04x07 - Dead and Alive

[bunniefuu]

What did you find
out about my brother?

Well, we're not sure
it is your brother.

Sam!

According to the police
report, it was Peter Neilson.

The police have been
known to be wrong you know.

We finally confirmed...

It was your brother
that got in the van.

It's ridiculous because I just
spoke with him five minutes ago.

You say my son is dead
but where's your proof.

And you... All you do
is say, he's not dead.

Then show him to me!

Gentleman, you
are about to enter

the most fascinating
sphere of police work,

the world of forensic medicine.

Hi.

One box and don't lose it.

As a matter of fact, I think you
better stick it under the front seat.

That's pretty hot.

Yeah, yeah. I
won't, I won't lose it.

This is my last time.
The man said so.

Would you quit your
whining and just do your job.

If the boss said it's your
last haul, it's your last haul.

You better believe it is.

Well, it's about
time ya got here.

You missed all the fun.

What happened?

The fourth of July came early.

Someone called the
fire department about it.

Who? He didn't say.

Was he an eyewitness?
He didn't say.

Well, what did he say?

He said "There was an expl*si*n
at Weller's Service Station."

Did he say what caused it? No.

Well, what did cause it?

Well, you got me.

You know, we don't even
know which went first there,

the pump or the van here.

It looks like the van.

The b*mb squad boys are checking
and making a force analysis check.

Was anybody at the station?

No, no. It's a good
thing or you'd have

bodies comin' out of your ears.

Then the driver of the van
was the only one k*lled?

Yeah, I think so.

What do you mean, you think so?

Well, I mean I
didn't look too close.

It was an expl*si*n... remember?

I mean, it's not really a pretty
sight to see. You know my stomach.

Oh, besides, Brill is checking with
the messenger service to find out.

We should know soon.

Lieutenant?

Ed, get a sh*t from above,
will ya... the whole area.

You got it.

It had to have been some blast.

Look at how the dirt's
impacted into the tissues.

Yeah.

I've seen this in
other expl*si*n cases.

Any soot or debris
in the atmosphere is

seared into the
flesh like a roast.

There's not much left.

It's gonna be tough
to make an ID.

IDs are always tough
in cases like this.

Phil, load this in back
of my wagon, will ya?

Yes sir.

Sam, I want you to go over
the van with a fine tooth comb.

Anything that will
help you get the ID.

Yes sir.

What'd you find out?

The driver's name was
Peter Neilson, age 24.

He's been driving for White
Arrow the past eight months.

The last stop he made was
the Dayton Import-Export house.

It's a little over four
miles down the road.

He delivered and picked
up mail three times a week.

Anyone see him leave?

The guard at the gate
waved to him on the way out.

Could he of had
somebody with him?

No. He drove alone.

The guy I spoke
to at White Arrow...

Yeah?

He said he had a
mother and sister.

That's gonna be tough news.

It always is.

I'll finish my work here
as quickly as possible.

Oh, my God.

Who's that?

Phil Weiler. He owns the place.

He's in pretty bad
shape, Lieutenant.

Can't say I blame him.

It's gone... half my life

Mr. Weiler.

I just put this pump in.

Like you said
Brill, it's tough news

I'm sorry, Dr. Quincy, but
she's been waiting so long

and she's so upset and I
can't locate Doctor Astin.

Oh, Doctor Astin, I've
been looking for you.

Well, didn't I tell you I
was down with the auditor

checking supply inventory?

No. What is it?

Miss... Miss Nielsen's
been waiting for you.

She's here? Yes.

Thank you.

Nielsen's sister. Yeah.

Look, she's been calling me
every few minutes, hoping for word.

Are you able to
tell her anything?

No, it's too soon.

I've done all the
preliminary work,

but I can't give a positive
Identification on that body.

The face and the
head are destroyed.

The skin is so charred, there's no
chance of fingerprints or birthmarks.

What about his clothes?

Well, it's just as bad.

What with the oil, the dirt and
the fire, we can't find nothing there.

I sent some teeth fragments
over to Fred Webber,

but he won't be able
to tell us anything

until he gets the
dental records.

Look, since this is your case,
I think you should talk to her.

All right? Sure, sure.

Miss Neilson? Um, I'm Doctor
Astin and this is Doctor Quincy.

How do you do?

I'm handling this case.

What have you found
out about my brother?

Well, we're not sure
it is your brother.

See, I can't make a
positive identification yet.

Maybe if I saw him.

Believe me, that wouldn't help.

I know this is difficult for
you, but it's gonna take time.

