I'm gonna need some help.
It's not me, really, but Dad.
How much?
A little over $500,000.
Dad! Dad!
Charlie, we got to figure that she may already be dead.
Now, if she isn't, she will be,
unless we deal ourselves some cards.
And you could end up getting part of this broad back in the mail.
I'm going to arrest you for breathing my air.
Calm down, Lieutenant. They're gonna take you home on a respirator.
You think I'm some sort of criminal.
No.
That's what you were thinking, isn't it?
Well, just a little bit.
(TIRES SCREECHING)
(PHONE RINGING)
ROCKFORD ON ANSWERING MACHINE:: This is Jim Rockford:
At the tone, leave your name and message:
I'll get back to you:
(BEEPS)
WOMAN:: Hi, this is the Happy Pet Clinic:
Your father gave this number when he left town:
The calico stray had six kittens:
Please come get them today:
(SIGHS)
This isn't very comfortable, is it?
Well, I shouldn't have called, except...
I shouldn't have called.
Oh, we don't need to do a torch dance, Sandra.
We beat up on each other two years ago.
I think we ought to be able to stand in neutral corners.
That's right. Except I just feel guilty.
I think a lot of what happened was my fault.
Well, a lot of it was mine.
We should have started out like that two years ago.
We might have had a nice little house in the valley
and a tricycle on the lawn.
What's troubling you, Sandy?
You didn't call me up to have dinner.
Now what is that supposed to mean?
Why is it you're always looking for an angle?
Put your wheels down, honey. It was just a question.
(SIGHS)
Brother, we are quite a couple.
You ring a bell and I jump up with a knife.
It's always interesting.
But you're right.
I do need some help.
Well, not really me, but Dad.
I guess it's the same thing, though, isn't it? Charlie?
What possible problems could Charlie have?
Good old Charlie Baylock, the friendly bait salesman.
Look, do you think we could get out of here?
I'll tell you about it.
No, no, no, no. That is on me. I invited you.
It's okay.
Would you please not do one of your macho numbers on me?
I'm glad I didn't buy you a carnation.
You might have fed it to me.
We do have a lot of electricity, don't we?
We always did.
Is that her? Yeah.
She's a foxy lady.
Ain't gonna be nothing like that, Orin.
Nothing kinky.
Hey, you're the one who's jammed up, Mick, not me.
All you got to do is say the wrong things,
I'm sitting under the palm trees watching the flat bellies.
Who says I'm jammed up?
The jungle drums.
Check with any wino.
So ask nice.
Oh, okay.
I'm asking nice. You want to help me?
How much?
(STUTTERING) Couple of yards.
No way.
$500 or I don't even consider it.
Okay, $500.
And you keep your mouth in check.
(PEOPLE CHATTERING)
CHARLIE: So how much did you tell him?
I didn't really tell him anything,
just that you were in trouble.
What about... You know.
All I said was that you'd made a bad mistake about three years ago.
Did you tell him the statute of limitations had run out?
Dad, listen...
Look, this is hard for me, honey.
Three years I've known Jim. He's like a friend.
But things like this are hard to talk about with friends.
I know that.
But if they are your friends,
don't you think they understand?
Some do, some don't. But Jim does.
I mean, he spent some time in prison.
He knows what it's like to be in trouble.
Yeah. You know, I wonder where he is?
I'm standing right behind you.
(LAUGHING) Hey.
Hi, Charlie. How they running, huh?
Pretty good, Jim.
Well, look, I'll leave you two together.
I have to get to work.
Okay, honey, thank you.
Stop that.
Sometimes she makes me feel like a little kid
being dropped off at schooI for the first time.
Yeah. Well, I get that myself.
(SNICKERING) Well, here we are.
Yeah, we're here.
Look, I got something to show you.
(STAMMERING) It's gonna take you maybe half hour or so.
I wouldn't ask you, you know.
