Quincy M.E. (1976–1983): Season 2, Episode 10 - An Unfriendly Radiance - full transcript
Sam calls Quincy at Danny's with a strange case: an accident victim with very unusual blood test results. The man died from an small gash on his forehead, because his blood could not clot. ...
You okay? Are you?
Yeah, I don't feel good.
His name is Bigelow.
Accident victim, auto.
What's so special about him?
But his blood breakdown's
from outer space.
Was it cocaine he was sniffing?
I can think of 1,000 reasons
why people lie to you.
You're innocent.
You know and I know.
Quincy, let's face
it, the kid's a loser.
He used to be a loser.
This morning Ray confessed.
All right, I see a condition
I've never seen before
in a man alive or dead.
Our friend Bigelow
was a walking dead man.
Gentlemen, you
are about to enter
the fascinating
sphere of police work:
the world of forensic medicine.
[wind howling]
[sighing]
Here you go, honey.
Don't you think a
celebration is a bit premature?
Relax. There's
nothing to worry about.
He'll be at the
airport in an hour.
You may have hit him too
early with the exposure, Arthur.
[sniffing]
[sighing]
Did you see how he looked
when he came in today?
I didn't think he'd
make it to his desk.
He made it. This way he won't
have long after he reaches Mexico.
Hey, Don.
Thank you.
[sighing]
(Lanz) These are
really beautiful.
Are you sure they're accurate?
You're an engineer. You
know they're accurate.
It's the cleanest plutonium
reactor they've come up with yet.
Thanks.
You sure there'll be no problem
with the bank in Mexico City?
There's never a problem
with a safety deposit box.
Well, I'd feel a lot better if I had
the money in my pocket right now.
Do you want to carry
$20,000 past airport security?
That'll be embarrassing
for all of us.
Listen. You better
be straight, that's all.
I get 10 percent
when the sale is made,
or else, I'll tell you the
truth, I-I'll blow the whistle.
Listen, Don. Don't worry. Relax.
(Lanz) Nothing's gonna go wrong.
Everything is in good shape.
With $2 million on the
line, I'm not gonna let
anything jeopardize this deal.
Have a good trip.
Thanks.
You all right?
Yeah, I'm just
tired, that's all.
Well, listen, maybe
you'd better not go.
No, no, no. I'm fine. I'm
going. I mean, I'm going.
Good luck.
Take care. Bye.
He's had it.
[car engine starting]
[car horn blaring]
Hey, you okay?
Hey!
You okay? Are you?
Yeah, I don't feel good.
[wind blowing]
You want to make
some extra money?
What do I gotta
do, kill somebody?
No, you drive me to the
airport and I'll give you this $100.
You got it.
What's he up to?
I don't know.
(Lanz) But by tomorrow night,
Sullivan'll be on his way back
to the Mideast with those plans,
and I'll be $2 million richer.
No stupid cokehead's
gonna foul me up.
You don't need an airport, man.
You need a hospital.
Yeah, I don't feel good.
Forget... forget the airport.
Make a left here, okay?
I think he just
fouled up your plan.
He'll never make it to the
airport going in that direction.
He won't make it there at all.
What about the other guy?
That's his problem.
I'll pick you up
here in half an hour.
That ain't gonna
do you any good.
It always has before.
[moaning] Here.
You take this stuff.
No. No, thanks, I never
use the stuff. Here.
Hey, what is that?
[screaming]
Hey, not much of a
crop tonight, Danny.
(Danny) You ain't exactly
Robert Redford, you know.
The guy got you in the restaurant
column a couple of days ago.
Yeah, sure, "Fanny's at the
marina." Danny's with a "D."
Hey, hey, I got it
half right, didn't I?
It could happen to anybody.
No, no, no, only to me, Quincy.
"Fanny's at the marina."
Hey, all right.
Danny, come here.
Two drinks for
the girls over there.
Listen, put it on my tab, okay?
But tell them that
I am a reporter
and my friend here is
a doctor. Don't forget.
A reporter and a doctor?
You write obituaries, he
works in the Coroner's Office.
All I need is a mortician and
business will die altogether.
What's the "d-d-deterioration
of the cecum"?
What's the cecum?
It's a medical term for guts.
Oh, Doc.
Did you know that brunettes
have less pigmentation in their skin
than natural blondes?
Where did that come from?
If I ever find one, I'll let
you know if that's right or not.
They're taller, too,
do you know that?
Statistics say that.
Not only that, they're
1 to 3 pounds heavier,
according to the AMA.
I didn't know you were
interested in medicine, Sy.
Oh, no, no. I'm a filler freak.
What kind of freak?
A filler freak.
The little items they use at the
end of an incomplete column.
Yeah. Yeah.
You never know when all that
stuff is gonna come in handy.
[telephone ringing]
Danny's with a "D."
Hey, Doc, are you here?
It's Sam.
Sam, may I remind
you it's my night off?
I'm sorry, Quince,
but I've got a hot one.
His name is Bigelow.
Accident victim, auto.
What's so special about him?
His gas chromatograph
goes through the ceiling.
Cocaine?
So? A lot of people
are sniffing coke
and driving deadly
weapons today.
No, this one was a passenger.
But his blood breakdown's
from outer space.
Sam, say what
you mean, will you?
I don't know what I mean.
Nothing seems to fit.
Quincy, you'd better
have a look at it.
Okay, I'll be right over.
Doc, no more homework here.
Next time you ask for
me, cover the phone.
You make one rotten
liar, you know that?
Doc, it's a cinch.
They ordered grasshoppers.
Take it up with Fanny.
Wait a minute.
Where are you going?
Doc, what am I going
to do with two of them?
Enjoy it. Your cup runneth over.
Wait a minute. Wait!
Sam, are you sure you
didn't make a mistake on this?
Ran it twice just to be sure.
It showed leukopenia, thrombocytopenia,
and immature erythrocytes.
One day I'm gonna have that
tongue of yours impounded.
Why don't you just say, low
white cells, platelets down to zilch?
What's left?
Not much. What was
the cause of death?
Would you believe an
inch-and-a-half gash on the forehead?
Of course, Bigelow
couldn't clot, right?
He bled to death.
I ordered bowel and marrow
sections. They should be ready.
Good. Good.
What have you got, Adam?
(Adam) This marrow
section is weird.
Now that's the way a
scientist talks, "weird."
That I understand.
Well.
Like Adam said, weird.
Let me see the bowel
section, will you?
Take a look at that, Sam.
Petechial hemorrhage,
loss of epithelium.
Again with the big words.
It fits, Quincy.
You bet it fits.
Our friend Bigelow
was a walking dead man.
Eddie.
Yeah, Quince?
Film a frame with that gash
on his forehead, will you?
You got it, Doc.
Write it up, Sam.
Severe radiation syndrome?
Yep, he was cooked.
Monahan's not
going to like this.
(Quincy) Why not?
He's got the driver booked for
possession and felony manslaughter.
Terrific! You know what
you guys just gave me?
Five to ten. That's years, man!
You talk like you've already
been convicted and sentenced.
Believe it.
I'm going down for
this one, and I know it.
Are you guilty?
I'm guilty of not minding
my own business.
For a lousy $100.
And I thought I
had it all together.
If you're innocent, the truth may
not help you, but it can't hurt you.
You say you got into
Bigelow's car at about 8:00.
Yeah. (Quincy) Did he
say where he'd been?
No.
Did you see him eat or drink?
(Sanchez) No.
Then, what did he
complain about?
Uh, stomach ache.
Dizziness. Said he had
a hell of a headache.
Why don't you go find the
car that ran me off the road?
I'm checking it out.
The only thing you're
checking out is my record.
And then you came in
here to blow me apart.
Was the cocaine
he was sniffing his?
No.
It was mine.
You know us taco-heads.
Get off my back!
I said my side six times if I said
it 60, and none of you believe me.
(Quincy) I asked you a question.
You wanna pour kerosene
all over yourself, go ahead.
You wanna light the
match, be my guest.
Don't blame anybody
else for the fire.
Hey!
The coke was his.
But you guys will make
sure it's mine, won't you?
The coke was
found in your pocket.
I told him I didn't use it, but
he put it in my shirt anyway.
By the time I was gonna
give it back to him...
The car was forced off the road.
You believe it?
I might. Sit down.
Close your mouth.
Take a deep breath.
[inhaling]
Take another deep breath.
Once more.
[speaking Spanish]
Where you been?
