03x16 - Accomplice to m*rder

[bunniefuu]

It's nice when you can do
favors for people you know.

We found your blood
a" over his clothes.

That's a piece of skin we
found under his fingernail.

It goes with the scratches on your
neck like a piece in a jig-saw puzzle.

Let's go.

He looks guilty.

He said he isn't,
and I believe him.

I never do trial and error...

Oh, boy. That is not the
work of our department.

I'm going to do every
scientific test known to man,

and if that doesn't work,
I'm going to do trial and error.

Gentlemen, you
are about to enter

the most fascinating
sphere of police work,

the world of forensic medicine.

What are you doing, you stupid
old man? I should have hit ya!

That there car came pretty close

to splatting you all over
the pavement, eh, old man?

You know why he didn't
know where he was going?

- No, why?
- Why?

'Cause he can't see too
good now, can you, old man?

Old man. I want you!

Come on, old man. We
wanna fight you. I want you!

We wanna fight you! Come on!

Come on, fool! Come on, old man!

Good one!

So the guys say to me,
"Oh, man, you goin' soft,

"you up there hangin' around with
a bunch of old ladies and old men."

What do you think,
Mojo? Are you going soft?

I'll level with you,
Rosey. Sometimes I do.

And sometimes I feel... I
don't know, pretty good.

Like when I painted that
room for Mrs. Jackson

'cause she couldn't
climb up that ladder.

Why'd you feel good?

I don't know. Because I was
doin' a favor for her, I guess.

If she had hired regular painters, they'd
have charged her about 15 to 20 bucks.

You see,

it's nice when you can do
favors for people you know.

Makes you feel a lot
better than they do.

You know, it's so nice
to be together like this.

We can walk down the
street without being afraid

that any of you kids are
gonna hurt us or hassle us.

You know what my kid
said to me the other night?

Your kid? He must be
older than my grandpa.

Well, I'll bet he's
that. He's 47.

He says, "Hey, Pop, what are you
doing playing footsie with those JD's?"

Hey, man, that's us!

That's right. Well, he tells me,
"Pop, they're sure to be trouble.

"One of 'em's gonna bust into your
house some night and he'll get your stash."

I say, "What stash? I ain't even
got a pot to... Ooh, excuse me."

Well, I mean, I don't have nothing.
Except I was one hell of a carpenter.

So I tell my son, I can
do these kids a favor,

I can teach some
of 'em what I know.

Maybe nobody
else wants to use it.

So Giant Step has
benefited both of you.

That's right.

In other ways, too. You see, it's
helping the whole neighborhood.

And if it keeps on, there's gonna
come a time when us doddering old folks,

will feel safe goin' out on
the streets at night, right?

Hey, you mean
you're not finished yet?

I need one full length
body sh*t, Lieutenant.

Okay, take your
full length body sh*t.

Thank you. Okay.

That the same house
he lived in? Yeah.

I'm just two rooms away.

Oh, you knew him, then? No.

I didn't know his name.
Nobody did. Just Brownie.

Thank you.

Excuse me, please.

Hi, Quincy.

What happened?

Looks like a crib job. Probably some
kid trying to pick up a buck or two.

Old man like this, it's like
taking candy away from a baby.

Not this time. This
guy went down fighting.

I know. His face is hardly marked. If
he wasn't dead, you'd think he won.

Quite a bruise on his neck.

I noticed that. You think
that could've k*lled him?

I don't know yet.

We'll know for sure soon
enough. You can take him.

Look, he had no
ID on his person.

So, maybe by the time you start the
autopsy, we'll have something for you.

And, like I've been going with
him for what, four, five months?

All that time.

All that time he
can't get no job.

Just 'cause he got a record.

I've got a record, too.

Hey, man, come off it.

I'm a lady. Okay.

Miss Barnett, you
got to be putting us on.

No, I'm not. For 28 years I taught in the
city's school system. Remedial reading.

That ain't no record.

Well, maybe not the way you mean,
Cindy, but I can't get a job either.

'Cause you an old lady.

Well, I don't know
less than I did before,

I think I can teach
even better now.

What about doing
that here, Mrs. Barnett?

You mean here?

Well, we can't pay you,
but we sure can use you.

Use her? We need her.

Oh! Wow!

That sure must
b*at just vegetating.

