Man on a Swing (1947) Movie Script

1
We got a call from her roommate last night
that the girl was missing.
She'd gone to a shopping center
yesterday afternoon and hadn't returned.
Cut that shit out, Willie.
We didn't pay too much attention
at the time.
I mean, the girl was in her 20's.
Come on, keep it tight, keep it tight.
Come on, let's move it.
Yeah, I'm certain, I checked her out.
I remember the hibachi.
A good-looking girl with long,
light brown hair.
I looked down at the clock.
It was almost four, and the boys
who were supposed to be working part-time,
helping people out to their cars
and packing, weren't in yet.
I watched her for a few seconds,
to see if she was going
to get out all right.
And as she was walking toward the door,
that was the last time I saw her.
I gather she left the store
and disappeared,
and was found murdered in her own car
- on this same lot.
- Yeah.
- Twenty-four hours later?
- Yeah, that's about the size of it.
Yesterday was my day off.
I was sunning myself at, at the pool,
at the garden apartment with Diana,
Diana Spenser's her roommate,
when Maggie came out.
Was it their day off, too?
They're both teachers.
They're off for the summer.
Then Maggie said she was going shopping.
She wanted to know...
if we'd like to go, too.
Why would anyone want to kill her?
She was the sweetest person.
Could you tell me about today, Evelyn?
I was on my way home from work.
It was about an hour ago.
I'd say the time was around four o'clock.
And I thought I'd get some ice cream
for dessert.
I was heading for a parking spot
near the Baskin Robbins when,
when I saw... it.
I knew it was Maggie's car.
Something really seemed spooky about it,
sitting there, empty in the sun.
I parked nearby,
and got out of my car and walked over
to it.
I looked through the closed windows...
and I recognized one
of Maggie's beach towels
and her sunglasses.
I was going to try the door,
but it really did look scary inside.
Why were you frightened?
She could have been shopping
in one of these stores.
I don't know.
I was up in the front of the store,
refilling stock in the shelves.
And this lady came running in,
asking for help.
I tried the door, it was locked.
But the lady told me to try
and open the vent window.
And I did.
- What does it look like, Sam?
- Hi, Lee.
Looks like the cause of death
is asphyxiation due to strangulation.
- How are you, Lee?
- Hello, Pete.
Pete, you know Ted Ronan
of the Laurel Star?
Yeah, sure.
Willie.
What are you doing?
You're putting your prints
all over the car.
I'm sorry. Sorry, Chief.
- Hi, Lee.
- Hello, Sam.
How are you? Sit down.
What do you got?
Well,
there's some discontinuous body injuries
on the sides of the neck.
Small mark on the left ear,
bruise under the right eye.
Bruises seem to be from blows
that might have been sufficient
to cause momentary unconsciousness,
but not death.
What about the spot of blood
on her left breast?
Well, it may have been caused
by holding a knife point
against her breast, but...
but it might be just...
simply due to a burst pimple.
But could have been a knife point.
What do you got, Paul?
Well, there were no fingerprints
in the car.
Except for the girl's and a...
few members of the department.
Did you talk to the girl's parents yet?
Yeah. They weren't any help.
And I mean zip.
- Yeah, when do the slides come?
- Another couple of hours.
Chief?
Chief, the only place real close
to the shopping center
where the car could have stayed hidden
during the night is this car wash.
- They never lock it.
- Okay. Strip it.
Hey, Willie.
What was the name of that...
that woman that Richie Tom Keating
was arrested for molesting last year?
Remember? It was on the same parking lot.
- Mrs. Martin Brennan.
- Yeah, Brennan.
- You want me to bring Keating in?
- Yeah, later.
I want to set up an appointment
with her first.
Ask one of the boys to get me a couple
of six packs.
Right, Chief.
Chief?
I got Mrs. Brennan
set up for tomorrow morning,
but it's at her house.
She... she won't come to the station.
Okay.
- Slides are here, Chief.
- Oh, good. Thanks, Dan.
Lee, your wife's on the phone in there.
Tell her I won't be home
for dinner, Willie.
Right.
What about my wife?
Will I be home for dinner?
- Ted's still here.
- Send him in.
- Sorry to keep you waiting. Sit down.
- Hey.
- Do you want a beer?
- I'd love one.
- Anything I can see?
- Yeah.
Got some slides, here. Willie fill you in?
- He sure did.
- Here, get that light over there.
All right.
All set?
Kind of hard to believe
the girl pulled her right arm free.
Yeah, more likely
the killer pulled it free.
Make it easier to get her shorts off.
Why rip the shorts off at all?
Would have been a lot easier
just to take them off
by lowering the zipper.
We got this one from the girl
that found her...
a friend.
- Kind of pretty, huh?
- I'll say.
You want another beer?
Lee, you want another beer?
Why do you want to ask me questions
about Richie Tom Keating?
He's free as a bird.
Why don't you ask him?
Well, it's not my doing that he's free.
Molestation is a probationary
first offense in this state.
If he'd been...
Well, if you'd been raped,
he'd be in jail, I assure you.
What do you want to ask me?
Do you feel that Keating...
would have killed you...
if you didn't obey him?
All I honestly remember...
I didn't wanna be raped.
I don't know how I managed to get out
of the car.
I understand.
No. No, you don't.
If it was your wife, maybe then.
Christ, my own husband!
- Inform him of his rights?
- Every one of 'em.
- He's got a lawyer with him.
- Where is he?
- He's in the john.
- Want a beer?
No. No.
Talked to Mrs. Brennan.
Well, Richie.
Here we are again.
- Come on in, Kearney.
- Hello, Chief.
Sit down.
Do you mind if I ask your client
a few questions?
Go right ahead.
Well, Richie. How have things been going
for you the last year?
Not too bad. I got a new job.
Took me six months.
Where were you yesterday,
between three and seven?
- Riding around, mostly.
- Mostly?
Well, I mean, I stopped
to take a leak once or twice.
Did anybody see you?
No, I don't like to be watched
when I'm taking a leak.
Didn't go in a gas station
to ask for a key, or anything like that?
I did it by the side of the road.
Must have dried up by now.
Where'd you go to, mostly?
- No place in particular.
- Beautiful.
That's a hell of an alibi.
Dead girl was found with knife-marks
on her chest.
- You like knives, don't you?
- Don't answer that.
I read the girl was strangled.
Maybe the killer wanted to get his kicks.
I get my kicks from riding around.
Sometimes you like to stop
in parking lots.
Same parking lot where the girl
was found murdered, right?
A lot of people stop in that parking lot.
Not many of them point knives
at innocent women.
My client was riding around.
Can you prove that he wasn't?
You seriously gonna try to involve him
in Margaret Dawson's murder, Chief?
You willing to take a lie-detector test?
- Sure.
- For as much as it has pleased...
almighty God, in his great mercy,
to take unto himself
the soul of our departed sister...
- we now, therefore, commit the body...
- You need a steel gut for this.
She never gave us one day of trouble,
Chief Tucker.
And that's God's truth.
