Quincy M.E. (1976–1983): Season 2, Episode 12 - Valleyview - full transcript
Valleyview, a convalescent and nursing care home, has an excellent reputation. Then Howard Phillips dies of a blood clot - a heart attack - and his nephew drops $362 on Quincy's desk. That ...
I just want to be free.
I just want to be free of this.
This is the second death
at Valleyview this week.
People die in sanitariums.
Are you for euthanasia?
Well, uh, under
certain conditions.
You want them to
investigate a murder
and you can't say for sure
if anyone's been murdered.
A million dollars
worth of equipment.
Half a lifetime of
medical practice.
I can't determine
how a man died.
If I'm right, what
makes you think
the murders are going to stop?
There's gonna be
an epidemic up there.
Gentlemen, you
are about to enter
the fascinating
sphere of police work:
the world of forensic medicine.
[Phillips groaning]
[birds chirping]
Miss Grayson?
Yes, what is it, Colby?
Mr. Phillips.
Dr. Franklin, please.
Dr. Franklin, this
is Miss Grayson.
Would you please
come down to Room 205?
I'm afraid Mr. Phillips is dead.
If you ask me, I thought
the Veal Parmigianino
was excellent.
Why would I ask you?
That's the worst
Italian meal I ever had.
What do you know
about Italian food anyway?
A lot more than you
know about tempura.
That stuff we had
the other night?
It was awful and you liked it!
That was the best Japanese food
I ever tasted.
Hey, just because
you're an ethnic,
doesn't make you a gourmet.
Ah, so, words of
wisdom. I'll cherish them.
Dr. Quincy? This
is David Phillips.
He has an appointment with you.
Dr. Quincy?
Nice job. Come in.
What can I do for you?
Well, you received
my grandfather.
Oh, I'm sorry.
He was brought over
from Valleyview Sanitarium.
Did they request an autopsy?
I requested it.
I'm his only surviving
blood relative.
And I paid the $362.
I got it here. Howard
Phillips. Age 76.
They say he died of a
blood clot, a coronary.
He didn't. I saw
him just last week.
He could have taken me two falls
out of three on the mat.
His heart was perfect.
Are you a doctor?
I'm going to be.
Right now I'm just somebody
who loved his
grandfather very much.
And who thinks he
got the short end of it.
How's that?
If he died of something
else, and I believe he did,
they never treated him for it.
At least they never
told me about it.
And I'd like to know why.
You will do the autopsy?
Of course.
For your $362.
Anne?
Hello, Anne.
Hello, honey.
Your mother brought
you some flowers.
Aren't they pretty?
All different colors.
And Milt sent all his love.
He'll be... he'll be coming
over here later, sweetheart.
We might as well go home.
Ruth.
I just thought if... if we
stayed for a while, maybe...
I can't sit and
just look at her.
Not anymore, Jerry.
Mr. Friedman, Mrs. Friedman.
(Franklin) Come on,
Anne, time for therapy.
We'll have her back
in about an hour.
Doctor!
Please, could we talk?
Sure, come on.
Anne, you look
beautiful, just beautiful.
But you're going to
look even prettier later.
This afternoon, you'll
get your hair fixed,
you'll be the
prettiest girl in town.
How much time?
Thirteen months she's
been here with no change.
(Franklin) Mr. Friedman, I...
She's no better than
she was the first day.
She's worse! And
the hallucinations...
Dr. Franklin, tell us the truth.
What hope is there?
There's always hope.
We mean realistically, Doctor.
We're doing everything we can.
That's an evasion,
not an answer!
Yes, Jerry.
Yes, it's an answer.
It tells us what we
wanted to know.
[sniffling]
Every day, she
dies a little more.
I can't help but think
she'd be better...
Please, Ruth.
No, I mean it, Jerry.
If she didn't have
to suffer anymore,
if we didn't have to watch her!
If she were dead.
Smooth liver. No cirrhosis.
No massive
gastrointestinal hemorrhage.
It's 30, Sam, shut it off.
[Quincy sighs]
Well?
Beats me.
No coronary occlusion.
Heart size and
weight are normal.
No signs of recent damage.
Which means no heart attack.
Nothing firm until
we get the micros.
But I don't think it'll
make any difference.
I want you to run a tax screen.
You think it could be poison?
I don't know. I gotta
touch all bases.
If it isn't a
coronary, what is it?
Beats me.
Let's go over it again.
You did the cranium?
No tumor, no subarachnoid.
No, everything in perfect order.
Unsuspected uremia?
No. Kidneys are
normal. No chance.
No evidence of pneumonia?
His lungs were
like a skin-diver's.
That's about it. I
am out of ideas.
How about that aorta?
At 76, it was as
smooth as a baby's.
Hmm.
Must be natural causes.
He had cancer of the prostate.
Eventually, it would have
killed him, but it didn't.
So, why, Sam?
Why is this man dead?
I wanted to take her!
The hairdresser's
going to be there all day.
And Franklin wouldn't let you?
He said it wouldn't do any good.
He said rest is more
important after therapy.
Maybe he's right.
The hell he is!
I mean, look at her.
She hasn't got anything,
except for pain and nightmares.
All she does is sit here
and stare into space all day.
And beat her head
against the wall.
The least we can do
is get her to look nice.
She wouldn't
know the difference.
Maybe not.
But we could give
her a little dignity.
But, Franklin, he
doesn't understand that.
To him, she's a...
Well, she's just a thing.
Speak of the devil.
(Franklin) Miss Grayson, I
can't find DeBlasio's chart.
Here you are, Doctor.
Oh, thank you.
Has he been walking today?
Yes, 20 minutes, all by himself.
How about Mrs. Lehr?
No change.
Oh, we have a new
patient, acute paranoia.
She was brought in at 10:00.
I put her in Room 205.
Mr. Phillips' room?
Yes, they just
gotten the body out.
That's a new speed record,
I guess the mortuary just
can't wait today, can't they?
It wasn't the mortuary, Doctor.
It was the Coroner's Office.
Coroner?
Yes. Mr. Phillips' grandson
is demanding an autopsy.
Still here, huh?
I don't know whether
it was ESP or what,
but you were right,
Dr. Franklin was wrong.
It wasn't a coronary.
I knew it.
Then what was it?
I'm not sure, but looks
like your grandfather
died of natural causes.
Wait, that's a
contradiction, isn't it, Doctor?
If you don't know for
sure, how can it be natural?
David, he shouldn't
have died just yet.
Well, to be perfectly honest,
I can't tell you
exactly why he did die.
Just yet?
Well, he had a
malignancy. Prostate.
[phone ringing]
David, he would have
died in a few months,
no one could have prevented it.
He would have
suffered a great deal.
Cancer.
Count your blessings, David.
He was spared a
great deal of pain.
I know he lived along life,
and I'm sure it was a full one.
[grunts]
I never knew he had it.
Maybe it wasn't diagnosed.
Then it was malpractice...
Oh, don't be so
tough on the doctor.
Do you see... Yeah, of course!
You're trying to
protect him now.
No doctor's ever wrong,
according to another doctor.
All of us are imperfect.
I've fouled up many
times and I will again.
When I do, I appreciate it
when somebody
blows the whistle on me.
I'm sorry.
Dr. Franklin had no
reason to look for cancer.
He was not treating
a sick patient.
He was watching over an old one.
