The Lone Wolf - S01E02: The Avalanche Story
Transcript
00:00 [sound of a train]
00:05 Reno, Nevada. One of the gambling meccas of the West.
00:10 Most of its visitors are interested in making a 10 or a 4 the hard way.
00:14 I had another interest for being here.
00:17 To be exact, a woman who was supposed to have been killed during the war,
00:21 with nine of my men, back in July of 1944.
00:25 By chance I read that she was opening at a smart night spot in New York City.
00:30 I sent her my medallion with a message.
00:33 She didn't wait. Just packed and got out of town.
00:37 It took a little while, but I learned she'd gone to Reno.
00:41 I had a lot of questions aching for answers.
00:44 They all spelled a double-crossing name.
00:47 Yvette Marchand.
00:50 Reno, Paris, Buenos Aires.
00:53 They're all alike if you're looking for someone.
00:55 If you have the right friends, every city becomes a small town.
00:59 I made a few calls.
01:02 The word went out that I wanted Yvette Marchand.
01:05 She was something special.
01:08 But I bumped into something even more special.
01:12 Uh, Mike Lanyard?
01:14 That's right.
01:15 I'm Inspector Stillman, from the Bureau.
01:18 I'd like to have you come with me.
01:20 What for?
01:21 Murder.
01:22 Got a special reason for picking me?
01:24 Real special.
01:26 You left your calling card by one of the bodies.
01:29 Can you give me one good reason why I'd come all the way to Reno to kill those men?
01:46 I could give you a lot of reasons.
01:48 We've got every available man in the Western District down here.
01:51 Must have been a high-priced robbery.
01:53 Well, it depends on the value you place on human lives.
01:56 Every man, woman, and child in a small city, for instance.
01:59 What?
02:01 This was a very unusual robbery.
02:03 Could wind up being the most disastrous robbery in history.
02:06 Go on.
02:08 You see, there's a national test center here in the desert.
02:12 A company in Los Angeles was sending a batch of super-great explosives
02:16 with a new time-fusing device.
02:18 Those couriers who were delivering it were forced off the road and they were shot to death.
02:23 You mean they went to all that trouble just to steal an explosive?
02:26 Probably figured that the couriers were carrying money.
02:29 Arsenal operation has been top secret.
02:31 We need to clear it up without relaxing security.
02:33 Of course, if we have to, we'll take those wraps off.
02:36 What do you want from me?
02:37 Confession?
02:39 Got to admit, you're a strong possibility.
02:41 You're way off base, but I may be able to help.
02:44 You've got to be fast. It's 10 o'clock.
02:47 That explosion was fused in Los Angeles.
02:49 Set to go off at 7 o'clock in the morning.
02:51 You're not giving very good odds, are you?
02:53 Who knows what my odds are in my racket?
02:55 Okay, you got those nine hours.
02:57 Thanks.
02:59 Lanyard's leaving.
03:04 Yeah, Joe Sax is on it.
03:07 [Music]
03:21 After leaving Stillman's office, I checked with several of my friends.
03:26 One of them didn't disappoint me.
03:29 He told me Yvette Marchand was working in a club called The Palace.
03:34 If it hadn't been for the promise I'd made to Stillman,
03:37 I would have paid her off for the nine lives she sold on the river.
03:41 Instead, I had to forget that and find a bomb.
03:45 She had my medallion.
03:47 She had to have some answers.
03:50 A few minutes later, I was in front of The Palace club.
03:54 There was a picture of Yvette Marchand.
03:58 The last 10 years hadn't changed her very much.
04:01 [Music]
04:13 I spoke to one of the employees.
04:16 He told me how to get to her dressing room.
04:19 [Music]
04:25 I went to the back of the club and through an alley.
04:28 [Music]
04:31 There were no names on the door, so I took a guess.
04:35 I tried one door, and then the next.
04:39 [Music]
04:42 [Knocking]
04:43 Who is it?
04:44 I knew I tapped the right door.
04:46 Flowers.
04:47 [Music]
04:55 Who are you?
