Original subtitles

The story you are about to see was inspired by actual events.

The names have been changed to protect the innocent.

*

It was Wednesday.

It was humid in Los Angeles.

My partner and I were working the day shift

out of Robbery Homicide.

The call came at noon.

The dispatcher said "Domestic disturbance, Bel Air."

We knew it had to be something else.

If Los Angeles were a game of Monopoly,

Bel Air would be Boardwalk.

Liz Taylor lives in the neighborhood.

So does Hugh Hefner.

That's why the dispatcher held back.

The media listens to police calls.

Here, you'd end up with helicopters, news vans,

a feeding frenzy.

J.J. Halsted is superagent to the stars

at a castle on a hill.

You'd think the king and queen of this place could get along.

Whatever this call was,

we hope domestic disturbance wasn't part of it.

My name's Friday.

I'm a cop.

We got a domestic disturbance call?

Yeah, sorry about the cloak and dagger, Joe.

Looks like we got a kidnapping.

Six-month-old Filipino boy named Amir Jameela.

Mother's name is Merpati Umarwali Jameela.

She's the nanny.

Where is she?

Out back.

She's a wreck.

You search the whole house in and out?

All 20,000 square feet.

Pools, Jacuzzis, any place the kid could have an accident?

We've been all over this neighborhood.

Kid can't even walk yet.

Kidnappings--when they were high profile,

they fell to Robbery Homicide.

This one didn't make sense.

A rich man's house--why take the nanny's child?

The lord of the manor had a room

full of employees and hangers-on.

Any one of them might know something important.

Except it was too late.

They'd already talked to each other.

We'd never get a clean story from any of them.

That's Mr. Halsted in the Armani.

He was in Premiere Magazine last month.

Hundred most important people in Hollywood issue.

That the missus?

No, that's, uh,

that's the missus' personal trainer.

Mrs. Halsted's right here on the couch.

Six-year-old is Andrew, six-month-old is Max.

Another six-month-old boy?

It's no coincidence.

The kidnapper was after my son.

J.J. Halsted.

Detective Joe Friday, my partner Frank Smith.

Let me show you what happened.

This is my son Max's room.

But he wasn't sleeping here?

No, Amir was.

Don't touch anything please, Mr. Halsted.

Is that unusual?

Your nanny putting her son down in Max's room?

Well, I wouldn't know.

I'm not here during the day.

So, the kidnapper comes in, sees the baby,

thinks he's your son and disappears.

Yeah, that's what I'm thinking.

You must be relieved.

That they didn't take Max?

Hell yes.

But Mira's been with us for six years.

Let me tell you how this works, Mr. Halsted.

We set up a command post,

we stay until the child is returned

or the case concluded.

Concluded?

Oh.

We'll let you know if we need anything else, Mr. Halsted.

They gotta have all the windows wired.

Rich people like this-- they'd have major security.

There's only one way in and one way out--through that door.

Call SID, and break up that party downstairs.

Let's separate those witnesses before they taint their stories,

you know, any more than they already have.

It's gonna take time.

Get help.

I'm gonna go talk to the mother.

All right.

People come here for decent pay.

A future for themselves, their kids.

That's what brought Mira Jameela from the Philippines.

That was her hope,

until she stared into an empty crib.

Mira, I'm Joe Friday, LAPD.

I'm sorry your boy's missing.

Amir's not missing.

Someone stole him because they thought he was Max Halsted.

Well, that's certainly a possibility,

but there are others.

Kidnapping tends to be a crime committed by family members.

I have no family here in the states.

Amir's father is back in Mindanao.

Any particular reason?

Well, he did not like L.A.

It's too decadent.

He's Muslim.

What about friends?

Anyone who would want to harm you.

I do not have any friends here.

My work here is my life.

I never leave.

Why did you put Amir down in Max's room?

I do it all the time.

I always carry this baby monitor

so I can hear when the kids wake up.

But you didn't hear anything this morning.

