"BTSFilms" " Always a Good Movie!" "$ $ "You Are Now Entering The Town Of Sparta, Mississippi." "Welcome!"" "Where do you keep the pie tonight?" "A man ate the last piece just before you come in." "Then what`s that little old orphan sitting right up there?" "Marble cake." "Tell you what, Sam." "Being she`s in there by her little old lonesome..." "I`ll let you have her for free." "I told you about that "Sam" business, didn`t I?" "Sorry, Mr. Wood-- I mean, Officer Wood." "It`s Colbert, all right." "Skull`s caved in." "You ever take a homicide picture before, son?" "Well, at least he won`t be moving on us." "That`s for sure." "I want you to cover every angle." "Get going." "You boys move on back now." "Came all this way to build us a factory... make something out of this town... before they got him." "Yeah." "Sam, did he have a wallet, identification, anything like that?" "That`s the first thing I looked for, but whoever fixed him must`ve took it." "Nothing, huh?" " Any witnesses?" " Not even a cat." "How long has he been dead?" "Less than an hour." "Maybe half that." "Maybe half." "Could`ve been a hitchhiker." "You check both ends of town." "Check the depot." "Check the pool hall." "Pool hall closes at 1 :00, Chief." " I said check it, Sam." " Yes, sir." "On your feet, boy." "I mean now!" "Get against that wall." "Get them hands high!" "Spread them fingers." "I want to count all ten." "You move before I tell you to, boy... by God, I`m gonna clean your plow." "That`s pretty fat there, ain`t it, boy?" "Huh?" "Outside, there`s a police car." "You`re gonna pick up that bag... you`re gonna walk out, you`re gonna plant yourself in the back... and you`re gonna be a real nice, quiet boy all the way in." "Ya hear?" "Come on, boy." "Move it!" "Is the chief here?" "Hey, what`s up, Sam?" "What`s going on?" " Wood." " Yes, sir?" "When`s the last time I asked Courtney for oil for this damn thing?" "Last Wednesday." "Would you be kind enough to go outside and remind him what day it is today." "Well, how about the prisoner here?" "Don`t you worry about him." "Got a name, boy?" "Virgil Tibbs." "Virgil." "Well, I don`t think we`re gonna have any trouble, are we, Virgil?" "No trouble at all." "You can go now, Sam." "Yes, sir." "What`d you hit him with?" "Hit whom?" ""Whom?" You a Northern boy?" "What`s a Northern boy like you doing all the way down here?" "I was waiting for the train." "There ain`t no trains this time of morning." "Tuesdays only." "4:05 to Memphis." "You say." "Well, all right, you say right." "All right, Virgil." "Now, look." "I try to run a nice, clean, safe town here--- a town where a man can sneeze and not get his brains beat out." " You follow me?" " Yes." "Why don`t you tell me how you killed Mr. Colbert... and I promise you you`re gonna feel a whole lot better." "Not now!" "I was visiting my mother." "I came in on the 1 2:35 from Brownsville." "I was waiting to go out on the 4:05." "Yeah." "In the meanwhile, you killed an important white man... and picked yourself up a couple of hundred dollars." "I earned that money, ten hours a day, seven days a week." "Colored can`t earn that much money." "That`s more than I make in a month." "Where did you earn it?" "Philadelphia." " Mississippi?" " Pennsylvania." "What do you do up there in Pennsylvania to earn that kind of money?" "I`m a police officer." "Oh, yeah." " Wood!" " Yes, sir?" "Did you question this man before you brought him in?" "Would you mind taking a look at that?" "Yeah!" "Oh, yeah!" "I`ll check on this wise city boy." "You take him outside and hold him." "Yes, sir." "May I suggest that you call my chief... rather than send a wire or anything?" "It would be quicker, and I`ll pay for the call." "You hear him?" "How much do they pay you to do their police work?" "$ 1 62.39 per week." "$ 1 62.39 a week!" "Well, take him outside, Wood, but treat him easy." "Because a man that makes $ 1 62.39 a week... man, we do not want to ruffle him." "No, sir." "Courtney, would you try and get me long distance?" "Police business, honey." "Chief`s on the line." "No, sirree." "He catches you listening, he`ll run your butt around the block." "He don`t panic me none." " Where`s the chief?" " Oh, you got the dead man`s pictures?" "Sure do." "I got him top, bottom, sideways, you name it." " I`ll take them, son." " I wanna give them to the chief." " I said I`d take them." " Do like he tells you, Charlie." "Well, somebody owes me some money for those." "I had to buy paper and film, and develop them." "Well, that`s all right, Charlie." "Just bill the department." "Everything will be taken care of." "God Almighty, sure looks bad." "May I see the man I`m supposed to have killed?" "Sure." "I don`t know why not." "Hey, Sam, he`s finished talking." "Here`s the photos of the dead man, Chief." "I got your chief on the