Hunter (1984–1991): Season 5, Episode 22 - Return of White Cloud - full transcript

Tonight, on "Hunter".

Whoever killed
Harris took the masks.

-I didn't kill her.

-Four Ashani ceremonial masks
were stolen from my people.

-They're absolutely
magnificent, she said.

$200,000 a pop.

Your people are
being ripped off,

and you're the
one that's doing it.

-Do you think there's a
possibility that he's involved?

-It wouldn't surprise me.

-Were you aware that...



- she was having an
affair with my husband?

-I like this tie.

-I told her to have nothing
to do with those masks.

-Are you ready for this, Gina?

Four Ashani ceremonial
masks over 200 years old.

I mean, these things
were being used back

when George Washington
was fighting the British.

Would I kid you, dear?

They're sitting
right in front of me.

Absolutely magnificent.

Ah, you should
see the provenance.

Talk about a pedigree.

Ha.

That's right.



That's right, I'm
getting $200,000 a pop.

And my Japanese dealers
are already buying three,

so I suggest you pull out
that checkbook, my dear.

For you?

$199,999.

I'll save you a buck.

OK, great.

Bye, sweetheart.

-So, what do we got?

-Well, the victim
was a Janet Harris,

the owner of the gallery.

She was killed by a blow to
the back of the head with this, uh,

ceremonial club.

Uh, hey... hey Zach,
do you have that?

Yeah, right here.

-Thank you.

-Uh-huh.

-Hm.

It's an interesting
choice of weapons.

-A weapon of
opportunity, Charlie.

This place specializes
in Indian art.

Come here.

Apparently the killer
jimmied the back door open,

came in, snuck up on
his victim, and clubbed

her in the back of the head.

We found her slumped
right here on the floor

in front of the
photocopier machine.

-Seems like a lousy
time for a burglary.

Middle of the morning,
people obviously working.

If it was a burglary.

Anything missing?

-Well this isn't
the kind of place

that's got a cash
register sitting around.

Doesn't look like anything's
been ripped off the walls,

so... we do have
an inventory coming.

Soon as it's done, we'll
be able to determine

if anything is gone.

I just can't believe it.

I talked to Janet this morning.

-Yeah, I know.

We looked at the phone
records from the gallery

and saw that a call was
placed to this number at 10:14.

-Oh, who... who killed her?

-Well that's what
we're trying to find out.

-I'd like to help you, if I can.

-Yes, you can, if you can
answer some questions.

-Of course.

-Thank you.

-Won't you sit down?

-Thank you.

So how well did you
know Janet Harris?

-We were friends.

We'd become friends
over the past few years.

I... I... I bought most of the
pieces I have here from Janet.

I... I'm her most... I was
her most reliable client.

-What did you talk about today?

-Well, some masks
that she had at the shop.

Four very rare Ashani masks.

These masks have never
been on the market before.

Very hot items.

-That's funny.

I don't recall seeing
them at the gallery.

-Well, she said
she had them there.

-I didn't see them on
the inventory either.

-She told me she was looking
right at them as we talked.

They're absolutely
magnificent, she said.

$200,000 a pop.

And she had complete
provenance for each of them as well.

She didn't typically handle
items that expensive, but...

-What's a provenance?

-With most art, you
get a title and bill of sale.

Ha ha.

When you buy cultural
artifacts, the dealer

has to provide provenance.

That's a document that attests
to the object's authenticity

and tells where it came from.

I won't buy anything
without provenance now,

and no legitimate dealer
will sell it without providing it.

-Was Janet Harris
considered a legitimate dealer?

-Oh absolutely.

She was as clean as they come.

Of course, she was having
some financial difficulties.

You see, there's an
enormous black market

in Native American
artifacts, especially

overseas in the Orient.

These people will pay a
high price for authentic pieces.

-Are you saying
that you think she

was involved in black
market smuggling?

-Oh, I doubt it.

-Anything else?

-Oh.

Yes.

She was having an affair
with one of her married artists.

Robert Whitecloud.

-He's a member
of the Ashani tribe.

-Oh yeah, the Ashanis.

Their reservation's up
in the mountains there.

Uh, is he involved,
do you think?

-Well, I don't know.

There's plenty of motive.

Along with whatever state
their relationship was in,

those masks were
worth a total of $800,000.

-Wow.

That's a lot of money for
a couple of Indian curios.

-Art, Captain.

Art.

-Whatever.

Did you get any pictures?

-No, and there weren't
any in the files either.

I called Pacific who
wrote the store insurance.

They've got appraisals
and photos of all the stock

except for the masks.

