Original subtitles

Barnaby Jones, a Quinn Martin production.

Starring Buddy Ebsen.

Also starring Lee Merriweather, Mark Schera.

With guest stars Peter Caulfield, Rene Jarrett,

Jerry Douglas, Robert Euro.

Special guest star Michael D. Gazzo.

Tonight's episode, A Simple Case of Terror.

Figured you're the one with your hands in the till.

How'd you pick the lawn?

It's a piece of cake.

Look, Farinelli's got himself a sweet thing going here. You got what, maybe a

quarter of a mil a month coming through in uncut stones?

Huh? Okay, empty your pockets on the crate.

Look, come on, Lee.

All I'm doing is giving a couple of grand a month.

Now, I figure I got some bargaining position here, right?

I said empty your pockets.

Now move.

It's an easy.

And don't turn around.

All right, Stevens.

Now we're going to take a little ride to Mr. Farinelli's house.

Now move.

Not finished yet? Just five more minutes.

What did you do today? Did you keep yourself busy?

No.

But they say a ship will be unloading end of next week. Maybe I can get a day

two's work done.

Hey, why don't you go pick up some Chinese food at Chang's?

Great idea.

I'll meet you at the corner, okay?

Okay.

Come on, Lee. Come on. Give me a break.

Come on. Fair enough. Let me.

Lee.

Lee.

Hey. You all right?

He hurt you, Lee?

I'm okay. I'm okay.

Why was he fighting with you?

It was just an argument.

I'll take care of it.

Thanks, Tom.

Lee, he's not breathing. I said I'll take care of it. Will you just go?

Lee, there's blood.

I didn't want to hurt him. Will you forget what you saw and go?

I was only trying to help.

You're right.

You're right, he's not breathing.

He's dead.

Dead?

I didn't mean to kill him.

No.

Hey, it's not your fault.

Yeah, he hit his head.

And you were just trying to help me, right?

Yeah.

Okay, now.

Now I'm not going to let you down.

I'm not going to let them say you're, you know, some dummy and had a little

too much muscle and they're going to throw you in a nut house.

Now, look, I want you to get out of here now and keep quiet. Now, go.

I want you to just get out of here now. Go on.

Tom, I thought you were going to change. You didn't forget, did you?

No, I... I'm going now.

Tom, nothing wrong.

Tom, your hands are bleeding. What have you been doing?

I cut myself. I didn't do anything.

Statitive law defines the... What is it?

The content of the norms of behavior that are to be legally enforced. The

content of the norms of behavior that are to be legally enforced.

Adjective, law.

Oh, boy, it seems you've got to memorize to be a lawyer.

Well, if it helps, keep thinking about all those fat fees you're going to be

able to charge once you pass the bar.

And the things you'll be able to spend them on. Beautiful girls, expensive

yachts, buying cars.

That's the business to be in right there. You open your morning mail and

find money in it.

The letter's unsigned and there's...

One hundred and ninety... ninety -five dollars.

Ah, an unsigned letter.

Somebody empties their piggy bank to hire a private eye?

Perfectly clear to me, sweetheart.

Damsel in distress, a silent plea for help.

You know, J .R., there is one profession you should stay away from.

What's that?

Well, it's not law.

Dear Mr. Jones, a man named John Stevens has disappeared from his job at

Farinelli Freight Company Pier.

I hope this money is sufficient to employ you to investigate the matter.

All right, something else gets you the sender and I get the job, okay?

Sex of the sender, female, because most desperate females, when they're in

trouble, don't know where to lean.

Oh, chauvinist.

Defend yourself, chauvinist.

Okay, piggy bank aspect.

$195, not $200. It's a woman who's finding it difficult to make ends meet.

No, for the don't -know -where -to -lean sex.

Don't -know -where -to -lean sex?

All righty -o.

Proficient typist, possibly a secretary.

The setting's properly spaced. There are no corrections or misspellings.

Obviously not a law student.

The paper's of good quality. There's a watermark we should be able to trace.

