Mysterious Intruder (1946) Movie Script
[ Whistling ]
"I am The Whistler."
"And I know many things
for I walk by night."
"I know many strange tales hidden
in the hearts of men and women .."
"Who have stepped into the shadows."
"Yes. I know the nameless terrors
of which they dare not speak."
"It is Edward Stillwell
who walks alone."
"He's a kindly, unimportant little man."
"The type you pass on the
street without noticing."
"Tonight however, something will
happen to him that changes everything."
"Something to make his life important
and exciting and dangerous."
Mr Stillwell?
- Yes, ma'am.
I have an appointment to see Mr Gale.
- Yes. I know.
Mr Stillwell is here.
- "Send him in."
Go right in.
Thank you.
Mr Stillwell?
Yes, sir.
- Come in, sir.
Come in.
I want to thank you for
staying in so late to see me.
Don't mention it. Sit down.
Thank you.
What can I do for you?
I want to how much it would cost
to have a young lady traced.
Well, that I cannot say offhand.
When did she disappear? Who is she?
Her name is Elora Lund.
"It is seven years now since I saw her."
"That was when her mother died."
"Elora was fourteen then."
Seven years is a long time.
It might cost a lot of
money to find her.
Are you a professional or a
businessman, Mr Stillwell?
I have a store at 2319 McCall Street.
A music store.
Phonographs. New and second hand.
Where do you live?
I beg your pardon?
- I said where do you live?
2319 McCall street.
Same address as the store?
Yes. I have an apartment in the back.
Elora and her mother live somewhere
in the neighborhood too.
I know that because I see Elora
playing along the block.
And see her mother
coming home from work.
The husband had been
dead a good many years.
He was a violinist.
Can you give me an
address to start from?
Just the neighborhood.
What does a girl like at fourteen?
Ah, she was just a little girl.
I would see lots of them
playing along the block.
And Elora Lund was no
different than the others.
Except.
She was thin.
And had long, blond curls.
And big blue eyes.
Was she a tall or short
fourteen or just average?
She was going to be tall I think.
What happened to her
after her mother died?
Did relatives take her?
Was she put into an institution or what?
I don't know.
Well, if she's alive she can be found.
But it will take money.
I got a hundred dollars.
A hundred dollars?
Can't you did deeper?
Isn't there any way you can raise money?
Maybe you're not very
interested in locating her.
I can mortgage my business
for a few hundred.
I wouldn't do that to you.
A hundred buck would go like that
and we'd be no nearer to her.
Would it make any difference
if I tell you ..
If you find Elora Lund.
She will pay you any sum.
Thousands.
Yes. Tens of thousands
for bringing us together.
What makes you think so?
- Nothing I'm at liberty to discuss.
Let me say.
The success of this office relies on the
mutual trust between clients and myself.
I'm sorry.
I may not be the greatest
detective in the world.
But I am the most unusual.
Now, if you want to put
your confidence in me.
I will find Elora.
All I can tell you is this.
If you find Elora Lund.
It's possible she will
make you a wealthy man.
Well.
I'll see what I can do with this.
In the meantime, have
you tried to locate her?
Oh yes. I put an ad in the newspapers.
In the personal column.
If anyone tries to answer that ad.
I want you to get in touch with
men night or day. Will you?
Sure.
And I'll let you know when
I've anything to report.
Thank you.
Good evening.
You want me to save this?
- Certainly.
Open a file for Mr Stillwell.
- Will you really look for that girl?
Of course I am.
What's more, I will find her.
"Thee days have passed."
"And Stillwell has had no word from
the private detective he engaged."
"He has almost given up hope
that he will ever find Elora Lund."
"But tonight his long search
is coming to an end."
Mr Stillwell.
Mr Stillwell.
Mr Stillwell.
Daddy Stillwell?
How are you?
What can I do for you?
It's a miracle that I ever knew
you were looking for me.
I've been away.
But a girl I went to school
with sent me a clipping.
Elora?
Elora Lund.
My, how you've grown.
You're just like I pictured you.
And you're just like I remembered you.
You haven't changed a bit.
Seven years don't make
much difference at my age.
Come Elora. Here.
Sit down.
There.
Now come on. Tell me.
What have you been doing?
And why didn't you come to see me?
I was afraid they would
put me in an orphanage.
So I took what little money there
was in the house and ran away.
I suppose you're wondering
why I advertized for you?
Of course I am.
And even if you only wanted to
talk to me I'm glad you did.
I guess I was too young to
appreciate everything but ..
I'll never forget what a friend
you were to mother and me.
Do you remember those odds and ends your
mother used to bring me to sell for her?
I brought some myself when she was ill.
Well.
I never sold them.
I thought perhaps if
your mother got well ..
She would like to buy them back.
They were heirlooms.
Things she brought from Sweden.
Would you like me to buy them back now?
Is that why you wanted to find me?
No, no, no.
My dear.
I wanted to tell you.
You are a rich young woman.
Among those odds and ends I found
a treasure that is worth a fortune.
What is it?
All in good time, Elora.
All in good time.
But I must go out for a minute or two.
But you can wait right here.
I engaged a detective to
try and find you, my dear.
And I told him I'd let him know the
minute you answered my advertisement.
I'll be back in a minute or two.
Mr Gale?
This is Mr Stillwell.
Hello, Mr Stillwell.
She is?
And I'm sure she is Elora Lund.
Elora.
Elora.
Mr Stillwell.
I was frightened.
I thought I heard somebody in the store.
Nobody would come at this hour.
I've got something to show you
while we are waiting for Mr Gale.
See. It's a newspaper clipping.
I thought of you the minute I read it.
Here it is.
Read it, Elora.
And you'll understand why I said ..
You are a rich young woman.
Yes?
What can I do for you?
What happened, Mr Gale?
- Gentlemen, wait a minute.
The owner of this store,
Mr Stillwell, was murdered.
Who discovered the body?
- Me.
Again?
Mr Stillwell has been running ads in the
newspapers to try to locate a Miss Lund.
Yeah?
He phoned me to say she's in the store.
When I arrived he was
dead and she'd gone.
Give us a break.
- Wait a minute.
A significant feature of the whole thing
is that this girl is not Elora Lund.
Who is she?
- An imposter.
You can print that or put it on the air.
Where's the phone?
- Upstairs. First landing.
Thanks, Mr Gale. Thanks very much.
Just a minute.
Dr Gale for Miss Hanson.
- Oh.
You dirty rat.
You got your nerve to come here.
Why? What have I done?
You said it would be easy.
There was no danger.
You put me on a swell spot.
I got you off that spot too, didn't I?
Oh you did? How?
Open the door, Freda.
Let me in.
Now, Freda.
I knew that someone was following you.
They thought you were Elora Lund.
I told the reporters that you
weren't and they broadcast it.
Who killed the old man?
- I was tied up and gagged.
I thought I was going to get
the knife like Stillwell.
You were going to protect me. Remember?
How was I to know that he
was going to be murdered?
Did you kill him, Freda?
Unless you've a pretty good story the
police will believe that you killed him.
You will have to keep
me clear of the police.
You got me into this.
I know I did, dear. But I wasn't present
when he was murdered and you were.
I paid you a hundred bucks to find out
why he was anxious to locate Elora Lund.
Stillwell was alive for a time after
you got there. What did he talk about?
About the girl's mother.
She sold him a lot of junk she
brought from the old country.
And among that junk was
something very valuable.
What was it?
He wouldn't say.
Come on now, Freda.
I put you up for the part of Elora.
He was convinced you were on the level.
