Original subtitles

What's a girl have to do to get a refill?

Bar's closed.

What are you trying to do, drown your appetite?

Was I that obvious?

I read between the lines.

Look at that.

Oh.

Too much tarragon.

And not enough garlic. Otherwise, pretty bad.

That salad dressing's been in my family for over 200 years.

You had any pity on your guest?

You would retire.

You're not a girl.

You're a critic.

Voila. Thank you.

Karen,

here's to your health and your happiness. No, Bob. To us.

Old friends who shared good times.

Lovely. Tell me, what's new and exciting?

Such as?

Well, a very attractive and very wealthy young widow has asked that question.

Usually means men.

This case means exactly that. Your subtlety dazzles me. Subtlety closes on

Monday.

No, no, that was satire closes Monday.

Don't evade the issue.

Who are you dating?

Oh, well, you're the last person I tell. You'd run a security check on it.

You're still out of circulation.

You promised me over six months ago that you'd start going out.

I just haven't got the heart for it, Bob.

After Russell died, I built a different life for myself.

You built a cloistered life for yourself.

The laboratory's a full -time responsibility.

Long before Russell died, Martin Laboratories was practically running

Since your brother took over...

You don't have to lift a finger.

Russ was one of my closest friends.

I know he'd never want it this way.

Bob, get off it.

Please.

What's that for?

Oh, I started another new diet last week.

With all that food on the stove now, you tell me.

I'm going to eat it all. The pills to lighten my conscience, not the calories.

What are you doing with this?

Well, just for protection.

Against whom?

Muggers, rapists, you name it.

Oh, you name it.

Well, I just told you.

Karen, what are you doing with a loaded gun?

Bob, give me the gun back, please. Not a chance, unless you tell me the truth. I

told you.

Look, you marched in here tonight tighter than a drum. Your nerves are so

they're bleeding.

You expect me to believe this cock and bull reason you just handed me? I don't

care what you believe.

Give me back the gun. Where is your permit?

Four days left.

Four days.

all these questions about the pills, Robert.

What are you after?

Your hospital blood sample showed an unusually high concentration of

barbiturates.

Barbiturates?

An amount usually found only in the bloodstream of an addict or a would -be

suicide.

Is that what you think?

That I'm an addict or suicidal?

Suppose you tell me.

You're wrong.

On both counts, you're wrong.

If those capsules contain any barbiturates, it's news to me. I had the

prescription filled last Thursday.

You can check on it.

You made a mistake.

Switched them with some other medication you've been taking?

I am not taking any other medication.

Could someone else have switched the capsules?

Karen, why are you so afraid to tell me what's wrong?

Nothing is wrong.

Nothing, except you're insulting my intelligence and our friendship.

And you're overstepping the bounds, prying into my life this way. Who else

prying into your life?

What do you mean?

Well, isn't that why you had your phone number changed to an unlisted number?

No, I... Karen, please tell him.

Judith, keep out of this, please. Tell me what? Nothing. There's nothing to

tell. She's been getting threatening phone calls.

When did they start?

Karen? Oh, two weeks ago.

He's just a crank.

And if he isn't?

What does he say?

Well, now, what do you suppose he says? He says every vile, degenerate thing

that comes into his head.

And then he says he's... He's coming to kill me.

When does he say he's going to do that?

In four days.

And his voice.

He hears his voice threatening her.

Karen, tell him everything, for God's sake. Oh, right.

Yes, I hear him in the car, and I'm walking down the street.

You're at home.

And I'm all alone.

Judith, have you heard his voice?

No.

I know it sounds as though I'm going out of my mind, but I swear it's... True.

I'll have a tap put on your line immediately.

I want you to call me the next time you hear from me. I'm either on or off the

phone. And at any hour.

Thank you, Robert.

Now, if you don't mind, I'm still kind of fakey.

Ninety -nine times out of a hundred, these crackpots never come out of the

woodwork. But to be on the safe side...

I'd like Karen to come down to headquarters tomorrow and listen to some

known telephone cranks.

I'll send a car.

