The Streets of San Francisco (1972–1977): Season 4, Episode 14 - Most Likely to Succeed - full transcript
(theme music playing)
STUDENT: Bobby stole
the watch from that locker,
and you know it as well as I do.
STUDENT 2: Well, prove it, Gil.
That is where the democratic
principle fails in practice.
Why should I have
to prove something
we both know is true, hmm?
- Bobby.
- Hey, so where do I stand?
With your back to the wall.
Oh, you're a laugh
a minute, Gilford.
And you're a thief, Bobby.
Hey, hey, hey,
now, wait a minute,
wait a minute, wait a minute.
Hey, whoa, whoa, step...
You're not a thief...
and you're not a
laugh a minute either.
Oh, my gosh.
I almost forgot.
Mr. Hanna, Mr. Hanna.
I was just on my way to your
office when I saw you leaving.
Our meeting was for 5:00.
You know what time it is now?
Yes, uh, I know, but there
was a special meeting
of the Honor Society,
and I'm the chairman, so I...
And you thought that
was more important?
Oh, no, it's not a
matter of importance.
It's just, it was
my responsibility,
and the meeting
came up suddenly, so...
All right, Paul, I can tell
you the same thing here
I was gonna tell
you in my office.
I'm gonna have to
fail you in Chemistry.
(car door closes)
But you can't do that.
You knew it was coming.
But you said that if I did
that special paper on,
on colloidal suspensions,
that you'd count that as makeup
work and change the grade.
That's right, and it
was due last Friday.
- Last Friday?
- The 23rd, remember?
But we had a debate last
week on curriculum reforms,
and I'm the president
of the student cou...
Paul, I turn in
the final grades tomorrow,
and you failed chemistry.
I had to be there!
(tires screech)
You don't know how
important this is to me.
- Please, I can't fail.
- Paul, I warned you,
you had better start
rearranging your priorities.
I have nothing
more to say about it.
Remove those books from my hood.
Yes, sir.
Now, that was the year that
we took the cyclamate bath,
the year that they discovered
that cyclamates cause
cancer in white mice.
They took it off the market.
Now they've discovered
something new...
That everything causes
cancer in white mice:
cyclamates, tobacco, alcohol,
beet juice, celery,
sirloin steak, everything.
(laughter)
Oh, Paul, by the way, I got
the tickets for Boston today.
We fly out two
weeks from tomorrow
and talk to the Dean of
Admissions at Harvard.
Dad, we mailed in the
application four months ago.
Isn't that enough?
Well, it's too impersonal.
I want him to meet
you, get to know you,
and you're not just another
name on a piece of paper.
All right, Dad.
You know, Paul,
with your record, with your
grades, you should be a shoo-in,
but it doesn't hurt to
cover all the bases.
Like Knute Rockne said,
"Winning isn't everything,
but losing isn't anything."
- (laughter) -I, um, think
it was Vince Lombardi.
Well, it doesn't
matter who said it.
The fact is, it's the truth.
Oh, Paul,
you need any help with
that extra credit project
that you're doing for chemistry?
No, I handed it in on Friday.
Thank you.
Well, I-I-I thought
you were going
to let me look at it first.
Sometimes you want to
do something by yourself
without everybody
looking over your shoulder!
You know?!
Excuse me, I-I have
some homework.
Daddy, why don't
you leave him alone?
You mind your own
business, young lady.
Vicky, you're a girl
and there are some
things you don't understand.
(chuckling): Oh, Mother,
spare me the male
chauvinist philosophy.
It's not like the old
days when a son grew up
and went into his
father's business.
When your father
retires or dies,
he can't leave Paul his money
because he spends most of it
so we can live the way we do.
He can't leave him
his job or the business.
They don't belong to him.
The only thing he
can do is to teach Paul,
give him the benefit
of his experience,
his insight, his ambition.
I can understand that,
Mother, even if I am just a girl.
It's that he never
lets up on Paul.
He feels he has
only so much time
and he wants to
make the most of it.
Children are grown
up and gone so quickly.
I'm not gone, Mother.
I know, dear, and you're
not grown up either.
(Vicky chuckles)
Paul, now, look, I know
you're under a lot
of pressure at school.
I'm sorry, Dad.
Don't apologize.
Learn from it.
Now, your feelings...
Too often you... well, you
let them get the best of you.
You've got to learn
to control them
and not let them control you.
You understand?
Yes, sir.
I knew you would.
You got a good mind.
You're bright, sharp, quick.
I'm proud of you, son.
Look, I, uh, have some news
that might make
you feel a bit better.
One of my bosses...
Carl Axford... He's a
senior vice president...
He's in town this week
and he just happens to be
on the Board of
Overseers at Harvard.
Got a lot of clout.
I talked to him about you,
and he wants to see you
in my office at 4:00,
day after tomorrow.
Couldn't we do it
some other time?
Well, he's on a flying trip.
He's only gonna be here
a couple of more days.
A letter of recommendation
from Ax is all you need.
I think it'll take a
little more than that.
Now, look, you take
care of the schoolwork.
You let me handle
the politics, okay?
Dad, please, I don't want to see
him or anybody else right now.
Sorry.
I want you to pull
yourself together, Paul,
and get ready for that
meeting the day after tomorrow.
But I'm not asking
you to lie for me
or change the grade
or anything like that.
Just say that, owing to
special circumstances,
that you're not going
to give me a grade at all.
And what are the
special circumstances?
Well, for one
thing, it's not fair.
I said I was willing to
listen, but not to that.
Please try and understand.
I'm supposed to go
to Harvard next year.
In two weeks, my father
is taking me to Boston
to meet the Dean of Admissions.
Everything I've worked
for, for the last 12 years,
will be meaningless
because of that one grade.
All the A's that I've
gotten, all the extra work...
What'll it mean?
Nothing because of that one F.
Paul, you knew all that when
your grade started to slip.
Harvard is Harvard
because it keeps its
standards rigidly high.
- It doesn't compromise...
- Oh, but, sir...
and neither do I.
I'm sorry.
How's this?
You give me an incomplete.
I'll go to summer school, I'll
make up the grade, I promise.
I can't do that.
I'm not asking just for me.
It's important to my
father, my whole family.
Well, I'm sure they'll
understand if you'll just...
No, they won't!
My whole life for one
stinking, lousy grade.
Is it that important to you?!
I think you better leave, Paul.
I'm sorry.
I need your help.
Please, please help me.
Good night, Paul.
(thud)
Uh, just give 'em a
hand in there, will you?
Now, I...
If you prefer, I can
come back later
and ask you these questions.
No, I'd ra-rather
do it now if it'll help.
All right.
Do you remember what time it
was when you left the house?
Uh... I don't remember.
- I-I think...
- I picked her up around 6:00.
Was your husband
expecting anyone?
No.
He, he, he was going to post
the final grades for the semester.
He never likes anyone
around when he's doing that,
not even me.
Is there anything missing?
I don't know; I didn't look.
That's all right.
You... why don't you take a
rest and I'll come back later?
Uh, she'll spend the
night at my house.
- Can I ask your name, please?
- Yes, it's Jane Roberts.
I live directly
across the street.
Now, Lieutenant, I don't know
whether this has
anything to do with it,
but we've had about
three or four burglaries
in this neighborhood in
the last couple of months.
Thank you very much.
It could be very important.
Find anything?
KELLER: What, in this mess?
Rest of the house
is as neat as a pin.
He must have
surprised the burglar
while he was
ransacking the place.
The burglar hit him
over the head and ran.
No, n-no, this mess was
made after the murder.
See, we found papers
on top of the body...
When we took it out of here,
there's nothing underneath.
He was already on the floor
when the mess was made?
- That's right.
- Interesting.
What's Charlie got?
Oh, he thinks that's
the murder weapon,
but he hasn't
found any prints yet.
Well, whoever hit him...
looted this room and didn't
touch the rest of the house.
Why?
Well, could have been for money.
There wasn't a
wallet on the body.
I'll talk to Burglary first
thing in the morning.
Okay, I'll go out to the school,
talk with his teachers
and students.
Charlie, first thing in
the morning, please?
Thank you.
(knocking on door)
You busy?
Oh, no, I-I-I was just
getting ready for bed.
