The Streets of San Francisco (1972) s02e12 Episode Script

The Runaways

Here, come on, Sharon, drink this.
Come on.
Okay, lie still.
George, cities always have free doctors.
It's just a cold.
That's all.
She feels real hot.
We gotta do something.
Look, Jack, if we get that public health thing churned up again, they're gonna diwy us up just like they did before.
They're gonna split us three ways for sure.
- Maybe we could get some medicine.
- What medicine? I ain't no doctor.
Remember when I had that bad cough that wouldn't quit? - They gave me antibiotic.
- Jacky, that stuff costs money.
I've only been on the job three days.
What's the name of that stuff they gave you? I don't remember.
Something "miacine," I think.
Where you going? I'll be right back.
I'll leave the truck.
- You take care of her.
- George? I'll be back.
Hey, get out of there! And what are you doing? Driving around in circles? In the garage in five minutes, lieutenant.
Then home for your beauty sleep.
It's gonna take more than sleep.
Inspectors 81.
We have a possible homicide at 122 Beach Street.
Will you respond? Respond? How can you respond to anything at this time of night? Inspectors 81 will respond.
Give us that address again.
Hey, lieutenant, what are you doing out so late? All right, I ask the questions, Garcia, okay? Now, what do you got? Shaping up like just another hophead looking for a free high.
- Who's dead? - The druggist.
I think he bashed his head against a scale.
The position of the body-- Okay, okay, let's just leave that to the lab man, huh? - Did you call him? - No.
Well, then get on your radio and break up the poker game.
Is he all right? Mr.
Chesley? Was that his name? Chesley? Yeah.
What's yours? Stamp.
Sumner Stamp.
You said "was.
" Is he dead? I'm afraid he is, son.
Sumner, did you see anything going on in there? - Yeah.
- What? There's this dude that always hangs around.
Has one of those red and black jackets, you know, like a lumberjack.
I watched him split from here right after I heard-- Right after I heard the gunshot.
Now, listen.
This isn't just another rip-off.
Whoever it was killed Mr.
Chesley.
He used to give me gum and stuff, you know? All the time.
Just for nothing.
This dude, there's two others with him.
Kids.
A boy about 15, 16 maybe, and a girl about 7 or 8.
Now, do you know where they live? Yeah.
Jack, how long ago did your brother leave? I don't know.
L-- I fell asleep.
Steve.
Her fever as high as I think it is.
She's burning up.
Let's get her to the hospital.
I go with her.
Well, I'll give you a choice, son.
You wanna ride with us or go in the ambulance with your sister? He's 19, tall and husky, wearing a red and black plaid mackinaw.
Name is George Morgan.
Might have a gun.
Stay close.
He'll head for this spot.
Order a complete chest x-ray.
Get the WBC count.
And I want a sputum and smear culture.
Now, sweetheart, I want you to try and get a good night's sleep tonight, okay? You were right in bringing her in.
Possible pneumonia, looks like traces of anemia.
She's very run down.
I'd like to keep her here for a few days, if I may.
Can I see her now? Oh, you must be George.
She's been asking for you.
No, this is her other brother, Jack.
Well, don't stay too long, Jack.
She needs all the rest she can get.
Better call Juvenile.
Hey, Shar.
Where's George? He said he'd be back.
You don't look like a doctor.
I'm not, Sharon.
But you look like a little girl who should get some sleep.
He's right, Shar.
I'll see you in the morning.
Get some sleep.
You got it? Well, Jack, I guess we're gonna have to drop you off at Juvenile Hall now.
No.
No, I won't go.
I won't leave Sharon here alone.
Well, I'm sorry, son, but there's no choice.
Didn't you say you're 16, you have no parents, no home, where do you go? Jack, it's not our choice.
The court has to decide about you and Sharon.
What about George? He wouldn't kill anybody, I know it.
- We still have to talk to him.
- That's right.
Where do you think he is? Good morning.
Hello, Marie.
- Oh, no.
- I know, you forgot.
Oh, until I saw you.
Oh, isn't that awful of me? It's all right, Millie, but I'm parked in a yellow zone.
You have to hurry.
Harlan.
Millie, you can't go to the Orient without getting shots, and you can't get shots unless you go to the doctor.
