Original subtitles

(catchy instrumental theme music)

(somber saxophone music)

- OP-1 to 4-Adam-30 I'm in position.

What's your location?

- Roger 30, we just pulled into an alley

east of Sixth.

Do you have an ops on our man?

- Not yet.

Wait a minute.

Here he comes, doing his thing.

- Ah, roger OP-1, how does he look?

- [Blonde Woman] Classical.

If the beat cop comes by,

we're gonna have to rescue him from the drunk tank.

- I put out a code five on him,

so he should be safe for now.

But the Jack Roller we're after...

Is one bad actor with an awful wicked knife.

And he makes his hits hard and fast, so stay awake.

(somber saxophone music)

- OP-1, our man's settled in.

(ominous instrumental music)

OP-1, heads up 30.

We've got a possible.

Male, Caucasian, 6'3 or 4.

230 plus.

He's wearing a light blue shirt over tan khakis,

he's making a move on our man.

- Sounds like our Jack Roller.

- Wow, this guy is big.

Really big.

He's going down.

- Police!

Oh, do you think you're bad?

Try it.

- Not today, man.

You ain't gonna shoot.

- 4Z16, officer in foot pursuit.

(police sirens)

(suspenseful instrumental music)

- Get the hell out of the way!

(tires screeching)

(police sirens)

- 4-Zebra-16, officer down.

Requesting an ambulance.

(police sirens)

- [Olderi Police Officer] Are you okay?

- Yeah, I'm fine.

You should've seen it, my half gainer

was a definite 10.

(chuckling)

- You took a really bad header.

- I shoulda had my tail kicked

for not taking that turkey down.

- With King Kong there you needed

Lyle Alzado as a backup.

- Yeah, well thanks anyway for taking up the slack, Hooker.

- Hard head, consummate cop,

he's always gotta be numero uno.

- Yeah well I tell ya, I got a numero uno headache here.

- You're going into the hospital.

- Oh, I'm fine.

- No argument, you're going in for a checkup.

That's an order, hotshot.

- Put your head down, come on.

(ambulance sirens)

- Audrey!

Audrey, you home?

Audrey?

Audrey?

Audrey?

Oh no!

Oh, Audrey, no!

Oh no, no, no!

(somber saxophone music)

- [Dispatcher] 4-Adam-30,

meet Detective O'Brien in alley behind 219 East Fifth.

187 on a female transient, possible strangler killing.

- 4-Adam-30, roger.

(suspenseful instrumental music)

- [O'Brien] Hooker.

- We were in the area working drunk roll detail.

Number four?

- Yeah, street name's Audrey.

- Another rag picker.

Same MO, Lieutenant?

- It's crazy.

- Yeah, mass murder is crazy.

- Not so sure anymore.

There are counties torturing and killing their own people,

governments sending children off to war.

Where is the sanity?

- Well kid, since you put it like that...

Maybe a mass murderer fits into this world kinda neatly.

- Who found the body?

- Says the won't talk to anyone else but you, Hooker.

Get me what you can, huh.

I'm resourceful, not inventive,

and I don't have clue one on these stranglings.

- [Hooker] Millie.

- Hooker.

You don't think Audrey would mind, do ya?

If I made use of her bottles, I mean.

- [Hooker] No, I think she'd want you to have them.

- Was Audrey a good friend, ma'am?

- Well, she was someone to talk to.

Maybe that's as good as anyone could expect

down here on the road.

- Millie, if you can think of anything that might help us,

we wanna nail the person who did this.

- This neighborhood has never been meaner, Hooker.

Life down here gets tougher,

and these stranglings...

You said if you could ever help me...

I think I still have a sister in Jersey.

The address is in there.

Promise me, Hooker.

If anything happens...

Just promise me, Hooker.

Please.

Please.

- Her whole life's in here.

Doesn't seem like much.

- Doesn't take much when you have

memories that go with it.