I would say odds are five to one. The person is working age, probably used

company typewriter, not electric, but an old standard, and used company

stationery because the heading has been trimmed off. Mm -hmm, and it has, but

the thing is, why would he or she pay for what they can get for nothing by

calling the Police Missing Persons Bureau?

And that looks like our $195 clicking.

Mr. Caranelli.

Now, you wait here.

Look, I'm scared. What if Mr. Caranelli doesn't give me a job like you said?

Tommy, I said I'll look after you. That'll be okay.

Good morning, Mr. Caranelli. Well, I brought him.

Yes, I see.

Eddie and me, we were just discussing your problem.

The problem you had with that thief Stevens the other night.

Well, as I told Eddie, I tried to bring Stevens here so you could question him,

but the big ape just jumped me. Well, our concern now is that maybe Stevens

isn't in it alone, that perhaps he was in it with somebody else who also

discovered that we're bringing in the diamonds.

Meaning you made a big mistake not letting me handle Stevens.

Five minutes alone with him, I would have had him coughing up the story of

life. We don't have to worry about Stevens working with some other people.

was a loner, Mr.

Farinelli. No, it's my nature to worry, Lee.

Like that young man, for instance.

I worried that you needed his help in disposing of Stevens.

Tom thought I needed his help.

He saw the guy jump me and he just came barging in.

Oh, that's why you're setting him up with a job on a pier.

Because he's a good Samaritan.

I want him on the pier so I can keep him close.

Because you and Tom were friends when you were boys.

And that's a very good reason to want to protect the young man.

But it's no way to conduct a business.

Okay, but having some insurance is.

I mean, Tom thinks he killed Stevens.

Now, if it ever comes down to it, he takes the rap, we're all off the hook.

All right.

We'll see.

Young man!

I've seen so little of you since Peggy came to work for me in the office.

Yeah, well, I... Now, you'll both be working for me. You know, I hope that

pleases you.

Oh, boy.

Yeah, it sure does.

I really want to thank you, Mr... Mr... Perinelli.

Thank you, Tom.

Look, you can wait outside for Lee, huh?

Yeah, I'll wait for you outside.

Thank you, sir.

Oh, boy, this guy's really lost his marbles.

No, he's not dumb.

He just can't remember well, that's all.

It's an accident.

That Vietnam War, his wife Peggy tells me.

Yeah, it was a concussion. A mine went off under his Jeep.

Well, we must all do what we can do to protect these young men.

Now, thank you, Lee.

Yes, sir.

Eddie.

Perhaps you could also be of some help down at the pier for the next few days.

Keeping an eye on who?

Whoever.

There are always a zillion forms to fill out.

Hey, let's celebrate tonight, huh?

Steak and champagne.

How about if we wait until you get your first paycheck?

Okay.

You know, we got you this job pretty sudden, Mike.

Well, he's my best friend. That's why.

I just meant that you've asked him before to give you steady work.

Did you do something to make him change his mind? No.

Of course not.

Just finish filling out these forms, okay?

Okay.

May I help you?

Yes, my name is Barnaby Jones. I'm a private investigator.

I'm looking for a man named John Stevens.

I understand he's an employee here.

Well, yes, he is an employee, but he hasn't been to work since last Thursday.

No word from him at all?

No, he didn't phone in.

He, um... He started working for six months ago.

Before that, he was a merchant marine.

Any family?

No, he didn't list any.

Here's the address he gave us, 220 14th Avenue.

Thank you very much, Miss... Mrs. Landry.

Mrs. Landry.

Nobody made any attempt to find out why he didn't come to work?

No, it's really not unusual for a warehouse workman, especially one who's

single, just to decide not to come to work for a while.

I admire the way you contain your curiosity.

You didn't ask me why I wanted to find him at all.

Well, I...

I figured a private investigator likes to keep things private Thank you

Look, Tommy, Tommy, there could be 16 reasons why somebody's trying to find

about Stevens.

