can i help you? russ yelburton, deputy chief in the department.
i wonder if you'd care to wait in my office?
you see, this whole business in the paper with mr. mulwray has us all on edge.
after all, you work with a man for a certain length of time, you come to know him, his habits, his values, and so forth. well either he's the kind who chases after women or he isn't.
he never even kids about it.
i'm sorry, i --
help yourself.
hope so. he's working for us.
mr. gittes, sorry to keep you waiting. these staff meetings, they just go on and on.
oh yes. hollis was the best department head the city's ever had. my goodness, what happened to your nose?
you ought to be more careful. that must really smart.
only when you breathe.  don't tell me you're still working for mrs. mulwray?
i don't understand.
mr. gittes, you're not making a bit of sense.
mr. gittes! that's an outrageous accusation. i don't know what you're talking about.
wait. please sit down, mr. gittes. we're.  well, we're not anxious for this to get around, but we have been diverting a little water to irrigate avocado and walnut groves in the northwest valley. as you know, the farmers there have no legal right to our water, and since the drought we've had to cut them off. the city comes first, naturally. but, well, we've been trying to help some of them out, keep them from going under. naturally when you divert water you get a little runoff.
i said, the northwest valley.
mr. gittes, my field men are out and i can't give you an exact location.
yes.
yes.