Original subtitles

Barnaby Jones, starring Buddy Ebsen.

Also starring Lee Merriweather, with guest stars Jessica Walter,

Lawrence Pressman, William Shallard,

special guest star Peter Mark Richman.

Tonight's episode, Dead Man's Run.

Are you hurt, ma 'am?

I told him he was going too fast.

Are you hurt?

He lost control.

Better put this on.

Can you tell me your name?

Mrs. Bernice Kellner.

The driver, your husband?

Dead.

Broken neck, it appears.

See if you can reach his coat.

Yeah.

Who is his wife?

Her name's Kelman.

I'll go talk to her.

Lloyd C. Kelman.

Her name's familiar.

Yeah. I think it's been in the papers recently.

Would you take him back to my place?

Sorry, Miss Kelly.

My name is Freels, and I'm the county coroner and a mortician.

And if you wish, I could take care of your husband until you make the final

arrangements.

No. No, services won't be necessary.

There are no next of kin beside myself.

I'll offer prayers in my own way.

I understand.

I'm sorry to interrupt, but I've been in touch with the San Francisco Police

Department.

Lloyd Kellner's wanted there on a felony warrant for embezzlement.

That's not true. He never took a penny from the company.

Mrs. Kellner. It was bad mismanagement.

Mrs. Kellner, please.

I'm not accusing your husband.

I have simply been asked by San Francisco for his fingerprints.

Even dead, they won't let him rent.

They need his prints to clear the warrant.

It'll only take a moment, Mrs. Kellner.

Exactly what did Kellner do?

He was the controller of some company that went bust until I got from Frisco.

Are you handling the burial?

Yep. She wants him cremated.

Now I remember the picture.

People lost money when that company went under.

Thank you, Mr. Kilmer.

Please accept my sympathy.

He's freezing.

I told you that dry ice was overdoing it.

He's fine.

Shaking off the effects of the depressant faster than I counted on. He

have frozen to death.

Do you have the rest of the money with you?

Would you mind if we got some life into him first?

He's coming around.

Congratulations, Mr. Kellner.

You're officially a corpse.

We did it.

It would take the federal attorneys months to put all the pieces together.

But the total losses are certain to be up to $60 million.

Thanks, Benny.

How does a big investment house get away with this kind of manipulation?

Simple.

Just declare long -term receivables as profits and investors rush to your door.

But the recent market crunch proved it was a rollercoaster ride for the

stockholders. What about that Richard Stamens himself, the company president?

Apparently, he took the same bath as the stockholders.

He's in personal bankruptcy now.

Bad business judgment would be the extent of his responsibility.

But his controller, this Lloyd Kellner, well, that's a different matter.

With Kellner killed in the car accident, won't proving the embezzlement charge

be difficult?

And really a moot point now.

You see, the stockholders who have retained me as their counsel want some

assurance that this Lloyd C. Kellner was not putting away a substantial nest egg

during the past six months.

Evidence points to the existence of a nest egg.

Mr. Jones, we want you to find... That nest egg.

Between three and four million, you tell me.

Based on the false entries already uncovered, we're in that neighborhood.

We have a hunch it'll be in negotiable currency.

Embezzlement of this kind, following that pattern.

I suppose if your intention is to run, cash would be the easiest way to handle

it.

Well, I'll leave those papers with you, and please, if there are any questions,

call me.

Yes, I will, Mr. Moore.

Thanks for the coffee.

You're welcome.

Good luck, Mr. Jones.

What I'm going to miss most is that mustache.

How did Stamens sound?

Like it's a stall?

I'm not sure.

Loose end settle, whatever that means.

How do the contacts feel?

Getting used to them.

Why didn't you nail it?

Exactly when he'd have that money ready. I couldn't say too much over the phone.

I'll be over there later for a chat.

There.

Let's see.

Wow.

Ten years younger.

I'm jealous.

Such lovely green eyes.

Hey, cool.

Isn't that the way the kids put it these days?

As a married woman, I'm tempted to make a play myself.

I'm going to watch you like a hawk when we get to Acapulco.

Why can't a woman shed ten years so easily?

That's because you shed them ten years ago.

Ouch.

Those loose end statements needs to settle.

Get over there and let him know he's got a deadline to produce that cash.

