A woman named Karen Mills lives here.
She's disappeared.
I've gone without sleep for 24 hours.
I've lost both my girl and my patience...
and I'm looking for someone to take it out on.
You better send a couple of ambulances and the fire department.
Hello, police?
There's a holdup at the Buena Vista Inn.
You better hurry, there's three or four of them.
[Tires screeching]
We are in pursuit of a white two-door sedan...
[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]
(caller) Rockford, this is Mr. Dowel.
If you think I'm going to pay to have your car repainted, you're nuts.
You can take your expense bill and stuff it.
Jimmy?
I made you some fresh coffee here.
Man, I hope you don't feel as bad as you look.
I'm sorry. What?
I said, you don't look so hot.
No snappy answers?
I guess that means there's no news.
There's no news, no clues...
traces, no nothing.
You know, I'm a pretty good listener, son.
You want to tell me about it?
Talk to me about it?
(Rocky) Maybe something that happened...
when the three of you was in San Francisco...
or maybe on the way back.
It could be something that just completely slipped your mind.
(Rockford) How's she doing?
(Karen) She's sound asleep.
Jim, could we come back up again?
It was fun. Julie really loved it.
But I could forego getting up at 6:30 in the morning.
Is that necessary?
Sure, it's necessary.
You gotta get off with the tide.
The tide goes out at 7:30.
It does? Yeah.
Boy, what kind of sailor are you?
Where did you learn sailing, in the dictionary?
In the Army.
No, it's true.
I used to sell contraband Japanese radios to the Navy guys...
at Terminal Island. We had to sail underneath the radar.
I don't believe you.
What did you get for them?
$17.95 for the two-band. $20 for the earplug.
The ear plugs were big because they used to play them at night after lights out.
I bet you did.
It's a buck.
I'm serious. Can we come back up here again?
You got a deal.
Boy, I'm getting tired. I might end up going to sleep on you.
Always the back seat.
Little crowded, but there's a back seat.
[Crickets chirping]
Karen, we're home.
You want to go up and open the front door? I'll take Julie in.
[Car door closes]
There's my girl.
[Crickets chirping]
[Car door closes]
[Door closes]
Karen?
There we go.
Karen?
Karen!
[Keys rattling]
[Phone ringing]
Yeah.
At 2:30 in the morning? Okay, which line?
[Phone clicks]
What do you say, Jimbo? What is it this time, aggravated assault...
or a common 502?
Knock it off, Dennis. I want you to come to this address. Write it down.
450, North Blanchard Street.
What's the problem?
Bring a matron with you.
A little girl here may have to be taken to her father's house.
Yeah, I'm on my way.
[Frogs croaking]
What's going on, Jim?
I wish I knew. A woman named Karen Mills lives here.
She's disappeared.
Yeah, we went to San Francisco for the weekend...
drove back tonight.
We left at 6:30 and got in here less than a half hour ago.
Karen was asleep in the back seat of the car.
She went up to unlock the front door of the house, so I could carry Julie in.
And she wasn't ahead of me more than 20 seconds.
When I got inside, she was gone.
Did you check the whole house?
What do you think, Dennis?
What did she look like?
She has light brown hair. She's 5 foot 6.
She's wearing a brown coat with a fur collar.
Take a look around, guys.
Now, you and this girl more than just friends?
Yes.
She ever do anything like this before? I mean, is she whacko or anything like that?
No. I've known her for about six months, ever since she was divorced.
She's as sane as any human being I've ever met.
How sane is that?
Anything happen over the weekend? Quarrel maybe?
No. We had a great time. Doing what?
Stealing soup from the Salvation Army.
Why do you think I got rubber pockets in my coat?
Jim, I gotta ask. You know that.
(Etacey) Sergeant.
Yeah, what is it?
I think you better come see for yourself.
You better call the coroner's office and homicide.
Do you know him? No.
You know the routine.
You better come down to the station and give us a statement.
What for? Think there's some connection between this and Karen's disappearance?
This guy's only been dead for a short time.
And there's an old cop saying.
Never believe in coincidence.
But it was a good clean bust.
Wonderful. What about the report?
What kind of a 211 is this?
I want it in English next time. Here, do it right.
I warn you. I'm going to ask you some questions.
Anything you say can be...
used against you. You have the right to an attorney. One will be provided...