- Maybe.
He wouldn't speak until you got there.
- What did you do while he phoned me?
Nothing.
What did you say when he came back?
- I said I heard somebody in the store.
All of a sudden a door behind him
opened and a guy walked into the room.
Had you seen that guy before?
- No.
Was he carrying anything?
- No.
[ Buzzer ]
I'll answer it.
Oh. Good evening, Mr Summers.
I have had complaints about
noise in this apartment.
Mr Gale, this is Mr Summers.
The manager.
You'll have to leave immediately.
We can't have loud talking
at this time of night.
People have to sleep.
- I can explain, Mr Summers.
I'm sorry. You will have to leave.
Goodnight.
You had better go, Don.
- Just a minute. Just a minute.
Are you sure the tough guy
didn't take anything with him?
Yes. He took me.
Then it was Elora Lund that he wanted.
He let you go when the broadcast stated
that the girl in the store was a phony.
Where'd he take you?
I don't know. I was blindfolded.
When he stopped the car he untied
me and walked me into a building.
Anybody else there?
- I didn't hear anybody.
But I heard a radio.
Sometime in the night I
heard a news broadcast.
Get fixed up. We're going places.
- Where are we going?
To find this tough guy and
toss him to the police.
And we just drive round and
round until we run into him?
You will show me where he took you.
- Alright.
Go down and wait for me in your car.
This is the maddest thing I ever
heard of, even coming from you.
I haven't the faintest idea
where he took me.
I know your eyes were covered
but you had other senses.
You could smell and hear and feel.
Did you hear anything in that
building besides the radio?
I heard a railroad engine.
That's something.
Did you smell any industrial
fumes around there?
When we got out of the car
I smelled .. chocolate.
Well, the Milk & Candy Company
is at the foot of Dower Street.
What was the street like,
smooth or bumpy?
It was bumpy .. like cobbles.
That should put us on Macy Street
behind the Milk & Candy Company.
What happened after that?
We drove a little way
along an unpaved road.
Don. I am frightened.
Let's get out of here.
When you got out of that car ..
Did you step on cement or grass?
It felt like gravel.
Then it went on to a boardwalk.
And finally.
Three steps up into the house.
Don, look.
This must be the place.
Let's get out of here.
You go back and wait.
Don't do it, Don.
There's a killer in there.
I don't see any car around.
I don't think anybody is in there.
I'm going to find out.
You crazy fool.
- Go back and wait.
[ Snoring ]
Open up, Pontos.
Open up, Pontos.
Pontos, open the door.
Open up, Pontos.
[ Gunshots ]
[ Gunshots ]
There is one of them.
There he goes. Stop!
Who were they?
I think it was the police but I did
not stop to look at their shields.
No. I guess Stillwell's
murderer is dead.
Do you want to drive?
- You're doing alright.
Did you lose a shoe?
- I'm afraid so.
What if they find it?
Maybe we had better go
back and look for it?
Keep on going.
[ Buzzer ]
Yeah?
"Taggart and Burns. We want to see you."
- Come on up.
[ Door knocks ]
Hello Gale.
Hi.
Forgive us for keeping you up.
- That is alright.
How you doing with the Stillwell case?
- We got his murderer.
It was Harry Pontos.
He was killed resisting arrest.
- Well, it's fast work.
Did you understand?
I said the murderer was Harry Pontos.
Am I supposed to know him?
- Every dick in the country knows him.
He does murders, stickups, burglaries.
- A very mean man with a knife.
He grew up here but he never
pulled any jobs in town.
He probably did not want
to embarrass his folks.
We found a trick knife in his bedroom.
He hadn't even bothered
to wash the blood off.
The medical examiner says it just
fits the wound in Stillwell's back.
Lots of fingerprints on it too.
You fellows can write that one finished.
Yeah. But it would look better
in the record if we had a motive.
Maybe we'll get a motive from
the woman in Stillwell's store.
Or from the guy that jumped
out of Pontos' window.
A funny thing about that.
I saw him when he was
going over the fence.
He looked just like you.
The same size.
Same build.
Even his feet looked about
the same size as yours.
How did you happen to suspect Pontos?
We got a phone tip.
Any idea who gave it to us?
- A woman.
A woman with a cultured voice
who refused to reveal her identity.
Yes. It usually is.
This time it was a man.
You don't have any ideas about that
guy who went out the window, do you?
Certainly not.
Don't bother to hide that.
Here's the mate to it.
Thanks.
Thanks for bringing it back.
Alright.
I got the same tip you did.
And I thought I'd follow it
through before bothering you.
I found that trick knife
in Pontos' pocket.
Before I could do anything you guys
started hammering on the door.
What else did you find there?
- The same stuff you found.
And the diamonds that Pontos
took from the music box?
Diamonds?
Yes. Diamonds. Emeralds.
Whatever was in the music box.
What music box?
For your private information there
was one in Pontos bedroom closet.
We took it apart.
Apparently something was hidden there.
How big was it?
- 6 inches in height and 7 in diameter.
Not big enough to hold much cash but a
lot of uncut gems could be hidden in it.
I doubt it.
- So Pontos made a mistake?
Something like that.
- This case don't wash up that easy.
You trip over loose ends
wherever you turn.
For instance, who was
the girl in Stillwell's store?
Where is she?
- That is confusing, isn't it.
You were quick to tell reporters
it wasn't the real Elora Lund.
How did you know that?
- I talked to Stillwell on the phone.
Who was Elora Lund and
why did Stillwell want her?
If I only knew the answer to that one.
- We'll know it before we leave here.
You imply I know more than I'm telling?
We're also implying your
part in the housebreaking.
You can't be serious.
- You think not?
Maybe you did and maybe you
didn't know about the music box.
But you broke into Pontos' house.
That is enough to send you over.
Now, who is Elora Lund?
Who is Elora Lund?
- Now, Taggart. Take it easy.
Even a murderer has rights. Remember,
we knocked before we came in here.
I've told you all I know.
If you insist on making
yourselves ridiculous ..
And accuse me of housebreaking
then I'm your prisoner.
Name the woman who was with Stillwell
and we forget the housebreaking for now.
[ Telephone ]
Hello?
Yes. This is Don Gale.
Come right over here. It's important.
Hello?
Hello?
Who is she?
- You took the call.
Who was that woman?
- I don't know.
You've teetered on the
edge of the law for years.
Get dressed.
"Unaware of the search
that's being made for her."
"The real Elora Lund is recovering
from the effects of an accident."
"In the quiet of a sanitarium."
Elora.
Elora.
Yes?
Do you know a man named Stillwell?
Yes. I knew him when I was a child.
What about him?
He was murdered last night.
And somebody using your name
was in his store at the time.
Nurse.
Nurse.
She came to us a month ago.
To recuperate from injuries
incurred in an auto accident.
Is she able to walk?
- Yes. She leaves in a day or two.
Then she was physically able
to go into town last night?
But she did not. I saw her in the
dining room between 7 and 8.
Later, we ran a movie in the auditorium.
She was there until 10 o'clock.
Hello, Miss Lund.
- Hello.
Come in.
This is detective Taggart
and detective Burns.
How do you do?
- Sit down, Miss Lund.
Why was Stillwell advertizing for you?
- I don't know.
He must have had a reason
to want you to contact him.
Do you think he wanted
to make you his heir?
As I remember him, he was
just a kindly old man.
He was not the type to
accumulate a lot of money.
Do you think the young woman who
impersonated you last night ..
Could have been one of those
children you used to play with?
No. He would have recognised her.
