Original subtitles

So what's the problem? I saw a murder.

I have seen her on so many magazine covers, I feel like we're old friends,

you obviously are.

It was a professional hit.

This is not personal.

Is he the reason Christina is with Mrs. Hunter?

I happen to be married to the woman with whom you're still in love.

Freeze, police!

Nobody was listening.

Has anybody seen her trick?

Works for me.

Yes, that's good. Fine.

All right, she'll be down in just a moment.

Yes, thank you very much.

Darling, your luggage is all set, and the taxi's waiting downstairs. Oh, now,

promise I will join you as soon as I can, as soon as I finish my business

And in the meantime, I'll sit around and wait.

I waited six weeks for you the last time.

As soon as I close this deal, you and I will have all the time in the world for

each other.

Now, look, in the meantime, why don't you redo the house in France?

But fix it up anywhere you like. It'll be our second honeymoon house, our house

for starting over.

You really think we can start over, Carrie?

Of course we can, darling. You and I can do anything we wish.

It's me.

Yeah, I'm on my way over. That's right.

Same time, same place.

You got it.

Follow that car.

You make me second guess everything you play.

I'm growing tired of you and all your silly games that you play. You ain't

play me no more. Things that you play, your credits have gone out the door.

Won't let you in, so don't come knocking anymore.

Out of everyone thought that I would.

Your candy -coated world, a world made of love.

You say I'm right, you say you're looking over time.

You get dumplings?

They're my favorite.

I thought Chinese chicken salad was your favorite.

Well, the salads, yeah, but I like the dumplings. I don't see them in here.

Well, that's because I didn't order them. I mean, you have to order them an

in advance. I didn't think you wanted to wait that long.

Well, no, but still.

Have you ever ordered that Peking duck? That's the one that always gets me. You

have to order it 24 hours in advance.

I mean, is that dumb?

Have you ever just been sitting at home and you think, gee, I think I'd like to

have Peking duck tomorrow night?

Hi. Christina?

I'm sorry to bother you, Rick.

You were the only person I could think to come see.

Can I talk to you?

Yeah.

Here.

Oh, thanks. Not too heavy. There aren't any dumplings in there.

Aren't you Christina Lemaster?

I'm sure I've come in a bad time, but if I told you I could come back later, I'd

just be lying.

So what's the problem?

I saw a murder.

I didn't actually see the murder. I just saw the body.

A woman was lying dead in a downtown motel. The Waterworks was the name, I

think.

What the hell were you doing down there, Christina?

I was following Carrie.

I thought he was having an affair.

Well, I'll go take care of this.

Look, this is really awkward for me. I wouldn't be here if there was anybody

else I could talk to.

Couldn't a police officer file this report, Christina? I can't do that,

As soon as I make out a report like that, then Carrie will know I followed

I'm supposed to be on a plane to Paris right now.

Did you find Carrie?

No.

I followed him to the motel, but I lost him. When I found the body, I ran out.

Can you help me?

McCall?

Yeah.

You want to go for a ride or do you want to eat?

Let's go.

Might as well help yourself. There's plenty.

Stay right here until I get back, understand?

Okay, let's hear it.

Let's hear what?

Let's hear what?

That's Christina Lemaster's in your apartment eating our Chinese food.

I have seen her on so many magazine covers, I feel like we're old friends,

you obviously are old friends.

The waterworks is on what, the Hill Street?

How do you know Christina Lemasters?

McCall, there are many exciting things in my life I'd be willing to sit down

talk to you about.

Christina Lemasters is not one of them.

What do you got here, Bernie?

I got here.

What I've got here is everything under control, Hunter.

That's what I've got here. Don't need any backup, thank you.

Just passing by, Bernie.

Where's the body?

Dolores Avery, a .k .a. Dolores Brown, a .k .a. three or four hundred other

things. One of Johnny Satin's sweethearts. Took four shots from a .22.

Well, you don't think that Satin and his girls are trying to run another

blackmail scheme, do you? Well, you might.

One of the patrons thinks she saw the killer. A woman.

Is that the murder weapon, Bernie?

