The Streets of San Francisco (1972) s02e06 Episode Script
The Stamp of Death
Excuse me.
Yes, who is it? Glen.
But why the library? Excuse me, business.
What are you doing here? Looks like you buy another round, buddy boy.
No more.
I give up.
- One more line.
Give me a chance.
- It's midnight already.
- What's the matter, you got a date? - I wanna go to bed.
What do you do all day but sit around on your slats.
- Come on.
Loosen those kinks.
- I'm loose.
I'm loose.
Lieutenant Stone.
Telephone.
- One more line, we'll call it quits.
- Sure, one more line.
Yeah, Stone.
- When? - Now.
All right, we'll be right over.
Game's over.
You owe me two beers.
Come on.
Listen, why do I always have to owe you when I can pay you? Watching you bowl is pay enough.
Window was open.
Smudges on the windowsill.
There's a trellis outside.
- Burglary? - Maybe.
But we can scratch one motive, jewelry theft.
Did you see the ring on that guy's little finger? - No.
- It's gotta go for at least five figures.
- Anything else? - No, that's it, Mike.
Two shots, point blank.
.
32 caliber I'd say, but I'll check it out.
- Thanks.
- Nice shoes.
I forgot them.
Listen, why didn't you remind--? Well, anyway, whoever it was knew his way around.
Turned off the silent alarm.
Look at that.
You got anything? Yeah, I talked to the butler who found the body.
He said Sturdevant was missing from the party for about 45 minutes.
Only he didn't want to intrude.
- Why not? - Sturdevant had another hobby besides stamps.
- Oh, he did? - Yeah.
- And he brought them up here? - Yeah.
I asked him for some names but he wouldn't tell me.
He said, "Mr.
Sturdevant was very circumspect about the women he was seeing.
" Oh, he was, huh? Well, what about the safe? Would he know what was inside? No.
Only the business manager would know what's in there.
Okay, then give him a call and tell him we have to audit the contents.
Right.
Fellows, the safe first, then the windowsill.
Hey, Mike.
Yeah.
It's the only stamp missing.
Yeah.
British Guiana, 1850, 6-cent magenta.
Magenta, that's a color, isn't it? Kind of light purple? Yeah, that's right.
And Guiana? Well, it used to be a British colony.
It's called Guyana now, I think.
You think? Oh, you college guys with all that esoteric information, huh? Toss it in there as though it's nothing at all.
- Just, "I think," you know.
- Look at those, will you? I used to collect stamps when I was a kid.
- You did? - Yeah.
Nothing like those, though.
These are rare, huh? - This is the only one missing, huh? - Yup.
Well, maybe it's worth stealing, but murder? Maybe we ought to ask an expert.
Edward T.
Hawkins.
Yeah.
The last word's philately.
It means-- I know what it means.
- Stamps.
- Right.
No college, but a lot of crossword puzzles.
Be right there.
- Good morning.
- Good morning.
Lieutenant Stone.
Homicide.
Ed Hawkins, stamps.
You did say Homicide? - James Sturdevant.
- Oh, yes, I read about him in the newspaper this morning.
Awful.
- You did business with him.
- Of course, he was a very good customer.
Several months ago, - I offered him a Lallier.
- What's a Lallier? Well, a Lallier album is the first album published for stamp collectors.
It's rare, of course, but we run across one occasionally.
What do you know about British Guianas? I can tell you I wish I had some.
They're very expensive.
As a matter of fact, last year, I sold Sturdevant five of them.
Now these, they're the 2-cent yellow issue.
It was quite a coup for him.
He already had five.
It gave him ten in all.
18502-cent.
Twenty-five hundred dollars each? That's correct.
Say, you wouldn't happen to know how much the 6-cent mag-- Here it is.
Three hundred thousand dollars? That's its estimated value.
Beautiful, isn't it? Looks like there's writing on it.
The 1850 series was initialed by the governor or his subordinate in Georgetown, it's the capital of British Guiana.
Well, why would it be worth $300,000? Oh, now, my goodness, lieutenant, it's unique.
It's the only one of its kind known to be in existence.
From 6 cents to $300,000? Oh, come on.
There's gotta be something more.
Well, yes, there is the mystery.
You see, nobody really knows who owns it.
Ever since its first discovery and sale, the various owners have elected to remain anonymous.
Sometime in the '30s, President Roosevelt was supposed to have had it in his collection but he denied it.
Princes and potentates would give their most valuable possession for the 6-cent magenta.
Oh, among true philatelists, that stamp is like the Holy Grail.
It's a real mystery.
Well, it's not a real mystery anymore.
It's murder.
I don't understand.
It looks as though whoever killed Mr.
Sturdevant stole the 6-cent magenta.
Sturdevant? He had it? Are you sure? Well, we're checking it out and you can do us a big favor by keeping it under your hat.
Might help us find the killer.
Oh, of course.
Of course.
If I can help you in any other way, lieutenant, you just call on me.
I will, thank you very much.
You know, I learned something today.
- Thank you.
- What do you got? I got a name and a motive.
Give me the name.
One of the guests said Sturdevant received a phone call at approximately 10:45 p.
m.
From somebody named Glen.
Now immediately after that, he went up to the library.
- Glen who? - Don't know yet, but the motive-- Is $300,000.
How did you know that? Philately.
Did that guy in the store say that Sturdevant owned the stamp? He said nobody knows who owns it.
What about the business manager? - Did he give you a rundown? - Yeah, there's 1,500 in cash, a couple of thousand in negotiables, all in the safe untouched.
Now, I also took a look at the insurance policy.
Sturdevant had his entire collection covered.
The agent checked the list, there's only one stamp missing.
"One rare stamp unidentified at owner's request, value: $300,000.
" - Grand Colonial Indemnity.
- 2013 Montgomery Street.
I called and told them we're on our way.
- Good.
- The manager's name is Tom Wood.
No, that will not be acceptable.
Mr.
Johnson, you were told two weeks ago to have this report completed.
I would say you now have about two hours.
- Yes, may I help you? - Lieutenant Stone.
Oh, yes, just a moment.
He's been waiting for you.
Mr.
Wood, the gentlemen from the police department are here.
Terrible isn't it? About Mr.
Sturdevant? Yes, it is.
Did you know him? Vaguely.
Tom Wood.
- Mike Stone.
- Hi.
Stephen Keller.
If you don't mind, we can talk on the way.
I'll introduce you to the man who's been on this case since this morning.
He has all the files.
- Is Chris in Miss Williams? - Yes, sir.
He's waiting for you.
If you'll follow me.
I suppose you want a copy of the policy.
Oh, we have one but he has a few questions.
- Shoot.
- Well, I guess you know that Mr.
Sturdevant's entire collection is insured by your company.
And that each stamp was specifically identified except the one that was stolen.
Worth over a quarter of a million dollars.
That's right.
