- Officer. - Councilman.
- Would you care for a drink? - Yeah, Scotch straight.
I was friendly with Sue Lefferts, but we weren't friends.
Know what I mean?
You sorry she's dead?
Of course I am.
What kind of question is that?
You know why Pierce is humoring you?
Use words like that, you might make me mad.
But do you know?
Yeah, I know.
Patchett's running whores...
...cut to look like movie stars.
And judging by his address, something bigger on the side.
He doesn't want any attention.
That's right. Our motives are selfish so we're cooperating.
So cooperate. Why was Susan Lefferts at the Nite Owl?
I don't know. I never heard of the Nite Owl till today.
How'd she meet Patchett?
Pierce meets people.
Sue had dreams of Hollywood and this is how they turned out.
Thanks to Pierce, we still get to act a little.
Tell me about Pierce.
He's waiting for you to mention money.
- Want some advice, Miss Bracken? - It's Lynn.
Miss Bracken...
...don't ever try to fucking bribe me...
...or I'll have you and Patchett in shit up to your ears.
I remember you from Christmas Eve.
You have a thing for helping women, don't you?
Maybe I'm just fucking curious.
- You say fuck a lot. - You fuck for money.
There's blood on your shirt. Is that an integral part of your job?
- Yeah. - Do you enjoy it?
When they deserve it.
Did they deserve it today?
I'm not sure.
- But you did it anyway. - Yeah.
Like the half dozen guys you screwed today.
Actually, it was only two.
You're different, Officer White.
You're the first man in years who didn't tell me I look like Veronica Lake.
You look better than Veronica Lake.
Pierce Patchett?
He takes a cut of our earnings and invests it for us.
He doesn't let us use narcotics and he doesn't abuse us.
Can your policeman's mentality grasp those contradictions?
He had you cut to look like Veronica Lake.
No.
I'm really a brunette, but the rest is me.
And that's all the news that's fit to print.
It's nice meeting you.
- I'd like to see you again. - For a date...
...or an appointment?
I don't know.
- Lf it's a date, what's your first name? - Forget I asked.
It was a mistake.
Leonard Bidwell?
Come down here and talk to us.
How's the left these days?
What's it to you?
I saw you fight Kid Gavilan.
I like your style.
What do you want, Mr. Policeman?
You got a brother in Folsom. I put him there.
Until 1970.
How'd you like to make it 1960?
I know the judge, and Lieutenant Exley...
...is good friends with the D.A.
We're looking for 3 colored guys who like to pop off shotguns.
One owns a maroon Mercury coupe.
- Want me to snitch? - Want to buy your brother 10 years?
- It was 10 years? - 10 years.
You don't have to say anything, just look at this list...
...and point.
He's bad, so I'll just tell you.
Sugar Ray Collins.
Drives a maroon '49 coupe.
Beautiful ride.
Don't know about shotguns, but he gets his thrills killing dogs.
He's righteous trash.
Look at that. It's five minutes from here. Thanks.
I'll hear from you...
...about my brother?
Keep it up, Lenny. Up.
There it is. It's in the back.
- One of ours. - Shit, somebody beat us here.
Damn it.
My glasses.
You're kidding.
Just don't shoot me.
What are you doing here?
We were in the neighborhood.
- What do you got? - Three 12-gauge pumps.
And cash.
So long, Vice. Badge of Honor, here I come.
Fuck you! This is our collar.
Quiet!
I'm ranking officer here. We go as a team. End of story.
Right.
How many ways in?
Only one. Up the stairs.
He's very serious.
Police!
Don't shoot!
- Don't move. - Shut up!
Anxious, aren't you?
Don't kill them.
Back, back, back!
Get off me!
Against the wall!
- Put your hands up! - Get over there.
Shut up! Hands behind your back!
So...
...how's it feel getting out of the office?
This came from forensics.
Burning clothes...
...Casitas Youth Camp...
It's crowded in here, White.
These guys killed Stensland.
The ejection marks on the shells fired from the shotguns...
...are identical to those on the shell casings found at the Nite Owl.
I want confessions, Edmund.
A night's stewing has softened them up.
I'll break them, sir.
Are you sure golden boy is up to the task, Cap?
I think you'd be surprised what the lad is capable of.
You're 22, aren't you, Ray?
Did an officer work you over?
- You're 22, right? - Why do you keep asking that?
22 makes it a gas chamber bounce.
You should've pulled this 2 years ago.
Get life, do a little Youth Authority jolt...
...transfer to Folsom a big man.
Get yourself a sissy.