I remember when I first met Millie.

I had just busted a gypsy on a pigeon drop scam,

and along came Millie.

She grabbed my call box keys

and she put in a help call,

saved me from ending up three for three.

- Sounds like my kinda lady.

- Well Millie's not your typical rag picker,

she's a survivor but not at someone else's expense.

- You wonder how somebody like her

ends up where she is.

- Well not for the usual reasons.

Drugs, booze, inability to cope.

Millie...

Simply doesn't have anyone or anywhere else to turn to.

She lost her son in Vietnam, her husband to cancer.

And...

Like a lot of other people...

She's all alone.

- This strangler, you think he's gonna hit again?

- If we don't stop him junior, you can count on it.

- For as long as I've been a homicide dig,

I've gotta confess.

I never got used to autopsy.

- These the ligatures?

Parachute suspension cord.

- The same kind of cord the strangler used

on the other three victims.

- Surgeons and locking knots.

- The coroner says it's used as a surgical suture knot.

- Maybe this strangler has a prior medical background.

- I've seen those knots applied to uses

other than medical.

Only I can't put a handle to it.

- Could you put a handle on this guy for me?

Name is Clovis Glover.

Street name "Joker", did five of eight for manslaughter

in the strangulation death of his ex-wife.

- Some joker.

- Well, he's the only strangler suspect I have right now.

The computer kicked him out on an MO run

through NCIC.

And Vegas PD wants him for questioning

in connection with several strangulations of their own.

And I wanna talk to the man about ours.

- What makes you think the man is in town?

- Well, an informant of mine dropped a dime,

said the man almost never misses a matinee at the Bijou.

- You mean the main event?

- Yeah.

Isn't it a shame what they did to that old theater.

- And that leaves at 2 o'clock,

just enough time to go fight city hall.

- Yeah, later.

- See you Lieutenant.

- Corrigan, James.

- [Blonde Cop] Jim.

- Hey Stace, how goes it?

- How bout you?

You feeling okay?

- Ain't nothing to it, back in business.

Doctors at Central Receiving gave me a clean bill

and the full return to duty slip.

- Are you sure?

- It was just a scab wound.

Hey you know me, my head's too hard to crack.

- In more ways than one.

Are you positive you're okay?

- I'm great!

I said so, didn't I?

Hey.

How bout you fight...

And I'll ride.

(suspenseful instrumental music)

The Cuban, by the fence...

Pull over.

Good morning.

- No speak English.

(speaking in foreign language)

- And when you answer it, let's do it in English,

cause I'm not gonna buy the no speak English bit, okay?

- Okay.

So what you want, man?

I wasn't doing nothing.

(speaking in foreign language)

I'm in no mood for no stinking ras...

- This here is a jailhouse tattoo.

Number says you're a refugee from a Cuban prison gang,

that your criminal specialty is strong arm robbery.

Probably little old ladies.

What do you say to that hombre, huh?

(speaking in foreign language)

- Jim!

Jim, back off, back off damn it!

What's the matter with you?

Back off!

Jim...

It's me, Stacy.

- He's crazy, man!

Tried to kill me!

And I'll sue you!

- Are you okay?

(speaking in foreign language)

Get the hell outta here, now!

Come on, come on.

- Sergeant Hooker, I'm sorry but I'm running late

for the city council meeting,

you'll have to excuse me.

- Ms. Gerard, I'm not a closet social worker, I'm a cop.

I've seen with my own eyes what happens

to people like Millie.

- I understand what you're saying,

but you must understand that there are more important

things on our agenda than finding a home

for one little old lady.

- I'm trying to keep this one little old lady

from slipping through the cracks.

- Look, if it's just a matter of finding her

a place to live, why not try the missions?

The detox centers?

She's a wino, isn't she?

- No, just one of the lost.

- Ms. Gerard.

The missions and detoxification centers

aren't really set up to take in women,

and then only on a temporary basis.

