Original subtitles

This is the best cioppino I have tasted, I don't know, since the last time we

were here together.

This whole day has been a pleasant surprise for me, Carolyn.

You've held up even better than the cioppino.

Oh, bless you, Robert. You're still the backhanded compliment champion of San

Francisco.

Uncontested.

Only, now that I'm in a wheelchair...

People feel guilty when they get an overwhelming desire to knock me on my

backside.

Well, you never fooled me.

Under that grouchy high beats the heart of a beautiful tyrant.

That's why I proposed to you several light years ago.

It's a pity you turned me down.

A tyrant can never accept someone else's suggestion, no matter how good it is.

You called this morning.

You said you wanted to wallow in a little nostalgia.

But there's something else on your mind. What is it?

Jason left me Friday night.

Two people don't stay together this long unless they've got something going for

them. Even if it's a mutual desire to be miserable.

Ma 'am, I'd like to talk to you from the chief alone.

Excuse me.

Yes, certainly, Robert.

Jason White's office called headquarters this morning. White didn't show up for

work today.

There's some evidence that he's been murdered by Mrs. White.

I've been seeing another woman for almost a year now.

I love her, Carolyn.

Oh, don't make me laugh, Jason.

You're incapable of loving anybody but yourself.

You're the most egotistical man I ever met.

As long as you feel that way, there should be no problem.

You can file the action.

On the grounds of mental cruelly, if you like.

Never. I'll file myself.

You can't hold me. You know that better than I do.

doing with that gun?

Put it away, Carolyn, before somebody gets hurt.

Carolyn!

I don't understand.

There was no gun. There were no shots fired.

Did you argue with him?

Oh, yes. Yes, Friday night. Just the way you heard it.

Up to the part about the gun. That never happened.

And we argued at home, not here.

How do you explain the bloodstains on the carpet?

I don't know how they got there, or even what they mean.

What's your theory?

I have none.

I think they mean Jason White was shot to death in this office.

I'd say that's the sound of Jason White's corpse being dragged out of the

office. The stain over here would indicate the murderer paused while

body to open the door.

There's a groove in the carpet as if a man's heel had been dragged through it.

If you think I killed my husband, Sergeant, it's your duty to tell me and

me of my rights.

When was the last time you saw Jason?

Friday night.

After the argument, he backed a few things and left.

Do you own a gun?

Yes. Where's the gun now?

On the night table by my bed.

I'd like you to go home and get it.

Carolyn, if Jason is alive, we'll find him, I promise you.

I lose more blood than that when I get a quick shave at the office.

I turned that thing off. You did, just before you got turned off. We just made

another recording of her voice. I want the sound lab to make a comparative

analysis of the two.

All things being equal, her voice quality should be the same on both.

Unless Carolyn White is telling the truth.

How do we determine that?

We deduce, determine, and decide.

It's called detective work.

He could have used another machine and then transferred the truth.

Or he could have returned for the machine after everyone had gone,

argument at home, and then brought it back Saturday.

If Mrs. White argued with her husband at home Friday night, and that was the

last time she saw him, what was she doing here Saturday morning?

How do you know she was here?

I took her up in the elevator around a quarter to twelve.

I remember because it was just before lunchtime.

I was clock watching.

Did you take her down again?

No, she must have come down herself while I was out.

Did you see Mr. White?

No, but he usually comes in before I do on Saturdays.

And his car was in the basement garage when I punched in that morning.

His car is not there now.

But there is a large blood stain in his parking space.

If he drives the two -door sedan parking head in, the trunk door would open just

about here.

While the lab is analyzing... these stains, contact White's personal

He probably has a blood test we can compare them with.

You know, sir, for a man who simply cut himself shaving, White lost a lot of

blood.

You absolutely certain he's dead?

Well, everything points in that direction.

She confronted her husband. He admitted he was seeing another woman.

Why was the argument so conveniently recorded?

Well, Jason must have figured she was going to say something he could use

against her in divorce court, so he turned on the recorder without her

about it. That part you've got to buy, Chief. You just have me pull the same

stunt. Very logical.

But none of you has proved that Jason White is dead.