I mean, he could have run out on his old lady, he could have ripped someone off,

and they're trying to pay him back.

Yeah, I never thought of that.

That's just the point.

You only have to think about one thing.

Nobody, absolutely nobody's going to believe your word that it was an

that night.

They might believe your word if you told them everything that happened, you

know? If they know that we're best of friends, they'll think I'm lying.

Will you just trust me?

I mean, really trust me.

Sure.

All right, now go on. Go on back to work and finish those forms.

Okay, thanks.

You haven't seen him since Thursday morning.

Yeah, that's the day he was going out to work.

I said, hey, Mr. Stevens, how about the rent?

He says, Cooley dropped dead. Then he smiles and blows.

Mr. Cooley. Yeah.

You seem to know Mr.

Stevens fairly well. Did he have friends he used to drop in?

Oh, he had friends, all right, that would drop in.

You know, the kind of friends that leave him limping and promising even worse if

he doesn't pay up.

Loan sharks.

Yeah. Was he in debt to them a lot?

Well, now, this clown looked better than anything.

If he was in the chips at Top City, it didn't make any difference.

But you know what?

When he hit, he would hit big.

Do you mind if we take a little look around?

No, go ahead.

You ain't gonna find nothing of value in here, but be my guest.

You know, Jedediah, something's beginning to puzzle me.

A man with no family...

Apparently no friends.

Why would somebody express concern when he's only been missing a few days?

Yeah, especially $195 worth of concern.

Whoever it was that wrote the note used the word disappearance.

That's the kind of word you use when you don't expect a man to be found.

Pawn tickets?

Three of them.

covering a period of four months.

Well, it's a consistent profile in Stevens.

But if he hit it big every now and then, I can't understand why he didn't redeem

these older ones.

Tom, we've got to be honest with each other.

Well, how do you mean?

Look, a lot of things that happen to you aren't intentional, I know. Like the

fights that you sometimes get into. They're not my fault, Peg. I know.

I don't like to be made a fool. Sweetheart, I know.

Last Thursday, you were waiting for me and you said that you'd cut your hands.

Yeah, but it wasn't much of a cut. Look, it's healed already. Tom, please.

I want to know why.

Tom, it was the very next day that Lee asked Mr. Farinelli to hire you.

What difference does it make what day it was?

Hey, I almost forgot.

I got you a little present.

Tom, I told you not to buy me presents. We can't afford them. No, no. These were

a bargain. Look, they were only $30. I borrowed it from Lee.

$30?

They're worth a lot more.

Maybe a couple hundred.

Tom, they're worth $2, if that.

$2, huh?

You mean I... I was cheated?

Oh, Tom, I've told you not to buy me things.

These weren't worth $30.

Well,

everything is worth exactly what you can get, right?

I want my money back.

Well, you beat it.

Well, you'll be getting something you're not looking for.

I want my money back.

Come on.

What do you have?

Stop. Come on.

Come on. Save me!

He belongs in a booby hatch.

He cheated me!

Tom, you could have hurt that man. But he... I don't care what he was.

Tom, you're too strong to fight with other people.

And fighting with this?

You want to kill somebody.

Right, he's not breathing.

Dead.

Did you hear me?

I gotta... I gotta go back to work.

Each loan was on uncut diamonds.

I'd lend them about, oh, 40 % a month.

Do you have a question where Stevens was getting these?

Oh, I kidded him about it one time. If he had a rich uncle in South Africa, you

know.

Mr. Birch, if you'd had a chance to buy these diamonds, would you have?

Well, in fact, I offered to buy them for more than loan value.

He turned me down.

Now, if you had acquired them, what would have been the next step in their

disposition? Well, I'd put them through the diamond mart, go through a broker.

I understand the diamond mart is pretty well regulated. Wouldn't there have been

some question as to their source?

Oh, create plenty of interest.

Now, where rough stones are coming from? Oh, yeah.

But used as collateral in your pawn shop, they would have remained in your

vault.

the uncut diamond came from, he was afraid to peddle them in the open market

fear that they'd be traced back to him.