Maybe we'll know
something by this evening.

Please, call me
as soon as you can.

Sure.

I can be reached at my mothers.

Um, you know Peter
usually got home at six.

Maybe we'll know
something by six.

The right side of the abdomen
is severely eviscerated.

Large and small intestine
are only partially intact...

Peter's records show that he had

an appendectomy at age fourteen.

There should be a scar.

That's what I'm looking for.

There's so much damage from the fire
and expl*si*n, it's impossible to tell.

Everything's destroyed.

Well, maybe there's
something else.

Everything normal.
Everything healthy.

And anything we could
use, destroyed by the fire.

The body's the
same basic height,

shape and condition
of Peter Neilson.

The ages match, maybe
twenty-three, twenty-four.

Great. Only a couple of hundred
thousand people fit that description.

Yeah.

Quince, I think I've got something
for you on this Neilson Case.

I could use something.
What'd you find?

Well, judging from
his dental records

and the tooth fragments
you sent down,

I'd go for a positive ID.

Okay, you're sure?

Thank you.

Neilson? Peter Neilson.

Hello.

Miss Neilson. Yes?

This is Doctor Quincy,
from the coroner's office.

We finally confirmed the body.

It was your brother
that d*ed in the van.

But that's ridiculous!

Look, I know it's
difficult to accept.

It's ridiculous because I just spoke
with him five minutes ago, Doctor.

How... how could you
give me a positive ID?

What did you examine, Fred?

I'll tell you what I examined.

Exactly what you sent me.

A piece of lower jawbone
with an unerupted wisdom tooth,

and six isolated
fragments of incisor teeth.

That's what I examined!

Gentlemen, Quincy, please, Fred
is a very fine forensic odontologist.

Look, the wisdom tooth and
the enamel wear of the Incisors

is consistent with
a boy of his age.

You want a positive ID,
give me a complete mouth.

Not fragments of a jawbone.

What's the point? According to the
police report, it was Peter Neilson.

I don't believe
you said that, Fred.

The police have been
known to be wrong, you know.

Well, if you boys didn't
always rush in so...

Who rushed you?

Ah, eh, don't you
look at me like that.

You know how heavy
our case loads are.

Look Quincy, ah, I don't
understand. Why are you so upset?

I'm upset because I
operated on Fred's say-so.

I called the boy's sister. I
told her, her brother was dead.

Quincy, he is dead.

Look, there was one
body found in the van.

Five minutes
before the expl*si*n,

Peter Neilson was seen leaving
Dayton Imports alone driving the van.

Your own autopsy
findings that it was

a boy his age, his
height, his weight,

and from that we must
conclude, it was Peter Neilson.

But we can't be sure.

I'm not sure that Grant
is buried in Grant's Tomb.

But it's a pretty
good supposition.

Then who called the boy's house?

Someone with a
cruel sense of humor.

Maybe Fred and maybe not.

But the point is I
wasn't gonna look

any further because
of what you said.

The minute you or I
say positive identification,

tlie lights on the microscopes
go out and the books get closed,

and maybe just maybe
somebody who's alive, dies.

I sure hope you're
not wasting my time.

It sounds like a lot of baloney.

Yeah, I know how important
your office poker game is,

but we won't know unless
we check it out, will we?

If there's something
to check out.

You got any more
good news, Dr. Quincy?

No. May I talk to you?

This is Lieutenant Monahan
from the Police Department.

Sure. Come in.

Ah, this is my mother.

This is Lieutenant Monahan
and Doctor Quincy, the coroner.

How do you do?

This is Mr. Stanton.
Peter's boss.

Hello Doctor.

It was a shame about Peter.
He was a fine young man.

Would you please
stop saying "was"?

Peter's alive. I spoke with him.

See, that's what I want
to talk to you about.

Isn't it possible
that you're wrong?

See, everything we
have found so far points

to the fact that it was
your brother in that van.

I'm not mistaken, you are.

Look, if Peter didn't call,
who do you think did?

Now, Carol, it is possible it's
the work of some stupid prankster.

I mean, somebody who enjoys taking
advantage of another person's pain.

You know, I'd say you
have a very good bet.

On a m*rder charge
a couple of weeks ago,

there was at least
twenty-two calls in one day

and half of the
were confessions.

Let me, let me tell you
something, Lieutenant.

I practically raised my brother.

I sat with him when he cried,
I hugged him when he hurt.

I knew his voice. And the
voice on that phone was Peter.

What did he say?

He sounded very disjointed. He
said something about being hurt,

and that "they" tried to k*ll him
and then he mumbled something

about someone coming
to get him and he hung up.

