Original subtitles

Fire for range.

Fire!

Take two to the left.

Sergeant! Sergeant!

Take charge.

The FBI.

A Gwen Martin production.

Starring Ephraim Zimbalist, Jr.

Also starring Philip Abbott, William Reynolds, with guest stars Burt

Reynolds, Michael Strong, Frank Aletter,

Diana Mulder.

Tonight's episode, Act of Violence.

The skeleton in the well was identified as the remains of Marine Sergeant Frank

Severance, ten years after he was officially listed with the FBI as a

But Severance had not deserted.

He had been murdered.

As FBI agents began the long search for Severance's killer, a second murder was

being planned 3 ,000 miles away, an act of violence that would eventually bring

Inspector Lewis Erskine to a confrontation with La Cosa Nostra

Miller Duque.

Hello, Lewis.

Oh, all right.

Oh, I missed you.

Huh?

I had lunch.

Oh, I'm sorry. I got involved.

Forget it.

With what, this? What is it?

It's page three of the Durham, North Carolina Post.

A man named Ray Benton was reading it yesterday when he was shot to death.

The name rang a bell with one of our agents on criminal intelligence in

He remembered Benton as a retired syndicate killer.

What's our jurisdiction?

None. Unless there's a connection between the murderer and this particular

Is there any connection?

Let's say a coincidence.

Both men were in San Jose in December of 1957.

Severance disappeared on the 15th.

Benton dropped out of sight the next day.

He seems to have spent the following five years in Baltimore.

He turned up in Durham in 1963.

Married and bought himself a butcher shop.

Well, still in all, that's a pretty long reach, isn't it? Just because there

happened to be an article on severance in the paper he was reading? At Benton's

house, the agents found three more accounts of the skeleton in the well,

out and hidden away, all from different papers.

Beth, I'll let you report on the severance remains.

There's no other weapon found in the well. His or any others?

No, sir.

No chance of a suicide.

The bullet hit the skull from the rear and emerged over the right eye.

Whoever shot him was standing behind him and to his left.

So evidently he was shot before he was thrown into the well. Yes, sir.

All right, that says they think there were two bullets.

There's evidence a second bullet penetrated the pelvis.

On the chance the slug remained in the body, Holt and San Jose are sifting the

area now.

Tom, pull the deserted file on Severance and bring me a summary of whatever we

know about him.

And get everything criminal intelligence has on Benton. Yes, sir.

You say Benton was a contract killer?

Implicated in four homicides at least.

Nobody's been able to make the charges stick.

Raises an interesting query, doesn't it?

If Benton killed Severance for whatever reason, then who killed Benton?

And why?

John?

Hello, Paul.

What's happening in Durham?

You heard about it, huh?

Paul!

Certainly.

You didn't go to any trouble to keep it quiet.

I didn't have time.

Paul!

It seems that Benton read about severance in the newspaper. He wanted

to keep quiet about it.

Foolish man.

Yeah.

There's no big problem. The locals are nosing around down there, giving

interviews and taking pictures.

The FBI in his house?

Paul!

Can they tie this to the thing in San Jose?

I don't see how.

Paul!

Could go into Benton's background.

You got rid of the man, not his record.

I'm telling you it's over, Paul.

There's nothing to link them together.

I hope you're right.

We all hope you're right.

We?

You mean you've been having an open discussion about it when I'm not in the

room?

Come on, John. You sound like the newspapers.

Ben called from Miami.

Lou from Vegas.

This is an expression of friendship, not a conspiracy they concerned for you.

Yeah.

Tell them they can relax.

It's over.

What is it?

What's the big deal, Paul?

I wanted Irene and somebody was in the way. I never did anything like that

before.

You weren't content to let Benton hit him.

You hated the Marines so much you had to do it yourself.

There's the Jeopardy force.

All right, it was a dumb move, I admit it. I was ten years younger then.

Nobody else knows I was in on it.

What about the girl?

The only witness was Benton. She doesn't even know Severance is dead.

She'll know it now.

It was in all the papers.

And she could guess you had something to do with it.

What if she goes to the FBI?

Now, where is she?

