Original subtitles

Oh,

I was dictating the wrap-up on the Butcher Benton package.

I'm Lieutenant Dick Chasen.

This hadn't been a routine case, and to find the answer, I've had to put a lot

of little pieces together.

It began on the day most cases can be called closed.

It was the day before the Butcher was to be executed.

He was visited by his attorney, Paul Lowe, in the death house.

It was at this first meeting the Butcher Benton case took its first switch.

And that's it, Butcher.

The evidence against you was so strong, the governor turned down your appeal.

You're a rotten liar, Lo.

You started railroading me from the beginning of the trial, and now you're

still trying to throw me curves.

Look, I don't blame you for being edgy, but get this straight.

I didn't double-cross you.

I never worked harder for a client. You mean you never worked harder for a

client to get him sentenced?

You're a fool, Butcher.

If you hadn't tried to double-cross Queenie Ellis and Joe Marcelli, they

wouldn't have turned state's evidence against you.

But you had to get greedy. You wanted to keep the whole $600,000 for yourself.

Well, the boys got sore, and I don't blame them.

It was all your idea.

You planned the whole job.

You hired us. When you found out I'd staked the money, you decided it was

time for me to die.

You got those two crumbs to turn state's evidence on me.

You stinking rotten mouthpiece.

We both know that isn't true, Butcher.

Now, look, what's the sense in not giving me the money?

It's not gonna do you any good.

Well, I'll have the satisfaction of knowing that none of you three crumbs

are gonna spend it.

What about Eva?

Don't you owe her something?

You tell me where the money is, I'll see that she gets your share.

I've got a different idea.

I'm gonna kill you and Squeamy and Joe.

Then I'll take care of Eva myself.

You sick-headed ape, you're gonna die tomorrow.

Remember what I said.

I'm gonna get you. All three of you.

Even for you, Butcher, that'd be quite a trick.

So long, dead man.

Remember what I said.

I'm gonna kill you.

All three of you.

Back in Los Angeles, two men sat in a bar room listening to a newscaster tell

his headline story.

He played up big the butcher's threat to kill Paul Lowe, Squeamy Ellis, and Joe

Marcelli for their having turned state's evidence against him.

Squeamy Ellis didn't seem happy over the butcher's threat.

Neither did Joe Marcelli.

But they had figured, once a dead man, always a dead man.

But this was one time everyone was in for a surprise.

including the entire police department.

You seen the headlines, Captain?

Tell it that. It just came in from San Francisco.

Butcher's execution is set for 5 o'clock this afternoon.

And like the newspapers say, he still refuses to talk about that stolen money.

Well, I still have hopes of coming up with something.

That's what I dropped by for, Dick. With Butcher's execution, the department's

marking it case closed.

That means you'll be reassigned.

I spent a whole year trying to break this case.

As far as I'm concerned, Butcher's death is just the beginning.

Of course, I can't prove it.

But I think that Paul Lowe was the top man.

And even though I have to keep working on it while off duty, I'm going to get

Lowe, Squeamy Ellis, and Joe Marcelli.

Okay, Lieutenant.

Officially, I've taken you off of the case.

Unofficially, I wish you luck.

Do me a favor.

Keep me posted.

Will do.

Thanks, John.

I headed for Eva Martin.

She worked in a local burlesque house.

I'm a cop and my job is to ask questions and get answers.

So I decided I might as well start again with her.

Come in.

Oh.

What do you want?

I'd like to talk to you.

Talk? You're a cop, aren't you?

That's a good question.

I can't even find a three-ton armored car, let alone the $600,000, and I've

been on the case a year.

I've told you and I've told you and I've told you. I don't know anything about

the money. I never did.

Benton's going to be dead in a little while. I thought it might make a

difference. I never knew anything about the money.

Call me dumb.

I didn't even know Charles was in the rackets until the trial.

Take it easy, kid.

A few moments ago, Butcher Benton... without revealing the

whereabouts of the $600,000 stolen in the armored car holdup paid for his

crimes against society in the gas chamber at San Quentin.

Now for a look at the international scene.

Today... Come on, baby.

Don't waste tears on Benton.

I feel so badly about Charles.

If I'd known, maybe I could have done something.

How about a drink? We can both use one.

An artist can't drink while she's working.

Oh, I see.

What's that?

Well, now what's the matter?

The message from Charles.

