Quincy M.E. (1976–1983): Season 3, Episode 4 - A Question of Time - full transcript
The body of a man is discovered at a health spa. Quincy is convinced that the owner's of the spa are responsible for his death. Not only does he need to prove their guilt, but he also must ...
Give it to me the way
you feel it in your life!
I hate my job!
Good! And what about you?
I don't like my body!
When was the body found?
A little after 3:00.
Policy expired at
midnight last night.
See, I can't accept that, since one
is accidental, the other is murder.
I gotta know for sure.
Do you have any
personal motives?
One is money.
How much? Forty
thousand dollars.
I have to know
exactly when he died!
I don't think you ever will.
Gentlemen, you
are about to enter
the most fascinating
sphere of police work,
the world of forensic medicine.
What are you guys doing here?
Came here late at night to be
alone, don't you understand?
So what the hell
are you doing here?
Come on, get out of here!
Get your hands off me!
What are you trying
to do, kill me? Help!
Help! Please help!
Please help me!
Can't take it!
Tens bet a dollar,
come on, fellows.
I'm in.
Sam, come on. There we
go. Okay, everybody's in.
Kings and tens.
What you got, Ed?
Can't beat that.
Bet you can't beat it.
You? I'm out.
I think I beat you.
I've got a straight.
What do you mean,
you think you beat me?
You drew a jack
to an inside straight!
Is that wrong?
No, it's dumb!
If he's so dumb, how come
he's winning all the money?
I thought you said
you couldn't play poker.
Um, oh, I play a little bit.
Okay, this is spit
in the devil's eye.
One-eyed jacks, deuces, black
queens and the green joker are wild.
What kind of game is that?
This is dealer's
choice, isn't it?
Well, what happened to he-man
poker games, like draw and stud?
Well, next time invite
Charlie Bronson.
Besides, this might
change your luck.
Okay, spit in the devil's eye,
and let's get our money out.
Of course, due to the
lateness of the hour,
you will have the room
entirely to yourselves.
I've set the timer for 15 minutes.
If you feel you need more...
Mr. Holloway's still here.
Mr. Holloway? Wake up.
How can a guy
sleep on that thing?
He's dead.
Ah, good morning, Quincy.
Oh, just what I need.
Been up since 3:30 this morning.
Imagine how much sleep I got.
What are you
doing here so early?
About that Holloway case.
You know, I think there's an
off chance of it being a homicide.
Make any sense to you?
How would I know? I haven't
even looked at the body.
I tell you, after being out
there, I'd believe anything.
That place is weird.
What do you mean, "weird"?
These people, they come and
go any time of the day or night.
They get in these huge hot tubs,
and they start yelling
to the top of their voices.
And if they don't yell
loud enough, there's
somebody there that
makes them yell louder.
Now does that make
any sense to you?
What do you do
when you get uptight?
I take a cold shower and I sing.
They jump in a hot tub
and yell. It's the same thing.
No kidding?
Would I kid you?
You know, it's not like in my day. When you
were in trouble, you went to the family.
If the family was the trouble, you
went to the parish priest. It's simple.
This Holloway left a
widow and two kids, huh?
Yeah, she's separated. I
had to call her, break the news.
Oh, and Mrs. Holloway said he
stopped in to see her last night.
Then he went to the clinic?
Yeah, for a private
yelling session.
Well, it says he left
the tub about 11:20
under his own power and
then he went to the table.
According to Bridges
and Rossi, he did.
He said he was feeling
okay, a little tired,
so he went over and
laid down on the table.
And Bridges and
Rossi left him alone.
Then they came back a little
after 3:00 with another couple.
That's when they found him dead.
Only you don't buy it.
No. Why not?
Quincy, I ask people a lot of
questions. Now, I don't mean to brag,
but I'm a walking lie
detector. That guy, Bridges...
I'll bet my bottom dollar
he's lying through his teeth.
Let's go see if Holloway
will tell us the truth.
Okay, Sam. Let's have a
look, see what we've got.
Okay.
It wasn't a coronary.
No cerebral hemorrhage.
No? Drowning?
No water in the lungs. And he
apparently climbed out of the tub
and made it to the
table by himself.
We don't know that
to be a fact, now.
That's what they told us.
We don't know if it's true.
If somebody drowned
him and carried him out,
there'd be signs of a
struggle, wouldn't there?
No abrasions.
How about that bruise on
his forehead, near the hairline?
Quince, if somebody hit him with a
feather duster, it'd leave a bigger mark.
What do you think?
Shock.
Induced by heat stroke?
Mmm-hmm. He felt
himself weakening,
made it back to the
table by himself...
No, I can't buy it, Sam. Too many
people in Beverly Hills have hot tubs.
For recreation. It's a toy.
You don't read about too many of
them getting heat stroke, do you?
No. No.
We gotta go back to work.
I'll start the tax screen.
Maybe he had something
we don't know anything about.
I think I'm gonna
talk to his wife.
Tell Dr. Thaler I'm here.
She's expecting you,
Mr. Kingman. Please go right in.
Dr. Thaler? Mr. Kingman is here.
Good morning, Ruth.
Under the circumstances, I'm
surprised you weren't here before I was.
A man's dead.
Which is no fault of
anyone's. Legally or otherwise.
And if there is some trouble,
you let me handle it, all right?
Is there something to hide?
There's something to
protect. Everything you've built.
The people you're helping.
The people who work for you.
Ninety percent of whom
I have never even met.
I ran the therapy
sessions myself.
May I remind you, Ruth, that
you operated them all at a loss?
Does that matter?
At least I knew all of my
patients, better than I knew myself.
I cared about
them, I felt for them.
I can't feel for Mr. Holloway.
He didn't die because of
any negligence on our part.
I'll have to take your
word for that, won't I?
Yes, you will.
Doctor, look.
What you created, like
anything worthwhile,
it just had to grow.
Like a chain of
take-out food stands.
We're helping more
people in one week
than you could have
reached in your entire career.
Are we helping them?
Do I have to show
you the testimonials?
What would you say, Walter,
if I just walked away from it?
And you?
Our accountant says that the taxes
on your home have more than doubled.
And how can your grandson spend
so much money in medical school?
Inflation, I suppose. It
has us all by the throat.
And these other items. They
keep going up every month.
Shall I have the accountant
approve this statement?
If you would.
He always seemed to be
in perfect physical condition.
He never even
got the flu last year.
Emotionally he...
There were problems.
Breakdown. Male menopause.
I really don't know what it was.
About a year and
a half ago, he...
He just decided that
everything was passing him by.
That he was obsolete.
Is that when you separated?
A few months after that.
By then he'd become
impossible to live with.
He was turning the
kids into nervous wrecks.
And last February,
he lost his job.
He hadn't worked since then?
He wanted to get his head
straight first. That's what he said.
So he went from one
mental therapy to the next.
Whatever was
fashionable. And expensive.
Oh, let me get
that for you, please.
Thank you.
You know what's wrong with our
upper-middle-class world, Doctor?
Oh, I can think
of several things.
People spend so much
time exploring themselves
that they lose themselves.
And they lose
everyone around them.
I still love Tom.
I always will.
Oh, it used to be so different.
When he was younger...
Oh, he was very
proud and confident.
And he was always laughing.
He was here just last night.
He wanted us to get
back together, but I said no.
Maybe if I hadn't...
Please. You know
that's not true.
Well, I'm afraid I'm not
being a very good host.
Let me get you some tea.
No, thank you.
I'll just turn it off then.
Beautiful here, isn't it?
Sure is.
How long was your
husband here last night?
Just about five minutes.
Then he blew his stack.
Why? Because you
wouldn't take him back?
No, he didn't
really expect that.
No, he just couldn't accept
the fact that I sold the house.
You see, it was in my
name because of his debts.
Things that bad?
Worse.
Didn't he leave any insurance?
Tell me, are you an
observer of the ironies of life?
Most doctors are, I think.
I've seen a few.
Tom was covered by a group
life policy. All the executives were.
When he lost his job, the
company was very nice about it.
They agreed to go on paying the
premiums for the balance of the term.
When was the body found?
A little after 3:00.
This morning? Yeah.
Well, the policy expired
at midnight last night.
What've you got, Sam?
Barbiturates. He
was loaded with them.
No kidding?
Five milligrams per liter.
Short-acting, but not enough to kill him.
Yeah. How about if it was
combined with the heat?
Could be.
What does that mean?
We figure that heat stroke
most likely is the cause of death,
but the water wasn't that hot.
Maybe a combination of
the heat plus the drugs...
Hey! That's negligent homicide.
I mean, if they use the
drug as part of the treatment.
Let's call Bridges and see
what he has to say about that.
Absolutely not, Lieutenant.
Drugs are not a part of our therapy.
You sure about that?
First of all, I'm not an MD. I'm
not allowed to prescribe medication.
And if I did, it would
be a mild stimulant,
not the kind of depressant
that you say Holloway took.
Yeah. If it was prescribed.
This is not a fly-by-night operation
peddling drugs on the side!
We are just as concerned by what
happened to Mr. Holloway as you are.
Goodbye, Lieutenant.
