1
00:00:04,404 --> 00:00:06,235
She didn't get shoved off a cliff,

2
00:00:06,306 --> 00:00:08,866
because she wasn't supposed to get shoved off a cliff.

3
00:00:09,009 --> 00:00:11,000
Are you saying someone tried to hurt Susan?

4
00:00:11,144 --> 00:00:12,975
Why's somebody trying to take you off?

5
00:00:13,279 --> 00:00:15,543
Because I've been nosing around the Dave Kruger case.

6
00:00:15,615 --> 00:00:18,277
You don't want a detective. You want a bodyguard.

7
00:00:18,451 --> 00:00:19,509
Chicken?

8
00:00:19,786 --> 00:00:21,686
Well, of course. Goes without saying.

9
00:00:21,788 --> 00:00:24,780
But you're a private investigator. Why don't you carry a gun?

10
00:00:25,058 --> 00:00:26,821
Because I don't want to shoot anybody.

11
00:00:27,060 --> 00:00:28,994
I thought you didn't like to shoot people.

12
00:00:29,162 --> 00:00:31,562
I don't shoot it. I just point it.

13
00:00:31,664 --> 00:00:32,756
Did you get through to Becker?

14
00:00:32,999 --> 00:00:34,967
Yeah. He said he'd get as much help as he can.

15
00:00:36,403 --> 00:00:37,768
We got a boat angling in on us.

16
00:00:45,045 --> 00:00:46,876
ROCKFORD: <i>This is Jim Rockford.</i>

17
00:00:46,946 --> 00:00:48,413
<i>At the tone, leave your name</i> <i>and message.</i>

18
00:00:48,481 --> 00:00:49,505
<i>I'll get back to you.</i>

19
00:00:50,650 --> 00:00:52,117
<i>Hey, Jimmy, it's Cousin Lou.</i>

20
00:00:52,185 --> 00:00:53,812
<i>Gonna be in town</i> <i>a couple of days,</i>

21
00:00:53,887 --> 00:00:55,252
<i>know you won't mind</i> <i>putting us up.</i>

22
00:00:55,321 --> 00:00:58,688
<i>It's just me and Aunt Cissy,</i> <i>and B.J., and the kids,</i> <i>and little Freddy, and...</i>

23
00:02:37,990 --> 00:02:41,187
Mr. Hummel, I got a letter from your computer today.

24
00:02:41,260 --> 00:02:42,921
It was very cordial, very nice.

25
00:02:42,995 --> 00:02:45,486
It's short. I wanna read it to you.

26
00:02:45,564 --> 00:02:47,054
"Dear Mr. Rockford.

27
00:02:47,132 --> 00:02:50,067
"Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience.

28
00:02:50,135 --> 00:02:52,103
"We have located the missing invoice,

29
00:02:52,171 --> 00:02:54,799
"photocopy of which is enclosed."

30
00:02:54,940 --> 00:02:57,534
Mr. Hummel, nothing was enclosed.

31
00:02:58,777 --> 00:03:00,074
Yeah. Come in.

32
00:03:00,546 --> 00:03:01,535
Yeah.

33
00:03:02,381 --> 00:03:04,315
Oh, I'll be right with you.

34
00:03:04,383 --> 00:03:05,407
Yeah.

35
00:03:05,484 --> 00:03:08,317
Mr. Hummel, let me put it to you this way.

36
00:03:08,787 --> 00:03:11,984
You do a dandy two-step, but I'm tired of dancing.

37
00:03:12,057 --> 00:03:15,356
Now, it's been three months. No invoice, no payment.

38
00:03:16,361 --> 00:03:18,693
It's a computer foul-up. Jim Rockford.

39
00:03:18,764 --> 00:03:20,994
I know. I'm Susan Alexander.

40
00:03:21,200 --> 00:03:22,531
Well, what can I do for you?

41
00:03:22,601 --> 00:03:24,398
I'm a feature writer with Henton Publications,

42
00:03:24,469 --> 00:03:26,164
and I'm doing an article on penology.

43
00:03:26,238 --> 00:03:28,468
Six and a half years ago, a man named Dave Kruger

44
00:03:28,540 --> 00:03:31,134
was convicted of murder. He's serving a life sentence.

45
00:03:31,210 --> 00:03:34,043
Now, I think he's innocent and I want you to help me prove it.

46
00:03:34,546 --> 00:03:36,605
After six and a half years?

47
00:03:37,049 --> 00:03:39,017
I only became aware of the case a month ago.

48
00:03:39,084 --> 00:03:40,381
That's how I met Dave.

49
00:03:40,919 --> 00:03:43,547
And springing him would sell a lot of magazines.

50
00:03:43,622 --> 00:03:46,523
Yes, it would. But if it meant a drop in circulation,

51
00:03:46,592 --> 00:03:48,253
I'd still be determined to clear him.

52
00:03:48,327 --> 00:03:49,385
Why?

53
00:03:49,461 --> 00:03:51,622
Because I don't believe people should be in prison

54
00:03:51,697 --> 00:03:53,460
for crimes they didn't commit.

55
00:03:54,032 --> 00:03:55,556
I don't either.

56
00:03:55,934 --> 00:03:58,425
And Dave, he says he's innocent, huh?

57
00:03:59,404 --> 00:04:00,701
I'm a reporter.

58
00:04:00,772 --> 00:04:02,933
Now, if the person I'm talking to has a stake in the matter

59
00:04:03,008 --> 00:04:05,533
I assume that every answer I get is gonna be a lie

60
00:04:05,611 --> 00:04:06,703
to one degree or another.

61
00:04:07,145 --> 00:04:10,205
People are self-serving. So you take that into consideration.

62
00:04:10,282 --> 00:04:12,079
Would you care for a cookie?

63
00:04:12,718 --> 00:04:13,742
No, thanks.

64
00:04:14,987 --> 00:04:18,548
All right, you're not just taking his word for it, right?

65
00:04:18,724 --> 00:04:20,487
So if you've turned up anything solid,

66
00:04:20,559 --> 00:04:23,460
why don't you go to the D.A. And have him reopen the case?

67
00:04:23,528 --> 00:04:26,622
If I had anything solid, I wouldn't need you.

68
00:04:27,232 --> 00:04:28,824
Dave's girlfriend, Cheryl Wilson,

69
00:04:28,900 --> 00:04:31,368
was bludgeoned to death. She was beaten so badly

70
00:04:31,436 --> 00:04:34,132
that the only thing that made positive identification possible

71
00:04:34,206 --> 00:04:35,434
was her fingerprints.

72
00:04:35,507 --> 00:04:38,670
Mmm-hmm. And Dave, he's a sweetheart of a guy.

73
00:04:39,411 --> 00:04:41,538
I've sat through a lot of murder trials,

74
00:04:41,613 --> 00:04:43,740
and I've heard a lot of witnesses say,

75
00:04:43,815 --> 00:04:45,976
"But he was such a nice guy."

76
00:04:46,051 --> 00:04:48,383
Now, I'm not saying Dave is incapable of violence.

77
00:04:48,453 --> 00:04:50,580
I'm saying, I don't think he killed her.

78
00:04:50,656 --> 00:04:53,181
Now, that is just pure gut instinct.

79
00:04:54,192 --> 00:04:56,524
Are you always this hard to hire?

80
00:04:56,762 --> 00:04:59,060
Oh, only when somebody comes in with "mark"

81
00:04:59,131 --> 00:05:00,393
written all over them.

82
00:05:00,465 --> 00:05:03,992
Dave didn't ask me to get into this. It was my own idea.

83
00:05:05,003 --> 00:05:06,493
Well, lady...

84
00:05:08,006 --> 00:05:09,974
I think you're being suckered.

85
00:05:10,042 --> 00:05:11,236
Then you don't want the job?

86
00:05:11,343 --> 00:05:12,332
Mmm.

87
00:05:12,878 --> 00:05:14,277
I didn't say that.

88
00:05:14,346 --> 00:05:16,814
No, I just like to be upfront,

89
00:05:16,882 --> 00:05:18,611
and then I don't feel so bad taking your money.

90
00:05:19,084 --> 00:05:20,244
How much?

91
00:05:21,119 --> 00:05:23,110
$200 a day plus expenses.

92
00:05:24,323 --> 00:05:26,291
I want you to meet Dave.

93
00:05:28,293 --> 00:05:31,888
Yeah, well, all right, let me, you know, get my coat.

94
00:05:39,171 --> 00:05:41,605
In New York the going rate's $250.

95
00:05:47,846 --> 00:05:49,313
I was about ready to give up on this.

96
00:05:49,381 --> 00:05:51,849
I mean, I've been over the trial transcript a dozen times.

97
00:05:51,917 --> 00:05:53,179
I kept digging for information.

98
00:05:53,251 --> 00:05:55,014
And nothing but dead ends.

99
00:05:55,087 --> 00:05:56,987
If that man hadn't tried to kill me today...

100
00:05:57,055 --> 00:06:00,149
Oh, wait a minute, wait a minute.