Well, it's a little strange, isn't it? Yes, it is.
He apparently paid a high premium for the privilege.
I have to apologize for not being more specific but you realize we underwrite more than 5,000 policies a year.
I'm not able to keep up with all the details myself.
What is the usual procedure if you wanted to insure something like that? Well, the actual policies are written by independent agents.
For something that valuable, they'd have to secure at least three expert appraisals before we'd underwrite.
- Who are the appraisers? - We don't know.
Their names are not in our files.
And frankly, I just don't know why.
Of course, we're looking into it.
Guess we'd like to talk to the agent who wrote the policy, then.
So would I.
But he died two months ago.
We have one of our claims investigators working on it right now.
He'll have all the specifics you'll need.
Gentlemen, this is Chris Conway.
Good morning, gentlemen.
I was just going over the records.
I hope I can be of some assistance to you.
How did they get that? - Hawkins? - He said he'd keep it confidential.
Yeah, well, it's pretty hard to keep something like this quiet for long.
I guess you're right.
- Steve.
- Yeah.
You get with that dead agent's wife and see if she remembers anything since she talked to Conway, will you? I'm gonna take a cab and see if I can tap another pipeline.
- Mr.
Conway.
- See you.
Mr.
Conway, you said you would try to run down those appraisers, right? - Absolutely.
- You do that.
My car's around the corner, can I give you a lift someplace? - How about Broadway? - Perfect.
Giants are 3-to-1.
You're down.
Hey, lieutenant.
Three-to-one the best you can do, Doc? You know me.
It's an old habit.
This is just pretend.
Just keeping your hand in, so to speak.
Would I lie to you, lieutenant? Hey, you're still working Homicide, ain't you? Haven't been switched to another department? Don't worry.
I didn't see the book.
What are you hearing? - Depends on what you wanna hear.
- Stamps.
The rare kind.
Oh, look, I gave up the trade, you know that.
I haven't fenced anything for two years.
Almost three now.
You still have eyes and ears.
The Sturdevant thing, huh? Well, I did read something about it in the paper.
He's a heavy collector or something.
One stamp worth $300,000.
Heavy enough? Ten percent of that is 30 G's.
That's what the insurance company pays for recovery, isn't it? So I hear.
But that's pretty specialized.
Somebody trying to move a sticker like that, they'd have to be pretty careful.
It being tied in with a murder and all.
Ask around.
- Quiet like.
- Sure.
Anything, anytime for you, lieutenant.
And maybe for the money.
Arnie? Be still.
How's it going? Well, you about finished? Take a look for yourself.
That looks perfect.
Too perfect.
The copy is still too sharp.
It's gonna have to be aged down.
How long does that take? Nothing of value is ever born of impatience, my friend.
Come on, Arnie, will you? I got customers waiting and I need those stamps tonight.
You'll have them.
How do you breathe in this place? I have no trouble.
Then again, I've never killed anyone in cold blood, Mr.
Conway.
Tell me, is it worth it? You tell me.
Ten little pieces of paper, each one worth $2,500 apiece.
When you get through with them, they'll be worth $300,000 apiece.
That's $3 million, baby.
You tell me.
Of which I only get 50,000.
You got a complaint? Would you kill me if I did? We made a deal, Arnie.
Don't get greedy on me.
I'm an old man of modest needs, Mr.
Conway.
I'll call you.
No, I'll call you.
Ten o'clock.
That gives you 12 hours.
Now you be ready.
Chris.
Sorry I'm late.
- I've got the tickets.
- Terrific.
Terrific.
- Everything all right? - Everything's just fine.
They're gonna be ready this evening.
I thought he'd be finished this morning.
Yeah, well, he's a perfectionist.
I can't help that.
Come on, honey, relax, everything's fine.
What about the police? That's no sweat.
And I gave the story to the local papers.
And the wire services picked it up and by now it's all over the globe.
Okay? - Okay.
- Let's grab some lunch.
Oh, I have to get back.
What's your hurry? Mr.
Wood's flying to L.
A.
At 4:30 and I have to go with him.
I'll call you in the morning.
What, you're spending the night? It's business.
Oh, come on, Chris.
Not Mr.
Wood.
He's over 50 years old.
Sturdevant was all of that too, wasn't he? I'll see you in the morning.
Honey, I'm sorry.
Look, we both made our mistakes but that was three years ago, okay? Pretty soon we're gonna be together.
Everything's gonna be fine.
Like it used to be.
I love you, Mrs.
Conway.
I love you too, Mr.
Conway.
Yeah, yeah, Charlie, I'm still here.
Okay, if you say so.
Yeah.
Thanks, Charlie.
Anything from Prints? No smudges or scratches on the trellis which means the windowsill was a phony.
The guest list is a dead end too.
Everybody that was invited is accounted for.
Maybe he invited himself.
It was a very big party.
Maybes don't buy us much, do they? Come on, buddy boy.
Give me something encouraging.
Well, I understand the crime rate's down in the big cities this month.
Come on, give me what you got.
The recently deceased insurance agent.
He did die of a heart attack like Conway said.
His estate's still in probate, but his wife let me look at the files.
And? I can't be sure until I check it against the company files, but from what I saw, the premium Sturdevant paid wasn't high enough to cover a $300,000 stamp plus all the other stamps he had insured.
Okay, expert, you check it out in the morning.
- Tomorrow.
So, what did you get? - Nothing.
Just noodles.
Just noodles.
What about those missing appraisers? Conway called in and said they're still missing.
I don't get that.
But we do have one thing, buddy boy.
- That stamp dealer, Hawkins? - Right.
He said that he sold Sturdevant five more of those 2-cent Guianas last year.
- So making ten all together.
- Right.
But they're not accounted for in the insurance policy.
He insured all the other rare stamps, why wouldn't he protect these ten? They're worth 25 G's.
Maybe he sold them.
I know.
Maybes don't buy very much.
Maybe there's something else.
You mean like maybe the man who killed Sturdevant stole them.
Yeah.
Yeah, and he didn't want us to know, so he leaves the stamp album open on the desk so that we'd be looking for the one stamp he wanted us to know was stolen.
I mean, if you're gonna sell something illegal, you want the buyer to know it's been stolen, right? That ties in with the newspaper.
Homicide.
Stone.
Yes, I'd be very interested.
May I ask who's calling, please.
Are you there now? Yeah, I'll be right over.
Somebody wants to talk about the 6-cent magenta.
Is it a fence? I don't know.
At the Chinese Consulate? Are you kidding? Come on.
Yes.
Who is it? No, I'm sorry, I'm not finished yet.
Yes, I know what time it is but I won't be done until morning.
Don't bother to come until the morning, I said.
I'm sorry, I promised I wouldn't reveal his name or his residence.
All I can tell you is that he lives in Hong Kong, he's very wealthy, and he assures me he still possesses the only authenticated 1850 6-cent magenta.
