The Persuaders (1971) s01e24 Episode Script

A fifth of a second off the track record.
I still can't get out of second.
- We can't lose on Saturday.
- I sincerely hope so.
We've spent a lot of time and money.
- How's the new ignition? - Fine.
Goes another 400 revs.
- Why don't you try it yourself? - Yeah, OK.
Er, reverse is back here.
Oh! - Did you see him? - He tried to kill me, run me down.
You're kidding! Listen to this.
"That was to show you how easy it is.
"Enjoy what's left of your life.
It ends before Saturday.
" You know, I'd like to lower the gear ratio a little.
- Yeah.
- All right.
It's early.
I'll stick around and give you a hand.
Right ho.
I'll join you later when I've put it on the ramp.
I'm gonna hang around and be your bodyguard.
I don't expect any more games today.
That was no game.
They tried to kill you.
Well, they won't get another chance, because after this I'm going back to the apartment and going to bed.
I'll prowl around and see if I can turn up something.
You don't worry about a thing.
- You think you're Sherlock Holmes.
- I am, dum-dum.
See you later.
Don't get nervous.
I'll move in a minute.
Hi.
I'm Danny Wilde.
I live at 49 Grosvenor Square.
Right in the middle of London.
Apartment 5-B.
You're following me.
Stop by for a drink.
I don't know what you're talking about.
Leave me alone.
Your wish is my command.
Goodbye.
Hold on a minute.
Ah! No more, old darling.
If we go on with this, one of us is going to get hurt, and I've got a feeling it'll be me.
You have been already.
Your nose is running.
- Thanks.
- Right.
Who are you? Morley Lyndon.
I say, old darling, do you think I could have a drink? - I could do with one after that.
- Yes, old darling.
I'm out of cooking sherry.
Would you settle for brandy? Fine.
Thanks.
Incidentally, I didn't make a sound when I approached you, and yet I felt that you knew I was there.
Cheap aftershave.
They don't remove enough alcohol.
I'm still getting terrible whiffs.
- Thanks.
- All right.
Why? About the beating up? At least, that was what it was supposed to be.
It was nothing personal.
It was just a job of work.
- For whom, old boy.
- I haven't the faintest.
I got a note in the mail with instructions to work you over.
I was to hurt you badly, to break your arm or something.
Not kill.
They were very specific about that.
That's nice.
How much were you paid? - Ten pounds.
- Ten pounds?! That accounts for your aftershave.
You work cheaply.
- The fact is, I'm not very good.
- You can say that again.
As a matter of fact, the only thing I can do superbly well is fail.
- Could I have another tot? - Oh, forgive my manners.
- What am I thinking of? - Thanks.
The note said there'd be another tenner for me when the job was done.
- But I won't get that now.
- 50.
- 50? - How would you like 50 pounds? My dear chap, for 50 pounds I'd break my own arm and smile while I was doing it.
I want to know who is employing you.
Then consider the job done.
Give me a couple of hours and I'll be back.
Don't dawdle.
And would you put the fuse back on the way downstairs? Remember, to black out an apartment, remove all the fuses or throw the master switch.
I never have been very handy about the house.
Come on, Jerry.
That's the way.
There you go.
There.
Come on, man.
Now, I want you to tell my buddy on the phone what you just told me, OK? Sit right down.
There you go.
Do you mind sitting up for a minute while I dial this number, please? Brett Brett Sinclair.
Daniel?! Do you know what time it is? I know it's late but I think I'm really on to something.
- Will you sit up? - What? Oh, not you.
This guy.
Listen, I'm at Sam's.
Get down here.
Hurry.
Sit up.
Grazie.
I'd like a bucket of coffee.
Big bucket of coffee.
Come on, Jerry.
Let's go.
Up and at 'em.
Rise and shine.
That's it.
That's it.
You're doing good.
That's great.
Just keep walking around.
He's gonna be OK, girls.
There you go Hello, this is Mario.
There's someone in the place making trouble.
Fresh coffee, sir.
- Grazie.
- Grazie.
Grazie.
OK, let's go.
That's what I dislike about you, Daniel.
to a stag dinner and dance.
