Mannix (1967–1975): Season 3, Episode 2 - Color Her Missing - full transcript
Corey Boone, a private detective and a mentor to Joe Mannix, dies after being thrown from the window of a penthouse. Suspicion falls on the owner of the penthouse, a shady attorney named Charles Egan, who claims he was out driving around when Boone was killed. His one possible alibi is a young woman with whom he claims to have had a brief encounter in a remote area at the time of Boone's death. But then Egan, who has been charged with Boone's murder, surprises Mannix by asking him to find the missing witness.
(glass shattering)
(crowd murmuring)
(indistinct background chatter)
Sorry to drag you
out this late, Joe.
Oh, it's all right,
Adam, what do you got?
Nasty job.
One I could well do without.
Cory Boone.
Sorry, Joe.
His wife has to be told.
I thought it might be
better coming from a friend.
He was a great human being.
Good private cop.
(sighs)
You know, what he pounded
into my skull about this business
kept me alive at
least a dozen times.
All right, Adam...
what happened?
Now, he didn't jump.
I knew Cory too
well to buy that.
Thrown through a
window... penthouse.
Then you know who killed him?
Educated guess.
Charles Egan, attorney-at-law.
Egan, huh?
It was his penthouse.
The garage attendant
saw him drive away
a minute after it happened.
What would Cory be
doing with a man like Egan?
We'll find out, Joe.
We've got an APB out on him.
He won't get away.
See that he doesn't, Adam.
Yeah, I will.
Joe... I don't want
you going after him.
(theme music playing)
♪ ♪
Rick, get all the latent
prints in the apartment.
Not just this room, okay?
(phone ringing)
Is this thing clean?
Hello? Yeah.
Speaking.
Are you sure?
Yeah.
Okay.
Guess who just
got in the elevator
and pressed the up button?
Charles Egan?
Coming home. (door opening)
Lieutenant Tobias...
I'd like an explanation.
So would I, Mr. Egan.
Don't spar with me.
What happened here?
A private detective
named Cory Boone
fell or was thrown
through your window
about an hour ago.
Say 2:00.
It's horrible.
You know him?
He was working for me.
As an investigator?
Yes.
I know you, don't I?
The name is Mannix.
Joe Mannix.
I saw you Sunday at the
doubleheader with Cory.
He told me about you.
You think you could tell me
something about what happened
after Boone
arrived here tonight?
I wasn't here when he arrived.
I went out around 11:00.
Did you leave anyone
in the apartment?
No.
Boone have a key?
Yes.
Anyone else?
No.
When you left here about
11:00, where did you go?
Lieutenant, am I a suspect?
Is that the thrust
of these questions?
I don't have to tell you
your rights, Counselor.
I want to get to the bottom
of this as much as you do.
Yeah, well, were you
with a friend or friends
while you were out?
As a matter of fact, I wasn't.
You obviously think that's
a damaging admission.
The garage attendant
told us that you left
right after Boone
went out the window.
You mean Red?
Yeah, that's right.
A very marginal
mentality, Lieutenant.
He might have thought he saw me.
But he didn't?
How could he?
I already told you I went
out for a drive around 11:00.
Is something bothering
you, Mr. Mannix?
It's now 3:00.
That's a lot of driving around.
Well, I do some
of my best thinking
behind the wheel of my car.
I've been working on
a very difficult case.
Did you drop in on anyone?
No.
TOBIAS: Stop for gas?
Anything?
There was something.
It shook me up at the time,
but maybe it'll turn
out to be a lucky break.
I was up in the Franklin
Canyon area, by the reservoir.
I went past sort of a
maintenance building.
I'd shifted down for a curve,
well, just creeping
along, fortunately, and...
this girl stepped
out of nowhere.
Practically walked right
into my right front fender.
She fell down.
Who was she?
I don't know.
Well, can you describe her?
Long, light brown hair, I think.
Middle twenties.
She was wearing a mini dress.
One of those
wild Italian outfits.
Crazy color scheme.
Could have been
a Palazzio print.
Was she hurt or...
No. I, uh... I offered
to drive her to a doctor.
She wouldn't hear of it;
she said she was okay.
All she'd let me do was drive
her to the nearest phone booth,
insisted I leave her there.
Did she say what she
was doing just wandering
around the reservoir
that time of night?
No, no, but for what it's worth,
I could see she'd been crying.
You notice anything
else about her?
No, that's the whole picture.
Oh, when I left her
at the phone booth,
I remember she was limping.
I asked her again
if she was hurt.
She... she said
no, she was okay,
that she'd just lost the heel
off her shoe when she fell down.
We'll be checking that
first thing in the morning.
In the meantime, Mr. Egan,
I hope you don't mind,
but we'll have to
take you downtown
for further questioning.
Anything I can do to
clear it up, Lieutenant.
Joe...
you'll take care of that
other matter, will you, Joe?
Yeah, yeah.
(gasping in horror)
(sobbing): I knew it, Joe,
before you ever got here.
I couldn't sleep.
Cory's... been away
from home a lot, and...
well, t-tonight it
was... it was different.
Tonight... I knew...
Cory always said...
that "When it
happens, let it be fast.
Maybe working, you know, zap."
It was quick.
Is there anything I can do, Liz?
Anything?
Yeah, yeah, Joe, stay.
Stay and have a
cup of coffee with me.
Sure.
Well, I'll go plug it in.
Let me... No, I need
to make the coffee.
(sighing, sniffling)
Why don't you say it, Joe?
What?
Oh... that look isn't
just because you're tired
or you hurt deep down.
All right, Liz.
Was Cory really working
for Charles Egan?
Yes.
Why?
There's something
I have to show you.
I was, uh, straightening
out some books
in the den the other day,
and this fell out
of one of them.
I was going to ask
Cory about it last night,
but I just couldn't
find the words...
or the courage.
And... then I thought
I would talk to him
about it tonight after...
(inhales deeply)
(sighs)
$20,000?
Deposited last week, and
he never told you about it?
No.
That was the first I knew
about it when I saw that.
What do you think, Joe?
If you're asking me if
Cory was on the take,
knowing Cory... How well, Joe?
How well did you know him?
Did you know that
he had leukemia?
He just lived a week
at a time, not knowing...
