Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950) - full transcript

'13th Precinct.
Address, 238 Third Avenue. '

'Cars 1235, 1236 and 78.'

'Signal, 30. Authority, CB.
Time, 9.03pm. '

'Dispatcher number 79.
Car 905, call the dispatcher. '

'88, 394. Dispatcher 88.'

'73rd Precinct.
Address, 171 Herzl Street. '

'Cars 1634, 1635 and 89.'

'Signal, 32.
Auto, out-of-town licence plates. '

'Operator entered basement
of that address. '

'Authority, CB. Time, 9.05pm. '

'Stations 88, 394.
Dispatcher number 79.'



Hello, Murphy.
You're late for the ceremony.

Still up in the squad room?
Yeah.

Lieutenant Thomas will be in charge
of this precinct...

and no-one else.

So far as you are concerned,
he has no superiors.

You'll give him your co-operation...

and your obedience,

and I expect this precinct

to maintain its high record with the
department under your new lieutenant.

Do you wish to make any remarks,
Lieutenant?

I'll talk to the men individually.

Good idea.

Dixon, I want to talk to you.

I'll use your office, Thomas.
Yes, sir.



That's all, boys.
Congratulations.

Good luck, Lieutenant.

Sit down, Dixon.

We've had 12 more legitimate citizen
complaints against you this month

for assault and battery.

From who? Hoods, dusters, mugs.
Lot of nickel rats.

You're a big disappointment to me,
Dixon.

You've just seen a man who
started out at the same time you did

take a big step up in the department,

which you'll never do
unless you get hold of yourself.

I know what to get hold of, sir:
A little more pull.

Sit still!

You've got to learn what's expected
of a police officer and what isn't.

Yes, sir. I'll try to learn
not to hate hoods so much.

You don't hate hoodlums, you like to
beat them up. You get fun out of it.

You like to read about yourself
in the newspapers

as the tough cop
who isn't afraid to wade in anywhere.

Your job is to detect criminals,
not to punish them.

Is that all, sir?

I'm reducing your rank, Dixon.
You're going back to second grade.

Any more complaints against you
for cruelty or roughhouse

and you'll be back in uniform
pounding a beat.

It's no fun telling you this.

You're a good man with a good brain,

but you're no good to the department
unless you learn to control yourself.

All right, you can go now.

Thank you, sir, for the advice.

Hey, Willie. Willie!

How you feelin', Willie?

Feelin' fine, thanks.

Don't you think
you'd better be in bed, Willie?

Parole rules allow me to 12 o'clock.
I got 20 minutes yet.

How's Mr Scalise, Willie?

What you tryin' to do, trap me?

I ain't consortin' with questionable
characters and nobody can prove I am.

That's a nice boy. You better
get to bed, it's good for you.

Sure.

Who is it?
Willie.

My point. Come on,
eight the hard way, two fours.

Seven the loser.
You're lucky tonight, Mr Morrison.

The little lady brought me luck.

Your dice, Mr Paine.
Pass.

Your dice, Mr Morrison.
OK, I'll shoot 3,000.

I'll take one.
I'll take 500 of it.

I'll take the rest. You're covered.

Hello.
Care to join our game, Mr Bender?

Sure, sure.
How are things?

Oh, fine.

Bumped into a couple of
old friends of ours, Dixon and Klein.

They asked about you, but I think
they're too busy to drop in.

Too bad.

All right, come on, dice!
Give it to me, a six. Right back.

Here we go, six!

Ten.
Ten.

Mr Morrison is from Texas,
and very rich.

Here, you breathe on 'em.

Now you got Lady Luck ridin'
with you, dice. This is it, a six!

Give it to me!

There it is, a six!

And getting richer.
Six is my lucky number.

I'll shoot the whole 6,000.

Are you taking any, gentlemen?
A grand.

Same here.

Four open.

You're covered, Mr Morrison.

I like your friends, Mr Paine.
Can't get better action in Amarillo.

All right, dice,
now we're going for the big money.

Come on!

What do you know? A seven!

If you don't mind,
I'd like to go home, Mr Morrison.

Morgan.
Ken, I have to be at work at 8.30.

That's right, you can't keep
a working girl up all hours.

Then I'll take you home, Morgan.
We'll all go. I'll get your things.

There y'are.

Mr Morrison.
Yes, sir?

You're 19 grand into it.

Oh, well, that's all right,
you'll get it back some other night.

I ain't leavin' town for a week.

Tell him you changed your mind,
you wanna stay.

No, Ken, I told you
I could only stay until midnight.

You can't do this to me!
I'm not doing anything to you.

I brought him here.

Oh...

So that's it.
Yes, that's it!

And you're foulin' me up again.
That's all you ever do!

You're telling him to stay.

No, I'm not.
Why, you...

Morgan!

You heel!

'16th Precinct. Address, 43rd Street
Hotel, 372c West 43rd Street. '

'Cars 618, 619 and 12,'
proceed immediately.

That's us.

Hello, Sergeant.
Hiya.

Foley.
Hi, Sarge.

Dice joint, huh?
Yeah. A floater.

Get his name?
Morrison. Big barracuda.

He was DOA.
Knife cut his heart in half.

Nobody did it, nobody saw it.

There's a cut on his hand.

He hit somebody hard.
Who runs this parlour?

Tommy Scalise. He's in there.

So dream boy finally
stepped into something, huh?

I've been waiting quite a while.

You should've gone home to bed,
Willie, like you were told.

You'd be asleep now,
with no parole troubles.

I live in this hotel.
I just dropped in for a cigarette.

How do you do, Mr Scalise?

Where did you hide the knife,
dream boy?

Go easy, Dixon.
Keep your hands off me.

Talk.
Wise up, Mr Dixon.

You made a monkey of yourself before,
trying to hang something on me.

Who killed him,
you or one of your playmates?

You find a corpse
and right away I'm a killer.

You've been a killer for a long time.

Have I? As I remember it,
the jury found me innocent,

and they weren't out
more than 15 minutes.

You're still a killer.

Why do you always try to push me
in the gutter, Dixon?

I got as much right
on the sidewalk as you.

Don't talk to me about rights.
You're a hood and a murderer.

You're a pretty smart rat, Scalise,
but this is your off night.

