Quincy M.E. (1976–1983): Season 3, Episode 2 - A Blow to the Head... A Blow to the Heart - full transcript
When a boxer dies after being in a match, his trainer is being accused of not taking care of him. Quincy discovers there's more going on. And his opponent in the match is dating his sister and her mother is blaming him for her son's death.
Luke Stokes collapsed in his
dressing room right after the fight.
He's dead.
What was the punch
that did it, Ray?
It was my right overhand lead.
It was lethal. He
had no defense...
he's what boxing needs
now more than ever.
A good, clean-cut,
all-American boy.
I don't care what you found
or didn't find, Dr. Quincy.
He was drugged.
I'm not gonna let go. And if I
find out that this fight was fixed,
I'm gonna hang on till everyone
connected with that pays.
Quincy!
You scream, sweetheart,
I'm gonna hit him again.
Don't holler.
As expected by the experts,
the young Ray Ringo noted
for crowding and pressing,
and overhand right hand
lead is unable to penetrate.
The great boxer punches with jabs
and dances, and avoids punishment,
Yes, there is young
Stokes in the red trunks.
Great left hand jab, stabbing, and
the crowd seems to like this fight.
The young boy's trying
to penetrate the defense,
Just able to land a
few body punches,
but there's that great left
jab and it's scored by Stokes,
Midway through
round three of a fight,
that can mean a shot at the
championship for the winner.
And up till now, it's still
six to one in favor of Stokes,
giving a boxing lesson to the
young heavyweight Ray Ringo.
Dancing away from
Ringo's overhand right...
Ooh, is that Stokes a
natural or is he a natural, huh?
He's killing them. He's
tying Ringo up in knots.
Are we watching the same
fight? Stokes' gonna lose.
Are you blind or
something? He's way ahead.
He's ahead, but not way ahead like he
was in the first two rounds. Look at him.
He's puffing,
he's getting tired.
He's not tired.
He's pacing himself.
He's gonna finish like a
tornado. Right, honey?
Right. Would you pass
me the salt, please?
Here you go. Who do you
think is gonna win the fight?
I call it for the Marquis
de Sade. He wins anytime
two men brutalize each other for
the entertainment of a mass audience.
Ah. We'll have
to talk about this.
All right Danny, instead of the
$5 bet, dinner, double or nothing.
Okay, either way I can't lose.
That's right, you're gonna
have to eat your own food.
That's it. Talk to him, Ben. Talk to
him. Teach him everything you know.
What a wonderful man you are.
Who's Ben?
Ben, he is the best fight
trainer in the business.
Oh. Are you gonna
eat your potato chips?
There we go.
Hit him, Luke.
Come on.
Leaning on the rope, sighing.
Hanging over the
second rope, he is out.
The referee says it's a" over.
The doctors are...
No reason for a ham-and-egger
like that to beat him.
Okay, Stokes is good. He's
just got him on the wrong night.
Oh, I'm beginning
to know the feeling.
Oh, I'm sorry, girlie.
It's been a pleasure, Ms. Adams.
Goodnight, Danny.
Goodnight. See you, Doc.
Where's, uh, my tip?
I'm a sore loser.
Oh, he gets me every time.
I didn't know you felt
that way about prize fights.
I can't believe you're the
same gentle, caring man
I've been seeing for
the past three weeks.
Of course I am. Why?
So, how can you get that
carried away by a boxing match?
Because I'm a klutz.
And all klutzes need heroes.
Can't you understand that?
If you wanted understanding, you
should've dated Dr. Joyce Brothers.
Well, she's married.
Besides I like having
you in my corner.
Quincy.
I don't believe it.
What do you want?
What's the matter
with your telephone?
I took it off the hook. Why?
I don't wanna be bothered.
Quincy, the sports arena's
been trying to call you.
They finally got me at my place.
What's the matter?
Luke Stokes collapsed in his
dressing room right after the fight.
He's dead.
Hey, Doc! Doc, what did
you hear about Stokes?
That's the coroner.
That's the coroner.
What's with Stokes, huh?
Hey Quince, I was
hoping they'd send you.
Ben. I wish I was seeing
you under different conditions.
He was my boy.
I was holding him.
What happened?
He was all right when
he walked down here,
but, as soon as he
stepped through the door,
he grabbed his head
and just keeled over.
Are you the paramedic? Yeah.
Did you check him
for nuchal rigidity?
Yes, we did.
Who else was with you, Ben?
Me.
Oh, excuse me, uh.
This is Dr. Quincy. Matt
Dorsey, Luke's manager.
How do you do.
We tried pumping his
heart, reviving him, but,
he wouldn't respond.
He died in front of us,
we couldn't do a thing.
I'm sorry.
You're the coroner? Yeah.
You do whatever you have to do.
It's damp in here,
he should be covered.
We'll take care of him.
So, why didn't
you stop the fight?
Move! Move!
Let me through!
What happened? What happened?
Please, stop! Art! Art! Please!
Let her by, it's Stokes' wife.
Please, let me
through. Let me through!
Ohhh!
Matt, what are we gonna do?
What are we gonna do.
I don't know.
What are we...
Mrs. Stokes, I wanted...
May I?
They killed him.
No, no, no. Don't say that.
Please.
Please, I'd like to be
alone with my husband.
Well...
The doctor still has
some work to do.
Please, Doctor. May I be
alone with my husband?
I won't touch anything.
Of course.
Oh, Luke.
Oh, Luke.
Hey! What happened
to him, Dorsey?
Come on, come on. Why did he
run out of gas in the fourth round?
Matt, do you think if I'd
stepped in a little sooner...
Now, now, you can't blame
yourself, Art. You called a good fight.
I didn't even know
the kid was hurt.
Nobody knew. Nobody.
Help me with the
mike, will you, Sam?
Brain weighs 1400 grams.
Coning of cerebellum and
herniazation of cerebellar tonsils.
Interventricular septum is
ruptured and filled with blood.
There's repeated contusions
in temporal lobe, bilaterally,
and contusions
of right frontal lobe.
Well, that's it, Sam.
Massive brain damage.
Sam, save some
specimens for a tax screen.
Put the rest in formalin.
Ah, Quince, it's
2:40 in the morning.
80, set 'em up, Joe. There's still a
couple of answers I wanna know.
Quincy.
Ben. It's okay, Jim.
Thank you.
What are you doing here?
Well, I couldn't sleep.
I thought I'd stop by and see
how you did on the autopsy.
You finished? No, not yet.
It was brain damage? Yeah.
God, I loved that kid.
Maybe I jinxed him.
Oh, come on, Ben. You
know better than that.
There is something
you can do for me.
Name it.
Look, make it as
fast as you can.
See, a thing like this
could hurt Luke's family
if it keeps being played
up in the papers and on TV.
Everybody talking about it.
That's why the quicker you get
through, the better for everybody.
Especially Luke's wife.
I'll try.
Okay, I said my
piece. I better go.
If you can wait a
minute, I'll give you a lift.
No, no, I... I'd rather walk.
I need the time.
Ben.
Keep in touch, will
you? It's been too long.
Yeah, for me, too.
Hey, maybe we can go to the
races. You still betting the ponies?
No, no, I stopped that
bad habit a long time ago.
See you, Quince. You better.
Wow! You're a terrific
runner. What's your name?
Todd. What?
Todd. Oh. I'm Dr. Quincy.
Hi, Dr. Quincy.
He's terrific.
Oh, Dr. Quincy, I've
been waiting for you.
Please come in.
Is it all right if I go
into your house?
Yeah.
Honey, why don't you go in the
back yard and play for a while, okay.
Terrific kid. How old is he?
Please be comfortable, Doctor.
Oh, thank you.
May I offer you a drink?
No, thanks, it's
too early for me.
You wanted to see me?
Yes.
Dr. Quincy, I wanted to know if
you'd finished the autopsy report yet?
Almost.
I'm gonna close this matter
as quickly as possible.
The cause of death
was brain damage.
The manner, accidental.
You mustn't do that, Doctor.
I thought that's
what you wanted.
Ben said it would be the best
thing for everybody concerned.
Ben McDade? Yeah.