It's no contest.

You got a deal.

Okay, tomorrow, we
write up a contract.

All the coffee and
doughnuts you want.

All right! All right! Yeah,
you can give me something.

Okay, you know, we've had
a very beautiful night tonight,

and I think that's
enough talking,

so, why don't we
start dancing? Music!

Let's go.

Get these cuffs off
of my hand, will you?

Get these cuffs off me, man!

This might be your
boy, Lieutenant.

What are you talking about, man?
What the hell you talking about?

Where'd you find him? He was
running through somebody's backyard

about three blocks from here. It was
just five minutes after we took the call.

Looks like you've
been in a fight.

Is this the way you found him?

We didn't touch him,
Lieutenant, I swear to you.

That's him! I saw
him running around.

I saw him run out of the
alley just as after it happened!

Right after what happened?

Oh! It's you! I saw you
with my own two eyes.

Now, that lady's off the wall. I ain't
never been here before in my life!

He's lying!

What's your name? Come on!

Garn. Victor Garn.

Okay, we'll shuffle
this out downtown.

Put him in the car, I'll follow.

Man, come on, man.
Give me a break.

I ain't done a damn
thing, come on.

Ma'am, I'd like you
to come along with us.

Would you take me back
home when you're all finished?

'Cause I don't want to be out
on them streets late at night.

Well, I don't blame you. We'll
take you right to your door.

All right? Come on. Uh-huh.

We have a male
Caucasian, age 75 or 80.

I'd say he was a
little younger, Quince.

The upper torso musculature
doesn't have that much flab.

We'll get a close reading
from the connective tissues.

But he's in pretty good shape
for a man of any age. Here we go.

Index finger of left hand,
severed distal the first joint.

Middle finger severed
at the second joint.

Both old traumas.
What's this here?

Hmm, looks like skin.

Soften and stretch
it out, will you, Sam?

Skin over knuckles badly torn,

most notably in right hand.

Must have been some fight.

Particles imbedded in the skin.

Looks like cement. What
would that be doing there, Sam?

Elementary, my dear Quincy. Probably
happened when he hit the pavement.

Ah, so could be.

Scratch inside the right arm. Deep
at the elbow, disappearing at the wrist.

Metallic blue-gray stippling
on the back of neck.

Petechial hemorrhage noted.

Fractured cricoid. Yeah.

Causing death by asphyxiation.

Okay, Sam, let's
go in and verify.

I see, like a karate chop.

That's right. You see, the cartilage
here in old people is very brittle.

The slightest blow can
snap it like a dry twig.

That causes the larynx to swell
closing off the airway. You can't breathe.

Thank you, Doctor.

Then you'll have my death
certificate for me this afternoon?

Well, I'm waiting on a couple of routine
tests. But it shouldn't change anything.

No, nothing's gonna change
anything. We got the kid dead to rights.

He admit it?

He doesn't have to admit anything.
He's got rap sheet as long as his arm.

Somebody saw him
come out of the alley.

And, oh, I got this
stuff from the police lab.

Is it conclusive?

See for yourself.

You found the blood on the old
man's clothes, skin under the fingernail,

I don't know why he does not
confess, this is conclusive all right.

Morning, Monahan. Quincy on
that John Doe. How are you doing?

You mean Brownie?
We prefer John Doe.

I prefer Brownie. It gives
him some kind of identity.

Yeah, it's all wrapped up.

Terrific! Thank you. It's very seldom that
you dispose of a case so expeditiously.

It's very seldom that I get
a case that's so cut and dry.

And you'll start on the
Patterson autopsy first thing?

I promise.

Rosey! I thought I was being att*cked
by Mount Vesuvius. How are you?

How have you been? What
are you doing down here?

Well, I came down to talk about
one of my kids named Victor Garn.

He's supposed to have k*lled an
old man by the name of Brownie.

Oh, you mean
the crib job? Right.

What do you think? Did he do it?

It sure looks like he did. Why?

Have you ever heard of my
organization called Giant Step?

No, I haven't.

If you've got a few minutes,
I'd sure like to tell you about it.

Well, I'm going shopping, why
don't you come with me? Sure.

So the kids take them to the bank and
they run all kinds of errands for them.

Wow! That's a terrific idea.

It is. You see, these senior citizens,
man, they have such talent and ability

that's being wasted.

