Cannon (1971) s01e11 Episode Script

Well, I thought you had a date.
What's the matter, Terry? Did things get a little rough? I'll bet you could do that blindfolded.
Yeah.
Just about.
Timing's off.
It's gonna need a whole new set of points.
Hey, I've got an idea.
How about me giving you a lift, huh? Not in that thing.
No, not in this thing.
In, uh, my dad's boat.
I'll, uh, take you back up to Brighton, and maybe we can even have a little drink, huh? Heh.
Sounds like fun.
Let's go.
Oh, thanks.
Who's that? Who do you think? What's the matter, Brian? Sounds like the fuel pump.
What are we gonna do? Can you fix it? Sure I can fix it, but, uh, I tell you, it'll probably take a couple of hours, but by that time we'll have drifted into Brighton anyway.
So why don't you just relax and enjoy the ride.
I think you better start the engine.
No, Brian! Look, maybe that teasing routine works for the others, but not with me.
No, Brian, no! Please.
Please, don't.
Brian, listen to me.
Oh, Brian, listen to me.
Oh, please, Brian.
You've got the wrong idea.
Brian, please! ANNOUNCER: Starring William Conrad.
With guest stars: Lou Antonio, Dack Rambo, Richard Anderson.
ANNOUNCER: That's where she washed in.
Pete Haywood found her.
He owns the local hardware store.
He was walking his dog along the beach around 1 a.
m.
The dog started hollering, kicking up a fuss.
Pete went down by the surf, and there she was.
She was a nice kid, I always liked her.
How long did she live here? She was born here.
Her parents are pretty destroyed.
I don't think they'll ever get over it.
You know, if If somebody had told me that David Pearson would kill somebody in cold blood, I'd have called him a liar right to his face.
I guess it must have been what happened to him in the Army.
Thank you, lieutenant.
You're welcome.
Well, Mr.
Pearson, the police have a very strong case.
Of course, it's based on circumstantial evidence, but it's quite solid.
I don't care.
I know my brother.
How do you convince a stranger that he didn't do it? I watched him grow up, Mr.
Cannon, had a thousand conversations with him.
If he were capable of such an act, I would have seen it.
Perhaps he wasn't responsible.
I know what you're saying.
But his breakdown was ten months ago.
He's completely rehabilitated.
You know, they've taken him from the Brighton jail and returned him to the Veterans Administration's psychiatric ward.
That's only a precautionary measure.
It'd be traumatic for anybody to be falsely accused of murder.
But for David, it could unravel eight months of psychiatric therapy.
Look, Mr.
Cannon, you have a right to be skeptical.
But before you make a decision whether to take the case or not, please, see David.
Please, talk to him.
You've always spoken in generalities.
Now, specifically what did David do at Vietnam? They say I killed nine of the enemy.
Anyway, that's what they told me when I got my citation.
Heh.
I wouldn't know.
All I remember of that day are fragments.
We were out on patrol and Charlie hit us.
Half our men were wiped out in the first ten minutes.
Sixteen hours later they got a relief column through.
Do you want to know what the irony of this whole thing really is? You see, the The reason I flipped my lid in the first place was because of what I did to those nine enemy soldiers.
Men I actually hated.
And now they're trying to tell me that I'm capable of turning around a 180 degrees and murdering somebody that I actually loved.
Does that make any sense to you? Ah, David, undoubtedly, the prosecution will come up with a highly-trained, highly-paid psychiatrist that will testify that it does.
Especially in light of the fact that you and Terry were seen arguing earlier the night she was killed.
What were you fighting about? Well, we were engaged before I Before I left for Nam.
When, uh When I came back, she was different.
Changed.
She didn't want to talk about marrying or settling down, or anything.
Another man? She was afraid to admit it at first.
No, no.
Not another man.
There were several men.
The night she died, we We went down to put out my lobster traps.
We drove down to the pier.
That's when she Well, that's when she told me.
I, uh I must have lost my head 'cause I, uh I hit her.
You were seen doing that by a very reliable witness.
Yeah, I know.
Dr.
Molson.
What I can't figure out is why he didn't see Terry leave.
And she did leave, Mr.
Cannon.
I swear to you, she did.
And I'm as sane as you are.