- He told you that himself? - By telephone this evening.
I understand he'll be mailing you notarized documents to prove his claim.
This man is well-known to us.
I'm sure he wouldn't lie.
Maybe somebody lied to Sturdevant.
- Sold him a forgery.
- Maybe.
And maybe the guy that killed him got just what he was looking for.
Oh, I appreciate your call.
Thank you very much.
Sure.
What are you talking about? Those ten missing stamps.
I'm beginning to believe that whoever killed Sturdevant, didn't kill him because he owned the magenta, but because he didn't.
Not here.
You're sure? I've been through the whole collection twice, lieutenant.
Could he have sold them? Oh, not without my knowing about it.
No, the 2-cent Guianas are not unique, but they are rare enough for the trade to keep an accurate record of them.
Besides, Mr.
Sturdevant, he only dealt through a bona fide dealer.
All right, let's assume that they were stolen.
They darn near look alike, don't they? So couldn't somebody fix them or alter them somehow so that they would look like the 6-cent magenta? Well, now, with skill and patience, I suppose someone could copy the face, forge the initials, even duplicate the ink.
Now, the 2-cent Guianas are surface dyed.
So the ink wouldn't permeate the paper.
They could be bleached.
- Bleached? - Oh, yes, the most difficult thing to duplicate, especially with the rare issues, - is the paper.
- Okay.
Okay, let's say the guy has ten big ones.
All counterfeit.
How tough would they be to move? Well, now, since the owners of the Guiana have traditionally remained anonymous, I suppose it's possible that we'd never hear of any of the sales.
Ten times $300,000.
That's a lot of motive.
- You think it's possible? - Oh, yes, forgery and counterfeiting are much more prevalent than many people realize.
It is, huh? Wait a minute.
You know, a gentleman came to see me last month.
We had the same conversation.
- About counterfeiting? - No.
About the 6-cent magenta.
He was most interested in the dye.
- You know his name? - No.
He didn't tell me that.
But he did tell me that he was recommended to me by a dealer who knew about my particular fondness for the Guiana.
Well, who was that? He didn't tell me that either.
- Can you describe him? - Oh, yes.
He was elderly, maybe 55 or 60.
He was small.
Wiry.
You know what I mean.
Oh, he had the most delicate hands, I remember that.
Anything else? Color of hair? Eyes? What about mannerisms? Scars? No.
He had a lovely smile.
Was he an American? Oh, yes.
Or at least I assumed he was.
I'm sorry, gentlemen, I can't remember.
Well, you've been a big help, Mr.
Hawkins.
- We'll drive you back.
- Thank you.
Small, wiry about 55 or 60.
You know, I remember a guy about five or six years ago.
He'd be about 55 now.
Gee, I can't remember his name.
Well, anyway we found out one thing, buddy boy.
Sturdevant never had the magenta.
Which means that somebody made up a phony insurance policy to make it look like he did.
Or he planted a phony in the safe so that we would find it, - do exactly what we've been doing.
- The copy in the office was fixed too.
It's gotta be an inside job.
I'll drop you off at the insurance company.
I've got to see Doc.
Oh, and listen.
Pull the book on the counterfeiters.
Start thumbing through the pages.
Maybe we'll get lucky.
- Gone? What do you mean, gone? - I mean he's gone.
I went there this morning, the door was locked and he was not there.
He probably, last night, just finished up and stalled me to buy himself some time.
You said you knew him.
We could trust him.
Well, right now, baby, I don't know who I can trust.
What's that supposed to mean? I tried to call you last night after I talked to Jenkins.
Where were you? You weren't in your room.
I was out with Mr.
Wood.
While we're at it, how do I know you and Jenkins didn't work something out? Now look, this whole thing was your idea.
You got me into this.
Yeah, well, don't worry, I'm gonna get us out of it.
As far as I can tell, Jenkins isn't gonna be able to sell those stamps by himself.
He's gonna be looking for a fence.
- Now maybe-- - Hello.
Good morning.
Hi.
Look, it's not urgent, Glen, just tell him I'd like to see him sometime today, okay? Yes, sir.
You're the early bird of the team, huh? Yeah, I guess so.
Excuse me, did I hear right, your name is Glen? My father wanted a boy.
Did you get my message? No.
No.
This is probably what you're here for.
- Premium payments, right? - That's right.
I called you as soon as I noticed this.
Now these are the figures I dug out of the agent's file.
I checked them this morning against our own ledger.
- And they differ? - Our books show that Sturdevant paid a much higher premium than what the agent wrote down.
I guess somebody around here made a mistake.
You've worked here for a while.
Do you have any idea who that might be? Well, see, I've only been with the company about six months.
But I'll run a trace on it.
Good.
Anything else? No.
I guess that's it.
- Thank you.
- Okay.
Say, did Stone get anything from his pipeline? His what? From his contact? See, yesterday when I dropped him off, I figured he was gonna-- I don't know, gonna meet a fence or something.
I mean, somebody that might know if there's any action on the street.
No.
- Did I get any messages? - Nope.
I don't know what could have happened to that guy.
I must have checked every back alley I know.
And believe me, in my 20 years, I've picked up a lot of back alleys.
What is this, two volumes? - It's a popular profession.
- That's gonna take us all week.
Why can't I remember that guy's name? Must be getting old or something.
Listen, he was booked with Al Karlinski.
Pull his jacket, maybe it's cross-filed.
- Listen, I think I've got something.
- Name began with a J.
Go on.
Shoot.
Conway.
The Sturdevant premium payments do not match.
- He didn't notice it until this morning.
- Here it is.
J.
You're a good cop and he's a lousy claims investigator.
He's not lousy according to his personnel file.
IQ, 127.
Reaction to stress, superior.
Motivation, excellent.
- Efficiency quotient, superior.
- So? So it doesn't jive with what I got from the L.
A.
P.
D.
This morning.
Seems he applied to the academy a few years back and couldn't cut it.
Now their file shows prior experience, merchant marine, four months, cab driver, six months.
Private investigator license revoked for failure to renew.
He may not be a loser, but he ain't a winner.
Come on.
Give me the zinger, will you? The insurance company had no written references on him but the L.
A.
P.
D.
Did.
They also had him listed as married.
His wife's first name: Glen.
- Glen? - That's right.
Same as the phone call to Sturdevant? Same as Wood's secretary.
Miss Williams? That's quite a coincidence.
Little Miss Sunshine's got her dark side too maybe.
Yeah.
Homicide, Stone.
Hey, lieutenant.
Doc, where have you been? Oh, around.
How's it going, lieutenant? I need help.
What have you got? Oh, I drew a blank.
Nothing.
Oh, come on, you have to have something.
Now wouldn't I tell you if I did? I'm not sneezing at any 30 G's.
All right, then I'm gonna tell you something.
A small guy, wiry about 55 or 60.
Good hands.
Could be an artist, a counterfeiter, a printer.