Well, I'll tell you about
Ben McDade. He's a liar!
Oh, please, Mrs. Stokes.
It wasn't an accident.
There's only one way Ringo
could have hit Luke the way he did,
and that is that Luke
had to have been drugged.
But we found no toxic substance.
I don't care what you found
or didn't find, Dr. Quincy.
He was drugged. And
I'll even tell you who did it.
Ben McDade!
Ben?
Did you know that he worked for Luke
as his trainer for less than three weeks?
So?
Before that, did you know that
he worked in Ray Ringo's camp,
almost a year before
switching over?
What does that mean?
Dr. Quincy, don't you see?
Why would he change
sides so late in the game?
Unless it was to sabotage
Luke any way he could.
Oh, Mrs. Stokes,
you're accusing one of the most
decent, honorable men I've ever known.
Besides being the best
fight trainer in the business.
Look, unless you can
give me a specific fact
which indicates that your
husband's death was not accidental,
I'm afraid I don't
have any choice.
Wait. Just wait.
If Luke's death was
accidental as you say,
then, why did this come by
special delivery this afternoon?
$42,000 in cash.
And no note.
Now, wouldn't you say somebody
out there has a pretty bad conscience?
No, you finish that later. You
come in and explain this to me.
I want to know why you're stalling
on the Stokes' autopsy report?
I'm not stalling. I have
a lot more tests to run.
But I wanna know why,
for heaven's sakes?
Do you realize there are 20 million
sports fans across this country,
and they're all sure
they know how he died?
Well, 20 million sports fans will have
to stand alone because I'm not sure.
I have a lot more tests to run.
Until the results are in,
I'm not signing any report.
That is the least I
could do for his widow.
Well, I want to know what other
tests could possibly be needed?
Well, a supplemental
tox screen for drugs
as a possible contributive
cause of death.
Why?
Forty two thousand reasons.
That money again? Yes, sir.
That's such along shot.
All right, run your tests.
But, by the end of this
business day, 5:00 pm.
I want that report on my desk,
signed by you. Is that clear?
5:00 p.m.!
Loud and clear. May I go, sir?
Please.
You know,
you are one of the most exasperating
men that I've ever dealt with.
It's nice to know at
least I'm being noticed.
5:00 p.m.!
What've you got for me, Sam?
Oh, Quincy, you're
barking at me again.
Oh, I'm sorry. What
did the tax screen show?
Negative. No toxic
agents in his blood.
You can sign Stokes' autopsy
with a clear conscience.
Oh, that's terrific.
Look, I want you to do a little
favor for me, and don't holler.
Holler, me? I wanna
wrap this thing up.
Give me another tox screen
for hypnotics and aromatics.
Run the opiates
on blood and bile.
Oh, Quincy, no!
Sam, don't just do it for me,
do this one for the Gipper.
Okay. Good boy.
Hey, where're you going now?
You don't have time to talk.
You've got a 5:00 deadline.
Yeah.
Who the heck's the Gipper?
Where is Ben? He is down there.
Hey, Quince. You're early.
Yep. How's it going?
All right.
Mr. Dorsey.
Hi. We're cleaning
out Luke's locker.
I figured his wife
should have these things.
Well, that's it. See
you, Ben. Dr. Quincy.
You know, I've been
working here, what, 20 years.
Suddenly, I hate this place.
It's gonna take him a long
time to get over what happened.
Well, I guess he's entitled.
Come on, the network's
gonna run the tape for us at 3:00.
Yeah.
Okay, okay, guys. Come on,
give the kid a break, will you?
Why are you all
doing down here, Ray?
To work out. Well,
how do you feel?
How do you think? I mean,
how would anybody feel
after they killed another man?
But all fighters put
themselves on the line
every time they
step into the ring.
And if it was Stokes
standing here instead of me,
I think he'd know, I
wouldn't be holding a grudge.
What was the punch
that did it, Ray?
What did it? It was
my right overhand lead.
It was lethal. He
had no defense for it.
He just kept taking
it and taking it.
Okay, guys, that's it.
Let him go.
We're just taking a
couple of minutes.
Ray's all upset. He needs to work
out his sorrows, not talk about it.
Come on, kid. That's
it, fellas. Thank you.
Who're the three
ugly step-sisters?
Their names are
Ringo's contract owners.
Syndicate?
You said it, I didn't.
Hey! Hey, Ben!
How's it going, Ben?
No hard feelings, huh? No.
It's the breaks, you know.
Just like my boy said.
Hey, I recognize you.
You're the, uh, you're the,
uh, coroner from last night.
That's me.
Hey, you're one silent man.
When are you gonna issue
a statement on the accident?
In time.
Well, listen, as a favor to me and
Ringo, would you make it soon?
My boy, you know,
he's awful sensitive.
Yeah, I noticed that.
You know what I'm
talking about, Doc.
It's bad for his image.
And he's what boxing
needs now more than ever.
A good, clean-cut,
all-American boy.
Catch my meaning?
Caught your meaning.
Let's get some air, Quince.
Next time around, I
want you to tell me
exactly when Stokes
started making mistakes.
How he lost that lead that
he'd built up in the early rounds.
Was it Ringo's style,
his punching power?
No, Luke was 10 times
the fighter Ringo will ever be.
So, what happened?
What went wrong?
I don't know. From the next
round on, he wasn't himself.
He just slowed down, forgetting
things we'd worked on for days.
Excuse me, I'm
looking for Quincy. Oh.
Danny, in here.
Did you find somebody for me?
Of course, did I ever
let you down, Doc?
Where is he? He's
outside, waiting.
You know Ben McDade, don't you?
Oh, yeah. Ben McDade.
It's a pleasure to meet you.
Very nice to see you.
Keep watching, will you, Ben?
Yeah.
Shep.
Yeah. Hey, Danny.
I love that. I'm
fascinated by electricity.
Do you know how many bets I could
take in an hour with a machine like that?
A lot. Shep Nolan, Dr. Quincy.
Hello, Doc. Glad to see you.
Nice of you to come.
Yeah, thank you. Always glad to
oblige a friend and a good customer.
I lost so much money
betting with him one year,
I wrote him off as a dependent.
Oh, you're a regular
Nick the Greek. Hmm.
How'd you do on the
Stokes fight the other night?
Stokes fight? You had
to bring that up, huh?
In 9, I blew a bundle.
How about all the
other bookies in town?
From what I hear, they
took a worse bath than me.
Tell me something, am I crazy?
Stokes was a six to
one favor, right? Right.
Well, couldn't somebody,
if they knew something,
make a bundle betting on Ringo?
What do you think,
we're dumb, Doc?
You think we don't
know our business?
Matty Solomon blew a
bundle, Philly Rocco lost ten g's.
Philly Rocco. Hey.
Hey, wait a minute.
Wait a minute. Hey!
Hey, maybe you're right,
Doc. Maybe you're right.
They didn't start betting on
Ringo until the day of the fight.
Oh, man, if somebody
ripped me off,
there's gonna be heads
rolling from here to Vegas.
Nobody. Nobody does
that to me, you understand?
If they got to Stokes,
I know who did it.
Who?
Ben McDade, his trainer.
I'm carrying in markers
on this guy for three g's,
for maybe three
or four months now.
And my friends have
been holding him up too.
For what?
Ponies, pal. Ponies. He's been
betting on horses for so long,
he eats hay for breakfast.
Thanks, Shep.
Pretty awful, isn't it, Ben?
Wait.
Anything wrong, Quince?
You tell me. Only this time,
I want you to level with me.
I always do, but go right ahead.
Listen, why don't you take five?
Go, get yourself some coffee.
Ben,
why did you tell me, you stopped
playing the horses years ago?
When the truth is, you owe
a lot to every bookie in town.
Okay, so I lied.
But, you know how it is, Quince.
I just didn't want
anybody to know.
How much do you owe 'em?
Uh, I guess 15,000 or so.
And they're pressuring you, huh?
You kidding? You've seen
those blood-suckers operate.
Is that why you jumped Ringo's
camp and went over to Stokes'?
Look, I didn't like the people
who were taking over Ringo.
That's why I quit.
