Father Dowling Mysteries (1989) s03e17 Episode Script

[INAUDIBLE DIALOGUE]
[SCREAMS]
- Phil, I was wondering
if you BOTH: Shh.
- Oh. I'm sorry, Father Dowling.
MAN [ON TV]: Ha-ha-ha!
Marie, please.
You see, I get all caught
up in these scary old movies,
and I haven't seen this one
now since I was a little girl,
and my brothers hid in the
balcony behind the seats there
in the old B and K Theater,
there on 76th and Cicero.
And just when this
mummy came to life,
they jumped up and scared
me half to death. Ha, ha! Oh
ANNOUNCER: Channel
Three's mummy marathon
will continue in a moment.
- Father Prestwick
- Well, you know, Frank,
my family wouldn't let me see
movies like this when I was a boy.
- Oh?
- Yeah. My mother was afraid
I'd have bad dreams.
Of course, I had a
very vivid imagination.
In fact, I remember one Halloween,
there was a jack-o'-lantern
Excuse me, Father Frank,
but the car's all warmed up.
FRANK: Be right with you, Steve.
Phil, a friend of mine,
Dr. Thomas Douglas,
he's given us an invitation
to the patron's preview
of the new Egyptian exhibit at the
museum. You wanna come along?
- The museum?
- Yeah.
- Where the real mummies are, Phil.
- I think I'll stay and watch the movie.
It's an absolutely fascinating
movie, Frank, just fascinating.
How about you, Steve?
Did the mummies scare you
when you were a little girl, hm?
Where I grew up, most guys
figured if you can't outrun a mummy,
you deserve to die.
[FRANK CHUCKLES]
[MAN LAUGHING ON TV]
For heaven's sakes, what is it?
He went for a little
walk. Ha-ha-ha.
You should have seen
his face. Ha-ha-ha!
Marie, let's say we
have some popcorn.
No, I can't leave now.
[MAN LAUGHING ON TV]
[CHATTERING]
Looks pretty real.
It is real.
According to what Tom
Douglas told me a few weeks ago,
this is the actual burial
chamber of Pharaoh Imhotep.
How'd they manage that, Frank?
Well, the entire tomb
was sold by Egypt
to a museum in
London in the late 1930s.
Then the museum
sold it to us last year
and we reassembled
it, stone by stone,
exactly as it was in the
ancient city of Thebes,
even to the counterweighted
walls and the hidden antechamber.
Hello, Father, I'm
glad you could come.
- Tom Douglas, Sister Stephanie.
- Hi.
Sister.
Tom is the curator of
antiquities here at the museum.
Was.
The museum administrator
just persuaded the board
to put me on suspension.
They call it a
sabbatical for my health.
Well, you do
look a little tired.
I was up all night working
on a new translation.
Father, can I come
to the rectory later on?
I need your advice.
And what's wrong?
I'm not sure.
I don't know. Perhaps nothing.
- We'll talk?
- Of course we will.
Mm.
What was that all about, Frank?
I don't know.
Mr. Brubaker?
This tomb is part of
our cultural heritage.
It belongs in Egypt.
You have no right to
turn it into a circus display.
The tomb of Imhotep
is the legal property of
the Chicago Museum.
Well, my government
does not agree with you.
And we intend to pursue this
in front of the highest authorities.
- Carson, Wolfe, show Mr. Bey out.
- He was just leaving.
- Weren't you, pal?
- Excuse me.
Mr. Brubaker
and you, all of you,
may I remind you of
the curse which states:
"He who defiles
the tomb of Imhotep,
a cruel and violent
death shall be his fate."
[WHISPERS] Wolfe,
Carson, get him out of here.
Just leave me
alone. I'm leaving.
[IN NORMAL VOICE]
I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
Give me that old-time religion.
Sister Stephanie.
This place gives me the creeps.
Get a life.
February 18th, 10:13 p.m.
I don't care what Brubaker
and Helen Austin say.
I am convinced the
papyrus of Seth holds the key
to the secret of the
pharaoh's shrine.