"Early to bed, early to rise,"
as Knute Rockne would say.
Oh, I thought it was Henry VIII.
(laughing)
Paul, I know Dad bugs you,
but he really thinks
it's for your own good.
Yeah, I-I know.
I mean, he has to work harder
with you than he does with me.
It's different with
me; I'm a girl.
Oh, when did you find that out?
Oh, mother explained
it all to me tonight.
You see, a girl has
two chances in life,
where a boy has only one.
If a girl can't be a success,
she can marry a success.
If a boy can't be a success,
then right away he's a failure.
You understand?
Yes, yes.
I-I hope you don't mind.
I'm really kind of tired.
Sure.
You look tired.
Are things really that bad?
Not bad enough for the bridge.
(chuckling)
Good night, Superboy.
Good night.
I still have trouble
believing it, Inspector.
You always think of murder
as something that
happens to other people,
in another world.
When it strikes this close
to home, it's frightening.
Well, I understand how
you feel, Mr. Gardner, I do.
I don't think Tom Hanna
had an enemy in the world.
Good teacher, good man.
I was very fond of him.
What about his colleagues,
some of the students?
No, I know them all,
students and faculty.
I can't think of anyone
that's capable of murder.
Well, almost anyone
is capable of murder
- under the proper situation.
- Let me put it to you this way,
- I wouldn't want to accuse anyone.
- I'm not asking you to.
I'm just hoping that if I could
talk to some of these people,
they may have heard
something or saw something.
Certainly,
but I would appreciate it if
you went about it tactfully.
You see, most of
the students here,
they come from very
wealthy, influential homes.
I'll try not to
upset anybody, sir.
I suppose there's no way to
keep this out of the newspapers?
- Well, it's, uh...
- You see, it might reflect in some way
- upon the school.
- Yeah. Yeah.
I'm sure you understand.
- No, I understand.
- I mean, I wouldn't want people
to think that...
You see, it's really
outside of my purview,
Mr. Gardner; I'm sorry.
Yes, I see. I understand.
Good.
I'll talk to you
soon. Thank you.
Yes.
Thank you.
(school bell rings)
♪♪
KELLER: Tom Hanna had
more friends and no enemies.
I just picked this
up from Burglary.
Five in that neighborhood
in the last three months,
- all by the same man.
- They're sure?
Yeah, they caught him
three days ago; he confessed.
Two days before
Hanna got murdered.
Well, guess there's more
than one burglar in town.
Yeah, Mrs. Hanna
said she'd give us a list
- of things that are missing.
- If anything.
We'll pick them up first
thing in the morning.
I got to go back to
the school tomorrow.
I didn't get a chance to
talk to all the students.
You know, it's quite amazing
how many people a teacher
comes in contact with.
All those people and
not one single enemy.
Yeah.
That man must have been a saint.
(sighs)
- You hear what happened?
- Yeah.
You talk to the fuzz yet?
What do you mean?
Well, there's a cop
here asking questions.
He's been talking
to the teachers,
but, uh, he's supposed
to come back tomorrow
and question some
of Hanna's students.
Oh?
What are they asking?
You know: "Did you like him?"
"Did you know him?"
"Did you kill him?"
That kind of stuff.
It's too bad; Mr. Hanna
was a nice guy.
Yeah, he was a great guy.
You bloody hypocrites.
A week ago, you were standing
there putting the knock on him,
and all of a sudden,
he's a great guy.
When are you gonna
learn to shut up?
He was a creep
then, he's a creep now.
Mr. Hanna was a good man.
He was a teacher, and
now he's a dead teacher.
As far as I'm concerned,
a teacher is a
teacher is a teacher.
And a thief is
a thief is a thief.
Hey, what do you think
that's gonna prove?
Nothing, but it's gonna make
me feel a whole lot better.
Okay.
(grunting)
(groaning)
- You feel better now?
- Yeah.
Tell me how great you feel.
Great. I feel just great.
You ever try that again
and I'll break your arm.
Try matching that.
- Dad?
- Yeah?
I've been thinking
about what you said,
and you're right.
It'd be terrific if Mr. Axford
would write a letter for me.
Hey, so you'll be there
tomorrow afternoon at 4:00.
Yes, sir.
- Good boy.
- Russell.
- Yeah?
- Did Paul tell you?
Tell me what?
He's gonna give the
Class Day address.
- Hey.
- Mr. Gardner says
the honor goes to the senior
who's chosen "Most
Likely to Succeed."
I think you better work that
into that conversation
with Carl Axford.
You bet.
Great.
Lieutenant,
I looked through
the whole house.
This is all I can
find that's missing.
The, uh, second list is, uh,
students who were here Thursday.
We had an open house.
Wallet, watch, pen.
The pen was gold
and his name was engraved on it.
It was a gift from the
graduating class two years ago.
You know how much money
was in the wallet, ma'am?
Um,
he gave me some money
before I left the house.
And he said that only left
him eight dollars for the week.
I said I'd have to
raise his allowance.
Are you sure this
is all that's missing?
I think so.
Okay, ma'am.
Thank you very
much; appreciate it.
When you're looking for
something that isn't there,
it-it's like looking
for shadows.
I-I couldn't find
his favorite pipe,
and I almost put
that on the list.
And a glass paperweight
that he used to have.
And then I remembered
he broke it three weeks ago.
His grade book is
probably still at the school.
I'm sorry, I'm afraid
I'm not much help.
Well, that's all right,
ma'am, every little bit helps.
- We appreciate it; thank you.
- Thank you very much.
(engine starting)
Mr. Hanna was
tough. Really tough.
KELLER: Now,
what does that mean?
Well, if he asked
you to do something,
then you'd better do it.
No excuses.
He was tough, but he was fair.
Do you know of anyone
who didn't think he was fair?
Bobby Tilton, but
that's nothing new.
Bobby's the only guy in
school who failed lunch period
two years in a row.
(chuckles) Lunch?
And as I said, we
found the grade book
in the bottom drawer
where he usually keeps it.
Did you ever see
him use this pipe?
All the time.
Did you notice his gold pen?
Watch?
Not that I recall.
Mr. Gardner, are
there any students
who have a tendency to, um,
well, pick up things that
don't belong to them?
You mean steal?
If you want to put it that way.
Lieutenant, most of our
students have more money
than they know what to do with.
That's not answering
my question.
I wouldn't want
to accuse anyone.
Strictly between us.
Well, there was
some things missing
from several of the lockers.
A young man was
brought up on charges
before the honor committee,
but there was no evidence.
His name?
Tilton, Robert Tilton.
And, um, who's the chairman
of the Honor Committee?
Paul Kincaid.
You'll find his name on the
list of Mr. Hanna's students.
Paul Kincaid.
Thank you.
(door opens, closes)
Well, I think that's about all I
can tell you about Mr. Hanna.
He was a good teacher, though.
All right, what
about Robert Tilton?
- Bobby?
- Yeah.
You think that Bobby had
something to do with this...?
No, no, no. We just heard
that he was brought up
by the Honor Committee for
stealing something, that's all.
Oh, yeah, but
there was no proof.
And anyway, I don't want
to say anything about him.
I like him.
(laughs) Well, I
understand him anyway.
What do you mean
you understand him?
His father is very successful.
His mother is very social.
So they're not around a lot.
In fact, Bobby has no
home life to speak of.
If his father wants to
give him something,
something that he needs,
he just writes a check,
as if that fulfills
his paternal duties.
But what Bobby needs... (sighs)
no signature can supply.
Talking like
attention, affection...?
- Yes, exactly.
- Yeah.
So what does he do?
He steals something.
Nothing big.
A watch, maybe, a pen.
It's not that he feels he
should have these things,
or that he needs them...
It's that he wants attention.
Huh.
(school bell ringing)
Well, is he prone to violence?
I mean, does he
pick fights? A bully?
(laughs) The only
fights he picks, he loses.
The damage he
does is to himself.
Listen... I'm late for class.
I hope you won't mind...
No. Paul, thank you
very much for your time.
- Appreciate it.
- Thank you. Sure.
Bobby Tilton?
Hi.
Yeah.
(laughs) You got to be the heat.
- (Bobby laughs)
- No. We're the police.
