Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction (1997) s03e10 Episode Script

[theme music]
DON LAFONTAINE (VOICEOVER):
"Beyond Belief--
Fact or Fiction," hosted
by Jonathan Frakes.
Tonight, your challenge
is to separate what
is true from what is false.
Five stories-- some
real, some fake.
Can you judge which are
fact and which are fiction?
To find out, you
must enter a world
of both truth and deception,
a world that is beyond belief.
Sometimes it's difficult
to label things accurately.
Take this display of an object
that is shaped like a mouse.
Yet when you rotate it,
it evolves into a cat.
So which is it really?
You'll find the same
challenge with our stories
tonight, as opposite
as the mouse
is from its mortal
enemy, the cat.
So is the truth
opposite from a lie?
And still, as in this sculpture,
they can be found together,
each one a part of the other.
So don't jump to conclusions
about whether our stories
tonight are based on actual
events or completely false.
We may just be playing a
typical game of cat and mouse.
The art of decorating
one's body has
fascinated cultures
back to the early days
of the ancient empires.
In our own society,
tattoos, once frowned
upon as reserved for the lower
class or sailors on a drunk,
now adorn many of the world's
most beautiful people.
There is something
seductive yet frightening
about these intricate
works of body art.
And while many tattoos
can be obtained these days
in fashionable
salons, there still
exist the seedy dens
of danger and mystery
known as the tattoo parlor.
This is where our
next story takes
place, but be forewarned--
it may leave its mark on you.
Renny Fortis wasn't the
kind of guy you'd want
your daughter to hang out with.
That's probably what made
him so attractive to a young,
sheltered girl like Amy Dwyer.
Amy rebelled at just
about everything
her parents represented,
and she truly believed
she was in love with Renny.
Why are we stopping here?
I told you, I had
a surprise for you.
A tattoo?
A special tattoo.
You're going to love it.
Renny, I don't
know about this.
I hate needles.
They really freak me out.
Amy, I thought you loved me.
I do love you, you know I do.
It's just that--
Hey, if you really
love me, you'll do this.
I do love you, but I'm afraid.
Listen, there's
nothing to this.
I'll be right in there with you.
Come on, do it for us.
Amy, this is Wes Tronker, the
best tattoo artist in town.
Ain't that right, Wed?
I can't complain.
What do you need, Renny?
RENNY: She wants a tattoo.
Have you ever had a
tattoo before, young lady?
No, I haven't.
What do you think
you're up to--
Maybe you ought to mind
your own business, huh?
WES: Yeah, you're right.
It's all right, Renny.
Well, I'll tell you
what, young lady,
why don't we go
around and see if you
find anything that pleases you?
She doesn't have to go around.
I want you to do this one.
No, I can't do it,
and I won't do it.
Oh, you're going to do it.
You're going to put
that tattoo on her neck.
Do you understand?
Renny, what are you doing?
Shut up.
He's just a superstitious
old man, that's all.
There's a myth attached
to the devil's tattoo,
but it's all bull.
Can I just get
a different one?
RENNY: No.
You're going to get this one.
There's no turning back, Amy.
[beeping]
You run along with Wes
and do what he says.
I'll be right back.
Young lady, come in
here with me, please.
VOICE (ON PHONE):
What is going on?
Everything's going fine.
Yeah, she's gonna do it.
You climb out that window.
and you get out of here now.
What?
You've got to get away from
that guy before it's too late.
Stop it, you're scaring me.
Well you ought to be scared.
The last two girls that he
put that devil's tattoo on, I
never seen again.
Why don't I hear
the needle, Wes?
I don't want to get
the tattoo, Renny.
It's too late.
Promises have been made.
Stop it.
Let go of me.
Let me go.
RENNY: Shut up, or
I'm gonna kill you.
I thought you loved me.
Wes, pick up the
needle and go to work.
What's going on?
I don't know.
There's something
wrong with the needle.
Stop screwing
around and do the job.
Wes, please, please
don't tattoo me.
Shut up.
Wes, pick up the needle.
What are you doing?
I'm not doing anything,
it's doing it on its own.
Oh my god, no.
[gasping]
JONATHAN FRAKES: Tattoo
artist Wes Tronker
maintained that he was not
responsible for the death
of Renny Fortis.
