Original subtitles

[THEME MUSIC PLAYING]

[SIRENS WAILING]

[SIGHS]

You forgot the cream, Gillis.

You're a good cop, but, you're a lousy gopher.

Wait a minute. A-ha.

I take it all back. Okay.

Mmm. Phew.

Guess it's kinda hard to function,

it's the first graveyard shift I've pulled in months.

They reassign you?

No, I traded shifts with Lucas.

I usually ride with Webster.

I sure like Webster, he's a good man.

He uh, mixes it up sometimes.

But, he's good for the force. Keeps 'em dynamic.

Mmm. Hey, Larry, about that, uh,

hold-up man at the gas station.

Mmm?

You really taught me something.

Never would've spotted him.

It's like I tell every rookie I work with.

"You can always spot a criminal."

There's something in their hands or their eyes.

If they've got a gun in their hands or a

mask on their face,

they're probably a criminal.

You know...

I haven't ridden with too many senior officers.

Most of them seem to be kinda hard-nosed.

Hate the job. Just putting in their 20 to retire.

But, you're not like that. You...

Enjoy your work. You like people.

Yeah.

I, uh, hope it doesn't hurt you too much when you find out

that I'm giving notice at the end of the week.

I don't understand, why?

Uh... [SIGHS]

Some family problems.

Karcher, Gillis, 459 Alarm at Imperial Cleaners.

Oh, come on, you're kidding, I'm there every other night!

[SIGHING] I wish they'd get that alarm fixed.

Well, Willie, we better roll on it.

[CLEARS THROAT]

[SIREN WAILING]

[INDISTINCT RADIO CHATTER]

Why don't you give the dispatcher a reading on it.

Okay.

This is Ludlow Nine.

We're in the alley behind Imperial Cleaners.

DISPATCHER: [OVER RADIO] Ludlow Niner, 10-4.

[EXHALES]

[GLASS SHATTERING]

Huh.

It's probably just a drunk asleep on a trash bin.

Come on, let's check it out.

[RADIO CHATTER CONTINUES]

[GLASS SHATTERING]

[GROANS]

[FOOTSTEPS RUNNING]

Larry!

Not a sound.

Patrol, this is Ludlow Nine.

Officer needs help, an ambulance.

An alley behind Imperial Cleaners.

DISPATCHER: Roger, Ludlow Niner, we'll cover.

[SIREN WAILING]

Karcher, are you still alive?

WILLIE: No.

What happened?

Someone fired at us and they took off down the alley.

OFFICER: Didn't you at least return their fire?

I, I came to help Karcher.

Yeah, well, you sure did him a lot of good, didn't you?

Gentry and Karcher rode together their

first two years.

They were pretty tight.

Maybe he's right, maybe...

I should've gone after him.

That's the most difficult decision you'll

ever have to make, Gillis.

To go after the suspect or come back to the aid

of your partner.

And it always turns out the same way.

There's always one guy who'll tell you, you

made the wrong choice.

[EXHALES]

I guess, I should've just...

Done what?

Gone after the suspect and left Karcher?

What if Karcher was still alive?

What if you went after that punk and you got

him, and Karcher died?

'Cause there was no one there to stop the bleeding

or call an ambulance.

You can "if" yourself right into the psycho ward if you

let yourself, Gillis.

All right, we'll turn this over to the detectives,

see if they can come up with something.

[KNOCK ON DOOR]

Yeah, come in.

You okay?

Yeah, I'm fine, just tired.

RYKER: Give me Phillips, will you, this is Ryker.

When you're through here, maybe we can

grab some breakfast

then, get some rest, huh?

Okay.

Phillips, when you get a minute, come

down here to my office.

I wanna go over this Karcher case with you. Right.

Okay, Gillis.

That's it, if we have any other questions,

we'll give you a call.

Uh, Lieutenant...

What about his family, have they been notified yet?

We had some trouble locating them, um...

Karcher and his wife have been separated for a few months.

He, uh,

told me he was having faily problems.

He was leaving the force.

His records just came down from Processing.

Go fight the world.

Lieutenant.

Does he have any children?

Little girl.

Can I make the notification?

Leave this up to someone else, Gillis, go home and

get it off your mind.

You'll be much better off.