You can't go to the doctor who's waiting for you-- Harlan, something-- Has come up.
Yes, I have a youngster waiting for me in my chambers.
- It's a very special case.
- I'll reschedule the shots.
Millie, you can't save the whole world.
Not by yourself.
Harlan, you know I don't want to save the whole world.
Just the children.
Maybe that's a beginning, huh? Tell Dr.
Foller I'm sorry.
Busy, busy morning.
I know I'm late.
How are you this morning, Miss Wilson? - Fine.
- Good morning.
Judge Cox, this is Jack-- Jack Morgan.
Yes, I know.
Jack, I know you're anxious.
So I telephoned the hospital, and the doctor tells me that your sister is doing very well.
Now, about you.
You're from Oregon, is that right? Yes, ma'am.
La Grande, Oregon.
That sounds very small.
Very quiet.
And I understand that your parents are both deceased, is that right? You lost your mother in childbirth with your sister Sharon, so of course you were very close to your father.
You learned about family love and the things that really matter in life from him.
And he Now, let me guess about this.
I bet he was strict.
Bossy, even.
But you knew he loved you and you all loved him back.
How'd you know? Oh, the values I guess.
Things don't change so much in small towns as they do in big cities.
Besides that, I'm from a small town, myself.
I'm from Rainier, Washington.
Sometime I'll tell you about it.
It might make you think about home.
How recently did your father die, Jack? Three years ago.
And who's been looking after you? My brother.
All that time? Just your brother? He didn't do what they said to that man.
He didn't.
That's all right, Jack.
I'm not interested in that.
I just wanna know about you and your family.
You're not gonna split us up.
George won't let you split us up.
No wonder little Sharon is sick.
Can you imagine? No heating, no electricity, no plumbing.
Glad about one thing, though.
- What's that? - Nothing up there says he's a junkie.
Nothing in that drugstore either.
Well, he was trying to do what Jack said: Trying to help his kid sister the only way he knew how.
Winds up staring a life sentence in the face.
Well, I get a feeling he's been serving one for quite a while.
Let's see what Juvenile has to offer.
Listen, do you remember a truck there last night? A truck? What kind of truck? Old pick-up truck.
It was parked right there.
Yeah, I think I do.
I'm gonna ask around, see who owns it.
I'll catch you later.
Good idea.
And then this-- This other judge, well, he decided me and George were supposed to go to this boys' home and Sharon was supposed to live with my uncle.
George just couldn't let that happen.
Why not? Because he promised.
Promised who? Dad.
George promised him he would let nothing split us up.
I was there.
When Dad was dying and he talked to us, and he-- He said we were all we had.
All he could leave us Just each other.
And George George, George.
Thank you, Jack, for telling me.
I think I understand now.
Do you? You're a judge too, aren't you? You do what the law says you have to.
Not care about what we promised.
What Dad wanted.
I'm a judge, all right.
And we do have to live by the law.
This old world would be in a bigger mess than it is if we didn't live by the law.
But we are going to think about what your dad wanted, and we're going to think about what you want.
And I don't know about you, I think better on a full tank than I do on an empty one.
Do you like pancakes? They gave me breakfast.
I bet you didn't have pancakes, and I know a place five minutes from here where you can get pancakes like you never tasted.
Miss Wilson, we'll be back in an hour.
Excuse me, Judge Cox, shouldn't you take a bailiff? Let him buy his own pancakes.
- You're George.
- Sharon all right? She's fine, I called the hospital and the doctor said-- I asked my brother, not you, judge.
Hey, George, don't.
She's different.
Really, she's not the same as that other-- What've you been running, lady? You been feeding him full of lies? - Jacky, I'm in trouble, big trouble.
- I know.
You know there's only one way out, right? I gotta run.
We gotta get Sharon back first.
Judges are supposed to help people, right? You're gonna start helping us now.
Get in.
You force me into this car, you'll be committing kidnap.
That's a bad mistake, George.
The police are looking for me right now for murder.
If you think I won't do anything I have to to get my sister back, and keep this family together and get out of this place to stay alive, well, you're making a whole lot bigger mistake than I am.
Steve.
- Did you hear what's happening? - The kid's got Millie Cox.
I have just come from the DA's office, they are going bongos down there.
How did it happen? He calls in 20 minutes ago, says he has Millie Cox, will not turn her loose till we let his sister go.
