Heroin.
He had heroin that made his way.
I'll have to expose it myself. You fool.
You're not a very good liar.
I got nothing to hide.
I suspected you. Ten minutes after him.
All right, lieutenant, you when you're behind this.
Yes, it's a real mess.
Do they know who did it? He had an accident.
What are you getting it, lieutenant?
There is no power on Earth could induce me to keep the lid on this.
Something just computed.
Russia for treatment.
China is.
seven Missile Attack China.
17 and 18 year after year.
OK, I'll get right on.
Dr. Gail,
yes, Ross, I'm sorry to disturb you, sir, but Dr.
Nicholson insisted, I give this to him once.
You seem very agitated.
He's waiting in your office.
All right, Greg.
We will postpone the rest of World War three
until after lunch, gentlemen, the results so far are completely unsatisfactory.
As a matter of fact, the retaliatory response indicates a total defeat,
75% mortality rate for the Western hemisphere.
I suggest that you abort plan are 17 and devote the rest of the afternoon
to preparing and computing and operating in response
to attack on the weekend after dinner, hopefully
with a more auspicious protection for the free world.
The calls and Marshall are.
Now, what the hell is this all about?
Precisely what it says.
Your son is not going to receive that award tomorrow.
And why not?
Because he is not the scientist of the year.
If anything, is the fraud of the year, Howard?
Oh, you must have suspected the truth yourself.
Deep down, a theory of molecular matter was way beyond Neil's powers.
Howard, you are a chemist,
and I would say that your ability to analyze a man's intellectual capacity
is way beyond your powers or is this psychological deduction
something your wife came up with
considering that Neil has been in therapy with her?
I assure you, it's more chemical and psychological.
It's on paper in my filing cabinet.
What is the evidence?
Marshall Carl Finch developed
that theory of molecular activity before he returned to England.
Neil was his research assistant.
He'd have had access to the notes car left with me.
No time just gone over for the first time since cause death.
Your son put his own name to the work.
This is true, I didn't finish publishers theories themselves
because there was no such thing
then as a K40 for a computer to verify the equation.
But there is now right here in this institute, readily available to your son.
Neil is a competent computer analyst, and that's all he is.
What do you intend to do?
I've asked my wife
to persuade Neal to confess his plagiarism to the National Science Organization
and to decline the award at the luncheon in San Francisco tomorrow.
And if she doesn't persuade him.
And I'll have to expose it myself
unless you can persuade him to admit the theft.
He certainly does whatever you tell him to do.
You resent me so much you're willing to destroy my son.
Oh, it's you who have destroyed in Marshall, but not with love,
with browbeating domination.
He stole the work of a giant
to win the approval of a tyrant.
You're a radical Howard.
Yes, and a dangerous one to you at the moment.
Bellegarde finches, dead,
this isn't going to do him any good.
It's not going to do anybody, any good.
What will it
take to get you to forget the whole thing?
O'Neill himself does not confess.
There is no power on Earth could induce me
to keep the lid on this.
Well, you got your acceptance speech ready.
Yeah.
Simple enough, just thank you and.
I owe it all to the opportunities
afforded me by the Cybernetic Research Institute.
You know, sometimes you make humility
sound more like a vice than a virtue.
I suppose.
Suppose
I told you, I don't deserve this award, just what I would expect from you.
Self-effacing humility, credit to lab assistants, credit to experiments
by your predecessors.
That's not what I mean.
You know you'll be as humble as you like.
Einstein was the most modest man I ever met.
Sure, you can afford to be. He was a genius.
And so are
you, according to the National Science Organization.
Right.
All right,
very proud.
Checkmate.
Why did you do that?
Oh, Dr.
Kayode.
They just got W7 Motion
Mode offering is a sore loser.
He was more impressive when he was unbeatable.
Well, he still is DR.
It's just that I thought it'd be fun to make him a little more human.
So I switched to a couple of circuits,
a little more adjustments with that.
Can her you'll be as temperamental as a chess champion.
He's your baby, Steve.
I daresay perfection can be a bore.
Yes, sir.
It's a matter of fact.
All work and no play doesn't make Jack a dull boy.
one provision we to make him this institute was recreational facilities
for children.
We didn't count on having a boy genius.
I know we're going to have to drive to his lab more often.
Yeah.
Starting tonight, if you like my secretary tells me that you expressed
interest in seeing that movie at the drive in yesterday.
The loves of Frankenstein.
Well, I can't join.
Well, she won't take me.
It's R-rated.
No one under 17 alone was accompanied by a parent or guardian.
Well, perhaps I can persuade Murph to be your guardian.
Really? That would be really me.
Thanks.
Okay.
Hey, Merv.
Hey. Hi, I'm having a little trouble.
Ah, same old problem.
Pilot light keeps going off.
Yeah, well, you'll like it.
And one day when everybody's using them,
you'll be the only mechanic, but you can cope with it.
Well, if you've got enough matches, you won't need a mechanic.
But if I'm going to ask you for a small favor?
Sure.
