All language subtitles for Lou Grant s02e17 Samaritan

Yes, I'm calling from the church. I'd
like to confirm... Hey, I've been

the wrong amount for two hours. Well,
can you tell me approximately how much

money was missing?

Was it over a thousand dollars?

Here's the guy who wants to know what
happened to little Abner. He retired,

didn't he? Yeah.

And Dogpatch went condominium.

Here, you break the news to him.

Don't let anyone tell you L .A. doesn't
have great bars.

Morning, Jack.

Why are you yelling?

Listen, can I make a minor request?

What? Can you not have everyone typing
at once?

It's nine in the morning, Jack.

Everyone's out on assignment.

Hey, anything interesting come in? I got
a column, Joe.

You can always use the yellow pages.

What do I do? Look under notions?

I'm serious.

I once knew a reporter who used the
yellow pages when he ran out of ideas.

Just open it at random.

Come up with a column on ice sculptors
or incense manufacturers.

Didn't you do a column on incense
manufacturers last year? Cute.

Why don't you write a column on how to
write a column?

I did that.

Twice.

You guys have got it made. All you have
to do is sit here and wait for things to

happen. I have to be creative.

Five days a week, 50 weeks a year. It's
an impossible job.

And you prove it. Five days a week, 50
weeks a year.

It's lonely at the top.

Fun, but lonely.

Boy, the weirdos will write to the
paper.

Oh, did you get my letter?

To City Desk, LA Trivium.

The man was in trouble, but a Samaritan
who was traveling came upon him and was

moved with compassion when he saw him.

Quote, unquote.

Let me see that.

But as you know, I do not always show
compassion.

Sometimes I am an avenging angel in the
hand of God that kills.

Now I am back.

Samaritan. Who is it?

Samaritan. About five years ago, six
unsolved murders, each one followed by a

letter like the one you're holding.

Samaritan took credit for all of them.

No punctuation, no capitals, words left
out, printing like a child. This one's

like the others.

And you haven't had one in five years?

No. It's like a nightmare that all of a
sudden stopped.

We better show it to the police.

Right. And then I'd like to get... Jim
McRae's opinion on this. Why McRae? He

covered this five years ago. Samaritan
was his story.

I've got him down in San Pedro on that
oil pipeline thing.

Better get him back up here. We're going
to need him.

Samaritan back.

I'd hate to think this city is going to
have to go through that trauma again.

Give me Captain Jack Tanner, police
department.

He's a homicide.

Yeah.

You know...

There was another guy in charge of the
Samaritan task force.

Bergman. Berg.

Something like that. I forget his name.

Do you know that there were 30 or 40
detectives on this case at his peak?

And this Samaritan guy just one day
disappeared?

Yeah.

Yeah, hello, Jack.

Listen, we have something here.

A letter that looks like it could be
from the Samaritan. You remember him?

Well, we want to make sure, so we're
sending it over to you.

It just came in the mail, right?

Right. It was addressed to my city
editor.

Where was it postmarked?

Glendale. Did you get that?

Okay, I'm sending it over.

You can let 20 of your detectives climb
all over it.

Of course I touched it, but I was
wearing gloves.

That's a joke, Jack.

Yeah, okay, bye -bye.

Why do cops always put you on the
defensive?

He made me feel like I was an accomplice
of the Samaritan.

I know what you mean.

I'm dating a cop.

Should I pretend I didn't hear that, or
would you like to talk about it?

Nancy Roden. She was in the press office
downtown when I met her. Now she's an

homicide. It's an unusual job for a
woman.

Unusual woman.

The other night I hugged her, and I felt
cold steel.

Nothing from the police yet? Not a word.

What about Driscoll?

Oh, he's down in El Segundo. Policemen
are on his track.

He's covering it? He's robbing a bank.

I know a cop downtown. Maybe I can find
out something.

That's worth a shot.

Sergeant Roden in Homicide, please.
Extension 56.

Sergeant. I was wondering if we could
hold hands at lunch today.

What have you heard of the Samaritan
letter?

Is it genuine or not?

Are you asking me to release information
prematurely?

I'm not asking you to release anything.

Just leak a little bit of it. As a
matter of fact, by the time you get back

your office, you'll find out what the
police analyst thought of it. Would you

excuse me while I run back to my office?
Never mind.

I hate to eat alone.

The impression is that it's the real
thing.

Huh.

I just don't get it.

Why another letter now?

What's Samaritan been doing all this
time?

