RITA: They are following me.
Man, they are after me.
Police!
You like what she put down for occupation? Poet.
She's just a friend.
A hooker. You bring a woman like that into the house
and you want her to sit down at the dinner table with Eleanor and Sid Loft?
Look, Jim, I do what I do. I'm not gonna apologize, I'm not gonna explain.
I'm not asking you to.
Then believe me. I dealt with a lot of weirdoes since I'm 15,
and nobody ever tried to kill me.
(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)
This is Mrs. Owens with the Association for a Better Malibu.
Thanks for your contributions. We made great strides,
but it would help, dear, if you could move your trailer.
(PHONE RINGS)
BECKER: Hello?
Dennis? McRainey.
Listen, I got Rita down here.
Okay, Mac, thanks. Be right down.
Thanks for giving me a call, McRainey.
I figured she wasn't doing you much good in the slam.
I didn't ask him to call.
I know. It's all right.
You like what she put down for occupation? Poet.
"There was a young man from Nantucket..."
Okay, Rita. Come on.
No, no. It's all right.
I like a snitch with a sense of humor.
She's just a friend.
Sure.
Looks better without it.
You, of course, would know.
Thanks, McRainey.
You're the one who should have said thanks.
McRainey did you a favor.
The next time he'll think twice.
Yeah? With what?
That was a mistake, Rita. McRainey is ticked off at you now.
I'll send him a thank-you note.
And working Wilshire was a mistake, too.
I wasn't working Wilshire.
You don't believe me, do you?
Boy, this day has been a real pig.
Rita.
How about a cup of coffee?
Come on, just a quick one.
Hi, Rita. How's tricks?
You know Billings. That's his idea of humor.
Yeah, sure. That makes it okay.
Get treated like a cockroach around here.
What's the matter with you today?
McRainey goes out of his way to call me
so I can spring you, which I do.
I bring you in here for a nice cup of coffee.
You don't really want to have a cup of coffee with me.
Then what am I doing here?
You just want to give me a pat on the head
before you kick me back out on the street.
That way, the next time you need information,
good old Rita will remember and she'll come through for you.
Well, that stinks. If you think that after 15 years...
Seventeen.
All right, 17 years.
For 17 years, I've always treated you like...
A cop.
Oh, come on.
Which is okay. I mean, that's just fine.
But please, let's don't kid ourselves
that you're treating me like a friend.
(SCOFFS)
Telling McRainey I'm a friend.
(VOICE BREAKING) A friend would've believed I wasn't working Wilshire.
(SNIFFLES)
A friend would've sent me one Christmas card.
One lousy Christmas card
in 17 lousy years.
I sent you plenty.
I need a hankie.
I thought you said Becker was having a quick cup of coffee.
He could have had a half a dozen by now.
He's with someone.
Would you at least tell him I'm here, Billings?
Hop to it, Billings.
Sergeant Becker wouldn't want to keep Mr. Rockford waiting.
After all, it must be very important
for him to come down here in person
instead of phoning in his order.
Well, no, I was in the neighborhood.
And you know what a kick I get out of watching you play Nazi.
Rita, you're looking at things the wrong way.
I'm your friend.
McRainey's your friend.
Rita, you got nothing but friends here.
Becker.
What? Uh, yes, sir.
I want you to get down to the squad room. Get Rockford out of there.
Get him out of this station.
And whatever he came here to ask you,
the answer is no. You got that?
Yes, sir. Good.
(SOBS)
What the hell are you crying about, Rita?
Didn't have change for a five?
Look, you just hang in there. I'll be right back. Okay?
What did you do to make Chapman so mad?
I showed up. He's got a rotten disposition.
Hey, Dennis, I dropped by to ask you... No.
Are you gonna let me finish?
Whatever it is, it's no.
I got a couple of tickets to the Lakers game tomorrow night.
No.
Okay, don't forget I asked you first.
Sorry you can't make it, Dennis.
How you doing?
Lieutenant Chapman didn't mean anything with that crack.
Oh, yeah, I know. It's his idea of humor. What a card.
Want some more coffee?
I want somebody to talk to, Den.
You want to hear something I do sometimes?
Sometimes I get so lonely,
I go down to the market and wheel a cart around
and pretend like I'm shopping
so I can complain about prices and...
Doesn't matter what.
I mean, just so I'm talking to a person.
You believe it?
Rita, you must have some friends.
Yeah? Where would I get them?
