03x26 - The Tunnel

[bunniefuu]

[dramatic music]

[music continues]

So, how does it feel to be a free man, huh?

I tell you, if you ever hear about me cashin' in

you just make sure they cremate me.

And I mean that.

What's the matter? Don't you like the good earth, huh?

[coughs]

[music continues]

[chuckles]

Where's the gear?

In the trunk.

- Come on. - Okay.

Oh, Paula, this is Bill Hollis and Gerry Spain.

Hi.

[music continues]

Help you there?

[prison alarm blaring]

Come on. Let's go, let's go!

[music continues]

[Eugene] 'Now what?'

Turn around and floor it.

No, wait a minute.

Doesn't know what he's got here yet.

Just hang tight.

[dramatic music]

Evening, officer.

[Joseph] 'See your driver's license, please?'

- Eh, look, officer, I'm sorry-- - I knew it, I told you so.

You leave it at home one time and you're asked for it

a hundred times.

You see, officer, I, uh--

Get out, keep your hands away from your sides.

But, officer..

[g*nsh*t]

Shootin' a duck in a pond.

Shouldn't we hide the body, or hide the car or something?

No, there is no time, he was on the radio. Come on.

[male narrator] "The FBI."

A Quinn Martin production.

Starring, Efrem Zimbalist Jr.

Also starring, Phillip Abott.

William Reynolds.

With guest stars, Edward Binns..

...Joanna Moore..

...Scott Marlowe..

...Charles Aidman.

Tonight's episode, "The Tunnel."

[instrumental music]

[male narrator] The discovery of the body of Sheriff Sergeant Joseph Houston

was quickly linked to the escape of three inmates

from the hospital ward of the nearby state prison

at Western Penn.

Within hours, reports had reached FBI Headquarters

in Washington, that two of the fugitives

had been seen in Denver.

A third in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

And State authorities requested FBI assistance

under the unlawful flight statute.

What was Spain doing in the hospital?

'Surely, he wasn't assigned there, too.'

- Any progress? - Several sightings, sir.

- Nothing definite. - Mm-hmm.

[Lewis] 'Alright, I can be there by 2 o'clock.'

In the meantime, ask the prison for the names and addresses

of everyone who visited the three men during the past

uh, say, twelve months.

Alright, thanks very much.

And I spoke to the warden.

He said the tunnel was 70 feet long.

That's quite an engineering accomplishment.

Bill Hollis' work.

'He was a sapper during the w*r and a coal miner before that.'

'But peace seems to avoid him'

so he took to robbing security vaults.

There's usually a tunneling operation somewhere in the MO.

Waring. That's a familiar name.

And top ten fugitive. Seven years ago, bank robbery.

What have we got on Spain?

[Lewis] 'Nobody seems to know why he was included.'

He's a borderline psychopath.

Hollis and Waring were working in the hospital

Spain was just there for psychiatric observation.

Hmm.

I'll certify a review on all three

forward you the current addresses

of friends and relatives, as soon as we come up with them.

[dramatic music]

[female on PA] 'May I have your attention?'

'Would you please fasten your seat belts'

'and extinguish all cigarettes?'

'The temperature in New York is 57 degrees.'

'The time is 4:00 p.m.'

'Thank you for travelling with KBL'

'and we hope to see you again, soon.'

You might as well, uh, call your friend, Pike, from the airport.

We can grab a cab and go over to his office.

Well, don't you wanna wait for the girl?

She said her flight would be in about five.

What, sit around down there for an hour?

She waited two years for you

you couldn't wait for 60 minutes?

Nobody twisted her arm, man.

I mean, I told her to get lost when I took this last fall.

Who needs her?

Well, we would, we would've had a long walk

without that car, Gene.

[sighs] Come on, Billy, quit it, huh?

I could've asked a half a dozen others.

Alright, we'll wait for her.

Listen, what about Spain?

Uh, there's only one connecting flight from Cheyenne.

If he made it, he'll meet us at the KBL counter.

If he didn't, we'll, uh, meet him at Kennedy tomorrow.

Why?

No, no reason.

Okay, okay, so he's a little strange.

A little strange?

Alright, but he's got a strong back

and that's what's important.

We've got a very big job ahead of us.

