(GUNSHOT)
I was an innocent bystander, and you know what happens to them.
You're a witness. The cops'll wanna talk to you.
CHAPMAN: You recognize anyone? You sure they can't see me?
That squirrelly guy. Angel Martin?
He wanna kill him, too? His friend, too. The PI, Rockford.
There's some big bucks in this, Jimmy.
I wrote a book about the whole thing.
Your testimony's probably the only thing that's gonna keep you alive.
Del Kane is a professional killer.
(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)
Jim, this is Manny down at Ralph's and Maura's:
Some guy named Angel Martin just ran up a $50 bar tab
and he wants to charge it to you: You gonna pay it?
(GUNSHOT)
Call the cops! Somebody call the cops!
(KNOCKING ON DOOR) Jimmy. Jimmy, Jimmy. You in there?
Jimmy! Angel?
Yeah. Yeah, it's me. Open up.
Oh, Angel, come on.
Open up, Jimmy.
Angel, what's the matter? You sick? What?
Muriel... Muriel...
Muriel? Yeah, Muriel.
She's that semi-pro, kind of lived down the hall from me.
She's dead as a mackerel. Fell right at my feet.
Fell on my feet.
I'll get you a drink.
He just shot her. Then he opened up fire on me.
Who?
I didn't ask his name, Jimmy.
Well, that must have been some kind of shock.
A friend of yours, huh?
Friend? It was me. He shot at me!
All right. All right, Angel. You're gonna be all right now.
I mean, I don't blame you for being upset.
I mean, witnessing something like that and to go over and over it with the cops.
You think I hung around for the cops?
I was an innocent bystander, and you know what happens to them.
"Innocent bystander gets caught in a crossfire."
"Innocent bystander gets hit by a Semi in a wild chase."
But you're a witness. The cops'll wanna talk to you.
Muriel is dead. D-E-A-D. Now what am I gonna do?
Bring her back to life? Who am I? Am I God?
I only knew her a couple of weeks.
I mean, maybe I said 10 words to her in all.
Besides, the guy's gonna be picked up by the cops.
We got the greatest police force in the country.
Is that the same police force that you said had trouble tying their own shoelaces?
See, here's the idea I got, Jimmy.
If they don't get the guy now,
then I'll spend a couple, maybe three weeks
down in El Segundo, place like that.
What happens? Real estate values plummet.
Listen, he gets a whole other picture of Angel Martin. You know what I mean?
(CAR DOOR CLOSES) He sees that I'm not the kind of guy that goes to cops,
I'm not the kind of person that interferes
with another guy's personal business,
he'll leave me alone.
Since when is murder "personal business"?
When it ain't my business.
Now look, Jimmy, I need money from you, not advice.
So don't try and talk me out of it. I'm not going to the cops.
You won't have to. Come right in.
There's your man.
How did they know where to find me?
Mr. Rockford plays a very prominent role in your "Known Associates" file.
Lieutenant Chapman, I give you my solemn oath
that had I seen a young lady murdered before my very eyes,
I would have most surely told you.
Hmm.
Lieutenant? We got something.
Darndest thing. Just a routine TA on Westwood.
Some old lady punctured this guy's taillight. Turns out to be Del Kane.
Well, well, well. What do you know?
You never know where the breaks are gonna come from, do you?
OFFICER: All right, gentlemen. Move inside.
Onto the platform and face forward, please.
You're here for the purpose of identification
and you should have already had your rights read:
You recognize anyone?
You sure they can't see me?
It's a one-way glass. You've got nothing to worry about.
Do you recognize anyone?
Well, he dropped about 15 or 20 pounds, but that's Marco.
Used to be over at the Hollenbeck Division.
Hey, come here. Come here. So you know Sergeant Marco.
Now is there anybody else you recognize?
That's Stein.
Used to be in Narc. Is he in Robbery Homicide now?
Why don't I just give you a subscription to the precinct paper?
That way you can keep tabs on everybody.
Don't get sore, Lieutenant. You asked me who I recognize.
I said I recognize Stein and Marco.
I don't know Harry's last name, but there's Witbeck.
All cops. But the guy in blue?
It's the guy in the blue blazer.
What about the guy in the blue blazer?
He ain't a cop.
Chapman. Yeah?
How many was it?
