01x02 - Image in a Cracked Mirror

[bunniefuu]

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[thunder rumbling]

[knocking on door]

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We’re closed!

’Closed! Closed!’

[sighing]

I left some film here to be processed, I saw your light on.

- Film! - Turn around.

What?

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[clanking]

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[male narrator] "The FBI."

A QM Production.

Starring, Efrem Zimbalist Jr.

Also starring Philip Abbott.

Stephen Brooks.

With guest stars, Jack Klugman

Brett Somers.

Tonight's episode

"Image In A Cracked Mirror."

[instrumental music]

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[typewriter clacking]

[female #1] 'Hi!'

Mr. Ward said you and Mr. Rhodes can go right in.

Oh, well, Jim's picking up some files for me.

He'll be right along.

[coughing]

Well, I..

I see we're finally gonna..

...get some sun. I’d just about given up hope.

Mm-hmm.

Uh, do you still have that same cold, Mr. Erskine?

As far as I know, it's the same one.

- Well, I have something-- - I’ve tried it.

Well, how do you know? You haven't even looked.

I know because there isn't a cold pill made

that my daughter hasn’t tried on me during the last week.

Green and red, that’s, uh..

...one before each meal and two before bedtime, right?

I read some routine background information

on four out of five informants.

'Checks out, they're all telling the truth.'

Good.

Thanks, Barbara.

You're welcome, daddy.

[laughing]

And you can go right in.

Oh, Ben, I'm putting you on the amplifier.

Uh, Lewis and Jim are here.

[Ben on speaker] 'Jim, Lou. Ben Stone.'

Oh, Ben, how are you?

What’s the word from Oklahoma City?

[Ben] ’Nothing much. But there’s a real big word from Evans.’

What's Evans?

[Ben] 'A town about 65 miles south of Tulsa.'

'Did Arthur fill you in on anything?'

No, I didn't, Ben. Start from the top, please.

[Ben] 'Well, last night a small photography store here in Evans'

'was robbed, very unprofessional.'

'A pass was made at the cash register'

'and for some reason a few photographs were burned.'

'The local police consulted us about some laboratory help.'

’And I spotted one of the half burned prints’

'I saw it was of a local bank's annual dinner.'

'I started wondering about who'd want to destroy'

a bank employees’ picture.’

'But to make a long story short'

'I got the bank manager out'

'and had him open the bank early this morning.'

'Saturday morning.'

[coughing] Yeah.

[Ben] 'Uh, it's 9:20 now'

'and they're still going over the books.'

’They’ve just passed a 100,000 missing.’

How many bank employees had access?

[Ben] 'Six, including the manager.'

'All but two are in town and seem to check out okay.'

Whoever took the money was counting on the weekend

to make his run.

He won't expect the loss to be discovered until Monday.

That's the one advantage you have.

- I have? - You and Rhodes.

You're booked on the noon flight to Oklahoma City.

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[male #1] 'One hundred and ninety-three-thousand'

'two-hundred and sixty-five dollars and some odd cents.'

[Erskine] 'That will take you just about as far as you wanna go.'

Well, that's uh, only the cash, of course.

We still haven't checked the negotiable bonds.

Here's a list of the employees with access.

All present and accounted for in town except for the last two.

Frank Humber and Charles Gates.

Near as I can recall

they were both sitting up front at the banquet.

But I can tell you it was Humber.

He's only been with the bank a year and a half.

Came here right from college.

You know how they are at that age.

No. No, I don't, Mr. Wiley.

How are they?

You know.

Pushy.

Very smart and very pushy.

[no audio]

You'll see it's him, alright.

The sooner you get after him the better.

What sort of man is Gates?

Oh, he’s been with us almost 20 years.

He's a good employee.

'A good father and a good citizen.'

He's a widower.

Apparently, he takes his son out on camping trips

up in the mountains every other weekend.

That's where he is now.

What about the photographer?

He couldn't give the local police any help at all.

Right now, he's under sedation, possible concussion.

Doctor says no more questions until Monday at the earliest.

Humber's gotta be our number one.