We have them in the community working
with the kids and the kids are learning.

And Victor Garn was one of
your Giant Steppers? Right.

But, Rosey, even when you were
with the Rams, they couldn't win 'em all.

Oh, yeah. But I tried.

You know, we asked the
City Council for a grant.

If we get that grant, we're home
free. No more funding problems.

Till the other night, it
looked like a sure thing.

Today, it looks like we
won't get the grant at all.

'Cause they think
he k*lled the old man?

Right. You see, the City Council
was a little shaky in the beginning.

These kids I work with, they're
not your everyday Eagle Scout.

In fact, some of the juvenile delinquent
of the day, they eat 'em for breakfast.

You're saying that they could
be setting up the old people.

I don't believe it
but they believe it.

You see, they think that the kids
will get into the senior's homes,

learn their habits,

and set 'em up for burglaries,
muggings and things like that.

That's what they think
happened the other night, huh?

Yeah.

Quince, I wouldn't ask you
to do anything you shouldn't...

Rosey, please, he looks guilty.

He said he isn't. And I believe
him. I have to believe him.

That's the way it is
with me and the kids.

That's not good enough.

I worked a year and a half
to get Giant Step where it is.

A year and a half of
sweat. And it was worth it.

If that kid is guilty, he'll go
to jail for the rest of his life.

And that's the way it
should be and I'll accept it.

But I will not see Giant Step
go down the hill without a fight.

What do you want me to do?

I want you to go and see the
kid. Talk with him and listen to him.

And then see what you think.

If it's that important to you, of
course, I'll see him. Come on.

What's the use of talking? You guys are
gonna nail me no matter what happens.

Why don't you tell us really what
happened? Maybe you'll be surprised.

I told you once, I'll tell you again,
I was nowhere near that alley!

What about the lady
who saw you run?

That old, white lady. You
honkies think we all look alike!

What about the scratches?
I told you that, too.

A bunch of guys jumped
me not an hour before.

He's lying, Rosey.

Okay, let's start back at the
beginning. Where were you?

You're lying.

You were there. We found
your blood all over his clothes.

We found pieces of his skin and
his shirt under your fingernails.

And then, there's this.

That's a piece of skin we
found under his fingernail.

It goes with the scratches on your
neck like a piece in a jig-saw puzzle.

You're lying.

You were there.

What have you got
to say about that, Vic?

Nothing.

Not a damn thing.

Well, I guess I have
nothing to say, either.

Let's go.

Rosey!

Help me, man.

Please, help me!

All right, all right.

I was there.

But I didn't k*ll that old man. I
swear to God. I was trying to help him.

Keep on.

I was walking past the alley
and I hear this old man, Brownie,

I've seen him once in a
while in the clubhouse.

He's hittin' the wall, making all kinds of
q*eer noises. I was gonna keep on going.

But then I think, man, "Maybe
there's something I can do for him?"

Because of you, Rosey!
What do you mean?

"Help the old folks, man,
we're all in this world together!

"Take that giant step."

So I go to help him.

All of a sudden he's
swinging at me, clawing at me!

You saying it's self-defense?

I didn't even hit him!

I just pushed him,
to get him off me.

He was as strong as an ox!
And then he started gasping.

An 80 year old man! And
you k*lled him in self-defense?

Of all the cockamamie stories I've ever
heard in my life, but that beats 'em all!

Let's go!

Rosey, I swear, you
got to believe me, man!

Without you I don't
stand a prayer.

Vic, I don't know if you're
giving it to me straight.

Right or wrong, I'll be around.

Some coffee, Rosey?

No, thanks.

Quincy, make mine
black, will you? You got it.

Rosey, I feel real bad. I don't know.
I know what this is going to cost you.

If you're right, it's
gonna cost all of us.

What do you think, Quincy?

Oh, Rosey. I'd say there's a thousand
to one chance that he's telling the truth.

Oh, come on, Quincy, there's
not a chance. I mean, self-defense?

That kid, he could take us both on
with one hand tied behind his back!

What was Brownie
trying to do? Mug him?

I have no idea
what the motive was.

Listen, was he into
this macho stuff?

All my kids are into that.

Wouldn't it be kind of
humiliating for him to admit

that he was att*cked and
roughed up by an old man?