- Just exactly what is it you expect me to do?

- [Young Officer] You head up the community

redevelopment committee, right?

- Yes, so?

- So...

The city has projects geared for winos,

but no aid programs for the other indigents.

The helpless, the homeless.

- Gentlemen, I'm not Wonder Woman.

- Look, tackling city council isn't easy

and this issue doesn't happen in political glamor but

we're here because we care

and we thought we'd find someone who'd make a difference.

I hope it wasn't a wasted trip.

(dramatic instrumental music)

(catchy jazzy instrumental music)

I'm glad you guys could make it.

You think you could give us some backup?

- [Jim] As always.

- [Stacy] What you got?

- Possible 187 suspect.

I'll talk to him about the stranglings downtown.

His rap sheet says he carries a .45,

but I'd like to take him down nice and quiet.

(cheering)

(loud whistle)

(cheering)

(catchy dance music)

(clapping)

(cheering)

- [Clovis] All right!

- Let's do this nice and easy, pal.

(cheering)

- Everybody get down, get down!

- Be cool!

(intense instrumental music)

- Hold it!

- One move and she's dead meat.

Get out!

- Hold it!

(intense instrumental music)

- It's me, Hooker!

It's me!

For God's sake, get a hold of yourself.

(somber saxophone music)

- So you like to watch mud wrestling, huh?

- Yeah, turns me on.

Very artistic, you know?

- Would you call cats fighting over litter box rights

an expression of art, too?

- Why not?

- So, what made you take up this kind of work anyway?

- I like body contact.

(chuckling)

- Excuse me.

- First it was the federal housing agency.

Then it was the rich owners,

and then it was the health department.

This latest excuse isn't gonna fly.

Tell her Sergeant Hooker called

and that I have found a parking ticket

that has gone to warrant.

With the name of Sybil Gerard.

Uh huh, that's right.

And I'd appreciate a call back.

Thank you very much.

- Threats now, huh?

- If she doesn't do something for Millie,

I'm gonna make a promise.

- How's it going with Glover?

- I told you, I done choked my old lady dead, all right?

But I had nothing to do with them stranglings,

and I'm not about to take a fall

because of your caseload neither.

Like I told you, I don't know nothing

about them downtown stranglings.

- [Hooker] Same old song.

- Lousy singer.

- You'd look better if you swallowed a toad,

what's bothering you?

- This scuzzball here is an ex-con with a gun.

He kidnaps a hostage, GTA's a ride,

comes close to killing you...

Why should I care if he ends up taking some extra lumps?

- For the same reason I do.

Excessive force is just that.

- I have no argument with reasonable force...

- It's not just that, isn't it?

It's something else.

Something's bugging you and Stacy.

Come on, you got an itch?

Scratch it.

- Okay, come on.

Stacy told me she and Jim shook down

a Cuban con this morning,

a prison gang member.

Turned out to be a full blown hassling.

Jim came down hard on the guy

just like he jumped on Glover.

She said he just sorta went a little crazy.

- Well she's his partner, maybe he's got a personal problem.

- He told Stacy nothing's wrong.

Figured we oughta talk about it now

rather than talk to internal affairs later.

- I need an approval on my arrest report.

Am I gonna be riding a beef?

- Oh, Glover's not gonna press the issue.

- What about you?

- No complaints from personnel.

- I tell ya, I don't know what happened.

I mean I just, I kinda went blank.

Next thing I know, you're on top of me hollering.

I swear, I don't know what happened.

- Yeah well, it's been a long day for all of us.

You just correct the mistakes in your report

so I can sign it,

and we'll get out of here.

- What mistakes?

- Altercation, hostage, other spellings errors.

You also omitted some words and some incomplete sentences.

- I don't hand in bad reports.

- O'Brien's sure that Glover's not the strangler.

- Glover is stonewalling,

he may even have an alibi in Vegas on two of the slayings.

