Original subtitles

This is the city— Los Angeles, California.

On Spring Street, you'll find the Pacific Coast Stock Exchange and the big banks.

You can borrow a million dollars on a few minutes' notice...

if your credit's good enough.

The people who make, or get, the million-dollar loans...

usually live a long way from their work,

many of them here in Bel-Air.

Hundred-thousand-dollar homes are commonplace here.

So are half-million-dollar estates.

The good life of Bel-Air attracts some of the

best lawyers, doctors, bankers and merchants.

It also attracts some of the best thieves.

That's where I come in. I carry a badge.

It was Wednesday, April 14. It was warm in Los Angeles.

We were working the day watch out of Burglary Division.

The boss is Captain Mack. My partner is Bill Gannon.

My name's Friday.

Fine jade is one of the world's most precious gems.

Imperial jade is one of the most scarce. Its value is almost limitless.

A jewel thief operating in the Bel-Air section of the city...

had stolen $200,000 worth of it.

We had to try and apprehend him.

The story you are about to see is true.

The names have been changed to protect the innocent.

Something wrong? I'm afraid so, Joe.

It's from the army. Well, how do you know?

I can read, Joe. It says right there "Department of the Army, Signal Corps."

No, I mean how do you know something's wrong?

Why else would they be writing to me? Why don't you open it and find out?

I'm almost afraid to. You know how some people get premonitions? I'm one of 'em.

Open it.

You got a knife or a letter opener?

That's no way to open a letter, Joe. Tears the envelope.

What's it say?

- Specky's dead. - Who?

Specky. Great old bird, Joe.

- He die in action? - No. Old age.

Sorry. Friend of yours, huh?

Not personally, no. But all of us in the Valley loft knew him.

He was a late hatch in 1954. Never trained a mile.

One of the fastest living birds alive, Joe. Now he's dead.

Right there in the mimeographed letter. Who are you talking about?

One of the greatest U.S. Army carrier pigeons ever to fly.

I didn't know you were interested in homing pigeons.

Ever since that squab deal fell through. You remember I was gonna raise 'em?

But it's too much work. I don't have the time to do it right.

So I went into homing pigeons. Oh, I see.

Got a great bird right now, Joe.

Kids and I took him 50 miles away, up to Lancaster. Turned him loose.

- Is that right? - That's what you do, you know.

You start 'em out on short flights. Work 'em up to longer ones.

- How long did it take your bird to get home? - We took him up to Lancaster about three weeks ago.

- Yeah. - He didn't take off right away.

Kind of walked around and...

pecked at the dry grass in this vacant lot up there.

- Uh-huh. - Then he hit the air.

Beautiful sight, Joe. Almost straight up. Then he headed dead west.

When did he get home?

Well, that was three weeks ago Sunday, and I figure him being a young bird...

Sort of like his first solo flight, you could say.

- He isn't back yet. - No, but we expect him anytime now.

Friday, pick up two.

This is Friday.

What's the location?

Yeah. The estimated loss?

Uh-huh. Have you called the lab yet?

Good. Let me have your D.R.

Right. I have it. Thanks, Lieutenant.

- That was Lieutenant Armstrong, West L.A. - Yeah?

House in Bel-Air was just hit. Jewel thief.

What'd he get?

Two hundred thousand dollars' worth of imperial jade.

10:42 a.m. Bill and I drove to the Bel-Air address.

For the past three weeks, a series of jewel thefts

had occurred in and around the Bel-Air section.

The burglar had been hitting during the daylight hours when no one at home.

We had put out a special bulletin asking to be notified...

of any jewel burglaries that fitted this M. O.

The reported loss was a sizable one,

and a great deal of time would be involved in the investigation,

so Lieutenant Grover Armstrong, commander of the West Los Angeles detectives,

had asked that Bill and I take the case over.

They certainly send enough of you people out on a case.

Yes, ma'am. This is my partner, Bill Gannon. My name's Friday.

Yes. You'll have to excuse me. I have to call the insurance company.

Then I'll be back to answer more of your

questions, and I suppose you have a thousand.

As though any of them will help me get my jade back, will they?

We'll try, Mrs. Graham. Yes.