Billy, Pike wants the tunnel built.

That's why he wants you.

He needed me to help get you out. But I don't under..

I mean, what does he want Spain for?

'Billy, this digging bit is no pleasure for me'

'as far as I'm concerned'

'I mean, under the best circumstances.'

I made a deal with you

and I made a deal with Pike, and I'll stick to it.

But, I want to tell you that I would be happy..

Alright, let me put it this way.

I would be much happier if I didn't have to have some maniac

breathin' down my neck while I'm crawling around

under several hundred tons of earth.

Or rock or whatever.

Right?

These last few weeks really got to ya, didn't they, Gene?

To me?

[chuckles] Come on, man, you're the oddball, not me.

I mean, you're the one that's sittin' down there

happy when the moles is diggin', diggin' away.

So, what's wrong with that?

What makes a kid happier

than digging in the earth, exploring caves?

Alright, alright, I-I may be in my second childhood

but I'm not off my rocker.

Uh, which brings us back to Spain.

You're tryin' to tell me something?

No.

Gene..

...did you make a call at the airport?

Alright, Billy, be honest with yourself, huh?

Wouldn't it be a load off your mind too, if they picked him up?

All I did was to tip a guy I know, that he was in Cheyenne.

Now, he's got a g*n.

He's not gonna let the Feds pick him up.

Alright, let's say they do. What can he tell 'em?

He doesn't know any of the particulars.

Well, one of the three of us is a little off.

There's no doubt about that.

[male #1] 'They started their vertical shaft in the room closet.'

Then went down for a little over six feet.

And headed due west.

They used everything

from wire splints to orange crates for shoring.

That's really a remarkable job.

How long have they known each other, warden?

Well, Hollis asked for the infirmary position

about four months ago.

And Waring had been there for about a year at the time.

- And Spain? - Spain came in last week.

When the job was almost finished.

He was a very unpopular prisoner.

I don't think they'd have taken him along

unless he had stumbled on what they were doing

and threatened to blow the whistle.

So, Hollis seems to be the key figure here.

You say, he applied for the infirmary job?

Uh-huh.

Well, he had the tunneling experience.

Oh, yes, you wanted the names of the visitors these men had had.

It's not a very thick one.

They all had the usual contacts with their attorneys

but only Waring had, uh, had any personal visits.

Paula Gilbert, six visits, huh?

Alright, warden, thanks very much.

Oh, Lew!

Excuse me.

Vernon Woodson, Cheyenne.

Yes, Vern.

Inspector, we've been scouting Cheyenne for Spain

ever since the tip came in.

We finally found him in a bar on Y Street.

- 'Is he alone?' - Yes, sir, so far.

I have agents covering all the entrances.

Alright, I can be there in half an hour.

If he tries to leave before then, pick him up.

- Otherwise, wait for me. - 'Yes, sir.'

[dramatic music]

- Hi, Billy. - 'Hey, Ray.'

- Ray, how are you? - How was the trip?

Oh, fast.

Listen, I don't know whether to trust those jets or not.

The last plane I was on had propellers.

Oh, uh, and, Ray Pike

this is Paula Gilbert and Gene Waring.

Ah, Miss Gilbert, I already know.

Oh, is that right?

Oh, Gene, I told you about him.

He got me the car and the clothes.

Oh, it sounds very suspicious to me.

Listen, Pike, maybe you can help us out.

My girl's gonna need a place to stay.

You know, something special, huh?

- Certainly. - Oh, no, no. Don't bother.

'No, I, I already have a room lined up.'

It's a motel room on the Jersey side.

Right.

I'll call you when I get settled.

Huh, we'll see.

Which motel?

The Victoria, Newark.

- Keep the change. - Oh, no, please.

Would you please let me be the host?

Thank you.

Nice girl.

Yeah, sure, they're all nice girls.

Hey, listen, should we get off the street?

Where's your other friend?

I don't know. He was at the airport.

He might've got holed up.

Ah, come on, I rented a storeroom in the basement.

Oh, boy, this is charming.

Hell, don't knock it, it's not easy to find space

in New York these days.

It took me months to find this little gem.

- How about that view? - Oh, terrific.

That justifies the cost of the place

all by itself.

What's your impression, Billy?

Is that the bank over there?

First Trust and Savings in New York City.

Beautiful! Beautiful!

Listen, I'll, uh, I'll need drawings of the vault.

All I've got is the original layout.

It was built in 1923

and there's been some changes since then.

I, I think we can solve the problems when we come to them.

What's the alley's span, to the inch?

Oh, let's see.

Twenty three feet, six.

Now this is a city utility plan.

All the electricity conduits in the area, the sewer lines.

You are kidding, I hope.

Man, you working from paper here that is 45 years old.

You want to go under an alley that's in constant use?

That noise stops at 6 o'clock, Friday.

And it's just another cement canyon until Monday morning.

Now, I figured that we work tonight.

Now, tomorrow is Friday, we rest during the business day.

And that gives us all weekend, almost 70 possible working hours

until Monday morning.

And we'd never finish.

Well then, we start again Monday night.

Look, why don't we just go

through the front door with a g*n?

Nobody's ever made it that way.

Well, I'll tell you something, nobody's ever made it this way.

Nobody's ever tried it this way.

What's the matter, you afraid?

Gonna be done, Billy.

The soil compaction ratio isn't bad.

It'll be a risk, but then they're all risky.

How much would we figure to come out with?

As much as 15 million dollars as we can carry.

[dramatic music]

What do you say, Billy?

I say go!

Waring?

Al-alright.

[instrumental music]

Spain's still there, still alone.

He's at the near end of the bar.

Any sign of a weapon?

Let's take him. Alert the agents in the alley.

Yes, sir.

[upbeat music]

Hey, what'd she say?

- Who? - Her.

- Thanks, but no thanks. - Come on!

I'll buy her a drink.

She's buying her own.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

I heard that one before.

Hey, honey!

Hey, wait a minute.

Will you get lost?

FBI, Spain.

[indistinct shouting]

[g*nsh*t]

[g*nsh*t]

Hold it!

Hands against the wall.

[dramatic music]

[machinery whirring]

[door opening]

How's it coming?

It's a real picnic.

Everything alright? Billy okay?

Are you kiddin'? He couldn't be happier.

Oh, the sun will be coming up pretty soon.

I think you better knock off.

Billy!

- 'Billy?' - Yeah?

Come on out, it's quitting time.

Why, I'm just getting warmed up. Give me another half hour.

[Raymond] 'Come on!'

[sighs]

[chuckles]

He's like a six-year-old kid in there.

Yeah, well, he can have it.

Did you find hotel rooms for him and me?

You're staying here. Didn't I tell you?

Staying here?

Well, you have pictures on the front page

of every paper in town.

I don't want you leaving the tunnel or this room

until this job is over.

Now, I'll bring in sleeping bags

I'll bring in all the food you need.

Look, man, I've been in that hole all night.

Now, what I need is some fresh air.

Billy?

- Hey, Billy! - 'What?'

Billy, this clown says we got to stay here

till the job is finished.

Well, fine, fine, that's a good idea.

Hey, any sign of Spain?

Not a thing.

- Billy! - Yeah, listen, I'll tell ya.

Um, you can probably get another bucket full of earth

out of there by now.

Give it a try anyway, huh?

I'll tell ya what, Ray

you know, I, I dug some beautiful tunnels

in my time, but this is special.

This, this is a masterpiece.

You know what I like to do?

I'd like to, I'd like to take a picture of it.

[chuckles]

Well, go on!

I'll do it tomorrow.

You do it now unless you want out

of this operation altogether.

[clattering]

He's scared, Billy.

More than normal. I mean, too scared.

I wonder if he's right for the job.

We have to have him, Ray.

The two of us couldn't do it alone.

They probably picked Spain up already.

Could he hurt us?

Not as much as that one could

if he blows his top sometime when we're in there together.

[dramatic music]

[music continues]

Let me tell you something. You're wasting your time.

See, I know all the approaches. They don't work on me.

You're the good guy, and pretty soon they send in the tough guy.

Well, forget it.

You've been over the road before.

Oh, over it, up it, down it and across it.

Another thing. I want a different lawyer.

Alright, I'll tell US Attorney.

No, they're all alike.

They look at your record

they talk to you for ten minutes, and boom.

Right away they got the answer.

Little punks, they think I'm so dumb.

Maybe they're the dumb ones, huh?

What did he do, suggest a plea you don't agree with?

You know why they put me in the hospital?

Fatigue!

You get one psychiatric examination in your file

and they never let you forget it.

'And I got a right that nobody ever talks about.'

I got the right to be treated like an adult, haven't I?

Sure, you have.

I mean, you don't have to be insane to bust out

so I busted out and I got caught and they'll send me back

and that's the end of it.

No, it isn't quite the end.

The g*n you were carrying belonged to a m*rder*d deputy

named Jo Houston.

Oh, I-I found that g*n in the woods.

Now, what happened to that adult conversation we were having?

You know how we got to Cheyenne?

A tip.

That approach I know, too.

'Those good friends of yours couldn't have turned you in'

'could they?'

Or did they ask you along because they liked you so much?

Let me remind you of one difference

between a child and a man.

A child hangs on to a fantasy

even when he knows it isn't true.

A man admits the truth, at least to himself

even when it's painful.

'Now, where's the truth here?'

'We're gonna get them all, you know, sooner or later.'

Are you adult enough to realize that cooperation now

has got to look better in court than non-cooperation?

No big promises, huh?

That's for children. Big promises.

Who brought the getaway car?

Um...Paula Gilbert.

She was Waring's girlfriend.

Except he used to talk more about her sister.

What was his sister's name?

Yvette. Lives in Baltimore some place.

'Anything else?'

Yeah. He used to talk about the big score he was gonna make.

- What kind of a score? - A vault job.

Some guy on the outside was arranging it.

Seems that it was too big a deal for any of the young safe men.

They needed somebody who could tunnel

so he arranged to, uh, break Hollis out

and...take some of his friends with him.

- Where are they heading? - 'I don't know.'

All Hollis said was that we meet at the KBL counter, New York.

One last question..

...who k*lled the deputy?

Waring.

That's the absolute truth.

One adult to another.

Thanks, Spain.

Guard.

'Inspector.'

A child or-or an insane man

would have tried to con you, right?

Well, you tell 'em in that report

how straight I answered your straight questions, okay?

[instrumental music]

If those figures are right, we're almost there.

We can't be more than six inches from that vault wall.

I told you not to call us out.

I can smell concrete up there.

Well, it's too dangerous, Bill.

Those streets will start fillin' up in half an hour.

Hey, Pike, what time is it?

It's 5:30.



- What day is it? - 'Monday.'

Monday?

What happened to Sunday?

That's what I call dedication.

You worked straight through it.

We're almost through to the vault.

- You mean it's over? - Six inches, more or less.

- Well, come on, let's go. - Wait a minute. Wait a minute.

I still have to drill the holes and plant the charges.

Go on back to sleep, Gene. We'll finish it tonight.

No, man. We'll finish it now.

What do you wanna waste another day in this hole for?

- Come on. - Gene!

Gene, wait a minute.

Gene!

Gene.

Gene, come back.

Billy. Wait a minute.

[truck approaching]

[intense music]

[rumbling]

[instrumental music]

Baltimore went to work on the name Spain gave you.

There's no Yvette Gilbert listed.

But the SRA Camden came up with this fact.

When she was 16 she married a sailor named Tegland.

Marriage was annulled

but it gave Baltimore another name to work on

and they finally located the girl working in The Comet Bar.

Anyone talk to her yet?

No, I told the SAC you wanted to handle it yourself

that you'd be flying in from New York.

The Comet, that's on Front Street.

Right.

Lewis, we're beginning to pick up rumors confirming

that statement Spain made to you regarding a vault job.

Any time a location is mentioned, it's New York

but that's all we get.

Well, Randall's alerted all banks.

Good.

Any leads at all on the fugitives?

We've had agents at the KBL counter at Kennedy

for the past two days.

New York police has carried pictures of Hollis and Waring

in every patrol car since the escape, but it's..

...just as though he vanished off the face of the earth.

Or under it.

Or under it.

[dramatic music]

[sighs]

He have any family?

Not that he ever spoke of.

Well, Billy, you gave it everything you had.

I'm sorry, it's just that I asked you to do something

that was impossible, that's all.

What do you mean?