I don't know.

I haven't seen her since the divorce eight years ago.

No ideas?

No.

Why?

Where's the gun you used?

I don't know, Paul. It was Benton's gun.

Look, I think you're worrying too much.

All right.

I worry.

Ten years ago, I took a drop of your blood and I put it on a square of paper.

And after you burnt the paper and swore on the gun, I was the first to embrace

you, to welcome you to the brotherhood.

I have two sons I'm not as close to as I am to you.

Find your ex -wife before she puts you in the gas chamber.

Back there? Greg, how are you? Fine, thank you, sir.

You remember Tom Colby?

Yes, how are you? Greg, hi.

Well, have you had a chance to see photos of the world yet, sir? Not yet.

Well, of course, it's been covered over for a number of years.

This all used to be ranch land at one time. The government bought it, and

gradually the camp spread over the acreage.

How long has the mortar range been here?

About 18 months.

It's been a pretty desolate spot when the sergeant was killed.

Yes, sir. End of the world.

Want to come this way?

The skeleton was seated against the west wall. The legs were partly buried in

the dirt.

We've literally been sifting through every grain of sand down there.

Nothing significant?

Not yet, sir.

Well, keep at it. All right.

Have you turned up anything more on Benton yet?

Well, nothing that would connect him with Severance, no.

Had he ever had any gambling contacts with the base?

No, he was Johnny Duquesne's driver in those days. Strictly a strong -armed

I thought Duquesne was a Midwesterner.

Well, he is now, but he started right here in San Jose.

When did he leave, Craig?

Sometime in the mid -50s. I'd have to check the exact date.

Craig, found a slug.

Pretty badly oxidized.

Inspector?

Won't be much use to us now.

We'd better rush it to the lab anyway.

I guess our only hope left is to try and locate the shell casings.

Be less oxidation on the surface.

I know it's like looking for a needle in a haystack, Craig, but if you don't

find anything within another hundred feet of the well, we'll reconsider.

Right.

Now, you were trying to locate people who might have been with Severance in

December of 1957, huh? Yes, sir.

Well, as far as family goes, there's no one except the second cousin who's never

been out of Idaho.

But we did manage to track down a...

friend who was very close to Severance at that time, Sergeant Leroy Glynnis.

Glynnis is stationed in Fort Worth.

I contacted him by phone. He said he'd be very glad to cooperate.

He should be arriving here this afternoon.

Good.

Severance was single, huh? Yes, sir. What about girlfriends?

Well, we're looking. No luck yet.

Wait a minute, wait a minute.

Advances in European Electronics 67. All right, go.

Good, good, good, good, good, good boy. That's good, good, Johnny.

Quitting already?

Yes, I am.

I mean, next time we're really going to put the gloves on. You're beginning to

hurt. You like this gift wrap?

Advances in European Electronics 1967 is a runaway bestseller. Put it in a plain

wrapper.

Joe's dad wants us to help him work on his boat, Mom.

You mean that you and your buddy Joe begged and begged his poor father until

finally said, okay, you can watch.

How do you know?

I know everything.

Okay. Run along.

Thanks, Mom.

Bye, Jim. See you later. Bye. Stay out of his way.

Now, that will be 457

with the text.

How's my credit?

I don't know.

Struggling engineer.

Can I trust you?

It is a very solid profession.

Pay me when you can.

You're a kind woman, Witter Davis.

Anybody ever tell you that?

Not kind at all. No, I would have come around to collect on Christmas Eve like

Scrooge. You know it's about 85 degrees in here. How come your fingers are so

cold?

Cold hands, warm heart.

Something wrong?

Nothing wrong.

Something about Johnny?

Just saw him hit. There's nothing wrong with that boy.

Look, if you have a problem, I make a fair ally. Try me.

There is no problem.

I just was born with chilly hands.

My boss is not going to be using his boat this Saturday. He suggested it

be a nice place for a swim and a little lunch. Are you interested?

I'd love to.

Sergeant Leroy Glynnis, Inspector Erskine. Inspector.

Sergeant, I want to thank you for cooperating with us. Listen, I just hope

can find the maniac that killed Frank.

