Hunter (1984–1991): Season 4, Episode 5 - Night on Bald Mountain - full transcript

They say they can't
come up here to help us.

They can't get up
here on the roads.

There's a snow storm coming.

You're welcome to stay the
night, if it comes to that.

These people make
the Addams Family

look like Ozzie and Harriet in
that one of them's a murderer.

So in other words, this
means we're all suspects.

Well, you didn't like George
much more than you like me.

I thought you
said they were going

to get a snow plow up here.

I lied to you.



Although it's not possible
for us to fulfill our contract

with you by November 10th,
due to the recent problems,

we will make every effort
to do so as long as you make

every effort to
fulfill your promise,

which was made to us during
our first days in negotiation.

I'm sure you understand the
situation and the problems that

have arisen financially
because of not fulfilling

your end of the agreement.

Who is it?

Who is that?

Who is it?

Secretary phoned it in.

Said she didn't hear anything.

Nobody's been in or out.



He's been dead about an hour.

Looks like the shot to the
heart was the only one,

small caliber.

Looks like he grabbed that
picture just as he died.

Maybe he's trying to
tell us the killer's

the guy in the picture.

Whoever killed him used
the private elevator.

And the only people who
have keys to that elevator

are George Edleton
brothers and sisters.

Edleton Enterprises
is definitely

a family corporation.

So you didn't get
to talk to any of 'em?

Well, we located the
sister, Silvia Brand.

She and her husband are up
at the Edleton Family home

on Bald Mountain.

And one of the brothers
is up there with 'em.

So you have no idea who
killed George Edleton.

Well, we checked out this
picture he was holding.

Turns out to be a photograph
of his father, Dwight Edleton.

The guy's been dead
for over 10 months.

Wait a minute, Dwight Edleton?

That rings a bell.

Yeah, well, it should.

He's still on our books
as an unsolved homicide.

And Captain, this
is really weird.

He was killed in the same
way, in the same office,

as his son George.

Who was on that case?

Marty Sussman.

But he's still on vacation.

Honey, that's a shame.

Looks like you and Hunter are
stuck with this one, then.

You know, that's what
Hunter said you'd say.

So we need your OK, so we can
drive on up to Bald Mountain.

Hunter thinks two
of the brothers

are probably on their
way up there right now.

What's it gonna cost?

The cheapest room in the
hotel in the area is $110.

Ouch.

Each.

Go.

And take some warm clothes.

It's cold up there.

How about this house?

Makes you feel
welcome, doesn't it?

Let's hurry up.
It's freezing out here.

You didn't happen to bring a
St. Bernard with you, did you?

- Are you the police?
- Yes, I am.

Sergeant Hunter, Metro PD.

Sergeant McCall.

I'm Sylvia Brand.

We spoke on the phone.

Won't you come in?

Yeah.

I got in touch with David
just after you telephoned.

He drove straight up.

Got hold of John a bit later.

He should be here soon.

Clara, would you get our
guests some tea, please?

Sergeant Hunter,
Sergeant McCall, these

are my brothers,
David and Michael.

Won't you sit down?

So do any of you know why anyone

would wanna kill your brother?

No, George didn't have
an enemy in the world.

He was a little pompous, but not

enough to be murdered for it.

Don't start that crap, Michael.

He was dull too.

Dull, dull, dull!

But people don't get killed
for that either, do they?

This isn't the time
to be funny, Michael.

Just cool it!

I was being quite
serious, David.

I never understood
the heat of passion,

but I certainly can understand
being bored to death.

Yeah, someone kills your
brother, and all you can do

is make jokes.

One of these days, someone's
gonna tear off that twerp head

of yours and shove it up your...

David!

My brother gives the impression

of being a belligerent drunk,
until you see him sober.

Stop it, both of you.

I apologize for my brothers.

We're all very upset.

Hello, I'm Carl Brand.

Sergeant Hunter,
Sergeant McCall.

Sorry to keep you waiting.

That's all right.

Carl is my husband.

These are the officers
who telephoned before.

They've been asking
us some questions.

I see.

Well, perhaps I can
be of some help.

Do each of you own
Edleton Industries equally?

Yes, but George ran the
company after Father died.

I see.

Do you think that your brother's
death and your father's death

was related?

Well, we've thought
about it, of course,

but we just don't know.

That's why we're
here to discuss it.

I'll need to know
where each of you

were between the hours of
10:00 and 11:30 this morning.

So in other words, this
means we're all suspects.

Yes.

You see, whoever
killed your brother

had a key to the elevator.

I understand each
of you has a key.

I think I should tell
you that I'm an attorney.

Well, not a real one.