- Detectives are gonna go back to their computers...

- And we're going back to the streets.

We'll double the number of black and whites

in the area where the crimes have occurred,

and put more officers in the streets on foot.

Maybe that'll do it.

- You don't sound too enthused.

- Well, this strangler's a different kind of animal.

And I'm certain that the difference

is on the inside, not the outside.

- Ah, most of the time that's all a street cop's

got to go by, the outside.

- And we don't do too bad.

Jim...

I told Jim that there wouldn't be a beef to ride

on this Glover thing...

But I just can't leave it at that.

- I saw him writing out that report...

You could almost see him fighting

to hold onto his thoughts, what's going on?

- I don't know.

I'm gonna have to find some time,

maybe away from the job to talk to him about it.

- My suggestion is you do it sooner rather than later.

- Yeah.

(ominous instrumental music)

(intense instrumental music)

- You see, usually a killer such as the strangler

comes from a broken family,

and as a child has suffered physical, emotional,

and sometimes sexual abuse.

Now, as to the aspects of first garroting

and then binding the victim's hands behind their backs...

I would have to conclude that it's in some way

connected with his own abuse.

- Did you get a hold of him?

- He didn't answer his calls,

so I talked to his landlady...

And at first she tried to cover for him,

she said he had left earlier this morning.

Then she said there was some kind of trouble.

- What kind of trouble?

- She wouldn't say.

- But the desk said a unit was dispatched

last night to Corrigan's place,

on a see the woman 415 call.

The officers logged it, but no complaint was filed

and no report taken.

- What's going on?

That isn't like Jim.

- The person who is responsible for these killings

is mentally ill,

beyond any accepted definition of sanity.

And that's about it.

Lieutenant?

- Thanks Dc, for the psychological profile,

but I gotta add...

The suspect we have in custody, Glover,

is weak at best.

So be heads up.

I think we still have a crazy out there.

- Has this officer suffered any injuries lately?

Particularly to the head.

- As a matter of fact, he did take a bad fall.

- Well that could explain it.

The sudden and violent explosions of anger,

the clumsiness, the minor problems

with spelling and writing.

- See, the officer we're talking about

is one of the best.

- Well, it's only an educated guess

but the symptoms could indicate

episodic dyscontrol syndrome.

- What?

- Well it's kind of a rage, an explosive rage.

And it's controversial.

Experts in the field of psychiatry and neurology

disagree that it even exists.

- Well, getting two or more doctors

to agree on anything new

takes an official act to the AMA.

- It's kind of like getting the cops

to agree with the state Supreme Court.

- Let's talk real possibilities here.

- Well if it is EDS, I'm afraid there's no cure.

Only drug treatment.

But the symptoms that you've described

could also indicate a malignant tumor or it could be AVM.

Arteriovenous malformation.

- Look, these are 100 dollar words

you're slinging around,

give me something I can bank on.

- Well the only good word about either condition

is that some cases are not only treatable

but curable.

- Well that's something at least.

- Whoever this officer is, Sergeant...

He or she needs help as quickly as possible.

Before they hurt themselves or someone else.

Or worse, before someone dies.

- Thank you, Doctor.

You two team up.

I'm gonna take a run by Jim's.

(ominous instrumental music)

Corrigan.

(knocking)

Jim.

Jim, it's me.

Jim it's me, Hooker.

- Hooker.

My God.

What the hell happened?

- You need help, man.

- Hooker, what's going on?

- You've had an injury that

may or may not be causing these sudden fits of anger.

- What are you talking about?

- I talked to Doctor Kincaid.

We talked about episodic dyscontrol syndrome

and some other big word brain disorders.

- Episodic what?

- It's usually caused by an injury to the head,

like a bad fall.

- Listen to yourself.

I'm one of the best damn cops in this department.

You tellin me I've gone bonkers, looney tunes?

- Look around you, man.

You need help.

- Help?