"Take then the symbol of Seth.
Find its perch beyond the
pharaoh's sleeping brow,
yet be not false lest thou too
cross beyond to
the land of the dead."
The symbol of Seth.
The ibis bird.
Seth could take
the form of an ibis.
Find its perch beyond the
pharaoh's sleeping brow.
[RUMBLING]
[INHALES SHARPLY]
[RUMBLING]
You have read the curse.
You dare defy it.
In the interest of science,
even if I believed in the curse, I
go on with my work for the museum.
- I wonder where
Tom is. ALL: Shh.
MAN 1: And we'll examine
this great find together.
MAN 2: I cannot commit an act
- Which one is this?
The Mummy's Crypt, Frank.
Wasn't that the
crypt in the last one?
No, that was his tomb.
You know, like a pyramid.
- Thank you, Marie.
ANNOUNCER: Mummy marathon.
Tom should be here by now.
What'd he wanna
see you about, Frank?
- I don't know.
- Maybe it had something to do with
that curse that the
Egyptian guy mentioned.
Curse? What curse?
Oh, that man Bey said
that there's a death curse
- on Imhotep's tomb.
- Really?
There's a death curse on the
princess's tomb in this movie as well.
You know, the Egyptians took
that stuff very seriously, Frank.
MARIE: Personally,
I think it's ridiculous.
What part, Marie,
the curse or the crypt?
The whole business. You
know, death curse. Heh.
What person in his right mind
would be worried about that?
There are more things
in heaven and earth.
[PANTING]
- Father, help me. FRANK: Tom.
Wrong Wrong ibis.
What?
STEVE: I'm gonna call 911.
[DIALING]
Steve, he's dead.
Oh, Father Dowling, that poor
man. Did he have a heart attack?
Coroner's official verdict,
death by misadventure.
Yeah, but the medical examiner
said that he was bitten or stung
by some kind of a scorpion
or a spider or something.
He had a fatal reaction.
Oh, my God, a scorpion?
She came by while
you were at the inquest.
I told her I had no idea when you were
gonna be back. She insisted on staying.
Father, I'm Helen Austin.
How do you do? Uh,
this is Sister Stephanie.
- Hi.
- How do you do?
I'm a consultant
with the museum.
Dr. Douglas and
I worked together.
Was he a good friend?
Not a good friend.
We used to play chess.
Well, I don't understand.
Why did he come here?
I mean, you said he was
stung. Why did he come to you?
Why didn't he go to a hospital?
I've been asking
myself that question.
Tom told me that the museum
board put him on forced sabbatical.
Yes, that's true.
- How come?
- It was Kenneth Brubaker's idea.
Mr. Brubaker is head of
administration for the museum.
You see, Dr. Douglas
had been working so hard
getting the exhibit ready,
he'd become obsessed.
About what?
Thomas was convinced that there
was a secret compartment in the shrine.
Now, my findings
were inconclusive.
I'm a technician. I
provide the raw data
and other people
make the interpretations,
like Dr. Douglas.
Did he say anything?
Nothing that made sense.
Miss Austin, if you
don't mind my asking,
why are you here?
[KNOCK ON DOOR]
I'll get it.
- Hello.
- Um, I'm looking for Father Dowling.
Helen?
AUSTIN: I was just leaving.
Thank you so much for
your time, Father. Kenneth.
I'm Father Dowling. You
must be Mr. Brubaker.
- Yes.
- This is Sis
Professor Austin,
what did she want?
You're gonna have
to ask her yourself.
Um, I missed the inquest,
but I understand that Dr. Douglas
was with you when he died.
- Yes, he was.
- Did he, um? Did he say anything?
Did he, uh, have
anything with him?
Um, papers, notes?
Excuse me.
Mr. Brubaker, I'm just
a simple parish priest,
so I hope you'll forgive me
for asking an obvious question.
Why are you here?
Just curious.
Um, I have an appointment.
Thank you, Father
Dowling. Thank you.
