The Streets of San Francisco (1972–1977): Season 2, Episode 6 - The Stamp of Death - full transcript

( funky jazz theme playing )

ANNOUNCER:

ANNOUNCER:

ANNOUNCER:

( classical music playing )

( people chattering, laughing )

( women giggling )

Excuse me.

( buzzer sounds )

( mysterious theme playing )

( tense theme playing )



( phone rings )

( rings )

( classical music playing )

Yes, who is it?

Glen.

But, uh, why the library?

Uh, excuse me, uh, business.

( women sigh )

What are you doing here?

Looks like you buy
another round, buddy boy.

No more. I give up.

Come on. One more
line. Give me a chance.

It's midnight already.

What's the matter,
you got another date?



I wanna go to bed.

Well, what do you do all day
but sit around on your slats?

Come on. Unlimber.
Loosen those kinks.

I'm loose. I'm loose.

MAN: Lieutenant
Stone. Telephone.

One more line,
we'll call it quits.

Sure, one more line.

Yeah, Stone.

When?

Now.

All right, we'll be right over.

Game's over. You owe
me two beers. Come on.

Listen, why do I always have
to owe you when I can pay you?

Watching you bowl is pay enough.

Hey.

( jazzy action theme playing )

( somber theme playing )

Window was open.
Smudges on the windowsill.

There's a trellis
on the outside.

Burglary? Maybe.

But we can scratch
one motive: jewelry theft.

Did you see the ring
on that guy's little finger?

No.

It's gotta go for at
least five figures.

Anything else?

No, that's it, Mike.
Two shots, point blank.

.32 caliber I'd say,
but I'll check it out.

Thanks.

Nice shoes.

( grunts )

I forgot 'em.

Listen, why didn't
you remind...?

Well, anyway, whoever it was

knew his way around.

Turned off the silent
alarm. Look at that.

You got anything?

Yeah, I talked to the
butler who found the body.

He said Sturdevant was
missing from the party

for about 45 minutes.

Only he didn't want to intrude.

Why not? Sturdevant
had another hobby

besides stamps.

Oh, he did? Yeah.

And he brought them up here?

Yeah.

I asked him for some names,

but, uh, he wouldn't tell me.

( British accent ): He said, "Mr.
Sturdevant was very circumspect

about the women he was seeing."

Oh, he was, huh?

( chuckles )

Well, what about the safe?

Would he know what was inside?

No. Only the business manager

would know what's in there.

Okay, then give him a call

and tell him we have
to audit the contents.

Right.

Fellas, the safe first,
then the windowsill.

Hey, Mike.

Yeah.

KELLER: It's the
only stamp missing.

STONE: Yeah.

British Guiana,
1850, 6-cent magenta.

Magenta, that's
a color, isn't it?

Kind of light purple?

Yeah, that's right.

And Guiana?

Well, it used to
be a British colony.

It's called, uh,
Guyana now, I think.

You think?

( chuckles ) Oh,
you college guys

with all that esoteric
information, huh?

Just toss it in there as
though it's nothing at all.

Just, "I think," you know.

Look at those, will you?

I used to collect
stamps when I was a kid.

You did? Yeah.

Nothing like those, though.

These are rare, huh?

This is the only
one missing, huh?

Yup.

Well, maybe it's worth stealing,

but murder?

Maybe we oughta ask an expert.

( sighs ) Edward T. Hawkins.

Yeah. The, uh... The
last word's philately.

It means... I know
what it means.

Stamps.

Right.

No college, but a lot
of crossword puzzles.

Ah.

MAN: Be right there.

Good morning. Good morning.

Lieutenant Stone. Homicide.

Ed Hawkins, stamps.

( both chuckle )

Hey, you did say Homicide?

James Sturdevant.
Oh, yes, I read about him

in the newspaper
this morning. Awful.

You did business with him.

Of course, he was a
very good customer.

Several months ago,

I offered him a Lallier.

What's a Lallier?

Well, a Lallier album

is the first album published
for stamp collectors.

It's rare, of course,

but we run across
one occasionally.