He's got the brother.
Then he tells me he's got the gun from the drugstore.
What are they doing at that courthouse? Anybody can walk in with a gun and walk out with a judge.
She walked out on her own with brother Jack.
- That's when he grabbed them.
- Yeah, it figures.
Millie Cox couldn't do anything by the book.
I don't think she even owns a black robe.
That's right, you've known her for a while, haven't you? Yeah, she straightened out the first JD I ever collared.
- You get a trace on that call? - Didn't have time.
Said he'd call back at 2, tell us how he wanted to handle the exchange.
I got a trace set up.
How he wanted the exchange? We don't make deals.
I didn't have a chance to tell him anything.
He just dropped the bomb and he hung up.
What'd you get from Juvenile? Nothing.
Social worker didn't know anything.
They came from Oregon, been here about three and a half months.
They have a relative there who took care of the girl for a while, he knows the boys too.
He's flying in.
- How about the truck? - Yeah, it's theirs.
I talked to a couple of construction guys.
They saw George driving it.
- Did you get a make on it? - Yeah, it's a Ford, '52, '53 maybe.
It's got out-of-state plates.
Sure, Oregon.
Oregon, that's right.
I'll update that APB.
Say, wait a minute.
The social worker did say something else.
She said that George had a string of part-time jobs, and the last one was working as a busboy in a diner down on Van Ness.
Hello, Harlan.
Who is it? Who did it? - We don't have a lot on him yet.
- Just that he killed a man last night.
Yes, but it didn't look as though it were premeditated.
Well, that doesn't bring the man back, though, does it? I want Millie back, Mike.
So do I.
Sit down.
We'll get her back.
We have an APB out on her now.
I'm gonna check the diner unless you need me.
Check it through, no, check it through.
Let me know if you come up with anything.
- Mike? - Yeah.
This just came in on the Teletype from Oregon.
What's that? - Background on the kids.
- What? - Don't worry, it's just from-- - Come on, Mike.
"George Morgan.
" Is he the oldest? The one that kidnapped Millie? Yes.
"An escapee from a reform school.
Serving one year for assault.
" And this is some psychiatric report.
"Extremely high-strung, volatile temper, given to fits of violent rage.
" Well, l-- I guess we know something about him now, don't we? What took you so long? I missed the first bus.
You park the car where I told you? Yeah.
And I didn't hurt it none.
Would it matter if you did? It would to her.
Come on.
You gonna start kissing up to judges? I got no use for judges.
You know that.
Jack, when that judge separated you from Sharon after your father died, I'm sure he did what he thought was the right thing.
Well, you guys had quite a little chat, didn't you? - He only told me what-- - Shut up! Oh, you're smooth.
You're all so smooth.
But you don't know everything.
You don't know enough.
Not to let Alvin get-- I'm gonna make that call.
Here, you keep this.
Take it.
You keep her where she is.
George.
What are you gonna do if you can't get Sharon? You just better hope we do.
Well, Jack, do you think this is right? He's my brother.
That's right.
Morgan.
George Morgan.
He worked here as a busboy.
Well, I don't pal around with no busboys.
They come, they go.
Hey, I got work to do.
Hey, you won't get nothing out of him.
He's too busy trying to bring back slavery.
Do you know George? Yeah, I know he worked his tail off here for 75 cents an hour.
How long was he here? Almost three months.
He's a good kid too.
First one I ever worked with who didn't try to swipe tips.
Is he in trouble? His sister's in the hospital.
I'm just trying to find him.
I don't know anybody who knows him.
What he likes to do, where he likes to go.
Country boy.
Likes to do country things.
Oh, yeah? Like what? Like simple You know.
Oh, yeah, crummy place like this is fine for eats, say, but the only entertainment he needed was a radio.
He said that those crying cowboys singing those sad songs with the guitars were with him all the time.
While he was working, huh? I mean, I really can't see that guy going through that, you know? Look, now, don't get any ideas.
Now, I mean, he's just a kid.
Well, I got one almost the same age myself.
Someplace.
- You saw each other once in a while? - No, it was-- Nothing out of line.
Nothing wrong.
It was just a couple of walks, that's all.
Used to make me wonder what my own kid might be doing.
Where'd you go? - The park.
