Quincy M.E. (1976–1983): Season 6, Episode 2 - A Matter of Principle - full transcript

You wanna take the best lab analyst
we have ever had and bury him?

The patterns don't match.

Are you tryin' to tell us
we got the wrong guy?

If he believes he's correct,
that's how he'll testify.

I am not going to let this maniac
go free so he can do it again.

Sam, we had him we had him
cold and you let him get away.

At one time you were
the meanest dude I knew.

Nah, I've changed.

Besides, how could we punish Sam
for doing something he believes in?

I never trusted another
human being like I trusted you!

Gentlemen, you
are about to enter



the most fascinating
sphere of police work,

the world of forensic medicine.

(TV PLAYING)

(LOCKS DOOR)

(SCREAMING)

You see what I saw?

Yeah. Let's check him out.
He looks dirty as hell to me.

Right. Go cover the other end. And
call it in. I don't like the way it feels.

You got it.

Hey, put your hands against
that wall, spread your feet.

I don't understand
what's going on...

Right this second, neither do I.

But whatever it was, you
dropped a couple of souvenirs.

Fits right in there.



Okay, this one's a blowup of the
bite wound from the rape victim.

And this one's from the
impressions I took of the teeth

of the suspect over
at the county jail.

- Bingo!
- Matches perfectly.

Like a three bar jackpot.

Not exactly the terminology
I'd use in my report.

But I'd say it's
a positive match.

I'll call Monahan and tell him to get
over here. He'll be happy to hear this.

(SIGHS)

Ya know, I wanna tell you somethin'.
Sometimes you guys take forever,

but when you wanna move, you
can really come through for us.

- Was that
a compliment or a warning?
- Ah, maybe 50-50.

- How's the girl? How's she doing?
- He cracked her pretty good.

She couldn't tell us much.
But she's got a lotta guts.

She wants to prosecute.

Yeah, thank God. Ya know, Quincy, some
of these poor girls can't seem to do it.

Guys that oughta be locked up in
cages are being kicked loose every day.

Well, you got no
problem with this case.

Well, you can say that again. I'll
give it to you in alphabetical order.

Number one, we picked him up
fifty yards from the scene of the crime

and number two, he just got
out of the slammer, hard time.

Rape and aggravated assault.

And number three, everything
matches his previous M.0.

The bite mark, the way he
got in through the balcony,

even the ski mask and gloves.

You just gave it to me in numerical
order, not alphabetical order.

What's the difference, Quincy?

As long as we nail him, and we've
got him cold with the bite mark.

The only alibi this creep has is that he
was going to meet some guy in the alley

at eleven-thirty at night, some
ex-con with a drug problem.

Ain't that a touching story?

Looks like you
lucked out this time.

- Yes, I did.
- SAM: I'm not so sure,
Lieutenant.

I've got something in the
EM lab all of you should see.

The thing is, I've been running my
own tests and doing a lot of experimenting

on tooth casts. You know,
microscopic comparisons.

Is that what the
gold-palladium coating's for?

Yeah. I've been working
on it in my spare time.

Now, in cases where we don't
have a distinctive pattern of the teeth,

the scanning electron microscope
gives me enough surface detail on a single

tooth to compare it with the
details of the depression of the skin.

Sam, look, don't get
too technical, huh?

Just keep it short and simple.

Okay. Now, this is an enlargement of
the skin and these are the bite marks.

See these raised
areas where I've circled?

They're the ridges and
islands on the edge of the teeth.

Like here, on this picture
here, the ridges here, island...

They literally form a pattern
like the rifling on a bullet.

Now take a look at the
cast of your suspect's teeth.

Notice the difference
between this,

and the victim's bite mark?
Now, how smooth it is.

No ridges, islands, nothing.

And this small chip here.

There's no sign of
it on the bite mark.

Wait a minute, what
are you trying to tell us?

Well, see for yourself, Lieutenant.
The patterns don't match.

Are you trying to tell us
we got the wrong guy?

I'm telling you this man
didn't bite your victim.

And I'm telling you the
odontologist said he did.

- There was no
question about it.
- Sorry, Lieutenant...

This goes a step beyond
the gross comparison.

What are you talkin'... Quincy,
are you gonna stand there

with your mouth closed?
Tell him he's wrong.

From what I heard,
I don't think he is...

I don't believe you guys!

Listen, I wanna tell ya.
I've got this guy here.

He was there. it was his M.O. Even
your expert said it was a bite mark.

I'll tell you, you or nobody else is
gonna stop me from putting him away!

Even if it's the wrong man?