I don't know what
he meant by "they".

Well, did you ask
him where he was?

Yes, but ah, he,
he didn't answer.

Why not?

He was talking to
you, and he was hurt.

Now if it was your brother, wouldn't
he have told you where he was?

You know, you, you
seem awful anxious

just to sluff this
matter off, Doctor.

Would you be in such a
hurry if Peter were the son

of somebody rich and powerful?

Stop it!

You fight, you argue, you talk

and nobody tells me
anything definite, anything real.

You, you say my son is
dead but where's your proof?

Can you tell me positively
that Peter is dead?

No, I can't.

And you... I don't even
know why you came back.

All you do is say,
he's not dead.

Now you show him to me.

And if you can't, then shut up.

Because all you do
is keep my hurt alive.

That's all you've ever done.

Well, I better get back to the
office. There's a lot of work to do.

Carol, if ah, I can help ya.

Doctor...

May we see his room?

What would you hope to find?

Anything that would help
us to get to know him better.

Okay. In here.

This is Peter's room.

He was always a better
housekeeper than our mother.

What's the old cliche about
things always being in their places?

It always use to
get under her skin,

he griped about the
way she kept house.

Neater than mine.

Hey, Quincy, look at this.

Your brother had refined
taste. Very expensive tea.

How long was he drinking that?

Tea? I ah, must've been
away a lot longer than I thought.

As long as I can remember,
Peter's been drinking coffee.

Quincy, maybe this is what's
gonna get us to know him better.

You found something all right.

Lab says the can
contains traces of heroin.

Real high quality stuff.

I should've guessed it.

They find anything
in the van? None.

But they found out what
caused the expl*si*n.

Dynamite, attached
to a clock timer.

You mean he thought
he was carrying the dope,

when all the time he was
carrying the b*mb that k*lled him?

I wonder why they k*lled
whoever was driving that van.

Maybe he threatened to talk.

Maybe he wanted out of the operation.
Maybe he wanted more money.

Hey, wait a minute, hold on.
What do you mean "whoever"?

It's Peter Neilson.

We can't be sure.

Well, why can't we?

Look, now I don't
blame the sister for

wantin' to believe that
her brother's still alive.

But you're a scientist,
Quincy. You deal in facts.

The fact is that Peter Neilson
is down in your autopsy room.

Now, we're ninety-nine
percent sure of that.

That's not good enough.

I don't make a
positive identification

until I'm a hundred
percent sure.

Where's the van now?

It's down in the police garage.

Quincy, what do you
expect to find, huh?

The one percent
that'll close this case.

They use to blow 'em
up like this durin' the w*r.

Charlie, where do you
think the blast came from?

Looks like under the
seat on the driver's side.

Charlie, this door was
opposite the driver, huh?

Yeah.

Then how come it's not as
badly damaged as that one?

Because it probably was
blown clear by the expl*si*n.

But if it was blown
clear by the expl*si*n,

if somebody was
sitting beside it,

he could have been
blown clear too, right?

If you believe that, Quincy, I got a bridge
in Brooklyn that I'll sell ya real...

Well, look how
clean it is will ya?

Look at the door,
look at the inside.

Well.

Charlie said the b*mb was
planted under the driver's seat, right?

Come here.

Look at the dog house. Look
how it separates the two seats.

That would lessen
the impact of the b*mb.

The person in the driver's seat
would bear the brunt of the blast.

You're saying there were
two people in the van?

It's possible. He could
have been blown clear.

Then where is he? I don't know.

Maybe he's wandering around.

Yeah, but if he was hurt
and he wandered off then...

Look now, you're gettin' me
involved in these fairy tales of yours.

There was one guy k*lled in
there, it was Peter Neilson.

Monahan, I swear I didn't
come down here to make trouble.

I wanted to find
that one percent

that would prove it was Neilson.

But when I look
at the dog house,

see how it separates the seats,

your ninety-nine percent
becomes ninety-four.

Then I look at the door
and see how clean it is.

Then your ninety-four
percent becomes seventy-five.

Now, wait a minute...
No, you wait a minute.

Carol Neilson believes
that her brother is alive,

and I'm beginnin' to
share those feelings.

Look, if he called once,
maybe he'll call again.

So what do you
want me to do, hmm?

Well ah, why don't
you come with me

over to the Neilson
house and set up a trace?

Are you crazy? Do you
know how much it would cost?

The man hours?

Boy, oh boy.

I never thought I
would live to see the day

when one of you guys
would sound like Astin.

