Original subtitles

Better than the Bush.

What?

When your workers

dying for the sake of your company, your job

and your job will come on.

Well, George.

Please explain

what is that plastic that you invented?

Oh, no, I wish I had, but I mean, not that anybody care around this square

organization, Mr Stanford.

Mr Buttner is waiting.

Oh, my gosh.

Yeah.

Roger, what is the matter with you?

Well, what's wrong?

I came right over that the moment you felt afraid you'd gone home.

I tried every place in the plant.

Roger.

What were you doing in your dark room?

Now, don't you worry.

You were underexposed, didn't you?

You didn't develop those pictures.

You know, I've been analyzing the stuff a wife is now plastics division.

You get into your local, he is very aware of it.

What is that stuff doing here that Benson drop it off from the house?

I'm going to have someone take it out to his car,

but he is going to pine wild until tomorrow morning.

Breakfast, he told A.L..

He changed his mind. Roger, please, no.

Now, wait a minute.

Have you checked to make sure that Benson packed everything he needed?

I mean, the royal cravats.

The whole truth. That's

no cigar.

Oh, Benson, you are fired and you miss Bishop.

You are next.

Do you realize what will happen

when the great deal wakes up to find no box of Fidel's finest?

I was just going to get them.

We stopped

this morning, he's got Quincy and they're with him.

You know, I love that light expression on your face.

Now you just hold it.

Hold it.

Just stop this and get in there.

Come on now. Give me a smile.

All right.

What do you think?

Mm hmm.

Smile

and smile right here when you put that silly camera down a gentleman.

What do you think?

00, I tell you, Quincy.

When I was 17 years old, I told my aunt not to marry him.

Oh, D.L., your syntax is terrible.

Listen to this.

I Roger Stanford, the second Roger.

I have a management meeting.

I'd like to wind up who is going to believe this anyway.

I mean, a statement from me approving the sale of a company

that my own father started and he'd wrote over in his grave.

I know you didn't read down the bottom there, the last paragraph.

They'll believe it, all right.

If you tell them that you've lost your interest in chemicals,

you don't care about working here anymore and you're going to earn.

Oh, I've got to calm people down around here, Roger.

I've got to get rid of this rumor, there's silly fear that

the sale of the company is going to endanger their jobs.

It's not, it's not going to change anything around here, except at the top.

Because besides being president of Stanford Chemical,

you would also be the big man in the conglomerate now, wouldn't you?

And it isn't just me, right?

Yeah. And what about your vice president?

I mean, how long is Logan going to last when they find out how he opposed you?

He thinks the sale of this company is criminal.

Me, OK, I don't matter.

I didn't inherit enough stock, but I want to read it and I tell you

I haven't persuaded her yet.

She'll go along just as soon as you do.

If she hadn't bent over backwards to spoil

you and pamper you once she took you energy kid

Quincy, isn't he amusing until you marry my aunt?

But he couldn't marry a stock?

What's the matter?

Why can't you get her to give you control?

It's almost 6:00, Mr. Buckman Rose.

We went, and we've got a long drive.

Yes, let's get out.

I thought there'd be something else,

as there is no Roger, I've been very patient with you

down for these past several years, all the trouble you've caused

here in this company, not to mention the half a million dollars

you caused this by falling around and something you called research.

That was kind of you.

But enough is enough.

But item?

I found a place where you gamble in Vegas.

This is a letter from a handwriting expert.

That's where you forged your signature.

Oh, Dale, and now this

is really beneath you.

Go on.

I am.

The drug thing in college.

Item mess in Acapulco, and this is a photostat of that

car theft report.

Oh, Quincy,

I tell you, you are superb that you really are, you know,

you are the best combination chauffeur and private detective in the business.

Yeah, but what is the matter now?

Why can't he get something for you, one Logan and get rid of all your opposition?

You know what is it?

What's wrong?

Your wire-tapping matter it. It's not working.

Why can't you frame a harmless old bachelor?

There's Valerie, excuse me, Mr.

Buckner. Mr. Logan and the others are here.

I go.

So I'll hear Roger.

Tomorrow, some of the attorneys from the conglomerate

coming up to meet with me at the cabinet side will discuss the terms of the sale.

Tonight I want you to go see her and tell her

You don't care about working here anymore, you're quitting.

And tomorrow you released that statement to the press.

Otherwise, I'm afraid I'll

I'll have to show others.

You really would, wouldn't you?

I will.

We know the.

I have been well aware of what you and Quincy

have been up to the past couple of months and.

Singing got my back up against the wall.

You win.

You're

going to give up this easily.

I just know when.

I'm outclassed. Oh,

I'll sign it tonight, anyway.

