The Thin Man

Mimi seems pleased with the effect of her confession on the police. She leaves Nick and Guild, who don’t believe her story. Guild says the bullets used to kill Nunheim match those that killed Julia, and Nick tells Guild all that Morelli told him in Studsy’s bar. Nick notes that the shooter emptied the gun for both murders, assuming the chamber under the hammer was empty as usual. Nick asks where Nunheim was the afternoon Julia was killed, and Guild says he was hanging around her apartment. Nick notes that maybe Miriam was right in that he was killed because he knew too much. Nick quotes Morelli about Julia always having lots of money. Nick asks if they’ve looked at Wynant’s shop, and Guild says no.

When Nick goes to leave, he finds Nora asleep, and Mimi wants to talk more. She and Gilbert ask if he thinks Jorgensen killed Julia, and Nick says no, but he doesn’t know who did. Mimi says it's Wynant, but Nick is sure it isn’t. Mimi thinks this is proof Nick is working for him. Gilbert says he doesn’t believe it either but won’t say how he knows. Dorothy appears and says Gilbert knows who killed Julia. This wakes Nora up. When Nick tries to pursue what Dorothy said, she refuses to talk in front of her family. Nick asks Nora what she thinks, and she says she doesn’t like the Jorgensens and that Dorothy should get her coat and come with them. Mimi is furious at Dorothy for going to leave and tries to attack her. Nora steps in between them, and Nick pulls Mimi back. Mimi slowly calms down and notices her son has hurt himself trying to protect her from Nick. She laughs and then begins to get worked up again. Nick, Nora, and Dorothy leave her laughing on the couch.

When they get home, it’s already 5:00 am. Dorothy wants to tell Nick what she couldn’t in front of her family. Gilbert said he saw his father, who told him who killed Julia. Gilbert didn’t say who it was, and Nick says he’s had enough and wants to go back to San Francisco that day. Dorothy starts to cry, and Nora takes her to bed. Nick and Nora talk, Nora observing that Dorothy “does her share of weeping and whining” (150). Nick says her story sounds fake. Nora says when everyone thought she was asleep, Gilbert called the operator to hold any incoming calls until morning. She also noticed Studsy nudge Morelli under the table when he mentioned a different associate of Julia. Nick says he doesn’t know how detectives do it without her. She asks if it was exciting to subdue Mimi the way he did, and he says it was a little. She laughs, calls him “a disgusting old lecher” (151), and observes that the sun is up.

Nora wakes Nick, saying Macaulay is on the phone. He wants to see Nick right away, and they arrange for him to come to the hotel. Nick remembers Nora hasn’t met him and says they fought together in World War I. After that, Macauley gave Nick a few jobs. When Nora suggests Nick stay sober that day, he observes, “We didn’t come to New York to stay sober” (153). Nick looks at the paper in the meantime and sees the police have picked up Jorgensen, but he and Nunheim’s murder are being overshadowed by other news. When Macaulay arrives, he looks worn and tired. Nick introduces him to Nora and says it’s safe to talk around her, and when Macaulay objects that it may cause her anxiety, Nick comments that “she only worries about the things she doesn’t know” (153). Macaulay says the police asked about the watch chain. He agreed it looked like Wynant’s, but anyone could have it reproduced or have found it. Guild implied that Nick might have stolen it. Nora gets upset, but Nick tells her Mimi hinted to Guild the night before that Nick may have something to do with the death, and Macaulay adds that she also implied Nick and Julia had an affair. Macaulay told Guild he didn’t know if they were “still” together because he didn’t know that they ever were.

Nick says he has a “lousy alibi,” but Macaulay says not to worry because he is going to turn Wynant over to the police. He tells a story about how he was on his way to an appointment when he thought someone was following him. He got into a cab and took it in a different direction than planned, ending up at Julia Wolf’s place. When the cab stopped, he saw Wynant in the cab next to him heading away just after the time of the murder. When Macaulay describes the person who followed him, Nick notices it sounds like Nunheim. Macaulay observes that Nick still isn’t convinced Wynant is guilty.

