(BELL RINGING)
(RINGING STOPS)
(HORN BLOWING)
(WHISTLES)
(HORN BLOWING)
(ALEC WHISTLING)
(BELL RINGING)
(RINGING STOPS)
Good to see you back, Jeff.
Town looks great.
80% better than Korea, I'll bet.
100%.
No medals?
They ran out of them.
Take it away!
Take it easy.
(BELL RINGING)
(BRAKES SCREECHING)
Hi, Jeff. Hi!
How's the soldier? Fine.
How come they didn't make you a general?
They'll make me a general next time.
YARD DISPATCHER ON PA: Pick up the string of box cars on RIP One.
set them in on the wash track.
Pick up the string of box cars on RIP One.
set them in on the wash track.
Heard you were checking in.
John Statton. Call diesel maintenance.
How are you, Mr. Thurston?
Good morning, Mr. Warren.
Been away three years, and all he says is "Good morning."
Three years and 43 days, Mr. Warren.
Welcome home.
Feel a draft?
Oh, the old man ain't so bad.
Oh, I almost forgot. You're taking the 83 into Kentville tomorrow morning.
Well, ain't that Foley's route?
He's down with bursitis.
What do I do? Lay over?
Well, you can deadhead back on Number Four.
How do you like that? First day back and I get stuck on relief.
Well, that's railroading.
Where you staying? At a hotel?
No, Alec's. The food's better at his place.
See you later. Yeah, so long.
YARD DISPATCHER ON PA: Carl Buckley. Check with the yardmaster.
Carl Buckley. Check with the yardmaster.
Hi, Alec. You remember Carl Buckley.
Sure, Carl was with me the night of the big slide up the pass.
Remember? Remember?
It was 30 below.
Yeah, Carl's done all right for himself since you've been away.
Assistant yardmaster.
Congratulations.
Thanks. I've been lucky.
Carl Buckley. Check with the yardmaster.
Thurston still on your tail?
Every time something happens around this yard, he chews me out first.
Last week we were working double shifts. That's how heavy the load's been.
I'd get home nights, my wife would hardly recognize me.
Carl Buckley. Report immediately to yardmaster's office.
All right, I'm coming. I'd better go before he blows out his liver.
Got himself a wife, huh?
Yes, sir. He sure did.
(HAMMERING)
Just try it.
(LAUGHING) Ah, don't ruin your bread and butter.
JEFF: Whenever you want to get rid of that big ape, I'm available.
Jeff!
Oh!
(SOBBING)
Well, what are you bawling about?
Oh, shut up! I can cry once in a while.
I... I fixed up your old room.
(DOOR CLOSING)
ELLEN: Is anybody home?
Jeff!
I don't believe it.
Where are the pigtails?
Gone. And the freckles?
Scrubbed away.
Three years.
Oh, they grow up too fast.
It wasn't fast for me. It was real slow.
Last year I couldn't keep up with her.
One night she was out on a date,
and the next she was home playing with her dolls.
Ma, you... (ALL LAUGHING)
Is Jeff going to be staying with us again?
Yeah, if she doesn't raise the rent on me. Hmm?
Wonderful. Come on. I'll show you the way.
Now, I remember the way.
Is it still permitted?
What?
Kissing her. Why don't you ask me?
Come on.
I'll be the bellhop.
Don't expect a tip.
Oh!
I'll have a million questions to ask you.
I know you want to get settled first, but...
I was settled as soon as I saw this house again.
Oh!
(GRUNTING) There.
Now you're home.
I brought you something from Tokyo.
Oh, what is it? Hang on.
Well, hurry up.
No, that's not it.
(LAUGHING) What is it? You've got me all excited.
Wait a minute. There!
Oh!
Jeff!
Oh, it's lovely.
Shall I try it on?
Well, that's what I bought it for.
Oh!
Were the girls pretty in Tokyo?
Yep.
Did you date any, uh, beautiful Japanese girls?
Well, the officers got a hold of most of the beautiful ones before I got there.
Poor Jeff. Mmm.
What are you going to do now that you're back home?
All the time I was overseas,
I figured that if ever I got back to running an engine again,
I'd be the happiest guy in the world.
Nothing but a lot of fishing, trains,
and for excitement, a big night at the movies.
Didn't you leave something out?
What? A girl.
Oh.
The right girl for the night at the movies.
Do you know one?
I think so.
I think she'd be exactly right for you.
I'll introduce her to you one of these days.