Yeah, I found it in the hall.

Has anybody seen her trick? A man about 40, 45 years of age, well -dressed,

speaks with a European accent.

No. Our guy had red hair, a mustache, possibly a scar, and glasses.

Why do you ask, Hunter?

Uh, just curious, Bernie.

Well, looks like you have everything nailed down here.

Wait a minute! Don't go sticking your nose in my humbug, guys! I'll take care

it, Bernie.

Hey, Hunter.

Who was that you were describing to Bernie?

Carrie LeMaster. It's Christina's husband.

You don't think he was here cheating on her, do you? Well, he might have been. I

will never understand that about some men.

How could any guy that's married to Christina LaMaster seek any kind of

entertainment?

I mean, looks aren't everything, but come on.

She seems like a nice lady, too.

She is a nice lady, isn't she?

Yes, she is.

You could drop me at home.

Did you find out anything about the woman I saw?

I sure did. She was a hooker.

And you're going to have to go downtown and answer some questions, Christina.

Rick, you said you'd help me.

A patron at this place fingered you as a possible suspect.

But what about Carrie?

Well, the guy she showed up with didn't fit his description.

You mean for a second there you thought Carrie was the killer?

Well, you said he did go there, and if he did, he's a suspect, just like you

would be. I came here hoping we could take care of all of this without Carrie

finding out I followed him.

But... Christina, dead people are a police matter.

They can file everything else under marital problems.

I don't believe it. You followed me, Christina?

You actually mistrusted me enough to get off the plane and follow me?

I'm sorry, Carrie.

Excuse me, gang, for butting in like this, but I think the apologies should

coming from the other party, don't you, Mr. LeMaster?

Sergeant Hunter, this is a private matter between my wife and myself.

So if you'll be so kind as to excuse us.

Certainly. As long as you answer a couple of questions of mine.

Like, while you were at the waterworks this evening, did you happen to see a

-headed guy with glasses, accompanying a dark -haired girl about 26 years of

age? No, I...

I don't remember. I was only there five minutes.

Christina!

You had to conduct your investigation now, in front of my wife.

Boy, your extracurricular activities, Mr. LeMaster, put you at the scene of a

crime. I'm just doing my job.

Yes, your job, of course.

Did you have to make it so painful for Christina?

Let me tell you something, pal. You should have thought about that before

made your little rendezvous at the waterworks.

Look, it's over.

I went to that place, yes, but it was only to break it off.

It wasn't anything, really. Look,

Hunter, I've had some personal crises of my own recently, and it provided a

diversion.

I have no excuses for it.

I'm just sorry that Christina had to find out about it this way.

But I'll do everything within my power to make it up to her.

This morning, Richard and Mrs. Lemasters came in to file their formal statements

on the murder. Here.

There are quite a couple, you know. He is just as good looking as she is

beautiful. And obviously very rich.

Apparently he's a financial consultant with a fancy office down on North

Yeah, you'd think he could afford to hang out in better motels. Obviously,

Carrie Lemasters has got some problems. Yeah, he just doesn't know how many yet.

I get the feeling that any additional problems he may have will be originating

from this end.

Hunter, you're not trying to get into some sort of a joust with this guy to

to win back the fair Christina now, are you? Well, I was just taking into

consideration your observation on this case, Sergeant.

Since when?

Well, like you said, why would a guy like LeMaster, married to a woman like

Christina, need to hang around with sleazy hookers in cheap motels? It just

doesn't make any sense.

Unless he was doing something other than what he said he was doing.

Like murdering Dolores Brown?

Right. I doubt it.

I got a full report on the murder this morning.

Professional all the way. And the hit was made for someone.

Apparently the killer left a napkin with a purple circle drawn on it.

I think we should talk to Johnny Sapp about this.

I think it's a good place to start.

Hey, Johnny.

Oh, sit down, Johnny. Be social, huh?

Go buy yourself a soda pop, poochers. Charge it to daddy here.

Go ahead, sweetheart.

What do you want from me, honey?

Well, she's doing all the talking today, Johnny. I'm just here to kick your head

out if I have to.