101
00:06:00,692 --> 00:06:01,716
Why?

102
00:06:01,793 --> 00:06:03,658
Who tried to kill you?

103
00:06:03,729 --> 00:06:06,197
I don't know. I've never seen him before.

104
00:06:06,264 --> 00:06:08,858
But he tried to force my car off the road right about here.

105
00:06:08,934 --> 00:06:11,630
I reported it to the police, and they've already checked the area.

106
00:06:11,703 --> 00:06:13,637
Why didn't you tell me?

107
00:06:13,972 --> 00:06:15,530
Physical violence has a tendency

108
00:06:15,607 --> 00:06:16,869
to put some people off.

109
00:06:16,942 --> 00:06:19,934
Yeah, I'm one of them. You should've told me.

110
00:06:20,011 --> 00:06:22,445
We could have saved both of us a lot of time.

111
00:06:22,514 --> 00:06:24,379
I don't hire out as muscle.

112
00:06:24,449 --> 00:06:26,542
Did I ask you to put on a gorilla suit?

113
00:06:26,685 --> 00:06:30,280
I hired you to help me prove that Dave Kruger is innocent.

114
00:06:30,355 --> 00:06:32,846
And what happened this morning tells me I'm on the right track.

115
00:06:32,924 --> 00:06:34,789
Somebody doesn't want this case reopened.

116
00:06:34,860 --> 00:06:38,091
Well, what happens when somebody decides to take another crack at you?

117
00:06:38,163 --> 00:06:39,824
They won't. The attempt this morning

118
00:06:39,898 --> 00:06:42,298
was against a woman alone and unarmed.

119
00:06:42,367 --> 00:06:45,165
Yeah, and next time it'll be against the two of us

120
00:06:45,237 --> 00:06:46,898
alone and unarmed.

121
00:06:47,773 --> 00:06:48,899
You're not armed?

122
00:06:48,974 --> 00:06:50,134
No.

123
00:06:50,208 --> 00:06:53,644
But you're a private investigator. Why don't you carry a gun?

124
00:06:54,413 --> 00:06:56,608
Because I don't want to shoot anybody.

125
00:06:58,884 --> 00:07:01,944
ROCKFORD: Why is Dave so important to you?

126
00:07:02,154 --> 00:07:04,418
I grew up with a lot of Dave Krugers.

127
00:07:04,489 --> 00:07:06,889
Not enough money, bad neighborhood.

128
00:07:06,958 --> 00:07:09,722
When they get tagged, what kind of defense can they afford,

129
00:07:09,795 --> 00:07:11,057
what kind of appeal?

130
00:07:11,129 --> 00:07:13,427
This is just a personal crusade.

131
00:07:13,498 --> 00:07:16,467
Very personal. It's why I became a journalist.

132
00:07:17,102 --> 00:07:20,367
And Henton Publications gives me a power base,

133
00:07:21,573 --> 00:07:23,006
a very strong voice.

134
00:07:23,074 --> 00:07:26,566
Now, Dave Kruger isn't guilty and he shouldn't be serving time.

135
00:07:26,645 --> 00:07:28,840
Everybody in here is in on a bum rap.

136
00:07:28,914 --> 00:07:30,040
Just ask them.

137
00:07:30,115 --> 00:07:33,778
No, no, when Dave was arrested, he took three lie detector tests.

138
00:07:33,852 --> 00:07:36,013
And all three proved he was clean,

139
00:07:36,087 --> 00:07:38,612
and all of them were invalidated on technical grounds.

140
00:07:38,690 --> 00:07:41,181
It wouldn't have been admissible in court anyway.

141
00:07:42,394 --> 00:07:44,328
Don't you trust anybody?

142
00:07:44,763 --> 00:07:47,231
My father. Of course, he's bonded.

143
00:07:47,532 --> 00:07:48,897
Hey, Susan.

144
00:07:49,100 --> 00:07:51,625
Two visits in one day. It's like my birthday.

145
00:07:51,703 --> 00:07:54,001
This time I brought along a friend. Jim Rockford.

146
00:07:54,105 --> 00:07:55,834
Hi. How are you? Hi.

147
00:07:55,974 --> 00:07:57,999
Nice to meet you. I've heard a lot about you.

148
00:07:58,343 --> 00:08:01,107
Mr. Rockford is a private investigator.

149
00:08:01,179 --> 00:08:02,942
He's gonna help me try to get you out of here.

150
00:08:03,315 --> 00:08:04,839
No kidding.

151
00:08:04,916 --> 00:08:06,508
Hey, hey.

152
00:08:06,585 --> 00:08:09,110
Oh, this is some day, huh?

153
00:08:09,254 --> 00:08:10,812
First, Susan calls me and says,

154
00:08:10,889 --> 00:08:12,789
"That's it, we got no place else to go."

155
00:08:12,858 --> 00:08:14,985
So I say, "Hey, can't we talk about it?"

156
00:08:15,060 --> 00:08:17,051
So, she come out here and we talk.

157
00:08:17,128 --> 00:08:19,858
She says how she's run into nothing but stone walls.

158
00:08:19,931 --> 00:08:23,833
She tried, but it's no use. So I figured I'm cooked, right?

159
00:08:24,002 --> 00:08:26,869
End of the line. Hey. Hey.

160
00:08:27,239 --> 00:08:28,604
Well, I knew you'd be happy.

161
00:08:28,673 --> 00:08:31,972
Oh, happy? Boy, that don't half say it.

162
00:08:32,244 --> 00:08:34,769
Now, you just tell me what you want.

163
00:08:34,846 --> 00:08:36,108
You just tell me what to do.

164
00:08:36,181 --> 00:08:39,173
Well, since I'm sort of jumping in the middle of this thing,

165
00:08:39,251 --> 00:08:42,379
I think the best way to start is you and I get to know one another.

166
00:08:42,454 --> 00:08:44,513
Oh, that's great. Why don't we all sit down here?

167
00:08:44,589 --> 00:08:46,853
Do you mind if Dave and I just...

168
00:08:46,925 --> 00:08:50,554
Oh. No. No, of course not. I can wait in the car.

169
00:08:51,162 --> 00:08:52,754
I'll be in touch, Dave.

170
00:08:55,667 --> 00:08:59,194
Mr. Rockford, do you want I can start from where me and Cheryl met?

171
00:08:59,271 --> 00:09:03,264
Or from where what happened to her?

172
00:09:03,341 --> 00:09:05,707
I gotta tell you, it's been more than six years

173
00:09:05,777 --> 00:09:09,110
and it still twists my guts like when I first heard.

174
00:09:10,882 --> 00:09:12,474
She was my girl.

175
00:09:13,385 --> 00:09:17,378
Dave, stop sticking your toe in the ground, huh?

176
00:09:18,023 --> 00:09:20,583
That sod-kicking act just won't make it.

177
00:09:20,659 --> 00:09:21,683
What?

178
00:09:21,760 --> 00:09:23,853
Hey, come on, pal, I know what you're trying to pull.

179
00:09:23,929 --> 00:09:26,989
I've done time. I know all the cons, I've worked them myself.

180
00:09:27,933 --> 00:09:30,163
I don't know what you're talking about.

181
00:09:30,936 --> 00:09:32,904
She didn't get shoved off a cliff,

182
00:09:32,971 --> 00:09:35,462
because she wasn't supposed to get shoved off a cliff.

183
00:09:35,540 --> 00:09:37,974
There's no percentage in it if the lady's dead.

184
00:09:38,043 --> 00:09:40,341
Are you saying someone tried to hurt Susan?

185
00:09:40,412 --> 00:09:42,937
For a big, old country boy you're pretty smart.

186
00:09:43,014 --> 00:09:45,915
You hired some rumdum to throw a scare into her,

187
00:09:45,984 --> 00:09:47,849
because you knew that was the one thing

188
00:09:47,919 --> 00:09:49,216
that would keep her on your case.

189
00:09:49,287 --> 00:09:51,278
Anybody else would've said <i>adios.</i>

190
00:09:51,356 --> 00:09:53,620
Nah, she thinks she's onto something.

191
00:09:53,692 --> 00:09:55,421
She smells a story.

192
00:09:56,695 --> 00:09:58,185
Well, that ain't what I smell.

193
00:09:58,897 --> 00:10:00,524
Well, I would never hurt Susan.

194
00:10:00,599 --> 00:10:03,033
She's the only one that ever tried to help me.

195
00:10:03,168 --> 00:10:05,796
She's the only one ever believed in me.

196
00:10:06,137 --> 00:10:09,334
I never killed Cheryl, somebody did.

197
00:10:09,874 --> 00:10:12,638
If stirring up this old case is gonna bring harm to Susan,

198
00:10:12,744 --> 00:10:15,474
I want you tell her, flat out, forget it.

199
00:10:16,114 --> 00:10:17,411
Now, I mean it, Mr. Rockford.

200
00:10:17,482 --> 00:10:20,007
I want you tell her I said forget it.