04:56 [Silence]
05:02 It's been a long time, Yvette.
05:04 Paris, 1944.
05:06 That was a long time ago.
05:09 The name's Michael Lanyard.
05:11 I don't know you.
05:12 Well, there were others.
05:14 Joe Spitz, Kip Martin, John Woolsey, a few more.
05:17 Their names mean nothing to me.
05:19 Oh, let me help you.
05:21 Pre-invasion, you were supposed to give us the locations of some German ammunition dumps.
05:25 Remember?
05:27 You would have been better off if I died, too.
05:31 Till I saw your picture in a New York paper.
05:34 I thought you'd been killed along with the others.
05:36 I can explain.
05:38 The plans went wrong.
05:40 It wasn't my fault.
05:41 I had nothing to do with it.
05:42 You're lying.
05:43 You sold out to the highest bidder.
05:46 Oh, I don't want to remember the war.
05:48 That was years ago.
05:49 Can't we forget?
05:50 I can't.
05:52 That's why I sent you the medallion.
05:55 That's why I followed you here.
05:57 What are you going to do about it?
06:00 Maybe I would have killed you.
06:02 I don't know.
06:04 As it is, I think you've hanged yourself.
06:12 Where is the medallion I sent you?
06:14 I lost it.
06:15 Sure you did.
06:16 Eight miles out of Reno, next to two dead men.
06:18 I told you, I lost it.
06:19 You must have had help.
06:21 Who were your playmates?
06:22 Oh, leave me alone.
06:27 Get dressed.
06:28 You're going with me.
06:29 I'll wait outside.
06:45 Maybe it would have been wiser to phone Stillman and let him take over.
06:49 But that would have been too easy.
06:52 I owed Yvette and her playmates a payoff.
06:55 They were going to collect it with interest.
06:58 I don't enjoy playing pigeon for anyone.
07:01 And I still couldn't forget the nine men.
07:05 I decided to hurry her up.
07:11 But someone had decided to slow me down.
07:19 Whoever slugged me did a thorough job.
07:23 Because by the time I came to, the club had closed.
07:28 The night man told me that Yvette had left, giving the management a ten-minute notice.
07:33 Didn't surprise me.
07:36 He added she was living at the Mapes Hotel.
07:39 I started for there.
07:42 I only wanted to get my hands on her.
07:44 But it wasn't that easy.
07:47 Yvette had checked out and left town.
07:49 I had to find her and her partners.
07:52 They didn't know the stolen loot was a bomb.
07:57 Lieutenant Stillman's men hadn't lost me for a second.
08:00 If I hadn't been in a hurry, I'd have said hello.
08:12 This train was a milk runner with a Sierra Nevada mountains to Sacramento.
08:17 I prayed my hunch was right.
08:20 If Yvette was on the train, the chances were good that the bomb was with her.
08:40 I watched Stillman's men follow me aboard.
09:09 I sent for the conductor.
09:23 I kept remembering Stillman's words.
09:25 The bomb is strong enough to blow up a small city.
09:31 I knew I'd be wrong.
09:40 - Do you want to see me? - Yes, come in.
09:42 Is there any Yvette Marshall on the train?
09:44 No one by that name had a reservation.
09:47 She's a good-looking brunette.
09:49 We have a couple of good-looking ones on the train.
09:52 I put one in 14C and the other in 12A.
10:21 His information wasn't good and my hunch looked bad.
10:25 I lost no time in getting to the first compartment, 14C.
10:33 Under different conditions, it would have been worth the trip.
10:35 But I remembered the bomb and said, "Wrong number."
10:50 I found compartment 12A and knocked on the door.
11:18 Part of my hunch was right.
11:32 Yvette was on the train.
11:34 Only she was dead.
11:53 That meant the bomb was on the train with the killer.
11:55 It was time to introduce myself to Stillman's men.
12:05 The next second, the train, which had been moving along, suddenly stopped.
12:08 They blew the lightening out.
12:28 Why did you bring me in here?
12:30 I wanted to talk to you.
