Father Dowling Mysteries (1989) s03e18 Episode Script

[PEOPLE CHATTERING]
[GRUNTING]
MAN [OVER PA]:
Attention, please.
The zoo will be
closing in ten minutes.
[CHIMPANZEE GIBBERING]
[CHIMPANZEE GIBBERING]
Diogenes?
Amos?
[CHILDREN CHATTERING]
STEVE: Okay,
you guys, listen up.
Everybody stick
together, all right?
If you have any questions,
you ask me or Father Dowling.
If you have to go to the
bathroom, ask Father Prestwick.
We're going to go see a friend
of mine. He's a chimpanzee.
His name is Diogenes.
Can you guys say Diogenes?
KIDS: Diogenes. STEVE: Yeah.
GIRL: That's a funny name.
STEVE: Yeah, it is a funny name.
You know, the real
Diogenes, he was a Greek guy.
He lived in Greece long ago. He spent
his whole life looking for an honest man.
Could be he's still looking.
Come on. Let's go say hi.
[CHILDREN CHATTERING]
FRANK: Aren't you coming, Phil?
Well, actually,
Father Dowling, uh,
I was thinking it would be best
if I went and stayed with the bus.
Phil.
You told me that the bishop wants
a report on parish youth activities.
This is a parish youth activity.
Yes, but I have allergies.
You're afraid of animals.
[PHILIP LAUGHS]
Frank. Really?
Afraid? Ha, ha, ha.
Well, to be perfectly honest,
I haven't felt safe in a zoo
since an elephant stole my
snow cone when I was 7 years old.
Father Prestwick, there
comes a time in every man's life
when he has to face up to his
childhood fears, or stay a child.
Your time is now.
You know, I have been coming
to this zoo ever since I was a kid.
Diogenes and I, we
practically grew up together.
For a while I thought
we were best friends.
[DIOGENES GIBBERING]
BOY: They're taking him away.
Wait here.
MAN: Excuse me, miss.
You can't go in there.
Frank? Frank, what's happening?
FRANK: I'll go find out.
Phil, you take the children
to go see the elephants, huh?
And don't worry. It's safe.
[DIOGENES GIBBERING]
[DIOGENES SHRIEKING]
FRANK: Steve, what is it?
Frank, they're taking him away.
FRANK: Clancy, what's going on?
McReynolds, stop this.
You're frightening the animal.
- I don't like it any more than you do.
- This has got to be a mistake.
Sorry, Doc. I got my orders.
STEVE: Don't worry,
Diogenes. It'll be okay.
Don't get near him,
Sister. Could be dangerous.
Dangerous? Diogenes?
- Emily, where are they taking him?
- To quarantine.
I told them he couldn't have
done it, but they won't listen.
- Couldn't have done what?
- They said he killed a zookeeper.
What?
I promise we won't let
anything happen to you, pal.
Right, Frank?
[DOOR OPENS]
[DOOR CLOSES]
FRANK: Excuse me.
Were you on duty last night?
Listen, I haven't been home
yet. I've been talking for hours.
Can we walk you out?
Yeah, okay, walk me out.
Okay, so I hear this racket.
And I get on the two-way,
I ask Amos what's up.
He don't answer.
So I ask him again.
Finally, he comes back.
He says, "I got this
chimp going crazy."
Then nothing.
That's all?
I figure Amos
knows his business.
He's been at the
zoo since it opened.
So an hour later, I'm
making my rounds.
I find him in the cage,
and he's dead.
Why would Amos have gotten into the
cage alone if Diogenes was acting up?
Amos loved these critters.
I guess he forgot
they were animals.
Was anybody else
in the zoo last night?
Just me, Amos and
the main-gate guard.
Could anybody
else have gotten in?
Gate guard would have seen them.
Unless
Unless what?
Unless he used the side gate.
BELLINO: This is where they
bring in supplies, but it's locked.
But if you had a key, you could
get in and not be seen, right?
If you had a key. A big "if."
Who locks this gate?
The guard on duty,
every night at closing time.
- Do you lock it from the inside?
- Sure.
So then why is the
padlock on the outside?
That don't make sense.
It makes sense if you go out this
gate and lock it from the other side.
Who else has a key to this
lock other than the guards?
Mr. Peck, Mr. Spaulding,
Artie McReynolds. That's it.
