01x30 - The Plunderers

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Let's go.

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[male narrator] "The FBI."

A Quinn Martin, Warner Bros. Production!

Starring, Efrem Zimbalist Jr.

Also starring, Stephen Brooks.

With guest stars Ralph Meeker..

...Albert Salmi..

...Don Quine.

Tonight's episode, "The Plunderers."

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[tires screeching]

Inspector.

We were in Baltimore when we heard the code.

- Howard. - Padman.

Very professional job.

'Three inside men and a driver.'

'They picked up an armored car delivery.'

'Shot one of the guards.'

- Will he make it? - I don't see how.

How much did they get?

Twelve thousand in the delivery bag.

The manager's inside checking out the vault.

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[siren blaring]

Mr. Schaal.

The get away truck's been found.

They dumped it in a municipal

parking building on Seventh street.

Transferred to another car.

- Any witnesses? - No reliable ones, sir.

They used tear gas again.

- Jim, take a look at it. - Alright.

Three men in the inside, a driver, tear gas.

Sound familiar?

Howard, were you ever stationed in the Mid West?

Uh, Kansas, Iowa?

No.

When you get a chance, call Livingston at the 91 desk.

Ask him to check the MO file for four man teams.

Smoker gas bombs, car transfers.

How many bombs did they use?

Well, we recovered three of the containers so far.

One outside the vault and two in the air conditioning unit.

Air conditioning?

Yeah, these boys didn't miss a trick.

They immobilized the whole bank before they made their move.

Air conditioning is in the service clause

in the back of the washroom.

Two of them came down as plumbers.

There had been some trouble with the pipes before.

A legitimate concern was in yesterday

to fix one of the wash basins.

Did you find anything?

Yes, sir, there are two distinct types of markings

on the main joint.

It's been tampered with and then repaired.

They evidently loosened the core enough

to let a good size leak to go off.

So, they loosed the pipe Monday morning.

The manager has it fixed Monday afternoon.

No one notices a couple of more plumbers that drop by

on Tuesday to finish the job.

Four men, at least two cars.

Tear gas, g*ns, plumbers outfits.

They must have planned this thing for months.

Buy why?

What?

Why? This isn't Fort Knox.

A branch bank in a quite part of town.

They couldn't have hoped for more than

ten or 15,000 in that delivery bag.

Well, obviously, they're after the vault.

They waited for it to be open.

What's the manager's name?

Gardiner.

Alright, thank you.

Mr. Gardiner, my name is Erskine.

- Bureau headquarters. - Yes.

How soon can you give us an itemized list

of everything missing from the vault?

There's nothing missing.

- Nothing? - Not a penny.

The vault was wide open.

All they had to do was reach out their hands.

What kind of bank robbers are these?

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First flight to Butchers Bay, Virginia.

One way.

I really don't care where I go.

How about Butcher's Bay, Virginia?

But I gotta go by train.

I love to hear the clicking of the wheels on the tracks.

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I'm telling you, Eleanor, I'm a great believer in fate.

Now look, if you hadn't walked into that restaurant..

...if we hadn't started to talk..

...if you hadn't offered me this lift..

Now, isn't that funny.

As I recall it, you asked for a lift.

I did?

Well, it doesn't matter, because we are now at the start

of a very beautiful relationship.

What's this?

This is the end of a beautiful relationship.

It's where I'm staying.

Look, uh, Eleanor..

Butchers Bay isn't very much further. May be..

I'm sorry.

Alright, if you want to destroy a man's belief in fate..

Goodbye.

- It's been fun. - Goodbye.

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Lou, the 91 desk called.

They'd like you to check back.

The phone's over here.

- Any luck here? - Not much.

The plumbing firm reported the truck was stolen

at 10:15 this morning.

We had at least half a dozen descriptions

of the car they transferred to.

By the way, Lou, I, uh, found these particles of broken glass

just thrown in the back of the truck.

I thought may be cryptography would like to look at it.

Oh, one more thing.

I found some fibers caught in a wall spinner.

I'll have 'em checked out, but they looked to me like cashmere.

Somebody in that truck must have pretty expensive taste.

No wonder he robs banks.

If that's what he was doing.

Erskine, 91 desk, please.

Passed up a chance to clean out the vault.

- He sounds like an amateur. - I wonder.

- 'Livingstone.' - Dwight, Lou Erskine.

Oh, yes, Lou. on that Baltimore 91

I think I might have something for you.

[Erskine] 'Good.'

Alright, you have the right area.

There was a Kansas hood named Wendell Cummings.

He operated out of Topeka in the 40's.

Always used tear gas, always stole a truck

or always had another car in a public garage.

That's it?

Now, this boy gave us fits for about five years.

The most meticulous planner I ever saw.

He had great faith in the dry run concept. Uh, remember he--

The what concept?