All right, Lieutenant?
Mrs. Sanchez has been waiting.
Yeah, we're all through here.
Are you the public defender?
No, I'm Dr. Quincy,
Coroner's Office.
Oh, I'm Maria, suspect's wife.
(Sanchez) Doc.
You mind if the suspect
spends some time with his wife?
Nice to have met you.
You've got a tough
case here, Lieutenant.
That boy hasn't been on coke.
I could tell by his
nasal membranes.
He tested clean, didn't he?
He did.
But he's charged with
possession, not using.
And a manslaughter
charge doesn't require...
I know what a manslaughter
charge requires,
but Bigelow would've survived the
wreck if he'd been in good health.
Legally, it doesn't make any
difference if he was on his deathbed.
The accident is
what killed them.
We're looking at a
lot bigger problem
than nailing a poor
kid like Sanchez.
A man in Bigelow's condition
would've had to be shot
with 1,000 rads of radiation.
(Quincy) Don't you
know what that means?
That's Hiroshima time.
That's your killer, not the kid.
Quince, I may have
something for you on that.
There's some stuff
coming in on Bigelow.
It turns out he was a technician
on that new reactor site.
San Miguel? You
didn't tell me about this.
It just came in.
Brill, I love you. Here,
here, coffee's on me.
Listen, you give me some time,
I... I promise you
I'll get you your killer.
But promise me you'll make
them go slow on Sanchez.
Wait a minute. This is
not that easy. Come on.
I'm looking at hard evidence.
The coke was found on the kid.
There wasn't any witnesses to
someone forcing them off the road.
But you'll do it.
I know you will.
I wouldn't have one regulation
problem if it wasn't for you.
That's why I love you.
You are a rock on the outside,
a marshmallow on the inside.
If he loves me so much, why
doesn't he buy me a cup of coffee?
[crowd booing]
Please. Please, will
you let me explain?
Now look, I fully
understand your concern.
But I assure each
and every one of you,
this facility is as
environmentally safe
as your local bakery,
probably more so.
[crowd clamoring]
All right! All right!
All right, I'm not out here to prevent
you from demonstrating peacefully,
but I do insist that you do not
block this driveway to traffic.
This facility must
conduct business.
If I have to, I will go
out and get an injunction
and remove you
from the premises.
[crowd shouting]
Hold it! Hold it! Hold it!
We'll be dead. It's
no bakery truck.
If it's so safe, what's
he doing here?
(crowd) Yeah!
[crowd yelling]
(Quincy) I have
an appointment with
Mr. Johnson of Public Relations.
Yeah, I'm Johnson. Uh,
couldn't you have driven out here
in something a
little less garish?
I mean, you can see
we have problems.
Oh, you see, this
is the company car.
My car is broken,
otherwise I would have.
Wonderful.
All right, look, fellas, will
you move them out, please?
[crowd yelling]
[car horn blaring]
As you can see, all our
employees wear security tags,
which limit their movement
throughout the facility.
Their dosimeters
are checked daily
against any possible
exposure to radiation.
And Bigelow's dosimeter
showed no signs of radiation?
Not as much as if he lived in
the average house in the suburbs.
He worked right there at
that desk. And everything,
everything in this facility
is checked and rechecked
and put through
the computer daily.
If there were
signs of radiation?
I wouldn't be standing here.
We'd be shut down.
Everything on Bigelow's autopsy
points to severe
radiation poisoning.
Listen to me, Doctor.
Loose talk like that
can cause us a
great deal of trouble.
That's not loose talk.
You have good reason
to be afraid of the truth.
The truth is Bigelow's job was
simply barebones paperwork.
He translated data into
computer language, that's all.
He never touched the reactor?
Absolutely not.
There have been no leakages,
no theft of any fissionable material.
Absolutely nothing that could
substantiate your charges.
[sighing]
We know our
business here, Doctor.
Then you knew he
was into cocaine?
Into what?
That's right. Into
cocaine very heavily.
And believe me, I
know my business.
Bigelow was not
top-security personnel.
Admittedly, clearances
are not always infallible.
Don't double talk me now.
It's too late. A man's dead.
A boy is gonna lose 10 years
of his life, if I don't get the truth.
All right.
What was your
estimate of his dosage?
Over 1,000 rads.
1,000 rads?
And did you do a Geiger reading
on his clothing and jewelry?
Yes, we did. We found nothing.
You found nothing?
Do you know what that means?
It means he couldn't have
been exposed at this plant.
Because our reactor
is neutron source,
and any exposure on a
ring, watch, or clothing
would leave it as
hot as a $2 pistol.
Why do I feel
you're cornering me?
Because I am.
Because it means there are
only two other alternatives, one:
Bigelow could only
have been exposed
to a lethal dosage of
gamma rays, cobalt source.
Here it comes. Or what?
I'll tell you what. You're absolutely
wrong about Bigelow's condition.
It's all wrong. There's no
way you can stop those leaks.
Our kids' lives are...
[car horn honking]
Hey!
Hey!
Come on, fella,
give us the word.
Tell your friends to
get away from the car.
How many are dead in there?
None. Will you ask them to move?
Sure. You just came by so
they could charge your battery.
Is that what you're telling me?
No, I'm just checking
on some information.
Are you checking
it, or covering it up?
What do you want me to say?
That when they put out the lights,
the employees glow in the dark?
Well, they don't.
If you believe that,
aren't you standing
a little too close
to the building?
Now, please...
[crowd shouting]
One of the most important
elements of a coroner's investigation
is what we call the
"terminal episode."
Now those are events that
preceded the actual death.
They tell us an awful lot.
You're gonna drill
me again, right?
That's right, I'm gonna
take it right from the top.
There may be
something you forgot.
Something important.
Now, come on, will you, Ray?
You got off work at 7:30.
Dr. Quincy,
ever since Ray and I got married,
he's been working two shifts.
He gets home at 9:00.
I even set up the alarm
for 3:00 every morning.
I know, Maria. If we have to
go to trial, it'll work in his favor.
(Quincy) Come on, Ray.
Okay.
[sighing]
I got off work, I was tired.
I went out to the bus stop.
That's when I saw Bigelow's car.
He honked and I went over.
Which direction was he driving?
Out of the parking lot.
Away from the building, I guess.
That's the Durnam
Building? Yeah.
All right, go ahead.
[sighing] He stopped. I got in.
He asked me to
drive him to the airport.
What?
The airport? You see that?
Why didn't you
tell us this before?
We never got there. He got sick.
That's when he asked
me to take him home.
Did he say where
he was flying to?
He never mentioned it.
We just drove off
Sunset into the hills.
That's when the car
did the number on us.
Dr. Quincy, is there any chance
that Ray will not
have to go to jail?
Oh, I can't answer that.
We just gotta hang in there.
You sound like my
old parole officer.
Your past record is not
going to work against you here.
This one goes from
scratch. I guarantee it.
Scratch, huh?
Yeah, and Christmas is
gonna be in July this year.
You just be there when
they read the verdict.
Count on it.
I'll be right back. Dr. Quincy!
He's going to jail, isn't he?
Well, I hope not.
But you should have
professional advice.
You should get a lawyer.
Public defenders, they
all talk the same way.
Ray feels that
you are on his side.
Believe me, there are a
lot of people on his side.
Oh, sure.
He has to beat
them off with clubs.
He's innocent until
he's proven guilty.
All right, Doctor, you said it.
I will try to believe it.
Yes.
I believe you.
(Quincy) Sam, what did
you get from hematology?
I'm not getting anything.
What are you talking
about, nothing?
You wanna repeat the count?
Yes, I do.
[machine whirring]
I don't believe it.
Well, he certainly wasn't
exposed to a neutron source.
The tissues are destroyed
but there is no gamma count.
There's no count but Bigelow
definitely got hit with gamma.
But where? I mean,
where is the source?
I've got to find it.
Yes, you do that, if you have
a thirst for private practice.
Have you seen this?
Nobody's going
home free on this one.
(Quincy) Oh, boy.
(Astin) You might
be self-employed yet.
Sam. Sam, whatever
test results you have,
I want them packaged,
sealed, and on my desk by 4:00.
The NSC is going to
drop by and say hello
and pick them up
along with body.
The NSC?
What's the Nuclear Safety
Commission got to do with this?
Well, they're funny.
When someone charges
their San Miguel installation
as a hazard to the environment,
they want to check
it out themselves.
They can't do that!
They can and have.
