Quincy M.E. (1976–1983): Season 5, Episode 2 - Dead Last - full transcript
I'd like to autopsy a horse.
You want to what?
What do you suspect?
Fraud, murder.
There's a jock in there.
You think someone made
the horse trample the jockey?
I think the jockey was dead before
the horse ever laid one hoof on him.
- Is he gonna fall hard?
- Like a ton of bricks.
That horse was absolutely
flying on amphetamine.
Amphetamine?
I got two dead jockeys,
I got two dead horses,
I got a prime suspect
and I can't touch him.
You got an open
and shut case here
but you haven't got enough
evidence for an indictment.
Gentlemen, you
are about to enter
the most fascinating
sphere of police work,
the world of forensic medicine.
How did I let you
talk me into this?
I don't have a 9:00
to 5:00 job like you.
I just locked up my restaurant
at 3:00 in the morning.
That's why you need the fresh
air. To clean out your lungs.
You're gonna feel
great. Trust me.
It's hard to trust anybody
that wakes you up at 6:00 am.
This is gonna be one of the most
important mornings in your life.
You're going to fall
in love with that colt.
I don't want to
be a horse owner.
It's bad enough
I'm a horse better.
Julio!
Hey, Billy. How are you?
You stole my mounts.
Oh, no, Billy. I can't
steal what you ain't got.
Henner don't want
you riding his horses.
That's all.
Not after you finished
bad mouthing me.
No, no, no. Don't
lay that on me.
Everybody knows
you're getting old.
You left your guts
with your last spill.
Do that and I'll ram
it down your throat.
Okay, Julio.
The next race you ride
again, you just watch your step
or you'll be a dead jock.
They sound like they
work for the United Nations.
- Hi, Quince.
- Hi, Charlie.
Danny, this is our
trainer, Charlie Turner.
Our trainer? I feel like
we're joined at the hip.
- How do you do?
- How are you?
There's your colt,
Quince. Pattern.
- Is that him?
- That's him.
Some entrepreneur.
Doesn't even
recognize his own horse.
Our horse.
You should live so long.
They can't even
get him into the gate.
It's not how they
go in that counts,
it's how they come out.
Well, he was third.
Yeah. In a field of three.
I told the exercise
boy not to push him.
I'm not trying to get rid
of him. He is a nice colt.
Hey, now, here's
a beautiful animal.
What's her name?
Trophynite. And he's a colt.
He's a pretty thing but
not much of a runner.
I don't understand it.
Henner is a sharp
cookie, usually.
He claimed him for
$12,000 two weeks ago
and now he's moving him way
up into allowance company today.
It don't make sense.
Does he have a chance?
He couldn't even get on the
board with cheap claimers.
Then he'll pay box cars.
Yeah. Now all he
has to do is win...
Get him out of that stall.
Get that horse out of here.
There's a jock in there.
Where do you think you're going?
I'm a doctor.
How is he?
He's dead.
We just saw him
five minutes ago.
It doesn't take long
with a horse that size.
That poor kid.
That horse has been
acting crazy all day.
I'm with the Coroner's
office. We'll handle everything.
- Thank you.
- Can I use your phone?
There's one in my office.
I want that animal
destroyed! You hear me?
- Mr. Henner, please...
- Don't argue with me.
I said I want that
killer destroyed!
Now!
- Thanks.
- Anytime, Dr. Quincy.
You doin' it all
for 'em now, doc?
All but the dying.
I happened to be at the
scene, so I brought him in.
I need full x-rays, documenting
all of these wounds.
I want detail on the
head, neck and chest.
What hit him? He's covered
with cuts and bruises.
A horse. Rush this
through, will you. Priority.
Considerable damage
to the right kidney.
The lower pole
has been disrupted.
That would've killed him
eventually by slow bleeding.
A ruptured spleen.
With all that damage there
the death blow was still
this one to the neck region.
Look at the hematoma
compressing the windpipe.
He couldn't breathe.
Kid didn't have a chance.
Okay, Sam. Let's wrap it up.
I just received a
call from Amil Grubb.
Who's he?
- President of the race track.
- What did he want?
He's hoping this incident
could be handled expeditiously,
without a lot of fanfare.
Case couldn't be simpler.
Yep. What I saw at
the track is what I got.
Excellent. Excellent. First
good news I've had today.
I was premature, wasn't I?
I'm afraid so.
Just look at these pictures.
The symmetry in the pattern
of the kicks about the body
is different than the symmetry
in the kicks to the neck.
The ones that killed him.
These marks were
made by four horseshoes.
Uh-huh.
Well, a horse does
have four legs, you know.
He'd better be standing on
two of them when he's stomping
otherwise he's gonna
fall down and go boom.
I mean, two different
sets of horseshoes.
I guess this case is reopened?
It was never closed.
What do I tell Mr. Grubb?
Tell him never to
bet on a sure thing,
especially when
the odds are short.
I've gotta find out if
they killed that horse,
and if they did, where
they're laying it to rest.
We were flying. How was my time?
Not bad.
What was it?
Thirty-four flat.
Not bad!
When did Julio pull that
kind of speed out of him, huh?
Mr. Henner, I'm
pulling the time.
Are you gonna let me ride
Trophynite for you today, or not?
Okay, you've got it.
All right.
Mr. Henner!
I thought you guys spent
all your time in laboratories.
Once you're on a case, you
can only go so far in the lab.
He riding for you now?
Today, anyway.
- That's very interesting.
- Why?
No reason. Look, I'd
like to see Blinding Light.
I had him destroyed.
So fast?
He was a killer and I won't
have animals like that around!
You want him?
You can find him in
the slaughterhouse.
You could say that we're in the
same kind of business, couldn't ya?
No, I couldn't.
You just want the
shoes and hooves?
That's right.
I'll sell you the whole carcass.
I don't need the whole carcass.
That's prime meat.
If you don't buy it, I'll freeze
it and send it overseas.
You know there's a lot of people
who consider horse meat a delicacy.
Oh, I'm sure of that, but I just
need the shoes and the hooves!
That's one of the
last things we do.
We put the hooves in a vice
and then we take these
big pliers and just rip.
Come on, I'll show you.
Do you mind? I
don't want to see it.
What's the matter?
You squeamish?
What kind of coroner
are you, anyway?
Please. Just get them for me.
It's gonna cost you, you know.
We use the hooves for glue.
I'll give you the going price.
But if I find out they're not
Blinding Light's hooves and shoes...
Hey, hey, hey. With the
price I'm getting today,
why would I have
to cheat anybody?
Hmm.
It matches the blows on the
chest and abdomen perfectly.
Just like fingerprints.
But they don't match
the blows that killed him.
No nails, nothing
to tear the skin.
Let me see the other two.
Same scene. They don't
match the ones that killed him.
And they're clean.
The blows that killed him
didn't come from any of these.
Dr. Quincy, I got the tox results
on Blinding Light's bone marrow.
That horse was absolutely
loaded with amphetamine.
Amphetamine?
That would surely make him fractious
enough if someone taunted him.
You think someone made
the horse trample the jockey?
Yeah.
Only I think he was dead before
that horse laid one hoof on him.
Okay. Take him out.
Mr. Culligan, Mr. Grubb told
me it was okay to talk to you.
What can I do for you?
Would you take a look at these
and tell me if you forged them?
Why?
I have to know if these are the
shoes Blinding Light was shod with.
Why?
Because I'm the medical examiner
investigating the death of Julio Ruis.
I've matched them to most
of the marks on his body.
Did you have to do that?
It's part of my job.
Yeah, they're
Blinding Light's shoes.
Every horse has a
different way of striding.
Horseshoes, like human's,
come in different sizes.
For Blinding Light, I had to make
some changes and corrections,
because he had a habit of hitting
his back leg with his front hooves.
So as you can see, I cut a
piece off the inside of the shoes.
These are my corrections
and I shod Blinding Light.
Would you take a look
at this picture, please?
- Oh...
- Please.
You see anything reason for
these rips or tears in the body?
Is it possible
that maybe a nail head
wasn't pounded all the way in?
Not pounded all the way in?
You know I've been
around a long time.
You do good work like this,
you shoe for the best trainers.
You don't, then you
don't get much work.
Those other marks
come from other shoes.
I saw that accident
this morning.
If what you say is true,
that was no accident.
That was murder.
What is this?