We received a report, Chief. One of our units found this abandoned vehicle here.

It's registered to Jason White.

None of these keys work.

Chief, that's not my bag anymore. Remember?

Open the trunk.

Do you mind?

And by a woman.

Yes.

White's blood characteristics are identical to those found in the stains.

Oh, Carolyn.

Bob.

Bob, my gun's missing. We looked everywhere. No sign of it.

Did you go to Jason's office Saturday?

Yes. Why?

Well, he called me and wanted me to meet him there.

But I never saw him.

When I got there, the office was empty.

So I waited about, oh, half an hour, and then I left.

Were there any signs in the house that Mr. White had left? If he went anywhere,

he was planning to come back soon.

All his shaving gear is intact and there are two wardrobe closets full of his

clothing. I did find something interesting, though.

Mrs. White's closet.

There's a fresh stain on this dress.

It looks like dried blood that's been partially washed off with cold water.

And the button is missing.

I don't understand it, Bob, and neither does the DA's office.

Why haven't you booked Carolyn White for murder?

I want more time.

There are too many shadows in this case, not enough substance.

I'd like to remind the chief that corpus delicti can be established without the

murder weapon or the victim's body.

I can get a conviction tomorrow on just what you've got.

It's the day after tomorrow I'm worried about, Clayton. What's going to turn up

then? Probably more of the same.

Every piece of evidence we have so far points at Carolyn.

The record of her argument with Jason, her missing gun, the bloodstained button

in the trunk of her car.

All of it circumstantial.

Okay, this type of case is not easy to prosecute, but it has been done in this

state and successfully.

If you rush Carol and White to court, I have a feeling we're all going to wind

up with egg in our faces.

Your conduct during this investigation isn't helping matters.

What do you mean by that?

You've been biased in her behalf from the very beginning. Blayton, that's a

Oh, come off it, Ironside.

Everybody knows she's an old friend of yours.

It wouldn't matter if she was a complete stranger or my little old grandmother.

She'd still get the same shake.

Commissioner, you have the reports on the chief's preliminary interrogations.

You can see for yourself they may have put me at a serious disadvantage.

Why didn't you notify her immediately that she was a suspect and fall above

right? Because I chose not to.

Well, your touching faith in Mrs. White may just get half our brief thrown right

out of court.

She told you she had a gun.

She told you she went to Jason's office. Now, both of those statements were self

-incriminating. I'd say her rights were never violated.

Bob, you're close to her. Very close.

Maybe it would be better if you laid off the case.

Commissioner, I've been bending rules and busting criminals for 20 years on

force. If my honesty and my methods can't be trusted anymore, maybe it's

quit.

I want you and it to check Jason White's ledgers. You want my personal opinion.

I think that Mrs. White is just plain guilty and that you're too emotionally

involved to see it. Your opinion is shared by everybody, but there's nothing

wrong with my objectivity. On the contrary, I'm trying to go beyond the

and that's why I'm in the minority.

Okay, let's talk about attitudes.

I think that she's acting like a wife who knows that her husband is dead, and

she could only know that if she killed him.

What makes you think she knows he's dead?

She's too cool, too composed. If she wasn't sure he was dead, then she would

in a state of great anxiety.

How many psychology courses did you take in college?

One. Basic psychology.

All right, if Carolyn is such a cool, calculating woman, why did she kill

minutes after she was seen by the elevator operator? The murder was

the heat of an argument.

The recording indicates that.

And if she shot Jason in his office, she must have brought the gun from home

where she always kept it. And she killed him in cold blood.

Plan the whole thing.

Now you're contradicting yourself.

Eve, what was it? Passion or premeditated murder?

Well, make up your mind.

I don't know. I'm not sure.

You've got to be sure.

Now, you said Carolyn was just plain guilty.

I'm still a woman, and my instincts tell me that there is something wrong with

the way she's taking this whole thing. Women's instincts are what make them the

world's lousiest detectives.

I got the report from the sound lab.

The recording of the argument, the recording you made, were both made on

office dictating machine.

That doesn't guarantee they were both made in the office.

