Original subtitles

I need your help.

How did the Union Fund disappear?

I have no idea.

The world is filled with wretched and deceitful people.

Watch yourself, Mr. Hammer.

Ward, give me some money.

Do you have any money?

And me?

You stay with that attitude and you'll get mashed like a penny on a subway rail.

Yeah.

There's a lot more at stake here than $2,200.

Well, not for me.

How would you like to kill some fish?

Hey, hey, what are you doing?

I'm going to do it!

Still, for me... It's gone!

I still can't stop up you!

You buy, try, try!

Well, I'll show them.

Take it over.

Okay.

That's what I want.

No, I don't care now.

Okay.

Yeah.

That's it.

That's it.

And it's just been one of those weeks that bears it clobber the giants.

I got held up at the track by a bunch of four legged thieves.

And Belda had decided to put an ad in the yellow pages, which would probably bring

in every bum or could walk with his fingers.

At least I had a handful of beautiful dolls.

Am I interrupting something?

No, really.

I hardly know.

There's a new client out there.

Somebody's found our listing.

Already?

What's it under?

Detective Agencies?

It should be best controlled.

I still say we don't need it.

Well, we do if we want to have business to pay for the new computer.

Belda, Private, I should stay private.

Her name is Ruth Baylor.

Be nice.

I know.

She's a paying customer.

Mr. Tanner.

Mr. Hammer.

I need your help.

Well, come in.

Sit down.

What could I do for you?

My husband, Sam.

I don't know how to say this.

It's all right.

Take your time.

My husband, Sam.

He worked on the docks.

He was killed.

Killed?

A mugging.

They say it was street gangs.

Sam was killed for a few lousy dollars.

I'm sorry, Mrs. Banner.

Have you talked to the police about this?

I've already reported it.

That's not why I'm here.

It's Sam's pension.

You see, I haven't been able to get it from the union.

And I need it to bury him.

Sounds like you need a lawyer, not a private investigator.

But to sue takes so long.

No one listens to an old woman, but if you could talk to them for me.

Don't you have any children?

We lost our boy in Vietnam.

How much money are we talking about?

Twenty-two hundred dollars.

There was more that Sam had to pull most of it out when I was sick.

I can live on the Social Security.

But the funeral expenses are...

I hope you understand.

I don't want anything that isn't coming to me.

But Sam worked so hard.

Okay, Mrs. Banner.

I'll talk to the union.

About your fee.

Oh, I usually let Belda handle my fee.

Belda, what's our fee these days?

It's usually twenty dollars an hour.

Well, this is ladies' day.

Let's make it ten bucks an hour, okay?

How long do you think it will take?

Not half an hour.

No raise this week.

It's closed.

Can't you read union members on a lot back here?

It's all right.

I'm not a member.

I told you it was a close.

You're open now.

What are you guys doing, roasted marshmallows?

Hey, wait a minute, buddy.

I want to see Sam Banner's files.

Why?

The union owes him twenty-two hundred bucks and I want to collect you.

Here they are!

On behalf of multinational assets control, I'm exercising our

right to terminate the union management of the pension fund.

What?

Who are you?

As per paragraph nine of the limited trust agreement, I'm the new manager,

Kathleen Wilkins.

This is in order for the seizure of all assets and records.

Go ahead.

Help yourself.

I'm trying to talk to you.

You're not connected with the union, are you?

Sweetheart, I don't even own a union suit.

My name is Mike Hammer and I'm a private investigator.

I was up there trying to collect some money for a friend.

Well, Mr. Hammer, my company, multinational

assets is the name trustee of the pension fund.

Can they come up with twenty-two hundred bucks?

It's a little more complicated than that.

Management of the fund was signed back to the union treasurer.

As the fund's auditor, I advised against it.

Good advisor should have taken it.

Who's the treasurer?

I'm going to find that out.

There's a lot more at stake here than twenty-two hundred dollars.

Not for me and not for my clients.

Well, look, maybe we can help each other.

I doubt it.

Thank you, pal.