Why are you always jumpin' after me?

Four years jumpin' after me
like I was somebody special. Why?

That's right, getting you
is a special job of mine.

I can't figure you out.
Your father liked me...

Shut up!

Hello, Lieutenant.
Got anything, Dixon?

I've been waiting to tell you
what happened, Lieutenant.

Take them outside.
We'll question them later.

Congratulations on your promotion,
Lieutenant.

OK, OK. Let's have it.

Mr Morrison was brought here
by a fellow named Ken Paine,

sort of an acquaintance of mine.

There was a girl with him,
I, uh, didn't quite get her name.

A Morgan something.

Mr Morrison wanted
a little friendly play.

How much did he win?
He didn't win. He lost.

You're lying, Scalise.
Let's hear his story first, Dixon.

He lost a grand or so,
but he didn't care.

He was makin' a play for this girl,
showin' his stuff. Paine was jealous.

He hit the girl first, smacked her
hard on the face, and she ran out.

Then Morrison tackled Paine.

Morrison pulled a gun, but Paine
had him so he couldn't shoot,

and they wrestled into the bedroom.

Before I could call the cops,
Paine came out.

He didn't say anything, just left.

Then Morrison came out
and fell on the floor.

He was dead when I got to him.
What did you do with the knife?

There wasn't any weapon.

Paine must have taken it along.
You're lying, Scalise.

Let me handle him, Lieutenant.
What is Paine's address?

I don't know.

"K Paine, 58 Pike Street,
Chelsea 32099."

Another telephone number:
Murray Hill 59970. What's that?

A pool room on Third Avenue.

You won't have any trouble
picking him up. He was blind.

All neat and ready with the fall guy,
huh? Let me handle him...

Go after Paine, Dixon.

Come on, Paul.

Keep the change.

...IS-O-N. Yeah, Ted Morrison.

Kenneth Paine calling.

Don't answer? Maybe he's
in the bar. Have him paged.

But I gotta talk to him,
it's important.

Trying to get Ted Morrison
on the phone, huh?

Who are you?

Detective Dixon, 16th Squad.

Get out.

Maybe he's trying
to win his money back.

Don't give me that.
He was cleanin' up.

How much?

And he's gotta cut me in.

After what you did to him?

He started it!

All among friends.

Hello.

He isn't? Look, Kenneth Paine wants
him to call as soon as he comes in.

That's right.

I said get out. I don't like cops.

Ted Morrison is not gonna
call you back, Paine.

Nobody asked you.

Somebody sunk a knife
into Morrison. He's dead.

Dead?

You're lyin'.

Scalise is trying to frame you,
says you knifed him.

Go home.

I'm trying to help you. Scalise and
his boys are hanging a murder on you.

They knocked him off to get
their dough back after you left.

Come on.
No cop's gonna touch me!

Stand up alone, then.

I'll stand up when I wanna.

Get outta here.

Get out!

OK, buddy. Come on, let's go.

Come on.

Hello?
'Hello, Mark? '

Oh, hello, Paul.
'Did you find him? '

'Mark? Mark? '

Hello?

Hello? Operator, there's a bad
connection, get this line clear.

'Mark, can you hear me? '

Yeah.

I picked up some stuff on him
you ought to hear.

Go easy on him, he's a war hero.

'Got a hatful of medals
and a lot of newspaper friends. '

'When he got out of the service
he wrote a syndicated column. '

'I thought I'd tell you so you don't
muss him up if you run into him. '

'Going to wait there for him? '

Yeah, I'll stick around
in case he shows up.

'So long. '

Will you send a cab
to 58 Pike Street, please?

You call a cab?
No, not me.

Pennsylvania Station, please.
Yes, sir.

Give me a ticket to Pittsburgh,
the first train out.

17 dollars and 8 cents.

Hello, Paul. I covered a few bars
in the neighbourhood.

I just got here. See this?

Slipped in and out after I was here.

Probably watching you.

Nice piece of luck for me.

You can't be everywhere.

He took all his stuff
out of this closet kinda quick.

Just his uniform and one shoe.

There's another closet.

Nothing in there. It's empty.
Maybe somebody saw him get away.

There's an old lady
in the window downstairs.

Police. We'd like to talk to you.

What do you want?

How long have you been sitting here?

Since after dinner.
I always sit here at night.

You know Kenneth Paine?
Oh, yes, I know him.

Have you seen him tonight?
Yes. He left in a taxi.

When?
I don't know.

When you get old like me,
you don't care what time it is.

Approximately how long ago?
About 20 minutes, I think.

The taxi man woke me up.

Everybody wakes me up tonight.
Usually I can sleep here.

I always sleep here
since my husband died.

It seems less lonely. Music helps me.

Thank you, madam. Come on, Paul.

That's all, thank you.

He's running for it, huh?
We'll get him.

You cover the Yellow Cab stand,
see if you can pick up the driver.

I'll cover the independent garages.
OK.

Hey! Open up! I know you're in there!

Open up, you dirty rat! Open...

Where's the lieutenant?
Sign this. He's in there.

Lieutenant, we got a break on this.

One of the porters saw Paine
stick it in a locker.

Oh, good.

Here's the cab driver's statement.

"Picked up a fare at 58 Pike Street
at around 1.10." Is that right?

That's right.

You recognise this bag?

Yeah, the guy was carryin' it
when he came out of the house.

I noticed the name:
Kenneth something.

Yeah, Kenneth Paine.

He had a bandage under one eye.

Yeah, piece of tape.

Which eye?
Uh, the...

left eye, like this.

Under the left eye. Thanks,
you can go. We know where to get you.

Looks like we have a definite line
on Paine, Lieutenant.

The ticket agent at Penn station
sold him a ticket to Pittsburgh.

Evidently trying to throw us off.
He's probably holed up in town.

No line on the girl, Lieutenant.
Keep calling, Benson.

Scalise thinks she was either
an actress or a model.

Call the agencies on both,
as soon as they open in the morning.

Call CB and have them teletype
Paine's description to Pittsburgh.

Dixon, take yourself a rest. You too,
Klein, then get busy on the hotels.

Communication, please.
I'm going home for a few hours.

Knock off, Casey,
and then report back at eight.

Good night, boys.

Teletype the following description
to Pittsburgh: Age, about 36;...

