Original subtitles

Hi.

I'm Leanne McIntyre. I'm an attorney.

My client asked me to give you this. He caught someone trying to plant it in his

house yesterday afternoon.

He's fairly certain it's the same gun used to kill Dennis Spears.

And the intruder, whom he didn't recognize, is trying to frame him for

murder.

Have a nice day. Bye -bye.

Hold it. Hold it!

Your client got a name?

Well, of course.

Bye. It wouldn't be Ed Wingate by any chance, would it?

Oh, is Ed Wingate a suspect?

We searched his house and found Dennis Spears' watch and gold cufflinks.

If you tell Ed Wingate the sooner he gets his butt in here to answer some

questions, the better.

If I see him, I'm going to tell him.

Bye -bye.

You're making me very nervous.

I'm not making a passage, you bink. I just want a little information.

I shouldn't be talking to you.

I'm not a murderer, bink.

Keep eating.

Make it look like you're chewing when you talk.

Did you tell anyone about the fight Spears and I had?

Alan Pierce?

Brenda Farrell?

Some police lieutenant?

They were asking me a whole bunch of questions about Dennis the morning after

was killed.

I'm sorry, it just slipped out. That's okay.

Why were they asking you questions about Dennis?

They knew he called me the night before.

About what?

He was pretty sure he had found the house where the Sanborn kid was being

Wanted me to analyze some motor oil he'd found in the driveway there.

Motor oil?

Where is this house?

He didn't say.

Do you still have the oil?

Yeah.

I'm going to send you another sample this afternoon.

I want you to compare the two.

See if they came from the same engine.

If they find out what I'm doing, they won't.

I'll be in touch.

Hey.

Your slip is showing.

Thank you.

I can't tell you how worried I was. I felt helpless.

Pop, it was the worst four days of my life.

Worse than the time Brewster Sherwood took your bike apart and hung the pieces

down the outhouse? Oh, much worse. Ten times worse.

Although that was pretty bad. Yeah, that's a catch.

Is there anything else you want? You want another hot dog?

I already had two. What are you trying to do to me?

You look a little thin. I'm just trying to fatten you up.

There's one thing you can do for me. Anything. You just name it. Anything you

want. Be Barry and Tracy's lawyer.

You want me to defend the people who kidnapped you?

Unless you do it, they're liable to get some public defender who doesn't know

diddly and doesn't give two hoots. What do you care about what happens to the

people who kidnapped you? They're nice kids.

Stockholm Syndrome.

The what?

Stockholm Syndrome.

People who are held hostage often wind up sympathizing with their captors,

sometimes to the point of defecting to their cause.

I've read about it. I've seen it on TV. I just, I never thought it would happen

to my own father.

Who's defecting?

I just think they deserve a fair shake, that's all.

Billy!

Where have you been? I've been looking all over for you. How come you won't

answer my call?

You know this person?

Pop, it's Ben.

I knew a man named Ben once.

Thought he was my friend.

Pop!

Then one day I saw his true colors.

My life was at stake.

And what did he do?

He bickered over what it was worth. I wasn't bickering. I was stalled.

Tell Mr. Letts make a deal that as far as I'm concerned, he no longer exists.

Yeah? Well, you tell Mr. Letts be ungrateful as hell that he's a jerk!

How'd you get in here?

Quietly. I didn't mean to scare you. Oh.

I wonder if you'd do me a small favor. Oh, try.

Would you deliver this oil sample to the FBI lab?

See if it gets to a techie named Bink. Okay.

Thanks.

Can I ask you something?

Anything. Well, one day you come in here in a Hawaii shirt. Next day you come in

dressed like a...

Construction work. Sometimes I wear a dress.

I wouldn't be surprised.

You wear those dark glasses at night.

You're the wind.

I really don't get that one. How'd you get so far up in the FBI?

Results?

I work hard, go the extra mile, get the job done.

I'm really not very different than you.

We're alike?

Yeah.

I don't think so.

Do you dress like other lawyers?