Okay, I guess there comes a time

when the buck is
mightier than the hawk.

Give twenty-three, twenty-three
your family, ah, forget it.

Okay, okay. Look, I'll
give you one last sh*t.

If there's no call right away,
I'm pulling everyone off the case.

Including you.

That's a deal. Deal.

Up, what am I shakin' your
hand for? Get outta here.

Everything's okay at
the switching station.

Well, we've been
waiting over two hours.

Miss Neilson, now
don't forget, if he calls,

keep him on the phone
as long as possible.

Urn-ham. I'll try.

Mom, wouldn't you like
to get on the extension?

What for?

I've let you into my
house for this nonsense

I don't have to be a part of it.

But it's for Pete.
Don't you even...

And she wonders why I
moved out as soon as I could.

Hello?

Carol...

It's him. It's Peter.

Peter, where are you?

Get here... help me.

They tried... to k*ll me.

Oh, but who tried to
k*ll you, Peter, who?

Ah, I don't like it
here... white birds.

Just come and get me.

Where, honey?

They're comin'
after me... To k*ll me.

Peter? Peter? Wait... don't go.

Do you think they traced it?

We'll know in a second.

Yeah?

Okay, thanks.

They couldn't trace it.
He wasn't on long enough.

Now do you believe me?

Peter could be lying
there somewhere, hurt.

You've got to do
something about this.

Miss Neilson,
we're still not sure.

You still don't believe
that was Peter Neilson?

That's right. I don't
believe it was Peter Neilson.

I'll tell you what I do believe.

She's beside herself
because her brother...

A brother that she's
very close to is dead...

And she wants to
believe more than anything

that he's alive and
I don't blame her.

I'd feel the same way.

It's probably some nut
and that's the bottom line.

It's too much of a
convenience for me.

Quincy, the kid is dead.

Don't you believe
that? The kid is dead.

He was involved in dope.

The people he was mixed up
with, they don't come any meaner.

They don't take
"no" for an answer,

and if they want
to nail somebody,

that's exactly what
they're gonna do,

and that's what they did.

I'll stake my reputation on it.

All right, do me a favor.

What?

Keep the trace on
him till tomorrow, huh?

Please? Quincy.

Until I can get somebody
to hear this tape. Please.

All right. I'll give ya
until tomorrow morning,

but I don't know
what my superior's are

gonna say when I
hand them the bill.

We'll introduce him to
Astin. They can cry together.

They tried... to k*ll me.

Oh, but who tried to
k*ll you, Peter, who?

I don't like it
here... white birds.

Just come and get me.

Where, honey?

They're comin' after
me... to k*ll me...

What do you think,
Carl? Is it legitimate?

Very much so.

You don't think it's a crank?

Not likely, no.

I'd say that your caller
is probably suffering

from some sort of
organic syndrome,

I don't think it's dr*gs.

You notice the speech is slurred
and becomes less coherent

as the conversation goes along.

Well, this could be a sign of
deterioration and a very serious injury.

What kind of an injury?

Well, if he was blown
from this van, as you say,

a severe concussion coupled
with a secondary head injury.

Then you think
there's brain damage?

I believe so. And this is
what may give us the tip off.

Peter? Peter? Wait, don't go.

That's the part I'm
talking about right there.

You notice the
time and the effort

it took him to
hand the phone up?

What does that suggest?

Possible visual difficulty
and or sensory motor damage.

If he received a severe
blow to the head...

In the parietal area,

it could set off a subdural
hemorrhage and from the way he sounds

and the time It took him
to place the phone back,

the bleeding could have
spread here to the occipital lobe

which controls
the visual accuracy

and here to the
sensory motor area.

That would explain
the slurred speech,

and maybe why he
couldn't reach the phone.

He could be partially paralyzed.

And the continued pressure of
the blood in these areas of the brain

could cause a loss of the vital
functions and subsequent death.

Exactly.

Carl, these things he's talking
about, you know, white birds,

and ah, I don't like it here...

Could they have other meanings
because of the brain injury?

Certainly.

But that would have to be out of
my field. You'd need a psychologist.

And if he was thrown from the
van, could he have wandered off?

I doubt that very much.

Thank you, Carl. Bye-bye.

How much time do we have?

That's hard to say.

If he's a slow bleeder,
a couple of days.

Maybe less.

I don't know who was drivin'
the van and I don't care.

Now we gotta find that
Neilson boy before the cops do.

Wait a minute.

We don't know if he's alive. The
cops think he's dead, don't they?

They're probably right.