We're here to help you mourn your loss, John.

The late Dolores Brown.

She's been earning him $1 ,500 a week for the past year, and that's a

conservative estimate, and he doesn't know who she is.

Can you believe that, Hunter?

That's a freebie, Sherry. From now on, they count.

It was a professional hit, Johnny. Now, who'd want to take a contract out on

Dolores? Look, how am I supposed to know? You and Dolores were running

one of your blackmail scams, right?

No, no, not me. Look, I had no part of it.

I swear I had no part of it when she said she had a pigeon.

I told her. I told her and I told her. I said, you're going to squeeze the wrong

dude one of these days and they're going to do you.

I swear.

Then who was she squeezing?

Look, I don't know.

I didn't ask. I didn't want to know.

I swear, Hunter.

I kid you not, Johnny. It was a contract hit. Now I know there's another one out

there and it's got your name on it.

I got the word out. She was in and out alone.

Johnny Stanton?

It could be.

Well, you may have the word out on the street, Johnny, but how do you know

anybody's listening?

Think about it.

You

don't

believe that, do you?

Not a word.

Well, like I said, nobody was listening.

Yeah, well, they were listening. They just weren't believing.

22 throwaway at a cocktail napkin with a purple circle on it. Tire tracks.

A yellow sedan with an illegible license plate.

Red -headed driver with glasses.

Now, that's a repeat performance, so obviously the guy we're looking for has

hair and wears glasses. I wonder who Johnny and his lady were trying to shake

down. That's a professional hit there.

You just don't find those guys in the yellow pages. You got to know somebody

knows somebody.

Yeah, well, Johnny and his girl are too smart to try to hit somebody they know

is connected.

Well, how smart are they? They're both dead.

Yeah.

All right, you want to shake down Johnny's apartment before or after

go ahead and do that. I'm going to see what words of wisdom I can squeeze out

my Uncle Dom.

It doesn't add up, Ricky.

Killing is a very serious business.

Professionals aren't going to take the trouble and the risk for a couple of

gutter rats.

Well, whoever wasted that hooker and her pimp Johnny sat and wanted somebody to

know, that's why they left their signature.

Now, those purple circles mean something to somebody.

You're a young man just starting out in your chosen career.

You're ambitious. You want to get ahead.

So what do you do?

Hard work is good, but it isn't enough.

You've got to do something that's going to make the boss notice you. It could be

a special project you dreamed up on your own.

It could be a favor you know the boss wanted done.

You know what I'm saying here, Ricky?

There's some punk out there trying to earn his bones.

There is a guy out there. He runs under the name Tommy Largo.

He's been living around a few weeks. Before that, nobody knows.

There's some that say maybe he's from Jersey or Chicago.

But those are just stories.

Who does he do business for?

Until I heard a set on his broad, I just said no one.

Everyone thought he was the little pot, so no one would let him in the door.

Yeah, well, somebody let him in.

But who?

You gotta ask.

Who benefits?

And I don't know any important person who benefits from the killing of those

two.

Get up, get against the wall, spread them. All right, all right.

All right, who are you and what are you

doing here?

Green.

Maury Green. Look, lady, I'm a friend of Johnny's. What's this all about? He cut

you out of his will?

Look, I'm just looking for something of mine he was holding.

Oh, this is charming.

What were you going to do when you found yours? Have him make you a set for your

scrapbook? Lady, give me a break, will you please? It was nothing like that.

Is this camera equipment yours?

Look,

it wasn't my idea to scam, all right?

The only reason I did it is Johnny had me over a barrel.

He knew I was into a shy, real heavy, and they were going to break my legs.

Who's the one they're putting the bite on?

All of them.

The one who got them wasted?

I don't know.

Whose picture were you looking for?

I told him he messed with fire. I said, you're going to get burnt.

Here.

Nice looking kid.

Who is he?

Jimmy Tomasino, huh?

Yeah, look, you don't understand. He's a friend of mine.

Papa Joe's kid, right?

Yeah, the last time I saw him, he was playing the choo -choo train his

grandmother brought him for Christmas.