Give me Communications.

...height, six feet one; weight,
180lbs; hair, dark; build, average...

You look beat, Mark.
Don't you feel good?

Hey, Mark, you awake?
Yeah.

We've got a line on the girl.

Her name is Morgan Taylor, from
Washington Heights. I got her number.

What is it?
Wentworth 35098.

Wentworth 35098.

All right, all right.

Hello.

Does Morgan Taylor live there?

Yeah, she lives here.

No, she ain't here now.
She's gone to work. Who's callin'?

Never mind, I'll call her later.

She's gone to work.
Have you got her employment address?

Here it is.

Friedman and Lyon, 525 Eighth Avenue.

Very nice. But too high-style
for my customers.

Maybe we could make a bolero, Oleg.
I'll sketch it.

Mmm, I'm not sure. I'll let you know
when I send the order in.

Thank you, Morgan.

It's OK with me. We have more orders
than we can fill on this number.

Did they notice it?
I don't think so.

Come here,
let me see it in the light.

Still shows a little.

I'll put some more pancake on it.

You know, Morgan,
it's your own fault. Hold that.

You keep thinking of him
as a glamour boy.

You won't see him for what he is,
which is definitely a jerk.

So he won the war
and freed the slaves!

Does that entitle him to spend
his life drinking barrels of whisky

and punching girls on the nose?

Don't worry.
I'm not going to see him any more.

You said that before.
He rolls his alcoholic eyes at you

and you set yourself up
for another left hook.

You can't help him, Morgan.

I guess you're right.
Someone to see you, Miss Taylor.

Who?
Oh, tell him to drop dead.

It's important, Mr Friedman said
to come to the office right away.

Miss Taylor,
this is Mr Dixon and Mr Klein.

They are police detectives.

How do you do?
How do you do?

Sit down, please, Miss Taylor.

We'd like to ask you a few questions.

What would you like to know?

You were with Kenneth Paine
last night?

Yes.

You were at a so-called
floating crap game

in the apartment
of a man named Scalise

at the 43rd Street Hotel. Correct?

Yes.

Have you been in touch
with Paine this morning?

No.

Have you any idea where he might be?

No, I haven't.

From what we hear, you're
pretty well acquainted with Paine.

Yes.
How well? Could you tell us?

I'm his wife.
Is that so?

But you're living with your father,
we understand.

Ken and I separated three months ago.

What happened at Scalise's
while you were there?

May I know why you're asking me
all these questions?

We'd rather tell you afterward,
if you don't mind.

Well, Kenneth was drinking
and...

we had a quarrel.

I understand he hit you.

Yes.

Did you see him hit Morrison?
No, I didn't. I left.

Where'd you go?
Home.

Take a taxi?

No, I met my father at his stand
a block from the hotel.

He's a taxi driver.
He drove me to the subway.

Did you hear from Paine
after you got home?

Yes, he telephoned.

What'd he say?
I don't know, I hung up.

What time was that?
About 12.30.

Did he call from his house?

No.
How do you know if you hung up?

Because my father went down
to Ken's place after he dropped me.

What for?
Really, is this necessary?

We think so, Miss Taylor.

I didn't want to tell him anything,

but I was crying,
and he noticed the bruise.

What'd he say?
He was very angry.

He told me before that...
What?

Well, that if Ken ever hit me again
he'd beat his head off.

Morrison was killed last night.

No!

At Scalise's place,
shortly after you left.

He was killed with a knife.

And you're looking for Ken
because you think he did it?

When did your husband start
getting jealous of Mr Morrison?

Jealous? That's silly.

Mr Morrison was somebody
I hardly knew.

But you went out with him.
No, Ken asked me out to dinner.

You just said you were separated
from your husband.

Yes, but he kept insisting,
and I felt sorry for him.

When I got to the restaurant,
he had Mr Morrison with him.

Then after dinner
Ken took us to this gambling place.

Then I realised
all he wanted to see me for

was to use me as a sort of decoy
to help get Mr Morrison to go there.

I was sinking pretty low, I thought.

Poor Ken.
He must be desperate for money.

Why did Paine hit you?

Because I wanted to go home.
He didn't want Mr Morrison to leave.

Because Morrison was winning.

Yes.
How much was he ahead?

A great deal.
I think they said about 19,000.

Thank you for the information.
We won't bother you any longer.

Hi!
Well, hi!

Hello, Jack.

Hello, Morgan.
Night, Mary. See you around.

Night.

Oh, Miss Taylor.

Hello.
Good evening.

I'd like to talk to you.
Have you found Ken?

No.

You think I know where he's hiding
and won't tell.

Where are you going now?

Home.
Would you mind if I came along?

A nice way to put it when you're
out to give me the third degree.

This is no third degree,
this is strictly off the record.

Have you come to nab me
as a gambling-house habituée?

I'm not really. I've never been
in one of those places before.

Are you... are you having dinner
with anyone?

You inviting me?
Yes.

I take that subway, there. It'll
take me a few minutes to change.

That's good enough.

Hey, Dad, you home?
I'm cookin'.

There's company.
Dames?

No.

This is my father. Mr Dixon.

Mark Dixon!
Glad to know you.

You don't remember me.

I'm Jiggs Taylor.

I'm sorry, I don't recall.
Excuse me, I'll get ready.

Well, sit down,
I'll tell you about it.

It's 2am.
I'm cruisin' through Central Park.

There's a blizzard goin' on.

A detective jumps in my cab and says

"Follow that black sedan,
it's full of thieves. "

So I give her the gas.

Here, here's the diploma
the mayor gave me.

"For aiding Detective Mark Dixon
in a time of danger. "

Oh, yes. Six years ago.

Say, Dad, let's hear about
how they opened fire

and riddled your cab with bullets.

Mark can tell you himself.
Can't you, Mark?

Yes, there were a few shots fired.

A few shots? Dad always said it was
a bigger battle than the Argonne.

That's the trouble with
the new generation: No respect.

How about a drink, Mark?

No, thanks.
On duty, huh?

I suppose you're workin'
on that Morrison killing?

That's right.
Cigarette?

Thanks.

Any other suspects besides Ken?

That fella Scalise, huh?
I've heard about him.