Well 'probably' won't do
you any good if he's not.

Now we're dealing
in heroin, remember?

Now, unless we find that
kid we are in a lot of trouble.

But it's the phone
calls I'm worried about.

If it's the kid,
suppose he talks?

Don't worry about
the phone calls.

I'll take care of
the phone calls.

How?

His mother... she's
a strange lady.

She acts like she doesn't
care one way or the other.

If I can get her to
accept that he's dead

and get those cops out of
there with the insurance money,

because unless he's dead,
she doesn't get a dime.

Now look, I want
you to go out there

to where the van was
blown up and look for that kid.

And you follow the coroner
and see where he goes.

Now if we can't find
that kid, maybe he can.

Fred, it's kinda late.

Hi, Quince.

I thought I better do some
more work on the Neilson case.

Listen, I'm sorry I came
down on you as hard as I did.

Astin means well,
but he does push.

Well, maybe I just have to learn
to fight him as hard as you do.

Well, being pushed is
no excuse for sloppy work.

So I thought I'd better try
to reconstruct the mouth

in as much detail as possible
and something odd came up

that I want to ask you about.

This was found near
the scene of the accident.

It's part of a
bridge that fits in

the upper left
side of the mouth.

Now, it's usually
difficult to tell

if someone is wearing a bridge

cause they're designed
to be hidden, like mine.

Now, here on the
photograph of Peter Neilson,

the way he's smiling, it's
difficult to tell if he's wearing one.

But I don't believe the
bridge belongs to him.

Really?

Ah, ah, ah, ah,
ah, I'm not positive.

Could we have a blow up of
the picture? Would that help?

No, that wouldn't help.

Well, what are we looking
at pictures for anyway?

That kind of information has
to be in the dental records.

I'm sure it is, but it is not in
the records that were sent to me.

Why not?

Because all the records that I
have stopped five years ago,

when Peter Neilson
went into the army.

And as far as I've
been able to find out,

he hasn't gone near a
civilian dentist after he got out.

Yeah, but if he had that bridge
put in while he was in the service,

they keep dental records.

I put in a call through
to Washington,

but they gave me
the usual run around.

Why?

Bureaucratic red tape.

But at least I hope this
is an encouraging note.

Oh, it sure is. Thanks, Fred.

I gotta tell the family.

Now as soon as you hear
anything, lemme know, will ya?

Oh, will do.

What's goin' on?
Forget about it. It's over.

What do you mean it's over?

The lady told us to pack
up our things and get out.

Her son's dead. Period.

She told us to get out.

Oh, don't leave now. Gimme
a chance to talk to her, will ya?

Look, the lady said "forget it!"

Yeah, but when she hears what I
have to say, she won't say forget it.

Gimme five minutes. Please.

Okay, five minutes.

Fellas, don't put anything
away until I tell ya.

Well, I guess you heard. Yes.

But I think I can change
your mother's mind.

There's nothing
to change, Doctor.

Peter is dead. No.

There's an excellent
chance he isn't, Mrs. Neilson.

Could you tell me
if he had a bridge

n the u-upper left
part of his mouth?

He may have had it put in
while he was in the service.

How should I know?

Peter had never told
me his personal business.

Just like that one.

They don't give. They just take.

Well, it, it, it's possible.

Ah, Peter never talked
about his time in the army.

Why do you wanna know?

Oh, we found a piece of a
bridge near the van that blew up.

Our odontologist doesn't
believe it belonged to Peter.

Well, then that would prove that
it wasn't Peter who d*ed in the fire.

That it was somebody else.

Peter is dead, Carol.
Why can't you admit it?

Well, what if he's
dying somewhere,

reaching his hand out for help?

Are you gonna let him down,
are you gonna deny him that?

He's dead. I know it.

And what about what
I've been denied?

When your father ran off,

I had to deny myself a life
of my own to raise you kids.

And look at the thanks I get.

You left as soon as you could,

and Peter ran off
to join the army.

I was a fool to waste my time.

Well, I won't be a fool again.

Mr. Stanton had Peter insured
for twenty thousand dollars...

I'm the beneficiary.

All I have to do is accept what the
police have been saying all along.

That he's dead.

Well, he is and nobody is
going to deny me that money.

Nobody.

I guess you've always
wanted to be alone, Mother.

You drove my father
out of this house.

You drove me out. And
now you're selling Peter.

Well, you can have what you've
always wanted, I'll get my things.

Then you can be alone.

Forever.

Twenty thousand dollars.

Is that the going price
for a son these days?

Get out!

Mr. Stanton.

