Quincy M.E. (1976–1983): Season 6, Episode 1 - Last Rights - full transcript

Help me, I'm sick!

If you're talking
about overdose,

that's not enough to do it.

We're supposed to be
talking about drowning.

Drowning?

I just wanna make sure
that that new coroner just

leaves this thing alone.

The family will not
consent to any autopsy.

I don't need that consent.

Yeah, that's it Strychnine.

Why do you think all these
people are running around like



a pack of conspirators?

We could be looking at murder.

I don't mean to be
disrespectful, Doctor,

but by what definition
are you call this man alive?

Gentlemen, you
are about to enter

the most fascinating
sphere of police work,

the world of forensic medicine.

So this old lady says,
"Gimme another round."

So the bartender, he
pours her another drink.

So about an hour later...

You've been going on for
about an hour, Lieutenant.

Just let me finish it, will you?

- Hey, there they are!
- Charlie.

Sorry we're late,
but you know all



those banquet guys, making
long-winded speeches.

You should listen to him.

You should've heard his little

excursion into infinity.

Sit down, Joe.

All right, Danny. What
are we waiting for? Where's

the champagne I ordered?

Get the man, Diane.
What are we celebrating?

We're celebrating the
eminent Medical Examiner,

Doctor Charles Volmer,
who just won this.

Well, if he won it, then
why are you holding it?

Because, he's a little
modest. He wanted to

leave it in the car.

Hey, Charlie, what
did you discover?

A seven-sided bug?

Doctor Volmer did a
study on a crib that caused

an infant to smother.

Because of the results he
came up with, the product

was taken off the market.

Sure. "United Consumers

Annual Award for Merit."

How about giving us a little
progress report, Doctor Volmer?

What's really happening
with the new job?

Well, I gotta tell
you, it's fantastic.

I mean, you have no idea what
it's like in other parts of the country

that have never had a
Medical Examiner's program.

Never knew, or cared.

Or even had the slightest
notion of the kind of

things that we do.

Every day, there's another
challenge that simply

blasts you out of
your complacency.

We're improving the
lab, educating people,

solving cases that went
by without a second look,

and I'm getting a chance to
do some serious research like I

did with the crib.

Well, hell, what can I
say? It's almost intoxicating.

"Intoxicate" is the secret word.

You win the prize. It's
on the house, gentlemen.

Hey, Johnny, you wanna
hear a good bartender story?

No.

Charlie, are you saying they never
had a coroner before you got there?

Listen, until six months ago, the
coroner was the local funeral director.

Who knew as much about pathology
as the corner druggist probably.

I mean, they passed
a whole new law.

I mean, created a Medical
Examiner's program from scratch.

Yeah, as crazy as it seems, something
like fifty percent of the population

lives under jurisdictions
without a program.

Charlie, a lot of people in a lot of
places are gonna be watching you.

What you're doing there could serve
as a model for the rest of the country.

Listen, don't think that I
don't feel the pressure.

Hey, I'd like to make a toast.

Quince, while I remember,
could I speak to you for a moment?

Sure.

I brought along something I'd
like you to run through the lab.

We have a textile
mill outside town,

and I think it's becoming
a real health hazard.

Some of the workers are even
wearing masks to filter the air.

This one of them?

Yeah, I'd like you to
check it with the S.E.M.

I need to know the
particulates that are involved.

We're spending a lot of money,

but electron microscope's a piece
of equipment we haven't gotten yet.

I'll call you as soon
as I get the results.

Hey, will you guys
stop talking shop.

I've been holding this glass
in the air for ten minutes.

We wouldn't want you to stop from talking.
Go ahead and make your toast already.

I didn't say I wanted to say
anything. I just wanna drink.

Well, then, I'll say it.

I miss every one of you guys.

Corey.

Corey, do you
know what time it is?

Wanna wake up your mother?

Corey? Corey?

Corey! Oh, God!

Corey?

Corey.

Why? Damn it, why?

Sheriff Ivy, please.

Chuck, this is Wayne Fields.

Corey's dead.

He just died.

