Original subtitles

What you got there, Haley?

Get your hands off.

Not till we're sure.

Where'd he go?

Huh?

The guy that gave you the bottle.

I don't know.

Try down there.

♪♪

- Mr. Mannix? - That's right.

I'm Jane Haley. I'm sorry, I know I should have phoned for an appointment.

No bother at all. Please come in.

Thank you.

This is my secretary Peggy Fair, Miss Haley.

- How do you do? - Hello, Miss Haley.

- Would you like some coffee? - No, thank you.

Please sit down.

Now what can I do for you?

It's about my brother, Mr. Mannix. He's missing.

- Have you gone to the police? - No.

Well, they have a department that spends all of its time locating missing people

and it's free.

Yes, I know.

But my brother is an alcoholic

and I'd rather have it handled privately.

I see.

Have you any idea where he might be?

I don't think he's left Los Angeles.

Do you have a photograph of him?

Not a recent one

and doesn't look at all the way he used to.

But he's 36, blue eyes,

about 5'11" with sandy brown hair.

Has he ever disappeared before?

Yes. Once before. A few months ago.

Where'd you find him then?

On skid row.

He phoned me from a mission just off Main Street

and asked me to come and get him.

Well, since then he hasn't had a drink, until two weeks ago.

I got home from work,

there was an empty bottle on the floor and he was gone.

All right, Miss Haley,

I'll see what I can do.

Thank you very much, Mr. Mannix.

- Miss Haley. - Yes.

For openers, maybe you'd better tell me his name.

Frank Haley? Never heard of him.

But that don't mean a thing down here.

On skid row, who goes by his right name?

Well, ask around, will you, Kony?

Sure. If I see anybody like the guy you describe, I'll call you, hey, Joe.

Yeah. Thanks, Kony.

Hey, I don't see you no more at the wrestling.

Well, I kinda lost interest when the actors took over.

Yeah.

I guess I was the last of the real ones, huh, Joe?

You sure were, Kony.

Well, do you know him?

Look, it's important.

Haley. Sure, I know him.

Where is he?

- What's it worth? - 20 bucks.

- Pay off first. - Short, fat, redhead?

- That's him. - Nice try.

It's worth a buck.

You know Haley? Frank Haley?

You gave him a buck.

Nope. I don't know nobody named Haley, either.

Hey, Joe, I just got a call.

The Blue Mirror Bar. Three blocks on your right.

- A rat hole. He's there. - Thanks, Kony.

Frank Haley?

Sorry, friend, wrong number.

Your sister's worried about you. She'd like to see you.

I don't have a sister.

If you'll come with me, I'll drive you there.

That's 79 cents a bottle, and you owe it.

I'll take care of it.

Look, maybe I didn't come on strong enough.

Your sister is very worried.

You mean the sister I don't have?

That's right.

Hey, you really hang in there, don't you?

Yeah, I'm a real tiger.

It won't do any good, but I'll go see her.

Well, it's a start anyway.

I better

wash this off me.

My sister, she's very particular.

There you are. Keep the change.

There's nothing back there but a door to the alley.

That's the glass Haley was using at the Blue Mirror Bar.

I went back and got it.

Why would anyone want to harm a broken-down wino?

That depends on what he was before he broke down.

Now, Peggy, on your way home, would you drop that off for a fingerprint check?

All right. You okay, Joe?

I mean a bump on the head like that, you could have a possible concussion.

I'm okay. Would you get Jane Haley on the phone for me?

The number's on the pad. It's an answering service.

There's a couple of questions I want to ask her.

I called earlier today, but she hadn't checked in.

Jane Haley, please. Mr. Mannix calling.

Are you sure?

Well, could we have her home number? It's very important.

I see.

Thank you very much.

She started her answering service yesterday

and called in about 10 minutes ago to cancel it.

They don't have her home number or address.

Something tells me I've been used as a bird dog to find Haley

for the guys who clobbered me.

The fingerprints match those on the wine glass.

- Is that the man, Joe? - Yeah, that's him.

And the only thing about him that hasn't changed are his fingerprints.

- Except maybe his name. - Who is he?

Did you ever hear of Eric Latimer?

Latimer? The writer?

"Worldwide" magazine. Crime exposes.

Yeah, I remember. He drowned a couple of years ago.

- What's the connection? - Haley is Eric Latimer.

What?

Mistakes happen, Joe.

The Coast Guard found his catamaran upside down off the west tip of Catalina.

He was in it when he left Marina Del Rey.

He was reported lost at sea.

Looks like it might have been a snap judgment.

