Chapter 1: What happens when the police investigate a suspicious death?
Thank you.
Open up in there. Open up. This is the police. Are you sure this is John Thompson's room, Inspector Farrelly? Sure, I'm sure. Maybe she committed suicide, Inspector, eh? Huh? Say, you might be right. Come on, let's break down the door. Hotter, Rollins, hotter. This should do it. Come on, let's go in quick. I don't smell no gas. Where's the light switch? Don't ask me. I'm a stranger here myself.
Hey, hold it. Somebody's over there crying. Here's the light switch. Hey, miss. You, uh, Joan Thompson?
Joan... Joan Thompson.
Joan... Are you Joan Thompson? Are you the cigarette girl in the boulevard club?
Yes.
You're wanted for the murder of Henry Bryson.
No.
You left the club with him tonight, didn't you?
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Chapter 2: How does Joan Thompson become a murder suspect?
So I hear. That's why I called. Yeah? Well, how does it feel to be a murder suspect? Completely natural. Now, what have I done? Made a fool out of yourself. Well, I had good material. And besides, I was tired of being so different from you. You won't be able to wisecrack your way out of this one, Blackie. I'm pinning this on you. Faraday, you have trouble pinning your badge on yourself.
Okay, be a smart aleck if you want to. But why'd you do it, Blackie? Why did I do it? I don't even know what I've done. You're always so shy about telling me those things. You took John Thompson's gun. Oh, that? Yeah, that. Thompson girl admits she killed Henry Bryson. Now, why did you have to get mixed up in it by taking her gun? Now you're an accessory after the fact.
And you're a cop after the accessory. The cycle's complete. All right, Blackie. I've given you a chance to swear yourself. You won't? So I'm coming to get you. Oh, come on. It'll be nice seeing you again. Blackie, listen to me. Stop clowning for once and tell me, why did you do it? It's so simple, maybe it's for a few translations in the baby, or even you can understand it.
Joan Thompson used to be Mary Wesley's best friend. Since when does knowing Mary Wesley make an angel out of anybody? Mary Wesley's qualities are catching. Wait a minute, Barney. Hold your wings, Mary, they're fluttering.
Yes, when they're unfolded like this, they dust the walls tonight. Frankie, is that Miss Wesley with you now?
And you ought to see her, Faraday. She looks lovely. Maybe I will see her. Behind bars with you. She could be mixed up in this, too, you know. Look, Faraday, Mary didn't send me up there to take the gun away from the Thompson girl. I did that on my own. I don't trust your ballistics department. By the way, what caliber bullet killed Henry Brightson? None of your business.
Well, I'm going to make it mine to keep you in business. So long, Faraday. When I have your killer, I'll deliver him to you all wrapped up. Blackie, you listen to me, Blackie. Well, times certainly haven't changed, Mary. Neither has Faraday. He thinks I had something to do with Henry Brightson's murder.
Oh, Blackie, it's all my fault for calling you. When Joan called me, I didn't know who else to turn to.
If you never know who else to turn to, that's fine with me.
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Chapter 3: What evidence complicates Joan's confession?
Hypnotized.
That is your fate.
The rest of the Boulevard Club is phony enough, Mary, but I think the floor show is legitimate. Now, ladies and gentlemen, you will remember that before the subject was hypnotized, he could not correctly add 27 and 47. Who can? Now, while he is hypnotized, I will give the subject three figures to add, and his subconscious mind will calculate the answers with the speed of machinery.
If this works, I should have been hypnotized in school.
Won't you? Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Williams. 257, 349, 581. Add those numbers together and give me the answer. 1,187. Ladies and gentlemen, add those figures yourself and you'll see that the answer is correct. I don't know. I'm still working on it. Now, ladies and gentlemen, I think our subject should wake up. Mr. Williams. Mr. Williams. Wake up. Wake up. Four. There, four.
Now, Mr. Williams, give me the correct sum of 257, 349, and 581. Are you kidding? This man would get through life better if he were hypnotized. Me too. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. And thank you, Mr. Williams. You've been a good sport.
Oh, shucks. Is that the end of the floor show?
Seems to be.
Blackie, was that medal really on the level?
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Chapter 4: What role does hypnosis play in the investigation?
Enjoy the floor show? Very much. Almost had a little unscheduled show here last night. Our cigarette girl killed Henry Bryson. You read about it? Yes, we did. It was exciting. Police all over the place. Say, tell me, did the place, did they ever find the man Bryson came in with last night? I don't know why not. Dr. James Harris does not have to hide from anybody.
He left a long time before Bryson did. Why would the police think they're going to kill Bryson? I don't know that they do. Say, how did that cigarette girl, what's her name, Joan Thompson, how did she get mixed up with Bryson? Well, when Bryson was about to... Don't ask questions yet, sir, because we do not know the answer. Oh, sorry.
I'm sorry, sir, but we have a policy here never to talk about our customers. Important people come here, and it is not right. I'm sorry I asked. That's okay. Here, this should take care of the check. Thank you, sir. I'll be right back. Never mind. Keep it.
Thank you. Blackie.
What's the matter, Mary? You look surprised.
How did you know Bryson came in with someone else?
I didn't. It was just a shot in the dark.