Oh, yeah, there's this old lady I know.
That's it.
Most people make friends from who they work with.
So where does that leave me?
Well, we work together from time to time.
Oh, yeah. But with us, it's strictly business.
I mean, friends sit around, they talk about lots of things.
Not just business.
Okay. We'll do that sometime.
Friends get together. Like...
Well, I'm a pretty good cook.
If we were friends, I could make dinner some night
and ask you and Peggy over and...
You know, sometimes when I call you at home, she answers.
She sounds real nice.
We could get to know each other.
(STAMMERING) Well, I'll mention that to Peggy.
There's a thing with Scotty
and there's also the problem with a sitter, but...
Sarge. What?
Your wife just called. She wanted me to remind you,
you need a few bottles of soda for the party tonight.
I'm not having a party tonight.
She said you're... I don't care what she says.
It's not a party, just a dinner for a few...
Friends?
A hooker. You bring a woman like that into the house
and you want her to sit down at the dinner table with Eleanor and Sid Loft?
Eleanor and Sid Loft. We don't even like them.
Louder, Dennis. They may have missed that.
It's not like she's wearing an ID tag.
They're not gonna know she's a hooker.
Oh, of course not. It's not as if you couldn't tell
just by looking at her.
She was feeling rotten.
(EXCLAIMS) And your clever solution
is to bring her home so we can all feel rotten.
(GROANS)
Dennis!
You know, if a lousy permit means more to you than a human being...
Denny, we need that permit if we're going to build the apartment over the garage.
It blocks the Lofts' view.
Look, I'm not going to argue. I owe Rita.
I don't know how many good busts I've made
with information that she's given me,
and she's never asked me for one damn thing.
She wants dinner, dinner she gets.
Now smile, will you?
I always wanted a parrot, but I'm afraid of catching a fever.
Oh, hey, Peggy, you've really outdone yourself.
I mean, for a last-minute get-together...
We were invited two weeks ago.
(PEGGY CHUCKLES)
I think if we just pass it, it'll be easier.
That's a good idea.
You know, Jim and me were talking about animals.
I am crazy about animals.
You got a pet, Jim? Oh, yeah, yeah.
Well, I got a four-legged acquaintance
who drops in when the spirit moves him.
RITA: I bet I can guess what.
You're a big man. You'd have a big pet.
You're a dog person.
Cat. Big cat. Valentino.
No kidding.
Some roast beef, Sidney?
Oh, thank you.
No, no, Sidney, take some roast beef. There's plenty.
Well, I don't mind if I...
Sidney isn't much of a meat eater,
particularly so late at night.
It's a little after 8:00.
Yes.
You know the one animal I can't stand?
Monkeys.
(COUGHS)
RITA: They are mean, they are filthy.
I had one once. I only kept him a couple of weeks.
They make the place so smelly.
Now, you take cats. All you need is a litter box and that's it.
But that monkey.
He made all over my new couch.
He made all over the floor.
You just had to walk into my front door,
you were up to your buns in...
Broccoli?
Thank you.
You know, you're crazy about animals,
I am crazy about professions.
I mean, they really interest me.
Take modeling.
That is what you do, isn't it, Miss Capcovik? You're a model?
Capkovic.
SIDNEY: Capkovic? Yeah.
I could have served earlier, but I didn't know.
You know, I mean, 7:00, 6:30...
Many people enjoy a late dinner.
You and Dennis here, you friends quite a while?
Yeah, for a little while.
How'd you two happen to meet?
Dennis, I think you forgot the wine.
Yeah. Be right back. Excuse me. Thank you.
Couldn't have been at the station.
I mean, what would a model be doing at the police station?
(SIDNEY LAUGHING) I'm telling you, Peggy...
Peggy, this is really great.
I mean, Yorkshire pudding and everything.
Thank you.
Of course, I can remember a time...
I think it was in the '50s. Big scandal.
They rounded up all these girls,
took them up right off the street,
and every single one of them
was carrying a hatbox, claiming to be a model.
Guess what they were?
Do you have any idea how long it's been since I had Yorkshire pudding?
SIDNEY: Prostitutes.
Every last one of them a common streetwalker.
Now, I haven't thought about that in years.
Funny how it jumped into my mind
when you mentioned being a model.
Well, shall we have coffee in the living room?
I just opened the wine.
Well, if you'll excuse us, I think we'll just eat and run.
But you haven't eaten.
Sidney.
