 It means two things. You can be sure you run into trouble and you can never be sure you get out of it. Well, there's not much you can do about it, I guess. Except, like Julie always says... Walk softly, Peter Troy. Coffee maker and general all-round girl Friday in my office. Then you'll meet her again. But right now I want to introduce you to a very gifted woman. And just to keep the record straight, a very beautiful one, too. Tall and slim with golden hair, the color of the sun shining on Lake Superior. The Canadian house, of course. Gilda's a dream. And when she dances, Margot Fontaine, Mora Shearer and Anna Pavlova become mere shadows. This is a band later when we listen to music again. Yeah, I'll tell her, Gilda. No, Gilda. What are you doing here? Well, as I thought we were having dinner together after you'd finished. Who said anything about dinner? Well, I understood. I told the doorkeeper not to let you backstage anymore. Well, he tried to stop me. Would you mind getting out if you're not going to change to make? Gilda. You're always hanging around. You make me sick. Don't say that. I'll say what I please. You can't take a hint, can you? You bore me. You know that? You bore me. You're going to be sorry, you said that, Gilda. You're going to be very sorry. Don't threaten me, you aging casserole. You don't scare me one little bit. Lake Dancer Supreme is not the wistful witch referred to in the title of this saga. The letter showed up in my office the next day. Her name was Linda Giffords. She wore glasses, and her hair was drawn back into a tight, schoolmamish button. But she was young, and under her rather severe exterior, I could make out a lot of charm and beauty. And one thing she couldn't disguise, even though she wore a shapeless tweed suit, was the perfection of her figure, nor the slim elegance of her legs. What are you staring at, Mr. Troyer? You, Miss Gifford, you're something of an enigma. I came here to discuss my sister, Gilda, Mr. Troyer. Oh, yes, of course. It's Gilda Gaudet. Gilda Gifford. Gaudet is a stage name. Gilda's disappeared, and I want to find her. Miss Gifford, the police suffer an excellent service for the recovery of strain-cast dogs and sisters. I'm aware of that. But I don't want the police brought into this. Why not? For personal reasons. Oh, I'm sorry, but if I'm going to take on this case, I'm going to have to know those reasons, and a whole lot more besides. Otherwise... Oh, you have so much conscience then. Oh, that's not a question of conscience, Miss Gifford. It's a question of a little thing called a metropolitan police license to operate. All investigators have to have them. I see. Yes, we step out of line, and they take a great delight in revoking it. Oh, very well then. Well, that's better. Gilda vanished last night from the theatre. She was playing at the New Gertie. Paris Brevities of 1962. You haven't seen the show. It's a very nice bachelor fair, of course. She disappeared halfway through the show. They had to put on a substitute act in the second half. But the customers are furious. In the garage door, the doorkeeper was there all the time. And she didn't change into her street clothes. So? She's floating around somewhere in spangles and tights. It should make her too difficult to find. There are complications. Oh, I thought there might be. Gilda and I, though, we were sisters, were very different. I've never approved of her stage career. No other company she keeps. She's frequently seen with a man called Max Ellison. You've heard of him. Oh, very unpleasant, gentlemen. Somehow I have the feeling that he's responsible for her disappearance. Well, I tell you, anyone crosses Max, they're very liable to disappear. I've never been able to understand, Gilda. She could virtually have her choice of men. For instance, there's Charles Lomford. Lord Lomford, sir? Oh, wonderful man. Oh, a little older than Gilda, of course. But rich and charming and influential. But she's not at all interested in him. No. She seems to refer to Riff Raff. Yeah. Tell me, did she have any visitors last night? According to the doorkeeper, just one, Charles Lomford. Mm-hmm. But he was only with her for about five minutes. He only left. Is there any other way into the place, apart from the stage floor? No. Nobody saw her leave? Oh, we have problems, don't we? You see, I've done this before. Yeah. All right, Miss Gifford. Now, what else have you got to tell me