What was the last night
that she slept over?
Fourth of July weekend.
I... I took some movies.
Would it be all right if I saw them?
- Would you mind?
- Penny?
It's all right.
She looks so young there, doesn't she?
She didn't use much makeup.
Just lipstick and some eye-shadow.
She called us one day last semester
to tell us that a woman had come up
to her class on a field trip
and asked which one was the teacher.
That's Donald Forbes.
He drove the girls out.
Maggie used to date him.
He teaches in the same school.
That's Diana Spenser, her roommate.
And she was out that weekend.
That's our neighbor's son, Len.
I think he had a crush on Maggie.
He's a good boy.
This is a nice neighborhood, Chief Tucker.
Oh, God, Maggie!
Dear God!
Was she upset recently, Miss Spenser?
Moody, blue?
Full of life... like always.
She was making life bearable
till we were going on vacation in August.
How was she making life bearable?
A lot of little things.
Like the hibachi she went to buy.
She was gonna cook Japanese food.
Truly Japanese.
Why did you come here to your sister's?
What were you frightened of, Diana?
Just...
being alone.
What else was she fond of
besides swimming?
Dancing.
She went to Ronnie's a lot.
Do you know it?
Did you ever see her come in here alone?
No, never.
She was always escorted, always.
She had a way of... of dancing.
It was natural.
I tell you, Lee, there was more
sex in that girl natural
than most others trying to be bad.
I'm ashamed to tell you that,
I always felt my heart skip a little bit
when she came in. And that...
and that I watched her dance, a lot.
- A whole lot.
- What does it look like, Sam?
According to the blood-gas report...
there was a high level
of carbon monoxide in her system,
which suggests she might have been held
in a garage
for an extended period of time.
You mean she was lying in the car
with the motor running?
Could be.
What's the matter?
Have you any idea
how many garages there are in Laurel?
Well, I've got two myself.
You've got one.
Sorry, you have to catch me on my rounds
like this.
It's all right, Doc.
I was wondering if you had a chance
to look at those reports I sent you?
- Yeah.
- It's been a couple of days
and I haven't been able to come up
with much.
I thought maybe,
you can give me an opinion
as to the type of person that killed her.
I'd say the killer's someone
of better-than-average intelligence.
The person's likely quite resourceful,
because of the use of things at hand,
such as the blanket, et cetera.
Compulsive too...
because of the very careful arrangement
of things.
- Good morning, Dr. Fusco.
- Morning.
Dr. Taishe, Dr. Taishe, 256.
What about the lack
of sexual molestation, Doc?
A few things come to mind.
First, I think it accounts for the fact
that a lot of deviants haven't come out
of the woodwork to boast of the killing.
They usually appear after a sex killing.
It's not infrequent
that the objective of a sexual pervert
can be obtained short of the normal act.
But in this case,
there's another consideration as well.
The tampon beside the body.
You think he couldn't go through with it
because of that?
It's a distinct possibility.
This might suggest that the killer
is a guy with a weak stomach.
What is it?
Uh, nothing.
- What about the absence of a struggle?
- Well, there are two possibilities.
The obvious one
is that the killer knew his victim
and caught her completely off-guard.
The second possibility...
was that she became hysterical,
so scared, she couldn't move.
He thought about that for a while,
then he changed his mind.
Said that the sensation of strangulation
is so terrible that Maggie would have...
would have struggled
unless she was unconscious.
Said there was a distinct possibility...
of it happening again...
with, what did he say?
"Striking similarities."
Not just a strangulation,
but in a car,
starting out in a parking lot.
That's something, huh?
I'll get you another beer.
Hey... you all right?
One, two, three. One, two, three.
One, two, three. One, two, three.
Okay, jumping-jacks! Ready? Begin!
One, two, three! One, two, three...
Little early for football practice,
isn't it, Coach?
This isn't football practice, Lee.
Football practice isn't legal
in the summer for high schools.
These boys are just members
of a voluntary physical fitness program.
Don't worry.
I wasn't going to arrest you, Coach.
I want to see Laurel win that championship
as much as you do.
- Talk to you for a few minutes?
- Certainly.
Get your asses in place!
One, two, three...
We missed you at the funeral.
- I couldn't take it.
- All right.
Well, it's nice of you to come out here
and help the coach.
Well, I don't know much about football,
but I do know a hell of a lot
about proper exercise.
Right. We checked your whereabouts
on the 18th.
And it's just as I said it was,
- wasn't it?
- It was. It's not air-tight, but...
But why does my alibi have
to be air-tight?
I mean, what reason in the world
would I have to harm Maggie, Chief?
Her friends said you were kind
of a special boyfriend.
- That's ridiculous.
- No,
she dated you more than the other guys.
She dated other guys. I dated other girls.
We weren't serious.
Look, we've been over all this.
What else do you want from me?
We talked to the other teachers.
One of them, a Laura Twilly.
She said something about you and Maggie
taking a class out to the zoo in May.
- Is that true?
- Yeah, that's true.
Said something about you getting sick
to your stomach
and having to go back to the school bus.
Is that... is that true?
- Yes.
- You got a weak stomach?
- I get nauseous from time to time.
- From how many times to how many times?
I don't like this.
If you want to talk to me again,
I want to have a lawyer with me.
You willing to take a lie-detector test
for us?
No!
Sure, I'll take a lie-detector test.
I didn't kill Maggie, Chief.
I got sort of a nutty call on hold, Chief.
- Who is it?
- The guy says he's a clairvoyant.
Says he wants to help us solve the case.
- Has he got a tip?
- No, that's what's so nutty.
He says... he says, he doesn't know
what case we're working on.
Come on, sit down.
Talk to him.
- Sorry to keep you waiting, Mr...
- My name is Franklin Wills.
Mr. Wills. Now, what were you saying?
I've come out of this period of rest
and told my wife that I had the feeling
that I had to help the police.
That there was an important case.
- Is there an important case?
- Well, don't you read the newspapers?
I don't subscribe to any newspapers
or magazines and never read them.
- Well, we're working on a murder.
- Murder?
I've never done anything
on a matter quite...
so serious, but I'm sure
that's what my feeling is about.
Honey, it's a murder.
Can you tell me about it?
Well, a... a girl was strangled
- this past Tuesday...
- Wait!
Don't say any more.
I'm getting a picture of the deceased
in your wallet.
You've been carrying it about with you
for a number of days.
- How the hell did you know that?
- Take the picture out of your wallet,
please, and look at it.
Okay. I'm looking at it.
The deceased has long,
light brown hair.
And she's wearing a blue sweater.
Jesus, that's very good. That's...
- Please! Please, don't speak.
- That's...
I see it!
She was in her cycle of the month!
That wasn't even in the papers.
Told you that I don't read the newspapers.
Yeah, but...
people around you, that you work with,
must read them and must talk about it.
Not in my presence, they don't.
They know I mustn't be jumbled to help.
I've helped some of the people
at the factory.
They leave me alone. Why?
They wanted to remove...
her glasses when the picture was taken.