-Huh.

Strange.

Well why do you think that's so?

-I don't know.

Maybe bookkeeping.

There's usually
a week or two lag

between acquisitions
and filings.

-OK.

What else you got?

-Well, unfortunately
not too much.

We didn't find any prints
on the murder weapon.

Nobody saw anybody at the store.

I did find a couple
of names of, uh,

artifacts brokers
in her Rolodex.

So there was a James
Holloway out in Mountain Center,

a Leonard Oakley
in Palm Springs,

and a Bobby Peters
over in Phoenix.

Harris didn't have
any employees,

but she had an
awful lot of bills.

-Big debts?

-Yeah.

She had a third mortgage
out on her house.

We're running the
rest of it down now.

But she also had not made
a sale over $10,000 in weeks.

-Maybe these masks were
meant to bail her out, then.

Did she have them on
consignment, or what?

-Haven't found that out yet.

-Get an address on Whitecloud?

-He lives out on
the reservation,

but he's also got an
artist loft here downtown.

Now Hunter's going to go
over there just as soon as he's

finished running the
background down on these masks.

-OK.

Good.

-Professor Weller?

-Yes?

-Sergeant Hunter, LA homicide.

I'd like to ask you
a couple questions.

-Well, uh, you'll find nothing
but skeletons in my closet.

So how can I help you, Sergeant?

-Your signature was found on
several provenance documents

given to a Miss Gina
Whey by a Janet Harris.

-Yes, I, uh, work with
Miss Harris quite often.

I provide documentation
free of charge.

It's tragic to see sacred Indian
lands dug up and destroyed,

so when I
authenticate a piece, I

make damn sure it doesn't
come from protected lands.

It's not much, but it's
my way of helping the, uh,

honest dealers.

Please, have a seat, Sergeant.

-Fine.

Thanks.

-So?

-Uh, Professor Weller, I
don't how to tell you this,

but, uh, Janet Harris was
murdered this morning.

-That's... that's unbelievable.

You know, I... I just spoke
to her a few days ago.

How did it happen?

-Well, we think it was robbery.

You see, there was four
Ashani masks missing.

-Ashani?

I told her to have nothing
to do with those masks.

See, she sent me
a letter and, uh,

and these photographs
a few days ago.

She said she had
a line on the masks.

I took one look, and I told
her that they were stolen.

You see, the Ashani keep them
in a secret underground kiva.

They dig them up for a special
ceremony every 10 years.

Last month, when the
Ashani elders went to the kiva,

they discovered the
masks were gone.

-Oh?

How'd you know that?

-Oh, it was all over the
archaeological community.

Well the Ashani were devastated.

See, it would be as if
somebody broke into the Vatican

and stole the Pope's chalice.

I told her to report it to
the federal agent assigned

to the area... a,
uh, a Ken Myers.

-Mhm.

Well obviously, she
never made a phone call.

-Had I known that, I would
have made the call myself.

Too bad about her death.

And it's too bad she
felt she had to sell out

the very people whose
work she supported.

-Yes it is, isn't it?

-OK.

Thanks.

Who's there?

-Sergeant Hunter, LA homicide.

I'd like to have a couple of
words with a Robert Whitecloud.

-Well, I guess that
makes Robert Whitecloud

our number one suspect.

Why else take off?

-Whitecloud's affair with
Janet Harris was no secret.

I mean, she was the reason
his paintings were getting shown.

Now I interviewed some
other artists in the building,

and they gave me
a list of his hangouts.

I'll go run them down.

-That's good.

He may be looking for
friends to give him a hand.

You know, it occurs to me that
Whitecloud and Janet Harris may

be in bed in more ways than one.

-What do you mean?

-Well, the masks were Ashani.

That's Whitecloud's tribe.

Maybe he helped to steal them.

-Well, I think
it's a possibility,

but it's... it's kind of hard to
believe that a Native American

would steal from his own
people, especially sacred objects.

-Wait a minute. $200,000 a pop?

That's plenty a good
reason to start with.

And maybe the deal he cut
with her wasn't good enough.

Maybe he wanted the
whole thing for himself.

Don't rule it out.

-Excuse me.

I was told a Mary
Whitecloud worked here.

-I am Mary.

-I'm Sergeant McCall, homicide.

-Is it Robert?

Is he all right?

-Well, as far as we
know, uh, he's fine.

Uh, Could we sit down
and talk for a little while?

-Yes, of course.

What's wrong?

What's happened?

-Uh, Janet Harris
has been killed.

Did you know her?

