Identity Crisis, (A Tutorial Series) Pt 3

Pts 1, 2 & 3 with Juxtaposition. Pt 4 with Professor Engelstein & a LIVE AUDIENCE:

Masonic number 9: Completion and perfection

In Freemasonry, the number nine is always denoted by the expression three times three, as it is the product of three multiplied into itself. The number 9 is a symbol of completion and perfection in Masonic ritual, representing the nine Masonic virtues which are: Purity, Silence, Faith, Honor, Wisdom, Strength, Beauty, Justice and Prudence. It is also believed to represent completion or perfection in Masonic numerology. The number 9 has been a part of Masonic symbolism for centuries, representing creativity and knowledge.

The number 6, aka: 33 in numerology and Freemasonry is associated with spiritual awareness, enlightenment, and a high level of knowledge and understanding. It is considered a Master Number and represents a special status in Freemasonry.

Episode synopsis: Columbo Identity Crisis
Two CIA operatives exchange a coded telephone conversation before agreeing to meet at a Long Beach amusement park. One, nicknamed Geronimo but masquerading as an AJ Henderson, has been lying low for some years after pretending to be dead at the insistence of the CIA Director. The second, Nelson Brenner, now wants to enlist Geronimo to aid him in his attempts to secure a secret microfilm from a ‘crafty old Buzzard’ – AKA the mysterious Steinmetz.

In need of cash, Geronimo accepts the offer and heads to seedy adult bar Sinbad’s that night to rendezvous with Steinmetz’s agent, Lawrence Melville. Sneaking off below the nearby pier, the pair discuss a fee of $300k worth of gold for the microfilm trade to take place before Melville amscrays, promising to meet Geronimo the following evening to provide an update.

Who should then step out of the shadows but Brenner. Geronimo is confused. “What are you doing down here?” he asks. “Oh, just taking the air,” Brenner warbles before savagely striking his fellow operative on the forehead with a tyre iron. As Geronimo’s crumpled body lies on the sand, Brenner finishes him off with a blow to the back of the head. As Columbo killings go, it’s brutal stuff!

Enter Lieutenant Columbo, emerging through a cloud of cigar smoke at the crime scene. Police suspect Geronimo has fallen foul of a violent mugging. The location is known locally as ‘Mugger’s Haven’ after all, plus the victim has been cleaned out of his wallet, cash and ID. All that’s left to help further the investigation was an unopened pack of cigarettes and a book of Sinbad’s matches.

Something’s bothering Columbo straight away, though. Why has the victim’s jacket been removed? A mugger wouldn’t need to remove it to get at a wallet. The Lieutenant mentally files this for later consideration and ambles off to find Sergeant Kramer at Sinbad’s atop the Santa Monica Pier.

Sergeant Kramer has been busy. He’s already had some help from bartender Louie, a former cop, who confirms the victim left the bar at 11pm. He also reveals that ‘a young black guy’ got up and followed him out when he left and agrees to drop round to the station the next day to see if he can be identified in the police files.

Early the next morning we find Brenner driving to his office, listening to the morning headlines about China pulling out of the Olympics. He has to dictate a speech for a client, which he pointedly told his secretary he would do the night before and leave for her to transcribe. In order to establish an alibi, he winds his clock back so that the chimes for 11pm will be recorded. But he has to close his blinds to block the morning sun from shining in his eyes, and that, too, is caught on tape. Once done, he resets the clock and beats it before prying eyes can catch him out.

Columbo, meanwhile, is hanging with Kramer, who has again been digging up info. Thanks to intel from a bellboy at Geronimo’s hotel, they’ve uncovered his alter ego of AJ Henderson, who it turns out works for an advertising agency. But when the two cops meet the business owner and show him a photo of the dead body, he tells them straight: it isn’t AJ Henderson. He’s a much older man. Confusion reigns.

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