Are you talking about a pair
of prescription glasses?
- Yes.
- Well, you're wrong about that.
The... the victim
didn't wear prescription glasses.
I am correct
about the prescription glasses.
Do you sense anything about a pair
of glasses
that aren't prescription,
but that might have some... something
to do with the murder?
A pair of glasses that have dark eyes.
But these are not the glasses
of which I spoke to you, no.
The other glasses,
the pair that are important,
they have white stems
and lenses bordered with rhinestones.
If Margaret Dawson
had a pair of glasses like that,
I... I never heard of it.
One of Margaret's eyes
did need a prescription.
Let me see, the...
left eye. Yes, the left.
Mr. Wills, maybe we better continue
this conversation face-to-face.
I know the Chief
is probably gonna wanna talk to you.
You think, you could get over here
right now?
I will eat supper, wash up,
change clothes,
and meet him at the police station
in one hour.
- Do you know where the police station is?
- Officer Younger, I'm clairvoyant.
Except for that part about the glasses,
he was right on the money.
Who do you suppose these belong to?
Jesus.
- Where'd you find these?
- In her purse.
I held 'em on a hunch.
Nobody else knew about 'em but me.
Jesus. It's the left eye.
- I'm Franklin Wills.
- The Chief's expecting you, sir.
- Chief Tucker?
- Hmm?
- I'm Franklin Wills.
- You're right on time.
Sit down, Mr. Wills.
- Any trouble finding the place?
- No.
You were listening on the phone
when I called earlier, weren't you?
Well, I was, I was interested.
I understand you want to talk
about the murder.
The murder.
That's what I'm here for, isn't it?
Pardon me if I get an occasional thought
about... other matters.
It isn't intentional, believe me.
Mr. Wills, I'd like to ask you a question
about the prescription glasses.
What prescription glasses?
The ones you talked about
on the telephone.
I don't remember.
You don't remember talking about these?
No.
Do you remember talking about her cycle
of the month?
No. I, uh...
I must have been in a trance.
I, uh...
I hope it won't disturb you if I tell you
that I might go into a trance
from time to time.
Well, you're saying you were probably
in a trance
when you talked
about the prescription glasses
and her cycle of the month?
They must be important.
Well, they...
they may come back to me.
Okay.
Well...
Mr. Wills?
You... Are you trying to go
into a trance now?
Mr. Wills, if you go into one
of these trance things, what do I do?
Nothing. Just, just relax.
Wait.
I can take care of it myself. I'm...
I'm always able
to return from my journeys.
Before you take your journey, Mr. Wills,
I have a few questions
I'd like to ask you.
It's procedure in a murder case.
Of course. I'm so sorry. Please.
- I wanna help.
- Can you remember
where you were and what you were doing
last Tuesday between three and seven?
Well, my shift at the plant ends
at 4:15, so,
I was at the plant until then.
Was my car being fixed Tuesday?
No, that was Monday.
Yes, so I must have driven home.
Stop off along the way?
Yeah, I usually stop off on 101
for a few quarts of milk.
We have four children.
- Didn't do any other shopping?
- No, I...
My...
My wife... It's all happening.
Margaret?
Margaret, is that you?
I, uh...
I'm getting two cars.
Uh, there were...
two cars involved. The, uh...
body was found in a smaller car.
There was an older car, a...
Buick? Or... or some other similar make.
I think it's light on the bottom
and it's brown on top.
Go on.
These cars. I keep going to think
about other things
and I keep getting these...
There's a Buick. There's the Buick.
I see it.
It's a Volkswagen.
The body was found in a Volkswagen.
Was the seat...
all the way back in the Volkswagen
when you found it?
Why?
I'm trying to find out
if the victim was assaulted
in the car or not.
You should have found a...
Well, there's a fingerprint on the lever
that lets the seat back.
- Did you, did you see that?
- No.
Did you, uh, did you find any brushings
in the pedal area?
- The entire car was vacuumed.
- Wasn't there any evidence
- of clay in the car?
- No.
You should have found some from his shoes!
Mr. Wills,
- you own a knife?
- No! Please!
Where was I? Was it... Was she...
- Was she Catholic?
- No, what difference does it make?
No, what is it? Her bruise marks!
The bruise marks are around the neck.
But they don't go, they're not...
They're not... they're not all the way
around the victim's neck!
- Where are they?
- Everywhere except the...
There's... Around the...
They're in front of the neck
and they're...
They're not on the front of the neck, no.
No, they... And they're...
They're not on the back
of the neck either, right?
That man's thumb, just keeps...
I'm clouded. The man's thumb. I, uh...
I'm getting...
getting...
the hands...
about the throat. And the...
the killer using his knowledge
of pressure points, and applying
that knowledge,
and applying pressure
to the points in the victim's neck.
And they're putting her...
My God, she's...
The coroner ruled that the marks
at the side of her neck
were made by some type of light cord.
There were no thumb
or hand-prints, Mr. Wills.
Well, he should, he should check again!
If he does, he'll find I'm right!
The girl's dead.
She's buried. They can't dig her up,
Mr. Wills, on the say-so of a...
What?
A fortune teller?
- I don't mean that...
- I know what you mean.
These insults no longer upset me.
I see...
I see the...
clothing, around her ankles
when she's found.
Can you describe the clothing?
Yes, they're...
they're shorts.
- Yellow Bermuda shorts.
- That's damn good.
That's goddamn good.
The paper said they were shorts.
Didn't say anything about the colors
or being Bermuda, but you did.
- That's damn good, Mr. Wills.
- You heard me on the phone.
I have never read
a newspaper account of this case!
I am impressed
only when you tell me something
you could not have read
in the newspaper or seen on television.
Were her hands bound up behind her back?
We don't know if they were in back
or in front.
- Were her hands free when they found her?
- Yes.
What is it? What is it, I keep...
I keep getting... No.
Marks on the wrist.
Yeah, there was a mark on one wrist.
The other had tape.
Yes. Well, I should like to feel the tape.
But I can tell you now
that her hands were bound.
They were bound... behind her back.
They then had to pull the...
the hands free of the tape in order
to undress her.
They... they start to... they start to...
pull the clothes off her
but they can't with,
with her arms tied behind her,
so they pull one hand free of the tape.
Free of the tape.
I see her arms. Falling. Falling.
I'm on the floor of the Volkswagen.
The woman's name is Shirley Halstead.
- She went right to her house from here?
- Uh-huh.
There were about a half
a dozen people there when I looked in.
The place is a sort
of spiritualist church.
He stayed 15 minutes.
Yeah, and then what did he do?
Well, he just talked to them
and he seemed kind of pleased and excited.
And then he went right home.
I want you to contact every member
of that church,
and ask each one of them about Wills.
Sorry to have to bother you again, Diane.
I don't mind.
Did Maggie ever mention
a Shirley Halstead?
Franklin Wills?
Was she interested in the occult?
- Positive?
- Yes.
You ought to get out.
If you, umm...
If you're frightened, I'll be happy
to assign a policeman to you.
I just don't feel like going out.