Knows all about dyes.
He was busted about five years ago with Al Karlinski.
Karlinski and five years, you say? That's right about five-- Wait a minute, Doc.
You gave him to me.
He's the same guy that was involved in that phony stock deal.
Didn't his name begin with a J? Yeah, I know it did.
Jensen.
Jenkins.
Willy Jenks, isn't that it, Doc? Jenks.
Yeah, I think you got it, lieutenant.
Yeah, it was Jenks.
Billy Jenks.
That's right, Doc.
Billy Jenks.
You know where he is now? Oh, last I heard he was in Folsom.
Let's see, that's Billy Jenks, a.
k.
a.
Arnie Jenkins.
Printer.
Paroled September 13th, 1972.
Paroled? No kidding.
Well, okay, I'll sniff around.
Yeah, let me know when you get something.
Oh, Doc, thanks a lot.
I'm going after a warrant.
I'll call his parole officer for his last address.
Good.
I'll get the back.
Mr.
Jenkins? Mr.
Jenkins? Jenkins.
- Steve? - Yeah.
Guess he's not here.
He's here.
But he's not gonna tell us anything.
It's not printer's ink.
What about the rag? Same stuff? Yeah, it looks like a special mixture.
It's a surface-type dye.
This is an ordinary-type cleaner.
This is common peroxide.
What about the newsprint? There's some sort of printing on it.
I can't make anything of it.
Mr.
Hawkins.
This way.
There you are, lieutenant.
This is all very exciting.
So glad you could come to help again.
Mr.
Hawkins, you said a counterfeiter might use a bleach to reuse a stamp.
What kind of bleach would he use? The same thing the ladies use on their hair.
Peroxide.
- I can't make this out.
- You mind taking a look? - Oh, heavens, no.
- I have a meeting with the coroner.
- If you need me, I'll be in his office.
- Thank you.
This is a portion of a reproduction-- Excellent likeness, too, though it hasn't been dyed.
- Of the 6-cent magenta.
Well, have you caught him yet.
The murderer? No.
You do understand, of course, that this is all very confidential.
Of course, but do you realize how easily those counterfeits can be taken out of the country.
There must be at least a score of wealthy collectors be happy to pay catalogue prices for the magenta.
Don't you think they should be alerted? No, I don't think so.
You see the ten stamps are the only lead we have to two murders.
And if we tip up our suspect, he might destroy the evidence.
Well, if there's nothing else I can do.
Thank you for coming.
Jenkins didn't work alone.
He had to have help and I bet it came from inside the insurance company.
That's what I think.
Conway.
He's on top of the list.
Beautiful.
You're just beautiful.
What the hell did you expect? He's gone, Glen.
That's 3 million bucks right out the window.
I was an idiot to listen to you.
You know what I got hanging over me now? A murder wrap.
If you didn't wanna kill Sturdevant, why didn't you just ask him for money? You've always been good at begging.
You're really something, you know that? You're a real live man-eating cannibal.
Me.
Sturdevant.
Anybody that fails old Glen.
You just chew them up and spit them out like garbage, don't you? Let me tell you something, you're not leaving me holding the bag.
You killed Sturdevant just as much as I did.
Just as much.
Did I? That's right.
You set him up.
You gave me the gun and you told me what to do.
All because he jilted you.
Because he turned you down for some other dumb skirt.
You thought you were gonna be Mrs.
Rich, didn't you? That's enough, Chris.
So now what? I don't know.
You never did.
Where's the gun? - What do you want the gun for? - To get rid of it.
It's in the drawer.
Listen, why don't we just leave, why don't we just get on a plane and take off.
I can get a job.
I know I can.
We can be together.
I need you, honey.
I've always needed you.
So you want me to carry you again.
Job to job.
City to city.
Scrounging for rent.
I won't do that, Chris.
It's Jenkins, that has to be Jenkins.
Hello, Arnie? Wher--? Who is this? What? Yeah, I know.
Now, wait-- Lis-- Hello? Hello.
- Who was it? - I don't know.
Just a guy.
He said he's got the stamps.
- He wants to make a deal for half.
- When? Now.
Now, he said.
It's got to be some kind of a trick.
I mean, who knows about it? Who knows--? Who knows to call me here? Leave that stuff alone.
Where did this man say he'd meet you? On the beach, he said.
Just south of the cliff house.
You're not going.
Would you like to do it? I can't do that, Glen.
I can't do that anymore.
Can you? How will I know who he is? How, Chris? He said he'd be wearing a flower.
A magenta-colored flower.
A sense of humor.
I like that.
And a lot of confidence.
- Glen, you can't just-- - Yes, I'd like a cab, please.
2200 Walnut, right away.
Thank you.
Glen, why don't we just-- Don't worry, hon.
It'll all work out.
- Hey, did you see who that was? - Glen Williams.
Who is it? Lieutenant Stone.
I'd like to talk to you, Conway.
Just a minute.
There's an alley out back.
Take it easy, will you? - Where are the stamps? - I haven't got them.
Airline ticket.
One way.
Mr.
And Mrs.
Conway.
She was in your apartment.
Where did she go? I don't have to tell you anything.
That's right, you don't.
That was a Golden Gate Cab.
- Call the dispatcher.
- Right.
Eighty-one to headquarters.
Hey, Dad, we're up here.
Looking for somebody, lady? I'm meeting someone for a friend.
I know a guy, name's Conway.
That's my friend.
Where is he? He's out.
Out where? All the way out.
Finished.
Where's Jenkins? Jenkins? I guess you could say he's out too.
Permanently.
You have the stamps? One.
Just one.
You move it.
We'll split fifty-fifty.
And then I'll give you the next one.
I want them all.
Now.
Hold on to this guy.
Now, that isn't smart, lady.
But if you're all that intense about it, well, maybe I can live with a smaller percentage.
I don't think you can.
If you pull that trigger, what are you gonna get, just one stamp, right? Wouldn't you really rather deal for all ten? I know you got the customers on tap.
Mrs.
Conway.
We have your husband.
Lady, you pull that trigger now, we're both dead.
Put the gun down.
- I didn't kill anyone.
- I know.
Just drop the gun, Mrs.
Conway.
Hi, Doc.
Do you mind stepping over here a bit? Thirty-eight caliber.
What was that you were saying about being out of the trade? You know, I'm beginning to think you're right.
What's the charge? Suspicion of murder.
And having a magenta mouth.
Mike, from Hong Kong.
Along with notarized documents proving ownership and possession of one 6-cent British Guiana.
- What? - The stamp.
It's a proof of ownership from the Chinese consulate.
Here.
Read this telegram just came.
"To detective in charge Sturdevant case.
Have client who wishes remain anonymous.
But certain authentic 6-cent magenta British Guiana is not, repeat, not involved in your investigation.
" Read where it came from.
"London, England.