Uh, I don't know. Do you live in a big house? No.

You figure if you get your client off, that's the job.

Doesn't matter how you look or where you live.

You won't even tell people what law school you went to.

You're all right, Ed.

You're all right.

I wouldn't want you to marry my daughter, but you're all right.

Well, that's okay.

We're probably not very compatible anyway.

Yeah? She takes herself too seriously.

Yeah. Well, Mr. Bingham, what brings you up from the bowels of the lab?

Well, something kind of bizarre is going on, and I figured I'd better talk to

somebody before it got any bizarrer. Sit down.

You know how Ed Wingate always claims that some person planted the gun in his

house, the one that killed Dennis Spears, so it would look like he was the

who offed him?

Yes.

Well, I kind of ran into him today. You saw Ed Wingate?

Yeah, well, actually... Where?

He was at a restaurant downtown.

He was doing one of his drag numbers.

Anyway, he asked me to analyze some oil that leaked from the car of the guy that

he says planted the gun in his house.

I did.

And here's what's really weird. You not only talked to him, you did him a favor.

Bingham, the man is wanted for questioning. The oil that Ed Wingate

matched the sample that Dennis Spears sent over the night he died.

Are you sure?

Both samples came from the same engine.

I'm positive.

Brenda? Oh, good, you're still here.

Come to my office.

We may have a break in the Sanborn case.

Did you tell Edwin to get you?

No, he said he'd call.

Yo, Bink here.

It's Wingate.

Have you compared the oil samples yet?

Yep, I sure did.

And?

And?

I can't hear you very well with all that music there. Where are you?

Never mind.

Did they match? Well, the oils matched, yeah, but did they come from the

same engine? That's the tough part.

Well, did they?

Well, you see, first I filtered out all of the

particles and... Did they or didn't they, Bing?

Yes.

How can you be sure?

Well, that's what I've been trying to tell you.

First I filtered all of the particles out from the sample.

That wasn't easy, you know.

Oh, of course not.

Then what'd you do?

Uh, well, uh...

or the FBI?

Alan Pierce, special agent in charge. This is Agent Farrow.

Well, Agent Wingate is a long gone. He figured that you'd trace the call.

I've been that long.

No kidding.

Yeah.

Sit down. Have some pizza.

Might as well they had bought it.

Vegetarian, wouldn't you know it?

Where is he?

Oh, I don't know.

And if I did, I'd be on or bound not to tell you.

Want my pineapple?

I understand he has some information that might help us solve the Sanborn

kidnapping case.

Well, all Ed knows is that whoever kidnapped Matthew is the same man that

at his house planting the jewelry and the gun that was used to kill Dennis

Spears. At least the guy was driving the same car.

Well, Ed has got to come in and tell us what he looked like.

Well, he'd love to.

But he's a little concerned about something. What is that?

Artichoke.

You want it?

Mr. Matlock.

Well, the way Ed sees it, the kidnapper somehow found out

that Dennis Spears was on to him.

So he killed him.

And then he framed Ed to cover for himself.

The problem is, how did Mr.

Kidnapper... No, to frame Ed. I mean, he didn't know who he was or where he

lived or the fact that he just had a big fight with Dennis Pierce.

Unless... Unless what?

Somebody at the FBI told him.

Are you suggesting that someone at the FBI is in business with a kidnapper?

Saints preserve us.

That's how it looks.

You really believe that?

All saints preserve us. And you?

Or an idiot.

Relax, relax. It's just me.

Sorry I had to sneak in, but I may be watching the house.

Why are you dressed so?

I don't know.

No, no, no. Ben, Ben. We have to talk.

Call me in the morning.

You may have tapped the phone. Oh, come on, Ben.

You weren't sleeping that well anyway.

Oh, the pizza.

Who ever heard of putting raisins on pizza?

There were no raisins in that pizza.

Perch.

Oh.

Listen, I, uh, I followed Alan Pierce and Brenda Farrell after they left the

pizzeria last night. You did?