Oh, yeah? Well, he outgrew them. The girls, the hooker, they got killed at

waterworks. After all the shootings about, huh?

Yeah, according to Murray Green, the joker took the picture.

He said that Johnny Stanton and Dolores were trying to shake Jimmy down on this

one.

Maybe they shook so hard Tommy Largo fell on them. Yeah, well, Jimmy works

day at the blue worker collecting for his own man. Let's go talk to him about

it.

You come up three pennies short on the register next time, Patsy.

And they're going to put two of them on top of your dead eyes.

Capisce?

It'll keep. I need five minutes.

I'll give you a treat.

So?

Honey, you could have shown this to me in private.

You're quite a set of morals, Jimmy.

Getting caught making love embarrasses the hell out of you, but having two

people wasted because of it doesn't bother you a bit.

Hey, wait a minute. Just wait one minute.

I never had nobody wasted.

Johnny sat in the grill and I'd photograph him trying to shake you down,

Well, now they're both dead.

You think I'm going to put out a contract on account of some picture that

even look like me?

What do you think, I'm nuts?

You know what my old man would do to me?

What would he do if he found out you leaked about some family business when

were with her?

You're together in bed having a good time, real relaxed, a couple drinks

A smart girl could take advantage of you, get you to talk.

I never.

Put out no contract on nobody.

I suppose you never heard of Carrie LeMaster or Tommy Largo either.

Largo.

Yeah, yeah, I heard of him.

Comes from Bad Beast, don't he?

I don't know. He hangs around here a lot. The other guy never heard of him.

Largo make a nice addition to the family business, right?

Right, right.

So he comes to me a couple of times, tells me he wants to come to work for

family. I should give him a breakdown to pop.

I thought I'd forget about it. Hey, I don't bring nobody to Papa, I don't know

personally, to bust in my head. Then why would he have Johnny Fenton and his

girl wasted if you didn't give him the contract?

For an intro to your old man?

What do I know? He's some kind of flake.

Where can we find Largo?

I don't know, Hunter.

I've seen him around.

Nothing more.

Well, if he should happen to pop in to get kissed for doing some family

business, you should be sure to let me know, right?

Oh, yeah, first thing.

Listen, Jimmy, you got to exercise more.

You're getting flabby.

You want to explain that to me in there?

Why you ask him if he knew Carrie Lemasters?

Well, Lemasters was at the waterworks that night.

Which he explained?

Well, if he was guilty, he'd lie.

Hunter, we saw the guy who killed Satin. Now he fits Tommy Largo's description.

I was just trying to be thorough, you know? Maybe I could, uh... Maybe you

could, uh, steamroll this guy because he wound up with Christina?

Look, you can't let this get personal.

This is not personal.

I think we ought to concentrate on Jimmy Tomasina.

Okay.

Tommy I'll go come on open up

Sound

like there was anybody there

Hey, take a look at that.

Largo's left -handed.

Chez Jacques.

There's a four -star restaurant a guy who lives here would frequent.

Bingo!

Did you look under red wings?

Purple circles?

Come on, Johnny, you're shaking my faith in the FBI.

Yeah, I'll do it.

You too.

5401, huh?

Yeah.

NYPD, nothing on the Tommy Largo.

Boston, ditto.

Detroit, Chicago, Philadelphia, New Orleans, all a big fat zero.

Nobody is that good.

Well, else he doesn't exist.

Ah, here we go.

Largo and LeMasters are the same guy again, huh?

It's a possibility.

Anything is a possibility, but we have no probable reason to reach that

conclusion except that you want it to be true.

What about this red wig?

Hitmen use disguises so they won't be ID'd. When they're committing the

not in their everyday life.

Unless it was all a part of the same hit.

Now, maybe LeMasters has a contract, and for some reasons we don't know, has to

fulfill them as Tommy Largo.

Hunter, this is storybook theater, and it's all based on a wig.

Okay, how about this?

The guy has never spent one night in his apartment.

He's never slept in his bed. He wears a size 34 shirt and a nine shoe. That's Le

Master's sizes.