I'm sorry we can't finish the conversation.
I know there's a lot of things you could tell me about modeling,
lots of things I've never even heard of.
Tricks of the trade?
(DOOR OPENS)
BECKER: Good night, Sid. Eleanor.
(DOOR CLOSES)
I'm sorry, Peggy.
So am I.
Dennis and I have been talking about building an apartment
over the garage for my sister,
but, you know, I don't think Dorothy would like
living next door to people like that.
Hey, I know it's late. It's almost 8:30,
but I like late dinners.
Could I have some wine, please?
Me, too. All right.
Me, too.
Hey, you didn't have to drive me home.
There's a bus, stops right at the corner.
Oh, I'm happy to do it.
Well, listen, to tell you the truth,
I feel much better when somebody can walk me right to my door.
Yeah.
I mean, this neighborhood has gone down into the toilet.
I mean, a couple of nights ago,
I was walking home kind of late from a movie
and I spot this blue Mustang.
So I figure, "Yeah." Yeah, it's looking for a house number, right?
Forget it. I see that they are following me.
So I get right to this spot, the car stops,
and two guys come boiling out of it.
What happened?
Well, I made it to the apartment.
But, man, they are after me.
I mean, they started pounding on the door, I started screaming.
(EXCLAIMS)
I guess I scared them away.
Hey, would you like to have some coffee?
Oh, it's getting a little late. Thanks.
Oh.
Can I take a rain check?
Sure. Anytime.
Hey, thanks a lot.
Peggy and Den have some real nice friends.
Yeah, they sure do.
Good night.
Good night, Rita.
Good night.
(BOTH SPEAKING FRENCH)
Rudy!
(SCREAMS)
Police!
Police! Police! Help!
Police!
Jim?
Oh, Jim, please.
You didn't come around for a while, you know.
Boy, you had me scared. Here.
What is it?
A nice, stiff belt.
I don't think my head could handle it. Thank you.
Maybe a little hot soup?
No, no.
Well, I gotta do something. You could have been killed.
So could you.
Yeah.
You have no idea why?
I mean, you never saw these guys before the other night?
You're sure of that?
I don't know why, I don't know who.
Oh, boy.
Look what they done to this place.
You can't get these anymore.
Faviotas went out of business two months ago.
You have any idea what time it is?
Around 3:00.
A. M? Mmm-hmm.
Oh, well, those two goons are long gone by now.
(GROANS)
Might as well let Becker sleep in this morning.
You got a couple of aspirin?
Hey, I know that Chapman would love to see me suffer,
but is there anything in the official police manual
that would specifically deny me an aspirin under these circumstances?
Den, he got an awful clunk on the head.
It's a wonder he didn't get amnesia.
Yeah. He might have forgotten my phone number.
Water?
Why don't you take my coffee? I haven't touched it.
Thanks.
Is that report complete?
As complete as can be under the circumstances.
Suspect. Two male Caucasians,
both approximately six feet, both French-speaking.
That's about it, isn't it? Oh, no. One goes by the unusual name of Rudy.
Any idea where to start looking?
Well, you might start by running that license plate I gave you.
Right. A blue Mustang.
Now, you can't actually put the two suspects in the car,
but we'll let that go for the moment.
We do have a license plate.
PCE 727,
or PCE 772,
or possibly PCE 277.
Dennis, I didn't write it down. That's what I remember.
And that's what's in the complaint.
A complaint, I might add, that anybody in this office could have taken.
See all these people? They're all trained to take complaints.
A-ha.
Is that what you're mad about, huh?
Now, I waited until 5:00 to wake you up.
Now, you think you could assign a couple of men to her for protection?
You know what it would take to get an order like that okayed?
Chapman will think it's some john with a beef.
What does he think I've got up there, a revolving door?
What does he think, I don't remember faces?
Those guys were not johns.
I never saw them before.
Rita, I'll run the plate. I'll follow through.
In the meantime, don't go back to your apartment.
Oh, sure. I'll just check into one of your Beverly Hills hotels.
I needed the change.
Rita, can I see you for a moment?
Alone?
RITA: What are you doing?
BECKER: Take it.
Hey, Dennis, that's not why I said that.
This'll take care of you for a couple of days.
What are you doing?
Aspirins help?
Not as much as the question.
It's so comforting to know that you care.
Well, why don't you two guys get out of here before Chapman signs in?
And you make sure she gets to a hotel all right.
