Mannix (1967–1975): Season 2, Episode 16 - Shadow of a Man - full transcript
Mannix narrowly avoids being shot by a businessman who appears to be a solid citizen. The attacker claims this is due to dreams he is having based on his Korean War experiences. The businessman later freaks out when police approach his house. Mannix has begun to talk him down when the businessman is shot from outside. But the police didn't fire. Mannix continues his investigation and a student at UCLA, the daughter of a company the businessman knew in Korea, is the detective's main lead to finding the truth.
(car horn blaring)
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
Well, you're a hero, Pete.
Museum's mighty happy
with the job you did.
If you hadn't backed me up,
they wouldn't have
touched me with my record.
Forget it, it's a
brand-new ball game.
Where are you parked?
Across the street.
Uh, Joe... thanks.
See you tomorrow.
(car door closing)
(engine starting)
(gun firing)
(groaning loudly)
(sobbing)
(sighs)
Why are you
holding me like that?
You know what this is?
Of course, I know what it is.
Why were you
trying to use it on me?
You... you... you mean...
I mean, you were
trying to kill me.
Why? Why?
Oh, God.
I don't remember using a gun.
I swear to you.
I don't remember.
I don't even know you.
I'm a... a businessman.
Sanderson Corporation.
I am not a criminal.
You... you've got to believe me.
Well, look... I've got a...
a plate in my head from Korea.
They said it would be fine,
just be careful not to get
yourself hit on the head.
Fine, they said.
I... I remember
leaving my office.
But I... I don't know
how I got that gun.
And I... I... I ended
up over there...
crouching by those steps.
You see... (sighs)
I was... I was back
in the war on patrol.
Uh... then they spotted
me, and I'm running,
fighting my way out.
Look... I can prove
to you who I am.
I can show you.
You... you...
you've got to be
believe me, Mister...
Mister... Mannix.
Give me a chance, Mr. Mannix.
Please... give me a chance.
(theme music playing)
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
WOMAN: Nils?
I've been worried.
Barbara.
This is Mr. Mannix.
My wife, Barbara.
Hello, Mr. Mannix.
Nils will forget to tell me
when he's going to
be late from business.
Well, this wasn't
exactly business,
Mrs. Sanderson.
No.
No, I nearly killed
Mr. Mannix tonight.
Honey, I'm sorry.
I went to Kaufman yesterday.
Dr. Marcus Kaufman.
I've been seeing him
because I've been
getting these headaches.
You know.
I didn't want to worry you.
The nightmares, I know.
My husband has nightmares
about when he was in Korea.
He was a hero.
He's sick.
When he shot at you,
it was an accident.
You do believe that.
Yes, I believe that.
I guess I was a
little rough on you,
but that's because of my trade.
I'm a private investigator.
I don't understand.
Oh, you, uh, pick up
enemies along the way.
It goes with the job.
Well, I guess there's
not much more to say,
except maybe, uh, good night.
Mr. Mannix, you won't
go to the police, will you?
No... no.
Good night.
(door closing)
Suppose he does
go to the police.
Suppose he tells them.
Darling, you heard him.
Sure, I heard what he said.
Maybe he's lying.
Nils, there isn't
anything else, is there?
What do you mean by that?
Why did you say that?
You do keep things from
me, and I've never pried...
but is there any
kind of trouble?
Trouble? No.
Well, I'm having some
sort of a nightmare.
I... I took a shot at a
man, a perfect stranger.
Yes, I'd say I'm having trouble.
Honey, I'm... I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry.
I know, my darling.
I know.
MAN: That's Nils
Sanderson, Mr. Mannix.
Complete with silver plate
and intermittent,
violent headaches.
Anything else?
Nightmares.
An occasional
overwhelming hallucination
that he's back in Korea
in a combat situation.
I'm an internist.
I'm convinced
that it's not organic.
I've recommended
psychiatric help,
but Nils... he's a stubborn man.
However, after what you
say happened last night,
I'll make sure that
he sees someone.
Dr. Kaufman, uh,
Nils Sanderson was
in Korea in combat.
If he has nightmares,
I'll buy that.
Does he keep his
old uniform, weapons?
I'm sorry, Mr. Mannix,
but it's quite the reverse.
He hasn't kept any souvenirs,
much less weapons.
As a matter of fact,
he doesn't hunt.
He doesn't... well, he
actually hates any kind of gun.
I see.
Well, uh, thanks, Doctor.
Get me Mrs. Nils Sanderson.
(ringing)
Hello?
Barbara?
Yes?
Marcus... why didn't you call
after what happened last night?
BARBARA: Oh, you know about it?
Yes, Mr. Mannix was just here.
(tires squealing)
And that's the truth
about Mr. Nils Sanderson.
What is?
Nils Sanderson,
president and owner
of Sanderson Construction, Inc.
Resides in Bel Air.
Business in
existence for 14 years.
Very successful.
Grows each year
and commercial
reputation excellent.
Married Barbara
Havermeyer, eight years.
No children.
Travels a lot and gives
generously to charity.
Nice, solid citizen.
With one tiny problem...
He shoots at people.
What about the gun?
He's working on that.
Bought the gun two weeks
ago for self-protection.
Prowler reports.
Well, that hangs together,
and the doctor checks him out.
Looks like the guy's legit.
Yeah, but the situation isn't.
You want me to check
out that prowler report?
Yeah, take a stab at it.
All right.
He's really trying to
make a comeback.
I think he's gonna make it.
(phone ringing)
Mr. Mannix's office.
Well, yes, he's here.
It's Mrs. Sanderson,
and she sounds awful.
Yes, Mrs. Sanderson?
Why did you do it,
Mr. Mannix, why?
Do what?
You promised us that you
wouldn't call the police.
Well, I didn't.
Well, then, why are they here?
Why have they got Nils
barricaded in the house?
Why, why?
(garbled radio chatter)
For the last time,
throw down your gun.
(tires screeching)
Mr. Mannix!