Yeah, I remember his stories.

Named a lot of names. Must have made a lot of enemies.

If Latimer is alive and in hiding,

I want to know why.

You know, Art, my bump of curiosity

is a little bigger than usual.

How about letting me follow through on my own for a couple of days?

What's going on, Joe?

Just two days, Art.

One day. By the clock.

And, Joe,

maybe you'd better wear a helmet.

"Eighty-five percent of all of the money collected

on this nationwide charity drive stuck to the callused fingers

of the man who promoted it."

After this article came out, the I.R.S. went after them.

Latimer really flushed a lot of baddies out of the woodwork, didn't he?

Yeah, I'm sure every one of them wanted to see him dead.

He must have faked drowning

so that whoever was after him would think he was dead.

Where do you start? You can't check them all out, Joe.

Yeah. Wait a minute.

Maybe there is somebody who can give us a lead.

- Who? - Watch.

That's the same photographer.

Right.

All right, lift your head up. Great mark.

Oh, yes, I want to get close.

Beautiful. Okay now, swing around.

Keep going.

Terrific.

Spin, yes, marvelous!

Hold that up again, great!

Marvelous, keep going.

Turn around, throw your head back.

All right, lift your head up.

Keep going.

Throw your head around to me.

Over the shoulder.

Oh, great! Marvelous!

That's beautiful, Chris.

Okay, dress, Chris, I've got to reload.

Miss Westcott?

- Thanks a lot, Westy. - Okay, Chris.

- I'll see you same time tomorrow. - Okay, love.

- Bye-bye. - Bye-bye.

Mr. Mannix, I didn't give you

my right name because...

Go on. It must be on the tip of your tongue.

Frank Haley's a very dear old friend of mine and I wanted to help him get back

- on his feet. - Sorry, Miss Westcott.

Nice try. But I know Frank Haley is Eric Latimer.

Well, you have been busy.

Lost at sea two years ago. Why?

Well, he doesn't want anyone to know he's alive.

Because he's an alcoholic.

And because he's landed in the gutter. Now that much was true.

And I want to help him

and that's why I came to you.

Then why did you scrub the phone number you gave me?

Because he called me from out of town last night, but he wouldn't say where he was.

Why didn't you call me?

He made me promise.

Well, when an alcoholic doesn't want to be helped,

you can't help him.

And I thought it over

and I decided to stop trying.

So I've sent you a check in the mail for your services, Mr. Mannix.

Miss Westcott.

I got worked over by two goons in a dark alley.

What?

Did he tell you that when he called?

No, he didn't.

I don't like being worked over by a couple of goons in an alley.

So I'm gonna find out exactly what's going on.

Those two men... They were after Eric?

That's my guess.

If they find him again, I don't think he'll have to play dead anymore.

Do you have any idea who they are?

No. I was hoping maybe you did.

Mr. Mannix, I have a deadline to meet, but I do want to help.

Could I call you later?

We could have a drink and maybe I can think of something.

- All right, I'll be at my office. - Okay.

I heard what you told him, Westy.

I want you to promise me you're not going to call him later.

Eric, why didn't you tell me about those two men?

What's the difference? I know you'd read something else into it.

You start to worry and the truth of it is they mistook me for somebody else.

Somebody's found out you're alive and they trying to kill you.

Now that's the truth, isn't it?

- No, it isn't. - Then why are you here?

Well, I just found myself short of funds, Westy.

And I came up here to negotiate a small loan.

Eric, what are you running away from?

Do you want me to stop drinking?

Do I have to answer that?

There's this place,

it's near San Francisco. It's a farm.

New kind of drunk cure.

You work the fields, you earn your keep.

The air is clean.

It's worth a try.

Stake me, Westy?

Come on, Westy, come on.

Just enough to buy some clothes

and just get up there, that's all.

That's all I want.

Eric, I wish I could believe you.

Believe me.

Where is this place, Eric?

It's near San Francisco. I'll call you as soon as I get up there.

Okay.

I'll give you the money.

Here.

Eric.

I'm gonna make it this time, Westy.

I'm gonna make it.

Here you are, Miss.

Gate 57. Boarding in five minutes.

South Eastern Airways

flight 152 now arriving at gate 14.

Your destination, sir?

Sir, do you have your ticket?

Is there something I can help you with, sir?

No, no.

Flight 73 from Cheyenne will be arriving

in 30 minutes at gate 3.

He had a reservation for San Francisco,

but he cashed it in at L.A. International.

I should have known better.

Let's go back a couple of years.

Anybody ever threaten him that you know of?