Father, do me a favor.
We didn't talk, okay?
This is none of my business.
The victim, Amos Wiley,
was an expert animal handler
working the midnight
to 8 a.m. shift.
Well, what exactly happened?
Clancy, this syringe is empty.
Wiley probably pushed the
plunger during the struggle.
There were paw prints on his
back. The chimp hit him from behind.
Wiley went down, hit
his head, end of story.
Diogenes is gentle, Clancy.
I've known him since I was a kid.
He wasn't gentle last night.
The security guard, Martin Bellino,
told me that Wiley called in around 5 a.m.
to report that
Diogenes was acting up.
Wendall Peck, Chairman
of the Zoo Commission.
Mr. Peck, this is
Sister Stephanie.
Sister. This is Leonard Spaulding,
the zoo's administrative director.
The zoo is not responsible
for what happened.
You'll have to take that up with
your insurance company, gentlemen.
Father Dowling, Sister.
If the zoo isn't
responsible, who is?
Amos Wiley was negligent.
He should never have tried to sedate
an out-of-control animal without help.
That's right. He took an unnecessary
risk when he entered that cage.
WENDALL: And
Diogenes killed him.
I don't believe that.
Diogenes is not vicious.
Chimps can turn mean.
LEONARD: Wendall,
when the press finds out we've been
exhibiting a killer chimp at the zoo,
we'll be sued by every parent
whoever took his kid here.
We'll have to have
the animal destroyed.
No, you can't do that.
I'll call a meeting
of the board.
You'll be authorized to put
Diogenes to sleep tomorrow morning.
Please, no. Please, no.
I'm sorry, Sister.
We have no choice.
[CRYING]
Father, Sister.
FRANK: Steve.
- We should call a lawyer.
Actually, we should maybe go
right to the newspapers, Frank.
You know, the television stations
are probably interested in this thing.
It's a matter of
justice, you know.
I'm telling you, no matter
what we do, we got to do it soon
because they're going to put
Diogenes to sleep tomorrow morning
and we cannot let that
happen. What, Frank?
Father Dowling, do you
have any calamine lotion?
MARIE: Ugh.
- Marie,
Father Prestwick has an allergy.
You've probably been
eating chocolate again.
You know that makes you
break out and itch. Come on.
No, Marie, it's the animals at the zoo.
I think I'm having an allergic reaction.
Frank, we got to prove that
Diogenes did not kill Amos Wiley.
How are we going to do that?
- You don't think he did it, do you?
- I do have some doubts.
I mean, the syringe that they
found in the cage was empty
and the padlock on the gate
was locked on the outside.
Right, so it's either Mr. Spaulding,
Mr. Peck or McReynolds,
because they're the only ones
who had keys to that lock, Frank.
- Even so
- Even so, what?
Steve, wild animals
are very unpredictable.
I'm sorry.
It's okay.
I understand, Frank. I'll
see you later, all right?
Hmm.
[DOOR OPENS]
What's the matter
with Sister Stephanie?
[DOOR CLOSES]
Nothing, Phil.
MAN [OVER PA]: Attention,
please. The zoo is now closing.
GUARD: Good night.
- We open tomorrow at 10 a.m.
Thank you for visiting
the Chicago City Zoo.
GUARD 1 [ON RADIO]:
Main gate secured.
GUARD 2: All right, copy.
Who's there?
I know someone's there.
It's me, Charlie.
[CHARLIE SIGHS]
MAN 3: Why so jumpy?
CHARLIE: Are you kidding?
After what's happened?
MAN 3: Don't mess with the
monkeys and you'll be okay. Heh, heh.
STEVE: Hi, Diogenes.
Hi, boy.
I'm going to get
you out of here, boy.
[DIOGENES GIBBERING]
Come on, we're going
to go. Come on. Come on.
I told you I wouldn't let
them hurt you, Diogenes.
Okay.
STEVE: That is
so great, Diogenes.
It's a little abstract,
but it's very great.
You've got all the
colors going there.
[GIBBERING]
You've got some
serious talent, my friend.
You're hungry, aren't you?
Yeah, I bet you are.
Okay.
There's a store down
the street that's open.
I'm going to go get
you some bananas.
How about that? Some bananas.
But you got to be really quiet
because nobody knows you're here.
Everybody's sleeping,
so, shh, be quiet.
