Picket Fences (1992–1996): Season 1, Episode 5 - Frank the Potato Man - full transcript
The 'Serial Bather' strikes again, leaving a plastic duck in the bathtub. Suspicion falls on Frank the Potato Man who is homeless.
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Anything missing?
Not that we could tell.
We never would've known
there had been a break-in
except for the jimmied lock
on the front door.
And this...
Four-and-a-quarter inches.
That's him.
Who?
Yours?
Oh, I--I think
that's our son Tommy's.
Panties.
Do you recognize these?
I don't know.
It's not usually this sudsy.
What the hell do you mean,
"Not this sudsy"?
And who the hell is "him"?
This has happened before.
We're dealing
with a serial bather.
Excuse me?
He breaks into people's homes
when they're out of
town and takes a bath.
This is
the sixth tub he's hit
in four months.
You got to be kidding.
How about this?
That's not ours.
(QUACKING)
You check your other tubs?
They're clean.
Yeah.
A serial bather?
We're going to
seal off this room.
We'll be back for
pictures and prints.
We'll need
the duck for evidence.
Somebody broke into our house
just to take a bath?
We'll be in touch.
(DUCK QUACKS)
We should get an analysis
of the detergent,
see if the shampoo checks out
with his profile.
This really isn't a joke?
Six break-ins, Bill.
We can't laugh this off.
I had some of
the water bottled
and sent over to Carter.
Maybe he can find
something to DNA.
Libby Matlin saw
Frank the Potato Man
walking up that street.
When?
Saturday.
He was walking up the street
with that sack of potatoes.
So what? He's always
walking with that sack.
Uh-uh!
He only goes up Rod Road
to go to the market,
then back to the woods.
Why is this child in
a sheriff's uniform?
His second-grade class
is having career week.
They're spending
time with their dads
at work.
And I'm the sheriff.
Yes.
Jimmy, maybe it is
Frank the Potato Man.
He lives in that
shack in the woods
and he doesn't
have a tub of his own.
And he's always dirty.
Look at the ring in that tub.
This person was filthy.
(MEN YELLING)
I want everybody out.
Shut up.
What the hell
is going on here?
This man is ruining my farm.
He's killing my cows.
It's the environment.
It's you!
Quiet!
My dairy production is down.
I've had 12 cows die.
And the ones that
are living are so upset
they give hardly any milk.
What has this got
to do with Greg?
His vodka still!
He can't grow grain,
so he makes hooch
and dumps the rotgut
down our water well.
That is a lie!
Hey!
(GROANS)
Damn. That little
bastard kicked me.
MAN: Easy, Paulie. Easy.
All right,
throw them in the lockup!
Move.
Let's go.
And you, no karate in
this office, you hear?
The suspect was resisting.
Now, you are not a sheriff.
You are a second grader
who is allowed to
observe in this office
through a school program.
You understand that?
Yes, sir.
All right.
Sheriff Brock.
I need to see the Sheriff.
Yes, what can I do for you?
I just found out
about the serial bather.
I've been a victim.
Hi, Mr. Oslo.
Hello. Run away.
OSLO:
Twice since we've
come back from our vacation
we found dirty
water in the tub.
I--I blamed the kids,
but now I'm told
it might be
Frank the Potato Man.
Anything else in the tub?
Well, there was some clothing
and a--a rubber frog.
If you squeezed it,
it squeaked.
Squeak how?
Never mind.
I've seen this
Potato Man, Sheriff,
and I've always
thought he was dangerous.
We don't know
that he's the man.
Well, I've watched
him standing outside
the school
staring at the children.
Does he come on
the school grounds?
Well, no, no.
He's out on the street.
Public property.
That's why we can't get a
restraining order to
make him stay away.
But there's
something not right
with the man, Sheriff.
And he's even worse
at the high school.
Ask your daughter.
He never really
does anything.
He just watches us.
Watches you how?
Like a pervert.
Does he ever come near you?
He's followed us on
the street sometimes,
but that's only
because it's the road
he uses to get
back to his shack.
He's never
approached me or anything.
Trick or treat.
It's Marcia Banks.
What in God's name is this?
I even got
the china to cling to.
No,
no, honey, absolutely not.
You are not going
out on Halloween
as Marcia Banks.
Now that's bad taste,
Matthew.
JIMMY: Bad taste.
You go upstairs and
you take that off.
I put a lot of work in here.
No. Upstairs right now.
Kimberly, take him up
and wash him up for dinner.
Come on.
JILL: He's going
to finish at the top
of his reform school.
A lot of work.
(JILL LAUGHING)
(KNOCKS)
Jimmy?
Yeah, what?
Hi.
Sorry.
We did a search
of the Tilly house.
Found this just
off the driveway.
Potato. Idaho.
Same kind that Frank buys.
Did you dust the duck?
Clean.
Nothing at the scene, either.
But the shampoo checks out.
Same papaya
base as the others.
Carter's still
analyzing the water.
And the panties
belong to the daughter,
Sandy Tilly.
And get this,
all six families
who have been hit
have teenage daughters.
And all these girls
like to take baths
instead of showers.
Well, how would
Frank the Potato Man
know that?
I don't know.
But three of
the girls have seen
Frank looking at them.
Sort of staring at them
as they get off
the school bus
or walk down the street.
I thought this man
stuck to the woods.
He's been coming
out more lately.
Well...
Can't arrest him with this.
Nice work, though.
Sorry to interrupt.
Just wanted to let you know.
See you in the morning?
Yeah.
Good night.
He's actually going
inside people's homes?
Taking baths.
I've never even
seen him off Rod Road.
I mean, he goes to the market
and back to the woods.
That's supposed to be it.
He went into
Mr. Oslo's house.
And the Tillys'.
I hit him with
that rock in August,
remember?
With the funnelator.
We got him on the shoulder.
I didn't do it.
I think he got
a good look at me.
Does he know where we live?
I don't think.
What else did you hear?
That's it.
Except he might have
some kind of sex disease.
Aren't you going
to pick him up?
For questioning at least?
What am I going to ask him?
Is this your potato?
Ask him if he's
getting into people's tubs.
If he's crazy
enough to do it,
maybe he's sick
enough to admit it.
Oh, Jill, come on.
Jimmy, we're dealing with
a serious sexual fetish here.
He's watching these girls
if he knows
they're taking baths.
Maybe he's
looking into windows.
Let's not get
too paranoid here.
Have you forgotten
that Kimberly likes to
take baths
instead of showers?
She does?
Honey,
I've dealt with these people
in medical school.
First it's voyeurism,
then it's
something more serious,
like getting
into people's tubs.
And then, it's
something really dangerous.
Paraphilia. Basically,
it's sexual arousal
with non-human objects.
And here we got
two different
stimuli at work.
Female undergarments.
Fairly classic.
But squeaky toys,
that's more complex.
You're saying
these toys turn him on?
Absolutely.
You see, there's
a subclass of paraphilia,
known as zoophilia,
which is animal arousal.
But these are
inanimate animals.
That would be a deviation.
And they all squeak,
so this could be
audio-sexual arousal.
But there's no study on that.
It's purely anecdotal.
What a bugger.
Never mind.
Just tell us,
should we worry
about this guy or what?
Be very worried.
This is
a sexual disorder here,
probably coupled with
a personality disorder.
And these things
usually get worse
before they get better.
I think he's
leaving us clues.
I think it's
a sick and lonely man
who's crying out for help.
Frank the Potato Man
would fit
the definition of lonely.
Get a warrant,
search his shack.
We got nothing
to make a warrant.
Exigent circumstances.
Tell the judge
it's an emergency.
What emergency?
He's repeatedly acting
on his paraphilic urges.
This makes him
a very severe case.
It's a short
trip to pedophilia
and sexual masochism.