Muriel Nayfack makes it 19.
Nineteen.
To look at a man and know that he has deliberately, in cold blood,
killed 19 human beings.
Who did?
The one who's not a cop.
This, I take it, is your witness.
No, I'm not his witness.
No disrespect, but I just keep telling him I'm not his witness.
I thought you said you had a witness.
Now do you have a witness or not?
Now listen, you,
it's about time you did something for the police department.
But if I didn't see anything...
Del Kane may not believe you didn't see anything. I know I don't.
Now let me tell you something.
Your testimony's probably the only thing that's gonna keep you alive.
Del Kane is a professional killer.
The New Jersey police estimate that he's murdered 18 people.
Now that's just a conservative figure.
But let's just say it's right on the button.
Now you think he's gonna hesitate for one minute to make it 19?
I thought Muriel was 19.
Okay, 20.
Now we traced you through the mail you dropped in the hall.
What makes you think he can't do the same thing?
You know something?
You're gonna be looking over your shoulder the rest of your life.
Look, uh...
I don't think you quite understand
the importance of this conviction.
See, Del Kane is syndicate.
When we nail him on this,
we just might be able to persuade him to do a little talking.
He knows where a lot of bodies are buried.
He planted 'em.
What about it?
OFFICER: : Move to the waiting room, please:
CHAPMAN: Who is it?
Jim Rockford.
Come on in. Make it snappy.
Hey, Chapman, I'm supposed to come and... Yeah. Yeah. He's in bed.
Is that my... Hey, Jimmy, come on in.
So, this is where you've been, huh?
Why didn't you let me know what happened?
Things've been moving pretty fast, Jimmy.
The last time I saw you, they were hauling you off to the station.
For all I knew, you were back in the slammer.
For all I knew, you were room service.
Does it really take this long to get a couple eggs over easy?
Stay away from the window.
And stay off the patio!
There's no punctuation.
This whole page is nothing but one long sentence.
Don't worry about it.
We'll get all that good stuff in later.
Hey, I got a call from the DA's office.
He wanted me to come over here and talk to some secret witness.
I take it that's you.
(CHUCKLING) That was part of my deal.
24-hour protection, 24-hour room service.
Hey, Doug! Let's put a hustle on them eggs, huh, daddy?
One of the best hotels. The best.
They got a bunch of real swans outside, you see 'em?
I'm surprised you didn't order a couple up to the room.
Chapman your idea, too?
They offered me protection. I want the best. It's an easy gig for him, too.
Never hurts to make a few friends.
I'm sure he'll remember what you did for him.
Mr. Martin, about halfway down here, you use the word "he".
Now I can't figure out to whom you refer.
Is "he" your father, or Del Kane?
I'm talking about my daddy there.
Uh-uh... No. Wait. No. That...
That "he" refers to Del Kane.
Got a little lucky here. I thought I'd spread it around.
Now let me see. The DA gets you 300 a day.
For what?
Well, I got to stand up and say that I saw this guy Del Kane
icing Muriel on my stairs.
What if he's got a friend that alibis him,
puts him on the other end of town, playing pinochle?
Well, I'm sure the cops have questioned everybody in that neighborhood.
Jimmy, I want you to say that I got a solid case.
Del Kane ain't the kind of guy I want angry at me.
He's a killer, you know.
What else is he?
Hey, the State doesn't spring for this kind of setup
just because some hooker's dead.
They must want Del Kane pretty bad. They do.
He's from Jersey and the cops back East are trying to hook him on the union beef.
What union beef?
Now shouldn't we get that in up front
with the rest of the background information?
Yeah. Yeah.
Some kind of rip-off. There's a lot of money involved.
Only the cops on the East Coast, they can't pin it on him.
Now he's trying to set up shop on the West Coast.
Of course, the DA's office doesn't want no action in something like that.
Mr. Martin, this is the first time I've heard of...
Later, huh?
There's some big bucks in this, Jimmy. Big bucks.
I'm gonna see to it that my publisher gets you a little.
Call it research?
Your publisher?
I wrote a book about the whole thing.
You have trouble writing your laundry list.
This is Thompson Welles. He's ghosting it for me.
"The Cobra"?
Well, that's a better moniker for this kind of thing.
