[Chattering] ?? [Man Singing Rock]
?? [Fades]
Look at that. [Laughs]
You know, more sociologists should come to these charity bashes.
What, kind of like reverse slumming?
Well, for the sake of enlightenment. I mean, isn't it tribal?
Everyone trying not to step on the wrong toes in a mating dance for the overprivileged.
Are you just here to watch?
And to make a few business contacts.
But I guess I am a bit of a voyeur.
How about you, Mr. Burnett? You have any confessions to make?
Well, me and my partner, we're here to size up the situation,
and if, uh, something should happen to turn up—
Does that something have strictly to do with business?
Absolutely not. Mmm.
In fact— In fact, the gentleman that we came here to see...
is leaving and going back to his apartment.
Ah— Can't wait, huh?
Uh, Christine Von Marburg, this is my partner, Ricardo Cooper,
who promises to improve his timing.
Pleasure. Hi.
Money is not made lyin' in the shade.
My conscience. Hmm.
Uh, I guess this really is urgent.
I'll call you sometime.
I'm not listed.
Don't worry about it.
?? [Continues]
?? [Fades] [Sighs]
So shut it off. [Engine Stops]
I wish I had a nickel for every minute I've spent...
out in front of some joker's apartment,
waiting for him to come out after having been...
in some nice, warm sheets.
Yeah, I hope Symington's quick.
C-Come on, Ali! [Laughs]
Wait. Here.
Ali, not out here.
Come on.
?? [Continues] Come on.
[Screams]
Is it Symington?
It ain't the bluebird of happiness. ?? [Ends]
He had an M.B.A. From Harvard.
Would've done him more good if he'd have used it for a parachute.
He must've had some very unhappy customers.
I thought guys in his line of work got even by cheating at golf.
[Crockett] Whoever gave him the flying lessons wasn't a country-clubber.
I'm guessin' he was laundering money for some new player and got sticky fingers.
The girl? Gonzo.
She didn't even come down to check the poor sap's pulse.
- Yeah, the only way she could've killed him was in the bed. - [Chuckles]
There's no other suspects?
Tubbs and I will check with the society dame that threw the party.
Maybe she'll know something about the girl.
[Typing]
Come on, Sonny. We gotta step on it. Rich women don't wait.
Yeah, I know. I know. I know. [Paper Rips]
[Man] You let her get away?
[Man #2] She runs kinda fast.
Now his death looks like what it was—murder.
And Ali is still wandering around out there with a tale to tell.
But I thought you hired her.
Idiotsl Both of you.
Are you so used to jail that you think of it as some sort of vacation? Hmm?
If the police get to her, she's going to identify you.
And if the police arrest you—
We're not that way, Mr. Togaru.
Why not spare us all the anxiety of waiting to find out?
Hmm? Kill her.
[Woman] Well, it certainly put a damper on my party.
Honestly, I couldn't have been more surprised.
Murder. Dear Charles.
You see, this type of thing just doesn't happen in our circle.
We're more likely to get robbed.
"Give me your money." "Hand over those municipal bonds."
But murder— Murder, it's just so...
lower-class.
[Chuckles] You have to forgive me. Sometimes I'm such a princess.
Yes, well, uh, just a couple more questions, and then we'll let you grieve in private.
Oh. You're so kind.
Uh, the girl that was with Symington— Do you happen to know her name?
Yes. Ali.
Oh, ravishing.
But definitely not a murderess.
Well, lady, we're not accusing her of anything. We just wanna talk to her.
Do you happen to know where she lives or a phone number or maybe even a last name?
No, no, I'm afraid not.
Did she ever say where she worked?
She's a model. That much I know.
Uh, as a matter of fact, she was very excited.
She had just gotten some new pictures for her portfolio. [Chuckles]
Rather risqué, from what I understand.
But, you know, when you're a girl who looks like that, you can get away with anything.
Uh, would you happen to know the modeling agency she's with?
No. Oh.
Okay. Uh—
I do think I have the photographer's name.
You know, actually I was thinking of having some pictures taken myself.