Where has he been until he sat down to
write this letter?

It's not unheard of that a personality
like that could go into a dormant

Dormant period?

And come back just like that?

Yes. Or he could have been in jail or
something else or operating in a

part of the country.

It's always great to come back to L .A.,
isn't it?

Tell me what this guy would be like.

What do you mean?

Give me a profile on him.

How would I know him if I met him?
Probably you wouldn't. He could be...

A passive time? It could be anything.

It could be a baby food salesman, an
architect, a hat designer.

I see.

A city editor.

How's the writer's block, Jack?

I've done it again.

It amazes me. I always come through.

Well, about that. Two o 'clock in the
afternoon and he's finished. And for

he gets what? A hundred grand a year?

Yeah, but think of all the research he
has to do night after night in McKenna's

bar studying human nature.

Yeah, I know. Nothing comes easy. Joe,
McCray's back from San Pedro. Can you

come in for a minute?

What do you think, Jim?

I'll have to go along with the police.
It's got all the touches.

So it really is Samaritan, huh?

This is his style.

He wants you to think he's illiterate or
at least uneducated, but he's not. Just

criminally insane.

What is this?

Samaritan thing actually mean?

All six murder victims were either
motorists whose cars had broken down or

hitchhikers. He would evidently stop to
help or pretend to, the way the original

Good Samaritan helped a traveler in
trouble.

Then he'd do his job and write to us
about it, always with a quote from Book

Luke, Chapter 10.

Not much of a Samaritan. Well, that's
the crazy thing about this guy.

Sometimes...

In his letters, he claimed actually to
have helped distressed motorists or

hitchhikers and then let them go on
their way without ever suspecting who he

was. Yeah, but did anyone ever come in
and actually say such a thing had

happened to him? Well, no. You'd have to
take the Samaritan's word for that.

He was a real sicko, all right. She's
coming back to me now.

I remember an instance.

In one of his letters, Samaritan said
there was this woman who ran out of gas.

He drove back to a gas station, got her
a couple of gallons.

When she tried to pay him, he killed
her.

He said she wasn't accepting his help in
the spirit in which he had offered it.

I guess that taught her.

The question is, should we print the
letter?

Hell yes. I say we run it. Well, I don't
think we should. It isn't really news.

You don't think six unsolved murders is
news? Those murders took place five

years ago. Right now he's not making
news, but we are. We print it. Don't you

think the fact that someone has actually
written a crazy letter like this is

news? What scares me is the idea of
getting an unstable person to publicity,

feeding his sickness, and maybe pushing
him into an unstable, insane act.

There's also the possibility, Lou, that
if we don't print it, that'll anger him

and provoke him to the same act. Maybe
the publicity is all he's after.

Oh, why didn't he pick us? Why didn't he
pick the Times or the Health Examiner?

Maybe he wants to help our circulation.

Listen, when we ran those letters last
time, our circulation was never better.

In fact, I recall a rumor going around
that Mrs. Pinchon wrote them.

We're trying to outthink a crazy man,
and we have no idea how his mind works.

Well, we've got someone right here who
knows him better than his own mother.

Yeah. Jim, what do you think?

Well, there's something to be said for
both sides.

Whichever way we go, there's bound to be
a lot of nail -biting.

Still, it's time we make that choice.

It's not for me to tell you what to do,
but since you asked, I'll have to go

along with Lou.

Run that letter, and you're playing with
fire.

Who thought this kind of writing went
out with Walter Winship?

Oh, boy.

What is it?

Angel Town by Jack Town.

I don't think you're going to want to
hear this.

I'm sure I'm going to want to read it.

An open letter to Samaritan.

Today, five years after you savagely
took your last victim, your letter

in the offices of the Los Angeles
Tribune.

Have you returned to us to spill more
blood?

To return our citizens to a state of
fear and terror?

I personally appeal to you, Samaritan.

Refrain from inflicting more tragedy on
the people of this city.

Please, no more blood.

Put down the knife.

Give yourself up. Or talk to me. Call
me.

Write me. Anytime, anywhere.

I'll meet you in the dead of night.

For God's sake, spare the city your
terror.

Enough is enough.

Shall I go on?

As the man says, enough is enough.

Lou Grant will continue in a moment here
on A &E.

I don't usually read Jack Town's column.

I don't either.

But after the mayor, the sheriff, and
the chief of police called me, I thought

I'd better read it. I thought you'd
better read it too.

I wish I had read it before we ran it.

