"THE NAKED CITY" Screenplay by Albert Maltz and Malvin Wald Story by Malvin Wald SHOOTING DRAFT 1948 FADE IN: EXT. LONG SHOT OF LOWER MANHATTAN A MOONLIT - NIGHT NARRATOR (an easy, conversational tone) A city has many faces -- EXT. MIDTOWN MANHATTAN - NIGHT NARRATOR It's one o'clock in the morning now -- EXT. WALL STREET - NIGHT DESERTED NARRATOR And this is the face of New York City -- EXT. STATUE OF PROMETHEUS IN THE CENTER OF THE RADIO CITY BUILDINGS - NIGHT NARRATOR -- when it's asleep -- The fountain beneath the statue bubbles quietly. NARRATOR -- on a hot summer night -- INT. THE MAIN FLOOR OF A LARGE BANK - NIGHT DESERTED NARRATOR Does money ever sleep, I wonder? INT. A LARGE CLOTHING FACTORY - NIGHT Night lights cast shadows over the silent machines. NARRATOR Does a machine become tired? INT. STAGE OF THE METROPOLITAN OPERA - NIGHT Scenery on the empty stage is lit by a few night lights. NARRATOR Or a song? EXT. EMPIRE STATE BUILDING - NIGHT We see the flat, monumental surface of stone rising to the sky. NARRATOR Does stone ever feel weariness? INT. A MODEST APARTMENT BEDROOM - NIGHT Windows open, a fan humming. A man lies asleep, face down, sprawled out; his hair is tousled, his pajama top open and twisted, the sheet thrown back. MAN'S VOICE (wearily) Some people think it's easy to be a bank teller. Oh brother! EXT. AN EAST-SIDE TENEMENT FIRE ESCAPE - NIGHT A husband and wife are sleeping on bad clothes on the fire escape. MAN'S VOICE (reflectively) I wonder how many stitches in a dress? I'll have to count 'em sometime. There is a SOUND: of a caterwauling cat. The woman turns over. CAMERA HOLDS on sleeping couple. CAMERA PANS DOWN TO: WOMAN'S VOICE (amused) I wonder how many meals I've cooked in my life? And how many dishes I've washed? EXT. CAT - NIGHT digging into an open garbage pail. Nearby another cat sits patiently. NARRATOR A city asleep -- EXT. THE SKY - NIGHT We see the silhouette of a plane with its lights winking for a landing. NARRATOR -- or as nearly asleep -- EXT. THE CITY AS SEEN FROM THE PLANE - NIGHT We see the outline of the boroughs, the lighted bridges that link them, the lighted arteries and veins, the upthrust fingers of stone. NARRATOR -- as any city ever is. EXT. SINGLE ELEVATED TRAIN MOVING SLOWLY ON ITS TRACKS - NIGHT SOUND: Train wheels. NARRATOR The pulse of a city like the pulse of a man -- EXT. TUGBOAT ON THE HUDSON TOWING TWO BARGES LOADED WITH FREIGHT - NIGHT SOUND: Boat whistle. NARRATOR -- can be felt in sleep, slow and steady -- INT. ATTENDANT IN AN ELECTRIC CO. SUB STATION - NIGHT SOUND: Hum of dynamos. NARRATOR For some men earn their bread at night. INT. A DISC JOCKEY PUTTING A RECORD ON A TURNTABLE IN A RADIO STATION SOUND: A hot jive recording that blends into the click of linotype keys. JOCKEY'S VOICE (fast) It starts hot and it ends gutty. Let's go. INT. A LINOTYPE OPERATOR AT HIS MACHINE IN A NEWSPAPER PRESS ROOM - NIGHT OPERATOR'S VOICE Wonder what the ol' lady made me for lunch tonight? If it's liverwurst again she's got a divorce. INT. A CLEANING WOMAN VACUUMING A CARPET IN THE LOBBY OF THE RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL - NIGHT SOUND: Low hum of the vacuum cleaner. WOMAN'S VOICE (wearily, over vacuum sound) From where I stand this world's made up of nothin' but dirty feet. INT. A DRUNKEN, UNSHAVEN BUM IS WATCHING A WINDOW DRESSER IN A SMART FIFTH AVENUE DRESS SHOP - NIGHT The Dresser is having difficulty in pulling a girdle down over the length of a dummy figure. A sign over the shop reads: Madge Livingston. BUM'S VOICE (Hoarse) Hey, buddy, do they pay you for that or -- (as girdle slips into place over hips) -- whoops! INT. WELL-FURNISHED APARTMENT - NIGHT A group of well-dressed, middle-aged men and women are playing bridge and drinking. Among them are Dr. and Mrs. Lawrence Stoneman. SOUND: Rhumba music. NARRATOR And while some people work and most sleep, others are at the close of an evening of relaxation -- SOUND CONTINUES OVER INTO: INT. NIGHT CLUB - NIGHT Focusing on a ringside table where a couple -- Ruth Young and Robert Niles -- are watching floor show. On the bass drum of the orchestra are the words: Trinidad Club. SOUND: Music swells to a more and more intense beat and then is suddenly cut off. INT. A WELL-FURNISHED BEDROOM - NIGHT The only light is from the moon through the half-raised shade. We dimly perceive an act of murder: a woman on a bed is being chloroformed by two men. She is in a nightgown. One man, Garza, holds her from behind. The other, Backalis, holds a handkerchief over her face. Her body twists spasmodically, uselessly. There is no sound except the creaking of the bed and the heavy breathing of the men. NARRATOR (voice sharp, intense) And still another -- is at the close of her life. The woman's struggles cease. She slumps back. The men hold her still, the handkerchief over her face. Both men are wearing gloves. We can't see the faces of either man. One of them (Backalis) is wearing a distinctive jacket. BACKALIS (nervous whisper) Let's go. GARZA (angry whisper) Don't be a fool. This has to be sure. Lift her up. The men lift the body. BACKALIS (nervously) Whatcha gonna do? GARZA (slight laugh) It's a hot night. We'll give her a bath. They carry the woman into the adjoining bathroom. They lower her into tub. CAMERA FOLLOWS A HAND as it turns on the faucet and the water rushes out. EXT. A STREET - DAWN CLOSE SHOT WATER RUSHING OUT Water is flowing from a spigot on a street-washing machine that is proceeding slowly down a street in the East Sixties. First faint morning light. NARRATOR (quietly) A hot night working its way toward dawn. And everything is as usual -- EXT. A TRUCK LADEN WITH GREEN VEGETABLES EMERGING FROM THE HOLLAND TUNNEL - DAWN NARRATOR Jersey lettuce for New York markets -- EXT. WEST WASHINGTON POULTRY MARKET - DAWN A chicken escapes from a crate and a man runs after it. NARRATOR Tonight's fricassee is somewhat reluctant -- INT. FIRE HOUSE - DAWN CAMERA is shooting from open doorway at interior. A man at desk, the fire trucks, a sleeping dalmatian dog. NARRATOR Everything as usual -- EXT. EAST SIDE PIER IN SHADOWS - DAWN Two men are walking to edge of pier. NARRATOR -- and even this, too, can be called routine in a city of eight million people -- CLOSE SHOT BACKALIS AND GARZA Backalis, holding a bottle of whiskey, is drunk. Garza watches him carefully. Both men are in shadows. As Backalis talks, he sits down on edge of pier and looks out over water. He turns so that we see his face. We don't see Garza's face in entire scene. BACKALIS (drunkenly -- tragically) I done a lot of things but I never killed nobody... Gonna stay drunk for a long time... Don't know what I'm gonna say to God when my time comes. He's got a big heart, I'm told, but He don't like -- Backalis never finishes. Garza swings his fist from behind and hits Backalis a blow behind the ear. There is a dull thud as Backalis topples over, his head striking the pier. Garza kneels, pulls the bottle of whiskey out of his hand. GARZA (angrily) I thought you were off the liquor? (angrily -- during action) Liquor is bad. Weakens your character -- fuzzes your brain -- turns you soft. How can a man like me trust a liar like you? I can't! Garza angrily throws the whiskey bottle over the pier. We HEAR a splash. Quickly he thrusts his hand into Backalis's pocket, takes out a chamois bag, puts it in his own. He removes Backalis's wallet, tosses it over. He looks around swiftly, then lifts Backalis with his powerful arms. Garza heaves Backalis over edge of pier. A low splash. Garza rises, spits angrily into water, starts off. EXT. THE SKY - DAWN IT IS STREAKED BY MORNING LIGHT NARRATOR (softly) How many things this sky has seen -- EXT. SKY OVER MIDTOWN - DAWN BUILDINGS IN SHOT. SKY IS GROWING LIGHT NARRATOR (softly) -- that man has done to man. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. SKY - DAY NARRATOR And now it's morning. INT. BEDROOM - DAY A baby in a crib is howling. Mother enters shot, putting on robe. Lifts baby. Smiles fondly, looking at it as it yowls. She kisses baby. MOTHER'S VOICE Some babies are eight o'clock babies. Some babies are seven o'clock babies. Why do you have to be a six o'clock baby? EXT. THE BOWERY - DAY A drunk is sleeping in a doorway. The sunlight streams down through the elevated tracks onto his face. He stirs and blinks -- and turns over for another snooze. SOUND: EARLY MORNING TRAFFIC NARRATOR We wake up variously -- EXT. TENEMENT FIRE ESCAPE WE SAW EARLIER - DAY An alarm on window sill goes off. Woman and man awaken. Man shuts off alarm, leans on elbow, yawns... NARRATOR -- each to his taste. INT. KITCHEN OF SMALL HOUSE - DAY An Italian family. A father and two grown sons are eating breakfast. The mother is making sandwiches for three lunch pails that stand with tops open. NARRATOR (conversationally) We've washed and we've shaven and it's breakfast time. INT. A MASTER DINING ROOM IN A FIFTH AVENUE MANSION - DAY An old man, looking very unhappy, sits at one end of a long, bare table, staring at a glass of milk. A butler hovers near him. OLD MAN'S VOICE (in complaint) Milk! Isn't there anything else for ulcers except milk? INT. MODEST KITCHEN - DAY Mulvey is making breakfast. He has a toaster going. On stove two eggs are boiling. He is watching a three-minute sand glass that will tell him when the eggs are ready. He goes to front door, still humming, opens it, reaches down for a bottle of coffee cream. He returns, pours coffee. Puts cream in it. CLOSE SHOT COFFEE Cream is sour. It curdles. MULVEY He stops humming, makes a face. He pours coffee in sink. Starts to hum again as he takes eggs off. MULVEY (singing and humming lightly) After the ball was over, After the ball was done, da-da-da-da-, da-da- da... (continues) EXT. TIMES SQUARE ORANGE DRINK STAND - DAY A customer, eye on wrist watch, gulping coffee, runs. NARRATOR And it's time to go to work. EXT. HALLORAN, WIFE AND FOUR-YEAR-OLD BOY ON FRONT STEPS OF A TWO-FAMILY HOUSE IN QUEENS - DAY HALLORAN (straight-faced) Goodbye, Mrs. Halloran. MRS. HALLORAN Goodbye, Mr. Halloran. They shake hands, then kiss. Halloran ruffles boy's hair. HALLORAN (mock rough) See you tonight, Mac. BOY (imitating him) So long, bud. Halloran goes off with a smile and a wave. EXT. SUBWAY ENTRANCE - DAY People walking down. MAN'S VOICE Gonna be a scorcher today. GIRL'S VOICE (nasal) If it's as bad as yesterday, I'll die, I'll be prostrate. INT. SUBWAY STATION - DAY People crowding platform. SOUND: Approaching train. FIRST GIRL'S VOICE I went to Jones Beach last night. Had a picnic. SECOND GIRL'S VOICE With the boy friend? FIRST GIRL'S VOICE (dreamily) Yeah. SECOND GIRL'S VOICE Did he get fresh again? FIRST GIRL'S VOICE (dreamily) Yeah. SECOND GIRL'S VOICE Gee -- you was born with a silver spoon. EXT. AN APARTMENT HOUSE - DAY A woman nods to a doorman as she enters an apartment house. NARRATOR For this woman, the day will not be ordinary -- INT. FOYER OF APARTMENT HOUSE - DAY NARRATOR Martha Swenson, forty-two years old, a widow -- CAMERA FOLLOWS woman to elevator. She rings elevator bell. Door opens. She enters. INT. HALLWAY - DAY Elevator opens. Martha comes out, crosses to apartment opposite, opens door. NARRATOR -- lives a quiet life as a house worker -- INT. JEAN DEXTER'S APARTMENT - DAY CAMERA is shooting from Martha's POV as she enters living room. The blinds are drawn so that the light is dim. Martha hesitates at doorway, then enters quietly. The room is attractively furnished. Martha puts her purse down, crosses to bedroom door, listens. She knocks softly, knocks again. She opens door, peeks in. Bedroom is dark, blinds drawn. She sees that bed is unoccupied. She goes in. MARTHA Miss Dexter? She crosses to blind and then notices an overturned, smashed lamp. As she crosses to it we hear a SOUND from open bathroom door of water dropping from a tap that has not been completely shut. Martha looks toward bathtub. With her, we see that the tub is almost ready to overflow. CLOSE SHOT ON MARTHA'S FACE as she walks into bathroom. Her face is suddenly convulsed by horror. Her mouth opens in a soundless scream. Then she turns and runs. MARTHA (shouting) Help me... Someone help me... EXT. NEW YORK CITY POLICE HEADQUARTERS ON CENTRE STREET - DAY INSERT SIGN READING: POLICE HEADQUARTERS TELEGRAPH BUREAU SOUND in BG: A mixture of clicking teletype machines and voices of telephone operators. INT. PANEL OF HUGE TELEPHONE SWITCHBOARDS - DAY A ROW OF FAST-WORKING WOMEN OPERATORS ARE AT THE SWITCHBOARD CAMERA MOVES IN to CLOSEUP of a WOMAN OPERATOR as she takes a call. OPERATOR (writing on pad) Yes, sir. What's your name, please? ...Thank you. (reaches for telephone plug) INSERT TELEPHONE PLUG being inserted into board under label: POLYCLINIC HOSPITAL EXT. POLYCLINIC HOSPITAL - DAY as ambulance starts into street. INT. WOMAN TELEPHONE OPERATOR - DAY OPERATOR (into mouthpiece) One-nine-eight West Six-nine Street. Apartment 4-D. INT. RADIO ROOM - DAY A shirt-sleeved patrolman is speaking into a telephone. FIRST PATROLMAN (into phone) Apartment 4-D. Got it. He writes on a slip of paper, gets up, and walks over to a series of tables. INT. PATROLMEN AT PLOTTING TABLES - DAY These plotting tables have sectional maps of Manhattan on top. On the maps are little round numbered metallic discs indicating location of police patrol cars. INT. PATROLMEN - DAY FIRST PATROLMAN (handing paper to man at table) 20th Precinct. What's out? INSERT SECTION OF TABLE-TOP MAP SHOWING TWO METALLIC DISCS NUMBERED 206 AND 159 SECOND PATROLMAN'S VOICE Two-oh-six and one-five-nine. INT. TWO PATROLMEN - DAY First patrolman writes on a slip of paper, and brings it over to a radio operator at a microphone. The operator glances at the paper. INT. RADIO OPERATOR AT MICROPHONE - DAY The call letters on the microphone are W-E-P-G. OPERATOR (into microphone) Cars two-oh-six -- and one-five-nine -- Cars two-oh-six -- and one-five-nine -- Proceed to one-nine-eight-West -- INSERT TELEPHONE OPERATOR plugging in another call. INSERT LABEL ON POLICE SWITCHBOARD READING: MEDICAL EXAMINER INT. AUTOPSY ROOM AT MORGUE - DAY The medical examiner, Dr. Simeon Hoffman, is a paunchy, grey- haired man wearing a surgeon's gown. He is speaking into phone. He puts down phone and starts to write a note. INSERT POLICE SWITCHBOARD LABEL MARKED: TECHNICAL RESEARCH LABORATORY as plug is inserted. INT. TECHNICAL RESEARCH LABORATORY - DAY LAB TABLES AND MICROSCOPES ARE EVIDENT IN BG NICK, a dark-haired man of thirty-five, puts down phone. He takes a puff on a lighted cigarette, writes on a pad, rips off the sheet of paper, and starts to assemble equipment. INSERT POLICE DEPARTMENT SWITCHBOARD LABEL READING: MANHATTAN HOMICIDE SQUAD EXT. 10TH PRECINCT STATION HOUSE -- 230 W. 20TH STREET INT. STATION HOUSE - DAY showing sergeant at desk and a few uniformed patrolmen nearby. CAMERA MOVES UP to a sign near a stairway. Sign reads: MANHATTAN HOMICIDE SQUAD THIRD FLOOR INT. THIRD FLOOR CORRIDOR - DAY SIGN ON A DOOR READS: CAPTAIN SAM DONAHUE LIEUTENANT DANIEL MULVEY DISSOLVE THROUGH TO: INT. DONAHUE'S OFFICE - DAY CAPTAIN SAM DONAHUE is at his desk, looking at a folder. He is a husky man of sixty with a wide, pleasant smile and an intelligent face. Seated in a chair nearby is Lieutenant Dan Mulvey, whom we saw, earlier, at breakfast. He is a short, middle-aged man, who might pass for a bookkeeper. His speech contains a bit of Irish and a lot of Brooklyn. He is smoking a pipe. He has a second folder in his lap. There is nothing in the manner, dress or speech of either man to suggest the accepted notion of policeman or detective. DONAHUE (looking up from folder) I don't understand this boy Del Vecchio. MULVEY (slowly) I do, Sam... I think. DONAHUE Do you make any sense out of what he did? MULVEY No -- but I see eighteen years of feeling lonely and beaten. So he -- (gestures) exploded. DONAHUE (thoughtfully) Maybe... Sometimes I wonder what the human heart's made out of. MULVEY My wife, rest her soul, always said she'd rather look into a man's heart than into his head -- that you could tell more about him. Donahue turns as BEN MILLER, a chunky police stenographer in plain clothes, enters. He hands a slip of paper to Donahue. MILLER This just came in, Captain. (to Mulvey, as he goes out) Morning, Lieutenant. MULVEY Morning, Ben. DONAHUE (reading paper) You're free, aren't you, Dan? MULVEY I haven't had a hard day's work since yesterday. DONAHUE (handing him paper) Woman drowned in a