342 - October 17, 1967

[bunniefuu]

[Maggie Evans narrating] Collinwood lies slumbering under the night sky,

but in the town nearby,

a restless stirring has begun

as word flies from house to house

that a loved and respected man has mysteriously died.

The news is tinged with fear for some.

For others, it has the touch of terror.

[door opening]

- Pop, I didn't even hear you come in.

- Are you all right?

- Of course, I'm all right.

I was reading and I just finished.

- Can I make you a cup of coffee? - No.

- No coffee, thanks.

- Aren't you going to bed then?

- No.

No bed.

- But it's late.

- Yeah.

It's too late.

- What?

- Too late. We were just too late.

- What? What are you talking about?

- Too late.

Maybe - maybe if we'd just gotten there a little earlier.

- Got where?

It's not making any sense.

- No.

No, nothing makes any sense, none.

- Why can't you tell me?

- You go to bed, Maggie, please.

Get some sleep.

I'll just stay here for a little while.

- Pop, something has happened.

What is it?

- Dr. Woodard, Dave.

- What about Dr. Woodard?

- He's dead.

- Dead?

- Dr. Woodard is dead. - Dead?

♪♪

[eerie music] ♪♪

- How did it happen?

- I don't know.

The Sheriff and I went there and he was just sitting at his desk,

almost like he was lost in thought,

like he'd been thinking something.

- The sheriff and you?

Then you suspected something was wrong?

- No, he --

he called the sheriff and said he wanted to drop by.

Never got there.

I saw the sheriff when he was looking for him

at the Blue Whale.

- I'm almost afraid to ask.

Maybe I don't even have to.

- Ask what?

- Dr. Woodard was m*rder*d, wasn't he?

- We...

We don't know.

- He was, wasn't he?

- I said, we don't know and we don't.

He just looked like he'd fallen asleep, that's all,

only his eyes were open.

Those eyes,

what was the last thing they saw

to be staring like that?

- You mean, there wasn't a - a fight or a struggle or anything?

- No. The office wasn't changed a bit

the last time I was there a few hours ago

except Dave was alive, so excited.

- Well, maybe he died a natural death.

- Oh, no. The coincidence is just too great.

- What coincidence?

- A man doesn't call to make a special appointment

to see the sheriff and then, just die by natural cause,

- he just doesn't. - It's possible.

- No, no, not in my book.

- Well, what was he going to talk to the sheriff about?

- Who knows?

- You said that you had seen him just a little while earlier.

Didn't he talk about anything at all?

- No, no, no, not exactly.

He dropped a few hints and he was on to something.

- What about?

I wish I knew.

- Was it about me?

- No, no, no, not about you, I'm sure.

- You're not sure.

- Now, listen, the whole mystery about you has been solved.

- No, it hasn't, not really.

- It was Willie Loomis and he's been put away.

- That's all we know.

We don't know exactly what happened.

I wish I could remember.

- Now, listen, I told you not to think like that.

You just forget about the whole thing.

- What if it wasn't Willie Loomis?

What is Dr. Woodard knew about somebody else

and he was going to tell the sheriff about it?

Well, then, he's still on the loose,

whoever it is.

- Now, now, now, now, now,

there's nothing for you to be afraid of now.

[sighs] - Pop, you're not sure.

I can tell it in your voice.

- I am sure.

- [sighs]

Listen.

- What?

- You didn't hear that?

- Hear what?

- There's somebody outside.

- [chuckles] I know there is.

- What?

Who is out there?

- It's one of the sheriff's deputies.

- Oh.

If there's any suspicion about what happened to Dave

and in your case,

so we just wanted to make sure that nothing would happen,

doubly protected.

- So, both you and the sheriff think that -

that whoever kidnapped me is still free?

- No, we don't. We're not taking any chances.

Now, you're perfectly safe. Now, come on.

You just go to bed.

- Poor Dr. Woodard.

He - he was so kind.

He tried to help me.

Now, he's dead. I can't believe it.

- Well, he was working right up to the last

and he - but--

- What is it?

- There was a book on his desk.

- What's so unusual about that?

A red notebook,

a red leather notebook and he was -

he was very excited.

- Do you think that's what the sheriff

wanted to talk to him about?

- Yes. But --

- What?

- Maggie, Maggie, I'm going back to Woodard's office

with the sheriff.

- You're not going to leave me here alone.