I mean wouldn't there
have to be some truth to it?

Quincy, if I was up for m*rder, I mean,
I wouldn't be worried about my image.

I'd lie, I'd do anything.

I'd admit that Grandma Moses
took me in two out of three falls.

I mean anything to b*at the rap.

Well, I still think it's
worth looking in to.

Well, then I'm
sorry. It's your baby.

I mean, in all due respect to Rosey
here and I'd like to help you out,

but I got too much work to do.

Now, just wait a minute! What do
you mean you want the report back?

I don't think I did
a thorough job.

Oh, no, no, no.
Don't you tell me that.

You always do a thorough job.

You know what you mean? You mean
that your feelings are involved in this.

Well, nobody's breaking down
any doors to claim the body.

There are other doors. Other
people are knocking down doors!

You're a friend of Rosey Grier's.
You sympathize with the project.

Look, so do I. I
think it's the most

worthwhile idea to have
come along in years.

I don't want to see it
jeopardized any more than you do.

I'm glad. I...

You found the cause of death. It
seems to me the work is finished.

AI you can do now
is trial and error.

Trial and error? I
never do trial and error.

Oh, boy! There are
a lot of circumstances

behind this death I don't
know anything about.

The police have given
you the circumstances.

They've proven nothing yet.

You try and tell Monahan that.

Look, there are a lot of
things that don't wash here.

There were no bruises
on the old man's face.

His wallet wasn't taken!
There were a lot of things...

Will you just wait a minute?

You mean there's still a chance
to prove the boy innocent?

Yes!

How do you propose doing that?

Well, I wanna talk to all the
people who knew Brownie.

Find out what kind
of a man he was.

That is not the work
of our department.

I'm going to do every
scientific test known to man,

and if that doesn't work,
I'm going to do trial and error.

Name? I don't know any
name. Brownie is all I know.

He never told me his real
name and I never asked.

Just as long as
he paid the rent.

He had to write a
check, didn't he?

Check? What are you talking
about? This ain't the Ritz.

And he wasn't a Du Pont. Cash
on the line, first of every month.

Where'd he get the money? Did
he have a pension of some kind?

Pension? What pension?

If he did get a pension, it must
have come to some post office box.

Never got any mail around here.

What about his personal effects?

What personal effects? He
just had some rags, that's all.

You want to take a look at his
room? Yeah, I would like to see it.

Okay, be my guest.

Oh, say, you wouldn't like
to buy this place, would you?

I mean, you're a doctor.

You doctors get a lot of money, you
like to invest in properties, don't you?

Why do you want to sell?

Why, what are you talking about?
You can't be nice anymore today.

I bought this place
with my last cent.

I figured I'd take care of the old
people, and they'd take care of me,

but it doesn't work that way,
nobody appreciates anything.

It's right here.

What would I do with it?

You could tear the place
down, put up a condominium.

You'd make a fortune.

What about the people
who live here now?

They don't worry about me.
Why should I worry about them?

This belonged to him?

That's how he passed the time,
an old man, you imagine that?

Holy mackerel!

He was stronger than
you. You bet he was.

Here, take a look at this.
This is what I'm talking about.

You know what that's
gonna cost? 15 to 20 bucks!

I don't know. Maybe the barbell hit it,
maybe he was throwing things again,

I don't know!

I wish he was alive.
I'd make him pay for it.

He threw things around?

Oh, boy, he had
one hell of a temper.

I don't know what
was bugging him.

I mean, he never said two
words to anybody around here.

But whatever it was, sometimes,
he'd sure let this thing fly.

Hello, Mr. Avery. Oh, hi.

Oh, and you're the doctor.

I mean, you're the one that was
at the place where he was k*lled.

Yeah, I'm Doctor Quincy.
I'm with the Coroner's office.

He's trying to find out
stuff about Brownie.

Stuff? What kind of stuff?

Well, anything you can tell me.

Like what kind of a man he
was? What kind of a lifestyle...

I didn't know him well. None of us know
him very well around here, you know?

He was kind of cold.

More than that. Scary.

But nothing else
because he was too cold

and we didn't have
much to do with him.

But then, he did
start to change a little.

It was the last couple
of weeks, you know.

He was changing a little...

You know, yeah. He seemed
almost happy. For him.

Except for the last few hours
just before they k*lled him.