No, it won't be necessary.

We won't be needing a coroner.

It was a terrible accident.

He was swimming
and he must've hit

his head or something.

I found him in the pool.

Oh, God, Chuck, how am I gonna

tell his mother?

Wayne, I was just
on my way over.

I can't tell you how sorry
I am. It's so incredible.

I know.

How could it happen? Corey
was such a good swimmer.

Bill, he didn't drown.

He took something. Drugs.

Oh, my God.

Look, I need your help.

If Ruth finds out
how it happened,

it'll just tear her to pieces.

But I thought Ruth knew
about Corey's problem?

Past few years, I had her pretty
well convinced he'd stopped.

Sometimes I even
believed it myself.

Bill, that boy meant
everything to her.

You know, she couldn't
have another child.

Corey was her whole life.

I understand.

If she finds out it was
drugs, it'll kill her, too.

I swear to you, she will
not be able to handle it.

What do you want me to do?

Well, I had the Sheriff take him

to Grossland's Mortuary.

I just wanna make sure

that that new coroner
just leaves this thing alone.

But I thought he was in L.A.?

Sheriff says he's
coming back this morning.

Okay. Well, don't you worry.

Now you go home,
where you belong.

And you take care of Ruth.

And I promise you, I'll
take care of the coroner.

There will be no problems.

- Thank you, Bill.
- Sure.

You go on and you tell
Ruth. Give her our love.

And we'll be over just
as soon as we can.

Right.

Dad?

What happened?

Corey Fields.

He's dead.

I don't believe it.

You talk to your
kids. You talk to them.

You plead with them and
they still don't listen to you.

How old was he, seventeen?

Dad, what happened?

Can't you guess?

Dope?

Tell me, Son, please just
let me hear you tell me.

You will not get
involved with that stuff.

You know I won't.
It's stupid. I told Corey.

- Good morning.
- Good morning, Doctor.

How was the big city?

Smoggy. Crowded.

People on treadmills,
but nice to see old friends.

- I'll bet.
- Where's the award?

Do you know my wife wouldn't
let that out of the house?

She told me about
the Fields boy.

I think we better get
on that right away.

I'm sure his family
would appreciate it.

The body isn't here.

Why not?

I guess some private doctor
signed the death certificate.

The body never came
here. It's over at Grossland's.

Well, did you call them?

Look, just because I
go away for a few days,

doesn't mean the
system has to shut down.

I'm sorry. I'll call
them right now.

Never mind. I'll do it myself.

Make damn sure it
doesn't happen again.

Look, Doctor, Simon
Grossland used to be my boss.

I know that.

He's been waiting to stick it
to you for a good long time.

Well, terrific, Ned. 'Cause,
that works two ways.

Where's Corey Fields' body?

- Inside.
- It was supposed to come to me.

Well, you can't have it.

Look, Mr. Grossland, I know
you don't like me and I know why.

But if you hold onto that
body, you'll be breaking the law.

We have a family involved here.

It is their child,
Doctor Volmer.

And they don't wanna
see him sliced to pieces

just so that you can
collect a paycheck!

All right, let me
spell it out to you.

Now Section Ten of the
new Coroner's Law states that,

"The coroner will investigate and
determine the cause of death in all cases

"involving criminal violence,
neglect, suicide, and accident."

Now, that's what we're talking
about here, Mr. Grossland.

An accident that
nobody even saw.

So unless you get that body
over to my office by one o'clock,

I'll take legal steps
to get it there myself!

- Here's
the police file, Doctor.
- Thank you.

- Commissioner.
- Hi, Doctor.

You know, I could never figure out
why they write these things in Latin.

Maybe it's to make
people like me feel stupid.

Oh, come now.

Commissioner, you happen to be one of
the most enlightened men in the County.

Come in.

Flattery will get
you everywhere.

- Coffee?
- Thanks.

You know, it's
true, Commissioner.

Without you, this new Coroner's
system would still be in the Dark Ages.

Well, thank you.

Well, Doctor, I know that
you know why I'm here,

so there's no
point in our trying

to be coy with each other.