201
00:10:21,052 --> 00:10:24,078
Now, look, I got some money.

202
00:10:24,356 --> 00:10:25,414
Not much.

203
00:10:25,490 --> 00:10:27,390
But I'd give it over gladly

204
00:10:27,459 --> 00:10:29,586
if you was to keep an eye on her.

205
00:10:29,995 --> 00:10:31,895
I already got a client.

206
00:10:33,565 --> 00:10:35,829
I'll keep an eye on her anyway.

207
00:10:42,473 --> 00:10:45,067
He's had about as much as he can take.

208
00:10:45,976 --> 00:10:48,536
You had no right making those accusations.

209
00:10:48,612 --> 00:10:51,274
You hired me to investigate. I'm investigating.

210
00:10:51,348 --> 00:10:52,815
The wrong person.

211
00:10:52,883 --> 00:10:55,351
The warden told you Dave didn't make any telephone calls.

212
00:10:55,419 --> 00:10:56,784
He couldn't have set me up.

213
00:10:56,854 --> 00:10:58,651
Everybody loves Dave.

214
00:10:58,722 --> 00:11:00,815
Somebody could've made the call for him.

215
00:11:00,891 --> 00:11:02,586
Everybody loves Dave,

216
00:11:02,660 --> 00:11:04,992
because he's exactly the person he appears to be.

217
00:11:05,062 --> 00:11:06,222
Yeah, maybe.

218
00:11:06,296 --> 00:11:09,754
Come on. I want you to read the transcript of the trial.

219
00:11:12,169 --> 00:11:13,500
What is it?

220
00:11:13,737 --> 00:11:16,900
That's the car that tried to force me off the road.

221
00:11:20,844 --> 00:11:22,573
SUSAN: He's getting away!

222
00:11:24,448 --> 00:11:26,177
He's getting away!

223
00:11:28,185 --> 00:11:29,709
That's past tense.

224
00:11:29,787 --> 00:11:32,347
If you'd move, maybe we could catch him.

225
00:11:32,423 --> 00:11:33,515
And?

226
00:11:36,894 --> 00:11:37,918
He has a gun.

227
00:11:38,729 --> 00:11:40,856
Very good. Now get in the car.

228
00:11:43,901 --> 00:11:46,665
Car belongs to a Harry Freidell.

229
00:11:47,705 --> 00:11:51,402
1422 West Dunsmuir.

230
00:11:51,842 --> 00:11:53,104
Name mean anything to you?

231
00:11:53,177 --> 00:11:54,166
No.

232
00:11:54,244 --> 00:11:56,610
No reason it should. Freidell wasn't driving.

233
00:11:56,680 --> 00:11:59,376
That car's been on the hot sheet since 8:00 this morning.

234
00:11:59,450 --> 00:12:01,281
I told you we should've followed him.

235
00:12:02,052 --> 00:12:03,610
Fearless Fosdick.

236
00:12:03,721 --> 00:12:05,916
There've been two attempts on my life today.

237
00:12:05,989 --> 00:12:08,116
I'd kind of like to know who wants me dead.

238
00:12:08,192 --> 00:12:09,250
Two?

239
00:12:09,727 --> 00:12:11,627
The other took place out near Chino.

240
00:12:11,695 --> 00:12:13,253
I reported it to the police there.

241
00:12:13,330 --> 00:12:15,389
Why's somebody trying to take you off?

242
00:12:16,200 --> 00:12:18,691
Because I've been nosing around the Dave Kruger case.

243
00:12:18,769 --> 00:12:19,997
I think he's innocent.

244
00:12:20,070 --> 00:12:22,095
Whoever's guilty is getting a little nervous.

245
00:12:22,172 --> 00:12:23,161
Kruger?

246
00:12:23,240 --> 00:12:26,232
Yeah, it was about six and a half years ago, Dennis.

247
00:12:26,310 --> 00:12:27,504
A Murder One.

248
00:12:27,611 --> 00:12:29,772
Oh, yeah, I remember. They had him cold.

249
00:12:29,847 --> 00:12:33,647
Motive, opportunity. The last known person to see the girl alive.

250
00:12:33,751 --> 00:12:35,946
Violent quarrel before she disappeared.

251
00:12:36,019 --> 00:12:37,179
He didn't kill her.

252
00:12:37,488 --> 00:12:40,286
I met Kruger today, Dennis.

253
00:12:40,357 --> 00:12:41,790
And he comes across pretty straight.

254
00:12:41,859 --> 00:12:45,351
But the fact is that somebody did try to kill Miss Alexander.

255
00:12:45,429 --> 00:12:47,329
Now, Kruger is no candidate there.

256
00:12:47,397 --> 00:12:49,160
I mean, he's in the joint.

257
00:12:49,233 --> 00:12:51,724
Okay, let's say you're right. What am I supposed to do?

258
00:12:51,802 --> 00:12:54,362
We got the license number of a stolen vehicle,

259
00:12:54,438 --> 00:12:55,996
and we got a physical description

260
00:12:56,073 --> 00:12:57,836
that fits half the guys in L.A.

261
00:12:57,908 --> 00:13:00,138
You got something else, Dennis. You got the case file.

262
00:13:00,210 --> 00:13:01,234
Oh, no.

263
00:13:01,311 --> 00:13:03,040
Let me take a look at it. What's it gonna hurt?

264
00:13:03,113 --> 00:13:04,580
My chances of making lieutenant.

265
00:13:04,648 --> 00:13:07,515
Oh, nobody's gonna come down on you for letting me see a file

266
00:13:07,584 --> 00:13:09,279
that's been closed for six and a half years.

267
00:13:09,353 --> 00:13:11,583
Another six months it's gonna be out of the file room

268
00:13:11,655 --> 00:13:14,283
and onto microfilm. That's the last anybody is gonna think about it.

269
00:13:14,358 --> 00:13:15,689
I said no.

270
00:13:15,893 --> 00:13:20,626
Dennis, you just took a report on an attempted homicide.

271
00:13:20,697 --> 00:13:22,631
Now, maybe there's something in that file

272
00:13:22,699 --> 00:13:24,826
that would save the young lady's life.

273
00:13:26,537 --> 00:13:27,561
Huh?

274
00:13:28,839 --> 00:13:30,500
No, it's not here.

275
00:13:31,074 --> 00:13:33,736
Well, could it be in another file room?

276
00:13:34,144 --> 00:13:35,702
No. This is it.

277
00:13:36,246 --> 00:13:37,577
Could somebody have checked it out?

278
00:13:37,648 --> 00:13:39,912
No, they had to sign for it. They didn't.

279
00:13:39,983 --> 00:13:41,541
Well, do you keep duplicates?

280
00:13:41,618 --> 00:13:44,553
No. Not on a case that's been closed for six years.

281
00:13:44,621 --> 00:13:47,920
Jimbo, you better start looking over your shoulder.

282
00:13:48,158 --> 00:13:51,491
There's only one reason for walking off with a dead file.

283
00:13:51,562 --> 00:13:53,894
Yeah. To make sure it stays dead.

284
00:13:58,702 --> 00:14:01,068
Do you know what was in that file?

285
00:14:01,538 --> 00:14:04,234
Yeah. Everything the police turned up in their investigation.

286
00:14:04,374 --> 00:14:05,966
The results of the polygraph tests,

287
00:14:06,043 --> 00:14:08,341
all the preliminary questioning.

288
00:14:09,146 --> 00:14:12,274
There may have been something new that we could follow through on.

289
00:14:12,349 --> 00:14:13,907
Or something old.

290
00:14:13,984 --> 00:14:16,544
Who were the principals involved, besides Dave?

291
00:14:17,287 --> 00:14:19,016
Well, there was Cheryl's mother.

292
00:14:19,089 --> 00:14:21,216
She made the identification.

293
00:14:21,391 --> 00:14:22,585
Took it hard.

294
00:14:22,659 --> 00:14:24,422
I can't see her wanting to help us free the man

295
00:14:24,494 --> 00:14:25,961
she thinks killed her daughter.

296
00:14:26,029 --> 00:14:27,792
Well, what about the witnesses?

297
00:14:28,265 --> 00:14:30,597
For the defense, character witnesses

298
00:14:30,667 --> 00:14:32,396
going all the way back to grammar school.

299
00:14:33,203 --> 00:14:34,966
And for the prosecution?

300
00:14:35,038 --> 00:14:37,632
There weren't any eyewitnesses to the crime.

301
00:14:37,708 --> 00:14:40,040
But there were a number of neighbors who testified

302
00:14:40,110 --> 00:14:43,511
to the argument that Cheryl and Dave had just prior to her death.

303
00:14:44,114 --> 00:14:46,344
Dave never denied the argument.

304
00:14:46,450 --> 00:14:48,941
In fact, he said that Cheryl

305
00:14:49,019 --> 00:14:51,419
seemed to be deliberately provoking the argument

306
00:14:51,488 --> 00:14:53,012
as if she wanted the fight.

307
00:14:53,090 --> 00:14:56,059
Did anybody see Cheryl after that argument?