What do you know
about British Guianas?

I can tell you I
wish I had some.

They're very expensive.

As a matter of fact, last year,
I sold Sturdevant five of them.

Now these, they're
the 2-cent yellow issue.

It was quite a coup for
him. He already had five.

It gave him ten in all.

1850 2-cent.

Twenty-five hundred
dollars each?

Heh-heh. That's correct.

Say, you wouldn't happen to
know how much the 6-cent mag...

Here it is.

Three hundred thousand dollars?

That's its estimated value.

Beautiful, isn't it?

Looks like there's
writing on it.

HAWKINS: Well, the 1850
series was initialed by the governor

or his subordinate
in Georgetown,

it's the capital
of British Guiana.

Well, why would it
be worth $300,000?

Oh, now, my
goodness, lieutenant,

it's unique.

It's the only one of its kind

known to be in existence.

From 6 cents to $300,000?

Oh, come on. There's
gotta be something more.

( chuckles )

Well, yes, there is
the, um... The mystery.

You see, nobody really
knows who owns it.

Ever since its first
discovery and sale,

the various owners have elected

to remain anonymous.

Sometime in the '30s,

President Roosevelt was supposed
to have had it in his collection

but, uh, he denied it.

Oh, princes and potentates

would give their most
valuable possession

for the 6-cent magenta.

HAWKINS: Oh,
among true philatelists,

that stamp is
like the Holy Grail.

It's a real mystery.

Well, it's not a real
mystery anymore.

It's murder.

I don't understand.

It looks as though whoever
killed Mr. Sturdevant

stole the 6-cent magenta.

Sturdevant? He
had it? Are you sure?

STONE: Well,
we're checking it out,

and you can do us a big favor
by keeping it under your hat.

Might help us find the killer.

Oh, of course. Of course.

Uh, if, uh... If I can help you
in any other way, lieutenant,

you j-just call on me.

I will, thank you very much.

You know, I learned
something today.

( both chuckle )

Thank you.

What do you got?

I got a name and a motive.

Give me the name.

One of the guests said
Sturdevant received a phone call

at approximately 10:45 p.m.
from somebody named Glen.

Now, immediately after
that, he went up to the library.

Glen who?

Don't know yet,
but the motive...

Is $300,000.

How did you know that?

Philately.

Did that guy in the store say

that Sturdevant owned the stamp?

He said nobody
knows who owns it.

What about the business manager?

Did he give you a rundown?

Yeah, there's 1,500 in cash,

a couple of thousand
in negotiables,

all in the safe untouched.

Now, I also took a look
at the insurance policy.

Sturdevant had his
entire collection covered.

The agent checked the list,

and there's only
one stamp missing.

KELLER: "One rare stamp

"unidentified at
owner's request,

value: $300,000."

Grand Colonial Indemnity.

2013 Montgomery Street.

I called and told
them we're on our way.

STONE: Good. The
manager's name is Tom Wood.

( mysterious theme playing )

No, that will not be acceptable.

Mr. Johnson, you
were told two weeks ago

to have this report completed.

I would say you now
have about two hours.

Yes, may I help you?
Lieutenant Stone.

Oh, yes, just a moment.

He's been waiting for you.

Mr. Wood, the gentlemen

from the police
department are here.

Terrible isn't it?
About Mr. Sturdevant?

Yes, it is. Did you know him?

Vaguely.

Tom Wood.

Mike Stone.

Hi. Stephen Keller.

( grunts softly )

If you don't mind, we
can talk on the way.

I'll introduce you to the
man who's been on this case

since this morning.

He has all the files.

Is Chris in Miss Williams?

Yes, sir. He's waiting for you.

Ah. If you'll follow me.

I suppose you want
a copy of the policy.

Oh, we have one but
he has a few questions.

Shoot. Well, I guess you know

that Mr. Sturdevant's
entire collection

is insured by your company.

And that each stamp
was specifically identified

except the one that was stolen.

( grunts ) Worth over a
quarter of a million dollars.

That's right. Well, it's, uh...
It's a little strange, isn't it?