Yeah, sure, sure.
Really going to miss you at that Laker game tonight.
You got a particular hotel in mind, or you want to shop around?
You said last night you're a PI.
I guess you work kind of steady, huh?
No, not steady at all. No.
Then you're looking for work?
No. I thought I'd go home, take a little nap
and then catch the Lakers game
with a couple of Annie Oakleys.
Now, there's a motel up on Bundy.
It's not too great on the outside, but looks like it's clean.
Should be safe.
Jim, I want to hire you.
Hey, come on. Come on.
Well, you said you're looking for work.
Rita, all you have to do is stay out of sight for a couple of days.
Dennis will run those plates.
Well, yeah, what if the car's hot?
Then I gotta stay out of sight for another two days and another, right?
How long? And all the time those psychos are waiting on me.
Hiring a private detective is expensive.
Well, how expensive?
$200 a day plus expenses.
Okay.
There's only about a hundred and a quarter there. You'll have to count it.
I'll have the rest for you tomorrow.
Rita, I don't want to take your money.
Now, let Dennis handle things.
He's getting paid to do that job and he's good at it.
Jim, he is going under for the third time in red tape.
Look, I am scared to death.
I am so scared, I don't even know how I'm still walking.
Look, Jim, I do what I do. I'm not gonna apologize, I'm not gonna explain.
I'm not asking you to.
Then believe me. I dealt with a lot of weirdoes since I'm 15,
and nobody ever tried to kill me.
They want to kill me.
You think staying alive's not worth a lousy $200 to me?
Okay, okay, Rita. We'll work out something.
First we gotta find a place to stash you.
Maggie. I thought about it already.
She'll take me in, no questions asked.
Who's Maggie?
Not what you think.
Well, Burt, for a woman that's alone too much,
I've got a full house.
Miss Capkovic.
Hi, how are you?
That's right, you two know one another.
Let's see. This is my good friend Rita Capkovic.
This is Mr. James Rockford.
And this is Burt Woodruff and that's Henry,
Dr. Helpern.
Doctor?
Well, he's just paying a social visit, dear.
Margaret...
Oh, Burt, let's not argue.
As you can see, I'm perfectly comfortable. I'm perfectly safe.
I'm not at all alone.
As a matter of fact, Rita's coming to spend several days with me.
All right, Margaret. Have it your way.
I intend to.
Well, we have to be running along.
Nice to have met you, Mr. Rockford.
Mr. Woodruff. Nice to have met you.
We'll see ourselves out.
Right.
Bye-bye, Henry.
HELPERN: Goodbye.
Bye. WOODRUFF: Bye.
Now, what are the plans?
Okay. I hide out over here and Jim stakes out my apartment.
In case they come back?
What a brave thing for you to do.
Yeah, well, I'm not too happy about that part of it,
but then, there doesn't seem to be any alternative.
But imagine breaking into your own home, attacking you.
This used to be such a good neighborhood.
That's a terrible experience for you.
Yeah. That's what I get for drinking California wine.
Hmm?
The two men spoke French.
Oh. Well, that doesn't necessarily mean
they come from France, does it?
Where, then? Hungary?
I remember my husband, years ago,
had an interest in a Canadian hockey team,
and they spoke French.
The Ottawa Otters.
And then there's Martinique and some of the African nations.
French is a universal language.
Boy, Maggie, you know everything.
You know, she has been around the world.
She knows all kinds of people.
She can even read a menu and order in French.
Very good.
And you know what she's eating when I first meet her?
It's a wonder she didn't drop dead.
She's eating anything light.
To carry.
So I says, "Dummy, use the carts."
You're not supposed to take them off the premises. There's a fine.
Oh, if you're a regular customer,
it's all right if you just borrow it and take it back later.
Is that exactly what I told you?
You see, you can ask her any question about books, about art.
She's got all the answers.
But she's a real nit about walking around sense.
Yeah, yeah. Well, look...
Where are you going?
I've got a couple of things I have to do.
I'm going to need the keys to your apartment for tonight.
Oh. What things?
Oh, the two tickets to the Laker game.
I might as well give them to Dennis.
Well, that's not going to take too long.
Well, I have to practice being gracious.
You two take care.
And I've got something I want you to do, all right?
Hey, we gotta think about dinner.
It really ought to be something special.
Trout.
Yeah, French trout, okay.
Come on, I'll help you. Let's do it.
Oh, and listen, I'll take these back to the market
so they don't send the fuzz for you.