Not yet.
All right.
As far as you know,
is Donald Forbes interested in the occult?
No.
Wills was born in Torino in 1936.
He went to public school
and high school there.
He graduated from high school in 1957.
His father died about a year later.
His mother's still alive and still living
in Torino.
Wills married a Mary Ryan in 1964.
And they came to Laurel here
that same year.
And he has no police record.
But you know something else?
It's true! He doesn't subscribe
to any magazines.
He doesn't get any newspapers either.
Okay, did Dan talk to the members
of that church?
About a half a dozen so far.
They all say, Wills is just what he claims
to be, a clairvoyant.
Okay, tell him to keep at it.
I've got the lie-detector test set up
for tomorrow.
- Good.
- Chief, I guess that's it.
- Over and out, ten-four.
- Yeah.
Wills is one of the most
conscientious workers we have.
Never misses a day.
Wish we had more like him.
Absenteeism is a real problem
at this plant.
- July 18th you said?
- Yeah.
We had a lot of studies made to try
and get to the bottom of this problem,
but so far...
Franklin Wills. July 18th.
Yeah, he punched out at 4:18.
Unless somebody punched out for him.
Some of my people are going
to be asking questions
about you to some of your friends.
I hope you don't mind.
- Procedure? Yeah, I think it's fine.
- Mm-hmm.
I was kinda wondering
just when you found out, you had this...
Well, I know you don't like
to call it fortune telling,
- but this, whatever you got.
- It's a gift.
- I think, I think of it as a gift.
- I see.
When did you first...
When did you first find out
that you had this gift?
Well, my father sensed things as a boy.
- Really?
- But he passed it off
because of, well,
his father's Catholic attitudes.
- He tell you that?
- No, my mother did.
Were you ever a practicing Catholic?
Up till about three years ago.
You said something
about helping some people in the plant.
You wanna tell me about that?
A few years ago, a man came to me
about his... his girl.
Teenage daughter who'd run away.
He had no idea where she was.
I was able to tell him
exactly where she was in Los Angeles.
I... I've never been there
but I... I could describe it to him.
He flew out there, went to the police.
They waited in that area, and...
she passed by.
Where is he now?
I mean, I don't suppose he works here?
Yes, he does.
Would you like to meet him?
He's on this shift.
My wife and I were really desperate,
until I spoke to Franklin.
I don't know
what we would have done without him.
How well
did you know Franklin Wills, Father?
Fairly well.
His wife was a much more religious person.
- When did they stop coming to church?
- About three years ago.
He stopped coming first
and then she stopped shortly thereafter.
I'm certain he influenced her.
He had a very strong personality.
- Did you talk to them about the break?
- I went to see them.
Wills told me he'd lost interest
in Catholicism.
That he was absorbed in
what he called his own growing powers.
What do you think?
I mean, what's your personal opinion
of Wills?
Well, to be perfectly honest with you,
I'm somewhat relieved
he stopped coming to church.
I always felt he was trying
to read my mind.
He made me feel very uncomfortable.
What did you want to see me about?
You read a lot of books.
You're an educated man.
I'm guilty of the second charge.
What do you think of the occult?
Crock of shit.
- Why?
- Got this guy, says he's a clairvoyant.
Wants to help out on the case.
He's come up with a couple things, but...
Things you've held out?
Yeah, but don't you put that in the paper.
I don't wanna be any kind
of laughing stock, you hear?
Crock of shit, huh?
Lee, a lot of people
who've read a whole lot more than I have,
feel very differently about it, but, uh...
I'm from Missouri.
If you were writing a story
about the occult, who would you talk to?
Holnar. Professor Nicholas Holnar,
up at State.
Heads up a whole department
in this type of thing.
Keating's negative on the polygraph.
They're giving it to Forbes now.
Anything else?
There's this kid from Durrow County,
rides a motorcycle.
He was being held on a rape charge.
He's been out on bail for a month now.
But he rides to work every day
past Margaret Dawson's apartment complex.
- Dan thinks that's stretching it...
- But you tell Dan to dig into it.
- Right.
- And I'll talk to you about Forbes
as soon as I fly back
from seeing Dr. Holnar.
Okay, Chief. Have a good flight.
Over and out.
I wish I could give you
a yes or a no about it.
But after 40 years of working with ESP,
I can't make up my own mind
as well as I would like to
about what it is and who has it.
- You mean, you don't believe in it?
- I didn't say that.
I do believe that there are
many people in the world
with an ability to perceive matters
beyond the range of ordinary perception.
However, there are also plenty
of charlatans,
taking advantage of prejudiced people.
You think Wills is a charlatan, Doctor?
Does he have a job?
Yeah, he works
in a local manufacturing plant.
Has he ever used his alleged
psychic powers for profit?
Not to my knowledge.
We're still checking him out.
That's a good sign, if it's true.
I would say his knowledge
of the victim's eyeglasses
and her menstrual cycle looks good
at face value.
But you must be guarded
against this man.
And his modesty is a sign
of a good clairvoyant,
but it is also a good cover for a fake.
Would you say that again, Doc?
I'm a little confused.
Good!
It means you are starting to learn
about ESP.
Clairvoyants often act very cryptic.
Much of their best information
will be provided in statements,
phrased in the form of questions.
Yeah. Wills does that.
You see, they mix things up
because they can't tell themselves
what they're doing
or what they're getting.
Do you want my best advice at this point?
I sure do.
Unless you have overwhelming doubts
about Wills,
try to accept him for what he may be,
a genuine clairvoyant.
If he is genuine,
he'll continue to provide information.
If he's a loaded-up fake,
he won't be able
to keep giving you information.
Now, genuine clairvoyants get discouraged
very easily.
You must encourage this man to help you.
Work with him in a positive approach.
I'd like to set up a test.
Would your department cooperate with me?
- Surely. 100 percent.
- Good.
I can prepare the test on the phone
with your men.
But I'll fly down to Laurel
and give it to Wills personally.
- Thanks, Doc.
- Hopefully,
when I am finished,
I can make a determination about Wills.
Forbes is negative, too.
Well, there are ways
of beating a lie-detector test.
- Then why do we give them?
- We got the machine, haven't we?
Shit.
- Yeah?
- Chief, it's Willie.
Yeah. What's up, Willie?
Dawson girl's minister just got a call.
He's got a guy on
who says that he needs help
because the police are after him.
He says he won't be taken alive.
Yeah. Yeah, that sounds right.
Yeah, well, the minister kept his cool
and he stalled the guy while he called
the station on a second line.
We got the phone company on it now.
They're still talking.
We should have it traced in a...
- In just a minute.
- Okay, uh...
Janet will hold on
while I get dressed, okay?
Honey, he's gonna give you
some information. Hold... hold it.
Okay, I think the trace is coming through.
Yeah, Rosehaven Motel, Route 101.
Rosehaven Motel on Route 101.
- He's in 36.
- Yeah.
- Room 36.
- Okay.
- Tell him I'll meet him there.
- He'll meet you there, okay?