Don't be afraid to tell him. He's not going to play any games with us.

I don't see how he can afford to double -cross us.

For a million in cash, anybody will double -cross anybody.

Present company accepted, I hope.

They just might wind up insuring you for a million.

Mr. Freels?

Yes, what can I do for you?

I'm Barnaby Jones, private investigator.

Hope I'm not interfering with your work.

Oh, no.

Oh, of course not, Mr. Jones.

What a pretty country you got around here.

Guess you've had some excitement with the Lloyd Kellner death.

Well, Mr. Jones, I already talked to some officials down from San Francisco.

Yes, I read those reports.

I'll only take a minute of your time.

All right.

Did it go well?

Fine.

Richard. How's Lloyd's appearance?

Could he get by a casual meeting with, say, an old friend?

You siphoned $4 million from the company.

Lloyd spending a half year working on those books so he alone could take the

blame. leaving you free to claim you were as much a victim as the

Our share of 25 % or $1 million was firmly agreed to.

Are you getting greedy?

Don't ever change, Bernice.

Always direct and to the point.

Remember the first day I hired you as my secretary?

Rittenhead.

All right.

We'll talk about money.

It'll take 48 hours to have a transfer down here.

Now, let's talk about a little flaw in our otherwise perfectly well -made

plans.

Flaw? There's something I don't want you to mention to Lloyd.

He's been declared dead.

The search for him has stopped.

Have you thought about what would happen if his little masquerade were

uncovered?

Well, we'll be in Mexico.

His appearance has entirely changed.

Yeah, but there's no guarantee that he might not someday be recognized. Now,

think about that, Bernice.

Every time you walk the streets with him, go into any public place, you'll

be quite sure when it could happen.

We intended living almost as recluses for a year or two.

All right.

Let's set that aside for a minute.

Did you know that I was...

completely destroyed when I found out that you had eloped with Lloyd.

All I could think of was I had lost you.

I didn't know.

I'm... I'm touched.

I'm flattered.

I've often wondered...

If some feeling for me lingered on after your marriage.

Are you afraid to answer that, Bernice?

Well, I am married now, Richard.

Yes, you're married to a time bomb ticking away.

And there's no question it'll explode, only when.

This is suddenly becoming frightening.

The thought never occurred to me.

With Lloyd, you could face prison. Maybe all of your best years taken away from

you.

With me, there is no hiding.

There is no place we can't go.

Nothing we can't do.

What are you talking about?

What about Lloyd?

He's been declared dead.

Simply think of him that way.

A dead man.

I've often thought back to how it might have been.

Mr. Seaman?

I'm Barnaby Jones.

Oh, yes, Mr. Jones.

I understand you've been retained by the attorney, Mr. Moore.

Yes, he gave me your address, but nobody answered the bell.

Nice place you have here.

Nice place my creditors have, you mean.

Come on in.

Thanks.

I like to play a little early morning golf, kind of clears out the cobweb.

What can I do for you, Mr. Jones?

Well, you're possibly aware that my interest in the case is in trying to

down any company money that late Mr.

Kellner may have been able to put away.

You've got a very close association with him. You got any ideas?

Well, frankly, our association wasn't all that close.

Would you care for a glass of tomato juice or something stronger, if you'd

No, thanks. I just had breakfast.

Well, this is my breakfast.

Tomato juice and vitamin pills.

Matter of routine, I'd like to have an overall picture of the case.

Now, in the last six months during which Mr.

Kellner may have taken money from the company, were you aware of any sudden

friends, any new faces you can recall?

No, I doubt if I would have taken any notice.

Generally, when someone plans to embezzle a large amount of money, they

be free to move around and put it somewhere or have someone else do it for

Now, we've been able to establish that Mr. and Mrs.

Kellner stuck pretty close to home the last six months.

Well, I'll tell you frankly, Mr. Jones, the whole subject of Lloyd Kellner is

becoming very distasteful to me.

Now, granted, I left too many decisions up to him, and I'm as much to blame for

being in the hands of my creditors today.

But an embezzler is worse than a common thief.

It preys on trust.

Kellner certainly preyed on mine.

Yes, I can understand how you feel.

I've lost everything.

There are attachments against my house, my cars, paintings I've collected over

the years.

I've even been forced to dismiss my servants.

I'm left with my personal clothing and my pets.