He told me to open it if... if he died.

Finale, Eva.

All right.

How about a steak after the show?

No, thanks. Not tonight, Paul.

I didn't find out until much later, but Paul Lowe, in opening the letters a

butcher had given Eva, found a map outlining a section of the city sewer

system. And clearly identified was the spot where the butcher had hidden the

stolen payroll.

He replaced it with a $50 bill.

I guess he figured $50 to gain $600,000 was not a bad day's work.

And a few hundred miles away in San Francisco, the case took another switch,

which turned the next 72 hours into one long, hideous nightmare.

Dr. Bradshaw, a distinguished biochemist, was making preparations for

a final experiment which he hoped would lead the way to a cure for cancer.

He'd been successful with laboratory animals.

The last step called for a human body.

And Dr. Bradshaw's assistant quickly made a deal with a local mortuary and

returned to the laboratory with the dead body of Butcher Benton.

You made good time. Well, I didn't waste any.

Any trouble?

No, I just handed the money over and moved the body into your station wagon.

That was that.

Good.

Get a syringe.

He's in good shape.

Well, I hope so.

We'll get other blood samples later. We'll run this one through fast. All

right.

Now wheel him into the machine and then raise him.

Right.

You mean you're going to give them 287,000 volts? Yes, yes.

I'll get the fluoroscope set. We'll check with that before we start

dissecting.

Turn off the lights.

There you are, old boy.

If you respond properly and my theory is sound, you'll be more famous dead than

alive.

Throw the switch.

I thought I saw a pulsation of a heart.

You're right.

Dr. Bradshaw is beginning to breathe.

You've brought this man back to life.

No, no, no, no, no.

The heart muscle has simply responded to a terrific electrical shock, that's all.

Yes, but it does prove that the cells still function.

Dr. Bradshaw, he is alive.

The shock reaction, it can't last.

His cells are multiplying now, if your theory is right.

We could keep that reaction going longer.

But it's worth a try.

Get the body out.

Get some adrenaline from the supply room. Some amyl nitrite, too. Hurry,

hurry!

You mustn't move.

Your heart can't stand the strain.

Now you must lie still.

Please, please.

Easy now.

Easy.

Easy. You must lie. Easy. Please.

Dr.

Bradshaw's experiment had given life back to the butcher.

He tried to talk, but the electrical voltage had burned out his vocal cords.

Yet it hadn't destroyed his brain.

He knew who he was.

He knew who he hated.

As he stumbled about the room, I think he thought only about one.

Kill Low, Squeamy, and Joe Marcelli.

The tremendous electrical voltage that Dr. Bradshaw had given the butcher had

increased his cellular structure to the point where he was no longer a man.

Dr. Bradshaw's experiment had created a vicious, brutal animal with an almost

inconceivable amount of strength.

Dr. Bradshaw must have believed the butcher's regained life would last for

only a few minutes.

Therefore, instead of calling for help, the doctor decided to handle his

creation alone.

Now, easy, Batten.

Just relax.

I'm a doctor.

I want to try to help you. Do you understand me?

You're in my laboratory.

The execution was carried out and you were declared dead.

I tried an experiment on you and brought you back to life, although I didn't

intend that.

Now, you've had a great shock. Now, come and sit down.

Be quiet. Come and sit down.

Take it easy.

Careful.

His reactions are violent.

How do you explain this?

Each cell must have multiplied a hundred times, perhaps thousands.

His strength is unbelievable.

No, no, no, it's too late for the amyl nitrate.

I want to get some blood samples, make some tests on him, find out what's

happened. Get me a syringe.

I want the needle to penetrate the skin.

The tissue must be nearly a solid mass of cells.

How are we going to get the blood sample?

Surgically, perhaps.

Naive. Take it easy. You can't leave here now. I'm responsible for your being

alive.

Towards the end of this case, Captain Lauder and I found out the doctor and

his assistant had been murdered.

But I'm getting ahead of my story.

The butcher didn't know how he had been brought back from the dead, and he

didn't care.

All he knew, he was alive.

Then this monster-made man started thinking about Los Angeles.

On that very night back in Los Angeles, I decided to stop playing detective for

a little while.

I went to the burlesque house to ask Eva to have dinner with me.

After all, the butcher was dead, and if I got lucky, sooner or later, I figured

Paul Lowe would lead me to the stolen payroll.

