Original subtitles

The detective said you had something important to tell us.

There was a girl in the car with him.

There's evidence she'd set up an elaborate plan

to have their pictures taken together.

-She'll handle it. -Sure, she'll handle it.

They've already killed two. What's one more body,

just because she's a good-looking cop who can dance?

Drop the arm, Billy. Get some clothes on, slut!

Hey, buddy...

I don't know, bill. He's a male Caucasian, 30 to 50.

He may or may not be Edward littel.

-That's all? -That's all,

if you sit on four or five sticks of dynamite.

This is definitely a fixer-upper.

Mm-hmm.

[Whistles]

-They're waiting for you. -I know.

I saw George daner. No, thanks.

-Oh, he's a winner, isn't he? -Oh, boy.

The guy who blew this sure knew what he was doing.

Well, somebody certainly didn't want the driver I.D.'D.

Then how do we account for a wallet...

In the pocket of a guy, alone in lovers Lane,

- waiting to be blown to bits? - Wait a minute.

He wasn't alone.

-Hmm? -The finger.

Looks like a clean print intact.

The blast rammed it into the upholstery.

But you still can't tell it's his?

Well, I can say it isn't, unless he used red nail Polish.

Sergeant, thank you for agreeing

to this private meeting.

The damn press have a way of painting very sordid pictures

about politicians these days.

You must forgive us.

Somewhere along the way, we Van dykes had the idea...

That whatever we did was acceptable to people

simply because we chose to do it.

Well, sit down. Sit down.

Mrs. Littel, the night of your husband's disappearance,

did you have any plans?

No. No, I was busy at the, uh, governor's committee all day,

and Edward was into some crime organization investigation.

We had no idea when we'd be free.

You're an attorney in his office, aren't you?

Well, only occasionally now. We just had our first child.

Is it possible that your husband's disappearance...

May have had something to do with the case he was working on?

Everyone knows that George daner is as tenacious,

if not more so, than Edward.

It would be silly to think that harming either one of them

would stop any investigation.

Then he had no special plans... business or personal?

I'll have one of my people brief you on Edward's complete file.

Sir, I don't want a public statement.

I'm just looking for a lead.

Father, please. No. No special plans.

Sergeant, I have a feeling that you have not yet said

what you brought us here to tell us.

No, ma'am, I haven't.

Is it very bad?

I don't know. I'm not sure.

You don't know?

Frank, what is it?

I'm sorry. There's just no easy way to ask for medical records.

You found him?

Well, uh, we can't be certain till we've done an autopsy.

Oh, no! No! No!

Father, please, make them let me see him.

-Please. -Easy, honey, easy.

Take it easy, sweetie.

How did it happen?

His car was destroyed in an explosion.

Somebody set a time bomb to go off after he drove away.

-From where? -We don't know.

That's why I was asking the questions.

We don't know where to start.

Was anyone else hurt?

No. He was alone.

We had an argument that day.

It was all about the wrong things.

I mean, he was about to die.

We should have been fighting about my love affairs.

But, you see, he was my only lover.

[Sniffs]

We will...

Would have been married seven years...

This... this month.

And we planned a trip.

He wanted to go to the orient, and I said I wanted Europe.

And he got angry and he left.

Oh!

What a stupid reason for an argument

on the last day of your life.

Sergeant, my son-in-law was a political Maverick.

Who knows what this is all about.

My sons' careers? Our family name?

He never cared.

Well, at any rate, a call from you,

as leads develop, before the press...

And, of course, the results of the autopsy,

would be appreciated.

I'm sorry. All I can give you is the results of the autopsy.

I explained.

We have a very peculiar problem.

Yes, I know. You have sons,

and you're worried about their careers.

Well, I have people, and I'm worried about their lives.

I can't tell somebody our step-by-step movements.

I'm gonna keep this thing as quiet as possible

until we find out what it's all about.

Thank you, sergeant.

Frank.

[Door closes]

Frank: Crowley.