See, the temp title is Hotel of Fear:
And we stick with that angle if we go with the protective custody thing.
But if we get into an exposé, we'll call it The Martin Papers:
I got a better title, too, Witness for the Prosecution:
You can't use that.
That's what I told him.
Why? Because some other guy used it once?
So some people get confused at the bookstand.
Some people buy my book instead of his. What's that gonna hurt?
Where you going, Jimmy? We got a deal?
I'm going over and I'm gonna have a little talk
with Mr. Pleasance
at the District Attorney's office and I will think about it, Angel.
Pleasure meeting you, Mr. Welles.
Thank you, Jimmy. You know, I'm liable to put you in the dedication.
Oh, thanks.
Heck of a guy.
I need an aspirin.
The Martin Papers:
Witness for the Prosecution:
Hotel of Fear:
(GUNSHOT)
We're gonna have to get you out of here.
You wanna pack yourself or you want one of my men to do it for you?
For where Kane's trying to send me, you don't pack.
I told you to stay away from the window, didn't I?
He dumped this outside.
Well, why'd you let him go? I didn't even know about it.
How could you let him out?
Murder is a bailable offense.
We didn't mention it to you because we didn't wanna worry you.
I'll have Kane brought in for questioning.
He'll have an alibi.
We're doing everything we can.
I didn't even know about it. Wasn't even in the newspaper.
That's because I'm keeping a lid on this thing.
I don't wanna take a chance on blowing it just because of some pre-trial publicity.
Jimmy. Jimmy. I gotta get a hold of Jimmy.
Hi.
You shopping?
Yeah. For a little information, if your name's Teddy.
I'm not a cop.
The manager at your apartment house
said I might find you here.
I'm working with the District Attorney's office.
They're holding a man named Kane
for the murder of your friend, Muriel.
Good. That creep.
She should've spotted him right off.
She couldn't even talk to the milkman.
I mean, not while he's around.
And he never even gave her one dime.
I mean, one dime, including the first time.
I mean, what is she, the Red Cross?
How the hell's she supposed to pay her rent?
So you think he killed her out of jealousy?
Well, he found out when he's not around,
when he's not looking, it was business as usual.
He's a creep.
And it's not like he don't have the money.
I mean, Muriel, she had him spotted for a high-roller right off.
He hung out all the time with this gambler named Murray.
No last name? Just Murray?
Hey, if you're looking for last names,
you're in the wrong neighborhood.
I talked to her that day.
Yeah, the day it happened.
She said she was gonna see Del that night,
and she was gonna break it off with him.
She was so scared.
See, he took her that afternoon
to see this guy named Roach. To buy a gun.
Kane didn't have a weapon on him when the police picked him up.
No.
He used hers. Yeah.
See, Muriel, she always carried one in her purse.
She had this little pearl-handled .25.
Didn't look like it could kill anyone.
Well, thanks, Teddy. You've been a big help.
Yeah, sure.
Hey, wait a minute.
You know what the paper said about Muriel?
"Prostitute killed."
I mean, a dog gets hit by a car
gets more of a sendoff than that.
I mean, what would it hurt to say something nice, huh?
There's a lot of nice things they could've said about her.
Oh, I'm sure there were.
She was a pretty good cook.
It's a nice color on you.
Yeah?
Right. Thank you.
Hi.
Long time no see.
Yeah, it's been quite awhile.
I want to thank you for meeting with me, Roach.
Oh, I'm here every day. It's no big favor.
How long do they live? Do you know?
See that big fat one? He's been coming here almost as long as I have.
But I don't imagine you came here
to talk about pigeons or old times.
You, um,
met with a man named Del Kane.
Okay, we met.
But meeting ain't selling.
He was wanting a silenced .22.
I told him I was fresh out. Why?
Well, when you're dealing with a short supply and a big demand,
anything goes, huh?
Now don't go getting conservative with me, Roach.
Now you deal in cold pieces.
You had a customer, you dust him off. Now why?
For the same reason that I wouldn't sell matches to a pyro.
Kane's wigged out.
Look, I used to deal with him. Everything was okay.
But not now. He's changed. I don't know what's happened.
Some spring loose in his head, I guess.
You've dealt with him before?
Sure.
Every time he had a business arrangement out here,
he bought through me.
Are you telling me that Del Kane is a hit man?
