Original subtitles

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Who is he?

Never saw him before, Mannix?

That's a reasonable deduction, Sergeant.

Name was O'Farrell.

Michael J.

Don't know him.

Released from state prison a week ago.

Second-term paperhanger.

May he rest in peace.

Okay, Sergeant, now let's have it.

Why did you drag me down here to the morgue

on a busy morning?

Well, we found this in his coat pocket.

He had your name and number there.

Sorry.

I got no call from a Mr. O'Farrell.

Well, I guess it couldn't have been very important.

Sorry to bother you.

Had to check it out... That's all.

What's this "B.C."?

Before Collision, maybe.

He was killed in a hit-and-run last night.

You sure it's hit-run?

Well, there's nobody mad at him that we know of.

You, uh, have any idea

why he might have wanted me?

Forget it, Mannix!

The guy was nothing.

Maybe that's why I'm curious.

I guess that'll be all for now, Mrs. O'Farrell.

Mr. Mannix can't help us any.

Well, of course not!

What did you expect?

Well... I'll get a car to drive you home now.

And here, if you want...

Couple more things from his pockets.

A few trading stamps, couple of gas station coupons,

and a chance on a new cabin cruiser.

No sweepstakes ticket?

I was so sure he was going to use the grocery money yesterday

to buy a sweepstakes ticket.

Well...

we'll be in touch the minute we get a line on the car.

Thank you.

Mrs. O'Farrell, uh, do you have any idea

why your husband might have wanted to call me?

Well, naturally, naturally I do.

You were going to help him find the pot of gold at the end

of the rainbow.

Oh, Sergeant, I'll drive

Mrs. O'Farrell home for you.

Fine.

Why? I don't know anything.

Of course, I could tell you that

the last time my husband came home from prison,

he had the most beautiful scheme

for gold mining.

He just didn't know

that his cellmate salted the mine.

And of course, by then he'd already sold our car

to buy the mining equipment.

Luck of the Irish.

Oh, my husband, Mr. Mannix,

he was a one-man potato famine.

And then, uh, there was the time that, uh,

he was going to let the chief of police himself in

on some new kind of a patent for a siren

that was going to make us all rich.

And then, uh, there was a time that the...

What you mean, Mrs. O'Farrell,

is you think I should just forget about it.

What I mean is,

the last time he came home from prison,

he knew better than to tell me why he was so excited.

Maybe it had something to do with his cellmate...

I don't know.

No.

Whatever his latest little moonbeam was,

I can only guarantee you it was worthless.

And as for calling you, Mr. Mannix,

he could no more have afforded

to pay for five minutes of your time

than I can.

Any of those yours?

Just three.

My husband, Mr. Mannix,

was nothing but a writer of bad checks.

Even if he did write most of them at Christmas time.

Mommy, where have you been?

The television's broken.

I'm coming, sweetheart.

And yes, Mr. Mannix.

If you don't forget him right now,

then you are almost as big a fool as I am.

Thank you.

And good-bye.

What sort of a case you on?

Well, I'd just like to see O'Farrell's last cellmate,

that's all.

Al Charnik.

They were pretty close buddies, I guess.

Ever since Charnik came in here two years ago.

Uh... worthless hood... armed robbery.

Oh, look, you don't have to bother with the file.

I'd just like to talk to him for a few minutes, if it's all right.

He won't tell you much.

Tough?

Dead.

Been dead for nearly three weeks now.

What happened?

Oh, Charnik was a troublemaker.

Did a lot of beefing.

And somebody in the yard shut him up

with a kitchen knife.

Three weeks, huh?

O'Farrell was here then.

Did he have anything to do with it?

No, no. I told you. Buddies.

O'Farrell was with him in the hospital when he died.

Well...

I guess that's the end of the rainbow.

Wait a minute.

Uh, does that thing have the next of kin?

Mm-hmm.

Charnik had a wife once.

I remember that.

Pretty.

Name of Betsy.

Betsy Charnik?

That's right.

Betsy Charnik.

Once married to Al Charnik.

Yeah, where she lives, where she works,

what she's doing... anything you can turn up.

Look, Sarge, as a special favor.

So, call me back in a hurry, huh?

All right, I'll tell him.

Tell me what?

He thinks that I deserve a raise.

As soon as your coffee gets better.

You made that pot.

As soon as my coffee gets better.

What's the big deal with Betsy Charnik?

I think she may have some answers to our little charade.

Boy, we're really coming up in the world.

You're working for no money,

a client that's dead

and to solve a problem that maybe never happened.

