Quincy M.E. (1976–1983): Season 7, Episode 12 - Smoke Screen - full transcript

Well, with twelve deaths, you're
not only talking about arson,

you're talking about homicide.

Look, Dad, you know
I set fires. I admit that.

Larry Mitchell is innocent.
He didn't set that fire.

You mean, every
one of them is a...

You can say the word,
Doctor. They're pyromaniacs.

Sounds like somebody's trying to
frame me, make sure that I look guilty.

Yes, but who and why?

Fred, open the door!

I found something.

Something that could
clear him or indict him.



Gentlemen, you
are about to enter

the most fascinating
sphere of police work,

the world of forensic medicine.

Hi.

Hello.

I'm Larry. But I guess
you know that already.

I'm sorry. I'm not sure you...

Uh, are you done with your
drink? I'll get you another one. Miss!

Excuse me. I think
there's been a mistake.

A mistake?

Well, you're the only one here
wearing a red blouse with a scarf.

So?

You called me.

You said you were visiting your aunt
in the convalescent home where I work.



You said to meet you here. You'd
be wearing a red blouse with a scarf.

Hey, what's goin' on here?

It's none of your
business, pal. Buzz off.

That's my girl you're sitting with, which
makes it very much my business, pal.

Well, your girlfriend called
me up and set up a date.

Why don't you yell at her?

I don't know what
he's talking about Fred.

He just plopped
himself down here.

Okay. Buddy, get lost.

You got a problem, folks?

No, no. No problem.
It's a mistake.

Yeah, a very big
mistake on her part.

You got yourself a piece
of cheap trash there, mister.

Hey. Hey. Hold it, now.

Just calm down.

Listen, buddy, why don't
you just go on home, okay?

Yeah, I'm goin'. But
this ain't the end of it.

Not by a long shot.

Are you all right?

Yeah.

But talk about your kooks.

Yeah. Strange, huh?

Hey, buddy, have
you got a light?

Yeah, somewhere.

Thanks.

Station sixty, station
seventy-one, station twenty-four,

and truck fifty-one. Structure
fire, three-nine-zero-zero.

Fourteenth Street. Cross street,
Maple. Repeat, three-nine-zero-zero.

Fourteenth Street,
Cross street, Maple...

OCD for Battalion 23,

dispatch three additional
task forces to this location.

The west side of the second
and third floors is totally involved.

The kitchen is the hot spot.

The structure next door is
burning, completely out of control.

Now, witnesses said the
fire started here in the hotel,

spread to a dumpster next door,
and that set off the paint factory.

Markovich is already deployed
to handle the factory with his unit.

It's unoccupied, so
they can go full bore.

We'll work in from
the east and the north.

And make sure you've got enough companies
on the fourth floor to stop extension.

Use the B and C stairwells.

Well, the chopper just landed
another company on the roof,

and another one's on the way.

How's our water pressure?

Good. No drop
in pressure so far.

We're moving in
three more task forces.

How's the evacuation going?

The stairways are still jammed.

Evacuation is our
number one priority.

I want everybody out.

Then we can go full
tilt on suppression.

Yes, sir.

- Oh, Jim.
- Yes, sir?

Is that triage area
established for the injured?

Yes, sir, and we
do have fatalities.

I'll notify the
Coroner's Office.

Yes, sir.

- Doctor Glidden?
- Yeah?

We're from the County
Coroner's Office.

Oh, good.

I'm afraid five of the victims
we've rescued were fatalities.

There's a number of additional
bodies still in the fire area.

And we're still not contained.

Where are the
bodies you removed?

We put 'em over
there, by the south wall.

Let's go.

You're gonna be okay.

He needs some oxygen right away.

Take slow, deep breaths.
Slow, deep breaths.

This is one helluva kid.

Saved an old lady before
we got here, then went back in

and dragged out a little girl.

Feeling any better?

Make sure a doctor takes
a good look at him, will ya'?

Twelve fatalities.

And from the looks of it, only a
few of them even got near the flames.

Well, I think most of them
probably died from smoke inhalation.

Toxic fumes.

Hydrogen chloride, cyanide,
carbon monoxide, toluene.

