Tucker's Witch (1982) s01e08 Episode Script

- This is crazy.
This electric bill has tripled.
I don't believe this.
- Here honey.
- What's this? - Your favorite omelet, avocado, with sour cream and bacon and mushrooms, and onions.
- Rick, I'm the one who's been turning up the heat, to dry the herbs.
I'm sorry, really I'm sorry, I'll pay the bill.
- Ellen, Ellen listen, it wouldn't even make a dent in this electric bill, thank you but I'm gonna call these guys.
- Rick, it's my fault.
I witched the electric meter.
See, I saw the little dial, and I said to myself, you know, this is just like a clock, and I can witch clocks, but the dial got going around real fast, and I couldn't reset it, and I'm sorry.
- This is a terrific omelet.
- Amanda, oh wow.
- What is it? - I had like a vision.
I saw little boxes, in the Chez Zhang Hotel.
There's been a robbery, and we're gonna get involved.
- You mean you had a vision like I did, Rick.
- Well maybe he's tuned in to you.
- That's Fred Sandridge, from the insurance company.
- I'll let him in.
- Fred Sandridge, huh? - Uh huh.
- 10 bucks.
- You're on.
- Hi Fred.
- Hi Ellen.
- Come on in.
- Hi guys.
- Hi ya Fred.
- Hi ya Fred.
Gee, you're up early today.
- Well it's not every day Chez Zhang Hotel gets it, more than four million bucks worth.
- Chez Zhang? - Right out of the safe deposit boxes.
Everybody's screaming for blood, mine.
Well, let's go, you're supposed to be ready.
- Supposed to be ready? - We're due at the hotel, I told Rick when I called earlier.
- Fred.
A little joke, honey.
You were in the shower.
Okay, okay, you can keep the 10 dollars.
- We don't usually handle such large bond transactions this early in the morning.
Let me help you with that.
- I can handle it.
- Just curious.
What are you going to do with all that money? - Spend it.
- Mister Dunhill, telephone.
- Dunhill.
An old man, yes, just now, why? What? Jimmy, find that old man, we're the fourth bank he's hit today.
He's a thief, go get him.
- Well if it isn't Tom Swift and his electric witch.
Hi kids.
- Fisk, what are you doing here? - There's a robbery, I'm a cop.
Oh, Rackner's studying Canadian police methods, and salmon fishing, so I am stuck with robbery till he gets back.
- It looks like we get to work together again.
- I'll try to contain my joy.
- Wallace Carmichael, the hotel manager.
Rick and Amanda Tucker, our top investigators.
They'll be working closely with the police.
- Fred already filled us in, is this the canister? - Ah, a veritable sleuth.
- That's it, the lab will be checking it out.
The crime occurred just after five this morning.
They used a lock buster.
- Mister Carmichael is it possible that the thief was a guest here? - I doubt it.
The night manager said that his lapels were much too wide, and his suit fit horribly.
Definitely off the rack.
We're ruined.
- Relax, you're insured, right? - You can't insure a reputation.
I warn you Lieutenant, you solve this case quickly, or I'll have your job.
- It isn't that easy, Mister Carmichael.
First you have to pass a civil service exam.
- Inside job? - Could be.
Only the boxes with the most loot were opened.
- Do you think? - Oh that's too much to hope for.
There was a Herman Smith registered through Friday in 314, salesman, his bags are gone.
Housekeeping said he never slept in his bed.
- Rick, I feel something strong.
There's a lot of power behind that canister.
The man behind this is powerful.
I'll bet anything he's over six feet tall, probably very muscular.
- Any luck? - I'm picking up a sense of strength again.
Boy, I mean it Rick.
The man we want is big.
- You are detectives.
- Yes, yes.
We're trying to recover the things that were stolen.
You lost 500,000 dollars in cash, and a million-dollar ruby? - The star of Ran Japour, a flawless, 112 karat ruby.
His Royal Highness asks me to impress upon you, its sentimental value.
- Ah right.
And the cash? - His Highness says it too has sentimental value.
His Highness compliments you on the lady's beauty.
Does she belong to you? - Yes, yes I do.
Married.
