Quincy M.E. (1976–1983): Season 5, Episode 21 - Deadly Arena - full transcript

We could be facing the worst
health disaster we've ever known.

The fall didn't kill him, he
died of botulism poisoning.

Nothing short of a restraining
order from the court or a bomb threat

could keep this game
from going on as scheduled.

You've got a bomb!
A biologic bomb.

They are not gonna
move the game.

Don't you realize that we are
dealing with a killer so deadly

that a gallon of it can wipe out
half the population in California.

I'm telling you, if you let
this game go on as scheduled

and we don't do
anything about it,

you'll be playing Russian
roulette with 90,000 lives.



Gentlemen, you
are about to enter

the most fascinating
sphere of police work,

the world of forensic medicine.

You know, Madeline, I think I'm
about due for a change of scenery.

How's our supply of chili?

Some nice white beaches,
with turquoise water.

Arthur. The chili? We
need a lot for Sunday.

Yeah, okay, okay, okay.

The last one.

I better cook up some more.

I could always order
some canned chili.

Hey, the only thing that separates
us from the other concessions

is my home-made
chili on our chili dogs.

I still think we ought
to bottle the stuff.



"Arthur's Original Chili."

Maybe with my
picture on the label,

we could retire early.

Maybe Fiji.

It's just that the last
time you did your canning,

I'll never forget what
my kitchen looked like.

Must've gone bad or something.

Well don't wave it
around here. I can smell it.

Just dump it in the
sink. I wanna use the jar.

No! Not this sink.

- Use the sink in
the maintenance closet.
- Okay, okay.

Nice white beaches,
turquoise water.

Tropical islands.

Hey, the water's out.

I'm gonna call maintenance.

Oh, I forgot to tell you,

Earl called, said they
had to fix a couple of leaks,

they'd be cutting the water off.

Now you tell me.

- Need some help?
- Sure, why not? Come on.

- Hi, Jim.
- Hi, Charlie. Is that your new helper?

Yeah, took on a partner.

- You like soccer, huh?
- I love soccer.

So Pele's not your
real name, is it?

- Promise you won't make fun?
- I promise.

It's really Louise. But
my nickname's Pele.

He's my favorite
all-time soccer hero.

You're really into
soccer, aren't you?

My dad taught me
when I was three.

I'm gonna play like
Pele when I turn pro.

Pro?

Hey, don't laugh! I'm gonna
be the first woman in pro soccer!

Yeah, I'll bet you will.

You going to the game on Sunday?

Don't have a ticket.

You got one?

Nah. I'm strictly
a baseball nut.

You don't know what
you're missing, Charlie.

Thanks for the help, partner.

See you later.

- Howdy, Charlie.
- How's it going'?

Okay.

Still dreaming about
your tropical paradise?

- Your water's
back on, Madeline.
- Thanks Earl.

Thank you, Madeline.
Arthur, I'll see you.

Yeah, take it easy, Charlie.

Slow and meticulous is the only
way I work, Lieutenant, I'm sorry.

Look, first Asten pushes me, now
you're pushing me. I don't like it!

You want it done any faster, you come
down and you do it yourself, all right?

Same to you and Brill.

Take, take, take...
I won't take it.

Everybody wants something
and they want it yesterday.

Looks good, Sam.

I can see it just fine.

This might not be the
best time to mention it,

but Asten was looking for you.

Every time he looks for me, it's
never to give me anything except work.

Quincy, boy, you're a
hard man to track down.

I've looked upstairs,
downstairs, here, there.

Just look for the
ball and chain.

- Oh, I hear
a little bitterness, do I?
- A lot, a whole lot.

I'd like your attention, please.

What are you doing on Sunday?

Oh, no, no, no. Sunday is
off-limits. I've got big plans.

I'm going to make
a ton of popcorn,

I'm going to watch the championship
soccer game on television.

- Danny and I have
a big bet going.
- Can I get a word in?

- What?
- Are these plans unbreakable?

Absolutely! Can't
this wait till Monday?