You tell that to the District Attorney,
Mr. Thomas Edison, and see what his

response is, or better still,
why don't you let Asten do it?

That should be the
lynchin' of the week.

Look, Sam, I can
understand how you feel.

You have been fooling around
the lab you came up with what?

Sort of a new theory? So
hey, I guess in your field,

if you've got any ambition,
that's the way to go.

It hasn't got anything
to do with ambition.

- Barry, that's uncalled for.
- Believe me, please. I understand.

That's how science progresses.
That's how we got to the moon.

All I'm saying is this.

Is this the right time to try out
a new technique that has never

been proven by
anyone except you?

Why wait when I know it works?

Because you're going to be introducing
reasonable doubt, Sam, not proof.

Reasonable doubt. Based, quite
frankly, on the speculation of someone

who isn't even considered
to be an expert in the field.

Sam, you'll hurt the case.
You could blow it sky high.

How can I live with myself if
I didn't report what I've seen?

Sam, listen to me.

The normal method, the old method,
the method we have always used,

showed that the suspect's
teeth matched the wound.

- Is that true?
- Yes.

So what are we saying? That everything
that's gone before is meaningless?

Then what do we do about all the people
that we've convicted using that method?

The old procedure's still good.

But I'd be a liar if I said
it was a hundred percent.

What I'm saying is the electron
microscope just makes it more accurate.

Okay, I'll grant you
it sounds promising.

It sounds like it's going to be
a real help to us in the future.

But give it more time,
give it more testing.

Let your odontologist
play with it.

Give Dr. Schulman a chance to
do some really serious lab research.

He doesn't know as much about
the electron microscope as I do.

Robert, will you tell him what
he's doing for God's sake?

Tell him what he's doing!

Listen, I wouldn't presume
to tell Sam Fujiyama

anything about serious research.

He's way ahead of me. And his
scientific instincts are just excellent.

That's an intangible, Robert. What I
need from this office are cold hard facts.

Well, Barry, you seem to be most
happy when the facts from this office

- favor a conviction...
- That's not fair!

You know me better
than that. I've lost cases...

I have bent over backwards when
you gave me evidence that I believed.

When I thought
somebody was innocent,

I fought my superiors, even
when it hurt my own career.

I think that's terrific, but I
know that Sam Fujiyama's

no different than you are.
If he believes he's correct,

That's how he'll testify.

Okay. Okay, you do
your job and I'll do mine.

Well, that sounds
good to me. Right, Sam?

Sam...

whatever happens, please
understand one thing.

I like you, always have.

But that's gonna have nothing
to do with the way I treat you

when I go into that courtroom.

When I finish with you, you're
gonna think that I hate your guts.

And that's the way it goes.

No personal regard,
no sense of mercy.

I have seen the pain
of too many rape victims

and I am not gonna let this
maniac go free so he can do it again.

(OPENS AND CLOSES DOOR)

Sam.

Be right.

All right, Mr. Fujiyama, you are
employed by the Coroner's Office,

and you have worked
there for six years.

Would you please tell us if you
have any degrees in odontology?

- No, sir.
- Physics?

- No, sir.
- But what about medicine?

- No.
- I see.

Well, exactly what
qualifications do you have?

- Bachelor of
science in chemistry.
- That's it?

- Uh, yes.
- Just a general
level college degree?

Like thousands and thousands of
people who graduate every year?

- Yes.
- I see.

Now, in developing this, uh,
so-called technique of yours,

was it ever authorized by
anyone in your department?

No, sir.

Oh, so you were fooling
around with this on your own time

using department facilities?

I wouldn't call it fooling around.
I was trying to help develop

forensic odontology
in a new area.

Without any degrees
that qualify you to do that.

You don't need a
degree in odontology...

Mr. Fujiyama, please
correct me if I'm wrong.

This is the first time
that you ever tried using

your technique
in an actual case.

Yes, but I've run tests
that have confirmed it.

Oh, really? Would you
please tell us what kind?

- I made bite
marks on my own arm...
- You bit yourself?

Yes, then I made casts of my teeth.
Also bite marks and casts of, uh,

- other lab personnel.
- Did you bite them,
or did they bite you?

(LAUGHING)

- Objection!
- Sustained.

And no more
grandstanding, Mr. Clark.

I apologize, Your Honor.
I simply couldn't resist.

Mr. Fujiyama, you are a what?

- A lab analyst?
- That's correct.

I see, well, then if you were to
come up with some new technique,

you could get a lot of attention.
Might even get yourself an article

in one of the
scientific journals.

Yes, I suppose so.