No. I knew something was troubling him,

but he wouldn't tell me what it was.

That was about the time he started drinking heavily

and then one day...

Lost at sea.

Where did he actually lose himself?

He told me he was here in Los Angeles the whole time,

but that doesn't seem possible.

Well, skid row is full of missing people who never get found.

How long after he was supposed to have been drowned

did you hear from him?

Well, it was about three weeks ago.

Eric phoned me and said he was calling from New York.

A friend needed $50 in a hurry,

and he asked me to send it to a Frank Haley,

care of General Delivery, Terminal Annex,

Los Angeles.

Go on.

Well, I mailed the money.

And?

And the next morning I went to the Terminal Annex

and waited near the General Delivery window.

And Eric Latimer showed up asking if there was any mail for Frank Haley.

That's right.

He told me to wait a couple of minutes. He had a phone call to make

and then he didn't come back.

Please, Mr. Mannix, you've got to find him.

Before those men do.

Haley's in big trouble,

and Mannix here is gonna help him.

So get out there and start looking.

Whoever finds him, come to me and it's worth 50 bucks.

Make that a hundred, Kony.

You hear that?

100 bucks.

Well, what are you waiting for?

And if I hear one of you that found him and didn't tell me,

that guy I squash like a bug.

Now get!

Hello.

Joe. Kony.

You got something for me, Kony?

Yeah. A guy called Brock spotted him.

Says he's in bad shape. Better get to him fast.

Eric! Eric!

Eric! Eric! Eric!

Doc, how is he?

All right for the time being. He's sleeping.

I'll keep you informed.

Wait. Dr. Brendan, when may I see him?

Not for 48 hours. That's the rule. I'm sorry.

Doctor, it's very important that I talk to him as soon as possible.

Well, I think you should know that his condition is critical.

Of course, when he leaves here he'll be bright eyed and bushy-tailed,

but one more bout like the last one and that's it.

He's had it.

You see, some alcoholics can keep going for years,

but not him.

His system won't tolerate any more alcohol.

He's reached the edge of the cliff,

and he'll be there for the rest of his life.

One binge and over he goes.

I'm telling you this so that you know what to expect.

False hopes won't help.

Nor lectures or pleading or anything else.

What about Antabuse?

Well, when you're on Antabuse, if you drink, you get violently ill.

So you don't drink. He'll be on it.

Whether or not he stays on it will be up to him.

Thank you and goodbye, Doctor.

Well, Doc,

I'd appreciate it if this didn't get around.

- We specialize in silence. - Thank you.

Well, there's one thing we can do to help him.

- What? - Find out who's after him.

Take him off the rack. Relieve the pressure.

Well, how do we do that?

What was Eric working on just before he disappeared?

An article about Ollie Packer.

Ollie Packer. The man who had everything,

including a pearl handled pistol, which he killed himself with.

Yeah, that was just a day or two before Eric disappeared.

Yeah, there could be a connection there.

How? The suicide had nothing to do with Eric.

Do you know anything about the material Eric dug up on Packer?

No. No, he hadn't started writing the article yet.

But he had me take some candid shots at a party at Ollie Packer's.

They're at my studio back in town. Would they help?

Let's go see.

- Are you all right? - Yeah, just empty-handed.

There were two of them. One was waiting down below in a car.

Where are those pictures you took at Packer's house?

They're right here.

The pictures are gone.

- What about the negatives? - They were in here, too.

Well, I guess that explains why they came.

That takes care of that.

- Maybe not. - What do you mean?

The proof sheets... I sent them to the magazine, and they keep everything.

There's Ollie Packer. He's the one on the left.

Let's take a closer look at that.

How long was this taken before he committed suicide?

Four or five days.

- Who's the one on the right? - That's Philip Crane.

There's a better picture of him.

There.

He was Packer's vice president in charge of investments.

He's in charge of everything now.

It was Philip Crane who found Packer's body and phoned the police.

Westy, I want a blowup of that shot right there.

The waiter?

Who is he?

I don't know yet, but he sure stopped waiting.

Great Pacific Insurance Company. What's all this about, Mr. Mannix?

Ollie Packer's suicide.

Well, I don't understand.

I told the police everything I knew when it happened.

As a matter of fact, I was the one that called them.

Yes, I know, that's why I'm here. I like firsthand information.

Oh, is it a question of the policy?

Well, that's a confidential matter. However, if you'd rather not talk about it.

No, no, no. Please sit down.

Thank you.

Now what is it you want to know?

Everything that happened that day.

Well, Ollie had been acting strangely for the last two or three days.