George, what
brought all this on?
Uh, we got a
telephone complaint.
Sent a car to check it out,
and our friend
there took a potshot
at Officer Ortega.
Where were you, Mrs. Sanderson?
I was coming back
from the market
to pick him up to
go to the doctor.
The police wouldn't
let me into the house,
so I had to go to a
neighbor's phone to call you.
Look, my husband is a sick man.
He panicked when
he saw the police.
(crying)
Look, uh...
Probably figures
that you called them.
He won't let anyone
near the house.
I'm working on a case
for Mr. Sanderson.
Maybe he'll talk to me.
Sanderson, this is Mannix.
I see you, Mannix.
I see you.
I want to talk to you.
No!
Remember, you've
got a lot to lose.
I've got nothing
to lose, nothing!
Sanderson, I'm coming in.
Mannix, I said no!
Joe, I can't let
you go up there.
Just hold your fire, George.
♪ ♪
KRAMER: Hold your fire!
(gunshot)
Gas grenade.
(hissing)
(gasps)
(hissing)
(coughing)
(coughing)
(coughing)
(gunshot)
Mannix, stay out
of here, I told you!
Get away from here!
Sanderson, listen to me!
I've been working
on our problems.
I think there's an answer.
Answer? You broke your promise!
Then why do you think I'm here?
You broke your promise!
The place is crawling with cops!
Sanderson... listen to me.
Mannix... Mannix,
I'm warning you.
Go ahead.
Go ahead, make up
for missing me last night.
I explained all that.
Yeah, you told
me a lot of things.
I've got to admit, so far,
all the details check out.
Oh, you believe me
now, is that it, huh?
No, you tried to kill me.
No matter how
respectable you are.
I told you, I thought I
was back in combat.
I was in Korea, too.
You didn't come at
me like an infantryman.
You stalked me like a
sniper shooting from ambush.
You stalked me, aimed at
me, you shot at me! At me!
There's going to be an
investigation, Sanderson, now!
Whatever it is, it's
going to come out.
(shouting): There'll be nothing!
I know you tried to kill me.
But I think you were pressured.
I think somebody
put you in a vise.
Who? Why?
No one!
Then how did you
miss me at 30 feet?
Conscience?
That's far enough!
Sanderson, listen to me!
I know you were pressured.
If I didn't call the police...
And I didn't... who did?
Who else knew?
I don't know!
Who wants me dead?
No one!
No one wanted you dead, no one!
(Sanderson crying)
Now, why don't
you tell me the truth?
(crying)
(sighs)
(heavy sigh)
The nightmares... they're true.
But you're right.
There is something else.
(inhales and exhales loudly)
I tried to kill you last night
to keep it quiet.
Keep what quiet?
A piece of history.
(sighs)
I'll... I'll show you.
(gunshot, glass shattering)
(groaning)
All right, let's have it again.
The shot... came
through this window
from down there in front.
You're telling me
an officer shot him?
Can you tell me no?
My men had orders not to
fire except in self-defense.
And they're not
trigger-happy, Joe.
An autopsy should settle it.
Yeah, while the publicity
tars our image a little.
That's why you're overpaid.
Well, there's got to
be some penalties
for that plush policeman's life.
(laughs)
How were you involved
with Sanderson?
There was something in his
past he wanted cleared up,
but I never did find
out exactly what.
Whatever it was, it's not
going to bug him anymore.
(typing)
Where's Pete?
On the job in your office.
Pete.
COLLIER: Hi, Joe.
Um, I checked out
the prowler report.
There were some complaints
from the other residents,
but, uh, nothing definite.
And I asked around
about Sanderson.
Nothing.
The guy rings no bells.
Yeah, he caused a riot,
stood off a squad of police,
and got a bullet in the back.
Some kind of a nut!
No. The man was cracking up.
Somebody squeezed
him until he was...
ready to get out by killing me.
How can a man get
to hate that much?
Well, I can tell you.
Now, wait a minute, Pete.
I thought we had that settled.
This is a whole new ball game.
Sure, sure, but a year ago,
I was mad enough to kill.
After the hearing, when
they lifted my license.
A man sits in a lousy room
with a table and
a chair and a bed,
and stares at the wall.
I needed somebody to
hate, Joe, and you were it.
Because I had something to
do with your losing your license?
If I'd had a gun,
the day you walked in on me...
You wouldn't have used it.
Well, maybe an old shoe.
Oh. Sanderson didn't hate me.
He didn't even know me.
Now, somebody pressured him
into committing
premeditated murder.
Look, Pete,
check out Sanderson
over the past few months.
I want to know everybody he
knew, everybody he talked to.
Right.
Good-bye, Pretty Peggy.
Good-bye, Pete.
(door closes)
You don't think I
ought to be using Pete?
I didn't say that.
He took a bribe,
and he paid for it.
I'm sorry.
I guess, it's just my hang-up.
But I had a husband
on the force for 12 years
without even
taking a... an apple.
And all he ever
got was a bullet.
Peggy, Pete's
trying to work it out.
I know. I know.
Like I said, I guess
it's my hang-up.
(door opening)
Hi, Peggy.
Well, how's your son?
Growing up.
Yesterday, he called the
school crossing guard "the fuzz,"
because he had
to wait for traffic.
(laughs): Well, he's
ready for college.
I-I'm afraid so.
Anything new?
Well, I'm going out to
the Sanderson place.
Thought you might
want to come along.
Yeah.
Ciao.
KRAMER: We've
calculated the trajectory.
The bullet that killed Sanderson
was fired from over there.
Now, the gun must
have had a silencer on it.
No one heard the shot.
Behind the hedge, huh?
KRAMER: Fit's
the angle exactly...
Right into the study
and right into Sanderson.
Using a standard police .38.
Well, whoever it was
didn't leave a trace.
We've got nothing.
Now, that's confidential.
Have you got anything
on Sanderson?
A normal, reputable
citizen for 41 years.
Then he went ape
for an hour and a half.