- No,
it can't wait till Monday.
- Let me tell you something.

I'm willing to put my job on the line
and there's no way that I'm going to...

I'll just give these soccer
tickets to someone else.

Soccer tickets? What soccer
tickets you talking about?

Oh well, let me see. It says box
seats, World Cup, soccer game, Sunday.

But then you have unbreakable
plans with your popcorn.

Are you serious? You're willing to
give me two of the hottest tickets in town?

Carstairs bought them and then got called
out of town so then he gave them to me.

And well, I'm always
taking your free time, Quincy,

and I thought you
really deserve these.

Oh, thank you very much.
You wanna go, Sam?

Oh thanks, Quince,
but I'll be busy Sunday.

But with those tickets, you won't have
any trouble finding someone to go with you.

Oh, sir, thank you
very, very much.

You know, Sam, I take back
everything I said about him. Everything!

What did he say now?

You see that? I give, give,
give... They take, take, take...

And never any
appreciation. Right?

Can I help you, lady?

Well, I hope so. I
think I'm a little lost.

I'm looking for
the ticket booth.

It's right this
way. I'll show you.

I want to get the best seat they've
got for Sunday's soccer game.

Oh, it's not for me, it's for my
husband. It's our 31st anniversary

and I wanted to get him a
present he'd really enjoy.

- That's nice.
- He loves soccer.

So I thought of a ticket
for the championship,

you know, right
behind home plate.

He'd really enjoy that.

- The ticket booth's
downstairs to the left.
- Oh, thank you.

I'm sorry to have bothered you.

No bother at all.

It's my first time here.

You guys can break her
down now, I killed the power.

Hey, Norris! Looks like we got major
problems on the number eight pole.

We keep blowing
bulbs on the same row.

Why don't you go up
there and take care of it?

Might take some time if I
have to go into much wiring.

- I don't care, just do it.
- You got it.

I can't, I can't see.

This is Charles Ransler,
male Caucasian, 28 years old.

Victim of an auto accident.

See how supple his neck is?

I bet he's got a fracture
dislocation of the cervical spine.

- Give me a hand here,
will you.
- Right.

Multiple patterned
abrasions on the left back.

There's a curve... Spoke...

- Looks like
a steering wheel pattern.
- He turned sideways?

He must have. It shows that he
was already slumped over when he hit.

Was any other vehicle involved?

None, according to the police
report. Maybe his brakes failed.

I doubt it...

There was something that
caused him to pass out at the wheel.

Heart muscle, normal...

No enlargement,
no narrow vessels.

It wasn't heart
disease that killed him.

Then what could it be, Quince?

I don't know...

That's as far as we can go
without a tox screen on the blood.

Get Mark on it,
right away, will you?

I know he's backed up. But, I'm sure
he can get us something by tomorrow.

Don't tell me we're
finally caught up?

Not quite, Quince.

Asten's got us down for one more
autopsy before we leave today.

What is it with this week, Sam?

Is it me?

When they begin to come
to me, they're all curves.

Should have been
a routine autopsy.

But you said it was
pulmonary failure that killed her.

But why did she stop breathing?

The sudden neurological impairment
her husband described, that says stroke.

But neither explanation,
the stroke or heart attack

accounts for the
inflammation of the pharynx

or the extreme dryness of the
mouth, and why did she aspirate?

How are we gonna
add all that up?

If we don't find out what
was going through her system,

we're not going to
be able to add it up.

Okay, I'll order up a full tox.

Yeah, do that, will you, Sam?
It'll be good to pin something down.

Why can't things be straightforward
and easy, the way they used to be?

Why does everything get
confusing as soon as I touch it?

Cheer up, Quince.
Like I always say,

only fools are always sure.

You have to be
wise to be confused.

- Is that what you always say?
- Yeah.

If that's correct, right now,
I'm bordering on being a genius.

That's it? You found nothing?

Nothing showed up in either of
them. The tox is completely clean.

That's a big help.

So we still don't know why
the truck driver crashed.

Or why Mrs. Davenport was having
neurological problems before dying.

