Original subtitles

Who is he?

Never saw him before, Maddox.

Now, that's a reasonable deduction, Sergeant.

Name was O 'Farrell, Michael J.

Don't know him. Released from state prison a week ago.

Second -time paperhanger.

May he rest in peace.

Okay, Sergeant, now let's have it. Why did you drag me down here to the morgue

on a busy morning?

Well, we found this in his coat pocket.

He had your name and number there.

Sorry. I got no call from a Mr. O 'Farrell. Well, I guess it couldn't have

very important.

Sorry to bother you. Better check it out, that's all.

What's this B .C.? Before Collision, maybe?

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

You sure it's hit -and -run?

Well, there's nobody madder than the we know of.

You have any idea why he might have haunted me?

Forget it, Mannix. The guy was nothing.

Maybe that's why I'm curious.

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

Mr. Maddox can't help us any.

Well, of course not.

What did you expect?

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

And here, if you want, a couple more things from his pockets.

A few trading stamps, a couple of gas station coupons, and a chance on a new

cabin cruiser.

No sweepstakes ticket.

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

sweepstakes ticket.

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

Thank you.

Mrs. O 'Farrell, do you have any idea why your husband might have wanted to

me? Well, naturally.

Naturally, I do.

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

No, Sergeant, I'll drive Mrs. O 'Farrell home for you.

Bye. Why, I don't know anything.

Of course, I could tell you that the last time my husband came home from

he had the most beautiful scheme for gold mining.

He just didn't know that his cellmate sold at the mine.

And, of course, by then he'd already sold our car to buy the mining

Lucky the Irish.

Oh, my husband, Mr. Mannix.

He was a one -man potato famine.

And then there was a time that he was going to let the chief of police himself

in on some new kind of a patent for a siren that was going to make us all

And then there was a time that the...

What

you mean, Mrs. O 'Farrell, is you think I should just forget about it?

What I mean is the last time he came home from Britain, he knew better than

tell me why he was so excited.

Maybe it had something to do with his cellmate. I don't know.

Whatever his latest little moonbeam was, I can only guarantee you it was

worthless.

And as for calling you Mr. Mannix, he could no more have afforded to pay for

five minutes of your time than I can.

Any of those yours?

Just three.

My husband, Mr. Mannix.

was nothing but a writer of bad checks.

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

Mommy, where have you been? The television's broken.

I'm coming, sweetheart.

And yes, Mr. Mannix, if you don't forget him right now, then you are almost as

big a fool as I am.

Thank you, and goodbye.

What sort of a case you want?

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

Al Charnick.

They were pretty close buddies, I guess.

Ever since Charnick came in here two years ago.

Worthless hood.

Armed robbery.

Look, you don't have to bother with the file. I'd just like to talk to him for a

few minutes, if it's all right.

He won't tell you much.

Tough?

Dead. Been dead for nearly three weeks now.

What happened?

Oh, Charnick was a troublemaker, did a lot of beefing, and somebody in the yard

shut him up with a kitchen knife.

Three weeks, huh?

O 'Farrell was here then. Did he have anything to do with it? No, no, I told

you, buddies.

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

Well, I guess that's the end of the rainbow.

Does that thing have the next again?

Mm -hmm.

Charnick had a wife once, I remember that.

Pretty.

Name her Betsy.

Betsy Charnick.

That's right.

Betsy Charnick. Once married to Al Charnick.

Yeah, where she lives, where she works, what she's doing, anything you can turn

up.

Look, Sarge, as a special favor, so call me back in a hurry, huh?

All right, I'll tell him.

Tell me what?

He thinks that I deserve a raise.

As soon as your coffee gets better. You made that pot.

As soon as my coffee gets better.

What's the big deal with Betsy Charney?

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

We're really coming up in the world. You're working for no money, a client

that's dead.

And to solve a problem that maybe never happened.

Peggy, do you ever buy any sweepstakes tickets?

It's illegal.

How many?

Two, three maybe this year.

Why? Well, everyone believes that lightning can strike once.

Exactly. And I got a hunch our client thought his particular bolt might strike

in time for Christmas.

What's Christmas got to do with it?

Well, you've got a kid, haven't you, Peggy? So?

Well, figure it out.

He had a family.

Two girls and a boy.

And you think maybe if it works out, they'll wind up with something under the

tree? Maybe.

You look nice in a white beard.

It's the mannequin's office.

Yes, Arch, what'd you find out?

Uh -huh.

Mm -hmm.

Uh -huh.

Uh -huh.

Right.

The rays?

Not yet, but it's perking.

She's working as a programmer at Atlas Computing Services under her maiden

Betsy Carroll.

B .C.

She didn't have to change her match covers.

Most girls aren't that lucky.

That's me. It's one of mine.

Can you tell me how O 'Farrell got that?