- His Highness wishes you every success.
Sera malachim.
- Another glass, if they run out we'll go to France for more.
- That's not a bad idea.
Kelly, I have come into a small inheritance.
Now if I were to tell you that I am going to move to Paris for a little while, would you join me? - Stephen, you're joking.
- I'm not.
I mean, I'm not gonna be the celebrity psychic for the rest of my life, doing parlor tricks for a bunch of boring people.
I'm too good for that.
I need a real challenge.
Well, what do you think? - Paris.
You're a psychic, you tell me.
- I think you will.
- In a New York minute.
Do one last parlor trick for me.
Tell me how you see our life together, Stephen.
- I see museums and art and laughter, and nice little chats.
I see a picnic in the.
- Oh I love it.
- And I see that nice train ride to the.
And I see-- I see a blonde.
- What? - No, nothing romantic.
But definitely a blonde.
And I think she means trouble.
- Is she a problem? - No.
She's a challenge.
- Do you think he came this far? - Well we know the thief was wearing a gas mask, right? - Right.
- And a man in a gas mask would tend to attract attention.
So, when he comes out of the building, he yanks off the gas mask, and he flings it into the bushes, right? - Right.
Unless, he yanked off the mask, and carried it.
- That's a great theory honey, but that doesn't explain why I'm in the bushes.
- Why are you in the bushes? - Bingo.
- Rick? Something's about to happen.
I didn't do it.
- Amanda? - Hmm? - What are you doing? - What do you suppose this is? - Oh, well now.
I don't know.
What is it? - Well, whatever it is, you got a bunch of them.
- Right.
- I think it has something to do with the safe deposit boxes.
- Really? - Only how could this thief know which ones to hit? - And how did the gas mask get behind the bush, it was tossed from the sidewalk? - Maybe it bounced? - Maybe.
- Oh my gosh.
Oh, I've gotta go, it's late.
- Where you going? - I'm lecturing tonight at the herbal society.
- Well, what's your lecture? - Better Health Through Peppermint, bye.
- Okay, I'll wash, you dry.
- Deal.
- Do you believe those Bolivian kids that lost 350,000 dollars on their honeymoon? They didn't even go to Vegas.
- Some wedding present.
Kids who want to buy souvenirs.
- Yeah, you know, t-shirts, Mickey Mouse hats, Santa Monica Pier.
Do you remember our honeymoon? - I sure do.
Bermuda in the hurricane season, the walls never stopped shakin'.
- Was that what it was? - Oh, well.
Partly.
You know? I'll bet those honeymooners, they're not even aware of the theft.
They're just hold up in their room behind the do not disturb sign.
- We could offer a reward.
- Let's leave the kids alone.
- No no no no, I mean to get information.
Maybe somebody saw something.
- Rick, Deacon has a message.
The thief has something to do with the hotel.
- Amanda, that doesn't exactly narrow it down.
- Do you remember my hunch, about the powerful man? What about the Sheik's body guard? - Check it out.
What about the reward? - Do you think Fred'll go for it? - Oh Fred, he'll love it, trust me.
- 50,000 dollars? You gotta be crazy.
We'll attract every nut in town.
- Relax Fred, it'll work.
Fisk, what do you think? - You'll attract every nut in town, but it might work.
The guy we're after is shrewd.
- Fred, look at it this way.
I mean 50,000 dollars is better than paying four million dollars.
- Well I'll check with my office.
- What do you got Fisk, anything? - An old man cashed 200,000 dollars worth of bearer bonds this morning, in four different banks.
Serial numbers match those stolen.
We haven't released that to the press yet.
- Is there anything else you haven't told the press, or us? - Yeah, what about the guy that was in 314, the missing salesman? - Herman Smith, retired Army Colonel.
Big guy, the description, six four, 235, 240.
- Could he be involved in the robbery? - I think so.
The gas is called XR-91, it's made for the Army.
The manager was lucky.
Longer exposure to it would have killed him.
- Lieutenant, do the victims have anything in common? - Clout.
We're getting lot of pressure from the State Department, and half the embassies in Washington.
Fisk.
Huh? Send him in.
Just what I needed.