Yes, it is. He apparently
paid a high premium

for the privilege.

I have to apologize for
not being more specific,

but you realize we underwrite
more than 5,000 policies a year.

I'm not able to keep up
with all the details myself.

Well, what is the
usual procedure

if you wanted to insure
something like that?

Well, the actual policies are
written by independent agents.

For something that valuable,

they'd have to secure at
least three expert appraisals

before we'd underwrite.

Who are the appraisers?
WOOD: We don't know.

Their names are
not in our files.

And frankly, I just
don't know why.

Of course, we're
looking into it.

Guess we'd like
to talk to the agent

who wrote the policy, then.

So would I.

But he died two months ago.

We have one of our
claims investigators

working on it right now.

He'll have all the
specifics you'll need.

Gentlemen, this is Chris Conway.

Oh, good morning, gentlemen.

I was just going
over the records.

I hope I can be of
some assistance to you.

( dramatic theme playing )

( mysterious theme playing )

STONE: How did they get that?

Hawkins?

He said he'd
keep it confidential.

Yeah, well, it's pretty hard

to keep something
like this quiet for long.

I guess you're right.

Steve. Yeah.

You get with that,
um, dead agent's wife

and see if she
remembers anything

since she talked to
Conway, will you?

And I'm gonna take a cab

and see if I can
tap another pipeline.

Mr. Conway. See you.

Mr. Conway, you
said that you would try

to run down those
appraisers, right?

Absolutely. You do that.

My car's around the corner,
can I give you a lift someplace?

How about Broadway? Perfect.

Giants are 3-to-1. You're down.

Hey, lieutenant.

Three-to-one the
best you can do, Doc?

( chuckles )

You know me. It's an old habit.

This is just pretend.

Just keeping your
hand in, so to speak.

Would I lie to you, lieutenant?

Hey, uh, you're still
working Homicide, ain't you?

You haven't been switched
to another department?

Don't worry. I
didn't see the book.

What are you hearing?

Depends on what you wanna hear.

Stamps. The rare kind.

Oh, look, I gave up
the trade, you know that.

I haven't fenced
anything for two years

or almost three now.

You still have eyes and ears.

The Sturdevant thing, huh?

Well, I did read something
about it in the paper.

He's a heavy
collector or something.

One stamp worth
$300,000. Heavy enough?

Ten percent of that is 30 G's.

That's what the
insurance company pays

for recovery, isn't it?

So I hear.

But that's pretty specialized.

Somebody trying to
move a sticker like that,

they'd have to
be pretty careful.

It being tied in with
a murder and all.

Ask around.

Quiet like.

Sure.

Anything, anytime
for you, lieutenant.

And maybe for the money.

( chuckles )

( mysterious theme playing )

( tense theme playing )

Arnie?

Be still.

How's it going?

Well, you about finished?

Here, look for yourself.

That looks perfect.

Too perfect.

The copy is still too sharp.

It's gonna have to be
aged down a little more.

Oh? How long does that take?

Nothing of value is ever
born of impatience, my friend.

Come on, Arnie, will you?

I got customers waiting and
I need those stamps tonight.

You'll have them.

How do you
breathe in this place?

I have no trouble.

Then again, I've
never killed anyone

in cold blood, Mr. Conway.

Tell me, is it worth it?

You tell me.

Ten little pieces of paper,
each one worth $2,500 apiece.

When you get through with them,

they'll be worth 300,000 apiece.

That's $3 million,
baby. You tell me.

Of which I only get 50,000.

You got a complaint?

Would you kill me if I did?

We made a deal, Arnie.

Don't get greedy on me.

I'm an old man of modest
needs, Mr. Conway.

I'll call you.

No, I'll call you.

Ten o'clock. That
gives you 12 hours.

Now, you be ready.

( ominous theme playing )

( jazzy theme playing )

WILLIAMS: Chris.

Sorry I'm late.

I've got the tickets.

Terrific.

Ah, terrific.

Everything all right?

Everything's just fine.

They're gonna be
ready this evening.