Bad news travels fast.

All right, let's talk
about Corey Fields.

Because your local
undertaker is going to jail,

unless he gets that body over
here in twenty fast minutes.

Do you know who
Corey's father is?

Wayne Fields. Yes, I know.

He builds roads.
And he builds bridges.

And pays taxes on about
twelve million dollars a year.

That's right.

He's also a very fine man and a good
friend who would never let you down.

Now he sees no reason for
his son to have an autopsy.

And neither do I.

Commissioner, I want
you to know something.

There's nothing worse for me,
than dealing with the death of a child.

I have two of my own.

My heart goes out to every parent
every time this thing happens.

Then why do it?

To find out how he died.

He drowned!

He hit his head on something.

And he went over
somehow. And he drowned.

Did you see him drown?

I mean, would you
testify to that in court?

All right, the long
and short of it is this.

The family will not
consent to any autopsy.

Well, I'm sorry. I
understand how they feel.

But I don't need their consent.

You should know that. You are one of the
people who helped create this new system.

No, no, no. Not this.

Would you listen to
yourself, Mr. Sullivan?

The first time it stings a little,
you ask me to look the other way.

I'm asking you for a
little understanding.

For a man and woman
who need no more suffering

than they've already had.

Because they don't care
about the damn cause of death.

They want you to keep your
hands off the body of their son.

And I promised them you would.

I'm surprised you
did that, Mr. Sullivan.

Because that's in
direct violation of the law.

Just remember
this, Doctor Volmer.

You're here as our guest.

It wasn't easy getting
approval for you.

Or for the new system.

We had to settle for a
six month trial period.

And if I'm not mistaken, the
hearing for that comes up next Friday.

So think about that.

It should be quite clear to
someone who's smart enough

to understand Latin.

Did I just smell
fire and brimstone?

Well, anyway, you must've scared
the daylights out of Grossland.

They just delivered
Corey Fields' body.

Well, what do you want me to do?

Get him ready, Ned.

That's all I wanted
to hear, Doc.

That's good enough for me.

How are you, honey?
No, no, everything's fine.

I just wanted you
to know I might be

a little late for dinner.

Okay.

The edema fluid from the lungs
is full of intact red blood cells.

If they had come in
contact with water,

they would have burst.

Take a look.

Seems pretty clear he didn't
die the way everyone says he did.

He didn't drown?

No indication of cranial trauma.

The lividity pattern shows that the
body was laying on a hard surface,

several hours after death.

I mean, that was long before
he wound up in the pool.

Then someone put him there
to make it look like he drowned?

Why do you think all these
people are running around

like a pack of conspirators?

We could be looking at murder.

Let's not jump to
any conclusions.

Not till we run a full tox
on the blood, liver, urine.

Man, I can't believe all this.

Well, you just hang around.

If I'm still here after
Friday, you just may see

a whole lot more.

- Hey, you okay?
- Yeah.

Are you?

Just as long as you're sure
you know what you're doing.

- Now,
what's that supposed to mean?
- Just that...

Well, you even joke
about it yourself sometimes.

- My stubborness.
- Yes.

Sometimes it gets in the
way of your common sense.

And later, you actually
are the first to admit it.

You know what it
sounds like, Helen?

It sounds like you're asking
me to buckle under, too.

I want you to be happy.

All of us, I mean.

We're finally getting
comfortable here.

I like my job at the bank.

The kids have stopped moaning
about missing their friends.

And you've been more excited
and fulfilled, than I've ever seen you.

And what price do I
have to pay for that?

Do I have to find out which
way the wind is blowing

every time I have to
make a tough decision?

I just don't wanna see
everything fall apart.

Damn it, I don't wanna
put on blinders every time

a politician wants a favor!

(PHONE RINGING)

Mr. Sullivan was the
one who brought us here.

Yes, that's right.

And we owe him our
gratitude. And that's all.

(PHONE RINGING)

- Hello?
- Charlie?

Quince, is that you?

- I wake you or something?
- No, no, no. I was just
sitting here with Helen.

