01x25 - The Divided Man

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[grunts]

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[tires screeching]

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[expl*si*n]

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[male narrator] "The FBI."

A Quinn Martin, Warner Brothers' production.

Starring, Efrem Zimbalist Jr.

Also starring Philip Abbott

Stephen Brooks.

With guest stars Bradford Dillman

Jacqueline Scott.

Tonight's episode, "The Divided Man."

[instrumental music]

Good morning, inspector.

- Message said urgent. - Oh, yes. Go right in.

[man on TV] 'The patrolman reported seeing the first expl*si*n'

'at 12:53 a.m.'

'In minutes, the fire had spread'

'from storage tank to storage tank'

'and was raging out of control.'

'Although authorities are answering all queries with'

'"No comment," it was reported earlier'

'that the arsonist had gained access by cutting his way'

'through the chain-link fence that surrounds the plant.'

Is that live?

Yeah.

It's still dark in California.

Hydro-Chem Corporation Plant at Long Beach.

Sabotage.

[man on TV] 'Whether or not the sabotage'

'was committed by a foreign power'

'is yet to be determined'

'however, it is well known'

'that the Long Beach installation'

'of the Hydro-Chem Corporation'

'is devoted almost exclusively'

'to the production of rocket fuel'

'for the country's m*ssile defense system.'

'And in addition, is a prime supplier of fuel'

'for our space effort.'

'At any rate, it is rumored that the FBI'

'has already moved into the case'

'and will begin its investigation'

'even while the fire is raging.'

'Damage has already been estimated in the millions'

'with no sealing in sight.'

[expl*si*n]

I'm sending a lab technician along, Carter Graham.

He and Rhodes will meet you at Dulles Field in an hour.

I'm on my way.

'Lewis, you know what the implications are here?'

We may be moving a little too far ahead

with our space program for some people.

Or this might be a major effort to cr*pple our defense system.

I'll call you the minute we have anything.

[man on TV] 'Fire units from neighboring San Pedro'

'have been pressed into service.'

'We understand that Los Angeles has offered assistance.'

'But from the looks of things, the daylight hours will come'

'long before this violent inferno'

'is brought under control.'

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[groans]

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[door shuts]

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[woman on phone] 'Desk.'

Uh, this is Roger Mason, uh..

Room, uh, 2G.

I'd like to place a, a long-distance call

to Tucson, Arizona, person-to-person.

'Your party's number?'

Never mind, operator, thank you.

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[dramatic music]

Get that off to the lab, right away.

[hammering]

You think you can get a good impression?

They're readable, Mr. Durant.

Mr. Durant, the office just radioed

that Inspector Erskine's plane is on time

and they want to know if you'll still be able to meet him?

Yeah, there's nothing more we can do here

until the fire's out.

[instrumental music]

- 'Name?' - Mason.

Uh, first or last?

Uh, first. My name is Mason, uh, Rogers.

- Address? - I'm from out of town.

M-miss, can I do this later, please?

I've got to see the doctor quickly.

Oh, yes, of course.

Uh, please stop by on your way out.

- Thank you. - Uh-huh.

Oh! Good morning.

- I'm Dr. Spinner. - Mason Rogers.

Yes, Mr. Rogers?

Well, would you, uh, like to sit down and--

Doctor, I'm very concerned about a friend of mine.

Yes? Please sit down.

Ahem, well, he, uh..

He woke up one morning and he realized

that, uh, he'd done something the night before

only, it was as if, he hadn't done it.

I mean, it-it was as if somebody else had done it.

I see.

And, uh, can you tell me what it was he'd, uh..

Something very bad.

But he'd never done anything like that

in his life before, never.

Well...do you, uh, do you know

if he'd been under any kind of emotional stress?

- 'Any, uh..' - Emotions?

Well, his wife had left him, uh..

...only a few days before.

[dramatic music]

He loves her very much.

Anything else?

Ahem, well, his life is devoted to, uh, research.

His work is very important, very important.

They shouldn't, uh, have taken him away from it, but they did.

Th-they make him go out and sell.

Talk to people, and he, uh, doesn't like that.

He, he can't bear it.

When he has to stand up in front of all those executives

those engineers, he freezes.

Uh, s-sometimes his mind seems to, um..

...blank out, he hard-hardly knows what he is doing.

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What does he sell, Mr. Rogers?

A product, uh, he developed himself in the laboratory.

That's where he should be right now

there's so much to be done.

I suppose he, um

he refused to put himself through this ordeal

and, uh, went back to work?

'What would happen?'

[music continues]

Ahem, well, the, um..

...company would probably go bankrupt.

He'd lose everything.

Man's wife ought to understand that, shouldn't she?

She shouldn't have left him at a time like this.

Mr. Rogers..

...have you ever had this feeling before..

[music continues]

...of, uh, being somebody else?

I'm not talking about myself.

I'm sorry.

Mr. Rogers?

[dramatic music]

[woman on PA] 'Flight 816, Los Angeles to San Francisco'

'now boarding at Gate 7.'

I'd like to start gathering the b*mb residue

as soon as possible.

I understand you've pinpointed the origin of the fire.

Well, the arsonist was after the rocket fuel, alright.

Looks like a certain foreign power

is trying to tell us something.

Were the tanks labeled in anyway, Bryan?

Only with the code numbers.

Then we'd assume he knew his target in advance.

- Employee? - Or ex-employee.

He cut his way in.

I've got a list of names.

Employees, ex-employees, visitors..

Ah, miss, here are my keys.

Could you check the car in for me, please?

I'm trying to make a Tucson flight.

[woman on PA] 'Flight 426 for Tucson'

'now boarding in Gate 6.'

[music continues]

Lou, got a report from Washington

on the list of names we gave.

Yeah?

Nothing that looks like a saboteur.

Uh, we did turn up something

from the Long Beach police, though.

A hardware store was broken into

the same night the fire started.

There was a chain cutter missing.

[instrumental music]

[dramatic music]

- Well, Roger.. - What Paul?

The world has not come to an end

just because I'm back.

Oh, what are you doing here?

Roger..

...I heard about the fire.

Does that have anything to do with..

I mean, does it affect us?

I don't know.

Well, you talked with our engineers yesterday.

Yes.

What did they say?

They had me look at the plant facilities

to see how much re-engineering it would take

to adapt to our process.

That's wonderful.

They're interested, that's what counts.

That means others are gonna be interested too.

We can let 'em bid for it.

Why'd you come back here? Why didn't you go on..

What is your next stop?

Western Distillate, it's in Los Angeles.

Paul, I want to wait until we hear from Hydro-Chem.

They'll make us a fair offer.

Are you serious?

Ten years of work.

Everything we have, you, me..

...the whole company, we cannot risk it on one bid.

Alright, then you go sell it.

Well, I wish I could.

And I wish you could understand my end of the business

maybe you'd realize how close we are to bankruptcy.

Paul, please, I belong in that laboratory out there.

The space program's moving much too fast for me

to waste my time doing Walter's work.

Well, I hardly think Walter dropped dead

to put this burden on you.

Paul, listen to me, even if they buy the process

it'll be outmoded in a year.

I've already got some new ideas.

'A solid fuel that'll revolutionize--'

Roger, there is not going to be a laboratory

for you to hide in if you don't..

What do you mean, "Hide?"

It was a bad choice of words.

'I'm sorry.'

But you've got to face fact, Roger.

'Nobody else knows how to explain your process'

'to these chemical companies.'

Whether we sink or swim, it's entirely up to you.

'Roger.'

Have you talked to Karen?

I had dinner with her last night.

I think she still loves you.

She has a strange way of showing it, wouldn't you say?

[instrumental music]

This is Graham in chemistry.

Get me Inspector Erskine, please.

Field office, Los Angeles.

Yes, Carter?

[Carter] 'I've completed examination of those soil specimens'

'from the Long Beach fire.'

Yes?

We found titanium too.

Probably held the expl*sive.

'Inspector, only personnel in aerospace or aerodynamic work'

'would have ready access to that material.'

And we found ammonium nitrate

indicating the presence of dynamite.

It's a very good guess that whoever did it

used some kind of standard sabotage device.

Yes, sir. Our suspect might have had military training.

[doorbell dings]

[dramatic music]

Hello, Roger.

Hi.

Um, Leonard called, I was expecting you.

Would you like to come in?

It's just a furnished place.

It's the first one I found.

Well, Karen, I don't understand

why you'd wanna move into a place like this--

Ah! Would you like a, a drink? I have some beer.

[clears throat] Yes, I think I would, please.

'Did the fire at Hydro-Chem happen while you were there?'

'Did you see it?'

Yes.

'It's in the, um, paper there on the coffee table.'

'The, the center section, I think.'

Karen, why did you leave?

Roger..

Just when I have..

...all this added responsibility

the whole thing has been shoved on my back, Karen.

Everything, you know.

Know what it's like?

I know what it's like to be alone.

I'm a research chemist, Karen.

Sometimes my mind gets full of what I'm doing

and I, I..

Roger..

...why don't you give it up?

My work?

You could find another job.

Something that would leave room for us.

No, no, no, no, no.

A wife doesn't walk out just because the going gets tough.

She stands by.

Karen, I need you.

Well, you never did before, so why now?

Because you have to do something you don't want to

because you have to leave your hiding place?

What is the matter with everybody? Why..

[dramatic music]

What is it, Roger, another headache?

[groaning] Would you...give me something, please?

You didn't see a doctor, did you?

Please?

[intense music]

[door shuts]

Ward, it was a dead end.

We haven't been able to turn one print in the hardware store.

What about the saboteur's car? Any leads there?

Well, the lab says the tires are standard.

We're combing the area for someone who might have

seen the car, but there wasn't much traffic, it was late.

It's late now, Lewis.

Ward, we're doing everything we can.

Well, if he tries it again, we'll know it wasn't enough.

Won't we?

Goodbye, Lewis.

[dramatic music]

[woman on PA] 'Incoming passengers for Tucson.'

'Flight 714 may claim their baggage at the street entrance.'

My name is Roger Mason, is my car ready?

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[engine cranking]

[clanking]

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[clanking]

What're you doing there?

[intense music]

You! Stop!

[g*nshots]

[tires screeching]

[g*nshots]

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The, uh, manufacturer and the size

match the one stolen in Long Beach.

Oh, this rough metal just won't hold a print, inspector.

There's nothing we can use.

Well, get it off to Washington, right away.

Let's hope the lab can match it up with the tool marks

on the section of fence they've got.

- Lou? - Hmm.

If that tool turns out to be the same one used at Hydro-Chem

what does that do to our ex-employee theory?

He could have worked at both places or visited both.

I better get a list of names

from the Western Distillate people too.

[instrumental music]

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[woman on phone] 'Operator.'

I, I want to, uh, place a collect call

Tucson, Arizona, person-to-person

to Mr. Paul Leonard.

'One moment, please.'

What do you mean, you didn't keep the appointment?

- Why not? - I got sick, Paul.

I went there, I..

I drove in the gate..

...but I got sick.

Oh, what did you do, pick up some kind of a bug or what?

I guess so, I don't know.

I'll, I'll call Western and tell them what happened.

Well, maybe you can arrange to stop by there

on your way back from San Diego.

Yes, I'll try to do that.

Now you will go to San Diego, won't you, Roger?

'I know how you feel about this, but we--'

Yes, yes, yes.

Alright.

Call me from there.

[instrumental music]

Anything on known subversives in the area?

Not a thing, Lou. Nothing that even gives us a direction.

Nobody here who ought to be some place else?

No movement at all?

I've had a report from every field office in the country.

We're getting absolutely nowhere.

Not one solid lead.

Nothing but dead ends.

Lou, what do you think of this?

Just got back from the personnel offices

of Western Distillates.

They had a visitor yesterday, a Roger L. Mason.

He made an appointment but he cancelled.

He phoned into say he wasn't feeling well.

What's the point?

He was also at Hydro-Chem on the 12th.

What's his interest in rocket propulsion?

Apparently, nothing very destructive.

