"All set." "He's coming out." " Sure?" " Sure, I'm sure." "I saw him, didn't I?" "Now let's put our boards away." "Let's do it." "Hey, Billy." "We'd better let him drive away first." "What's the matter?" "You guys scared?" " No." " No." "Then let's do it." "Hey, wait a minute." "He's coming." "Just act like he's not there." "He never noticed us." "Hey, Billy, you think he really keeps a million in there?" "You think he really has that much right in his house?" "Sure." "Easy." "Ten times that much, maybe." "My old man says he's probably living off stocks and stuff." "Never spends anything." "Got the first nickel he ever made." "Come on." "Come on, Mark." "Get up there." "Hurry." "Come on, Tommy." "Get up there." "Hurry." "Come on, move faster than that." "When we get inside, how do we know where to look?" "We look for a safe." "If it's regular money, look for a safe." "If it's gold or something, try to find a box." "A pirate's chest-like." "Yeah or an old trunk maybe." "But isn't it like stealing?" "Oh, come on." "Billy's dad said he's like a miser or something." "Money doesn't mean anything to guys like that." "Okay." "But what about the other one?" "Everybody says there's two of them." "Not anymore." "He died." "How do you know for sure?" "My dad said." "Let's go." "I don't know." "There's nothing to be scared of." "He's gone." "But shouldn't somebody stay here?" "In case he comes back." "Chicken." "Just like upstairs." "Guy must be crazy, all right, keeping all this junk." "We're not gonna be able to find any safe, Billy." "Not if we don't look." "Still scared, aren't you?" "I just keep thinking about what your dad said, about that girl they found before." "I told you, the guy that did that is dead." "Besides, that was when my dad was still a kid." "Come on." "One dollar and 78 cents." "One dollar and 78 cents." "Thank you." "There ought to be a law." " Yeah." " Well, I mean it." "A child molester, a murderer still walking the streets after all this time." "Well, he's still walking the streets all right." " Comes in here every day." " There ought to be a law." "In case we meet any more bears." "Hey, Mark." "It's just a big doll." "Hey, Mark, wait up." "It's nothing." "It's just a dummy." "Let's get out of here, okay?" "But we gotta find the money." "There's no money." "There's just junk." "There's gotta be money." "Dad said." "Maybe he's wrong." "You saying he's a liar?" "I'm just saying maybe he doesn't know for sure." " Same thing." " No, it's not." " Is." " Okay, maybe there is money." "I don't care." "I just wanna get out of here." " Come on." " Chicken." "I don't care what you call me." "I'm going." "Chicken." "Chicken." "What's the matter now, chicken?" "Quiet." "I heard something." " What?" " I don't know." "Like somebody walking up to that door." "I don't hear nothing." "Run!" "Come on, Tom." "Harlan's back." " Where's Mark?" " Just come on." "Tom?" "Tom." "Tom?" "Oh, there you are." "Miss me, did you old boy?" "Well, I got your supper." "Yes, sir." "Your favorite this time." "They had it back in stock." "Oh, and I got something else." "What about that?" "Do you know what that is?" "Well, that's off a 1934 La Salle." "Do you know what the odds are of finding one of those these days?" "Hey, let's show it to Donald, shall we?" "Oh, must have forgotten to lock it." "Donald." "Donald?" "Donald?" "Donald?" "Donald." "It's all right, Donald." "I'm home." "I'm" "Okay, here they are." " Get the Giant score yet?" " No." "Let me have that." " These look good." " Yeah, plenty of hot sauce." "Why are you concerned?" "It's only spring training." "That's where it all happens, buddy boy." "That's where you find out who's got it and who doesn't." "Come on, come on." "It's in the clutch, September, October, that's when it counts." " That's when my boys come through." " Your boys?" "This is the year of the Giants." "Attention, all units." "Possible 288 at 2331 Leavenworth." "Repeating, all units, possible 288 at 2331 Leavenworth." "Units in the vicinity to respond." "Northern one, northern two, come in." "Inspectors 8-1." "We're at Leavenworth and Bay." "We'll respond." "Ten-four, 8-1." "See the woman, Mrs. Dunham." "Ten-four." " Still don't know how you do it." " What?" "How you pick up the codes while listening to something else and talking at the same time." "Crime against a kid?" "You don't forget that one." "Come on." "Move." "I know it's something awful." "He'd never stay out this late." "Mark's always here when I get home from work." "Now what time is that?" "Five-thirty." "I get off at 5, stop for groceries and Mark's always here." "Has the place mats on, table all set ever since his father died." "You say he usually plays with the same boys every afternoon?" "Yes, but I asked them both." "They didn't see Mark today." "Maybe we ought to talk to them anyway." "What do I do?" "What if you can't find him?" "Mrs. Dunham, we're gonna have the whole neighborhood searched." "We'll put out an all-points