Did you find out anything?

Well, several things.

All of which you'd expect
in the air of a textile mill.

But nothing dangerous?

Well, I didn't think so
until I took a closer look

at some of the
cotton fibers I found.

Microparticles small
enough to cause Byssinosis.

Brown lung?

Yeah, well, that's just
about what I expected.

Better get in touch with the
management down there.

Potentially, there's
a real problem.

The management already
knows. They just don't give a damn.

Well, somebody
better put a bug in their

ear. Otherwise, you're
gonna have fatalities.

I've seen it in Atlanta.
I've seen it in Pittsburgh.

It's not a pleasant way to die.

Boy, what I'd do for a
dime's worth of your expertise.

Make these fools
sit up and listen.

I thought that award would
make you the man of the hour?

Listen, when I got back this morning,
I walked into a big political mess.

Next week, there probably
won't be a program anymore.

- Why?
- Well the usual.

People only want the truth
when the truth is convenient.

What am I telling you? You
face it every day of the week.

Is there any way I can help?

The buck stops here,
Quince. Not in L.A.

I mean it. You know how I
feel about what you're doing.

Thank you, my friend.
I appreciate the call.

My best to Helen. Give
her a kiss for me, will you?

I will. And thanks again.

It's gonna be all right, honey.

I know it is.

- May I help you?
- Yes, I'd like to see
Doctor Volmer, please.

- Quincy!
- I was in the neighborhood.

You son of a gun!

I don't believe it!

Neither does Asten.

You flew... I don't know
what the hell to say.

Just hello, give me a cup of coffee,
show me around. Do some things.

Absolutely. Donna, call my wife
and tell her Doctor Quincy is here.

No, No, No. Don't call my wife.

I mean, I'll call
my wife. C'mon.

I've gotta show you. Boy,
you're a sight for sore eyes.

Atomic absorption spectrophotometer,
gas chromatograph, a UV spect...

You've got yourself quite
an operation, haven't you?

Quince, I can't tell you
how I appreciate this.

If I ever sound the way you
sounded on the phone last night,

I'm sure you'd come and help me.

What are we gonna do
about that mill of yours?

Well, we're not gonna
get inside that's for sure.

You've tried?

Of course, I've tried. They
have gates, they have security.

The owner won't even
answer my phone calls.

- Doctor Quincy,
my assistant, Ned Duncan.
- How you doing?

What a pleasure! You
should hear him talk about you.

Well, we have a mutual
admiration society going for us.

I've been doing a
tox on Corey Fields.

This is that little political
bombshell I mentioned last night.

Blood alcohol level, .12.

Hello! What have we here? Drugs.

Amphetamine, .046
milligram percent.

Well, if you're talking about
overdose, that's not enough to do it.

We're supposed to be
talking about drowning.

Drowning?

Sure, a simple accident
in somebody's private pool.

It's not so simple now, huh?

The amphetamine had an
accomplice. There's a foreign substance.

Well, that's a significant spot
for a thin layer of chromatography.

- You couldn't
identify it, huh?
- No.

I want you to keep trying,
Ned. Quincy and I'll pitch in.

Where's Sam now?

Never mind Sam. You came
here to work, so let's work.

What the hell is she doing here?

I don't know, Sir.
We've been inside.

Well, you get her out of here!

And if she sticks her
nose inside that gate again,

I want her arrested!

And you make damn
sure she understands that!

It looks a lot better than when
I first talked to you, Mr. Webb.

We've pretty well contained
it to the bale breaker unit.

Who was in the ambulance?

Roy Kelly.

A fan broke down
over number six unit.

And he went in to fix it. That's
when the explosion occurred.

Engineering figures that
a spark must've set it off.

That's one of the
areas we were cited for.

I know that. Anybody else hurt?

No, Sir. He was the only one.

Knocked him off a twelve foot ladder.
Crushed the whole back of his head.

They're taking him
over to Stoker Memorial.

Ed, before anyone gets the wrong
idea about how this happened,

there was no explosion.