Uh, Sunday we...
well, at the ball game,
we talked about splitting
a box for next season.
He couldn't...
He couldn't bear to think
of what would happen to me.
He only had a small
insurance policy
and our equity in our house.
And the doctors told him that
it would take all
that for him to die.
Might explain why he
went to work for Egan.
(snuffles)
Do you think that,
uh, that money had
anything to do with
what happened?
It won't be hard to find out.
You'll tell me, Joe.
Good or bad?
Sure, Liz.
I'll tell you.
Well, I paid Cory Boone
very well for his services,
but $20,000...
That's a little high.
TOBIAS: We're not talking
about his services, Mr. Egan.
We're talking about
a motive for murder.
Are you suggesting
blackmail, Lieutenant?
What could anyone have on me
that would be worth
that kind of money?
Well, maybe he was
blackmailing somebody else,
who followed him
to my apartment,
or lured him there,
knowing I was out.
I'm afraid we've run
out of string, Mr. Egan.
I'm going to book you.
What about the girl
up in Franklin Canyon?
I described her to
your police artist.
He sketched a picture that's
almost a photograph of her.
Was that just for laughs?
It will be on every police
bulletin board in the state.
We'll release it to the
newspapers and on TV.
In the meantime,
take him downstairs
and book him.
I think we've got him, Joe.
(sighing) Even if the garage
attendant isn't too bright,
he can still see.
And he can tell the time, too.
You want some of this?
Yeah, thanks.
And he swears he
saw Egan drive out
a minute after Cory was killed.
20,000 bucks gives me what
I was looking for... motive.
If the money came from Egan.
Oh, I don't know, Adam,
it may be dumb, blind loyalty,
but I can't believe Cory
Boone is on the take.
If you can prove that, Joe,
you'll rock my case
back on its heels.
You checked out Franklin Canyon?
Yeah. Egan led
the search himself.
And you found no
heel off a girl's shoe?
There is no girl, Joe.
(sighs)
(knocking)
Yeah.
Mr. Mannix. Yeah.
Egan would like to see you.
About what?
I want to hire you, Mannix.
I, uh, I'm in a bind, right?
I need a pro to get me out.
Cory always said you were a pro.
You don't hang up
on your emotions.
You get the job done.
When I take a job.
Why wouldn't you take this one?
I didn't kill your friend.
Then you're not
in a bind, are you?
Lieutenant Tobias will find your
alibi girl and you're home free.
What if she's found too late?
Then what's your moral posture?
You let an innocent
man go to death row.
Lieutenant Tobias is
not going to railroad you
into the death house, Egan.
He's not going to knock
himself out on my behalf.
You know, I've got
the crazy feeling
that this has
happened to me before.
When I was a kid I
used to have a dream.
I'd be standing
alone in a crowd,
unnoticed, minding
my own business.
Then suddenly, everybody
would start laughing at me.
And when they stopped
laughing, they began to beat me.
I don't know why.
I hadn't done anything.
But they wanted to hurt me.
And they started pelting me
with rocks until I was bleeding.
And I didn't know why.
Mannix, I can't
shake the feeling
that my childhood nightmare
is happening right now.
(sighs)
You're jumping the gun
a little, aren't you, Egan?
Am I?
If that girl doesn't show up...
(chuckles)
Yeah, it figures.
My friends didn't call
me Chuck or Charlie.
It was always Cully.
Cully, the patsy.
All anyone had to do
was point a finger at me,
and I'd take the blame.
That was a long time ago.
Find her, Mannix.
Find that girl for me.
(birds chirping)
Is this where it happened?
Yeah, well, there's
the reservoir,
and there's the maintenance
house, just like he said.
But if Egan with an
entire search party
couldn't find
anything this morning,
what makes you
think we'll do better?
Yeah, I don't know, Peggy.
I wonder if maybe that girl
put the heel in her handbag?
When did he say she had a bag?
All right.
In the palm of her hand,
down the front of her dress.
I don't know, maybe she...
Peggy, Egan said that there
were only a couple of houses
with the lights on
in the windows.
Yeah? So?
Do you see any houses?
Meaning that shoots his
story down in flames, right?
Meaning Egan could
have made a mistake.
He could have brought the police
to the wrong spot this morning.
That makes our job
much easier, I suppose.
Why shouldn't he make a mistake?
It was late at night,
he'd been driving
around a couple of hours.
He was tired, he had
things on his mind.
You just lost me.
Well, it's a long shot,
but there's another
section to this reservoir.
Well, there you are, Peggy.
There's another reservoir.
There's another
maintenance house.
And that's where he saw
the lights in the windows.
Well, come on, let's go.
Look, Joe, Egan
hasn't got you converted
into a believer, has he?
I mean, are you beginning
to buy his whole story?
Look, all I'm saying, Peggy,
is that if there was a girl,
this is where it happened.
Well, how do we look for
a grain of sand in a desert?
One grain at a time.
SHOE SALESMAN: Oh, that
is a beautiful shoe on your foot.
Notice how snugly
they fit on the heel.
Oh, excuse me.
Yes, sir? May I help you?
I was wondering, do you handle
this particular style of shoe?
Oh, no, sir, that's...
it's, it's too extreme,
if you know what I mean.
None of our
customers would ever...
They prefer sensible shoes.
Do you understand?
Oh, yes, very clear.
This is not our line at
all... Just not our cup of tea.
Say, why don't
you try a boutique?
They carry all sorts of
outrageous footwear.
Thank you.
Don't mention it.
It's ours all right.
You're sure?
No doubt about it.
That line's an
exclusive with us.
Is there any chance
you might tell me
who bought the
shoe this belongs to?
Possibly.
We didn't have more than a
dozen pair in the Palazzio pattern.
Well, uh, maybe this will help.
Dallas.
What? Dallas King,
she's one of our regulars.
She was in here this morning,
before she took
her new sailboat out.
Would you have
an address on her?
Yeah, Marina Arms,
just across the channel.
No argument.
Dallas King's our girl.
The apartment manager
said he saw the sketch on TV,
swore it was the
girl here in 13F.
His wife said he was nuts.
They've got a little dollar
bet going on the outcome.
I'll buy his bet for 90 cents.
I guess.
Ought to get a helicopter
report in a couple of minutes.