No.

I took Max with me to watch Andrew's tennis lesson,

and then when I came back around 11, he was gone.

I should have been with my baby,

not with someone else's children.

Well, if you're right and your baby was taken

by mistake for the Halsteds',

the kidnapper will be in touch.

And he'll want a ransom.

I support my family in Mindanao.

I have $382 in the bank.

Do you think that will be enough?

What could I say?

In kidnappings, no one ever knew what was at stake

or what would be enough.

*

*

*

who would want to harm you?

Better get a thicker pad.

Okay, in my line of work, I may have offended a few people.

A few?

Try the phone book.

Amir has been kidnapped, dear.

Let's keep our own peccadilloes out of this, shall we?

I'll need that list of names, please.

Fine.

What about a list of my wife's enemies?

Like her ex-husbands.

Ex-husband, thank you.

Actually, I do have a question for you, Detective.

What happens when the kidnapper finds out

he has the wrong boy?

When the call comes in,

it's in Amir's best interest if we all play along.

Make the kidnapper assume he has the right child.

This is J.J.

No, the party's been cancelled.

No, we haven't picked a date.

No, you cannot talk to Amy.

Goodbye.

We had a party planned for tonight.

A fundraiser for the Gandan Monastery in Tibet.

Amy's a Buddhist.

You got a reason you don't wanna cooperate, Mr. Laseur?

Take him downtown.

Process should only take four or five hours.

See, the florist leaves at 9:47.

That's everything in and out between nine and eleven.

What about the other cameras?

I've seen at least six.

Oh, the one here at the gate is the only one operational.

Why?

Halsteds have been a little behind in their bill.

You're kidding.

They kinda let things go here.

Rats have gone through half the lines.

Rats?

Beverly Hills, Brentwood, Bel Air--

infested with 'em.

We'll check the rat exterminators.

Thank you.

*

This is J.J.

You give me 10 million dollars,

I return your kid.

Ten million dollars?

That's a lot of money.

Put me on the speaker.

I wanna talk to the cops.

What cops?

There's no cops.

My hand's on your baby's throat.

Don't play me, J.J.

Kiss my ass.

This is Detective Friday, LAPD.

You got a name?

You can call me Joe.

Okay, Joe.

Call me Ishmael.

Okay, Ishmael, let's talk.

You know the drill.

The only way this baby lives is I get paid.

I'm listening.

J.J. Halsted deposits 10 million dollars into his bank account

ready to be wired by 10 a.m. tomorrow morning.

You got that?

We're gonna need proof of life, Ishmael.

That's right.

If you don't prove that my son is safe,

you're not gonna see a penny.

You don't tell me what to do.

I tell you.

I call the shots.

I say, "Jump," and you say, "Yes, sir, how high?"

Hello?

Hello?

Well, that went well.

He'll call back.

Did you notice how I didn't skip a beat when it came to my son?

What if we tell the kidnapper that he has Amir instead of Max

and that he won't get any money?

Well, if the kidnapper finds out there's no ransom,

he may cut his losses.

Oh, God.

Please, please, please.

For this kidnapper, it wasn't only about money,

it was about power.

The way he had used Halsted's name,

there was something personal here.

Sadly, the real victims--

an innocent child, a desperate mother--

had no power at all.

Don't worry.

If it comes down to it,

we'll pay to get Amir back.

Isn't that right, J.J.?

*

J.J.?

*

J.J.!

*

You don't tell me what to do.

Listen to the background.

Birds.

Plane.

He's definitely outside.

He's familiar with the Halsteds,

J.J. in particular.

What's with the name Ishmael?

First line of Moby Dick.

"Call me Ishmael."

I went to City College.

According to the Old Testament,

Ishmael was the son of Abraham and Hagar.

Believed to be the father of the Arab peoples.

Muslim.

So, you're thinking political.

Maybe, but I don't think Ishmael's his name.

Check it out anyway.

You trace the call?

Cell phone--917 listing.