-Yeah? -Why did you say

littel was alone?

I don't know. A hunch, I guess.

There's a lot of activity around your office.

I want to know about it, sergeant.

There usually is a lot of activity

around my office, George.

He was my boss. He was my friend.

I've got every right to be told what you know.

Know what, Mr. Assistant to the special prosecutor to the mayor?

That bugs you, doesn't it?

That Edward littel and I are gonna help you clean

some of the scum out of this city.

Hey, George, if you need any help cleaning up the city,

Gladys is terrific. Honest.

That's it.

Paris Palmer. Age: 26. Black. Dancer.

Arrested 14 times. All minors.

Paris Palmer, huh?

She's got a beautiful face, even in a mug shot.

Last known address...

All right. Hey. Hey. Enough. Enough.

Next. Next! Come on.

All you have to say is no.

You don't have to stomp their heads in.

All right, girls. Thank you all.

No more for today. Come back again.

Oh, miss, no more auditions for today.

♪♪ Oh, I'm looking for a friend.

Well, you call information, huh?

Her name is Palmer. She works here.

Paris Palmer.

What's yours?

Flaxey.

Dupree.

Paris invited me here.

She split.

Some square John came into her life

and they walked off together into the sunset.

Oh, no. You've gotta be kidding me.

Will you give her a message for me?

She won't be back.

- How do you know? - Look, you write her a letter.

No more auditions for today.

Oh, some friend.

She calls me and says, "hey, flaxey,

come on out here and unwind with me."

So I give up this great job at cattlemen's in Reno, to this.

To play to an empty house. Thanks a lot.

Now what am I gonna do?

You any good?

[Sighs]

At what?

Well... i enjoy myself.

If you're good, it's an advance.

If you're not so good, it's called a donation.

You got my kind of music?

Music!

-She's got something. -Yeah.

She's got a direct connection to Paris Palmer.

Call Reno. Check her out.

Colie, are you crazy?

You wanna die?

Call.

How is your free time?

Like, for private parties?

No way. I call my own shots.

You forgot your audition fee.

You can keep it. I don't need it.

Double or nothin'

if you've got less than 10 bucks in your purse.

One, two, three, four. I win.

Let me give you a hand.

Got a room?

Did you eat lately?

Let me buy you a drink.

I'll take some coffee. It's safer.

Last person I saw chow down like that was 12 years old.

That's my boy. David.

He was gonna be a warrior, like his namesake.

If he'd lived.

He was a nice kid. Always happy, laughing.

Sometimes, if I try real hard,

I can even hear him laughing now.

You got a funny way about you.

Ten minutes ago, I wanted to kill you.

Now?

Now I'll give you a few minutes more.

Look over on the wall there.

See all those pictures of the athletes?

They hang them up there because

you can hit a ball or tackle somebody.

But if you're born poor,

you've got to make do with what you have.

And I have a "way", like you said.

Well, sir, Mr. Andrew Simms,

thank you for the food and the company.

Will I see you tonight?

Hi.

Thank you.

This is kind of a custom for, uh, new employees.

Hmm. A toast to, uh, to what?

Better times, baby.

And you deserve them.

For a small-town saloon keeper from Alabama...

Whoa, whoa! Tennessee. Please.

You got a pretty good line.

You got a pretty nice smile.

Uh, it's a lot easier for me...

If we keep it strictly business, okay?

Okay. Fine with me.

Let's talk business then.

About those private parties, it's still no, thanks.

Is that what Paris was into?

She pulled her weight, yeah.

Uh-huh. Well, not me.

Listen, all you do, you take a few pictures with a dude,

kind of souvenir of his trip.

You get a nice slice of the bread,

which I believe you can use.

Oh, I'm rich. Remember? I've got 105 bucks.

And your smile gets nicer all the time too.

Mr. Simms, sir, there are two things I want...

A good job and to be left alone.

And a little champagne now and then.

Mm-hmm.