Ever hear of Stephen Kubler? - The celebrity psychic? - He's on the case.
- You're hiring psychics now? - Not my idea.
He plays golf with the Chief, he volunteered his services.
Said he had a flash about an old man cashing bonds.
Described him perfectly, too.
All he missed were the glasses.
Come in.
- Lieutenant Fisk? I'm Stephan Kubler.
I sensed something else about the old man.
He wore glasses.
Bifocals, I think.
- And, we found this.
The Tuckers found this.
- Yes.
Was it found near something yellow? A marguerites perhaps? - Yes, yellow marguerites.
- Actually it was much closer to a bush.
- A hibiscus bush.
- Right.
Hibiscus bush.
Well it was.
- Mister Kubler how did you happen to tune in to this robbery? - This morning when I was walking through the hotel lobby, where I live, I envisioned the words, live it up, sort of like a sign.
- Live it up.
- It's the slogan for that new soda.
- Fascinating.
- As a matter of fact, I get my thoughts at random.
For instance, right now isn't your husband thinking of a tropical vacation? - No, not really.
- Not somewhere like Hawaii? No no no, Bermuda.
- Rick.
- Well honey, your mind wanders.
- Mister Kubler, I keep getting the image of Paris, do you go there often? - Well, I went to school there.
I see you have talents as well.
- I am getting an image myself, of the future, I see you and the Tuckers going away and working together very closely.
- Fisk, I'll keep you posted.
- Oh please.
- Hey let's check out the victims, we should split up the list.
- See I've added some more.
- What is that? - I keep getting this image.
- Looks like a waffle iron.
- Or safe deposit boxes.
- Perhaps.
Say, why don't we meet back at the hotel at about four o'clock? - Good enough.
- Mister Kubler? - Yes.
- I have the strangest feeling that we've met.
- Odd.
I felt that too.
- Missus Tucker.
Welcome.
Please.
This way.
With your permission.
- What are you doing here? - I had a strange feeling about this man.
- Arabic coffee, very good.
- You, you were describing the ruby.
- The Star of Ran Jipour.
For many generations it has been in the royal family.
You find your coffee suitable? - It's great.
Then it would be hard to sell this ruby? - Yes.
This ruby is quite famous.
- Tell His Highness to be patient, I'm sure the thief will offer to sell him the stone.
- This, I see this.
I see an image.
In gold, a design on black velvet.
- This is the royal seal.
- Royal seal, huh? - You know I bet the body guard's involved, he gives me the creeps.
- Yes, I felt it too, there were dangerous currents in that room.
Rick, what did you come up with? - Well let's see, the Bolivian honeymooners haven't come out of their suite for a week.
Oh, it's a house record for a married couple.
- Is that all.
- Honey that's a lot, we only lasted five days.
- I have a hunch the manager is mixed up in all this.
- No way, no one of the victims was very cautious.
The manager couldn't have known what was inside his box.
Now I think the key is the gas canister.
- Rick? Right here.
I see something yellow.
It's a car.
- What, a get-away car, what? - I don't know.
- I see something too, I see the both of you sitting down to a wonderful meal, veal marsala, those adorable little green beans vinegarette, tomatoes provencal.
- No no no, Thursday night, meatloaf.
- Let me explain.
I hate living in a hotel.
I mean one can't cook there.
So let me prepare you a very nice meal, huh? It'll be such fun.
It's so rare that I get to meet someone with real powers.
You were very impressive in that room.
- You weren't so bad yourself.
It's a deal.
- Good, I'll bring along a nice little burgundy.
- I know.
- Tell me something, do you have the same psychic powers as your daughter? - Oh no no.
It skips a generation.
I can't do anything.
- I believe we all have certain powers, it's just a matter of getting in touch with them.
- Really? Well, my mother used to say that.
One time I spent three hours trying to bend a spoon, by concentrating.
- And what happened? - I got just the tiniest little headache.
- Coffee and brandy, Mister Kubler? - Oh, thank you Amanda.
- That was Marsha, on July 19th, three canisters of XR-91 gas were stolen from Fort Bender in Utah.
- We have to find the retired Colonel from room 314.