And Smitty's and Terwilliger's in about half the continent.

What about the fact that Largo slept in it? No, he's not.

When he came through that door, his gun was right there.

You notice that?

Uh -huh.

How about this?

A match for him.

How cliche can you get?

If that was such a damning piece of evidence, what would it be doing holding

the furniture?

Come on. He didn't know we were going to come snooping around his apartment.

And I suppose it has a convenient phone number scrawled on the inside of the

cover. Come on. Give me a break, will you?

Phone number.

Well, it was worth the look.

Great. Enjoy your dinner.

I'm sorry I'm late.

I waited for Carrie to leave for the office.

That's all right.

This is a pretty nice place, Christina.

You eat here often?

Not anymore.

It used to be one of Carrie's favorite places.

I was surprised when you suggested it.

Well, you're not afraid of meeting Carrie here, are you? No.

I really don't think he hangs out here anymore.

Look, Christina, I wanted to see you again because I was concerned about how

were doing. You know, the last time we talked, you weren't doing so well.

Life's been better.

But I guess it'll all work out.

Have you had a chance to talk with Kerry?

Yeah, we talked.

But I don't think we solved anything.

He apologized, assured me it was nothing.

I believe him.

So what's the problem?

It's not the affair, Rick.

I just feel like I'm living with a stranger.

He wanted to go away and start a new life somewhere else.

Two weeks ago, I would have jumped at the chance.

But the way I feel today, I just don't know.

You know, Rick, how difficult this whole ordeal has been for me.

But there has been one good point about it.

The chance to see you again and be friends.

Just knowing you were only a phone call away really helped me from cracking up.

Thank you.

Well, you're very welcome.

Sergeant Hunter?

Excuse me. Yeah, you have a telephone call.

Sergeant Hunter. The Purple Circle murderer strikes again.

Who is it?

Murray Green, the typographer.

Found him in a steam room.

Towel with a purple circle on it and a .22 throwaway at his side.

Does anybody see anything? Any leads?

No, it's clean and neat.

I feel awful about this. I should have kept him in protective custody until we

nailed Largo. When he posted his own bail.

Told him to lay low. He should have listened to you.

Well, he was in a steam room, Hunter. He wasn't in a parade.

What about Christina?

She asked about Carrie's shirts or any of that stuff?

No, not yet.

Well, what about his work habits?

Or what about the affair? Did you ask Christina why she thought he was

on her?

Well, I'm kind of easing into that, you know?

You're trying to ease into that?

Hunter, you're not letting her get to you now, are you?

McCall, I'll pick you up in a half hour. I'll talk to you then, all right?

Is there something dripping on my chin?

No, it's, uh... You're eating differently, Christina.

The fork's in your left hand.

Oh. Well, I used to cut my food and then I would switch my fork to the other

hand. Most Americans do.

But the Europeans keep their fork in the same hand to eat. It actually is

easier. I picked that up from Carrie.

I guess you can't spend that much time with somebody without them influencing

you. The phone call.

Was it important?

Oh, yeah. Listen, uh...

I've got to go, Christina.

Police business.

I remember hearing that line once or twice before in my life.

I'll call you, okay?

Take care of yourself.

If Lemasters is a hitman, he sure puts up a good front between this office and

his standard of living. He's pretty smooth, all right.

Is he the reason Christina isn't Mrs. Hunter?

Nope. He had nothing to do with it.

Christina and I ruined what we had all by ourselves.

There's our boy.

How you doing, Tommy?

What the hell is this?

Well, that's a red wig.

I found that in your apartment just seconds before you tried to murder me

this machine gun.

You obviously have a major problem.

Yeah, it's you.

But once I get you off the street and into a cell, everything is going to be

just fine, Tommy. Why do you keep calling me Tommy?

Tommy Largo.

Well, that's the name you go by when you're busy killing pimps and hookers.

Killing hookers.

Are you still on about that?

Because I was at the waterworks that night. Are you really going to try to

murder on me simply because I happen to be married to the woman with whom you

were still in love?