Supported by Amy's testimony,
the case against him
was dismissed.
Did the tattoo artist
cleverly set a trap
for his villainous customer?
Did he commit murder
in order to save
the life of the young woman?
Or was the tattoo gun itself
possessed by the spirit
of two innocent young
girls, past victims
of the devil's tattoo?
Is this story engraved with the
permanent markings of truth,
or is it written in
disappearing ink?
DON LAFONTAINE
(VOICEOVER): We'll
tell you whether this
story is true or false
at the end of our show.
Next, a strange curse hounds
a businessman on "Beyond
Belief: Fact or Fiction."
JONATHAN FRAKES: These are
just a few of the products,
from paper to medicine,
that come from trees.
These things certainly
make our lives easier,
and yet some
environmentalists tell
us that by destroying
trees, we make
our own lives more fragile.
Preston G. Yates
is a wealthy man
who has no time
for tree huggers,
as he calls ecologists.
In fact, he curses them.
But he's about to
find out that money
earned by the
destruction of nature
may carry a curse of its own.
Some might see Preston G.
Yates as a nerd who made good.
His company was a
multinational corporation.
Protesters have always been
part of Preston's life.
He never took them seriously.
They were just another
pain in the neck.
Yates was about to
sign an agreement
with a Japanese company to
be their exclusive supplier,
and those protesters
weren't about to stop him.
OLD INDIAN MAN:
Mr. Yates, you are
killing off the
people of my tribe
by destroying the rain forest.
Oh, not another one.
Soon there will be nothing.
You have been warned,
but you refuse to listen.
You are cursed.
Come on, that's ridiculous.
Look, if you or your tribe has
a problem with Atlantis Paper,
I suggest you contact
our attorneys.
OLD INDIAN MAN: Hears my words,
whatever you do to our trees
will return to you forever
and stick to your very soul.
Yeah, well look, I'll
tell you what, magic man--
JONATHAN FRAKES:
This was one meeting
Yates would never forget.
PRESTON YATES: Gentlemen,
good afternoon.
It's good to see
you again, Mr. Yates.
You're looking well.
- Thank you.
Please, be seated.
So I take it your people
have reviewed the contract?
We have, and everything
seems to be in order.
Great.
Well, then I'd like
to propose a toast.
To the rain forest
and all the riches
it has brought and
will continue to bring.
I uh, just, uh--
[speaking japanese]
PRESTON YATES:
Well, uh, gentlemen,
what do you say we sign
the contract before we eat?
That would be fine.
Great.
I have it right here.
[whooshing]
OK, uh, I'll get the contract.
Hold on.
[whooshing]
No, whoa.
Are you all right, Mr. Yates.
I'm fine, just fine.
Ah, huh.
Here you go, sir, the contract.
That's good, just-- yeah, yeah.
[speaking japanese]
Perhaps we should reschedule
this meeting for another time.
I think we need to review
this contract more carefully.
We'll be in touch.
Well, uh-- h-- how about
later this evening?
I-- I'm-- I'm
available this evening.
JONATHAN FRAKES: The
problem continued to worsen,
and paper was sticking
to Yates so often
he couldn't keep up with it.
In fact, he began missing
all his appointments,
and eventually stopped
doing business altogether.
I'm looking for an Indian.
An old man, you seen him?
JONATHAN FRAKES:
Yates finally decided
that he had to
locate the old Indian
and get him to remove the curse.
Stop staring at me.
Stop staring.
Just stop it, stop it.
OLD INDIAN MAN: You were
looking for me, Mr. Yates?
You, you got to
break this curse.
Only you have that power.
How?
Tell me how.
I'll do anything.
I already told you.
You must give you word that
you'll stop killing trees.
But I can't.
It's my work.
Then you must live
in your paper prison.
[screaming]
I can't take this anymore.
All right, all
right, I'll change.
I swear.
I was wrong and I'll
work to save the rain
forest from this day on.
I promise.
You made the promise.
Now you must keep it, or
the curse will return.
PRESTON YATES: Save
the rain forest.
Stop killing trees and people.
JONATHAN FRAKES: Preston G.
Yates turned Atlantis Paper
into a recycling company and
began working to replenish
rain forests around the world.