Albert Shockley.

917?

That's, uh, that's New York.

Ten to one he stole it from Shockley

while visiting Los Angeles.

Makes it harder to track.

But not impossible.

All we have to do is find the closest transmitter.

So, then we will know where he is?

Well, we'll know the area where he made the call.

But anybody smart enough to steal an out-of-town cell phone

is smart enough to keep moving.

So, what does that mean?

What do we do now?

We keep pressing for leads.

We need to talk.

Come in here--close the door.

We're going to pay this ransom.

Honey, we don't have 10 million dollars.

You know the shape we're in.

They're in the nursery.

Baby monitor's on.

We sold it.

We have to pay him!

Listen, we'll pay, but not 10 million dollars.

I'm gonna negotiate with this guy and get him for less.

This isn't some deal.

We're not gonna bargain for a child's life.

Trust me, I know what I'm doing.

And I know what I'm doing, J.J.

You will pay for that child.

I am never going to get Amir back.

*

So, any progress?

*

Hey.

What was that?

*

Oh, great, the monitor.

So, now I'm the bad guy.

No one's passing judgment, Mr. Halsted.

No, my wife is, Mira is--

What's important is making the kidnapper

think you're gonna pay.

Do you know what my monthly nut is?

I piss away more money in a month

than my poor father made in his entire life.

It's all about him.

I used to be the 27th most powerful man in Hollywood.

Out there, a baby was cold and hungry or dead.

What did the kidnapper really want?

What was driving him?

We're still checking on the rodent exterminator.

An army of employees and no one saw a thing?

Someone's lying.

The chef, French Canadian named Edward Laseur,

has a record.

Convicted of smuggling cigarettes in '99.

After some coaxing,

he revealed the Halsteds owe him four months back salary.

Manuel Alvarez, one of the three gardeners,

is a known member of the 18th Street gang.

And Mrs. Halsted's personal trainer, Joan Scarlatti,

used to be James Scarlatti.

He was a she?

And she's pissed.

Says she hasn't been paid in months.

What about the mother, Mira?

Came to the U.S. as an illegal immigrant.

Worked as a cleaning lady for two years

before the Halsteds hired her as a nanny.

Phone records?

Aside from calls to her parents in Mindanao,

the only number that comes up consistently is one in Downey.

All in the last month.

Phone is listed to a man named Farah Karimah.

Mr. Karimah have a record?

According to our search, he's a 73-year-old pet store owner.

Mira told you she didn't have any friends in L.A.

That's what she said.

Check out Mr. Karimah.

The son of our nanny, Mira Jameela,

was kidnapped from our son Max's room.

We think that the kidnapper may have mistaken Amir for our son.

Shouldn't we put a stop to this?

Train's already left the station.

What the hell is this?

It seems your wife has called the media.

Mira is like family to us.

Excuse me.

Um, I would just like to add that I join my wife and Mira

in pleading for Amir's safe return.

And if the kidnapper is listening,

we will meet your full demands.

Have you received any ransom calls?

Amir, though not our child by blood,

is our child in spirit.

Excuse us, please.

Your lifestyle, over.

You're just angry because I outsmarted you.

Yeah, your personal trainer, gone,

your shrink, history.

*

Can you believe them?

It's like a game.

It's not their kid.

*

I tracked down the owner of the stolen cell phone

at his hotel room in Downtown L.A.

Mr. Shockley noticed his cell phone was missing this morning.

He also said the last time he remembered using it

was yesterday at the Santa Anita racetrack.

Which means our kidnapper could be a gambler.

Gamblers tend to have money problems,

which gives us a motive.

Anyone talk about the track?

Brag about winning big with the races?

*

Let's put it on speakers.

Go ahead.

This is J.J.

I saw you on TV-- that I have the wrong kid.

Changes nothing, except now I want 15 million.

Fifteen million?

Ten million for the kid,

five million for making you look like a hero.

What is this, some kind of sick joke?