Well, I hate to
disappoint you boys,
but I don't say nothing
without my mouthpiece.
Sonny, this is not
the school play.
This is a murder investigation.
Well, why me? I mean, what
are you coming to me for?
Well, we heard you had a
little problem with Mr. Hanna.
Me? Oh, come on.
He was a sweetheart.
Well, if he was
such a sweetheart,
why were you failing his course?
Who says I was failing?
His grade book.
Well, what does that prove?
I mean, if I killed every
teacher who failed me,
the city would be
knee-deep in bodies.
May I take a look
at your locker?
Oh, sure. Be my guest.
So, Bob, uh, where were
you the night of the 12th?
BOBBY: Uh... when was that?
KELLER: It was two nights ago.
It was the night
Mr. Hanna got killed.
Oh, yeah. I was
with Rosalee Powers.
You were? Where?
Hey, I wouldn't ask you that.
KELLER: Where?
In a cabana behind
a swimming pool.
You want to know what
we were doing there?
No, that's okay. Thank you.
You find what you
were looking for?
No.
(sighs)
But thanks for your cooperation.
Sure. See you later.
Take care, Bob.
"To Tom Hanna. Our
thanks. Class of '73."
Oh, terrific.
What have you got
against women's lib?
Nothing. I just think
it's something you do
after you can afford
a full-time maid.
That sounds like
something Daddy would say.
(Rae laughs)
As a matter of fact, he did.
Mother, you are hopelessly
tied to your kitchen.
Which is lucky for you,
or you'd have been
fixing your own meals
for the last 20 years.
(Vicky laughs)
I'd have managed somehow.
Darling, until you were 11,
you couldn't manage to
tie your own shoelaces.
Harvard... here we come.
Did Mr. Axford interview Paul?
(laughs) Not on your life.
Paul Kincaid
interviewed Carl Axford,
and it was something to behold.
Tell your mother.
Come on, come
on, tell your mother.
It was nothing. He exaggerates.
(phone ringing)
Well, if you're not
gonna tell her, I will.
You know, Ax
comes into the office,
and he's expecting to
meet, well, just another kid.
VICKY: Paul, it's for you.
Well, you know
know Ax. He's... Hello.
Oh, hi, Bobby. How are you?
Good.
RUSSELL: Figures
he'd give the kid...
No, I can't right now.
Five minutes of his
precious time, and...
PAUL: What?
RUSSELL: He's gonna hit
him with one of the old clichés...
No, I-I don't know
anything about that.
RUSSELL: Uh, give him all you got.
- PAUL: Oh.
RUSSELL: Prevail against
the odds. That sort of thing.
Okay.
RUSSELL: Well, no sooner
had he come into the room...
Where?
RUSSELL: when Paul
puts him on the defensive.
He punches him in the old...
I'll be there as soon as I can.
RUSSELL: and Ax rises to the...
Well, Paul had all
the facts and figures,
and poor Ax, he
didn't have a chance.
Hey, Paul, come here a second.
Paul?
(door shuts)
All I know is that somebody
planted this in my locker.
(sighs)
Could it have been
a practical joke?
Practical joke?
It's not too funny.
Man, I'm scared.
Paul, look, I hate to ask
this of you, but you're the...
you're the only guy in
that school I can talk to.
You got to help
me find who did it.
Okay. Okay, I'll try.
I don't know if I can help you,
but I'd get some rest
and-and try to relax.
And I wouldn't speak to anybody
about this, if I were you, okay?
Come on, let's-let's
walk over here.
I don't know why I'm
the only suspect anyway.
I mean, I'm not the only guy
who was failing his course.
If that was the only motive,
you could have done it yourself.
What do you mean?
You were failing
his course, too.
How can you say that?
You didn't know
anything about that.
I happen to have a 3.9 average.
3.9 average?
Who are you kidding?
It's all in the grade book.
I saw it two weeks ago.
I sneaked into his
office and looked,
just to see how bad I was doing.
And I was doing pretty bad.
There was only one consolation.
I got to see your grades,
and you were doing
just as bad as I was.
Did you tell the police this?
Tell the police. I didn't
tell the police anything.
I was too busy
thinking about this.
Good.
Yeah, that's good.
Wait a minute.
If the police did
see that grade book,
why didn't they know
you were failing?
Because I wasn't.
Paul, you're lying to me.
No, I'm not!
You were standing
next to that locker when...
No!
(yells)
I want the doctor
that examines him
to examine those
bruises carefully.
I want to know whether
they were caused by the fall.
(indistinct background
radio communication)
Photograph that area
back there, will you?
How is he?
Bad. You talk to the mother?
Yeah. She says he went
to go see Paul Kincaid.
Then Paul calls an
hour later from the school
wondering where he is.
She wasn't worried?
Well, that's what's so weird.
She acted like he was some
stranger living down the block.
They found this in his hand.
Okay.
- (siren wails)
- So what do you think?
I think the world must
be a terrifying place
for some teenagers.
Are you the officer
that found Bobby?
OFFICER: Yes, sir.
I, uh, noticed a car, and
wasn't anybody around it,
so I thought it was
stolen and abandoned.
- So, I took a look around and, uh...
- (horse neighs)
found the body lying
over at the foot of the cliff.
You see exactly
where he went off?
Yeah, I marked the area
off, kept everybody out of it.
Would you show us?
Sure.
Shh.
Well, it's kind of hard to
tell if there was a struggle.
Yeah. How do you know
this is the place he fell from?
He had tennis shoes on.
I looked around till I
found his footprints up here.
Wait a minute.
There's a hard-sole shoe there
with a rubber heel, right there.
I have the same thing over here.
How do you know they were
both up here at the same time?
See if you can find that print
with the tennis shoes on
top of the hard-sole shoe.
Got it. Right over there.
Look at this.
Here's a hard sole
covering the tennis shoe.
That's it. They were both
here at the same time.
It's a hell of a job of
investigating, Officer.
You ever think about
becoming a plainclothesman?
- Can I keep my horse?
- Forget it.
Pass.
So Bobby went to see
Paul Kincaid at the school,
but he never got there.
He stopped here first.
Yeah, well, what was
he meeting Kincaid for?
Let's go ask him.
(doorbell ringing)
Yes?
I'm Lieutenant Stone,
this is Inspector Keller.
Is Paul at home?
Uh, yes, of course. Come in.
Paul, there's someone
here to see you.
PAUL: Coming.
Kind of cute.
What time you get off work?
Women's lib.
Yeah.
If she were really liberated,
she would have
waited for an answer.
Hello, Inspector.
Paul, how you doing?
This is Lieutenant
Stone. Paul Kincaid.
Hello, sir.
Were you supposed
to meet Robert Tilton
after school today?
Yes, I was, but he-he
never showed up.
Yeah, he had an accident.
Oh, no.
Oh, you know, it was bound
to happen sooner or later.
Was it a car accident?
The way he drove
that little car of his...
No, it wasn't his
car. He fell off a cliff.
Oh, I'm sorry to hear that.
Why were you
meeting him in school?
Didn't he tell you?
No, he's unconscious.
Well, I-I don't know.
You see, he called me
and said that he had something
he wanted to ask me about.
Some advice he
wanted to ask me for.
Do you know what?
No, I'm sorry.
He didn't tell me.
He was kind of shrouded in
mystery when I spoke to him.
Well, did he say something
about meeting somebody
else before coming to school?
Well, if he did, I
don't remember it.
I'm sorry I'm not of much help.
That's all right, son.
Okay, Paul, thank you.
Do you think Bobby
Tilton will be all right?
Yeah, if he makes it through
tonight, he should be okay.
- Oh, that's great.
- Good night.
That's great.
Wonderful, marvelous, terrific.
Best news I've had all day.
VICKY: Paul?
What did they want?
What?
Oh, Paul, what's the matter?
Oh. Bobby Tilton
had an accident.
Was he all right?
Yeah.
He'll be all right.
Now what time did
you get in this morning?
Early.
Want another cup of coffee?
Yeah. Lots of cream.
I got a call from Peterson
this morning in Burglary.
They found these two
blocks from Hanna's home.
Behind a garage.
Any money in it?
Yeah, eight dollars.
Everything there was good.