He was very upset. Very nervous.

Called me over to his home to discuss a business deal.

At one point, I, I went into another room to get some papers from his files.

I heard a shot. I went running back into the living room.

And there he was sprawled across a table.

He was still alive.

How long did he live?

Just a few seconds.

Did he say anything?

He tried to, but no.

So I called the police.

Nobody else in the house?

No, it was the servants' day off.

You know, talking about it like this kind of brings it back, doesn't it?

What sort of business deal were you discussing?

Oh, just routine.

Acquisition of a small factory.

Stereo components and such.

Mr. Crane...

Do you know this man?

Yes, I believe he served drinks at a party Mr. Packer gave.

Do you know his name?

Ernest.

His last name?

I'm sorry, Mr. Mannix, we were never formally introduced.

Of course.

And you never saw him but at that one party?

That's right.

He probably came from a catering service.

If you like, I can check Mr. Packer's files and call you.

- Thank you. - Not at all, Mr. Mannix.

Now.

Hello, Eric.

Oh, well, well, the knight in shining armor that saved me from the dragons.

Look, Mannix, let me give you a little word of advice.

You just stay out of this, huh?

You forget,

I'm a tiger.

I don't want Westy involved.

She's already involved.

Her studio was broken into.

Those pictures she took at Ollie Packer's home,

they were stolen.

Why?

I don't know.

Oh, come on, Latimer. What's behind all of this?

Were you a witness to something? A murder, maybe?

I figured that'd be question number one.

What are you running from?

I'm running from myself.

Care to flesh that out a bit?

Or would you rather wait till they get at you through Westy?

I was on the take, Mannix.

I sold out.

To Ollie Packer?

Yeah.

Packer Enterprises has a...

Has a beautiful front.

I found out most of the money

was coming from a minor subsidiary.

I got behind it and I started to dig.

It's a moving and storage company.

You know what they're moving?

They're moving dope.

And you told Packer?

Oh yeah, yeah, I told him.

I told him.

Look, Mr. Packer, I don't write anything unless I can back it up.

All you have to do is prove to me you didn't

know your vans were being used to ship drugs

and I'll make that clear in my article.

What do you get paid for an article like this, Latimer?

I get paid enough to take care of the rent and pay the bills.

Wait a minute, wait a minute.

Don't forget your attaché case.

That isn't mine.

Of course it is.

So is everything inside.

Have you ever seen $100,000

in small bills, Mannix?

I mean there was nothing, nothing over $20.

It's quite a sight.

A fantastic sight.

And then suddenly it occurred to me that when I was looking at that money

and what I was getting paid as a writer

was just peanuts.

You know what I did? I took the money

and I went home.

And I counted it.

I counted it. I counted every single dollar.

And I spent the rest of the night just thinking how I was going to spend it.

Did you tell Westy?

No.

No.

When you decide to live with the infidels,

you don't tell a fellow crusader like Westy.

It was my conscience started to act up on me

and I started to look over my shoulder wherever I went.

I couldn't eat and I couldn't sleep,

and if you're a drinking man...

You get drunk and you stay drunk.

And if that doesn't do the trick, you get religion

and you decide to re-enlist with the Crusaders.

I called Packer to tell him I was bringing the money back.

That I couldn't live with it.

I saw Ollie Packer slumped across the table, a gun in his hand.

And Philip Crane came into the room.

I don't think he saw me.

I turned into a crossroad.

They overshot it.

And I lost them.

I knew they'd catch up with me sooner or later.

Maybe even Westy if they found me with her.

So I decided it'd be a good idea if I got lost at sea.

It seemed like a glamorous way out.

Did you get a look at the man that took a shot at you?

No, but I know why he shot at me.

That gives you something to work on.

Why did he shoot at you?

Packer killed himself because he knew I was going to expose him

and his whole operation, in the magazine.

The men that came after me worked for him and maybe they wanted to even the score

or maybe they were involved in what I had on Packer.

It's that time again, Mr. Haley.

Yeah, wards off evil spirits.

You take a drink after one of these,

worse than the spiders.

Well, there must be an appropriate toast.

Well, how about "To Westy"?

I'll drink to that.

No, I don't know where Haley is. I told you a hundred times I don't know.

Sure you do, Brock. It'll come to you.

No hurry. We got plenty of time.

And plenty of wine, too.

I can't stand it. I gotta have a drink.

I'm a sick man. I'm a sick man. I've gotta have a drink.

Sure.

But first you gotta pay for it.

Now you tell us where he is.

I can't.