In a way, that possibility made me even feel better.

It's not fair to watch the show from backstage.

Next time, I'll pay admission.

I take it by that remark you like my routine.

Yeah, you're pretty good.

What I can't figure out, though, is why you stay in a place like this.

It shouldn't be hard for someone like you to get a job in a class spot.

If you were a detective, I'd be willing to bet with a line like that your next

remark would be, how about dinner?

Well, not exactly dinner, but a hamburger might be a good idea.

If you're asking in an official capacity, I can't say no.

I'm off duty.

For the past six months, all I've ever called you is Lieutenant Chasen. Do you

have a first name?

Uh-huh.

Dick.

Give me ten minutes for a quick change, because you just made yourself a date,

Lieutenant. I mean, Dick.

You know something, Dick?

I haven't had hamburger in the front seat of an automobile with a guy in a

lot of years.

Well, from now on, we'll do it more often.

It's funny.

I always figured a policeman wasn't really a human being. I mean, unless he

was arresting someone or trying to solve a case, he was unhappy.

Shows you how wrong you are.

In fact, everyone on the force gets fed up occasionally with the job they do.

Maybe we're more human than anyone else.

We see so much trouble, we get to hate the word.

But as long as the world's filled with people, it'll have to be men who enforce

the laws.

What made you join the department?

Now who's making with the questions?

No, honest, I'd like to know.

Well, it's really a very short story.

When I got out of the Air Corps, I knocked around for a while.

Then I went to work for an oil company.

One day, I went back to college on the GI Bill.

Just before graduation, I noticed all about the police department exams.

Seemed a pretty good thing to do with your life, so I took the exams, passed,

then went on from there.

If I ask one more question, will you give me a straight answer?

Try me.

Am I still part of the Charles Benton investigation?

I mean, right now.

I don't think so.

As far as the department's concerned, when Benton was executed, the case was

marked closed.

But inside of me, that's not good enough.

I don't follow.

Well, the $600,000 is still missing.

And a fast-talking underworld lawyer like Paul Lowe is walking around a free

man.

Someday, no matter how long it takes, I'll get him and the money.

Until I do, the Benton case for me is not closed.

Frank. Give you my word, Dick, Charles Benton never told me anything about the

money. Oh, I've been sure of that for a long time.

But how did you ever get mixed up with anyone like the butcher?

As trouble ever started, it just happened.

I had a roommate who used to date Benton all the time.

One day she packed and left for Chicago.

Benton carried a torch for her, and he used my shoulder to cry on.

First thing I knew, we were having dinner together, and a few weeks

later... I was labeled by the police as this number one suspect and Benton's

girl, but it was never like that.

I made only one mistake.

I felt sorry for him.

You mean, until he was arrested for the robbery and the killing, you had no idea

how he earned a living?

I know this is going to sound crazy, but I only went out with Benton a couple of

times, and all we ever talked about was Madge, my old roommate.

The last time I saw him, he tried to get too friendly and...

That's when I told him he had the wrong girl.

But like I said, I'd already made my mistake.

What about the burlesque house?

How do you two fit together?

You sound like a lot of other people.

I left a small town a couple of years ago because I won a beauty contest, and

the first prize was a screen test.

After which nothing happened? That's right.

Only it was pretty rough.

And then one day I read an ad about girls wanted for a burlesque show.

I auditioned and I got the job.

You know something?

It's like any other job.

If you're looking for trouble, you can find it even in a school room.

Well, when the screen test didn't work out, why didn't you go on home?

Well, first you have to have a home to go back to.

My folks are dead, so Los Angeles was as good as any place else.

I don't know. know about you, but I do eight shows a day, and at this hour, I'm

bushed. I know what you mean.

Mind if I drive you home?

No. And I'll tell you something else.

I haven't minded anything about tonight.

Not even the hamburger.

I kept playing tag with Lowe.

He made four telephone calls.

Three of them didn't interest me, but one did.

The one to Joe Marcelli.

I watched Joe head for his meeting with Lowe, and for some unknown reason, I

began to get the feeling that this case was finally about to explode in my

favor.

You see what I mean?

Well, look at that, would you?

I've seen him stagger on two legs, but he's doing it on four.

Shut up, you fleabag.

Well, look who's calling names.

At least I ain't a squealer, a stoolie.

I warned you before.