I mean it's over, that's it.

Wait a minute, Ray, wait a minute.

There's nothing wrong with that tunnel.

That's the best tunnel I ever built.

- Billy.. - No, no, you weren't in there.

You saw that all that loose dirt came from the spot

right above him, that was soft.

I mean, if the whole roof was going to collapse

wouldn't it have fallen in on us while we were digging them out.

Ray, Ray, that tunnel is my baby.

I put 30 years' experience into it!

Okay, so it had a little weak spot.

Uh, Billy, I know that we can clear out the tunnel.

I know that you could probably shore it up

stronger than it ever was before

but what's gonna happen when the charges go off.

To the tunnel? Nothing. I know where to place those charges.

I've done it a thousand times.

Ray..

Ray, it's just the two of us now.

And the girl.

Yeah, yeah, and the girl but..

...think of all that money there will to be split

between just three people.

That is, provided she don't..

Provided she don't what?

She could be a problem to us, Ray.

She loved him. I don't know why, but she did.

Suppose she blames us for what happened.

Well, I'll go get cleaned up and go talk to her.

Suppose she gets hysterical..

Hysterical girls have been known to go to the cops.

[dramatic music]

So you're lucky in love.

Again?

Excuse me. John.

- Yvette Tegland? - Yeah.

I'm Inspector Erskine with the FBI.

I thought so.

Every time someone comes in here wearing a necktie

he's either some kinda cop or a bill collector.

I'd like to talk to you about your sister Paula.

Why, what...what's happened to her?

Do you know where she is?

Gee, no, I-I haven't talked to Paula in a couple of years.

'No contact at all?'

- None. - Seems a little unusual.

Yeah, well, that's a little hard to explain.

You see, Paula's the only living relative I know about.

My parents were k*lled when we were babies.

We were in orphanage for a while.

And then they started farming us out to different families.

Sometimes both of us, but more often than not

just one of us at a time.

Sometimes we wouldn't see each other for three or four years.

When we did, it was like fun and good times.

We never thought of it as something that would last.

Do you know a man named Eugene Waring?

Good grief. Is she still hooked on that creep?

There's another example of trying to hang on

to the good times.

'Gene really knocked her off her feet when they first met.'

Took her everywhere, bought her everything.

I tried to tell her what a rat he was

only she couldn't see it.

Hmm.

I heard Gene was doing time out on the coast or some place.

He and two other men broke out last week.

We understand he's in New York.

With Paula?

[sighs] He'll get her k*lled before he's through.

I told her. I warned her.

Where would she stay in New York?

Oh, she wouldn't. She hates the place.

Would you have any idea where she might be?

Hmm.

If she had a choice, she'd stay on the Jersey side.

- Just across the bridge. - With friends?

'No. One of the motels.'

Used to be a treat for us.

See, we lived in Camden once

and this family was pretty well off.

They used to take us into New York every couple of months

or so to plays and musicals.

But the husband..

I can't remember his name now.

He didn't like driving in Manhattan

so we'd park the car at one of the motels

and-and take a cab across.

Then afterwards, we'd go back and spend the night, you know?

- Any particular motel? - Uh-uh.

No. Any of 'em.

Hmm, we loved it.

It was quiet, peaceful.

You could see the lights on the bridge.

New York was just across it.

Funny, I always want to try to go back.

Try to find the good times again.

How did it happen?

Well, some trucks were coming down the alley and, uh..

...section where Gene was just collapsed.

You don't seem too surprised.

No.

To think all along I knew it wouldn't work.

- What, the tunnel? - No.

I'm talking about Gene and me.

I was trying to find in him.

I was really trying.

I was just making it up.

[sighs] You understand we're gonna split

the haul with you, three ways.

You'd still go through with it?

I guess so.

Billy thinks we can still make it.

Well, you don't seem very sure about it.

I don't know.

Look, I don't care anything about that money at all.

I know.

We'll see. We'll see.

Bye, I better get back.

Just one thing I wanna say.

All the weeks we worked together here and on the phone

when you were driving the car out west..

...I admired your loyalty to Gene.

Didn't you ever think it was kinda dumb?

I occasionally thought it was kinda wasted.

Me too.

Particular, when I started seeing him again

walk into the visiting room.