Oh, that'd be pretty
impressive, wouldn't it?

Might even get you a promotion
or a raise. Maybe if you were lucky,

you could get it called
the Fujiyama method.

- That's not why I did it!
- Oh, no? Well, have you taken

your results to an independent
expert for verification or testing?

No, not yet.

Well then, I submit that you are a
bit of an opportunist, Mr. Fujiyama.

Objection!

I submit that you have taken an
unknown technique into this courtroom

- to make a name for yourself.
- Your Honor, objection!

- It's more
preposterous than scientific.
- He is badgering the witness.

And before I am
finished, Mr. Fujiyama,

everyone in this room
will know exactly why.

CLARK: Doctor Winters,
stop me if I'm wrong.

You are chairman emeritus of
the American Society of Odontology.

You hold MD and DDS degrees,

you teach odontology
at Stanford University,

and still find time to do
research for the government?

You make me sound
immodest, but yes.

Then, I suspect you are highly
qualified to give an opinion

as to Mr. Fujiyama's
so-called method.

- I'll do my best.
- How accurate is it?

Well quite simply, it's
not very accurate at all.

Would you please tell us why?

Well, first of all, human skin is not
a good enough impression material

to replicate microscope
details accurately.

Uh, excuse me, Doctor.
Let me understand this,

what you are saying is that in
using an electron microscope,

the bite details in a bite pattern
do not register accurately?

That's correct. But that's
not the only problem.

The other cause of trouble is
the skin's elasticity. You see,

the skin stretches
and the skin contracts.

So when you fill a bite wound
with, uh, impression material,

the skin gets
pushed and distorted,

changing microscopic details.

I know what he's saying. But
my controls matched perfectly.

Doctor, for Mr. Fujiyama to be right, it
would mean that two different people,

with the exact bite pattern would
have to be involved in the same case

on the same night.
Would you please tell us

what the chances of
that happening are?

Oh, a million to one.

Just one more thing, Doctor.
Using the methods of comparison

that have been accepted and
proven in courts all over the world,

what are your
findings in this case?

Well, I examined the
evidence, and, uh, in my opinion,

the bite wound on the victim's body
was made by the suspect's teeth.

Your witness.

Uh, Doctor Winters, let
me, uh, understand you.

Are you saying that there's
no possible way Mr. Fujiyama

- can be correct?
- Not in this case.

Now, I'm... I'm not talking about this
case. I'm talking about his technique.

Are you saying that it doesn't
make any scientific sense at all?

- I didn't say that, I...
- But could it work?

- Possible
sometime in the future.
- Yes, possibly.

"Yes, possibly." All right,
now let me ask you this.

The entire field of bite mark evidence,
when was it first introduced in court?

In this state, uh, 1975.

- That recent?
- In other states,
earlier than that.

Huh. So it's a relatively
new form of evidence?

Yes.

Was it doubted when
it was first introduced?

Well, any new scientific
technique is usually doubted.

Doctor Winters, thank
you for those candid words.

Doctor Quincy, you've heard
Mr. Fujiyama's character assassinated,

blatantly and deliberately
assassinated right here in this room.

Would you characterize him as an
opportunist seeking self-aggrandizement

- through these proceedings?
- Absolutely not.

As a forensic pathologist, could you
give us some idea of his value to you?

Well, he's one of the most dedicated
and skillful scientists I've ever known.

Could you tell the jury

if there've been any other
instances in which Mr. Fujiyama

has developed new
techniques in forensic science?

Well, as a matter of fact, there were
a couple of times when I was ready to

throw in the towel on a few cases and
Sam would come up with some evidence

or a new technique
he'd developed.

Do you believe there's validity
in the testimony he gave today?

Yes, I do.

Are you a hundred
percent certain?

Well, as a scientist
evaluating a new technique,

I'd have to admit
there's room for doubt.

But would you also say that the new
technique offers a reasonable doubt

as to whether the defendant's
teeth made the bite mark?

Yes, it does.

Thank you very much,
Doctor. No further questions.

There are very few
absolutes in this world of ours,

very few things or ideas that we can point
a finger at with total certainty and say,

"That's it! That's
the way it has to be!"

But this morning, I'm going
to point my finger straight at

the most fundamental
and absolute

cornerstone of our
entire system of justice.

And that, ladies and gentlemen,

is the issue of
reasonable doubt.

Now, in our free society,
when a person goes to trial,

he or she is presumed
innocent until proven otherwise

by a preponderance of
evidence to the contrary.

Now... nobody wants to put

a murderer or rapist

back out on the
streets of our city.

