Original subtitles

in the annals of crime in any great city there is always one case that for sheer

savagery will never be forgotten no professional criminal could ever match

its fury for it is the record of murder without reason of fear and the terror of

a killer who strikes without warning

you'll have to turn off that radio the other guests are complaining

I said turn off that radio welcome in do it for you that'll do it Joe we're all

through done right dad everything under control just waiting

for your feet hello Pete glad you're here we're ready to move the

buddy what time did it happen about three o'clock multiple stab wounds in

the back here take a look weapon was a long sharp twin blade adopting scissors of some kind remind

you of anything body the waitress we found about a month

ago that's how I figured probably the same guy we should know for sure after

the autopsy I'll wait for your call Volpe boys you can wrap it up any

identification on the body yeah a driver's license mrs. Alma Johnson 2860

ten and a half Franklin Avenue the cars out front is that green Chevy well what

time is a register sign 1:30 according to this she signed is mr. mrs. Joe Green

of San Diego manager didn't see anyone else he's outside when you want to talk to

him okay what about the fingerprints all over the place he's just finishing up

now fine soon as that process will check the file anything else the usual but but

just a few cigarettes Heiser has hers unless they both wore lipstick oh yeah

also I found some stuff under her nails and here's something else what is it

looks like a piece of suit fabric blue serge get it down to the lab and tell

Charlie we'll drop by as soon as we can right right where's the girl's husband

we're trying to find him fine no we better send out a call to pick up

every 288 and 311 we can lay our hands on let's go see the manager

and while the killer slept the machinery of the law slipped into gear they check

the fingerprints found at the scene of the crime if the killer had ever been

arrested his prints would be on fire there was no record of them anywhere

they located the victim's husband and brought him in to identify the body he'd

been working all night and hadn't even known his wife was on the loose police

details moved throughout the city they picked up any man who had ever been

connected with a crime similar to the murder in the motel the suspects were

taken to the identification room they were booked printed and mugged it was a

mixed assortment of the mild and the defiant that was the routine and it went

on all night meanwhile in homicide they went after the case from another angle

that's the way I see it the victim was attacked from the back and stabbed

repeatedly in the body with a twin bladed object like that it's the same

man all right you sure about the type of weapon sure I'm sure I'll show you here

the photographs we took last night notice the position and frequency of the

wounds and here are the ones we took a that waitress a months ago the wounds are identical in each case that were

made by a thick kind of scissors about five inches long

ladies consistent anything else not just what you already know both victims were

blond and had alcohol in their systems done let's have a couple of dozen

photographs of the Johnson woman made up right away then see how many men brownie

can lend us to canvass the bars if they show the pictures to enough bartenders

one of the morning love with a lead right I'll see you back here you better

make it the lad I want to talk to Charlie did you get any ideas I'm a type

of Scissors doc let me know I'll do that peaceful

of course we're in Japan but it's not much to go on it but it makes almost a

few things manufacturer possible we can trace the mill Meaghan eternal what

makes you so positive it's from the killer suit in the first place I'm not

positive but we have to start somewhere I tried to check everybody that was

registered in the motel room in the past week and and what do you think 75% of

the names with phone well that's par for a motel you wouldn't

say you were playing a long chat would you what do you want me to do assign a

man'd every motel in town just to be sure that the guests signed their right

names relax you'll put them all out of business

i defined it's from his suit all right the threads match the traces of wool

lint found under the dead girls fingernails she must have put up a

pretty good fight take a look hi now the main thing is the

number of horizontal strands to the weave

I'd say about 80 to the inch and 100 fibers to the strand for Serge that's pretty good just saw brawny it's all set

how many men is he gonna let us have eight tomorrow more later if we need

we'll need him all right about this material how much we just say it cost

well it isn't cheap couldn't touch a suit like that for under ninety or a

hundred dollars anything else yeah it's quite new but very resilient the fibers

have all the bounce of a new hand ball another thing for no signs of cleaning

through it all right so the suits knew it would take months to track down everybody who's bought a blue Serge suit

recently would you like to borrow my microscope if you had a brand new $100

super small tear in it what would you do give it to the Salvation Army no I take

it to one of those French weaving places Donna

Coffee Don we have a bulletin sent out to every shop in town that does mending and weaving warned them to be on the