He really looked different.

He looked littler.

Tsk. He was like a bad habit I was trying to break.

Why didn't you cut out then?

Oh, I thought about it.

And, then you'd call and we'd talk and..

..I'd feel better.

'Ray?'

Don't leave me yet.

[instrumental music]

[music continues]

[tires screeching]

Billy!

- 'Billy?' - Ray, come on, we're through.

Well?

Oh, I'm proud of you, Billy.

There's not a tunnel man in the world that could've done this.

[sighs] Oh, and what about Paula?

Oh, she's okay.

- She won't hurt us. - Okay.

Now, we're high, but we're well within the vault area.

Oh, what now?

Now I drill.

Here, here and here.

Then I place the charges, and that's it.

Can you do all this before dawn?

No problem.

[chuckles] Go, man!

What'd you do with Gene?

Ah, I dumped him in a construction pit.

They'll find him, but we'll be long gone before that.

[sighs]

All that money, huh?

[laughs]

All that tunnel.

[whirring]

[dramatic music]

[knocking on door]

Just a moment.

- Paula Gilbert? - Yes.

FBI, Miss Gilbert.

We have a warrant for your arrest.

You know you have the right to remain silent

and to be represented by a lawyer?

I understand that.

What is the charge?

State of Wyoming has charged you

with being an accessory to a m*rder.

We've been asked to locate you.

Gene k*lled him. I..

I know it doesn't make any difference but it is true.

This Gene you referred to, is Eugene Waring?

Yes.

And where is Waring now, Miss Gilbert?

- He's dead. - When? How?

Listen to me, Miss Gilbert.

Every security officer in every bank in the city

has been warned to expect a tunneling operation.

Now, do you have any regard at all for the lives of these men?

- I can't tell-- - Believe me.

They haven't a chance in the world of pulling this thing off.

Hollis and whoever else is with him

may manage to get into a vault

but they'll never get out alive.

Uh, the tunnel starts

in an office building storeroom across an alley

from the First Trust and Savings.

How many others are with Hollis?

- Just one. - Name?

If I tell you, will you go easier on him?

[sniffles] Ray Pike.

Thank you, Miss Gilbert.

[instrumental music]

[whirring]

[thudding]

[instrumental music]

[sighs]

Will this be enough nitro, Billy?

Plenty.

You already get the wire in there?

Yup.

I picked up some, uh, fresh batteries

they're in the car.

- I'll go get them. - Alright.

[dramatic music]

[music continues]

Mike, FBI.

[g*nshots]

[g*nsh*t]

[g*nshots]

[tires screech]

[music continues]

That's it!

Against the wall.

[g*nshots]

[music continues]

Hey, Lew.

Looks like he's got nitro with him.

[Lewis] 'Hollis.'

Come out of there, Hollis, you haven't got a chance.

Tear gas.

[breathing heavily]

[dramatic music]

[expl*si*n]

[instrumental music]

That was a kind of a job that I couldn't compromise on it.

Had to have the best tunnel man in the world

and that was Billy Hollis.

So, I had to break him loose.

Had you met Waring before?

No, Billy picked Gene.

The other guy just came on for the ride.

I didn't care about the other two.

Billy was a key man in the operations

as far as I was concerned.

Was he.. I mean, uh..

Did.. Did you find him when you cleared out the tunnel?

Enough, in order to establish identification.

Strange character.

And I don't think you have to paint pictures

or write books or carve statues to be an artist

because Billy Hollis was an artist.

'I think he knew what he was doin''

'in that tunnel last night.'

I don't think he could've taken a another term in the pen.

Probably never could have built a better tunnel.

That was a place to end it.

Alright, Pike, thanks very much.

We'll, uh, have the statement typed up

and ask you to sign it.

Miss Gilbert.

It's alright, I..

I know why you did it.

I'll see you.

Will you sit here, please, Miss Gilbert?

Well, I understand that you have the right to remain silent and..

[male narrator] Raymond Wayne Pike was convicted

of attempted bank burglary

and is serving a ten-year prison sentence.

Gerald Spain and Paula Gilbert were charged

in the death of Sergeant Joseph Houston

and are serving terms in the State penitentiary.

[theme music]

[music continues]