Isn't that what soldiers want the most?
Uh-huh. That or a good steak.
(LAUGHS) Well, I can fix that up for you, too.
(JAZZ MUSIC PLAYING ON RADIO)
CARL: Vicki?
I'm in the bedroom, Carl.
You're home early.
Yeah, I'm kind of early.
Did you have a good day, baby?
I took a walk, bought some stockings on sale.
Look at them.
Anything wrong, Carl?
I tangled with Thurston today.
They brought 10 cars of perishables in on Number One.
Somebody forgot to unload them and the whole shipment spoiled.
He started to chew me out, and well...
Well, I blew up.
Well, good for you. It's about time.
He fired me, Vicki.
Fired you?
I just couldn't take any more of it.
He's been trying to lower the boom on me for years.
One mistake and I'm out. Afraid I'm going to get his job or something.
Maybe you can talk him out of it.
I tried that. I went back in to see him.
It was no soap. I even went to Hurley.
He said he couldn't do anything for me.
Don't take it to heart, honey.
You can get another job.
What other job?
All I know is railroading.
I'm tired of this town, anyway.
We've always wanted to go east.
Well, this is our chance.
For what?
(TURNS RADIO OFF)
In five years I would have got a pension.
There's nothing to worry about.
I worked before we got married.
I can work again.
Wait a minute.
I don't want my wife working.
I didn't marry you so you could take care of me.
Vicki,
I've been thinking.
What about this fella, Owens?
Do you think you could put in a good word for me?
Mr. Owens?
Why Mr. Owens?
He's a big shipper. He does a lot of business with the railroad.
Your mother used to work for him.
She was his cook or something, you said.
She was his housekeeper.
Well, I thought you could talk to him.
I need somebody important to help me.
I just can't walk into his office and...
And start asking for favors.
Why not?
Big men like him are used to having favors asked of them.
You said, once, he liked you.
If Owens puts in a word, why...
Why they'd listen.
All right, I know I should have been smarter with Thurston, but,
well, you know me.
One thing I can't stand is a guy trying to put something over on me.
Look, baby,
call Owens.
Tell him we'll come to the city tomorrow,
and that you want to talk to him for a couple of minutes.
I'd rather not, Carl.
Why not?
What's wrong with a wife trying to help her husband?
Come on, baby, what do you say?
All right. Forget it.
Are you sure you want me to call him?
I wouldn't ask you if I wasn't in real trouble.
I got nobody else to turn to.
All right. I'll call him.
Long distance, please.
All aboard.
(BELL RINGING)
(HORN BLOWING)
Vicki,
you'll be sure and tell Mr. Owens exactly what happened.
In the yard, I mean.
I want him to know it wasn't my fault, that Thurston had it in for me.
You'll remember, won't you?
I'll remember.
Maybe I ought to go to Mr. Owens' office with you,
and explain to him exactly...
I can explain anything to him that needs explaining.
(SIGHING) All right.
Say, did you call Jean?
Yeah, she said we can use her apartment.
You can wait there for me.
Oh, fine.
(HORN BLOWING)
(BELL RINGING)
(BRAKES SCREECHING)
(RINGING STOPS)
(CHATTERING)
Why, Mrs. Buckley. We haven't seen you in some time.
Is Mr. Owens in?
He's expecting you.
Mrs. Buckley is here, Mr. Owens.
OWENS: Send her in.
Go right in.
How are you, Vicki?
Well! You've put on a little weight since you got married.
(CHUCKLES)
Now, tell me, what's on your mind?
All the trouble I go to just to look passable.
Zip me up, will you, Carl?
You dames, you spend more time getting dressed...
Have to.
It's much better to have good looks than brains,
because most of the men I know can see much better than they can think.
I wonder what's keeping Vicki.
She has no sense of time, you know that.
She was the same way when we lived together.
It's 6:30 already.
If you're married, that's late,
and if you're single, it's early.
Well, how do I look?
Fine. Fine.
Say, are you still running around with that Harry what's-his-name?
He went and married somebody else.
(LAUGHS) And since he took that attitude,
I didn't want to have anything more to do with him.
So I found another guy, a real doll.
The only trouble is, I'm much younger than he is.
But it all evens up. He's got more money.
Tell Vicki I couldn't wait.
And be sure and lock up before you leave.
Okay, okay.
And stop worrying, Carl.
All women are alike.
They just got different faces so that the men can tell them apart.
She'll show up. See you.