-I knew who she was.

-Were you aware that...

- she was having an
affair with my husband?

Yes.

-Where were you
yesterday morning?

-Here at the center.

You can check with
the women I work with.

I've only been to Los
Angeles a few trips

in my life, even
when Robert started

living there most of the time.

-And when was that?

-Three years ago.

-You say that he
called you last week.

How often did you see him?

-Twice a month he comes home.

Tells me it's for good.

I do what I can to
make him happy,

and he tries his
best to be happy.

Couple of days
later, and he's gone.

Back to the city.

-What do you know
about these masks?

-I know they've been
stolen from my people.

They were used in
an ancient ceremony.

They're very sacred.

Some of our younger people
don't care about these things.

There is so much
drugs and alcohol.

So many are lost
between two worlds.

It is sometimes very
difficult to keep alive

the way of the pipe...
To walk the truth,

to accept the old way.

Some people don't understand.

Some people don't care.

-Your husband, did he care?

You mean, did he take the masks?

He knew where they were hidden.

But did he take them?

I don't know.

Did he care?

He did once.

Hello.

-Hi.

Ken Myers?

-Yeah.

Sergeant McCall?

-Yes.

Thanks for coming
out to meet me.

-It's no problem.

The office said you phoned,
wanted to meet somebody

from the Forest
Service out here.

Well, this is my turf.

It's all my turf.

-What do you mean?

-There are nine of
us federal agents

assigned to cover
the entire Southwest.

Now me personally,
I just cover Southern

California, a little
chunk of Arizona.

-Woo.

That's a large beat.

-No kidding.

It's a battle just keeping
up with the looters...

Losing battle.

-You've heard
about Janet Harris?

-Yeah, it doesn't surprise me.

There's a lot of
money to be made

in the illegal trafficking
of Indian artifacts.

Violence is just
part of the equation.

Burglary in the gallery,
though, it's not really common.

Most of the crime
takes place out here.

-Do you have a typical
profile on these looters?

-Well, we're not talking
about your vacationing family

finding their arrowhead
by the campfire.

Here.

Look at that.

It's the Four Corners area.

It's a disgrace.

They'll tear up the
ground looking for pottery

and ceremonial objects,
even bones of the dead.

These guys use
trucks, bulldozers,

helicopters, even armed guards.

Now we catch the
usual hard case creeps

with copies of the
Treasure Hunter's

Digest in their back pocket.

But we also bust our
share of well-to-do people

who ought to know better.

But hey, I guess when you're
talking 15 grand for a five

pound rock scraper or a quarter
of a million for a death mask,

it's just too much money
for these people to resist.

Personally, I think
they ought to be shot.

Look, I'm sorry.

It's just frustrating, you know?

We not only have to prove that
an artifact came from federally

protected land, we've got
to prove the looter knew

it was on federally
protected land.

It's the only legal
situation I know

of where ignorance
of the law is an excuse.

-Does the name Jim
Holloway mean anything to you?

-Yeah.

He's an artifacts
broker about 30

minutes from here
in Mountain Center.

But I think you
already knew that.

-Yeah.

We found his name in Janet
Harris' office on some papers.

Do you think there's
a possibility that he's

involved with these
stolen artifacts?

He is the closest broker to
the crime scene, you know.

-This guy is responsible for
most of the looting in Southern

California, but the
laws are so damn

gutless he can just
get away with anything.

-Even murder?

-You up from the city?

Palm Springs?

Or maybe Heaven?

-Try the police department.

I'll try anything once, kiddo.

What do you need?

-I need some information
about the masks that

were stolen from
the Ashani people.

-Oh, well, you're
a little bit too late.

The FBI was in here last month.

And I'll tell you the
same thing I told them.

I don't know nothing
about no mask.

I ain't never seen
one, don't rightly

think I ever even heard of one.

If you ask me, I
think the Ashani faked

the whole thing for
a sympathy vote.

You know, trying to coerce
them Beverly Hills whiners

into donating to their
poor, downtrodden tribe.

-Ha ha, you got a
big heart, don't you?

-That ain't all, sweetheart.

-When's the last time you
heard from Janet Harris?

-I... I don't know
no Janet Harris.

-Really?

That's interesting,
considering the fact

we found your name
back at her gallery in LA.

-So?

-After she was murdered.

-That's life in the big city.

That's why I moved out here.

Folks are a lot friendlier.

-Hm.

Yeah, I'll bet.

Whoever killed
Harris took the masks.

-Huh.

-We've got a search warrant
to look through your shop.

Do you really think
I'd be that stupid?