bathtub. Your assignment. Mulvey nods, gets up, looking at paper. MULVEY Who's to do my leg work? DONAHUE How about young Halloran again? MULVEY (going toward door) All right. I like the boy. DONAHUE How's he doing? MULVEY He's makin' the same mistakes I made at his age. DONAHUE Too bad. I thought he showed promise. Mulvey reacts, goes out. INT. MANHATTAN HOMICIDE SQUAD OFFICE - DAY A large office with several desks and chairs behind a wooden railing. Through an open door can be seen some of the cots of the dormitory where men on night duty sleep. On a bench talking to Ben Miller is Detective James Halloran, the tall, pleasant-looking young man whom we saw saying good-bye earlier to his wife. Mulvey takes his hat off a hat rack. He comes up behind the bench and pauses a foot away to listen to Halloran, who is talking seriously, with great interest in what he's saying. HALLORAN -- but that's the point, Ben. In the first six months of a baby's life, the father can't get to know it unless he takes care of it physically. The idea is to do things for the kid -- like bathing it. MILLER But I'm scared to bathe mine. Looks like it'll break. HALLORAN Then learn how to change it. Is it a bottle baby? MILLER (boastfully) Not mine, he's... MULVEY Begging your pardon -- is this the Board of Directors of the Diaper Institute? HALLORAN (rising) Hi, Dan. MULVEY We're on a case, you baby experts. HALLORAN (eagerly) What sort of a case? Something hot? MULVEY (as they go) Dead woman in a bathtub. Something cold. They go out. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. APARTMENT HOUSE ON WEST 69TH STREET - DAY The ambulance, seen earlier, and two police cars are parked in front. A small crowd of people is gathered around the entrance. A dark police sedan drives up. Mulvey, Halloran, Miller step out. EXT. ENTRANCE TO APARTMENT HOUSE - DAY CAMERA IS SHOOTING from POV of watching crowd. PATROLMAN (to Mulvey, with a slight hand salute) This way, Lieutenant. Mulvey, Halloran, and Miller pin their badges on their coat lapels as they follow the patrolman. EXT. TO ONE SIDE OF ENTRANCE MIDDLE-AGED GENTLEMAN, NURSEMAID, GIRL - DAY as they look after detectives. The middle-aged gentleman is tall, thin, shabby, but with pretense to elegance. He carries a walking stick, wears pince-nez spectacles. The nursemaid is thirtyish, bovine, in uniform. The girl is five. MIDDLE-AGED GENTLEMAN (to nursemaid) Detectives! You see! I told you it was a murder. I knew! LITTLE GIRL (pulling nursemaid's hand) I wanna go to the park. I wanna see the seals. MIDDLE-AGED GENTLEMAN (to nursemaid) I have the finest crime library in the world... with pictures. LITTLE GIRL (wailing) I wanna see the seals. NURSEMAID (angrily) You saw the seals yesterday. This is a murder. It'll educate you. INT. IN FRONT OF JEAN DEXTER'S APARTMENT - DAY A patrolman at door gives a half salute, admits detectives. INT. LIVING ROOM - DAY Two plainclothes detectives are standing in the room. The maid, Martha Swenson, is seated in an easy chair. She is distraught and evidently has been crying. Near her is NED HARVEY, the apartment superintendent, a thin, middle-aged man, wearing work pants and a grey sweater. Throughout scene Miller takes shorthand notes of what is said. MULVEY Who's in charge here? One of the plainclothes detectives steps forward. DETECTIVE Me, sir -- Detective Sergeant Shaeffer, 20th Precinct. MULVEY What's the story? SHAEFFER (consulting notebook) The dead woman's name is Jean Dexter. Twenty-six years old, unmarried. She used to be a dress model at Madge Livingston's, on Fifth Avenue. Her parents live in Lakewood, New Jersey. Their name is Batory -- that's Polish. Her name used to be Mary Batory until she came to New York. The ambulance doctor says she died of drowning... that's all I have. MULVEY (to Miller) Got it? Miller nods, scribbling. Puffing on his pipe, Mulvey walks over to an end table and squats down a little to look at a framed photograph without touching it. INSERT BEAUTIFUL BLONDE GIRL IN EVENING DRESS MULVEY'S VOICE This her? SHAEFFER'S VOICE Yeah. INT. BACK TO SCENE - DAY Mulvey looks inquiringly at Martha Swenson. SHAEFFER Martha Swenson, the woman's housekeeper. She found the body. (indicating Harvey) Mr. Harvey, the house superintendent. He called headquarters. MULVEY (nodding) Where's the body? SHAEFFER (pointing) In there. Mulvey starts toward bedroom followed by Halloran and Miller. INT. BEDROOM - DAY On the bed is a body covered by a sheet. Standing by the bed is a uniformed patrolman. A white-coated ambulance doctor is filling out a paper form. The door to the bathroom is open, with part of the tub visible. As Mulvey sees the body on the bed, he stops. MULVEY (quiet... but angry) Didn't this woman drown in a bathtub, doctor? DOCTOR She was on the bed when I got here. Mulvey goes toward living room angrily. INT. LIVING ROOM - DAY as Mulvey comes into doorway. MULVEY Who moved the body? MARTHA (rising; upset) When I came in and... saw her like that in the tub... I called Mr. Harvey, here. He -- helped me. MULVEY (sharply) You should've waited for the police! Both of you should have known better. MARTHA (wringing hands) I was so upset... HALLORAN (entering) There's a bottle of pills under the bed, Dan. Looks like sleeping pills. MULVEY (holding out hand) Let me see 'em. HALLORAN (startled) I left 'em there. MULVEY Why, thank you for that, Jimmy. (looks at Martha and Harvey) This is moving day around here. I thought maybe you caught the fever. HALLORAN About those pills... maybe the dame took an overdose? MULVEY (patiently) Jimmy, it's our obligation to wait for the medical examiner. He's a learned physician employed by the city to determine the causes of mysterious deaths. Let the good man earn his money. Halloran grins with slight embarrassment. DISSOLVE TO: INT. BEDROOM GROUP (FAVORING DR. HOFFMAN) - DAY Standing by the bed is the medical examiner, whom we saw earlier; Mulvey, Halloran are with him. Ben Miller is taking notes in the background. Nick, whom we saw earlier in the Technical Laboratory, is standing by with his spray equipment for fingerprints. DR. HOFFMAN No accident and no suicide. There are bruises on her throat, shoulders and arms. Those slight burns around her mouth and nose were caused by chloroform. She was chloroformed after a struggle, then dumped into the tub alive. HALLORAN (eagerly) How can you tell that, Doctor? HOFFMAN By the white foam around her mouth. It's proof she drowned. (to Mulvey; indicating Halloran) New? MULVEY (nodding) New. INT. ANOTHER ANGLE THE GROUP - DAY A police photographer has set up his lighting equipment and large 8-by-10 camera. PHOTOGRAPHER (to Mulvey) Okay, Lieutenant? MULVEY (to Hoffman) Okay, Doctor? DR. HOFFMAN (putting instruments away) The body's yours. MULVEY Start working, gentlemen. The room becomes very active. Halloran goes into bathroom. Photographer begins taking flashlight pictures of room, bed, etc. Nick begins to spray a glass on a night table with a colored powder from an atomizer, seeking fingerprints. Mulvey writes a note, looks at bed, writes another note. Halloran comes out of bathroom with a pair of men's silk pajamas. HALLORAN Dan... these were in the laundry hamper. No laundry marks and no label. Mulvey takes the pajamas, feels the material. MULVEY Real fancy. You don't get these for three ninety-five. (to Nick) Pick up these pajamas on your way out, Nick. I want 'em under your X- ray machine. NICK Right. Mulvey, followed by Halloran and Miller, goes into living room. INT. LIVING ROOM - DAY Martha Swenson and Harvey are seated on a couch as Mulvey, Shaeffer, and Halloran enter the room. Patrolman stands at door. Throughout this scene we get flashes of light from the busy photographer in the bedroom. MULVEY Who belongs to these? MARTHA I -- I don't know, sir. (wringing hands) I'm so unstrung. MULVEY (quietly) I know you are. But I think you'd like to help us. MARTHA I would -- I would. Such a sweet girl, she was. A little wild, by my standards maybe, but live and let live, I say. Always treated me swell. MULVEY The pajamas, Martha. MARTHA I'm all in pieces. I... Mulvey holds out the pajamas. MARTHA (hesitantly) They could belong to Mr. Henderson. (wringing hands) This is awful. I