Frank, why didn't you tell
Brubaker about this thing?
Douglas had it with
him when he died.
Helen Austin and Brubaker
seem less interested in Tom's death
than what Tom
might have told me.
And maybe the reason
is in this package.
So Douglas was bitten by
some kind of a bug, right?
- Mm.
- Mm.
- What else could it have been?
- What else could it have been, right?
Frank, how do you feel
about ancient curses?
Oh, Steve, for heaven's sake.
STEVE: Oh, boy.
- Hm.
- Wow.
Steve, what do you
think this is made of?
Well, it looks like gold, Frank.
Yeah, it does, doesn't it?
[DOORBELL RINGS]
Hm. My turn.
Oh, my apologies
for the disturbance.
- I am Amnon Bey. Father Dowling?
- Yes.
I understand you were the
last to speak with Dr. Douglas
- before his unfortunate collapse.
- Yes, he came
This statuette, where did
you get it? From Dr. Douglas?
- Yes, it was
- Please.
Father Dowling, this statuette is
a culture treasure of my country,
stolen from its people.
- I demand its immediate return.
- Excuse me, sir,
- you can't just come barging in here
- No, no, no, Steve. Steve, it's all right.
Mr. Bey, how do you know that this
statuette is a treasure of your people?
I am the assistant minister of
culture at the Egyptian Consulate.
It is my business to
know these things.
Then you better take it.
- Wait. Frank
- No, no, it's all right, Steve.
I'm sure Mr. Bey
knows what he's doing.
You have shown a great
wisdom, sir, great wisdom.
- Good day, Sister. FRANK: Mm.
Frank, how could you let that guy
walk out of here with the priceless statue?
What did I miss?
I'll tell you in the car.
PHILIP: Father Dowling?
Good, you're here.
I've been doing a little research
on Egyptian death curses,
- and what I found out is fascinating.
- Oh, heh, good.
PHILIP: Where are you going?
Oh, I don't know, Phil.
That's up to Mr. Amnon Bey.
Amnon Bey?
[SIGHS]
Uh-huh.
The bird is a fake?
Counterfeit.
Oh, the bird looks like gold,
but it weighs about one-third less
than what a gold statuette
of that size would weigh.
That's what Tom was trying
to tell me before he died.
Dr. Douglas said something
about the wrong ibis.
But this guy, Amnon Bey, he
says it's an authentic treasure.
Exactly. Come on.
[EGYPTIAN MUSIC
PLAYING OVER SPEAKERS]
Frank, I don't get it. Why
would Bey lie about the bird?
Well, maybe Mr. Bey
isn't all he claims to be.
[BOTH SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY]
[WHISPERS] That's Brubaker,
Frank. That's the museum administrator.
What are they doing together?
I shall expect your
decision by 6:00.
I'll be here.
[IN NORMAL VOICE] Who
do we follow, Bey or Brubaker?
Brubaker.
BRUBAKER: This is Brubaker.
I may have a problem
with tonight's delivery.
No, no, no, I'm not going
back on our arrangement.
It's, uh, something else.
It's, um, an outside problem.
I think, um, this is something
that Sullivan should handle.
Excellent.
Another bird, Frank?
What's going on here?
[FRANK SIGHS]
I don't know.
AUSTIN: Carson!
[SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY]
[FRANK SIGHS]
She certainly seems
upset about something.
Maybe somebody
took her parking spot.
Steve, Helen Austin,
Brubaker and Amnon Bey
seem to be very much interested in
what Tom Douglas might have told me
- or given me before he collapsed.
- Mm.
Uh-uh. No, I don't think she's
upset about a parking space.
Want me to see
what I can find out?
- I'll go after Brubaker.
- Okay.
Hm.
One entrance.
Brubaker came in,
but he didn't go out.
That's a good trick.
Mm
Hm.
Tom said that they reconstructed
the pharaoh's tomb stone by stone,
even the counterweight walls.
Oh, wonderful.
Hm.