[SIGHS] I'm afraid, uh, it's not that easy

to shake, Lieutenant.

If it's all the same to you,

I think I should be the one to tell his family.

I'll go with him.

Here's the address, wear your civvies.

Thank you, sir.

Lieutenant?

How do I do it?

What do I say?

There is no easy way, Gillis.

There's no step-by-step, do-it-yourself instruction

sheet.

Just look into the woman's eyes and you tell her her

husband is dead.

If you find an easier, softer way, let me know.

Jeanette?

Jeanette, honey?

It's time to get up, Mama's gonna fix us breakfast.

[SIGHS]

[KNOCK ON DOOR] Who is it?

WILLIE: Officers Webster and Gillis, Mrs. Karcher.

We'd like to speak to you for a minute, please.

Oh, about what?

Uh, it's about Larry.

Oh, you're friends of his from the department?

Yes, Ma'am. Well, come on in.

Thank you.

Well, make yourselves at home.

But I might as well tell you, I know what you're here about.

Now, your wives put up with your being cops

and you don't see why it should be my place

to tell Larry

to choose between his job and his family, hmm?

We're not here about that, Mrs. Karcher.

[CHUCKLES] Well, then, what are you here about?

Larry and I were...

...riding the morning shift together, and...

About 4:30, we received a call of a burglary in progress.

He's been hurt.

My God, how bad is it?

He died, Mrs. Karcher.

Wha...

No. No, not... No.

No, he was just quitting.

For the first time since he became a cop,

I'd stopped worrying about him.

Do you have any close friends

here in the building, Mrs. Karcher?

What?

Any friends?

Oh, uh, Marion.

Where does she live?

She lives next door.

I'll get her, okay?

[BREATH TREMBLING]

We were getting back together again.

He was going to work for my father, starting

in three weeks.

[SOBBING] Why did it have to happen now?

Why?

Was this his way of punishing me for making him quit?

[CONTINUES SOBBING]

I would've gone back to him.

I swear I would.

I loved him so much.

Oh, please, please, God, don't let it be true.

[WEEPING]

There's nothing without him.

Nothing.

Why don't you, um, sit down, okay?

[GUN FIRES]

Why is my mommy sleeping on the floor?

Emergency center, please.

[LINE RINGING]

How's he doing?

I don't know, Lieutenant.

He took what happened to Mrs. Karcher bad.

She's gonna be just fine, the bullet didn't hit

any vital organ.

How you doin?

I shouldn't have let her get close to me, Lieutenant.

That's the point they drive home at the academy, right?

"Never let a despondent person have access to your weapon."

Yeah, but, you weren't in uniform.

And no one would've known your weapon was there but

the wife of a policeman.

Yeah, it was natural for you to try to console her, Willie.

[SIGHS]

[SCOFFS]

I'm responsible, aren't I, Lieutenant?

Yes, I'd say you are, Gillis.

Was your fault, you made a mistake.

But cops do that from time to time. All cops.

No, it wasn't a mistake, Lieutenant, and it wasn't

a question of judgment.

He never pulled off one shot.

Now, I am telling you, Lieutenant, that rookie

is gun shy.

Now, he just might've gotten Karcher's killer

if he'd used his gun.

[CLEARS THROAT]

According to the report that Gillis handed in,

he never had a clear shot at, nor could he make positive

identification of, the target.

Now, that might've been the suspect, Gentry, or

it might not've been.

I'd rather Gillis do what he did than open fire under

those conditions.

Oh, sure, well, that sounds, that sounds great on paper,

Lieutenant.

But, it doesn't go down so smooth in the locker room.

There's talk.

Some of the men won't accept an assignment with Gillis

because they know he will not back them up when it

comes to a shoot out.

Now, let's put this thing where it belongs.

If you have any complaints against Gillis, you write

them up and file for review.

If not back off, Gentry.

And tell your locker-room buddies to do the same.

Older, find Webster and send him in here.

OLDER: He's on duty, Lieutenant.

Should be checking back any time now.

I'll send him right in.

RYKER: I wanna know about Gillis.

Well, go ahead and ask, Lieutenant.

Well, you and Danko know him better than anyone

else on the force.

Would you say he's a little slow on the trigger?

[CHUCKLES]

Yeah, I would.

