05x06 - Days Beyond Recall

[bunniefuu]

What you got there, Haley?

Get your hands off.

Not till we're sure.

Where'd he go?

Huh?

The guy that gave you the bottle.

I don't know.

Try down there.

♪♪

Mr. Mannix?
That's right.

I'm Jane Haley. I'm sorry, I know
I should have phoned for an appointment.

No bother at all. Please come in.

Thank you.

This is my secretary Peggy Fair,
Miss Haley.

How do you do?
Hello, Miss Haley.

Would you like some coffee?
No, thank you.

Please sit down.

Now what can I do for you?

It's about my brother, Mr. Mannix.
He's missing.

Have you gone to the police?
No.

Well, they have a department that spends
all of its time locating missing people

and it's free.

Yes, I know.

But my brother is an alcoholic

and I'd rather have it handled
privately.

I see.

Have you any idea where he might be?

I don't think he's left Los Angeles.

Do you have a photograph of him?

Not a recent one

and doesn't look at
all the way he used to.

But he's , blue eyes,

about "
with sandy brown hair.

Has he ever disappeared before?

Yes. Once before.
A few months ago.

Where'd you find him then?

On skid row.

He phoned me from a mission
just off Main Street

and asked me to come and get him.

Well, since then he hasn't had a drink,
until two weeks ago.

I got home from work,

there was an empty bottle on the floor
and he was gone.

All right, Miss Haley,

I'll see what I can do.

Thank you very much, Mr. Mannix.

Miss Haley.
Yes.

For openers,
maybe you'd better tell me his name.

Frank Haley?
Never heard of him.

But that don't mean a thing down here.

On skid row, who goes by his right name?

Well, ask around, will you, Kony?

Sure. If I see anybody like the guy
you describe, I'll call you, hey, Joe.

Yeah. Thanks, Kony.

Hey, I don't see you no more
at the wrestling.

Well, I kinda lost interest
when the actors took over.

Yeah.

I guess I was the last of
the real ones, huh, Joe?

You sure were, Kony.

Well, do you know him?

Look, it's important.

Haley. Sure, I know him.

Where is he?

What's it worth?
bucks.

Pay off first.
Short, fat, redhead?

That's him.
Nice try.

It's worth a buck.

You know Haley? Frank Haley?

You gave him a buck.

Nope. I don't know nobody
named Haley, either.

Hey, Joe, I just got a call.

The Blue Mirror Bar.
Three blocks on your right.

A rat hole. He's there.
Thanks, Kony.

Frank Haley?

Sorry, friend, wrong number.

Your sister's worried about you.
She'd like to see you.

I don't have a sister.

If you'll come with me,
I'll drive you there.

That's cents a bottle, and you owe it.

I'll take care of it.

Look, maybe I didn't
come on strong enough.

Your sister is very worried.

You mean the sister I don't have?

That's right.

Hey, you really hang in there,
don't you?

Yeah, I'm a real tiger.

It won't do any good,
but I'll go see her.

Well, it's a start anyway.

I better

wash this off me.

My sister, she's very particular.

There you are. Keep the change.

There's nothing back there
but a door to the alley.

That's the glass Haley was using
at the Blue Mirror Bar.

I went back and got it.

Why would anyone want to harm
a broken-down wino?

That depends on what he was
before he broke down.

Now, Peggy, on your way home, would
you drop that off for a fingerprint check?

All right. You okay, Joe?

I mean a bump on the head like that,
you could have a possible concussion.

I'm okay. Would you get Jane Haley
on the phone for me?

The number's on the pad.
It's an answering service.

There's a couple of questions
I want to ask her.

I called earlier today,
but she hadn't checked in.

Jane Haley, please.
Mr. Mannix calling.

Are you sure?

Well, could we have her home number?
It's very important.

I see.

Thank you very much.

She started her
answering service yesterday

and called in about minutes ago
to cancel it.

They don't have her home number
or address.

