Original subtitles

Ruth, you have to pay more attention to your receipts.

Morning, Anne.

Oh, good morning.

Nice weekend?

Oh, yeah, nothing special. I stayed home and did some work.

How was yours?

Took the family sailing. Went to Belvedere.

Good. Sounds like fun.

Just great.

Can't figure it. Pretty girl like you spending the weekends at home.

But you've got a boyfriend hidden somewhere.

Yeah, in my cellar.

See you later.

Mr. Searwell, here's the summary you asked for. Oh, thank you, Miss Lewis.

You didn't have to do this on your weekend.

Oh, I don't mind.

How was your lecture Friday?

Oh, well, it wasn't exactly a lecture, more like a... Oh, an executive's

refresher course.

Something the bank is sponsoring.

We've got to keep up with the times, you know.

Mr. Tewalt, it's 9 .44.

The tellers are ready.

Oh, yes. Thank you, Miss Logan.

Thank you.

No, sir, you're safe.

Savings are not involved, just your safety pocket box.

Yes, sir, you will be notified. It was a terrible shock to us, too.

Sir.

Well, could you come in at your earliest possible convenience?

Yes, sir. And bring a list of your valuables as complete as possible.

I just don't understand it, Mr. Ironside.

There's just no possible way they could have gotten in.

Check the closed -circuit TV systems and alarms.

All functional aids work too.

Any sign of blast effects on the vault casing? Nothing inside or out. What's

more, if anybody so much as sneezed in here, that seismographic alarm would

set off everything in the building.

If they didn't blast in, they had to walk in.

Mr. Ironside, this door is 20 tons of solid steel.

It's groove -fitted and secured by two locks, each lock capable of 100 million

moves, a total of 200 million possible combinations.

Expressive odds.

At precisely 6 .15 Friday evening, this time lock was set, preventing anyone,

with or without the combinations, from opening this door until precisely 9 .45

this morning, which is exactly when Mr. Gregg and I personally opened the door

again. Well, someone was in here.

If they got in, they left tracks. If they left tracks, we'll find them.

Now, Mr. Stewart...

I'd like to look over all your personnel records, if you don't mind.

Of course.

Fran.

Any luck?

Most of the stories check out so far.

Keep plugging.

Here, Walt, will you sign this, please? No, no. Get the...

Tell it busy, and we'll use the record safe for today.

And tell the home office that we'll need a magnesium portable as soon as

possible. I already called. It'll be here tomorrow.

One moment, Mr. Gray.

Sorry, Mr. Ironside. Federal regulations. We have to open to our

matter what. We'll do the best we can.

You're the assistant manager, is that right?

Yes, sir. You're empowered to open the vault? Not alone. There are two

combinations. I have one. Mr. Steerwalt has the other. What if something happens

to either of you?

In case of emergency, there's a sealed copy of the combinations at the Clover

Street branch of the Merchant Security Bank.

In a safe deposit box.

Where's the key?

It's in our record safe.

If you'll give it to Sergeant Brown, I'd like to see that copy.

Of course.

I'll get it for you.

Mr. Stierwald, let's go over your statement again, beginning with Friday

evening. Well, I've already told it all to the FBI. Once more, if you don't

mind. We're all as anxious to solve this as you are.

Well?

It was around six o 'clock.

My staff had gone.

Except Mr. Gregg.

And Miss Lewis.

Our supervisor of tellers, Miss Logan, had already gone, but she'd forgotten

handbag and returned for it.

Norman, that is Mr. Gregg, let her in. I forgot my purse.

I'm not sure who let her out. I was busy at my desk.

I'm a little late, but if you hurry, I'll give you a lift. Oh, thanks, but

got some work to do.

See you, Mike.

A few minutes later, Mr. Gregg left.

Good night.

Good night.

Miss Lewis and I were alone in the bank for about 40 minutes.

Boswick Park Bank.

Is there anything I can do for you?

Oh, it's for you.

Who is it?

I don't know. He says he's a customer and he wants to talk to you personally.

Hello?

Wait now.

Sir, if you'll just calm down.

Now, just a minute, sir.

Whoever he was, he launched right off into a tirade.

Accused me of sloppy management and the bank of bad faith.

Something about a loan I'd turned down.

I was already late for an appointment, but I couldn't get him off.

I had to sit there and listen to his insult.

Please, sir, if you'll just call back Monday. We're closed right now, and...

Good night.

Now, just a minute, sir.

Listen, you can't say those things to me.

Well, I beg your pardon.