bulletin." "We'll give your description to Missing Persons." "I know something's happened." "Now you said the names were Billy Rudolph and Tommy Cochran." "Yes." "What do I do, go with you?" "Stay here?" "What?" "Oh, my God, I know it's something terrible." "You wait right here, Mrs. Dunham." "We'll keep in touch every hour." " You have a family doctor?" " Why?" "He could prescribe something for you to relax." "I don't want a doctor, I want my boy." "It's not your fault, Donald." "It was mine." "I shouldn't have stopped for that dang old hubcap." "I shouldn't have been out poking around like that anyway." "I should have been home here with you where I belong." "So don't go blaming yourself." "It's not your fault." "Nobody's fault, maybe." "The way the world is." "I'll be going out again now." "Maybe a little longer than usual." "But don't just sit there blaming yourself." "Well." "No use putting it off any longer, I guess, Tom." " It's on Chestnut Street, right?" " Yeah." "Turn left." "1637, about a block and a half down, on your side." "Now which kid is this?" "Billy Rudolph." "No, sir." "I didn't see him after school today." "Are you sure, Billy?" "Wait a minute." "Now, just hold on." "What's it take?" "He said no already." "Look, the dame lives alone with the kid." "I mean, she's got nothing to worry about but the kid." "He's almost 13." "I mean, he's not a baby anymore." "You get what I mean?" "You can understand how his mother's concerned, can't you?" "It's after 11:00, he hasn't called." " If that was Billy" " It wouldn't be Billy." " Once is enough, right Bill?" " Yes, sir." "Did you ever do anything like that, Billy?" "Stay out and not tell your mother anything about it?" "Lieutenant, Joe is right." "Just once." "What happened?" "Where did you go?" "I don't see what this has got to do with anything." "If there's anywhere that kids can go and play and forget about time, we'd like to take a look at it, that's all." "It was last year, lieutenant, when he was playing around that old house." " What old house?" " The one on Hyde Street." "You know, where those two brothers locked themselves up a long time ago?" "What was their name, Joe?" " It was Edgerton." "Couple of kooks." " The house is near here?" "Oh, yeah, right around the corner." "A couple of blocks." "Do you boys like to play there?" "I guess so." "I guess they do." "Otherwise, you wouldn't have caught that whipping, huh?" "I don't go there anymore." "What about Mark?" " I don't know." " You go to school with him each day." "You see him, he would've told you whether he went up there or not." "I don't know." "Look, you guys are not grilling some hardened criminal, you know." "Now, I gotta be at the docks." "I gotta shove off." "Why don't you two shove off?" "I don't want my kid standing around here, going through this all night." "Mrs. Dunham doesn't like going through it all night, either." "Maybe your son can help." "Okay." "Billy, if you know anything, I want you to tell these men." "Do you hear me?" "Billy." "Did Mark talk to you at school or on the way to school about going to this old house this afternoon?" "If he did, he might have gotten hurt, Billy." "He'd want you to tell us." "I think so." "You think so." "You think so what?" "I think he said something about going up there after school." "But I told him I couldn't go." "Me and Tommy, we both said we wouldn't go with him." "I told him about what you said about it being dangerous, about the girl they found there," "I told him not to do it." " The girl they found there?" " Oh, yeah, that was a long time ago." "She was" "You know." "And her neck was broken." "Isn't that right, Joe?" "That's right." "One of the brothers did it." "They never made them pay for it, either." "I was just a kid." "I remember how my old man got all steamed up about it." "Everybody in the neighborhood was up in arms." "I think I remember something about it." "One of them died, didn't he?" "Yeah, that's right." "Right after it happened." "At least that's what the brother says." "You ask me and that big one's still in the house." "Why do you think that?" " Oh, people have seen things." " Like what?" "Like lights going on and off when Harlan isn't there and like two men moving around on different floors." "Things like that." "Okay." "Okay." "Thank you." "We're gonna go up and take a look." "You'd better do more than take a look." "You better tear that rat trap down board by board, like they should have done 30 years ago." "There's no telling what you're gonna find there." "You wanna stop by and see that other kid, Cochran?" "No, let's talk to the old man first." "Those kids were playing there, all right." "The way that joker made it sound, no kid would wanna miss what was going on there." "I wonder how much that Billy really knows." "Well, he knows enough not to tell the old man the truth." "Hey, what a way to raise kids, huh?" "Spook stories and spankings." "Was there any truth to that story about the