" London? Well, buddy boy, I guess this is one mystery we are never going to solve.
Yes, who is it? Glen.
But why the library? Excuse me, business.
What are you doing here? Looks like you buy another round, buddy boy.
No more.
I give up.
- One more line.
Give me a chance.
- It's midnight already.
- What's the matter, you got a date? - I wanna go to bed.
What do you do all day but sit around on your slats.
- Come on.
Loosen those kinks.
- I'm loose.
I'm loose.
Lieutenant Stone.
Telephone.
- One more line, we'll call it quits.
- Sure, one more line.
Yeah, Stone.
- When? - Now.
All right, we'll be right over.
Game's over.
You owe me two beers.
Come on.
Listen, why do I always have to owe you when I can pay you? Watching you bowl is pay enough.
Window was open.
Smudges on the windowsill.
There's a trellis outside.
- Burglary? - Maybe.
But we can scratch one motive, jewelry theft.
Did you see the ring on that guy's little finger? - No.
- It's gotta go for at least five figures.
- Anything else? - No, that's it, Mike.
Two shots, point blank.
.
32 caliber I'd say, but I'll check it out.
- Thanks.
- Nice shoes.
I forgot them.
Listen, why didn't you remind--? Well, anyway, whoever it was knew his way around.
Turned off the silent alarm.
Look at that.
You got anything? Yeah, I talked to the butler who found the body.
He said Sturdevant was missing from the party for about 45 minutes.
Only he didn't want to intrude.
- Why not? - Sturdevant had another hobby besides stamps.
- Oh, he did? - Yeah.
- And he brought them up here? - Yeah.
I asked him for some names but he wouldn't tell me.
He said, "Mr.
Sturdevant was very circumspect about the women he was seeing.
" Oh, he was, huh? Well, what about the safe? Would he know what was inside? No.
Only the business manager would know what's in there.
Okay, then give him a call and tell him we have to audit the contents.
Right.
Fellows, the safe first, then the windowsill.
Hey, Mike.
Yeah.
It's the only stamp missing.
Yeah.
British Guiana, 1850, 6-cent magenta.
Magenta, that's a color, isn't it? Kind of light purple? Yeah, that's right.
And Guiana? Well, it used to be a British colony.
It's called Guyana now, I think.
You think? Oh, you college guys with all that esoteric information, huh? Toss it in there as though it's nothing at all.
- Just, "I think," you know.
- Look at those, will you? I used to collect stamps when I was a kid.
- You did? - Yeah.
Nothing like those, though.
These are rare, huh? - This is the only one missing, huh? - Yup.
Well, maybe it's worth stealing, but murder? Maybe we ought to ask an expert.
Edward T.
Hawkins.
Yeah.
The last word's philately.
It means-- I know what it means.
- Stamps.
- Right.
No college, but a lot of crossword puzzles.
Be right there.
- Good morning.
- Good morning.
Lieutenant Stone.
Homicide.
Ed Hawkins, stamps.
You did say Homicide? - James Sturdevant.
- Oh, yes, I read about him in the newspaper this morning.
Awful.
- You did business with him.
- Of course, he was a very good customer.
Several months ago, - I offered him a Lallier.
- What's a Lallier? Well, a Lallier album is the first album published for stamp collectors.
It's rare, of course, but we run across one occasionally.
What do you know about British Guianas? I can tell you I wish I had some.
They're very expensive.
As a matter of fact, last year, I sold Sturdevant five of them.
Now these, they're the 2-cent yellow issue.
It was quite a coup for him.
He already had five.
It gave him ten in all.
18502-cent.
Twenty-five hundred dollars each? That's correct.
Say, you wouldn't happen to know how much the 6-cent mag-- Here it is.
Three hundred thousand dollars? That's its estimated value.
Beautiful, isn't it? Looks like there's writing on it.
The 1850 series was initialed by the governor or his subordinate in Georgetown, it's the capital of British Guiana.
Well, why would it be worth $300,000? Oh, now, my goodness, lieutenant, it's unique.
It's the only one of its kind known to be in existence.
From 6 cents to $300,000? Oh, come on.
There's gotta be something more.
Well, yes, there is the mystery.
You see, nobody really knows who owns it.
Ever since its first discovery and sale, the various owners have elected to remain anonymous.
Sometime in the '30s, President Roosevelt was supposed to have had it in his collection but he denied it.
Princes and potentates would give their most valuable possession for the 6-cent magenta.
Oh, among true philatelists, that stamp is like the Holy Grail.
It's a real mystery.
Well, it's not a real mystery anymore.
It's murder.
I don't understand.
It looks as though whoever killed Mr.
Sturdevant stole the 6-cent magenta.
Sturdevant? He had it? Are you sure? Well, we're checking it out and you can do us a big favor by keeping it under your hat.
Might help us find the killer.
Oh, of course.
Of course.
If I can help you in any other way, lieutenant, you just call on me.
I will, thank you very much.
You know, I learned something today.
- Thank you.
- What do you got? I got a name and a motive.
Give me the name.
One of the guests said Sturdevant received a phone call at approximately 10:45 p.
m.
From somebody named Glen.
Now immediately after that, he went up to the library.
- Glen who? - Don't know yet, but the motive-- Is $300,000.
How did you know that? Philately.
Did that guy in the store say that Sturdevant owned the stamp? He said nobody knows who owns it.
What about the business manager? - Did he give you a rundown? - Yeah, there's 1,500 in cash, a couple of thousand in negotiables, all in the safe untouched.
Now, I also took a look at the insurance policy.
Sturdevant had his entire collection covered.
The agent checked the list, there's only one stamp missing.
"One rare stamp unidentified at owner's request, value: $300,000.
" - Grand Colonial Indemnity.
- 2013 Montgomery Street.
I called and told them we're on our way.
- Good.
- The manager's name is Tom Wood.
No, that will not be acceptable.
Mr.
Johnson, you were told two weeks ago to have this report completed.
I would say you now have about two hours.
- Yes, may I help you? - Lieutenant Stone.
Oh, yes, just a moment.
He's been waiting for you.
Mr.
Wood, the gentlemen from the police department are here.
Terrible isn't it? About Mr.
Sturdevant? Yes, it is.
Did you know him? Vaguely.
Tom Wood.
- Mike Stone.
- Hi.
Stephen Keller.
If you don't mind, we can talk on the way.
I'll introduce you to the man who's been on this case since this morning.
He has all the files.
- Is Chris in Miss Williams? - Yes, sir.
He's waiting for you.
If you'll follow me.
I suppose you want a copy of the policy.
Oh, we have one but he has a few questions.
- Shoot.
- Well, I guess you know that Mr.
Sturdevant's entire collection is insured by your company.
And that each stamp was specifically identified except the one that was stolen.
Worth over a quarter of a million dollars.
That's right.
Well, it's a little strange, isn't it? Yes, it is.