Got a chopper checking every
boat between here and Catalina.
Well, Miss Dallas King
is in for a little surprise
when she ties up.
Do you know what that is?
Sure don't.
(door opening)
Who are you?
Police.
What's wrong?
Something happen to Dallas?
No, not that we know of.
You a friend of Dallas King's?
Yeah.
What's your name?
Jerry Boyes.
When did you last see her?
Couple of nights ago,
before I left for New York.
Look, what's happened?
Were you by any chance
with Miss Dallas King
up around the
Franklin Canyon area
the night you left for New York?
Yeah.
How did you know that?
Do you want to tell
us about it, Mr. Boyes?
We had dinner with a guy
who has a pad up there.
Go on. Go on.
On the way back down,
Dallas starts a big brouhaha
about the way I
looked at another chick.
Right away, she's
out of the car.
I tried to reason with her.
She knew I had to catch
a plane... the little idiot.
So you just left
her up there alone,
walking in the dark,
that time of night?
Dallas can take care
of herself, believe it.
(phone ringing)
It must be the office.
Hello.
Yeah, this is Tobias.
What?
You sure?
Well, what are the chances?
Yeah.
Well, that figures.
Yeah, okay.
The chopper.
MANNIX: What's up?
Well, they found Dallas's boat
about ten miles off Pointe
Vicente upside down.
What about Dallas?
Coast Guard's going to
continue to search for her,
but they have to presume
she must be drowned.
The one prayer I
had, and she's dead.
Now, what do you think?
What do you think
of my chances now?
(knocking on door)
I'm Dallas King.
Come in.
Mannix, now you can sit down.
Your boat was found ten
miles off Pointe Vicente.
You must be a pretty
strong swimmer.
I wasn't even in the water.
These gentlemen came out in
their speedboat and took me off.
And just who are
these two nylon heads?
Oh, excuse me.
My name is Tom and
my partner's name is Dick.
Or he's Tom, and
you're Dick or Harry, or...
It doesn't really matter being
those aren't your
real names, does it?
You dig.
Yeah.
They took you off your
boat before it capsized?
They capsized it.
They followed me
out of the marina,
and waited until there
wasn't another boat in sight.
You kidnapped her
off her boat, huh? Why?
For the bread, man.
The large, economy-size loaf.
Like 250 thou... unmarked bills.
Nothing larger than a hundred.
You're in the wrong bakery.
We don't think so.
You were at her
apartment asking questions.
We figure you're working for
somebody that needs this kid.
Like who?
Look, Mannix, pussycat.
This is not Gamesville.
Charles Egan goes
to the death row
without Dallas in his corner.
You tell Egan we
want a quarter of a mil,
like in 24 hours.
From now. (wry chuckle)
We'll be on the horn to you.
And if he won't play?
(gasps)
This kid's had it.
He'll play, baby.
Ask him.
Now, you know what happens
if you go the fuzz route?
They think Dallas
is already dead,
so if her body washes up
on the beach somewhere,
no big surprise.
(sighs)
A quarter of a million?!
Well, I, uh, I don't keep
that much in my mattress.
It's going to be a scramble.
I'll have to sell
off securities.
Whatever I can scrape up.
24 hours isn't a lot of time.
But you can do it?
Yes.
All right, you get the money
to me, and we'll be ready.
We?
Yeah, Lieutenant Tobias.
You haven't told the police?
Not yet, but I've got to.
You can't, Mannix.
Those men said
they'd kill the girl.
That's standard operating
procedure for kidnappers.
You know that.
There's no S.O.P. this time.
Dallas King is presumed dead.
That means the
risk to them is zero.
No, Mannix, please, now
do it my way: pay them.
After we have the girl in the
clear, I don't care what you do.
All right, Egan, your way.
(crickets chirping)
Who is it?
I'm from Mr. Egan's office.
You are Mr. Mannix?
That's right. You got the money?
Right here. In there.
Looks all right.
Mm-hmm.
I was to get it to
you before 8:00.
Congratulations, you made
it with a minute to spare.
(phone ringing)
Mannix.
Yeah, right. The money's here.
How do I get it to you?
Phone booth, southwest
corner of Buford and Clark.
Right.
All right, let's hear it.
You're a stakeout
watching my office.
Who are you working for?
The City of Los Angeles, Joe.
All right, Adam,
what's this all about?
You don't have any idea?
Well, do you?
You say you're
through with Egan,
but still you go to visit him.
And you're in such a hurry
to get out of the building,
you don't bother to
stop in to tell me why.
Bad manners.
Yes, and a few hours later,
Egan cashes in a
quarter of a million bucks
worth of blue chip securities,
or one of his office
slaves does it for him.
Yeah, and one of those same
slaves comes to Joe Mannix's place
with an attaché case,
and a minute later, he
leaves without the case.
That's right.
Okay, Joe, what gives?
Dallas King is alive.
Sure she is.
No, really. I saw
her. I talked to her.
A couple of guys I
peg as boat bums
are holding her for a
quarter of a million dollars.
Well, thanks for
letting me know.
Adam, I couldn't
tell you. You...
I'm the only one that saw
her. I can't prove a thing.
Now, all they have to do
is drop her in the water,
and it's all over,
that's the end. Listen...
Now look, Adam,
I've got the money.
I'm on my way there now.
Give me a half hour,
Oh, for... a half hour
and I'll have Dallas King in your
office, that's all... just a half hour.
That's all? That's all it takes to
wipe me right out of the department.
Oh, thanks, Adam. I'll
see you in a half hour.
(phone ringing)
Hello.
Now, look, I can save
us both a lot of time.
The police aren't tailing me.
Just give me the
instructions for the drop.
Yeah, I'm listening.
(car approaching)
(sobbing)
You all right?
Yes.
Okay, now wait in my car
while I deliver this money.
(tires squealing)
(screams)
Get in, Mannix.
Look, we're paying your price.
What do you want?
Less lip. Now get in.
(screams)
(car engine running)
(Mannix coughing)
(muffled coughing)
(Dallas continues coughing,
Mannix stops coughing)
(continues coughing)
(coughing continues)
(coughing)
(both coughing)
(car engine running)
(muffled coughing)
(coughing)
(coughing and straining)
(rubbing ropes against
broken glass shard)
(engine running)
(coughing)
(coughing)
(rubbing ropes against
broken glass shard)
(coughing)
(engine revving)
(coughing)
(police siren wailing)
(coughing)
You all right? Yes.