girl?" "No, nothing anybody could prove." " Nice going." " Not so loud." "He may have seen my U-ie." "That's different." "Our U-turns are fringe benefits, his are illegal." "This has gotta be it." "It looks kind of creepy." "Stick." "What?" "The architecture's called stick." "You can tell by those bay windows." "See how they're squared off?" "Must be 1885 or 90, maybe." "Well, you just put that down in the report." "Observations like that are gonna get you right to the top of the Department." "Hey, you know that old car that just made a U-turn?" " Yeah, the station wagon?" " The woody." "It was parked right here." "Vintage house, vintage car." "What do you think?" "Well, I think I'm gonna write that in the report myself." "Come on, hang with it." "Pick it up." "Hang with him." "Let's see what he's up to." " You got the flashlight?" " Yeah." "Take it easy." "Hold it." "Look, drop the shovel." "Are you Edgerton?" "Harlan Edgerton?" "Mike, give me some light." "What are you up to?" "Look at this." "Mr. Edgerton." "This is Mr. O'Brien." "Mr. O'Brien is with the District Attorney's Office." "Mr. Edgerton, I understand you don't wanna speak to anyone." "Now, you have that right, of course, but I wanted to be certain that you've been made aware of the charge against you." "The charge is murder, Mr. Edgerton." "Are you aware of that?" "Mr. Edgerton, we're not trying to force anything out of you." "All we want to make sure is that you know what is happening to you." "You're going to be tried for the murder of that boy, Mr. Edgerton." "Do you have an attorney or would you like the court to appoint one for you?" "Okay, Mike." "I'll get somebody on it." "I think he understands what's going on." "He's just not about to say anything." "Did you get a warrant to go into the house?" "Yeah, Steve's picking it up now." "Well, I'll be in my office all afternoon." "Please." "Please." "Yes, what?" "The house." "Don't go in it." "Oh, we'll have to." "No, please." " Not without me." " Why not?" "I'm sorry, Mr. Edgerton." "Let me go with you, please." "Nope." "You're gonna be here for a long time." " How long?" " You'll be arraigned tomorrow." "We'll schedule a hearing sometime in the next eight or 10 weeks and the trial won't be for several months." "No." "You can't do that." "He needs me and I" "Who?" "Who needs you?" "My cat." "My cat needs me." "Your cat?" "Mr. Edgerton." "You had a brother." "It was reported that he had died some 30 years ago." "Was that report accurate?" "Is he dead?" "He's been alive and living in that house all these years?" "I don't believe it." "I really don't believe it." "Rudolph said the old man collected trash." "Looks like he imported the whole city dump." "I don't know, buddy boy." "There is junk." "And there is junk." "Yeah, but this is bananas time." "I mean, this old guy is totally out of his tree." "My guess is that when his brother wouldn't go out into the world," "Harlan decided to bring the world in to him." "Yeah." "Say, there must be a staircase around here somewhere." "You go look that way." "I'll see what I can find over here." "Better take a road map." "Mike?" "Don't worry." "Some cans fell over." " Mike?" " Yeah." "Mike?" "Found the stairs." " Found these too." " What's that?" "Road maps." "Come on, let's go." "It's like a" "It's like a boat in a bottle." "Take a look at all this." "It's a playroom." "King-size nursery." "He was there, wasn't he?" "In that upstairs room?" "Whatever you were doing, or trying to do, it's over." "We went through that whole house." "We know that two of you were living there." "Now, did your brother kill that boy?" "No, he didn't kill him." " Did you?" " No." "Well, he was dead." "You were trying to bury him." " I had to." " Why?" "Because." "Because if you said anything we'd know he was alive?" "Why did you want the world to think that he had died?" "Was it because you thought that he had killed that girl 30 years ago?" "No, I never thought he killed her." "Then why?" "It was people." "That's why." "All those people." "They thought he did it." "There were threats, letters, calls." "Just people." "It was all over when he died." "So he stayed in that house for 30 years?" "Thirty-two." "You see, he was aboard the U.S.S. Oklahoma when it was sunk at Pearl Harbor." "He was a lieutenant commander." "What he saw, what he went through..." "He never got over it." "He came home from the hospital, drew all the curtains, wouldn't go out, wouldn't let anybody in except me." "I brought on some of that myself, I guess." "I didn't mix with people very much." "I kept to myself, my books." "Anyway, when little Tina was found in the lot next door, they were all ready to say it was Donald who killed her." " Tina?" "You knew her?" " Oh, sure." "I knew all the children then." "I worked in the library." "Used to help them find their books, reference materials for reports." "People put that together along with Donald's size and strength and strangeness." "They said it was