"(CLATTER)" "♪ (THEME) ♪" "(SNEEZE)" "Mannix s5e13 Catspaw" "(COUGHING)" "(SNEEZE)" "Gesundheit!" "Good morning, Joe." "The weekend didn't do you much good." "I'm just fine." "I thought I told you to stay home until you got over that cold." "Did you?" "I don't remember." "(SNEEZE)" "Did you call the doctor?" "Joe, I've got so much work to do." "Forget it." "Go home." "Now." "And call the doctor." "Someone has to be in the office, Joe." "I'm going to close up shop for the day." "I happen to have a golf game." "(PHONE RINGS)" "Mr. Mannix' office." "Oh, yes, he is, Art." "Just a second." "Lieutenant Malcolm." "Yeah, Art." "Joe" "Look, Art, unless it registers 8 on the Richter scale, we'll talk about it tomorrow, okay?" "Joe, you'd better listen." "What is it, Art?" "Rotten news." "In fact, it couldn't be worse." "Somebody killed Tip Ellis." "You know who did it?" "Not yet." "The Fresno Police Department just called me." "He was found this morning on the stairway of a building shot to death." "He had an office there." "An office?" "He was on a job, using the office as a cover" "It evidently happened sometime over the weekend." "What was the job?" "He was working for a company called Stonehurst International." "Joe." "I'm sorry." "Yeah, sure." "Thanks for calling, Art." "Joe, what can I say?" "Peggy, would you throw some things in a bag for me?" "Good morning, Mr. Mannix." "Morning, Tom." "I'll let you know where I'll be." "Got a bundle for you this morning, mostly junk." "That's the story of my life." "Leave it with Peggy, huh?" "Hi, Tom." "Hi." "Time for a cup of coffee?" "Not a chance." "That junk mail's got me 20 minutes behind schedule." "There ought to be a law." "(PEGGY CHUCKLES)" "♪♪ (ORGAN)" "Margaret." "Margaret, if there's anything you need" "All I ever needed was Tip." "What are you doing here, Frankie?" "Same as you, Joe." "Paying my respects to the dead." "Tip Ellis never associated with punks when he was alive." "I don't think he'd want to start now." "Me?" "I'm a consultant on labor relations." "Who were you consulting with in Fresno?" "It's no great secret that I offered my services to Stonehurst International." "Which they turned down." "Also no great secret." "Is that because Tip gave you a bad character reference?" "Look, Mannix, advice, okay?" "Don't get the wrong ideas." "No wrong ideas, Frankie." "I'm just going to get the man that murdered Tip." "I hope you do get him." "I don't want to walk around with a cloud over my head." "I'll even pay the tab." "No, thanks, Frankie." "There might be a conflict of interest." "Since Tip Ellis was working undercover for us here at Stonehurst International, naturally his murder came as a terrible shock to us." "(DOOR OPENS)" "Oh, Miles, yes, come in." "I want you to meet Joe Mannix, uh, private investigator." "Miles Stark, Security Police." "How do you do." "Mr. Mannix." "Miles, sit down." "But why are you so concerned, Mr. Mannix?" "Well, let's just say I don't like people going around killing private investigators." "Every time it happens, our life insurance policy rates go up." "Speaking of insurance, ours has really gone up lately, what with trucks burned and machinery sabotaged." "Labor troubles?" "No, no." "But that's the impression someone was trying to make." "Someone named Frankie West?" "(Maxwell) We haven't any proof." "Then we hired Tip Ellis to see if he can get something on West so we can give to the police-- Well, I think he found it." "I think that's why he got killed." "But he was making progress." "The first day on the job, Tip discovered that our phones were being tapped." "Hmm." "I'd like to take a look at the office Tip was using as a cover." "(PHONE RINGS)" "I'll see to it you get a key." "Thank you." "(RING)" "Yes?" "Oh, uh, hold on." "Your secretary." "Thank you." "Yeah, Peggy." "Where are you?" "Still at the office." "I thought we decided you were