might be getting someone in trouble. MULVEY We don't want to get the wrong person in trouble either... What's his first name? MARTHA (in a rush) Philip, I think. He lives in Baltimore. That's what she told me. I only saw him once or twice. I only know he was an admirer of Miss Dexter's. MULVEY (fingering pajamas) Seems likely. MARTHA Oh, I'm all in little pieces. What a nightmare! MULVEY You're being a big help to us, Martha... How old would you say Mr. Henderson is? MARTHA Oh... fifty about. MULVEY What does he look like? MARTHA Oh -- he's real distinguished, real. About as tall as him. (points to Halloran) Got grey hair. And strong-looking for his age. No corporation on him, if you know what I mean. MULVEY Uh-huh. (to Miller) Got it? (Miller nods... to Harvey) Do you know Henderson? HARVEY Never saw him. MULVEY (to Miller) Shoot a wire on this to Baltimore. Miller nods. Hoffman comes into living room, carrying medical case. HOFFMAN Here's the ring she was wearing. (Mulvey takes ring) I'll phone you after the autopsy... Have fun. MULVEY (looking at ring) Likewise. Hoffman goes out. MARTHA (eagerly) Sir... that ring... it's a black star sapphire... very rare. She said her brother sent it from India. MULVEY Did she have any other jewelry? MARTHA Oh -- a lot. Valuable. She kept it in a jewel box, locked. MULVEY Let's go get it. (as Martha hesitates) Please. Hesitantly Martha goes into bedroom, the others following. At the moment of their entrance, Nick is spraying the surface of the vanity table with iodine vapor. The photographer, lying on his side, is making a photograph of the floor beneath the bed. PHOTOGRAPHER (to Nick) Okay... You can pick up that bottle under the bed now. NICK (spraying) Check. MULVEY Nick -- can we open a drawer in that table? NICK Yeah. I've gone over them. MARTHA (horrified) What are you doing to the furniture? NICK (smiling) Investigating it. During the ensuing scene, Nick puts down the atomizer, crawls under bed and gets the bottle out by means of looping a string over the neck of it. MULVEY Come on, Martha. Martha opens a drawer. A startled look comes to her face. She frantically pulls open the other drawer. MARTHA She had bracelets and rings... diamond rings... They're all gone. It must have been thieves that killed her. MULVEY (Softly, to Halloran) Another detective. (to Martha) Could you describe the jewelry? MARTHA Most of it, I think. MULVEY Fine. Go in and rest yourself now. As Martha goes out, Nick stands up, holding the bottle of pills by the looped string. NICK Looks like Seconal. MULVEY (Peering at it) Jimmy -- I want to start questioning those two in there. You start your leg work. Get the number of this prescription, see the druggist. From him go to the doctor. Then go to the dress shop she worked at. HALLORAN Right. He writes down druggist's name and prescription number. The policeman comes to door of living room. POLICEMAN Lieutenant -- the newspaper men are here. MULVEY Okay, I'm coming. (to Nick) Getting any fingerprints, Nick? NICK Nothing good so far. Half prints, quarter prints -- that's all. MULVEY (going toward living room... soberly -- to Halloran) Looks to me like a heavy case -- a heavy case. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. MADISON AVE. - DAY SOUND: STREET NOISES Halloran moves to one side to avoid a fat man with an English bulldog on leash. An itinerant bootblack gestures toward his shoes but he shakes his head. He pauses at the entrance to a drugstore on the corner, checks the address against his memo book, goes in. NARRATOR (conversationally, heard above street noises) An investigation for murder is under way now in the city of New York. It will advance methodically, by trial and error, by leg and brain work, by asking a thousand questions to get one answer. Ever look for a needle in a dark house? You can find it -- if you're patient enough. Just get down on your knees, examine every inch of every floor of every room -- and you'll find it. The Homicide Squad, my friends, is made up of patient men. Ever work a jigsaw puzzle? Ever try to find a murderer? Ever play button-button? INT. DRUGSTORE - DAY There is no one at the prescription counter. He rings a little bell placed there for that purpose. The druggist appears, a short, bald, stout man. Halloran shows him his badge in the palm of his hand, speaks to him, reads from his memo book. Druggist disappears for an instant, returns with his prescription book, turns the pages until he finds the Dexter prescription. DRUGGIST AND HALLORAN DRUGGIST Dr. Lawrence Stoneman -- office in the Squibb Building. (leans forward) Confidentially -- a doctor in the dough -- high class. HALLORAN (writing) Do you happen to remember Miss Dexter? DRUGGIST (shaking head) A one-shot customer. HALLORAN Not even by the fact you made up sleeping pills for her? Druggist laughs, leans forward. DRUGGIST Confidentially, half the people in this city can't sleep without pills. Hurry up... hurry up... too much hurry up. HALLORAN Thanks. You've been a help. As Halloran starts out of drugstore CAMERA FOLLOWS HIM. NARRATOR Ask a question, get an answer, write it down... INT. DEXTER'S LIVING ROOM - DAY Patrolman at door. Martha Swenson on couch. Mulvey, puffing his pipe, has memo book in hand. Mulvey has his coat off. MULVEY Did she have any other men friends? MARTHA None I know of, sir. Just this Niles man. Robert Niles -- a lovely man. Mulvey scribbles in memo book, rubs his nose thoughtfully, rises, crosses living room to bedroom door, opens it. INT. BEDROOM - DAY The bedroom lights have been switched off. Nick is operating a portable ultra-violet lamp. It casts a beam of intense violet light. He is using it like a searchlight to explore every inch of the walls. The bedroom has been transformed since we last saw it -- ripped apart. The bed has been taken down, wallpaper stained in various spots, lamps taken apart, etc. MULVEY (softly) How are you doing, Nick? NICK (softly) Not too bad. Found two grey hairs on the rug. MULVEY Grey, eh?... How about fingerprints? NICK No good ones yet. Mulvey closes door, crosses to Martha, looks closely at her hair. Martha draws back in alarm. MULVEY (smiling) Don't you mind me. Just admirin' your hair. Martha smiles a little, flattered. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. A STREET - DAY Halloran is wiping his sweaty face as he walks. He stops, looks up. NARRATOR (leisurely) Ask a question and take a walk. Hop a bus and ask a question. Jimmy Halloran's an expert with his feet. He pounded a beat in the Bronx for a year as a cop... during the war he walked halfway across Europe with a rifle in his hand. Ever play button- button in a city of eight million people -- EXT. SQUIBB BUILDING - DAY stretching to sky. EXT. AT THE ENTRANCE - DAY Halloran is entering building. INT. DR. STONEMAN'S RECEPTION ROOM - DAY A medium-sized room, tastefully furnished. Two patients waiting, both women in their middle years, well dressed. An elderly nurse at desk. Nurse looks up as Halloran enters. He approaches desk, speaks quietly. HALLORAN Is Dr. Stoneman in? NURSE (dubiously) Do you have an appointment? HALLORAN I'm from the Police Department. It's quite important. (shows his badge) NURSE Just a moment. She goes out of room. Halloran walks to a large window that looks out over the city. INT. THE CITY FROM HALLORAN'S POV - DAY NARRATOR There's the layout, Jim. The man who killed Jean Dexter is somewhere down there. Can't blame him for hiding, can you? NURSE'S VOICE Dr. Stoneman'll see you. INT. WAITING ROOM - DAY Halloran follows nurse through door into a corridor, then into an office. INT. STONEMAN'S PRIVATE OFFICE - DAY Dr. Stoneman, in a white gown, is just coming through another door from an examination room. He is a handsome, keen-looking man of fifty, with iron-grey hair. We saw him playing bridge at 1:00 A.M. DR. STONEMAN Yes sir. What can I do for you? Have a seat. HALLORAN (sitting) I want to ask you about a patient of yours -- Jean Dexter. Stoneman, who has been walking around to his swivel chair, pauses, turns. DR. STONEMAN Dexter? Are you sure she's my patient? HALLORAN You wrote a prescription for her two weeks ago -- Seconal. Stoneman thinks, then nods. STONEMAN Yes, a blonde girl. Very