Peggy, uh, do you ever buy any sweepstakes tickets?

It's illegal.

How many?

Two... three maybe this year.

Why?

Well, everybody believes that lightning can strike once.

Exactly.

And I've got a hunch our client thought his particular bolt

might strike in time for Christmas.

What's Christmas got to do with it?

You've got a kid, haven't you, Peggy?

So?

Well, figure it out.

He had a family.

Two girls and a boy.

And you think maybe if it works out,

they wind up with something under the tree.

Maybe.

You'd look nice in a white beard.

Mr. Mannix's office.

Yes, Sarge, what'd you find out?

Uh-huh.

Mm-hmm.

Uh-huh.

Uh-huh.

Right.

The raise?

Not yet.

But it's perking.

She's working as a programmer at Atlas Computing Services

under her maiden name... Betsy Carroll.

B.C.

She didn't have to change her match covers.

Most girls aren't that lucky.

Yes, sure, that's me.

It's one of mine.

Can you tell me how O'Farrell got that?

Talk to your sergeant.

He called me this morning.

I've already explained.

Mr. O'Farrell picked that up off my desk

yesterday afternoon

to light a cigar... that's all.

Mrs. Charnik, uh,

I'm a private investigator.

My name is Mannix.

The name on the inside of the match cover.

I'm sorry, Mr. Mannix.

I just don't know anything about it.

I used to work in a place like this.

By any chance, did the sergeant tell you that O'Farrell is dead?

Yes, but you see,

the only time I ever saw him was for just about a minute,

over there by my desk.

He said he came to pay his respects

about my husband, but...

I think he really wanted to borrow money.

Then he started talking in that loud voice

about prison and-and his poor old cellmate Al...

So, you got rid of him,

and, uh, now you'd like me to get lost, too, huh?

Well, it's not as though

you were the police coming to bother me again,

but don't you see?

I don't run with people like that anymore.

I never did really.

It was just one stupid

child marriage to a man

who raced jalopies and blondes

while I was in night school.

I found out.

I wasn't even living with Al

when he started holding up liquor stores

and got sent to prison.

I mean, I'm sorry, but...

Look, Mrs. Charnik, uh,

suddenly, there are too many people coming up dead.

Somebody killed your ex-husband, and then, uh, his prison mate

gets murdered, too.

Gets what?!

Why don't I explain later?

It's almost 6:00.

How about dinner?

Oh. No.

Uh, I have a date with a girlfriend.

Come on now. You can call her.

Mr. Mannix, I don't know anything that can help you.

What is it you're looking for, anyway?

Looking for a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

How about it?

I live out in Malibu Canyon.

Well, that's beautiful.

I know a great spot right on the ocean.

All right. Follow me home, and I'll change.

I'll meet you in the parking lot.

15 minutes? Ten.

Just a minute.

I'm going to put my car in the garage.

All right. Hold it.

What's the matter?

You hear that?

Oh, sure.

It's tree toads.

Don't drop.

Who was it?

I don't know, but obviously,

he wanted to put you on a dead list, too.

Me?

Yeah.

And maybe we're off to the races now.

What's that?

An Irish Sweepstakes ticket.

Mr. Mannix's office.

Mannix, where on earth have you been?

I tried to wait for you to call before I locked up the office,

but Toby's supper is half an hour late.

Get a what?

A baby-sitter?!

I'm sorry, Peggy, but we've got work to do.

Get a hold of one of those friends

of yours in gun registry.

I want to know the owner of a .38 revolver number 883-784.

Yeah, right away.

Who knows?

It may registered to the guy that just used it on me.

Mannix? Yeah? Hold it, Peggy.

Yeah, what's the matter?

That man came to rob me.

The side window's forced open.

He wasn't just here to steal, Betsy.

Well, what did he want?

I mean, why shoot at me?

We probably just surprised him breaking in, and...

Betsy, I want you to go in and pack a bag.

I'm taking you back to town

where you'll be safe.

Oh, one other thing.

Uh, Peggy, I need a TV repair man, fast.

And the biggest and huskiest you can find.

You say he's come to fix my TV? Oh, no, he's not!

I've only just got the kids to sit down to their supper.

Oh, well, Mervin likes kids. Don't you, Mervin?

And he'll also help with the dishes.

Sure, you don't have to tell 'em I'm really a bodyguard, ma'am.

A what?

Why?

Why? Did the police find something?

Mrs. O'Farrell, I don't know why yet.

I don't even know why your husband was trying

to get in touch with me.