Dorothy interrupts them and tells Macaulay about her brother seeing Wynant and telling him who did it. Macaulay tells Nick that Wynant said he left the metal chain at Julia’s to be repaired. This new evidence makes Nick rethink Wynant’s innocence, but he convinces Macaulay to wait to call the police. They plan to meet with Wynant at Macaulay’s. After he leaves, Nick and Nora talk. Nick still isn’t convinced Wynant is the killer, and Nora suggests he may be shielding someone. She says she made a list of all the suspects and motives because “[Nick’s] performance so far has been a little less than dazzling” (163). Nick tries to change the subject before she can get her ideas out, and she calls him a coward.

Nick goes to the police station and confronts Guild about suspecting him. Guild says he must look at all the angles and just wants to know who the murderer is. Guild says Nick has known Mimi for a long time, implying a relationship, and Nick retorts, “[A]nd me and her daughter […] and me and Julia Wolf and me and Mrs. Astor. I’m hell with the women” (185). Guild says he’s just doing his job and asks if Nick would take an oath that he’s been telling Guild everything, and Nick replies, “Practically” (185). He then tells Nick about Jorgensen/Rosewater, who went to Europe to escape trouble after first threatening Wynant. He read about Mimi being conspicuous and frivolous and went to meet her. He had no trouble getting her to marry him in what may be an illegal marriage. When they ran out of money, he was going to leave her, but she suggested going back to New York to get more from Wynant, and he agreed. The second day he was in New York, he ran into a woman who knew his wife, and she revealed his bigamy, so Jorgensen went to Boston to pacify his first wife. Jorgensen thinks Wynant committed the murders.

Guild tells Nick that Julia’s old boyfriend is due to get out of jail soon and that she was planning to marry him, which is why she had an engagement ring and was quitting her job. This leaves jealousy as a good motive for Wynant. Nick is getting ready to go when the door opens and a police officer brings in a very beat-up Gilbert.

The police officer says he had been watching Julia’s place, and Gilbert let himself in with a key. The police officer startled him, and Gilbert ran, but the police officer caught him. When asked what Gilbert did in the apartment, the officer says he did nothing because he’d rushed Gilbert before he had a chance to come all the way in. Nick encourages Gilbert to tell Guild everything, so Gilbert produces a letter from Wynant that came the day before. It asks Gilbert to go to the apartment and get a paper inside a book called The Grand Manner and burn it. Nick inquires about asking the operator not to put calls through, and Gilbert admits he was worried Wynant would call when they were at his house. Gilbert confesses he didn’t see him and lied to Dorothy about knowing who the killer was because he was jealous of how she was treating Nick when she used to go to him with her questions and worries. Guild asks him to report if Wynant contacts him. Nick thinks it’s unfair to ask a boy to report on his father, so they decide Gilbert will say he can’t do anything for anyone who asks him, his father or otherwise. Gilbert gives his words and says he’ll wait outside for Nick. Guild asks Nick if he’s changed his mind about Wynant’s innocence, and Nick says it doesn’t matter since Guild has enough on him with the watch chain. Guild says Nick’s opinion matters to him, and Nick says Nora thinks he’s covering for someone. Guild says he wouldn’t “belittle women’s intuition” and hopes the paper Gilbert was after will help (177). When the apartment is searched, there is no book by that name and no paper.

Guild and Nick question the police officer who was in the apartment, but he also has no memory of that book. Nick asks about Wynant’s workshop again and says maybe they should look there. He leaves and takes Gilbert home. On the way, Gilbert coughs up blood, and Nick realizes he is more hurt than he is letting on. When they get to the apartment, Nick tells Mimi to put him to bed and call a doctor. Mimi does it and then tells Nick that Wynant was just there waiting for Gilbert and left about 10 minutes before. Nick calls Nora, who tells him Macaulay, Guild, Mimi, and Alice Quinn have all called for him. She then asks if it’s okay if she goes out with her friend Larry to a show, and Nick agrees. He calls Macaulay, who tells Nick that he got a call from Wynant and now Macaulay is going to the police. He says he’ll come to Mimi’s right after. Nick then calls Guild and tells him about Wynant being at Mimi’s, and Guild says he’ll be right over. Mimi says, “Clyde gave them to me of his own free will––they’re mine” (181). Nick is puzzled by what she means, and Mimi clarifies that Wynant gave her three stacks of bonds and a $10,000 check dated five days ahead because he still needs to make a deposit. Nick calls Alice, and she apologizes for her husband, Harrison Quinn, and asks if he is in love with Dorothy. He agrees to talk about Quinn’s behavior later. Mimi has been eavesdropping and says people, implying Nick, are fooled all the time by Dorothy. The doctor comes to treat Gilbert. Nick looks at the bonds and estimates they’re worth $60,000. Macaulay arrives and sits without taking off his coat. He shows Nick another letter from Wynant telling him about giving Mimi the bonds and the check and saying he will be gone several months and is unable to meet them that night. Macaulay asks what the bonds and check are for, and Nick says he can’t get it out of Mimi.