Kelly lost his balance,

fell off the ladder and
that's what started the fire.

- That's pretty hard to buy.
- Embellish it.

Use your Phi Beta
Kappa imagination.

God knows it's cost
me more than it's worth!

Yes, sir.

I'm sorry, Ed. I'm going
inside and check the damage.

You hustle on over to engineering
and tell Gil Franzen how to report this.

Make it simple, so an
idiot can understand it.

Then report it into the Chronicle. We
don't want them snooping around here.

Ed.

Don't let me down.
I'm counting on you.

Quince, here is the
amphetamine peak

and here is our mystery
contaminate peak.

- We can't identify them?
- No.

Excuse me, Doctor Volmer.

Commissioner Sullivan, I would
like you to meet Doctor Quincy

from the Coroner's
Office in Los Angeles.

- How do you do?
- How do you do?

My secretary said
you wanted to see me?

Yes, that's right.

Shall we go to your office?

No, that won't be necessary.

Doctor Quincy has been looking
over my shoulder on the Fields' case.

He knows what I found.

And I think you do, too.

Doctor.

It was drugs.

This isn't generally known, but
Corey's mother is not a well person.

She's been away
to several places,

if you understand
what I'm saying.

She still isn't right.

Corey was her whole life.

He meant everything to her.

If she finds out
he died on drugs,

I literally believe she
will never ever recover.

I didn't know anything
about this Commissioner.

I wish you'd told me. I
don't wanna hurt anybody.

I can't change my report,

but I can try to keep this
between us and Corey's father.

Sounds like a
reasonable solution.

If you really mean it.

Because I'd hate
to go to that hearing

believing that our Medical Examiner
was a man who lacked compassion.

- Enjoy your visit.
- Thank you.

What you have to
understand, Doctor,

is all my employees
are like family.

So whatever it takes to keep
Roy alive, I want you to do it.

You need special equipment, special
people, get it. Cut through red tape.

We've got to save him. I
don't care what the costs.

- I'm not worried
about the cost.
- Don't.

I'll be accountable for every
cent. I'm personally involved here.

You see the thing is, Mr. Webb,
he's in extremely critical condition.

His cranium, his skull,
sustained irreparable damage.

Nothing is irreparable, Doctor.
This is the golden age of medicine.

So you get in there
and take care of that boy.

Cliff.

Cliff, I got here as soon
as I could. How is he?

Not good. Not good at all, Bill.

What did he do?
Fall off a ladder?

Yeah, that's what happened.
Nobody's fault, but his own.

He just didn't use common sense.

Well, let's hope and
pray he recovers.

Can you imagine what
will happen if he doesn't?

What a stink that
coroner will make for.

He's been out to nail me
ever since he got here.

Cliff,

this accident didn't
happen because, I mean,

you did correct those
safety violations?

Bill, if I complied with
everything they wanted me to,

I'd be out of
business right now.

Making a plant safe that
I can't even afford to run!

And besides, what the
hell would this town do

with 1200 more people standing
in the unemployment line?

But I am going to comply.

Right down to the letter.

As soon as I get that money
for the expansion program.

But if that coroner
goes off, half-cocked,

we won't get voter approval
for one shovel of dirt.

Well, you can have your
say at the hearings on Friday.

Now you hold on, Bill.

I think it was your idea to get
him down here in the first place.

All that campaign dribble about bringing
Stoker County into the twentieth-century.

Portraying yourself as a man of
enlightenment and a man of vision.

So don't you talk
about any hearing to me.

He's your pet. And if
you can't housebreak him,

you're gonna be
part of a big mess.

That a lot of people are
gonna have to sweep away.

Yeah, that's it. Strychnine.

I don't understand.

Well, strychnine acts as a stimulant
on the central nervous system.

Now, occasionally you'll find a dealer
who actually cuts his drugs with it.

Says it's a high. But
it's a deadly poison.

Yes, and it's not just a contaminant!
It's the thing that killed Corey Fields.

Ned, you'd better get
Sheriff Ivy on the phone.

What about your promise
to Commissioner Sullivan?