And you became Stokes' trainer?
Yeah, Luke was
my kind of a fighter.
So dedicated, he...
He tired me out.
Ben.
Did you bet the
Stokes-Ringo fight?
Every cent I could scrape
up. That's how sure I was.
On Stokes, to win?
Of course, Stokes.
Why. Why would I bet
against my own boy?
Come on, Ben. Now,
we're not children.
We know they fix fights.
How often do you come
across a six to one underdog?
Shut up, Quincy. Shut up!
You, me, friends,
the old neighborhood.
We go back along way.
Right now,
everything's on the line.
If you don't trust me when I say that
Luke Stokes would never throw a fight.
Never. He had too much pride.
Oh. I'm not saying he
did it all on his own, Ben.
Then.
What are you saying?
Now, if there was
somebody close to him,
somebody who needed
the money very badly,
somebody who was working
on his mind, not his body,
said to him, "Listen Luke,
take a dive, it's a small fight.
"Take a friend out
of a $15,000 hole,
"and it could be a big pay
day in it for you, say, $42,000."
You think he did it for me?
That maybe I talked him
into throwing the fight for me?
Tell me I'm wrong, Ben. Please.
Quincy, I'm gonna pretend
that I never heard you
say one word of this talk.
Or we're both losers.
Go on, Ben. You
go on pretending.
But I'm gonna face
reality. I'm not gonna let go.
And if I find out that
this fight was fixed,
I'm gonna hang on till everyone
connected with that pays
through the nose!
You finished?
For now.
Hi, remember me?
I'm the girl who changed her
flight schedule for the month
so I could stay close to
earthy, earthbound Doc Quincy.
I'm sorry, honey.
I'm just lost in space.
Well, give me a reading, maybe
I can bring you down safely.
You always cheer me up.
Why don't you stop, Quincy?
Stop what? The investigation
on the Stokes' death.
You're losing sleep, and
you're losing your perspective.
So, why not sign the report?
I can think of a great
way to celebrate.
I can't. It's incomplete.
Only in your head.
At least, forget
about it for tonight.
What's so special about tonight?
This, and this.
And this.
You know something,
you drive a hard bargain.
Let's get out of here.
And, finally.
Hey, what about the tab?
Forge my name.
Okay, I'll forge your
name on all of 'em.
Oh honey, you're right,
it's such a beautiful night.
I'm not gonna worry
about autopsies.
Tomorrow, the results
of the tests will be in,
I'll sign the certificate,
and that will be that.
Don't I know you?
Not officially, Doc.
Why don't we keep it that way?
We can get to the
car this way, honey.
No, we can't.
Don't you hurt her.
You're pretty fast, Doc.
Too bad you're not
as fast on the job,
like working on
Stokes' death certificate.
I'm working on that.
Yeah. Well, the more you delay,
the worse it looks for Ray Ringo.
And a lot of people
don't like that.
I'll remember that.
Well, thanks, Doc.
And just to help you remember.
Quincy!
If you scream, sweetheart,
I'm gonna hit him again.
Honey.
What?
Don't holler.
Does it still hurt?
Oh, only when I breathe.
Oh! There. How does it feel now?
Oh honey, Florence
Nightingale couldn't do any better.
Oh, baby. Come on.
Will you lift me? Oh, boy.
There we go. Oh, boy.
Where do you think you're going?
I gotta go see Sam.
Now, you have to go see Sam?
Pathologists keep crazy hours.
Oh, Quincy, you said you were
giving up on the Stokes case.
And I was honey, I truly was.
Every time I wanna give it
up, somebody gives me a zetz.
I've gotta jump
back on the wagon.
Somebody gives you
a zetz, huh? Yeah.
Okay, go solve your problem.
I'll think of you on my
run to San Francisco.
How about on your run back?
Well, I'll need somebody
to take off the bandages.
Mmm.
Can't reach you. It hurts.
Oh, baby.
Oh, thank you. Mmm.
Be careful, Quincy.
I will.
Oh, boy. Oh!
One giant step for pain.
Maybe he just got hit too hard.
Yeah, but what about
the earlier rounds?
Look over there. Oh, boy.
Here, look how alive he was,
dancing on his toes and everything.
Here bright and alert.
Quince. Yeah.
Here's the last
of the blow up's.
Oh, thank you, Ed.
Sam, I want you to look at this.
Here, tell me. What
do those eyes tell you?
Maybe he absorbed
too much punishment.
Well, he hadn't at that point.
Besides, he was
known for his stamina.
You know, he once went ten
rounds with a broken jaw, and he...
Okay, Ringo destroyed
him with overhand rights.
What is he grabbing here?
His stomach.
Maybe it was cramps.
Maybe, but can you prove it?
Oh, I can't prove it.
Find anything
new on those tests?
Nothing, nothing to speak of.
What do you mean
nothing to speak of?
Speak, brother. Speak!
Well, when I checked back over
my reports, I noticed something,
but it didn't seem related
to what we're looking for.
Like what?
Well, from the
time of his death,
there was a very protracted
and gradual hardening
of all the muscular
tissue through his body,
particularly around his heart.
Are you saying the rigor
mortis was delayed in setting in?
Yeah, it took over four hours.
Four hours. Why didn't
you tell me this before?
You haven't been
around much lately.
Besides, it could have been
caused by the brain damage.
It could have been,
but I'll bet it wasn't.
He was an active athlete, Sam.
If anything, rigor should
have begun immediately.
Tomorrow we're going to the lab,
and we're gonna test everything
we found in Stokes' dressing room.
The towel, the water
bottles, everything.
You mean, all the stuff
used by Ben McDade?
Yeah.
Oh, boy, do I hope I'm wrong!
You ever hear that song, Life
Is Just A Bowl Of Cherries?
Mmm-hmm.
Well, it ain't.
Well, Sam, I've got
nothing. What have you got?
Absolutely zero.
There's not the
slightest trace of opiates
in the residue from
this water bottle.
And there wasn't anything
in the towels either.
Well, you should sound happy,
you just restored my
faith in human nature.
That means Ben McDade is clear?
That's what I mean.
That's Astin.
How do you know?
He's got his own
sound, pure hysteria.
You answer it. I'm gone.
Hello? Oh, Dr. Astin.
You want to know
where Quincy is?
Uh, yes sir. He
was here but he left.
No sir, he didn't say
when he'd be back.
That's it, Miguel. take
one more on the heavy bag.
And hard.
We got nothing to say.
I know.
So, why are you here?
Thought you'd like to see a
man pull his foot out of his mouth.
You used to do that
when we were kids.
The only difference is
my mouth is bigger now.
I gotta level with you.
I tested all the equipment you
used in Luke's corner that night.
And?
It was all clean.
Did you really expect
to find anything?
To tell you the
truth, I wasn't sure.
I was just doing my job.
I'll buy that.
Hey, clear the room.
Miguel, go hit the shower.
So, where does it stand now?
Well, there's only
one possibility left.
Luke was beaten by a
better fighter, Ray Ringo.
That's the dumbest idea yet.
Why is it dumb?
Ringo's two years younger,
he's six pounds heavier,
he's got the best knockout
record in his division.
So, why isn't it possible for him
to beat Luke, fair and square?
Because on his worst night, Luke
could handle any punch of Ringo's.
Except his right overhand.
Mmm-hmm. Come here. I
wanna show you something.
Stop.
Hey, Francisco, come, pack up.
Hey, Ringo. How's
it moving baby?
As if you care.
I always did.
When? After you
picked the wrong boy?
You always were a loser, McDade.
I guess so.
You see me work out?
Yeah. You're throwing some
heavy stuff baby. Except.
Except what?
Telegraphing again.
Telegraphing what?
You know, I ain't
too good with words.
Let me show you.
Ringo, don't mess
around with this guy.
Ah, don't be dumb.
Come on, old man.
It's the right overhand lead.
Still leave yourself open.
How?
Come at me. I'll show you.
Well, try and hit me.
Try and get me.
Like I've always said,
you should work
for Western Union.
I'm too tired from my
workout. What's your point?
No point.
I just wanted to show Dr. Quincy how
to defend against your overhand right.