Joe, you listening?

I'm here.

Make that fool understand that I will kill this baby.

You don't cough up, J.J.,

and everyone will know you were too cheap to pay.

Kid's death will be on your hands, not mine.

Well, I hope you're pleased, Amelia.

Ten million, fifteen million.

In a kidnapping, no amount ever guarantees a kid's survival.

Hey, Joe.

We got company.

*

Well, hallelujah, it's the FBI.

The Federal Bureau of Incompetence.

Don't.

Why?

Antagonism between agencies is not gonna happen

while I'm on this case.

Special Agent Todd Barnes, FBI.

Detective Joe Friday, LAPD,

my partner, Frank Smith.

- Hey. - Let's talk.

Before you say anything, let me get this out.

This is your investigation.

You're in charge, we're simply here to facilitate.

I appreciate that.

In the interest of full disclosure, however,

I will say that Mr. Halsted called the agency

because he was concerned LAPD wasn't doing enough

to protect his financial interests.

That's a shocker.

Yeah.

So, listen, we're thinking this kidnapping

could be political in nature.

Because the parents are from Mindanao?

Mr. Halsted is a big contributor to the state of Israel.

I think we should polygraph Ms. Merpati Umarwali Jameela ASAP.

Well, no, it was her child that was taken.

She's from Zamboanga, a poor city on Mindanao,

and a hotbed of Islamic fundamentalism.

Abu Sayyaf is based there.

They've got two suspects linked

to the World Trade Center bombings.

Exactly.

Okay, but I still don't see her being involved.

It's about money.

That 15 million dollars buys a lot of blast.

We appreciate you agreeing to the test, Mira.

We realize it's an inconven--

It's insulting.

A violation of human rights.

If she was from France,

would you be asking her to take this test?

Well, I have a problem with the French.

Sweden then.

Mira's got nothing to fear if she's got nothing to hide.

This is racism, pure and simple.

You don't have to go through with this.

I've thought about it.

I want to.

Let's go, sir.

Could you roll up your sleeve, please?

Right now, I'm ashamed to call myself an American.

It's important to rule out any possible terrorist involvement.

Mira, a terrorist?

- Come on. - You sure about that?

Mira would never do anything to harm this family.

Why's that?

Because we saved her from a life of poverty.

Before she moved in with us,

she and Sarip and a dozen other immigrants from Mindanao

were living in this filthy two-room dump.

You know Sarip, Amir's father?

Well, he came by a couple of times

before he left the country.

Well, according to Immigration,

he left right around the same time Mira got pregnant.

Kinda strange.

Well, they weren't married.

Maybe he didn't wanna be a father.

We checked out Farah Karimah's residence.

It's a flophouse for illegal immigrants.

Something I need to know about?

Mira placed several phone calls

to Karimah's house in the last month.

Which she neglected to tell you about.

We didn't turn up anything.

Just a whole lot of people crowded into one room.

See?

What did I tell you?

Mira is no terrorist.

I'd like to see a report, with your permission.

Agent Barnes was marking territory

for his federal jurisdiction--

part of a quest to uncover a global terrorist conspiracy.

This day and age, who could blame him?

Do you drink water?

Yes.

Is your name Merpati Umarwali Jameela?

Yes.

Do you, or have you ever,

associated with Muslim extremists?

I grew up in a Muslim village.

Yes or no answers only, please.

Yes.

Did those Muslim extremists express anti-American

or anti-Israeli sentiments?

Yes.

Did you come to work for the Halsteds

with the intention of harming them?

No.

Have you ever spoken to a man

named Abdujakar Abubakar Janjalani?

No.

Yes.

But everyone in Zamboanga knows Janjalani.

Yes or no?

Yes.

*

I checked out the name Ishmael--first and last--

102 listings in L.A.

We're still getting statements,

but it doesn't look promising.

Got a trace on the kidnapper's second call.

Closest transmitter was in Arcadia,

same as the first.

