06x16 - The Man Who Wasn't There

[bunniefuu]

Hey, come on,
stay on top of him!

Stay on top of him!
Keep your left up, Al!

Come on!

Come on! Keep that left up, Al!

One...

Get up!

Two...

Three...

Get up!
Four...

Five...
Get up!

Six...

Seven, eight...
Get up!

One, two...

Doc, this man's been sh*t!

How bad is he, Doc?

I'm his manager.
I got a right to know.

Look, Mister...
Sloan.

All right, Mr. Sloan,

now managers wait
in the waiting room.

I'll let you know as soon as |
find out what his condition is.

Don't stand here talking to me,
get with it.

Excuse me. I'd like to find out
the condition of Al Ramon.

Mr. Sloan?

Yeah.

I'm Joe Mannix.

Peggy Fair is my secretary.

She's a friend
of your boy in there.

How is he?

They don't know yet.

I'm going to get the guy who did
this, you can count on it.

Peggy Fair-- Al's friend--
she works for a private cop.

Would that be you?

That's right.
Any idea who did it?

I got more than an idea.
Jake Cor yell.

How does Cor yell
figure into this?

Find out for me, Mannix.
I'll make it worth your while.

Now look,
if you have any evidence

you better talk to the police.

The evidence is sitting
right here like a stone.

You'll have to do better
than that, Mr. Sloan.

Hunches belong at race tracks.

Look, if I spill
this to the cops,

the boxing commission
will get to it.

I got a license
to worry about.

Are you telling me
Cor yell fixed the fight?

They tried, that's all,
so help me.

I can't go running
to the boxing commission

every time somebody stops me
in the locker room.

So I didn't tell them.

Well, tell me.

Now, listen, Cor yell wanted
Al to take a dive.

Now he's got to be kidding.

That boy's going to the top
in a year, two at the most.

You saw the fight,
he's a winner.

I'd say so.

I told Cor yell no dice
a week ago.

I told him right off,

Al's not going to take any dive
for nobody.

No, I told him, flat out.

And you don't think Cor yell
took no for an answer?

You saw what happened.

Cor yell tried to fix
the fight himself.

Mr. Sloan?

Yeah.

He's lost a lot of blood,
but the wound isn't critical.

He was lucky.

Will he fight again?

Well, it's a little too early
to say if he was that lucky.

Mannix, how about it?

I'll see what I can find out.

Lieutenant, everything's
been dusted for prints.

Well, get 'em downtown as soon
as possible, will you, Charlie?

Adam, what do you got?

So far, close to zero.

No prints, no witnesses.

What's your interest, Joe?

Al Ramon's a friend of Peggy's.
I'm interested.

Well, , witnesses,
no suspects.

Anything else?

Yeah. In this corner, an empty
shell casing, nine millimeter.

And a deflected slug,
same caliber.

Probably the one that hit
Al Ramon.

Did you, uh, get a fix
on where the sh*t came from?

Well, the empty shell casing

was found up
in that lighting booth.

The would-be assassin apparently
took his sh*t from there.

And the, uh, deflected b*llet
was found under some seats.

You know, it's just lucky it
didn't hit anyone else.

No angles except the
direction of the b*llet, huh?

Well, there was a lot
of money on the fight.

A fix, maybe.

When, uh, it looked like
Al Ramon wasn't going along

with the fix, they sh*t him.

You're within just a breath of
mentioning a name, aren't you?

I can tell.

Yeah, well, Al Ramon's manager
says Jake Cor yell

wanted to make a deal.

Oh, come on, Joe.

Every time a ball game
or a fight goes sour,

somebody shouts "Cor yell.”

We've had Cor yell down to
headquarters so many times

we got a chair
with his name on it.

You gonna talk to him?

We got nothing to talk
to him about.

You know, Adam, you ought
to get out more, socialize.

Learn how to start
conversations.

Mannix, if you're selling,
I've got everything I need.

Now if you're buying,
I got anything you want.

How much are wounded
prize fighters

bringing these days, Cor yell?

Better give me a name.

Al Ramon.

Who pointed you in my direction?

Harry Sloan.

Harry Sloan.

Harry Sloan's a jerk.
Born loser.

But Al Ramon was a born winner.