But better we do that...

Better we allow a dozen
guilty men to go free

than base our system
on the opposite premise,

that all of us are guilty
until proven innocent.

So...

let us consider that
very carefully today,

in the case of the
defendant, Robert Denbo.

All evidence presented by the
prosecution has been circumstantial.

With the exception of one thing.
The wound found on the victim.

And now even that has been called
into question by the probing eye

of a new scientific technique

discovered by Mr. Fujiyama.

Now, you musn't let that
word "new" frighten you.

Doctor Winters, the
prosecution's forensic odontologist,

tells us that the entire
field of bite mark evidence

wasn't introduced until
only as recently as 1975.

Only a few years ago his own
testimony would've raised eyebrows.

But don't forget the
words of Doctor Quincy,

a man who enjoys the respect of
every medical examiner in this country.

He tells us that Mr. Fujiyama

is one of the most skillful and
dedicated scientists he's ever known.

And he also clearly and
correctly stated that after seeing

all of the evidence
presented here,

there is an undeniable
sense of reasonable doubt.

And as long as even
one shred of that exists,

you are duty-bound to find
Robert Denbo not guilty as charged.

(GAVEL BANGING)

JUDGE: Will the
defendant please rise?

"As to all counts,
we find the defendant

"not guilty as charged."

(ALL MURMURING)

It is the verdict of this court that you
are not guilty and therefore discharged.

Thank you.

(ALL CHATTERING)

ASTEN: The both of you
should be proud, very proud.

Listen, I don't know how to
thank you. I mean, with my record,

I didn't think I had a shot.
Believe me, I didn't do it.

I was just doing my job.

Look, if you ever need anything,
you just pick up a telephone

and you call me, okay? Anything.

- Sure, Bob.
- Thank you.

- NANCY: It's not clear, Sam.
- I'll fix the focus.

Ah, there we are.

What you have to do is pay
particular attention to the ridges

- on the edge of the tooth.
- Yeah, I see them.

It's the impressions from these
ridges I was able to see in the bite mark.

Wow, that's really fantastic.

I'll bet it is. Listen, I hate to break
up this fascinating seminar, Nancy,

but I have to talk
to the professor.

- Oh, sure, Doctor, I'm sorry.
- Maybe we can have
coffee later, Sam.

- I'm dying to hear
all the rest of it.
- Sure, Nancy.

Aren't you ashamed of yourself,

using science to impress a
young innocent thing like that?

Oh, c'mon, Quince. She's
just interested in my technique.

That's what I mean. Maybe I oughta
develop one. My technique, I mean.

Hey, have you guys seen this?

- Sam, you made
the cover of Lab Science!
- Wow! That's sensational!

They even got you to smile.

Wait'll you see the story, except
they didn't mention my name!

Why should they?
You didn't do anything.

Listen, I hired him, didn't I?
Doesn't that say something?

Congratulations! Here,
put this in your scrapbook.

- What's that, a telegram?
- No, it's a police bulletin.

Nineteen-year-old girl just got
raped in the apartment building

where your friend Denbo
lives. Correction, did live.

Sam, we had him. We had him
cold and you let him get away.

- He's gone?
- Without a toothbrush.

- Will the girl identify him?
- How could she? She's dead.

What are you doin' here? I've
been looking all over for you.

- Did you finish
the Martinez report yet?
- No, I'm still working on it.

In here?

Well, I guess I've been going over
some evidence on something else.

Sally Glen...

Yeah, I've gone over this bite mark a dozen
times and I still get the same results!

I mean, look at this.

Now, this is a micrograph, shows
the detail of the suspect's teeth.

This is the bite mark
found on the first girl.

And this is from Sally Glen.

Now, both bite marks were
made by the same teeth.

But neither one matches Denbo's.

I'm pretty sure it's not him.

Sam, I have to tell
you how I feel, honestly.

I think it's too much of a coincidence
to have happened twice in a row.

Then you don't
believe my procedure.

Look, I just don't know yet.

Look, even if I distorted the casts in
the bite marks like they said at the trial,

how could both errors be
exact? A perfect match?

I'd like you to
explain that to me.

Sam, Denbo could've
made both bite marks,

but they wouldn't necessarily have
to match the impression that you have

because the impression you have was
made on silicone rubber. That's accurate.

His bite marks were made on skin. It's
inaccurate. It stretches, it shrinks back.

Now maybe, just maybe, Doctor
Winter at the trial was correct,

that skin is not a good
enough impression material.

If you're right and I'm wrong,
Quince, I'm responsible.