It was the only way I could get rid of the man.

I went to the vault and locked it.

The security lights went on, and the alarms were set.

It was 6 .45 exactly, and the time lock had been set for 9 .45 Monday morning.

I then locked the... the front door and checked it, as I always do.

You seem very meticulous, Mr. Stewart.

I pride myself on that.

In 28 years of banking, I've never had one blot on my record.

Until now.

What do you mean I can't go in there? I'm a depositor here and I'm entitled to

know what's going on. He'll know when the door is open.

Everybody back.

Come on.

Come on.

That's right. Let's just keep it loose. I mean, they'll open up.

How much money have you got in there, Baskin?

Well, not much by your standards, Mr. McClain, but everything I own.

Well, now maybe we'll get some action.

That crowd looks pretty restless.

Let him in.

Well, it's about time.

All right, Mr. Stewart, now what's this all about? What are all these cops doing

around here? Please, please.

There's been a burglary in the bank.

Our safe deposit vault has been broken into.

Broken into?

You mean they got into the boxes? I'm afraid so.

Well, how?

We are conducting an investigation.

Who are you?

My name's Ironside. Who are you?

I'm Colonel John McClain.

Army. Retired.

Well, Colonel McClain, you shouldn't be any stranger to procedure or to chain of

command.

Mr. Steerwalt has his superiors. I have mine.

We're not interested in your superiors. We're interested in our money. Then

we're all interested in the same thing, Colonel.

You can all help by going home. and making lists of the valuables in your

deposit boxes and bringing them in.

We need all the help you can give us.

Now, unless you have other bank business, please go home now.

What a good battle, dude.

My name is Terry Bascom. I'm the local golf pro.

Send some of your friends up. I might need the money.

Judging from the colonel, I might need some friends.

McClay's not as bad as his bark. He's got that battalion.

Commander's complex, always right, always on top.

Between you and I, he's got a very bad slice.

I'll see you around, Chief. Bye, Mr. Baskin.

I'm sorry. Excuse me.

Does it look like any of the seals have been broken or tampered with?

Excuse me.

Those are mine. It's mine.

All right, Ed.

Get that envelope to the lab.

See what they have to say. Okay.

Chief, a Mr. Clark Andrews is asking to see you.

Alone.

All right, ask him over.

Would you, uh, excuse me, please?

Of course, sir. Mr. Gregg.

Mr. Andrews.

isn't it?

I was wondering if you'd come back.

I, uh, I wasn't sure that you'd recognize me.

Darken the hair a bit.

You haven't changed much in 15 years.

Oh, I've changed a lot, Mr. Ironside.

The Phil Monroe that you put in jail that time, he doesn't exist anymore.

You see, I did seven of my 25 and then got out on parole.

On that day, Phil Monroe died and...

Clark Andrews was born.

Eight years now, I've been married, respectable, and clean.

And then, I had to move next door to this blasted bank.

May seem strange, Mr.

Andrews. But we generally investigate before we make an arrest.

Thank you.

Mr. Ironside.

If there's anything I can do to help.

I'll holler if I need help.

Thank you.

Chief, there are still only 24 hours in a day. They had to make a way in here.

If they didn't walk through that door, they had to blast.

But there are no signs of blast effect.

Ed, have you sounded this floor?

Every inch of it. There's not a... Start pulling back the rug.

This box man really knew his business.

Had to.

It's a bunch of this much steel -reinforced concrete without blowing a

Probably used a shape charge.

Tunnel acted like a giant shotgun barrel carrying the noise back.

Tunnel runs at a shallow angle for about 15 yards and ties into a storm drain

that goes clear into the whole shopping center.

That'd be the sound of the blast area.

Number 10, electrical blasting cap, some wire, debris.

Not much to play with.

All right. Put them through the grinder. Get me a report.

First thing to Margie. First thing now.

Yes, sir.

Chief, I still don't understand. Why isn't there a hole in the carpet?

I'm not quite sure.

But assuming they found a way in, the way out was simple.

And that screw eye was their key.

They, uh, dropped into the hole, pulling the wire after them.

Thank you.

And then they lifted a damp cement patch into place.

The rest was easy. Drop the patch with a couple of two -by -fours and pull the

wire.

Not too bad, huh?

I know maybe five men in the country who could have engineered this job.

Three are in the pen.

Any other two?

One's too old for the gaff anymore.

The other was here last night.

About 200 feet from here to here, past the bank and the boutique, to the Red

Vest haberdashery, then diagonally about 50 feet to here.