The department thinks he's clean on
that job. He's been released on bail.

He's on a gambling charge only.
But you got your own ideas, huh?

He lied about Morrison being
the loser when the game broke up.

Your daughter
says he was about 19,000 ahead.

It looks like a cinch he's the guy.

I wouldn't tell a lot of people

about going up to Paine's place
last night to beat him up.

I don't care how many people hear it.
He's had it coming for some time.

Oh, Dad, please! Mr Dixon isn't
interested in my life story.

I ask you, what would you do
if you had a son-in-law like that?

You know, it is a lucky thing
I didn't find him in last night.

I'd've...

I forgot to ask you, I've been
so excited over meetin' you again:

How about some chow?
I got enough for three.

No, Dad, we're going out.
Well, we could talk over old times.

I'll be seeing you, Mr Taylor.
Nice meeting you again.

Well, least I'm glad
she's goin' out with somebody

who ain't gonna land her
up to her neck in crooks.

You're horrible, Dad!

Good night.
Good night, honey. Have fun, kids.

Good evening, Mr Detective.
Where've you been hangin' out?

Hello, Martha.
Good evening.

How do you do?

You know, I like places like this

that specialise in good food
instead of head waiters.

It's the worst food in town.

But don't worry, they usually serve
a stomach pump with the dessert.

Who invited you to come to
my restaurant, Mr Detective? Not me.

Martha's the head
of a ring of burglars.

My presence makes her nervous.

Last night we got a whole basketful
of diamonds. You wanna see?

Bring us two of
your dangerous dinners, Martha.

D'you know how much I've been offered
to poison this man?

10 dollars.
I'm holding out for 15.

Two dinners. You want wine?
Bring a small bottle.

Huh! Same old cheapskate!

She adores you, doesn't she?

Ought to, I sent her husband up.
Was he really a burglar?

Wife-beater.
Oh, she's wonderful.

She's under wraps on account of you.
I don't usually eat here with a dame.

Oh, I mean...

Dame's all right.
I imagine you bring your wife here.

There's no such animal.
Oh? My dad said you were married.

Your dad is not a reliable source
of information.

You're quite right. I never knew
anybody who tells so many lies.

He does it for fun, though.
He's always driving kings and queens,

or movie stars, and overhearing
the most amazing conversations.

Like your dad, huh?
Crazy about him.

I hope you come here often,
young lady.

For years he sits in my restaurant
frightening everybody away.

A detective in the window: You can
imagine how people want to come in.

But now with a beautiful lady he
looks almost human. How's the soup?

Horrible.
It's very good!

Thanks. Eat all you want.

Have you been trying to get in touch
with Paine?

No. I don't quite know what to do.

When were you married?
After he came back from the war.

But we knew each other before that.

You said this morning
you were separated.

Three months ago.
Why?

It's hard to say why you leave
a man, or why you stop loving him.

I always blamed Ken,
but I guess it was my fault too,

not understanding what made him seem
so mean and impossible.

I guess the chief thing
wrong with Ken was no job,

and lots of pride.

Too much pride.

A man can usually find work
if he wants to.

You're worried about me feeling badly

because he's going to be arrested,
aren't you?

Something like that.
I think I'll stick by him if he is.

He'll need me. I owe it to him.

You still love him, huh?
In spite of everything.

No. It isn't love any more.

Mr Detective! Telephone!

Excuse me. That must be my partner.

Probably wants to know
what I'm eating.

Dixon speaking.

Been trying to get you for an hour,
Mark. Big doin's. We found Paine.

Where did you find him?

River watchman reported
to the 6th Precinct down here

that somebody slugged him last night.
He just punched his clock at 3am.

'Sent two men over, but they couldn't
make head or tail of the slugging:

Nothing stolen, nothing missing. '

'Until the watchman remembered
the man held something like a body. '

They started draggin' the river
and brought up Paine a half-hour ago.

Who's that?
Mark.

Mark? Thomas. We found Paine
in the river with his skull cracked.

We'll meet you at his apartment
in 15 minutes.

OK, Lieutenant.

What's the matter? You look sick.
Give me the check.

You got to leave the beautiful girl
just as she's beginning to like you.

That's what you get
for being a detective.

No fun, always chasin'
the wrong people.

Has something happened?
I've gotta go out on a job.

Please, finish your dinner.

It's really the best
chicken and rice in town.

I'm sorry you have to leave.
Thanks.

So long.
Bye.

Good night.

You like him, huh?
I think he's very nice.

I'm glad. You know what
that fella needs? A family.

He's got nobody. All he thinks of
day and night is his job.

He grabs himself a dizzy blonde
once in a while, but that's no life.

Fella like him oughta be married,
to a beautiful girl,

have a home, kids, and...
You're wasting your propaganda.

I'm married.
Buzzin' a married woman!

Wait till I see that dope again.

You got it?
It's blood, all right, quite fresh.

I'd say not more than 24 hours.

Get it to the lab right away.

That clinches it.
Paine was killed in his room.

Somebody came in and slugged him.
He bumped his head when he fell.

He had a silver plate in his head

as a result of a shrapnel wound in
the war. The fall must've killed him.

I buy that, Lieutenant.

The killer tried to get the body out,
but he was surprised by someone,

probably Dixon when he came
through the front door.

He ducked behind
the staircase here, and hid the body.

That's the reason
for the bloodstain on the wall.

If it is Paine's blood.
We'll get the lab report shortly.

Now, we can establish
the time of the killing

as between 12.30,
when Paine must've got here

and, uh, 3am, when the killer
knocked out the watchman on the pier.

Hello, Dixon. You know Mr Gilroy
from the DA's office.

Sure. How are you?
Hello.

A lot of fancy footwork you did
last night, Dixon. You and Mr Paine.

It couldn't be helped, Lieutenant.

I can't understand
how you didn't see him.

You came in here at 12.50,
Klein talked to you on the phone.

That's right.

Paine came, packed and left at 1.10.
That's when the taxi picked him up.

You must've practically
passed each other.

Well, he wasn't here,
so I thought he might be drinking.

I had a look in a couple of bars.

It's queer to figure a guy on the lam
is going to be sitting around bars.

What time did Dixon come back?
About 1.50.

And you left right after that?
Right. We started chasing Paine.

