Original subtitles

A Quinn Martin Production.

Starring Karl Malden.

Also starring Michael Douglas.

With guest stars: John Saxon,

Belinda J. Montgomery,

Hari Rhodes.

Special guest star: Joseph Cotten

Tonight's episode:

Okay.

There we are. Forty units.

It's him?

Maybe.

- Hagopian's. - Vince?

- Ernie. - Ernie.

Good to hear your voice.

Listen, did you get them?

Yeah. The whole lot.

Beautiful.

Where are you?

Just off the Embarcadero.

207 Front Street.

Room 25.

Oh, there's a rear entrance.

Did you have any trouble?

Not a hitch.

I smell like a ship's bilge, and I gotta wash off half of Mexico.

Well, look, there's no rush. Take a good long bath

and get a good night's sleep. You've earned it.

We'll see each other tomorrow.

Sure.

Maybe it's better anyway. I'm beat.

- See you tomorrow, then. - Yeah.

He's got them, Tommy.

Enough to buy us the world.

Where are you going? Your insulin. This is no time to fall on your face.

Vince, I don't know whether I can do it.

You'll do it, Tommy.

Just like we planned.

You'll do it for the money,

and for me.

Ashes to ashes.

Yeah.

What do you think, Doc? Another cigarette in bed?

It's hard to say yet.

He was pretty well-done.

Well, I'll get the arson detail in here and see what they can turn up.

How long for the autopsy report?

I'll get on it right away.

- Hi, doc. - Steve.

Mike, we got a John Doe.

Manager says the night clerk didn't register anybody for this room.

A fin or a sawbuck under the table, that's one way to beat the room tax.

Did you get the clerk's name and address?

Radio unit's on his way to pick him up.

Well, maybe we got something.

Looks pretty black.

Numbers look gone.

Put your young eyes on that.

Nothing.

- Nothing? - No.

Look, poke around down there some more.

Thanks.

You know, a guy with a gun,

who doesn't register in a fleabag like this.

You know something's fishy.

Mike.

Yeah.

Take a look at this.

Looks like one of those gold luck charms or something.

Gold, maybe.

Luck charm, I don't think so.

Well.

You did find them of some interest after all.

Mr. James, you startled me.

In this contraption?

I sometimes feel like a mechanical satyr.

Body of a man and legs of a champion.

- What is it? - What?

You're troubled.

No, I'm just tired, I guess.

I worked late last night typing up the notes.

The university should have warned you I'm a slave driver.

Well, the last person to leave the project

did say something to that effect.

Oh, that was a big mistake all around.

A man can't dictate an autobiography to an insensitive soul.

What about you?

Any complaints?

Oh, no.

The room you gave me is just lovely.

The pay is fine and the company is very stimulating.

Thank you. Tell me the truth.

Now...

...when I came in a moment ago, you were thinking

I'm an eccentric old man who hoards his gold coins

like a modern-day Midas, weren't you?

No. Not really.

I was just thinking

they must be very valuable.

Well, in round figures, half-million dollars.

Oh, I had no idea.

Would you like to hear how I came to collect them?

No, I think we should finish what we left off with yesterday.

What you remember about your 1927 trip to New Zealand.

You are a very odd young woman. The first one I ever met

who was more interested in my memory than my money.

Well, people already know about the John R. James fortune.

And I want the book to be about the man.

Thank you.

Let's go on the terrace, shall we?

All right.

- What does the coroner say? - Nothing yet.

Is that thing worth anything, Charley?

Specific gravity: gold.

Slightly less than 22 karats.

Nine-hundred thousandths fine.

Weight: exactly 516 grains.

- All of which means? - All of which means it's a planchet.

- A what? - A planchet.

It's a metal disc that's ready to be stamped into a coin, right?

Right.

They use it in crossword puzzles a lot.

You got time to do crossword puzzles?

I don't give you enough to do around here, huh?

Say...

...what kind of a coin does this thing make?

I've got some books over here that'll tell you for sure.

That one to me looks like a Double Eagle size.

Double Eagle. That's a 20-dollar gold piece, isn't it?

Hey, chock one up for the old folks.

- You like words, huh? - Yeah.

Read them to me.

See you, Charley.

Well, there's 464 grains of pure gold in a planchet.