Please, play it again, Sam.
No, man.
Why does everybody want to be Humphrey Bogart? Please introduce me to your date, Daniel.
It's Sandford.
Jerry Sandford.
That's him.
He was gonna be in the race Saturday.
Not any more.
Could I have that chair, please? Thanks a lot.
- Thank you very much.
- Would you please explain, Daniel? Well, I figured it'd be a good idea if I talked to all the drivers and find out if they'd been threatened.
First couple of guys say nothing.
Then I run across Jerry here, throwing money away.
He's got 3,000 bucks in his pocket.
- He's been got at.
Payoff.
- That's what it looks like to me.
Jerry? Now, Jerry Jerry! Jerry, do you hear me? - Come on, man.
Wake up.
- Make it look good.
Very, very good.
The race? Is that what you mean, the race? then a nice spectacular spin-off Look very, very good Shh! Big secret Jerry! Come on, Jerry.
- Jerry, who paid you? - Speak up.
He doesn't know.
Get him out of here.
Come on, Sandford.
You sure know how to clear a room.
And how to be bad-mannered and boorish.
We were talking with Mr Sandford.
He was about to tell us who paid him to throw the race.
I actually handed over the cash, acting on behalf of my principal, who must remain anonymous.
Now, let me ask something.
What's your price to be a non-starter? That's nice.
They try to run me down, beat me up - What are you talking about? and now ask me to throw the race.
- Shall I tell him? - Tell him.
- I will be racing on Saturday.
- I'm sorry you take that attitude, however, we will be able to convince you before Saturday.
One other thing.
You've been questioning drivers.
- That's right.
- Don't make any more inquiries.
- Shall we get started? - Started? This is where you beat us up.
It's traditional.
I wouldn't dream of breaking with tradition.
- They're good, aren't they? - Yes.
I wish they were on our side.
Finished? - That's not fair.
- Certainly not gentlemanly, Daniel.
There'll be another time, depend on it.
Now, get out.
Come on, kid.
Ow! Come on, Daniel.
Breakfast is served.
- Uh, we expecting anybody? - No, just the two of us.
Just the traditional English breakfast for the aristocracy.
Porridge.
No, sorry, stewed fruits, porridge, devilled kidneys, haddock, grilled sausages, bacon.
And toast, marmalade, tea.
Help yourself.
I'm not hungry.
- You must eat something.
- You sound like my mother.
Didn't I ever tell you about my great-great-great grandfather? - Always.
- The seventh Duke of Wendleshire.
- Also the sixth.
- He'd eat a breakfast like this, go to the stables, make life hell for the stablemaids, then an early lunch - half a dozen pheasant, half a side of pork, washed down with liberal claret and port - and he didn't look a day over 60 when he died.
Fantastic.
How old was he? 102? - Oh, come down a little.
- 96 and a half? - No.
24.
- 24.
- The youngest duke in the vaults.
- I'm gonna go talk to some drivers.
I'm gonna wait for the phone call.
- He's not gonna call.
- Give him an hour or so.
- Come on down with me.
- Come on, eat.
- I'm going down.
I'll see you later.
- Good.
We'll have an early lunch.
Lunch! You're like a regular English mother.
See you later, Your Lordship.
- Brett Sinclair.
- Morning, old darling.
Oh, hold on one minute, will you? Daniel! Sorry about that.
Did you get it? Yes.
I didn't get the name but I got the address.
Jot it down.
It's 20, Park Way.
Got it.
You can collect the rest of your fee whenever you want.
Thanks, old darling.
I'll be round.
He'll be here.
You can count on it.
He'll be here.
He's dead? Stabbed, I would say.
- Did you know him? - No! - I've never seen him before.
- Let's try again.
Who are you and what are you doing here? Carrie Bowman.
I've been assigned to keep a check on you.
Assigned? By whom? Oh, I get it.
You think I killed him.
Well, I didn't.
- Then, who did? - I don't know.
- Someone playing games with me.
- Games? Warnings that I didn't take seriously until now.
There's a phone upstairs.
We'll call the police.
- Now it's your turn to explain.