- Yep.
- That could be our man.
Oh, thank you.
This drawing of yours, Amanda.
What do you think it means? - Well I think it's related to the safe deposit boxes.
I see the number 14.
- Box number 14 wasn't robbed.
- I know, but maybe the thief robbed the other boxes, and stashed the loot in box 14.
That's it.
- Good.
How do you get your visions, Amanda? - Well, it helps if I can touch the object.
You know, feel it.
But lots of times it's just hit or miss.
- Oh but she's getting quite a lot better.
- With me it's as if my whole body were an antenna, picking up energy.
When I'm tuned in, well sometimes I get the most incredible visions.
Once, I saw all the numbers on a thief's drivers license.
- Really, oh.
Oh Amanda couldn't do that.
- Well sometimes I get a little lucky.
And another time, I saw-- Are you feeling chilly, Missus Hobbes? - Oh well, really.
Well I've been trying to keep the heating costs down.
- Amanda, go ahead.
- What? - Honey, go ahead.
- Oh, no.
- Go on.
- That's remarkable.
My God, it must be incredible to live with a woman with gifts like that.
- Oh yes yes.
It's hell trying to surprise her on her birthday.
- Mister Kubler, watch the lamp near the clock.
- Oh Amanda's very good with lights.
- Oh dear, what a shame.
- Never misses with the light.
- Well, anybody want anything? - Yes, I'd love some more of your desert.
- Oh good, just come into the kitchen with me.
- I'm getting danger, I sense danger.
Oh, just a flash.
- We attracted every nut in town.
- Fred, one of them even came from Fresno.
See, it pays to advertise.
- Well, anything we can use? - Well, so far we've got three helicopter theories.
Oh, you see the punk rocker over there? She swears it was the Martians, she offered to take a lie detector test.
- I'll never get out of the claims division.
- Oh no, no stop.
This is Missus Turnbull's, the hotel owner, she's out of town.
- I take full responsibility.
- Honey, what was in the box? - Marital aids.
Oh Rick, I was so sure that number 14 meant something.
- Hey, don't worry.
Look, it's been a long day.
I still believe in you.
- So, do you want to hear about the team of trained dobermans that knocked off the hotel? - And broke open all the boxes? - Yeah, well she said they were trained.
- Excuse me, I'm Jake Godwin.
I was here when the whole thing happened.
Well you see, I'm a cab driver.
Number 14, that's my lucky number.
- Number 14? What color is it? - Yellow.
Anyway, I think I know how the robbery went down.
- You do huh? - Well I got a theory.
- What's your theory Jake? - What if there was no robbery? - How's that Jake? - What if, they did it for the insurance, and what if the management was in on it? - Not bad, Jake.
Not bad.
Tell us everything you saw.
- Well that's what I'm getting at, because I saw nothing.
- There were no other cars around? - No no, look, I was out - there from 4:30, to 5:25, I got it all logged right here.
I saw no cars, nothing.
- No one went in or out of the hotel? - No, not that I saw, and you gotta remember, that I'm out there looking for fares.
- That's important.
It means the thief stayed in the hotel.
- That means he's wasting your time.
- Jake, could you show us where you were at the time? - Oh yeah, it's right out front.
- I'll skip the grand tour if you don't mind.
Message desk, please.
- Did you hear anything, anything at all? - Nothing pal.
- Which way were you facing? - Oh yeah yeah.
There was a sound, in the bushes.
- Where did it come from? - From right over there.
- Jake, thanks.
- My pleasure.
- You know that ex-Colonel who split, his room is right up there.
He could have tossed the mask easily.
- Yeah, the west wing is also in range.
The sheik's body guard could have tossed it from the balcony.
- Mister Tucker? - Mister Carmichael? - You've received a message.
It sounds quite important.
Herman Smith is back.
He wants to see you both in his room.
- You can have Smith, I'll check out the body guard.
- Mister Smith? It's Rick Tucker.
Hello? Mister Smith? You all right? - Oh, ride mister? Oh, it's you sir.
- Hello, Jake.
You know, I've been thinking, you could be our main key to solving this case.
- No kidding? Wanna take a ride and talk about it? - Absolutely.