I figured they'd be pretty shaken up after they talked to you.

They might have recognized you.

Not me.

Well, that's right. You're the lamb.

Here they go.

Alan Pierce took Brenda Farrell back to the office to get her car where they

split up.

Instinct told me to follow her, which I did all the way to South Carolina.

where she has a very nice beach house right on the water with a very nice

Porsche tucked in the garage.

I'll bet she spends her weekends there.

Is she married?

Divorced.

How many?

Zip.

Ben?

That's all right, Roy.

Then... it is morning.

Miss Harrington?

Please.

So, Mr. Lewis.

How are you?

I'm fine.

Well, first off, I want to assure you that we have a very strong case against

Mr. Feldman and Ms. Riggins, and that I intend to prosecute them to the full

extent of the law.

I kind of wish you wouldn't.

Beg your pardon?

I'd like to see him get off.

Stockholm's in it.

Well, is he getting help?

Oh, no, no. He doesn't think he needs it. You know, you're talking about me,

I'm right here.

Mr. Lewis, kidnapping is an extremely serious crime.

You're very fortunate.

All too many kidnap victims wind up dead.

They never wanted to hurt me. Look at me. It's not a scratch on me.

All they wanted to do was get back at Ben.

Who can blame them?

Sending Barry's brother to prison like that.

Get him help.

Preferably before he testifies.

I'm not going to testify.

What? I refuse to participate in this tapestry of justice.

Travesty of justice, Pop.

You agree, huh?

Look, Mr. Lewis, if I don't put you on the stand, the jury's going to think

something's wrong. Something is wrong. These kids shouldn't be on trial.

You are going to testify, even if I have to subpoena you.

Look, I believe we're through here.

I'll put you in court.

No, you won't.

Yes, you will.

And it's not going to be pretty.

mark the bill?

The night before, after I'd gotten the money together, while we were all

for the kidnapper to call.

I took a blue pen and I made little marks next to Grant on nearly all the

like that one.

Dr.

Sanborn, do you have any idea how big a chance you took?

The kidnapper had discovered it. I know.

I know. I can't believe I did it.

They meant you could have been killed.

I realize that.

I must have been out of my mind.

Why didn't you say something when Matthew was released?

Why did you wait till now?

Well, to tell you the truth, I forgot.

I mean, the money seems so hideously unimportant compared to seeing and

Matthew again.

And as you know, we've been out of town, and I just forgot.

I'm sorry.

Well, I'll get the word out and see if any of these fifties have shown up

anywhere.

Depending on his spending habits, he could lead us to the kidnapper.

You lucked out once, Dr. Sanborn.

Maybe you will again.

My name is Billy Lewis, and I live in Will Springs, Georgia.

Your Honor, due to the reluctance of the witness to voluntarily cooperate in

providing testimony, the state answered to be treated as a hostile witness.

Proceed.

On February 10th of this year, you were kidnapped.

Is that right?

No. You were escorted at gunpoint from the home of Ben Matlock, were you not?

Yeah, but I wouldn't call that being kidnapped.

It was more like getting an invitation to a commissary party that I didn't feel

like refusing.

Do you recognize those two people over there?

Yeah, that's Barry Feldman and Tracy Riggins.

I wanted my son to be their lawyer, but he gave me a lot of gas about conflict

of interest.

Are those the two people who escorted you from Mr. Matlock's home at gunpoint

that day?

Well, I went with them.

I'm not sure about that gunpoint stuff.

They made you lie down in their van and then tied your hands together with duct

tape, did they not?

Yeah, but they didn't tie me very tight.

I could have gotten away if I'd really wanted to.

They took you to a room and held you prisoner there for four days, correct?

No. They housed me.

They fed me donuts, played cards with me.

To tell you the truth, it was really more like being on a vacation.

Except you weren't allowed to leave, were you, Mr. Lewis? Who said I wanted

Mr. Feldman made several calls to Ben Matlock, saying that he would kill you

Mr. Matlock didn't pay him a large sum of money. Did he not?

