Cold Case

Welcome to the neighborhood.

Thanks.

Which house is yours?

Oh, I don't live here.

Roy W. Dunn, your Sampson Brush and Housewares representative.

Noticed you've made some improvements.

I sure did-- new carpeting.

Well, Sampson's patented spot removers

and brushes keep that carpet looking aces.

You'll have to try back later.

Wife's at the butcher picking up theunday roast.

Well, then, please give her this complimentary Tidy Brush.

25-year warranty.

Thanks. Mrs. needs all the help she can get

when it comes to the housework.

* Please put down your hands *

* 'Cause I see you *

* I find it hard to belie you don't know *

* The beauty you are, but if you don't *

* Let me be your eyes, a hand in your darkness *

* So you won't be afraid *

* When you think the night has seen your mind *

* That inside you're twisted and unkind *

* Let me stand to show *

Roy! * That you are blind *

Be right over, Joannie.

* Please put down your hands... *

I've been waiting all morning.

Where have been?

Had something to take care of.

Hmm. What, pray tell?

Did you hear about Candy Toliver?

Oh, just can't believe it.

I guess you never do know.

No, you don't.

That Wilson girl from down the street got arrested

for singing folk songs at an antiwar rally.

Strange times, to be sure.

Let me check my book.

Can't be the silver polish.

You took delivery of that last week.

Spray starch?

You do know exactly what I need, Roy.

It's my job to know.

* That inside you're twisted and unkind... *

Local developer drained the pond to make way for more houses.

Found a body on the bottom.

Tech estimates male, mid-30s.

Oh. How long has he been down here?

Oh, that's a question for the bone squad.

This place was a park,right?

Surrounding streets all had access.

Weights.

Somebody wanted the body to stay down.

Can I borrow your coffee?

Got an inscription.

"Roy

"W. Dunn.

"Sampson Brush Salesman of the Year,1966."

Door-to-door salesman?

Sampson was a competitor to the Fuller Brush company.

Sold a lot more than brushes.

Well, somebody didn't like what Roy was selling.

Or he knocked on the wrong door.

Cold Case Season 6 - Episode 14 "The Brush Man"

Little privacy?

Is something wrong with your dugout?

Flooded.

Now if you don't mind,

I got to tidy up and tuck in?

Roy W. Dunn.

35 years old.

Sampson Brush Company regional manager filed a theft report on June 9

alleging Roy checked out company property on June 6,

then took off with money collected from customers.

Along with $250 worth of Sampson products.

Well, guess we can close the books on that one.

Search of Roy's tenement room back in '67 yielded nada.

Guy lived out of a suitcase.

It doesn't sound like Sampson's Salesman of the Year.

Don't see many door-to-door salesmen anymore.

Ah, different times.

Used to be you could get anything from fresh chickens,

bibles to Grit magazine delivered right to your door.

Yeah, now I got some guy from a phone bank calling me during the game.

Lot of these guys just blew into a town looking

before moving on to the next one.

Well, maybe Roy tried to run off

Husband got wind of it, put a stop to it.

Well, that or he got mixed up in some scam.

Run his name through the NCIC

Hey!

Missed a spot.

You get anything back from the lab, Nick?

Uh, barbells found with the body were sold in hundreds of places.

What about the plastic?

Nothing special.

But forensics, uh, found, uh, deep abrasions on his ribcage.

Could have been stabbed.

Or eaten by snapping turtles.

I just got off the horn with Sampson Brush.

They're faxing over Roy's route and his customer list.

Start a canvas.

Might be some folks on the block still remember Roy.

Better yet.

I got the name of the salesman who took over Roy's route.

Harry Hapgood.

Uh, he's still out there pounding the pavement.

Uh, didn't figure you for tighty-whiteys.

Rush.

Yeah, she got quite an eyeful.

Oh, for the record, they're boxer briefs.

Right. And the grooming at work?

I'm in a transitional state.

What's that mean?

Means I got a crick in my neck from sleeping on

Wakingp smelelng like nervous perp.

You let Toni move in, didn't you?

Yup.

And now you're out?

Yup.

Roy W. Dunn.

That's going way back.

When was the last time you saw him?

Would have been a Wednesday.

We met every Wednesday for breakfast.

Right here, as a matter of fact.

One day he didn't show.

Summer of '67?

Second week of June.

I remember 'cause that week the company called me to sort out his route.

You got a real good memory, Harry.

You betcha.

Not for nothing I've been selling Sampson for 45 years.

Keep the orders up here.

What kind of salesman was Roy?

Roy had every housewife on his route pecking out of his hand.

Tall, dark and a double shot of mysterious.

Mysterious how?

He never talked about his past,

and he wasn't from around here.

I saw his apartment once, and he slept on the floor.

No mattress, no pillow.

Nothing but floorboards.

Bit of an odd duck, then.

he looked like Paul Newman,

and he wasn't married.

I tell you, there were a lot of steamed housewives

when I took over the route for him.

He selling something other than brushes?

Come again?

Was Roy having an affair with any of these housewives?

Not that I saw.

Roy was all business.

And that route of his was what we call low-hanging fruit.

Same route you took over when he disappeared, right, Harry?

Stop right there, Detective.

I had no beef with Roy.

He trained me.

He taught me how to get to yes.

I'm concerned about your drapes, Joannie.

What's wrong with them?

Let's have a look.

* You keep saying you've got something for me... *

Maybe your friend would like to join us?

Oh. I should get back.

Oh, come on, Diane.

Roy won't bite.

I'd really like you to see this, Diane.

* And now someone else is getting all your best... *

You see this dust and dirt right here?

Only way to get rid of it is take down the drapes,

launder them and hope you don't ruin them.

Who has the time?

Exactly why Sampson created this innovative drape and upholstery brush.

Dirt just lifts out.

I want one.

Harry, write Joannie's order up and throw in a free sample of our new skin care line.

Can I put you down for one, Diane?

Diane's husband's a tightwad.

He's got her on a budget. Joannie.

I've got Wednesday afternn opop.

I can come by.

I should, uh, probably check with my husband.

I want you to have this.

Oh, I can't.

And I insist.

* These boots are made for walking... *

Let me know when you want some of our Crystal View

Keep that window I see you looking out of every day gin-clear.

* These boots are gonna walk all over you... *

I'll bet old Roy put that dust on those drapes while no one was looking.

Joannie Pogue married?

At the time, but her husband was always away on business.

She always putting it out there like that?

Just for old Roy.

She around?

23 Harmondale Lane.

Would you like one of my lemon bars, Detective?

Sinfully good.