Single, no dependents, no ties.

This Gates seems to have a legitimate reason

for being out of touch.

- 'Camping trip.' - Yeah.

Nobody expects him back until Monday.

- Thank you. - Mm-hmm.

Suppose, uh, Gates were to take off

where would he go?

Well, the Cheever Creek area

would probably be his best choice.

There're three separate back roads out..

...all heading for Texas.

Well, take Jim with you. See if you can find him.

If you do, just ask him to come in for routine questioning.

I'll follow through on Humber from here.

[Pete] ’Gonna try your luck up by Cheever’s Creek again’

'this weekend, Charlie?'

We were almost there when the motor started acting up.

What do you think it is, Pete, the water pump?

Yeah.

But you’ll be able to fix it, won’t ya?

I mean, it'll be okay.

Uh, good enough to get you back up to the creek

and back to Evans.

Well, uh, suppose I have to go further..

I mean, if there was an emergency.

I can't think of no emergency

where you wouldn't be better going back to Evans.

It's the closest town.

Well, isn't there any way you can fix it properly?

I mean..

Well, I got an old water pump back in the shop there.

I could re-rig to replace yours.

Well, how long would that take?

Well, three, maybe four hours.

Well, uh, Pete, suppose I came back about 8 o’clock.

Do you think you could have it ready by then?

'I'm willing to pay extra for it.'

Oh, come on, Charlie, you didn't have to say that.

- I’ll have it for ya. - Thanks.

- How you doin', champ? - Good, dad, real good.

I think we've got a fix on him.

Station wagon matching the description of Gates'

was seen heading toward the Cheever Creek area.

Apparently, he's got his son with him.

How long will it take you to get up there?

Well, about an hour at the most.

Did you get the search warrant for the Humber apartment?

Yeah, that's the phone number the office gave you.

I'm there now.

[Jim] 'Anything?'

Enough.

Well, here, it doesn't look as though

Mr. Humber would knock over a photography store

just to destroy a picture of himself.

So, when you get close to Gates

walk softly.

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It’s almost 8 o’clock, we ought to get down Pete’s.

Okay.

I'll have dinner ready by the time you get back.

Oh, I shouldn’t be more than 15 or 20 minutes.

Then we'll be on our way.

- First stop? - Culver Hotel, El Paso.

And then off to Mexico!

You're not gonna be scared, are you?

- Up here all alone. - Me? Nah.

You know, Billy..

...I wish I could tell you how proud I am of you.

You're gonna love Mexico.

We oughta be practicin' our Spanish.

That's right, uh..

[speaking in Spanish]

[engine revving]

[engine revving]

- Yes sir. - Uh, yeah.

Are we headed right for Cheever's Creek?

Ah, you, uh, campers?

Uh, no, conservation survey.

Uh, the creek's about half a mile up ahead.

- You can't miss it. - Thank you.

Well, guess you're all set now, Charlie.

I ain’t sayin’ it’s as good as new but, uh..

Get you wherever you’re gonna go.

[g*nsh*t]

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We staked out that camp site till dawn but, uh..

...no sign of Gates.

And nothing from the boy?

It took us 20 minutes just to get him to admit who he was.

He said, he thought we were coming up to steal something.

Claimed, they lost things like that before.

He knows something, Lou, I swear it.

Ms. Gates, I'd like you to meet, Inspector Erskine.

and Special Agent Rhodes.

- How do you do? - How're you?

Ms. Gates is gonna be taking care of her nephew until..

...until all this is resolved.

Ms. Gates, if you don't mind

I'd like to have another half hour with Billy.

It's just a few routine questions.

'I think he might know a little bit more about'

'where his father is.'

I suppose he might.

It's alright with me. You can ask him anything you want.

Thank you.

Ms. Gates, uh..

We've been all over your brother's house

tryin' to find a photograph of him.

I wonder if you might have one.

Even an old one.

Of course, if you feel you'll be betraying him--

No. No, it's not that. It's just that..

Well..

The boy’s all that matters now.

There might be something. You can come over anytime you want.

