Original subtitles

Did you say how long you thought he'd be with the commissioner? No, why?

I thought I'd like to surprise him with this, if it's possible.

It isn't.

What's going on here?

We thought you might like a little something to take along on your trip.

Eve, I'm not driving down to Mongolia. I'm only going to the High Sierras.

A reading place is all along the way.

But think of the time you'll save not having to stop.

How much longer is it going to take you to save me all this time?

Just a few more minutes.

Very well.

If you can split your attention briefly, I've just arranged with the

commissioner to keep our division operative while I'm away.

One of you will have phone duty here around the clock.

If anything happens, I can be back in a few hours.

I'll call in at approximately 8 p .m. every day.

I can't give you anything like an exact trip plan, but our first stop will be at

Goldstrike.

I have an old friend there. I want to look him up.

Well, we've arrived.

At least this place admits to being Gold Strike, California.

What are you expecting, Mark?

The garden spot of the Sierras? That's what it is.

Man, are you ready for it.

What do you think of the garden spot?

I may retire here. You have to be kidding.

Michael Douglas.

What can I do for you folks?

Perhaps you can help us with some directions.

We're just driving through.

I thought I'd like to look up an old friend who lived somewhere around

Goldstrike. That shouldn't be too hard to do.

His name is Oral Franklin.

How in creation did you ever meet an old hermit like Ori?

A long time ago, he took me out with a hunting party. Our guide.

I'd forgotten about him until he received a gunshot wound similar to the

that injured me.

In any event, he started writing to me.

Guess you'd say we got to be pen pals.

What I'm thinking, if you've got the time, I'll send a man up to Ori's and

him down.

He can be found.

If he can be found.

He was only released from the hospital ten days ago. How far could he get?

You don't know with an old goat like Ori. He's all bone and rawhide.

Even the docs never figured you'd walk out of that hospital.

Some do, some don't.

It's up to you.

You want me to send a man up for Rory, don't you?

We wouldn't want to put you into any trouble.

It's better than losing a couple of city folks up in those mountains, having to

find them. Glad to do it.

You can stay in town for the next day.

I'm sure we can find a place to stay, Marshal.

A motel, east side of town. It's the best we got.

Oh, by the way.

Will we tell Ori he's here to see him?

I'm sorry.

Ironside, Robert Ironside, San Francisco.

If you can get that to him, I'll be in your debt, Marshal.

No sweat.

Mr. Ironside, as soon as I have something to report to you, I'll get in

Thank you. Thank you very much.

Tell your father I'll be right over.

What'd you tell us? You handled yourself just fine with Mr.

Ironside, Doug.

Couldn't have done better myself.

I hope so, Mr. Huff. Bruce kind of fell in when he handed me his card.

Understandable. But I don't think there's any reason for us to spin our

Yet. Why did he have to come up here just at this time?

Son, I'll tell you when to worry. Is it a deal?

Now, Doug, you handle the situation like I told you, and Ironside won't be any

problem at all.

If he is, you call us up to lodge, you hear? All right, George.

Son, why borrow trouble?

Because I don't like it being a cop.

A man has to be something, George.

Keep in touch, Doc.

Told you not to complain about the steak.

Comes the local lawman.

Cleary, is he carrying a Bowser bag?

Hello, Mr.

Ironside. See you found your way to our eating place. Sit down, Marshal.

Drink?

Thanks. I'm on duty.

I'm afraid I've got some bad news about Ori.

Something happened to him?

There's no reason to think so.

He's just not up at his place, that's all.

My man just got back from up there.

That suggests something's wrong? Not with Ori.

He's a strange old coot.

Hope you don't mind telling it, but he's really some kind of a nut.

When that hunter accidentally shot him in the back, beginning of deer season,

brought him back down off that mountain, more dead than alive, hardly anybody in

this town ever heard of Ori Franklin.

Knew anything about him living up there.

That's fact.

You mean he can pass up all the bright lights of Gold Strike, all this good

food? Well, Ori lives off the land, mostly.