No.
You have to stay here, okay?
Here, look.
Come over here. Look at this.
Look. You draw me
a picture, all right?
You draw me a picture, a nice
picture, but you be very quiet, okay?
Everybody's sleeping. I know,
I'll get you some bananas.
Shh, okay.
Shh, bye.
[DOOR CLOSES]
[GIBBERING]
[SIGHS]
Okay, Diogenes, I
got some bananas.
Diogenes?
STEVE: Diogenes, where are you?
[SCREAMS]
[GIBBERING]
Marie, I can explain.
Father Dowling! Father Dowling!
Marie, what is going on?
STEVE: Frank, I can
explain everything.
MARIE: It's a monkey!
- It's a chimpanzee, actually.
In my kitchen and
Father Dowling's rectory.
- It's just for a little while.
- He stole the eggs for Father's omelet.
- I'm going to call the police.
- No, you can't. They'll kill him.
Kill him? Why
would they kill him?
It's a very long story, Marie.
Father Dowling is going to take
care of everything, aren't you?
[GIBBERING]
[SIGHS]
Sister Stephanie,
we need to talk.
Alone.
I told you he'd take
care of everything.
Steve, before you say anything,
I just want you to know that
I understand what you did.
But still
[SIGHS]
Well, aren't you
going to say anything?
I don't have anything
to say, Frank.
Aren't you even going to
try and change my mind?
About what?
About the monkey, Steve.
About stealing the monkey.
- It's a chimpanzee, actually.
- Chimpanzee. It's still robbery.
I know, I know, but
what else could we do?
We could
"We"? What do you mean "we"?
You and I are in this
together, all right?
We take Diogenes back
and they're going to kill him.
Now, you know
that as well as I do.
So the way I look at this, Frank,
we don't have any other choice.
Do we, Frank?
I guess not.
[SIGHS]
But just for the moment.
You know, I told Diogenes you
were going to see things his way.
Thank you.
She told Diogenes.
[SIGHS]
Frank, look at the flamingoes.
Very nice, Steve, but
we've got work to do.
Assuming that Diogenes was not
responsible for Amos Wiley's death,
we have to find someone else
who had the motive, the means,
- and the opportunity.
- Somebody who worked at the zoo.
Somebody who had
a key to the side gate.
Somebody like him.
FRANK: Well, who's that?
STEVE: That's McReynolds, Frank.
He's the head animal handler.
I saw him here last night.
Steve, the man works here.
After midnight?
LEONARD: Just look harder.
Mr. Spaulding.
Father, I'm sorry, I can't talk right
now. We're having a small crisis.
Does this crisis have anything
to do with yesterday's crisis?
Deductive reasoning is
just one of my hobbies.
It's Diogenes.
He's gone. Someone
took him last night.
Any idea who?
My guess is it's one of those
radical animal activist groups.
Uh, what can you tell
us about Amos Wiley?
The truth?
Wiley was a troublemaker.
An old crank constantly writing
letters to the zoo commission,
threatening lawsuits.
We heard he tried
to have you replaced
because he didn't like how you
were handling the zoo budget.
If Wiley hadn't been in civil
service, I'd have fired him years ago.
So I guess you're not too broken
up over him being dead, huh?
Just what are you implying?
Nothing at all. Nice
seeing you again. Goodbye.
I don't get a good
feeling from him, Frank.
I'm sure he never guessed it.
[CHILDREN LAUGHING]
STEVE: Emily.
Oh, hi. Did you hear?
Diogenes is gone.
Somebody stole him.
- Don't worry about him.
- I wish I could be so sure of that.
No, no, really. He's going to be okay.
He's in good hands. Right, Father?
Wait a minute. Do you mean?
Don't jump to
conclusions, please.
We are going to find
out who framed him.
Is there anything
I can do to help?
Well, as a matter
of fact, there is.
Did Amos Wiley have any enemies?
STEVE: Anybody who
might want him dead?
Well, I hate to badmouth anybody,
but you might want to talk to his wife,
and I use the term advisedly.
She made him take out
this huge insurance policy,
knowing he had
a heart condition.
- How long have they been married?
- Six months. His first, her third.
And his last.
You know, this isn't
a bad neighborhood.
I wonder why Wiley has such
an elaborate security system.
Well, maybe he wasn't
trying to keep people out.