I suppose you're right.
Why did he diagnose
it as a coronary?
Well, he couldn't find
the exact cause of death,
neither could I. He had
to put something down.
But it was wrong.
Yes, it was wrong,
but it was not criminal.
The patient was 76 years of age.
There was no
evidence of malpractice,
no sign of foul play.
[sighs]
I'll make arrangements to
have the body picked up.
Thank you, Doctor.
Bye-bye, David.
[groaning]
[phone ringing]
28.
No, Dr. Franklin's
on duty tonight.
I see. Just a minute, please.
[intercom buzzing]
He doesn't answer the buzz,
but I'm sure he's in his office.
Would you like me to check?
No trouble at all.
[continues groaning]
[cries]
[knocking]
Dr. Franklin?
Dr. Franklin?
I'm sorry, he hasn't
answered his call.
May I have your number?
♪ J'[music playing]
Oh, it's driving me crazy.
I mean it. I don't think I
slept two hours last night.
Why is that?
Because you can't
pinpoint the cause of death?
I don't understand.
I think I am a
pretty good doctor,
if I say so myself.
Hmm, I'd say that,
too, but what do I know?
Very funny.
A million dollars
worth of equipment.
Half a lifetime in
medical practice,
[phone ringing] I can't
determine exactly how a man died.
I'm glad for one thing.
This time I'm not involved.
It's your baby entirely.
Talk about fair-weather friends.
Oh, I may get a
few sympathy pains.
Thanks a lot.
[chuckles]
Quincy? Telephone. Sam.
You know,
I ought to charge you
for an answering service.
I got a broken-down
actor friend of mine
that pays $12 a month
for messages and you
get more calls than he does.
You want me to pay? Yeah.
Taste your food, lately?
Yeah, Sam.
(Sam) Guess what.
Somebody else just
died at Valleyview.
Girl of 17.
Oh, no.
What did they list as the cause?
I don't know.
What do you mean you don't know?
You've the death
certificate in front of you.
We don't even have the body.
It went straight to
a funeral director.
Then how do you know about it?
That's the thing, Quincy.
We got an anonymous call.
Must've been from
somebody at the sanitarium,
The girl, does she have parents?
Yeah, Mr. and
Mrs. Jerry Friedman.
1829 East Allenwood.
1829. All right. I
got it. Bye-bye, Sam.
[sniffling]
What happened to her,
was that she died, Doctor.
(Quincy) What caused
her death, Mrs. Friedman?
That's what you're
not letting us find out.
Why she died?
Dr. Quincy, Anne was mentally...
She was in and out of hospitals
and institutions for years.
Her physical health
was never very good.
It just kept getting worse
until her heart gave out.
Please, leave her alone.
There's nothing you
can do to help her now.
Maybe she can help
me to help others.
This is the second death
at Valleyview this week.
People die in sanitariums.
Yes, but as a rule,
the exact cause
is usually known.
It's a science.
But they weren't
in the case of a man
who died there the other day.
That's why you got to let
me examine your daughter.
Oh, I know you both
loved her very much,
but if there is a
problem at Valleyview,
you wouldn't want this to
happen to another family.
What kind of problem
are you talking about?
I don't know.
But maybe the autopsy
will help me to find out.
I'm sorry, Doctor.
I'm sorry, too.
There may be
other lives at stake,
so I'm goin' to have to insist.
(Miss Grayson) Mr. Schroeder?
We've been looking
all over for you.
It's time for lunch.
I'm not hungry.
All right, it's time not
to get a sunstroke.
I heard about that girl. What
was her name, Friedman?
Anne Friedman. Yes,
It was a terrible thing.
Was it? I envy her.
Mr. Schroeder, you
mustn't talk that way.
All that pain, in her
mind and her body.
She's free now.
She's free and I'm not.
Well, what's it been?
Nine months since the accident?
And three days, and four hours.
I haven't computed the minutes.
Oh, Mr. Schroeder,
all you need is time.
You're still young.
Time heals all wounds.
Is that what you
were going to say?
Please spare me the clichés.
God hasn't created enough time.
I only hope that He releases me,
like he did Miss Friedman.
[phone ringing]
(Sam) Quincy.
Find something?
Perfectly normal. Take a look.
[sighs]
You're right. That's normal.
I can't think of
anything else to check.
We've done it all.
We've done our best. Not all.
The person who
called, man or woman?
Woman.
She said only what you told me?
Just that there
was a second death
at the sanitarium we
might be interested in.
She gave me the girl's name,
the address of the parents.
I was gonna get
more information,
but she hung up.
You see where I'm
leading, don't you?
No.
The caller was at
least suspicious.
Considering everything,
she had good reason.
Now, let's think homicide.
No, you think homicide.
Okay, you want to
play devil's advocate?
Good, it'll help me. Go ahead.
First off, what's the motive?
We've got a dying old
man in a great deal of pain.
A young girl, who is no
more than a vegetable.
What do you think it is?
Mercy killing.
It's the only possible motive.
Somebody at
Valleyview, a doctor,
a nurse, somebody
is playing God!
Now you buy that, don't you?
Buy what? What are you selling?
Theories have to be
supported by facts.
That's rule number one of
the detective's handbook.
First, you have a theory, then
you find the facts to back it up.
That's rule two.
Where will you start lookin'?
We're not getting
anything from the body.
I'm going to Valleyview, I
want you two to go with me.
And do what?
Yeah, and do what?
What do you mean do what?
Do what you're getting paid for.
We don't get paid for
sticking our necks out
and getting them chopped off.
Now, first, you find out that
these two were murdered,
then we've got a starting point,
nothin' will hold me back. Till that
happens... You won't get involved?
No. What if you're wrong?
What if it's not murder?
You'll make the whole
department look ridiculous.
I'll tell you what
we will do, though.
What?
We'll walk you
to the parking lot.
Thanks a lot.
I'm a big boy. I
can do it myself.
(Sam) Quincy?
Would you be
offended if I asked you
to, well, I mean, not
go off the deep end?
What are you doin',
buckin' for Astin's job?
Where are you going?
Uh, to the lounge.
The Dodgers and
Phillies are on TV.
Aren't you supposed
to be with Mr. Schroeder
in the whirlpool?
I tried to get him to go.
He almost threw
me out of his room.
He's not getting
any better, is he?
Physically, he is.
That's not what I mean.
Well, a man
hinges his whole life
around his family
and he kills them
all in a car accident.
Well, he didn't kill 'em.
Well, he thinks he did.
He thinks it was all his fault.
It'll take him a long
time to get over that.
Maybe he never will.
(Franklin) Do you
have the chart for 117?
Yes, sir.
Is Schroeder through
in the whirlpool?
Uh, no, sir.
I, uh, I didn't... I
thought that maybe, uh...
You thought maybe what?
Those are my decisions to make.
Yes, sir, I'll... I'll
get him right away.
And don't spend so much time
around the nurse's desk, okay?
Yes, sir.
117, please.
Yes, sir.
(woman on PA system) Dr. Franklin
to Dr. James' office, please.
Tell them I'm on my way.
You know, I can't
believe that, Dr. Quincy.
You don't know how the
patients died, you admit that.
That's right.
Yet you come in here and accuse
someone on my staff of murder.
Oh, no, Dr. James,
I'm not accusing
anybody of anything.