You can make a lot of money
on a born winner.

If he loses.

Nursery school stuff.

Sloan said you approached him--
wanted Al Ramon to take a dive,

but he wouldn't go for it.

And he thinks
I had his boy sh*t.

He already told me.

The police will be talking
to him today.

If I wasn't hurting so much,
I'd laugh.

Tell me about it.
I'll laugh for both of us.

Let's just say
I did talk to Sloan.

Let's just say.

And let's say I did ask Sloan
to fix the Ramon-Lopez fight

and he said no.

I'm listening, but I'm still
not laughing.

I like to bet on a sure thing.

Next best is to bet
on a winner.

You said yourself
Ramon was a winner.

So you bet on Ramon?

Over ,.

Here are the markers.

How can you collect
on a fight that didn't end?

Confetti.

I don't know what you expect
to see in these fight films

we didn't see
when we were there.

I've just got a hunch, Adam.

Well, I think I could be putting
my time to better advantage.

Anytime you're ready, Jerry.

Coming up, Joe.

Slow it down, will you, Jerry?

This is the second camera
that was covering the fight.

He was sh**ting from exactly the
same direction as the assassin.

Jerry, would you back it up?

I want Lieutenant Tobias
to see that again.

Joe, if Cor yell was betting
on Ramon, who'd dare cross him?

I don't think anybody
was crossing anybody.

What are you getting at?

Hold it right there.

Now right there is where

Ramon stumbled
just before he was sh*t.

No hit man in the world
could count on that happening.

He would have waited
for a clear sh*t.

You mean our sn*per
wasn't aiming at Ramon?

Exactly.

Who was sitting
in the line of fire?

That's what
I'm trying to find out.

Jerry, see if you can sharpen
up that background.

I'm going to assign
a man to you.

Oh, come on, Adam,
you can't do that.

You'll scare him off.
Prolong the agony.

What do you expect me to do?
Let you keep moving around

like a little tin duck
in a sh**ting gallery?

How else am I going to know
who's got it in for tin ducks?

No sale. It's my job to shut
down the sh**ting gallery.

Oh, you mean I'm going
to wake up every morning

wondering if this is the day
that some crackpot

is going to get past your
watchdog? No, thanks.

Joe, Al Ramon stopped a b*llet
meant for you.

Now, the guy who sh*t that r*fle
is my business.

Uh, okay. When I get him,
you can have him.

Listen, I got better things
to do on my day off

than come to your funeral.

A couple of days
out in the open. Fair enough?

I don't make promises
without thinking about it.

Keep your head down.

Mannix.

Been to the movies, Mannix?

Who is this?

I guess you put it all together.

Smart.

But you... you were always
pretty smart, weren't you?

Who are you?

Oh, no, Mannix.

No, not that easy.

I was going to give it to you
clean and fast last night,

but I like it better this way.

I want to see you sweat, Mannix.

Like I did, okay?

How does it feel

walking around dead?

It'll take more than a thin dime
and a loose lip.

You'll never know
when I'm there.

I may be the next guy you meet
on the street

to ask you for a match.

Don't worry about it... 'kay?

Excuse me.

Can you tell me
where the nearest

freeway on-ramp is to downtown?

Yeah, it's, uh,
four blocks south.

Thank you.

Thanks anyway, Romy.

Yes, I appreciate you checking.

No, no, no, I'm trying
to wrap up a case.

Just looking for some string.

Yeah, thanks.

Well, Morgan and Lucek
are still doing time,

and Benny Hartman was k*lled
in a liquor store holdup

in San Diego about a month ago.

Emmett Trask.

Trask?

You're plowing up some
pretty old ground, aren't you?

Maybe you don't remember, Joe,
but I do.

I was sitting in that courtroom
the day Trask was sentenced.

He threatened to k*ll you when
he got out, and he meant it.

Yeah, that was the, uh,
Coogan Warehouse robbery.

It was on Old Spring, and...

He's been out about a year now.

Last I heard,
he was living down in Texas.

The last I heard,
he was back here in Los Angeles.

Where did you hear that?

While you were talking to Romy,
I was talking to Albee.

Trask's been back in Los Angeles
for three weeks.

Where is he? Did Albee say?

Oh, Joe, let the police
question him.