(DOOR OPENING)
I was worried. I thought something happened to you.
Nothing ever happens to me, darling. You know that.
Did you think I was lost?
I didn't know what to think.
Say, what happened? What about my job?
You got your job back.
Mr. Owens called Rogers, the superintendent, and everything's taken care of.
Does that make you happier?
I knew you could fix it, Vicki.
I caught Mr. Owens just in time.
He was taking the train for Chicago tonight.
Come here. Oh.
Don't, Carl. I'm hot and tired.
I... I'm going to take a shower.
You know, I'd like to see Thurston's face when he hears the news.
He's going to burn.
Honey, next time, try to get along with him, will you?
Yeah, sure. Pretty soon I'll have his job.
You haven't said anything about getting your job back.
Aren't you happy?
Sure I'm happy.
Vicki, you were gone five hours.
You can't just barge in on a man as busy as John Owens.
He had a lot of appointments and, well, then he had trouble getting in touch with Rogers.
I telephoned Owens' office and you weren't there.
When?
About 3:30.
We went out for a drink.
Where'd you go?
Some bar.
You should have telephoned me. You...
You knew I was anxious.
There was nothing to be anxious about.
I told you Owens would do it for you.
You told me?
I thought you said he didn't like doing favors.
What are we arguing about?
You wanted your job back, didn't you?
Well, you have it.
I couldn't just ask him and run.
That bar,
what was the name of it?
Some bar downtown. I don't know the name.
And you just sat there for three hours talking?
Yes.
This Owens must have a lot of time to waste.
He's got a big office and he can take off in the middle of the day for three hours.
What did you find so important to talk about?
Old times.
Old times, for three hours, huh?
I didn't keep track of the time.
I was trying to get you your job back.
And he was glad to help you.
Did you thank him?
Of course.
How?
Exactly what does that mean?
What has he got, a private apartment he can drop into for a drink?
Is that the bar you went to?
Of course. And we had champagne, buckets of champagne.
And he has a bear rug in front of the fireplace,
and we toasted marshmallows all afternoon.
Now, will you stop being so stupid and let me take my shower?
Sorry I'm so jealous, Vicki.
It's just that I love you so much.
Oh, don't paw at me. I'm sick of it, from all of you.
"All"?
What went on this afternoon?
He was glad to help me, huh?
Now I see why. (SCREAMS)
I've got the whole picture now.
He's rich, he's got a big estate.
I got his leftovers, didn't I?
I got what he didn't want, didn't I?
It went on after we were married, didn't it?
No! No! I haven't seen him.
I wouldn't have seen him today if you hadn't made me.
(WHIMPERS)
You've been making a fool out of me, both of you.
He palmed you off on me, didn't he? Admit it.
Admit it or I'll kill you.
It's true, it's true. Don't hit me again.
(SOBBING)
Get up.
(EXCLAIMING)
You said Owens was going to Chicago tonight.
Oh, Carl, please.
Here, write what I tell you to write. Go ahead.
What do you call him? "Sweetheart"?
"Lover"?
(SOBBING) Carl. Write.
John Owens!
Message for Mr. John Owens!
MESSENGER: Mr. Owens! John Owens!
Over here, boy.
Hey, Russ!
Yeah?
You got any room for a free passenger?
Sure, we're riding light.
Track One, please.
I'll let you know what space I can give you.
Yeah.
(KNOCKING ON DOOR)
Come on.
Go on!
That was Warren, one of our engineers. Did he see you?
I don't know.
(DOOR OPENING)
He's gone.
Warren might still be there.
I can't go past him like this.
Get him out of the vestibule.
How?
What can I say to him?
I don't care. Just get him out of there.
And don't get any foolish ideas in your head, Vicki.
Remember that letter you wrote.
Go on.
Could you tell me where the Club Car is?
Up ahead, about three cars.
Thanks very much.
I thought it might be nice to have a drink.
Yeah. Yeah, I could use one myself.
Do you mind if I join you?
Not at all.
Oh!
What's the matter, you got something in your eye?
Don't rub it that way.
Let's take a look, huh?
No, I don't see a thing.
I guess it's out.
Thanks for the surgery.
Uh, say, I just remembered,
the Club Car's closed by this time.
We could sit down someplace and have a smoke, if you like.
How about it?
I'd like to.
How about in there?
This isn't yours, is it?
(LAUGHING) Mine?
Uh-uh.
Now, you see?
No luggage, no comic books.
Thanks.