I just hope Samaritan has the good sense
not to read his column. I don't think

we can count on that. I'm afraid our
friend Jack has succeeded in getting the

whole city to read his column this time.

There's no accounting for taste, is
there?

Now that the cat's out of the bag, I
don't think there's any choice but to

it. Especially after it's been splashed
all over the TV news.

Not only did the city have to relive
this terror, the families of the victims

are going to have to suffer it all over
again. But you're right, we have no

choice, have we?

Go run the letter.

I'll run the story on how to write it in
the newspaper.

We'll need some background. I'll get Jim
McCrae to write us something.

What about that pipeline story he's been
working on?

I'll swing it over to Billy. She loves
pipeline stuff.

Why me?

I thought you'd like it. Oh, Lou, it's
about...

I hate it.

Besides, I'm already three weeks into
this hospital story.

Why can't you put Rossi on it? Because
whoever takes over the story will have

work very closely with Jim. Share notes,
share information, communicate.

I need someone who can cooperate.

And that lets Rossi out.

I'd be starting this pipeline story from
scratch.

Jim can bring you up to date. He knows
it better than anyone.

I'm sorry, Billy. I know how you feel.

The pipeline stuff is pretty
interesting.

I'm not blaming you, Jim.

I'm blaming him.

I'll make it as easy for you as I can.
Come over to my house and we'll go over

my notes.

I'll even make dinner for you.

Okay, I'll bring over some cake. You
warm up the coffee and we'll go over the

stuff.

Billy, you see why it has to be you?

Rossi would never think of cake.

Oh, everybody was buying me drinks last
night.

I hate to pass up a free drink.

I hate to pass up any drink.

I'm not in the mood to hear about your
hangover, Jack.

Yeah, neither am I.

Don't you realize what you did?

Yeah. I mixed vodka and bourbon. But
they were buying them so fast, I

tell. I'm talking about your famous
Samaritan column.

Your irresponsible, overblown,
pretentious 750 words.

Does that mean you didn't like it, Lou?
First you blew the fact that Samaritan

was back.

Then you virtually challenged him to
kill someone.

I did a profile on a killer.

And I alerted the public to a potential
danger. You needed a column.

This was close at hand, and you didn't
care about the consequences.

What kind of journalism do you do, Lou?

I was always taught when a story comes
my way, I'd jump on it with both feet.

What do you do when there's a fire?

Send your reporters to the other side of
town?

No. But I don't send them out there to
slosh it with gasoline, either.

Look, my responsibility as a journalist
is to turn in the most effective column

I can.

And that's exactly what I did.

What about the fear and grief you
stirred up? How about the agony of the

families of the victims?

Maybe they were starting to forget some
of that horror until they saw your

column.

That's just the point, but... I don't
want anyone to forget what he did.

Ever.

Boy, the Trib did one hell of a job
covering Samaritan five years ago.

Who was your city editor then?

We won't see the likes of him again. He
was really sharp.

Wait a minute, Charlie. Wasn't that when
you were city editor?

Oh, was I?

I think you're right.

Well, what was it like then? I've never
lived in a city that was being stalked

by a maniac.

Did it bring people closer together?

If anything, it drove them further
apart.

Nobody trusted anybody. Forget about
girls. I didn't score once that whole

summer. You blaming him for that?

Yeah, it's amazing that one crazy person
can change the way a whole city thinks.

Maybe we'll be lucky this time.

Cop house just called. Looks like
Samaritan paranoia has already started.

What do you have?

Well, a guy saw a motor stop by the side
of the road. He stopped and got out to

help. Got blasted with a shotgun.

Nice. Just like in the Bible.

He's in a recovery room in stable
condition, but we should get somebody

there to talk to him. I'm on my way.

Look, I was brought up in a small town,
and if ever anybody got in trouble,

you'd stop and help them.

I think I just got introduced to big
city manners.

Did the guy say anything? Did he give
any hint of what he was going to do? No,

no. I pulled up in back of him, got out
of my car, and I still can't believe it.

So exactly what happened?

Well, he was looking under his hood, and
as I come up to him, I think I said

something like, can I help you, fella?

Well, he looks at me like he's seen
Bigfoot. He runs around to the passenger

door and pulls out a gun, and I am
talking about a shotgun, and he fires at

He thought you were Samaritan.

That's what people have been telling me.

But how is I supposed to know?

I'm from Bakersfield.

And it doesn't exactly give me a very
warm feeling about Los Angeles.

But the police have cleared you.

Yeah, yeah.