You should have showed
that to Stokes. He needed it.
I did show him.
I also showed him how to defend
against your biggest weakness.
I don't have a weakness.
Put your gloves
up, and I'll show you.
You always were a
sucker for that combination.
You got anymore stupid notions?
Not a one, Ben. Not a one.
There's not a good fighter alive
who'd throw a stupid punch like that?
You didn't even work up a sweat.
Twenty years younger,
you'd be the champ again.
Yeah. I'd be the
champ, all right.
What the hell are you talking
about? It's just all crazy...
Hey, Quincy, come here.
Come here, I wanna talk to you.
This ain't collection
day, Nolan.
How would you know, sport?
Anyway, I'm not
here to talk to you.
Doc, I called your office.
They told me I
might find you here.
You got something for me?
Yeah, as a matter
of fact I have.
You know that hunch that you
had on the Stokes-Ringo fight?
Yeah. Well, you hit the
nail right on the head.
The fix was in
from coast-to-coast.
Stokes was in the tank.
You're lying. Tell
the truth, you...
Come on. Come
on, let's hear him out.
Come on.
Look, a couple of big
money guys set it up.
They waited until
the day of the fight
before they started laying
heavy bets on Ringo.
You're sure of this?
Horse's mouth, Doc. This
particular horse swears
that he saw one of
Stokes' own people
lay seven big ones on Ringo
about two hours before the fight.
Who'd do a thing like that?
How does the name
Matt Dorsey grab you?
Ah, it couldn't be
Matt. It couldn't.
He loved Luke.
Why would he do it?
The question is,
how did he do it?
Oh, what's the use, Quincy?
If there was something to see,
we would've caught it by now.
Quincy, there's nothing left.
That's it! Freeze it
right there! Ben, I saw it!
What are you talking about?
Reverse the tape. Keep it
going until I tell you to stop.
Come here.
If you weren't looking,
you'd never find it.
Okay!
Roll it forward, slowly.
Freeze!
Ben, that's it!
What?
Who gave Stokes his
mouthpiece before every round?
Well, me. I'd rinse it off and
shove it in his mouth at the bell.
But in this round
somebody's handing it to you.
Yeah, but everything
got too hectic
from the second round
on. And I didn't have...
No, no, no. Ben! Tell me
whose hand is shoving it in now?
It's Matt.
Nothing on the
mouth piece so far.
Anything on the tax screen?
Negative for all
routine poisons.
Yeah. It's back to
the drawing board.
Quincy, look at the time.
Like I thought, the
shank of the evening.
Anything? Nothing.
Okay. We're gonna try
extracting it in alcohol.
And if that doesn't work...
We'll go home? No,
we'll extract in acetone.
And after that in water. If that
doesn't work, soy sauce, if we have to.
Well, talk to me, will you, Sam?
You wouldn't like
what I have to say.
Then we're gonna
keep testing till we find it.
That could take
the rest of the year.
And we don't even know
what we're looking for.
We're looking for
scientific truth here.
I don't care how long it takes or
how many tests we have to go through.
We've gone through almost
everything already, Quince.
Chloral hydrates, heavy
metals, barbiturates, cyanide...
You name it,
we've tested for it.
I'll name it. You know
what we haven't tested for?
Elements that are
normal to the body.
Why test for them
if they're normal?
Sam, you're forgetting
your basic physiology.
Everyone needs iron, but an
excessive amount of iron can kill you.
They're normal only in
naturally small amounts.
But an excessive amount of those normal
elements can become very dangerous.
Oh, couldn't it wait
till the morning?
We've done over
a 100 tests already.
Oh, I'm very
disappointed in you, Sam.
Dr. Ehrlich did 606 before
he found his "magic bullet."
But, Dr. Ehrlich didn't
do them all in one night.
He wasn't drinking my coffee.
I'll make you some more.
That's what we should
test. Your coffee!
Quincy!
Sam?
You found something?
An excessive amount of calcium
and magnesium salts like you predicted.
That mouthpiece must
have been saturated
in calcium citrate magnesium
sulfate solution between every round.
That would cause stomach
cramps, weakness...
Plus loss of reflex
and incoordination.
Sam, he couldn't defend
himself by the final round.
He was totally helpless.
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday, dear Toddie
Happy birthday to you
Dr. Quincy.
Mrs. Stokes, the guys
at the gym told me
I could find Matt Dorsey here.
Oh, sure, come in.
Now close your eyes, Toddie.
Make a wish and blow!
Matt, Toddie, look
who's here, Dr. Quincy.
Nice to see you again.
Is it?
Honey, you remember
Dr. Quincy, don't you?
Yeah, he's a doctor.
Happy birthday. Listen, I'm
sorry, I didn't bring you a present.
You want a piece of my cake?
No, thank you.
It's all chocolate.
Chocolate? Wow,
that's my favorite kind.
I'll take a rain check.
That's quite an act
you've been putting on.
You convinced me you really love
that woman and that kid in there.
I do.
I love them. They're my family
now. I'd do anything for them.
You know, Doc, I'm
gonna tell you something.
There's no trouble
that you can get me into
that could be as bad as
what I've been feeling inside
since this thing happened.
Then, why did you do it?
It certainly wasn't
for the money.
You bet seven grand, at
six to one, that's $42,000.
The exact amount you
sent to Laura Stokes.
So, if it wasn't for the money,
why did you set him up?
I didn't set him up. Don't
say that. I didn't set him up.
I tried to save his life,
don't you understand?
They said they would
kill him if he didn't blow it.
Who said they'd kill him?
You've been around a long
time. The mob. The Syndicate.
They knew that their
guy was gonna lose.
So, they came around, they said,
"Your man is gonna lose, or else."
Did you tell Luke this?
No, I didn't tell him.
How could you tell a man
like Luke to spit on his dream?
He knew nothing from
cheating, from holding back.
All his life, he
gave it his best shot.
For him, there was no other
way. So what could I do?
I went to Ringo's people, I
begged them, I pleaded with them.
I said, "Look, he's got too
much honor, too much pride."
They didn't know what
I was talking about.
They said, "If he walks out of that
ring a winner, he won't live one hour."
So, you never told
Luke that the fix was in.
I knew that he
would never agree.
At the same time, I
didn't want him dead.
So, I thought of using
this calcium sulfate.
I thought if I slowed him
down, weakened him a little bit...
Look, I've been around gyms long
enough to know how this stuff works.
I thought if I slowed his
reflexes, weakened his strength,
then, Ringo could win on points.
And they promised
me, they promised me.
They said, they'd
go easy on him.
But, when he got in the
ring, he fought to win.
He certainly wanted to prove that he
was good enough for a chance at the title.
So, he went for broke.
And he broke.
And he broke a man
who never got a chance.
Why don't you go to the police
with this story and name names?
Why don't you tell them
who put the pressure on?
Why don't you tell them
who set Luke up for the kill?
All right. All right.
I'll go with you.
Will I have time to
say goodbye? Yes.
Matt, I don't understand
why you're leaving.
Just trust me,
Laura. I have to go.
Promise me one thing,
no matter what you hear,
you're gonna hear a lot, but,
remember that I loved Luke
as if he was my own son.
Favorite son.
I'm sorry I crashed the party.
That was a funny story.
He really was funny.
You can't believe that people in
that business can be that funny.
No. They were amazing.
Oh, golly me.
Cute, Quincy.
Dating you is like
being in The Godfather,
Oh, we're not gonna go
through this again, are we?
I still can't tie my shoe
laces from the last time.
Yeah, we warned
you what would happen
if you kept stalling
the autopsy report.
Now, we've been subpoenaed.
And if we're in trouble,
you're in deep trouble.
Oh, listen,
if this is going to be a habit,
I think there's something
I ought to tell you.
What?
Well, we didn't have
dinner alone, you see.
We had dinner with some guests,
and when they find out
that we got hurt on this night,
they're gonna be very angry.
Hey, you don't say.
Don't believe me?
Okay, I wanna introduce you...
Yeah. Coming, Quince.
Hey Louis, it's
been a nice night.
It was good.
Come back again sometime.
Yeah, yeah.