Well, Wendell like to stake out a top bank. Uh..

Then he'd find a smaller one to practice on.

It wasn't hard. Floor plans are usually..

'Jim.'

Where is this Cummings at, you know?

I do. He's back in Kansas, the family plot.

He died at Leavenworth in '64.

Okay, thanks very much.

Lou, we just heard from General Hospital.

US attorney can tack a m*rder charge under that indictment.

The guard died on the operating table.

Did we get a statement?

No, he never regained consciousness.

Alright, call Leavenworth.

I want the names and current whereabouts of every cell mate

of a bank robber named Wendell Cummings.

He's dead, but it seems he left a disciple.

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Gin.

Oh boy, you caught me with a bundle.

That's 40 cents you owe me.

You know, my daddy told me not play cards with crooks.

Hey King, you wanna take a hand?

- King? - I don't know. No, no.

Maybe they picked him up.

Come on, King, relax. He'll be along.

I told him the hotel, I told him the time.

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Thanks for the ride, honey.

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Frank, will I see you again? Will you call me?

Sure, love. Sure.

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[indistinct chatter]

Yes, sir. Due in clubs?

No, I'm on my own now.

I think I got a reservation.

Oh, yes. Of course, sir. Will you sign here, please?

- Hey, will you.. - What, you wanna fight?

- Hey, how are you, King? - Hi, Frank.

- What kept you? - I took a couple of detours.

[bell rings]



Take those bags up to his room. He'll be up later.

- Come on. - What, it can't wait?

I'd like to freshen up a little bit.

Later.

[indistinct chatter]

[all laugh]

Going up, folks. Going up.

Poor guy must be drunk.

What's the matter, buddy? Come on.

[indistinct chattering]

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Hey, looks like homecoming week at Leavenworth U.

Cowboy, Otto.

- How are you, Frank? - Hot.

It's not much of a view.

How come you didn't pick a hotel overlooking the bank?

'Disappoint me, King.'

That happen sometimes.

What's the problem?

The guy died.

It was on the radio this morning.

Alright. So he died.

Shouldn't have gotten in my way.

Everybody gets in your way, don't they, Frank?

Like that clown out in the hall.

We're in this hotel, in this city, at this time

so nobody'll notice four single businessmen in the crowds.

And the first thing you do when you get in

is belt somebody.

Look, he'll never know what hit him.

Tomorrow morning, he'll wake up

and he won't even know that I was around.

You're right. Because you won't be here tomorrow.

Here's your money.

- Now, split. - Split?

We can't afford you, pal.

You can't afford to do without me.

Now, the three of you aren't gonna pull of this job alone

and you know it.

- We'll cancel it. - What, after two years?

What about all your plans?

Look, that guard was the only one who saw me

and he's not gonna be around to identify anybody.

Cowboy?

He knows the routine, King.

Otto?

King, you know how I feel. We've waited a long time for this.

We need a man in the lobby.

I think it's a mistake.

But if that's the way you vote, okay.

Gentlemen, to the Urban Bank and Trust Company.

And that two million dollar Navy payroll.

Biggest cash haul ever made.

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'The reddish powder is crushed agate, inspector.'

But this particular type comes

from the state of Chihuahua in Mexico.

We've put the larger fragments together to give you a general

idea of the original shape of the object.

This is part of the outer rim.

By extension, we can presume that the object was a button

about the size of a dime.

About the normal size of a coat button, isn't it?

Yes, sir.

It may have fallen off from the truck

then ground under foot.

Lou, errant fiber's report.

The material on the splinter was cashmere.

Hmm.

What about the Leavenworth names?

Just came through, all 112 of them.

One hundred and twelve?

Cummings was in prison for 15 years.

That adds up to a lot of cell mates.

- Okay, start breaking 'em down. - Alright.

Meanwhile, I want a description of that forwarded

to all Latin American import companies.

Mexican agate ought to ring a bell somewhere.

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[telephone rings]

Yeah?

Cowboy's rented a car.

He'll pick us up in the front of the hotel

in five minutes.

Well, what for?

We're gonna check the route again.

I don't want to run into any surprises on Tuesday.

What surprises? Listen, I thought we were--

[knock on door]

Yeah, alright. Five minutes.

Hey, what's the matter with you?

Somebody there?

[knock on door]

No, no.

You leave the women alone until

we're through with this job, Frank.

You understand me?

Yeah, I understand you. Alright, five minutes.

Good afternoon, you called for--

Now, here's some trash. You got to furnace?

I want you burn it, okay?

- Here. - Yes, sir.

[intense music]

There she is.

What happens Tuesday if all the parking spaces are taken?

We improvise.

Cowboy, you can drive the truck around the block--

If there's no place to park the truck

we forget the whole bid and we go home.

- What are you talkin' about? - We go home. Is that clear?