We haven't a notion why.
What about, uh, Mrs. Sanderson?
Well, she came
back to the house.
A nice woman, but
she doesn't like us.
Her husband's dead, and
we can't tell her how or why.
I don't blame her.
I thought you
cops got calloused.
I'm working on it.
Well, that's it.
I'll, uh, find my own way
back, George, thanks.
Okay.
(engine starting)
(rings doorbell)
Mrs. Sanderson, may I come in?
Why?
I'm sorry, Mrs. Sanderson.
Everyone's sorry.
Your, uh, husband
told me something
just before he was, uh... Shot?
Just before he was
shot, Mr. Mannix.
It's all right, you can say it.
He told me two things.
First, he admitted
trying to kill me.
I don't believe you.
Mrs. Sanderson, I'm not
accusing him or slandering him.
I'm just telling you.
Why? Why would
he want to kill you?
Well, that's the second thing.
Somebody blackmailed him
into becoming a
weapon against me.
That somebody murdered him.
That was the police!
No.
No, I talked to the lieutenant
in charge, Mrs. Sanderson.
There was an investigation.
No policeman fired that shot.
If it wasn't the
police... then who?
I don't know.
He was shot before he told me.
But maybe we can find
out, Mrs. Sanderson.
He stood at this
window for a minute,
looking down at the police.
Then he took a
step toward that wall
as if he were going
to show me something.
Do you know what?
I can't imagine.
(exhales loudly)
Unless... Well, there
is a safe in that wall.
Nils had it put in when
we moved into the house
for his private papers.
(whirring)
I don't even know
the combination.
Would anyone have it?
I don't think so, no.
Nils kept his business
deals pretty much apart
from our life together.
Maybe it was my fault.
He made a lot of money.
I never asked any questions.
Would you give me
permission to have that opened?
Yes, of course.
MAN: Surelock, Model
233-M, ward-guarded.
Guaranteed against
heat, corrosion,
and unauthorized tampering.
Can you open it?
It will be interesting,
touch of old times.
You were a safecracker?
Madame, I never
cracked a box in my life.
I opened them.
Educated skill, not brute force.
Mr. Hotchkiss was the
best safe man in the country.
In the world, if I
may be so immodest.
Now he's working as a
consultant to a safe manufacturer.
Frankly, it doesn't pay as
well, but the hours are better.
And for a three-time
loser, it's more relaxing.
You really think he can
work out the combination?
Generally speaking, yes.
Hotch, you're a menace.
Thank you.
There'll be no charge, Joseph.
It's all right.
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
Who are they?
That's Nils.
They must be people
he met in Korea.
"Kim Huh Suk, 1951."
Oh, yes, Kim Huh Suk
was a fairly well-known official
in our government years ago.
Finance Ministry.
Where could I contact him?
He's been dead since the war,
he and his wife.
A tragedy.
Since the war?
And yet you recognize
the name immediately.
Oh, yes, it's fresh in my mind.
The daughter, Miss Joy Suk,
came to the United States
only a few months ago.
And of course, our office
saw to it that she felt at home.
Then she's here? Yes.
UCLA graduate student.
But she was a child
when this picture was taken
and her parents died.
It's highly possible that
she would not remember it.
Hmm. Well, thank you.
(laughter, indistinct chatter)
MANNIX: Miss Suk?
I'm Joy Suk, yes.
My name is Joe Mannix.
I wonder if you
could spare a minute.
It's important.
Hmm, yes.
Do you recognize
this photograph?
That was my father,
and mother and
myself a long time ago.
I'm sorry if I upset you.
Do you recognize
the American soldier?
Yes, of course.
Sergeant Sanderson.
Nils Sanderson.
A good friend.
Also dead.
How did you know that?
Everybody knew.
He died 16 years
ago, in the war.
I was only six years old then,
but I remember.
Some of it, I remember too well.
Tell me about
Sergeant Sanderson.
He was billeted in our home
when he was on duty in Seoul.
He lived with us
for nearly a year.
Uncle Nils.
You'll never know how hard it...
That name was for a
Korean to pronounce.
We were happy.
He was protection
and we became friends.
He took me with him sometimes.
He gave me this
the morning he left to
go back to his company.
He said good-bye to my mother.
Then he went to
my father's office
and said good-bye to him.
That was the last
time any of us saw him.
Then he, uh,
rejoined his company
and went into combat?
And he was killed.
I didn't receive word of it,
until... after my
parents were killed.
The letter finally got to me
at the home where I was sent.
I kept the letter
for a long time.
I didn't have much of my
own left then, you see?
Your parents were
killed in the war?
No.
My parents were murdered.
Would you mind
telling me about it?
My father was an
important official
in the Finance Ministry.
His office received
a shipment of
gold from the North.
It was very late, so
he brought it home
to keep for the night.
I heard the sounds.
(hammering)
A hammering sound first,
then muffled voices.
(woman screaming)
Screams... (gunshots)
Then shots.
(screaming)
(screaming continues)
My door was locked.
When it was
finally opened, it...
it was the police
to tell me that...
my father and mother
had been murdered.
I'm all right.
It was 16 years ago.
It's just still very real.
The gold was, the
gold had been stolen.
So the police searched,
but to find thieves
in Seoul in the wartime...
That was when I
was sent to the home.
That, um... letter notifying you
of Sergeant Sanderson's
death, do you still have it?
I'm sorry, I do not.
But I remember it said
he died in action "a brave man."
He died in California
this morning.
That is impossible.
I'll admit, it's strange anyway.
You must be wrong, Mr. Mannix.
Would you help me find out?
(door creaking)
I may have a
surprise for you, Joe.
I'm not sure. Yeah?
What's the surprise?
The name Sanderson.
I got a look at the list
Peggy made up of his
business connections,
and a bell rang.
Remember Morgan Petrie?
Yeah, vice president
of Monet Enterprises,
the man who bribed you.
That's right, and
cost me my license.