The curse never returned.
What really happened here?
Did the old Indian's
curse really
stick to Preston G. Yates, both
literally and figuratively?
Or did Yates suddenly
develop a condition
where his body conducted
an excess amount
of static electricity,
the way some people can
walk across a carpet and
then set off tiny sparks
whenever they touch something?
Or was Yates so paralyzed
by the fear of the curse
that he willed it to come
true through telekinesis?
Is the story of a man who
attracted paper like a magnet
a tissue of lies, or are
we sticking to the facts?
DON LAFONTAINE
(VOICEOVER): We'll
tell you whether this
story is true or false
at the end of our show.
Next, two dead bodies
and an unsolvable crime,
on "Beyond Belief:
Fact or Fiction."
JONATHAN FRAKES: Criminology,
a fascinating science.
By using the tools of
the trade, specialists
can reconstruct the
scene of a crime,
sometimes down to
the smallest detail.
But what happens when
the scene of a crime
is so bad the crime becomes
impossible to analyze
through science?
It's then that detectives
must turn to their greatest
tool of all, the human mind.
Detective Bill
Ballard has a mind
that is capable of both
analysis and invention,
and is going to need both skills
to solve the strangest case
of his career.
DETECTIVE BALLARD: I had
been a homicide detective
with the Beverly Hills
Police for the past 10 years,
and I'd seen a lot.
But a murder in a
locked funeral home?
That was a first.
So the question was,
how was he killed?
The second victim was
lying on the floor
next to the casket with a knife
sticking out of her chest.
Something was out of whack,
and then it dawned on me--
there was no blood
from the wound.
The woman had already
been dead for a few days
and was probably in that coffin.
Hey Ballard, have you ever
seen anything like this before?
DETECTIVE BALLARD: Never.
Why would anybody stick
a knife in a corpse?
Six times.
And how did she wind
up on the floor?
Good question, she didn't
just jump out of her coffin.
What about the guy by the door?
My guess, he was
probably poisoned.
It entered through
the wound in his hand.
We'll know more
after the autopsy.
Thanks, Angela.
What the hell went on here?
A corpse stabbed repeatedly
outside the coffin?
Some instinct told me to
check around the coffin.
Somebody had spent a lot
of money for this send off.
So that's how she got out.
Hey Bill.
Did you find the
funeral director?
Yeah, yeah.
He's pretty shook up, like he
never saw a dead body before.
The corpse's his name
is Miriam Jacoby.
She died three days ago
in a traffic accident.
She was loaded.
We're talking big money.
The guy over there is her
third husband, Darrell.
He probably came
to pay his respects.
Yeah, looks like it.
You know, the funeral director
told me that his wife took
him out of her will completely.
DETECTIVE BALLARD:
If this is real,
it's got to be worth a
couple of million bucks.
No, that's real.
You know, she had some pretty
strange requests in her will.
The body was delivered
here yesterday
with specific instructions that
no one was to open the coffin.
And then she wants to be buried
wearing this hunk of ice.
What a waste, huh?
Somebody thought so.
Well, so what do you think?
It was a botched robbery.
What?
How?
Who?
Darrell Jacoby didn't come
to pay his last respects
to his dead wife.
He came to steal her
diamond necklace.
He slipped into the room
made sure he was alone.
He used his buck knife to jimmy
open the lock, the same knife
that ended up in her chest.
Then he reached in and
grabbed ahold of the necklace.
That released a barbed
metal spike that shot
down and punctured his hand.
This ticked him
off, so he yanked
on the necklace even harder.
That's when the spring
mechanism kicked in.
This is really incredible.
Be careful.
I'm sure it's still
covered with poison.
Who do you think rigged it?
My guess, Mrs. Jacoby.
What?
She probably left
instructions with her lawyer.
Yeah, but if she didn't want
her husband to take it, then
why did she wear it?
It was bait.
She knew he'd come after
it and she wanted him dead.
Yeah, but why?
DETECTIVE BALLARD: Who knows.
She must have cut him out
of the will for some reason.
Well, say everything happened
the way you think it did.
How did the corpse
get out of the coffin?
As Jacoby struggled
with the corpse,
he pulled her free and they
both fell to the floor.
At this point, he's totally
spooked and very angry,
so he stabbed her repeatedly.