No, you're not responsible. Now
that's what I wanna talk to you about.

Doctor Quincy?

The boss wants to see
you in his office right away.

Okay. Sam, you're
not responsible...

I wanna talk to you about it. Finish
the Martinez report for me, will ya?

- I'll talk to ya.
- Yeah.

Oh, uh...

The Glen girl's parents are coming
down for identification in about an hour.

I expect you might wanna
handle the viewing yourself.

Yeah. Sam's been
through enough already.

Where ya going? Ya know,
you're always walking out on me.

I don't even finish talking
about what I have to talk about...

What do you want? What is it?

Quincy, you don't make anything
easy. Will ya sit down and let me talk?

- What?
- I have to take Sam out
of the lab for a while.

Why? Because he's depressed?

- Give him a little time. He'll be okay.
- It's not that simple.

The newspapers are having a
field day with this department.

I've got orders
directly from the Board.

Oh, that is terrific!

A little bit of heat and they're
already looking for a scapegoat.

Besides, how could we punish Sam
for doing something he believes in?

We're not even sure he's wrong!

Listen, this is way beyond right and
wrong, and the D.A. has made a point...

Yeah, called the
sweet smell of revenge.

Now, that's not fair. He acted according
to his beliefs just the way Sam did.

Listen, how d'ya think Sam's gonna
feel when every case he touches right now,

or looks at, or signs his name to,
is immediately going to be suspect.

Trial lawyers will jump on his results and
question them in cases all over this city.

And you know our
reputation for expertise

in crime detection is an
essential part of law enforcement.

It's as much a deterrent to
crime as the cop on the beat

or the helicopter in the sky.

I can't risk that
reputation, Quincy.

What's he gonna do? You gonna
give him some winter clothing?

You gonna send him to
Siberia? What ya gonna do?

In six months this'll be ancient
history. We'll move him back to the lab.

What about in the meantime?

Well, we have some
openings in histopatholocy...

What! Prepping specimen bottles?

Quincy, I had to argue over an hour
just to retain him. They want to fire him.

It's either histopathology
or he's out.

You want to take the best lab analyst
we have ever had and bury him?

You want him to label bottles
and cut micros like some kid

who doesn't know his ABCs?

No, no, no, no... I just
don't see any other way.

Well, you'd better find one.
Because Sam's work is his entire life.

Whatever label we put on him will
stick with him wherever he goes to work.

And if it's a bad one,
it could destroy him.

Sam, what are you doing here?

Sam, are you okay? Sam.

Am I responsible for this?

Is this what I've done?

No, Sam! Not even indirectly.
You did what you had to do.

But I was wrong.
That's why she's here.

We're not sure of that.

Wasn't it you who
talked about coincidence?

I let him go.

No, twelve people
on the jury let him go.

Yeah, because
they listened to me.

Maybe it was ego.

All of us want to
be right, don't we?

Only she's the one who paid.

- Ed.
- Yeah, Quince?

Get her ready for viewing,
will ya? Right away.

Oh!

Yes, that's our daughter.

When they're growing up,

you think of this happening
almost all the time.

Every time they go out.

Every time they're more
than ten minutes late.

You think about it with a terror

that's worse than anything
you can possibly imagine.

Then when it happens,
it's not even real.

People are talking, but
they're not talking to you.

You hear it and you just...

You just let it go right on by.

(SOBBING)

Mrs. Glen. Mr. Glen,
I'm Sam Fujiyama.

I'm sorry. Terribly sorry.

Just tell me why you did it?

Can you do that? Tell
me so I can understand?

- Mr. Glen...
- No, no, no.

I'm just wondering what
made him do what he did?

Please...

Why didn't you stop him
before he killed our child?

Maybe you can
make me understand,

so I won't hate you

for the rest of my life.

I'm sorry.

What are you doing here?

Waiting for you. Mr. Fujiyama,
I... I didn't know what else to do.

You're the only one he trusts. You're
the only one who ever tried to help him.

Where is he?

He's innocent. He's just as
innocent as he was before.

I want to see him.

He needs your help. He
hasn't got anybody else.

I want to go to him
right now. Get in!

I'm telling you the
whole thing is crazy.

I mean he's been... He's
been working a steady job,

meeting his parole officer, doing
everything he was supposed to do.

Bobby? It's me.

You!

What in the hell do
you think you're doing?

Are you okay?

What is going on?

Yes, this is an emergency.
Connect me with Lieutenant Monahan.

- Where is the other one?
- What?

The other vacuum tube. I always
use two redtops and two lavenders.

