Quincy M.E. (1976–1983): Season 3, Episode 3 - A Dead Man's Truth - full transcript

A young cop in the mist of inexperience decides to plant a gun on a victim that he had shot from 30 feet away. At first Quincy doubts the officers story but then finds out that not ...

Police officer. Hold it!

When you found out
he didn't have a weapon,

you held a gun six inches
from his head and you fired.

No!

It's open-and-shut,
a clean-cut case.

I think your man is lying.

Does that mean because you're
a cop you can break the law?

Well, thank God, it
doesn't work that way.

So why did you cover it up?

Are you in collusion with
the Police Department?

I can't let him
get away with this.



He already has
gotten away with it.

And I hate to say it,
Quincy, but you helped him.

Me?

The man is indicted.

Jerry, with what I've
got, you'll lose this one.

Gentlemen, you
are about to enter

the most fascinating
sphere of police work,

the world of forensic medicine.

Four Adam Twenty-Six,

This car is in the vicinity
of Camarillo and Western,

Two-eleven in progress.
Consolidated Audio Visual Store,

1406 Western Avenue.

Four Adam Twenty-Six,
handle code two.

Four Adam Twenty-Six, roger.



Police officer. Hold it!

Come out with
your hands in the air!

Jimmy, you all right?

Yeah.

Find the lights.

He's dead.

Well, take it easy,
kid. It goes with the job.

Now.

How long is this gonna
take? My feet are killing me.

You're being irreverent.

I want to check out my
theory against the X-rays.

What theory?

The Sadie Jordan case.

Sadie Jordan?

Yeah. Don't you
remember in the X-ray,

between the fourth and fifth...

Uh-uh-uh-uh!

I just wanted to show
Dr. Astin something...

Uh-uh-uh!

You touched it.

You touched it.

Do you realize that we're
here by invitation only?

You're not in your own lab.

Let's have a little
respectful patience.

She's been dead 4,000 years.

It's gonna take 4,000
more to unwrap her.

I heard that.

That's the trouble with
you young people today.

Impetuous.

If you can't behave yourself,

we'll have to send you home.

Send me home?

I didn't know you were
interested in mummies.

I'm not and I'm not
interested in your humor.

What's the matter?

A burglary suspect's been shot
by a cop, and Monahan's worried.

Why?

That TV newscaster Dobbs is
over there with a whole tape unit.

Oh, he's not such a bad guy.

He's turning it into
a three-ring circus.

I'll get my bag. Let's go.

Quincy!

Oh, Monahan wants me.

Can't it wait?

Oh, they won't unwrap
her until Christmas.

It must be my karma.

"Death comes through
ten thousand several doors."

That's how a playwright
named Marlowe,

a contemporary of Shakespeare's,
put it over 400 years ago.

Tonight, death came to a
man behind those doors.

Death from a patrolman's
gun during an alleged robbery.

Now, Dr. Quincy from the
Coroner's Office is coming in,

and hopefully, we can
get a statement from him.

Dr. Quincy, Dr. Quincy, sir...

What is your
position in all this?

Do you think this is
another police-related killing

that nobody's gonna talk about?

If so, it's the third one
in two and a half months.

You wanna talk off the record?

All right. Cut it, Jerry. But
I'm warning you, Quincy,

don't pull a Monahan on me.

Look at this, Dr. Jekyll
and Mr. Hyde.

Tell me, Dobbs, how do you
get to these things so fast?

I don't sleep.

How do you think I got from
reporting the weather in Sacramento

to exposing police
brutality in Los Angeles?

What do you want?

I want to know what's
going on in there.

The police aren't
supposed to let you in

until the onsite investigation
has been completed.

Yeah, but... I promise you,

I'll give you a statement
as soon as I'm finished.

Quincy!

All right, Quincy, but if I find
out that you and Monahan...

All right, Jim, he's gonna make
a statement when he comes out.

So let's get ready
for him. Okay?

This is a clean-cut
necessary killing.

You through yet?

Got all the shots I
need, Doc. Thanks.

Who's the shooter?

Him, Wells.

Wells, come here.

Tell me what happened, son.

We received a silent alarm

and came here to investigate.

Officer O'Neil went to the
back and I came in here.

And this figure
jumped out from, uh,

from behind the
chair there with a gun.

I'm sorry.

You'll have to forgive
me. This is my...

My first killing.

Take it easy.

He came up with
the gun in his hand.

I identified myself
as a police officer

and hollered,
"Hold it." He didn't.