[RUMBLING]
Oh, no.
Sister Stephanie!
Carson.
I took care of that problem
for you, Professor Austin.
Next time somebody parks in
your space, I'll have them towed.
Good.
Steve!
Sister Stephanie!
Steve!
[SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY]
[WHISPERS] Frank?
[IN NORMAL VOICE] Frank?
FRANK: Steve?
Frank, where are you?
FRANK: I'm here behind the wall.
STEVE: Well, how'd
you get in there?
Never mind. Just
press the scarab.
- The what?
- The scarab with the bird.
The bird?
The scarab with the
bird with the snake.
This doesn't look like a
snake. It looks more like an eye.
No, no, no, on the other side,
the scarab with the
bird with the snake.
And hurry.
Hold on.
- Steve?
- I'm in here, Frank.
Oh, Lord.
- You all right?
- Yeah, I'm fine. Are you?
- Uh-huh.
- What is that?
That is a trap
for grave robbers.
Tom wasn't kidding when he
said they reconstructed this tomb
right down to the last detail.
This is what's meant by
taking a turn for the worst.
Here, come here.
Is that the real one, Frank?
I think so.
Why did Brubaker have
it in his filing cabinet?
I'm not sure.
It's almost a quarter to 6.
Brubaker is meeting Bey at the
Damascus Restaurant at 6:00.
- You feel hungry, Frank?
- Like a bird.
[EGYPTIAN MUSIC
PLAYING OVER SPEAKERS]
[CHATTERING]
Oh, Steve, this is impossible.
We're never gonna find out
what Bey and Brubaker are
talking about from over here.
And we can't get any
closer without being seen.
I'm working on it, Frank.
Hello, my name is Omar, and
I'm your waiter for this evening.
Have you taken the
road to Damascus before?
Uh, not recently, no.
- I'll be right back. Excuse me, Omar.
- Steve?
Ste
We have several kinds of feasts
for your enjoyment this evening.
We have feast number one,
which is our vegetarian feast.
And this is a six-course feast,
which features a pastry
filled with almonds and nuts,
goat cheese and hummus,
which is a delicacy made
of ground garbanzo beans.
And many people who do
not like meat eat this feast
and they like it very much.
Our second feast
is a lamb feast.
It is an eight-course feast.
And it is started with a spicy soup
- that we like to call
- I'll take that one.
Oh, this is an excellent decision.
Dinner number two for two.
[CROWD APPLAUDING]
[EGYPTIAN MUSIC
PLAYING OVER SPEAKERS]
I will wash your hands.
- What?
- An Arabic custom, please.
[WHISPERING] Hey, Frank.
It's me. It's me.
Oh, I'm so sorry.
Oh, it is nothing. I
have many shoes.
You realize I have partners.
Now you have a new partner.
I'm your new partner.
BRUBAKER: Yes, and my old partners
won't like having to share their profits.
Mr. Brubaker, they
have no choice.
If you refuse to allow me
participation, I will expose everything.
Will you please just
go away? Please?
STEVE [IN ARABIC
ACCENT]: A thousand pardons.
Remember, I still have the bird.
All right, you bring the bird
to the museum tonight at 9.
I'll make certain you're
cut in for a fair share.
You are most wise.
Most wise. Tonight, then.
I suggest lessons.
STEVE [IN NORMAL VOICE]: Frank.
Whatever they're up to is
happening tonight at the museum.
We better call Clancy, but I
think you better change first.
This is for the parish
orphanage fund.
Sir, your feast.
Could I get that to go?
Father, Sister, you're
all wrong about this.
Sergeant, the way Brubaker and
that guy Amnon Bey were talking,
they're into something
illegal up to their ears.
Look, Clancy, I'm sure that
if you check into this Bey,
you'll find out he's not even
connected with the Egyptian Consulate.
As a matter of fact,
Frank, I did check Bey out
- right after you phoned me.
- Well?
The Egyptian Consulate
lists Amnon Bey
as their assistant
minister of culture.
He's legit.