going home." "Please, Joe." "I've been trying to reach you all day." "A letter marked "confidential" was delivered right after you left the office." "Who's it from?" "There's no return address on it, but, Joe, it's postmarked Fresno." "Oh, yeah." "I'll bet it's from that blonde I met up here at the rodeo last fall." "Blonde?" "Yeah, the one that dared you to ride bareback, remember?" "Oh yeah, and I said to her, "You can ride with your back as bare as you like, but this lady's wearing a shirt."" "That's right." "Look, just put it in the "in" basket." "I'll read it when I get there." "When will that be?" "Uh, sometime tomorrow." "I'm going to spend the night here." "And, Peggy, I want you to go home." "Call Dr. Walker before that cold turns into pneumonia." "Do you understand?" "I promise, Joe." "Goodbye." "Bye." "I don't recall any rodeo up here last fall." "And I don't recall meeting a blonde." "But I just received a letter with a Fresno postmark marked "confidential."" "Oh, I see." "The blonde is for the benefit of whoever is tapping the telephone." "That's right." "Think that letter has any bearing on the case?" "Well, I won't know that until I read it tomorrow." "Hello, son." "I'm the doctor." "Where's your mother?" "In bed." "I'll show you." "Okay." "Right through there." "Thank you, sonny." "Hello, Mrs. Fair." "I'm Dr. Chase." "Hello, Doctor." "Sorry to drag you out this time of night." "Aw, don't give it another thought, Mrs. Fair." "The answering service said Dr. Walker was also ill." "Nothing too serious, I hope." "No, no." "He's probably got the same thing you have." "That bug is making the rounds." "Doesn't know a doctor from a patient." "(PEGGY CHUCKLES)" "Hold it!" "Who are you?" "I was about to ask you the same question." "Fresno Police Department." "I'm asking you again." "Who are you?" "Private investigator." "Name is Joe Mannix." "Easy." "My license." "I'm Sergeant Juan Rivas." "It might have occurred to you to touch base with us, Mannix." "Yeah." "This is going to sting a little." "Can you take it?" "Okay." "Steady." "That a girl." "Now, look, you'll probably start feeling better tomorrow, but I'd take it easy for a couple of days." "Get as much rest as you can." "Now, Mrs. Fair, starting with 100, I want you to count backwards aloud." "Why?" "To find out if the medicine's working." "100... 99... 98... 97..." "Very good." "Uh...93..." "Ninety..." "Can you hear me?" "Yes." "You received a letter today postmarked Fresno." "Yes." "Did you open it?" "No." "Excellent." "Excellent." "Where is that letter now?" "At the office." "Where in the office?" "Where in the office?" "In the safe." "What is the combination of that safe?" "Oh, now, Mrs. Fair, if you're going to get better, you have to confide in me." "That makes sense, doesn't it?" "Okay, then." "What is the combination of that safe?" "The combination, please." "Right once to 7... left twice to 24..." "Go on, go on." "Right once to 50." "Thank you very much indeed." "Now, Mrs. Fair... there's just one more thing." "You are going to forget this entire conversation." "It never happened." "Do you understand?" "Yes, Doctor." "You will remember only that the doctor came and gave you a shot for your cold." "Good night, Mrs. Fair." "I hope you get rid of that bug." "Coffee ready in a second, Art." "All right." "He woke me up this morning to tell me to meet him at 9:00." "It's after 9:30 now." "Where is he?" "What's it all about, Peggy?" "Why don't you ask him that?" "Hi, Art." "Joe." "This is Sergeant Rivas, Fresno Police." "Lieutenant Malcolm." "How are you?" "Lieutenant." "And my secretary Peggy Fair." "Hello." "Who, incidentally, should still be in bed." "I'm feeling much better, Joe." "The doctor came and gave me a shot last night." "Where's the letter, Peggy?" "In the safe." "Lieutenant, I know I'm invading your territory, but since this started on my turf, I'd like