The Wrong Man Page #3

Three or four times.

- Not more?

I don't think so.

You go to the track regularly?

A friend of mine from the Stork Club

goes on his day off...

...I've been a few times with him.

- You ever borrow any money?

Yes, I have.

- When was the last time?

Last summer, I...

I borrowed $50 from the

Homewood Finance Company.

We were going on a vacation.

- Did you pay it back?

Yes.

- Was it difficult to pay back?

I guess so. It's always hard to pay back.

How much do you owe?

You mean right now?

- Yeah, now.

Oh, there's not much right now.

There's a few bills.

- How much?

Oh, $45.

- Maybe 100?

No, it couldn't be that much.

- Less than 100?

It's less than 50, I'm sure.

Probably less than 40.

Maybe less than 30. I don't know.

Hard to say when I'm not...

- When you're not what?

Am I being accused of something?

Who says I'm a holdup man or look like

one? What holdup are you talking about?

Don't I have a right to know?

- Of course you have.

I'll tell you.

You've been identified by witnesses...

...as the man who held up the offices

of Associated Life...

...in the Victor Moore Arcade building.

You've been identified as

the man who robbed them of $ 71...

...on December 18th

and $200 on July 9th last year.

Twice they say you were there.

The last time...

...less than a month ago.

That's not true, is it?

No, I've never done anything...

Have you been arrested before?

- No, I haven't.

Who says I did it?

You'll be confronted by the witnesses.

If you haven't done it,

you have nothing to fear.

We wanna give you every break possible.

That's the way we do things here.

And there's one thing you can do for us...

...that'll make it a lot easier

for us and for you.

This fella who committed these holdups

passed a printed note...

...to the girl at the window.

I'll tell you what was in that holdup note.

If you would print it out for us,

it'll go a long way...

...to show us if you're the same man.

Now, you say you're not that man.

I certainly am not.

Then you certainly

won't print the way he does.

Will you do it?

Yes, I will.

Give him a paper and pencil.

I'll read the holdup note.

Yes.

- Ready?

Yes.

An innocent man has nothing

to fear. Remember that.

Oh, that's not the note...

...I'm just telling you.

This is the note:

'This is a gun I have pointing at you.

Be quiet and you will not be hurt.

Give me the money from the cash drawer.'

Now, I wanna be entirely

fair to you, Manny...

...so I'll tell you right now.

There's a rough similarity between

your printing and the note.

That's right.

Would you mind printing that again?

No, sir.

- I wanna give you every chance.

The note goes:

'This is a gun I have pointing at you.

Be quiet and you will not be hurt.

Give me the money from the cash drawer.'

It's one of the most remarkable

things I've ever seen.

Look at this.

This looks bad for you, Manny.

This really looks bad.

See that?

I think you have a right to know,

so I'll tell you.

I won't keep anything from you.

Here's three pieces of paper.

This is the note the holdup man

gave the girl at the window.

This one is the first

you printed at my dictation...

...using the same words.

There's a kind of similarity in the printing,

but that doesn't mean much.

Most people print alike

when they use capitals.

But it was similar enough,

so I asked you to print it again.

And when you did, well,

something very strange happened.

Now, I put down the first

copy of the note you made...

...and I show you the second.

Read it to me, Manny.

Read it out loud.

Read exactly what's on the paper here...

...the second copy you made.

This your printing?

- Yes, sir.

Read it.

'This is a gun I have pointing at you.

Be quiet and you will not be hurt.

Give me the money from the cash...'

You didn't read the last word.

I meant to write 'drawer.'

I guess I was in a hurry.

I left off the E-R.

And that's exactly how

the holdup note read.

How do you explain it?

- I made a mistake.

And so did the holdup man.

And it happens to be the same mistake.

Find out if the witnesses

are here for identification.

Well, I'd better hang up.

He might be trying to call me now.

Okay. I will.

Goodbye.

Okay, Manny, come on.

Now, look carefully at the men

in the other room.

I want you to count.

Please look at the men from right to left.

Count them off.

And when you come to the one

you can identify...

...stop.

One, two, three...

...four.

You're sure?

Absolutely.

Now, Mrs...

- Please, don't mention my name.

Very well, I won't.

Look carefully at the men

you see in the other room.

Count them off from the right.

Observe them carefully.

When you come to the one you know, stop.

One, two, three...

...four.

You're positive?

Yes.

That will be all.

We won't keep you any longer tonight.

And thank you.

Manny?

Positive identification.

Here are the two notes.

Here's the original, and here's the copy.

Well, Manny?

They call you Manny, don't they?

- Yes, sir.

You made this copy of the note?

- Yes, sir.

With a mistake in it?

- Yes, sir.

The girls identified you.

They saw you in the office,

and they saw you here.

No use beating around the bush.

You held up the office,

so say so.

But I didn't.

You were in that office this afternoon.

Yes, I went in to see if I could get

a loan on my wife's policy.

You better think of another story.

Something plausible.

But it's the truth.

You want to play it that way?

What can I...?

Don't you see I'm trying to tell the truth?

Okay, Manny.

With the evidence before us...

...there's nothing to do but lock him up.

How can I tell you?

What can I do?

If you can come up with

something else, we'll listen.

Come on over here, Manny.

Throw your hat and coat on that chair.

Give me your right hand.

Relax.

Wipe your hands with this.

Come on, Manny.

Take your hat and coat.

We're booking this man

for robbery, lieutenant.

All right, what's his name?

Christopher Emanuel Balestrero.

Age?

- Thirty-eight.

Married or single?

- Married.

Address?

Jackson Heights.

Use narcotics?

No.

What's the charge?

- Assault and robbery.

Held up the Associated Life of New York.

Stole $ 71.

All right, search him.

Put your coat on the rail, Manny.

Six dollars...

...17 cents.

What else have you got?

It's my wife's life insurance policy.

Here's your receipt.

You can keep the rosary beads if you wish.

Come on, Manny.

I never called my wife.

That's been taken care of.

Give me your tie.

Well, naturally, we've been worried.

Yes, officer.

My name is Conforti.

C- o-N-F-o-R-T-I.

And I'm his brother-in-law.

Oh, I see.

Yes, sir.

Yes.

All right. Thank you.

Yeah, goodbye.

Gene?

- Just a second.

I wanna make sure I got this right.

Manny was locked up for the holdup

of the Associated Life of New York.

Arrested?

I knew it was something like that.

He was booked and locked up

at the 110th Precinct station.

Can I see him?

Not tonight.

He's gonna be arraigned...

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