You know, for my husband. A gift.
Yes, here it is. DeLa Moreno.
Strange name, isn't it?
[Tubbs Laughs]
"Boudoir photography by I. DeLa Moreno." Oh, man.
"Paris, Rome, New York, Miami and San Juan."
The only way this guy ever got to any of these places is from extradition.
This reminds me of my first massage parlor bust.
You look on the rap sheet, Izzy was probably runnin' the joint.
Izzy?
Go away, huh?
Come on. Open up. You got no right. You know that?
You're "defecating" the First Amendment.
Open this door, or I'm gonna pull you through that peephole. You got it?
[Spanish] Huh? Huh?
Come on! One second. It's stuck on this side.
Push on your side.
No, no, you're pushing the wrong way. Push on this—
Don't pull on itl
Open this door! It's stuck.
You'll have to come around. There we go. We got it. Come on in.
Shhl She's havin' a private moment.
That's the—That's the cornerstone of the Strasberg inner technique.
Dorinda. Dorinda, don't break character now. Don't break it. [Screams]
I thought we were supposed to be alone! Get up—
Back on that stage!
Get—
Izzy, what are you doing with these women,
takin'it out in trade?
Have some respect, Crockett, huh?
I will do whatever is necessary to attain attitudinal pomposity,
and that includes the arousal of certain photogenic voluptuaries.
Okay, enough of the mysto-babble, you Hispanic Hugh Hefner.
[Tubbs] You ever photograph a model named Ali?
Brunette. Lots of hair, lots of inseam.
Like a lawyer and a priest, when I'm "immoralizing" women—
[Makes Whooshing Sound] Sacred vows.
- Oh, I get it. Kinda like a monk. - Exactly.
Uh-huh. The only difference is the monastery you're gonna go back to...
doesn't believe in chastity... or abstinence.
Cops and priests. Whenever I see 'em, I got a weird feeling...
I gotta make some kind of confession. Now you're gettin' warm.
I'm sizzling, mon ami.
Ali. There you go.
Nice posture. Mm-hmm.
Uh, does she have a last name, or did that come off with her clothes?
Ali Ferrand, Ali Ferrand, Ali Ferran—
1207 Portofino. 14A. You want me to go with you, maybe knock on the front door?
Uh, thank you, no. What happened to your neck?
Uh, this is the, uh,
Erich von Stroheim school of directors.
It's European discipline.
It's a grand illusion, no?
Don't get your thumb in front of the lens, pal.
Dorinda? Darling, come out. It's all right.
Now, listen, this time remember your subtext, okay?
[Crockett] Aha. Looks like our little lady left in a hurry.
Well, at least we know she can pass a current events exam.
How far do you think it scared her—
across town, out of town?
I hope scared is all she is.
Come on. We'll put Switek on the building.
[Crockett] Yes, ma'am, I am persistent.
No, no, no, no, sorry. How I got your number is a trade secret.
Tell you what though. We can discuss it over dinner tonight.
You know Emilio's?
What do you mean "too well"?
By "too well," I meant that this is where...
I broke up with my last significant other.
[Laughs] And how long were you with this, uh, significant other?
For about a year, but I should've moved out after a week. And why is that?
Uh-uh. It's my turn to ask questions.
Just what is it you do that gives you access to unlisted phone numbers,
mine for example?
Oh, a little of this, a little of that.
Let me guess. You're a jewel thief...
or maybe a traveling evangelist or maybe a gigolo.
[Laughs] None of the above.
How about you?
I have a company called C.V.M. Enterprises, and its existence makes me an entrepreneur.
- Meaning? - Do a little of this—
and a little of that. And a little of that. Uh-huh. I got it.
We better get outta here before somebody puts a lie detector on us.
[Both Laugh]
Um, at Brown, I minored in theater,
and, um, I was kinda hooked on Shakespeare.
I can't believe anybody reads all that. [Laughs]
Thank you for a wonderful night.
Ah. I guess that means it's over.
For now.
Can I try again tomorrow night?
I'd be real disappointed if you didn't.
Good night.
[Crying]
Ali? What's the matter?
Christine, you—you always said that you would help me, right?
Come here. What?
Chuck— Chuckie. Chuckie. They killed Chuckie.
- What? - They killed Chuckie.
Oh, God! I got away.
Oh, God. I'm so scared.
It's okay, honey. It's okay. It's all right.
Oh.
Every time the light hits her in a different way, I see somethin'new about her.
She's read Shakespeare, and she likes that, uh,
Postimpressionist art or whatever the hell it is.
Then last night, she asked me what I think about Buddy Holly.
As a singer or as a totem figure?
Hey, suck eggs, pal, all right?
Oh, boy. Sonny, man, you don't even know what this chick does for a living.
She makes mucho dinero. I can tell you that.
Fine. Wonderful.
But what's Miss Make Plenty of Bucks gonna say when you tell her you're a cop?
[Sighs]
So far we got zip.
The apartment must've given you something.
Yeah, it told us she was gone.
Gina, Trudy, I want you to dig up as much as you can on—
Ali Ferrand. F-E-R-R-A-N-D.
She's a model.
Ali as in Muhammad Ali?
What else? [Chuckles] I like her already.
According to Homicide,
everyone around Symington said he was a Boy Scout.
Then it's gettin' harder to win merit badges.
Keep me informed.
[Cowbells Clang]
[Panting]
Mes amis, man. You can't leave. We just got here.
I knew she was married. Shut up and get back inside, pip-squeak.
I knew that she was, but, you know, it's okay, though.
I'm a boudoir photographer. That's all. Boudoir.
You know what a boudoir is? It's like a bed.
It's got, like, lacy curtains and a tent over the top of it.
It's tremendous architecture, and you know what they say about architecture?
It's like frozen music. Well, Goethe said it, not me.
You know what I mean? It's just that— that all boudoirs have—
The important thing is the bounty, and that's a woman.
You know, women who are not afraid to take off their clothes in front of people, you know, and, uh—
- Ali Ferrand. - No, that's not her.
Excuse me. Could you please put that down, huh?
L— I thought we were gonna have a meaningful "diabolical" here.
But, listen, I'm no reluctant witness.
Ali Ferrand.
Yeah, the phone number's in that desk right over there.
If you want, l— Let me go, uh, help you get it.
What reward do I get, huh,
for telling you that Godzilla and Rodan came by and "immortalized" me?
You ever seen 'em before?
How many times do I have to tell you?
I photograph beautiful women, not meatballs! Those momos!
How'd they know about you anyway?
The truth.
- She's a hooker. - What?
She's a hooker! Who?
Ali Ferrand!
Why didn't you tell me that in the first place?
'Cause you didn't ask.
The next time you withhold information from me, pal,
I'm gonna have a little chat with your parole officer,
and then you're gonna get to go play "hide the soap"! You'd do that, wouldn't you?
You'd "defoliate" my freedom? That's right. You've got it.
Was she freelance? No, she worked for this escort service.
Caprice. I do a lot of their photos.
From now on, you're sending copies to the Vice office.
That phone doesn't work. You gotta use the pay phone.
You don't need any change. I've already rigged it.
If you wanna call long distance, you can use this one down here. L—
[Line Ringing]
- Switek. - Yeah, you caught me right in the middle of a magic trick.
Yeah, what a coincidence. Get ahold of Gina and Trudy.
Have 'em track down and do a check on the Caprice Escort Service.
Any sign of Ali?
No, if you ask me, she's never comin' back.
Yeah, well, nobody asked ya. And while you're at it,
keep an eye out for the couple of leg-breakers that just paid Izzy a visit.
Oh, they break his legs?
We couldn't get that lucky.
Ali, you know the last thing that I wanna do...
is throw you out on the street.
But I just, um, really think that I need a little bit of—
Privacy. Privacy.
Don't worry about it, honey. I'm leavin'.
I figured you were gonna walk in with him last night.
I didn't know which bedroom to hide in.
Is it serious?
I think so.
Yeah, it's serious.