handsome, I remember now... Dexter. (sits; starts going through card file) What department are you from, Officer? HALLORAN Homicide. STONEMAN (stiffening) Oh? Don't tell me that girl murdered someone? HALLORAN Someone murdered her. STONEMAN What? (a pause -- very distressed) My goodness... when... HALLORAN Last night sometime. A pause. Stoneman shakes his head. Pulls card out of file. STONEMAN What do you want to know? HALLORAN Whatever you can tell me about her. STONEMAN (angrily) She needed a good spanking. Took Benzedrine by day, needed sleeping pills at night. I told her to slow up -- but no. Life was too short for her. (shakes head again) Burned out now. All her fresh, young beauty on a scrap heap. Excuse me, Officer, but I'm a doctor because I'm interested in people. I hate to see human beings waste themselves. (shrugs, falls silent) HALLORAN Can you tell me anything else about her? Her life -- her friends? STONEMAN No. Nothing. I only saw her that one visit. HALLORAN I guess that's all, Doctor. Thank you. (stands) Stoneman nods and tosses the card on the desk. Halloran leaves. EXT. MADGE LIVINGSTON'S DRESS SHOP ON FIFTH AVENUE - DAY This is the same shop we saw in the early morning. Two young, shabbily dressed girls are staring at a glittering evening dress on dummy in window. FIRST GIRL Imagine me in that! SECOND GIRL I can't imagine. FIRST GIRL In the Sert Room of the Waldorf Astoria. With Frankie singing. SECOND GIRL I can't imagine. FIRST GIRL Gosh, I'd commit murder for a dress like that. It's a pome by Shakespeare, that's what it is. Lookit that feller. What do you suppose he's buying? HALLORAN FROM POV OF THE GIRLS - DAY He is talking to a woman. SECOND GIRL'S VOICE I can't imagine. FIRST GIRL'S VOICE Oh, you -- you're so uncooperative I could slam you. INT. MADGE LIVINGSTON'S DRESS SHOP - DAY Mrs. Livingston is handsome, middle-aged, well tailored, with a fancy way of speaking. MRS. LIVINGSTON (seriously) ...and somewhere in the back of her pretty head there was a fixed notion that she couldn't be happy without being rich. I don't think Jean ever would have married unless the man had money -- real money. HALLORAN Why did you fire her? MRS. LIVINGSTON (shrugs) Gentlemen sometimes come here with their wives. When Jean Dexter modeled, many of them left my shop a little too interested in her. Their wives didn't like it -- and neither did I. HALLORAN I see. Can I talk to her friend now -- the model you spoke about? MRS. LIVINGSTON (rising) Ruth Young? Yes. I'll call her. She leaves. EXT. AT SHOP WINDOW - DAY FIRST GIRL You see -- he's gonna buy something. Oh, I can't bear it. SECOND GIRL It's getting late. We better go. FIRST GIRL So what if we're late? SECOND GIRL The boss'll holler. FIRST GIRL Let him holler. Strengthen his lungs. Oh, lookit. EXT. HALLORAN FROM POV OF THE GIRLS - DAY Madge Livingston and Ruth Young approaching him. Ruth Young is a lovely girl in her early twenties. She is wearing a striking evening gown. As the two girls talk, we see Mrs. Livingston introduce Halloran and Ruth and leave them. FIRST GIRL Oh, I can't bear it. Oh, I'm going. What a dress. It's a pome. SECOND GIRL A pome. By you everything's a pome. FIRST GIRL (leaving) Oh, Millie -- you got no imagination. She leaves. Other follows, looking offended. INT. DRESS SHOP - DAY Ruth has a quiet, attractive manner, good speech. HALLORAN Miss Young -- I understand you modeled with Jean Dexter? RUTH (nodding) We're friends, too. (hesitates) Is she in trouble, Mr. Halloran? HALLORAN Well... She is kind of wild, isn't she? RUTH Oh, no... Maybe Mrs. Livingston would call her wild, but I wouldn't. She's full of fun... wonderful company. HALLORAN Do you know anybody who has cause to dislike her? RUTH No... HALLORAN How about Mrs. Henderson? RUTH Who's she? HALLORAN Well, Miss Dexter and Mr. Henderson are very friendly, aren't they? RUTH She never told me about a man named Henderson. HALLORAN (disappointed) Are you sure? RUTH Really, Mr. Halloran -- Jean's my friend -- I don't think I want to answer any more questions unless you tell me why you're asking them. HALLORAN (watching her) She was found dead this morning. Ruth gasps. Her face goes white. She looks as though she will collapse. Halloran grabs her arm, pulls a chair up. HALLORAN (gently) Sit down... Rest a moment. (Ruth obeys) I'm sorry. Halloran walks over to a water cooler for a glass of water. NARRATOR Learn anything, Halloran? How does it add up? Button, button, where's the button? DISSOLVE TO: EXT. 10TH PRECINCT STATION HOUSE - DAY An elderly fireman has opened a hydrant on this hot summer day for the neighborhood kids. A half dozen kids in bathing suits, trunks and underwear shorts are reveling in the water. A boy of ten, lying on the street, puts his face in the water, blows bubbles. BOY I'm a whale. Lookit... (blows bubbles) Lookit me... I'm a whale. A tough little girl of twelve sneaks up behind him, pushes his head under water, runs off. During this, two men have come along street -- Niles and Perelli. Boy gets up, gasping. BOY I'll moider you. I'll cut your head off. FIREMAN (reprovingly) Such language. One of the two men -- Robert Niles -- laughs. NILES (to fireman -- in passing) In front of a police station, too. CAMERA HOLDS on two men going up station steps. INT. MULVEY'S OFFICE - DAY A smaller office than Donahue's. Simply furnished. On Mulvey's desk there is a photograph of a pleasant-looking woman in her late twenties, with two little girls. They are dressed in the fashion of 1920. Mulvey is at his desk, Miller in a chair. Miller is reading from notebook. MILLER The janitor's story of his whereabouts last night is being checked. Ditto the maid. No report yet on fingerprints. Constentino is on his way to Lakewood to see the girl's parents. Door opens. One of the two men we saw on the street a moment earlier comes in. He is Detective Perelli, forty, husky, hard-faced. PERELLI Got Robert Niles, Lieutenant. MULVEY Have him in. (rises, starts cleaning pipe) NILES enters, a man in his early thirties. He is tall, unusually handsome, with a straightforward, attractive quality about him. He wears a Service Discharge emblem. Perelli shuts door, sits down in corner. MULVEY Thank you for coming down, Mr. Niles. I'm Lieutenant Mulvey. (gestures) Make yourself comfortable. This is Sergeant Miller. NILES (sitting down -- smiling) How do you do... (looks around) I've never been in a police station. Why'd you want to see me, Lieutenant? MULVEY (cleaning pipe) Just a routine check on something. Did you ever run across a girl named... (looks at paper as though he had forgotten name) ...Dexter? NILES Jean Dexter? Why, yes... we're good friends. MULVEY How long have you known her? NILES A little over a year. She helps me out in my business occasionally. She's a model. MULVEY What business is that? NILES Merchandising consultant. (hands Mulvey a card) I help out-of-town buyers get woolens, dress goods... Anything in the textile line. MULVEY Do you pay Miss Dexter a salary? NILES No... just a... bonus from time to time when she does something. MULVEY Like what? NILES (shrugs) Modeling... entertaining somebody for me. MULVEY When did you see her last? NILES Yesterday. We had lunch together. Why? MULVEY You haven't seen her since? NILES No. Is anything the matter? (leans forward) MULVEY (softly) She's dead. Murdered. Niles sinks back, shocked, incredulous. Mulvey watches him. Perelli leaves quietly. INT. OUTER OFFICE OF HOMICIDE SQUAD - DAY Halloran and Ruth come in. Ruth has changed to street clothes. Halloran motions for her to wait, crosses to a detective at a desk -- a man of fifty-five, HENRY FOWLER. HALLORAN (low-voiced) Mulvey back yet? FOWLER Inside. Talking to a guy. Halloran presses buzzer on desk and picks up phone. HALLORAN (into phone -- low- voiced) Dan? Jimmy. Got a girl here -- Ruth Young. Friend of Dexter's. Model at Livingston's. INT. MULVEY'S OFFICE - DAY MULVEY (into phone; writing a memo) Hold it. I'll buzz. As Mulvey puts down phone, Niles looks at him, shakes his head. NILES This is terrible. I feel sick over it. Niles raises his hands, looks at them. They are trembling. NILES (continuing) My hands haven't trembled like this since I was in the South Pacific. MULVEY (conversationally) What happened to you there? NILES (tossing it off) Oh... my first time in combat... MULVEY What outfit were you in? NILES Seventy-seventh... INT. CLOSE SHOT OF MILLER - DAY writing down a memo. MULVEY'S VOICE I think I had a cousin in that one. It's a New York division, isn't it? NILES'S VOICE Yes. INT. BACK TO SCENE - DAY MULVEY Corporal James Dennis... NILES Don't remember him. I was a Captain. Mulvey, starting to stuff his pipe, looks across the room at Miller. Miller rises quietly, goes out. MULVEY We want to find the person who murdered Jean Dexter, Mr. Niles. NILES (leaning forward -- passionately) Anything I can tell you! MULVEY Anyone you know who might've had a reason to kill her? NILES (shaking head) Everyone liked Jean. MULVEY (glancing at memo book) Do you happen to know a friend of Miss Dexter's called Ruth Young? NILES (hesitating) Ruth Young? No, I... Oh, yes... a model, isn't she? MULVEY I think so. How well do you know her? NILES I've met her once or twice at parties Jean gave. Mulvey presses buzzer twice. MULVEY And how long did you know Miss Dexter? NILES About a year. MULVEY See her often? NILES Why, yes, I... The door opens. Halloran appears with Ruth Young. Ruth sees Niles, who has turned. RUTH (running to him) Robert, why are you here? NILES (awkwardly) Why, hello, Ruth. Ruth catches hold of his arm, turns to Mulvey angrily. RUTH You don't think he could've been involved in Jean's death? He hardly knew her. MULVEY (flatly) How do you know? RUTH Well, of course I know! Robert and I are engaged. MULVEY Congratulations. He looks steadily at Niles, who shifts very uneasily. DISSOLVE TO: INT. TECHNICAL RESEARCH LAB - DAY Nick and an assistant are carefully examining Henderson's pajamas under an X-ray machine. NARRATOR The items that make up this murder are being compiled now... INT. AUTOPSY ROOM OF THE MORGUE - DAY Dr. Hoffman, in a surgical gown and mask, wipes the perspiration off his forehead. His assistant hands him a surgical instrument. NARRATOR They'll be listed in a folder marked Dexter, Jean... along with some questions... EXT. PENNSYLVANIA STATION - DAY as a detective approaches a taxicab dispatcher. The two men exchange a few words, and the dispatcher makes a notation in his notebook. NARRATOR Is Henderson the murderer? Did a taxicab take him to the Pennsylvania Railroad Station? INT. BALTIMORE POLICE STATION - DAY CLOSE SHOT BULLETIN BOARD MARKED: 18TH PRECINCT STATION, BALTIMORE, MD. A hand reaches in, pins a notice on board. NARRATOR Who is Henderson? Where does he live? Who knows him? INSERT OF NOTICE READING: "Police Chief, Baltimore, MD. Please ascertain info about resident your city name Philip Henderson age about 50, grey hair, tall build. Confidential. Quick reply urgent. Mulvey, New York" CAMERA PULLS BACK to SHOW several detectives moving in to read it. INT. OFFICE BUILDING HALLWAY - DAY as janitor admits Perelli to office. Sign on door reads: ROBERT NILES BUSINESS CONSULTANT INT. NILES'S OFFICE - DAY PERELLI (as they enter) Do you know Niles? The janitor smiles smugly, waves his hand. He is a small man, bald. JANITOR Sure. I keep tabs on everybody. I'm sharp. PERELLI What kind of a business does he run? JANITOR He don't run any. They are looking around the office now. It is sparsely furnished. PERELLI How do you know? JANITOR I'm sharp. Nobody comes to see him. No secretary. Nothing to clean out of his waste basket. Don't spend much time here himself. He's a bust. Perelli goes to desk, opens side drawers. The first one is empty. The second has a bottle of whiskey. The third has an autographed photo of Jean Dexter. TO SWEETHEART FROM JEAN Perelli closes drawers, tries middle drawer. It is empty except for a book: The Campaigns of the South Pacific. Perelli closes drawer, starts out. JANITOR (smugly) See... told you I was sharp. INT. OUTER OFFICE OF HOMICIDE SQUAD - DAY Mulvey is escorting Ruth Young to the door. MULVEY I might be wanting to see you again. RUTH Any time you say. (quietly) Jean was my friend. MULVEY You won't leave town without letting me know? (opening door) RUTH Oh? All right... Good-bye. MULVEY 'Bye. (closes door -- turns to Fowler) Lovely girl, isn't she? Lovely. FOWLER Yeah! MULVEY Lovely long legs. FOWLER Yeah -- yeah. MULVEY Keep looking at 'em. FOWLER A pleasure. Fowler rises, grabs Panama hat, leaves. As Mulvey crosses back to office, Miller holds up his hand to intercept him. Miller is talking on the phone, seated at a desk. He is scribbling a note. MILLER (into phone) Thanks. He hangs up, rises, speaks to Mulvey. MILLER Couple of things. One: Medical examiner called in. Dexter died between one and two A.M. MULVEY I see. MILLER (handing him memo) And here are a few interesting items on our friend inside. Mulvey reads the memo, exchanges a look with Miller, then goes into his office, followed by Miller. INT. MULVEY'S OFFICE - DAY as Mulvey and Miller enter. Niles is seated, smoking comfortably. Halloran is sitting behind him. MULVEY (with a smile) Mr. Niles... NILES (returning smile -- gracefully) These things happen, Lieutenant. I told you I didn't know Ruth Young very well. Now you know we're engaged. (grins) Can't blame a man for wanting to keep his fiancée out of a murder case, can you? MULVEY (pleasantly) I never had a fiancée in a murder case. (ingratiatingly) And just between ourselves... you never told your fiancée what good friends you and Miss Dexter were -- did you? NILES Ruth's a bit jealous, Lieutenant. (frankly) You understand... MULVEY Uh huh... I wonder now... is there anything else you told me that isn't... strictly true? NILES (earnestly) I have no reason to lie to you, Lieutenant. MULVEY (softly) I've got a report in front of me says you never were in the South Pacific, Mr. Niles. You weren't in the 77th Division. You weren't an officer. You weren't in the Army. Niles's smile has faded. He looks wretched. NILES (miserably) I suppose you think I'm a heel... (passionately) I didn't even wait for the draft. I tried to enlist. They wouldn't take me. I've got a trick knee from college football. I just couldn't get in. MULVEY That's all right with me... but why lie about it? NILES I don't know. Stupid pride, I suppose. MULVEY How did you spend the war years, Mr. Niles? NILES I was in Chicago. Same business I have now. MULVEY Been at it long? NILES Six or seven years. Since college. MULVEY Doing pretty well? NILES Very good these days. Mulvey picks up phone, buzzes at same time. MULVEY (into phone) Is Perelli back? (pause) Send him in. (pause) Mulvey smiles at Niles. Niles smiles back. Door opens, Perelli enters. MULVEY What can you tell us about Mr. Niles's business? Niles stiffens. PERELLI He ain't got a business. It's a dodge. No credit rating. Dropped from his university club for nonpayment of dues. Still owes a food and liquor bill of $110.83. A pause. Niles looks very crestfallen. MULVEY (genially) I've been thirty-eight years on the force, Mr. Niles. I've been a cop on the beat, I've been with the Safe and Loft Squad, I've been twenty-two years in the Homicide Division. But in a lifetime of interrogatin' an' investigation', you are probably the biggest an' most willing liar I ever met. NILES (bursting out) All right, I'm a liar. I'm a circus character altogether. But I didn't kill Jean Dexter. I told you where I was last night. Why don't you check on that? MULVEY We're doing that right now. NILES (angrily) Okay then. That's fine. (suddenly -- a change of mood) I'm sorry. I'm not angry at you, Lieutenant. You're just doing your job. The truth is I'm ashamed of myself. (frankly) My family used to have money and position. Since I got out of college, I haven't been much of a success. I'm trying to keep up a front... (earnestly) But I'm only a small-time liar, Lieutenant. Believe me. On important things I'm straight as a die. MULVEY (softly) Every man to his taste. NILES Ask me anything you want. Jean was my friend. I want to help you. MULVEY (consulting notebook) You spent close to fifty dollars last night at the Trinidad Club. Where'd you get the money? Niles hesitates, then speaks frankly, with obvious shame. NILES I play a sharp game of bridge with Park Avenue friends. I take a flier on the stock market. On inside tips. When I'm