Just routine. Nothing
to be concerned about.
You know, I'd like to go over
there and teach him some manners.
You don't believe
that about no drugs?
I'll tell you after I've
talked to Holloway's doctor.
And Monahan... What?
Change your shirt.
Nine months ago? Are you sure?
Yes.
No, the reason I'm sure about the time
is because it was just before my vacation.
I see Tom was in excellent health,
except for this slight hypertension.
That's when you
prescribed the secobarbitol?
Yes. I thought it might
do him some good.
Did you make an
appointment to see him again?
Oh, yes, exactly a month later.
Ah, I see here
he didn't make it.
He did call in to have
his prescription refilled.
How often did you do that?
Refill the prescription, I mean.
Let's see.
Five.
How many times did you
see him over that period?
You mean you refilled his prescription
five times without seeing him?
Oh, Doctor, come on now. That's
hardly an uncommon practice.
As you know, I don't
charge for those refills.
Dr. Quincy, if I saw every
patient who asked for a refill,
I wouldn't be able to see
the patients who are really ill.
Then you should cut down on your
patient load. Or can't you afford that?
I'll tell you what
I can't afford.
I can't afford to waste my
time listening to your insults.
Tom Holloway was my
patient for three years.
Oh, really? A responsible man.
Did you know that
he'd lost his job?
That he and his wife have been
separated for over four months?
No, I did not.
Did you know that he had
joined the Thaler Group,
was popping your pills into his
mouth like they were gumdrops?
Did he OD? No, he did not OD.
Thank God for that.
For what? He's dead,
Doctor! Apparent heat stroke.
And if that was the cause of death, you
can bet that your pills contributed to it.
I can understand once or
twice, but to keep refilling it
without even talking to the
patient... Letting your nurse do it!
Dr. Quincy! Are you a member of the
Board of Medical Quality Assurance?
No, I'm not.
Then will you please excuse me?
I have a very heavy patient load.
Then you better go to work.
I don't know why I
hollered at that doctor.
Didn't do any good. He
didn't hear a word I said.
That's just like Tom. Don
Quixote. Forever tilting at windmills.
Well, there are a lot of windmills
around to tilt, I'll tell you that.
Yes, there are.
It was heat stroke then?
I'm afraid so. I should
be at the office right now,
filling out the
final report. But...
But?
You're handling the funeral?
He was my husband.
I guess you're anxious
to get it over with,
so you and the kids can
pick up the pieces again.
Especially the children. Why?
Well, if it wouldn't be too painful, I
would like you to hold off for a while.
You're sure of
the cause of death.
Almost. But not the time.
You want us to
collect the insurance.
If you're entitled, why not?
Thank you.
Could it really have
happened before midnight?
Well, there's a
hundred-to-one shot against it.
Even if it was before midnight,
I don't know if I can prove it.
Well, why...
I like to tilt at windmills.
What do you want?
Heat stroke?
It appears that way, yes.
Then why hasn't the
autopsy report been released?
Why? Well, because it's...
Well, you see, Dr. Quincy, he's
the medical examiner on this case.
A very painstaking
man, who, uh...
And, uh, he, uh...
Excuse me, do you see the
waiter? I could use a little more water.
Waiter, could we have
some water, please?
And so, uh, the report won't be
held up any longer than necessary.
I truly hope so. Have you
seen the morning paper?
No.
Well, on page three, "Probe
Mystery Death in Therapy Clinic,"
or something like that.
That was the headline.
And the wire services
have picked up the story.
That is hardly the type
of publicity we need.
Well, with the reputation your group has,
I'm sure it won't have any real effect.
It already has, Doctor.
The Thaler Group is being hurt
professionally,
reputation-wise and financially.
Financially?
But that's not my main concern.
Now, you've read the medical
papers, the psychiatric journals.
You know how effective
our work has been.
Now, it would be a real tragedy
if the press were allowed to keep up
with these stories because your man
is indecisive and can't
come to a conclusion.
Well, you'll find that Dr. Quincy's
completed reports are very conclusive.
However, I'll see to it that he finishes
up this report as soon as possible.
I'd be very grateful
to you if you would.
But not because of this
wonderful invitation, Mr. Kingman.
But because I run
a very tight ship.
I don't let cases dangle.
No liver damage.
Nope.
Quince, I don't want
to rain on your parade...
But you're about to. Go ahead,
Sam, it isn't much of a parade anyway.
Look, I sympathize with what you're trying
to do for that woman and the children.
But you're not going to narrow down
the time of death. I mean, there's no way!
But there should be, Sam.
You know there should be.
I mean, that body is telling
us exactly when he died,
but we don't know
where he's pointing.
Astin is right. There should
be more money for research,
so we can find the information
that's there for the probing.
Ah, Quincy. You look pale,
you better take a break.
No offense, Monahan, but why
don't you go roust a couple of drunks?
Thanks a lot. That's a
nice way to talk to a friend.
Here I am, up to my ears
in work and I push it all aside
just to do a little
research for you,
and that's the thanks I get.
What's he talking about?
I'm talking about the Holloway
case, that's what I'm talking about.
You told me about that
widow and the poor kids.
Well, I couldn't get it off
my mind. So I ran a check.
Check on what?
That Thaler Group. Are
they on the up-and-up?
Dr. Ruth Thaler is one of the most
honorable people I've ever known.
Well, she's not too choosy about
who she employs. Like Bridges.
He's supposed to have
a PhD in psychology.
He doesn't?
No. Dropped out
first year of college.
Oh, he has a degree.
Some phony diploma mill.
Diploma mill? Are you kidding?
Kidding? Hey, I'm not kidding.
And then he had his own
therapy place down in Atlanta.
Under a different name.
Yuck!
And then he left a hop, skip and
a jump ahead of a fraud charge.
Oh, and you know that
big massive guy that...
Rossi Rossi
He was working for Bridges
then, just like he is now.
Yeah, but I don't see what any
of this has to do with Holloway.
Wait, Quincy, do me a
favor. Think like a cop. Motive.
I mean, just consider for a minute, if
Holloway knew about Bridges' background...
Remember, he didn't have
a job. He needed money.
Wait a minute. Are you
saying maybe he tried
to blackmail him and
then they killed him?
Well, it's possible, isn't it?
If you wanna blackmail somebody, you
don't go over to his house and take a bath!
Yeah, but listen. Maybe Holloway was
suckered there and then they killed him.
How did they kill him? Tell
me that. How did he die?
Wait a minute. You're the
doctor. Oh, I'm the doctor.
Yeah, that's your job.
Look, all I wanna do is go out to the
clinic and ask them a few questions.
How about it?
I think it's a waste of time.
I don't believe you!
Here I am, trying to help out
the woman and the poor kid,
and you're giving me a bad time!
Okay, forget about it.
Forget about the whole thing.
Did I say I wasn't
going? I'll get my sweater.
You know, you're
getting very touchy, lately.
Now you gotta stop being so sensitive
or you're gonna have to go into therapy.
Therapy? I've been noticing...
Good afternoon,
ladies and gentlemen.
If this is your first time
here, mark my words.
This is the beginning
of your new life.
I want you to start
by accepting the idea
that we are to
trust one another.
Start to relate to each
other as if it was you
standing in the next
body next to you.
If you feel any kind of muscular
tension, right now, in your bodies,
isolate it specifically.
If it's in your shoulder, your
neck, your arm, wherever it is,
allow that particular
muscle to relax.
We are gradually going to
accept the image in our mind
of removing our finger
from the repress button.
Repression is what we're going to
rid ourselves of through this adventure.
I want to know what it is
you don't like about your life.
Each and every one of you.
And I want you to verbalize it.
Gently, at first, if you need to.
But not from you. You're eager.
What is it that you
don't like about your life?
I hate what I'm doing.
You believe that? Yes.
Then let me really hear it. Let
them hear it at the other end.
I hate what I'm doing!
Give it to me the way
you feel it in your life!
I hate my job!
Good! And what about
you? Yes, the blonde.
I can't hear you.
My...
Your body? What about it?
I don't like my body.
You hate your body?
Let them hear it
across the room.
I don't like... I
don't like my body!
Like the pain that's inside
of you, every day of your life.
From there, let me have it!
I don't like my body!
Yes, yes, louder!
I don't like my body!
Yes! Yes!
Take that energy from her
and for the first time in your life
be truthful to
yourself. What is it?
I hate myself!
Why?
I hate myself
because I'm a failure.
Do you say that word easily?
No. Then let me hear it!
A failure! What?
I said I'm a failure.
Can't you hear that?
Yes! And what
is it for you. Yes?
Blue eyes, blonde,
a gorgeous woman.
I don't hate anything.
I don't believe you.
I don't, I love everybody.
Everyone loves you? Yes.
Your family? Yes.
Tell me the truth, you can trust
me. How about your daughter?
From your heart, darling. Now, take
my hands, all the way, here we go!
Scream it out! Do
you, in fact, hate her?
No.
Let it come out from the
inside, love. Do you hate her?
Say it! Now!
Yes, I hate her!
I hate her, all right?
I said it! I hate her!
Join her! Everyone join her!