Search away.

Seriously though, kiddo,
I didn't take them masks,

and I sure didn't kill anybody.

But you know what?

-I'm sure you're gonna tell me.

-You ought to quit
worrying about them Indians.

Start respecting my tradition.

Cause I'm the
last of the outlaws.

-Yeah, well maybe
out here you are.

But not where I come from.

Here you go.

Don't want you
feeling neglected.

Poor baby.

Hi.

Can I help you?

-I'm looking for
Robert Whitecloud.

-He's not here right now.

Can I take a message?

-I'm Mary Whitecloud.

I am his wife.

-Oh my god.

Hi!

I'm Kathleen.

I live next door...
With my boyfriend.

We're both friends with Robert.

When Robert got chased
out of here by the cops,

I got worried
about Max, his cat.

He's around here somewhere.

You haven't been
here before, have you?

-No, I haven't.

-He's really great, isn't he?

-It's different from
what I used to see.

But I like it.

Can you tell me
where I can find him?

-I can tell you the same
thing I told the police.

I know a couple of places
he hangs out at sometimes,

but I couldn't tell you
where he is right now.

You know, Robert talks
about you all the time.

If that means anything.

-Thank you.

It does.

-Hunter, homicide.

SERGEANT MCCALL Hey Hunter.

-Hey. What's up?

-Well, no sign of the
masks or Whitecloud.

-Well that's because the
guy was in town all day.

He made a tour of
three different bars

in the entire day.

I just missed him twice.

-Great.

So what's next?

-Well, according to the
bartender, all I gotta do

is follow the odor of tequila.

Anything more specific?

-Yeah.

I'm waiting around here to
go to a opening of an art gallery

in about an hour.

-OK, great.

Well, I'm on my
way in, so I guess

I'll see you in the morning.

Oh, and Hunter?

-Yeah?

SERGEANT MCCALL Tonight,

when you go to this opening...

-Uh-huh?

-Wear something black.

-OK.

-Energy?

Ha!

His work has such energy?

What is that?

Could there possibly
be a more fatuous word

to describe this than that?

Energy.

A charcoal briquette has energy.

A Snickers bar has energy.

This art piece
doesn't have energy.

-Hi, Shannon!

-Energy?

Ha!

-Excuse me?

You wouldn't happen to
know where I can find Robert

Whitecloud in all
this, would you?

-He was just he... good line.

-No, no, no that's not a line.

I'm really looking for him.

Where can I find him?

-Hm.

Try the sculpture room.

-And where's that?

-Up there.

-Up there?

Thank you very much.

Enjoy.

-Hey.

I like this tie.

-Hm.

Good.

And I, um... and I like
your jewelry, very much.

-A drunken Indian.

What a cliche.

Janet Harris and I
were having an affair.

It just happened.

But I didn't kill her.

Why would I kill her?

-I don't know.

Why did you run from me
when I went to your apartment?

-"It's the government.

Open up!"

My people have been getting
that knock for 300 years.

And look what happened to us.

-Your people?

Whitecloud, your people
are being ripped off,

and you're the
one that's doing it.

How else would Janet Harris
know where to get the masks?

Now look, if you want
to clear your name,

you'd better start
cooperating with me right now.

Now start with the masks.

-Janet told me that the
gallery was in trouble.

She needed a
big deal to save it.

She knew everything there
was to know about the masks,

except where we hid them.

I owed her my career...
What there is of it.

So I tried to convince myself
that they were just carved

pieces of wood used in
some jive religious ceremony

that nobody cares about anymore.

And it worked.

I convinced myself, just
long enough to tell her

where they were.

-And who was she working with?

-I don't know.

I asked.

She wouldn't tell me.

Said it was for
my own protection.

Four weeks later,
she had the masks.

That's all I know.

I didn't kill Janet Harris.

-That's not my problem.

My problem is I've got $250,000
coming, plus change, my friend.

Now, that's turned
into your problem.

Oh, she was going
to ruin your reputation.

Just how much you
think your reputation

is going to be
worth, friend, if I

get you sent up on
a murder charge?

You... you listen to me,
you little yellow belly.

All I did was rob a grave.

I've beaten that rap a dozen
times, and I'll do it again.

But you, my friend, ha
ha, you got a one-way ticket

to the gas chamber
if I don't get

my money first
thing in the morning!

-What are you doing here?

-The police told me you
were missing yesterday,

so I decided to try to find you.

-I'm sorry.

I'm really glad to see you.

-They let you go?

-There wasn't enough
evidence to charge me.