Peggy, he didn't thr*aten
to k*ll the police. Where?

His old watering hole.

The Sea Breeze Bar.

By

Irish whiskey over there.

Hello, Trask.

I'm talking to you, Trask.

Better answer.

Bartender thinks I'm talking
to myself, he won't serve me.

Bug off, Mannix.

I'm expecting somebody.

Thought you might be
expecting me.

You I can do without.

Where were you last night?

At a prayer meeting.
Where else?

You better come up
with a straight answer, Trask,

or I'm going to kick
that machine

out from under you
and you can pray that I don't

break you in half
before you hit the floor.

Look, Mannix, I'm having
a business meeting

here in a minute,
and you're going to louse it up.

Somebody took a sh*t at me
last night, Trask.

Good for somebody.

The day you were sentenced,
you put me first

on a list of people to pay back.
Remember?

So I popped off in court.

So what?

Look, Mannix, I got
bigger things cooking

than trying
to get even with you.

I don't care whether you
live or die. Believe me.

What kind of big things?

Get lost.

Hey, fellas.

Where do you want to talk?

Freeze, or I blow your head off.

Keep both hands on the machine.

Well, you bought yourself

a little double-cross,
didn't you, Trask?

I don't know
what you're talking about.

What is all this?

You walked into a setup, Mannix.

Mr. Trask here horned in

on a little happy powder
transaction last night.

And the big boys
don't like tinhorns,

uh, hijacking their hard stuff.

Isn't that right?

This was supposed to be
the payoff, right?

I know my rights.

I don't have to say anything.

Well, you ought to at least
say thanks to Mannix here.

He probably saved
your lousy life.

Who asked...?

Sit tight.
We'll get you a vet.

What are you doing here, Mannix?

Somebody gave me a wrong number.

By

Easy, Mannix.

For Pete's sake.

Gifford.

Detective Gifford,
if you remember.

Now, uh, who's got you out

playing cat and mouse
at this time of night?

Lieutenant Tobias assigned me
to keep an eye on you.

I told him to lay off.

I wish he'd listened.

I'm sorry, Lou.

Uh, come on in.

I'll buy you a drink.

By

Hi, Joe.

Come on in, Joe.

By

by

He's no amateur.

The guy who rigged this laughing
booby trap is an expert.

What is it, Joe?

I don't know, Adam.
I'm not sure.

I'm going to leave Gifford here
to keep an eye on you.

Take him with you.

Come on, Joe.

Now, look, Adam,
this guy's smart enough

to know when there's a watchdog
on the premises.

He's not about to make a move
unless I'm alone.

Well, his first move
may be your last.

I've got to flush him out.

Is he getting to you?

Good night, Adam.

Just for the record,
I think it's a lousy idea.

Mannix.

See how easy it's going to be?

That dummy sitting there
could have been you.

Could have been.

A b*llet right between the eyes.
Okay?

Why don't you pack your
toothbrush and straitjacket

and go back
to where you came from?

I'm sure they miss
your sense of humor.

If you think you're so funny,

how come I'm the only one
laughing?

Okay.

Let's have it-—-
what do you want?

I'm gonna see how long you
can stay awake before you cr*ck.

Okay?

It'll be a long night.

Your voice is beginning
to sound familiar.

Ah, no.

Not in a million years.

Tell you what.

You want to know who I am?

Come and find me.

Name a place.

Yeah.

You're just dying to see me,
aren't you?

'Kay.

But let's make it private.

How about...

Lookout Mountain, at the point.

The point, Joe.

That way, I can see
your car coming up.

How long will it take you, Joe?

minutes.

No longer, Joe.

'Kay?

Car trouble, Joe?

Shake you up a little?

For a marked man,
you're careless.

I, uh...

Just a little smoke b*mb
this time, Joe.

If I'd used
real expl*sives, uh...

you'd be in Alabama now.

Tonight's not the night, but

it's getting closer.

'Kay?

Won't be long now.

Tonight's not the night,

but it's getting closer.

'Kay?

It's getting closer.

'Kay? 'Kay? 'Kay?

Joe.

What's the matter?

Someone called the house
just as I was leaving

and said that your car had blown
up down at Third and Jarmin,

so I raced down there.