- Mister Smith? Rick! My husband is very sick inside.
Please, let me have the key.
Call the doctor, he's very sick.
Hurry.
- It's nice here isn't it? I come here from time to time.
- Oh yeah, it's real nice up here.
- Tell me something, Jake.
What else did you see? - Oh, the other night you mean.
You know there was something I forgot to mention.
I did hear a window open and close.
And I looked up and I seen a light go on.
Either it was on the fifth floor, or, no I think it was the fourth floor right near the end.
I really meant to mention that.
- Jake, I think you deserve that reward.
- Oh, I don't need no reward.
- Well I had the most awful night last night.
I haven't had a moment's sleep since this thing began.
- You should have stayed with us.
We snuck in a nap.
- So I heard.
Well, I'm glad the two of you are all right, but someone isn't all right.
- What does that mean? - I saw it all.
I saw the Live it Up sign, I saw a sign that said Park Ridge.
I saw Dodger Stadium.
- That's in Elysian Park.
- I saw a yellow car.
I saw death.
I'm sure it must have something to do with the robbery.
- I'll go call Fisk and ask him to meet us there.
- Yep, that's blood all right.
- I dreamed there was death.
- Let's see what we've got.
- Jake.
- This is the guy who saw nothing? - That's him.
What's that under his coat? - He saw enough.
The way I figure it, the cabbie was in on it.
- Oh come on, Fisk.
Why would he volunteer information? - To throw you a curve.
Fact, we got a body.
Fact, the disguise links him to the stolen bonds, in fact, that royal thingamajig ties him to the robbery.
- Maybe you're right.
The one who led us to all the facts is Kubler.
- Yeah, yeah.
- Why thank you Mister Price, and you're welcome.
Mister Tucker and his wife are assisting me.
- Harold Price, LA Tribune.
You mind if I use that? - Oh, I guess not.
Oh no, no pictures please.
It makes it harder to go undercover.
- Well, whatever you say.
I must admit I'm really surprised at how perfect Kubler's predictions are.
- Um, excuse me, one more thing, I wanted to-- - How we doing? - I finished my drawing.
Look Rick, an empty box.
I knew something was missing.
- It's great.
What is it? - I don't know.
But I picked up a sense of it when they opened the trunk.
I know it's important, but I don't know how.
- Well, stick with it.
I got a feeling Kubler is mixing his dreams with reality.
- What do you mean? - He said that sign up there was supposed to say Live it Up, like the soda pop.
- Well, he's entitled to one minor slip.
- A minor slip, sure.
You see I was curious about one of your signs.
Could you tell me how long a billboard's been up? - I'm sorry, that's confidential.
- Oh, billboards are confidential? - Oh, this is a cutthroat business.
How do I know you're not a spy from one of those other shops? I gotta protect my clients.
- I'm glad to hear that because I am a client.
Or I aim to be.
- Why didn't you say so? How many billboards will you need? - One.
- Just what are you selling Mister Bartville? - Oh, me.
See I want to propose to my girl, Mary Lou.
And I want to do it with style, and she has turned me down nine times now.
- Now, just what would this billboard say? - Well, Marry me, Mary Lou, Love, Elwood.
- Oh, that's catchy.
Do you have a spot in mind? - Yes I do, up near where we like to go and smooch.
It's got a great view.
It's up in Elysian Park.
- Oh, I'd like to help.
We just put a new board there.
- Is that a fact? - Put up a Tahiti board there, yesterday morning.
- That is the best news I've had in years.
- We got a lot of other good locations, Elwood.
- Oh let Mary Lou buy her own damn billboard, thanks.
- Mister Carmichael? - What is it, Missus Tucker? - Could you please tell me who's in room 411? - That's been Mister Kubler's room for years.
- Now we have several questions for you, sealed to insure you can't know in advance what they are.
Now the first question.
- No, that won't be necessary.
Here let me see that.
This is from a woman, a woman in blue, the lady in blue.
You have two children? Now let me see, this is no question at all, this is a trick.
This is a phone bill.
And let me see, what have we here? Another trick.
And this is going to cost someone.