Come on.
Don't "come on" me, Kenny.
Do yourself and
this town a big favor.
Forget about writing
parking tickets tomorrow
and catch this guy
before he does do harm.
Catch him!
Look at this.
They even got
a picture of the tub.
How in God's name
did they get ahold of this?
It's all over town.
People freak over this guy.
Why am I here?
You can't
convict with just this.
Can we expel him from Rome?
There's some small print
in the Constitution
that says you can't.
Wisconsin has
an anti-stalking law. I can...
You won't make that, either.
Come on,
Barnaby, we're talking about
a threat to the community.
Don't get lazy on me.
I'm not getting lazy on you.
In order to make
stalking charges
this guy has to follow people
or harass them
or threaten harm.
Then think of something
or this town will be
looking for a new DA.
Or shopping
around for a new mayor.
All right.
This is all political.
The people are scared
and you're just using Frank
to scare up some votes.
You're going to
vote for Wambaugh?
That's my business, isn't it?
But I'm not bringing charges
against the man
with nothing more to
go on than a potato!
Carter Pike just
called from the morgue.
He said it's big.
It is big.
I sent two quarts of
that dirty bathwater
in for microanalysis.
This man was
definitely into more
than just hygiene.
Meaning what?
Meaning we found
evidence of semen.
That's why some of
the water splashed
out of the tub.
You're always finding semen.
Found traces on
the girl's panties, too.
Problem is, it's too
chemically broken down.
We won't be able to
ID it genetically.
But we've got
a paraphilic sex fiend here.
No question now.
This guy's been looking
at Jimmy's daughter.
I'd arrest him. Send a unit.
For what?
We can't DNA the semen,
we have no prints.
Is there anything else?
Hemorrhoids.
What?
I found cortisone,
the kind in
hemorrhoidal jelly.
If I could give
him a rectal...
Oh, Carter.
No, it's true.
Just give me 10
minutes with the guy.
If I find a hemorrhoid,
I can prove he was
in the Tillys' tub.
I can.
I'm going to go
pick up Frank.
You meet me at
the station this afternoon.
Bring your tools.
Would you get
him out of that?
He kidnapped me!
I did not kidnap you.
I arrested you.
Get that damn goat.
All right, quiet down.
Operating a still
for the produce of
alcoholic beverages
is a violation of
subchapter 37, section 12.
And poisoning
a farm animal...
I never poisoned anything.
You look at my goat.
He's got five legs.
He's killing my cows.
I want him arrested
and brought to court.
Come on, let's go.
Dave, go on home.
Greg, get in the cell.
JIMMY: Take his picture,
get his prints,
and get a piece
of hair for DNA.
Then call Carter.
Okay. Come on.
(BELL RINGING)
This is ridiculous.
Look, Kim, I just figured
you probably
wouldn't want to talk
about this with your father.
I've said everything
there is to be said.
Frank the Potato
Man would stare at me.
That's all.
Well,
why wouldn't you report it?
Oh, Kenny,
you think I'm going to report
somebody looking at me?
I get a lot worse than that.
I'm sure...
What do you mean
you get a lot
worse than that?
Forget it, okay?
No, I won't forget it.
Tell me.
Okay, look,
I'm not a cop now.
I'm just Kenny.
Talk to me.
I've probably been hit on
by at least
three of my teachers.
I've lost count of
all the little squeezes
I've gotten from
fathers of friends
or friends of my father.
It's the same for
a lot of my girlfriends.
Sexual harassment
against teenage girls
is all over.
Well,
why doesn't it get reported?
Because it's
never obvious enough.
It's usually just
a squeeze on the arm
or a pinch on the...
Half the time I think
it's my imagination.
But it's not.
I'm talking to Kenny now.
Not a deputy sheriff.
I'm dying, Jill.
A piece of food. Anything.
I'd kill for a Twinkie.
Not a chance, Bill.
You're doing fantastic.
You lost 35 pounds
in just over a month.
Your blood pressure's high.
How could it not be?
I got a sex
pervert on the loose,
the whole town's
screaming at me
to do something.
And the District
Attorney is telling me
I can't.
Why is it
the laws in this country
seem to protect the bad guys?
Maybe it's time
to change the laws.
Or make new ones.
Well, I could dig
up Proposition 22,
put it on
the November ballot.
What's Proposition 22?
Give me your arm.
It sets a square
footage minimum
on residential dwellings.
Can't build anything under
2,000 square feet.
It would make
Frank the Potato
Man's shack illegal.
We could tear it down
and he'd have no
place in Rome to live.
Class zoning?
That's discriminatory.
But can Frank the Potato Man
afford to sue?
Oh,
don't look at me like that.
I'm not crazy
about it, either.
But our first
priority has got to be
making the streets
safe for our children.
I can get Prop
22 on the ballot,
but I'll need strong support
from parent groups.
Can I count on yours?
He's in the cell
checking for hemorrhoids?
Cavity searches
for drugs and weapons
have been upheld. So...
That's ridiculous.
Not to mention
unconstitutional.
So the evidence gets
suppressed. Big deal.
In the meantime, we find out
whether Frank
the Potato Man is the guy.
Tell him.
The Prune!
I beg your pardon?
Mr. Oslo,
the school principal,
the kid's nickname for him
is the Human Prune.
Tell him why.
Because his hands
are all wrinkled.
Maybe it's because he
takes a lot of baths.
I don't believe it.
Wait a second.
Max.
Yes. No, why would Oslo
suddenly come forward
if supposedly
he's been hit before?
Maybe because he's fishing.
Because he wants to know
how much evidence
we have on the serial bather.
Because maybe he is
the serial bather.
That's the thing
about sex allegations.
Everybody's so quick...
They call him the Prune.
No hemorrhoid.
What?
What?
Some irritation,
but that would be
consistent with a dry stool.
The man was on
a heavy potato diet,
so his feces...
JIMMY: Carter!
MAXINE: Carter!
He could have
had a hemorrhoid,
but it's gone now.
My finding is inconclusive.
Kick him.
We could hold
him on vagrancy.
No, he could be innocent.
Or maybe guilty.
He's been
staring at Kimberly.
We know that.
And I spoke to the crew
from the power company.
They've been doing night work
on Dalton Road.
They saw Frank walk by
the night
the Tilly house got hit.
Release him.
Maxine.
Put the fear of
God in him, okay?
Okay,
Frank, you're free to go.
But first I want
you to listen to me.
If you've been breaking into
people's homes, taking baths,
you better damn well stop.
Because if we
catch you, and we will,
I will personally see to it
that no leniency is extended.
I will make
certain that the entire
prison population knows
that you like to
stare at high school girls
and bathe with
their underwear.
Do you know what
the other prisoners do
to sex offenders?
If you so much as glance
at Kimberly Brock
or anyone else in this town,
we'll bust you.
That is a guarantee.
Now get out.
This is the most
ridiculous thing.
I should sue you.
We're trying to
eliminate you as a suspect.
A suspect?
I make my report as a victim
and I end up with my
head being inspected
for papaya.
Well, we don't really
think it's you, Mike.
But your hands
are kind of pruned.
Plus which, you were seen
near the Tilly house
the night they got hit.
I live near the Tilly house.
The guy's been
hitting in the area.
I am a victim!
Okay, I'm done.
I got my sample.
We'll get this
over to the lab.
Ridiculous.
Look,
while we've got him here
I could flip him over
and give him a quick rectal.
Carter...
Give me a what?
He's hit.
What?
The serial bather,
he's struck again.
The Spicer house.
This is horrible.
How could this happen?
Alligator.
Well, that's not ours.
Could you wait outside,
please?
It's horrible.
Kenny, something's off here.
What?