I'm really just
looking for the truth.
Don't play word games, Doctor.
You suspect there's
a killer's running loose,
otherwise you wouldn't be here.
[knocking on door] Come in.
You wanted to see me? Yes.
Dr. Quincy, Dr. Franklin.
How do you do? Hello.
Dr. Quincy's with
the Coroner's Office.
I guess you're the one that ordered
the autopsy on the Friedman girl.
That's right.
Well, you managed to
cause the parents a lot of pain.
It was necessary.
You issued two
death certificates.
One was inaccurate,
the other was vague.
I couldn't find the
exact cause of death.
Mr. Phillips was
a very sick man,
had a long history of heart
disease. So I presume...
Then you knew about the cancer.
I diagnosed it a week earlier.
You knew he was in pain,
you realized it would grow.
Well, it usually does, I'm
sure you're aware of that.
Did you find the
exact cause of death?
No.
Dr. Quincy found nothing at all.
That's apparently why he's here.
He thinks that
someone on our staff
is guilty of killing
the Friedman girl
and Mr. Phillips.
[snickers]
Why would anyone on our staff
want to see either
one of them dead?
Compassion, relieve pain...
Dr. Quincy, everyone here
deals in volumes
of grief every day.
If we did that sort of thing,
the corpses would
be falling like rain.
Well, I'm not talking
about an entire staff.
One doctor could
do it all, couldn't he?
You trying to say...
You accusing me?
Oh, no, no, no.
But you were in
charge of both cases.
Yes.
Do you believe in euthanasia?
(James) That's none
of your business.
Dr. Franklin happens
to be one of the...
That's all right.
That's all right.
I don't know what
that has to do with it.
But, yes, under
some circumstances,
I do believe in euthanasia.
Such as.
Well...
Well, take an
example. Two people
have been together for
many years, are in love.
They find out that one of them
has a terminal
disease of some sort.
And the person with
the disease is in such,
such awful pain
that they ask the other person
to please put them
out of their misery.
And the person does.
Well, I don't call that murder,
I call that mercy.
They were your patients?
No, they were my parents.
What I don't understand...
Because you can't find
the exact cause of
death in two instances,
you come here and assume
euthanasia? You accuse me
or some member of my staff
of premeditated murder?
Oh.
(James) Dr. Quincy,
this is a private institution.
I've selected my own personnel.
I've done it with great care.
I'm sure you have.
Look, this is not a
matter of a rotten apple
sneaking into a barrel.
It's a case of a kind,
humane human...
This isn't a case
of anything at all.
There is no case.
I don't think
there ever will be.
If I'm wrong,
if you do come up
with any evidence
to back up your
theory, please return.
You'll be genuinely welcomed.
In the meantime doctor,
if you'll excuse me.
I'm not investigating
the moral aspects
of euthanasia, just the legal.
Two bodies were sent to my table
from this sanitarium,
cause of death unknown.
I don't like
unanswered questions,
I'm a scientist.
So I'm gonna find the answers.
And when I do, gentlemen,
you can believe
this, I'll be back.
[clicking tongue]
Well, 117 needs my
attention. See you later.
(James) John,
I hope he was wrong.
(Astin) Quincy, I think you're
going off on the deep end.
Now, would you
mind saying that again,
because I don't think
I heard you correctly
on the first try.
Don't be coy with me...
No, I'm not, I thought I
heard you say that you wanted
an investigation of Valleyview.
Yes, I do.
Who would you like to
conduct this investigation,
the police department,
the state medical board?
How about the FBI?
That's up to you.
No, it's not. It's up to
them, and they won't touch it
without a shred
of hard evidence.
You want them to
investigate a murder
and you can't say for sure
whether anyone's been murdered.
Now, how do they go about that?
They question every
woman that works up there,
find out who made
the phone call,
see how much she knows.
Listen, if she knew anything,
when she called on the phone,
she would've told
us all she knew.
All right.
Let's say I assume you're right.
I ask for an
investigation and I get it.
And that investigation
does not turn up a mercy killer,
you know what you
would've accomplished?
You would've
destroyed Dr. James,
you would've
destroyed Valleyview.
If I'm right, what
makes you think
the murders are going to stop?
There's gonna be
an epidemic up there.
I'm not interested
in the reputation
of Valleyview or
the man who runs it.
I'm interested in saving lives,
and I don't want
to destroy anybody.
But you would. The papers would
pick it up, they'd have a hay day.
Valleyview would lose all
its grants and reputation.
The place has a fine
reputation, Quincy.
Dr. James is a remarkable man.
Together they've
helped a lot of people,
they've saved a lot of lives.
They've... they've patched
together even more,
emotionally and physically.
We can't ruin a place like that.
We can't ruin a man like that.
Why am I trying to convince you?
I'm in charge here.
I've made a decision.
Because of lack of evidence,
I am not, not, not going
to order an investigation.
How'd it go?
I struck out.
You're not going
to give up are you?
First you tell me not
to go off the deep end
and then you say don't
give up. What do you want?
Both.
I'm not going to give up.
But I'm running out of
options fast. I'll tell you that.
Let's get back to
the Friedman girl.
Quince, we've done everything.
We ran a tax on
the needle marks,
scanned the brain for a stroke,
blood count was normal.
Well, everything!
We're going to do it all
over again, Sam, let's go.
Anything?
Same as before.
[sighs]
[glass shattering]
[screaming]
[both grunting]
Get out, stay out.
[grunts]
(Franklin) What's going on here?
He tried to kill himself.
Colby stopped him.
All right go. Come on.
Get him to a treatment room.
Keep him under restraint.
All right, all right, come on.
All right, Mrs. Cooper,
take 'em back to their rooms.
(Miss Grayson) All
right. All right. All right.
It's just fine.
Move them along out there.
Get them out of there.
[Schroeder groaning]
Just some scratches.
Get those taken care of.
And, uh, thank you,
you did a good job.
We're grateful.
[nurses chattering]
(Sam) Clear as a bell.
Well, that's it, Quince.
We've covered everything. Twice.
Yeah.
You want to take another
look at the micro slides?
What for? I've memorized them.
7:45, Sam. Let's go home.
Okay.
I'm sorry.
You have a next step in mind?
Two things.
I am goin' to get quietly drunk,
and I'm going to
wait for a break.
The first one's a sure thing.
The second one
I wouldn't bet on.
[phone ringing]
28.
Yes, Doctor.
Yes, I'll see that
she gets it right away.
You're welcome.
Miss Robbins, do you
know anything about this?
I found it in the medicine room.
What is it?
That's what I'd like to know.
And I'd like to know
who put it there.
It's not labeled.
That's right. You know
the rules about that.
Well, I didn't put it there.
You don't know who might have?
No. No idea at all.
I'll get to the bottom
of that in the morning.
[door closing]
[phone ringing]
Hello.
Sam, are you early or am I late?
I'm early. Quincy, you
were waiting for a break,
well, we got one.
But not the kind you wanted.
You got another
body from Valleyview.
Mmm-hmm. Except it's
not a patient this time.
It's a nurse.
A nurse?
Quincy, here's those slides
you wanted processed.
Give them to Sam, will you?
Right.
Sam.
Thanks, Ed.
Well, anything yet?
Three different bodies,
I've come up with nothing.
No evidence of a mercy killing?
I guess your theory
died with Miss Grayson.