How many grains in an ounce?

Four fifty, isn't it?

- I think there's 480. - No, 450.

- Four eighty. - Four eighty?

Yeah.

They must have changed it since my high school physics course.

- They must have. - Yeah.

Look, let's not read for a minute.

Now, the night clerk...

...said that the victim came in with a satchel.

- Right. - We don't find a satchel.

But we do get this little goodie here.

Which ye olde book here says is illegal in the U.S.

except as coins held by collectors.

Which could've been in that closet for years,

the way they clean out those waterfront dives.

Possible, yeah.

Think we're spinning our wheels?

Close to an ounce of gold,

worth about, oh...

What, 65 or 70 bucks on the international market?

I think it's about that.

Stone.

Yeah.

Yeah. We'll be right there.

Looks like maybe we got something.

What?

Coroner said murder.

Tommy.

May I help you?

Is Vince here?

He's busy right now.

Is there anything I can do to help?

- Karen. - Hi.

- You're early. - I missed you.

Come, let's take a walk.

Who was that?

Just a guy I brought in to help out a little.

He doesn't know anything about what's going on, does he?

He barely knows enough about coins

to answer the questions that come in off the street.

Did you bring the diagram?

Yes.

You're sure you have each coin in the exact place he keeps it?

Yes.

- Vince, I'm frightened. - Of what?

I don't know. Doing anything like this.

Getting caught, or hurting that old man.

We are just going to trade one set of coins for another set of coins.

And nobody's going to get hurt. Do you want to see something?

What is it?

Our ticket to Spain, angel. The Costa Del Sol.

Vince, I just wish I could feel the same way as you do about it.

It's how we feel about each other that counts.

And having the money to do whatever we want to do together

and go wherever we want to go.

You really do mean it, don't you? What you said.

Baby?

The last thing in the world I wanted to do the day I found you

was to make a delivery to that mausoleum.

Bang, there you were.

You're the best trip I've ever had.

- And Mr. James-- - Will you stop worrying

about that old man? He owns half of Nob Hill.

He's not gonna miss what's in that case.

He told me this morning it was worth about half a million dollars.

Angel, you've seen it sitting there yourself.

Now what good is it doing anybody?

It's not like robbing a bank or someone's business.

Hey, I've watched people like that all my life.

I watched while my father pandered to them.

I swept up a crummy shop where they walked out

with more than he made all year,

sealed in one lousy little bit of plastic.

What do they do with it?

Take it home and put it in a glass case.

Well, fine.

Let John R. James sit and stare at his Eagles.

I want to see the world.

It's homicide, no question.

There wasn't a trace of smoke in the victim's lungs.

That means the victim was dead before the fire started.

- Yeah. - Couldn't be a stroke or heart attack?

Not from my findings.

Considering there are no breaks, welts or contusions on the body,

I'd make it suffocation.

Suffocation?

This envelope shows there was a struggle.

Bits of human flesh and hair from under the victim's fingernails.

Let's get it under the microscope.

There's no chance of making an ID on the victim, huh?

Sorry. Later, okay?

- Yeah. - Thanks, Harry.

Buddy boy.

What does a short-barrel.32 with the serial numbers filed off say to you?

Pro. Heist artist, maybe.

And one planchet out of a satchelful?

Ripped off by whoever killed him?

A couple of hundred would be worth 10, maybe 15,000.

You'd have to have the right contacts to unload them.

Wouldn't be worth all that time

- and trouble, though, would it? - No.

What about the night clerk?

Oh, no. Nickels and dimes.

This one's gotta be worth more than nickels and dimes.

Here, Tommy. Here's $15,000.

If it were good. But it's not.

I blew that one. See those scratches?

Those little things?

Those little things are called cast marks.

When they're that bad, it could tell an expert that it's a phony real fast.

Speaking of scratches, how about those that Ernie laid on you?

They're okay.

- I guess they found him by now. - Relax.

They'll never be able to tell what they found.

That's a strand of blond human hair.

Came from the same place the coroner found those flecks of skin

on slide number 2.

Is it body hair or face?

Body. Probably his arms.

And he's between the age of 20 and 40, definitely male and Caucasian.

Well, that lets you and me out, Charley.

How about you, buddy boy?