I mean,

you want the chemical company?

I doubt it.

Junior high.

Oh, and

good night, Uncle David, right?

Yeah, right now.

Yeah.

Mm hmm.

Well.

I don't worry,

they haven't said Quincy on to you yet.

If only you didn't feel it necessary to play the Fool so much.

What was it this time?

Oh, it's nothing.

Really, it's nothing at all, except,

well, we have decided that it is time

for people to stop calling me junior around here, Roger.

So we see each other later. Why not?

I've got this little job to do first, but it shouldn't take very long.

Wasting your time, Fergie, it's going to rain.

Good night, Jr.

Oh, Fergie, I am sorry, but I've got to tell you this morning.

Could you look under my hood?

I think I've got a loose plug wire or something.

Yeah, thanks.

Oh, you have missed a spot here, Fergie,

my uncle will not like that. Hmm.

You're a crazy Jew

and you're the one who is OK, hose clamp needs tightening a little.

That's all it does.

How did that get loose?

Oh, don't worry, Fergie.

I don't want you to miss your nickel tip. But.

Oh, sure.

Who you are is is that you,

your aunt, said it sounded like a car down here in the drive.

I mean, you were Mr. Sanford, aren't you?

But obviously.

And who might you be? Oh, I'm sorry.

Lieutenant Columbo, I'm from the police.

The police.

You mean that old heap out there is yours?

Oh yeah.

Needs a coat of paint on it.

Anyway, Mrs.

Buckner, she asked me to get you quick.

There are no servants up there in the house.

She was afraid you were going to go straight on to your place or something.

Why? What's wrong?

Well, nothing that we know about so far.

But she's very upset.

So I suggest that you close your door,

come right away at my 00 no, I don't live here.

I live in a guest cottage out back that that's what she meant.

This is where the chauffeur

I went was on my way home tonight.

I thought I saw his door open.

He did. Yeah. The chauffeur?

Yes, Mr.

Quincy, the fella was driving Mr. Buckner and I.

I better look in here.

When you find the light.

Well, of course I did.

I mean, that's how I found out nobody was home.

Well, everything seems to be in order.

Somebody's been tampering with this, Mark, Lieutenant.

Just what are you doing here now, what has happened?

Mr Buckner, he sort of disappeared.

He may have been attacked somewhere.

They warned him, didn't they?

They threw that awful stench bomb on our lawn yesterday.

Yes, you're right,

says there's been some kind of trouble out there at Stanford Chemical.

Well, he has been threatened.

And there have been those anonymous phone calls,

but those are from hotheads hothead.

What do they hate about?

He's been negotiating with a conglomerate dickering to sell

now a lot of the old retainers do not like this.

You might say there has been an excess

of corporate bad feeling, they say.

How did you feel about this man?

Did you side with your husband on this?

I was in the process of making up my mind, which is beside the point right now.

David is missing.

That's the only issue.

Yes, it certainly is, ma'am.

Tell me, do you know anything about his whereabouts tonight?

He left the plant around seven.

He was going to pine while I.

Wild, while not familiar with that,

we have a place up there,

he should have arrived hours ago.

The caretaker hasn't heard anything and I call the Sheriff's Mountain Office.

They can't find him.

Maybe they got hungry.

Maybe they stopped off somewhere for a drink with ranch.

You know, that isn't so, he told Benson.

He'd have supper up there.

You know, all those roads are only taken

the aerial tram and had the caretaker meet him at the top, as I do.

It's so much safer. Faster.

Well, ma'am, I checked with highway patrol and there's no report of any accidents

on those roads.

There you see.

Oh, oh, lieutenant,

I think we owe you a drink.

And Dory, when he was out of town last week, you didn't even notice he was gone.

Now what would you call the police tonight of all nights?

Do you want to drink

Roger?

I call the commissioner of police, and he said he'd send over his very best man.

Is that a fact?

Well, my wife, she says I'm second best for the.

She claims there are 80 fellows tied for first

at any rate.

I don't mind being sent out on a false alarm.

I just hope that this is one

because she had a right to call.

You see, she got this message

here, I'll show you.

Message.

Yes, he called just before I got home from the opera board meeting,

I was at 730.

Maybe you better operate this

because I'm not sure how it arrived often.

You can tell that he's calling from a car, you can

you can hear it on the recording.

There's no one answering at the moment.

This is a recording device, would you care to leave a message?

Oh, these modern, idiotic devices is not home yet.

Once you look in a dash there with you, Dash, you hear that dash from the car.

If so, your voice will be recorded

and the connection won't be broken until you hang up.

Nope.

What's the matter with Vince, your show, your cigar case isn't in your coat pocket.

You may start your message now.

Thank you.