I think we ought to check a little deeper into Stephen's past, the ships he

worked on.

Incidentally, a list from the paper company came in.

Farinelli Freight is listed as one of their customers with that kind of

watermark on their stationery.

It seems that all roads still lead to Farinelli's place.

Smuggling operation?

If it is, it's going to be pretty hard to get any information on Stephen's

whereabouts.

Hey, look, why don't I get a job on the pier, ask around, look around, and see

if I can pick something up?

Like a couple of fog steers?

Or worse, some of those waterfront people play pretty rough.

Look, it can't be any worse than my neighborhood back in Chicago.

Get me Lloyd Sweeney, dock worker's local 81.

He owes me a favor.

I'll be in a warehouse.

Fill this out, thank you.

I'm sorry.

I messed up my application.

I made a mistake.

I'll head up another for you.

Do you have any idea when I'll be able to start working?

Not until tomorrow.

If you call me after five, I'll tell you what day.

Thank you.

Yes, sir?

Did you know about this Jones?

This Barnaby Jones?

Investigator who has been looking for John Stevens?

Yeah, there's been some talk about him. Not to me.

Only now do my people say he's been asking around about what ship Stevens

on. How come it takes until now for me to find this out?

I mean, what's his sweat? I figured he worked for a bill collector or maybe

the Sharks.

Or maybe those people in Amsterdam who are looking to get the Stones back.

Yeah, that's a good possibility.

So maybe it is. I mean, which Stones are going to find out? I mean, is this just

the three of us? Tom Landry makes it four.

And I want it should go back to three.

Oh, Mr.

Farinelli. I mean, Tom doesn't know anything about our business. He knows

Stevens. And it's this Jones. He should also find out.

And maybe he'll start to put two and two together.

I mean, Tom won't talk. I mean, for crying out loud, he thinks he killed

Then he should be punished, like all murderers.

Eddie, you'll take measures.

Mr. Farinelli, now, come on, please. I mean, I've known him since he was a kid.

So?

You will not be asked to do anything beyond making certain that Tom is here

overtime work tonight.

Hey, Eddie, I have been looking for you.

Listen, I'm sorry about what happened the other day. You know, I'll loosen my

temper like that.

I didn't... Hey!

Come on!

What?

not even going to work this morning. I'm so worried about Tom. He's never stayed

out all night before.

If you see him, let me know, okay?

Mrs. Landry?

Could we have a little talk?

Sure, what can I do for you?

This letter that I got asking me to look for John Stevens was written on the

same typewriter.

as an employment application that got into my hands.

Your typewriter.

I haven't been too clever about all this, have I?

When we got home that night, Tom hid the wallet in his closet.

Do you know, I don't think he remembers that he did that.

Memory's that bad?

Yeah.

We got married right after we graduated from high school.

He came back from the war, he barely remembered who I was.

Slowly, things are beginning to get better, but it... It's going to be a

time before his memory is anywhere close to being normal.

Other children?

No.

Tom's about all I can handle.

But if he's killed somebody, then he's got to be put away.

You feel that whatever it was that happened that night, the foreman, Lee

Wallace, was involved?

Well, the way Lee's been going out of his way recently for Tom, there's got to

be something going on between them. Well, we'll see what your husband has to

say.

Can you think of any place he may have stayed overnight?

I've been racking my brain. No.

Why did you come to me instead of the police?

I've asked myself that question.

I come up with a pretty ugly answer.

Did I hire you in secrecy hoping that you'd find Tom guilty of something and

that he'd be put away and I'd be relieved of all this?

That's a pretty awful thing for a loving wife to say.

And I do love him. That's the hardest part.

Hey, I've been waiting for you.

Where have you been all night?

I got scared. I stayed in the scrapyard.

Eddie tried to kill me.

I didn't do anything. All right, all right. Now listen to me.

Did you talk to anyone?