Well, let's just say that he always had a very professional manner.
So, he knocked off a broad, huh?
I knew this guy was borderline when I talked to him.
You...
You wouldn't discuss any of this with the DA, would you?
They pay me to ask.
Now I wanna thank you for the information, Roach.
Now watch it!
Don't get too close to 'em. They're filthy.
They must have a million different kind of bugs on 'em.
Lice, you know, that kind of stuff. Filthy.
But they make out.
I don't know why you're sore at me, Jimmy.
Well, it took me four hours to find out where they moved you.
I've been chasing you all over.
And I didn't know that Del Kane was out on bail.
Why didn't you warn me?
I didn't know it myself.
Why don't you ask them how he knew where I was?
If they ever offer you protective custody, pass.
And why didn't you tell me Del Kane was a syndicate hit man, huh?
'Cause you knew I wouldn't take the job?
I'm the one that turkey's after.
I'm the one he's trying to kill.
(KNOCKING ON DOOR)
Who is it? Room service, sir.
I never got my eggs from the other hotel.
Is that the BLT or the club?
You ordered both?
I'm hungry.
Fear gives me an appetite.
Just leave it. I'll take care of this.
Hold it. Stay right over there, will you, while I check this out?
Hey, where you going with that? Wait a minute.
They got the wrong order. What...
Get your hands off of that. That's an order.
Hey, you told me to wear the uniform. I didn't enlist.
Leave it alone, Angel.
Kane don't have to kill me. You guys are gonna starve me to death.
He knows.
He knows right where to find me.
All right. All right.
Now you took him out of the other hotel, put him in this uniform,
mixed him up with all your cops. He should've gotten lost in the crowd.
Now what happened? Kane must have bought the information.
I'll check out the hotel employees. We'll pin it down.
All right. Come on, Angel. Come on.
You gonna be all right. You gonna be all right.
Once you get inside that courtroom, you got nothing to worry about.
Mr. Martin. They're waiting for us.
Mr. Martin.
Oh, I guess he's just a little nervous.
Why? It's open and shut.
Oh?
Well, we do have one other big advantage.
Kane elected for trial by judge, which was a big mistake.
See the judge is aware of his prior record
and, try as he may, he won't be able to divorce himself
from that knowledge.
Mr. Martin. Please.
Mr. Martin.
Oh, Angel. Don't nobody say nothing.
I don't wanna hear anybody say I can't wear this
'cause I'm wearing it, and that's it.
So don't nobody say anything about it. You can't wear it.
The accused has the right to face you in court.
Why don't you just send him a change of address, huh?
We've heard your testimony, Mr. Martin.
And I, for one, found it absolutely fascinating.
You testified, Mr. Martin, that you saw the defendant in the act of murder.
But did you report that to the police? No.
You went to visit a friend in Malibu.
There's an explanation for that.
Oh, I'm sure it can be explained.
Now the evening of the murder you spent in Tony's Tenderloin.
A steak house, snooker parlor.
Had you been drinking, Mr. Martin?
No.
Do you deny that in return for your testimony
you demanded, and got the State
to provide you with luxurious accommodations
in some of our finest hotels, with unlimited food and drink.
What do you mean "unlimited"?
I have Photostatted copies of your room service charges.
I eat when I'm scared.
Or, when someone's picking up the tab?
I suggest, Mr. Martin, that for reasons of personal profit
you're attempting to exploit the death of a young woman
and to damn an innocent man
who's no more guilty of that death than anyone else here present.
No further questions.
Redirect, Your Honor.
Mr. Pleasance.
You asked for and were placed in protective custody
by the police, Mr. Martin.
Now why did you make that request?
'Cause I didn't want Kane coming after me.
You feared for your life.
From the moment I saw him do Muriel that way.
Cold.
Without saying a word.
Like he was stepping on a cockroach.
He killed her, all right. I saw him with my own two eyes.
All rise.
What do you think, Jimmy?
Well, Pleasance made his case.
You were a good witness, Angel.
Yeah? Yeah.
In the opinion of this court,
the State has clearly failed to make a prima facie case.
I have no alternative but to find the defendant not guilty.
Jimmy.
All right. All right.
Mr. Kane, I wanted to talk to you.
I just didn't want you walking away
thinking I had anything to do with what went on in there.