Chief, you sure die hard. Okay, and I played the recordings again. There's

traffic noise in the background of the argument. That could mean it took place

in Jason's home. In a quiet residential area. It could also mean it did take

place in the office. I checked the traffic in the legal district. It's very

quiet on Saturdays.

A lot lighter than it was on Monday when you made the second recording. So it's

a standoff. We could both be right. Well, yes, sir. No, no, sir. Not when

add up all the other elements. Easy think.

Simple conclusions based on obvious facts.

What is it you want us to think?

Everything. Keep all the possibilities alive, but don't jump to any conclusions

till you have all the facts.

Are you still playing with the idea Jason White's alive?

I'm playing with the idea that this is all too easy.

And Carolyn White is not a stupid woman.

And it's your educated opinion that she's innocent.

I'm not interested in educated opinions, yours or mine. I want the truth.

The pure, hard -to -find truth.

And I suppose it's up to us to find it for you.

Now that is an intelligent piece of deductive reasoning.

I never heard them argue. Oh, come on, Miss Danny, tell us the truth.

Mrs. White is a very easy person to get along with.

She's a wonderful woman.

How often did she come in?

Almost every day.

She did Mr. White's brief for him.

She also did his research and investigation work. And they never had a

all these years.

You'd better tell us what you know.

I heard them shout at each other in his office.

But only once in a while. It wasn't important.

Married people do fight, you know. What about?

I don't eavesdrop on other people's arguments.

Well, then, how do you know they weren't important?

Didn't Mr. White have many women clients?

Yes, most of them.

They all thought he was very charming.

Do you remember anyone in particular who used to call him a lot?

No.

There were too many. I'd like the log of all the incoming and outgoing calls,

also the appointment calendar.

Oh, and a complete list of all his clients, please.

How did you discover the recording?

I play his dictating machine first thing every Monday.

He usually comes in alone on Saturdays and leaves some dictation for me. Did

White take the machine with him when he went home Friday night?

No, I was using it when he left.

That'll be all. Thank you.

Not at all.

Hello, Robert.

Carolyn, you've met your future colleague, Mr. Tam.

Yes, hello, Mark.

How's the law been treating you?

Oh, I get a little time off for good behavior.

My father used to say, the law is the sternest of tat matters.

Well, he was almost right.

Talking about the bar makes me thirsty.

Pour us a drink, will you, Mark?

Make something mild for Ms. White.

Sit down, Carolyn.

I hope you'll indulge me.

Of course.

What is it?

I haven't asked this before.

Did you kill Jade?

I thought you believed in my innocence.

After 20 years on the 4th, I've got an occupational disorder.

I'm never absolutely certain about anything.

Even when I'm dead sure.

I didn't.

We argued.

But I didn't kill him. When he left the house that night, he was alive. And he

wasn't in his office on Saturday.

I'll swear to that under oath.

That won't be necessary.

Thank you.

I prayed you'd say that.

I think I'll tell you how those drinks are coming.

Have you spit it out and choke on it?

It may know a lot of things, boss friend.

But I know a con job when I see one.

You know what you have to see, Mark.

That's what makes a con job work.

How can such a tough, uncompromising pro be so sweet?

Rarely a day passes I don't ask myself the same question.

Me too.

Well, shall we get to work? Yeah, right now.

Before Randall changes his mind and deactivates my pension.

When did you find out that Jason was seeing another woman?

You know women, Robert.

I guess I suspected sometime last year.

But I wasn't sure until a few months ago.

You waited a long time before you confronted him with it.

Ego.

I hoped he'd have his little mid -forty fling and then return to his senses.

Did you ever get the urge to check up on him?

No.

What good would it have done?

I didn't want to torture myself.

Knowing a woman's name, seeing her face, knowing where they met.

Carolyn.

What kind of woman does he find attractive?

He prefers the tall one.

Shapely.

Athletic.

And he likes them young.

Yes, I would say, definitely.

She was a young woman.

Chief, I think I've got something.

I missed Erickson's call just before each one of Mr. White's business trips.

Erickson? Do you know her?

No.

No, I don't think she's the client of Jason.

