Quincy M.E. (1976–1983): Season 2, Episode 3 - ...The Thigh Bone's Connected to the Knee Bone... - full transcript

In the last of the 90-minute Sunday Mystery Movie episodes (this was aired in the Friday time slot), a crook frantically steals the bones of a long-dead football player from a construction site. But he misses a femur, and it was hit by a pistol slug. The next day, the thigh bone is discovered and turned over to Quincy and a group of medical students. Quincy uses analysis to get a complete portrait of the victim.

"A bone was buried at a
university campus building site.

(Monahan) "Medical Examiner
Quincy, of Los Angeles,

has promised to rebuild
a life from that bone. ”

Quincy did what?

He stopped work on a
multimillion-dollar project

by declaring the area a
possible scene of a crime!

[smacking]

His larynx is crushed.

One bone doesn't make a crime!

The thigh bone is
connected to the knee bone.

Oh, honey, that killing took
place over 20 years ago.



Well, what if the killer
knows you're on his trail?

[crickets chirping]

[thudding]

[crashing]

[digging]

(guard) Jessie!

[blowing whistle]

[engines roaring]

[machinery creaking]

[engine idling]

What's the matter?
Your shovel bust?

I want to show you something.

Get that shovel moving.

And make sure you
get all of these bones



out of this hole and
into the dump truck.

Maybe we should
tell the cops about this.

It's the same hole
Jessie was thrown into.

One thing's got nothing
to do with the other.

Spence, I still think
we should tell the cops.

Then I'll tell you.

(Spence) A couple of years
back, on another project,

we spotted some bones.

Got shut down a
week until they finally

figured out it was from a dog.

Then the goons came out of
the trees, yelling how it was,

like, some sacred burial ground.

Three weeks it took to
straighten out the mess

and my butt was on
the line the whole time.

Now just get rid of
them dog bones. Now!

(Sam) I don't know what time
I'll be able to get off, sweetheart.

Well, it could be
as late as 10:00.

Well, if I can make
it any earlier, I'll call.

Good morning, Quince.

Uh, I can't talk any
longer, sweetheart.

Okay.

[speaking Japanese]

Okay? Bye-bye, sweetheart.

Don't trust me, huh?

[both laughing]

Well, well, well...

And what are you doing here
when you are supposed to be there?

In the freezer?

[scoffing]

At the university.

Do you realize
that six students,

now I mean the créme de la créme

of the medical department, are
expecting your Forensic Pathology course?

And do you realize that I will
not allow them to be disappointed?

But I'm needed here. Uh-uh.

That's my decision to
make and I've made it.

Let me guess, I'm
not needed here.

Right. You're needed there.

[telephone ringing]

Hello?

Hi, honey.

Yeah, I miss you.

What are you up to?

Another masterpiece.

What do you mean
another masterpiece?

Yeah, I haven't done
one since last April.

(Quincy) You're painting
again? That's terrific.

Listen, you better not paint
anything wider than, oh,

about 30 inches, okay?

Honey, I need my old pathology notes
for a class I'm teaching at the university.

Would you dig them
up for me? Yeah.

I'll pick them up
on my way to class.

Sure.

Oh, by the way, when are you going
to get that boat of yours fixed up?

Can't wait to get
away from it all, huh?

No, I want to get
it all away from me.

I rented a 2-bedroom
apartment at the marina.

One with a skylight to paint by,

and the other with
a view to sleep by.

I'm sorry, honey.

My boat's gonna be
fixed any time now.

It's been almost a year.

Then I'll get everything
out of your room, okay?

Have you got any idea
where the notes might be?

I know exactly where they are.

They're in a brown envelope.

Brown envelope.

Uh, could you be a
little more specific?

(Quincy) Why don't you
wait till I get over there?

What time's your class?

11:00.

Oh, you'll never make it.

Look, I'll find the notes
and meet you there.

(Quincy) All right,
let's get right into it.

I want you to clear your heads
of everything you've ever learned

or heard about
Forensic Pathology.

We don't only deal in autopsies.

Now the ramifications of our
work makes a world of difference

in, oh, insurance,
estates, civil cases.

We're a lot more concerned with
the living than we are with the dead.

Dr. Quincy, I don't mean to
put down your little parade.

(Frank) I guess everyone
takes pride in his own specialty,

but we know about the
wonderful world of pathology.

Oh, we have a young cynic
in the group, an impatient one.

It's an unconscious
defense mechanism.

That's all.

Strike out first, then
there's less chance

of being touched
by anything yourself.

That's just what I need.

Her own self-criticism of me.

The pattern's very clear, Frank.

I've been in other
classes with you.

It's starting to sound like
a group therapy session.

Yes, indeed. Yes, it is. I think we
ought to clear the air right away.

Sure. Give her a
bottle of mouthwash.

You're very funny.
Uh, was it "Claude?"

Frank.

You're very fast with those
quips and those one-liners.

But this is not a
course in comedy.

It's a course in pathology.

It's not a course in
neurobiology or psychiatry,

or any other thing
that interests you more.

Now if you're here
just for the unit credit

or because you need
pathology as a prerequisite,

that's your only interest, then
you better get out of here. Now.

Now I mean that,

and if the class is empty, fine!

I'll get back to my work.

But if the class goes on,
and there's only one student,

it'll be the hottest
class you've ever had,

because I'm going
to teach it and I love it.

There'll be no hard feelings. You want
to leave? Okay, now's the time to do it.

Thank you.

Now, Pathology
class has started.

All right. Now the main
thrust of pathology is...

"To teacher.

I couldn't find an
apple to polish."

A femur for the teacher. Unique.

Haven't seen one
for a couple of hours.

Who do I have to thank for this?

Me. And I'm sorry.

It was some kind of
childish regression.

No, it's very thoughtful.

Makes me feel at home.

Where did you get it?
Out of the anatomy class?

No. At a building site on
the other end of campus.

(Sue) It's the
new student union.

Was it ever a cemetery?

Why?

Seems odd

that a human bone would be
buried in the middle of nowhere.

Human?

When did you study anatomy?

Two years ago. I'm
going into psychiatry.

That would have been
very hard to guess.

Were there any
other bones there?