The suspect must've
hit a button on the stereo.

And then the lights
started flashing,

and he came up from behind
the chair with the gun, and I fired.

Lieutenant, as far as I
know, Officer Wells is correct.

I was around in the back there

when he identified himself.

And then when I heard the shot,
well, I come running out here.

How many times did you fire?

Once.

I checked his revolver.
One empty cartridge.

Tell me where you were
when you fired, will you?

It was about... It
was about here, sir.

And the victim was there, right?

Yes, sir.

Well, I'd say that's about
30 feet, wouldn't you say?

Yes, sir, approximately 30 feet.

Officer, 30 feet?

About 30. Right, right.

Thanks, fellas.

Okay, he's all yours.

Take everything to the lab.

Dr. Quincy of the
Coroner's Office,

has promised to
give me a statement.

Dr. Quincy, sir, what did
you find out in there, sir?

Any statement I would
make based on the evidence

I have found so far
would be irresponsible,

since I haven't finished
my investigation yet.

What evidence, sir?

My first report has to
go to the District Attorney.

But Dr. Quincy, you did
promise me a statement.

I've just given you one.

Will you excuse me?
I've got a lot of work to do.

Now, you see what
I've been talking about

for the past two and a half
months, ladies and gentlemen,

that there's a conspiracy
within the police department

to keep the public uninformed.

And now, it seems
that the Coroner's Office

has just joined the parade.

Well, Quincy,
you just buried me.

Look, I know you
have to do an autopsy,

but you were just in there.
You saw what happened.

Why didn't you tell Dobbs? It's
open-and-shut, a clean-cut case.

It's not so clean.

I think your man is lying.

Did you want me
to tell him that?

The body has no congenital
or acquired deformities,

scars or moles.

Hair color is brown.

Presence and distribution
of lividity is consistent

with the findings at the scene.

The bullet was found
right against the near table

of the left parietal bone without
gross observable damage.

It had evidently spent itself.

Skin examination
revealed apparent charring

or powder stippling
and smoke smudging.

He said he fired
from 30 feet away.

You called me, Doc?

Yeah.

I know you got the ID photos.

I want you to do some
close shots of the wound.

I already got 'em.

I mean really close.

Okay.

Sam, I want you to document
everything we've found,

and after you've
examined his ammunition,

I want you to give me the
whole tattoo pattern, with this gun,

from six inches to 30 feet.

Let me know what you find out.

And where will you be?

I'll be at Monahan's.

I'm gonna talk to a young cop

about a fairy tale
he's got for an alibi.

And when he came
up with the gun I

dropped to a knee
and popped one cap.

How many times do you
want to hear the story?

Till it rings true.

Did he fire at you?

No.

No, I didn't give him a chance

once he came up with
the gun in his hand.

So, you got it now?

I got it. I just don't buy it.

He still says he fired
from 30 feet away.

So?

So that's not what the
physical evidence shows.

I've got a bullet wound here,

which you say was
fired from 30 feet, right?

Right.

Then how come I have
powder burns around that wound

which say that gun was no more than
six inches away from the man's head?

You're crazy.

Am I?

And why was he hit here,
when you say he was facing you?

If he was facing you, why
wasn't he hit right here?

He must've turned
away at the last moment.

While he was
preparing to fire at you?

How should I know what
was going through his mind?

Stop badgering him, huh?

You know where I found this?

In the suspect's hand.

In his right hand,
to be specific.

His open right hand. So?

Cadaver reflex usually clutches
the weapon, but not in this case.

You said usually.

That's right, so I
checked further.

Shoulder alignment,
skin calluses,

a used book of
matches in his pocket.

Your burglar was
left-handed, Wells.

So, maybe he was
using both hands.

How am I supposed to know?

Did you have this gun on you
with a filed off serial number?

What you cops call
a throwaway gun?

Look, I don't know what
you're trying to put on me.

What about this?

When you found out
he didn't have a weapon,

you held a gun six inches
from his head and you fired.

No!

No.

It did not happen that way.

You're talking execution.

We're gonna bring
up the serial number.

All it takes is a little
hydrochloric acid,

a little cloth,

and when we do, what
are we gonna find out?

I don't know. Look,
we wanna help you, kid.

You gotta tell us the truth, you
understand? The whole truth.

I moved up and I
saw him lying there.

I looked for his gun

and it wasn't there.

Boy, I knew right
then I'd blown it.

That's when you planted
the throwaway, huh?

