Touch of Evil Page #4

Is there another phone near here?

- Right across the street.

Excuse me, Madam,

could I use your telephone please?

Right in front of you.

Do you have a phone book?

I'm blind. You'll have to ask

for information. - I'm sorry.

Hello. I'd like the number

of the Mirador Motel.

What is this place?

- Get going.

He didn't do anything.

- Go on!

Who's this?

- Don't push!

Quinlan? - He's in here, makin'

a search. - What am I doin here?

Oh, Hank!

- What's the idea, barging in on me?

What've we got in here?

- I came to give you your cane!

Strange. When I was taking Mrs. Vargas

to the motel, I picked this guy up.

That's Uncle Joe Grandi.

Why'd you bring him here?

For some crazy reason,

he was following me in his car.

He was tailin' you?

Why would I be following a cop?

He's an idiot!

Maybe you thought he was

a Mexican cop. It was Vargas' car.

Right? - So I thought I was following

Vargas. So what?

Sit down!

It's a free country.

- Shut up!

Is this the Mirador? I'm tryin'...

- Yes, it's the Mirador, and it's me.

Darling, the news is bad. Quinlan is

about to arrest that boy, Sanchez.

Is that why you called? To tell me

somebody's been arrested?

No, that's not really why I called.

It's to tell you

how sorry I am about all this,

how very, very much I love you.

Susie?

I'm still here, my darling Miguel.

I thought maybe you fell asleep.

I was just listening to you breathe.

It's a lovely sound.

But I am sleepy.

Of course. Well, I'll be calling you

back later. Goodbye for now.

Hello?

- Yes?

I just wanted to tell you,

I'm awfully tired...

Excuse me, this is Mrs Vargas.

- I know. It couldn't be anybody else.

You're the only guest

we got here now. In the whole place.

As I started to tell you:

there's no sign to put up on the door,

and I just wanted to be sure

I wouldn't be disturbed.

That is, if you're the one in charge.

Don't worry, Mrs. Vargas.

I'm the one in charge here.

Nobody'll get through to you,

unless I say so.

Vargas. Sergeant Menzies

wanted me to give you this.

Your car keys.

- Thanks.

I thought we lost you for good.

- I had a call to make.

English!

I'm being set up as the fall guy.

- Just a minute!

Sure, I'm the fortune-hunter

who hypnotized Marcia,

who made her kill her father

for his money.

If I had that kind of power,

I wouldn't be where I am today.

So you don't care about the money?

Why should I lie? Without the money,

I wouldn't have given her...

I told her that from the start.

But still she wanted...

Why bother. You wouldn't believe it!

- Try me.

I'm a good listener.

Instead of the man chasing the girl,

suppose she was the one.

Suppose she asked him to marry her.

Should he say:
"No, you and I

could never be happy with your money?"

What would you do?

- What did you do?

What did you do, boy?

- You know what I did, Captain!

Marcia and I made a bomb,

and we blew up her father!

You don't help yourself

by treating this as a joke.

You finished?

Anything more you want to say, Vargas?

No, Captain.

- Good. Pete, search the place.

I'm too tired for this. Sanchez' desk

has been looked into.

Take the bedroom and bathroom.

And be very thorough.

How long do I have to sit here?

I wasn't breaking the law!

I don't even know these people.

- You know Vargas. - Who's this?

Uncle Joe Grandi. You nabbed

his brother on a narcotics rap.

I don't know this Grandi.

- I got nothing to do with your wife.

I'm an American citizen. Listen,

Vic was arrested in Mexico City.

Vargas will testify at his trial.

It's got nothing to do with...

You just try any rough stuff,

and you got big trouble.

If anybody lays a hand on Vargas,

my brother's as good as convicted.

Hank? - What is it, Pete?

- I found it!

Found what, partner?

- Come in here and look!

I don't even know this Sanchez.

- Alright, boy. Come in here.

Just how much dynamite did you steal?

I've never seen any dynamite!

- Poor Rudy Linnekar.

He did everything

to keep you away from his daughter,

but she'll inherit a million bucks,

so you just moved in.

We married secretly.

- A million bucks ain't no secret.

You got scared he'd change his will.

You got yourself this highway job.

- You broke into the explosives bin!

That's a lie! - You stole

Hank's done it again.

He's nailed his man!

Thanks to you, partner.

- Me? Nah!

If that dynamite had been a snake,

it would've bitten me.

I promised to keep you informed.

This is it. We've broken the case.

Linnekar was blown up

with 8 sticks of dynamite.

Sanchez stole 10, that leaves 2.

And we found them both.

You heard that, boy.

That's impossible! Where did you find

this? - Right here in your love nest.

Where?

- Where you had it stashed.

What are you trying to do?

- Strap you to the electric chair.

We don't like it when innocent people

are blown up in our town.

Last night an old lady

picked up a shoe.

The shoe had a foot in it.

We'll make you pay for that.

They're trying to railroad me!

I never stole any dynamite!

You'll have to stop him yourself.

- He can talk Hindu for all I care.

He swears on his mother's grave that

there was never any dynamite here.

Sure, sure...

Take him in. Book him.

- Let's go.

You say you found this dynamite in the

bathroom. - Pete found it. Show him.

Can't you do something to help me?

What are you scared of, partner?

That stuff doesn't blow up as easy

as people think.

You found the dynamite in this box?

- Dynamite?

Yeah, Pete found it. I told you that.

Captain...

- Yeah?

I looked in that box, just now.

There wasn't anything there.

I know how you feel.

Do you?

- Sure I do.

You people are touchy.

It's only human you'd want to

defend your fellow countrymen.

Vargas, don't worry.

- Why should I worry?

Go ahead and say what you want.

Folks'll bear your prejudice in mind.

I saw that shoe box ten minutes ago.

- Well, maybe you didn't notice.

I knocked it over. I couldn't have

failed to notice 2 sticks of dynamite.

Tell any story you want!

Go and say it was empty.

I'm saying more than that, Captain.

You framed that boy. - Framed him!

Is he crazy, Hank?

- That must be it, crazy.

What are we gonna go with Grandi?

Take him in? - Grandi.

You ought to realize,

if Vargas is willing to testify...

Who are you working for,

the Mexican government?

No, for the District Attorney.

I got a position in this town,

a reputation! Who's Vargas?

Vargas has, too. Somebody'll have to

give in on this thing.

Either that or somebody'll be ruined.

Captain Quinlan...

- What do you want?

You saw that shoebox.

You know it was empty.

I didn't happen

to see it myself, but...

I believe you.

We're are both after

the same exact thing, Captain.

If Vargas goes on like this...

Move along. Stop making trouble.

- Trouble? Who's making trouble?

Vargas! For my brother Vic

in Mexico City, for you here.

Go peddle your papers, Uncle Joe.

- You just said it yourself:

Somebody's reputation'll be ruined.

Why not Vargas?

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes