Scarecrow and Mrs. King (1983–1987): Season 3, Episode 16 - The Triumvirate - full transcript

The coroner issued
Krakower's death certificate...

at 14:07, Bern time.

- Swiss police?
- Ruled an accident.

They found the truck abandoned,
its Turkish driver long gone...

obviously fearing
the consequences.

Our man was already
in Austria. No connection.

Any other questions?

Disagreements?

- Put through the payment to King.
- Yes, sir.

Lee, look at this. LEE: Hmm?

Here.



- Krakower's dead?
- Hit-and-run.

We only gave him back,
what, 48 hours ago?

Here's one of the
world's deadliest men...

and he buys it by getting
run over by a truck.

About a thousand gallons of
German pilsner, but why quibble?

Maybe there's some
justice in the world after all.

First, Omar Kalim
falls off the Eiffel Tower.

Now Krakower gets run over.

Both of them Eastern Bloc
agents that we traded back...

and both died last month.

- You think there's a connection?
- Let's find out.

- Good Morning.
- Morning, Amanda.

Hey, Francine. LEE: Hi.

- What is it, Amanda?
- Well, sir, it's about my paycheck.



- Didn't you get it?
- Oh, no, sir, I got it, all right.

If you're worried about them
taking too much out, don't.

- It's a universal problem.
- No, they didn't take out too much.

No, that's not
the problem at all.

They seemed to have given me
just, you know, a little too much.

- That's a problem?
- Well, heh...

- Maybe it's your overtime.
- Hundred thousand dollars?

Been waiting here
for 20 minutes. Duffy.

Oh.

- Amanda.
- Oh, yes.

You been waiting all this time?

Yes. I've been here
waiting at the end of this line.

- Why?
- Because I'm the person at the end.

Nobody comes and
stands behind me.

I am here waiting in my
place at the end of the line.

There is an easier way
to do this, you know.

No, I don't know. I'm not gonna
break in front of these people.

They have all been waiting
and I'm not gonna break.

- This is gonna take forever.
- No, it's not.

Finally. Thank you.

No, this is still not
right. It's not right.

Oh, no.

Look, I know a fellow that can take
care of this immediately, huh? Come on.

I know what you're thinking.

Why are we in a trailer park
in the middle of nowhere?

Well, Amanda, the answer to
your problem. Lance Dorn's office.

Complete with portable telephones,
computer phone modems, the whole works.

Wherever Lance is, he's working.

- Yo, Lance.
- Hey, Lee. Howdy!

Lee, my main man, what it is?

What it is, is it's fine. I'd like
you to meet Amanda King.

- Hello. LEE:
Amanda's got a problem.

Speaking of problems...

I cracked the Asian operations
covert code this morning.

- Here's a new patch that'll fix it.
- Aha.

Among other things, Lance's
job is to test our computer security.

- Why don't you show him the check?
- Oh, yes.

Dig it. I got into the
ticket touters A-list...

and scored us a front
row center for Chaka Khan.

And I accessed a new
fraternity bulletin board...

with over a hundred
co-eds at Maryland...

cross-referenced by hair,
eyes, measurements...

Yeah. Why don't
you look at that, huh?

You want ideas on
how to spend it or what?

- That's a hundred thousand dollars.
- So you got a good gig.

Come on, Lance,
she's a fourth level GSA

with only a confidential
security clearance.

The check has to be a mistake.

- You're asking me to cover it up for you?
- I wanna give it back.

Why don't you just
endorse it over to me?

Come on, Lance.

Okay, but I'll need
my mainframe.

We have to go
back to the office.

No. We just have to
kick in the generator.

Thank you.

Oh! LEE: Huh.

- How about a cold brewster?
- No, thank you.

Uh, no, thanks, Lance.

This is a nice setup
you have here.

I've got storage space...

for every dating service
on the eastern seaboard.

I've tried to eliminate
all the paper from my life.

This is what's left.

Shopping list, a few hot phone
numbers, and the Bananagram. You play?

No, my mother does.

You ought to give it a shot.
Jackpots up to 10 grand.

I thought I had it too.

Onion soup, but it's not right.

Oh, that's... Yeah, that's me.

Here we go.

Your wages were paid to
somebody code-named King...

and the check was mailed
to a bank in the Bahamas.

You got his money.

And this is weird. It was drawn
on a non-existent account.

Any idea how or why?

Somebody made a data
entry error or something.

Let me play around with it.

Okay, tell you what,
you got a pencil?

Here.

If you find something,
call this number.

- Okay, thanks a lot, Lance.
- Sure.

- I kinda... My check.
- Oh, yeah, we...

- We better hold on to that.
- The check, please.

- Hasta la bye-bye.
- Thank you.

- Thank you.
- I trust you, really.

- That doesn't seem very secure.
- Welcome to the future.

It's all in the passwords
and security codes.

Hmm.

Do you really think he'll
be able to trace the check?

Huh, Lance Dorn broke into the
Soviet Embassy Super Bowl Lottery.

- I'll bet he calls you tonight.
- You gave him my number.

This is interesting.

Hmm?

Yes, sir, I, uh, will
keep my eye on it.

Now, Dorn's job is to test our
security. This could be harmless.

We don't want him testing
our security at all. Do we?

No, sir.

No, we don't.

Oh, Mother, I don't
know if I wanna go to this.

It's gonna be people pretending
they haven't gotten any older...

or put on any weight.

- It'll be a strain.
- I don't know why you say that.

A reunion is supposed to be fun.
You get to see all your old friends.

Mother, but these people
weren't all my friends.

Some were my friends but
some I didn't even know...

- and I've lost touch with them.
- That gives you a chance to catch up.

Find out all the wonderful
things they've been doing.

I'm sure they've just been doing
average things like we have.

Oh, no, not that
skinny little kid, Neil...

- Drexler?
- Yes. He's in there.

Mm-mm. Oh, wait,
Drexler Neil. Harvard?

- Peace Corps, law school, millionaire.
- Right.

And he sailed to New Guinea
to search for a lost tribe of...

Headhunters. He wrote a
bestseller about it. I saw him on Merv.

If he happens to
come, why don't you...

- ask him over for dinner?
- Ask him over for dinner.

Good. Okay. Oh, I got it!

- O, for onion soup.
- No, that's not right.

- How do you know?
- I don't.

You never played before.
This is worth $10,000.

- I'm wrong.
- O is definitely first.

- That's it, mother. I'll get it.
- Onions.

Yes?

- Amanda King?
- Yes.

My name is Brown.
I'm with I.F.F.

Are we secure?

The word is "top hat." Counter.

- Diablo. Clearance.
- Seven Bravo.

I'm on an errand for accounting.

I have written authorization
from Lance Dorn.

He's found a problem. I
came to pick up the check.

Wait. If you'll wait just a
second, I'll get you a check.

Here's your check. I would appreciate
it if you would give me my real check...

as quickly as possible.
Tomorrow is my grocery day.

Sure. Thank you. Sorry
for the inconvenience.

Got it?

No problem.

Okay, now we take care
of the bigger problem.

I knew it. I knew I'd get you.

Dorn here. Your dime.

Gerald Falkan here.

Uh, excuse me, Mr. Falkan,
uh, this isn't a clean line.

I know. This isn't a
matter for the telephone.

- Why the cloak-and-dagger?
- You'll find out soon enough.

- Did you follow your orders?
- Of course. No one knows I'm here.

- So, what's the problem?
- I'm afraid you are, Lance.

And I'm the solution.

Come on, come
on, get the bottle.

Come on, help.

Mr. Jepard, the triumvirate
isn't a band of criminals...

who go about solving their
problems by killing people.

We want justice.

Sometimes the system
fails, so we step in.

- I was doing my job. MAN: This
time you killed one of our own.

How do you explain that?

It takes a unanimous vote from us
before we can authorize any action.

Yeah, that's not my business.

You take all the votes you want.

I get paid to kill people.

- Who gave you the assignment?
- Gerald Falkan.

You can leave.

Your services are
no longer needed.

I had to move.

I couldn't wait. There
was no time for a vote.

You said yourself we couldn't
have Dorn testing our security.

Don't throw words back at me.

You know what I meant.
You know you went too far.

I'm glad some police finally got
here. I called over an hour ago.

Oh, I'm not the...

Sometimes it just isn't
worth it, sometimes it is.

I hate to keep phoning...

but you can imagine how I
feel in this neighborhood alone.

- All night by myself.
- Aha, yeah, absolutely.

Look, why don't you go over it again,
the exact reason you called, Mrs...

- Harriet. Miss. Harriet Owens.
- Harriet. Uh-huh.

I found his door busted open.

- He's gone.
- Ah.

Well, you mind if I go in?

I just never could say
no to a man with authority.

Yup.

Huh.

Do you know when
Mr. Dorn is expected back?

I hope he does come home...

otherwise I won't be able
to sleep a wink all night.

Uh, try a warm glass of milk.

Thank you.

Ahem. That was Personnel.

We don't have an agent
code-named King in the Bahamas.

- What about the paper?
- Uh, this is a blowup of the papers.

There's a grocery list on it
and the names of some girls...

and phone numbers that
we think Lance was dating.

Yeah, we checked, nothing.

- What's "Guardian?"
- I don't know.

This thing is a dead-end.

And everything on Lance's computer
has been erased. So until we find him...

If we find him.

- Karl, what've you turned up?
- Nothing.

No Jeffrey Brown employed,
no alias under that name.

Mrs. King.

I'm Karl Eagles, senior
staff administrator.

- How do you do?
- This man came to your house?

Yes, he did. After dinner.

- Could you identify if you saw him again?
- Yes, sir.

Maybe the InterAgency
Ident files can help us there.

Lance Dorn's
computer log indicated...

he accessed an account
file numbered 666 last night...

and then he was
promptly locked out.

- What do you make of it, Karl?
- Maybe it's some sort of embezzling ring.

I feel particularly
bad about this...

because it seems to be
from one of my departments.

- No one's blaming you, Karl.
- I suggest we keep this amongst ourselves.

Till at least we can find
out whom we can trust.

Hmm.

Okay, that's it for 1967.

Oh, Amanda, my eyes are so
crossed I can barely see these things.

- Here, look, just hand me '68.
- Here.

Okay, thank you.

The way we're going,
this is gonna take forever.

Mr. Melrose wants us to check
all the inactive accounts, right?

- Hmm.
- Okay, so that's what...

Right there.

- No wonder it was closed.
- What are all those little symbols?

The symbol right there means it was
a secret fund file for Wet Operations.

It's pretty heavy stuff. Dirty
tricks, even political assassinations.

- The agency? LEE: No, I
don't think we ever got that far...

but in the '50s and '60s they
had their share of coup d'etats.

Congress clamped down.

That's why I imagine
666 was closed down.

Yeah, but I got a
check written on it.

Yeah, and Lance got into it last
night and disappeared right after. Why?

I sure would like to
know what he found out.

I'd like to know how he got in.

Yeah, but no way. Lance was an
original. You saw the way he worked.

His mind was going 40
different directions at once.

Girls, rock and roll,
megabytes, girls.

- Bananagrams.
- Yeah.

He said he thought "onion soup"
was the answer to that Bananagram...

and then he wrote the word
"guardian" on the little piece of paper.

Guardian has eight letters.

All the agency computer
passwords are eight letters.

Yeah, scoot over a
minute. Let me just see.

Closed. Okay, Guardian.

They're in.

Oh, damn.

We're out.

Jepard, Falkan.

I'm gonna need
your services again.

I Was told to back
off, so were you.

They're getting too
close to home for that.

- Who is?
- Amanda King.

Oh, no.

- Francine.
- Yeah.

- When's Billy coming back?
- Uh, you know, tea with Dr. Smyth.

It could be ten minutes,
it could be tomorrow.

Oh, damn.

When was the last time you heard of
any kind of funding for Wet Operations?

I haven't. Not at this agency.

We closed out our political destabilization
funds in the, uh, late '60s.

Well, someone's
reactivated one of those files.

Amanda and I accessed
it, then got shut out.

Any idea who's involved?

No, but obviously it's, uh,
some kind of an in-house link-up.

In-house? I'll get the janitors on
it, but I can't guarantee any results.

Do what you can. Quiet is
better than quick on this one.

Why don't you take a break?
I'll call if anything pops up.

You're sure you
don't need me here?

I'm positive. We only need one
set of thumbs to twiddle around here.

- Okay. Yeah.
- Okay?

- Good work on the Bananagram.
- Thanks. See you later.

- Bananagram?
- Yeah.

- Back so soon?
- Short agenda.

What did you and Amanda turn up?

Lots. We got into file 666.

Someone shut the door on us,
but we had a little peek inside.

I wrote down some of the things.

It looks like a record for check
distributions around the world.

Specific places, dates, code
names and one in particular...

- King Cobra.
- King Cobra?

The agency has him on a list of
the top ten international shooters.

Hmm, number
seven, with a bullet.

King Cobra hasn't
been active for years.

Someone's keeping him busy.
He received at least three checks.

- What do we have on this guy?
- Um, nothing much. Just a name.

Ren Jepard, there's no
picture. He's totally invisible.

Could be anyone.

Including the guy that came to
Amanda's house for that check.

- Then she could ID him.
- Hmm.

- There's one other thing, Billy.
- Yeah.

- We used Amanda's name to access 666.
- You what?

I know, I know it was...

That makes her very hot.
Now, you pull her in right now.

- What's going on? Pull who in?
- Amanda.

Don't bother phoning.
She's shopping.

- What?
- For a dress for her reunion.

I sent her to shop
called "Sixties R Us."

I've got the
greatest selection...

of authentic '60s threads
in the western hemisphere.

I got buyers in Eugene,
Woodstock, Santa Cruz, Mendocino...

all over the place
bring me the finest stuff.

- This rack, the whole thing, Chicago '68.
- Huh?

Take a whiff, heh.

You can still
smell the tear gas.

This little number, Gracie
Slick, New Year's Eve...

- Winterland, 1969.
- Wow.

I got papers to prove it.

It's you, babe. Try it on.

Thank you very much.

Oh, brother, can I help you?

Yeah, I'm looking for my
girlfriend. Tall, brunette.

She's in the back dressing
room. She'd be right out.

Can I get you some ginseng tea?

- Sorry, I don't drink.
- Oh, brother, you can't go back there.

Amanda.

Amanda!

- Amanda, where are you?
- Right here. Right here.

- Let me see, are you all right?
- Yeah.

- I just got something in my eyes.
- Let me see.

Grandpa, watch!

No, Gerald...

I'm not in favor of killing
the mother of two children.

There's no need.

Karl, I don't like it. I don't
like it, but it's her or us.

No one here wants what we've
been doing to come home to roost...

to the CIA, or NSA
or DIA or State. Right?

It didn't have to come to this.

I'm on the inside. I know their
every move. She's no threat.

Besides, we've
changed the passwords.

There's no possibility
that Melrose, Stetson...

or anyone would trace
King Cobra back to us.

But why take any chances?
We're pragmatists, all of us.

I say we cut our losses.

And where does it end?

We formed this triumvirate to
right wrongs, not to kill our own.

It's very simple, Karl.

Either the King woman
dies or it's the end of us.

There must be another
way. We're not killers.

I'll get it.

Such a delicate morality...

with your big offices
and titles, clean hands.

Hire me, from two
thousand miles away...

you can't smell the blood.

But you're all killers.

We told you, our
relationship is over.

Sure.

Mrs. King isn't your
problem, anyway. She's mine.

- No, no, no.
- Oh, yes.

She can recognize
me. I can't afford that.

- So just tell me where you're keeping her.
- I'm not about to help you.

Oh, I think you will.

Deal with him.

- Dead?
- It's confirmed.

Highway patrol found Lance Dorn
in his Jeep at the bottom of a gully.

Preliminary report
said he'd been drinking.

No. No way, I
don't buy that at all.

And sure, Lance was a party
boy, but he knew his limits.

If he was killed, the odds are
that King Cobra is the one...

that pulled the plug on him.

Amanda, are you certain that
the man that followed you today...

is the man who came
with the check yesterday?

Yes, sir, absolutely.

But I don't understand
why he would kill Lance?

I don't know.

But somebody's got a major
gun for hire working on our payroll.

It's a lot more than
embezzlement.

I compared all three checks.

King Cobra received each one
after the death of Omar Kalin...

Ilya Krakower and Aggi Zohbarr.

Zohbarr?

I didn't know about him.

I, uh...

It's another enemy
agent we had to let go.

You know what this
sounds like to me?

It sounds like some of our co-workers are
taking U.S. policy into their own hands.

We'll stay on Code Blue
alert until further notice.

Yes, sir.

How long am I gonna
have to stay here?

Uh, until we're
sure you're safe.

Okay. Meaning I won't be
able to go home tonight?

Well, it could be worse.

The Cumberland Grande
was quite a girl in her day.

She looks close to me.

That's camouflage, Amanda.

Agency bought the old Cumberland
about five years ago for a retreat.

We've hosted Europe's wealthiest
defectors without a complaint.

I'm sure it'll be fine for me, but I'm
worried about my mother and the boys.

I'm gonna need a story to
get them out of the house.

I know it's short notice, but
we'll feel more comfortable...

knowing that you were
here and Jepard out there.

Yes, sir, you're right, sir.
- Come on.

Okay. See you later, sir.

- Don't we get any warning?
- I don't know.

I guess termites just swarm when
they wanna swarm. Anyway, listen.

The point is the
exterminator is gonna come...

and put the tent over
the house this afternoon...

so he can put the poison gas in.

So I've already
spoken to Aunt Edna.

And she's expecting
you and the boys tonight.

Aunt Edna?

Yeah, all right,
darling. I love you.

Give the boys a big
kiss for me, all right.

I love you, Mother.

Yeah. Bye.

Aman...

Where is she going to stay?

- Look, it's gonna be all right.
- Is it?

Yeah.

Oh, boy, don't you
ever get tired of this?

Comes with the territory.

That's what I mean. Don't you
ever get tired of the territory?

Lately, I feel like I can't even
make any plans in advance anymore.

I missed Phillip's play
when he was Rumpelstiltskin.

Looks like I may even miss
Jamie's first open house at school.

Yeah, I hear you.

This job has cost me my share
of relationships, that's for sure.

Why do you keep on doing it?

It's a dirty job, but
someone has to do it.

Come on, I'm
trying to be serious.

Well, I guess I am too.

It is a job someone has to do.

I happen to do it well.

There's parts
of it I don't like...

parts I like a lot.

What about you?

I mean, there are other part-time
jobs that pay a lot more than this...

- and are helluva lot less dangerous.
- I guess I have an idea...

about making the world a
safer place for Philip and Jamie.

- It's really pretty silly, isn't it?
- No.

No, it isn't.

That's why we
are stuck with this.

Yeah, I guess so.

Um, it's getting late.

Why don't you take a rest,
I'll go in the other room.

I'm not tired. And I'm
probably too nervous to sleep.

Okay, I can stay.

- That would be nice.
- Yeah.

Oh, man.

- Hi. Come on in.
- Hi.

What are you doing here?
You're not expected till morning.

- Did Billy call?
- No, why?

The phones must be acting up. I
had a really bad connection too.

He wants us to trade shifts.
Need you back at the agency.

Hmm? That's odd. He say why?

Like I said, I really couldn't hear him
but he wants you back there ASAP.

- The recognition codes are in order?
- Yeah.

Hmm.

Well, I guess, uh, I better go.

Yeah. LEE: Well.

Well, uh, you be sure
to lock up after me, okay.

And, uh...
- See you later.
- Good night.

- Remember to lock up.
- Okay. Okay.

Well, well, well, isn't
this quaint and cozy.

Wanna play hearts?

Coming in loud and clear. I thought
the phone lines were messed up.

There's nothing
wrong with our phones.

Francine said she could
barely understand you.

What's going on? Why
aren't you with Amanda?

She's with Francine.
Look, what's up?

You tell me. I haven't spoken
to Francine all afternoon.

Someone who
sounded like you did.

Someone who knew
our recognition codes.

I'm gonna go back there.

You call their room.

I'll take care of that
phone call from here.

Francine, I just talked to
Billy. He never called you.

They're trying to
shake us off Amanda.

Now, you just sit
tight. I'm on my way.

Okay.

What's going on?

Nothing good. I'm gonna call
security, have them send up a guard.

Something's wrong,
nobody's answering.

Get down, Amanda!

Amanda, get the backup car,
get it started. I'll be right there.

Oh, good, Mr. Eagles...

I spoke with the hospital. Francine
is out of surgery. Thank you.

Jepard's bullet went straight through
her leg. She'll be on crutches for a while.

What about Jepard?

Not so lucky. He lost a lung, some
arteries. He could go at any time.

They've got him
over at isolation.

Come on. He is the only one that can
tell us where they've got Amanda, Billy.

- Did you search the hotel?
- Yeah, every inch of it.

She didn't go back home and
no one saw her come back here.

Jepard is our only chance.

He's gonna be tough nut
to crack. He's a real pro.

Oh, yeah? Well, right now
he's thinking about dying.

That loosens a lot of tongues.

Heard that.

I'm sorry, Mrs.
King, for all of it.

- Then why are you doing it?
- Because it has to be done.

At least that's
what I tell myself.

We're only trying to make
the world a safer place.

Vigilante killings aren't gonna
make the world a safer place.

We are not outlaws.

We believe in law and order.

We're trying to help an imperfect
system to fill in the unfortunate gaps.

Was Lance Dorn an unfortunate gap?
Is that what I am, an unfortunate gap?

In the five years of our existence,
we have eliminated a dozen criminals.

Cold-blooded killers.

Unfortunately, there's
the price to be paid.

This way. This way.

Nothing in this
life is for free.

So maybe you can scratch my
back and I can scratch yours a little.

You're not in much of a
position to bargain, Jepard.

I've been in worse.

You think you can cut a
deal with us, you murderous...

Stetson!

I really do.

All right.

One for one.

You tell us where
they're holding Mrs. King...

and I'll arrange safe
transport out of the country.

Well, I... I may need
some folding money.

Say, a hundred grand?

Talk.

It's about 1800 degrees.

Let's get on with it.

The injection is quick
and painless, I assure you.

Jepard wasn't lying,
Billy. That's the escape car.

Amanda must be inside. - Yeah.

You take care of the interior.

All right. Good luck.

There's no other way, Karl.

I still don't like it.

Give her the injection.

Get it over with.

Okay, Falkan, drop it.

Run!

- Stay put.
- Yeah.

Just stop, will you?
- All right.

I believe you know your rights.

Hold it right there.
Drop the gun.

Hold it!

Please help me!

You've gotta help me.

You've gotta help me.

We're on the same side.

We're not criminals, any of us.

Uh, all we want is justice.
That's all. Answers. That's all!

Save your breath, Falkan, unh.

Don't drop me!

What are you doing?

Oh, no!

You can't drop me.
That's murder. Please!

Please!

All right, come
on, get out of there.

Come on.

- Lee.
- Amanda.

- Are you all right?
- How are you?

I'm okay. How did you find me?

All right. Let's have
a show of hands.

How did you find me?

I guess I made a
little deal with the devil.

I'm sure glad I did.

Oh. I don't know,
Mother. I feel silly.

You didn't seem to mind wearing
something like that 15 years ago.

Mother, that was 15 years ago.

My dress was different and
had big blue patches on it...

- and made a statement.
- Mm. I see.

Boy, Mom, you could still
smell that termite gas upstairs.

I'm sure that's
your imagination.

It's had plenty of time to
air out. Don't worry about it.

Hey, Mom, where did you
get the ancient threads?

Garage sale?

Hmm.

Mother. I can't do it. I
just can't do it. Please.

- Okay.
- What'd I say?

Come on, let's go.
Bring your cookies.

- It's a long story.
- Do your homework.

- Ha-ha-ha.
- Oh, Mother, you shouldn't laugh at me.

Hey, baby, what's happening?
- Shh.

- Where did you get the ancient threads?
- The...

Uh-huh.

I heard through the grapevine...

that you might be needing
an escort to your reunion.

- I'm not gonna go the reunion.
- Why not?

I'm not gonna go.
I don't like to dress.

Let's go. We'd make
the perfect couple. Huh?

Okay. Thanks. Yeah.

- Here. Brought you something.
- Terrific.

- Tomorrow is your grocery day, right?
- Yeah, that's right. Oh.

- Oh, boy.
- What's the matter?

- They overpaid you again?
- No. No.

It's a day late and exactly
one dollar short, heh.