I think she confirms it.
Quincy, that woman
was hardly a candidate
for a mercy killing.
Maybe she found out
something about the murderer.
That'd make her a
target. Maybe she called.
Anything is possible,
we'll never know.
Meanwhile I've got
Monahan wanting to jump in
not knowing how.
I've had three calls
from newspapers today.
You've had time,
you've found no
evidence, now face it.
That case is closed.
There's another one.
How can he close that case...
Sam.
There's a thought
been rolling around
in my head and I
didn't even know it
and it fell into a slot.
If you were a
brilliant young doctor
and you wanted to
kill a lot of people,
how would you fool the coroner?
Most every way I can think of,
we'd have spotted.
How about an injection? Poison?
You'd find it in
the bloodstream.
Probably.
We ran a tax
on the Friedman
girl's needle marks.
It came out negative.
How about Miss Grayson?
She didn't have any
needle tracks. You know that.
No, no, Sam, we didn't find any.
Different story. Come with me.
Quincy, we've looked.
I want to show you something.
Sam, when was the last
time you saw a nurse on duty
with her nails
painted like that?
Well, come to think
of it, I never have.
Give me the acetone, will you?
What?
The acetone. Come on, let's go.
Come on.
You see what I see?
That's where she got the needle,
under the fingernail.
It hemorrhaged.
To cover the discoloration,
they painted her nails.
What... what was injected?
That, my friend,
is the next step.
[phone ringing]
It. Monahan. Who?
They told you to
talk to me, huh?
What's it about?
Uh-huh.
Look, do you know
where we're located?
Get over here as soon as
you can, I'll be waiting. Bye.
(Quincy) There it is, Sam.
Bingo.
Curare?
Or a poison very much like it.
Fast dissipation,
causing neuromuscular blockage
and respiratory paralysis.
We found the needle
track under her fingernail.
Same as Miss Friedman?
No, I think they gave
it to her in the arm.
Couldn't tell. It was
like a pin cushion
from all the medication
she had taken.
Then the deaths at
Valleyview were murder?
Yes, they were.
Now I'm sure that
Dr. James was not involved.
Aren't you?
I don't know.
Dr. Quincy, you've done
a remarkable job for us.
Thanks.
[phone ringing]
That's probably Monahan.
I asked him to call me back.
Hello. Yeah, Lieutenant,
Well, I think we licked it.
We can prove it's
murder, all three of 'em.
You what?
Yeah, listen, I'll be
right over. Bye-bye.
Was that about Valleyview?
Yeah, he says he
knows who the killer is.
I looked in his office,
he wasn't there.
I paged him on the
speaker. No answer.
Go on, Miss Gordon...
Anyhow, he showed up,
I don't know, 30
or 40 minutes later.
I told him he'd
had a phone call.
He said the kitchen was closed,
so he drove into Hollywood
to get something to eat.
While he was on duty.
(Miss Gordon) There
was another doctor around,
he could cover for
him in an emergency.
Well, isn't it possible he
could've gone to Hollywood?
When he didn't answer his page,
I thought he might have
left... left the grounds.
So I looked out the window...
His car was still
in the parking lot.
So I wondered, why did he lie?
But I forgot about it.
Then in the morning,
when they found
Anne Friedman dead...
Wait a minute, it's
quite a jump, isn't it?
That's not the only
thing. He once said...
No, more than once, I heard him.
He said the best thing
that could happen to her
would be to die, for her sake.
For her parents.
And so, when she died,
you made the phone
call anonymously.
I wasn't really sure. I
thought if Anne's death was,
wasn't natural,
well, it would show
up in the autopsy.
Why did you come here today?
Because now I am sure.
Barbara Grayson
was a friend of mine.
A good friend.
And she suspected him, too.
Thank you, Miss Gordon.
Pardon us for a minute.
Well, what do you think?
I think it's time we paid
a visit to Dr. Franklin.
No, it not time yet.
Not until 9:00.
That's when he goes on duty.
(Franklin) The truth is that
I never left the sanitarium.
Then why did you lie to her?
Well, under the circumstances,
I thought it was preferable.
Under what circumstances?
All right, I was with a woman,
a nurse here at the hospital.
I'm sure you
understand my reluctance
to talk or mention her name.
She will verify that?
She would, if necessary.
I don't think the
need will arise.
And after the rendezvous?
I was basking in the glow.
(Monahan) Where were you last
night when Miss Grayson was killed?
What time was she killed?
Oh, I don't believe this.
I am trying to cooperate,
you won't help me.
I've got a hospital to
run. You've upset my staff.
My patients need some treatment.
That's all that interests
me. Now let's get to it.
It was a little after 1:00.
I was at Dr. James'
house, a budget meeting.
You don't believe me.
Why don't you call Dr. James?
Talk to his wife,
to him, to his maid.
They will verify that I was at
his house till 2:30 last night.
[door opening]
Mr. Schroeder?
Mr. Schroeder.
What do you want?
How are you feelin'?
Hey, leave me alone.
[sighs]
That was a bad thing
you did yesterday.
There are a lot of
people in this sanitarium
who haven't had
a chance at life.
You... you have. You
can always get better.
Better for what?
To live my whole
life in a living hell.
I didn't ask you to help me.
Why didn't you let me die?
It could be almost anybody.
12 doctors, 50 nurses.
We have an enormous staff here.
You don't want to give up.
You don't mean that, you
don't want to die, do you?
I want to be free.
I want to be free of this.
Free of what? Huh?
Free of the dead, free
of life, free of what?
Of everything.
Do you understand?
The two victims
and Miss Grayson,
they were on the same
ward, weren't they?
Right. 23.
Okay, that takes care of that.
We've cut it down
from a big sanitarium
to a middle-sized ward.
I'm sorry, Mr. Schroeder.
I didn't realize how
much you are suffering.
The vocational nurses,
they don't work at night?
No, you can eliminate them.
I can help you.
Miss Gordon.
Scratch her.
Miss Robbins, Miss
Bates, she works daytime.
I can help you.
I can give you what you want.
Wait a minute, here's a man,
a therapist who
lives on the premises.
(Monahan) So?
He's here all the time.
And he showed an
inordinate interest
in the Friedman girl.
What's his name?
Colby.
What are you doing?
I can give you the peace
that you want.
What's the matter with
you? Are you crazy?
Have you seen Colby?
Oh, y-yes, Doctor,
he passed this way...
Which way did he go?
Going that way.
Know exactly where?
Mr. Hoff or
Mr. Schroeder, maybe...
Schroeder! I'm really not sure.
Nurse! Nurse!
Colby, hold it. Hold it.
You don't understand.
None of you understand.
You're not helping him, honest.
You're goin' to hurt him.
I'm just going to give
him the peace of mind
that he wants.
Dr. Franklin.
Quincy. I never expected
to see you out here again.
I'm here as a
private citizen now.
How's he doing?
Yeah, he's picked up a lot. I think
he's concluded he's meant to live.
He's gonna make
the best of it, huh?
We hope so.
You wanted to see me.
Oh, yeah, I wanted
to apologize to you.
About what?
Well, the trouble I caused you.
I couldn't the other night,
there was such confusion.
No problem.
Friends?
Sure.
I did want to discuss your views
on euthanasia with you.
Why do you want to discuss
my views on euthanasia?
Because I'm interested in it.
