Original subtitles

Good morning, Mr. Everett.

We have a minute and 30 seconds to spare.

The lady's efficient, too.

Always and forever.

See you in six days.

Shall I wait here for you, sir?

No, uh, you'd better go home... and wait.

Brad!

2773 Tango to Tower.

Would you open my flight plan to Hermosillo, Mexico, please?

Over.

Roger. 2773 Tango.

We'll activate your flight plan at this time.

Mayday! Mayday!

Hermosillo Tower, this is 2773 Tango... going down.

Complete loss of power.

21 degrees north, 107 degrees west,

overlying Maria Cleofas.

I'm going to ditch.

And today, three days after Bradley Everett,

President of Everett Aviation, vanished over the Sea of Cortez

while on a business flight to Mexico,

authorities have called off any further search efforts,

and Everett is presumed dead,

Wall Street opened strongly this morning

led by the electronic...

Oh I'm... I'm sorry.

Who are you?

Mr. Mannix, my name is Bradley Everett.

I'd like you to find out who killed me.

♪ ♪

Why the bandages?

Oh, just, uh, something to hide behind.

Peggy, how about some coffee?

Coming up... and strong.

What you're saying is that the accident was no accident.

That's right.

Uh, my business is aircraft instrumentation,

and, uh, that plane was sabotaged.

Oh, it was expertly done.

The whole... electrical system just quit.

And so I ditched and sat there...

Waited to drown.

I figured it would be maybe four hours until she sank.

That's a long time to hold your breath,

a short time to live.

But you lived.

I lived.

I guess you'd call that a kind of a small miracle.

This old fisherman spotted me...

A Mexican shrimp fisherman,

and, uh, I paid him to take me up to San Blas,

and stay quiet about this whole thing.

I was able to hire a car there,

drive up the coast, come here.

Why here?

You've got a wife and a business,

and I imagine a lot of worried friends.

Are you asking me why I didn't go to the police?

The thought did cross my mind.

All right, go with what?

A story about a sabotaged airplane and, uh...

and no evidence.

No, I want my murder investigated, Mr. Mannix...

Quietly, privately.

Okay, Mr. Everett.

And if you're right,

I think you'd better stay here for the time being.

That's a very kind offer,

but you realize what you'd be letting yourself in for?

What?

If they think you're involved with me,

they'll try to kill you, too.

I'm a very cautious man, Mr. Everett.

But, uh, don't you think you should at least

let your wife know you're alive?

Well... why ruin her day?

Tell me, Mr. Mannix, are you a vulture?

I've been hired to investigate your husband's death.

Would you mind telling me by whom?

By somebody who pays me for discretion and silence.

How sinister.

Mrs. Everett, there are a number of people

who stand to benefit from your husband's death.

Including myself, of course.

Well, I'm sure it will help ease you

through this period of mourning.

Mr. Mannix, if you won't be coy, I won't.

Brad and I had a very workable relationship.

We lived together, went to social events together,

frequently dined together,

but we didn't like one another very much.

Very civilized.

I liked our life.

Brad made a lot of money, and we spent it with style.

I'll be richer for his death but not necessarily happier.

After all, Brad was my nearest and dearest.

Who would want him dead?

He had two perfectly revolting men as partners.

Anybody else?

Perhaps.

This is a file on Christina Preston,

compiled by my private investigator.

And who is Christina Preston?

She was my husband's, uh... hobby.

You were planning a divorce?

Oh, good heavens, no.

Marriage is a cold war, Mr. Mannix;

each side needs a deterrent weapon.

That was mine.

And, uh, what did Brad have?

On me? Mm.

Nothing... anymore.

You're suspicious.

I like that.

Any reason for that?

I'm a... a somewhat corrupt widow lady.

The second you find out what happened to Brad,

you let me know.

I'll do that.

And Mannix, it doesn't matter what time it is.

Put the coffee on the table, Wally.

Oh, Wally didn't make it yet.

My name is Mannix, Miss Preston.

What do you want?

I'm a private investigator.

I'm looking into the death of Brad Everett.

All right.

I was his mistress.

Is that what you're after?

All I want is my privacy.

I'm making no claims against his estate.

I don't expect to collect a penny of insurance.

So you can go back to Brad's wife and tell her it's all hers.

Now, will you please get out?

According to my information, Miss Preston,

Brad Everett was murdered.