Sorry, I only got three
tubes. I'll get the other one.

Let's see what we can find.

No signs of heart disease.
No sclerosis of the arteries.

Muscle looks healthy.

Okay.

Sam... Mark, after I do the
heart, I always do the esophagus.

Now, I don't need a
scalpel, I need a knife.

Look, Doctor, I'm not Sam and I'm not
used to doing things the way you two do.

I'm sorry, Mark. You're right.
It's gonna take some time, okay?

Okay.

But don't stand there,
give me the knife.

- How you doin', old buddy?
- Terrific.

Heard about your flying tackle. What
are ya gonna do, try out for the Rams?

As a matter of fact, I've been thinking
about selling used cars for my uncle.

You can't do that,
your face is too honest.

Or maybe something in a private lab.
Because I can't stand much more of this.

- Sam, it's not
gonna be much longer.
- Another five or six months?

No! I'm workin' on
Asten every chance I get.

Yeah, that's like working on the
Rock of Gibraltar with a rubber mallet.

That's not fair, Sam. He's
really concerned about ya.

He's sure got a funny
way of showing it.

Hey, I got a great idea, why don't we
change and I'll take you out to lunch?

I'll take you to
Italy for some pizza.

I'll take you to Mexico for
some tacos. What do ya say?

Fine by me. The
farther away the better.

Look I'm afraid you're gonna
have to settle for Danny's.

See, I'm broke and he's the
only one who gives me credit.

Oh, thank you, Charles.

It's really kind of funny. I
always thought people like us

were the last of
the die-hard purists.

Above pressure, above politics,

above every form of temptation.

I always figured if a scientist
couldn't stand up in a storm,

with a sense of calm, and a
sense of vision, who the heck could?

I guess it took something
like this to make me grow up.

Growing up has nothing to
do with giving up your ideals.

That's just growing older.

Ah, maybe I should've done what
they wanted me to. Kept my mouth shut.

You couldn't do that if you lived
to be 180 years old. Thank God!

Well, look who's here.

What are ya guys
doin', drinkin' on duty?

No, I just dropped in to pick
up Danny's protection money.

Two on-duties, please.

John, the cops are here.
Two ginger ale, a pinch of lime.

What's with the snubbing?
What's going on, fellas?

Oh, nothing personal,
Quincy. Just shop talk.

- I didn't wanna bore ya.
- Never stopped ya before.

- It's a free country. Pull up a stool.
- What about Sam?

- No, not yet. Maybe later.
- Why don't you stop sulking?

- Act like a member
of the human race?
- Am I sulking?

No, but you don't
belong to the human race.

You guys are really something.
That man is dying an inch at a time

- and you're being cute.
- Look,
give me a little time, okay?

A guy gets hit in the gut it's kinda
hard to start breathin' right away.

That's a good analogy, Lieutenant.
I'll remember that the next time

we're rushing a tox report
for you on a Saturday night.

Oh, that reminds me. We want all that
stuff on the Denbo case, the photographs,

your report, the entire file.

You want it, call Sam.
That's his department.

What's all this about?

I've been gathering the
evidence on the Denbo case.

Oh, the sulking lieutenant
finally called, huh?

No, he had the watch
commander do it.

I'm glad he did, because I've
been going over all the evidence

- and the whole thing stinks.
- Oh, Sam,
why don't you turn it over...

Oh, now, don't turn me off. There's
just too many discrepancies in this case.

And I'm not even talking
about my procedure.

Oh, Sam, you gotta put it
behind you. We gotta go...

No, please, please
listen. Hear me out.

If you still think I'm wrong, I'll
never mention it again. Okay?

Okay, go ahead.

Okay. For openers, according
to the lab report, there was no

- traces of saliva
found in the bite wound.
- I know that.

Now, in three previous rapes,
the ones that sent Denbo to prison,

there were always traces of
saliva when he bit his victims.

Yeah, well, Sam, maybe he learned from
experience. He wiped away the evidence.

Oh sure, he goes to all that trouble,
but he's still dumb enough to sign

- the rape with his bite mark.
- But Sam,
that's an act of passion,

you're looking for logic.

Well, the only logic
here is there is no logic.

In the previous rapes, too
many things were different.

Besides the saliva, all the victims
were bitten during the act itself.

But Sally Glen was
bitten after she died.

I know, the autopsy
brought that out.

Now, here's the clincher. Take a
look. On the first three rape victims,

the bite marks were four
to five centimeters in length.

But in Sally Glen's case it's
seven centimeters in length.

Seven centimeters?