They sealed Bigelow's apartment
and pulled his personal effects.
By order of who?
By order of Mr. Johnson
of San Miguel.
Does that include
an airline ticket?
Yeah, to Mexico.
How did you know that?
That proves that Sanchez
was telling the truth.
He said Bigelow told him
to drive him to the airport
then he changed his mind
and decided to go home.
Quincy, I want you to
step out of this quietly.
You've involved us with a
very powerful organization.
And the last thing I
want is more headlines.
Well, I want one more.
The one that tells me
that Sanchez is free.
Sam, the NSC.
(Lanz) No, Mr. Sullivan,
there's no mistake.
The key drawing was deliberately
left out of the package we sent you.
(man) You're holding out on me.
I'm sorry, sir. You said it would
require time for your company
to evaluate the
value of the goods.
That's right.
Fine, take the time, but
until payment is made,
you only see the
elephant's ears, not its trunk.
24 hours.
24 hours is fine.
Looking forward
to hearing from you.
They are not trying
to back out, are they?
No, no, they're only trying to
get their cake and eat it, too.
We'll get the
money. Don't worry.
I wouldn't, if we
were already in Rio.
But I don't like this.
I was right when I
recruited Bigelow, wasn't I?
You'll see I'm right about this.
They'll be chasing circles over
his death months after we're gone.
(nurse) Dr. Brown.
I know. Dr. Quincy.
I was reading about
you in the paper.
Thanks for seeing me so soon.
You're due at
General in 20 minutes.
I know. I know.
Fascinating case, Doctor.
Tell me, what can I do for you?
Uh, this is Donald
Bigelow and he was seen
leaving this
parking lot last night.
I'm checking to see if
he was a patient here
or if he worked for
someone in the building.
You're hunting for the
radiation source. Yeah.
Forensic pathology
must be a fascinating field.
Tell me, what was the dosage?
Over 1,000 rads, gamma rays.
[whistlin 9 Wow! ]
I've seen accidents where
the patient got 100 or 200.
But 1,000, that's murder.
That's what we figure.
I want to know if it could
have happened here.
No, I'm afraid not.
Excuse me.
Doctor, your meeting
with the chairman...
When we built the building,
and did the new wing, I specified
no gamma sources, no cobalt.
All therapy radiation must be
administered in hospital facilities.
When there's no risk of cleaning
ladies turning on a cobalt machine,
the, uh, malpractice premiums
go down considerably.
Yeah, I can understand that.
Doctor!
The $64,000 question still is:
What was Bigelow doing
here last night at 8:00?
8:00, huh? At that time
all the offices are closed.
But I'll have my
girl check it for you.
Thanks. Save me a lot of time.
Yeah.
It'll save you a lot of trouble.
If you're looking for radiation,
better carry this dosimeter
in case you, uh, run into
the same source Bigelow did.
Okay, out of the line
of fire, everybody.
It's picture time.
Three exposures on this one.
(worker) Have your
cassettes ready.
Yes?
I'm Dr. Quincy, I'm with
the Coroner's Office.
Arthur Lanz. What
can I do for you?
How you doing?
This guy's name
is Donald Bigelow.
Did you happen to see him
around here last night around 8:00?
Don't believe I can help you.
(Lanz) And my crews cut
out at 4:30. Strong union.
So you didn't see this guy, huh?
I try to beat my crews
home myself, if I can.
Right, honey?
Thanks anyway.
Imagine, he came right here.
That's your trouble.
You imagine too much.
Just keep your mind
on tomorrow night.
You'll be flying to
Brazil and Dr. Quincy
will still be chasing shadows.
Hi, Quince. How's
this for a day's work?
How did it go with you?
Uh, zero, Sam.
Zero. Who am I
kidding? Double zero.
Unless you want
to count a souvenir.
Dosimeter?
Yeah.
The only one exposed
was that poor guy, Sanchez.
Nobody saw Bigelow.
There's no gamma
source in the entire building.
Not a bloody trace and yet I
know it's there somewhere.
What is it, Sam, am I crazy?
We have both seen the lab
evidence, we know the answers.
But there's not a trace.
What, am I going blind?
(Maria) You're not
blind, Dr. Quincy.
You just don't want to see.
I believed you when you
said my husband would get off.
It's all right.
Maria, go along
with me a little longer.
I can come up with something.
You gave me a lot of hope with
a whole bunch of empty words,
and I believed you because I
needed something to grab onto.
Please sit down,
please. Please. Come.
I'll get you some water.
There is something to hang onto.
There's Ray's innocence.
How do you know that?
How do you know it?
Because he told you,
or because he told me?
[crying] And even
if he is innocent,
how many days does that
take off a 20-year sentence?
He's still going to jail.
Maria, I can't believe you're
gonna run out on him now.
Believe it. You better
believe it, Dr. Quincy.
Things have changed
now, you know.
This morning Ray confessed.
Momma“, what
happened to Sanchez?
The kid gave us
his full confession.
But he's innocent. Why
would he do a thing like that?
Don't ask me. Ask his lawyers.
They were the ones
that went to the DA.
His lawyers? What lawyers?
That kid couldn't
afford an organ grinder.
I know. They were heavyweights.
They got the charge
reduced to possession
with involuntary manslaughter.
Holy mackerel!
That's not even plea bargaining!
That kid will do three years.
More, if he gets
into trouble inside.
Quincy, the kid bought it.
There's nothing I could do.
Oh, come on. You know
there's more to it than that.
Quincy, let's face
it, the kid's a loser.
He used to be a loser.
He hasn't made a bad
move since he got married.
Then why did he let Johnson
and the NSC get to him?
I made a deal, that's right.
You're stupid!
Why? Because I confessed?
That's right.
You're innocent.
You know and I know.
You ever been in the slammer,
on the flip side of the bars?
So don't tell me I'm stupid.
Three years I can do
standing on my head.
Really? What is your
wife supposed to be doing
while you're standing
on your head?
Keep my wife out of this.
No, we're not going to.
How much are they paying you?
I never said anything
about money.
You don't have to. I know them.
The quicker you're in jail,
the quicker the heat is off them.
How much did Johnson's
lawyers offer you?
Look, you don't know...
Please! Don't rationalize.
What's the amount?
$50,000. $50,000?
They'll take care of Maria.
And when I get out, they'll
have a job waiting for me.
Look, she's pregnant.
She'll do something
crazy. I can't let her do that.
What about her?
Have you discussed
it with your wife?
Doc, if she has an abortion,
our marriage is dead.
I won't have anything
to come out for.
I had to make that deal.
I want that baby.
[car horn honking]
[people shouting]
Oh, Mr. Johnson.
Oh, Dr. Quincy.
I want to talk to you about
something very important.
I don't have time right now.
You better make time unless you
want me to park that black wagon
in front and make speeches.
Accusations
require proof, Doctor.
Rumors will be enough,
when I tell them how your
bosses pulled the rug out
from under my investigation.
The heads of this organization
had nothing to do with it.
You mean this
charade is your idea?
Now you listen to me.
This institution is working
at two-thirds capacity
because of investigations,
endless hearings,
and environmental speech making.
You have no idea,
what that incident
you touched off outside cost us.
Why don't you
add it to the cost of
putting the skids
under Ray Sanchez?
We were simply
helping a young man
who needed some
legal assistance.
Oh, isn't that sweet of you?
Maybe you'd like to do his
three years of hard time, too.
I got a better idea. Why don't
you go outside and tell the people
how, out of the
goodness of your heart,
you sent your lawyers to help
that young man and his wife?
This meeting is over.
No, it isn't.
Malfeasance and bribery
aren't gonna fit well around you
and that's what you're
gonna be accused of.
Unless you call your
lawyers and tell them
to withdraw their
offer right now!
Quincy!
Doreen called me, she
read this in the paper
and wants you to autograph it.
Get me a beer,
will you? I'm thirsty.
You see, she
collects these things.
Quincy, I've been looking
all over town for you.
Where have you been?
"Miss you at Fanny's."
I'm all yours, Sy.
I'm your best friend and
you didn't even call me.
For what?
You know I want to get
out of doing obituaries.
You're sitting on a big story
and you don't even call me.
This is an obit.
The guy died, right?
Oh, sure, it's an obit.
Buy it's more than that. There's a
radiation story here. Just fill me in.
You know what's gonna happen?
I'm gonna get a front page, a feature,
and a byline.
Come on, fill me in.
It's over, Sy. The
NSC's moved in.