Wait a minute. What the hell's going on?
An interrogation into a homicide.
I've heard Sgt. Becker's recap of your story.
You sure you haven't got anything to add to it?
I told him all there was. I don't see where it adds up...
to you reading me my rights.
I'll be glad to tell you.
The matron who took the little girl to her father's house...
is a good policewoman.
She asked the little girl a good question.
The question was, "Did your mother come home with you tonight?"
Wanna know what the little girl answered?
I know what she answered.
She said no.
Her exact words were.
"Mommy didn't come home with us."
And that makes me a homicide suspect...
something from a 3-year-old child who was asleep when we got home?
Take it easy. What do you mean?
You guys are trying to pull my chain. You want me to take it easy?
Lieutenant, we just got another call on Vince Minnette.
They sound like the others?
No. Some guy saw him going into Mexico.
Who saw him?
Johnny Orton, used to be Minnette's runner.
(Lt. Diel) Talk with Orton. See what you can get.
(OIson) Right.
If I told you a woman walked out of her home and left her purse behind...
would you believe me?
I'd wonder why, but I wouldn't call you a liar.
The dead man was her next-door neighbor. He was out for a walk.
Time of death was roughly the same time you claim you lost your girlfriend.
There was no visible signs of foul play in that house.
You walked in there 20 seconds after her, and she was gone.
You're asking us to believe...
she just walked out the back door for no reason at all?
I'm not asking you to believe anything.
I reported what I saw, the way I saw it.
I don't claim to understand it.
Either she was grabbed by somebody...
which is impossible if we're to believe your story...
or she just walked out the door. Lt. Diel.
I can't handle that now. Check with Olson. I'll get back to you later.
What I'm saying is...
no woman would walk out, leave her purse...
not to mention her 3-year-old child.
You're also saying that I'm a liar. Now what do you think happened?
I think it's possible Karen Mills...
didn't make it home that night, something happened on the way.
And to cover my story...
I killed a man who happened to see she wasn't with me when we got home?
Is that how it goes? It's a theory.
When you make it a charge, you let me know and I'll jam it down your throat.
Very tough man, this friend of yours.
You're the one with spit on his chin. I'm just hanging out.
I wanna search your car. You want me to get a warrant?
You search it, Lieutenant.
I also want a list of the stops you made on the way down from San Francisco.
We left San Francisco at 6:30.
There's a dozen witnesses to that.
We stopped for dinner in Paso Robles and gas in San Luis Obispo.
At midnight, we stopped just north of Santa Barbara...
at a little place called the Buena Vista Inn for coffee.
We were seen in all those places.
No stops after midnight? No.
That leaves two hours when nobody saw you.
That's right, Lieutenant.
Okay, you're free to go.
Don't leave this jurisdiction without checking with me first.
I'm not going anyplace until I find out what's gone down.
When do I get my car?
About an hour.
Rockford, do us both a favor. Stay out of the way.
I don't get involved in open police cases.
You don't believe me, ask Sgt. Becker.
[Police radio chattering]
(Lt. Diel) What I'm saying is...
No woman would do that, and leave her purse behind.
Not to mention her 3-year-old child.
(Lt. Becker) She ever do anything like this before?
I mean, is she whacko or anything like that?
(Lt. Diel) If I told you a woman walked out of her home...
And left her purse behind...
Would you believe me?
(Lt. Becker) You and this girl more than just friends?
(Morry) Why ask me? You some kind of heat or something?
No, I'm just looking for this girl.
She's a personal friend.
You should have this encased in plastic.
That way it doesn't get all worn out in your wallet.
On your 2:00 run, did you pick her up at Rosewood and Third?
I could have.
Do you think it was her?
I don't know if it was her.
Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't.
Was she wearing a tan suede coat?
Look, mac...
I quit checking out that kind of talent almost 10 years ago.
Like I said, maybe it was her, maybe it wasn't.
She was young...
and I think she was blond.
One other thing, she didn't have a purse.
She had to go through her pockets for the money for the fare.
Do you remember where you let her off?
Yeah, at a cab stand on Hoover Street.
Thanks. Anytime, pal.
This is a residential hotel, and the people who live here, their lives are private.
You know, private.
She was wearing a brown coat with a fur collar.