If, uh, somebody doesn't help me, I'll be convicted and I'll probably have to spend the rest of my life in this place.
Don't worry about it, David.
Somebody's gonna help you.
If she left, I didn't see her.
Well, I'm going to have to put this poor fellow in the hospital.
Herniated nucleus pulposus.
Slipped disk, huh? I don't envy him.
Yeah.
You, uh, say that you watched David and Terry all the time they were on Brighton pier, right? Yeah, I was down there taking a walk.
I do that every chance I get.
So about 8:30, I saw David's car drive onto the pier.
When he and Terry got out, I I saw they were arguing.
And after a few minutes, he hit her.
Well, I was about to intervene when the car phone started ringing.
Emergency, hospital.
Then, as I was turning the car around, I saw David go out in his boat.
No sign of Terry.
However, I did notice a bulky object under a tarpaulin in the stern.
Well, David claimed that was a lobster trap.
Could be.
Isn't it possible that she might have left while you were on the phone? Yeah, it's possible.
I didn't see her.
That's the most expensive punch you ever threw.
It's gonna cost you an extra thousand.
You just think about that before you hit me again.
I'm not gonna pay you a cent.
You don't have anything on me.
I dropped that girl off at Brighton.
You left here at 9:30 and you were back in less than 15 minutes.
There's no way you can make a round trip from Lyle to Brighton that quick.
We both know what you did with Terry Sandler.
You dropped her off about a mile out, along with her bike.
Aw, that's a crock.
You, uh, want to see me test my theory on the police? Hey, wait.
Now, wait a minute.
I can't come up with $3.
000.
It's 4.
000 now and you better come up with it by tomorrow night.
And in case you're thinking about any boat trips for me, forget it.
Number one, I don't take moonlight rides.
And two, I'm not in this alone.
Doug Ballinger knows everything I do.
What I've been able to find out, Mr.
Sandler, while David was in the Army, your daughter dated several other young men.
Is that right? Why are you doing this? They've already got the man that did it.
Look, this has been very painful for me and my wife.
I know that.
Police questions, reporters, so please.
If you've got any consideration at all, will you leave us alone? Look, David Pearson is only a suspect.
He hasn't been tried, and he hasn't been convicted.
That's why I took the case, and that's why I'm gonna stay on it.
Now, you could help me a great deal if you'd tell me the names of the men that your daughter dated.
My daughter's personal life is Was her own.
Not yours.
Not mine.
Not anybody else's.
I don't agree with you.
I simply refuse to believe all those things they've been saying about David.
I think we should do everything we can to help.
Doc Molson saw David hit her.
Now, what more do you want? Oh, Bill.
I loved Terry just as much as you did.
But maybe after what she did to David, maybe she deserved his anger.
Then your daughter was going out with other men? I can't give you any names, but most of them belong to the Yacht Club at Lyle Bay.
I tried telling her that she was out of her league.
She was just a momentary diversion for them.
A pretty salesgirl from Gibson's department store.
But Terry fell in love with that kind of life.
Going out on the boats, to dances, parties My daughter was good enough for any of them.
I'm sure she was, Mr.
Sandler.
There's one thing more I think you ought to know.
Terry's bicycle disappeared that night.
It's been missing ever since.
Well, lieutenant, have they got you on traffic control now? No, no, no.
I just wanted to talk.
Um, I hear you took the case.
Yes, I talked to David yesterday.
I like him.
Do you believe him? I don't know yet.
But I do believe that he's got the right to a fair shake.
Well, what makes you think he didn't get one? We investigated this case from A to Z.
How about under B for bicycle? What did you come up with? Well, we figured Terry's was stolen.
A lot of bikes are being grabbed these days.
Yeah, maybe.
Look, consider this for a minute.
Now, Dr.
Molson says that Terry was driven to the dock in David's car, right? Right, right.
Now, isn't it possible that while he was busy with his emergency phone call, she took off, went home, picked up the bicycle, rode down to Lyle Bay to visit one of her boyfriends? Have you searched Lyle Bay for the bicycle? We did that first thing.
Every street, every alley, every garage, every parking lot.
But don't let me stop you.
Thank you, lieutenant.