This poison will kill anybody
who puts it in his mouth?

I can't keep that a secret.

Then you want me
to call Sheriff Ivy?

Yes, that's what
I want you to do.

If it wasn't for Bea, here,

I'd be fighting this battle against
the mill all by my lonesome.

She's a self-appointed, one-woman
committee against the apathy around here.

Don't make it sound
bigger than it is, Charlie.

Well, listen it's true.

She's been plugging
away for years.

As a matter of fact, you
know that mask you tested?

Bea was the one that
got it smuggled out.

What do you think
about the accident?

- What accident?
- At the mill,

there was an
accident. An explosion.

One of the workers is critical.
They've taken him to Stoker Memorial.

- Cotton dust?
- That's my guess.

If there's enough
dust in there to ignite,

can you imagine what
it's like to breathe in there?

Well, your tests proved that.

No, that's not proof.
That's just an indication.

Well, what would
it take to get proof?

Well, I'd like to go
inside, do some tests.

Forget it.

I mean they kicked
me out on my ear

just because I dared to
ask a few simple questions.

Or we could try to find some direct
biological evidence by doing an autopsy.

According to Charlie, you
do suspect some deaths.

Well, if you'd like to start counting,
you can start with my father.

He worked for them
for twenty years.

He gave them his life, and
they said it was just emphysema.

But I remember how sick he
used to get when he went to work.

All the coughing, the
tightness in his chest.

He got weaker and weaker. He
couldn't even lift a spoon to his mouth.

Oh, no brown
lung. It was the dust.

You know, if they
had the program then,

that one autopsy alone
would've been proof.

Oh, my God, Charlie, you
gave me an awful thought.

About the man that
had the accident?

Well, he worked in
the bale breaker room.

That's the highest risk area
as far as breathing goes.

If he doesn't live, he may be the
first solid evidence we have ever had.

The punch line is that the
little fish said to the big fish,

"I just ate my best friend."

You're too much.

You know what
your problem is, Cliff?

I mean, your education
has been sadly neglected.

Now, if your daddy had sent
you to the right finishing school,

you'd have the answer to
paradoxical mysteries like that.

Senator, I'm afraid the only
finishing school I went to was

a machine shop
down at the plant.

That's where my daddy started
me when I was sixteen years old.

It's where I crushed my leg and
got my first of three broken noses.

So you see, my education
has been slightly less formal.

Well, if you ask me, more kids
should be brought up that way.

This country wouldn't be in
the kind of mess it's in right now.

Don't you agree, Bill?

Yeah, sure. Definitely.

Don't mind him, Senator.
He hasn't been quite the same

since he brought that
new coroner down here.

Well, it's my understanding
a lot of people are upset.

Isn't that always the case
when you try something new.

My understanding is that
he's been cutting out organs

and selling them wholesale to
hospitals all over the country.

It's the budget of this thing
that's beginning to bother me.

To tell you the truth,
he gives me the creeps.

Well, seems to me we've got the perfect
chance to send him packing next Friday.

Now, I'm already sold.

So it's really up to you, Bill, to convince
the other members of the committee.

I mean, you're the one
that spearheaded this thing

and you're the only
one they'll listen to, right?

I mean, you will
testify, won't you?

That's the one thing I
always liked about Bill.

That's the principal reason
I always supported him.

He's got the guts to stand up in
front of the world and admit he's wrong.

Well, you were wrong,
weren't you, Bill?

Sure, he was. And he's gonna walk
into that hearing room and say so.

Good, you got here fast.

Are you sure he's on
an external pacemaker?

I'm positive and wait till you see
the equipment they've just flown in.

They've been flying it in?

Courtesy of Webb Industries.

And I also found out the
EEG hasn't registered anything

since they took him
off the ambulance.

No brain activity at all?

Since the first day.

Can I help you, Doctor Volmer?

How long has there been no
response on the electroencephalograph?

Since he was brought in.

It's a miracle we
even got him breathing.

How about the central
nervous system?

Cortical functions
are wiped out.