He's kind of a loner.

He just doesn't take to folks and bright likes. Guess that's why he lives way up

where he does.

Takes the prospect of being a mountain goat and a jackass to get up there.

And you don't recommend that we try?

Oh, no, sir. I sure don't.

Well, thank you for your advice and your help.

Well, it's my pleasure.

Sorry it didn't work out better.

Oh, I'll keep your card. Next time I see Ori, I'll give it to him for you.

he's saying it.

Saying what?

So with a heavy heart, we say farewell to Gold Strike, California, garden spot

of the Sierras.

I'm not ready to say farewell.

I was afraid of that.

Tell the chief it's very quiet here, Mark.

I just talked to Ed on the phone and he suggested we mix up a small crime wave

so the commissioner will miss the chief.

I'll pass it along, Eve.

We'll check in about eight tomorrow.

Nothing is well.

Well, I still don't hear you saying it.

Because I'm still not ready.

Yeah, Doug, go ahead.

What's he up to?

All right, Doug, you've done what you can and I thank you.

It's up to George and me now. You're not involved.

I'll talk to you later.

George.

George, come in here.

Who's that on the phone?

Doug.

That detective from the city was on his way up to Ari's.

I told you that guy was trouble.

Son, I know you were born with a silver spoon in your mouth.

I put it there.

But this is the first I've heard about your crystal ball.

Well, do we stand here wringing our hands or do we get moving?

How we doing, Mark?

If you're looking for an easy buck, bet on this road to wipe us out.

Forest Ranger said it was no freeway. I call that honesty in government.

Franklin must be busy baking us a cake.

Franklin, you in there?

You don't want to go in there, do you?

I can't make that decision sitting out here, Mark.

I was afraid that's the way it would be.

Mr. Oral Franklin, wherever you are.

We're taking away your good housekeeping seal of approval.

This isn't funny, Mark.

Franklin got out of the hospital ten days ago.

He wrote me that he was coming directly here.

Obviously, he didn't make it. Maybe that soft life in the hospital got to him.

The last letter he wrote, saying he'd meet me here, he hated the hospital.

Every man has his own hang -up. That thing is law.

Which brings me to a question.

Yeah? What's ours?

An old mountain man who took your honey once goes AWL.

How does that get to be our thing?

That old mountain man remembered me for ten years, Mark. It's a little hard to

believe he'd forget I was coming up here. That's my hang -up.

I also want an answer as to why there's no sign of the Marshal's man being here

yesterday, as we were told.

I saw no fresh tire marks outside in the dirt, did you?

It's unput on.

Yeah?

All right.

Suppose we look around.

Chief, I've got a sensational idea.

Yeah? When we left San Francisco, he was supposed to be going on a vacation,

breaking the old routine. Look, why don't we try that?

See something?

A stack of firewood.

Does anything look strange about it?

I'm a city boy, Chief.

Everything looks strange to me out here.

Okay.

You do see this area here, don't you?

Roughly the size of the woodpile in which nothing is grown.

There are weeds all around the bottom of that stack of wood.

There's something out.

Notice the top score of wood. It's full of rot and termite activity.

As though it had been recently exposed to the ground.

I'm lost.

What about the termites?

Their life cycle requires them to return to Earth every 24 hours.

Now notice the bottom tier of logs. They're all very sound, right?

Right. Now, what does that all suggest?

That somebody turned the pile over, moving it from there to here.

Anything else?

Yeah. That you're going to want me to move it back where it was so you can see

what's under it.

He'll never get me out of the city again. That's a promise.

You got something?

Yeah, what do you see right there?

Ground looks a little loose.

Sunken.

You think he's buried there?

Somebody is.

You'd better drive back to Goldstrike.

Tell that marshal I found something I think he should see. Bring him back.

But I want the grave to come as a surprise, understand?

Right. But aren't you coming?

No. I'm sure I can employ my time more profitably searching the cabin than I

could bouncing around in the back of that paddy wagon for over an hour.