I mean, I don't want to impose on you, Jim,
but this thing has been bothering me,
and we figured the best way to get it sorted out
is to kind of share it with somebody like you.
Charlie, come on now, we're friends.
If you need some help, I'll be glad to help you.
How much?
A little over $500,000.
I stole it three years ago.
Put it back. It makes me nervous.
You, too? That's what it does to me.
I look at it and I sort of start shaking.
Okay, Charlie. How?
(SIGHING)
The whole thing was an accident.
Well, maybe not quite an accident.
But you got to understand, Jim,
I wasn't the same man when I stole this money.
It was way before you met me or Sandy.
It was when I was living in Woodland Hills.
Back when I had the itch to, you know, be something important.
Make something of myself.
I suppose Sandy told you how it was.
She never mentioned it. No.
I guess she wouldn't. She's a good girl.
Yeah, well, close it up and put it back.
My palms are beginning to sweat.
Means you're about to come into money, don't it?
No, that's when they itch.
When they begin to sweat, that's usually 'cause I'm scared to death.
CHARLIE: I was a low-echelon executive
for an oil conglomerate called Seawell.
I couldn't stand the pressure.
I was drinking too much,
my marriage was going sour,
I was over-extended.
(LAUGHING)
It was your typicaI soap opera situation.
That's when you decided to steal the money.
They kept cash there, for the oil depletion allowances.
I figured $10, $1 2,000.
So one night, I got drunk,
passed out in the storeroom.
When I woke up, I found out I was locked in.
So I start prowling around the office looking for the money,
to see if I could find where they put it.
Well, I find this safe box.
I couldn't open it.
But I was really wasted, Jim,
so I decided to steal it.
I pushed it out the basement window.
What a mistake. I can't tell you.
Yeah, when I make mistakes,
I don't end up with a half a million dollars.
The serial numbers were sequential.
Oh, it just scared the heck out of me, Jim.
I knew I'd be thrown in prison.
You just took the whole mess and put it in a safe deposit box.
Right. And I quit my job,
started selling bait.
That's been three years ago. I haven't had a drink since.
Well, Sandy told me that the statute of limitations
ran out last night.
You're a rich man, Charlie.
And they can't touch you,
even if you want to take out a full-page ad in the paper.
Jim, for the last two years my life has been great.
I have nothing yet I have everything.
So two days ago, I decided something.
Yeah. What?
I decided to give it back.
What's the problem? Just go ahead and give it back.
But if I do it, the police will know I stole it.
It'll be in all the papers.
I'll be Charlie The Thief.
I just don't want to jeopardize what I have now, Jim.
So you want me to give it back?
I guess it wouldn't hurt my reputation any.
(SNICKERS)
You'll do it?
I'll think about it.
I like to run my finger around the edge of something before I decide.
But you'll think about it. Oh, yeah, yeah.
Come on, I'll take you home.
Hello, Mrs. Northcourt. Yeah, this is Dan Hall.
Yeah, been quite a while.
Listen, is Grady home?
I was figuring you'd get in touch, Dan.
How you been, Grady?
I hear they got you back on the streets. That's a tough break.
I hope we're not going to have one of those nice little talks.
Suppose we try and keep it together long enough
to get this chicken cooked, okay?
We got to figure out how we're gonna do it:
I suppose. Where?
How about that hotel on Slauson?
What hotel on Slauson?
Take it easy, chickee. I'm talking about the one
where Little Mitch and Fast Erman were booking horses.
Yeah. Okay.
This is going to be the ultimate score.
Half an hour.
(COUGHING)
(GRUNTS)
You want we should write it on your calendar for you, Mickey?
Let me up. You got a new story, Mickey?
One with a funny ending? I told Lucy.
You check with him. I'm getting it. Like I keep telling you.
You ain't getting it.
You been sitting in the Green Duck eating pretzels and sucking your teeth.
I told you... Overdue is overdue.
You got two days, sweet pea. You got that?
Two days.