There's so much plastic
materials being used in our lives.

Those people
didn't have a chance.

- Dr. Quincy, Dr. Asten?
- Yes.

I'm Captain McKenna,
from the Arson Squad.

Oh, you think the fire
was deliberately set?

Well, we usually investigate
with that in mind, Doctor.

Well, with twelve deaths, you're
not only talking about arson,

you're talking about homicide.

Absolutely. That's why I
wanna coordinate with you guys.

Now, first, uh, did any of the
victims sustain heavy burns?

Burns that might place
them at the origin of the fire?

A few. Over this way.

- Hello.
- Hi.

- Feeling any better?
- Oh, yeah.

Yeah, thanks. I just got
a little too much smoke.

I heard you were a
hero. Saved some lives.

No, I was just doing what
any fireman would do.

Sure wish I could be one.

Well, if you wanna be a fireman, why
don't you apply for the training program?

I did.

And, uh, I did pretty well on
everything except the, uh, scholastic test.

I came up two points
short of passing.

Two points short?
That kept you out?

Yeah, well, I guess they
gotta have their rules.

I have to wait six months now
to try again, but this time I'll pass.

I've been dreaming about
it ever since I was a kid.

You're the kinda guy
that'll make a great fireman.

I don't think two points
shoulda kept you out.

Next time I'll make it.

I'll bet you're right.

- Good luck.
- Thanks.

This is the last of the
victims from the fire.

A maid at the hotel.

Coroner's case 5973,
body of a female Caucasian,

Maria Hernandez, age forty-two.

Height, 158 centimeters,
weight 62 kilograms,

probable cause of
death, asphyxiation.

Where was the body found, Sam?

In the pantry off the kitchen.

That's near the
origin of the fire.

She must of been
shut inside the pantry.

There aren't any signs
of cutaneous burns.

Just a lot of soot.

There are minor bruises
on both upper arms

and superficial abrasions
on the back of the hands.

There might of been a struggle.

Take a look at the head, Quince.

There.

A large contusion and
abrasion on the back of the head,

with evidence of external
bleeding. We have X-rays?

Yeah, but the skull
films are negative.

What about clothing?
Was there any blood.

Yeah. I thought
you should look at it.

Stains on the collar of the
uniform, several on the right sleeve.

- The right sleeve?
- Yeah.

Check for blood
type, will ya', Sam?

Right.

I wanna examine the brain.

I have a hunch that we're gonna find
that this woman didn't get that contusion

by falling on the floor.

I wanted you to know that
we found evidence of foul play

in one of the
autopsies I performed.

A woman found at the
point of origin showed coup

but not contrecoup
contusions on the brain.

What does that mean, Doctor?

That means she didn't fall
and hit her head on the floor.

Something hard struck her head and
knocked her unconscious before she fell.

There were other signs of a struggle,
too. Bruises, blood splatters, etc.

You see, we think she stumbled
across someone settin' the fire.

They struggled
and knocked her out.

It seems this fire
was deliberately set.

It certainly was. Excuse me.

The point of origin for the fire was a
storage room near the kitchen of the hotel,

and that's where we found this.

What is it?

Well, it's a simple little time
bomb, made with a watch, a battery,

some steel wool, and a small
amount of flammable liquid,

probably grain alcohol.

You think it was set by
a professional arsonist?

I doubt it.

It's a torch's technique, but
I've never known one to set a fire

in a hotel full of people.

Well, there was a
paint store burned too.

Well, that looks
like a spread to us.

You see, burning debris from the
hotel ignited a dumpster in the alley

by the paint factory.

Went up like an inferno, and it
spread into the, uh, paint factory.

No, gentlemen, we... We
don't suspect a professional.

But maybe, maybe we've got
a pyromaniac working the area.

A compulsive fire setter.

Well, I hope you catch
him before he strikes again.

Maybe we have already.

You know, Brill is
checking out a lead.

Some guy was causing a ruckus
in the hotel bar just before the fire.

Guy by the name
of Larry Mitchell.

Larry Mitchell?

You know him?

He's a pyro.

Every arson investigator
in town knows him.

And he's the only pyro I
know who uses a torch's MO

Captain McKenna,
they got it all wrong.

I've been clean for over a year.

You know that.

Everything fits, Larry.

You're MO. to a "T".

Anybody can rig a watch.

You were in the hotel
bar before the fire started.

It says here you got in an argument.
"Very upset, volatile, made threats."

And you'd been drinking.

I had a few.

A lot, I guess.

I was feelin' pretty upset.

Larry, that's when
your trouble starts.

You're feelin'
bad, you get drunk,

you get belligerent and
you wanna start fires.

Didn't you feel like it, Larry?

Didn't you feel like setting a
fire, just to show everybody? Huh?

Yeah. I did.

I wanted to do it. But I didn't.

Why did I get drunk?

I know I shouldn't have done it.

I couldn't help it.

Brill... Better book him.

Okay, kid. Come on, let's go.

Come in.

- Dr. Quincy?
- Yeah.

Are you the one who performed
the autopsies in the hotel fire?

Yes, I am.

Well, I'm Martha Benedict
of the Arson Prevention

and Rehabilitation
Center. I need your help.

What for?

To find the person who
started that hotel fire.

But the police already
have a suspect in jail.

Well, but they're wrong.

How can you be so sure?

Dr. Quincy, it's
my job to be sure.

Larry Mitchell is innocent.
He didn't set that fire.

Jimmy, what you did was right.

You didn't panic,
you talked it out,

and that's a far cry from what you
would have done a few months ago.

Perry, you've been
pretty quiet today.

Yeah, I was thinkin'
the same thing.

He got drunk again.

Your old man?

He got his disability check,

he got drunk,

and he hit her.

Your mother?

Yeah.

And I didn't have enough guts
to do one damn thing about it.

And you just stood
there and watched?

No. No, not even that.

I ran out of the house.

Why didn't you call Martha?

Man, you must of
been comin' unglued.

That's the time
you've gotta reach out.

I guess I should
have, but I didn't.

Can you tell me anything
now? About how you're feeling?

Lousy. Ashamed
because I ran away.

Every time I say I'm
gonna face him, I run away.

Oh, but think what you used to
do when you felt helpless like that.

I'd start a fire.

And how did you feel about that?

Important. Like I, like I
was a man, not a baby.

Yes, but now you've learned
that that's not the appropriate way

to handle those feelings.

You've learned better ways,
like talking about those feelings

in front of this group.

Don't be too hard on yourself.

You're still going to get the same
feelings, you're going to feel angry

and hurt and confused,

but you don't have to
act on those feelings.

You can talk 'em out.

Well, I wanna go on
and talk this through.

You think you could meet
me here after school tomorrow?

Yeah. Sure.

Okay. Good.

I'll see the rest
of you on Friday,

and if you have any
special problems,

remember, you can
call me day or night.

Okay? Keep up
the good work, guys.

You're doin' great.

There you go.

See you tomorrow.

Well?

It's hard to believe.

You mean, every one of
them is a... I mean, sets fires?

You can say the word,
Doctor. They're pyromaniacs.

At least in the eyes of society.

To me, they're frightened,
needful children.

Can they be cured?

Some of them can be helped, but
most of them can be totally cured.

- Sit down.
- Oh, thank you.

Especially if I get
them young enough.

Eight, nine, ten years old.

- That young?
- Oh, yes.

As they grow older, if they
haven't been helped, it's harder.

Now, all of the boys you
saw today are doing terrifically.

Larry Mitchell was
part of that group.

As a matter of fact,
he was my prize pupil.

He never missed a meeting.

He has a good job and
is holding it, he's matured,

and his self-esteem
has increased.

He wouldn't have started a fire
because he was emotionally upset.

Doctor Benedict, I
hear what you're saying.

Really, I do.

And I know you have a deep,
emotional commitment to the boy,

but you see, to be honest, you're
not offering me any proof at all.

Well, the proof is my expertise.

My experience in dealing
with hundreds of cases.

Well, that's clinical progress.

You're talking about your
personal expectations.

Real proof would be
sitting in a room with him

when the fire started
fifty miles away.

But I don't have
any proof of that.

Oh, Dr. Quincy, you've gone
further than most people would,

and I know I shouldn't ask
you for any more of your time...