This voucher for $60
for horse's hooves?
I needed the hooves to match
the contusions on Ruis' body.
There was no other way.
I don't understand.
I don't understand.
I procured for this lab a million
dollars worth of sophisticated equipment.
This blood gas
analyzer, $15,000.
This gas chromatograph.
We're one of the few coroner's
offices if the country that has one.
Do you know the rotten
lunches I've had to go to?
Do you know the bartering
to get the accessories?
$25,000!
He wants to use
horse's hooves, $60.
You're telling me there's
no other way, huh?
No other way.
It's going to be very difficult
for the auditors to believe that.
That's their problem.
No, it's mine! Mine! Mine! Mine!
Don't misunderstand. I know you
can prove this and I believe you.
- You can prove it?
- Of course, I can.
Then I believe you.
Listen, I can justify a $20,000
purchase to auditors and committees,
but when I present a $60
voucher for horse's hooves,
they look at me
like I'm a back-end.
I wish you would try to be
a little more conventional.
- Just try.
- I'll try. I will.
Thank you.
Wait a minute.
Did the hooves
tell you anything?
Yep. They told me
that Ruis was murdered.
- Conclusively?
- Conclusively.
That's terrific. Then what
we've done here was worth it.
We've justified the expense.
Quincy, why didn't
you tell me that?
Listen.
You and I, we're always
playing this tug-of-war.
And I understand
that, I really do.
You look at my office like
a catholicon of promises.
- Isn't that right? Huh?
- Yes.
But when it comes to murder,
I want you to know
that I let go of the rope.
I want you to win.
That is my policy.
Just budget.
Quincy.
Good work.
I'd like to talk to
you, Dr. Quincy.
What's with the doctor?
Who do you think I
am? Houdini, huh?
You punch out eight letters,
homicide, on your report and that's that.
But let me tell you
something, it isn't.
Because now I have to
assign men to investigate a case
where every witness except
you, believes it was an accident.
What makes you
think it was murder?
And don't give me that
gut feeling business.
Take it easy, will you.
Your ulcer, remember?
Look, in these pictures
you'll find five wounds
that are different from the hooves
made by the supposedly killer horse.
So?
So, I think Julio Ruis was
bludgeoned with horseshoes
and then put in the stall to
make it look like the horse did it.
And where are the
other two horseshoes?
From the force of the blow,
I'd say they're nailed somewhere
to a two-by-four or baseball bat
with the nails bent over
to secure the shoes.
Then all we have to
do is find a baseball bat
with a couple of
horseshoes on it.
It sure would help us.
Where do we look?
Dodger Stadium?
I suggest you start with a
jockey named Billy McGinn.
Danny and I saw him and Julio
arguing. And Billy threatened him.
And Monahan, don't
arrest him, just talk to him.
Look. I don't tell you how to
look through a microscope.
Don't tell me how
to treat a suspect.
There's your pictures.
Everybody's hollering today.
I see a horse I like,
and your great trainer
tells me he's a bum,
so I ain't got a dime on him.
What are you talking about?
Trophynite!
The cheap claimer you and
your trainer touted me off.
He won and paid $74.20.
He won? I don't believe it.
How? By crossing
the finish line first.
If I saw it I
wouldn't believe it.
There it is in black-and-white.
You wanna borrow my glasses?
You got a racing form?
Have I got a racing form?
The race is over!
He wants to look at the form.
I ain't got a dime on the
horse. It's called Hindsight.
I've got to see if I'm crazy.
I've been handicapping
horses a long time.
You've been losing
for a long time.
You were wrong.
Why can't you ever admit
that you were wrong?
Look at this.
He was just claimed for $12,000.
He ran sixth in a
seven horse field.
A twenty-four to one
in a claiming race.
And today they step him up
in the high allowance company
and he wins by
three-lengths going away.
He shouldn't have paid $74.
He should have paid $7400.
Look at the form.
If the racing form could
give you the winner,
there would be a
million winners a day.
'Cause that's how
many they sell.
The form doesn't tell
you who's gonna win.
This does...
Why am I talking to a
doctor about horses?
Ruis had him out before and
again rode him today, huh?
Are those the two
guys we saw arguing?
Yeah. Something
here is not kosher.
Are you trying to say
that horse was juiced?
Why not?
The track runs tests
on every nag that wins.
They'd lose their license.
It wouldn't be worth it.
Really? Even with a $74 mutual?
You make the
right bet at that price
and you can enjoy
the white sands of Rio
and all the lobster and
champagne you can handle.
You think this is
connected with Ruis' death?
Yeah, but I have to find the
thread that connects them.
I'll talk to Billy McGinn
first thing in the morning.
Oh, you wanna come with me?
No, thanks.
Think I'll go to the dogs.
Mr. McGinn.
I'm Dr. Quincy.
Oh, yeah. Your friend Monahan
put me through the wringer.
Well, you are the
number one suspect.
I did hear you threaten Julio.
Hey, if you arrest everyone
that threatens around here,
your jails would
be jammed packed.
You're also the only one who
had a lot to gain by his death.
You're back riding for Henner.
That's where I belong.
I was Henner's rider until that
South American import came along.
Let me tell you something.
I started coming to the
tracks when I was 12.
5:00-6:00 in the morning
I'm cleaning out stalls.
I'm riding nags that no
one else would even look at.
I paid my dues.
I've been in a lot of spills. I've
got more pins in me than a cushion.
What kind of horse did you
have under you in Trophynite?
I had a winner.
A $12,00 claimer.
He had no right to win
that allowance race.
What are you getting at?
That horse ran two seconds
faster than it ever had before.
I think he was juiced.
If you think he was juiced,
you check with the lab chemists.
- They took samples.
- You read my mind.
Talk to you later.
Dr. Quincy, if you want
some real information,
I'm gonna win the
fourth race today.
Billy.
What was that all about?
That guy Quincy thinks
someone juiced Trophynite.
Yeah?
I gotta hear this.
What did you tell him?
I told him he was crazy and
to go check with the chemist.
But I do know one thing,
there was a lot more horse
under me than should've been.
I made some pretty
lucky claims, Billy.
Everybody knows that.
I know what's going
on and I want in.
That's why you got rid
of me and used Julio.
He was just a kid,
he wouldn't catch on to
what you were doing, right?
Billy,
Julio was going to
talk to the stewards.
I won't.
Do we have a choice?
No.
Then you're in.
Dr. Quincy, I'm a busy man.
My last Hawaiian vacation
was lunch away from the track.
It's a miracle we can
handle nine races a day,
let alone the complete
work-up you want.
Everything's sent to
another lab anyway.
How thorough are you guys?
I'd say we're very thorough.
I'd love to run an
entire body chemistry
on every horse that
wins, places or shows.
But there just isn't time.
What you're saying is most tracks
barely check for amphetamines?
No, I'm saying most tracks are
thorough, conscientious, and care.
We're better, that's all.
But in the case of Trophynite,
all you say you found was
phenylbutazone, which is legal,
I find that hard to believe.
He had to be on something
else to run like that.
I don't want to impose,
but do you mind if my lab does
a screen on saliva and urine?
We might get something.
- Be my guest, Doctor.
- Thank you.
You're gonna have
to get permission.
How about from
the vice president?
Can't go higher than that.
Sorry, Quince, nothing.
Nothing but phenylbutazone.
I can't believe that.
Quincy, I ran everything twice.
You rechecked me. I
rechecked you. Nothing.
The urine and saliva show no
signs of enjuiced medicine at all.
I know there was something
in that horse that made him win.
Even if there is, what
makes it so important?
Are you kidding?
That's the thread.
The one that will lead me to
why Julio Ruis was murdered.
If I find out why, I'll
find out who did it.
Shoot it again,
will you, please?
Okay.
How did you explain
the workout to Billy?
I told him I noticed
Trophynite limping.
I couldn't tell from
just jogging him,
so I asked him to help us out
since he knows
the horse so well.
Is he gonna fall hard?
Like a ton of bricks.
And you couldn't ask for a
better witness than Mr. Grubb.
There was no way
to save the animal.
His leg was broken
in two places.
And you saw him fall?
Yes. I was watching a couple
of my own horses work out
and I saw Trophynite
go down hard.
But I can't believe
Billy died from it.
I know. I was talking to
him early this morning.
He broke the second and third
vertebrae in his neck when he fell.