I mean...

Yeah, I think Willie would rather not use a gun.

I think there are...

I hope there are one or two others around here

who feel the same way.

Me, for one.

Me, for two.

[DOOR CLOSES]

Hope you like, uh, cold cheese and burnt crust.

[CHUCKLES] This pizza just wasn't happening.

Oh, d'you make that yourself?

Mmm-hmm.

You better grab a piece before it's too late, Willie.

Uh, no thanks, I'm not hungry.

Are you trying to tell me something?

[CHUCKLES]

Hey, Willie, she's much better tonight.

She's gonna make it.

Oh, I know that, Jill, it's just that...

Well, I'm trying to figure this thing out.

There was something that happened in that

alley last night.

I just can't recall, I keep drawing a blank.

TERRY: Well, why don't we, uh, fill in the blanks?

Karcher went down, you heard footsteps.

That's right, but I couldn't see anything

after the lights were shot out.

Uh, how about the guys from the lab?

They turn up anything on the roof?

Mmm. A lot of dust and empty wine bottles.

Wine bottles?

Yeah, just before we left the unit we heard breaking glass.

Karcher said it was probably a drunk.

Mmm, not necessarily, Willie.

It could've been a suspect breaking a bottle to try

to divert your attention.

What are you saying, I shouldn't check it out?

No, what he is saying is that...

Why don't we check it out together?

But in the daylight, when we can see what

we're going after.

[CHUCKLES]

Yeah. Okay.

Doesn't look like anything's changed.

Yeah, well...

Not surprising, I don't think this place gets

too many visitors.

Where were you when it happened?

Right beside the car.

And, uh,

where do you suppose the sound of breaking glass came from?

[SIGHS]

I think right over in there, somewhere.

An old guy, short, gray hair, shriveled up like a prune.

Got about a week's growth of beard.

A wino, have you seen him?

Sure, pal, sure.

There's five guys in here that look like

that, take your pick.

No, this guy sleeps out in the alley,

behind Imperial Cleaners.

I looked out there, but I couldn't find him.

I looked down every alley for ten blocks.

Oh yeah, that's probably McPherson.

He was here, he just left.

Comes in here every day about this time, regular.

For a bottle of belly-wash I sell him.

I'll bet you 8-to-5 he's out in back right now,

downing that stuff.

Hey, what are you looking for Red for?

It's personal.

Wine bottle, cheap stuff.

Yeah.

Suppose it was thrown to distract you?

No.

Now, if it was thrown from over by the cleaners,

the glass would've spread out more.

Then it was dropped. Hmm?

Hey. Huh, wha...?

Think you ought to come down before you

fall off of this thing?

Came up here 'cause nobody usually bothers me here.

And I don't bother nobody else.

What do you do with your empties, throw

them over the side?

Toss 'em in the trash can.

Sometimes, I miss. [CHUCKLES]

You gonna bust me for littering?

Aw, no, no, no, no.

We just want you to, uh,

come down and have a little talk with us, huh?

Please, don't put me back in, I just done 90 days

and I don't have enough for bail.

Oh, no, no, just want you to come down and

talk to us about uh, what happened a couple

of nights ago.

Um, what's your name, anyway?

Red McPherson.

Red McPherson? Mmm-hmm.

Red McPherson, do you think you're steady enough to...

Come down? Huh?

Yeah, I can make it.

Okay, Let's try.

[GROANS] [BOTTLE CLINKS]

Careful. Yeah.

All right. [GROANS]

There you go, easy.

Okay. All right.

TERRY: Easy.

[GRUNTS]

Okay. [GRUNTS]

You saw it, didn't you?

Heard some shootin'.

I didn't see nothin'.

Did anyone climb this fire escape after the shooting?

Now, come on, Red, come on.

Did you see anyone?

RED: There! That's him!

That's the one I saw.

Wait here, Red!

[TIRES SCREECHING]

[SIREN WAILING]

[SIREN CONTINUES]

[ENGINE SPUTTERING]

Can you get it?

[ENGINE STARTS]

[TIRES SQUEAL]

[SIREN CONTINUES WAILING]

This is Ludlow Nine. We're in pursuit of

suspect in Karcher's murder.

[TIRES SQUEALING]

He's turning up the hill on Summit.