Oh, come on.

That character on Channel 3's
been ripping at the department.

Those two guys who were
suspended last month? Aw, man.

People wouldn't understand.

I thought I saw a gun.

I didn't.

I panicked.

I panicked and I put
down the throwaway.

Are you still saying that
you fired from 30 feet away?

I swear to God.

That is the truth.

Quincy, it's for you. Sam.

Yeah, Sam.

Wells, how in the hell is
anybody gonna believe you?

Why'd you do it?

When you used that throwaway
gun, you lost all credibility.

So how in the hell is anybody gonna
believe you didn't shoot him here?

That reporter Dobbs
is gonna chew us up

and spit us out
like old bubblegum.

Well, maybe.

What?

Will you make up your mind?

Sam said the rest of his
ammunition was clean.

Now, if it was an execution,

the bullet would have
gone right through his head.

Made a clean exit. But it
didn't. And it wasn't deflected.

I'm beginning to believe that
he did fire from 30 feet away.

Can you prove it? No. Not yet.

I gotta figure out how those
powder burns got around the wound.

Well, until you do,

this kid and this department
is in a lot of trouble.

What were you doing
with a throwaway gun?

I didn't intend to use it.

When I first came out of the
Academy, there was this old cop

who told me, you know, what a
great thing it is to have, just in case.

I was gonna get rid of it.

And then...

Dumb thing to do.

Now, they think I executed him.

Did you?

You know, all I saw was you
standing over the guy. I don't know.

I didn't.

I swear it.

You better not
be lying to me, kid.

I'm not.

I'll tell you something else.
You should've come to me first

before you got up there
with those sharks up there.

Maybe I could
have protected you.

From who?

Me?

What do you say, Doc? O'Neil.

Can I talk to you for a minute?

Can it wait till the
morning? I'm beat.

It's almost morning now.

Exactly my point.

We got drinks and everything.

Maybe a little drink and
maybe you'll sleep better, huh?

Okay. I don't need a drink

to make me sleep
better. I tell you that.

You beat, huh?
You know the guys?

Campanella, Brody.

How you doing? Quincy.

Seen 'em around.
Give him a beer.

Thank you.

Well, I guess...

I guess the kid's
in a lot of trouble.

I'm afraid so.

That's too bad, you
know. He's a good cop.

At least, he will be
if he gets a chance.

I believe that.

The hell you do.

Hey, take it easy, okay?

Look, Doc, we just want you
to understand something here.

The kid was out there
trying to survive, that's all.

And you don't survive
by the rules all the time.

Just don't forget one thing.

The guy he killed was a thief.

The guy had a record
as long as your arm.

He wasn't in there
fixing a TV set.

He was heisting the place.

I'm not forgetting that.

Well, it seems like
a lot of people are.

Now, the guy's supposed to
be a poor defenseless victim,

and Wells is supposed
to be the heavy, you know.

And that just don't
seem right to me.

Does that seem
right to you, mister?

Sometime you come
on down to the streets.

Let's see how long you last
without making a mistake.

He's right. He's
drunk, but he's right.

Believe it or not, I feel bad
about the trouble Wells is in.

Almost as much as you do.

But what's the bottom line
here? What do you want?

Well, just forget about the
throwaway gun, that's all.

Look, I promise you the
kid did not execute the guy.

Just leave it out of the report.

- I can't do that!
- Why not?

It's against the law.

What did I tell you?
What did you expect?

He ain't one of
us. He's a civilian.

What is that?

What does that mean, "one
of us"? What does that do?

You mean, you belong to a
specific club, a brotherhood?

Does that mean
because you're a cop

you can break the law
and get away with it?

Well, thank God it doesn't
work that way anymore.

So good night, gentlemen.

Thanks very much, gentlemen.

Be sure and watch the morning
show, Quince, you'll love it.

And we're coming out
of the opening in ten.

And five, four, three, two,

one, cue Dobbs up on one.

Good morning,
ladies and gentlemen.

The Police Department
last night, killed another man.

That man was killed by a bullet

fired by Patrolman James Wells.

The police are calling
this a "routine killing."

If it was routine,

why did Medical Examiner
Quincy give me this non-statement?

Take the film track up.

Any statement I would
make based on the evidence

I have found so far
would be irresponsible,

since I haven't finished
my investigation yet,

What evidence, sir?

My first report has to
go to the District Attorney.

But Dr. Quincy, you did
promise me a statement.

I've just given you one.