Well, then maybe you can keep me up to date.
That is, if you accept collect calls.
'Cause think I better get out of town for a while.
You're sure? Yeah.
God, yeah.
Well, you can always come back here.
Really? Mm-hmm.
Well, if I do, I'll certainly give you plenty of warning.
I was telling a friend of mine about you today.
Oh, yeah? Yeah.
What were you doin', describin' the noise my head made when it ran into the Berlin Wall?
Berlin Wall? Your front door.
[Laughs] Come on. It wasn't that bad, was it?
No, just painfully refreshing.
So you're not happy? Oh, no, I'm happy.
Yeah? I could be happier.
Is there anything that I could help you with? Yeah, I'm sure you could.
Do you have something specific in mind?
Well, if pressed, I could probably come up with something.
?? [Man Singing]
?? [Continues]
?? [Ends]
Explanations.
If I'd have gotten a little closer, I might've been able to recognize her.
But you can't do a stakeout from someone's front porch, can you?
[Crockett] Listen, Marty, there's no way he could've guessed she was gonna wear a wig.
[Tubbs] It was a long shot that she'd even come back here.
The killers did not wear wigs.
Security's a rumor in this joint. You could sneak a 747 in here from a million places.
I talked to the neighbors. There's a couple girls about Ali's age...
said she was not trickin' from this apartment.
They looked like they know what they're talking about.
Thank you. Tubbs and I'll check out Caprice.
Caprice. Caprice, that's, uh, "C." [Beeps]
Caprice.
Oh, look at this. Christine's office is here too.
Does Christine know who her neighbors are?
So what are you wearing?
Ooh, are they nice and tight?
Why don't you just relax for me?
Sinful Cindy. Don't be afraid. Okay.
Pain is pleasure.
I'll take care of you.
[Chattering]
I'll tell you anything you want to hear. Just give me your credit card number first.
If you want an escort, let me have your name and phone number,
and I'll call you right back.
Fauntleroy? [Scoffs] Is that your first name or your last name, hon?
No, no. I need your name.
Look, someone just came in. Why don't you, uh,
call me back when you're ready to tell the truth or, uh,
Fauntleroy gets its own listing, okay?
Sorry, fellas. No walk-ins. Strictly outcall.
Well, maybe you can make an exception in our case?
For the police? Anything.
Being a strictly legitimate small business,
it's our pleasure to cooperate with the man.
Well, that's good.
We got a little bad news for ya though.
One of your girls got herself killed last night—Ali Ferrand.
She was always screwing something up.
How 'bout a list of, uh, some of those somethings...
or someone she might have been involved with in the past week or so?
It's in the computer somewhere.
Well, I sure hope you're computer friendly.
I'm just friendly. How 'bout your boss?
Maybe he could help us?
Can't say.
Who is your boss?
I can't say that either.
Okay, I'll tell you what you do.
You tell your boss to get us that information and phone it in to this number.
Tell him not to make me get a warrant now.
Because that'll make me mad. And then I'm gonna clear my desk of all my other cases...
and make his life one living hell for the next six months.
So what do you think?
Well, I think since we're here, I may as well stop in and say hello to Christine.
Can I help you? Yeah, Christine Von Marburg, please.
And do you have an appointment? Uh, just tell her Sonny Burnett's here.
[Woman] Burnett.
Sonny?
Hi!
Are you all right? Yeah. Yeah. No, I'm fine.
I just had some upsetting news.
This land that we wanted to buy and build condos on,
the competition just outbid us. Oh.
What kind of fool would sell to your competition? Don't they know you're businesswoman of the year?
You're kidding. Front page.
Well, chamber of commerce is easily swayed. Well, congratulations.
Yeah, congratulations. Thanks.
Well, this calls for a little celebration.
How about if I take you to dinner tonight?
[Sighs] I don't think so.
Hey, hey, are you giving me the brush-off, lady? No, nothing like that.
Then I'll be by at around, uh, 8:00...
with a pizza and a bottle of champagne.
Okay, but no anchovies on the pizza.
You got it. Okay.