There's no ring
above the water line,
no evidence of splashing,
no drip marks at
all on the tub.
The water's cleaner.
He didn't get in
the tub this time.
I think this is
a copycat bath.
We had a unit
following Frank.
If it had been him...
No.
They lost him in the woods.
Could have been him.
Well, whoever it is,
he's getting bolder.
At first,
he was picking people
when they were out of town.
Now, he's hitting tubs
when they're just
out of the house.
Next he'll be breaking in
when people are home.
Yeah, okay. Thanks.
What did she say?
They ran Frank's fingerprints
through probation.
His real name
is Frank Teacher,
from Hibbing, Minnesota.
Arrested in 1976,
hung jury.
The judge declared a mistrial.
He walked.
Arrested for what?
Aggravated rape.
If you ever see that man,
even if he's
standing across the street,
you run, okay?
You run home
or you run to
the Sheriff's office.
What did he do?
JILL: Nothing.
Nothing.
There's no cause for concern.
(STAMMERING) I'm just...
I'm just being cautious.
Okay? You don't go near him.
You don't go
near any strangers.
Zachary, you do not even talk
to a stranger
even though he's
being nice to you.
Do you understand me?
What happened?
Nothing. Nothing happened.
There's no cause for
everybody to panic.
Kimberly,
if Frank the Potato Man
so much as looks at you,
you run and you tell Daddy
or any of the sheriffs, okay?
I got it.
Okay.
No Frank the Potato Man.
No strangers.
Matthew,
I want you walking Zachary
to and from school
every day from now on.
Okay.
Okay, you can go to school.
There's no need to panic.
Everything's just fine.
You got to go
back to Kimberly,
ask her for specifics...
She doesn't want
to talk about it.
I don't care.
There's a potential sex wacko
on the streets.
Not anymore. There he is.
MAXINE: Let's take him.
KENNY: Go.
Put your hands down
on the hood, Frank.
Drop the potatoes.
Now!
You got a date
with the judge, Frank.
You have the right
to remain silent.
Anything you say
can and will be
used against you.
You have
the right to an attorney.
PUGEN:
An arrest has been made
and we hope to
get a conviction.
The main thing is that
he's off the streets.
Now,
I'll be giving a statement
after the arraignment.
But we can all
breathe easier immediately.
BAILIFF: All rise.
This court is in session.
People of Wisconsin v.
Frank J. Teacher.
Eight counts of
breaking and entering.
Douglas Wambaugh appearing
for the Potato Man.
He didn't hire you.
He's indigent, Your Honor.
He'll take me.
And whether he
hires me or not,
I move for
an immediate dismissal.
No!
(ALL CHATTERING)
You people be quiet.
They got no evidence,
Your Honor.
All they have
is a stale potato
and raging bigotry
against the poor.
(ALL GROANING)
Douglas Wambaugh stands up
for the little man.
His only crime is poverty,
brought about by
the surging unemployment
of our incumbent
mayor's administration.
(CROWD GRUMBLING)
What's your case?
Your Honor,
if it were up to me,
I would not have
arrested this man.
And if it were up to me...
It isn't.
Who's the arresting officer?
I am.
While she approaches,
Your Honor,
I would like to
make a speech.
Denied.
You are not running for mayor
in my courtroom.
Now, get up here, all of you.
What's going on?
We know he's been staring
at the teenage girls.
He's been seen around
some of their houses.
Probation shows
he's been tried
for four counts
of aggravated rape.
It's an issue
of public safety.
Your Honor,
given the lynch mob
mentalities
whipping around this town,
I would suggest bail.
It seems to me
the defendant is safer
in jail than out right now.
Everybody's ass is covered?
He's the guy, Your Honor.
I know it.
$10,000 bond, 1,000 cash.
That's as high as I can go.
Held over for trial
first week in December.
Your Honor!
I said shut up!
Mr. Teacher,
can you pay a $1,000 bail?
I asked you a question, sir.
Can you make
a bail for $1,000?
No.
Take
the defendant into custody.
Next case.
First, we have a proposal
to the State Legislature,
to draft a more
sweeping anti-stalking bill.
Secondly, with
the support of Jill Brock
and other concerned parents
in this community,
I propose to
reintroduce Proposition 22
on our November ballot.
Why don't you
repeal the Constitution
while you're at it?
Get out of my face.
This man ignores
the middle and lower classes.
This is for the good
of the entire community.
Fair treatment
for the affluent.
It's not for the affluent.
I know your platform.
It is not for the affluent!
You're nothing but words.
I am not just words!
Empty words.
Air in your words.
This case is more ridiculous
than the last one.
You're talking to
me about drunk cows?
They're not just drunk.
They've got
nervous disorders.
And they twitch, and they...
Who's the officer in
charge of this one?
That would be me.
Well,
then get out to his farm
and check his cows.
I'd rather not.
Better this takes up
your time than mine.
What about the still?
If there's nothing
wrong with the cows,
I don't want to hear
anything about a still.
But, Judge...
We're adjourned.
Serial bathers. Drunk cows.
Where is he?
In the last cell.
I think he's sleeping.
Don't push me.
Wow.
Maybe he's dead.
He did it.
You pulled me out
of class for this?
Would you rather
I did it at your
house or at the station?
I don't want to
talk about it at all.
Well, you're gonna.
If men are touching you...
Nobody's touching me.
Look,
Kenny, stand right there,
I'll show you
exactly what I meant.
Sometimes you get
a hug like this,
and he pulls you
in a little tight.
Innocent
affection or is he maybe
trying to feel your
breast against his?
Or sometimes you
get a hug from behind
and the arms are wrapped
around your stomach,
but they push your
breasts up a little.
Is this man
being like an uncle
or is it sexual?
It's hard to tell.
One thing's for sure,
if I scream
sexual harassment,
I become the suspect.
It's a fact of life,
clear and simple.
You got it?
You're a smart girl, Kim.
And if a man's
hugging you like an uncle
or if it's a sex thing,
you can tell the difference.
And if you think it's sexual
and you let it go by
without saying anything
or doing anything about it,
then you're
contributing to the problem.
That's a fact, too.
It's not that simple.
The harm of somebody
possibly trying to cop a feel
is nothing
compared to the harm
caused by
a charge of molestation.
And if somebody
does you wrong,
you do something.
You stand up for yourself.
That simple.
Spoken like
either a man or a cop.
I'm not quite sure.
Kimberly...
Kenny, the line is
very blurred on this one.
That's right.
So, when somebody crosses it,
you have to point it out.
Wambaugh posted your bail.
We're going to
take you out the back
because we don't want a
big town reaction
because you're set free.
Okay.
Don't you ever speak?
You know,
I know that you
could be innocent.
It's those rape
charges in Hibbing.
I was innocent.
But society
condemned me anyway.
I came to this town
because it seemed
like a place where
I would be left alone.
I was wrong.
Aha!
My client.
Douglas Wambaugh,
champion of the underdog.
My card.
I want you in my
office next week.
In the meantime,
we'll have you cleaned up.
Showers only, no baths.
Doug.
A little Wambaugh humor.
You'll get used to me.
Officer Raines
will take you out.
Funny guy. A little quiet.
He's just
a campaign device to you,
isn't he?
The Mayor exploits him
as a symbol of crime
and you exploit him
as a symbol of poverty.
And what were you a symbol of
when you arrested him?
Don't you talk to me.
Listen here,
he's more use to me
politically in jail.
I didn't have
to post his bail.
Then why did you?
My parents were murdered
during the Holocaust.
I know bigotry when I see it.
I know oppression.
Where's my client?
Where's that
Mr. Hash Brown Potatoes?
Where's my client?
Officer Raines
took him out the back.
He's returning
him to the woods.
Come, my little associate.
Back to the office.
Salutations, Zachary.