Oh, Doctor Quincy,
isn't it? That's right.

What can I do for you?

I'd like to talk to you
about Peter Neilson.

Oh, I thought that
case was closed.

Why is everybody suddenly
so anxious to bury that boy?

Because he's dead, isn't he?

No. I'm not so sure.

Oh. Then you and his sister
are the only ones who aren't.

I'd like you to
call Mrs. Neilson,

ask her to resume
tracing the calls.

No, no, no way.

Why not? Who's
another day going to hurt?

Who? Me. That's
who... the business.

Here look at this.

All this publicity about Neilson
being involved in a dope ring.

I've had three accounts
canceled since this was printed.

Now I want this whole
thing to come to a head.

Besides which, I don't want
his mother to suffer any more.

She's been through enough.

Ah, aren't you considerate?

But aren't you also a little bit
afraid we might find him alive?

Well, why should
I be afraid of that?

Well, he could tie a lot of
loose ends together, couldn't he?

Like imported
tea, a van, heroin,

the White Arrow
Messenger Service.

Listen, you...

I run a clean business here.

A lot of sweat and tears
went into building it up.

Now you make one
inference like that

outside this office,
just one inference,

and I will sue you for
every penny you've got.

Why stop at a suit?

Why don't ya plant
some dynamite in my car?

It's an awfully large area
for us to cover, Quince.

Why don't we get Monahan's help?

Are you kiddin'?

After the way he got chewed
out for tracing that call,

he wouldn't touch me
with a ten-foot pole.

Do you really think
we'll find Peter Neilson?

If he's there... Oh, MY
favorite restaurantear.

You're late.

A lot of traffic.

First tell me, why did you
want me to meet you out here?

Because you've been in
the restaurant too much.

You're getting a green pallor.

Want you to have a day in
the country, a lot of fresh air.

And this is the country? Yeah.

Tell him what we're lookin' for.

Yeah. What are we lookin' for?

Well, I think there's
a kid up there.

Dead?

I hope not.

We're gonna see
if we can find him.

We? Yeah.

With my luck, I'll
be the one. All right.

You're gonna love it.

Quincy gets a
phone call from a kid.

He know how he's
hurt, where he's hidin'.

What does he think he
is, Mandrake the Magician.

What am I doin' here?
Looking' for a kid in the bushes.

And my grandfather, he said

"Walk softly and
carry a big stick."

A pipe was even better.

Let's call it a day, okay kid.

Oh, hey, what's this?

All right, kid, come out,
come out, wherever you are.

Where are you?

Sam?

Nothing.

Me neither. What do ya think?

You know, Quincy, I'm
in pretty good condition.

I exercise every
day, I watch my diet,

I play handball
three times a week

and I find it hard
climbing up that hill

and if he's hurt as
badly as you think he is,

there's no way he
could've made it up there.

Speaking about not
makin' it where's Danny?

Ya promise me a day in
the country, lots of fresh air...

Did I lie? Ah ha.

You left out something,
that I'd be lookin' for stiffs.

Come on, take it easy,
will ya? Be careful.

Ooh. Are ya all right?

Ooh, aah.

Oh, don't do that.

I got it, I got it.

Aah. I was in World
w*r II remember?

I got it. Yeah, I'm fine.

I got an afternoon off.

He sent me mountain
climbin' without a rope.

Where you goin?

I'm gonna boil these clothes...

Go to a steam bath and
stay there for seven hours...

Seven days... Seven months.

A day in the country, an
undertaker's sense of humor...

A medical examiner... One
step away from an undertaker.

Had a cousin once,
he was an undertaker.

He went crazy.

Work, work, work, work,
work. That's all he understood.

Hi ya.

You guys with the police?

No, not really.

Oh, I'm the guy who
phoned in about the fire.

My name's Bernie.

Bernie, why didn't
you come forward?

The police are looking for you.

I don't like to get
mixed up with the cops.

But you have to identify
yourself. You're an eyewitness.

I didn't eyewitness anything.

I didn't get here till a couple
a minutes after the expl*si*n.

You got here right
after the expl*si*n?

Yeah.

Did you see anybody here like a

twenty-three year
old kid maybe injured?

Hell, the only thing I saw was the
fire, the debris, and the poor fella.

That was all that was
left of him in the van.

I jumped out and ran
over, but it was too late.

You're sure that's all you
saw the guy in the van?

I'm positive. It isn't exactly
the thing a guy would forget.

I gotta go.

I've perfumed up
this area long enough.

Oh, you better phone the police

and talk to Lieutenant Monahan.