Please sit down.

You figured it was a maniac?

Well, I can tell you one thing.

He didn't have an enemy in the world.

He was a good man and a good Marine.

I never believed for one minute that Frank went AWOL.

I was on embassy duty over in Taipei when he disappeared.

When I got back, it just seemed there was nothing I could do.

Sergeant, we've determined that he never married.

Do you happen to know of any girlfriends?

Yeah, lots of them.

Had one special one.

Do you know her name?

Irene something or other.

Was she a local girl?

Yeah, Frank met her at a USO dance.

Yeah, he really flipped over.

Wrote me a whole letter about her.

Did she ever try to get in touch with you to find out what happened to her?

No, she didn't.

Didn't that seem a little odd?

Well, Frank wrote me that there was some other guy in the background.

She told Frank that she was trying to get away from the other guy.

You happen to know his name?

No. Know what he did?

He was a gambler or something like that.

Lou, can I see you a minute?

Excuse me.

Duquesne left San Jose in December 1957.

Went to Vegas and worked for the syndicate there as a collections boss

1960.

No police problems. The only time his name appears on the county books is a

record of a marriage on January 3rd, 1958 to a Miss Irene Devers of San Jose.

Five months later, the woman filed for divorce, uncontested.

The final papers were mailed to her care of general delivery in San Jose.

Could Duquesne have been that stupid?

How stupid?

And a man killed just because he was jealous.

Sergeant, could the girl's last name have been Devers?

Yes, sir. Devers, that's it.

All right, Sergeant, thanks very much.

If you should happen to think of anything else, we'd appreciate a call.

Yes, sir, and good luck to you. Thank you.

Inspector, they've just found two separate shell casings approximately 80

from the well, just off the highway.

Let's get him to the lab.

Send him off to the lab right away, please.

Five,

six, seven, eight. Come on, pay up. Pay up, Jesus.

Guy calls himself a fighter.

Calls himself a fighter. I got a grandma who hits harder than that.

Come on, come on. She's been dead for 10 years.

John?

Made any progress in finding the girl?

Yeah,

I talked to Spiros this morning in San Jose. He said he heard she was working

San Diego about four years ago.

Paul, there wasn't a word in the paper this morning.

I think it's a dead issue.

We ought to forget about the whole thing, huh?

Let's drop it.

One of my bookies thinks he's in business for himself.

I'll straighten him out.

I want you to take a plane out to San Diego.

Yes, sir, when?

Tonight.

Drop John off and roll on out to the airport.

Don't mention the trip, too.

She was working in San Diego, probably as a model. That's what she did before.

What?

All good. Put him on.

Hello, Lewis?

Yeah, Todd.

First of all, the shell casings you forwarded are .45 caliber ACP.

The lab compared the ejector marks and the firing pin indentations on both

casings. They were fired from the same weapon.

The marks are still clear enough for comparison tests.

That's a break.

Anything new out there?

Well, we keep chirping over the name of John Duquesne.

He was here in San Jose when Severance was killed, and later he was married

briefly to a girl Severance had been dating. We're trying to locate her now.

Uh -huh. Well, it seems to fit.

We subpoenaed the phone company records on Benton.

The day before he was killed, he made two long -distance phone calls to

Duquesne's office.

Sounds as though he was setting his price.

Maybe.

One last little item. We just may have found the gun.

Really? Where?

Would you mind repeating that, Art?

That's right.

In a police station.

In 1964, Benton had an argument with his wife and threatened to kill her.

The Durham police arrested him in a bar and took a .45 away from him. He picked

up 60 days in the county jail.

In the meantime, the Durham police sent the gun to the lab for comparison.

We determined it hadn't been used in any unsolved homicide, so we sent it back

to them.

And they retained the weapon until Benton's body was found.

Just a minute, Art.

Good reservations for the next plane.

Uh, Art, we may have something here.

Tom got the girl's 1958 address through the USO records.

Her former landlady got a letter from her in 1960 mentioning that she was

working at a place called Manton's Fashions in San Diego.

Well, well, well, welcome to God's country. When did you get in?

Just landed.