From a stolen cell?

Yeah, 312 area code--Chicago.

Belonged to a Zachary Donaldson in L.A. on business.

When was the last time that he used it?

Santa Anita racetrack yesterday afternoon.

We got an informer works out of Santa Anita.

Loan shark.

What's his name?

Um, Ruben--Ruben Jones.

Yeah, find him.

See if any of his clients are in deep.

Done.

Using stolen cell phones is a common terrorist technique.

So is laundering money at racetracks.

I can't answer that.

Yes or no answers only.

Odd.

J.J. had taken himself out of the loop.

Either he was more of a civil libertarian

than I gave him credit for,

or he had a vested interest in Mira's answers

that he wasn't telling us about.

Do you know who kidnapped your son?

No.

Is Amir's father's name Sarip Pamatong?

Yes.

Is he affiliated with any terrorist organization

including, but not exclusive to, Abu Sayyaf?

No.

Have you had sexual relations with anyone

other than Sarip Pamatong

since arriving in the United States?

No.

We set a base line asking the simple questions--

name, date of birth, et cetera.

That's here in the beginning.

Next, we asked about terrorist involvement

here through the midsection.

It's all copacetic.

Until you started asking her about her personal life.

That's right.

First big fluctuation here,

when you asked her the name of Amir's father.

So, her boyfriend Sarip's definitely not the father.

She said it was.

Yeah, but she lied.

Next big peak is here,

when you asked her if she'd had any sexual relations

since Sarip left the U.S.

- That's correct. - And she said no.

Lied again.

So, she has a boyfriend she's not telling us about.

And if this mystery boyfriend turns out to be Amir's father,

then it'd be a hell of an ingenious crime.

Kidnap your own kid,

make the Halsteds pay to get him back.

Just because I'm from a Muslim community

does not make me a terrorist.

I don't think you're a terrorist.

Come on, Mira.

Don't make us chase false leads.

What do I do?

Tell me, please.

What do I do?

Tell the truth.

Everyone will hate me.

There are worse things.

Like not getting Amir back,

going to prison.

Prison?

What have I done against the law?

Mira, you and I both know Sarip is not Amir's father.

Now, who's your mystery friend?

You think Amir's father is a terrorist?

FBI does.

FBI thinks you're ransoming your own kid for the money.

I can't believe this.

Believe it, Mira!

In this political climate,

you can't afford to lie about anything.

Even your own love life.

You're just trying to scare me.

Cut the act!

Who's Amir's father?

I was just doing my laps, and it just jumped on me!

Oh, for God sakes, Amy, it's a rodent,

not a Great White.

Now, let's go in the house, you're gonna catch a cold.

Wait.

I am not involved in terrorism, kidnapping,

or conspiring with Amir's father to extort money.

Because that would mean

Amir's father would be paying himself.

That doesn't make sense, dear.

*

You knocked up the nanny?

Amy, she's upset, she doesn't know what she's talking about.

You stupid son of a bitch!

Amir is your son,

and you weren't gonna pay to get him back?

No, I'm going to pay!

I am!

Amy, would you just listen?

It's a huge mistake, honey.

You knew.

I knew there had to be a reason

J.J. didn't want her taking that polygraph.

Mira and J.J.

Never even crossed my radar.

'Cause you're a romantic, Frank.

You keep thinking Cinderella's gonna wind up

with the handsome prince.

How do you think we're gonna get the kid back?

We'll get him back.

Now look who's being naive.

Stats aren't exactly on our side.

For all we know, kid could be dead by now.

*

Amir being your son, it raises some questions.

Such as?

The inconvenience of his being born.

Are you insinuating what I think you're insinuating?

That I would--

Okay.

I deserve that.

You know, I begged Mira to get an abortion,

but she wouldn't.

So, finally, I just gave up.

I figured, what the hell?

Nobody needs to know.

Mira can raise Max and Amir like brothers.

It could've worked, too.

We're gonna have to go through your financial records.

