Original subtitles

In the city of angels, undercover of night.

People are drowning in a sea of light.

The devil holding your life on the line.

Angels are calling, praying for time.

Something's gotta give.

Any more of that chicken?

No more than there was an hour ago.

Oh, God.

I hate surveillance.

It's better than watching security tapes from take -and -go liquors. I prefer

that than sitting in the middle of an asparagus field, for God's sakes.

Besides that, we got 30 bucks a tape.

Come on. Give it a little more time.

Don't forget, we test this guy, we get a 10 % recovery.

Ever since Garner got his P .I. license, he's been waiting for a sign his life

has really changed.

But so far, it's been long hours, short pay.

Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey.

Boggy. Good luck.

That's our man.

Big Don dream come true, Donnie. You know, he does about $20 ,000 a month out

that trunk.

I always wondered who took the quarters out of those condom machines.

Big Don.

Cash business.

One for the company, ten for him.

Oh, we're going to make a fact check on this one, partner.

All he's got to do is get those pump jockeys to look the other way. Oh, that

dream come true.

Hot stereos, CDs, boom boxes.

You hear something?

No, no. It's imagination.

No, it's not. I hear something.

It's quiet.

Maybe too quiet.

I hate surveillance.

Page one of the PI handbook says that when a case goes bad, you just dust

yourself off and get ready for the next one. You never know who will come

walking through that door.

Can we help you?

I guess so.

I mean, if you're the new detectives.

Hi, how are you?

My name is Buchanan, and this is Ellerbee, and you've already met Miss

Regular or hazelnut decaf?

It's only $2 ,000, but I guess it's the principle.

I worked for that money. I want it.

I know the feeling.

The woman who owes me, Frances Arelli, kept putting me off.

She's starting some new business and has expenses and so on.

Tuesday, she finally agreed to pay.

And Wednesday, she was gone.

What kind of work do you do for her? Well, you've heard of those 976 numbers?

Yeah, phone fax. Two bucks a minute.

I know the ads.

That's what the customer pays. I just get a flat 20 an hour.

It's acting. They give you scripts and parts.

The lonely housewife.

The teenage nurse.

You?

Hi, baby.

It's Candy.

Oh, I was hoping you'd call.

What do you want to talk about?

And so on.

That's very good.

Very good.

Look, I was broke. I hadn't worked in a year.

I'm a good actress.

Maybe you've seen me on Days of Our Lives.

I was in Carson's Nightmare.

Oh, yeah. You were the one with the straight razor.

You watched that?

I was on a split shift.

I saw an ad in the trades for 976 Heat.

I felt creepy about applying, and my boyfriend didn't want me to do it at

Now I just want my money and to just forget about it.

Well, I'll fill out a standard contract for you, $50 an hour.

I thought... Look, I'm sorry I took your time.

I thought that I could afford it because he worked on a 20 % contingency.

Sorry about that.

Would you excuse us for a minute, please?

We just got burned on the contingency. She's a client. She needs our help.

We need her business, too.

Even at Nicky Pines' rate.

So, gentlemen, how about it?

I mean, money's money.

Miss Nichols, you have a deal.

So we took the case, and Addie promised to pursue real acting jobs and give up

her phone sex career.

Hello?

Fran, you can't hide from me. Where is my money? You owe me, Fran.

Hey, y 'all, keep it down, keep it down.

Turn it here.

I don't get it. You dial the phone number, the answering machine picks up,

it doesn't ring on the other side.

Well, maybe the ringer's off.

Fran?

Fran Ciccarelli?

Well, from the looks of this door, the woman's got a big reason to hide. She

owes people a lot of money.

Somebody even tried to slug the door. Don't touch that.

Looks like somebody cut a knuckle.

There's some staining. I'll test it. I'll check the neighbors.

Okay.

Excuse me, we're looking for Fran Cicerelli, has an office around the

Hello? Hello?

You naughty, naughty boy.

Who are these guys?

My name is Mitchell Buchanan, and this is my partner, Griner Ellerby.

They don't want nothing, Mr. Sack.

In fact, we do.

How about a polite answer to a polite question?

Have you seen Francis or anything?

Don't know him.

310 around the corner.

If you see her, will you please ask her to call us?

This is not it. This is not why I became a P .I. Trolling for deadbeats, getting

spit on by guys like that. I'm seriously considering buying a chicken franchise

or something. I'm telling you. Where's Ryan? She's supposed to be at the car.

dancing machine, but it's not the one that's picking up.

Hey, who's this nutcake?

What?

You want to have me?