How did she suddenly put up a wall between us?

Especially when I'm the one person who can do something about her problem.

Maybe she's not responsible for her actions. Meaning?

Just that.

People do have breakdowns. Her husband's death affected her more than she let

on.

You know, there are cases of women who have suddenly felt left alone. And in

order to get attention, they create a mysterious phone caller or become

prone. Thank you, Dr. Freud, but I do not believe this is a psychiatric case.

Because you don't want it to be? The facts don't agree.

If Karen invented the phone calls just to get attention, why would she change

her phone to an unlisted number?

Maybe she wanted to make the calls seem legitimate. Why didn't she tell me about

the threats?

She didn't want Robert Ironside to know because she didn't want the police to

know. Well, if that's true, then she has lost all of her models.

On the contrary.

It leads to another conclusion.

Karen Martin knows who the caller is and is trying to protect him.

Eve, I want you to track down those barbiturate capsules.

Yeah.

A list of every manufacturer supplied.

Ed, run a check on that. Looks like it's been fired a few times.

There may be a registration on it.

Karen said the caller gave her four more days.

I've got a nagging hunch you plan to meet his schedule.

You, uh, you want it straight, Sergeant?

All right, I'll give it to you straight.

My sister is scared of me.

Any particular reason?

Well, I'll try and spell it out for you.

When Russ died, Karen and I made certain arrangements about the company. I was

to take over as president in exchange for cash or stock and yearly stock

options. I'm starting to exercise those stock options now, and my darling little

sister is afraid I'm going to grab control of the company from her.

Then you don't believe someone's really threatening her.

You just picked a winner.

She's looking for sympathy.

That's the story of her life.

Oh, there may have been one phone call from some weirdo that gave her the idea,

but the rest of it, the voices, the accidents, that's hers, strictly

I take it you and Mrs. Martin aren't on the friendliest terms.

That is the understatement of the year. Then why didn't she turn the business

over to you?

Why shouldn't she?

Russ Martin dreamed up the drugs, but I'm the guy that merchandised them.

We're the fastest growing drug company in the country, thanks to me.

I've made Karen a very rich lady.

You seem to have done all right for yourself in the process.

Well, self -denial is not one of my virtues.

Does your wife share your views about Mrs. Martin's problem?

Are you kidding? She's more scared than Karen.

She bought the whole phony charade right from the start.

Avery, the A -Plex attorney called. Sergeant?

Sergeant Brown.

Sergeant Brown, this is Dr. Michael Braven. Doctor? How do you do?

I'm sorry to interrupt.

Well, you are interrupting. I'll see you later.

Dr. Braven?

Yes, he's the head of our research department.

Now, Sergeant, take my advice.

Tell Mr. Ryan's life to let Karen play out her drama. When she sees no one

paying any attention to her, she'll drop the phone in his back.

I'll tell him.

Thank you for your time, Mr. Corman. My pleasure.

Hold my call. I'll be in the lab.

Well, I suppose you could have. Kept the Ablex merger under my hat for the past

year and a half, and you blow your mouth open in front of the first stranger

that's in the office. Well, I didn't know anybody was in the office.

Anyway, Ablex has been pressing us for a go -ahead. I thought maybe if you

called Washington, we could speed things up. Well, short of holding my fist

under their nose, there's not much I can do.

But then again, I haven't got your persuasive charm, do I, Braven? Well,

kind of a remark is that? You know what I mean. I'm not blind.

I've watched you bird -dogging my sister for the past three months. If you spend

as much time as your work, you'll have the Nobel Prize by now. Listen, I don't

like that kind of loose talk, Avery, especially from you.

At least I don't go to the track every day or I'm on the phone with some book.

You're right, you don't. You're too busy chasing my sister, aren't you? Well,

whether I am, it's none of your business. This is my business.

I'm not about to have some cheap pill roller cut himself in through the back

door, you understand?

Now you stay away from my sister or you're in big trouble.

You're in no position to threaten anybody, Avery.

From what Karen's told me.

You'd do practically anything to see that merger go through.

Exactly what has she told you?