I didn't look. This one
was by the side of the road

where they're
loading dirt into trucks.

They're still digging there?

With bulldozers
as big as this room.

I think we ought to take a look.

What's so important
about that bone?

It was shot.

What are you waiting for?

Grab some shovels, get
down here and start digging.

Hey, you! Get out of there!

Hold it a minute, will you?

I said get out of
there! I got work to do!

Will you hold it?

(Spence) What
are you looking for?

More of these.

You ain't out of here in one
minute flat, I'm calling the police.

It's a good idea. Dr. Quincy,
Medical Examiner, City of Los Angeles.

Now, this human
bone was found here.

So what? How do we
know how it got there?

I want you to stop all digging.

No way. I got
a contract to fill.

I'm afraid you don't
have much choice.

I'm declaring this area the
scene of a possible crime.

What crime? How can you
tell that from just a bone?

This bone has a nick in it.

It could've been
caused by a bullet.

I'll know when I find
the rest of the body.

What body? Where
do you see a body?

I don't yet. That's why I
want you to stop until I find it.

Hey, Pete! Keep digging!

Kids! Come on!

I'm warning you,
you're breaking the law.

You're disobeying a direct
order from an officer of the court

and you could be held as
an accessory after the fact.

What do we do now?

Let's go get a cop.

Officer, I just declared a site

the scene of a crime,
a possible homicide.

The foreman won't stop work.

He may destroy
some crucial evidence.

How do you know a
crime's been committed?

This human bone
was found at the scene.

And this nick indicates
a bullet wound.

That's not enough for
me to stop all that work.

Officer, if I say it is, it is.

Now you listen to me. Either
you go there and stop work

or you'll be up on more charges

than the numbers on
this black-and-white.

Seems crazy to me to stop
all that work for an old bone.

Excuse me, people.
Coming through. Excuse me.

But, Officer, you have
no right to shut me down.

We'll have the whole thing
taken care of in an hour, okay?

An hour? That's $5,000!

Cost and expediency are no
reasons for disregarding the law.

I'm sorry, sir, I'm just going to
have to ask you to shut down.

Quincy did what?

That's right. He stopped work
on a multimillion-dollar project

by declaring the area a
possible scene of a crime!

Uh, Quincy must have
some basis for his action.

Oh, he did! An old bone!

The project manager said it
probably didn't even come from there.

I'm on my way
over there right now.

Well, you see? Good. Now
let me know what happens.

I won't have to.
You're coming along.

I'm coming along?

Along! You're his superior. He
declared the area the scene of the crime,

you're the only one that
can undeclare it! [sighing]

I don't know about that.

What if Quincy's right?

Then I'll start a
homicide investigation.

But if he's wrong, I want you to
put those men back to work again!

Terrific.

(Spence) You Officer Monahan?

The only crimes committed here
are these guys on their behinds

costing $8 an hour.

Where's Quincy?

(Spence) He went
off with his students.

After more bones, he said.

Brill, put a call out on him.

Did you look the area over?

Yes, sir. No other
bones have been found,

at least nothing to indicate
a crime's been committed.

Dr. Astin.

Lee. What are you doing here?

They told me Quincy was here.

I brought him his notes.

Notes? You mean to tell
me he planned all this?

(Brill) Lieutenant? Yeah?

They just located Quincy.
(Monahan) Where?

At the Mulholland dump.

Dump? What's happening there?

He did it again!

He declared the dump
as a scene of a crime, too!

Come on, Astin.

What about the stoppage?

You better do something, Astin.

(Astin) Quincy is a
very conscientious man.

He would not be whimsical
about anything this serious.

So far this has
been on his head.

From now on, it's on yours.

Now, if you want to get in
bed with Quincy, it's up to you!

You may, uh, resume work.

[horns blaring]

(Monahan) Quincy is
the only doctor in the world

who could cause a
traffic jam in a city dump.

[horns blaring]

It. Monahan. Where's Quincy?

Quincy!

Quincy, get up here!

Dr. Quincy, would you come
up here at once, please?

Who are they?

The guy with the white hair, that's
It. Monahan. He's with the police.

The guy who's uptight,
that's my superior, Dr. Astin.

Quincy, if you don't come
up here on your own right now,

I'm gonna send Brill
down there to drag you up!

Now get up here!

[sighing]

We better go.

You okay?

Oh, yeah, I'm fine.

That's what you think.
Just a minute, please. Just.

Now, Dr. Quincy, I sent you to the
university to teach an elective course

in Forensic Pathology,
and that's all.

So would you explain to us
why in less than 53 minutes

you have crippled work
on an important state project

and stopped normal city
work here at the dump?

And I must mention that you have
subjected It. Monahan and the police

to unnecessary harassment,
and totally destroyed my routine

as the Assistant Deputy
Coroner and I don't know why.

It's all part of
their education, sir.

Okay, Astin, you can tell them
to get back to work here, too.

Too?

Yes, too!

Did you overrule me
at the building site?

Well, yes, I... I was forced to.

Perhaps you didn't understand.
This femur was found there!

One bone doesn't make a crime!

Let me give you a
lesson in anatomy:

the thigh bone is
connected to the knee bone.

The knee bone is
connected to the shin bone.

The shin bone...
Plug it, Quincy.

Look, this bone
also has a nick in it

that probably
came from a bullet.

It would be invaluable to us if
we could find the rest of the bones.

I think they're down there.

Do you realize how long it'll
take to sift through all that dirt?

I can get more help tomorrow.

And these trucks will be
lined up clear to San Diego,

and we'll be the laughingstock
of the state. No, thanks.

Astin, do you overrule him or do I
go to the Mayor and have him do it?

And he will.

Don't buckle, Astin.

Quincy, I have no choice.

I don't see any facts.

Facts that would
justify your rash actions.

You can start
the trucks rolling.

Good.

My hero.

Uh, Dr. Quincy? Dr. Quincy.

Uh, Chip Hayden, campus paper.

Do you believe there's any
connection between that bone

and the attack on the
watchman last night?

What attack?

He was knocked unconscious and fell
into the same pit the bone was found.

What else?

When he came to, they
found some dynamite missing.

They think it might
be a radical group.