murder." "Do you know for a fact that he didn't kill this Tina?" "I answered all those questions 30 years ago, lieutenant." "Forgive me for having to ask you those questions again." "But I wasn't here then." "I was somewhere in the Pacific, trying to do something about what happened to your brother at Pearl Harbor." "We're trying to help him now." "Mr. Edgerton, are you sure that your brother didn't kill either of these two kids?" "I used to think I was sure." "This time, I don't know." "Well, where did you find the boy?" "In the attic." " Was he with your brother?" " Yes." "But he didn't do it." "He couldn't have." "That's not for us to decide." "We've got to bring him in." "Now will you help us and give us a description?" "Oh, he won't go with you." "That's why he ran away, don't you see?" "He's" "He's frightened." "He frightens so easily." "Well, right now there's a lot of parents that are frightened." "We gotta get him." "Well, would you take me with you?" "Please?" "I can talk to him." "Nobody else can." "Please." "Get O'Brien." "Still alive?" "I've got a copy of his death certificate." "Harlan bought it." " How?" " Family doctor listed a heart attack, then Harlan and his brother gave him the entire inheritance except for the house." "The file says there was a military funeral." "Was that fake too?" "Bronze casket loaded with 200 pounds of National Geographics." "I don't know, Steve." "The funeral he was preparing last night was for real." "Whether he killed that boy or not, he's an accessory." "Jerry, look, look." "The story's hit the papers already, right?" "Now, there is gonna be a real panic unless we get him back today." "Harlan with us will make our job that much easier." "That's all." "Okay." "I'll see what I can do." "...And the coroner's office confirms that this death too, was the result of a broken neck." "A coincidence?" "Or a terrible act committed by a compulsive killer who should have been incarcerated 30 years ago?" "That is the mystery to be solved by police authorities." "And the issue to be weighed by citizens in the Bay Area today as the search continues for Donald Edgerton, the 62-year-old man who was once suspect in the killing of another" "Hey, my television show was coming back on." "What's the name of that cop that was here last night?" "Lieutenant Stone, I think." " Yeah, Stone." "Yeah." " What're you doing?" "Last night he said to call him if I thought of anything." "I just thought of something." "Yes, Lieutenant Stone." "Oh, Mr. Rudolph." "Look, I don't like the idea any more than you do." "You have to come up with facts than that if you want us to collar the suspect." "Facts." "Listen, I'll give you facts." "You clowns let that nut get away 30 years ago, and now you're letting him get away again." "That is facts." "Look, Mr. Rudolph" "Listen, I told you last night what was going on in that house." "I'm telling you now, find that nut." "If you can't do your job, maybe it's just time some of us poor slobs who you're supposed to be protecting will do your job for you." " Listen, I got something" " Never mind." " Just got a call from Rudolph." " What?" "Fellow like that can make your day for you." "What do you got?" "Psychiatric report on Donald Edgerton from the VA Hospital." "Schizoid." "Totally withdrawn." "Couldn't hurt anybody." "Guess Harlan was right." "Buddy boy, all we know is that Harlan found him with the boy" " and the boy had a broken neck." " Right." "Now the whole world knows, and all hell is gonna break loose unless we can collar him quick." "What's holding up O'Brien?" "Where is he?" "Will you get on the phone and find out where he is?" "And find out who told the news media about the coroner's report." "Whoever did should be bounced." "Never mind." "Here he is." "Well, what's the verdict?" "The D.A. chewed on it hard, Mike." "And what did he spit up?" "Well, he did some choking first on some pretty grim stats." "You know there have been 51 unsolved missing juvenile cases in the Bay Area since that girl was killed 30 years ago?" "Now, wait a minute, Jerry." "Wait a minute." "Are you saying he's a suspect in all those cases?" "The public is." "I got an earful from that kind of public." "The point is, you don't have a case without a suspect." "And Harlan is the guy that can help us." "The point is, people are gonna be screaming for the D.A.'s head if he lets you just waltz another Edgerton brother out of his cell." "You saying we can't have Harlan?" "Not officially." "What does that mean?" "It means we've set his arraignment up from tomorrow afternoon to 5:00 today." "Well, how does that help us?" "Well, it's only 1:30 now, someone has to escort him from his cell in the basement to the courtroom on the fourth floor." "You think you can manage that between now and 5:00?" " Bring the car to the side entrance." " Right." "I'll get Harlan." "You know, you ought to really practice law." "You know that, O'Brien?" "You have a cute way with words." "So now" "Now, it's