I'll leave the door open, just in case, huh?
In case what?
In case one of us gets nervous.
Do I look nervous?
Yeah, just a little bit.
It's all right, though. It's very becoming.
I had a headache, couldn't sleep.
Well, there's more to life than sleeping, you know?
(LAUGHS)
Took that turn curve kind of fast, huh?
Well, the engineer's a friend of mine, he...
(BELL RINGING)
Hello, Warren.
I didn't know you were making this run.
Oh, honey, this is Jeff Warren, one of our engineers.
You've met my wife?
How do you do, Mr. Warren?
Mrs. Buckley.
See you later.
They must have found him by now.
Now or later, what difference does it make?
Why'd you take that money from him?
They'll think it was a robbery.
Sure carried a bankroll, didn't he?
Don't bother to look. It's not there.
Burn it, Carl. Please.
You'd like that, wouldn't you?
We're going to go on like Owens never existed. Better maybe.
How, Carl?
Owens was an accident. An accident I took care of. That's all.
If you don't burn that letter,
it means the end of everything.
No. This letter is going to keep us together.
There's not going to be anybody else, Vicki. There's nobody else.
Jeff? (DOOR OPENING)
Yeah?
Honorable sir, breakfast ready.
So am I. That's quite an outfit. Who gave it to you?
A fella.
Well, you look like a quiet afternoon at the Teahouse of the Rising Moon.
Eggs, Jeff?
No, just coffee, Vera. I had breakfast on the train.
Come on.
Where's Alec? Down at the yards.
Uh, fix the toast, Madame Butterfly.
Did you do anything in the city?
Oh, nothing exciting.
Do you know Carl Buckley's wife?
Vicki?
Oh, is that her name?
She's pretty. Did you meet her?
Yeah, I saw them at the depot this morning.
She used to work at the station in the city,
the magazine stand.
That's where Carl met her.
A little young to be married to Buckley, isn't she?
Does that matter if she's young?
No, I guess not.
They get along all right?
If they don't, she hides it pretty well.
You up? I was going to wake you.
Didn't you come in on Number Four?
Yeah. Why?
They had some trouble on it.
Scratch my back, will you?
Found somebody this morning up at Rainbow Gap, murdered.
Just came in over the wires.
Don't stop scratching, over a little further.
Murdered? Yeah, knifed in a drawing room.
There, that's it, right there.
(SIGHS)
Porter found him.
Did they identify him?
A man named Owens.
They got the sleeper off on the spur.
The police are all over it.
There, that's good.
Well, that's bad for the line, a thing like that.
You're not safe anyplace nowadays.
It must have happened while you were on the train.
I thought you told me skirts were getting shorter.
(LAUGHING) Oh!
Vera, why can't somebody check the buttons on my shirt?
What would men do if there were no women around to sew buttons on?
If there were no women around, we wouldn't need any buttons!
Oh!
(LAUGHS)
CORONER: The body of John Owens was found in Drawing Room F of Car 842.
Compartments G and E. on either side. were unoccupied.
Due to the autopsy report on the time of death.
we are particularly interested in the hours before midnight.
The robbery and murder took place sometime during that period.
What is your occupation?
Brakeman.
CORONER: How often during that time did your duties take you through Car 842?
Well. That's the rear end of the train. so I'm there pretty often.
Do you recall seeing anyone who didn't belong in that car?
Or in the next one?
Jeff Warren. He was in the corridor of 843.
He was deadheading home.
He told me to remind Russ. That's the conductor.
that he was waiting for a place to sleep.
Mr. Warren, how long were you in the corridor of the Car 843?
About 20 minutes.
From when to when?
Well. it'd be just a guess. I'd say between 12:30 and 1:00.
During that time,
did you see anyone exit from the Owens' car?
JEFF: Yes.
Who?
The brakeman. on this way through.
Who else?
Just a couple of passengers.
Would you recognize them again?
I might.
We'll start with the car in which Owens' body was found.
Will the passengers who occupied Car 842 please stand up?
PROSECUTOR: Any of these, Mr. Warren?
And of these people go in or out while you were in Car 843?
No.
Sit down, please.
And now, will the occupants of the next car, 843, please rise.
Any of these, Mr. Warren?
Answer the question please, Mr. Warren.
Any of these people go in or out while you were in Car 843?
No.
None of these. Either.
A lot of good that does the railroad.
"Murdered by person or persons unknown."
Well, I've got the police checking the passenger list
for anybody with a prison record.
