01x16 - The Topaz Connection

[bunniefuu]

I've programmed KITT with everything imaginable on Royce's publishing empire.



- Including the centerfolds?

- Boy, what I wouldn't give to have one of these.



- They're turning the man's death into a circus.



- You sure you can handle me?

- I'll do the champagne, and then we'll see what else comes to mind.

I have an unidentified speeding object on Runway 2.

Be careful, Michael.

Shake him loose.

Knight Rider, a shadowy flight into the dangerous world of a man who does not exist.

Michael Knight, a young loner on a crusade to champion the cause of the innocent, the helpless, the powerless, in a world of criminals who operate above the law.

¢ÜBaby, don't you hand me a line ¢Ü Hold it.

Yeah? It's me.

Two seconds, honey.

It's my daughter.

Stay on top of it, and we'll talk tomorrow.

When a magazine throws a party, guests expect to see a mingling publisher.

I'm sorry, honey.

Give me just another 20 more minutes.

Real time or Philip Royce time? Real time for a change.

Oh.

By the way, I'm expecting somebody.

Devon Miles.

I think he'll be coming with a young lady.

So when he arrives, just send him right up.

It's important, okay? All right.

Real time my eye.

Hello.

Please don't hang up.

I know it's been a long time, and I know there's nothing between us anymore, but I need to talk to you.

I need a picture.

Hi.

I'm glad you could make it.

It's good to see you.

Excuse me.

Would you call me tomorrow? I really need to talk to you.

Not even out of diapers, and she's running the show.

Paul! Hi! How are you? I thought you couldn't make it.

I couldn't.

I can't, but I'm here anyway.

I've got terrific news.

What? Our market research team says that our adds in Escape are 60 percent more effective than any other print media.

I told you.

We're changing our image and our demographics.

You stick with us, and Parkway Pharmaceuticals will make Fortune 500.

I'm sorry, sir.

I cannot find your name on the guest list.

If you'll be good enough to call Mr.

Royce, he'll clear up this misunderstanding.



- Excuse me.

Is there a problem?

- My guest and I were invited by Philip Royce personally.

Apparently we're not on the guest list.

I'm sorry.

Are you Devon Miles? I am.

And this is Miss Barstow.

Oh, forgive me.

I'm Anne Tyler, Philip's personal secretary.

He is expecting you.

Will you please follow me? Thank you.

Lauren, I found him.

Oh, thank you.

I hardly recognized you with your clothes on.

What did you say? Didn't I sh**t you last year, Miss June? I think you've got the wrong young lady.

Or the wrong month.

¢ÜHold me, hold me, hold me ¢Ü Philip, they're here Mr.

Miles and Miss Barstow.

Philip? As you see, Michael, they're turning the man's death into a circus.

Given the circumstances, I can understand why.

What's our tie

-in with this, uh, Philip Royce? Royce called two days ago.

He wanted the Foundation's help on a story he was researching.



- What kind of help?

- We weren't able to find out.

However, I got the impression from the telephone call that the story was an expose.

If you're right about that, all we gotta do is find out who he was trying to expose and we've got our prime suspect.

Correct.



- Does the story have a title?

- He referred to it by a code name Topaz.

Did you run that through the computers? Nothing.

The word doesn't seem to connect to anything in Royce's personal or corporate life.

It is, however, a birthstone.

Mine.

Uh, November 24.

I'm sorry.

I forgot your birthday, didn't I? Well, you were on assignment.

Don't worry.

I covered for you.



- Tastefully?

- Of course.

Okay, guys.

Thanks a lot.

Topaz.



- Where do I start?

- With his daughter, Lauren.

They were very close.

I've programmed KITT with everything imaginable on Royce's publishing empire along with all the past issues of Escape magazine.



- Including the centerfolds?

- I anticipated your every need.

Michael.

Uh, yeah? Why are all those young ladies running around in such skimpy attire? When I find out, you'll be the first to know.

Okay.

Now over here.

This must be the new car.

Boy, what I wouldn't give to have one of these.

Very good.

I know some marksmen who'd like to trade their bull's

-eyes for yours.

Wow.

I just might be one of them.

Hi.

I'm Michael Knight.

I believe Devon Miles called about me.

Miss Royce.

Lauren.

I'm here to see if I can help find out what happened to your dad.

I'm not a cop.

I'm your friend.

I'm on your side.

I need some information about Topaz.



- All right.

What do you wanna know?

- I wanna know about the story your dad was working on.



- The story he called the Foundation and Devon Miles about.



- Topaz.

Yeah, Topaz.

That's right.

It's all in this computer the story, the research, documentation, names, times, places.

"Topaz Enter six

-digit access code.

"

- Do you know anything about computers?

- A little.

Without the access code, the story's unreachable.



- It might as well not even exist.



- You don't have it? Nobody has it.

It d*ed with my father.

It was his way of guaranteeing security for his story and for his family and his friends.

What no one knows could never hurt them.

Exactly.

So they hurt him instead.

When you think of Philip Royce, what do you think of? Don't say it.

I'll say it for you.

Ah.

Glamour and sex! Fashion and sex.

Cars and sex.

A glossy, air

-brushed girlie magazine, huh? I feel like I should say, "Guilty as charged.

" Say whatever you want.

All I care about is vindicating my father's death.

I didn't know it needed vindication.

You're just like all the rest.

"Philip Royce, bon vivant, womanizer "who turned an avocation into a profession, is found m*rder*d in a hotel suite with a younger woman.

" Makes perfect sense.

After all, those who live by the sword die by the sword.



- Why are you so angry?

- Because that is what everybody believes! That's his epitaph.

He was my dad.

Few people knew the real Philip Royce, the serious journalist, the man who, when he turned 50, came into my room crying, telling me that he would rather sell Escape than have it continue the way it had.

He wanted to turn it into something different.

Topaz Topaz was to be the new beginning.

But by k*lling him the way they did, they not only took his life, they took his reputation, his credibility, his dignity.

I'm not gonna let them get away with it.

And if I have to finish Topaz myself to get those things back, I will.

Excuse me.

Hello?

- Lauren Royce?

- Yes.

Who's this? My name is George Olin.

I was working with your father on Topaz.

Just a minute, please.

This is a personal call.

Thank you very much for coming by.

If I need your help, I know where to find you.

Lauren, um, I'm sorry about your dad.

Do you know who k*lled my father? I've got a good idea.

Meet me.

I'll fill you in on the details.

Thanks, Kent.

I'll get back by myself.

Michael, there's an armed man on a rooftop down the street.

Lauren! KITT, get over here! No! Wait here.

I'll be right back.

He got away.



- I'm sorry, Michael.



- That's okay, pal.

We can't win 'em all.

Just like I told you, they believe what they wanna believe.

Come on.

They deal in facts.

We can't give them facts, just theories.

George Olin is not a theory.

What I'm trying to say is that's to our advantage.

We're not limited to facts.

If we put our heads together, there's a good chance we can figure this out by ourselves, okay? Okay.

Okay, now, work with me, all right? Let's reconstruct the last couple days of your dad's life.

Where'd he go? Who'd he see? "Where" is easy.

Las Vegas.

Business or pleasure? I'm not sure.

I mean, he went up on Tuesday, came back on Wednesday.

Did he go alone? I don't know, but we can find out.

Amazing.

It's like mission control.

I'm into gadgets.

Oh, there's Don.

Michael, I'm not a gadget.

I am a state

-of

-the

-art.

I know.

Give me a state

-of

-the

-art composite on one George Olin.

O

- L

-I

-N.

Hard copy, please.

Thanks.

Don, this is Michael Knight.

How you doing, Mike? Hi, Don.

Nice to meet you.

Nice to meet you.

Dad did take someone with him to Vegas, but he came back alone.

A Mr.

Williams.

Mr.

Williams, huh? Any chance that's Mr.

Williams? Mm

-hmm.

That's him.

Hang on.

I'll be right back.



- KITT, patch me through to Devon.



- Good news? Right now any news is good news.

Michael? Devon, give me all you got on a man named George Olin.

O

- L

-I

-N.

He's working for Royce under an assumed name.

I'll call you right back.

I have an unidentified speeding object on Runway 2.

Did you see it? I saw it, but I don't believe it.

KITT, plot me a route to Las Vegas off major highways.

Right away, Michael.

¢Ü On a hippie trail head full of zombie ¢Ü ¢ÜI met a strange lady ¢Ü ¢ÜShe made me nervous ¢Ü ¢ÜShe took me in and gave me breakfast ¢Ü KITT, get me Devon.

Hello? Devon, it's Michael.

Our lady publisher ran out on me.



- You lost her?

- That pretty well sums it up.



- How'd you do with George Olin?

- He was a private investigator, but don't get your hopes up.

Devon, if he was an investigator, he had files.

What he had was a photographic memory.

That was his trademark.

No files.

Wonderful.

I'll call you from Las Vegas.

I got a plane to catch.

¢ÜHe was six

-foot

-four and full of muscles ¢Ü Welcome to Las Vegas, KITT, the land of the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Michael, would you draw to an inside straight? I've been doing it all my life, KITT.

¢Ü Where beer does flow and men chunder ¢Ü ¢Ü Can't you hear Can't you hear the thunder ¢Ü ¢Ü You better run You better take cover ¢Ü ¢Ü Yeah ¢Ü¢Ü Don, thank you.

Appreciate it.

Hi.

Need a lift? No.

How did you get here ahead of me? You didn't drive all the way? I think we've got more important things to talk about, like you and me and some ground rules for working together.

I didn't know we were working together.

I gathered that when you took off at the airport.

So that's the first thing we gotta decide here.

Now, either we are working together, or we aren't working together.

If we aren't working together, all you gotta do is say the word, and I'm outta here.

You sure you can handle me? No.

You sure you can handle me? No.

Uh, use the V.

I.

P.

Parking.

It goes with the territory.

Terrific.

Thanks, Smitty.

I'll let them know that we're here.

KITT, I'm gonna be a while.

Go into surveillance mode.

Michael, my sensors are picking up some very strange vibrations.

Oh, yeah.

It's probably the one

-armed bandits.



- Shall we pursue them?

- No.

No, that's, uh, just a figure of speech.

This must be my lucky day.

Mine too.

Welcome to the Escape suite.

It's very nice.

Thank you.

Is that thing hooked up to the computer in L.

A.

? Probably.

All right.

Let's see here.

"Topaz.

Enter six

-digit access code.

" Bob.

How sweet.

I can't tell you how bad we all felt about, uh, you know, what happened.

I know.

Thank you.

Michael, this is Bob Kroiger.

He's head ofhotel security.

Bob, this is Michael Knight.

Hi.

We're trying to clear up a few things regarding the estate.



- You have any idea who this guy is?

- Yeah, that's Ed Williams.



- Where you know him from?

- Here.

The hotel.

Your father brought him into my office last week.

Told me to hire him in Security, so I did.

The guy disappears on me after one day.

That's it, huh? That's all I know.

Well, thank you, Bob.

Well, if, uh, you need anything, um Ed Williams.

Yeah, I know.

Same name they used with the pilot.

Mm

-hmm.

Why? What were they trying to hide? Lauren, my guess is your father's investigation turned up somebody or something here at the hotel, so he brought in this guy Olin to work undercover.

Then why would he suddenly leave the next day? Maybe he found what he was looking for.

Your father keep any files, any letters, papers, anything like that? We could look.

All right.

You check the cabinets.

I'll check the desk.

Maybe something will turn up that's not locked away under Topaz.

KITT, any progress on the access code? As Bonnie pointed out, Michael, the possible numerical combinations are virtually unlimited.

Come on.

Use your imagination.

How about 00001?

- Thank you, Michael.



- Don't mention it, pal.

All right.

What? I'm sorry.

It's just that I feel so Come on.

What is it? Today's my birthday.

Dad always used to forget.

This time he didn't forget.

They're asking questions about that detective, Olin.

What'd you say? Nothin'.

That he came and he left.

But they're not gonna let it go at that.

The next thing you know, they're gonna be trying to get Topaz out of the old man's computer.

They won't have any better luck than we did.

How do you know? They're not here for their health.

If they're on to something, we could be in some bad trouble.

Look, Royce is dead.

Olin's dead.

You're not talking about I'm talkin' whatever's necessary to stay well paid and safe.

As long as those files are in that computer, and Royce's daughter and her pal are runnin' around asking questions, I don't feel safe.

¢ÜLove's been a little bit hard on me ¢Ü ¢ÜIf I shy away, it's only because ¢Ü ¢ÜLove's been a little bit hard on me ¢Ü ¢ÜLove's been a little ¢Ü ¢Ü Well, love's been a little ¢Ü ¢ÜLove's been a little bit hard on me ¢Ü ¢ÜLove's been a little ¢Ü ¢Ü You know, it's just been a little ¢Ü ¢ÜLove's been a little bit hard on me ¢Ü Then at the blackjack table, I was splitting a pair of tens Nobody splits a pair of tens.

