04x16 - Out There – Darkness

[bunniefuu]

Good evening,
ladies and gentlemen.

And watch your step,
please.

I'm certain
that any of you

who have wearily
pushed rich maiden aunts

in their wheelchairs

share my appreciation
of elevator shafts.

I also find the elevator
quite easy to operate.

It works just
like a yo-yo.

Well, not exactly,

but we do use the
same grade of string.

We are now about to have
our first commercial.

And I want to assure you that
it will only last seconds.

I have to tell everyone
this because I understand

it gives people the sensation
of being trapped between floors.

Courage.

There now, you look
absolutely enchanting.

Haven't you a little
compliment for me?

Do you approve
of my new hat?

You're
a darling, Vanessa.

Never, never
mention age.

Age cannot wither us,

nor custom stale
our infinite variety.

Yes, dear, this week has
been a little depressing.

Anniversaries
are so dismal,

especially one
particular anniversary.

But I promised not to
bring up the past, didn't I?

Think of it,

long years.

He'd be .
Why, if he'd lived...

Now we mustn't get maudlin.

We girls have been
very fortunate.

Vanessa, you're really the
lucky one, don't deny it.

I know exactly what I'll
be doing this evening,

playing bridge with the dull married
couple and their dull daughter.

And you, now, don't you
look so coy, Vanessa.

You know what
you'll be doing.

You'll be going for a
walk with your boyfriend.

You know, he is good-looking.
A little young perhaps,

but so well-mannered
and polite, almost naive.

Just the sort
of nice young man

that an old charm girl like you
can wrap around her little paw.

Ah! There he is now!

Let me
straighten your collar.

Now,
do I look all right?

Are we ready
to welcome him?

Good evening, Eddie.
Hello, Miss Fox.

Well, you needn't
stand out there.

You want me to
come in?

Well, I think by now you can
be permitted to call on Vanessa.

Hello there,
Vanessa girl!

You sure have
a pretty apartment.

Well, I'm glad
you like it.

Vanessa and I had
a great deal of fun

doing it the way
we wanted to.

It's very nice.

There, you see,
Vanessa!

Not every young man would
appreciate a room like this.

Thank you, ma'am.

Ma'am? Heavens, Eddie,
you make me sound so ancient,

like something out of
Charles Dickens. No!

No, no,
call me Miss Fox.

Yes, Miss Fox.

Oh, Eddie, I'm going out
tonight. How will you get in?

You could
give me a key.

Oh, no. Vanessa and I never
permit anyone else to use our key.

Do we, Vanessa?

I'll have the
super let you in.

And from now on, if
any reason I'm not here

and Vanessa needs her walk, you
can always have him let you in.

Yes, Miss Fox.

You'll be here
tomorrow night, too?

No, ma'am.
Tomorrow is my day off.

Miss Fox, could I have
that $ now, please?

But I gave you your $ for
this week and for the next.

I'd like the
$ in advance.

Well, now, I don't want this getting
money in advance to become a habit.

Are you gambling or
something of that sort?

Oh, no, no! I would
just like the $ .

Vanessa.

What are we going to
do with this spendthrift?

You'd never forgive me if I
held out on him, would you?

Here.
Thank you, Miss Fox.

Oh, Vanessa,
you naughty girl!

All over
Eddie's uniform.

I've just brushed her.

All right, Eddie, run
along with Vanessa.

Tomorrow,
young lady,

you're going to get your hair
clipped and your nails done.

You look so pretty when we
pay attention to your hair.

Oh, I know it's a bore, but we
girls must keep up our appearances.

Here. Come on.

Come on.

We'll go and see
who's calling on Mummy.

Oh, you're such a problem.

Mummy's ridiculous
problem.

Eddie!
Can I come in, please?

Yes.

I hardly recognized you.

Where did you get
that dreadful jacket?

And Vanessa and I never wish
to see you unshaven again.

I...

I've got to have $ .
What?

I know, but I have to send
a money order right away.

Well, if you're in trouble, I'll
understand. I know sometimes...

No, ma'am.
You don't understand.

It's not for me.

Well, is it
for your father,

or your mother, or
someone in the family?

No, not in the family.

Well, then
who is it for?

My girl.

Your girl?

Yes, you see, she's been in the
sanitarium for almost a year.

It's her lungs.

The state pays
half her expenses

and I'm supposed
to pay the other half.