Now, that's very interesting that you should mention money and Ben Matlock in

the same sentence. Because as far as I'm concerned... Just answer the question!

She's got a lot of nerve calling me hostile.

How long do I have to put up with this judge?

I couldn't believe it when he told me he marked the bill.

We never discussed doing something like that.

He never even brought up the subject.

Well, no harm done. The money's still in the safe. We'll just have to go out

there and pull all the mark bills.

You can launder them next month.

What's next month?

You have to go to Europe next month.

Oh, didn't I tell you?

What for?

Oh, I will make up something.

Hmm. Oh, did you get a hold of Becker? He's going to meet us there.

Well, come on, let's go.

Hang on, hang on.

Do you see that drunk propped up against the building across the street?

What about him?

He's wearing $200 boots.

You two take care of the money.

I'm going to take care of that boat, though, once and for all.

3 -31, 3 -31, 3 -55, you all ready?

These people wanted to talk with you, so I got on my car phone and arranged for

a little meeting.

Enjoy.

Becker!

How long have you been here? A couple of minutes.

Dr. Sanborn marked the bill, huh?

It's just a 50. Didn't tell us about it until today.

Where's Beryl?

Handing Wingate over to the cops.

Okay.

Pull all the bills that have a blue ink mark somewhere in the vicinity of

Grant's face.

I don't see any ink marks, do you?

He's not breathing.

Check his pulse.

I had to shoot. He went for his gun.

Who was he?

Kirk Becker. Did five years of Walla Walla for extortion.

Relieved two years ago. Looks like he picked up right where he left off.

Thanks, son.

You can go now.

Thank you, Lieutenant.

Thank you so much.

I just want to thank you again for going to the FBI and saying you'd mark those

bills. You know, I'm afraid I still don't understand what that was all

Unfortunately, it's a long story that didn't quite have the ending we were

hoping for.

The kidnapper's dead.

How could you hope for a better ending than that?

Well, he died before we could find out whether he was working alone or with

somebody.

Got your money back. At least that's something.

We got Matthew back.

That was all that was really important.

Thanks. Bye.

Oh,

Leanne, did you talk to Edwin? I'm going in there right now. Good, I'll see you

in a minute. Well, where are you going?

Let's see. Not now. Not now. Not now. Where the hell do you get off

with an FBI investigation like that? I've got to get in there. I've got to

in there. My daughter made me drink all this fruit juice this morning. I've got

to get in there.

I was following up on a tip. If you and the cavalry had arrived any earlier, you

could have blown the whole thing.

As it is, the purpose is dead. And I'm on leave, all thanks to you. Now, wait a

minute.

You're the one who pulled the trigger.

What do you mean you followed up on a tip?

It's just what I said.

Somebody called Agent Farrell and told her to check out the warehouse.

It was after hours, so she came to my place. We discussed it. And I went to

warehouse where she helped the police take your client into custody. Yeah, you

got a tip.

We got a tip. And I got one for you, Mr. Matlock.

Stay off my tail.

And out of my face.

Agent Farrell lives pretty high on the hog, you know that.

Beach cottage in South Carolina?

Portion in the garage?

What are you getting at?

I said it before, I'll say it again.

The only way Kurt Becker could have known to frame Ed Wingate is if somebody

the FBI told him to.

I hate to tell you this, Mr. Van Lark, but Agent Farrell was in my office

briefing me on the Sanborn kidnapping case at the time that Dennis Spears was

murdered. So if Ed Wingate really didn't kill him, it had to have been Kurt

Becker. Unfortunately, he's dead.

It was a good plan.

Really was.

I knew there was a chance I'd get caught.

Just didn't expect Kurt Becker to get killed.

Sorry.

It's okay.

Sorry I'm late.

Are you all right?

Oh, I'm much better, thanks.

I had a nice chat with Agent Pierce.

I hope you ask him how he wound up in that warehouse with Kurt Becker and the

ransom money. Let me guess. An anonymous tip?