As a matter of fact, if I find it, you'll be one of the first to know.
Good morning.
Good morning.
May I help you, sir? Could you tell me where I could find Mr.
Gibson? Where else? It's race day.
Did you see him? He was wonderful.
Hi, Joe.
How are you? He drove that magnificently.
Did you see that? Ha-ha.
Oh, thank you.
Thank you very much.
Hello, Bill.
Mr.
Gibson? I'm Frank Cannon.
Oh, hello.
Could I talk to you for a few minutes? Sure.
Sure.
What's it about.
Terry Sandler.
I'm investigating her death.
Oh, really? I thought that case was closed.
Oh, thank you.
Thank you.
Well, it's a It's a private investigation.
Yeah.
Well, I wish I could help you, but she only worked at the store for five, maybe six, months.
During that time, were you aware of any young men that might have been dating her? Um Oh, hi, Sam.
Thank you, Sally.
Thank you very much.
Mr.
, uh, Cannon? Yes.
Cannon.
If I had to keep track of the, uh, love life of all of my salesgirls Hey, everybody! Here he comes! Boy Excuse me.
Hey.
Oh, yeah, you really killed him.
You killed him.
Boy, that guy from Long Beach really gave me a go, didn't he? Are you kidding? After the 14th lap, you had him.
You had him all the way.
Congratulations.
I don't think we've met.
Oh, I'm sorry.
Mr.
Cannon, this is my son, Brian.
How do you do? I only saw part of the race, but it looked to me like you had everything going for you.
You bet he did.
How about a big smile? Sure.
Mr.
Cannon's here about, uh, Terry Sandler.
Ah, I've only been at it a year and a half.
Yeah? But if it keeps up like this, I'll go onto the midwinters.
If I place there, onto the nationals.
And maybe onto the Gold Cup, huh? Well, it's, uh, crossed my mind.
Hey, listen, can I freshen that up for you? No, no.
No more, thank you.
You know, your father wasn't really able to tell me too much about Terry.
Did you know her? Well, yeah, we went out a couple of times, as a matter of fact.
She She dated a lot of the fellas around here.
Uh, Pete over there, for one.
Let's see, Brad Conway.
None of us knew she was engaged.
I mean, we knew about David Pearson, but Well, from the impression Terry gave, it didn't seem to be quite that serious.
Poor guy.
They say it's what happened to him when he was in the Army.
Just kind of went out of his head, huh? I've met him.
I don't think he's out of his head at all.
Well, you mean, you You don't believe he did it, huh? I just like to reserve judgment till I get the facts.
I thought the police had him already.
I'm not so sure of that.
They haven't been able to find the bicycle yet.
It disappeared the night she died.
She only used it to ride to work in your father's store.
Oh, yeah, I remember the police asking about it.
Uh, they've They've looked everywhere for it? There's one place they haven't looked.
According to the autopsy report, Terry died between 9 and 11.
And her body washed up at Brighton about 1:00 in the morning.
Now, is there any way you can tell by the flow of the tides where she might have been dropped? I mean, even the roughest idea of area would help.
Well, in the first place, I figure she was dropped closer to Lyle than to Brighton.
Oh? Why? Well, that was a week ago.
Full moon.
Mm.
See, tides are tricky all through that quarter.
They even reverse themselves sometimes.
Instead of flowing south to southeast, they flow north to northeast.
Up toward Brighton, huh? Right.
And then the bottom's kind of strange and tricky out here.
A lot of shoals and shallows and sandbars.
It's hard to tell with any degree of accuracy.
Well, do the best you can, huh? Well, sir, you see that fishing boat out there? Yeah.
That's one of mine.
Now, if you take that as a dead center, and put a circle around it with a mile radius, I guess, that's about as accurate as I could get.
Thanks.
Do you have any idea where I might hire some divers? You mean a pro or just a kid to go over the side and scrape off the bottom of the boat? No, pros.
Well, you're out of luck in that respect.
Ted Jenkins and all them other fellas that did that kind of work, they took a job with one of those big oil companies about a month ago.
How about renting scuba gear? Oh, that's easy.
Right there at the Lyle Bay Marina.
This is the biggest one we got, mister.
If this doesn't fit, I can't help you.
Eh, let's see.
