Original subtitles

Barnaby Jones, starring Buddy Ebsen, also starring Lee

Meriwether, with guest stars Claude Akins, Neva

Patterson, Lou Frizzell, Dabs

Greer, James Luisi.

Tonight's episode, Murder Go Round.

I'd really like to know what's going on in this town.

I asked that real estate woman just some plain questions, and she practically

throws me out of her office.

Why?

And on top of all that, somebody points a rifle at me, that big shot rancher.

What's his name?

Ryle. Eli Ryle, not what's his name.

I caught him tramping around on my property, trespassing.

I told you who I was, Eli.

Nicky Gorman's the name.

And I also told you, Eli, I was up here to meet my friend Johnny Arthur.

Well, he didn't show up, did he?

Spake's waiting for you, Eli.

Spake?

He's the one who told me that the boating concession is closed for the

I don't like it. Well, I know different.

How does he know different? How?

Hi, Mr. Johnson.

They all here?

Not Mr. Flory yet.

Well, the four big shots in the town have made it plain enough that they

want me around, and now something very mysterious happens to my car.

Isn't that right, Mr. Flory?

Not mysterious at all.

We discovered what it was.

Manifold and carburetor both.

Wait, wait.

Now, you tell me one thing, your mechanic tells me something else. Now,

all the stalling about?

Mr. Gorman, I expect a call very shortly that it's ready.

And you can be on your way. On my way, yes, sure.

Then you better watch out, all of you.

I've been asking the sheriff a lot of questions.

No answers.

But I know damn well something fishy's going on around here.

Hey, listen!

The only thing I can't figure out is if they all want me out of here so badly,

how come all of a sudden my car goes on the blink? Mr. Gorman, nobody's trying

to keep you here in Parker Junction.

You're just upset because your friend Johnny Arthur didn't show up for that

hunting and fishing you planned.

You're just upset.

come to this we agreed

Why me?

I never thought I'd get in this thing.

Now what's that all about?

The town council.

Listen, your car's ready now.

I didn't hear the phone ring.

I called the garage in there.

Now listen, I want to know what's going on in there.

Mr. Gorman, pick up your car and leave town.

Go on.

Listen, Mr. Jones.

Like I said, all I know is Nick was going to... Well, he said he was going

meet Johnny Arthur.

He's an old friend.

Some place in Northern California called Parker Junction.

Oh, yes, I know where that is.

Well, Nick said he was going to come back with $5 ,000. Maybe even more,

that's how he put it.

Well...

The twins need clothes.

The rent's almost four months overdue.

All the other bills piled up, too.

So naturally, when I asked him about it, he said, don't worry, honey, I tried

not to.

Now he's dead.

I'm sorry, Mrs. Gorman, this must be very difficult for you.

Thank you. Mr. Jones, the reason I'm here is... Why hasn't Johnny Arthur been

touch? Nick went up there to meet him, and Johnny hasn't even called him. What

happened to the money that he and Nick went there to get?

Are you convinced your husband left Parker Junction with money?

That's why he went up there.

You're thinking he might have been followed and killed for it, aren't you?

Betty learned the investigation business from my son, Hal.

What is it Hal always said, Betty?

Oh, he always said that you always said, look for the obvious.

Right.

Mr. Jones, I need help.

Would you look into it for me?

I can't pay much, but... Yeah, well,

we'll work that out.

This is Johnny Arthur.

When's the last time you heard from him?

Six weeks, maybe even longer than that.

The night Nick called, he said Johnny hadn't even showed up at Parker

Maybe he never did.

I'm worried about him, too.

All right, Mrs. Gorman, we have your number, and we'll be in touch with you.

Thank you.

I'll show you out.

Now, don't worry.

Everything's going to be fine.

Bye -bye.

Barnaby, what if it was a hit -and -run accident?

What if there wasn't any money?

What if there was?

I want you to dig up back issues of newspapers from Parker Junction and

there. How far back?

Six, seven weeks.

Any story that smells like quick money.

And get a full report on the hit -and -run accident.