What do you suspect?
Fraud, murder.
You know, I could have retired as
vice president of this track years ago,
but I just couldn't.
The first time my father
took me to the races,
I fell in love.
It's incredibly
beautiful and exciting.
So if there was any
wrong-doing, Doctor,
I hope you find it.
But I hope you're wrong.
So do I.
Dr. Asten.
Are you sitting down, sir?
Oh, boy.
All right. Tell me.
I want to do a complete
autopsy on a horse.
What?
I want to autopsy a horse.
Quincy, are you serious?
Yes, I'm dead serious.
Quincy, don't do this
to me. Please, please.
We had that nice
talk yesterday...
I have to do it.
What has an autopsy on a horse
got to do with our department?
Trust me! It's all
connected to Ruis' murder.
How? I need a reason.
Tell me why?
That's what I want to find out.
Why don't you send the
equipment down with Sam?
The stuff I need.
I could bring the
carcass into the lab.
No! No! Not into the lab!
We don't have the
facilities to autopsy a horse.
I'll tell you what.
Call Sam Fujiyama and tell
him to bring whatever you need.
Thank you.
Yes, I'm sure it'll work.
I can just see it.
That expense, gentlemen?
Well, you see, Dr. Quincy
had to autopsy this horse...
Thoroughbreds are magnificent
animals, aren't they, Sam?
They sure are.
It's hard to believe something
that strong could be so vulnerable.
Those delicate, determined
legs digging into the turf.
It's comparable to us running
on our middle finger or our toes.
Millions of years ago the
first horse had five toes.
It evolved down to one hoof.
I didn't know you knew all
about the evolution of horses.
I didn't. I read it in this
book the vet gave me
while I was waiting
for you to get here.
Let's go to work, Sam.
Look at the size of
those lungs, Sam.
And they're healthy.
No wonder he won by three
lengths in going away yesterday.
The mystery is why he kept
quitting those shorter cheaper races.
Yeah.
Let's take a look at
the break in the leg.
Can you believe that
this horse ran in 24 races?
Look how little degeneration
of the fetlock joints there is.
A little normal wear and tear.
Maybe he never extended
himself until yesterday.
There should be more
degeneration just from walking.
Besides, in horse racing
the losers extend themselves
as much as the winner.
Except for the ones that are
hurt and the ones that I bet on.
There it is, Sam, the
break in the cannon bone.
And it's a natural break.
Here's what caused it.
The tendon's suspensory
ligament is ruptured.
How could he have run
that fast with tendonitis?
The pain should have
made him pull himself up.
Here are two needle tracks.
He was injected with something.
Phenylbutazone or a painkiller?
A painkiller maybe,
but not phenylbutazone.
That would have
been as helpful to him
as aspirin to you if
you'd broken your leg.
Look at those markings here.
Looks like they were
made by tight bandages.
But he wasn't
wearing any bandages.
Yeah, it's a puzzlement.
Mr. Henner?
That's right.
Oh, you're the coroner, Dr...
- Quincy.
- Quincy. Right.
Come on in. Make
yourself a cup of coffee.
Thank you.
The meet is closing
here in a few days
and I got to get my
paper work cleaned up.
Uh-huh.
We've been throwing a lot of
work your way, haven't we, Doc?
Yeah.
That's too bad.
I liked those kids.
I liked them a lot.
Especially Julio.
He had a great
future as a jockey.
Can I do anything for you?
I hope so.
I just did an autopsy
on Trophynite.
You looked at his leg?
No. Not just the
leg. The whole body.
What did you do that for?
I was looking for some answers.
- Did you find them?
- No.
I only found a few
more questions.
Oh, they're wet. It's all right.
He had tendonitis. That's
what caused the break.
Tendonitis?
You mean he ran that race
yesterday with that kind of pain?
He was a game little thing.
I mean I knew he was hurting.
That's why I gave him the cortisone.
But we thought it was a
check ligament. But tendonitis?
Found two needle
tracks in his leg.
From injections?
Well, that's how I
gave him the cortisone.
How about the other one?
I don't know. Maybe my assistant
didn't know I'd given him a shot already
and he gave him one, too.
I don't know that
much about racing,
but why did you make
him work out today?
Is that customary to work out...
Hey, wait! Leave
that horse there.
I wanna look at him later.
Uh, no.
It's not customary to work a
horse out the day after he raced.
But Buggs noticed that
he was favoring a leg,
the one that busted.
And he asked
Billy to help him out.
But he told him to take it easy.
I don't know what
happened to Billy.
He just started to
gallop with the horse
and went down.
Okay.
By the way, was
Trophynite insured?
No, I never insured
cheap claimers.
You got to get into the big
stuff to make that worthwhile.
Well, I must say you're
taking your losses very well.
You got to learn how to roll
with the punches in this business.
Yeah, but you lost
two horses in two days.
Well, I couldn't have that Blinding
Light kill anybody else, could I?
Besides, they both
won races for me,
so that lightened the load.
And I guess you made a bet
which lightened the load even further.
They paid big numbers.
I never bet on my horses.
Not even a little bet?
Just to keep it interesting?
Not a dime.
I race horses,
I'm not a gambler.
Besides, if I bet, you think they
would have paid such high prices?
That would have
brought the price down.
Not if you bet with
the books or in Vegas.
But, what's the difference,
you say you don't bet.
I hope your luck changes.
Maybe this will cheer you up.
Thanks, Danny.
Well, I just wasted a
drink. What have you got?
I got a zillion
unanswered questions.
Two dead jockeys.
Two dead horses.
A prime suspect
and I can't touch him.
Why not?
What am I suppose to do?
Go up and say, "Mr.
Henner I know you're guilty
"but I don't have
a motive or proof.
"Will you please help
me out and confess?"
Don't you always do it that way?
And this is not the
tracks, this is home.
Excuse me.
I figure he killed the jockeys
because they found
out what he was doing.
Why did he kill Trophynite?
Maybe they didn't.
Maybe it was an accident.
It was no accident.
They weakened his leg,
then ran him. So they broke it.
They're responsible for it.
Then why didn't the pain
make the horse pull up?
That's what I can't figure out.
Danny, could I have a
bourbon and water, please?
I'll get you a waitress.
Ah, Dr. Quincy, I presume.
May I have a
moment of your time?
I realize you're off duty.
Will you stop needling me
with that doctor business.
I've got enough problems.
I'm afraid what I found out
ain't going to help you solve any.
What?
Well, Julio Ruis, he's clean.
Billy McGinn was as
crooked as a corkscrew,
but he's dead, so
that doesn't help you.
And Henner has been around
racetracks for about 30 years.
Clean as a whistle.
Along with his assistant, Buggs.
You know what
all this adds up to?
What?
One of the few times
you're wrong, right?
Wrong.
Oh, come on.
What is it with you?
When was the last time
we agreed on something?
Quincy! Phone.
I know. Never, that's when.
- Sam.
- Thanks.
Yes, Sam.
I can tell you now why Trophynite
didn't pull himself up because of the pain.
- Why?
- Because he never felt it.
He was loaded with Mepivacaine.
Mepivacaine? That's
a powerful anesthetic.
That's not all. I found Bute.
Well, we knew that.
And cortisone.
I think the pieces are
beginning to fit together.
In Henner's office, I
found some wet bandages.
Now I know why we didn't find
anything but Bute right after the race.
They hadn't given
him the other stuff yet.
See how this sits with you.
After the race they wrapped wet
bandages tightly around his leg.
That's what those
markings were from.
They let them stay for 24 hours.
He developed tendonitis.
Then they gave him the cortisone
to slow the healing response
and disguise the inflammation.
It kept the swelling down.
And then they gave him the
Mepivacaine to deaden the pain.
Any horse galloping
under those conditions
had to break a cannon bone.
I also found something that
had me stumped for quite a while
because horses
don't get it in America.
- What?
- Lung worm.
Lung worm!
Oh, Sam, what would
I do without you?
I think you just gave
me the whole ball of wax.
I'll talk to you later.
Danny, where can I get
some old racing forms?
- How old?
- About a year.
- I'll take you to him.
- Him?
Benny the Bum.
The living racing form.
- Who is it?
- Danny.
- Danny who?
- Danny Rabbit Legs.
Rabbit Legs?
He knew me when
I ran a little book.
The cops could never catch
me because I ran too fast.