But I get the distinct
feeling you're gonna anyway.

Well...

If you'd just take one more
hour and meet Larry Mitchell,

I know you'd see what I mean.

Sure.

Two buildings burnt, 12 people dead.
What good a helping hand he's gonna be.

Look, Dad, you know I set fires.

I admit that. Lots of 'em.

But the last one
was over a year ago.

He's made tremendous
progress in that time.

With all due respect,
lady, you don't live with him

seven lousy days
a week like I do.

You don't know what he
thinks or what he does.

His mother's home in bed sick right
now, probably from worrying about him.

That won't work, Dad.

You're not gonna make
me feel guilty about Mom.

She's been sick with the flu
for a week, and you know it!

I oughta slap you in
the mouth right now.

God knows, I have spent
more time and energy on you

than on anything
else in my life.

Well, it's damn sure not my fault
you turned out the way you did.

Mr. Mitchell, the sooner you post
bail and get Larry away from here,

the better it will be
for everyone involved.

Lady, you gotta
be outta your mind.

I wouldn't post bail for him
if my life depended on it.

Leave him where he is.

I mean, you can't help
him, I can't help him.

Leave him here in jail before he
burns the whole damn world down.

Larry, I'm so proud of you.

You didn't lash out,
didn't get defensive.

You stood up to him, man to man.

What difference does it
make? I'm still stuck here.

Oh, no you're not.
I'm posting your bail.

See what I mean, Dr. Quincy?
He can deal with his emotions.

Larry did not start that fire.

Thank you for taking
the time to see me, Chief.

I did most of the autopsies on those
12 people that died in the hotel fire.

Yes.

It's terrible to see so
many lives lost needlessly.

And most of 'em didn't die from
burns, they died from smoke inhalation.

From inhaling toxic fumes.

Exactly.

Deadly gases produced by burning
plastics and other synthetic materials.

I know, Dr. Quincy. It's
an enormous problem.

- Well, please, take a seat.
- Thank you.

For the last fifteen years, we've been
trying to get tougher legislation passed

to limit the use of potentially
dangerous plastics,

like PVC in new construction.

The use of synthetics is so
pervasive in construction now

that it would be almost
impossible to eliminate it.

So what's the answer?
Just keep letting us die?

Well, there are several answers.

Combinations of things
that might provide solutions.

For instance, we're still pushing
for mandatory sprinkler systems

in all public buildings.

You mean they're not required?

Contrary to popular
opinion, they aren't.

If there had been sprinklers in that
hotel, the fire would have been put out

before we ever got there.

Well, what's holding
up that legislation?

Mandatory sprinklers?

That old stumbling block, money.

It's a costly process.

Builders and owners are
feeling overregulated as it is.

Forcing additional burdens on
them creates a very touchy situation.

But, we're still trying.

If ever there's a way
I can help, please...

If more concerned citizens
like you would come forth,

it would make a
tremendous difference.

I really appreciate
your concern, Doctor.

And if there's ever anything I can
do for you, please, let me know.

Thank you.

Oh, as a matter of fact, there
is something you can do for me.

There's a boy I met at the fire.
Brave kid. He saved some lives.

He wants to be in your department,
but he failed the scholastic examination.

That's no problem.
He can take it again.

Yeah, but he said he'd
have to wait six months.

It's a shame for him, and a
waste for your department.

- What's his name?
- Bergstrom. Andy Bergstrom.

I'll look into it, and it'll
get my full attention.

Thank you, very much.

I hope we answered
your questions, Doctor.

Yes, you did.

Only they weren't the
answers I wanted to hear.

- Hi. How are you?
- Hi.

Dr. Martha Benedict, I'd like you to meet
a very old and dear friend, Jake Carter.

Hello, Mr. Carter.

Uh, watch the "old" stuff, will ya',
Quince? She might take you seriously.

- Sit down.
- Thank you.

He used to be an
insurance investigator.

He's checked out a
lot of fires in his time.

I thought he might
be able to help us.

Well,

I'm beginning to
wonder if it's any use.

Martha, for twenty years I
was on the fire department

right here in Los Angeles.
I was on the arson squad.