(both coughing)
MANNIX: Well, I didn't
expect the police until I called.
Someone told us there
was a car in that garage
with the motor running.
TOBIAS: You were supposed to
be in my office over an hour ago.
What happened? I had problems.
Problems?
Nothing like the problems
you would have caused me
if anything had happened to you.
How'd you get here so fast?
I've been cruising the
streets, monitoring police calls.
Yeah, knowing I'd be in a
meat grinder someplace, huh?
Oh, well, Adam, I'm going
to make it up... (coughing)
make it up to you.
Uh, Miss Dallas King... (coughs)
(sniffles)
Meet Lieutenant Tobias.
Yes, I had seen
those two men before.
Hanging around the
marina, the bar, you know.
Not exactly speaking
acquaintances.
But, anyway, when they
came alongside my boat,
I knew who they were.
When they... they brought
you to my office that night,
you said you'd been up around
Franklin Canyon Reservoir
on the 12th.
Yes.
TOBIAS: You walked
into someone's moving car.
Now, is that right?
Yes. I... I had a fight
with my boyfriend,
and I was crying and...
stumbling along in the
dark, feeling sorry for myself.
And suddenly there were
these car lights blinding me.
Can you fix the
time it happened?
As a matter of
fact, I think I can.
I must have hit my
wristwatch on his fender
because when I got
home, the glass was broken,
and I noticed it had stopped.
You remember what time?
Just past 2:00. Yeah.
Do you recognize this watch?
Yes. I... I thought I'd
left it in my apartment.
Yeah, you did, and
that's where we found it.
And you're right.
The watch stopped at
two minutes past 2:00.
(intercom buzzes)
Bring them in.
Do you recognize
any of these men?
The third from the right.
Where have you seen him before?
At the reservoir.
Two nights ago.
Are you prepared
to state under oath
that this is the man
who nearly ran you down
at two minutes past 2:00
on the night of the 12th?
DALLAS: Yes, I am.
All right. You
can take them out.
But leave Mr. Egan here.
All right. Let's go.
TOBIAS: Miss Dallas
King, Mr. Charles Egan.
Without overstating
the case, Counselor,
I think this young lady
has saved your life.
I appreciate it, Miss
King, believe me.
Joe, I'll never forget
your part in this.
As Cory Boone's friend,
you had every right to
turn your back on me.
You won't be sorry you didn't.
And all I ever
wanted was to, uh...
find the man who killed Cory.
So do I.
Whoever he is, he's into
me for a quarter of a million.
You're still working
for me till you find him.
No. No, Mr. Egan, I'm
working for Cory Boone now.
Oh, however...
you could, uh, buy us a
drink for services rendered.
Fine, delighted. My
apartment. Say, an hour?
(cork pops)
Well, it's been
quite an evening.
Thanks for the drink.
Oh, there's plenty of time, Joe.
Stick around for a
little while. Let's have...
Let's have one for the road.
There you are.
To the friends you never know
you have until you need them.
(chuckles)
I'll drink to that.
Being we're toasting,
let's drink to the bad things
that never quite happened.
Nightmares. To the
end of a bad dream.
Never again a little boy
standing in a
crowd alone, afraid
of being stoned for
something he didn't do.
Why, that's Cully's dream.
That's right, Dallas...
that's Cully's dream.
Oh, Cully, I... Skip
it, Dallas, baby.
I'm sorry.
When he started talking
about your dream, I...
I thought he was in.
I'm sorry you thought.
Now, you're quite
an operator, Egan.
Or should I call you Cully?
Oh, the whole charade with
Dallas baby was beautiful.
Your alibi girl
couldn't just show up.
No, not right off the bat.
That would have
smelled like a sour towel.
Nobody would have believed
her, so you made us work for it.
You made it tough to find
her to close the credibility gap.
That's too bad you
went for the overkill.
Don't tell me you didn't buy it.
Oh, I bought the
whole ball of wax.
Even the kidnap ploy.
Now, that was sheer genius.
Right up to the time the
police showed up to rescue us.
I even bought that...
for about a half a second.
What I didn't buy was that
anyone would turn in a report
to the police and then not come
around to see how it turned out.
And suddenly I realized
that Dallas baby and I
were never meant to die
in the back seat of that car.
We were to be rescued in the
nick of time to save your neck.
Well, Egan, I'm
afraid you've lost out.
You're covered, Mannix,
so be very careful
about your moves.
Mr. Boyes and friend.
Now, you fellas looked
a lot better in your nylons.
What's it going to be, Egan?
Out the window for Joe Mannix
like it was for Cory Boone?
No. You and Dallas are
going on a moonlight sail.
And you know how fatal
her seamanship can be.
Hmm.
Cully... Cully, you
wouldn't hurt me.
Aw, I'm sorry, honey,
but you're too hot
to have around.
Use the service elevator.
Take them through
the basement garage.
Cully, please!
Upstairs, Mannix.
MANNIX: Oh, uh,
one question, Egan.
What piece of dirt did
Cory stub his toe on?
What did he get on you that
was worth $20,000 for openers?
And then shook you up enough
to throw him out the window?
Cory was sick.
Wasn't long for this world, but
he was still a good private eye.
That was his big mistake.
He was going to nail me for
fiddling a few hundred grand
out of a trust deal
I was handling.
So, I gave him 20,000
to handle another case.
A blind. It only took him a
day to pull it all into focus.
So, it was out the
window for Cory Boone.
Well, his wife will be
glad to hear he was clean.
She won't hear it
from you, Mannix.
Cully, please listen to me.
Bye, Dallas.
(scuffling upstairs)
(porcelain shattering)
Did you get it all
on tape, Adam?
Yeah. All of it.
You know how much of that
you'll be able to
introduce as evidence.
Well, we may not need it
if Dallas here is a smart girl
and doesn't want to spend
all of her pretty years in prison.
That'd be a terrible waste,
don't you agree, Dallas?
He was going to kill me.
What do I owe him?
Nothing that couldn't be
settled in a small claims court.