Guess that rules
out burglary, huh?
Yeah.
Come in here.
Let me bounce this off you.
Tom Hanna came home around 5:00.
He and his wife
had an early dinner
because she had a meeting
with the faculty wives.
(Keller sighs)
Tom Hanna stayed home
to compile the final grades.
Somewhere between 6:00 and 7:00,
someone came to the Hanna home.
But they were admitted, because
there's no sign of forced entry.
Yeah, someone Hanna
knew. Bobby Tilton...
Another student,
friend, relative.
Somebody.
Now this somebody
killed Tom Hanna
and went to a
great deal of trouble
to make it look like burglary.
He stole his watch,
wallet, fountain pen...
Which we found on Bobby Tilton.
Right.
Now, why did he throw
away the watch and wallet
and keep the pen?
The pen had Hanna's
name engraved on it.
- Must have had some use for it.
- STONE: What?
The pipe and the grade
book are still at school.
Now, wait a minute.
Wait a minute.
Mrs. Hanna went
away to a meeting.
Mr. Hanna stayed
home to do the grades.
But how could he do it if
he didn't have a grade book?
Well, maybe he has
an extra grade book.
But if he doesn't,
that explains the pen.
Right? If you were
to exchange grades,
you want to have
the same pen and ink.
If Bob Tilton did steal the pen,
why did he give
himself a failing grade?
Mrs. Hanna? Lieutenant Stone.
I'm sorry to trouble you again,
but I need some
more information.
Did your husband have an
extra grade book at home?
Well, is there a possibility
that he would know
a student's grades
without that grade book?
Thank you.
That grade book is
the one and only one.
Now, how did it get
back to that school?
Let's go find out, okay?
TEACHER: Polymerization
is the joining together
of a number of
molecules of the same kind
to form a single,
larger molecule.
Although the new
molecule is heavier,
it has the same
composition by weight
as the original
single molecules.
Excuse me.
May I help you?
Mr. Gardner said that you
had Tom Hanna's grade book.
TEACHER: I do.
Yes, somewhere here.
Uh... Ah.
Yes.
Here it is.
Yeah, I'll try to get it back
to you as soon as possible.
TEACHER: I'd appreciate it.
Now, where was I?
Polymerization and
man-made materials.
(grunts)
(glass shatters)
Excuse me.
And where are you
going, Mr. Kincaid?
I'm sorry, I-I don't
feel very well.
I'll be right back.
Excuse me. I'll be all right.
Mom?
How does this
strike you for a title?
"Juxtaposition of
Spatial Incongruities
in the Works of M.C. Escher."
Sounds fine to
me. What's it about?
I don't know.
I'm still trying to figure
out what the title means.
Paul?
Paul, buddy, I need your help.
Paul?
You're the brains
in this family.
What does...?
Good grief.
Get out!
Get out!
What is this, a tantrum?
You want to see a tantrum?
I'll show you a tantrum!
Here, you wanted
more of a tantrum?!
Here, look at these books!
I'm gonna get rid of these!
Shoved and shoved,
and shoved and shoved!
I hate all of the things they
shoved down our throat!
Oh, Paul, what on
earth is the matter?
(sobbing): I'm so
stupid, I'm so stupid!
Hey... Don't touch me!
- Don't touch me!
- Paul... Paul!
Get out of my room.
- Get out of my room.
- Okay.
Okay, Paul.
Get out of my room.
Get out of my room!
Sure.
It's okay.
According to the lab, he
used a simple reduction agent,
possibly a household bleach,
to change his grades
from failure to an A.
Never mind all that.
What's his name?
Kincaid.
- Paul Kincaid.
- Paul Kincaid, yeah.
Oh, I-I think if I went
up to talk to him...
Dad!
There's something
terribly wrong with Paul.
All right, now,
what's this all about?
He's locked himself in his
room and he won't come out.
Well, all right,
I'll talk to him.
No, Dad, listen to
me, I think he's sick.
(sighs)
Vicky, now, tell me
everything that's happened.
Well, I think it has
something to do
with Bobby Tilton's accident.
Well, of course. That
would upset anyone.
Why can't he tell
us what's wrong?
I'm so frightened, Russell.
All right, all right, now,
now, calm down, both of you.
VICKY: He hasn't been the
same since the police were here.
RAE: I don't know. I think
we should call a doctor.
RUSSELL: What
for? He's all right.
He's just a little uptight.
I think it's my fault,
at least partially.
I've been driving him too hard.
(clattering)
Paul?
You all right, son?
Well, you certainly
did have us going.
You know, Paul, if
you've got any problems,
you can come to me with them.
See, I don't want you
to be ashamed of me.
I love you all so much.
W-We know that you do.
I don't want you to
be disappointed in me.
Paul... I'm sorry, Dad.
What's the matter
with you, Paul?!
Now, stop it!
Darling, what happened?
I said, stop it!
Paul!
For the love of God.
Paul! Paul!
Paul, don't!
(grunting)
Paul!
What's happened to him?
(engine starts)
(tires screeching)
(horn honks)
How long ago did he leave?
About 20 minutes.
Now, which way was he headed?
North.
Did you get a
description of the car?
I'll put out an APB.
My son is not a killer.
He tried to kill you, didn't he?
I don't think he would have.
We have reason to believe
that he killed Tom Hanna.
And that he pushed
Bobby over that cliff.
Now, if your son wanted to hide
from someone, where would he go?
Come on, think of
someplace, anyplace at all.
The first place that
comes to your mind!
- The bridge.
- The bridge?
It was a private joke.
When things got really tough
at school or here at home,
if they really got bad,
there was always the bridge.
I know it's only a hunch, but...
(siren wailing)
♪♪
(siren wailing)
Where is he?
Down at the point.
Did you try talking to him?
I tried. Nothing.
I started to reach for him once,
but he nearly went
over, so I backed off.
Let me try talking to him.
I think he'll remember me.
Just be careful.
(foghorn blowing)
(wind whistling)
(foghorn blowing)
(wind howling)
(foghorn blowing)
Paul?
You remember me?
Well, I talked to
Bobby's doctor.
Bobby's gonna be all right.
(wind whistling)
Pretty cold out here, isn't it?
You cold?
(shuddering)
KELLER: You want to go inside?
Someplace warm,
have some coffee, talk?
(wind whistling)
(foghorn blowing)
(shuddering)
Listen, Paul, you're a
very talented young man
who's got his whole
life ahead of him.
Now, I know you
can't see it now,
but, well, it's like a movie.
If you leave
during the bad part,
you'll never know if it's
gonna get any better.
(wind whistling)
(foghorn blowing)
(wind whistling)
Boy, that wind cuts right
through you, doesn't it?
(foghorn blowing)
(wind whistling)
(shuddering)
How'd you know I was up here?
Vicky told me.
Vicky said that you
two had this private joke
that when things got really
bad, you came to the bridge.
She cares a lot about you, Paul.
So does your mother and father.
(foghorn blowing)
I failed them!
But they love you.
I tried to kill them.
But you didn't hate them.
You were only afraid they'd
be disappointed in you.
That they'd be upset with
you, but they love you, Paul.
It's not gonna do you or
them any good if you jump.
(gasping)
So just come on back, give
them a chance to help you.
I failed them!
I tried to kill them!
And now I can't even jump!
It's okay.
(Paul sobbing)
I know.
I know, Paul. I know.
I know it's gonna be all right.
We'll get you
someplace warm, talk.
(Paul sobs)
Come on, Paul,
let's go. It's okay.
It's okay.
(wind whistling)
It's okay.
(Paul sobs)
It's gonna be okay. I know.
All right, back off.
Everybody just back out.
(wind whistling)
It's okay. Just take it easy.
We'll be back up at
Bryant Street and we'll walk.
Where have you been?
I was expecting you for an hour.
(sighs) I said I'd
take him someplace,
have a cup of coffee, talk.
That's what I did.
Where is he?
He's downstairs being booked.
Well, his father's
downstairs with a lawyer.
They're gonna plead insanity.
What do you think?
Does he know the difference
between right and wrong?
Yeah. In a way, he knows
exactly what he did from A to Z.
He knows he was wrong.
I wish his parents did.
They want to know what
happened, what went wrong.