And if you wanna come
back tomorrow night,
I'll introduce you
to Muhammad Ali,
Ken Norton, and Jerry Quarry.
How do you like those potatoes?
dressing room right after the fight.
He's dead.
What was the punch
that did it, Ray?
It was my right overhand lead.
It was lethal. He
had no defense...
he's what boxing needs
now more than ever.
A good, clean-cut,
all-American boy.
I don't care what you found
or didn't find, Dr. Quincy.
He was drugged.
I'm not gonna let go. And if I
find out that this fight was fixed,
I'm gonna hang on till everyone
connected with that pays.
Quincy!
You scream, sweetheart,
I'm gonna hit him again.
Don't holler.
As expected by the experts,
the young Ray Ringo noted
for crowding and pressing,
and overhand right hand
lead is unable to penetrate.
The great boxer punches with jabs
and dances, and avoids punishment,
Yes, there is young
Stokes in the red trunks.
Great left hand jab, stabbing, and
the crowd seems to like this fight.
The young boy's trying
to penetrate the defense,
Just able to land a
few body punches,
but there's that great left
jab and it's scored by Stokes,
Midway through
round three of a fight,
that can mean a shot at the
championship for the winner.
And up till now, it's still
six to one in favor of Stokes,
giving a boxing lesson to the
young heavyweight Ray Ringo.
Dancing away from
Ringo's overhand right...
Ooh, is that Stokes a
natural or is he a natural, huh?
He's killing them. He's
tying Ringo up in knots.
Are we watching the same
fight? Stokes' gonna lose.
Are you blind or
something? He's way ahead.
He's ahead, but not way ahead like he
was in the first two rounds. Look at him.
He's puffing,
he's getting tired.
He's not tired.
He's pacing himself.
He's gonna finish like a
tornado. Right, honey?
Right. Would you pass
me the salt, please?
Here you go. Who do you
think is gonna win the fight?
I call it for the Marquis
de Sade. He wins anytime
two men brutalize each other for
the entertainment of a mass audience.
Ah. We'll have
to talk about this.
All right Danny, instead of the
$5 bet, dinner, double or nothing.
Okay, either way I can't lose.
That's right, you're gonna
have to eat your own food.
That's it. Talk to him, Ben. Talk to
him. Teach him everything you know.
What a wonderful man you are.
Who's Ben?
Ben, he is the best fight
trainer in the business.
Oh. Are you gonna
eat your potato chips?
There we go.
Hit him, Luke.
Come on.
Leaning on the rope, sighing.
Hanging over the
second rope, he is out.
The referee says it's a" over.
The doctors are...
No reason for a ham-and-egger
like that to beat him.
Okay, Stokes is good. He's
just got him on the wrong night.
Oh, I'm beginning
to know the feeling.
Oh, I'm sorry, girlie.
It's been a pleasure, Ms. Adams.
Goodnight, Danny.
Goodnight. See you, Doc.
Where's, uh, my tip?
I'm a sore loser.
Oh, he gets me every time.
I didn't know you felt
that way about prize fights.
I can't believe you're the
same gentle, caring man
I've been seeing for
the past three weeks.
Of course I am. Why?
So, how can you get that
carried away by a boxing match?
Because I'm a klutz.
And all klutzes need heroes.
Can't you understand that?
If you wanted understanding, you
should've dated Dr. Joyce Brothers.
Well, she's married.
Besides I like having
you in my corner.
Quincy.
I don't believe it.
What do you want?
What's the matter
with your telephone?
I took it off the hook. Why?
I don't wanna be bothered.
Quincy, the sports arena's
been trying to call you.
They finally got me at my place.
What's the matter?
Luke Stokes collapsed in his
dressing room right after the fight.
He's dead.
Hey, Doc! Doc, what did
you hear about Stokes?
That's the coroner.
That's the coroner.
What's with Stokes, huh?
Hey Quince, I was
hoping they'd send you.
Ben. I wish I was seeing
you under different conditions.
He was my boy.
I was holding him.
What happened?
He was all right when
he walked down here,
but, as soon as he
stepped through the door,
he grabbed his head
and just keeled over.
Are you the paramedic? Yeah.
Did you check him
for nuchal rigidity?
Yes, we did.
Who else was with you, Ben?
Me.
Oh, excuse me, uh.
This is Dr. Quincy. Matt
Dorsey, Luke's manager.
How do you do.
We tried pumping his
heart, reviving him, but,
he wouldn't respond.
He died in front of us,
we couldn't do a thing.
I'm sorry.
You're the coroner? Yeah.
You do whatever you have to do.
It's damp in here,
he should be covered.
We'll take care of him.
So, why didn't
you stop the fight?
Move! Move!
Let me through!
What happened? What happened?
Please, stop! Art! Art! Please!
Let her by, it's Stokes' wife.
Please, let me
through. Let me through!
Ohhh!
Matt, what are we gonna do?
What are we gonna do.
I don't know.
What are we...
Mrs. Stokes, I wanted...
May I?
They killed him.
No, no, no. Don't say that.
Please.
Please, I'd like to be
alone with my husband.
Well...
The doctor still has
some work to do.
Please, Doctor. May I be
alone with my husband?
I won't touch anything.
Of course.
Oh, Luke.
Oh, Luke.
Hey! What happened
to him, Dorsey?
Come on, come on. Why did he
run out of gas in the fourth round?
Matt, do you think if I'd
stepped in a little sooner...
Now, now, you can't blame
yourself, Art. You called a good fight.
I didn't even know
the kid was hurt.
Nobody knew. Nobody.
Help me with the
mike, will you, Sam?
Brain weighs 1400 grams.
Coning of cerebellum and
herniazation of cerebellar tonsils.
Interventricular septum is
ruptured and filled with blood.
There's repeated contusions
in temporal lobe, bilaterally,
and contusions
of right frontal lobe.
Well, that's it, Sam.
Massive brain damage.
Sam, save some
specimens for a tax screen.
Put the rest in formalin.
Ah, Quince, it's
2:40 in the morning.
80, set 'em up, Joe. There's still a
couple of answers I wanna know.
Quincy.
Ben. It's okay, Jim.
Thank you.
What are you doing here?
Well, I couldn't sleep.
I thought I'd stop by and see
how you did on the autopsy.
You finished? No, not yet.
It was brain damage? Yeah.
God, I loved that kid.
Maybe I jinxed him.
Oh, come on, Ben. You
know better than that.
There is something
you can do for me.
Name it.
Look, make it as
fast as you can.
See, a thing like this
could hurt Luke's family
if it keeps being played
up in the papers and on TV.
Everybody talking about it.
That's why the quicker you get
through, the better for everybody.
Especially Luke's wife.
I'll try.
Okay, I said my
piece. I better go.
If you can wait a
minute, I'll give you a lift.
No, no, I... I'd rather walk.
I need the time.
Ben.
Keep in touch, will
you? It's been too long.
Yeah, for me, too.
Hey, maybe we can go to the
races. You still betting the ponies?
No, no, I stopped that
bad habit a long time ago.
See you, Quince. You better.
Wow! You're a terrific
runner. What's your name?
Todd. What?
Todd. Oh. I'm Dr. Quincy.
Hi, Dr. Quincy.
He's terrific.
Oh, Dr. Quincy, I've
been waiting for you.
Please come in.
Is it all right if I go
into your house?
Yeah.
Honey, why don't you go in the
back yard and play for a while, okay.
Terrific kid. How old is he?
Please be comfortable, Doctor.
Oh, thank you.
May I offer you a drink?
No, thanks, it's
too early for me.
You wanted to see me?
Yes.
Dr. Quincy, I wanted to know if
you'd finished the autopsy report yet?
Almost.
I'm gonna close this matter
as quickly as possible.
The cause of death
was brain damage.
The manner, accidental.
You mustn't do that, Doctor.
I thought that's
what you wanted.
Ben said it would be the best
thing for everybody concerned.
Ben McDade? Yeah.
Well, I'll tell you about
Ben McDade. He's a liar!
Oh, please, Mrs. Stokes.
It wasn't an accident.