hard up, I borrow money... That's the truth. MULVEY Thank you... (consulting notebook) Now about this man Henderson. You say you only met him once in Miss Dexter's apartment. Would you describe him to me? NILES Well... medium height; husky; blonde hair; wore glasses... looked to be about thirty-five... MULVEY Uh... huh... Phone RINGS. MULVEY (into phone) Lieutenant Mulvey... (listens with interest) Yes... Yes... (face falls) Oh... All right. (hangs up; to Niles) Well, Mr. Niles, after telling me a lot of stories about a lot of things, you apparently told me an accurate story of where you were last night. Four witnesses put you at the Trinidad Club at the time Jean Dexter died. (a gesture) I guess you're in the clear, Mr. Niles. NILES (wearily) I told you I never lie about important things... Any more questions? MULVEY I guess not. Niles rises, starts to go, stops. NILES You know -- I'm not as much of a heel as I sound. I'm trying to catch on to a good job in industry. One of these days I will. MULVEY (softly) I wish you the best. NILES Good-bye, then. MULVEY Good luck. Niles leaves. Door closes. MULVEY (continuing -- softly to Perelli) Keep two men on him in three shifts. Perelli nods, leaves. MULVEY (to Miller) I don't want a thing said to the newspapers about Niles. He's not even in this case. Miller nods. MULVEY (continuing) Spent fifty dollars last night, he said. On that much a week I supported a wife and raised two kids. HALLORAN Sure, but you were brought up on the wrong side of the tracks. Mulvey smiles slightly. EXT. HOMICIDE SQUAD BUILDING - DAY Niles exits, putting on his coat. He trudges wearily down the street. Two detectives come out of building, start slowly after Niles. EXT. THE SAME STREET - DAY Garza is standing near a hot dog and ice cream wagon that travels the streets. He is sucking a popsicle and watching Niles. He turns and goes the other way. INT. MULVEY'S OFFICE - DAY CAMERA PULLS BACK to REVEAL Mulvey, Miller, Halloran -- in consultation. Present as a special audience is Donahue. There is a portable blackboard in office, on which are written the following names: MARTHA SWENSON NED HARVEY RUTH YOUNG ROBERT NILES PHILIP HENDERSON Miller is talking, reading from his notebook. MILLER The only good fingerprints we got were of the maid and Jean Dexter... The Baltimore police say they can't locate anyone so far who answers Henderson's description... The pajamas in Dexter's apartment show nothing under the X-ray. They're an English import and never been washed. All stores that carry the line are being checked. (looks up -- to Donahue) That's it, Captain. DONAHUE (to Mulvey) Very little to go on. This man Niles... how's his alibi for last night? MULVEY He seems in the clear. So does everybody else we've connected with so far. HALLORAN So Henderson's our only suspect... MULVEY How about this man? Mulvey crosses to the blackboard, picks up chalk. Underneath Henderson's name he writes: JOSEPH P. MCGILLICUDDY HALLORAN Who's he? DONAHUE (smiling) McGillicuddy is Dan's name for any unknown party in a case. HALLORAN You mean two men did the murder? MULVEY Maybe there were five. All I know is there was more than one. HALLORAN How do you know? Mulvey looks around the room, then sits on his desk. He pats it. MULVEY This is a bed... For a moment, I'm an attractive little lady. (smiles to Halloran) How would you chloroform me, Mr. Henderson? Halloran studies the question, takes a handkerchief out of his pocket. HALLORAN I guess the best way'd be if I stood behind you. He goes behind Mulvey and gestures how he would lock his forearm over Mulvey's throat, and use the other hand to apply the chloroform. MULVEY Correct -- that's the way one man would do it. He jumps down, opens drawer, brings out a pile of 8 by 10 photos, shuffles them, selects one. Meanwhile, he keeps talking. MULVEY (continuing) We just got the photographs. They show finger marks on both arms. He tosses a photo on desk. All crowd around it. INSERT PHOTO It shows chin, neck, shoulders only. Visible are some blue marks. MULVEY'S VOICE (over close shot) That means a man stood behind her and held her arms with both hands, while Henderson or someone else chloroformed her. A strong man, with thick, strong fingers. INT. BACK TO SCENE - DAY All look up from photo, gaze at Mulvey with excitement. MULVEY (continuing) And that man was my old, old friend, Joseph P. McGillicuddy. A pause. DONAHUE You're right, Dan. HALLORAN Now we have to find two men. DONAHUE You have to find them. I'm busy on half a dozen other cases. Good night, gentlemen. ALL Good night. Donahue leaves. MILLER Need me any more? Mulvey waves him good night. Miller goes. Mulvey looks at blackboard. MULVEY A heavy case... (thinks) Why is Niles such a liar? (pause) What's in his heart? Is he just a blowhard or...? (pause) A heavy case... The door opens, Miller appears, wearing hat. MILLER (excitedly) Say... there's an old dame outside says she can crack the Dexter case. Mulvey gestures for her to be brought in. Miller steps out, ushers in a sweet-faced old lady of sixty-five. She is dressed in an old-fashioned manner and, in spite of the heat, wears a feather boa around her neck. She has a folded newspaper under her arm. She speaks with a Southern accent. OLD LADY Are you the officer in charge of the bathtub murder? MULVEY Yes, M'am. OLD LADY (approaching) This one? She spreads the newspaper on the desk. INSERT NEWSPAPER HEADLINES Blonde Model Slain In Brutal Bathtub Killing MULVEY'S VOICE Yes, M'am. INT. BACK TO SCENE - DAY OLD LADY I can help you solve it. MULVEY Yes? OLD LADY My gran'daddy is Sheriff of Tuckahue County, Mississippi. He's... HALLORAN (gasping) Your gran'daddy? Mulvey puts his hand out and touches Halloran warningly. OLD LADY (explaining) Yes... I'm only in my twenties, you know. MULVEY (gently) And very handsome you are, too. OLD LADY (candidly) Yes, I know. So many men are crazy about me, I don't know what to do. (starts to leave) 'Bye now. (stops -- hesitates) Oh yes -- about the murder. I almost forgot. We'll have to get a front tooth from a hound dog. MULVEY Yes, M'am. OLD LADY Bury it fifty feet from the grave. On the third day after the first full moon, the murderer will confess. MULVEY Thank you, M'am. OLD LADY (starts off -- then stops) Prices are awfully high these days, aren't they? MULVEY Yes, M'am. OLD LADY I had to decide whether to spend a nickel on an apple for my supper -- or spend it on the subway to come up here. Mulvey fishes in his pocket, comes up with a dime, gives it to her. MULVEY Please. OLD LADY You're sweet. I'll put you down in my diary tonight. 'Bye now. MULVEY 'Bye. The old lady leaves. Miller gives them a look, also leaves. Mulvey and Halloran look at each other. HALLORAN How much of that have you had in thirty-eight years? MULVEY I couldn't count it. Every time there's a headline case. We'll be lucky if there isn't a lot more. HALLORAN 'Bye now. MULVEY (grinning) 'Bye. Halloran leaves. Mulvey turns to blackboard, looks at names. He erases all the names except those of Henderson, Niles, McGillicuddy. He stares at them. EXT. 14TH ST. - DAY Hurrying people are exiting from a department store. NARRATOR The day's work is over now... EXT. ANOTHER STREET - DAY Office workers are exiting from factory building at 99 Hudson Street. NARRATOR ...and several million people... EXT. QUEENSBORO BRIDGE - DAY A subway train is going over bridge. NARRATOR ...are on their way home... INT. SUBWAY CAR - DAY FULL SHOT PEOPLE NARRATOR ...tired and hot... INSERT A SITTING MAN eyes closed, face sweaty. NARRATOR Six A.M. tomorrow will come awfully soon. INSERT A SITTING GIRL young. She is staring, fascinated, at a tabloid and biting her fingernail. NARRATOR Must've been a hard day behind that counter, honey... INSERT TABLOID There is a lurid drawing of the murder being committed in the bathtub. Very wild. A CAPTION OVER IT SAYS: "Artist's Conception Of How Model Died." NARRATOR ...but don't bite your nails. Harry won't like it. And besides, this isn't how the murder was really committed. INT. BACK TO SCENE - DAY Halloran, hanging onto a strap, is reading a paper. Behind him are a stout girl and a young man. The stout girl is short and is peering at Halloran's paper from under