I don't see any
connection at this point.

Thank you.

(Quincy) Do you believe it?

He had the gall to overrule
me when he knew I was right.

Well, you did get in
a little deep, Quince.

Taking on the state, the
city, the police, and Astin.

This is bigger than the
both of them put together.

Aren't you overreacting?

Frank, at one time

there was a brain, a heart,
and a soul attached to this bone.

There is nothing bigger,
there's nothing more important,

than finding out what
made all that stop.

That's exactly why I'm
thinking about general practice.

You get to stop something
from going wrong

before it gets all detached.

Oh, that reminds
me. I found your notes.

I changed my mind on this class.

I'm going to spend the entire
Pathology course on this bone.

On just one femur?

That's right.

And from it, we're gonna
try to rebuild a person's life.

Before we're through
we'll know whether it was

a man or a woman,

when they died,
and approximately

how old they were at the time.

We're gonna know the
height, the weight, the race,

possibly the nationality,
and with a little luck,

the place of birth, the kind of
work he did, and what he died of.

Can you really learn
that from just one bone?

Yeah, it doesn't seem
like very much to work with.

A wise man once said that
creativity is at its greatest

when the concept
is crystal clear,

and the limitations
are most severe.

In that case, we got the
limitations to make us geniuses.

Who's going back to the college?

I am.

Take good care of that. I will.

See you kids later. Bye-bye.

It's all so exciting.

It's like we're
being led into battle.

By Frankenstein.

(Quincy) We're starting
with the right femur.

519 millimeters in length,
31 millimeters in width.

Okay, let's see how well we've
done our homework. Sue? Milt?

Okay, um, from the
length of the femur,

we make the tibia
to be 422 millimeters,

the pelvic area 160 millimeters,

which makes him
definitely a man, about 5'11".

Good. Good thinking.

But how'd you get 5'11"
from those measurements?

Well, off the graphs
in various textbooks.

(Quincy) I don't understand it.

The university spends $2
million for a new student building,

over $12 million for
a football stadium,

but not a dime on new textbooks.

After all, that is what
school is all about, isn't it?

This text was
written in the '305.

We all know how much
man has grown since then.

The average male foot
in the '305 was Size 8.

It's now Size 11.
Same with the body.

This table no longer holds true.

So that should
make him about 6'3".

And that's where
we're gonna start.

You will continue to
work here on the femur,

to develop every piece
of information you can.

Now, with what we have,
and what you'll provide,

in my lab I'll try to
construct a life-size model,

bit by bit, bone by bone.

Wherever possible we'll
try to deduce what we can

about muscles and other organs.

This class is gonna
help me recreate

the man to whom this
femur once belonged.

Sam.

(Sam) Good morning, Quince.

Where's my femur?

You're standing on it.

As ordered. 590 millimeters
long, 31 millimeters wide.

Oh, listen. I'm
gonna need a tibia,

475 by, say, 25.

I hate to be personal,
but what are you doing?

I'm gonna build a man.

Should be easier than a tree.

Only God can make one of those.

Get the tibia.

Uh, Dr. Quincy.

He's the one building the man.

Dr. Quincy, Bernie Price,
L.A. Police Art Department.

How do you do?

Uh, you ordered a
composite drawing?

Yeah, of this.

Is there anything more to go on?

I mean, I, uh, usually have
some kind of description.

Oh, I'll describe him for you.

Powerful guy with big muscles.

Big, powerful muscles.

Yeah.

Between us, we're
gonna build a man.

With only a thigh bone to go by?

And a lot of imagination.

(Quincy) What do you think, Sam?

(Sam) What's to think?

He was a powerful guy.

He worked to get those muscles.

They didn't just come.

(Astin) Dr. Quincy?

You know, I'm here
to inform you that

you are being paid
to take bodies apart.

Well, now that
that's cleared up,

perhaps you can get
caught up on your case loads.

You asked me to do this.

I asked you to do this?

Yes! Teach the
créme de la créme.

Put the future of
forensic medicine into

the hands, the minds, the hearts
of the bright young students.

How will they appreciate
how much you could learn

from examining one single
bone, if I don't demonstrate?

Well, you demonstrate
all you need.

But I would be unhappy if I
thought that you were taking time

to create cases for
the homicide division.

Well, I don't blame you, sir.

Right. Right.

Have a good day, sir.

The man's got a problem.

He's suffering from
chronic Quincy.

Who asked you?

All right, Fred, Borden,
what've you got?

Well, we cut a few tiny pieces

from the upper part
of the, uh, the femur,

and subjected it to
x-ray and lab tests.

And we're still waiting
for some of the results.

So far, we've been
able to determine

the blood type from
the dry bone marrow,

and it's "." B
Probably. Excuse me.

(Fred) Uh, no
"probably." It was "."B

It looks like "."B Could be "."B

But it's still a probable.

You can be fooled by a blood
type taken from old tissue.

What else? Well, we
measured the bone cortex.

Uh, it was about
four millimeters.

These are the measurements here.

That's about all.

About all? It could be the most
vital statistic of your investigation.

It tells us about the physique
beyond the bones themselves.

(Quincy) See, from
these measurements,

the slant of the
trochanteric angle,

this man had some
kind of muscles.

This guy not only had
muscles, but he used them.

See, from the surface
of the condyles,

it looks like there were
shocks despite his muscularity.

That indicates heavy work or some
kind of intense muscular activity.

Next you'll be telling us
what kind of job he had.

I might, when Fred
and Borden come up

with more details
about the bone.

What've you got?

We've studied the various
growth sites of the femur.

By examining the
epiphyseal closure patterns,

we calculate the guy
was about 18 or 19.

Good. Very good. Did you check
the lesser trochanteric cortex?

No. Uh-huh.

Sure, come here.

See that? You see where
the site is closed, there?

Yeah. Right.

You see, normal growth is
accomplished at 21, often earlier.

Now, this means that although
he didn't reach his full potential,

at the point you measured,
he was past the growth age.

That means he was at least 22.

(Lee) Going back to school
has been on my mind a lot lately.

Honey, if you want to go
back to school, you should go.

You could arrange for
classes between flights.

Oh, I'm at that awkward age.

