Daring & Grace: Teen Detectives (2000–…): Season 1, Episode 8 - The Case of the Cunning Cadaver - full transcript

(MultiCom Jingle)

(organ music)

- And it's time for your
last goodbye, Missus Mullens.

(gasps)

- Where's my Harry?

(dramatic music)

(gunshot)

- Dad?
- But you're dead.

- Hardly.

Someone tried to kill me.

- Hey, I'm Dick Daring.



- Tracy Grace.

- I want you and Tracy
to take over my agency

and run Daring Investigators.

(dramatic music)

(screams)

(beeping)

- Your dad can't be serious.
- Looks like you've got to

guess the key to my heart.
- That's easy.

Basketball.

(beeping)

- You know, you could
jump in here any time.

(beeping)

- True love.
- Ooh, I'm getting goosebumps.

(beeping)



- So much for self awareness.

Wait, I think I've got it.

Access to Dick's heart,
currently denied.

(beeping)

- Thanks a lot, Dad.
- Glad I found out early.

- [Dad] Harry Mullen's
body is missing.

Mister Mullens was to buried
when it was discovered

that his coffin
contained no corpse.

His widow has retained
us to find her deceased

husband's body so he can
have a proper burial.

- You've got to be kidding.
- Sounds morbid.

- Sounds like police work.

- This is not your usual case.

You might have to dig
deeper on this one.

- Like six feet.
- Good luck.

- What is this world coming to?

Stealing a dead body,
what would possess someone

to do such a thing?
- Sir, if I may,

I have a theory.
- I'm open to anything.

- Well, you may recall
those Frankenstein movies.

- Yeah.
- That monster was

made of a human corpse
brought to life by--

- I know the story, so?

- So, maybe for some weird
scientific experiment,

they stole Mullen's body.

- Makes sense, they
already stole your brain.

Bullock, I don't want
people in this community

believing Rockwater's
an unsafe place to die.

This is a grave matter.

- Grave matter?

That's very funny, sir.

Grave matter.
- Keep all units mobilized.

I want to be the first
one to know if anything

breaks on the case, don't
leave any stone unturned.

- You mean headstone,
don't you, sir?

- Coach made me run an
extra 30 laps for missing

practice last week.

- Well, leading a double
life has its consequences.

- Yeah, well, if I miss
anymore, I'm off the team.

- Oh, is there life
after basketball?

- No.

So, what do you got?

- Harry Mullens was a kind
old man with no bad ties.

I mean, in 60 years, he has
one write up in the newspaper,

and it was for baking
pies for a charity bazaar.

- So, who'd want
his corpse, anyway?

Maybe it's a devil's cult.

- Explain.

- Well, they snatch
up a body and

offer it as a sacrifice
to their gods.

- Right, except he's
already dead, so where's

the sacrifice part?

- Well, they put him on
a stone altar, you know,

dance around it a bit, and
raise dead spirits and stuff.

(laughter)

- Forget it, Dick.

Katia is not going to show up.

- Who's looking?

- Look, your dad says
she's out of bounds until

he knows for sure that
she's just a sales girl.

- Don't worry, I'm past it.

- Right.

- Oh.

- It's so nice when you
decide to come home for lunch.

- I'm cutting down on junk food.

- Finally, we're
making progress.

- Instead of hamburgers
five days a week,

it's only four now.

- I guess everyone at
school's heard about

the missing corpse.

- Oh, that.

- I'm sure it can't
be easy for you.

With your dad's passing.

You want to talk about it?

- Not really.

- We all keep
things deep inside.

That if they came out, would
make us feel a lot better.

Death is very much
a part of life.

People need to talk about it.

- I don't have anything to say.

- Denial is perfectly natural.

Sooner or later, you're
going to have to open up

to someone, let it be me.

- All right.

I have a question.
- Go ahead, I'm listening.

- If there's life after
death, then why aren't people

buried with their credit cards?

(barking)

(phone ringing)

- Bullock.

Yes, he is.

I'll go get him.

Lieutenant Murphy.
- Do you have to shout

my name to the world?
- A call, sir.

- Murphy.

Try to keep this under
wraps for a while.

- Sir?

- Another corpse
has gone missing.

(dramatic sting)

- Reading the obituaries
gives me the creeps.

- All we're doing is
confirming that each published

death has a body attached.
- Fun evening

of entertainment.