She got out of a cab at this address at 3:41 this morning.
All I want to know is, is she staying here?
Did she just walk in the front door and walk out the back?
You're not a cop or you would have flashed a badge.
So as far as I'm concerned, you ain't getting zilch from me.
How much zilch are you willing to give for $20?
You're not getting the message.
The people who live here have a right to privacy, and they get it.
You're right.
People are entitled to privacy.
That's probably the only thing that keeps me...
from coming across this desk and climbing your tree.
You really think you can scare me?
Pal, I don't want to bother you with all my troubles...
but I've gone without sleep for 24 hours.
I've lost both my girl and my patience...
and I'm looking for someone to take it out on.
Your last chance.
All right, look, a woman came in here late last night. I don't know...
if it's the woman that you showed me the picture of...
because I didn't get a good look at the picture.
Where did she go?
304 and she's registered here as Diana Lewis.
Sorry I had to get rough.
You picked the wrong time to be right.
Are you Diana Lewis?
Yeah.
I'm a big disappointment to you, right? Why?
May I come in? I'd like to talk to you.
What about?
It'll only take a minute of your time, and it would be a great help to me.
You got a minute of my time.
You want to look my bedroom over, too?
I understand that you came in at 3:41 this morning.
Maybe. I don't punch a time clock.
The cab driver's trip sheet says that he let you out here at 3:41.
You took a bus from West Hollywood to the end of the line.
You got out and went across the street to a cab stand...
took a five-mile cab ride, then got into another cab and came here.
I'm curious about that.
Who are you?
I'm investigating the disappearance of a woman who lives in West Hollywood.
I think I've answered just about all the questions I care to...
Why the cab switch? Who were you trying to shake?
Look, if you're a cop, let me see some ID.
I just happen to be looking for a girl that I like very much.
I can't help you. I'm sorry.
One of the cab drivers said that you weren't carrying a purse.
Why not?
He's wrong.
I had this one right here.
You really care about her, whoever she is.
Yes, I did. I do.
That's a revealing slip of the tongue.
You took a bus from West Hollywood and two cabs?
I'm afraid I did.
It doesn't matter too much now, I guess.
But would you tell me why?
Yeah, I'm having an affair with a married man.
We both thought his wife was in Seattle.
Last night, we heard a noise...
and she's coming up the driveway.
And I walked two miles to West Hollywood, and I caught the bus.
Why two cabs?
I don't know. I got scared for him.
I decided to take a little extra precaution.
Look, you don't have to believe it.
And like you said...
it really doesn't matter, does it?
There's something you could do that would help me believe you.
Tell you the name of the man? Not a chance.
Show me the coat you were wearing last night.
That I'm willing to do.
Are you always this impulsive?
What are you looking for?
I'm looking for a brown suede coat with a fur collar.
I don't have one, but I'd sure like to.
So keep looking, maybe we'll both get lucky.
I'm sorry.
Stop by again sometime...
when you're not on a downer.
[Knocking on door]
Is that your boyfriend?
Yeah.
Not the one you mean.
Look, I didn't mind you being here before, but now you're a problem.
That's okay. Okay. Just tell him I'm a cop. Go ahead.
What do you know.
He's a cop.
He's been asking me some questions...
about some woman who disappeared.
A cop?
That's more original than the meter man.
I was just leaving, okay?
Could I see your badge?
Thanks for the help.
Be nice.
I wanna know what you're doing here.
She told you.
I don't buy it. Could I hear something else?
I came to read the meter.
(Rockford) I just can't accept that dead-end.
I was so sure that when I opened that door...
that there'd be Karen, and with her, some kind of an answer.
I don't know, Dad. I got nothing.
I'm right back where I started.
That was about noon yesterday.
What have you been doing since then?
Walking on the beach, thinking.
I was on a case not too long ago.
Maybe you remember. There was...
a beautiful girl who was missing...
and I found her on the beach, dead.
She'd been murdered. Homicide took over.
I don't even know how it ended.
I keep thinking about that girl.
Thinking I'm gonna find Karen the same way, dead...
washed up on the beach.
A crowd of people standing around, staring at her body.
Will you have some coffee?
You know, I don't know if you want my help or not...
but you're going to get it anyway.
There's one thing about that story of yours that's wrong.
Something you'd never have missed, if you weren't so personally involved.
