"Walter, honey." "Time to wake up." "Just 10 more minutes." "Oh, I'm sorry, sport." "You can sleep in tomorrow." "That's what Saturdays are for." "Up against the wall." "Come, come, come." "All right." "Got it." "Got it." "Look, look!" "All right, sit down." "Your breakfast is getting cold." "It's cereal." "It's supposed to be cold." "Sweetheart, we're here." "Okay." "Here's your books." "Go ahead." "Yes, ma'am." "If you hold just a moment, I'll get a supervisor for you." "Yes, she's coming right now." "Just a second, she'll be with you." "Just one second, please." "You deal with this one." "I'm not going near it." "Hello, this is the supervisor." "How can I help you?" "I can see you're on a party line..." "Unfortunately, some people do listen in on party lines." "We..." "Well, what is he doing?" "Oh, my..." "Everything all right?" "Yes, sir, it's fine." "A lady was having trouble with the connection." "Hey, sport." " Hey, Mom." "How was school?" "Okay." " Yeah?" "We learned about dinosaurs." "And I got in a fight with Billy Mankowski." "What happened?" "He hit me." "Did you hit him back?" "Good." "Rule number one, remember?" "Never start a fight, always finish it." "Why'd he hit you?" "Because I hit him." "You hit him first?" "Why?" "He said my dad ran off because he didn't like me." "Honey, your father never met you, so how could he not like you?" "Then why did he leave?" "Well, because the day you were born, something else arrived in the mail." "And it was in a box a little bit bigger than you." "You know what was in it?" "Something called responsibility." "And to some people, responsibility is the scariest thing in the world." "So, he ran away because he was scared of what was in that box?" "Uh-huh." "That's just dumb." "That is exactly what I thought." "Did I miss Amos 'N Andy?" "I'm afraid so, sport." "Come now, time for bed." "Are we still going to the movies tomorrow?" "Uh-huh." "I hear there's a new Charlie Chaplin picture and a new serial called The Mysterious Airman." "Who's that?" "I don't know." "Nobody does." "That's what makes him so mysterious." "Oh." "Am I too heavy for you to carry?" "Oh, no, not for years." "Not for years." "Hello?" " This is Margaret." "Hi, Margaret." "So, how are you?" "Fine." "Listen, Jean can't come in today and now we're a little shorthanded." "When did she call in sick?" "About half hour ago." "I'm having a hard time trying to find someone." "Well, what about Myrna?" "I know she could use the extra hours and..." "She's busy." "Can't you come?" "No." "No, no, no." "I just..." "I promised Walter that I'd take him to the movies, is all, and..." "Well, it's just until 4:00." "All right." "Just..." "Just until 4:00." "I'll see you then." "There's a sandwich and milk in the fridge, and I've asked Mrs. Riley and her daughter to stop in in a couple of hours." "I can take care of myself." "I know you can." "They're checking on the house, not you." "Tomorrow we will go to the movies." "And then we'll ride Big Red to Santa Monica and take a walk on the pier." "How does that sound?" "Does that sound good?" "I'll be home before it gets dark." "I'm not afraid of the dark." "I'm not afraid of anything." "I know." "I know." "Be good." "I love you." "We've got lines jammed from here to Ohio." "He says he needs to speak to somebody in charge." "I need your signature here for a supply requisition." "Number, please." " Number, please." "Go ahead, please." "All right, get me the Omaha routing station." "See if we can put our calls through their switchers." "Let's get this console running, now." "Christine." "Good, I was hoping to catch you." "Look, I've been following your work reports, and I just want to let you know that I am very impressed." "When I first suggested hiring female supervisors, my superiors weren't big on the idea." "But you have held your own as well as any of your male counterparts." "Thank you, Mr. Harris." "Oh, Ben, please." "Listen, I..." "Listen, the point is, we're looking to take on a manager for our new Beverly Hills office." "And if you're interested in the job, I could write a report, or..." "That would be wonderful." "Thank you so much, sir." "Okay, good, so maybe we could..." "Could we speak about it Monday?" " Yeah, absolutely." "Would that be all right?" "Thank you so much, sir." "Thank you." "Please!" "Please." "Walter." "Honey?" "Walter." "Walter!" "Honey?" "Walter?" "Honey!" "Walter!" "Walter, it's time to come in, honey." "Suzie?" "Have you seen Walter?" "No, Mrs. Collins." "Sorry." "Walter?" "Walter." "Number, please." "May I please have the police station?" "I'll connect you." "Lincoln Heights Division." "Hello, my name is Christine Collins." "I live at 210 North Avenue, 23." "And I'm calling to report a missing child." "Missing child." "What's your relation to the child, ma'am?" "It's my son." "How long has he been gone?" "I'm not sure." "I just got home from work." "It could be since this morning or it could be just the last hour." "Have you