You think it was robbery? Could be.
What about the missing watch?
Can't you put a tracer on that?
Whoever did it would have to be pretty stupid,
trying to fence a hot item like that.
Well, that's your department. We've got a...
A big responsibility to the public.
Sure, I know.
If a guy has to get himself murdered, why don't he pick one of the airlines?
(JAZZ MUSIC PLAYING ON JUKEBOX)
Hiya, Buckley.
Oh, hiya, Warren.
Buy you a drink?
Naw. Naw, naw. This is on me.
Hey, we'll have the same thing again.
Give Mr. Warren whatever he wants.
I'll have a beer.
Make mine a double this time, will you?
You seem very quiet tonight, Mrs. Buckley.
"Mrs. Buckley"? What, are we being formal or something?
Her name's Vicki.
Well, here's to us.
(MUSIC STOPS)
(MUSIC RESUMES)
Excuse me. Would you care to dance?
Beat it.
All I did was ask your wife for a dance.
I said beat it!
Stop it, Carl. Aw, I'll push his face in.
What does he think Vicki is? A pickup or something?
VICKI: Carl!
Come on, take it easy. Go on, take a walk.
I'll put a ring in his nose.
Do you think you ought to call it a night, Carl?
I don't mind my friends dancing with Vicki,
but I don't like no grease monkeys coming in.
Here. Come on, let's go home, huh? Come on, Carl.
Now, wait a minute. Wait a minute, wait a minute.
Come on, let’s go. All right.
(TRAIN PASSING)
(TRAIN HORN BLOWING)
Easy.
I think I can manage now.
Come on, I'll put you to bed.
I can get to bed myself.
In the morning, he'll have a prize hangover.
(HORN BLOWING)
When I first came here,
I thought I'd never get used to the trains.
Now when it's quiet, I get nervous.
Don't you think you owe me an explanation?
About that night on the train?
I should have told you I was married, shouldn't I?
When I met you, you were coming out of the car where Owens was killed.
You don't think I had anything to do with...
I don't know. What were you doing in there?
Owens was an old friend of my family.
He'd been so wonderful about getting Carl's job back that I wanted to talk with him.
I left Carl asleep in our compartment
and I went to Mr. Owens' drawing room.
And?
He was dead when I got there.
It was horrible.
You found him dead and you walked right out of the car?
Why didn't you call the porter or the conductor?
I was frightened.
Not when you met me, you weren't.
I didn't want to get involved.
I couldn't tell anybody.
Didn't you even tell your husband?
I couldn't.
Why not?
You don't know what my life's been like.
You don't know my husband.
I used to know Carl pretty well.
Nobody knows him. Nobody but me.
I couldn't tell him I went to Owens' compartment that night.
I wouldn't dare.
He'd suspect something awful.
I don't know what he might have done to me.
Carl?
It doesn't seem to fit somehow.
He has a terrible temper when he gets jealous.
You saw him tonight, when that man asked me to dance with him.
Carl's so much older than I am. Maybe that's it.
I feel sorry for him, but...
He's done things to me I...
I can't even talk about.
I never could talk about this to anybody.
But I couldn't keep it inside of me anymore.
I had to talk to somebody about it.
I'll never be able to thank you for what you said at the inquest.
(DOOR OPENING)
(DOOR CLOSES)
This is cold.
What's the matter with you?
Every time I go to touch you, you've got some excuse.
We can't go on living like this. We're married.
We got our whole life in front of us.
Oh, Vicki, why can't it be like it used to be?
Because it can't.
Every time you touch me, I see you in that compartment,
standing over him, with a knife in your hand.
Do you think I can forget it?
You killed him. That ought to satisfy you.
Yeah, it should, shouldn't it?
Now I wonder if it was worth it.
Well, it's a little late for that.
(WATER RUNNING)
It would have been better if I'd never found out about you and Owens.
Vicki, I love you.
You think I can stay in this house without touching you?
That's the way it's going to be.
I'm all alone, Vicki, and I love you.
It's too late for that.
It's not too late. If you loved me, it wouldn't be too late.
If you really loved me, you'd destroy that letter.
You don't care about me at all, do you?
It's that letter. That's all you're worried about.
If that's the way you want it, that's the way it's going to be.
If I can't have you, as long as I've got the letter,
nobody else is going to have you.
(THUDDING)
(SIGHS)
(TRAIN PASSING)
(HORN BLOWING)
Is Mr. Warren there, please?