Well, after your
testimony on the case,
there was a lot of bad publicity
for Mr. Petrie and the company.
The company's
recovered nicely, though.
They just acquired a
theatrical supply company.
They're even expanding.
New building to be done
by Sanderson
Construction Company.
Nils Sanderson
and Morgan Petrie.
Petrie often works
late in his office.
He'd be there now.
You keeping a file on him, Pete?
Well, he paid me money to do
some dirty digging for
him and I got busted for it.
He's still riding
high, fat and happy.
So if you can nail him...
Well, I never said I was a
hundred percent nice guy.
Well, on that
scale, Morgan Petrie
would measure out about zero.
Sure, I remember you, Mannix...
with no pleasure at all.
MANNIX: Why did
you agree to talk to me?
Curiosity.
You once did me a
great deal of damage.
You don't appear to
be mortally wounded.
I'm still an executive here.
But it's a dead end.
I'll go no farther.
In Morgan Petrie,
we do not trust.
That's a sort of death sentence.
I hold two men responsible:
you and Pete Collier.
Why are you here now?
I wanted to ask you if you
know a Nils Sanderson.
Sanderson Construction.
Yes, they've worked
for us for years.
It's a good, solid outfit.
It's too bad about
what happened.
How do you know
anything happened?
Modern invention,
I have a radio.
What was your
relationship with Sanderson?
Is that really important
to you, Mannix?
It's important.
Well, in that case,
I'll see that you
don't get at our files,
and I want you out
of my office, now.
If Morgan Petrie
had nothing to hide,
then why wouldn't he let you
look at the files on Sanderson?
Why?
Old hatred? Dog in the manger?
I don't know.
I just don't know.
Joe, let me try for
a look at those files
through the back door.
Okay, Pete,
give it a try. Right.
Well, good morning.
Good morning.
Miss Joy Suk, Peggy Fair,
Pete Collier. Hello.
Would you like some coffee?
Yes, thank you.
She can play on my
tennis court any day.
Pete... Now remember,
cool and cautious.
They won't lay a glove on me.
I read the story in
the newspapers today
about Nils Sanderson.
Why would I get a
letter 16 years ago
saying he was dead?
That's what we're
going to try and find out.
"KAYMAG," Liaison Detachment.
One Sanderson.
Nils A., Staff Sergeant.
Yeah, that's him. Was
he wounded in combat?
Not wounded, jeep accident.
Skull fracture. He
was discharged
at Letterman Hospital,
San Francisco,
12 September, 1952.
"Liaison Detachment."
Does that mean he was working
with a Korean Military unit?
A guard battalion.
Seoul Administrative
Headquarters.
Where my father had his office.
Sanderson must have known
about that gold shipment.
You're not thinking that he...?
That gold could have given
Sanderson a head start in...
1953, March.
Nils Sanderson came
here to the bank to see me.
He was out of service,
oh, maybe six months.
He looked good,
and he made sense.
I mean, he'd planned
in detail how he
intended to set up his
construction business.
And you agreed
to help finance him.
Well, we're in the
business of making loans.
Of course he had
some capital of his own.
Was that in gold?
No private citizen
may traffic in gold
in the United
States, Mr. Mannix.
Yes, I know.
I also know that
a private citizen can get
around that prohibition.
Did Sanderson?
That's not for me to say.
The grand jury then.
Is it that serious?
Yes, it is.
Well, without disclosing
any confidences,
I might note that
it could be possible
to deposit gold in a foreign
country, and then transfer
the funds to an American bank.
In Sanderson's case, how much?
$30,000.
Pete? No, he
hasn't called in yet.
I want to reach him as
soon as possible, Peggy,
so keep trying, huh?
I'm sorry.
Uncle Nils was one
of the good memories.
(sobbing)
That's a lie!
Why would I lie, Mrs. Sanderson?
I don't know you. I
have nothing to gain.
And I've already lost
all... all I had to lose.
What do you think
you're doing to me,
making my husband a monster?
We've got to find out
who might have known
about what happened in Korea.
Nobody. Because
it didn't happen!
Father and Mother were killed.
Not by Nils!
Then explain the nightmares.
Explain a crime so ugly that
he'd rather commit murder
than have it revealed.
Mrs. Sanderson,
he tried to kill me
because somebody knew he had
killed Joy's mother and father.
(sobbing)
Can I get you something?
There's brandy in the...
in the dayroom in back.
Please, could you...?
(sobbing and choking)
(muffled screams)
(muffled screams)
(screaming)
(tires screeching)
Who was it?
I can't be sure,
but I think I know.
Use the phone
and call the police.
It's cut.
There's a light in the
glove compartment.
Plug it into that
cigarette lighter.
Now keep it
trained on that truck!
(tires screeching)
♪ ♪
Get to a phone. Call the police,
but warn them he's got the girl.
(glass shattering)
(elevator machinery
cranking and rattling)
(gunshot, glass shattering)
(gunshot)
(gunshots)
♪ ♪
(muffled screams)
Untie her.
(muffled screams)
Untie her!
The grieving wife.
No one followed us up here.
We're safe.
No alarms.
You don't look surprised.
No, I'm not, Pete.
You gave yourself away pretty
badly this morning when Joy Suk
walked into my office.
You said, "She can play on my
tennis court anytime."
Now, how did you know she played
tennis unless you had
been watching us at UCLA?
Oh, I always said you
were good, Mannix.
Yeah, but I hadn't figured her.
Well now, Sanderson
had a lot of beautiful
insurance, you see,
and a beautiful wife.
Pete and I made a bargain.
My psychotic husband for you.
And I suppose you
found out about Sanderson
when you were working
for Morgan Petrie.
Yeah. Petrie was
going to use Sanderson
for a construction job,
so he hired me to check him out.
Well, I checked him all
the way back to Korea,
and that's where I hit pay dirt.
See, when a man
comes out of the Army
and opens a bank
account with $30,000,
you wonder how he got it.