And I don't know what his cellmate may have told him

while he was dying in a prison hospital.

Well, if that don't beat the rebels!

So now he's got you pipe dreaming, too?

Yeah, maybe.

But Mervin stays here until I do find the answers.

Oh, and, uh, don't worry about his bill.

I'll take care of it.

Now even from beyond the grave,

that no-good husband of mine

has made himself a new sucker!

Oh, Mr. Mannix, I...?

Mrs. O'Farrell, now, it's going to be all right.

Don't worry.

I really can fix the TV, ma'am.

Joe, why does she need protection?

I mean, what if you're being an alarmist about all this?

Betsy, suppose your husband was murdered in prison

to keep him quiet about something?

And suppose O'Farrell was killed for the same reason?

Oh, that's just supposing.

And suppose you'd been killed by that guy

at your house tonight

because you were Al Charnik's wife,

and because O'Farrell came to see you.

Oh.

Uh, well, yeah, but...

that means someone thinks I know something.

Hmm. And I don't!

Well, it would mean someone's been watching all the time.

Maybe lots of people.

Maybe right now.

Exactly.

So, what do you want to bet?

What?

That the, uh, color at the end of the rainbow is green.

In five minutes,

I'll have been off duty for an hour.

I won't need that five minutes, Sarge.

I think I just found him.

Fred Minelli... a real pro.

Why don't you whistle?

Strong arm.

That's right.

He's worked for some big ones.

There's no warrant on him, though.

So, now what, Mannix?

You going to prefer charges?

You going to tell me where you tangled with this bird?

I might... if you can get me a rundown on the receipt

for this sweepstakes ticket that fell out of his pocket.

Look, you know the trouble we had with tracing these.

Against the law, so there's nothing but a number on them.

You can check the agents

who sell them a lot faster than I can.

Might take several days.

What if I told you that you'll find

that sweepstakes ticket was sold to O'Farrell?

That still wouldn't prove

that O'Farrell's death was anything but hit-and-run.

Well, you haven't found the car that hit him yet, have you?

So what?

And we also know that O'Farrell's cellmate

was murdered in prison.

That still doesn't say anything.

Here, look at this dope on Charnik.

He was peanuts, too.

A small-time hoodlum.

So, who are you doing all this for?

Just the widows and orphans fund?

Maybe.

Armed robbery, liquor store, March 17.

That's St. Patrick's Day.

Yeah?

Yeah, hold a minute.

It's for you.

Hello.

I just got a call back on that revolver.

Right. It was bought in 1964

by a gun fancier named Haskins.

Who?

Jug Haskins.

Yeah, yeah, that's all I'll need, Peggy.

Yeah, and tell Betsy I'm going to win that bet.

Hey, Sarge,

did this hood I tangled with ever have anything

to do with a guy named Jug Haskins?

Might have. So?

Well, wasn't Haskins a suspect

in the Harrison heist about two years ago?

Who wasn't?

St. Patrick.

Thanks for the trouble, Sarge.

Oh, I'd like to see the boss. Yeah?

Who'd like to see him?

Some other time, Mannix.

I think we'd better talk.

Sorry, Mr. Haskins.

It's okay, Max.

I'm a very busy man, baby.

You want to meet the girls?

Relax and enjoy yourself.

Okay, after we talk about this.

Oh, I think this belongs to you.

Okay, inside.

You tell her to repeat. She's lousy.

Put some action into it!

You know what?

This is the same model

some no-good punk stole from me once.

Guy's name was Fred. Yeah, I figured.

I haven't seen Fred in, oh, six months.

Where'd you find it?

What's the difference?

Let's talk about the Harrison heist.

Mannix, the day after

the Harrison Bank and Trust Company was heisted

two years ago, I was hauled in without a warrant.

And you know, at first I was flattered.

That was a pretty fancy job.

They had organization, planning,

a slick getaway.

But then when the cops couldn't even hang a part of it on me,

the insurance boys stepped in.

And then the Treasury, and then the FBI.

Oh, yeah,

I was rousted around pretty good for a whole year.

Okay, so you know more about the case than anybody else.

That's why I'm here.

Well, so, why me again?

Why don't you go to the horse's mouth?

Sure, go to Harrison itself.

There's some bright punk named Spencer.

He's the big wheel now.

No, no. Not until we can collect the reward.

Now, there's $6 million in cash and securities

floating around loose some place, right?

Never been found.

Now you listen to me, Haskins.

Two years ago, a hood named Charnik went

to prison for holding up a liquor store, pleaded guilty.