The NSC? Wait a minute,
there's got to be something.
Move over a
little bit, will you?
It's worth something.
What was the source
of the radiation?
If I could tell you that, I
could give you a real story.
Gamma rays, right?
Give me a little
space, will you?
I'm only trying to get
a story. Now, look,
if it isn't a government
installation,
then it has to be
therapeutic or industrial.
Because those are the
only kind they license.
Say that again. License?
No, "industrial."
Private companies, they can't
have cobalt machines, can they?
Oh, sure, sure. They use it to
x-ray buildings and things like that,
after earthquake
damage, structural pieces.
Where do you pick up
information like that?
Quince, I told you I
read about that stuff.
You're moving again, Sy.
Come on, we got a lot
of phone calls to make.
(Quincy) No, I don't
want to lease a machine.
Can you tell me if
you know anybody
that might've hired a
man named Bigelow?
That's Donald Bigelow.
Maybe he's a consultant.
Yeah, I know you're a secretary.
Okay, thanks anyway.
Sorry to have bothered you.
Okay.
No luck.
No, all right, thank
you very much.
(Sy) That just about
rolls out the string.
We've checked nearly every
licensed machine in California.
Well, it's safer by
phone than in person.
Quincy picked up 100 milliroentgens
running around yesterday.
What are you talking about?
The dosimeter you gave me.
I ran it through
radiology just to check.
They said at least
100 milliroentgens.
I couldn't have.
You got zapped somewhere.
They suggested you wear a
lead apron if you keep this up.
I came directly from the
Durnam Building to the lab.
Wait a minute. Wait a minute.
Sy, I want you to go
over the list again. Local.
Get all the outfits that leased
a machine over the past month.
What am I looking for? A place.
There's a construction operation
right next to the Durnam Building.
Try the name “Lanz”.“ L-A—N-Z.
If you're looking for
Monahan, he's not here.
(Quincy) Where is he?
He's over with the DA.
He's up to his
hips in alligators.
I need him. I need
a warrant from him.
Brill, get all the arrest
records on Sanchez.
Oh, plus the
confession dictation.
Am I glad you're here.
(Monahan) I'm not
overjoyed at seeing you.
Whatever fire you built under
those San Miguel people,
they're burning my tail. Their
lawyers are standing sideways,
trying to slide out of this
deal they made with Sanchez.
I'm going to be able to prove
that Sanchez is innocent.
You'd better be, because the
D.A.'s going to come down hard
after all this flack.
Big deal.
All I want from you
is a search warrant.
A search warrant
is all you want?
Yeah, for the Lanz
Construction site.
They got a cobalt
machine on the premises,
they rented from
California Neutronics.
Don't you see? That's
the gamma source.
Gamma source? Terrific.
Look, Bigelow probably got
the radiation there. I'll bet on it.
Then tell it to the NSC.
I don't have time.
Lanz already lied.
He said he'd never met Bigelow.
I can think of 1,000 reasons
why people lie to you.
Here you are, Lieutenant.
Monahan!
Like I said, it's the
business of the NSC.
Stay out of it.
[knocking at door]
Dr. Quincy.
I'm flattered that
you remember me.
Is something wrong?
May I come in, please?
Is Arthur around?
Uh, he's busy with the crew.
Would you get
him for me, please?
It could be very important.
It'll take a moment.
I'll wait.
Well, Dr. Quincy.
Addie said you wanted to see me.
I wanted to talk to you
again about Donald Bigelow.
Oh, I told you then
that I didn't know him.
Uh, did you read in the
paper he died from radiation?
I understood it was
an automobile accident.
Look, I'm very busy here
wrapping up a project.
I haven't had a chance
to keep up with the news.
(Lanz) Exactly
what is it you want?
We have a witness who saw
him in this area the night he died.
And I was wondering,
is it possible
he could have gotten access
to that cobalt machine out there?
Of course not.
As you can see,
we're fenced in here.
A man would have to be a fool
to play with that baby, anyway.
Unless, of course, he were
trying to steal the cobalt.
He was not a fool when
it came to radiation.
He knew his stuff.
He worked for the
San Miguel installation.
Then I would suggest
you look there.
Really, Dr. Quincy, I do
have a lot of work to do.
So do I, it seems.
Thank you very much.
You're welcome.
Bye.
You said that there was no way
they could trace him back to us.
They can't. A Geiger counter
won't give off a tick in this trailer.
Yeah, he sure got one from me.
We'll be out of here
and gone by 4:00.
Our customer confirmed.
We'll make the
exchange at the airport.
Give me a hand with
this, will you, Sam?
It doesn't look like it'll make
much of a dinner for both of us.
I'm gonna pull a blood
sample and then dissect it.
You think somebody may have
murdered this guppy in cold blood?
The death of this guppy was
purely accidental, big mouth.
That's the same pattern, it's
identical. We did it! I'm telling you.
I thought you were going
crazy with that guppy.
Quincy, I want your
attention. I'm a very fair man.
Therefore, I'm giving you
a chance to try to explain
the flack that's coming down
from Monahan's office. Go ahead.
My pleasure.
Take a look at this.
What do you mean, look at that?
Go ahead.
All right, I see a condition
I've never seen before
in a man alive or dead.
They' re from
Lebistes reticulatus,
You mean, that...
It's a guppy who died
of radiation poisoning.
That's a guppy?
Yeah!
Gentlemen, we have enough work
here on people, we don't do fish.
I found this fish
in the same place
that Bigelow spent
his last evening alive.
With some help, I can
prove he was killed.
Not him again.
You don't understand. This
proves radiation poisoning!
Even in Lebistes reticulatus,
So what?
The nuclear changes indicate a
tremendous source of radiation.
Gamma radiation.
And if Bigelow was standing
between the source and the aquarium,
we get the same picture we got on his
autopsy before it was taken away from us.
Ah.
Right.
I could call Monahan,
I could call the
newspapers. I, uh,
We'd look pretty
good, wouldn't we?
Oh, yes, we would look good.
We could prove it.
Well, with a little "T and D."
What's "T and D"?
(both) Trickery and deceit.
Oh, no. Listen...
You have enough clout
to get a judge off a dime.
We'd like a search
warrant worded just like that.
Oh, you must be kidding.
Headlines.
Would look good.
[whistles] Budget?
Quincy, if this is wrong,
there's going to be
a lot of egg on a
lot of people's faces.
It wouldn't be the first time.
Oh, honey, I'm so
glad this is almost over.
[knocking at door] I told you
there was nothing to worry about.
We're on our way.
Arthur.
Oh, Dr. Quincy.
I'm sorry, we're
just about to leave.
Oh, let me introduce
you to It. Monahan.
May we come in, please?
What's this all about?
A thing called radiation. Of course,
some people would call it murder.
What?
That's right, lady.
In here, Lieutenant.
The two of you
come along, please.
It was a terrible mistake
to let that cobalt machine
shoot 1,000 rads
through the window.
Oh, Arthur, he knows. Shut up!
She's right, Arthur, I do know.
Not that it was that tough.
Dying plants, dying fish.
Radiation is a
terrible way to go.
That's how Bigelow
was gonna die,
if you two hadn't
pushed him off the road.
No, there's no way
you can prove that.
Oh, I can prove it, all right.
And I can nail your
secretary as an accomplice.
I didn't... I didn't want
him to kill Bigelow!
Miss, before you say anything...
No! Arthur did it,
just like he said,
while Don was drawing
up the plans for the reactor.
What plans?
They're in his briefcase.
So, that's what was going on.
Bigelow was stealing
the plans from San Miguel
and then he was
selling them to you.
I'll bet the handwriting
on those plans
matched Don
Bigelow's handwriting.
Can I see that case?
No, no, no, just a minute.
You're not going
to see anything.
Now this is illegal. You
don't have a warrant.
Oh, it's legal, all right.
We have a warrant, sir.
It says here:
"Search and inspect on suspicion
of animal abuse on
commercial property."
What the hell are
you talking about?
Those poor dying fish.
Tsk. Tsk. Tsk.
And by the time I book
you, it'll be murder one.
How do you know he'll like them?
Didn't you make them?
Well, not everybody
is a taco-head like you.
Oh, look who's here!
Quincy.
How are you, little mama?
I'm very sorry about
the way I behaved.
Please forgive me.
Don't worry. You just
worry about the baby.
And you, a three-year stretch,
and you did it just like that.
Anything for me, what are they?
Those are churros.