Perhaps some adventuress came across
the ad and saw it as an opportunity?
No. That kind of person would not
have fooled Stillwell for a moment.
She had to resemble Miss Lund and answer
any questions Stillwell needed to ask.
That imposter is the
key to the whole case.
It must be someone who
knows a lot about you.
I don't know who it could be.
I would only be too
glad to help if I could.
If you really want to cooperate
with us Miss Lund, you can.
You likely read in the papers ..
That we hold the private
detective that Stillwell engaged.
Yes, I did.
We think he sent that
imposter to Stillwell.
Stillwell would have described
you to Gale as well as he could.
He'd also have given him a lot
of information about you.
We haven't got any proof that
Gale sent the girl to Stillwell.
We don't want to be unfair to him.
He may be absolutely honest.
That's what you can find
out for us, if you will.
I don't know what I can do.
We'd like you come back to
town with us and see Gale.
Is it alright for me
to leave, Dr Connell?
Yes. If you wish.
- Good.
We'll have Gale released.
Then we want you to call at his office.
Take some I.D. Tell him you want to know
why Stillwell was advertizing for you.
I'll be ready in a minute.
Now you know what the
inside of a jail looks like.
We're going to be nice to you and let
you play around in the free, fresh air.
Just for a few hours. Then we bring you
back to put a formal charge against you.
Unless you bring in the girl.
- What girl?
The one you sent up to Stillwell.
If I had sent one up wouldn't
I be a sucker to tell you?
Maybe that's where you made your slip.
So long, Gale.
We'll be seeing you.
I thought you were ..
- In jail?
I was. But they let me out to get you.
You are kidding, Don.
You didn't tell them about me.
- And why not?
You tried to murder me last night.
- You are crazy.
I warned you not to go in that house.
I told you he was dangerous.
You did everything but
tell me he was Pontos.
And then, to make doubly sure I'd be
burned down you phoned the police.
I waited for you outside in the car.
I was there when you ran out, wasn't I?
And I drove you away.
- You didn't wait outside Pontos' house.
You drove four tenths of a mile to a
phone and four tenths of a mile back.
Don, you are ..
- I looked at the speedometer.
Poor Freda. You never thought you'd
have to face me after pulling that one.
Did the police say a woman phoned?
- No. It was a man.
Your boyfriend.
You phoned him and he phoned the police.
You are right, Don.
But I only did it to help you.
I knew he was a killer.
You .. you must believe me.
I was scared you'd get killed in there.
That's why I phoned.
- Oh no, Freda.
Your boyfriend phoned and told
the police Pontos was there.
So they'd go in shooting and
burn down anyone they saw.
A neat little plot to get rid of me.
You don't believe anything I say so go
ahead and tell the police about me.
They won't do much to me and
it will cost you your license.
It's not as simple as that.
You and I have a lot to settle first.
You are right.
We have something to settle.
You lied to me.
Pitched me into a murder.
Now talk.
You're hurting me, Don.
You thought money was
waiting for Elora Lund.
And thought you could put yourself over
as Elora long enough to get that money.
So you found a way to get
me out of the picture.
No.
You are all wrong.
You're only guessing.
Why would I double-cross you?
There was no point in killing Stillwell
unless you knew what it was all about.
So we can start from there.
And remember.
You are talking for your life.
Alright.
There is money in it.
Two hundred thousand dollars.
Think of it.
A hundred thousand dollars .. each.
So now we're partners?
Why didn't you cut me in last night?
I felt I was entitled to anything I
could get for what I went through.
What you went through?
- Alright. I am greedy.
Pontos was working with me.
But what about you?
You're only sore because you wanted
to grab it all for yourself.
What was it Stillwell had that was
worth $200,000 and where is it?
[ Buzzer ]
The police. They followed you here.
Answer it.
Freda.
Freda.
She is here.
- Freda?
No. Elora Lund. The real one.
I put her in your office as this place
was like the squad room at headquarters.
Good girl.
If anyone comes in here even smelling
of the police, give me a few buzzes.
Don.
- What's the matter with you?
You feel you don't work for a decent
firm because I spent a night in jail?
No. It happens.
- So what is it?
Elora Lund is a sweet kid and I
won't stand by and see her robbed.
When have I ever robbed a client?
- Whenever you had an opportunity.
Good afternoon, Miss Lund.
I am Mr Gale.
Please don't stand up.
I suppose you read in the papers that
Mr Stillwell engaged me to locate you?
I have been in a sanitarium
recovering from an accident.
Oh, I am so sorry.
Now that you're here it should
be comparatively simple to ..
Get whatever it was Mr Stillwell
wanted you to have.
I don't think I understand.
We go to the police.
Prove your identity.
Make a formal claim for your property.
But I haven't any idea why
Mr Stillwell was advertizing for me.
You haven't?
- No.
Was your family related in
any way to Jenny Lind?
No. Not that I ever heard of.
I want you think very carefully
before you answer this.
Did your mother ever sell
Mr Stillwell any old wax records?
Yes.
- What were they?
Buena Vista and Summertime.
Jenny Lind sang them.
What condition were they in?
I don't know. I never saw them
but mother told me about them.
They were in a little square
trunk with some music boxes.
Jenny Lind died in 1887.
How did your mother acquire them?
Jenny Lind made them for grandfather but
he never went into commercial business.
Stillwell wanted you to have them.
He told me as much.
And I feel confident the records
are somewhere in that store.
Then the police can find them.
While you and I know the records are
rightfully yours, we can't prove it.
No matter how much the police
might want to help you.
They can't turn over to you anything
that they find in the store.
The records do belong to me, don't they?
- Of course they do.
And I'm going to get them for you.
And what's more, I'm going to turn
Stillwell's murder over to justice.
Is what you are going to do legal?
Turning a murderer over to
justice is certainly legal.
Won't it be dangerous?
- Not for you it won't.
Of course, I expect to be paid
for any risks that I take.
Shall we say that I am to receive ..
One fourth of whatever
the records bring?
Really, Miss Lund. It is ..
- That is only fair.
Fine.
Where are you stopping?
- At The Garden hotel.
I don't want the police to see
you until this is all over.
I'm going to take you to the
home of a woman I know.
A very nice woman.
And you'll be out of sight there.
Now.
Some of my clients like to
leave this way. Unnoticed.
If you don't mind I prefer to
go out the way I came in.
We're playing for big stakes.
We can't afford to be squeamish, can we?
If you've no confidence in me, maybe we
turn the whole thing over to the police?
It isn't exactly that.
It's just that the confidence
seems to be all on one side.
You've not spoken about the girl you
sent to Mr Stillwell to impersonate me.
Oh that.
Stillwell wanted me to do the
job of locating you without pay.
I had to see what it was
all about, didn't I?
I see. What was her name?
Just a girl that works
for me occasionally.
I'll tell you all about her later.
Come on.
Miss Denning. I'd like to
have you meet Miss Lund.
I'm always pleased to
meet any friend of Don's.
Miss Lund is a client of mine.
She'd like to keep out of sight
for the rest of the day.
Come along.
Just make yourself perfectly at home.
No-one will bother you here, dearie.
Rose.
I don't want her to use the phone
and I don't want her to leave.
Do you expect me to use force
if she tries to get away?
I expect you to use your head.
Don.
If I'm not back by 2am let her
do whatever she wants to.
Get me the police.
Operator?
Hello?
Operator.
So sorry, dearie.
The phone is out of order.
They're supposed to fix it today.
It sounded alright when I
dialled and then it went dead.
Sit down, dearie. Sit down and
take your weight off your feet.