to follow through." "Sure." "After that double-talk on the phone yesterday," "I figured the letter was important, so I put it in the safe." "Does this have something to do with Tip Ellis' death?" "Might even tell us who killed him." "Joe, it's gone." "Are you sure you put it in there?" "I'm positive." "I put it right on top." "Then it's got to be here someplace." "Well, let's take a look." "What letter?" "The one I think Tip Ellis sent to me in Fresno on the night he was killed." "Lieutenant, I'd like to point out this safe's a Kessler." "You open it either with the combination or ten hours of sweat over an electric drill." "I don't see any holes in it." "Peggy, who had the combination to this safe besides you and Joe?" "No one." "That lets Mannix off." "He was with me all night." "Just a minute." "Easy, Peggy." "What's that crack supposed to mean?" "Someone wanted what was in that letter." "It might have been worth a lot of money." "So?" "So money can tempt anyone." "Now just hold-- Peggy." "The sergeant's been up a little too long." "He's not thinking clearly." "She said herself only you two knew the combination." "Yeah." "Lieutenant, I know I'm out of my jurisdiction, but.. but that letter might have contained the evidence we needed to find out who killed Tip Ellis." "I'm officially asking you to take her down to headquarters and question her." "You listen to me, Sarge." "Hold it." "Now let's all calm down." "Sergeant, Frankie West was putting pressure on Stonehurst International." "He's got an apartment over at the Delmoore." "Let's go over and have a chat with him." "Okay, it's your ballpark, Lieutenant." "If it were mine, I'd tell her not to leave town." "She's not going to leave town." "Joe, I don't understand it." "I know I put it there." "Take it easy, huh?" "Come on, sit down." "Relax." "Joe, he just accused me of selling out." "Forget it." "Just forget it." "I feel so.. so" "Yeah, yeah, I know." "Peggy." "Now look, I'm-- I'm going to ask you just one question, and then I want you to go home." "What question?" "Did you ever write down the combination?" "No." "I mean, just so that you wouldn't forget it." "No." "Now think back, Peggy." "Maybe you put it in your purse, then somewhere-- say, in a restaurant, for instance-- you put your purse down and" "Still no." "Peggy, I'm only trying to find a logical explanation." "Joe, how many times do I have to tell you?" "No, no, no!" "Take it easy." "Come on, calm down." "Hey, look, why don't you go on-- You don't believe me!" "Of course I do." "Why don't you take a week off and go to Palm Springs?" "You're just trying to get rid of me while you're working on this case, aren't you?" "Why don't you take two weeks, on the house, and bake out that cold?" "Oh, I'll take two weeks, Joe, but not on the house." "Now, look, Peggy, why don't we discuss this later when you feel" "We've already discussed it." "And as of now, I'm not on the payroll." "Definitely a myope." "Nearsighted." "Very." "What else?" "Oculus sinister." "Meaning that's the lens for the left eye." "Mm!" "You remember your schoolboy Latin, do you?" "Some." "What about the right eye?" "Uh, no way to tell." "Maybe perfect vision." "May be blind." "I'd need the other lens." "Dr. Jenkins, based on what you have, could you write out a prescription?" "Half a prescription." "Well, half is better than none." "What are you doing home so early, Mommy?" "Hi, darling." "Mommy isn't feeling well." "I bet if Dr, Walker had come last night, you'd be all better." "Dr. Walker was ill.." "He" "Toby, what was the name of the doctor that did come last night?" "I don't know, but I didn't like him." "He patted me on the head." "Toby, there's-- there's some ice cream in the freezer." "Before dinner?" "Wow!" "Sally?" "This is Peggy Fair." "Is Dr. Walker back to work yet?" "I thought he was out ill last night." "Oh, I see." "No, I guess it was