- Tony stages an elaborate illusion to fake the death of a defecting scientist who can extract oil from shale rock, but the scientist is kidnapped and auctioned off to the highest bidder.
- Russian Dr. Alex Pochek, a geological scientist who has just defected to the United States and whose work on extracting oil from shale rock is groundbreaking, is assassinated during his first American press conference... or so he wants the world to believe. His seeming public execution was orchestrated by his brother - Carl Pochek - Tony and the CIA so that he can continue his scientific research without the watchful eyes of the Soviets. However, there is an apparent leak or mole as Dr. Pochek is abducted shortly thereafter. Based on conversations he had with his brother before his abduction, Carl is certain that oil businessman Nelson Paradine, who buys whatever he wants such as the movie career of talentless actress Stacey Hyatt, is behind Alex's abduction, he the person also largely responsible for his defection. Tony also gets Jerry to follow-up on another lead, a distinctive tattoo adorned on the arm of one of the kidnappers. Based on information from Jerry and what he is able to ascertain from Paradine, Tony believes he knows what has happened to Dr. Pochek. He just has to figure out a way to get Pochek back, while also figuring out who the leak is, that person who Tony has not to give any information in the process.—Huggo
- A man, Alan Bateman, enters his hotel room carrying a radio playing a press conference Alex Pochek is holding an interview he did earlier about is defection from an Iron Curtain country. In the interview, Alex talks about his new process to cheaply extract oil from shale. Bateman looks out the window, checking view of the street below.
At the press conference, Alex tells a report that he plans to share his process with the U.S.
Bateman sets up his sniper rifle.
Two reports ask Pochek about how he got out of his native country. Alex refuses to deal on the matter, and another reporter asks him how it feels to be reunited with his brother, Carl. Alex says that he and Carl work side by side.
Bateman targets Alex in the building across the street.
Alex talks about how Carl is going to show him the U.S., once Alex makes his process public. A shot comes through the window behind Alex, and Bateman leaves the hotel room while the government agents seal the area and the reporters panic. Alex is on the floor, a bullet in his back, and the agents call for a surgical team to stand by while the hospital sends an ambulance.
Carl is there and tells Alex to lie still and the doctor is on his way. Alex dies as Carl asks him about the process,
Later at the funeral home, people pass before Alex within his coffin. The priest conducts the funeral ceremony, and Carl watches from behind a curtain. An attendant closes the coffin, and one man Malloy watches as the attendants place the coffin in a crematorium furnish. Satisfied, Malloy leaves and Carl, having noted Malloy's presence goes to the crematorium door with Tony and several government agents. Tony opens a panel in the ramp leading to the crematorium door and gets Alex out. Alex and Carl hug, and the head agent David Webster tells Carl that after a few days, Alex will be taken to his permanent home in Vermont where he can begin his work with no fear of reprisals. The agents give Carl his new ID papers as a college professor, Michael Roslow, and Alex thanks Tony for his illusion that made his new life possible.
Four men dressed as women arrive for Alex's service. When the attendant tells them that the service is over, one of the women shoots him with a tranq dart, then enter the chapel.
Bateman comes in and gives Alex the bullet shoot into Alex's bulletproof vest as a memento. The four "women" come in and tranq everyone present. One of them carries Alex, and Tony sees a tattoo on the abductor's arm of a chess piece knight in a wheel before he passes out.
At a linen supply company, two men bring a cart holding dirty linens... and the unconscious Alex. They take the cart to a back room and take out the handcuffed and gagged Alex, and ungag him as Malloy looks on. Alex tells Malloy that he's wasting his time. Malloy says that he doubts that and although Alex doesn't know Malloy, he tells him that his predecessors were unsuccessful and Malloy will be as well at getting his process. Malloy says that he isn't interested in the process, and an attendant brings in a cart with a tray of good. He says that the food isn't drugged and takes a bite to demonstrate, and just smiles when Alex asks him what he does want.
At the Castle, Tony is at his apartment with Carl and Jerry. Tony figures that Alex is still alive and makes a replica of the tattoo he saw, and asks Jerry to identify it. Jerry figures that it's a bicycle insignia. Tony then tells Carl that Webster informed him that the government is doing everything it can to find Alex. Carl figures that there was a leak, and Tony is the only one outside of the agency that knew about the deception. The brother then tells Tony that Alex told him that Nelson Paradine was involved with Alex's escape.