You know, if they hollered like that in
my neighborhood, they'd call the cops
and put them in a
tank instead of a tub.
Then why don't you move?
I'm sorry, gentlemen, but we
don't allow observing down here.
We can go upstairs, however.
Do they always holler like that?
Screaming, as part of an overall
therapeutic program, has enormous value.
As does the intense
heat and the water.
It's really like
returning to the womb.
You went to Georgia Tech?
Yes, I did, as a matter of fact.
You say you graduated
from there, Doctor?
I'm not a doctor. I
didn't ask you that.
Now why don't you
answer the question?
'Cause you're not asking a
question. You're making an accusation.
In fact, you're badgering me.
Oh, yeah? Well, I'm not so
crazy about your tone of voice
in person or on the phone.
So if my information is
wrong, you just let me know.
All right. My degree is not
from a recognized university.
But I have studied. I've read.
I know exactly what I'm doing.
I have been working with
patients for the last 10 years.
And that experience qualifies me more for
what I'm doing than any degree ever could.
Do those 10 years include
that setup you had in Atlanta?
Oh, I know about
that. So did Holloway.
Oh, that's ridiculous.
Ridiculous, huh?
Hey, Quincy. You wanna
ask a few questions?
I don't want to
ask any questions.
Listen. Isn't it highly
unusual that you come here
in the middle of the
night to treat a patient?
No, not at all. Our people
are upset, disturbed.
We have to be
on call at all times.
In fact, Mr. Holloway told me that it
was extremely urgent when he called.
I'll bet he did. Quincy?
I don't wanna ask anything.
I think Holloway
knew all about you.
And he tried to blackmail you. So you
got him to come over here on his own
and then you killed
him. You and Rossi.
That's incredible. I'm telling you that he
called and asked if he could come here.
Do you have any witnesses?
No, of course not.
No, of course not.
And I suppose when he arrived
here, nobody saw him, of course.
Sure. A whole bunch
of people saw him.
I'll be more than happy to provide you with
their full names and telephone numbers.
You bet I do. And I'm going to
check out each and every one of them.
Come on, Quincy.
Where are you running?
I wanna ask a question.
Now you wanna ask questions?
When Holloway was in the tub, did he appear
to be suffering from heat prostration?
Did he complain about cramps, or
fading sight, hearing, anything like that?
No, sir. He was
yelling, of course.
About what?
His wife, the president.
His former employer.
J. Edgar Hoover.
His head ever go underwater?
No.
You sure of that?
Positive. We're very
careful about things like that.
Thank you.
You were a big help.
Where were you back there?
Maybe I didn't help you,
but you sure helped me.
You're putting me on. No.
Your instincts still telling
you that they're lying?
You bet. Me, too.
Yeah, but what about? I don't
think they could've killed Holloway.
I mean, they got witnesses, and if
they can give me names, then they got it.
Yeah, witnesses
who saw him arrive.
But they didn't see him
get out of the tub on his own.
Did I tell you? We found
a bruise on his forehead.
Extended to the deep dermis.
What does that mean in English?
That it wasn't hit too hard.
Now, if it happened in the tub
and the water softened the blow,
you know what that means?
The cause of death
could still be drowning.
Two pitchers of beer. Don just drank
both of them and went under the table.
Lucy had one glass and
she was under the table, too.
We have pizzas and
we have pretzels...
Sam.
Oh, hi, Quince.
And we get together
on Friday nights.
Would you excuse
us a minute, please?
File those, will you?
What are we running
here, a singles club?
I was just telling her...
Did you find anything?
Nothing to make your day.
Right and left heart
chloride levels are normal.
That's what I figured.
And guess who's been
making waves again?
The Mississippi gambler?
I really think you
better go see him.
Yeah, I guess I better.
Listen, while I'm gone, I want you
to start a couple of things for me.
Mr. Holloway's eyeballs. I want
you to check out the vitreous fluid.
I want to know the
sodium-to-potassium ratio.
Also find the gastric
mineral levels. Okay?
Why?
We want to find out how
and when he died, don't we?
Yeah. Scientifically, right?
Right. I got a hunch.
Oh, what a shame. He's not here.
Will you just wait a minute?
Where are you going?
Well, you weren't here.
I waited a long time.
You know, as usual, I can't
understand what's going on here.
Now you say there's
no evidence of foul play.
No hard evidence.
But there's a chance
it was drowning?
Oh, good chance. I'm
working on a theory right now.
Yesterday you said it was
a chance of heat stroke.
Can I assume it is
definitely one or the other?
Oh, yes, you can do that.
We scratched everything else.
Good, well, let's
put it down that way.
We'll list the one that you think
more likely as probable cause.
Then we'll list the other
one as alternate possibility.
Now, I can accept that report.
See, I can't accept that, since one
is accidental, the other is murder.
I gotta know for sure.
Oh, come on.
You'd never know for sure if
you work on this case forever.
Sam is running some
important tests right now.
There's a big difference between
forever and a couple of days.
There's a big difference between
efficiency in this job and plain obstinacy.
You're definitely
crossing over that line.
Okay.
Who's nailing you?
Lawyer for the Thaler
Group put me on notice.
Look, look, Quincy.
Any adverse publicity the group receives
as a result of your prolonged investigation
will subject our department
to a suit for damages.
The rate you're going, that
could be one substantial sum.
You're not gonna cave in from
a cheap shot like that, are you?
Hey, hey, I don't deserve that.
Now, I just don't understand. Why is
this so important to you or to anybody?
There's no sign of homicide,
no sign of criminal negligence.
Not yet. See, I wanna
establish the time of death.
Between 11:20 and a little
after 3:00 in the morning.
Well, I'd like to get
a lot closer than that.
Why?
That time span has always
been satisfactory before.
See, if he died before midnight,
well, the widow, she gets a nice
sum from the insurance company.
The victim's widow? Yeah.
Aren't you letting your
feelings distort your values?
Does she have a
number of small children?
Yeah, she does. Perhaps,
an elderly grandmother?
What about your feelings?
You seem to forget that
I've worked out in the field.
Down in the lab, where
it's exciting and it's creative.
Now, I'm paper-shuffling,
right? I'm answering telephones.
But I'm also taking
responsibility for 150 employees,
for over 40,000 feet of office space,
for all the people of Los Angeles.
And if I weren't shuffling
papers, covering for you,
my superiors would have
stopped you dead in your tracks.
We're back to me.
Tell me something.
What is my job? I
mean, what is it?
I work for the county, don't I?
That makes me a public servant.
Not just the mass, the
individual, dead and alive.
Now, this woman
pays part of my salary.
I'm gonna do everything in my power
to see that she gets her money's worth.
Quincy, will you just wait
a minute? Oh, good grief.
You can take all day.
But tomorrow morning, first
thing, I want that report on my desk,
written in your usual
professional manner.
Thank you.
Charlie. Yeah, Doc?
You got some soy
sauce to kill the taste?
Soya sauce, coming up.
Want some ketchup too, Doc?
You call this chicken chow mein?
Yeah.
You call this Chinese
chicken chow mein?
Yes. Who made it?
The chef, Sam Debellagenti.
An Italian making Chinese food.
Yeah, it's Marco Polo style.
Quincy?
Ruth! Oh, what
are you doing here?
Well, I came to see you. Your
lab assistant said you're down here.
You look marvelous, Quincy.
A little tired, but marvelous.
I've been putting in a
lot of overtime lately.
Yes, so I've heard.
When this whole thing
started, why didn't you call me?
Why don't we sit down?
Can I get you anything?
Oh, no, thank you.
It was because of our
closeness that I didn't call.
I didn't want our friendship to get
in the way of anything I had to do.
Your standards of ethics
are a bit higher than mine.
I'm asking you
to close the case.
I can't.
Mr. Kingman gave me his word
that what happened was an accident.
Kingman? Is he a pathologist?
He's the attorney
for the corporation.
The corporation. He's the
one who sent you here?
Yes, he suggested
that I talk to you.
I hear he runs the
Thaler Group now.
Ruth, I know coming here this
way can't be very easy for you.
I think it's the most
difficult thing I've ever done.
Then why are you doing it?
Why don't you tell Kingman of the
Corporation Kingman to go jump in the lake.
I have a daughter
who is flat broke.
I have two
grandchildren in college.
He owns me, Quincy.
I'm sorry.
I was just thinking of the first book
you wrote explaining the Thaler method.
It was that thin, but it
was a remarkable book.
Not because of
the technical stuff,
but because of the love that
came through, the humanity.
What happened, Ruth?
What happens to most of us.
Life is full of traps.
You're not most of us.
You're a special someone.
You're not making
this any easier.
I'm not trying to.
Do you know you have a
phony doctor on your staff?
What do you mean?
A man named Bridges.
Well, he's not an MD.
He's not a doctor of anything.
He's a con artist. He's
been caught at it before.
I didn't know that.
I'm sure you didn't.
But how many other phonies are there
in Thaler Group throughout the country,
destroying your name?
Not deliberately, maybe
out of carelessness
or stupidity or a
desire for a fast buck.
But what's the difference?
The result is the same.