You willing to roll up your sleeves?

Wanna try to raise a few numbers?

Chicken, huh?

Charley.

- What do you got on this third slide? - Shards of rusted metal.

I found them embedded in the soles of the victim's shoes.

- Any guesses? - I'll have a better picture

when I finish evaporating that solution.

We washed what was left of the victim's clothing and shoes.

That's what we got.

Rust powder in solution, an electromagnet.

- You wanna know something? - What?

I've been here for 25 years, I've never seen this thing work.

A serial number stamped in metal can be filed off,

- but can never be destroyed. - Yeah, I know.

The molecular structure of the metal retains a ghost

- of the stamped number. - Let's see it work.

Right.

Serial number H12987.

- All P.D.'s, urgent. - I'm on my way.

What do you know, it really works.

Now you see it.

Now you don't.

Magic, eh?

Well, maybe we'll get something after all.

Say, where's that-- Oh, the latent print kit?

Right here.

You're gonna need a 10-point match for positive ID.

You really think there's a chance?

Charley,

I'm gonna let you in on a little secret. I always think there's a chance.

Good.

Finished?

For a while. My eyes get tired.

How much longer?

A few more tonight. Few more in the morning.

Vince, who are you calling?

- Karen. - Vince?

I told you, it was just business.

I killed a man, Vince.

Now, look. That had to be done.

Just like my seeing Karen. It won't be long now.

Go inside and get some more glassine cases

and we'll seal these up. Go ahead.

Miss Pierson. Telephone.

Thank you.

Hello?

Working hard?

I was afraid you weren't gonna call.

Oh, big call tonight.

I'll be finished in the morning.

Tomorrow?

I'll tell you what time.

I've got to go now.

- Love you, baby. - I love you, too. I--

Well, well, well.

Well, well, well, what?

Sodium chloride, sodium bromide, magnesium bromide.

Well, thank you, Dr. Einstein.

- They're the primary salts in seawater. - From the victim's clothes?

The residue evaporated from the solution we got

when we washed them.

And this came from the shoes.

It's a lead compound identical to what they use in marine paint.

A ship.

Just off it, too, if he hadn't changed his clothes.

Everybody wants to be a detective.

San Diego made the serial numbers on the.32.

Stolen three weeks ago in National City.

Prints taken at the scene of theft identified as Ernie Walker,

a.k.a. Ernie Willard.

Priors all for robbery.

I want Walker's jacket.

I want his mug shots, his prints, I want everything.

- I want them right now. - I've already asked for it.

- It's on its way. - Good.

Well, we may have our dead man.

Now we gotta find the man who killed him.

They're pretty, aren't they?

You see that one on the bottom,

- the fourth from the right? - Yeah.

- What's the date?

1907.

Does that look any different from the rest?

They all look the same to me.

Well, that one's worth $22,500, Tommy.

Real rare piece of change.

We're gonna be rich, huh, Vince?

Yeah.

Vince?

The insulin.

How many units was that?

How many units?

About 80, I think.

Maybe a little more.

No. It's supposed to be 40.

Right.

Vince, that's too much.

Vince.

Vince.

Sorry, Tommy.

Just business.

- Good morning. - Morning.

Well, you're out early.

They're at their most beautiful in the morning.

Coming awake, alive.

Don't do that. It's taken nearly ten years to perfect this hybrid.

- Sorry. - It's all right.

You couldn't have known.

I believe

if I cross this with that dark red over there,

I'll have the most beautiful rose ever created.

A deep, deep red with just a tinge of yellow

and a throat the look of velvet.

A true queen.

Like no other on earth ever before her.

I must sound like a jelly-minded old fool.

No, no, not at all.

They mean even more to you than the Eagles, don't they?

The Eagles belong to someone else now.

These will always be mine.

What do you mean?

Nothing.

That food's so good, I always eat too much.

Yeah. Oh, yeah, how much do I owe you?

Forget it.

What do you mean, forget it? Somebody give you a raise in salary

- that I didn't authorize? - Forget it. You don't owe me anything.

- Okay, thanks, big shot. - You're welcome.

Feel like talking or are you still thinking?

Oh, I'm sorry, buddy boy.

You know, that partial that we lifted from the.32.