You know, not like Perry Mason.

Carl's a tax lawyer.

You don't have to be a
criminal defense lawyer

to know that you don't
have to say word one

if you don't care to.

Where do you get off coming
up here and accusing us, anyway?

You see, I get off by
being a police officer.

Second of all, I'm not
accusing anybody yet.

You all have the right
to remain silent.

We just came up here
hoping that maybe

you'd like to help us out.

Huh.

I for one would hate to
waste a perfectly good alibi.

I was here with Carl and Silvie.

I've been here for
three weeks, hiding

out from a woman who turned
out to have a mind of her own.

I was at home, so I
don't have an alibi, Ace.

But I didn't kill anybody.

That's not very good, David.

My money's on you for the job.

I mean, you didn't like George
much better than you like me.

Keep it up, twit!

Well, looky here, some
more family members.

Hello, Johnny!

Still zapping those death rays?

Go ahead, make jokes
while you can, brother dear.

Just remember, it's your
children who will suffer if we

don't do something about it.

I don't have any children,
at least none that I know of.

This is my brother John,
conservator of the ozone layer.

Hi.

Sergeant hunter.

How are you?

Sergeant McCall.

Hello.

This is Elaine Farmer.

And my family here is Sylvia,
Carl, Michael, and David.

I hope Elaine won't feel
too out of place, John.

This is a family meeting.

Elaine is my fiancee.

I don't think she'll
feel out of place at all.

Your sister's right, John.

I could stay at the hotel.

No, no.

You're going to stay right here.

I assume you have
some questions for me?

Oh, I have questions
for everybody.

Good.

I'll start off by asking
you the same question

I asked these folks.

Where were you this
morning between the hours

of 10:00 and 11:30?

I was on the road.

I gave a lecture in
Santa Barbara last night.

Lecture on what?

Uh-oh.

Now, you've done it.

I'm head of the Edleton
Environmental Foundation.

We study the effects
of hydrocarbons

on the ozone layer.

That is the portion
of the atmosphere

that protects us from the
harmful rays of the sun.

Are you two prepared to
stay here the entire evening?

Excuse me.

That's my private phone.

Forget nuclear war.

It's hairspray that's gonna be
the end of life as we know it.

Do you know why anybody
would wanna kill your brother?

No.

No, but I am very busy
with the foundation.

You know, I really didn't
see that much of George.

Do you want me to serve
dinner now, Mrs. Brand?

Is that all?

Oh, I think that'll
be it for now.

We're staying down
at the village,

and perhaps we could
continue to talk tomorrow.

- Then you'll excuse us.
- Certainly.

Yes, Clara you may serve.

Set an extra place for...

Elaine.

Elaine.

Another fun-filled family
dinner at the rue morgue.

Turn the heat on.

Oh, no.

Slide over.

Great!

Hit the starter!

Hit it again!

Great.

Now what?

Well, we better get a mechanic.

All right, let's
go inside and do it.

I'm gonna die if
I stay out here.

Could we use your telephone?

We have car trouble.

Certainly.

Right this way.

Thank you.

You do the honors, huh?

Uh, you have a phone book?

Of course.

Here you are.

Thank you.

Thank you.

You're welcome.

Is something wrong?

Well, we aquired
some car problems

and we're trying
to get a mechanic.

There's a filling station
at the end of the road,

but I really don't
know if they'll

come out this time of night.

I'm up at Edleton house
and my car won't start.

Well, yeah, that's right.

Well, we're Los Angeles
police officers.

We don't have...

OK.

Thank... yeah, I understand.

Thank you.

They say they can't
come up here to help us.

There's a snow storm coming.

So come into dinner.

And you're welcome to stay the
night, if it comes to that.

Oh, no, thank you.

We're gonna try to work
the phones some more.

Thanks anyway.

You work on the phone.

I'm gonna eat.

What a partner.

OK, let's see here now.

Are you really a cop?

Yes, I am.

Do you like it?

Yes.

Thank you.

Do you like what you do?

Oh, absolutely.

I do nothing at all.

Well, no, that's...
That's not entirely true.

I serve an essential
social function.

I am a terrific fill
in at dinner parties.

He's lazy.

He doesn't wanna do anything.

He never did.

Do we have to air all
this in front of our guests?

You know, man is
the only animal that

makes a virtue out of work.

I do not work because
our father invented

a splatter free skillet lid.

And thanks to grease splattered
housewives everywhere,

I can afford to
do nothing at all.

Man is also the only
animal that is cynical.

No, John.

Cats are cynical too.

Sam Spade over there makes
me look almost pious.

Clara, have Bert fix that
shutter right away, please.