And I'll call you from Parker Junction.

What do you really hope to find up there?

A lake.

What?

I never did get a chance to try out that new fishing rod you gave me. There's a

lake right out of town there.

One other thing.

The driver who ran down Gorman might have enough insurance to cover a death

benefit for the widow of the victim.

If you find him.

Confidence, Betty?

Confidence?

Yeah, it's me. What do you want?

Are we alone?

Yes, we're alone. What do you want?

Well, you know, when you had me gimmick that fellow's car to stall down the

road,

well, I've been thinking $500 is just not enough.

I mean, ten times $500 is more like it.

$500 is plenty.

No way, Mr. Flory.

I have to get back to the store, Russ.

I'll talk to you about it later.

Well, you'd better

Oh, hi.

You Mr. Flory?

No, sir. I'm the mechanic.

Mr. Flory around?

No, sir. He's up the street. He also owns the general store.

Oh.

My, my.

He also owns that.

Don't tell me a new car needs repair already.

No, no. He just likes to keep it out of the sun.

He'll get over it.

I only got it a month.

How can I help you?

Yes, I'm Barnaby Jones, and I'm going to be in town a day or so, and I'd like to

have my car lubed and tuned if you think it needs it. It was knocking pretty bad

coming up the mountain.

Look at him, Mr. Jones.

I'll be back in a little while.

Oh, you happen to know who in town is in charge of issuing fishing license

renewals? Mr. Flory does that, too.

Who else?

Yes, sir?

Mr. Flory?

Yes.

I'm told you're the man to see about getting a fishing license. Mm -hmm.

Barnaby Jones.

Mr. Jones, if you're here to do some fishing, you might find it a bit late in

the season.

I wonder if the trout know that.

Good point. They might not.

I see for occupation you were put on retired.

Yes, I got a lot of time on my hands now.

Time to see things and notice things I never noticed before.

I was always in too much of a hurry.

For instance, I noticed that you're wearing a new suit.

That's nice.

And that fancy car parked over in the garage, that's yours, isn't it?

Uh -huh.

You know, new things have a way of bragging.

Look, I... Oh, nothing personal.

Say, do you know a place in town that would put me up for a night or two?

Clover House, up the corner.

That'll be three dollars.

That's black.

That's a duplicate of the fishing license Flory sold him.

Well, a man could be here for just a little innocent fishing. Not this late

the season.

Check on that.

Find out exactly who he is.

Not who or what he seems to be?

There'll be a meeting in the town council.

Barnaby, I checked back two months on news from good old Parker Junction. I am

now a fountain of information on 16 marriages who gave what parties football

scores. But Barnaby, there were no truck heists, bank robberies, kidnappings,

nothing. Not even one wife beating.

I'm sorry, I guess that isn't much help.

You guessed. It isn't.

Do you want me to do anything else?

Yeah.

Get a hold of our client, Mrs. Gorman.

And find out all you can about Nick's friend Johnny Arthur.

That's the one that's been missing six, seven weeks.

I already did that.

Nick and Johnny Arthur were in the service together, paratroopers.

They were buddy -buddies, hell -raisers, and that's about it.

Listen, I'm going up to Sacramento this afternoon to get a full report from the

state police on the hit -and -run accident.

I'll tell the answering service to pick up, okay?

Check in at the Star Bright Motel up there. I'll call you. All right. Hey, be

careful. All I'm going to do is a little fishing.

Hey!

Is there something I could do for you?

Mr. Spade?

Yeah, but I'm afraid we're closed for the season.

Oh, that's a pity.

Man has a good business there.

Bunch of new boats.

Turning away customers.

Well, we couldn't let the boats go out and win like this.

Anyway, the fact is I am closed for the season. I just happened to be driving by

and I saw you. I thought I'd tell you.

I used to run a place like this once.

Long time ago.

I got a brand new ride just begging to be used.

Do any harm if I fish off the end of your dock here?

Well, I will need some bait. I used two hooks, salmon eggs on one and

cheese on the other. Get remarkable results.