Only the involuntary
systems are functioning.

Not by themselves.

No, they're only kept
functioning by all this.

I don't mean to be
disrespectful, Doctor,

but by what definition are
you calling this man alive?

He's breathing.

There's a heartbeat.

Oxygen is being taken in.
So is intravenous nourishment.

By artificial means.
Nothing more.

We're simply trying to do
everything we possibly can.

Where I come from in
California, death is defined as,

"Irreversible cessation
of brain function."

In this state, too.

Then why haven't you
declared this man legally dead?

Until I receive
instructions to the contrary,

I'm forced to consider
him critical, but still alive.

And you're gonna let his family
go minute to minute on false hope?

All for the benefit
of Clifford Webb?

Excuse me.

From what I've seen here, Doctor,
I have to conclude that this man

is legally and physically dead
and has been for more than a day.

All right, off the
record, I agree.

But it isn't my decision.

And you're just gonna let
this charade go on and on?

Look, even with the
pacemaker and the respirator,

he's only gonna last
for a few more days.

I couldn't care less about Webb.

You get Mrs. Kelly's
permission, I'll disconnect.

But that's up to
you, Doctor Volmer.

No, no, no. It's up to Mr. Webb.

Mr. Webb wants to keep that man
in limbo till after Friday's hearings.

Because if he can get rid of me, there
won't be any autopsies around here

for a hell of a long time.

And certainly not
for industrial murder.

Which is what he, and
his father before him,

have been getting away with
for longer than I'd like to imagine.

Nobody has ever
proved brown lung.

Isn't that funny?

Now, isn't that
very, very strange?

Speaking from painful
experience, Doctor V,

I think you put
your foot right in it.

Quince, my foot is
exactly where it should be.

Help me, I'm sick. I got
some bad junk in me.

This is reception, we've
got an emergency OD.

I'm dying, man.

Yes, and please hurry, Frank.
It's Commissioner Sullivan's son.

It's a bummer. They
sold me bad junk.

It's killing me.

- Gentlemen.
- Perfect timing, Glen.

Just finished the tox on
those samples you sent over.

Did you find anything?

You better believe
it. Strychnine.

Just like we found in Corey
Fields and Lance Sullivan.

Then we hit pay dirt.

A whole stinking batch.

Lance spilled his guts
and named a local dealer.

We busted the guy
in his own garage.

He was cutting the stuff
and making up the capsules

less than three blocks
away from the high school.

Fantastic.

Sometimes, you get lucky.

Sometimes, you don't.

Have a good day.

Bill, I don't think I
could've survived.

I know, I know, darling. I know.

Can you imagine how it must
be for Wayne and Ruth Fields.

No, I can't even imagine.

All I can do is thank God.

You two might as well go
home and get some rest.

He's gonna be sleeping off
the medication for a while.

- All right.
- All right.

- Bob?
- Yeah?

There's no way we
can ever thank you.

It's Doctor Volmer
you should be thanking.

Because of him, we knew
what we were dealing with.

I can't honestly say I could've
saved Lance's life without his help.

Now, that's kind
of a shame, Bill,

'cause I hear that he won't be
around here after the witch hunt

you're holding
tomorrow afternoon.

May I have your
attention, please?

Thank you.

Ladies and gentlemen,

what we are holding here
today is merely a hearing.

At the end of these proceedings,

this committee will make
its recommendations

to the full Senate,

whether or not to continue
the Medical Examiner system

in Stoker County,

under the provisions
of Bill S-874.

When I was coroner, I
operated by two simple principles,

reverence for the dead,
compassion for the living.

Now, I regret to say that
our new Medical Examiner

is apparently guided
by other considerations.

Time after time,

funerals have been
needlessly delayed,

while he does heaven
knows what behind doors,

which I am told are sealed
off and securely locked.

Now, add to that the
expense of making his butchery

presentable to
grieving relatives

and you begin to get an idea

of what we're up against.

I think that more than anything,

I resent the implication
that our town is nothing

but a nest of disease
and violent crime.