He's not your father.
My father's dead.
He volunteered to foster me
for the program.
And you said yes?
Sometimes I'm a character.
Sometimes I'm a character.
Very good.
You'll be a good
mayor when you grow up.
Proposition 22.
How come you
didn't mention that?
I don't know.
It just came up with Bill.
I didn't give it
a whole lot of thought.
A zoning ordinance
that excludes the poor.
You didn't give
that much thought?
Come on.
In a perfect world
it's a lousy law,
but we don't live
in a perfect world.
Not anymore.
That's your answer?
You can live with that?
I can survive with that.
Right now my priority is...
Oh, come on, Jill.
Oh, you come on, Jimmy.
You know
the reason we moved to Rome
12 years ago was
because it was safe.
Because there were values
and compassion...
I still have
those same values.
I'm just scared right now.
And you're going
to let fear win?
So what?
Believe me,
if something
happens to Kimberly,
you're going to find
little consolation in
the fact that you
were politically correct.
Intellectually, I'm with you.
But statistically,
the cities are overflowing
with the homeless,
poverty's growing
in the small towns,
crime's right behind it.
So,
attack poverty, not the poor.
I'm not attacking anything.
I just want to protect
our own neighborhood.
Dad, Max called.
The serial
bather's in Oslo's house
right now.
(SIREN WAILING)
I just closed the door
and ran as soon as I saw him.
And he's still in there?
Yes.
And he's still in my tub.
I want men on both
sides of the door.
All right, what's going on?
He's still in there.
No response.
I've got tear gas.
Okay, give him
a call on that again.
Please,
get out of the bathtub now.
Put your hands up
and get out of the tub.
I don't hear him moving.
Out of the tub.
You will not be hurt.
Come out with your hands up.
This is a final warning.
We repeat,
this is a final warning.
Okay, we're going in.
No shooting now.
One, two, three.
Police, freeze! Get out, now.
He's dead.
JIMMY: It's the DA.
Oh, my God.
Is he dead?
He's dead.
Barnaby Wood is
the serial bather?
JIMMY: It appears so.
KENNY: At least we
know who it is now.
Barnaby Wood?
The question is
who killed him?
Barnaby Wood has had dinner
in this house.
Many times.
I go from being
stunned at his death
to shocked at his...
He was the serial bather.
He didn't bother Kimberly,
at least.
God, honey,
Frank the Potato Man...
I feel like such a bigot.
I condemned him
just because he
was different.
And I had him arrested.
Here I am worrying
about poverty and crime
and all
the things that can happen
to our children.
And between exposing them
to my prejudice
and inviting
potential sex offenders
over for brisket,
it's more
dangerous in this house.
Not quite.
Barnaby may
have been murdered.
And if so,
the killer is still free.
Out there.
I'll have a statement later.
I'll have a statement later.
Where the hell is Jimmy?
Out with the cows.
But he should be back soon.
Oh, God.
This is my worst nightmare.
Barnaby Wood
was one of my foot soldiers.
My campaign is sunk.
Who killed him?
Well,
Carter's preliminary finding
is heart attack.
He's still doing the autopsy.
Check this out.
We got this out
of Barnaby's desk.
What is it?
(SPLASHING ON TAPE)
He recorded his baths.
(MOANING ON TAPE)
You gotta be kidding.
(DUCK QUACKING ON TAPE)
Must be the Tilly house.
That's a duck.
Look at these.
These are the girls
whose tubs he hit.
Pictures of Sandy Tilly,
Ellen Lindquist,
Sue Lavanchy.
Why this rash of
baths now when he knew
you guys were
looking for him?
The last two
he was just
trying to clear Frank.
What?
Well,
he thought that Frank was
either in
custody or being tailed
when he hit
the Oslos and the Spicers.
He was trying
to give an alibi
to an innocent man.
You never know people.
Their private thoughts,
their fantasies...
Kimberly!
JIMMY: Pupil looks normal.
What do you know
about a cow's pupil?
Don't use that tone.
I'm not happy doing this.
Maybe you ought to check
her hoof-eye coordination.
Well, she's not drunk.
Look at her udder.
It's huge and she's
giving hardly any milk.
Because you don't
have the machine
high enough.
The machine is just fine.
It's barely milking.
She's sick.
Her bag is twice
the size it ought to be.
Well,
you ought to turn it up.
She should be giving
more milk than this.
Oh, that's really swollen.
She have twins?
Just relax,
honey, don't try to get up.
David,
why is he covered with milk?
My cow's udder exploded.
It exploded?
Just before she kicked him.
Will he live?
Well, yeah. I think
he's going to be okay.
But wait, the udder exploded?
Just blew up.
I've never seen
anything like it.
I've never seen
anything like it.
BOTH: What?
All the symptoms
of a heart attack,
but the man had no
coronary disease.
Plus which, I found
congestion of viscera,
edema of the lungs,
and petechial hemorrhages
in the conjunctiva.
What are you saying?
I'm saying
this was no
snorkeling accident.
I think somebody
threw a toaster
in that bathtub.
BOTH: What?
Come with me!
We've got no
acute thrombosis.
Carter!
Oh, God.
Rigor mortis.
I know. I tried.
He had to be dead
at least 12 hours before...
Now, these muscles show
hyaline changes.
Very difficult to distinguish
from spontaneous arrhythmia.
But with an acute coronary
there would be
pathological telltales.
Would you speak English?
This man was electrocuted.
Who?
Who would have electrocuted
the District
Attorney and why?
Maybe Frank
the Potato Man killed him,
threw Barnaby into
the tub to make it
seem like Barnaby
was the serial bather.
Let me pick up Frank.
It wasn't Frank.
It was the power company.
What happened to you?
Stray voltage.
Stray what?
Voltage.
It's a problem we're having.
The electricity
leaking into the ground
that's...
Stray voltage. Of course!
Excellent, Jimmy.
What are they talking about?
Stray voltage.
It affects probably over
10,000 dairy farms
in Wisconsin alone.
Old power lines can't handle
the electricity.
The currents leak
into the ground,
run through
the pipes under the farm.
Yeah,
that's what was shocking
David's cows
and causing milk
production to go down.
Well, that's why that
goat grew a fifth leg.
And it made
the udder explode.
And that's what
killed Barnaby Wood.
Are you saying
that electricity
runs under the ground?
It probably shot
up the pipes of the
Oslo house and fried
Barnaby in the tub.
The power
company is rectifying
the stray voltage problem.
There is no public danger.
(REPORTERS MURMURING)
If you'll quiet down,
I'll make my statement.
Barnaby Wood was in fact
the serial bather.
We are saddened by his death,
and shocked
that one of our
own public servants
could be guilty
of this crime.
But let this be a signal.
District
Attorney or not, we must
regard him as
the criminal that he was.
There can be no exceptions
in law enforcement.
Justice must never
recognize favoritism.
The truth will
always come out,
it must be
pursued at all costs.
And it was done so here.
God, he was watching me?
And he was
following me around
with his camera?
Did he ever approach you?
No.
Well, I mean, he'd say hello.
But he never did anything.
Look, Kim,
this is going to get
a lot of publicity.
And these pictures of you,
well, you being
the Sheriff's daughter,
it could get some attention.
Uh-huh.
I figured I could sort of
take them out of the files
and that way
they'd never end
up in the papers.
You know?
Keep them in the file, Kenny.
Really?
I've been thinking
about what you said.
Why should I help men hang on
to their dirty secrets?
You're sure?
This isn't my problem.
It's Barnaby Wood's.
The entire town
owes you an apology.
Most of all me.
When we get scared,
we sometimes, um,
sacrifice civil rights.
We were too quick
to sacrifice yours.
The people in this town
will never apologize to me.
The adults will
still suspect me.