Looks like a bad one.

Shouldn't you bring those
dogs in from this storm?

We don't bring our
dogs inside the house.

They have a kennel.

Whoa!

Do you hear that?

Of all the noises we've
heard since we've been here,

which noise are
you referring to?

The gunshot.
It was a gunshot.

Did you hear that?

It wasn't a gunshot.

It was a branch
that had fallen off

a tree due to the insurmountable
weight of the snow that

landed upon it.

You sure?

Haven't you ever
been to the mountains?

Yes, I've been to the mountains.

But I was raised in the city,
and if I ever get back there,

there's where I'm gonna stay.

Well, don't worry about it.

The plows will be here
tomorrow morning to dig us out.

Are you scared, or do
you have to go potty?

I'm... I'm just, uh...

I'm jumpy.

You know, I'm jumpy.

Just there's a lot
of noises up here.

This place has a lot of noises.

How did you rate
a room like this?

Well, didn't you notice?
Sylvia and I have a rapport.

Yes, right.

What is that?

"The Life and Times
of Stanislavski"?

Since when did you
start to read in bed?

Well, actually,
tonight's my first night.

Kind of excited about it.

Yeah, I wonder which
one of our suspects

reads books on acting.

It looks very warm in there.

OK, come on in, Sergeant.

Make my night.

Got a couple parkas and
maybe snowshoes in the closet

if you need 'em.
- Go ahead and make jokes.

I'm freezing to death.

Hunter, there's something
very weird about this place.

Yeah, well...

No, no, no.
Seriously.

I'm serious.

I mean, besides the fact that
these people make the Addams

family look like Ozzie and
Harriet and that one of them

is a murderer, there is
something strange here.

I just can't put
my finger on it.

Hunter?

It's just a power shortage.

Relax.

What are you so afraid
of the dark for?

I'm not afraid of the dark.

Do you have a flashlight?

Good morning.

It's freezing in here.

We had a power failure, Michael.

Are you sure?

Maybe we could take
up a collection

and pay your electric bill.

Very funny, Michael.

You can see your
breath in my room.

Yeah, well, at least you
have someone to keep you warm.

They're not married, Michael.

They have separate bedrooms.

Oh, I'm sorry, John.

I thought it was 1987.

Where's David?

David sleeps like the dead.

Comes from having
an uncluttered mind.

Clara, will you
go and tell David,

please, that we expect him
at breakfast in five minutes.

There's no eggs.

What are we supposed
to do with these,

eat them or sketch with them?

Michael, Clara did the best
that she could on a wood stove.

Bert, I thought I told
you to fix that shutter.

I did.

Came loose again.

Well, fix it again.

I thought you
said they were going

to get a snow plow up here.

I lied to you.

At this point, I'd
settle for snow shoes.

Oh, my God, my God, David, he...

David?

David!

David?

David!

David?

Now, Clara, you say you
walked down the corridor,

and when you got to
David's door you knocked.

You didn't get a reply,
so you let yourself in.

Is that right?

Yes.

And that's when you
found David's Body

did you hear anything at all?

He was so still.

He was so...

Did anybody hear
anything at all last night?

You couldn't hear a bomb
go off in here last night

with that wind howling.

And that damn shutter.

I fixed it.

It keeps breaking loose.

Excuse me.

Was David killed in
the same way as George?

Yes, he was.

Shot in the chest with
a small caliber handgun.

Has anybody figured
out what this means here?

Have you faced this?

Someone is killing
us, one by one!

Michael, would
you just be quiet?

Can't you do something?

Yeah, Sylvia, I
can do something.

I'm going to.

I'm gonna search this
house from top to bottom.

Now, Bert, I'm gonna
need a flashlight.

Under the kitchen sink.

Search for what?

A gun.

Maybe there's somebody in the
house we don't know about.

That's impossible.

Sylvia, nothing in this house
would surprise me in the least.

Now, Sergeant McCall
will be in charge.

I'm getting outta here.

Whoever it is, is
not gonna get me.

So long, family.

Eat my dust.

I'm afraid I can't
let you go anywhere,

not until my partner gets back.

Michael, the snow is six
feet deep in the driveway.

We're supposed to stay in
here like trapped animals?

Michael, come on and sit down!

Come on, Bert, get
something to fix this window.

I'm afraid, Sylvia.

Yes, so am I.

She's like a rock, isn't she?

Even when I was a kid,
she took care of me.

People do that.

I don't know.

They take care of me.

Maybe it has something to
do with my flawed character.

Are you all right?

No, I am not all right.

Two of my brothers are dead!

Why did you bring her here?

This was a family gathering
to talk about George's death,

and you bring a
stranger into the house.