Keep the change.

Look, nobody plays in the cheap seats on this one, Mr. Hammer.

You won't find that money by yourself!

I needed a fresh place to start, so I went to Sam Baylor's wake.

Maybe in death I could find a new beginning.

Mrs. Baylor's right inside.

Thanks.

How's she holding up?

As well as can be expected.

Mr. Hammer.

How did things go?

Well, I'm afraid it's going to take a little longer than half an hour.

Excuse me.

Sam Baylor was a stubborn, hard-nosed, gold-wricking union man.

Anybody says different.

He's as big a liar as he was.

His wife said that the union tried to cheat him out of his pension.

Do you know anything about that?

This is the pension right here.

A whole lot of nothing.

I'm trying to get Sam apart of it back.

You weren't getting nothing from Victor Panasetti.

Victor Panasetti?

Yeah.

He runs a restaurant uptown.

It's supposed to be running the pension plan.

We bled it dry.

Most of the long-timers were on the old plan.

He closed it down for reorganization.

Sam said they stole it and he could prove it.

Make waves like that.

A man could wind up dead.

Do you think Sam was murdered?

Sam had a problem with his mouth.

He couldn't.

Keep it shut proper.

Victor Panasetti had a place on 8th Avenue called Vic's Restaurant.

The rats that hung out there were not the kind

they could be stopped by the Board of Health.

Hello, Hammer.

I'm Victor Panasetti.

I've been expecting you.

I can see that.

Nice dogs.

Is that training or does it run in the family?

You can't breed loyalty.

No, you gotta buy it.

Right to the point, huh?

I like that.

I don't like pressure, Hammer.

And I don't like complication.

And you're giving me both by interfering with official union business.

Like embezzlement.

You know how I spell relief?

M-O-N-E-Y.

Please, Sam.

Sam Baylor lost his pension when you're funfolded.

I want $2,200 for his widow.

See, the fun you're talking about, I was an investor.

I lost too.

I'd pass the hat for you, but I'm afraid I'd never get it back.

I might even help the widow out with a couple of hundred, huh?

Hey, I don't take checks.

Especially yours.

You stay with that attitude and you'll get mashed like a penny on a subway rail.

Now, is that nice?

Talks,

everybody listens.

He

said her here on A&E.

The subway ride back to my office gave me a chance to catch up on the latest graffiti.

Still haven't come anywhere near Mrs. Baylor's $2,200.

There you

go.

There's a Kate Wilkins in your office.

Ever since you put us in the book, anybody walks right in.

Be pleasant.

I already accepted her retainer.

What are you going to do after this?

Start in your wing?

You got a prejudice against money?

Only what it does to people.

I can understand.

I don't like everyone I work with either.

What does that mean?

We're working together?

Vell told me about Sam Baylor.

I got some information you might be interested to know.

Yeah, like what?

Like the Union has no assets.

What happened to him?

Here's my guess.

You got a dollar?

Give it to me.

This is currency.

I give it to the bank.

They loan this dollar maybe two or three more to somebody else.

That's credit.

Real wealth.

With a credit they can transfer more money in

30 seconds and can be moved in cash in a year.

I'm not chasing numbers.

Just cash.

So am I.

But I have about 48 hours to cut through a tangle of blind companies, dimeing

accounts, and deaf authorities before it disappears forever.

How much money are you talking about?

22 million.

Maybe more.

The entire fund.

Is my 2,200 in there?

You bet.

I'll help you get back your 2,200.

You help me get past the muscle guys like Panasetti.

Victor Panasetti?

You know him?

We had lunch together.

That was Pat on the phone.

Barrington wants to see you right away.

Thanks.

Well Miss Wilkins is like this.

I'm in this because of a sweet lady named Ruth Baylor, Sam Baylor's widow.

The money that's coming to her and how she got to be a widow in the first place.

Those are my terms.

You agree to them, we can work together.

He always liked that?

You should see him when he's upset.

What's going on?

I'm a busy man and I don't have time to babysit him.