lookout for a blue Serge suit with a Tarrant

I'll take care of it right away

good morning mr. Martin hi come on be my hospital who's it for

Maria what happened to her oh we're playing as she broke her neck

can you fix it mr. Martin I think so

there's good as new

hey what are you doing with that package what's in it

Oh Carl how are you hi Fred say listen do you think you can put a coupling on

the end of this for me work anything else today oh I need a couple hundred

pound sacks of vigour oh and about 10 pounds of clover seed okay

who's the girl well that's my daughter Jane she came

down from Fresno to live with me I think I mentioned her to you is she gonna be

alone only till her husband gets back he's been sent overseas you're waiting

on the phone okay honey Jane this is Carl Martin hello Carl how do you do

within six hours of the murder the killer was back tending flowers as part

of his normal daily routine at the same time homicide was working on the one

good remaining lead that torn blue suit skilled detectives canvassed every tailor shop in town on the bulletin they

left with each tailor was all the information plus a central police number

the plan was simple if the suit were brought in for repair the trap could be

sprung within the quarter hour the next move was up to the killer

first of all lady I can fix it but it'll show him and this is too good a skirt

for a friend of mine had a tear in her dress and she took it someplace and had

it mended and it didn't even show where the work was done so why can't you man

my skirt look lady when material is burned or a piece is ripped off like

this there's nothing you can do when you ripped it out you left a piece behind

you see there's a piece of material missing no you can see for yourself it

doesn't fit together

be really busy what's up I don't have to tell you the spot we're in over the

killings of Jews Rollins and miss Johnson I've heard you can't blame them

we haven't turned up anything new in three weeks we know that what you fellas

got a theory Hodge something to get us out of this all right see what you think of this we have a kind of a theory based

on the pattern in these two cases pattern it's a time pattern mostly mrs. Rollins was killed March the 3rd

approximately 3:30 a.m. this is Johnson at 3 o'clock in the morning on April the

2nd that's right both early in the month maybe likes the position of the moon

then or maybe he gets paid at the end of the month and he likes to wait until he

has enough money to go out and style I don't know Pete it's the end of the

month now I know and if our theory is correct you can tell them that the

department is gonna have another dead woman on its hands and soon

oh it's you girl is your father it no he isn't is there something I can do for

you no I don't think so all right Carl excuse me want you

what do you think of the way I do but it is Hoover under the California it's not bad for an amateur is it very good how

do you like working here Theodore it takes my mind off Jerry keeps me from

being too lonesome hey Carl do you see a pair of pruning shoes over

there someplace

Thanks

I do it

there anything I can tell that for you well one of my customers asked me for a

rare tropical plant I thought maybe your father could help me want me to give you

a good suggestion okay why not a cab layout orchid I understand with proper

care to do very well around here hey you got one in stock

well no dad since to a wife for them however this is the right season we

ought to be able to get one in a couple of weeks is that too long well he said

there was no rush I don't want foamy with it alright Carl

thanks for the suggestion not at all good bye don't do any barren you did

last week don't come home at all you sure you don't want to come on no dad I

think I'll stay and finish the books okay well I let's just break the run

turn it off in about 15 minutes huh alright dad good night

what are you doing around here this time

of night I was just passing I saw the light on I thought I'd pay my bill oh

well they say me having to mail it after you how come you're not watching Fred Bowl this is regulate isn't it yes but

if I don't got these bills how do you want to have enough money to Bowl let's

see here's your count Carl yours exactly 34 45 yeah that's right are you gonna work very late tonight

well I have to get out all these bills you got away getting home

I usually hop the bus at the corner it's just a short ride I'll be glad to wait

for I have my car well that's very sweet of you Carl but I wouldn't want you to

waste your evening waiting around for me I don't mind we had nothing better to do

we might even stop somewhere and have a drink 3450 35 I don't know what time

I'll be getting off Carl still early

something wrong not anymore

come and take a look do you often have this kind of trouble with your car yeah

this hasn't happen for a long time

I'll do what I can I'd appreciate it

no one day won't start the ignition keys

off well what do you know pretty sure yourself aren't you

I do all right now you're going to buy me that drink

if you can't leave anything better to tell I can think of something better

I better go down and check

hi what are you doing guy well of you now it is officer don't you know you're

not allowed to park here we were just leaving but I got stuck all right I'll give you a hand

what's the matter with her I'm afraid she had too much to drink she goes

darling dozed off get out home I take a look at

go ahead

hey taxi

Union Station

for that Hamilton

y2k Rajic ama three six seven about thirty six feet tall 175 pounds gray

flannel suit no hat sorry P but that's the best I could do I never really got a good look at said

his behavior seemed normal what did at the time okay we'll call you

when we need you at the liner that's the report on the fingerprints yeah it's our

man all right hi don't say okay this is right foot

let's have a look at it got a good left foot to our six we'll check in with Charlie we're finished here