We don't see very much of you around here anymore.

What do you have?

Scotch Street.

Uh -huh.

Oh, Scotch Street.

You know, Joe, you're right. I should spend a lot more time out here.

Paul called me.

Yeah, he said he would.

He said we haven't got much of that time.

No. And we've got to move very quietly.

Be smooth.

Be quick.

But don't let Johnny Duquesne hear a word about this until Paul's ready to

him.

You people aren't going to get Johnny mad at me, are you, Rob?

Do you really have Paul mad at you?

I just took the fifth.

What progress so far?

I called some people I know in the garment business this morning.

One of them remembers a girl named Irene Devers who used to model for a company

called Manton's Fashions.

He ran into her a couple of years ago, but she changed her name to Irene Davis.

Sounds right. What happened to her?

She hasn't been around for a couple of years. His impression is that she saved

her money and bought some kind of small business.

He's talking to some models who must have worked with her.

very much. I owe you a case of champagne.

Take care.

How about that? She bought a bookstore.

Where?

You want it all on a platter? Well, it says someplace like Oceanside, San

Clemente, La Jolla. How long can it take?

There's nobody home.

All right, all right, quit the racket.

Hey, I hear you.

Yeah?

David Reitzman?

Why? I'm Inspector Erskine with the FBI. This is Special Agent Colby. So you're

the FBI?

Oh, come in, come on.

Come right in, General.

Make yourself at home.

I'll be right with you.

Uh, Mr. Iceman, I understand you were head of personnel for Manton Fashions in

1960. Manton Fashions? Oh, is Manton in trouble?

Well, say, I... Listen, I haven't been with Manton since 62.

Do you remember a girl who worked for you as a model in 1960?

We haven't told you her name yet, Mr. Reisman.

Listen, I never had a thing in the world to do with those kids. I never believed

in it. No.

This girl's name was Irene Devers, or Duquesne.

Why don't you tell me what she's accused me of?

They're all liars, you know, all of them.

She hasn't accused you of anything. We're just trying to locate her.

What for?

Do you know where she's living now?

Irene Devers.

No.

Oh, listen.

She quit math and before I did.

She had a little apartment over on 18th Street.

I heard.

I was never in it. That's never there.

Yes, of course.

Do you happen to know why she left?

No. Could you make a guess?

Well, I heard that she wanted to open a store of her own.

Books? I'm not sure.

Was that in San Diego?

Oh, no.

Somebody said that she wanted to raise her boy away from the city.

She had a son?

Oh, yeah. Johnny.

Four or five.

Don't quote me.

That should narrow it down some little.

Yeah.

Hang on.

Yeah, Inspector Erskine.

The fellow I was talking to, you name it, William Converse. Okay.

Yes, Bill.

Inspector, I just had a call from Langley at the firearms identification

Now, they did some comparison tests on the shells fired from the gun that

owned and the shell casings found at the scene of Severance's murder.

Now, as it turns out, the ejector markings and the firing pin indentations

identical.

Good. Thanks, Bill.

Oh, Bill, one more thing.

Yes, sir.

Who's the largest wholesale book distributor in town?

Well, there are several large ones.

I guess Far Western Publishing would be the logical place to start.

Far Western?

Yes, sir. They're on Cooper Street.

Thanks, Bill.

All right, Mr. Eisen.

Much obliged. You've been a big help.

Oh, say, any time.

Always tickled to death to cooperate with the FBI.

I'm sorry, Jim. What did you say?

I said I had a very nice lunch. I had a very nice lunch all by myself.

Sorry again.

Now, I know I haven't been in good company today, but I'll cheer up by

I don't know about that.

I know you think you're kidding me, Irene, but you aren't. Now, whatever it

whatever skeletons there are in the closet... The skeleton wasn't in the

Jim.

Well, whatever it is, it is in the past.

No.

Now, that's the thing. It isn't in the past. I tried.

I tried to put it all in the past, but it didn't work.

You can't tell me about it.

It wouldn't do any good.

But I... I guess I have to tell some people about it.

You know, Jim...

Week ago, I thought that I was home free.

I had you.

You and John get along so well.