Right. Now it's highly unlikely

that a mouth that size
could open wide enough

to make a seven
centimeter bite mark.

You know, you might
be on to something, Sam?

There's one sure way to find out. But
I've got to have Monahan's permission.

You want me to call him for ya? No,
I've got to take the bull by the horns,

sooner or later.
I'll do it myself.

Okay.

(PHONE RINGING)

Yeah, Monahan.

Lieutenant? This
is Sam Fujiyama.

Oh, yeah, Sam, how's it goin'?

Would you be interested in some
new evidence in the Denbo case?

No, no, not really.

Well, I'd like your permission
to measure his mouth.

I'm pretty sure I can
prove that he's innocent.

Oh, you've got
another new procedure?

Well, not this time, Lieutenant.
Just plain old common sense.

- Oh? What's Quincy's feeling?
- Well,
he's here, and he agrees.

Well, look, Sam, I hate
to disappoint you two.

Especially when you're
talkin' common sense.

But the only problem
is your pal Denbo?

He's just confessed.

I never trusted another
human being like I trusted you!

Okay, then trust me now.
Because there's new evidence,

and I know I can help you.

Just trust me one more
time, for the both of us.

I'm in it too. Now
open it, all right?

I can give you back that
life that you've suffered for,

and you can give me back
mine. Now c'mon, open it up wide.

Okay, come on. Open it. Open it.

Wide as you can!
Now bite into it.

That's perfect,
beautiful. Now let it go...

You're innocent by two
and a half centimeters.

Your widest bite is 4.5.

The teeth that bit Sally Glen
opened to seven centimeters.

You'll never prove it.
Not in a million years.

Well, the problem is, I've
treated so many men from prison,

it's a little hard to remember
names. But we'll give it a try.

D... D... Denbo, Denbo, Denbo...

DeNard... Oh! Denbo. Bob Denbo.

Just the way it should be.

All right. He came
in for an abscess.

His mouth was in bad shape
and I did extensive bridgework.

You made casts of his upper
and lower jaw, didn't you?

Sure. Always.

Would you have then
here, or at the prison?

No, they're here. I keep 'em here.
It's safer and more convenient.

Could I see them?

Sure, no problem.
Denbo, Denbo, Denbo...

Let's see now,
Denbo... I know I saw it.

Uh, yeah, there
it is. Um, Denbo.

Are you sure, uh, is there
any way you can double-check?

Double-check, why?

Well, I thought... I
figured they'd be missing.

Well, they were, originally.
You see that number two?

- Yeah.
- That means it's
a duplicate set.

The first ones obviously
did a disappearing act.

Doctor, if you can explain that,

you don't know what
a blessing it'll be.

You'd have to work
around here to understand.

Ya know, anything that isn't
nailed down vanishes into thin air.

Some joker probably had
these hanging over his bunk.

Um, Henry Barton,
another prisoner,

Denbo told me he
was your assistant.

Yeah, and for a prisoner
he was very good.

I understand that when he got
out, he became a dental technician.

Could he have stolen
the original cast?

Oh, a hundred people
could've done that.

- Was he a problem
or a troublemaker?
- Not around me.

Maybe out in the yard?

In the yard? (LAUGHS) Mr. Fujiyama,
that's one place I hope never to go.

Thank you, Doctor.

You're welcome.

Ya know, you got a
lot of guts, I admit that.

And you've got the instinct of
a bloodhound. I admit that, too.

But what you don't have is enough
mercy in your soul to give me a break.

I've shown you physical
evidence. What more do you want?

Peace and quiet. Which means never
hearing the words "reasonable doubt"

for the rest of my life.

Otherwise you're gonna see a side of
my personality which you'd rather avoid.

Lieutenant, in all the
years that I've known you,

I've never asked
for a single favor.

We've worked together through a lot
of pretty hard and pretty trying times.

And I've always helped
you in every way I could.

Now I want you to help me.

Look, if you can't do it out of friendship,
then at least do it out of the debt

you owe me and you
owe the Department.

One favor, one time,

and we'll call it even.

You know what your trouble is?

You've been taking
lessons from Quincy.

Brill, would you mind
gracing us with your presence?

I'm gonna need a search warrant.

This kind of intrusion is
something we do not need.

Intrusion?

Yes, we happen to have a very
quiet and very respectable place.

You'll never know how
much we hope you're right.

See, everything
shipshape. Neat and tidy.

Now that should tell you something
about Mr. Barton's character.

I absolutely agree, sir.

Who else could live in a
nice, respectable place like this

- but a law abiding citizen?
- My feelings exactly.