something I misunderstood from the answering service." "By the way, who does cover for Dr. Walker when he's unavailable?" "Dr. Miller?" "What does he look like?" "I see." "Thanks, Sally." "Thanks very much." "Mannix." "Back in the car." "Where are we going?" "Get in." "I'll show you." "(Woman) Which girl did you talk to last night, Mrs. Fair?" "Anyone on duty might have taken the call." "I'm sorry, I don't know her name, but she spoke with a slight accent." "Oh, that would be Stella Kobel." "(SWITCHBOARD BUZZES)" "Just a moment, please, be right with you." "(Peggy) Is she here?" "Not on this shift." "But as a matter of fact, she won't be here at all from now on." "(SWITCHBOARD BUZZES) Yes?" "Just a moment, please." "(Peggy) Why not?" "She quit last night." "Said something about moving to Hawaii." "(SWITCHBOARD BUZZES) Yes?" "Just a moment." "Do you have an address on her?" "She lives over on 3rd at the Dorset Arms." "Apartment 1D." "(SWITCHBOARD BUZZER) No, I'm sorry, he isn't." "May I take a message?" "Thank you." "Inside." "Now the question is, Frankie, am I going to shove this down your throat or his?" "Get up, hero." "All right, Frankie, what do you want?" "To make you an offer." "How does 10 grand sound?" "For what?" "A little information." "Keep talking." "There's some kind of letter floating around." "It's supposed to contain proof that I'm the guy that was mixed up with Stonehurst International and Tip Ellis." "Mm-hmm." "I see." "How do you, uh, know about a letter?" "Lieutenant Malcolm and some hick cop from Fresno gave me a bad half hour this morning." "Nothing my lawyer couldn't handle." "But Fresno let it slip." "Have you any idea what's in that letter, Joe?" "A pretty good idea." "No." "No, I don't think you do know." "Because if you did and it had anything to do with me, true or false, you'd have told Malcolm and I'd be in custody by now." "Couldn't happen to a nicer guy." "That letter's a fake, Joe." "How do you know that?" "Someone's trying to frame me." "Someone's always trying to frame you, Frankie." "20,000 bucks, Mannix, if you find that letter and give it to me unopened." "You said the letter was a fake." "It is, but someone else might not think so." "You know what I think really happened, Frankie?" "No, tell me." "The second-story man you hired to burgle my safe double-crossed you." "He read the letter and decided it was worth a thousand times what you paid him to steal it." "So you're offering me 20,000 for it because he wants a million." "Oh, uh, pardon the intrusion, ma'am." "(KNOCKING)" "(MUTTERING)" "Operator, give me the police." "I want an ambulance immediately at 1343rd Street, Apartment 1D." "The..." "The living... end..." "When I called the answering service," "Stella Kobel told me that my regular doctor was out sick, that another doctor was on standby." "I thought she could tell me who he was." "When I got here, she was dying." "Peggy, are you sure you can't remember what that doctor looked like?" "I'm sorry, Art, I can't." "I don't know why, but I just can't remember." "Hi, Art." "Joe." "Peggy, just curiosity." "Which one of us did you call first?" "I called him right after I called you, Art." "I figured he ought to know." "What happened to her, Art?" "Accidental overdose of insulin." "She was diabetic." "Accidental?" "We're checking it out." "Peggy, you said that she mumbled something just before she died." "It sounded like "the living end."" "For her, it was." "Come on, Peggy." "I'll drive you home." "I guess I was kind of a pill yesterday." "As a matter of fact, you were." "Well, I feel much better now." "Good." "Look, Peggy, check out all of Stella Kobel's acquaintances." "That may lead us to the doctor." "Right." "Then call around and see if anyone's ordered one contact lens in the last couple of days-- for the left eye." "And then take an ad in all the Fresno papers offering a reward for