The Captive City

My name is Austin, James T. Austin of the Kennington journal.

- We need some protection. - Who from?

Two men following us in a car, they're out to kill us.

Relax mister, ain't anybody gonna kill you here.

Don't be too sure of that.

Look sergeant, I've gotta get to the capitol this morning...

and alive preferably.

- How do I get an escort? - An escort?!

It ain't so simple, who'd you say you was again?

James, the shotgun in his driveway last night.

This is what I'm talking about right here...

and the same thing exactly could happen to us.

Well it's kinda early but I'll see if I can get the chief.

3, 2, 1.

- Hot coffee? You look all done in ma'am. - Thank you.

Hello Sadie?

Yeah Cady, I get you up?

Look, is the chief home? I gotta talk to him.

He is, is he?

I guess there's no point bothering you with it.

Yeah, you have him call me when he comes in, thanks.

Chief ain't where he can be reached right now mister.

There's some trouble the other side of town, he'll be back directly.

- How soon will that be directly? - Inside of an hour his wife...

An hour?!

You sure married yourself a bright boy.

Jim!

- Does this machine work? - Sure does.

- May I use it? I'll pay for the tape. - I guess so.

This is James T. Austin.

My wife, Marge and I are in the Warren police station.

In case anything happens to me before...

I have a chance to tell my story in public...

I want this for the record.

Time doesn't permit to sort the facts...

perhaps I'd better just tell what happened.

This isn't a pretty story nor even a new one...

what the moral is right now I don't know.

It began several weeks ago back in Kennington.

Kennington, in case you haven't been there...

is a little over 300 miles from here.

It has a population of 36,000...

looks pretty much like any other American town of the same size...

it's an up-to-date business district...

scattered around are the usual small industry warehouse sections...

modern schools and playgrounds, a lot of comfortable homes.

Taken altogether it's a pretty good town, nice place to live.

On the day I'm talking about, it started more or less like any other day.

- Bye darling. - Wait a minute, my garden column.

Be through in a second.

If I'd known I'd end up doing articles on compost and earthworm culture...

I wouldn't taken Ag instead of English lit.

What's the plural for gladiolus?

Wouldn't be gladioluses?

Two seconds too late darling, I just took the last of it.

You wouldn't have liked it anyway, it was all dregs.

I was just thinking, what about calling the column "The Green Thumb"?

- Not bad. - Not bad? I thought it was pretty wonderful.

It is wonderful and you're wonderful.

Jim, how do you expect me...

Sit down.

Over there, way over there.

It is gladioluses. You live and learn!

See the ad we got from Hopwoods? Full page.

I can just see us getting richer and richer and richer!

Here you are.

This letter came.

- Yes, the country club. - What is it?

Membership application, they had a couple of vacancies.

It was more Don's idea than mine.

Are Don and Sally joining too?

So he said, he thought it'd be good for business.

What's the matter darling? I thought you'd like the idea.

Of course I like it, it's just...

when a girl let's herself get talked into...

becoming the wife of a country editor she forms a mental picture.

Taking in chickens and string beans and corn in exchange for subscriptions.

- Maybe going without shoes. - Hasn't turned out that way has it?

No darling, not exactly.

- Happy? - Of course I am.

- Jim! - Take care of me.

- Call me if you're gonna be late. - Ok.

Yes, I'd been mighty lucky, I felt that morning.

I begun to feel as if we'd really become a part of something.

Kennington wan't just a town, it was our town.

And as far as the paper was concerned...

well the journal was a New York Times maybe...

but in the 5 years we'd taken over...

everyone seemed to think we'd done quite a job.

Don, who handled the business end, and I had been in the army together.

Being friends it made it more than just another partnership.

Hey Jim, put your John Henry on this.

- Good morning Mr McDermott. - Morning Jim.

How's the news spread situation?

- Can't complain. - I'll say he can't!

What's this bring it down to now?

$4,400 but don't worry about it, I don't.

- Your ad's all set. - That's swell.

Why don't you go on back, we'll be with you in a minute.

Seems like all we do is work for the paper company.