Do me a favor, will you?

Take some serum and blood samples
to the Department of Health Services.

I'll call over with instructions
and let them know you're coming.

Sure, Doctor Quincy.

So what do you think
it might be, Quince?

I don't want to talk about it,
Sam. It's a remote possibility,

but I don't want to
take any chances.

Hey, you guys know when
the teams get here for practice?

What's it to you?

I'm friends with
some of the players.

Sure you are. And
I'm the great Pele.

No, you're not. I am.

All right.

- You guys going to the game?
- Going to the game? We're part of it, kid.

Who do you think collects
the balls after warm-up?

And gives the players towels
when they come off the field.

- Are you putting me on?
- No.

You don't believe it,
watch us on TV tomorrow.

I don't have to watch it
on TV. I'm gonna be there.

Oh, right!

I will, too.

I've got me a seat right
behind the east goal.

- Oh, come on, this
kid's got rocks in her head.
- Yeah.

I do so have a ticket.

Sorry, honey.

You'll see.

Doctor Quincy, I've got the results
from the Department of Health Services.

The ones you put
a rush on yesterday.

Put them on the
desk, will you, Mark?

I really think you ought to take
a look at these. It's important.

Holy mackerel.

What is it, Quince?

It wasn't a remote
possibility after all.

The truck driver and Mrs.
Davenport died of the same thing,

botulism.

These are the
bacterial spores...

You take away the air,

they germinate and the bacteria produces
the most deadly toxin we know about.

It attacks the nervous
system with a vengeance.

And that's what caused the truck
driver to lose control of the vehicle.

When you consider impaired vision,
disorientation, loss of muscle control...

I'd say so.

And the Davenport woman?

She had more than enough toxins
in her to cause respiratory failure.

And that could cause a
lot of trouble, couldn't it?

Sam, if there's a lot more out
there of what they consumed,

we could have an
outbreak of botulism

that would double the population
in our cold room overnight.

Now we have to find
the common denominator

because I believe both victims came
in contact with the same contamination.

Like eating at the same restaurant,
or buying the same canned goods.

That's right. The Health
Services will do the detective work.

We've got to find the link
scientifically just in case they fail.

That's why I want to take
another look at the gastric contents.

And if we can't
find the connection?

Then we'll have to
wait for the next clue

and at the same time,
pray that it never comes.

What next clue?

Another victim of botulism.

According to the tests from
the Department of Health,

stomach contents of both
victims were highly toxic.

Whatever it was that
contaminated them,

it didn't happen more than
a few hours before death.

Which means they ingested the
poison sometime Monday morning.

At least it narrows it down.

I'm afraid the gap widens.

They didn't eat any
of the same things.

Nothing in their stomach
contents seem to match.

Any break yet?

No, no.

Well, maybe Public
Health has an idea.

I have their investigator
waiting in your office.

- Now?
- Now.

Hi, I'm Doctor Carlisle,
Department of Health Services.

Communicable Disease Control.
You must be Doctor Quincy?

Yes, that's right.

You're in charge
of the investigation?

Just relax.

I am an experienced
epidemiologist.

Oh, I'm sure you are.
Just sit down, please.

Thank you.

I was just so surprised.

The last time I faced botulism
was in Garden Grove, in 1975.

- The church picnic.
- Yeah. Nine people died.

I don't want to see
that happen again.

Where are you right now
exactly with the investigation?

All right. I just sent to CDC for
some more of the type A antitoxin.

Now you're sure
it's type A toxin?

Absolutely. That serum you sent us,
we injected into different groups of mice.

They all died except for the group
that was injected with Type A antitoxin.

That's about as
conclusive as you can get.

What about hospitals?
Any new cases?

Nothing reported. We've alerted
every hospital within 200 miles.

Look, even though we don't
know what they ingested

I can tell you when, it was
sometime Monday morning.

It's something, anyway.

You don't sound very hopeful.

The odds are we'll
find the source.

It's a matter of how and when.

I'd hate to be led there
by a long trail of bodies.