Which is what I'm forced to do when a man like Victor Panasetti keeps calling me.

So take a vacation.

I'd like to.

What is the big deal about Panasetti anyway?

He's a very powerful man.

Oh, he's a sleaze ball.

I'm not talking about the quality of his character.

I'm talking about his influence in this town.

And semantics aside, you have a knack for rubbing the wrong people the wrong way.

Well, it makes for a great fire.

I should do it more often.

Listen, Panasetti's two goons tried to break my back down at the union hall.

They may be the same guy as you murdered Sam Baylor.

Like, what's this about a murder app?

Sam Baylor is following a waterfall in his pockets cut open.

I get ten muggies like this every night.

I'm telling you, Pat, it was a sanctioned hit.

Says who?

It's in the air.

I'll bring over the pigeon.

It's like a large radioactive cloud.

I'm not without proof.

What do you want me to do about this, huh?

Bring up the streets, bring in Panasetti's people.

Oh, you got names, huh?

Panasetti's got a whole army on you.

You won't have any trouble finding them.

They are very well marked.

Apparently you didn't hear me.

I said, don't call this number.

I'm sorry, Mrs. Hofstadter.

I had no idea.

Forgive me.

It would be my pleasure.

Who was that?

Mrs. Mildred Hofstadter.

For you?

Who's Mildred Hofstadter?

That figure, I've been trying to get to meet her for years.

She calls to see you and you don't even know who she is.

Well, tell me who she is and I'll introduce her to you.

She just happens to be one of the most powerful people in this town.

She's the executive director of several major

corporations, including multinational assets control.

She owns three department stores, two square

blocks in Midtown Manhattan and a dozen banks.

I think she's good for $2,200.

Mildred Hofstadter lived on Long Island, or maybe she owned it.

I've never seen a castle before, but this was what they were supposed to look like.

And the queen was receiving.

Hello, I'm Mike Haber.

I'm here to see Mrs. Hofstad.

Madam is expecting you.

I take your hat coat.

No thanks.

Mr. Hammer, how good to meet you.

Mrs. Hofstadter?

Kate's been telling me all about you.

The special prosecutor can be something of a lead in the house, can't he?

Well, you certainly got the lead out of it.

Well, I was pressed for time.

I couldn't very well let Kate hire you and then

lose you to the New York Police Department.

Yes, Miss Wilkins works for me.

Oh, really?

Brandy, Mr. Hammer, you look like a brandy man to me.

Oh, no thanks.

I'll take a beer.

Ruben, bring Mr. Hammer a glass of beer.

Say the glass, Ruben.

It's a nice collection.

You interested in nomusmatics?

You miss what?

Old coins.

Oh.

Many people have fortunes, but nobody has coins like these.

Take this one.

For example, 276 B.C.

The Emperor Claudius, the Elder, a despotic tyrant.

Struck this coin to commemorate the glorious

victory of General Marcus Grocus's legions.

There are only two in the world.

Do you have any idea how much this is worth?

You wouldn't want to use it to make a phone call.

Gold coins.

So intriguing.

Real money is hard to find.

It always ends up in somebody's pocket.

Sometimes you with it.

Mrs. Hofstadter.

I'm only looking for Sam Baylor's money.

$2,200.

Of course, Mr. Hammer.

Of course.

But altruism can be an expensive habit.

Sometimes the young overlook the obvious.

The world is filled with wretched and deceitful people.

Watch yourself, Mr. Hammer.

Follow the money.

My money.

I approve your choice, Kate.

Strength to your arm, Mr. Hammer.

You too.

Bring me back my investment.

Somebody is out a few million bucks.

You seem to live pretty well.

Businesses go bankrupt, but the clever business people don't.

It's a new game.

It's a ragged, not a game.

Penisetti said that the money went to the Atlas Trust Company.

I trace the wire transfers.

Atlas Trust was just a brass plaque company.

It doesn't exist.

No, it's just a name on the wall on the Cayman Islands.

They fold it in the money evaporated.

So where did they move their assets?

