Dial M for Murder Page #5

And I might have done it...

...if I hadn't seen something

that changed my mind.

Well, what did you see?.

I saw you.

What was so odd about that?.

The coincidence.

Only a week before,

I'd been to a reunion dinner.

And the fellows

were talking about you.

How you had been court-martialed

during the war.

A year in prison.

That was news.

Mind you, at college, we'd all said

that Swan would end up in jail.

-That cashbox, I suppose.

-Well, what about it?.

My dear fellow, everybody knew

you took that money.

Poor old Alfred.

Thanks very much for the drink.

Interesting, hearing about your

matrimonial affairs.

I take it you won't be

wanting that car after all.

Don't you want me to tell you

why I brought you here?.

Yes, I think you'd better.

It was when I saw you in that pub

that it happened.

Suddenly, everything became quite clear.

A few months before,

Margot and I had made our wills.

Short affairs, leaving everything we had

to each other, in case of accidents.

Hers worked out at just over 90,000.

Investments mostly,

all a little too easy to get at.

And that was dangerous.

They would be bound to suspect me.

I need an alibi, a very good one.

Then I saw you.

I'd wondered what happened

to people who came out of prison.

People like you, I mean.

Can they get jobs?.

Do old friends rally round?.

Suppose they never had any friends.

I became so curious to know

that I followed you.

I followed you home that night and--

Would you mind passing me

your glass, old boy?.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

-I've been following you ever since.

-Why?.

I was hoping sooner or later

I might catch you at something...

-...and be able to--

-Blackmail me?.

Influence you.

After a couple of weeks,

I got to know your routine...

-...and that made it a lot easier.

-Rather dour work.

To begin with, yes.

But you know how it is.

You take up a hobby.

And the more you get to know it,

the more fascinating it becomes.

You became quite fascinating.

In fact, there were times when

I'd felt that you almost belonged to me.

That must have been interesting.

You used to go to the dog-racing,

Mondays and Thursdays.

I even took it up myself,

just to be near you.

-You'd changed your name to Adams.

-Yes. I got bored with Swan.

-Any crime in that?.

-No. No. None whatever.

In fact, there was nothing

really illegal about you.

I got quite discouraged.

Then one day, you disappeared

from your lodgings.

I phoned your landlady.

I said, "Mr. Adams owed me 5."

But apparently that was nothing.

Mr. Adams owed her six weeks' rent

in her best lodge at 55.

Mr. Adams had been

such a nice gentleman.

That's what seemed

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes