All language subtitles for Father Dowling Mysteries S02E09 The Perfect Couple Mystery

Father Dowling, this is

absolutely the most
wonderful day of my life.

I am so happy.

Me, too, Father.

That makes it unanimous.

God bless you both,

and may you feel
this way forever.

Thanks for everything, Father.

That one was made in heaven.

Yeah, they're a perfect couple.

Laurie, hi.

Look, I won't be
home till late tonight.

Yes, it's Tuesday,
another meeting.

I'm telling you the truth.

Honey, please don't
question me, just trust me.

Late. Don't wait up.

Laurie, I...

Oh, Laurie, I just
can't believe this.

I saw it with my own eyes.

Well, there may be a
perfectly innocent explanation.

Like what?

Why did you follow Tom?

Every Tuesday night
for the past month,

Tom has had these meetings.

Last week, I called his office

to ask him to pick up Chinese
food to bring home for dinner.

He wasn't there

and his secretary said there
were no Tuesday-night meetings.

Well, did you ask him about it?

Didn't even have the
courage to lie to me.

He just got red in the face,

and said that I shouldn't
cross-examine him.

Father, I have never
seen him like that before.

I just can't believe this.

I've known Tom his whole life.

I-I baptized him. I gave
him his First Communion.

I married him.

So did I, Father.

Looks like we both
made a mistake.

Father Dowling.

Hmm?

You have to sign for
your visitor, Mr. Bascom.

Is something wrong?

Can we, uh, talk privately?

About what?

About you and Laurie.

She came to see me last night.

She says that you're
seeing another woman.

That's not true.

She says she saw you with her.

Father Dowling, she's upset.

I think she's going through
some pregnancy things...

Tom, I...

Look, I have to
get back to work.

Is there anything
you want to tell me?

N-no. Not a thing.

Well, you have a talk with her.

She's very upset.

I will. I promise.

- Thanks for dropping by, Father.
- Mm-hmm.

And don't worry.
Everything's fine.

Do you believe him, Frank?

I don't know.

What are you gonna do?

I don't know that either, Steve.

Uh-oh, excuse me.

Marie, is Father Dowling here?

Your timing is
incredible, Father.

He's just sitting down to lunch.

Amen.

I have very important news.

I want you to hear
this too, Marie.

Monsignor
Schlesinger, from Latvia,

an envoy from the Vatican,

is touring this country.

Yes, I read about him
in the Catholic Digest.

He'll be in Chicago
this weekend,

and he wants to visit a typical,
ordinary, everyday parish.

Father Dowling,
Sister Stephanie, Marie,

he's coming to St. Michael's.

This was your idea?

This is the most ordinary
parish in the diocese.

Well, thank you,
Father Prestwick.

You know this could
be the Vatican contact

I have been praying for.

I don't know how far

it could get me, I mean,
maybe even as far as Rome,

but we've got a lot of
work to do to get things

spruced up around here.

Don't want the monsignor
to get a bad impression.

Well if he wants to
see a typical parish,

why don't we just leave
things the way they are?

Excuse me.

Sure.

St. Michael's.

Laurie. Uh, hold on, I'm
going to another phone.

Steve, would you, please?

You know, Marie, maybe
you could make him

some special Latvian dish
to make him feel at home?

These potatoes are delicious.

Is there any gravy?

What do they eat in Latvia?

I'll check that out, Marie.

Now let's see what else.

You know if you
wanna spruce things up

the sink in the bathroom's
had a leak for about a year now.

What if this
monsignor from Latvia

wants to wash his
hands or something?

Well, what do you expect
it would cost to fix it?

I would guess about $387.53.

Approximately.

I better make a list.

I'll make one for ya.

Uh, Father, would you
excuse us a minute?

What'd she say, Frank?

Well, today's Tuesday,

and she's going down
to that apartment tonight

and have a showdown with
Tom when he comes out.

Well, that'll be a disaster.

I tried to talk her out of it.

So we compromised.

I'm going instead.

Tom?

Father Dowling. What
are you doing here?

Waiting for you.

I-I'm sorry. I can't
talk to you right now.

From what I've just seen,

I think you better.

Thank you.

Okay, Shirley, we'll
see you tomorrow.

You never were any
good at lying, Tom,

and I certainly don't
think this is the time for it.

Now, I saw you with her,
and Laurie saw you with her.

All I can say is it's
not what you think.

I love Laurie.

Then what on
earth were you doing

in another woman's bedroom?

I'm sorry, but I
can't tell you that.

Tom, for the sake of your
marriage, for your baby,

you better tell me.

Believe me, if I could, I would.

That's not good enough.

Don't you realize how much
pain you've caused Laurie?

Now, the least you owe
her is an explanation,

if you got one.

It's a question of
national security, all right?

And I shouldn't even
have told you that much.

National secur...

Not so loud.

Are you serious?

Do you have a Bible on you?

I have my missal.

May I have it?

I swear on God's holy Word

that I am not
having an affair...

- All right, hold it right there!
- Freeze! Hands on the table!

Thomas Bascom?

- That's right.
- I'm Special Agent Dunbar,

Federal Bureau of Investigation.

We're taking you into custody.

On your feet, Padre.

Uh, hey.

Can I speak to you in private?

We'll have plenty of
time to talk downtown.

What is going on here?

Well, if you really don't know,

you've got nothing
to worry about.

You're making a mistake.

I'm Father Dowling
from St. Michael's.

Call Sister Stephanie
at Sacred Heart Convent.

She'll vouch for me.

The FBI just picked him up.

It's all going
according to plan.

Yeah, that's Father Dowling.

Thanks for coming down, Sister.

Well, why is he here?

You're free to go now, Father.

Hi, Frank.

Sorry about the book.

We had to check for
possible concealment.

I'm not in the habit of
hiding state secrets in here.

What about Tom Bascom?

That's a security
matter, Father.

- That's all I can say.
- He's a parishioner of mine.

I want to help him.

Well, we'll take
care of him, Father.

Good night.

Frank, what is going on?

I wish I kn... knew.

But that man I saw
when I went to Tom's lab.

Well, who is he?

I'm gonna find out.

Excuse me, uh, I think
I saw you the other day

at HTC Electronics.

That's right, Father Dowling.

Yeah. Oh, this is
Sister Stephanie.

- How do you do?
- Hi.

Do you mind if I
ask who you are?

Not at all. My name
is Phil Spaulding.

I'm the chief of
security at HTC.

Is that why you
were watching me?

I was keeping tabs on
all of Bascom's visitors.

What for?

Well, that's
classified information,

and not mine to give.

Mr. Spaulding, Tom
Bascom and his wife are

- parishioners of mine.
- She's pregnant,

and she's very worried
about her husband.

That's FBI jurisdiction now.

If you want any answers,
you'll have to ask them.

Father, what happened?

Where's Tom?

Well, I spoke to him,
and he swore to me

that he is not having
an affair with this woman.

That's the good news.

The bad news is, he's
being questioned by the FBI.

The FBI?!

Now, Laurie, please
don't get upset, all right?

But why?

They said it had something to do

with national security.

Does that make any sense to you?

Well, Tom works with top
secret material at the lab.

His company builds spy
satellites for the government.

Well, evidently
there's some problem,

and they wanted to
talk to him about it.

I don't understand.

Neither do I.

But I think he's
gonna need a lawyer.

I'll call Mr. Vance...
That's his boss.

He's worked with him
for eight years; he'll help.

- Let's hope so.
- Mm.

Father Dowling,
Sister Stephanie,

this is my boss, Mr. Vance.

He got me out.

- How do you do, Father?
- Mr. Vance.

- Hi.
- Sister.

Any idea what's going on?

Well, I'd heard
that Phil Spaulding

was investigating a leak.

Of course, I had no
idea it could be Tom.

I was stunned.

You do believe him, don't you?

Well, there'll be a
hearing on Monday.

I'm sure this will
all get sorted out.

I'll talk to Phil,

find out what's at
the bottom of this.

Meanwhile,

you go home

and you take care of
Laurie and that little one, hm?

Thanks, Mr. Vance.