There's only one way Ringo
could have hit Luke the way he did,
and that is that Luke
had to have been drugged.
But we found no toxic substance.
I don't care what you found
or didn't find, Dr. Quincy.
He was drugged. And
I'll even tell you who did it.
Ben McDade!
Ben?
Did you know that he worked for Luke
as his trainer for less than three weeks?
So?
Before that, did you know that
he worked in Ray Ringo's camp,
almost a year before
switching over?
What does that mean?
Dr. Quincy, don't you see?
Why would he change
sides so late in the game?
Unless it was to sabotage
Luke any way he could.
Oh, Mrs. Stokes,
you're accusing one of the most
decent, honorable men I've ever known.
Besides being the best
fight trainer in the business.
Look, unless you can
give me a specific fact
which indicates that your
husband's death was not accidental,
I'm afraid I don't
have any choice.
Wait. Just wait.
If Luke's death was
accidental as you say,
then, why did this come by
special delivery this afternoon?
$42,000 in cash.
And no note.
Now, wouldn't you say somebody
out there has a pretty bad conscience?
No, you finish that later. You
come in and explain this to me.
I want to know why you're stalling
on the Stokes' autopsy report?
I'm not stalling. I have
a lot more tests to run.
But I wanna know why,
for heaven's sakes?
Do you realize there are 20 million
sports fans across this country,
and they're all sure
they know how he died?
Well, 20 million sports fans will have
to stand alone because I'm not sure.
I have a lot more tests to run.
Until the results are in,
I'm not signing any report.
That is the least I
could do for his widow.
Well, I want to know what other
tests could possibly be needed?
Well, a supplemental
tox screen for drugs
as a possible contributive
cause of death.
Why?
Forty two thousand reasons.
That money again? Yes, sir.
That's such along shot.
All right, run your tests.
But, by the end of this
business day, 5:00 pm.
I want that report on my desk,
signed by you. Is that clear?
5:00 p.m.!
Loud and clear. May I go, sir?
Please.
You know,
you are one of the most exasperating
men that I've ever dealt with.
It's nice to know at
least I'm being noticed.
5:00 p.m.!
What've you got for me, Sam?
Oh, Quincy, you're
barking at me again.
Oh, I'm sorry. What
did the tax screen show?
Negative. No toxic
agents in his blood.
You can sign Stokes' autopsy
with a clear conscience.
Oh, that's terrific.
Look, I want you to do a little
favor for me, and don't holler.
Holler, me? I wanna
wrap this thing up.
Give me another tox screen
for hypnotics and aromatics.
Run the opiates
on blood and bile.
Oh, Quincy, no!
Sam, don't just do it for me,
do this one for the Gipper.
Okay. Good boy.
Hey, where're you going now?
You don't have time to talk.
You've got a 5:00 deadline.
Yeah.
Who the heck's the Gipper?
Where is Ben? He is down there.
Hey, Quince. You're early.
Yep. How's it going?
All right.
Mr. Dorsey.
Hi. We're cleaning
out Luke's locker.
I figured his wife
should have these things.
Well, that's it. See
you, Ben. Dr. Quincy.
You know, I've been
working here, what, 20 years.
Suddenly, I hate this place.
It's gonna take him a long
time to get over what happened.
Well, I guess he's entitled.
Come on, the network's
gonna run the tape for us at 3:00.
Yeah.
Okay, okay, guys. Come on,
give the kid a break, will you?
Why are you all
doing down here, Ray?
To work out. Well,
how do you feel?
How do you think? I mean,
how would anybody feel
after they killed another man?
But all fighters put
themselves on the line
every time they
step into the ring.
And if it was Stokes
standing here instead of me,
I think he'd know, I
wouldn't be holding a grudge.
What was the punch
that did it, Ray?
What did it? It was
my right overhand lead.
It was lethal. He
had no defense for it.
He just kept taking
it and taking it.
Okay, guys, that's it.
Let him go.
We're just taking a
couple of minutes.
Ray's all upset. He needs to work
out his sorrows, not talk about it.
Come on, kid. That's
it, fellas. Thank you.
Who're the three
ugly step-sisters?
Their names are
Ringo's contract owners.
Syndicate?
You said it, I didn't.
Hey! Hey, Ben!
How's it going, Ben?
No hard feelings, huh? No.
It's the breaks, you know.
Just like my boy said.
Hey, I recognize you.
You're the, uh, you're the,
uh, coroner from last night.
That's me.
Hey, you're one silent man.
When are you gonna issue
a statement on the accident?
In time.
Well, listen, as a favor to me and
Ringo, would you make it soon?
My boy, you know,
he's awful sensitive.
Yeah, I noticed that.
You know what I'm
talking about, Doc.
It's bad for his image.
And he's what boxing
needs now more than ever.
A good, clean-cut,
all-American boy.
Catch my meaning?
Caught your meaning.
Let's get some air, Quince.
Next time around, I
want you to tell me
exactly when Stokes
started making mistakes.
How he lost that lead that
he'd built up in the early rounds.
Was it Ringo's style,
his punching power?
No, Luke was 10 times
the fighter Ringo will ever be.
So, what happened?
What went wrong?
I don't know. From the next
round on, he wasn't himself.
He just slowed down, forgetting
things we'd worked on for days.
Excuse me, I'm
looking for Quincy. Oh.
Danny, in here.
Did you find somebody for me?
Of course, did I ever
let you down, Doc?
Where is he? He's
outside, waiting.
You know Ben McDade, don't you?
Oh, yeah. Ben McDade.
It's a pleasure to meet you.
Very nice to see you.
Keep watching, will you, Ben?
Yeah.
Shep.
Yeah. Hey, Danny.
I love that. I'm
fascinated by electricity.
Do you know how many bets I could
take in an hour with a machine like that?
A lot. Shep Nolan, Dr. Quincy.
Hello, Doc. Glad to see you.
Nice of you to come.
Yeah, thank you. Always glad to
oblige a friend and a good customer.
I lost so much money
betting with him one year,
I wrote him off as a dependent.
Oh, you're a regular
Nick the Greek. Hmm.
How'd you do on the
Stokes fight the other night?
Stokes fight? You had
to bring that up, huh?
In 9, I blew a bundle.
How about all the
other bookies in town?
From what I hear, they
took a worse bath than me.
Tell me something, am I crazy?
Stokes was a six to
one favor, right? Right.
Well, couldn't somebody,
if they knew something,
make a bundle betting on Ringo?
What do you think,
we're dumb, Doc?
You think we don't
know our business?
Matty Solomon blew a
bundle, Philly Rocco lost ten g's.
Philly Rocco. Hey.
Hey, wait a minute.
Wait a minute. Hey!
Hey, maybe you're right,
Doc. Maybe you're right.
They didn't start betting on
Ringo until the day of the fight.
Oh, man, if somebody
ripped me off,
there's gonna be heads
rolling from here to Vegas.
Nobody. Nobody does
that to me, you understand?
If they got to Stokes,
I know who did it.
Who?
Ben McDade, his trainer.
I'm carrying in markers
on this guy for three g's,
for maybe three
or four months now.
And my friends have
been holding him up too.
For what?
Ponies, pal. Ponies. He's been
betting on horses for so long,
he eats hay for breakfast.
Thanks, Shep.
Pretty awful, isn't it, Ben?
Wait.
Anything wrong, Quince?
You tell me. Only this time,
I want you to level with me.
I always do, but go right ahead.
Listen, why don't you take five?
Go, get yourself some coffee.
Ben,
why did you tell me, you stopped
playing the horses years ago?
When the truth is, you owe
a lot to every bookie in town.
Okay, so I lied.
But, you know how it is, Quince.
I just didn't want
anybody to know.
How much do you owe 'em?
Uh, I guess 15,000 or so.
And they're pressuring you, huh?
You kidding? You've seen
those blood-suckers operate.
Is that why you jumped Ringo's
camp and went over to Stokes'?
Look, I didn't like the people
who were taking over Ringo.
That's why I quit.
And you became Stokes' trainer?
Yeah, Luke was
my kind of a fighter.
So dedicated, he...
He tired me out.
Ben.
Did you bet the
Stokes-Ringo fight?