"We gave him
everything, everything."
Yeah.
Except the right to fail.
STUDENT: Bobby stole
the watch from that locker,
and you know it as well as I do.
STUDENT 2: Well, prove it, Gil.
That is where the democratic
principle fails in practice.
Why should I have
to prove something
we both know is true, hmm?
- Bobby.
- Hey, so where do I stand?
With your back to the wall.
Oh, you're a laugh
a minute, Gilford.
And you're a thief, Bobby.
Hey, hey, hey,
now, wait a minute,
wait a minute, wait a minute.
Hey, whoa, whoa, step...
You're not a thief...
and you're not a
laugh a minute either.
Oh, my gosh.
I almost forgot.
Mr. Hanna, Mr. Hanna.
I was just on my way to your
office when I saw you leaving.
Our meeting was for 5:00.
You know what time it is now?
Yes, uh, I know, but there
was a special meeting
of the Honor Society,
and I'm the chairman, so I...
And you thought that
was more important?
Oh, no, it's not a
matter of importance.
It's just, it was
my responsibility,
and the meeting
came up suddenly, so...
All right, Paul, I can tell
you the same thing here
I was gonna tell
you in my office.
I'm gonna have to
fail you in Chemistry.
(car door closes)
But you can't do that.
You knew it was coming.
But you said that if I did
that special paper on,
on colloidal suspensions,
that you'd count that as makeup
work and change the grade.
That's right, and it
was due last Friday.
- Last Friday?
- The 23rd, remember?
But we had a debate last
week on curriculum reforms,
and I'm the president
of the student cou...
Paul, I turn in
the final grades tomorrow,
and you failed chemistry.
I had to be there!
(tires screech)
You don't know how
important this is to me.
- Please, I can't fail.
- Paul, I warned you,
you had better start
rearranging your priorities.
I have nothing
more to say about it.
Remove those books from my hood.
Yes, sir.
Now, that was the year that
we took the cyclamate bath,
the year that they discovered
that cyclamates cause
cancer in white mice.
They took it off the market.
Now they've discovered
something new...
That everything causes
cancer in white mice:
cyclamates, tobacco, alcohol,
beet juice, celery,
sirloin steak, everything.
(laughter)
Oh, Paul, by the way, I got
the tickets for Boston today.
We fly out two
weeks from tomorrow
and talk to the Dean of
Admissions at Harvard.
Dad, we mailed in the
application four months ago.
Isn't that enough?
Well, it's too impersonal.
I want him to meet
you, get to know you,
and you're not just another
name on a piece of paper.
All right, Dad.
You know, Paul,
with your record, with your
grades, you should be a shoo-in,
but it doesn't hurt to
cover all the bases.
Like Knute Rockne said,
"Winning isn't everything,
but losing isn't anything."
- (laughter) -I, um, think
it was Vince Lombardi.
Well, it doesn't
matter who said it.
The fact is, it's the truth.
Oh, Paul,
you need any help with
that extra credit project
that you're doing for chemistry?
No, I handed it in on Friday.
Thank you.
Well, I-I-I thought
you were going
to let me look at it first.
Sometimes you want to
do something by yourself
without everybody
looking over your shoulder!
You know?!
Excuse me, I-I have
some homework.
Daddy, why don't
you leave him alone?
You mind your own
business, young lady.
Vicky, you're a girl
and there are some
things you don't understand.
(chuckling): Oh, Mother,
spare me the male
chauvinist philosophy.
It's not like the old
days when a son grew up
and went into his
father's business.
When your father
retires or dies,
he can't leave Paul his money
because he spends most of it
so we can live the way we do.
He can't leave him
his job or the business.
They don't belong to him.
The only thing he
can do is to teach Paul,
give him the benefit
of his experience,
his insight, his ambition.
I can understand that,
Mother, even if I am just a girl.
It's that he never
lets up on Paul.
He feels he has
only so much time
and he wants to
make the most of it.
Children are grown
up and gone so quickly.
I'm not gone, Mother.
I know, dear, and you're
not grown up either.
(Vicky chuckles)
Paul, now, look, I know
you're under a lot
of pressure at school.
I'm sorry, Dad.
Don't apologize.
Learn from it.
Now, your feelings...
Too often you... well, you
let them get the best of you.
You've got to learn
to control them
and not let them control you.
You understand?
Yes, sir.
I knew you would.
You got a good mind.
You're bright, sharp, quick.
I'm proud of you, son.
Look, I, uh, have some news
that might make
you feel a bit better.
One of my bosses...
Carl Axford... He's a
senior vice president...
He's in town this week
and he just happens to be
on the Board of
Overseers at Harvard.
Got a lot of clout.
I talked to him about you,
and he wants to see you
in my office at 4:00,
day after tomorrow.
Couldn't we do it
some other time?
Well, he's on a flying trip.
He's only gonna be here
a couple of more days.
A letter of recommendation
from Ax is all you need.
I think it'll take a
little more than that.
Now, look, you take
care of the schoolwork.
You let me handle
the politics, okay?
Dad, please, I don't want to see
him or anybody else right now.
Sorry.
I want you to pull
yourself together, Paul,
and get ready for that
meeting the day after tomorrow.
But I'm not asking
you to lie for me
or change the grade
or anything like that.
Just say that, owing to
special circumstances,
that you're not going
to give me a grade at all.
And what are the
special circumstances?
Well, for one
thing, it's not fair.
I said I was willing to
listen, but not to that.
Please try and understand.
I'm supposed to go
to Harvard next year.
In two weeks, my father
is taking me to Boston
to meet the Dean of Admissions.
Everything I've worked
for, for the last 12 years,
will be meaningless
because of that one grade.
All the A's that I've
gotten, all the extra work...
What'll it mean?
Nothing because of that one F.
Paul, you knew all that when
your grade started to slip.
Harvard is Harvard
because it keeps its
standards rigidly high.
- It doesn't compromise...
- Oh, but, sir...
and neither do I.
I'm sorry.
How's this?
You give me an incomplete.
I'll go to summer school, I'll
make up the grade, I promise.
I can't do that.
I'm not asking just for me.
It's important to my
father, my whole family.
Well, I'm sure they'll
understand if you'll just...
No, they won't!
My whole life for one
stinking, lousy grade.
Is it that important to you?!
I think you better leave, Paul.
I'm sorry.
I need your help.
Please, please help me.
Good night, Paul.
(thud)
Uh, just give 'em a
hand in there, will you?
Now, I...
If you prefer, I can
come back later
and ask you these questions.
No, I'd ra-rather
do it now if it'll help.
All right.
Do you remember what time it
was when you left the house?
Uh... I don't remember.
- I-I think...
- I picked her up around 6:00.
Was your husband
expecting anyone?
No.
He, he, he was going to post
the final grades for the semester.
He never likes anyone
around when he's doing that,
not even me.
Is there anything missing?
I don't know; I didn't look.
That's all right.
You... why don't you take a
rest and I'll come back later?
Uh, she'll spend the
night at my house.
- Can I ask your name, please?
- Yes, it's Jane Roberts.
I live directly
across the street.
Now, Lieutenant, I don't know
whether this has
anything to do with it,
but we've had about
three or four burglaries
in this neighborhood in
the last couple of months.
Thank you very much.
It could be very important.
Find anything?
KELLER: What, in this mess?
Rest of the house
is as neat as a pin.
He must have
surprised the burglar
while he was
ransacking the place.
The burglar hit him
over the head and ran.
No, n-no, this mess was
made after the murder.
See, we found papers
on top of the body...
When we took it out of here,
there's nothing underneath.
He was already on the floor
when the mess was made?
- That's right.
- Interesting.
What's Charlie got?
Oh, he thinks that's
the murder weapon,
but he hasn't
found any prints yet.
Well, whoever hit him...
looted this room and didn't
touch the rest of the house.
Why?
Well, could have been for money.
There wasn't a
wallet on the body.
I'll talk to Burglary first
thing in the morning.
Okay, I'll go out to the school,
talk with his teachers
and students.
Charlie, first thing in
the morning, please?
Thank you.
(knocking on door)
You busy?
Oh, no, I-I-I was just
getting ready for bed.
"Early to bed, early to rise,"
as Knute Rockne would say.