It's obvious. He lays a fake trail.
He goes to the Pennsylvania Station,

and then he decides to come back
and hide out in his own apartment.

He figures the police have been there
and they won't come looking again.

What time did Jiggs Taylor
say he was here?

About 2.15.
That pretty well fingers him.

Yeah, and he came down crazy angry,
according to his daughter,

ready to knock Paine's block off.
You're wasting your time on Taylor.

How's that? It looks completely
definite: Motive, opportunity.

Scalise did it.
I don't see that at all, Dixon.

I'm telling you,
Scalise knifed Morrison.

He was afraid Paine
would go to the police,

so he sent someone to finish him off.

That doesn't stand up.

Whoever killed Paine killed him by
accident: He only meant to slug him.

A Scalise hood would've taken
no chances on a rumpus,

he'd've knifed or shot him.
Yes, Benson?

We've got Jiggs Taylor
and his daughter outside.

Bring them in, Harrington.
Has he been talking?

A mile a minute.
You'd think he was going to a picnic.

I think we can
wrap the case up tonight.

Get statements from both of them.

I'm Lieutenant Thomas.
How do you do?

How d'ya do, Lieutenant?

I was expectin' this.
As I told the boys on the way down,

the minute I heard Ken was murdered,

I knew I was in for a going-over,

having been
at the scene of the crime.

You were all ready for us
with your story, huh?

Won't take long.
Save you a lot of time,

give it to you
without you havin' to pump me,

everything that happened.

Came down here last night around 2.15
lookin' for my son-in-law.

You were pretty worked up, huh?

I'll say. I told him last month
if he laid a hand on Morgan again

I'd slap him silly.

Go on.
Go on, let's have it all, Jiggs.

Well, that's all there was.

The door was unlocked,
I walk in, look around,

nobody home, so I walk out.

With his body.

Whose body?
Paine's.

That's sure smart figurin',
Lieutenant.

I tell you...
Never mind the lies, Jiggs!

We've got every one of your moves.

You took the body to the river,

knocked out the watchman on the pier
and dropped Paine in the water.

Oh, so I knocked out
a watchman too, huh? That's fine!

OK, now let me tell you something.

I didn't see Paine. If I had seen him
I'd have taken a poke at him,

I ain't denyin' that. He deserved it.

But I left this place
two minutes after I got here.

Then I picked up a fare
three minutes later on the corner:

Congressman Reynolds.

Took him up to the Astor Hotel.

Told me...
Check on that, Klein.

Yes, sir.
Sure, check!

Check all you want.

And what time do you claim
you got to the Astor Hotel, Jiggs?

About 2.40.

Anybody see you around there?

Yeah. Uh... Pat Rafferty
and Hymie Berg. They're taxi drivers.

The congressman doesn't answer
in his room. Want me to run him down?

No. No, we'll check later.

The pier watchman was slugged at 3am
according to reports. Is that right?

Mm-hm. Yes.

That gives Jiggs Taylor 20 minutes
between 2.40 and 3 o'clock

to come back here from
the Astor Hotel and do his stuff.

He couldn't have come back here
from the Astor, killed Paine,

lugged the body out to the car,
driven down to the pier

and slugged the night watchman
by three o'clock, not in 20 minutes.

Seems we're on the wrong man,
Lieutenant,

especially if the congressman
backs him up.

It's not the wrong man.
If Paine was already dead at 2.15

and Taylor got the body at that time,
stuck it in the back of his car...

Well, that's screwy!

I told you I picked up
Congressman Reynolds.

Sure you did. But you were on the way
to dump Paine's body

when Reynolds hailed you.

He took him to the hotel. 20 minutes
was enough to scoot back to the pier,

slug the watchman at 3am
and drop Paine's body.

Paine was out of here at 1.10
according to the old lady downstairs.

We're wasting time, Lieutenant.

I don't think so, Dixon.

Bring them along.

Did you see anybody
coming out of that building

carrying something over
his shoulder, like a large bundle?

I didn't see anything like that.
I'll take over, Casey.

Says she didn't notice anyone...
Never mind.

I'm going to ask you a very important
question, Mrs Tribaum.

Are you sure it was Kenneth Paine
you saw leaving this house at 1.10?

Of course I'm sure. I never heard
so many foolish questions.

I'm going to try a little experiment,
Mrs Tribaum.

Taylor! I want you to put on
this raincoat and hat.

What for?

Put tape under his eye, somebody,
to match Paine's description.

Oh, no, wait a second.
What's all this for?

Now, don't act dumb, Taylor,
it won't get you anywhere.

Last night you put on
Paine's coat and hat

and carried his bag out of here
at 1.10

after you'd killed him
and stuck his body away somewhere.

You wanna come clean now, Jiggs?

Oh, I told you the truth.
Then put the coat on.

Don't do it, Dad. They have no right
to ask you to do that.

No, I won't. I ain't goin' in
for any of these monkey shines.

All right. Dixon, you're about
his build: Put the hat and coat on.

That's comic-strip stuff, Lieutenant.

The lady said she saw Paine
leave here last night.

Sure I did.
I saw Mr Paine out of the window.

No, you saw a raincoat,
a hat and a bag. Go ahead, Dixon.

Anybody got some adhesive tape?
Here.

Under the left eye.

Mrs Tribaum, did he walk straight to
the car or did he look down at you?

He looked down.
Dixon, take the bag.

Just walk to the car
and look down once.

Is this where you were sitting?

No. I was standing here
closing the window.

A taxi driver had asked me
if I'd called a cab.

Are you sure you could recognise
a face at that distance, Mrs Tribaum?

I can tell that fellow
isn't Mr Paine.

Can you distinguish his face
in this light?

No, but I can tell by something else
it isn't Mr Paine.

By what?

He didn't wave at me.

Did Mr Paine always wave at you?
Always.

He went like this.

What about last night.
Did he wave at you last night?

Do you remember?

Yes, I remember.

He didn't wave last night.

You're right, it wasn't Mr Paine.

No, never.

He would have waved.

Thank you, Mrs Tribaum.

That's it, boys, take him
to the station and book him.

Well, you're kidding.
Nobody's kidding, Taylor.

You thought you were pretty fancy
walking off as Paine at 1.10.