That proves

that this Walker is the guy that we pried from that hotel room, right?

Right.

He did two years in Nevada for grand theft,

completed his parole right here in this city.

His last address was San Diego. Right.

Is that all supposed to add up to something?

Just that he's a thief who lived here.

The last time he was known to be alive was in San Diego.

Which is as close to Mexico as you can get.

Mexico?

And that's a big, big gold producer, right.

Skipped across the border, picked up a satchel full of these, surfaced here.

He was on a ship, but didn't buy a ticket.

Stowed away on a freighter.

Or bribed a nice cozy berth in steerage.

- You know, it's true. - What is?

What you always say.

You work long enough as a cop, you start thinking like a crook.

Then you must know what else I'm thinking, huh, buddy?

- A counterfeit operation. - That's right.

But if you're dealing in counterfeit coins, especially gold coins,

it's a very special market.

- A collector's market. - Right.

And those guys can tell a phony.

Or buy from a dealer who can.

Yeah. We're gonna need an expert.

I'll tell you what, I'll call the Numismatic Society

- and get us one. - You'll what?

- The Numismatic Society. - Numis-- I know.

I know.

- Coin collectors. - Very good.

I worked a few crossword puzzles myself, you know, buddy boy.

Unit 8-1. Unit 8-1.

Nine-O2 to crime lab.

Unit 8-1. Ten-four.

What have you got?

I thought you might want to look at these.

Who is it?

Harris and I are working on it now.

Body washed up by Hunter's Point this morning.

Probably in the bay all night.

Johnson saw the pictures, thought it might tie.

Blond.

Oh, age is, what, between 20 and 30?

- This our killer? - I've got a work-up in progress now.

- You got any ID? - Negative.

Even the labels were stripped from the clothing.

- What killed him? - The coroner says an insulin OD.

- Did you get a set of prints? - In the works.

- Let me know when you get a make. - Right.

Thanks, Charley.

Hey, maybe you're in the wrong department after all.

Hagopian's.

- Vince? - Yes?

I've got to talk to you.

Karen, angel. Now, listen to me.

I know how you feel, but there's nothing to worry about.

Nothing can go wrong and no one will be hurt if you do as I told you.

Vince, please. Do you have to do it?

Yes, we have to do it.

You and I together.

And then we can be together always, in style, the way we planned.

Look, I don't care about the money, all right? All I want is--

Well, I do care about money, Karen. I care very much.

I care enough to have this whole thing set up right now.

And I'm counting on you.

Now, you have that case open. I'll be there at 9.

Yes?

Yes, yes, this is Hagopian's.

Well, I suppose so, but can I ask what this is about?

Okay.

Okay, I'll be there shortly.

"The basic design was changed twice after 1849.

- These changes were made-- - Mike, Mike, slow down.

--in 1866 and 1907.

- Between 1907-- - All right.

--and 1933...

...fifty-seven issues were minted."

Terrific. Wonderful. Only 206 possibilities.

Two hundred and six, huh?

You know, if I was gonna counterfeit coins, I'd go for the rarest issues.

Now, here's one, 1907.

Check that out.

Twenty-two thousand dollars?

Twenty-two five, and that was 11 years ago.

For one coin? I gotta get into this.

- It's another world. - Yes.

Yes, come in.

Lieutenant Stone?

Yeah, what can we do for you?

Well, it's the other way around. You telephoned me.

For some assistance. I'm Vincent Hagopian.

- Excuse me, I called you. I'm Keller. - How do you do?

- This is Lieutenant Stone. - Yes, how do you do?

- I hope I haven't kept you waiting. - No. We appreciate your coming.

Why don't you sit down?

- You want some coffee? - No, thank you.

I was told your shop deals with a lot of collectors of the Double Eagle.

Yes, we dealt quite a lot with them in the past, but not too much anymore.

- They've got too expensive. - Yeah, we were just looking

at some of these prices. Incredible.

There's one coin here, 22,500.

- May I see? - Sure.

Oh, yes. Saint-Gaudens type. It's extra-high relief.

It sold for 22,500 in Chicago, 1963, I believe.

But I take it you gentlemen have some special interest in Eagles.

Well, we have reason to believe that we're looking for a counterfeiter.

Counterfeit Eagles?