Good question.

You'll learn fast.

Atlas Trust is just a name that's still going to be somebody behind it.

Who runs a company?

A man named James Vernon.

He's a very elusive figure.

He lives on his boat.

There's a rumor he's doing New York, so I have a trace of money.

Find out everything you can about a guy named James Vernon.

James Vernon.

Should I know the name?

I'm not sure you live on the shady side of Dunham Bradstreet.

Any new clients the last hour?

I know, just a new plant.

How's Kate Wilkins working out?

Okay.

I'll just throw it off.

I can trust her.

I'll talk to you later.

This is driving me nuts.

I don't understand that.

It is easy.

Sam had his money here.

The pension fund.

Right.

Now, Panacetti takes the pension fund money and he invested someplace offshore.

Brass plaque company.

Correct.

Now, the Atlas Trust Company goes belly up.

And the money disappears.

Wait a minute.

That means that Panacetti and his friend burned her bankrupt.

But the money is out there somewhere.

Sam and the other pensioners are broke.

Right.

Sam is dead.

Oh.

So you think there's motive in there for murder one?

Mike, even you don't know what you just told me.

What about those two guys that I found?

Now, that buys up to you.

Nail Panacetti and I can collect Sam's 2200.

How are you going to collect something you can't even find out?

Hey, a lot of bucks for the last frosting.

Mike, help us on the phone again.

Thanks, honey.

Good news or bad news?

Your man Vernon lives on a yacht, the Columbiana, South American Registry.

He seldom sets foot on shore.

He's at sea the year round.

That's good news?

I save that.

The ship is currently anchored in New York Harbor.

Now, that's good news.

And

Polish teak wood deck on up.

I wanted to find out if he was hiding anything below decks.

Is this the Columbiana?

Yeah.

Is James Vernon here?

That's none of your business, please.

Yay!

Investment is a gamble.

There are always more losers than winners.

Cosinos don't give money back.

And bezelmet isn't a game of chance.

I can force a settlement.

There's nothing to settle.

I have lawyers working on it now.

subpoenas, legal depositions.

I'm going to stick to this boat like a barnacle.

There's no port in the world that is able to exclude barnacles.

Take your best shot, Wilkins.

I like heat.

It helps keep my tent.

I'm glad to hear you like the heat, brother.

The hell are you?

Call the harbor patrol.

Well, you're at it, Carl.

You might call the blood bank.

Mike, what are you doing here?

I was about to ask you the same thing.

I came here to talk about the Atlas Trust Fund.

What are you doing here?

You've got ten seconds to get off this vessel.

You've got nine to come up with Sam Baylor's $2,200.

Mike, please let me handle this.

Why, listen to you.

I want to hear him.

I couldn't help you even if I wanted to.

I would be admitting that I had some responsibility.

Maybe you do.

How did the Union funds disappear?

I have no idea.

You got any idea who murdered Sam Baylor?

Who's Sam Baylor?

Look, this isn't going to help us any.

That's the harbor patrol.

If they have to carry you off this craft, it's going to be the jail.

If they have to carry you off it here, pal, it'll be at a plastic bag.

Mike, you don't understand what's going on.

Believe me.

Why should I?

I wanted to think I could trust Kate.

But it didn't help that she was in all the right places at all the wrong times.

Hello?

Hello, Mr. Baylor.

Mike Hammer.

Listen, there's no easy way to say this, but I think your

husband died because he had evidence of pension fraud.

Have you ever talked to you about that?

Not really.

I was just putting some of Sam's papers and things away in the basement.

Would you mind if I had a look at some of those papers?

Not at all.

All right, good.

Listen, I'll be over there in a few minutes.

Don't talk to anybody and lock your front door, okay?

Yes.

It's about Sam's pension.

It's about Sam's pension fraud.

It's about Sam's pension fraud.

Sam Baylor's killers had come for his widow.

Fortunately, the only body that was left behind was one of theirs.

Somebody could have saved themselves a lot

of trouble if they had just paid the $2,200.