I got to?

He won't bite. We promise.

It just doesn't pay
to be a good citizen.

Well?

Yeah, the light on the
microscope goes out

and the book on Peter
Neilson gets closed.

Hello.

Ma... Ma, help me... please.

Ma... Help me!

Clumsy.

You all right, Quince?

Yeah, I'm all
right, I'm all right.

You know what, Quince?

During the past twenty minutes,

you've b*rned yourself
on the coffee machine,

tripped over your stool,
dropped two slides.

I don't think you're exactly
concentrating on your work.

Yes, I am.

Then did you sign this report and
check off "no sign of pregnancy"?

Yeah, I did. So what?

On Mr. Fred Harris's report?

Mr. Fred Harris? Um-hmm.

I did that? Yeah.

I'm sorry.

I keep thinking of
Peter Neilson out there.

I wonder if Fred
has heard anything?

Well, I spoke to
him a half hour ago.

He keeps calling Washington
and all they say is soon.

Yeah soon. So how soon is soon?

Doctor Quincy?

Mrs. Neilson?

Okay Chuck. Dr. Quincy.

Why don't we go in here?

Sit down please.

You saved me a trip.

I, I wanted to apologize
for what I said to you.

There is no need to
apologize. You were right.

Sometimes older
people are foolish.

They are easily mislead
if they think they can have

all the old dreams back again.

But Peter's alive. I know it.

I've already called
Mr. Stanton and told him so.

How do you know he's alive?

Because Peter called again.

And I spoke to him this time.

His voice was weak.

He... he wanted
me to come to him.

Then he, he cried...

He hasn't cried
since he was a baby.

Dr. Quincy...

Please.

Find my son before he dies.

They're coming
after me... to k*ll me.

Peter? Peter? Wait, don't go.

What do you think of the tapes?

I think your caller's genuine.

Carl thinks that based on the slurred
speech and incoherent speech pattern,

that the boy is
seriously injured.

Um-hmm. I would agree.

I think all the
signs indicate it.

Why would he call his mother
and not tell her where he is?

Because in a head injury severe
enough to cause a concussion,

you can suffer
from loss of memory.

Especially, that
part of the memory

that's related to
the traumatic event.

Amnesia?

Um-hmm. Retrograde amnesia.

You see, the loss of the ability

to recall is a
protective mechanism.

The mind simply refuses
to acknowledge the pain

and the shock of the trauma,

so it blocks anything that would
cause the trauma to be recalled.

But those things he
was talking about...

Ah, white birds, people
coming after him to k*ll him.

Is that real or
imaginary do you think?

Well, it's hard to say.

I mean, it could be
dr*gs, but I don't think it is.

I think it is related
to the injury.

But the problem is that I need
to give you a viable Interpretation

I need a prior mental profile.

I mean it would be like
you performing an autopsy

by being told about the
body, but not seeing it.

I'm afraid I'm not gonna
be able to find him in time.

I wish I could help you.

Maybe you can. Can you
come to my office in an hour?

I want to get Carl there, try
to piece everything together.

Sure. I'll be there.

Thank you. I'll see
you then. Bye-bye.

Okay. Everything
we have is right there.

Well, unless we can find him
quickly, all this is meaningless.

Oh, we're gonna
find him all right.

Everything we know about this
case is right there in front of us.

It's like a good casserole.

We have all the ingredients.

All we have to do is put
them together properly.

I'll get it.

Hello. Yeah, Fred,

I knew it.

Thank you and
thanks for everything.

Yeah. Bye-bye.

The bridge didn't belong
to Peter Neilson. He's alive.

I hope.

Well, let's retrace the
chronology of events.

He left the house
of imports at 9:15.

The guard at the gate
said that he was alone.

He then got on the
highway, took him

five minutes to get
to the service station.

Which means he had time to pick
up someone else along the way.

But why would he do that if he
thought he was carrying dr*gs?

Sam, let's not worry
about the whys now.

The important thing is that
he did pick up somebody

and that somebody
did the driving.

And they reached the service
station and the van exploded.

But the station is closed and no
one sees a thing, except Bernie.

But he got there
after the accident.

Yeah. All he said he saw was the
van on fire and somebody inside.

You say that Peter was hurt.

He couldn't have
gotten very far. Correct.

Correct, except we combed
that area within a four-mile radius

We found nothing. I mean
we found a blank wall.

Okay.

Let's try to break
down this call.

Carol, help me. They tried
to k*ll me. I don't like it here.

White birds... Come and get me.

They're comin'
after me... to k*ll me.