I'm with Rabbit Legs.
He's with me.
Thanks.
Hey, Rabbit Legs. How are ya?
God, it's good to see you.
I thought you forgot
about your old pal Benny.
Does this look like
I forgot about you?
Don't bother to take
it out of the wrapper,
give it to me
just the way it is.
Hey, you guys want
something to eat?
Like cheese, crackers?
Oh, no, thanks. I just ate.
I'll pass.
I'd like you to meet a
friend of mine, Dr. Quincy.
How do you do?
Nice to meet you.
He's a coroner.
What? He's not a real doctor?
What did you bring him here for?
These guys are bad luck,
ain't they, like black cats?
I mean, don't they
live with dead people?
He's all right. He just
needs some information.
Is he a horse
degenerate like us?
- Yeah.
- Mmm-hmm.
Well, then, he can't be all bad.
What do you want to know?
Well, first I want to show
him how good you are.
Kentucky Derby, '52?
Hill Gail with Eddie
Arcaro up on a fast track,
201 and three-fifths.
Paid four twenty, four
dollars and three twenty.
1918?
Exterminator-Knapp.
Sixty-one twenty.
Twenty-three ten, twelve
forty, 210 and 4 on muddy track.
Who's going to win the
third tomorrow at Hollywood?
Hey, if I knew that I'd be in
line at the mutual window.
What do you know about
Ron Henner, the trainer?
Hails from the Midwest,
been around the
tracks for over 30 years.
He's a small-timer.
Got his license in Jersey
about 20 years ago.
Been racing his own
stock the last two years.
Been traveling a lot lately.
He had a winner in an allowance race
that never should have won, and it did.
And it paid $74.20.
Don't remind me.
What about Blinding Light?
He won three weeks
ago up North, Frisco,
paid forty-eight even.
- He shouldn't have won either.
- Why not?
Movin' way up in company.
Henner claimed him
out of an $8500 claimer.
Him and Trophynite are like
bush-leaguers beating the Yankees.
Now of course, it happens.
I mean, that's racing luck.
When does it stop
being racing luck?
When it happens too many
times with the same guy.
For instance.
Third race at Fair Grouse.
Henner claimed
a horse for $6200,
put him in an allowance
race and apaged $61.
New York, sixth race.
Winner is Windsurfer.
Paid $91.
Henner claimed the horse
out of Seattle for $4500
and then ran him in
that big allowance race.
That's why he paid
that kind of money.
Also he didn't bet
at the track either
or that would've
brought the odds down.
Do you know if any of
those horses ever ran again?
Nope. Never ran in
this country anyway.
There's another one. Overweight.
He won a big allowance race
after Henner paid
$11,000 for him.
Wow! That's five over
the last nine months.
Danny, I want you
to do me a favor.
Contact all the people you
know in Reno and Nevada.
All the bookies
throughout the country.
Find out if these races
hurt them, will you?
Got it. See you, Benny.
I want to thank you...
Oh, no thanks. Danny
already paid me.
Besides, it's my contribution
for cleaning up a great sport.
Nice to have met you.
Oh, by the way,
did you know that
Henner claimed a horse
out of the first race today?
- No, I didn't.
- An eight
grander named Modesty.
This is what I found at Benny's.
Over the last 12 months
Henner has claimed
his share of horses.
Now most of them
have raced a lot.
Some won, some lost.
Some were claimed away from him.
Things that normally
happen in horse racing.
But five of those horses he
claimed in low dollar races.
They went on to win big money.
Races they shouldn't have
even been allowed to enter.
Why did he always enter
them in allowance races?
Because you can't claim a
horse out of an allowance race.
He didn't want to risk losing
the horse and being found out.
What could they find out?
That the horse that won wasn't
the horse he was supposed to be.
You mean Henner was putting
in ringers for these horses?
That's what I mean.
Come on, Quincy, they
stopped that a long time ago
when they started tattooing serial
numbers in the horse's upper lip.
What if they bought a
horse from out of the country,
where they don't
tattoo the upper lips.
They find a look-alike
here, they plant him,
they then tattoo the serial
number in the foreign horse
and destroy the cheap one.
But someone would
find out sooner or later.
He didn't keep them
around long enough for that.
Remember Blinding
Light and Trophynite?
He claimed them in one state,
raced them in another state,
and then killed
them after one race.
Unfortunately, Ruis and
McGinn found out about it.
Ruis probably was gonna talk
and McGinn wanted
a bigger slice.
Yeah, here he is. Danny.
Yeah, Danny.
Yeah. New Jersey.
But mostly... Okay,
thanks. I'll talk to you later.
The books at Vegas and Reno
and some of the big local books
got hit on all five
races and hit hard.
A million and a quarter.
Which means Henner
couldn't handle all that alone.
That's right. He's part
of a whole organization.
The part that kills.
Isn't that funny?
You got an open
and shut case here
but you don't have enough
evidence even to get an indictment.
Unless we catch him
in the act of switching.
That's like trying to catch
a guy cheating on his wife!
Eventually they
both make a mistake.
Maybe so, but even then
you don't have enough
evidence to get an indictment.
It won't hold up.
Henner just got a
new claimer. Modesty.
If he's got her look-alike
around he's got to move fast.
The meet is ending, he's
going to another state.
I don't think he wants a risk
transporting those look-alikes.
So I'm gonna make sure I
see the switch he makes.
Not you. We.
You picked a great
night for this, Quincy.
There must be about 5,000 people
trying to drag their
horses out of here.
The trailers have
to leave this way.
Oh, you noticed.
Tonight's our last
chance to get him
or we can kiss off
everything we've done.
He's got Modesty and he's
gonna make the switch tonight
and I'll be there to nail him.
You were right, Quincy.
Henner's putting the horse
into an unmarked trailer.
Standing by.
Good work, Brill.
The license plate is UZ9951.
Proceeding with caution.
Ten-four.
I'm approaching checkpoint.
I'm 30 yards behind
Henner's trailer.
Waiting for instructions.
Drop out. We'll pick him up.
Here they come.
We're gonna lose him!
There's an opening, grab it.
I think we lost him.
How could we lose him?
We got cops staked
out everywhere.
Yeah, I know. Unit-64.
Come in Unit-64.
This is 64 coming in.
64, did you see Henner's
horse trailer anywhere?
No, sir. We are north
bound on Broadway Avenue.
We've seen nothing of the kind.
Unit-27, come in.
This is Unit-27.
Have you seen Henner's
horse trailer anywhere?
No, sir. We're east bound
on Riverdale Boulevard.
We see no movement
of described vehicle.
Unit-36, come in.
This is Unit-36.
Have you see Henner's
horse trailer anywhere?
No, sir. We went off
duty 10 minutes ago.
Who told you to go off duty?
Why, you did, sir.
Out.
Where could they disappear to?
It's not a little car,
it's a big trailer.
Take the next exit.
Attention all units.
Converge at Butterworth's
meat packing house. Out.
They're here!
The back-up will
be here in a minute!
I got to take a closer look.
Can't you make this
happen a little bit faster?
I don't like it taking
too long, you know.
I wanna get home.
You'll get your money,
Butterworth, don't worry.
I don't know whether
we're too early or too late.
No, Quincy. Wait
for the back-up.
I hope we're too early.
I'm done with the tattoo.
Let's get this over with.
And remember, I don't want
any signs of the claimer left.
Including hooves.
Yes, sir.
Don't touch that horse!
I wouldn't do
that if I were you.
Quincy, you've got
nothing to say about this.
The horse is my property.
Don't talk to me
about your property.
You don't care how
many you kill, do you?
And you, you're an
accessory to murder.
- Murder?
- Those two jockeys.
I don't know anything
about no murder.
He just hired me to kill a
couple of horses, that's all.
That's all I need to hear.
Get yourself down here.
Give me that.
Well?
You can't tell them apart
even with a program.
Danny, when are you
gonna change your menu?
Stop feeding cops.
- Johnny, help me, will you.
- Right.
Thought you were at
the track with Benny.
- I was.
- Where's he?
We lost the first two races, he
said I was a jinx and dumped me.
He saw some of his old cronies.
He ain't such a
great handicap either.
So how'd you do?
I lost my shirt. Can't make
a horse to save my life.
- You hungry?
- I'm starved.
I want a shrimp cocktail, a
stake, and a bottle of red wine.