I'm sorry.

You loved him.

We loved each other.

It's not an uncommon human condition, you know.

How was he murdered?

Well, there's every reason to believe his plane was sabotaged.

And you think perhaps I stood to benefit from his death?

Mr. Mannix, I'm a commercial artist,

a good one.

In other words, Brad did not keep me.

He only loved me.

Miss Preston, I'm not passing moral judgments or am I prying.

I'm trying to find out who'd want Brad Everett dead.

Well, he had a pair of partners

that could frighten a tank of piranha.

Beyond that...

I only met him two years ago.

And you fell in love?

Stupid?

Bright, successful girl, knows her way around,

turns a corner and falls for a married man.

But he's dead.

And in a way, it settles things.

There wasn't much future in it for me, anyway.

And Mrs. Everett wouldn't give him a divorce?

Mrs. Everett wouldn't give milk to a starving baby.

So, you settled for half a loaf?

I wanted him any way I could have him.

We were together over the weekend.

I drove him to the airport...

and waved good-bye.

I was feeling good.

Feeling... hopeful... against all logic.

And that night...

I... I heard that he'd crashed.

Uh, I have work to do.

You saw him take off.

Who else would know where he was going?

Anyone could have known.

He, he had to file a flight plan.

Brad always planned things down to the smallest detail.

I remember that I was a bit worried

because he'd forgotten his maps.

Maps?

Detailed charts of his route.

He left them in my car.

I wonder if I could see them.

Sure.

They didn't seem to matter after I heard about Brad.

They're still in the car.

Behind the convertible.

That's my car!

Figures!

She could have been killed.

And what was I doing?

The best thing to do is clear this thing up.

Now, let's get back to those maps.

They cover the air route from here to Mexico City.

Nothing special.

I bought a complete set from Argo Map and Survey.

Well, anybody can do that... You just go in and buy 'em.

Then why would somebody use a gun to get them?

I don't know!

I don't even know which ones they were!

Now, I had four sets, right?

Four sets of charts.

Three of them went down with the plane.

One of them was left with Chris.

I don't know which one, and I'll tell you

something else: I don't really care.

What I do care about is, somebody took a shot at her,

and I can't risk that happening again!

Maybe I should call in the police.

It's up to you.

Mannix, I-I'm worried.

I mean, if I'm a target, then

maybe she is, too.

No.

No, we'd better keep it quiet a little while longer.

Maybe you can come up with something solid enough

to make the police really dig in.

I'll try.

I don't much like being shot at either.

You know, Christina Preston's a nice girl.

I think she might like to know you're alive.

No... now, I don't care to go into the gory details

of my so-called marriage, but I love Chris,

and I don't want her pulled into my target zone.

It's your decision.

It's my decision.

Wait a minute!

What, what are you gonna do?

Something I've been anticipating.

Meeting your partners.

My name is Mannix. I phoned.

Oh, oh, sure, Mr. Mannix.

Will you step right over here, please?

Stand right here.

I hope you don't mind; Uncle says we have

to be very careful.

This badge is good

for the Administration Building and testing rooms,

nowhere else.

I'll show you the way.

Vic, take over.

Mr. King?

Mr. Mannix?

That's right.

I'm Lawrence King. A pleasure.

How do you do?

Henry Marshak.

Not a pleasure.

Boys, a coffee break, huh?

Thanks, Mitch.

Now, what's all this static

about investigating Brad's accident?

Henry. We've checked you out, Mr. Mannix.

You appear to be quite reputable.

It's quite a coincidence.

What is?

Well, I've checked you out, too.

Both of you.

Lawrence King, attorney at law...

Made a great deal of money angling the takeover

of unsuspecting companies.

You've been described as a remora.

That's a fish

that lives off of the shark's leavings.

Now you've grown up into a real shark all by yourself.

I'm a respectable citizen, Mr. Mannix.

And a rich one.

Possibly rich enough to do something

about your license.

They said you'd be dangerous backed into a corner.

On the other hand, Mr. Marshak,

you're dangerous all the time, aren't you?

Four arrests for labor racketeering with violence.

That was ten years ago and no convictions!

But there's been one conviction on mail fraud.

That's before you learned how

to handle the rackets inside the law.

You got a big mouth, you know that?

Yeah, but it's all in the record.

There are a lot of people that aren't too happy

about you two running Everett Aviation,

especially now... since Brad is dead.

