Mannix (1967–1975): Season 3, Episode 10 - The Sound of Darkness - full transcript

(tires squealing)

Hey, man, you're
going up the wrong way.

(gunshot)

(tires squealing)

Hey! Hey, you crazy?!

No!

(silenced gunshots)

(theme music playing)

♪ ♪

Perfect frame.

He's a real pro.



Yeah, next time I see him,

I'll tell him you're a fan.

Did you get a look at his face

or his license
number, Mr. Marin?

Would you if somebody
was trying to kill you?!

Uh, he missed you deliberately.

His job was to scare you.

Why?

I don't know.

I swear to you, I don't know!

Nobody hires a killer
without a reason.

I told the police.

My name is Rudy
Marin. I live here alone.

I work at "Bodley
Better Buys" used car lot.



I give a fair deal on the lot.

I don't fool around
with other guys' women.

Now, you tell me why.

Look, every one
of those bullet holes

says "Stop" or "Stay away."

Stop what?

Stay away from what?

I don't know!

I keep telling you, I
swear, I... I don't know!

What did the police
do? The police?

(chuckling): Oh,
they got here all right.

They-they arrived,
and they looked around.

They wrote things down.

They told me to be
careful, and they left.

That's why I called you.

All right, tell you
what I want you to do.

Lock the doors, stay
away from the windows

and don't answer the
phone and stay put.

I can't.

What do you mean, you can't?

I mean I can't, that's what.

I-I-I've got something
to do today.

What?

I can't tell you.

Now, look.

I'm not tangling
with a hired killer

unless I know the reason why.

Now, what is it you have
to do in such a hurry?

Forget it.

Look, I'll, I'll pay you for
your time. Just forget it.

It's your life.

Marin's clean as a
white Christmas, Joe.

No records, no arrests,
something of a loner...

Zero.

What's he done?

So far, just played
target for a hired gun

who was paid to miss him.

Why would someone hire
a professional killer to miss?

To scare Marin away, probably.

No, no, no. They'd threaten him.

If that didn't work,
they'd beat him.

And none of that's happened.

The going price for a
top killer is what, $10,000?

Who's going to pay that kind
of money to scare a guy away?

Wait a minute.

Wait a minute. Maybe
it's the other around.

Not to scare him
away from something

but scare him to something.

Look, Peggy, if you had a
day to live, maybe only an hour,

wouldn't you clean up
unfinished business?

Yeah.

That's got to be it, Adam.

They've hired a professional
killer to scare Marin

into doing something right now!

Like what?

You get out of here!

This is my place!

Turn around!

What's that for?

Never mind.
Just-just turn around.

Hold it right there!

(silenced gunshot)

I don't find any organic
damage either to the eye proper

or the connective
ophthalmic system.

What's that supposed to mean?

That means that there's
no pathological reason

why you can't see.

Why can't I?

You have a case of
"psychosomatic blindness."

"Psychsomatic"?

There's no simple
explanation, Mr. Mannix.

You live a dangerous
and complex life.

You risk it constantly
in your profession.

To you, that's just an
occupational hazard.

But you're a man... and mortal.

When that bullet caught you,

only the thickness of a single
hair kept you from being killed.

In that split second,
you felt death.

Your eyes saw it.

They couldn't stand
it, and they closed.

For how long?

Your sight could come back

in six months, six
days or even six hours.

Or never?

Or never.

But I'm betting on
you, Mr. Mannix.

How much would you bet, Doc?

What odds?

Mr. Mannix, you're alive.

And you must keep believing

that you will see
again... in time.

Sure.

I'll drive you home, Joe.

DOCTOR: You must
let him take your arm.

You must precede him.

Thanks, Doc.

I'll be seeing you.

Yes, you will.

ADAM: Gray gloves, sunglasses...

His trademark.

It's got to be Jay
Violet, out of New York.

Special import, special job.

We've got an A.P.B. out for him.

Great. Uh, when you get
him, I'll just come down

and pick him out of the lineup.

Well, by the time we grab him,

maybe you'll be
able to. What is that?

What makes you think he's
gonna let me live that long?

Joe, he's not going to
get anywhere near you.

We got this place
covered around the clock.

Nobody gets in or out
without a double check.

Here's your drink, Joe.

Oh... Sorry.

It's no big deal. I'll... I'll
make you another one.

Never mind.

I, uh, don't really
want a drink anyway.

(lighter clicks)

It's not lit, Joe.

Here, let me get it.

(slamming)

What time is it?

7:20.

Look, why don't you go home

before you make
your babysitter rich?

I haven't finished
that Javis report.

MANNIX: Forget it!

We're out of business.

Joe, listen, I've
got this friend,

ex-Marine, he's a great guy.

He works with the blind.

You mean, he sells
them those white canes?