WOMAN [OVER INTERCOM]:
Just a minute. I'll let you in.
[GATE BUZZING]
[BIRD SQUAWKING]
Hi. Birds are over there.
Are you sure you
can't take the python?
I know he's around
here someplace.
If I hear one more bird call, they're
going to have to lock me in a cage,
and that's the truth.
So who are you?
Oh, I'm Father Dowling
and this is Sister Stephanie.
We're from St. Michael's Church.
St. Michael's Church.
Well, are you on the list?
Depends on what
kind of list you've got.
Wiley made a giveaway
list of everybody
who's supposed to get
some of his an animals.
I thought you were from
the Bird Brotherhood.
Let's see. Uh, St.
Michael's Church.
No. Sorry, you're not there.
Oh, but, hey, do you think
you could take a python?
They're great mousers.
If I could only
find the little devil.
Yesterday, I saw him
over here by the hedge.
Actually, uh, we came here to
talk to you about your husband.
Amos?
[GASPS]
Oh, Amos. Oh, poor Amos.
Did you two know him?
Not personally, no.
Hey, honey! You almost done?
Ah. Uh
Uh, Mr. McReynolds
worked with Amos at the zoo.
He's here helping
me in my time of grief.
Father Dooley and the girl here
were just asking about Amos.
Dooley?
What did you want to know?
Where were you the night
Amos Wiley was killed for starters?
What business of that is yours?
No, what business
of yours is she?
Never mind. I already know.
You husband got bumped off and it's
not some monkey collecting the insurance.
I've never hit a nun before in my life,
but there's a first time for everything.
- Just try it.
- Uh, Steve. Heh.
She's not herself.
Sister, we're leaving now.
I'm sure you two
have a lot to talk about.
Yeah, beat it.
[BIRDS SQUAWKING]
Will you birds shut up.
Ugh!
Sister Stephanie, I
am surprised at you.
How could you
lose control like that?
I just have a bad feeling
about them, Frank.
You said that about Spaulding.
I know. I'm sorry.
It's just I think about that poor
animal all alone, nobody to help him,
it just makes me so mad.
Well, I don't blame you,
but we're not gonna get anywhere
unless you behave more reasonably.
It won't happen again, Frank.
I was pretty tough
back there, wasn't I?
Sister, you could've
been a contender.
It could have been
any one of them, Frank.
I know, Steve, but we
haven't got a thing to go on.
Good evening, all. I don't know
if any of you caught the news,
but evidently that chimpanzee
escaped from the zoo.
[GASPS]
What is he doing here?
He's having dinner.
And I must admit, he has better table
manners than some I could mention.
Frank, that monkey's
wanted for murder.
Phil, a monkey is innocent
until he's proven guilty.
Is that true?
[PHONE RINGING]
I'll get it.
You realize you're
harboring a fugitive?
STEVE: We know, Phil.
Sister, this animal
may be very dangerous.
But he's not. He's
very harmless.
MARIE: Well, let's
hope you're right, Sister.
Oh, come on, Marie. You
know Diogenes is a sweetheart.
That's your opinion.
He even tried to help
you with the dishes.
You could learn a thing
or two from him, Phil.
Sister, you be serious, please.
He broke a few more
than even you have, Father.
That was very strange.
Somebody just called and gave me a
tip on what happened to Amos Wiley.
- Who, Frank?
- I don't know.
Just told me to be at the
zoo side gate in half an hour.
That sounds very strange to me.
FRANK: Well, not necessarily.
Sister, why don't you stay
here and I'll take Father.
STEVE: Really? Why, Marie?
I'd just rather not
be alone with him.
PHILIP: See? Marie agrees.
That animal is dangerous.
MARIE: Well, Sister Stephanie
knows how to handle him.
And I'd like a
breath of fresh air.
FRANK: Okay, thanks,
Marie. I appreciate the lift.
Now, Steve, don't you worry.
I'm going to be very careful.
Now, the desserts are in the
icebox. Wait for me, Father.
Listen, why don't you have
a seat, get to know Diogenes.
I'm gonna clean up in the
kitchen. I'll bring you dessert.
FRANK: Thanks, Marie.
I'll grab a cab home.
[THUD AND FRANK GRUNTS]
[GROANS]
[GRUNTS]
[SIGHS]
[GORILLA GRUNTING]
[GROWLING]
- You know how he got in there?