I was walking down the
hall, I said hello to him,

and he almost
chopped my neck off.

Do you know why he changed?

No, I told you I didn't
know him very well.

Do you know anybody
who did know him?

No. He didn't have very
many friends, God rest his soul.

There was a woman.
A Miss Williams.

She called by for
him a couple of times.

Miss Williams? Yes.

And she worked for
a Mr. Grier, at the...

Giant Step?

Yeah, the Giant Step.

Yeah, so the teacher says to me,

"Boys and girls, you must
remember your legal system

"and what you have to
remember about the legal system

"is that you're innocent
until proven guilty."

Ain't that right, Rosey?

That's what the law
says, Mojo. Yeah.

So she says this and everybody
starts laughing except me.

Because, teacher
says it, I believe it.

'Cause you're stupid.

'Cause I'm stupid?
Yeah, that's right Cindy.

Let me tell you something,
Rosey, uh-uh, no more, man.

I'm wising up.

Victor has not been
proven guilty yet.

No, but we sure have!

You bet we have! Just
'cause we know Vic,

just 'cause he belongs to Giant
Step program, the city says,

"You people are guilty as hell
and you don't get any more money."

I mean, justice? What
kind of justice is that?

See, Quincy, what can I tell them
except to say that they are right?

You can tell them that justice
doesn't always come easy.

Sometimes you've
got to fight for it.

Teacher said that, too.

I bet all the kids busted
up again, didn't they?

Hi, Jan.

Hi, Rosey.

What happened to
the rest of your troops?

Well, Mrs. Barnett will be down
soon and Mr. Brannigan, maybe.

And everybody else, forget it.

This is Quincy, the friend
I was telling you about.

How do you do?

It's a pleasure. I'm glad you came
down to see what we're fighting for.

That's only one reason. I wanted to
talk to you. Would you excuse us, Rosey?

Sure. I'll let you buy
me a cup of coffee.

Good.

You take care of
the elderly, huh?

Yeah, well not today. As you
can see nobody's coming around.

Because they're scared?

The fear is so thick here
you could cut it with a Kn*fe.

I need your help, Doctor.

What we have here,
is too good to lose.

Maybe you can help me.

Oh, how can I do that?

Tell me everything you
know about Brownie.

Well, he almost came
here a couple of times.

I had a really difficult
time handling him.

And I really tried, I mean,
harder than I've ever tried before.

Was he hostile?

He was hostile,
distant, he, um...

I don't know, it was as if whatever
world he had, he left it all behind.

And he wasn't comfortable
moving into the new one.

He wanted to go
back to the old one.

But, do you know
anything about his old world.

No, why?

Because his corpse
isn't telling me anything

that's going to help
the boy or Giant Step.

I figured, if I could
get to know Brownie,

know what he was
like when he was alive.

Yeah, like a
psychological profile.

Yes, sort of. I know it's a
long sh*t but I'm used to 'em.

Usually I lose, but once
in a while I do win one.

You know, he had quite a temper.

Yeah, I heard that.

But, then, the last few weeks,
he seemed to be getting, like,

more peace within
himself, you know?

Now, I heard that too. Why
do you think that happened?

Maybe, the program was working.

Maybe, it was something
else, I don't know.

But, you know, the night he d*ed,
he promised that he would be here.

He said that he was going
to have some good news.

Tomorrow at 3:00, there's a
budget meeting of the council floor.

Rosey, do you mind
if I go along with you?

I'd be angry if you didn't come.

Good.

Now I want every detail you can think
of, every word, every gesture, the works.

It all happened so fast.

Play it for me in
slow motion, will you?

You went in to the alley,
did you say anything to him?

Just, "Easy, Brownie,
easy. Take it easy, huh?"

That's all?

Did he say anything to you?

Just, "Get away from me."

Mostly, he was
making that awful noise.

Did you touch him?

Not until he started swinging.

And I grabbed him,
tried to hold him.

But he broke loose
and kept on coming.

He must've hit me
about eight or 10 times.

Scratched me and that's...
That's when I shoved him.

You caught him in the throat.

No. I don't know where.

You did nothing to provoke him?

He was crazy!

That's all, he was just crazy!

He wasn't mad at me,
he had no reason to!

He was just mad.

Mad at the whole world.

Thanks, Vic. Guard!