I gotta tell ya', L. A. has some
of the top people in the business

I would be inclined to go
along with their findings,

but Quincy here,
seems to think that I...

I have some kind of
a knack or something.

Sometimes I do
smell things out...

Oh, will you stop being
modest? He's a real digger.

If anybody can help us, he can.

Well, to tell you
the truth, Mr. Carter,

right now things
don't look very good.

What's the matter?

I can't find Larry.

That's the reason I'm late. I tried his
house and the place where he works,

and no one seems
to know where he is.

You don't think he
jumped bail, do you?

I don't know.

All I know is I can't find him.

But he knows you want to help
him. Why would he run away?

Maybe he's scared.

Maybe he feels he has
no control of the situation.

Excuse me, there's a
phone call for a Dr. Benedict.

- Can't be Jake.
- I'm Danny.

The phone's at
the end of the bar.

Oh, thank you, Danny.

Tell me, uh, Jake...

Do you always dress
for the occasion?

What'd you do, pick
this up at a fire sale?

You like this outfit?

I did. I got it at a garage
sale on Fifth and Main.

I think it's really me.
Whatta you think, Dan?

Definitely not me.

Who's your friend?
Where did he come from?

Well,

did anyone else
see him besides you?

Any of the people
who live there?

Well, then how can you be so sure?
I think that's jumping to conclusions.

Well... Well, yes, but I...

All right.

Good bye.

What's wrong?

That was Mr. Fulcher,
director of the, uh,

convalescent home
where Larry worked.

He was just returning my call.

Did he find him?

Larry showed up
about an hour ago.

Fulcher,
humanitarian that he is,

told him never to come back.

And...

Now the whole place is on fire.

It's burning down to the ground.

Hi.

Larry!

Mom says everybody's been
lookin' for me. You and the police.

Where have you been?

Well, by the time you got
me out on bail yesterday,

I was two hours late showing
up at the convalescent home.

And guess who was standing
there in the lobby waiting for me?

Mr. Fulcher.

He fired you, didn't he?

Yes. And that's when
I should've called you.

Right then and there.

But it just seemed like the
whole world was caving in on me.

So I did a stupid thing.

I met a friend down at the beach
and we had a couple of drinks.

And then what did you do?

Well, I got pretty plowed,
as a matter of fact.

I spent the night at my friend's apartment,
and when I called Mom this morning,

she said everybody'd been
lookin' for me like crazy.

You don't really know
what happened, do you?

I told ya', I got fired because
the police said I'd been arrested.

Larry, after you left Mr. Fulcher,
the convalescent home burned down.

- Burned down?
- Yes!

Well, you don't think... They
don't think it was me, do they?

Of course they do.

It was a watch and steel
wool job, just like the other one.

But that's crazy. Why would
I do a stupid thing like that?

I'm just telling you
what happened.

Sounds like somebody's trying to
frame me, make sure that I look guilty.

Yes, but who and why?

I don't know, and I'm not
gonna stick around to find out.

I'm not gonna get any
breaks, that's for sure.

Larry! Larry, come back here!

You won't believe this. What I
do is, I go down to Fifth and Main.

They got terrific buys,
the rummage sales.

- The rummage sale?
- The rummage sales.

What ya say, Sam?

Hello, Jake. Quince,
I think I struck paydirt.

Whattya got?

Well, I've been typing the blood
stains on the maid's uniform,

and so far they've
been all type O,

but I just hit a group
of stains on the sleeve,

and it's different. Type B.

- B?
- Um-hmm.

You figure that's the
blood from the arsonist?

The maid surprised
him, they scuffled.

How do you figure
his blood got there?

Well, maybe she
hit him in the face.

Gave him a nosebleed.

And then he knocked her out, he
dragged her away into the pantry.

She was dragged.

There were bruises on both
her arms where he held her.

So if we find a suspect
with type B blood,

the blood that matches
the stain on the uniform...

Then we'll be on our way.

I'm gonna see if I can get a
blood type on Larry Mitchell.

All right.

Martha, have you seen Larry?

As a matter of fact, he was
here a couple of hours ago.

Well, where'd he go?

I don't know. He ran away.

