Hammett

OH, JESUS.

Man's voice: THE PEARLS WERE INSURED FOR $100,000.

SO WHEN THE THIEF OFFERED TO SELL THEM BACK FOR FIVE,

THE INSURANCE COMPANY CAME TO US.

THERE WAS JUST ONE HITCH--

THE THIEF INSISTED ON A WOMAN GO-BETWEEN.

THE OLD MAN SUGGESTED SUE ALABAMA,

WHO WORKED FOR US A FEW YEARS BACK.

WHEN HE ASKED ME WHAT I THOUGHT, I SAID I THOUGHT SHE'D BE PERFECT.

JUST PERFECT.

THAT'LL STOP A KITTEN IF YOU'RE LUCKY.

IT'LL STOP A TIGER IF YOU KNOW HOW TO POINT IT.

Man's voice: HER NAME WASN'T REALLY SUE ALABAMA,

IT WAS SUE SOMETHING-GREEK- AND-UNPRONOUNCEABLE.

BUT ALL OF US CALLED HER ALABAMA,

SO SHE HAD IT CHANGED BACK IN '25.

THAT WAS JUST AFTER SHE AND I TOOK

"NOWHERE" NICKLETON AT THE BILTMORE IN L.A.

SHE PRIMED HIM AND I WENT IN ON THE CLEANUP.

SEX WAS NEARLY ALL SUE ALABAMA EVER NEEDED.

SHE COULD USE IT THE WAY SOME GUYS USE A BLACKJACK.

I STILL THINK SHE WAS PROBABLY THE BEST I EVER WORKED WITH.

THE 5,000 BUCKS?

INSIDE COAT POCKET.

HE NEEDED ONE HAND FOR THE MONEY

AND THE OTHER FOR THE GUN.

HE WASN'T GOOD ENOUGH TO HANDLE BOTH.

IF IT ISN'T "PEN PAL" MORRISON.

HELLO, PEN PAL.

AT LEAST YOU DIDN'T HIT THE MONEY.

I DIDN'T AIM AT THE MONEY.

I CAN'T FIGURE HIM FOR A CANNON.

THE ONLY THING PEN PAL WOULD EVER USE IS THE U.S. MAIL.

EXTORTION.

THAT'S WHY THEY PARKED HIM IN ATLANTA FOR THREE YEARS.

MAYBE HE JUST GOT AMBITIOUS.

MAYBE HE DID.

NO PEARLS THOUGH.

NO PEARLS.

IT WAS A CUTE HEIST, THAT'S ALL.

JUST ONE SMALL STEP UP FROM EXTORTION.

WHERE WERE YOU GONNA FENCE 'EM, CHICAGO?

CINCINNATI.

IF YOU STILL WANT 'EM, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO USE THAT SHOOTER.

GIVE ME TWO HOURS.

WHY?

FOR OLD TIMES' SAKE.

I'LL GIVE YOU ONE.

OKAY, ONE.

Man's voice: I DIDN'T GIVE HER AN HOUR, OF COURSE.

I DIDN'T EVEN GIVE HER 15 MINUTES.

THEY PICKED HER UP AT THE UNION STATION

WITH A TICKET FOR CHICAGO IN HER BAG.

I WAS ALMOST SORRY SHE DIDN'T MAKE IT.

BACK IN '26 SUE ALABAMA AND I NEARLY GOT MARRIED.

I SUPPOSE IT'S JUST AS WELL WE DIDN'T.

RYAN.

JESUS, RYAN.

JAMES FRANCIS XAVIER RYAN.

HIMSELF.

LOOK AT YOU KID, YOU'RE WHITER THAN I AM.

CLEAN LIVING.

YOU STILL A LUNGER?

CURED, ALMOST ANYWAY. THIRSTY?

ALWAYS.

I LOOKED AT THIS WHILE I WAS WAITING,

EXCEPT HER NAME WASN'T "SUE ALABAMA."

IT WAS "BETTY PHILADELPHIA."

AND I DID MARRY HER. WORSE LUCK.

- YOU EVER HEAR FROM HER? - YOU EVER HEAR FROM YOURS?

LET ME ASK YOU A LITERARY QUESTION.

SURE.

I'LL BE SITTING AROUND WITH NOTHING TO DO

AND I'LL PICK UP ONE OF THOSE PULP RAGS

JUST TO SEE IF YOU GOT A STORY IN IT.

WHEN YOU DO, IT'S USUALLY ABOUT THIS TOUGH OLD BIRD

WHO'S ABOUT TWO AND A HALF HOPS AHEAD OF EVERYBODY ELSE.

HOW COME HE HASN'T GOT A NAME?

ARE NAMES HARD TO WRITE?

SHOOT, I CAN WRITE NAMES.

FOXFIRE McCABE, BITSY GLASS...

- - ...JOE PICKLES.

YOU THINK HE'S YOU, RIGHT?

I KNOW HE IS.

HE GOES AROUND DOING EVERYTHING I USED TO DO.

HALF THE TIME I DON'T KNOW WHETHER TO BE FLATTERED

- OR EMBARRASSED AS HELL. -

WHAT BRINGS YOU TO TOWN?

THAT'S WHAT I WANT TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT.

- I GOT AN M.P. THING GOING. - WHO'S MISSING?

LITTLE CHINK GIRL,

ABOUT 16-17,

PRETTY. HER NAME'S CRYSTAL.

CRYSTAL LING.

I NEED SOME HELP, SAM.

YOU KNOW THIS BURG AND I DON'T.

I'M OUT OF IT.

ONCE IN, NEVER OUT.

HELL, I BET YOU'RE STILL HALF SNOOP.

I TAUGHT YOU GOOD.