12:32 I was wondering when we were going to meet.
12:35 You're from the bureau, aren't you?
12:38 My name is Joe Sax.
12:40 What happened?
12:42 There was a snow slide.
12:43 The train stopped.
12:46 What do you want to talk to me about?
12:49 That girl in the compartment.
12:51 She's still where you saw her last.
12:53 You're in my compartment now.
12:55 Do you want to tell me what happened?
12:57 Yes, of course.
12:58 Her name was Yvette Marshall.
13:00 She was involved in a robbery.
13:02 I was following her to see if she had any partners.
13:05 I don't think I'll be following that girl anymore.
13:08 I'm not so sure.
13:09 I think the killer is still around.
13:11 Unless they jumped when the train stopped.
13:14 It's unlikely.
13:16 Eight feet of snow outside.
13:18 That means the killer and the bomb are probably still on the train.
13:22 I'd better get busy.
13:24 Maybe you're right.
13:27 It's 4.30 now.
13:30 That's just two and a half hours.
13:32 We'll start a car-to-car search.
13:34 Passengers, pack the goods.
13:36 It's going to take time.
13:38 It'll take at least ten hours for the rescue team to get here.
13:41 What happens if we don't do anything?
13:44 Abandon the train just before 7 and let it blow.
13:47 We'd better think of something else.
13:49 We're on Rimrock, a cliff above.
13:52 A couple of million feet of snow.
13:55 And a thousand feet drop below.
14:02 Oh, great.
14:10 Well, there's got to be a way out.
14:12 A man might get across the snow embankment at the end of the train.
14:15 But what about the women and children?
14:24 Sax, I'll take the back of the train.
14:27 You stop in the front.
14:28 Get everybody in the club car.
14:29 What for?
14:31 We're going to tell them about the bomb.
14:33 They'll panic.
14:34 Maybe.
14:35 But it might smoke out the killer.
14:37 What about the train crew?
14:39 Get them, too.
14:45 Half an hour later, everybody on the train was in the club car.
14:50 They were all dressed as though they knew they were in trouble.
14:54 I am Lieutenant Joe Sax.
14:57 You've all been brought here because of something vitally important.
15:00 I want you to know that somewhere on this train is an unknown person
15:04 who earlier today robbed and murdered two United States government couriers.
15:08 Someone in this group is that person.
15:11 I want to say to him that the case he stole contains not money
15:15 but a super great explosive with a new time-fusing device.
15:19 That fusing device had earlier been set for 7 o'clock.
15:23 In exactly 1 hour and 48 minutes, the contents of that case will explode.
15:29 Now I say to the person who has the case,
15:32 please leave it in one of the train corridors.
15:36 We will destroy it.
15:38 I urge that person to think of the lives of the many women and children on board this train.
15:43 There is no escape from this train.
15:45 On one side there is a drop of 1,000 feet.
15:49 The rest of the train is surrounded by a snowbank caused by an avalanche.
15:53 Now hold it, everyone, hold it.
15:55 I want everyone to return to their proper places on the train.
15:59 Open each and every piece of luggage.
16:02 A car-to-car inspection will start immediately.
16:05 Now the most important thing to remember is that every second counts.
16:09 We'll do everything we can to help, and I know you will too.
16:13 Maybe it won't be enough, but God willing it will.
16:17 Now let's go, everybody. Come right along.
16:20 I kept searching every face, looking for a clue that would not only point out the killer, but locate the bomb.
16:31 Whoever it was, either didn't believe Sax's story, or was too smart to make a move.
16:41 I'm sure the train will work.
16:43 It must. We won't have time for another guess.
16:47 Sax, the conductor, and I began a car-to-car search.
16:57 Searching baggage and interviewing passengers took a lot of time.
17:01 I asked a thousand questions. So did Sax.
17:04 [Music]
17:24 The conductor told me the train crew was only half through the baggage car.
17:28 Their result, like ours, was zero.
17:30 The clock kept ticking away precious seconds.
17:33 It was time for a miracle, but none was in sight.