That sounds like a very complicated operation for a very limited market.

I don't see how anyone could expect to pass them through a dealer

- without being discovered. - That's why we wanted to talk to you.

You see, we'd like to have a list of names of all the collectors in the city.

Yes. It would take a little while.

We think the counterfeiter has about a hundred of those planchets,

and he's had them for about 36 hours.

Now, would it be possible for him to have stamped all the coins by now?

Yes, I suppose so, provided he had the die and the press already available.

That could mean he's ready to make his move.

Excuse me, lieutenant?

What exactly did you mean by his move?

You said it would be impossible to pass them through a dealer

- without being discovered. - Yeah.

But how many collectors stop to look for minor imperfections

once they've owned that rare coin for several years?

I see. You mean a switch.

Transferring the counterfeit coins for the authenticated ones,

and then selling those somewhere else where there's no risk of detection.

Sounds possible to me. How about you?

Sounds ingenious.

And terribly important for someone in my field to help you to stop.

But, lieutenant, you'd want more than the names of collectors.

You'd want a list of all the issues that would be most likely passed.

They'd have to be either proof or uncirculated

to command any price.

Well, what about this 1907 coin, for example?

I'd rule that out. That's too rare.

Can you give issues that you can't rule out?

Yes. Be quite a lot.

And about the collectors, I'd have to check my records

in my shop to compile that list.

Well, we'd appreciate anything you gave us, Mr. Hagopian.

- It would be my pleasure. - Thank you.

Thank you.

- Good day. Good day. - Good day.

I don't know, Mike.

This could take us two days just to put the right coins

with the collectors Hagopian gave us.

- Yeah, he helped a lot. - Yeah.

- What do you know? - What?

Remember that coin that Hagopian said was too rare?

- The one that went for 22 G's? - Yup.

Take a look who bought it.

John R. James, San Francisco.

And if he owns that one, he owns others.

I don't remember his name on that list.

That's because it's not on there.

Well, how could he forget a name like that?

You know, I think that's worth asking Mr. Hagopian himself.

Go ahead. You've done it before.

As distasteful a duty as I have burdened you with

over the months, it seems.

Go ahead.

You said this morning that these don't belong to you anymore.

Have you agreed to sell them to someone?

What I said this morning is not for publication.

What I'm going to tell you now is.

This coin was minted in 1907.

It is the most expensive Double Eagle ever on the market.

I paid an exorbitant price, I know, but it had a sentimental value.

You see, my Uncle Henry actually started this collection for me

with an identical coin on my seventh birthday.

You began collecting these when you were 7 years old?

No, not exactly.

I sold it, to buy a train ticket.

This was my start, you might say, and when I made it in the world,

I determined to buy it back again someday.

Why the rest?

I became enamored of these in my search for this.

For instance--

Mr. James, I'd much rather think of you with the roses

than with all of these.

Lock it up.

This may become a mellow evening, after all.

- All set? - Yes.

Let's break out the brandy.

You know, whether or not we ever finish that book

I brought you here to write,

I've enjoyed your company, Karen.

- Thank you. - No, thank you.

Thank you for being more than just somebody

an old man can babble on to about his yesterdays.

And for being someone who understands

just why and how he spent them the way he did.

I think you probably understand everything about me except my Eagles,

even after hearing how I came to collect them.

Well, it isn't important that I understand that.

It isn't important I keep their future from you, either,

provided it remains off the record.

Of course.

I said they already belong to someone else. That's true.

A trust owns them all.

Has for several years.

When I die, they'll be sold at auction,

the proceeds will go to the English department at the university.

That's how we met, actually.

Dean Robertson told me I wouldn't be disappointed in you in any respect.

That's proved to be true too.

I'm glad you feel that way.

Remember this morning,

when I told you the roses were different?

They'd always belong to me.

Yes.

Well, that was some sort of a fantasy, I suppose.

An old man's idea of immortality.

I could see my creation, my queen rose,

carrying on my name long after I was gone.

They deserve something much better.

They deserve to be named after a beautiful woman.

I'd like very much to name that rose after you.

With your permission.

What do you say?

Shall it be Queen Karen?

Good evening.

- Police? - Sorry to be intruding,

but we'd like to speak to Mr. James, please.

Mr. James isn't to be disturbed.