- Golden Gate? Yeah.
We used to hop the streetcar and just walk around.
We didn't talk much.
Neither one of us.
Just like two strangers really, but Look, he's really a good kid.
I mean, he's really a sweet kid.
So when you see him, I want you to tell him Well, just tell him That Susie said to say hi.
Okay, unit.
Okay, you say his name's Sparling? Alvin Sparling? S-P-A-R-L-l-N-G.
And the flight is in at 4:00? That means he'll be at the bus terminal around 4:30.
I'll meet you there, Miss Wilson.
Mike, they just found the judge's car.
Just off the Embarcadero.
Come on.
Jack? Who's Alvin? Tell me.
Is it your uncle? Is it the one who took care of Sharon? It is.
It is, isn't it? What did George mean about him? Did he do something to hurt you? Not me.
Sharon.
What was it? I shouldn't be talking to you.
Why not? Are you afraid of George? You better just be quiet like he said.
Harlan, has Millie's arthritis been acting up lately? Oh, you mean, could she walk very far? Half a mile, maybe.
Any more than that, they'd have to carry her.
Well, maybe they dropped her off first before they ditched the car.
She just wanted to save the children.
She's been shouting that at society for over 30 years, Mike.
Through all the problems she's taken on herself.
Problems she never created, with all the decisions she's made.
Where the children are raised, who raises them, how? Save the children? For what? For this? So some kid she's trying to help, can come along and do something crazy? Maybe even kill her.
I know.
I know, Harlan.
Mike, let the girl go.
Let them have her.
I can't do that.
What--? Who do I shout at? Who do I get to save Millie? Harlan, you know how I feel about her.
She's one of the two best women I ever met, and I married the other one.
But it doesn't work that way.
If we gave in to that kid, then everybody who has a problem would think that that's the way to their solution.
Now, they've got to know that it isn't, and it'll never be.
All right.
Call communications.
Comb the area, use all available units.
And if you spot that truck, don't press the kid, he's armed and dangerous.
Now, look.
Look, I'm trying to tell you that Lieutenant Stone is the only one that has the authority to make an arrangement like that.
All right, now, hang on one sec.
He's right here.
Oh, don't give me that hold-on-a-sec routine.
I know what you're doing.
- You tell the guy or what-- - Hello? Hello, George Morgan? Yeah, this the lieutenant? Yeah, I'm Lieutenant Stone.
Well, you getting a good fix on this phone booth, lieutenant? Yes, operator.
We'll hold him as long as we can.
George, your sister belongs in the hospital.
She belongs with her family.
Now, George, I just came from there.
And the doctor said-- You better stop listening to everybody but me, you hear, lieutenant? That is, if you wanna see that judge again.
Wait a minute, son.
There's no need to get excited.
Don't call me "son," you hear? Nobody like you calls me son.
Now, you hear this.
Six o'clock, you be at the railroad depot at Townsend and Third and you have Sharon there.
Put her in the phone booth, the one near the gates.
Put her there and leave.
Six o'clock.
You got it? I got it.
And what about Judge Cox? When I get my sister, you'll get your precious judge.
Got it.
Southeast district.
Pay phone, 18th and Vermont.
All right, block the area and run a sweep search.
- Why don't we go out there? - I don't think we'd find anything.
- He called, he must have Millie.
- I don't think so.
Now, here's the building they were living in.
Here's the hospital his sister's in.
- Both on the east side.
- That's right.
And here's where the phone call came from, south.
And here's where they ditched the car, north.
So, what do you think? I think they could've found a place to ditch the car.
Unless you want it found, right? What are you saying? That he's trying to put you off? That he's got Millie somewhere on the west side? No, Harlan, this is just a hunch.
He's got to be a pretty crafty kid to run away when he's 16 with a 13-year-old boy and a 4-year-old girl.
Keep them alive and well, not get caught for three years.
Can you start a search on the west side? No, we don't have the manpower.
The waitress at the diner said he used to like to go to Golden Gate Park.
That's on the west side.
And it's on the west side, and it's over a thousand acres too.
- You come up with anything else? - Nothing, no.
Well, I hate to press her, but maybe the girl can come up with something.
Harlan, why don't you go home and get some rest.
I'm okay.
All right.
Step into my office.
Wait for us.