When he's on the night shift,
I hardly see him at all.
When he isn't, he comes home, eats his supper,
and back to Duggan's and plays cards.
And when he's drunk...
Why did you marry him?
He used to hang around at the cigar stand at the terminal where I worked.
He was always so nice and pleasant.
He looked big, solid, decent.
That's what I wanted most, I guess.
Somebody decent.
You never can tell about men, can you?
(CHUCKLES)
Well, they say the same thing about women, you know.
I guess.
Everything's so complicated.
If you let it be.
I wanted a home. I wanted to belong someplace.
It isn't easy for a girl, drifting around from one job to another.
After I married, I felt a little unhappy.
But I figured that wasn't so important.
Most women are unhappy.
They just pretend they aren't.
That's not true.
Anyway, I didn't mind so much then.
I mean, when he touched me.
But now, I can't stand it.
Everything turns cold inside me.
Is it wrong to feel the way I do?
No.
I don't know what I'm doing in the same room with him.
I feel lost, alone.
I guess I'm not much of a woman or a wife,
am I?
Everybody makes mistakes,
the wrong job, the wrong marriage.
I mean, the army was full of guys who were real glad to get away from home.
It must be a strange feeling.
What?
To be surrounded by death,
the way a soldier is during the war.
Well, you don't think about it after a while.
I mean, you're usually so cold or hungry or sleepy.
Death, well, it just comes as sort of an accident.
Is it difficult to kill a man?
I mean, for a soldier.
That's what they give you medals for.
Why?
I just wondered.
Maybe because of what I saw on the train.
No, it isn't difficult, Vicki.
It's the easiest thing in the world.
You make it sound so simple.
Hey, hey, this is some conversation we're having.
I'm sorry. It's my fault.
(FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING)
(DOOR CREAKING)
There must be someplace we can go.
I've got so much I want to say to you.
We'll find someplace.
Friday I'm going to the city.
Where will you stay?
A girlfriend of mine has an apartment.
Will you meet me there?
Of course I will. Okay.
(TRAIN APPROACHING)
Jeff!
Can I come up?
You'll get yourself dirty.
(LAUGHING)
Thank you.
I'm selling tickets to the Brotherhood dance.
Two dollars, please.
All right.
Now, let’s see.
One, two.
Thank you. I wish I could make this run with you.
My father let me ride with him once, when I was a little girl,
only then, it was a steam engine.
And I pretended I was the engineer.
Did he let you blow the whistle?
Once. It was so loud, I started to cry.
I don't anymore, though.
Don't what?
Cry.
Yeah? Well, let’s try it and find out, huh?
Oh! Don't you dare.
Jeff. Yeah?
Who are you going to take to the dance?
I don't know yet.
She's very pretty.
Who?
Mrs. Buckley.
What do you know about Mrs. Buckley?
Intuition, plus a dozen phone calls.
Are you in love with her?
It's kind of a personal question, isn't it?
I know it is. Are you?
That's still a personal question.
Is she going to leave her husband?
I haven't asked her yet.
When are you going to?
You don't think much of the idea, do you?
Well, don't forget about the dance.
That'll remind you to make up your mind.
About what?
(HORN BLOWS) Hey!
(SOBBING) See? I told you it wouldn't make me cry.
CONDUCTOR: All aboard!
(BELL RINGING)
You were out kind of late last night, weren't you?
I couldn't sleep. I took a long walk.
You've been taking long walks every night the last couple of weeks.
What do you want me to do, punch a time clock?
I was just asking.
This is a small town, Jeff. People notice things.
Yeah?
You think something's on the quiet, and it turns out everybody knows.
Stay away from her.
You shouldn't fool around with a married woman.
It's no good. It ain't right.
Sunday's my day for sermons.
(BELL RINGING)
(HORN BLOWING)
(JAZZ MUSIC PLAYING)
You've got to leave Carl.
I can't. Why not?
Because I can't.
(MUSIC STOPS)
Five minutes ago you said you loved me.
I do.
All right, then, what are we arguing about?
I mean, we can't go on meeting this way,
like in a borrowed apartment or a railroad shack.
That's no good, Vicki.
I want you to marry me.
It's what I want, too.
Then what's stopping you?
I'll explain things to Carl. You're not chained to him.
I am, Jeff.
What's the matter, are you scared of him?
No, it isn't that.
Well, I don't get it. If you're not scared of him, then...
Not of his beating me. He's done that before.