I've undertaken
re-autopsies on both victims.

If I find anything
new, I'll let you know.

I appreciate your thoroughness,
and your concern, Doctor Quincy.

But the real trail to
the killer lies out there,

and I'm going to have to ask a lot
of questions to get some answers.

Now look, let's remember
we're on the same side.

Let's not trip over each
other trying to get to the truth.

Okay. We'll work together.

If you get there first, holler.

Something wrong, Doctor Quincy?

No, no. It's just...

You're the prettiest
epidemiologist I've ever seen.

You're not so bad
yourself for a coroner.

Now let's get one thing
straight from the start, Doctor.

I built this business
from nothing.

A lot of sweat

and a lot of years.

And I'm not gonna let anyone
tear it down on some phony charge.

We're not charging you
with anything, Mr. Jackson.

Now what time did Charlie Ransler
start out on his route on Monday?

The usual, 7:00 a.m.

Seven o'clock.

Could he have had time to eat in
the lunchroom here before he left?

I don't think so.

Seems to me, Charlie
had breakfast at home.

On Monday,

did he eat anything here?

I don't know, maybe.

Mr. Jackson, I wish you
would try to remember.

Well, look. I don't
know for sure.

It's bad enough to have
a driver die at the job.

But whatever you're looking
for, you're not going to find it here.

I follow the health
codes to the letter.

I've got a headache.

Now look, Doctor, I don't
mean to be uncooperative

but I'm trying to remember,
give me a second.

Now let me see.

Charlie did

have coffee with
us that morning.

Thank you.

Did he eat anything?

A donut maybe.

- I ate one too.
- A donut.

You mean.

Please relax, Mr. Jackson.
I don't think it was the donut.

Botulism needs an airless
environment to create its toxin,

like improper canning.

I don't think it was
your hot dogs, either.

You don't?

I never doubted
that for a moment.

You sure?

You had me going for a moment.

We're going to have to get some
samples anyway, for your protection.

Well, if you've got to.

I'm going to need a list of all of the
stops Charlie Ransler made on his route

on Monday morning
before the accident.

Now, now, wait. Wait a minute!

Poking around here is one thing,

upsetting my
customers is another!

I am not trying to upset anyone.

Do you have any idea what this
is going to do to my business?

I'm sorry, Mr. Jackson.

Well, sorry is not
enough! The answer is no!

I am not leaving
here, without that list.

Well, what am I going to do
about my canceled orders?

Tell me that! How am I
going to look to my customers?

I am not interested
in what you or your

customers find
inconvenient or embarrassing.

Then what the hell
are you interested in?

Driving a decent
business into the ground?

I am interested in saving
lives, maybe a lot of them.

May I have that list?

Hello.

I understand you asked
to have any cases involving

a possible neurological
disorder routed to you.

What've you got?

An electrician was injured
in a fall Monday afternoon.

He died in the hospital.

I'll send the report right down.

Okay.

- The electrician?
- Right.

The hospital was treating
him for these injuries.

Shattered hips, spiral
fracture of the tibia.

But they couldn't figure out why he
was showing neurological dysfunction.

No gross evidence
of cranial damage.

They were about to look
for an occult hematoma

when he died
suddenly this morning.

- Let's see what
we can find out.
- Right.

- No sign of
cranial cerebral trauma.
- No brain damage at all.

The neurological problems
weren't a result of the fall.

You want a full
tox on him, right?

Please, Sam. And I also want the lab
at the Department of Health Services

to get a sample right away.

Janet, what are you doing here?

Your hunch was right, Quincy.

That sample you sent yesterday,

the electrician,

he's number three.

The fall didn't kill him, he
died of botulism poisoning.

Do you know what that means?

That means we
found the location.

He fell from a light
standard at Franklin Field.

That was Charlie Ransler's
first stop Monday morning.

This could be only the
beginning of our nightmare.

What are you saying?

Four days from now, a capacity
crowd is going to be in that stadium,

watching the world
championship soccer games.

Ninety thousand
people. Ninety thousand.