I'm going to marry her.

She is not a stranger.

She is to me.

Did you find anything?

I found a 45 in your room.

Well, did you leave it there?

No, I took it.

Well, you didn't search us.

That's next.

I'll search the men and Sergeant
McCall will search the ladies.

No one is searching
me in my own home.

You've already been through
my private possessions.

You had no right to do that.

Oh, I'm afraid he does, dear.

They're Los Angeles police
officers on a murder case.

They have every
right to investigate.

We have nothing to hide.

You go right ahead.

Let's get started.

Well, I'm not taking my
clothes off more than two feet

from this fire.

That's a good idea.

The women stay here, and
the men in the dining room.

Thank you.

I'll go first.

Sergeant hunter and
I have discussed it,

and if everyone
would feel better,

we can all stay
down here tonight.

I for one would feel a good
deal safer in my own room.

There are good
locks on the doors.

David just didn't
have his locked.

Well, it's up to you.

Thank you.

We, who are about
to die, salute you.

Bert, Clara, could we have
a word with you for a minute?

How long have you worked
with the Edletons?

Ever since Mr. Dwight
bought the place 25 years ago.

You must know the
family pretty well, then.

Oh, look, come on, you two.

You've got to know what the
hell's going on around here.

Anything you tell
us will be held

in the strictest confidence.

What about Mrs.
Edleton, the mother.

Where is she?

Which one?

Are there two Mrs. Edletons?

John's mother
died in childbirth.

The other three children are
from Mr. Edleton's second wife.

What happened to her?

She divorced him 10 years ago.

Dead now.

Auto accident in Italy.

Can we go to bed now?

Sure, yeah.

Good night.

Thank you.

I'll be in the hall.

You can stay in your room.

No, I'm gonna sleep in
the four-poster, thank you.

Just wake me up when
you're tired and...

Hunter, do me a favor.

Kill the cat.

Oh, my God.

No, no!

Michael!

No, wait.

Michael!

Michael.

Michael?

No, no.

OK, get everybody down to the
family room and keep a good,

close eye on 'em, will you?

What do you want?

Where's Clara?

Didn't you two hear
anything just now?

In this storm?

Down here?

Is there any way you can
get inside Michael's room

without using the doors?

No, not if the windows
are locked from the inside.

And they are.

What's wrong?

What's happening?

Would both of you be so kind
as to come to the family room?

It's Michael.

He's been murdered.

Hey.

Yeah?

Where are you going?

Well, there's gotta be
another way into Michael's room.

I'm gonna go take a look for it.

Maybe someone just
got there ahead of him.

No, everybody was in the
hall after the gunshot,

except for Clara and Bert.

What are you saying?

You think that there's... there's
some kind of a secret passage

in this house or something?

Uh-huh.

Just like in the
movies, my dear.

I don't care what
your sister says.

Those dogs are
suffering out there.

It's all right, Elaine.

They're just frightened.

So am I.

Sergeant McCall, I want
you to arrest that woman!

Why?

Because she
murdered my brothers,

and probably my father.

She's crazy.

I knew I'd seen
you somewhere before.

Now I know where.

Her name isn't Elaine Farmer.

It's Denise Parkins.

She was sleeping with my father.

This does look a lot like you.

Would you like to
try to explain it?

Who looks like her?

She does.

This is a picture of
her and my father,

whom she claims
never to have met.

It is a picture of me.

And I did know her father.

But I haven't killed anybody.

Dwight was 30 years
older than me and rich.

And I told him what people
would think, but he left.

He said that people would
stop talking about us

when we invited them to
our 25th anniversary party.

Dwight told Sylvia
about the wedding!

She knew about it!

That's a lie.

I never heard a word
about a wedding.

I don't think one
was ever planned.

Sylvia threw a fit.

She called him an
old fool and told

him that I was after his money.

I would have married Dwight
if he didn't have a dime!

He said that Sylvia
was scared that we'd

get fruitful and
multiply, and that she'd

inherit a few less million.

It was a joke, but a
week later, he was dead.

So why'd you change your
appearance and your name.

Because I knew that one
of them had killed Dwight.

I went to John.

I told him what I
thought and how I felt.

It's true.

Denise came to me
and she convinced me

that she was right,
that one of the family

did indeed kill my father.

So I agreed to help her
find out what happened.

You let her use you?

That is enough, Sylvia.

Well, why did you go to John?

Why didn't you suspect him too?

Because John was in London
when Dwight was killed.

John really loved his father.

And Dwight talked about John as
if he was the only son he had.

We both loved him.

We had to know who killed him.

That's why we're here to find
out, not to kill anybody.