Well, maybe it's just as well.

I've obviously lost my edge, my ability to outthink and outdo my opponents.

My professional efficiency is defunct. Oh, shut up.

We, the jury, find the defendants Barry Thelman and Tracy Riggins... Guilty of

kidnapping.

Thank you, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, for a job well done. You are

excused from further duty in this case and free to leave this courtroom.

Court is adjourned.

I'm so sorry. Take it easy. It's all right. I mean, we did it. We should pay.

Yeah, but you're going to go to prison.

It's okay. It'll give Tracy a chance to lose some weight, and I'll get to visit

my brother. It's all my fault.

Billy, we kidnapped you, remember?

Yeah, but you didn't have anything against me. You just wanted to get back

Ben. Yeah, still do.

Cheapskate. What a jackass. Oh, I knew I liked you guys.

Why so quiet?

Sit down.

Matlock knows about this place.

He knows about the portion.

He's been asking a lot of questions.

So?

As long as he can't prove anything, who cares?

The thing is, the pressure is getting to you. You're getting worried, depressed.

I am?

You're afraid everyone is going to find out you've been getting rich, kidnapping

children. You can't face the humiliation.

So... Kill yourself.

Give it up, Pierce.

I know you told me to stay off your tail, but I just couldn't help myself.

We pulled off four kidnappings.

Not counting the Sanborn case.

Kurt Becker would make the snatch and see to it nobody got hurt.

While Alan and I would make sure he made a clean getaway.

We'd meet up later and split the ransom. How much money did you make?

Each of us took in close to $400 ,000 in two years.

Dennis Spears, how did he fit in?

Kurt Becker saw him snooping around his place.

Figured he was getting too close for comfort.

He called me.

I called Alan Pierce.

Next thing I knew, Dennis was dead.

Who killed him?

It wasn't me. Where were you that night?

As a matter of fact, I was out in Glendale Hills, casing the home of a

prospective victim.

So you can't prove where you were that night?

Actually, I can.

A private security guard pulled up next to us in his patrol car and asked us

what we were doing.

I flashed my shield and told him to get lost.

I'm sure he'll remember.

You were with somebody.

Kurt Becker.

Well, it wasn't her and it wasn't Kurt Becker. Still could have been Ed

Oh, come on.

This kidnapping ring stuff's all very interesting. But when it comes to the

murder of Dennis Spears, the facts...

Still point to Ed Wingate.

And since you seem to be going up against a 20 -year veteran of the FBI,

are they always will.

I'm sorry.

Dennis Spears.

Supposed to be a good agent. Maybe he left us a clue.

Tape -recorded message would be nice.

Well, let's see.

Now, he was on the telephone.

Hello?

Uh -huh. Yeah. Had a little conversation.

And then he hung it up.

And then he turned around and I was the killer.

And he got shot.

He didn't die right away. He put up a big fight.

Fighting, hitting him.

And he got hit again.

And he fell down.

Dead.

And then the cop takes stuff out of his pockets and some other stuff made it

look like it was a robbery.

Oh, Dad, look at this.

What?

Well, get up here and look at this.

You gonna give me a hand?

You know, you are too old to be falling down like this. I'm not too old to be

falling down like this.

Or myself.

Come here, come here, come here.

Look, look at this.

Now look at this.

How

long

have you been with the FBI, Agent Pierce?

Going on 23 years.

And what's your current salary?

$65 ,000.

You married?

Yes, but my wife and I have been separated for almost a year now.

You have an account in a bank in the Bahamas, don't you?

Yes. And only you have access to that account?

Yes. So all the money that's in it is there because you put it there?

Yes.

Here's some records from that bank.

It's got all your...

deposits and balances.

Would you just read your current balance?

$413 ,690.

Get out of town.

How can a man that makes $65 ,000 a year get his hands on that

kind of money?

I guess they just know how to say it.

You were recently arrested and charged with kidnapping, weren't you?