Well, see you, Adam.
I'm going to stop
in on Liz Boone
and tell her how
this all turned out.
All right.
Oh, Adam, I do believe you
cut this a little thin tonight.
You will watch
it next time, huh?
Yeah, okay.
(theme music playing)
(crowd murmuring)
(indistinct background chatter)
Sorry to drag you
out this late, Joe.
Oh, it's all right,
Adam, what do you got?
Nasty job.
One I could well do without.
Cory Boone.
Sorry, Joe.
His wife has to be told.
I thought it might be
better coming from a friend.
He was a great human being.
Good private cop.
(sighs)
You know, what he pounded
into my skull about this business
kept me alive at
least a dozen times.
All right, Adam...
what happened?
Now, he didn't jump.
I knew Cory too
well to buy that.
Thrown through a
window... penthouse.
Then you know who killed him?
Educated guess.
Charles Egan, attorney-at-law.
Egan, huh?
It was his penthouse.
The garage attendant
saw him drive away
a minute after it happened.
What would Cory be
doing with a man like Egan?
We'll find out, Joe.
We've got an APB out on him.
He won't get away.
See that he doesn't, Adam.
Yeah, I will.
Joe... I don't want
you going after him.
(theme music playing)
♪ ♪
Rick, get all the latent
prints in the apartment.
Not just this room, okay?
(phone ringing)
Is this thing clean?
Hello? Yeah.
Speaking.
Are you sure?
Yeah.
Okay.
Guess who just
got in the elevator
and pressed the up button?
Charles Egan?
Coming home. (door opening)
Lieutenant Tobias...
I'd like an explanation.
So would I, Mr. Egan.
Don't spar with me.
What happened here?
A private detective
named Cory Boone
fell or was thrown
through your window
about an hour ago.
Say 2:00.
It's horrible.
You know him?
He was working for me.
As an investigator?
Yes.
I know you, don't I?
The name is Mannix.
Joe Mannix.
I saw you Sunday at the
doubleheader with Cory.
He told me about you.
You think you could tell me
something about what happened
after Boone
arrived here tonight?
I wasn't here when he arrived.
I went out around 11:00.
Did you leave anyone
in the apartment?
No.
Boone have a key?
Yes.
Anyone else?
No.
When you left here about
11:00, where did you go?
Lieutenant, am I a suspect?
Is that the thrust
of these questions?
I don't have to tell you
your rights, Counselor.
I want to get to the bottom
of this as much as you do.
Yeah, well, were you
with a friend or friends
while you were out?
As a matter of fact, I wasn't.
You obviously think that's
a damaging admission.
The garage attendant
told us that you left
right after Boone
went out the window.
You mean Red?
Yeah, that's right.
A very marginal
mentality, Lieutenant.
He might have thought he saw me.
But he didn't?
How could he?
I already told you I went
out for a drive around 11:00.
Is something bothering
you, Mr. Mannix?
It's now 3:00.
That's a lot of driving around.
Well, I do some
of my best thinking
behind the wheel of my car.
I've been working on
a very difficult case.
Did you drop in on anyone?
No.
TOBIAS: Stop for gas?
Anything?
There was something.
It shook me up at the time,
but maybe it'll turn
out to be a lucky break.
I was up in the Franklin
Canyon area, by the reservoir.
I went past sort of a
maintenance building.
I'd shifted down for a curve,
well, just creeping
along, fortunately, and...
this girl stepped
out of nowhere.
Practically walked right
into my right front fender.
She fell down.
Who was she?
I don't know.
Well, can you describe her?
Long, light brown hair, I think.
Middle twenties.
She was wearing a mini dress.
One of those
wild Italian outfits.
Crazy color scheme.
Could have been
a Palazzio print.
Was she hurt or...
No. I, uh... I offered
to drive her to a doctor.
She wouldn't hear of it;
she said she was okay.
All she'd let me do was drive
her to the nearest phone booth,
insisted I leave her there.
Did she say what she
was doing just wandering
around the reservoir
that time of night?
No, no, but for what it's worth,
I could see she'd been crying.
You notice anything
else about her?
No, that's the whole picture.
Oh, when I left her
at the phone booth,
I remember she was limping.
I asked her again
if she was hurt.
She... she said
no, she was okay,
that she'd just lost the heel
off her shoe when she fell down.
We'll be checking that
first thing in the morning.
In the meantime, Mr. Egan,
I hope you don't mind,
but we'll have to
take you downtown
for further questioning.
Anything I can do to
clear it up, Lieutenant.
Joe...
you'll take care of that
other matter, will you, Joe?
Yeah, yeah.
(gasping in horror)
(sobbing): I knew it, Joe,
before you ever got here.
I couldn't sleep.
Cory's... been away
from home a lot, and...
well, t-tonight it
was... it was different.
Tonight... I knew...
Cory always said...
that "When it
happens, let it be fast.
Maybe working, you know, zap."
It was quick.
Is there anything I can do, Liz?
Anything?
Yeah, yeah, Joe, stay.
Stay and have a
cup of coffee with me.
Sure.
Well, I'll go plug it in.
Let me... No, I need
to make the coffee.
(sighing, sniffling)
Why don't you say it, Joe?
What?
Oh... that look isn't
just because you're tired
or you hurt deep down.
All right, Liz.
Was Cory really working
for Charles Egan?
Yes.
Why?
There's something
I have to show you.
I was, uh, straightening
out some books
in the den the other day,
and this fell out
of one of them.
I was going to ask
Cory about it last night,
but I just couldn't
find the words...
or the courage.
And... then I thought
I would talk to him
about it tonight after...
(inhales deeply)
(sighs)
$20,000?
Deposited last week, and
he never told you about it?
No.
That was the first I knew
about it when I saw that.
What do you think, Joe?
If you're asking me if
Cory was on the take,
knowing Cory... How well, Joe?
How well did you know him?
Did you know that
he had leukemia?
He just lived a week
at a time, not knowing...
Uh, Sunday we...
well, at the ball game,
we talked about splitting
a box for next season.
He couldn't...
He couldn't bear to think
of what would happen to me.
He only had a small
insurance policy
and our equity in our house.
And the doctors told him that
it would take all
that for him to die.