I need somebody to take the young Spellbreak boy to the movies tonight.
Oh, you got other plans?
No, no. It's.
Well, listen, the kid makes me nervous.
Well, it's not what he says.
Or does it just my knowing how smart he is?
Well, we'll forget about that for night.
You punch your card in for overtime and the movies in the hamburgers
are on me, huh?
OK, doc, thanks for.
Claiming they're quite ready,
we will begin the R18+ problem.
Turn on the juice, please.
I love some coffee on for you.
Oh, thank you, dear.
That was starting at eight,
so I probably won't be back until late morning after the market.
Get some kickers and we'll have a fine English breakfast.
Oh, you're too good to me.
You're too easy to please.
How many husbands would say that to a wife who is about to stay out all night?
True.
But how many husbands whose wives stay out all night
can reassure themselves that she's monitoring a group therapy
marathon, especially husbands my age with young wives?
I haven't seen any new models I trade you in for.
Margaret.
Might finally be
a very effective retaliation, then without knowing your.
Well, I think we could all use a drink.
It's been a hard life.
You're all invited to join me for it.
I come across. Hi.
And I just can't get
used to these transmissions.
I have been dean of this academy for over 20 years,
and we have never had a situation like this.
Believe me, sir, I know you've done your best.
If a student fails, we consider it our failure, not his.
To be honest with you, I was afraid of something like this.
We've had a lot of problems with them at middle.
Then you do understand.
We consider it best that you withdraw him. Yes.
I'm very sorry, Lieutenant
just sits around the house and rolls, never moves
with no Adobe should do so, even if he just barks No.
Oh, yes.
Oh, Lieutenant, it's for you.
Yeah.
Colombo.
Where?
I'll be right over.
I got to go to work
my wife and kids, they're visiting my mother up in Fresno.
You don't suppose you could keep it for another week.
I'm sorry he demoralizes the other students.
I won't be gone long.
What happened diseases?
Howard Douglas, a male Caucasian age 64,
died last night between eight and 9:00.
Multiple fractures, skull, ribs, legs.
It's a real mess.
Any sign of a weapon? No.
You better look for a couple of baseball bats.
Alibaug up for you in the morning.
Okay, boys. Now
these are the affectionate pocket.
All right.
Thanks, Bill.
What do you make it?
Oh, possible robbery victims
watch and wallet are missing in a can of heroin.
Heroin.
He had heroin. Well, it was a chemist.
He has a lab in his garage.
We checked, and apparently the only thing missing is a kind of heroin
add out there.
But I don't understand heroin is in a garage.
But he was killed here. Beats me.
Who found the body?
Margaret Nicholson this morning, she here.
Yeah, upstairs, I'll get her.
I. 12,
345671234.
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday.
Right? Right.
Last night was Thursday Thursday.
Lieutenant Columbo,
this is Margaret Nicholson.
How do you do, ma'am?
I'm sorry to bother you at this time.
I'd like to get it over with as quickly as possible.
Yes, ma'am, right away.
I understand that you found your father here this morning.
That's right.
And he's my husband, not my father.
Oh, I'm sorry.
It's a common mistake.
Go on. Can
you found him here this morning?
You weren't here last night.
I was at the institute. I'm a psychologist.
We were having an all night therapy session.
I see.
I understand that there was some heroin in your husband's
laboratory, and that's missing if it's gone.
Why did he have heroin?
He was doing some drug research for the government.
Was he expecting anyone last night? No.
I left shortly before he.
He was working in the garage, right?
And you didn't see any money.
No, Margaret.
Excuse me.
Margaret, I am so sorry.
Why don't you stay in one of the staff shortages?
Thank you.
I was planning to do that.
Oh, this is Lieutenant Columbo.
Marshall Cale,
Professor Nicholson was a close friend and associate.
Margaret, why don't you go on?
I don't think you should stay here any longer, but you have to.
All right.
Okay.
I think that's a good idea.
Excuse me.
It's a terrible thing.
Just can't believe it.
Howard Nicholson, excuse me, sir.
Just what kind of work did the professor do?
He was a leading chemist then with the institute for almost ten years.
What's the Institute Cybernetics Research Institute?
Was that earlier you're on the premises right now,
you might call it the think tank lieutenant.
All of the sacred as part of the Institute for a Think Tank,
I read about that in the paper. Yeah,
as a place for geniuses, right?
Yeah.
Right?
May I ask, sir,
just what is it that you do here?
I'm the director.
Exactly what happened here in the town.
Well, sir, I'm not too deeply into the case yet,
so it's hard for me to say. But
you know, so far I would say it's very confusing.
And she was in what way?
Um, well, you know, he was last seen in the garage
and he was working in a garage and a heroin was in the garage
where the struggle took place here and the body was found here.
So that makes it hard for me to picture exactly
what happened.
two drinks you around the table.
You know, that would indicate that
the professor no, the killing, they were having drinks together.
But the missing watch in the heroin, you know, that indicates robbery.
Perhaps a robber was somebody who knew.