- Now, now, the house is guarded.

Now, you got nothing to worry about, you're perfectly safe.

- Pop, I'm not going to feel safe if you're gone.

- I've got to go back there.

- Do you really think you're going to find anything out

in that book?

- No. I doubt if I'll even find it.

- What?

- I said that nothing had been changed a bit in that office,

but it had been drastically.

- What do you mean?

- The red book, it was gone.

- Maybe he just put it away.

- If it is, then we'll find it.

If it isn't --

- Someone took it.

- Exactly.

♪♪

- Where was it?

- It was right there on the desk.

It was almost like he didn't want me to see it.

- I don't know if that means anything or not.

- It means everything.

It means a motive for m*rder.

- We don't know if it was m*rder.

- Maybe you don't know it, but I do.

- Oh, Sam, be reasonable.

My job requires me to have a suspicious nature,

but I'm not sure the notebook is that important.

- We'll know that when we find it.

- If we find it.

It's nowhere here.

We searched every place possible.

- Of course, it isn't here.

The one who k*lled Dave took it with him.

- Isn't it possible Dave put it somewhere and it'll turn up

and only be a routine case report?

- Anything is possible.

But you didn't see how he was acting.

That notebook was something very special.

- Shh. Quiet.

- What is it?

- Someone is coming.

Get away from the door.

[footsteps approaching]

[knocking on door]

Stand right where you are.

Burke, what are you doing here?

- Trying to get myself shot by a trigger-happy sheriff.

- I'm afraid the question was serious.

You may not know it, but something happened here tonight.

- But I do know it. That's why I'm here.

- You know about Dave?

- It's all over town.

- Why should the news bring you here?

- Because your office said you'd be here

and I wanted to find out what happened.

- He's dead. That's all we know.

- You've got to know more than that.

- I wish we did, but we don't.

- All right. Forget the facts.

I'll settle for a few suspicions.

- No suspicions.

- You know, sheriff thinks it might not even have been m*rder.

- Are you kidding?

- I'm not thinking anything out loud

until I get the autopsy report.

- A man like Dave Woodard doesn't just sit down and die.

- You know better than that.

Anyone can go anytime.

- Sure.

Sure, but not right after he makes an appointment

to see the sheriff.

- What?

- Dave made an appointment to see me.

- When he didn't show up, we decided to break in here.

That's when we found him.

- And he didn't say what he wanted to see you about?

- No.

- Burke,

did you ever see Dave making notes

in a red leather notebook?

- Not that I remember. Why?

- Well, he had one with him

when I saw him a few hours before it happened.

Now, it's gone.

- I wonder if it was --

- What?

- All right, but you're going to react the same way I did

when Dave told me about it.

- About what?

- The supernatural.

- Oh, Burke, please.

- What did I tell you?

Every time he mentioned the word,

I found it hard to listen.

- Burke's right.

It's a - a word he used

with greater and greater frequency lately.

- Are you trying to tell me that Dave might have died

of supernatural causes?

- No.

But Dave thought that there was something supernatural

about Maggie's disappearance.

- There was nothing supernatural about Willie Loomis,

sub-natural would come closer to it.

- There was something about it I just couldn't quite buy.

Dave was convinced that there was something unearthly

taking place.

- And you think that's what he was going to talk to

me about tonight?

- Maybe.

- Dave was a man of science.

He was a tough thinking rational man.

- All right.

But Dave also suspected that something is going on

that was beyond the understanding of science

or rationality.

- Yes. Maybe that's what he was on to.

Maybe he knew that something unearthly was moving about us,

was doing all these terrible things.

Maybe he found out for certain exactly what it was.

- I'm willing to suspect foul play.

The circumstances surrounding the death are a little unusual,

but to start looking for something supernatural, gentlemen,

that's when we part company.

- I didn't say I believed it,

but Dave did and he's dead

and there might just be a connection between the two.

[bat squeaking] - I think I'll just wait for that autopsy report.

If it names the cause of death as supernatural,

I'll ask to hear more.

♪♪

- I'm afraid I have some very bad news for you.

- You don't have to tell me.

I already know.

- You do?

- You have to go away on that business trip.

- Well, yes, but --

- When?

You might as well tell me the worst.

For how long?

- Well, on Thursday,

but that isn't what I was going to talk to you about.

- Burke, has something happened?

- Vicki, Dave Woodard died last night.

- No!