Are you for euthanasia?
Well, uh, under
certain conditions.
Ah, see? You gave
me all that trouble...
Yeah, but I don't
agree with your...
I just want to be free of this.
This is the second death
at Valleyview this week.
People die in sanitariums.
Are you for euthanasia?
Well, uh, under
certain conditions.
You want them to
investigate a murder
and you can't say for sure
if anyone's been murdered.
A million dollars
worth of equipment.
Half a lifetime of
medical practice.
I can't determine
how a man died.
If I'm right, what
makes you think
the murders are going to stop?
There's gonna be
an epidemic up there.
Gentlemen, you
are about to enter
the fascinating
sphere of police work:
the world of forensic medicine.
[Phillips groaning]
[birds chirping]
Miss Grayson?
Yes, what is it, Colby?
Mr. Phillips.
Dr. Franklin, please.
Dr. Franklin, this
is Miss Grayson.
Would you please
come down to Room 205?
I'm afraid Mr. Phillips is dead.
If you ask me, I thought
the Veal Parmigianino
was excellent.
Why would I ask you?
That's the worst
Italian meal I ever had.
What do you know
about Italian food anyway?
A lot more than you
know about tempura.
That stuff we had
the other night?
It was awful and you liked it!
That was the best Japanese food
I ever tasted.
Hey, just because
you're an ethnic,
doesn't make you a gourmet.
Ah, so, words of
wisdom. I'll cherish them.
Dr. Quincy? This
is David Phillips.
He has an appointment with you.
Dr. Quincy?
Nice job. Come in.
What can I do for you?
Well, you received
my grandfather.
Oh, I'm sorry.
He was brought over
from Valleyview Sanitarium.
Did they request an autopsy?
I requested it.
I'm his only surviving
blood relative.
And I paid the $362.
I got it here. Howard
Phillips. Age 76.
They say he died of a
blood clot, a coronary.
He didn't. I saw
him just last week.
He could have taken me two falls
out of three on the mat.
His heart was perfect.
Are you a doctor?
I'm going to be.
Right now I'm just somebody
who loved his
grandfather very much.
And who thinks he
got the short end of it.
How's that?
If he died of something
else, and I believe he did,
they never treated him for it.
At least they never
told me about it.
And I'd like to know why.
You will do the autopsy?
Of course.
For your $362.
Anne?
Hello, Anne.
Hello, honey.
Your mother brought
you some flowers.
Aren't they pretty?
All different colors.
And Milt sent all his love.
He'll be... he'll be coming
over here later, sweetheart.
We might as well go home.
Ruth.
I just thought if... if we
stayed for a while, maybe...
I can't sit and
just look at her.
Not anymore, Jerry.
Mr. Friedman, Mrs. Friedman.
(Franklin) Come on,
Anne, time for therapy.
We'll have her back
in about an hour.
Doctor!
Please, could we talk?
Sure, come on.
Anne, you look
beautiful, just beautiful.
But you're going to
look even prettier later.
This afternoon, you'll
get your hair fixed,
you'll be the
prettiest girl in town.
How much time?
Thirteen months she's
been here with no change.
(Franklin) Mr. Friedman, I...
She's no better than
she was the first day.
She's worse! And
the hallucinations...
Dr. Franklin, tell us the truth.
What hope is there?
There's always hope.
We mean realistically, Doctor.
We're doing everything we can.
That's an evasion,
not an answer!
Yes, Jerry.
Yes, it's an answer.
It tells us what we
wanted to know.
[sniffling]
Every day, she
dies a little more.
I can't help but think
she'd be better...
Please, Ruth.
No, I mean it, Jerry.
If she didn't have
to suffer anymore,
if we didn't have to watch her!
If she were dead.
Smooth liver. No cirrhosis.
No massive
gastrointestinal hemorrhage.
It's 30, Sam, shut it off.
[Quincy sighs]
Well?
Beats me.
No coronary occlusion.
Heart size and
weight are normal.
No signs of recent damage.
Which means no heart attack.
Nothing firm until
we get the micros.
But I don't think it'll
make any difference.
I want you to run a tax screen.
You think it could be poison?
I don't know. I gotta
touch all bases.
If it isn't a
coronary, what is it?
Beats me.
Let's go over it again.
You did the cranium?
No tumor, no subarachnoid.
No, everything in perfect order.
Unsuspected uremia?
No. Kidneys are
normal. No chance.
No evidence of pneumonia?
His lungs were
like a skin-diver's.
That's about it. I
am out of ideas.
How about that aorta?
At 76, it was as
smooth as a baby's.
Hmm.
Must be natural causes.
He had cancer of the prostate.
Eventually, it would have
killed him, but it didn't.
So, why, Sam?
Why is this man dead?
I wanted to take her!
The hairdresser's
going to be there all day.
And Franklin wouldn't let you?
He said it wouldn't do any good.
He said rest is more
important after therapy.
Maybe he's right.
The hell he is!
I mean, look at her.
She hasn't got anything,
except for pain and nightmares.
All she does is sit here
and stare into space all day.
And beat her head
against the wall.
The least we can do
is get her to look nice.
She wouldn't
know the difference.
Maybe not.
But we could give
her a little dignity.
But, Franklin, he
doesn't understand that.
To him, she's a...
Well, she's just a thing.
Speak of the devil.
(Franklin) Miss Grayson, I
can't find DeBlasio's chart.
Here you are, Doctor.
Oh, thank you.
Has he been walking today?
Yes, 20 minutes, all by himself.
How about Mrs. Lehr?
No change.
Oh, we have a new
patient, acute paranoia.
She was brought in at 10:00.
I put her in Room 205.
Mr. Phillips' room?
Yes, they just
gotten the body out.
That's a new speed record,
I guess the mortuary just
can't wait today, can't they?
It wasn't the mortuary, Doctor.
It was the Coroner's Office.
Coroner?
Yes. Mr. Phillips' grandson
is demanding an autopsy.
Still here, huh?
I don't know whether
it was ESP or what,
but you were right,
Dr. Franklin was wrong.
It wasn't a coronary.
I knew it.
Then what was it?
I'm not sure, but looks
like your grandfather
died of natural causes.
Wait, that's a
contradiction, isn't it, Doctor?
If you don't know for
sure, how can it be natural?
David, he shouldn't
have died just yet.
Well, to be perfectly honest,
I can't tell you
exactly why he did die.
Just yet?
Well, he had a
malignancy. Prostate.
[phone ringing]
David, he would have
died in a few months,
no one could have prevented it.
He would have
suffered a great deal.
Cancer.
Count your blessings, David.
He was spared a
great deal of pain.
I know he lived along life,
and I'm sure it was a full one.
[grunts]
I never knew he had it.
Maybe it wasn't diagnosed.
Then it was malpractice...
Oh, don't be so
tough on the doctor.
Do you see... Yeah, of course!
You're trying to
protect him now.
No doctor's ever wrong,
according to another doctor.
All of us are imperfect.
I've fouled up many
times and I will again.
When I do, I appreciate it
when somebody
blows the whistle on me.
I'm sorry.
Dr. Franklin had no
reason to look for cancer.
He was not treating
a sick patient.
He was watching over an old one.
I suppose you're right.
Why did he diagnose
it as a coronary?
Well, he couldn't find
the exact cause of death,
neither could I. He had
to put something down.