She made them.
Oh, terrific.
Hey, Sam, you ever taste one
of these? They're called churros.
You kidding? This
is Japanese kreplach.
Yeah, I don't feel good.
His name is Bigelow.
Accident victim, auto.
What's so special about him?
But his blood breakdown's
from outer space.
Was it cocaine he was sniffing?
I can think of 1,000 reasons
why people lie to you.
You're innocent.
You know and I know.
Quincy, let's face
it, the kid's a loser.
He used to be a loser.
This morning Ray confessed.
All right, I see a condition
I've never seen before
in a man alive or dead.
Our friend Bigelow
was a walking dead man.
Gentlemen, you
are about to enter
the fascinating
sphere of police work:
the world of forensic medicine.
[wind howling]
[sighing]
Here you go, honey.
Don't you think a
celebration is a bit premature?
Relax. There's
nothing to worry about.
He'll be at the
airport in an hour.
You may have hit him too
early with the exposure, Arthur.
[sniffing]
[sighing]
Did you see how he looked
when he came in today?
I didn't think he'd
make it to his desk.
He made it. This way he won't
have long after he reaches Mexico.
Hey, Don.
Thank you.
[sighing]
(Lanz) These are
really beautiful.
Are you sure they're accurate?
You're an engineer. You
know they're accurate.
It's the cleanest plutonium
reactor they've come up with yet.
Thanks.
You sure there'll be no problem
with the bank in Mexico City?
There's never a problem
with a safety deposit box.
Well, I'd feel a lot better if I had
the money in my pocket right now.
Do you want to carry
$20,000 past airport security?
That'll be embarrassing
for all of us.
Listen. You better
be straight, that's all.
I get 10 percent
when the sale is made,
or else, I'll tell you the
truth, I-I'll blow the whistle.
Listen, Don. Don't worry. Relax.
(Lanz) Nothing's gonna go wrong.
Everything is in good shape.
With $2 million on the
line, I'm not gonna let
anything jeopardize this deal.
Have a good trip.
Thanks.
You all right?
Yeah, I'm just
tired, that's all.
Well, listen, maybe
you'd better not go.
No, no, no. I'm fine. I'm
going. I mean, I'm going.
Good luck.
Take care. Bye.
He's had it.
[car engine starting]
[car horn blaring]
Hey, you okay?
Hey!
You okay? Are you?
Yeah, I don't feel good.
[wind blowing]
You want to make
some extra money?
What do I gotta
do, kill somebody?
No, you drive me to the
airport and I'll give you this $100.
You got it.
What's he up to?
I don't know.
(Lanz) But by tomorrow night,
Sullivan'll be on his way back
to the Mideast with those plans,
and I'll be $2 million richer.
No stupid cokehead's
gonna foul me up.
You don't need an airport, man.
You need a hospital.
Yeah, I don't feel good.
Forget... forget the airport.
Make a left here, okay?
I think he just
fouled up your plan.
He'll never make it to the
airport going in that direction.
He won't make it there at all.
What about the other guy?
That's his problem.
I'll pick you up
here in half an hour.
That ain't gonna
do you any good.
It always has before.
[moaning] Here.
You take this stuff.
No. No, thanks, I never
use the stuff. Here.
Hey, what is that?
[screaming]
Hey, not much of a
crop tonight, Danny.
(Danny) You ain't exactly
Robert Redford, you know.
The guy got you in the restaurant
column a couple of days ago.
Yeah, sure, "Fanny's at the
marina." Danny's with a "D."
Hey, hey, I got it
half right, didn't I?
It could happen to anybody.
No, no, no, only to me, Quincy.
"Fanny's at the marina."
Hey, all right.
Danny, come here.
Two drinks for
the girls over there.
Listen, put it on my tab, okay?
But tell them that
I am a reporter
and my friend here is
a doctor. Don't forget.
A reporter and a doctor?
You write obituaries, he
works in the Coroner's Office.
All I need is a mortician and
business will die altogether.
What's the "d-d-deterioration
of the cecum"?
What's the cecum?
It's a medical term for guts.
Oh, Doc.
Did you know that brunettes
have less pigmentation in their skin
than natural blondes?
Where did that come from?
If I ever find one, I'll let
you know if that's right or not.
They're taller, too,
do you know that?
Statistics say that.
Not only that, they're
1 to 3 pounds heavier,
according to the AMA.
I didn't know you were
interested in medicine, Sy.
Oh, no, no. I'm a filler freak.
What kind of freak?
A filler freak.
The little items they use at the
end of an incomplete column.
Yeah. Yeah.
You never know when all that
stuff is gonna come in handy.
[telephone ringing]
Danny's with a "D."
Hey, Doc, are you here?
It's Sam.
Sam, may I remind
you it's my night off?
I'm sorry, Quince,
but I've got a hot one.
His name is Bigelow.
Accident victim, auto.
What's so special about him?
His gas chromatograph
goes through the ceiling.
Cocaine?
So? A lot of people
are sniffing coke
and driving deadly
weapons today.
No, this one was a passenger.
But his blood breakdown's
from outer space.
Sam, say what
you mean, will you?
I don't know what I mean.
Nothing seems to fit.
Quincy, you'd better
have a look at it.
Okay, I'll be right over.
Doc, no more homework here.
Next time you ask for
me, cover the phone.
You make one rotten
liar, you know that?
Doc, it's a cinch.
They ordered grasshoppers.
Take it up with Fanny.
Wait a minute.
Where are you going?
Doc, what am I going
to do with two of them?
Enjoy it. Your cup runneth over.
Wait a minute. Wait!
Sam, are you sure you
didn't make a mistake on this?
Ran it twice just to be sure.
It showed leukopenia, thrombocytopenia,
and immature erythrocytes.
One day I'm gonna have that
tongue of yours impounded.
Why don't you just say, low
white cells, platelets down to zilch?
What's left?
Not much. What was
the cause of death?
Would you believe an
inch-and-a-half gash on the forehead?
Of course, Bigelow
couldn't clot, right?
He bled to death.
I ordered bowel and marrow
sections. They should be ready.
Good. Good.
What have you got, Adam?
(Adam) This marrow
section is weird.
Now that's the way a
scientist talks, "weird."
That I understand.
Well.
Like Adam said, weird.
Let me see the bowel
section, will you?
Take a look at that, Sam.
Petechial hemorrhage,
loss of epithelium.
Again with the big words.
It fits, Quincy.
You bet it fits.
Our friend Bigelow
was a walking dead man.
Eddie.
Yeah, Quince?
Film a frame with that gash
on his forehead, will you?
You got it, Doc.
Write it up, Sam.
Severe radiation syndrome?
Yep, he was cooked.
Monahan's not
going to like this.
(Quincy) Why not?
He's got the driver booked for
possession and felony manslaughter.
Terrific! You know what
you guys just gave me?
Five to ten. That's years, man!
You talk like you've already
been convicted and sentenced.
Believe it.
I'm going down for
this one, and I know it.
Are you guilty?
I'm guilty of not minding
my own business.
For a lousy $100.
And I thought I
had it all together.
If you're innocent, the truth may
not help you, but it can't hurt you.
You say you got into
Bigelow's car at about 8:00.
Yeah. (Quincy) Did he
say where he'd been?
No.
Did you see him eat or drink?
(Sanchez) No.
Then, what did he
complain about?
Uh, stomach ache.
Dizziness. Said he had
a hell of a headache.
Why don't you go find the
car that ran me off the road?
I'm checking it out.
The only thing you're
checking out is my record.
And then you came in
here to blow me apart.
Was the cocaine
he was sniffing his?
No.
It was mine.
You know us taco-heads.
Get off my back!
I said my side six times if I said
it 60, and none of you believe me.
(Quincy) I asked you a question.
You wanna pour kerosene
all over yourself, go ahead.
You wanna light the
match, be my guest.
Don't blame anybody
else for the fire.
Hey!
The coke was his.
But you guys will make
sure it's mine, won't you?
The coke was
found in your pocket.
I told him I didn't use it, but
he put it in my shirt anyway.
By the time I was gonna
give it back to him...
The car was forced off the road.
You believe it?
I might. Sit down.
Close your mouth.
Take a deep breath.
[inhaling]
Take another deep breath.
Once more.
[speaking Spanish]
Where you been?
All right, Lieutenant?
Mrs. Sanchez has been waiting.
Yeah, we're all through here.
Are you the public defender?