That must have been half beaver and half gopher.

How many?

Three, four maybe, judging by the amount the date moved on the weekend. We found

six shovels.

and a pulley -type dirt in there. I gotta get something warm.

We looked at some good prints.

This damn soil is working for us.

The chief will also want to know the make of car, the approximate number of

occupants, and its general direction from this point.

And they don't want it all yesterday, right?

Why, Sergeant Michael, it worked for Chief Ironside before.

Make's on stairwell, and everybody else down to the janitorial service.

I'll save you the trouble, Chief.

The hottest flash here is that Miss Logan is partial to bingo, and one of

bank guards was reprimanded once for smoking on duty.

First estimates are pretty grim.

Counting big company holdings and various bank funds, federal examiners

they'll take it around a million eight and climbing fast.

I'd hate to be in steel wool shoes.

Well, at least it doesn't look like an inside job on the surface.

Fran, keep digging.

Ed, you stick to the FBI and those bank examiners.

I'll need a complete list of depositors, names, addresses, occupations.

All right. Anything else? If you happen to see a crystal ball rolling around,

grab it.

In all your years of banking, have you ever known anyone to be accidentally

locked in a vault?

It has happened. It's extremely rare, but... Well, it happened to me once,

when I was a young clerk.

In those days, we didn't have emergency systems in the vaults.

I probably would have suffocated, but the bank manager didn't remember seeing

leave.

You know, I would like you to try again to...

recall last Friday night.

Are you absolutely sure you saw every one of your people go out of that front

door? Yes.

Yes, I'm sure I did.

Is there any chance one of them might have returned after you left?

Mr. Ironside, it would serve no purpose.

This timing mechanism was preset and nothing in this world would open this

for the next 63 hours.

Oh, by the way,

It would make our investigation a little easier if you had both combinations to

the door. We'll be going in and out.

Of course.

They were so organized.

They knew exactly what to take and what to leave.

Only the finest jewels, heirlooms, only the most negotiable bonds.

They were choosy, all right.

Well, excuse me.

Yes, sir.

Yes?

Yes, I'll tell him.

Mr.

Stewart.

That's Mr. McGregor at the home office on the phone. They've denied your

request.

They've what?

The Federal Review Board has ruled that safe deposit boxes aren't covered by

federal insurance.

The depositors will have to stand the loss.

Wait a minute.

What about the bank's responsibility? You've got insurance?

I'm afraid that's not applicable either. The bank feels we've incurred no

liability. You advertise those boxes as safe, safe deposit boxes. Now, that's an

implied warranty, and you're not going to weasel your way out of it. You were

responsible for everything in that vault, and you bungled the job.

You stop that. How dare you talk to him in that fashion? That's all right, Miss

Lewis. No, it's not.

You're acting as if he robbed the bank.

Come on, Mr. McClain. It's been a rough time for all of us.

Let's go hit a bucket of balls, huh?

Look, when I want advice from you, I'll ask for it.

Okay.

I'm sorry, Mr. Stierwald.

It just isn't fair.

You're doing the best you can.

Found it near Richmond.

Overturned and all burnt out. There it is.

Everything checks.

Fire markings, model and make. Even the soil samples from the wheel and floor

carpet match the sand and clay around the drain pipe area. What about the

It was set.

The way it looks, a helicopter landed beside the waiting car.

The car was set afire, pushed over.

Men transfer to the chopper and lift it off.

What sort of helicopter?

Probably a Bell Jet Ranger, judging from the landing gear pattern and weight.

Have lab confirmation by morning.

Five passenger capacity. That checks.

Mark, you and Fran alert all air auxiliary units and airports within 300

That's all the range they've got.

Had to refuel somewhere.

I want a report on all Bell Jet Ranger landings, takeoffs, and...

Since Friday morning, check local rentals and ownerships. You're on,

Later. Yeah.

It's, uh, it's gonna be a while before we see them again.

While you were waiting, work on this.

Would have been too risky for our thieves to work in the daylight. That

was dug at night, probably after midnight.

Where were they the rest of the time? Did they commute or did they live in

Bosworth Park?

Devine's dad's office.

You sure?

Right.

It was Lieutenant Reese.

They found it, Chief.

They found the helicopter.

State Highway Patrol spotted it this morning.

It was sitting here just like this, abandoned. You're sure it's the same

Lieutenant? Well, the landing gear checks.

It's the same one. We're checking registration.

Manny find anything?

Let's go see.

What do you got, Manny?