I thought you said he'd
be finished this morning.

Yeah, well, he's
a perfectionist.

I can't help that.

Come on, honey,
relax, everything's f...

Everything's fine.

What about the police?

That's no sweat.

And I gave the story
to the local papers.

And the wire
services picked it up

and by now it's
all over the globe.

Okay?

Okay.

Let's grab some lunch.

Oh, I have to get back.

What's your hurry?

Mr. Wood's flying
to L.A. at 4:30

and I have to go with him.

WILLIAMS: I'll call
you in the morning.

What, you're spending the night?

It's business.

Oh, come on,
Chris. Not Mr. Wood.

He's over 50 years old.

Sturdevant was all
of that too, wasn't he?

I'll see you in the morning.

( stammers, sighs )

Honey, I'm sorry.

( stammers )

Look, we both made our mistakes

but that was three
years ago, okay?

CONWAY: I mean, pretty
soon we're gonna be together.

Everything's gonna be just fine.

Like it used to be.

I love you, Mrs. Conway.

I love you too, Mr. Conway.

( mysterious theme playing )

( somber theme playing )

STONE: Yeah, yeah,
Charlie, I'm still here.

( door closes )

Okay, if you say so.

Yeah. Thanks, Charlie.

Anything from Prints?

Mm-mm.

No smudges or
scratches on the trellis,

which means the
windowsill was a phony.

The guest list is
a dead end too.

Everybody that was
invited is accounted for.

Maybe he invited himself.

It was a very big party.

Maybes don't buy
us much, do they?

Come on, buddy boy.

Give me something encouraging.

Well, I understand
the crime rate's down

in the big cities this month.

Come on, give me what you got.

The recently deceased
insurance agent.

He did die of a heart
attack like Conway said.

His estate's still in probate,

but his wife let
me look at the files.

And?

I can't be sure until I check
it against the company files,

but from what I saw,

the premium Sturdevant
paid wasn't high enough

to cover a $300,000 stamp

plus all the other
stamps he had insured.

Okay, expert, you check
it out in the morning.

Tomorrow. So, what did you get?

Nothing. Just noodles.

Just noodles.

What about those
missing appraisers?

Conway called in and
said they're still missing.

I don't get that.

But we do have
one thing, buddy boy.

That stamp dealer, Hawkins?

Right.

He said that he sold Sturdevant

five more of those
2-cent Guianas last year.

So making ten
all together. Right.

But they're not accounted
for in the insurance policy.

He insured all the
other rare stamps,

why wouldn't he
protect these ten?

They're worth 25 G's.

Maybe he sold them.

I know. Maybes
don't buy very much.

( sighs )

Maybe there's something else.

You mean like maybe

the man who killed
Sturdevant stole them.

Yeah. Yeah, and he
didn't want us to know,

so he leaves the stamp
album open on the desk,

so that we'd be looking
for the one stamp

he wanted us to know was stolen.

I mean, uh, if you're
gonna sell something illegal,

you want the buyer to
know it's been stolen, right?

That ties in with the newspaper.

( phone ringing )

Homicide. Stone.

Yes, I'd be very interested.

STONE: May I ask
who's calling, please.

Are you there now?

( tense theme playing )

Yeah, I'll be right over.

Somebody wants to talk
about the 6-cent magenta.

Is it a fence?

I don't know. Heh.

At the Chinese Consulate?
Are you kidding? Come on.

( jazzy action theme playing )

( tense theme playing )

( rings )

Yes. Who is it?

No, I'm sorry, I'm
not finished yet.

Yes, I know what time it is,

but I won't be
done until morning.

Don't bother to come
until the morning, I said.

( car engine starts )

( screams )

I'm sorry, I promised
I wouldn't reveal

his name or his residence.

All I can tell you is that
he lives in Hong Kong,

he's very wealthy,

and he assures me
he still possesses

the only authenticated
1850 6-cent magenta.

He told you that himself?

By telephone this evening.

I understand he'll be mailing
you notarized documents

to prove his claim.