(LAUGHING) Oh, Rita.
Do you have any almonds? I think so.
Okay. Let's see.
(PHONE RINGING)
RITA: (ON TAPE) Hello?
MAN: Hey, Rita, your line's been busy for half an hour.
I'm down here at the Wilshire West, room 802:
Hey, why don't you come down.
Forget it, buddy.
(KNOCKING AT DOOR)
BILL: Rita! Rita! You in there?
(PHONE RINGING)
Rita, come on, baby! It's Bill. Open up!
RITA: (ON TAPE) Hello?
Rita, is that you? It's me, Jake.
Hey, honey, you know, you promised you'd call me tonight.
I've been waiting to hear from you for two hours.
What happened?
(MEN SPEAKING FRENCH)
(BURGLAR ALARM RINGING)
(GUN FIRES)
Maggie!
(CAR TIRES SCREECHING)
Thank you for calling me, Lieutenant.
Miss Capkovic said you were a friend of the family.
There'll be an autopsy, you know, after which...
Yes, yes, I'll handle all the arrangements.
Just let my office know when the...
When it's all over.
(WOODRUFF SIGHS)
She was an obstinate old woman.
Always had to have her own way.
I told her to move out of this neighborhood.
I've been telling her that for years.
The neighborhood didn't kill her, Mr. Woodruff.
When we had the burglar alarm installed,
I told her to have the windows wired,
but no, she wouldn't go the additional expense.
But the alarm went off.
That's correct. She went for the panic button. That's why they shot her.
I'm the reason she's dead.
Stop that, Rita.
You know it's true, Jim. You know it's my fault.
Maggie was your friend.
You came to her as a friend, she took you in. That's it.
Yeah, but if I hadn't come here... lf...
I don't want to hear any more "ifs."
You want to know who was responsible?
The two psychos who pulled the trigger. They're responsible.
I think it would be nice if the police found out who they were.
The police investigation is no concern of yours, Rockford.
What two psychos?
I thought we were dealing here with burglary.
None of my concern, huh?
I two-step around Rita's apartment with these two yuks,
I get a near fracture at the base of the skull,
I get a headache I haven't been able to shake for 24 hours,
and it's none of my concern?
I absolutely insist on being told what's going on.
In the absence of any living relatives,
and as an old friend of the family,
well, I think someone should represent Margaret in this affair.
Margaret Gillson was a lovely lady.
She's dead. There's not anything any of us can do about it.
I think even Lieutenant Chapman would agree with me
when I say we have to concentrate on keeping Rita alive now.
ROCKFORD: You know, maybe I ought to give Peggy another call.
Well, she said she'd have Dennis call you as soon as he got back in.
Hey, wasn't it neat Dennis was able to take Scotty to the Laker game?
Yeah.
Hey, listen, sonny, I want you to tell this young lady here
to drink every bit of this coffee.
It's got lots of cream and sugar,
and you didn't eat a bite of your dinner.
I forgot to warn you about Rocky.
He's just about 98% mother hen.
(LAUGHS)
Well, you two have been through a lot from what I can tell,
which ain't very much.
Don't try to understand it, Rocky. We don't.
You really think them two fellas is waiting for you
back at the trailer?
Well, they could be. I mean, if they followed us
from Rita's to the police station to Mrs. Gillson's,
they could have made me.
(VOICE BREAKING) I can't believe I'll never see her again.
Hey, come on, now. Easy.
Just drink your coffee.
How much sugar you put in this?
A little quick energy. Go on, take it. It won't hurt you.
Sure. Then we can all sit around and watch my teeth fall out.
(PHONE RINGING)
Hello?
Hey, Jimbo. I just got home.
Man, you wouldn't believe that traffic.
Oh, hey, Dennis... And the game! Listen to this.
There's three minutes on the clock, the score is all tied up...
PEGGY: Dennis!
Jim, hang on.
Dennis, what did you feed Scotty at the game?
He's throwing up all over the bathroom.
Jim, I gotta go.
Dennis, what've you got on that plate I gave you?
I haven't had a chance to run it.
Well, when you gonna get on it?
Come on, sport, you're cleaning it up.
Yeah, sure.
(PHONE HANGS UP)
Well, thank you, Dennis. Thanks.
He's gonna get right on it.
Got a make on those plates.
I hate to tell you this, buddy. It was stolen.
I knew it. What'd I say?