I had to convince the appraiser my little pets needed their home.

Well, this certainly is a pretty arrangement.

Thank you. Is there anything else, Mr. Jones? I do have some other

I understand that Mrs. Kellner is living down at the marina.

Do you think of any reason why she wouldn't have gone back to San

Well, she's staying at a condominium apartment the company bought about six

months ago.

It's seldom used, so I suggested she use it to kind of rest up, you know,

recover from her ordeal.

Does she have any friends down here you know of?

Well, I count myself as her friend.

I'm certainly not holding against her the thievery of her husband.

There are no other friends here that I know of.

Well, thank you very much, Mr. Stamen.

You're welcome.

Mr. Freels.

Your husband's ashes, Mrs. Kelp. What?

Please, come in.

Just a little personal service.

Delivering the urn to the bereaved wife.

Final detail.

Should anyone question you about Mr.

Kellner's ashes?

Yes, we should have thought of that.

Sorry you had such a long trip.

Couldn't you have mailed it?

I thought it important enough to deliver it in person.

I do appreciate your trouble.

There's a charge for the urn and the delivery?

Certainly. I'll get my wallet.

You might wish to rent a boat, dispose of the ashes at sea.

It's a good idea. I'll take care of that. How much do I owe you?

$25 ,000.

I'd say you've got a marvelous view.

You're in this as deep as we are.

But no deeper than before.

I'm a modest man, Miss Kellner. I live very modestly.

Now, someone else who smelled millions of dollars at stake might have asked

say, a whole million.

But not me.

You paid $25 ,000.

Another 25 ,000 rounds it out to a nice sounding 15.

But what could you do without implicating yourself?

At the present time, I'm not sure.

But I think you and Mr.

Kellner would want to keep me a contented man.

I'll try and get in touch with my husband.

Might take a few days.

I'll drop back Saturday morning.

Ten o 'clock sharp.

Exhibition time.

We have a problem.

What kind?

Not on the phone.

And I don't think I should come to the boat anymore.

The telescope next to the undersea gardens.

Ten minutes.

Well, Miss Kellner, I didn't mean to startle you. My name is Jones, Barnaby

Jones. I thought possibly Mr. Moore might have told you that you'd be

from me.

Look, Mr. Jones, if you're another attorney... No, a private investigator.

I can see that you're on your way somewhere. If this is inconvenient, we

do it another time.

I was going shopping.

Well, I don't have many questions. Why don't I just walk along?

Now, I knew very little about my husband's affairs, but no one will ever

convince me he was involved in any wrongdoing.

Well, let me say again, Mrs. Kellner, I'm not here to pass judgment on anyone.

I'm just trying to gather a few facts.

Well, incidentally, I saw the mortician, Mr.

Friel, near your apartment. I suppose he dropped in on you.

Yes, he brought my husband's ashes to me.

I have a long trip for him.

He's very kind.

Well, I won't bother you anymore.

Oh, the desert road where the accident occurred. There's some question about

where you were headed.

To a motel.

To discuss the terrible situation Lloyd found himself in.

Was there a motel on that road? I drove through there yesterday. I must have

missed it.

No, Mr. Jones.

There was no motel on that road.

Lloyd had made a wrong turn.

He discovered too late we were on the wrong road, which was the reason he was

traveling so fast.

Trying to make up lost time getting back to the main highway.

I see.

Well thank you very much for your time.

His name is Joan. He's a private investigator.

What did he want?

What everyone else wants without coming right out with it. Any information

leading to that money.

He doesn't worry me, but Friel does.

Friel's called?

Came in person.

I have your ashes in an urn.

The delivery charge is $25 ,000.

What'd you tell him?

That it would take time to raise the money.

He's returning Saturday morning for it

I'll take care of it

If

you're here

for the services sir, I'm sorry they're over yes, I know

Well, it's rather late, but if you're a friend of the deceased... Haven't we

met before?

$25 ,000 was the price.

Well, that's incredible.

You look so different.

There's only ten there.

That's all I could raise on such short notice.

Can we come to terms?

What kind?

Well, I've got most of it in investments.

Give me a month.

How do I know I'll get paid?

You and your wife off Lord only knows where.

We'd never chance double -crossing you.

What? I bet you've got the whole story written down and put away in your safety

deposit box, haven't you?