Yeah, just give me the box.

Thank you.

Hello. Hello, Darren.

It's my whole.

I just want me to pull over and over, Natalie.

That's all right.

I got it.

Look, when I'm cold,

I try to get you earlier today, Donovan, did you get through when one of those

many meetings as often as Bishop couldn't get you from the office either?

But what I was calling about, I'm I'm on my way up to the cabin now,

so I'll single tomorrow and Sunday rather

than the afternoon or evening sometime.

But what I wanted you to know is that Roger

is going to come over to say tonight.

He wants to talk to you about something.

So I just wanted to make sure that you'd be home and wait up for him with you.

That's

why I always made a decision about something.

It might not be exactly what.

You figured it would be, but to my way of thinking, it's it's a wise decision.

So after you

talk to them, call me back at the cabin

and let me know what he decided by,

I don't.

Gee, I'm terribly sorry about that.

Here I've got something in my back.

Well, anyway, that's it.

He just hung up.

Yeah, sure.

Roger, you are just as concerned about him as I am, aren't you?

Juan, you seem so upset.

I'm surprised because you don't like it very much, do you?

Oh, well, actually, I've been going, I've been growing much fond of him lately.

Did you call him back?

Yes, I try to reach him on the car phone.

There was no answer.

Lieutenant, look, if there's anything

you can do, do it, yeah, go out there and find him.

Well, I can assure you, I've started all the wheels rolling.

We're doing everything we can.

But now this area, this pine wild, that's out of our bailiwick.

But we we've got the sheriff's office and the highway patrol there on it,

and I'm going to stay after them.

And don't you worry, Mrs. Barker, fine.

I mean, we're going to find it.

Thank you for tonight. Good night. Night.

You're right, Lieutenant.

My uncle is a very important man.

Well, I'm aware of that, sir.

Listen, by the way, what about your parents, Mr.

Sanford? Are they both alive?

Oh, no, they died when I was in college.

It was a freak explosion at the plant

after he became my guardian, and then she married David.

Mm-Hmm.

Were there any other children? No.

And Audrey is your father's sister. Yes.

And on your father's side, were there other aunts and uncles?

Tell me, Lieutenant, why are you so fascinated with my family history?

Oh no, it's just that.

Try to get things straightened out in my mind.

In case you're wondering

if anything does happen to David, his money goes to her, not me.

Well, I wasn't thinking about that at all. No.

With some, by the way, I didn't want to mention this to your aunt inside, but

is it possible that Mr.

Buckner might have wanted to stop someplace without telling anybody,

you know, visit somebody in private?

I don't think that's any of your business, lieutenant.

It certainly is none of mine.

Oh, whoa, whoa.

Sorry.

Goodnight.

Goodnight.

Is your watch broken?

Hmm. You're watching.

I watched broken.

Oh, why?

Oh, it's nothing important, it's just that inside, I notice

you kept looking at it.

You know, Lt.

People do look at their watches.

Yes, they certainly do.

Sorry.

Good night and I. Raj.

What did you want to talk to me about tonight?

What did David mean?

Oh, that was nothing, nothing at all.

I had this idea.

I might like to work in the legal department for a while, David said.

It was fine. I started Monday.

Oh, life

would be so simple if you could just get along.

We're going to.

It carries a to.

You don't listen to.

The only take on the trend.

Going to be fine, just fine, sweetheart.

Some of you hello, Janet.

All the way to the top.

80 600 feet above sea level.

It's only a 15 minute ride.

Look down there about a 2000 foot drop.

Over here.

The only way to scale that rock have to be a mountain goat.

They had to use helicopters about this thing.

Don't worry, this tram is absolutely safe.

Designed to last if I had an accident.

Just sit back and enjoy the ride.

Nice view, isn't it?

Yes, it is.

That's exactly what our problem is.

The earlier this morning, the sheriffs found a shiny bumper

at the base of the cliff.

Now here we are now.

It's just about a half hour or so down the road.

Down? Yes.

Well, that'd be good.

What does that tell you, the chauffeur?

Yeah, we spotted putting his body further down there.

You can barely see a man working his way towards it now.

Still out here on this ledge.

You get a better view right over there.

Thank you very much.

That would be very funny. Thank you. OK.

As you can see, there's no God.

The roads were slick last night.

Now this stuff here looks burned, the bodies are charred.

There's a breeze scattered over thousands of feet.

We're getting more climbers.

I'll keep you posted and everything we we find.

Mary went on to OK. Yeah.

Man, yeah.

Scattered up and down the road all over.

Now we found the chauffeur's cap intact,

200 yards clear off to one side down there.

Well, you know, sometimes a gas tank explodes.

Well, yeah.

