Original subtitles

Strangled, huh? More like garrotted. All three of these victims served as jurors

at the trial of Louis McMahon.

Questioning a suspect.

Louie can't talk.

Guilty. Shall we divide and conquer?

What's the main?

We're going to defend it.

Works for me.

Bumble Jacks, Bumble Jacks, taste like a blue rainbow. Bumble Jacks, Bumble

Jacks, gives you that special glow.

Bumble Jacks, Bumble Jacks, tastes

like a blue rainbow.

Hey, go home already. You look dead.

The Bubble Jack's account will survive another night without a lyric.

I don't think anything can survive.

Tastes like a blue rainbow.

Well, that's about the time to go home and get some sleep.

Hey, come on. Your boyfriend's waiting for you.

Hey, he's probably on his way up here right now with a shotgun.

Just waiting to catch him.

David has seen what you look like, Ted.

He would never worry about that.

See, it's him.

Hey, don't tell him I'm here.

Garner Ad Agency.

Loretta Johnson speaking.

Guilty.

What? Guilty.

Who is it?

Who was that?

I don't know. Some weirdo, I guess.

He was doing some heavy breathing and then he said, guilty.

It's a weird thing to say. Probably some prank caller. You know, some kid that's

just dialing numbers.

Come on, let me walk you down to your car.

Are you okay, Loretta?

I'll be fine as soon as I get home.

Look, why don't you give me a call when you get home?

I'll feel better.

David will be waiting for me.

I'll be okay.

Sure.

District. We have a silent neighborhood watch report.

Prowler on Northridge Street. See the woman.

Northridge.

At the bar.

Hunter, come in.

Hunter, come in.

Hunter, are you there?

Hunter, come in.

Any unit at 211 silent on 8th place, shut fire.

That's not too far.

Yeah, this is L56.

I'm at the corner of Colfax and Burbank Boulevard. I can respond.

We have three closer units in motion. One already there. Do not respond.

The last stamp has to come in.

Sorry, McCall. What do you got? Listen to the radio.

Hunter, I've been sitting here on this greasy park bench. I am bored out of my

mind, and you're listening to the radio.

Somebody's got to be listening to McCall's radio.

McCall, we're on assignment here, remember? We're supposed to clean out

muggers. Look, McCall, you were the one... Am I in your way?

Look, McCall, you were the one coming out of the ladies' room when the captain

was looking to give his diamond away.

Yeah, well, don't forget, buddy, we're in this together.

Just cover our butts so I can get something to run on, huh? So you can get

something, and you'll leave me out of it. I wouldn't do that to you, McCall.

All units, we have a 187 at 18534 Meston Drive.

Available units, respond.

I got one, McCall.

Wait a minute, Hunter, what are you doing? You just hanged up, huh? Be right

back. Well, where are you going?

This is L56. I'm responding to that.

187 at 18534 Medicine Drive. Out. I'm rolling.

Hunter, will you pick up the volume talking, please?

Guy must have used some kind of a rotting rope.

Any suspects?

Well, they took a boyfriend down to the station when he was in the house.

Claimed he came out and found the body this morning.

His story is pretty inconsistent.

Right now, he's the prime suspect.

Anybody know his keys?

Hunter, get away from that car.

You're supposed to be in the park with your partner. But, Captain, I was going

to lunch when the call came in. I understand they arrested the boyfriend.

Yeah, well, a complete report will be in the morning newspaper.

You're supposed to be in the park catching muggers.

Well, the park's practically clean.

Yeah, I love that word, practically.

Captain, can't McCall and I kind of like, you know... Look, you and McCall

already on a case, all right?

I want you to go back to the park, and I don't want to see you again. I'll have

you checking until it's completely cleaned up. Not practically, but

cleaned up. Look, Captain, McCall and I are ready to take this homicide case.

Besides, the park is completely under control.

Hunter, get over here. I think we got one.

Brick in there?

the right to remain silent.

If you give up that right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be

used against you in a court of law.

She was strangled, huh? More like garrotted.

Oh, great.

They arrested her boyfriend, but I don't think it was him.

She was jumped while she was trying to lock her car. The key was bent over to

the right.

So?