- Would now be alright? - Of course.

[instrumental music]

Now, Billy

I've told you this before and I..

I know it's hard for you to accept but..

...but I’m gonna tell you again.

Your father will be caught.

You know, it's just

just a matter of time.

Now, the more you help us the more you'll help your father.

Believe me.

[sighing]

[sighing]

Well..

Withholding information?

Alright, let's make it official.

- Name? - Billy Gates.

Uh, full name, please.

- William Allen Gates. - Mm-hm.

- Age? - Thirteen and a half.

Relationship to wanted man?

Son.

Vicinity wanted man last seen

Cheever's Creek, State Park.

[telephone ringing]

Direction of flight.

South.

I didn't say that.

[telephone ringing]

Rhodes.

What?

Fort Worth?

Well, what about the other one?

'Well, let me know as soon as you verify the prints.'

Check.

Uh, what was your address again, Billy?



Verified whose prints?

Is there a zone number?

What did you mean about the prints?

So, your father was planning to

cross the border into Mexico, huh?

You know something?

I had a bet with my partner, Billy.

And I bet him that a man as smart you father would

try to get a boat and go across the Rio Grande at night.

Yeah, that's right.

Were you gonna, uh..

...rent a boat or did you have on with you?

Uh, we had one with us.

You know, one of those inflatable ones.

All you do is press a button

and they fill up with air, just like that.

My father used one in the w*r.

- Yeah? - Yeah.

[Amelia] That's my brother, the fourth one from the left.

- Combat engineers? - Mm-hm.

About a month ago, Charles came over

and took all the other photos.

He said he'd lost the negatives

and wanted to have more prints made up.

But I guess it was..

I guess it was all part of what he was planning.

Is this all?

I found that one in some old letters.

I thought there might be some more.

We took so many..

...when the baby was first born.

That's Laura, Charles' wife.

'I guess they told you she died some years ago.'

Yes, I, I was told.

There were two years, I don’t know how Charles survived them.

'First the baby died, and then Laura.'

Baby died?

Cynthia, their baby.

Billy was adopted.

'Oh, I forgot, you couldn't have known that.'

Does the boy know?

I think Charles planned to tell him but he never did.

You must understand, Mr. Erskine

that in the last few years

I saw very little of my brother.

It was as if he wanted to lock himself away

from everything, everyone.

'In his own private world with Billy.'

[doorbell rings]

Excuse me.

Lou.

Well, thanks for your cooperation, Ms. Gates.

Your, uh, brother may try to get in touch with you.

We'd like permission to monitor your calls.

Oh, uh, yes, go right ahead.

Alright if we take this along.

Oh, yes, take it. Take anything you want.

Uh, would you excuse me, please.

Of course.

Hungnam.

That’s pretty rough.

"Christmas, 1950."

Hey, weren't you there then?

I was there.

- You might've known this guy. - I never met him.

But I knew him.

Billy.

Would you like something to eat?

Hey.

How about some milk and cookies?

Nah.

Billy.

I had to help them.

In order to help your father.

'I had to do anything I could.'

Can you understand that?

Sure, I understand.

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[male #2] His face was more round than this one.

- He had higher cheek bones. - No, he had a little--

[indistinct chatter]

[female #2] 'And he had a square jaw.'

[male #3] 'Do you remember what color hair he had?'

[female #2] 'I think he had brown hair.'

[indistinct chatter]

- 'Kinda long.' -'Yeah, kinda long.'

[male #3] 'Do you have an idea of his height?'

[sighing]

We're opening in another five minutes.

Can’t your man do his work someplace else..

someplace where he’s not quite so noticeable?

There’s also a very noticeable $200,000

missing from this bank, Mr. Wiley.

Now, we're doing our best to try to get it back for you.

Well, I don’t understand why you have to have his picture.

I mean, you have his fingerprints.

Finger prints only verify identity, Mr. Wiley.

I'm afraid we have to find him first.

- Well, do what you can. - Yeah, we'll try.

Any luck with the artist, Lou?

[Jim clearing throat]

Seven out of ten employees managed to agree

that Gates has blue eyes.