308
00:14:56,393 --> 00:14:58,827
Except when they found her body?

309
00:14:58,896 --> 00:15:00,363
Well, no...

310
00:15:01,632 --> 00:15:02,997
it was about a week later.

311
00:15:03,066 --> 00:15:06,297
There were some kids up hiking in the Santa Monica mountains.

312
00:15:06,370 --> 00:15:08,565
They're probably still having nightmares.

313
00:15:08,672 --> 00:15:12,608
Well, maybe Dave's attorney would have some good ideas.

314
00:15:13,410 --> 00:15:14,809
Mr. Newcomb?

315
00:15:15,045 --> 00:15:17,775
He had a stroke shortly after Dave was sentenced.

316
00:15:17,848 --> 00:15:20,339
He's been in a rest home ever since.

317
00:15:20,484 --> 00:15:24,887
I tried to talk to him, but his mind is just... gone.

318
00:15:24,955 --> 00:15:27,480
He's fairly lucid from time to time, but...

319
00:15:27,557 --> 00:15:30,390
Here. Let me help you with that. I'm used to making my own bed.

320
00:15:30,460 --> 00:15:32,428
No. No. This is mine. You're gonna take the bedroom.

321
00:15:32,496 --> 00:15:33,861
No.

322
00:15:33,964 --> 00:15:36,296
Hey, look, this is my idea, huh?

323
00:15:36,500 --> 00:15:38,491
I mean, you can't go back to your own apartment.

324
00:15:38,568 --> 00:15:40,365
I want you right where I can keep an eye on you.

325
00:15:40,437 --> 00:15:41,802
I've slept on the couch before.

326
00:15:41,872 --> 00:15:43,863
Well, so have I. Not yours, but...

327
00:15:43,941 --> 00:15:47,240
Now, look, the gallantry's very nice, but it's very unnecessary.

328
00:15:47,311 --> 00:15:49,973
I've slept in freight cars, telephone booths,

329
00:15:50,047 --> 00:15:52,914
and a few years ago, when I was covering a dock strike in New York,

330
00:15:52,983 --> 00:15:55,850
I even spent the night on a pool table in McGinty's Bar.

331
00:15:55,919 --> 00:15:57,784
Then you earned a good night's rest.

332
00:15:57,854 --> 00:15:59,151
You're stubborn, aren't you?

333
00:15:59,890 --> 00:16:01,016
Aren't you?

334
00:16:06,563 --> 00:16:07,723
That's him.

335
00:16:14,771 --> 00:16:16,170
SUSAN: Mr. Newcomb?

336
00:16:18,175 --> 00:16:20,473
Do you remember me, Mr. Newcomb?

337
00:16:21,445 --> 00:16:23,572
They don't play shuffleboard in the main house.

338
00:16:23,647 --> 00:16:25,911
They have a court, but they don't play there anymore.

339
00:16:25,983 --> 00:16:27,883
This is Mr. Rockford.

340
00:16:27,951 --> 00:16:31,216
He'd like to ask you a few questions about Dave Kruger's case.

341
00:16:32,556 --> 00:16:33,853
Hello.

342
00:16:34,424 --> 00:16:36,221
I should have won that case.

343
00:16:37,127 --> 00:16:38,458
Never filed an appeal.

344
00:16:38,528 --> 00:16:41,497
You know, if I had filed an appeal...

345
00:16:43,600 --> 00:16:45,625
Well, I don't know, it's...

346
00:16:46,069 --> 00:16:47,730
It's hard to say.

347
00:16:50,374 --> 00:16:52,274
We're looking into the possibility

348
00:16:52,342 --> 00:16:54,606
that Dave Kruger may have been innocent.

349
00:16:56,880 --> 00:16:59,007
I never play shuffleboard anymore.

350
00:16:59,082 --> 00:17:01,880
I mean, I used to play when they let us use the court

351
00:17:01,952 --> 00:17:03,613
in the main house.

352
00:17:04,488 --> 00:17:07,946
Mrs. Tucker said we had to play outside

353
00:17:09,226 --> 00:17:12,252
'cause it woke up the people who had the rooms on the second floor.

354
00:17:13,230 --> 00:17:14,595
Mr. Newcomb,

355
00:17:15,465 --> 00:17:18,434
try and remember Dave Kruger.

356
00:17:19,336 --> 00:17:20,928
Try to picture him in your mind.

357
00:17:21,571 --> 00:17:24,631
He was convicted of killing his girlfriend, Cheryl Wilson.

358
00:17:24,708 --> 00:17:27,199
You defended him over six years ago.

359
00:17:27,277 --> 00:17:30,644
It was the last year of your practice, just before you came here.

360
00:17:34,618 --> 00:17:37,086
I don't remember him. I'm sorry.

361
00:17:38,188 --> 00:17:39,951
I mean, sometimes things are so clear

362
00:17:40,023 --> 00:17:43,151
I can remember summations, speeches.

363
00:17:43,727 --> 00:17:46,423
I can remember right to the last letter.

364
00:17:46,963 --> 00:17:49,932
And I can say them just the way I did then,

365
00:17:52,002 --> 00:17:55,062
and then, right in the middle, it all fades away

366
00:17:55,138 --> 00:17:57,402
and I can't remember anything.

367
00:17:59,476 --> 00:18:01,569
Do you like baked potatoes?

368
00:18:02,212 --> 00:18:03,338
Yeah. Yeah.

369
00:18:03,413 --> 00:18:06,439
On Wednesdays they have baked potatoes for lunch.

370
00:18:06,616 --> 00:18:09,414
But I can't eat them. Give me gas.

371
00:18:10,687 --> 00:18:12,780
I told them in the kitchen.

372
00:18:13,256 --> 00:18:15,690
So they give me the potatoes uncooked.

373
00:18:16,893 --> 00:18:21,193
I put toothpicks in them, grow them in a glass of water.

374
00:18:25,902 --> 00:18:29,269
You said you never filed an appeal, Mr. Newcomb.

375
00:18:29,339 --> 00:18:31,136
Were you going to file an appeal?

376
00:18:31,842 --> 00:18:33,469
I never filed it.

377
00:18:35,412 --> 00:18:39,280
Mrs. Wilson came to me,

378
00:18:41,451 --> 00:18:44,614
and she wanted me to file an appeal

379
00:18:48,058 --> 00:18:49,855
but I had the stroke.

380
00:18:50,193 --> 00:18:53,424
Mrs. Wilson? Is that Cheryl Wilson's mother?

381
00:18:56,633 --> 00:18:58,430
I'm sorry. It's gone.

382
00:18:59,336 --> 00:19:03,568
Isn't it terrible? It just comes and it goes.

383
00:19:04,207 --> 00:19:05,640
Sometimes,

384
00:19:06,843 --> 00:19:10,040
I feel as like I did when I was 20.

385
00:19:10,113 --> 00:19:14,106
I feel I could run and jump over that fence down there...

386
00:19:16,686 --> 00:19:19,621
and then I know I'm just an old man

387
00:19:20,390 --> 00:19:21,789
who can't remember things.

388
00:19:21,858 --> 00:19:24,884
You know, I wish it would be one way or the other.

389
00:19:24,961 --> 00:19:28,795
Oh, that's all right, Mr. Newcomb. You've been very cooperative.

390
00:19:29,766 --> 00:19:31,233
You gonna stay for lunch?

391
00:19:32,435 --> 00:19:33,527
Well...

392
00:19:33,603 --> 00:19:35,298
If you stay, can I have your potato?

393
00:19:37,407 --> 00:19:38,396
Oh.

394
00:19:38,875 --> 00:19:40,706
Yeah, sure. Sure.

395
00:19:41,378 --> 00:19:44,279
Thank you, Mr. Newcomb. Thank you very much.

396
00:20:05,068 --> 00:20:07,696
What was Cheryl Wilson's mother's name?

397
00:20:08,038 --> 00:20:10,336
It was in the court records.

398
00:20:11,107 --> 00:20:13,302
Mary? No, Martha Wilson.

399
00:20:13,710 --> 00:20:15,371
She lived in Santa Monica, I think.

400
00:20:15,445 --> 00:20:16,969
Her address was in there somewhere.

401
00:20:18,548 --> 00:20:21,449
Seems strange that she would go to Newcomb

402
00:20:21,518 --> 00:20:24,351
and want to finance an appeal

403
00:20:24,454 --> 00:20:27,855
for the man who was convicted of killing her own daughter.

404
00:20:27,924 --> 00:20:30,188
Yeah, I suppose, but you can't discount the fact

405
00:20:30,260 --> 00:20:32,125
that it was so hazy in Mr. Newcomb's mind

406
00:20:32,195 --> 00:20:33,992
that he might be remembering some other woman,

407
00:20:34,064 --> 00:20:36,032
or even some other case.

408
00:20:36,233 --> 00:20:38,701
Well, let's go talk to her anyway, huh?

409
00:20:38,768 --> 00:20:41,328
We'll drop by your apartment, pick up the records,

410
00:20:41,404 --> 00:20:42,996
and we'll go on from there.