I heard you were workin' in a stable. I didn't believe it.

Come on, flaxey.

This used to be my husband.

He still acts that way every time he gets a chance.

Billy dupree, this is my new boss,

Andrew Simms from Tennessee.

I got a paper says he shouldn't bother me.

That paper didn't take nothing away from me.

- Drop the arm, Billy. - Get some clothes on, slut!

Hey, buddy...

- Cool it, will ya? - Just take your hands off of me!

Come on.

What's the big deal? We had a little argument.

There's also a restraining order

keeping you away from your ex-wife.

That's what I get for going into that barn.

You know if Paris Palmer worked there?

-You talkin' to me? -I'm talkin' to you.

Don't touch me! Don't touch me!

Paris Palmer. You know if she worked there?

I don't know. Maybe I heard my wife mention her.

Yeah, well, Florence baker, a dancer down there,

just mentioned she's missing. Do you know anything about that?

Yeah? Ask this creep.

Hey, creep, what'd you do with the body?

You...

There's not enough teeth in this comb

to dent a mashed potato sandwich.

-Can I use yours? -Uh, uh-uh.

Wh... what kind of disease do I have?

I just don't lend my comb to strangers who, uh...

-Well, you know. -Who what?

Who come on big with the boss.

- And in the first round too. - Now, just a second.

He followed me out of here this afternoon.

Well, he sure followed the way you came on with him.

-Ohh... -Come on. That's enough.

Let's go. Let's walk it off.

I'd say you got him nervous.

And you've got his fingerprints.

- You must like the place. - I was just leaving.

Can I buy you a cup of coffee?

No, but you can buy me a drink.

-What'll you have? -Uh, white wine.

-Ed, white wine. -Very dry.

Very dry.

Put on that new tape, all right?

What's this?

You think I was kidding about moving uptown?

You remember that coffee joint we were in the other day...

That had the pictures of ballplayers on the wall?

Well, this is my team.

This is where I'm gonna play.

Someday.

I'm making contacts all the time.

You going to set a mood?

I'm gonna try.

May I? Come on.

Don't be worried.

I wouldn't lay a glove on you in a crowded place like this.

How'd you ever make a mistake like that...

Marrying a punk?

Oh, it was easy.

He was saying what you're saying.

He was going places.

- Only then I was a believer. - The difference is, I mean it.

Like I mean it when I say I'm worried.

-About Paris? -Yeah.

I mean, I'm really worried about her,

how nobody can find her. She...

You know, she could even be dead.

And here I am, dancing with her boss.

Yeah, but I'm alive. You're alive.

Excuse me. I...

I got a little problem.

They work you over?

Where's Florence?

The girls took her out to sober her up.

-Now, you leave her be, macon. -Oh, my.

You're worried about one lush now, huh?

What difference does it make, colie, after what we did? Hmm?

The difference is that we were forced to do the other thing.

They got my prints, colie.

You know what happens if those prints go to the right place?

I'll get them pulled. I'll call my friend.

Don't tell me about your friends.

You are talking to your friend, colie.

Those others ain't gonna keep you

out of the gas chamber for five seconds...

Unless we run from here, and I mean now.

I'm through riding the rails.

I got everything set here, and nobody's gonna spoil it.

You realize it's almost 4:00 in the morning?

You can't even get your friend during the daytime, colie.

Mm-hmm. The prints really shook him up.

Macon just came in looking like a ghost.

Well, that must mean he's got a big secret someplace.

We'll just have to find it.

Yeah.

He did. Right.

Uh, okay, doll. Crazy. Call you tomorrow.

You all right?

-Where's Simms? -Inside.

Simms: So what?

He was her guy.

He's dead six days.

Paris is missing six days.

They were going out that night.

Honey, honey, just...

I'll get a cab.

Let her go.

Come on.

You see her handle that knife?

We're walking it off.

A deal like Paris has... that's all I want.

A big, expensive pad where they never see trash like us.