Dominick comes up to check on Carl, who tells Tony that Alex believes he and Paradine shared the same humanitarian goals. But after the escape, Alex discovered that Paradine wanted the process for his own oil industry. Dominick doesn't figure that Paradine would have kidnapped Alex, and Carl warns that Paradine is difficult to get to. Tony suggests that they go through actress Stacey Hyatt. Dominick warns that Stacey, an actress, is one of Paradine's "possessions" and he guards them jealously.
That night, Tony goes to Stacey's apartment and charms her way in. She admits that she was a temporary typist three years ago in NYC, and Paradine needed a temporary typist. Stacey has been with him ever since, and she tells Tony that Paradine is hard to say no to. He's bankrolled her movie career ever since, even though she has no talent for it. Stacey is surprised that she's opening up to Tony, and advises him that the best way to get through to Paradine is to own something that Paradine wants. She warns Tony that Paradine owns everything.
Tony produces a piece of shale rock and says that Paradine doesn't own that. He explains that it has oil in it, and if someone could extract the oil cheaply then it would be worth its weight in goal. Stacey figures Paradine would be interested if it could make him money, and admits that she's sorry Tony didn't try to make Paradine jealous by taking her from the man.
Tony apologizes and points out a surveillance camera in the ceiling, and suggests that if she cover it over they could get together. He says goodbye to Stacey, while Paradine watches them on a monitor. Tony looks at the camera and says goodbye, well aware that Paradine is watching. Stacey smiles and holds up the shale so that Paradine can see it.
Malloy tells Alex that he's heard that Alex isn't eating. Alex insists that Malloy will not get something from him, and Malloy says that his stubbornness will be his next owner's concern. Alex questions his word choice, and Malloy tells him that he's up for sale before leaving.
Jerry checks a pool hall, and one player, Mike, tells him that the symbols it the emblem of the Road Knights and they're mean dudes. Despite that, Jerry insists that he still wants to know where he can find them.
Malloy tracks down Paradine, comes to see him, and says that he has a piece of "prime" merchandise for sale. He shows Paradine a photo of Alex holding that morning's newspaper, and explains that Alex's assassination was a government ploy. Malloy says that he will only take cash and he's putting Alex up for auction. He gives Paradine a phone number to call to get the time and place of the auction. Once Malloy leaves, Paradine tells his head lieutenant Glen that Tony can get Alex for him before the auction.
At his apartment, Dominick warns Tony that he had to let in Webster, his boss Taylor, and their agents in because they flashed their badges. Tony meets with them and Carl, and Carl says that they want him to go with them. Carl doesn't trust Taylor after they lost Alex, but Taylor figures that the same people who grabbed Alex want Carl as leverage against his brother. Tony disagrees, pointing out that they could have taken Carl when they took Alex. Taylor tells Tony that he doesn't have the experience or authority to have an opinion, and Taylor insists that the leak didn't come from his department. Carl refuses to go with Taylor, who storms out. Webster apologizes for his boss, saying that he's been getting a lot of flak from his superiors, but agrees with Taylor's assessment of the situation. Webster agrees to let Carl stay but hopes it isn't a big mistake for all of them.
Carl apologizes to Tony for putting him in the middle, and Tony assures him that he's not the problem. Stacey calls Tony and tells him that there's a very confused lady--herself--in his Corvette using his car phone. He goes out to see her, and Stacey invites him to get in so she can drive him somewhere.
Jerry tracks the Road Knights down to the garage where they hang out. Mike comes in and finds Jerry looking around, and Jerry says that he wants to join the gang. Another biker, Larry, comes in and he and Mike both figure Jerry is an undercover cop. They attack Jerry and he defeats them both.
Stacey drives Tony away, and she admits that she knows she's no actress and she doesn't know what she's really good at. She admits that she's so bad that she's often considered camp, and Tony asks why she keep knocking herself. She drives the Corvette into the back of a waiting truck, and Glen is waiting. Stacey gives Glen the car keys and they lead into Paradine's mobile office.
Paradine has Stacey make him a drink, and the truck drives off. The oil executive notes that no one has ever served him with a subpoena, and figures Tony wants to talk to him about the shale and Alex. Paradine admits that he underwrote Alex's escape, and Tony lights Paradine's cigar and secretly picks up a paperclip from the man's desk. Tony sits down on a cushioned chair and pulls at a string, and then ties it to the paperclip. Paradine tells Tony that he expects a return on his investment, and he needs Alex and his process.