No, Mr. Jones, I don't... Did I mention my name?

Oh, I must have, or you wouldn't have known it.

Honey, you introduce yourself and you forget you did it.

You itch up there?

No, just habit.

Well, they do say that massaging the scalp stimulates hair growth.

How about it?

Hmm? Gotta go fishing.

All right, Mr. Jones, I'll sell you the bait.

I appreciate that.

Is there something I can do for you?

The door was open, so I came in.

Yes, I see you did.

I've been looking at your map.

Oh, are you interested in some property?

Maybe. I was noticing this parcel here, about 250 acres.

The Eli Ryle Ranch, 242.

That's not on the market.

Oh, I see you got a red pin stuck in it, and unless I'm wrong, that means that

it's for sale.

Oh, my, did I forget to remove that?

Well, you sold it.

No.

Mr. Ryle simply changed his mind about selling.

I hope you don't mind, but I've been looking through your book of listings.

Oh, and you knew it was Mr. Ryle's ranch.

Well, it says so right here in the book.

This is a little out of date, too, because it says that it's for sale.

When I saw that, I wanted to take a look at it on your map.

That's a pretty big first mortgage, isn't it?

He paid it off.

He pay off the second, too?

Well... Oh, yeah, of course. He would have to pay off the second before he

off the first.

Sounds like he came into some money.

Did he?

Why are you asking these questions?

Well, I'm interested in the price of real estate up here.

Now, look here, Mr. Jones. Would you like some fish?

No, thank you.

That's a shame.

Hate to see him go to waste.

I throw him back in the lake, but I think it's a little late for that.

You expect to be staying around here very long, Mr. Jones?

Well, I may not mind just how long I'm going to stay around here.

Thank you very much for your kindness, ma 'am.

I just admired your car.

And those private license plates.

I always wanted to get some of those.

But my daughter -in -law, who worries a lot about me and keeps books, keeps

pointing out that we could use the $25 for a better thing.

Real nice.

New?

A few weeks.

Real nice.

Hello, Mr. Flory.

I didn't see you.

No, I guess not.

I was looking for your mechanic.

Russ quit yesterday afternoon.

Just like that?

Well, it's off -season, not much business.

It's hard to keep a regular mechanic this time of year.

And I guess I won't be able to find him.

I mean, to fix my car.

No, I'm afraid you won't.

That's odd.

When I was here yesterday, he didn't say a word about quitting.

Well, that's the way it goes. They get a notion in their heads and off they go.

I wonder what kind of a notion it was.

You might as well take your car.

Yeah, I guess so.

I thought I'd have a look at the real estate up here.

real estate in particular?

Well, I thought I'd have a talk with Mr. Ryle.

He seems to do real well with his place.

You're trespassing.

You don't have to shoot me, Mr. Ryle. I'll come along peaceable.

What are you doing on my property?

Well, I heard it was for sale. I couldn't raise anybody at the house, so

thought I'd just look around.

Well, the ranch is no longer for sale.

Oh, everything for sale at the right price.

Why don't you just get the hell out of here?

You always this friendly?

To trespassers, yes. That's exactly how friendly I am.

Well, in that case, a fella could get himself killed just walking around on

242 acres, especially if he was a stranger.

Is your boy Mr. Ryle?

Yeah.

Oh, Barnaby Jones. What's your name?

Eddie. Hi, Eddie. Very happy to make your acquaintance. You're kind of late,

isn't it? What time is it?

Oh, quarter to four.

Oh, it'll be dark in no time.

Sorry to bother you, Mr. Rowe.

Come here.

I said come here.

Give me that watch.

I told you to get rid of all the gear, everything.

You want to advertise to the whole world that we buried a hijacker here?

Mr. Jones ain't the whole world.

No, he ain't the whole world.

But do you know what we got to do to Mr. Jones now?

Do you?

We have to kill him.

I had a chance at him in the garage, but...

Didn't work out. You're crazy, all of you. I agree. We can't kill every

passing through Parker Junction. B, he knows.