Do you keep a medical record
of the people in your program?

To tell you the truth, Doctor, I
don't even have a program anymore.

What happened?

This morning I got a call
from Councilman Terry.

Two words, "Program canceled."

And I know damned well
what pushed it over the edge

was all the
publicity about Larry.

What happens to your kids now?

I'll keep going until my
savings are used up.

After that...

You know what really bugs me?

It's the priorities we
place on our money.

One New Years Day parade
could fund this program

until the end of the century.

What did you want Larry for?

I found something.

Something that could
clear him or indict him.

What do you mean?

We think the arsonist got
a nosebleed in a struggle

with one of the
victims of the fire.

We think he got his
blood on her clothing.

Well, I don't have
any medical records.

Why didn't you try his parents?

I did. They don't
seem to know or care.

Isn't this his jacket? The one he
was wearing at the prison that day?

- Yes.
- Oh, that's great.

I don't understand.

Well, if we're lucky we might get a blood
type from the perspiration on this jacket.

Dr. Quincy...

If he's guilty, this
will prove it, right?

Isn't it better to know?

Oh, come on in. I want you to
hear this. Come on. Come on.

Martha Benedict.

Dr. Quincy.

You standing up or
are you sitting down?

I got some news you're
gonna be interested in hearing.

You found his blood type?

Yes, I did. It's type A.

The blood from the
arsonist is type B.

Martha, did you
hear what I said?

It looks like Larry didn't
start that fire at the hotel.

Oh...

Thank you, Dr. Quincy.

Thank you.

Bye, bye.

Wasn't him, huh?

Nope. Martha
was right all along.

Well, that's fine.

I'm glad for her, but whoever
started that fire is still on the loose,

so I better do some hunting.

Oh, come on, will ya', Jake?

You got involved in the
first place because of me.

We cleared Larry Mitchell.

Let the police and the
arson team handle it, will ya'?

Yeah, but, uh...

Those twelve people that got
killed. I think about them and I...

I just don't feel like quitting.

- Y'know?
- Yeah, I know, I know.

- Hello.
- Dr. Quincy?

Yeah, Chief. How are you?

Fine, thanks.

I wanted to tell you that
I looked into that matter

concerning your
friend, Andy Bergstrom.

I don't know exactly
what he told you,

but the Fire Department
didn't reject him

because of his score
on the scholastic exam.

He was turned down because he
had a record as a convicted felon.

A convicted felon? Are you sure?

Positive. I can
show you the file.

He was arrested for
two counts of arson.

Arson? Listen, Chief, he saved
at least three lives at that hotel fire.

I asked our department
psychologist about that.

He said a lot of
pyromaniacs set fires

just so they can
perform heroic rescues.

Live out fantasies of being the strong,
secure people they perceive firemen to be.

In any case, I've already clued in
the police about young Mr. Bergstrom.

If he's guilty, they'll get him.

Thanks, Doctor.

And it's true, I always
wanted to be a fireman,

ever since I was little.

But you lied to Dr. Quincy.

You told him you took
the entrance examination.

I know I did.

I was feeling proud.

I'd saved some people's lives.

I guess...

I was pretending to be fireman

or that I could be.

Andy,

how long has it been
since you've started a fire?

I'd never start a fire
that would hurt someone.

But you do start fires.

Well, yeah, sometimes.

Sometimes I'll, at home...

I'll just roll up a
newspaper and,

and light it in the fireplace.

Just to see the flames.

I was, I was trying to control
it that way, and it was working.

Really, it was.

I didn't start that
fire at the hotel.

What were you doing there?

Well, I, I monitor
calls on my scanner.

I just love to see fl... Fires.

And,

I felt real important.

Okay, that'll be all.
Guard, take him away.

Please don't let
them do this to me.

I was trying to quit.

Please don't let them
come down on me now.

What do you think?

I don't think there's any
question that he needs help.

He's agreed to a blood typing.

That should let us know
whether or not he's lying.

And, of course, it was a
rotten shame to lose the factory.

We were in constant production.

Things were going very well.

The wife was upset
about the whole thing but...

But I told her, I said,

the moving finger
writes, you know?

We have our health.

