The Thin Man

They arrive at Mimi’s, who hadn’t expected them for dinner since she believed the newspapers, but she makes a show of being pleased to see them. Nora and Chris chat while Mimi tries to get information out of Nick. Dorothy’s younger brother, Gilbert, asks questions about drug addicts and stab wounds. Nick tells Mimi that Dorothy is with them. Mimi tells Nick to send her home and then threatens Nick and accuses Nora of flirting with Chris. When they get home, Dorothy is gone and didn’t leave a note.

Nick is woken at noon the next day by Guild. He says Dorothy’s gun was too rusted to have been the murder weapon. Guild says he’d like Nick on their side, but Nick continues to insist he doesn’t want to get involved. Nora invites Guild to lunch. While they eat, Guild fills Nick in on the case. According to Macaulay, Wynant told him he was leaving town in early October. He was working on a secret invention and didn’t even tell Julia where he was going, though occasionally he would ask for cash that Macaulay was to give to Julia, who would then meet Wynant to hand it over. The total at the time of Wolf’s death was $28,500. The last $5,000 should have been with Julia when she was killed. They speculate whether someone robbed her or Wynant killed her and took the money.

Guild dismisses the idea that Mimi took the money, saying, “A lady like that wouldn’t be likely” (56). Guild also notes that the phone had been shot and was unusable. Several people say they heard the shots, but not many have stories that match. When Nick asks about Macaulay’s movements, Guild admits they haven’t asked him for an alibi. They discovered, however, that Julia Wolf is a false name. She was Rhonda Stewart and had a police record for “a badger game,” or extortion. They discuss Morelli, who insisted he hadn’t seen Julia in months. His story checks out.

Their friend Harrison Quinn then calls and talks to Nick about Dorothy, whom he is meeting later that afternoon. Guild continues the narrative, saying Mimi got to the apartment at 3:20 pm and found Julia dying. She had phoned around 2:30 to ask to come over to talk about finding Wynant. The apartment looked fine. All Julia’s jewelry was still on, including a large diamond engagement ring, and money was still in her purse. No one saw anyone go in or out, and the fire escape had been untouched. The only information they received was from an informant named Nunheim who told them Morelli was a friend of Julia.

Macaulay shows Nick a letter from Wynant. It says he trusts Nick and is asking him to take the case. He says that when he last met Julia, she said she was quitting for health reasons and that her uncle left her money. She seemed worried. He suggests that Nick look into Victor Rosewater, who accused Wynant of cheating him. He also wants Nick to convince the police that Wynant is not involved and that finding him to question could jeopardize his experiments. Nick asks about the financial situation of the family. Macaulay notes that Wynant’s still well-off despite the depression. The phone rings, and it’s Guild saying Wynant tried to die by suicide in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Nick crashes Dorothy and Harrison Quinn’s meeting at a speakeasy and tells Dorothy she’s an ungrateful house guest. Dorothy accuses him of making fun of her with Mimi, and Nick realizes Mimi called the hotel and lied to Dorothy to get her to leave. Dorothy is embarrassed that she believed her mother and apologizes. Quinn goes with them to Nick’s hotel where Nora is entertaining Gilbert, Dorothy’s brother. Dorothy apologizes to Nora, who turns on music, tells Quinn to make drinks, and talks to Nick in the bathroom about what happened. Dorothy and Quinn are dancing when they come out, and Gilbert eagerly asks Nick about cannibalism. Nick hands him a book, and they read a long passage about an instance of cannibalism in the late 1800s. Dorothy tells Nick her father sent a message saying not to trust anyone connected with the family. Nick tells Dorothy and Gilbert that their father tried to die by suicide. Gilbert says Chris is off somewhere seeing his girlfriend. Nick notes that Chris Jorgensen looks a lot like Victor Rosewater.

Nick and Nora are bored at the theater and decide to find Studsy Burke, the man who told Morelli to see Nick. They find him at his speakeasy, and Studsy is pleased to see Nick. He marvels at Nick’s marriage, noting to Nora that Nick “sent [him] up the river” but only because Studsy led with his right (79). Nick asks how Morelli knew where to find him, but Studsy denies telling him where Nick was living. He also says Morelli couldn’t have killed Julia because he was at the bar the entire afternoon and evening and there are multiple witnesses. He asks Nick if Wynant killed her, and Nick admits he doesn’t think so. Studsy wants to see if Nick can best him if he doesn’t lead with his right. Nick declines, and he and Nora go home, where a telegram is waiting that says the man in Pennsylvania wasn’t Wynant and there was no suicide attempt.

Nick goes to visit Guild in his office. Nick tells him about the letter to Wynant’s sister and how Jorgensen looks like Rosewater. Guild notes that Wynant writes a lot of letters, and Nick agrees. Guild says they found someone who called Julia at 3:05 pm, so she was alive then. Macaulay has an alibi as he was in a meeting from about then until 3:20 pm. They laugh about them being the only ones with no alibi. Nick asks about Nunheim, and Guild says he didn’t know Julia well, but Nick says Studsy told him otherwise. Nick admits that he doesn’t think Wynant did it. He is suspicious of Mimi and Nunheim. Guild wants to know why Wynant doesn’t just come in and explain if he didn’t do it. Guild asks Nick to come while he interviews people. Nick asks about Wynant’s old shop and the workers. Guild says the workers haven’t seen him since the beginning of October and that the shop is closed.

They go to see Nunheim, who lives in a rundown apartment. He seems frightened, and a woman standing over the stove stares at them without speaking. Guild presses him about lying about his relationship with Julia, and the woman throws a frying pan at them. Nunheim admits to trying to pick up Julia. The woman walks out with a suitcase and insults Nunheim, who begs Guild to let him follow her and bring her back. He says he is trying to remember where he was at the time of Julia’s murder. He goes to his room to find proof but instead escapes out the bathroom window. Guild calls the police department to track him down and tells Nick they have confirmation that Jorgensen is Rosewater. The woman he was seeing, Olga Fenton, admitted it to another policeman. Guild asks Nick to accompany him to interview Olga, but Nick declines and leaves. Guild runs after Nick a moment later, asking him to give his regards to Nora.