They're destroying your name
and everything it stood for.
Push the investigation.
Ruth.
I hope you don't get hurt.
You just do what you have to do.
Hey! I'm sorry.
Mr. Kingman.
Who are you?
I'm Dr. Quincy.
Oh, yes. I've been looking
forward to meeting you.
A lot of people have
tried to push me around,
but at least they've had
the guts to do it themselves.
Don't use Dr. Thaler
against me again!
Dr. Quincy!
I'm sorry that Ruth's
little appeal didn't work.
You cheapened
and humiliated her.
Believe me, that
was not my intention.
I have no apologies to make.
I'm sure you haven't.
No, thank you.
There are a lot of investors,
including Dr. Thaler,
involved in the group.
My obligation is
to protect them,
in this case against being
slandered by unfair suspicion.
Innuendo. That's
what you're guilty of.
You're a lawyer.
You also have an
obligation to uphold justice.
Oh, justice, is it?
Forgive me, Doctor,
if I sound cynical,
but it's been my experience that
people who speak so lovingly of justice
usually have something else in
mind, like, uh, self-aggrandizement,
greed, whatever.
What about you, Doctor?
Do you have any
personal motives?
Yeah, I have a
couple. One is money.
I underestimated you, Doctor.
How much? Forty
thousand dollars.
Forty thousand dollars?
That's rather steep, isn't it?
There was an insurance
policy on Holloway.
If he died before midnight,
his wife gets to collect it.
If she's entitled to it, I wanna
see that she doesn't get cheated.
And while you're trying to determine
whether or not she's entitled,
the Thaler Group is thrown
to the wolves, is that it?
That's not it and you know it.
Forty thousand dollars.
All right, Doctor.
I'll tell you what I'll do.
You know, your little crusade is
costing us a lot more than that.
So, tomorrow morning
you file your report.
You call it accidental
death. Which it was.
Now, you do that and I'll see that
the Thaler Group issues a check
to Mrs. Holloway
for 40,000 dollars,
as a gesture of genuine sorrow.
I can't do that.
You can't do that?
It seems to me that should
be the prerogative of the widow.
Aren't you taking yourself
a bit too seriously, Doctor?
Or are you beginning to enjoy
the notoriety, the publicity?
There was a death
in one of your clinics.
If somebody from the
Thaler Group is responsible
and I don't investigate it
thoroughly, and it happens again...
Well, I don't think
I can live with it.
Doctor.
If the death was
accidental, which I maintain,
and you can't prove the time,
then Mrs. Holloway and her
children won't get a nickel.
Tell me. Can you live with that?
Sam.
Hey, Quince.
Sorry I'm late. I got detoured.
Maybe I can make you happy.
I checked out the vitreous fluid
and I've plotted a few things. Ambient
room temperature, water temperature,
body temperature after ten minutes
immersion. Put 'em all together.
It would have taken approximately
three hours for the body to cool down
to what it was when
the ambulance got there.
They found him at 3:10.
And the ambulance arrived
a few minutes after that.
So he died around midnight.
How does that help me, Sam? What
does that mean, "around midnight"?
Ten minutes before 12:00?
Ten minutes after 12:00?
I have to know
exactly when he died.
I don't think you ever will.
Well, I got news
for you. I have to.
Listen, I've just run
out on a very high limb.
The gastric mineral
levels. You finished?
No, it'll be a while.
Well, we got a while.
We got all night.
Sam, if he died in that tub, somebody had
to take him out and put him on the table.
Like Rossi and Bridges.
Yeah, and if we can
prove they did it, buddy,
they're gonna tell us
exactly when he died.
Okay, Sam.
Bingo. Gastric juices are
loaded with magnesium and sulfur.
Just like in the hot tub.
Proves he swallowed some
water while he was in the tub.
None of it got in his lungs but
some of it got in his stomach.
Drowning? Well,
I'm not sure yet.
But it proves his head went
under. Let's go back into the body.
Drowning? There's
no question about it?
Absolutely none. We checked
the larynx we found the swelling.
It was slight but enough. His
head must have gone under...
Yeah, I see, I see.
I don't. Am I going crazy, Quincy?
You said no water in the lungs.
Monahan, if you were
singing in a hot shower
and some water hit your
larynx in the wrong way,
it could spasm, shut
tighter than a drum.
I mean, no water would get
into your lungs, but no air either.
You could asphyxiate.
I'm never gonna sing
in the shower again.
That's pretty good, Quincy. In fact it's a
brilliant piece of medical detective work.
You're gonna give
me a gold star?
Sure, you get a gold
star after I get the report.
Yeah, well, see, I was thinking
that I'm really not finished yet.
You're not finished? Listen, I
can't think of any further questions.
Oh, I can.
Now, wait a minute. If it's
about that time of death...
It is. Look, just give me
a few more hours, okay?
What do you think
you could possibly do?
Trust me.
Okay.
Okay?
Monahan, listen, I want
you to do me a favor. What?
I want you to get me a warrant.
Well, that shouldn't be
any trouble. For what?
A warrant for what?
Poor Monahan.
Nothing here, Sam.
Give me a hand.
Hi, Dr. Astin.
This is what I
gave you time for?
To do an autopsy on a bathtub?
You should have seen the judge's face
when he heard what we wanted a warrant for.
It's a medical first.
Probably be in all the journals.
You'll see your name in them.
As what?
Pretty wood, huh?
Sam, give me the
tweezers, please.
Sam, give me a bag.
The ones on the left came
from Holloway's scalp.
The loop over here on
the right I found in the tub.
Diameters are
certainly the same.
They are. So is the configuration
of the central air sacks
and the distribution
of pigment granules.
What about the cuticle scale?
Also identical and uncommon.
Ten to 12 layers instead
of the usual four or five.
Oh, that does it for me.
That's a perfect match.
Sure, Doc. I want to thank you
for giving me the time to prove it.
Oh.
No, no. He did go under.
His head grazed the rim
where he found his hair.
It that's not enough, we can match
the pattern of the bruise on his forehead
to the wood of the tub.
You say you found him here
on the table a little after 3:00?
We have witnesses to that.
Oh, you always have witnesses. And
you wanna know something? I believe you.
Because the two of you moved
him here after you killed him.
Now... Sometime around midnight!
Hold it, Quincy.
Before we go any further, I
think I better tell him his rights.
Anything you say can
be held against you...
You're bluffing, Lieutenant. You
couldn't prove that in a million years.
Not to any jury.
Oh, we got a lot of
experience with juries.
Oh, yeah, he's right about that.
See, we could tell the
jury about your background.
About your phony credentials.
We'll do better than that.
We'll tell them about that cute
little setup you had in Atlanta.
That's not evidence.
No kidding.
Now, we can tell
them about your lies.
You say his head
never went underwater,
while obviously it did,
while you were both here.
You said he walked to that
table under his own power.
There's no way he could've
done that. He died in the tub.
Both of you are
responsible for his death.
No!
Come on, Rossi. Can't
you see what they're doing?
He was alive when we pulled him out.
I swear he was alive. We didn't kill him.
You're lying again. I'm not.
He was going through the
yelling and the screaming.
We tried to calm him down but we
couldn't do it. We tried to grab him...
How long was he
under? A second or two.
That would belong enough.
We dragged him
out. He was still alive.
You told me that was 11:20.
Why didn't you help him?
I did. I gave him
mouth to mouth.
Why didn't you call an
ambulance? The paramedics?
I don't know, we should have...
Why didn't you? Because!
Because we didn't
wanna get involved.
I didn't wanna have to
answer any questions.
I didn't want anybody to discover
what you call my "background."
How long before he died?
A while. Not long.
Long enough for the
paramedics to get here?
I suppose so.
They could've saved him.
They had oxygen. Suction.
Oh, you didn't kill him.
You just let him die.
You checked his heartbeat,
his pulse. When did it stop?
I'm not sure. I
want you to be sure!
Before midnight.
Is that what you want, Doctor?
It's not a question
of what I want.
It's what his widow deserves.
She's suffered enough.
Bill, take 'em away.
Officer. Here. Let's go.
Negligent homicide, that's
what I'm gonna book them with.
I said that from the beginning,
remember? I was right.
Yup. That's why I'm
gonna buy you a present.
Huh? What?
A little redwood
tub of your own.
There's no way we can
really atone, you know.
All I can say is how
deeply sorry I am.
And I can promise you that something
like this will never happen again.
Thank you very much.
Dr. Quincy, I don't
know how to thank you.
Oh, it wasn't my money. It
was the insurance company's.
Hope you'll let me
come and visit you again.
We'd be happy to
see you anytime.
Thank you. Bye-bye.
Bye. Bye, thank you. Goodbye.
Ruth, what you said to her...
About this not
happening again? Yeah.
I meant it, Quincy. So long
as I'm going to be in control.
You're gonna be in control?
Yeah. I made a few demands.
Not requests, demands. And
the board of directors gave in.
Kingman let you
get away with that?
He had no choice.
I told him I'd take my name off the
group and he believed me this time.
What about your daughter
and your grandchildren?
Well, my daughter's
going to get a job.