And we took over his company, is that it?

To milk it dry?

The possibility has been mentioned.

Did anybody mention

that Everett Aviation is on the edge of bankruptcy?

That Brad Everett got us involved

for the money to finish his new guidance system?

It still isn't finished, and we're still involved.

Trying to salvage something from his swindle!

That's a lie!

How'd you get a badge?

I knew the president of the company, remember?

Mr. Mannix thought I should be here.

Listening at keyholes, Christina?

Listening to you lie.

Brad was no swindler.

You two were trying to steal his company.

Perhaps your accountants can verify

that passionate defense.

Ours cannot.

We were suckered.

Some respectable business... Crooked books and hot air.

That must have made you very angry with Brad Everett.

I wanted to bust his neck.

Did you?

What's that mean?

My client's not too sure he died accidentally.

Henry and I were stuck with Everett Aviation.

We'd much rather have Brad Everett alive to sue.

He's dead, so you can say anything at all.

I know you were in love with Brad Everett.

Did he ever offer to marry you?

Oh, you're a gentleman to the end.

What makes you think he was any more honest with us?

Thank you, Mr. Mannix.

Mitch, would you take mine, too?

I won't be back.

Thank you.

That ought to do it.

My first try at being a lady operative.

Any future?

Any time.

There's always demand for a beautiful girl.

How about a vulnerable one?

It's been a pretty rough time, hasn't it?

And Lawrence King shoved the needle in deep.

I think it was over, what Brad and I had.

We just... didn't want to admit it.

I finally faced it after I heard he was dead.

And then... I felt as though he'd been dead

for a long time.

I'm being morbid.

There you are.

Do you really think a salami on rye will help?

Well, there's an old Armenian proverb:

What does it mean?

"With bread, all grief is less."

Oh, good old Mother Mannix.

Well, I like to take care of my lady operatives any time.

I just might take you up on that.

I halfway meant that.

I've got the feeling that I've got

to change directions, go somewhere new,

find somebody new, be somebody new.

Are you interested in somebody brand-new?

I'm sorry.

Why?

You're so gentle with us walking wounded.

Well, uh, speaking of walking, it's time I get going.

Do you have to?

Did you believe King and Marshak?

Not on a stack of legal briefs.

They wanted all of Everett Aviation.

They tried to buy him out,

then they tried to force him out.

They killed him.

Now, that's what I'm going back to find out.

By invitation. What?

Well, sort of.

Any of the neighbors see him?

No? Well, stake it out.

Start the machinery.

King evidently never went home.

He left the office at 6:08, and he's been gone since.

Why would he want to kill Marshak?

Thieves' falling out, maybe.

Those two have long, sour records.

Everything but murder.

Maybe this time, King went over the edge.

Well, he impressed me as a very cool cat.

Joe, I'm not interested in your expert opinion.

I want information.

Well, I guess I have to swallow that whole story of yours,

including a return from the dead.

Come on.

Where to?

I'm holding a wake. I want to meet the corpse.

What happened?

Miss Preston?

Yes?

Would you come inside a moment, please?

Chris, I'm sorry.

For what?

I just don't understand.

Look, if you'll tell me...

Chris.

Why?

Why?

I couldn't let you know.

I didn't want you mixed up in this.

So, instead you let me spend three days in hell?

And you... No. No, Mannix didn't

have anything to do with this; I told him not to say anything.

Darling, please, if you'll...

Brad, I, uh... I have to get used to it.

Understand it.

We all have some explaining to do, Mr. Everett.

In a matter of murder.

What murder?

He's alive.

But Henry Marshak is dead.

It seems somebody didn't like him at all.

Where's Larry King?

I don't know. He's disappeared.

Oh, no, no, wait a minute, Lieutenant. Now, Larry's

a lot of things. He's a schemer. He's an angle player.

He's a fast man with a legal twist, but...

All right, Frank.

Brad, darling, how were things in heaven?

Is it all it's cracked up to be?

You certainly take surprises well, Mrs. Everett.

I have all the smaller talents.

Lieutenant Malcolm. Homicide.

Of course. Are you going to arrest my husband?

For what?

For being so sneaky, darling.

About your Lazarus-like recovery.

I had no evidence before, Lieutenant.

Now I have.

Henry Marshak is dead.

A revolting little man.