phone." "He wants to talk to you." "Hello?" "Yes, sir." "I`m sorry to involve you in this." "I really had no choice." "You can`t be serious, sir." "Even if I could be of some help, they wouldn`t want it." "No, sir, I`m not prejudiced." "Yes, sir, I`m a police officer, and they`re police officers" "Hello." "This is Gillespie." "Yes, sir." "Well, I" "You don`t say?" "He`s your number-one homicide expert." "Well, my, my, my." "I don`t think we need any help, though." "I think we can wrap this up ourselves." "Yes, sir, but I do want to thank you for offering me... such a powerful piece of manpower as Virgil Tibbs." "Yes, sir, thank you." "Yeah, good-bye now." "Oh, it`s all there." "We paid for the phone call ourselves." "Well, you`re their number-one homicide expert?" "That`s right." "Boy, I bet you get to look at a lot of dead bodies, don`t you?" " Lots." " Well" " Well what?" " Well, no." "I just thought maybe you wouldn`t mind taking a look at this one?" "No, thanks." " Why not, expert?" " Because I`ve got a train to catch." "Wait a minute." "That train don`t leave till 1 2:00 noon." "They pay you $ 1 62.39 a week just to look at bodies." " Why can`t you look at this one?" " Why can`t you look at it yourself?" "Because I`m not an expert, officer." "Ten cents, ten million dollars." "Just doesn`t matter when a man`s time comes." "You know, I could give him a nicer service right here in Sparta... that he could ever get up there in Chicago." "And at half the price too." "I got a rosewood casket out there." "Ted Ulam, Chief." "We haven`t had the pleasure." "That`s for sure." "He`s with me." "Hello, Doc." "Yep." "Well... do you wanna look at it?" "New manicure." "That`s good." "That`s very good." " I`ll need a few things." " Such as?" "Ammonium hydrosulfide, benzodene, peroxide of hydrogen." "Copper powder, distilled water." "A six-inch celluloid scale." "Thermometer, some tweezers." "Calipers and some toothpicks." "Toothpicks?" "Copper?" "What`s going on here, Chief?" "Who is this boy, anyway?" "I asked him to look at the body." "That`s who he is." "It`s 4:45." "What time was this man killed?" "Sam Wood found him on the street about 3:00 a.m." "The doctor here says it was possible he was killed an hour earlier." " At 2:00?" " Maybe a little later." "2:1 5, 2:30." "Would you feel the face and jaw, please." "Am I mistaken, or has rigor begun?" "It has." "You`ll notice that postmortem rigidity is present here in the lower portion... so the time of death really has to be earlier, wouldn`t you say?" "We`ll be able to pinpoint that as soon as I get a thermometer." "As you know, the loss of heat from the brain... is the most reliable way of determining time of death." "Right, Chief?" "Oh, yeah." "Well... which one of you gentlemen will assist me?" "Ulam`s" " It`s for you, Chief." "Yeah?" "Talk to me." "When?" "Oh, good." "Yeah, right away." "I`ve got a runaway suspect." "Boy, I`ve gotta go." "Listen, you, anything he wants, you better see that he gets it." "Where can I wash my hands?" "Come on!" "Get up over there!" "Chase that man!" "There you go!" "Come on, let`s go!" "This here is Shagbag." "You hear?" "He`s headed for the river." "The river, you hear?" "He`s gonna be in Arkansas." "Shoot." "There he goes!" "Okay, I got him." " Mrs. Colbert." " How is she taking it?" "Chief had to leave before she got here." "She don`t even know it yet." "Hey, you can`t go in there, boy!" "Where is my husband?" "What`s happened to him?" "Why won`t anybody here tell me what`s happened to him?" "I have a right to know if he`s hurt, if he`s been in an accident." "I want to know if my husband is all right." "Your husband is dead, Mrs. Colbert." "Somebody killed him." "We don`t know who yet." "It`s very hot in here." "It`s very hot in this room." "Sit down." "Would you... leave me alone for a few minutes, please?" "Virgil, we don`t need you or your microscopes anymore." "You can tell that to your chief." "We don`t need him or you." " For the last time, I`m innocent." " Mrs. Colbert`s in there." " I`ve already told her." " I see." "Here is the examination results from Ulam`s." " Do you want to know what I found?" " No, I don`t need to look at them now." "May I examine this prisoner?" "Yeah, you can look at him." "Come on, let him look." "All right now, steady!" "You finished?" "Thank you." "All right, bring him with me." "Come on." " Now we`re grinding corn!" " You should`ve been there!" "If it wasn`t for them radios, we`d have lost him going over that bridge." "That old boy highballin` that freight train like to cut us off." "Yeah, and old Charlie`s hound dog got loose about that time" "Did he confess?" "The man you arrested, did he confess?" "Well, I believe he will." "Yes, sirree, I believe he will." " He`s left-handed, isn`t he?" " How would I know?" "Well, he seemed left-handed to