Oh, calm down, Eli. How does he know? I caught him trapping all over my

property. I'm sure he was looking for the grave. Mr. Jones was interested in

your property. I told him it was no longer for sale, but maybe he just

have a look at it anyway.

Try this on, then.

He saw my kid wearing the hijacker's watch.

He what?

Oh, my Lord.

I know, I know. I told that kid not to take anything, but he did.

And that's the giveaway. Everybody knows that hijacker bailed out 100 miles from

here. That watch is something you could have picked up for the boy at an Army

and Navy store.

Barnaby Jones may not suspect anything. He's right.

Now we're jumping in our own shadows. We've got to get control of ourselves.

We're suspicious of everybody. That's not good.

Why didn't you three leave me alone?

You wouldn't be in this if you'd have left me alone.

Nobody would have known I had it except you saw me bury the body.

What right did you have to be on my land, trespassing?

And all your questions about how was I able to pay off the first and second

mortgages.

And you told him, B, you had to tell him.

And then you guessed where the money came from.

A million dollars in unmarked bills.

And you moved in on me.

Blackmailed me for your share.

Eli.

Your share of my money.

Calm down.

Greed got into this.

Filthy gut greed.

No one would have suspected me.

And now look where we are.

Gorman is dead.

Where does it all end?

It can end here and now, but not with the murder of a man who may very well be

up here on a fishing trip and nothing more.

Well, it may be just a little more than a fishing trip.

I ran that check on Jones.

Who is he?

He's a private detective.

Oh, hi, Sheriff.

Say, it just occurred to me that I probably should have laid my cards on

table when I first got here.

I'm a private detective, and I'm working on a case.

Is that so?

Well, I'd be interested to know who hired you. The wife of a man named Nick

Gorman.

The hit -and -run victim?

Yes. Uh, Ms. Gorman got a copy of the police report of the accident, but it

didn't satisfy her, so she asked me to look into it.

Well, it's very tragic, Mr. Jones, but there's nothing to look into, really. I

received an eyewitness report that a Cadillac struck and killed Nick Gorman.

Coffee?

No, thanks.

Who was that eyewitness?

Eli Ryle.

He has a ranch nearby.

Oh, yeah.

He's the man that drives the Jeep.

Yeah, I met him today.

Did he get the license number? No.

No, I'm afraid not. That car was really traveling. I took out after it, but I

had too much of a head start.

I reported all that to the state police.

Oh, that sounds pretty thorough.

I guess that kind of wraps it up.

Of course, Mrs.

Gorman seems to think that her husband was carrying a wad of money.

I didn't find any.

Could be pure conjecture.

You know how wives are and what husbands tell them to keep them happy.

You mind if I tell you a little professional secret?

Sure.

Taking on this case was just an excuse for me to get a little fishing in.

Did you hear that?

I suppose you believed him.

Well, you people don't believe anybody.

That's right.

We got a check on every outsider coming in here, and he's smart enough to know

that.

Identified himself to throw you off.

Well, he didn't throw me off.

And you four aren't putting me off another day.

Sheriff wants his cut of the money.

Yeah.

Well, how long do you expect me to stand by for a string of homicides?

Hit and run or any other kind? You'll get your money. You bet.

I'll see to it, Sheriff. I'll see you get it.

You'll see to it?

You people make me sick. A private detective gets here and you have sudden

riches showing all over town.

He's not an idiot.

I don't know which one of you got the X this time, and I don't want to know.

But whoever it is.

A coroner reports that when Gorman was hit, his body made violent contact with

vehicle. A Cadillac.

Well, Mr. Jones, there's now a serious question about that.

There was glass from a headlight all over the road, and the lab's been

the pieces together.

Some of them as tiny as slivers, so it's quite a job.

It might not be a Cadillac headlight, huh?

We don't know yet.

But we suspect it's too big for a Cadillac.

A car like that has double headlights.

And the glass covering each is approximately six inches in diameter.

The headlight now being reconstructed in the lab is considerably larger.

Really? A single headlight with a dual beam.