Every cent I could scrape
up. That's how sure I was.
On Stokes, to win?
Of course, Stokes.
Why. Why would I bet
against my own boy?
Come on, Ben. Now,
we're not children.
We know they fix fights.
How often do you come
across a six to one underdog?
Shut up, Quincy. Shut up!
You, me, friends,
the old neighborhood.
We go back along way.
Right now,
everything's on the line.
If you don't trust me when I say that
Luke Stokes would never throw a fight.
Never. He had too much pride.
Oh. I'm not saying he
did it all on his own, Ben.
Then.
What are you saying?
Now, if there was
somebody close to him,
somebody who needed
the money very badly,
somebody who was working
on his mind, not his body,
said to him, "Listen Luke,
take a dive, it's a small fight.
"Take a friend out
of a $15,000 hole,
"and it could be a big pay
day in it for you, say, $42,000."
You think he did it for me?
That maybe I talked him
into throwing the fight for me?
Tell me I'm wrong, Ben. Please.
Quincy, I'm gonna pretend
that I never heard you
say one word of this talk.
Or we're both losers.
Go on, Ben. You
go on pretending.
But I'm gonna face
reality. I'm not gonna let go.
And if I find out that
this fight was fixed,
I'm gonna hang on till everyone
connected with that pays
through the nose!
You finished?
For now.
Hi, remember me?
I'm the girl who changed her
flight schedule for the month
so I could stay close to
earthy, earthbound Doc Quincy.
I'm sorry, honey.
I'm just lost in space.
Well, give me a reading, maybe
I can bring you down safely.
You always cheer me up.
Why don't you stop, Quincy?
Stop what? The investigation
on the Stokes' death.
You're losing sleep, and
you're losing your perspective.
So, why not sign the report?
I can think of a great
way to celebrate.
I can't. It's incomplete.
Only in your head.
At least, forget
about it for tonight.
What's so special about tonight?
This, and this.
And this.
You know something,
you drive a hard bargain.
Let's get out of here.
And, finally.
Hey, what about the tab?
Forge my name.
Okay, I'll forge your
name on all of 'em.
Oh honey, you're right,
it's such a beautiful night.
I'm not gonna worry
about autopsies.
Tomorrow, the results
of the tests will be in,
I'll sign the certificate,
and that will be that.
Don't I know you?
Not officially, Doc.
Why don't we keep it that way?
We can get to the
car this way, honey.
No, we can't.
Don't you hurt her.
You're pretty fast, Doc.
Too bad you're not
as fast on the job,
like working on
Stokes' death certificate.
I'm working on that.
Yeah. Well, the more you delay,
the worse it looks for Ray Ringo.
And a lot of people
don't like that.
I'll remember that.
Well, thanks, Doc.
And just to help you remember.
Quincy!
If you scream, sweetheart,
I'm gonna hit him again.
Honey.
What?
Don't holler.
Does it still hurt?
Oh, only when I breathe.
Oh! There. How does it feel now?
Oh honey, Florence
Nightingale couldn't do any better.
Oh, baby. Come on.
Will you lift me? Oh, boy.
There we go. Oh, boy.
Where do you think you're going?
I gotta go see Sam.
Now, you have to go see Sam?
Pathologists keep crazy hours.
Oh, Quincy, you said you were
giving up on the Stokes case.
And I was honey, I truly was.
Every time I wanna give it
up, somebody gives me a zetz.
I've gotta jump
back on the wagon.
Somebody gives you
a zetz, huh? Yeah.
Okay, go solve your problem.
I'll think of you on my
run to San Francisco.
How about on your run back?
Well, I'll need somebody
to take off the bandages.
Mmm.
Can't reach you. It hurts.
Oh, baby.
Oh, thank you. Mmm.
Be careful, Quincy.
I will.
Oh, boy. Oh!
One giant step for pain.
Maybe he just got hit too hard.
Yeah, but what about
the earlier rounds?
Look over there. Oh, boy.
Here, look how alive he was,
dancing on his toes and everything.
Here bright and alert.
Quince. Yeah.
Here's the last
of the blow up's.
Oh, thank you, Ed.
Sam, I want you to look at this.
Here, tell me. What
do those eyes tell you?
Maybe he absorbed
too much punishment.
Well, he hadn't at that point.
Besides, he was
known for his stamina.
You know, he once went ten
rounds with a broken jaw, and he...
Okay, Ringo destroyed
him with overhand rights.
What is he grabbing here?
His stomach.
Maybe it was cramps.
Maybe, but can you prove it?
Oh, I can't prove it.
Find anything
new on those tests?
Nothing, nothing to speak of.
What do you mean
nothing to speak of?
Speak, brother. Speak!
Well, when I checked back over
my reports, I noticed something,
but it didn't seem related
to what we're looking for.
Like what?
Well, from the
time of his death,
there was a very protracted
and gradual hardening
of all the muscular
tissue through his body,
particularly around his heart.
Are you saying the rigor
mortis was delayed in setting in?
Yeah, it took over four hours.
Four hours. Why didn't
you tell me this before?
You haven't been
around much lately.
Besides, it could have been
caused by the brain damage.
It could have been,
but I'll bet it wasn't.
He was an active athlete, Sam.
If anything, rigor should
have begun immediately.
Tomorrow we're going to the lab,
and we're gonna test everything
we found in Stokes' dressing room.
The towel, the water
bottles, everything.
You mean, all the stuff
used by Ben McDade?
Yeah.
Oh, boy, do I hope I'm wrong!
You ever hear that song, Life
Is Just A Bowl Of Cherries?
Mmm-hmm.
Well, it ain't.
Well, Sam, I've got
nothing. What have you got?
Absolutely zero.
There's not the
slightest trace of opiates
in the residue from
this water bottle.
And there wasn't anything
in the towels either.
Well, you should sound happy,
you just restored my
faith in human nature.
That means Ben McDade is clear?
That's what I mean.
That's Astin.
How do you know?
He's got his own
sound, pure hysteria.
You answer it. I'm gone.
Hello? Oh, Dr. Astin.
You want to know
where Quincy is?
Uh, yes sir. He
was here but he left.
No sir, he didn't say
when he'd be back.
That's it, Miguel. take
one more on the heavy bag.
And hard.
We got nothing to say.
I know.
So, why are you here?
Thought you'd like to see a
man pull his foot out of his mouth.
You used to do that
when we were kids.
The only difference is
my mouth is bigger now.
I gotta level with you.
I tested all the equipment you
used in Luke's corner that night.
And?
It was all clean.
Did you really expect
to find anything?
To tell you the
truth, I wasn't sure.
I was just doing my job.
I'll buy that.
Hey, clear the room.
Miguel, go hit the shower.
So, where does it stand now?
Well, there's only
one possibility left.
Luke was beaten by a
better fighter, Ray Ringo.
That's the dumbest idea yet.
Why is it dumb?
Ringo's two years younger,
he's six pounds heavier,
he's got the best knockout
record in his division.
So, why isn't it possible for him
to beat Luke, fair and square?
Because on his worst night, Luke
could handle any punch of Ringo's.
Except his right overhand.
Mmm-hmm. Come here. I
wanna show you something.
Stop.
Hey, Francisco, come, pack up.
Hey, Ringo. How's
it moving baby?
As if you care.
I always did.
When? After you
picked the wrong boy?
You always were a loser, McDade.
I guess so.
You see me work out?
Yeah. You're throwing some
heavy stuff baby. Except.
Except what?
Telegraphing again.
Telegraphing what?
You know, I ain't
too good with words.
Let me show you.
Ringo, don't mess
around with this guy.
Ah, don't be dumb.
Come on, old man.
It's the right overhand lead.
Still leave yourself open.
How?
Come at me. I'll show you.
Well, try and hit me.
Try and get me.
Like I've always said,
you should work
for Western Union.
I'm too tired from my
workout. What's your point?
No point.
I just wanted to show Dr. Quincy how
to defend against your overhand right.
You should have showed
that to Stokes. He needed it.
I did show him.
I also showed him how to defend
against your biggest weakness.
I don't have a weakness.