Well, I found out,
and I owned him.
And you were lucky, Mannix,
the way Sanderson came apart.
You'd think a man
who'd killed two people
could kill a third.
You really hated me
that much, huh, Pete?
Yeah. Yeah.
I want you dead.
(gunshot)
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
Well, you're a hero, Pete.
Museum's mighty happy
with the job you did.
If you hadn't backed me up,
they wouldn't have
touched me with my record.
Forget it, it's a
brand-new ball game.
Where are you parked?
Across the street.
Uh, Joe... thanks.
See you tomorrow.
(car door closing)
(engine starting)
(gun firing)
(groaning loudly)
(sobbing)
(sighs)
Why are you
holding me like that?
You know what this is?
Of course, I know what it is.
Why were you
trying to use it on me?
You... you... you mean...
I mean, you were
trying to kill me.
Why? Why?
Oh, God.
I don't remember using a gun.
I swear to you.
I don't remember.
I don't even know you.
I'm a... a businessman.
Sanderson Corporation.
I am not a criminal.
You... you've got to believe me.
Well, look... I've got a...
a plate in my head from Korea.
They said it would be fine,
just be careful not to get
yourself hit on the head.
Fine, they said.
I... I remember
leaving my office.
But I... I don't know
how I got that gun.
And I... I... I ended
up over there...
crouching by those steps.
You see... (sighs)
I was... I was back
in the war on patrol.
Uh... then they spotted
me, and I'm running,
fighting my way out.
Look... I can prove
to you who I am.
I can show you.
You... you...
you've got to be
believe me, Mister...
Mister... Mannix.
Give me a chance, Mr. Mannix.
Please... give me a chance.
(theme music playing)
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
WOMAN: Nils?
I've been worried.
Barbara.
This is Mr. Mannix.
My wife, Barbara.
Hello, Mr. Mannix.
Nils will forget to tell me
when he's going to
be late from business.
Well, this wasn't
exactly business,
Mrs. Sanderson.
No.
No, I nearly killed
Mr. Mannix tonight.
Honey, I'm sorry.
I went to Kaufman yesterday.
Dr. Marcus Kaufman.
I've been seeing him
because I've been
getting these headaches.
You know.
I didn't want to worry you.
The nightmares, I know.
My husband has nightmares
about when he was in Korea.
He was a hero.
He's sick.
When he shot at you,
it was an accident.
You do believe that.
Yes, I believe that.
I guess I was a
little rough on you,
but that's because of my trade.
I'm a private investigator.
I don't understand.
Oh, you, uh, pick up
enemies along the way.
It goes with the job.
Well, I guess there's
not much more to say,
except maybe, uh, good night.
Mr. Mannix, you won't
go to the police, will you?
No... no.
Good night.
(door closing)
Suppose he does
go to the police.
Suppose he tells them.
Darling, you heard him.
Sure, I heard what he said.
Maybe he's lying.
Nils, there isn't
anything else, is there?
What do you mean by that?
Why did you say that?
You do keep things from
me, and I've never pried...
but is there any
kind of trouble?
Trouble? No.
Well, I'm having some
sort of a nightmare.
I... I took a shot at a
man, a perfect stranger.
Yes, I'd say I'm having trouble.
Honey, I'm... I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry.
I know, my darling.
I know.
MAN: That's Nils
Sanderson, Mr. Mannix.
Complete with silver plate
and intermittent,
violent headaches.
Anything else?
Nightmares.
An occasional
overwhelming hallucination
that he's back in Korea
in a combat situation.
I'm an internist.
I'm convinced
that it's not organic.
I've recommended
psychiatric help,
but Nils... he's a stubborn man.
However, after what you
say happened last night,
I'll make sure that
he sees someone.
Dr. Kaufman, uh,
Nils Sanderson was
in Korea in combat.
If he has nightmares,
I'll buy that.
Does he keep his
old uniform, weapons?
I'm sorry, Mr. Mannix,
but it's quite the reverse.
He hasn't kept any souvenirs,
much less weapons.
As a matter of fact,
he doesn't hunt.
He doesn't... well, he
actually hates any kind of gun.
I see.
Well, uh, thanks, Doctor.
Get me Mrs. Nils Sanderson.
(ringing)
Hello?
Barbara?
Yes?
Marcus... why didn't you call
after what happened last night?
BARBARA: Oh, you know about it?
Yes, Mr. Mannix was just here.
(tires squealing)
And that's the truth
about Mr. Nils Sanderson.
What is?
Nils Sanderson,
president and owner
of Sanderson Construction, Inc.
Resides in Bel Air.
Business in
existence for 14 years.
Very successful.
Grows each year
and commercial
reputation excellent.
Married Barbara
Havermeyer, eight years.
No children.
Travels a lot and gives
generously to charity.
Nice, solid citizen.
With one tiny problem...
He shoots at people.
What about the gun?
He's working on that.
Bought the gun two weeks
ago for self-protection.
Prowler reports.
Well, that hangs together,
and the doctor checks him out.
Looks like the guy's legit.
Yeah, but the situation isn't.
You want me to check
out that prowler report?
Yeah, take a stab at it.
All right.
He's really trying to
make a comeback.
I think he's gonna make it.
(phone ringing)
Mr. Mannix's office.
Well, yes, he's here.
It's Mrs. Sanderson,
and she sounds awful.
Yes, Mrs. Sanderson?
Why did you do it,
Mr. Mannix, why?
Do what?
You promised us that you
wouldn't call the police.
Well, I didn't.
Well, then, why are they here?
Why have they got Nils
barricaded in the house?
Why, why?
(garbled radio chatter)
For the last time,
throw down your gun.
(tires screeching)
Mr. Mannix!
George, what
brought all this on?
Uh, we got a
telephone complaint.
Sent a car to check it out,
and our friend
there took a potshot
at Officer Ortega.
Where were you, Mrs. Sanderson?
I was coming back
from the market
to pick him up to
go to the doctor.