Oh, I thought it was Henry VIII.
(laughing)
Paul, I know Dad bugs you,
but he really thinks
it's for your own good.
Yeah, I-I know.
I mean, he has to work harder
with you than he does with me.
It's different with
me; I'm a girl.
Oh, when did you find that out?
Oh, mother explained
it all to me tonight.
You see, a girl has
two chances in life,
where a boy has only one.
If a girl can't be a success,
she can marry a success.
If a boy can't be a success,
then right away he's a failure.
You understand?
Yes, yes.
I-I hope you don't mind.
I'm really kind of tired.
Sure.
You look tired.
Are things really that bad?
Not bad enough for the bridge.
(chuckling)
Good night, Superboy.
Good night.
I still have trouble
believing it, Inspector.
You always think of murder
as something that
happens to other people,
in another world.
When it strikes this close
to home, it's frightening.
Well, I understand how
you feel, Mr. Gardner, I do.
I don't think Tom Hanna
had an enemy in the world.
Good teacher, good man.
I was very fond of him.
What about his colleagues,
some of the students?
No, I know them all,
students and faculty.
I can't think of anyone
that's capable of murder.
Well, almost anyone
is capable of murder
- under the proper situation.
- Let me put it to you this way,
- I wouldn't want to accuse anyone.
- I'm not asking you to.
I'm just hoping that if I could
talk to some of these people,
they may have heard
something or saw something.
Certainly,
but I would appreciate it if
you went about it tactfully.
You see, most of
the students here,
they come from very
wealthy, influential homes.
I'll try not to
upset anybody, sir.
I suppose there's no way to
keep this out of the newspapers?
- Well, it's, uh...
- You see, it might reflect in some way
- upon the school.
- Yeah. Yeah.
I'm sure you understand.
- No, I understand.
- I mean, I wouldn't want people
to think that...
You see, it's really
outside of my purview,
Mr. Gardner; I'm sorry.
Yes, I see. I understand.
Good.
I'll talk to you
soon. Thank you.
Yes.
Thank you.
(school bell rings)
♪♪
KELLER: Tom Hanna had
more friends and no enemies.
I just picked this
up from Burglary.
Five in that neighborhood
in the last three months,
- all by the same man.
- They're sure?
Yeah, they caught him
three days ago; he confessed.
Two days before
Hanna got murdered.
Well, guess there's more
than one burglar in town.
Yeah, Mrs. Hanna
said she'd give us a list
- of things that are missing.
- If anything.
We'll pick them up first
thing in the morning.
I got to go back to
the school tomorrow.
I didn't get a chance to
talk to all the students.
You know, it's quite amazing
how many people a teacher
comes in contact with.
All those people and
not one single enemy.
Yeah.
That man must have been a saint.
(sighs)
- You hear what happened?
- Yeah.
You talk to the fuzz yet?
What do you mean?
Well, there's a cop
here asking questions.
He's been talking
to the teachers,
but, uh, he's supposed
to come back tomorrow
and question some
of Hanna's students.
Oh?
What are they asking?
You know: "Did you like him?"
"Did you know him?"
"Did you kill him?"
That kind of stuff.
It's too bad; Mr. Hanna
was a nice guy.
Yeah, he was a great guy.
You bloody hypocrites.
A week ago, you were standing
there putting the knock on him,
and all of a sudden,
he's a great guy.
When are you gonna
learn to shut up?
He was a creep
then, he's a creep now.
Mr. Hanna was a good man.
He was a teacher, and
now he's a dead teacher.
As far as I'm concerned,
a teacher is a
teacher is a teacher.
And a thief is
a thief is a thief.
Hey, what do you think
that's gonna prove?
Nothing, but it's gonna make
me feel a whole lot better.
Okay.
(grunting)
(groaning)
- You feel better now?
- Yeah.
Tell me how great you feel.
Great. I feel just great.
You ever try that again
and I'll break your arm.
Try matching that.
- Dad?
- Yeah?
I've been thinking
about what you said,
and you're right.
It'd be terrific if Mr. Axford
would write a letter for me.
Hey, so you'll be there
tomorrow afternoon at 4:00.
Yes, sir.
- Good boy.
- Russell.
- Yeah?
- Did Paul tell you?
Tell me what?
He's gonna give the
Class Day address.
- Hey.
- Mr. Gardner says
the honor goes to the senior
who's chosen "Most
Likely to Succeed."
I think you better work that
into that conversation
with Carl Axford.
You bet.
Great.
Lieutenant,
I looked through
the whole house.
This is all I can
find that's missing.
The, uh, second list is, uh,
students who were here Thursday.
We had an open house.
Wallet, watch, pen.
The pen was gold
and his name was engraved on it.
It was a gift from the
graduating class two years ago.
You know how much money
was in the wallet, ma'am?
Um,
he gave me some money
before I left the house.
And he said that only left
him eight dollars for the week.
I said I'd have to
raise his allowance.
Are you sure this
is all that's missing?
I think so.
Okay, ma'am.
Thank you very
much; appreciate it.
When you're looking for
something that isn't there,
it-it's like looking
for shadows.
I-I couldn't find
his favorite pipe,
and I almost put
that on the list.
And a glass paperweight
that he used to have.
And then I remembered
he broke it three weeks ago.
His grade book is
probably still at the school.
I'm sorry, I'm afraid
I'm not much help.
Well, that's all right,
ma'am, every little bit helps.
- We appreciate it; thank you.
- Thank you very much.
(engine starting)
Mr. Hanna was
tough. Really tough.
KELLER: Now,
what does that mean?
Well, if he asked
you to do something,
then you'd better do it.
No excuses.
He was tough, but he was fair.
Do you know of anyone
who didn't think he was fair?
Bobby Tilton, but
that's nothing new.
Bobby's the only guy in
school who failed lunch period
two years in a row.
(chuckles) Lunch?
And as I said, we
found the grade book
in the bottom drawer
where he usually keeps it.
Did you ever see
him use this pipe?
All the time.
Did you notice his gold pen?
Watch?
Not that I recall.
Mr. Gardner, are
there any students
who have a tendency to, um,
well, pick up things that
don't belong to them?
You mean steal?
If you want to put it that way.
Lieutenant, most of our
students have more money
than they know what to do with.
That's not answering
my question.
I wouldn't want
to accuse anyone.
Strictly between us.
Well, there was
some things missing
from several of the lockers.
A young man was
brought up on charges
before the honor committee,
but there was no evidence.
His name?
Tilton, Robert Tilton.
And, um, who's the chairman
of the Honor Committee?
Paul Kincaid.
You'll find his name on the
list of Mr. Hanna's students.
Paul Kincaid.
Thank you.
(door opens, closes)
Well, I think that's about all I
can tell you about Mr. Hanna.
He was a good teacher, though.
All right, what
about Robert Tilton?
- Bobby?
- Yeah.
You think that Bobby had
something to do with this...?
No, no, no. We just heard
that he was brought up
by the Honor Committee for
stealing something, that's all.
Oh, yeah, but
there was no proof.
And anyway, I don't want
to say anything about him.
I like him.
(laughs) Well, I
understand him anyway.
What do you mean
you understand him?
His father is very successful.
His mother is very social.
So they're not around a lot.
In fact, Bobby has no
home life to speak of.
If his father wants to
give him something,
something that he needs,
he just writes a check,
as if that fulfills
his paternal duties.
But what Bobby needs... (sighs)
no signature can supply.
Talking like
attention, affection...?
- Yes, exactly.
- Yeah.
So what does he do?
He steals something.
Nothing big.
A watch, maybe, a pen.
It's not that he feels he
should have these things,
or that he needs them...
It's that he wants attention.
Huh.
(school bell ringing)
Well, is he prone to violence?
I mean, does he
pick fights? A bully?
(laughs) The only
fights he picks, he loses.
The damage he
does is to himself.
Listen... I'm late for class.
I hope you won't mind...
No. Paul, thank you
very much for your time.
- Appreciate it.
- Thank you. Sure.
Bobby Tilton?
Hi.
Yeah.
(laughs) You got to be the heat.
- (Bobby laughs)
- No. We're the police.
Well, I hate to
disappoint you boys,
but I don't say nothing
without my mouthpiece.