Hi, Mac. Mac.

Sergeant, you know Frank Adams. Hello, Frank. Give us the story, Mac.

We got here at 9:35. Gardener came to work at 9:00.

Said he heard somebody running out the back door.

- A few minutes later, Mrs. Graham returned home. - From where? Do you know?

Charity breakfast. She discovered the burglary.

Says the safe contained $200,000 worth of imperial jade.

- Who's the insurance company? - National Jewelry Indemnity.

- Full coverage, she says. - What's the gardener's name?

Henry Morito. He's out in back. We'll take off now. Anything else you need?

No. Thanks, Mac. Adams.

Better get Latent Prints and a safe man out here right away.

I'll call Walmsley and Barr. Right.

Just look at this room. Whoever did it didn't have to make such a mess.

No, ma'am. We're gonna need a complete inventory of your losses.

- The insurance company has it. - We'll need it too.

Six pieces of fine imperial jade. You'll never find it.

- How's that, ma'am? - It's rare. It's priceless.

- It'll be on a plane today for Asia. - Is that right?

It's practically sacred there. There are Chinese and Japanese collectors...

who will give fortunes for a single piece of imperial.

Look at this. This is all I have left of my collection.

This one photo.

This little peach is priceless.

Yes, ma'am. Be all right if we keep this? It'll be returned after the investigation.

Yes, all right. Notice the rich green color.

It's the quality of the mineral that counts.

A photo simply doesn't do it justice.

Latent Prints and Ed Barr are on their way.

Believe me, I know jade, Sergeant. I was brought up in Hong Kong.

My father was a dealer, and I married a dealer.

- Where is your husband now, Mrs. Graham? - He's dead.

He was on a buying trip to Burma. Chartered a little plane, and it went down.

- Yes, ma'am. - I don't see what earthly good all these questions will do.

Anyone can see what happened. Yes, ma'am.

The robber cut a hole in the screen, opened the window, searched the room,

pried the hinges off the safe, took the jade and ran.

Whoever it was, finished up when the gardener came to work.

- Henry heard the thief leave, you know. - Is there anyone else in the household?

I have a maid, Mary Carstairs, but she had the day off.

- Is Wednesday her regular day off? - No. She asked for it.

Some sick relative or something like that.

- Would you happen to know where she went? - No, I have no idea.

Ask her. She'll be back tomorrow morning.

How many other people knew you had this jade collection, ma'am?

Everybody. Simply everybody. I entertain a great deal.

My club, the Benefit League. You know, the usual.

Everyone who comes here insists on seeing it.

You're not going to hound them, are you?

We're not gonna hound anyone, ma'am.

We're only interested in trying to get your

jade back for you and pick up whoever stole it.

Yes, well, I'd like as little publicity as possible.

- I certainly don't want any of my friends disturbed. - We'll try not to.

- I suppose this'll be all over the newspapers. - They won't get it from us.

Just make certain you don't disturb any of my friends over this dreadful situation.

Like I said, Mrs. Graham, we'll try not to.

I don't want them involved.

- Well, there's only one way they might be. - Yes?

If one of them stole your jade.

1 1:3 1 a.m. Officer Bill

Walmsley of the Scientific Investigation Division...

had begun trying to lift latent prints.

All members of the Graham household would be fingerprinted for elimination purposes.

Any remaining prints could be a clue to the burglary.

Sergeant Ed Barr, the Burglary Division's safe expert,

had finished his examination of the safe.

- This doesn't add, Joe. - What's that, Ed?

Dust guards have been pried or knocked off.

Only thing they're good for is to keep the hinges clean.

They don't have anything to do with breaking the safe open. Yeah.

Wasn't a knob knocker. No caps. No prying. No force of any kind.

- Then how was it opened? - Easiest thing in the world.

- Yeah? - Whoever opened it knew the combination.

12:1 7 p.m. Bill and I talked to Henry Morito, the gardener.

He told us that he had arrived at the Graham home at about 9:00 a.m.

He was positive of the time because he'd been listening to the radio in his truck.

When he arrived, he heard what sounded like someone

running out of the house and slamming a door.

But he had not seen anyone.