Thank you.

I'll call you.

- Father.
- Good night, Mr. Vance.

Good night, Sister.

I believe you.

Even if the FBI doesn't.

Not exactly a
ringing endorsement.

Well, he did manage
to get Tom out.

Probably wanted to look good.

About a month
ago, I was contacted

by the redheaded woman
you saw in the apartment.

She said her name was O'Grady
and that she was an FBI agent.

She also told me
that the company

was having problems with
its security and that the FBI

wanted me to try to take
top secret documents

out of the lab overnight to see
whether the system was working.

And you believed her?

I know, I know.

I was skeptical, too.

But she convinced me.

She showed me her credentials.

She even took me
down to FBI headquarters

and had me sworn in
as a special operative.

Well, that's impossible.

It was a different
building... I realized that

last night when the
real FBI arrested me.

But, at the time, it
looked absolutely genuine.

It had the FBI seal on the door,

flags, a picture
of the president.

Do you have any idea
where this building was?

No. It was late at night
and we went in the back.

I do know the office
was on the 14th floor.

So you did what
O'Grady asked you to do...

You took some
documents out of the lab.

Yes. We met every Tuesday night,

and she made
photocopies for proof

that the system
had been penetrated.

That's why the
lights were out...

So she could photograph
the documents.

Made it look like Tom
was having an affair,

so they'd have a cover story.

If I'd known you were
gonna find out about this,

I never would have
gone along with it.

I'm just glad to know the truth.

The FBI didn't believe me.

The real ones, I mean.

They have no agent
named O'Grady.

Naturally.

Well, they checked out your
story, though, didn't they?

They went to the apartment,
but the woman who lives there

who has the canaries
has never heard of me

or Agent O'Grady.

♪♪

Oh, my, who's dead?

Oh, nobody's dead.

No, we just want to talk to you.

What a relief!

The last time a priest
and nun came to my door,

it was to tell me
about my cousin Bert.

- Please come in.
- Thank you.

Daphne, Chloe, we have
visitors and no one's dead...

Isn't that nice?

Uh, I'm Father Dowling
and this is Sister Stephanie.

- How do you do?
- Hello. Hi.

You're Florence Galthworthy?

- That's correct.
- Yeah, that was the name on the mailbox.

Yeah, we just wanted to ask you

about two people who
came to this apartment.

This man is one of them.

I don't recognize him.

I told the other
gentlemen from the FBI.

I never did find out why

- they were looking for him.
- Mm.

The other was a tall
redheaded woman, good-looking.

No. Nobody comes to see me.

I lead a solitary life.

I'm a writer.

This was on a Tuesday night.

Oh, well, that would
be impossible, unless...

they came to visit
Daphne and Chloe.

Girls, has anyone

been in to see you
while I was out?

They say no.

You were... you were
out Tuesday night?

Well, Tuesday night's
my rewrite evening.

I'm preparing a manuscript.

You see, I'm about
to be published

- for the very first time.
- Oh, congratulations.

Well, I certainly have
waited long enough for it.

I must have sent out

over a hundred of
what publishers call

"unsolicited manuscripts"
over the years,

but I never received any
positive response at all

until Miss Cantrell
contacted me.

Miss Cantrell?

She's going to publish a
collection of my bird stories,

and... the dictating
machine is in her office...

I use it for rewrites...

And that's where I
go on Tuesday nights.

And what does this
Miss Cantrell look like?

Well, um... she's very tall

and has auburn hair...

Oh, but she's my publisher.

How did Miss Cantrell find you?

Well, I assume she was
familiar with my work. I...

I-I write about birds, you see.

And she just showed up
here one night out of the blue

about a month ago.

So every Tuesday
night you're at her office?

That's right. Uh,
she picks me up here

and drives me there... I
don't have a car, you see.

Where is this office?

Uh, downtown.

I-I don't recall the address,
but I know the building.

Florence, I wonder if you
would do us a big favor?

Steve, look out!

Are you okay?

Come on, Frank.

Florence, back inside.

Did you get a
look at her, Frank?

Red hair.

It's O'Grady.

What are we gonna
do if we catch her?