Anything's wrong, we go home.

Anything smells wrong today, we go home.

We're not knockin' off the corner candy store.

Once this one starts, nothing stops it.

Customers, guards, nothing.

But this one doesn't start until it's right.

Alright, you're running the show.

You remember it and quit bugging me.

Take a run out to the garage where you'll park the car.

Make sure you know your way in and out on Tuesday.

[car cranks]

Same pieces of red agate.

Now, what about latents?

Nothing useable as yet.

Car's been here for several days.

Probably since Tuesday.

Any luck on Cummings' cellmates?

Takes six weeks to go over the whole list.

We haven't got six weeks.

Our best bet seems to be a man named King Hogan.

He was a close friend of Cummings.

He was with him when he died.

He was released in May of 64'.

Supposed to have been seen in Baltimore in January.

'Lou?'

Nothing on Hogan, but we did hear from an importer

in Philadelphia who remembers handling a cashmere jacket

with Mexican red agate buttons.

I wrote down the customer's name and address.

Everything looks about the same.

[indistinct chattering]

They've added another guard.

What do I do if, uh, one of them jumps me?

- Slap his wrist? - Suit yourself.

You can burn them both down, as far as I'm concerned.

We're not practicing this time.

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Just what the doctor ordered.

Sure you don't know someone who can take Frank's place?

Still don't trust him, huh?

No, it's the one mistake I made.

I knew it the minute I asked him in.

I feel like I'm in a car heading for a railroad crossing.

I can hear the train whistling down the track.

Now the question is, am I gonna get across

before the engine hits me?

Wanna call it off?

No. We're set and we go.

I tell you, the apples this season

ain't fit to throw at crows.

Wanna try to choke one down?

Cowboy, the only way I can stand apples is in hard cider.

You don't know what your missing.

They say, "An apple a day keeps the officers away."

'Well, there she is.'

That looks a little open over there, doesn't it?

No, it's alright.

I'll just take me one of them trucks from the back.

They won't miss it for a couple of hours.

Twenty minutes from the bank.

Say we hit all the stop lights.

Ten minutes.

'King says the armor truck gets there at noon.'

About 11:15 be just about right.

Well, now.

Why don't you steal me one of those next Tuesday?

- How about it, Cowboy? Huh? - Frank..

You know I think I ought to go help her.

Listen, you should lay off the woman. It's for your own good.

This job's too important.

[chuckles] For crying out loud, Cowboy

don't you know when a man is kidding you?

I mean it. I've already got the money spent.

I even know the orchard I'm gonna buy in Yakima, Washington.

That's very nice. I got the Riviera planned.

Couple of nice yachts and, uh, some women with class.

Why don't you, uh, just relax, huh?

Frank.

Uh, yes, yes. I-I remember the jacket, inspector.

Do you still have it, Mr. Goulding?

Uh, no. Uh, it, uh, wasn't the sort of thing

that suited me.

It was too, uh..

I bought it to impress a girl, inspector.

She was very striking, the girl.

And the jacket. But they were both too young for me.

When I finally realized what a fool they were making me look

I got rid of them.

Both.

Do you know where it is now? The jacket, that is.

I gave it to my gardener.

What's his name?

Victor Dahl.

And his address?

I haven't the faintest idea in the world, inspector.

He took the girl, too, when he left.

Thank you, Mr. Goulding.

- The name on the list? - Yeah, he's in Atlanta.

[knocking on door]

- Yeah. - 'It's me.'

What a sweet domestic scene.

If you guys could only cook.

Hey, King. That straight?

[King] 'Perfect.'

'You know, Otto, you've really got a flair for this.'

Well, that's one thing I'll always be thankful

to Leavenworth for.

They taught me a trade.

Where's Frank?

He's in his room.

I told him to meet us down here.

Hey, anything in there?

Nope. No alarms, no problems.

Gentlemen, I think we're in business.

What are you gonna do with your share of the loot, King?

Well, you might not believe this, but..

...it's not the money I'm really interested in.

Come on.

It's the job, the plan. My plan.

Two million in cash and maybe more.

'The biggest boost ever made.'

It's like Mount Everest.

That make sense, Otto?

If that's what you want.

And what do you want? What are you after?

Me? I..

I just want to retire from this trade and..

Oh, I don't know.

Maybe buy a little house in..

...one of those California senior citizen towns.

[chuckles]

Find me an old woman who likes to play gin.

Who I can beat once in a while.

[all laugh]

Wonder what's keeping Frank.

Let's pick him up and get a bite to eat.

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[knocking on door]

[jazz music]

[knocking on door]

You know, I thought I heard somebody.

I just finished my shave.

The maid let you in?

What's the matter?

What was she doing here?

Who? The girl?

Hey, come on, King. Will you please quit, huh?

I ran out of soap, so I called down and they, uh..