Something tells me I've been used
as a bird dog to find Haley

for the guys
who clobbered me.

The fingerprints
match those on the wine glass.

Is that the man, Joe?
Yeah, that's him.

And the only thing about him that hasn't
changed are his fingerprints.

Except maybe his name.
Who is he?

Did you ever hear of Eric Latimer?

Latimer? The writer?

"Worldwide" magazine.
Crime exposes.

Yeah, I remember.
He drowned a couple of years ago.

What's the connection?
Haley is Eric Latimer.

What?

Mistakes happen, Joe.

The Coast Guard found his catamaran
upside down off the west tip of Catalina.

He was in it when he left
Marina Del Rey.

He was reported lost at sea.

Looks like it might have
been a snap judgment.

Yeah, I remember his stories.

Named a lot of names.
Must have made a lot of enemies.

If Latimer is alive and in hiding,

I want to know why.

You know, Art, my bump of curiosity

is a little bigger than usual.

How about letting me follow through
on my own for a couple of days?

What's going on, Joe?

Just two days, Art.

One day. By the clock.

And, Joe,

maybe you'd better wear a helmet.

"Eighty-five percent of all
of the money collected

on this nationwide charity drive stuck
to the callused fingers

of the man who promoted it."

After this article came out,
the IRS. went after them.

Latimer really flushed a lot of baddies out
of the woodwork, didn't he?

Yeah, I'm sure every one of them wanted
to see him dead.

He must have faked drowning

so that whoever
was after him would think he was dead.

Where do you start?
You can't check them all out, Joe.

Yeah. Wait a minute.

Maybe there is somebody
who can give us a lead.

Who?
Watch.

That's the same photographer.

Right.

All right, lift your head up.
Great mark.

Oh, yes, I want to get close.

Beautiful. Okay now, swing around.

Keep going.

Terrific.

Spin, yes, marvelous!

Hold that up again, great!

Marvelous, keep going.

Turn around,
throw your head back.

All right, lift your head up.

Keep going.

Throw your head around to me.

Over the shoulder.

Oh, great! Marvelous!

That's beautiful, Chris.

Okay, dress, Chris, I've got to reload.

Miss Westcott?

Thanks a lot, Westy.
Okay, Chris.

I'll see you same time tomorrow.
Okay, love.

Bye-bye.
Bye-bye.

Mr. Mannix, I didn't give you

my right name because--

Go on.
It must be on the tip of your tongue.

Frank Haley's a very dear old friend of mine
and I wanted to help him get back

on his feet.
Sorry, Miss Westcott.

Nice try.
But I know Frank Haley is Eric Latimer.

Well, you have been busy.

Lost at sea two years ago.
Why?

Well, he doesn't want anyone
to know he's alive.

Because he's an alcoholic.

And because he's landed in the gutter.
Now that much was true.

And I want to help him

and that's why I came to you.

Then why did you scrub the phone number
you gave me?

Because he called me from out of town
last night, but he wouldn't say where he was.

Why didn't you call me?

He made me promise.

Well, when an alcoholic doesn't want
to be helped,

you can't help him.

And I thought it over

and I decided to stop trying.

So I've sent you a check in the mail
for your services, Mr. Mannix.

Miss Westcott.

I got worked over
by two g*ons in a dark alley.

What?

Did he tell you that when he called?

No, he didn't.

I don't like being worked over by a couple
of g*ons in an alley.

So I'm gonna find out exactly
what's going on.

Those two men--
they were after Eric?

That's my guess.

If they find him again, I don't think he'll
have to play dead anymore.

Do you have any idea who they are?

No. I was hoping maybe you did.

Mr. Mannix, I have a deadline to meet,
but I do want to help.

Could I call you later?

We could have a drink
and maybe I can think of something.

All right, I'll be at my office.
Okay.

I heard what you told him, Westy.

I want you to promise me you're
not going to call him later.