All right, Harry, that's enough. I'll take care of him. I want to talk to him.

Okay, Mr. Lowe. With any future business you've got with this psycho, take care

of it upstairs in your office.

He keeps showing around here. Sooner or later, he's going to get slugged.

Cripple or no cripple. All right, shut up, Joe. Sit down.

I need a shot.

Bad.

He'll get one after I've talked to you.

You sober enough to understand?

Yeah. I run out of dough.

No wonder. Look at you.

You used to be the best torch man in town.

Oh, I don't think you could crack a safe if you knew the combination.

No jobs.

Nobody wants me since I turned stakes on Benton.

That's your doing. You taught me. All right, quit crying.

I got a job for you.

If you can stay off that stuff long enough.

You know I can if I got a job.

How much?

What is it?

It's two grand in it for you.

Where? Right near where he pulled the job.

Interested?

Two grand ain't much out of 600,000.

The other expenses.

Besides, that money's plenty of it.

Now, you want it or do I get another boy?

I'll do it. How soon do you want me to go to work?

Set it up for tomorrow night.

Call me before noon. I'm going to the races.

One. And that's all the little jobs over there.

The butcher was walking slowly toward Los Angeles.

He'd traveled through wooded hills to prevent being seen by anyone.

Finally, he came to a quiet road.

He stopped to get his bearings.

And then he saw her.

He saw something else.

An automobile.

For the butcher, that rang a bell.

With a car, he knew by the next afternoon he'd be in Los Angeles and

plenty of time to catch up with the three men who had double-crossed him.

A real gentleman to be helping strangers in distress.

I hope you don't mind me using the babe here as bait. Quite a dish, isn't she?

But that's what she gets paid for. Bait, that is. Yes, sir.

She's a real shaker artist to my outfit. Carnival man himself.

Just call me Connie.

Yeah.

Well, friend, we're in a little bit of difficulty here. Got a flat tire, brand

new car, no tools in the back. Why, some of these dealers make my carnival

griptors look like babes in the woods.

Soundkill? Who?

Say, who you with, friend? Let it down. Let it down.

No matter who you with, friend, believe me, I can do better for both of us. I'll

make a fortune for the both of us.

An hour later, the San Francisco Police Department sent out an APB.

Squads were sent to various parts of the countryside.

blocks were thrown up to catch the cold-blooded killer the hysterical girl

had described each squad kept reporting back to central headquarters and each of

their stories was the same so far none of them had spotted the car the killer

was driving orders were given to shoot to kill because from the girls further

accounts they realized they were dealing with a maniac

We'll answer all of your questions. If I can be of any further service, let me

know.

Sincerely, J.L. Lauder, Captain of Police, L.A.

Another all-point, some CHP, Captain.

These reports sound like they come from a bunch of loonies.

They sure do.

There it is.

Sergeant. Yeah.

I want Lieutenant Chasen to look these over as soon as he comes in. Right, sir.

The next morning, I read the stories of the brutal murder of the two police

officers.

I also read the witness's statement about the bullets having no effect upon

the killer.

I felt sorry for the witness, and I thought about how easily a person's mind

can become confused when suddenly they receive a brutal shock.

I didn't believe a man existed who could not be stopped by a slug from a .45.

Good morning, Captain.

You and the rest of the force are going on 24-hour duty.

Seen the headlines?

You mean this guy that's running a mock-up north?

Yeah, the latest report, he's killed two police officers.

Made a getaway in a green coupe heading south.

I've got a hunch this killer's gonna be our baby.

He could be in town right now.

Yeah.

You better get started, Lieutenant.

Okay.

Any new leads on that hole up, Mike?

I think the girl can probably be counted out.

If any of the others are wise, they're keeping mighty quiet.

Well, let it ride for now.

The whole force is going to be on the spot before we catch this killer.

Newspapers will have a field day.

We were wrong about two things.

The killer was already in our city, and we didn't know he was Butcher Benton.

He headed straight for Eva Martin.

He went to her dressing room to get back the map he had left in the envelope with

her. He wanted first to check his money, then catch up with Lowe and the others.

It can't be.

But you... You do look like him.

Only different somehow.

It is you.

Why didn't somebody tell me?

What's happened, Cheryl?

Those look like bullet holes.

Are they?

There isn't even a mark.

I opened it like you told me. I... I found the $50.