Why don't we just give them the plan!

Here you are.

Hiya Bill, what's the problem?

A guy by the name of Nelson has been calling. - Nelson, who's he?

I asked him that, he said you knew him...

wouldn't talk to anybody else, said it was confidential.

Yeah, him.

What gives with this guy? He sounds like he's short a couple of buttons.

- He's a detective. - In Kennington?

- Sure, why not? - Brother!

- Morning Judy. - Jim, I've simply got to talk to you.

Now look, they left out 8 inches in my column again yesterday.

Mrs Hathaway's teeth, Mrs Combine's reception for Dr Boon...

We were short of space.

I notice you always have plenty of space for politics.

Women read the paper too you know.

Glenda, you're absolutely right!

Well then...

Without our brilliant society page we'd be just another newspaper.

- Do you really mean that? - Of course I do.

Say, that's a very attractive hat you're wearing.

Do you like it? I bought it for the women's club luncheon today.

You'll knock 'em dead!

Yes, but...

Be off in a minute.

- Morning Henry, how's the space? - Pretty tight.

The wife's home garden column hey?

Don't worry, we'll get it in, I'll set you up a good head.

Thanks Henry.

Now if you want any changes made we can still get it in today's paper.

Well, here we are.

That's fine Don, fine.

Great idea you boys cooked up.

- We have to convince you guys that advertising pays. - Hello.

- What I like is the way you've taken hold... - For you Jim.

We were talking it about just the other day.

Well I tell you, we've tried hard to do a good job.

Austin speaking, hello.

Hello Nelson.

Mr Austin, I've gotta see you, I've got a story for you.

No, I can't come over there.

I can't tell you why, not over the phone.

- You'll have to meet me. - Better luck.

Sure.

Alright, where?

The library?!

I'll be there.

- Nelson? What did he want? - Says he's got a story.

Bet it's a touch.

- Mr Austin? - Yes.

I'm Mrs Nelson, he's back there.

- Hi. - Hi.

- Did anybody see you come in? - Nobody in particular.

- What is this anyway? - It's just like I say, I've got a story.

How would you like to bust this town wide open?

Ok, let's have it.

- You know Chief Gillette? - Of course I know him.

- What do you think of him? - I think he's alright, why?

Suppose I was to tell you he's crookeder than a fishhook.

I'd say you was talking through your hat.

I thought so.

Listen to this...

A few days ago I take on a case, I guess you know Murray Sirak?

- I've seen him around. - Well this is his ex...

And she's heard that Sirak held out on the divorce settlement.

She wants to take him to court.

Well I began digging into the thing, on the QT understand.

His insurance business and...

other properties he has under dummy names and...

I visited a few of the horse parlors.

The easiest money to hold out on I figured is what he takes on making book.

Yeah and what happened?

I don't guess you've ever crossed the powers of this town Mr Austin.

- No I haven't. - You ought to try it sometime, it's a great experience.

From the first day I started work I began getting these tags.

- All for parking? - Not only parking.

I make a left turn, I'm in the wrong lane.

I make a right turn, the same thing or I'm obstructing traffic.

We go to a movie, somebody's been through the house.

And I can't work, I can't even turn around without the cops being on my tail.

Do you mean that the police have been...

trying to stop you investigating Murray Sirak?

What do you think?! I ain't never been in any trouble before.

This is simple, they don't want me nosing in Sirak's business...

because they're getting a cut.

- Can you prove that? - Prove it?

You mean we've got bookies and the cops don't know it?

Why ain't they closed if the cops ain't getting a cut?

Let me tell you the rest of it...

The day before yesterday I got a phonecall from Chief Gillette's office.

They've revoked my private investigator's license.

No, they can't do that, not without a cause.

You think they can't? Well they just did!

And I ain't gonna stand still for it, see.

I'm 50 years old Mr Austin, it's too late for me to start over now.

Without that license me and the little woman don't eat.

Look Nelson, I'm sorry but what can I do?

You've got a paper haven't you?

Crack this whole rotten mess wide open, that's what you can do.

- Sirak and the police... - Now look...