(STAMMERING) I'm telling you, I'm going to get it.
I made an investment. I'm waiting for it to mature.
I ain't interested in no more hat dances, Mickey.
Two days. End of the line.
You got his calendar ready?
Yeah.
No, no, no. I'll tell you. I'll tell you all about it!
I'll cut you in. It's a really big deal.
A real big deal.
It better be, sweet pea.
You better come over to the car and explain this big score to Lucy.
(WHISTLES)
That's a very interesting calling card.
Yes. Well, I travel in some very interesting circles, Mr. Steinberg.
Sometimes it rubs off.
Sit down. Well, thank you.
You didn't give your name.
That's right.
Well...
Well, let's just think of me as the bright light
in Seawell's next quarterly statement.
I'm sorry, I really don't understand.
Just check the serial number on the bill, Mr. Steinberg.
Praise the Lord.
(STAMMERING) Excuse me.
I...
This money is from...
Correct on all the above.
But... No buts, Max.
Look, what I'm doing here
is trying to find a safe way of returning this money.
This was stolen from Seawell three years ago.
Oh, I'd like to tell you a moving story, Mr. Steinberg.
In many ways, it's almost Biblical.
Do you have a minute? Minute?
Yes.
Really, I'd like to call Mr. Samuelson in.
I think I should, don't you?
He's our executive VP in corporate finance and production.
Very nice fellow. I think you'll like him.
You're frightened, aren't you?
No, of course not. Don't be ridiculous.
What have I got to be frightened about?
Well, you think I'm some sort of criminal.
No.
Now, come on. Let's be honest with each other.
That's what you were thinking, isn't it?
Well, just a little bit, for a tiny second.
No, no. All I'm trying to do is find a way to return this money for a friend.
The statute of limitations ran out last night.
No, excuse me, I don't think so.
That statute of limitations on robbery is three years.
Yeah, three years.
I'd like to call Mr. Samuelson.
He's pleasant, he's friendly.
Look, there are a few conditions to the return of this money.
One of them is that there will be absolutely no contact
between myself and the authorities.
The other is no news coverage whatsoever.
I want a nice, quiet, safe transaction.
But, if the statute has run out,
then why should you or your friend worry about the authorities?
Oh, there are ways the police can harass you, Mr. Steinberg.
Licenses can be revoked,
zone variances, your income tax return can get bounced.
All because a friend of mine wants to return this money.
Half million dollars?
Greed is the tooI of the devil, Mr. Steinberg.
Greed, I think... Yes.
Now, if you just show this bill to Mr. Samuelson,
and if everyone here agrees to it,
I'll give you a call and explain the terms of my returning the money.
Who are you?
Mr. Steinberg,
we don't often get true repentance down at the mission.
But when someone decides to repent
and work for the good of mankind,
miracles happen.
You're a priest.
MAN: Come on, let's get out of here.
Move it.
Take him out.
(TIRES SCREECHING)
(GUN FIRING)
ROCKFORD: Let's call the police, Charlie.
I'm telling you, it's the only thing to do.
No. I know how to handle it.
Look, Jim,
they kidnapped her because somebody figured me for the robbery.
They've been watching the clock just like me.
Time runs out, they grab Sandy,
then they'll sell her back for the money.
You know what I think, Charlie?
I think you're still worried about number one.
You drop dead.
Well, then, why not bring in the police, huh?
Unless you're afraid you're going to get made
on a three-year-old robbery that's not on the books anyway.
You think I wouldn't go to jail and rot there to get Sandy back?
He's just scared, Jim.
Well, so am I.
Why don't we call in the police, run this past them?
What can it hurt?
No! I got the money.
We can figure out a way to set up a trade.
Please, Jim. Don't call them.
What about this, huh?
What about it?
Well, those guys were wearing gloves,
so we can forget about fingerprints.
But this gun belonged to somebody.
Now why don't we give it to the police, let them run a make on it.