I... I didn't know why you left it.

Paul didn't know why he was here.

Don't... Don't... Don't play crazy.

The name of Paul triggered his hate.

He left her dressing room and started for Squeamy Ellis and Joe Marcelli's

place.

Because he knew with them out of the way, Paul Lowe couldn't open the strong

box where the money was hidden.

He thought of Squeamy and Joe first.

He was saving Paul Lowe for last.

Hey, Eva, can I borrow your eyebrow pencil?

Operator, get me police headquarters.

Lieutenant Chasen, please.

When do you expect him?

Tell him Charles Benton is alive, and even bullets can't stop him.

I'm not crazy.

Just say a friend of Charles, he'll know.

After leaving a message for me, Eva telephoned Squeamy Ellis.

She tried to tell him the butcher was alive and on his way over to kill him.

Squeamy didn't believe her, and in a way, you couldn't blame him.

Who in their right mind would believe a man had returned from the dead?

What Squeamy actually believed was that the butcher, before his execution, had

hired a killer to carry out his threat.

You sick?

What? You don't look so good to me.

Ten minutes, Eva.

All right.

Say, Eva, I could take over the matinee trick for you.

What?

It's easy.

Look, Eva, I can do it.

Stub-a-dee-doo-dee-doo.

Oh.

Um... Francine, I just thought of something.

Yeah?

Eva agreed to let Francine do the show.

She hoped she'd be able to interrupt the butcher before he arrived at Squeamy's

hotel.

Or, failing that, at least be able to warn him to stay out of sight.

You wanted me, Captain?

Yeah, I just had a rundown on those fingerprints of the stolen car up north.

We got nothing on the driver who was killed or the woman with him.

Take a good look at these.

There's something funny about these.

Yeah, and the boys in the lab can't figure it out either.

Those are the killers.

They were found on the steering wheel.

Looked like they'd been stamped in with a steel die.

They sure do.

These are Butcher Benton's.

What?

Well, they look the same to me.

How do the lab boys explain that?

I don't.

Their best guess is a twin brother.

An identical twin could have the same pattern of whorls with only slight

variations.

Ever hear of the butcher having a twin brother?

No.

Even if he did, it wouldn't explain these freak prints.

You didn't pick up your message, Lieutenant. Some wacky dame calls you.

And she says Charles Benton is alive and bullets won't stop him.

If we buy the twin theory, who was she?

Where'd she see him? Well, she wouldn't leave her name.

Sounded kind of hysterical to me. Said she was a friend of the Butcher's.

Eva Martin.

Get over to Follies and see what that girl knows. Yeah.

Some guys have all the luck.

I never drew an assignment to the Follies.

Meanwhile, the Butcher headed for Squeamy's hotel.

He didn't seem to be in any particular hurry.

Actually, he seemed like any normal person on his way to work, on his way

home.

He rode up Angel's flight, arrived at the top, scanned the hotel building, and

then noticed the only exit from Squeamy's apartment, a fire escape.

the butcher was figuring his next step and as he looked at the dead cop he

thought about paul lowe the next man on his list seen joe marcelli not

since last night when i told him i didn't want him around here no more give

me a shot

Look, I need help.

I just found out that Benton's hired a coach to get me.

He's after Joe, too.

Then he said... Well, then drink up and get out. I don't want no trouble around

my place.

You're a real pal.

Drink up and get out, I said.

A guy named Squeamy got thrown from the fifth floor.

He's deader than a mackerel. Customer of mine.

You mean Squeamy Ellis?

Yeah, that's it.

Just Squeamy. No one else was killed.

Ain't one enough?

I tell you, the bullets never even fazed him. He must have been wearing a

bulletproof vest.

God help us. The papers get a hold of this.

Keep an officer on duty here till you hear from me.

We're going to stake out on Joe Martelli.

I'd like to talk to Joe.

Lauder, I'm going to call San Quentin.

Suppose Benton is alive.

Every available man's been put on the case now.

Yes, sir. All right.

All right.

Anything new?

Report on Dr. Bradshaw, owner of the station wagon.

The San Francisco police located his laboratory in the basement of an

electrical power receiving station. Bradshaw, what's he know? He's dead. And

another man, too. His assistant.

The lab is a shambles.

But now we're getting some action from San Francisco.

Benton's body never arrived at the mortuary where it was supposed to go.