information on Tip Ellis' whereabouts last week." "That was a pretty short two-week vacation." "Joe!" "...meaning your eyelids are getting very heavy." "So heavy, Anthony." "You're both becoming very drowsy." "Your eyes are closing." "You will not be able to open them until I tell you to open them." "You are falling asleep." "You are asleep." "All right, Anthony and Jeannie, open your eyes." "A couple of friends of yours out here tell me that your favorite sport is tennis." "That's right, eh?" "Yeah." "Okay, you want to see some tennis, eh?" "Maybe better than the pros." "All right, come on, let's have some tennis." "All right, I give you these racquets." "There we go." "And the court is right down here." "Come on." "(CHUCKLING IN AUDIENCE)" "That a girl." "That's.." "Oh, don't stumble over the net, Anthony." "It's right across here, see?" "(AUDIENCE LAUGHS)" "Beautiful." "Okay." "Okay." "Now, Anthony, have you got a good serve?" "Oh, yeah, yeah." "Really hard?" "Oh, hard." "Well?" "Okay, you serve, right?" "Okay." "Give it a bounce." "See how much life there is in it." "Now, Jeannie, you've got to watch this fast serve, all right?" "You're gonna get it." "I don't remember." "Okay, go!" "Okay, Jean, you've got it backhand." "Backhand." "That's good." "It's back, back, right on the line, right on the line." "Anthony's got a volley, get it back fast!" "Good." "Forehand, forehand." "Anthony, that's good." "It's a pop." "It's a pop, Anthony, way out!" "See it?" "It's coming down, coming down." "Now okay, now you've got to catch it." "Got to catch it in your mouth." "In your mouth, okay?" "Got to get it in your mouth, all right?" "Hold it!" "(AUDIENCE LAUGHS)" "Now, let's have an instant replay, only this instant replay is going to be in slow motion." "Okay?" "Ball is in your mouth." "Go." "That a boy." "Now serve it." "Oh, beautiful." "Beautiful form, and you get it, Jeannie." "That's right, on the backhand, way back there." "Good." "Forehand." "And now it's lovely." "She gets it." "It pops way up there." "He's gonna catch it with his mouth." "Hold it." "(AUDIENCE LAUGHS)" "Okay, uh..." "Anthony?" "Anthony?" "Wake up." "Listen, Anthony, tell us..." "Nothing?" "What have you been doing?" "He seems familiar, but" "(Anthony) Nothing, just standing here." "(AUDIENCE LAUGHS)" "Well, what are you doing with a tennis racquet in your hand?" "Thank you, Anthony." "You've been a great sport." "Give him a hand, ladies and gentlemen." "Lovely sport." "(APPLAUSE) And, uh, Jeannie... you are going to forget everything that happened here." "Do you understand?" "Okay, Jeannie, wake up." "Okay, take your seat." "Give her a hand." "Lovely sport." "Okay, Nicky, stop twiddling." "Wake up, okay?" "And, Francine, you can come out of that happy dream, all right?" "Give them a hand, ladies and gentlemen." "They're okay." "We'll walk you to your seats." "Take your seats again." "Thank you, ladies and gentlemen." "You've been a wonderful audience." "Stick with your drinks." "I'll be back in an hour and a half for the second show." "Thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen." "Joe, I remember now." "He's the one." "(SCREAMING)" "Edwin Mansfield alias Edward Martin alias Edson Moore." "An ex-con man." "Served six years at Folsom for.. nah." "Uh, practicing medicine without a license." "He was still practicing the other night." "Oh, thanks, Charley." "Oh, the M.E. found a puncture mark under Mansfield's left shoulder blade indicating somebody got him in the back with that syringe." "It was loaded with strychnine." "Are there any prints on that syringe?" "Uh, the lab picked up one latent print." "Not enough to put through the files." "I wouldn't if I were you." "My idea is this is tied in with that telephone operator that Peggy found, that Stella Kobel." "She was no accident, either." "Will you talk to Miss Devore now, Lieutenant?" "Oh, yeah." "Bring