Mannix (1967) s01e16 Episode Script

1
Ladies and gentlemen, good evening.
Clete Roberts reporting.
Another crisis in the Far East,
and more diplomatic double-talk on all fronts.
There are rumors of a new tax increase
that would hit the pocketbook of the average wage earner.
Washington also hints at a new policy of, uh, home loans.
Locally, the electronic genius, David Tate,
the founder of Tate Industries, escapes from sanitarium
Tate Industries is your company,
isn't it, honey? Shut up.
Disastrous fire today, when a huge
Look, you better get out of here.
Following the threatened resignation
of four councilmen over
♪♪
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Mr. Wickersham!
Mr. Wickersham!
Mr. Wickersham!
Hold that light, please.
Thank you.
Excellent, Mr. Wickersham.
Excellent. Thank you, Mr. Hayden.
Very good, Mr. Johnson.
Excellent, Donald.
Rondell, very, very good.
Where's Mr. Mannix?
Right here.
Well?
Well, I took a shortcut.
Mr. Mannix.
Can't win 'em all, Mr. Hayden.
Mr. Wickersham, you must help.
You can save his life.
Miss Leavitt?
David didn't kill anybody!
I told you over the phone,
Intertect doesn't take this sort of case.
I'm sorry.
Mr. Wickersham,
you're refusing this case
because you think he's guilty. I have no opinion.
The trial court will decide that.
Who'll decide if there's no trial,
if he's shot down by the police?
The police won't hurt Tate
if he doesn't resist arrest.
Mr. Wickersham, please.
I know what happens
when a man is accused of being a cop killer.
Shoot first and ask questions later.
David Tate is wanted for three murders.
He's been described as a homicidal maniac.
You can't expect the police to take unnecessary chances.
Label a man a mad dog,
and it's-it's okay to shoot him.
Miss
Yes?
Yes, I'll be there immediately.
I'm sorry, Miss Leavitt,
but we can't touch the case. Mr. Wickersham,
I've been David's secretary for ten years.
I've been with him almost every day.
He's not a murderer.
You're not a psychiatrist.
You can't say whether he is or he isn't.
David had a nervous breakdown.
At his worst, he wouldn't have hurt anyone.
Only last Friday the doctors said he was as good as cured.
He would have been released this week.
Well, if he was cured,
and knew he was going to be released,
why did he break out? I don't know.
I just want him protected.
Find him and then turn him over to the police.
I'm afraid he'll be killed.
And I'm afraid he might kill any of my men
who went after him.
Look, Miss Leavitt, I've tried to be reasonable.
I'm evidently, I'm not reaching you.
The fact of the matter is,
the man is known to be a homicidal maniac.
I cannot expect any of my men
to take on a job like this.
Lou.
I'll take it.
Why?
As a kid I was bitten by Frank Buck
you know, Bring 'Em Back Alive?
Thank you, Mr. Mannix.
Thank you very much.
Joe.
You get in between Tate and the police,
and you may not be able to bring yourself back alive.
Remember, he's still an escaped lunatic.
The police are going to hate anyone
who's trying to protect a cop killer.
Stay away from them.
Hello, Lieutenant.
It's been a long time.
Mannix.
Get lost.
I'd just like a little information.
You're not gonna get involved in this case.
A police officer was killed.
The police officer wasn't the only one killed.
Thanks for telling me,
but the other two were also killed by Tate,
and he belongs to the police.
Uh, this girl who was shot here last night
Beverly Borden? Mm-hmm.
She ever call herself BeeBee?
Why?
Just a missing persons check for a client.
Oh?
Who's the, uh, who's the client?
Now be reasonable, Lieutenant.
You know office policy.
Reasonable policemen get shot.
Not by me.
Now, if Beverly Borden was never known
as BeeBee, why tell me and I'll, uh,
be on my way.
Well, our book on her has, uh,
seven aliases.
BeeBee could have been an eighth.
How do you figure Tate was tied in with the Borden girl?
Mannix, I get a, a strong feeling
that you're very interested in this case.
Got any idea why Tate would kill her?
Now, look, I told you
Just to save me from running down a false lead, Lieutenant.
All right.
The girl was average height,
slender, a lot like Tate's wife.
She was partially turned to the door.
He must have thought it was his wife and his best friend.
Uh, you got her address?
The morgue.
Well, before that, she shared a pad
at the Mariposa Gardens with another doll.
Good-bye, Mannix.
Now, look Good-bye.
Bye, Lieutenant.
Miss West?