I got nothing against you, you know that, don't you?
If you don't know that, I want you to take my word for it.
That's the gospel. They forced me.
You have no idea what I went through.
Angel... Listen, Jimmy, let me...
This is my friend, James Rockford.
He's a private investigator and he was kind of nosing around.
He found out you're out here to snuff somebody.
But I didn't mention it. You know what I mean?
I didn't mention it, 'cause that's not the kind of person I am.
Your business, that's your business.
I told Jimmy, "No matter what you hear, you just forget it,
"'cause I'm gonna forget about it."
I just thought you ought to know that, Mr. Kane. Take care, Mr. Kane.
What kind of a jackass move was that?
I had to explain it, didn't I?
This way, I think I got a little understanding.
Oh, sure, you have an understanding.
Now before he can make good on his contract, he has to kill both of us.
Oh, Lieutenant! Lieutenant!
Leave me alone, will you? Just leave me alone.
Wait a minute. I testified. You wanted me to testify, I testified.
Now all I want is protection.
Well, maybe you just miss room service.
No, no, no, no. You put me up to this gig.
Okay. Okay. Maybe the department has some responsibility.
I'll call County and see if they have an extra cell available.
It won't be the Wilshire Plaza,
and I won't be available to run errands for you,
plump your pillows, wipe your chin, but at least it'll be reasonably safe.
It doesn't have to be the Wilshire Plaza. All right.
Oh, no, no, no, no. You don't understand.
We're not negotiating. You want protection, that's it.
You go to jail.
I'd rather be dead.
Jimmy. Jimmy!
Jimmy! Listen, Jimmy.
I'm sorry. You're always sorry.
I was scared. You're always scared.
NOVA: Del Kane don't belong out on the street.
That man's what you call a menace to the community.
You did what you had to, Mr. Nova. There wasn't any other way.
No. If they'd convicted Kane,
he'd have started talking and nothing would have shut him up.
He's turned from a stand-up guy
into a head case, just like that.
So, I see he gets the best lawyer money can buy.
I see he gets the best judge money can buy. And what do I get?
A free hit I don't want.
Well, when you ordered it...
When I ordered it, I don't know I'm ordering from a cuckoo bird.
I ordered from him before, how many times?
I don't know, Mr. Nova.
You're a good boy, Murray.
Tuesday? Tuesday everything's okay.
You're working with him. You're gonna back him up.
A nice, clean business arrangement.
What could go wrong?
Wednesday, he kills a hooker.
A crime of passion from Mr. Deep Freeze.
Maybe if we just put him on a plane back to Jersey.
Who's gonna do that, Murray? You? Me? You wanna get him upset?
With Kane, now everybody's a hit.
The bacon's not crisp, hit the fry cook.
The mail's late, hit the postman.
The guy's hit-happy.
He moves on my contract, he's gonna mess it up.
I got a feel about things like this.
Maybe you should pull it. I pulled it. Only he ain't listening.
I told him, "We got no deal. The deal's off."
He says, "That's all right. This one's on me."
He can't afford to let you cancel. If he does, word'll leak out.
There'll be other cancellations.
He's booked solid for the next four, five months.
Those deals are worth 60,000.
So he makes a hit without a contract to hang on to his reputation, huh?
That squirrelly guy, testified against him?
Angel Martin?
How's Kane feel about him? He wanna kill him, too?
Yes. And his friend, too. The PI, Rockford.
Maybe Rockford's dog too, huh?
Like I said. Out of control.
Still, that might do it. Yeah.
That might work real good.
Jim, it's me.
You made good time.
What're you doing out here in Pacoima, anyway?
It's a long story.
Pork sausage on raisin bread.
Right here. Yeah.
Kind of out of the way, ain't it?
Out of the way is what we were looking for.
Why? Side order of French fries.
Here you go. Thank you.
You know, all you told me was you were moving to a motel for a few nights.
What are you hiding out from anyway? Coleslaw.
I bet you I know what it is.
I bet it's bill collectors, ain't it? That's what you're...
But that don't explain him.
Here. Ham and Swiss on onion roll.
All right.
Are you in some kind of trouble, sonny?
Some kind. Fear makes him hungry.
You got my cup of coffee in there?
I knew there was something else.