I BET YOU READ OTHER PEOPLE'S MAIL,

POKE AROUND THEIR MEDICINE CABINETS.

EAVESDROP.

WHEN I WALK DOWN THE STREET, KNOW WHAT I STILL LOOK AT?

EARLOBES, NOSES, EYEBROWS,

SCARS IF THERE ARE ANY.

SEE WHAT I MEAN?

YEAH, BUT YOU'RE TRYING TO PUT THEM IN JAIL.

I'M JUST TRYING TO PUT 'EM IN A MAGAZINE.

LIKE I SAID, I NEED SOME HELP, SAM.

ESPECIALLY IN CHINATOWN.

I WANT YOU FOR MY TIN MITTENS.

NO CHANCE. I DON'T SCREW AROUND WITH THE COPS ANYMORE,

NOT IN THIS TOWN.

LET'S GO GET SOME BOOZE.

IN A MINUTE.

LET ME TELL YOU A STORY FIRST.

YOU LIKE STORIES, DON'T YOU?

SURE YOU DO.

IT SEEMS LIKE THIS OLD BIRD

IS UP IN SOME PLACE THAT SOUNDS A HELL OF A LOT LIKE BUTTE, MONTANA.

HE HAD A SIDEKICK THIS TIME--

A KID THE AGENCY SENT,

GREEN AS GRASS.

SOMEHOW THEY GET THEMSELVES IN THE SOUP,

AND THE OLD GUY TAKES A SLUG IN THE SHOULDER

THAT BY RIGHTS SHOULD'VE TAKEN THE KID IN THE LEFT EYE.

THE GREEN KID FALLS ALL OVER HIMSELF

TELLING THE OLD GUY NO MATTER WHAT HE WANTS,

NO MATTER WHEN, NO MATTER WHERE,

JUST HOLLER.

YOU REMEMBER THAT STORY.

ANYWHERE, ANYTIME, IS NOW HAMMETT.

I'M CALLING IT IN.

LET'S GO GET THAT WHISKEY.

Woman: HI, NEIGHBOR.

CAN YOU SPARE A CUP OF BOOZE?

Hammett: HELLO, KIT. I'M ALL OUT.

OHH.

OH, SORRY.

I DIDN'T KNOW YOU HAD COMPANY.

MISS CONGER, MR. RYAN.

HOW ARE YOU?

KIT'S A LIBRARIAN DOWNTOWN.

WE WERE JUST GOING OUT TO MAIL THIS, BRING YOU BACK SOME BOOZE.

OKAY, LET ME GIVE YOU THE MONEY.

SO WHERE ARE YOU FROM, MR. RYAN?

BALTIMORE, BIRMINGHAM,

BUTTE-- YOU NAME IT.

Conger: ANY PLACE THAT BEGINS WITH A "B."

I LEFT OUT BILOXI.

YOUR NEW STORY SET IN ANY OF THOSE PLACES, SAM?

Hammett: YEAH, MAYBE. MAYBE NOT.

Ryan: SOUNDED LIKE BALTIMORE TO ME.

- DID YOU MAKE A CARBON? - NO.

ONE OF THESE DAYS YOU'RE--

IS THAT WHAT YOU WEAR TO THE LIBRARY?

THAT'S WHAT I WEAR UNDERNEATH WHAT I WEAR TO THE LIBRARY.

YOU NEVER SEEN ANY BEFORE?

COUPLE OF TIMES. MAYBE THREE.

FOUR COUNTING THE REDHEADED CONTORTIONIST FROM YAKIMA.

CUTE DISH.

YEAH, VERY.

- - I HEAR YOU LEFT PINKERTONS.

YEAH, THREE OR FOUR YEARS AGO.

LONG HOURS, SHORT DOUGH.

ANY MONEY IN THE WRITING RACKET?

PENNY A WORD.

WRITE A MILLION WORDS, YOU'LL BE SET.

LIKE "WAR AND PEACE."

BRING YOU BACK SOME GIN.

GIN'S FOR OLD LADIES. MAKE IT SCOTCH.

CHRIST, YOU'RE SURE LOOKING FLUSH--

SOMEWHERE BETWEEN A BOOTLEGGER AND A BANKER.

Ryan: GOT MY OWN AGENCY UP IN TACOMA NOW.

A LOT OF DIVORCES IN TACOMA.

NO WONDER. HELL, IT RAINS 350 DAYS OF THE YEAR.

WHAT'S YOUR TOWN LIKE? FREE AND EASY?

YEAH, MORE SO THAN MOST.

WHO RUNS THINGS?

SAME PEOPLE THAT RUN THINGS EVERYWHERE.

THE COPS, THE CROOKS AND THE BIG RICH, HUH?

WHO ELSE?

- WHERE? - A LITTLE TO YOUR RIGHT AND BACK SIX YARDS.

I'D SORTA LIKE TO LOSE HIM.

- YOU STILL KNOW HOW? - YEAH, I THINK I MIGHT REMEMBER.

CORKSCREW OR SPLIT AWAY?

CORKSCREW. LOOKS LIKE I TAUGHT YOU SOMETHING AFTER ALL.

KNOW WHO THAT PUNK REMINDS ME OF?

- WHO? - REMEMBER BLACKIE MALCOLM?

- MY GOD, YOU'RE RIGHT. - WAIT, I GOTTA MAIL THIS.

- MAIL IT LATER! - WAIT A MINUTE.

- WHAT? - COME ON, MOVE IT.

- - YOU OKAY?

YEAH. IF WE LOSE EACH OTHER,

MEET ME AT COOKIE'S.

- WHAT'S THAT, A SPEAK? - YEAH, ASK ANYBODY.