Maggie

can I fix Bo later honey don't forget

he wears an iron I have to be sure same size I wear well here's something a

little more interesting these are the cigarette butts found at the motel

murder site a month ago and these are the ones found in and around the car

this morning now do you notice anything peculiar they all have lipstick markings

and there are about twice as many short ones as long that's right take a look

notice the lipstick on the long wonder you're right it's uneven and spread

pretty thin now look at the short form it's almost twice as thick in each case the murdered woman smoked the short one

but she lived a long one in her own mouth and then passed it over to him

excuse me hello welcome speaking Pete yeah he's here okay I'll tell her I want

you down at the central produce market I have a guy who thinks he saw your man

let's go Don

in the turmoil and confusion of the market the killer's flight had gone

unnoticed except for one man who thought he'd seen him cross the street and

hailed a taxi detectives then checked every cab office in the city at each one

they received the same reply no fare picked up in that area for all his

carelessness the killer had been swallowed up in the trackless jungle of

the city and out of that jungle as the notoriety increased came the creatures

strange forgotten Souls eager to confess to crimes they did not commit in their

desire to bask briefly in the spotlight of the headlines they were willing to

admit to anything each day brought new confessions and still more versions of

how the crime had been committed

and so the admissions of guilt continued every cop on the beat had at least one

habitual whom he could count on to confess to any and every crime it was

time taking discouraging work but every story had to be checked every letter and

phone call investigated there was always the chance that this one might be it the

only one who enjoyed it was the killer

it became evident they needed more than a physical description to pin him down

they had to get inside his brain to see what made him tick to try and determine in advance what his moves would be they

consulted dr. Werner the police psychiatrist authority on the criminal

mind well I'll say that homicidal maniacs fall pretty much into three categories there's the sadistic

psychopath the epileptic equivalent and the paranoid now let's consider the

sadistic psychopath first now you'll recall no doubt that the wounds

inflicted on all three parties were pretty much alike according to the

coroner's reports any one of these wounds might have caused death immediately there was no real attempt to

torture so I think we can forget about sadistic Psychopaths

good enough then is considered the epileptic hood he kills in frenzied pits

and seizures and unpredictable times his methods are buried in a regular now

according to the motorcycle officer who saw him young man was perfectly calm and

the records indicated possible tying pattern in his attacks and regularity in

his methods which leaves us the paranoiac and I think he's the man

you're after now to illustrate my point let's take a brief case history well I

don't say it's his but it might be a boy who is emotionally too weak maybe without parents or friends or family

he's lost nobody to hold on to but he finally finds a wife or a girl and

becomes entirely dependent on her now she turns out to be no good and he still

clings to her but then one day she runs off with another man he shows her a good time

the boy is desperate because he finds himself lost again he suffers a

tremendous shock and that does it his world collapses and he has to get even

the balance of his mind tips so that his emotions are transferred to a

pathological desire for revenge on the girl or a prototype blondes under 30

let's same height and weight and he'll keep on killing the same type of girl

until you catch him and so they had a little more to work with

especially when the psychiatrists information dovetailed with their first

real break a Glendale cabbie remember picking up a fare at the produce market

on the morning of the murder he'd been afraid to talk before there's a local

ordinance that prohibits out-of-town cabs from picking up a fare inside city

limits lieutenant Hamilton yeah that's right

it's me my name is Jax and I'm with a Rapid Transit company a cyborg

well now sergeant I've got some information for you fellas but it's got

to be off the record forget it it's about this crazy killer you guys are

after so no thank you I'm at the produce market one day and my regular bean I'm

picking up a guy see it's a funny thing about this guy I dropped him off at the

Union Station I'm pulling him for a stoplight at the corner I'm lighting up

a cigarette and I take a look behind me and I see this guy making a beeline for

a different can what kind of a cat a yellow yeah sure yeah

here it is I knew we'd have it somewhere cab number 803 picked up a fare at 6:05

at Union Station Grove in 2/4 and Hamilton thanks sure let me see she does look a little familiar but they see so

many faces it's hard for me try and think I am trying yeah I remember now it

was a Damon here looked like that only little blunder I think she was in here for a couple of hours gave some guy

that come on and left was pretty late I think and he went out after her what

kind of a guy what did he look like oh just an average sort of guy I guess

after all it's been about a month and the light of other guys have been in

here since don't you remember anything about him the suit maybe yeah

it was dark brown no kind of a blue I think Thanks what sit down

so from now until the end of the operation you're all assigned to us for

special duty each IVs been chosen because of a close resemblance to the

type of woman this man is likely to go for it's your job to see that he does go for you we've been able to figure his