411
00:20:45,075 --> 00:20:47,305
I wonder why they won't let him play shuffleboard

412
00:20:47,377 --> 00:20:50,107
in the main house in the mornings, when nobody's asleep.

413
00:20:51,181 --> 00:20:53,172
Kind of makes you hate Mrs. Tucker, doesn't it?

414
00:20:54,384 --> 00:20:57,285
For a journalist, you sure have a thin skin.

415
00:20:57,787 --> 00:20:59,687
That's why I'm so good.

416
00:21:13,803 --> 00:21:15,134
ROCKFORD: I guess this is it.

417
00:21:15,772 --> 00:21:17,501
SUSAN: Yeah, this is the right address.

418
00:21:18,275 --> 00:21:19,765
Well, maybe the house sold.

419
00:21:19,843 --> 00:21:21,401
It's been six and a half years.

420
00:21:22,345 --> 00:21:23,437
What're you doing?

421
00:21:27,150 --> 00:21:29,345
I'm out of real estate cards.

422
00:21:40,930 --> 00:21:42,693
That's marvelous.

423
00:21:43,033 --> 00:21:46,059
I never saw anything like that. Where did you get it?

424
00:21:47,771 --> 00:21:50,672
Oh, good, the real estate plate is still on.

425
00:21:51,808 --> 00:21:54,368
Well, I get all my bogus business cards printed up professionally.

426
00:21:54,444 --> 00:21:56,878
But it doesn't give me anywhere near this much flexibility.

427
00:21:57,681 --> 00:21:59,342
Well, an old client is a printer,

428
00:21:59,416 --> 00:22:01,213
and I told him what I needed

429
00:22:01,284 --> 00:22:02,649
and he designed it for me.

430
00:22:03,920 --> 00:22:05,217
Well, I want one.

431
00:22:05,288 --> 00:22:07,415
I mean, that's the best tool I ever saw.

432
00:22:08,725 --> 00:22:10,852
Oh, hey, wait a minute. Hold on.

433
00:22:11,161 --> 00:22:14,062
I love the printing press, but I don't love the real estate approach.

434
00:22:14,130 --> 00:22:16,257
I think we got a much better chance if we go in as surveyors.

435
00:22:16,866 --> 00:22:18,800
Here, wait a minute.

436
00:22:19,436 --> 00:22:20,562
There.

437
00:22:22,105 --> 00:22:23,663
Well, now why is that better?

438
00:22:23,740 --> 00:22:25,731
Well, as surveyors, you can prowl around

439
00:22:25,809 --> 00:22:27,504
and ask all kinds of technical questions.

440
00:22:27,911 --> 00:22:30,436
But with real estate, if she's not interested in selling,

441
00:22:30,513 --> 00:22:32,413
she'll just slam the door and we're cooked.

442
00:22:33,350 --> 00:22:34,783
Look, I know what I'm doing,

443
00:22:34,851 --> 00:22:37,183
I've opened up a lot of interviews. I'm pretty good.

444
00:22:37,787 --> 00:22:38,776
Yeah? Yeah.

445
00:22:38,855 --> 00:22:39,947
So am I.

446
00:22:46,329 --> 00:22:47,853
We'll do it my way.

447
00:22:47,931 --> 00:22:49,694
You do it your way, I'll do it mine.

448
00:22:49,766 --> 00:22:50,755
I'll do the talking.

449
00:22:50,834 --> 00:22:53,064
Now, you're my lineman and sighter.

450
00:22:57,707 --> 00:22:59,174
Hello. We're with the...

451
00:22:59,242 --> 00:23:00,800
Double A Realty.

452
00:23:00,877 --> 00:23:03,641
Actually, I'm the broker and this is my client, Mrs. Damion.

453
00:23:03,713 --> 00:23:05,704
And we were just driving by and saw your house.

454
00:23:06,082 --> 00:23:07,674
It's just what Bill would like.

455
00:23:07,751 --> 00:23:09,048
We had a ranch style in Detroit,

456
00:23:09,119 --> 00:23:11,917
but the roof wasn't pitched enough and it froze in the winters

457
00:23:11,988 --> 00:23:14,013
and developed dry rot in the rafters.

458
00:23:14,090 --> 00:23:16,217
In California, of course, that isn't a problem.

459
00:23:16,292 --> 00:23:18,419
You see, the Damions, they're moving out from Detroit.

460
00:23:18,495 --> 00:23:21,293
Mr. Damion is a computer specialist with Diatron.

461
00:23:22,065 --> 00:23:23,089
Well, I don't know.

462
00:23:23,166 --> 00:23:25,430
Of course you don't. Let me explain.

463
00:23:25,502 --> 00:23:28,300
See, we were driving by

464
00:23:28,438 --> 00:23:31,066
and Mrs. Damion talked me into ringing the bell.

465
00:23:31,141 --> 00:23:33,439
It's just exactly what they were looking for.

466
00:23:33,510 --> 00:23:36,604
Oh, do you mind? I hope we didn't bother you.

467
00:23:36,679 --> 00:23:39,375
Oh, no. No, of course not. It's...

468
00:23:39,849 --> 00:23:41,680
It's just that I never considered selling.

469
00:23:41,751 --> 00:23:44,811
Oh, I hope we can talk you into it because it's just perfect.

470
00:23:44,988 --> 00:23:48,082
And there's a school nearby so little Jess can walk.

471
00:23:48,158 --> 00:23:50,023
They have a son in the second grade.

472
00:23:50,193 --> 00:23:52,184
I don't know, I...

473
00:23:52,395 --> 00:23:54,727
Well, would you mind if we came in?

474
00:23:54,798 --> 00:23:56,459
Yeah. Of course not.

475
00:23:59,002 --> 00:24:00,299
SUSAN: Thank you.

476
00:24:01,271 --> 00:24:04,172
We could put Bill's wet bar

477
00:24:04,240 --> 00:24:06,105
in the corner with the blue sofa.

478
00:24:06,276 --> 00:24:09,768
Oh, I just never know what to do with that big blue sofa.

479
00:24:09,846 --> 00:24:12,474
I mean, most rooms just can't handle it.

480
00:24:13,349 --> 00:24:14,748
Would you mind if I asked you

481
00:24:14,818 --> 00:24:16,342
a few questions about the house?

482
00:24:16,419 --> 00:24:19,217
Oh, no. It's just that I never really considered selling.

483
00:24:19,289 --> 00:24:21,416
Bill should see it first.

484
00:24:22,091 --> 00:24:23,285
How many bedrooms?

485
00:24:23,359 --> 00:24:25,156
Three. And a den.

486
00:24:25,228 --> 00:24:26,354
Baths?

487
00:24:26,429 --> 00:24:28,021
Mmm-hmm. Two and a half.

488
00:24:28,665 --> 00:24:30,292
Yeah, well, good. Good.

489
00:24:30,366 --> 00:24:32,391
Looks like the house is about 20 years old? Mmm-hmm.

490
00:24:32,469 --> 00:24:35,097
Of course, you're not the original owner.

491
00:24:35,171 --> 00:24:37,935
No, no. My aunt was the second owner.

492
00:24:38,174 --> 00:24:40,301
I think she bought it from a developer.

493
00:24:40,376 --> 00:24:44,278
Yes. Well, you know, I've been in the area for quite a while.

494
00:24:44,347 --> 00:24:45,814
I always like to know the residents.

495
00:24:45,882 --> 00:24:48,248
A good broker is a good listener.

496
00:24:48,351 --> 00:24:52,287
Let's see, your aunt would be Wilson. Mrs. Wilson?

497
00:24:52,355 --> 00:24:53,447
Yeah. That's right.

498
00:24:53,523 --> 00:24:54,854
Yeah. Martha Wilson.

499
00:24:54,924 --> 00:24:57,757
Yeah. She left it to my second cousin

500
00:24:57,827 --> 00:24:59,124
when she died

501
00:24:59,195 --> 00:25:00,719
five years ago.

502
00:25:01,364 --> 00:25:04,891
He kind of, you know, lets me live here temporarily.

503
00:25:05,034 --> 00:25:07,366
I think he's the one you ought to talk to.

504
00:25:07,437 --> 00:25:09,735
Well, it was a shame about Mrs. Wilson.

505
00:25:09,806 --> 00:25:11,068
I'm terribly sorry.

506
00:25:11,140 --> 00:25:13,734
She was old, and she took a lot of pills.

507
00:25:14,277 --> 00:25:16,768
It was an accident, but she was in her late 60s.

508
00:25:16,846 --> 00:25:19,178
Yeah. Your second cousin would be...

509
00:25:19,349 --> 00:25:20,976
Roy Pierce. Roy Pierce.

510
00:25:22,819 --> 00:25:25,549
The patio is a little small.

511
00:25:25,989 --> 00:25:28,082
Look, how much would you be willing to offer me?

512
00:25:28,157 --> 00:25:31,183
Well, let's see, for a house like this with a little tiny patio

513
00:25:31,261 --> 00:25:33,354
only two and a half baths...