- No, sir. I'm sorry.
- Is he still inside?
STEVE: Look for yourself.
- Where's the key?
- There is no key.
Whoever pushed him in used
his own lock. They have to cut it off.
Please, not now.
Not now, please.
Back up, please.
FRANK: Steve,
haven't they cut
through that lock yet?
STEVE: They're working on it, Frank.
- You're in no danger, Father.
I know, but he's
got my favorite hat.
Could I have my hat back?
Thank you.
[GORILLA GRUNTING]
STEVE: Looking good, Frank.
I think he likes you.
CLANCY: The gate is
open, Frank. FRANK: Oh.
Nice knowing you.
[GORILLA GRUNTING]
REPORTER: Father
Dowling, sir! Father Dowling.
You know anything about
this case that I should know?
Like what?
Like what happened
to the chimpanzee.
Clancy, why would I
know anything about that?
Sergeant, I believe your
people are looking for you.
- We'll finish this
later. STEVE: Mm-hm.
[GRUNTING]
WENDALL: Quite a night, Father.
FRANK: It certainly
turned out that way.
WENDALL: Why would
anyone do this to you?
FRANK: My guess is someone didn't
want us poking around Wiley's murder
and wanted to
make us look foolish.
I'd say they did
an excellent job.
STEVE: Yeah, but
we're not giving up.
Sister, I understand that you're very
sympathetic to Diogenes, and so am I,
but he's a very dangerous
animal right now.
What makes you
so sure about that?
I respect animals, Sister.
I've collected and
studied them all my life.
In my own way I love them.
But I'd never make the mistake
that Amos Wiley made the
other night with Diogenes.
And what mistake was that?
Amos forgot he was
dealing with a wild animal.
I was in east
Africa 25 years ago
when we first started studying the
chimps in their natural environment.
Chimps aren't the sweet, little
clowns you see in the movies, Father.
They can be killers
and cannibals.
Not Diogenes.
Even a nice old chimp like Diogenes
can turn vicious given provocation.
Yeah? And where were you
when Wiley got bumped off, huh?
FRANK: Sister.
Why would you want to know?
Sister has taken a
personal interest in this case.
If I were you, Sister, I'd try not
to get so emotionally involved.
Aren't you people supposed
to have good manners?
Don't tell me. You have a
bad feeling about him too, huh?
How did you guess, Frank?
[DIOGENES GIBBERING]
[PHILIP SIGHS]
FRANK: Hi, Phil.
STEVE: How you holding up?
Well, if you ask me, the intelligence
of these animals is highly overrated.
But I am working very hard to
overcome my own apprehensions.
Well, that's all
anyone can ask, Phil.
Oh, I almost forgot. There's
a woman here to see you.
- Who? MRS. WILEY: Me.
Hiya, Father.
Hey, Sister, you got a minute?
I think I owe you an explanation.
[DIOGENES GIBBERING]
Hey, look, Sister, after you
left, I started feeling really bad.
I mean, you weren't
wrong about me,
but you weren't
exactly right either.
- Seat.
- Thank you.
So what are you saying?
So, okay, so I didn't marry Amos
because I was crazy about him.
I knew he had a heart condition
and a big insurance policy.
And you had a boyfriend, right?
Yeah, but that's
because Amos couldn't
No. Amos wasn't
What am I saying? You're a nun.
You're never gonna understand this.
I get the general idea.
Look, Sister, I
was good to Amos.
I cooked the food he
liked. I kept his house clean.
I fed all of his
silly little animals.
Heh. We even had
a couple of laughs.
So, what's your point?
Why are you here?
If somebody did do him in, then
they shouldn't get away with it.
So, here, I found these letters.
Amos was always writing
letters to somebody official,
complaining about something.
Heh, my Amos thought the
whole world was up to no good.
Maybe he was right.
- Mrs. Wiley.
- Hm?
Thank you.
You're welcome.
You know, Sister, I
could never kill nobody.
Heh, I even found a
home for the snake.
I'll just see myself out here.
Bye.
Yes.
What was that all about?
Looks like Mrs. Wiley has a
conscience after all, Frank.
And we have work to do.
Amos Wiley must have been a very
angry man, judging from these letters.
Here's one where
he accuses Spaulding
of stealing money from
the animal care budget.