All I know about you is that you drive a Testarossa and you live on a boat.
I mean, I don't even know where your office is. [Chuckles]
Me and Cooper move too fast to have one.
Well, what if I wanted to send you a present for your birthday?
You don't even know when my birthday is.
You see? That's another secret that you're keeping from me.
July 29. There, you satisfied?
At last, the shroud of mystery begins to lift.
Okay, your turn. You gotta tell me one of your secrets now.
Tell me. Tell me somethin'.
Well, what are you interested in?
Um— Oh, wait, wait. I know.
I'm a TV star. What?
Tomorrow, I'll be on Miami at Midday.
You know, from the— that award I got.
No kidding? Yeah, you promise you'll watch?
I promise, if you promise you'll remember me when you make the big time.
There, there. I promise when it's over, I'll come right back to you.
You better.
If I don't, I'm crazy.
...doesn't take your breath away, then I think you'd better move to Cleveland for a while.
Greetings, everybody. We're coming to you from the Port of Miami,
and I think we have a very special show for you.
"Special" certainly is an adjective that's been used to describe the woman to my right.
This is Christine Von Marburg. She is a very successful businesswoman,
chairman ofher own corporation, C. V.M. Enterprises,
and just named by the Miami Chamber of Commerce...
one of the three outstanding businesswomen of the year.
She's lovely, obviously,
and I think we're going to find out that she's also rather intriguing.
Comfortable? Yes. It's too nice of a day not to be.
I'd venture to say you've been comfortable all your life.
- [Christine] Why is that? - Your late father, Klaus Von Marburg,
heir to millions in German munitions,
and, of course, your mother, the former Elizabeth Babbitt,
with a pedigree that traces all the way back to the Pilgrims.
And as for you, after one of the decade's most lavish debutante parties— Shh!
I think you should read this. Trudy, not now. I gotta watch this.
... graduated with honors in history.
And that's why I was frankly flabbergasted at the report from our research people...
on a month-long investigation into your background.
Why is that? Well—
A goodly portion of your annual high six-figure salary...
is derived from ladies of the night.
I don't know what you're talking about.
Well, the telephone company may call it the "Caprice Escort Service,"
which certainly sounds respectable,
but you're running a string of prostitutes.
Ms. Von Marburg, you're a madam.
[Christine Clears Throat] [Man] How did you get into the business?
That's what I was trying to tell you.
I'm sorry. I really don't— don't know what you're talking about.
Did you do any of this yourself? Were you involved in actually turning tricks yourself,
or was this just something you saw as a business opportunity?
Um, l—I don't think that we should continue this conversation.
[Trudy Sighs] L- It was just luck that I found it.
I ran all Florida corporations—nada.
Then I ran all the U.S. Corporations.
Finally, I tried foreign corporations with subsidiaries doing business in Florida.
Caprice is owned by a holding company in the Dutch Antilles,
which is subsidiary of a Delaware corporation,
and the principal stockholder is Christine Von Marburg.
I just got a phone call from downtown.
We're to pick up a madam by the name of Christine Von Marburg.
Gina, Trudy, please.
First a junkie, now a hooker.
I think I've been in the business too long.
I'm startin' to fall for the players.
Rico, do me a favor.
Pull the phone records on Christine Von Marburg...
and Charles Symington.
What a tangled web these criminal virtuosos weave.
Not exactly pimps cutting hookers in half on vacant lots.
No, our guy has a little different style.
He strangles them and then drops 'em off buildings.
Christine made 42 calls in three months.
Symington? Yeah.
Eight calls in the past two weeks before Symington took the big belly flop.
Guy named Kenneth Togaru.
I never heard of him. [Man] You have now.
See, eight holding companies later, there he is—
chairman and C.E.O. Of the Bigham Group.
Got some interesting associates too. Charles Symington.
He was chief financial adviser.
And there she is— Christine Von Marburg.
I'd like to talk to the lady.
Christine?
It's okay.
I'll be outside if you need me. Fine.
A setup?
I never had a clue.