I don't know anything about telephones.
I never was one for anything mechanical.
I don't like the nasty things.
They get on my nerves.
Ringing all night.
Do you have any other .. lodgers?
Not for the moment.
It's easier and more profitable.
To have only occasional guests.
Like yourself.
Then the others only stay a
couple of hours like I'm doing?
Oh my, no.
They stay for days.
Even weeks sometimes.
Have a drink?
No thank you.
I don't like to waste it, you know.
Now don't you get to thinking
there's anything wrong.
I have connections.
With private detectives and lawyers.
Sometimes it is witnesses.
They have to keep undercover.
Sometimes it's clients who
want to avoid process servers.
Sometimes it's a gentleman
who's behind with his alimony.
They are all perfectly nice people.
Good afternoon, sir.
Mr Brown?
- Yes.
I am Don Gale. Mr Stillwell's friend.
You knew him well, didn't you?
- Indeed, yes.
I was perhaps his closest friend.
That's what he led me to believe.
He said that if anything happens to
him before I was able to locate Elora ..
That I should contact you and you'd
help me in any way that you can.
Naturally. You see, I knew Elora too.
So you want to see Elora
get what's rightfully hers.
And see his murderers
brought to justice.
Of course.
You see, the police seem
to be absolutely at a loss.
In fact, I don't think anything will
ever be done if it's left to them.
I know who the murderers are.
Could we talk privately in your office?
Certainly, Mr Gale. Right this way.
Hello Charlie.
- Her name is Freda Hanson.
She didn't leave her apartment all day.
The manager came to see if she was okay.
He found her body in a closet.
She was strangled with
a piece of strong cord.
Who put the body on the couch?
- The manager.
When he found her in the closet he
untied this rope from around her throat.
He carried her in there to revive her.
I figured he was about
six hours too late.
The medical examiner will
tell us when she died.
Where's the manager now?
- Downstairs.
Go and get him.
Pardon me, dearie.
Say.
Can't we get out of here for a while?
Mr Gale doesn't want
you to leave the house.
You mean I am a prisoner?
- Don't be absurd.
You wanted to come here, didn't you?
[ Buzzer ]
Aren't you going to answer the door?
Nope.
We are not receiving tonight.
- But it might be Mr Gale.
No. He won't be in until after midnight.
I don't know when he'll be here but
if you don't answer the door I will.
Very well.
But I know it's not Mr Gale.
'Elora Lund. Born August 18th 1924'.
'General hospital.
Parents Mr and Mrs Lund'.
Get the idea?
That's the information you'd pass to
anyone doing a job of impersonation.
Here is the manager now.
Send him in.
I'm James Summers, gentlemen. I hope
I didn't do wrong by moving the body.
Miss Gordon from next door was with me.
We felt Miss Hanson may be still alive.
That was the natural thing to do.
- Where was Freda Hanson employed?
I don't know. She was a ..
Photographic model I heard.
I guess Miss Gordon would know
more about it than anybody.
Will you ask Miss Gordon to see
us in the lobby in a few minutes?
I'll be glad to.
Henry.
- Yes, sir?
Go to my office and get a photo of
Don Gale. You'll find some on my desk.
Yes, sir.
I want to see Mr Taggart or Mr Burns.
I am Elora Lund.
Did you just leave Don Gale, Miss Lund?
No, I didn't.
- Henry.
Yes, sir?
This is Miss Lund.
This officer will take you to them.
They want to see you right away.
- Thank you.
This way, Miss.
Did you see the man I
described come in here?
Yes. He walked right on past the
desk without announcing himself.
Mr Summers saw him too.
- How long before he came down again?
About twenty minutes.
Miss Lund has been looking for you.
Mr Taggart, I ..
- One moment, Miss Lund.
Yes. That's him.
Now look carefully and take your time.
Your identification will hang that man.
So what? He killed Freda, didn't he?
"And so Gale is charged with the
cowardly murder of a woman."
"The police have a strong motive.
They have proof of his opportunity."
"They have incontrovertible evidence .."
"That he was in Freda's apartment
at the time she was killed."
"In fact, they have everything."
"Except Don Gale."
Jimmy.
Pour Joan a drink.
- Right away, sir.
I don't want anything, Jimmy.
Are you out of your mind or just drunk?
I've been looking everywhere for you.
I hardly expected to find you in a bar.
- Why not?
They found Freda's body.
I said, they found Freda's body.
What are you talking about?
The police know that you were at her
place and they're looking for you.
I came to warn you.
That's all I can do for you.
It's more than I should.
Before you go, tell me.
Am I supposed to have murdered Freda?
Please, Don. Don't touch me.
Don't even talk to me.
People are watching us.
- You can set your little mind at rest.
I disliked Freda but not
enough to kill her.
They have proof you were at her
apartment at the time she was murdered.
If you didn't kill her, who did?
- I don't know.
Someone came to the door
but I didn't see who it was.
Goodnight Jimmy.
- Come back soon.
Don.
Are you going to give yourself up?
- Not right away.
You won't last 5 minutes outside.
Every cop car in town
is looking for you.
And I'll be looking for every police
car in town. That will make us even.
Why don't you go to them and
tell them everything you know?
That's what any innocent man would do.
Well, I am not any innocent man.
Have a look around outside.
Don. What are you going to do?
I'm off to Stillwell's.
I'm going to get a couple of Jenny
Lind records that are worth $200,000.
The man who killed Freda
knows about them too.
I hope to meet him there.
And then you give Elora Lund
the records and ..
Hand the murderer over to the police?
Is that it?
- That's the plot.
I don't believe it.
If that were true you'd go
to the police right now.
Well, have it your way.
I'm going to get those records
and head for the border.
If I thought you really meant that ..
I'd got straight to headquarters
and tell Taggart and Burns.
Do what you like.
Are you alright?
Yep.
Can you make it up those stairs?
Yep.
That's Gale's secretary.
She's gone back to tell
him the coast is clear.
"Look out."
"Brown has been murdered."
"And if the police catch you here."
"They will pin this one on you too."
I'm for calling it quits.
Perhaps you're right.
I've had all I want of this.
The cops are liable to
be here any minute.
Maybe it's all a pipedream.
We've looked everyplace.
Well.
Haven't we?
They're worth a hundred thousand apiece.
I can't read the rest of it.
But I can read 'Jenny Lind'.
And I said it was all a pipedream.
We'd better get out of here.
Come on.
Will you kindly put those records
on the floor, Mr Summers?
I guess it's time for us
all to be reasonable.
We'll declare you in, Mr Gale.
I'm not interested.
Pontos was one of your partners.
Freda the other.
Freda can thank you for what she got.
You were going to turn
her over to the police.
I'm going to turn you over.
Your friend here and the records.
You are kidding.
You wouldn't throw a
fortune like this away.
But I would.
Somebody is going to hang
for Freda and Stillwell.
If it isn't you I am very much
afraid it might very much be me.
Strop!
Police headquarters.
This is Don Gale.
Get in touch with Taggart and Burns and
tell them I'm at Brown's brass shop.
I have Freda Hanson's murderer and the
Jenny Lind records that caused all this.
[ Gunshots! ]
Too bad.
One of the bullets went right
through the box before it hit him.
"And so, after long years of
balancing precariously .."
"On the borderline of the law."
"Don Gale was trying at the
end to do the right thing."
"But he made one fatal mistake."
"Thinking that one of the killers
had come back to attack him."
"He fired blindly."
"Taggart and Burns will never know."
"That Gale's shots were
not meant for them."
