- James Conway: I want to prevent the man from having a second murder on his conscience. Find him! Tell him there's no need to kill again. His secret is safe! Can you do that?
- Joe Mannix: I can try.
- Peggy Fair: [bringing Joe his morning coffee] Welcome to the world!
- Joe Mannix: Is that where we are?
- Joe Mannix: Awhile back I read a story in the paper about a James Conway that had left the priesthood and was working with drug addicts. Are you that James Conway?
- James Conway: That's me.
- Joe Mannix: One thousand dollars, first of every month. Blackmail. Once your husband opened the door to the killer, he just couldn't get it closed again.
- Jonathan Morrison: Jim and I, we go back a long way, y'know? We made history together, right here! Showed them a Scotch Baptist and an Irish Catholic could both stroke the same war, didn't we Jim?
- James Conway: That we did, Jonathan. And before it was fashionable!
- Joe Mannix: [escorting James Conway into his office] Please come in.
- James Conway: Thank you.
- Joe Mannix: Have a chair. A while back, I read a story in the paper about a James Conway that had left the priesthood and was working with drug addicts. Are you that Janes Conway?
- James Conway: That's me.
- Joe Mannix: Well... whatever it is that brought you here, I can see that it's difficult for you to discuss.
- James Conway: Matter of fact, I shouldn't discuss it at all.
- [Joe hands him his coffee]
- James Conway: Thank you.
- Joe Mannix: But you're in need of a private investigator, or, uh, you wouldn't have walked through that door.
- James Conway: Someone tried to kill me yesterday.
- Joe Mannix: How?
- James Conway: I was... I was crossing a street and a car almost hit me.
- Joe Mannix: Are you sure it wasn't just out of control, or a drunk driver?
- James Conway: Happened before. Last week, and it was the same car.
- Joe Mannix: Mr. Conway, uh... can you think of a reason why anyone would want to kill you?
- [Conway steps out of his chair to think for a second]
- James Conway: Mr. Mannix... a long time ago, I took a vow never to repeat anything I heard in the confessional. I'm no longer a priest, but that vow still holds.
- Joe Mannix: I can understand.
- James Conway: Well, then... you have some idea how I feel because... I'm... I'm going to break that vow. I was Friday night, about, oh, two months ago. I was at St Anne's.
- [tells Joe how a man came up to him and said he killed someone. Conway suggests that the man go to the police, but the man flees]
- James Conway: It was too late. He was gone.
- Joe Mannix: And you think he's the man who's trying to kill you?
- James Conway: I don't know. He might've read I'd left the church, assumed my vow was no longer binding, thought I'd report his confession to the police.
- Joe Mannix: What you want me to do, then, is to protect you.
- James Conway: More important than that- I want to prevent this man from having a second murder on his conscience. Find him. Tell him there's no need to kill again. His secret is safe. Can you do that?
- Joe Mannix: I can try. But, in the meantime, I'm going to get you off the streets. Find a place where this man won't be able to find you.