Might explain why he
went to work for Egan.
(snuffles)
Do you think that,
uh, that money had
anything to do with
what happened?
It won't be hard to find out.
You'll tell me, Joe.
Good or bad?
Sure, Liz.
I'll tell you.
Well, I paid Cory Boone
very well for his services,
but $20,000...
That's a little high.
TOBIAS: We're not talking
about his services, Mr. Egan.
We're talking about
a motive for murder.
Are you suggesting
blackmail, Lieutenant?
What could anyone have on me
that would be worth
that kind of money?
Well, maybe he was
blackmailing somebody else,
who followed him
to my apartment,
or lured him there,
knowing I was out.
I'm afraid we've run
out of string, Mr. Egan.
I'm going to book you.
What about the girl
up in Franklin Canyon?
I described her to
your police artist.
He sketched a picture that's
almost a photograph of her.
Was that just for laughs?
It will be on every police
bulletin board in the state.
We'll release it to the
newspapers and on TV.
In the meantime,
take him downstairs
and book him.
I think we've got him, Joe.
(sighing) Even if the garage
attendant isn't too bright,
he can still see.
And he can tell the time, too.
You want some of this?
Yeah, thanks.
And he swears he
saw Egan drive out
a minute after Cory was killed.
20,000 bucks gives me what
I was looking for... motive.
If the money came from Egan.
Oh, I don't know, Adam,
it may be dumb, blind loyalty,
but I can't believe Cory
Boone is on the take.
If you can prove that, Joe,
you'll rock my case
back on its heels.
You checked out Franklin Canyon?
Yeah. Egan led
the search himself.
And you found no
heel off a girl's shoe?
There is no girl, Joe.
(sighs)
(knocking)
Yeah.
Mr. Mannix. Yeah.
Egan would like to see you.
About what?
I want to hire you, Mannix.
I, uh, I'm in a bind, right?
I need a pro to get me out.
Cory always said you were a pro.
You don't hang up
on your emotions.
You get the job done.
When I take a job.
Why wouldn't you take this one?
I didn't kill your friend.
Then you're not
in a bind, are you?
Lieutenant Tobias will find your
alibi girl and you're home free.
What if she's found too late?
Then what's your moral posture?
You let an innocent
man go to death row.
Lieutenant Tobias is
not going to railroad you
into the death house, Egan.
He's not going to knock
himself out on my behalf.
You know, I've got
the crazy feeling
that this has
happened to me before.
When I was a kid I
used to have a dream.
I'd be standing
alone in a crowd,
unnoticed, minding
my own business.
Then suddenly, everybody
would start laughing at me.
And when they stopped
laughing, they began to beat me.
I don't know why.
I hadn't done anything.
But they wanted to hurt me.
And they started pelting me
with rocks until I was bleeding.
And I didn't know why.
Mannix, I can't
shake the feeling
that my childhood nightmare
is happening right now.
(sighs)
You're jumping the gun
a little, aren't you, Egan?
Am I?
If that girl doesn't show up...
(chuckles)
Yeah, it figures.
My friends didn't call
me Chuck or Charlie.
It was always Cully.
Cully, the patsy.
All anyone had to do
was point a finger at me,
and I'd take the blame.
That was a long time ago.
Find her, Mannix.
Find that girl for me.
(birds chirping)
Is this where it happened?
Yeah, well, there's
the reservoir,
and there's the maintenance
house, just like he said.
But if Egan with an
entire search party
couldn't find
anything this morning,
what makes you
think we'll do better?
Yeah, I don't know, Peggy.
I wonder if maybe that girl
put the heel in her handbag?
When did he say she had a bag?
All right.
In the palm of her hand,
down the front of her dress.
I don't know, maybe she...
Peggy, Egan said that there
were only a couple of houses
with the lights on
in the windows.
Yeah? So?
Do you see any houses?
Meaning that shoots his
story down in flames, right?
Meaning Egan could
have made a mistake.
He could have brought the police
to the wrong spot this morning.
That makes our job
much easier, I suppose.
Why shouldn't he make a mistake?
It was late at night,
he'd been driving
around a couple of hours.
He was tired, he had
things on his mind.
You just lost me.
Well, it's a long shot,
but there's another
section to this reservoir.
Well, there you are, Peggy.
There's another reservoir.
There's another
maintenance house.
And that's where he saw
the lights in the windows.
Well, come on, let's go.
Look, Joe, Egan
hasn't got you converted
into a believer, has he?
I mean, are you beginning
to buy his whole story?
Look, all I'm saying, Peggy,
is that if there was a girl,
this is where it happened.
Well, how do we look for
a grain of sand in a desert?
One grain at a time.
SHOE SALESMAN: Oh, that
is a beautiful shoe on your foot.
Notice how snugly
they fit on the heel.
Oh, excuse me.
Yes, sir? May I help you?
I was wondering, do you handle
this particular style of shoe?
Oh, no, sir, that's...
it's, it's too extreme,
if you know what I mean.
None of our
customers would ever...
They prefer sensible shoes.
Do you understand?
Oh, yes, very clear.
This is not our line at
all... Just not our cup of tea.
Say, why don't
you try a boutique?
They carry all sorts of
outrageous footwear.
Thank you.
Don't mention it.
It's ours all right.
You're sure?
No doubt about it.
That line's an
exclusive with us.
Is there any chance
you might tell me
who bought the
shoe this belongs to?
Possibly.
We didn't have more than a
dozen pair in the Palazzio pattern.
Well, uh, maybe this will help.
Dallas.
What? Dallas King,
she's one of our regulars.
She was in here this morning,
before she took
her new sailboat out.
Would you have
an address on her?
Yeah, Marina Arms,
just across the channel.
No argument.
Dallas King's our girl.
The apartment manager
said he saw the sketch on TV,
swore it was the
girl here in 13F.
His wife said he was nuts.
They've got a little dollar
bet going on the outcome.
I'll buy his bet for 90 cents.
I guess.
Ought to get a helicopter
report in a couple of minutes.
Got a chopper checking every
boat between here and Catalina.
Well, Miss Dallas King
is in for a little surprise
when she ties up.
Do you know what that is?
Sure don't.
(door opening)
Who are you?
Police.
What's wrong?
Something happen to Dallas?
