The Criminal Code

Go on, draw. You ain't got nothin'.

9th Precinct Police Station. Sergeant Harris talkin'.

Double pinochle! 300.

Hey, hey, wait a minute!

Where d'you get that "300" business?

That only counts 80.

Shut up, you guys, till I get this.

You're crazy. I didn't meld 'em separate.

Separate or together, it only counts 80.

- What are you doin', welchin'? - Ah, don't be like that.

There's been a fight down in Spelvin's café.

Somebody's hurt bad. Get goin'.

Go on, call up Rudy Schultz over at the coroner's office.

- See what he tells ya. - I don't care what Rudy Schultz says.

I say it counts 300. You owe me 42 cents.

- Go on, I don't owe you a nickel. - You owe me 42 cents.

Get goin', you guys.

Old Thaddeus Parker's son. He's liable to die.

And me with a 150 trump.

What good would it have done ya? You wouldn't know how to play it anyway.

- I'd have played 'em. - Call up Rudy Schultz.

Listen, I don't care if Rudy Schultz invented pinochle. Look it up in the book.

- Oh, yeah? - Yeah?

- Well, Rudy wrote the book. - Well, then, 300.

- All right, Jim, Spelvin's café. - (ENGINE STARTING)

I'll tell ya somethin' about pinochle. Now, if you leave the ace...

Say, listen, when we get back off this call,

I'm gonna have Rudy draw you up a set of rules.

I don't care about Rudy's rules.

By my rules, you owe me 42 cents.

That's you all over. Arbitrary.

I don't know what "arbitrary" means,

but you still owe me 42 cents.

...and if you took a few lessons from Rudy, you might know somethin'.

That's got nothin' to do with the 42 cents. You owe me the money.

- No, I don't. - Yes, you do. I know pinochle.

Stand back here!

- Hello, Mac. You're gettin' popular. - Hi, Mac.

- Hi, Spelvin. I don't know how they got in.

Didn't see a thing. Everything was orderly.

Keep your shirt on, Tony. We'll get to you.

How is he, Doc?

Oh, hello, Doran.

Maybe he'll pull through, but I wouldn't bet on it.

- What was he hit with? A water bottle.

Mmm. Who done it?

The kid over there.

Drinkin'? Yup. Parker and the kid both.

How about it, kid?

Well...

I don't know. We were just dancing, and...

I didn't mean to do it. I didn't...

Oh, yeah, sure. The bottle just slipped outta your hand.

Oh, no, sir.

He kept putting his hands on her.

I've got nothin' to do with it. I'm gonna get outta here.

Oh, no, sister. Stick around.

Well, what for? I hardly know these people.

Oh, you've got plenty of other witnesses, and...

Besides...

- I don't feel very well. - That's too bad.

Come on, let's go.

Oh, but let me call my house. I wanna get my lawyer.

I'll bet you duped that guy pretty good, didn't ya?

If you don't wanna take my word for it,

I'll get you eighteen other guys to prove that I'm right.

There'd be eighteen saps if they agree.

- Come on. - Come on.

Come on, break it up. Come on. Clear outta here. Come on.

- (TYPING) - (CHATTERING)

I don't care what Rudy Schultz told you.

You owe me 42 cents and I want my money.

All right.

Yeah? Yeah. Oh, hello, Joe.

Yeah, did he make any statement?

Yeah? Yeah.

No, no, no, let the police notify the coroner.

That's right. All right, goodbye.

Sit down.

Never mind that. Pull down the shade.

What's your name?

Merwyn Fontaine.

What's your real name?

- Gertrude. - Gertrude what?

- Gertrude Williams. - Yeah. Ever been arrested?

- Oh, no, sir. Honest, I haven't. - All right. I'll take your word for that.

Now, tell me everything that happened last night,

and don't make any mistakes.

Yes, sir.

Well, I was just walkin' down the street.

What street? What time?

Market Street, about eleven o'clock.

- I was only lookin' in the store windows, and... - Yeah, go on.

- And a young man came up and spoke to me. - Ever see him before?

- Oh, no, sir. Honest, I hadn't. - Go on.

Well...

- At first I was insulted. - Never mind that stuff.

All I want is the facts.

What did he say?

He said he'd only been in town a short time, and...

it was his birthday, and he was lonesome,

and would I go someplace to dance with him?

- I didn't see any harm in that. - Huh!

Ever see that before?

Yes, sir.

That...

- That's what he hit him with. - Where'd you see it?

- At Spelvin's. - Who suggested that joint?

- He did. - Then he learned his ropes pretty quick

for not being in town long, eh?

Guess he did.

Now, who suggested that joint?

I don't remember.

Maybe I did.

Yeah?

That's possible.

All right, go on.

Well, we danced a while, and we had some ginger ale.

Nothing else?

Some gin.

- Where'd you get the gin? - The waiter brought it.

Oh, you knew the waiter? You'd been there before?

He got it for you. Is that it?

Yes, sir. But anybody can get gin there.

Yeah, but the boy didn't have it? He didn't know.

That was your idea.

Yes, sir, but we both drank it.

Yeah.

All right. Go on.

This...

This Mr Parker got fresh with me on the floor.

- You knew Parker? - I'd seen him.

Ever been out with him?

Yeah.

All right, what did he do?

He wanted me to come over to his table.

When I wouldn't, he got sore, and he called me a name.

That's what started everything.

The young boy I was with, he said, "You've insulted this lady."

He meant me.

And then, Mr Parker reached back into his hip pocket.

It was just for his handkerchief. He didn't have nothin' else.

And then, the boy...

The boy picked that up,

and he struck him before anybody could stop him.

He was screaming like a madman.

- Gee, I did my best to... - All right, GERTIE. That's all.

- Come back here at five o'clock. - Yes, sir.

And GERTIE...

Don't do any talking. Keep your mouth shut.

Yes, sir.

Whew!

That all the witnesses, Lew?

Three... four... six... seven...

Yes, that's all.

Seven witnesses, and they all check on material points.

- Open and shut, eh? - Like a knife.

Yeah?

Yeah.

No, I can't tell yet.

Call me up at six o'clock, and I'll give you a statement.

Yeah, goodbye.

Yellow press.

- How they love the smell of blood! - Yeah.

They're all alike.

They'll squeal themselves deaf over this.

And old Thad Parker spends more money on advertising

than any man in this town.

That's right, Mr Brady. I never thought of that.

Yeah...

and an election coming on.

Hmm!

Bring the boy in.

Yes, sir.

All right.

You, come on.

Wait out here, Mike.

Hello? Yeah.

What's the matter, ya think we're asleep down here?

No, I'm... I'm taking personal charge of the case.

Yeah. Yeah, be lucky if he doesn't hang.

Yeah, goodbye.

Sit down, kid.

- I'd... I'd rather stand, sir. - Have a cigar?

- No, thank you. - Cigarette?

- No, sir. - Don't you smoke?

Yes, sir, but I... I don't care to now.

- Yeah? What's your name? - Robert Graham.

Yeah?

Ever call ya "Bob"?

Yes, sir.

- How old are you, Bob? - I was twenty...

yesterday.

Sorta celebrated, didn't ya?

Stranger in town?

I've been here a month. My home's in Hood Valley.

Yeah? Whatcha been doin' here?

Well, I...

I was a clerk at Price and Hatton's, the broker.

Any friends here? Parents living?