So, which means that when she was jumped, she was pulled out toward the

Now, if the boyfriend did it, he would have come from the house, jumped her,

pulled her back toward the house. The key would have been bent toward the

That's right. How'd you figure that out?

Auto shop, Lawndale High School, 1963.

You guys really double up, don't you?

Not more than five minutes ago, I told other detectives who were here.

Well, we just like to be thorough is all.

I can't believe it. I told her not to worry.

You know, just some kids making crank calls.

Now she's dead.

We're very sorry.

Was guilty the only thing you said? Yeah, that was it.

What does it mean?

We're not going to know until we find this animal.

If you happen to think of anything else that might help us, give us a call,

would you?

Yeah.

She was just 30 years old.

She thought up jingles for cereal ads, for God's sake.

Who would want to kill Loretta?

I don't get it.

This guy decides who's guilty and then he goes out and executes you.

Loretta Johnson, she doesn't exactly have your typical criminal profile, you

know. Maybe she's got a past life we don't know anything about.

Let's run her by the computer and see what we come up with.

Looks pretty clean.

What are you two doing in the computer room? I'm sure I saw the two of them in

there, Captain. I thought the two of you were supposed to be in a park

somewhere. Yeah, and Hunter.

I never got those reports on my desk.

What is it? You're so tired from chasing and arresting muggers that you don't

have the strength to carry the paperwork into my office? We're just trying to

have some loose ends, Captain.

You had something in your head. Where did you put it?

What? Hey, look, I don't know what you two were up to, but it better not

that Strangler case. I've already got enough detectives working on that. We're

just trying to match up some saliva samples from the winos down at the park,

Captain. Boy, that's a real killer on shoe leather.

It's disgusting, McCall.

How's that Strangler case coming, Captain? Didn't the boyfriend do it? No,

released him this morning.

Wrong guy.

And we've got no further clues or suspects.

These two are up to something, Captain.

Did you see her pour him coffee?

She never pours him coffee.

Hey, look, Hunter, do everybody a favor.

Stay out of the computer room and in the park, okay? Right.

Yeah, as a matter of fact, why don't we go on back to the park and clear the

city of all the winos and bag ladies?

Oh, yeah, right.

Yeah, Bernie. You never can tell when a wino's gonna barf on your feet.

Okay.

Loretta Johnson.

No arrests, no convictions.

No nothing.

Cleaner than Bernie's sex life.

And what's she guilty of?

I don't know.

Guilty.

I know who this is.

I know who you are.

And I'm going to the police.

Guilty.

That's right, boys. Let's get that stiff out of here. Very good. That's the way

to do it. Excellent.

Oh, yes. Get in there and start lifting those prints. Fine, yes. And you just go

around the corner and do whatever you're going to do around the corner. Are you

sick, man? Are you sick?

You and Jackson check the neighbors and see if they heard anything? I already

checked them out. The lady back in number seven said she heard a crash.

have been the door being kicked in. That's very good. Door kicked in.

That's two O's in door burn. Hunter, what the hell are you doing here? This

is off limits to you and McCall.

Boy, he sure makes you feel at home, doesn't he?

Wait a minute. It is off limits, Hunter.

Look, Bernie, we were transporting a suspect and we saw these vehicles out

we decided to pop in.

Hey!

Shut up, Eddie. I'll cave your head in. Are you hitting me again, are you? I'm

thinking about it.

You know who you're dealing with. You know who you're dealing with here, do

Are you sick?

Are you sick or something?

There are departmental orders concerning the treatment of prisoners, Hutter.

I treat all my prisoners the same, Bernie. You may well be in violation of

departmental order, then.

What seems to be the trouble?

Who are you?

I'm Detective Twilliger.

Listen, you've got to get me away from him.

Who?

It's Sergeant Hunter.

Hey, please don't leave me with him. This guy's crazy.

Did he hurt you?

Hey, I had cuffs on.

Are you saying that Sergeant Hunter overstepped the law, some kind of police

brutality or something? Yeah, yeah.

He's real scary.

And he says he's going to get me if I talk. No, no, no. You can talk to me.

You can tell me everything.

Well, first off... No!

I can't talk to you.

I can trust none of you cops because y 'all stick together. No, no, no, no, no,

no. You can trust me, honestly.

Would you like some coffee or something?

Find anything?

I don't know.