No, I'm Dr. Quincy,
Coroner's Office.
Oh, I'm Maria, suspect's wife.
(Sanchez) Doc.
You mind if the suspect
spends some time with his wife?
Nice to have met you.
You've got a tough
case here, Lieutenant.
That boy hasn't been on coke.
I could tell by his
nasal membranes.
He tested clean, didn't he?
He did.
But he's charged with
possession, not using.
And a manslaughter
charge doesn't require...
I know what a manslaughter
charge requires,
but Bigelow would've survived the
wreck if he'd been in good health.
Legally, it doesn't make any
difference if he was on his deathbed.
The accident is
what killed them.
We're looking at a
lot bigger problem
than nailing a poor
kid like Sanchez.
A man in Bigelow's condition
would've had to be shot
with 1,000 rads of radiation.
(Quincy) Don't you
know what that means?
That's Hiroshima time.
That's your killer, not the kid.
Quince, I may have
something for you on that.
There's some stuff
coming in on Bigelow.
It turns out he was a technician
on that new reactor site.
San Miguel? You
didn't tell me about this.
It just came in.
Brill, I love you. Here,
here, coffee's on me.
Listen, you give me some time,
I... I promise you
I'll get you your killer.
But promise me you'll make
them go slow on Sanchez.
Wait a minute. This is
not that easy. Come on.
I'm looking at hard evidence.
The coke was found on the kid.
There wasn't any witnesses to
someone forcing them off the road.
But you'll do it.
I know you will.
I wouldn't have one regulation
problem if it wasn't for you.
That's why I love you.
You are a rock on the outside,
a marshmallow on the inside.
If he loves me so much, why
doesn't he buy me a cup of coffee?
[crowd booing]
Please. Please, will
you let me explain?
Now look, I fully
understand your concern.
But I assure each
and every one of you,
this facility is as
environmentally safe
as your local bakery,
probably more so.
[crowd clamoring]
All right! All right!
All right, I'm not out here to prevent
you from demonstrating peacefully,
but I do insist that you do not
block this driveway to traffic.
This facility must
conduct business.
If I have to, I will go
out and get an injunction
and remove you
from the premises.
[crowd shouting]
Hold it! Hold it! Hold it!
We'll be dead. It's
no bakery truck.
If it's so safe, what's
he doing here?
(crowd) Yeah!
[crowd yelling]
(Quincy) I have
an appointment with
Mr. Johnson of Public Relations.
Yeah, I'm Johnson. Uh,
couldn't you have driven out here
in something a
little less garish?
I mean, you can see
we have problems.
Oh, you see, this
is the company car.
My car is broken,
otherwise I would have.
Wonderful.
All right, look, fellas, will
you move them out, please?
[crowd yelling]
[car horn blaring]
As you can see, all our
employees wear security tags,
which limit their movement
throughout the facility.
Their dosimeters
are checked daily
against any possible
exposure to radiation.
And Bigelow's dosimeter
showed no signs of radiation?
Not as much as if he lived in
the average house in the suburbs.
He worked right there at
that desk. And everything,
everything in this facility
is checked and rechecked
and put through
the computer daily.
If there were
signs of radiation?
I wouldn't be standing here.
We'd be shut down.
Everything on Bigelow's autopsy
points to severe
radiation poisoning.
Listen to me, Doctor.
Loose talk like that
can cause us a
great deal of trouble.
That's not loose talk.
You have good reason
to be afraid of the truth.
The truth is Bigelow's job was
simply barebones paperwork.
He translated data into
computer language, that's all.
He never touched the reactor?
Absolutely not.
There have been no leakages,
no theft of any fissionable material.
Absolutely nothing that could
substantiate your charges.
[sighing]
We know our
business here, Doctor.
Then you knew he
was into cocaine?
Into what?
That's right. Into
cocaine very heavily.
And believe me, I
know my business.
Bigelow was not
top-security personnel.
Admittedly, clearances
are not always infallible.
Don't double talk me now.
It's too late. A man's dead.
A boy is gonna lose 10 years
of his life, if I don't get the truth.
All right.
What was your
estimate of his dosage?
Over 1,000 rads.
1,000 rads?
And did you do a Geiger reading
on his clothing and jewelry?
Yes, we did. We found nothing.
You found nothing?
Do you know what that means?
It means he couldn't have
been exposed at this plant.
Because our reactor
is neutron source,
and any exposure on a
ring, watch, or clothing
would leave it as
hot as a $2 pistol.
Why do I feel
you're cornering me?
Because I am.
Because it means there are
only two other alternatives, one:
Bigelow could only
have been exposed
to a lethal dosage of
gamma rays, cobalt source.
Here it comes. Or what?
I'll tell you what. You're absolutely
wrong about Bigelow's condition.
It's all wrong. There's no
way you can stop those leaks.
Our kids' lives are...
[car horn honking]
Hey!
Hey!
Come on, fella,
give us the word.
Tell your friends to
get away from the car.
How many are dead in there?
None. Will you ask them to move?
Sure. You just came by so
they could charge your battery.
Is that what you're telling me?
No, I'm just checking
on some information.
Are you checking
it, or covering it up?
What do you want me to say?
That when they put out the lights,
the employees glow in the dark?
Well, they don't.
If you believe that,
aren't you standing
a little too close
to the building?
Now, please...
[crowd shouting]
One of the most important
elements of a coroner's investigation
is what we call the
"terminal episode."
Now those are events that
preceded the actual death.
They tell us an awful lot.
You're gonna drill
me again, right?
That's right, I'm gonna
take it right from the top.
There may be
something you forgot.
Something important.
Now, come on, will you, Ray?
You got off work at 7:30.
Dr. Quincy,
ever since Ray and I got married,
he's been working two shifts.
He gets home at 9:00.
I even set up the alarm
for 3:00 every morning.
I know, Maria. If we have to
go to trial, it'll work in his favor.
(Quincy) Come on, Ray.
Okay.
[sighing]
I got off work, I was tired.
I went out to the bus stop.
That's when I saw Bigelow's car.
He honked and I went over.
Which direction was he driving?
Out of the parking lot.
Away from the building, I guess.
That's the Durnam
Building? Yeah.
All right, go ahead.
[sighing] He stopped. I got in.
He asked me to
drive him to the airport.
What?
The airport? You see that?
Why didn't you
tell us this before?
We never got there. He got sick.
That's when he asked
me to take him home.
Did he say where
he was flying to?
He never mentioned it.
We just drove off
Sunset into the hills.
That's when the car
did the number on us.
Dr. Quincy, is there any chance
that Ray will not
have to go to jail?
Oh, I can't answer that.
We just gotta hang in there.
You sound like my
old parole officer.
Your past record is not
going to work against you here.
This one goes from
scratch. I guarantee it.
Scratch, huh?
Yeah, and Christmas is
gonna be in July this year.
You just be there when
they read the verdict.
Count on it.
I'll be right back. Dr. Quincy!
He's going to jail, isn't he?
Well, I hope not.
But you should have
professional advice.
You should get a lawyer.
Public defenders, they
all talk the same way.
Ray feels that
you are on his side.
Believe me, there are a
lot of people on his side.
Oh, sure.
He has to beat
them off with clubs.
He's innocent until
he's proven guilty.
All right, Doctor, you said it.
I will try to believe it.
Yes.
I believe you.
(Quincy) Sam, what did
you get from hematology?
I'm not getting anything.
What are you talking
about, nothing?
You wanna repeat the count?
Yes, I do.
[machine whirring]
I don't believe it.
Well, he certainly wasn't
exposed to a neutron source.
The tissues are destroyed
but there is no gamma count.
There's no count but Bigelow
definitely got hit with gamma.
But where? I mean,
where is the source?
I've got to find it.
Yes, you do that, if you have
a thirst for private practice.
Have you seen this?
Nobody's going
home free on this one.
(Quincy) Oh, boy.
(Astin) You might
be self-employed yet.
Sam. Sam, whatever
test results you have,
I want them packaged,
sealed, and on my desk by 4:00.
The NSC is going to
drop by and say hello
and pick them up
along with body.
The NSC?
What's the Nuclear Safety
Commission got to do with this?
Well, they're funny.
When someone charges
their San Miguel installation
as a hazard to the environment,
they want to check
it out themselves.
They can't do that!
They can and have.
They sealed Bigelow's apartment
and pulled his personal effects.
By order of who?
By order of Mr. Johnson
of San Miguel.
Does that include
an airline ticket?