To end my career?

What you say Hooker, you're talking about my life here.

I'm a cop!

If I can't control, if I don't maintain,

that's it, I'm finished!

If I'm not Joe the boss of my mind and body, I'm nothing!

I don't have a problem!

- Let's say you do.

Let me help you.

That's all I wanna do.

- No!

- Help me, Hooker.

I'm scared to death.

Please...

Please help me, help me.

(ominous instrumental music)

- [Young Kid] I'm sorry, sorry, sorry!

- [Woman] You're always sorry, always sorry, sorry.

You won't do that again, will you?

- [Young Kid] I promise, please don't tie my hands again.

- [Woman] Bad little boys get their hands tied.

- [Young Kid] Please, don't!

I won't do it again!

Cross my heart and hope to die!

Please, you're choking me!

- [Woman] I oughta let you die, you ain't good for nothing.

(saxophone instrumental music)

- [Millie] Help!

Police!

Help, police!

- That watch foot beat was out on patrol,

came back to their parked car,

there she was, sitting in the front seat, shaking to death.

Said she wouldn't talk to anybody but you.

- [Hooker] She's been here all night?

- Kinda got lost during change of watches.

The day desk crew just found her

in the holding tank.

- Somebody's gonna get talked to.

Millie, you okay sweetheart?

- He tried to kill me, Hooker.

- The strangler?

- I couldn't see his face.

But...

I saw his boots.

I saw them.

My boy, Kevin.

He wore those same boots in the army.

- Stace.

She's in bad shape, how do you feel about

babysitting at your place?

- Well what am I supposed to tell my boyfriend, Hooker?

I mean we have advanced past the handholding stage,

know what I mean?

- Well, tell him that she's your grandmother,

come to town for a few days.

- How many days?

- Until Ms. Gerard comes up with something.

- Okay.

How's Jim?

- I called in some favors.

He's at the University Medical Center.

(somber piano music)

- [Woman] I oughta let you die, you ain't good for nothing!

I oughta let you die, you ain't good for nothing!

I oughta let you die!

- And now...

You're all gonna die.

(intense instrumental music)

- [Dispatcher] 30, meet 4-W-10 at the Sixth Street

railroad yards on a DB call, code two.

- Roger, control.

- Same MO, same parachute cord,

same old same old, except now the body count's five.

At least we have a witness that can ID

a righteous suspect.

- Vibrant sole, it's a good clue.

Now all we have to do is find the guy with the boots.

- Hey, how many people do we have

walking around blousing their boots

like a paratrooper honor guard, eh?

- Well, I can name a couple of army airborne divisions

for starters, but I think our man

is ex-military or would like to have been.

You know the type.

- Yeah, a fantasizer.

One who seems himself as something he never was

nor ever could be.

- And attaches himself symbolically.

- A la the blouse boots bit.

- Anyway, it's a theory.

- How many army navy surplus type stores are there

in this area?

- Post Exchange near the bus depot,

Sherman Surplus over on Santee.

- Post Exchange, let's start there.

It's closest.

- We get all kinds in here.

Skinheads, straight out of boot...

Walk in here, slick sleeve,

go out of here looking like ol' blood and guts itself.

Figuring that will impress somebody, you know?

- I figure our man is ex-military.

- Yeah, well, the vets...

They come here looking for something they've lost.

Most of the time they're just praying

they can forget about it all, but they can't.

(chuckling)

Then there's the 4-Fers.

- The 4Fers?

- Yeah you know, the guys who wanna be John Wayne

or Audie Murphy but never could or would.

(chuckling)

- Well like we said, this guy wears his boots bloused.

- Yeah, well that's common.

You know, paratroopers.

- But it's not common for a civilian to tuck his pant legs

into boots with ladder laces.

- Yeah.

That's why I remember the guy.

- What guy?

- The guy with the blouse boots, Rigger.

- The who?