range of operations to an area within a radius of 15 miles you've also

classified the bars where he's likely to pick up his next victim he's expected to

strike in the next few days now for procedure a plainclothesman will be

detailed to each of you you will never be out of his sight you've just been

given a good general description of the criminal on those cards don't waste time

on anybody who doesn't match when you have what appears to be a suspect play him along until he makes a definite move

then signal your detective to make the arrest what would you call a definite

move well you'll have to decide that for yourself we won't have the time of the men to pull in everybody who makes a

friendly pass the other hand always remember

you may be dealing with a homicidal maniac the criminal seems to have a

habit of letting the woman light a cigarette for him in her own mouth watch

for that now Don we'll give you your definite assignments well Betty you're

first you go with sergeant Lewis and Ginny I'm gonna tag along after you

that's a good idea I like the beach when

it isn't so crowded let's go

what's the big idea I'm a police officer you're under arrest

under arrest what for I haven't done anything

what about it Betty look I'm one-eighth 36 3 you heard the lady

let's go look Mike I told you I just stopped in for a drink after the show I

tell you you got me wrong I'm a happily married man look that's fine I bet your

wife's proud of it you gotta believe me I I never had any trouble with the

police before it all my life

okay you can go honestly all busy you gotta believe me I'm telling you that

you can go I know but you don't underst

I can go it bring me you bring me all the way down here in your fingerprint me

and you you embarrass me and then you tell me I can go home now I got a hair

on my knee to sue the city for false arrest you wouldn't really do that I wouldn't don't kid yourself blood I know

my rights you're not gonna push me around you flat flutter you wanna make

jail there's a public nuisance oh no sir I have a squad car deliver him to his

front door gives you any trouble make sure his wife finds out why we brought

him home thank you sir

they weren't all quite so innocent the next night they picked up some parole

violators carrying guns they are back where they can't use them now but it took time to pull every suspect in for

printing and mugging and time was running out from now on

the girls would have to take greater risks let the potential killer show his

hand more before they signal for help

so that's a whole story twice monthly goes away on a business trip and leaves

your home to twirl your thumbs it's not so bad at least I get to meet a lot of

interesting people this way I bet you do how about other drink what are we

wasting our time around here for I don't know come on let's go

comfortable I could go to sleep right

here aren't you

how much farther do we have to go nothi what kind of place is it

just a nice little place

I don't like it it's too quiet let's go back to our town

what after all the trouble I've gone to getting here

why did you turn in here why not

why'd you turn off the lights

what are you going to do

nothing you're gonna walk home from you maybe this will teach you there's still

some guys who respect another man's home

here's a complete file on those three suspects of girls brought in last night

anything important we turned one of them over to robbery prints matched some from a liquor store

holdup last week the other two are in the clear

I still think what happened to Virginia last night's a classic driving a girl up

in the hills just to give her a lecture on morals Tara ham oh yeah wait right

hold a car we'll be right down I just found a blonde in the riverbed

and stabbed to death

handy workers familiar right who discovered the body couple of kids

playing in the water touch anything they didn't hang around long enough to touch

anything what do you got John one of McCarthy's

men picked this up about 30 feet from the bodies the only thing they found so

far

what do you think what do you think I don't know we'll find out

hi Charlie hi peep what do you got Gladius

you'll be surprised what you can find on our own spring keep talking it's from

the murder weapon all right fresh blood all over it

signs of older blood - baby's been used before probably three times before

what's it from garden shears that ties in you see this yeah what is it

nitrate of soda urea ammonium phosphate now these are all basic ingredients of

commercial fertilizer we've analyzed a few surface crystals

and we'll get the complete formula eventually anything else well we're just

getting started take a look wood fibers from the bark of

some small tree or bush we're still checking nice work Charlie

you guys delight me well sometimes we even delight ourselves oh one more thing

before you go

this guy mr. gunner on quite a bit we have evidence of three different types

of soil what do you mean one more thing just give me a breakdown on each type

when the breakdown disclosed that the three types of soil found in the spring

came from different sections of the city I knew that gardening was not the killer's hobby it had to be his

profession with that information to go on the clues began to add up the first

step was to find the exact make of garden shears used as the murder weapon

it met her rundown of every hardware store supply house and distributor of

garden tools it was a lot of legwork but it had to be done somewhere in the city

there was a pair of shears that the spring would fit in the laboratory

analyzing the components of the fertilizer identified with the murder

weapon called for a different routine not as much running around but plenty of

midnight oil burning eventually they were able to break down the specimen

solution to the exact chemical formula from there it was a simple step to

determine the brand name

little present for you so he finally made that's an efficient little thing

where'd you find it trendle to a company he's a list of their distributors I didn't know there

