05x03 - A Step in Time

[bunniefuu]

Wait a minute! Hold it!

Hold it!

Mister!

Mister, what are you doing over there?

Call the police!
There's a woman in trouble in here!

All right, Mister, what's going on here?

Sheriff, I'm Joe Mannix.
I'm a private investigator.

I was jogging down on the beach below.
I heard a scream.

When I looked up, I saw a woman being
att*cked right over on that side terrace.

Goon.
There were two men.

I think one of them had a Kn*fe.

She was running. They grabbed her,
and they dragged her back into the house.

I think there's a good chance
they're still inside.

Hold on.

You saw this from the beach?

Yeah, from Sharkhead Point.

Can you describe the two men?

One of them had kind of long hair,
a dark jacket--

Probably black leather
with some big metal studs on it.

And the other guy
had a cap and a windbreaker.

And the lady was blonde?

Wearing a pink dressing gown?

That's right.

Sounds like Karen Townsend,
wouldn't you say, Mrs. Benson?

Yes.

It certainly does.

I think you better just hop over that fence
and come down to the station with me.

Now look, Sheriff,

I saw a woman fighting for her life
on that side terrace. Now it happened!

Oh, it happened, all right.

Every detail just the way you explained it.

They m*rder*d her.

The only thing is it happened a year ago.

♪♪

Yes?

Oh.

Uh, Mr. Mannix.

Mrs. Benson.
I'm sorry to bother you again.

I'd like to talk to you about next door.

You mean about, uh,
what happened last year?

Yes.

Well, I thought that, uh,
Sheriff Bowdan had said

he was going to let you see the case files.

Well, he did, but it wasn't very satisfying.

I thought maybe if I heard
a first-hand account, it might help.

Mr. Mannix, it's a very painful
recollection for me.

I'd appreciate it very much,
Mrs. Benson.

Well, all right. You can come in.

Uh, won't you sit down?

Mrs. Benson, tell me about the Townsends.

Well I-- I didn't know them very well.

We were just neighbors.

I'd see them coming and going
and say hello, but that's about all.

Did they, uh, keep
pretty much to themselves?

No, I think I was the private one.

I'm a widow.

What is it that you want to know
about the m*rder?

Well, uh, just tell me everything
you can remember.

Well...

I was...

sitting right here...

reading.

I'd gotten up...

to make a drink.

Aah!

Aah!

Ohh...

Mr. Townsend.

Mr. Townsend.

Mr. Townsend.

Mr. Townsend.

Mr. Townsend!

He was in a catatonic trance.

There was nothing I could do.

Nothing anyone could do.

The Sheriff arrived
and then an ambulance,

and that was that.

They took Mr. Townsend to a hospital,

and a few days later,
they transferred him to a sanitorium.

He's been there ever since.

And he's still catatonic?

Like a statue.

Mr. Mannix, there can be
only one explanation

for what happened to you this morning.

You must have read about the m*rder
last year when it happened.

I know you think you didn't, but you had to.

And your subconscious mind
remembered it.

So you think that, uh, when
I was passing by down below,

suddenly it all came to the surface,
and I imagined I saw it?

Evidently.

Something tells me you're still
out at the beach watching a mirage.

Now don't you tell me I was seeing things.
It happened.

Okay. Okay, Joe.

They got what they wanted a year ago--

, in jewelry.

So why would they be there today?

I don't know!

Excuse me.

Mr. Mannix?

That's right.

The one who was jogging
off Sharkhead Point this morning?

Every morning--
for the last couple of weeks.

I'm Gwen Townsend.
My brother is Chris Townsend.

He owns the house up on the point.

No calls, Peggy.

Please, sit down.

Thank you.

First, I'd like to make sure of something.

The report you filed with the sheriff
about seeing something on the terrace.

You haven't changed your mind,
have you?

No.

Are you absolutely positive you saw them?

Positive.

I was hoping you would say that.

Mr. Mannix, we would like to hire you.

We?

My brother and I.

He's been getting a little better lately.

I'm glad to hear that.
Why do you want to hire me?

I think Chris is in danger.

Because the two men who k*lled his wife
are still walking around somewhere?

Yes.

And they know Chris saw them.

The way Chris has been, they haven't
had to worry about being identified.

But if they find out his mind
is beginning to come back...

As a matter of fact,
he's being released tomorrow.

Ted Hanlon, who's been
taking care of him at the sanitarium,

is going to stay with him
until he can manage on his own.

All right. Come on.

Did anybody pour a drink?

Would you like one, Chris?

Mr. Mannix?

No.

My wife was a very talented painter.

Did you know that, Mr. Mannix?

No, I didn't.

She completed this one just before.