But now I am a guy who was suspected of
being Samaritan.

The nurses watch me very carefully when
they come in.

You're probably standing here right now
wondering if I am Samaritan.

Even my wife is looking at me funny.

You know, I've just been reading Rossi's
piece on this mistaken Samaritan shoe.

Can you believe this?

They're so twisted.

Now, anybody who tries to do something
nice for somebody is going to be looked

upon with suspicion.

Yeah, bushy guts like me are going to be
out of style.

I'm going to hit the freeway.

I just hope on the way home I don't get
a flat.

Listen, if a little...

Gray -haired lady pulls up in her car
and offers to change your tire. Check it

out first. Be on your guard for hairy
arms and tattoos.

Oh, it's easy for you to be smug and
secure in times like this. You're going

with a cop.

Only person I've ever dated that I was
sure could beat me up.

Do you want me to follow you home?

Why on earth would I want you to follow
me home, Ross?

You sure it's really not out of my way?
No, thanks. I'll be okay.

Why do you have to be so independent?
The whole city's afraid of Samaritan.

Fellow worker offers to see you home
safely.

It's not a sign of weakness to accept.

It's a very nice offer, Rosie, but
believe me, I'll be all right. I can

care of myself.

Hey, Billy, ready to go?

Try to make this pipeline stuff as
interesting as I can.

I'll lie if I have to. Okay, okay. I'm
sorry about the way I acted. But I do

think Lou was kind of arbitrary taking
me off that story.

Hey, I agree. I know what it feels like
to be on a story and then get bumped.

But that's the game.

You want to eat first and then get to
work?

I'd like to eat first and then go home.

You know, if I were an insecure guy, I
could take that personally.

Okay, I'll stop.

When I say I'm fixing dinner, I mean it.

All right.

You know, it's funny. When I was
married, I used to like to cook.

Now, I never seem to want to bother. I
know what you mean.

Are those two file cabinets just for
Samaritan?

I'm one of those people who can never
throw anything away.

I wish I was that organized.

I can't throw stuff away either, but
most of my old files end up under the

Well, I've always been neat.

Teachers loved me. Always got A's in
needness and comportment.

Samaritan was kind of a hobby of mine
for a while.

I lived that story day and night.

Some hobby.

More like an obsession.

You know how these stories can get under
your skin.

Didn't help my marriage a lot.

In fact, I guess that's what finally
broke things up. That's too bad.

Yeah. She was a terrific woman.

I guess I didn't treat her very well
when this Samaritan stuff was going on.

This business can really chew up a
relationship.

I don't know. Maybe you found some way
to work it out.

Oh, yeah.

I've got about five guys who told me to
call them as soon as I quit being a

reporter.

I think journalism school should offer a
course.

How to prepare your spouse for living
with a news hound.

I think it's hard for people on the
outside to know how it feels to be on a

story. To eat it, sleep it, drink it.

You ever think maybe sometimes it's not
worth it?

Yeah.

Then something comes in off the wire and
I don't see daylight for the rest of

the week.

It could happen to you with this
pipeline stuff.

You know, everything about Samaritan is
in those two files. If only someone knew

how to put it all together.

Does anybody?

No. You know something else?

I was halfway through a book on
Samaritan. But publishers like books

endings and Samaritan didn't have an
ending.

Well... After dinner, we can get to this
pipeline stuff.

You think there's a book in it?

Lou, I can't believe your food editor
gave that restaurant three spoons.

That's right.

She's usually chintzy with her spoons.

Maybe we didn't order right.

How can you ruin chicken fried steak?

There's no one on the street.

Just you and me.

It's Samaritan.

Terrible. Are you kidding? This is L .A.

There's never anybody walking on the
streets at night. I could tear off my

clothes and go running down the middle
of this road and nobody would notice.

I would notice, Lou.

Aw.

Thanks, Nancy.

And haul you in on a 311.

You know something?

What?

Samaritan or no Samaritan, I feel a lot
safer these days since I started dating

a cop.

We'll continue in a moment here on A &E.

Are you going as far as Alvarado?

It's a couple blocks out of the way, but
I can take you there. Oh, thanks.

You're a doll.

I've been standing there for 20 minutes.

How do you know I'm a doll?

Huh?

How do you know I'm not a guy who drives
around looking for girls like you?

You don't know who I am, but you get in
my car. Oh, come on. I can tell if

you're safe.

You even got your seatbelt on.

You think I'm safe, huh? You're really
an expert on safe.