I don't truck with sissies.
Louis.
What?
You did the Casitas Youth Camp with Louis.
Why you keep asking me about Louis? His business is his business.
Sugar, Louis told me you went sissy up at Casitas.
You couldn't do the time, so you got a big white boy to look after you.
Said they called you Sugar...
...because you gave it out so sweet.
Louis gave it up at Casitas. I was the boss jock in my dorm!
He was the sissy!
Louis gave it up for candy bars! He ain't got the sense of a dog!
You like to shoot dogs.
Dogs got no reason to live.
What about people?
What you trying to say?
We got the shotguns.
I don't own shotguns.
Why were you throwing clothes in the incinerator?
Say what?
A neighbor said she saw you throwing clothes in the incinerator.
Doesn't look good.
I ain't talking till I see a judge.
Were you on hop? You were passed out when we arrested you.
Ty and Louis fuck with that shit, not me.
Where do they get their stuff?
Come on.
Give me one to feed the D.A. It'll make me look good...
...and I'll say Sugar Ray's not a punk like his sissy partners.
Tell me where Jones and Fontaine...
...get their drugs.
Roland Navarette.
He runs a hole-up on Bunker Hill.
And he sells red devils.
Exley's good, I'll give him that.
I'll take a break.
You know, I'm talking about the gas chamber...
...and you haven't asked me what this is about.
You got a big guilty sign around your neck.
That was masterful.
He's ready to go.
Give Jones the newspaper. I want him primed.
Take the cuffs off so he can read it.
Ray Collins just ratted you off. Said the Nite Owl was your idea.
I think it was Ray's idea. You talk, I think I can save your life.
6 people are dead, and someone has to pay for it.
Now, it can be you, or it can be Ray.
Louis, he called you queer.
- He said you took it up the ass. - I didn't kill nobody!
Son...
...you know what'll happen if you don't talk.
You'll go to the gas chamber. So admit what you did.
I didn't mean to hurt her.
- Maybe she's okay. - Okay?
They're in the morgue. They were dead when you left them.
I just wanted to lose my cherry. She don't die, so I don't die.
Louis, who's the girl? What's her name?
Who are you talking about?
Was she at the Nite Owl?
Listen to me, was she at the Nite Owl?
- This newspaper ain't shit! - Where's the girl?
You kill her?
Louis lost his cherry, but things got out of hand. You made her bleed.
She bled on your clothes, so you burned the clothes.
Who said that?!
Now, listen to me.
If she's alive, she's your only chance.
I think she's alive.
Where is she now?
You leave her someplace?
Tell me where she is!
What're you doing?!
Don't.
White!
1 in 6! Where's the girl?
I have this under control!
Where's the girl?
Sylvester Fitch, 109 Avalon...
...brown corner house, upstairs.
- Captain, just give me one minute. - You got it.
Nobody moves.
We're going in the front. Stay put...
...until I give the word.
He went around back!
I'm Lieutenant Exley. I'm sorry, I need to know what time they left.
Get her to the hospital. Excuse me.
Give your career a rest.
Leave her alone.
A naked guy with a gun? Who'll believe that?
Get the fuck away from me.
- How will that look in your report? - Like justice. That's what the man got.
- Justice. - You don't know the meaning of the word.
You think it means getting your picture in the paper.
Go after criminals for a change.
Stensland got what he deserved and so will you.
It's best to stay away when his blood is up.
His blood's always up.
Perhaps you should avoid him altogether.
Raymond Collins, Ty Jones and Louis Fontaine.
They are considered armed and dangerous.
Repeat. The Nite Owl suspects have escaped.
How'd they get out the window?
They jumped from the 2nd floor.
Girl said they left her at 12. They could get to the Nite Owl by 1.
The question was, where did they get their drugs?
I haven't gotten that far yet.
Roland Navarette lives on Bunker Hill. He runs a hole-up...
Anyone seen Jack Vincennes?
Is something up?
I need backup. Come on.
- What? - Nothing. Let's go.
This should be it.
404.
Nobody moves!
Stay right there!
- You're under arrest. - Don't shoot!
Please don't shoot!
Don't move!
There he is.
You did good, kid.
You should've seen this place. Blood everywhere.
Who would have thought? Shotgun Ed.
Somebody get him cleaned up.
Come on.
Edmund J. Exley has amassed a brilliant record...
...in his 7 years with the Los Angeles Police Department.
Recently, he evinced spectacular bravery in the line of duty.
It is our privilege to present him with our highest honor:
The Medal of Valor.