And every one,
a potential victim.

Hey, you play soccer?

Well, as a matter
of fact, I used to.

- I'm a little past my prime.
- Not you. Her.

I used to be pretty good at it.

Well, I do. My name's Pele.

You know, like in soccer.

Got a spare ticket to the game?

Well, I might have.

You're going to be here
on the day of the game?

Sure, I'm always here.

Maybe I'll see you then.

We're here to see
Mr. Mercer, please.

Sure, take those steps through
tunnel number four and turn right.

Thank you.

Will you slow down please?

I'm sorry.

It comes from trying to
keep up with four brothers.

Are you going to have enough
personnel to cover this place?

Oh yeah, I'm going to have
at least 20 field technicians

take samples within the hour.

Does Atlanta know the
electrician's autopsy results?

Yes. I called them
in this morning,

they're keeping a
pretty close watch on us.

Naturally, the stadium's
management will

bend over backwards to
accommodate your inquiry.

Thank you. We're going to
want to look at every site where

food or beverages are
sold, stored or consumed.

Of course. But you
should be aware that no

concession has been
open for the last week.

- Is there a cafeteria?
- No.

Just an employee lunchroom
with vending machines.

- What about kitchens?
- No.

Each concession has its
own food preparation areas.

We're going to want a list of all of the
people that were working here on Monday

and please make them
aware of what we're doing.

It'll make it a lot
easier on us and

don't let them eat or drink
anything on the premise.

I'm sure you can understand,
I don't want to cause a panic.

Neither do we.

Just as long as we have this
behind us before the weekend.

I can't guarantee that, Mr. Mercer. We
may find what we're looking for right away.

- Then again...
- Then again what?

- Well then...
- Wait a minute, wait a minute!

Look, the most important soccer series
in the world goes on here on Sunday.

Now we don't need a lot of
scare talk, keeping people away.

If the contamination that is
responsible for the electrician's death,

and the delivery man's death
and Marsha Davenport's death

is still on the premises,
things could get a lot scarier.

There's even the possibility that you'll
have to move your game from this site.

This site!

Wait a minute, wait a minute.

Just wait a minute!
You can't be serious!

It's something we would like
to avoid but not at any cost.

I want to make you
aware of the possibility.

And I want you to be aware that
nothing short of a restraining order

from the court or a bomb threat

could keep this game
from going on as scheduled.

You say you'd clear this
place because of a bomb.

What do you think you've got here?
You've got a bomb! A biologic bomb.

It doesn't tick and it doesn't explode but
it's just as devastating if not more so!

All right, if this is grave
danger, then find it!

Frankly, you're a long way from convincing
me there's a real ongoing threat.

People have been coming
in and out of here all week.

Nobody's called in sick with
the symptoms you've described.

Have you forgotten about
the three dead people?

Maybe they all ate at the same
restaurant or shared a pizza?

How would I know?
That's your job.

That's right, Mr. Mercer, it's
our job to cover all the bases.

If you're right, if you find this
so-called bomb and get rid of it,

you'll have the undying appreciation
of the whole Stadium Commission.

But if the tests are negative and
nobody else comes down with this thing,

I don't want to hear
another word about Sunday!

If we can pin the electrician
down to these premises,

that is prove he didn't go out
to lunch or anything like that,

then we can be certain
the botulism's here.

If it is here, we'll find it.

Are you sure there's
nothing else I can do for you?

Yeah. I can take it from here.

If you need me, I'll be
down at the morgue.

I've got a boss who's been on hold
so long, he's getting cauliflower ears.

You'd better go
make nice with him.

And Quincy, thanks.

You're...

You're all right.

There you go again, lavishing
all kinds of praise on me.

Good luck.

Or don't you believe in luck?

Not usually but at this point
I'd rather be lucky than right.

I want samples of anything

that could possibly
be the culprit.

A "too many" samples
are a lot better than too few.

Beverages too,
and water fountains.

Now, I want samples
all coded for location.