Look, I didn't pay anybody to steal my own son!

I may be an agent and a lousy husband,

but I am not a monster.

I love Mira.

And I love Amy.

And I love my boys.

I found that Santa Anita informant, Ruben Jones,

at Tommy's scarfing down a chili dog.

And?

Claims he knows a half a dozen gamblers

laying off bets for over six figures.

Well, you get any names?

He claimed that violates bookie-client privilege.

He wants more money.

It gets worst.

He saw the Halsteds on TV.

Greedy son of a bitch.

Put two and two together and figured he finally might have

some valuable information for once in his life.

Yeah, he might be willing to discuss his client identities

with Mr. Halsted directly.

Oh, that's great.

Another two-bit Shylock after my money.

Bring him in.

Did you get a hold of the ratter?

Answering service.

- I left four messages already. - Well, find him.

I wanna see anyone that knows the ins and outs of this house.

*

What is it--what do you see?

You stay put.

*

Hey!

Freeze!

On the ground now!

He said, on the ground now!

- Down! - On the ground!

Get down!

Hands behind your back!

Please!

Let him up--he's my cousin!

Ask him what he's doing here.

He said the FBI raided his house.

He crawled out through the window.

This is the only place he could think of coming.

We followed up.

Why didn't you tell us your cousin was in L.A.?

Because he's illegal.

He doesn't even know about Amir.

He thinks you're Immigration!

Uncuff him.

He's a potential suspect.

He's a young boy, he's afraid of being deported.

Uncuff him.

This woman's done nothing but lie to us.

We need to get our own translator.

Interrogate the kid properly.

I don't disagree.

Uncuff him anyway.

- Why? - Because I said so!

*

Were you planning on informing us of your little raid?

We get a lead on illegal immigrants

from a country on our terrorism watch list, we act.

Yeah?

Well, next time you act without informing us,

you're gonna be the one laying down in the grass.

You got that?

- Really? - Yeah, really.

Simmer down, simmer down.

This is about the life of a kid, and that's all it's about.

Clear?

Yes, sir.

Are we clear?

Crystal.

*

This is J.J.

You have the money?

I need more time.

Having to panic sell like this,

I'm only getting 50 cents on the dollar.

You have three hours.

Ishmael, Detective Joe Friday.

No money exchanges hands unless you can offer proof

that Amir's alive.

Remember, you don't tell me what to do, Joe.

I tell you.

That's fine.

So, how can you tell us that Amir is healthy?

You're just gonna have to trust me on that.

'Fraid not.

What have you done?

Exactly the right thing.

You know, you make a good agent, Joe.

He'll call back.

Unless he gets cold feet.

What does that mean?

It means the sledgehammer approach

might not have been the best tactic.

It was the only tactic.

Yeah, sometimes you gotta play hardball.

What do you care?

It's not your kid.

Oh, that's right, it is.

Joe, rat exterminator is here.

Darlene Stimson, at your service.

You the Halsteds' regular rat exterminator?

Hell no, I own the company.

I don't make house calls anymore,

except when I get six calls in the middle of the night

from the LAPD.

Well, if you're not the regular, who is?

That would be James Warner.

Ratted here two days ago.

Not yesterday?

No, yesterday, he was ratting Mrs. Phillipson's up the street.

He's out sick today.

Check out the Phillipsons.

2169 Beverly Canyon.

See that James Warner was at her house all day.

Get specific about times.

On my way.

Is that all, Detective?

Not quite, Darlene.

What's the over-under on this house?

You a gambler, Detective?

Just curious.

A house like this, maybe 30-40 rats a week,

depending on the weather.

Your roof rat, Rattus rattus,

he likes it real wet.

James Warner--does he gamble?

Maybe plays the horses?

Sure, we all do.

Why do you think we have to keep on rattin'?

Frank, check this out.

Is it locked?

No, it's stuck.

What do we got?

A lot of shoes.

