Original subtitles

♪ (theme song playing) ♪

(crowd shouting)

Mannix s6e16 The Man Who Wasn't There

Hey, come on, stay on top of him!

Stay on top of him! Keep your left up, Al!

Come on!

Come on! Keep that left up, Al!

(crowd cheering)

(crowd cheering)

One...

FAN: Get up!

REFEREE: Two...

Three...

Get up! Four...

Five... Get up!

Six...

Seven, eight... Get up!

(gunshot)

(fans shouting)

One, two...

Doc, this man's been shot!

(crowd gasping)

How bad is he, Doc?

I'm his manager. I got a right to know.

Look, Mister... Sloan.

All right, Mr. Sloan,

now managers wait in the waiting room.

I'll let you know as soon as I find out what his condition is.

Don't stand here talking to me, get with it.

Excuse me. I'd like to find out the condition of Al Ramon.

Mr. Sloan?

Yeah.

I'm Joe Mannix.

Peggy Fair is my secretary.

She's a friend of your boy in there.

How is he?

They don't know yet.

I'm going to get the guy who did this, you can count on it.

Peggy Fair.. Al's friend-- she works for a private cop.

Would that be you?

That's right. Any idea who did it?

I got more than an idea. Jake Coryell.

How does Coryell figure into this?

Find out for me, Mannix. I'll make it worth your while.

Now look, if you have any evidence

you better talk to the police.

The evidence is sitting right here like a stone.

You'll have to do better than that, Mr. Sloan.

Hunches belong at race tracks.

Look, if I spill this to the cops,

the boxing commission will get to it.

I got a license to worry about.

Are you telling me Coryell fixed the fight?

They tried, that's all, so help me.

I can't go running to the boxing commission

every time somebody stops me in the locker room.

So I didn't tell them.

Well, tell me.

Now, listen, Coryell wanted Al to take a dive.

Now he's got to be kidding.

That boy's going to the top in a year, two at the most.

You saw the fight, he's a winner.

I'd say so.

I told Coryell no dice a week ago.

I told him right off,

Al's not going to take any dive for nobody.

No, I told him, flat out.

And you don't think Coryell took no for an answer?

You saw what happened.

Coryell tried to fix the fight himself.

Mr. Sloan?

Yeah.

He's lost a lot of blood, but the wound isn't critical.

He was lucky.

Will he fight again?

Well, it's a little too early to say if he was that lucky.

Mannix, how about it?

I'll see what I can find out.

Lieutenant, everything's been dusted for prints.

Well, get 'em downtown as soon as possible, will you, Charlie?

Adam, what do you got?

So far, close to zero.

No prints, no witnesses.

What's your interest, Joe?

Al Ramon's a friend of Peggy's. I'm interested.

Well, 8,000 witnesses, no suspects.

Anything else?

Yeah. In this corner, an empty shell casing, nine millimeter.

And a deflected slug, same caliber.

Probably the one that hit Al Ramon.

MANNIX: Did you, uh, get a fix on where the shot came from?

TOBIAS: Well, the empty shell casing

was found up in that lighting booth.

The would-be assassin apparently took his shot from there.

And the, uh, deflected bullet was found under some seats.

You know, it's just lucky it didn't hit anyone else.

MANNIX: No angles except the direction of the bullet, huh?

TOBIAS: Well, there was a lot of money on the fight.

A fix, maybe.

MANNIX: When, uh, it looked like Al Ramon wasn't going along

with the fix, they shot him.

You're within just a breath of mentioning a name, aren't you?

I can tell.

Yeah, well, Al Ramon's manager says Jake Coryell

wanted to make a deal.

Oh, come on, Joe.

Every time a ball game or a fight goes sour,

somebody shouts "Coryell."

We've had Coryell down to headquarters so many times

we got a chair with his name on it.

You gonna talk to him?

We got nothing to talk to him about.

You know, Adam, you ought to get out more, socialize.

Learn how to start conversations.

Mannix, if you're selling, I've got everything I need.

Now if you're buying, I got anything you want.

How much are wounded prize fighters

bringing these days, Coryell?

Better give me a name.

Al Ramon.

(chuckles)

Who pointed you in my direction?

Harry Sloan.

Harry Sloan.

Harry Sloan's a jerk. Born loser.

But Al Ramon was a born winner.

You can make a lot of money on a born winner.

If he loses.