So, what do we do when we
find an obit that doesn't

have a body?
- Well, then we know

where to ask our questions.
- I still can't figure out why

someone would want
to steal a corpse.

- Maybe some medical
students ran out of cadavers

for their lab work.
- That's a sick thought.

- Well you gotta think
sick when you're dealing

with stuff like this.

I mean, the whole
thing's unnatural.

- Maybe even supernatural.

Like in that movie, where
the aliens take over

the bodies of dead people.

- And roam the Earth as zombies.

Or maybe it's the
devil, himself.

Who takes over a body to
bring about the destruction

of mankind.

- Or the undead,
buried for centuries,

escaped from hell,
picking up corpses,

and roaming the Earth,
preying on all of us.

(banging, dramatic music)

- Janitor.
- Yeah.

Or the undead.

(laughter)

- We should go start
calling grieving families.

- OK.
- There's a payphone

over there.
(dramatic sting)

- Maybe we should use the
payphone down the street.

- That's probably a good idea.

- And bless you, too.

Goodbye.

Why are people so
nice after funerals?

Seven down, three to go.

A man with infinite love was he,

who was as great
as great can be.

He cared for all, though
five feet tall, now he

rests for eternity.

I could write that.

For condolences,
call this number.

(phone dialing)

Hello.

I'm calling to express
my sincerest regrets

at the passing of your
beloved Benjamin O'Connor.

Though I never knew Mister
O'Connor personally,

I was so moved by your
touching tribute to his all

too brief life.
- I'm still alive,

you imbecile.
- What?

- I'm O'Connor and
I ain't dead yet.

- Yes, sir, Mister
Mayor, I understand the

embarrassment this
case has caused.

Yes, sir, one more missing
corpse would be another

nail in the coffin.

No, sir, I didn't
mean it that way.

Goodbye.

Bullock.
- Sir.

- Tell me where we stand now.
- We have men watching every

cemetery and funeral
home in the city.

- What about cold
storage facilities?

Maybe they're hiding
the bodies there.

- Already checked those.

- You're telling
me we're stumped?

- Yes, sir.

- When a policeman feels
stumped, he just falls back

on standard procedure.
- Yes, sir.

Sir, what is standard
procedure for when it comes

to finding corpses?

(phone ringing)

Bullock.

Sir.

Dick Daring's on the line.

- Ridley.

- So, we figured whoever
wrote that phony obit

might have taken the whole
thing a step further,

and put up a fake headstone
with O'Connor's name on it.

- His only living
relative is in Ireland,

so who's gonna check?
- And that's when

you called us.

Missus Mullens, now you
understand that we've found

a corpse in the grave
of a man named O'Connor,

but since Mister
O'Connor's very much alive,

we'd like your help in
identifying the body.

- Harry.

(jazzy music)

- Hi.

- Hi.

- Oh, thanks.

I could really use a coffee.

Two cream, one sugar.

Just the way I like it.

How'd you know?

- That's the way I like it.

- Well, thanks for
calling me back.

I was beginning to wonder
if I'd done something wrong?

- No, I was just tied up.

So, have you registered
for classes yet?

- Well, I'm still
checking other schools.

When you move to a new place,

you got to be sure about things.

- So, what brings
you to Rockwater?

- I like the name.

- So, what, you just
packed up and came?

- Yeah.

- So, you're trying
to be mysterious?

- Everyone's entitled
to their secrets.

What's yours?

- Excuse me?

- I've told you
something about myself.

Now it's your turn.

- So, we're suddenly
playing Truth or Dare now?

- Sort of.

- OK.

But only if you do the same.
- Deal.

- I stole a water gun from a
grocery store when I was 12.

Your turn.

- OK.

I stole a semi automatic from
a gun shop when I was 14.

(ominous music)

(creaking)

(clock ticking)

- No, don't (drowned
out by music).

- You're still here?
- Yeah.

Two missing bodies and
still no reason why.

I'm just checking out the
last of the obituaries.

Where were you tonight?
- I got tied up.

- Not with basketball, you
don't practice on Wednesdays.

- You suddenly my
personal secretary?

- Whoa, what's up?
- Before you get angry,

just let me explain why.
- Why what?

Dick, you didn't.
- I had to.

Katia could be our only lead.

- You know, I thought we
were supposed to be partners.

Partners usually consult
one another before they

go off and do something stupid.