514
00:25:33,429 --> 00:25:34,828
Oh, I'd say about $20,000.

515
00:25:34,898 --> 00:25:36,627
You'd take back a second at 6%.

516
00:25:36,699 --> 00:25:38,098
That sound about right? Mmm-hmm.

517
00:25:38,167 --> 00:25:39,361
Not to me.

518
00:25:39,435 --> 00:25:41,960
Yeah. I'm afraid I wouldn't even be slightly interested in it

519
00:25:42,038 --> 00:25:43,403
at that amount.

520
00:25:43,473 --> 00:25:45,839
Maybe we should keep looking, Mr. Rockford.

521
00:25:45,909 --> 00:25:48,673
For $20,000, I wouldn't even sublet the back bedroom.

522
00:25:48,745 --> 00:25:49,905
Yes. Well, you have my card.

523
00:25:49,979 --> 00:25:51,446
And if you should change your mind,

524
00:25:51,514 --> 00:25:54,574
I'm in the office usually between 9:00 and 10:30.

525
00:25:54,651 --> 00:25:55,948
That's except on Wednesdays.

526
00:25:56,019 --> 00:25:58,112
That's when we have our real estate caravan. Thank you.

527
00:25:58,187 --> 00:25:59,211
Bye-bye.

528
00:26:01,658 --> 00:26:04,786
Except for Wednesday, when we have the real estate caravan?

529
00:26:04,861 --> 00:26:08,558
Right. Right. The real estate brokers get together

530
00:26:08,631 --> 00:26:09,962
and caravan all the new listings.

531
00:26:10,033 --> 00:26:12,263
Usually on Wednesday morning.

532
00:26:12,402 --> 00:26:14,427
Don't take it so hard. It worked.

533
00:26:14,504 --> 00:26:17,439
When I hire operatives, I usually get a chance to call the shots.

534
00:26:17,507 --> 00:26:19,907
Well, I'm not an operative. I'm a private detective.

535
00:26:19,976 --> 00:26:21,603
You hire me, you get the whole product.

536
00:26:21,678 --> 00:26:23,703
Yeah. Complete with a phony real estate pitch.

537
00:26:23,813 --> 00:26:25,337
How about that.

538
00:26:27,417 --> 00:26:30,443
What do you think? Was Mrs. Wilson a suicide?

539
00:26:31,187 --> 00:26:33,747
Her daughter gets murdered and six months or so later,

540
00:26:33,823 --> 00:26:36,257
she's dead of an overdose of pills.

541
00:26:36,626 --> 00:26:38,253
I suppose it makes sense.

542
00:26:38,328 --> 00:26:40,523
She was dejected over the murder.

543
00:26:40,597 --> 00:26:42,462
I guess the best thing would be to check it out

544
00:26:42,532 --> 00:26:44,261
with the medical examiner.

545
00:26:44,334 --> 00:26:46,996
I'll call Becker and we'll give it a whirl, huh?

546
00:26:59,716 --> 00:27:01,775
Everybody involved in this case

547
00:27:01,851 --> 00:27:03,910
is either dead or retired.

548
00:27:03,987 --> 00:27:05,648
Which one is the medical examiner?

549
00:27:05,722 --> 00:27:08,816
Retired, about eight months after Cheryl Wilson's death.

550
00:27:09,726 --> 00:27:13,287
He's got a boat at the Marina. His name is Patrick Elber.

551
00:27:13,496 --> 00:27:15,555
Becker checked the records for me.

552
00:27:15,632 --> 00:27:17,293
Same guy did both autopsies.

553
00:27:19,369 --> 00:27:21,303
Isn't that a little strange? Why?

554
00:27:21,371 --> 00:27:24,363
They got two deputy coroners doing the autopsies.

555
00:27:24,440 --> 00:27:27,705
That means it's a fifty-fifty chance same man'd do both of them.

556
00:27:27,777 --> 00:27:29,938
No. It's fifty-fifty he'd do one.

557
00:27:30,013 --> 00:27:32,140
It's 25-75 he'd do them both.

558
00:27:34,484 --> 00:27:35,644
You're right.

559
00:27:37,920 --> 00:27:40,821
You're right. That's one in four.

560
00:27:45,528 --> 00:27:46,995
That's my taco.

561
00:27:47,063 --> 00:27:49,361
I've been re-reading the mother's testimony.

562
00:27:49,432 --> 00:27:51,059
She broke down twice on the stand

563
00:27:51,134 --> 00:27:53,068
and ended up in the hospital during the trial.

564
00:27:53,136 --> 00:27:54,763
They had to postpone it for two weeks

565
00:27:54,837 --> 00:27:56,304
until she was well enough to testify.

566
00:27:56,372 --> 00:27:58,272
Yeah, and then she went to Mr. Newcomb

567
00:27:58,341 --> 00:27:59,808
and wanted him to file an appeal.

568
00:27:59,876 --> 00:28:02,003
Then he had a stroke, and she committed suicide.

569
00:28:02,945 --> 00:28:05,209
The people standing in Cheryl Wilson's emotional attic

570
00:28:05,281 --> 00:28:06,339
didn't fare too well, did they?

571
00:28:06,749 --> 00:28:10,082
I suppose you're right. If I know what you mean by "emotional attic."

572
00:28:10,553 --> 00:28:13,044
Your journalistic metaphors are showing.

573
00:28:13,122 --> 00:28:15,215
I know. I do that sometimes.

574
00:28:15,458 --> 00:28:17,426
Do you have the slip number to Mr. Elber's boat?

575
00:28:17,493 --> 00:28:19,051
Yeah. Well, then let's go.

576
00:28:19,128 --> 00:28:20,356
Oh, wait, wait, wait.

577
00:28:20,430 --> 00:28:23,456
Let's get together on how we're gonna go after this one, huh?

578
00:28:23,533 --> 00:28:25,330
I'm just gonna show him my press card.

579
00:28:25,401 --> 00:28:26,698
I think with a medical examiner,

580
00:28:26,769 --> 00:28:28,862
that's the best way, just go in straight.

581
00:28:30,073 --> 00:28:32,098
Kind of takes all the fun out of it.

582
00:28:32,175 --> 00:28:33,733
I mean, we can't overlook the fact

583
00:28:33,810 --> 00:28:36,335
that the case file is missing. I mean, somebody's got it.

584
00:28:36,412 --> 00:28:38,209
Maybe this guy's on somebody's payroll.

585
00:28:38,281 --> 00:28:39,680
You got a better idea?

586
00:28:40,316 --> 00:28:43,615
Well, how about an insurance investigator

587
00:28:43,686 --> 00:28:47,144
works for an attorney who's filing a loss of life claim

588
00:28:47,223 --> 00:28:49,054
against the insurance company

589
00:28:49,125 --> 00:28:51,025
that carried Mrs. Wilson's policy?

590
00:28:51,094 --> 00:28:52,652
No. I don't like it. It's just too complicated.

591
00:28:52,962 --> 00:28:54,691
Oh, it'll work. All we need to do is

592
00:28:54,764 --> 00:28:57,255
scrounge a little information from the Coroner's Office.

593
00:28:59,001 --> 00:29:00,093
Wait.

594
00:29:01,471 --> 00:29:03,803
You're right. You're right again.

595
00:29:04,640 --> 00:29:07,336
ROCKFORD: First, the Coroner's Office and then Elber.

596
00:29:08,644 --> 00:29:09,906
ELBER: Mr. Slauson.

597
00:29:10,947 --> 00:29:14,383
You must be new. I don't remember either one of you.

598
00:29:14,450 --> 00:29:17,248
ROCKFORD: Well, I've been there almost 18 months now.

599
00:29:17,320 --> 00:29:19,720
SUSAN: You retired before either one of us got there.

600
00:29:19,789 --> 00:29:22,257
Oh, well. Oh, come on aboard.

601
00:29:22,325 --> 00:29:26,056
It's good to talk to people from the old office.

602
00:29:26,929 --> 00:29:29,124
Oh, say...

603
00:29:30,366 --> 00:29:32,334
Oh, Mr. Wilson says hello,

604
00:29:32,401 --> 00:29:35,029
and they miss you every Thursday night.

605
00:29:35,738 --> 00:29:37,205
ELBER: Well, I miss them.

606
00:29:37,273 --> 00:29:40,504
That poker game made about $1,000 a year to me.

607
00:29:41,511 --> 00:29:44,105
Oh, and this is my assistant, Miss Lillian Dexter.

608
00:29:44,514 --> 00:29:45,742
Nice to meet you.

609
00:29:45,815 --> 00:29:48,045
Everybody still talks about you, Mr. Elber.

610
00:29:48,384 --> 00:29:51,512
Pat or Patrick.

611
00:29:53,856 --> 00:29:56,518
So, what can I do for you?

612
00:29:56,893 --> 00:29:59,020
Well, what we're doing, Pat...