Oh, well, it doesn't matter.
Hey, this is your mess in here. You clean it up, huh?
This may not be the presidential suite, but there's a closet over there
and there is a wastebasket right over there, huh?
Pick that up. Pick it up!
I better get on out to the truck and get the rest of the stuff
before somebody else walks off with it.
Hey, hey, hey. What stuff?
Well, I figured if you're gonna be here for a few days,
at least you'd want your toothbrush and a change a clothes, huh?
Dad, you didn't go by my trailer?
Well, I know you said I shouldn't, but you do need some clothes.
And it wasn't out of my way at all.
Oh, he could have my trailer staked out.
How would he know where to find you?
He could look in a phone book. I advertise!
Rocky, I want you to take off right now. Oh, now, what is...
Maybe he's looking for the both of us.
I ought to ride with Rocky. At least, that way we wouldn't...
Don't you even stand close to him.
Now go on, Rocky. Take off.
Boy, I don't know what I did, but I am sure sorry.
Ah, I didn't wanna tell you what was going on.
I didn't wanna worry you.
Now you go ahead. Okay? Go on.
All right. We better get things together.
If he's out there, we better find out right now.
What are you, crazy?
No, crazy is if we stay here until after dark
and he can sneak up on us and we can't see him coming.
Come on.
Angel!
(CAR HORN HONKING)
You waiting to see if I made it?
(CAR TIRES SCREECHING)
(SIREN WAILING)
All right, Angel. All right.
You gonna be all right?
It's the first time I've been car sick since I was about seven.
I think I'm gonna... No. No. Not on the car.
What happened?
I got his license number.
Why? It ain't like we're looking for him.
Ah, yes, but we are.
All right. You're through. Come on.
If Del Kane was the one that was driving that car
that tried to run you off the road, well, he's in with some interesting company.
Registered owner, Murray Riddle.
Murray? That's one of the names I got from Muriel's friend.
Hey!
Kane hung out with someone named Murray.
Who, until they split up a couple of months back,
was majordomo to Louis Gaedel.
At least, that's what I heard. They had some beef.
I don't know. Something like that. I didn't get the full details.
Gaedel? The bookie?
The biggest. He's well connected.
Well, I don't know what that does for us.
The associations are natural with Kane's gambling habit.
Kane doesn't gamble. Where'd you get that?
From Muriel's friend, Teddy. She said...
She said wrong.
He's got no minor vices except an occasional hooker.
He doesn't gamble, he doesn't drink, he doesn't smoke.
He just kills people.
Yeah. That's right.
If he's out here on business, he'd wanna run a pattern on the hit,
he'd need a backup man. Murray.
Murray used to work closely with Louis Gaedel,
they had a falling out.
And you know, that makes Gaedel a very likely candidate.
I got an idea.
Somebody ought to warn Gaedel, Dennis.
No. Don't look at me.
I can't tell Gaedel that Kane is out there gunning for him.
I need some official backup. Now if you were to tell him...
No!
Look, we're looking for an answer, right? We got it.
You just get us two cells down at County.
Oh, come on.
Come on. Come on. Let me finish this up.
You just take us two right out of the picture.
Kane doesn't want us, not really.
We just happened to get in the way.
You just take us right out of the way.
Listen, Kane is not gonna hang around.
He's gonna do what he came out here to do.
He's gonna ice Gaedel.
Then when that's over with, he either splits or you pick him up.
Either way, me and Jimmy are home free.
I'm talking about a crummy little bookie.
Am I my brother's keeper?
The answer to that is supposed to be yes.
Oh, boy, you hit rock bottom on this one.
And you're not gonna crawl into some hidey-hole till the thing is over either.
You're in it as long as I'm in it.
Yes?
Mr. Gaedel is expecting me.
Which one of you is Rockford?
He'll have to wait.
"Wait." That means be here when I come out.
Mr. Gaedel?
I'd ask you to sit down,
but seeing as how we don't know each other,
I figure this can't take too long.
Yeah. Well, it's just a few minutes. But it is personal.
As a matter of fact, it's very personal.
Kenny Hollywood said you're okay.
He's okay, too. So, let's have it.
My name's Jim Rockford.
We know who you are. What do you want?
Have you ever heard of a man named Del Kane?
Kenny never said anything about questions.