- I just thought that
if I pushed the point,

you'd dump on me, and
we'd be no further ahead

then we were before.

- So, what'd she say?

Is she a spy or
just an overachiever

in the looks department?

- I don't know, I
have to find out.

(phone ringing)

Daring Investigators.
- It's O'Connor.

I had to tell someone.
- What, Mister O'Connor?

- Death came to my friend,
but she sent it away.

- So, I was lying quietly in
my room, when death came to me.

- She's still a
beauty, ain't she?

- Suddenly, death
was right before me.

I was frightened.

But she told me
it wasn't my time.

- She?
- She came to me, too.

- [Tracy] Both of you?

- She wanted to see
if I was all right.

Asked if I had any family.

- Cheryl Dean's all
alone in Rockwater.

Her only relative
is in Australia.

- She asked if I was
being well cared for.

She was so kind.

(phone ringing)

Then she asked about my
life insurance policy.

- So, whoever's behind
all this gains nothing

by stealing their corpses,
it makes no sense.

- Maybe Daring's dug
something else up.

- What did you say?
- Nothing.

- Have you suddenly
gone soft in the head?

The kid's a rank amateur.

So he gets lucky.

- We could use some luck.
- Luck doesn't solve cases,

just hard slugging work.

How many times have
I told you that?

- I just thought
if we cooperate.

- We don't cooperate with
Daring, he cooperates with us.

So, here's my plan.

Put a tail on the kids and
report their every move to me.

- Sir, if I may.

How is that different
from what I proposed?

- I gave the order,
that's the difference.

- I don't know, Missus Fenwick
seemed pretty out of it.

- But O'Connor said this
Lady Death visited him, too.

What if there really is
someone parading around

as the Grim Reaper?

Tricking old people out of
revealing private information?

- For what?

Some sort of scam?

- Exactly.

Missus Fenwick said
Lady Death asked for her

life insurance and
said she'd come back

for her policy number.

And this time, waiting for
her is not Missus Fenwick.

But you.

- Why me?

- Because you're a woman and
Missus Fenwick's a woman.

You put two and
two together and--

- And you get totally
politically incorrect.

This is undercover work, Dick.

Genders get crossed
here all the time.

- Wait a minute, you're
not actually suggesting

that I dress up as Grandma?

- And wait for Little
Red Riding Hood.

- No way, not now, not ever.

Grandma's in position, over.
- Roger that, bro.

When Lady Death comes, I've
got a great shot of her.

- Tracy, you OK?

- Standing by, Grandma.

Let's just hope she comes
before someone needs

an extra nurse.

- Sir, just received
word Dick and Tracy are

at the Rock Water
Pines nursing home.

- Then they must know
something we don't.

I'm on my way.

- Still all clear.

(tense music)

- [Woman] Nurse?

Nurse?

Nurse?

- It's me, Death.

- We've got company.

- Don't be afraid, I
told you I'd be back.

(exciting music)

- Come on.

- What are you doing?

(screaming)

- This is better than a movie.

(screaming)

- Whoa, slow down!

(screaming)

- She's getting away.

(screaming)

- Would someone like
to explain all this?

- It's a long story.

- It better be.

- So, Lady Death was
really Margaret Summers,

a con artist with
several past convictions?

- She and her two male
accomplices scammed over

$300,000 from insurance
companies by faking deaths.

Missus Fenwick was going to
be their last fake death.

- Can I try?
- Sure, but

keep your weight
on your front foot.

- So, I'll see y'all later.

- So, big date with Katia, huh?

- It's not a date.

- This is a really bad idea.

- I need to know what she knows.

May be our only chance to
find out who Chin Man is.

Just trust me on this one, OK?

- Well, I think I'm going
to go out to a movie

with some friends.
- I'm available.

(laughter)

It's Dad.

(beeping)

- Hi, guys.

Where's Dick?

- He's out.

- Listen, great job on
the missing corpse case.

I read about it online.

- Kicked Murphy's butt.

- Well, don't underestimate him.

So, my sources have been
running down the faces

and the footage you sent
me of the antique store.

- Any surprises?

- So far, none of them
match any of Chin Man's

known contacts, but
we have one lead.

- Who?
- Her.

- Katia?
- We just can't tell

if the woman in this
photograph is one and the same

with the sales girl in London.

- And if she is?

- Then you're in serious danger.

(ominous music)

(MultiCom Jingle)