I'm guessing Mrs. Halsted's closet.

All right, where there's one trap door,

there might be another.

I'm gonna look down here.

Frank, got another one here.

Easy.

This James Warner-- is he a big guy?

No, he's just a whisper of a thing.

Just like your partner.

Good point.

After you, Frank.

I'm going.

Ahh!

What's the matter?

Next time, we flip a coin.

What do you see?

*

Hey, Joe, you should come down here.

*

The ratter waits till it's quiet.

Crawls out of the attic, takes the kid,

then crawls back out.

Heads up to the roof, disappears down the side of the house.

So, we got our suspect.

Had access, has motive--

- Has alibi. - No.

Mrs. Phillipson claims James Warner was at her house

all yesterday morning setting traps.

Says she even served him a tuna fish sandwich around 11:30.

All right, so maybe it's not Warner.

Maybe it's someone else who had access to that attic.

Check the other ratters.

*

This is J.J.

Is the money ready?

It's ready.

Not a dime until we know Amir is safe.

You're a broken record, Joe,

and a real pain in the ass.

Get online.

Well, give me a second.

Come on--come on, if you wanna see the kid.

You've got 20 seconds.

I know how long it takes to do a trace.

We're online.

Go to this website.

DDKKS.org.

*

Amir!

Have your bank wire the 15 million to this account number:

Caicos Island Trust 38248894.

When I have confirmation that the money's arrived,

I'll call with the address where the kid's at.

How do we know you're gonna keep your end of the bargain?

Play time's over!

Wire the money.

If I don't get confirmation within ten minutes,

what you see next won't be pretty.

*

Teddy, it's J.J.

Yeah, wire the 15 mil to this account.

J.J. Halsted gave in.

Would money be enough?

I didn't think so.

The kidnapper was an amateur.

Volatile, on edge.

Paying him didn't guarantee a thing.

*

It's been over an hour.

Yeah, why hasn't he called?

He's not going to call, is he?

Joe.

Frank!

¿Qué pasa?

Ruben, sorry to drag you from the track.

Any clients pay off any big debts recently?

Maybe in the form of a wire transfer?

Like this morning?

Yeah.

Wow, look at this place.

That's not a real O'Keefe, is it?

Mine until a couple of hours ago.

You got information, Ruben, let's hear it.

Okay, I got a payment around 10:31 this morning

in the form of a $111,000 wire transfer.

From?

A deadbeat!

Thinks he's a racing aficionado.

You got a name, Ruben?

Don't push it.

Jimmy--Jimmy Warner.

*

No one's home.

Neighbor says Mrs. Phillipson's been in the hospital

with a broken hip for three weeks.

The lady I spoke with didn't have any broken hip.

Bet she wasn't in her 80s, either.

Mid-40s, salt and pepper hair,

spoke with a slight accent.

So, whoever she is, she's working with Warner.

Car?

A silver Honda Accord.

Late model.

Didn't get the plates.

There's about a hundred thousand silver Accords in L.A.

All right, that was, what, two and a half hours ago.

You ran the search on Darlene's ratters,

Warner included?

Yeah, James Warner has no criminal record.

Checked his last known place of residence--

landlord said he moved out two weeks ago.

All right, think.

We got us a degenerate gambler,

fancies himself a racing expert.

Who makes his calls in Arcadia near the track at Santa Anita.

Got cash to burn.

"Call me Ishmael."

Yeah, but we checked out people named Ishmael in L.A.,

first and last, got nowhere.

What if Ishmael's not a person?

Joe?

What if Ishmael's got four legs and a tail?

*

It all came together.

Horse racing is called the sport of kings.

Our suspect, Jimmy Warner, crawled in the attics

of Hollywood royalty.

He craved what he could never afford.

He bet horses he could never own.

His dream was the winner's circle.

There, he'd be the king.

That's Ishmael.

So, where's Warner?

Owner says he's coming later on with an offer.

Wants to take the horse to Florida.