gonna be my head somebody's gonna be screaming for if this gets out, right?" " Officially." " Oh, of course." "Officially." " Lieutenant." " You can come out now," " for a couple of hours, anyway." " Oh, thank you." "Thank you very much, lieutenant." "And I remembered something I forgot to tell you." " Yeah, what's that?" " The skylight was open." " Skylight?" " Yes." "That must be how the boy came in." "The skylight." "And that's maybe what happened." "He slipped and fell." "Is that where you found him?" "At the base of the ladder?" "No, no." "He was on an old bed, but Donald could've carried him to it, tried to make him comfortable, tried to help him." "Oh, that could be what happened, couldn't it?" "Is that what Donald told you?" "Oh, he won't talk." "He hasn't since the war." "But he was crying." "He was crying real hard." "Oh, it had to be the skylight, lieutenant." "It had to be." "Come on." "Come on." "Come on." "Look, don't stop." "Go on down to Rudolph's." "I wanna ask Billy a few more questions." " Hey, Joe." "Look at this." "An iron girdle." " We're not here for that." "Well, he knows we're here." "It's just junk." "Come on, let's go downstairs and find him." "Hey, Joe, come here." "You know what they had to do?" "They had to bring that up here piece by piece." "That's how they're gonna take it out of here." "Hey, that was a good catch, Billy." "Could I talk to you for a minute?" " I'll see you later, Billy." " Oh, Tommy." "I've been wanting to talk to you too." "Will you come here?" "I'm Lieutenant Stone." "There's somebody I'd like the two of you to meet." "Billy, you get in the house this minute." "Oh, that's all right, Mrs. Rudolph." "He's in my custody." "I wanted the boys to meet him before he went to jail." "Do you mind?" "Oh, I guess not." "Come here." "See?" "He's gonna spend the rest of his life in prison unless he can prove that he and his brother didn't do anything to harm Mark." " Lieutenant, I don't see" " Mrs. Rudolph, please." "As far as I'm concerned, he's spent enough time in prison." "The kind people don't know about." "Except people who have been in that house maybe." "I told you." "I've never been in there before." "Tommy, you been there?" "Mike and I were there." "It's different, all right." "But there's a reason it's like that." "You boys ever hear of Pearl Harbor?" "You did?" "Well Mr. Edgerton's brother was on a ship that was bombed there." "It was a pretty awful thing, the kind of thing that could make you afraid." "It was so bad that you could become afraid for the rest of your life." "That's what happened to his brother." "That's why he wouldn't leave the house, because he was afraid." "Billy, you ever been afraid?" "Everybody is sometimes." "That's right." "When you're afraid, you don't act the way you normally do, do you?" "I guess." "When was the last time you were afraid, Billy?" "Tommy?" "Was it when you were in the Edgerton house?" "Come on, Tommy, look at me." "Or was it when Billy told you not to talk about it?" "Lieutenant, I really don't see what this is all about." "Now, I know you're calling Billy a liar." "Well, I'm gonna tell you what it's all about, Mrs. Rudolph." "I'm afraid." "I'm afraid that these two boys are gonna wake up some day and become men and remember what they did to this man and his brother." "And then suddenly realize who the real criminals are." "And I think you ought to think about that too." "Well, okay, fellas, that's about it, huh?" "Billy, we gotta tell them, we gotta." "Now, you were there with Mark, weren't you?" "I don't know what happened." "I was up on the roof waiting and I waited a long time." "And then I heard this loud crash and Billy came up all alone." "Up the skylight?" " And Billy said that if I ever told" " It was an accident." "Billy." "It was an accident." "We saw him and we ran." "And Mark fell off the ladder." "I didn't wait for him." "I was scared." "Now, that's all right, son." "It's all right." "It's all over now." "No." "Joe and some of his friends, they went to his house to find his brother." "Get the kerosene from the truck." "If he's in here someplace, we'll burn him out with the rest of the junk." "Okay." "What's he doing out of jail?" "Rudolph, you get out." "Get out." "He's making room for you." "You're under arrest." "What charge?" "Breaking and entering, destruction of private property." "Would you like to add resisting arrest?" "Now get out of here." "You too." "Both of you." "Take them out." "Harlan." "Now, that's my boy." " The coop." " Yeah." "Been there all the time." "And you knew?" "Well, I thought maybe." "You see, he hid from me a few times too." "I always found him up here." "And you didn't tell me?" "I didn't know we could." "Donald." "It's all right, Donald." "It's all right." "He's a friend." "Looks like business is pretty good." "It's nice to know some things never change, isn't it?" "Yeah." "Yeah, we got a whole bunch of other stuff." "Nice to know some things change too."