Well, I... I have to let Edith get some lunch. Thanks for mine.

Don't give up.

You know me better than that.

You can have some lunch now.

All right.

Thank you.

Mom?

We straightened out the supply room and unpacked all the crates. Anything else

you want? No, that'll be fine, boys. Thank you. Okay, we're off.

Have fun.

But be back by five.

Orders. Always orders.

I'd like to speak to someone with the FBI.

That number is 297 -3361.

Yes, may I help you?

Hi, I'm looking for a fairly comprehensive travel guide to Mexico.

Mexico.

Memorize the number on the pad.

Call it later.

He got the FBI in San Diego.

Doesn't matter who he got, Paul.

Point is, she changed her mind.

If she hadn't changed her mind, I'd be sitting in an FBI office right now.

Changed her mind this afternoon.

Nothing to guarantee she won't change it again tonight.

She's all there is to hang you, John.

You saw the necessity for getting rid of Benton.

You must see that the woman has to go, too.

How's it gonna happen?

Ralph will handle it.

Nothing for you to worry about.

Yeah.

Is she married again?

Funny how things turned out.

I saw us with a house.

Family.

Son, maybe.

She took one look at that Vegas operation and... I knew I'd lost her.

She was out there, so... What's the matter?

Talk to you later, John. Wait a minute.

That ten years you talked about yesterday, about how well we know each

Well, that works both ways.

What are you holding on to me?

Leave it alone, John.

Let it lie. I wanted to let it lie yesterday.

You're the one that told Ralph to follow her and find her.

And what did he find out?

She has a son.

My son?

I don't know.

Well, does he look like me? I haven't seen him.

You tell Ralph to freeze in his tracks till I find out for sure.

What do you mean?

What are you talking about?

I'm gonna have Lonnie fly me out to the West Coast.

Are you crazy?

I'm trying to save your life.

Lonnie, meet me at the airport in an hour.

File a flight plan for San Diego.

That's what I said, an hour. Be there. Don't paint us into a corner, John.

Go off half -cocked like this, you'll end up more hurt than when you started.

What are you talking about?

He could be the Marines, son.

Yeah, he could be.

John?

I gotta find out.

One way or the other.

and see why they couldn't take the time to go through all these invoices.

No, but they seem perfectly willing for us to take a crack at it.

Could a bookstore get by down here without buying from Far Western?

Not very easily.

They get the bestsellers in fiction from the New York houses, but anything on a

regional history, they'd have to get from Far Western.

Bureau has an informant's report that Duquesne...

Gray and Ralph Morris attended the flights Tuesday night.

Afterwards, Gray dropped Duquesne off and drove Morris to the airport.

Now, the SAC has developed a definite identification of Morris as a passenger

for San Diego using an assumed name.

What about Duquesne himself?

The second report indicates he submitted a flight plan for San Diego.

You, uh... You check the files of the California Franchise Board.

Yes, sir. There's no listing of any business enterprise to an Irene Devers

Duquesne.

Tom, call the county courthouse.

Maybe she had her name changed.

How do we stand?

She hasn't shown up this morning.

An older woman opened the store. The boy came in about 40 minutes ago.

I'll be with you in a minute.

Yes, sir.

I was looking for Miss Davis. She was going to order a novel for me called

Pride's Inn.

Well, let me check it for you.

Do you know the author?

No, I don't. I think he's a local man.

Aren't you a little young to be working in a bookstore on a Saturday?

Well, I'm kind of helping out.

My mother isn't here today.

Sorry.

No pride's in.

It might be out of print.

Well, I tell you, I have to go back to New York tonight.

Miss Davis was going to try to contact the author.

You know where she is?

Well, she went to lunch on the K -5.

What's a K -5?

Well, it's a boat.

In slip A at the Deauville Marina.

Thank you.

See ya.

Yeah.

What do you think of the kid?

He looks like me, my old man, and my grandfather.

And Irene?

She'll be here in an hour.

No sense me hanging around. I'll go back to the motel. You can call me when she

shows up.

Yes, sir.

That's a funny thing.

When I was in earlier, the old lady didn't say anything like that.