Maybe more than she should have.

Gin.

Three blitzes in one night and more than I can stand.

I think I'll go upstairs and take a shower and read a while.

I'll be up a little later with some hot milk.

I really shouldn't be telling you this, Robert.

Howard, you're a fine stockbroker, you're a fine friend, and your

is safe with me.

I hope you're right.

Well, at the time of his death, Russell Martin owned 50, 50, 59 % of the voting

stock of Martin Laboratories.

Now, since then, his widow has transferred 12 % of that stock to her

Avery Corman, giving him a total of 18 % of the voting stock with a...

a yearly option to purchase additional shares.

Now, the only other member of the firm who owns any sizable amount of voting

stock is Dr. Michael Braven.

He has 6 % of the outstanding total.

Would those voting blocks be affected if Martin were to merge with Abel Chemical

of Geneva?

I say, old boy, how did you know about that?

Oh, come now, Howard.

You wouldn't ask an old friend to be indiscreet now, would you?

I checked out the pistol. It was bought two years ago in Los Angeles by Russell

Martin. Registered 200.

Hello, Karen.

Hello, Robert. Hello, Judith.

Good morning.

I checked with the officers assigned to ride your phone.

They tell me he hasn't called again.

No, he hasn't called.

He hasn't called, but... Karen had another accident last night.

It wasn't an accident. Neither was the other's accident.

He's... He's watching every move I make. He's torturing me.

Karen, I want you to listen to the voices on this tape.

What you'll hear isn't very pleasant.

But each of these men has a record for... Well, a record of this kind of

insanity. One of them could be the man we're after.

Ed?

Please pay particular attention to the tone and phrasing. What they say isn't

important as how they say it.

What happened last night?

Well, she was taking a shower, and she says the water turned suddenly scalding

hot.

Just the two of you in the house?

I checked the water heater, but as far as I could tell, it hadn't been tampered

with.

Has anything like this ever happened before?

No.

Do you recognize her voice?

I begged her to see a doctor, but she refuses.

She gets uptight whenever I mention it.

I gather you've come around to your husband's point of view.

You think Karen's been creating these accidents herself?

I'd rather think that than someone is actually out to kill her. Why have you

changed your mind?

Put yourself in my place, Chief Ironside.

I've watched Karen change from a completely self -assured woman into a

almost irrational being.

Why, if there was any kind of proof, anything that what she said is true...

Judith, what kind of proof are you asking for?

Just might kill her.

How can you let animals like these walk around?

Any of them even remotely sound like your man?

No.

I'm sorry, Karen.

But we had to eliminate the ones we know about.

Well, can I buy you two ladies some lunch?

No, thank you. I'm, uh...

I'm meeting someone.

Judith is dropping me off.

I'm sorry, Robert. I'm afraid I wasn't much help.

You did fine.

We'll keep working on it.

Bye. Bye, Judith.

Bye -bye. Bye.

Now,

you either took a very short lunch or an embarrassing long breakfast. Where have

you been?

Who said time clocks aren't out to tell?

Now, what have you got?

I've got a few well -trodden words, which I'll mutter under my breath later.

Yes.

Four companies manufacture the barbiturate capsules Karen took.

The largest is Martin Laboratories.

They're extremely potent and available only in hospitals so far.

Karen had complete access to them at the lab. She could have slipped them into

her purse.

Or someone did it for her.

Sure I can't pick you up later?

No, I'll take a cab. See you later.

Enjoy your lunch with a mysterious stranger, whoever he is.

Bye. Sharon,

where do you think you're going? Where were you just now?

I was standing across the street watching you behaving like a madwoman

Everybody's staring.

Well, what was so urgent that we couldn't discuss it at the lab?

Avery, you have until noon tomorrow.

Now, either you withdraw the licensing application or I'm going to give all my

evidence to the Food and Drug Administration.

And you will go to jail for fraud.

Karen, you're going to have to face it.

You need help.

If you don't see a doctor soon, I don't know... You force me? Have me committed?

Oh, you'd love that, wouldn't you?