No, not that we know of.
You a friend of Dallas King's?
Yeah.
What's your name?
Jerry Boyes.
When did you last see her?
Couple of nights ago,
before I left for New York.
Look, what's happened?
Were you by any chance
with Miss Dallas King
up around the
Franklin Canyon area
the night you left for New York?
Yeah.
How did you know that?
Do you want to tell
us about it, Mr. Boyes?
We had dinner with a guy
who has a pad up there.
Go on. Go on.
On the way back down,
Dallas starts a big brouhaha
about the way I
looked at another chick.
Right away, she's
out of the car.
I tried to reason with her.
She knew I had to catch
a plane... the little idiot.
So you just left
her up there alone,
walking in the dark,
that time of night?
Dallas can take care
of herself, believe it.
(phone ringing)
It must be the office.
Hello.
Yeah, this is Tobias.
What?
You sure?
Well, what are the chances?
Yeah.
Well, that figures.
Yeah, okay.
The chopper.
MANNIX: What's up?
Well, they found Dallas's boat
about ten miles off Pointe
Vicente upside down.
What about Dallas?
Coast Guard's going to
continue to search for her,
but they have to presume
she must be drowned.
The one prayer I
had, and she's dead.
Now, what do you think?
What do you think
of my chances now?
(knocking on door)
I'm Dallas King.
Come in.
Mannix, now you can sit down.
Your boat was found ten
miles off Pointe Vicente.
You must be a pretty
strong swimmer.
I wasn't even in the water.
These gentlemen came out in
their speedboat and took me off.
And just who are
these two nylon heads?
Oh, excuse me.
My name is Tom and
my partner's name is Dick.
Or he's Tom, and
you're Dick or Harry, or...
It doesn't really matter being
those aren't your
real names, does it?
You dig.
Yeah.
They took you off your
boat before it capsized?
They capsized it.
They followed me
out of the marina,
and waited until there
wasn't another boat in sight.
You kidnapped her
off her boat, huh? Why?
For the bread, man.
The large, economy-size loaf.
Like 250 thou... unmarked bills.
Nothing larger than a hundred.
You're in the wrong bakery.
We don't think so.
You were at her
apartment asking questions.
We figure you're working for
somebody that needs this kid.
Like who?
Look, Mannix, pussycat.
This is not Gamesville.
Charles Egan goes
to the death row
without Dallas in his corner.
You tell Egan we
want a quarter of a mil,
like in 24 hours.
From now. (wry chuckle)
We'll be on the horn to you.
And if he won't play?
(gasps)
This kid's had it.
He'll play, baby.
Ask him.
Now, you know what happens
if you go the fuzz route?
They think Dallas
is already dead,
so if her body washes up
on the beach somewhere,
no big surprise.
(sighs)
A quarter of a million?!
Well, I, uh, I don't keep
that much in my mattress.
It's going to be a scramble.
I'll have to sell
off securities.
Whatever I can scrape up.
24 hours isn't a lot of time.
But you can do it?
Yes.
All right, you get the money
to me, and we'll be ready.
We?
Yeah, Lieutenant Tobias.
You haven't told the police?
Not yet, but I've got to.
You can't, Mannix.
Those men said
they'd kill the girl.
That's standard operating
procedure for kidnappers.
You know that.
There's no S.O.P. this time.
Dallas King is presumed dead.
That means the
risk to them is zero.
No, Mannix, please, now
do it my way: pay them.
After we have the girl in the
clear, I don't care what you do.
All right, Egan, your way.
(crickets chirping)
Who is it?
I'm from Mr. Egan's office.
You are Mr. Mannix?
That's right. You got the money?
Right here. In there.
Looks all right.
Mm-hmm.
I was to get it to
you before 8:00.
Congratulations, you made
it with a minute to spare.
(phone ringing)
Mannix.
Yeah, right. The money's here.
How do I get it to you?
Phone booth, southwest
corner of Buford and Clark.
Right.
All right, let's hear it.
You're a stakeout
watching my office.
Who are you working for?
The City of Los Angeles, Joe.
All right, Adam,
what's this all about?
You don't have any idea?
Well, do you?
You say you're
through with Egan,
but still you go to visit him.
And you're in such a hurry
to get out of the building,
you don't bother to
stop in to tell me why.
Bad manners.
Yes, and a few hours later,
Egan cashes in a
quarter of a million bucks
worth of blue chip securities,
or one of his office
slaves does it for him.
Yeah, and one of those same
slaves comes to Joe Mannix's place
with an attaché case,
and a minute later, he
leaves without the case.
That's right.
Okay, Joe, what gives?
Dallas King is alive.
Sure she is.
No, really. I saw
her. I talked to her.
A couple of guys I
peg as boat bums
are holding her for a
quarter of a million dollars.
Well, thanks for
letting me know.
Adam, I couldn't
tell you. You...
I'm the only one that saw
her. I can't prove a thing.
Now, all they have to do
is drop her in the water,
and it's all over,
that's the end. Listen...
Now look, Adam,
I've got the money.
I'm on my way there now.
Give me a half hour,
Oh, for... a half hour
and I'll have Dallas King in your
office, that's all... just a half hour.
That's all? That's all it takes to
wipe me right out of the department.
Oh, thanks, Adam. I'll
see you in a half hour.
(phone ringing)
Hello.
Now, look, I can save
us both a lot of time.
The police aren't tailing me.
Just give me the
instructions for the drop.
Yeah, I'm listening.
(car approaching)
(sobbing)
You all right?
Yes.
Okay, now wait in my car
while I deliver this money.
(tires squealing)
(screams)
Get in, Mannix.
Look, we're paying your price.
What do you want?
Less lip. Now get in.
(screams)
(car engine running)
(Mannix coughing)
(muffled coughing)
(Dallas continues coughing,
Mannix stops coughing)
(continues coughing)
(coughing continues)
(coughing)
(both coughing)
(car engine running)
(muffled coughing)
(coughing)
(coughing and straining)
(rubbing ropes against
broken glass shard)
(engine running)
(coughing)
(coughing)
(rubbing ropes against
broken glass shard)
(coughing)
(engine revving)
(coughing)
(police siren wailing)
(coughing)
You all right? Yes.