Doc?

You believe me, don't you?

I don't know. I want to, Vic.

More than you'll
ever know, I want to.

I'll be very frank
with you, Mr. Grier.

Until the other day, the
majority of this committee

would have voted
in favor of the grant.

I was in the minority.

As a matter fact, I
was the entire minority.

I saw certain problems.

Now, please understand that I
admire what you've been trying to do

and I'm sure that you've made a
good deal of progress toward that end.

But, in view of what's happened,

I feel that I represent
the majority now.

We feel that the dangers in your
program may outweigh the benefits.

Because of what happened?

Yes, sir.

What happened, Mr. Cantrell?

I believe that's
common knowledge.

An old man that we were trying to
work at the Giant Step program, he d*ed.

That's all we know.

We know he was k*lled.

And he was k*lled by one of
the young men in your program.

Accused. He has
not yet gone to trial.

Now, Mr. Cantrell, you're a
lawyer, you should know better.

And I'm also a public official who is
responsible for the taxpayers' money.

Now, under these circumstances,
I can't give a grant to Giant Step.

Unfortunately, we
cannot wait for a trial.

Our budget recommendations
for the next fiscal year

have to be in no
later than tomorrow.

Tomorrow?

That's right, bylaw.

Then, you can change
your mind by then.

We can reconsider our actions.

If reconsideration is warranted.

Mr. Grier, may I
make a suggestion?

Yes, ma'am.

Withdraw your
application for the grant.

That way we won't
have to turn you down.

You'll save us a
very painful job.

And next year you can
reapply without prejudice.

If there's no grant,
there will be no next year.

Would you excuse me
for a moment, please?

What do you think, Quincy? One
day. You think you can you swing it?

I don't know, Rosey.

Then I'm gonna
take that application.

If we gonna fall, we
gonna fall with dignity.

But, if we hang in there, there's
always a chance. Now, that's all I can say.

Take it, Rosey, please.

Tomorrow, huh?

How late are you in session?

Quince, we've got a mystery.

We've had that all along.

The brain slides, they suggest
an atrophy at the frontal lobe.

Which means
hardening of the arteries.

Except there isn't any.

Let's run some micro sections
with special stains on the cortex.

Will do. And a couple of other
things, those missing fingers,

I found traces of rust at the
base of one of the fingers.

Yeah?

And the blue markings
on the back of the neck.

Yeah, they looked
like little tattoos.

Right, I checked it out on the
spectrograph. You want to take a look?

Yeah.

Sam? Yeah?

You mind if I take
a swing at you?

Did I do something bad?

No, no. Nothing personal.

I'm glad of that much.
It's a mental experiment?

Now, you got it. Here's
what I want you to do.

Is the punch gonna land?

I hope not. I want
you to prevent it.

Thanks.

All right, now, I'm going to swing
right at you, aim for your nose, okay?

Now, I want you to grab my arm
as close to the elbow as you can

and don't let go, because if
you do, I'm gonna swing again.

Here we go. Okay.

Shall we try a rehearsal.

Oh, trust me, will you?

Guard! Quincy, stop.
Sam! Will you stop it?

What is the matter with you?
This is between us. Now, come on.

It's my lab, you're gonna damage
something. It's none of your business.

Will you please stop this?
We can reason together!

Did I hurt you, Quince?

Just enough, Sam. Here.

That scratch has the same
pattern as the one on Brownie's arm.

Which means that Brownie
could have been the aggressor.

You mean that is an
experiment. Oh, good grief.

An 80-year-old man?

It's a possibility.

And those burn marks on his
neck, let me see the read-out.

Okay, it's only a possibility.

The law requires more corroboration
than a stage fight in a lab.

At least, we're
on the right track.

Uh-huh, carbon traces, must be
burn pockmarks. Cinder residue...

Wait a minute.

What?

The missing fingers, you
said you found some rust.

At the base of the joint.

You know what I think? I think
Brownie was a railroad man.

Why would you think that?

The missing finger!

In the old days, hooking those freight
cars together was very dangerous job.

Almost everybody who did it lost a
finger. It was like a badge of honor.

I think you're
reaching pretty far.

But the burn marks on
his neck, they nail it down.

He had to be a locomotive
engineer or a fireman.

Why?

They had to stick their heads out the
cab window to see if the track was clear.