All right, stand
by on the floor.

Coming back to camera one.

Will you excuse me?
I've got a lot of work to do.

All right, take one.

So much for the statement
I was promised by a man

whom heretofore I'd given
the benefit of the doubt.

”I have work to do. ”

Work?

A few hours later, this is where

and with whom the Medical
Examiner was working,

Officer Peter O'Neil,

the partner of the patrolman who
shot and killed the alleged burglar

and labeled the man's
death as just ”routine. ”

Medical Examiner Quincy
of the Coroner's Office,

whose job it is to investigate
unexplained killings.

Collusion, cover-up,
or just coincidence?

Yeah, Astin, I'll be right
there. I'll be right there.

I know what! think. And I know
what I'm going to do about it.

I'm pretty tired
myself this morning.

Sorry I can't offer you a beer.

That museum work
yesterday was exhausting.

Oh, by the way, we're
both of us invited back

for the completion
of the unwrapping.

Oh, good, I wanna see. I knew
they wouldn't finish on time.

Then this Dobbs
calls me at 5:30 a.m.,

wanting to know
if I could refute

what he was going to
show on the 7:00 am. news.

And since you didn't tell me
what was going on, as usual,

I couldn't refute
anything, could I?

I'm sorry.

You're sorry.

Do you know what
I said to this Dobbs?

I said, "I have the utmost
respect for Dr. Quincy."

I said, "Dr. Quincy
is one of the most

"honorable men I've ever known."

You said that to Dobbs about me?

I did. I gave it to
him, and I meant it.

Thank you.

That's all right.

Are you in collusion with
the Police Department?

Didn't you just say
you thought I was

one of the most honorable
men you ever met?

I did.

I'm not in collusion
with anybody!

Well, I'm glad to hear
it. I can hardly tell.

Now look, let's not get excited.

Things are bad enough.

Now what is it with
this Dobbs, Quincy?

Well, he's an impatient,
ambitious opportunist

who's got his eye on
a network anchor seat.

Well, it looks like
he's gonna get it.

He's climbing.

I don't want our department
to be one of his rungs.

I'll tell him that.

No, that's exactly
what you must not do.

You are not to confront
Dobbs again, please.

I can't let him
get away with this.

For your information, he
already has gotten away with it.

And I hate to say it,
Quincy, but you helped him.

Me!

You certainly did.

Your press conference
technique, it's...

Well, I don't know
how to put this, Quincy,

but when you are being
interviewed in front of the public, you...

You leave one hell
of a lot to be desired.

You're so obviously evasive, it does
look like you're not telling the truth.

Well, I didn't know
the whole truth.

You see. I'm not
talking about truth.

I'm talking about public image.

Good grief,
there's a difference.

You look like you're hiding.
It's the impression that counts.

Now, I'm taking
this over from here.

I've had experience
with public image.

You will work on the report.

You will finish the report.
You will hand it to me.

You are not to go near
Dobbs again, Quincy.

Please, stay away from
Dobbs, please, please.

By the way, that's an order.

Aye, aye, sir.

Aye, aye? Ha, ha.

You sure are a lousy interview.

You too, Brutus?

Did Ed deliver the
close-ups of the wound?

Something blew
up in the dark room.

He's mixing up another batch.

Since I don't know exactly
what we're looking for,

I guess there's no hurry.

You really got it, huh?

From all sides.

Monahan wants to close the case,

Dobbs wants to keep it open,

Astin wants me to
make both of them happy.

And what do you want?

Some answers to
my nagging questions.

Such as?

Such as, how can you fire at
somebody from 30 feet away,

hit 'em and leave powder burns?

And secondly, who
made this lousy coffee?

I cannot tell a lie.

You cannot make coffee either.

Hey, what's he like? Tough?

Who?

The kid cop.

Oh, no, he's not
tough. He's a kid cop.

And I'm afraid I'm not gonna
give him a chance to grow old.

He's not a gangster.
He's not some killer.

Who would it hurt if I turned
my head the other way?

Am I playing God, Sam?

No, Quince.

You're just doing your job
like the rest of us mortals.

You're a good friend. A
little heavy on the philosophy,

but a good friend.

Now if I could just make
a good cup of coffee.

Now, nobody's perfect.

Do me a favor, will
you? Cover for me again.

Where are you going now?

Well, if I can't
lie for the kid,

maybe I can buy him some time.

Could you tell me where I
can find Mr. Dobbs, please?

Sure, I think he's
back in makeup.