Children will still
throw stones at me.
I'm Frank the Potato Man.
And I'm leaving Rome,
Wisconsin.
---
Anything missing?
Not that we could tell.
We never would've known
there had been a break-in
except for the jimmied lock
on the front door.
And this...
Four-and-a-quarter inches.
That's him.
Who?
Yours?
Oh, I--I think
that's our son Tommy's.
Panties.
Do you recognize these?
I don't know.
It's not usually this sudsy.
What the hell do you mean,
"Not this sudsy"?
And who the hell is "him"?
This has happened before.
We're dealing
with a serial bather.
Excuse me?
He breaks into people's homes
when they're out of
town and takes a bath.
This is
the sixth tub he's hit
in four months.
You got to be kidding.
How about this?
That's not ours.
(QUACKING)
You check your other tubs?
They're clean.
Yeah.
A serial bather?
We're going to
seal off this room.
We'll be back for
pictures and prints.
We'll need
the duck for evidence.
Somebody broke into our house
just to take a bath?
We'll be in touch.
(DUCK QUACKS)
We should get an analysis
of the detergent,
see if the shampoo checks out
with his profile.
This really isn't a joke?
Six break-ins, Bill.
We can't laugh this off.
I had some of
the water bottled
and sent over to Carter.
Maybe he can find
something to DNA.
Libby Matlin saw
Frank the Potato Man
walking up that street.
When?
Saturday.
He was walking up the street
with that sack of potatoes.
So what? He's always
walking with that sack.
Uh-uh!
He only goes up Rod Road
to go to the market,
then back to the woods.
Why is this child in
a sheriff's uniform?
His second-grade class
is having career week.
They're spending
time with their dads
at work.
And I'm the sheriff.
Yes.
Jimmy, maybe it is
Frank the Potato Man.
He lives in that
shack in the woods
and he doesn't
have a tub of his own.
And he's always dirty.
Look at the ring in that tub.
This person was filthy.
(MEN YELLING)
I want everybody out.
Shut up.
What the hell
is going on here?
This man is ruining my farm.
He's killing my cows.
It's the environment.
It's you!
Quiet!
My dairy production is down.
I've had 12 cows die.
And the ones that
are living are so upset
they give hardly any milk.
What has this got
to do with Greg?
His vodka still!
He can't grow grain,
so he makes hooch
and dumps the rotgut
down our water well.
That is a lie!
Hey!
(GROANS)
Damn. That little
bastard kicked me.
MAN: Easy, Paulie. Easy.
All right,
throw them in the lockup!
Move.
Let's go.
And you, no karate in
this office, you hear?
The suspect was resisting.
Now, you are not a sheriff.
You are a second grader
who is allowed to
observe in this office
through a school program.
You understand that?
Yes, sir.
All right.
Sheriff Brock.
I need to see the Sheriff.
Yes, what can I do for you?
I just found out
about the serial bather.
I've been a victim.
Hi, Mr. Oslo.
Hello. Run away.
OSLO:
Twice since we've
come back from our vacation
we found dirty
water in the tub.
I--I blamed the kids,
but now I'm told
it might be
Frank the Potato Man.
Anything else in the tub?
Well, there was some clothing
and a--a rubber frog.
If you squeezed it,
it squeaked.
Squeak how?
Never mind.
I've seen this
Potato Man, Sheriff,
and I've always
thought he was dangerous.
We don't know
that he's the man.
Well, I've watched
him standing outside
the school
staring at the children.
Does he come on
the school grounds?
Well, no, no.
He's out on the street.
Public property.
That's why we can't get a
restraining order to
make him stay away.
But there's
something not right
with the man, Sheriff.
And he's even worse
at the high school.
Ask your daughter.
He never really
does anything.
He just watches us.
Watches you how?
Like a pervert.
Does he ever come near you?
He's followed us on
the street sometimes,
but that's only
because it's the road
he uses to get
back to his shack.
He's never
approached me or anything.
Trick or treat.
It's Marcia Banks.
What in God's name is this?
I even got
the china to cling to.
No,
no, honey, absolutely not.
You are not going
out on Halloween
as Marcia Banks.
Now that's bad taste,
Matthew.
JIMMY: Bad taste.
You go upstairs and
you take that off.
I put a lot of work in here.
No. Upstairs right now.
Kimberly, take him up
and wash him up for dinner.
Come on.
JILL: He's going
to finish at the top
of his reform school.
A lot of work.
(JILL LAUGHING)
(KNOCKS)
Jimmy?
Yeah, what?
Hi.
Sorry.
We did a search
of the Tilly house.
Found this just
off the driveway.
Potato. Idaho.
Same kind that Frank buys.
Did you dust the duck?
Clean.
Nothing at the scene, either.
But the shampoo checks out.
Same papaya
base as the others.
Carter's still
analyzing the water.
And the panties
belong to the daughter,
Sandy Tilly.
And get this,
all six families
who have been hit
have teenage daughters.
And all these girls
like to take baths
instead of showers.
Well, how would
Frank the Potato Man
know that?
I don't know.
But three of
the girls have seen
Frank looking at them.
Sort of staring at them
as they get off
the school bus
or walk down the street.
I thought this man
stuck to the woods.
He's been coming
out more lately.
Well...
Can't arrest him with this.
Nice work, though.
Sorry to interrupt.
Just wanted to let you know.
See you in the morning?
Yeah.
Good night.
He's actually going
inside people's homes?
Taking baths.
I've never even
seen him off Rod Road.
I mean, he goes to the market
and back to the woods.
That's supposed to be it.
He went into
Mr. Oslo's house.
And the Tillys'.
I hit him with
that rock in August,
remember?
With the funnelator.
We got him on the shoulder.
I didn't do it.
I think he got
a good look at me.
Does he know where we live?
I don't think.
What else did you hear?
That's it.
Except he might have
some kind of sex disease.
Aren't you going
to pick him up?
For questioning at least?
What am I going to ask him?
Is this your potato?
Ask him if he's
getting into people's tubs.
If he's crazy
enough to do it,
maybe he's sick
enough to admit it.
Oh, Jill, come on.
Jimmy, we're dealing with
a serious sexual fetish here.
He's watching these girls
if he knows
they're taking baths.
Maybe he's
looking into windows.
Let's not get
too paranoid here.
Have you forgotten
that Kimberly likes to
take baths
instead of showers?
She does?
Honey,
I've dealt with these people
in medical school.
First it's voyeurism,
then it's
something more serious,
like getting
into people's tubs.
And then, it's
something really dangerous.
Paraphilia. Basically,
it's sexual arousal
with non-human objects.
And here we got
two different
stimuli at work.
Female undergarments.
Fairly classic.
But squeaky toys,
that's more complex.
You're saying
these toys turn him on?
Absolutely.
You see, there's
a subclass of paraphilia,
known as zoophilia,
which is animal arousal.
But these are
inanimate animals.
That would be a deviation.
And they all squeak,
so this could be
audio-sexual arousal.
But there's no study on that.
It's purely anecdotal.
What a bugger.
Never mind.
Just tell us,
should we worry
about this guy or what?
Be very worried.
This is
a sexual disorder here,
probably coupled with
a personality disorder.
And these things
usually get worse
before they get better.
I think he's
leaving us clues.
I think it's
a sick and lonely man
who's crying out for help.
Frank the Potato Man
would fit
the definition of lonely.
Get a warrant,
search his shack.
We got nothing
to make a warrant.
Exigent circumstances.
Tell the judge
it's an emergency.
What emergency?
He's repeatedly acting
on his paraphilic urges.
This makes him
a very severe case.
It's a short
trip to pedophilia
and sexual masochism.
Come on.
Don't "come on" me, Kenny.
Do yourself and
this town a big favor.