Talk to your sergeant. He called me this morning. I've already explained.

Mr. O 'Farrell picked that up off my desk yesterday afternoon to light a

That's all.

Mrs. Sharnick, I'm a private investigator.

My name is Mannix.

The name on the inside of the match cover.

I'm sorry, Mr. Manning.

I just don't know anything about it.

I used to work in a place like this.

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

Yes.

But you see, the only time I ever saw him was for just about a minute over

by my desk.

He said he came to pay his respects about my husband, but...

I think he really wanted to borrow money.

Then he started talking in that loud voice about prison and his poor old

cellmate Al. So you got rid of him. And now you'd like me to get lost too, huh?

Well, it's not as though you were the police coming to bother me again. But

don't you see, I don't run with people like that anymore.

I never did, really. It was just one stupid child marriage to a man who raced

jalopies and blondes while I was in night school.

I found out.

I wasn't even living with Al when he started holding up liquor stores and got

sent to prison. I mean, I'm sorry, but... Look, Mrs. Charnick, suddenly

are too many people coming up dead.

Somebody killed your ex -husband, and then his prison mate gets murdered, too.

Gets what?

Why don't I explain later? It's almost 6 o 'clock.

How about dinner?

No, I have a date with a girlfriend.

Come on, now you can call her.

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

What is it you're looking for, anyway?

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

How about it?

I live out in Malibu Canyon.

Well, that's beautiful. I know a great spot right on the ocean.

All right, follow me home and I'll change. I'll meet you in the parking

Fifteen minutes?

Ten.

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

Hold it.

What's the matter?

You hear that?

Sure.

It's tree toads.

Don't drop.

Who was it?

I don't know, but obviously he wanted to put you on a dead list, too.

Me?

Yeah.

Maybe we're off to the races now.

What's that?

An Irish sweepstakes ticket.

Mannix's office.

Mannix, where on earth have you been? I tried to wait for you to call before I

locked up the office, but Toby's supper is half an hour late.

Get a what?

A babysitter?

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

Get a hold of one of those friends of yours in gun registry. I want to know

owner of a .38 revolver number 883784.

Yeah, right away.

Who knows? It may be registered to the guy that just used it on me.

Mannix? Yeah, hold it, Peggy. Yeah, what's the matter?

That man came to rob me. The side window's forced open.

He wasn't just here to steal, Betsy.

Well, what did he want? I mean, why shoot at me?

We probably just surprised him breaking in and... Betsy, I want you to go in and

pack a bag. I'm taking you back to town where you'll be safe. Oh, one other

thing. Peggy, I need a TV repairman.

Fast. The biggest and huskiest you can find.

You say he's come to fix my TV. Oh, no, he's not. I've only just got the kids to

sit down to their supper.

Oh, well, Mervin likes kids, don't you, Mervin? And he'll also help with the

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

A what?

Why?

Why did the police find something?

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

I don't even know why your husband was trying to get in touch with me. And I

don't know what his cellmate may have told him while he was dying in a prison

hospital. Well, if that don't beat the rebels, so now he's got you pipe

-dreaming, too?

Yeah, maybe.

But Mervyn stays here until I do find the answers.

Oh, and don't worry about his bill. I'll take care of it. Now, even from beyond

the grave, that no -good husband of mine has made himself a new sucker.

Oh, Mr. Monaghan. Miss O 'Farrell.

It's going to be all right. Don't worry.

I really can fix the TV, ma 'am.

Joe, why does she need protection?

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

Betsy.

Suppose your husband was murdered in prison to keep him quiet about

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

That's just supposing.

And suppose you'd been killed by that guy at your house tonight because you

Al Charnick's wife and because O 'Farrell came to see you.

Oh.

Well, yeah, but that means someone thinks I know something.

And I don't.

What do you mean someone's been watching all the time? Maybe lots of people.

Maybe right now.

Exactly.

So, what do you want to bet?

What?

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

Five minutes, I'll have been off duty for an hour. I won't need that five

minutes, Sarge. I think I just found him. Fred Minnelli.

A real pro.

Why don't you whistle?

Strong arm.

That's right.

He's worked with some big ones.

There's no warrant on him, though.

So now what, Mannix? You gonna prefer charges?

You gonna tell me where you've tangled with this bird?

I might.

If you can get me a rundown on the receipt for this sweepstake ticket that

out of his pocket.

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

Against the law.

So there's nothing but a number on them.

You can check the agents who sell them a lot faster than I can.

Might take several days.

What if I told you that you'll find that sweepstake ticket was sold to O

'Farrell?

That still wouldn't prove that O 'Farrell's death was anything but hit

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

So what?

We also know that O 'Farrell's cellmate was murdered in prison.

That still doesn't say anything.

Here.

Look at this dope on Charnock.

He was Peanuts, too.

Small -time hoodlum.