This man is well-known to
us. I'm sure he wouldn't lie.

Maybe somebody
lied to Sturdevant.

( sighs ) Sold him a forgery.

Maybe.

And maybe the
guy that killed him

got just what he
was looking for.

Oh, I appreciate your
call. Thank you very much.

Sure.

Bye.

What are you talkin' about?

Those ten missing stamps.

I'm beginning to believe that
whoever killed Sturdevant,

didn't kill him because
he owned the magenta,

but because he didn't.

( dramatic theme playing )

( tranquil theme playing )

Not here.

You're sure?

Ha-ha. I've been through

the whole collection
twice, lieutenant.

Well, could he have sold them?

Oh, not without
my knowing about it.

No, the 2-cent Guianas
are not unique, but they...

They are rare enough,
uh, for the trade

to keep an accurate
record of them.

Oh, besides, Mr. Sturdevant,

he only dealt through
a bona fide dealer.

All right, let's assume
that they were stolen.

They darn near
look alike, don't they?

So couldn't somebody fix
them or alter them somehow

so that they would look
like the 6-cent magenta?

Well, now, with
skill and patience,

I suppose someone
could copy the face,

forge the initials,
even duplicate the ink.

And the 2-cent Guianas
are surface dyed,

so the ink wouldn't
permeate the paper.

They could be bleached.

Bleached? Oh, yes,

the most difficult
thing to duplicate,

especially with the rare issues,

is the paper. Okay.

Okay, let's say the
guy has ten big ones.

All counterfeit.

How tough would they be to move?

Well, now, since the
owners of the Guiana

have traditionally
remained anonymous,

I suppose it's possible

that we'd never hear
of any of the sales.

Ten times $300,000.

That's a lot of motive.

You think it's possible?

Oh, yes, forgery
and counterfeiting

are much more prevalent
than many people realize.

It is, huh?

Wait a minute.

You know, a gentleman
came to see me last month.

We had the same conversation.

About counterfeiting?

No. About the 6-cent magenta.

He was most
interested in the dye.

You know his name?

No. He didn't tell me that.

But he did tell me that he
was recommended to me

by a dealer who knew about

my particular fondness
for the Guiana.

Well, who was that?

He didn't tell me that either.

Can you describe him?

Oh, yes. Well, he was elderly,

uh, well, maybe 55 or 60.

He was small. Wiry.
You know what I mean.

Oh, he had the
most delicate hands,

I remember that.

STONE: Anything else?

Color of hair? Eyes?

What about mannerisms? Scars?

No.

He had a lovely smile.

( chuckles )

Well, was he, uh...?
Was he an American?

Oh, yes. Or at least
I assumed he was.

I'm sorry, gentlemen, I
can't remember anything.

Well, you've been a
big help, Mr. Hawkins.

We'll drive you back. Thank you.

STONE: Small,
wiry, about 55 or 60.

You know, I remember a
guy about five or six years ago.

He'd be about 55 now.

Gee, I can't remember his name.

( sighs ) Well, anyway we
found out one thing, buddy boy.

Sturdevant never
had the magenta.

Yeah, which means that somebody

made up a phony insurance policy

to make it look like he did.

Or he planted a
phony in the safe

so that we would find it,

and do exactly what
we've been doing.

But a copy in the
office was fixed too.

It's gotta be an inside job.

I'll drop you off at the
insurance company.

I've gotta see Doc.

Oh, and listen. Pull the
book on the counterfeiters.

Start thumbing
through the pages.

Maybe we'll get lucky.

( jazzy action theme playing )

Gone? What do you mean,
gone? I mean he's gone.

When I went there this morning,

the door was locked
and he was not there.

He probably, last
night, just finished up

and stalled me to
buy himself some time.

You said you knew
him. We could trust him.

Well, right now, baby, I
don't know who I can trust.

What's that supposed to mean?

I tried to call you last night
after I talked to Jenkins.

Where were you? You
weren't in your room.

I was out with Mr. Wood.

While we're at it,

how do I know you and Jenkins
didn't work something out?

Now look, this whole
thing was your idea.