Mary, I'm sorry about
what happened with her,

and I'm sorry about
getting you dragged into this.

-Nobody dragged
me into anything.

You're my husband.

Shall we go?

-I need a little time
to sort out everything.

Why don't you go back home?

What?

-I just noticed you
still call it home.

-Yeah.

I noticed that, too.

-Hey Jim, you all right?

-Yeah.

I'm fine.

-Sergeant McCall,
you've, uh, got a visitor.

-Hello?

Hi.

-Oh, good morning.

-Huh.

What brings the federales
down to my neck of the woods?

-Oh, Some interesting
news, I think.

-Well good.

Well, uh, sit back down.

Tell me what's going on.

-Jim Holloway got what
was coming to him last night.

He got gunned down
in front of his shop

after an argument inside.

-Really?

Last of the outlaws.

-He gave you that
routine too, huh?

-Yeah.

Any suspects?

-Three pedestrians saw a male
take off with Holloway shooting

at him, but apparently
it happened so fast

they couldn't get
a good description.

-It's interesting.

Whitecloud was released
yesterday morning.

-That'd give him
plenty of time to drive

out to Mountain Center.

-Yeah, it would have.

-Look, I just thought
you'd want to know.

-Yeah, I do appreciate you
coming down, letting us know.

Thank you for your
time, and your energy.

-Any time, Sarge.

-We'll be in touch.

-Hey.

How you doing?

-I was just going to call you.

-Yeah I was going
to call you, too.

Guess what?

-What?

-I just spoke with Harris'
loan officer at her bank, right?

He told me they were
getting ready to foreclose

on her gallery.

Yeah.

But she called him and
told him that she was going

to have a check for him
that week for $800,000.

-No kidding.

-Yeah.

-So maybe she stiffed some
partners to save her gallery.

-Precisely.

And maybe one of those
partners decided to take the masks.

Who was that guy
that just left here?

-Well that was Ken Myers.

That's what I wanted
to call you about.

Remember the forest
service agent I told you about?

-Oh, yeah. Yeah.

-Well he came down here to
tell us that Jim Holloway was shot

to death last night
at Mountain Center.

-Maybe it was the same killer.

-Well if so, then that
means that Harris

and Holloway were partners.

-You know what's been
bothering me this whole time?

It's the photocopy machine
at Harris' art gallery.

-Copy machine
at the art gallery?

Why?

There was nothing in it.

-Perhaps she was at
the copying machine

using it when she was killed.

-We're in luck.

Ordinarily, the
electrostatic dry ink image

on the photoreceptor
belt is erased immediately

after copying to get
ready for the next image.

But, the victim jammed the
machine on her way down.

Now, the killer made sure he
got all the copies, plus the page

that was stuck
inside, but we still

have the image on
the photoreceptor belt.

Professor Weller's signature.

He faked the provenance
documents, killed Harris

because she held
him up for his cut!

Had to knock off
Holloway to shut him up.

-Whitecloud could be next.

-Well, but Janet never
told him who was involved.

-It doesn't make any difference.
Weller didn't know that.

Thanks very much. Come on.

-No problem.

It's a good copy.

-Professor Weller?

-Mr. Whitecloud.

You made it.

-Ha.

A person could get
lost in here and nobody

would ever miss them.

-Ha ha.

Well, I'm very happy
to finally meet you.

-Yeah.

Janet told me about you.

-I'm sure she did.

-So what's this is about?

Uh, you said on the
phone it was important?

-Well, like you said,
Janet told you about me.

We can't let it go any
further than that, can we?

-What are you talking about?

She said she'd worked with you.

That's all.

-I don't think so.

Come on.

-Hold it right there, professor!

-Freeze!

Police!

-Oh!

-It's in the blood.

-You moved!

-My nose itches!

-Sorry, but I'm not
finished with your nose yet.

Uh, but you can
scratch your chin.

I'm done with your chin.

-Hey.

Come on in.

-How are you, Robert?

-OK.

-Terrific.

Hey.

-Guess we ought to take a break.

-How are you, Mary?

-Hi!

Great.

How are you?

-I'm good.

This looks wonderful.

-Thanks for rescuing me.

-No problem.

I just wanted to come by
to let you both know that we

found those masks
at Weller's house.

After his trial,
they'll definitely

go back to your people.

-That's fantastic.

-It sure is.

-I have to say, it's also very
nice to see you both together.

-It's hard to believe
it took a situation as

extreme as this one
to get me to wake up.

My strength, my
creativity is from the earth...

From my people.

It's time I got back in
touch with those things.

-He's coming home.