- Pat Drake: [On the phone with Macgregor] I know you don't trust Simon, Mr. Macgregor. Neither do I. But I think it's most ungallant of you to doubt him at his word.
- Inspector Hollis: Well, it's your own fault. There's someone doing their level best to kill you, and you can't even tell me why.
- Simon Drake: I see. If I want peace, I've got to help you to solve your mystery, have I? All right, tell me how I can help.
- Simon Drake: I hope that big sergeant downstairs is trustworthy, Holly. I don't like the way he looked at my pipe.
- Inspector Hollis: Oh, don't you worry about that, Drake. I'll look after that myself.
- Inspector Hollis: [to Sergeant Bright] Look here, Lothario, I brought you here to dodge the assistant commissioner, and not to indulge your unbridled passions.
- Sergeant Bright: Oh, I say.
- Inspector Hollis: Nice state of affairs - when a man can't even go into his own office for fear of meeting his own chief.
- Fireman: We see plenty of women in bedrooms, of course. But, as a rule they are free - I mean, uh, not tied up.
- Simon Drake: Now, won't you assume, just for the sake of argument, that maybe I'm not a homicidal maniac?
- Inspector Hollis: Where does that get us?
- Simon Drake: That's better.
- Simon Drake: I don't know what I've done to deserve a wife like you. I've lost my job. I've ended any chance of ever getting another one.
- Pat Drake: Oh, forget it, Simon. You'll get another job. Probably telling bedtime stories on the radio.
- Macgregor: So you've no story at all? Nothing we can print? What next? Use your intelligence. That would be news!
- Inspector Hollis: Why should this mysterious person want to frame you? Why should anyone want to kill you?
- Pat Drake: I can see you haven't lived with him for a couple of years!
- Macgregor: Brown's going to be murdered? Ye puir fool - as if things like that happen in this country! Get out!
- Simon Drake: I've brought you the best stuff this papers ever printed. Now I'll take it to somebody else.
- Macgregor: Well, don't quote me as a reference!