checked around the neighborhood?" "Yes, of course I did." "Well, maybe he's lost track of time." "No." "No, no." "He always stays around the house when it gets dark." "Would you please send someone down here?" "I'm sorry, but our policy is that we don't dispatch units on missing child cases for 24 hours." "What?" "Look, 99 times out of 100, the kid shows up by morning." "We don't have the resources to go chasing every kid who runs off with his pals." "No, no, no." "No, that's not Walter." "He doesn't do that." "With all due respect, ma'am, every parent who calls says the same thing." "Please, please." "Look, there's nothing I can do." "I'll take your name and your information, but that's all until the morning, at the earliest." "I'm sure he'll show up by then." "They always do." "Are you Mrs. Collins?" "Our thoughts go out again today to Mrs. Christine Collins of Lincoln Heights, whose young son, Walter Collins, disappeared nearly two weeks ago." "Though she is not a member of our congregation, we pray for her today as we have every day, since we learned of her plight." "On the radio and in the newspapers we are told that the Los Angeles Police Department is doing its very best to reunite mother and child, and I'm sure that that is true." "But given its status as the most violent, corrupt and incompetent police department this side of the Rocky Mountains" "I am not sure it's saying a great deal." "Every day, new bodies appear along Mulholland and in the ditches of our cities, the work of Police Chief James Davis and his aptly named Gun Squad." "Every day, the needs of honest citizens are put second to greed and personal gain." "Every day, this city sinks deeper into a cesspool of fear, intimidation and corruption." "Once the City of Angels," "Los Angeles has become a place where our protectors have become our brutalizers." "Where to be the law is to be above the law." "I understand." "Thank you." "I will call back in a few weeks." "Thank you very much." "Las Vegas Missing Persons Department?" "Hello, this is Christine Collins." "I'm calling to see if you've found any missing or lost children who meet the description that matches Walter Collins." "Oh, all right." "Well, please do." "Please do call." "And I'll call back in a matter..." "In a week, if that's all right." "Thank you very much." "Thank you." "$2." "Hell, I think I left my wallet at home." "Can I owe it to you?" "No credit." "Pay up or I call the cops." "I'm sick of bums like you coming around here." "I'm not trying to stiff you, chief." "I just left my wallet at home, that's all." "I'll go back and get it." "Five, 10 minutes, tops." "Got collateral?" "You can't ask for better collateral than a man's own flesh and blood, right?" "Now, you stay here, son." "I'll be right back." "But..." " Now, don't give me any trouble." "He's a good man to trust us like this." "Now, you just stay here and I'll go back and get my wallet." "Ten minutes, then I call the cops." "Ah, hell." "Number, please." " Hello, Myrtle?" "Hello?" " Yeah, this is Harve, down at the diner." "Oh, hi, Harve." "Would you get me Sheriff Larsen?" "Sure thing." "You have a nice day, too." "Christine, I'm having trouble with the connection here." "I can't seem to get through." "I think so." "Yeah, I think that's better." "You have a person to person call, Fairfax 2231." "Long distance." "Sorry, can you repeat?" "I'll connect you right away, ma'am." "Thanks." "Mrs. Collins?" "Yes." "I'm Captain J.J. Jones, Lincoln Park Juvenile Division." "My office supervises all runaway and missing child cases, including your son's, and..." "He's alive, Mrs. Collins." "He was picked up two days ago by local police in DeKalb, Illinois." "He's safe and unhurt." "He was in the company of some drifter." "We have an APB out for him, but he's safe." "Thank you so much." "Oh, Christine..." "That is so great." "Thank you." "There's so much press." "Yours is a story with a happy ending, Mrs. Collins." "People love happy endings." "We better get a move on, the train's pulling in." "Back, boys." "Back." "Thanks." "Thanks, boys, thanks!" "I'll have a statement for you in a few minutes, but the important thing right now is to reunite this little lady with her son, so if you'll excuse us." "Stay right there." "Come on, don't rush." "Easy, easy." "Mrs. Collins, I'd like to introduce you to James E. Davis," "Chief of Police." "Very nice to meet you." "We don't get a lot of positive attention from the boys in the press these days, so it's good to be here with a positive story, don't you think?" "Yes, sir." "I take it you've been treated well by my boys in the department?" "I couldn't file a report for 24 hours, and I thought that maybe that was a..." "Technicalities aside." "It was wonderful." "Well, good." "Then you won't have any trouble telling that to the press, and the fact that the LAPD..." "Women." "Hold on a second." "Back, boys, back." "Keep them back." "Well, aren't you..." "Aren't you gonna..." "That's