What?
You're trying to keep from thinking about it.
Come on, Dad, just say it. What is it?
The little girl said, "Mommy didn't come home with us."
You gonna make something out of that?
You would, if you were sitting where I am.
You're trying to ignore it because you were there, and you know it didn't happen.
But the little girl said it.
So she said it.
Maybe you better stop a minute and think what that could mean.
When did Karen decide to go to sleep in the back seat of the car?
We stopped at the Buena Vista Inn for coffee...
and to get Julie some milk.
Karen went to the ladies' room...
and when the waiter brought me the check...
he said that Karen had asked him to tell me she was tired and went directly to the car.
And I carried Julie out to the car.
Karen was already asleep in the back seat.
I put Julie down next to her. I got in the front seat and drove home.
Now I know why I come to you when I'm in trouble.
Because I'm your pa and 'cause I'm smarter than you.
'Cause once or twice a year, you're right.
Maybe not this time. Maybe this time the little girl is right.
Maybe you did drive home with another woman.
And I know right where to find her.
[Instrumental music playing on radio]
[Music stops]
[Dialing]
Sergeant Becker, please.
Where have you been? You weren't supposed to leave town, remember?
You want to hear what I have to say, or you want to play room mother?
All that bull about not getting involved in open police cases?
"If you don't believe me, ask Sgt. Becker."
Come on, Dennis. Will you put a cork in it for a minute and listen?
How do you think it makes me look? You're burning the case for us.
Every lead that we come across, you've already been there.
Have you come across a girl by the name of Diana Lewis?
About an hour after you did. Why?
I just found her in her apartment a few minutes ago.
She was hit on the back of the head...
same style as Karen's neighbor. She's dead.
Okay, let me have the rest of it.
I've decided Diel was right. There is some connection between...
Karen's disappearance, and her neighbor's murder, and this one.
What made you change your mind?
I just took a look through Diana Lewis' apartment...
and I found a book of matches from the Buena Vista Inn.
You're disturbing evidence at the scene of a crime. That's really great.
You got any more goodies for me?
No, but I'll give you a little advice.
If I were you, I'd get some of my girl scouts together...
and go to the Buena Vista Inn...
and shake that place by its heels. You might find an answer.
Did you call the local police to report that you found a dead woman?
No, Dennis. I thought I'd let you have that. What are friends for?
If you're planning to stay out there...
you better keep your head down.
Lt. Diel put out a warrant for your arrest...
and I signed it.
No, Dennis. Really?
What are friends for, Jimbo?
What are you doing here? Who are you, anyway?
I'm a man looking for a missing woman, and there's a connection...
between the missing woman and this dead one.
You know what that connection is.
Like hell I do.
I'm gonna call the cops.
No, I already did that. They'll be here any minute.
Come on. Make up your mind. You gonna talk to me or you're gonna talk to the cops?
So suppose I don't want to talk to the heat.
That doesn't mean I know anything about this.
Sure it does.
What is this missing woman to you? Who is she anyway?
You're wasting time, pal.
You know, you're gonna look good for this killing.
This girl was messing around. You found out about it. You went bananas.
You came over here and started pounding on her with a well-known blunt instrument.
Now what did you do? You forget a piece of evidence?
Something that would tie you and Diana into what I was working on?
Like, maybe...
a book of matches from the Buena Vista Inn?
Michael Cordeen. Oak Grove, California. Oak Grove.
The Buena Vista Inn's only about six miles south of Oak Grove...
isn't it, Mike?
Isn't it, Mike?
Just tell me, and you're out of here.
If you don't, I'm gonna hold you till the cops walk in.
You're gonna turn me over to the cops no matter what I do.
Take a chance, Mike.
You won't like what I know. It isn't much.
Just stick to the truth.
Diana and I worked at the Buena Vista Inn.
She sang with the combo, and I tended bar.
The woman that you were looking for, she came in.
She went to the ladies' room...
and then when she came out, she went the wrong way...
and she opened a door that was supposed to be locked.
She saw something that she wasn't supposed to see.
[Siren wailing]
They're gonna be in the lobby in about half a minute.
Then they grabbed her, your girlfriend.
Then the manager gave Diana your friend's coat...
and she was told to get back into the backseat of your car.
She was to get out of the car the first chance she got...
once you were away from the Inn.