All that activity caused
the poison from the spike
to kick in quickly.
He was desperate to
get out of the room
and away from the nightmare.
He got as far as the door.
Mrs. Jacoby knew what kind
of man her husband was,
and she rigged a
trap to snare him.
You're amazing.
I mean, this all fits.
No, no, it doesn't all fit.
The scratches on Jacoby's face.
Where did they come from?
I don't know, he
probably got them earlier.
If he got those
scratches somewhere else,
then why is there fresh skin and
blood under her finger nails?
JONATHAN FRAKES: Were the
scratches on the husband's
face a result of a struggle
with his wife's corpse?
If not, how do you explain the
samples of fresh skin and blood
under the wife's nails?
Could the crime scene have been
manipulated by a third party?
Or is it possible
that the wife's
restless spirit
returned to her body
for one last act of revenge?
Is this story open to
a judgment of truth,
or have we placed the last
nail on a coffin of lies.
DON LAFONTAINE
(VOICEOVER): We'll
tell you whether this
story is true or false
at the end of our show.
Next, two young thieves break
into the house of a dead hero
on "Beyond Belief:
Fact or Fiction."
Whoever said nostalgia
isn't what it used to be
hasn't seen the latest market
prices for memorabilia.
Collectors items
similar to these
fetch huge prices,
thousands of dollars
at auctions and conventions
around the world.
Even something as simple as
an autograph can be worth th--
Patrick Stewart.
Lash Connors was an action
adventure star in the heyday
of the Western hero.
In his movies, Lash
stood for truth,
justice, and the cowboy way.
Something has just
happened to Lash
in real life that's
never happened
in any of his adventures--
he's dead.
Now the real adventure
is about to begin.
Legendary cowboy
hero Lash Connors
was considered the King
of the Western two reelers
back in the 1940s.
The year was now
1957, and Lash was
on the comeback trail with a
new Western television series.
Then tragedy struck.
At the age of 41, Lash Connors
was found dead in his bedroom
with a mysterious gunshot wound.
His death was officially
ruled a suicide,
but questions
remain to this day.
Whatever the cause, a great
American hero is dead.
Hundreds of mourners came
from across the country
to pay their respects.
Johnny Pope and Larry Rucker
had driven in that morning
from Bakersfield, California.
Gee, look at that house.
JONATHAN FRAKES:
But they didn't come
to offer their condolences.
He was quite a man.
My daddy took me to see all
his movies when I was a kid.
I bet it's worth at
least 20,000 bucks.
I just can't
believe he's dead.
What?
Lash Connors.
He's dead.
Get over it, Larry.
We're here to rob the place,
not cry over some dead cowboy.
LARRY: I know, I just feel
a little funny about it
all of a sudden.
You'd better not be
chickening out on me.
You hear?
I ain't chickening out on you.
Good, because there's stuff
in that house worth a fortune,
and it's all ours
for the taking.
You sure make it
sound easy, Johnny.
It is easy.
If anyone gets in our
way, they'll be sorry.
What are you looking at?
Buzz off, kid.
Somebody forgot to lock it.
Piece of cake.
I can't believe we're
in Lash Connors' kitchen.
Come on, we've got work to do.
He actually ate here.
He probably sat right here at
this table, drinking his juice,
reading the morning paper.
Won't you come on?
We've got to get moving.
Somebody might come home.
Sorry, it's just
kind of amazing to me.
Ah, oh, look at this place.
It's almost like
being in church.
We just hit the treasure
of the Sierra Madre.
Start filling your bag.
Those are from "Ambush Gulch."
That's from "Outlaw
Stampede," and those
are from "The Legend of Steel."
Would you stop it?
Oh my gosh.
I don't believe it.
JOHNNY: What are you doing now?
LARRY: It's Lash's saddle.
He rode on it in
all of his movies.
Yeah, well now it's just
a big old hunk of silver.
You know, we ought to melt it
down and sell it for scrap.
Melt down Lash
Connors' saddle?
You can't do that.
I can do anything I want.
Who's going to stop me?
You?
Wait a minute.
[hooves clattering]
Do you hear something?
It sounds like a horse
at a full gallop.
Maybe someone
just left the TV on.
No, that ain't no TV.