- What kind of car was it? - It was a Ford.
My husband always drove a Ford. I know what they look like.
Excuse me, ma'am. Just the facts. Light or dark?
Light. And that's really all I remember, Officer.
Thank you. You've been a big help.
Cut! That's a print.
Big Jack!
He's back!
Jack's back.
Tell Mr. Patchett I have no intention of changing my vote.
It may surprise some that an official would admit to making a mistake...
...but after due consideration...
...I am changing my position on the matter before the council.
Go west, America was a slogan of Manifest Destiny.
Today is that last step westward with no stop signs...
...no traffic signals, from downtown...
...to the beach in 20 minutes.
What were you going to start with?
Prostitution?
Gambling?
Go back to Jersey, sonny. This is the City of the Angels...
...and you haven't got any wings.
Nice to see you again. Take care.
I wondered when you'd knock on my door again, Officer White.
It's Bud.
Bud.
Why me?
I don't know.
This election...
...is about the future of law enforcement in Los Angeles.
City Councilman Rogers represents that future.
So let's dig deep...
...and get a moral man re-elected. Ellis Loew wants to say a few words.
Thank you, Brett Chase. The talented star of Badge of Honor.
Let me tell you, I am so thrilled to be here.
Big V.
Good to see you back.
- How they hanging, Sid? - Down around my ankles.
You tight with the D.A., Jackie?
He tried to throw me off the force last Christmas.
How about some payback, big-time?
Plus the usual $50 donation to the Jack Vincennes retirement fund.
- Did you know the D.A. was a swish? - No kidding?
Remember Matt Reynolds? Christmas Eve? The Movie Premiere Pot Bust?
- He just got off the honor farm. - What's he doing here?
Reynolds is acey-deucey, not to mention broke.
I'm getting him to fuck the D.A. for $ 100.
That's twice the $50 you got for wrecking his career.
- Come here, come here. - Jesus, don't bring him...
That's D.A. Loew right there.
You need a drink?
Yeah.
Look after him.
Matt, this is Jack. No secrets between me and him.
- How you doing? - I'm okay. How're you?
I'm good.
Have we met before?
Yeah.
Was it at a party?
It was something like that.
Fleur-de-Lis party, right?
Right.
Fleur-de-Lis.
Whatever you desire.
Dope, hookers that look like movie stars...
...Pierce Patchett has it all.
You could say that again.
Pierce, he's not like regular guys.
I dig him...
...but you know...
...he scares me too.
Really?
How?
When I came out to L.A. this isn't exactly where I saw myself ending up.
Yeah, well...
...get in line.
Dutch courage, kid. Drink up.
I don't think I should do this.
It's not like you don't know how.
Jack's connected to Badge of Honor. Pull this off, you'll get a part.
I smell a comeback, don't you, Jack?
The D.A.'s free.
Go introduce yourself. Go on.
Tell him about the opening on the show.
I'm pretty sure I can get you a part.
But that's later on. Tonight, just go over and pretend it's an acting job.
Like show biz.
Acting, that's it.
Right.
No one's going to know about this?
No.
It'll be our secret.
- Show biz. - That's it. Go on.
Show biz.
If Reynolds works his charms, and he will...
...they'll be at the Hollywood Center Motel, room 203.
Meet me there at midnight for a photo shoot.
Maybe we can work in the Hollywood sign this time.
You know Pierce Patchett?
I know what you know.
He's rich. Invested in the freeways, which'll make him richer. Why?
I keep hearing rumors.
High-class porn, drugs, hookers that look like movie stars.
Patchett's what I call twilight. He ain't queer or red.
He cannot help me in my quest for prime sinnuendo.
As though Badge of Honor would touch that guy with a 10-foot pole...
...after he's been Hush-Hush cover boy twice in one year.
See you soon.
Midnight. I guarantee all kinds of illegal activity.
Another, Jack?
Kid?
Come on, you don't have to do this...
Thank you for what you did for me...
...for killing those animals who raped me.
Will you thank Officer White for me, please?
Sure.
Seeing him come through the door is about the only thing I remember.
Thank God.
You remember what time the Negroes left you?
In your statement, you said they left you at midnight.
They might have.
They might have?
I don't know what time they left me. I wanted them dead.
Would anyone care that they raped a Mexican girl...
...if they hadn't killed those white people at the Nite Owl?
I did what I had to do for justice.
Exley, over here.
Smile, Inez.
Is he your hero?
Fellas, how about this? Rape Victim Wheeled Out by Nite Owl Hero.
All they get is Veronica Lake.