Out in the world
but still not sure

about what I want
to be when I grow up.

That's why I envy
people like you, Quince.

Me? I'm a mess!

Only in relationships.

Oh, thanks a lot!

At least you got your work.

You know what you
want and you're doing it.

And loving every minute of it.

Sometimes, it gets a little
hairy with Astin and Monahan.

Dr. Quincy!

Hey, Brill! Thinking about
coming back to school?

I've learned enough.

Only a small
man talks like that.

Thanks. Monahan
would like to see you.

I don't have the time.

Let me put it this way.

Monahan wants to see
you as soon as possible.

Now I take that to mean you
and I head back with the siren on.

Go ahead, Quince.

I'll head back to my place.

All right, honey.
I'll see you later.

Maybe he knows
something about the victim.

What victim? You
know, with the bone.

Come on.

Take a look at this.
That's what it's all about.

"Alas! Poor Yorick.
I knew him well."

Your Shakespeare is eloquent.

You think that
article's funny, do you?

Not bad, governor.

A national syndicate
picked up the campus story.

That article is gonna appear in
every newspaper in the country.

What's wrong? The school
reporter will make a name for himself.

And make an ass out of me!

Quincy, do you realize
what an article like this does?

Here, listen.

"A bone was buried at a
university campus building site.

"Medical Examiner Quincy, of
Los Angeles, on loan as a professor,

"has promised to rebuild
a life from that bone.

[laughing] Shades of
Frankenstein have..."

Oh, come on, that's a joke.

A joke? I've had four sworn
confessions since that article came out

and my department has to
run down every one of them.

An utter waste of time!

What do you want
me to do about it?

Simple. You call the newspaper

and tell them that that
bone is not connected

with homicide in any
way, shape, or form.

Monahan, I really appreciate
what you're going through.

Good. I can't do it.

Quincy, don't say that.

Suppose there was a homicide?

Supposing there wasn't?

I'm wasting good manpower
and I haven't got any to spare!

I got great kids in my
class. They're really bright.

One's liable to come
up with something soon.

Soon is not good enough.

That thigh bone could very
well be the finger pointing

in the direction of a homicide.

If I were you, I'd listen very
carefully to all those confessions.

It's possible one of
them is a murderer.

[telephone ringing]
What's more possible is...

Monahan.

Figures.

Like I said, what's
more possible is

the can of peas you opened
is gonna spill all over the city.

[crowd chanting]
Save our shrine!

70 years ago, bones
were found on this site.

The Indians wanted
to save this land

because it was part of
their sacred burial ground.

The government said
they weren't gonna tamper

or desecrate it in any way.

I guess that big hole there is
the government's way of proving it.

[crowd chanting] I'm telling
you this was never agreed on.

Where are the rest of the bones?

Your trucks probably
carted them off!

That's why Quincy followed up
by looking in the dump. Right?

Well, not exactly.

Right, tell them.

I agree with you. I think
the digging should stop.

[crowd shouting]

(Quincy) Monahan!

All right, all right.
Okay, all right.

My name is Quincy. I'm a doctor.

I'm a medical examiner
for the City of Los Angeles.

(man) Big deal!

Let the man talk.

Look, this may once have been a
burial ground. I don't know about that.

But I do know the bone we're
talking about is definitely not Indian.

(man) How do you know that?

You're just a bigot!

Give me a chance,
I'll tell you how I know.

Now, I'm teaching a course
in forensic medicine here.

My students and I have
been working on this bone.

Yesterday, we took a
blood type out of the marrow.

Blood types don't prove race!

That's right. Blood types
can cross racial boundaries.

But the very fact that we
can make a test on this bone

proves that it
couldn't be Indian.

(crowd) How do you know?

It wasn't old enough.

It wasn't fossilized. It
wasn't demineralized.

It was too compact.

It wasn't encrusted
with enough mineral

or with enough bug debris

to have been in the ground more
than 20 or maybe 30 years at the most.

Now that is a scientific fact,

no matter how
much you bellyache.

Now you may have a beef about
this land, and it may be justified.

But you can in no way connect it

with the discovery of
the bone we made here.

I'm sorry.

[crowd booing]

That was very clever, Doctor.

Seems like, hey,

those in power
always seem to use

the scientific community
to sell out the masses.

Oh, Alice.

You know you don't
really believe that.

[crowd chanting]
Save our shrine.

You handled that real well.

Chicken.

[crowd chanting]
Save our shrine.

[telephone ringing]

Hello?

Yes, one moment, please.

Miss Freud.

Yes, Sue. What is it?

I got this number
from your office.

I hope you don't mind.

No, what's the matter?

I know I shouldn't be
calling you this late.

But I have a confession to make.

And knowing the devious way
my neurotic subconscious works

(Sue) I know I'll
never be able to sleep

unless I unburden
myself from this

debilitating guilt.

I guess that means you
want to talk it over with me?

May I speak bluntly?

Anyway you want.

[laughing] As long as
I can understand you.

I have the bone at home.

Oh, Sue, you shouldn't
have done that.

Wait a minute.

Sue told me to hold on a minute.

I hope she doesn't
take too long.

I can hardly wait for
the next installment.

Ohhh!

Just keep quiet and
you won't get hurt.

I've had my eye on
you for a long time.

[screaming]

Sue!

[muffled screaming]

Sue!

I better call the police.

I can't get the dial
tone. She didn't hang up!

Where does she live?

I got her address
right here. Let's go!

[screaming]

[knocking on door]

(woman) Sue?

Sue? Are you all right?

[knocking on door]

That's all I can tell you.

I think that should do
it for now. Thank you.

Feel all right?

Yeah, I'm fine.

You poor thing.

No! It's a fascinating moment.

I should be traumatized

psychologically,
physically, and, uh...

It's extraordinary. Here I
am sitting here, discussing it

calmly, serenely, and
absolutely in control.

[sobbing]

I'm sorry.

Come on. Let your imaginations
roam. Let me hear something.

(Claude) All right. Now the
weakness at the top of the bone,

now that makes me believe
there was definitely kidney distress.

(Sue) Nonsense. If there
was kidney malfunction,

liquid would've oozed out.

The bone would have been
streaked with pus pockets.