Oral inside?

No, he's not. Hasn't been here for some time from appearances.

Ah, too bad.

Wanted to talk to him.

I'm Oral's neighbor up the mountain.

John Huff.

My son, George.

Robert Ironside.

Maybe if we looked around inside?

No, not at all.

How can a man live like this?

Hey, his hunting rifle's gone.

Now, I might have known that's the first thing Ori would do when he got out of

the hospital.

What's that?

Right now, he'd tail down and shoot himself some deer meat.

He left the hospital ten days ago.

Ten days is no time at all for Ori to be gone hunting.

That's a fact.

Well, I'm sure sorry to miss him.

It's, uh, kind of inconvenient.

Inconvenient? You see, we're buying Ori out.

All we need to wrap it up is his signature. Thought I might get it today.

You may have a little trouble doing that.

What do you mean?

Nothing special.

Well, then I guess there's nothing to do but wait for Ori.

Yep.

I guess you're right.

Don't fight so hard, Mr.

Ironside. You're not going to be hurt.

As you hurt yourself.

Chief?

I left him here, right here, just like I told you. Yeah.

I did.

Now he's got to be here.

Chief!

Chief! It's Mark. I'm back.

Chief!

That firewood.

It's been moved back over the grave Chief Ironside wanted you to see.

I hope you don't have a strange sense of humor.

The grave's there.

Move the wood and you'll find it. Sure, but first I want to get back to this

missing boss of yours.

It's mighty rough country for a man in a wheelchair to get very far on his own,

wouldn't you say?

Somebody could have taken him.

Yeah, maybe they weren't here at all.

You can see the marks from his wheelchair on the ground out here.

Back in the house.

In the dust on the floor.

Well, I guess a wheelchair could be pushed around just about any place a

wanted to push it.

What's that for?

Precautions, so you won't try anything.

Now turn around, Sanger, and put your hands behind you.

You're arresting me because Chief Ironside is missing? That'll do for a

Now turn around, Sanger.

Like I told you.

Something's happened to Chief Ironside.

And all you can think to do about it is to arrest me.

That's right.

Now let's get going back to town. It's going to be dark before long.

Aren't you even going to try to find him? Tomorrow morning I'll get a search

party out, unless you... Unless what?

Well... Unless you want to tell me now what you did with him.

Marshal, you're supposed to let me make at least one phone call. Get me a

lawyer. I know my rights.

In my jail, I'll decide what rights you got. Look, it's your jail. It's not your

country. The law says.

The law isn't talking to you, Sanger.

I am.

And I say cool it.

When I think it's time for you to talk to a lawyer or anybody, I'll let you

know. Now, look.

Next time, I'll break it for you.

You hear what I say?

charge against this prisoner, Marshal? I'm not so sure yet. We'll have to wait

till tomorrow and see what develops.

Marshal Douglas.

Doug?

George.

Doug, I have a man here who wants to talk to you. His name's Ironside.

You mean he's up at your place?

That's right. I'll put him on.

He wants a couple guys arrested.

He says they're kidnappers.

Well, us, of course.

I see.

Well, that's a mighty serious charge.

You tell him I'll be right up there. What he has to say, he'll keep.

Leaving right now.

Collins, you man the store. I've got to go out.

Any special orders?

No, just one.

Make sure nobody gets near that prisoner.

Have you heard anything?

Nothing.

Mark told you they'd check in by 8?

I don't know, Eve.

It's hard for me to go for the idea they'd forget to call in.

Not the chief.

I could understand an hour or two if the paddy wagon broke down or had a flat

tire.

I'll tell you what, let's give it another hour.

What's happening in there?

Well, the snow's ten feet deep, for one thing.

You heard the old man tell about the great Huff family. Now, his grandfather

came out here after the gold rush folded, put the country back on his feet

his lumber operation.

But he's in there giving it to Ironside both barrels.

Why? He wants him to like us.

Wants him to forget that we brought him here against his will.

Think it'll work?

Not a chance.