I know. I always check out a driver
before I get in a car. I can tell if

safe. I could be Samaritan, you know.
Who?

Come on. You've heard of Samaritan,
haven't you? No. Who's that?

Don't you read the newspapers?

I don't do a lot of reading.

What about the TV news?

I'm too busy.

Well, you listen to me, young lady.

You better stop hitchhiking and start
taking buses.

Because there's a psycho driving around
in this city.

And you could wind up in the trunk of a
car someday. You know that? There's no

guarantee you won't. And they might
never find your body. Never.

All because you thumbed a ride with a
stranger.

Hey, wait a minute. Wait a minute. I'm
not the guy who's always trying to scare

you.

Morning, Lou.

Did you meet with McCray?

Yeah, we went over six folders of
material. I now know more about oil

than most Texans.

McCray's very thorough, isn't he?

Yeah, and he makes great Chinese food.
Good as in a restaurant.

I knew you'd end up thanking me.

What? They want you in Mrs. Pinchon's
office.

Now? Another Samaritan letter came in.

I am back with you. For sure, say hello
to that pig Bergen for me.

How does it feel, Bergland, to hear my
voice again? The grave is open, bird

brain. Want to step in?

It's frightening. It's just frightening.

And it closes with the usual Samaritan
quotation and all.

Bergen, Birdman, Bergland.

That's just to denigrate Bergen. He
obviously hates him. He keeps twisting

name to show his contempt.

Who is this Bergen, anyway?

He was the detective in charge of the
Samaritan task force.

Oh, yes, I remember now.

A sort of a personal duel developed
between him and this lunatic.

Do I remember correctly, Mr. McCry?

Yes, ma 'am, you do.

Anybody locate Bergen yet?

We've been trying to track him down, but
without much luck so far. He retired

somewhere up in the Sierras.

Nobody's quite sure where.

Somebody on the force must know.

He didn't have any close friends on the
force. He was always kind of a loner.

His pension checks have to be sent
somewhere.

Dead end.

Just a box number up in Bishop.

Main matter at hand is, do we print this
second letter or don't we?

I think we know what we have to do.

Lou, I could take a shot at tracking
Bergen down.

I think you're too valuable here, Jim.

I still got a couple of leads on him.
You're the only one I've got around here

who really knows Samaritan. I can't even
chase him around on something like

that. Turn the leads over to Rossi. Let
him go after Bergen.

Whatever you say.

Thanks. Know Bergen well?

We spent a lot of time together back
then.

He must have been pretty big stuff when
Samaritan was around.

I'd say so, yeah.

Page one, interviews, predictions.

Must be tough for a guy like that to
just fade away.

I don't know. I never felt that he was
ever really that comfortable being a

celebrity.

Bergen was kind of an unusual man.

He had very little vanity.

I think he was a guy who liked doing his
job and was frustrated when he couldn't

get Samaritan.

He had to quit with the case still
unsolved.

And you were trying to write about the
time Samaritan disappeared?

Not exactly. There was a brief period in
between.

How long?

I'd say a couple of months.

And now, five years later, Samaritan's
name is back in the news, right?

And so is someone else's.

Bergen interesting.

Yeah What

can

I do for you well there's something I
have to do

I want to give myself up.

I'm Samaritan.

Okay, thanks.

I walked into Hillside Division a couple
of minutes ago and confessed to the

Samaritan murders.

Get Rossi over there and find Jim
McCrae. He's somewhere in the building.

Oh, come on, Rossi. You know better than
that.

I told Lou. I can't give you information
like that.

You don't have to say anything.

Look, just do this.

Blink one time for yes, two times for
no.

Cute. Seriously, just tell me what's
going on back there.

Look, do you think that guy Samaritan
had just another loony?

I can't say anymore. I'm getting a
headache.

The Lord

commanded me to go among the people and
do good works.

When I went among the people, I saw
evil.

I couldn't do as the Lord commanded.

So the Lord commanded you, but you
didn't obey, is that it?

I saw evil everywhere.

And then what?

I mean, what made you come here today
and confess?

The Lord commanded me again. He
commanded me through the words of Jack

Jack Town, the columnist?

Yes. I saw myself and all my evil
through his words.

Lou, I know this sounds incredible, but
it's true.

God commanded the guy to prove Jack
Town.

God spoke to Jack Town?

Not directly.

God spoke to the guy, but he used Jack
Town as his interpreter.

This isn't going to make him any easier
to live with.

God or Jack Town?