Paintings are how that merger goes through. It has nothing to do with the

merger, Karen.

Everyone can see what's happening to you. Everybody except you yourself. Oh,

course. You've planned it brilliantly. You've worked it out magnificently.

Voices, accidents, everything to make it look like I'm going out of my mind.

Then you take over the laboratory while I rot in an institution.

No, Avery, I'm not going to let it happen.

I am not protecting you any longer. Protecting me?

Protecting me from what? Driving you crazy?

That's already an established fact. Are you trying to protect the public from my

selling them the drug that your husband developed and has been proven a hundred

times over?

Ampheticine is a killer, and you know it. I found the real test reports last

week in Russell's papers.

The reports prove ampheticine side effects take a year to show up. And then

they're fatal.

Avery, I swear, if you don't stop the application, I'll turn you in.

I just can't stay away from old movies.

And I was very anxious to see who Karen was meeting.

We don't call that anxiety, my dear. We call that spying.

Call it what you like.

I want to know what's going on between you and Karen.

Karen and I had an accidental meeting. Let's drop it. Let's call it that.

What does she mean, stop the application or she'll turn you in?

She doesn't even know what she's talking about. What application?

What are you up to, Avery? I don't mind your eavesdropping, my dear, but I don't

like to have to unravel the workings of a psychotic mind for you.

I have to get back to the lab, you know.

She's scared to death of you, Avery. Why?

I don't know, my dear.

You're her biggest confidant.

And she told you? No.

I'm surprised.

I thought you two didn't have any secrets from each other.

Mrs. Martin.

Mrs.

Martin.

It's no use, Mrs. Martin.

You've lost control.

Where is the red robe now?

What? Where is the red robe now?

Uh, uh, I took it off and I, uh, I hung it in my closet, my bedroom closet.

Go up in the bedroom closet, get the red robe and take it to the lab.

Morning, Chief. Good morning.

How is the body found, Sergeant?

In the woods, about 400 feet from the house.

M .E. fixed the time of death?

Roughly about 3 a .m.

But he said the man had been stabbed several minutes before.

Thank you, Sergeant.

Well, in my bedroom at first, I thought, and then I left the bedroom and went to

the hall, and they were flashing all over the whole house. Lieutenant.

Chief. I was trying to finish up the statement.

She's a little upset.

Please don't let them ask me any more questions. I just can't stand it.

May I?

If it's all right with you, Lieutenant, I'll bring Mrs. Martin to your office

later today.

You can finish taking her statement then.

Right, Chief.

Well, please help me. I'll try, but I have to ask you this quick.

Did you kill that man?

No. I swear it.

All right.

What happened after you saw the man who was stabbed?

I don't remember. I must have fainted.

And when I came to, he was gone.

The lights and the tape recorder, couldn't you switch them on? I tried,

nothing happened.

Mark, check the main panel for any sign of tampering.

I'll show you what that means.

Now, had you seen the victim before?

Oh, no, never.

Why were you alone? I thought Judith was staying here with you.

She and Avery went to a friend's party. They wanted me to go along, but I just

didn't feel up to it.

After she dropped Avery off at their house, she came by here and she found me

wandering around the road.

She called the police.

Karen, if everything you've told me is true, then someone is not only

to establish that you're insane, but they're trying to pin a murder on you.

Further, I think you know who it is.

Avery.

It's Avery.

Last week I found Russell's test reports on amphetithetan. They showed that the

drug was dangerous.

But Avery's applied for approval anyhow.

Using false reports.

Do you have Russell's findings?

I'd like to see them.

They're in the safe.

They're gone.

They were here yesterday. I opened the safe and I put the securities in and the

drug reports were right on top.

No, I am not imagining it.

Who else has the combination?

No one.

You don't believe me, do you?

Karen. Oh, I've become an expert at reading looks.

About the drug reports, I can't prove a thing.

He really did it beautifully, including the coup de grace.

You're convinced this is all your brother's doing?

Oh, questions, questions, questions. I've got one single answer. No, I'm not

convinced. As a matter of fact, I'd better get out of here before I start

blaming you two.