You want to receive a citation from population control?

You got it?

I guess this is the same team in Nail Sam Baylor.

Yeah, you might be right.

Professional hitter, that's for sure.

He carried no ID.

Mike, we found this bug monitor in his pocket.

Is there anything to you?

Yeah.

I mean, this guy was keeping tabs on Panasetti.

This partner is probably long gone by now.

I'm going to put out an APB to see if I can find any sightings.

I'll talk to you later.

You know what's getting older, is Mr. Hammer?

Not letting go of things.

Hanging on to memories.

Turning your home into museums, instead of giving this stuff to folks could use it.

Mr. Baylor, did Sam own a computer?

Good Lord.

No, Sam couldn't even use an A machine.

What'd you find?

I'm not sure.

I need to find somebody who can translate this into English.

You mind if I take it?

No.

Thanks.

I'll be in touch.

It was late at night, and I was tired.

But this was something that couldn't wait.

Do you know what time it is?

Time to prove you're on my side.

These belong to Sam Baylor.

I think somebody tried to kill his widow in order to get them.

Why?

You tell me.

Here you go.

Thanks.

Okay.

These are statements.

The rest are fun records accounting printouts.

This is beautiful.

What is it?

Sam Baylor deposited a few dollars a week for

maybe thirty years with only one major withdrawal.

His wife was sick.

He withdrew a little money from his account to cover her medical expenses.

Yeah, he took out twelve hundred and sixty-five dollars.

Right.

And that left him with a balance of two million three

hundred thousand four hundred and twelve dollars.

What?

It seems that at the exact moment that Sam Baylor made his withdrawal, his account

number was being used to transfer over two million dollars to three BDT-214.

What's that?

An account in the Bahamas.

A guy sticks nickels and dimes into a pension fund for thirty years,

then one day he finds himself with a balance of two million bucks.

And the next day, he's dead.

For the past six months, there have been wire transfers of

over two million dollars in and out of Sam Baylor's account.

You multiply that by six hundred legitimate

accounts, you've got a hell of a way to make money.

Banks legally have to report all transfers over ten thousand dollars.

The fund didn't, or I would have seen it earlier.

Six hundred accounts, we're talking a billion dollars.

But the twenty two hundred was calculated separately.

That's why none of the transactions showed up on any of the statements.

Okay.

Until someone slipped up.

Oh, I got too greedy.

My guess has been a city.

Remarkable work, Mr. Hammer.

Kate was right to hire you.

Protect her.

When I make my inquiries, it's going to get very dangerous.

Greed and desperation make violent companions.

I can take care of myself.

Don't worry, Mrs. Hopps.

She's in good hands.

The banks can't let a man like Vernon go down easily.

It's too risky.

The domino principle, plus the profit.

Do you have an idea what the Swiss make on a one billion dollar credit transaction?

A quarter of a percent.

That's two and a half million on a transaction

that takes twenty nine seconds by computer.

Well, you certainly have a way with numbers.

Well, you certainly have a way with women.

You mean Mrs. Hopps better?

Excuse me, Mrs. Wilkins.

Is this Mr. Hammer?

Yes.

Some guy said was important.

Thanks.

Thanks for the ride.

Yeah, I'll check with you later.

And listen, uh, keep your door locked.

What's the matter?

One of your dominoes is teetering.

Panaseti seemed a little nervous.

He wanted to talk to me.

After my last visit with Victor Panaseti, I never

thought I'd be welcome in his restaurant again.

But his message that he wanted to see me made me

think he was going to lay something on the table.

Besides, Abby Pasto.

Panaseti!

Mr.

Harmon.

Captain Pat Chambers, please.

One moment, please.

Captain Chambers.

Pat?

Yeah.

Panaseti's dead.

What?

Since what?

I don't know.

How long does it take for a baked potato to get lukewarm?

What?

Victor Panaseti had been a man of high power and low connections.

If somebody could kill him, who would they go for next?

Sitter, here on A&E.

I call Kate Wilkins a couple of times, but nobody answered.