The police wouldn't
let me into the house,
so I had to go to a
neighbor's phone to call you.
Look, my husband is a sick man.
He panicked when
he saw the police.
(crying)
Look, uh...
Probably figures
that you called them.
He won't let anyone
near the house.
I'm working on a case
for Mr. Sanderson.
Maybe he'll talk to me.
Sanderson, this is Mannix.
I see you, Mannix.
I see you.
I want to talk to you.
No!
Remember, you've
got a lot to lose.
I've got nothing
to lose, nothing!
Sanderson, I'm coming in.
Mannix, I said no!
Joe, I can't let
you go up there.
Just hold your fire, George.
♪ ♪
KRAMER: Hold your fire!
(gunshot)
Gas grenade.
(hissing)
(gasps)
(hissing)
(coughing)
(coughing)
(coughing)
(gunshot)
Mannix, stay out
of here, I told you!
Get away from here!
Sanderson, listen to me!
I've been working
on our problems.
I think there's an answer.
Answer? You broke your promise!
Then why do you think I'm here?
You broke your promise!
The place is crawling with cops!
Sanderson... listen to me.
Mannix... Mannix,
I'm warning you.
Go ahead.
Go ahead, make up
for missing me last night.
I explained all that.
Yeah, you told
me a lot of things.
I've got to admit, so far,
all the details check out.
Oh, you believe me
now, is that it, huh?
No, you tried to kill me.
No matter how
respectable you are.
I told you, I thought I
was back in combat.
I was in Korea, too.
You didn't come at
me like an infantryman.
You stalked me like a
sniper shooting from ambush.
You stalked me, aimed at
me, you shot at me! At me!
There's going to be an
investigation, Sanderson, now!
Whatever it is, it's
going to come out.
(shouting): There'll be nothing!
I know you tried to kill me.
But I think you were pressured.
I think somebody
put you in a vise.
Who? Why?
No one!
Then how did you
miss me at 30 feet?
Conscience?
That's far enough!
Sanderson, listen to me!
I know you were pressured.
If I didn't call the police...
And I didn't... who did?
Who else knew?
I don't know!
Who wants me dead?
No one!
No one wanted you dead, no one!
(Sanderson crying)
Now, why don't
you tell me the truth?
(crying)
(sighs)
(heavy sigh)
The nightmares... they're true.
But you're right.
There is something else.
(inhales and exhales loudly)
I tried to kill you last night
to keep it quiet.
Keep what quiet?
A piece of history.
(sighs)
I'll... I'll show you.
(gunshot, glass shattering)
(groaning)
All right, let's have it again.
The shot... came
through this window
from down there in front.
You're telling me
an officer shot him?
Can you tell me no?
My men had orders not to
fire except in self-defense.
And they're not
trigger-happy, Joe.
An autopsy should settle it.
Yeah, while the publicity
tars our image a little.
That's why you're overpaid.
Well, there's got to
be some penalties
for that plush policeman's life.
(laughs)
How were you involved
with Sanderson?
There was something in his
past he wanted cleared up,
but I never did find
out exactly what.
Whatever it was, it's not
going to bug him anymore.
(typing)
Where's Pete?
On the job in your office.
Pete.
COLLIER: Hi, Joe.
Um, I checked out
the prowler report.
There were some complaints
from the other residents,
but, uh, nothing definite.
And I asked around
about Sanderson.
Nothing.
The guy rings no bells.
Yeah, he caused a riot,
stood off a squad of police,
and got a bullet in the back.
Some kind of a nut!
No. The man was cracking up.
Somebody squeezed
him until he was...
ready to get out by killing me.
How can a man get
to hate that much?
Well, I can tell you.
Now, wait a minute, Pete.
I thought we had that settled.
This is a whole new ball game.
Sure, sure, but a year ago,
I was mad enough to kill.
After the hearing, when
they lifted my license.
A man sits in a lousy room
with a table and
a chair and a bed,
and stares at the wall.
I needed somebody to
hate, Joe, and you were it.
Because I had something to
do with your losing your license?
If I'd had a gun,
the day you walked in on me...
You wouldn't have used it.
Well, maybe an old shoe.
Oh. Sanderson didn't hate me.
He didn't even know me.
Now, somebody pressured him
into committing
premeditated murder.
Look, Pete,
check out Sanderson
over the past few months.
I want to know everybody he
knew, everybody he talked to.
Right.
Good-bye, Pretty Peggy.
Good-bye, Pete.
(door closes)
You don't think I
ought to be using Pete?
I didn't say that.
He took a bribe,
and he paid for it.
I'm sorry.
I guess, it's just my hang-up.
But I had a husband
on the force for 12 years
without even
taking a... an apple.
And all he ever
got was a bullet.
Peggy, Pete's
trying to work it out.
I know. I know.
Like I said, I guess
it's my hang-up.
(door opening)
Hi, Peggy.
Well, how's your son?
Growing up.
Yesterday, he called the
school crossing guard "the fuzz,"
because he had
to wait for traffic.
(laughs): Well, he's
ready for college.
I-I'm afraid so.
Anything new?
Well, I'm going out to
the Sanderson place.
Thought you might
want to come along.
Yeah.
Ciao.
KRAMER: We've
calculated the trajectory.
The bullet that killed Sanderson
was fired from over there.
Now, the gun must
have had a silencer on it.
No one heard the shot.
Behind the hedge, huh?
KRAMER: Fit's
the angle exactly...
Right into the study
and right into Sanderson.
Using a standard police .38.
Well, whoever it was
didn't leave a trace.
We've got nothing.
Now, that's confidential.
Have you got anything
on Sanderson?
A normal, reputable
citizen for 41 years.
Then he went ape
for an hour and a half.
We haven't a notion why.
What about, uh, Mrs. Sanderson?
Well, she came
back to the house.
A nice woman, but
she doesn't like us.
Her husband's dead, and
we can't tell her how or why.
I don't blame her.
I thought you
cops got calloused.