The oil executive offers Tony money for Alex's location, and Tony feigns ignorance. Paradine figures that Tony wants specifics and offers him $50,000, and Tony tells him that he has no idea where Alex is. The oil executive realizes that Tony is telling the truth and asks why he showed him the shale, and Tony tells Paradine that he was setting him up because he thought Paradine knew where Alex was. When he uses some sleight of hand to make the shale vanish, Paradine says that his tricks bore him and Tony opens a briefcase on Paradine's desk, secretly using the thread and paperclip. The money for the auction is inside, and Tony notices before Paradine slams the case shut.
Paradine finds the paperclip and string and says that Tony bores HIM. Glen comes in and Tony reveals that he pickpocketed his car keys back, and leaves. Tony tosses the shale back to Paradine and leaves, and Paradine has Stacey make him another drink. She refuses, saying it's as far as she's going, and admits she might leave with Tony. He tells her to think about what she plan to do, and says that the moment she leaves, her acting career is dead because she has no acting or typing talent. Paradine laughing tells her that she has no talent that he's ever been able to determine, and Stacey angrily says that perhaps it's because she never had a chance to find out what her talents were, but she's going to take that chance. Paradine invites her to go ahead, but tells her not to come back to him. He asks if she has a new place where he can send her things, and laughs when Stacey says nothing. Paradine tells her to fix him a drink, sure that she'll stay, and Stacey glares at him.
As Tony drives away, Jerry calls him and says that two of the Road Knights work for the linen supply company and he's across the street from there. He gives Tony the address and Tony drives there.
Malloy visits Alex and tells him that it's time to leave. Alex grabs a shelf support, refusing to go, but Malloy's thugs pry him loose and drag him off.
Across the street, Tony and Jerry see four limos pull up with "foreign types", who go inside. Paradine arrives and goes in, shows his invitation while carrying the case full of money. Meanwhile, Tony realizes why Paradine is there and that it's a human auction.
In a conference room, Malloy offers fingerprint equipment to Paradine if he wants to confirm Alex is the real scientist. Paradine refuses, saying that they know each other, and asks when they start the auction. Malloy says that they have a short wait until the principal arrives, and Paradine tells Alex that he plans to own him and his process.
Jerry arrives in a delivery van and takes a bag of linen inside, and the security guard is unaware that Tony in in the bag. The guard notes that he's never seen Jerry before, and Jerry claims that he just started on day duty. Jerry bluffs his way in, puts the bag on a cart, and puts it on a conveyor. He sends it into the building.
As Paradine waits in the conference room with Malloy and his men, Alex laughs and says the whole thing is crazy. He insists that he won't give his process to anyone, and one of the bidders, Hassid, says that he's buying Alex to make sure that he doesn't divulge his process to anyone.
Once the bag is out of sight of the front gate, Tony cuts a peephole. The conveyor brings his bag fully into the building. Meanwhile, Jerry calls Webster and tells him that they've located Alex and gives him the company's address.
Tony cuts himself out of the bag and goes looking for Alex.
Webster arrives at the auction and Alex stares at him in shock. Webster tells Malloy that Jerry is outside in the Corvette and Tony is probably already inside, and tells Malloy to fix it. Malloy goes out to have his men search for Tony, and Webster begins the auction.
A man goes out to the Corvette, draws a gun on Jerry, and orders him inside. Jerry jumps the man and disarms him, then calls the police.
Malloy's men search the building, and Tony avoids them.
Hassid wants to make a call to get more credit, and Paradine stops him, pointing out that the agreement was cash no credit. Webster agrees and Paradine and another buyer continue the bidding. Malloy comes in as Paradine keeps bidding.
Tony makes his way up to the conference, as Paradine wins the auction. The magician produces a cigarette with sleight of hand, comes in, and tops Paradine's bid. Tony tosses the cigarette on the floor and produces another one, and then another as he walks around the room. Webster draws a gun on Tony, and Tony walks behind Alex and unlocks his handcuffs. The CIA agent boasts that he could be in South America with Paradine's money, and the cigarettes explode in bursts of smoke and flame.
Leaving with Alex, Tony goes downstairs and leads the scientist. Malloy calls his security men to bring Tony and Alex back, and Tony uses more exploding cigarettes to cover their escape. He gets Alex into a freight elevator and they both go up, make it to the roof, and uses a pulley to go down a guy line with Alex as the guards close in on them. The police arrive with Taylor, and they go into arrest everyone. Carl is there as well, and is reunited with his brother.
That night at the Castle, Stacey comes in as Tony is performing on stage. She waves to Tony, tells Dominick that she has to catch a plane, and leaves. When Tony comes over after his set, Dominick gives him Stacey's message back to NYC to find herself.
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