So, maybe he's not as desperate to buy a horse as we thought.

Not a horse, this horse.

I asked the guy's name, he says, "Call Me Ishmael."

Man's obsessed.

How can you be so sure?

Winning is one thing.

Owning the winner is another.

Horse player's dream.

How'd you get some insight into horse racing

that I don't know about?

Not me--I don't care about horses.

My father, he cared.

The ratter--recheck his alibi.

*

New clothes, confident, cocky attitude.

That had to be Jimmy Warner, a ratter reinvented,

a wannabe with dreams of owning Ishmael,

the future winner of the Triple Crown.

So, why don't we just nail him now?

Put the screws to him?

No, no.

We surveil, let him lead us to Amir.

*

Yeah, he's jumpy.

*

He suspects something.

Damn!

We're made.

Suspect's on foot heading south.

Suspect's on foot.

Repeat, headed south on foot.

All right, move up here.

*

He's got a handgun, he's got a handgun.

*

Suspect is armed with a handgun.

Repeat, suspect is armed.

*

We're gonna go right and cut the son of a bitch off.

*

*

Drop it and freeze!

Frank, don't shoot him.

*

*

Jim?

Joe Friday.

You're surrounded.

Drop the gun, come out with your hands up.

If you wanna see that kid again,

you're gonna have to do better than that.

Why don't you come out here, Jimmy, we'll talk about it.

You know we're not gonna shoot ya.

I got a better idea!

You come in here!

*

Joe, what are you thinking?

Call the D.A., get him down here.

*

Jimmy, I'm coming in!

I'm alone.

Take it easy.

So, Joe.

It's Monty Hall time.

Jimmy, put the damn gun down and we'll talk.

*

I tell you where the kid is, I walk.

With the horse and the money.

How about you tell us where Amir is?

You can talk to the D.A. about any deal you like.

Why didn't you tell us where Amir was

when you got your money?

Well, I would've, but my alibi.

She's in it for the baby.

She's Romanian, and she's not exactly stable.

For all I know,

that kid's in the trunk of a car right now suffocating.

Amir dies, you get the needle.

How 'bout I blow my brains out now, huh, Joe?

I'm not going back to cracking rodents' necks all day.

Jim, you're a degenerate gambler.

There's no angle in suicide.

Don't call my bluff.

I'll do it!

*

Either you do it or you don't.

We're wasting time here.

*

I take you to the kid, I keep Call Me Ishmael,

and I walk--end of story.

I can't make this work, Joe, sorry.

You just let the best deal of your life

slip by, you know that?

James Warner, you are under arrest for the kidnapping--

All right, all right, all right.

I'll take you to the kid,

I'll return the money and the horse.

But no jail time.

All right, James, you got yourself a deal.

*

Who is there?

It's Jimmy.

You said an hour.

Where the hell have you--?

*

You bastard!

Get her, Frank.

I got her, I got her.

Hey, stop.

*

Nightmare's over.

Okay, little guy.

*

Amir.

*

Shh.

*

A deal's a deal.

No hard feelings?

James Warner, you're under arrest for wire fraud,

money laundering, and hostage taking.

Joe, what is this?

We had a deal!

We're state, he's federal.

Apples and oranges.

No hard feelings, huh?

*

Maybe we'll see you guys around sometime.

I sure hope not.

*

Lonely people.

Desperate.

The kidnappers dreamed of things they didn't have

and would do anything to get.

You couldn't help thinking, "Were the Halsteds different?"

They had all the things you could want.

It wasn't enough.

No one really wants to believe that the truth is,

if you dream of less,

sometimes you end up with more.

*

Tina Lazar was convicted in federal court of hostage taking.

The Federal Magistrate sentenced her to serve ten years

at Corcoran Women's Penitentiary.

James Warner was convicted in federal court

of wire fraud, money laundering,

and hostage taking.

The Federal Magistrate sentenced him to 18 years

in Marion Federal Penitentiary.

*

*

*