Right, that's a possibility, sir.
But on the other hand, you see if the killer known Professor Nicholson
maybe just took the watch in a while on heroin to make it look like robbery.
But on the other hand.
If he knew him,
why wouldn't you get rid of those two drinks there on the table?
Mm hmm.
I see what you mean, it is confusing.
Well, perhaps it's the work of a psychopath, you know, a
drug addict. Hmm,
very confusing.
Lieutenant, I'll be at this number if you need anything else.
Oh, thank you very much.
I'll just take Mrs.
Nicholson every time.
But Nicholson,
excuse me.
Just one more thing.
Was your husband smoking a pipe last evening when you left him?
Yes. Is this a matter?
It's especially for pipe smokers?
Mm hmm.
Hmm. Was this room cleaned yesterday?
But fact it was about five in the afternoon.
Besides yourself, your husband in the criminal,
was anybody in this room after it was cleaned?
No, thank you very much.
Airbag is just yeah.
I don't know what it is.
I don't know.
What is a strange thing
in a place, am I going to get shoe polish on Adobe?
How do you figure it out?
Got there like beats me?
You find a pipe anywhere. No.
Lieutenant, if I can be of any help to you,
Lieutenant.
Oh, sorry, I wasn't listening.
Did you see a pipe around here anyway? Pipe?
Yeah, I look for a missing pipe.
Yours, professor.
He may have left it in the land.
That's a thought.
I'll take you there.
Excuse me.
What are you doing?
They're under my orders, we're returning all the files to the institute.
Much of the work here is classified.
Oh, I see.
So I.
Do you see a pipe?
But not yet.
Is it important?
I don't know.
Thank you for your help, sir.
I'll be at the institute.
Lieutenant, if I can be of any further help.
Yes, sir.
Oh, Dr. Yes.
one more thing,
I was just curious whether there was
anyone around here that you know of that
might have a motive to do this kind of thing to Professor Nicholson.
You know, how is a difficult man?
He offended a great many people, including me. But
murder,
if you ask me, my guess is that the killer
is a complete outsider.
Well, I'm sure you're right about that, sir,
and I certainly intend to investigate that possibility.
But if you don't mind, I'd just like to poke around your institute.
Anything you say, Lieutenant, we'd like to help in any way we can.
We're deeply shocked by this brutal murder.
So it's sort of better.
I'm going to do my best.
Thanks for coming.
Hey, listen,
I'm not going away for long, I'm just going to talk to this guy,
I'll be right back.
I'm just going to be
right here, I'm going to talk to this man for a little while.
Excuse me, can you help me?
Can you help me?
I'm only a lot of work on instant cards.
Oh, I don't want you to work on my car.
She's run a beautiful lieutenant, Columbo from the LAPD.
Oh, you're investigating the Nicholson murder?
And you know,
just to say hello to kept pretty much to himself.
Are you in in charge of all these guys here?
Yeah, we're testing them.
They've all been converted to natural gas.
That's part of an environmental experiment.
Does everybody at the institute drive these cars?
Oh, yeah, that's right.
I'm not going anywhere.
Huh. Huh?
Huh, huh?
Oh, Uh-Huh.
Oh, what happened to this one?
Oh, just a little front end damage.
I rolled out the dents.
Huh? Mm hmm.
Give me a break, would you please?
Whose car is it?
This one checks out to Mr. Ross. That's Dr.
Cahill's assistant.
He had an accident.
No, he didn't have it.
Dr. Cahill backed into it last night while it was parked.
College Park, Cahill backed into it.
Uh huh, huh? Huh.
Could anybody else have a nice car last night?
Oh no, not a chance. I keep strict records.
Everybody had to check in and out and record the mileage
out of our grant for the experiment from the ecology log.
Oh, please,
uh, could I see the logbook?
Sure, I'll get it for you.
Hmm. Hmm. Hmm.
Hmm. Hmm. Hmm. Hmm.
Hmm. Hmm, hmm. Hmm.
What's the matter with you?
Can I have a conversation with that man?
Mm hmm.
All right. I'm going over this car here.
I'm going to read the odometer.
I'm going to be right back.
Megalogenis,
you check this out at 5:00.
That's right, every day.
And Ross Ross didn't use this car at all last night.
No, I never left the parking lot for why?
All right.
Well, that's
three more miles on the odometer than you got here in the log, huh?
I really see.
Yeah.
Well, I don't get it.
Where can I find Mr.
Ross?
I'll check with Dr.
Cahill's office.
I just do me a favor, would you?
Yeah. Uh,
would you mind keeping a dog around for a while?
I'll tell you, he's no trouble.
You just don't like to be alone.
He just wants to be around a human person.
You don't care who it is.
OK. Could be anybody.
So just on.
Strap him here
and he'll be fine.
I'm going to leave you, but you're going to talk with this gentleman.
All right.
He can be all right.
Yeah, he's going to be fine.
Why didn't you call me?
You shouldn't have come back so soon.
There's no point in your being here.
I wanted to come back.