her in, will you?" "Miss Devore?" "Come in, Miss Devore." "Sit down, won't you?" "Do you feel well enough to answer some questions for me, Miss Devore?" "Sure." "It was just the shock of finding him there like that." "I mean, he wasn't the love of my life or anything like that." "We found these in his pocket." "Any idea how he got them?" "The 10,000.." "No." "I swear it." "10?" "We only found 8,000, Miss Devore." "You're kidding." "He had 10 yesterday." "How do you know that?" "Because just before the first show, he comes into my dressing room with this proposition." "He says he has a gig and he's leaving for Mexico City and he wants me to go with him." "So I says "Oh, maybe".. we'd talk about it after the midnight show." "But he says he wouldn't be around at all that night, that he had a command performance someplace else." "So we just talked about it there." "Well?" "What about the 10,000?" "Well, I was just getting to that." "Well, I said Mexico might not be so hot for me because the police there don't take too kindly of, uh, exotic dancers." "And he says, "Well, don't worry about it, honey." "I'm loaded."" "And then he pulled out 10 $1,000 dollar bills and waved them underneath my nose." "Thanks, Miss Devore." "You'll keep yourself available, won't you?" "Who's going anywhere now?" "So where's the missing 2,000?" "I think it was a payoff." "Con men like Mansfield don't go in for housebreaking." "He needed an expert, someone who could slip in and out of my office without leaving a trace." "And this second party collected his fee, double-crossed Mansfield by slipping him the wrong letter." "That's what it looks like." "So some cat burglar is walking around town with 2,000 dollars and Tip's letter, and we haven't got the slightest idea who he is." "I've got half an idea." "Half?" "Oculus sinister." "What?" "Whoever it is, he's nearsighted in his left eye." "According to the warden, the seven men on this list were Mansfield's closest buddies while he was in here." "I'd like to know if any of them wear glasses." "Well, I'll check it." "What are you looking for, Mr. Mannix?" "I'm investigating a burglary, and I'd like to know if any of those men wear contact lenses that might match this prescription." "Hmm." "Well, uh, three of the seven wore glasses." "But the oculus sinister of only one precisely fits this prescription." "And he wore contact lenses." "Who is he?" "Uh..." "Eddie Mixus." "Is he still here in prison?" "No." "He was released nine months ago." "What was he in for?" "Breaking and entering." "Thanks, Doctor." "Joe, I've got something." "Okay, Peggy, go ahead." "I think that ad in the Fresno papers paid off." "A woman just called, and she says that she saw a man answering Tip's description at the Fresno Public library last week, three times." "Thanks, Peggy." "I'm on my way." "Oh, I'm sorry." "Yes, I remember him." "He was in last week." "Did he ask for any particular book?" "No, not a book." "He wanted back issues of a newspaper." "Which one?" "The New York Chronicle." "Any idea what year?" "No." "How many years back do you carry?" "Oh, back to about 1900, I'm afraid." "Oh." "Well, thanks anyway." "Oh, wait a minute, Mr. Mannix." "I might be able to narrow that down." "It is important." "Well, I believe.." "Now, I'm not positive, but I believe he had an item photostated, and if he did, we'll have a receipt." "Let me see.. back to.." "Oh, yes, here it is." "Front page, reel number 108-- September 14, 1961." "Here it is." "Ah." "September 14." "Here it is." "Is there any way of knowing which of the articles he had photostated?" "No." "I'm sorry." "Hmm." "Vic Elder.. is that E-L-D-E-R, Joe?" "Right." "The New York Police had him in custody for some kind of a swindle back in September of 1961." "I wonder if you'd call New York and ask them to photofax his mug shot." "I'll get right on it." "Good." "I'm taking the