You got the body at 2.15,

dropped Congressman Reynolds
at the Astor at 2.40

and hurried it back to the pier.

Well, that's screwy! I...
Take him along, boys.

I'd like to talk to my father.
Go ahead.

May I talk to him alone?
Can't be done. He's under arrest.

Dad,

please,

did you see Ken last night?

So help me,

I swear by your ma,

I never saw him
or laid a hand on him.

I believe you.

You take Miss Taylor home, Casey.
We're knockin' off for tonight.

I'd rather go alone, if I may.

I've been lookin' for you for an
hour, Mark. Scotch and water, Bill.

You got to hand it to Thomas:
He wrapped this one up quick.

His first job, too.
I didn't think he had it in him.

Stop talking like an idiot.
He bungled it.

Wait a minute, Mark, that ain't fair.

Don't tell me what's fair, I know.
Scalise did it.

Scalise did both jobs:
Morrison and Paine.

You can't go against the facts.

I bet Jiggs Taylor will confess
the whole job in a day or two.

See you later.
Where you goin'?

I'm going to get it out of Scalise.

Wait a minute, Mark.
You're not on that end of it.

You know the boss's orders,
he's got a plan on Scalise.

Let me go.

Look, Mark, I'm gonna give it to you
straight, like a friend.

I don't like to see you made a monkey
of by a girl with a pretty face.

You're as dumb as Thomas.

Come on, I'll drive you home.
You're driving me nowhere.

You stick with your boss
and his orders.

You let me go or I'll paste you.

We're closed for the night.

Scalise in here?
I'll go and see.

Don't bother.

Get your clothes on, Scalise.

When I'm ready, Mr Dixon.

Hey, cut that out!
OK, Steve.

I warn you not to touch me.

Why? You don't seem to be
carrying a knife at the moment.

We found the one
you used on Morrison.

That's a lie.
Is it?

It's always a pleasure

to watch a cop four-flush.

I don't like rats to grin at me.

That's too bad.

Maybe I'd better show you my hand,
dream boy.

Tonight I'm not kidding, Scalise.
You're gonna talk.

We found out Morrison had you for
about 20 grand and wanted to leave.

So you knifed him.
Then you got worried

about Kenneth Paine sobering up
and telling about what happened,

so you sent one of your mugs
down to his place to knock him off.

You tryin' to frame me for Paine?

You killed Morrison
and you killed Paine,

and I'm going to get a statement
out of you.

Outside, you lugs. He's gonna talk,
and talk to me alone.

Come on, I said outside!

OK, Steve.

Joe, Ernie!

Have a look out front, Kramer.
Yeah.

Get your coats.

I oughta finish the job.
This guy's gonna keep after me.

Wouldn't be smart: They'd put on
too much heat for a dead cop.

They still out there?
They're still there.

Both of them?
Both of them.

Oh, I can't make up my mind.
Don't.

All right, have it your way.
Let's go.

Get the key, Steve.

Yes?
Mark Dixon.

If you don't mind, I'd like
to talk to you a little, Miss Taylor.

What's the matter?

You're hurt.

I could use a drink.

Where the devil am I?

I keep coming and going.

I don't know why I came here.

I'll go now.

You can't leave like this.

Why did I come here? I must have
had something on my mind.

What happened to you?

A run-in with Scalise and his pals.

Shouldn't I call the police?

Let's leave the police out of this.

I made a big idiot
out of myself tonight.

Bigger than usual.
Did I bungle this one!

I'll fix your head. Come with me.

I suggest you use an axe.

Here, come and sit down.

What did they hit you with?

Various objects.

Why did you fight with Scalise?

Did it have anything
to do with my dad?

In a way, yes.

You don't think Dad did it.
You don't think he's guilty, do you?

What I think doesn't matter
a roll of nickels.

Most important thing
is that you need a lawyer.

That's what I came here for.
You need a big-time lawyer.

Here, hold this.

One that can't lose.

But if Dad's innocent, I don't...
That doesn't always help.

Innocent people
can get into terrible jams too.

One false move
and you're in over your head.

How much money have you got,
you and your father, for a lawyer?

None.

No savings?

No.

Paine got 'em, huh?

Yes.

Thanks for the facial.

I feel a lot better now.

You go on back to bed. I'll be back
in the morning about 8.30.

You wait here for me.

You're not fooling me.

You do believe Dad didn't kill him.

Your dad never touched him.
Good night.

Good night.

I'm sorry to wake you up, Paul.
I won't stay but a minute.

I need some dough.

Who stuck his finger in your eye?

I've got 700 in the bank.
That leaves me 300 shy.

It's for a lawyer. Thought
you wouldn't mind kicking in.

I want to get Norman Ackerman
to handle the Taylor case.

He never lost a murder verdict
in his life,

but you gotta slap down
one grand, minimum.

Be right with you.

Who is it, Paul?

Mark. He wants 300 bucks.

For what?
For a lawyer, for his girl.

Since when
has that gorilla-head got...

Shh!

Please, Shirley, don't argue.

After the way he treated you,
to have the nerve to ask for money!

I told you: No arguments, please.

You told me you were never
gonna talk to him again!

I don't know, Shirley.

Sometimes you really get me sore
with this kind of nagging.

$300 for a man you were gonna punch
in the jaw the next time you saw him!

I...

Take them to the Acme Loan
this time. You'll get more.

Who knows? I might even
get to wear them someday.

Yes?

'Detective Dixon is here
with a young lady. '

Have him come in.

Send off that cable, Mary,
I'll call you later.

Hello, Mark.
Hello, Gerry.

Well, what happened to you?

I'm just fine.
Oh, Mr Marsh, this is Miss Taylor.

How do you do?
How do you do, Miss Taylor?

Sit down.
Thank you.

I understand Ackerman's out of town.
When do you expect him back?

He's in Washington, he's due back
around five this afternoon.

I'd like to make an appointment
with him for Miss Taylor.

Her father's involved
in the Paine-Morrison case.

I read about it.
Thought you were on it, Mark.

I am. That's why I'm here.
I like stiff competition.

Here's your retainer for
Miss Taylor's father. It's $1,000.

I'll hold it. Come in around 5.30.

Mr Ackerman will see you,
Miss Taylor.

Thank you. Thank you very much.