Who's at the Rosehaven Motel in room 367?
I don't know. Maybe,
some broad Willie wants me to meet.
Would it were so.
Okay, where's my stuff?
- Chief?
- Yeah.
Be careful.
Yeah. Get some sleep, huh.
Oh, sure.
He's in 36 upstairs. I got the master key.
You have the right to remain silent.
Anything you say can and will be held
against you in a court of law.
You have a right for a lawyer if you...
Open it, for Christ's sake!
And if you can't afford an attorney,
we'll get you one,
before questioning, if you so prefer.
I don't need a lawyer. Take me in.
All right.
Did you call a minister tonight?
Where were you July 18th?
- July 18th?
- Last Tuesday.
With my parents. They told me to...
Speak up. What did they say?
To face the music.
That's what I decided to do.
You told the minister
you weren't gonna be taken alive.
That doesn't sound to me like somebody
who's gonna face the music.
- Did I say that?
- Yeah.
Well, I had a little to drink.
Look, I was tired.
I just got in from Philadelphia tonight.
- Philadelphia?
- Yeah, that's where my parents live.
Where were you July 18th?
- I told you, with my parents.
- In Philadelphia?
All day long?
What about Maggie Dawson?
What about the music you said
your parents told you to face?
I left my wife and my kids in Laurel
six months ago.
I know she's looking for me, trying to get
a hold of me for non-support.
All right, you found me. Take me in.
Did anybody see you in Philadelphia
on Tuesday besides your parents?
Sure. My sister, my brother-in-law,
their kids, my grandmother.
- Say, what is this?
- Get your parents on the phone.
- Now?
- Now.
- And give us your wife's number.
- Now?
- Now!
- Say, what is this?
Why did you call that particular minister?
He's listed first in the yellow pages.
Oh, shit.
You said it. Some minister.
Anybody want a drink?
Hey, babe, what do you think of...
clairvoyance?
I mean, do you believe
in that sort of thing?
Is my opinion worth anything?
After all, I believed in my diaphragm.
No, I mean, what do you...
What do you think?
Well, I don't know, honey,
I haven't really thought about it.
It would seem to me
that Wills has incredible mental powers.
Otherwise how would he have known
about the glasses,
and the exact position of the dead girl
in the car?
If he'd seen Maggie before we did.
One way or the other.
Or the son of a bitch
could be a real-life clairvoyant.
Lee, honey, I don't like it.
I don't have to tell you that...
your ideas on the case created
a lot of interest down at the station.
I hope they haven't been so good
you think I'm the killer.
You've been wondering
about that possibility, haven't you?
Don't lie when you answer
because I can always tell
when someone lies to me.
- What would you like to do today?
- If it's all right with you,
I thought we'd try
to reconstruct Maggie's trip
from her apartment to the discount store.
It didn't happen here.
Well, this is not the place.
She went from here to the store
but she never returned.
I have her now.
Watch what I do. You know,
I... I couldn't pick her up before
because I thought she was in a...
well, a serious mood and she wasn't.
She was, she was happy and...
girlish.
This is the way she came down
the stairs on the day she died.
She always hopped down the stairs sideways
whenever she was happy.
Why am I being drawn in this direction?
I mean...
logically, she would have parked her car
over there, but I...
I keep getting her car down here.
Her car was down there, wasn't it?
Yeah. Her parking area was being paved
that day. She couldn't use it.
Shall we go to the shopping center?
This is the one she used.
Where's the playground?
I'm sure there's a playground
around here.
- There's no playground around here.
- I'm drawn this way.
The victim came this way.
- Was she attacked around here?
- No, but she met someone
near here. There was a brown
and tannish Buick parked nearby.
Yes, a Buick! Oh!
What's the matter? What's the matter?
Was she hit on the right side of the face?
Yeah.
I was just walking...
Near here and I...
like I felt this terrible blow. My...
Oh, my, my teeth, my teeth.
Well, someone hit her near here.
I don't know who. All I know is that
she left the lot with him in her car.
- What happened, what happened, Frank?
- I don't know.
What happened? Come on,
tell me what happened?
What happened then? Where did he take her?
Where did he take her?
- Try to remember. Where did he take her?
- I just can't... I don't know.
Thumbs around her neck.
Thumbs, hands, he squeezed.
Tighter. Tighter!
Bitch!
There was a little boy on this swing
a few months ago. About...
four years old. Fell off.
It was a terrible fall.
Whose hands were
around Maggie Dawson's throat?
His mother was frantic.
He broke his arm.
Whose hands were around her throat?
He's all right now. His arm is fine.
Whose hands, damn it?
I don't seem to be able to go any further
with that at this time.
Hello. Oh, I'm sorry.
I... didn't mean to frighten you,
but I rang the front doorbell
and there was no answer.
When will Chief Tucker be back?
I don't know.
Are you...
Franklin Wills.
Well, I thought he was with you.
No. I left him about an hour ago.
It, uh...
It came back to me, I mean,
I remembered that I...
I tried to choke him.
I was in a trance
and I wanted to apologize.
Any idea when he'll be home?
He's been working late.
Perhaps, I could wait.
I'll tell him to call you
when he comes in.
It's not going to be twins.
You've been worried about that,
haven't you?
Yes.
It's gonna be a girl.
I rarely get feelings
about things like that,
but whenever I do, I'm right.
It's funny. I never had any ideas
about my own children.
- Oh, bless you.
- Excuse me.
- Here, if you'd like to use this.
- Don't worry. This is fine, really.
- Please use this.
- I really don't need it.
I... I don't wanna dirty
your clean handkerchief.
No, I have lots more at home, please.
Everyone should always have
a cloth handkerchief.
Thank you. I really don't need it.
I'd li... like you to have it.
- I don't need it.
- Take!
The handkerchief.
Take it.
You look exactly like I pictured you.
I don't want him here again, ever.
- I didn't ask him. He came on his own.
- I don't care how he got here!
We have never had suspects in our home.
He's not just a suspect.
There's a strong possibility
- he might help me solve Maggie's murder.
- And that's another first.
Since when do you call victims
so personally?
- Her name is Margaret, so I call...
- Yes!
Do the other men call her Maggie, too?
Babe, you sound like
some damn jealous woman, for God's sake.
Why not? You carry her picture
in your wallet!
Jeez.
We're talking about a dead girl, babe.
A dead girl.
I know that.
I know that.
Dr. Holnar.
Mr. Wills.
It's a pleasure and an honor
to meet you, sir.
That's very flattering.
I'm getting something about your back.
Does it bother you, sir?
As a matter of fact, it does.
It's a chronic condition.
- And your left knee?
- It frequently causes me pain.
Very good, Mr. Wills.
- A test?
- Yes.
Can I touch Margaret Dawson's...
- clothes, please?
- No.
Wouldn't you like me
to explain the test to you?
Please.
Each colored card...
has a different police case marked on it.
A burglary of a school,
a molestation of a woman
on a parking lot,
an armed robbery,
a stolen car, and a homicide of a girl
in a parking lot.