Oh, spare me the violins, Tommy.

Christina has nothing to do with this.

It's between you and me because I'm a cop and you're a pile of spit.

You're walking on dangerous turf, Hunter.

I can make your life miserable, and I will.

I haven't quite figured your game out yet, Tommy, but I do know you're

this town under Tommy Largo, a contract killer.

Well, well, well.

If I am this Tommy Largo, then that would mean that I would have to try to

you, wouldn't it?

Works for me.

Love me good, love me long.

Couldn't break away, it was just that strong.

I kept going back to the 1062.

I would make a way, I think it would too, it would too.

Yeah, see it's real fine, she ought to be my girl.

If love is a noise to you.

But nothing really matters cause nothing exists.

If love is a toolbox, he's a monkey wrench.

Oh.

If the sun is up, you know I'm coming round.

And if you see moonlight,

I could be going down.

She won't wear my ring. Switching cars?

So, that's pretty normal behavior for a financial consultant.

Oh, but I can't make a way.

This thing is that strong.

It's that strong.

Yeah, she's real fine. She ought to be my girl.

If love is a noise, then you know she's my girl.

But nothing in the past does nothing like this. If love is a toolbox, she's a

monkey wrench.

I love it so strong.

I'm getting in too deep.

I got my cup and a pen.

But I got a little oil for her.

For a mutton red.

A mutton red.

Yeah, she's real fine.

Pretty strange. What kind of scam do you think he's pulling?

Pretty dangerous one.

It's Papa Joe Tomasino's place.

Tomasino Masters.

Tommy Largo?

Bet the family fortune on that.

Well,

I'll be damned.

Largo's planted a bomb on Papa Joe. Papa Joe must have been his target all

along.

Thank you.

What is this, some kind of cheap cop trick?

Someone just tried to hit your old man, stupid.

Who? Who did this, Hunter?

That guy right there.

Tommy Larkin.

Otherwise known as Cary LeMaster.

Where's LeMaster?

What? What are you doing here?

What's going on?

Have you seen him or talked with him?

He's taking care of some last -minute business. He said he'd call me when he's

finished.

Looks like you're leaving town.

Yes. We're going to the south of France.

Would you please tell me what's going on?

Oh, you really don't know, do you, Christina?

You're totally unaware that your husband's a professional assassin.

That all this international business has absolutely nothing to do with finance,

and it's just a front for his professional assassinations. He killed a

her pimp, and a photographer, all to ingratiate himself to Papa Joe Tomasino,

he could get close enough to kill him.

Don't overreact.

Look, Christina, this is not an affair.

I'm telling you, your old man is a professional killer.

What the hell am I supposed to say?

With everything falling apart, he's probably going to try to get out of

let's check the airport.

Yeah, right.

He called me from Chez Jacques, like he does every day.

Everything sounded so natural. I had no idea.

Well, you can unpack, honey, because the trip's off.

Good darling Although you didn't believe me when I said I was faithful to you

I'm glad you had faith enough to believe that I would have killed those two

officers

Stop

what she's lying

He's not going in the airport.

You think she knew about it all along?

No, she's trying to warn me.

Look, she said Le Master called her from Chez Jacques.

Like he does every day?

Yeah. Well, she told me this afternoon that the guy doesn't go there anymore.

He's here.

Hunter, he's leaving.

Thank you.

Drop the gun, LeMaster, and let her go. I'll kill her, Hunter.

You know I'll do it. Now you drop your guns.

Drop them now.

Right now.

Don't do it, Hunter.

He'll kill her anyway.

She's dead, Hunter.

This is L -56. I'm at the corner of Franklin and Braddock Streets.

Send a coroner's wagon over here, would you?

Roger, L -56.

Thanks. L -56 out.

You got your tickets?

Yeah, and my purse.

You got a movie on the flight?

Yeah, I think so.

Look, Christina.

No.

Don't say anything.

Please. Look, I just want to tell you something.

I know. I appreciate whatever it is you want to say.

But I don't want you to say anything.

I always did understand your silences anyway.

Yeah.

We better go.

No. I want to go alone.