[ Whistling ]
..w-g..
"I am The Whistler."
"And I know many things
for I walk by night."
"I know many strange tales hidden
in the hearts of men and women .."
"Who have stepped into the shadows."
"Yes. I know the nameless terrors
of which they dare not speak."
"It is Edward Stillwell
who walks alone."
"He's a kindly, unimportant little man."
"The type you pass on the
street without noticing."
"Tonight however, something will
happen to him that changes everything."
"Something to make his life important
and exciting and dangerous."
Mr Stillwell?
- Yes, ma'am.
I have an appointment to see Mr Gale.
- Yes. I know.
Mr Stillwell is here.
- "Send him in."
Go right in.
Thank you.
Mr Stillwell?
Yes, sir.
- Come in, sir.
Come in.
I want to thank you for
staying in so late to see me.
Don't mention it. Sit down.
Thank you.
What can I do for you?
I want to how much it would cost
to have a young lady traced.
Well, that I cannot say offhand.
When did she disappear? Who is she?
Her name is Elora Lund.
"It is seven years now since I saw her."
"That was when her mother died."
"Elora was fourteen then."
Seven years is a long time.
It might cost a lot of
money to find her.
Are you a professional or a
businessman, Mr Stillwell?
I have a store at 2319 McCall Street.
A music store.
Phonographs. New and second hand.
Where do you live?
I beg your pardon?
- I said where do you live?
2319 McCall street.
Same address as the store?
Yes. I have an apartment in the back.
Elora and her mother live somewhere
in the neighborhood too.
I know that because I see Elora
playing along the block.
And see her mother
coming home from work.
The husband had been
dead a good many years.
He was a violinist.
Can you give me an
address to start from?
Just the neighborhood.
What does a girl like at fourteen?
Ah, she was just a little girl.
I would see lots of them
playing along the block.
And Elora Lund was no
different than the others.
Except.
She was thin.
And had long, blond curls.
And big blue eyes.
Was she a tall or short
fourteen or just average?
She was going to be tall I think.
What happened to her
after her mother died?
Did relatives take her?
Was she put into an institution or what?
I don't know.
Well, if she's alive she can be found.
But it will take money.
I got a hundred dollars.
A hundred dollars?
Can't you did deeper?
Isn't there any way you can raise money?
Maybe you're not very
interested in locating her.
I can mortgage my business
for a few hundred.
I wouldn't do that to you.
A hundred buck would go like that
and we'd be no nearer to her.
Would it make any difference
if I tell you ..
If you find Elora Lund.
She will pay you any sum.
Thousands.
Yes. Tens of thousands
for bringing us together.
What makes you think so?
- Nothing I'm at liberty to discuss.
Let me say.
The success of this office relies on the
mutual trust between clients and myself.
I'm sorry.
I may not be the greatest
detective in the world.
But I am the most unusual.
Now, if you want to put
your confidence in me.
I will find Elora.
All I can tell you is this.
If you find Elora Lund.
It's possible she will
make you a wealthy man.
Well.
I'll see what I can do with this.
In the meantime, have
you tried to locate her?
Oh yes. I put an ad in the newspapers.
In the personal column.
If anyone tries to answer that ad.
I want you to get in touch with
men night or day. Will you?
Sure.
And I'll let you know when
I've anything to report.
Thank you.
Good evening.
You want me to save this?
- Certainly.
Open a file for Mr Stillwell.
- Will you really look for that girl?
Of course I am.
What's more, I will find her.
"Thee days have passed."
"And Stillwell has had no word from
the private detective he engaged."
"He has almost given up hope
that he will ever find Elora Lund."
"But tonight his long search
is coming to an end."
Mr Stillwell.
Mr Stillwell.
Mr Stillwell.
Daddy Stillwell?
How are you?
What can I do for you?
It's a miracle that I ever knew
you were looking for me.
I've been away.
But a girl I went to school
with sent me a clipping.
Elora?
Elora Lund.
My, how you've grown.
You're just like I pictured you.
And you're just like I remembered you.
You haven't changed a bit.
Seven years don't make
much difference at my age.
Come Elora. Here.
Sit down.
There.
Now come on. Tell me.
What have you been doing?
And why didn't you come to see me?
I was afraid they would
put me in an orphanage.
So I took what little money there
was in the house and ran away.
I suppose you're wondering
why I advertized for you?
Of course I am.
And even if you only wanted to
talk to me I'm glad you did.
I guess I was too young to
appreciate everything but ..
I'll never forget what a friend
you were to mother and me.
Do you remember those odds and ends your
mother used to bring me to sell for her?
I brought some myself when she was ill.
Well.
I never sold them.
I thought perhaps if
your mother got well ..
She would like to buy them back.
They were heirlooms.
Things she brought from Sweden.
Would you like me to buy them back now?
Is that why you wanted to find me?
No, no, no.
My dear.
I wanted to tell you.
You are a rich young woman.
Among those odds and ends I found
a treasure that is worth a fortune.
What is it?
All in good time, Elora.
All in good time.
But I must go out for a minute or two.
But you can wait right here.
I engaged a detective to
try and find you, my dear.
And I told him I'd let him know the
minute you answered my advertisement.
I'll be back in a minute or two.
Mr Gale?
This is Mr Stillwell.
Hello, Mr Stillwell.
She is?
And I'm sure she is Elora Lund.
Elora.
Elora.
Mr Stillwell.
I was frightened.
I thought I heard somebody in the store.
Nobody would come at this hour.
I've got something to show you
while we are waiting for Mr Gale.
See. It's a newspaper clipping.
I thought of you the minute I read it.
Here it is.
Read it, Elora.
And you'll understand why I said ..
You are a rich young woman.
Yes?
What can I do for you?
What happened, Mr Gale?
- Gentlemen, wait a minute.
The owner of this store,
Mr Stillwell, was murdered.
Who discovered the body?
- Me.
Again?
Mr Stillwell has been running ads in the
newspapers to try to locate a Miss Lund.
Yeah?
He phoned me to say she's in the store.
When I arrived he was
dead and she'd gone.
Give us a break.
- Wait a minute.
A significant feature of the whole thing
is that this girl is not Elora Lund.
Who is she?
- An imposter.
You can print that or put it on the air.
Where's the phone?
- Upstairs. First landing.
Thanks, Mr Gale. Thanks very much.
Just a minute.
Dr Gale for Miss Hanson.
- Oh.
You dirty rat.
You got your nerve to come here.
Why? What have I done?
You said it would be easy.
There was no danger.
You put me on a swell spot.
I got you off that spot too, didn't I?
Oh you did? How?
Open the door, Freda.
Let me in.
Now, Freda.
I knew that someone was following you.
They thought you were Elora Lund.
I told the reporters that you
weren't and they broadcast it.
Who killed the old man?
- I was tied up and gagged.
I thought I was going to get
the knife like Stillwell.
You were going to protect me. Remember?
How was I to know that he
was going to be murdered?
Did you kill him, Freda?
Unless you've a pretty good story the
police will believe that you killed him.
You will have to keep
me clear of the police.
You got me into this.
I know I did, dear. But I wasn't present
when he was murdered and you were.
I paid you a hundred bucks to find out
why he was anxious to locate Elora Lund.
Stillwell was alive for a time after
you got there. What did he talk about?
About the girl's mother.
She sold him a lot of junk she
brought from the old country.
And among that junk was
something very valuable.
What was it?
He wouldn't say.
Come on now, Freda.
I put you up for the part of Elora.
He was convinced you were on the level.
- Maybe.