She's lying.

Sylvia knew nothing
about any wedding plans.

Are you going to arrest her?

No.

Why not?

Well, I can't prove
she killed anybody.

Besides, I don't think she's
going anywhere, do you?

Just up the stairs to
kill us in our sleep.

No, she's not.

She's going right up to
her room, just like you

and everybody else is.

Now, Sergeant McCall and I
are gonna be in the hallway

all night.

I know what you did.

And I know what you did.

Hey, I found the panel.

You're kidding me.
Where?

Michael's closet.

There's a corridor
that honeycombs

throughout the house, and
I'm going in there right now.

All right, just be careful.

I'll... I'll wait for
you out in the hall.

Mm-hm.

Good idea.

Stop right there!

Police.

Oh, God!

It's my father!

No!

It's John.

Yeah.

There were
no fatalities reported,

but some people up
on Bald Mountain

have had some pretty wild
experiences during the storm.

Three people were injured in
one accident, but not to worry,

help's on the way.

Plows are making their way
up the mountain right now.

Again, no fatalities
were reported.

It's my fault. I did it.

What do you mean,
it's your fault?

John didn't even suspect that
anyone had killed his father

until I made him believe it.

He was happy with
his life until then.

I turned him into a killer!

You don't know who killed
Dwight Edleton, do you?

Sylvia probably,
or George, or both.

Elaine doesn't know who
killed Dwight Edleton.

She's just guessing.

The Dwight Edleton murder
case is not our problem anymore.

That's Charlie's.

We solved our murder
case, remember?

John Edleton killed
George, Michael, and David.

What are you talking about?

The Dwight Edleton murder
case is still open.

And I know you.
You'd love to solve it.

Oh.

Yes, you... besides,
what if Sylvia did

it and she gets away with it?

So what you're saying is, you'd

like to have Charlie open the
Dwight Edleton murder case

so we can investigate
this family again?

Yeah.

When John Edleton
decided his half-sister

and half-brothers
killed his father,

he just went over the edge.

I mean, the guy lost it.

If we hadn't have stopped him,
he would have wound up killing

Sylvia and her husband too.

All right, I'm convinced.

But who killed the
old man 10 months ago?

Well, come on, now.

Who killed Dwight Edleton?
- We don't know, Charlie.

You see, Carl and Sylvia are the
only ones left in the family,

and they're not talking.

However, what I have
here is our case.

Solved, completed murder case.

As you can see, el finito.

But it still does
leave the Dwight

Edleton murder case open...

But I don't believe
Charlie gave us that case.

That's not our case, remember?

We think that someone in the
Edleton family did kill Dwight.

We just don't know
which one, and I

think that if we had a little
more time to investigate,

we'd be able...

You got it.

As a matter of fact,
as of this minute,

I'm putting you and Hunter
on the Dwight Edleton case.

And I'll expect a report
in, say, 24 hours, OK?

Well, what are you waiting for?

Get your tails in gear here!

Get me the answer.

We don't like unsolved
cases in this division.

Hey, wait a minute.

What is wrong with you?

You wanna find out who killed
Edleton just as much as I do.

No, I don't.

Look, I had one
dream in this world...

Never to hear the
name "Edleton" again.

Thanks.

You crushed that dream for me.

I can't believe you sometimes.

It can't be.

What?

The man at my desk.

That's the head of
that crazy family.

That's Carl.

Good.

Hiya, Carl.

What can we do for you?

I'm here on behalf of my wife.

She wants to make a statement
about the death of her father.

Oh, really?

She didn't kill him.

Hm.

Well, who did?

George got David and
Michael to join him.

I don't know who
pulled the trigger.

They later told Sylvia.

She kept silent all this time.

She didn't even
tell me till now.

David became a drunk.

Michael got even
more insufferable

than he was before.

Sylvia kept quiet to
protect her brothers.

She was the only real
mother they ever had.

Where's Sylvia right now?

She's out in the car.

She wants you to set up
a meeting with someone

from the DA's office to discuss
an equitable settlement.

Yeah, I can do that.

Have her get an attorney.

We already have.

He'll be here.

Good.

Thanks for coming in.

OK.

So I guess we know
everything now.

Oh, yeah.

Except for who jimmied the car.

I jimmied the car.

What?

I jimmied the car.

What did you do that for?

Because I wanted your
performance on the phone

and to Sylvia to be impeccable.

And it was.

Congratulations.

- You lied to me.
- Sure.

What is it about you two?

I gave you a case to
solve, so go solve it.

What case is that, Charlie?

The Dwight Edleton case!

Oh, we solved that already.

Let's get something to eat.