What do you do?

Keep your eye on this place until you
see me go in?

Now, if somebody calls me and lets me
know... Listen, Lou, just because you

one bad... call. You shouldn't get down
on yourself.

You're too good a city editor to let one
mistake affect your news judgment now.

Thanks, Jack. You don't know how much
that means to me. I'm serious, Lou.

I kind of lucked out, I know that.

I followed my instincts and I came up a
winner.

I'm just lucky to have such good
instincts.

Can I go now?

I've written my column and recognized
himself.

Got to him. And tonight he's off the
street.

That's not all bad, is it, Lou?

Lou? I mean, what do you say?

A kid you hated in school grows up and
finds a cure for the common cold.

I mean, you still hate him, but you
gotta hand it to him, don't you?

Something like that.

I used to like Towns Call when I was a
kid. Listen, I used to like peanut

and jelly on white bread, but I outgrew
that, too.

Hey, Jim, over here.

Listen to this.

The guy who confessed is not Samaritan.
He's just an obsessive confessor. You're

kidding.

I just turned the story in. They took
him over to County USC for psychiatric

evaluation. It turns out he confessed to
the Black Dahlia killing, the Lindbergh

kidnapping, and the murder of Dr.
Richard Kimball's wife.

You mean that he is definitely not
Samaritan? That's what Jim seems to be

saying. Samaritan is not a functional
illiterate. He just fakes it. The guy

brought in could hardly write his name,
and he couldn't read Towne's column when

they stuck it in front of him.

I have that same trouble.

Hey, that's great.

Gee, Town's column for tomorrow is just
one long pat on his own back.

Should we pull it?

No, no, no, no, no. We don't want to be
censors.

I mean, let him express himself.

We don't want to stifle a columnist's
creativity.

So Town was way out of line, huh?

Oh, that's a moment to savor.

Yeah, except, of course, there's still a
dangerous lunatic walking around loose,

isn't there?

Lou Grant will continue in a moment here
on A &E.

I'm telling you, it was dumb. How can
you say that? I was doing you a favor

you say it was dumb?

You didn't know who I was.

I could have been another nut with a
shotgun.

Guy gets out of a car looking like you.
Hey, all right. Next time I'll leave you

there. Just drive right on by.

What happened?

Oh, my car overheated about six blocks
from here. Animal stopped to help me.

Yeah, I already said I was sorry.

Morning, fellas.

Say, Jack. Sorry, fellas. I can't talk
about anything B .C. before coffee.

Haven't seen you for a couple of days.
Keeping kind of a low profile, aren't

you? I was in Montecito.

The distillery owner's convention.

I go every year.

Worth a few columns, anyway.

No, but it's worth a few free drinks.

How's it going, Lou?

Aren't you even going to say you made a
mistake?

Never look back, Lou. That's my motto.

Don't you feel any remorse even now,
Jack? I mean, what did your column

accomplish?

Samaritan is still out there. The wrong
guy turned himself in.

Some guy read the words I'd written and
they touched him. How can I feel bad

about that?

The wrong person.

All you did was persuade a pathetic,
troubled guy who was trying to make a

living driving a truck to confess to
crimes he didn't commit and end up in

custody.

Yeah. But look at the bright side of it.
I got some nut truck driver off the

street.

Have you got a minute? These oil company
conducts are driving me crazy. Just a

second.

Look at this.

There's a street in Westdale called
Jericho.

On Luke 1030, quote, Jesus answering
them said, a man was once

traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho.

I was trying to see if all the old
victims had been traveling in the

of Jericho Street.

Maybe get a fix on where Samaritan might
strike again.

Seems like kind of a long shot, doesn't
it?

Yeah, but it's worth a chance.

This one here may prove more promising.

I may have uncovered a witness in San
Dimas where the fourth murder took

I'm seeing him at 11.

Oh, I've got to run. I'm just hazy on
the original contract between the oil

company and the city of San Pedro. Yeah,
well, it should all be in there.

Well, maybe it is, but I don't
understand it.

Billy, I can't talk now.

Okay, Jim, remember, I've got a
deadline.

Well, see how far you can get on your
own, and I'll get with you when I get

or in the morning for sure, okay?

Yeah.

Thanks.

This is soft in the middle.

I don't get it.

Well, it's good, it's good.

You've done some solid reporting, but
there are too many missing pieces.

It's sloppy for you, Billy. I can't run
this. Okay.

Give me more time.

It shouldn't take more time with a
groundwork McRae laid.