Eric, why didn't you tell me
about those two men?

What's the difference?
I know you'd read something else into it.

You start to worry and the truth of it
is they mistook me for somebody else.

Somebody's found out you're alive
and they trying to k*ll you.

Now that's the truth, isn't it?

No, it isn't.
Then why are you here?

Well, I just found myself short of funds,
Westy.

And I came up here
to negotiate a small loan.

Eric, what are you running away from?

Do you want me to stop drinking?

Do I have to answer that?

There's this place,

it's near San Francisco.
It's a farm.

New kind of drunk cure.

You work the fields,
you earn your keep.

The air is clean.

It's worth a try.

Stake me, Westy?

Come on, Westy, come on.

Just enough to buy some clothes

and just get up there, that's all.

That's all I want.

Eric, I wish I could believe you.

Believe me.

Where is this place, Eric?

It's near San Francisco.
I'll call you as soon as I get up there.

Okay.

I'll give you the money.

Here.

Eric.

I'm gonna make it this time,
Westy.

I'm gonna make it.

Here you are, Miss.

Gate .
Boarding in five minutes.

South Eastern Airways

flight now arriving at gate .

Your destination, sir?

Sir, do you have your ticket?

Is there something I can
help you with, sir?

No, no.

Flight from Cheyenne
will be arriving

in minutes at gate .

He had a reservation for San Francisco,

but he cashed it in at L.A. International.

I should have known better.

Let's go back a couple of years.

Anybody ever thr*aten him
that you know of?

No. I knew something
was troubling him,

but he wouldn't tell me
what it was.

That was about the time
he started drinking heavily

and then one day--

Lost at sea.

Where did he actually lose himself?

He told me he was here in Los Angeles
the whole time,

but that doesn't seem possible.

Well, skid row is full of missing people
who never get found.

How long after he was supposed
to have been drowned

did you hear from him?

Well, it was about three weeks ago.

Eric phoned me and said he was calling
from New York.

A friend needed $
in a hurry,

and he asked me to send it
to a Frank Haley,

care of General Delivery,
Terminal Annex,

Los Angeles.

Go on.

Well, I mailed the money.

And?

And the next morning I went
to the Terminal Annex

and waited near
the General Delivery window.

And Eric Latimer showed up asking
if there was any mail for Frank Haley.

That's right.

He told me to wait a couple of minutes.
He had a phone call to make

and then he didn't come back.

Please, Mr. Mannix,
you've got to find him.

Before those men do.

Haley's in big trouble,

and Mannix here is gonna help him.

So get out there and start looking.

Whoever finds him,
come to me and it's worth bucks.

Make that a hundred, Kony.

You hear that?

bucks.

Well, what are you waiting for?

And if I hear one of you that found him
and didn't tell me,

that guy I squash like a bug.

Now get!

Hello.

Joe. Kony.

You got something for me, Kony?

Yeah.
A guy called Brock spotted him.

Says he's in bad shape.
Better get to him fast.

Eric! Eric!

Eric! Eric! Eric!

Doc, how is he?

All right for the time being.
He's sleeping.

I'll keep you informed.

Wait.
Dr. Brendan, when may I see him?

Not for hours.
That's the rule. I'm sorry.

Doctor, it's very important that I talk
to him as soon as possible.

Well, I think you should know that
his condition is critical.

Of course, when he leaves here he'll be
bright eyed and bushy-tailed,

but one more bout like
the last one and that's it.

He's had it.

You see, some alcoholics
can keep going for years,

but not him.

His system won't tolerate
any more alcohol.

He's reached the edge of the cliff,

and he'll be there for the rest
of his life.

One binge and over he goes.

I'm telling you this so that
you know what to expect.

False hopes won't help.

Nor lectures or pleading
or anything else.

What about Antabuse?

Well, when you're on Antabuse,
if you drink, you get violently ill.

So you don't drink. He'll be on it.