You should have stayed on at the conference.
You just were awarded the highest honor
top men from all over the world, the people you should get to know.
Do they know who did it?
Who killed him?
No, I do.
Neil, I'll see if Margaret meeting.
Neil, stay out of it.
It can't be any good.
Yes. Kind of Columbo to see you, sir.
Send him in.
It's too late now you can go back to the very end.
Just keep yourself and stay away from the press people.
I go back in time.
Well, are you Neil Cahill?
My son.
Lieutenant Columbo, I read about you in a newspaper.
I want to congratulate you. Thank you, Lieutenant.
If there's anything I can have lunch sometime,
I'll call you.
Come in, come in.
You must be mighty proud of him.
Yes, I am.
Well, O-Town, what can I do for you?
Anything new on the case?
Yes, sir. Matter of fact, there is one.
I found a missing pipe item
on the driveway outside. Yes.
Well, I got me to thinking sir and.
Excuse me, just one moment.
You know, this case is so full of confusing
details that, excuse me,
I said to myself, what I'm going to do is I'm going to make a tape record
of everything that I think about the case and all the questions that I want to ask.
And that's very ingenious of you, Lieutenant.
Oh, I used to take notes, but I've got to be a lot of trouble.
I was always losing my time, so sometimes I lost the whole notebook.
Bad Dog, Bad Dog, or this is embarrassing.
I'm trying to housebreak my dog and nothing seems to work.
Why was the pipe on the driveway right?
Why was the pipe on a driveway?
You obviously must have dropped it, Dana. Yes.
But when
you say, Mrs.
Nicholson told me that Professor Nicholson
participated when she left, he had it with him in the lab.
The is in the garage and he dropped it between the lab and the house.
Exactly.
Well, here's the problem there.
Excuse me one moment, sir.
Here it is.
Let me show.
It looks like this
pipe has been run over by a car.
What are you getting at Lt?
What if the victim was killed by a car?
That's what occurred to me, sir.
Maybe Professor Nicholson hit by a car in his own driveway?
The coroner confirmed that, yes, sir, he does.
He tells me that the bodily injuries were consistent with
that of a hit and run victim.
I don't know
how did the body get inside the house?
Could it drag himself in? No,
no, not with that scuff mark.
Well, scuff marks.
I found a scuff mark on the living room door shoe polish I checked.
Definitely came off.
Professor Nicholson shoes and whether that tell you
I don't know in my mind.
That reinforces the theory that the body was moved.
So what you're saying, in fact, is that somebody killed Nicholson outside
and then carried him inside.
Well,
why would anybody want to do a thing like that?
I don't know
if you move the body than the size of a fake.
And if they're fake
and the two glasses and a watch while on heroin, they all could be fake.
I don't know.
The only
thing I know, whoever did this, he had a brain.
Not, I mean,
not the average guy off the street and this is a think tank
and you got a lot of brilliant minds around here and you
yourself said the Professor Nicholson had enemies here at the institute.
Yeah, well, the brilliant minds are stockpiled here.
You'd like to probe a few of them.
Is that what you're asking me?
Quite frankly, yes.
I would like to see it, Mr. Ross.
I believe he's your assistant right away,
son Rosen.
Yes, sir.
Why Ross?
Well, I notice fell out of motor pool.
He was repairing the front end of Ross's car.
What are you laughing?
Well, I'm afraid I'm going to have to disappoint you, lieutenant. But
Ross's car and I had a little collision in the parking lot out here last night.
I heard about this.
I know what you're getting out.
Of course,
if Ross ran down, Nicholson and the front of his car might have evidence of it
and the collision with my car would have destroyed him.
I'm afraid so.
It's a bad break isn't
quite that far right.
Not if he's guilty.
Lieutenant, I've known Ross for a long time.
I respect that, sir.
But you know, I checked with the garage man.
He's got three miles on his car.
It shouldn't be there.
And from here to Nicholson's house roundtrip,
just about three miles.
And how do you know somebody else didn't take Russell's car?
Well, we can't be certain at this point.
What do you get those two guys?
I'll let you in on a little secret lieutenant, they're from Cuba
from line brings an informal
look terrific.
You know, these fellows that I smoke could
pick these up here at the supermarket,
the just. Oh.
Thank you very much.
I'll just take one.
Yes, Mr.
Ross is here, sir. Send him in.
I'll save this for a special case.
Yes, sir.
Come in, Ross.
This is Lieutenant Columbo, he's investigating the Nicholson murder.
Yes, but it's just a routine question where were you
last night between eight and nine?
I was
in my apartment here at the institute.
Any way you can substantiate that.
No, I was alone.
I see.
Well, that's all I want to know, thank you very much.
I don't understand. Am I a suspect?
No, sir.
No, you're not a suspect.
No, not at all.
Just covering all major.
Anything else? No, sir.
Thank you, Rose.
And I realize it
isn't my place to say anything, but why did you tell him he wasn't a suspect?
Throw him off his guard.
He's not a suspect. Since when
he sings a song too small.