If you're broke, who's
gonna pay for it?
I am.
You want to what?
What do you suspect?
Fraud, murder.
There's a jock in there.
You think someone made
the horse trample the jockey?
I think the jockey was dead before
the horse ever laid one hoof on him.
- Is he gonna fall hard?
- Like a ton of bricks.
That horse was absolutely
flying on amphetamine.
Amphetamine?
I got two dead jockeys,
I got two dead horses,
I got a prime suspect
and I can't touch him.
You got an open
and shut case here
but you haven't got enough
evidence for an indictment.
Gentlemen, you
are about to enter
the most fascinating
sphere of police work,
the world of forensic medicine.
How did I let you
talk me into this?
I don't have a 9:00
to 5:00 job like you.
I just locked up my restaurant
at 3:00 in the morning.
That's why you need the fresh
air. To clean out your lungs.
You're gonna feel
great. Trust me.
It's hard to trust anybody
that wakes you up at 6:00 am.
This is gonna be one of the most
important mornings in your life.
You're going to fall
in love with that colt.
I don't want to
be a horse owner.
It's bad enough
I'm a horse better.
Julio!
Hey, Billy. How are you?
You stole my mounts.
Oh, no, Billy. I can't
steal what you ain't got.
Henner don't want
you riding his horses.
That's all.
Not after you finished
bad mouthing me.
No, no, no. Don't
lay that on me.
Everybody knows
you're getting old.
You left your guts
with your last spill.
Do that and I'll ram
it down your throat.
Okay, Julio.
The next race you ride
again, you just watch your step
or you'll be a dead jock.
They sound like they
work for the United Nations.
- Hi, Quince.
- Hi, Charlie.
Danny, this is our
trainer, Charlie Turner.
Our trainer? I feel like
we're joined at the hip.
- How do you do?
- How are you?
There's your colt,
Quince. Pattern.
- Is that him?
- That's him.
Some entrepreneur.
Doesn't even
recognize his own horse.
Our horse.
You should live so long.
They can't even
get him into the gate.
It's not how they
go in that counts,
it's how they come out.
Well, he was third.
Yeah. In a field of three.
I told the exercise
boy not to push him.
I'm not trying to get rid
of him. He is a nice colt.
Hey, now, here's
a beautiful animal.
What's her name?
Trophynite. And he's a colt.
He's a pretty thing but
not much of a runner.
I don't understand it.
Henner is a sharp
cookie, usually.
He claimed him for
$12,000 two weeks ago
and now he's moving him way
up into allowance company today.
It don't make sense.
Does he have a chance?
He couldn't even get on the
board with cheap claimers.
Then he'll pay box cars.
Yeah. Now all he
has to do is win...
Get him out of that stall.
Get that horse out of here.
There's a jock in there.
Where do you think you're going?
I'm a doctor.
How is he?
He's dead.
We just saw him
five minutes ago.
It doesn't take long
with a horse that size.
That poor kid.
That horse has been
acting crazy all day.
I'm with the Coroner's
office. We'll handle everything.
- Thank you.
- Can I use your phone?
There's one in my office.
I want that animal
destroyed! You hear me?
- Mr. Henner, please...
- Don't argue with me.
I said I want that
killer destroyed!
Now!
- Thanks.
- Anytime, Dr. Quincy.
You doin' it all
for 'em now, doc?
All but the dying.
I happened to be at the
scene, so I brought him in.
I need full x-rays, documenting
all of these wounds.
I want detail on the
head, neck and chest.
What hit him? He's covered
with cuts and bruises.
A horse. Rush this
through, will you. Priority.
Considerable damage
to the right kidney.
The lower pole
has been disrupted.
That would've killed him
eventually by slow bleeding.
A ruptured spleen.
With all that damage there
the death blow was still
this one to the neck region.
Look at the hematoma
compressing the windpipe.
He couldn't breathe.
Kid didn't have a chance.
Okay, Sam. Let's wrap it up.
I just received a
call from Amil Grubb.
Who's he?
- President of the race track.
- What did he want?
He's hoping this incident
could be handled expeditiously,
without a lot of fanfare.
Case couldn't be simpler.
Yep. What I saw at
the track is what I got.
Excellent. Excellent. First
good news I've had today.
I was premature, wasn't I?
I'm afraid so.
Just look at these pictures.
The symmetry in the pattern
of the kicks about the body
is different than the symmetry
in the kicks to the neck.
The ones that killed him.
These marks were
made by four horseshoes.
Uh-huh.
Well, a horse does
have four legs, you know.
He'd better be standing on
two of them when he's stomping
otherwise he's gonna
fall down and go boom.
I mean, two different
sets of horseshoes.
I guess this case is reopened?
It was never closed.
What do I tell Mr. Grubb?
Tell him never to
bet on a sure thing,
especially when
the odds are short.
I've gotta find out if
they killed that horse,
and if they did, where
they're laying it to rest.
We were flying. How was my time?
Not bad.
What was it?
Thirty-four flat.
Not bad!
When did Julio pull that
kind of speed out of him, huh?
Mr. Henner, I'm
pulling the time.
Are you gonna let me ride
Trophynite for you today, or not?
Okay, you've got it.
All right.
Mr. Henner!
I thought you guys spent
all your time in laboratories.
Once you're on a case, you
can only go so far in the lab.
He riding for you now?
Today, anyway.
- That's very interesting.
- Why?
No reason. Look, I'd
like to see Blinding Light.
I had him destroyed.
So fast?
He was a killer and I won't
have animals like that around!
You want him?
You can find him in
the slaughterhouse.
You could say that we're in the
same kind of business, couldn't ya?
No, I couldn't.
You just want the
shoes and hooves?
That's right.
I'll sell you the whole carcass.
I don't need the whole carcass.
That's prime meat.
If you don't buy it, I'll freeze
it and send it overseas.
You know there's a lot of people
who consider horse meat a delicacy.
Oh, I'm sure of that, but I just
need the shoes and the hooves!
That's one of the
last things we do.
We put the hooves in a vice
and then we take these
big pliers and just rip.
Come on, I'll show you.
Do you mind? I
don't want to see it.
What's the matter?
You squeamish?
What kind of coroner
are you, anyway?
Please. Just get them for me.
It's gonna cost you, you know.
We use the hooves for glue.
I'll give you the going price.
But if I find out they're not
Blinding Light's hooves and shoes...
Hey, hey, hey. With the
price I'm getting today,
why would I have
to cheat anybody?
Hmm.
It matches the blows on the
chest and abdomen perfectly.
Just like fingerprints.
But they don't match
the blows that killed him.
No nails, nothing
to tear the skin.
Let me see the other two.
Same scene. They don't
match the ones that killed him.
And they're clean.
The blows that killed him
didn't come from any of these.
Dr. Quincy, I got the tox results
on Blinding Light's bone marrow.
That horse was absolutely
loaded with amphetamine.
Amphetamine?
That would surely make him fractious
enough if someone taunted him.
You think someone made
the horse trample the jockey?
Yeah.
Only I think he was dead before
that horse laid one hoof on him.
Okay. Take him out.
Mr. Culligan, Mr. Grubb told
me it was okay to talk to you.
What can I do for you?
Would you take a look at these
and tell me if you forged them?
Why?
I have to know if these are the
shoes Blinding Light was shod with.
Why?
Because I'm the medical examiner
investigating the death of Julio Ruis.
I've matched them to most
of the marks on his body.
Did you have to do that?
It's part of my job.
Yeah, they're
Blinding Light's shoes.
Every horse has a
different way of striding.
Horseshoes, like human's,
come in different sizes.
For Blinding Light, I had to make
some changes and corrections,
because he had a habit of hitting
his back leg with his front hooves.
So as you can see, I cut a
piece off the inside of the shoes.
These are my corrections
and I shod Blinding Light.
Would you take a look
at this picture, please?
- Oh...
- Please.
You see anything reason for
these rips or tears in the body?
Is it possible
that maybe a nail head
wasn't pounded all the way in?
Not pounded all the way in?
You know I've been
around a long time.
You do good work like this,
you shoe for the best trainers.
You don't, then you
don't get much work.
Those other marks
come from other shoes.
I saw that accident
this morning.
If what you say is true,
that was no accident.
That was murder.
What is this?
This voucher for $60
for horse's hooves?