(Milt) The medial
condyle is distinct.

Uh, waitress.

(Claude) I don't think so.

Check, please.

(Milt) Did it show
excess fluoride?

Yeah, it's loaded. Right.

Which means the bones
were healthy and strong.

Now, the break was irregular,
which indicates an old injury.

Probably happened as a child.

You're nuts, Claude.
(Quincy) Uh-uh!

Let's keep
personalities out of this.

You want to disagree? Wonderful.

But no insults, okay?

Okay.

Any other opinions? Yeah, one.

[all laughing]
They're both wrong.

Mr. Wonderful strikes again.

It was a torsion injury. But it couldn't
have happened when he was a child.

Now we already know
that he was highly muscular,

including his legs.

(Frank) An injury as severe
as this, sustained early

would have made
it impossible for him

to have developed
that muscularly.

Since it's a malacia,
twisted high on the condyle...

(Danny) Can I see you
a minute? Be right there.

It proves it was a late injury,

a debilitating one.
You see here?

There's no reactive
proliferation, no growth around it.

He sustained the injury within
two years before his death.

You're right on the button.

All right, let's take it a
couple of steps farther.

Let's see if we can figure out
how the accident happened.

Claude, you want to
take a stab at it? No.

I left my crystal ball at home.

All right, let's give
it a try without one.

The nature of
the deformity joint

indicates a strain
in two directions

and a ripping
away from the knee.

Now where would an injury
like that most likely take place?

Football.

I would say so, too.

Pretty soon, you are going to be
telling us what position he played.

Well, I can give you
an educated guess.

Running back, an end.

Someone who was
carrying the ball.

You see, he was
torn from two sides.

A tackle would do that.

What a shame! All those muscles
went to waste. A macho jock.

I hate to step into
your field, Sue,

but didn't Freud say that
we protest most vehemently

against the thing we want most?

No, he didn't.

And Frank, after
all these years,

why haven't you taken a
psychology course, too?

What does that
got to do with it?

Classic perennial
student syndrome.

You should have
graduated two... Sue.

Please, you should have
graduated two years ago, Frank,

but you are afraid to get out in the
world, so you keep taking classes

and you're putting down
everybody who really Sue.

Cares about doing their best!

Unfortunately, your
best is still inadequate.

(Quincy) Frank, you're
out of line... Excuse me.

Doc, could I see you a minute?

I'll be right with you, Danny.

(Quincy) Now, look,
we gotta cut this out.

We gotta cut out these putdowns.

That's the trouble with
having a small class.

We get to know each other
very fast but not too well.

Excuse me. Let's
have a little peace, huh?

You been... Relax, will you?

You know I love you.

I don't have time for romance.

That's what I mean.
You're a little off-center,

but I'd rather
spend time with you.

You got it. No, no, no. Wait.

Does that mean I
have to lose customers?

What are you talking about?

You and this entourage,
you come over here,

you eat chocolate
milk, peanuts, you know.

But I'm gonna take
them down to the lab.

I had to get them
out of the classroom.

I'm happy you're out of the
classroom, but when you're here, please,

don't talk shop. It's morbid.

What should I talk
about, the weather?

Perfect. This is a marina.

Everybody talks
about the weather.

You talk about anything...

But shop talk. I know.

But frankly, I got a sensitive
stomach. Gives me acid.

Talk about pus, kidneys.

I don't say words like that.

See what I mean?

I'm leaving. I'm leaving.

Okay. It's time
to go to the lab.

Charge it.

[chuckling] What else?

I'm missing dinner
because of this.

Better be good.

No, Monahan. It's awful.

You see that nick?

The electron microscope
proved my suspicion.

Those black particles are lead.

Sam?

It was caused by a bullet.

(Sam) Lead particles
are still present.

From the size of the
wound, I'd say a .32 caliber.

I'm officially declaring that this
man, John Doe, was murdered.

So he was shot. I've never heard
of anyone dying from a thigh wound.

He didn't. Now look
closely, Lieutenant.

(Quincy) There
was no regeneration.

That means the body
didn't have time to heal over.

An open wound like
that is very painful.

Yet it wasn't treated.

If it had been,

you wouldn't see those
lead particles around there.

My theory is that he was shot and
killed almost immediately afterwards.

I'll buy that. You still can't
prove he was murdered.

If it was suicide, he was
the worst shot in history.

All right.

He could have been
shot in the thigh.

The person who did it ran.

He passed out and bled to death.

And then he buried himself?

Quincy, only one bone was found.

All you have to do is see
if you could find somebody

who found a body
without a right thigh.

And how am I supposed to pin
that down, when that happened, huh?

We tested the fill and the
calcification of the bone.

We figure the bone
was buried in, oh, 1957,

'58, possibly early '59.

From that far back, all
our records are on microfilm

buried in the basement.

It would take 10 men a
month to go through it.

Monahan, my job is to see
if a homicide was committed.

Your job is to find the killer.

Look, it wouldn't do any good.

I have to know more
about the victim.

Sam, take them through
the analysis again, will you?

Monahan, you come with me.

Well, there he is.

There who is?

Our victim. I mean,
as far as we know.

Male, Caucasian, 22, 23.

Weighed approximately
198 pounds, 6'3",

very powerfully built, athletic,
blood type probably "."B

And you know already he
had blond hair and blue eyes?

Well, the bone formation definitely
indicates a Scandinavian background.

(Quincy) Since the majority
of the Scandinavians are blond,

that's a logical surmise.

A logical surmise.

Look, Quincy,
you've got the gift.

What gift?

My grandmother used to tell
me stories about the Leprechauns,

that they had the gift to make
the most insane things sound right.

Quincy, haven't we got
enough problems today

without finding
them 20 years old?

It happened 20 years ago.

What possible difference
could it make today?

That's hard to say.

Frank, maybe an invention
that was never discovered.

Or an orphan who
never knew its father,

or a sweetheart who
lost her lover, whatever.

Each person born
has a right to that life,

and no one has the
right to interfere with that.

A moral, psychological
attachment to the past

is a necessary chain to
the present and the future.

Hey, now that sounds good.

But does that mean you're
with me or against me?

Thanks, honey.