Let's face it, Joe, it's a
brand-new ball game.

Ball game called
because of darkness.

You're feeling sorry
for yourself, right?

Can't you get it
through your thick head?

I don't need a secretary.

What I need is a seeing-eye dog.

Now, can you bark?

Yes, I can bark
and I can bite, too!

I thought I was working
for a guy who could take

anything that was handed out
to him, but maybe I was wrong!

Maybe I ought to
rent you a corner

and give you a tin
cup with six pencils!

I'm sorry, Joe.

She's got quite a temper.

I'm beginning to learn more
about you with my eyes closed

than I ever did when I
thought they were open.

(sighs)

You know what they say...

"None so blind as
those who will not see."

Adam.

Yeah?

That Marine guy you know...

What's his name?

My name is Jerry Vokes.

I'm Peggy Fair,
Mr. Mannix's secretary.

Won't you come in?

Hey, Jerry, thanks for coming.

Pleasure.

My name is Mannix.

Adam tells me
you've got trouble.

The kind I'm not
sure I can handle.

Well, Joe, you can sit around
moaning about what happened

or do something about it.

It's all up to you.

I'll work your tail
off, believe me,

but when we've finished,

you'll be able to stand
on your own two feet.

Let me give it to
you straight, Jerry.

I don't want you to
teach me how to be blind.

I want you to teach
me how to survive.

It's all the same.
Not this time.

I was witness to a murder.

I think the killer's after me.

I want to know how to make it

if he comes after me
in my own ballpark.

I didn't say it was
going to be an easy one.

That's a tall order.

Never had one like that before.

Can you help me?

Well, if you've got
the nerve and sweat,

I think I've got the method.

When do we start?

Let me warn you,
it's going to be rough.

There'll be times
you'll hate my guts.

But if you really
want it... I want it.

Well, then let's go to work.

(chuckles)

Well, I gotta get
back on the job.

Thanks for coming, Jerry.

Thanks, Adam.

Sure. So long, Peggy.

Good-bye.

Uh, Joe, I was thinking...

It occurred to me, you know,

that, uh, just until you get
to know your way around,

maybe you'd like a roommate.

You thinking about
diapering me, Adam?

No, no, no, I just thought
for the next couple of days...

Give a man crutches,
he'll never learn to walk.

Why don't you go play cop, Adam?

Sure.

Well, see you guys.

Okay, Joe.

Now, the only way
you can meet this killer

on equal terms is in
total darkness, right?

Right.

So, get a man in to put

all the lights on
a master switch.

Or two or three.

By the sofa, the desk.

Whatever fits your
pattern of movement.

Will do.

Now, let's get rid
of the little killers.

The what? If I knock over

an ashtray with a
burning cigarette,

it's an accident.

If you knock it
over, it's a disaster.

Get some big, heavy ones.

Peggy? Got it.

What's this metal
piece here on the desk?

That "metal piece" is
a piece of sculpture.

To me, it's 20 blades
that can cut his throat

if he stumbles against it.

Lose it!

I'll lose it.

All right, Joe.

Walk to the center of the room.

Come on, make your move.

That's it.

Use your hands, your feet.

Did you furnish this place?

Yeah.

Do you know where each piece is?

I think so.

Its size, its shape,
its dimensions?

Don't say you know
unless you're sure.

Your life depends on it.

Do you understand that, Joe?

Yeah, yeah.

Now...

I want you to photograph
this room in your mind.

Picture it.

Everything in it.

For openers,
let's try the stairs.

Picture them.

Count.

See, Joe, the
curve in the stairs.

The landing, the iron rail,

the chest on the landing.

What's on it, Joe?
What's on that chest?

The door, Joe, how
high is the door, Joe?

How many panels?

Where is the doorknob, Joe?

Where?!

The gun cabinet.

The depth of the cabinet, Joe.

Dimensions, Joe, dimensions.

The chest under
the landing, Joe.

What's on that chest?

Books, the iron horse.

See it, Joe, see it.
The cigarette tray...

The handles on the door, Joe.

See it, see it.

See it, Joe.

The wall, Joe.

The window.

The louvers.

Curtains.

The fireplace wall.
The logs in the fireplace.

Joe, picture it.

The matches.

The andirons.

Do you see it, Joe?

I think so.

All right, we'll soon find out.

Now, I want you to
walk to the fireplace

and bring me one of
those long matches.

Do it, Joe.

Right. Use your hands.

Feel them.

That's right.

JERRY: The feet.

Use the feet.

That's it, Joe.

JERRY: Good.

JERRY: Down.

Now, bring it to me.

Use the feet, Joe.

JERRY: The hands, the feet.

Trail the feet, Joe.

Good.

(clanging)

It's fine, fine. Par
for the course.

I'm going to condition you

so that you know
a chair is there,

even if somebody moves it.