Maybe they can come up with something.
Jim, please.
There's something I forgot the last three years that I shouldn't have.
Listen, Charlie... No, let me finish, Jim.
Throw a rock in a still pond,
and it's gonna make ripples.
No matter how fast you run around and try and pat them out,
there's just no way you can ever make that pond still again.
I'm gonna give these men the money
and I'm gonna get Sandy back.
I got to make this one thing happen, Jim.
Now will you help me?
There's never any doubt about that, Charlie.
I thought you knew that.
(PHONE RINGS)
You got the tape, Rocky?
Yeah. Right here.
Well, let me talk to them.
Be careful, Jim. They're liable to hurt Sandy.
They're not going to do a thing.
They have to deal. Trust me, Charlie.
I'm not going to do anything that'll jeopardize her.
Hello.
I got something of yours. I figure we should trade.
There's no deal.
Who is this?
I'm the guy who stumbled into the Halloween party
and I'm the guy you're going to have to negotiate this transaction with.
I'm not dealing with no middle-man:
Fact number one is I'm very fond of Sandy,
but I'm not altogether sure she's worth a half a million dollars.
Come on, who are you kidding?
Fact number two is I helped Charlie boost this dough three years ago
so I've got a half interest in it.
Now, I may be willing to trade that away
but only on my terms.
I'm not going to do any dealing and end up with a stiff.
I don't believe you.
Then take a hike.
He'll call back.
No, they'll kill her, Jim.
Charlie...
Charlie, we got to figure that she may already be dead.
Now, if she isn't, she will be
unless we deal ourselves some cards.
I mean, this guy can run us around. We'll end up with nothing.
(PHONE RINGS)
Ain't you gonna answer?
Yeah, yeah. But not on the first ring.
Changed you mind, huh?
Let's just say I'm willing to keep talking about it.
You keep getting this thing backwards.
I'm doing the talking, you're doing the listening.
Mmm-hmm.
And you could end up getting part of this broad back in the mail.
Now that'd be stupid. I don't pay on damaged goods.
Anything else?
Yeah, I pick the place, and there's got to be a lot of people around.
That can't be arranged.
What a shame.
(PHONE RINGS)
Yeah?
What's with you, anyway? Will you quit hanging the damn phone up?
Well, you just don't seem to be getting it right.
Now this thing's going to happen the way I say
or it's not going to happen at all. Capische?
Look, it's not supposed to go down this way.
Okay. Look, look...
Don't hang up, okay?
All right, get a pencil. I'm gonna give you an address.
CHARLIE: Why an ice rink?
ROCKFORD: Well, how many guys do you know that carry ice skates
in the trunk of their car?
Nobody.
Yeah, well, they're going to have to walk out in the middle of that rink
in their street shoes.
Everybody moves nice and careful.
Nobody makes any fast moves.
Jim, I want to do it. Let me make the exchange.
It has to do with a lot of things.
Mostly, it has to do with fixing my own mistakes.
Charlie, you don't have to prove anything to anybody.
Yes, I do.
I'm gonna prove
that the Charlie Baylock that got drunk and stole this money is dead and gone
and the Charlie Baylock who sells bait on the pier
is gonna run his life like a man.
Look, it's my money and it's my daughter.
I don't like it, Charlie.
Then why don't you hang up on me, you bum?
Stuff really bothers you.
Yeah, I got a thing about money. I can't help it.
This is crazy. So, it's crazy.
We ain't exactly in the fresh fruit business, so we take risks.
We do what Lucy tells us.
Trick or treat.
Show him, Charlie.
She's alive, thank God.
Okay, buster, get lost.
You okay? Yeah.
Let's go.
You okay, honey?
Oh, yeah. Yeah, I'm all right.
Nobody hurt me. But I sure was scared to death.
I don't think I could go through that again. I'd crack up.
Neither could I.
You did all right, Charlie. I'm proud of you.
So am I.