Well, Del Kane is a professional killer.
Professional? Wow!
You mean with business cards, huh? Some kind of degree?
No. I mean a man who walks into town with a contract in his pocket,
picks up a cold, silenced .22, a pair of surgical gloves and a wheel man.
He makes the hit, drops the gun, and walks,
does not run away from the scene.
I mean, a professional.
Interesting. How does that all apply to me?
I think you're his next account receivable.
You think?
Everything points to it.
He's been spending a lot of time
with a man who is a former employee of yours, Murray Riddle?
Former employee?
You see? People always gotta make something out of nothing, huh?
We had a little falling out, took a couple of weeks to cool down,
and my right arm's a "former employee," huh?
People ought to shut up.
He spends a little time with Del Kane and that's another big deal.
Well, sure. I told you I ran into him at the track the other day.
I suppose this is where I should say that I've been misinformed,
and get out of here if I can.
Nobody's stopping you.
Only I wasn't misinformed.
And you didn't just run into Kane at the track the other day.
You've been spending a great deal of time with him.
As a matter of fact, he was driving your car this morning
when he tried to spread me all over the San Fernando Road.
My car's been in the shop for the past two days.
Short in the electrical system.
Turn the radio on, the windshield wiper starts.
They can't find out what's doing it.
Look, it was nice you stopped by. I mean it.
Now you hear something, you let me know, huh?
It was a very nice gesture.
You just got the wrong information.
Yeah. Well, it's information that I've shared with the police.
You might mention that to Mr. Kane.
Mr. Rockford, please, nobody's trying to kill me. Believe me. I'd know, huh?
But thanks for coming by.
And no more cops. Okay?
Come on, Angel. Yeah.
Put the whole 30 on the nose, four horse in the sixth race. You got that?
You got it. Come on!
All right. All right. All right.
Now I'm gonna be running around quite a lot,
but you can leave a message at that number I left you.
Just tell Rocky that... Rocky?
I should've done it a long time ago.
I warned Gaedel I don't know how many times.
I know what that book ought to bring in.
I know he's skimming.
Rockford talked to the police.
If anything happens to Gaedel now, they'll go after Kane.
Now, that could ricochet back on me, maybe on you.
I know.
I'm stuck with that lousy thief.
I wanted you to take over for Gaedel.
That's what I planned. That's what I want.
It could still work out.
How?
By letting Kane take himself out of the picture.
He wants Rockford and Angel Martin.
We see to it that he gets them.
Yeah. He'll be over there in about a half an hour. Right.
He wants you to bring the cards.
Why do I have to go hiding out over at L.J.'s for?
Because Angel wasn't satisfied with putting me on the critical list,
he wants the whole family on it.
You know, Jimmy, I got some feelings, too.
"If you prick me, do I not bleed?"
That's Shakespeare.
No, it's not.
Vincent Price said it on The Hollywood Squares:
(PHONE RINGING)
Hello?
No, he ain't here right now.
Yes. Sure. I'll get a message to him if it's important.
Tell him number five in the six.
Yeah. Yeah, I'll be seeing him before then.
Yeah. All right.
Your horse come in. Paid 30-to-1.
Hey, did you hear that, Jimmy? I had 30 bucks on that nag.
That's 30 times... 60 times the...
You were on number four in the six.
No. No. He just said number five.
Number five won, but Angel wasn't on it.
And where'd you get 30 bucks?
Hey, if they said I'm on it, I'm on it.
Books don't make no mistakes.
That right, they don't.
Does that tell you anything?
So you mix up four and five. That happens.
It's a setup.
Where'd they want Angel to pick up his winnings, huh?
Midnight in some abandoned warehouse?
At Gaedel's apartment, this afternoon.
He could have made a mistake. We're talking about $900 here.
Angel, you make one move to pick up that money,
and I'm gonna stop you, like it or not.
Now come on, Rocky. We gotta get you over to L.J.'s.
Angel and I, we can go out and...
You know, Jimmy. I've been thinking about it.
We've been hanging around so much together.
I just don't think that's such a hot idea.
Well, you can't go back to your apartment.
No. I figured maybe I'd bunk out over at Aaron's.
You know what I mean? I should've thought of that long ago.
Nobody's gonna look for me in Bel Air.