Well, maybe the car skidded

and smacked that rock and the gas tank blew.

Well, maybe something inside the car blew.

Exactly.

And since they're just out from L.A..

Well, I guess in a way, it's out of your jurisdiction, lieutenant,

or at least your problem.

The possibility of murder is ridiculous.

What difference does it make?

Dead is

dead, isn't it?

There's talk of

the fact that it is not an accident.

Well, the lieutenant was here again today and he

he said that they always have to investigate.

It's probably just routine.

He didn't want to bother me too much, I guess.

Anyway, he's he's gone.

I think a writer.

Oh, did I

oh, did I tell you that David

had decided to put Roger in the legal department?

Did he?

And that is something of a switch.

Roger and I have become friendly.

I know he's made mistakes in the past, but

I think he's coming along very well.

And I could never understand why David didn't like him better,

because I never understood Roger too well myself, but I

I've tried to do the best I could for him

and he has a Stanford.

Somehow, I always thought he might be in charge

someday.

Everett.

You you don't think

David was murdered, do you?

Well, of course not.

No. Look, you just let me handle everything.

We're not even going to talk about business for a while yet.

I'll take care of it all.

Newspapers arrangements, I know it's a dreadful thing to say.

So glad you're next in line.

I need someone I can trust.

You just leave everything to me.

And if either you or Roger have any problems with the police?

You let me know.

I mean.

But you do get around,

don't you, Lieutenant?

Oh, I was just waiting for you when I came in,

you know, to look into the dark room and

what are you doing and looking for a secret weapon?

Figure weapons, though?

What is this kid stuff?

Lieutenant?

And I I was talking to my hand

and she said that you think that maybe somebody killed my uncle?

And she said that there was something about the accident.

I don't know.

Oh no, we don't know anything for sure just yet.

Oh no, it's just that.

You know, that's a wonderful, dark room.

Imagine having something like that right next to your own office.

Oh, wonderful.

You know, my wife's kid brother, he's an unknown photography, too

wonderful hobby and all that.

And I also work on inventions in there and you are very lucky that you didn't

knock over a bottle of acid or some cyanide crystals or

nitroglycerin. Oh, don't tell me anymore.

I'll have a harder time.

You really know that stuff, don't you? Hmm.

I noticed that metal you wear around your neck.

That's an honor society medal, isn't it?

US national science fraternity.

I had my Ph.D.

in chemistry before I was 21, but that's before my MBA and lawyer.

You don't say.

You know, I know you'd be the one that could help me.

Would you come?

Now you see my problem with chemistry

that started way back in high school.

Was it my junior year, right?

I had to get a better grade,

so I said to heck with this chemistry stuff.

I'll take another year a woodshop,

you know,

you just build a bird house and if you paint it red, you get an eight.

And that's what I did.

Because that chemistry stuff, it's just too hard.

You follow my meaning.

So, oh well, you see the fellows over at our lab.

They tell me that you can make all sorts

of trigger devices that don't use any powder.

They're sort of like explosive fire, things like

that throw. Oh,

so you think someone put a bomb in his car?

Well, you know, that could have been an explosion

before they went off the cliff.

But you see now if that's the case,

then we got a whole different kind of the tenant.

You see what I mean? The tenant, I

I would not like that

cigar now unless you wish to witness an explosion right now.

Oh yeah, right. I'm sorry.

No, I won't mind. OK.

And for your information,

there are of 30 PhDs in this flat

and over 60 qualified chemists.

Yes, there are ten private experiment room, just like

mine back there.

That is not even to mention the main laboratory building

right over there, where 1000 more employees

toiling away like very little known, think that all of these people

want to kill Mr. Buckley, please.

I do, but a large corporation is like a jungle to coin a phrase.

I can't tell you how many executives there are in our ivory tower

who would commit felonious assault.

The key to a private washroom.

That's not even to mention

the ones who are very unhappy because my uncle wished to sell.

Yeah.

You know, like those malcontents who get threatening him.

But, you know, somehow

we just can't get a handle on those threats.

I mean, like that stink bomb the boys.

We sent that. Check it out.

They say nobody even saw a car in your neighborhood during that time.

So that is unfortunate.

However, Lieutenant, I witnessed one of those phone calls myself.

You did? Yes.

Well, never mind about that.

I'll get somebody else to check it out, OK?

Yeah, because I have my own

personal lead in this case, you have.

You remember that recorded

telephone message on your phone?

Yeah.

Well, I've been listening to that over and over again.

It's all right in there.

And I'll tell you what,

let's look on.

This is one area that I don't know

his cigars.

Yes, Benson told me that he dropped off Mr Butler's

suitcase here at 6:00, but no box of cigars.