Forget about writing
parking tickets tomorrow
and catch this guy
before he does do harm.
Catch him!
Look at this.
They even got
a picture of the tub.
How in God's name
did they get ahold of this?
It's all over town.
People freak over this guy.
Why am I here?
You can't
convict with just this.
Can we expel him from Rome?
There's some small print
in the Constitution
that says you can't.
Wisconsin has
an anti-stalking law. I can...
You won't make that, either.
Come on,
Barnaby, we're talking about
a threat to the community.
Don't get lazy on me.
I'm not getting lazy on you.
In order to make
stalking charges
this guy has to follow people
or harass them
or threaten harm.
Then think of something
or this town will be
looking for a new DA.
Or shopping
around for a new mayor.
All right.
This is all political.
The people are scared
and you're just using Frank
to scare up some votes.
You're going to
vote for Wambaugh?
That's my business, isn't it?
But I'm not bringing charges
against the man
with nothing more to
go on than a potato!
Carter Pike just
called from the morgue.
He said it's big.
It is big.
I sent two quarts of
that dirty bathwater
in for microanalysis.
This man was
definitely into more
than just hygiene.
Meaning what?
Meaning we found
evidence of semen.
That's why some of
the water splashed
out of the tub.
You're always finding semen.
Found traces on
the girl's panties, too.
Problem is, it's too
chemically broken down.
We won't be able to
ID it genetically.
But we've got
a paraphilic sex fiend here.
No question now.
This guy's been looking
at Jimmy's daughter.
I'd arrest him. Send a unit.
For what?
We can't DNA the semen,
we have no prints.
Is there anything else?
Hemorrhoids.
What?
I found cortisone,
the kind in
hemorrhoidal jelly.
If I could give
him a rectal...
Oh, Carter.
No, it's true.
Just give me 10
minutes with the guy.
If I find a hemorrhoid,
I can prove he was
in the Tillys' tub.
I can.
I'm going to go
pick up Frank.
You meet me at
the station this afternoon.
Bring your tools.
Would you get
him out of that?
He kidnapped me!
I did not kidnap you.
I arrested you.
Get that damn goat.
All right, quiet down.
Operating a still
for the produce of
alcoholic beverages
is a violation of
subchapter 37, section 12.
And poisoning
a farm animal...
I never poisoned anything.
You look at my goat.
He's got five legs.
He's killing my cows.
I want him arrested
and brought to court.
Come on, let's go.
Dave, go on home.
Greg, get in the cell.
JIMMY: Take his picture,
get his prints,
and get a piece
of hair for DNA.
Then call Carter.
Okay. Come on.
(BELL RINGING)
This is ridiculous.
Look, Kim, I just figured
you probably
wouldn't want to talk
about this with your father.
I've said everything
there is to be said.
Frank the Potato
Man would stare at me.
That's all.
Well,
why wouldn't you report it?
Oh, Kenny,
you think I'm going to report
somebody looking at me?
I get a lot worse than that.
I'm sure...
What do you mean
you get a lot
worse than that?
Forget it, okay?
No, I won't forget it.
Tell me.
Okay, look,
I'm not a cop now.
I'm just Kenny.
Talk to me.
I've probably been hit on
by at least
three of my teachers.
I've lost count of
all the little squeezes
I've gotten from
fathers of friends
or friends of my father.
It's the same for
a lot of my girlfriends.
Sexual harassment
against teenage girls
is all over.
Well,
why doesn't it get reported?
Because it's
never obvious enough.
It's usually just
a squeeze on the arm
or a pinch on the...
Half the time I think
it's my imagination.
But it's not.
I'm talking to Kenny now.
Not a deputy sheriff.
I'm dying, Jill.
A piece of food. Anything.
I'd kill for a Twinkie.
Not a chance, Bill.
You're doing fantastic.
You lost 35 pounds
in just over a month.
Your blood pressure's high.
How could it not be?
I got a sex
pervert on the loose,
the whole town's
screaming at me
to do something.
And the District
Attorney is telling me
I can't.
Why is it
the laws in this country
seem to protect the bad guys?
Maybe it's time
to change the laws.
Or make new ones.
Well, I could dig
up Proposition 22,
put it on
the November ballot.
What's Proposition 22?
Give me your arm.
It sets a square
footage minimum
on residential dwellings.
Can't build anything under
2,000 square feet.
It would make
Frank the Potato
Man's shack illegal.
We could tear it down
and he'd have no
place in Rome to live.
Class zoning?
That's discriminatory.
But can Frank the Potato Man
afford to sue?
Oh,
don't look at me like that.
I'm not crazy
about it, either.
But our first
priority has got to be
making the streets
safe for our children.
I can get Prop
22 on the ballot,
but I'll need strong support
from parent groups.
Can I count on yours?
He's in the cell
checking for hemorrhoids?
Cavity searches
for drugs and weapons
have been upheld. So...
That's ridiculous.
Not to mention
unconstitutional.
So the evidence gets
suppressed. Big deal.
In the meantime, we find out
whether Frank
the Potato Man is the guy.
Tell him.
The Prune!
I beg your pardon?
Mr. Oslo,
the school principal,
the kid's nickname for him
is the Human Prune.
Tell him why.
Because his hands
are all wrinkled.
Maybe it's because he
takes a lot of baths.
I don't believe it.
Wait a second.
Max.
Yes. No, why would Oslo
suddenly come forward
if supposedly
he's been hit before?
Maybe because he's fishing.
Because he wants to know
how much evidence
we have on the serial bather.
Because maybe he is
the serial bather.
That's the thing
about sex allegations.
Everybody's so quick...
They call him the Prune.
No hemorrhoid.
What?
What?
Some irritation,
but that would be
consistent with a dry stool.
The man was on
a heavy potato diet,
so his feces...
JIMMY: Carter!
MAXINE: Carter!
He could have
had a hemorrhoid,
but it's gone now.
My finding is inconclusive.
Kick him.
We could hold
him on vagrancy.
No, he could be innocent.
Or maybe guilty.
He's been
staring at Kimberly.
We know that.
And I spoke to the crew
from the power company.
They've been doing night work
on Dalton Road.
They saw Frank walk by
the night
the Tilly house got hit.
Release him.
Maxine.
Put the fear of
God in him, okay?
Okay,
Frank, you're free to go.
But first I want
you to listen to me.
If you've been breaking into
people's homes, taking baths,
you better damn well stop.
Because if we
catch you, and we will,
I will personally see to it
that no leniency is extended.
I will make
certain that the entire
prison population knows
that you like to
stare at high school girls
and bathe with
their underwear.
Do you know what
the other prisoners do
to sex offenders?
If you so much as glance
at Kimberly Brock
or anyone else in this town,
we'll bust you.
That is a guarantee.
Now get out.
This is the most
ridiculous thing.
I should sue you.
We're trying to
eliminate you as a suspect.
A suspect?
I make my report as a victim
and I end up with my
head being inspected
for papaya.
Well, we don't really
think it's you, Mike.
But your hands
are kind of pruned.
Plus which, you were seen
near the Tilly house
the night they got hit.
I live near the Tilly house.
The guy's been
hitting in the area.
I am a victim!
Okay, I'm done.
I got my sample.
We'll get this
over to the lab.
Ridiculous.
Look,
while we've got him here
I could flip him over
and give him a quick rectal.
Carter...
Give me a what?
He's hit.
What?
The serial bather,
he's struck again.
The Spicer house.
This is horrible.
How could this happen?
Alligator.
Well, that's not ours.
Could you wait outside,
please?
It's horrible.
Kenny, something's off here.
What?
There's no ring
above the water line,
no evidence of splashing,
no drip marks at
all on the tub.
The water's cleaner.
He didn't get in
the tub this time.