Thank God there was nobody
in the plant when it went up.

Not like those people in
that hotel, rest their souls.

Uh...

Mr. Stagg, I've been
checking your records

and the files of the
insurance company.

I notice you decreased
your coverage recently.

- Yes.
- Why was that?

To save money. Times
are hard. You know that.

I'm always lookin' for a hedge
against what inflation takes away.

But now you won't get as
much of a payoff on your...

On your policy.

Well, if I'd known
there was gonna be a

fire, I guess I would
have, uh, not done it.

I found out that the
bulk of your product

goes to a Mendelssohn
Company. It's a paint,

that you're under
contract to supply them

for four dollars and thirty-nine
cents a gallon, wholesale?

- Yes.
- But...

For the past six months
it's been costing you more

like five dollars and fifty
cents to produce that gallon.

I do things like that to cut
back on insurance premiums.

Well, that makes sense.

But that contract with
Mendelssohn has two years to run.

At which point, it
would bankrupt you

if you tried to continue

supplying him with that product.

I'm not sure what you're
getting at, Mr. Carter.

And I also discovered

that you began discussions about
the possible relocation of your plant

with a real estate agent
about one week before the fire.

I do know what
you're gettin' at.

And I'm tellin' you

that you're nosin'
down the wrong trail.

Even a reduced
payoff on your policy

would present you with
quite a handsome sum.

You'd have to say that fire was a
pretty lucky break for you, wouldn't ya'?

I'm an easygoin'
man, Mr. Carter,

but I have my limits.

And you just crossed 'em.

We have nothing more
to say to each other.

Except for one thing.

I see very strong evidence
here of insurance fraud,

and a possibility of
homicide and arson.

Get outta here.

Go!

Yeah, this is Vinnie
Stagg. We got a problem.

Quince, I've been doin'
some nosing around.

I got some thoughts
about this hotel fire.

What're you talkin' about? The
cops already picked up a guy.

- A known arsonist.
- A torch?

No. A pyromaniac.

They figure he set the fire so
he could help rescue some lives.

That's a vanity fire. Are
you sure this is the guy?

Well, Sam's checking out the
blood type now. How's it comin'?

Looks dead on, Quince.

Andy Bergstrom's
blood is type B,

the same as what we
found on the maid's uniform.

That's not common.

Only fourteen percent of
the population have that.

Of course it's possible
the blood doesn't match.

We'll have to check
other genetic markers.

Genetic markers?
What's that mean?

Everybody's blood has
different protein molecules.

In each of us there
are different genes.

The proteins tell us
which genes we have.

So proteins are genetic markers.

Yeah. There are a
lot of different markers,

and if every single one
of them doesn't match up,

the blood came
from different people.

Sam, get started on the
electrophoresis, will you?

- Right.
- I'll buy you a cup of coffee.

Okay, you guys do it your way,

but frankly, I think there's
a lot more goin' on here.

I found out some kinda
interesting things about that,

uh, factory next door.

Uh, I've been doin this more
years than I'd care to admit.

There's nothing conclusive yet,

but I think that guy
torched his own building.

- The fire
started in the hotel.
- Did it?

Anyway, that's a good
way to throw off evidence.

Especially if he had it rigged

so the factory would go up too,

and make it look as if it
was a result of the hotel fire.

Jake, the, kid that
the police have...

So far he fits the pattern
and the blood type.

Yeah, well, it won't do me any
harm to check out the factory again.

But the arson team's already
been there. So have you!

I didn't get a chance
to look in the office.

Anyway, Quince, you know,
it's like when you do an autopsy.

Sometimes you'll miss something,
'cause you weren't lookin' for it.

- The second time...
- I can't argue with that.

Only this time we've got a lot of
conclusive evidence staring us in the face.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
You're probably right.

It's not gonna stop
you from goin', is it?

You know me, Quince.

I'm an old dog, set in my ways.

I'll see ya'.

Which genetic marker
is that, Esterase D?

Oh, that was a one-one.
This one's PGM.

What do you have?

One-one also.

Total match.

Well, so far, it looks like
Andy Bergstrom's our man.

What the hell are
you doin' here?

I'm just looking, Mr. Stagg.