Yeah, I think if I took a real deep breath, I might be able to get into that.
Now, I need one more thing.
Uh, a boat with a skipper.
Any suggestions? Yeah, I can handle that.
Arnie Crawford.
I run a rental service.
Ah, Arnie.
Frank Cannon.
Uh, can I see your NAUl card? Yes, I just happen to have it handy here.
L.
A.
, huh? You from there? Most of the time.
You diving for anything in particular? Yes.
How much do I owe you? That's all right.
We'll figure it out tomorrow after the boat.
Okay.
Well, I'll see you here about, uh, say, 8:00 in the morning? That's fine.
Very good.
See you then.
Yeah.
Oh, by the way, um, how late do you usually stay open? Depends on how busy we are.
How busy were you the night Terry Sandler got killed? That's last Wednesday I don't know.
How late were we open last Wednesday, Arnie? Uh, last Wednesday, I did the valve job for Glen Talbot, I don't know, around 8.
Why? I just wondered if any boats went out of here that night.
None that I remember.
Heh.
Frank, you're starting to sound like a policeman.
I am.
A private one.
Hm.
You don't think he took her out of Lyle Bay, do you? That's what I hope to find out tomorrow.
See you, gentlemen.
So long.
It's me.
I think we'd better have a meeting.
We've got a big fat mutual problem.
Hello, David.
I thought I'd drop by to see how you are.
My brother, huh? Called you, didn't he? Well, he's concerned about you.
That's nice.
So am I.
Look, David, I think I know how you feel, but Do you, hm? Accused of a murder that I didn't commit.
And they put me back in this place.
This room.
Mm-mm.
I don't think you know how I feel.
Heh.
I don't think you have any idea.
Perhaps I'm wrong.
But, look, David, I'm no magician.
I can't just snap my fingers and get you out of here.
I've been working I've done everything I can for you.
Look, Mr.
Cannon, I appreciate what you're doing.
Heh.
But isn't it true that you haven't got a single lead? A single clue? A single piece of evidence? That's right, David.
I haven't, but I do have a theory.
And by tomorrow at this time, I may be able to prove it.
I'll help you with the tanks.
Yeah.
All set? Boy, I don't know what you're looking for, but good hunting.
Thanks.
Just don't go away.
Any luck? You only got about ten minutes air left in that tank.
You wanna change? What's the matter? Hand me a line.
Keep an eye on the shoreline, and if anybody surfaces, watch where they go.
Sure, Frank, but I wish you'd tell me what's happening.
Did you see anything? No, Frank, but I don't even know what I'm looking for.
For the man who did this.
How do you know it's hers? Her parents identified it.
All right, you found it.
But that still doesn't prove anything.
It proves to me that she was taken out from Lyle Bay.
How? David could have taken her out from Brighton and dumped her where you found the bike.
No.
Dr.
Molson swore he saw David and Terry drive on to the pier in David's car, right? I know.
I know.
You told me that.
But isn't it possible the bike could have been in the trunk? David could have put it there when he picked her up.
Yeah.
I'll grant that possibility.
But is it not also possible that while the doctor was on the phone, she took the bike out of the trunk of the car and rode down to Lyle Bay to visit one of her other boyfriends? Somebody who suggested that he take her home to Brighton by boat? He did.
They got into a fight, he killed her, he dumped her body and the bike overboard.
Well, that's an interesting theory, but what have you got to support it? This.
Somebody didn't believe it was a theory.
Somebody tried to kill me while I was looking for the bike.
You want those carbs to run properly, I'd, uh, leave them for me.
Well, I've done all right by myself so far.
Not this morning, you didn't.
It's getting pretty hairy, Brian.
He found the bike.
Well, as long as you're in my corner, what can happen? Yeah, I've been meaning to talk to you about that.
You see, uh, it's gonna cost you a little extra to keep me there.
Now wait a minute.
You said this was a one-shot deal.
Four thousand, that would be the end of it.
That was before he found the bike.
Now, suppose they nail you.
My name could come up.
And Doug Ballinger.
And then we'd all lose, wouldn't we? And none of us wants that, right? So I'll tell you what I'm gonna do, Brian.
I'm gonna offer you one last little package deal.