I don't think we have to
worry about that, Frank.

There it is...
That's the building.

I'm sure.

Nice work, Florence.

Would you like to
come up and meet her?

She's on the 14th floor.

This is the office.

- Well, that's odd.
- What's that?

Well, the name was on
the door: Cantrell Publishing.

Well, it's not there now.

We better find out
who rents this office.

I'm sorry, there
are no collections

allowed in this
building, Father.

No, we want to ask you
about one of your office suites.

Why? Were you thinking
of opening a church?

No. Just like some
information, if...

you'd be good enough to oblige.

What kind of information?

Well, it's about suite 1411.

We were wondering

who rents it.

Nobody. It's a storage room.

How long has it
been a storage room?

- A long time.
- Well, that's impossible.

My publisher, Miss Cantrell,

- that's her office.
- You're wrong, lady.

Are you sure?

I know my tenants.

Uh, you'd know about this one.

I'm busy.

You want any more
information, dial 411.

Thank you for your trouble.

Come on, Florence,
we'll drive you home.

Marie.

The sink in the
bathroom, it's gone.

Plumber took it this afternoon.

But there's... there's nothing
but a gaping hole there.

He's gonna bring a
new one tomorrow...

At least he said he
was. Look at this.

Cracked. Cracked.

- Cracked.
- That one is not cracked.

No, it's chipped.

Take your pick.

We can't serve the
monsignor with this china.

That's what I've
been telling you.

And as for that Latvian
pudding recipe you gave me,

well, I don't even want
to tell you the things

they want you to put in
that, but they're not gonna

- cook 'em in my kitchen.
- Oh, you can substitute, Marie.

Oh, Father Dowling,
Sister, where are you going?

Oh, uh, we have some
evening rounds to make.

We like to drop in
unannounced from time to time.

We are in the middle
of a financial crisis here.

My budget for the
monsignor's visit

did not include replacing
the bathroom sink!

Well, you said
you wanted it fixed.

Fixed, yes, but not a new sink.

Well, the old one
was beyond hope.

Like these dishes.

Would you excuse
us? We have to go.

Looks like nobody's been
here for months, Frank.

Eh, could be camouflage.

Nothing but old files in boxes.

Frank, look at this.

- Mm?
- Look.

Hello.

This is the fake FBI office.

Doesn't surprise me.

So, who are these people?

That's the next thing
we got to find out.

Well, how are we gonna do that?

Well, the manager
is sure in on this.

Frank!

That sure was a close one.

Yeah, she's tying up loose ends.

Stay back, Steve.

Um, there's a fire extinguisher
out in the hall, Frank.

Make sure she's not out there!

She's gone.

Well, hurry!

Well... there's nothing left.

O'Grady did a good job.

Let's go check the
manager's office.

Yeah.

- Excuse us?
- Hello?

Hello?

He's dead, Frank.

She's taking care of
loose ends, all right.

Sergeant Clancy, please.

Who's there?

It's Father Dowling, Tom.

Thanks. Sorry it's so
late, but this is important.

Come in.

We found your phony
FBI office tonight, Tom.

And we just missed
your friend, O'Grady.

She killed the manager of
the building to shut him up.

Now, we've got a plan, but
we're gonna need your help.

Sure. What?

Well, we're sure that
whoever's behind this

must be connected to HTC.

Somebody in the company?

Right. And whoever set you up
must have top security clearance

or they wouldn't have access
to the secret documents.

I can't imagine
anybody in the company

doing something like this.

Yeah, well, we can.

If we can find out

what Spaulding
has in his file on you,

we might get a better idea
of what we're up against.

It might even be
Spaulding himself.

I never had a good feeling
about him, you know.

And he's the one

that made the case against you.

Our problem is, how do
we get a look at the file?

Well, I've got the codes

to get through
the security gates.

But what if they've
been changed?

No, it would take
at least a week.

I could sneak into
Spaulding's office.

Oh, I don't think
so; let us handle it.

We've had plenty
of practice lately.

Yeah, you're not
the sneak-in type.

Why don't you just write down
the codes and draw us a map.