It was the last thing she did.

She had quite a talent.

Oh, yeah.

She was quite a lady.

That's where it happened.
Over there.

Mr. Townsend,

if you can bring yourself to face it,
we might be able to find those two men.

Don't push him, Mr. Mannix.
You hired me to protect your brother.

The only way I can do that is to find out
what those two men looked like.

But it's too soon.

I'm not so sure he's ready for this.

He decided to face reality the minute he
walked down those steps and into this room.

Don't stop me from helping him.

Mr. Townsend,

you were upstairs,

and you heard a scream.

Take your time.

Whenever you feel you're up to it.

I heard Karen scream,

and then I ran down the stairs,

into this room.

She was over there...

struggling with a man.

Describe the man.

Medium build...

like a wild man...

long hair...

Go on.

A leather jacket...

with, uh...

and black--

Oversized metal buttons all over it.

And I ran over to her
'cause he was hitting her.

What about the second man?

Uh...

Can you describe him?

Uh, he ran over to Karen.

He had a Kn*fe.
What did he look like?

And he lifted the Kn*fe,
and he stabbed her!

What did he look like?
He stabbed her,

and he stabbed her and he stabbed her

and stabbed her!

Oh! Oh!

Chris. Chris!

Take it easy, Mr. Townsend.

Take it easy.

I'm all right.

Oh, thank you, dear.
You're welcome.

Well, I did it, Gwen.

I took that first step.

Yes, Chris, you did.

Here I am in my own house,
having a drink.

Mr. Townsend,

I'm going to check around and, uh,

make sure everything
is locked up before I leave.

Fine. And thank you, Mr. Mannix.

Chris, won't you please let Mr. Mannix stay?

He can stay in the library,
and I can stay in the guest room.

No, Gwen. I don't need anyone
here with me except Ted.

I'm going to lead a normal life.

Don't worry, miss. If there's any problem,
help's as near as the phone.

Besides, when you've worked in sanitariums
as long as I have,

you learn how not to sleep nights.

Do you understand?

I've been watched over
day and night for over a year.

Now I'm on my own.

I still wish he'd let us stay with him.

I mean, someone could climb up
from the beach.

Everything is locked up.
The house is safe.

I guess so.

Were you always the family worrier?

When it came to Chris.

It started when we were very young.

Even though he's a few years older,
I was always looking out for him.

He seemed so vulnerable.

Did you, uh, stop playing big sister
after he married?

Not entirely.

But with Karen at his side,
I worried a lot less.

She was real.

Raised in the lap of luxury,
but the money never spoiled her.

Were you close to her?

As close as I could be.

I was in New York most of the time
they were married.

Karen would write me, though, faithfully.
She kept me posted.

What were you doing in New York?

Same thing I'm doing now.
Fashion design.

Oh.

When Karen was k*lled
and Chris had his problem,

I moved back here to be near him.

Tell me, uh, are you a good designer?

The three people I work for think so.

What you're wearing--
is that one of your creations?

Yes.

Well, then, there are four people
who think you're good.

Joe, how about coming up for a nightcap?

Stay here.

Did you see who it was?
No, I didn't.

Why would anyone take a sh*t at us?

I think they were sh**ting at me.

Why?

Trying to scare me off the case.

I'll take that cocktail.

Hello.

Joe.

Peggy? What's wrong?
Where are you?

The Freak-Out. It's a hippie place
near Sharkhead Point.

Well, what are you doing there?

I checked with some friends in the area,

and this is where all the weirdos up
and down the beach come to groove.

Joe, I think I stumbled onto something.
What's that?

One of the neighborhood characters
by the name of Moe m1ngo.

I haven't met him yet, but they say
he wears a leather studded jacket.

Now, listen, Peggy,
you sit tight until I get there,

and don't try anything on your own.

What's the weird sauce, Mama?

It's coffee. Black, no sugar.

They should make laws to protect people.

Let's go to a place
that serves my kind of stuff.

I'm meeting someone.

Who?

Moe m1ngo.

What do you want him for?

He called and said he needed some money.

Moe's got bread.
Moe's floating in it.

He called and said he needed some more.

I'm the one that needs bread.

What about me?

Spread it around, Mama.
Spread it around.

No way. m1ngo's my man.

Coffee drinker.

Never been to an earthquake, Mama?

Ain't nothing I hate worse than a liar.

What?
m1ngo-- he don't dig chicks.

Let's go.
Where?

m1ngo's pad.
Number -B, across the alley.

You're hurting me.

Hurting's my thing.

Okay, friend, you can let her go.

Okay, man, or you can just split.

Now, look, you've had your kicks.

Let her go.

Finders, keepers.