This is a $100 bill.
Do you still have any doubts? - None.
Rick, I've got it.
I figured out how the robbery was done, and who did it.
- I know, Kubler.
- Right.
How did you do that? And where have you been anyway? - Well I was trying to buy a billboard so I could get Mary Lou to marry me, but I couldn't get the space.
Come on, you fill me in, I'll fill you in.
- It just galls me that Kubler really thinks he can get away with this.
- He will too, unless we come up with a lot more than we've got now.
- What about that billboard, dear? He described that billboard before there even was a murder, doesn't that count as evidence? - Not unless the judge starts admitting fairy dust as exhibit A.
That's a gray area.
- Juries don't believe in psychic powers.
Kubler would get off like that.
Oh, Mom, I'm sorry.
- Yeah, Amanda's sketch won't hold up in court.
- The guy covers his trail by committing murder, and then for an alibi, tells the whole world how to find the body and becomes a hero.
- Hi gang.
- Hello, Marsha.
- Hi Marsha.
- Hi Marsha, don't tell me you're still working.
- Okay, I won't tell you, but I will put it on my timecard.
July 19th.
- That's the day the gas canisters were stolen.
- That's also the day the Fort Bender's officers' wives heard a lecture by one Stephen Kubler.
- Now we're cooking.
- You wanted to see me? - Oh yes, thanks for coming down.
- Will this take long? I have a noon flight to catch, to Paris, Interpol wants me to consult on a kidnapping case.
- Oh, no no no, it won't take long at all.
Is something the matter? - Oh no.
No, it's just the anticipation of the trip.
- You're quitting the case I guess, huh? - Well I'm leaving it in very capable hands.
- Thank you.
- Now, what did you want to see me about? - I wanted to show you these press clippings.
You know you were really quite famous.
- Thank you.
I have already seen them.
Is that what you wanted to talk to me about? - Partly, I wanted to discuss the case with you.
- Well, I'm sure you and Rick can handle it from here.
- Now, I'm sorry but I really must go.
- There's something else.
I figured out my drawing.
- You did? - Uh huh.
They weren't safe deposit boxes at all.
- They weren't? - No, they were windows.
The little rectangles were windows.
I'd show you but, you said you were in a hurry so.
- No no, I, I think I can spare you a minute or two.
- You might say that Jake left us a little map.
See, if you turn it this way, it looks like that wall, and these boxes become windows.
- You have a festive imagination.
- Perhaps.
I can easily imagine that this one box here is a room with a light on.
- And Fort Bender is unbearably hot in July.
- What? - Amanda, you were thinking of Fort Bender.
We're on the same wavelength.
Too bad we're not on the same side.
Now please, don't do anything rash, or I shall have to shoot.
- I could scream.
- Then you'll die screaming.
- Rick, he's got a gun.
- How nice of you to pack my bag for me.
- Kubler, how about a trade? The money for my wife.
- It appears I already have both.
Give her the case would you? Thank you.
Now, we're going to take a nice little walk to my car.
Oh Mister Tucker, you may put your gun in there.
Thank you.
- Anything new on the case? - Yes.
- Maybe, we'll let you know.
Rick! - Watch this.
Had enough? Over here.
Get a hold of him.
- Are you all right? - Yeah, hey the water's fine.
Come on down.
Oh no, I was just kidding.
- No, Missus Tucker, I beg you.
- Amanda! What took you so long? - I'm sorry honey.
- Amanda, what's the matter? - I was just feeling kind of sad.
Kubler had so much talent, what a waste.
Rick, his vision was so clear.
- Yeah, and that is just where he's gonna be for the next 99 years.
- Rick, before we were married, you never really believed I had any powers, did you? - Well, you never really showed 'em.
- Sure I did.
Lots of times.
- When? - Remember when your car broke down, in Big Sur? - And we were stuck for three days? The fusebox shorted out, that was you? - Yeah.
- And the time the chairlift broke in Aspen, we were stranded there? - Uh huh.
- And that time on Catalina.
Or Hawaii.
Sure, Hawaii.
- You used some pretty great magic yourself, you know.
- When, where? - Bermuda.
- Oh.