The screen where it's cut bends out, not in. Yeah.

If it was cut from the outside, the ends of the wire would bend in, wouldn't they?

Looks that way to me. And this window...

Once you cut the hole in the screen, you'd have to pry it open.

No jimmy marks. No pry marks.

This window was opened from the inside.

3:37 p.m. Bill and I drove back to the office.

John Benjamin, special agent for the National

Jewelry Indemnity Company, was waiting for us.

Benjamin was an ex-police officer and an old friend.

His company had insured the Graham jade.

Joe, it smells phony from beginning to end.

- You gonna deny the claim, John? - We can't without positive evidence.

An insurance company has to pay off on a loss. That's the contract we make.

The only out is proof that there wasn't any loss.

Here's a copy of what she had insured.

I didn't know any kind of jade ran this high.

Imperial does. You know her collection was insured for full value—200,000.

Who evaluated the collection before you issued the policy? Would you know?

Lin Fong, over in the Metropolitan

Building. He's the best expert on the coast.

There's no doubt about it. She had $200,000 worth of jade all right.

People I work for always take a dim view of paying off on a phony claim.

My bosses ain't gonna like this.

- Neither are ours, John, and there's a lot more of 'em. - Huh?

Last census, about three million.

4:30 p.m. The Metropolitan Building at 3 15 West Fifth...

is the jewelry manufacturing center for Los Angeles... and much of the world.

Every tenant deals in jewelry in some form or another.

You can order rings for a high school graduation class...

or diamonds for royalty.

Lin Fong was an old, established dealer with an established reputation.

Yes, of course. I knew the complete history of every piece.

Mr. Graham— The late Mr. Graham—

He consulted me before every purchase.

Not that we always agreed.

He was very headstrong, very emotional.

Now, uh, this dancing figure...

That's part of the Graham collection? Yes. I have photos of all the Graham pieces.

But this is nephrite. Definitely nephrite.

Then it's not jade?

Oh, yes. Jade.

The best jade, the treasures, the rich pieces,

true or imperial jade, are jadeite.

They can only come from Upper Burma or Tibet or the Yunnan Province of China.

- Yes, sir. - The relatively common nephrite,

which got its name from the Greek word for "kidney"...

because it was once worn for kidney diseases,

is found in Turkistan, New Zealand, Siberia, Poland.

You can even find it in Alaska.

I said to him, "My dear friend, even you can make a mistake."

He refused to listen. It has since been sold.

- By whom, Mr. Lin? - His wife.

She's disposed of most of the nephrite the last couple of years.

The rest of the collection was considered very good, wasn't it?

Exquisite. There are merchants in Hong Kong who would give a great deal for it.

- Is that so? - She has been selling it off, piece by piece.

I handled a few minor sales, but most of it has been going overseas.

Yes, sir. In fact, I was surprised when the insurance man called me today...

to say that she had reported this big theft.

- Is that right? - I didn't think she had any jade left.

Thursday, April 15, 9:35 a.m.

We ran a credit check on Mrs. Francine Graham.

It indicated her bank balance was low, and the Bel-Air home was heavily mortgaged.

Her only major asset had been the $200,000 worth of jade.

We questioned the maid, Mary Carstairs.

She said that the previous day, she had gone to the General Hospital...

to see her sister who was recuperating from a minor operation.

She said she didn't know anything about the

burglary until she returned to the Graham residence.

We asked her if she knew the combination to the safe.

She told us she did not.

No. No one but my husband and myself knew the combination to that safe. No one.

Are you sure it was locked? Absolutely.

Did you ever give the combination to your maid or your gardener or anyone else?

Instead of standing around here casting suspicion on my help and me,

why aren’t you out looking for the thief?

Gentlemen, there's a call from your office.

I'll take it, Joe.

Right this way, sir. Thank you.

- Sergeant, you realize you're hindering my insurance claim. - No, Mrs. Graham, we're not.

It's a sizable one. I've paid enormous premiums for years.

Sometimes these things can be difficult. I wouldn't want anything to delay it.

You also wouldn't want them to pay off on a dishonest claim, would you?

Naturally I want everybody to be sure. You insist I'm being dishonest!