I'll let you know if we come up with anything.
Jack? What are you doing? I intend to walk out of here, Jack.
And I want you to come with me.
You heard what George told me.
Yes, I heard what-- What George said.
But I saw your face when he said it.
Jack, come with me.
With her white blood count so low, we wanna make sure her cold won't go anywhere.
Give me about three days.
Three days, her brother's giving me less than three hours.
Hi.
How are you? Remember me? You're not a doctor.
That's right.
You've got a good memory.
He's the doctor.
How's he been treating you, all right? I was crying before.
I hardly never cry when I'm with George and Jack.
They're funny, especially George.
He can talk just like a duck.
Can you do that? Can I talk like a duck? No, I never could talk like a duck.
Me either.
It's hard.
But George can do it real good.
Where is George? Well, now, that's something I wanted to talk to you about, Sharon.
Do you think maybe George is staying with some friends? Or maybe he's staying in a house where you lived in before? Who are you? - Well, I'm a friend, I'm trying to help.
- Are you a policeman? Yes, I am a policeman.
But I'm a daddy too.
I've got a little girl.
Well, she's not so little anymore.
She's going away to school.
My daddy's dead.
- I know that.
- Where's George? - I don't know, Sharon.
- He wouldn't leave me, he wouldn't.
You're right, he wouldn't.
As a matter of fact, he just called this morning to find out how you were.
He's gonna call again in a little while.
Where do you think he'd call from? You think he'd call from the park? Did he ever take you to the park to play? You're trying to catch him, aren't you? You wanna send him back to jail.
No, no, no.
I wanna help him.
I don't wanna talk to you anymore.
What is this? A burn? It's at least a second degree.
She won't say how it happened.
You just rest.
I won't trouble you anymore, Sharon.
Oh, I forgot to tell you, Sharon.
Your uncle is coming.
- Uncle Sparling.
- No, I want George.
- I want to go with George.
- Okay, that's all, Mike.
Take it-- Take it easy.
Take it easy.
Okay, that's it, Sharon.
That's it.
Alrighty.
Well, thank you anyway.
Right.
Bye-bye.
- Anything? - Nothing, no.
- Did she mention the park? - No.
The minute she found out I was a cop, she turned me off cold.
- I tell you one thing, though.
- What? She didn't make her brother George sound like a killer.
Well, neither did the waitress.
Anything going on there? I don't think so.
Two lonely people.
So, what do we got? A 19-year-old Jekyll and Hyde.
You're sure you don't want an apple? No, thank you.
But I would appreciate having these ropes loosened a little.
Please.
I can't feel my hands.
The circulation has stopped.
Yeah, well, it's not gonna be much longer.
Bleeding.
George, she's bleeding.
Well, how about asking her how many people she's made bleed? One way or another.
That help a little? Yes, thank you.
George, tell me about your Uncle Alvin.
- How did he hurt Sharon? - I didn't tell her.
He's right, he didn't.
It was something you said about people like me, allowing a man like that to take care of a little child.
Do you remember? Yeah, it doesn't matter anymore.
It's never gonna happen again.
Do you think you're raising her properly? I'm raising her because I love her.
Not because anyone's paying me.
That's all he cared about, the money.
The money the county's giving him.
- How do you know that? - You're a judge.
You tell me, huh? A 4-year-old girl breaks a pair of glasses, a crummy old pair of glasses.
By accident.
Is that something you punish her for? Is that something you take her hand and put it on a ironing board and press a hot iron on it? That's it.
That's your Alvin Sparling.
That's what you want her to go back to, right, judge, huh? Last time I seen them was three years ago this last June and not a day too long to suit me, neither.
- No phone calls, no letters, nothing? - No, not a peep.
Course you couldn't expect little Sharon to write, and the boys know that the court said they were no concern of ours.
You know, it'd sure be fine getting that girl back again and give her a good Christian upbringing.
Mr.
Sparling, do you think if we found them, they'd listen to you? - Talk them out from where they are? - Yes.
Well, you don't know George.
Let me show you something.
That's George.
Come at me with a broken bottle, laid me wide open.
The sentence he had for an assault.
Was that a fight he had with you? Took 37 stitches to close that.
- I might've died.
- Thank you, Mr.
Sparling.
I think you told us everything we need to know.