Florence, is she all right?

I... I don't know.

You mentioned her pad. Do you know where it is?

Uh, yeah.

Florence, I want you to go there.

-Talk to the doorman. -Taxi?

Ask him, is she okay?

Then get in touch with me and let me know.

Doorman. Sure.

As long as the rent's paid,

nobody gives a damn about anybody.

Do it, honey.

Well, where to, ladies?

Uh, 1427 amberson.

So you'll lock up, boss?

I'll take care of it, ed. Good night.

You handle a knife like no dancer I ever saw.

I learned how to stay alive.

Somebody said it was important.

How about you?

What's that mean?

You're in some kind of trouble.

You talk about life, big times ahead,

but you're scared about something.

I'll get out of whatever I'm into.

What are you into?

I said I'll straighten it out.

Come on. Let's get out of here.

This place gets me down sometimes.

What do you mean, you lost the girl?

-I got zapped. -You what?

I mean I got my skull tapped.

Does pepper know?

No, not yet.

Bill, I think there's a good chance we were overheard.

Pete, you'd better cut her in on it.

I can't. She split with the man.

-How's pepper? -She's onto it.

Yeah. She'll handle it.

Sure, she'll handle it.

They've already killed two.

What's one more body, just because

she's a good-lookin' cop who can dance?

Especially since most of our people who go underground

are hit by people who never even know they're wasting a cop.

Sure, she'll handle it.

Well, now, I just got word back from Reno.

Flaxey dupree worked there. Yes, sir.

She got into a thing with a customer.

Customer made a pass at her, so she pulled a knife and cut him.

Some friends got her out of town on the red-eye.

Boy, you are crazy.

I told you to leave Florence be.

I just took her away from that cabbie, that's all.

Tried to get her to walk it off.

[Sighs]

She wouldn't stop screaming, colie.

And cars kept going by.

I started to shake her, but she jumped off that bridge.

-Hey, bill. -Yeah?

We found some shoes and some dresses.

And some men's clothing.

And some very expensive suits, size 42.

That's interesting.

-How's your skull? -Better, thank you.

Now, this girl and this man.

-Her, huh? -He bought the apartment.

Did he actually pay the money?

She was just moving in with him, you know.

Uh-huh.

Has anybody else been by?

Yes. Here.

When did he come by?

Yesterday.

He said he was staying out of the case.

The argument that my opponent presents is that I am rich,

my father is influential and my brother is governor.

He says we're building an empire.

But we are rich because my great-grandfather started

in this country with a line of beaver traps

and a shed that barely kept him from freezing to death.

And if he were here now, my brother-in-law, Edward littel,

he would admit that he had those dreams, too.

What brings you here, sergeant?

I came to see a politician.

-Which one? -You.

Why didn't you tell me that Edward littel was

running around with a dancer?

You refused to deal.

Deal? What are we doing, trading votes?

You back my highway and I support your bridge?

I thought you wanted to find the killer.

I do. That's why I'm here.

I know you'll vote for the man that you think

will do the most good for our society.

He's going to milk Edward's death.

Bet.

Thank you. My father.

Who heaves a sigh of great relief

now that Edward is swept under the carpet?

You mean, kill one of their own?

He was not one of their own.

He married one of their own.

He hated what they were doing.

He wanted to bring them down.

He said, power corrupts, in the hands of a godfather

or a Jonas Van dyke.

And you refuse to help me get them.

Van dyke wants to control the facts of this case

for his reasons. You want to control them for yours.

- I mean, what's the difference? - You know my motives.

No, I know that Edward littel is dead, and now that he is...

You get all the publicity out of that political thing...

You call the special prosecutor's office.

That's what I know, friend.

[Sighs]

Looks like your passenger.

It certainly is. Or was.

-From up there? -Yeah.

What's that?

It's a bruise.

Looks like somebody hit her with their fist.

That's exactly what it looks like.

It looks like she might have been hit,

and then was pushed or fell.

That place is running out of girls.

-She was only 23. -Huh.

She sure did a lot of the wrong things in 23 years.

I didn't think she'd go this far.

She didn't, pep.

Somebody belted royster and grabbed her.

Macon.

Or Simms.

It wasn't Simms.

He was with me.

Yeah, well, he could have come back later and wasted her.

He was still with me later.

But all he wasted was his time.

[Whistles]

Bill, here's the make on Simms.

Well, if you hadn't gotten "Tennessee" out of him,

we'd still be looking for him.

"Louis Montgomery, alias Larry macon.

Convicted, murder two."

"Colie Simon, alias Andrew Simms.

Convicted, murder two."

"Both escaped road gang 20 years ago."

I wonder what the circumstances were.

They killed somebody. Does it matter?

Not to their victims, no.

Telex said they got some other inquiries recently.

From where?

From the special prosecutor's office.

Daner?

We can't ask, can we?

No, we can't.

That would tip us.

That'd tell them what we're really onto.

Pep, you're closest to it. What do you think?

I think after that many years they might be told to gamble

on beating extradition.

So we'd have tipped it for nothing.

But on the other hand,

if word got around the late Edward littel's circle...

That a cop is holding Simms' hand,

somebody very important might get nervous,

if there is a somebody.

So dial. Okay?

George daner. Tell him sergeant crowley.

George, this is all you get.

The girl was in the car with him when he died.

Thanks for driving around with me last night.

Thanks for the tour of the city

and all those high-class restaurants you want to own.

What are you reading?

"How to travel the right way."

Where are you going?

No place.

I just like to read sometimes, when I'm down.

I took it off one of your shelves.

-Do you mind? -No, no, no.

Does it help?

It takes me places I've never been.

-Like New York? -Oh, I've been there.

How about the casinos on the French riviera?

Anyplace I want to go. Like you.

Yeah, they're together now.

They're in the parking lot talking.

The police made me look at Florence.

Now, don't worry.

I won't let them bother you anymore.

No, you'll just send macon after me.

I've done a lot of things, and I will probably go to hell,

but it will not be by your hands.

Things are getting rough, bill.

Let her know you're there, Pete, but don't burn it.

Roger.

Taxi!

Sergeant.

Mr. Van dyke.

Certainly speaks well for Mr. Littel...

To be remembered by so many friends.

Yes, but unfortunately,

most of them are only here for us to remember.

That's why they came.

Everyone, this is sergeant crowley.

Hello.

My father tells me you can't be pushed around.

Well, I don't think your father's trying very hard.

The detective said you had something important to tell us.

Yes, sir.

There was a girl in the car with him.

-Who was she? -A dancer.

He had bought her a condominium on amberson Avenue.

How long have you known this?

Since the morning after we found the car.

What was she like?

Well, she was pretty, young, black...

All right, all right, there has to be a logical explanation.

You know the sources Edward used to get his information.

It won't hurt your campaign or mine.

Well, whatever the prosecutor's reasons,

the girl had reasons of her own.

There's evidence she'd set up an elaborate plan...

To have their pictures taken together.

We also found a recorder.

The tapes are missing, but we're looking for them.

Good lord. How unfortunate.

That Edward had a mistress,

or that you're up for re-election this year, Jonas?

Christina, we were a family before I got into politics...

Or before you met Edward.

We're still a family.

I'm sorry, Jonas.

There just has to be something else in this world for us to do.

Something just very ordinary.

Can't we handle this deal quietly?

What do you mean? Bury the inquiry?

No. No, we wouldn't want that. Just slow it down.

Look, I came here to tell you what I know before

the press gets on to it. That's all I can do.

You absolutely refuse to understand our position.

Look, you don't understand mine.

It may not be as awesome as yours, gentlemen,

but it's all the position I got.

You know, when someone you love dies,

the sun should go dark for at least a little while.

Mrs. Littel,

who in the special prosecutor's office...

Would make inquiries to the out-of-state police?

My husband, George daner, any attorney on staff.

Why do you ask?

Well, there's the chance...

Your husband was using the girl in some sort of investigation.

While having an affair with her?

Apparently so.

Strange.

I met Edward, I fell in love with him,

lived with him, had his child,

and yet you know the things I could never see.

Well, you see, I've got an advantage.

I've got an agent working in the same place

where the dead girl worked.

She does all the digging for me.

My mama told me a lady of breeding is full of surprises.

You don't answer that number you gave me.

Then you call me.

Mr. Simms, you and I are beyond folksy homily.

Our arrangement was clear.

Edward's name was not to be tied to that girl's.

It won't be.

Unfortunately, your ambition outstrips your ability.

The police already have evidence that she died in the car.

Where did you hear that?

We went over every inch of that car.

We worked all night.

Do you have somebody new in your employ?

Well, I see you have.

That person is a police officer...

And at this moment looking for the tapes

Paris Palmer made with my husband.

Find them first.

-Tapes? -And photographs.

Your pretty young dancer was very enterprising.

You should have made her your partner.

No way. No way.

Paris Palmer was a nice little hustler,

but she didn't have the brains to even turn a tape recorder on.

You are unfortunately mistaken about that too.

Somebody's been using you and still is.

Where'd you hear all this?

The police sergeant who planted the agent.

They got nowhere to go,

so they're gonna start baiting suspects to see where it leads.

And you led 'em here.

No, I made sure I wasn't followed.

And the car is rented.

You go home, Mrs. Littel.

You're safe.

Not even macon knows enough to hang you.

I'm the only one who knows that. But I won't.

Because you're going to start doing some of those favors

we talked about, starting with macon.

The cops have got his prints.

And if he's in trouble, I'm in trouble.

And if that happens, what I did for you falls apart...

Because I start to sing.

So you'd better stop them from looking into him.

And when that's done,

well, then we'll talk about the other favors...

You're going to do for me.

So long, babe.

[Gunshot]

[Car engine starting]

You're a cop. You're a lousy cop.

No. Put... put it down.

Police emergency. This is sergeant Anderson.

Request ambulance, 237 river street.

Gunshot. Make it fast.

I was born on a floor, but it was dirt.

This one's got carpet.

I guess I made a little progress.

It was Christina littel who shot you, wasn't it?

I'm gonna make it.

I'll pull through.

I'm making good contacts.

Christina had access to her husband's office.

That office contacted Tennessee police

and asked questions about you.

She was the only one who knew I'm a police officer.

Andrew, where did you meet her?

How? What did she have you do?

My mama used to say, suffer pain with pride.

Live with pride.

Do good things.

I tried to do that.

Andrew, I need dates, places you met.

I gotta have them.

Andrew.

That is nice.

Have a question.

Am I gonna...

Am...

I don't know.

Louie.

I told you to leave her alone, boy.

Macon goes free. That's part of it. All right?

I can only guarantee him to the door.

Okay, Louie.

You go on out and see all those places we talked about.

Come on. Don't you fret about that, boy.

Don't fret yourself, colie. I'll do it.

Andrew, you're our only way to get to Christina.

You always wanted people to say, "there goes Andrew Simms.

He did something special."

Do it now.

Tear her down to what she really is.

When littel got mixed up with Paris,

I tried to put the arm on him.

He just laughed.

So I went to her.

Family name, all that.

She was too smart for me.

She went and got those old charges against me.

Brought 'em to me.

She said, "kill him,

or you spend the rest of your life on a chain gang."

She knew I'd do it.

She just held out the brass ring and I...

Hey, lady cop, what's your real name?

Pepper.

That's not lady enough... for you.

He just died.

We will get her, won't we?

I don't know, pep. All we've got's a voice on tape.

Guarantee you one thing... we'll sure try.

I hate winter out here.

It never gets cold enough and it doesn't stay warm enough.