I never heard of anything
so generous. What you just did.

Oh, my partner kicked in too.

You're an amazing man.
You know something?

I could kiss you, right here.

I'll take a rain check on that.
I'll give you an alibi for your boss:

Tell him you're late
because of police questioning.

Mr Friedman has dispensed
with my services.

I'm the notorious
Miss Morgan Taylor: Bad for buyers.

Might take their minds
off Mr Friedman's creations.

That mug! I'll run him in.

I bet you would.

All right. Goodbye.

Phone call for you, Mr Detective.
Do you want to answer it?

No. I'm busy.
That's what I thought.

I told him you weren't here.

It's wonderful how he looks at you.
He didn't even eat his ravioli,

he just eats you up with his eyes,
because you're so beautiful.

Cut it out!
What's the matter?

You don't know how to make love,
so I'm makin' love for you.

Bye-bye, Martha.
Bye.

It's a wonderful day.

No job, everybody against me,
my poor dad sitting in a cell,

and it's a wonderful day.
Isn't that amazing?

Hey, Mark!

Excuse me a minute.

Hello, Mike.
Where you been hidin', a manhole?

What's up?
Skipper's chewin' on the telephone.

Come on!

Do you mind going up to see Ackerman
alone? It might be better at that.

And wait for me at my hotel,
230a East 54.

I'll be there, Mark.
And thanks for everything.

Let's go.

You wanted to see me, Inspector?
Come here, you.

Is this one of the men
who beat you up last night?

That was just a personal affair, sir.

Your personal affairs

seem to be getting in the way
of the department, Dixon.

Take this man out
and hold him as a material witness.

You had no business
going after Scalise.

You were asked not to. You were told
to lay off by your superior.

I thought I could get a statement
out of him.

Well, you didn't, and now you've
driven Scalise to cover

with your bull-headed tactics.
It'll take us days to find him now.

I'll find him.
You'll find nobody!

I'm not throwing you
out of the department, like I should,

but I'm inviting you to take one week
of your annual vacation,

beginning as of now.

I don't want to see or hear of you
for a week.

I want you go someplace
and get hold of yourself.

Yes, sir.
Look at you!

All bunged up like a barrelhouse vag.

First thing you'd better do is get
your head fixed up, inside and out.

That's all.

Yes, sir.

He's got a point.
You shouldn't have let Scalise go

until the Morrison job
was cleaned up.

It looked certain
that Paine had done it, sir.

Get on this fella Steve. I got a
hunch he'll sing if you keep on him.

And try talking to him
like Dixon would.

Yes, sir.

Sit down!

You are going to talk.

You were in that crap game
with Morrison.

Yeah, but I didn't see nothin'.
Listen!

I want straight answers,

and I want them now.

Hello. Did you see Ackerman?

Yes.

You've been crying. What happened?

Mr Ackerman doesn't want
to take the case. He's too busy.

There are other lawyers.

I'll get in touch with Bill Cantwell.

He's as good as Ackerman.

It won't help.

It's no different than it was.

You felt all right this afternoon.

I didn't realise how serious it was,

but now I know.

I thought because Dad was innocent
nothing could happen to him,

but it will.
It won't.

It's already happened. He's in jail.

They'll try him,
and he didn't do anything.

Somebody else did it,
and he's got to pay for it.

He won't be tried.
Don't try and fool me.

Ackerman didn't take the case
because he was afraid of losing it.

That means
they might find him guilty.

I'm not fooling you. Nothing
is going to happen to your father.

Why?

You didn't sound so certain before.

Now you're certain.

Because he didn't kill Paine.

But can you prove it?

Yes.
How?

Mark, you know something
you haven't told me.

That's right.

What?

What is it?

I'll tell you.

Please.

Oh, that's not fair,
to stand there without telling me,

even if you have to break
some police rule.

If you know something, Mark...

I can't stand thinking how he feels.

He's never done anything wrong.
You don't know him. He's sweet.

He's always felt
that everybody was his friend.

Now he's in jail, like a criminal.

You don't know what it is
to have your father in trouble.

My father was a thief.

Wh...

He's dead now. He died when I was 17
trying to shoot his way out of jail.

I worked all my life
to try to be different from him.

Mark...

Darling.

You better go home.
Why, Mark?

Because you're a sucker
for wrong guys like Ken and me.

You're not wrong.

I trust you with my whole heart.

I'm glad you told me
about your father.

You're not like him.

I know it.

Thanks. I've figured out what to do.

About your dad.

What?

Don't ask any questions.
I've got to do things a certain way.

You look tired. Get some sleep.
Thanks.

I'm not afraid any more.

Everything's going to be all right,
isn't it?

Sure. It'll turn out all right.

So long.
I'll wait here for you.

OK, Mac.
You... you oughta be more delicate.

I almost hit my head on the door.

That's OK, Willie, the cab's insured.

I wasn't doing nothin', Mr Dixon,
just readin' my paper, that's all.

I'm not interested in that. You're
up for parole violation Monday.

I know.
Three more years, isn't it?

That's right.
Would you like to duck that?

You can't do nothin', Mr Dixon.

I can say I sent you up to Scalise's
hotel, using you for a stoolie.

Yeah?

Particularly if you prove it.

Like how?

Don't play dumb!
By squealin' about Morrison?

No, by telling me where Scalise is.
You're gonna tell me, Willie,

and save yourself three years
and a lot of trouble, bad trouble.

Come on.
What d'you call this, good trouble?

You're asking for it,

and you're gonna get it.
Wait, wait! Wait.

They'll kill me, Mr Dixon.
Where's Scalise?

I gotta find out first. A telephone,
let me get to a telephone.

OK.

Hey, Mac, pull up at that bar.
OK.

Keep the change, Mac.
Thank you, Mr Dixon.

Don't push me, they'll catch on.

Get in that booth. I won't listen.

Hello?

Hello, this is Willie Bender.
Who's this, Kramer?

Listen, Kramer,
I'm hangin' here by a shoelace!

What do you mean what do I mean?
Mark Dixon is on my neck!

He's right outside the booth.

No, no, he can't hear nothin'.
He wants to see Scalise.

What's the idea calling here? Ain't
you got any brains in your head?

That copper'll grab this number.

Who is it?
Willie Bender. Dixon's got to him.