I needed the hooves to match
the contusions on Ruis' body.
There was no other way.
I don't understand.
I don't understand.
I procured for this lab a million
dollars worth of sophisticated equipment.
This blood gas
analyzer, $15,000.
This gas chromatograph.
We're one of the few coroner's
offices if the country that has one.
Do you know the rotten
lunches I've had to go to?
Do you know the bartering
to get the accessories?
$25,000!
He wants to use
horse's hooves, $60.
You're telling me there's
no other way, huh?
No other way.
It's going to be very difficult
for the auditors to believe that.
That's their problem.
No, it's mine! Mine! Mine! Mine!
Don't misunderstand. I know you
can prove this and I believe you.
- You can prove it?
- Of course, I can.
Then I believe you.
Listen, I can justify a $20,000
purchase to auditors and committees,
but when I present a $60
voucher for horse's hooves,
they look at me
like I'm a back-end.
I wish you would try to be
a little more conventional.
- Just try.
- I'll try. I will.
Thank you.
Wait a minute.
Did the hooves
tell you anything?
Yep. They told me
that Ruis was murdered.
- Conclusively?
- Conclusively.
That's terrific. Then what
we've done here was worth it.
We've justified the expense.
Quincy, why didn't
you tell me that?
Listen.
You and I, we're always
playing this tug-of-war.
And I understand
that, I really do.
You look at my office like
a catholicon of promises.
- Isn't that right? Huh?
- Yes.
But when it comes to murder,
I want you to know
that I let go of the rope.
I want you to win.
That is my policy.
Just budget.
Quincy.
Good work.
I'd like to talk to
you, Dr. Quincy.
What's with the doctor?
Who do you think I
am? Houdini, huh?
You punch out eight letters,
homicide, on your report and that's that.
But let me tell you
something, it isn't.
Because now I have to
assign men to investigate a case
where every witness except
you, believes it was an accident.
What makes you
think it was murder?
And don't give me that
gut feeling business.
Take it easy, will you.
Your ulcer, remember?
Look, in these pictures
you'll find five wounds
that are different from the hooves
made by the supposedly killer horse.
So?
So, I think Julio Ruis was
bludgeoned with horseshoes
and then put in the stall to
make it look like the horse did it.
And where are the
other two horseshoes?
From the force of the blow,
I'd say they're nailed somewhere
to a two-by-four or baseball bat
with the nails bent over
to secure the shoes.
Then all we have to
do is find a baseball bat
with a couple of
horseshoes on it.
It sure would help us.
Where do we look?
Dodger Stadium?
I suggest you start with a
jockey named Billy McGinn.
Danny and I saw him and Julio
arguing. And Billy threatened him.
And Monahan, don't
arrest him, just talk to him.
Look. I don't tell you how to
look through a microscope.
Don't tell me how
to treat a suspect.
There's your pictures.
Everybody's hollering today.
I see a horse I like,
and your great trainer
tells me he's a bum,
so I ain't got a dime on him.
What are you talking about?
Trophynite!
The cheap claimer you and
your trainer touted me off.
He won and paid $74.20.
He won? I don't believe it.
How? By crossing
the finish line first.
If I saw it I
wouldn't believe it.
There it is in black-and-white.
You wanna borrow my glasses?
You got a racing form?
Have I got a racing form?
The race is over!
He wants to look at the form.
I ain't got a dime on the
horse. It's called Hindsight.
I've got to see if I'm crazy.
I've been handicapping
horses a long time.
You've been losing
for a long time.
You were wrong.
Why can't you ever admit
that you were wrong?
Look at this.
He was just claimed for $12,000.
He ran sixth in a
seven horse field.
A twenty-four to one
in a claiming race.
And today they step him up
in the high allowance company
and he wins by
three-lengths going away.
He shouldn't have paid $74.
He should have paid $7400.
Look at the form.
If the racing form could
give you the winner,
there would be a
million winners a day.
'Cause that's how
many they sell.
The form doesn't tell
you who's gonna win.
This does...
Why am I talking to a
doctor about horses?
Ruis had him out before and
again rode him today, huh?
Are those the two
guys we saw arguing?
Yeah. Something
here is not kosher.
Are you trying to say
that horse was juiced?
Why not?
The track runs tests
on every nag that wins.
They'd lose their license.
It wouldn't be worth it.
Really? Even with a $74 mutual?
You make the
right bet at that price
and you can enjoy
the white sands of Rio
and all the lobster and
champagne you can handle.
You think this is
connected with Ruis' death?
Yeah, but I have to find the
thread that connects them.
I'll talk to Billy McGinn
first thing in the morning.
Oh, you wanna come with me?
No, thanks.
Think I'll go to the dogs.
Mr. McGinn.
I'm Dr. Quincy.
Oh, yeah. Your friend Monahan
put me through the wringer.
Well, you are the
number one suspect.
I did hear you threaten Julio.
Hey, if you arrest everyone
that threatens around here,
your jails would
be jammed packed.
You're also the only one who
had a lot to gain by his death.
You're back riding for Henner.
That's where I belong.
I was Henner's rider until that
South American import came along.
Let me tell you something.
I started coming to the
tracks when I was 12.
5:00-6:00 in the morning
I'm cleaning out stalls.
I'm riding nags that no
one else would even look at.
I paid my dues.
I've been in a lot of spills. I've
got more pins in me than a cushion.
What kind of horse did you
have under you in Trophynite?
I had a winner.
A $12,00 claimer.
He had no right to win
that allowance race.
What are you getting at?
That horse ran two seconds
faster than it ever had before.
I think he was juiced.
If you think he was juiced,
you check with the lab chemists.
- They took samples.
- You read my mind.
Talk to you later.
Dr. Quincy, if you want
some real information,
I'm gonna win the
fourth race today.
Billy.
What was that all about?
That guy Quincy thinks
someone juiced Trophynite.
Yeah?
I gotta hear this.
What did you tell him?
I told him he was crazy and
to go check with the chemist.
But I do know one thing,
there was a lot more horse
under me than should've been.
I made some pretty
lucky claims, Billy.
Everybody knows that.
I know what's going
on and I want in.
That's why you got rid
of me and used Julio.
He was just a kid,
he wouldn't catch on to
what you were doing, right?
Billy,
Julio was going to
talk to the stewards.
I won't.
Do we have a choice?
No.
Then you're in.
Dr. Quincy, I'm a busy man.
My last Hawaiian vacation
was lunch away from the track.
It's a miracle we can
handle nine races a day,
let alone the complete
work-up you want.
Everything's sent to
another lab anyway.
How thorough are you guys?
I'd say we're very thorough.
I'd love to run an
entire body chemistry
on every horse that
wins, places or shows.
But there just isn't time.
What you're saying is most tracks
barely check for amphetamines?
No, I'm saying most tracks are
thorough, conscientious, and care.
We're better, that's all.
But in the case of Trophynite,
all you say you found was
phenylbutazone, which is legal,
I find that hard to believe.
He had to be on something
else to run like that.
I don't want to impose,
but do you mind if my lab does
a screen on saliva and urine?
We might get something.
- Be my guest, Doctor.
- Thank you.
You're gonna have
to get permission.
How about from
the vice president?
Can't go higher than that.
Sorry, Quince, nothing.
Nothing but phenylbutazone.
I can't believe that.
Quincy, I ran everything twice.
You rechecked me. I
rechecked you. Nothing.
The urine and saliva show no
signs of enjuiced medicine at all.
I know there was something
in that horse that made him win.
Even if there is, what
makes it so important?
Are you kidding?
That's the thread.
The one that will lead me to
why Julio Ruis was murdered.
If I find out why, I'll
find out who did it.
Shoot it again,
will you, please?
Okay.
How did you explain
the workout to Billy?
I told him I noticed
Trophynite limping.
I couldn't tell from
just jogging him,
so I asked him to help us out
since he knows
the horse so well.
Is he gonna fall hard?
Like a ton of bricks.
And you couldn't ask for a
better witness than Mr. Grubb.
There was no way
to save the animal.
His leg was broken
in two places.
And you saw him fall?
Yes. I was watching a couple
of my own horses work out
and I saw Trophynite
go down hard.
But I can't believe
Billy died from it.
I know. I was talking to
him early this morning.
He broke the second and third
vertebrae in his neck when he fell.
What do you suspect?
Fraud, murder.