All right. Now we
know he was an athlete,

he suffered from a football
injury when he was about 20.

Now we have to
track down anybody

with a knee injury
from that time.

You ever work the university
clinic during football season?

(Frank) It's mayhem.

There are more ripped
knees than there are colds.

And the equipment they wear now is
much more protective than it was then.

(Frank) Where do we begin?

On all fronts, Frank.

On all fronts.

If I can ever get
Borden off the telephone.

Look, I got to go,
okay? Talk to you later.

Thank you.

Well, folks, another
crisis averted.

You know, you'll have a perfect
bedside manner by the time you graduate?

In all modesty, Doc, I'm not
having too much trouble as it is.

[laughing] Sit down, will you?

Okay, here's what I
intend for the follow-up.

It's normally done
by investigators

who are connected
with the coroner's office.

They're not M.D.s, but it's a
good idea to know what they do.

Sue, I want you and Milt

to check through the
university clinic records

for the entire spring
and fall of 1958 and 1959.

See if there were
any football players

who were out with a knee injury.

Fred and Claude, I
want you to check with

the campus school
papers, the sports page.

Borden, Frank, you check
with the athletic department.

From 20 years ago?

I tell you, it happened
to dozens of players.

From Lubbock, Texas?

Lubbock?

You can tell that from the bone?

See, the bone was
excessively laced with fluoride.

So I checked over the 20
years before he died for an area

where the water was
exceptionally heavy with fluoride.

Now our best shot is Lubbock and
the surrounding farm communities.

Quince.

Excuse me.

Honey, we got guests.

[chuckling]

I'm worried about those kids.

They're terrific. What?

Oh, Quincy, you know me.

I never stick my
nose in your business.

But?

Well, it's about those
assignments you handed out.

What about them?

Well, I think you got
a little carried away.

You said so yourself.
Trained medical investigators

normally do that kind of work.

That's right. I think
they should know

how every medical
operation works.

Well, then, they should go
along with a professional.

They're just kids. Amateurs.

It could be dangerous.

Dangerous? Honey,
it's here on campus.

So was that bone.

Oh, honey, that killing took
place over 20 years ago.

What if the killer knows
you're on his trail?

He'll try to stop you
or them. I don't like it.

There's too many coincidences.

What coincidences?

The university night
watchman was attacked

in the same hole that
the bone was found in.

And dynamite was stolen.

And what... The
police have a unit on it.

They think it was some radicals.

What about Sue? She was
attacked while she had the bone.

But that was an attempted
rape. Even Sue said so.

Those are two different acts.

But what if they weren't?

Oh, Quince, those
kids adore you.

They'll follow you anywhere.

Frankly, I don't like
where you're leading them.

Well, now, I can't
help that, can I?

I don't tell you
how to do your job.

Please don't tell
me how to do mine.

Does that mean I'm not even
entitled to express my opinion?

If I listen to just
every person's opinion

I'd never let my feet hit
the rug in the morning.

I didn't realize I was
"just every person."

[men shouting]

Come on, hit it!

Hit it harder! That
a boy! That a boy!

There's almost
a dent after that.

Around '57 to
'59... I'm not sure.

From our latest
calculations, we'd say 1958.

I'll tell you one
thing for sure.

He wasn't a star.

I'd remember a running
back if he was any good.

Hit it! Come on, come
on, slam it away! Slam!

The player we're
talking about... Slam it!

May have been from
Texas, southwestern Texas.

How about Lubbock, Coach?

Does that ring a bell?

Lubbock, Texas.

No. No. Wait a minute. Sure!

The Texas Fish.

Fish?

Charley Trout.

He was from a farm
right outside of Lubbock.

He had potential. He
was only a sophomore.

Got wiped out in
his first big game.

Ripped his knee every
which way come Sunday.

You have any idea where
he might be right now?

I heard he got killed.

(Frank) How?

Back in the Vietnam War.

Thanks very much, Coach.

[telephone ringing]

Yep?

Hi. What's happening? You sure?

Okay, I'll be right there.

Frank went over
to the university

to check out this guy's records.

I hung in with Coach Ives to see if
he could remember anybody else.

He couldn't.

Then Frank called you there?

Yeah, right.

He found out where
Charley Trout lived

when he was at the university.

So he told me to call you

and we could meet him there
in case this guy was the one.

It's hard to figure, isn't it?

Killed in Vietnam,
buried on the campus.

Unless that bone of
yours turns out to be a liar.

[smacking]

[doorbell ringing]

[woman moaning]

She's in shock. How's Frank?

He's not breathing!

His larynx is crushed.
It cut off his wind.

Go in the kitchen, get me the
sharpest knife you can find. Hurry.

How am I going to sterilize it?

No time.

We'll worry about
infection later.

[choking] Hurry up, will you?

Move with the knife!

Okay.

Give me some metal tubing.

What kind?

Anything made out
of metal or plastic.

Hurry up with the tubing!

I can't find any!

You got a ballpoint pen on you?

Yeah!

Bring it over
here, take it apart.

(Quincy) Give me
the bottom piece.

Is he going to make it, Quince?

I don't know.

Get back. Come on.

Come on.

[crowd chattering]

Pardon me. Pardon me.

How bad is it?

They didn't make
it. I got here too late.

I gotta talk to you.

I don't believe it!

I don't believe
what I'm hearing.

You mean to tell me that that
woman and that boy are still alive?

Yeah.

You faked their
deaths? I had to.

I wanted the killer to
think he succeeded.

I want him to let
his guard down.

Quincy, you can't do that.

Don't you realize the
confusion this can cause?

I mean, what with the relatives,

the insurance
companies, the friends...

I think it's worth the problems.

Pour me a cup.

How bad were they hurt?

The woman's all right.

I had to give Frank an
emergency tracheotomy.

He'll be okay in
a couple of hours.

Quincy, why can't
you ever consult me?

Why can't you ever do
anything like anyone else?

Why can't you get asthma
and work out of Phoenix?

Cream and sugar?

Black.

[knocking on door]

May I come in?

You heard, huh?

I can't believe Frank and
that poor woman are dead.

[crying]

Honey, they're not dead.

Don't you lie to me!