Yes?
My name is Mannix. I'd like to talk to you.
About what?
Beverly Borden.
You another cop?
Private.
You know someone who got murdered,
you sure don't get much sleep.
Cops had me up all morning asking questions.
Well, here's an easy one.
How well did Beverly know David Tate?
She never mentioned his name.
The cops said he killed her by mistake.
Murders by mistake always sound phony to me.
If he didn't know her, maybe he didn't kill her.
She was a real nice kid.
Who else beside a nut would knock her off?
One possibility
maybe Walters' killer wanted to eliminate a witness.
Or, someone had a grudge against her,
and killed Walters so he couldn't identify her killer.
It had to be a nut.
I knew Thorney.
Real nice fella.
Nobody with any heart
would have killed either of them.
Hi, Freddie.
Hi. I didn't know you had company.
See you later.
Oh, that's okay.
He's just some sort of a cop.
Not a for-real one, though.
And what were you talking about to some sort of a cop?
You know about Beverly.
Out.
Now, wait a minute, Freddie. Don't rush me.
I might want to talk to you.
You in more of a hurry now?
No.
Maybe you can tell me who sent Beverly to see Walters.
You know, I think I might just cut you up a little.
I don't think you'll need that anymore.
Who introduced Beverly to Walters?
I did, when he saw us out together once.
You're lying.
You don't believe me, ask him.
You all right, honey?
I'm reading a little trouble with the tachometer.
What's it turning in the cockpit?
Check.
They're ready.
Hey, where can I find Robert Hartigan?
Out there.
Are you press or newsreel?
I'm neither.
Then it better wait. Mr. Hartigan's busy.
So am I.
Mr. Hartigan?
I'm Mannix, I called you earlier.
Oh, I didn't expect you so soon.
Go for a ride?
I usually like to see where I'm going.
That's an advantage in any business.
In this case you can watch the instruments.
We're running a test on a new I.L.S. system.
Coming?
You, uh get passing grades in your tests?
Obviously.
They bury failures.
Claustrophobia?
Well, it's, uh pretty cozy.
You fly?
A little.
Then you'll appreciate that box in front of you.
It weighs 12 and a half pounds.
It's a complete I.L.S. system for the private flyer.
Now every man can have the same
advantage the big airlines have.
All the pilot has to do is keep those two lines crossed.
Jerry, I hope your telemetry is recording.
We're on our way.
Reading you perfectly.
Lift off.
Pete seven-three Tango, to tower.
Ready for takeoff.
We're going to be on television,
so smile when I pass the tower.
Seven-three Tango, clear.
I can't see your face,
but knowing what a ham you are, I can bet you're smiling.
You were very close to David Tate, weren't you?
Best friend I ever had.
I wish he were here now, watching
this thing work.
Dave was like a kid about gadgets.
I show your left wing down seven degrees.
Check your horizon.
I see it.
Look, you've got other things to do.
I'll just wait.
What altitude do you read?
4-5-0.
I show under four.
Something's wrong with this altimeter.
Oh, there it is.
Turning crosswind.
Sorry.
Now, uh, what was it you wanted to know?
Uh about David Tate.
Dave was the greatest guy in the world
till he had his breakdown.
He was a magician when it came to electronics.
All the basic patents we started with were his.
The breakdown had nothing to do with, uh
testing of the new instruments?
Just overwork.
Dave got the idea somebody was conspiring
to steal the business.
Turning downwind now.
You wouldn't like to scrape off
a little of this black paint
and take a peek, would you?
Don't worry, Mr. Mannix.
I have every confidence in that gadget.
That's nice.
Did, uh Tate have any reason
to believe there was a conspiracy?
Base leg.
Who'd conspire? Thorney?
Poor devil, he loved Dave.
John Burke he wouldn't conspire or do anything else,
unless he could justify it as a cost-accounting procedure.
That leaves me.
I could ask an obvious question.
And get an obvious answer.
No, I'm afraid Dave was further off his rocker
than any of us thought.
Turning on final.
I'll hold airspeed to 75 knots.
I read airspeed 90
No, it's dropping back.
Something's wrong with the altimeter.
Still hanging up.
Nervous, Mr. Mannix?
Yeah.
So am I.
That's what makes it fun.
On glide path.
Airspeed's coming up again.
Altimeter still hanging up.
If I'm correct, our wheels should touch in 20 seconds.
Who killed Thorney Walters?
Altimeter still hanging up.
We're down.
Must be thrills in your business, too, Mr. Mannix.
