Hammett Page #3

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[Women giggle]

Jimmy! Jimmy!

[Woman]

Jimmy!

[Children chattering]

[Match striking]

Hello? Tom?

Samuel?

I see you're not particular

about the company you keep.

Well, them that works, eats.

Hello, o'mara.

Well, what brings you

down to the depths?

I'm down here with a friend of mine,

but he seems to have gotten lost.

What are you offering for him...

a nickel reward?

For you, o'mara,

i'll make it a dime.

- I would have taken the nickel, samuel.

- [Chuckles]

A little off your regular patch,

aren't you, hammett?

I didn't know you had

chinatown roped off.

I don't, but sometimes

i think it'd be a hell of an idea.

Sure you didn't see this friend

of mine, tom... a guy about 50 or so...

six foot, tan overcoat,

uh, with a velvet collar?

- Fancy.

- Certainly i haven't seen

the likes of him.

And what would your fancy friend

be doing down here?

- Looking for a chinese girl.

- Oh, ain't we all.

- Your friend a private cop?

- Maybe.

And maybe there'd be

a little, uh...

- could be. You never know.

- What do you think, tom?

Well, that's up to you,

lieutenant.

Who's the girl?

Her name's crystal ling.

Let me tell you something,

hammett.

I never heard of any chink girl

called crystal ling.

If you're half smart,

you never heard of her.

And if your fancy friend

with the velvet collar

is half as smart as you are...

which would make him

only one quarter smart...

he never heard of her either!

Well, that's a layoff speech

if i ever heard one.

Go home and type, hammett.

Samuel, that ain't bad advice.

- What's up?

- How ya doin'?

Say, uh, you're

dashiell hammett, aren't ya?

That's what

my birth certificate says.

- [Man shouting in chinese]

- I'm a big admirer of yours.

- I'm a writer too...

newspaper man... yeah.

- Oh, really?

Salt. Gary salt.

I really liked

dead yellow women.

I guess you're just following me

around in this alley

to get my autograph, right?

Well, no. Actually, uh...

well, the fact is the fella

who was with ya there...

- you mean jimmy ryan?

- Well, that's it, mr. Hammett.

- What do you want with him?

- I have something for him.

Oh, really?

That's interesting.

Well, he's probably over at cookie's.

Come on. I'll introduce ya.

Well, yeah.

Gee, thanks, mr. Hammett.

[Woman laughing]

Come on, salt!

I won't let him hurt ya.

- [Piano]

- [Chattering]

- [Man] hi, sam.

- Hello, mike.

I said,

"i don't wanna hear this crap."

[Woman]

Not just now.

[Man] instead, i said,

"let's have a drink."

- Hello, ellen.

- [Woman] how ya doin', sam?

- Oh, sorry.

- Excuse me.

- Hello, sam.

- How's tricks?

- Hey, you're kind of

late tonight, ain't ya?

- I guess.

I'm lookin' for a pal of mine...

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