me." "I believe Harvey is a southpaw, now ain`t he, Shagbag?" "What if he is?" "What`s that make him?" "Innocent." "Mrs. Colbert, there`s just one more thing." "Yeah." "I picked it up, I tell you." "He was already lying there." "It was lying there next to him." "I just picked it up, ma`am." "That`s all I did." "Shut up." "Get him out of here." "Come on, Harvey, let`s go." "Mrs. Colbert, I wonder if you`d mind if I have somebody drive you over... so you could complete the identification?" "Martin, I want you to take Mrs. Colbert over to the funeral parlor... and, Wood, you run Virgil down to the depot." "Virg here, Chief, thinks that Harvey`s innocent." "Well, I`ll be damned." "Could I talk to you about it in private?" "No, you can`t talk to me in private." "I got Colbert`s wallet here in my hand." "We took it from Harvey Oberst." "Do you think he gave it to him?" "I don`t know, but Oberst could have come along after the crime." "Found it, picked it up, I don`t know." "That`s what the boy said he did." "Well, I`m sorry, ma`am, but I say different." "When I examined the deceased, it was obvious that the fatal blow... was struck from an angle of 1 7 degrees from the right... which makes it almost certain the person who did it was right-handed." " So what?" " Old Harv`s left-handed, Chief." "Everybody in town knows that." "Yeah, that`s what we figured out." "Harvey`s a lefty." "You`re pretty sure of yourself, ain`t you, Virgil?" "Virgil is a funny name for a Nigger boy that comes from Philadelphia." " What do they call you up there?" " They call me Mr. Tibbs." "Mr. Tibbs?" "Well, Mr. Wood, take Mr. Tibbs down to the depot... and I mean, boy, like now!" "I`ll have the FBI lab send you the reports on this." "Not that it`ll make any difference." "I`ll take that." "No, you won`t." "I`m sending it in personally." "My God!" "What kind of people are you?" "What kind of a place is this?" "My husband is dead." "Somebody in this town killed him!" "I want you to find out who!" "You gonna give me that?" "No, I`m not." "Would you take him and lock him up for withholding evidence." "Go on, move!" "Put him with his friend Harvey Oberst!" "Well, Virgil, nobody threw your brains to the hogs, that`s for damn sure." "Hold on there." "Open her up again." "We`ve got another customer." "Hey, not in here." "Put him somewheres else." " Don`t panic." " Hey, do you hear me?" "I thought that fellow was supposed to be a policeman." "What you doing wearing white man`s clothes?" "Where do you come from?" "You deaf or something?" "Listen, I`m" "Keep cool, Harvey." "I`m on your side." " Well, I don`t need you!" " I`m all you`ve got." "Police." "You a cop?" "You`re a cop." "Yeah." "So how come they locked you up?" "How come they can lock up a cop?" "Who said they locked me up?" "How come, with all these empty cells, they`d throw me in with you?" "I already told `em." "I see this fellow lying on the street there... and there`s this wallet lying beside him." "Boy, I come into this world out of luck." "Here`s the first good thing to come my way, and I pick it up." "But when I see whose wallet it is..." "I mean, I start to sweat." "But I heard that this new chief, this Gillespie... got no more smile than a turnip." "So I cut across the fields and headed for the line... and got myself as far as the bridge before Gillespie grabbed me." "What time did you find the wallet?" "Well, I ain`t got no watch." "Must`ve been after 2:00 by the courthouse clock." "I`m interested in 1 1 :00 to 2:00." "Where were you?" "Shooting pool in Larry`s Lounge." "I got there about 1 0:00." " What time did you leave?" " Not till closing." "Must`ve been 1 :00." " Anybody who can swear for you?" " Packy, Burt, Les." "Ever been in trouble with the police before?" "Come on." "I can ask at the desk, you know?" "Well, they brought me in one time." " Me and Delores Purdy." " On what charge?" "Well, this Delores-- she was real proud of what nature done for her." "Well, we was on a date up to Clarke`s Point... and she says-- she asked me, she says..." ""Don`t you think I got a classy build?"" "And I say, "Sure." So she starts to show me." "But I didn`t do nothing wrong." "I just didn`t stop her from tryin` to prove her point." "Then this cop, Sam Wood, comes charging out of a bush and hauls me in." "He let you go, didn`t he?" "He told me not to mess with her no more." "She lives over on Third, about a block from me." "Traipsin` around the house in her altogether, with the lights on." "Somebody sure oughta make her stop doin` that." "Come here." "Let me see your right hand." " What you doin`?" " Hold still." "All right, give him the waiver for false arrest." "Forget it." "I`m askin` you to sign it, please." "Give him a pen." "All right, let him out." "You`ll be able to catch the 1 2:1 0 train." "I don`t think it would be a