How would you like

to get out of this whole thing?

- What do you mean?

- Exactly what I'm saying.

Get out of it, completely.

How?

Go away with me.

Think about it for a minute.

I don't have to think about it.

I'm not such a bad guy, you know.

I didn't say you were.

But what's more important,

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