As you know, the botulism
bacteria is colorless and odorless,

but it's often accompanied by bacterial
growths which can be quite pungent.

It can also produce a gas,

so I want you to look for
swollen cans and keep sniffing.

All right,

the vendors' supply
room, I need a team

and the caterers' kitchen,
the employee lunchroom.

If you have any trouble with
cooperation or access, come and see me.

Any questions?

Okay, let's go.

Hey, Bobby, you
going to fill these holes

or are you going to wait for
the crowd to fall in on Sunday?

Did he ever bring his own lunch?

Sometimes, I guess.

But I know Ray didn't
brown bag on the day he fell

because he was supposed to meet his
girlfriend for lunch. But he never made it.

Did you see him drink or eat
anything at all that morning?

No, but then I'm no
den mother either.

I only saw him, when he arrived.

Maybe a couple of
times in the morning,

and then...

When I sent him up there.

That's about it.

He dropped off the hot dogs, we
schmoozed a little, and then he left.

Did he look okay? Did you
notice anything unusual?

He seemed fine like
always. It's such a tragedy.

He didn't eat or
drink anything at all?

Nothing.

We haven't even made a
pot of coffee in the last week.

We were just getting
ready for Sunday.

Did you put any condiments out
on the counter, like pickle relish...

I'm sure we didn't.

Well, we're going to
have to get samples.

Show them where we
keep the condiments, Arthur

I heard that Ray
Norris, the electrician,

he had this same poison in him?

Yes. And a woman too.

I know.

I didn't want to
frighten Arthur but...

Tell me, what the
hell is going on here?

Mrs. Green, when I
know the answer to that,

we'll all be a lot safer.

Arthur,

you know that
chili that went bad?

- Yeah?
- Nobody ate any, did they?

Are you crazy, woman? I dumped the
whole jar down the drain, every last bit.

That's good. I thought so, but I dunno,
I just got scared there for a minute.

- What about Thursday?
- Sorry, Eddie.

Well, how about the
following Tuesday?

I told you I'm busy.

Struck out again, huh?

You've got to
keep trying, Danny.

- I was afraid you
weren't going to show up.
- I almost didn't.

I was hoping this
could be a celebration.

- Bad news?
- For people.

Not for lab mice,

not one of the animals
we tested died. Nothing.

Not a trace of botulism
anywhere. We struck out.

- What do you want to drink?
- Same thing.

Did you check everything?

Like the canned goods?

From the vending machines to
the cans the concessions use.

We checked out everything.

Beverages, even popcorn.

What about the drinking
water? Could that be the source?

It's very unlikely,
but we checked out

the drinking fountains
and the office coolers.

But it has to be there!

Quincy, we put that
building through a sieve!

The lab's been working
around the clock.

We even checked the coffee
shops and the restaurants

in the immediate
vicinity of the stadium.

You did confirm that Mrs.
Davenport was there on Monday?

Yes. A guard remembered
her picture and a ticket seller.

Well, I just can't believe
that three total strangers

from three different
sections of town

just happened to ingest the
same botulism at say a restaurant

and then happen to meet at
the same place, Franklin Field.

I can't buy it.

I agree with you that the toxin
was consumed at the stadium.

But the department
has taken a stand

that the source
is no longer there.

They are not gonna
move the game.

But suppose they're wrong? Suppose we
missed something and the hazard is there.

Listen, no matter what they
do, we've got to keep working.

If you were cutting
sections, you'd lose a finger.

- What are you doing here?
- It's Sunday.

I didn't want you to
worry all by yourself.

- You are still worried,
aren't you, Quince?
- I'm petrified.

Everybody's walking
around like everything's

terrific, like the
storm is over.

The truth is

we could be facing the worst
health disaster we've ever known.

But every single sample taken from the
stadium comes up negative for the toxin.

And there hasn't been so
much as a mild case reported

since the three victims
were struck on Monday.

So I guess the theory is the
source was moved or destroyed.

How can they know that for sure?

They're using 90,000
lives to test a theory!

I'm telling you,
botulism is still there.