He apparently paid a high premium for the privilege.
I have to apologize for not being more specific but you realize we underwrite more than 5,000 policies a year.
I'm not able to keep up with all the details myself.
What is the usual procedure if you wanted to insure something like that? Well, the actual policies are written by independent agents.
For something that valuable, they'd have to secure at least three expert appraisals before we'd underwrite.
- Who are the appraisers? - We don't know.
Their names are not in our files.
And frankly, I just don't know why.
Of course, we're looking into it.
Guess we'd like to talk to the agent who wrote the policy, then.
So would I.
But he died two months ago.
We have one of our claims investigators working on it right now.
He'll have all the specifics you'll need.
Gentlemen, this is Chris Conway.
Good morning, gentlemen.
I was just going over the records.
I hope I can be of some assistance to you.
How did they get that? - Hawkins? - He said he'd keep it confidential.
Yeah, well, it's pretty hard to keep something like this quiet for long.
I guess you're right.
- Steve.
- Yeah.
You get with that dead agent's wife and see if she remembers anything since she talked to Conway, will you? I'm gonna take a cab and see if I can tap another pipeline.
- Mr.
Conway.
- See you.
Mr.
Conway, you said you would try to run down those appraisers, right? - Absolutely.
- You do that.
My car's around the corner, can I give you a lift someplace? - How about Broadway? - Perfect.
Giants are 3-to-1.
You're down.
Hey, lieutenant.
Three-to-one the best you can do, Doc? You know me.
It's an old habit.
This is just pretend.
Just keeping your hand in, so to speak.
Would I lie to you, lieutenant? Hey, you're still working Homicide, ain't you? Haven't been switched to another department? Don't worry.
I didn't see the book.
What are you hearing? - Depends on what you wanna hear.
- Stamps.
The rare kind.
Oh, look, I gave up the trade, you know that.
I haven't fenced anything for two years.
Almost three now.
You still have eyes and ears.
The Sturdevant thing, huh? Well, I did read something about it in the paper.
He's a heavy collector or something.
One stamp worth $300,000.
Heavy enough? Ten percent of that is 30 G's.
That's what the insurance company pays for recovery, isn't it? So I hear.
But that's pretty specialized.
Somebody trying to move a sticker like that, they'd have to be pretty careful.
It being tied in with a murder and all.
Ask around.
- Quiet like.
- Sure.
Anything, anytime for you, lieutenant.
And maybe for the money.
Arnie? Be still.
How's it going? Well, you about finished? Take a look for yourself.
That looks perfect.
Too perfect.
The copy is still too sharp.
It's gonna have to be aged down.
How long does that take? Nothing of value is ever born of impatience, my friend.
Come on, Arnie, will you? I got customers waiting and I need those stamps tonight.
You'll have them.
How do you breathe in this place? I have no trouble.
Then again, I've never killed anyone in cold blood, Mr.
Conway.
Tell me, is it worth it? You tell me.
Ten little pieces of paper, each one worth $2,500 apiece.
When you get through with them, they'll be worth $300,000 apiece.
That's $3 million, baby.
You tell me.
Of which I only get 50,000.
You got a complaint? Would you kill me if I did? We made a deal, Arnie.
Don't get greedy on me.
I'm an old man of modest needs, Mr.
Conway.
I'll call you.
No, I'll call you.
Ten o'clock.
That gives you 12 hours.
Now you be ready.
Chris.
Sorry I'm late.
- I've got the tickets.
- Terrific.
Terrific.
- Everything all right? - Everything's just fine.
They're gonna be ready this evening.
I thought he'd be finished this morning.
Yeah, well, he's a perfectionist.
I can't help that.
Come on, honey, relax, everything's fine.
What about the police? That's no sweat.
And I gave the story to the local papers.
And the wire services picked it up and by now it's all over the globe.
Okay? - Okay.
- Let's grab some lunch.
Oh, I have to get back.
What's your hurry? Mr.
Wood's flying to L.
A.
At 4:30 and I have to go with him.
I'll call you in the morning.
What, you're spending the night? It's business.
Oh, come on, Chris.
Not Mr.
Wood.
He's over 50 years old.
Sturdevant was all of that too, wasn't he? I'll see you in the morning.
Honey, I'm sorry.
Look, we both made our mistakes but that was three years ago, okay? Pretty soon we're gonna be together.
Everything's gonna be fine.
Like it used to be.
I love you, Mrs.
Conway.
I love you too, Mr.
Conway.
Yeah, yeah, Charlie, I'm still here.
Okay, if you say so.
Yeah.
Thanks, Charlie.
Anything from Prints? No smudges or scratches on the trellis which means the windowsill was a phony.
The guest list is a dead end too.
Everybody that was invited is accounted for.
Maybe he invited himself.
It was a very big party.
Maybes don't buy us much, do they? Come on, buddy boy.
Give me something encouraging.
Well, I understand the crime rate's down in the big cities this month.
Come on, give me what you got.
The recently deceased insurance agent.
He did die of a heart attack like Conway said.
His estate's still in probate, but his wife let me look at the files.
And? I can't be sure until I check it against the company files, but from what I saw, the premium Sturdevant paid wasn't high enough to cover a $300,000 stamp plus all the other stamps he had insured.
Okay, expert, you check it out in the morning.
- Tomorrow.
So, what did you get? - Nothing.
Just noodles.
Just noodles.
What about those missing appraisers? Conway called in and said they're still missing.
I don't get that.
But we do have one thing, buddy boy.
- That stamp dealer, Hawkins? - Right.
He said that he sold Sturdevant five more of those 2-cent Guianas last year.
- So making ten all together.
- Right.
But they're not accounted for in the insurance policy.
He insured all the other rare stamps, why wouldn't he protect these ten? They're worth 25 G's.
Maybe he sold them.
I know.
Maybes don't buy very much.
Maybe there's something else.
You mean like maybe the man who killed Sturdevant stole them.
Yeah.
Yeah, and he didn't want us to know, so he leaves the stamp album open on the desk so that we'd be looking for the one stamp he wanted us to know was stolen.
I mean, if you're gonna sell something illegal, you want the buyer to know it's been stolen, right? That ties in with the newspaper.
Homicide.
Stone.
Yes, I'd be very interested.
May I ask who's calling, please.
Are you there now? Yeah, I'll be right over.
Somebody wants to talk about the 6-cent magenta.
Is it a fence? I don't know.
At the Chinese Consulate? Are you kidding? Come on.
Yes.
Who is it? No, I'm sorry, I'm not finished yet.
Yes, I know what time it is but I won't be done until morning.
Don't bother to come until the morning, I said.
I'm sorry, I promised I wouldn't reveal his name or his residence.
All I can tell you is that he lives in Hong Kong, he's very wealthy, and he assures me he still possesses the only authenticated 1850 6-cent magenta.
- He told you that himself? - By telephone this evening.