They were ripped off at the Forum.
Oh, terrific. That narrows it down to about 10,000 cars.
Some guy went to a hockey game, came out...
A what?
A hockey game. You know, with the sticks and the puck.
Becker. ROCKFORD: Dennis, who was playing?
You ran a plate for Rockford, right?
It was the men Rita saw leaving the Gillson house.
It was their car I was trying to trace.
Was it the Ottawa Otters? Yeah.
It's official police business, Lieutenant.
I'll tell you what's official. I want to see you in my office right now.
All three of you.
Chapman.
What is it?
If you'd just lay off one minute, we might be able to give you
some hard facts in a very soft case.
Mrs. Gillson said that her husband, at one time,
owned part of the Ottawa Otters.
Ottawa Otters, Muskogee Muskrats,
what difference does it make?
Chapman, Mrs. Gillson was killed
by the same two guys who attacked Rita.
I mean, they spoke French.
Now, the Ottawa Otters are a Canadian team.
Many Canadians are French-speaking.
Quelle surprise.
Well, now, just take your time. Try to put it together.
Oh, I've got it together. I'm going to speak frankly to you.
We all know each other so well.
Practically family.
I've known Rita here ever since I worked Vice,
a long, long time ago.
How many times did I bust you, Rita?
Let's just say we were seriously considering
putting up a small, bronze plaque.
The Rita Capkovic Memorial Holding Cell.
Is that about it, Chapman?
Oh, don't go sensitive on me, Rockford.
You're two of a kind. Anything for a buck.
Lieutenant...
Shut up.
Now, I'm going to tell you how it went down.
Rita here collects weirdoes. That's her business.
Only this time, one of them busted a main spring.
A-ha! There were two men involved.
Oh, two? Well, that makes a difference.
You want to talk about the band at the Waldorf Astoria?
That's a rotten thing to say.
I'll tell you what's rotten. You know what's rotten?
A nice little old lady letting somebody like you through the front door
and ending up dead.
Is it gonna make you feel any better if Rita ends up that way, too?
End of discussion.
Now, I want you out at Jackson High in the Valley.
You're about to conduct a very exciting seminar in traffic safety.
And you two, get out of here.
Now, Chapman, you can't just dismiss this.
If Rita thinks it's important enough to pay me $200 a day...
Where'd Rita get $200?
Well, she didn't have the full $200,
but she gave me $125 down and...
Is that the $125 you got from me yesterday?
Is that the $125 you requisitioned from the department?
You know, Rita,
maybe we're just going at this whole thing the wrong way.
Yeah. Well, maybe I just ought to leave town. I mean, if Chapman...
Oh, now, forget about Chapman.
Here, sit here.
Now, what I'm saying is that these two guys who killed Maggie,
everybody's assuming they were after you and killed her by mistake.
Yeah, but that's what happened.
But maybe it wasn't a mistake.
Oh, come on, Jim.
No, no, Rita. I was careful.
When I drove you over to Maggie's,
I had both eyes on the rearview mirror at all times.
Now, I would swear we weren't being followed.
So how'd they know where to find me?
We told them. We walked right into Maggie's
and announced that you were gonna stay there for a couple of days.
There's this Dr. Helpern and Burton Woodruff.
What do we know about them?
Well, Dr. Helpern, I never met before,
but Woodruff, he was an old friend of hers.
He used to bring her a check over every month or so.
He was her husband's partner.
In the Ottawa Otters?
I don't know about that. He was a furrier.
Maggie said her husband owned a hockey team.
She told you that Woodruff was a furrier?
Yeah.
What are you doing?
I'm looking up Woodruff.
She didn't say he was retired,
so he's bound to be in here somewhere.
Wilson, Windham...
Ah, Woodruff.
Woodruff and Gillson, Furriers.
I'll put it back, okay?
Hey, the fur business is just a subsidiary.
They're all part of the Canadian-American Trading Company.
But if Maggie's husband was into this kind of setup,
why was she living in that dump on Western?
One of the questions we'll have to ask Mr. Woodruff.
ROCKFORD: The Canadian-American Trading Company
is a conglomerate.
A lot of fingers in a lot of pies.
I'm not exactly the wizard of Wall Street,
but it's gotta be worth millions.
Woodruff and Gillson were partners. Partners suggests 50-50.
Maybe Maggie's husband sold out before he died.
Maybe. Maybe Woodruff just kept bringing those checks around
because he's a good old boy and he didn't want to see Maggie do without.