Now, they wore a neckerchief,
but sometimes the wind

would blow the red-hot cinders
off the stack and under the kerchief.

Listen, where'd you learn this?

Well, I once wanted
to be a railroad man.

Sometimes, I'm sorry
I changed my mind.

What's the next step?

I have to find an old railroad man
who might have known Brownie.

Wait a minute. What
good will that do?

I want to see if he was as
rough and tough as I think he was.

Looking for another 80-year-old
railroad man could take months.

I hope not. I only have
till tomorrow afternoon.

Yeah, that's sure
old Brownie, all right.

Name fit him like a glove.

How come?

Brownie? Oh, that's railroad
slang for demerits in the old days.

Oh, he was a scrapper.

Always getting into brawls,
especially in saloons.

Him and me both.

I remember one time
that the both of us

cleaned out a whole
saloon single handedly.

Guess, you'll have to
call that double hand.

Yeah, must have been 15 of them.

But we busted all of
them up, real good.

Today, I guess, we couldn't
handle more than five or six.

He had a pretty bad
temper even then.

Oh, he was a wild one, a real
boomer. But a good railroad man.

Any time I was in a position of
hiring, I'd always give him a job.

Even when he showed up with that stork
letter from the railroad boss up to Reno.

A stork letter? That's a warning
to stay clear of somebody, right?

How'd you know that? You
ever work on the railroad?

I got close once.

Yeah, well, a guy would show up

with that official company
letter of recommendation,

good worker and all that stuff.

Then, you'd hold it up
to the light and right there

on the paper would
be that watermark.

A stork, that meant, "Don't
hire this man. He is trouble."

Yeah. Poor old Quentin Jones. I guess
he bought the stark for the last time.

That was his real name,
huh? Quentin Jones?

Oh, yeah, and he hated it.

When did he die?

Last Tuesday.

Last Tuesday. Hey, he
was here last Tuesday.

He was? What time?

Oh, late in the afternoon.

You see, he looked me
up about two months ago.

He got in touch with me through
the pension and the union.

Wanted to move
in with me, you see.

He wasn't very comfortable around
people unless they were old railroaders

and there ain't many of us left.

You turned him down?

Oh, no. I said, "Sure,
glad to have you."

Boy, his face lit up.

He was happy as a
clam before it's dug.

Yeah, but last Tuesday, I
had to go back on the deal.

How come?

Oh, city condemned the building.

Couple of weeks they're gonna
move me out someplace else.

And there just wouldn't
be room enough for two.

Well, he must have been pretty
disturbed when you told him.

Oh, he started to blow.
I could see it coming.

Then, all of a sudden
he just ran out.

He ran out like he was saying, "I
don't want to be mad with you, Janusz.

"But I got a real big mad on
for the whole rest of the world."

What did he die from?

He had a real big mad
on for the rest of the world.

Quince, take a look.

What am I looking at?

Those micro-sections you
wanted. Brain cells, silver stain.

Neurofibrillary tangles.

I'd call it Alzheimer's disease.

Then you call it right.

That might account
for his temper.

More than his temper, Sam, it'd cause
explosions. I mean, real explosions.

And now that we know what caused
the last one. Come on. Let's go.

Puzzles starting to
come together, Sam.

Brownie was getting mellow because
he had something to look forward to.

Like moving in with Janusz.

Yeah, but then Janusz reneged.

When I was up in Brownie's room,

there was a big
hole in the wall.

The owner thought it was
made by the edge of a barbell.

But, I'll bet 10 to one that
Brownie made it just before he d*ed.

And he made it with his fist.

And with that he went out.

And he blew up
for the last time.

A lot of wall to cover.

Not if my hunch is right, Sam.

Would you try around
here? Go ahead.

It's not turning blue.

Because it's not
blood. Try over there.

Hey, there it is.

And I know whose
blood it is, Sam.

Let's take some scrapings back
to the lab, check it out anyway.

Those funny sounds the kid heard
coming from the alley, weren't so funny.

They were sounds of pain and anger coming
from Brownie as he punched this wall.

Vic got too close to
him, trying to help him.

Brownie switched from
hitting the wall to hitting the kid.

It was self-defense.
Start scraping, Sam.

Yesterday's vote against
the grant was three to two.