Whether or not he stays on it
will be up to him.

Thank you and goodbye,
Doctor.

Well, Doc,

I'd appreciate it if this didn't get around.

We specialize in silence.
Thank you.

Well, there's one thing we can do
to help him.

What?
Find out who's after him.

Take him off the rack.
Relieve the pressure.

Well, how do we do that?

What was Eric working on
just before he disappeared?

An article about Ollie Packer.

Ollie Packer.
The man who had everything,

including a pearl handled p*stol,
which he k*lled himself with.

Yeah, that was just a day or two
before Eric disappeared.

Yeah, there could be
a connection there.

How?
The su1c1de had nothing to do with Eric.

Do you know anything about
the material Eric dug up on Packer?

No. No, he hadn't started writing
the article yet.

But he had me take some candid sh*ts
at a party at Ollie Packer's.

They're at my studio back in town.
Would they help?

Let's go see.

Are you all right?
Yeah, just empty-handed.

There were two of them.
One was waiting down below in a car.

Where are those pictures you took
at Packer's house?

They're right here.

The pictures are gone.

What about the negatives?
They were in here, too.

Well, I guess that explains
why they came.

That takes care of that.

Maybe not.
What do you mean?

The proof sheets-- I sent them to
the magazine, and they keep everything.

There's Ollie Packer.
He's the one on the left.

Let's take a closer look at that.

How long was this taken
before he committed su1c1de?

Four or five days.

Who's the one on the right?
That's Philip Crane.

There's a better picture of him.

There.

He was Packer's vice president
in charge of investments.

He's in charge of everything now.

It was Philip Crane who found Packer's
body and phoned the police.

Westy, I want a blowup
of that sh*t right there.

The waiter?

Who is he?

I don't know yet,
but he sure stopped waiting.

Great Pacific Insurance Company.
What's all this about, Mr. Mannix?

Ollie Packer's su1c1de.

Well, I don't understand.

I told the police everything I knew
when it happened.

As a matter of fact,
I was the one that called them.

Yes, I know, that's why I'm here.
I like firsthand information.

Oh, is it a question
of the policy?

Well, that's a confidential matter.
However, if you'd rather not talk about it.

No, no, no. Please sit down.

Thank you.

Now what is it you want to know?

Everything that happened that day.

Well, Ollie had been acting strangely
for the last two or three days.

He was very upset. Very nervous.

Called me over to his home
to discuss a business deal.

At one point, |, I went into another room
to get some papers from his files.

I heard a sh*t.
I went running back into the living room.

And there he was
sprawled across a table.

He was still alive.

How long did he live?

Just a few seconds.

Did he say anything?

He tried to, but no.

So I called the police.

Nobody else in the house?

No, it was the servants' day off.

You know, talking about it like this
kind of brings it back, doesn't it?

What sort of business deal
were you discussing?

Oh, just routine.

Acquisition of a small factory.

Stereo components and such.

Mr. Crane...

Do you know this man?

Yes, I believe he served drinks
at a party Mr. Packer gave.

Do you know his name?

Ernest.

His last name?

I'm sorry, Mr. Mannix,
we were never formally introduced.

Of course.

And you never saw him
but at that one party?

That's right.

He probably came
from a catering service.

If you like, I can check Mr. Packer's files
and call you.

Thank you.
Not at all, Mr. Mannix.

Now.

Hello, Eric.

Oh, well, well, the knight in shining armor
that saved me from the dragons.

Look, Mannix, let me give you
a little word of advice.

You just stay out of this, huh?

You forget,

I'm a tiger.

I don't want Westy involved.

She's already involved.

Her studio was broken into.

Those pictures she took at
Ollie Packer's home,

they were stolen.

Why?

I don't know.

Oh, come on, Latimer.
What's behind all of this?

Were you a witness to something?
A m*rder, maybe?

I figured that'd be question number one.

What are you running from?

I'm running from myself.

Care to flesh that out a bit?