The chick's mine.

Joe, look out.

Fink! Fink!

I thought I told you to sit tight.

In there, it's against the law.

Come on.
Where?

Moe m1ngo, I hope.

Looks like he's OD'd.

Is he alive?

Just.
You better call an ambulance.

Dr. Sing, please go to the orthopedic ward.

Dr. Sing, go to the orthopedic wing, please.

Dr. Sing, go to the orthopedic wing, please.

Hello, Peggy.
Hi, Art.

Joe, what are you doing here?
I'm on a case.

Hey, Art, are you familiar
with the Townsend m*rder?

About a year ago on the beach?
Yeah.

Karen Townsend.
Yeah, we were called in on that.

Well, |, uh, think one of the K*llers

might be the drug overdose case
they just wheeled into Emergency.

What's the proof?

A studded leather jacket.
That was his trademark.

I saw it on him once.
It was hanging in his room tonight.

It fits the description given
by the victim's husband.

The guy with the jacket.
We're talking about Moe m1ngo, right?

Right.

Now, what's his record?
How many arrests?

Three. All on the needle.

He's been clean for the last six months.

Says who?

Says the Dilemma House,
the local rehabilitation center.

They've been working with him for six months.
They say he kicked.

Then why'd he get on tonight, Art?

Well, with these speed freaks,
you don't get any lifetime guarantees.

What about the missing jewelry?

Has any of it turned up in the last few days?

No, not a zircon.

Here's the doctor. Let's see if m1ngo
will pop with any answers.

Can we talk to him?
Afraid you're too late.

He's dead.

Mannix here.

Mr. Mannix, this is Charlotte Benson.

Well, I'm calling because
I think I saw a prowler...just now.

He was climbing up from the beach,
heading towards the Townsend house.

Well, I know Mr. Townsend
came home today,

and I understand that you've been hired
to protect him,

so I thought I should tell you about it.

Mrs. Benson, now listen to me very carefully.

First thing you do is call next door,
ask for a Ted Hanlon.

Tell him to make sure Mr. Townsend
doesn't get near a window.

But I've already called the house,
and there was no one there.

That's right, Sheriff. Joe Mannix.

And this time I'm working
for the Townsend family.

Yeah, I believe there's trouble
at the house.

Good. I'll meet you there.

Hold it right there!

[g*nshots

Mr. Mannix, thank heavens you're here.

He's dead.

I thought I told you to stay close
to Townsend.

I did. He's with me.
What did you think?

He felt like having dinner at the pier.

Mr. Townsend, do you recognize him?

His face looks familiar,

but I'm not sure.

All right. Thanks a lot, Sheriff.

The report just came in.

Name, Stan Gillan. Age, .

Occupation-- gardener and handyman
around Sharkhead Point.

Did he ever work for the Townsends?

From the day they bought the house
right up until, uh,

well, his employment,

all of his employment

seems to have stopped
about the time Mrs. Townsend was k*lled.

Anything else?

His bank account
seems to have prospered nicely.

He's deposited over five thousand dollars
in the last ten months.

Not from gardening.

Not even at today's prices.

Did he have a record?
No. Nothing.

Was he questioned at the time
of Karen Townsend's death?

Oh, yeah. But he said
he was home alone watching TV.

There wasn't any reason
not to believe him at the time.

My theory now is that

he saw Mrs. Townsend
putting the jewels in the safe,

and he and Moe m1ngo
worked out this plan,

and their timing was a little off,

and Mrs. Townsend confronted them,
and they k*lled her.

Where are the jewels?

Al right.

Okay.

When they k*lled Mrs. Townsend,
they panicked,

and they buried the jewels
somewhere on the property

and didn't mark the place.

That's why they kept coming back
searching for them,

trying to find them.

Then why the charade?

Why did they dress up
and put on an act for me?

Well, because, uh...

uh...

Joe, you got a point.

Morning, Joe.

Morning, Peggy.

Gwen Townsend called.

She wanted to say thanks
for clearing everything up.

But it isn't cleared up.

Were you able to turn up anything
on, uh, Stan Gillan?

Nothing that would be of much help.
He had no family,

lived alone,
and apparently didn't have many friends.

How about his bank account?

Monthly deposits of five hundred dollars.

But there's no indication
of where the money came from.

Did you find anything that might link him
with Moe m1ngo?

Different worlds.

Incidentally, about Moe m1ngo.

I double-checked with the Dilemma House,
and they verified what Art Malcolm said.

m1ngo had kicked the drug habit.

I wonder if that's the connection
between m1ngo and Gillan--

Dilemma House.

Gillan didn't have a drug history.

At least not one that anyone knew of.