Believe it or not, I have never won before.

You won! I know.

Oh, Michael.

Now, don't tell me, "You shouldn't have.

" You shouldn't have.

Why not? Because.

Lauren, your father loved you.

He wanted nothing but the best for you.

If he thought you let your birthday slip by without a cake, or a smile or a bottle of champagne You're right.

You hardly know me, but you're right.

How come you're so right all the time? It's my specialty.

Okay, there's the smile.

Let's see.

What else do we have? Oh, the cake, champagne.

Anything else? I'll tell you what.

You do the cake.

I'll do the champagne.

And then we'll see what else comes to mind.

Deal.

Ready? Make a wish.

Very good.

Terrific.

Thank you.

Champagne.

A toast to a man I hope to get to know better.

Um Excuse me.

Yes.

Bob.

Lauren, I'm sorry to interrupt, but Anne Tyler called when you were out.

She said that the police wanna see you in L.

A.

First thing in the morning.



- Did she say why?

- Something about a witness to connect, uh, George Olin's death to your father's.

All right.

Call me as soon as you find out what they got.

I will.

And you call me if you find out any more on George Olin.

Yeah.

I'll miss you.

Me too.

Can I take a rain check on the rest of the champagne? Rain check.

Bye

-bye.

Don? Don couldn't make it.

Michael, my sensors are picking up screams inside the plane.

KITT, looks like I'm gonna need a boarding pass.

Does this mean what I think it means? Yes.

Take over, KITT.



- This is highly unorthodox, Michael.



- Thanks for reminding me.

Keep her steady, KITT.

All right.

You got it.

Be careful.

What? Shake him loose! Michael, what are you doing? Gonna try to jam his rudder.

Hang on, Michael.

Michael? Michael, are you all right? Michael? Can you hear me? Michael!

- Devon?

- Hello.

Welcome back.

Where am I? What happened? Whoa! Not so fast.

You're in the semi just outside Las Vegas.

Fortunately, my friend, Dr.

Carlysle, was on one of his monthly gambling forays.

I managed to corner him at a crap table.

My forays, as you call them, are semiannual, not monthly.

Now breathe.

Deeper.



- Where's Lauren?

- Michael, wait.



- You should rest.



- What happened?

- I'm afraid they got her.



- Who are "they"? Who? I was hoping you could tell me.

Devon, the plane was a company plane.

Whoever planned this was very clever and very thorough.

They used a plane identical to Royce's.

They even filed a fictitious flight plan.

Anything on Topaz? I've got KITT and every available computer working around the clock.

It's a long sh*t.

Michael, please sit down.

Rampaging around like this is not gonna accomplish anything.



- The phone call.



- What? The police.

Do they have a new lead, a witness? Not as of an hour ago.

Why? Michael, you're in no condition to drive.

Where the devil do you think you're going? I gotta talk to Anne Tyler.

You know, I just drove 20 miles just to find a store, and then they had no steaks.

What's happening to this country? I mean, how you gonna keep a country strong when the people are eatin' fish and chicken all the time? Vegetables.

Do you think you would ever see a Russian eat a vegetable? You hungry? This means yes, and this means no.

Take this down to the art department and check it, please.



- I thought you were

- Dead? Why would I think that? I thought you were in Las Vegas.



- Where's Lauren?

- That's what I came here to find out.

I don't know what you mean.

Yes, you do.

! You called Bob Kroiger at the hotel with a phony message about the police needing Lauren back here in L.

A.

I did not.

I don't know what Bob told you, but I haven't spoken to him in days.

Good

-bye, Mr.

Knight.

Anne, listen to me! It's all coming apart at the seams.

It's not gonna work.

I don't know exactly how you're involved in this or why, but I know you're involved.

Now, please, help me find Lauren before they k*ll her too.

Get your hands off me before I call security! She trusted you.

Get out of here! I don't know what Philip Royce did to you, real or imagined, but to let Lauren die for his sins puts you in a whole different category, babe.

And when your pals go down, I swear to you I'll make a point of seeing that you go down right along with them, all the way.

"Real or imagined"? You don't know the half of it.

I was Philip's first centerfold.

I worked day and night to make Escape a success.

I loved him.