If you need to get in touch with me for anything, I'm sure this young lady will know where I am.
Thank you, Miss Wilson.
Guess we better sign those hospital papers.
You know, it's gonna be so good to have that little girl back with us again.
Bye.
What did it say in George's psychiatric report? Given to fits of violent rage? I think maybe I understand why.
If you had see little Sharon's hand, you'd really know why.
You think George attacked him because Sparling did that? I'll tell you what else I think.
I think there's a real criminal.
Well, we're out of time.
How do you wanna handle it? Well, from here on, we take a page out of Millie's book.
We work out a way to save those kids.
You're not sending him on an errand like this.
Just do what I told you.
There won't be any problems.
You know why he went, George? Because he loves you.
You're not only brother, you're father, mother, the whole world to him.
You're sure putting his love to an awful test.
Look, they aren't gonna be so fast to jump on him.
They know it's me that's hanging on to you.
Okay, give me that talkie.
Steve, have you got him? We're right on his tail.
You called it right too.
He's heading west.
He's in Golden Gate now.
Turning off towards the Great Highway.
Don't get too close.
I know, we're staying back.
Mike, he just stopped at the old windmill.
Repeat, the old windmill.
They must be inside.
Steve, circle away.
He wants you to circle away.
- Inspectors 81 to headquarters.
- Go ahead, 81.
Request backup units proceed to the windmill.
- Off the Great Highway.
- Roger, 81.
George! George! George, she wasn't there.
- They're waiting for me, George.
- Quiet! They followed you.
No, I checked.
There weren't any cars.
Listen.
It's a chopper.
They followed you in a chopper.
George, I'm sorry.
I'm sorry, George.
It's not your fault.
I shouldn't have sent you.
You shouldn't have done a lot of things, George.
I think I can understand now, and maybe I can help.
You shut up.
You don't know anything.
I told them what would happen if I didn't get Sharon back.
- I guess they don't care about you.
- They care.
But they care about Sharon too.
- Yeah, well, she's not their concern.
- Yes, she is.
That's the point, George.
Can't you see that? All I see is lies.
Lies and tricks.
They made us a deal.
No, they didn't, they couldn't.
We can't trade in human lives.
- That's not the way the law works.
- The law? Whose law? Yours? Alvin Sparling's? I hate the law.
Get me a bullhorn.
All right, now, everybody stand fast.
That's the only door out and I want those kids to walk out, not be carried out.
That kid's up on two charges already, murder and kidnapping.
You can't talk him out of there.
Harlan, with Millie in there, odds are that I'm not the only one doing the talking.
Between the two of us, we might get through.
George.
George Morgan, can you hear me? George, that's a friend of mine.
His name is Mike Stone.
That's the one I talked to on the phone.
And he crossed us.
This is Lieutenant Stone, George.
George! Mike, for God's sake, you have to get some men in there.
- Steve.
- Yeah, Mike.
Buzz the backside.
Get his attention away from the door.
Gotcha.
George, that gun can't help you, but I can.
Give yourself up and I'll make sure that Sharon never goes back to the Sparlings.
George, please.
Listen to her.
- It's just talk.
- No, it's not talk, it's my word.
George, you'll have to serve time, but it won't be forever.
And I'll make sure that Jack and Sharon stay together.
You gotta trust somebody someday, George.
And you couldn't pick a better person.
Come on, George.
Drop it on the box.
Drop it, George.
- You okay, Millie? - I'm fine.
How's Sharon? She's waiting to see you.
I'm sure glad she's gonna get the chance.
Oh, darling.
- Harlan-- - I know, cancel the Orient.
Excuse me, this isn't from me.
Thank you.
You know, I just get you back and I'm gonna lose you again.
I promised the children I'd see them through this.
And I promised myself I'd see that Sparling character brought up on charges.
What about the promise you made to me once about taking some time off? Just as soon as I see the children through this.
Just these children.
Harlan, you know, I think I know just the people.
The Teverlys.
Remember them? They're going to Alaska.
They're such good people.
They've been trying to adopt for years.
They almost gave up.
And I think that if I pull just the right strings, I can swing this so that Jack and Sharon can be with them.
It's amazing what a little time in a windmill can do for you, isn't it? Yeah.
Yeah, but she's been fighting them all her life.

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