613
00:29:59,095 --> 00:30:01,757
I'll tell it, Lillian, if you don't mind.

614
00:30:03,699 --> 00:30:04,825
Maybe you've heard

615
00:30:04,901 --> 00:30:08,200
that we're moving all the old records

616
00:30:08,271 --> 00:30:12,105
from the Coroner's Office on the building on West 7th Street,

617
00:30:12,175 --> 00:30:15,008
over to the new microfilm vaults on Hemmit.

618
00:30:15,344 --> 00:30:17,608
Oh, yeah, yeah. I did hear about that.

619
00:30:17,680 --> 00:30:19,375
Across from the courthouse.

620
00:30:19,448 --> 00:30:22,508
Yeah. That's right. Well, Miss Dexter and I

621
00:30:22,585 --> 00:30:25,748
what we're doing is trying to sort out all the old records

622
00:30:25,822 --> 00:30:27,483
so they'd be ready to microfilm,

623
00:30:27,557 --> 00:30:31,425
and then we're trying to reconcile them against the obits

624
00:30:31,494 --> 00:30:33,291
that are filed with the County Coroner's Office.

625
00:30:33,362 --> 00:30:36,092
Unfortunately, there are a few omissions.

626
00:30:36,199 --> 00:30:38,690
Now, I thought we might get some information from you,

627
00:30:38,768 --> 00:30:42,135
well, so we could at least include some statement of death.

628
00:30:42,305 --> 00:30:43,772
If you could remember.

629
00:30:43,840 --> 00:30:46,832
Otherwise, we'll just have to file them with a No Cause of Death statement.

630
00:30:46,909 --> 00:30:49,002
Oh, boy, those files were always in a mess.

631
00:30:49,078 --> 00:30:50,841
They probably were misfiled, you know?

632
00:30:50,913 --> 00:30:54,644
Oh, it's really not that bad, Pat, just four or five that we can't find.

633
00:30:54,717 --> 00:30:58,881
But you know Mr. Buchanan is such a stickler for detail.

634
00:30:59,155 --> 00:31:01,582
I remember.

635
00:31:03,726 --> 00:31:06,251
Would you just get him the names, Miss Dexter?

636
00:31:06,329 --> 00:31:08,126
So we don't take up his whole day?

637
00:31:08,197 --> 00:31:11,496
Oh, sure. Such a nuisance. We're sorry.

638
00:31:11,567 --> 00:31:13,057
Oh, it's okay. Go ahead.

639
00:31:13,369 --> 00:31:16,133
Well, now, let me see. Where are they?

640
00:31:19,876 --> 00:31:22,538
We don't have all day for this, Miss Dexter.

641
00:31:22,612 --> 00:31:25,240
I'm doing the best I can, Mr. Slauson.

642
00:31:25,581 --> 00:31:30,143
Take it easy, Slauson. You'll get the information. Don't worry. Don't worry.

643
00:31:30,820 --> 00:31:34,847
Ah, yes. We don't have the record for a Jerry Kitteringhouse.

644
00:31:35,558 --> 00:31:38,686
Kitteringhouse. Kitteringhouse.

645
00:31:38,895 --> 00:31:41,227
Wait a minute. Let me think.

646
00:31:41,530 --> 00:31:45,762
Oh, yeah. Gunshot wound in the left ventricle.

647
00:31:45,835 --> 00:31:48,861
He was cleaning his gun. Accidental death.

648
00:31:48,938 --> 00:31:50,701
Kitteringhouse. Oh, yes, I remember that one.

649
00:31:50,840 --> 00:31:52,307
Oh, that's great. That's all we need.

650
00:31:52,375 --> 00:31:54,502
Those records are so old. It doesn't have to be complete.

651
00:31:54,577 --> 00:31:56,704
Just enough to fill in the blanks.

652
00:31:57,013 --> 00:31:58,503
Let's see now.

653
00:31:58,814 --> 00:32:01,044
Martha Wilson, and Cheryl Wilson.

654
00:32:01,117 --> 00:32:04,211
They were mother and daughter, and they died within six months of one another.

655
00:32:04,287 --> 00:32:07,120
Oh, I sure remember that one. I did both autopsies.

656
00:32:07,223 --> 00:32:08,383
Now, let me see.

657
00:32:08,457 --> 00:32:11,449
Cheryl was beat up pretty good.

658
00:32:11,527 --> 00:32:14,553
We had to bring the mother in for partial ident.

659
00:32:14,630 --> 00:32:18,589
Then, wacko. Few months later, the mother was dead.

660
00:32:19,201 --> 00:32:22,102
I thought at first it was suicide, but after I did the autopsy,

661
00:32:22,171 --> 00:32:25,698
I found out that it wasn't the drugs she'd been taking.

662
00:32:25,808 --> 00:32:27,366
It was her heart.

663
00:32:27,443 --> 00:32:30,606
She was 66 years old and her heart just gave out.

664
00:32:30,880 --> 00:32:33,212
Myocardial infarction.

665
00:32:34,417 --> 00:32:36,146
Just put down "heart failure."

666
00:32:36,652 --> 00:32:39,120
Oh. Well, that's it.

667
00:32:39,789 --> 00:32:40,983
Well...

668
00:32:41,457 --> 00:32:44,790
the memory is pretty sharp for all these years.

669
00:32:44,860 --> 00:32:46,794
Yeah. It's not bad.

670
00:32:46,862 --> 00:32:48,193
Yeah, terrific.

671
00:32:59,709 --> 00:33:02,610
All right. That should about take care of it.

672
00:33:03,779 --> 00:33:06,373
I still don't see why you're quitting.

673
00:33:06,882 --> 00:33:08,509
Well, I...

674
00:33:09,151 --> 00:33:11,346
I kind of got where I like you and I...

675
00:33:11,620 --> 00:33:14,453
I don't enjoy taking money from my friends.

676
00:33:16,058 --> 00:33:18,492
That's very sentimental and sweet,

677
00:33:18,561 --> 00:33:21,121
but since it's my money, what does it matter?

678
00:33:22,431 --> 00:33:25,594
Where do we go from here? We're fresh out of leads.

679
00:33:25,668 --> 00:33:27,397
The mother died of a heart attack.

680
00:33:27,470 --> 00:33:28,767
The daughter was murdered.

681
00:33:28,838 --> 00:33:31,602
All the evidence in the case points toward Dave Kruger,

682
00:33:31,674 --> 00:33:32,971
who could have fooled us both,

683
00:33:33,042 --> 00:33:35,408
and just may be up for Chino's acting award,

684
00:33:35,478 --> 00:33:37,469
best performance by a convict.

685
00:33:38,748 --> 00:33:41,876
What about the man that tried to force me off the road,

686
00:33:41,951 --> 00:33:43,475
or the one that tried to shoot me?

687
00:33:45,121 --> 00:33:46,679
Well, I can't explain it.

688
00:33:46,756 --> 00:33:49,657
But it may have nothing at all to do with Kruger.

689
00:33:50,426 --> 00:33:53,293
It could be some guy trying to level an old score

690
00:33:53,362 --> 00:33:55,796
for one of your Pulitzer Prize winning exposes.

691
00:33:55,865 --> 00:33:59,494
Or Kruger could have set it up just to keep you churning away on the case.

692
00:33:59,602 --> 00:34:01,695
I mean, after all, a little press never hurt a guy

693
00:34:01,771 --> 00:34:03,068
in Kruger's position.

694
00:34:03,139 --> 00:34:05,369
I don't believe that and neither do you.

695
00:34:05,441 --> 00:34:06,908
Don't tell me what I believe.

696
00:34:06,976 --> 00:34:10,104
Why not? You don't seem to get very many swift ideas on your own.

697
00:34:10,179 --> 00:34:11,476
Look, Susan,

698
00:34:11,547 --> 00:34:13,037
you're used to getting your own way.

699
00:34:13,115 --> 00:34:16,744
Now, you and I both went through this little maze and we came out at Start.

700
00:34:16,819 --> 00:34:20,084
You do not get points for ending up where you started.

701
00:34:20,823 --> 00:34:22,222
So I...

702
00:34:22,291 --> 00:34:24,657
I gave you a break on the rate,

703
00:34:24,727 --> 00:34:26,490
and I didn't charge any expenses.

704
00:34:27,496 --> 00:34:30,863
Well, you didn't have any, unless you want to count gas and shoe leather

705
00:34:30,933 --> 00:34:32,560
and about an ounce of printer's ink.

706
00:34:32,635 --> 00:34:34,762
Yeah, I want to count them.

707
00:34:35,037 --> 00:34:38,871
Yeah, well, you don't want a detective. You want a bodyguard.

708
00:34:39,408 --> 00:34:43,105
You think somebody is still trying to put your lights out. Okay.

709
00:34:43,412 --> 00:34:46,404
I can recommend some very competent bodyguards

710
00:34:46,482 --> 00:34:48,814
who will do a much better job at this kind of thing than I will,

711
00:34:48,884 --> 00:34:50,818
and they cost a lot less.