But it was wrong.
Yes, it was wrong,
but it was not criminal.
The patient was 76 years of age.
There was no
evidence of malpractice,
no sign of foul play.
[sighs]
I'll make arrangements to
have the body picked up.
Thank you, Doctor.
Bye-bye, David.
[groaning]
[phone ringing]
28.
No, Dr. Franklin's
on duty tonight.
I see. Just a minute, please.
[intercom buzzing]
He doesn't answer the buzz,
but I'm sure he's in his office.
Would you like me to check?
No trouble at all.
[continues groaning]
[cries]
[knocking]
Dr. Franklin?
Dr. Franklin?
I'm sorry, he hasn't
answered his call.
May I have your number?
♪ J'[music playing]
Oh, it's driving me crazy.
I mean it. I don't think I
slept two hours last night.
Why is that?
Because you can't
pinpoint the cause of death?
I don't understand.
I think I am a
pretty good doctor,
if I say so myself.
Hmm, I'd say that,
too, but what do I know?
Very funny.
A million dollars
worth of equipment.
Half a lifetime in
medical practice,
[phone ringing] I can't
determine exactly how a man died.
I'm glad for one thing.
This time I'm not involved.
It's your baby entirely.
Talk about fair-weather friends.
Oh, I may get a
few sympathy pains.
Thanks a lot.
[chuckles]
Quincy? Telephone. Sam.
You know,
I ought to charge you
for an answering service.
I got a broken-down
actor friend of mine
that pays $12 a month
for messages and you
get more calls than he does.
You want me to pay? Yeah.
Taste your food, lately?
Yeah, Sam.
(Sam) Guess what.
Somebody else just
died at Valleyview.
Girl of 17.
Oh, no.
What did they list as the cause?
I don't know.
What do you mean you don't know?
You've the death
certificate in front of you.
We don't even have the body.
It went straight to
a funeral director.
Then how do you know about it?
That's the thing, Quincy.
We got an anonymous call.
Must've been from
somebody at the sanitarium,
The girl, does she have parents?
Yeah, Mr. and
Mrs. Jerry Friedman.
1829 East Allenwood.
1829. All right. I
got it. Bye-bye, Sam.
[sniffling]
What happened to her,
was that she died, Doctor.
(Quincy) What caused
her death, Mrs. Friedman?
That's what you're
not letting us find out.
Why she died?
Dr. Quincy, Anne was mentally...
She was in and out of hospitals
and institutions for years.
Her physical health
was never very good.
It just kept getting worse
until her heart gave out.
Please, leave her alone.
There's nothing you
can do to help her now.
Maybe she can help
me to help others.
This is the second death
at Valleyview this week.
People die in sanitariums.
Yes, but as a rule,
the exact cause
is usually known.
It's a science.
But they weren't
in the case of a man
who died there the other day.
That's why you got to let
me examine your daughter.
Oh, I know you both
loved her very much,
but if there is a
problem at Valleyview,
you wouldn't want this to
happen to another family.
What kind of problem
are you talking about?
I don't know.
But maybe the autopsy
will help me to find out.
I'm sorry, Doctor.
I'm sorry, too.
There may be
other lives at stake,
so I'm goin' to have to insist.
(Miss Grayson) Mr. Schroeder?
We've been looking
all over for you.
It's time for lunch.
I'm not hungry.
All right, it's time not
to get a sunstroke.
I heard about that girl. What
was her name, Friedman?
Anne Friedman. Yes,
It was a terrible thing.
Was it? I envy her.
Mr. Schroeder, you
mustn't talk that way.
All that pain, in her
mind and her body.
She's free now.
She's free and I'm not.
Well, what's it been?
Nine months since the accident?
And three days, and four hours.
I haven't computed the minutes.
Oh, Mr. Schroeder,
all you need is time.
You're still young.
Time heals all wounds.
Is that what you
were going to say?
Please spare me the clichés.
God hasn't created enough time.
I only hope that He releases me,
like he did Miss Friedman.
[phone ringing]
(Sam) Quincy.
Find something?
Perfectly normal. Take a look.
[sighs]
You're right. That's normal.
I can't think of
anything else to check.
We've done it all.
We've done our best. Not all.
The person who
called, man or woman?
Woman.
She said only what you told me?
Just that there
was a second death
at the sanitarium we
might be interested in.
She gave me the girl's name,
the address of the parents.
I was gonna get
more information,
but she hung up.
You see where I'm
leading, don't you?
No.
The caller was at
least suspicious.
Considering everything,
she had good reason.
Now, let's think homicide.
No, you think homicide.
Okay, you want to
play devil's advocate?
Good, it'll help me. Go ahead.
First off, what's the motive?
We've got a dying old
man in a great deal of pain.
A young girl, who is no
more than a vegetable.
What do you think it is?
Mercy killing.
It's the only possible motive.
Somebody at
Valleyview, a doctor,
a nurse, somebody
is playing God!
Now you buy that, don't you?
Buy what? What are you selling?
Theories have to be
supported by facts.
That's rule number one of
the detective's handbook.
First, you have a theory, then
you find the facts to back it up.
That's rule two.
Where will you start lookin'?
We're not getting
anything from the body.
I'm going to Valleyview, I
want you two to go with me.
And do what?
Yeah, and do what?
What do you mean do what?
Do what you're getting paid for.
We don't get paid for
sticking our necks out
and getting them chopped off.
Now, first, you find out that
these two were murdered,
then we've got a starting point,
nothin' will hold me back. Till that
happens... You won't get involved?
No. What if you're wrong?
What if it's not murder?
You'll make the whole
department look ridiculous.
I'll tell you what
we will do, though.
What?
We'll walk you
to the parking lot.
Thanks a lot.
I'm a big boy. I
can do it myself.
(Sam) Quincy?
Would you be
offended if I asked you
to, well, I mean, not
go off the deep end?
What are you doin',
buckin' for Astin's job?
Where are you going?
Uh, to the lounge.
The Dodgers and
Phillies are on TV.
Aren't you supposed
to be with Mr. Schroeder
in the whirlpool?
I tried to get him to go.
He almost threw
me out of his room.
He's not getting
any better, is he?
Physically, he is.
That's not what I mean.
Well, a man
hinges his whole life
around his family
and he kills them
all in a car accident.
Well, he didn't kill 'em.
Well, he thinks he did.
He thinks it was all his fault.
It'll take him a long
time to get over that.
Maybe he never will.
(Franklin) Do you
have the chart for 117?
Yes, sir.
Is Schroeder through
in the whirlpool?
Uh, no, sir.
I, uh, I didn't... I
thought that maybe, uh...
You thought maybe what?
Those are my decisions to make.
Yes, sir, I'll... I'll
get him right away.
And don't spend so much time
around the nurse's desk, okay?
Yes, sir.
117, please.
Yes, sir.
(woman on PA system) Dr. Franklin
to Dr. James' office, please.
Tell them I'm on my way.
You know, I can't
believe that, Dr. Quincy.
You don't know how the
patients died, you admit that.
That's right.
Yet you come in here and accuse
someone on my staff of murder.
Oh, no, Dr. James,
I'm not accusing
anybody of anything.
I'm really just
looking for the truth.
Don't play word games, Doctor.
You suspect there's
a killer's running loose,
otherwise you wouldn't be here.
[knocking on door] Come in.