Sunburned neck and a brand new set of 775 -15s that tooled up to the highway

promptly disappeared. They had a car stacked up here.

That's what I mean.

Anything in the copter?

Yeah, a broken toothbrush, a stale pack of cigarettes, and a big water chewing

gum. Well, you can cut the inventory. You know what I mean. Oh, you mean

prints and all that scientific stuff.

No. I thought I'd leave that kind of stuff to you real detectives. Thanks a

Manny. Hey, there was one weird thing, though. My boys did back him up from

sand. So?

So there's no sand of its type within miles of here.

That's it.

What's it?

Our answer.

Ed, what else did the lab show?

Basically, the sand from the chopper, the sweepings from the getaway car, and

the soil from the Bosworth Park area are all geologically alike.

There were also traces of burlap in both the car and aircraft samples.

As in burlap bags?

You got it.

Burlap bags?

We've been on a beautiful round robin. The tunnel, the getaway cars, the

helicopter.

All part of an elaborate charade designed to draw us into a false chase.

know, it's my opinion that the thieves never left Bosworth Park.

That was an illusion created by ballasting the getaway car with

Sandbags filled at the drainpipe exit, carried off on the getaway car,

transferred to the helicopter.

Once in the air, the pilot cut the bags open and dumped out the sand, leaving

just a trace of it on the floor.

The rest was easy.

He landed in some remote spot, boarded a waiting car, and drove back to Bosworth

Park over the freeways in a matter of a few hours.

But the impression would be left that four bank robbers had escaped.

Exactly.

From now on, we're looking where we should have looked in the first place.

Fran, check our list of depositors and bank employees. Find out which of them

are licensed to fly a helicopter.

Now, if they fly, they drive. Contact DMV Sacramento. Have mugs blown up from

their driver ID photos.

Get them to the helicopter and car rental people for identification.

Right. Mark, same list.

Anyone with engineering or construction background.

Recheck McLean.

Chief, I'd like to follow a hunch of my own. Like what?

Like Phil Monroe, alias Clark Andrews.

I can't tell you not to follow it.

Friend.

Didn't Monroe's statement say that he and his wife both had all their savings

negotiables in the deposit box at the time of the robbery?

Yes, it did.

He lied. I ran a financial check on him.

Monroe's Bosworth Park shop has been in the red since it opened.

To keep it going, he's been selling off those bonds bit by bit over the past

year. Can you prove that?

Last month he had bought them.

He tried to get a loan, but was mortgaged to the hilt.

He was refused first by Miss Lewis, then by Stierwald.

And both their statements right there.

All right, Ed.

It's your hunch.

Follow it.

I only lied to keep my wife from learning the truth.

I couldn't let her know that we were almost broke.

Bank turned you down for a loan, didn't they?

Yes, I needed it desperately.

I still do. They said it was a bad risk.

I think it'll be a good idea if you take a look at this.

Oh, no.

No, no, no, no.

I'm sorry, Chief.

I know you believed in him, and I know how disappointed you must be. I'm not

least bit disappointed.

If anything, I feel mildly elated.

Elated? We must be doing something right to have forced our thieves into handing

us Clark Andrews as a decoy. Ten thousand dollars is an expensive

You don't believe Clark's guilty?

Fran.

Hasn't it occurred to you the man who conceives an elaborate robbery doesn't

blow the whole job by sticking part of the loot in the shoebox next door?

Cash, I might understand.

But why securities?

Of course.

Cash alone couldn't be tied into the bank job.

But securities could.

What about Ed's findings?

Well, a good logical hunch can pay off, even if it is a little off target. Ed's

did.

It showed us the thieves are here.

They're watching us. They know they've made mistakes.

Now there's no better way to force their hand.

You know, I didn't realize how late it was.

What's happened to the automatic lighting in this place?

Temporarily disconnected while they check out all the systems.

There, that's better.

Oh, I was going to tell you.

DMV called this afternoon.

The blow -ups are being sent by special carrier and will be in by morning.

Our search turned up 28 licensed helicopter pilots in the area. One of

going to be very special to this case.

It is late, Fran.

You'd better go get yourself some dinner.

I have to wait for Mr. Stierwald.

Is it important, Chief?

Everything's important to this case.

Now, you go on now. No sense both of us starving.

All right.

I'll be back as soon as I can.

Chief, you sure you won't come along?

What?

Oh, no. No, no, thanks. Go ahead.

Mr. Stierwald?

You're adding attempted murder to the book, you know.

You know I'll get you.

Or my people will.

Chief, open up.