You struck out on this one,
Frank. Better luck next time.
- But Clancy
- Get some sleep, Frank.
Good night, Sister.
Bey is supposed to
meet Brubaker at 9:00.
That's 20 minutes.
Frank, I've been listening to
Dr. Douglas' notes on this recorder.
- I have to hurry.
- Twenty minutes to the museum,
- but I know shortcuts.
PHILIP: The museum.
Frank, that's what I wanna talk about.
I think Dr. Douglas found a secret.
Been listening to his notes.
Haven't figured it all out,
but that bird is the key.
Yes, we know all
about it, Phil. Gotta go.
But, Frank, the bird
[SIGHS]
Where did Father Dowling
go? I just fixed his tea.
Oh, great, Marie,
I could use a cup.
Marie, why doesn't
anybody ever listen to me?
Why do I always feel
like I'm talking to myself?
Maybe it's because you're
the only one you ever listen to.
Sorry, did you just
say something?
STEVE: Somebody
forgot to lock the door.
FRANK: Probably the same
somebody who turned off the alarms.
[THUD]
Well, did you
bring the statuette?
Yes, I have it right here.
Has anybody else seen this?
No one that would
know that it's fake.
Well, that's a relief.
Mr. Sullivan, would you
care to join us, please?
Who's this?
Mr. Sullivan works
for my partners.
I told you they would not
want to share their profits.
Get rid of him, but not in here.
[SNEEZES]
Whoever you are, you
might as well come out.
Father Dowling.
Sister Stephanie.
I don't understand.
I do.
You've been replacing the museum's
priceless artifacts with reproductions
and then selling the originals
to black market collectors.
Amnon Bey found out
and tried to cut himself in.
So you and your
partners decided to kill him.
Him and you too now, I'm afraid.
Mr. Sullivan.
FRANK: Wait.
You think we'd come
here without the police?
Yes.
Actually, as a
matter of fact, I do.
Nice try, Frank.
Sorry, Steve.
Mr. Sullivan.
CLANCY: Drop it!
OFFICER: Freeze!
Hold it right there.
You may not have come with
the police, Father, but I did.
Father, Sister, meet Amnon Bey,
Antiquities Fraud
Division, Cairo Police.
[BOTH SIGH]
Father Dowling?
Sister Stephanie?
Hello?
Frank, where are you? Heh.
Hello?
Is anyone there?
Frank?
The bird.
[RUMBLING]
AUSTIN: May I help you?
How did you?
Where did you?
Is Father Dowling here?
He left.
Oh.
I wanted to tell him I know
what Dr. Douglas was looking for
here in the shrine.
- Really?
- Yes. It's all right here in his notes.
There's a secret compartment and
Dr. Douglas figured out how to open it.
- I think I'll wait and tell Frank.
- Tell me.
How do you open
the shrine, Father?
Well, heh, it's
really so simple.
- Who are you?
- Well, that doesn't really matter.
How do I open
the shrine, Father?
Tell me.
I think I'm gonna wait
for Father Dowling.
If you don't mind, I think I
ought to just wait for him.
Wolfe, Carson.
- I beg your pardon?
AUSTIN: Stop him.
What?
[GRUNTS]
I didn't say to hit
him, I said to stop him.
Never mind. Now, he said the
solution was in Dr. Douglas' notes.
Well, do something with him.
I don't want him found
until we're long gone.
Now, you two sit down,
I'll fix you a nice snack.
I know you didn't
have any dinner.
So that man Amnon Bey turned out
to be an Egyptian police officer, huh?
Mm. Collaborating with
the FBI and U.S. Customs,
exposing Brubaker's
fake antiquities racket.
Sergeant Clancy was in on it.
I just wish that Clancy had
told us what they planned.
That Sullivan, he
was gonna kill us.
I never wanna go through
a moment like that again.
I'm just glad that it's over
and that we've heard the
last of the mummy's curse.
What did Father Prestwick
have to say about all this?
- Father Prestwick?