And I told my grandchildren
if they wanted to be doctors
they'd have to work their
way through medical school.
Promise me you'll
drive very carefully.
I don't want anything
to happen to you.
Take care.
you feel it in your life!
I hate my job!
Good! And what about you?
I don't like my body!
When was the body found?
A little after 3:00.
Policy expired at
midnight last night.
See, I can't accept that, since one
is accidental, the other is murder.
I gotta know for sure.
Do you have any
personal motives?
One is money.
How much? Forty
thousand dollars.
I have to know
exactly when he died!
I don't think you ever will.
Gentlemen, you
are about to enter
the most fascinating
sphere of police work,
the world of forensic medicine.
What are you guys doing here?
Came here late at night to be
alone, don't you understand?
So what the hell
are you doing here?
Come on, get out of here!
Get your hands off me!
What are you trying
to do, kill me? Help!
Help! Please help!
Please help me!
Can't take it!
Tens bet a dollar,
come on, fellows.
I'm in.
Sam, come on. There we
go. Okay, everybody's in.
Kings and tens.
What you got, Ed?
Can't beat that.
Bet you can't beat it.
You? I'm out.
I think I beat you.
I've got a straight.
What do you mean,
you think you beat me?
You drew a jack
to an inside straight!
Is that wrong?
No, it's dumb!
If he's so dumb, how come
he's winning all the money?
I thought you said
you couldn't play poker.
Um, oh, I play a little bit.
Okay, this is spit
in the devil's eye.
One-eyed jacks, deuces, black
queens and the green joker are wild.
What kind of game is that?
This is dealer's
choice, isn't it?
Well, what happened to he-man
poker games, like draw and stud?
Well, next time invite
Charlie Bronson.
Besides, this might
change your luck.
Okay, spit in the devil's eye,
and let's get our money out.
Of course, due to the
lateness of the hour,
you will have the room
entirely to yourselves.
I've set the timer for 15 minutes.
If you feel you need more...
Mr. Holloway's still here.
Mr. Holloway? Wake up.
How can a guy
sleep on that thing?
He's dead.
Ah, good morning, Quincy.
Oh, just what I need.
Been up since 3:30 this morning.
Imagine how much sleep I got.
What are you
doing here so early?
About that Holloway case.
You know, I think there's an
off chance of it being a homicide.
Make any sense to you?
How would I know? I haven't
even looked at the body.
I tell you, after being out
there, I'd believe anything.
That place is weird.
What do you mean, "weird"?
These people, they come and
go any time of the day or night.
They get in these huge hot tubs,
and they start yelling
to the top of their voices.
And if they don't yell
loud enough, there's
somebody there that
makes them yell louder.
Now does that make
any sense to you?
What do you do
when you get uptight?
I take a cold shower and I sing.
They jump in a hot tub
and yell. It's the same thing.
No kidding?
Would I kid you?
You know, it's not like in my day. When you
were in trouble, you went to the family.
If the family was the trouble, you
went to the parish priest. It's simple.
This Holloway left a
widow and two kids, huh?
Yeah, she's separated. I
had to call her, break the news.
Oh, and Mrs. Holloway said he
stopped in to see her last night.
Then he went to the clinic?
Yeah, for a private
yelling session.
Well, it says he left
the tub about 11:20
under his own power and
then he went to the table.
According to Bridges
and Rossi, he did.
He said he was feeling
okay, a little tired,
so he went over and
laid down on the table.
And Bridges and
Rossi left him alone.
Then they came back a little
after 3:00 with another couple.
That's when they found him dead.
Only you don't buy it.
No. Why not?
Quincy, I ask people a lot of
questions. Now, I don't mean to brag,
but I'm a walking lie
detector. That guy, Bridges...
I'll bet my bottom dollar
he's lying through his teeth.
Let's go see if Holloway
will tell us the truth.
Okay, Sam. Let's have a
look, see what we've got.
Okay.
It wasn't a coronary.
No cerebral hemorrhage.
No? Drowning?
No water in the lungs. And he
apparently climbed out of the tub
and made it to the
table by himself.
We don't know that
to be a fact, now.
That's what they told us.
We don't know if it's true.
If somebody drowned
him and carried him out,
there'd be signs of a
struggle, wouldn't there?
No abrasions.
How about that bruise on
his forehead, near the hairline?
Quince, if somebody hit him with a
feather duster, it'd leave a bigger mark.
What do you think?
Shock.
Induced by heat stroke?
Mmm-hmm. He felt
himself weakening,
made it back to the
table by himself...
No, I can't buy it, Sam. Too many
people in Beverly Hills have hot tubs.
For recreation. It's a toy.
You don't read about too many of
them getting heat stroke, do you?
No. No.
We gotta go back to work.
I'll start the tax screen.
Maybe he had something
we don't know anything about.
I think I'm gonna
talk to his wife.
Tell Dr. Thaler I'm here.
She's expecting you,
Mr. Kingman. Please go right in.
Dr. Thaler? Mr. Kingman is here.
Good morning, Ruth.
Under the circumstances, I'm
surprised you weren't here before I was.
A man's dead.
Which is no fault of
anyone's. Legally or otherwise.
And if there is some trouble,
you let me handle it, all right?
Is there something to hide?
There's something to
protect. Everything you've built.
The people you're helping.
The people who work for you.
Ninety percent of whom
I have never even met.
I ran the therapy
sessions myself.
May I remind you, Ruth, that
you operated them all at a loss?
Does that matter?
At least I knew all of my
patients, better than I knew myself.
I cared about
them, I felt for them.
I can't feel for Mr. Holloway.
He didn't die because of
any negligence on our part.
I'll have to take your
word for that, won't I?
Yes, you will.
Doctor, look.
What you created, like
anything worthwhile,
it just had to grow.
Like a chain of
take-out food stands.
We're helping more
people in one week
than you could have
reached in your entire career.
Are we helping them?
Do I have to show
you the testimonials?
What would you say, Walter,
if I just walked away from it?
And you?
Our accountant says that the taxes
on your home have more than doubled.
And how can your grandson spend
so much money in medical school?
Inflation, I suppose. It
has us all by the throat.
And these other items. They
keep going up every month.
Shall I have the accountant
approve this statement?
If you would.
He always seemed to be
in perfect physical condition.
He never even
got the flu last year.
Emotionally he...
There were problems.
Breakdown. Male menopause.
I really don't know what it was.
About a year and
a half ago, he...
He just decided that
everything was passing him by.
That he was obsolete.
Is that when you separated?
A few months after that.
By then he'd become
impossible to live with.
He was turning the
kids into nervous wrecks.
And last February,
he lost his job.
He hadn't worked since then?
He wanted to get his head
straight first. That's what he said.
So he went from one
mental therapy to the next.
Whatever was
fashionable. And expensive.
Oh, let me get
that for you, please.
Thank you.
You know what's wrong with our
upper-middle-class world, Doctor?
Oh, I can think
of several things.
People spend so much
time exploring themselves
that they lose themselves.
And they lose
everyone around them.
I still love Tom.
I always will.
Oh, it used to be so different.
When he was younger...
Oh, he was very
proud and confident.
And he was always laughing.
He was here just last night.
He wanted us to get
back together, but I said no.
Maybe if I hadn't...
Please. You know
that's not true.
Well, I'm afraid I'm not
being a very good host.
Let me get you some tea.
No, thank you.
I'll just turn it off then.
Beautiful here, isn't it?
Sure is.
How long was your
husband here last night?
Just about five minutes.
Then he blew his stack.
Why? Because you
wouldn't take him back?
No, he didn't
really expect that.
No, he just couldn't accept
the fact that I sold the house.
You see, it was in my
name because of his debts.
Things that bad?
Worse.
Didn't he leave any insurance?
Tell me, are you an
observer of the ironies of life?
Most doctors are, I think.
I've seen a few.
Tom was covered by a group
life policy. All the executives were.
When he lost his job, the
company was very nice about it.
They agreed to go on paying the
premiums for the balance of the term.
When was the body found?
A little after 3:00.
This morning? Yeah.
Well, the policy expired
at midnight last night.
What've you got, Sam?
Barbiturates. He
was loaded with them.
No kidding?
Five milligrams per liter.
Short-acting, but not enough to kill him.
Yeah. How about if it was
combined with the heat?
Could be.
What does that mean?
We figure that heat stroke
most likely is the cause of death,
but the water wasn't that hot.
Maybe a combination of
the heat plus the drugs...
Hey! That's negligent homicide.
I mean, if they use the
drug as part of the treatment.
Let's call Bridges and see
what he has to say about that.
Absolutely not, Lieutenant.
Drugs are not a part of our therapy.
You sure about that?
First of all, I'm not an MD. I'm
not allowed to prescribe medication.
And if I did, it would
be a mild stimulant,
not the kind of depressant
that you say Holloway took.
Yeah. If it was prescribed.
This is not a fly-by-night operation
peddling drugs on the side!
We are just as concerned by what
happened to Mr. Holloway as you are.
Goodbye, Lieutenant.
Just routine. Nothing
to be concerned about.
You know, I'd like to go over
there and teach him some manners.
You don't believe
that about no drugs?