I will not weep at his funeral.

Lieutenant, this is becoming a very boring evening.

What do you want of me?

Information.

About Marshak? I barely knew him.

Can you think of anyone who might have wanted him dead?

Well, he was, uh, mixed up with the rackets

in the Midwest. Maybe it was an old grudge.

Of course, uh,

if both Henry and I were dead,

then King would own all of Everett Aviation.

That would certainly give King a motive.

I think I'd like all of you to come downtown

and make a complete statement,

if you don't mind.

Look, let's... We'll go downtown with the lieutenant

and get this over with, then we can talk, all right?

All right.

A man's wife and his girlfriend both see him back from the dead,

and they're both cool, calm and collected.

The wife, especially.

That is one beautiful icicle.

Or else maybe it wasn't that much of a surprise.

I'd say Larry King has the missing pieces.

Except Larry King is one of the missing pieces.

Who is it?

Joe.

Hello, Chris.

I'd like to talk to you.

I thought the police had taken over.

I'm stubborn. I'm looking for Brad Everett.

I'm stubborn, too.

I sent him away to give me time to think.

Instead of sleeping?

My problems are my own.

Well, the last time, they were shooting at me, too.

Well, maybe if you go away,

they'll stop shooting.

Now, Chris, you can't make it disappear

by keeping your eyes closed.

It's a mess.

But I'd like you to help me untangle it.

I can't help. I don't know anything.

Maybe you do.

Did you get a good look at that map Brad left behind?

I saw it, yes,

but it was just a lot of ocean.

Now, there's an old Armenian proverb.

What does that mean?

"What the eye truly sees, the heart never forgets."

Now, you just might be able

to recognize that particular stretch of ocean.

Mr. Everett ordered four ONC charts.

L.A. to roughly Calexico,

then halfway down the Gulf of California.

From there to roughly Guadalajara,

and finally, the area around Mexico City.

What we want are the charts on the Sea of Cortez.

Oh. Well, it's five, I'd imagine.

There were some small islands. I remember that.

That one.

You sure?

Yes, I remember those islands.

Uh-huh. The Marias.

Tres Marias: Maria Magdalena, Maria Madre, Maria Cleofas.

I don't know the names, but that's the one.

Does it help?

No.

They're just everyday ONC charts.

They're the best commercially available.

Yeah, I know, but if somebody wanted one,

they could go out and buy it.

They wouldn't have to go hunting for it with a gun.

Which ones are these?

Oh, that's just specks of rock.

That's not one of the Marias.

They're very obscure.

We had a terrible time trying to find an H.O. chart

for Mr. Everett that showed this one.

An H.O. chart?

Well, that was quite a while ago,

and it had nothing to do with his trip to Mexico.

How do you know that?

Well, it was a chart for the ocean,

for somebody that sails a boat.

A boat.

Art, I think we found something.

So did we. We found King.

He's holed up in a building in there with a gun.

He's got Brad Everett as hostage.

And at last count, he put two bullets in one of my men.

Got him spotted?

He took some potshots from that window.

With Everett in there, we can't risk a shoot-out.

If I rush him, he'll probably kill some of my men,

and he'll certainly kill Everett.

Uh-uh.

No chance.

Keeps moving.

Takes a potshot every now and then.

It's stupid.

He's just spinning out time.

Sooner or later, he's going to

run out of ammo, and we'll take him.

He's just adding more charges.

For a smart lawyer, it's stupid.

Or there's some other reason we haven't thought of.

Great.

You think your deep thoughts.

I've got my own little problems.

See if you can find somebody that knows this layout.

Mannix!

King says he wants to talk to you!

Mannix, this is King!

What is it?

Don't risk it!

He's gonna shoot me anyway.

Mannix, I want to talk.

Uh-uh.

He may want to make a deal.

He may want to get a clean shot.

It's not likely.

Besides, what more have we got to lose?

You.

I can use all the free publicity.

Cover him.

The stairway, Mannix.

I'm here, King.

Joe...

Joe, what choice did you have?

I'm okay.

If you could just, uh, get that.

Hey, Mannix, thanks. You were, you were great.

Was I?

Well, I mean, he did kill one man

and he was trying to kill you.

Yeah.

Yeah, I guess that made it necessary to shoot him,

but it didn't make it fun.

I'm sorry.

But it does take a big weight off of me.

It's over.