He said that you told him that you were going to take care of.

Yes. Yes.

I keep a supply around here.

Go on this.

No, what's the matter?

It's just funny you're asking about cigars that all you see, Mr.

Buckner had a little pocket cigar case.

Yes. Well, don't touch that.

Well, why not?

The cleaning lady just gave it to me.

She said she found it underneath my desk.

It must have been in Mr. Buckner's overcoat.

That's where we always kept it.

And you see Benson put the overcoat on the suitcase and it must have fallen out.

That's all. I guess. I just didn't notice it.

What's the matter, lieutenant, if you think someone had stolen it?

Well, it did seem like a kind of a coincidence

on that telephone tape you could just barely hear.

Cigar case missing no cigars in the dash.

So you thought that someone wanted him

to open a box of cigars while he was still in the car, I suppose.

Well, it was a possibility, lieutenant. What's this all about?

I mean, why are you so interested in cigars?

Oh, I'm terribly sorry.

It's just that we have to check out everything.

I know how badly you must feel at this point.

Forgive me this.

And by the way, Miss Buckner said she tried to reach you that night.

She thought you'd be working late here in the office.

But oh no,

no. See my.

My mother was expecting me to work late and I knew she'd be going to bed early,

so I went to a movie lieutenant.

Lieutenant, you have not answered the lady's question now,

will you tell her the truth?

Miss Bishop,

the lieutenant is from homicide, and obviously he is under the impression

that the accident was caused by an exploding cigar.

But when I see Lieutenant

Miss Bishop got the box of cigars from here, yeah,

I saw her and she put them over there on the suitcase.

Yeah, he tried one yourself.

Wow, that was so cigars

quite like this before I roll the boxes the same.

Listen, I don't.

You tell customers they're from Cuba.

You know, that's a thought.

Now, wait just a minute.

Are you suggesting that something was wrong with one of those cigar boxes?

Of course not.

The lieutenant is just simply wrong.

You see, if there was an explosive in that car,

it would have to have been placed somewhere else.

No, I'm afraid not.

Now, you see on the way over here, I bumped into a very nice

old fellow that works one of your service stations, his name is Ferguson.

And he cleaned that car before they left.

And he told me there was nothing else in that car

except a suitcase, a coat and a box of cigars .

And the old boy who carried everything down, he said the same thing.

All right, then. Then

the explosive

must have been in the cigar box and apparently that at the time.

Yeah.

And if somebody tampered with it or switched it,

that would have to have happened here, right?

OK. Miss Bishop, will you tell me how long

the DL suitcase sit there in the middle of this floor

with people coming and going? Oh.

20 or 30 minutes?

But you were here that time, weren't you?

I mean, didn't I hear you say that you were here?

Oh, oh no, no, no, not Mr.

Stanford did not touch it.

No, I just happened to know he left without touching it.

Oh, well, that's right.

But I can remember Mr.

Logan Joe Stevenson burn home an awful lot.

Miss Bishop, which would you make a list for the lieutenant and put down there

anything else you can remember about anything like stolen boxes, boxes

given away?

Old. Just anything.

It's anonymous, but.

The vice president.

Well, he has a supply

with cigar orders sometimes come in together.

Mr. Everett Logan.

I have about

four boxes left.

Did you think forcer?

Yes, it's very strange.

Nancy,

what's the matter is something wrong?

Yes, sir.

Oh, here you've been keeping tabs on these supplies.

How many boxes of cigars were there?

Oh, well, I really haven't checked that much in the last two days.

But did you take some home, Mr. Logan?

No, I did not.

Oh, well, they must be in here someplace.

Please don't touch the boxes.

You don't mind.

Oh, that'll be all, Nancy, thank you.

You can go now. Yes, sir.

Be sure and close the door on your way out.

You don't mind, sir, if you'll just lock this up

and not touch anything, then I'll call the fingerprint crew.

Why Lieutenant Lawrence?

You were investigating David's accident?

Just covering all bases, sir.

I mean, we haven't found anything suspicious.

He thinks there might have been a bomb in a cigar box.

What?

Well, that's just a theory.

Well, of course, will cooperate in any way possible.

Afraid that isn't very much of a lock and I have had several meetings here, but.

But I must warn you, Lieutenant,

unless you find something a little bit more important than that,

if one word of a murder investigation is leaked to either the press or anyone else.

Oh no, no.

And that's all I need for now.

Thank you very much. Much of what? Roger, what

the devil is going on around here,

does he really think it wasn't an accident?

I'll be able to give you a lift.

Oh, thanks.

Why this plan of yours is really something

you know you can get lost in just wandering around.

I told you the tenant, this plant is not mine belongs to my aunt Doris.