No, she's not. I found a number listed in his telephone book alongside one of

her calls.

Oh, well, she probably left a return number.

It's a photographer's studio.

She's a model.

Her professional name is... Candy Erickson.

Real smorgasbord.

Tasty dish.

All mixed up.

Beautiful, elegant, nutty. You know what I mean.

You name it, she's got it.

Did Miss Erickson ever discuss any of her boyfriends with you?

Talking to Candy about her social life is like discussing troop movements with

the army chief of staff.

But lately she's been playing house with only one guy.

Do you know his name?

No, she never mentions it. But if I know Candy, he's a player with lots of

money. When was the last time you saw her?

Last Thursday, I sent her out on a job.

I've been calling her all this week, but there's no answer.

She in trouble?

We don't know yet.

Well, the chick's unreliable.

She still owes me money.

She bought some fancy sailing outfits that she was modeling and charged them

the agency.

Could you give us her address and all the photographs you can spare?

Oh, well, she got that stuff at cost.

She skipped town, at least I'm not out at the retail price.

You know what a markup there is on those rags?

Sailing outfits are not here.

Did Miss Erickson leave word that she was going out of town?

No, but she's always off someplace.

Just hops in that little car of hers, away she goes.

Sometimes I don't see her for days.

Did you ever see her in the company of an older man, distinguished -looking,

gray hair, around 40?

You're asking me to remember one pine tree in a forest.

Jason's been very discreet.

Apparently, he and Candy always arranged to meet secretly at some permanent

rendezvous somewhere close, yet where they wouldn't be recognized.

That would eliminate most places in the Bay Area, including the marinas, if they

went sailing together.

When a girl has a wardrobe like Candy's, she doesn't use a sailing outfit unless

she goes sailing.

I agree with you. The question is, where did they go?

Now, the chief would pick up a book like this and say, Tamar and other poems.

With love from Jay.

Roan Stallion, also by Jeffers.

And then he'd say, that's it.

Robinson Jeffers lived in the Big Sur, and he wrote about it. There's a hundred

miles of mountain wilderness along that coastline, and it's less than two hours

from here by car.

Then he'd be right.

The label in this rep.

Mickey, Big Sur, California.

So that's how he does it.

Try the public officials and the merchants. Someone in these parts is

recognize them.

Right, Chief.

It's already started on him.

Well, I can't say I've seen either of them.

Thanks.

We've got a lot of territory to cover. Can we borrow a car?

You bet.

If I know a man like that, I'd grab him for myself.

I'm tired of slinging hamburgers for a living.

I don't get to see many people in this job.

I spend most of my time looking for the smoke.

Thanks.

Yeah, I know that couple.

The Jays.

They buy the goods here every once in a while.

When was the last time you saw them?

Oh, about a month ago, I guess.

Do you know where they live?

Yeah, they bought the old McIntyre place.

It's in a little cove down by the ocean, Chief.

It's in your south on the coast highway for about 12 miles.

I'll be waiting there for you. Good work, Eve.

I'll round up the other.

Notify Ed to meet it there.

But first I want him to dig up whatever he can in the cave.

Right, Chief. Open up.

It doesn't look as if anybody's here.

Those tire tracks are fairly new.

Narrow, probably made by a sports car.

Eve, check out the boat while we have a look around the house.

Right. I found the door open.

Mark, see what's in the bedroom.

Lipstick. Yeah.

Could be candy, Eric, since it's...

A good trade for a blonde.

See if that's still fresh.

It's marked Saturday.

Somebody was definitely over the weekend.

No freezer compartment.

So?

Those waffles are the frozen kind. There must be a freezer around here

someplace.

Meat, vegetables, TV dinners.

Frozen food the last two people for a year.

Most of it has been put here the last few days.

Are you sure?

Yeah, there's very little frost on it.

Packets on the bottom are covered with the stuff.

I found these hanging in the closet.

Two women's sailing outfits and some men's clothing.

Those are Jason's.

They were here together.

Probably Saturday.

The day you supposedly shot Jason at the office.

It would take more than a milk carton to prove it.

What did you find?

Candy Erickson. Her body was floating under the dock.