Well, let's stay here until they turn out the lights, and maybe you can shoot for the answer to everything.
Oh, no. We're getting out of here.
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Chapter 5: How does Blackie plan to prove Joan's innocence?
To help you.
Nobody can help me.
Look, Joan, I've just come from the ballpark club. Something's wrong here. Now, before you left last night, did anyone force you to do anything at all?
No. When I got through, I got my hat and my usual cup of coffee and left.
You're covering up for somebody, Joan.
No.
Who? Who killed Henry Brightson?
I did.
Joan, will you stop lying? Who's forcing you to say that?
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Chapter 6: What critical information does Dr. Harris provide?
Why didn't you leave with him? Why, uh... I had an emergency call. I can check on that, you know. Well... Well, all right, then. Brightson and I went to the Boulevard Club for a little private game with the owner, Jim Edwards. I dropped out. Because you ran out of money? No. I left because that game wasn't on the level. And I knew it. Who was crooked? Brightson. I told him so and left.
Then what did you do? I came straight home. Got a gun... Went back to the Boulevard Club, waited for Brightson to come out, followed him, then killed him. Now, look here. I didn't kill Brightson, I tell you. Yes, I know. That's what you tell me. You can't drag me into this. You can't. All I want to do is drag the truth out of you. But I've told you the whole truth. All right.
Let's forget the possibility that you might have killed Brightson for the moment. Aren't you a specialist in drugs? No. So what? Is there a drug that would make Joan Thompson, the cigarette girl, believe she killed Watson? No. Drugs don't make people think they've done something they haven't done. Under the influence of drugs, people do forget, though.
In other words, drugs don't enter into this at all. Being drugged would not make her confess to something she didn't do. I'll stake my reputation on that. Those are pretty high stakes, Dr. Harris. Let's just hope that before this is over, you don't have to pull them up. Mary, this is Blackie. I've just seen Dr. Harris and drugs are out. Oh, dear.
But something else is in, and if my hunch is right, I'm in, too.
What do you mean?
Question. Why did Bryson leave the club and Joan's car when his own was parked in a lot outside the club? Answer. His car broke down.
Oh, Blackie, Joan told us that.
Yes, but we're going to have a look at that car of his, because if it didn't break down, it's going to break up this case.
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Chapter 7: How does Blackie confront the true murderer?
Good evening, Nick. Good evening.
Oh, you're the same waiter we had here last night. How nice.
I'm glad you like the Boulevard Club enough to come back the second night. Oh, yes. We enjoyed it last night.
Especially the floor show.
Oh, I hope you have not come to see the mentally. As a matter of fact, we have. We hope we might be able to volunteer at subjects. Oh, I'm awfully sorry, sir. He is not here any longer.
Oh, we miss him.
But we have a new act that is excellent. I'm sure you will like it. Yes, I'm sure we will. Now, what would you like for dinner this evening? We haven't decided yet. Could you give us a few more minutes? Let's go. All the time you want, sir.
All the time you want. Well, Blackie, there goes your theory.
And here I go to the telephone.
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Chapter 8: What is the resolution of Joan's case?
Uh, by the way, uh, hand over that gun, will you? I have a permit for this pistol. But the permit doesn't say that you can kill with it. Hand it over. I want to look at it. All right, here. Now you can sit down and make yourself comfortable. Because what I'm going to say to you... It'll make you uncomfortable. That gun of mine did not kill Brighton. It did not kill Wilner.
Hasn't been fired in months. I can tell that by looking at it. Are you satisfied? Yeah. Here. You can have it now. Now, will you be so kind as to put your gun away? Of course. Well, that better? Yes, much. Now, what would... I'm not going to ask you if you killed Brighton and Wilner... I'm going to tell you you did, and why. Can you? Just listen.
Brightson caught you cheating at cards and threatened to go to the police. You couldn't afford that. You fixed his car so it wouldn't run and sent him home in Joan Thompson's car. Then Joan Thompson was the last to see him alive, so she must have killed him. Joan Thompson was drugged when she had her usual cup of coffee before leaving the club.
And you went along with her until the drug took effect, then stopped the car and shot Brighton. Joan Thompson admits she killed Brighton. Of course. Under hypnosis, she would admit anything. After killing Brighton, you brought Joan back here, had Wilma hypnotize her and impress on her subconscious that she had killed Brighton. You, uh, can prove that?
You helped prove it yourself by killing Wilma so he could never blackmail you. The final proof will come when a doctor tells the police that Joan Thompson has been both drugged and hypnotized ever since she was found in her room. Don't move, Blackie. I wouldn't give orders if I were you, Edwards. Then I'll let my gun speak for me. Speak sort of softly, Desmond. Stay back, Blackie.
My gun's just missing. I'll say it's missing, Edwards. It's missing its bullet. What? I took them out when I pretended to look at your gun. Why, you dirty... Oh, no, Edwards. Please don't call me names. It isn't fair. Because from now on, all anybody will be able to call you is a number. Everything checked, Mary. The police found out that our friend Joan had been drugged.
And Joan was made to believe she killed Brighton because he was hypnotized. I still can't believe it.
Look into my eyes. You are going to sleep. Oh. Look into my eyes.
Yes.
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