Cry of the City

Lieutenant!

Yeah?

I have Martin Rome, 357, Court Street.

- Right? - Good enough.

Age 29. Appendix removed four years ago.

Knife scar on shoulder. Blood type A.

- No further record. - No record?

Shh!

Per favore.

What do you want? For five years, he pulls every trick in the book.

Tonight, he holds up a restaurant and kills a cop.

- No record? - I mean, medical, sir.

Why? Why did they do this to him?

Marty.

Marty.

Teena.

You shouldn't have come.

I had to come, Marty.

The radio...

It said you were badly hurt.

It said you were...

Go away, Teena.

Don't get... mixed up in this.

Oh, Marty.

Why did you have to shoot?

Why did you kill?

I had to.

I thought we could...

Marty, does it hurt terribly?

Kiss me.

I can't die now.

Oh, Marty, Marty!

Lieutenant!

We bill the Police Department on this, right?

- Right. - Keep him alive, we'll give you a bonus.

Shall I have his wife sign the release for the operation?

- I don't think he has a wife. - What about that girl in there?

- What girl? - The girl who's in there now.

Are you sure you saw a dame?

Collins!

I tell you, this is a matter of a man's life. I've got to see him.

But Dr Williams is operating immediately. I can't let you go up.

Hiya, counsellor.

Lieutenant Collins.

Well, Niles, I didn't know that chasing ambulances was quite in your line.

Please, this is serious. Is Martin Rome still alive?

Just about.

You've got to let me see him.

He hasn't got a quarter.

I'm not interested in defending a cop killer.

I knew McCreedy, too.

Yeah.

What do you want to talk to Rome about?

If he's dying, I want a confession from him. He can save an innocent man.

A confession to what?

His implication in the DiGrazia case.

The DiGrazia case? Why, you're crazy!

We're holding Whitey Leggett on that. All we need is to get...

- Oh! - That's right.

Leggett's my client. I admit it.

And he's got plenty against him, but he didn't do the DiGrazia job.

And if I can talk to Martin Rome, I can prove it.

Torturing old ladies?

I don't think Rome goes in for that.

Candella, please.

Time is precious.

You know I wouldn't come here in the middle of the night on a wild goose chase.

- This is a man's life. - Maybe we'd better let him.

OK. If it's all right with the doctor, it's all right with me.

- It's in his hands now. - Thank you.

Rome, can you hear me?

This is Niles, the lawyer. Do you understand?

I want you to concentrate, just for a few seconds.

Rome, they're holding Whitey Leggett,

Whitey Leggett,

for the DiGrazia case.

He didn't do it, Rome.

He did not do it.

You know that.

You can save him.

Rome, you're in bad shape.

You may not pull out.

Don't go with this on your soul.

Please, Rome,

just tell us you were in on the DiGrazia case.

Rome?

You don't have to say anything. Just nod.

You killed her. Just nod.

You killed Mrs DiGrazia.

Go...

...fry.

Rome, please, just listen to me for a moment, will you?

- That's all. He's unconscious again. - Can't you...? Just for another minute?

Listen, sir, if we don't get your friend to surgery,

he'll never come to.

That's tough.

I did my best.

Did you catch what he said there?

- Why, I think he... - I heard him.

He told you to 'go fry'.

I think he meant it.

If you want us to say that in court, we'll be glad to.

Of course, of course.

There you are, Lieutenant, all ready for you.

- Thanks. How are you doing? - Oh, I ain't kicking.

Hey, how's that Marty Rome making out? Is he gonna live?

He was pretty rough for a couple of days, but I think he'll pull through.

I see his mother heading for church every day this week.

I think it'd have saved them some grief, if he'd have croaked.

Maybe you're right, Julio. See you tomorrow.

Take it easy, Lieutenant.

Close enough?

I haven't the strength.

Miss Pruett?

Yes?

Could you see if it's close enough? Please?

Nurse.

Well?

- What do you want? - Could I talk to you a minute?

I thought I ought to tell you that... Rome is a pretty bad boy with women.

Just what is that to do with me?

Nothing, really, I just thought I would tell you in case...

Look, Lieutenant,

I've been working around here for a good many years.

I don't expect anyone to tell me how to care for patients.

I beg your pardon.

You should.

- She's pretty hot, huh, Candella? - Smart guy!

We oughta throw you in a cell.

Four bullet holes. Every place you look a bullet hole.

- Even the doctor says... - If you're looking for sympathy, save it.

I just left Mrs McCreedy, the wife of the guy you killed, you murdering rat.

She looked fine.

Eyes all red, tears streaming down her face

and you lie here getting shaved.

- I oughta haul you out of bed and beat... - Go ahead.

Beat me, I'll die.

Yell at me, I faint.

You'll answer the questions I've got to ask

and you can drop that fancy lingo, see?

Listen to me!

- Marty... - Yes, Lieutenant?

- Is this your ring? - Yeah.

Yeah, that's mine.

- You got the rest of my stuff, too? - Where did you get it?

How about it, Marty? Where did you get it?

I don't know. A crap game, two or three months ago. It's all right, huh?

- I do pretty good with the dice. - Who from?

From er... a blond fella.

Yeah, with a droopy eye.

Leggett. Whitey Leggett.

You wouldn't know we were holding Whitey Leggett on the DiGrazia case, would you?

Who else was in the game?

- Oh, I don't know. Tommy Mills, maybe. - Tommy Mills is dead.

Look, Candella, what are you asking me all this stufffor?

I win a ring, so, what's the difference?

Come in, Nurse.

We'll only be a minute.

Marty... this ring is part of the collection

- stolen from Mrs DiGrazia. - Not by me.

100,000 dollars worth, Marty. Maybe you read about it.

- Nope. - We're anxious to get who did it, Marty.

They tortured her until they found out where she kept the stuff.

Then they strangled her.

- Not very pretty, huh? - You got Whitey Leggett. Go talk to him.

We will. But we wanna talk to you, too.

Look, Candella, I shot a policeman, he shot at me.

Now I'm going to the chair.

Suppose I say I did it, so what? I go twice? Huh!

I had nothing to do with it. Besides, a fella and his girl did the job.

Uh-huh! So you do read the papers.

You got a smart partner, Candella.

Look, I've never worked with a girl in my life.

They talk too much. Yakety-yakety.

Marty, who was the girl that was here the night they brought you in?

Girl?

I thought it was a dream. There was a girl here, huh?

Yes, Marty.

- Who was she? - I don't know.

- I wish I did. - What did she look like, Marty?

An angel.

I thought maybe...

Maybe I was dead.

All right. Cut it out, Marty.

We found one of the DiGrazia rings on you and we know that the girl was here.

Now stop the monkey business and tell us who she was.

I tell you I don't know. I never saw her before.

OK, Marty.

But you'll be seeing her again, cos we're going to find her.

And don't think for a minute we won't.

Come on, Collins.

- Here. Take this. - No.

- You've got to. Here. - I'd sooner die.

Something heavy here presses on me.

Your conscience.

Did you hear those two?

They say I tortured an old lady.

Me. Martin Rome.

Miss Pruett, you're a nurse, you know people. Do you think I'd do that?

- You killed a policeman. - He had me down. It was him or me.