What about the main panel?

Pulled the plate, checked out the circuit breakers and hookups, and it's

Something had to be attached to the wires to make the lights flash on and

Well, that's one theory. Another theory says it never happened, except in a

head.

You don't mind if I continue to work while we talk, do you?

I'm close to the home stretch, and I just don't want to let it go now.

Looks very impressive.

What are you working on, in layman's terms, of course?

Amphetophen.

Excuse me. It's a drug to suppress the body's rejection system in heart

transplants, for example.

Dr. Martin had just started the experiments when he died.

Is it in general use?

Well, we've applied to the Food and Drug Administration.

We're just waiting for their approval.

What happens if they don't approve it?

Well, why shouldn't they?

Miss Whitfield, you didn't come here just to make small talk.

Now, what is it that you want?

According to our information, amphetamine.

Amphetamine.

Amphetamine. The basis for a proposed merger between the Martin Laboratory and

the Ablick Corporation.

Is it true that you would stand to lose a considerable amount of money if the

merger fails?

Hardly, Miss Whitfield, hardly. I only own a small block of the Martin stock.

This all may impress you, but the sad truth is that I am only an employee of

Martin Laboratories, not a key executive.

It would be rather foolish of me to falsify a report for such a small gain.

Everything is relative.

Excuse the pun, Miss Whitfield, but everything in Martin is relative.

Meaning?

Meaning that there are only two people that will benefit from the merger.

One is Mr. Avery Corman and the other is your sister, Mrs. Martin.

Now, I think if you have any more questions about the falsification of the

report, you talk to them.

One more thing, Dr. Raven.

May I please have a copy of the ampheticidin report you sent to

Hello, this is Dr. Braven.

Would you please give Officer Whitfield a copy of the FDA

ampheticidin report?

That's right.

Thank you.

The pleasure was all mine.

Israel Sanchez, 179 Golf Street.

Elise Asher, 15 Stanion.

George Zupas, permanent address, fishing boat Maria, birthed at Fisherman's

Wharf.

Now, these people, plus the hospitals in the area who tested the drugs, should

give us some indication of who, if anyone, is lying.

Chief Einstein's office.

All right, I'll tell him.

How was that? They've made a tentative identification.

They're waiting for confirmation now.

Can you confirm the identification, Mr. Corman?

Yes, that's Hanshub, and he was my gardener.

Was there any reason he should have been at your sister's home last night?

I don't know. I don't know enough.

Let's go.

Your wife told me you were at a party last night.

I'd like a lift of the people who were there.

Don't tell me you think I had something to do with this.

We do, Mr. Corman.

We have a feeling you may have had a great deal to do with it.

Let me remind you of something, Sergeant.

According to the law, a man is innocent until he's proven guilty.

Don't, Zupas. Come on, have a drink with me. Come on.

Zupas, I'd love to speak with you for a few minutes. Is there some place we can

talk privately?

What's wrong here?

Ah, these are my friends.

Hey,

a glass for the lady.

What do we talk about, lovely

lady? We talk about you, Mr. Zupas. Oh, boy, already I'm enjoying the

conversation.

I was part of a test group that was given an experimental drug called

Amphetacetin.

Every doctor tells me I was a dead man. Then one day, Dr.

Martin, God rest his soul, he tells me about his new drug. I said, go ahead,

doc, I'll test it out for you. He gave it to me, and here I am.

There was no side effects from the drug, no reaction. Current to the original

illness. Since that time, Zupas hasn't been sick even for one hour.

Zupas works like a bully, eats like a horse, drinks like a whale, and dances

like a... No,

man. I never had any bad effects from that stuff they shot me with.

It's up here I'm worrying about.

Thanks, Israel.

Good luck.

Are you Lisa Asher? Yes. I used to serve food, not answer questions.

Hey, wait a minute. I'm not coming on in.

Look, I work with Chief Einstein. We're checking on everybody who participated

in the Ampheticine experiment a few years back.

I took it a little over a year. It saved my life.

No side effects?

I haven't had any.

I went back to school a year ago.