And say a prayer.

♪♪

It's unlocked.

It's about the only
thing around here that is.

Ah.

"Security, current."

Here we are.

"Thomas Bascom."

"Clearance of Thomas Bascom."

Surveillance reports.

Including me.

Hello.

Steve, take a look at this.

All right.

"Greater Chicago
Savings and Loan.

"Dear Mr. Spaulding,

"re your request
for information,

"account number blah, blah,

Thomas M. Bascom opened
a bank account for $50,000"?

Mm.

Frank, Tom never
said anything about this.

Well, maybe he didn't even know.

You know, anyone can open
a bank account in any name

and make deposits in it.

Yeah, if they were
setting Tom up,

it would look like payoff money.

What I'm wondering is, how
did Spaulding find this account

at this particular bank?

Well, he knew because
he put it in there, Frank.

He's framing Tom and then
investigating his own frame-up.

Let's see if he's got
anything else on Tom.

Oh! Let's get out of here!

- Come on, Steve!
- But the file!

Forget the file!

To the middle of the
room, hands in sight.

You have been apprehended.

Drop all weapons and step
to the middle of the room,

hands in sight.

Freeze!

I'll take it from here.

All right, you two, I
want some answers.

We'll talk to the police.

And maybe the FBI. Maybe.

Oh, you will talk to me
before you leave this room,

I promise you that.

I got the call at home.

What's going on here?

These two broke in to my office.

They were going
through the Bascom file.

They broke in here?

Phil, how does that happen?

Bascom must have helped them.

Mr. Vance, if we're burglars,
why didn't he call the police?

What about that, Phil?

I was concerned about
the potential embarrassment

to the company.

Father, why are you here?

We believe that Tom
Bascom is innocent.

- We're just trying to prove it.
- Yeah, what we've found looks

like a frame-up by your head
of security, Mr. Spaulding.

That's ridiculous.

Father Dowling,

your entering these
premises without permission

is a very serious offense.

I should call the police.

You don't want any more
bad publicity, do you?

I think perhaps we ought
to let this whole thing sit

until tomorrow.

I'll decide then how
to deal with you.

Come on, let's go.

Good night, Mr. Spaulding.

Sleep well.

Did you ever consider that
Spaulding might be behind this?

Father, you're
way off base there.

Phil Spaulding is
above suspicion.

So is Tom Bascom.

Good night, Father, Sister.

My advice would be to go home
and try to stay out of trouble.

At least for the
rest of the night.

You know, actually, Frank,
I'm glad he showed up.

Who knows what Spaulding
would've done to us?

- Did you see the look on his face?
- Yes.

You know, what
we need is a plan.

Frank!

I'm thinking, Steve!

It's all right, you're
not bothering me!

That's wonderful!

But if you could
stop for just a minute,

I just got the
monsignor's itinerary!

He's going to be flying in
from the archbishop's residence

this afternoon by helicopter!

Where's he gonna land?

I got the... Marie!

Huh?

I have arranged for the police

to block off the
intersection at the corner.

And I got the band from the
Holy Name Catholic School.

And the Knights of
Columbus Drill Team.

That's a typical
ordinary parish for you.

He's coming at 4:00 sharp.

What is that smell?

That's that Latvian pudding.

It's supposed to
simmer for six hours.

I don't know if I can stand it.

I got it!

Oh, whatever it is,

it cannot cost any more
money, Father Dowling.

I'm already over budget now.

Father Prestwick, this isn't
gonna cost you one cent.

Steve, come on.

Don't forget, 4:00 sharp!

Mr. Spaulding's office.

I don't want to talk to him.

I just want to leave
him a message.

It's very important.

Would you tell him
to meet me in a hour,

the place where
the canaries are?

He'll know who this
is and what it's about.

At least I hope so.

Well, if he understands
the message and shows up,

that means he's our man.

This is more company
than we've had

in years, isn't it, girls?

I hope you know what
you're talking about, Frank.

Oh, Clancy, have I
ever steered you wrong?

More than once.

Well, let's just hope that
this is not one of those times.

Hello?

Yes, I'm alone.