Seven-three Tango to tower.
All in one piece.
Permission to taxi at intersection.
No Dave killed Thorney Walters.
And the tragic thing of it is
is Thorney would have cut off his arm
to help Dave, anytime, anyplace.
Watch your eyes.
The sun can be bright.
Well, David Tate's off of the hook, Hartigan.
He wasn't emotionally capable of committing murder.
I just had a long talk with his psychiatrist,
and David Tate couldn't kill anyone.
Now, if his own psychiatrist says he
You're lying, Mannix.
Tate's psychiatrist is attending
a medical meeting in Amsterdam.
Holland?
Mannix, I'm sick of you.
If I had just half a chance,
I'd put you in jail so deep that you'd get the bends.
Now, Lieutenant, you know Now, look!
If you so much as even mention the name David Tate
Did David Tate have reason to believe
there was any financial hanky-panky, Mr. Burke?
A man in a mental institution
can find many things to worry about.
That's not a direct answer.
I can't help you.
Can't, or won't?
You can leave now, Mr. Mannix.
Can, but won't.
You were supposed to be David Tate's dear friend.
And you're a stranger.
If I knew where David was,
I might be an accessory after the fact.
Excuse me.
Yes?
Thank you.
You're employed by Intertect.
Ruth Leavitt engaged your services.
I told you that.
And I had my secretary check.
Fair enough.
Now, can you help me find David Tate?
No.
I have no idea where he is.
But there is Mrs. Tate.
Where is Mrs. Tate?
She hasn't been seen for two days.
The lady controls her husband's stock in Tate Industries.
Now, if I, as treasurer and secretary
were to call a special meeting,
she'd want to be here to protect her husband's interests.
Or her own?
There shouldn't be any conflict
between husband and wife, should there?
Mrs. Tate has assured me
she will always keep me apprised of her whereabouts.
And I have no reason to doubt her.
Mountain hideaway.
Do I forget where I saw this?
You're trying to help Mr. Tate.
I can't believe Mrs. Tate wouldn't want me
to offer you every cooperation.
♪♪
Scotch.
Hi.
Hello.
What are you drinking?
Scotch.
Make that two doubles.
It's a quiet night, huh?
You can say that again.
Why don't we, uh, go to a booth, huh?
You know the story about the, uh, two golfers that went
into the locker room.
One of them started to undress.
He was wearing
Two beers.
Where's your friend?
In the little boys' room, I think.
He's a funny fellow.
He's a funny fellow!
He's a riot.
♪♪
Who's there?
Joe Mannix, Mrs. Tate.
I called earlier.
Come in.
Thank you.
You don't look like a detective.
You want a drink?
Sure. Uh scotch.
Every time I do something mix a drink, anything
I always figure I might be doing it
for the last time.
David could be out there with a gun at that moment.
Or you might be hit by a teaspoon from a flying saucer.
Cheers.
He's tried once.
He thought he killed me when he shot Thorney and that girl.
He's bound to try again.
I don't mean to get personal, Mrs. Tate,
but, uh, was there any reason why he expected
to find you with Walters?
If I told you there wasn't, would you believe me?
I might.
Thorney was a great guy with the
girls, but I wasn't one of them.
Okay.
Thorney was despite what my poor, psychotic husband
may believe completely loyal to him.
To loyalty.
Who hired you Burke?
No.
Then it was Ruth Leavitt.
She always had a thing for David.
How did he feel about her?
Hard to say.
I never caught them,
if that's what you're asking.
But you tried.
Not too hard.
I figure it's a lonely life.
We're all entitled to whatever comfort we can get.
Very sporting of you.
It's especially lonely out here.
Are you looking for comfort, or protection?
Protection
but I wouldn't refuse a little comfort.
Would you?
It's a great offer.
But?
I've already got a client.
I'll double the ante.
You don't have to.
I don't think your husband tried to kill you.
I'm too old for bedtime stories.
A husband wouldn't shoot the wrong woman.
He'd know his wife too well to make that kind of a mistake.
The killer shot Walters and the
girl in a brightly-lit room
Get down!
Come on, into the other room.
Stay down.
Hold your fire. We're police officers.
Was that Tate doing the shooting?
I was too busy keeping my head down.
I didn't see anybody.
Take the patrolman and search the grounds.
Right.
This is Gould.
Give me the lieutenant.
That was a cute one you pulled back at the saloon, Mannix.
I wasn't sure who you were.
Gould. Homicide.
My partner's name is Calder.
We want a roadblock.