You wanted to see me? Yes.
Dr. Quincy, Dr. Franklin.
How do you do? Hello.
Dr. Quincy's with
the Coroner's Office.
I guess you're the one that ordered
the autopsy on the Friedman girl.
That's right.
Well, you managed to
cause the parents a lot of pain.
It was necessary.
You issued two
death certificates.
One was inaccurate,
the other was vague.
I couldn't find the
exact cause of death.
Mr. Phillips was
a very sick man,
had a long history of heart
disease. So I presume...
Then you knew about the cancer.
I diagnosed it a week earlier.
You knew he was in pain,
you realized it would grow.
Well, it usually does, I'm
sure you're aware of that.
Did you find the
exact cause of death?
No.
Dr. Quincy found nothing at all.
That's apparently why he's here.
He thinks that
someone on our staff
is guilty of killing
the Friedman girl
and Mr. Phillips.
[snickers]
Why would anyone on our staff
want to see either
one of them dead?
Compassion, relieve pain...
Dr. Quincy, everyone here
deals in volumes
of grief every day.
If we did that sort of thing,
the corpses would
be falling like rain.
Well, I'm not talking
about an entire staff.
One doctor could
do it all, couldn't he?
You trying to say...
You accusing me?
Oh, no, no, no.
But you were in
charge of both cases.
Yes.
Do you believe in euthanasia?
(James) That's none
of your business.
Dr. Franklin happens
to be one of the...
That's all right.
That's all right.
I don't know what
that has to do with it.
But, yes, under
some circumstances,
I do believe in euthanasia.
Such as.
Well...
Well, take an
example. Two people
have been together for
many years, are in love.
They find out that one of them
has a terminal
disease of some sort.
And the person with
the disease is in such,
such awful pain
that they ask the other person
to please put them
out of their misery.
And the person does.
Well, I don't call that murder,
I call that mercy.
They were your patients?
No, they were my parents.
What I don't understand...
Because you can't find
the exact cause of
death in two instances,
you come here and assume
euthanasia? You accuse me
or some member of my staff
of premeditated murder?
Oh.
(James) Dr. Quincy,
this is a private institution.
I've selected my own personnel.
I've done it with great care.
I'm sure you have.
Look, this is not a
matter of a rotten apple
sneaking into a barrel.
It's a case of a kind,
humane human...
This isn't a case
of anything at all.
There is no case.
I don't think
there ever will be.
If I'm wrong,
if you do come up
with any evidence
to back up your
theory, please return.
You'll be genuinely welcomed.
In the meantime doctor,
if you'll excuse me.
I'm not investigating
the moral aspects
of euthanasia, just the legal.
Two bodies were sent to my table
from this sanitarium,
cause of death unknown.
I don't like
unanswered questions,
I'm a scientist.
So I'm gonna find the answers.
And when I do, gentlemen,
you can believe
this, I'll be back.
[clicking tongue]
Well, 117 needs my
attention. See you later.
(James) John,
I hope he was wrong.
(Astin) Quincy, I think you're
going off on the deep end.
Now, would you
mind saying that again,
because I don't think
I heard you correctly
on the first try.
Don't be coy with me...
No, I'm not, I thought I
heard you say that you wanted
an investigation of Valleyview.
Yes, I do.
Who would you like to
conduct this investigation,
the police department,
the state medical board?
How about the FBI?
That's up to you.
No, it's not. It's up to
them, and they won't touch it
without a shred
of hard evidence.
You want them to
investigate a murder
and you can't say for sure
whether anyone's been murdered.
Now, how do they go about that?
They question every
woman that works up there,
find out who made
the phone call,
see how much she knows.
Listen, if she knew anything,
when she called on the phone,
she would've told
us all she knew.
All right.
Let's say I assume you're right.
I ask for an
investigation and I get it.
And that investigation
does not turn up a mercy killer,
you know what you
would've accomplished?
You would've
destroyed Dr. James,
you would've
destroyed Valleyview.
If I'm right, what
makes you think
the murders are going to stop?
There's gonna be
an epidemic up there.
I'm not interested
in the reputation
of Valleyview or
the man who runs it.
I'm interested in saving lives,
and I don't want
to destroy anybody.
But you would. The papers would
pick it up, they'd have a hay day.
Valleyview would lose all
its grants and reputation.
The place has a fine
reputation, Quincy.
Dr. James is a remarkable man.
Together they've
helped a lot of people,
they've saved a lot of lives.
They've... they've patched
together even more,
emotionally and physically.
We can't ruin a place like that.
We can't ruin a man like that.
Why am I trying to convince you?
I'm in charge here.
I've made a decision.
Because of lack of evidence,
I am not, not, not going
to order an investigation.
How'd it go?
I struck out.
You're not going
to give up are you?
First you tell me not
to go off the deep end
and then you say don't
give up. What do you want?
Both.
I'm not going to give up.
But I'm running out of
options fast. I'll tell you that.
Let's get back to
the Friedman girl.
Quince, we've done everything.
We ran a tax on
the needle marks,
scanned the brain for a stroke,
blood count was normal.
Well, everything!
We're going to do it all
over again, Sam, let's go.
Anything?
Same as before.
[sighs]
[glass shattering]
[screaming]
[both grunting]
Get out, stay out.
[grunts]
(Franklin) What's going on here?
He tried to kill himself.
Colby stopped him.
All right go. Come on.
Get him to a treatment room.
Keep him under restraint.
All right, all right, come on.
All right, Mrs. Cooper,
take 'em back to their rooms.
(Miss Grayson) All
right. All right. All right.
It's just fine.
Move them along out there.
Get them out of there.
[Schroeder groaning]
Just some scratches.
Get those taken care of.
And, uh, thank you,
you did a good job.
We're grateful.
[nurses chattering]
(Sam) Clear as a bell.
Well, that's it, Quince.
We've covered everything. Twice.
Yeah.
You want to take another
look at the micro slides?
What for? I've memorized them.
7:45, Sam. Let's go home.
Okay.
I'm sorry.
You have a next step in mind?
Two things.
I am goin' to get quietly drunk,
and I'm going to
wait for a break.
The first one's a sure thing.
The second one
I wouldn't bet on.
[phone ringing]
28.
Yes, Doctor.
Yes, I'll see that
she gets it right away.
You're welcome.
Miss Robbins, do you
know anything about this?
I found it in the medicine room.
What is it?
That's what I'd like to know.
And I'd like to know
who put it there.
It's not labeled.
That's right. You know
the rules about that.
Well, I didn't put it there.
You don't know who might have?
No. No idea at all.
I'll get to the bottom
of that in the morning.
[door closing]
[phone ringing]
Hello.
Sam, are you early or am I late?
I'm early. Quincy, you
were waiting for a break,
well, we got one.
But not the kind you wanted.
You got another
body from Valleyview.
Mmm-hmm. Except it's
not a patient this time.
It's a nurse.
A nurse?
Quincy, here's those slides
you wanted processed.
Give them to Sam, will you?
Right.
Sam.
Thanks, Ed.
Well, anything yet?
Three different bodies,
I've come up with nothing.
No evidence of a mercy killing?
I guess your theory
died with Miss Grayson.
I think she confirms it.
Quincy, that woman
was hardly a candidate
for a mercy killing.
Maybe she found out
something about the murderer.