Now, we told you, Mr. Grier, that
we'd be willing to reconsider our action

if it appeared warranted.

Now have you come up with any
information that might affect our judgment.

Well, uh... Excuse me.
Did you find anything?

He's left his office, he
should be here any minute.

Great. Uh, Mr. Chairman, would
you give us a few minutes, please?

Under other
circumstances, I'd grant it.

But we have to wrap
up all our business today

and we're committed to adjourning
at 5:00. Now, I'm genuinely sorry...

If we may, I'd like to suggest
that we formally approve...

Where have you been?
Working. Mr. Chairman...

Doctor Quincy...

I have facts that changes
your deliberations on Giant Step.

Unfortunately, Doctor, we've
already gone beyond that point.

I suggest you go back, sir.

I don't want to be
unreasonable about this.

Mr. Cantrell, I'd have no objection
to giving Doctor Quincy five minutes.

Well, I...

Do I hear any objections from
any member of this committee?

Very well, please be as
brief as possible, Doctor.

Thank you.

Ladies, gentlemen.

Yesterday, you voted
against a grant for Giant Step.

I'm sure the majority decision was
based on one thing and one thing only.

That a young man who
belonged to the group, Victor Garn,

brutally m*rder*d an
old man, Quentin Jones.

Well, he didn't.

Please continue, Doctor.

Based on the autopsy, and
what we discovered in the lab,

we were able to prove that Mr. Jones
was a deeply troubled, confused

and very angry man.

Victor Garn was trying to help him
because that's the way Giant Step operates.

Mr. Jones att*cked him, and all
the boy did was push him back.

Now he k*lled him, that's right.

But, he didn't mean to, he was
trying to help him. It was self-defense.

Doctor, it's not our purpose, it's not
our right to try the young man in question.

This is not a court.

It's never going
to get to a court.

I've talked to the District
Attorney, based on our findings,

he's dropped all charges
against Victor Garn.

You did it! You did
it! Quincy, you did it!

In view of this information, I move
we reconsider the grant for Giant Step.

Do I hear a second?

I'm not through yet.

I think you've made your
point rather effectively, Doctor.

Oh, so what should we do?

All of us go sit in a corner
like good little boys and girls

and thank you for the grant?

But what if one of us sticks in
our thumb and pulls out a plum?

You gonna take the
money away again?

I don't understand it.

You all think that Giant
Step is a worthwhile program.

Worthwhile? More
than that, necessary.

It should serve as a pilot for
similar groups all over the country!

Look at what we've got here.

The young people, street kids,
g*ng kids, all of them alienated.

And here we have the old people.
Oh, we just don't use them anymore.

We let them sit in their
cheap furnished rooms

with the peeled paint
and the broken windows.

We let them count away
the days, we let them rot.

They need each other.

The kids need the skills, and
the wisdom, and the values

that the old people
can give them.

And they in turn need to feel
that their lives have meaning.

That somebody wants them,
that somebody needs them.

But I'll tell you what
they both don't need.

They don't need a sword hanging
over their heads waiting to chop them off,

if even one of them
steps out of line.

Are you going to vote again?

I hope you're not going
to vote for the grant

just because Victor Garn is innocent
because that's the wrong reason to.

I pray.

I pray that you vote
for it out of conscience.

That's quite a spread.

The ladies baked
all these goodies.

Except the big one.
Donated by the City Council.

Miss Williams, may I
have this dance, please?

Well, I'd love to Mojo.

Right on.

I thought you were on diet.

I am. Me, too. Mmm.

Hey, is that your
wagon, downstairs?

That big black thing that
says "Coroner" all over it?

It's the county's, my
car's broken down.

Oh, you ought to know
better. Parking a thing like that

outside a place where
old people get together.

"Coroner," why that... It's like
waving a red flag in front of a bull.

Isn't that right, Edna?

Who's old? Speak for
yourself, Methuselah.

Hey, Mr. Brannigan,
want to boogie?

Right. Methuselah,
indeed. I'll show you.

Come on, love.
Boogie, boogie, boogie.

I heard you got the grant.

Sure did.

Thanks.

I was wondering whether it was
all right for me to come up here.

Heck, we'd be sore
if you didn't come.

Hey, would you like to dance? I
mean, if the music is not too fast for you.

Oh, we could give it a try.

Okay, let's go.