I beg your pardon.
Too small.
But Scott Mark.
Remember, I mentioned the scuff mark on the door.
Well, the height of that, Mike tells me the body was carried, it wasn't dragged
if I was too small to have carried Professor Nicholson
high enough in his arms for the shoes to make that mark.
The methodology fascinates me, which is
I got a lecture scheduled.
Anything else I can do for you?
It should be just one.
Why did Carr have extra miles?
Did anyone else have access to the car?
I just want to make those not to want to forget that.
Thank you very much,
Lieutenant, before you go.
There is one other thing I'd like to show you.
So just a replacement doctor.
It's OK now,
Lieutenant, this came 44
computer that you see here is the only one of its kind in the world.
Ultra sophisticated.
Really?
No, I don't expect you to appreciate all this.
Oh no, I appreciate it.
Actually, the reason I asked you to come up to this room
was that I figured sooner or later
you would get around to asking me where I was on the night of the murder.
Well, that's very thoughtful of you, Daniel.
I can't imagine how I forgot to ask that question.
I was right here operating the AK 44,
and you substantiate that.
I didn't think you forgot that.
Not directly, no.
But by remote control.
Mm hmm.
They button and see this k 44 is remote it
to a room we have in the basement that we call the war room.
Scientists, technicians, officers from the armed services work out
defense problems down there, but I set up on the cave 44 ,
and since the problem last night was one of my own devising.
I'm the only person who could possibly
have projected it down to the war room.
I understand.
I think
in other words, if you stop doing what you're doing up here and nothing's
going to happen down there. Exactly.
And not only do I have an alibi, but everybody involved in the problem
has one, too.
Well, I don't think a lot of people, right?
While you're about it, you might check out Margaret
Nicholson's Encounter Group Marathon last night.
That way, you can eliminate them as well.
Wonderful.
It all seemed to pleased.
Well, you know, doctor, as I'm running into people by the dozens
who couldn't have heard of Professor Nicholson,
I wish I could run into one who could have.
No, no.
Come on, come on.
Don't leave me alone, Maxine. Hey, listen,
I like him too,
but I just can't seem to get any work done.
Does anybody else have a key to Mr Rice's car?
Yeah, I got duplicates to all of them, but just about anybody
could have sneaked in here last night and grab Russia's key off the board.
Where were you between eight and nine last night?
I went to a drive in movie with a kid.
Well, I guess that's as good an alibi as Dr.
Cahill's. If the kid will confirm it.
He sure will.
They'll find him in a lab in the administration building.
It's Mark Double M seven.
His name is Steven Spielberg.
I've even heard.
Yes, sure.
But I prefer to see.
Steve, oh, eight.
My name is Lieutenant Columbo.
I'm from the LAPD.
You investigating Professor Nicholson, sir?
That's right. That's what I'm doing.
He doesn't look like a funny stuff, but he is indeed a policeman.
Still. Believe me, there's a big difference.
You're going to question me.
Oh, no, not really.
I'm just going to ask you one question.
Did you go to the movies last night with the fellow from the motor pool?
Yeah.
What's his name? What a dog.
Well, he doesn't have a name.
My wife and I, we can never agree on one.
We just say, Hey, a dog whistle.
Does it make any difference?
You don't come when you call in English.
What do you do?
You help your father any.
My father is a barber in San Jose.
This is my lab.
It's usually
a most will tell you right now, Lieutenant,
I'm a boy genius.
Oh wow, that's good.
Not always. It isn't.
People treat you like some kind of a freak when they find out how no react.
Well, I'll try not to do that.
Well,
you know, I think maybe a little smarter than most extreme, but
in other ways, I guess you would just like other kids.
Yeah, I am.
So I guess what I wanted to be when I was three.
Geez,
you want to be a cop.
How do you know they know if they want to be cop?
You know, I could tell by the way, you ask me
also the fact that I'm a cop.
But that's what I wanted to be.
All right, but I couldn't.
Why not?
I was too smart.
Oh, no offense, Kenneth.
It's all right.
I don't mind, what do you do around here?
I got a grant to work on W7 seven double m seven.
Some kind of spy stuff.
Oh no, sir.
Nothing like that here. Let me show you.
Dublin seven,
come here and shake hands with the man in the raincoat.
Don't be frightened.
It's not a monster.
Oh, go ahead, shake hands.
I do.
I'll tell you that sentence.
It's the most wonderful thing I've ever seen.
Thank you. I made it myself,
I call it to seven because it's the seventh model of the original.
You know what the original was?
Oh, a Mickey Mouse robot I built when I was five?
How many other things to get into?
Well, almost everything a man can do if you program
black boxes here.
Well, she designed a new black box,
whatever you want to.
Boy, did my wife ever use him?
Everybody can use your robot in.
There are a lot of annoying jobs that people don't like to do that
robots will be doing someday.
I'm talking about annoying jobs, you know dogs, aren't you?
Yes, sir. Would you do me a favor?
Would you want a robot? Take care of my dog?