I was looking out in the trash and I found today's newspaper with a couple of

articles clipped out.

It looks like the old man was keeping some sort of a scrapbook here.

Yeah.

Seems like he's interested in crime stories, too.

Well, now this is this morning's newspaper.

There's two pages ripped out of the scrapbook.

So the killer's coming in here, snuffing this guy, and then he's taking old

articles with him?

Yeah, that's what it looks like.

Let's go locate these missing articles.

Yeah.

You have a date on that? A date? I got a place and a time.

Bernie! That looks like Hunter's car. Now, what the hell is he doing here?

I've been getting some very interesting information about Hunter from this

prisoner right here. How you doing, Captain?

Ride visit, Hunter?

Well, transporting this hooligan that we picked up from the park downtown when

we saw the cars, we decided to stop by.

Yeah, we saw all these cop cars. We thought maybe Terwilliger got hit by a

or something.

We were concerned.

Well, according to Barney, your prisoner here has a lot to say. I've got it all

written down and signed by the witness.

I had it. I had it right here.

Hey, well, look, I'd like to stick around and chat with you guys, but we've

a booking to go to. Top, top. I had it right here a minute ago. I had it in my

pocket. Yo, quit. I thought you were going to help me out.

You should have seen him. I really had him going.

Thanks, Eddie. I appreciate this. I owe you one.

Yo.

I am the man to pray.

Hey,

Bernie's wallet.

Amigos. Pick him up by the library, McCall.

Excuse me.

We're looking for the last two issues of the newspaper.

Local or out of town?

Local. Planning on photocopying?

Well, it's a possibility.

Why? Is it against the law?

Only if you photocopy money.

In which case, they put you away.

And it usually turns out pretty awful anyway. Now, we charge for all of our

photocopies. No checks, no credit cards. Do you need change?

I think we can handle it. Would you just point us in the direction of the file?

Right over there against the wall. Do you have your library card?

Never leave home without it.

This is really a long shot, you know.

Well, when you're bobbing for anything, you try anything.

But come on. A ruffled -up newspaper in the victim's trash can, that could be

zip. Yeah, but maybe the killer didn't want us to find it.

You gotta keep an open mind about these things, McCall.

All right, what do you got?

Ah.

A sacramental... A coroner is currently examining the remains of Martin Klink

for a final determination of death, which is thought to have been

by cord or rope.

Do you mind keeping it down a little, please?

That stuff makes me sick.

Mr. Klink, arriving home late in the evening from a business meeting with an

insurance aid client, was found lying just outside the front door of a small

apartment not far from the state capitol building. It's about a murder. Big

deal. Well, it parallels the cases that we've been running into. They're all

strangulations. Don't you get the connection?

Hunter, why would this guy kill somebody up in Sacramento and then come down to

L .A. to get another victim?

Victim.

Victim. Plural. Okay, fine. But it still doesn't make any sense.

Yet. I'll bet if we call the Sacramento coroner's office right now, he might be

through with the investigation.

It may have something to do with this case.

And if not?

Well, if not, then I've... just defaced a publicly owned major newspaper.

Want the funnies?

I just got off the phone with Shaft Romano.

Get this.

They found pieces of rawhide embedded in the victim's neck.

Same way John Matthews did it. Uh -huh, and this is weird, Hunter.

Why would Matthews cut out an article on the Sacramento killing and then he

winds up being killed the same way? I better run to the Sacramento guy to see

he's still on the street. If he is, I'd say we go pay him a visit.

There it is. The guy lived in Los Angeles seven years ago in Van Nuys.

Think Matthews knew him? Yeah, possibly.

But it still doesn't explain the connection between the killer and the

victims.

There's something about this address that rings a bell.

Loretta Johnson.

Loretta Johnson lived in West Hollywood. Yeah, currently.

But here's the sheet on it. In 1978, her California driver's license address was

Van Nuys, California.

All three of these people lived in the same area in 1978.

Remember those news clippings at Matthew's house about the jury trial?

All these victims were living in the same district at the very same time.

And they pulled jurors from voter registration files by districts.

You think?

Hunter, you're right.

All three of these victims served as jurors at the trial of Lewis McMahon.

He was convicted of murder and was sentenced to life.

Which usually means he's back out on the streets.