That was the first thing I did.

You made a good guess, Mr. Kellner.

Well, there's 10 ,000 here, as near as I can tell, but let's be more specific

about when and where I'm going to collect the rest.

A little scary, isn't it?

A few minutes in there and everything you were fits into a small jug.

Well takes a little longer in a few minutes, but let's talk about how I'm

getting paid Well, that's that's gonna be a little complicated You know frills

you'd never win any prizes for lying, huh? See, that's what you should have

done. You should have written out a statement and put it in your safety

box Then you'd have it made Yeah

I really don't care about being paid anything more.

Oh.

Oh, but I insist.

And I hope you have a personal preference for cremation.

Hi, something I can do for you?

I was looking for Mr. Friel.

Well, I expect him in soon.

My name's Brooks. I'm his assistant. Maybe I could help you.

Well, I want to ask him some questions about the Lloyd Kellner cremation which

took place here last Tuesday night. But I can come back in an hour. Well, he

should be back by then. We have a funeral to conduct.

A cremation Tuesday night? Don't you mean last night?

No, last Tuesday.

Mr. Kellner was killed in a car accident, and they brought him here and

him the same night.

Well, I wasn't here on Tuesday. I didn't get back from my vacation until

yesterday, but we've had only one cremation since I left, and that was

night.

Before I left on my vacation, I had the tank refilled myself.

It was still full when I got back yesterday, but as you can see this

it's down some 20 pounds, and that's just about what we use for one

Are you saying that...

Since your vacation, there's been only one cremation here, and that was last

night? That's right.

Oh, why don't you join me, Richard? It's refreshing.

Oh, I get my fill of it nightly. Fifty laps before bed.

That's right.

I forgot.

The well -disciplined Richard Stamens.

That's right.

Time is becoming short, Bernice.

I know.

I didn't sleep last night.

You're not having second thoughts, are you?

Wondering how it could be safely done.

I told you to leave that to me.

Lloyd isn't stupid, you know.

He's becoming suspicious that you have no intention of paying.

Incidentally...

Forgive me, but the business side of this, since we're to have a mutual trust

here, don't you think I should have your confidence?

Is there actually cash?

Do you have it in banks?

Under another name?

Come with me.

A colored pebble?

Richard.

It's beautiful.

You're looking at the most expensive fish tank in history.

Top grade, finest cut.

A little over four million dollars. The finest quality diamonds Amsterdam had to

offer.

Skid marks are of equal density.

If Kellner had tried to turn the wheel there by turning the car over, the marks

on one side would be heavier.

And lighter on the other.

You think they staged this accident, don't you, Barnaby? I haven't a shred of

proof, but I don't buy all these coincidences.

Your telephone booth over there?

It's awfully convenient.

If this is a hoax, I would explain why the Kellners were on this road.

Rode to Lee's only one place, back to the highway.

Would explain why Friel said he dropped off Mrs. Kellner in town but didn't know

where she went.

He knew exactly where she went. He took her right to her apartment.

Well, Friel should be back at the mortuary by now.

How in the world are you going to confront him?

I can't.

For me to say Lloyd Kellner is alive, I'd have to produce him.

What are you thinking?

I was thinking about those ashes that Friel delivered to Mrs. Kilner.

She scattered the ashes at sea?

She scattered something at sea.

Now we just may never be able to prove it wasn't her dear departed.

Not a dry eye in the house.

I'd like to have been there.

It's good I wore a veil. I started to giggle.

Heartless wimp.

We sail at noon tomorrow.

Be firm with statements. We want a third of those diamonds.

Will do.

Friel's never returned to the mortuary.

Did you talk to the sheriff?

I was afraid to tell him what I suspected, that Friel's never left the

Barnaby, that counts as a horrible thought.

Are you able to add anything to the file?

No.

You were talking about too many coincidences. Well, I have a few more

With six months ago being the common denominator.

That's about the time Lloyd Kellner started fooling around with the company

book.

The condominium apartment where Mrs. Kellner is living?

That was purchased by the company six months ago.

I can accept that as a coincidence.

All right, that's one.

Six months ago, Lloyd Kellner started taking language classes in Spanish.

Exactly six months ago?

And exactly six months ago, he became a member of a yacht club in San Francisco.