I got a lot of things to do, and he doesn't like to be alone.
Sure.
Oh, that's wonderful. Thank you very much.
Okay, so I'll see you later now.
What's this world coming to?
It's the second time in two days I've been treated like a kid.
What was the other time when Dr.
Kato asked me to go to the movies yesterday?
He's never done that before.
Is that if I set me something?
Oh, I don't know, Steve.
But when people do something for the first time, detectives always get curious. Oh.
I say,
Look, I don't want to impose on you. But
if you can make that role with the world, I things
you think you could housebreak my dog?
Well, zoology isn't my field,
but I'll give it a crack.
I want my.
There were seven walks the dog.
Good afternoon credit.
Oh, I guess it's Dr.
Nicholson. Were you looking for me?
Yes, they told me, I'd find you down here.
I was wondering if you'd made any progress.
No, I cleared a lot of people, but I haven't caught anybody.
four policemen. I guess that's bad.
Yes, ma'am.
Everybody seems to have an ironclad alibi.
Begins to look more and more like the work of some dope crazed psychotic.
Not to me.
Even with that missing kind of heroin.
You know how that can with label,
how it is labeled.
I got it here somewhere.
Here we are.
See 21823 and oh, five, who would know that was heroin?
You know, that's the chemical formula for heroin.
I looked it up.
I would never know it was heroin, and I don't think a junkie.
What is? I guess you've got a point.
May I ask what you're looking for?
My husband file?
There's truth I don't know.
But Dr.
Cahill told me that this was classified material
when they were moving this file out, I noticed that only the top drawer marked
the other three drawers.
They slide free.
So I figure that the classified material is only in the top drawer.
It is right.
What are your husband's keys?
And that included the key to the top drawer?
We're in his pocket.
So that the thief, I mean, if there was a thief,
he wasn't aware of the classified material.
Do you think he may have been after something
that was in one of the open fights possible?
Maybe you can help me there.
I mean, he was a very well organized man.
I mean, I was need and everything was in place.
You're quite right.
He wasn't an easy man to keep us for.
That's right, the house sparks, except for that scuff mark on a living room door.
I heard you noticed that you're very observant.
Some people say I'm obese anyway.
In the filing, cabinet
is alphabetical and you have everything from energy
index card tells you everything that's in the drawer
from the underachievers and Akroyd Archibald on a big, big number card.
Well, those are colleagues correspondence.
Honestly, there's nothing
that 200 D Davis, Drake
honoree, nothing.
Under F one, only one under F
Finch.
Yes, Paul Finch, a very distinguished British physicist
who worked here for a while and then returned to England,
where he died some time ago.
That doesn't explain it.
Explain what everything
this card indicates is here is here, except what's on the ref.
You can't think of any reason
why things should be missing. No.
I don't want to offend you, doctor, but.
You're not a very good liar, Lieutenant.
You said that they told you that you could find me down here
now. The only person who knew I was here was the judge who issued me
the search warrant.
Now, I'm just guessing.
But I have a feeling you didn't come down here looking for me.
I think you came down here and had something to do with these files.
And it might have had something to do with the missing fish while.
If you've got something to tell me about that, I wish you'd do it.
All right,
Lieutenant, um, I'm not a very good liar.
I guess my profession is programing to level with people,
but it also imposes a restriction.
I'd like to help solve my husband's murder, but I can't talk about anything
that might involve a patient's confidence was a police officer.
I'm sure you know that whatever passes between a doctor and patient
is as privileged as what passes between a priest and penitent.
Yes, ma'am, I understand that, but
I'd like to ask you a question if it doesn't violate
your ethic, I'd appreciate it.
If you give me an answer.
I'll try.
Do you have any idea who killed your husband and why?
I'm sorry.
I can't help you.
Goodbye.
Come and.
I can
I come back when you're not busy?
I'm sorry, I'm just unpacking. How's it going?
Not well.
Mind if I sit down my feet of guilt.
Sure,
I'm making much progress, huh?
And I got something, but motive is uncertain.
Everybody's got an alibi, however.
Well, wasn't built in a day.
I wanted to ask you earlier.
According to the motor pool
luggage, check the car out last night, 22 miles,
eleven miles round trip to the airport.
So how come to double mileage?
I cancel out
my earlier flight and I took the 10:00.
That doesn't account for the extra mile.
All right, and went back to the lodge to see Margaret.
Mrs. Nicholson, I had to talk to her about something.
You mind telling me what?
No, I can't tell you that.
How long were you with her?
Just a few minutes.
So you had an hour to kill before you had to get back to the airport?
I take it, you mean to use that phrase to kill?
You mean that? Literally.
No, I was just using a figure of speech.
I'm not making an accusation.
Well, I sat at the airport for an hour reading a magazine.
That's all.
I got nothing to hide.
Appreciate your time.
Oh, one other thing.
Professor Mrs Nicholson.
Well, they happily married.
Yes, they were.
I have to ask that question under the circumstances
because she's so much younger than he, because she's so attractive.