No, ma'am. But there are a couple of unusual

circumstances surrounding the burglary.

- Is that so? - Yes, ma'am. And just like you, we want to be sure.

- Joe. - Excuse me, Mrs. Graham.

That was Walmsley, Latent Prints. Yeah.

He says to hustle back in. He's come up with something.

10:20 a.m. Bill and I drove back to the office...

and met with Bill Walmsley in S. I. D.

Remember the goldfish bowl in the room out there?

Well, that's where they were. Both sides.

Indicating that the bowl was moved, or at least picked up.

Yeah. Look here.

Beautiful set of prints.

Right and left. I checked 'em through.

Who do they belong to?

Small-time thief, name of Ben Martin.

10:35 a.m. Bill and I knew Ben Martin. We'd handled him before.

We drove out to his last known address.

He had checked out several days before. His landlady had no idea where he went.

We returned to the office and put out an A. P. B. on the suspect, Ben Martin.

1 1:47 a.m. We met with Captain Mack to review

what we had on the Graham jade burglary.

It doesn't add up for eight cents, does it?

No, sir. Martin's never been known to go in for the big-time stuff.

No safe jobs. Mostly rings, jewelry, clothing.

- Anything else missing from the house? - No, sir.

- You figure Martin was scared off? - That's the way it looks.

- Well, one thing's sure. - What's that?

Martin was in that house before we were. Maybe he knows something that we don't.

- Yes, sir. - Find him and ask him.

Monday, April 19, 9:37 a.m.

Four days went by. Bill and I checked with our informants...

to try and dig up a lead as to the whereabouts of Ben Martin.

We had no luck.

10:40 a.m. John Benjamin, the special agent for the insurance company,

said he wanted to talk to us.

You haven't turned him yet, huh? No so far.

I just had a meeting with my boss.

He's instructed our people to start settling the Graham claim.

Naturally if it's legit, we want to pay off. But, Joe, I just don't think it is.

Friday, take four.

This is Friday.

Yeah, Brown. Where?

Good. We'll be right here.

Yeah. Thanks, Guy.

That was Van Nuys. They just collared Martin. They're bringing him right down.

1 1:32 a.m. The suspect, Ben Martin, was brought downtown...

by Van Nuys Detective Sergeant Brown and his partner, C. T. Zumell.

We advised him of his constitutional rights.

You understand it? Sure do. Don't mean nothin' to me. What do you wanna know?

- Talk to us, Ben. - Which job?

How many have you pulled since you got out of "Q"?

I've been doin' pretty good, Gannon. Till today.

Eleven jobs, one dud. That's the one we're interested in.

The Graham place? Why? I didn't get a thing.

Didn't you? You know I didn't.

I just picked the wrong day. That crummy gardener.

- Tell us about it. - What's to tell? I get inside,

just start to prowl the place, and he shows up.

Figured maybe he might have a key. You know, like

they sometimes do to get inside and water the plants.

- So I blew. - You didn't take anything along with you?

Like what? I seen the safe. What good would that do me?

I can't bust no safe. No way.

Ben, did you ever hear of imperial jade?

I heard of jade.

Now, I want you to level with us, Ben. Did

you walk off with any from the Graham house?

Not me, Sergeant! No way! I ain't never heard of that imperial stuff.

I wouldn't even know what it looks like. So how could I heist any?

Maybe you got some good advice?

From who? I don't know one Swedish person.

What's that got to do with it?

That's where it comes from, ain't it? Switzerland?

You made a pretty good mess out of that room, didn't you?

Look, I keep telling you, and I'm leveling, I didn't touch nothin'.

- You touched the goldfish. - Well, all right. But that's all.

I walked outta the place empty. That's the truth.

I mean, you know me. One thing: I don't lie to you.

Yeah? You and Friday here sent me up twice.

You know me. I don't even operate at night.

Only daytimes 'cause it's only second-degree.

I don't even carry no tools. I'm small-time.

Yeah, well, maybe you figure you're ready for the big time.

No, sir. Not me. I just ain't smart enough.

Is that right?

- In the last four months, I've pulled 11 jobs, right? - If you say so.

I pull all them jobs, and I walk off with a pretty fair haul each time.