about, Gilda? And I want a full rundown, please. If you've left anything out. Well, she's left me in the very devil of a pickle, Mr. Troy. Running out in the middle of the show like that. There's been no sight and no sound of her since. Nothing. And she has a contract here, right? Well, no. Why not? Well, she's only been missing for 24 hours. Look, a valuable star disappears. You don't even tell the cop on the beat about it. Miss Gifford. Oh, I see. Well, she's her sister. I have a look at Gilda's dressing room. Suddenly, right behind you, there's been a test. Lots of the best of my knowledge, Mr. Troy. But I'll ask you the same question. Troy, Peter Troy. One of Gilda's boyfriends? No, it's like a private investigator. Oh. I didn't catch your name. Patsy Colligan. Oh, yes, indeed. Are you using this dressing room, Patsy? No. You're looking for something? I'm in Gilda's in makeup. And you came to get a bet? Yes. Well, it looks like she didn't find it. I think it's a pretty thorough going out of there. I run out and the stuff costs money. Money? Patsy, I guess five pounds would buy an awful lot of makeup, huh? Wait a minute, Mr. Troy. Five pounds, all you have to do to wear it, is to do a little talking. What? But Gilda. And Charles Lownford and MacGillerton. Oh. You're not interested? Pants. We're living in an era of first inflation. Gilda was in trouble. What sort of trouble? Police trouble. Well, go on. That's all. Not much value for six pounds, Patsy. Maybe it wasn't police trouble. Now, I feel sure... Patsy, the time of yours is going to get you into a whole lot of strife. I didn't tell him anything. You said Gilda was in trouble. I was spending him a long time for time. Is he dead? Probably. Did you find it? No. I searched everywhere, Max. Let's get out of here. Now, I've heard the shortened... Not with all that racket going on out there. But someone must know he's here and about to... Follow me. This way. And here it is. See, I told you. Hey, Gilda. You have any authority around here? I'm the state magistrate. Yes, I'll tell those people to get out of here and close the door. Hey, can you hear me? What? You're very nearly cashed in your chips this time. Don't I know it? Okay, what happened? I was talking to this chorus girl and she was in here searching for something. And while I was talking to her, she got down looking over my shoulder. Oh, I didn't take any notice. Ooh, I should have done it. I heard the gun go off right behind me and, oh, right then the whole world exploded in my head. Someone else in here? Well, there must have been. And you didn't see them? If I'd seen them, I'd have ducked, believe me. Well, take it easy, please. Hey, Gilda. Any other entrance to this dressing room? Yeah. I bet your mystery gunman was hiding in the wardrobe out of there, Troy. The wardrobe was open. There was no one in there. Troy, when I walked into this room, the place was empty except for the girl. Hey, just a minute. What are you doing here anyway, Inspector? I called him, please. Well, the stage manager came in and found you sprawled out on the floor. He rang through to the office and the answering service gave him my number. You tell me you've been shot. Well, no, I... You know, it seems there's more than one person just a little shy, at least in this case. I had the status reputation to consider. Great. Just one more thing. Do me a favor and go and find a quarry named the Patsy Colleges. But I just told Inspector. Tell him what? She's another one that's disappeared, Troy. No one's seen hide her hair ever since you came backstage. Like Gilda Gaudet, she's vanished. There was a bullet that came from a strong-looking woman who wore tweeds and sensible shoes. These are the main ingredients of this crazy case to date. Plus, of course, the puzzle of how that gunman got into the dressing room in the first place. Julian and Inspector Caswell have arrived on the scene just about the time I was coming to. Inspector gave me that old-fashioned look when I told him there was only Patsy Colleges in the dressing room and I entered. But he decided to humor me. He left the dressing room, went with the stage manager to the telephone to call some specialists from Scotland Yard to search the place. Keith, later the bullet came through the window. The gun was fired in this room and from right behind me. But how could that be? Let's help me get in the feet, Julie. I want to give this place a quick once-over