Suspect moving north on Summit.

Ludlow Nine, still in pursuit.

[BRAKES SCREECHING]

[SIREN WAILS]

Drop it!

Don't do it, Gentry.

You got a dead prisoner, Gillis.

Put that gun away. We're taking him in.

Get off my back, rookie.

That is the scum who killed Karcher.

Now, either you waste him

or get out of my way.

If you haven't got the stomach for it

then let a man do it.

You pull that trigger, I'll have you up on

charges, I swear it.

Why? He's no more than a vicious animal, don't

you know that?

What do you think he...

If he walks away from this because some

gun-shy kid couldn't...

He won't walk away from this!

Some smart lawyer will have him out in two days!

They're not gonna get this one out.

I've got an eyewitness.

I waited, just like you said.

But, I got thirsty.

I needed a drink, bad.

You're not them.

Who?

The policemen who told me to wait for 'em.

Sure, I am.

And you waited, just like I told you.

[CHUCKLING] Oh no, I didn't

I went off and got myself a bottle.

Now, you need a place to sleep it off.

And I'm gonna take you there.

They ain't gonna like it.

They told me to wait for 'em and you wasn't one of 'em.

Doesn't matter.

I'm gonna take you to the same place they were.

Nurse Danko? Yes?

You're husband's on the force, isn't he?

One of the night nurses told me.

Yes, Mike and Willie graduated from the academy together.

Are you happy being married to a police officer?

Yes, I wouldn't have chosen it for him, but...

It's what he does and what he enjoys doing.

That isn't what I asked.

Are you glad he's on the force?

I'm aware of the danger that he lives with.

And it frightens me.

Mrs. Danko.

You live with that fear.

But live with it deep in your heart,

don't ever let him see it.

And don't ever ask him to leave behind something

that he loves,

especially his work.

Because if he does,

he leaves behind a little bit of himself each time.

He dies a little bit.

Until...

[SHUDDERS]

Are you all right?

Yes.

[SIGHING DEEPLY]

Yes, I'm okay. I'll be fine.

I know you will.

WILLIE: Yeah, but when we got back to the

alley, he was gone.

Did you check the area? Everywhere.

Came up empty.

There's a bar around there somewhere called the Lowlife.

And we checked it. Peterson was in there

asking questions

just before we spotted him.

And the bartender only knows McPherson as Red.

Well, let's try R and I, name is familiar.

I think he's been busted here sometime.

Betty, please. $25?

Don't make me spend the weekend here.

I know Betty, but I just got out two weeks ago.

Mmm-hmm.

Two hours.

They'll let me out in two hours if you can

come down here with 25.

I know, Betty.

I'm sorry, but...

Betty?

Hello? Hello?

Mmm!

Okay, Red, come on.

Let me call my sister back, please. Lend me a dime?

One call, Red, unless you wanna call your lawyer.

I got no lawyer.

Oh. Is it time to eat yet?

Well, we hurry up and get you back to your cell...

I'm ready.

Did you tell her we can't release you till

you've sobered up a bit?

She knows.

I'm sure she does.

Why don't you use the time to catch a little sleep?

RED: After dinner.

[CHUCKLING]

Coffee first, dinner later.

TERRY: Male, Caucasian, 60-65, 5'11", 155, gray hair.

Well, we're not gonna get very far with Red, not with

a name like McPherson.

So, try the "Also Known As" file,

see if you can find anything there.

Well, Red, is a pretty common alias, Lieutenant.

There must be a thousand Reds in the file.

Well, maybe the right one is there, too.

We have no evidence.

Nothing to tie Karcher's murder to Peterson.

Nothing, not without that witness.

So, find him.

[SIGHS]

If you can't come up with anything there,

query the computer using every first

initial in the alphabet

until you find a description that matches ours.

I know we've arrested him before!

Hey, Gillis.

Where's your eyewitness?

We'll find him.

You better.

You'd better Gillis,

or you're gonna have a lot of Larry Karcher's

friends to answer to.

Starting with me.

And that's no threat, rookie.

That's the truth you're gonna have to live with.

[EXHALES]

[SCOFFS]

[TONE RINGS]

Yeah, this is Ms. Danko.

Hi, it's me. How is Mrs. Karcher doing?