I'm working on it.
Well, that's it.
I'll, uh, find my own way
back, George, thanks.
Okay.
(engine starting)
(rings doorbell)
Mrs. Sanderson, may I come in?
Why?
I'm sorry, Mrs. Sanderson.
Everyone's sorry.
Your, uh, husband
told me something
just before he was, uh... Shot?
Just before he was
shot, Mr. Mannix.
It's all right, you can say it.
He told me two things.
First, he admitted
trying to kill me.
I don't believe you.
Mrs. Sanderson, I'm not
accusing him or slandering him.
I'm just telling you.
Why? Why would
he want to kill you?
Well, that's the second thing.
Somebody blackmailed him
into becoming a
weapon against me.
That somebody murdered him.
That was the police!
No.
No, I talked to the lieutenant
in charge, Mrs. Sanderson.
There was an investigation.
No policeman fired that shot.
If it wasn't the
police... then who?
I don't know.
He was shot before he told me.
But maybe we can find
out, Mrs. Sanderson.
He stood at this
window for a minute,
looking down at the police.
Then he took a
step toward that wall
as if he were going
to show me something.
Do you know what?
I can't imagine.
(exhales loudly)
Unless... Well, there
is a safe in that wall.
Nils had it put in when
we moved into the house
for his private papers.
(whirring)
I don't even know
the combination.
Would anyone have it?
I don't think so, no.
Nils kept his business
deals pretty much apart
from our life together.
Maybe it was my fault.
He made a lot of money.
I never asked any questions.
Would you give me
permission to have that opened?
Yes, of course.
MAN: Surelock, Model
233-M, ward-guarded.
Guaranteed against
heat, corrosion,
and unauthorized tampering.
Can you open it?
It will be interesting,
touch of old times.
You were a safecracker?
Madame, I never
cracked a box in my life.
I opened them.
Educated skill, not brute force.
Mr. Hotchkiss was the
best safe man in the country.
In the world, if I
may be so immodest.
Now he's working as a
consultant to a safe manufacturer.
Frankly, it doesn't pay as
well, but the hours are better.
And for a three-time
loser, it's more relaxing.
You really think he can
work out the combination?
Generally speaking, yes.
Hotch, you're a menace.
Thank you.
There'll be no charge, Joseph.
It's all right.
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
Who are they?
That's Nils.
They must be people
he met in Korea.
"Kim Huh Suk, 1951."
Oh, yes, Kim Huh Suk
was a fairly well-known official
in our government years ago.
Finance Ministry.
Where could I contact him?
He's been dead since the war,
he and his wife.
A tragedy.
Since the war?
And yet you recognize
the name immediately.
Oh, yes, it's fresh in my mind.
The daughter, Miss Joy Suk,
came to the United States
only a few months ago.
And of course, our office
saw to it that she felt at home.
Then she's here? Yes.
UCLA graduate student.
But she was a child
when this picture was taken
and her parents died.
It's highly possible that
she would not remember it.
Hmm. Well, thank you.
(laughter, indistinct chatter)
MANNIX: Miss Suk?
I'm Joy Suk, yes.
My name is Joe Mannix.
I wonder if you
could spare a minute.
It's important.
Hmm, yes.
Do you recognize
this photograph?
That was my father,
and mother and
myself a long time ago.
I'm sorry if I upset you.
Do you recognize
the American soldier?
Yes, of course.
Sergeant Sanderson.
Nils Sanderson.
A good friend.
Also dead.
How did you know that?
Everybody knew.
He died 16 years
ago, in the war.
I was only six years old then,
but I remember.
Some of it, I remember too well.
Tell me about
Sergeant Sanderson.
He was billeted in our home
when he was on duty in Seoul.
He lived with us
for nearly a year.
Uncle Nils.
You'll never know how hard it...
That name was for a
Korean to pronounce.
We were happy.
He was protection
and we became friends.
He took me with him sometimes.
He gave me this
the morning he left to
go back to his company.
He said good-bye to my mother.
Then he went to
my father's office
and said good-bye to him.
That was the last
time any of us saw him.
Then he, uh,
rejoined his company
and went into combat?
And he was killed.
I didn't receive word of it,
until... after my
parents were killed.
The letter finally got to me
at the home where I was sent.
I kept the letter
for a long time.
I didn't have much of my
own left then, you see?
Your parents were
killed in the war?
No.
My parents were murdered.
Would you mind
telling me about it?
My father was an
important official
in the Finance Ministry.
His office received
a shipment of
gold from the North.
It was very late, so
he brought it home
to keep for the night.
I heard the sounds.
(hammering)
A hammering sound first,
then muffled voices.
(woman screaming)
Screams... (gunshots)
Then shots.
(screaming)
(screaming continues)
My door was locked.
When it was
finally opened, it...
it was the police
to tell me that...
my father and mother
had been murdered.
I'm all right.
It was 16 years ago.
It's just still very real.
The gold was, the
gold had been stolen.
So the police searched,
but to find thieves
in Seoul in the wartime...
That was when I
was sent to the home.
That, um... letter notifying you
of Sergeant Sanderson's
death, do you still have it?
I'm sorry, I do not.
But I remember it said
he died in action "a brave man."
He died in California
this morning.
That is impossible.
I'll admit, it's strange anyway.
You must be wrong, Mr. Mannix.
Would you help me find out?
(door creaking)
I may have a
surprise for you, Joe.
I'm not sure. Yeah?
What's the surprise?
The name Sanderson.
I got a look at the list
Peggy made up of his
business connections,
and a bell rang.
Remember Morgan Petrie?
Yeah, vice president
of Monet Enterprises,
the man who bribed you.
That's right, and
cost me my license.
Well, after your
testimony on the case,
there was a lot of bad publicity
for Mr. Petrie and the company.
The company's
recovered nicely, though.
They just acquired a
theatrical supply company.
They're even expanding.
New building to be done
by Sanderson
Construction Company.
Nils Sanderson
and Morgan Petrie.