It has to be considered.
Did it ever occur to you that she married him because she loved him?
I'm happy to know it's true.
Oh, excuse me, Simon.
All right.
I'm just leaving.
Nia, what's the matter?
He thinks I murdered Howard.
You're not just guilty about the plagiarism
now you're beginning to feel guilty about a murder you didn't commit.
I'm telling you he thinks I did it.
I don't think he does.
He's a lot wiser about people than he cares to show
or perhaps than we recognize.
He's a cop. He's got to hang this on somebody.
He's no different from the
rest of us, winning is all accounts, failure is the one sin.
I don't believe that.
But even if it's true, it's his problem, not yours.
You know,
you've always wanted me to admit I stole that theory from Finch,
but you never laid it on the line.
Neil?
Maybe you're right.
Maybe I tried too hard to make you bring it out yourself
because I felt deeply that you should.
Maybe I should have ordered you to do it, prescribed it like a doctor.
After all, I am a doctor.
Would you have done it if I told you to? Yes.
And do it now.
Do it me
or calm down, there's no need to get upset.
Can't break this case and he's grasping at straws.
But Daddy thinks I murdered Nicholson.
Nonsense.
I did have a motive, you know?
What are you talking about?
What I mean is someone could think I had a motive if. If
Nicholson knew, and I think he did
knew what.
That I stole the theory of molecular matter.
And did you?
I'm sorry that.
I know what this must be for you.
But it was Carl French's work,
and I suppose I am partly responsible.
I guess you saw the honor as much for me as for yourself.
No, I don't want to lay this on you. It's all my fault, Neal.
We we can both live with this thing.
The other Finch dead. So it's Nicholson.
We'll just keep this thing between us if it ever got out.
What implication Nicholson's murder?
And I appreciate what you're trying to do, but you're my son, Neal.
There isn't anything in the world I wouldn't do for.
You don't understand.
I wanted to tell you first and then talk Colombo.
Yeah, I let him arrest you for murder.
I want to tell the truth.
Roger Noble of you, Neal. But I won't let you do that.
I have to go.
Lt's just looking for an easy way out of this case,
and that will be you if you give him the opportunity.
We just want to say a word about this to anybody.
And then you let me handle it, lieutenant.
You know, Steven is still in Hawaii.
Maybe we can spend a little time with him.
We both need some time off.
What do you say?
No, I'm going to see that group from the U.N.
and then I've got to go to Portland and I will talk again
when I come back tomorrow.
Certainly it doesn't compute.
That means it doesn't make sense, doesn't add up.
That's right.
Well, thanks anyway, Steve.
It was worth a try.
Tell you what I will do.
I'll keep on adding any new evidence.
You turn up to this docket.
Maybe something finally will compute.
Meanwhile, I'll keep on re sequencing this data.
There must be hundreds of possible combinations.
I appreciate that, but I don't want to keep you from your work.
That's your kill program. Dublin seven to do it.
That is my work.
You mean the robot can operate this computer?
Sure, I told you you can do almost everything
a man can do if you program it correctly.
Oh, what's wrong?
Something just computed
no matter what your logistic and geographical programs are.
We can fight your war for you right here in this room and help you find a viable
and deception defense and retaliatory program.
Excuse me, gentlemen, there seems to be
some sort of mechanical follow in the master control room.
Dr. Ross, would you please take over?
Yes, as Dr.
Cahill was saying from this room.
Crowe discusses Lady Young Man, you get that here, your.
Yes, sir.
I notice, you know how to turn them off.
So I guess, you know how to turn them on to
and program.
Lieutenant, you've obviously been conducting an experiment
calculated to demonstrate
that Dublin seven could have operated the computer the night of the murder.
Boy, you just saved a lot of time and knock.
Yes, sir. You sure did.
That's exactly what we were doing.
It's my fault, not the board.
I doubt it. The only other brains for it.
So let me save you some more time.
There is no way on Earth you can prove that the robot was
at the computer that night, let alone that I programed him to operate it.
Which is what you suspect, isn't it?
Yes. Well, it doesn't leave fingerprints.
They can take them in the back room
and beat a confession out them with a rubber hose.
You can't even arrest them and then get them
to turn state's evidence with the promise of immunity.
So all you have at the moment is a theory.
Right now, you are in an institution where any staff member,
including your little friend Steve, will tell you that
the theory isn't worth a damn unless it can be proved.
It's the same way at the institution that I work at, Dr.
Right.
And the only thing you can
prove is that I don't have an alibi for the night of the murder.
Well, lieutenant, within one square mile of here, there are 10,000 innocent
people who also don't have an alibi for the night of the murder.
So I suggest you take your investigation elsewhere.
You're disrupting this organization.
Glendale don't.
Hello,
this is Lieutenant Columbo, I tried to disturb you.
Can I come over there for a few minutes?
What about?
And I ask you some questions about a Carl Finch.
What kind of questions?
Colombo, he wants to talk about Finch.
He must have stumbled onto something.