[scoffs]

Twenty-years in this bank and all they can agree on

is that, he wore horned-rim glasses

'had a receding hairline and a moustache.'

Well, a shave, a toupee and a pair of contact lenses

and Mr. Charles Gates disappears

from the face of this Earth.

That's about it.

Lou, would you like to hear an educated guess

based on that story the boy told me?

Go ahead.

Well, this is our pivot point, right here.

Now, I didn't get any reaction from Billy on Fort Worth.

I'd bet on that, so..

We figure if this father is trying for Mexico

we can cross off this entire area.

And that leaves roughly 400 miles of Rio Grande border

up to El Paso and on west into New Mexico.

Yeah, what you're trying to say is

that you’ve narrowed it down to a little under a 1000 miles.

Yeah, I'm afraid you're right.

That is unless my educated guesses

get a little bit more educated.

Now, if we take the reverse of the story that Billy told me

we can assume that his father won't try to reach the border

and cross it but rather ditch his car

as soon as possible and get a new one.

Just over the border, Highway 277 in Texas.

That's where they found the car.

Dead end, no follow-up.

And Ms. Gates would like to see you.

Alright.

I think he's heading toward El Paso.

Now, he'll either cross the border there

or head on west into New Mexico.

You get a lot of mileage out of those educated guesses.

What make you think he won't change his mind?

No.

No, I don't think he would.

Not if he's set out with the idea of meeting his son again.

You know, Lou, we have one edge on this boy if we wanna use it.

The fact that he doesn't know he's adopted.

There must be some new courses at the academy

since I was there.

Mr. Erskine.

I came to tell you that Billy's gone.

When did you find this out?

Well, I went back to his room last night and he was gone.

Now, I know I should have called you before

but I thought he would be back.

Ms. Gates, the boy was withholding information.

Alright, Jim.

I have some photos. I thought they might be of some help.

[Lewis] We'll use this one.

Circulate it as soon as possible.

And give El Paso top priority.

Inspector Erskine?

Yes. This is Special Agent Rhodes.

I'm Murray Davis. Welcome to El Paso.

Your, uh, your SAC said

you spotted the boy at the bus terminal.

That's right. We followed him down here.

He checked in this morning.

Well, he hasn’t attempted to leave?

No, he hasn't.

How're you set up here?

Well, there's two of us. My partner's inside.

Then we'll need more men to stake it out

from top to bottom. What do you think, Lou?

The boy's a minor.

He's been put in the care of his aunt

by the juvenile authorities.

Lou, Gates has got to be on his way here.

Another hour, and we could have him.

'Now, give us a little bit more time, huh?'

You've got just time to get to a phone

and call the Oklahoma City office.

Tell them to notify his aunt we've located the boy.

- Oh, Lou.. - Do it.

Yes, sir.

[female #3 on P.A.] 'Mr. William Allen Gates.'

'Paging, Mr. William Allen Gates.'

'Lobby phone.'

'Mr. William Allen Gates.'

'Lobby phone.'

This is Mr. Gates.

- 'Hi, champ.' - Dad!

Where are you? When are you comin'?

Billy, I can't. Not now.

There FBI men all around the hotel.

Now, listen. Go back to your room.

When they realize I'm not coming

they'll pick you up and take you back.

No. I'm not going back, whatever happens.

'I can get away.'

I know I can. I can.

Shh, Billy..

Billy, listen to me.

There is one chance.

'If you can get away from them and out the front door..'

'Now, Billy, listen very carefully.'

'My car's parked..'

Well, I got through to him.

Billy.

Billy.

[dramatic music]

[tires screeching]

[tires screeching]

[tires screeching]

[instrumental music]

- Dad! - Billy!

Billy.

[sighing]

I was in this tree..

I couldn't get down.

I was gonna fall.

Have we crossed the border yet?

No, not yet.

What happened to the river?

Well, we left that back in Texas.

We're in New Mexico now.

You better get back to sleep. We got a rough day ahead of us.

I'm all slept out.

Couldn't we just go on?

No.