JILL: Much better.

Good. Can she have visitors?

Why don't you give her until tomorrow, Willie? Okay?

Okay. Thanks Jill, see you tomorrow, huh?

Okay, bye-bye.

[INMATES CHATTERING]

My wife called the bondsman last night. [SIGHS]

Why does it take so long?

Ain't no judge gonna get out of bed at 3:00

o'clock in the morning.

Sign a rip.

You getting' out soon?

Yeah, but my bail ain't gonna be so easy to get up.

About a thousand?

[CHUCKLING]

Yeah, why don't you try 25, maybe 30, huh?

What'd they rip you off for?

Wasted a cop.

McPherson?

[KEYS JANGLING]

[DOOR OPENING]

GUARD: McPherson?

McPherson?

[MCPHERSON MOANING]

Oh, is Betty here?

Yep.

I don't know why, but she wants to take you home.

Let's go.

Go into the booking office.

Okay, you can see her for a minute.

But she's tired and she's still weak.

Thanks, just let me know when I should leave, okay?

Right.

Hi.

Hi.

Uh, Gillis, isn't it?

Yeah.

How are you feeling?

Oh, fine.

Mrs. Karcher.

Larry was a good officer.

He was always there when people needed him.

I know.

He liked people.

He always wanted to help.

[SOBBING]

And now it's me who needs his help.

And his daughter needs him.

[CONTINUES SOBBING]

I'm sorry.

[EXHALES]

I hear you have a suspect.

Yes, ma'am, we do.

But we don't have a solid case against him just yet.

Willie, do me a favor, please.

If he's guilty, get him for me.

Put him away, please.

Willie.

Um, I have to go right now,

but I'll be back and see you again.

Take care. Thank you.

Muren!

Who?

GUARD: Get your stuff together, you're going home.

Well, this is my first and last time in the bucket.

Hey, good luck, Muren.

Hey, listen will you do me a favor when you get out?

I want you to talk to...

[THUDS]

What are you doin?

The guy they let out a few hours ago.

That old wino, I gotta get him.

Or I'm dead.

Now, you get back in the bunk and you lie still.

Now, when they come later, you can tell 'em

I knocked you out, too.

Sure.

I'll lie back and watch you try.

[PAPER RUFFLING]

Muren, lets go.

Hi, hey. Hi.

You're running late. Yeah, I know.

You stop by to see Mrs. Karcher?

Uh-huh. How is she?

Very anxious for us to nail Peterson.

Yeah, I can dig it.

GENTRY: Gillis, you in here?

Yeah. He is gone, Gillis.

Who's gone? Peterson.

He made a clean break from the jail downtown.

So, now we got nothing, Gillis.

GENTRY: No eyewitness.

No cop-killer.

Nothing but you and your miserable little

bleeding heart.

You hear me, rookie?

You know what you did out near that bridge?

I am talking to you, Gillis.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

We got the message, so why don't you

just lighten up, huh?

No way, not now.

You know how many of us you might wind up killing, Gillis?

Well, what's that supposed to mean?

It means that we have to go out and bring Peterson

back in.

He's already killed one cop.

You think he's going to stop and think about

killing another one?

And you're blaming him for that?

He didn't open up that cell door, he didn't put Peterson

out on the street.

And he didn't kill him when he had the chance.

He didn't do it.

And he wouldn't let anybody else do it.

You're just gonna sit there?

Or are you gonna answer anything I've said to you?

[SIGHS]

You, uh, you really didn't say anything worth answering.

Oh, well...

Well, I'll tell you what then. Maybe you could do me a favor.

In case Peterson gets me...

Don't you be the one to tell my wife.

See, I don't want her with one of your bullets in her.

You'll do that for me, won't you, Gillis?

Don't you turn your back on me, rookie!

Hey, this isn't the end of it, I'm telling you!

We're gonna get it on one day, Gillis,

and there isn't gonna be anybody in the middle.

RYKER: There's a gymnasium in this building.

I'll let the physical training officer set up a time and

a place for the two of you.

Now is not the time, and this locker room sure

as hell isn't the place!

Now, bust it up. Come on. [CLAPS HANDS]

Danko.

I'm having Older handle the muster this morning.

I want you to drive me downtown

so I can talk to them about Peterson's escape.