The kind used on smaller vehicles such as compacts, Jeeps, on that order.

I see.

So we'll know more about it once it's all pasted together.

But the sheriff in Barger Junction said that the hit -and -run vehicle was a

Cadillac.

Well, he probably really didn't see it himself and took somebody's word for it.

These accident witnesses are wrong half the time.

Still, that's no excuse. Hit and run is a serious felony.

Right.

Well, thank you very much. You're welcome.

Say hello to your father -in -law for me. I'll do that.

Bye -bye. Bye -bye.

Good afternoon, Mr. Jones. Good afternoon, ma 'am.

Just Molly.

Everyone calls me Molly.

Have a nice day.

Oh, boy.

What's the matter?

My car.

You know, it's a funny thing, but, uh... You know Russ, the mechanic down at the

garage? Uh -huh.

He's gonna do some work on it, and he just disappeared.

Now, why would he do a thing like that?

He isn't like Russ.

I sure wish I knew where he lived.

Oh, Russ owns a house here in town.

I sure would like to see him.

I need work done on my car that just won't wait.

Well, why don't you just run on over to his house and talk about it? He lives at

the corner of Orchard and Market, a little house with pillars on the porch.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Hello. Evening, gentlemen.

What is it, a town council meeting?

Hello, Mr. Jones.

Beer?

What are they going to have, a glass of milk?

Yes, sir. A shot of whiskey in it or a double?

Straight. Straight milk?

Well, Mr. Flory, looks like I'm going to have my car fixed after all. I don't

know who's going to do it.

Your mechanic, Russ.

I told you, Russ Lee took off for parts unknown.

Well, that may very well be.

But it does seem strange.

Why would a healthy young man leave town without taking all his things with him?

Clothes, skis, picture of his mother.

Not to mention that house of his.

Seemed to me he'd want to sell that before he went anywhere.

No use, Mr. Spake.

What's no use?

You're never going to grow hair up there.

Yes, sir. Looks like Russ is still around.

He's going to be working bright and early in the morning.

Of course he will.

What were you doing at Russ's place?

Well, I had a full notion I could get my car fixed tonight.

There's nothing wrong with your car.

Did Russ tell you that?

Yeah.

Well, that's good.

Spike, are you going to play?

Too bad.

Well, it's getting a little toward my bedtime.

Mountain air sure makes you sleep good.

What are you?

Fifteen cents.

Keep the change.

Thank you, sir.

He tried the same thing with me.

Wanted more than 500, I gave him a lot more.

Ten times 500, but I didn't kill him. I suppose tomorrow your kid will have a

wristwatch on the other arm.

You shut up.

What are you going to do about Jones? You're the one that got the axe.

Tomorrow morning.

My direction's okay?

Well, let's just say I'm here.

What's going on?

Well, when I called you in Sacramento last night, you told me that the hit

-and -run car that killed Nicky Gorman was not a Cadillac. Yeah.

Well, they think it's some sort of compact or Jeep, maybe.

Well, yesterday, I saw a Jeep with what looked like a brand -new headlight. At

least the other one was all spattered with mud.

Are you saying you know the identity of the driver of the hit -and -run

accident? It wasn't an accident.

He was murdered.

I'd say so.

Betty, there is new money around here.

A man named Flory, a real estate woman, both driving big, expensive, new cars.

There's a rancher with a great big mortgage, all paid off.

New boats on the lake.

New money. It sort of... Sticks out a bit.

Yep. Yeah.

You know, Betty, I could put this all together. If you had told me there'd

a bank robbery or a stick -up of an armored car... There's nothing.

I dug all the way from the hijacking at Redding to the truck heist in Seattle.

It's just nothing.

Hijacking?

You remember that? The sky pirate who bailed out with a million dollars 100

miles from here. They never found him. The FBI found him. Does anybody remember

his name?

I don't think he ever gave it out. Betty, you remember something else you

me?

Nick Gorman and Johnny Arthur were both paratroopers.

Oh.

Nick probably masterminded it for Johnny Arthur.

He had a survival kit stashed in the woods.

