The Thin Man

by Dashiell Hammett

“She’s cute, but she’s cuckoo. She wouldn’t be his daughter if she wasn’t. You can’t tell how much of what she says is what she thinks and you can’t tell how much of what she thinks ever really happened. I like her, but I think you’re letting—” “I’m not sure I like her,” Nora said thoughtfully, “she’s probably a little bastard, but if a quarter of what she told us is true, she’s in a tough spot.” “There’s nothing I can do to help her.” “She thinks you can.” “And so do you, which shows that no matter what you think, you can always get somebody else to go along with you.” Nora sighed. “I wish you were sober enough to talk to.” She leaned over to take a sip of my drink. “I’ll give you your Christmas present now if you’ll give me mine.” I shook my head. “At breakfast.” “But it’s Christmas now.” “Breakfast.” “Whatever you’re giving me,” she said, “I hope I don’t like it.” “You’ll have to keep them anyway, because the man at the Aquarium said he positively wouldn’t take them back. He said they’d already bitten the tails off the—” “It wouldn’t hurt you any to find out if you can help her, would it? She’s got so much confidence in you, Nicky.” “Everybody trusts Greeks.”