I think this is
a copycat bath.
We had a unit
following Frank.
If it had been him...
No.
They lost him in the woods.
Could have been him.
Well, whoever it is,
he's getting bolder.
At first,
he was picking people
when they were out of town.
Now, he's hitting tubs
when they're just
out of the house.
Next he'll be breaking in
when people are home.
Yeah, okay. Thanks.
What did she say?
They ran Frank's fingerprints
through probation.
His real name
is Frank Teacher,
from Hibbing, Minnesota.
Arrested in 1976,
hung jury.
The judge declared a mistrial.
He walked.
Arrested for what?
Aggravated rape.
If you ever see that man,
even if he's
standing across the street,
you run, okay?
You run home
or you run to
the Sheriff's office.
What did he do?
JILL: Nothing.
Nothing.
There's no cause for concern.
(STAMMERING) I'm just...
I'm just being cautious.
Okay? You don't go near him.
You don't go
near any strangers.
Zachary, you do not even talk
to a stranger
even though he's
being nice to you.
Do you understand me?
What happened?
Nothing. Nothing happened.
There's no cause for
everybody to panic.
Kimberly,
if Frank the Potato Man
so much as looks at you,
you run and you tell Daddy
or any of the sheriffs, okay?
I got it.
Okay.
No Frank the Potato Man.
No strangers.
Matthew,
I want you walking Zachary
to and from school
every day from now on.
Okay.
Okay, you can go to school.
There's no need to panic.
Everything's just fine.
You got to go
back to Kimberly,
ask her for specifics...
She doesn't want
to talk about it.
I don't care.
There's a potential sex wacko
on the streets.
Not anymore. There he is.
MAXINE: Let's take him.
KENNY: Go.
Put your hands down
on the hood, Frank.
Drop the potatoes.
Now!
You got a date
with the judge, Frank.
You have the right
to remain silent.
Anything you say
can and will be
used against you.
You have
the right to an attorney.
PUGEN:
An arrest has been made
and we hope to
get a conviction.
The main thing is that
he's off the streets.
Now,
I'll be giving a statement
after the arraignment.
But we can all
breathe easier immediately.
BAILIFF: All rise.
This court is in session.
People of Wisconsin v.
Frank J. Teacher.
Eight counts of
breaking and entering.
Douglas Wambaugh appearing
for the Potato Man.
He didn't hire you.
He's indigent, Your Honor.
He'll take me.
And whether he
hires me or not,
I move for
an immediate dismissal.
No!
(ALL CHATTERING)
You people be quiet.
They got no evidence,
Your Honor.
All they have
is a stale potato
and raging bigotry
against the poor.
(ALL GROANING)
Douglas Wambaugh stands up
for the little man.
His only crime is poverty,
brought about by
the surging unemployment
of our incumbent
mayor's administration.
(CROWD GRUMBLING)
What's your case?
Your Honor,
if it were up to me,
I would not have
arrested this man.
And if it were up to me...
It isn't.
Who's the arresting officer?
I am.
While she approaches,
Your Honor,
I would like to
make a speech.
Denied.
You are not running for mayor
in my courtroom.
Now, get up here, all of you.
What's going on?
We know he's been staring
at the teenage girls.
He's been seen around
some of their houses.
Probation shows
he's been tried
for four counts
of aggravated rape.
It's an issue
of public safety.
Your Honor,
given the lynch mob
mentalities
whipping around this town,
I would suggest bail.
It seems to me
the defendant is safer
in jail than out right now.
Everybody's ass is covered?
He's the guy, Your Honor.
I know it.
$10,000 bond, 1,000 cash.
That's as high as I can go.
Held over for trial
first week in December.
Your Honor!
I said shut up!
Mr. Teacher,
can you pay a $1,000 bail?
I asked you a question, sir.
Can you make
a bail for $1,000?
No.
Take
the defendant into custody.
Next case.
First, we have a proposal
to the State Legislature,
to draft a more
sweeping anti-stalking bill.
Secondly, with
the support of Jill Brock
and other concerned parents
in this community,
I propose to
reintroduce Proposition 22
on our November ballot.
Why don't you
repeal the Constitution
while you're at it?
Get out of my face.
This man ignores
the middle and lower classes.
This is for the good
of the entire community.
Fair treatment
for the affluent.
It's not for the affluent.
I know your platform.
It is not for the affluent!
You're nothing but words.
I am not just words!
Empty words.
Air in your words.
This case is more ridiculous
than the last one.
You're talking to
me about drunk cows?
They're not just drunk.
They've got
nervous disorders.
And they twitch, and they...
Who's the officer in
charge of this one?
That would be me.
Well,
then get out to his farm
and check his cows.
I'd rather not.
Better this takes up
your time than mine.
What about the still?
If there's nothing
wrong with the cows,
I don't want to hear
anything about a still.
But, Judge...
We're adjourned.
Serial bathers. Drunk cows.
Where is he?
In the last cell.
I think he's sleeping.
Don't push me.
Wow.
Maybe he's dead.
He did it.
You pulled me out
of class for this?
Would you rather
I did it at your
house or at the station?
I don't want to
talk about it at all.
Well, you're gonna.
If men are touching you...
Nobody's touching me.
Look,
Kenny, stand right there,
I'll show you
exactly what I meant.
Sometimes you get
a hug like this,
and he pulls you
in a little tight.
Innocent
affection or is he maybe
trying to feel your
breast against his?
Or sometimes you
get a hug from behind
and the arms are wrapped
around your stomach,
but they push your
breasts up a little.
Is this man
being like an uncle
or is it sexual?
It's hard to tell.
One thing's for sure,
if I scream
sexual harassment,
I become the suspect.
It's a fact of life,
clear and simple.
You got it?
You're a smart girl, Kim.
And if a man's
hugging you like an uncle
or if it's a sex thing,
you can tell the difference.
And if you think it's sexual
and you let it go by
without saying anything
or doing anything about it,
then you're
contributing to the problem.
That's a fact, too.
It's not that simple.
The harm of somebody
possibly trying to cop a feel
is nothing
compared to the harm
caused by
a charge of molestation.
And if somebody
does you wrong,
you do something.
You stand up for yourself.
That simple.
Spoken like
either a man or a cop.
I'm not quite sure.
Kimberly...
Kenny, the line is
very blurred on this one.
That's right.
So, when somebody crosses it,
you have to point it out.
Wambaugh posted your bail.
We're going to
take you out the back
because we don't want a
big town reaction
because you're set free.
Okay.
Don't you ever speak?
You know,
I know that you
could be innocent.
It's those rape
charges in Hibbing.
I was innocent.
But society
condemned me anyway.
I came to this town
because it seemed
like a place where
I would be left alone.
I was wrong.
Aha!
My client.
Douglas Wambaugh,
champion of the underdog.
My card.
I want you in my
office next week.
In the meantime,
we'll have you cleaned up.
Showers only, no baths.
Doug.
A little Wambaugh humor.
You'll get used to me.
Officer Raines
will take you out.
Funny guy. A little quiet.
He's just
a campaign device to you,
isn't he?
The Mayor exploits him
as a symbol of crime
and you exploit him
as a symbol of poverty.
And what were you a symbol of
when you arrested him?
Don't you talk to me.
Listen here,
he's more use to me
politically in jail.
I didn't have
to post his bail.
Then why did you?
My parents were murdered
during the Holocaust.
I know bigotry when I see it.
I know oppression.
Where's my client?
Where's that
Mr. Hash Brown Potatoes?
Where's my client?
Officer Raines
took him out the back.
He's returning
him to the woods.
Come, my little associate.
Back to the office.
Salutations, Zachary.
He's not your father.
My father's dead.
He volunteered to foster me
for the program.
And you said yes?
Sometimes I'm a character.