And you know about Logan.

He was right when he said there were a lot of people in his office.

You know, anybody could have taken that box.

His father, Morgan, he's quite a friend of yours, I guess.

Oh, well, I mean, he

he has been nice enough to take a good deal of interest in my work lately.

Why am?

You mean he sort of fires

you up, like maybe I lost

and I found this in the wastepaper basket, in the apartment

above the garage with a shovel,

and it looks like it's some kind of a report from Mr Quincy to Mr Buckner.

And Quincy claims that Mr.

Logan, for some funny reason, was trying to upset him over this sale thing,

using you to manipulate Iran.

Let me see that.

I'd rather not.

Let's just here say I don't want to spread these rumors around.

You know.

I really don't understand this business.

Of course, I never could understand business.

My wife, she always makes out our taxes.

Oh, by the way, Benson mentioned

that Quincy was one at the time a couple.

Well, I knew that he was suspected rather that he did

some extracurricular work for my uncle, you know, like checking up on people.

What?

Well, you see, I couldn't find the typewriter that this report

was written on and Benson.

He had an idea that Quincy might have had another hideaway someplace,

something else that he used as a base of operations.

You know anything about that?

Sorry.

Oh, no, no, no, no.

Wait a minute.

What is the matter with me, of course.

Hey, you know, one night I was dumb enough to get caught in a poker game.

You know what I mean?

And quite by accident, I saw a piece of paper that was in his wallet.

And it wasn't. It didn't say Quincy on it. It said

O'Neal.

Yeah, that's what he said.

Harry O'Neal. Yeah.

You know, I can check up on that right away.

Car's right over here, oh, thank you very much.

OK, I know you've been help, but.

Mr Stamper.

Roger, wait.

What's your problem?

I nearly died out there. All those questions.

Well, I don't think to say was that I went to the movies last night.

Relax, relax.

DL wasn't really murdered. And you know it.

Do you know that?

That's a funny thing to say.

I'm sorry.

Well, it's just that they keep investigating around here

and checking into everything

like those private personal files I let you look at like Mr.

Logan's, how I put those back days ago.

It was just curiosity for how to succeed in business.

Roger,

I don't want anyone to find out about us.

Oh, well.

How could they?

You took those pictures of me.

Oh, I cleaned out my desk already and the darkroom,

I got rid of everything.

I'm sorry, it's. It's

just the past few days.

You know, you need a list.

Yeah, I authorize it.

Yeah, and don't worry about it.

It's all going to be over soon.

Believe me also.

Adobe

duck and a whale will send the climbers up again, first thing in the morning

will try the lower cliffs, no piece of the cigar box, you know,

as funny

as some things, we're finding intact,

others smashed, others burnt.

Well, anyway, we're still trying here.

I thought you might want to see this

piece of the gas tank.

Yeah, and it did explode.

The autopsy reports not much help, either.

I heard just burned

nothing on the tissue to prove any foreign inflammable.

Maybe some kind of petroleum jelly was used

as something will turn up.

But how can you be so sure?

Well, it's a big corporation, kind of like a jungle

to coin a phrase. Rob?

There shouldn't be anybody in there

coming from in the back.

I don't believe it.

What were you doing?

Nothing.

Well, I do wish you would listen to me and Ari, you haven't answered me.

I can't.

I can't.

Not with these two men here.

Would you mind leaving us alone, please?

Sorry, ma'am, they told me to bring them over here,

but that doesn't mean I can let them out of my sight.

Listen, I got here as fast as I could.

Where is Farrell?

Oh, good evening, ma'am.

Lieutenant Columbo, I'd like an explanation of this.

He's on the way. Look, I told her where we caught him.

He broke in and had to up the place, resisted arrest.

They literally jumped me.

All right. We're going to get this thing cleared up just as fast as we can.

Not worry about that.

Now, say,

I thought you said to me that you had no idea where Quincy's hideaway was.

Well, I didn't.

But then I remember this car salesman the Quincy was friendly with, and he did.

Lieutenant Adobe.

If I could just talk to you alone for a few minutes, excuse me, please.

But he, after I just brought a couple of things, the typewriter was there

and we got quite a bit of information from his file dossiers, actually.

I left Charlie there to go over them.

And what I brought you is a couple of things here that I might ask you what?

What kind of dossiers?

Something about Mr Logan.

But what makes you say that you see this afternoon,

I find something in the pocket of one of David suits

some sort of report about Everett Logan

personal information, very damaging.

From Quincy? Yes. May I see it?

I burned it, Lieutenant.

You see, I finally realized that

David was using Quincy to keep tabs on the executives.

Mm-Hmm.

All right, Mr.

Buckner, would you give me a moment, please?