And then he still had time, although I don't know how he did it, to enroll in a

power squadron school.

I spoke to the, uh, commodore of the school, and he said Lloyd Kellner took

of the courses right up to and including celestial navigation.

Celestial navigation?

Maybe that explains why Mrs. Kellner chose this marina to get over her

bereavement. Richard, I don't know how to answer him. He wants a third of the

diamonds, and he wants them now.

But I told you what story to give him.

The diamonds are matching.

They lose much of their value if sold separately.

Lloyd wants to meet with you.

Fine. But I told you we'd arrange it for Sunday night.

He insists on meeting you tonight.

He might be getting suspicious about us.

the street, Bernice.

You work real fine.

I'll be right over.

Boy, you look beat, Barnaby.

I was up all night, Lieutenant.

You think that's the way it happened? He hit his head and drowned?

I'll try to keep an open mind, but it sure looks like it. He was drinking and

stumbled with that glass they're picking up out there.

Some minor cuts on his leg seem to say that.

Something bugging you?

You know, I was only in this room for five minutes that day, but I'll swear

something has been changed.

You think one of the paintings is missing?

I don't know much about art, but I'd say any of these would cost me a year's

salary. No, it wasn't that. We came in, we were talking.

He had been playing golf.

Came over here, got himself some tomato juice.

Then he came back to feed the fish.

The stones.

What stones?

They're gone.

Huh? They were in the treasure chest, kind of spilled out over the sand.

About two or three dozen of them.

What kind of stones were they?

Just ordinary stone, kind of colorful.

Like that.

It was on the radio.

They're calling it accidental drowning.

Take your time driving down.

Use back roads. When will you be leaving?

Try to get away by noon. Still got some supplies to get aboard.

Somebody invite you aboard, Mr. Jones.

How did you find this boat?

It's very remarkable.

Too much younger than the picture I had of you.

How'd you find it?

How'd I find the fancy flight?

You know, that's a very appropriate name for a boat that's intended to take you

and three or four million dollars worth of diamonds to Mexico.

I asked you a question.

Well, it's a little complicated.

Almost as complicated as you planning your own death.

Hello? Get over here, right away.

I need you.

Right away.

It's surprising, Mr. Kellner, how ideas come to you. I woke up this morning and

I said to myself, now, wait a minute.

What would Mr.

Kellner be doing that no honest boatman would be doing?

You're always this chatty.

So I came up with a thought that all your transactions would have to be in

Even a checking account under an assumed name would be dangerous.

Do you realize, Mr. Kellner, how few people pay their dock slip rentals in

If you're so clever, why aren't the police here?

I have a feeling that they're on their way.

That's a bluff.

You had nothing till you boarded this boat.

Oh, I had a few little things and some imagination.

Am I to assume that our mortician friend, Mr.

Freels, has departed for a better world?

He was a fool.

Richard Stamens was the brains behind this, wasn't he?

What went wrong? A little dispute about how much your death was worth?

Oh, no.

Hold it on.

Miss Kilner, you strike me as being rather gullible in several ways,

the way you let statements con you into believing those were real diamonds.

Of course they're real.

Did you ever take a close look at one?

I'll cast off.

Don't listen to him.

And don't be afraid to use that gun if he moves an eyebrow.

Why would he go to the trouble of making paste diamonds?

Six months is long enough for him to dream up a way to pay you off with some

nicely cut glass.

He never expected us to get our hands on them, so why would he play games?

Maybe Stamets trusted you a lot less than you thought.

Genuine.

What's the point, Jones?

Well, one point is time. That could be important here.

And two, I wanted to know the location of the stones.

I didn't want this case to be over and find out that you had hidden $4 million

somewhere. In that case, my job wouldn't be finished.

Your job is finished, Jones.

Don't worry about it.

Do you folks know how many boats there are here in the marina?

Meaning? Meaning that if only one or two percent of them have their radios on,

the police switchboard ought to be all jammed up.

Now, if some of you folks out there listening will just lean on your horns,

it'll prove that everything's over for you two.

Is it on?

I'll cast off. If he makes a move, kill him.

I might mention, Mrs. Kellner, a police monitoring post was set up in the marina

this morning.

All you did was stumble around.

Lucky guesses.

Does that console you, Mrs. Kellner?