I tricked you, you tricked me. I mean, pardon the pun.
Pretty clever, aren't we?
I got my reasons. What are yours?
First, it was the excitement,
a private joke on my oh-so-respectable family.
[Inhales, Exhales] Then it became a job.
And the money was just too good to be true.
And it was mine.
But, Sonny,
I never did any hooking.
It's your life.
It's the truth.
I want you to know.
Since you're in the mood for telling the truth, tell me about Symington.
I just arranged a date for him.
And made sure Togaru knew all about it.
How'd Symington wind up in the soup?
He was laundering money. Not all of it came out in the wash.
Skimming? Yeah.
What about your girl Ali? What'd she have to do with it?
She was an innocent bystander.
Tell me about Kenneth Togaru.
He was a client who became a friend.
A very good friend.
[Sighs] He was my mentor in the corporate world.
I owed him.
Enough to take a murder rap for him?
Business is business. I don't wanna go to jail.
That's good.
So you'll set up a meeting between Burnett and his Bahamian banker friend, Mr. Cooper.
Tell Togaru that you want him to make the deal...
because you need the cash to get out of the country.
Tell him when we busted you, all of your funds were frozen.
Good idea.
Gettin' out of the country?
Yeah.
Can't, if you're an accessory to murder one.
Will this clear me?
I can't make that decision.
But there's a good chance.
Besides, you got no choice.
You'll also have to wear a wire.
You don't trust me?
No, I don't trust him.
And the D.A. Will go to town on you if we don't nail Togaru.
Sonny, you don't know what you're asking.
He was in love with me. It could get rough.
Like you say,
business is business.
[Door Closes]
That bug you put in her purse is working great.
The storm will pass.
Not this time, Kenneth.
I gotta get out of here,
someplace where it's not so... hot.
[Togaru] And you need me to subsidize that journey?
[Christine] Just until my assets thaw.
I've found someone to take Symington's place.
Who?
He's a friend. His name is Burnett.
Friend? Acquaintance.
He has a banker, a Mr. Cooper.
Burnett says he's a genius at laundering money.
I've had enough of bankers. They're so smarmy.
Kenneth, please.
If I can put you together with them,
they'll give me a piece of the action.
Then I'll have some cash so that I can leave Miami.
Will you do it for me?
And what will you do for me?
Remember, Christine, the first rule of business?
Be a friend.
We can do better than that.
And, remember, nobody can make a move...
until we strike a hard deal with Togaru.
So it's simple. When Christine walks out, everybody in. The party's startin'.
Any more questions? That's it.
As we understand it, you're hurting for a financial washateria.
Hurting? That's right.
I mean, your banker proved that he can't bounce like a rubber ball.
And then Miss Von Marburg's escort service...
gets its pants pulled down on TV.
And now you're here as a goodwill gesture?
[Caribbean Accent] Not goodwill. Good business.
I'm listening.
We can provide you with what you're lacking—
legitimate business for your—
let's see, how shall I say this—
less-than-legitimate funds.
Is that the picture Ms. Von Marburg has painted?
Listen, pal, we don't care if you call your funds cotton candy.
We just wanna keep them from getting sticky...
for, let's say, uh, 15%.
Your rates are steep.
Who says crime doesn't pay?
Since you seem to be in a philosophical mood,
I'd like to give you my thought for the day.
It is unfortunate that our mutual friend...
neglected to enlighten me regarding her newly-discovered love of the law.
A lie is an ugly thing.
Sonny!
[Groans]
Can I talk to you?
Sure. The fish aren't bittin' anyway.
[Man Singing Ballad] I wanted to say good-bye.
I'm leaving the country.
Yeah, you've been takin' a little heat in the press lately. I don't blame you.
Yeah. I still can't believe it.
You know the newspaper that's been crucifying me?
Well, the publisher was one of my biggest clients.
And so was that little worm that does the editorials on Channel 8.
They're bastards, all of'em.
Does that go for me too?
You might be the biggest one of all.
Thank you for having the charges dropped.
You held up your end.
Bye, Sonny.
?? [Continues]