- Yeah, he went to the museum
to meet you about
half an hour ago.
FRANK: Why?
He said something
about Dr. Douglas' notes.
Frank, do you remember when
I followed Professor Austin?
She was in her office, she
was shredding some paper,
you know, like, she was
trying to get rid of it in a hurry.
Does that look familiar to you?
Here we go.
Now, this is the graph paper that
was wrapped around the fake statuette
and this is the graph paper that
you got from Helen Austin's office.
The same kind of paper.
Well, what's the connection?
[FRANK SIGHS]
I don't know.
Hello.
Look, according to these notes,
both of these graphs
represent a technical test
performed on the pharaoh's
shrine by Helen Austin.
STEVE: The date and time
are the same on both of them.
Yes, but both of these
graphs are entirely different.
I don't get it.
Why would Helen
Austin prepare two graphs
representing different
results for the same test?
Wasn't there a microcassette
and some kind of scroll
- in this package?
- Yeah.
Father Prestwick had them.
Phil said that he was
listening to Tom Douglas' notes.
On the recorder.
Yes.
He said that Tom discovered
some kind of a secret at the museum
and that the bird
was the key to it.
But you thought he was talking
about Brubaker's fake antiquities.
Yes, well, I was wrong. Come on.
CLANCY: Oh, if my captain hears
I took this fake bird
out of the evidence room
without going through proper
channels, you may need another contact
- at the department, Frank.
- Clancy, I promise you
that that statuette is the key
to a 3,000-year-old mystery.
Hey, you two,
hold it right there!
We didn't do it. You
can't prove anything.
- Shut up.
- Where's Helen Austin?
Where's Father Prestwick?
We don't say a word
until we see a lawyer.
- Not a word.
- Shut up.
Suit yourself. Cuff them
and read them their rights.
Let's take a look around.
[HANDCUFFS CLICKING]
OFFICER: Let's go.
Nobody in there.
Nobody anywhere, Frank.
Austin must have taken off.
Well, what about
Father Prestwick?
Maybe Marie misunderstood.
He probably went home.
It's not a bad idea.
I've got two suspects to book.
You go ahead, Clancy.
I want a last look around
as long as nobody's here.
Do what you want. This
place gives me the creeps.
Tom Douglas was looking
for a secret compartment
that was here in the shrine.
Mm-hm. And Phil said
that the bird was the key.
But which one?
There are two ibis statuettes.
One real, one fake.
The real one would open
the secret compartment
that Tom was looking for.
But the fake one sets off a booby trap,
and that's how Dr. Douglas got killed.
Steve, Dr. Douglas was
not stung by an insect.
You might say that he was
stricken by a mummy's curse.
Wouldn't you agree to
that, Professor Austin?
I don't go in much
for melodrama.
I'll take that bird, thank you.
Which bird?
Which bird, professor, the
real one or the fake one?
Don't play games.
Give me that statuette.
- This one?
- Yes, that one. Give it to me.
You knew there was a secret
compartment in that shrine, didn't you?
Don't move, Father. Sister.
You faked your test results
to hide the fact that
you knew the truth.
Stop right there.
What was in that secret
compartment, professor?
- I'm warning you.
- Was it gold?
- Don't make me shoot.
- Precious jewels?
- Give me the bird!
- Catch.
AUSTIN: Ugh. No. Stop!
Steve, that wasn't
the real bird, was it?
[SIGHS]
[RUMBLING]
We'll need a statement
from you two downtown.
We'll be right there, Clancy.
Well, I guess I should give Father
Prestwick a call when I get home.
It's too bad he missed
this. He would have loved it.
FRANK: Mm.
Three thousand-year-old tomb.
Ooh.
Hidden treasure
in a secret shrine.
A mummy walks
to take his revenge
on those who
dared defy his curse.
Pretty scary stuff, huh?
Mm.
Sister Stephanie, there is no
curse, and mummies don't walk.
- You sure, Frank?
- Absolutely.
Come on, let's go.
PHILIP: Father Dowling?