He wouldn't speak until you got there.
- What did you do while he phoned me?
Nothing.
What did you say when he came back?
- I said I heard somebody in the store.
All of a sudden a door behind him
opened and a guy walked into the room.
Had you seen that guy before?
- No.
Was he carrying anything?
- No.
[ Buzzer ]
I'll answer it.
Oh. Good evening, Mr Summers.
I have had complaints about
noise in this apartment.
Mr Gale, this is Mr Summers.
The manager.
You'll have to leave immediately.
We can't have loud talking
at this time of night.
People have to sleep.
- I can explain, Mr Summers.
I'm sorry. You will have to leave.
Goodnight.
You had better go, Don.
- Just a minute. Just a minute.
Are you sure the tough guy
didn't take anything with him?
Yes. He took me.
Then it was Elora Lund that he wanted.
He let you go when the broadcast stated
that the girl in the store was a phony.
Where'd he take you?
I don't know. I was blindfolded.
When he stopped the car he untied
me and walked me into a building.
Anybody else there?
- I didn't hear anybody.
But I heard a radio.
Sometime in the night I
heard a news broadcast.
Get fixed up. We're going places.
- Where are we going?
To find this tough guy and
toss him to the police.
And we just drive round and
round until we run into him?
You will show me where he took you.
- Alright.
Go down and wait for me in your car.
This is the maddest thing I ever
heard of, even coming from you.
I haven't the faintest idea
where he took me.
I know your eyes were covered
but you had other senses.
You could smell and hear and feel.
Did you hear anything in that
building besides the radio?
I heard a railroad engine.
That's something.
Did you smell any industrial
fumes around there?
When we got out of the car
I smelled .. chocolate.
Well, the Milk & Candy Company
is at the foot of Dower Street.
What was the street like,
smooth or bumpy?
It was bumpy .. like cobbles.
That should put us on Macy Street
behind the Milk & Candy Company.
What happened after that?
We drove a little way
along an unpaved road.
Don. I am frightened.
Let's get out of here.
When you got out of that car ..
Did you step on cement or grass?
It felt like gravel.
Then it went on to a boardwalk.
And finally.
Three steps up into the house.
Don, look.
This must be the place.
Let's get out of here.
You go back and wait.
Don't do it, Don.
There's a killer in there.
I don't see any car around.
I don't think anybody is in there.
I'm going to find out.
You crazy fool.
- Go back and wait.
[ Snoring ]
Open up, Pontos.
Open up, Pontos.
Pontos, open the door.
Open up, Pontos.
[ Gunshots ]
[ Gunshots ]
There is one of them.
There he goes. Stop!
Who were they?
I think it was the police but I did
not stop to look at their shields.
No. I guess Stillwell's
murderer is dead.
Do you want to drive?
- You're doing alright.
Did you lose a shoe?
- I'm afraid so.
What if they find it?
Maybe we had better go
back and look for it?
Keep on going.
[ Buzzer ]
Yeah?
"Taggart and Burns. We want to see you."
- Come on up.
[ Door knocks ]
Hello Gale.
Hi.
Forgive us for keeping you up.
- That is alright.
How you doing with the Stillwell case?
- We got his murderer.
It was Harry Pontos.
He was killed resisting arrest.
- Well, it's fast work.
Did you understand?
I said the murderer was Harry Pontos.
Am I supposed to know him?
- Every dick in the country knows him.
He does murders, stickups, burglaries.
- A very mean man with a knife.
He grew up here but he never
pulled any jobs in town.
He probably did not want
to embarrass his folks.
We found a trick knife in his bedroom.
He hadn't even bothered
to wash the blood off.
The medical examiner says it just
fits the wound in Stillwell's back.
Lots of fingerprints on it too.
You fellows can write that one finished.
Yeah. But it would look better
in the record if we had a motive.
Maybe we'll get a motive from
the woman in Stillwell's store.
Or from the guy that jumped
out of Pontos' window.
A funny thing about that.
I saw him when he was
going over the fence.
He looked just like you.
The same size.
Same build.
Even his feet looked about
the same size as yours.
How did you happen to suspect Pontos?
We got a phone tip.
Any idea who gave it to us?
- A woman.
A woman with a cultured voice
who refused to reveal her identity.
Yes. It usually is.
This time it was a man.
You don't have any ideas about that
guy who went out the window, do you?
Certainly not.
Don't bother to hide that.
Here's the mate to it.
Thanks.
Thanks for bringing it back.
Alright.
I got the same tip you did.
And I thought I'd follow it
through before bothering you.
I found that trick knife
in Pontos' pocket.
Before I could do anything you guys
started hammering on the door.
What else did you find there?
- The same stuff you found.
And the diamonds that Pontos
took from the music box?
Diamonds?
Yes. Diamonds. Emeralds.
Whatever was in the music box.
What music box?
For your private information there
was one in Pontos bedroom closet.
We took it apart.
Apparently something was hidden there.
How big was it?
- 6 inches in height and 7 in diameter.
Not big enough to hold much cash but a
lot of uncut gems could be hidden in it.
I doubt it.
- So Pontos made a mistake?
Something like that.
- This case don't wash up that easy.
You trip over loose ends
wherever you turn.
For instance, who was
the girl in Stillwell's store?
Where is she?
- That is confusing, isn't it.
You were quick to tell reporters
it wasn't the real Elora Lund.
How did you know that?
- I talked to Stillwell on the phone.
Who was Elora Lund and
why did Stillwell want her?
If I only knew the answer to that one.
- We'll know it before we leave here.
You imply I know more than I'm telling?
We're also implying your
part in the housebreaking.
You can't be serious.
- You think not?
Maybe you did and maybe you
didn't know about the music box.
But you broke into Pontos' house.
That is enough to send you over.
Now, who is Elora Lund?
Who is Elora Lund?
- Now, Taggart. Take it easy.
Even a murderer has rights. Remember,
we knocked before we came in here.
I've told you all I know.
If you insist on making
yourselves ridiculous ..
And accuse me of housebreaking
then I'm your prisoner.
Name the woman who was with Stillwell
and we forget the housebreaking for now.
[ Telephone ]
Hello?
Yes. This is Don Gale.
Come right over here. It's important.
Hello?
Hello?
Who is she?
- You took the call.
Who was that woman?
- I don't know.
You've teetered on the
edge of the law for years.
Get dressed.
"Unaware of the search
that's being made for her."
"The real Elora Lund is recovering
from the effects of an accident."
"In the quiet of a sanitarium."
Elora.
Elora.
Yes?
Do you know a man named Stillwell?
Yes. I knew him when I was a child.
What about him?
He was murdered last night.
And somebody using your name
was in his store at the time.
Nurse.
Nurse.
She came to us a month ago.
To recuperate from injuries
incurred in an auto accident.
Is she able to walk?
- Yes. She leaves in a day or two.
Then she was physically able
to go into town last night?
But she did not. I saw her in the
dining room between 7 and 8.
Later, we ran a movie in the auditorium.
She was there until 10 o'clock.
Hello, Miss Lund.
- Hello.
Come in.
This is detective Taggart
and detective Burns.
How do you do?
- Sit down, Miss Lund.
Why was Stillwell advertizing for you?
- I don't know.
He must have had a reason
to want you to contact him.
Do you think he wanted
to make you his heir?
As I remember him, he was
just a kindly old man.
He was not the type to
accumulate a lot of money.
Do you think the young woman who
impersonated you last night ..
Could have been one of those
children you used to play with?
No. He would have recognised her.
Perhaps some adventuress came across
the ad and saw it as an opportunity?