I'm more proud of you now, than ever.
Okay, you check in here.
I got a few loose ends that I got to straighten out.
With Seawell. Yeah, Mr. Steinberg isn't going to like this.
What's he going to do about it?
Nothing, except make a big fuss.
Hi.
You James Rockford? Yeah.
Keep your hands in sight.
What are we going to do, play Patty-Cake? Shut up. Spread them.
All right, I'm down. It's okay.
You got any permit?
You got any probable cause?
You're under arrest. Section 315 of the penal code.
And now just what would that cover?
Accessory after the fact in a burglary.
Oh, hey, you know Sergeant Becker?
He's a good friend of mine. He's down at the Hollywood station.
Good. He can sign the arrest report.
Get in the car, please.
Nice work, Harry.
I thought he was kind of sloppy. What?
Well, John Wayne would've kept the sun to his back.
BECKER: Just take it easy, will you?
Take it easy? What's going on around here?
Accessory after the fact in a burglary.
What burglary?
A company named Seawell was hit about three years ago.
That's all I could get.
That statute of limitations ran out on that crime yesterday.
Then they don't have anything.
Then why did they arrest me?
How should I... What do you think I'm an information bureau?
I mean, once a month, I'm locked up in a room with you with a tape running.
It's putting a strain on our friendship. Relax, huh?
How can I relax when you keep getting into trouble?
Now I got to try and explain how my friend and buddy is up on a CCW.
It wasn't a concealed weapon.
Well, that ain't the way I heard it.
Dennis, the gun was in my car,
I had to take it inside to my trailer,
and when I got out, I put it in my belt, you know.
That's when they arrested me.
Hey, it was private property. I was on my own property.
I don't know if I can take this standing up.
You'll try though, won't you?
Yeah, I'll try.
(PHONE RINGS)
Becker. Yeah.
Yeah, we'll be here. Okay.
Well?
Lieutenant's on his way up.
You Jim Rockford? Yeah.
I'm Lieutenant Hall. That'll be all, Sergeant.
Right.
Sir, there are some extenuating circumstances on the CCW charge.
I think it should be dropped.
Don't I speak clearly? What?
I said, that will be all, Sergeant.
That means you shag your taiI out of here.
Right.
Well, now, yesterday you got yourself in a heap of trouble, son.
Well, gee, Dad, how'd I do that?
You did that by contacting a man by the name of Max Steinberg
and offering to return stolen money.
That makes you an accessory after the fact in a robbery.
Well, let's look at the facts, Lieutenant.
The statute of limitations ran out on that crime at midnight,
the night before I talked to Mr. Steinberg.
Now, since the statute of limitations ran out,
that means there is no more crime.
Therefore, I cannot be an accessory.
Now you look that up.
Well, I don't know who's on the clock for your team,
but if I were you, I'd get a new timekeeper.
The statute doesn't run out on that crime until midnight tonight.
I don't believe that.
Of course not.
I'm lying to you because I want to get stabbed with a false arrest beef.
But it couldn't have.
It's a common mistake.
You see, criminals always start the clock the time the robbery is committed.
Now they do that because they know what time they hit the place.
The State, however,
doesn't start the clock until the investigator's report is filed.
No kidding?
Would I lie to a scum-bag like you?
I don't think you can get a booking on that.
You can't tie me to the robbery or any known suspect.
Don't tell me what I can do.
I can do any damn thing I want to do.
Now, you're gonna get your tail off that table
and you're gonna take me to the money, and you're gonna do it right now.
Calm down, Lieutenant. They're gonna take you home on a respirator.
I'm not fooling around with you, Rockford.
I'm willing to sit on your head like a big green parrot,
and I can be a lot of trouble.
I'm going to book you on the CCW
I'm going to book you on the 315.
And if you slide from those,
I'm going to book you on a D and D.
And if you roll out from under that,
I'm going to arrest you for breathing my air. Do you get it?
I'm talking about legal harassment.