That's-- that's a real horse,
and it's coming this way.
All right, grab the bags.
All right, the window's closed.
Who closed the window?
Not me, I never touched it.
Oh man, oh man,
what is happening?
I can't get it open.
Somebody's coming.
I don't believe it.
It's him.
Don't you boys know
that stealing is wrong?
If you two keep riding
down this trail,
pretty soon you're going to be
hightailing in it from a posse,
and end up kicking air
at the end of a rope.
Let's get out of here.
LARRY: Open it.
JOHNNY: I'm trying.
LARRY: Open it up.
JOHNNY: I'm trying.
Open it.
I'm trying.
[whooshing]
Where'd he go?
I don't know.
[neighing]
JONATHAN FRAKES: Johnny Pope
and Larry Rucker both changed
for the good that night.
They went on to lead
honest, productive lives,
and neither of them ever forgot
the words of a local hero--
Lash Connors.
Who was the cowboy
who confronted
Johnny and Larry that night?
Was it really Lash Connors?
Had he somehow
faked his own death,
or was it some
caretaker who lived
in the house who decided
to dress up like Lash
to teach the boys a lesson?
Was it really the
ghost of Lash Connors,
playing the hero one
last time for a couple
of misguided buckaroos?
What's your guess?
Did this story
really take place,
or are we just roping you in?
DON LAFONTAINE
(VOICEOVER): We'll
tell you whether this
story is true or false
at the end of our show.
Next, a young man
tries to capture
a ghost from his past on "Beyond
Belief: Fact or Fiction."
Those that are gone
need not be forgotten.
By keeping photos
or personal items,
their presence stays with
us in our daily lives.
Danny Truitt has vivid
memories of his father,
although he was a young
boy when his dad died.
But the photos and souvenirs
his dad left behind
have stayed with
Danny all of his life.
Right now, Danny's facing
a crisis of his own,
and he has no family
to help him out.
What Danny does have is a loyal
girlfriend, a strong spirit,
and a life that's about to
take a twist of fate and travel
to a place beyond belief.
KIM (VOICEOVER): Danny and I
have been going together all
through high school.
He had lost his father in the
Gulf War eight years earlier.
Then his mom got
sick and she died.
We'd both been accepted to Cal
Berkeley, but with both his mom
and dad gone, Danny was
putting college on hold.
I can't do it, Kim.
There's just no
way, even if I got
a part-time job
and financial aid,
it still wouldn't cover tuition.
Then I'm not going neither.
Oh, yes you are.
I'm not letting you wreck your
life because of my problems.
Well your problems
are my problems.
Look, I know how rough these
past few months have been.
I've gone through
them with you, and I
can't just run off to college
and leave you all alone.
You have to go, OK?
I'll get a good job and join
you in a year, I promise.
No you won't.
What kind of job are
you going to get?
You'll never make enough money.
KIM (VOICEOVER): I
sat there in silence,
trying to hold back my tears.
Kim, I love you.
No!
[tires squealing]
What are you doing?
What happened?
Why'd you punch on the brakes?
[honking]
It's my father.
You see that?
Are you OK?
DANNY: It was my father.
I'm sure it was him.
He looks just like I remember.
He's alive.
Danny, he can't be.
But it was him.
Maybe he's got amnesia or
something, I don't know.
There, he just went
into the surplus store.
You saw him, didn't you?
No, I didn't.
Come on.
Let's go.
Dad?
Dad?
It's me, Danny.
He's not here.
Kim, I didn't imagine it.
I saw him.
We have to keep looking.
Dad, where are you?
Dad?
Dad?
That soldier that just came
in here a few minutes ago,
where did he go?
No soldier came in here.
I would have seen him if he did.
But I saw him.
He was my father.
Maybe you weren't looking.
Hey, take it easy, kid.
Look around if you want,
but I'm telling you,
there ain't nobody else in here.
He's in here somewhere.
Dad?
Dad?
It's Danny.
Maybe we missed aisle.
We'll split up.
If you see anyone, just yell.
KIM (VOICEOVER):
I felt horrible.
I thought Danny was
actually flipping out--
all the stress of
losing his mom,
and he idolized his father.
DANNY: Dad?
Where are you?
Dad?
Dad?
Dad.