Is that to the left? Mmm-hmm.

Thank you. You bet.

Dobbs.

Quincy. Welcome
to the nut house.

It's kinda hectic.

Listen, I'm sorry I had to
rough you up this morning,

but you deserved it.

For trying to do my job?

Does that include
drinking beer with O'Neil?

Makeup for Mrs. Hawley.

Come on. You're not on the air.

Stop trying to make
points, will you?

You're right.

So...

Changes. Thank you, Bill.

You here to make the
statement you promised me?

Well, I haven't finished
my investigation, yet.

They're leaning on you, right?

I can handle them. You're
the one I'm worried about.

I want you to lay off us,

'cause I need the
time to get to the truth.

Well, for your information,
I've got the truth.

I really believe
you think you have.

All wrapped up in a nice
neat 30-second package.

This is not a weather
forecast, you know.

Oh, you're wrong. It is. And
it's gonna be very, very hot.

Boy, you're really
something, you know that?

You'd say the devil was the
Messiah to get a good rating.

All right, I admit I
enjoy the ratings

that this investigation
is getting.

But damn it, Quincy,
the public has a right

to know what their
police department is up to.

I'm not talking about
that, and you know it.

I'm talking about
one man, one case,

on which the whole
story is still not clear.

No! It isn't?

Well, let me
clear it up for you.

Come on.

Mrs. Hawley. Yes, sir.

Dr. Quincy. How do you do?

Would you tell Dr. Quincy here

what we're making a tape
of for the five o'clock news?

Why, of course.

It was almost a year ago.

You see, I was widowed

and my late
husband had this gun.

Guns frighten me, so...

Well, I decided
to get rid of it.

How did you do that, ma'am?

Well, I turned it in
to the police station.

I gave it to the young officer,

and he said he'd
take care of it.

Do you remember the
young officer's name?

Well...

James Wells. That's his name.

Thank you, Mrs. Hawley.

Well, did you know
about the throwaway?

Yeah, I knew about
the throwaway.

So why did you cover it up?

'Cause all the facts aren't in.

Yeah, sure.

Can I ask you to
hold off for a while?

Too late. When I told
the DA about Mrs. Hawley,

he indicted Wells for murder.

He did what? That's right.

It'll be on the
five o'clock news.

So, why don't you join the
mobs and listen to Dobbs?

How do you think I felt?

Learning information
like that from a newsman?

Come on, will you, Jerry? I
told you, it was in my report.

I was gonna show it to
you as soon as I finished it.

Why is everybody running?

Because there's no time left.

Look, I mean, with this much
heat on the police department,

do you have any idea
what kind of tumult

Mrs. Hawley is gonna cause?

I had to indict Wells
before Dobbs' broadcast.

Otherwise, it looks like he's
pressuring me into action.

But he did pressure you.

Yeah. Only now, it
doesn't look that way.

It doesn't look that
way? Does that matter?

Quincy, when are
you gonna grow up?

We are in the public
relations business here.

Now look, three days ago,

some kid takes a
shot at a squad car.

The police go to arrest him.

Two hundred people
attacked the cops.

Now, what's the reason
for that? Bad public relations.

I didn't realize what
Dobbs was doing.

All he wants is the publicity.

He doesn't care whether
Wells is guilty or not.

And right now,
Jerry, neither do you.

That's a low blow, Quincy.

And I'll tell you something,
Dobbs or no Dobbs,

I think Wells executed that man.

And I'm telling you he didn't.

Well, then what about
the throwaway gun?

Fear, panic, inexperience.
Who knows? But not guilt.

As a scientist, I'm telling
you there was no execution.

Well, why don't we see
what happens in court?

It'll be too late then.

The stigma will be
attached to his name.

Isn't it bad enough the kid'll
probably be thrown off the police force

because of the throwaway gun?

Do we have to punish
him for what he didn't do?

The man is indicted.

Jerry, with what I've
got, you'll lose this one.

Maybe.

Oh, boy!

You wouldn't be that cocky unless
you had someone behind you.

Which one of the biggies
upstairs is backing you up?

All of 'em.

Goodbye, Quincy.

What's this?

Prescription for sleeping pills.

Take one each
night before bedtime.

With your conscience,
you're gonna need it.

If you keep knocking your head
against a stone wall long enough,

even a police stone wall,

sometimes your head
doesn't break, the wall does.

As a result of this
reporter's investigation,

the District Attorney has
indicted Police Officer Wells...

Shut that guy off, will you?