The phone would lay low for six weeks until the big search firm was over.

At which time Nick was going to meet him here at Parker Junction. Nick showed

up, asked for him by another name, but described him so perfectly that somebody

panicked. Somebody who'd already found the million -dollar ransom.

Found Johnny Arthur along with it and murdered him. Took his life, his money,

and his watch.

And when Nick...

Again, does it affect what had happened? They had to kill him, too. It's murder

go around, Betty. And once it starts, it's hard to stop. That young mechanic

the garage, he caught on. He's missing. He's probably dead, too.

Are you all right?

No, I'm scared. It's silly.

Let's get out of here.

No, your car.

Let's hope he's watching mine.

Well, what do we do now?

What I'm going to do is have a talk with them.

A talk after what just happened?

There's no proof against the killer of Nicky Gorman that would warrant making

arrest.

Well, then what can you do?

I must have stirred them up pretty good last night in the tavern.

Now I'm betting that they're going to call a panic meeting and I'm going to be

there.

Barnaby. My guess is that the Skyjack Seeker is among the four of them.

Five, counting the sheriff.

Nobody else in town knows.

And they're not fools enough to raise a hand to me in front of citizens who may

turn out to be witnesses later on.

What witnesses?

You'll find some. That Molly that runs a hotel up there. Get anybody you can.

That's the reason I brought you up here.

Pardon me, what good is a confrontation with them when you just... There's no

proof.

Here they come.

It's a meeting of the Klan, all right.

Andy Spake coming in.

Israel's chief.

John Flory coming up.

And dear B. Johnson.

Full cast.

Well, time for me to go to the party.

Barnaby.

How about you two?

I couldn't help it. I shouldn't have left anything to do.

Speak. I've got a message for you.

A message for me?

State police are on the way over.

Pick up that Jeep you were driving the day you killed Nicky Gorman.

No, not me. I wasn't driving. It's Ryle's Jeep.

Doesn't make any difference. You were driving it. I wasn't driving it. I

Of course you were driving.

Left headlight shattered on impact.

Pieces of glass in Gorman's body. They'll match up.

Mr. Jones, don't you hear me? I swear I... You're doing exactly what he wants.

It's murder, Spake.

What about him?

Oh, I know. Mr.

Ryle killed that hijacker that Gorman came up here to meet. I didn't kill

anybody.

Where are you going?

You buried him on your property.

Buried everything he had with him except his watch.

You crazy fool! That's how he knows!

Do something! Will you do something?

You buried the mechanic, Russ Lee, there too, didn't you?

Hijackers are a menace to the world.

Russ was a blackmailer.

Oh, dear God, Ryle!

Well, he knows, doesn't he?

They'll be digging up the graves. Shut up, Ryle! Just shut up!

Look, Mr. Jones, you've got to believe me.

When I found that suitcase full of money, I was going to turn it all in,

was going to lose my ranch.

I needed the money.

I waited my whole life for a chance like that.

And then they moved in on me.

Are you insane? Be quiet!

Now, that's enough.

You four are under arrest.

Well, Sheriff, that took a lot of gall, since you're a part of

it.

And particularly... since

we have an audience.

Come on out. See for yourself.

They heard every word.

The whole confession.

All the squabbling about who killed who.

Oh, Mr. Flory, if you're thinking of going out the back door, it won't do any

good.

Why don't you join us?

How you doing? Fine.

Did you catch anything?

Not a nibble. Oh, that's too bad. Want some lunch? Yeah, don't mind if I do.

Well?

You were right.

Eli Roth did carry liability insurance, which means that Helena Gorman stands to

collect about $20 ,000, and we stand to collect the little fee.

Did you call her?

Of course I did.

Right after a judge formally charged all those involved.

Including the sheriff?

Yep.

And that means there is no lawman in Parker Junction.

And they asked me if you'd like to temporarily take over the job, you might

able to get in some nice fishing the next couple days.

Before the fish quit for the season.

Here we go.

Here we are.

Hey, forget about the sandwich.

I got a better lunch coming.