Tom, I found out who's
been setting you up.

That's wonderful.

Hold on. We're not
out of the woods yet.

Now listen to me.

Don't tell anybody what
I'm about to say to you,

or this whole thing
could go up in smoke.

Right. I'll be there.

Laurie.

You surprised me.

What is it?

Nothing.

I have to go out.

- Where are you going?
- I can't tell you,

but it looks like everything's
going to work out fine.

Tom, it's not gonna
be like last time.

Now tell me, who
was that on the phone?

Shall I get that?

No, we'll handle it.

Come in, Mr. Spaulding.
We've been expecting you.

What the hell is this?

Nice of you to respond
to my message.

That was you!

Yep.

But you thought it was O'Grady.

So the only explanation
of you showing up here

is that you're part
of the conspiracy.

Wrong.

Mr. Spaulding contacted
us, told us he'd received a call

from a girl he assumed
was Bascom's accomplice.

But how did he
know to come here?

I read about the
canaries in the FBI report.

I remember little
details like that.

It's part of my job.

Father Dowling, the bureau
is in charge of this case.

We don't need any help from you.

But Tom Bascom needs
all the help he can get.

Look, I shouldn't
even tell you this,

but just to ease your mind,

we no longer consider
Bascom a suspect.

What?

Well, then, who is your suspect?

I can't tell you that.

Frank, we gotta go.

It's almost 4:00,

and the monsignor's
gonna be landing soon.

Mark time, mark.

My cousin was in labor
with her first girl for 54 hours.

Oh, I don't think you're
gonna take that long.

You're gonna be real quick.

Like Edna Mulcahy.

She had her fourth
in a taxicab stand.

Seven cabbies
helped her deliver.

If you ask me,
that's more attention

than she would have
gotten at the hospital.

Laurie, we have great news.

Where's Tom?

Well, that's what
I came to tell you.

He got a phone call.
He's meeting Mr. Vance.

He has proof that
Tom is innocent.

Vance?

He's the only other
one it could be, Frank.

Where's Tom meeting him?

Oh, well, down at that
office building downtown.

We're never gonna
make it in time.

What's wrong?

Oh, there you are.

Come on, His Excellency
is just about to land.

Be right back.

Okay, start the band.

Start the band.

What a world we live in.

He came all the way from
the archbishop's residence,

and it only took five minutes.

Isn't that amazing?

It certainly is, Father.

Father Frank, Sister,
where are you going?

Monsignor.

No, I'm his translator.

Oh. Uh... where
is His Excellency?

Hello, Tom.

Where have you been? I'm
about to be arrested as a spy.

I know.

So, you just disappeared
and left me to take the rap.

I'm surprised it took you
so long to figure it out, Tom.

But I guess everybody's an
amateur outside his own field.

You and Vance
played me for a fool.

Why?

Just business.

He got a better
offer someplace else.

It's nothing personal.

I liked you, I really did.

Looked forward to our
little Tuesday sessions.

It's very good of you to
take it this way, Monsignor.

You're gonna kill me.

You're going to
commit suicide, Tom,

and I'm going to supervise.

They'll never
believe I'd kill myself.

You left a note.

Don't you remember?

"I've done everything I
can do to conceal the truth,

"but the personal
strain is too great.

"I can't continue like this.

Signed, Tom Bascom."

I wrote that for you
to give to your boss.

It was about telling my
wife I was undercover.

It's time to go, Tom.

There they are.

Freeze! FBI!

Frank!

All right! Whoo!

Where's the monsignor?

Oh, well, he, uh, had to
catch his flight back to Rome,

so we dropped
him off at the airport.

Guess that means I can
throw away that pudding.

- But...
- Don't worry, Father Prestwick.

He said he had a
really great time.

That's right.

He asked us to apologize

and to thank you

for arranging such an
exciting adventure for him.

Really?

Yeah. He even asked Frank to
write your name down for him.

That's good.

Isn't it?

Yes.

I think so, yes.

Excuse me, Father Dowling,
I have to dismiss the band.

Yeah.

Frank?

Hmm?

Where did you learn
to speak Latvian?

Same place you did.