not my son." "What?" "What are you saying?" "It's not my son." "Well, I'm sure you're mistaken." "I'm not mistaken." "Well, he's been through five terrible long months." "He's lost weight, he's changed." "I would know my own son." "All I'm saying is you're in shock and he's changed." "What's your name?" "Can you tell me your name?" "Walter Collins." "It's a common name." "Where do you live, Walter?" "You know your home address?" "I live at 210 Avenue 23," "Los Angeles, California." "And that's my mommy!" "Mrs. Collins, listen to me." "I understand." "You're feeling a little uncertain right now, and that's to be expected." "A boy this age, he changes so fast." "We've compensated for that in our investigation." "And there's no question that this is your son." "That is not Walter." "It's not Walter as you remember him." "And that's why it's important for you to take him home on a trial basis." "A trial basis?" "Yes, yes." "Once he's around his familiar surroundings, and you've given yourself time to recover from the shock of his changed condition, you will see that this is your Walter." "Now, I promise you, I swear to you, I give you my word." "This is your son." "Now, if you have any problems, any problems at all, you come and you talk to me." "I'll take care of it." "I give you my word." "Trust me." "Mrs. Collins, he has nowhere else to go." "Please." "Maybe I'm not thinking clearly." "And..." "All right." "All right, you're not thinking clearly, that's right." "Here we go!" "Thank you." "Thank you." "Here, just turn around here." "How does it feel to have your son home, Mrs. Collins?" "What'd you think when you saw him for the first time?" "It's hard to explain." "She was shocked at first." "She didn't recognize the boy, which is perfectly natural." "He's been through quite an ordeal." "How're you feeling, son?" "Bet it feels great to be home." "Yeah." "It's great." "The Los Angeles Police Department is thankful for all the hard work done by the DeKalb County Sheriff's Department in making this joyful reunion possible." "The LAPD is dedicated to serving the public at all times." "Can we get a photo with mother and son, Captain?" "Absolutely!" "Here we are." "Like that." "Like that." "Squeeze together." "There you go, boys." "This way, Walter." " Big smile." "One more, please." " That's a good one." "One more." "The sandwich all right?" "Would you like some more milk?" "No." "No, thank you." "No, thank you." "You're covered in soot from the train." "You should take a bath." "Pajamas are on the edge of the bed." "You okay?" "You all right?" "I fell." "Stupid tub!" "That's all right." "You're circumcised." "Get out." "Move." "Last time I measured Walter, last time I measured my son, he was inches taller than you are now." "Who are you?" "What are you doing here?" "Who are you?" "Who are you?" "He's not my son." "Mrs. Collins..." "No, I don't know why he's saying that he is, but he's not Walter and there's been a mistake." "I thought we agreed to give him time to adjust." "He's three inches shorter." "I measured him on the chart." "Well, maybe your measurements are off." "Look, I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation for all of this." "He's circumcised." "And Walter isn't." "Mrs. Collins." "Your son was missing for five months." "For at least part of that time in the company of an as yet unidentified drifter." "Who knows what such a disturbed individual might have done?" "He could have had him circumcised." "He could have..." "Made him shorter?" "Why aren't you listening to me?" "I am listening, damn it, I am listening." "And I understand your feelings." "He's changed, no mistake, and that's..." "You've both been through a terrible experience, and that's why he needs your love and support to bounce back." "He's not my son!" "Why are you doing this, Mrs. Collins?" "Why are you doing this?" "You seem perfectly capable of taking care of the boy." "Your job pays you enough to attend to his personal needs, so I don't understand why you're running away from your responsibilities as a mother." "I am not running away from anything!" "Least of all my responsibilities!" "I am even taking care of that boy right now, because I am all he has!" "What worries me is that you have stopped looking for my son!" "Why should we be looking for someone we've already found?" "Because you have not found him." "His identity has been confirmed by the best minds in the field of child identification, people who know what they're doing." "And I don't?" "I'm sorry." "I appreciate everything that this department has done and I know how hard you're working." "I really do, and I don't want to cause any trouble." "I just..." "There has been a terrible mistake, and I need you to help me correct it, so I can find my son before it's too late." "Please." "I won't take up any more of your time." "I'm sorry I got upset." "I'm sorry, very sorry." "Yes, Captain?" "Sara, get Dr. Tarr on the phone." "Yes, sir." "Mrs. Collins?" " Yes?" "Dr. Earl