Are you going to arrest Mrs. White?

No.

It's an obvious case of double murder. We've got one of the bodies now to prove

it. There's still a body missing.

Until we find Jason or some other answers, he remains a prime suspect and

case remains open.

Shame. Yeah, I like that.

You can help, Sheriff.

I want you to put out an all -points apprehend order for Jason White.

All right. I'll get after it right away.

And Sheriff.

Lean on your coroner.

I want an A to Z autopsy, and I need the results ten minutes ago.

I'll do what I can.

Take the car and question every grocer in the area.

I have a hunch Jason bought milk, eggs, and a large supply of frozen food

sometime Saturday morning.

The elevator operator said that Jason was in his office Saturday morning. She

saw his car, but she never saw Jason.

I'll start with the locals first.

No, ma 'am.

Why don't we let the district attorney do his job?

Not yet.

I have a feeling something will turn up.

You really think so? Yes, I think so.

I hope you're right.

Meanwhile, I want to go over it again.

I want it straight.

All of it.

All right. Robert?

Jason could have sued for divorce if he merely wanted to be rid of you.

But a man has to have a stronger reason than that. play dead for the rest of his

life.

What do you have on him?

He bribed a juror on his last case.

And? And I, uh... All of it.

I threatened to expose him.

I've checked every possible angle. If Jason was stashing money away, he sure

didn't leave any telltale signs.

A big spender like him would need plenty of ready cash, Chief.

Especially if he was planning on getting lost the rest of his life.

What about the local bank?

Nothing. Under White, Jay, or any other name.

How'd he pay for the boat?

Cash. The house, too. Bought them outright under the name Jay.

That proves he had money that was unaccounted for.

Cut the list. Where did he hide it?

Carolyn.

Did Jason ever keep money in the office safe?

No, just some petty cash and strong bucks.

There was no strong bucks in it when I checked it Monday.

You think he brought it here with him? You and Mark look around. If he's

traveling light, he might have dumped it somewhere before he took off. Right.

Finders keepers. Don't get excited. You'll be lucky enough to find it. And

you do, there won't be any money.

Then I'll go digging around the beach. At least I can add to my shell

collection.

If Jason planned all this, the scheme looked flawless.

But when you get up close, you discover nothing's that perfect.

Did

you

find the money box?

No, but I got a lot of sand in my shoes.

What's new that's good? Nothing. The highway patrol found Candy's car this

morning. Carolyn's .22 pistol was in the glove compartment.

And her fingerprints are on it. Well, that's just about a wrap things up for

Clayton. Shall we give up the ghost?

When I'm ready to quit, I'll throw in the towel.

In the meantime, keep looking.

No longer any doubt about it, Ironside.

Bullets were removed from Candy's brain.

Ballistics tests proved they were fired from her gun.

If that's all you've got to tell me, you can skip along back to court. Not

quite. You're off the case.

With the commissioner's blessing.

A warrant for Mrs. White's arrest.

She's charged with the murder of Candy Erickson. And this one I can make stick.

With hard physical evidence.

I'm sorry, Carolyn.

I think this is a bad mistake.

Don't blame yourself.

You've done all you can.

Not by a long shot.

I'm beaten, Robert.

I'm tired and I'm beaten.

Take me back to San Francisco. I'm ready to face the charge.

I saw some fresh dirt covering a sump hole, so I dug it up.

It's empty.

Jason's empty money box is hardly proof that he's alive or that he framed his

wife.

All right.

Any word on Jason?

No trace.

Bulletin out. All my deputies on it.

Keeps them on it.

Here's your autopsy report.

Doc got out a big area just like you asked.

No water in the lungs, killed instantly by the first of two bullet wounds in the

brain, and dumped in the ocean.

You won't find any evidence in there that'll clear Mrs. White.

Don't bank your case on it.

This report says Candy's been dead for approximately 48 hours.

Today's Wednesday.

It means Candy was murdered sometime Monday afternoon, while Mrs. White was

San Francisco.

That's more than an alibi, Chief.

Can't believe it.

I just talked to Eve on the radio. She's with someone she thinks we'd all like

to meet personally.