I'll tell you after I've
talked to Holloway's doctor.
And Monahan... What?
Change your shirt.
Nine months ago? Are you sure?
Yes.
No, the reason I'm sure about the time
is because it was just before my vacation.
I see Tom was in excellent health,
except for this slight hypertension.
That's when you
prescribed the secobarbitol?
Yes. I thought it might
do him some good.
Did you make an
appointment to see him again?
Oh, yes, exactly a month later.
Ah, I see here
he didn't make it.
He did call in to have
his prescription refilled.
How often did you do that?
Refill the prescription, I mean.
Let's see.
Five.
How many times did you
see him over that period?
You mean you refilled his prescription
five times without seeing him?
Oh, Doctor, come on now. That's
hardly an uncommon practice.
As you know, I don't
charge for those refills.
Dr. Quincy, if I saw every
patient who asked for a refill,
I wouldn't be able to see
the patients who are really ill.
Then you should cut down on your
patient load. Or can't you afford that?
I'll tell you what
I can't afford.
I can't afford to waste my
time listening to your insults.
Tom Holloway was my
patient for three years.
Oh, really? A responsible man.
Did you know that
he'd lost his job?
That he and his wife have been
separated for over four months?
No, I did not.
Did you know that he had
joined the Thaler Group,
was popping your pills into his
mouth like they were gumdrops?
Did he OD? No, he did not OD.
Thank God for that.
For what? He's dead,
Doctor! Apparent heat stroke.
And if that was the cause of death, you
can bet that your pills contributed to it.
I can understand once or
twice, but to keep refilling it
without even talking to the
patient... Letting your nurse do it!
Dr. Quincy! Are you a member of the
Board of Medical Quality Assurance?
No, I'm not.
Then will you please excuse me?
I have a very heavy patient load.
Then you better go to work.
I don't know why I
hollered at that doctor.
Didn't do any good. He
didn't hear a word I said.
That's just like Tom. Don
Quixote. Forever tilting at windmills.
Well, there are a lot of windmills
around to tilt, I'll tell you that.
Yes, there are.
It was heat stroke then?
I'm afraid so. I should
be at the office right now,
filling out the
final report. But...
But?
You're handling the funeral?
He was my husband.
I guess you're anxious
to get it over with,
so you and the kids can
pick up the pieces again.
Especially the children. Why?
Well, if it wouldn't be too painful, I
would like you to hold off for a while.
You're sure of
the cause of death.
Almost. But not the time.
You want us to
collect the insurance.
If you're entitled, why not?
Thank you.
Could it really have
happened before midnight?
Well, there's a
hundred-to-one shot against it.
Even if it was before midnight,
I don't know if I can prove it.
Well, why...
I like to tilt at windmills.
What do you want?
Heat stroke?
It appears that way, yes.
Then why hasn't the
autopsy report been released?
Why? Well, because it's...
Well, you see, Dr. Quincy, he's
the medical examiner on this case.
A very painstaking
man, who, uh...
And, uh, he, uh...
Excuse me, do you see the
waiter? I could use a little more water.
Waiter, could we have
some water, please?
And so, uh, the report won't be
held up any longer than necessary.
I truly hope so. Have you
seen the morning paper?
No.
Well, on page three, "Probe
Mystery Death in Therapy Clinic,"
or something like that.
That was the headline.
And the wire services
have picked up the story.
That is hardly the type
of publicity we need.
Well, with the reputation your group has,
I'm sure it won't have any real effect.
It already has, Doctor.
The Thaler Group is being hurt
professionally,
reputation-wise and financially.
Financially?
But that's not my main concern.
Now, you've read the medical
papers, the psychiatric journals.
You know how effective
our work has been.
Now, it would be a real tragedy
if the press were allowed to keep up
with these stories because your man
is indecisive and can't
come to a conclusion.
Well, you'll find that Dr. Quincy's
completed reports are very conclusive.
However, I'll see to it that he finishes
up this report as soon as possible.
I'd be very grateful
to you if you would.
But not because of this
wonderful invitation, Mr. Kingman.
But because I run
a very tight ship.
I don't let cases dangle.
No liver damage.
Nope.
Quince, I don't want
to rain on your parade...
But you're about to. Go ahead,
Sam, it isn't much of a parade anyway.
Look, I sympathize with what you're trying
to do for that woman and the children.
But you're not going to narrow down
the time of death. I mean, there's no way!
But there should be, Sam.
You know there should be.
I mean, that body is telling
us exactly when he died,
but we don't know
where he's pointing.
Astin is right. There should
be more money for research,
so we can find the information
that's there for the probing.
Ah, Quincy. You look pale,
you better take a break.
No offense, Monahan, but why
don't you go roust a couple of drunks?
Thanks a lot. That's a
nice way to talk to a friend.
Here I am, up to my ears
in work and I push it all aside
just to do a little
research for you,
and that's the thanks I get.
What's he talking about?
I'm talking about the Holloway
case, that's what I'm talking about.
You told me about that
widow and the poor kids.
Well, I couldn't get it off
my mind. So I ran a check.
Check on what?
That Thaler Group. Are
they on the up-and-up?
Dr. Ruth Thaler is one of the most
honorable people I've ever known.
Well, she's not too choosy about
who she employs. Like Bridges.
He's supposed to have
a PhD in psychology.
He doesn't?
No. Dropped out
first year of college.
Oh, he has a degree.
Some phony diploma mill.
Diploma mill? Are you kidding?
Kidding? Hey, I'm not kidding.
And then he had his own
therapy place down in Atlanta.
Under a different name.
Yuck!
And then he left a hop, skip and
a jump ahead of a fraud charge.
Oh, and you know that
big massive guy that...
Rossi Rossi
He was working for Bridges
then, just like he is now.
Yeah, but I don't see what any
of this has to do with Holloway.
Wait, Quincy, do me a
favor. Think like a cop. Motive.
I mean, just consider for a minute, if
Holloway knew about Bridges' background...
Remember, he didn't have
a job. He needed money.
Wait a minute. Are you
saying maybe he tried
to blackmail him and
then they killed him?
Well, it's possible, isn't it?
If you wanna blackmail somebody, you
don't go over to his house and take a bath!
Yeah, but listen. Maybe Holloway was
suckered there and then they killed him.
How did they kill him? Tell
me that. How did he die?
Wait a minute. You're the
doctor. Oh, I'm the doctor.
Yeah, that's your job.
Look, all I wanna do is go out to the
clinic and ask them a few questions.
How about it?
I think it's a waste of time.
I don't believe you!
Here I am, trying to help out
the woman and the poor kid,
and you're giving me a bad time!
Okay, forget about it.
Forget about the whole thing.
Did I say I wasn't
going? I'll get my sweater.
You know, you're
getting very touchy, lately.
Now you gotta stop being so sensitive
or you're gonna have to go into therapy.
Therapy? I've been noticing...
Good afternoon,
ladies and gentlemen.
If this is your first time
here, mark my words.
This is the beginning
of your new life.
I want you to start
by accepting the idea
that we are to
trust one another.
Start to relate to each
other as if it was you
standing in the next
body next to you.
If you feel any kind of muscular
tension, right now, in your bodies,
isolate it specifically.
If it's in your shoulder, your
neck, your arm, wherever it is,
allow that particular
muscle to relax.
We are gradually going to
accept the image in our mind
of removing our finger
from the repress button.
Repression is what we're going to
rid ourselves of through this adventure.
I want to know what it is
you don't like about your life.
Each and every one of you.
And I want you to verbalize it.
Gently, at first, if you need to.
But not from you. You're eager.
What is it that you
don't like about your life?
I hate what I'm doing.
You believe that? Yes.
Then let me really hear it. Let
them hear it at the other end.
I hate what I'm doing!
Give it to me the way
you feel it in your life!
I hate my job!
Good! And what about
you? Yes, the blonde.
I can't hear you.
My...
Your body? What about it?
I don't like my body.
You hate your body?
Let them hear it
across the room.
I don't like... I
don't like my body!
Like the pain that's inside
of you, every day of your life.
From there, let me have it!
I don't like my body!
Yes, yes, louder!
I don't like my body!
Yes! Yes!
Take that energy from her
and for the first time in your life
be truthful to
yourself. What is it?
I hate myself!
Why?
I hate myself
because I'm a failure.
Do you say that word easily?
No. Then let me hear it!
A failure! What?
I said I'm a failure.
Can't you hear that?
Yes! And what
is it for you. Yes?
Blue eyes, blonde,
a gorgeous woman.
I don't hate anything.
I don't believe you.
I don't, I love everybody.
Everyone loves you? Yes.
Your family? Yes.
Tell me the truth, you can trust
me. How about your daughter?
From your heart, darling. Now, take
my hands, all the way, here we go!
Scream it out! Do
you, in fact, hate her?
No.
Let it come out from the
inside, love. Do you hate her?
Say it! Now!
Yes, I hate her!
I hate her, all right?
I said it! I hate her!
Join her! Everyone join her!
You know, if they hollered like that in
my neighborhood, they'd call the cops
and put them in a
tank instead of a tub.
Then why don't you move?