You got me into this.

Yeah, well, don't worry,
I'm gonna get us out of it.

As far as I can tell,

Jenkins isn't
gonna be able to sell

those stamps by himself.

He's gonna be
looking for a fence.

Now maybe... Hello.

Good morning.

Hi.

Uh, look, it's not urgent, Glen,

just tell him that, uh, I'd like to
see him sometime today, okay?

Yes, sir.

You're the early
bird of the team, huh?

Yeah, I guess so.

Uh, excuse me, did I hear right,

your name is Glen?

My father wanted a boy. Oh.

Uh, did you get my message?

No. No. Oh?

This is probably
what you're here for.

Premium payments,
right? That's right.

I called you as soon
as I noticed this.

Now, these are the figures
I dug out of the agent's file.

I checked them this morning
against our own ledger.

And they differ?

Our books show that Sturdevant

paid a much higher premium
than what the agent wrote down.

I guess somebody around
here made a mistake.

Well, you've... You've
worked here for a while.

Do you have any idea
who that might be?

Well, see, I've only been with
the company about six months.

But I'll run a trace on it.

Good.

Anything else?

No. I guess that's it.

Thank you.

Okay.

Uh, say, did Stone get
anything from his pipeline?

His what?

From his contact?

See, yesterday when
I dropped him off,

I figured he was gonna...

I don't know, gonna
meet a fence or something.

I mean, somebody that might know

if there's any
action on the street.

No.

( typewriter clacking )

Did I get any messages? Nope.

I don't know what could
have happened to that guy.

I must have checked
every back alley I know.

And believe me, in my 20 years,

I've picked up a
lot of back alleys.

What is this, two volumes?

It's a popular profession.

That's gonna take us all week.

Why can't I remember
that guy's name?

Must be getting
old or something.

Listen, he was booked
with Al Karlinski.

Pull his jacket,
maybe it's cross-filed.

Okay, listen, I think
I've got something.

Name began with
a J. Go on. Shoot.

Conway. The Sturdevant
premium payments do not match.

He didn't notice it
until this morning.

Here it is. J.

So you're a good cop

and he's a lousy
claims investigator.

He's not lousy according
to his personnel file.

IQ, 127. Reaction to stress,
superior. Motivation, excellent.

Efficiency quotient,
superior. So?

So it doesn't jive
with what I got

from the L.A.P.D. this morning.

Seems he applied to the
academy a few years back

and he couldn't cut it.

Now, their file shows
prior experience,

merchant marine, four months,

cab driver, six months.

Private investigator license
revoked for failure to renew.

He may not be a loser,
but he ain't a winner.

Come on. Give me
the zinger, will you?

The insurance company had
no written references on him,

but the L.A.P.D. did.

They also had him
listed as married.

His wife's first name: Glen.

Glen?

That's right.

Same as the phone
call to Sturdevant?

The same as Wood's
secretary. ( phone ringing )

Miss Williams?

That's quite a coincidence.

Little Miss Sunshine's got
her dark side too maybe.

Yeah. ( phone
continues ringing )

( rings )

Homicide, Stone.

Hey, lieutenant.

Doc, where have you been?

DOC: Oh, around.

How's it going, lieutenant?

I need help. What have you got?

Oh, I drew a blank. Nothing.

Oh, come on, you
have to have something.

Now, wouldn't I
tell you if I did?

I'm not sneezing at any 30 G's.

All right, then I'm
gonna tell you something.

A small guy, wiry, about
55 or 60. Good hands.

STONE: Could be an...

An artist, a
counterfeiter, a printer.

Knows all about dyes.

He was busted
about five years ago

with Al Karlinski.

Karlinski and five
years, you say?

That's right about five...

Wait a minute, Doc.

You gave him to me.

He's the same guy

that was involved in
that phony stock deal.

STONE: Didn't his
name begin with a J?

Yeah, I know it did.
Jensen. Jenkins. Jenk... Je...

Willy Jenks, isn't that it, Doc?

Jenks.

Yeah, I, uh, think
you got it, lieutenant.