The first thing I want to do is contact the other two jurors living in Los

Angeles to see if they've received any phone calls.

That's right.

Who are you?

I'm Sergeant Jeannie McCall, Homicide Division.

May I come in and speak with you, please?

It's about the Lewis McMahon case.

Something's happened.

He's out of prison, isn't he?

Well, we're checking on that right now.

Mr. Atkins, what we do know is that at least three of the other members of the

jury that convicted him have been receiving rather strange phone calls and

shortly thereafter have been strangled.

You said he would.

Are you saying McMahon said he'd kill the jurors? When?

It was right after the conviction was brought in.

He looked over at us before they took him away and he said we were more guilty

than he was.

And we would pay.

You use the word guilty?

First time I laid eyes on that man, I... It scared me to death.

It's just the pipes.

They make noise.

Listen, Mrs. Atkins.

We'd like to offer you some protection if you'll take it. At least until we

whether or not it is Lewis McMahon. And if it is, until we're getting convicted.

Miss McCall, we both know it's Lewis McMahon.

He didn't look like the other young men whose trials I was a juror on.

The others looked like they had some humanity in their faces.

As if they were just misled.

As if they weren't really happy at having done something wrong.

But Mr. McMahon, he sort of...

You know what I mean?

He liked it.

But he couldn't get enough.

Miss Atkins.

Take some protection from us, okay?

No, I... I don't think I want that just yet.

Not that I'm a fool, but... You said the victims had all been

telephoned first.

Yeah, that's right.

Well...

If he calls me, I'll call you.

Fair?

I don't get it. How can they continually parole guys like that?

Why do they always want to live in Los Angeles?

Sunshine State.

Nice place.

Looking for Lewis McMahon.

Sit him back there.

Lewis McMahon.

Hey!

Sweetie!

Get out of the truck.

Come on, move it.

Why'd you run?

I'm asking you a question.

Now look, you're either going to talk to me or you're going to tell it to the

ground. Now why did you run?

What's going on?

Questioning a suspect.

I can save your breath. Louie can't talk.

What do you mean Louie can't talk?

He's got no voice box.

He had a cut clean through in a knife fight in prison.

His vocal cords were severed in the fight.

He was in the prison yard about six years ago.

Since then, he hasn't been able to speak.

He ran from me.

You come barging in, flashing a badge to a parolee. He gets scared, he runs.

A jury convicts this guy of murder.

And then three months ago in Sacramento, he gets out on parole.

And a juror turns up dead.

And then he moves to Los Angeles. And guess what happens?

Two more of those same jurors wind up dead.

I'm his parole officer.

He's a model parolee, and he can't talk.

And you've got witnesses that claim he calls up and talks to his victims.

Using the word guilty.

Yeah. It's all too simple, isn't it?

I mean, wouldn't McCann be the perfect subject to a frame for these murders?

That's what I think is happening.

McCann is a fall guy for some nut.

Oh, give me a break.

No, you give me a break, McCall. Now, we got a search warrant for the guy's

apartment, and it's clean.

I mean, we got nothing on this guy, nothing.

And no DA is going to hold a mute who's making phone calls to people.

Maybe he can talk.

What? Maybe he's just been holding out.

For six years?

Go to hell. There, for you.

Captain, this is the guy.

We can't hold him, so let's drop it, huh?

And we got nothing.

And you stay off this case, Hunter. I mean it.

Lewis is our boy, all right. Yeah, and the guy's back out on the street.

Makes me sick.

We know where he lives, and we know where he works.

So let's tail him.

What's taking him?

Maybe he's cleaning up in there before it's split.

The place hasn't been cleaned up since it opened.

The floor show's just beginning.

Well, we could nab him for littering.

I have an idea what we can do to get something on him better than that.

I wonder what the hell he's up to.

Well, maybe somebody's having a rope sale in there. Come on.

Pretty strange place for a phone call, don't you think?

Yeah, well, if you're going to terrorize people over the phone, you might as

well do it in the phone booth of your choice.

Say, man, what is this?

Sorry, I thought she was somebody else.

L -56, please respond.

L -56, Hunter here.

