The Killers

Ketchup.

What'll it be, gentlemen?

I don't know. What do you want to eat, Al?

I don't know what I want to eat.

I'll have the roast pork tenderloin with the applesauce and mashed potatoes.

- That's not ready yet. - Then what's it on the card for?

Well, that's on the dinner. You can have that at 6:00.

That clock is ten minutes fast. The dinner isn't ready yet.

Never mind the clock. What have you got to eat?

Well, I can give you any kind of sandwiches,

bacon and eggs, liver and bacon, ham and eggs, steaks...

I'll take the chicken croquettes with the cream sauce,

the green peas and the mashed potatoes.

That's on the dinner too.

Everything we want's on the dinner. That's the way you work it, huh?

- I can give you ham and eggs, bacon and eggs... - I'll take ham and eggs.

Give me bacon and eggs.

- One ham and, bacon and. - Comin' up!

- You got anything to drink? - I can give you soda, beer, ginger ale...

I said, have you got anything to drink?

No.

- This is a hot town. What do you call it? - Brentwood.

Did you ever hear of Brentwood?

What do you do here nights?

They eat their dinner.

They all come here and eat the big dinner.

- That's right. - You're a pretty bright boy, aren't you?

- Sure. - Well, you're not. Is he, Al?

He's dumb.

Hey, you, what's your name?

Adams. Nick Adams.

- Another bright boy. - The town's full of bright boys.

One ham and, one bacon and.

- Which one is yours? - Don't you remember, bright boy?

- - What are you laughing at?

- Nothing. - You see something funny?

- No. - Then don't laugh.

All right.

- He thinks it's all right. - Oh, he's a thinker.

What's the bright boy's name down the counter?

I forget.

- Hey. - Yeah?

You go around the other side of the counter.

- What? - You heard me.

- What's the idea? - There isn't any idea.

Better go around, bright boy.

Who's out in the kitchen?

- Only the cook. - Tell him to come in.

- Say, where do you... - Use your head!

Tell the cook to come out here.

- Sam. - Yeah?

Come here.

What was it?

I'm going out to the kitchen with him and bright boy.

Come on back, you two.

If anybody comes in, you tell 'em the cook is off.

What's it all about?

Hey, Al, bright boy wants to know what it's all about.

- Why don't you tell him? - What do you think it's all about?

- I don't know. - What do you think?

I wouldn't say.

Hey, Al, bright boy says he wouldn't say what he thinks it's all about.

Hey, you. Come here.

I'll tell you what's gonna happen.

We're gonna kill the Swede.

You know the big Swede works over at that filling station?

You mean Pete Lunn?

If that's what he calls himself.

- Comes in every night at 6:00, don't he? - Yes, if he comes.

We know all about that.

What are you going to kill him for? What did Pete Lunn ever do to you?

He never had a chance to do anything to us.

- He never even seen us. - He's only going to see us once.

What are you going to kill him for?

- We're killing him for a friend. - Shut up. You talk too much.

I got to keep bright boy amused, don't I?

What are you going to do with us afterwards?

That'll depend.

That's one of those things you never know at the time.

- Hello, George. - Hello, Fred.

- Can I have supper? - Sam's out.

He'll be back in about half an hour.

Oh. Well, maybe I better go up the street.

- Sorry. - That's all right.

That was nice, bright boy.

You're a regular little gentleman.

Lunn won't be in tonight.

- What makes you think so? - It's after six.

If he comes, it's always before six.

Hear that, Al? Bright boy says he don't think the Swede's going to show up.

Sorry, but we're not serving.

- Why not? - The cook's away. He's sick.

Then why don't you get another cook?

Are you running a lunch counter or aren't you?

You, bright boy.

That on the level about the Swede not showin' up tonight?

- Yeah. - You wouldn't fool us, would you?

When he's not here by six, he's not coming.

No, he ain't fooling.

He'd know better than to fool.

- Come on, Al. - What about those two back there?

Bright boy, here.

- They're all right. - Think so?

Sure.

You got a lot of luck, bright boy.

That's the truth.

You ought to play the races.

Oh, dear.