I'm sorry, gentlemen, but we
don't allow observing down here.
We can go upstairs, however.
Do they always holler like that?
Screaming, as part of an overall
therapeutic program, has enormous value.
As does the intense
heat and the water.
It's really like
returning to the womb.
You went to Georgia Tech?
Yes, I did, as a matter of fact.
You say you graduated
from there, Doctor?
I'm not a doctor. I
didn't ask you that.
Now why don't you
answer the question?
'Cause you're not asking a
question. You're making an accusation.
In fact, you're badgering me.
Oh, yeah? Well, I'm not so
crazy about your tone of voice
in person or on the phone.
So if my information is
wrong, you just let me know.
All right. My degree is not
from a recognized university.
But I have studied. I've read.
I know exactly what I'm doing.
I have been working with
patients for the last 10 years.
And that experience qualifies me more for
what I'm doing than any degree ever could.
Do those 10 years include
that setup you had in Atlanta?
Oh, I know about
that. So did Holloway.
Oh, that's ridiculous.
Ridiculous, huh?
Hey, Quincy. You wanna
ask a few questions?
I don't want to
ask any questions.
Listen. Isn't it highly
unusual that you come here
in the middle of the
night to treat a patient?
No, not at all. Our people
are upset, disturbed.
We have to be
on call at all times.
In fact, Mr. Holloway told me that it
was extremely urgent when he called.
I'll bet he did. Quincy?
I don't wanna ask anything.
I think Holloway
knew all about you.
And he tried to blackmail you. So you
got him to come over here on his own
and then you killed
him. You and Rossi.
That's incredible. I'm telling you that he
called and asked if he could come here.
Do you have any witnesses?
No, of course not.
No, of course not.
And I suppose when he arrived
here, nobody saw him, of course.
Sure. A whole bunch
of people saw him.
I'll be more than happy to provide you with
their full names and telephone numbers.
You bet I do. And I'm going to
check out each and every one of them.
Come on, Quincy.
Where are you running?
I wanna ask a question.
Now you wanna ask questions?
When Holloway was in the tub, did he appear
to be suffering from heat prostration?
Did he complain about cramps, or
fading sight, hearing, anything like that?
No, sir. He was
yelling, of course.
About what?
His wife, the president.
His former employer.
J. Edgar Hoover.
His head ever go underwater?
No.
You sure of that?
Positive. We're very
careful about things like that.
Thank you.
You were a big help.
Where were you back there?
Maybe I didn't help you,
but you sure helped me.
You're putting me on. No.
Your instincts still telling
you that they're lying?
You bet. Me, too.
Yeah, but what about? I don't
think they could've killed Holloway.
I mean, they got witnesses, and if
they can give me names, then they got it.
Yeah, witnesses
who saw him arrive.
But they didn't see him
get out of the tub on his own.
Did I tell you? We found
a bruise on his forehead.
Extended to the deep dermis.
What does that mean in English?
That it wasn't hit too hard.
Now, if it happened in the tub
and the water softened the blow,
you know what that means?
The cause of death
could still be drowning.
Two pitchers of beer. Don just drank
both of them and went under the table.
Lucy had one glass and
she was under the table, too.
We have pizzas and
we have pretzels...
Sam.
Oh, hi, Quince.
And we get together
on Friday nights.
Would you excuse
us a minute, please?
File those, will you?
What are we running
here, a singles club?
I was just telling her...
Did you find anything?
Nothing to make your day.
Right and left heart
chloride levels are normal.
That's what I figured.
And guess who's been
making waves again?
The Mississippi gambler?
I really think you
better go see him.
Yeah, I guess I better.
Listen, while I'm gone, I want you
to start a couple of things for me.
Mr. Holloway's eyeballs. I want
you to check out the vitreous fluid.
I want to know the
sodium-to-potassium ratio.
Also find the gastric
mineral levels. Okay?
Why?
We want to find out how
and when he died, don't we?
Yeah. Scientifically, right?
Right. I got a hunch.
Oh, what a shame. He's not here.
Will you just wait a minute?
Where are you going?
Well, you weren't here.
I waited a long time.
You know, as usual, I can't
understand what's going on here.
Now you say there's
no evidence of foul play.
No hard evidence.
But there's a chance
it was drowning?
Oh, good chance. I'm
working on a theory right now.
Yesterday you said it was
a chance of heat stroke.
Can I assume it is
definitely one or the other?
Oh, yes, you can do that.
We scratched everything else.
Good, well, let's
put it down that way.
We'll list the one that you think
more likely as probable cause.
Then we'll list the other
one as alternate possibility.
Now, I can accept that report.
See, I can't accept that, since one
is accidental, the other is murder.
I gotta know for sure.
Oh, come on.
You'd never know for sure if
you work on this case forever.
Sam is running some
important tests right now.
There's a big difference between
forever and a couple of days.
There's a big difference between
efficiency in this job and plain obstinacy.
You're definitely
crossing over that line.
Okay.
Who's nailing you?
Lawyer for the Thaler
Group put me on notice.
Look, look, Quincy.
Any adverse publicity the group receives
as a result of your prolonged investigation
will subject our department
to a suit for damages.
The rate you're going, that
could be one substantial sum.
You're not gonna cave in from
a cheap shot like that, are you?
Hey, hey, I don't deserve that.
Now, I just don't understand. Why is
this so important to you or to anybody?
There's no sign of homicide,
no sign of criminal negligence.
Not yet. See, I wanna
establish the time of death.
Between 11:20 and a little
after 3:00 in the morning.
Well, I'd like to get
a lot closer than that.
Why?
That time span has always
been satisfactory before.
See, if he died before midnight,
well, the widow, she gets a nice
sum from the insurance company.
The victim's widow? Yeah.
Aren't you letting your
feelings distort your values?
Does she have a
number of small children?
Yeah, she does. Perhaps,
an elderly grandmother?
What about your feelings?
You seem to forget that
I've worked out in the field.
Down in the lab, where
it's exciting and it's creative.
Now, I'm paper-shuffling,
right? I'm answering telephones.
But I'm also taking
responsibility for 150 employees,
for over 40,000 feet of office space,
for all the people of Los Angeles.
And if I weren't shuffling
papers, covering for you,
my superiors would have
stopped you dead in your tracks.
We're back to me.
Tell me something.
What is my job? I
mean, what is it?
I work for the county, don't I?
That makes me a public servant.
Not just the mass, the
individual, dead and alive.
Now, this woman
pays part of my salary.
I'm gonna do everything in my power
to see that she gets her money's worth.
Quincy, will you just wait
a minute? Oh, good grief.
You can take all day.
But tomorrow morning, first
thing, I want that report on my desk,
written in your usual
professional manner.
Thank you.
Charlie. Yeah, Doc?
You got some soy
sauce to kill the taste?
Soya sauce, coming up.
Want some ketchup too, Doc?
You call this chicken chow mein?
Yeah.
You call this Chinese
chicken chow mein?
Yes. Who made it?
The chef, Sam Debellagenti.
An Italian making Chinese food.
Yeah, it's Marco Polo style.
Quincy?
Ruth! Oh, what
are you doing here?
Well, I came to see you. Your
lab assistant said you're down here.
You look marvelous, Quincy.
A little tired, but marvelous.
I've been putting in a
lot of overtime lately.
Yes, so I've heard.
When this whole thing
started, why didn't you call me?
Why don't we sit down?
Can I get you anything?
Oh, no, thank you.
It was because of our
closeness that I didn't call.
I didn't want our friendship to get
in the way of anything I had to do.
Your standards of ethics
are a bit higher than mine.
I'm asking you
to close the case.
I can't.
Mr. Kingman gave me his word
that what happened was an accident.
Kingman? Is he a pathologist?
He's the attorney
for the corporation.
The corporation. He's the
one who sent you here?
Yes, he suggested
that I talk to you.
I hear he runs the
Thaler Group now.
Ruth, I know coming here this
way can't be very easy for you.
I think it's the most
difficult thing I've ever done.
Then why are you doing it?
Why don't you tell Kingman of the
Corporation Kingman to go jump in the lake.
I have a daughter
who is flat broke.
I have two
grandchildren in college.
He owns me, Quincy.
I'm sorry.
I was just thinking of the first book
you wrote explaining the Thaler method.
It was that thin, but it
was a remarkable book.
Not because of
the technical stuff,
but because of the love that
came through, the humanity.
What happened, Ruth?
What happens to most of us.
Life is full of traps.
You're not most of us.
You're a special someone.
You're not making
this any easier.
I'm not trying to.
Do you know you have a
phony doctor on your staff?
What do you mean?
A man named Bridges.
Well, he's not an MD.
He's not a doctor of anything.
He's a con artist. He's
been caught at it before.
I didn't know that.
I'm sure you didn't.
But how many other phonies are there
in Thaler Group throughout the country,
destroying your name?
Not deliberately, maybe
out of carelessness
or stupidity or a
desire for a fast buck.
But what's the difference?
The result is the same.
They're destroying your name
and everything it stood for.
Push the investigation.
Ruth.
I hope you don't get hurt.
You just do what you have to do.
Hey! I'm sorry.