Mimi escorts the doctor out. Macaulay asks if Wynant told her his plans, and she says she wasn’t listening very attentively. When asked what they talked about, she says Gilbert and that she can repeat the conversation word for word. Guild and another police officer arrive, and Macaulay tells Guild the story about seeing Wynant in a cab by Julia’s apartment at the time of the murder. Then Mimi gives a description of Wynant, and Guild sends an officer to put out a search. Guild asks if anyone knows someone with the initials D.W.Q. They all say no. He reveals they found the body at Wynant’s workshop under the floor. It was in pieces and buried in lime to speed decomposition. A belt buckle had the initials. Nick says the dead man is Wynant. The initials are a red herring. Mimi tells him not to be ridiculous because Wynant was there this afternoon. Nick tells Mimi that if Wynant is dead, her children will inherit the estate, which will be worth a lot more than the bonds and check given to her by whomever is trying to bribe her. Macaulay objects, but Guild tells Nick to finish. He says Macaulay killed Wynant, Julia, and Nunheim and that Mimi would have been next once she realized there was a lot more she could have if Wynant’s estate was left to her. Mimi turns to Macaulay and says, “You son of a bitch” (192). When Macaulay moves, Nick knocks him out.

Nick gets home around 3:00 am and finds Nora and Larry playing backgammon and Dorothy reading the papers. It’s all over the news, and Nora wants to know if it’s true. Dorothy begins to cry and says she wants her mamma. Larry obviously doesn’t want to take her home but does anyway. Nora asks for an explanation, and Nick asks for a drink first. Nick says Wynant discovered Julia and Macaulay were robbing him, assumed they were having an affair, and went to Macaulay’s house, where Macaulay killed him. His cook came to work the next morning, and Macaulay met her at the door with two weeks’ wages and her notice so she wouldn’t come in and find the body he was dismembering. Nora says people are innocent until proven guilty, and much of the information doesn’t seem solid. Nick anticipates they will find the gun and typewriter that wrote the letters, and two days later, they find them in an apartment Macaulay rented under a false name. Nick continues, saying Macaulay closed the workshop and laid off the workers. He buried the body in the floor. Nick notes that they traced the cement Macaulay used to fix the floor, and the dealer identified him. If anyone found the body, it would be blamed on Wynant, who supposedly skipped town. Macaulay and Julia started to transfer the money to themselves. Nick admits not knowing if Julia got frightened or what happened, but Macaulay decided to play it safe by eliminating her. He called her to see if it was okay to come by, and she told him Mimi was also coming, so he got there first and left the watch chain pointing to Wynant. Nick reminds Nora that Macaulay is a terrible shot and that the gun was emptied both times; in Julia’s case, one bullet hit the phone, showing that the shooter didn’t have great aim. Nunheim must have seen him and tried to blackmail him. Then Mimi wouldn’t use the clue he’d left because she was planning on blackmailing Wynant. The various letters were an attempt to throw suspicion onto Wynant or get people to point fingers in that direction.

Nunheim called Macaulay wanting something more for his silence, and Macaulay responded by killing him. Macaulay then told Mimi he would split Wynant’s estate if she’d say she saw Wynant and send a note to him as if it were from Wynant. She agreed. Nora says it’s not very neat, and Nick says it’s neat enough to convict. She asks if Nick still wants to leave for San Francisco the next day, and he says that they should stay a while, that “this excitement has put [them] behind in our drinking” (201). Nora asks what will happen to Mimi, Dorothy, and Gilbert, and Nick says they’ll keep being them. Nora says maybe that’s true, but she finds it “all pretty unsatisfactory” (201).