I'd never find that road in the dark again.

Anyway the sun will be out soon

that's when we'll take off.

[chuckles]

Boy, I would have given anything

to see old Aunt Amelia's face with her cookies and milk

when she found I’d cut out.

Maybe we’ll write her when we get to Mexico City, huh?

Well..

I don’t think that would be a good idea just then.

That's right.

She'd just give the FBI any old letter we'd send her.

Boy, how dumb can you get.

Well.. Oh, we'll write to her.

Just take a little while, that's all.

When we get all set-up, with a big house

and a lot of servants, then we'll write her..

...and we’ll pay someone to mail it from a foreign country

so, no one will ever know.

Yeah, that's what we'll do.

Billy..

Dad is there any more soda pop left?

No, drink some water from the canteen.

Oh, no, man. We gotta save that.

Big stretch of desert after we get over the border.

Billy, when we get to that foreign country

you know, we have the big house

and the servants and everything..

You think you’re gonna be happy?

Sure. We gotta be happy with all that money.

You can buy a new start doing anything you want.

And I could grow up with enough money to be

anything I wanna be.

Not just another nobody

in another nowhere town, right?

Now, don't do that, Billy.

Now, don’t just repeat what I told you.

You know, this isn't a game we're playing here.

I'm sorry, champ.

I mean, a guy just doesn't get up one morning and say

"Well, I'm gonna go to Mexico instead of the bank today."

I mean, it's something that builds, it takes a long..

It's so important that you understand.

Billy.

A guy wants something for his kids

for his wife, for himself..

...but sometimes it just doesn’t work out.

So, he says, "Well, what’s the sense of being

good ol' Charlie Gates all the time?"

I mean, what's the point, who cares?

And one day, he looks at all the money in the till

and he thinks if he had it, he might have been able to

buy some time for his wife, maybe.

And he says "Okay, okay, okay.

Now, it's my turn and my kid's turn."

You see that?

Billy, see, I don't know if I did the right thing.

But right or wrong

I know it's the only thing I could do.

You did the right thing, dad. Don't worry.

I won't champ.

I won't.

[instrumental music]

[birds chirping]

Lou, I think, maybe we’ve got something.

A farmer reported a station wagon moving across his land

heading toward the border.

Temporary plates.

- Whereabouts? - About ten miles east.

Take over. I'll check it out in the bird.

[engine revving]

- Good morning. - Just check the water, please.

- Nice morning, isn't it? - Yep.

[sighing]

[bell rings]

[helicopter whirring]

[helicopter whirring]

- Can you hurry that up, please? - Sure thing, buddy.

But you know water is costly out here.

Look, that's fine. Thank you very much.

This is the FBI, stay out of that car!

[helicopter whirring]

[engine revving]

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Dad!

Dad!

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[tires screeching]

[tires screeching]

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[helicopter whirring]

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[Lewis] 'So, that's about it, Arthur.'

'These things happen.'

'I'm sorry.'

No, we're leaving this afternoon.

I've passed on everything we had to the Mexican authorities.

We’ll see you in Washington tomorrow.

Goodbye.

So, Gates, Charles, goes into the open files.

Yeah.

- Any word from his sister? - Yeah.

She just checked into the hotel.

She said, she'd come pick up the boy as soon as

we turned him over to her.

Lou, that was, uh..

...was kind of a strange one, wasn't it?

What'd you mean?

Oh, I don't know. The..

...number of things you two had in common.

Except, you didn't crack..

...and Gates did.

Lou.

Didn't you sometimes fell as if you were..

...chasing yourself?

That, uh..

there but for the grace of God goes Lou Erskine.

Lou, when you saw Gates make it across the border

how did you feel?

Were you glad?

[telephone ringing]

Rhodes?

'Well..'

'Yeah.'

Yeah. Okay, thanks.

That was McCook.

I guess, Gates made it through the desert okay.

Hotel reports a phone call that came in for Billy.

- His father? - Um-hm.

Apparently, he's been trying to track the boy down

so, he called his sister first

and, the cleaning lady said

that she had gone to the Culver Hotel to pick him up.