W. Tarr." "Captain Jones sent me." "I consult with him from time to time on juvenile cases." "May I come in?" "Yes, thank you for coming." "I was beginning to think he didn't believe me." "Well, I'm here now, and we'll put all that to rights." "Where's the boy?" "Ah!" "There he is." "A handsome young man." "He has your eyes, doesn't he?" "And a little bit of the nose." "Very fit, in spite of all his travails." "A very resilient boy you've got here, Mrs. Collins." "I thought you were here to help me." "Well, I am." "Captain Jones said that the boy had been through some severe physical changes and asked me to drop in on him to reassure you in your time of motherly concern." "My motherly concern is not for him because he's not my son." "Now, statements like that will hardly help the boy's self-esteem, now will they?" "Captain Jones said something about a change in height?" "Yes." "Come." "Against the wall." "He's three inches shorter." "Ah, well..." "Hardly a mystery, Mrs. Collins." "We've known for some time that trauma can affect the growth of children." "Given the stress of the past five months, his spine may have actually shrunk." "It's uncommon, but it's within the realm of possibility." "And circumcision?" "Very likely his abductor thought it appropriate." "After all, circumcision is hygienically sound." "Must have been quite traumatic at the time." "No wonder he's submerged the memory." "I..." "You see, there's a perfectly sound medical explanation for all of this." "But it's right for you to raise the questions." "You need to be apprised of all changes the lad went through during his absence." "Wouldn't I know whether or not he's my son?" "I'm the mother." "Which means you're in no position to be objective." "You are looking through the prism of extreme emotion at a boy who has changed from what you remember." "He isn't the same boy that left here." "Just as a boy that goes off to war and then returns is not the same anymore." "And a mother's heart, driven by intuition and emotion, sees these changes and rebels, insists that this isn't your son." "Doesn't change the facts." "I'm willing to put my theory to the test of objectivity, Mrs. Collins." "Are you?" "It is absolutely outrageous!" "Calm yourself, calm yourself and just listen to me." "No, no, no." "No, you listen to me, please." "This so called doctor paraded me around my own neighborhood, like some kind of a derelict mother who didn't even know her own son." "And what was his findings?" "He found what he expected to find, what you obviously told him he would find." "Mrs. Collins." " But that's not..." "That's nothing to be embarrassed about." "That I was embarrassed is not the issue." "The point is that you are wasting time when you should be looking for my son." "But the report is final, Mrs. Collins." "Well, then I want to receive the report, so I can refute it, before it goes to anyone else." "Fine." "Yes." "Good day." "I'm finished." "Could I go to my room now?" "Yes." "Good night, Mommy." "Stop saying that!" "Stop saying that!" "I'm not your mother!" "I want my son back." "You're not him." "You're not my son!" "I want my son back." "I want my son back!" "Damn you!" "I want my son back!" "I was wrong to yell at you." "You're just a child and I don't think you know what you're doing, and the hurt you're causing." "But I need you to understand that my son is my life." "He's all I have." "And no matter what the police think, and no matter what the world thinks, you and I," "we both know the truth, don't we?" "We both know that you're not Walter." "You just have to tell them that you're not my son, so they can find my son." "Please." "We can talk tomorrow." "Hello?" "Is this Mrs. Christine Collins?" "Yes." "My name is Gustav Briegleb." "I'm the pastor over at St. Paul's Presbyterian." "Oh, yes, I've heard your broadcasts." "I'm..." "Thank you." "Have you read the Times this morning?" "No." "Well, maybe you should give it a gander and then come over here to the parish for breakfast, in, say, an hour." "I think we should meet." "Hello?" ""Mysterious case of..." ""Acting on the request of the Los Angeles Police Department," ""Dr. Earl W. Tarr, child specialist, examined Walter Collins" ""to determine the cause of his loss of weight," ""paleness, confusion, and rundown condition" ""noticed since the return of the boy" ""to his mother last Monday."" "Lovely bit of phrasing, isn't it?" "Noticed since the return of the boy to his mother." "Now, not only does that clearly state you're the boy's mother, but one could infer from it that you're somehow responsible for these changes." "And that the police department is concerned for the boy's welfare while he's in your charge." "You should try the eggs." "They're very nice." ""'I examined the boy quite thoroughly,' Dr. Tarr said," ""'And it's clear that he has something to tell." ""'I'm sure that in time..."' ...time he will give his boyish story of the entire affair, but not until