Having two partners isn't always easy, especially when one of them is an

independent woman with her own methods of solving things.

Hang on!

prove that somebody's real nervous about a few polite questions.

Let's try this thing off, huh?

It was in Mr.

Sininsky's physics class where I learned Isaac Newton discovered the laws of the

universe by watching apples drop out of trees.

Law number three.

Every action has an equal and opposite reaction.

Since then, I learned what's true for apples isn't always true.

For people.

Did you see who was driving the truck?

No, no, we didn't get a good look at him.

You know a guy named Steven Sachs?

I met him. I worked in his bullpen near Fran's office.

Why? He was the only one we asked about Fran.

I mean, if it was him, he seriously overreacted.

What's his problem?

Crook, that's his problem.

The whole porn and sex scene is a thing.

You poke a stick in their nest, they're going to bite as they ride it off.

$2 ,000.

Darren hates to admit that we're broke.

Well, when Addie's going to pick up her Oscar, we'll just look back at this as

her struggling young actress period, huh?

Hell, man, you can't beat living in Malibu.

Even if it is a guest house.

Even if we do have to cut the grass.

Off -city, huh?

You got it.

The owners are traveling, as they say.

Nice bike.

What do you race, cross -country?

Yeah, off -road.

I've been in the money three weeks out of five this year.

But I believe in tranny.

Heats up all my winnings, you know?

Yeah, I know.

Back to square one.

President Clinton's office. May I help you?

You still got it, Whistler. I suppose that's against the law.

Actually, about ten of them. Well, better to use your talents for the good

society, my man. Yes, of course, Officer Ellaby, yes.

Just Garner these days.

Her office number is 555

-8976.

It rings, but not in her office. So a machine picks up, but you can't find it.

Think you can do it?

Hey.

Peep a cake.

But it might be an unlisted number.

And if I tell you, that would be against the law too, wouldn't it? Look, you owe

me a favor. I kept you out of jail and got you a job playing with all this

you like. Just call her and tell me what you can.

Hi,

it's Fran. I'm busy. But you can leave a message at the... We got us a swing out

here. Pardon me?

It's what the marketing office refers to as call following. The office phone and

the home phone are redirected to a third number.

But she's got another number?

Can you tell me the address?

It's not an address. It's a mobile.

See, I can get you within a quarter mile, you know, with interference.

But you've got to take it from there.

City Cellular Transmission Site 881. That thing up there is a cell phone

antenna.

Well, those things are all over the city.

And there's going to be a lot more of them.

Peepers, cell phones, portable fax machines, and those little computers the

guys carry around. They all use low -power radio and lots of antenna.

Well, how many calls has she gotten here?

Uh, 27 since Tuesday.

All from the cell site, which means she's got to be close by.

You know, I don't like the sound of this. I mean, this is a scruffy area.

We got railroad spurs and warehouses.

I mean... Not a place a woman would hang around for three days.

Um, no offense.

Oh, none taken.

Well, that's also not a place a woman would actually carry around an answering

machine with her. I mean, figure that one out.

Well, find her, and we will.

Now this, this is the gear the pros use to

track illegal equipment. Now, I am told that with these, you can track any

cellular phone anywhere.

Ryan, do you read me?

Yeah, I'm right here. Go.

I found her. She's in her car.

She's loaded her computer with some sort of voicemail software. It just keeps

answering her phone.

What, it's still working after three days?

Yeah, which is more than I can say for her.

As for the victim, she was strangled from behind.

I'm going to send this ring to SID for a serum series. It's got a sharp stone,

and under the stone, what's probably blood.

I think she cut her killer like this.

Uh -oh.

Hi, Dennis.

Is she yours?

Hey, Polka.

We lost track of you, Miss McBride.

People don't usually wander down here without a pass. Oh, professional

She knows my best friend back in New York.

We were trading recipes.

Ryan, don't forget your corned beef.

Okay, I guess this will do for now.

I just need the name of your client.

Don't start up with that client privilege crap. Don't go there.

Detective, if we had any information that would help you find the killer of

Francis O 'Reilly, we'd give it to you.

But we don't.

Sorry.

I liked you better when you were on our team, Garner.

Let me tell you something for nothing.

I'll bet I know who your client is.

I'll bet it's one of my two suspects.

It's either a headbreaker with a record named Stephen's Facts he found missing

persons on her, or it's a woman who left ten angry messages on that computer you

found in the car.

Addie Nichols.

Well, I was happy because Detective Winfield confirmed that our two suspects

were identical to the LAPDs. Ryan was happy because she got some prime corned

beef. And Garner?