An attendant there finally broke down, admitted he picked up some quick cash by

handing the body over to a man he was unable to identify.

The man was driving his station wagon.

Blasted man, the chief's on my neck and the commissioners are on his and the

mayor's on theirs.

Now am I supposed to tell them that our killer is a dead man?

They found a notebook in Bradshaw's lab.

It ties his experiments in with a Professor Dwiggins at Caltech.

I hope to hear from Dwiggins soon.

Captain, a fort in the valley of a hysterical woman reports the presence of

the killer.

There's the location.

Let's go.

and he got out of the car to take a walk.

You noticed that he walked down toward the sump area in the direction where

you'd seen those lights a short while before.

What happened then, miss? Please try to tell us.

Well, I just sat there a few minutes, I guess. I was pretty mad.

Then there was a loud crash, like heavy metal, sort of, from down here.

I got out of the car to get a better look.

I heard Jimmy cry out something. I couldn't make out the words.

Then down here, in a patch of light, was Jimmy.

And coming toward him was this man.

Big man.

Lifted Jimmy up over his head like he didn't weigh a thing.

Jimmy screamed.

Just once.

Before he...

Broke Timmy's back.

I heard it snap.

That far away.

Then I... I started running till I found this house.

They let me use the phone.

Thank you, Miss.

We'll see that you get home all right now.

O'Malley, see that the young lady gets home all right.

Paul Lowe, while driving to his office, heard a radio commentator report the

murder of Joe Marcelli.

And what shocked him most was when the broadcast identified the killer as

possibly being the butcher.

Lowe headed straight for Eva Martin at the burlesque theater.

You gave me a start, Mr. Lowe. What are you doing here? Where's Eva?

Oh, I'm taking her place. I'm going to wear her costumes.

What's it to you?

I asked you, where's Eva?

Hey, don't get physical.

Well, what's your tone of voice, Buster? I told you, little Eva isn't here.

I can see that for myself. Where is she?

She's at police headquarters.

That's where she is.

Yes, sir.

No, sir, Captain Lauder's still with the mayor.

The killer dropped out of sight. He was last seen in the Hollywood area.

Yes, sir, we know he's dangerous.

Every angle's being covered.

Yes, sir, I'll tell him.

Here, see how these fit.

Low heels.

I'm sorry. It's the best our wardrobe department can afford.

Any idea how soon the captain will be back?

Now, look, I'm going to see the captain. I'll have to wait here all night.

Paul.

Paul.

Charles killed Squeamy and Joe.

Joe, too?

Benton? He's alive.

I saw him, but nobody will believe me. I'm checking it.

My guess is whoever killed him is on the trail of the money, Lo.

Now, maybe you'd better start talking if you know anything about it.

I don't know anything.

Did the butcher have a brother?

No, no brother.

It was Charles.

I saw the tattoo on his arm.

Look, I demand police protection. Where's the money, Lowe? You heard me. I

demand protection. I know my rights. We put stakeouts on your office and home.

Well, that's not enough.

It's enough as far as we're concerned.

What? Are you going to book me, Sergeant?

Dan, throw away the key.

Thank you.

Come up with anything yet, Dick? Oh, we've checked every hotel, motel, and

rooming house in town.

We've run a cross-check on every hangout butcher ever used.

Net results, blank.

This is incredible.

We not only discover a dead man turned killer, but it's beginning to look like

he plays ghost, too.

He's somewhere in this city, and if we have to take it apart brick by brick,

we've got to get him.

I may be way off, but I think Paul Lowe could tell us a lot. Maybe.

That's a cinch he's not going to.

Well, suppose he had no alternative.

You better grab some coffee. Your mind's beginning to play tricks on you.

No, now, wait a minute.

When Lowe came to us for police protection, it was because he was scared

stiff the butcher would add him to the list of Squeamy Ellis and Joe Marcelli.

Go on.

It figures, too.

When he slugged the sergeant, he knew we'd book him right away.

Oh, this Lowe's a pretty cute character.

But we can play the same game.

You mean we'll threaten to release him? Well, not exactly.

You tell him you realize that he was excited, that throwing the punch was

accidental. Tell him we're not going to make a charge, that he's completely

released. Lieutenant, you know we can't do that.

Lowell made his first mistake when he hit the sergeant, and that'll get him a

year. As far as the department's concerned, at least it's a small

victory.

