- Ellery Queen: Are you with me? You may even be way ahead of me. Now, it's not that difficult to figure out why Halliday called Kemmelman - a man he never met, a man he never knew. Remember, he had to have known who stabbed him. The knife was wedged in that phone booth, so he couldn't crawl out, and he knew he couldn't talk, so why call the police when he couldn't say anything? So he did the next best thing. Since he didn't have a pencil or a paper, he left us the only clue he could to the murderer's identity. You got the same answer I do?
- Inspector Richard Queen: [a murder has been committed at a New Year's Eve party] We got a murder on our hands.
- Sgt. Thomas Velie: Murder?
- Inspector Richard Queen: Yeah, in the alcove by the rest rooms. A man was knifed - bad stab wound in the throat. Security's got all the exits blocked; the killer can't get away.
- Sgt. Thomas Velie: What do you want me to do?
- Inspector Richard Queen: Four things.
- Sgt. Thomas Velie: Right
- Inspector Richard Queen: Get every available unit to this hotel. I don't care that it is New Year's Eve. We've got a lot of brass here, we've gotta catch this guy.
- Sgt. Thomas Velie: Right
- Inspector Richard Queen: Two: pick up a guy named Joseph Kemmelman, 346 West 77th Street. Bring him here immediately. I'll explain later.
- Sgt. Thomas Velie: Right.
- Inspector Richard Queen: And third: get Ellery down here. I don't care where he is, what he's doing, get him here!
- Sgt. Thomas Velie: Check. Four?
- Inspector Richard Queen: Take off that silly hat.
- Lady Daisy Frawley: We ought to sue you for false arrest!
- Inspector Richard Queen: No one is arrested.
- Sgt. Thomas Velie: Don't worry about Ellery, Inspector. I'm sure he's on his way.
- Inspector Richard Queen: Yeah, like I was sure that he'd made those reservations. I had to tip the headwaiter ten bucks for this table.
- Madge Velie: I haven't danced like this in years.
- Inspector Richard Queen: [as Mrs. Velie dances poorly] Neither have I, dear lady.
- Sgt. Thomas Velie: Any luck, Inspector?
- Inspector Richard Queen: It's narrowing down.
- Sgt. Thomas Velie: To whom?
- Inspector Richard Queen: Everyone in that room.
- Joe Kemmelman: New Year's Eve is always bad for me and Ethel. Who wants to invite an undertaker to a party?
- Ellery Queen: [to taxi drive] If I don't get to 124 West End Avenue, there's liable to be two murders tonight.