- Hey, Lieutenant.
- Yeah?

Would you say there's
anything significant about these?

Matches perfectly. The
cast from Barton's apartment

matches these micrographs I made
of the bite marks of the last two victims.

Tooth for tooth, ridge
for ridge, they're exact.

Well, that's the frame.

Barton used this cast
to simulate Denbo's bite.

Yeah, that's why nobody
believed my technique.

I was comparing Denbo's teeth the
way they are now to the bite wounds.

You mean, his teeth
are different now?

Sure, after Doctor
Forbes made these,

he did bridge work and even
some cosmetic grinding on Denbo.

Of course, that didn't alter
the position of the teeth,

but it did change a
lot of the surface detail.

Yeah, Sam, what you've
done is absolutely brilliant.

But I think it's a little
early to celebrate.

Now, if we want to be certain
about gettin' this Barton,

we need to have more
evidence than just finding a cast.

Lieutenant, if you'll cooperate,
I think I have a good idea.

What ya say, Hank?

- Bobby.
- Long time, baby. Long time.

Boy, I mean, walkin' in here,

you almost gave
me a heart attack.

Yeah, I guess you probably
thought I was still in the slammer.

As a matter of fact, yeah. I've been
watching the eleven o'clock news.

You're very big when they start
talking about criminal assault.

Hey, I hope you weren't
crazy enough to bust out?

Do you think I'd do that and come here?
Put an old alumni like you in jeopardy?

I dunno, man.

At one time you were
the meanest dude I knew.

Nah, I've changed.
You know that, Hank.

I'm just as tame
as a kitten now.

That's not what the D.A. said about you
in front of about fifty different cameras.

He's wrong, baby.
Somebody's been framing me.

I thought maybe you could
give me a hand and figure it out.

I never met a guy from the joint
who didn't say he was framed.

Including me.

Only, I'm telling the
truth. I didn't do it.

But through the
process of elimination,

it had to be somebody
who knew my exact M.O.

I knew your M.O., Bobby.

You told everybody at group therapy
your deepest and darkest secrets.

Yeah, but the other guys,

they didn't have this stashed

in the place where
they lived, Hank.

That's the cast that made the
teeth marks on the last two victims.

Now, if you wanted me, Hank, why
didn't you just come and blow me away?

That wouldn't have
been half as much fun.

Ya know, you destroyed two people.
You killed a helpless little teenage girl.

Too bad you weren't there.
From what you told me in prison,

you really would've enjoyed it.

No, no, no. I cured my sickness.
And that's the problem, isn't it, Hank?

You've hated my guts ever since.

Uh, what was it they used
to say in group, lover-boy?

Misery loves company?

No, sickness
festers on sickness.

See that, Hank? It's a bug. Now everything
you've just said is down on tape.

Now the way I see it,
you got two choices.

You can either walk through that
door and give yourself to the man,

or you can try to use that to do
what you've always wanted to do.

Okay, which is it gonna be?

The second sounds a lot better.

Yeah, it does.
Much, much better.

Well, it's nice to serve you all
at the same table for a change.

- Thank you.
- Thank you.

Sam, look, I'll say it again.
As many times as you want.

I'm sorry.

Hey, listen, I was
beginning to doubt it myself.

I wish you could've been
there when Barton confessed.

Ya know we got a full confession?
It reads like a textbook on insanity.

Believe me, Mr. Barton will
never see the outside world again,

- except through bars.
- I'm sure glad for Bob Denbo.

I can imagine what it
must've been like for him.

- Hey, Quincy, where you going?
- Oh, look who's
here the Dolly Sisters.

Are you kiddin' with
that, fair weather friends?

Ah, listen to this. You're not gonna
let us live it down, are ya? Huh?

Well, obviously Sam has.

Yeah, maybe next time we
develop a new procedure,

you won't be so quick to jump.

Oh, we're learning.
Give us time.

Yeah, now you know
that teeth can talk.

Teeth can talk?

They told us who the murderer
was, didn't they, smarty?

Yeah, what's the big deal?
I've known a long time ago,

ever since I was a
kid, that teeth can talk.

You knew... You're knowledge of
science is limited to a pizza recipe.

(ALL LAUGHING)

I will prove... $20 says I will
prove to you that teeth can talk.

You say you wanna
bet $20 that you knew,

and you can prove that
teeth talked before this?

Proof is in the pudding.
Put up your money.

- Got yourself a bet.
- And I will prove
that I have known

a long time ago
that teeth can talk.

(LAUGHING)

You know what they're
saying, Quincy? I just won $20.