Nursery school stuff.

Sloan said you approached him-- wanted Al Ramon to take a dive,

but he wouldn't go for it.

And he thinks I had his boy shot.

He already told me.

The police will be talking to him today.

If I wasn't hurting so much, I'd laugh.

Tell me about it. I'll laugh for both of us.

(snaps fingers)

Let's just say I did talk to Sloan.

Let's just say.

And let's say I did ask Sloan to fix the Ramon-Lopez fight

and he said no.

I'm listening, but I'm still not laughing.

I like to bet on a sure thing.

Next best is to bet on a winner.

You said yourself Ramon was a winner.

So you bet on Ramon?

Over 100,000.

Here are the markers.

How can you collect on a fight that didn't end?

Confetti.

(chuckles)

I don't know what you expect to see in these fight films

we didn't see when we were there.

I've just got a hunch, Adam.

Well, I think I could be putting my time to better advantage.

Anytime you're ready, Jerry.

JERRY: Coming up, Joe.

(projector whirring)

Slow it down, will you, Jerry?

This is the second camera that was covering the fight.

He was shooting from exactly the same direction as the assassin.

Jerry, would you back it up?

I want Lieutenant Tobias to see that again.

Joe, if Coryell was betting on Ramon, who'd dare cross him?

I don't think anybody was crossing anybody.

What are you getting at?

Hold it right there.

Now right there is where

Ramon stumbled just before he was shot.

No hit man in the world could count on that happening.

He would have waited for a clear shot.

You mean our sniper wasn't aiming at Ramon?

Exactly.

Who was sitting in the line of fire?

That's what I'm trying to find out.

Jerry, see if you can sharpen up that background.

I'm going to assign a man to you.

Oh, come on, Adam, you can't do that.

You'll scare him off. Prolong the agony.

What do you expect me to do? Let you keep moving around

like a little tin duck in a shooting gallery?

How else am I going to know who's got it in for tin ducks?

No sale. It's my job to shut down the shooting gallery.

Oh, you mean I'm going to wake up every morning

wondering if this is the day that some crackpot

is going to get past your watchdog? No, thanks.

Joe, Al Ramon stopped a bullet meant for you.

Now, the guy who shot that rifle is my business.

Uh, okay. When I get him, you can have him.

Listen, I got better things to do on my day off

than come to your funeral.

A couple of days out in the open. Fair enough?

I don't make promises without thinking about it.

Keep your head down.

(car phone buzzing)

Mannix.

MAN: Been to the movies, Mannix?

Who is this?

I guess you put it all together.

Smart.

But you... you were always pretty smart, weren't you?

Who are you?

Oh, no, Mannix.

No, not that easy.

I was going to give it to you clean and fast last night,

but I like it better this way.

I want to see you sweat, Mannix.

Like I did, okay?

(chuckling)

How does it feel

walking around dead?

It'll take more than a thin dime and a loose lip.

You'll never know when I'm there.

I may be the next guy you meet on the street

to ask you for a match.

(chuckling)

Don't worry about it... 'kay?

(click, dial tone)

Excuse me.

Can you tell me where the nearest

freeway on-ramp is to downtown?

Yeah, it's, uh, four blocks south.

Thank you.

(engine starting)

(car driving away)

MANNIX: Thanks anyway, Romy.

Yes, I appreciate you checking.

No, no, no, I'm trying to wrap up a case.

Just looking for some string.

Yeah, thanks.

Well, Morgan and Lucek are still doing time,

and Benny Hartman was killed in a liquor store holdup

in San Diego about a month ago.

Emmett Trask.

Trask?

You're plowing up some pretty old ground, aren't you?

Maybe you don't remember, Joe, but I do.

I was sitting in that courtroom the day Trask was sentenced.

He threatened to kill you when he got out, and he meant it.

Yeah, that was the, uh, Coogan Warehouse robbery.

It was on Old Spring, and...

He's been out about a year now.

Last I heard, he was living down in Texas.

The last I heard, he was back here in Los Angeles.

Where did you hear that?

While you were talking to Romy, I was talking to Albee.

Trask's been back in Los Angeles for three weeks.

Where is he? Did Albee say?

Oh, Joe, let the police question him.

Peggy, he didn't threaten to kill the police. Where?

His old watering hole.

The Sea Breeze Bar.

♪ ♪

MANNIX: Irish whiskey over there.

Hello, Trask.

I'm talking to you, Trask.

Better answer.

Bartender thinks I'm talking to myself, he won't serve me.

Bug off, Mannix.

I'm expecting somebody.

Thought you might be expecting me.

You I can do without.

Where were you last night?

At a prayer meeting. Where else?

You better come up with a straight answer, Trask,

or I'm going to kick that machine

out from under you and you can pray that I don't

break you in half before you hit the floor.

Look, Mannix, I'm having a business meeting

here in a minute, and you're going to louse it up.

Somebody took a shot at me last night, Trask.

Good for somebody.

The day you were sentenced, you put me first

on a list of people to pay back. Remember?

So I popped off in court.

So what?

Look, Mannix, I got bigger things cooking

than trying to get even with you.

I don't care whether you live or die. Believe me.

What kind of big things?

Get lost.

Hey, fellas.

Where do you want to talk?

(gun fires)

Freeze, or I blow your head off.

Keep both hands on the machine.

Well, you bought yourself

a little double-cross, didn't you, Trask?

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

What is all this?

You walked into a setup, Mannix.

Mr. Trask here horned in

on a little happy powder transaction last night.

And the big boys don't like tinhorns,

uh, hijacking their hard stuff.

Isn't that right?

This was supposed to be the payoff, right?

I know my rights.

I don't have to say anything.

Well, you ought to at least say thanks to Mannix here.

He probably saved your lousy life.

Who asked...?

Sit tight. We'll get you a vet.

What are you doing here, Mannix?

Somebody gave me a wrong number.

♪ ♪

Easy, Mannix.

For Pete's sake.

Gifford.

Detective Gifford, if you remember.

Now, uh, who's got you out

playing cat and mouse at this time of night?

Lieutenant Tobias assigned me to keep an eye on you.

I told him to lay off.

I wish he'd listened.

I'm sorry, Lou.

Uh, come on in.

I'll buy you a drink.

♪ ♪

MAN: Hi, Joe.

Come on in, Joe.

(cackling)

(gun fires)

(man laughing)

(laughing continues)

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

He's no amateur.

The guy who rigged this laughing booby trap is an expert.

What is it, Joe?

I don't know, Adam. I'm not sure.

I'm going to leave Gifford here to keep an eye on you.

Take him with you.

Come on, Joe.

Now, look, Adam, this guy's smart enough

to know when there's a watchdog on the premises.

He's not about to make a move unless I'm alone.

Well, his first move may be your last.

I've got to flush him out.

Is he getting to you?

Good night, Adam.

Just for the record, I think it's a lousy idea.

(phone ringing)

Mannix.

MAN: See how easy it's going to be?

That dummy sitting there could have been you.

Could have been.

A bullet right between the eyes. Okay?

Why don't you pack your toothbrush and straitjacket

and go back to where you came from?

I'm sure they miss your sense of humor.

(chuckling)

If you think you're so funny,

how come I'm the only one laughing?

Okay.

Let's have it-- what do you want?

I'm gonna see how long you can stay awake before you crack.

Okay?

It'll be a long night.

Your voice is beginning to sound familiar.

Ah, no.

Not in a million years.

(chuckling)

Tell you what.

You want to know who I am?

Come and find me.

Name a place.

Yeah.

You're just dying to see me, aren't you?

'Kay.

But let's make it private.

How about...

Lookout Mountain, at the point.

The point, Joe.

That way, I can see your car coming up.

How long will it take you, Joe?

15 minutes.

No longer, Joe.

'Kay?

(engine starts)

(car phone ringing)

MAN: Car trouble, Joe?

(laughs)

Shake you up a little?

For a marked man, you're careless.

I, uh...

Just a little smoke bomb this time, Joe.

If I'd used real explosives, uh...

you'd be in Alabama now.

(laughs)

Tonight's not the night, but

it's getting closer.

'Kay?

Won't be long now.

(laughing)

(laughing)

Tonight's not the night,

but it's getting closer.

'Hay?

It's getting closer.

'Hay? 'Hay? 'Hay?

PEGGY: Joe. (door closes)

What's the matter?

Someone called the house just as I was leaving

and said that your car had blown up down at Third and Jarmin,

so I raced down there.

It was just our friend getting his morning jollies.

How sick can you get?

Peggy, I've marked some names in this old address book.

Would you call these numbers?

They're all over the country.

Old buddies of mine from Korea.

Korea?

P.O.W. camp.

We used to sort of sit around and watch hell freeze over.

Some of them have probably moved, but track them down;

I want to talk to them.

Joe, you know who's doing this, don't you?

Hmm.

Lyle Foster, the one on the left.

What makes you think it's him?

Everything fits.

Voice, everything.

The only trouble is it's just not possible.

Why?

I buried him.

(wind whistling)

(gate squeaking)

♪ ♪

We are here today to honor a brave American,

Corporal Lyle Foster, who was a courageous soldier

who fought with distinction and honor.

That's a lie, Foster.

You're an informer and a traitor.

You're... (thud)

Sure your nerves aren't playing tricks on you?

I tell you, it's Foster.

How can you be so sure?

The knots, on the dummy.

The way he tied the strings like a lasso.

Way he rigged my car to explode.

It has to be him.

Foster was a demolition man.

He always rigged his trip cords and made his tie-ups

with the same kind of lasso loop.

He also had an annoying habit.

He ended every other sentence with a "'kay."

"I'm gonna do this, 'kay? I'm gonna do that, 'kay?"

Drove us nuts.

You're saying his funeral was a phony then?

It's just possible we buried 170 pounds of rocks.

North Koreans could have traded his freedom

for cooperating with them.

Fixed him up with a fake I.D., the works.

They said he died of pneumonia.

All the time, he was relaxing in a nice warm bed

with warm chow, waiting to take off.

Can you blow up that picture of him for identification?

Yeah. I can order his prints, also.

They'll have them on his service file.

(phone ringing)

Tobias.

Yeah, Peggy, he's here.

Yeah, Peggy, what do you got?

Some of your old friends have moved,

and a few that I talked to will call you back,

but I'm afraid I have bad news on two others.

What's the bad news?

Alan Cross was killed in a hit-and-run truck accident

two weeks ago in Kansas City.

A month before that, James Ridley was killed

in an unexplained hunting accident in northern Michigan.

Looks like Foster has been making the rounds.

Now look, Peggy...

Peggy?

I've got company, Joe.

She called you Joe.

Ain't that friendly now?

Well, that's just fine, Mannix.

Because now you'll listen real careful.

'Kay?

Yeah. Yeah, okay.

You're calling the shots.

Beautiful, Mannix.

That's beautiful.

I call the shots.

And I call the first one right now.

Come home.

And no police, just you.

Or the lady gets it first.

'Kay?

Right.

Hang it up. Hang it up!

What is it?

I'll, uh, call you later, Adam.

♪ ♪

We've got his picture and description

in every squad room, Joe.

We'll get him.

Yeah, some rookie cop looking to make points

could get Peggy killed.

It's eight hours and not a word.

He's trying to stretch your nerves

as tight as he can get them.

Figures you'll snap when the time comes.

(phone ringing)

Mannix.

FOSTER: You went to the police, Mannix.

I don't like that, baby.

Could get the little lady hurt.

I want to know if she's all right.

Let me talk to her.

Yeah, she's all right.

You'll have to take my word for it, 'kay?

Now, look, the game is over.

You might as well give it up, Foster.

(bangs desk)

You're smarter than I thought.

That's not good.

That's not good at all.

Foster, I'm willing to make a deal.

No deals.

Let her go!

I'm the one you want.

Name the place.

Don't give me orders.

If you hadn't been with the police,

this whole thing could've, could've been over.

Now it's a go.

Now, you listen, Mannix.

Go ahead.

You just do exactly, exactly as I tell you.

Only if my secretary is released unharmed.

Don't bargain with me!

'Kay?

Just... just do as you're told.

City View Motel.

Ground floor.

Room 102, now.

And, Mannix...

no cops.

If a blue uniform shows,

this lady's had it.

I mean...

(chuckles softly)

Well?

No police, Adam.

Come on, you're a dead man, Joe!

There's a maniac like this

shooting up some neighborhood every other week!

Yeah, well, this one belongs to me, so lay off.

♪ ♪

Oh, I'm sorry.

What the Sam Hill's going on here?

Who are you?

I'm the manager! Who are you?

Who rented this room?

Good grief!

Who was in this room?

Well, I'd have told you if you'd have stopped by the office.

Frank Smith, Omaha.

Is that Frank Smith?

Yeah, could be.