Well, he's just happy being a PI.

What is it?

Hey, what's that look?

Now we're talking.

You know what we did?

The long goodbye.

Yeah, too long for me.

You guys seem to like it in the morgue. Gardner, you're right.

The long goodbye?

This is a very special moment. It's like our first client privilege.

Oh, please.

It's a book by Raymond Chandler, Mitch. About a PI who steals his client from

the cops. Oh, that man could write.

Cops never say goodbye.

They're always hoping to see you again in the lineup.

First detective book I ever read.

Philip Marlowe, Private Eye. You remember Bogart. He never gave the cops

answer. He stood by his client. They beat him, threw him in jail.

He wouldn't rat on a client.

Never. Beat him up, did they?

Badly. Black and blue.

Twice. That's why I'm a PI.

They ever get the cars, money, clothes. I want to be there for one person who's

counting on me.

More than anyone else.

I'll pick up some Thai food

and meet you back at the office.

So you found her.

You PIs stick to it, I'll give you that.

Don't you want to report that to the insurance company?

You know, sending a message to Snoopy Private Eyes isn't covered with my

Why'd you care if we were looking for her?

I mean, you filed a missing persons report on her yourself.

Why'd you lie to me about knowing her?

Why not?

Hey, Mitch.

Addie and Darren just heard about Fran.

Darren's okay?

I'm scared.

The police want to talk to me.

How can they suspect Addie?

She couldn't strangle anybody. She hasn't got the strength.

Well, actually, it doesn't take much.

I mean, with the element of surprise and the right grip, any adult could crush

someone's trachea.

But why would I do that?

Well, Fran owed you. Next to hate, sex, and dope. Money's the best motive there

is. Sorry.

It is what the cops think.

I mean, we're on your side.

They're also talking to Stephen Sachs.

What's his motive?

I don't know.

His office was in the bullpen where I worked, but... I never got near it.

She did the hiring for him.

But remember I told you that she was starting a new business.

Well, there you go. Another good motive. Competition.

Can we get into his office?

How? It's in use around the clock.

The only ones who get in are Sax and the girls on the phones.

Exactly.

Are they hiring?

For the phones?

Always.

For the phones?

Now you're talking. Going to his bullpen.

Undercover.

How? Who?

Oh, no.

Oh, no. No, not at all. You're not getting me to go up there.

I can't do that.

Sure you can.

It's easy.

You want me to go up there and talk to a bunch of socially crippled mouth

breathers? No way.

That is not for me.

Oh, how divine.

A phone sex operator.

Mother will be so proud.

Quit whining me bride.

Deal with it.

Hi, this is Candy.

May I help? No.

No, no, that's not going to turn anybody on.

Especially these mouth breathers.

Breath.

Key word here.

Okay.

Hi, this is Candy.

Can I, oh, that works. Can I help you?

So, um, what's your name?

Oh.

Mitch, huh?

Wow, that name just drives me wild.

So, Mitch, tell me what you look like.

And tell me about any vital statistics.

Oh, what's that sound?

Oh, that's me wishing you were here so I could blow in your ear.

Oh, Mitch.

Oh,

Mitch, you're so wonderful.

Kiss me.

Please, just kiss me.

Oh, it'd be so...

Okay,

so now we both know I can't cut it as one of these phone sex bimbos.

I sound like Mr.

Ed with asthma.

Actually, I thought you sounded kind of sexy.

Oh, yeah, go on.

Really?

Really.

But I can't be like that with some weirdo that I don't even know.

Yes, you can.

I can't. Yes, you can.

I won't. Nine, seven, six.

Ouch. That's a specialty bit. And we don't normally recommend a new girl to

start on that one.

Why don't we break you in on the teenage nurse, shy schoolgirl, dangerous date,

hurt me girl. Oh, here.

Standard candy.

And what does the standard candy do?

55 minutes an hour and a five -minute break.

No food at the desk.

Can't talk dirty with your mouth full, huh?

Just kidding.

Don't let Mr. Sachs see you reading or sewing and you'll be just fine.

Oh, he sometimes monitors the calls, so no private stuff.

Okay.

Ryan, you sound tense.

Relax. You'll be fine.

I hear a phone ringing.

Yeah, me too.

Well, answer it.

I'm not looking forward to this.

Okay, here I go.

Hi, this is Candy. May I help you?

You're an disgusting pig!

No, no, no, no. Don't listen to what they say.

Just keep talking.

Not like this.

So, this is candy on your lap.

How's about turning me on?