before Caswell gets back with his boys. Well, I think you should go home and rest. Later. I don't like puzzles, honey bun, and this is a little... Well, the police will find it. Now, that gunman had to get into the room from somewhere behind me. He was right in front of me. Now, let's all look around. Now, the wardrobe. Empty. The door was open. A basket over there in the corner. That's big enough for a man to hide in, wouldn't you say? Oh, Pete, maybe he was hiding in there, but no one saw him or the girl leaves the dressing room. Oh, you're right. Hey, wait a minute. Now, that's interesting. Oh, what is it? Oh, look. Clearing down there. Green spangle? Yeah. And Patsy Collegon was wearing a costume covered in green spangles. Listen, Pete, if she got in there with the gunman, it would be a bit of a tight squeeze, wouldn't it? Maybe. Now, something cuck out here. Now, just the closing of this basket at a false bottom, honey, but... There we are. See what I mean? A trap door. Well, of course it's the only answer. There was a document to think about it before. The Civil Righty Theater. Well, you know. Disappearing acts and all that. Oh, Pete, you're not going down there. I'm just going to have a look, see. I'm coming to you. Oh, wait a minute. Oh, all right. Take it, Chief. Now, you stay close. There's a very little pint down here. I don't know why about that. I also use these passages as emergency fire exits from the stage. You know, there you have to have the conformant fire regulations. Let's get some light in the subject. That's better. Oh, Pete, there's a switch over on that wall beside you. I'll do that again. Left second row of the chorus. Patsy Colligan. The poor girl, Steve. A nasty, suspicious mind. Oh, what happened now, Pete? Right this very minute. We wait any minute. For what? You mean for who? I want to have a chat with that stage manager, isn't it? I'm teasing you. Yeah. It should be out in a minute. You think you know something? You know, there's more than these two or less over the police. Good night, Gerald. Make sure you lock up after the police leave. Get in the car. Another policeman keeps an eye on you. Be careful how it treats us. Suspect? Come on in the back seat. Right around the block a couple of times. I got a splitting headache in my temper. I'm a little afraid to say the least. You're going to do some talking. You're not going to stop. I've heard enough. Look, I told the police everything I know. No, you didn't. You're the stage manager of that theater, right? You know the place inside out. You know about that trap door. The entrance to it through the wicker basket. There was no mystery to you. How guilty this appeared. Well, I... You've known all about the vanishing gunman, too. But you kept your mouth shut. Oh, I want to know why. And I tell you, if I don't get my answers, Keaton, I'm going to tell Julie to step on the accelerator. And then when the speedometer reaches around about 50, I'm going to open this door and kick you out. Now, you talk. Well, all right. All right. The whole business is a mess. And I don't know all the answers. Well, do your best. Well, yes, I did know about that trap door. But I didn't dare tell the police. You see, Max Ellerton's mixed up with all this. Well, I'll keep going. You haven't told me anything I don't know yet. Petsy Colligan used to be his girlfriend. What about Gilda Corday? Oh, yes, it was before Gilda came onto the scene. But the whole trouble was... Well, Gilda's married. Married? So, Charles Larnford. Huh? Well, that's right. It's a very closely guarded secret. Max Ellerton, how about this? Yes. Didn't seem to worry him. But then, the married seemed to go on the rocks. Gilda's a volatile girl, and Larnford's a bit of an old stick in the mud. How is there all this secrecy about the marriage? Because of Lord Larnford. He threatened to cut Charles out of his will if he married Gilda. He didn't approve of showgirls. Slowly but surely things are beginning to wear out. Anyway, Gilda left orders with the stage door key, but not to let Charles in. And for some reason, that made Max Ellerton angry. Lord Larnford's dead now, isn't he? He died last week. His son inherited the Larnford fortune. Have you got any idea what Petsy was looking for in Gilda's dressing room this evening? I don't know. But I could have the guess. I'd say it was Gilda's marriage line. Well, she knew Gilda was married, too? Yes. And she was really sore at being dissed by Max. Now, if she could have got those marriage lines... She could use them as a lever to pry Max away from Gilda. Yeah, something like that. Tell me, where does Max Ellerton hang out, Keaton? What? Oh, now let's not... Step on the gas, Betelgeuse. Right. Where does he hang out, Keaton? Look, if I was to tell you that, Max would kill me. What? All right. All right. I'll tell you. He's, uh... He's got a hideaway in Shortage. The address? Off Shortage High Street. 