Yeah. Yeah, that's a pretty good idea.
Yeah. We could pack a few things.
You know, Jimmy, it isn't like I wouldn't want you to come with me,
but Aaron isn't really family. He's my brother-in-law.
Gonna be tough enough talking myself in the front door.
Yeah, I suppose so.
Well, I can check into another motel.
I'll give you a ride over to Aaron's.
I wouldn't think about it. That's way out of your way.
I'll just hitch a ride
and then you let me know where you're staying.
All right. I'll give you a call.
Okay.
Keep in touch.
Yeah. Yeah. You take care of yourself now.
All right. Bye-bye.
See you later.
Hi. I'm Angel Martin.
Where's Rockford? I don't know.
I came here with him earlier. I'm the one who made the bet. You pay me.
Where is he?
I don't know.
Thirty, 30-to-1, that's $900 even.
MAN: What's he yapping about?
Who is that?
Let me go.
Look, they threatened me. I wouldn't have stood up in court and...
Shut up!
Rockford's not with him.
He said he doesn't know where he is.
You didn't ask him right. He'll tell me.
Honest to God, I don't know.
You're not gonna do it here?
Why not here? Then I can do Gaedel when he gets home.
Mr. Nova wouldn't like that. You wanna close down the whole book?
What's that gonna do for your reputation?
Don't worry, sweetheart. It won't take long.
I've been looking forward to this.
Let's try it one more time. Where's Rockford?
If I knew, wouldn't I tell you?
Would I be tied under the Long Beach Freeway if I knew?
You see this?
Makes practically no noise at all.
I could blow you apart, piece by piece, and not even get a headache.
Or I could do it quick. Either way. Makes no difference to me.
Makes a lot of difference to you.
Maybe I got an idea.
You know, the cops, they picked me up from a Known Associates file.
You could probably do the same with Jimmy.
I don't have a Known Associates file.
Me. I know all of Jimmy's friends.
I could make you a list. You're new here, aren't you?
Don't know your way around. Well, I can take you.
I could show you right where to look.
You fink. You rotten, little, whimpering fink.
Kane, drop it! Police!
(GUNSHOT)
(POLICE RADIO CHATTERING)
You'd have made out a list for him? Show him right where to look?
I could have been killed! So could I.
I could be lying on the ground dead, for all you care.
I warned you it was a setup. I told you not to go for it.
How did you know I would go for it?
Well, if you're anything, Angel, you're predictable.
With a $900-carrot on the end of that stick, you just had to take a bite.
Come on, Jimmy. That isn't funny.
Officer. Officer. When you get a chance, could you...
I hear you made a big hit with the DA.
Well, he seems happy.
He got Murray Riddle, he got Del Kane.
What'd you get?
I got the warm glow of satisfaction in knowing that
I performed a public service.
Come on. You got a bonus. How much?
Oh, I'd hate to tell you, Dennis. You might eat your badge.
I got a commendation.
Hey, listen to this.
"I looked into the steely blue of Kane's .22."
You're gonna write it all in verse?
No. Listen, this part's real good. Real good.
This is where I get 'em under the freeway, and trap 'em.
You trap 'em?
Hey, Jimmy, the book is about me.
I mention you. Thanks.
(KNOCKING ON DOOR)
That's Thompson Welles now. He'll pick up the last chapters.
Thompson, come on in, hey.
I finished it up. We'll put the old polish on it and turn it in.
I got a new title, too. Wait till you hear this.
Because Kane, you know, he's such a barracuda, we call it Jaws:
Three men just picked me up at a pizza parlor.
They said they were gonna break both my legs.
What? Okay.
They don't want the book to come out.
So, I'm sorry, but that's it for me.
Wait a minute. Were you kidding? We don't buckle under threats.
That's what this book's all about.
Hey, wait a minute.
Who doesn't want it published?
Mr. Gaedel and Mr. Nova.
And that's good enough for me.
And I wanna tell you something about your book, Mr. Martin.
What you call a polish, I call mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
How do you like that?
One threat and he folds like a paper napkin.
This is a bestseller.
Well, you want it published posthumously?
Oh, this stinks. Everybody makes out on the deal except me.
Well, you're coming out of it with something.
Oh, yeah? What?
Not much. Nothing to brag about.
Well, what? Your life.