And here's one where he claims
that Wendall Peck and the board
were trying to sell zoo
animals for lab experiments.
Well, that could be true, Frank.
Steve, the lab he was
talking about is in Paraguay.
[STEVE SIGHS]
Amos Wiley sounds
like a crackpot.
Maybe he was a crackpot, but
he must've been on to something.
Hello. Take a look at
this. "T210S12N334."
That sounds like a code.
Maybe, but I can't make
heads or tails out of it.
[DIOGENES GIBBERING]
STEVE: Hey, Diogenes.
Phil, we got to get that
paper out of his mouth.
- Here, Diogenes.
FRANK: Diogenes, tsk, tsk!
PHILIP: Diogenes.
FRANK: Diogenes.
PHILIP: Diogenes, come
here. MARIE: Here, here! Now!
That's enough of that.
You get down off of my dining room
table if you want any dinner, mister.
- Is that yours, Father?
- Thanks, Marie.
You want a piece of pie?
[GIBBERING]
Oh, Hall of Record numbers.
What do you mean?
I was there all day yesterday updating
the diocesan real estate records. Heh.
Real estate records.
Let me borrow this
pencil. Steve, look.
If you don't read these
numbers in a straight line,
but if you break them down,
it's a real estate
property location.
See? "T" is for
"tract." Tract 210.
"S" is for "south." "12" and
"N" is for north 334, right?
Yes, but what does it mean?
It means, Phil, that we may finally
know why Amos Wiley was killed.
[DOORBELL RINGS]
I'll get it.
Frank, are you suggesting
that this man Wiley
was killed because of
something to do with real estate?
Phil, Amos Wiley was an old
man who cried wolf so many times
that no one believed
his accusations.
But what if this time, this one
time, there really was a wolf?
Frank, why does everything about
this case have to be about animals?
STEVE: Frank.
What is it, Clancy?
One of the guards spotted a station
wagon outside the zoo the other night.
They got us a partial
license plate number.
I finally had a chance to run it through
the Department of Motor Vehicles
and it matches the
parish station wagon.
Clancy, there's more
to this than you think.
The zoo director will not press charges
if you return the chimp right now, Frank.
Clancy, they're gonna kill him.
Where's the monkey, Frank?
Clancy.
[DIOGENES GIBBERING]
Clancy, please don't do
this! Please don't do this!
I'm sorry, Steve. Let's go.
[CRYING]
FRANK: It's tract 210.
Got it. What's the
north boundary, Frank?
Uh, 334.
Frank, look at this.
Tract 210 is the 100 acres
right next door to the zoo.
Steve, we may not know
who killed Amos Wiley,
but we certainly know why.
I resent your implication, Sister.
That land purchase was perfectly legal.
You think it's legal
to cheat the public?
Mr. Spaulding, what Sister
Stephanie means to say
is that no one is denying the
zoo's right to buy land for expansion.
I hope not. I fought
for that expansion.
Yes, we know. We read the
transcript of the public hearing.
The zoo board was dead
set against that expansion
until you convinced them that
the zoo needed room to grow.
- So? STEVE: So
FRANK: I wonder how
the board might have voted
had they known the land
you wanted the zoo to buy
had been purchased just two
weeks before by Mark Christopher,
a real estate developer with
connections in Las Vegas.
Christopher made a pretty fast buck
selling you land that he just bought.
Get to the point.
Mark Christopher knew that
that particular parcel of land
would increase
in value overnight.
STEVE: Now how did he
know that, Mr. Spaulding?
Speculation. Luck.
Or maybe he was tipped off.
Maybe that's what
Amos Wiley found out.
And maybe that's why
Amos Wiley was killed.
Diogenes killed
Amos Wiley, Father.
[FRANK SIGHS]
The zoo board
meets in ten minutes
to vote the authorization
necessary for the chimp's destruction.
And once that is done, we
will be rid of him, and you.
Frank, we've got to stop them.
Well, we now have a
motive for Wiley's murder,
but what we need to find out is how
Diogenes was framed for it. Come on.
There's Dr. Stone, Frank.
Good. Maybe she can help us.
I hope so.
Emily, where's Diogenes?
McReynolds has him
locked up in the infirmary.
Dr. Stone,
we think Amos Wiley was already
dead when he was put in Diogenes' cage.