It's the police, Jeff. That's what I'm afraid of.
The police?
Because of what happened on the train.
Well, we'll go to them together. We'll explain what happened.
How you found Owens, how you got scared.
Oh, no. No, I can't do that.
Why can't you? Why?
The day I got Carl his job back,
that same night,
Carl killed Owens.
I lied to you about finding the body.
I was there when he killed him,
he forced me to go with him.
What do you mean, forced you?
He thought I was having an affair with Owens.
Were you?
He was like a wild animal.
He knocked me down and beat me.
He called me names.
He said I only married him because I had to.
(CRYING) He hit me again and again and again and then,
he made me write a letter to Owens,
saying I'd meet him on the train.
I didn't know what he was going to do.
He forced me to get on the train with him.
He pushed me into Owens' compartment, closed the door.
Why didn't you scream or ring for help?
He threatened to kill me, too, if I did.
Why didn't you tell me the truth, Vicki?
Carl has the letter I wrote.
If he ever showed it to anybody, the police,
they'd think I did it.
That's what he's holding over me.
That's why I can't leave him.
That's why I had to lie to you.
Jeff. Jeff, if you knew what I've lived through...
(SIGHING)
Look, I want the whole truth, Vicki,
because if I don't go to the police now,
I'll be just as guilty as Carl is or you are.
Jeff!
It's what you wanted, isn't it?
You had to tell me about the murder, didn't you?
You had to tell me, because once I knew about it,
I'd be in it just as deep as you are.
Oh, no! That's not true!
Isn't it?
Jeff! Where are you going?
(CRYING)
Carl must have known something about you and Owens to feel the way he did.
I'll tell you.
Carl's always been jealous of Owens.
I'll tell you everything.
I grew up in his house.
Carl knew all this, but he had this insane jealousy.
He'd imagine the most awful things about me and Owens.
And then he'd beat me and beat me until I'd admit they were true.
So I'd admit them.
He did horrible things. They weren't true, Jeff! They weren't true!
(CRYING)
If Carl was so jealous, why did he send you to Owens to get his job back?
He begged me to see him. He pleaded with me.
He wanted that job more than anything in the world.
I didn't want to go to him.
I knew Carl would only resent it later.
Oh, Jeff!
(SOBBING)
Oh, Jeff. I was so afraid you'd go.
There's nothing for you to be afraid of, 'cause I'm not going.
Oh, if only I were free.
We'll work things out somehow.
(BELL RINGING)
(BRAKES SCREECHING)
(RINGING STOPS)
(PHONE RINGING)
(KNOCKING ON DOOR)
Yeah?
ELLEN: There's a call. Mrs. Buckley.
Tell her I'll call back later.
ELLEN: Mrs. Buckley, Mr. Warren will call you back later.
Is there something wrong?
No.
What happened to those things you said you wanted when you came home from the Army?
What did I say I wanted?
A job, some fishing, a night at the movies.
Did I say that?
Yes.
Sounds like a nice, quiet, orderly life, doesn't it?
That's what you wanted.
You said I left something out.
You said I needed a girl.
I said you needed the right girl.
How do you tell the right girl for you from the wrong one?
By the way you love her.
That sounds like the answer.
And I wonder if it is.
I don't know too much about the kind of love
that makes people hurt one another.
I don't think I want to know.
But I do know there are other kinds of love
and they're not so hard to find.
All you have to do
is look for them.
Carl's been fired.
He's selling the house and we're leaving town tomorrow.
He says I've got to go with him.
You're not going anywhere, 'cause I won't let you.
I don't want to go.
But there's nothing else for us to do.
Not as long as he has that letter.
I've looked everywhere and I couldn't find it.
He must keep it with him.
Well, he wouldn't go to the police with it.
He wouldn't want to get himself involved.
You don't understand him, Jeff. He's not thinking straight.
He's all twisted up inside.
You want that letter,
I'll get it for you.
If he finds out about us, he'll kill me.
All right, then what do you want to do?
What is there to do?
Say goodbye to each other.
I'll go with Carl
and when I can't bear the sight of him any longer I'll...
(INHALES)
That's not the answer.
You'll forget me.
No.
(CRYING) It's no use.
There was nothing for us to look forward to even if I weren't going away.
Now, it doesn't have to be that way.
Yes, Jeff, that's how it has to be.
We weren't meant to be happy.
It won't be as difficult for you.
At least you'll be free.
If I had met you long ago, everything would have been different.
But now it's too late.