We just missed getting Tate.
Right.
What happened?
Mrs. Tate? I'm a police officer.
Did you see anyone?
It was David, wasn't it?
Why did you turn on the light?
I panicked.
I'm sorry.
Would you mind waiting in the other room?
Let's you and me talk.
About what?
How you knew this address, how you knew Tate would be here.
Well I had an appointment with
her, Burke gave me the address,
and, uh, I didn't know Tate was
going to be here if he was.
Well, who was outside shooting, the Easter Bunny?
You followed me. Maybe somebody else did.
Try again.
We were coming anyway.
No phone calls.
Would you like it better if I put you under arrest?
For what?
Interfering with the law.
Destruction of public property.
I'd like to see the judge's face when you tell him
you were interfered with in plainclothes,
in an unmarked car and offering no identification.
Nothing. Just a lot of dirt out there.
Mannix here.
Give me Wickersham.
I've been waiting for your call.
What have you been doing?
Getting shot at and, uh interfering with the law.
How are things behind the lines?
Quiet.
The only loud noise has been
the sound of Ruth Leavitt's check bouncing.
Mr. Wickersham, you must believe me.
I did not deliberately cheat your company.
I'm sure of that.
The bank said you were overdrawn by three dollars.
I forgot to allow for a service charge.
Re-deposit the check.
I will.
But you cashed a large check the day before you came to us.
Why did Tate need that money?
You're ridiculous.
What did Tate do with that money?
All right, let's forget it.
I didn't want this case in the first place.
And when Mannix finds out that you're not cooperating,
he won't want it either, so
hire yourself another detective.
And you'd better do it quickly, before the police
run you in as an accessory to murder.
Because they'll get Tate and trace the money back to you.
All right.
David phoned me after he escaped.
Later he met me and I gave him the cash.
He didn't say why he wanted it.
Have you seen or spoken to him since?
You know of anyone who has? Now, don't hold back, please.
As far as I know, I'm the only one he contacted,
except for John Burke.
He visited David at the sanitarium
the night before he escaped.
That's odd.
Mr. Burke didn't mention that to Mannix.
That's all you've got?
Well, what more can you want?
There's all of Tate's relatives, down to a 32nd cousin.
Names and addresses of all business associates,
fellow alumni and social acquaintances,
pedigrees on his barber, his dentist
and the guy who washes his car.
Beautiful.
That's all beautiful information,
none of which I can use.
Now will you stop being stubborn, Joe?
Now you haven't the faintest notion where Tate is, do you?
No.
That's where the computer can help.
Tate doesn't exist in a vacuum.
He has some contact with someone somewhere.
His habit patterns are the same.
What he is has roots in what he was.
What he was might tell us where he is.
Okay, then why don't you ask that, uh, mechanical marvel
about his habits, his talents, hobbies?
That's all here. Now come on.
Grab a handful.
Here, tennis in school, not very good at the game.
Played contract bridge.
Considered unskilled at the game.
Likes to fish.
Who doesn't?
Wait a minute
Started Tate Industries from a small workshop
in a converted garage.
I wonder
Hey, that line of thinking
is going to call for a lot of old-fashioned legwork.
How are we fixed for old-fashioned legs?
I can think of two.
Oh, now wait a minute
Joe, you're on your own.
You took this job knowing
I wouldn't risk a man's life for it.
That still goes.
You can walk away whenever you want.
You just hired a new man. Just a minute
Just a minute, buddy.
Where's the new man you hired?
Inside.
Thanks.
Sorry.
Mr. Tate?
Who are you?
Put down the gun, Mr. Tate.
You a policeman?
No.
Open your coat.
Take out the gun
slowly.
On the fender.
This gun has a hair trigger, Officer.
You fire, it goes off, too we're both dead.
I'm not a police officer.
No?
The name is Mannix.
I work for Intertect.
Ruth Leavitt hired us to help you.
Then why the gun, Mr. Mannix?
Because I may be a homicidal maniac
and you believe in taking reasonable precautions?
Something like that.
That's very wise of you,
since I have a hunting license.
I see.
Don't humor me, Mannix.
I mean it.
I really do have a license to kill.
They don't execute deranged people in this state.
I'm betting you're not deranged, Tate,
and that you killed no one.
As yet.
Still, since you say you are, in effect, working for me,
why don't you just put the gun
on the fender, very carefully?
If that is a hair trigger, I'd really appreciate it
if you'd, uh, point it someplace else.
In a moment.
Please empty your pockets.
Why?
You know who I am, Mr. Mannix.