Charnik?

Go on.

On St. Patrick's Day.

The same day as the Harrison heist.

Only his job took place all the way across town.

So what's the connection?

Now, wouldn't you say that maybe Charnik took a phony rap,

just so he could get a quick alibi?

Yeah, well, maybe, pal.

Only I never knew this Charnik.

And Charnik is now dead, murdered.

And so is his prison buddy

who was at his side when he died.

Yeah, that's better, boys. Now she's really going!

Mannix, Mannix.

I guess you figured to come in here

and either scare me to death with this stuff,

or maybe get me to do your work for you, is that right?

It was something like that.

Anyway, if you, uh, want to hear any more,

just, uh, give me a call.

Yeah, well, there's only one thing

you don't realize, pal.

There's other things in life besides money.

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I found some wider bandage.

You got to put it on those ribs.

Those ribs are going to be x-rayed.

No, no, no... these boys knew what they were doing.

Ow! Is that so?

Well, just wait until you fall flat

on what's left of the rest of your head.

They were real pros.

They didn't break a thing.

Well, aren't you going to call the police?

There you go again, Betsy.

You know there's a police sergeant

who'd laugh his head off over this.

Laugh.

Yeah, I took off

in the wrong direction, that's all.

On the wrong guy.

On the wrong day, on the wrong case,

on the wrong crazy rainbow.

Peace, Peggy, peace.

Are these your notes?

Yup.

Has Mervin been calling in on time?

Of course.

To say he fixed Mrs. O'Farrell's TV set,

her water heater,

and now he's keeping himself awake

by mending the light cords.

You see, I told you.

You're just being an alarmist about all this.

I probably didn't have to stay here, either.

I'm not in any more danger than Mrs. O'Farrell.

Yeah, you're probably right.

Who's this Johnson?

He called several times.

Maybe that's what upsets me.

He's a real man with a real assignment

for M-O-N-E-Y.

Money.

He's from the Great Pacific Insurance Company,

and he wants you to fly

to Montreal. Montreal?

Right now, maybe?

"Urgent," he said.

I'll bet it is.

Peggy, uh...

Great Pacific handled the insurance

for the Harrison Company.

Now they want to get rid of me, too.

Now, you call Johnson

and tell him I've got an assignment.

And this time, I'm heading in the right direction.

You Mannix?

Come in.

You're lucky to reach me on a Saturday morning.

James Spencer.

Well, I could have met you some place else.

Well, I'm on my way to the airport.

I had to pick up these papers anyway. Make it fast.

All right.

I called because I was told

you're the horse's mouth here at Harrison Bank & Trust.

The vice presidents sometimes

say that a little differently.

At least, since the time of the big robbery.

Hmm, we had a little reorganization then.

Our public image wasn't too good until I took over.

But, uh, what is it you wanted to tell me

about our most embarrassing withdrawal.

I understand the police aren't much interested

in the Harrison heist anymore.

Which leads me to believe

that the insurance company has stopped pressuring them.

They never developed a single decent lead.

And they never turned up any of the cash or securities.

Well, that stuff had serial numbers, didn't it?

Of course. It would've had to be fenced,

sold at a discount... Some other country perhaps.

But, no, not one penny anywhere.

Look, Mannix my plane leaves for Washington in 40 minutes.

How much reward are you willing to pay

if I should solve the case for you?

You know, I've considered it my duty

to listen to every crackpot with a theory.

You, Mannix, you're supposed to be an expert.

Don't you realize how many people

must have been involved in that robbery?

What planning, intelligence, split-second organization.

Oh, I don't care who it is or even how.

Now, you interested in getting your money back?

You, uh, you really onto something?

Try me.

I'm flying back here early Monday morning.

Why don't you meet me here at 10:00.

But I've got a few leads of my own,

so don't do anything until we check.

All right.

Oh, about the reward...

Your usual rate plus expenses.

Plus five percent of anything you recover, okay?

Fine.

All I needed was a client.

See you Monday morning.

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♪ ♪

Johnson, I thought you were going to get him off our backs.

Mannix, he was just here!

Skip it, Johnson, I'll take care of it myself.

I'm heading straight home now.

I want to get this thing over with, fast!

♪ ♪

Well, I'm, uh, sorry about the noise.

It does that every once in awhile.

Joe, what's going on?

You all right? Yeah.

Where is Peggy?

Oh, she went to take her little boy

to his grandmother's.

She'll be back in a minute.

That's not soon enough.

The action's going to be now.

"Action"?

