Search in a Windy City

Search In A WIndy City is the nineteenth episode from the first season of The Fugitive

For ten days Kimble has been in Chicago having received a description of a one armed man that matches the man who killed Helen Kimble  He telephones Michael Decker (Pat Hingle), a newspaper columnist who had defended Kimble during the trial. Decker is under pressure to produce a story on Kimble and he has his street informants check for one armed men.

Decker puts Kimble up in his apartment, which creates friction with Decker’s wife Paula (Nan Martin), to where Decker tricks Paula, a recovering alcoholic, into relapsing so she can’t interfere.

When one of Decker’s informants phones that he spotted a one armed man at the bus depot, Kimble rushes there - and spots the very one armed man (Bill Raisch; the character will eventually be identified as Fred Johnson in later years) who killed his wife. Johnson escapes Kimble’s pursuit so Kimble must phone Decker at his office to figure out his next move.

Unknown to Kimble however, Lieutenant Gerard has learned of Decker’s activity and learned (via clever interrogation sleight of hand) from Paula of Kimble’s presence. Decker tricks Kimble into returning to Decker’s apartment, but Gerard’s trap backfires.