Peggy, when you phoned the Dilemma House,
did you ask about Gillan?

It never occurred to me, Joe.

I'll get right on it.
Don't bother. I'll do it myself.

Now you understand why we've all taken
the death so hard, Mr. Mannix.

Yeah. According to this, Moe m1ngo
was your star boarder while he was here.

Yes.

But more than that,
he inspired many of the other addicts

by the strength he showed
in fighting his problem.

Everybody looked up to him.

Why, we were so sure of him,

we were considering letting him lecture
at the local high schools.

What went wrong, Dr. Lucas?

I wish I knew.

He must have been
under tremendous pressure

to forget the pain and suffering
he'd gone through before.

Have you ever heard of a Stan Gillan?

No. No, that name doesn't register.

Well, thank you very much
for your time, Dr. Lucas.

You're certainly doing a great job here.

It's not just myself, Mr. Mannix.

There are many concerned people involved.

As a matter of fact,
why don't you read about us?

Maybe you know someone who can benefit

from the services here
at the Benson Foundation.

Thank you.

Benson Foundation?

Yes. Our real name.

We're called Dilemma House
for obvious reasons,

but we do operate on an endowment
from the Benson family.

Is, uh, Charlotte Benson
part of that family?

A distant relative.

Of course, she doesn't have
the kind of money that built this facility,

but she's very active here.

She contributes her time,
and that's worth its weight in gold.

Why, Mr. Mannix?
Do you know her?

Oh, just in passing.

Did she ever have any contact
with Moe m1ngo?

Yes, they knew each other quite well.

As a matter of fact, she was the one
who brought him here to us for help.

Oh, hi, Joe. Come on in.

Something tells me I'm interrupting
the progress of fashion.

Oh, come on in. Let me show you
where progress is at the moment.

Yeah.

That's good. Very good.

Well, it's not my idea.
It's Matilda's.

She may not say much,
but she's no dummy.

Is, uh, strawberry hair coming back?

Well, actually, she's bald.

Nylon has made it possible for her
to deceive the entire world.

Voila.

What is it, Joe?

Uh, nothing. Nothing, Gwen.

Look, I-- I'm sure I'm interrupting--

No. No. I wanted to see you.
That's why I called you.

I wanted to thank you
for everything you've done.

I dropped by Chris' earlier,
and he told me what happened last night--

That the men who k*lled Karen are dead.

I mean, now he can go on without any fear.

He was so relieved
he was wearing his happy face.

His what?
You know, the game kids play.

If something pleased him, he did this.

And if it displeased him, he did this.

Today he was extra happy.

Oh, he really loved that game.

He was so good at it
it was scary.

I mean, once he didn't want to go to camp,
and my father said that he had to.

Well, he not only put on his sad face,

but he threatened to hold his breath
and freeze into a statue.

I mean, he actually started to...

I'll drink to that anytime.

Maybe you ought to drink to me

since I made it all possible.

Mr. Mannix, I didn't hear you come in.

I didn't intend you to.

Made what all possible?

The two of you, now that the case
is wrapped up, almost.

Almost?

Mrs. Benson,
everything you told me was a lie.

Townsend k*lled his wife, and you helped him.

Then you hid the jewelry to make it look
as if the k*lling was part of a robbery.

You're crazy.

Oh, there's more.

Your gardener, Stan Gillan--
he must have seen you.

You paid him to keep quiet.

You promised as soon as you got out
of the sanitarium,

he'd get the bulk of the payoff.

That's why he was here last night--
to collect.

And I was here
because you arranged that, too.

I was supposed to get rid of him for you.

Chris, I think that Mr. Mannix
is hallucinating again.

If you mean the terrace, Mrs. Benson,

you also arranged that act for my benefit,

and you played one of the roles
in a blonde wig...

to fit the story you told last year.

Oh, you had us all believing that Moe m1ngo

and Stan Gillan were the K*llers.

That's fascinating.

Tell me, if I were playacting,
who else was in the cast?

I'd love to know.
Moe m1ngo for one.

He would have done anything for you,
his benefactress.

And then, someone helped him
to an overdose.

Well, you said you saw two men
on the terrace.

Now, how could you think that Stan Gillan,

who according to you was blackmailing me,
would work with me?

That's the one missing piece.

Well, I couldn't have been the other man.

I've been an invalid for a year.

Your performance was the best of all.

You even had them fooled at the sanitarium.

And you could have sneaked out of there
at any time for an hour or so.

I could have,

but I didn't.

It was easier for Ted.

Ask him.

I'll release the brake.

Yeah, okay.

Charlotte!

Charlotte?

Charlotte.

This time it's real, isn't it?

I'm afraid so.