- Rigger, that's his street name,

on account he used to pack parachutes in the army.

- That's it.

I was in R&R out of 'Nam,

in Hawaii, bumming and slumming with a parachute

rigger friend of mine from the special forces group,

he used to tie everything with surges and locking knot.

His boot laces, his kit bag, everything, habit he says.

It's a habit because he used the knot so much

in packing parachutes to become a habit.

Where can I find this Rigger?

- He's around.

He stops in now and then, you know, tells war stories.

Strange kind of duck.

You know, if you ask me...

I'd say his parachute failed to open, and he bounced.

(somber piano music)

- Arteriovenous malformation.

Isn't that one hell of a mouthful

for subcranial hemorrhage?

You know what that means?

- From what you've said, it means you have a chance.

- Yeah, sure.

I can pop pills the rest of my life,

take a disability pension.

Or I could let them open up my head

and try to cut out the problem

in which case they can make a zombie out of me.

- The Corrigan I knew never gave up without a fight.

- Hey, I'm no quitter.

- Then prove it.

Give yourself a chance to live.

- Hooker, it's Millie, she's gone.

- What happened?

- I came back from shopping and she was gone.

- She's probably headed back for the road.

Come on, I'll communication, get an APB out on Millie,

Stacy pick up a car from detectives,

I'll need you in the field.

- Hey Hooker.

- And keep hotshot here out of trouble.

(suspenseful instrumental music)

- [Dispatcher] All units standby for an APB

on a missing 187 crime witness.

Individual is one Mildred Jensen,

described as a female Caucasian, 62 years, 5'3 inches,

105, wearing a gray sweater, blue dress, black hat.

If seen, stop and detain for 4-Adam-30.

(suspenseful instrumental music)

- There?

- Yeah.

- I think we had her.

- Cross my heart and hope to die.

Cross my heart and hope to die.

Cross my heart and hope...

- Police, stop!

Stacy, take care of Millie!

4-Xray-16, an attempted 187 just occurred

on the APB wanted witness Jensen.

- [Dispatcher] Suspect is described as male Caucasian,

5'10 inches, 180 wearing a green fatigue jacket

and bloused combat boots.

Last seen running southbound from Lincoln Supply.

- We can intercept off of 60.

(suspenseful instrumental music)

- [Dispatcher] 4-Xray-16 is in pursuit of a 187 suspect,

now driving a blue Dodge truck.

Adam-Oceanboy-619 headed Eastbound on Sixth.

(suspenseful instrumental music)

4-Xray-16 is now in pursuit of 187 suspect

headed eastbound in riverbed.

(police sirens)

(suspenseful instrumental music)

- Get him out of there.

(loud explosion)

Now give it up, you've got no place else to run.

- Then it ends right here, now!

- It doesn't have to!

You need help!

- Help?

You see, I had to kill them.

- [Hooker] Come here.

- You don't care, nobody does.

I had to kill her.

My mother died before I could kill her.

That's why they had to die,

that's why they all had to die!

- By the end of the week,

this warehouse will have been converted

into a 150 bed facility for the homeless indigents

who here too far have been hopelessly lost

amid the shards of the alien skid row existence.

- Consummate politician.

- This project which I may add,

I have conceived with great pains,

has come about--

- Speaking of great pains, how you doing Jim?

- You know me, the consummate fighter.

- The doctors put us into shock.

They said when they opened your head

they actually did find some brains.

(laughing)

- Hold on you guys, here comes Millie.

- Mildred Jensen.

A forlorn soul benevolently chosen by me

as one in need of adequate shelter.

Mildred here...

Kevin, where's Mildred?

- I don't see her, do you?

- Has anybody seen Mildred?

Does anybody see Millie?

- I do.

- Is it okay for me to be here?

- Of course it is, it's visiting hours

for family and friends.

- [Sybil] Millie?

Has anybody seen Mildred?

(catchy instrumental theme music)