Sonny, this is not
the school play.
This is a murder investigation.
Well, why me? I mean, what
are you coming to me for?
Well, we heard you had a
little problem with Mr. Hanna.
Me? Oh, come on.
He was a sweetheart.
Well, if he was
such a sweetheart,
why were you failing his course?
Who says I was failing?
His grade book.
Well, what does that prove?
I mean, if I killed every
teacher who failed me,
the city would be
knee-deep in bodies.
May I take a look
at your locker?
Oh, sure. Be my guest.
So, Bob, uh, where were
you the night of the 12th?
BOBBY: Uh... when was that?
KELLER: It was two nights ago.
It was the night
Mr. Hanna got killed.
Oh, yeah. I was
with Rosalee Powers.
You were? Where?
Hey, I wouldn't ask you that.
KELLER: Where?
In a cabana behind
a swimming pool.
You want to know what
we were doing there?
No, that's okay. Thank you.
You find what you
were looking for?
No.
(sighs)
But thanks for your cooperation.
Sure. See you later.
Take care, Bob.
"To Tom Hanna. Our
thanks. Class of '73."
Oh, terrific.
What have you got
against women's lib?
Nothing. I just think
it's something you do
after you can afford
a full-time maid.
That sounds like
something Daddy would say.
(Rae laughs)
As a matter of fact, he did.
Mother, you are hopelessly
tied to your kitchen.
Which is lucky for you,
or you'd have been
fixing your own meals
for the last 20 years.
(Vicky laughs)
I'd have managed somehow.
Darling, until you were 11,
you couldn't manage to
tie your own shoelaces.
Harvard... here we come.
Did Mr. Axford interview Paul?
(laughs) Not on your life.
Paul Kincaid
interviewed Carl Axford,
and it was something to behold.
Tell your mother.
Come on, come
on, tell your mother.
It was nothing. He exaggerates.
(phone ringing)
Well, if you're not
gonna tell her, I will.
You know, Ax
comes into the office,
and he's expecting to
meet, well, just another kid.
VICKY: Paul, it's for you.
Well, you know
know Ax. He's... Hello.
Oh, hi, Bobby. How are you?
Good.
RUSSELL: Figures
he'd give the kid...
No, I can't right now.
Five minutes of his
precious time, and...
PAUL: What?
RUSSELL: He's gonna hit
him with one of the old clichés...
No, I-I don't know
anything about that.
RUSSELL: Uh, give him all you got.
- PAUL: Oh.
RUSSELL: Prevail against
the odds. That sort of thing.
Okay.
RUSSELL: Well, no sooner
had he come into the room...
Where?
RUSSELL: when Paul
puts him on the defensive.
He punches him in the old...
I'll be there as soon as I can.
RUSSELL: and Ax rises to the...
Well, Paul had all
the facts and figures,
and poor Ax, he
didn't have a chance.
Hey, Paul, come here a second.
Paul?
(door shuts)
All I know is that somebody
planted this in my locker.
(sighs)
Could it have been
a practical joke?
Practical joke?
It's not too funny.
Man, I'm scared.
Paul, look, I hate to ask
this of you, but you're the...
you're the only guy in
that school I can talk to.
You got to help
me find who did it.
Okay. Okay, I'll try.
I don't know if I can help you,
but I'd get some rest
and-and try to relax.
And I wouldn't speak to anybody
about this, if I were you, okay?
Come on, let's-let's
walk over here.
I don't know why I'm
the only suspect anyway.
I mean, I'm not the only guy
who was failing his course.
If that was the only motive,
you could have done it yourself.
What do you mean?
You were failing
his course, too.
How can you say that?
You didn't know
anything about that.
I happen to have a 3.9 average.
3.9 average?
Who are you kidding?
It's all in the grade book.
I saw it two weeks ago.
I sneaked into his
office and looked,
just to see how bad I was doing.
And I was doing pretty bad.
There was only one consolation.
I got to see your grades,
and you were doing
just as bad as I was.
Did you tell the police this?
Tell the police. I didn't
tell the police anything.
I was too busy
thinking about this.
Good.
Yeah, that's good.
Wait a minute.
If the police did
see that grade book,
why didn't they know
you were failing?
Because I wasn't.
Paul, you're lying to me.
No, I'm not!
You were standing
next to that locker when...
No!
(yells)
I want the doctor
that examines him
to examine those
bruises carefully.
I want to know whether
they were caused by the fall.
(indistinct background
radio communication)
Photograph that area
back there, will you?
How is he?
Bad. You talk to the mother?
Yeah. She says he went
to go see Paul Kincaid.
Then Paul calls an
hour later from the school
wondering where he is.
She wasn't worried?
Well, that's what's so weird.
She acted like he was some
stranger living down the block.
They found this in his hand.
Okay.
- (siren wails)
- So what do you think?
I think the world must
be a terrifying place
for some teenagers.
Are you the officer
that found Bobby?
OFFICER: Yes, sir.
I, uh, noticed a car, and
wasn't anybody around it,
so I thought it was
stolen and abandoned.
- So, I took a look around and, uh...
- (horse neighs)
found the body lying
over at the foot of the cliff.
You see exactly
where he went off?
Yeah, I marked the area
off, kept everybody out of it.
Would you show us?
Sure.
Shh.
Well, it's kind of hard to
tell if there was a struggle.
Yeah. How do you know
this is the place he fell from?
He had tennis shoes on.
I looked around till I
found his footprints up here.
Wait a minute.
There's a hard-sole shoe there
with a rubber heel, right there.
I have the same thing over here.
How do you know they were
both up here at the same time?
See if you can find that print
with the tennis shoes on
top of the hard-sole shoe.
Got it. Right over there.
Look at this.
Here's a hard sole
covering the tennis shoe.
That's it. They were both
here at the same time.
It's a hell of a job of
investigating, Officer.
You ever think about
becoming a plainclothesman?
- Can I keep my horse?
- Forget it.
Pass.
So Bobby went to see
Paul Kincaid at the school,
but he never got there.
He stopped here first.
Yeah, well, what was
he meeting Kincaid for?
Let's go ask him.
(doorbell ringing)
Yes?
I'm Lieutenant Stone,
this is Inspector Keller.
Is Paul at home?
Uh, yes, of course. Come in.
Paul, there's someone
here to see you.
PAUL: Coming.
Kind of cute.
What time you get off work?
Women's lib.
Yeah.
If she were really liberated,
she would have
waited for an answer.
Hello, Inspector.
Paul, how you doing?
This is Lieutenant
Stone. Paul Kincaid.
Hello, sir.
Were you supposed
to meet Robert Tilton
after school today?
Yes, I was, but he-he
never showed up.
Yeah, he had an accident.
Oh, no.
Oh, you know, it was bound
to happen sooner or later.
Was it a car accident?
The way he drove
that little car of his...
No, it wasn't his
car. He fell off a cliff.
Oh, I'm sorry to hear that.
Why were you
meeting him in school?
Didn't he tell you?
No, he's unconscious.
Well, I-I don't know.
You see, he called me
and said that he had something
he wanted to ask me about.
Some advice he
wanted to ask me for.
Do you know what?
No, I'm sorry.
He didn't tell me.
He was kind of shrouded in
mystery when I spoke to him.
Well, did he say something
about meeting somebody
else before coming to school?
Well, if he did, I
don't remember it.
I'm sorry I'm not of much help.
That's all right, son.
Okay, Paul, thank you.
Do you think Bobby
Tilton will be all right?
Yeah, if he makes it through
tonight, he should be okay.
- Oh, that's great.
- Good night.
That's great.
Wonderful, marvelous, terrific.
Best news I've had all day.
VICKY: Paul?
What did they want?
What?
Oh, Paul, what's the matter?
Oh. Bobby Tilton
had an accident.
Was he all right?
Yeah.
He'll be all right.
Now what time did
you get in this morning?
Early.
Want another cup of coffee?
Yeah. Lots of cream.
I got a call from Peterson
this morning in Burglary.
They found these two
blocks from Hanna's home.
Behind a garage.
Any money in it?
Yeah, eight dollars.
Everything there was good.
Guess that rules
out burglary, huh?
Yeah.
Come in here.