I gave him everything! Don't you see? I helped create the great Philip Royce.

But instead of marriage, I got a lifetime contract and a title.

Instead of love, I got a constant series of affairs.

One woman after another, year after year! Where are they keeping Lauren? I don't know.

I never thought it would go this far.

I'm telling you the truth! I swear I don't know! Wait a minute.

That's you, isn't it? Your centerfold sh*t, what month were you? Miss November.

Why? The birthstone for November is Topaz.

He thought more of you than you know.

I'm gonna take off your gag, but before I do, I'm gonna tell you something.

I've been in these situations before.

People do crazy things.

You know what I mean? They start to yell and scream and do dumb things.

Now, take my advice.

Just relax and go with it.

Whatever's gonna happen is gonna happen.

Just like I said, as pretty as ever.



- Hello, Lauren.



- Paul, Bob, what I'm sorry.

This isn't what I intended.



- None of this was ever supposed to happen.



- You're behind all of this? Paul, you m*rder*d my father? He was your friend! You too, Bob.

! He trusted you.

! Why? This is insane.

How could you do that to him? Why? You know, I'm not proud of what I had to do.

I had to do it.

Believe that.

And let's not suffer under the romantic delusion that Philip Royce was a saint.

He wasn't even a decent man, for that matter.

Hold her arm, please.

No.

No! Topaz.

Watch this.



- Miss November.



- Miss November?

- You've gotta be kidding.



- Look.

"Accepted.

"

- Who's the speed

-reader?

- I am.

Good.

Find me a name.

There's gotta be a name in there.

It has to do with dr*gs.

One drug in particular Dialozine.

Passed by the F.

D.

A.

But later, independent tests show possible side effects.

The company is Parkway Pharmaceuticals.

And the owner's name is Paul DeBrett.

Paul DeBrett.

Is that name familiar? Yes, he was on the guest list at Philip Royce's that night.



- A friend?

- It's hard to imagine a man in his position being directly involved.

Unless his own life was at stake, or that of his company's.

Lauren, tell me about Topaz.

Topaz? Think ofTopaz as a friend who's trapped, a friend you want to set free.

Do you know the access code? No.

Does your friend, Michael Knight? Michael.

Michael.

Does he? No.

Michael, it's Devon.

Yeah, Devon?

- Do you know the expression, "Do a 180"?

- Why? What's up? I made a few calls.

Paul DeBrett is not at his house in the city.

He's at the house he's building in the country.

Eagle Lake, to be precise.

All right.

You heard the man, KITT, let's go.

She doesn't know.

I told you we didn't need to do this.



- She doesn't know anything, neither does Knight.



- Don't fall apart on me.

I just wanna get this thing over with.

I'm gonna get some air.

She don't know nothin'.

Why don't we just dump her? You're right.

Let's go.

And after, are we coming back here or what? Why? Because I got 60 dollars' worth of groceries in there.



- You amaze me.



- It's him, the guy in the car! It's Knight! Here, hold this.

Whoa! Let's get him, buddy.

! Take over.

! I got her.

Let's get going! Let's go! Hop in, Michael.

I think we can catch them.

Thanks, buddy.

Hey, he's behind us.

! Punch it.

! I beg your pardon.



- Nice touch, Michael.



- Thanks, KITT.

Take it easy.

Come on.

It's okay.

I'm all right.

Oop.

You all right? Good.

What happened? Paul DeBrett, Bob! They Whoop.

There you go.

It's okay.

I got ya.

It's all right.

Michael, I got the point.

You're okay? I'm fine.

Then what am I holding you for? Are you all right? I'm fine.

The phone's been ringing off the hook.

The F.

D.

A.

's prohibited the sale of Dialozine pending further investigation.

Your father would've been proud of you, your story.

You're a worthy heir.

Well, thank you.

And if I'm not mistaken, you and I have some unfinished business to take care of.

A rain check on a half a bottle of champagne.

Two

-thirds of a bottle.

Lauren, I love it.

! Yeah, I think it's one of our best yet.

Here, I'll give you an expert opinion.

Wow! Look at the lines on that.

Look at the curves.

Well, KITT, what do you think? Overall, it's a very flattering layout.

However, there is one small detail that keeps it from being picture

-perfect.

No kidding.

What's that? Please remove the staple from my fender.

Michael Knight, a lone crusader in a dangerous world, the world of the Knight Rider.