- Howard Biggers: Well, he hasn't treated you much better. How about that phony seven-year contract, and that picture-part you had to turn down last month?
- Laura Lockridge: Emmy, is that true?
- Emmy Reinhart: It was a dreadful part, with no lines. Some deaf and dumb farm girl who gets forcibly compromised. Well, they gave it to Jane Wyman. I didn't want to play it anyway.
- Lt. Carr: Seems like we're to dealing with some sort of lunatic!
- Inspector Richard Queen: [looking at Ellery] Oh, I'm used to that.
- Johnny Lockridge: How come nobody ever gets snatched in your books?
- Ellery Queen: You've read them?
- Johnny Lockridge: One or two. They're not so hot.
- Ellery Queen: How do you do?
- Mrs. Letitia Allingham: I do exceedingly well, much to my son-in-law's relief, Mr. Queen.
- Ellery Queen: You make a terrific Dormouse, Mrs. Lockridge.
- Laura Lockridge: Thank you. I don't make a bad doormat, either, Mr. Queen.
- Ellery Queen: Well, there it is. You've just found out something that I've known since late yesterday: that Spencer Lockridge is dead and that one of the people in the library killed him. But how, and why, and and when - and I guess, more to the point, who? Now the key to the solution involves a clock that wasn't there - or if it was, why didn't I see its reflection in the mirror? You got the answer? Let's find out.
- Lt. Carr: I think Mr. Lockridge is behind his own disappearance. You know these theater types, crackpots the lot of them.
- Emmy Reinhart: I beg your pardon!
- Emmy Reinhart: Where are you going?
- Ellery Queen: Outside to look around.
- Emmy Reinhart: I can see you're going outside to look around. Wear your rubbers!