So who are you doing all this for? Just the Widows and Orphans Fund?

Maybe.

Armed robbery, liquor store, March 17th.

That's St. Patrick's Day.

I just got a call back on that revolver.

Right, it was bought in 1964 by a gun fancier named Haskins. Who?

Jug Haskins. Yeah, yeah, that's all I need, Peggy. Yeah, and tell Betsy I'm

gonna win that bet.

Hey, Sarge, did this hood I tell you with ever have anything to do with a guy

named Jug Haskins?

Might have.

So?

Wasn't Haskins a suspect in the Harrison heist about two years ago?

Who was it?

St. Patrick.

Thanks for the trouble, Sergeant.

Well, I'd like to see the boss.

Yeah? Who would like to see him?

A lot of time, Max.

I think we'd better talk.

Sorry, Mr. Hatt.

Okay, Max.

Very busy man, baby. You want to meet the girls?

Relax and enjoy yourself.

Okay. After we talk about this.

Oh, I think this belongs to you.

Okay, inside.

You tell her to repeat.

She's lousy. Put some action into it.

You know what?

This is the same model some no -good punk stole from me once. This guy's name

was Fred. Yeah, I figured.

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

Where'd you find it?

What's the difference? Let's talk about the Harrison eyes.

Mannix, the day after the Harrison Bank and Trust Company was heisted two years

ago, I was hauled in without a warrant.

And you know, at first I was flattered.

That was a pretty fancy job. They had organization, planning.

A slick getaway.

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

stepped in.

And then the Treasury. And then the FBI. Oh, yeah. I was rostered around pretty

good for a whole year.

Okay, so you know more about the case than anybody else. That's why I'm here.

Well, so why me again?

Why don't you go to the horse's mouth? Sure, go to Harrison itself.

There's some bright punk named Spencer. He's the big wheel. No, no, not until we

can collect a reward.

Now, there's $6 million in cash and security floating around loose

right? Never been found.

Now, you listen to me, Haskins. Two years ago, a hood named Charnick went to

prison for holding up a liquor store. Pleaded guilty.

Charnick?

Go on. On St.

Patrick's Day, the same day as the Harrison heist.

Only his job took place all the way across town.

So what's the connection?

Now, wouldn't you say that maybe Charnick took a phony rap just so he

a quick alibi?

Well, maybe, pal, only I never knew this Charnick. Now, Charnick is now dead,

murdered.

And so is his prison buddy who was at his side when he died.

Yeah, that's better, boy. Now she's really gone.

Maddox, Maddox.

I guess you figured to come in here and either scare me to death with this stuff

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

It was something like that.

Anyway, if you want to hear any more, just give me a call.

Yeah, well, there's only one thing you don't realize, pal.

There's other things in life besides money.

I found some lighter bandage.

Better put it on those ribs.

Those ribs are gonna be x -rayed. No, no, no. These boys knew what they were

doing. Ow!

Was that so?

We're just waiting till you fall flat on what's left of the rest of your head.

They were real pros. They didn't break a thing.

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

There you go again, Betsy.

You know, there's a police sergeant who'd laugh his head off over this.

Laugh. I took off in the wrong direction, that's all. On the wrong guy.

wrong day, on the wrong case, on the wrong crazy rainbow.

Peace, Peggy.

Peace.

Are these your notes?

Yep.

Oh, has Mervyn been calling in on time?

Of course.

To say he fixed Mrs. O 'Farrell's TV set, her water heater, and now he's

himself awake by mending the light cords.

You see, I told you, you're just being an alarmist about all this. I probably

didn't have to stay here either.

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

Yeah, you're probably right.

Who's this Johnson?

He called several times.

Maybe that's what upsets me. He's a real man with a real assignment for M -O -N

-E -Y.

Money.

He's from the Great Pacific Insurance Company, and he wants you to fly to

Montreal.

Montreal? Right now, maybe?

Urchin, he said.

I'll bet it is.

Peggy, uh, Great Pacific handled the insurance for the Harrison Company.

Now they want to get rid of me, too.

Now, you call Johnson and tell him I've got an assignment.

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

You medics?

Come in.

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

Well, I could have met you someplace else.

Well, I'm on my way to the airport. I had to pick up these papers anyway.

Make it fast.

All right.

I called because I was told you're the horse's mouth here at Harrison Bank and

Trust.

The vice presidents sometimes say that a little differently.

At least since the time of the big robbery.

We had a little reorganization then.

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

But, uh, what is it you wanted to tell me about our most embarrassing

withdrawal?

I understand the police aren't much interested in Harrison Heiss anymore,

leads me to believe that the insurance company has stopped pressuring them.

They never developed a single decent lead.

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

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

It would have had to be fenced, sold at a discount, some other country, perhaps.

But no.

Not one penny anywhere.