Five thousand and I guarantee you'll never see Cannon or me again.
Now, where am I gonna get that kind of money? There's so much at stake, I'm sure you'll find a way.
Dad.
Oh, hi, Brian.
Uh, can I see you a minute? Well, I was going to a department meeting, but, uh It's, uh It's kind of important.
Yeah, okay.
Liz, tell 'em I'll be a few minutes late.
Yes, Mr.
Gibson.
Now, what's so important? I'm worried about the midwinters, Dad.
I'm not gonna make it with that engine of mine.
Are you kidding? Why, you've wiped out the competition up until now.
Oh, yeah, with a bunch of second-raters, Dad.
I mean, up at Lake Mead, I'll I'll be up against the best of 'em.
I mean, they're coming from all over the country.
I've tried to beef that thing up for three days now, but there's, uh Well, it's just not gonna make it, Dad.
There's no sense in even going.
Well, have you talked to Arnie Crawford about it? Oh, yeah.
Well, he thinks I oughta yank it outta there and get a new one.
How much would something like that cost? Heh.
Way too much to even talk about.
Tsk.
Listen, you are going to enter that race.
It's something I've planned on for a year and a half.
It's a dream we've both had together.
We're not gonna let it go up in smoke now.
Heh.
Dad, t-the engine I need costs $5.
000.
Son, you are going to Lake Mead.
Hello.
Mr.
Cannon? Yeah.
I have some information on Terry Sandler.
Who is this? Look, if you're interested, we could meet.
Hello? Hello? Hello? Hello? Back here, Mr.
Cannon.
Back here.
Now, I came here to get information.
You better start giving it to me.
You and Ballinger killed Terry? No, it wasn't us.
Who? Look, let's make a deal.
I'll tell you everything if you give me ten minutes head start.
Your bargaining power's a little low.
Now, who? Gibson.
Brian Gibson.
Brian.
There you are.
Well, Dad, uh, what are you doing here? Hello, son, I thought I'd drop by and see how the new motor's coming.
Where is it? Well, it's, uh It's on order.
Uh, Arnie's gonna pick it up later on today.
Uh-huh.
You got the best, didn't you? Heh.
Well, we'll soon know.
I'm gonna take it out for a trial run tomorrow.
Yeah, well, I want things to go right.
And I want you to win.
I don't wanna leave anything to chance.
Lieutenant Turner, please.
Ah, lieutenant, this is Frank Cannon.
You, uh, better send a car out to the icehouse.
It's just off of Highway 6.
Yeah, there was a shooting.
Doug Ballinger's dead, and you can find Arnie Crawford tied to the steering wheel of his car.
Yeah, and you better send another unit down to Lyle Bay Marina with a warrant for the arrest of Brian Gibson.
Yeah, that's right.
He killed Terry Sandler.
I'm on my way there now.
I was talking with Ralph Seiger down at the city council this morning.
You know what he wants to do? What? He wants to charter some buses up to Lake Mead.
I'm sure looking forward to this competition.
Best in the country.
And I'll tell you one thing, boy.
I'm not worried about a thing.
You should be, Mr.
Gibson.
It's all over, Brian.
Well, what's the meaning of all this, Mr.
Cannon? You want to tell him or should I? Tell him what? I don't understand.
Ballinger's dead and Arnie's in custody.
Would you please tell me what this is all about? Yes, your son killed Terry Sandler.
Look, Dad, he's crazy.
I I I don't know what he's talking about.
Then why did you pay Ballinger and Arnie $4.
000 for blackmail? And another 5.
000 to kill me? Five thousand.
Why you little Hello, David.
Hello, Mr.
Cannon.
Thanks for everything.
Ah You know, there were times in there that I felt like I was going off the deep end again.
If I had been convicted, I, uh Heh.
I don't know what would have happened.
Well, that's all in the past.
Don't think about it anymore.
Do you like lobster, Mr.
Cannon? Ah, do I like lobster? Let me tell you something.
I have a recipe for a lobster diablo that you wouldn't believe.
Do you know what I'm gonna do when I get back to Brighton? I'm gonna set out my lobster traps Yeah? and you can have the pick of the catch.
You have got yourself a deal.
Thanks again.
Goodbye.