Mr. Kingman.
Who are you?
I'm Dr. Quincy.
Oh, yes. I've been looking
forward to meeting you.
A lot of people have
tried to push me around,
but at least they've had
the guts to do it themselves.
Don't use Dr. Thaler
against me again!
Dr. Quincy!
I'm sorry that Ruth's
little appeal didn't work.
You cheapened
and humiliated her.
Believe me, that
was not my intention.
I have no apologies to make.
I'm sure you haven't.
No, thank you.
There are a lot of investors,
including Dr. Thaler,
involved in the group.
My obligation is
to protect them,
in this case against being
slandered by unfair suspicion.
Innuendo. That's
what you're guilty of.
You're a lawyer.
You also have an
obligation to uphold justice.
Oh, justice, is it?
Forgive me, Doctor,
if I sound cynical,
but it's been my experience that
people who speak so lovingly of justice
usually have something else in
mind, like, uh, self-aggrandizement,
greed, whatever.
What about you, Doctor?
Do you have any
personal motives?
Yeah, I have a
couple. One is money.
I underestimated you, Doctor.
How much? Forty
thousand dollars.
Forty thousand dollars?
That's rather steep, isn't it?
There was an insurance
policy on Holloway.
If he died before midnight,
his wife gets to collect it.
If she's entitled to it, I wanna
see that she doesn't get cheated.
And while you're trying to determine
whether or not she's entitled,
the Thaler Group is thrown
to the wolves, is that it?
That's not it and you know it.
Forty thousand dollars.
All right, Doctor.
I'll tell you what I'll do.
You know, your little crusade is
costing us a lot more than that.
So, tomorrow morning
you file your report.
You call it accidental
death. Which it was.
Now, you do that and I'll see that
the Thaler Group issues a check
to Mrs. Holloway
for 40,000 dollars,
as a gesture of genuine sorrow.
I can't do that.
You can't do that?
It seems to me that should
be the prerogative of the widow.
Aren't you taking yourself
a bit too seriously, Doctor?
Or are you beginning to enjoy
the notoriety, the publicity?
There was a death
in one of your clinics.
If somebody from the
Thaler Group is responsible
and I don't investigate it
thoroughly, and it happens again...
Well, I don't think
I can live with it.
Doctor.
If the death was
accidental, which I maintain,
and you can't prove the time,
then Mrs. Holloway and her
children won't get a nickel.
Tell me. Can you live with that?
Sam.
Hey, Quince.
Sorry I'm late. I got detoured.
Maybe I can make you happy.
I checked out the vitreous fluid
and I've plotted a few things. Ambient
room temperature, water temperature,
body temperature after ten minutes
immersion. Put 'em all together.
It would have taken approximately
three hours for the body to cool down
to what it was when
the ambulance got there.
They found him at 3:10.
And the ambulance arrived
a few minutes after that.
So he died around midnight.
How does that help me, Sam? What
does that mean, "around midnight"?
Ten minutes before 12:00?
Ten minutes after 12:00?
I have to know
exactly when he died.
I don't think you ever will.
Well, I got news
for you. I have to.
Listen, I've just run
out on a very high limb.
The gastric mineral
levels. You finished?
No, it'll be a while.
Well, we got a while.
We got all night.
Sam, if he died in that tub, somebody had
to take him out and put him on the table.
Like Rossi and Bridges.
Yeah, and if we can
prove they did it, buddy,
they're gonna tell us
exactly when he died.
Okay, Sam.
Bingo. Gastric juices are
loaded with magnesium and sulfur.
Just like in the hot tub.
Proves he swallowed some
water while he was in the tub.
None of it got in his lungs but
some of it got in his stomach.
Drowning? Well,
I'm not sure yet.
But it proves his head went
under. Let's go back into the body.
Drowning? There's
no question about it?
Absolutely none. We checked
the larynx we found the swelling.
It was slight but enough. His
head must have gone under...
Yeah, I see, I see.
I don't. Am I going crazy, Quincy?
You said no water in the lungs.
Monahan, if you were
singing in a hot shower
and some water hit your
larynx in the wrong way,
it could spasm, shut
tighter than a drum.
I mean, no water would get
into your lungs, but no air either.
You could asphyxiate.
I'm never gonna sing
in the shower again.
That's pretty good, Quincy. In fact it's a
brilliant piece of medical detective work.
You're gonna give
me a gold star?
Sure, you get a gold
star after I get the report.
Yeah, well, see, I was thinking
that I'm really not finished yet.
You're not finished? Listen, I
can't think of any further questions.
Oh, I can.
Now, wait a minute. If it's
about that time of death...
It is. Look, just give me
a few more hours, okay?
What do you think
you could possibly do?
Trust me.
Okay.
Okay?
Monahan, listen, I want
you to do me a favor. What?
I want you to get me a warrant.
Well, that shouldn't be
any trouble. For what?
A warrant for what?
Poor Monahan.
Nothing here, Sam.
Give me a hand.
Hi, Dr. Astin.
This is what I
gave you time for?
To do an autopsy on a bathtub?
You should have seen the judge's face
when he heard what we wanted a warrant for.
It's a medical first.
Probably be in all the journals.
You'll see your name in them.
As what?
Pretty wood, huh?
Sam, give me the
tweezers, please.
Sam, give me a bag.
The ones on the left came
from Holloway's scalp.
The loop over here on
the right I found in the tub.
Diameters are
certainly the same.
They are. So is the configuration
of the central air sacks
and the distribution
of pigment granules.
What about the cuticle scale?
Also identical and uncommon.
Ten to 12 layers instead
of the usual four or five.
Oh, that does it for me.
That's a perfect match.
Sure, Doc. I want to thank you
for giving me the time to prove it.
Oh.
No, no. He did go under.
His head grazed the rim
where he found his hair.
It that's not enough, we can match
the pattern of the bruise on his forehead
to the wood of the tub.
You say you found him here
on the table a little after 3:00?
We have witnesses to that.
Oh, you always have witnesses. And
you wanna know something? I believe you.
Because the two of you moved
him here after you killed him.
Now... Sometime around midnight!
Hold it, Quincy.
Before we go any further, I
think I better tell him his rights.
Anything you say can
be held against you...
You're bluffing, Lieutenant. You
couldn't prove that in a million years.
Not to any jury.
Oh, we got a lot of
experience with juries.
Oh, yeah, he's right about that.
See, we could tell the
jury about your background.
About your phony credentials.
We'll do better than that.
We'll tell them about that cute
little setup you had in Atlanta.
That's not evidence.
No kidding.
Now, we can tell
them about your lies.
You say his head
never went underwater,
while obviously it did,
while you were both here.
You said he walked to that
table under his own power.
There's no way he could've
done that. He died in the tub.
Both of you are
responsible for his death.
No!
Come on, Rossi. Can't
you see what they're doing?
He was alive when we pulled him out.
I swear he was alive. We didn't kill him.
You're lying again. I'm not.
He was going through the
yelling and the screaming.
We tried to calm him down but we
couldn't do it. We tried to grab him...
How long was he
under? A second or two.
That would belong enough.
We dragged him
out. He was still alive.
You told me that was 11:20.
Why didn't you help him?
I did. I gave him
mouth to mouth.
Why didn't you call an
ambulance? The paramedics?
I don't know, we should have...
Why didn't you? Because!
Because we didn't
wanna get involved.
I didn't wanna have to
answer any questions.
I didn't want anybody to discover
what you call my "background."
How long before he died?
A while. Not long.
Long enough for the
paramedics to get here?
I suppose so.
They could've saved him.
They had oxygen. Suction.
Oh, you didn't kill him.
You just let him die.
You checked his heartbeat,
his pulse. When did it stop?
I'm not sure. I
want you to be sure!
Before midnight.
Is that what you want, Doctor?
It's not a question
of what I want.
It's what his widow deserves.
She's suffered enough.
Bill, take 'em away.
Officer. Here. Let's go.
Negligent homicide, that's
what I'm gonna book them with.
I said that from the beginning,
remember? I was right.
Yup. That's why I'm
gonna buy you a present.
Huh? What?
A little redwood
tub of your own.
There's no way we can
really atone, you know.
All I can say is how
deeply sorry I am.
And I can promise you that something
like this will never happen again.
Thank you very much.
Dr. Quincy, I don't
know how to thank you.
Oh, it wasn't my money. It
was the insurance company's.
Hope you'll let me
come and visit you again.
We'd be happy to
see you anytime.
Thank you. Bye-bye.
Bye. Bye, thank you. Goodbye.
Ruth, what you said to her...
About this not
happening again? Yeah.
I meant it, Quincy. So long
as I'm going to be in control.
You're gonna be in control?
Yeah. I made a few demands.
Not requests, demands. And
the board of directors gave in.
Kingman let you
get away with that?
He had no choice.
I told him I'd take my name off the
group and he believed me this time.
What about your daughter
and your grandchildren?
Well, my daughter's
going to get a job.
And I told my grandchildren
if they wanted to be doctors
they'd have to work their
way through medical school.
Promise me you'll
drive very carefully.
I don't want anything
to happen to you.
Take care.