Oh, come on, Neal, he's on a fishing expedition.
Colombo Oh hello, doc.
Apparently, you get my message a few minutes ago.
Now, listen, my son and I are going to dinner,
and when we return, I don't want to find you on the premises.
If I do, I want to contact your superiors
for money.
Or there's some people I want you to meet that I really don't feel like it now.
I think I'd better have a talk of Margaret.
You talked to her as much as you like
when I come back from Portland tomorrow afternoon.
You're not going to take that vacation in Hawaii.
What are you going to do to?
I got to talk to my wife
when a case gets too tough, I got to talk to my wife.
Is she a policewoman?
No, actually, she doesn't talk about the case.
She talks about everything else.
It takes my mind off it.
Oh, so you're fresh when you come back
something like that?
Are you coming back?
Not unless I get some.
Dr. Cahill, yes, just a few course, NBC News Portland.
My name is Kimball, I'm from the Portland Chronicle
would like to get a few comments on that story.
Your son broke in Los Angeles earlier tonight.
one story you don't know.
I've been on a plane.
Gentlemen,
we understand that
your son called the wire services and announced that he plagiarized
that theory of molecular matter.
No comment.
No comment on it. Any developments, please?
What is the earliest plane to Los Angeles?
I don't have a bell captain to help you, sir.
No, leave me alone.
You are behind this, dad,
I'd like to speak to Neil alone.
My might have told me
I didn't want to be talked out of it.
I know you can do that.
It didn't seem to have any trouble getting yourself talked into it.
I try to understand, understand what?
What about me? What about the institute?
You've destroyed its credibility.
I made it perfectly clear the institution was blameless
and I was quoted correctly.
My resignation ought to help.
I don't want to hurt you.
You know that you have I'm sorry.
Look, how do you.
I owe you an apology.
I should never have considered you a suspect.
All right, it's accepted.
I get out.
I'm here to arrest your son for the murder of Professor Nicholson.
Well, that's a damn poor job, lieutenant.
It's not a joke. You're going to say a word.
That's very good advice.
It can be used against you.
I'd like to say something, Lieutenant.
You know, you have a very transparent mind,
which in no way implies clear thinking.
You're assuming that my son's admission that he stole Professor Finch's theory
provides them
with a motive for murdering Nicholson, who could have exposed them right?
That's right.
I did make that assumption.
That's all. It is an assumption. You can't prove a thing.
Oh, I can prove it.
I can prove a lot of things.
I don't need that motive.
He had another motive, a less complicated motive.
Give me that report.
one of the oldest motives we get down in homicide.
What are you driving at?
Woman
married to a man twice her age and a young lover.
That's a lie.
You know, don't let them trap you.
I don't have to one trap. I got plenty of evidence.
You can't have by your own admission, you canceled your 8:00 flight
and you came here to talk to Margaret Nicholson.
Yeah, that's right. You left her at ten minutes to eight.
You are here on the grounds of the institute,
and the murder took place between eight and nine.
He drove car number eight.
I think so. Don't think so.
Give me that my
car number eight.
Find out the Neal Katyal.
I had the tires removed from car number eight and runs the white lab in the trunk
of one of those tires with some grains of impacted tobacco give minutes.
This is the same tobacco
that Professor Nicholson imported from England.
This is the same tobacco that he used in his pipe.
The same pipe that was crushed in his driveway by the car that killed him.
The same car that you signed out for the car that you were driving.
This is a framework.
I'm not finished.
Mr White, it.
Where are you employed, Mr. Way?
At the Shangri-La Motel in Palm Springs?
Do you recognize anybody in this room,
that gentleman and the lady that left a minute ago?
I've never seen you before in my life.
Where have you seen this gentleman?
And that lady before Mr.
Whitehead at the motel?
On the weekends,
for the last few months, they check in as man and wife
to do
that, I swear to you, that matters.
Irish women welcome.
Thank you very much, Mr. Whitehead.
Advise him of his rights in the car on the way down.
The Typekit.
Lieutenant, the right here down here.
All right, Lieutenant,
you when I did it.
Did you, Dr?
I don't know whether or not
to really hang on to something a little
strange man was a bluff I couldn't afford to call.
How do you know?
I suspected you ten minutes after I met him.
You see, this match
wasn't used to light a cigaret
was used to light the cigar
and it's back from top to bottom
just like this much.
But from top to bottom.
But this match was found in an ashtray and Professor Nicholson
living room, the room was cleaned at 5:00.
After five, there were only three people in it, Mrs Nicholson.
She doesn't smoke Nicholson himself, who smoked a pipe.
But who used the later?
The third person.
The murder
that first day, I couldn't give a hoot in hell about a thief,
I was looking for a cigar smoker.
And there you were.
No problem wasn't so much who did it.
The problem was
why you didn't.
Sun doesn't smoke cigars,
either smoke cigars.
Father loves his son.
The father and son.
He did it to protect your boy.
That's what I was banging up.
That's why I staged that scene in then.
I apologize for the frame of your son will be released in an hour.