Younger then, though.

Say, you wouldn't be a Mr. Mannix?

That's right. Why?

Well, this is the craziest goings-on I ever saw.

And this at what's supposed to be a time of sorrow, too.

Sorrow?

The funeral.

Mr. Smith said he's going on ahead to make the arrangements.

Told me to tell you to meet him there.

Meet him where?

Some funny kind of family you got.

The Westhaven Funeral Home.

♪ ♪

FOSTER: Hello, Joe.

Come on in.

(chuckling)

You're gonna feel right at home here.

There's a light switch on the wall.

Use it.

(Foster chuckles)

Look below the switch, Joe.

See the wire?

Follow it, Joe.

'Kay?

I got a little surprise for you.

Uh... you like surprises, don't you?

There's a nice room right off the hallway.

You'll love it!

Yeah.

Keep following the wire, Joe.

You want your secretary, don't you?

Keep following the wire, Joe.

Sorry we couldn't afford organ music.

(chortling)

Just follow the wire, 'kay?

Keep following the wire.

Keep following the wire.

Just follow the wire, Joe.

Find one you like? Hmm?

You said you wanted your secretary, didn't you? Huh?

(chuckling)

Joe.

You're getting warmer.

Joe!

(breathing heavily)

It's the end of the line.

Over there on your right,

there's a closed casket.

Ha-ha-ha!

You know what's inside?

(laughing crazily)

You want your secretary, Joe? Hmm?

Open the casket!

(laughing)

Open it.

Open the casket!

Go ahead, Joe!

(laughing)

This is for you, Joe.

It's for you!

This is where you sleep tonight!

(laughing triumphantly)

(laughing wildly)

(click, recording stops)

(phone ringing)

Hello.

FOSTER: You're following instructions real good.

I like that.

MANNIX: Where's my secretary? I want to talk to her.

She's fine, I told you.

I talk to her, or I stop following instructions.

Foster?

Foster!

Foster! He wants to hear you talk.

Stay away, Joe! Don't come!

MANNIX: Peggy?

Hello, Peggy?

Foster!

Foster! (panting)

Foster!

I got some better advice, Joe.

Come quick.

Where are you now?

Right back where it started, Joe.

The boxing arena.

But there's nobody in the ring

to take your bullet for you tonight.

All right, Foster.

Mannix...

one piece of fuzz hanging on you...

...and I'll kill your secretary, I'll kill her.

(dial tone buzzes)

(Foster laughing manically)

Foster!

Where's my secretary?

One thing at a time, Mannix.

Front and center, Joe.

Front and center. Walk.

Walk!

Ah, ah, ah. Right there.

Where is she, Foster?

She's right here with me, Joe.

Get in the ring, Mannix.

Move. That's right.

That's right.

Stop right there.

Take your coat off, Joe.

Now turn around.

Yeah.

Throw your gun out of the ring, Joe.

Out of the ring.

You won't get two blocks from here, Foster.

The police are looking for you.

Don't con me, Joe.

I'm dead.

(laughs)

Remember?

Throw that gun out of the ring.

Out of the ring, Joe!

(gun clatters to the floor)

Mannix...

You know what it's like to walk around the world

a dead man?

No matter where you... where you go, afraid...

afraid to look anybody in the face?

Afraid they'll know you?

You made them do that to me, Joe.

That's what you bought, Foster,

when you sold us out in North Korea!

You made the deal, no one else.

I don't want to talk anymore, Joe.

Out of the ring.

Get out of the ring!

You can't go on killing everyone who knew you, Foster!

I said I don't want to talk anymore!

Now find your seat, Mannix.

Right where you were the other night.

Row one, seat four.

Move! Or I drop the lady right off the ledge, Joe.

I swear it!

Now sit down.

Sit down!

(footsteps)

What's going on here?

You brought the cops?

Wrong, Joe!

He can't help you this time!

He can't help you, Joe!

Can you see, Joe?

Mannix?

Mannix?!

Get back in your seat!

(gunshot)

Sit down, Joe!

Joe, sit...!

(screams)

Well, with buddies like that, you don't need enemies.

Yeah.

Do you mind telling me

what you're doing out of the hospital?

Got out a couple of hours ago.

Then I got to thinking.

I was just wondering, you know,

if I'd ever be here again.

In the ring.

The crowd yelling. Watching me.

They'll be watching you, Al.