Get McCook back.

Tell him to turn Billy over to his aunt as soon as possible.

I want the boy there when Gates calls again.

What makes you so sure he's going to?

He will. I know him.

[instrumental music]

No, Charles hasn't called me.

[Erskine] 'Alright, Ms. Gates.'

Now, um, Special Agent McCook

will bring Billy up to the room as soon as I leave.

I'd like you to keep him here

until it's time to leave for the railroad station.

If your brother should call

let Billy talk to him.

And you'll be listening?

If we still have permission to monitor your calls.

Yes, certainly.

I just hope it does some good.

I love my brother but he's wrong

and I hope you catch him.

Hmm. So do I.

[coins clinking]

Is that enough, operator?

Si. The Culver Hotel, El Paso.

Thank you.

Uh, gracias.

[machine beeping]

[female #4] Culver Hotel.

Listen, uh, I'm calling about a boy.

'Well, he checked in yesterday.'

'His name is Billy Gates.'

[female #4] Well, we have a Ms. Amelia Gates, sir.

Alright, I'll talk to Ms. Gates.

[telephone ringing]

Hello.

[Charles on phone] 'Amelia, you know who this is?'

Oh, Charles!

Charles, how could you do this terrible thing?

Can't you understand what you're doing to Billy?

Amelia, I don't want to discuss it now.

I don't have the time.

- How's Billy? - He's fine.

He's here with me. We're taking him home on the 7 o'clock train.

- Dad? - Hi, champ.

Dad, be careful what you say.

They might be listening in some way.

[Charles] Alright, I'll be careful.

Billy, uh, I have to go.

I just wanted..

Dad, will you write me

when you get to..

You know, where you're goin'.

Sure. Sure, I'll write.

Son, it's, uh..

It's gonna be a little rough on you, you know?

I mean, you're gonna hear a lot of things that..

Your friends are never gonna let you forget that

'your father was a thief.'

I don't care what anybody says.

I guess, it was wrong to steal.

But right or wrong, I know why you did it.

Billy, when I saw you weren't there

all that money didn't mean anything to me.

Can you believe that?

Sure, it's always been like that.

I mean, just like I was your real kid.

My real kid?

Billy, who told you?

Hey, Lou!

When he calls back, tell him there's no answer in the room.

- What did that accomplish? - Didn't close the door.

Now, he's got to see the boy on the train.

[machine beeping]

[female #4] 'Culver Hotel.'

'I'm sorry, sir, there's no answer in that room.'

'I'll try it, sir. But it won't do any good.'

That's, uh..

That's kinda rough, isn't it?

Let's just say, it goes with the territory.

[horn blaring]

He could of conceivably

be any one of 50 men back there, sir.

Well, this's the only train through to Oklahoma, tonight.

If he came back, he's gotta be on it.

Sooner or later, he's gonna come looking for his boy.

Funny thing.

You know so much about a man and..

...yet not be able to put a face to what you know.

Yeah, funny.

[instrumental music]

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Mr. Gates?

[dramatic music]

[brakes screeching]

For nothing?

All of it for nothing?

[instrumental music]

[Erskine] 'That's right.'

'No, you can ring me here, we'll get the call through.'

Uh, Starfield, toll station number 13.

Thank you.

We rounded up most of the money.

The rest is too widely scattered

to retrieve until daylight.

Let's just hope we have an honest town.

Yeah.

Either that or they sleep late in the morning.

Just one question.

Now, with, with everything going for him

how could you be so sure that Gates would come back?

You know, in a couple of years

if you're lucky

you're gonna wonder how you ever could've

asked a question like that.

[telephone ringing]

Hello.

Yes, put the call through.

Barbara? How are you darling?

No, I'm alright. I'm fine.

What're you doing?

At four in the morning?

Why, I must have forgotten about the time difference.

I didn't really. I, I just wanted to talk to you.

Nothing special.

We, uh, we wrapped up the Gates’ case tonight.

So, I'll probably be home tomorrow evening.

What? Oh, the cold.

I guess I'm not..

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