17:37 I headed for Sax. I had a wild idea.
17:40 You got on that train at Reno?
17:43 This your identification, huh?
17:45 - Sweetened? - If I find anything.
17:47 That's be all. I was going to ask you the same thing.
17:49 I told him if the killer wanted to stall for time, the best way was to keep moving from car to car, following us as we completed our search.
17:56 We decided to double back and maybe catch someone who hadn't moved fast enough.
18:00 [Music]
18:03 Fourteen minutes to go.
18:05 I headed for the club car.
18:07 The train had taken on a strange silence.
18:09 The people were praying and mentally putting their houses in order.
18:13 The strange peace had settled over all of the passengers.
18:16 They knew they had reached the point of no return.
18:19 I reached the club car.
18:21 There was no more heat and the cold had transformed the steel coaches into icy tombs.
18:25 [Music]
18:34 A middle-aged couple holding one another.
18:36 [Music]
18:41 An elderly woman praying.
18:43 The bartender staring into space.
18:45 [Music]
18:54 And suddenly, I saw someone who I thought hadn't moved fast enough.
18:59 - Drink? - No.
19:02 Know about the search?
19:04 I don't remember you.
19:06 - Which means? - Which means it's your turn.
19:08 Where's your compartment?
19:09 - Are you a cop? - My name is Lanyon.
19:11 What's your compartment number?
19:13 - 4C. My name is Johnson.
19:16 - Let's go, Johnson.
19:18 [Music]
19:29 Well, there's the luggage. Take your choice.
19:31 I'll start with this one.
19:33 Look, Johnson.
19:39 In exactly five and one half minutes, we blow higher than Venus.
19:41 Get smart. Get rid of it.
19:43 The man's speech didn't fool me.
19:47 I followed that messenger for weeks.
19:49 His bag contained bonds, big, beautiful bonds.
19:52 I've got them.
19:54 Who do you think you're kidding?
19:55 In five minutes, you'll find out the hard way.
19:58 You know, it's too bad they didn't give me a key to that case.
20:00 I'd like to open it just to see the expression on your face.
20:03 You better do something, Johnson, and do it fast.
20:05 I'm going to. Tell me how to get out of here.
20:07 You heard Sax. He told you there's no way out.
20:09 - Those bitches! - Just tell me how to get out of here.
20:10 Tell me how to get out of here.
20:11 Okay. At the end of the train,
20:14 the conductor said a man might crawl over the snow and get out.
20:16 That's better. Then what?
20:18 The highway runs parallel with the railroad. You can't miss it.
20:21 You know, Lanyard, I'm a little disappointed in you.
20:24 Before I killed her, that she told me you'd be trouble.
20:27 It's funny how a gal change when the going gets tough.
20:31 I'll leave you as funny as what a man will do for nothing.
20:34 Better get going, Johnson.
20:37 Right over there.
20:42 Down on the floor, everybody! Get down!
20:44 Get down!
20:52 Get down on the floor!
21:09 Get down, everybody! Get down!
21:11 On the floor, everybody! On the floor!
21:16 Get down on the floor!
21:18 Get down on the floor!
21:47 It was all over, and I said a prayer of thanks.
21:50 Just got the report from Sax. You must have had some shindig.
22:08 Could have been more comfortable. Did Johnson say why he killed her?
22:11 Yes, she wanted more than a share.
22:13 You should have given it to her. It was a bad investment.
22:15 How did you ever spot Johnson?
22:17 I have a feeling he spotted me.
22:19 You know, Mike, you caused me a lot of trouble last night.
22:22 Why?
22:23 Well, I took this thing home, and my wife saw it.
22:26 Oh.
22:27 Thought it was cute. Wanted it for her charm bracelet.
22:30 Kept me up half the night.
22:31 That's too bad.
22:32 Yeah, when I was leaving today, she said to me,
22:35 "Will you ask him to give it to me?"
22:37 If I gave it to her, it would only get her into trouble.
22:43 You know, Mike, I think you're right.
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