bad idea to change the charge against Oberst." "He was no where near the crime scene, and I think he can prove it." "Bet you could tell me the exact time Colbert was killed too, can`t you?" "About 1 2:30, while Harvey was still shooting pool." "Wait a minute." "I`ll get it." "Cue chalk under his nails, not dry blood." "Thank the Lord I don`t live in Philadelphia." "One more thing." "Colbert wasn`t killed where the body was found." " What do you mean?" " He was killed somewhere else... then moved to Main Street." " Courtney." " Yes, sir?" "Change the charge to theft." "You mean Harv?" "Who the hell else do we have back there?" "Yes, sir." "Didn`t I ask you to fix that gate?" "No, not me, sir." "Must`ve been my brother Harold." "He`s on days." "Harold?" "Police department." "Yes, he`s here." "Hold on, sir." "Mayor`s on the line, Chief." "What`s all this Mrs. Colbert`s been telling me about a cover-up arrest?" "No, ma`am, we ain`t had no cover-up." "In fact, we just dropped the charges for insufficient evidence." "Mrs. Colbert, I told you he was nobody`s man." "I came by to make it as clear as I possibly can... that I do not want that Negro officer taken off this case." "Negro officer?" "Yeah, well, he comes from up north... and he was kind of... passing through." "I don`t care what he is." "If it wasn`t for him... your impartial chief of police would still have the wrong man behind bars." "I want that officer given a free hand." "Otherwise, I will pack up my husband`s engineers... and leave you... to yourselves." "Mrs. Colbert, don`t you worry about a thing." "Believe me, we`re gonna take care of everything." "I want to see you come through this now, you hear?" "Even if we have to step on Endicott`s toes?" "Even that." "But do it fast." "All right." "Bill, how about this here Negro officer?" "Mrs. Colbert seems to have a lot of confidence in him." "Oh, he ain`t nothin`." "Some kind of a homicide expert, but I don`t need him." "You mean you don`t want him, but you do need him." "Now look, Bill, suppose he turns up the killer." "He has no police power here." "He`s gonna have to hand him over on a platter, right?" "That`s right." "And if he fails, you`re off the hook... `cause it was Mrs. Colbert`s idea in the first place." "See what I mean?" "Oh, yeah." "Works out all the way around, Bill, for all of us." "Excuse me." "Any reason why you have to leave today?" "There`s lots of reasons." "Well, what would you say if I asked you to stay for a while?" "This town needs a factory, Virgil." "Colbert come down from Chicago to build it." "I hear they`re gonna hire a thousand men." "Half of them will be colored." " You know what that means?" " Probably got him killed." "That`s what Mrs. Colbert thinks." "She wants us to catch her killer." "No killer, no factory." "Well, that`s a lot of jobs for a lot of colored people." "You follow me?" "I`m going home, man." " They`re your people." " Not mine, yours." "You made this scene." "What do you want me to do?" "You want me to beg you?" "Look, I`ve had your town up to here!" "Boy, it would give me a world of satisfaction to horsewhip you." "Yeah, well, my father used to say that." " He even did once or twice." " Well, not enough to suit me." "You listen to me." "Just once in my life I`m gonna hold my temper." "I`m telling you that you`re gonna stay here... even if I have to go inside and call your chief of police... and have him remind you of what he told you to do." "But I don`t think I have to do that." "No, because you`re so damn smart." "You`re smarter than any white man." "You`re just gonna stay here and show us all." "You got such a big head that you could never live with yourself... unless you could put us all to shame." "You wanna know something, Virgil?" "I don`t think that you could let an opportunity like that pass by." "Jess, this is" "This is Virgil." "He`s working for me." "Give him something that runs." "Fix him up." "What I fix runs." "Who pays?" "Police." "Well, you know where to find me." "What you doin` here, man?" "I`m a policeman." "You`re a policeman here in Sparta?" "They`ve got a murder they don`t know what to do with." "They need a whipping boy." "You got a roof?" "No." "I`ll find a motel." "We got company." "You know what`s gonna happen?" "He gonna get hisself killed." "You watch and see he don`t." "I`m aware of the risks, but like it or not, we`re stuck with him." "Not if the chief here`s right on the ball." "What do you say, Chief?" "You got that old killer lined up... in your front sights, huh?" "I`m workin` on it." "Tom, climb off of Gillespie`s back now." "You know damn well we didn`t hire him off a homicide squad." "Well, it`s gonna be his week... `cause Colbert`s only the start." "I say this nigger won`t live past Saturday." "Mrs. Colbert, can you tell me about your husband`s enemies?" "That`s