.for the murder of the
man he shot to death.

Shut it off, remember?

You just told me to turn it on!

When did you start
listening to me?

Grouchy. When
you feel like that,

why don't you visit the
Russian joint across the street?

Very funny. Look at
that. I'm sorry. It's okay.

Relax, it's no big deal.

Wait a minute. If you clean
that up I'll break your arm.

I don't know what
you do in the lab,

but in the bar business,
you spill, we wipe.

Flow mechanics.

Flow mechanics?

Yeah, flow mechanics.
Flow mechanics!

I'm sorry for him.

Don't you see, Danny?
Flow mechanics.

The direction of the drink.

The direction of the
drinks is spilling right on me.

The direction of
the powder burn.

I got it! Drinks everybody.

Everybody has drinks on
the house. On me, on me.

Doubles, doubles.

It's okay. He just
works too hard.

This is a slide
that Eddie sent up

of a mafia execution murder
that took place in 1972.

The hitman held his gun approximately
six inches from the victims head

and then he fired.

Look, Sam. Bullet
hole, circular.

Bullet, dead center.

Powder burns,
absolutely symmetrical.

Now, let me have the photo
blow-up of the man that Wells shot.

See, Sam?

Bullet hole, circular.

But the bullet is off-center.

But here's the real clincher.

The powder burns are elliptical.

The particle pattern, scattered.

Sam,

that's flow mechanics.
Flow mechanics, Sam.

The bullet hole and the
powder burns don't match.

They don't add up to execution.

Wells really shot him
from 30 feet away.

But Monahan's gonna want to know

how the powder burns got there.

And we're gonna show him.

Tomorrow, I'm gonna
perform the last scene

from a Charlie Chan
film for a lot of people.

Can I be Number One Son?

Can you do Chinese?

You're all here because I
want to re-enact the crime

exactly the way it happened.

Dr. Quincy, I'm trying
to run a business here.

Oh, I know. And I'm sorry.

But I wanna prove that a
murder was not committed.

There was a murder here?

Let's get out of here, Harry.

You see what I mean?

The rest of a boy's life's
at stake. It won't take long.

Oh.

Of course, we're
gonna use blanks.

I'm Crocker, I'm the thief.

Wells, I'm exactly where
I'm supposed to be, aren't I?

Yes, sir.

Okay, you go where
you're supposed to be.

Now remember, I want you to shoot
exactly the way you did that night,

at the very moment you see
me rising up. You got that?

Yes, sir.

O'Neil, you were in the back at
the time of the shot, weren't you?

I was around back here.

Will you go there, please?

Dobbs! Yeah?

You're in the line of fire.

All right.

Kill the lights.

Dr. Quincy! Dr. Quincy!

I realize you're a doctor, a
professional man, that you don't deal

with the buying public
in your everyday life.

But it doesn't take
a genius to realize

that you can't sell
merchandise in pitch darkness.

Mr. Berringer, it'll only take
another minute, please, honest.

Oh!

Now remember,

I want you to do it exactly as
you did the other night, okay?

Police officer. Hold it!

Come out with
your hands in the air.

Now, give me the lights.

What did you see
just before you fired?

I'm not sure.

It was like before.
There was a glint,

like on a gun barrel,
and then I fired.

The night of the shooting,

you say you heard only one shot.

That's what I heard.
One shot. Right.

You thought you
heard only one shot.

There were two
shots fired just now.

That's right.

I fired a split second
before you did.

And that's how it
happened the other night.

Wells was fired on.
He returned the fire.

It was justified self-defense.

Wait a minute, Quincy. Wells
himself doesn't even claim that.

Oh, come on, will you, Monahan?

The strobe lights, the music,

his gun going off a
thousandth of a second later.

There was a lot
of confusion here.

What do you mean
was? There still is.

Not anymore. Flow mechanics.

What?

Flow mechanics?

The pattern in
which things flow.

Number One Son,
take my spot, will you?

Sure, Doc.

Now what would happen to Sam

if I shot at Wells from here?

From there? He'd get a
hell of a ringing in his ears.

And powder burns.

And powder burns.

Bang! See?

See the way Sam moved
his head away from the noise?

That's a natural reaction.

So the powder burns
hit him at an angle,

forming an elliptical pattern.

Just like we found on Crocker.

Don't you see?

If Wells had executed his man,

the pattern around the wound

would have been
symmetrical. It always is.

Are you saying that there
was a second burglar?

There had to be.