This is Scalise. Is Dixon alone?

It's OK, Willie.

Now, get this straight.

I'd like to see Mr Dixon,
but all by himself.

Here's the way I want you to work it.

Write this down, so if he's watching
you he'll know it's on the square.

Hold it just a second.

Go ahead.

Tell him I'll meet him
under the following conditions.

Yeah.

Yeah, yeah.

Yeah.

OK, I got it.

Yeah, yeah.

What did Scalise say?

I wasn't conversin' with Scalise,
I was talkin' to Kramer.

He says he'll contact Scalise
in an hour,

and you should be in the East River
Drive across from Bellevue at 3am.

If everything's OK, he'll pick you up
there. He says you gotta come alone.

What else?
That's all.

Thanks.
Uh, what about my parole?

I done everything I could.

Hello, Blue Star Service?

Send a messenger to the Greystone
Hotel. You know where it is.

Have him wait in the lobby.
The name is Dixon, Mark Dixon.

Right away.

Inspector Nicholas Foley.

Dear Sir,

I didn't have the guts
to tell you this while I was alive,

because I didn't want to end up

like Sandy Dixon's kid.

That's what every hood in New York
calls me: Sandy Dixon's kid,

and even in the department
behind my back.

I wanted to end up as a cop
and that's what I'm going to do.

I killed Kenneth Paine.
It was an accident.

I went in to pinch him.

He slugged me, I hit back.

How was I to know
he had a silver plate in his head?

But I covered it up like a mobster,

because I couldn't shake loose
from what I was.

Now I'm shaking loose.

I'm going to get Scalise for you.

He's a hood, like my old man was.

You won't have to worry about
pinning the Morrison killing on him.

You can pull him in for mine,

and that will square things
all around.

Sincerely, Mark Dixon.

Where's Scalise?

Scalise ain't here.
He left a message for you.

What is the message?

He's willing to see you
under certain conditions.

What conditions?

You gotta park your gun.

Where is he?
We got instructions.

It's no go with a rod.

Put it down here.

Anything else?

We gotta frisk you.
Go ahead. We're wasting time.

He's clean.
Come on.

It's OK.

Sit down, Mr Dixon.

I told the boys you'd come alone.

That's because I understand you,
Mr Dixon.

What I don't understand

is your reason for calling on me
at this time.

I said sit down.

I never saw a man
as full of hate as you.

I consider it almost humorous

the way you came hot-footing it
after me alone.

I'm in the clear on the Morrison job.

The police are satisfied
to let me alone,

but you're still hot on my neck
as always.

Sit down, Dixon.

I'm not kiddin'.

It don't add up, Dixon,
you stayin' on my neck like this.

Maybe you thought you could start me
running by coming after me.

Well, we're not running, Dixon. We're
all fixed to leave tomorrow morning,

passports in order and everything.

And I'm leavin' you locked in here.

It'll give us something
to laugh about.

You sitting here for a couple of days

trying desperately
to attract attention.

It'll maybe give the department
a laugh too.

Well, go ahead, Mr Dixon.

You came out here for something.
Let's hear what it is.

You've got something on your mind,
the way you look, Mr Dixon.

I'm gonna give you some advice,

and you'd better listen carefully.

You start mussin' me up
and you're gonna get it, d'you hear?

You'll only throw one punch
and they'll let you have it.

I've given them instructions.

Hold it. No more shootin'.
He asked for it.

Sure. Sure, he asked for it.

That's what he came here for:
So we should rub him out.

He's crazy.
I saw when I looked in his eyes.

Kramer, get your stuff, fix him up.

That's a fancy way
of tryin' to frame somebody,

gettin' yourself knocked off.

A guy's gotta be out of his head
for that.

I didn't know a guy could hate
that much, not even you.

And all because your old man
set me up in business.

I got it added up now, Dixon.

I should've figured it last night,

when you tried to hang
the Paine job on me.

You were the first cop
to get to Paine's house.

You found Paine, slugged him, killed
him. You took the body to the river.

You had to slug a night watchman.

And you've been walkin' around
ever since, half cop and half killer.

The man who hates crooks.

The law that works by itself.

The cop who can't stand
to see a killer loose.

So what is he? A hood and a mobster
like his old man.

It's interesting how blood will tell.

Your old man
would've been proud of you,

to see how you finally followed
in his footsteps.

You and me oughta get friendly when
you're on your feet again, Dixon.

There are a lot of things
a smart cop could do for me.

They got Steve, beat it out of him.
He let go the works about Morrison.

Come on!
I haven't finished the bandage.

Let him bleed. Come on!

Get the elevator.

Open the door! It's stuck.
What's going on?

Press the emergency button.
Power's off.

We're stuck!

That dirty cop.

Can't change, can you?

Always have to break orders,
always have to do things your way.

This time I've got to hand it to you.
You hit the nail on the head.

Thanks, Inspector.

Mark.

They're letting Dad out.

I don't know what to say, but thanks.

He didn't do it single-handed,
Miss Taylor.

The department contributed towards
establishing your father's innocence.

Not that I'm not proud of you, Mark.

I'm putting you back where you were
and recommending you for promotion.

Oh, that's wonderful.
Here's your letter back.

Since there was no report
of your death, I didn't open it.

You expected to die!

I don't think Mr Dixon knows
what he expected.

He was pretty sore at me
when he wrote this.

I think he's in a different mood now.
Tear it up, Mark, no hard feelings.

And take a rest, till your arm heals.

Dad's waiting, Mark.
Will you come home with us?

Sounds like a nice holiday
for a change, Mark.

Go on, you've earned it.

I'd like you to open the letter,
Inspector.

You're sure?

Yes, sir. Open it.

What is it?

Mark!

That clears up both cases.

You're under arrest, Mark.

No! What is it?

Please tell me, Mark!

Would you mind
letting her read the letter?

Report to Lieutenant Thomas.
I'll make the charge myself.

Yes, sir.

Mark!

Goodbye, Morgan.

No, Mark. They'll believe you.
They must believe you.

It was an accident, a mistake.

Anybody can make a mistake.

You mean you'll give
Sandy Dixon's kid another chance?

Every chance in the world.

That's enough to live for.
So long, Morgan.

So long, darling.