Endicott." "He`s been fighting us all the way." "Sits up on his hill and runs this county." "Or did, until we moved in." "Did your husband tell you where he was going last night?" "He said he wasn`t sleepy." "I went to bed." "What time was that?" "A little after 1 1 :00, I think." "Did he call you or anybody on your staff after 1 1 :00?" "Maybe the elevator boy can tell us what time he went out." "They put it on self-service after 1 0:00." "Did your husband use a car here?" "Find anything?" "Whoever killed Colbert drove this car last night." "How do you know?" "Where are you going?" "I`d drive up there in the car you gave me, but I`m sure you don`t want me... running up there by myself causing more trouble." " Up where?" " Eric Endicott`s." "Endicott`s?" "Come on, now!" "None of that for you, huh, Virgil?" "Listen." "You know something I don`t know?" "I found a piece of osmunda in Colbert`s car." " A piece of what?" " On the brake pedal." " Osmunda." "A fern root." " Fern root?" "Is Mr. Endicott here?" "Yes, sir, he`s out in the greenhouse." "Would you follow me, please?" "Mr. Endicott." "This here`s Virgil." " Mr. Tibbs." " How do you do, sir?" "May I have Henry fetch you something?" "Some light refreshment?" " No, thank you." "We`re all right." " I`ll have something cold." "Something soft." "Anything." "Henry, bring in a pitcher of lemonade." "I`ll have one too." "Yes, sir." "I didn`t know it was possible to grow this species locally." " You like flowers?" " I do." "Mr. Tibbs, do you know anything about orchids?" " Not much, but I do like them." " Let me show you." "Endicott`s folly." " What do you think?" " It`s beautiful." "It`s breathtaking." "Have you a favorite?" "Well, I`m partial to any of the epiphytics." "Why, isn`t that remarkable... that of all the orchids in this place you should prefer the epiphytics." "I wonder if you know why." "Maybe it would be helpful if you tell me." "Because like the Negro... they need care and feeding... and cultivating... and that takes time." "That`s something you can`t make some people understand." "That`s something Mr. Colbert didn`t realize." "Is this what the epiphytics root in?" "My point." "They thrive on it." "Take it away from them, they do poorly." " What do you call this material?" " That`s osmunda-- fern root." "We don`t wanna take any more of your time, Mr. Endicott." "Why`d you two come here?" "To ask you about Mr. Colbert." "Let me understand this." "You two came here... to question me?" "Well, your-- your attitudes, Mr. Endicott... your points of view are a matter of record." "Some people" "Let us say the people who work for Mr. Colbert might... reasonably regard you as the person least likely to mourn his passing." "We were just trying to clarify some of the evidence." "Was Mr. Colbert ever in this greenhouse... say last night about midnight?" "You saw it?" "I saw it." "Well, what are you gonna do about it?" "I don`t know." "I`ll remember that." "There was a time... when I could have had you shot." " You better clear out, and fast!" " What about that speech you gave me?" "I didn`t know you were gonna slap a white man, least of all Endicott." "All right, give me another day." "Two days." "I`m close." "I can pull that fat cat down." "I can bring him right off this hill!" "Oh, boy." "Man, you`re just like the rest of us." "Ain`t ya?" "It`s all my fault." "Well, there`s no point in ducking it." "It`s gonna be tough to keep you in your job now." "Look here." "I don`t have to tell you how urgent it is to get Tibbs out of town." "I already told him to go." "All right." "Now, Mrs. Colbert is not gonna be back till Thursday." "You catch your guilty party by then... she`s not gonna hold it against us we sent Tibbs home for his own good." "But you gotta do it, you hear?" "I hear." "What`s made you change your mind about Tibbs?" "Who says I have?" "Last chief we had... he`d have shot Tibbs one second after he slapped Endicott... claimed self-defense." " Gillespie here." " Courtney here, sir." "Did you take Virgil down the depot?" "No, sir." "Hejust plain wouldn`t go." "Shagbag just saw him heading up toward River Road." "Check." "Come on!" "Come on!" "Okay, black boy, we come here to teach you some manners." "Now, we told you about them bad manners, boy." "You better put that down." "Why don`t you come and get it, baby?" "Come on." "You ain`t nothing." "Gonna put that around your neck." "Hit him, man." "Come on." "Get him from the side." "Get back!" "All right, hold it!" "All right, boys." "You`ve had your fun now." "Go on." "You just run along home." "Nigger lover." "I didn`t catch what you said." "Get rid of the nigger." "If you don`t... we will." "Now, is that a suggestion, or is that an order?" "That`s a warning!" "I see." "Get this trash on out of here!" "Come on." "Move it and go!" "Well, you