- I followed you here.
Why? Because my editor wants to know where you go and who you see.
- You work for a newspaper? - Mm-hmm.
About a month ago, we got a tip that someone was paying a lot of money to fix next Saturday's race.
- Do you know who? - Not yet.
If we get the evidence we need, we're planning a big exposé.
And what have you dug up? Only that you and Wilde have invested a fortune on the Sinclair Special.
That is no secret.
Last night Wilde was out with one of the drivers who was paid off.
- He's been with others this morning.
- So? - Police, please.
- So all the information points to one thing.
That the man who's trying to fix the race must be Danny Wilde.
Jimmy, baby, you've been around these circuits for a long, long time.
Did you ever hear of anybody trying to fix a race? - Are you kidding? - I want to know.
If they had, I'd report it.
It doesn't happen.
Not in motor racing.
Well, that's what they said about college basketball.
- I don't believe it.
- You don't? I'm telling the truth - Jerry.
- Sandford? - Yeah.
He's been got to.
- He's quitting after 20 laps.
- Who's paid him? That's what I'm trying to find out.
If you hear anything, call me, let me know.
If I do, I'll scream so loud they'll hear me in Scotland.
Good luck on Saturday, Big Jim.
See you later, kid.
- Oh, Mr Wilde.
- Yeah, that's me, pal.
That's me.
Did your heavies give you my message? My heavies? I don't know what you're talking about.
- They made me your offer.
- Oh, my offer? What was my offer? - £1,000.
- Oh, £1,000.
No kidding.
Just for loosening a couple of suspension bolts on the car.
- It's a lot of money.
- That certainly is, yeah.
I told them, now I'll tell you.
Anyone comes near me, that car or Johnny, there's gonna be a lot of busted heads, Mr Wilde.
I'll remember that advice.
Goodbye, Curly.
Shouldn't you turn those over to the police? I have a feeling they were left there for me to see.
Was it a race that you were in some time? That's hard to say.
At 120mph, one burning car looks like another.
Something doesn't quite fit.
Fixing a race is one thing.
You bribe or intimidate.
There's nothing new in it.
Yes, but I've never come across it in motor racing.
That's one of them.
Italian Grand Prix.
"The Jenkins Special in flames after hitting an oil slick.
" I was in that race.
I was passing him when he came off the track.
He wasn't killed but spent a lot of time in hospital.
I'll get Research onto him.
What doesn't add up is what a car smash four or five years ago has to do with fixing a race now.
I don't know.
There must be a marvellous story in it.
- I won't let you out of my sight.
- That'll be nice for you.
If you get killed, I want to be around when it happens.
You really know the right things to say to a man.
OK, so somebody wants to fix a race.
But why pick on me? I don't understand that.
Why me? Because they can't get at you any other way.
You're scowling.
What do you mean? And I'm not scowling.
- We're co-owners of the car.
- OK, right.
If the authorities think you're crooked, we will be suspended.
Listen, Peter Pan, I'm clean.
Yes, Wendy.
We know that, but it'll take weeks to prove.
- Carrie, come in.
- Hello.
I dug up a few things on Jenkins.
Oh, good.
I don't think you two have been introduced.
- Daniel Wilde, Carrie Bowman.
- I waited.
You never showed up.
- I made rather a mess of that.
- A little bit.
Forgive him.
His early life was influenced by Rudolph Valentino.
Step into the office and let's see what you've dug up.
He's had nothing to do with racing since the crash.
Spent most of his time in hospitals.
Apparently, he's a very sick man.
- Where does he live? - His last address was in France, but he moved about three months ago.
We can't locate where he is now.
Why are you wasting your time? It's got nothing to do with this.
It's a shot in the dark.
I haven't noticed you offering better ideas.
I'd like to get hold of those guys who roughed us up.
- We're trying to get a lead.
- They can't bribe us.
Or scare us, either.
And it's not 100% sure that they can get us suspended.
So We wait for them to make a move that'll make certain we don't start.
The car.
- The car! - Come on, Carrie.