You know, I could have retired as
vice president of this track years ago,
but I just couldn't.
The first time my father
took me to the races,
I fell in love.
It's incredibly
beautiful and exciting.
So if there was any
wrong-doing, Doctor,
I hope you find it.
But I hope you're wrong.
So do I.
Dr. Asten.
Are you sitting down, sir?
Oh, boy.
All right. Tell me.
I want to do a complete
autopsy on a horse.
What?
I want to autopsy a horse.
Quincy, are you serious?
Yes, I'm dead serious.
Quincy, don't do this
to me. Please, please.
We had that nice
talk yesterday...
I have to do it.
What has an autopsy on a horse
got to do with our department?
Trust me! It's all
connected to Ruis' murder.
How? I need a reason.
Tell me why?
That's what I want to find out.
Why don't you send the
equipment down with Sam?
The stuff I need.
I could bring the
carcass into the lab.
No! No! Not into the lab!
We don't have the
facilities to autopsy a horse.
I'll tell you what.
Call Sam Fujiyama and tell
him to bring whatever you need.
Thank you.
Yes, I'm sure it'll work.
I can just see it.
That expense, gentlemen?
Well, you see, Dr. Quincy
had to autopsy this horse...
Thoroughbreds are magnificent
animals, aren't they, Sam?
They sure are.
It's hard to believe something
that strong could be so vulnerable.
Those delicate, determined
legs digging into the turf.
It's comparable to us running
on our middle finger or our toes.
Millions of years ago the
first horse had five toes.
It evolved down to one hoof.
I didn't know you knew all
about the evolution of horses.
I didn't. I read it in this
book the vet gave me
while I was waiting
for you to get here.
Let's go to work, Sam.
Look at the size of
those lungs, Sam.
And they're healthy.
No wonder he won by three
lengths in going away yesterday.
The mystery is why he kept
quitting those shorter cheaper races.
Yeah.
Let's take a look at
the break in the leg.
Can you believe that
this horse ran in 24 races?
Look how little degeneration
of the fetlock joints there is.
A little normal wear and tear.
Maybe he never extended
himself until yesterday.
There should be more
degeneration just from walking.
Besides, in horse racing
the losers extend themselves
as much as the winner.
Except for the ones that are
hurt and the ones that I bet on.
There it is, Sam, the
break in the cannon bone.
And it's a natural break.
Here's what caused it.
The tendon's suspensory
ligament is ruptured.
How could he have run
that fast with tendonitis?
The pain should have
made him pull himself up.
Here are two needle tracks.
He was injected with something.
Phenylbutazone or a painkiller?
A painkiller maybe,
but not phenylbutazone.
That would have
been as helpful to him
as aspirin to you if
you'd broken your leg.
Look at those markings here.
Looks like they were
made by tight bandages.
But he wasn't
wearing any bandages.
Yeah, it's a puzzlement.
Mr. Henner?
That's right.
Oh, you're the coroner, Dr...
- Quincy.
- Quincy. Right.
Come on in. Make
yourself a cup of coffee.
Thank you.
The meet is closing
here in a few days
and I got to get my
paper work cleaned up.
Uh-huh.
We've been throwing a lot of
work your way, haven't we, Doc?
Yeah.
That's too bad.
I liked those kids.
I liked them a lot.
Especially Julio.
He had a great
future as a jockey.
Can I do anything for you?
I hope so.
I just did an autopsy
on Trophynite.
You looked at his leg?
No. Not just the
leg. The whole body.
What did you do that for?
I was looking for some answers.
- Did you find them?
- No.
I only found a few
more questions.
Oh, they're wet. It's all right.
He had tendonitis. That's
what caused the break.
Tendonitis?
You mean he ran that race
yesterday with that kind of pain?
He was a game little thing.
I mean I knew he was hurting.
That's why I gave him the cortisone.
But we thought it was a
check ligament. But tendonitis?
Found two needle
tracks in his leg.
From injections?
Well, that's how I
gave him the cortisone.
How about the other one?
I don't know. Maybe my assistant
didn't know I'd given him a shot already
and he gave him one, too.
I don't know that
much about racing,
but why did you make
him work out today?
Is that customary to work out...
Hey, wait! Leave
that horse there.
I wanna look at him later.
Uh, no.
It's not customary to work a
horse out the day after he raced.
But Buggs noticed that
he was favoring a leg,
the one that busted.
And he asked
Billy to help him out.
But he told him to take it easy.
I don't know what
happened to Billy.
He just started to
gallop with the horse
and went down.
Okay.
By the way, was
Trophynite insured?
No, I never insured
cheap claimers.
You got to get into the big
stuff to make that worthwhile.
Well, I must say you're
taking your losses very well.
You got to learn how to roll
with the punches in this business.
Yeah, but you lost
two horses in two days.
Well, I couldn't have that Blinding
Light kill anybody else, could I?
Besides, they both
won races for me,
so that lightened the load.
And I guess you made a bet
which lightened the load even further.
They paid big numbers.
I never bet on my horses.
Not even a little bet?
Just to keep it interesting?
Not a dime.
I race horses,
I'm not a gambler.
Besides, if I bet, you think they
would have paid such high prices?
That would have
brought the price down.
Not if you bet with
the books or in Vegas.
But, what's the difference,
you say you don't bet.
I hope your luck changes.
Maybe this will cheer you up.
Thanks, Danny.
Well, I just wasted a
drink. What have you got?
I got a zillion
unanswered questions.
Two dead jockeys.
Two dead horses.
A prime suspect
and I can't touch him.
Why not?
What am I suppose to do?
Go up and say, "Mr.
Henner I know you're guilty
"but I don't have
a motive or proof.
"Will you please help
me out and confess?"
Don't you always do it that way?
And this is not the
tracks, this is home.
Excuse me.
I figure he killed the jockeys
because they found
out what he was doing.
Why did he kill Trophynite?
Maybe they didn't.
Maybe it was an accident.
It was no accident.
They weakened his leg,
then ran him. So they broke it.
They're responsible for it.
Then why didn't the pain
make the horse pull up?
That's what I can't figure out.
Danny, could I have a
bourbon and water, please?
I'll get you a waitress.
Ah, Dr. Quincy, I presume.
May I have a
moment of your time?
I realize you're off duty.
Will you stop needling me
with that doctor business.
I've got enough problems.
I'm afraid what I found out
ain't going to help you solve any.
What?
Well, Julio Ruis, he's clean.
Billy McGinn was as
crooked as a corkscrew,
but he's dead, so
that doesn't help you.
And Henner has been around
racetracks for about 30 years.
Clean as a whistle.
Along with his assistant, Buggs.
You know what
all this adds up to?
What?
One of the few times
you're wrong, right?
Wrong.
Oh, come on.
What is it with you?
When was the last time
we agreed on something?
Quincy! Phone.
I know. Never, that's when.
- Sam.
- Thanks.
Yes, Sam.
I can tell you now why Trophynite
didn't pull himself up because of the pain.
- Why?
- Because he never felt it.
He was loaded with Mepivacaine.
Mepivacaine? That's
a powerful anesthetic.
That's not all. I found Bute.
Well, we knew that.
And cortisone.
I think the pieces are
beginning to fit together.
In Henner's office, I
found some wet bandages.
Now I know why we didn't find
anything but Bute right after the race.
They hadn't given
him the other stuff yet.
See how this sits with you.
After the race they wrapped wet
bandages tightly around his leg.
That's what those
markings were from.
They let them stay for 24 hours.
He developed tendonitis.
Then they gave him the cortisone
to slow the healing response
and disguise the inflammation.
It kept the swelling down.
And then they gave him the
Mepivacaine to deaden the pain.
Any horse galloping
under those conditions
had to break a cannon bone.
I also found something that
had me stumped for quite a while
because horses
don't get it in America.
- What?
- Lung worm.
Lung worm!
Oh, Sam, what would
I do without you?
I think you just gave
me the whole ball of wax.
I'll talk to you later.
Danny, where can I get
some old racing forms?
- How old?
- About a year.
- I'll take you to him.
- Him?
Benny the Bum.
The living racing form.
- Who is it?
- Danny.
- Danny who?
- Danny Rabbit Legs.
Rabbit Legs?
He knew me when
I ran a little book.
The cops could never catch
me because I ran too fast.
I'm with Rabbit Legs.
He's with me.