finally get the message, Virgil?" "May I get in?" " Thought you left town." " Not yet." "Could you follow the same route you followed Tuesday night, same speed?" " Why?" " Why not?" "Maybe I better check with the chief." "I wouldn`t want him to slap you down... for steppin` out of line... makin` decisions on your own and all that." "He don`t knock me out of my socks." "Let`s get rolling." "Take ten minutes to get myself a king-size Coke and a wedge of pie." "That is if that peckerwood ain`t sold out again." "Can I bring you anything?" "No, I`m coming in." "I thought I told you to get the hell out of here." " I`m not ready to leave." " I was gonna tell you all about it." " Forget about those maniacs earlier?" " I need more time." "Do I have to put you on a train myself?" "I guess so!" "All right, Virgil, just what the hell do you want?" "I want to know exactly where Sam Wood was... at all times on the night of the murder." "If you get killed, we`re gonna have one hell of a mess in this town, you know?" "I know." "Got some real luscious cream pie for you tonight, Sam." "I mean Officer Wood." "Just like you always order." "Now you know I don`t eat that stuff." "Chief likes his boys streamlined." " Ain`t that right, Chief?" " Why don`t you shut up." " What`ll you have, Virgil?" " I ain`t serving him." "Tuesday night you walked out of here at 2:40, right?" "Right on the button." "Two minutes from now." "That`s for him." "Now, what`d you do when you came out that night?" "Well, I picked up the radio and called in." "Do it, please." "Go ahead." "Wood to radio." "I`m leavin` Compton`s now." "Sam, you better look sharp." "Gillespie`s sniffing around." "Give me that thing." "I checked with your brother." "He told me I didn`t tell him to fix that hinge." "That means I told you." "Do you read me, Courtney?" " I`ll get right on it, Chief." " I`d do that if I were you." "Yes, sir." "Ten-four." "All right, you can move us..." "Officer Wood." " Why`d you do that?" " Do what?" "Change your route back there at the corner." "Who says I changed?" "Look, I ought to know what I did!" "Chief, do I have to put up with this?" "Do I work for you, or do I work for him?" "Good night, gentlemen." "I don`t know." "Well, I`d appreciate anything you can do." "You know, this is highly irregular." "I know that." "Showing our depositors` accounts." "I don`t know." " You sure this is an official request?" " Yes, it`s official." " You willing to put that in writing?" " I`ll put it in writing." "On a police department letterhead?" "I will write it on the head of a pin if you want it there." "I gotta have something for the file." "I realize that, but I`m in a hurry." "We`ll see." "He`s had an account with us for several years now." "That so?" "Not a large account." "Never more than" "$208." "That was back in `62, September." "I am not interested in `62, September." "I am interested in yesterday!" "Yesterday?" "According to this, he made a deposit... of $632." " Yesterday?" " Yes." "Thank you." "That must have been when I was out to lunch." "A deposit that size I`d remember." "You`ll send me that letter for the files, you hear?" "I`ll tell you something, baby brother, the chief didn`t like him... not even from the first." " Good morning." " Where do you think you`re going?" "It`s all right." "Let him go." "I`ve just gotten off the phone with the FBI lab." "We can prove that Colbert was there in that greenhouse." "Endicott`s covering up." "I`m afraid you`re a little late." "We already got the guilty man." " Who?" " Sam." " Sam?" " That`s right." "Our man is Endicott." "Just think a minute." "Didn`t you catch Sam in a lie last night?" "And yesterday he goes ahead and makes a big cash deposit at the bank." "If I told you once, I told you a hundred times that I won that money... matching quarters and halves, and it took me three years to do it." "Then why was it in big bills?" "`Cause I checked at the bank." "Because whenever I got enough change I`d trade it in on $20 bills." "And when I got up to $600 I took it down and put it in the bank." "Simple as that." "All I know is the day Colbert was killed he cashed a check for $900... 