What are you doing?! Now, who told you? Who told you to do it? Who? Vine! - You all right? - Why? Where are you going? I'm going to see a man about a fire! - Is he all right? - I think so.
He's got a bad gash on the back of his head.
- Where's Danny gone? - He can't stand smoke.
- Who pays you? - No! No! - Who pays you? - I can't tell you.
- It's more than my life's worth.
- Who? No! Do what you like, I'm not telling you anything! Try not to look like a whipped dog.
Get up! - I'm Louise Cornell.
- Hello, Louise.
I'm Daniel Wilde.
- It's a pleasure to meet you.
- Mix yourself a drink.
Thank you very much.
You know, you're not exactly what I expected.
- Everyone always says that.
- Sorry I couldn't be more original.
- Does he work for you? - Yes, unfortunately.
- Get out.
- He made me bring him here.
You're a fool.
Get out.
- Want something? - No, thanks.
Do you like this dress? It's a little young for you.
Sit down, Mr Wilde.
Would you tell me why you're trying to fix this race? Profit.
It's an experiment.
My associates felt that motor racing had never been truly exploited and could be very lucrative.
We can influence almost any competitive games to our advantage, so why should motor racing be excluded? Don't you find being a woman a disadvantage in this line of work? On the contrary.
If I was a man, you would have beaten me up by now.
Why are you telling people that I'm fixing this race? Protective camouflage.
At the very least, it could confuse inquiries, and at best, it could get you banned from the race.
As your name has been used, why don't you make the most of it? And why not work with me, instead of against me? Well, I see that we have nothing else to talk about.
Pity.
Oh, Louise.
My friend Brett Sinclair, would you lay off him? I've given no orders for anything to happen to him.
Not yet, anyway.
Well, that's nice of you.
Why don't you pack? - Pack? - The guy that works for you.
He told me everything.
He wrote it down as well.
It's not enough to put you in jail, but it'll get you kicked out of the country as an undesirable.
Not me, but the government would do that.
- Hey.
Psst! - Hmm? - He's still there.
- Who? That guy pretending to sell newspapers.
That's old Arthur.
He's been on that spot for 25 years.
Yeah? He looks dangerous to me.
Dangerous.
Dangerous? He's over 85 years old.
- What about Baby Face Nelson? - He was 20.
You see? See what I Daniel, stop doing that.
You've given the postman a heart attack.
The milkman has nervous dyspepsia.
Why don't you just relax? I really admire you, Your Lordship.
You're so at ease.
- Somebody's trying to kill you.
- Do you expect hysterics? I expect you to be a little nervous.
If somebody wants to kill me, I wait for their next move, then I worry.
Not me.
Me, I like to be one jump ahead of the posse.
Take this guy Jenkins, right? You may have forced him off a track a long time ago and you don't even remember it.
And he's got a crazy idea for revenge now.
Yes.
Well, Carrie is trying to locate him.
If she does, we should speak with him.
Well, I'm not letting you out of my sight.
I'm going to be with you for 24 hours.
If anybody wants you, they have to get to me first.
L'chaim! I'm gonna be a wall of iron.
Impregnable.
No one, not anyone He's still out there.
Daniel, have you a 50-penny piece? Hey! How did you get in here? - The door, sir.
- You left it open.
That was all part of my plan.
Don't you see? Suppose you're the murderer.
Well, I lured you in and got you.
Now get out of here, kid.
Shh.
You'll find everything on the bed.
What is she gonna find on the bed? My shirts and suits.
She's my new valet, Magda.
- Oh.
- Presses shirts like a dream.
Do you think she'd do mine if I was still wearing it? The telegram's from Carrie.
She's located Jenkins in a place called Edgerley in Kent and she wants us to meet her there as soon as possible.
How long will it take us to get there? A couple of hours, unless I take notice of your navigation, in which case, some time next week.
Don't be a wise guy, because when I find who's trying to kill you, - I'm gonna team up with him.
- Oh.
I believe you.
Can I help you? I'd like to see Lord Sinclair.
Is he here? Sorry.
They both left about an hour ago.
- Do you know where they went? - They were in a hurry.
This telegram.
Perhaps it was that.
But I never sent this.