can't always count on that molten steel

TED
Oh, my... Oh, where did you find this woman?  She's a genius.

LARRY
She's brilliant.  She's brilliant.  But the guy... He knows that we know, so if he knows we're onto him...

MARCIA
Well, he doesn't care.  Why should he?  Everything's been neatly disposed of.  He's home free.  Only he, and maybe his mistress, know the truth.

CAROL
Well, just--

LARRY
She's right, there's no body.

CAROL
Hold on, hold on, for a second.  We don't know this is all true.  This is just a theory.

LARRY
Yeah, but it's a great theory.  Have you been paying attention?  This is a great theory.

TED
Oh, yeah.  It sounds good, it holds water.  Everything fits together in this.

CAROL
I am paying attention.

LARRY
I think it's great.

MARCIA
When I come back from the ladies room, I'll tell you how to trap him.

                             She stands up and walks away.  Larry and Ted stand up, too.  They wait for her to be gone before they sit down.

LARRY
Oh, excuse me.

TED
Where- Where did you find her?  She's-She's-She's really something.

LARRY
Her mind, it just goes.

TED
Yeah, she's got one idea after another.  It's like one thing leads to another.

LARRY
Fantastic.

CAROL
I'm surprised you two didn't drool yourselves to death.

TED
Oh, I thought we just had a nice first date.  That's...

LARRY
(voice over)
I knew that they would hit it off.

CAROL
Why?  Uh-huh.  Yeah.  Him.

LARRY
I-I- I knew this.

CAROL
Yeah, uh-huh.  What about you?  You were gonna jump into her lap.  I saw you, Larry!

LARRY
What are you talking about?

CAROL
Huh?

LARRY
I'm, I'm, huh, what's wrong with you?  I'm her editor.  I'm- I'm like a father figure to her; how...

CAROL
Yeah, the only thing you didn't do is rub your hands together.  That was it.

LARRY
You gotta be joking.  What... are you telling me that you're jealous of Marcia?

CAROL
I...  Well.  It's not that I'm jealous.

TED
Kids, kids.  People, what are we doing, here?

CAROL
Yeah, look who's talking.  My God, I mean, you kept staring into her eyes like she was the Dragon Lady, or something.

LARRY
What's wrong with you?  You're jealous because he's interested in her?!

TED
I'm interested in her theory.  What... I don't -- What are you...

CAROL
Well, I'd just like to know if you take all your-your authors to lunch at the Café des Artistes--

                                 Marcia walks back to the table.

MARCIA
Okay, I've got it.

                            She sits down, while Larry half-stands up and then sits back down.

MARCIA
Here's the story.  Since he's gotten away with it, all we can do is bluff.  As long as we have no body, we have no case.

TED
What... What do you mean?  What do we... We pretend that he slipped up and the molten steel didn't do the job?  What-What do you mean?

------------------------------------------

{Manhattan Murder Mystery}

-30-