I get Lynn Margaret Bracken.
Bisbee?
I grew up there.
I'm going back in a couple of years, open up a dress shop.
The girls in Bisbee need a little glamour.
Where'd this come from?
I was 12. My dad went after my mother with a bottle. I got in the way.
So you saved her.
Not for long.
- I'm sorry. It's none of my business. - He tied me to the radiator.
I watched him beat my mother to death with a tire iron...
...and he left me there.
Three days before a truant officer found us.
They never found the old man.
Is that why you became a cop?
To get even?
Maybe.
Do you like it?
I used to.
Now it's all strong-arm, sitting duck stuff.
If I could get a chance to work Homicide like a real detective...
That prick, Exley. He shot the wrong guys.
Whoever killed Stensland's still around. I know it in here. I know it.
Something's wrong with the Nite Owl.
I just can't prove it, that's all.
I'm not smart enough.
I'm just the guy they bring in to scare the other guy shitless.
You're wrong.
You found Patchett. You found me.
You're smart enough.
Bud White. What brings you down to the basement?
A couple of Nite Owl questions.
Don't know if you read the papers, but that case is closed.
Anything bother you about it?
The fact that the pack-up boys haven't hauled this shit out of here yet.
The suspects' 3 shotguns match the strike marks on the shell casings.
What more do you want?
There's blood on the wall here.
I thought everyone got shot in the men's room.
That is Stensland's blood.
Blow to the head. Probably unconscious when they dragged him in the john.
They hit anyone else?
No, but he was a cop. Probably tried to do something.
Grilled cheese, black coffee. Someone was sitting next to him.
2 of the victims were women?
Yeah, Patti DeLuca, the night shift waitress, and a Susan Lefferts.
Susan Lefferts.
What about her?
You're welcome!
Mrs. Lefferts?
I'm Officer White, LAPD.
Tell me about the boyfriend. The one you mentioned at the coroner's.
Susie, I told you I didn't approve.
He was too old for you. And you let him be fresh with me.
They came here one day when I wasn't home.
Mrs. Jensen next door said...
...she saw Susie's boyfriend and another man...
...and she heard a ruckus.
What was his name?
We weren't properly introduced.
He had a nickname, Muns or Luns.
Stens? Was it Stens?
Maybe.
- I don't know. - Look at this picture.
That's him.
You said a neighbor heard a ruckus.
Outside?
Inside?
Outside.
And then Mrs. Jensen said they kept going under the house.
You have to leave now, Officer.
- What's through here? - Just a room full of old things.
Don't move that.
Don't mind the smell. I think a rat died behind the wall.
My Susie was a good girl.
She was never in any kind of trouble at all.
"Leland Meeks. " Never heard of you.
They call me Buzz.
Was it a rat?
Yeah, a great big one.
Here.
Compliments of the Police Department.
Stomach of the week from a motel homicide.
Unemployed actor had frankfurter, french fries, alcohol and sperm.
Hell of a last supper, don't you think?
Anything bothering you about the Nite Owl case?
The fact that you guys won't let it go.
- What do you mean? - Bud White grilled me on it today.
Bud White?
He's not as dumb as I thought.
Did he say where he was going?
Let my daughter rest in peace!
I just want to ask a few questions.
Officer White already checked under the house.
Under the house?
- Where? - Out back.
All he found was rodents.
I need an I.D. on this as soon as possible. Talk only to me on this one.
I need your help.
I'm busy. Why don't you ask your boys in Homicide?
I can't. I need someone outside of Homicide.
I want you to tail Bud White.
Do me a favor. Leave me alone.
You make the 3 Negroes for the Nite Owl killings?
What?
It's a simple question.
Why in the world do you want to dig deeper...
...into the Nite Owl killings...
...Lieutenant?
Rollo Tomasi.
Is there more or I am suppose to guess?
Rollo was a purse snatcher.
My father ran into him off-duty.
He shot my father 6 times and got away clean.
No one knew who he was.
I made the name up to give him personality.
What's your point?
Rollo Tomasi's the reason I became a cop.
I wanted to catch the guys who thought they could get away with it.
It was about justice.
Then somewhere along the way I lost sight of that.
Why'd you become a cop?
I don't remember.
What do you want? Actually.
I want to solve this.
Nite Owl was solved.
I want to do it right.
Even if it means paying the consequences?
All right, college boy, I'll help.
But there's a case your boys in Homicide don't care about.
They think it's just another Hollywood homo-cide. But I don't.
You help me with mine, I'll help you with yours.
Deal?
Deal.