Now, I've lived
here a long while

and I know the truth
to be quite opposite.

Now, the question
here is whether we need

an outsider to come in here

and blast away at
things in our lives

that we hold sacred
and precious?

Do we need that?

Or should we focus our
attention on the future?

On jobs and employment
that will be created

if we all pull together

and insure the expansion
of the one industry

that has ensured the
survival of this town...

since my daddy first moved here

fifty years ago.

Doctor Volmer,

the floor is yours if you
care to make a statement.

If I may, Senator Kane,

I would like to yield
to a colleague of mine.

Doctor Quincy, Senior
Medical Examiner,

with the Los Angeles
County Coroner's office.

But before I do that, I
would like to say a few words.

I have been accused
here of a number of things.

And to many of
them I plead guilty.

Yes, I've stepped
on a lot of toes.

And yes, I have been stubborn

when looking for the truth.

And I'm certainly guilty of
putting your health needs

before your economic needs.

But that is my job.

I mean, that is the job of

a Medical Examiner.

Now, I didn't accept
this appointment

to win any popularity contests.

I took it to protect
our community

as best I could.

And if you see to it
to keep me on here,

I won't change.

Oh, uh... as to being
without compassion,

well, to that charge,
I plead innocent.

If there was anything
that I could do

to ease the pain of
Mr. and Mrs. Fields

and Mrs. Kelly,
short of cheating you,

believe me I would do it.

Doctor Quincy.

Ladies and gentlemen,
for the past hour,

I've listened to accountants

and businessmen talk about

priorities for progress.

They want modern
transportation, and bigger mills,

and a convention center to
stimulate the local economy.

I can't fault that those
are all worthy projects.

But there's no reason
to have to choose

between them and your
medical examiner program.

They can co-exist.

As long as Doctor
Volmer is honest,

and as long as
Mr. Webb is honest.

But, there's the rub.

Mr. Webb not only doesn't
want to put safeguards in his mill,

he is also trying to get
rid of the safeguards

you put on your community

in the form of a coroner system.

The program you've already
started can prevent an epidemic

and protect you
from criminal violence.

It's already saved the life

of an eighteen-year-old boy.

Every county of every state

needs a strong, competent
Medical Examiner system.

And they're all looking at you.

The whole country needs

more dedicated men
like Doctor Volmer.

But who would blame them
for refusing the challenge

if every time they
try to do something

they get slapped with a gag.

In God's name, don't
go backwards now.

Show the rest of the nation

that you care more about
the value of human life

than power, or pride,

or material things that can
only embellish the surface

of your wonderful community.

Thank you.

Thank you, Doctor Quincy.

I'm sure no one here doubts
the sincerity of your views.

However,

I would like to point out that
the business of government

is a little more complex
than you imagine.

Now, I think we
should like to hear

from Commissioner Sullivan.

And then I'm going
to ask for a motion

to move this to a vote.

Commissioner Sullivan?

We are waiting
for your statement.

Well,

this is the time when we
should all be objective.

Not be guided by our emotions.

I'm sorry, I'm not
made of granite.

Well, I think that any objectivity
I may have had is gone.

You see, my son,
Lance, is alive today

because of Doctor Volmer.

Not just because of his work

and his dedication,

but because of a new law
we had the vision to create.

A law which we seem
perfectly willing to destroy today.

Now, I know,

not long ago, I was
willing to destroy it, too.

But the gift of my son's life,

has made me put certain values

where they really belong.

Now just think about this.

If the Medical Examiner
system had been around

when Bea Thatcher's father died,

an autopsy might have protected
hundreds of other workers.

Might have saved him.

And saved poor Roy Kelly

from hazards, which I believe

have always been
in Mr. Webb's mill.

Hazards that are gonna
go right on being there

until the day comes when
we can all have the courage

to unite and take a
stand for human decency.

So if what we're
deciding here today

is what value to
put on human life,

this is one man
who must give you

a very personal answer.

I think we should support
Doctor Volmer and the new law.

Because this whole issue can
boil down to one simple question.

Whether we give a damn anymore

about the truth?