No. That kind of person would not
have fooled Stillwell for a moment.
She had to resemble Miss Lund and answer
any questions Stillwell needed to ask.
That imposter is the
key to the whole case.
It must be someone who
knows a lot about you.
I don't know who it could be.
I would only be too
glad to help if I could.
If you really want to cooperate
with us Miss Lund, you can.
You likely read in the papers ..
That we hold the private
detective that Stillwell engaged.
Yes, I did.
We think he sent that
imposter to Stillwell.
Stillwell would have described
you to Gale as well as he could.
He'd also have given him a lot
of information about you.
We haven't got any proof that
Gale sent the girl to Stillwell.
We don't want to be unfair to him.
He may be absolutely honest.
That's what you can find
out for us, if you will.
I don't know what I can do.
We'd like you come back to
town with us and see Gale.
Is it alright for me
to leave, Dr Connell?
Yes. If you wish.
- Good.
We'll have Gale released.
Then we want you to call at his office.
Take some I.D. Tell him you want to know
why Stillwell was advertizing for you.
I'll be ready in a minute.
Now you know what the
inside of a jail looks like.
We're going to be nice to you and let
you play around in the free, fresh air.
Just for a few hours. Then we bring you
back to put a formal charge against you.
Unless you bring in the girl.
- What girl?
The one you sent up to Stillwell.
If I had sent one up wouldn't
I be a sucker to tell you?
Maybe that's where you made your slip.
So long, Gale.
We'll be seeing you.
I thought you were ..
- In jail?
I was. But they let me out to get you.
You are kidding, Don.
You didn't tell them about me.
- And why not?
You tried to murder me last night.
- You are crazy.
I warned you not to go in that house.
I told you he was dangerous.
You did everything but
tell me he was Pontos.
And then, to make doubly sure I'd be
burned down you phoned the police.
I waited for you outside in the car.
I was there when you ran out, wasn't I?
And I drove you away.
- You didn't wait outside Pontos' house.
You drove four tenths of a mile to a
phone and four tenths of a mile back.
Don, you are ..
- I looked at the speedometer.
Poor Freda. You never thought you'd
have to face me after pulling that one.
Did the police say a woman phoned?
- No. It was a man.
Your boyfriend.
You phoned him and he phoned the police.
You are right, Don.
But I only did it to help you.
I knew he was a killer.
You .. you must believe me.
I was scared you'd get killed in there.
That's why I phoned.
- Oh no, Freda.
Your boyfriend phoned and told
the police Pontos was there.
So they'd go in shooting and
burn down anyone they saw.
A neat little plot to get rid of me.
You don't believe anything I say so go
ahead and tell the police about me.
They won't do much to me and
it will cost you your license.
It's not as simple as that.
You and I have a lot to settle first.
You are right.
We have something to settle.
You lied to me.
Pitched me into a murder.
Now talk.
You're hurting me, Don.
You thought money was
waiting for Elora Lund.
And thought you could put yourself over
as Elora long enough to get that money.
So you found a way to get
me out of the picture.
No.
You are all wrong.
You're only guessing.
Why would I double-cross you?
There was no point in killing Stillwell
unless you knew what it was all about.
So we can start from there.
And remember.
You are talking for your life.
Alright.
There is money in it.
Two hundred thousand dollars.
Think of it.
A hundred thousand dollars .. each.
So now we're partners?
Why didn't you cut me in last night?
I felt I was entitled to anything I
could get for what I went through.
What you went through?
- Alright. I am greedy.
Pontos was working with me.
But what about you?
You're only sore because you wanted
to grab it all for yourself.
What was it Stillwell had that was
worth $200,000 and where is it?
[ Buzzer ]
The police. They followed you here.
Answer it.
Freda.
Freda.
She is here.
- Freda?
No. Elora Lund. The real one.
I put her in your office as this place
was like the squad room at headquarters.
Good girl.
If anyone comes in here even smelling
of the police, give me a few buzzes.
Don.
- What's the matter with you?
You feel you don't work for a decent
firm because I spent a night in jail?
No. It happens.
- So what is it?
Elora Lund is a sweet kid and I
won't stand by and see her robbed.
When have I ever robbed a client?
- Whenever you had an opportunity.
Good afternoon, Miss Lund.
I am Mr Gale.
Please don't stand up.
I suppose you read in the papers that
Mr Stillwell engaged me to locate you?
I have been in a sanitarium
recovering from an accident.
Oh, I am so sorry.
Now that you're here it should
be comparatively simple to ..
Get whatever it was Mr Stillwell
wanted you to have.
I don't think I understand.
We go to the police.
Prove your identity.
Make a formal claim for your property.
But I haven't any idea why
Mr Stillwell was advertizing for me.
You haven't?
- No.
Was your family related in
any way to Jenny Lind?
No. Not that I ever heard of.
I want you think very carefully
before you answer this.
Did your mother ever sell
Mr Stillwell any old wax records?
Yes.
- What were they?
Buena Vista and Summertime.
Jenny Lind sang them.
What condition were they in?
I don't know. I never saw them
but mother told me about them.
They were in a little square
trunk with some music boxes.
Jenny Lind died in 1887.
How did your mother acquire them?
Jenny Lind made them for grandfather but
he never went into commercial business.
Stillwell wanted you to have them.
He told me as much.
And I feel confident the records
are somewhere in that store.
Then the police can find them.
While you and I know the records are
rightfully yours, we can't prove it.
No matter how much the police
might want to help you.
They can't turn over to you anything
that they find in the store.
The records do belong to me, don't they?
- Of course they do.
And I'm going to get them for you.
And what's more, I'm going to turn
Stillwell's murder over to justice.
Is what you are going to do legal?
Turning a murderer over to
justice is certainly legal.
Won't it be dangerous?
- Not for you it won't.
Of course, I expect to be paid
for any risks that I take.
Shall we say that I am to receive ..
One fourth of whatever
the records bring?
Really, Miss Lund. It is ..
- That is only fair.
Fine.
Where are you stopping?
- At The Garden hotel.
I don't want the police to see
you until this is all over.
I'm going to take you to the
home of a woman I know.
A very nice woman.
And you'll be out of sight there.
Now.
Some of my clients like to
leave this way. Unnoticed.
If you don't mind I prefer to
go out the way I came in.
We're playing for big stakes.
We can't afford to be squeamish, can we?
If you've no confidence in me, maybe we
turn the whole thing over to the police?
It isn't exactly that.
It's just that the confidence
seems to be all on one side.
You've not spoken about the girl you
sent to Mr Stillwell to impersonate me.
Oh that.
Stillwell wanted me to do the
job of locating you without pay.
I had to see what it was
all about, didn't I?
I see. What was her name?
Just a girl that works
for me occasionally.
I'll tell you all about her later.
Come on.
Miss Denning. I'd like to
have you meet Miss Lund.
I'm always pleased to
meet any friend of Don's.
Miss Lund is a client of mine.
She'd like to keep out of sight
for the rest of the day.
Come along.
Just make yourself perfectly at home.
No-one will bother you here, dearie.
Rose.
I don't want her to use the phone
and I don't want her to leave.
Do you expect me to use force
if she tries to get away?
I expect you to use your head.
Don.
If I'm not back by 2am let her
do whatever she wants to.
Get me the police.
Operator?
Hello?
Operator.
So sorry, dearie.
The phone is out of order.
They're supposed to fix it today.
It sounded alright when I
dialled and then it went dead.
Sit down, dearie. Sit down and
take your weight off your feet.