What's got you into such a broil, Lieutenant?
You got something personaI at stake here?
That's right. I read your file
and I got a personal dislike for the way it keeps saying
''Charges dropped.''
You got a handle on somebody. Who is it? Becker?
Well, I think you're dirty in this and I'm gonna drop a net on you.
Well, let me give you some advice, Lieutenant.
Don't you cross up on any of my constitutional rights while you're at it,
or I'll feed you your badge.
Officer, take this man to the second floor lock-up.
Patch me in to X-ray 16.
MAN ON RADIO:: All units on frequency one, stand by:
One X-ray 16, stand by for the Lieutenant: Go ahead, Lieutenant:
Okay, take it down.
Right.
SANDY: Yes.
Hello. This is the manager. I got the phone company man here.
We're having trouble with the switchboard. Could you open up, please?
SANDY: Dad! CHARLIE: Help!
Dad! Dad!
Let go of me. Shut up.
Let go! Dad!
What time did it happen?
I don't know. Some time while you were in there.
Where's Charlie?
At the house, I guess. Waiting for a ransom demand.
Beth, I'm going to have to borrow your car.
Jim, I've got to get to the county courthouse in 15 minutes.
I don't have time to argue, now give me the keys.
No.
Give me the keys, Beth, or I'm going to have to hot-wire this thing.
(WHISTLES)
ROCKFORD: Okay.
There, you see, you got yourself a cab.
I got it for you. I'm taking the car.
Come on, Beth, I may have to do some running around.
Be a pal, huh?
Give me ten bucks.
Ten bucks for springing me on two felony counts?
That's not a bad bargain.
The ten bucks is for the cab.
I always seem to do the legal work for free.
Oh, Beth, I'm sorry.
Look, I'll send a check for the last statement tonight. I promise. Huh?
That's a good girl.
Thank you.
Don't
redline it, Jim.
Oh, well, that's great, Charlie. That's just great.
We're in trouble and you pull an el foldo:
Where were you?
Guy comes busting in, where were you?
We'll get her back, Charlie. With what?
What are we gonna use to trade with? We don't have the money anymore.
I'll think of something.
You want to call the cops. Is that it?
No. Not this time. No.
Not this time, huh?
Leave me alone.
Don't, Jimmy. Please.
Please don't. No, Jimmy. No.
I need some help, Charlie.
You're gonna get straight and give it to me.
I can't. I just can't go through it again.
You don't understand, Charlie. I'm not giving you a choice.
No.
Charlie, you stole the money, not me.
You stole it and now Sandy's in danger.
So help me, I'm not going to let you crawl into a bottle.
When we get her back, you can fall off the wagon. Not before.
Here.
What gives you the right?
These are my problems, not yours.
You invited me in, Charlie,
and now I got a brown shoe named Lieutenant Hall peeking under my pillow.
I'm gonna get indicted on two felony counts,
so I got more than a rooting interest.
The only thing that really keeps me going is
I hate to see Sandy end up paying for your stupidity.
What do I do if somebody calls up with one of those ransom demands?
Just take it and make sure Charlie agrees to whatever terms are set up.
I'll get Dennis working on it from the other end.
Man, if that gets out, ain't whoever's snatched her liable to up and kill her?
Yeah. We've got to make sure that it doesn't get out.
I got a hunch about something I want to check out.
Now, do you believe that guy?
A newspaper?
Hi.
What is it?
What you doing?
I'm sorry?
You tell me you're reading the classified ads,
I'm gonna break up in a hysterical laughing fit.
Look, it's a free country.
Not on this block. No. Here we have a dictatorship.
You need a vaccination and a tourist visa. Let's see yours.
Get lost, mister.
Out you go.
Oh, really, come on.
Johnny Livingston, huh?
Okay, Johnny, what're you doing?
Look, you can't just threaten me.
All right, in my car. We're going to police headquarters.
Okay, Johnny, up on the hood. What?