You know, Betsy, the only reason for anybody

to be killed today... two years after the Harrison Heist...

Is to keep them from interfering

with something that's still going to happen.

That's why your husband was killed

and then O'Farrell.

Joe, how many times do I have to tell you?

My husband was just too stupid

to be mixed up in anything that big.

I told you, all he did was race jalopies.

Jalopies, huh?

Well, maybe he was only a driver,

getaway driver.

He knew something was coming up,

he blabbed it to O'Farrell, they're both dead.

Now I'm sure they must think I'm dead, too.

You're... what?

Can't leave you here alone.

Let's go. Go where?

A $6 million happening.

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♪ ♪

What kind of a license plate is that?

Diplomatic.

Middleman, maybe.

Sure, that figures.

They need a middleman that nobody can touch.

Will you please explain?

He's going to Spencer's place.

Now that's the home of J.W. Spencer,

the kind of client I like:

friendly, honest, reliable.

Oh, is he in for a thrill when I step in on his party.

We have company.

Break it up, buddy.

Look, now it's a free country, isn't it?

Not for you, it isn't.

This is all private property.

Try the Love Inn over the hill in Malibu.

Malibu, yeah, fine.

Well, I guess I wasn't very convincing.

I don't know.

I thought you were doing beautifully.

Why don't we do what he says?

I think we'd better try the back way.

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Yes?

Uh, Mr. Spencer sent me

to get some money for him.

Where is it?

I don't understand.

I just told Mr. Spencer.

He agreed to wait five minutes.

Tell me. Well, how dare you.

I'm only a lawyer, I have nothing to do with this.

Now get away... I have immunity, sir.

Where is it?

Mr. Spence...

I told you to stay in the car.

Well, I was frightened.

He'll be all right.

Come on.

Get in the back seat and stay out of sight.

♪ ♪

Have you gone insane?

I hope not.

What I just saw was a buyback.

I don't understand.

The big robbery can't be solved.

The loot can't be spent, either.

Yeah.

Here we are.

That's not even in English.

Swiss bank transfer.

$2 million in cash... Spendable cash.

$2 million.

In exchange for the hot $6 million.

You know, Spencer was buying that back

from the gang who stole it.

No questions asked.

Who cares if the little guy in the middle gets hurt?

All they wanted to do was keep the whole thing quiet.

Where is the loot?

He said five minutes.

♪ ♪

What was that?

I told you to stay down.

We're caught in-between,

right in the middle of the payoff.

Hey, you almost passed me by.

Everything all right, señor?

This time without friends, Haskins.

Who is he?

Jug Haskins.

A guy who almost had me fooled.

I guess the police quit watching him,

so he makes the best delivery man.

Let's get out of here.

No, it's the wrong car... Let's go.

Get in.

Why don't you look through there.

There's nothing here but clothing.

Not quite.

Cash and securities.

$6 million, probably.

The whole Harrison heist.

Well, what are you gonna do with it?

Listen, let's get out of here.

With that?

That's why you've been sticking so close,

isn't it, Betsy? What?

This is all you people from the heist

care about it, isn't it?

I was hoping it was the other side, maybe Spencer

who was responsible for the rough stuff,

but it isn't.

He's just a businessman trying to make a deal.

I don't know what you're talking about.

Keep trying to forget that it was you

O'Farrell came to see and was killed.

Then, I came to see you.

You had to call a girlfriend to break a date.

When we got to your house, there was a man waiting to kill me,

not you... that's right, isn't it?

Let me go.

What part did you play in that robbery

two years go, your computers?

Did you plot the whole thing on those computers?

Listen.

There's somebody coming.

Just listen.

Yeah.

The five minutes are up.

It's probably Spencer and his boys coming

to pick up his loot.

You didn't think we'd be fools enough

to do this without somebody

covering, did you?

Now give me that briefcase!

Sure.

Here.

Three... $300,000?

Five percent of the rainbow, Mrs. O'Farrell.

Oh, less my, uh, services,

plus, uh, the damages to my car.

And there's a foreign lawyer

who's threatening to sue me for assault.

I just can't understand why you bothered.

Faith in the Irish, I guess.

Their women are such lousy liars.

Liars?

My husband was no good, Mr. Mannix.

It was just one crazy

pipe dream after another.

Sure... oh, I'll be back to pick you up, later.

Uh, Mr. Spencer will have checks

waiting in his office.

Mr. Mannix?

Who was it?

Who was the dirty thing that drove the car that killed him?

It was just, uh... some woman driver.

That's all.

Slob.