I don't know anything about telephones.
I never was one for anything mechanical.
I don't like the nasty things.
They get on my nerves.
Ringing all night.
Do you have any other .. lodgers?
Not for the moment.
It's easier and more profitable.
To have only occasional guests.
Like yourself.
Then the others only stay a
couple of hours like I'm doing?
Oh my, no.
They stay for days.
Even weeks sometimes.
Have a drink?
No thank you.
I don't like to waste it, you know.
Now don't you get to thinking
there's anything wrong.
I have connections.
With private detectives and lawyers.
Sometimes it is witnesses.
They have to keep undercover.
Sometimes it's clients who
want to avoid process servers.
Sometimes it's a gentleman
who's behind with his alimony.
They are all perfectly nice people.
Good afternoon, sir.
Mr Brown?
- Yes.
I am Don Gale. Mr Stillwell's friend.
You knew him well, didn't you?
- Indeed, yes.
I was perhaps his closest friend.
That's what he led me to believe.
He said that if anything happens to
him before I was able to locate Elora ..
That I should contact you and you'd
help me in any way that you can.
Naturally. You see, I knew Elora too.
So you want to see Elora
get what's rightfully hers.
And see his murderers
brought to justice.
Of course.
You see, the police seem
to be absolutely at a loss.
In fact, I don't think anything will
ever be done if it's left to them.
I know who the murderers are.
Could we talk privately in your office?
Certainly, Mr Gale. Right this way.
Hello Charlie.
- Her name is Freda Hanson.
She didn't leave her apartment all day.
The manager came to see if she was okay.
He found her body in a closet.
She was strangled with
a piece of strong cord.
Who put the body on the couch?
- The manager.
When he found her in the closet he
untied this rope from around her throat.
He carried her in there to revive her.
I figured he was about
six hours too late.
The medical examiner will
tell us when she died.
Where's the manager now?
- Downstairs.
Go and get him.
Pardon me, dearie.
Say.
Can't we get out of here for a while?
Mr Gale doesn't want
you to leave the house.
You mean I am a prisoner?
- Don't be absurd.
You wanted to come here, didn't you?
[ Buzzer ]
Aren't you going to answer the door?
Nope.
We are not receiving tonight.
- But it might be Mr Gale.
No. He won't be in until after midnight.
I don't know when he'll be here but
if you don't answer the door I will.
Very well.
But I know it's not Mr Gale.
'Elora Lund. Born August 18th 1924'.
'General hospital.
Parents Mr and Mrs Lund'.
Get the idea?
That's the information you'd pass to
anyone doing a job of impersonation.
Here is the manager now.
Send him in.
I'm James Summers, gentlemen. I hope
I didn't do wrong by moving the body.
Miss Gordon from next door was with me.
We felt Miss Hanson may be still alive.
That was the natural thing to do.
- Where was Freda Hanson employed?
I don't know. She was a ..
Photographic model I heard.
I guess Miss Gordon would know
more about it than anybody.
Will you ask Miss Gordon to see
us in the lobby in a few minutes?
I'll be glad to.
Henry.
- Yes, sir?
Go to my office and get a photo of
Don Gale. You'll find some on my desk.
Yes, sir.
I want to see Mr Taggart or Mr Burns.
I am Elora Lund.
Did you just leave Don Gale, Miss Lund?
No, I didn't.
- Henry.
Yes, sir?
This is Miss Lund.
This officer will take you to them.
They want to see you right away.
- Thank you.
This way, Miss.
Did you see the man I
described come in here?
Yes. He walked right on past the
desk without announcing himself.
Mr Summers saw him too.
- How long before he came down again?
About twenty minutes.
Miss Lund has been looking for you.
Mr Taggart, I ..
- One moment, Miss Lund.
Yes. That's him.
Now look carefully and take your time.
Your identification will hang that man.
So what? He killed Freda, didn't he?
"And so Gale is charged with the
cowardly murder of a woman."
"The police have a strong motive.
They have proof of his opportunity."
"They have incontrovertible evidence .."
"That he was in Freda's apartment
at the time she was killed."
"In fact, they have everything."
"Except Don Gale."
Jimmy.
Pour Joan a drink.
- Right away, sir.
I don't want anything, Jimmy.
Are you out of your mind or just drunk?
I've been looking everywhere for you.
I hardly expected to find you in a bar.
- Why not?
They found Freda's body.
I said, they found Freda's body.
What are you talking about?
The police know that you were at her
place and they're looking for you.
I came to warn you.
That's all I can do for you.
It's more than I should.
Before you go, tell me.
Am I supposed to have murdered Freda?
Please, Don. Don't touch me.
Don't even talk to me.
People are watching us.
- You can set your little mind at rest.
I disliked Freda but not
enough to kill her.
They have proof you were at her
apartment at the time she was murdered.
If you didn't kill her, who did?
- I don't know.
Someone came to the door
but I didn't see who it was.
Goodnight Jimmy.
- Come back soon.
Don.
Are you going to give yourself up?
- Not right away.
You won't last 5 minutes outside.
Every cop car in town
is looking for you.
And I'll be looking for every police
car in town. That will make us even.
Why don't you go to them and
tell them everything you know?
That's what any innocent man would do.
Well, I am not any innocent man.
Have a look around outside.
Don. What are you going to do?
I'm off to Stillwell's.
I'm going to get a couple of Jenny
Lind records that are worth $200,000.
The man who killed Freda
knows about them too.
I hope to meet him there.
And then you give Elora Lund
the records and ..
Hand the murderer over to the police?
Is that it?
- That's the plot.
I don't believe it.
If that were true you'd go
to the police right now.
Well, have it your way.
I'm going to get those records
and head for the border.
If I thought you really meant that ..
I'd got straight to headquarters
and tell Taggart and Burns.
Do what you like.
Are you alright?
Yep.
Can you make it up those stairs?
Yep.
That's Gale's secretary.
She's gone back to tell
him the coast is clear.
"Look out."
"Brown has been murdered."
"And if the police catch you here."
"They will pin this one on you too."
I'm for calling it quits.
Perhaps you're right.
I've had all I want of this.
The cops are liable to
be here any minute.
Maybe it's all a pipedream.
We've looked everyplace.
Well.
Haven't we?
They're worth a hundred thousand apiece.
I can't read the rest of it.
But I can read 'Jenny Lind'.
And I said it was all a pipedream.
We'd better get out of here.
Come on.
Will you kindly put those records
on the floor, Mr Summers?
I guess it's time for us
all to be reasonable.
We'll declare you in, Mr Gale.
I'm not interested.
Pontos was one of your partners.
Freda the other.
Freda can thank you for what she got.
You were going to turn
her over to the police.
I'm going to turn you over.
Your friend here and the records.
You are kidding.
You wouldn't throw a
fortune like this away.
But I would.
Somebody is going to hang
for Freda and Stillwell.
If it isn't you I am very much
afraid it might very much be me.
Strop!
Police headquarters.
This is Don Gale.
Get in touch with Taggart and Burns and
tell them I'm at Brown's brass shop.
I have Freda Hanson's murderer and the
Jenny Lind records that caused all this.
[ Gunshots! ]
Too bad.
One of the bullets went right
through the box before it hit him.
"And so, after long years of
balancing precariously .."
"On the borderline of the law."
"Don Gale was trying at the
end to do the right thing."
"But he made one fatal mistake."
"Thinking that one of the killers
had come back to attack him."
"He fired blindly."
"Taggart and Burns will never know."
"That Gale's shots were
not meant for them."
[ Whistling ]
..w-g..