She talked like Irene wouldn't be in all day.

Name is Davis. Legally changed 3 -11 -62.

Davis. Irene Davis.

Irene Davis.

March 23rd. Consignment of local travel guides. Marina Bookshop, La Jolla.

Yes, Mr. Paul.

It looks like he took the direct route to the marina.

Get the girl.

Go easy with John unless he forces your hand.

And you'll know what to do.

Yes, sir.

We'll wrap it all up for you.

Duquesne was in the store less than half an hour ago.

What about the boy? He's fine. He's inside.

She's at the Deauville Marina, slip A.

Yeah, I know where the place is. Good. Have the Coast Guard alert a patrol

I'll go in this car. Fine.

I feel better now.

Always have lunch after you swim. Never before.

That marvelous boat.

You know, I'm surprised your boss doesn't use it more.

He bought it a long time ago when he was thinking of getting married again.

What happened?

She married another man.

Maybe he'd sell it to us.

On an electrical engineer salary?

That is sort of a dream, isn't it?

Then again, there's nothing wrong with dreams, is there?

Nothing at all.

What's wrong with me?

Irene.

Gratefulness. There's so much I haven't told you, so much you've taken on faith.

You really haven't been hard to have faith in. But if I've lied to you about

some things, it's because I didn't want to involve you.

Wait a minute. Let's just settle for once and for all how much I'm involved.

Why don't we just go and get married as soon as we can get a license?

You want that still?

Yeah, very much.

On this, there's something I have to tell you.

Yesterday, after we had lunch, I started to make a phone call. A

customer came into the shop, and I put it off.

But eventually, I'm going to have to make it.

A phone call?

I guess the best place to start is still the beginning.

Irene!

Irene!

Listen, we haven't got much time. I've got to talk to you. Keep away from me.

Now, I got... Nothing to say to you. There's a contract out on you.

They're going to kill you.

Look, I'll take you to National City. I got a friend there. You can stay with

him until I figure out what to do. I mean, who is this?

My ex -husband.

I can't get the boy out of the store now.

Yeah, Johnny. You saw Johnny?

Yeah, I saw Johnny.

You didn't hurt him.

Hurt him?

Well, he's my son.

He is my son, isn't he?

Tell by just looking at it.

Yeah, I can tell.

Come on. Now, look, why should I believe you?

Now, you killed Frank Severance, didn't you? What difference does that make now?

I mean, after you left my apartment... Don't you understand? They're gonna kill

you!

Now, come on.

Wait a minute. Where are you taking her?

Look, I know you don't know what's going on, but if you want to help keep her

alive, you better go along with it.

What are you doing here? I told you to wait by the store.

I have to take over now, Mr. John.

I'm sorry.

Put your hands on her and I'll see you both dead.

You think I'd be doing this on my own?

The orders come from a lot higher than that.

Wittner, you take Mr. John to his car.

I won't be long.

You back on the boat.

And they both get it.

I expected Frank Severance to call that evening.

He didn't, but I wasn't particularly worried until the next morning.

Frank used to wait for me, take me to breakfast.

Not every morning, but still I... Well, I guess that I called

his commanding officer.

All right, Miss Davis, I think that's enough for one day.

We'll start again in the morning. In the meantime, you can have a look at the

transcripts, see what we've covered.

Oh, thank you, Inspector.

Uh, is my son here now?

Yes, he's right outside.

Is it true?

Is my father alive?

Ethel said that... Yes.

Yes, it's true.

He's the one who came into the store today?

Ethel said that... Yes.

Yes, he would like to talk to us.

Would you like that?

Well, sure.

I hear you're doing pretty good in school, huh?

The lowest I got was a C in spelling.

Well, I guess you come by that kind of natural. I never was very good at

spelling.

How you doing in sports?

Got a first in swimming, and our team won the relay.

You did a good job with him.

You did a real good job.

Based on findings of FBI laboratory examiners and investigative leads

by Irene Davis, FBI agents were able to directly link John Duquesne to the

murder of Marine Sergeant Frank Severance.

Duquesne was convicted of first degree murder and is now serving a life

sentence.