Burke, what happened?

- Well, nobody knows for sure.

- How did he die?

- We're all waiting for an autopsy report.

It should be in the office this afternoon.

It's possible that he died very peacefully in his office.

[Dr. Hoffman] - Died?

Who died? Did someone die?

- Julia, Dr. Woodard died last night.

- Dave?

- I'm sorry.

I know that you were old and close friends.

- Dave is dead?

- I'm terribly sorry. - How?

Tell me how he died.

- Well, we don't know, but it looks like --

- Looks like what?

Tell me. I've got to know.

- Well, he - he could have had a heart attack.

- A heart attack, yes, a heart attack.

He - he was too active, much too active.

I told him so. I told him.

- Dave was one of the healthiest men I ever knew.

- Yes, very healthy. How - how could he die?

How?

- Julia, I think you better sit down.

- Yes.

Sit down.

I've - I've got to sit down.

- I know you've had a terrible shock.

- But - but it - it was a heart attack,

you're - you're sure of that?

- I know what you're thinking.

- Oh? What?

What - what am I thinking?

- m*rder.

- m*rder?

No. No, not m*rder.

- I know it's an ugly word, but I can't get it out of my mind.

- I think Dave Woodard was m*rder*d. - No.

No.

- But who?

- Well, Dave knew something.

He was going to tell the sheriff.

- Oh?

- He might have been k*lled to keep him quiet.

Did either of you ever see him with a red leather notebook?

- Red leather notebook?

- No.

Why?

- Well, he was seen studying one before he died

and then, it was gone when they found him.

- What - what was in the notebook?

- We don't know.

- No - nobody knows?

- Well, Dave knew.

- And he - he is the only one?

- No.

- Oh? Then - then - then who?

- The one who k*lled him.

- Oh.

Yes, yes, of course.

If he was m*rder*d.

- I hope not.

It's awful to - to think of someone doing

something like that.

- Yes.

Terrible to think that someone - anyone can do such a -

a horrible thing,

horrible - horrible.

♪♪

- Here, Julia.

I think you better sip some of this.

- No. No, no, no.

I - I'm - I'm all right, really, I am.

- Are you sure?

I know he was a very good friend of yours.

- I - I'd rather not talk about it.

- I understand,

but I - I think it might be better if you -

if you let your feelings go.

- No.

No.

- He was a very fine man, wasn't he?

- Yes.

- He never thought of himself, only others.

- I know.

- Was he always like that?

- Yes.

Always.

- You - you knew him in college, didn't you?

- Yes.

- Was he as - as warm-hearted and generous even then?

- Yes, even then.

- I hope it wasn't --

- Wasn't what?

- m*rder.

- m*rder? - Yes.

- I don't think I could ever forgive the person

who was responsible for it.

Could you?

- No.

Never.

Whoever was responsible, I'd never forgive.

Ever.

Never.

♪♪

- Could it have been m*rder? Because if it was, I --

- Well, of course it wasn't.

The sheriff just had to make sure.

And even if it was,

it doesn't necessarily follow that it had anything to do

with what happened to you.

- Pop, we know better than that.

We know this case isn't solved no matter what.

You know, we never come right out and say it,

but we know that something terrible

is threatening our lives.

It could be in this room right this minute.

- Now, Maggie, now, stop it.

- It's true, Pop.

Dr. Woodard knew it was true and that's why he's dead.

We'll never be safe

because it's not something that we can touch

- or find or see -- - Now, that's enough.

I don't want you talking that way.

I don't even want you thinking that way.

- I can't help it. I'm just so scared.

- Now.

[phone ringing]

Oh.

That - that must be the sheriff with the autopsy report.

- Don't let it be m*rder.

Please don't let it be m*rder.

- Hello?

Yes.

He did?

Uh-huh. Uh-huh.

What did it say?

I see. Uh-huh.

What else?

I see.

Oh. OK, George.

Thanks for calling.

Goodbye.

- Well?

[sighs]

- Dave Woodard suffered a massive thrombosis

and a large coronary.

In other words, a heart attack.

He suffered very little, if any.

Death was apparently instant.

- And there's no doubt about that?

- None.

Autopsies don't lie.

- Then he wasn't m*rder*d after all.

I'm safe.

He died of natural causes, perfectly natural,

right?

- Yeah.

Right.

Perfectly natural.

♪♪

[eerie music] ♪♪