For instance, can't he fill you in on
this Environmental Safety Commission

thing? Yeah, I think he can.

Well, lately, Jim's been a little hard
to pin down. All he can talk about is

Samaritan. All anyone in this town can
talk about is Samaritan. Right, but

obsessed with it.

Oh, look, I'm sorry I said that. He's
really just involved.

It's a big story, and I'm on kind of a
routine story and getting a little testy

about it.

I take that back. Jim's not obsessed.

Sure he is.

You can't do a story like Samaritan
without becoming a little obsessed.

Yeah, right.

But I know McCray is really running with
this thing. But have you read the

pieces he's turning out? Of course.

Pretty good stuff.

Goes well beyond the usual crime
reporting. I know. And knowledgeable.

You get the feeling that McCray knows
more about Samaritan than the police.

But he's not a cop. He's a reporter
trying to get out stories just like the

of us. Or is that my imagination?

No.

Here I go again. I'm sorry.

I think Samaritan's got me irritable.

Yeah.

Me too.

You know what's the weirdest part?

The waiting.

When I wonder where he's going to
strike.

It's been over a week since the first
letter.

City desk.

Lou, I've got a lead on Lieutenant
Bergen. Where is he?

Up in Lone Pine. He moved up there after
he retired with his pension.

He has a little trading post type store
for campers and fishermen.

I have an address, but apparently he
doesn't have a phone.

Okay, I'll put a sign on your desk. Gone
fishing.

Lou, doesn't that strike you as a little
strange?

The guy has his stories and business,
but he doesn't have a phone?

You want me to send someone else, Rossi?
No, no, no, no. I'm on my way.

Look, do the best you can with this.
I'll have a talk with Jim.

Okay.

Look, he's really a good man. If I said
anything... Don't worry about it.

Joe Rossi, Los Angeles Tribune. Hi.

You don't believe in the telephone?

I took a lifetime's worth of phone calls
when I was in homicide.

People want to see me around here, they
just stop by.

Kind of a nice setup, Lieutenant.

Oh, don't call me Lieutenant.

People up here don't call me that. Most
of them don't even know what I used to

do. What do they call you?

Well, kids around here call me Uncle
Bill.

Don't call me Uncle Bill.

Okay. Just Bill.

Okay, Bill.

So,

Why does a young reporter drive all the
way up to Los Angeles to talk to an old

retired copper?

It's about Samaritan. Do you remember
Samaritan?

Why don't you ask me if I remember how
old I am?

He's back.

He's back?

Or at least we think so.

I thought maybe you'd have read about
him. You should have made the papers up

here. Reading the newspapers was another
thing I stopped doing when I left the

force.

Are you surprised about him turning up
again?

Nope. I was more surprised when he
disappeared.

See, usually a psychopath like that will
kill with increasing frequency.

Until he makes a mistake and gets
caught.

Well, Samaritan was following that
pattern.

The time between killings kept getting
shorter.

Then suddenly he was gone.

And that was in... October 73.

I remember well because I retired at the
end of the year.

You know, if he'd stayed around...

Maybe I would have stayed on.

I really wanted to get that bird.

The whole good Samaritan idea was so...
so diabolical, so vicious.

Well, he speaks well of you. He always
mentions you in his letters.

Yeah, he always did.

It's funny.

What is it?

Well, if I were in your shoes, if I had
spent six terrible months playing cat

and mouse with a killer who mocked me in
letters to newspapers, I think I'd be

very anxious to find out what his latest
letters said.

Unless I knew what they said.

Mr. Rossi, how would I know what they
said?

You tell me.

If they're from Samaritan, I know what
they're saying. If they're not, I don't

care. In any case, I know you're going
to be sticking them under my nose any

minute now.

His latest literary efforts.

Yeah, what?

Samaritan never wrote these.

These are fakes.

Lou Grant will continue in a moment here
on A &E.

My dad has been my dentist since my
first... Do you have a Bible?

Sure. Now, with me, it's at home.

But I could find one. How long have you
had it?

You're calling all the way from Lone
Pine to ask me how long I've had a

I guess since I was a kid, why?

Yeah, well, isn't that the way it is
with everyone? You have a Bible, you've

it for longer than you can remember, and
it's your Bible.

Well, Samaritan changed Bibles. In the
old days, he used King James when he

quoted St. Luke. Now he's using a modern
language version.

And nobody noticed.

Except Bergen.

Darwin, where are the old clips on
Samaritan?