600 of which is missing, 300 of which I believe you left in the wallet... as sucker bait for some poor kid, like that Harvey Oberst!" " What kind of man do you think I am?" " Don`t you push me, boy!" "Now listen, if you weren`t suspicious of Sam here... why did you question him last night when he changed his route?" " I already knew why he changed it." " Knew what?" "He was afraid I`d see some naked white girl down the block." " What are you talkin` about?" " Some girl named Delores Purdy." "She parades around in the nude at night to get her kicks." "That`s" " And how do you know?" " I know, I know." "Well, I know, you understand?" "I know that Colbert cashed a check for $900." "I know that Sam made a big cash deposit." "I know that you caught him in a lie, and I know that`s enough for me." "Come on, Sam." "Martin, lock him up." "Well?" "You`re making a mistake." "Don`t you bet against it." "You can catch your train now." "Do you think Sam did it?" " Where do I find the chief?" " What`s this all about?" "My business." "Hey, look, Purdy." "Now, you got a complaint?" "Well, right here is where you file it." "What I got to say I say to the chief." "It`s about Sam Wood." "All right." "Yeah?" "Purdy`s out here, sir." "It`s about Sam." "All right, send him in." "She is gonna have a baby-- Sam Wood`s baby." "Well, ask her yourself, if you don`t believe me." "What are you doing here?" "It`s important that I hear this." "I ain`t talking about this with him in the room." "Boy, if you don`t want a slew of trouble, you get." "You be sensible." "I`m a police officer." "You gonna get him out of here, or do I gotta do it?" "You ain`t gonna do nothin`." "You just stand there and shut up." "Sit down, little girl." "All right, now." "You tell me all about it." "You just tell me how it happened." "Come on, girl." "Speak." "Well, you know how hot it`s been." "Nights, they aren`t any better." "My brother works nights." "He leaves me all alone." "This particular night, I go out on the porch... thinking how nice it`d be if I had a fountain drink." "Sam comes down our road... just like he comes every night." "Passin` like a lord in that fine, big, shiny car." "Only this time he stops." "He`s got a nice face, don`t you think, Chief?" "So he stopped." "And he says" " I didn`t hear what you said." " He says..." ""Hey, little girl... you know what the coolest spot in town is?"" "And I say..." ""No, Sam, I guess I don`t."" "And he says..." ""A cemetery, that`s where." "Know why?" "`Cause they got all them big, cool tombstones." "Ever stretch out on a tombstone, Delores?" "And feel all that nice, cool marble along your body?"" "He said that?" "You hear, Chief?" "Yeah, I hear." "All right, now." "Sam comes along and stops in front of your house and stops to talk." "What else?" "Come on now, girl." "What else?" " Then I went for a ride with him." " Where`d you go?" "To the cemetery." "So Wood took you to the cemetery in the patrol car?" "Then things went a little bit too far?" "Did they get a little bit out of line?" "Well, come on, now." "Is that what you`re trying to say?" "Come on, girl!" "Is it or ain`t it?" " Yeah, they went too far!" " Well, fine!" "Now, I got one more question." "Very important." "Did he force you, or did you let him?" "Don`t mean a damn whether she let him or not!" "She is still 1 6!" "In this state that`s rape." "I know the plain law on that." "I know the laws in the state of Mississippi." "Thank you!" " Are you sure you`re pregnant?" " Yes, I am pregnant!" "Better get in here with a pad and a pencil." "Come on in." "I want you to take this all down." "You had no right to keep that nigger in the room, shame my little sister." "You had no right." "Virg, what`s happening?" " Hi, Harv." " How are you?" "All right." "You sure saved my hide." "Listen, Harvey." "If a guy knocks up a girl in this town, where can he go for help?" "Barber shop." "Barber shop?" "Borrow Mr. Fanning`s razor and cut your throat." "But suppose Mr. Fanning`s razor is too dull." "Suppose he`s got some real money to spread around." "There used to be a colored gal." "But she kept bumping her price." "And I don`t know if she`s still in business." "What`s her name?" "I ain`t never had to look her up." "But Packy might know." "Where do I find Packy?" "Down at the pool hall." "But, man, he wouldn`t tell you." "Not unless I say so." "And how am I gonna say so locked up in here?" "Suppose I get word to Packy that you wanna see him, have him come here?" "Let him bring me a cheeseburger?" "Onions?" "Now you`re talking." "Getting a little careless, ain`t ya?" "Leaving your car parked in the road like that, get yourself killed." "Anybody know where you are." " You know what this land is?" " It`s the site for the new factory." "I found a piece of wood in Colbert`s scalp." "The lab identified it as pine." "Three people saw Colbert drive by their houses, alone... on the way back from Endicott`s." "Colbert must`ve picked up somebody in town and then come out here." "Boy, you got it all figured out, ain`t ya?" "He didn`t pick up nobody." "Sam followed him out here in the patrol car." "Sam come up behind him, just like I come up behind you." "I heard you coming." "Colbert would`ve heard too." " Yeah, he heard." "Then he turned." " He was hit from behind!" "If Delores hadn`t come into your office, I never would have seen the truth." "I was hung up trying to get Endicott for personal reasons." "You know what I`m gonna do?" "I`m gonna take you over to Brownsville and