I brought you some dinner, whether you like it or not.

Chief?

Chief!

Chief, open up!

What's wrong?

The chief's in there and he doesn't answer.

Chief!

Chief!

You sure he didn't leave?

His van is still around back.

He said he was waiting for Steerwalt.

Gee! I don't like this.

Wait a minute.

That left the dog.

We finished a preliminary check on McLean's company books.

They're a disaster.

He may have been a good engineer, but he sure was a bad businessman.

John McLean, that's still hard to believe.

I figured we'd have taken an engineer to dig that tunnel and then we'd have

better access to materials and explosives. Which reminds me, Chief,

linked the shoring timber in the tunnel with McLean's construction stock.

There's just one thing we need now, and that's a lead on McLean's accomplices.

With Mr. Stierwald's help, we may get that.

I don't know anything more than I've already told you. I'm sure you know a

more than you realize, Mr. Stierwald. Now let's go over your story one more

time. Mr. Ironside. One more time. Let's start with last Friday night. Friday

night, the night of the robbery.

Everyone had gone home except you, Miss Lewis, Miss Logan, and Mr. Gregg. It was

around 6 .30.

Yes. It was getting late.

Yes, it was late.

Miss Logan, she was the first to leave.

But she'd forgotten her handbag.

She came back. Greg let her in and then let her out again.

Yes. Yes, he did. And a few minutes later, Greg himself left.

He was going to a meeting. What kind of meeting?

I don't know what kind.

There are all kinds of meetings.

There are board meetings, club meetings, private meetings.

Didn't he say what kind?

He didn't say.

I don't know.

Mr. Walt, why are you so nervous?

No, no. I'm not nervous.

All right, let's go on.

Miss Lewis was the last to leave that night.

Yes. You saw her leave, heard her say goodbye.

Yes.

Where were you when she left?

When they all left?

Right here, at this desk, working on some forms. I thought you were on the

telephone.

I was on the telephone when Miss Lewis left, but I had been working on the

forms. Working against time, because you had a meeting of your own.

Because it was Friday night and you wanted to get out of here.

You were sitting here at this desk going over those forms Miss Lewis had brought

you at the last moment.

Forms she probably neglected or overlooked till the last moment.

Wasn't like her.

She was usually efficient, so you tried not to say anything, but you were late,

nervous, pressured, and suddenly the telephone rang.

You'd better answer it.

I think it's him, the man. Are you sure?

He's saying those same things again.

Keep him on. Talk to him.

Calling me a thief, a liar. Listen, who is this?

I want to know who you are.

Listen to me. You have no right to say... Good

night, Chief.

Good night, Mr. Stewart.

Mr. Stewart, I have to go.

I have to go now.

Yes, what?

I said I'm leaving now.

Yes, yes.

Listen, I want your name. I want to know who you are.

I'll tell you why. I'm going to report you to the police. That's why.

I'm going to... He's hung up again.

All right, Mr. Stewart.

I want you to leave now.

Leave? Yes, go home.

Don't ask questions.

Just do exactly what you did that night.

I demand you do something. He has no right to talk to me. We want you to

now, Mr. Stierwald. Lock your vault. Follow your standard procedure.

Hurry.

Lock the vault. The phone may ring again. Now hurry, Mr. Stierwald.

Mr. Stierwald, haven't you forgotten something?

I... Think.

Haven't you forgotten something?

No, I... Think!

Did you check the vault?

Yes, I...

I don't know.

Miss Lewis?

You heard her voice? The door?

That was the plan.

What the caller expected her to do while he kept you busy.

The third man was out there waiting until everyone except you and Ann Lewis

gone. When he saw her open the door, he knew she'd be inside the vault in

seconds.

After that came their most crucial moment. If you came out, it meant Ann

was inside the vault, undetected and already working.

If you checked the vault and found her, I suspect they probably had an alternate

plan which might have involved killing you.

Second breath.

Good, thanks.

It's positive.

That was headquarters.

The DMV photos paid off. Both the aircraft owner and the car rental girl

the same man out of the deck.

All right, Ed, let's get Fran out of there and then go get him.

Hurry up.

We've got to get out of here.

Manager saw him drive up with a girl. He grabbed some things and headed up that

side road fast.

We'll go get him.

There's no place left to go.

Put him down. It's mine.

It's mine.

It's my money.

Put your hands on top of your head.

It's my money.

It's my money. Put your hands on top of your head. Don't hurt him.

All right.

Please don't hurt him. There was so much money and he had nothing.

Please.