I mean, after this guy's trial, DA sat us all down and told us that whenever

some criminal makes a threat on the jury, they never follow through. Well,

actually, that's true. There's never been a documented case where a convicted

criminal actually did go after the jurors, but we just wanted to play safe.

They wanted us to take all precautions.

I gotta tell you, I was really scared when the guy called.

Well, he called about ten minutes ago.

If he's gonna make his move, he's gonna make it pretty soon.

Hunter, come on.

It's late. I don't think this guy's going to show.

We'll send you somebody from downtown.

I don't get it.

Why would the guy call Thelma and not show?

The other juror.

He called Thelma to throw us off.

You're not going to have that light on much longer, are you?

I just have three more pages till the end of this chapter.

I hate it when you read those scary books before you go to bed. You keep me

all night thinking you're hearing noises.

I do not.

Paul, did you hear something?

Hmm?

Finish your book and turn out the light.

I just have two more pages.

Oh, did you hear that?

We'll call you to take the bat.

Why is it I can always tell the sound of Terwilliger's siren?

Honey, I got television people out here. Look at them.

Newspapers, reporters, everything.

You're making me an old man, honey. You really are. Look, Captain, that was our

man. Yeah, but you wouldn't swear that it was Lewis McMahon, could you? I mean,

you didn't actually see him, did you?

Well, it was dark. I almost had the guy, Captain. Did you see the house? You

almost destroyed the house, Hunter. I got two police psychologists up there

just trying to coax the woman out from underneath the bed. She's hysterical.

Captain, we probably saved her life.

Firearms discharge report's going to have to be filed.

The officer involved shooting teams on its way out here right now. I've already

called them. Well, you are so efficient, Bernie. I bet you were cut, Scott.

Look,

Captain, we got a raving maniac on our hands. Look, I want to catch this guy

just as bad as you do, but I want to make sure I catch the right one.

You know, I could suspend you for what you did, working on a case without

authorization, derelict in duty, and in general, just sticking your nose where

it doesn't belong.

Well, Captain, I am his partner. I helped him stick his nose where it

belong. Look, Captain, Bernard, I'd like to stand out here and talk with you

further, but I'm going to go home and put my head in the dryer.

Hey, Hunter, I want you to go to the station. You can change there. McCall,

go with him.

Come on, Bernard.

I think we're going to be... Come on, honey, we're not going to be suspended.

Hey, look, I saw the wild, crazy look in his eye. We're going to be suspended.

I suppose you think you know everything, huh? I saw the same crazy, wild look in

his eye, and we're not going to be suspended.

A woman's intuition, I suppose.

Do you know what's wrong with you?

No, but I bet you're going to tell me. You got it. You always look at the

downside of everything.

I don't believe this.

Two weeks suspension from Me Too.

Yeah, what happened to my partner back there?

I'm not the one who shot up the guy's bedroom.

Besides, I never thought the captain would actually go through with it.

Yeah, we're learning new and wondrous things about our captain each and every

day.

We've got to get this guy, Hunter.

Well, we've got enough time to do it now. We're on prevention.

Let's get some coffee, huh?

How you doing, Louie?

How's that voice box today, huh?

Why don't you say guilty, Tony?

I'd like to hear you say that.

I think he wants a pencil and paper.

Yeah, well, he's not going to get one. I have an idea he's going to talk to me

today.

When are you going to drop the pencil and paper bit? I know you can talk.

Prove it.

That's just what I'm going to do.

I'm going to prove it.

Try it if you can.

Come on, Hunter, let's get out of here.

Yeah, the tension here is making me nauseous.

Think he's going to make a move on Thelma Adkins?

She's the only juror in Los Angeles he hasn't hit on yet.

She works at a local machine shop. I think I'll go over and give her a call.

Yeah, you do that. I'm going to hang around here until this guy gets off of

work. I'm going to tail this guy. I don't want to lose him.

Are you okay?

Yeah.

How you doing? You all right? Yeah.

Thank God for plastic.

It was scary, though.

Yeah, it sure was.

Right back where we started, huh?

You know, after all the things we've done, you'd think we'd get a medal or a

badge or something.

But nope.

All we get is a thank you and a lousy assignment right back here at the same

stinking park.

Give me your wallet.

My wallet?

The wallet nobody gets here.

Hey, did you get me my orange soda?

Buddy, this is not your day.