Thanks.
Hey, Rabbit Legs. How are ya?
God, it's good to see you.
I thought you forgot
about your old pal Benny.
Does this look like
I forgot about you?
Don't bother to take
it out of the wrapper,
give it to me
just the way it is.
Hey, you guys want
something to eat?
Like cheese, crackers?
Oh, no, thanks. I just ate.
I'll pass.
I'd like you to meet a
friend of mine, Dr. Quincy.
How do you do?
Nice to meet you.
He's a coroner.
What? He's not a real doctor?
What did you bring him here for?
These guys are bad luck,
ain't they, like black cats?
I mean, don't they
live with dead people?
He's all right. He just
needs some information.
Is he a horse
degenerate like us?
- Yeah.
- Mmm-hmm.
Well, then, he can't be all bad.
What do you want to know?
Well, first I want to show
him how good you are.
Kentucky Derby, '52?
Hill Gail with Eddie
Arcaro up on a fast track,
201 and three-fifths.
Paid four twenty, four
dollars and three twenty.
1918?
Exterminator-Knapp.
Sixty-one twenty.
Twenty-three ten, twelve
forty, 210 and 4 on muddy track.
Who's going to win the
third tomorrow at Hollywood?
Hey, if I knew that I'd be in
line at the mutual window.
What do you know about
Ron Henner, the trainer?
Hails from the Midwest,
been around the
tracks for over 30 years.
He's a small-timer.
Got his license in Jersey
about 20 years ago.
Been racing his own
stock the last two years.
Been traveling a lot lately.
He had a winner in an allowance race
that never should have won, and it did.
And it paid $74.20.
Don't remind me.
What about Blinding Light?
He won three weeks
ago up North, Frisco,
paid forty-eight even.
- He shouldn't have won either.
- Why not?
Movin' way up in company.
Henner claimed him
out of an $8500 claimer.
Him and Trophynite are like
bush-leaguers beating the Yankees.
Now of course, it happens.
I mean, that's racing luck.
When does it stop
being racing luck?
When it happens too many
times with the same guy.
For instance.
Third race at Fair Grouse.
Henner claimed
a horse for $6200,
put him in an allowance
race and apaged $61.
New York, sixth race.
Winner is Windsurfer.
Paid $91.
Henner claimed the horse
out of Seattle for $4500
and then ran him in
that big allowance race.
That's why he paid
that kind of money.
Also he didn't bet
at the track either
or that would've
brought the odds down.
Do you know if any of
those horses ever ran again?
Nope. Never ran in
this country anyway.
There's another one. Overweight.
He won a big allowance race
after Henner paid
$11,000 for him.
Wow! That's five over
the last nine months.
Danny, I want you
to do me a favor.
Contact all the people you
know in Reno and Nevada.
All the bookies
throughout the country.
Find out if these races
hurt them, will you?
Got it. See you, Benny.
I want to thank you...
Oh, no thanks. Danny
already paid me.
Besides, it's my contribution
for cleaning up a great sport.
Nice to have met you.
Oh, by the way,
did you know that
Henner claimed a horse
out of the first race today?
- No, I didn't.
- An eight
grander named Modesty.
This is what I found at Benny's.
Over the last 12 months
Henner has claimed
his share of horses.
Now most of them
have raced a lot.
Some won, some lost.
Some were claimed away from him.
Things that normally
happen in horse racing.
But five of those horses he
claimed in low dollar races.
They went on to win big money.
Races they shouldn't have
even been allowed to enter.
Why did he always enter
them in allowance races?
Because you can't claim a
horse out of an allowance race.
He didn't want to risk losing
the horse and being found out.
What could they find out?
That the horse that won wasn't
the horse he was supposed to be.
You mean Henner was putting
in ringers for these horses?
That's what I mean.
Come on, Quincy, they
stopped that a long time ago
when they started tattooing serial
numbers in the horse's upper lip.
What if they bought a
horse from out of the country,
where they don't
tattoo the upper lips.
They find a look-alike
here, they plant him,
they then tattoo the serial
number in the foreign horse
and destroy the cheap one.
But someone would
find out sooner or later.
He didn't keep them
around long enough for that.
Remember Blinding
Light and Trophynite?
He claimed them in one state,
raced them in another state,
and then killed
them after one race.
Unfortunately, Ruis and
McGinn found out about it.
Ruis probably was gonna talk
and McGinn wanted
a bigger slice.
Yeah, here he is. Danny.
Yeah, Danny.
Yeah. New Jersey.
But mostly... Okay,
thanks. I'll talk to you later.
The books at Vegas and Reno
and some of the big local books
got hit on all five
races and hit hard.
A million and a quarter.
Which means Henner
couldn't handle all that alone.
That's right. He's part
of a whole organization.
The part that kills.
Isn't that funny?
You got an open
and shut case here
but you don't have enough
evidence even to get an indictment.
Unless we catch him
in the act of switching.
That's like trying to catch
a guy cheating on his wife!
Eventually they
both make a mistake.
Maybe so, but even then
you don't have enough
evidence to get an indictment.
It won't hold up.
Henner just got a
new claimer. Modesty.
If he's got her look-alike
around he's got to move fast.
The meet is ending, he's
going to another state.
I don't think he wants a risk
transporting those look-alikes.
So I'm gonna make sure I
see the switch he makes.
Not you. We.
You picked a great
night for this, Quincy.
There must be about 5,000 people
trying to drag their
horses out of here.
The trailers have
to leave this way.
Oh, you noticed.
Tonight's our last
chance to get him
or we can kiss off
everything we've done.
He's got Modesty and he's
gonna make the switch tonight
and I'll be there to nail him.
You were right, Quincy.
Henner's putting the horse
into an unmarked trailer.
Standing by.
Good work, Brill.
The license plate is UZ9951.
Proceeding with caution.
Ten-four.
I'm approaching checkpoint.
I'm 30 yards behind
Henner's trailer.
Waiting for instructions.
Drop out. We'll pick him up.
Here they come.
We're gonna lose him!
There's an opening, grab it.
I think we lost him.
How could we lose him?
We got cops staked
out everywhere.
Yeah, I know. Unit-64.
Come in Unit-64.
This is 64 coming in.
64, did you see Henner's
horse trailer anywhere?
No, sir. We are north
bound on Broadway Avenue.
We've seen nothing of the kind.
Unit-27, come in.
This is Unit-27.
Have you seen Henner's
horse trailer anywhere?
No, sir. We're east bound
on Riverdale Boulevard.
We see no movement
of described vehicle.
Unit-36, come in.
This is Unit-36.
Have you see Henner's
horse trailer anywhere?
No, sir. We went off
duty 10 minutes ago.
Who told you to go off duty?
Why, you did, sir.
Out.
Where could they disappear to?
It's not a little car,
it's a big trailer.
Take the next exit.
Attention all units.
Converge at Butterworth's
meat packing house. Out.
They're here!
The back-up will
be here in a minute!
I got to take a closer look.
Can't you make this
happen a little bit faster?
I don't like it taking
too long, you know.
I wanna get home.
You'll get your money,
Butterworth, don't worry.
I don't know whether
we're too early or too late.
No, Quincy. Wait
for the back-up.
I hope we're too early.
I'm done with the tattoo.
Let's get this over with.
And remember, I don't want
any signs of the claimer left.
Including hooves.
Yes, sir.
Don't touch that horse!
I wouldn't do
that if I were you.
Quincy, you've got
nothing to say about this.
The horse is my property.
Don't talk to me
about your property.
You don't care how
many you kill, do you?
And you, you're an
accessory to murder.
- Murder?
- Those two jockeys.
I don't know anything
about no murder.
He just hired me to kill a
couple of horses, that's all.
That's all I need to hear.
Get yourself down here.
Give me that.
Well?
You can't tell them apart
even with a program.
Danny, when are you
gonna change your menu?
Stop feeding cops.
- Johnny, help me, will you.
- Right.
Thought you were at
the track with Benny.
- I was.
- Where's he?
We lost the first two races, he
said I was a jinx and dumped me.
He saw some of his old cronies.
He ain't such a
great handicap either.
So how'd you do?
I lost my shirt. Can't make
a horse to save my life.
- You hungry?
- I'm starved.
I want a shrimp cocktail, a
stake, and a bottle of red wine.
If you're broke, who's
gonna pay for it?
I am.