Or would you rather wait
till they get at you through Westy?

I was on the take, Mannix.

I sold out.

To Ollie Packer?

Yeah.

Packer Enterprises has a--

Has a beautiful front.

I found out most of the money

was coming from a minor subsidiary.

I got behind it and I started to dig.

It's a moving and storage company.

You know what they're moving?

They're moving dope.

And you told Packer?

Oh yeah, yeah, I told him.

I told him.

Look, Mr. Packer, I don't write anything
unless I can back it up.

All you have to do is prove to me you didn't
know your vans were being used to ship dr*gs

and I'll make that clear in my article.

What do you get paid
for an article like this, Latimer?

I get paid enough to take care
of the rent and pay the bills.

Wait a minute, wait a minute.

Don't forget your attache case.

That isn't mine.

Of course it is.

So is everything inside.

Have you ever seen $,

in small bills, Mannix?

I mean there was nothing,
nothing over $.

It's quite a sight.

A fantastic sight.

And then suddenly it occurred to me that
when I was looking at that money

and what I was getting paid
as a writer

was just peanuts.

You know what I did?
I took the money

and I went home.

And I counted it.

I counted it.
I counted every single dollar.

And I spent the rest of the night just
thinking how I was going to spend it.

Did you tell Westy?

No.

No.

When you decide to live
with the infidels,

you don't tell a fellow crusader
like Westy.

It was my conscience started
to act up on me

and I started to look over my shoulder
wherever I went.

I couldn't eat and I couldn't sleep,

and if you're a drinking man...

You get drunk and you stay drunk.

And if that doesn't do the trick,
you get religion

and you decide to re-enlist
with the Crusaders.

I called Packer to tell him
I was bringing the money back.

That I couldn't live with it.

I saw Ollie Packer
slumped across the table, a g*n in his hand.

And Philip Crane came into the room.

I don't think he saw me.

I turned into a crossroad.

They overshot it.

And I lost them.

I knew they'd catch up
with me sooner or later.

Maybe even Westy
if they found me with her.

So I decided it'd be a good idea
if I got lost at sea.

It seemed like a glamorous way out.

Did you get a look at the man
that took a sh*t at you?

No, but I know why he sh*t at me.

That gives you something to work on.

Why did he sh**t at you?

Packer k*lled himself because he knew I was
going to expose him

and his whole operation,
in the magazine.

The men that came after me worked for him
and maybe they wanted to even the score

or maybe they were involved
in what I had on Packer.

It's that time again, Mr. Haley.

Yeah, wards off evil spirits.

You take a drink after one of these,

worse than the spiders.

Well, there must be
an appropriate toast.

Well, how about "To Westy"?

I'll drink to that.

No, I don't know where Haley is.
I told you a hundred times I don't know.

Sure you do, Brock.
It'll come to you.

No hurry.
We got plenty of time.

And plenty of wine, too.

I can't stand it. I gotta have a drink.

I'm a sick man. I'm a sick man.
I've gotta have a drink.

Sure.

But first you gotta pay for it.

Now you tell us where he is.

I can't.

Kony would k*ll me.

Kony won't know.

They took him away
in an ambulance.

Took him where?
One of them drying out places.

Sure.

The Brendan Sanitarium.

Down the hatch, Pal.

That's it, Joe.
Scene of the crime.

Only one arm was on the table.

The other was dangling down
with the p*stol on the floor?

Are you sure?
Absolutely.

If he sh*t himself,
that's where his arm would fall.

What are you looking for, Joe?

I found what I'm looking for, Art.
m*rder.

Does Eric Latimer have something
to do with this?

Well, he was supposed to be the second
victim, but he didn't even know why.

They're still after him.

The only way to stop it

is to find our friend Ernest here
and his pal.

Well, I went to the movies that night.

And on my way back
through the parking lot,

this guy came out of the Blue Mirror.

He asked me for a light
and then he clipped me.