We just haven't found the link between
the stadium and the people, that's all.

- Are you and Janet
still going to go?
- Yeah.

We'll be watching the crowd for signs
of food poisoning more than the game.

You like her, don't you, Quince?

Yeah,

I wish I'd met her under
different circumstances.

Lab. Fujiyama.

Yes, he's right here.

- Quince.
- Who is it?

Janet.

- Yeah, Janet?
- Our luck just ran out.

What happened?

That little girl, Pele, the one we
ran into outside Franklin Stadium?

The little soccer
superstar, what about her?

Well...

They found her late last night curled
up inside a phone booth at the stadium.

She's alive but she's
not doing very well.

I'm at the hospital now.

They called the Department
of Health Services

because her symptoms
matched those in our medical alert.

What is the symptomology?

Classic, for botulism poisoning.

They're just
starting the antitoxin.

Oh, that poor kid. Can they
tell what the source was?

Unfortunately not, there wasn't
enough residual food in her stomach.

Okay, now, there's no doubt now that
poison is in that stadium somewhere

just waiting and we're
running out of time.

Now if we don't move fast, that
field is going to be littered with bodies.

I'll meet you there
in 20 minutes.

- Doctor...
- Your daughter's
holding steady.

We've pumped her stomach,
cleaned out her system,

but the poison has been
acting on her for several hours.

We didn't know, Doctor, we
thought she was at her aunt's house...

Is she going to be all right?

If the Public Health Service hadn't
warned us to look for these symptoms,

the diagnosis would've
been a lot rougher.

Can we see her?

She needs her rest now.

But do you know for a fact that whatever
poisoned that child is on these premises?

I don't believe you! What
does it take to convince you

- that there's
a significant danger here?
- Proof!

How many bodies constitute
proof, Mr. Mercer? Five, 10, 100?

All I'm saying is the
stadium can't possibly cancel

this event today, unless there's
a clear danger to the public.

And if there is such a danger,
then why haven't the courts

or your superiors in the Health
Department demanded it?

That might just happen.

You don't seem to realize
what it would cost to play it safe.

Look, this series happens
only once in four years.

There are millions
of people out there

waiting for this to be
satellite-d around the world.

This isn't just a game we're talking
about. The money involved is staggering.

How can you talk about money?

If we let the people who come in
here today be exposed to that poison

after we've had ample warning,
who's going to pay for that mistake?

If necessary, we'll
post warnings!

Post warnings? Don't you realize
we are dealing with a killer so deadly

that a gallon of it can wipe out
half the population in California.

Everybody who
comes in here today

will have his life threatened
because we don't know

where it's going to
strike next or who.

But we do know there's a little girl
whose life is hanging by a thread.

I'm telling you, if you let
this game go on as scheduled

and we don't do
anything about it,

you'll be playing Russian
roulette with 90,000 lives.

I said I'd listen to the courts.

I don't have to listen to you!

Mr. Mercer,

are you eating here today?

Heart rate, 120.

So far, there's been no
response at all to the treatment.

Let's have another
vile of antitoxin.

- Quincy, I think we did it.
- What'd they say?

My department has just
given the word to Mercer.

And we are backed by the court. Judge Perry
has already issued a restraining order!

They're really going
to scrub the game?

They didn't go that far,

but the order forbids
the selling or dispensing

of all food and beverages in
the stadium, until further notice.

That should remove the
danger for now, anyway.

I hope so.

I am certainly
going to feel better

when we find this contamination
and do something about it.

Yeah.

- We better tell
the concessions, huh?
- Okay.

Excuse me.

I'm afraid I've got
bad news for you.

What is it?

The Health Department has ordered
all food operations here to shut down.

They found another
case of botulism poisoning.

But you tested
everything, didn't you?

You said the
problem wasn't here.

- Why do we have
to suffer for it?
- Madeline, please.

These folks are
just doing their jobs.

Everybody shuts down, right?

Even the peanut vendors.

That's the way it's gotta be.

Lot of good food's
just gonna go to waste.

I'm sorry.