Webster, have you come up with anything on this

McPherson character?

Yeah, his real name is Loy, Lieutenant.

He's a transient, his sister lives in the city.

Are you talking about Red McPherson, Lieutenant?

That's right.

Booked him for drunk last night just before

I went off-duty.

You mean to tell me he's been in the drunk tank down

at Division all this time?

Webster.

You and Gillis find this guy, or his sister, and

get a fix on him fast.

Danko, come on.

Hello, is this Betty?

Red McPherson's sister?

Yeah, well, hi.

Yeah, I'm a friend of your brother's.

I was in the tank with him last night.

Say, he left something behind.

$10.

Yeah, I found it under the pillow he was sleeping on.

I just got out myself and knowing Red...

Well, I figured he could use this kind of money.

You know where I could find him now?

Yeah, well, thank you, Betty.

Oh, I'll tell him.

Yeah, now don't you worry, huh.

No, I don't think he'll be bothering you anymore.

In fact, I know he won't.

You or anybody else.

You were asleep on your bunk and he hit you from behind?

Why would he need to hit you if you were asleep?

Well, not asleep.

Just, uh,

lying there with my eyes closed, you know.

He hit you on the back of the head while you

were lying on your side?

That'd be a little awkward, wouldn't it?

I guess.

But it put me under.

That must have raised quite a lump.

You better get the doctor up here, Danko.

Hey, hey. That's okay.

Uh, it's all right.

When did you get that $20 bill?

What $20 bill?

The 20 that we found tucked in the toe of your shoe

that you didn't have when you were booked.

Huh?

Accomplice to a jailbreak. That's a felony.

It's a shame.

DA told me this morning they cannot find probable

cause to file in your case.

Whish just so happens to be your initial burglary arrest.

We were gonna release you this afternoon.

Okay.

The guy gave me a twenty to lie there,

and later say I'd been slugged.

I didn't know I was no accomplice to a felony.

Did he say where he was going?

To catch up with this old drunk they let out

a couple hours ago.

Lieutenant, I've just got a hold of Red

McPherson's sister.

Says she dropped him off at the YMCA about an hour ago.

And, she says that about 20 minutes ago someone

called on the telephone

asaking the same questions we did.

All right.

We'll roll some units out there.

DISPATCHER: Ludlow Niner, Ludlow Niner.

From present position proceed Code 3 to Westside YMCA.

Murder suspect reported on premises.

This is Ludlow Nine rolling.

[SIREN WAILING]

Ludlow 12, back up Ludlow Niner, Code 3, over.

[SIREN WAILING]

[TIRES SCREECHING]

[SIRENS WAILING]

TERRY: Let's split up. We can cover it faster.

Peterson!

You okay?

Yeah.

You know, you could have saved us all a lot of trouble

if you'd have killed him over at the bridge instead of now.

It would have all ended up the same way anyhow.

No difference.

Difference is this time, he didn't leave us any choice.

I owe you one, Gillis.

[CHUCKLES] Forget it.

The kinda work we do, we all owe each other.

Yeah.

Thanks.

GENTRY: I'd better go have me a talk with Lieutenant Ryker.

WILLIE: Yeah.

Okay, we'll run by and pick up Jill and grab

a bucket of chicken.

And some beer. We're outta beer.

Yeah.

Yeah, well, I'll get the beer and I'll meet you there.

Get a lot of beer. Lotta beer.

Okay. That much beer.

All right.

Come on.

Gillis?

Hey, Lieutenant.

I guess we won't need this anymore, eh?

What's that?

Oh, I set it up with the boxing instructor.

I figured three or four rounds of Gentry would work

some of that steam off you.

Oh, yeah?

Yeah, it's just as well.

Even with his leg in a cast, Gentry could beat the living

tar out of you.

I, uh... I don't know about that.

Oh, I do. Gentry's not

exactly what I would call a fast thinker

but he's got one hell of a right.

Yeah, I got a pretty good left, you know.

Well, that's all right, Gillis.

I never thought of you as much of a fighter, anyway.

You're more of a lover, right?

What can I say?

Good.

That's what the world needs more of now, isn't it?

That's right.

See you around, kid.

Okay.

[THEME MUSIC PLAYS]