Ysabel.

What is it?

Lieutenant Stone, Inspector Keller. We're with homicide.

We'd like to talk about your collection of Double Eagles.

I fail to make a connection between my Eagles and homicide.

If you gave us a few moments,

I'm sure we could make that connection for you.

Very well.

This way, gentlemen.

There they are.

- Now that's all of them, right? - Yes, inspector, that is all of them.

Forty to be exact. With an average value of over $12,000.

Mr. James, did you know a dealer in this city

by the name of Vincent Hagopian?

Very well. I used to deal with him exclusively before he died.

- Died? - About a year and a half ago.

We just talked to him this afternoon.

His son. Had to be his son.

Would be.

He took over the business. But he's not the expert his father was.

He hasn't the same love for it.

He didn't mention that, either.

Maybe we out to find out what else he forgot to mention.

- May I use your phone? - Certainly.

You still haven't explained why you're here.

We're looking for counterfeits, Mr. James.

Counterfeit Eagles, here?

Impossible.

Who has access to your case?

There's only one key. I keep it with me at all times.

May I?

Stone.

Let me talk to Lessing.

Lessing, Stone, I want a make on Vincent Hagopian, Jr.

He owns a coin shop on Maiden Lane.

- His name and address is on my desk. - Do you have any gloves?

- Go pick it up. I'll hold. - Desk. Left drawer.

You got it?

Go over to R&I and find out if by any chance

there's a tie between this Hagopian and our other body.

Ernie Walker.

Body? What's he talking about?

We've had two killings we believe are connected with this counterfeiting.

Did you get a make on that insulin OD yet?

All right. Check Hagopian's neighborhood

and find out if the two of them were ever seen together.

Anywhere. You know where to look.

The bars, his coin shop, apartment.

Let me know what turns up.

When was the last time you opened this, sir?

Less than a half an hour ago.

- Were you alone? - No, I was with a friend, a young lady.

- She's my houseguest. - May we speak to her, please?

- Certainly. - Thank you.

- Got anything? - I don't know.

Mr. James.

This coin.

It's an '83 proof.

Only 40 in the world.

Could you look at it through the glass?

We've taken a two-day crash-course because of this case,

but those hairline scratches, I believe the experts call them cast marks?

They wouldn't be on a coin of proof condition, would they?

No.

They weren't here when I bought this coin.

You didn't buy that coin, Mr. James.

Somebody just gave it to you.

Hagopian?

- I don't know. - Yes, sir?

Will you ask Miss Pierson to join us, please?

Miss Pierson just left, sir.

I heard her car on the driveway.

Say, this girl, does she know Hagopian?

- Not well. - But she did know him?

Yes, as a matter of fact, I introduced them myself several months ago

when he came here one day to make a delivery.

Have they seen each other since then?

I wouldn't know.

Certainly she couldn't be involved in anything like this.

She's a very simple young woman.

And if I read this Hagopian right, he's no simple young man.

We'll need a description of Miss Pierson, sir.

What's her first name?

Karen.

Vince. Vince, open the door.

Vince.

What are you doing here? I told you to wait for me.

- The police came. - The police?

We were wrong. Look, we gotta take it back.

Never mind. What did they want? What did they say?

I don't know. I left as soon as they came.

Help me. Help me get these mailed.

Vince, stop.

We have to take it back. All of it. It doesn't belong to him anymore.

I know it doesn't belong to him. It belongs to me.

And they'll be waiting for me in Spain.

Oh, please. Look, I'll make it up to you.

We don't need this.

I'll tell you what I don't need. I don't need you.

Your whining mouth or your pawing me anymore.

Vince.

- I'll call an ambulance. - Good.

How long you think she'll get?

- Who? - Who.

- Karen. - What, I'm a DA?

She turned evidence.

Identified Tom from Hagopian's shop.

That'll help her a little.

- What's this? - Got your names on them.

"In appreciation. John R. James."

Silver dollar.

Where's that book? Where's the book?

Yeah.

What year is that?

1882.

- Looks pretty shiny, doesn't it? - Yes, it does.

- Think they're uncirculated? - Oh, I'd say they're uncirculated.

Hey, we're rich.

- Yeah? - Yeah.

Four dollars apiece.

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