Yeah, to Mexico.
How did you know that?
That proves that Sanchez
was telling the truth.
He said Bigelow told him
to drive him to the airport
then he changed his mind
and decided to go home.
Quincy, I want you to
step out of this quietly.
You've involved us with a
very powerful organization.
And the last thing I
want is more headlines.
Well, I want one more.
The one that tells me
that Sanchez is free.
Sam, the NSC.
(Lanz) No, Mr. Sullivan,
there's no mistake.
The key drawing was deliberately
left out of the package we sent you.
(man) You're holding out on me.
I'm sorry, sir. You said it would
require time for your company
to evaluate the
value of the goods.
That's right.
Fine, take the time, but
until payment is made,
you only see the
elephant's ears, not its trunk.
24 hours.
24 hours is fine.
Looking forward
to hearing from you.
They are not trying
to back out, are they?
No, no, they're only trying to
get their cake and eat it, too.
We'll get the
money. Don't worry.
I wouldn't, if we
were already in Rio.
But I don't like this.
I was right when I
recruited Bigelow, wasn't I?
You'll see I'm right about this.
They'll be chasing circles over
his death months after we're gone.
(nurse) Dr. Brown.
I know. Dr. Quincy.
I was reading about
you in the paper.
Thanks for seeing me so soon.
You're due at
General in 20 minutes.
I know. I know.
Fascinating case, Doctor.
Tell me, what can I do for you?
Uh, this is Donald
Bigelow and he was seen
leaving this
parking lot last night.
I'm checking to see if
he was a patient here
or if he worked for
someone in the building.
You're hunting for the
radiation source. Yeah.
Forensic pathology
must be a fascinating field.
Tell me, what was the dosage?
Over 1,000 rads, gamma rays.
[whistlin 9 Wow! ]
I've seen accidents where
the patient got 100 or 200.
But 1,000, that's murder.
That's what we figure.
I want to know if it could
have happened here.
No, I'm afraid not.
Excuse me.
Doctor, your meeting
with the chairman...
When we built the building,
and did the new wing, I specified
no gamma sources, no cobalt.
All therapy radiation must be
administered in hospital facilities.
When there's no risk of cleaning
ladies turning on a cobalt machine,
the, uh, malpractice premiums
go down considerably.
Yeah, I can understand that.
Doctor!
The $64,000 question still is:
What was Bigelow doing
here last night at 8:00?
8:00, huh? At that time
all the offices are closed.
But I'll have my
girl check it for you.
Thanks. Save me a lot of time.
Yeah.
It'll save you a lot of trouble.
If you're looking for radiation,
better carry this dosimeter
in case you, uh, run into
the same source Bigelow did.
Okay, out of the line
of fire, everybody.
It's picture time.
Three exposures on this one.
(worker) Have your
cassettes ready.
Yes?
I'm Dr. Quincy, I'm with
the Coroner's Office.
Arthur Lanz. What
can I do for you?
How you doing?
This guy's name
is Donald Bigelow.
Did you happen to see him
around here last night around 8:00?
Don't believe I can help you.
(Lanz) And my crews cut
out at 4:30. Strong union.
So you didn't see this guy, huh?
I try to beat my crews
home myself, if I can.
Right, honey?
Thanks anyway.
Imagine, he came right here.
That's your trouble.
You imagine too much.
Just keep your mind
on tomorrow night.
You'll be flying to
Brazil and Dr. Quincy
will still be chasing shadows.
Hi, Quince. How's
this for a day's work?
How did it go with you?
Uh, zero, Sam.
Zero. Who am I
kidding? Double zero.
Unless you want
to count a souvenir.
Dosimeter?
Yeah.
The only one exposed
was that poor guy, Sanchez.
Nobody saw Bigelow.
There's no gamma
source in the entire building.
Not a bloody trace and yet I
know it's there somewhere.
What is it, Sam, am I crazy?
We have both seen the lab
evidence, we know the answers.
But there's not a trace.
What, am I going blind?
(Maria) You're not
blind, Dr. Quincy.
You just don't want to see.
I believed you when you
said my husband would get off.
It's all right.
Maria, go along
with me a little longer.
I can come up with something.
You gave me a lot of hope with
a whole bunch of empty words,
and I believed you because I
needed something to grab onto.
Please sit down,
please. Please. Come.
I'll get you some water.
There is something to hang onto.
There's Ray's innocence.
How do you know that?
How do you know it?
Because he told you,
or because he told me?
[crying] And even
if he is innocent,
how many days does that
take off a 20-year sentence?
He's still going to jail.
Maria, I can't believe you're
gonna run out on him now.
Believe it. You better
believe it, Dr. Quincy.
Things have changed
now, you know.
This morning Ray confessed.
Momma“, what
happened to Sanchez?
The kid gave us
his full confession.
But he's innocent. Why
would he do a thing like that?
Don't ask me. Ask his lawyers.
They were the ones
that went to the DA.
His lawyers? What lawyers?
That kid couldn't
afford an organ grinder.
I know. They were heavyweights.
They got the charge
reduced to possession
with involuntary manslaughter.
Holy mackerel!
That's not even plea bargaining!
That kid will do three years.
More, if he gets
into trouble inside.
Quincy, the kid bought it.
There's nothing I could do.
Oh, come on. You know
there's more to it than that.
Quincy, let's face
it, the kid's a loser.
He used to be a loser.
He hasn't made a bad
move since he got married.
Then why did he let Johnson
and the NSC get to him?
I made a deal, that's right.
You're stupid!
Why? Because I confessed?
That's right.
You're innocent.
You know and I know.
You ever been in the slammer,
on the flip side of the bars?
So don't tell me I'm stupid.
Three years I can do
standing on my head.
Really? What is your
wife supposed to be doing
while you're standing
on your head?
Keep my wife out of this.
No, we're not going to.
How much are they paying you?
I never said anything
about money.
You don't have to. I know them.
The quicker you're in jail,
the quicker the heat is off them.
How much did Johnson's
lawyers offer you?
Look, you don't know...
Please! Don't rationalize.
What's the amount?
$50,000. $50,000?
They'll take care of Maria.
And when I get out, they'll
have a job waiting for me.
Look, she's pregnant.
She'll do something
crazy. I can't let her do that.
What about her?
Have you discussed
it with your wife?
Doc, if she has an abortion,
our marriage is dead.
I won't have anything
to come out for.
I had to make that deal.
I want that baby.
[car horn honking]
[people shouting]
Oh, Mr. Johnson.
Oh, Dr. Quincy.
I want to talk to you about
something very important.
I don't have time right now.
You better make time unless you
want me to park that black wagon
in front and make speeches.
Accusations
require proof, Doctor.
Rumors will be enough,
when I tell them how your
bosses pulled the rug out
from under my investigation.
The heads of this organization
had nothing to do with it.
You mean this
charade is your idea?
Now you listen to me.
This institution is working
at two-thirds capacity
because of investigations,
endless hearings,
and environmental speech making.
You have no idea,
what that incident
you touched off outside cost us.
Why don't you
add it to the cost of
putting the skids
under Ray Sanchez?
We were simply
helping a young man
who needed some
legal assistance.
Oh, isn't that sweet of you?
Maybe you'd like to do his
three years of hard time, too.
I got a better idea. Why don't
you go outside and tell the people
how, out of the
goodness of your heart,
you sent your lawyers to help
that young man and his wife?
This meeting is over.
No, it isn't.
Malfeasance and bribery
aren't gonna fit well around you
and that's what you're
gonna be accused of.
Unless you call your
lawyers and tell them
to withdraw their
offer right now!
Quincy!
Doreen called me, she
read this in the paper
and wants you to autograph it.
Get me a beer,
will you? I'm thirsty.
You see, she
collects these things.
Quincy, I've been looking
all over town for you.
Where have you been?
"Miss you at Fanny's."
I'm all yours, Sy.
I'm your best friend and
you didn't even call me.
For what?
You know I want to get
out of doing obituaries.
You're sitting on a big story
and you don't even call me.
This is an obit.
The guy died, right?
Oh, sure, it's an obit.
Buy it's more than that. There's a
radiation story here. Just fill me in.
You know what's gonna happen?
I'm gonna get a front page, a feature,
and a byline.
Come on, fill me in.
It's over, Sy. The
NSC's moved in.
The NSC? Wait a minute,
there's got to be something.
Move over a
little bit, will you?
It's worth something.
What was the source
of the radiation?