How?

In your skin, Joe, in the
hairs on your arm, air moves.

Learn to feel it.

Okay, okay.

Listen. Listen,
a curtain flickers.

Is it the breeze or the killer?

He's tense. Excited.

You can smell him,
hear him, sense him!

You've got four senses left.
If you want to live, use them.

Sharpen them.

Okay.

Okay, now, let's try it again.

No. No, that's enough for today.

But when I go, I want
you to work it alone.

From the beginning.
Over and over.

And when things get dull,
just hang on to this thought:

There's a killer on the
loose and as of now,

he's better at his
job than you are.

Remember that.

Well, I'll see you tomorrow.

I'll show you to
the door, Jerry.

No. Joe can take me.

Come on.

That's it.

It'll be all right.

The step. Watch the step, Joe.

Good.

You've got it licked.

Jerry... Adam told me about you.

Medal of Honor.

Good pension. Why don't
you just take life easy?

Because I've been
where you are, Joe.

I was blind for ten years.

See you.

Have the decency to
make a sound, Peggy.

What kind of a sound?

That will do.

(whistles)

JERRY: Now.

Better.

Do some homework.

No, no, just read the
book like any man would.

Better.

Now come to the desk
and move the ashtray.

JERRY: Let's see what
you can do with the stairs.

I like the shaving lotion.

Don't be smug.

The killer may not wear any.

Place the first joint
of your forefinger

over the rim of the cup.

Support it with your thumb.

Now the pot.

Bring the cup up
slowly to the spout.

Pour.

Feel the heat rising.

When it gets close, stop.

You sure there's no
ground glass in it?

Find out.

Smell anything?

Oil.

Machine oil.

Good.

Now listen carefully.

(click)

One... that's all
the time you'll have

from hearing that sound
to making your move.

Keep listening.

(click)

Hear it?

Good.

Keep listening.

(faint click)

What about that?

Fine.

I think that's enough for today.

Just let me say, your
professional training shows.

You've latched on
to more in one week

than others do in months.

No homework, huh?

You'll do your homework
if you want to live.

(light switch clicks)

See you, Joe.

Thanks, Jerry.

(drawer crashes)

(door creaking)

(click)

Hold it.

It's me... Jerry.

That's one more
lesson under your belt.

Bolt the door.

Every time.

(waves crashing)

Surf's up.

How big?

Two, three feet, maybe.

(children laughing)

Sand castle?

Right.

(rock music playing)

Transistor radio.

Boy and girl?

Working on a soft drink.

(excited chatter)

Volleyball?

(thud)

Somebody just spiked one.

(laughter and chatter)

MAN: Hey, would you mind?

Thank you.

This was a great idea.

I was beginning
to feel cooped up.

Hey, uh, how about a hot dog?

I'd love one.

Two dogs coming up.

Anything to drink?

Peggy?

No, thank you.

That's 80 cents.

Anything on yours?

Just mustard.

Settle for everything?

Everything will be fine.

Why does that name bug me?

Marin.

Look, Joe, we were supposed
to leave all that behind today.

It's something out of the past.

I don't know, it's
like hearing a bell,

and not knowing if it's
the front door or the back.

It'll come to you.

Why?

Why would Jay
Violet frighten him first

and then kill him afterwards?

Look, Joe, it's ten past,
and we told Adam one hour.

Peggy, did he check
out that derelict?

Yes.

Nothing.

Just an old drifter.

Two men dead, one blind.

I wonder if the
killer got his money.

It's been a great
day, Peggy. Thanks.

Thank Jerry. It was his idea.

You gave him a
hard time this week.

You know you'd better get home

before Toby forgets
what his mother looks like.

How about some coffee?
It'll only take a minute.

No, thanks, you go ahead.

I'm going to curl
up with a good book.

Something new has been added,

Yeah, it's a graduation
present from Jerry.

The Book of Braille.

How's it coming?

Well, I'm not ready to read
Gone With The Wind yet,

but I think I've got the
alphabet down pretty pat.

Prove it.

All right.

PEGGY: H-I... End of first word.

P- E-G-G-Y.

Hi, Joe.

Now, here's one I can
do with my eyes closed.

PEGGY: M-A-R-I-N.

O?

Marino.

That's it.

Bruno Marino, holdup artist.
Wife Stella Marino, deceased.

Son Rudolpho Marino.

Alias Rudy Marin,
used car salesman.

Born 1939.

That's got to be him, Adam.

Will someone please fill me in?

A payroll heist,
about 12 years ago.

Marino gang got away
with close to $800,000.

They had to kill
a guard to do it.

ADAM: Then Marino
pulls a switch, see.

Instead of divvying up
the loot with his buddies,

he buried it... Or
so the story goes.

Then he turns
himself in to the police,

takes a 20-to-life sentence,
which he never finished.