DOC: Yeah, it was
Jenks. Billy Jenks.

That's right, Doc. Billy Jenks.
You know where he is now?

Oh, last I heard
he was in Folsom.

Let's see, that's Billy
Jenks, a.k.a. Arnie Jenkins.

Printer. Paroled
September 13th, 1972.

Paroled? No kidding.

Well, okay, I'll sniff around.

Yeah, let me know
when you get something.

Oh, Doc, thanks a lot.

I'm going after a warrant.

I'll call his parole officer
for his last address.

Good.

( jazzy action theme playing )

( siren wailing )

( tires screech )

I'll get the back.

( mysterious theme playing )

( glass shatters )

Mr. Jenkins?

Mr. Jenkins?

Jenkins.

( rattling, knocking at door )

Steve?

STEVE: Yeah.

Guess he's not here.

( dramatic theme playing )

STONE: He's here.

( somber theme playing )

But he's not gonna
tell us anything.

( dramatic theme playing )

( somber theme playing )

It's not printer's ink.

What about the rag? Same stuff?

Yeah, it looks like
a special mixture.

It's a surface-type dye.

This is an
ordinary-type cleaner.

This is common peroxide.

What about the,
uh...? The newsprint?

There's some sort
of printing on it.

MAN: I can't
make anything of it.

Mr. Hawkins. This way.

There you are, lieutenant.

Oh, this is all very exciting.

So glad you could
come to help again.

Mr. Hawkins, you said
a counterfeiter might use

a bleach to reuse a stamp.

What kind of bleach
would he use?

The same thing the ladies
use on their hair. Peroxide.

I can't make this out.
You mind taking a look?

Oh, heavens, no. I have
to meet with the coroner.

If you need me,
I'll be in his office.

All right. Thank you.

Now, that's a portion
of a reproduction...

Excellent likeness too,
though it hasn't been dyed.

Of the 6-cent magenta.

Well, have you caught
him yet. The murderer?

Uh, no.

You do understand, of course,

that this is all
very confidential.

Oh, of course, but do
you realize how easily

those counterfeits could
be taken out of the country?

There must be at least a
score of wealthy collectors

be happy to pay catalogue
prices for the magenta.

Well, don't you think
they should be alerted?

Uh, no, I don't think so.

You see, the ten stamps

are the only lead we
have to two murders.

And if we tip up our suspect,

he might destroy the evidence.

( chuckles nervously )

Well, if there's
nothing else I can do.

Thank you for coming.

Well...

Jenkins didn't work alone.

He had to have help and I'll bet

it came from inside
the insurance company.

That's what I think. Conway.

He's on top of the list.

( cheering, horse
galloping on TV )

( gunshots on TV )

( cheering on TV )

( cheering stops )

Beautiful. You're
just beautiful.

What the hell did you
expect? He's gone, Glen.

That's 3 million bucks
right out the window.

I was an idiot to listen to you.

You know what I got hanging
over me now? A murder wrap.

If you didn't wanna
kill Sturdevant,

why didn't you just
ask him for money?

You've always been
good at begging.

You're really something,
you know that? You...

You're a real live
man-eating cannibal.

Me. Sturdevant.
Anybody that fails old Glen.

You just chew 'em
up and spit 'em out

like garbage, don't you?

Let me tell you something,

you're not leaving
me holding the bag.

You killed Sturdevant
just as much as I did.

Just as much.

Did I?

That's right.

You set him up.

You gave me the gun
and you told me what to do.

All because he jilted you.

'Cause he turned you down

for some other dumb skirt.

You thought you were gonna
be Mrs. Rich, didn't you?

That's enough, Chris.

( sighs )

So now what?

I don't know.

You never did.

Where's the gun?

What do you want the gun for?

To get rid of it.

It's in the drawer.

Listen, why don't we just
leave, why don't we just...

Why don't we just get
on a plane and take off.

I can get a job. I know I can.

We can be together. I need you,
honey. I-I've always needed you.

So you want me
to carry you again.

Job to job. City to city.
Scrounging for rent.