It's always too late, isn't it?
No, it isn't. It isn't too late.
If only we'd been luckier,
if something had happened to him in the yards...
Where's Carl now?
Where he usually is, at Duggan's.
(JAZZ MUSIC PLAYING ON JUKEBOX)
(VEHICLE APPROACHING)
(TRAIN APPROACHING)
(DOOR OPENING)
I didn't do it.
Why not?
Maybe because he was drunk.
Because he fell.
I picked him up and took him over to the dispatcher's office.
They're trying to sober him up with coffee now.
He even thought I was trying to help him.
You couldn't kill him.
You tried and you couldn't.
It's all wrong, Vicki.
The whole thing's been wrong from the beginning.
And I feel dirty.
You feel?
Your conscience didn't stop you from making love to me, did it?
It didn't bother you when I was in your arms.
What about your feelings then?
I guess it's only people like Carl
who can kill for something they love.
I'd have done anything for you.
Except that.
Yes.
Yes, except that.
You've killed before.
Before?
Oh, the war, huh? I'd almost forgot.
You thought I could do it because of that, huh?
Well, there's a difference.
In the war, you fire into the darkness,
something moving on a ridge,
a position, a uniform, an enemy.
But a man coming home, helpless, drunk...
That takes a different kind of killing.
Yes, and a different kind of a man.
That's right.
It takes somebody who doesn't think about anything but himself.
It takes somebody who has no conscience and no decency.
First, you had to get me to keep my mouth shut at the inquest, didn't you?
A couple of lies took care of that.
Then I fell in love with you and you were sure of me.
And then all it took was a little push to get me to kill Carl.
You never loved me.
No, it's not true. It's not true.
I love you. No matter what I said or did, that's the truth!
That's the lie.
You never told me the truth about anything. Not even about Owens, did you?
Why don't you say it?
Carl did.
I'm no good.
I'll tell you exactly how no good I am.
My mother worked for Owens.
He had a big house outside town.
His wife had been sick for years.
I was 16 when one day he came down to the pool
and found me swimming.
He hadn't paid much attention to me before.
But when he did,
I was too frightened to say anything.
I tried to run away. I tried to escape.
And then later, when I married Carl,
I thought it was all over and done with.
But when Carl found out,
all he could see was his own jealousy.
All he could think of was killing Owens and chaining me to him with that letter.
I thought it would be different with you, Jeff,
that you'd trust someone you loved.
I can't tell anymore whether you're lying or not and I don't care,
because it's finished.
You don't mean that, Jeff. You can't mean that.
You're all I have in the world.
I was wrong.
I shouldn't have asked you to kill him.
I'll do anything you want.
I'll go to Carl, I'll go to the police. Anything, Jeff.
Only you mustn't leave me. You can't!
Why can't I?
Because I love you.
Here's your letter.
I found it in Carl's pocket.
(BELL RINGING)
(HORN BLOWING)
(INAUDIBLE)
(DOOR OPENING)
Where are you going, Vicki?
I'm sorry about the job and the drinking and the gambling.
But you kept pushing me away, Vicki.
You even pushed me out of the house.
Oh, Vicki, please don't leave me.
Oh, take your hands off of me.
I need you, Vicki.
I'll do anything you say.
I'll never mention Owens' name again.
Vicki...
Vicki, I'll give you back the letter.
(SCOFFS)
You haven't got it.
You haven't got anything.
You haven't got me or the letter or a job or anything.
It's Warren.
You're going away with Warren, aren't you?
I'm going away alone.
You wouldn't go away alone.
Not you, Vicki.
All right, I'm broke. I'm all washed up.
It's Warren. He's young. That's it, isn't it?
You want to get away from me because I'm all washed up.
Oh, sure.
How could you understand anything, you drunken...
I understand.
Don't worry about my understanding.
Yes, you understand.
You're real bright.
Well, see if you can understand this.
I'm in love with Jeff and he walked out on me.
Do you know why?
Because I wanted him to kill you and he couldn't.
You never knew me. You never bothered to figure me out.
Well, I'm going to tell you something.
Owens did have something to do with me,
but it was because I wanted him to.
I wanted that big house he lived in.
I wanted him to get rid of that wife of his.
But he wasn't quite the fool you are.
He knew what I was after.
And you know what?
I admired him for it.
If I'd been a man, I'd have behaved exactly as he did.
Now get out of here and let me unpack!
Carl!
Carl! Carl!
(HORN BLOWING)