The Sniper Page #6

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estimated that this man

had undoubtedly killed at least 15 others.

Now, he was executed for one,

but 16 were dead.

And this is not an isolated case.

It happens everywhere.

Perhaps not every day,

but much, much too often.

So, I repeat, pass a law.

Put these people away

when they're first caught.

And those who can be cured, will be cured.

And those who can't, well,

at least they'll never get out to try it again.

If you can get a law like this passed,

you could start a ball rolling

all across this country.

Get a law like that passed

and this meeting could be a milestone.

Where's the money coming from

for an institution like that?

Taxes.

- Well, that would have to be a state matter.

- I can hear the governor screaming already.

When I saw Dr. Kent come in,

I had a feeling this meeting would eventually

come down to psychiatric mumbo jumbo,

and I wasn't wrong. It has.

So we're right back where we started.

There's a crazy man loose in the streets

and the police are too busy

passing the buck to catch him.

Well, Mr. Mayor and Mr. Chief of Police

and Mr. Psychiatrist, let this sink in.

Unless he's caught very, very soon,

this administration is going to find itself

shaken right off its foundations.

Planning to make a political football

out of it?

Call it anything you like.

Gentlemen, thank you

for giving us your time.

Well, it's still sitting right in my lap,

and all I have to do is catch him.

Sure. You'll catch him and they'll kill him

and everybody will forget about it.

That is, until the next one comes along,

and it'll start all over again.

- Where'd he go?

- Back this way.

Drop that gun. Make sure I hear it hit.

I ought to beat your brains out.

What's the matter with you, Rivers?

This gun hasn't been fired in years.

The hammer doesn't work,

and there's no firing pin.

Look, Lieutenant, the way things are today,

you jump first, then ask the questions.

I saw the gun, I brought him in.

- Where'd you get this, son?

- It used to belong to my father.

- What were you doing up on the roof?

- Nothing.

Well, you were up there pointing this.

You think that's nothing?

- I didn't hurt anybody.

- No, and you're not going to.

Okay, Rivers, take him out and let him go.

If your father wants his gun,

you tell him it's down here.

Go ahead and keep the gun.

You think I care about the gun?

I know where there's plenty of guns

and plenty of bullets, too.

You think there's only one guy

in this town that doesn't like people?

There's millions of them,

and I know who they are.

They can get me

all the guns and bullets I want.

You can't kick me around...

Take him over to the city hospital

and see what they think in the psycho ward.

- But you just said...

- It doesn't matter what I just said.

What does matter is

that I just got an idea about him.

I don't want to be looking for him

in a couple of years when he's got a real gun

or maybe an ax. Go ahead.

- Gonna have a nice weekend, Miller?

- Yeah, I guess so. I don't know.

I want you to do something for me

before you come back on Monday.

- Think you can?

- What?

Change that bandage.

- I can't change it.

- Then find someone who can. It's filthy.

We can't have our drivers going around

with things like that on their hands.

I don't want to see it on your hand Monday.

This way, Lieutenant.

- Is it the sniper?

- Sure, it's the sniper.

- One side, please. Let us through.

- Hey, how many does that make, four?

Why don't you do something?

Earn your money.

They're always there after it happens.

Getting so you can't even go to a park

on a Sunday.

Some police force.

- How long ago did it happen?

- About 15 minutes ago.

- You got here fast enough.

- Where did the shot come from?

Where did the shot come from?

I don't know. We were just walking, and

she said, "Let's sit down," and she sat down

and I was about to sit down myself when...

Look around, Joe,

and see what you can find.

Right.

Can you think of anybody

that you've had any trouble with lately?

- Anybody mad at her?

- No. She got along fine with everybody.

I never seen her fight with anyone,

except me once in a while.

Everybody liked Sandy.

- Hey, I found the shell.

- Put that down, you idiot!

What's the matter with you? You crazy?

- Sorry, I forgot.

- You forgot...

Hey. Be careful.

I know a 10-year-old kid who can do

better than that with his left hand.

If they're all like you,

I might just as well go to sleep.

Three balls for nine. Nine for a quarter.

Let's see you knock her in the water.

Say, you look like a pitcher.

How about you there?

Nine. Nine it is.

Hey, Don, he looks like a pitcher,

an empty pitcher.

- Yep, I might just as well go to sleep.

- Maybe you need a basketball, Mac.

He's pitching for...

Pretty lucky.

Offhand I can think of three ball clubs

that can use this guy.

Did you ever see anything like that?

Are you sure, Doctor?

Nobody with a burned hand, say,

in the past two weeks?

Not even a woman? I see.

Well, thank you, Doctor. I'm sorry to have

disturbed you at this hour of the night.

Goodbye. Oh, boy,

how many does that make?

I don't know. I lost count.

Well, the next one's Shipley.

Harold Shipley. Eldemont Fall, 1919.

You take over for a while.

I'll be talking to doctors in my sleep.

Not that I'll be getting any sleep.

- Teletypes, Lieutenant.

- Thank you.

Hello, can I talk to Dr. Shipley, please?

Sergeant Ferris, Homicide.

Police Department. What?

I'm sorry to hear that.

Who's handling his practice?

Yeah, I see.

Well, thanks very much.

I'm sorry I disturbed you.

Dr. Shipley's been sick himself for months.

Dr. Holiday is handling his practice,

and we have talked to Dr. Holiday.

- Anything in the Teletypes?

- No. Just the usual.

Somebody had a target in his backyard.

Some dame thinks

the sniper's been spying on her.

Some other dame says a guy's been

throwing baseballs at her,

which is funny because that's her job,

having baseballs thrown at her.

Some man wants us to... Baseballs?

- Where you going?

- File room.

Homicide. Sergeant Ferris. Hiya, Scott.

Where are you?

What? No kidding.

Hey, that's great. Yeah, we'll be right over.

Hey, Frank, they found out

where they put on the bandage.

- No kidding.

- That's what I said. Come on, huh?

What have you got there?

I don't know yet, but maybe

it's the guy they put the bandage on.

That's the one. That's not the name he gave.

- Burnside he called himself.

- He called himself Edward, though.

- How about the address?

- That will be a phony.

And the one under the name of Miller

will be out of date.

He's probably moved five times

since he registered.

- How did he act when he was here?

- As I remember, sort of strange.

I tried to talk, you know, cheerfully,

but he wasn't buying any.

We thought of sending him up to Psycho,

but something came up...

- There was a very bad accident case came in.

- That's right. That's what it was.

Wait a minute. There was something

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