Kony would kill me.

Kony won't know.

They took him away in an ambulance.

- Took him where? - One of them drying out places.

Sure.

The Brendan Sanitarium.

Down the hatch, Pal.

That's it, Joe. Scene of the crime.

Only one arm was on the table.

The other was dangling down with the pistol on the floor?

- Are you sure? - Absolutely.

If he shot himself, that's where his arm would fall.

What are you looking for, Joe?

I found what I'm looking for, Art. Murder.

Does Eric Latimer have something to do with this?

Well, he was supposed to be the second victim, but he didn't even know why.

They're still after him.

The only way to stop it

is to find our friend Ernest here and his pal.

Well, I went to the movies that night.

And on my way back through the parking lot,

this guy came out of the Blue Mirror.

He asked me for a light and then he clipped me.

When a guy swings at me, I swing back.

And who was the guy who ran up and clipped me?

Search me.

You saw us fighting, tried to stop it

and then you hauled off on him and he clobbered you.

Well, I see you found Ernest.

Now will you tell me what this is all about?

Like I told you before, it's about Ollie Packer's death.

I told you everything I knew.

Same as I told you, Lieutenant, the day it happened.

Mr. Mannix doesn't think you're telling the truth.

I didn't say anything, Mr. Crane.

I thought you didn't know Mr. Crane.

Yeah.

Well, his name came back to me when I saw him come in the door.

From the party.

I see.

Now you made a couple of wrong moves, Mr. Crane.

He's one of them. Using a guy who can't stand heat under questioning.

The other wrong move was not leaving that attaché case in Packer's entrance hall

where the police might find it.

You see, I've got a witness who knows Eric Latimer left it there.

What attaché case?

Latimer arrived at the wrong time, didn't he?

Just as you were running in to rearrange his arm

and make it look like suicide instead of a

murder committed by one of your errand boys.

You saw Latimer, but you didn't know how much he saw.

So you sent your boys out to get him but they missed.

Well, I've got him. Eric Latimer is my witness.

Latimer? I thought he drowned.

No, no, no. He came back to life and he walked across the water right

to skid row where you and your pal found him and messed it up again.

You know, Mr. Crane, if you want to do a job right, you gotta do it yourself.

I didn't find anybody.

Yeah, well maybe that'll come back to you too once you see him.

I could have Latimer here in one hour, Art.

Yeah. No formal charges have been filed, Mr. Crane.

So I have no right to hold you.

I'll be glad to wait, Lieutenant.

I mean if, if Mr. Latimer's alive he can only confirm what I've already told you.

You a freshman here?

Hey, you know a guy here named Haley?

No, why?

He got a call when I was being checked in.

Girlfriend of his was in an auto accident.

He'll never hear about it.

What was her name?

I don't know.

But she was hurt bad. Wanted him to come to the hospital.

And they don't even tell him.

Some joint.

What hospital was it?

Hey, what are you getting so excited about?

What was the name of the hospital?

County General.

Hey, are you Haley?

I gotta get to a phone.

They won't even let you call for the right time.

- I gotta get out of here. - Hey! Guards.

You'll never make it to the front door.

But there's a window down in the basement.

They don't know the lock doesn't hold.

You got a car?

No, they brought me here. I don't got a car.

You can use mine.

I gotta get out of here.

Just help me get out of here.

Don't forget. The door to the basement's in the hall

outside the kitchen.

Here.

It's a light blue sedan.

Hey. Hey, pal.

You better make sure you get past the first bar.

You're right.

Thanks a lot, huh?

Dr. Escobar, admitting desk, please.

Dr. Escobar, admitting desk, please.

How's he doing?

He's not gonna make it?

On the edge.

Well, we picked up the guy that slipped him the pill.

His story was a beaut. He says somebody knocked him out and stole his car keys.

And we got an assist from Ernest. You were right. He couldn't stand the heat.

- He copped out. - What did he say?

He says Crane hired him and this other guy Rennick

to kill Ollie Packer so Crane could take over his empire, drugs and all.

Then Crane saw Latimer and he sent his two hatchet men to get him.

Ernest says it was Rennick that did the shooting.

Naturally.

I think we've got the case made. I left Crane screaming for his lawyer.

Miss Westcott.

If we'd gotten him a few minutes later, he wouldn't have made it.

He's a lot tougher than he looks.

Well, it's over. Nothing more to worry about from now on.

Except for one thing.

What's that?

The first time they give me an alcohol rub,

I hope I don't make a grab for the bottle.

I'll see you two later, huh?

Mannix, thanks for everything.