It's cold in here.

I wish Brad would get back.

Well, he's just tying up a few loose ends

with Lieutenant Malcolm.

Would you like to wait outside?

Watching them measure where the body landed?

No, thanks.

Mannix here.

Yeah.

I see.

Oh, thanks, Art.

I just want to be away from here.

Where would you like to go?

I don't know.

I don't know what I'm going to do.

Well, I do.

And it's gonna be good.

Now that this is finally over,

I'm going to make it right for us.

In fact, for all of us.

Money... and love.

Hey, it's cold in here.

I'm sorry. Or sensible?

Wh-What do you mean?

Well, Chris has had time to think.

She faced the fact that you were dead,

and I think that made everything a lot clearer.

She's too much woman to settle for a part-time man.

You just collected a lot of money.

I didn't expect it to buy me a put-down.

A lot of money.

Well, I'm afraid I can't take that.

Why?

Well, it might seem odd...

coming from the man that killed Marshak and King

and set up his own phony murder.

Now, Mannix, you're, you're losing me.

No, Everett, I've found you.

Joe, what are you talking about?

Yeah?

Well, let's stop looking at all this manufactured evidence.

Take a look at the end result.

King dead, Marshak dead,

and you, lucky Brad Everett,

end up owning all of Everett Aviation

free and clear. You'll never have to explain

why you milked the company

or how you conned King and Marshak... they're dead.

You end up being an instant tycoon again.

Ah, you're, you... you're putting me on.

You believe him?

I wanted this mess untangled.

Mannix, I came to you, remember?

Yeah, I remember.

And the story held up until I saw the map.

What map?

The map you left in Chris's car.

I had a dozen maps.

Yeah, plus one set of boat charts

for a small island off the coast of Mexico.

I'm a very careful pilot, and the surface charts

are just in case I have to come down.

Just in case, out of the whole Pacific

you have to come down near one unnamed

piece of rock; come down where

you just happened to be picked up by a small boat.

That's wild.

It's really wild.

And risky, but it worked.

You played the nervous target and sent me out to investigate,

which left no one looking when you killed Marshak.

Well, now, that's ridiculous.

And what about King? I didn't kill him.

Neither did I.

It's curious the way he kept popping out

in front of the windows almost as if he was shoved.

And then he came out into plain view and shoots at me.

Almost as if he wanted to get shot down.

Yes, which is exactly what a dozen policemen saw you do.

Wrong.

You see, Everett,

King was facing me straight on

when I fired at him.

Lieutenant Malcolm just called and said

the bullet that killed King went in from the side.

Now, the only man

who could have shot King from that angle

was you.

Oh, you were in there, playing hostage.

You, uh, had a gun on him, forced him to talk.

And you pushed him out and shot him.

Brad... is that true?

It's crazy.

He's just spinning his wheels. He has no proof.

You did.

You killed them.

Now, don't be childish.

And you'll never sell that story, Mannix.

No chance.

'Cause half the police force saw me come out of there

with my hands tied behind me.

It took me roughly 30 seconds

and a short piece of wire.

So much for your alibi.

I tied it loosely.

As you said a little while ago, Everett,

it's all over.

I like the way you move, Mannix.

The gun, Mannix.

Slowly.

I'm a pro, too.

Por favor, hombre.

Mitch...

Well, this clears up a lot.

Didn't figure that you'd gamble

on a Mexican fisherman picking you up.

I'm handy with small boats... and guns.

Got a problem, huh?

Not anymore, Mitch.

Thank you.

Chris, I left standing orders

to keep a company plane ready to go.

Now, I took a lot of money out of this company.

It's all tucked away very privately.

It's enough for a good life, Chris.

I don't think I could lie well enough

to convince you I'd go with you.

I'll be able to keep it simple, then.

Mannix, I'll let Chris go as soon as I'm clear.

I'm a rational man.

I only kill for profit.

Now, be sensible.

Don't make any trouble.

It'll be much easier that way.

Bye, Mannix.

Chris.

I don't suppose I can buy you off?

Not a chance.

Everett!

A stranger.

Hmm?

Brad.

I should feel sick, sorry or angry...

but I just feel empty.

But you're not really empty, Chris.

You're free.

There's a difference.

Free? For what?

Unless you've got

an old Armenian proverb to explain it all.

Well, uh... I'll have to go to work on that one.