The Dawson case.
There are five sets
of identical information...
for the five separate cases...
in these envelopes there.
There are 25 envelopes in all.
Try to match the five sets...
to the five correct cases.
You may handle them any way you wish.
There's an old Ford parked
in the parking lot,
out where we just came in.
Does it by any chance belong
to you, Doctor?
It's mine, all right.
Do any of the suspects...
in the Dawson case have a scar on the...
the left elbow?
- No.
- I've been getting three, five,
three, five and nine all day. I've been...
having these numbers, three, five...
and nine.
That must have something
to do with the Dawson case.
It means, I need two more.
Thirteen and 19.
Fifteen.
Fifteen. Three, five, nine, 15 and 17.
I put these in the pile
that represent the Dawson case.
Take your time. There's no rush on this.
I'm not getting anything.
I'm not going about this in the right way.
You've been on your feet
ever since you've been in the room.
Why don't you sit down and rest a bit?
I can't sit down. If I sit down,
I am liable to pick up vibrations
or things from other people
who've sat here recently!
It would only confuse me!
Two, One. Ah that has something to do
with it. But I'm a victim in all this.
Somebody's been stealing money
from this safe.
Yes. I'd look into that.
Lieutenant Younger,
have you ever been to a seance?
No. I can't say that I have.
- Would you like to go to one with me?
- For what?
I just realized that there's one person
who knows who the murderer is,
the victim.
Why don't we all go to a seance
and let Margaret Dawson tell us
who did it?
I have to stand
somewhere where...
people...
normally aren't. I was getting distracted.
I know where I can conduct the seance.
In Chesterfield, Indiana.
A group of spiritualists
from several states
are meeting there right now.
They'd let me in if I showed up with a...
- chief of police and a famous professor.
- Let you in?
Yes, they refused me admission
last time,
because they said
I didn't have enough, enough power.
It doesn't make any sense
to go to that, that meeting.
It's full of phonies.
I mean, those... those charlatans,
they make up to,
well, a million dollars off
of poor suckers
and I know who those phonies are, too.
I know them all. I can, I can spot a faker
before he can kick the table
with his foot.
The seance might be an idea
for later on,
but right now,
how about getting back
to this little experiment
we are conducting?
Let's work on the school burglary.
There are two boys,
one taller and...
freckled.
Little boy is blue.
And at the armed robbery, six, eight.
Eighteen.
Six.
Something's wrong in here.
That's wrong. Two.
The molestation of a woman.
Yes. Of course.
About a year ago that...
Yes, something like a year ago
that happened on the same lot,
where Margaret Dawson was found.
That's it.
If you wish,
you can go through these envelopes
and change any of them to different piles.
No, that'll do.
I'll go along with my first time.
- Anything else you want me to do?
- No, that's all, Mr. Wills.
- Thank you.
- Thank you.
I'm finished.
- How'd he do, Doc?
- Two were right.
- That's all?
- Yes.
Struck out, huh?
Not necessarily.
Two out of 25, Doc.
That's not good in any league.
No.
Five for 25 would be pure chance.
Ten or 12 correct
would have been a good score.
Even seven or eight match-ups
wouldn't be bad.
So?
Ironically, a score of zero or one
or two is encouraging.
It's less than chance, you see?
But now wait a minute, Doc.
I... I... don't quite understand you there.
His extremely low score might indicate
that he temporarily lost his ability
due to nervousness or fear of the test.
Then you can't just rule him out then?
Not on the basis of this test.
From a scientist's point of view,
Wills is possibly clairvoyant.
Do many people know
about your back and your knee, Doctor?
- Enough.
- Thanks, Doc. Appreciate it.
You're welcome. Don't be discouraged.
Good evening.
Two out of twenty-five.
That stinks. I don't care what he says.
That sound good to you, two out of 25?
- Take it easy, Chief.
- Take it easy?
We're right back where we started from
and you tell me to take it easy,
for God's sake?
Take it easy? God damn it! Damn!
Chief?
I want everybody brought in
again tomorrow.
Keating, the kid on the motorcycle,
everybody.
- The lawyers won't permit that.
- Bring the damn lawyers in, too,
and get that Volkswagen stripped.
- What about the Volkswagen?
- I want it stripped.
Let's get out of here. I want a drink.
All right.
Next time, at least let me get out
of uniform so I can hoist a couple.
Willie?
What the hell am I doing here?
Hi.
I spoke to Dan.
I know how you were counting on him.
- What a waste of time.
- Is that the end of Mr. Wills?
Want your beer now?
I want you to give me a clout...
with the short end of the stick
I've been giving you lately.
I...
I was just beginning to think
you didn't want the baby.
I want that baby...
more than anything. More than anything.
Do you? Do you?
Yeah.
Hello?
Hello?
Morning, Frank. Jim, you all right?
- That's not my doing, Lee.
- Well, it's a pretty good likeness.
It's him, Wills.
- Yeah.
- You've been on my mind.
- Really?
- You need help.
Something has happened to upset you.
- No, I feel fine.
- I expected you to call last night.
- Well, look, Franklin, I...
- I didn't do well on the test, did I?
According to Dr. Holnar,
you did less than chance.
I'd like to take another test.
I must tell you that there are times
when I can do that sort of guessing thing
and other times when I can't.
The test I took was unfair.
- I could see no value in it.
- Yeah.
I will leave you with one thought.
You're closer right now to nailing him
than you've ever been in your life.
Fine. Thank you. Bye.
Crock of shit.
All right!
Lee? Lee?
Nobody here.
Chief?
Why don't you go on home?
You look beat.
Come on, you've been at it 16 hours a day.
Hey, Janet.
What did you lock the door for, babe?
What's the matter? What's the matter?
Somebody just put this in the door.
Take it easy, honey, it's all right.
Take it easy, baby.
All right.
- Who was it? Did you see?
- No.
"Merry Christmas.
"Dear Lee, the charm of Christmas lies
in the thought that we live
in the memory of our friends."
Whoever sent this
was very, very careful.
I can't find any prints on it
except yours and Janet's.
A Christmas card in July.
Janet must be spooked.
- Thanks, Paul.
- What are you gonna do?
- What am I gonna do about what?
- What about Wills?
- What about Wills?
- Relax.
Don't tell me to relax.
- Hello.
- Mrs. Tucker?
- Yes.
- Ask your husband
if he's done his Christmas shopping yet.
Who was that, babe?
Someone who wants to know
if you've done
your Christmas shopping yet.
Recognize the voice?
No.
Sounded like a boy, or maybe a man
with a not very masculine voice.
Or it could have...
it could have been
someone disguising his own voice.
- Where are you going, Lee?
- I'll be back.
Lee, don't leave me here alone.
I'll take care of it.
Hello.
I don't want any more phone calls,
you understand me?
- What?
- I don't want any more knocks
on my door.
Do you understand me?
- No.
- I don't want any more cards,
Christmas cards, Easter cards,
even tarot cards.
You understand me?
This is between us, Mrs. Wills.
I don't know what you're talking about.