So I decided to stop by to see if everything was all right.

It wasn't.

All

the paramedics and headed straight for Vernon's boat.

I could use a little air and a lot of answers.

Is it safe, huh?

The Bahamas have beautiful this time here.

I'll be back around.

During hurricane season.

Like you got a storm brewing right here.

Hammer.

Look, whatever it is, we can work this.

Like you worked things out for Panaseti, huh?

I don't kill people, Hammer.

I kill companies.

How would you like to kill some fish?

Hey, what are you doing?

What are you doing?

Let go of me.

It's going to cost you $2,200.

I don't carry cats.

Yeah.

What?

Give me some money.

Well, I've got us a couple of hundred.

If you owe them, man.

What?

I never had more than had money.

50 of that will do.

Do you have any money?

Not me.

And I'm actually...

I'm a business, man.

Nice ring, Vernon.

Hey.

Take your hands off that, man.

Sure.

The coin on Vernon's ring gave me what I was looking for.

There were only two like it in the entire world.

And I knew where I could find the other one.

Mr. Hammer.

What a surprise.

I didn't expect to see you.

No, I'm sure you didn't.

I just thought I'd drop by and pick up Sam Baylor's $2,200.

Those coins are extremely rare.

I don't think you appreciate their value.

Arrancy?

I appreciate that.

Kate Toffy.

Yes, she would.

Believe me.

Her loss saddens me.

Losing $22 million saddens you a lot more, doesn't it?

Insignificant.

But the accounts.

600 legitimate accounts through which I could move my money.

A flow of money unobserved by governments.

By investors.

By competitors.

A conduit through which I could ensure the secrecy of my financial transactions.

I don't think you realize how valuable that is.

I'm not too good with numbers, Mrs. Hofstadter, but I can count three people dead.

Panissetti should never have allowed your Mr. Baylor to get to the records.

Stupid.

Stupid men get greedy.

Vernon should have denied Panissetti access.

Couldn't keep his hands off the fund.

It seems as if we're beyond negotiation, Mr. Hammer.

You're not going to shoot me, Mrs. Hofstadter.

That would be first degree murder.

I would put you away for life.

You know, right now things don't look so bad.

Even though you ordered the hit on Panissetti and Sam

Baylor, you didn't actually pull the trigger yourself.

As far as Kate is concerned, you don't have

to worry about her because she's still alive.

So that's only attempted murder.

Of course, you might not like prison, Mrs. Hofstadter.

They don't wait on your hands and foot.

Days are long and the nights are longer.

But with time-off or good behavior, they can let you go in 60 or 70 years.

And I'll be waiting for you when you get out.

If I can wait that long.

It's

all right, brother.

Mrs. Hofstadter is retired for the evening.

Thank you, Mr. Hammer.

Sam would be so happy.

It's that the shame he couldn't be here to share it with you.

It was all time.

I'll be all right.

Too bad the young lady was hurt.

Oh, she's going to be fine.

At least she found out where the money went.

These coins look so old.

1612.

Do you think it's still worth anything?

Mrs. Baylor, I suggest that you take these coins down to a

coin dealer and have them transferred into regular currency.

Mr. Hammer, I've kept a record of your hours.

And at ten dollars an hour, it comes to nine hundred and seventy-five dollars.

Don't worry, Mrs. Baylor, you take care of the funeral first.

Well, I have to pay you when I can.

Thanks.

I'm sure I'll be hearing from you.

Nice to meet you, Mr. What's your pleasure?

Sorry, Fowler, I'm going to put it into my name.

One thing about empty pockets, they make you feel a lot lighter.

It wasn't too long before I got a nice postcard from Mrs. Baylor.

She was off the coast of Florida on a yacht, hers.

Maybe there's a little bit of justice in the world after all.

Tonight, biography draws the legendary fiend of the dark London streets,

out of the shadows and into the light.

Jack the Ripper at Hadestir 9 Pacific.

Now, a card shark lures Remington to Las Vegas, where his reputation is at stake.

Next on A&A.