Now, there is quite a bit of stuff on Logan there.

Also on a couple of other executives, we take a look at this,

which is bankbook.

No account.

Very big deposit, yeah.

Nice guy, Quincy.

Looks like he's trying to put the bite on his own boss.

But here is what I saw from the kid when I caught him.

That's the only thing he tried to get out of Quincy's.

And I guess he was in quite a bit of a hurry

because he forgot the negative.

Mrs. Buckner

wrote, You excuse us for a moment when speaking to Stanford for a moment.

Oh, I think you said it was right.

Hey, wait a minute. That's evidence, lady.

Don't get to see them and Tori, you give them back.

Valerie Bishop and David.

Why do you think I went there?

I knew Quincy would have something like that.

Now you get to see the very thing I never wanted her to.

It's all right, Roger.

I have to see things.

I have to see everything.

But I'm the only one, do you understand, Lieutenant?

And I want this trash burned.

But ma'am, we can't destroy evidence.

There's no evidence if there's no murder and you have prove

there was a mammoth if we had a lieutenant,

would you please get out of here and leave us alone?

Look, I'm sorry about the tenant. Please get out.

I'm truly sorry.

A large.

I like that woman very much.

All the time, she and David.

I never wanted you to know about this, ever.

I mean, I've known for a couple of years about them, but

well, it's only recently that I realized

that Quincy was beginning to snoop around.

You knew.

Oh, yes.

I went to David, I asked him to stop.

He refused.

No wonder he turned against you.

No wonder he kept demeaning you in front of me.

Ranch, there

I've been I've been such a fool,

I've misunderstood everything, so.

Thank you, Benson, five.

Oh, my junior.

Excuse me, Mr.

Stanford.

Good morning, Mr.

Stafford.

Good morning, doctor.

That's wrong.

Oh. Excuse me.

I just found this on the desk, it's from the personnel manager.

Well, I tried to reach you at the house,

but you'd already gone and your aunt wouldn't come to the phone.

You know, she hasn't answered one single call for me since the funeral.

Oh, I sent her up to Pine Wild for a short rest.

It was the doctor's orders. Let me see this.

Well, that's a Pink's

that stupid personnel department, and you're not fired.

But I don't understand.

I see my ad remembered how much

your mother always wanted to live in the desert in Arizona, wasn't it?

And she thought that you might be happier there to.

Roger, I can't afford that. Oh.

I'll take care of that.

And listen, don't you worry,

we'll see each other a lot, a lot.

Yeah, if not,

I'm going to be here for quite a while and come back later.

Would you tell maintenance? I'll keep the desk and the chair.

The rest of the stuff is just really,

you know, I'll have a decorator come in next week and refurnish.

What about your office?

Your old office?

OK, wrap it up. Give it away. I don't particularly care.

I don't want to be disturbed, Miss Bishop.

Well, it's it's Mr.

Logan and Lieutenant Columbo.

And that will tell them,

tell them to come in.

Gentlemen,

I hate to interrupt like this, Mr.

Stanford, but Mr. Putin said you were in, huh?

So I am.

What can I do for you? Ah, quite a surprise.

I mean, I went down to your old office, but they told me, you moved in here.

Lieutenant, would you mind coming to the point?

Oh, certainly, by the way, Mr.

Bishop seems unhappy.

Did something go wrong?

I have no idea.

Could you explain the reason for your interruption, lieutenant?

Oh, yeah.

Well, I came to get you and Mr.

Logan here.

Of course, the funny thing I found him cleaning out his desk to.

But whatever forever

I've been fired, you're fired.

Oh, I find that very hard to believe, ever, do you?

It was your aunt's request she wouldn't even talk to me

on the phone when I called.

Oh, obviously it's a mistake.

Obviously, we were rather close, if you'll remember.

You wouldn't have any possible idea why she might have changed her

mind about me, would you?

Oh, no, no, none whatsoever.

Of course it you know, it is a family corporation,

so she has every right to do whatever she chooses.

This must have fallen over.

Lt will take an inordinate length of time to come to the point.

Oh well, I heard from the people that the Pine while sheriff's office,

they're going to meet us at the bottom of the grade.

Oh, I'm awfully sorry.

I mean, perhaps Mr.

Logan could go along,

but I'm afraid I'm just much too busy this morning to go for a long drive.

Oh, I see.

I just thought you'd want to know what they found.

I mean, you are interested in any latest development, aren't you?

Of course I am.

What was it?

You know, they didn't say.

You just said it was very important.

Well, it seems very peculiar.

They didn't say what it was.

Sure does.

All right, Mr.

Logan, let's go find Doris will be up at the cabin and I want to talk with her

just a minute lieutenant.