- You don't grab me for one of 'em. - Yeah.

I just walk through a house in Bel-Air, and you put the arm on me.

12:34 p.m. Bill and I drove

out to Bel-Air to see Mrs. Francine Graham.

We picked up the man who entered your house Wednesday morning, Mrs. Graham.

- Then you got my jade back. - No, ma'am.

Then it was as I told you. He shipped it out of the country.

- No, ma'am. He didn't do anything with it. He didn't take it. - Of course he did. He's lying to you!

We've handled this man before, Mrs. Graham. We've sent him to prison twice.

He doesn't operate in rare items like imperial jade.

- He does now. - Afraid not, Mrs. Graham.

This is a small-time burglar, and they don't change their way of operating.

He didn't take your jade, unless someone gave him the combination to your safe.

- Maybe someone did. - You told us you were the only one that had that combination.

- Maybe he got it somehow. - Not unless you gave it to him.

- You know better than to say a thing like that, Sergeant. - Do I?

Perhaps I should telephone my attorney. You

seem to be accusing me of taking my own jade.

- That's entirely up to you, ma'am. - You really believe that, don't you?

What we believe doesn't matter. All we know is $200,000 worth of jade is missing.

We know that someone who knew the combination to that safe took the jade.

And you'd like me to say that I did and make your job easier for you.

Help you close a case you can't solve. Isn't that what you want?

- We want the truth, Mrs. Graham. - Really?

Then why don't you insist that man you picked up

tell you where he got the combination to my safe?

- Because we don't think he ever got it. - Then how did he get into my safe?

He didn't.

- Sergeant— - Yes, ma'am?

When my husband died, he left no personal insurance of any kind.

He had it all in his jade collection. That was covered, but nothing else.

He'd borrowed against the mortgage on this house, against my insurance, everything.

Oh, he had a good business, but when he passed away, everything went.

- Everything except his collection. - Yes, ma'am.

I tried to make ends meet. I sold some of the pieces.

I thought for a while, I might be able to work it out.

Then it just seemed that bills mounted up, and there was no money to cover them.

Then when the gardener reported to me what

had happened Wednesday, I decided to do it.

- Yes, ma'am, go on. - I decided to use that man being in my house as an excuse for a robbery.

It seemed like such a perfect series of coincidental events.

The man breaking in. My maid asking for the day off.

Yes, ma'am. I cut the hole in the screen,

fiddled with the safe, mussed up the room and called you people.

- Where is the jade, Mrs. Graham? - Sold. All of it.

Over six months now. I had to sell it off piece by piece.

- I just had to have the money. - Who did you sell it to?

This man from Hong Kong. A man my husband bought some pieces from.

He would come to the house, bring the cash and pick up the jade.

You have no idea what it was like...

trying to keep the house and my car,

the good things that I'd grown used to having most of my life.

- Yes, ma'am. - And my friends, the clubs, the women's leagues.

Some of the money the jade brought I gave to charity, Sergeant.

Yes, ma'am. A great deal more than you might imagine.

My charities are important to me.

The pride of being able to give so much to them.

Almost $100,000 in the last nine months.

Yes, ma'am. We'll have to ask you to come downtown with us, Mrs. Graham.

- I understand. Sergeant, tell me— - Yes, ma'am?

Do you think I really did wrong? I mean, after all, it was my jade.

Mrs. Graham, you were trying to collect insurance on a fraudulent claim.

- I don't think I ever would have taken that check. - Is that right?

Not when it came right down to it.

I don't believe I ever would have taken it.

Well, we'll never really know, will we?

The story you have just seen is true.

The names were changed to protect the innocent.

On November 1, trial was held...

in Department 187,

Superior Court of the State of California,

in and for the County of Los Angeles.

In a moment, the results of that trial.

The suspect was found guilty on seven counts of burglary in the second degree.

Each count of burglary in the second degree...

is punishable by imprisonment in the county jail not exceeding one year...

or in the state prison for not less than one year or more than 15 years.

The attorney for Francine Graham wrote to the insurance company...

withdrawing her claim for the jade that was insured.

The company decided not to prosecute.

Mrs. Graham has since moved to another city.