When a guy swings at me,
I swing back.

And who was the guy who ran up
and clipped me?

Search me.

You saw us fighting, tried to stop it

and then you hauled off on him
and he clobbered you.

Well, I see you found Ernest.

Now will you tell me
what this is all about?

Like I told you before,
it's about Ollie Packer's death.

I told you everything I knew.

Same as I told you, Lieutenant,
the day it happened.

Mr. Mannix doesn't think
you're telling the truth.

I didn't say anything, Mr. Crane.

I thought you didn't know Mr. Crane.

Yeah.

Well, his name came back to me
when I saw him come in the door.

From the party.

I see.

Now you made a couple
of wrong moves, Mr. Crane.

He's one of them. Using a guy
who can't stand heat under questioning.

The other wrong move was not leaving
that attache case in Packer's entrance hall

where the police might find it.

You see, I've got a witness
who knows Eric Latimer left it there.

What attaché case?

Latimer arrived at the wrong time,
didn't he?

Just as you were running in
to rearrange his arm

and make it look like su1c1de instead of a
m*rder committed by one of your errand boys.

You saw Latimer,
but you didn't know how much he saw.

So you sent your boys out
to get him but they missed.

Well, I've got him.
Eric Latimer is my witness.

Latimer?
I thought he drowned.

No, no, no. He came back to life
and he walked across the water right

to skid row where you and your pal
found him and messed it up again.

You know, Mr. Crane, if you want
to do a job right, you gotta do it yourself.

I didn't find anybody.

Yeah, well maybe that'll come back
to you too once you see him.

I could have Latimer here
in one hour, Art.

Yeah. No formal charges
have been filed, Mr. Crane.

So I have no right to hold you.

I'll be glad to wait, Lieutenant.

I mean if, if Mr. Latimer's alive he can
only confirm what I've already told you.

You a freshman here?

Hey, you know a guy here
named Haley?

No, why?

He got a call
when I was being checked in.

Girlfriend of his was
in an auto accident.

He'll never hear about it.

What was her name?

I don't know.

But she was hurt bad.
Wanted him to come to the hospital.

And they don't even tell him.

Some joint.

What hospital was it?

Hey, what are you getting
so excited about?

What was the name of the hospital?

County General.

Hey, are you Haley?

I gotta get to a phone.

They won't even let you call
for the right time.

I gotta get out of here.
Hey! Guards.

You'll never make it to the front door.

But there's a window down
in the basement.

They don't know the lock doesn't hold.

You got a car?

No, they brought me here.
I don't got a car.

You can use mine.

I gotta get out of here.

Just help me get out of here.

Don't forget.
The door to the basement's in the hall

outside the kitchen.

Here.

It's a light blue sedan.

Hey. Hey, pal.

You better make sure
you get past the first bar.

You're right.

Thanks a lot, huh?

Dr. Escobar,
admitting desk, please.

Dr. Escobar, admitting desk,
please.

How's he doing?

He's not gonna make it?

On the edge.

Well, we picked up the guy
that slipped him the pill.

His story was a beaut. He says somebody
knocked him out and stole his car keys.

And we got an assist from Ernest.
You were right. He couldn't stand the heat.

He copped out.
What did he say?

He says Crane hired him
and this other guy Rennick

to k*ll Ollie Packer so Crane could
take over his empire, dr*gs and all.

Then Crane saw Latimer and he
sent his two hatchet men to get him.

Ernest says it was Rennick
that did the sh**ting.

Naturally.

I think we've got the case made.
I left Crane screaming for his lawyer.

Miss Westcott.

If we'd gotten him a few minutes later,
he wouldn't have made it.

He's a lot tougher than he looks.

Well, it's over.
Nothing more to worry about from now on.

Except for one thing.

What's that?

The first time they give me an alcohol rub,
I hope I don't make a grab for the bottle.

I'll see you two later, huh?

Mannix, thanks for everything.