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

How much reward are you willing to pay if I should solve the case for you?

You know, I've considered it my duty to listen to every crackpot with the theory

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

Don't you realize how many people must have been involved in that, Rob?

What, planning, intelligence, split -second organization?

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

Now, are you interested in getting your money back?

You, uh... You really on to something?

Try me.

I'm flying back here early Monday morning.

Why don't you meet me here at 10 o 'clock?

But I've got a few leaves of my own, so don't do anything until we check.

All right.

Oh, uh, about the reward.

Your usual rate, plus expenses.

Plus 5 % of anything you recover, okay?

Fine. All I needed was a client.

See you Monday morning.

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

Maddox, he was just here.

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

I'm heading straight home now. I want to get this thing over with fast.

Bye.

I'm sorry about the noise. It does that every once in a while.

Joe, what's going on?

Are you all right?

Yeah.

Where's Peggy?

Oh, she went to take her little boy to his grandmother's. She'll be back in a

minute.

That's not soon enough.

The action is going to be now.

Action? You know, Betsy, the only reason for anybody to be killed today, two

years after the Harrison heist, is to keep them from interfering with

that's still going to happen.

That's why your husband was killed and then O 'Farrell.

Joe, how many times do I have to tell you? My husband was just too stupid to

mixed up in anything that big.

I told you all he did was raise jalopies.

Jalopies. Maybe he was only a driver.

Getaway driver.

He knew something was coming up. He blabbed it to O 'Farrell. They're both

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

You're... What?

I can't leave you here alone.

Let's go. Go where?

Six million dollar happening.

What kind of a license plate is that?

Diplomatic.

Middleman, maybe.

Sure, that figures. They need a middleman that nobody can touch.

Will you please explain?

He's going to Spencer's place.

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

The kind of client I like. Friendly, honest, reliable.

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

Uh, we have company.

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

Not for you, it isn't.

This is all private property.

Try the love inn over the hill in Malibu.

Malibu? Yeah, fine.

Well, I guess I wasn't very convincing.

I don't know. I thought you were doing beautifully.

How do we do what he says?

I think we'd better try the back way.

Yes. Mr. Spencer sent me to get some money for him. Where is he?

I don't understand.

I've just told Mr. Spencer. He agreed to be in five minutes. Tell me.

How dare he?

I'm only a lawyer. I have nothing to do with this. Now get away. I have

immunity, sir. Where is he?

Mr. Spencer!

I told you to stay in the car.

Well, I was frightened.

You'll be all right.

Come on.

In the back seat. Stay out of sight.

You call him insane?

I hope not.

What I just saw was a buyback.

I don't understand.

A big robbery can't be solved. The loot can't be spent either.

Here we are.

That's not even in English.

Swiss bank transfer. Two million dollars in cash.

Spendable cash.

Two million?

In exchange for the hot six million. You know, Spencer was buying that back from

the gang who stole it.

No questions asked.

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

All they want to do is keep the whole thing quiet.

Where's the loot?

He said five minutes.

I told you to stay down.

We're caught in between, right in the middle of the payoff.

This time without friends, Haskins.

Who is he?

Jug Haskins.

Guy almost had me fooled.

I guess the police can't quit watching him, so he makes the best delivery man.

Let's get out of here. No, it's the wrong car. Let's go.

Get in.

Why don't you look through there?

There's nothing here but clothing.

Not quite.

Cash and securities.

Six million, probably.

A whole Harrison heist.

Well, what are you going to do with him?

Listen, let's get out of here.

With that?

That's why you've been sticking so close, isn't it, Betsy?

What?

This is all you people from the heist care about, isn't it?

I was hoping it was the other side. Maybe Spencer, who was responsible for

rough stuff. But it isn't.

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

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

Keep trying to forget that it was you O 'Farrell came to see and was killed.

Then I came to see you. You had to call a girlfriend to break a date.

When we got to your house, there was a man waiting to kill me, not you. That's

right. Let me go.

What part did you play in that robbery two years ago? Your computers? Did you

plop the whole thing on those computers?

Listen.

There's somebody coming. Just listen. Yeah.

The five minutes are up.

It's probably Spencer and his boys coming to pick up his loot.

You didn't think we'd be fools enough to do this without somebody covering, did

you? Now give me that briefcase.

Here.

Three. Three hundred thousand dollars.

Five percent of the rainbow, Mrs. O 'Farrell. Oh, less my services, plus the

damages to my car, and there's a foreign lawyer who's threatening to sue me for

assault. I just can't understand why you bothered.

Faith in the Irish, I guess.

Their women are such lousy liars.

Liars? My husband was no good, Mr. Maddox. It was his one crazy pipe dream

another.

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

Spencer will have checks waiting in his office.

Mr. Monix, who was it?

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

It's just some woman driver.

That's all.

Slav.