The gun that he
saw, the partner had it.

The guy who fired at
him, that was his partner.

Well, where did he
go? What happened?

Well, when he saw that Crocker
was hit, he hightailed out of here.

He used the music and the
strobe lights as a cover for his exit.

Now wait a minute, Quincy.

If Wells would've been
shot at from over there,

we would've found a bullet
hole in the wall over here.

Let's go take a look.

There's nothing here.

Hey, don't give up so easily.

It's your neck
we're trying to save.

Now keep looking,
will you? Come on.

What is it, Wells?

I've got it.

I've got the bullet.

Give me a hand
there, will you, O'Neil?

Watch your head,
watch your head, watch it.

There it is.

The bullet hit the shelf, lifted it
up and then went into the wall.

The shelf came down
and it hid the bullet.

Sam!

Read it and weep, Dobbs.

Read it and weep.

You know something, Quincy?

This production beats Ben-Hur

and Gone With The
Wind on a double bill.

It's got more imagination.

I mean, you really
expect me to believe

that a body, a corpse, can tell you
more about what happened here,

than these two
trained eyewitnesses

that were involved in
what happened here?

That's what I expect
you to believe.

Yeah, well, it's too bad

that Crocker's corpse won't
be able to testify at Wells' trial.

It would be a judicial first.

Gentlemen, see you in court.

Well, we've done
everything we can.

If you wanna help your buddy,
you've gotta find Crocker's partner.

Right. Alive.

Right.

I tell you, Doc, why don't
you come along with me.

Help keep me honest.

How much longer we
gonna keep riding around?

We've been at
it for three hours.

Not much longer.

Wait, wait, wait, this
guy may know something.

He owes me, too. Hey, Boyd!

Come here a minute.

He's a real gentleman.
A very nice fella, this guy.

Come here.

Listen.

Get in the back. I
want to talk to you.

Get in the back of the car.

Hey! Go after him,
Quince. Go ahead.

Block the alley. I'll drive
around and cut him off.

Block the alley?

What do you want, O'Neil?

What do you want?

What do you want?

What do you want, Boyd?

Huh? Nothing.

Do you know Paul Crocker?
Do you know Paul Crocker?

I don't know him. I don't
know what you're talking about.

I'm being honest, I
swear. Don't talk...

Don't talk when I'm talking.

Do you know Paul Crocker? No.

Huh? Tell him you don't know.

I don't know him.

Who's he been running
around with, Paul Crocker? Huh?

I don't know what you're
talking about, O'Neil. I don't.

You think he knows anything?

No. He don't know nothing.

Then why were you
so rough on him?

That's just for next time

when he does know something.

I've gotta get out of
the lab more often.

Mrs. Crocker...

Can we talk to you
a minute, please?

I'd like to talk to you
some about Paul.

You people killed him.
What's there to talk about?

Well... Do I know you?

No, I don't think so.

Ma'am, could I
take your bag here?

No, that's okay.

What do you want?

Well, I...

I just wanted to tell
you that I was very sorry,

you know, what happened
to Paul and everything.

I asked around. Evidently, people
tell me he treated you real nice.

He was fine. He treated
me like a duchess.

And you people killed him.

No, no, wait. Wait, wait,
wait a minute, ma'am.

That's what I want
to talk to you about.

Look, this is Dr. Quincy.

Dr. Quincy here is
a medical examiner.

Now, he don't
think it was our fault.

It was Paul's partner
who got him killed.

Who says he had a partner?

I do. And he was
armed. Paul wasn't.

He'd be alive today
if he'd been alone.

That's right. Well,
that's some consolation.

Ma'am...

Listen, believe me,
I know how you feel.

Maybe it would be
a consolation to you

if you stopped this
person, whoever he is,

from making somebody else like
yourself into a widow. You know?

I don't know who Paul
was with that night.

A man named
Charles Matthews does.

Just stay away from me.

Charles Matthews?

Terrific.

What's the matter?

I just sent him to jail.

We got a real winner here, Doc.

This guy's really
the scum of the earth.

You know, even the
punks on the street

got him pegged as a lying,
cheating, two-bit hood...

Hey, Matthews. How's it going?

Come on open up
in here! Come on.

Hey! Hey, Carl, wait a minute.

You go through that door,
you may be in there for good.

Come here a minute. Come here.

Come on.

Beat it.

Listen, Carl, this may
sound a little funny to you

but I may be your
key out of here.

I'm listening.

Well, we just need a
little information here, Carl.