I wouldn't lie to you
about a thing like that.

I only did that to throw
the killer off the track.

They're at the hospital.
They're all right.

You're crazy! You're driving
me crazy! No, no, honey.

[weeping] Please. Shh.

What do you think you're doing?

Come on, let's get back to bed.

What's the matter with
you? Don't be foolish.

[clearing throat]

How are you?

[rasping] I'm all right.

I learned a big lesson
in medicine today.

What's that?

It's very important to breathe.

Do you have any
idea who jumped you?

Mmm-mmm.

It happened too fast.

He was wearing a mask.

How's Mrs. Courtland?

Oh, she's fine. A very
slight concussion, that's all.

Did she tell you anything?

Yeah. She told me that Trout
had a roommate, Robert Gideon.

They were inseparable.

Gideon told her that Trout went
to Vietnam and he was killed there.

I think you should put
out an all points on Gideon.

I think you should stick to
pathology and let me handle homicide.

If it was murder,
he's a prime suspect.

If it wasn't murder, I don't have
anything to worry about, do I?

What have you got to
lose by questioning him?

What if I pick him up, Quincy?

What am I going to ask him?

Oh, Mr. Gideon, did you
kill Charles Trout? No.

Mr. Gideon, did you knock
out the watchman? No.

Mr. Gideon, did you try to
rape a nice young woman? No.

(Monahan) Mr. Gideon. No.

Lieutenant, let me
ask you something.

What happens to a person
that's picked up by the police

and is asked damaging
and embarrassing questions

without a modicum of proof?

Mr. Gideon, that's called
harassment with prejudice,

and is subject to bringing suit

to the police
department and the city.

Thank you, Lieutenant.

And good night,
Quincy. So long, kid.

I still think you
ought to pick him up.

What have you got to lose?

Oh, what is this, Frank?
Haven't you done enough?

You ain't seen nothing yet.

Frank, we were lucky.

You were almost killed
and it was my fault.

Now we're dealing
with murder here.

Lee said I shouldn't have
involved you kids in this

and she was right.

[exhaling] Quincy.

That's a problem for
your own conscience.

But I can't let you
stop me. You feel guilty.

I think you're crazy.

But I'm going to go
through with this to the end.

He's not going to
get away with this,

or with clobbering
poor Mrs. Courtland.

Oh, revenge is a lousy
reason for doing anything.

That's the one I got.

Yeah. That's him.

I'm glad you found him.

We only keep John
Does for three months.

Well, I want my brother to
have the right kind of funeral.

What was his name?

Mark. Mark Haley.

I'm Frank Haley.

Listen, can we, uh, arrange it
all right from here, you know?

I'll send over a casket
and take him right now.

Sure. I'll try and make
it as easy as we can.

Thank you.

[knocking]

[laughing]

What're you doing here?
You should be in bed.

No, no, I'm all right.

How do you feel?
Hurt when you talk? No.

How're you doing?

Well, I'm a little
guilty, but I'm okay.

Come on in. Sit down.

What have you found out?

How do you know
I'm still looking?

I was sure Monahan's
monologue hit you the way it did me.

Now, he's a good cop.

He called Trout, Sr. In Texas.

Trout received the
body. It's buried there.

Did he ask him if the
casket was opened?

No, the War Department
recommended against it.

Then he can't be
sure he was inside.

You're very good,
Frank. But he was inside.

That casket was x-rayed.

That's a county rule.

You have to x-ray any
casket that is buried unopened.

No. That only means that
there was a body inside.

It didn't have to
be Charley Trout's.

That's good again.
What's your theory?

A substitute body.

Well, that's not easy.

Well, I don't know about that.

I got one ready to go right now.

What are you talking about?

I just identified a John Doe down
at the morgue as my older brother.

All I needed was
a driver's license.

The city's so eager to
save a $100 burial fee,

they don't check
too closely, do they?

So it occurred to me

that the killer could have
kept himself covered forever,

if he managed to get another
body accepted and buried as Trout's.

When you toured
the class through here,

I saw someone claim a John Doe.

That's what gave me the idea.

And you were right all along
about the answers from the bone.

We got the answers.

I'm proud of you, Doctor.

You've just come up with something
using three of the best tools we have:

common sense, human
intuition, and caring.

Teachers ought to take
a lesson from salesmen.

What's that?

Stop pitching once
the sale's made.

[laughing] Okay.

What's the next move?

Well, I got to find a way
to get to Lubbock, Texas.

Is that a problem?

Oh, it's baffling.

Oh, Quincy, no beer
cans on the table.

What's the difference?

I have wine.

Oh, he doesn't drink wine.

I'm sure he's a beer drinker.

I still don't understand
what's going on anyway.

What's to understand?

You said we don't
entertain enough.

Yes, but you
don't even like him.

[knocking at door]
Of course, I like him.

He's a nice fellow.

Come on, be nice to
him, it's very important.

Hey, Monahan, good to see you.

How do you do, Quincy?

It was nice of you
to have me over.

Nice of you to come, Lieutenant.

(Quincy) Come on in. Come on in.

You want a beer?

Uh, well, no. I'd
rather have wine.

Put on weight, didn't you?

It looks good on you.

Quincy, I can't
stand the suspense.

What suspense?

Waiting for the
other shoe to drop.

I didn't hear the
first shoe drop.

You, Lee?

No, but I understand
what Monahan means.

Thank you.

What is it with you two?

You in cahoots against me?

Quincy, what's on your mind?

So we can get it over
with and have a nice dinner.

Right on.

I don't believe you two.

But there is a very little
favor I would like you to do

for my friend, but that's not
why I asked you to come here.

What friend?

Astin.

Astin.

He's a friend of yours, too?

Of course, he's my friend!

What's the matter with you?

Sometimes we have our
differences because he's my boss,

but way deep
down, he's a person.

What am I supposed
to do for this person?

You know the convention
of homicide chiefs

you're having in town next week?

Of course. I'm hosting it. What
does that got to do with Astin?

I would like you to invite
him to be your guest speaker.

I don't mean to be rude,
Lee, but I have to go.

He's a very good speaker.

Let me ask you something,

what have you got in for
the country's homicide chiefs?