Go on, up on the hood. Come on, get up.
Hands up on top. Rocky, come here.
That his gun? Yeah.
Rocky, I'm getting a little worried.
This guy isn't much,
but it's getting obvious that Charlie hit that company for half a million dollars,
and the money just became clean.
We're going to start seeing an awful lot of low-lives around here
sporting dorsal fins.
I want you to go inside, lock the door
and call Becker and tell him to send you some help out here.
Tell him I'm on my way in and I want to see him in
the parking lot across the street from the station on Vermont.
I will.
You figure this guy was going to pull something, do you?
Oh, who knows? Old Johnny, he looks like a real tough customer.
Come on, you can get off now.
In the car.
You're hot, aren't you, Johnny?
Look, mister, let me go, will you?
It was a bad idea, that's all. Just a bad idea.
I heard some guys talking. I figured I could cut myself off a little piece of change.
Yeah? Who was talking?
Just some guys.
You're going to have to be a little more specific.
One of them's name was Mickey Wannamaker.
Where is he? I don't know.
Look, you know, he's not the kind of guy you fool with.
You wouldn't want to fool with me now, would you, Johnny?
No, sir.
Get your feet in.
Okay, Johnny, hands up on the dash.
That's a good boy.
Hey, Johnny, who does this Mickey Wannamaker hang around with?
Well, you know, guys mostly.
A couple of hookers.
That's pretty vague. You're gonna have to polish that up for me, Johnny.
Well, there's a shark that's into him pretty good.
Which shark?
Come on, I'm not on the door.
I just sort of hang around.
Look, if I tell you, will you let me go?
You see, I got some trouble and I can't stand too much heat.
Johnny...
Well, they hang around in bars mostly.
All right, now which bars?
The Green Duck on 7th.
Take him inside, run the piece,
and while you're at it, check Johnny here against any complaints.
You know, I ought to jump all over you.
Now, listen, Dennis... No, you listen.
What's the idea of sitting on kidnappings?
You talked to Rocky?
He just called. I sent a man over there.
He told me you were bringing this guy in.
He told me about Charlie and the half a million
and the two kidnappings on Sandy Baylock.
You aren't having much of a win streak on this, are you?
I promised Charlie that I wouldn't call in the police.
I was trying to return the money to Seawell when they snatched her.
Didn't Lieutenant Hall fill you in?
Lieutenant Hall doesn't even work out of this division.
He works out of Parker Center.
Then what's he doing circling over this case?
Lieutenants can circle over anything they damn well please.
Well, I don't like him.
Jim, I'd like to help you on this,
but you got to come all the way clean.
Give me everything.
Get in the car.
Where we going?
I'm going to buy you a cup of coffee.
You really know how to live, Jimbo.
Hey, Dennis, what do you know about Mickey Wannamaker?
What is it? You got something on him?
You first.
Nothing really. Except he hangs around a garbage bin on 7th.
He knew Charlie pulled this heist three years ago
and he's into a loan shark. I don't know which one.
I do. Lucy Carbone.
Boy, this thing is starting to come together.
Lucy Carbone?
Well, come on, Dennis, what is it?
You got a line on Wannamaker? What?
No, we got a tag on him.
He's downtown under refrigeration.
Dead? That's right.
And here's something else we turned up on him.
He used to work with Talmadge Insurance Group.
Now, Talmadge was the outfit that insured Seawell
and Mickey Wannamaker was the investigator on the Seawell heist.
So he figured it out.
He figured out that Charlie hit that place
and waited around for the whole mess to ripen?
Except he got into money trouble
so he borrowed from Carbone.
In order for him to get loose from the debt,
he told Carbone about the cake he had in the oven.
That figures.
But let's assume
that I gave the half a million dollars to Carbone's men at the ice skating rink.
So then who put the snatch on Sandy for the second time?
Dennis, I'm beginning to get some nasty thoughts.