I've been working
on a hush-hush project...
That's what I want
from you exactly, hush-hush.
Wait a minute.
You must be talking about the test.
- You're upset about the test...
- Now, let's get it straight.
- I can make myself...
- No phone calls, no knock on the doors,
no cards, you got that?
Wait a minute. I... I just wanna help.
Ask Mary. I came out of this period
of rest in order to help you people
- to do what you had to do.
- I'll put you in a period of rest
- you'll not come out of, Wills.
- I don't know what you're... Hey!
I'll kill you, Wills.
You son of a bitch, I'll kill you!
And you'll be found inside my front door
and that'll make it 100 percent legal,
you got that?
Lee, be careful!
Wills!
Wills!
I'm coming to get you,
you son of a bitch!
You bastard!
Wills!
Wills!
You're gonna be found dead
inside my front door, you son of a bitch!
Wills!
Janet! Janet!
Are you all right? Janet!
- Jesus, are you all right, babe?
- Yes, are you?
Oh, God. Oh, Christ.
That son of a bitch!
Why does he keep coming around here?
Why does he keep coming around here?
God damn him!
What makes you so sure it's him?
I don't know anything anymore.
I don't know anything.
And I'm telling you,
I've got a gut feeling...
So what?
They can't put your guts
on the witness stand, Lee!
This is the office
of a lawyer friend of theirs.
You know, I was genuinely concerned
about you the other night.
It was... was strange.
It was as if you were another person.
So when you called yesterday, I was,
well, I wasn't at all surprised.
Yeah, I'm sorry about the other night.
Is there anything special
that I ought to know
- about these people, these scientists?
- No,
just interested in ESP, that's all.
I'll introduce you.
- Hello.
- Hello.
- Mrs. Wilson.
- Good evening.
This is Franklin Wills and Mr. Fusco.
- Hello.
- How do you do, Mr. Wills?
- Very happy to meet you.
- Thank you.
- Pleased to meet you.
- Pleasure.
- You take coffee then?
- Yes, please.
- Cream and sugar?
- Thank you.
Chief Tucker... has told us...
about your first ESP experiences.
Finding that man's missing daughter.
How did you feel...
after those initial experiences?
They scared me a little.
- I bet they did.
- Recently, I've been able
to see a number of disasters.
An earthquake last week and a,
- a fire in Virginia.
- These flashes,
do you have to do anything
to make them occur?
Oh, no, they just come to me.
Do they happen
before the event takes place
- or afterwards?
- Usually before.
Two weeks to a few days before.
These, um...
premonitions, or whatever you prefer
to call them. Ah...
- You wouldn't call them visions?
- No.
Because you don't really see
these things, do you?
Well, I see them happening mentally.
How vivid are your pictures
of these events?
It's as if they were happening
at the time.
Just sometimes with color, sometimes not.
When this happens to you...
what does this do to you as a person?
How does it make you feel?
Powerful.
Excited.
Tired.
What other reaction do you have?
I feel satisfied.
Very... very satisfied. I feel my...
energy has been used.
Satisfied.
Let me ask you this.
You have had premonitions
of terrible events, is that right?
And they've subsequently happened?
These terrible events in which people
have lost their lives, I mean?
How can this be satisfying to you?
How can you justify being satisfied
at experiencing a tragedy?
Which you say, you know is gonna happen
and cause a considerable loss of life.
The tragedies aren't something
that I can change.
I have only satisfaction in the...
The knowing that they're about to happen.
I never, never worry about what I see.
I say let that pass.
No, no, no, no, no.
No, there is something missing here.
We human beings respond to stimuli,
and the stimuli
that you have experienced,
your visions of terrible happenings
cause impulses.
You have to respond to them.
If you're a sadist,
you may respond by being glad,
or you may be frightened or confused.
But there has to be a response,
some type of feeling.
You're psychiatrists, aren't you?
And you lied to me.
Well, you're quite right, Mr. Wills.
We are psychiatrists.
But...
we are also very, very interested
in extrasensory perception.
I'd have, I'd have seen
these psychiatrists, if you'd asked me to.
Well, are you willing to...
continue, Franklin?
- Yes.
- I'm glad.
Franklin,
I was asking about your lack of response
to terrible visions which come true.
I never thought about it in that way.
If I stopped and brooded
over these things, I'd be frightened.
If you stopped and brooded over it,
would you have any feeling
about wanting to prevent
a frightening experience
from actually occurring?
Well, of course, I would!
And what would you do
to prevent such an occurrence?
I love God!
Would you call yourself
a religious person?
- My work is my religion!
- These flashes or premonitions you have,
do they occur during working hours,
even when there are
other stimuli around?
Yes.
Noises don't bother you then?
- There are some times when they do.
- But there are times when no matter
what the work process is,
or the noise process,
you can still create
what we would call a trance?
Yes. I'm able to hypnotize myself.
Well, possibly, we misunderstood you.
Maybe, maybe, we didn't understand
in the beginning.
Didn't you say,
that these flashes or trances,
just come to you,
without your having to do anything
to create them?
- Yes.
- But now you're saying
that you do have to create them at times?
- Yes.
- Is the murderer from this area?
The fingerprints in the car!
These people, the locals.
In a small community like Laurel,
well, I would hate to work
under those circumstances.
I'm not saying that it's political.
You know, what I mean, Lee.
But if anyone has a job to do,
he damn well should do it, regardless!
I don't care what he does,
what his job is!
If you do it,
do it with as good intentions
as anything else you do.
Why do fingerprints trigger this?
Because I couldn't get
a straight answer from anybody.
It was "yes", "no", "indifferent.
- How do you feel about this?
- Makes me disgusted.
They just wouldn't answer,
they didn't check!
Mead County is one
of the biggest credit card counties
that ever lived! The people are being led!
- You know what else makes me disgusted?
- What?
Maggie Dawson's parents.
Why haven't they been pressing
for a solution?
They just sit at home,
not bothering anybody.
Would I do that if one of my children
was murdered? Would any of you?
Why does the word "fingerprints
bother you?
Because I told them where the prints were!
My feeling was that it is...
It is so clear to me.
How could they have missed them?
On the mirror, on the side of the car,
on the seat lever.
Places you would normally look
for a fingerprint,
but they missed them!
I get the feeling
that what you're saying is,
"Damn it, the individual left the trail.
Why don't you take it?
I left everything so you could catch me
and you didn't catch me."
The person driving the car...
is a young man.
I see this person
as you would see someone...
across a parking lot at night.
He drives
the Volkswagen back onto the lot,
after the stores and shopping center
are closed.
The reason he comes back is...
to get his own car.
He's... already covered her with a...
towel and blanket,
and he's thinking to himself,
"Have I... have I got anything on me
that might...
point me to it?"
He's wearing the victim's sunglasses.
It's a disguise.
There's the last minute...
getting rid of the sunglasses.
There. He gets out of the car
and he pushes down the door lock button.
And slams the door shut.
Turns around, walks back to his car,
gets in and goes home.
Could this person do it again, Franklin?