What did she see?
Diana told me she didn't know what the woman saw.
The people that own the place, they're syndicate types.
And Diana was just doing what she was told to do.
You're almost out of the tunnel. Don't blow it now.
That's all Diana told me. What did she see?
I don't know. The place is clean.
There's no gambling. There's no nothing.
I don't know what she could have seen.
If I told you this much, I'd tell you everything, wouldn't I?
Come on, let me out of here!
There you are. Hope you know a back way out.
(male announcer) But even with a trade agreement unlikely...
The President is expected
To sign the bill when it reaches his desk.
In local news, police still have no clues
To the murder of Walter Miller of 452, North Blanchard Street.
The police are leaning to the theory
That the mysterious disappearance
Of Karen Mills, a neighbor of Miller, is somehow connected to his murder.
State, federal and local authorities are still frustrated in their search
For reputed underworld boss Vincent Minnette.
There is growing speculation among law enforcement officials that Minnette,
Whose face is familiar to millions of Americans, has taken refuge in Mexico.
Good evening, Mr. Cordeen. He's waiting to see you now.
Anything I can do for you, sir?
I was just checking in for the night. I had a little drink in the bar.
I just tried to get lucky. You know how it is. I was looking for my room.
This happens to be a private wing. Now I'd suggest...
that you go to the lobby desk, and I'm sure they'll help you out.
Right out that door, they're around the corner of the building.
That where it is? Thank you.
This is an emergency.
Could I have the police, please?
Yeah, I was driving down Highway 101, and there's been a big accident...
at that motel, the Buena Vista Inn.
You better send a couple of ambulances and the fire department.
Hello, police?
There's a holdup at the Buena Vista Inn.
You better hurry, there's three or four of them. Right.
[Sirens wailing]
Mr. Minnette.
[Tires screeching]
(Lt. Becker) Hey, Jimbo, what's up?
Damn it, Rockford, didn't I tell you to stay out of this?
You better get moving...
Vince Minnette's in the white sedan right in front of you.
All units, all frequencies, this is 2-Baker-7.
We are in pursuit of a white two-door sedan...
proceeding south on Highway 101...
about five miles from Buena Vista junction.
Vehicle contains felony fugitive Vincent Minnette.
All units intercept.
(officer on radio) 10-4, we read you.
By the way, you're under arrest.
You're out of your jurisdiction.
[Tires screeching]
[Siren wailing]
Could I ask how you got switched off from looking for your girl to Vincent Minnette?
She made a mistake at the Buena Vista Inn, saw Minnette.
They grabbed her.
She in that car?
No. There's Minnette, one man I don't know, and Mike Cordeen.
I think he's a hitman for Minnette.
When I left the Buena Vista Inn that night...
with the wrong woman...
Cordeen followed us to make sure nothing went wrong.
You get Cordeen, you get the answer to two murders.
What about Karen Mills?
I don't know.
I'd like to think Minnette hasn't killed her.
[Brakes screeching]
(Lt. Becker) Don't move.
(Lt. Diel) Everybody out. Okay, everybody out. Come on, out.
(Lt. Becker) Okay. Come on, out. Move.
(police #1) All right, get your hands up.
(police #2) Faster. Come on, move.
[Police radio chattering]
(police) Stay where you are. Don't move.
(Rocky) Sonny, you know who called me this morning?
Old Virgil Peterson.
Remember him? The fellow that had the cabin up at Big Bear?
The boat? The big refrigerator?
Right.
He told me he was going back east for a few weeks.
He wanted to know if I'd look after the place for him while he was gone.
Said the trout was biting on everything from belt buckles to bran muffins.
Sounds good, Rocky. But I can't go.
You haven't had a vacation.
We haven't been trout fishing.
Man, you could use that vacation, too. Believe me.
Bran muffins. We've tried that once, Rocky, remember?
You ate up the bait. We had to hike five miles to that little fishing store.
I ain't gonna eat no belt buckles, I'll tell you that.
Come on. How about it, son? Why don't we try it?
Look, Rocky, why don't you go out, stake out all the good holes?
Maybe I'll come up in a couple of days.
What are you gonna do?
I don't know, just want to sort things out.
Hey, Jim.
It ain't your fault Karen's dead.
I know.
[Inaudible]