Hey, he used to bring her papers, too.
I know because she used to complain all the time
about how she hated to sign all that stuff.
I am still waiting to see this little lady
take her first bite of solid food.
I'm not hungry, Rocky.
Well, no wonder you're all skin and bones.
I am?
Are you about through with this mess?
Oh, yeah. Don't worry, Dad. I'll clean it up.
Listen, did you find the team picture of the Otters?
I think it was in a hockey magazine,
had a hockey player on the front.
You know, PI work is not what I thought it would be.
A lot of run-jump?
Well, not so much paperwork.
I hate to tell you this, Jim, but it's very dull.
I don't know. I always kind of thought of this stage as restful.
When do we see Woodruff?
When I have all the questions.
And I think I've got plenty.
No, I don't recognize anyone in the picture.
Well, now, they divested themselves
of their interest in the team 10 years ago.
So maybe the guys who came to the apartment aren't on the current roster.
Personally, I never cared much about hockey.
All those fellas getting their heads split open,
blood all over the ice.
I never went to a game when I didn't catch cold.
Well, that's about all we're gonna get out of research.
Now we see Woodruff?
No. Now I'm gonna introduce you
to a very important part of detective work.
Hey, I thought you was gonna clean up here.
ROCKFORD: Yeah, later. Later.
(DOOR CLOSES)
"Later. Later."
RITA: Man, we've been sitting here for hours.
If you ask me...
All right, even if you don't ask me,
I think we're going about this the wrong way.
Well, wait a minute.
I think I ought to go back to my apartment.
They tried to hit me there before, they'll try it again.
Then we catch them.
We've got it, thank you.
All right, just follow my lead.
Your invitation, please.
We don't have one.
Oh, I'm sorry, sir. This is a private party.
Yes, I know.
You see, we plan to do an article on the hockey,
the Ottawa Otters at play, that sort of thing.
Whatever happened to Graham? Graham is our still man.
We lost him on the freeway.
He'll show up. He always does.
I wonder if I could speak to someone in authority?
I'm with the restaurant.
Oh, well, we plan to mention the restaurant and the surroundings.
The friendly atmosphere.
I can't see that that would do any harm.
Publicity for the team and all.
Oh, well, you really have an eye for opportunity. That's good.
Of course, if they do object...
Oh, they won't object. We're talking about national publicity.
Oh, well, my name is Guellow. Alfred Guellow.
Did you get that, Miss Sanders?
Guellow?
Thank you. Thank you.
Oh! Oh, that's very kind. Thank you.
Where did you get that card you gave him?
I printed it myself. I have my own printing press.
Yeah, but how did you know that you wanted to pretend
to be from some magazine?
Well, I don't like to box myself in,
so I'm in the fur business, mining engineering...
I'm also with the Canadian Government in several capacities.
I always feel better when I come prepared.
Let's go.
Back east, New York.
Excuse me a minute.
Mr. Rockford, Miss Capkovic.
What are you doing here?
Oh, you know how it is. Anywhere there's a party.
What do you want?
He comes right to the point, doesn't he, Rita?
Let's see. What do we want?
Something small, you know, just to show good faith.
How about a couple of fur hats?
Get out of here.
And none of that fun fur.
I want something that has a lasting value, like sable.
Do you like sable, Rita?
Oh, I'm crazy about sable.
If this is your idea of a joke...
It isn't.
You ought to see the rest of the list.
I have no interest in your list.
Get interested.
That is, if you want to hang on to the Woodruff-Gillson empire.
There's plenty for everybody.
There was probably more than enough for Maggie.
Did you steal everything her husband left her?
You know, you can walk out of here or I can have you thrown out.
You do that, Woodruff, and I'm going to have to start blowing the whistle.
You have no proof. You have no...
Hey, that's right. That's right. It's just theories.
But if the cops dig deep enough,
I'm sure they'll come up with enough paperwork
to substantiate those theories.
Now, you think about that, okay?
Oh, and don't forget the hats.
RITA: You sure this is gonna work?
Well, I sure would hate to think that
anything this uncomfortable wasn't going to pay off.
You know what I don't understand?
If Mr. Woodruff was stealing from Maggie and she found out
or he was afraid she was going to find out,
then, okay, that's a reason for killing her.
But why would he want to kill me?
I don't understand that, either,
but if he shows up, we'll ask him.
(PHONE RINGING)
Hello?