It was just our friend
getting his morning jollies.

How sick can you get?

Peggy, I've marked some names
in this old address book.

Would you call these numbers?

They're all over the country.

Old buddies of mine from Korea.

Korea?

P.O.W. camp.

We used to sort of sit around
and watch hell freeze over.

Some of them have probably
moved, but track them down;

I want to talk to them.

Joe, you know who's doing this,
don't you?

Hmm.

Lyle Foster,
the one on the left.

What makes you think it's him?

Everything fits.

Voice, everything.

The only trouble is
it's just not possible.

Why?

I buried him.

By

We are here today
to honor a brave American,

Corporal Lyle Foster,
who was a courageous soldier

who fought with distinction
and honor.

That's a lie, Foster.

You're an informer
and a traitor.

You're...

Sure your nerves aren't
playing tricks on you?

I tell you, it's Foster.

How can you be so sure?

The knots, on the dummy.

The way he tied the strings
like a lasso.

Way he rigged my car to explode.

It has to be him.

Foster was a demolition man.

He always rigged his trip cords
and made his tie-ups

with the same kind
of lasso loop.

He also had an annoying habit.

He ended every other sentence
with a "'kay."

"I'm gonna do this, 'kay?
I'm gonna do that, 'kay?"

Drove us nuts.

You're saying his funeral
was a phony then?

It's just possible we buried
pounds of rocks.

North Koreans could have
traded his freedom

for cooperating with them.

Fixed him up with a fake I.D.,
the works.

They said he d*ed of pneumonia.

All the time, he was relaxing
in a nice warm bed

with warm chow,
waiting to take off.

Can you blow up that picture
of him for identification?

Yeah. I can order
his prints, also.

They'll have them
on his service file.

Tobias.

Yeah, Peggy, he's here.

Yeah, Peggy, what do you got?

Some of your old friends
have moved,

and a few that I talked to
will call you back,

but I'm afraid I have
bad news on two others.

What's the bad news?

Alan Cross was k*lled
in a hit-and-run truck accident

two weeks ago in Kansas City.

A month before that,
James Ridley was k*lled

in an unexplained hunting
accident in northern Michigan.

Looks like Foster has been
making the rounds.

Now look, Peggy...

Peggy?

I've got company, Joe.

She called you Joe.

Ain't that friendly now?

Well, that's just fine, Mannix.

Because now you'll listen
real careful.

'Kay?

Yeah. Yeah, okay.

You're calling the sh*ts.

Beautiful, Mannix.

That's beautiful.

I call the sh*ts.

And I call the first one
right now.

Come home.

And no police, just you.

Or the lady gets it first.

'Kay?

Right.

Hang it up.
Hang it up!

What is it?

I'll, uh, call you later, Adam.

By

We've got his picture
and description

in every squad room, Joe.

We'll get him.

Yeah, some rookie cop
looking to make points

could get Peggy k*lled.

It's eight hours and not a word.

He's trying
to stretch your nerves

as tight as he can get them.

Figures you'll snap
when the time comes.

Mannix.

You went to the police, Mannix.

I don't like that, baby.

Could get the little lady hurt.

I want to know
if she's all right.

Let me talk to her.

Yeah, she's all right.

You'll have to take
my word for it, 'kay?

Now, look, the game is over.

You might as well
give it up, Foster.

You're smarter than I thought.

That's not good.

That's not good at all.

Foster, I'm willing
to make a deal.

No deals.

Let her go!

I'm the one you want.

Name the place.

Don't give me orders.

If you hadn't been
with the police,

this whole thing could've,
could've been over.

Now it's a go.

Now, you listen, Mannix.

Go ahead.

You just do exactly,
exactly as I tell you.

Only if my secretary
is released unharmed.

Don't bargain with me!

'Kay?

Just... just do as you're told.

City View Motel.

Ground floor.

Room , now.

And, Mannix...

no cops.

If a blue uniform shows,

this lady's had it.

I mean...

Well?

No police, Adam.

Come on, you're a dead man, Joe!

There's a maniac like this

sh**ting up some neighborhood
every other week!

Yeah, well, this one
belongs to me, so lay off.

By

Oh, I'm sorry.

What the Sam Hill's
going on here?

Who are you?