were this many hardware stores in the world

what about nurseries about a hundred of them Pete we'll try a shortcut there's

no guarantee that our man buys his tools and fertilized with the same place but

we might as well check the places selling both products first

morning Carl hi mr. Kent did you find out about that plant we discussed the

orchid plant the Cattleya well it hasn't come in yet you said there was no rush

no but there was some time ago of my wife's birthday is a 10th of this month

well it ought to arrive any day soon I don't want to disappoint mrs. Kent be

sure it's planted by then Carl I'll see you sir by the 10 yes I know it's

important well I'm sure it'll be in by then all right I'll do what I can

goodbye who's that who's Carl Martin he's worried about the cataleya orchid

we ordered for him it's all my fault I told him would be in by now well you

better call the Express office again all right dad

that's funny what's the matter I didn't pictures gone sure you didn't take you home honey

no it was right there on top of the safe must be around here somewhere here honey

wanna make your call help me look for it

there never was a good shortcut to a killer they found that out 87 places handled both the make of

shears and the fertilizer they were after 20 of them in the valley alone

they checked those first and drew 20 blaze it was the same routine time and again

find the outlet question the manager crossed the place off the list

well I'm terribly sorry Carly promised me they delivered today I know tomorrow

is too late but sometimes they do make an extra delivery in the afternoon I

know I feel awful about it well isn't in some other plant with

well it finally got here yes it's a shame you know Carl wand it for first

thing in the morning hope he drops in for we close say maybe

I have to deliver it where does he live do you think you should I'll be back

before closing time what's his address it's in the book all right you finish watering and I'll go look it up okay

which one is next saunas nursery

anybody home

pilots Jane Saunders

hi Carl I was wondering where you were

you didn't look very hard didn't you hear me call you from the house no what were you doing there

well I have good news Carl the cat-lair I could arrive that's great that's going

to look at well I can't right now dad's all alone and I have to get there it'll

only take a minute all right just for a minute

hello you the manager of this place that's right what can I do for you you like little information right with you

once I turn off this water it's very nice thanks for bringing it up that's all right

I'm just glad arrived in time so now if you'll excuse me I do have to go why

don't you stay and have a cup of tea really Carl I can't you mean you won't

no it isn't that it's just that I have to get back why don't you just sit down

gentlemen what do you wanna know you sell this make of shears and vigor Oh

fertilizers ever yeah I have been for some time what you recall selling a pair of these shears or that brand fertilizer

to a man approximately six feet tall 175 pounds brown hair about 30 years of age

we think he's probably a gardener

I don't 6 feet tall

young and six feet tall kind of sounds like Carl Martin why do you want to know

it's nothing serious we just want to ask him some questions

oh well I know he uses vigor oh what about the shares I sold it with some of

his tools I'd have to check the books and take me

some time go ahead okay

you know you're the first company I've had since I've lived here in that case I

am sorry I can't stay any longer it's not the kind of place you invite a girl

to I don't know there's no reason not to know have you taken a good look around

you know Landers Lawson mate it is Carl Martin yeah he bought a pair of shears

about four months ago that's alright we'll take your word for

it what's his address six three two Hill Road Thanks there's Carl done something

wrong that is just a routine check the reason I asked it I was just thinking

about something what is it my daughter Jane is making a delivery at his house

right now where it is done Ron Chavez Ravine thanks very much

thanks for the t'car it was very good

I'm sorry that's all right my wife was a lot like you your wife oh I forgot

you didn't know I was married

anyway it didn't last very little I'm sorry why I'm not

better off without please call it's getting late

sit down we got something very interesting to show you

what are you doing here wait my dog man you better go home but

you told me I can play anytime I wanted to

I don't kill what I said I don't want you around here now go on go on

you can have your big Chiba I picture

going out your car don't make a sound

66 is probably after on the top of the

hill beat there it is

must be around somewhere teas still warm

the girls been here to check the back

nobody out in the yard take a look at this

that's it all right

it was a kid out front let's see what she knows

hi honey do you know the man who lives

in that house that house who lives there

July some gum my mommy won't let me take anything from

strangers your mother's right what's your name what's your dollies name Mary yeah that's very pretty name my name is

Kenichi that's pretty - what's his name

mr Mackey

do you know where mr. Martin is Carmelina the girl where are they now don't point Carmelita

go home to your mommy please honey

okay I got it okay