Let me bounce this off you.
Tom Hanna came home around 5:00.
He and his wife
had an early dinner
because she had a meeting
with the faculty wives.
(Keller sighs)
Tom Hanna stayed home
to compile the final grades.
Somewhere between 6:00 and 7:00,
someone came to the Hanna home.
But they were admitted, because
there's no sign of forced entry.
Yeah, someone Hanna
knew. Bobby Tilton...
Another student,
friend, relative.
Somebody.
Now this somebody
killed Tom Hanna
and went to a
great deal of trouble
to make it look like burglary.
He stole his watch,
wallet, fountain pen...
Which we found on Bobby Tilton.
Right.
Now, why did he throw
away the watch and wallet
and keep the pen?
The pen had Hanna's
name engraved on it.
- Must have had some use for it.
- STONE: What?
The pipe and the grade
book are still at school.
Now, wait a minute.
Wait a minute.
Mrs. Hanna went
away to a meeting.
Mr. Hanna stayed
home to do the grades.
But how could he do it if
he didn't have a grade book?
Well, maybe he has
an extra grade book.
But if he doesn't,
that explains the pen.
Right? If you were
to exchange grades,
you want to have
the same pen and ink.
If Bob Tilton did steal the pen,
why did he give
himself a failing grade?
Mrs. Hanna? Lieutenant Stone.
I'm sorry to trouble you again,
but I need some
more information.
Did your husband have an
extra grade book at home?
Well, is there a possibility
that he would know
a student's grades
without that grade book?
Thank you.
That grade book is
the one and only one.
Now, how did it get
back to that school?
Let's go find out, okay?
TEACHER: Polymerization
is the joining together
of a number of
molecules of the same kind
to form a single,
larger molecule.
Although the new
molecule is heavier,
it has the same
composition by weight
as the original
single molecules.
Excuse me.
May I help you?
Mr. Gardner said that you
had Tom Hanna's grade book.
TEACHER: I do.
Yes, somewhere here.
Uh... Ah.
Yes.
Here it is.
Yeah, I'll try to get it back
to you as soon as possible.
TEACHER: I'd appreciate it.
Now, where was I?
Polymerization and
man-made materials.
(grunts)
(glass shatters)
Excuse me.
And where are you
going, Mr. Kincaid?
I'm sorry, I-I don't
feel very well.
I'll be right back.
Excuse me. I'll be all right.
Mom?
How does this
strike you for a title?
"Juxtaposition of
Spatial Incongruities
in the Works of M.C. Escher."
Sounds fine to
me. What's it about?
I don't know.
I'm still trying to figure
out what the title means.
Paul?
Paul, buddy, I need your help.
Paul?
You're the brains
in this family.
What does...?
Good grief.
Get out!
Get out!
What is this, a tantrum?
You want to see a tantrum?
I'll show you a tantrum!
Here, you wanted
more of a tantrum?!
Here, look at these books!
I'm gonna get rid of these!
Shoved and shoved,
and shoved and shoved!
I hate all of the things they
shoved down our throat!
Oh, Paul, what on
earth is the matter?
(sobbing): I'm so
stupid, I'm so stupid!
Hey... Don't touch me!
- Don't touch me!
- Paul... Paul!
Get out of my room.
- Get out of my room.
- Okay.
Okay, Paul.
Get out of my room.
Get out of my room!
Sure.
It's okay.
According to the lab, he
used a simple reduction agent,
possibly a household bleach,
to change his grades
from failure to an A.
Never mind all that.
What's his name?
Kincaid.
- Paul Kincaid.
- Paul Kincaid, yeah.
Oh, I-I think if I went
up to talk to him...
Dad!
There's something
terribly wrong with Paul.
All right, now,
what's this all about?
He's locked himself in his
room and he won't come out.
Well, all right,
I'll talk to him.
No, Dad, listen to
me, I think he's sick.
(sighs)
Vicky, now, tell me
everything that's happened.
Well, I think it has
something to do
with Bobby Tilton's accident.
Well, of course. That
would upset anyone.
Why can't he tell
us what's wrong?
I'm so frightened, Russell.
All right, all right, now,
now, calm down, both of you.
VICKY: He hasn't been the
same since the police were here.
RAE: I don't know. I think
we should call a doctor.
RUSSELL: What
for? He's all right.
He's just a little uptight.
I think it's my fault,
at least partially.
I've been driving him too hard.
(clattering)
Paul?
You all right, son?
Well, you certainly
did have us going.
You know, Paul, if
you've got any problems,
you can come to me with them.
See, I don't want you
to be ashamed of me.
I love you all so much.
W-We know that you do.
I don't want you to
be disappointed in me.
Paul... I'm sorry, Dad.
What's the matter
with you, Paul?!
Now, stop it!
Darling, what happened?
I said, stop it!
Paul!
For the love of God.
Paul! Paul!
Paul, don't!
(grunting)
Paul!
What's happened to him?
(engine starts)
(tires screeching)
(horn honks)
How long ago did he leave?
About 20 minutes.
Now, which way was he headed?
North.
Did you get a
description of the car?
I'll put out an APB.
My son is not a killer.
He tried to kill you, didn't he?
I don't think he would have.
We have reason to believe
that he killed Tom Hanna.
And that he pushed
Bobby over that cliff.
Now, if your son wanted to hide
from someone, where would he go?
Come on, think of
someplace, anyplace at all.
The first place that
comes to your mind!
- The bridge.
- The bridge?
It was a private joke.
When things got really tough
at school or here at home,
if they really got bad,
there was always the bridge.
I know it's only a hunch, but...
(siren wailing)
♪♪
(siren wailing)
Where is he?
Down at the point.
Did you try talking to him?
I tried. Nothing.
I started to reach for him once,
but he nearly went
over, so I backed off.
Let me try talking to him.
I think he'll remember me.
Just be careful.
(foghorn blowing)
(wind whistling)
(foghorn blowing)
(wind howling)
(foghorn blowing)
Paul?
You remember me?
Well, I talked to
Bobby's doctor.
Bobby's gonna be all right.
(wind whistling)
Pretty cold out here, isn't it?
You cold?
(shuddering)
KELLER: You want to go inside?
Someplace warm,
have some coffee, talk?
(wind whistling)
(foghorn blowing)
(shuddering)
Listen, Paul, you're a
very talented young man
who's got his whole
life ahead of him.
Now, I know you
can't see it now,
but, well, it's like a movie.
If you leave
during the bad part,
you'll never know if it's
gonna get any better.
(wind whistling)
(foghorn blowing)
(wind whistling)
Boy, that wind cuts right
through you, doesn't it?
(foghorn blowing)
(wind whistling)
(shuddering)
How'd you know I was up here?
Vicky told me.
Vicky said that you
two had this private joke
that when things got really
bad, you came to the bridge.
She cares a lot about you, Paul.
So does your mother and father.
(foghorn blowing)
I failed them!
But they love you.
I tried to kill them.
But you didn't hate them.
You were only afraid they'd
be disappointed in you.
That they'd be upset with
you, but they love you, Paul.
It's not gonna do you or
them any good if you jump.
(gasping)
So just come on back, give
them a chance to help you.
I failed them!
I tried to kill them!
And now I can't even jump!
It's okay.
(Paul sobbing)
I know.
I know, Paul. I know.
I know it's gonna be all right.
We'll get you
someplace warm, talk.
(Paul sobs)
Come on, Paul,
let's go. It's okay.
It's okay.
(wind whistling)
It's okay.
(Paul sobs)
It's gonna be okay. I know.
All right, back off.
Everybody just back out.
(wind whistling)
It's okay. Just take it easy.
We'll be back up at
Bryant Street and we'll walk.
Where have you been?
I was expecting you for an hour.
(sighs) I said I'd
take him someplace,
have a cup of coffee, talk.
That's what I did.
Where is he?
He's downstairs being booked.
Well, his father's
downstairs with a lawyer.
They're gonna plead insanity.
What do you think?
Does he know the difference
between right and wrong?
Yeah. In a way, he knows
exactly what he did from A to Z.
He knows he was wrong.
I wish his parents did.
They want to know what
happened, what went wrong.
"We gave him
everything, everything."
Yeah.
Except the right to fail.