You know our guest?

I was just showing him our new toy.

Got it tailor -made for me by a gunsmith in London.

Beautiful feeling gun to the hand, isn't it, Mr. Ironside?

It would have felt even more beautiful had it been loaded.

Just put your head with the stock.

Not our guest, Mr.

Ironside. That's right. I'm not your guest.

Let's keep that straight.

We don't want to mislead the Marshal.

I generally take Mr. Huff's word on things.

You wouldn't believe me if I told you the Huffs forcibly kidnapped me. Is that

what you're saying?

Nobody in this county would believe that.

Then it's safe to assume that you won't buy them as killers either.

You'd never believe they killed Oral Franklin.

No, I wouldn't.

Because I happen to know something about that.

I found Ori.

Eight days ago.

He was lying out by his well.

Stone cold dead.

Foolish question, but you did determine that he died of natural causes.

As far as I could tell.

And you buried him up there behind his shack and said nothing.

I suppose that saved the taxpayer the cost of a funeral.

No.

Doug did that for us.

Why? Because we asked him, that's why.

Or he was an old man, he had to die sometime.

It just happened too soon.

If he'd lived another two weeks, we'd have bought his land.

Either from him or the state of California for taxes.

Unless some friend of his put up the tax money.

Ori didn't have any friends. He had one.

All right.

You're Ori's friend.

Does that mean you're going to make a federal case out of something that

couldn't have made any difference to Ori? No.

The state judiciary is set up to handle felonies like assault, kidnapping, and

murder. We didn't murder Ori.

You'd save us a lot of trouble if you just kept breathing a few more weeks.

You say I want proof.

How can we prove anything now?

A pathologist could still determine cause of death.

If it's certified as natural, Mr. Huff, you have no problem with me. I won't

press charges.

Is there any reason why we can't wait for that until after next Tuesday?

After the tax auction?

You're asking me to be a party to conspiracy?

No, thank you.

We sure don't seem to be getting any place.

That's a fact.

Yeah.

It's for you, Collins.

Yeah, what is it?

by the time they get there. Keep them away from the prisoner.

These people are coming up from San Francisco.

They hadn't heard from him.

So he checked with Collins and the fool said he was missing.

What's it mean?

We're in a box.

You got someplace to put him?

George, your father tells me the house don't most of the timber land in this

a couple of adjacent counties.

That's right.

Why do you need this grubby little homestead of Franklin's? What can make

worth this much to you?

A new interstate highway cuts one of our best stands of timber off from the

mill. The only practical way of getting it out is across Ory's land.

Very nice.

For a prison.

Guest room.

For how long?

How long can I remain a guest, George?

I haven't given it much thought.

Then you'd better think about it.

All of you.

What are you going to do with me?

Even after the Huffs have acquired title to Franklin's line next Tuesday?

I've done my thinking.

You're not about to spend the rest of your life behind bars. Is that a fairly

accurate statement of your position, Marshal?

We'll work something out.

If you mean a deal with me, forget it.

You have my one, only, and final offer.

Prove that Horry wasn't murdered and you're home free.

I see.

That's your hang -up. You did kill him. I didn't murder Horry. I said kill.

That includes any kind of an accident that caused his death.

Now, come on, George. Level with me.

I can't do you any harm, but it's still possible I can help.

He fell.

Fell and hit his head on the well curve.

Fell or was pushed?

I... I guess I pushed him some.

Well, he was acting crazy.

I went to talk to him about the deal.

The minute I showed up, he started yelling at me to get off his property.

Something about the Huff stealing his land.

Tried to make him listen.

He picked up this old axe handle and he came at me with it.

I wrestled him for it and that's when it happened.

I'm sorry for you, George, because I believe you.

You've painted yourself, the rest of us, into a very tight corner.

I don't know how you get out.

I do.

I was certain you would.

He means you're going to have to kill again, George.

This time it won't be an accident.

No, it's not in my best interest to admit this.

But I'm afraid he's right.