Okay, I'll level with you.

Well, hallelujah.

Okay, it's vacation
time. We're short of help.

I'm on duty this weekend, he's on duty
next weekend. I want to switch with him.

(both) Why?

The Andrews Sisters.

I want to go to Lubbock, Texas.

Oh, you just want to do
a favor for a friend, huh?

For everybody! Let's face
it, there is a killer out there,

we haven't been able to touch.

I'd like to nail him.

Then do it by the book.

Are you kidding? I'm getting cross-eyed
trying to do it by the book with you,

with Astin, with the
Texas state coroner.

There is a possibility if I can
go there and look for myself.

I know you mean
well, but I can't.

I can't do that to
my colleagues.

How many times have I
asked you to go to bat for me?

I'm begging you now, please!

Quincy,

what do you hope to do
down in Texas, anyway?

Sit down, make
yourself comfortable.

Get some hors d'oeuvres,
the hot dogs with the mustard.

Not that I intend
going along with you.

Of course not.

Hey, let me put a
head on this wine.

[telephone ringing]

Hello? No, this is Sam.

(Sam) Dr. Quincy isn't here.

He's flying down to
Lubbock, Texas tonight.

Anything I can do for you?

Of course, I can handle it.

All right. Yeah.
I'll be right over.

(Trout) You know, I guess
I never did know Charley

from the time he was 10.

How old was your
son when he left home?

17.

Couldn't get away fast enough.

He hated this farm.

[birds chirping]

He hated poverty.

He hated most everything.

[panting]

And I, uh, I never could find
it in my heart to blame him.

Life was hard on him.

I always wanted
to tell him that.

Next thing I knowed,
he was dead.

I'm sorry, sir.

Poor Charley. I guess
I short-changed him.

Maybe it wasn't your fault.

Maybe he fell under a bad
influence after he left home.

Somebody like Robert Gideon.

[rooster crowing]

I knowed that

the first time I heard his
friend's voice on the phone.

Then you knew him?

He brought Charley's body here.

I thought the War Department
shipped his body here.

No. No. Gideon called
me from Los Angeles.

He told me Charley
had been killed.

Said he wanted to
save me the heartache.

So he brought
Charley's body here.

You never talked to anybody
at the War Department, right?

No. Gideon handled all that.

Thank you very much, Mr. Trout.

Thank you.

Hey, Doctor, uh,

you're a medical
doctor, an examiner, uh,

important fellow like you,
makes me kind of wonder.

How come all this about Charley,

20 years after the fact?

I wish I could
explain it to you, sir.

I'm getting on, and I'd appreciate
anything you could tell me.

Like what?

(Trout) Like how
Charley really died.

I never believed in my
heart that's the way he died.

Why not?

That wasn't Charley's way.

Volunteer? War hero?

Dr. Quincy, I'd
appreciate the truth.

So, after your call
from Mr. Trout's place,

why, I did me a little
scavenger hunting.

Were you able to zero in on
the right femur, as I asked? Yes.

The, uh, x-ray was
made through the casket.

Charley Trout was
returned from Vietnam.

There you are. Uh-huh.

There's only one
problem, Doctor.

It wasn't Charley Trout.

How can you tell?

The right femur.

Looks normal to me.

It shouldn't.

He suffered a serious
football injury to his knee.

There's no sign of it in
the femur's lower joint, see?

Are you trying to tell
me this is an impostor?

There's no doubt
about that, Doctor.

Well, then, where is
the real Charley Trout?

That's what I'm
trying to find out.

Anything else I can
do for you, Doctor?

As a matter of fact, there is.

Would you call the police, tell
them to get here right away, please?

The police?

I'll explain later.
Please hurry.

Well, I'll, uh, call
from my office.

No.

I'd rather you call from
outside the building. It'll be safer.

Why are you staying here?

I'm the bait.

Well, but I... Please.

Don't be a fool, Gideon.

Fool?

I should've killed
you at the university.

(Gideon) I had a dozen chances.

There's no reason to
kill me. (Gideon) Reason!

I got all the
reason in the world.

I had it made.

20 years, nothing!
My life was my own.

Then you start looking
at that stupid bone.

It was all over
till then. Finished.

And then you opened it up.

But now I'm closing it for good.

Give me a minute.
What've you got to lose?

Look, I knew you
were going to follow me.

I wanted you to.

(Quincy) I don't want you
to hurt any more of my kids.

I got something to say.
Will you give me a chance?

I did. You almost buried me.

And now I'm trying to help you.

Believe me. One minute.

No, no, you're trying
to save your neck.

Of course, I'm trying
to save my neck,

and I'm trying to
save yours, too.

You kill me and it'll
be life in jail for you.

It is already.

No, that's what
I'm trying to tell you.

The statute of limitations ran out
on the burglary a long time ago.

How about Charley?

Doesn't run out on murder.

Well, it was self
defense, wasn't it?

How'd you know about that?

From the angle of the bullet
wound on the thigh bone.

You see, it was straight down.

Straight downward.

It would've been impossible for
anybody else to inflict that wound.

I figured you and Trout were
struggling for the gun while he held it.

We pulled off a $50,000 robbery.

And the jerk says he
wants to give all the loot

to his old man to
pay off the farm.

You were right. He
was ready to shoot me.

I grabbed him, one accidentally
went off into his thigh.

But he wouldn't give up.

Another one got
him in the heart.

I'll testify to self-defense.

That doesn't take care of the
kid, the kid and the old lady.

There's nothing to take
care of. They're fine.

I only said they were
dead to get you off their tail.

Bull. No. Check
with L.A. General.

You'll see they're fine.

But I'm not going
to lie to you, Gideon.

You'll be charged with
assault with intent to kill.

That's 1 to 14 years.

That's a long time.

Yes, it is.

But it's not forever.

You kill me and it will be.

[footsteps approaching]

(Wayne) Dr. Quincy!
Where are you?

I sent for the police.

This was all a stall!

No, it wasn't.

Leave him alone!

Gideon.

Every word I told you
was the truth. I swear.

Don't do anything stupid.

Are you all right, Quincy?

For a minute, I thought
you was going to be

my first customer
I had this morning.

Thanks a lot.