I don't understand.
Bellino, the security guard, said
he talked to Amos by walkie-talkie.
Well, he talked to somebody,
but who's to say it was Amos?
At that point, Amos
Wiley was dead
and the killer put him inside
Diogenes' cage with an empty syringe
to make it look like Diogenes attacked
when Wiley was trying to sedate him.
But there's one thing
we don't understand.
Diogenes is so gentle, you know?
We can't understand how he
got his paw prints on Wiley's back.
Well, somebody had to
command him to jump on the body.
Someone he trusted.
No, no. It's more to
it than that, Father.
It had to be someone that he
bonded to like a mother or father, right?
Yeah, somebody like me.
Who else would
Diogenes have bonded to?
LEONARD: Now, like
all of you, I love animals.
Having to ask your permission
to put this chimpanzee to sleep
is the most difficult
action I've had to take
in my six years as
administrative director.
I'm sure it's the most painful decision
you've ever faced as board members.
But
I don't see that we
have any choice.
For the good of the zoo,
Diogenes must be destroyed.
Thank you, Mr. Spaulding.
This isn't easy for any of us.
I suggest we have
a show of hands.
Those in favor of the administrative
director's recommendation?
Those against?
You have your
authorization, Mr. Spaulding.
I'll sign the order. May I
have your pen, please?
[DOOR OPENS]
What's going on here?
[DIOGENES GIBBERING]
How did that chimp get loose?
I'm afraid that was our doing.
Father, this time
I'm pressing charges.
You can't kill Diogenes. He's
innocent. He didn't hurt anybody.
Get him down. Get him down.
He won't come to me, sir.
That's because he
doesn't trust you.
But there is one man
here he does trust.
The man who put Amos Wiley's
dead body in Diogenes' cage
and then commanded
Diogenes to jump on his back.
The man Diogenes bonded
to like a child to a father.
The man who brought Diogenes
back from East Africa 25 years ago
and donated him
to the Chicago Zoo.
Diogenes, go to Daddy.
[GIBBERING]
We know about the
real estate manipulations.
We read copies of
Amos Wiley's letters.
We knew why he was
killed. Now we know how.
I wouldn't discuss any of this
without your attorney here, Wendall.
WENDALL: Oh.
Well, why not?
There are friends and
then there are friends.
It was a friend,
Mark Christopher,
who offered to lend me all the
money I needed to pay my debts
and who said he knew all about how
to make profitable real estate deals.
I learned
there are friends
like this one here.
FRANK: The only
friend you really trusted.
And the only one
who trusted you.
Enough to do exactly
what you wanted him to do.
There's a big difference between
human beings and animals, Mr. Peck.
An animal doesn't
betray a trust.
The ability to betray is
an all too human quality.
You killed Amos Wiley.
But you would let
Diogenes die for it.
Dio.
Dio
I'm sorry.
[SIGHS]
[PHILIP GRUNTING]
Frank, my allergies
are acting up.
What about those pills we got for
you from Dr. Dean? Aren't they helping?
I don't know. I think
maybe I'm allergic to them.
Come on, Phil.
Isn't it worth a couple of extra itches
to see Diogenes back home in the zoo?
I suppose so.
[SIGHS]
Did I ever tell you that
when I was 7 years old
An elephant ate your snow cone.
Yes, you did mention that, Phil.
Well, that coupled with my allergies,
you can understand my state of mind.
Yes, but I think that Diogenes is
going to be happy to see you, anyway.
Think so, Sister?
Yeah, absolutely. He
loves you. I can tell.
- Really?
- Yeah.
How?
Well, didn't he let you
beat him at tic-tac-toe?
Well, I was just trying
to keep him amused.
- Naturally.
- Naturally.
Frank, look.
Shouldn't be surprised, Steve.
- We should have
known. STEVE: Heh, heh.
Marie?
- Marie, what are you
doing here? MARIE: Oh.
I just wanted to be sure he's
back behind bars where he belongs.
Of course, Marie.
MARIE: He's all right, isn't
he? I mean, he likes it here.
Yeah, he's happy
to be back, Marie.
That's what I figured, so I just
came by to see it for myself.
You know.
But I'm sure he's going
to miss your hospitality.
You think so?
Oh, sure, Marie. I mean, after
all, he's only human. Heh, heh, heh.