Stuff came up for you.

Put it there.

How much longer do you think you're
going to be?

A while, I guess.

We were supposed to do something
tonight.

Press club.

Letter said important meeting,
nomination of officers.

You planning on running for something?

Mm -mm.

Either of mine.

But, uh, Rossi's going to try for
sergeant at arms again.

Oh, and you think we ought to be there
to vote for him?

No, I think we ought to be there to vote
against him.

Ah, there'll be plenty of votes against
him.

I think I'll just finish up here. What
is it, Lou?

You on to something, aren't you?

It's a hunch, and it's crazy.

I want to talk to McCrae about it.

What kind of a hunch?

Never mind. I'll let you know if it pans
out.

Okay. The frosty winds by one boat.

It's on your head.

Come on in.

Can I get you a drink?

Scotch, right? Thank you.

Glad you dropped by.

This has been a frustrating day.

I had a lead on Samaritan. It turned out
to be nothing.

Where do you go from here?

Well, I just keep slugging away.

Yeah.

Care to join me in a toast?

What for?

My book deal came through.

Congratulations. Oh, I may need a little
time off to write it. Ah, we can work

it out. Thanks.

Sit. I'll clear some of this away.

Jim,

tell me, what sort of man wrote these
letters?

Well, I always had a picture of
Samaritan as a guy with a job in an

somewhere, putting in his eight hours
every day.

And nobody around him having the
slightest hint of who he was.

Interesting. You know, I've been reading
over your Samaritan

pieces. Not just the recent things.

I also went back over all the original
material.

Really good work.

Hey, thanks.

I get a sense of Samaritan as someone
who's alone, reaching out.

Someone who thrives on the attention.

Someone who loves the rush of being in
the spotlight.

And someone who is a psychopath.

You have to be a psychopath to kill. I
don't think you have to be a psychopath

to write these letters.

I don't follow.

These last letters weren't written by
Samaritan. Samaritan always used the

James Version of the Bible.

This new Samaritan doesn't.

Wow.

That's an interesting angle. I'll have
to run that down.

Bergen's the one who spotted it. Bergen?
Yeah, we found him up in Lone Pine.

Oh, is that where he is?

Yeah. Then I got to wondering, if Bergen
is right, that these letters are fakes,

who could be writing them?

It couldn't be just anybody.

It would have to be somebody who knew
Samaritan as well as anyone, right?

Makes sense.

Someone who could duplicate his style of
letters so that even the police would

be fooled.

A person whose involvement in the case
was so intense, so intimate.

That he could impersonate Samaritan.

You, for example.

I didn't do it, Lou. Do you realize the
pain that was caused?

Terrifying a city?

Turning friends into strangers?

Wait a minute.

This was not a harmless act.

It wasn't me.

It was someone else. Someone I didn't
know.

Who wrote those letters.

At my desk, with my hands.

I couldn't stop it.

I wanted it so much.

I missed Samaritan. Who?

I hated him.

But I missed him.

When he was around, the world was so
much more alive.

When you think back on it, there were a
lot of signs.

His files on Samaritan, the way he
wouldn't let go of this story. I don't

understand how I could have missed it.

But then, when I think about the guy, I
just can't make the connection.

I know.

I wasn't sure myself until he actually
admitted it.

This is one time I'm not very happy to
be right.

You read Jack Towns, Colin? It's all
about Jim McRae. For God's sakes, that

vulture, he'll really pounce on
anything.

Well, read it.

In the newspaper business, we are forced
constantly to rub elbows with life

tragedies and we become hardened,
callous, even cruel.

Sometimes we are hardest on our own
colleagues.

Because in this business, we tend to use
people up.

We take the best from them, their best
writing, their best ideas, their best

years.

Then discard them like yesterday's
classified section.

Some of us never get a chance to show
what we can do.

Some of us are tough enough to survive
the passing of that glorious moment.

Jim McCrae is one of our casualties.

I hope we don't forget him.

Nice.

Yeah. You think the police and the DA's
office will nail him?

Maybe we should show them that.

Um...

Why are city rooms always so bright?

You wrote a good column, Jack.

Yeah? What did I say? I was pretty
wrecked when I wrote it.

Someday I'll read it to you.

Anything interesting come in, fellas?

I'm really dry.

Spin kind of slow.

Tell me what you're working on, Billy.
No, I'm working on...

He's credited with being the first
European to have landed on North

Great Explorers We continues tonight
with the colorful son of Eric the Red,

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