Lookin' for what?

Well,

maybe something, maybe nothing.

For instance, uh, this desk.

Was that yours?

Yeah.

Well, it's...

It's been stripped completely.

There's no picture, no
personal mementoes, no...

No pen holder.

Looks like most of your
good pipes are gone.

See, it's not like
your secretary's.

There's a potted plant.
Her picture is there,

purse, some other things.

So?

It's almost as if

all the personal items
had been removed

so that nothing
would happen to them.

Now, this is the same circumstantial
crud you tried to lay on me before.

And, and then there's
the dumpster outside...

What about it?

Well, for instance,
when I took this picture

a funny thing happened.

See here? The, uh,

the trash removal
truck drove up.

And the guy was very angry

about his dumpster.

Well, I'm sure his
company will be reimbursed.

No, no, no. You see,
you're not following me.

The guy was teed off

'cause he had a hard time

finding the darned thing.

See, the dumpster
doesn't belong in the alley.

For the past two years he's been
picking it up around behind your building.

And what is that
supposed to prove?

Well, only that, uh...

If the dumpster had
been where it belonged,

your building probably
never would've caught fire.

- Do you know what I think?
- What's that?

I think you belong
in an institution.

I think you are
out of your mind!

Well, now, that happens.

You get old, and
things start to look funny.

And sometimes you can't sleep
nights 'til you find out if you're right.

I'm afraid you're
not goin' anywhere.

Whatta we got on Glo one?

- Two-one. A match?
- Yeah.

How many more tests do we have?

Just a few, Quince. The plate
should be through washing.

- Well, go.
- Oh.

GC is two-one.

Right. No, wrong.
You mean a one.

Nope. Look at the bands.

Clear two-one.

Then it's not a match.

It sure isn't.

Like we said to Jake,

"If all the genetic
markers don't match..."

It's not the same blood.

Then Jake was right.

Andy Bergstrom
didn't set that fire.

Then who did?

I don't know. But I got a
hunch Jake is on the right road.

He thinks that the owner of the
paint factory had the building torched

by someone who made it look
like a pyro set a fire in the hotel.

- Pretty clever.
- Yeah.

Jake was only going on instinct.

Maybe we oughta tell
him he's on the right track.

Let's go.

All right, move it!

I gotta hand it to you guys.

It was a pretty good scheme,
setting the kid up like that.

Listen, I'm not
interested in conversation.

Get in the closet.

I'm a little worried about this.

Isn't there something
else we can do?

Mr. Stagg,

fortunately you've got
nothin' to worry about.

Fred! Lemme out, Fred!

Don't do it! Open that door!

Hey, Fred, open that door!

Fred, open up, Fred!

Hey, Fred, open that door!

No. No, no...

God, no!

Now he set fire to us!

Fred, don't do it!
Open that door!

Fred, open the door. Fred!

Get down where the air is.
Get down low where the air is.

Sam, do you smell something?

Yeah. Smoke.

Sam!

Let's get the fire extinguisher.

You think he's still in there?

Can't take the
chance that he isn't.

I want you to call the fire
department and Monahan.

Right.

Jake!

Jake, are you in there?

Right here, Quince. Quince!

Hold it!

- Are you all right?
- Yeah.

Get him outta there.

You know, what I don't understand is
how that guy knew exactly what to do

to make it look like
Larry started the fires.

Well, we have to realize that
Larry enjoys a certain notoriety.

Yeah, I'm known to the police, the
fire department, the Arson Squad...

And a few professional torches.

This one thought it'd be smart
to set Larry up with his girlfriend,

then upset him,

then start a fire using
Larry's unique MO.

And the second
fire in the dumpster,

which would look like it
spread from the hotel fire.

The same man tipped Mr. Fulcher that
Larry was in jail to get him in trouble,

and then set the home on fire.

Just to nail down the
coffin. A real sweet guy.

Thanks to Jake's super-sleuthing,
all's well that ends well.

On that I'd like to
propose a toast.

- Hey, I'll drink to that.
- Hey, okay.

To Jake Carter, who all by himself is
the ten worst dressed men in America.

Oh, thank you.

See, this has a
pocket in the back.