I'm glad we're all alive.

This never happened in this town before.

I don't like it. I don't like any part of it.

It's all right, Sam. They were going to kill Pete Lunn.

They were going to shoot him when he came in to dinner.

- The Swede? - Yes.

I don't get it. Why would anyone want to kill the Swede?

They've gone over to the station. They'll probably get his address from the daybook.

Nick.

You work with the Swede. You better go and tell him.

- I'm going for the cops. - You better go tell the Swede first.

Swede!

I was over at Henry's. A couple of guys came in and tied up me and the cook.

They shoved us in the kitchen.

They said they were going to shoot you when you came in to supper.

George thought I ought to come over and tell you.

- There's nothing I can do about it. - I can tell you what they look like.

I don't want to know what they're like. Thanks for coming.

Don't you want me to go and see the police?

- No. That wouldn't do any good. - Isn't there something I could do?

- There ain't anything to do. - Couldn't you get out of town?

No. I'm through with all that runnin' around.

Why do they want to kill you?

I did something wrong once.

Thanks for coming.

Yeah. That's all right.

Brentwood Police Station.

The chief is busy now. He'll call you back.

The way I look at it, this killing doesn't rightly concern Brentwood at all.

What concerns us is protecting the lives and property of our citizens.

This man Lunn lived here, that's all.

The killers came from out of town, and they were here looking for Lunn.

They ain't gunning for anyone else in town.

They made their getaway,

and what happens to 'em from here on in is up to the state police.

- It's out of our hands. - This is what I'm looking for.

"Beneficiary: Mary Ellen Daugherty. Palms Hotel, Atlantic City." Relative?

Haven't checked yet.

Souvenir, I guess.

Yeah. Could be.

- What do you know about Lunn? - Not much.

Came here about a year ago.

Lived at a boardinghouse out on Spruce Street. Mrs. Hirsch's.

Never made any friends, as far as I can make out. Kept pretty much to himself.

Ma Hirsch says she can't ever remember him getting any mail even.

Well?

- They weren't any of these guys. - That's for certain.

These two boys saw the killers. They came into Henry's Diner looking for Lunn.

Said right out they were gonna kill him when he came in.

Just happened Nick Adams was in the place that night.

He and Lunn worked together at the filling station.

I ought to be getting back on the job. If you're done with me for now, I'd better go.

- You can go. - Say, Adams.

What kind of a fellow was the Swede?

It's okay, Nick. Mr. Riordan's from the insurance company.

Ah, he wasn't a bad sort of fellow.

You got along with him all right on the job?

Sure. Easy enough to get along with.

Uh-huh. Think I'll have a look at the body.

Right. Nick, you take Mr. Riordan down to Pluthner and introduce him.

Mr. Pluthner's in charge of our county morgue.

Thanks. I'd like to have a chat with Nick anyway.

Anything else I can do, let me know.

I'd like a copy of the report on Lunn's fingerprints soon...

- as you get it from Washington. - I'll send it right on to you.

- Fine. Mind if I keep this? - Keep it. Sure.

Thanks again.

Tell me, Nick, the last time you and the Swede were together...

Hello, Nick. What's on your mind?

Mr. Pluthner, this is Mr. Riordan. The chief asked me to bring him down.

I'm with the Atlantic Casualty Company.

Tri-States Oil carries a group policy with us on its employees.

- Lunn worked for them. - Well, the policy is now payable.

Got eight slugs in him. Near tore him in half.

- "Once I did something wrong." - Huh?

Those were his last words to Nick here.

I wonder what he meant. "Once I did something wrong."

I don't know, but it was something a long time ago.

- How do you know that? - Just the way he said it.

Like it was something happened a long time back.

Did the Swede eat his supper at the diner every night?

Yeah.

I wonder why he didn't show the night the killers were there.

He'd been staying home for a few days. He didn't feel so good.

- What was the matter with him? - I don't know.

Stomach or something.

It started Thursday, a week ago.

I was at the filling station.

About an hour before closing, a guy drives in in a big black car.

Caddy, I think it was.

- Fill 'er up. Ethyl. - Yes, sir.

Hey, you!