put you on the bus myself." "You aren`t taking me anywhere, you dig?" "You`re holding the wrong man!" "What do you mean?" "I got the motive which is money and the body which is dead!" " What makes you so sure?" " Why do you doubt it?" "Because Colbert was killed here." "Then driven back to town in his own car and dumped on the streets." "Sam couldn`t have driven two cars." "What do you want?" "Give me till morning." "You know" "You know, Virgil, you are among the chosen few." "How`s that?" "Well, I think that you`re the first human being that`s ever been in here." "Well, you can`t be too careful, man." "You know a lot of things, don`t you?" "Well, just what do you know about insomnia?" "Bourbon can`t cure it." "Well, that`s for sure." "Now, look." "I got no wife." "I got no kids." "Boy, I got a town that... don`t want me." "And I got an air conditioner I have to oil myself." "And a desk with a busted leg." "And on top of that, I got... this... place." "Now, don`t you think that`d drive a man to taking a few drinks?" "I`ll tell you a secret." "Nobody comes here." "Never." "You married?" "Ever been?" "Ever been close to it?" "Close to it." "Don`t you get just... a little lonely?" "No lonelier than you, man." "Oh, now don`t get smart, black boy." "I don`t need it." "No pity, thank you." "No, thank you." " Yeah?" " Chief?" "You know where I can find Virgil?" "Who are you?" "Packy, Chief." "Packy Harrison." "A friend of Harv`s." "You got something for me?" " Yeah." " Good." " Where are you goin`?" " Where whitey ain`t allowed." " What the hell does that mean?" " You gave me till morning, remember?" "He`s gone." "He could have exchanged cars by now." "Now you stick here." "We`ll keep cruising." "You find him, come back for me, you hear?" "That`s her place, here." "You want me to wait?" "No, thank you, Packy." "You go on home." "Mrs. Bellamy?" "People around here call me Mama Caleba." "Mama, I`m not from around here." "But you can put me on my train." "You talk crazy." "You gin drunk?" "Just homesick." "Lord, lord." "Whisper two little words, Mama, and I`m on my way." "Maybe I don`t want to sever... a beautiful child like you right out." "A man`s name" "first name, last name-- the man who`s paying you for Delores Purdy`s abortion." "You`re the boy who works for Mr. Charlie." "I thought that`s who you was." "Why you wanna do that?" "Why you wanna help the police like that?" "They stealing your soul." "They chew you up and spit you out." "I`m not here to lay a finger on you, Mama." "It`s the white boy I want." "What you got against him?" "He`s paying for his fun." "How much?" "I`ll bet you he`s not paying you more than a hundred." "You know how much he`s got in his pocket right now?" "More than $600." "That cracker!" "Where`d he come off getting 600?" "He killed Mr. Colbert." "You gone crazy out of your mind." "Now listen, and hear me good, Mama, please." "Don`t make me have to send you to jail." "Lot you care." "There`s white time in jail, and there`s colored time in jail." "The worse kind of time you can do is colored time." "Child, you promise." "Give me understanding." "I got used to better." "You won`t take it away." "I won`t take it away." "I don`t know his name... but she`s coming here tonight... get herself straight." "Let me go!" "Leave me alone!" " Let go of her!" " Let go of me!" "Let go of her!" "I`m gonna teach you, boy." "No club this time, man?" "Gun`s not smart." "The way you killed Colbert was much smarter." "You killed Colbert." "He`s crazy." "Crazy, yeah." "Look at that nigger." "Look at him." "Okay, nigger." "Your time, nigger." "Look in her purse." " What`s that mean?" " She`s got $ 1 00 to pay for an abortion." "Listen to that" "Money she got from Ralph." "You gonna listen to him?" "He got her to tell you that Sam Wood did it." "He made a fool out of you, Purdy." "Liar!" "You stinking liar!" "You turned my little sister... into a field slut." "Hey, man, step back!" "He`s got a gun!" "He`s dead." "That night when I left her house I was going to the diner... and Mr. Colbert drove by, so I hitched a ride with him, that`s all." "I said, "I sure would like a job in that new factory once you get started."" "And he said, "Sure."" "And I said I wondered where it was gonna be." "And he said that field we`re comin` to right up ahead was it... and he was gonna stop and show me." "I said to myself, "Man, he`s asking for it."" "I said, "Now, Ralph... all you gotta do when we get out... just sneak up behind him... and you just tap him... and then just claim somebody jumped us from the bushes."" "That`s all." "I didn`t mean to kill him." "Yeah." "All right, Courtney, that`s enough." "All right, come on, now." "That`s all." "I didn`t mean to kill him." "Well, got your ticket?" "Here you are." "Thank you." "Bye-bye." "You take care, you hear?" "Board!"