And so far, everything's cool.

So are you.

Hey, don't go away, Matt.

How about a hot dog?

George Zupos, Israel Sanchez, and now Elise Asher,

all in good health.

Doesn't make sense.

Every one of those hospital reports duplicates the Martin report to the FDA.

dangerous side effects from continued use of amphetazine.

Now, why would the reports Karen had be so completely out of phase with these?

How can you be sure she really had any other reports?

Before you place the tap on her line, she claimed that the man called at least

once a day for several days running.

Since the tap, he hasn't called once.

That plus the fact that her sister -in -law is staying in the same house with

her has never heard the voices she claims to hear. Why?

When I was a rookie, one of the old pros in the bunco squad gave me a piece of

advice.

He said that every crime is like an accountant's balance sheet. One side is

gain, the other side loss.

They always look closest at those who stood to profit the most from a crime.

In this case, it would seem to be Karen Martin.

If the merger goes through, she stands to gain the most from her stock

And why would she be trying to stop the FDA from approving the drug?

By her own admission, the Ablex merger is off if Martin Laboratories doesn't

approval of Amphetazine. And Mr.

Corman, he stands next in line to profit most from the merger. He does if we

stick strictly to the numbers.

Well, there's one number we better stick to.

This is Karen's last day.

Yes, yes, I understand, but do you think that's advisable?

I mean, shouldn't someone be... Oh, she's coming downstairs now. I'll tell

exactly what you said, Chief.

Was that Bob?

What is it?

He thinks he knows who the man is.

Now, don't be frightened, but he might be on his way here now.

Now? Oh, everything's going to be all right. It'll all be over soon.

When will Bob be here? He's not coming here.

What? I mean, not inside. He'll be outside. Now, don't worry. There'll be

policemen all around.

Yes, but what if a man gets past them? Oh, he won't. But what if he does? But

he does... I know Chief Ironside wouldn't have approved, but we have

It's Avery's. I took it this morning.

Now, let's try not to think about it, huh?

You go upstairs and have a nice hot bath and relax.

And I'll fix us a little supper. Oh, Judith, I don't want to be alone.

Karen, you're not alone.

I'm here.

Judith, aren't you even a little bit afraid?

Me? I'm petrified.

I've got

a

gun. Get away from the...

Judas. It's Avery. He tried to kill me.

You shouldn't kill them.

Now I'm just going to have to finish this. You shouldn't get the police.

aren't any police, Karen.

Oh, it's very regrettable, Mrs. Martin. Very regrettable.

If you had only killed Avery, you simply would have spent the rest of your life

put away somewhere. But now, unfortunately, you're going to have to

suicide.

Why? Why are you doing this to me? Judith gets rid of an unwanted husband,

gain control of the laboratory in time to reap the benefits of the merger.

Get on with it. Oh, shoot.

Of course, my dear.

Robert Raven.

All right, turn around. Over here.

You see how he is. Easy, Karen.

Nightmare's over.

How did you know?

Well, Judith obviously forgot about our tap when she made that phony call to

keep you here in the house tonight.

And since you invited me, I came.

Raven's transmitter, Chief. Your voices, Karen.

The miniaturized transmitter.

Just like the one I used.

Picked up by tiny receivers.

Mark, follow these on the ground outside.

They're probably salted all over the house and the grounds.

I'm calling an ambulance. No broken bones, but a bad concussion.

Why did Avery break in?

Probably called by Judith to set up the trap.

Just as they used the gardener to trick you to try to drive you out of your

mind. Ms. Corman, by law, I have to advise you of your rights.

Oh, come on now.

You haven't got anything on us except harassment. You killed Corman's

That kind of harassment is called murder one.

What's a girl have to do to get a drink around here, mister?

Due to circumstances beyond my control, you can drink all you can hold tonight.

I came prepared.

To a very special woman.

And her very special friend.

There's something else that's special.

What?

remote control unit they use to make your lights flash on and off.

Mark found it outside the house.

Groovy lights show with champagne.

You can't swing pretty good for the over 30 crowd.