(both coughing)
MANNIX: Well, I didn't
expect the police until I called.
Someone told us there
was a car in that garage
with the motor running.
TOBIAS: You were supposed to
be in my office over an hour ago.
What happened? I had problems.
Problems?
Nothing like the problems
you would have caused me
if anything had happened to you.
How'd you get here so fast?
I've been cruising the
streets, monitoring police calls.
Yeah, knowing I'd be in a
meat grinder someplace, huh?
Oh, well, Adam, I'm going
to make it up... (coughing)
make it up to you.
Uh, Miss Dallas King... (coughs)
(sniffles)
Meet Lieutenant Tobias.
Yes, I had seen
those two men before.
Hanging around the
marina, the bar, you know.
Not exactly speaking
acquaintances.
But, anyway, when they
came alongside my boat,
I knew who they were.
When they... they brought
you to my office that night,
you said you'd been up around
Franklin Canyon Reservoir
on the 12th.
Yes.
TOBIAS: You walked
into someone's moving car.
Now, is that right?
Yes. I... I had a fight
with my boyfriend,
and I was crying and...
stumbling along in the
dark, feeling sorry for myself.
And suddenly there were
these car lights blinding me.
Can you fix the
time it happened?
As a matter of
fact, I think I can.
I must have hit my
wristwatch on his fender
because when I got
home, the glass was broken,
and I noticed it had stopped.
You remember what time?
Just past 2:00. Yeah.
Do you recognize this watch?
Yes. I... I thought I'd
left it in my apartment.
Yeah, you did, and
that's where we found it.
And you're right.
The watch stopped at
two minutes past 2:00.
(intercom buzzes)
Bring them in.
Do you recognize
any of these men?
The third from the right.
Where have you seen him before?
At the reservoir.
Two nights ago.
Are you prepared
to state under oath
that this is the man
who nearly ran you down
at two minutes past 2:00
on the night of the 12th?
DALLAS: Yes, I am.
All right. You
can take them out.
But leave Mr. Egan here.
All right. Let's go.
TOBIAS: Miss Dallas
King, Mr. Charles Egan.
Without overstating
the case, Counselor,
I think this young lady
has saved your life.
I appreciate it, Miss
King, believe me.
Joe, I'll never forget
your part in this.
As Cory Boone's friend,
you had every right to
turn your back on me.
You won't be sorry you didn't.
And all I ever
wanted was to, uh...
find the man who killed Cory.
So do I.
Whoever he is, he's into
me for a quarter of a million.
You're still working
for me till you find him.
No. No, Mr. Egan, I'm
working for Cory Boone now.
Oh, however...
you could, uh, buy us a
drink for services rendered.
Fine, delighted. My
apartment. Say, an hour?
(cork pops)
Well, it's been
quite an evening.
Thanks for the drink.
Oh, there's plenty of time, Joe.
Stick around for a
little while. Let's have...
Let's have one for the road.
There you are.
To the friends you never know
you have until you need them.
(chuckles)
I'll drink to that.
Being we're toasting,
let's drink to the bad things
that never quite happened.
Nightmares. To the
end of a bad dream.
Never again a little boy
standing in a
crowd alone, afraid
of being stoned for
something he didn't do.
Why, that's Cully's dream.
That's right, Dallas...
that's Cully's dream.
Oh, Cully, I... Skip
it, Dallas, baby.
I'm sorry.
When he started talking
about your dream, I...
I thought he was in.
I'm sorry you thought.
Now, you're quite
an operator, Egan.
Or should I call you Cully?
Oh, the whole charade with
Dallas baby was beautiful.
Your alibi girl
couldn't just show up.
No, not right off the bat.
That would have
smelled like a sour towel.
Nobody would have believed
her, so you made us work for it.
You made it tough to find
her to close the credibility gap.
That's too bad you
went for the overkill.
Don't tell me you didn't buy it.
Oh, I bought the
whole ball of wax.
Even the kidnap ploy.
Now, that was sheer genius.
Right up to the time the
police showed up to rescue us.
I even bought that...
for about a half a second.
What I didn't buy was that
anyone would turn in a report
to the police and then not come
around to see how it turned out.
And suddenly I realized
that Dallas baby and I
were never meant to die
in the back seat of that car.
We were to be rescued in the
nick of time to save your neck.
Well, Egan, I'm
afraid you've lost out.
You're covered, Mannix,
so be very careful
about your moves.
Mr. Boyes and friend.
Now, you fellas looked
a lot better in your nylons.
What's it going to be, Egan?
Out the window for Joe Mannix
like it was for Cory Boone?
No. You and Dallas are
going on a moonlight sail.
And you know how fatal
her seamanship can be.
Hmm.
Cully... Cully, you
wouldn't hurt me.
Aw, I'm sorry, honey,
but you're too hot
to have around.
Use the service elevator.
Take them through
the basement garage.
Cully, please!
Upstairs, Mannix.
MANNIX: Oh, uh,
one question, Egan.
What piece of dirt did
Cory stub his toe on?
What did he get on you that
was worth $20,000 for openers?
And then shook you up enough
to throw him out the window?
Cory was sick.
Wasn't long for this world, but
he was still a good private eye.
That was his big mistake.
He was going to nail me for
fiddling a few hundred grand
out of a trust deal
I was handling.
So, I gave him 20,000
to handle another case.
A blind. It only took him a
day to pull it all into focus.
So, it was out the
window for Cory Boone.
Well, his wife will be
glad to hear he was clean.
She won't hear it
from you, Mannix.
Cully, please listen to me.
Bye, Dallas.
(scuffling upstairs)
(porcelain shattering)
Did you get it all
on tape, Adam?
Yeah. All of it.
You know how much of that
you'll be able to
introduce as evidence.
Well, we may not need it
if Dallas here is a smart girl
and doesn't want to spend
all of her pretty years in prison.
That'd be a terrible waste,
don't you agree, Dallas?
He was going to kill me.
What do I owe him?
Nothing that couldn't be
settled in a small claims court.
Well, see you, Adam.
I'm going to stop
in on Liz Boone
and tell her how
this all turned out.
All right.
Oh, Adam, I do believe you
cut this a little thin tonight.
You will watch
it next time, huh?
Yeah, okay.
(theme music playing)