Put your gloves
up, and I'll show you.
You always were a
sucker for that combination.
You got anymore stupid notions?
Not a one, Ben. Not a one.
There's not a good fighter alive
who'd throw a stupid punch like that?
You didn't even work up a sweat.
Twenty years younger,
you'd be the champ again.
Yeah. I'd be the
champ, all right.
What the hell are you talking
about? It's just all crazy...
Hey, Quincy, come here.
Come here, I wanna talk to you.
This ain't collection
day, Nolan.
How would you know, sport?
Anyway, I'm not
here to talk to you.
Doc, I called your office.
They told me I
might find you here.
You got something for me?
Yeah, as a matter
of fact I have.
You know that hunch that you
had on the Stokes-Ringo fight?
Yeah. Well, you hit the
nail right on the head.
The fix was in
from coast-to-coast.
Stokes was in the tank.
You're lying. Tell
the truth, you...
Come on. Come
on, let's hear him out.
Come on.
Look, a couple of big
money guys set it up.
They waited until
the day of the fight
before they started laying
heavy bets on Ringo.
You're sure of this?
Horse's mouth, Doc. This
particular horse swears
that he saw one of
Stokes' own people
lay seven big ones on Ringo
about two hours before the fight.
Who'd do a thing like that?
How does the name
Matt Dorsey grab you?
Ah, it couldn't be
Matt. It couldn't.
He loved Luke.
Why would he do it?
The question is,
how did he do it?
Oh, what's the use, Quincy?
If there was something to see,
we would've caught it by now.
Quincy, there's nothing left.
That's it! Freeze it
right there! Ben, I saw it!
What are you talking about?
Reverse the tape. Keep it
going until I tell you to stop.
Come here.
If you weren't looking,
you'd never find it.
Okay!
Roll it forward, slowly.
Freeze!
Ben, that's it!
What?
Who gave Stokes his
mouthpiece before every round?
Well, me. I'd rinse it off and
shove it in his mouth at the bell.
But in this round
somebody's handing it to you.
Yeah, but everything
got too hectic
from the second round
on. And I didn't have...
No, no, no. Ben! Tell me
whose hand is shoving it in now?
It's Matt.
Nothing on the
mouth piece so far.
Anything on the tax screen?
Negative for all
routine poisons.
Yeah. It's back to
the drawing board.
Quincy, look at the time.
Like I thought, the
shank of the evening.
Anything? Nothing.
Okay. We're gonna try
extracting it in alcohol.
And if that doesn't work...
We'll go home? No,
we'll extract in acetone.
And after that in water. If that
doesn't work, soy sauce, if we have to.
Well, talk to me, will you, Sam?
You wouldn't like
what I have to say.
Then we're gonna
keep testing till we find it.
That could take
the rest of the year.
And we don't even know
what we're looking for.
We're looking for
scientific truth here.
I don't care how long it takes or
how many tests we have to go through.
We've gone through almost
everything already, Quince.
Chloral hydrates, heavy
metals, barbiturates, cyanide...
You name it,
we've tested for it.
I'll name it. You know
what we haven't tested for?
Elements that are
normal to the body.
Why test for them
if they're normal?
Sam, you're forgetting
your basic physiology.
Everyone needs iron, but an
excessive amount of iron can kill you.
They're normal only in
naturally small amounts.
But an excessive amount of those normal
elements can become very dangerous.
Oh, couldn't it wait
till the morning?
We've done over
a 100 tests already.
Oh, I'm very
disappointed in you, Sam.
Dr. Ehrlich did 606 before
he found his "magic bullet."
But, Dr. Ehrlich didn't
do them all in one night.
He wasn't drinking my coffee.
I'll make you some more.
That's what we should
test. Your coffee!
Quincy!
Sam?
You found something?
An excessive amount of calcium
and magnesium salts like you predicted.
That mouthpiece must
have been saturated
in calcium citrate magnesium
sulfate solution between every round.
That would cause stomach
cramps, weakness...
Plus loss of reflex
and incoordination.
Sam, he couldn't defend
himself by the final round.
He was totally helpless.
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday, dear Toddie
Happy birthday to you
Dr. Quincy.
Mrs. Stokes, the guys
at the gym told me
I could find Matt Dorsey here.
Oh, sure, come in.
Now close your eyes, Toddie.
Make a wish and blow!
Matt, Toddie, look
who's here, Dr. Quincy.
Nice to see you again.
Is it?
Honey, you remember
Dr. Quincy, don't you?
Yeah, he's a doctor.
Happy birthday. Listen, I'm
sorry, I didn't bring you a present.
You want a piece of my cake?
No, thank you.
It's all chocolate.
Chocolate? Wow,
that's my favorite kind.
I'll take a rain check.
That's quite an act
you've been putting on.
You convinced me you really love
that woman and that kid in there.
I do.
I love them. They're my family
now. I'd do anything for them.
You know, Doc, I'm
gonna tell you something.
There's no trouble
that you can get me into
that could be as bad as
what I've been feeling inside
since this thing happened.
Then, why did you do it?
It certainly wasn't
for the money.
You bet seven grand, at
six to one, that's $42,000.
The exact amount you
sent to Laura Stokes.
So, if it wasn't for the money,
why did you set him up?
I didn't set him up. Don't
say that. I didn't set him up.
I tried to save his life,
don't you understand?
They said they would
kill him if he didn't blow it.
Who said they'd kill him?
You've been around a long
time. The mob. The Syndicate.
They knew that their
guy was gonna lose.
So, they came around, they said,
"Your man is gonna lose, or else."
Did you tell Luke this?
No, I didn't tell him.
How could you tell a man
like Luke to spit on his dream?
He knew nothing from
cheating, from holding back.
All his life, he
gave it his best shot.
For him, there was no other
way. So what could I do?
I went to Ringo's people, I
begged them, I pleaded with them.
I said, "Look, he's got too
much honor, too much pride."
They didn't know what
I was talking about.
They said, "If he walks out of that
ring a winner, he won't live one hour."
So, you never told
Luke that the fix was in.
I knew that he
would never agree.
At the same time, I
didn't want him dead.
So, I thought of using
this calcium sulfate.
I thought if I slowed him
down, weakened him a little bit...
Look, I've been around gyms long
enough to know how this stuff works.
I thought if I slowed his
reflexes, weakened his strength,
then, Ringo could win on points.
And they promised
me, they promised me.
They said, they'd
go easy on him.
But, when he got in the
ring, he fought to win.
He certainly wanted to prove that he
was good enough for a chance at the title.
So, he went for broke.
And he broke.
And he broke a man
who never got a chance.
Why don't you go to the police
with this story and name names?
Why don't you tell them
who put the pressure on?
Why don't you tell them
who set Luke up for the kill?
All right. All right.
I'll go with you.
Will I have time to
say goodbye? Yes.
Matt, I don't understand
why you're leaving.
Just trust me,
Laura. I have to go.
Promise me one thing,
no matter what you hear,
you're gonna hear a lot, but,
remember that I loved Luke
as if he was my own son.
Favorite son.
I'm sorry I crashed the party.
That was a funny story.
He really was funny.
You can't believe that people in
that business can be that funny.
No. They were amazing.
Oh, golly me.
Cute, Quincy.
Dating you is like
being in The Godfather,
Oh, we're not gonna go
through this again, are we?
I still can't tie my shoe
laces from the last time.
Yeah, we warned
you what would happen
if you kept stalling
the autopsy report.
Now, we've been subpoenaed.
And if we're in trouble,
you're in deep trouble.
Oh, listen,
if this is going to be a habit,
I think there's something
I ought to tell you.
What?
Well, we didn't have
dinner alone, you see.
We had dinner with some guests,
and when they find out
that we got hurt on this night,
they're gonna be very angry.
Hey, you don't say.
Don't believe me?
Okay, I wanna introduce you...
Yeah. Coming, Quince.
Hey Louis, it's
been a nice night.
It was good.
Come back again sometime.
Yeah, yeah.
And if you wanna come
back tomorrow night,
I'll introduce you
to Muhammad Ali,
Ken Norton, and Jerry Quarry.
How do you like those potatoes?