23 E-Board Street. Okay, slow down, Julie. Stop anywhere around here. Oh, I... Oh, listen. All right. Quiet. Tell Max I gave out his address for the love of mercy. Don't kill him! Where did he go, Pete? To 23 E-Board Street, Shortage. This once. Linda? Put that gun away. Where's Gilda? Answer me, Max. I'm not afraid to pull this trigger and you know it. Okay, okay, relax. Gilda's safe. She's at my place in Maidstown. Took her there the night before last. Why? Because she was backing out of the deal, Linda. That's why. She was married to Lanford. Oh, yes. But that wasn't going to last much longer. She'd already separated from him, and she'd lodged divorce papers with a lawyer. She wasn't going to go through with it. I'm a little fool. After all our careful planning... She knew that as soon as Lord Lanford died, we were going to fix Charles. We could have done it any time now. And the Lanford fortune would have come straight to her as his next of kin. Three quarters of a million. Yeah, but she didn't like the idea of us killing him. So I had to grab her before she went through with the divorce. For the marriage life. And I couldn't find them. And I called Patsy a colleague and hunting for them too. Patsy would have done the gaffling. All right, all right. Yes, and I've got a bone to pick with you. What was the idea of pulling that private eye on the trail? I wanted to know where you'd taken Gilda. He's got a reputation for hunting down missing people. Yes, and he would have hunted me down in the process. I ought to try about that, Max. But... Don't always break down, Max. Like Linda, I've got no compunction about pulling the trigger on this one. And whilst we're about it, I feel a whole lot better if you drop that cute little automatic, Linda. Well, that's better. Fear of everything. Yeah, that's right. I found nobody at home, Max. I'll look myself in. I've got one of the most comprehensive sets of skeleton keys in London. Troy. I told you I'd discover if you left anything out, Linda. Troy, I'll make a deal with you. I'd soon I'll make a deal with a death at him, Miss Gifford. Tell me, did you introduce your sister to Lanford? Well, I guess you did. Remember I said you were an enigma? Well, what happened to the tweeds and the sensible shoes, Linda? You know? You know what made me think twice about you? What? Spectacles. Massey hairdo, cotton stockings, no maker. Yet you were wearing an expensive, perfume-cold, exotique. Now, that was the enigma. It's a very glamorous perfume. It doesn't go with tweets. Troy. You'll never get out of here alive. This is my territory. Oh, and just for the record, Linda, Max was pulling the old double-cross. The guilt is not down in Maidston. She's bound to gag in the next room. Why, you... Troy, that'll be my friend. Sorry to disillusion you old man, but that'll be the police. Sent by secretary firm about 15 minutes ago. Okay, Julie, bring in the boys. I have to sit around. Isn't that funny? You see, Max? Are you all right? Sure, I'm all right. Look, that had me words to him. Oh, that's nice. I like you to worry, honey-mon. But I wouldn't worry half the match if you just walk softly, Peter Troy. Linda Gifford introduced her sister to Charles Lawnford, heir to the Lawnford fortune. And the poor mutt fell for Gilda hook, lion, and sinker. As Linda knew he would. And that made Gilda next in line for the Lawnford thousands once the old man died, which he did in natural causes. As for Charles, he was marked down for murder. And that's why Linda called in a thug like Max Houghton. He would have been the one to plan Charles' sudden demise. But then Gilda got a fit of conscience and Max tried to double-cross. Linda got worried and called me in. But, uh, all I was supposed to do was to locate Gilda and nothing more. However, when you buy service from the Troy agency, we got a whole hog. You know, I won't forget Linda. She had a wistful smile. But cold, cold eyes. As I remember.