No, I... No, I... I tried to tell him I was sorry, but he... Will you forget

about that?

Now listen carefully.

I want you to find some place to hide.

And I don't want you to call me.

Call me at one o 'clock.

Don't talk to anyone.

Don't talk to anyone. That's right.

Don't talk to anyone.

Yeah.

Now, go on. Go on. Find a place and stay put.

Now, Tom.

Tom, you remember.

You called me at 1 o 'clock.

Mr. Farinelli, please.

When did he say he'll be back?

Look, have him call Lee Wallace down at the warehouse as soon as he gets back.

Yeah, thank you.

Mr. Wallace?

My name is Jones.

As you probably know, I'm investigating the disappearance of John Stevens.

Disappearance? He was an itinerant dock worker.

I mean, they're here today, gone tomorrow.

Well, Mr. Stevens had worked here for six months. That's hardly here today and

gone tomorrow.

Yeah, you got a point there.

Stevens worked on Thursday night.

Did you see him leave that night?

Uh, yes.

Yes, I'm sure I did.

Well, look, Mr. Jones, I've got a shipment to get out, so you'll have to

me. I've got to get back to work.

Hey, what are you doing over there?

Hey, I said, what are you doing over here?

Uh, it's part of the Oberlin shipment.

Oberlin shipment? Yeah.

The Oberlin shipment is in the zebra section.

Oh. Oh, yeah.

I'm sorry. It's my first day. I made a mistake.

Well, make sure it doesn't happen again or it'll be your last.

you been?

I sneaked in the back way so nobody would see me. Why didn't you come home

night? I got cold sleeping in Mullen Scrapia. Why did you run away from the

warehouse after the accident?

I had to think about people believing me that it was an accident.

You tried to tell me there's reason to believe it wasn't an accident?

I don't know.

I don't know. I got to talk to Lee. Lee again? What are you two involved with?

Nothing.

Stevens' wallet.

Tom, I hired a private investigator.

A man named Jones. He was just here. I hired him to find out what happened to

John Stevens. You would do that to me? Tom, we've got to talk about this. Do

want them to catch me?

Send me away? Is that what you want? Please, I'm not going to tell them the

truth. The truth is, I killed Stevens.

His body's in the bay.

And like last night, it was an accident.

What happened?

He was fighting with Lee Stevens.

I don't know. I yanked him off. I threw him.

He hit his head, I guess.

Lee was there. He's a witness to it being an accident.

What are you so afraid of?

Look, this Jones fellow around, the cops are going to be here. Tom, if you run,

you're just going to look more guilty. Tom, please, you've got to trust me.

Trust you?

After what you've done to me?

Thank you, Lieutenant.

As soon as I sort something out with one of my clients, I'll get back to you.

I may have something helpful.

Thank you very much.

The police just fished John Stevens' body out of the bay.

The cause of death was a knife.

Oh, no.

After hearing all about Tom and Peggy Landry and their problems, I was rather

hoping for a happy ending.

Could you give me a rundown on your phone calls?

Well, on that info J .R. phoned in about the mysterious crate in Perinelli's

warehouse, Helman Limited is a novelty company in Amsterdam, but the parent

company is an outfit in Johannesburg known to be a big speculator in uncut

That's very interesting.

Most interesting, the parent company reported a theft of $4 million in uncut

diamonds about 18 months ago. They've already collected on the insurance.

Hello. I'm Mrs. Landry.

Oh, yes, please.

My name is Landry.

My daughter -in -law, Betty Jones.

Nice to meet you.

Pleasure. Mr. Jones, Tom came home about an hour ago.

He got really upset when I told him about you.

He told me that he had killed John Stevens.

Did he say why?

He said it was an accident, that he must have struck his head.

John Stevens died of something more than a blow on the head.

The police just fished him out of the bay.

The cause of death was a knife wound.

Tom didn't say anything about a knife.

He was just helping Lee Wallace in a fight, and he just pushed Stevens.

I told you Tom's not done.