Kim?
Come here, quick.
KIM: Danny, where are you?
I'm right here.
Look at this.
Look at the name.
J. Truitt.
James Truitt.
It's my dad's.
Well, was he here?
Did you see him?
No.
I don't know what's
going on, but something
led me to this jacket.
It fits you.
What's that?
It's addressed to
my mom from my dad.
Open it.
It's dated June 8, 1990.
That's the day he was killed.
He never got to mail it.
KIM (VOICEOVER):
I couldn't believe
Danny found his father's
jacket and the letter.
Something was happening that
neither of us could explain.
I don't believe this.
What?
My dad wrote my
mom to tell her
that he took out a life
insurance policy on her
in my name.
Kim, it's worth $100,000.
KIM (VOICEOVER): The
insurance company told Danny
that his father had paid off the
entire premium on his mother's
policy prior to his death.
The company paid out
$100,000 plus interest.
Danny and I are now both
enrolled as first-year students
at Cal Berkeley.
Who was the man
Danny saw that day?
Was it just a soldier who
looked like his dead father?
If so, how do you explain
the fatigue jacket
with the insurance
policy inside?
Could Danny have
been hallucinating?
After all, he was the only one
who saw his father's image,
but then there's that
insurance policy.
Was this tale of the ghost
in the Army Navy store
based on an actual event?
Or are we just presenting
a surplus of lies?
ANNOUNCER: Next, you'll find out
which of our stories are fact
and which are fiction,
when "Beyond Belief: Fact
or Fiction" returns.
Now it's time to find
out which of our stories
tonight are inspired
by actual events
and which are total fiction.
Now let's take a look
back at the strange curse
of the devil's tattoo.
Was it fact or fiction?
Wes, please, please,
don't tattoo me.
Shut up.
Wes, pick up the needle.
What are you doing?
I'm not doing anything.
It's doing it on its own.
Oh my god, no.
Do think this one
actually happened?
If you did, we hooked you in.
It's a work of complete fiction.
What was your opinion
of the man who
was the victim of
his own uncaring
attitude about paper products?
You've got to
break this curse.
Only you have that power.
How?
Tell me how.
I'll do anything.
I already told you.
You must give me you word that
you'll stop killing trees.
I I can't, it's my work.
Then you must live
in your paper prison.
[screaming]
I can't take this anymore.
All right, all
right, I'll change.
Was this story too
far fetched to be true?
Our research shows
absolutely nothing.
This one never happened.
How did you judge
the bizarre story
of the wife who exacted
revenge on her husband
from her own coffin?
Did this one happen?
Hey Ballard, have you ever
seen one like this before?
DETECTIVE BALLARD: Never.
Why would anybody stick
a knife in a corpse?
Six times, and how did
she wind up on the floor?
Good question.
She didn't just jump
out of her coffin.
What about the guy by the door?
My guess, there was
probably poison that entered
through the wound on his hand.
We'll know more
after the autopsy.
According to our research,
reports of this story
actually exist.
A similar event took place
in Europe around the time
of the Great Depression.
What did you make of
the mysterious ghost
of the cowboy hero who
returned to set two
young men on the right path?
Fact or fancy?
All right, the
window's closed.
Who closed the window?
Not me, I never touched it.
Oh man, oh man,
what is happening?
I can't get it open.
Somebody's coming.
This story was actually
based on a similar event
that took place in
Hollywood during the 1950s.
What did you make of the
tale of the young man who
saw the image of his
late father going
into the war surplus store?
DANNY: Dad?
Where are you?
Dad?
Dad.
Dad.
The story of a young man
whose college education was paid
for by the unexplainable
appearance of a ghost is
inspired by an actual
event that happened
to a young man in the
Midwest in the early '90s.
So, were you able to accurately
label what was truth and what
was falsehood tonight?
Or did the two concepts
seem to blend into one?
When we hold them
up to the light,
fact and fiction seem to have
the same face, a face that fits
the description beyond belief.
I'm Jonathan Frakes.
DON LAFONTAINE
(VOICEOVER): The story
entitled "War
Surplus" is true based
upon firsthand
research conducted
by author Robert Tralins.
For "Beyond Belief:
Fact or Fiction,"
this is Don LaFontaine.
[theme music]