he has faith in his listener." "And that is what is lacking here, faith in the poor lad's story." "Course of my examination, I found nothing to dispute the findings of the LAPD." "Why would they do this?" "To avoid admitting they made a mistake when they brought back the wrong boy." "Of course, anyone reading the newspaper with half a brain would see through it instantly." "Sadly, that would exclude about half the readership of the Times." "Mrs. Collins, I have made it my mission in life to bring to light all the things the LAPD wish none of us ever knew about." "A department ruled by violence, abuse, murder, corruption and intimidation." "When Chief Davis took over the force two years ago, he said..." "We will hold court against gunmen in the streets of Los Angeles." "I want them brought in dead, not alive, and I will reprimand any officer who shows the least mercy to a criminal." "He picked 50 of the most violent cops on the force, gave them machine guns and permission to shoot anyone who got in their way." "He called them the Gun Squad." "No lawyers, no trials, no questions, no suspensions, no investigations." "Just piles of bodies." "Bodies in the morgues, bodies in the hospitals, bodies by the side of the road." "And not because the LAPD wanted to wipe out crime." "No." "The LAPD wanted to wipe out the competition." "Mayor Cryer and half the force are on the take." "Gambling, prostitution, bootlegging, you name it." "Because once you give people the freedom to do whatever they want, as the Lord found in the Garden of Eden, they will do exactly that." "This police department does not tolerate dissent, or contradiction, or even embarrassment." "And you are in a position to embarrass them and they do not like it." "They will do anything in their power to discredit you." "I've seen that happen too many times to start going blind now." "That's why I wanted to meet you, to let you know what you're getting yourself into and to help you fight it, if you choose to." "Reverend, I appreciate everything that you're doing and everything that you said, but I'm not on a mission." "I just want my son home." "Mrs. Collins, a lot of mothers' sons have been sacrificed to expediency around here." "Your son, unfortunately, would not be the first." "But if you do it right, he may very well be the last." "He had two cavities that needed filling." "He put up a fight, but I took care of it." "And?" "Your son's upper front teeth were separated by a small tissue, a diastema." "It made them sit about an eighth of an inch apart." "The boy in that room has no such gap." "Can that change with age?" "Because that's what they're gonna say." "In some cases, yes, it's possible." "But the tissue between Walter's teeth prevents that from happening." "See, they can never come together without an operation to sever the tissue, and I can tell you right now that he has never had such an operation." "Would you be willing to put that officially in writing?" "Pardon my language, but hell yes." "Sounds like the anesthetic's wearing off." "On the other hand, maybe I'll write that letter first." "Give the little fella something to think about." "Well, if it is, he's changed enormously." "Do you know who I am?" "You're a teacher." "Yes, but even teachers have names." "What's mine?" "I don't remember." "I know you, but I don't remember your name." "Mrs. Fox." "Now, take your seat." "I didn't say take a seat." "I said take your seat, the one assigned you." "You must know where it is, you've been sitting in it for over a year now." "Mrs. Collins, if that's your son, I'll eat my yardstick." "Not only will I put it in writing, I will testify to it in a court of law or to the President Calvin Coolidge himself if I have to." "Thank you." "I'll see you tonight for the broadcast." "Good luck." "Quick question, ma'am." "Quick question!" "Mrs. Collins." "Hello." "My name is Christine Collins." "Good morning." " Good morning." "On March 10th, my nine-year-old son, Walter Collins, disappeared." "And a five-month investigation led to a boy being brought to Los Angeles from DeKalb, Illinois." "They told me and all of you that this boy was my son." "He was not my son." "The LAPD made a mistake, and that is the reason for the supposed transformation." "I have letters from his teachers and his doctors all confirming that he is not my son." "I'm having them reprinted now, and I'll have them for you tomorrow." "I have given the LAPD every opportunity to admit their mistake and renew the search for my son." "Since they have refused to do so, it has forced me to bring my case public." "And I hope that this now will persuade them to finish what they started and bring my son home to me." "Thank you very much." "Morelli!" "I want you to find the Collins woman and get her here." "And, Bill, bring her in the back way." "Yes, sir." "This way, miss." "Why are we going in the back?" "Captain's orders." "Front's jammed with reporters." "Please, sit down, miss." "Captain Jo"