I'm still not sure about you yet.
J. Mannix. Intertect.
Okay.
What's this?
Stay where you are.
I can hardly read it from here.
Directions to my cabin. Where did you get them?
John Burke.
Why did you break out with less than a week to go?
Because Thorney Walters and my wife, Elaine,
were planning to take Tate Industries away from me.
John Burke told me what was happening to my stock.
In another few days, it would have been too late.
Walters?
That puzzled me, too,
but John had it straight from Elaine.
You realize you've just come up with another motive
for killing Walters.
You're right.
Over there.
Inside.
They're playing you for a sucker, Tate.
Not any longer, Mr. Mannix.
Not any longer.
♪♪
Selma, Mannix here. Now listen carefully
get the police over to John Burke's house.
Tell them
Thanks.
John Burke is dead.
Murdered.
Oh, no.
David
David didn't kill anyone.
Would you like to take another guess?
Mannix.
Well, it's nice to see you again, Hartigan.
Why the gun?
Bob, I'm scared.
You ought to be.
A lot of people have been killed.
Am I going to be another one of Tate's victims?
I'm not sure I know what you mean, Mannix.
A homicidal maniac is loose.
Nobody's safe.
You worried about my sanity?
Is he alone?
Go outside and check.
David.
The gun, Mr. Mannix.
I was wrong about Thorney Walters,
but not about you.
I realized finally that John Burke might be next.
I got there too late.
David, I swear, I didn't do anything.
David,
you've been through a terrible experience.
The two of you.
You had it all planned, didn't you?
Get me out of the way,
and the whole thing just fell into your laps.
Why don't you do something?
He's got a loaded gun.
David, listen to me.
I wouldn't do anything to hurt you.
Believe me.
Mannix, this man is sick.
You heard him he'll kill us.
You, uh, you can't be positive.
He's already killed Walters and Burke.
I don't think so.
He was busy locking me in a garage
just about the time Burke was killed.
But then, maybe he did kill Walters.
Maybe he does intend to kill you.
Oh, David, listen to me
Here! Now, you stay put.
Hartigan, where are you?
Hartigan, you'd better stay down.
Bob!
Bob!
Bob!
I told you he was insane. Now do you believe me?
You've got to get us out of here.
Let's clear up a few things first.
Bob!
What's the matter with you, Mannix?
He's going to kill me. He's got a license to kill.
You and his wife saw to that.
Bob!
You've got a gun. Stop him.
Stop him yourself.
What?
Why don't you just stop lying?
You lied to him about your affair with Walters
and almost drove him out of his mind.
Now, let's hear the truth.
Yes, Elaine.
I'd like to hear that.
I did lie about Thorney.
But
there's never been anyone but you, David.
You want me to try again, Elaine?
David, whatever happened is my fault.
I'll take full responsibility.
I'll give you a confession.
Not good.
In writing.
Come on, you know that any confession
given at gunpoint is inadmissible.
And you'd repudiate it the minute you got out of here.
You want me to write it in blood?
No.
No, I think you've provided enough blood already.
Who are you to talk?
You just tried to kill us both.
You're wrong, Mrs. Tate.
If he really wanted to kill you,
neither one of you'd be standing here now.
What's that supposed to mean?
Mrs. Tate should have known
her husband has trophies as an expert marksman.
Here, show them, Tate.
Even our computers knew that.
He only misses when he wants to.
That's right, Robert.
Now tell me something that makes me want to miss again.
Mr. Mannix
I guess you're right, Hartigan.
I think he really intends to kill you.
I'd better get the police.
Wait!
I'll tell you anything anything you want to know.
Not just a confession, Hartigan.
Let's start with some things
that only the killer would know.
I used the same gun on Burke that I used on Walters.
I was gonna throw it into the ocean
but I couldn't be sure I didn't need it
until Tate was caught.
It's behind the circuit breaker box in my garage.
You see? You see?
He just admitted it was all his idea.
I don't think the lieutenant is
impressed with your innocence.
But then, detective-lieutenants are tough to convince.
Ask me.
All right, Mannix.
We can get along without you.
Now, you were lucky in this case,
but if I ever catch you
interfering in police matters again
Yeah, I know, I'm in big trouble.
Miss Leavitt.
Everything all right?
Okay.
Mr. Mannix
Mannix, I'm sure you deserve kisses,
but from me will you accept a handshake?
That's what I work for affection,
gratitude and personal satisfaction.
Oh, by the way, you can make the
checks payable to Intertect.