Okay.

Um, fantasize. You're locked up in a room alone with Clark Gable.

Isn't Clark Gable a little too old for me, guys?

Never mind. Just fantasize.

Okay, there's the phone. Go for it. Go for it.

Okay.

Hi.

Uh, oh, this is Candy.

How can I help you?

Well, sure.

Yeah.

Yeah, me too.

Whatever you want to talk about.

Stand

by,

I'm going for it.

Two months ago Fran told me she was going independent.

I wished her luck.

She was gonna need it.

This is a rough business, but despite what you think, it is a business.

It's a sick business.

I just spent an hour talking to your customers.

They're a pack of howling weirdos.

Well, you may not like what they have to say, but the FCC and the Supreme Court

say they have the right, unlike breaking into my office.

So you were just waiting in here.

I took a good look at you.

You weren't quite right.

So I came back in through the private door from the hall.

Now, you could have not.

Of course, the cops do have you on their list of suspects, so it looks good to

play, uh, what, open house.

I get the feeling you weren't too upset about Fran leaving.

She ran all kinds of games on people. If she wanted to Welsh on somebody's

salary, she'd make a tape of their phone calls.

Now, nobody likes to listen and hear themselves being the hurt -me -girl.

Maybe that's what she did to your client.

No, we saw her office door.

Plenty of people were angry besides Annie.

Tell me about it. I even saw one guy put his fist through the wood.

You saw that?

Well, I heard him yelling for some guy trying to grow a beard.

He was really ticked off.

Well, that was Fran for you.

She could drive anybody nuts.

Story of my life.

Want some corned beef?

No, no, no.

Let's look at this.

Is this corned beef?

No.

It's a wood splinter from the hole in the door.

I got a blood type on it. Sent it to the lab. DNA testing takes months, so I'm

hoping I can get a print.

Well, maybe we'll get lucky.

We'll be lucky to get lucky.

Hold on. That is a Philip Marlowe line.

Yeah, we could use Mr. Marlowe at this point.

Well, getting Addie's money back is one thing. Getting her life back is quite

another.

I don't think you can say that again.

Hello?

Anybody home?

Good thing you didn't use that voice as the phone sex operator.

Oh, God.

I was terrible, wasn't I?

No. No, no, you were wonderful.

No, I was terrible.

Well, did anybody hang up on you?

No, I hung up on them.

Well, there you go.

Yeah, actually, I guess I wasn't that bad, huh?

Hey, big boy.

Ooh, you sound really hot.

I'd just love to eat you up with a spoon.

I just... No, no, no, not you.

Sorry, Ray. No.

Could you come up with any fingerprints for me?

You're kidding.

Oh, Ray, you're the best. Thanks a lot.

Okay, I owe you one.

We have a print and an owner.

Does he have a beard?

Newton was a smart man. He knew for every action there is an equal and

reaction. That is, the more you try to keep something bottled up, the worse it

wants to get out.

Addie, will you please stop? We've got to talk about this.

What's left to talk about?

I still don't think that it's my fault.

You went to work for those cretins, not me.

Yeah, I went to work.

Work?

I get the feeling you think I was hooking or something, Darren.

Who cares anyway?

I'm a suspect in a murder. That's what's important.

No, what's important is your career and getting back to it.

I'll get back to it.

First, they have to find who killed Fran.

Will you shut up about Fran?

Who cares about a dead woman?

We do.

How long have you been listening?

Long enough to hear how Darren wants you to live your life.

She's had it with you, too.

Consider yourselves fired.

Darren thinks it's better for the police to handle it.

Do you know what blood serum is? What are you

doing?

This is a piece of wood taken from Francescarelli's office.

Didn't I tell you two to get out of here?

Darren, let me hear this.

Long story short...

The blood type of the hand of the guy that punched in the door at Fran's

matches the blood type of her killer.

You see, while the killer choked Fran, she thought she was wearing a ring that

cut him like that. And when you're being choked from behind, you can only reach

your killer in a few places.

The head and the face.

I'll bet she cut you down.

Stop it!

You're crazy.

You followed Eddie on Tuesday, and after she left, you're the one that killed

Fran.

I didn't see the cuts on your knuckles. I missed them the other day because of

the grease.

I did it for you, Eddie.

She had tapes.

Roger that.

In the night, you can blow your dreams away.

There's a price you've got to pay.

You can't run.

In the night,

you can hear the barons talk as another angel falls.

Grace to the boulevard in the blink of an eye.

The devil is watching as we fly into the night.

You can hear the sirens call

as another angel...