Yes. And an agent under your supervision named Brenda Thow was arrested and

charged for kidnapping too.

Yes. Only she confessed.

She said that you and a man named Kurt Becker and she were partners.

That doesn't make it true.

But you did kill Kurt Becker, didn't you? In the line of duty, yes.

And you were arrested...

for trying to kill Agent Farrell, would you?

Again, just because Agent Farrell said something does not mean it's true.

And when she told you that Dennis Spears was closing in on Kurt Becker, you

killed him, too, so that he would never know that you and Kurt Becker and Agent

Farrell were in cahoots. No, I did not.

When was the last time you were in...

Agent Spears' house.

The night he died, the police called me when the body was found. So you were

there the night he died.

That's correct.

The reason I ask is, uh, this is a blow -up.

Uh, one of the police photos of the, uh, crime scene.

You see that, that stack of mail there with that plastic card on it with the

magnetic, uh, line there?

Yes, uh, that's Dennis's passkey to the garage at headquarters.

Well, that's not quite true. This is a blow -up of that blow -up. See?

And if you look careful, you can read the name on this pass card.

Would you read along?

Alan Pierce. Alan Pierce. That's your pass key.

What's your pass key doing at the scene of the crime?

I know what happened. They, uh...

They issued that passkey the day before, only Dennis was so busy on the Sanborn

case he never got his, so I swung by his house to drop it off. I must have given

him the one with my name on it by mistake.

Ah, that's what happened over at Dennis Spears. It's a simple mix -up. I just

never noticed it until just now.

You're saying this all occurred the night before the murder?

That's right. I told my secretary where I was going and why. You can ask her.

Yeah. Well, okay. But look at the date on this postmark here.

It says, get you right here?

Yeah. It says February 11th. See there?

He had just brought this mail in. He hadn't even gotten around to opening it

yet. And here's your passkey right smack dab on top of it.

So what?

He probably used it all day like I used his. And got home after work, took it

out of his pocket.

Dropped it on his desk where it landed on his mail.

Well, you're right.

He did. He used his all day. He is in and out of that office a lot, working on

the Sanborn kidnapping.

I had Lieutenant Bronson remove the past key in question

from Mr. Spears' house, and he had the lab ID,

the fingerprints on it.

Your fingerprints are all over it.

You know how many Dennis Spears prints are on it?

None.

Now, how could he have used this passkey all day without leaving any

fingerprints on it?

You're right, he couldn't.

He couldn't.

The only way this card could have wound up on top of this unopened mail was

there was some kind of mix -up.

It fell out of your pocket during the struggle, didn't it?

It landed on that male.

And after it was over, after you had killed him, you picked up his card and

left.

And when you found out about the fight that my client, Ed Wingate,

had had with... You told Kurt Becker to frame him by planting the murder weapon

at his house.

If you've got some other explanation, I'm sure the jury would like to hear it.

That's what I thought.

No, thanks. I'll grab some of your office.

You're really looking forward to getting back, aren't you? Fighting crime is my

life, Leanne.

In fact, if either of you ever has any trouble that involves the smuggling of

drugs or illegal weapons, mail fraud, bank robbery, racketeering, anything

that, rest assured, you have a friend in the FBI.

That's very reassuring.

Anne! Yoo -hoo!

In the kitchen, Belly!

He's not mad at you anymore.

Clem, you remember Ed. Billy Lewis, Ed Wingate, FBI agent.

Never mind.

Would you like some coffee? No.

Ben,

I owe you an apology.

In fact, I very well may owe you my life.

I just want you to know I'm grateful.

Really?

Come here.

What? I want to give you a hug.

Guess who's been seeing a therapist?

He's been helping me deal with the trauma of being kidnapped.

In fact, at first I was going to make you pay his bill.

What? But then I realized that that kind of hostility doesn't get anybody

anywhere.

It's time to become friends, Ben.

It's time to make real contact.

Come here.

No. It'll make us both feel better. No.

Yes, it will. Come on.

No. Yes. No.

Dad.