If I could tell you that, I
could give you a real story.
Gamma rays, right?
Give me a little
space, will you?
I'm only trying to get
a story. Now, look,
if it isn't a government
installation,
then it has to be
therapeutic or industrial.
Because those are the
only kind they license.
Say that again. License?
No, "industrial."
Private companies, they can't
have cobalt machines, can they?
Oh, sure, sure. They use it to
x-ray buildings and things like that,
after earthquake
damage, structural pieces.
Where do you pick up
information like that?
Quince, I told you I
read about that stuff.
You're moving again, Sy.
Come on, we got a lot
of phone calls to make.
(Quincy) No, I don't
want to lease a machine.
Can you tell me if
you know anybody
that might've hired a
man named Bigelow?
That's Donald Bigelow.
Maybe he's a consultant.
Yeah, I know you're a secretary.
Okay, thanks anyway.
Sorry to have bothered you.
Okay.
No luck.
No, all right, thank
you very much.
(Sy) That just about
rolls out the string.
We've checked nearly every
licensed machine in California.
Well, it's safer by
phone than in person.
Quincy picked up 100 milliroentgens
running around yesterday.
What are you talking about?
The dosimeter you gave me.
I ran it through
radiology just to check.
They said at least
100 milliroentgens.
I couldn't have.
You got zapped somewhere.
They suggested you wear a
lead apron if you keep this up.
I came directly from the
Durnam Building to the lab.
Wait a minute. Wait a minute.
Sy, I want you to go
over the list again. Local.
Get all the outfits that leased
a machine over the past month.
What am I looking for? A place.
There's a construction operation
right next to the Durnam Building.
Try the name “Lanz”.“ L-A—N-Z.
If you're looking for
Monahan, he's not here.
(Quincy) Where is he?
He's over with the DA.
He's up to his
hips in alligators.
I need him. I need
a warrant from him.
Brill, get all the arrest
records on Sanchez.
Oh, plus the
confession dictation.
Am I glad you're here.
(Monahan) I'm not
overjoyed at seeing you.
Whatever fire you built under
those San Miguel people,
they're burning my tail. Their
lawyers are standing sideways,
trying to slide out of this
deal they made with Sanchez.
I'm going to be able to prove
that Sanchez is innocent.
You'd better be, because the
D.A.'s going to come down hard
after all this flack.
Big deal.
All I want from you
is a search warrant.
A search warrant
is all you want?
Yeah, for the Lanz
Construction site.
They got a cobalt
machine on the premises,
they rented from
California Neutronics.
Don't you see? That's
the gamma source.
Gamma source? Terrific.
Look, Bigelow probably got
the radiation there. I'll bet on it.
Then tell it to the NSC.
I don't have time.
Lanz already lied.
He said he'd never met Bigelow.
I can think of 1,000 reasons
why people lie to you.
Here you are, Lieutenant.
Monahan!
Like I said, it's the
business of the NSC.
Stay out of it.
[knocking at door]
Dr. Quincy.
I'm flattered that
you remember me.
Is something wrong?
May I come in, please?
Is Arthur around?
Uh, he's busy with the crew.
Would you get
him for me, please?
It could be very important.
It'll take a moment.
I'll wait.
Well, Dr. Quincy.
Addie said you wanted to see me.
I wanted to talk to you
again about Donald Bigelow.
Oh, I told you then
that I didn't know him.
Uh, did you read in the
paper he died from radiation?
I understood it was
an automobile accident.
Look, I'm very busy here
wrapping up a project.
I haven't had a chance
to keep up with the news.
(Lanz) Exactly
what is it you want?
We have a witness who saw
him in this area the night he died.
And I was wondering,
is it possible
he could have gotten access
to that cobalt machine out there?
Of course not.
As you can see,
we're fenced in here.
A man would have to be a fool
to play with that baby, anyway.
Unless, of course, he were
trying to steal the cobalt.
He was not a fool when
it came to radiation.
He knew his stuff.
He worked for the
San Miguel installation.
Then I would suggest
you look there.
Really, Dr. Quincy, I do
have a lot of work to do.
So do I, it seems.
Thank you very much.
You're welcome.
Bye.
You said that there was no way
they could trace him back to us.
They can't. A Geiger counter
won't give off a tick in this trailer.
Yeah, he sure got one from me.
We'll be out of here
and gone by 4:00.
Our customer confirmed.
We'll make the
exchange at the airport.
Give me a hand with
this, will you, Sam?
It doesn't look like it'll make
much of a dinner for both of us.
I'm gonna pull a blood
sample and then dissect it.
You think somebody may have
murdered this guppy in cold blood?
The death of this guppy was
purely accidental, big mouth.
That's the same pattern, it's
identical. We did it! I'm telling you.
I thought you were going
crazy with that guppy.
Quincy, I want your
attention. I'm a very fair man.
Therefore, I'm giving you
a chance to try to explain
the flack that's coming down
from Monahan's office. Go ahead.
My pleasure.
Take a look at this.
What do you mean, look at that?
Go ahead.
All right, I see a condition
I've never seen before
in a man alive or dead.
They' re from
Lebistes reticulatus,
You mean, that...
It's a guppy who died
of radiation poisoning.
That's a guppy?
Yeah!
Gentlemen, we have enough work
here on people, we don't do fish.
I found this fish
in the same place
that Bigelow spent
his last evening alive.
With some help, I can
prove he was killed.
Not him again.
You don't understand. This
proves radiation poisoning!
Even in Lebistes reticulatus,
So what?
The nuclear changes indicate a
tremendous source of radiation.
Gamma radiation.
And if Bigelow was standing
between the source and the aquarium,
we get the same picture we got on his
autopsy before it was taken away from us.
Ah.
Right.
I could call Monahan,
I could call the
newspapers. I, uh,
We'd look pretty
good, wouldn't we?
Oh, yes, we would look good.
We could prove it.
Well, with a little "T and D."
What's "T and D"?
(both) Trickery and deceit.
Oh, no. Listen...
You have enough clout
to get a judge off a dime.
We'd like a search
warrant worded just like that.
Oh, you must be kidding.
Headlines.
Would look good.
[whistles] Budget?
Quincy, if this is wrong,
there's going to be
a lot of egg on a
lot of people's faces.
It wouldn't be the first time.
Oh, honey, I'm so
glad this is almost over.
[knocking at door] I told you
there was nothing to worry about.
We're on our way.
Arthur.
Oh, Dr. Quincy.
I'm sorry, we're
just about to leave.
Oh, let me introduce
you to It. Monahan.
May we come in, please?
What's this all about?
A thing called radiation. Of course,
some people would call it murder.
What?
That's right, lady.
In here, Lieutenant.
The two of you
come along, please.
It was a terrible mistake
to let that cobalt machine
shoot 1,000 rads
through the window.
Oh, Arthur, he knows. Shut up!
She's right, Arthur, I do know.
Not that it was that tough.
Dying plants, dying fish.
Radiation is a
terrible way to go.
That's how Bigelow
was gonna die,
if you two hadn't
pushed him off the road.
No, there's no way
you can prove that.
Oh, I can prove it, all right.
And I can nail your
secretary as an accomplice.
I didn't... I didn't want
him to kill Bigelow!
Miss, before you say anything...
No! Arthur did it,
just like he said,
while Don was drawing
up the plans for the reactor.
What plans?
They're in his briefcase.
So, that's what was going on.
Bigelow was stealing
the plans from San Miguel
and then he was
selling them to you.
I'll bet the handwriting
on those plans
matched Don
Bigelow's handwriting.
Can I see that case?
No, no, no, just a minute.
You're not going
to see anything.
Now this is illegal. You
don't have a warrant.
Oh, it's legal, all right.
We have a warrant, sir.
It says here:
"Search and inspect on suspicion
of animal abuse on
commercial property."
What the hell are
you talking about?
Those poor dying fish.
Tsk. Tsk. Tsk.
And by the time I book
you, it'll be murder one.
How do you know he'll like them?
Didn't you make them?
Well, not everybody
is a taco-head like you.
Oh, look who's here!
Quincy.
How are you, little mama?
I'm very sorry about
the way I behaved.
Please forgive me.
Don't worry. You just
worry about the baby.
And you, a three-year stretch,
and you did it just like that.
Anything for me, what are they?
Those are churros.
She made them.
Oh, terrific.
Hey, Sam, you ever taste one
of these? They're called churros.
You kidding? This
is Japanese kreplach.