Oh, hi, yeah.
Yeah, it has been.
How you doing?
Well, no. I'm afraid I couldn't.
No, I mean, not tonight. You understand?
No, no, I'm really tied up.
Listen, some other time, okay?
And thanks for calling.
(KNOCKING AT DOOR)
(INAUDIBLE)
Yes?
MAN: Come on, open up.
Who is it?
Is that you, Rita?
Who is it?
Sid Loft.
(INAUDIBLE)
Come on, open up, Rita!
Rita, come on, open the door!
Rita! Come on, open the door.
(POUNDING ON DOOR)
What are you doing here?
I'm sorry, I should have called first.
I didn't know you already had a party going on.
What do we do with him?
We get rid of him. You walk right out of here
and you go directly to your car.
Who are you ordering around?
I went to a lot of trouble to get out tonight.
I don't have time to explain, Sid.
You don't have to explain. We're all adults.
We can work something out, right, honey?
Just a second. What do you think I am? What do you think I am?
And after the way you treated me the other night at the Beckers'.
(RATTLING)
What nerve! I made a special trip...
Shut up.
(SHUSHING)
All right, get in the kitchen. Not you.
(GUN FIRES) ROCKFORD: Becker!
Police. Freeze.
Drop it.
BECKER: Cuff them.
Have Burton Woodruff picked up.
Sid, what are you doing here?
Look, Dennis, please don't tell Eleanor. It's all a mistake.
It'd kill her if she thought...
And it wasn't like that at all.
Look, you want that permit? You got it.
I'll push it past Eleanor. Just don't tell her.
Gee, Sid, what do you want me to do?
What can I do?
There was a shooting, you're a witness.
I'm going to have to take you in, get a statement.
They'll want to put you on the stand.
There'll be the press, cameramen, interviews. What can I say?
Come on, Rita. Can't I help you with something?
Hey, this is my party. I do the work.
Just put this on the table, okay?
She ain't gonna let me in my own kitchen, she sure ain't gonna let you.
Hey, Dennis, do they know how much Woodruff stole out of Maggie's estate?
Not yet. She should have been worth millions.
She thought she was.
But he rigged her business statements
so it looked like a paper palace.
Stealing from widows.
Do you know what the Good Book says
about stealing from widows and orphans?
It don't pull no punches. No, sir.
Excuse me.
If only Maggie hadn't changed her will.
There you go with the "ifs" again.
If she'd just left it the way it was,
10% to this charity, 20% to that,
maybe Mr. Woodruff wouldn't have got scared
and he could've got by with what he done.
Putting me down for a million dollars.
Like I'd know what to do with a million dollars.
Well, you're gonna wind up with $300,000.
What are you gonna do with that? Buy yourself a house.
You can't go wrong buying land.
Yeah, I thought about that,
but, well, I'm used to apartments.
A house sounds like something I'd just rattle around in.
It sounds too big.
Oh, no. Look at mine. I don't rattle around.
It ain't too big for me.
You know, Rita, I think that real estate would be a good investment for you.
Yeah? PEGGY: Yeah.
What do you think, Jim?
I think you ought to spend it whatever way makes you happy.
Good. Me, too.
So when that garage apartment of yours gets built,
I'm gonna furnish it.
No, Rita...
Hey, no argument.
I'm gonna buy all the rugs, the chairs, the lamps,
and all the pots and pans.
Rita, that's out of the question.
Who says?
The department.
I'm a police officer. I can't accept gifts for doing my job.
You can't?
No, I can't.
But thanks anyway.
Okay. Okay.
Everybody out.
Come on, come on.
Everybody outside.
Isn't it beautiful?
Oh, well, now, hey,
that is more like it.
Oh, it's got a custom body and it's got all kinds of things I forget.
You like it?
Oh, who wouldn't? I mean, it's a beauty.
It's yours.
Oh, hey, Rita, no, I can't.
Hey, come on. You're not with the department.
Nothing's stopping you.
I can't accept a gift like that.
It must have cost...
Hey, didn't you tell me I should make myself happy?
Yeah.
Well, this makes me happy.
(HONKING TO THE TUNE OF LA CUCARACHA)
Even after I help Monica get her teeth fixed
and do a couple of things I want to do,
I'll still have plenty left over.
No, no. Hey, Rita, I can't accept this.
I mean, I appreciate it.
I really do appreciate it.
But it's just absolutely...
It's out of the question.