Dr. Redman.

Let's take it back a bit
to ah, "I don't like it here".

Okay.

This is the first time he
indicated where he is.

And he wants to
get out of there.

Now didn't you say he
had a cleanliness fetish?

According to his sister. And
believe me, his room was spotless

Okay. Well, it's safe to assume

that where he is, is not clean.

And someplace with a phone.

So he's calling from a
dirty room with a phone.

But where?

Okay. Let's go on.

Now the next thing he
mentions is ah, white birds.

But you said you couldn't tell
whether they were real or not

w-without a mental profile.

Well, since I don't
have one, and this is

an emergency, we have no choice.

We just have to
assume that they're real.

Okay? Okay.

All right. Now we can't be sure

that the people that
are coming after him

are actually the people
that tried to k*ll him.

But what if he
genuinely sees someone.

Okay. What does that give us?

We got an unclean place,
we got a phone, we got people,

we got white birds, we got...
What kind a birds are white?

Well, it could be seagulls.

But they nest along the
shoreline, usually, don't they?

How far is the beach
from the service station?

Oh, about seven miles.

And what's in between?

Nothing really, just a dump.

Just a dump.

Bernie's garbage dump.

Now that would attract
seagulls, wouldn't it?

I mean, they're scavengers,
they would eat anything.

Bernie got there a couple a
minutes after the expl*si*n, right?

He got out of the
truck, he went over

to the van to see
if he could help.

Now, remember here at the
shrubbery, the trees right in here.

Now, when the expl*si*n happened

if Neilson had been blown clear,

he could have crawled
behind the shrubbery.

Now, when Bernie got out
of the truck, went over here,

he could have sneaked
behind and got into the truck.

I mean, Bernie
wouldn't have checked.

There would be no
reason for him to.

Besides, he was
in a hurry to notify

the police and the
fire department.

Peter Neilson could be
at the dump right now.

I'll bet you he is.

We'll call Lieutenant Monahan
from the car, tell him where we are.

Oh, Doctor Redman.

Carl, what can I say...

Call it neuropsychiatric.

And when you find that boy
we're gonna buy you a casserole.

One you can eat. Go... go.

Thank you.

What brings you guys out here?
I already called the Lieutenant.

We're still
looking for that kid.

Light-haired, twenty-three
years old, badly hurt.

Well, what would
he be doin' out here?

Hiding.

Does that lunch wagon
come here every day?

Yeah, about ten-thirty
and again around four-thirty.

Listen, you guys...

Was he here yesterday
at the same time? Yeah.

Do you have a phone in there?

Why sure.

Sam, that's what he did.

He watched them go
down to the roach-coach

then he sneaked in
there and made the call.

And when they came back,

he mistook them for the guys he
thought were gonna try to k*ll him.

We weren't gonna
try to k*ll nobody.

What's that?

My old wheels.

It don't run anymore,
so I just let it set.

Sam, we've got to get
him to a hospital right away.

He's barely alive. Get
around the other side, will ya.

Help me get him.

Maybe if I can get to the
car, I can radio for help.

Okay, but be careful, will ya.

Sam!

Come on. Get him
outta here right away.

Keep his head lined up with
his body. Don't twist it, okay?

How's the boy?
Is he still alive?

He won't be if we don't get
him to a hospital right away.

Who are those guys?

They're the ones who
tried to k*ll Neilson.

Easy, easy does it. Come on Sam.

Easy does it, easy.

Who was the other
guy in the van?

Joey Phillips, he's an
old army buddy of mine.

He blew into town
a couple a days ago,

and ah, I dropped him off and
picked him up outside the gate

I feel real bad about him.

But you didn't know...

Peter, if you need
anything just let me know.

Of course, the same
goes for you, too.

You've done quite
enough already.

Oh yes, thank you Dr. Quincy.

You're quite welcome.
See you later.

Bye.

Is he really necessary?

Well, Neilson isn't
exactly a boy scout.

You know, he was
transportin' heroin.

But he didn't know about it.
When he found out, he quit.

Huh, that's his story.

And I believe him...

What do you think's
gonna happen?

Oh, Peter?

Well listen, his statement puts
Stanton and those two g*ons in our lap

and um, listen,
it's his first offense.

If the judge believes him, why
he could get um, he could get off.

Phew. What's the matter?

Man, it stinks in here.

I don't smell anything.

Pheww. It smells
like ga-garbage.

Don't look at me.

When I came out of that dump,
I got in the tub for six hours.

Well, it didn't do any good.
Man, my eyes are burnin'.

Phew!