Not as sorry as we are.

I'm going to have a drink.

Hey, no, don't drink that water!

Why not? We tested
every fountain Tuesday.

Not every fountain.

The escalator was broken then.

These plates

were stacked up against the
wall here, they hid the fountain.

There's no way this fountain
could have been tested on Tuesday

because there's no way they
could have seen this fountain.

Sir, can I talk to you please?

Sure.

When did they get that
escalator working again?

Last night. They were waiting on a
part since they shut it down Monday.

What time Monday?
When did they take it apart?

About noon, I guess.

So between noon on Monday and
Saturday night when they fixed it,

there were no new cases because nobody
was able to drink out of that fountain.

Except last night,
that poor little girl.

It must be the source.

I want you to get a
maintenance man.

I want to shut that fountain
down and get me some barricades.

Sure, right away.

How long before the game
starts and people start coming?

About three hours.

I'll get a sample to
the lab right away.

All right, that's it.

- The water's off.
- Thank you.

We won't have any
conclusive proof until tomorrow,

but the water sample was
heavily contaminated with bacteria,

probably spoiled beef.

It has to be the source.

Is there any way that spoiled
food could get into the pipes?

Well, the fountain out
there and this sink here,

they're at the end of the line,

and whenever we have a
problem, it's always here,

especially when
the water is off.

Well, that makes sense.

Something that was
heavily contaminated

with botulism got
dumped into the sink here,

the pipes got shut down and
we have ourselves a vacuum.

Water and poison
got sucked up in here.

This is the villain that
shouldn't have been here.

Could it have
happened that way, Earl?

Well, I don't know
about botulism.

But what he said about the
siphoning, that can happen,

and we did shut off the
water around here Monday.

All right. Thanks, Earl.

Monday? Did you say Monday?

Yeah, that's right, Monday.

- I threw some bad
chili down there.
- You what?

I went to get
something to clean it up.

Somebody had already
done it when I got back.

I didn't think something
like this could happen.

That's great, great!

Okay, okay...

So what do I do now?

Barricade all the fountains and
order bottled water before the game.

You'll have to flush
out the lines right away.

Let it run. We'll pump chlorine into the
system until we've killed all the bacteria.

All right, I'll get
on it immediately.

It's going to be pretty tough
to enjoy the game right now.

Why? Everybody's
safe. Let's give it a shot.

- Okay.
- You know,
you really were terrific.

Hey, when you lavish
praise like that upon me,

it's very difficult
for me to be down.

Let's have a hot dog.

Dr. Chapman.

Well, it took a while, but the
antitoxin is finally doing its job.

Oh, thank God.

The neurological
problems are reversing.

But I wanna warn you, it's gonna take
some time before she gets her feeling back

and her muscles under control.

But I think she's gonna be okay.

She asked if she could watch the
World Cup this afternoon on television.

You can go in and see her now, but
make it short. She's still very weak.

Thank you.

I couldn't believe it! Four to three,
with that last shot in the extra period...

I didn't think it
was going to go in!

I caught part of it on television. I bet it
was pandemonium when they scored.

Not to mention the other score,
crowd ninety thousand, botulism zero.

- Oh, yes sir.
- How did Janet like the game?

She loved it.

Oh, what a pleasant
surprise. Sit down.

This is Sergeant Brill,
Lieutenant Monahan,

you know Doctor
Asten, Sam Fujiyama...

Janet Carlisle,
Doctor Janet Carlisle.

- Did you go see Pele?
- Yeah, I just left. She's doing fine.

And guess who was
leaving when I arrived?

- Who?
- A couple of
the winning players.

They must've heard
what happened.

- The kid must have
been on cloud nine.
- Yeah.

What about the water samples
you took from the fountain?

They were laced with
Type A botulinus toxin...

Do you realize how close you
came to drinking some of that?

It's a miracle you
guys caught it in time.

Hey, we got a
couple of heroes here.

- Johnny?
- Yeah?

Drinks for everybody on me.

- You're going to buy?
- Yeah.

Talk about miracles.