And I've done
all right so far,

but then, I got this,
this morning.

Another operation.

She's only .

Twenty?

Well, I must say, half
her medical expenses

is quite a burden
for you to assume.

Yes, but you see, we're
going to get married

as soon as she gets
out of the sanitarium.

That's why I thought
you'd lend me the money.

Eddie,

you earn a perfectly
good salary.

$ a week, that's
not my take home pay.

Well, I think you should
have managed better.

You've romanticized an
attachment to a sick girl,

never for a second considering
where you'd get the money.

How do you think I manage
to live the way I do?

By planning.

I live on a fixed income,
and every cent is budgeted.

It's only $ .

Eddie, I couldn't
possibly spare you $ .

Yes, Miss Fox.
Excuse me.

Eddie! Eddie, I...

Good evening, Miss Fox.
Good evening, Jerry.

Honestly, Vanessa,

just because your
boyfriend has tonight off

and I have to walk with you, is
no reason for you to be cross.

I'm not going down there, so
stop being so stubborn about it.

It's dark and
dirty down there.

No, no, Vanessa.

Very well. You
always get your way.

Now, Vanessa,
let's turn back.

Miss Fox! Miss Fox!

Here you are, Miss Fox.

Oh, thank you,
Sergeant.

Now, beside the ring, there was
the leopard muff containing $ .

I don't care anything
about the money.

I only want
the ring back.

Not only is it valuable,
but it's a memento.

Well, could you
describe the man?

Well, he was a young man
of more than average height.

I can still feel his
sleeve against my skin,

rough, cheap material.

Did he speak?

I only remember
Vanessa barking.

How peculiar!

Vanessa didn't bark
until he att*cked me.

Almost as if...
As if she knew him.

Well...

Sergeant,
would you mind?

Why, certainly not.

Hello.
Oh, speaking.

Good, I'll be right down.

Miss Fox, do you feel well
enough to go down to the station?

They've picked up a man in
a bar about a block from here

waving a wad of money, and
he can't explain the money.

He has a bad record. You know,
we could wrap this up tonight.

I...

May I?
Thank you.

Take a good look,
Miss Fox.

No, it's not he.

Are you sure?

Couldn't possibly be.

Vanessa, you're
utterly irresistible!

Miss Fox,
I just came on duty.

They told me you
wanted to talk to me.

Yes, Eddie.
Please come in.

Eddie, you know I was robbed
of some money and my ring?

Yes, Miss Fox.

I wanted to see you
to ask your advice.

My advice?

Yes. Please,
come and sit down.

Vanessa, run along.
There's a dear!

Oh, please,
come and sit down.

You see, Eddie, I don't care
anything about the money.

All I want
is my ring.

I assure you,
whoever stole it

will have a very difficult
time getting rid of it.

Sure. A ring like
that would be hot.

Exactly.

So, you see, whoever took it
might just as well return it to me.

Well, he mightn't
figure it that way.

If I were to forget
the $ that I lost,

and say no more
about the matter,

wouldn't you agree that I was being
extremely lenient with the thief?

He still mightn't
figure it that way.

See, he could break the ring up
and sell the diamonds separately.

Or he could wait until the heat was
off and sell it out of town somewhere.

Is that what you'd do?

Gosh, I don't know
what I'd do.

Eddie, if it were you
who stole the ring,

wouldn't you want $
and no questions asked?

How could he be sure
that you'd keep your word?

Then, you don't think
my plan will work?

No, ma'am.

Very well, Eddie. I
merely wanted your advice.

You may go.

Yes, Miss Fox.

Sergeant Kirby.

Uh, wait a minute.

You Eddie McMahon?

Yeah, that's right.

You walk Miss Fox's dog.
Correct?

Sure.

Yesterday was
your day off?

What of it?

Well, you were seen
leaving this apartment.

Miss Fox can tell you
about that.

Eddie, do you really
want me to tell?

What's there to tell?

Eddie asked me to loan
him $ . I refused.

What did you
want $ for?

Oh, something about a sweetheart.
He was really quite desperate.

Miss Fox...
All right. Wait a minute!

Was it McMahon?

Well, I hoped it
wouldn't come to this.

I gave you your chance
a little while ago.

I offered you a
great deal of money

and you refused.

I can still feel your
jacket as you choked me.

How could you do
that to me? To me?

I didn't take
your ring!

Can you positively
identify him?

That's a lie! You
know that's a lie!