Then it ought to go with all the rest.
All right, Wannamaker was an investigator for an insurance company
and he wasn't a very good investigator.
He didn't have a crime lab or any of the resources of the police department.
Yet, he figured Charlie Baylock for this robbery?
So?
So I'd like to know who the cops were on the case.
Now, just wait a minute.
Five will get you 10, Lieutenant Hall was on the desk.
If there's one thing I'm not gonna do
is hang this on the police department.
Then why was he sniffing around this thing, huh?
Go on, Dennis, check it out.
I don't have to. It wasn't Lieutenant Hall.
Just 'cause he's a cop,
he can't get jacked up over a half a million dollars?
Shut up, Jim!
Did I call it?
No.
Who was on the case?
Detective by the name of Northcourt.
He had a partner, David Sanderson. Died last year.
Really? Not mysteriously, I hope.
In a shootout with a barricaded suspect on 77th.
There's no connection between Northcourt and Lieutenant Hall?
None whatsoever.
Can I drop you somewhere?
Come on, now, Dennis.
I know you're gonna go check out this Northcourt character.
Who says? I do.
I've played enough poker with you to know what you're holding.
Old transparent Dennis, is it?
Well, just what am I holding, Jim?
I'd say a four-card flush, and you're about ready to draw.
And it's four-to-one I don't fill it. Those are long odds.
Yeah, while we're sitting here yammering about it,
somebody may be killing Sandy.
They sure know each other.
They sure do.
Do me a favor, will you, Grady? Shut up.
Sure, shut up. You're the big expert on this thing.
So far, what we got?
What we got, we make the phone call the way I told you,
it'll go down clean.
Hey, give me your backup piece.
I don't carry a backup piece.
Sure you do, it's strapped to your shin.
Jim, let's move up carefully.
I'll take the right, you take the left.
And don't fire unless it's absolutely necessary.
And watch your field of fire. I don't want to pick up a stray.
Does that mean I can't fan this thing like Roy Rogers?
Now, don't worry, honey. DeaI's been made.
You're not going to get hurt. Everything's gonna be just fine.
Let's get going.
They're making a break for it. Nail them.
(GUNS FIRING)
(MEN SHOUTING)
Get the car started.
BECKER: Get over there to your left. Watch it.
(TIRES SCREECHING)
What are you doing, Sergeant?
I command you to stop this right now.
That's a direct order from a superior.
Lieutenant Hall, you have the right to remain silent.
Now why don't you take it before I force it on you?
I'll take care of this, Jim.
You go up and try to find the girl.
She ran somewhere behind the shack.
Meanwhile, I'll put a call in, have Lucy Carbone picked up.
I don't know. It's been two weeks.
He isn't drinking, but he's just not the same.
Oh... He just sort of sits around.
He'll come back, Sandy.
All he needs is the time it takes to walk it off.
I guess.
If we just keep showing him that we care for him,
and pretty soon, I guess, he'll start caring about himself.
I'm just afraid that if anything else happens,
his mind's going to snap.
Well, what else can happen?
I guess it's over.
Time for us to put our lives back together.
Sell bait and get back to where we started.
He'll come around, Sandy.
You give him a couple of months, he'll be as good as new.
Well, it goes to prove you pay for everything.
My father is a very kind and gentle man.
He made one stupid mistake in his whole life.
Look what he's had to go through to pay for it.
It's paid for.
Thank God. I hope so.
Are you Charles Baylock?
I'm Agent Thomas RavaI with the Internal Revenue Service.
We've been notified by the police department
that you've admitted to the theft
of half a million dollars from Seawell.
Although the statute of limitations ran out on that crime
and there is no real criminal penalty,
you're still required to pay income taxes.
What I'm saying is you owe the government quite a lot of money.
If that amount is figured at max tax, which of course it would be,
you owe the IRS $250,000.
I'm afraid it must be paid:
Do you understand me, sir?
(SCREAMS)