I understand he'll be mailing you notarized documents to prove his claim.
This man is well-known to us.
I'm sure he wouldn't lie.
Maybe somebody lied to Sturdevant.
- Sold him a forgery.
- Maybe.
And maybe the guy that killed him got just what he was looking for.
Oh, I appreciate your call.
Thank you very much.
Sure.
What are you talking about? Those ten missing stamps.
I'm beginning to believe that whoever killed Sturdevant, didn't kill him because he owned the magenta, but because he didn't.
Not here.
You're sure? I've been through the whole collection twice, lieutenant.
Could he have sold them? Oh, not without my knowing about it.
No, the 2-cent Guianas are not unique, but they are rare enough for the trade to keep an accurate record of them.
Besides, Mr.
Sturdevant, he only dealt through a bona fide dealer.
All right, let's assume that they were stolen.
They darn near look alike, don't they? So couldn't somebody fix them or alter them somehow so that they would look like the 6-cent magenta? Well, now, with skill and patience, I suppose someone could copy the face, forge the initials, even duplicate the ink.
Now, the 2-cent Guianas are surface dyed.
So the ink wouldn't permeate the paper.
They could be bleached.
- Bleached? - Oh, yes, the most difficult thing to duplicate, especially with the rare issues, - is the paper.
- Okay.
Okay, let's say the guy has ten big ones.
All counterfeit.
How tough would they be to move? Well, now, since the owners of the Guiana have traditionally remained anonymous, I suppose it's possible that we'd never hear of any of the sales.
Ten times $300,000.
That's a lot of motive.
- You think it's possible? - Oh, yes, forgery and counterfeiting are much more prevalent than many people realize.
It is, huh? Wait a minute.
You know, a gentleman came to see me last month.
We had the same conversation.
- About counterfeiting? - No.
About the 6-cent magenta.
He was most interested in the dye.
- You know his name? - No.
He didn't tell me that.
But he did tell me that he was recommended to me by a dealer who knew about my particular fondness for the Guiana.
Well, who was that? He didn't tell me that either.
- Can you describe him? - Oh, yes.
He was elderly, maybe 55 or 60.
He was small.
Wiry.
You know what I mean.
Oh, he had the most delicate hands, I remember that.
Anything else? Color of hair? Eyes? What about mannerisms? Scars? No.
He had a lovely smile.
Was he an American? Oh, yes.
Or at least I assumed he was.
I'm sorry, gentlemen, I can't remember.
Well, you've been a big help, Mr.
Hawkins.
- We'll drive you back.
- Thank you.
Small, wiry about 55 or 60.
You know, I remember a guy about five or six years ago.
He'd be about 55 now.
Gee, I can't remember his name.
Well, anyway we found out one thing, buddy boy.
Sturdevant never had the magenta.
Which means that somebody made up a phony insurance policy to make it look like he did.
Or he planted a phony in the safe so that we would find it, - do exactly what we've been doing.
- The copy in the office was fixed too.
It's gotta be an inside job.
I'll drop you off at the insurance company.
I've got to see Doc.
Oh, and listen.
Pull the book on the counterfeiters.
Start thumbing through the pages.
Maybe we'll get lucky.
- Gone? What do you mean, gone? - I mean he's gone.
I went there this morning, the door was locked and he was not there.
He probably, last night, just finished up and stalled me to buy himself some time.
You said you knew him.
We could trust him.
Well, right now, baby, I don't know who I can trust.
What's that supposed to mean? I tried to call you last night after I talked to Jenkins.
Where were you? You weren't in your room.
I was out with Mr.
Wood.
While we're at it, how do I know you and Jenkins didn't work something out? Now look, this whole thing was your idea.
You got me into this.
Yeah, well, don't worry, I'm gonna get us out of it.
As far as I can tell, Jenkins isn't gonna be able to sell those stamps by himself.
He's gonna be looking for a fence.
- Now maybe-- - Hello.
Good morning.
Hi.
Look, it's not urgent, Glen, just tell him I'd like to see him sometime today, okay? Yes, sir.
You're the early bird of the team, huh? Yeah, I guess so.
Excuse me, did I hear right, your name is Glen? My father wanted a boy.
Did you get my message? No.
No.
This is probably what you're here for.
- Premium payments, right? - That's right.
I called you as soon as I noticed this.
Now these are the figures I dug out of the agent's file.
I checked them this morning against our own ledger.
- And they differ? - Our books show that Sturdevant paid a much higher premium than what the agent wrote down.
I guess somebody around here made a mistake.
You've worked here for a while.
Do you have any idea who that might be? Well, see, I've only been with the company about six months.
But I'll run a trace on it.
Good.
Anything else? No.
I guess that's it.
- Thank you.
- Okay.
Say, did Stone get anything from his pipeline? His what? From his contact? See, yesterday when I dropped him off, I figured he was gonna-- I don't know, gonna meet a fence or something.
I mean, somebody that might know if there's any action on the street.
No.
- Did I get any messages? - Nope.
I don't know what could have happened to that guy.
I must have checked every back alley I know.
And believe me, in my 20 years, I've picked up a lot of back alleys.
What is this, two volumes? - It's a popular profession.
- That's gonna take us all week.
Why can't I remember that guy's name? Must be getting old or something.
Listen, he was booked with Al Karlinski.
Pull his jacket, maybe it's cross-filed.
- Listen, I think I've got something.
- Name began with a J.
Go on.
Shoot.
Conway.
The Sturdevant premium payments do not match.
- He didn't notice it until this morning.
- Here it is.
J.
You're a good cop and he's a lousy claims investigator.
He's not lousy according to his personnel file.
IQ, 127.
Reaction to stress, superior.
Motivation, excellent.
- Efficiency quotient, superior.
- So? So it doesn't jive with what I got from the L.
A.
P.
D.
This morning.
Seems he applied to the academy a few years back and couldn't cut it.
Now their file shows prior experience, merchant marine, four months, cab driver, six months.
Private investigator license revoked for failure to renew.
He may not be a loser, but he ain't a winner.
Come on.
Give me the zinger, will you? The insurance company had no written references on him but the L.
A.
P.
D.
Did.
They also had him listed as married.
His wife's first name: Glen.
- Glen? - That's right.
Same as the phone call to Sturdevant? Same as Wood's secretary.
Miss Williams? That's quite a coincidence.
Little Miss Sunshine's got her dark side too maybe.
Yeah.
Homicide, Stone.
Hey, lieutenant.
Doc, where have you been? Oh, around.
How's it going, lieutenant? I need help.
What have you got? Oh, I drew a blank.
Nothing.
Oh, come on, you have to have something.
Now wouldn't I tell you if I did? I'm not sneezing at any 30 G's.
All right, then I'm gonna tell you something.
A small guy, wiry about 55 or 60.
Good hands.
Could be an artist, a counterfeiter, a printer.
Knows all about dyes.