I'm sorry, Eddie. Believe me.
But I gave you your chance.

Sergeant, would you please
excuse me. I don't feel very well.

When your man returned from the
walk with my poor little dog,

he definitely had
liquor on his breath!

What sort of an employment
agency do you run?

When will he be here?

Well, let's hope so.

Thank you.

Oh, Vanessa, darling, I'll
have to walk with you myself,

unless we can find
the proper person.

Let's hope this
next one will be...

Will be someone
we can have a rapport with.

Someone that...

Ah, here he is now.

Sergeant Kirby.

How very amusing.

I thought you were an
applicant to walk Vanessa.

Well, I haven't seen you,
good heavens, since the trial.

The day Eddie was
convicted, almost a year ago.

Has he confessed what
he did with my ring?

About your ring.

Eddie McMahon never had it.

Never had it?

Do you remember the
man you didn't identify?

We picked him up
on another charge.

We found your ring in
his room. He confessed.

He... But I saw
Eddie, I saw him!

Did you?
Well, I thought I did.

I was so positive.

An innocent man has been
in jail for almost a year.

Well, if I made a mistake,
it was an honest one.

After all, you're the detective. It
was up to you to check these things.

He had no alibi at
the trial, whatsoever.

A jury found him guilty.

On your positive
identification.

I'll feel a lot better
when Eddie is released.

Goodbye, Miss Fox.

Oh, Sergeant!
You forgot my ring.

We have to keep it for evidence
until Eddie is released.

Well, I hope it won't
take weeks and weeks.

I'm sure Eddie
feels the same way.

Sergeant? When will
Eddie be released?

Most likely tomorrow.

Why, Eddie.
How nice to see you.

Morning, Miss Fox.

Hello there, Vanessa.

I'm so pleased
you got your job back.

I spoke to the manager
about it, you know.

Eddie,
you seem different.

People change
a lot in a year.

Eddie, I want you to
know it wasn't easy for me

to testify
against you. I...

Well, I only told the court
what I thought was the truth.

This is your floor,
Miss Fox.

Will you walk
Vanessa tonight?

No, ma'am.
I'm afraid not.

If you only knew
how she's missed you.

Yes, ma'am.

Eddie, wait a minute,
will you?

Yes, Miss Fox.

Knowing you were
coming back,

I've been holding this
for you until we met.

You remember, I was prepared
to pay $ for my ring.

I... Well, I had set it aside,

and I can't think of a better
use for it than to give it to you,

as, well, shall we say a birthday
present or a re-birthday present?

Come, Vanessa.

Oh, how is
your fiancée?

She d*ed while
I was in prison.

Miss Fox.

Good evening, Jerry.

Now, let's not
linger, Vanessa.

Let's take our little walk and
get back as quickly as possible.

We'll walk to the corner
and call it a night, shall we?

That's
far enough, Vanessa.

Vanessa, for
heaven's sake!

What is so fascinating about a row
of tenements and a lot of dirty shops?

Really, Vanessa.

I hate to think I was becoming
a silly neurotic about the dark.

All right, dear,
we'll go.

You're quite right, Vanessa.
It's ridiculous to be frightened

of silly shadows.

We're both quite grown up, aren't
we? But let's not tempt fate.

Let's come on home
now, dear. That's right.

A garbage can
and a cat.

Vanessa, I might expect you to
be frightened of a black cat,

but me...

Let me
catch my breath.

Come, darling.
Come, darling.

Let's go home,
shall we?

Oh, that was
silly of me.

I'm so ashamed to have
lost control like that.

Vanessa enjoy her walk,
Miss Fox?

Oh, yes, thank you.

We both sleep so much better
after a little fresh air.

I'll take you up,
Miss Fox.

George had to
leave for a moment.

Good night, Jerry.
Good night, Miss Fox.

Now, shall we have a little
nightcap before we go to bed?

And then a Brahms Intermezzo
or a Haydn quartet...

Ground floor.

Ladies' lingerie.
Men's accessories.

Notions.

I seem to have missed
again. But it doesn't matter.

Our building, like
tonight's program,

has only one story
and you've seen that.

Here comes the owner
of the building.

He doesn't like his employees
chatting with their betters.

I'll continue
as soon as he leaves.

I hope you'll
return next week

when we shall
add another story.

And now, if you don't
intend to climb aboard,

please step back
off the pad.

Going up.