Unless you're willing to take your losses and get out of the game right

I don't know.

George, you can't cop out.

I'm in this too. So is your father.

The huffs go down the drain, so does the whole county.

Ory wasn't worth that.

And neither is he.

There's a difference in degree, George.

More than a difference.

Now, you probably can make a hometown jury who knew Rory Franklin as an

eccentric buyer story of how he died. Even understand what you did to cover up

was partially motivated by a community interest.

But if you kill me, you haven't got a prayer.

We've got more than a prayer.

I've got Mark Sanger locked up in my jay.

On what charge?

Open tomorrow.

After your body's been found.

I can change that to murder one.

George and I have a little unfinished business with Ori Franklin's remains.

This time we'll make sure you behave yourself while we're gone.

So Mr. Huff will be keeping you company.

All right, George?

Sorry about this, Mr. Ironside.

I want you to know that.

What are they doing with Franklin's body?

There's a quicksand pit over at Lake Mirage.

No bottom to it. Perhaps you'll have something in common with Franklin.

The only notable difference is that you and George dug your own pit.

We didn't go looking for this.

It happened to anyone.

Like running a traffic signal.

Nobody's hurt unless you're caught with somebody's car broadside to your front

bumper. Then it's too late, then too bad.

Yeah, I know.

Don't think it is annoying at my insides, too. Why let it?

There's still time for you to blow the whistle.

You'll never get out clean, but you will be out someday.

It's too late for that now.

As long as we're both alive, it isn't too late.

I gave Doug my word.

Your word's worth the gas chamber?

It's worth taking that chance.

Then there's nothing more for us to talk about, is there?

What's your attitude toward coddling that condemned Mr. Huff?

Is it customary to grant some special consideration during the last hour?

What can I get you?

Bourbon.

I like the idea of leaving you alone in this room.

You're going along with a lot of ideas you don't like.

But happily, this is one dilemma I can solve for you.

My wheelchair is just outside the door in the hallway.

Bring it in and I'll go with you.

I shouldn't let you out of this room.

You didn't give your word on that, did you?

I'll be back here before George and the Marshal return and you have my word on

that. If you try anything, I'm not going to be easy on you.

Fair enough.

Any number.

uh

Hated to do that to you, Mr. Huff, but I'm trying to save your life.

You won't get anything on that phone.

It was working earlier.

There's a disconnect switch on the outside so we can turn it off when we're

gone.

Where is that switch?

You looking for me to help you?

Yes, I am.

How about the key to that gun cabinet?

It's on my key ring in the car.

I'm telling you the truth.

George has all my keys with him.

I believe you.

Any new rubber on his vehicle tires leave a fine impression where we're

dump him over I Don't care who sang his attorneys.

It was tire marks. I'll send him up

Oh, what happened?

Where is he?

He's in his room down the hall, I think.

I'll take care of him.

I inside, I...

No, Mr. Huff.

But he's taken a jolt of electrical current.

You and George can help him.

All right, Mr. Ironside.

You win.

What's it going to cost us?

I can't answer that.

Surely you can think of a figure and name it.

I won't even bargain with you. All I want's a deal.

No deal.

A man's been killed.

Rory Franklin wasn't killed.

You'd better talk to George, Mr. Huff.

I'm glad we got up here in time to share this stirrup cup with you, at least.

Yes, where do you plan to go from here?

The city?

City? You mean like the city?

You read me? And I'm about to drive past the city limits of Gold Strike,

California, fun city of the Sierra, for the very last time.

You're a little premature, Mark.

We have to come back here.

Oh, no. You're forgetting the trial. We have to testify. Wouldn't it be all

right if I phoned myself in? I wouldn't count on it.

Chief, whatever happened to that dream vacation you were talking about for

weeks? Yeah, that's right, Chief.

You were going to break with the old routine, escape from the Hall of Justice

rat race.

Breathe clean country air.

Talk to some uncomplicated nice people for a change. What happened?

Good question.

When I think of an answer worthy of it, you'll be the first to know.