I'm the manager! Who are you?

Who rented this room?

Good grief!

Who was in this room?

Well, I'd have told you if you'd
have stopped by the office.

Frank Smith, Omaha.

Is that Frank Smith?

Yeah, could be.

Younger then, though.

Say, you wouldn't be
a Mr. Mannix?

That's right. Why?

Well, this is the craziest
goings-on I ever saw.

And this at what's supposed
to be a time of sorrow, too.

Sorrow?

The funeral.

Mr. Smith said he's going on
ahead to make the arrangements.

Told me to tell you
to meet him there.

Meet him where?

Some funny kind of
family you got.

The Westhaven Funeral Home.

By

Hello, Joe.

Come on in.

You're gonna feel
right at home here.

There's a light switch
on the wall.

Use it.

Look below the switch, Joe.

See the wire?

Follow it, Joe.

'Kay?

I got a little surprise for you.

Uh... you like surprises,
don't you?

There's a nice room
right off the hallway.

You'll love it!

Yeah.

Keep following the wire, Joe.

You want your secretary,
don't you?

Keep following the wire, Joe.

Sorry we couldn't
afford organ music.

Just follow the wire, 'kay?

Keep following the wire.

Keep following the wire.

Just follow the wire, Joe.

Find one you like? Hmm?

You said you wanted your
secretary, didn't you? Huh?

Joe.

You're getting warmer.

Joe!

It's the end of the line.

Over there on your right,

there's a closed casket.

Ha-ha-ha!

You know what's inside?

You want your
secretary, Joe? Hmm?

Open the casket!

Open it.

Open the casket!

Go ahead, Joe!

This is for you, Joe.

It's for you!

This is where you sleep tonight!

Hello.

You're following
instructions real good.

I like that.

Where's my secretary?
I want to talk to her.

She's fine, I told you.

I talk to her, or I stop
following instructions.

Foster?

Foster!

Foster!
He wants to hear you talk.

Stay away, Joe! Don't come!

Peggy?

Hello, Peggy?

Foster!

Foster!

Foster!

I got some better advice, Joe.

Come quick.

Where are you now?

Right back where
it started, Joe.

The boxing arena.

But there's nobody in the ring

to take your b*llet
for you tonight.

All right, Foster.

Mannix...

one piece of fuzz
hanging on you...

...and I'll k*ll your secretary,
I'll k*ll her.

Foster!

Where's my secretary?

One thing at a time, Mannix.

Front and center, Joe.

Front and center. Walk.

Walk!

Ah, ah, ah. Right there.

Where is she, Foster?

She's right here with me, Joe.

Get in the ring, Mannix.

Move. That's right.

That's right.

Stop right there.

Take your coat off, Joe.

Now turn around.

Yeah.

Throw your g*n
out of the ring, Joe.

Out of the ring.

You won't get two blocks
from here, Foster.

The police are looking for you.

Don't con me, Joe.

I'm dead.

Remember?

Throw that g*n out of the ring.

Out of the ring, Joe!

Mannix...

You know what it's like
to walk around the world

a dead man?

No matter where you...
where you go, afraid...

afraid to look
anybody in the face?

Afraid they'll know you?

You made them
do that to me, Joe.

That's what you bought, Foster,

when you sold us out
in North Korea!

You made the deal, no one else.

I don't want to
talk anymore, Joe.

Out of the ring.

Get out of the ring!

You can't go on k*lling everyone
who knew you, Foster!

I said I don't
want to talk anymore!

Now find your seat, Mannix.

Right where you were
the other night.

Row one, seat four.

Move! Or I drop the lady
right off the ledge, Joe.

I swear it!

Now sit down.

Sit down!

What's going on here?

You brought the cops?

Wrong, Joe!

He can't help you this time!

He can't help you, Joe!

Can you see, Joe?

Mannix?

Mannix?!

Get back in your seat!

Sit down, Joe!

Joe, sit...!

Well, with buddies like that,
you don't need enemies.

Yeah.

Do you mind telling me

what you're doing
out of the hospital?

Got out a couple of hours ago.

Then I got to thinking.

I was just wondering, you know,

if I'd ever be here again.

In the ring.

The crowd yelling. Watching me.

They'll be watching you, Al.