If my hunch is right,

Lowell won't want to be on the streets with the butcher looking for him. And he

may talk, and talk a lot.

Enough maybe for us to get rid of him permanently.

Even lead us to the butcher.

If he's frightened enough, that might work.

But if it doesn't... No, Dick, I'm not going to release him. I want him out of

my way so bad I can taste it, but not bad enough to be responsible for getting

him killed.

The good thing about that, Captain, is the fact we know it, but Lowe doesn't.

Let's give it a try.

All right, Lowe.

Come on out.

I think you'll find everything in there.

You're free to go, Mr. Lowell.

Wait a minute. Who do you think you're kidding?

You arrested me for assaulting an officer.

Court, I'll plead guilty.

With luck, I might get off with six months.

For a lawyer, you're forgetting a very important point.

If no charge is made, there's no trial.

It was a tough day for everyone. We figured your nerves were on edge, and

when you threw the punch, you didn't know what you were doing.

I've squared everything with the sergeant.

It's all over.

All forgotten.

Yeah?

Why'd you bring a stenographer?

Simply because I wanted a record of our conversation at the time of your

release.

Okay, Lowell. Let's go.

Oh, wait a minute.

What's that on those streets? And I'm a dead man.

If you let me go, you'll be responsible for murder.

Oh, come off it, Lowell. You're imagining things.

You know the butcher threatened to kill me.

You set me free, he'll do it. Well, that's just a risk we'll have to take.

But the way I look at it, Mr.

Lowell... You'll be okay.

Look, Captain, I'll make a deal with you.

You keep me here, and I'll tell you how to recover the money.

Maybe even catch the butcher. No deals, Lowell.

You'd probably tell us anything, just a stall for time.

Come on, let's get out of here. Now, wait a minute.

All right.

I'll tell you the truth.

Start taking this down.

I, Paul Lowe, hired Butcher Benton, Squeamy Ellis, and Joe Maselli

to pull off the armored car holdup.

And then Lowe continued with his confession.

He told us about finding the map.

He showed us the exact location of where the butcher had hidden the stolen

payroll. And he gave us a most important answer.

The explanation as to how the butcher was able to elude detection.

His means of escape was the sewer system in our city.

The department went to work fast.

Every police squad in the city was detailed to cover a specific area.

Every entrance and exit to the Los Angeles city sewer system of 700 miles

was covered.

Captain Lauder and I, along with several other squads, headed for the entrance

where, according to the map, Butcher had hidden the money.

Our job was to stop him, and that made me think of one specific question.

When we found him, could this monster be stopped?

I, for one, wasn't sure.

Everything all set, Lieutenant?

City engineers mapped out each possible exit. The squad of officers are spotted

at every point.

If the butcher can be caught, now's the time.

Well, after I talked to Caltech, I called on the fire department for a

little help.

The professors thought a flamethrower might stop him.

Flamethrower? I suppose their boys have had a chance to join our squads by now.

I see we have one with us here.

if this map's right we're off our course we'll have to backtrack

Thank you.

you

And the tremendous shock of electricity that brought the butcher back to life

destroyed him.

The $600,000 stolen in the armored truck robbery has been recovered.

Case closed.

I'll hear the scientist's comments for your records.

I had to fill in a few spots with my old guesses, but I guess that's about the

size of it.

Did you get any sleep?

Oh, some. Not much.

How's the girl today?

Well, they called the hospital about an hour ago. She'd gone.

Gone? Where?

She told him she was a working girl and that she'd been away from the job too

long already.

Quite a girl.

Yeah.

Say, how about that time off I've got coming?

48 hours, beginning right now.

Get some rest, Dick.

You know something, Dick?

The past 72 hours seemed like a bad dream.

That rest in the hospital today really gave me a new lease on life.

Now that it's over, I... I can't believe it actually happened.

The important thing is to remember it is all over.

I suppose you'll be assigned to another case.

I'll have to give up hamburgers in the front seat of the car for steaks in a

restaurant. No.

I've thought about that.

In fact, I decided to do something about it.

I started by talking the captain into a short holiday.

And just about an hour ago, I got you fired.

What?

What did you do that for?

I figured that being my wife would take up all of your time.

Even if I wanted to say no, I couldn't.

You're not supposed to say no to a detective.

I figured that, too.