You mean he was released?

The hard way... feet first.

Last week a con
stuck a shiv in his back.

And the next day... now,
this is the key, Adam...

The very next day,
Jay Violet took a gun

after a certain
used car salesman.

But why him?

It's simple. Marino's
gang was just marking time

until he got out of
jail, then he was killed.

So, who's left with the secret
as to where the money's buried?

Would you buy
Rudolpho Marino, his son,

alias Rudy Marin, who was at
his father's bedside when he died?

So they hire a
killer to scare him

into leading them to the money,

Do you think the money
was buried in the building

where Marin was shot?

I'd stake my life on it.

Adam, why don't you
get things moving?

Wait a minute! Wait a minute!

"Cease and desist"?

Lieutenant, I got a street
full of equipment coming in

tomorrow morning!

That's a court order,
sir. It means what it says.

Now, don't touch as
much as a single brick.

But I got a penalty
clause on my deal,

which means I pay them!

Whoever's behind this better
have a darn good reason.

Oh, there are 800,000 reasons.

Okay?

(sighs) I hope
you're right, Joe.

It all adds up, Adam.

Bruno Marino
wouldn't trust anyone

except his own flesh and blood.

It was his son's legacy

in case anything
happened to Bruno.

And it happened.

That's why the boy came
here with the dynamite.

He had to beat
the wreckers to it,

and it almost worked.

Then you showed up.

Yeah.

The money's got to be
somewhere in that building.

Under a floor, in a wall,

somewhere, you'll see.

Well, if you're right,

you're in for a nice
piece of change.

The reward's still on the books:

ten percent of the total figure.

It'd be nice if I
could count it.

With the building staked out,

Jay Violet's lost his last
chance to get the money.

Why doesn't he take off?

He's got me on his mind.

I'm the only one
who can finger him.

Or so he thinks.

He's got to eliminate me.

Adam's got this place
pretty well staked out,

and Violet's pro
enough to know that.

Well, all he has to do is wait.

The police can't give me
24-hour protection forever.

You know, I've been thinking.

There is a way to get
him out in the open.

How?

Give Adam a call.

(engine starts)

Any sign of a police car?

PEGGY: No, they're
staying out of sight.

Good.

Anything yet?

There is a car now,
but it's not the police.

Take the canyon road.

(tires squeal)

(tires squealing)

Let him get closer
but not too close.

(tires squealing)

(tires squealing)

He's getting closer.

MANNIX He's
pulling up on my side?

Yes.

Can you hold her?

I can hold her.

(tires squealing)

(tires squealing)

(tires squealing)

(tires squealing)

(car horn blaring)

(car horn blaring)

He went over the cliff.

Take it easy, Peggy.

I'm all right.

You're quite a girl.

Just mark the case "Closed".

It's hard to believe.
Not a sign of him, Joe.

Not one sign of him!

I don't know. He must
have been thrown clear,

and then he crawled away,
but I'll tell you, he's still alive.

I wasn't out to get
him killed... just caught.

Well, I'm sorry, Joe. I
wish we'd nailed him.

What about the money?

We've torn apart the walls

and the floors of
half of that building.

And? And we've
got ten tons of rubble.

The money's got to be there.

I know that, Adam.

All right, we're still looking,

but from now on,
this is our baby.

You leave Jay Violet to
us, and just stay out of it!

Now wait a minute. I
need one more day.

He's got to make his move now.

He's a pro.

Right now, you're not.

Look, Joe, without eyes,

you're, you're a sitting duck.

He can pick you apart
one feather at a time.

Now just leave him to us!

Adam, you're
helping him, not me!

You'll just scare him off,

and he'll take his own good
time about taking a shot at me.

All I'm asking for
is one more day,

and then he's all yours.

Look, I've worked harder

at getting ready for this

than anything I've ever
done in my life. One day!

I'll settle for a man on
the roof across the street.

Okay, one man on the roof.

But we're going
to be near enough

to come running if he calls.

Thanks, Adam.

Good luck, Joe.

(over radio): This is
Lieutenant Tobias, Mack.

Got your instructions?

Yes, Lieutenant. I'll be
checking in every hour. Out.

(Mack groans)

(clatters)

(gunshot)

(gunshot)

(porcelain shattering)

(gunshot)

(gunshot) (two gunshots)

(banging at door)

ADAM: Are you all right, Joe?

(insistent banging)

ADAM: Joe? (banging)

Open up, Joe!

(banging continues)

Joe!

ADAM: Joe?!

Joe?

Are you all right, Joe?

Will you take that damn
light out of my eyes?

(chuckles)

Oh! Adam wanted
me to wait in the car,

but I couldn't
stand it any longer.

(sighs) Are you all right?

Yeah.

That's a... that's a new dress?

Yes, I just...

(theme music playing)