What do you expect him to do, just stand there and let Eddie kill him?

The big mistake was when I let you talk me into giving him a job.

Before that, it could have been handled without calling attention to this place

of business.

I tell you, I could have handled Tom. He does what I say.

He does what you say. You say call at 1 o 'clock.

Do you hear the phone ringing?

He'll call.

He'll call.

No mistake this time, Lee.

Look, we'll have rumors that friends of Eddie, they wanted to even matters.

Understand, this must be done.

See, when a thing is necessary, all quibbling ends.

It's me, Lee.

He said to call you.

Yeah, where are you, Tommy?

I'm at the old amusement park.

Okay, the old amusement park.

All right, now look, I want you to wait for me at the park.

I've got something very important to tell you.

Right.

Right, kid.

R .B. Jones, office. May I help you?

Betty, hi. Is Barnaby there?

No, J .R. He's driving Mrs. Landry home.

Well, I just found out that her husband Tom is at the old amusement pier.

I don't know what's going on, but Lee Wallace is on his way over there to meet

him. I'll try and contact him at the Landry home.

Okay, tell him that I'm on my way to the pier.

Goodbye.

Hold on, Peggy. Come on. Hold on.

Oh, Tom, it's wonderful.

Having fun?

Oh, yes.

I did it. I did it. You won the QP doll.

Thank you, Tom.

I'll treasure it always.

Don't be afraid.

Hold on. Oh, we're so high. Hold me. Hold me tight.

Scared. I'll show you I'm scared. Come on again.

I love you so much.

And I love you, Peggy.

Forever.

Forever.

Hey.

It's like you were asleep on your feet, Tommy.

It was so real.

Peggy was with me. We were going on a ride.

Yeah.

Yeah, we had some good times at the old park.

But, Lee, I remember that night.

It's all so clear.

The Cupid doll I won for Peggy.

Lee, I'm remembering a night that happened years ago.

So you remember it. Come on, big deal.

Lee, it's never happened like that before.

Everything before was always so vague, fuzzy, you know, like seeing things

through a dark curtain.

Tom, Tom, listen to me.

I've got to explain something to you.

You see, me and Mr. Farinelli, well, he's been using a warehouse to bring

in from out of the country.

Uncut diamonds.

You mean he's smuggling diamonds past customs?

Yeah, more or less.

It's so complicated, I can't explain it. It's just millions of dollars involved,

and... Oh, somebody already collected insurance on it, and... You shouldn't be

mixed up in something like this.

Yeah. Yeah, tell me.

You know, uh... Sometimes... You get one foot in

quicksand... And the other one just follows, you know?

What's that for, huh?

It was me that killed Steven, weren't you?

Yeah.

Yeah, I knifed him before you even touched him.

You just got yourself involved in the middle of everything, Tommy.

So you, um... You gotta kill me.

Tommy.

Tommy, I ain't got any choice, Tom.

I have no choice.

Mrs. Langer.

More water!

Police!

Police! Police are at the warehouse!

Search warrants. They're questioning Farinelli.

You know what that means?

Can we talk?

You animal.

You're nothing but an animal.

Tom!

Just like you did.

You wanted me dead.

Tom, think.

That's what I'm doing.

I'm thinking about what he did to me.

My best friend.

Think about what you're doing.

That's it.

Think it through.

What you are doing.

Think of Peggy.

I even remember buying you the ring that day, you know?

And it was after I won you that Cupid doll and we were walking to the beach

you said yes.

Do you remember?

Oh, I remember.

I'll be back in a minute, okay?

Yes.

Thank you, Mr. Jones.

You know, it remembers the day we got engaged.

It's a little thing, but it's remarkable.

Good. I have something for you.

$195 exactly.

Oh, no, Mr. Jones. Yes, you see, there is an insurance company involved, and

they tell me that they're delighted to pick up my expenses in exchange for

finding the stones.

Thank you.

Warren, is it really true about the insurance company picking up the tab?

as soon as I have a little talk with them.

Root, root.