You were right, Chief. Jason White was buying groceries Saturday morning.

He stepped in about noontime or a little before. Bought a few things.

Milk, eggs.

And frozen vegetables.

Not that time. No, sir.

Milk, eggs, coffee, and some bread.

That's all.

He couldn't possibly have been in his office when Mrs. White was supposed to

have killed him.

Are you absolutely sure it was the same man?

Oh, yes, sir. I know Mr. J. pretty good.

Most times he comes in, he buys a whole mess of frozen food.

Well, I don't know what to think now.

An empty money box?

A dead girlfriend Mrs. White couldn't have killed?

And now an eyewitness who saw him when he was supposed to be dead.

Jason must be in hiding somewhere, guilty of conspiracy to frame his wife

murder.

I'm going back to San Francisco.

My office will request the court to dismiss charges against Mrs. White.

Congratulations, Mrs. White.

I... I don't know how to thank all of you.

Congratulations, Mrs. White.

Congratulations.

Hello, Robert.

Sit down, Carol.

What is it?

I'm sorry, it's not going to work.

What? You planted two sets of evidence.

The first to prove your guilt, the second, the alibis, to prove your

Robert, now how can you make such a horrible joke?

By carefully incriminating yourself, you made it look like Jason had framed you.

Certainly no one would suspect you of framing yourself.

Robert, what are you saying? The dictating machine from Jason's office

night baited him into an argument at home and secretly recorded it.

He asked you for a divorce. You pulled a gun.

He told you to put it away, and you did.

After he left to meet Candy at the office, left his car in the garage and

with her to the cabin, you edited the recording.

The part where you put the gun away was erased.

Gunshots and the sound of body being dragged across the floor, you added.

You returned the machine that night, knowing it would be played first thing

Monday. The frame.

Saturday morning, you went back to the office again and made sure the elevator

operator saw you.

The alibi.

You got to the cabin.

Jason was out shopping.

The girl was alone.

You killed her.

Was that impossible?

And when Jason returned, you killed him, too.

Oh, now, Robert, stop.

Sunday morning, you planted the blood, the ditched car, and the missing button.

Look, it's not true. Any of it.

I didn't kill Jason, and I couldn't have killed Candy. You saw the autopsy

report. I was in San Francisco when she was shot.

The autopsy determines the time of death by the amount of decomposition present

when the body is examined.

You suspended the process by placing Candy's body in the freezer. You took it

out Sunday night and dumped it in the ocean. Making it appear Candy Erickson

killed around noon on Monday.

It's pure supposition.

Look, Robert, what are you expecting from me?

A confession?

Frankly, Carolyn, I am.

Well, even if it were true, you couldn't prove it.

Just suppose, mind you.

Suppose there were other beach houses and other girls.

Would it make more sense then?

A divorce would have made more sense.

And suppose... Suppose I really loved him.

In spite of the beach houses. You know, when you love a man that much, you hang

on. Even if there's nothing left but pain. I don't consider murder hanging

Oh, you forget?

No murder.

Only supposition.

A laboratory analysis will prove some of the food in that freezer had been

defrosted and refrozen after you dumped Candy's body in the ocean.

Jason did that?

Jason's dead.

Then find his body. We found it.

Under the money box.

About three feet further down.

Looking for something buried, he usually stops at the first thing he finds.

Never occurs to him that something else might be buried deeper.

Carolyn?

First, you give up your life's work.

And then your life.

And in return, you wait at home.

And you pretend not to notice as much lipstick on his shirt.

Or the strained cigarette butt in the ashtray of his car.

You look a thousand different directions, avoiding seeing what a fool

And then one day, he tells you he's had it.

Tell me, Robert.

What was he?

What is a Jason White?

Without me, nothing.

I shaped him. I molded him. I created him.

And for thanks, he used me.

who's the people that love them.

Granted.

But they don't have to be proud of themselves for doing it.

Oh, Jason was more than proud. Yes, he thought he was a genius.

Well,

he learned differently.

Yes, he learned.

We're not all such fools as he thought.

He understood it all very clearly.

Understand your rights.

Only too well.