Petrie often works
late in his office.
He'd be there now.
You keeping a file on him, Pete?
Well, he paid me money to do
some dirty digging for
him and I got busted for it.
He's still riding
high, fat and happy.
So if you can nail him...
Well, I never said I was a
hundred percent nice guy.
Well, on that
scale, Morgan Petrie
would measure out about zero.
Sure, I remember you, Mannix...
with no pleasure at all.
MANNIX: Why did
you agree to talk to me?
Curiosity.
You once did me a
great deal of damage.
You don't appear to
be mortally wounded.
I'm still an executive here.
But it's a dead end.
I'll go no farther.
In Morgan Petrie,
we do not trust.
That's a sort of death sentence.
I hold two men responsible:
you and Pete Collier.
Why are you here now?
I wanted to ask you if you
know a Nils Sanderson.
Sanderson Construction.
Yes, they've worked
for us for years.
It's a good, solid outfit.
It's too bad about
what happened.
How do you know
anything happened?
Modern invention,
I have a radio.
What was your
relationship with Sanderson?
Is that really important
to you, Mannix?
It's important.
Well, in that case,
I'll see that you
don't get at our files,
and I want you out
of my office, now.
If Morgan Petrie
had nothing to hide,
then why wouldn't he let you
look at the files on Sanderson?
Why?
Old hatred? Dog in the manger?
I don't know.
I just don't know.
Joe, let me try for
a look at those files
through the back door.
Okay, Pete,
give it a try. Right.
Well, good morning.
Good morning.
Miss Joy Suk, Peggy Fair,
Pete Collier. Hello.
Would you like some coffee?
Yes, thank you.
She can play on my
tennis court any day.
Pete... Now remember,
cool and cautious.
They won't lay a glove on me.
I read the story in
the newspapers today
about Nils Sanderson.
Why would I get a
letter 16 years ago
saying he was dead?
That's what we're
going to try and find out.
"KAYMAG," Liaison Detachment.
One Sanderson.
Nils A., Staff Sergeant.
Yeah, that's him. Was
he wounded in combat?
Not wounded, jeep accident.
Skull fracture. He
was discharged
at Letterman Hospital,
San Francisco,
12 September, 1952.
"Liaison Detachment."
Does that mean he was working
with a Korean Military unit?
A guard battalion.
Seoul Administrative
Headquarters.
Where my father had his office.
Sanderson must have known
about that gold shipment.
You're not thinking that he...?
That gold could have given
Sanderson a head start in...
1953, March.
Nils Sanderson came
here to the bank to see me.
He was out of service,
oh, maybe six months.
He looked good,
and he made sense.
I mean, he'd planned
in detail how he
intended to set up his
construction business.
And you agreed
to help finance him.
Well, we're in the
business of making loans.
Of course he had
some capital of his own.
Was that in gold?
No private citizen
may traffic in gold
in the United
States, Mr. Mannix.
Yes, I know.
I also know that
a private citizen can get
around that prohibition.
Did Sanderson?
That's not for me to say.
The grand jury then.
Is it that serious?
Yes, it is.
Well, without disclosing
any confidences,
I might note that
it could be possible
to deposit gold in a foreign
country, and then transfer
the funds to an American bank.
In Sanderson's case, how much?
$30,000.
Pete? No, he
hasn't called in yet.
I want to reach him as
soon as possible, Peggy,
so keep trying, huh?
I'm sorry.
Uncle Nils was one
of the good memories.
(sobbing)
That's a lie!
Why would I lie, Mrs. Sanderson?
I don't know you. I
have nothing to gain.
And I've already lost
all... all I had to lose.
What do you think
you're doing to me,
making my husband a monster?
We've got to find out
who might have known
about what happened in Korea.
Nobody. Because
it didn't happen!
Father and Mother were killed.
Not by Nils!
Then explain the nightmares.
Explain a crime so ugly that
he'd rather commit murder
than have it revealed.
Mrs. Sanderson,
he tried to kill me
because somebody knew he had
killed Joy's mother and father.
(sobbing)
Can I get you something?
There's brandy in the...
in the dayroom in back.
Please, could you...?
(sobbing and choking)
(muffled screams)
(muffled screams)
(screaming)
(tires screeching)
Who was it?
I can't be sure,
but I think I know.
Use the phone
and call the police.
It's cut.
There's a light in the
glove compartment.
Plug it into that
cigarette lighter.
Now keep it
trained on that truck!
(tires screeching)
♪ ♪
Get to a phone. Call the police,
but warn them he's got the girl.
(glass shattering)
(elevator machinery
cranking and rattling)
(gunshot, glass shattering)
(gunshot)
(gunshots)
♪ ♪
(muffled screams)
Untie her.
(muffled screams)
Untie her!
The grieving wife.
No one followed us up here.
We're safe.
No alarms.
You don't look surprised.
No, I'm not, Pete.
You gave yourself away pretty
badly this morning when Joy Suk
walked into my office.
You said, "She can play on my
tennis court anytime."
Now, how did you know she played
tennis unless you had
been watching us at UCLA?
Oh, I always said you
were good, Mannix.
Yeah, but I hadn't figured her.
Well now, Sanderson
had a lot of beautiful
insurance, you see,
and a beautiful wife.
Pete and I made a bargain.
My psychotic husband for you.
And I suppose you
found out about Sanderson
when you were working
for Morgan Petrie.
Yeah. Petrie was
going to use Sanderson
for a construction job,
so he hired me to check him out.
Well, I checked him all
the way back to Korea,
and that's where I hit pay dirt.
See, when a man
comes out of the Army
and opens a bank
account with $30,000,
you wonder how he got it.
Well, I found out,
and I owned him.
And you were lucky, Mannix,
the way Sanderson came apart.
You'd think a man
who'd killed two people
could kill a third.
You really hated me
that much, huh, Pete?
Yeah. Yeah.
I want you dead.
(gunshot)
♪ ♪
♪ ♪