Nick: “What did the kid look like?”
Harold gives a rough description of Phil, adding, “Why?”
Nick: “What happened to him?”
Harold: “I don’t know.” He calls to the taxi driver, who is standing back against a wall, looking resentfully at them: “Hey, Screwy! What happened to the kid that was hanging around here?”
The taxi driver: “I don’t know. I guess he went down the street half hour ago.”
Harold warns Nick: “Maybe he never even seen him. What’s up, Nick?”
Nick: “Plenty. Drive Mrs. Charles back to her Aunt’s.” Then to Nora: “Going to stay all night?”
Nora: “I think I ought to.”
He nods: “I’ll stop over in the morning.” He stands at the curb, staring thoughtfully after the car as it drives away.
Upstairs in the Lichee, Dancer meets Polly as she leaves the floor and asks her, “What are you doing back here?”
Polly: “It wasn’t my fault, Dancer. You know how drunks are. We got outside and he insisted on going home — his home — and I couldn’t talk him out of it. I couldn’t strong-arm him, could I? So I thought I’d better come back and tell you. I couldn’t stop him.”
Dancer: “OK, sister, dress your dolls the way you want to.”
Polly: “I don’t understand what you mean, Dancer.”
Dancer: “A cluck, huh? All right. I’ll tell you so you can understand. Somebody cooled off Landis tonight, and the heat’s on plenty, right here. You’re in it with me, and you’re going to be in it with me, because the first time you step out of line — Get the idea?”
Polly: “You don’t have to try to scare me.” (But she is scared.) “I’m shooting square with you.”
Dancer, sneering: “You mean starting now? That’ll help some. Where’s the paper?”
Polly: “In my bag. Shall I tear it up?”
Dancer: “Maybe you are as dumb as you act sometimes. Listen. Try to understand what I’m telling you. Landis is killed — dead. Maybe we’re going to need that paper bad. So you don’t let anything happen to it. Be sure you don’t.”
Polly: “All right, but I still don’t get it. I don’t know what you…”
Dancer: “Shut up and do what you're told.”
At this point, as they move toward Dancer’s apartment, they pass the head of the stairs and are joined by Nick, returning from the street.
Nick: “Now let’s have that little drink Lum Kee was talking about.”
Dancer: “Swell! And, Mr. Charles, I want to apologize for losing my temper like that.”
Nick, linking arms with them: “Don’t give it a second thought. Some people lose one thing, some lose another, but they all like a drink afterwards.”
To Polly, sympathetically: “Tough you couldn’t do a better job of seeing Landis got home all right.”
Polly, sullenly: “It wasn’t my fault. I did the best I could.”
Nick, as they go into Dancer’s apartment: “I’m sure you did.”
Lum Kee is at the telephone, saying, “Better you come right away. You bet you.” He hangs up, explaining blandly to Nick, “Mr. Caspar. He our lawyer. Sometimes good thing when you have trouble.”
Nick: “You bet you.”
Dancer: “Maybe, but I think you’re going to a lot of trouble over nothing. It’s a cinch none of us shot Landis, so what do we need a lawyer for?”
Nick: “Maybe to help you explain how you know he was shot.”
Dancer: “Well, whatever way he was killed, it’s still a cinch we didn’t have anything to do with it.”
Nick yawns, says, “A cinch is no defense in the eyes of the law,” and makes himself comfortable on the sofa.
Dancer smiles ingratiatingly at Nick and says, “I don’t blame you for thinking maybe we’re tied up in this somehow. It’s our own fault for starting off with you on the wrong foot, but… let’s have that drink first and talk things over. We can show you we’re in the clear.” He pushes a button for a waiter.
Nick, indifferently, lying back and looking at the ceiling: “Don’t worry about me. Talk it over with the police.”
Dancer catches Polly’s eye and jerks his head a little toward Nick. She nods and moves as if aimlessly over to the sofa. Lum Kee looks from Dancer to Polly, then goes over and sits on a chair not far from the sofa, but behind Nick.
Dancer calls, “Come in,” as the waiter knocks and moves over so that he is between Nick and the door. (None of these movements should be definitely threatening, though it should seem to the audience that Nick is being surrounded.)
Dancer, to Nick: “What’ll you have?”
Nick: “Scotch.”
Polly and Lum Kee: “Same.”
Dancer: “And a glass of milk.”
The waiter goes out. Polly sits down on the sofa beside Nick and says, “Do you suppose that David Graham could have killed Robert?”
Nick blinks in surprise, then says: “I’m no good at supposing. What do you know about David Graham?”
Dancer is regarding the girl with a puzzled look.
Polly: “Only what Robert told me, that he was in love with his wife.”
Abrams, stolidly: “Good evening, Mrs. Charles, or I guess it’s good morning. Did you see him there? I mean Robert Landis.”
Nora: “Yes.”
Abrams: “What happened?”
Nora: “Nick knows. Go down there. He can tell you everything.”
Abrams, not very hopefully: “I hope somebody can tell me something. These people!” He looks gloomily at Aunt Katherine and Kammer and shakes his head, then continues: “Anyhow, I got to ask a couple more questions. Dr. Kammer, do you often have to give Mrs. Landis things to quiet her?” Kammer stares at him. Abrams turns to Nora for sympathy, saying, “You see? That’s the way it’s been going.”
Nora: “But surely you don't think Mrs. Landis…” She breaks off, looking from one to the other in amazement.
Abrams, patiently: “How do I know what to think if nobody'll tell me anything. Well, Dr. Kammer, let’s put it plain: does she take dope?”
Aunt Katherine: “Mr. Abraham, you're insulting.”
Kammer: “Certainly not.”
Abrams, paying no attention to Aunt Katherine: “OK. Check that off. Then is she crazy?”
Kammer: “My dear sir, why should you think that?”
Abrams: “Easiest thing in the world. I’ve seen you three times in my life before this, and all three times you were on the witness stand testifying that somebody was nuts.” He begins to count on his fingers. “First it was that guy Walter Dabney that killed a guy in a fight; then it was that Harrigan woman.” He opens his eyes a little wider. “By golly, she shot her husband, too; and then it was…”
Nora goes up to Abrams as if she were about to smack him and says angrily, “Too! What right have you to say a thing like that?”
Dr. Kammer bows to Aunt {Catherine and says, “Miss Forrest, in view of this definite accusation by the gentleman” (He bows to Abrams) “I think you would be justified in insisting that your attorney be present at any further interviews members of your family may have with the police.”
Aunt Katherine continues to regard Abrams in stony silence, as she has throughout this scene except for her one speech.
Abrams groans wearily and says, though not apologetically, “Anybody’s tongue’s liable to slip.” Nobody says anything. He addresses Nora as if he were disappointed in her: “It’s what you’d expect out of them, but you ought to know better.” When she does not reply, he shrugs his shoulders and goes out.
Nora wheels to face Aunt Katherine and Kammer, asking, “Where’s Selma?”
Aunt Katherine: “She’s sleeping, my dear,” adding quickly as Nora starts toward the door, “Don’t disturb her. Dr. Kammer says she must not be disturbed.”