first plane back." "Right." "(TYPING)" "All alone, Peggy?" "No, Willy." "It's a class reunion, only it was a small class." "Where's Mannix?" "Oh, he'll be along." "Why?" "Is he in the market?" "Depends on what you're selling." "The word's out the cops are looking for Eddie Mixus and Mannix is interested, too." "No comment." "I could peddle my info downtown." "You could, but you prefer our prices." "I prefer." "I'm listening." "I know where Eddie Mixus is holed up." "How much?" "Well, now, this is gonna be a very big sale, Peggy." "Oh, Willy, skip the snow job." "How much?" "200." "Sold." "Just like that?" "Just like that." "Aw, I shoulda asked for 5 bills." "Come on now, Willy, a deal is a deal." "Okay, okay." "A construction shack off Barham Road." "(Frankie) Who's hiding there, Willy?" "Well, songbird, have you lost your voice?" "Look, Mr. West, I" "I asked you a question." "Eddie Mixus is holed up there." "Listen, Mr. West, if I had known he was a friend of yours, they could have cut out my tongue before I'd say a word." "Goodbye, Willy." "Please, Mr. West." "You heard Mr. West." "Where's Mannix?" "Not here." "Just a minute." "He should be back soon." "He.." "He'd probably want to talk to you." "Would you like to wait?" "Some other time." "Operator, this is an emergency call." "Give me police headquarters." "(RING)" "Mr. Mannix' office." "Would you hold, please?" "Joe?" "Where are you?" "At the airport." "I'll be there in half an hour." "Joe, Eddie Mixus is holed up in a construction shack off Barham Road." "Yes, and, Joe, Frankie West knows about it." "He was here." "Frankie." "(Mannix) Hold it, Eddie." "(Frankie) As a good citizen, Lieutenant," "I thought it was my duty to hand this over to the police." "Especially since there's nothing in it to implicate you, right, Frankie?" "Huh, it's Tip's handwriting, all right." "Where did you get a hold of that, Frankie?" "It was sent to me anonymously." "From under Eddie Mixus' table." "I told you from the start, Mannix, that I felt someone was trying to frame me." "I wanted to see what was in that letter." "I do have the right to protect myself." "Bye-bye, Mannix." "Lieutenant." "This just came over the wire from New York." "Vic Elder." "I don't know him." "Do you?" "Yeah." "We've met." "(DOOR OPENS)" "What are you doing here, Mannix?" "Well, I thought you might like to know I found out who murdered Tip Ellis." "Frankie West." "Uh-uh." "I thought so at first, too." "But it turned out to be a racketeer named Vic Elder." "His specialty is infiltrating big companies and then bleeding them dry." "This Vic Elder, you think he's here in Fresno?" "I thought maybe you might tell me that." "Recognize him?" "It's, uh, very difficult." "Try that." "Oh." "You've been busy." "You hired Tip to find something on Frankie West to get him off your back." "Instead, as he was digging, he found out that you were Vic Elder." "Is that why Tip died?" "To keep these books from being examined?" "How much, Mannix, for keeping your mouth shut?" "$50,000." "All right." "Per murder." "Tip Ellis, Mansfield the phony doctor, the telephone operator Stella Kobel-- three." "You shoulda quit when you were ahead, Mannix." "Is that the gun you used on Tip Ellis?" "Do I look that stupid?" "Well, I'd say leaving a fingerprint on the hypodermic needle you jabbed in Mansfield's back was pretty stupid." "You said it went without a hitch." "It did." "He's bluffing, trying to buy some time." "And I imagine you gave Stella Kobel that overdose of insulin, too, huh?" "Well, at least that was a cleaner job." "No cleaner than this is gonna be, Mannix." "Turn around." "Lean on the table." "You all right, Mannix?" "Yeah." "Well, I'd say you were a couple of seconds late, Rivas." "Well, from the time we met," "I'm afraid I haven't been as sharp as I could have been." "Yeah." "Oh, Mannix, I'm sorry." "I'll, uh, tell my secretary that."