He was busted about five years ago with Al Karlinski.
Karlinski and five years, you say? That's right about five-- Wait a minute, Doc.
You gave him to me.
He's the same guy that was involved in that phony stock deal.
Didn't his name begin with a J? Yeah, I know it did.
Jensen.
Jenkins.
Willy Jenks, isn't that it, Doc? Jenks.
Yeah, I think you got it, lieutenant.
Yeah, it was Jenks.
Billy Jenks.
That's right, Doc.
Billy Jenks.
You know where he is now? Oh, last I heard he was in Folsom.
Let's see, that's Billy Jenks, a.
k.
a.
Arnie Jenkins.
Printer.
Paroled September 13th, 1972.
Paroled? No kidding.
Well, okay, I'll sniff around.
Yeah, let me know when you get something.
Oh, Doc, thanks a lot.
I'm going after a warrant.
I'll call his parole officer for his last address.
Good.
I'll get the back.
Mr.
Jenkins? Mr.
Jenkins? Jenkins.
- Steve? - Yeah.
Guess he's not here.
He's here.
But he's not gonna tell us anything.
It's not printer's ink.
What about the rag? Same stuff? Yeah, it looks like a special mixture.
It's a surface-type dye.
This is an ordinary-type cleaner.
This is common peroxide.
What about the newsprint? There's some sort of printing on it.
I can't make anything of it.
Mr.
Hawkins.
This way.
There you are, lieutenant.
This is all very exciting.
So glad you could come to help again.
Mr.
Hawkins, you said a counterfeiter might use a bleach to reuse a stamp.
What kind of bleach would he use? The same thing the ladies use on their hair.
Peroxide.
- I can't make this out.
- You mind taking a look? - Oh, heavens, no.
- I have a meeting with the coroner.
- If you need me, I'll be in his office.
- Thank you.
This is a portion of a reproduction-- Excellent likeness, too, though it hasn't been dyed.
- Of the 6-cent magenta.
Well, have you caught him yet.
The murderer? No.
You do understand, of course, that this is all very confidential.
Of course, but do you realize how easily those counterfeits can be taken out of the country.
There must be at least a score of wealthy collectors be happy to pay catalogue prices for the magenta.
Don't you think they should be alerted? No, I don't think so.
You see the ten stamps are the only lead we have to two murders.
And if we tip up our suspect, he might destroy the evidence.
Well, if there's nothing else I can do.
Thank you for coming.
Jenkins didn't work alone.
He had to have help and I bet it came from inside the insurance company.
That's what I think.
Conway.
He's on top of the list.
Beautiful.
You're just beautiful.
What the hell did you expect? He's gone, Glen.
That's 3 million bucks right out the window.
I was an idiot to listen to you.
You know what I got hanging over me now? A murder wrap.
If you didn't wanna kill Sturdevant, why didn't you just ask him for money? You've always been good at begging.
You're really something, you know that? You're a real live man-eating cannibal.
Me.
Sturdevant.
Anybody that fails old Glen.
You just chew them up and spit them out like garbage, don't you? Let me tell you something, you're not leaving me holding the bag.
You killed Sturdevant just as much as I did.
Just as much.
Did I? That's right.
You set him up.
You gave me the gun and you told me what to do.
All because he jilted you.
Because he turned you down for some other dumb skirt.
You thought you were gonna be Mrs.
Rich, didn't you? That's enough, Chris.
So now what? I don't know.
You never did.
Where's the gun? - What do you want the gun for? - To get rid of it.
It's in the drawer.
Listen, why don't we just leave, why don't we just get on a plane and take off.
I can get a job.
I know I can.
We can be together.
I need you, honey.
I've always needed you.
So you want me to carry you again.
Job to job.
City to city.
Scrounging for rent.
I won't do that, Chris.
It's Jenkins, that has to be Jenkins.
Hello, Arnie? Wher--? Who is this? What? Yeah, I know.
Now, wait-- Lis-- Hello? Hello.
- Who was it? - I don't know.
Just a guy.
He said he's got the stamps.
- He wants to make a deal for half.
- When? Now.
Now, he said.
It's got to be some kind of a trick.
I mean, who knows about it? Who knows--? Who knows to call me here? Leave that stuff alone.
Where did this man say he'd meet you? On the beach, he said.
Just south of the cliff house.
You're not going.
Would you like to do it? I can't do that, Glen.
I can't do that anymore.
Can you? How will I know who he is? How, Chris? He said he'd be wearing a flower.
A magenta-colored flower.
A sense of humor.
I like that.
And a lot of confidence.
- Glen, you can't just-- - Yes, I'd like a cab, please.
2200 Walnut, right away.
Thank you.
Glen, why don't we just-- Don't worry, hon.
It'll all work out.
- Hey, did you see who that was? - Glen Williams.
Who is it? Lieutenant Stone.
I'd like to talk to you, Conway.
Just a minute.
There's an alley out back.
Take it easy, will you? - Where are the stamps? - I haven't got them.
Airline ticket.
One way.
Mr.
And Mrs.
Conway.
She was in your apartment.
Where did she go? I don't have to tell you anything.
That's right, you don't.
That was a Golden Gate Cab.
- Call the dispatcher.
- Right.
Eighty-one to headquarters.
Hey, Dad, we're up here.
Looking for somebody, lady? I'm meeting someone for a friend.
I know a guy, name's Conway.
That's my friend.
Where is he? He's out.
Out where? All the way out.
Finished.
Where's Jenkins? Jenkins? I guess you could say he's out too.
Permanently.
You have the stamps? One.
Just one.
You move it.
We'll split fifty-fifty.
And then I'll give you the next one.
I want them all.
Now.
Hold on to this guy.
Now, that isn't smart, lady.
But if you're all that intense about it, well, maybe I can live with a smaller percentage.
I don't think you can.
If you pull that trigger, what are you gonna get, just one stamp, right? Wouldn't you really rather deal for all ten? I know you got the customers on tap.
Mrs.
Conway.
We have your husband.
Lady, you pull that trigger now, we're both dead.
Put the gun down.
- I didn't kill anyone.
- I know.
Just drop the gun, Mrs.
Conway.
Hi, Doc.
Do you mind stepping over here a bit? Thirty-eight caliber.
What was that you were saying about being out of the trade? You know, I'm beginning to think you're right.
What's the charge? Suspicion of murder.
And having a magenta mouth.
Mike, from Hong Kong.
Along with notarized documents proving ownership and possession of one 6-cent British Guiana.
- What? - The stamp.
It's a proof of ownership from the Chinese consulate.
Here.
Read this telegram just came.
"To detective in charge Sturdevant case.
Have client who wishes remain anonymous.
But certain authentic 6-cent magenta British Guiana is not, repeat, not involved in your investigation.
" Read where it came from.
"London, England.
" London? Well, buddy boy, I guess this is one mystery we are never going to solve.