I think this person could do it again
under the right, right set of...
circumstances,
but by their self, I don't think so.
Was this a particular person
or persons?
Not persons.
- A person.
- Could this person do it again?
It would... There would have to be a...
dissolving of a relationship,
a breaking off...
a rejection to do this again.
I'm getting a place.
A feeling of being caught,
being found out.
Footsteps approaching.
A garage, sliding.
Sliding... type doors.
- What about the garage?
- I see it. A place
to hide the body until the stores...
the shopping center close.
Where is it?
It's in the neighborhood
near the shopping center.
- What is...
- Is it wood?
Wood, wood.
A two-story, two-story house
in front of a...
- Was there a struggle in the garage?
- I see the...
clothes...
coming off in the garage.
What about the struggle?
The party who plays this part,
the party is a man.
I see it through this party's eyes
when I come up behind the party to see.
The basic struggle was...
over the clothes coming off the body.
This was the greatest struggle.
- Unconsciousness occurred.
- How?
How did she become unconscious?
What did we hit her with?
What did we hit her with?
The fist!
Why?
The first time is to make her obey,
to make her leave, leave the parking lot.
Why do we hit her again?
The second time is to make her submit
to you.
No, no.
The name?
I don't want to finger anybody.
No name. No name.
- The name, Franklin.
- I don't want to finger anybody.
- The name, Franklin.
- I don't want to finger anybody.
- Give me the name, Franklin!
- I don't know any name.
- The name, damn it!
- No name!
- The name, damn you!
- No name.
Where am I?
Where am I?
I've said things.
He knows.
It's right... I don't know.
Lee, Lee, you can...
you...
can make the killer give himself up
if you want to.
- How?
- Ask your friend...
to write a newspaper story...
about me. You've got notes of all the...
extraordinary things
that I've sensed about the crime, but...
I'm unknown.
All you have to do is...
inform the people of...
my powers.
Of our work together, of...
how close...
how close we've come.
The killer will have no choice
but to confess.
And I can't do that, Franklin.
There's a... there's a female
who's had pain.
- You mean Margaret Dawson?
- No.
It... it'll be her back.
You'll know about this
in the very near future.
Has it occurred...
or is it going to occur?
Has it occurred or is it going to occur?
I don't know.
- Lieutenant Younger.
- Willie.
I want a patrol car
at every shopping center
parking lot tonight.
And cover Wills' house.
I want him followed wherever he goes.
Oh, no. No. God, no.
Hey.
- Is that the couple that found the body?
- Yeah.
- Any idea who she is?
- Yeah, found an ID tag around her neck.
Doral County address.
Sent it over to the sheriff there
to check it out.
What do you got so far, Sam?
Body bears signs of violence, Lee.
Especially what looks like a broken back.
- Found a pair of kid's sneakers, Sheriff.
- Keep looking, Andy.
Hey, Sheriff, when can we get out of here?
Go sit in one of the cars now.
Say, Ted?
Can we take some pictures?
No. You better let him finish.
- Look... you did everything you could...
- No.
Shit.
No! Oh, my God! No!
Virginia! My baby!
Virginia! Oh, God! My baby!
Her name's Segretta.
Father's an unemployed mason.
The girl's name is Virginia.
Hey, Lee.
Yeah. What's up?
This is Mr. And Mrs. Barron.
They live across the street
from the Segrettas.
- How do you do?
- Now, start again, sir.
Yeah, well,
I was in my room watching television.
While I was starting dinner.
And then I... I looked out of my window
and I, I saw Ginny.
What was she doing?
Well, she was... moving her hands,
like she was giving directions
to the driver of a car
in front of her house.
- What'd he look like?
- I don't know. It...
Well, he had on a, a brown jacket.
- He didn't look too old.
- What'd the car look like?
It was kind of a...
icky... an icky-colored Pontiac.
It was bronze or a tannish.
It was a metallic paint job.
Then they talked for a little while.
Then Ginny walked around to the front
of the car
and then she got in with him.
It looked funny to me.
Then they pulled out slow and drove off.
I wrote down the license number,
then I went downstairs to tell my mother.
- Have you got it now?
- Sure.
Good. Thanks, pal.
This is Chief Tucker.
I want an APB for a tan Pontiac.
DV-1667.
That's DV-1667.
Approach with caution.
The driver may be dangerous.
- What was it, Sam?
- Death by strangulation.
Discontinuous marks on her neck.
No indication of... sexual molestation.
Sounds like a lot of the stuff
we heard the last time.
Chief, that Pontiac's been spotted on 33.
Chief, he's still heading west on 33.
Passing the Texaco station.
All right, block 33 west
and east and 78 south at Marshall's farm.
Any extra vehicles we got, go at him.
I think we got that son of a bitch.
Who are you trying to call,
you son of a bitch?
Who are you trying to call?
Who are you trying to call?
- Chief!
- Who are you trying to call?
You're gonna blow this case
on a goddamn technicality. Chief!
You wanna blow this case
on a goddamn technicality?
Just talked to a friend of yours...
Franklin Wills.
How well do you know him?
We hardly ever talked.
Do you see him much?
We hardly ever talked.
Hey, Richie...
who were you trying to call tonight?
If you had an accomplice...
and you turned state's evidence...
there's a chance
it'll reduce your sentence.
Is there anything you want to say, Richie?
No.
I don't think so.
It could make the difference
between 20 years and life.
Richie, are you hypnotized?
Is that it?
Are you hypnotized?
You hear him, Richie?
I suppose so.
I suppose I heard him.
Something wrong?
We've just picked up a suspect...
for the murder of a 12-year-old girl.
Was he driving a tannish Buick?
- A 12-year-old girl, Franklin.
- What was he driving?
- Pontiac.
- It's like a Buick.
Do you know Richie Tom Keating?
Well, yes. We worked at the same plant.
But that was over a year ago.
My God, is he the sus... suspect?
Did you see him often?
We hardly ever talked.
Did he call you the night
that Maggie Dawson was murdered?
- Why would he do that?
- Because he panicked.
Wanted you to help him.
Richie Tom Keating?
That's why you knew so much
about Maggie's murder, right?
Lee, I'm clairvoyant.
You wanted attention.
That's why you wanted your name
in the paper.
You wanted to cash in on it,
didn't you, Franklin?
All I wa... wanted to do is help.
Haven't I told you that a...
- Well, how many times?
- Daddy.
Tell Darren, I'll be right up.
Can you tell me why...
anyone...
would want to murder a little girl?
I saw it. I told you.
You wouldn't listen.
I told you where the fingerprints were
and you wouldn't listen.
By the way...
I'd really be interested
to attend Keating's trial.
Can I count on you to get me
into the courtroom?
Lee.
I'd be very surprised if Keating...
ever tells you anything different.
Lee, why don't you call me
after the baby's born?
I'm getting something.
It's...
it's not clear.
Well, nothing to worry about.
I'm... I'm sure, she'll be healthy.
No, 100 percent healthy.
But it might be a good idea,
if we stayed in touch.