He's developed an improved fuel, and he's taken it

to various petrochemical companies for bids.

Hydro-Chem's considering it.

- He's a research chemist? - Um-hm.

He's a partner at, uh

KPW Laboratories in Tucson.

He'd know how to build a b*mb.

[dramatic music]

Call military records in St. Louis.

- See if he's in the service. - Yes, sir.

This is Inspector Erskine, will you get me

the Senior Resident Agent in Tucson, please?

- You know his name? - Ellis Harmon.

Yes, inspector, what can I do for you?

Harmon, I want a quick background investigation

on a subject in your city.

Just a discreet enquiry to find out

whether he ever had any subversive tendencies.

- Yes, sir. - 'His name is Roger L. Mason.'

'M-A-S-O-N.'

[dramatic music]

Operator, this is room 216, I, I'd like to place

a long distance call to Tucson, Arizona.

[woman on phone] 'Your party's number?'

Area code, 602..

...622-4699.

'One moment, please.'

[Karen on phone] 'Hello?'

Hello, who is this?

Roger?

'Roger, is that you?'

'There's someone there, I can tell.'

'Would you answer me, please?'

[sobbing]

[dramatic music]

Mason checks out okay, inspector

aside from a family problem.

Okay, give it to me.

'Well, he was born in Milwaukee, 1930.'

Graduated from high school there.

Got his Bachelors and Masters

and Doctorate at Caltech.

Highly respected in his field.

Any subversive tendencies?

Hmm, none. Did not vocal at all on ideologies.

Never a joiner.

Devoted his life to chemical research.

'He's a one-third owner of KPW Labs.'

Has he ever been out of the country?

Hmm...no record of it here, sir.

And he's lived in Tucson for the past ten years.

- Another dead end. - 'I beg your pardon, sir?'

- Lou. - Oh, hold on, Harmon.

Mason was in the army. Lieutenant.

He was an expert in demolitions.

He was captured by the Reds, brainwashed.

Refused to defect and was traded back.

He cracked up and he was discharged on a Section 8.

Bryan, how fast can an Air Force jet get me to Tucson?

Forty five minutes.

- Harmon? - 'Yes, inspector, I heard it.'

I'll set up interviews with Mason's family, uh

business associates, anyone close to him.

And his doctor, if he has one, and meet me at the airport.

[dramatic music]

[Paul] 'But, it just doesn't make sense, Mr. Erskine.'

Unless you can tell me why a man would-would destroy

the very project that could justify

ten years of the hardest work a man ever put in.

Maybe he worked too hard, Mr. Leonard.

Look, spending two-thirds of his life

in that laboratory was his idea.

He loved it.

'It took wild horses to get him out of there.'

I told him that he was not going to have

a laboratory to hide in if he didn't..

Hide from what?

Things he didn't want to face

like bankruptcy.

Mr. Leonard, do you know anything

about his army service in Korea?

It started, uh, before he was captured.

Even before he was in the army, while he was still in school.

Started how?

Well, he was a brilliant student.

And he felt so strongly that his place was in science.

He resented having his studies interrupted by the w*r.

So, even before he left, uh, the thought of it

used to bring on these violent headaches.

And now they're back.

When did they start recurring?

Well, he hadn't had them for years until, uh

until Walter died and Roger had to leave the laboratory.

One last question, Mrs. Mason.

Um, is your husband handy with tools, does he use them often?

No, he is, he is a research chemist.

[instrumental music]

This is Tool Mark Unit.

I have an urgent report for Inspector Erskine.

Try the field office, Los Angeles.

He has been working out of there.

[instrumental music]

Lou, I was just gonna call you.

Got a report here from Tool Mark Unit in Washington.

They have a make on the chain cutter

found in Western Distillates.

'The tool marks place it positively at the scene'

'at Hydro-Chem in Long Beach.'

- Good, good. - How about Mason?

Can you tie him up with the chain cutter?

Not yet, but we can place him at the scene of the fire

if we can match up the tire impressions

with a car from Brooks Rent-A-Car.

'His partner told us the company always uses them.'