I won't do that, Chris.

( phone ringing )

It's Jenkins, that
has to be Jenkins.

Hello, Arnie? Wher...?

Who is this?

( stammers )

What?

Yeah, I know.

Now, wait... Lis...

Hello?

Hello.

Who was it? CONWAY:
I don't know. Just...

Just a guy.

He... He said he's...
He's got the stamps. He...

He wants to make
a deal for half.

When?

Now. He... Now, he said.

It's gotta be some
kind of a trick.

I mean, who knows
about it? Who knows...?

Who knows to call me here?

Leave that stuff alone.

Where did this man
say he'd meet you?

On the beach, he said.
Just south of the cliff house.

You're not going.

Would you like to do it?

I-I-I can't do that, Glen.

I can't do that anymore.

Can you?

( dialing )

How will I know who he is?

How, Chris?

He said he'd be
wearing a flower.

A magenta-colored flower.

Heh. A sense of humor.

I like that.

And a lot of confidence.

Glen, you can't just...
Yes, I'd like a cab, please.

2200 Walnut, right away.

Thank you.

Glen, why don't we...
W-why don't we just...

Don't worry, hon.

It'll all work out.

( breathing heavily )

Hey, did you see who that was?

Glen Williams.

( doorbell buzzes )

( knock at door )

Who is it?

STONE: Lieutenant Stone.
I'd like to talk to you, Conway.

Just a minute.

( suspenseful theme playing )

There's an alley out back.

( grunting )

( yelps )

Take it easy, will you?

Where are the stamps?

I haven't got 'em.

Airline ticket. One way.
Mr. and Mrs. Conway.

We know she was
in your apartment.

Where did she go?

I don't have to
tell you anything.

That's right, you don't.

That was a Golden Gate Cab.

Call the dispatcher. Right.

( gasping )

Eighty-one to headquarters.

( dramatic theme playing )

( tense theme playing )

MAN: Hey, Dad, we're up here.

( ominous theme playing )

DOC: Looking for somebody, lady?

I'm meeting
someone for a friend.

I know a guy, name's Conway.

That's my friend.

DOC: Where is he?

He's out.

Out where?

All the way out.

Finished.

Where's Jenkins?

Jenkins?

( chuckles )

I guess you could
say he's out too.

Permanently.

You have the stamps?

One.

Just one.

You move it.

We'll split fifty-fifty.

And then I'll give
you the next one.

I want them all.

Now.

( tires screech )

( tires screech )

Hold on to this guy.

DOC: Now, that
isn't smart, lady.

But if you're all that
intense about it, well,

maybe I can live with
a smaller percentage.

I don't think you can.

DOC: If you pull that trigger,
what are you gonna get,

just one stamp, right?

Wouldn't you really
rather deal for all ten?

I know you got the
customers on tap.

( dramatic theme playing )

Mrs. Conway.

We have your husband.

DOC: Lady, you
pull that trigger now,

we're both dead.

Put the gun down.

I didn't kill anyone.
KELLER: I know.

Just drop the gun, Mrs. Conway.

( tense theme playing )

Hi, Doc.

Do you mind stepping
over here a bit?

Thirty-eight caliber.

STONE: What was that you were
saying about being out of the trade?

You know, I'm beginning
to think you're right.

What's the charge?

Suspicion of murder.

And having a magenta mouth.

( dramatic theme playing )

( jazz theme playing )

Mike, from Hong Kong.

Along with notarized
documents proving ownership

and possession of one
6-cent British Guiana.

What? KELLER: The stamp.

It's a proof of ownership
from the Chinese consulate.

Oh, here.

Read this telegram just came.

"To detective in
charge Sturdevant case.

"Have client who wishes
remain anonymous.

"But certain authentic 6-cent
magenta British Guiana is not,

repeat, not involved
in your investigation."

Read where it came from.

"London, England." London?

( both chuckle )

Well, buddy boy, I
guess this is one mystery

we are never going to solve.

( sighs )

( triumphant theme playing )

( funky jazz theme playing )