That'd make her a
target. Maybe she called.
Anything is possible,
we'll never know.
Meanwhile I've got
Monahan wanting to jump in
not knowing how.
I've had three calls
from newspapers today.
You've had time,
you've found no
evidence, now face it.
That case is closed.
There's another one.
How can he close that case...
Sam.
There's a thought
been rolling around
in my head and I
didn't even know it
and it fell into a slot.
If you were a
brilliant young doctor
and you wanted to
kill a lot of people,
how would you fool the coroner?
Most every way I can think of,
we'd have spotted.
How about an injection? Poison?
You'd find it in
the bloodstream.
Probably.
We ran a tax
on the Friedman
girl's needle marks.
It came out negative.
How about Miss Grayson?
She didn't have any
needle tracks. You know that.
No, no, Sam, we didn't find any.
Different story. Come with me.
Quincy, we've looked.
I want to show you something.
Sam, when was the last
time you saw a nurse on duty
with her nails
painted like that?
Well, come to think
of it, I never have.
Give me the acetone, will you?
What?
The acetone. Come on, let's go.
Come on.
You see what I see?
That's where she got the needle,
under the fingernail.
It hemorrhaged.
To cover the discoloration,
they painted her nails.
What... what was injected?
That, my friend,
is the next step.
[phone ringing]
It. Monahan. Who?
They told you to
talk to me, huh?
What's it about?
Uh-huh.
Look, do you know
where we're located?
Get over here as soon as
you can, I'll be waiting. Bye.
(Quincy) There it is, Sam.
Bingo.
Curare?
Or a poison very much like it.
Fast dissipation,
causing neuromuscular blockage
and respiratory paralysis.
We found the needle
track under her fingernail.
Same as Miss Friedman?
No, I think they gave
it to her in the arm.
Couldn't tell. It was
like a pin cushion
from all the medication
she had taken.
Then the deaths at
Valleyview were murder?
Yes, they were.
Now I'm sure that
Dr. James was not involved.
Aren't you?
I don't know.
Dr. Quincy, you've done
a remarkable job for us.
Thanks.
[phone ringing]
That's probably Monahan.
I asked him to call me back.
Hello. Yeah, Lieutenant,
Well, I think we licked it.
We can prove it's
murder, all three of 'em.
You what?
Yeah, listen, I'll be
right over. Bye-bye.
Was that about Valleyview?
Yeah, he says he
knows who the killer is.
I looked in his office,
he wasn't there.
I paged him on the
speaker. No answer.
Go on, Miss Gordon...
Anyhow, he showed up,
I don't know, 30
or 40 minutes later.
I told him he'd
had a phone call.
He said the kitchen was closed,
so he drove into Hollywood
to get something to eat.
While he was on duty.
(Miss Gordon) There
was another doctor around,
he could cover for
him in an emergency.
Well, isn't it possible he
could've gone to Hollywood?
When he didn't answer his page,
I thought he might have
left... left the grounds.
So I looked out the window...
His car was still
in the parking lot.
So I wondered, why did he lie?
But I forgot about it.
Then in the morning,
when they found
Anne Friedman dead...
Wait a minute, it's
quite a jump, isn't it?
That's not the only
thing. He once said...
No, more than once, I heard him.
He said the best thing
that could happen to her
would be to die, for her sake.
For her parents.
And so, when she died,
you made the phone
call anonymously.
I wasn't really sure. I
thought if Anne's death was,
wasn't natural,
well, it would show
up in the autopsy.
Why did you come here today?
Because now I am sure.
Barbara Grayson
was a friend of mine.
A good friend.
And she suspected him, too.
Thank you, Miss Gordon.
Pardon us for a minute.
Well, what do you think?
I think it's time we paid
a visit to Dr. Franklin.
No, it not time yet.
Not until 9:00.
That's when he goes on duty.
(Franklin) The truth is that
I never left the sanitarium.
Then why did you lie to her?
Well, under the circumstances,
I thought it was preferable.
Under what circumstances?
All right, I was with a woman,
a nurse here at the hospital.
I'm sure you
understand my reluctance
to talk or mention her name.
She will verify that?
She would, if necessary.
I don't think the
need will arise.
And after the rendezvous?
I was basking in the glow.
(Monahan) Where were you last
night when Miss Grayson was killed?
What time was she killed?
Oh, I don't believe this.
I am trying to cooperate,
you won't help me.
I've got a hospital to
run. You've upset my staff.
My patients need some treatment.
That's all that interests
me. Now let's get to it.
It was a little after 1:00.
I was at Dr. James'
house, a budget meeting.
You don't believe me.
Why don't you call Dr. James?
Talk to his wife,
to him, to his maid.
They will verify that I was at
his house till 2:30 last night.
[door opening]
Mr. Schroeder?
Mr. Schroeder.
What do you want?
How are you feelin'?
Hey, leave me alone.
[sighs]
That was a bad thing
you did yesterday.
There are a lot of
people in this sanitarium
who haven't had
a chance at life.
You... you have. You
can always get better.
Better for what?
To live my whole
life in a living hell.
I didn't ask you to help me.
Why didn't you let me die?
It could be almost anybody.
12 doctors, 50 nurses.
We have an enormous staff here.
You don't want to give up.
You don't mean that, you
don't want to die, do you?
I want to be free.
I want to be free of this.
Free of what? Huh?
Free of the dead, free
of life, free of what?
Of everything.
Do you understand?
The two victims
and Miss Grayson,
they were on the same
ward, weren't they?
Right. 23.
Okay, that takes care of that.
We've cut it down
from a big sanitarium
to a middle-sized ward.
I'm sorry, Mr. Schroeder.
I didn't realize how
much you are suffering.
The vocational nurses,
they don't work at night?
No, you can eliminate them.
I can help you.
Miss Gordon.
Scratch her.
Miss Robbins, Miss
Bates, she works daytime.
I can help you.
I can give you what you want.
Wait a minute, here's a man,
a therapist who
lives on the premises.
(Monahan) So?
He's here all the time.
And he showed an
inordinate interest
in the Friedman girl.
What's his name?
Colby.
What are you doing?
I can give you the peace
that you want.
What's the matter with
you? Are you crazy?
Have you seen Colby?
Oh, y-yes, Doctor,
he passed this way...
Which way did he go?
Going that way.
Know exactly where?
Mr. Hoff or
Mr. Schroeder, maybe...
Schroeder! I'm really not sure.
Nurse! Nurse!
Colby, hold it. Hold it.
You don't understand.
None of you understand.
You're not helping him, honest.
You're goin' to hurt him.
I'm just going to give
him the peace of mind
that he wants.
Dr. Franklin.
Quincy. I never expected
to see you out here again.
I'm here as a
private citizen now.
How's he doing?
Yeah, he's picked up a lot. I think
he's concluded he's meant to live.
He's gonna make
the best of it, huh?
We hope so.
You wanted to see me.
Oh, yeah, I wanted
to apologize to you.
About what?
Well, the trouble I caused you.
I couldn't the other night,
there was such confusion.
No problem.
Friends?
Sure.
I did want to discuss your views
on euthanasia with you.
Why do you want to discuss
my views on euthanasia?
Because I'm interested in it.
Are you for euthanasia?
Well, uh, under
certain conditions.
Ah, see? You gave
me all that trouble...
Yeah, but I don't
agree with your...