...they send her over with a couple of bars.

Hey, what am I suppose to do?

Sign a loyalty oath every time a woman says hello to me, huh?

Why don't you guys grow up?

Friend, I've just about had it with you.

Hey, King. Take it easy, huh?

If you're gonna have a fight, let's wait till after we eat.

We could take a drive down to some nice quite beach, okay?

[knocking on door]

- Now who is it? - 'Desk clerk.'

I'm sorry to bother you, sir.

But I found one of the bell boys wearing this jacket.

- He said you gave it to him. - Yeah, yeah.

- Thank you, it was a mistake. - I thought perhaps, it was.

I'll speak to the bell boy.

Thank you, sir.

I was getting tired of it, so I gave it away.

Where'd you loose the button?

I don't know, somewhere around here.

Not in the Baltimore bank?

'Not in the guard's hand?'

I told you, I lost it somewhere around here.

I wanna see the button.

- Oh, come on. - I said I wanna see it!

What difference does it make?

I mean, so, uh, whose gonna trace one lousy button

even if they do find it?

Take it easy, now..

[intense music]

He's still alive.

Well, you can do what you want.

I'm clearing out.

He's got a point, though.

Whose gonna trace one lousy button?

Hey, King, you're gonna slide down the whole mountain

when we're so close to the top?

Okay, gentlemen.

Two million dollars.

In thirds, instead of quarters.

What happened to the jacket when you were arrested?

Friend of mine swiped it.

[smirks] Friend.

[Tom] 'Is this somebody you knew in Leavenworth?'

Yeah.

Full name?

Frank Collins.

Two bit punk.

Makes you wonder if there's any justice.

I mean, I'd get stuck in here, right?

He's out having a ball.

[dramatic music]

Alright, now. Can you listen to me?

[g*nsh*t]

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Yes, uh..

He's also worked as a barber and a lady shoe salesman

in New York, Boston and Philadelphia.

Now, we'll send you all the addresses we have.

Alright, stake out his flat and put a surveillance

on anyone who comes by.

Would you please? Thank you, goodnight.

Had Livingstone put out Hogan's description, too?

Yes, sir, I did.

What about the banks?

I only checked most of the major ones.

There are no reports of any plumbing problems.

But, then again, half the circulars

are probably still sitting unopened on some clerk's desk.

Try the bus and train depots.

Mm-hmm.

Here, Baltimore, Philadelphia, nobody remembers seeing Collins.

Checked with his landlady, his-his girlfriends

his business associates..

Everybody but his enemies.

And I don't think he'd tell them where he's going.

Wouldn't he?

Hmm?

Who'd remember him more clearly than an enemy?

Listen to this report.

'"Purse snatching, pandering, as*ault'

'"contributing to the delinquency of a minor..'

...extortion."

And all his victims were women.

Even when he was on parole.

Put out another bulletin.

All law enforcement agencies.

Have them show Collins' pictures

specifically to all female complainants on their books.

[intense music]

Keep it.

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[bell rings]

[dialer whirring]

Hello, Best Plumbing?

Listen, my shower's gone all to pieces.

Can you come out and fix it?

Oh, wait, hold on a minute.

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[whistling]

[whistling]

[engine cranks]

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Yes, that's the man.

I'll never forget that face.

He robbed me, too.

He said he was going to Butcher's Bay.

Right. Right.

Butcher's Bay, tell the guys

to notify every bank in town.

And have a car meet me at the airport.

Right.

[intense music]

Twenty four to dispatcher.

Twenty four to dispatcher.

[man on radio] 'Dispatcher to 24.'

I'm on Furlane Road, six miles East of the state highway.

On that APB-19, I've just discovered a body.

Apparently died of a b*llet wound.

Identification papers read "Frank Collins."

[intense music]

[telephone rings]

Hello. Paxton.

Plumbers?

Yes. Yes, thank you.

Guard.

What do you think, something wrong?

It'll be 20 minutes before that armored truck gets here

and they opened the vaults.

Let's get out of here.

Guards! Stop those men!

[g*nshots]

[alarm blaring]

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[g*nshots]

[siren wailing]

[siren wailing]

This is the FBI.

'Come out of there with your hands up.'

[intense music]

Inspector.

Lyons, how does it look?

There's still one of them holdin' up in the bank.

I think it's King Hogan, from the description.

They were three men to begin with.

Hogan?

'The bank's surrounded. You're not going anywhere.'

Come out with your hands up.

Use your head, Hogan. It's over.

[intense music]

Throw your g*n outside.

[g*nshots]

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Hogan didn't have much in his pockets, inspector.

A wallet, hotel bill, a few dollars and this.

What is it?

It looks like a page torn out of a magazine.

Everest.

Why would a man wanna keep that?

Maybe he wanted to climb mountains.

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