his arm. STOUT GIRL Read about that bathtub murder? YOUNG MAN I'll say. Some figger that dame had. I wouldna minded being the wash rag in her bathtub. Haw! Haw! EXT. AT A BILLBOARD - DAY A newsboy has walked away from his stand to pencil a moustache on the face of an actress in a movie advertisement... Passersby on street. NEWSBOY (mechanically, as he draws... in double talk) Evening paper... Sensational... Tibet Report... Bathtub murder... Hitler reported hiding in... Artist's Model... Get your paper... Garza comes up, takes a paper, drops a nickel, walks off. A well-dressed man takes a paper. As he is fishing for change he observes newsboy with back turned. He walks off quickly without paying, a pleased smirk on his face. EXT. HALLORAN'S HOME - DAY as he opens door of his two-family home and enters. HALLORAN (calling) Anybody home? He throws his hat and newspaper on the couch and starts taking off coat. The room is combination living-room, dining-room with standard Grand Rapids furniture. The small table is set for dinner. In answer to his call, a voice comes from the kitchen. JANEY'S VOICE (O.S.) Hello, honey. She appears at kitchen door and comes toward him. She has on a playsuit with bare mid-riff and an apron. She is pretty in a quiet way, has a straightforward manner. Halloran pulls off tie and starts unbuttoning shirt. JANEY (continuing) Bet it was hot in Manhattan today. HALLORAN I was too busy to be hot. On a new case. (as he takes off shirt) The subway was a furnace, though. JANEY You too warm to say hello? HALLORAN Yup. He puts his arms around her, kisses her. JANEY Got you a nice, cool supper. Jellied tongue. HALLORAN (holding her) Swell. I'm hungry. Stop holding on to me. Let's go, I'm starved. She laughs. He kisses her, lets her go. HALLORAN (continuing) Where's Billy? JANEY I put him to bed. Listen, dear, I'm sorry to tell you but you've got a nasty job to do before supper. Halloran takes off the hip belt on which his gun holster hangs and puts it up on the closet shelf. Janey continues meanwhile. JANEY (continuing) Billy has to have a whipping. HALLORAN Why? JANEY He walked right out of the yard, crossed Stillman Avenue all by himself and went to the park. HALLORAN Well... I'll give him a real talking to. JANEY No you won't, you'll give him a real whipping, with a strap. HALLORAN Just a minute, honey... JANEY (interrupting) I know -- I know -- you don't believe in whipping a child. Neither have I until now. But do you want Billy run over by a truck? Halloran is silent. JANEY (continuing) I've reasoned with him, I've pleaded with him, I've threatened him. But the minute my back is turned, he's off. HALLORAN Well... he's a spunky kid, Janey. JANEY I don't want him to be a dead kid. HALLORAN (yielding) No... JANEY Go ahead then. Get it over with. HALLORAN Yeah, I guess I will... right after supper. JANEY Jimmy -- (points) HALLORAN I can't just go in there and take a strap to that boy. I've got to work up to it a little bit. JANEY You'd think I was asking you to kill him. Phone RINGS. HALLORAN If you think it's so easy, you whip him. (goes to phone) JANEY Me? That's not a woman's job. HALLORAN (at phone) Why does it have to be a man's job? JANEY It's always the man's job. HALLORAN (raising phone) Who says so? ...Hello. (listens) Oh... sure, Dan... yeah, right away. He hangs up, crosses to closet for gun. HALLORAN Got a call. I have to meet Mulvey right away. JANEY Without any supper? HALLORAN Save it for me... I'll grab a hamburger meanwhile. JANEY I wish you were an ice cream salesman or something. I don't like this night work and I don't like it every time you strap on that gun. Halloran is now putting on his shirt and tie. Janey takes off her apron. HALLORAN If I were an ice cream salesman, I'd get fat. Then you wouldn't like me. JANEY I don't like you now. HALLORAN (singing it) Oh, yes you do. JANEY Remember -- you've got a job before you leave this house. HALLORAN What? JANEY Billy. HALLORAN I can't stop for that now. JANEY (jumping up) Halloran -- you're a coward. HALLORAN (kissing her) 'Bye now. He grabs coat and starts off. JANEY Jimmy. He stops. She goes up and catches his arm, kisses him. JANEY (continuing) I'll wait up for you. HALLORAN Good deal. He runs his finger across her bare midriff. She wiggles a little. JANEY Where you going? HALLORAN To see a pretty girl. He runs his finger across her midriff again. She wiggles. JANEY Some place exciting, huh? HALLORAN Yes, dear. To the morgue. He pokes her with his finger, starts out. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. BUILDING MARKED: CITY MORTUARY - NIGHT as Detective Constentino approaches with a plainly dressed, middle-aged couple, the Batorys. The man and woman stare at the sign for a moment and then follow Constentino inside. INT. ANTEROOM OF MORTUARY - NIGHT MULVEY, HALLORAN AND UNIFORMED NURSE are seated, but rise when Constentino enters with the man and woman. Constentino is forty-five, husky, dark, competent appearing. Mr. Batory is fifty, thin, looking both strong and work-worn, with a neat little grey moustache and a bald head. Mrs. Batory is the same age, stocky, with a face and figure that show signs of an earlier peasant beauty. Mr. Batory looks stunned, grief-stricken, shocked beyond understanding. Mrs. Batory seems at the point of hysteria, her eyes red, her hands plucking at her dress, her hair, her face. CONSTENTINO This is Lieutenant Mulvey. (to Mulvey) Mr. and Mrs. Batory, the girl's parents. Before Mulvey can say anything, Mrs. Batory bursts out in an angry, injured, bitter tone. MRS. BATORY I told her! I knew she'd turn out no good. All these young girls... so crazy to be with the bright lights. There's no bright lights for her now, is there? (she stops, plucks at her dress) MULVEY (gently) She's at rest now, Mrs. Batory. MRS. BATORY (bitterly) No -- her kind of dead don't rest! And how 'bout us? The scandal -- God in Heaven! My husband's a gardener. He works for a banker, a highly respectable gentleman. He'll get fired now. Oh, I hate her, I hate her. MR. BATORY (miserably) Paula... MRS. BATORY Never mind... I hate her. I say it out straight. So fancy she was. Even had to change her name. Hah! MULVEY (uncomfortably) We'd better go in now. If you'll please follow the nurse. FOLLOW SHOT as nurse leads the way down a short hallway and into a room. The group follows. CAMERA is CLOSE on MRS. BATORY, who keeps muttering as she walks. MRS. BATORY I do hate her, I do. I warned her. A million times I warned her. INT. MORTUARY - NIGHT as group enters room. In the center is a table on which lies a covered body, the face out of CAMERA range. The Batorys stop dead. Mrs. Batory continues to mutter. MRS. BATORY I hate her. I hate her for what she done to us. Mulvey gestures to nurse. She walks toward body to raise sheet from face. MULVEY (to Batorys) Please tell me if she's your daughter. CLOSE SHOT BATORYS Mrs. Batory falls silent. An instant later we see by the reaction on both their faces that the face of the dead girl has been exposed. Mr. Batory seems to shrink back, become smaller. Mrs. Batory's lips quiver. MR. BATORY (dully) That's her... Mrs. Batory stands with trembling lips. Her hand plucks at her dress, her face. A sudden, hysterical scream bursts from her lips. MRS. BATORY My baby! Oh, my baby! She runs forward. INT. AT THE TABLE - NIGHT Mrs. Batory throws herself on foot of table, sobbing brokenly. The nurse is replacing the sheet. EXT. DEAD END STREET OVERLOOKING RIVER - NIGHT as Mr. and Mrs. Batory come up to bench. She sits down, he sits beside her. Behind them are Mulvey and Halloran. Mulvey pauses near them, begins stuffing a pipe. Halloran leans against a lamppost, smokes a cigarette. A police sedan, with Constentino and a driver, pauses a bit down the street. MRS. BATORY (low-voiced) I feel better now. The walk was good for me. MULVEY Are you sure you want to go home tonight? We can get you a hotel room. Batory looks at his wife, then shakes his head. MR. BATORY We'll go home. We don't like this place... (bitterly) ...this fine city. MRS. BATORY (diffidently -- to Mulvey) You don't know... who done it, huh? MULVEY Not yet. He fishes in his pocket, brings out the black star sapphire ring that was on Jean