I give you some
information, O'Neil.

You booked me on a bum rap.

No, no, no, you see
that all depends upon

whether you can tell us something
about a guy named Paul Crocker?

Who he's been working with
lately, stuff like that, you know?

Who's this guy?

I'm Dr. Quincy, I'm
a medical examiner.

Stick around, Doc.

If I start snitching for O'Neil,

I may be needing a coroner.

Maybe you'd rather
do 10-to-15, huh?

'Cause the way I figure
it, with your record,

that's what you're
gonna get this time.

You can't do nothing
about that now, O'Neil.

Well, I tell you, Carl, I think
you're forgetting one thing here.

See, I'll be testifying at
your trial, you understand?

Now, I'm not gonna purge
myself, you know that.

But I can make what
you did sound a little better

or a little worse.
You understand?

You stink, O'Neil.

Only when I have to, Matthews.

Really, only when I have to.

You're looking for a guy
named Anthony Greco.

Monahan.

It's Astin.

No, he's not here.

Of course, I'm sure. Okay.

Why doesn't he
stop looking for me?

Quincy, I'm not going
to lie for you anymore.

Now if Astin calls again,
I'm gonna tell him you're here.

By then I hope we'll
know where Greco is.

We“, we won't get 3
mm“ of Green “m weeks.

You mean to tell me you're
gonna sit in my office until then?

What's the matter? You
don't like my company?

Monahan.

Where?

We're rolling.

O'Neil's found Greco in
an apartment at the Marina.

You're gonna miss
me around here.

What's the situation?

We've got him
holed up, Lieutenant.

We've got the
building evacuated.

We've called up there on
the phone about six times.

But all we got in return is a
couple of shots from that window.

You think you're gonna
be able to take him alive?

Oh, yeah. That
part's real simple, Doc.

See, what we do there
is we just go up there

and ask him very nicely
would he please surrender

and go to jail
for 20 years for it.

You understand? Matter
of fact, why don't you

come up with us and
talk with him about that?

If I wouldn't be in the way.

You'd be in the way.

Quincy!

- Perimeter's tight?
- Yes, sir.

Are the people all
safe from crossfire?

Yes, sir.

All right, then let's take him.

Okay, Campi, you're on
the fire escape, right? Got it.

Brody, you all set? Ready.

Let's go.

You hear me hollering
outside Greco's door,

you make your move, Campi.

Police officers, Greco.

Come out of there with
your hands in the air.

Make it easy on yourself.

Time’s up, Greco,
we're coming in after you.

Hold it right there.

Drop it.

Come on down. Get him, Brody.

Get him.

He was using a Rohm, Doc, 1938.

Bet you anything it matches
the bullet we pulled out of the wall.

See how good we do our job here?

You sure do. You
have five personalities.

Now look, if this checks
out, what happens to Wells?

Well, he'll go before the police
review board and they're tough.

Well, he seems to
have a lot of friends.

And I'm one of 'em.

His prospects of staying on
the police force are not bad,

but I think he's got a shot.

Monahan, now
don't holler, will you?

But, you see, I'm
supposed to be with Astin

and I want you to cover for
me. Just tell him you made me...

Quincy!

Okay, so you saved the police
department's neck this time.

But don't think I'm
gonna let up on 'em.

Oh, don't ever let up.

I mean, television can always
use another stand-up comic.

Funny. Listen, Monahan,

don't be a kidder, will
you? This is very important.

Nice of you to make
an appearance.

Did they finish
unwrapping her yet?

They've not only finished
unwrapping her, which was glorious,

but they've determined that
she died of schistosomiasis.

No kidding. I wanna see that.

Quincy, Quincy,
Quincy, Quincy, Quincy!

You touched it.

I warned you against that sort
of thing once before, young man.

But that's like what
happened to Sadie Jordan.

Who? I knew it!

That's not schistosomiasis.

Are you contradicting
the findings of this group?

No, of course not. Dr. Quincy,
I think we should leave now.

This lady was murdered.

He's had a very hard few days.

Will you listen to me.
Four thousand years ago,

this lady was murdered,
just like Sadie Jordan was.

The trouble with the
younger generation

is their preoccupation
with violent crime.

Listen slugger, if you
re-examine... Dr. Quincy, please!

If you re-examine
the abnormality

between the fourth
and the fifth right ribs,

you'll find that it's
not an abnormality.

You'll see that it's a
foreign object. It's a dagger,

pushing its way to the heart.