If this does concern my uncle's death,

I suppose in good conscience, I should go along fine.

I've got the car outside.

I said I didn't, and it said it.

Yeah, pretty good shape, too, considering you right up there

to the left of the second dark crag and see the road from here.

But it's right to the left of that, just about a couple hundred feet

from where they want to.

I must have been blown apart like the captain at other stuff.

Yeah, get it right into a crevice.

What is it? It.

I think that we ought to get this information out there in a hurry.

So let's go on.

Oh, no, no, no.

I sent her up to the cabin so she wouldn't be disturbed anyway.

It would take us hours to get there.

And I don't know.

We'll be there in no time here.

Sergeant is waiting for you very much this way.

Yeah, you're right, put me on this contraption,

she said it was a lot faster than driving.

Much safer.

She's right.

Well, let's look at this.

Yes, I'd like to know what they found.

You see what we have.

But that's.

That's David's cigar box.

I told you this would be worth coming out for the night.

Yeah, yeah, it sure is.

You see, except for the hinges, which are a little shaky.

This whole thing is in one piece.

This means that David was not murdered, doesn't it? Huh?

Oh yes, sir. Yes.

This changes everything.

There's no question about it. Yeah.

Must have been the gas tank, after all.

That's that's comforting news.

I mean, for her.

Even so, I'm afraid she's not going to be very happy to see me up there.

Why do you think that she blamed you for her husband's death?

Well, I certainly do.

I mean, after all,

I was the one that was fighting David on his cell business.

Everybody knew that.

I figure some troublemaker misunderstood and stole the box out of my office.

Unfortunately, I was wrong, I can't tell you how good that cigar box

looks to me now, if I can just get Doris to tell me why she let me go.

Well, I can tell you that you can.

Yeah, I think she fired you for a couple of reasons.

Like those secret meetings that you had

with the competition last year, like that, that you sold to a friend very cheaply.

What are you talking about?

Those are lies, really?

Well, Mr.

Quincy wrote them all down in the report.

Mr.. Well, then Quincy made them up himself.

They're simply not true.

You promised and are never to say anything about that.

What are you trying to do?

Cause more trouble? Well, it doesn't make any difference now.

I mean, everything's changed now, isn't it, because of this?

You know, and then there was that thing with Mr.

Bishop. Lt.

Now that that is private information. Wait, wait a minute.

one thing with Miss Bishop, I am warning you what you see, Miss Bishop and Mr.

Buckner, you know, for the past year or so, that is enough.

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt anybody.

Just go, I just don't know why we.

But why you can't sit here,

sit here, and I'm just sitting

quietly, quietly right to the top of the mountain.

You know something, Roger, that truth is hard to find.

Sometimes or sometimes it's funny that you can't prove.

What?

You know, I had a whole

theory, worked out how you could have fixed this box here.

But I mean.

A high IQ thing so that the explosive

might not be discovered, you might get burned up with the gasoline.

Oh yes, I had a theory, worked out

how you could have done all sorts of things now.

Turns out to be just an ordinary box.

Yeah,

but this now that.

Don't you think you should take it to a laboratory

and have it examined, I mean, now you've got all these fancy theories.

What on earth for?

The theories are all wrong and that would only probe it?

Oh no, that would make me look forward to seeing you first tonight.

No, you know.

And, you know, and the funny thing is this, Roger, this

whole thing could have been a plan of yours like those reports and Mr.

says, you could afford those on his typewriter

and the photograph between Miss Bishop and your uncle.

Any good photographer can track that up?

No, he just was done drinking.

Oh yeah, we place one thing with somebody else.

And even Mr Places no bank account

that could have been opened by anybody, even you.

Yes. And Mr Modi survives being stolen.

Now there you go.

You're looking at your watch again.

Would you do me a favor?

Would you please keep quiet?

It's only a dumb theory of mine.

I mean, it only goes to prove how wrong I can be.

You see what I figured?

I figured they.

Will people be trying to win the presidency?

Mr. Logan, here in your home and now there's tissue.

Of course, you had to fire Miss Bishop.

I mean, an executive secretary, she probably knows.

Right.

Are you just going to sit here and let him

just mumble on?

Why not, Roger?

It's all very interesting.

Do you want more of a fool than he is?

But the trouble is, even if I was right, please

just shut up.

What's bothering you, what's the matter?

Oh, my.

We have got to get rid of that box.

The box.

Give me that box.

How can they?

Where did you get that, that box of cigars?

From your secretary, my secretary.

Yeah, she.

She had three boxes.

Now, keep in mind.

And I suppose I do in this case, Typekit.

Aren't those supposed to be in evidence?

I guess they are.

It's a shame.