Sometimes I'm a character.
Very good.
You'll be a good
mayor when you grow up.
Proposition 22.
How come you
didn't mention that?
I don't know.
It just came up with Bill.
I didn't give it
a whole lot of thought.
A zoning ordinance
that excludes the poor.
You didn't give
that much thought?
Come on.
In a perfect world
it's a lousy law,
but we don't live
in a perfect world.
Not anymore.
That's your answer?
You can live with that?
I can survive with that.
Right now my priority is...
Oh, come on, Jill.
Oh, you come on, Jimmy.
You know
the reason we moved to Rome
12 years ago was
because it was safe.
Because there were values
and compassion...
I still have
those same values.
I'm just scared right now.
And you're going
to let fear win?
So what?
Believe me,
if something
happens to Kimberly,
you're going to find
little consolation in
the fact that you
were politically correct.
Intellectually, I'm with you.
But statistically,
the cities are overflowing
with the homeless,
poverty's growing
in the small towns,
crime's right behind it.
So,
attack poverty, not the poor.
I'm not attacking anything.
I just want to protect
our own neighborhood.
Dad, Max called.
The serial
bather's in Oslo's house
right now.
(SIREN WAILING)
I just closed the door
and ran as soon as I saw him.
And he's still in there?
Yes.
And he's still in my tub.
I want men on both
sides of the door.
All right, what's going on?
He's still in there.
No response.
I've got tear gas.
Okay, give him
a call on that again.
Please,
get out of the bathtub now.
Put your hands up
and get out of the tub.
I don't hear him moving.
Out of the tub.
You will not be hurt.
Come out with your hands up.
This is a final warning.
We repeat,
this is a final warning.
Okay, we're going in.
No shooting now.
One, two, three.
Police, freeze! Get out, now.
He's dead.
JIMMY: It's the DA.
Oh, my God.
Is he dead?
He's dead.
Barnaby Wood is
the serial bather?
JIMMY: It appears so.
KENNY: At least we
know who it is now.
Barnaby Wood?
The question is
who killed him?
Barnaby Wood has had dinner
in this house.
Many times.
I go from being
stunned at his death
to shocked at his...
He was the serial bather.
He didn't bother Kimberly,
at least.
God, honey,
Frank the Potato Man...
I feel like such a bigot.
I condemned him
just because he
was different.
And I had him arrested.
Here I am worrying
about poverty and crime
and all
the things that can happen
to our children.
And between exposing them
to my prejudice
and inviting
potential sex offenders
over for brisket,
it's more
dangerous in this house.
Not quite.
Barnaby may
have been murdered.
And if so,
the killer is still free.
Out there.
I'll have a statement later.
I'll have a statement later.
Where the hell is Jimmy?
Out with the cows.
But he should be back soon.
Oh, God.
This is my worst nightmare.
Barnaby Wood
was one of my foot soldiers.
My campaign is sunk.
Who killed him?
Well,
Carter's preliminary finding
is heart attack.
He's still doing the autopsy.
Check this out.
We got this out
of Barnaby's desk.
What is it?
(SPLASHING ON TAPE)
He recorded his baths.
(MOANING ON TAPE)
You gotta be kidding.
(DUCK QUACKING ON TAPE)
Must be the Tilly house.
That's a duck.
Look at these.
These are the girls
whose tubs he hit.
Pictures of Sandy Tilly,
Ellen Lindquist,
Sue Lavanchy.
Why this rash of
baths now when he knew
you guys were
looking for him?
The last two
he was just
trying to clear Frank.
What?
Well,
he thought that Frank was
either in
custody or being tailed
when he hit
the Oslos and the Spicers.
He was trying
to give an alibi
to an innocent man.
You never know people.
Their private thoughts,
their fantasies...
Kimberly!
JIMMY: Pupil looks normal.
What do you know
about a cow's pupil?
Don't use that tone.
I'm not happy doing this.
Maybe you ought to check
her hoof-eye coordination.
Well, she's not drunk.
Look at her udder.
It's huge and she's
giving hardly any milk.
Because you don't
have the machine
high enough.
The machine is just fine.
It's barely milking.
She's sick.
Her bag is twice
the size it ought to be.
Well,
you ought to turn it up.
She should be giving
more milk than this.
Oh, that's really swollen.
She have twins?
Just relax,
honey, don't try to get up.
David,
why is he covered with milk?
My cow's udder exploded.
It exploded?
Just before she kicked him.
Will he live?
Well, yeah. I think
he's going to be okay.
But wait, the udder exploded?
Just blew up.
I've never seen
anything like it.
I've never seen
anything like it.
BOTH: What?
All the symptoms
of a heart attack,
but the man had no
coronary disease.
Plus which, I found
congestion of viscera,
edema of the lungs,
and petechial hemorrhages
in the conjunctiva.
What are you saying?
I'm saying
this was no
snorkeling accident.
I think somebody
threw a toaster
in that bathtub.
BOTH: What?
Come with me!
We've got no
acute thrombosis.
Carter!
Oh, God.
Rigor mortis.
I know. I tried.
He had to be dead
at least 12 hours before...
Now, these muscles show
hyaline changes.
Very difficult to distinguish
from spontaneous arrhythmia.
But with an acute coronary
there would be
pathological telltales.
Would you speak English?
This man was electrocuted.
Who?
Who would have electrocuted
the District
Attorney and why?
Maybe Frank
the Potato Man killed him,
threw Barnaby into
the tub to make it
seem like Barnaby
was the serial bather.
Let me pick up Frank.
It wasn't Frank.
It was the power company.
What happened to you?
Stray voltage.
Stray what?
Voltage.
It's a problem we're having.
The electricity
leaking into the ground
that's...
Stray voltage. Of course!
Excellent, Jimmy.
What are they talking about?
Stray voltage.
It affects probably over
10,000 dairy farms
in Wisconsin alone.
Old power lines can't handle
the electricity.
The currents leak
into the ground,
run through
the pipes under the farm.
Yeah,
that's what was shocking
David's cows
and causing milk
production to go down.
Well, that's why that
goat grew a fifth leg.
And it made
the udder explode.
And that's what
killed Barnaby Wood.
Are you saying
that electricity
runs under the ground?
It probably shot
up the pipes of the
Oslo house and fried
Barnaby in the tub.
The power
company is rectifying
the stray voltage problem.
There is no public danger.
(REPORTERS MURMURING)
If you'll quiet down,
I'll make my statement.
Barnaby Wood was in fact
the serial bather.
We are saddened by his death,
and shocked
that one of our
own public servants
could be guilty
of this crime.
But let this be a signal.
District
Attorney or not, we must
regard him as
the criminal that he was.
There can be no exceptions
in law enforcement.
Justice must never
recognize favoritism.
The truth will
always come out,
it must be
pursued at all costs.
And it was done so here.
God, he was watching me?
And he was
following me around
with his camera?
Did he ever approach you?
No.
Well, I mean, he'd say hello.
But he never did anything.
Look, Kim,
this is going to get
a lot of publicity.
And these pictures of you,
well, you being
the Sheriff's daughter,
it could get some attention.
Uh-huh.
I figured I could sort of
take them out of the files
and that way
they'd never end
up in the papers.
You know?
Keep them in the file, Kenny.
Really?
I've been thinking
about what you said.
Why should I help men hang on
to their dirty secrets?
You're sure?
This isn't my problem.
It's Barnaby Wood's.
The entire town
owes you an apology.
Most of all me.
When we get scared,
we sometimes, um,
sacrifice civil rights.
We were too quick
to sacrifice yours.
The people in this town
will never apologize to me.
The adults will
still suspect me.
Children will still
throw stones at me.
I'm Frank the Potato Man.
And I'm leaving Rome,
Wisconsin.