I'll put a tire expert on it right away.

Sound like you've come up with something.

I talked to a psychiatrist, he tells me

he thinks it's possible Mason is schizophrenic.

Yeah, two different people.

Yeah, he could be striking out of the petrochemical plants

'cause they represent the source of the pressure he feels.

It's all tied up with his wife leaving him

and the sudden death of his partner

threatened bankruptcy, everything.

Then he could keep right on setting fires, couldn't he?

Yes, and it looks as if his next stop

is, uh, Bay Gas and Chemical in San Diego.

He's supposed to be staying at the Royal Palms Hotel.

'Relay that to Bill Converse in San Diego.'

'Tell him to interview Mason, right away.'

Right!

And get down there yourself, Jim, meet me at the airport.

I'll be there by dark.

[dramatic music]

[glass shattering]

Mason's our boy, alright. The tires matched.

Has Converse got any leads at all?

No, he never did check in at the Royal Palms

at least not under his own name.

And he didn't keep his appointment

with Bay Gas and Chemicals either.

That ties in with what the doctor said.

He is now able to split wide open at any moment.

Yeah, but there is one thing

he did do on schedule though

he rented another car from Brooks

here at the airport.

Now, Converse put out on all points

and he's got several cars cruising the roads

around the chemical plant.

[intense music]

This is it, alright.

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I'll call in.



Go after him, don't let him

even strike a match in there, Converse clear.



Proceed at once to Bay Gas and Chemical Plant, main gate.

Subject at large in plant area.



Converse, go ahead.

Bill, Inspector Erskine.

We just got in so you'll probably get there ahead of us

but go ahead and deploy your men in the area.

See if you can dig up a lay out of the plant.

Yes, sir, I've got two men in there already.

[footsteps approaching]

[intense music]

Okay, boys, stand by.

[car approaching]

- Where do we stand, Bill? - Nothing yet, inspector.

You can see what we've covered on the chart here

'he is in there somewhere.'

'Oh, and I've, uh, put men around perimeter, too'

'if he tries to get over the fence, they'll spot him.'

- Is he armed? - I hope not.

One shot fired in the wrong place

this whole plant can go up like fireball.

I've instructed the men to keep their g*ns holstered

'in the danger areas.'

[music continues]

- 'Unit Nine to Control.' - Go ahead, Nine.

'Area J has been searched, no subject.'

Unit Nine, move to Area K.

[man on radio] 'Nine to Area K, over.'

[man on radio] 'Unit Four to Control, come in.'

Go ahead, Four.

I think we spotted the subject, sir.

One of the agents saw a man in the ceiling plant

carrying a blue canvas bag in Area M.

All units, all units, converge on Area M.

Repeat, all units, converge on Area M.

Exercise extreme caution, do not use fire arms.

Repeat, do not use fire arms. Let's go!

[instrumental music]

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[music continues]

Inspector, he's up there somewhere.

That's the main unit and it's highly expl*sive.

Roger Mason, this is the FBI.

'Come out with your hands up.'

You're surrounded, Mason, come out with your hands up.

[breathing heavily]

Mason! Come out or we're coming up after you.

Alright!

Clear out, all of you!

I'll blow this plant sky high!

All units, all units!

He's carrying an incendiary.

Let him go, let him go!

Attention, everyone, we're moving out of here.

'We're going to release him.'

We have no choice.

[intense music]

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[panting]

Put that thing down, walk away from it!

[expl*si*n]

[intense music]

[grunting]

[barrels rumbling]

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[screaming]

[dramatic music]

Uh, they're taking him to the hospital now.

The doctor assures me his burns aren't severe.

Well, it's a relief to know the destruction ends right there.

If it had been foreign power, the apprehension of one saboteur

might have been known at the beginning.

I'll tell you something, Arthur.

If I have to go around anticipating the patterns

of schizophrenics, I'm gonna take a course in psychiatry

then you'll be sorry.

From now on, Lewis, we'll see to it that you get only cases

that involve normal, well-adjusted enemies

of society.

- Goodnight, Lewis. - Goodnight, Arthur.

[instrumental music]

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