712
00:34:50,886 --> 00:34:52,114
Chicken?

713
00:34:52,188 --> 00:34:54,019
Well, of course. Goes without saying.

714
00:34:54,423 --> 00:34:57,221
What about the appeal Mrs. Wilson was going to finance?

715
00:34:57,526 --> 00:35:01,018
An appeal to get the man convicted of murdering her daughter out of jail.

716
00:35:01,097 --> 00:35:02,121
What about it?

717
00:35:02,198 --> 00:35:03,256
I asked first.

718
00:35:05,634 --> 00:35:07,226
I don't think she ever went to Newcomb.

719
00:35:07,303 --> 00:35:11,069
I think that poor old man just got his facts confused.

720
00:35:13,576 --> 00:35:15,669
That looked so promising.

721
00:35:16,112 --> 00:35:17,807
Yeah, but it petered out.

722
00:35:17,880 --> 00:35:20,610
Newcomb gave us some information that went nowhere,

723
00:35:20,683 --> 00:35:24,744
Patrick Elber confirmed the official police report,

724
00:35:25,054 --> 00:35:26,885
Mrs. Atwater...

725
00:35:27,423 --> 00:35:28,583
What about Mrs. Atwater?

726
00:35:29,024 --> 00:35:31,891
There was something that bothered me when we talked to her today,

727
00:35:31,961 --> 00:35:34,191
and it just hit me what it was.

728
00:35:34,263 --> 00:35:37,721
She said her second cousin, Roy Pierce, owned the house, right?

729
00:35:37,800 --> 00:35:38,789
Right.

730
00:35:38,868 --> 00:35:41,894
When I made her a pretty insulting offer on the property,

731
00:35:41,971 --> 00:35:44,064
she became very proprietary.

732
00:35:44,273 --> 00:35:49,233
She said, "I wouldn't be interested. I wouldn't sublet the back bedroom for $20,000."

733
00:35:49,345 --> 00:35:51,939
I. I. Not Roy Pierce.

734
00:35:52,014 --> 00:35:53,675
Yeah. That doesn't make sense.

735
00:35:53,749 --> 00:35:55,478
If she owned it, why wouldn't she admit it?

736
00:35:55,985 --> 00:35:59,477
Well, maybe she doesn't own it, but she sure feels at home.

737
00:35:59,555 --> 00:36:02,353
And maybe she and Roy Pierce are close.

738
00:36:02,591 --> 00:36:03,615
And maybe something else.

739
00:36:03,692 --> 00:36:04,681
Like what?

740
00:36:06,061 --> 00:36:07,085
Let's go ask her.

741
00:36:11,734 --> 00:36:14,794
Well, there must be somebody in there, with two cars parked outside.

742
00:36:21,410 --> 00:36:23,002
Let's try around the back.

743
00:36:53,075 --> 00:36:54,508
Did you get the license number?

744
00:36:54,577 --> 00:36:56,101
No, he's too far away.

745
00:36:58,547 --> 00:37:00,845
At least he left the door open for us.

746
00:37:08,557 --> 00:37:09,922
What is it?

747
00:37:11,393 --> 00:37:13,224
BECKER: <i>Whoever did it</i> <i>was trying to get her out.</i>

748
00:37:13,796 --> 00:37:16,924
She was tied up and gagged. It looks like she got the gag off,

749
00:37:17,066 --> 00:37:18,556
started yelling.

750
00:37:18,634 --> 00:37:21,535
He must've given her a whack to keep her quiet, got her in the temple.

751
00:37:21,604 --> 00:37:24,004
Then you showed up, he dropped her and ran.

752
00:37:24,073 --> 00:37:26,064
One of the neighbors saw him take off.

753
00:37:26,141 --> 00:37:28,302
Well, he split in a blue Chevy.

754
00:37:28,377 --> 00:37:30,277
I didn't get the license number.

755
00:37:31,180 --> 00:37:33,114
You were here twice in one day. Why?

756
00:37:33,382 --> 00:37:34,815
I'm working for Miss Alexander.

757
00:37:38,454 --> 00:37:40,649
Miss Alexander usually has a lot to say,

758
00:37:40,723 --> 00:37:44,022
but apparently she's willing to let me stand here and turn bright blue

759
00:37:44,093 --> 00:37:45,355
without opening her mouth.

760
00:37:45,427 --> 00:37:46,860
What were you and Jim doing here?

761
00:37:47,930 --> 00:37:51,058
Well, Sergeant, I'm a journalist and I'm working on a story.

762
00:37:51,133 --> 00:37:54,591
Now, if I tell you, you tell the local press, and I'm out a month's work.

763
00:37:55,037 --> 00:37:58,473
I'm instructing my employee, Mr. Rockford, to remain silent.

764
00:37:58,540 --> 00:38:00,371
The First Amendment and all that.

765
00:38:02,478 --> 00:38:03,843
Where do you get them, Jim?

766
00:38:05,047 --> 00:38:07,481
I don't know, Dennis. They just seem to seek me out.

767
00:38:21,030 --> 00:38:23,931
Okay, that just about does it.

768
00:38:24,099 --> 00:38:25,157
That's good.

769
00:38:25,234 --> 00:38:27,828
I instructed you to remain silent.

770
00:38:27,903 --> 00:38:32,033
A journalist doesn't have to reveal sources of information or suppositions.

771
00:38:32,241 --> 00:38:34,300
It's all part of the First Amendment.

772
00:38:35,144 --> 00:38:39,444
Listen, Susan, you and I terminated our employment agreement this afternoon

773
00:38:39,515 --> 00:38:40,709
just before the cops arrived.

774
00:38:40,783 --> 00:38:42,375
I do not work for you,

775
00:38:42,451 --> 00:38:45,386
and I'm not about to withhold evidence in a murder case.

776
00:38:45,587 --> 00:38:48,522
What information? We don't know anything.

777
00:38:48,857 --> 00:38:51,155
Okay, Jim, sign this and you can leave.

778
00:38:52,995 --> 00:38:56,829
We just got a printout on the fingerprints and Photostats we sent to Sacramento.

779
00:38:56,899 --> 00:38:58,594
It's about time. What took you so long?

780
00:38:58,667 --> 00:39:01,693
Well, it's kind of strange, sir, it was in the deceased computer records

781
00:39:01,770 --> 00:39:03,431
and that woman isn't named Atwater.

782
00:39:03,505 --> 00:39:04,938
Her name is Cheryl Wilson,

783
00:39:05,007 --> 00:39:07,635
and she was supposed to have been murdered over six years ago.

784
00:39:15,983 --> 00:39:17,780
Oh, good. Could I speak to her secretary, please?

785
00:39:18,986 --> 00:39:21,454
And could you put me on hold, please?

786
00:39:26,460 --> 00:39:27,722
Well, come in.

787
00:39:28,695 --> 00:39:30,060
They only kept you two hours.

788
00:39:30,130 --> 00:39:31,995
That's not too bad, considering.

789
00:39:32,299 --> 00:39:34,893
What'd you do, make a statement after all?

790
00:39:35,002 --> 00:39:38,199
You can only push the First Amendment so far.

791
00:39:39,306 --> 00:39:42,298
I was headed for the lockup, and I had a change of heart.

792
00:39:42,376 --> 00:39:44,901
But they promised me they wouldn't release it to the press.

793
00:39:45,279 --> 00:39:47,179
Gotta protect the old byline.

794
00:39:47,247 --> 00:39:48,612
No, I'm on hold.

795
00:39:50,050 --> 00:39:51,074
Oh, thank you.

796
00:39:51,151 --> 00:39:55,315
Yes, this is Mr. Rockford at the Tres Elegante jewelry store.

797
00:39:55,422 --> 00:39:57,720
Yes, I'm afraid I've made a mistake.

798
00:39:58,092 --> 00:40:01,858
I gave Miss Alexander's watch to a woman who said she was Miss Alexander

799
00:40:01,929 --> 00:40:03,920
and I'm afraid I gave it to the wrong woman.

800
00:40:03,997 --> 00:40:05,965
Could you give me a description of her, please?

801
00:40:06,033 --> 00:40:07,830
Do you wanna see my birth certificate?

802
00:40:10,337 --> 00:40:12,430
No. No. I think it's all right.

803
00:40:12,506 --> 00:40:14,770
It sounds like the right woman. Yes.

804
00:40:15,375 --> 00:40:17,172
It's your secretary. You want to talk to her?

805
00:40:18,112 --> 00:40:19,204
Oh.

806
00:40:21,482 --> 00:40:22,847
Hi, Nance. It's me.

807
00:40:23,984 --> 00:40:25,178
No.

808
00:40:26,086 --> 00:40:29,613
All right. Send the message slips home. I'll answer them tomorrow.

809
00:40:30,424 --> 00:40:33,484
It's a long story. I'll tell you later. Bye-bye.

810
00:40:37,364 --> 00:40:38,831
We got off to such a quick start,

811
00:40:38,899 --> 00:40:40,958
I never got around to checking your credentials.

812
00:40:41,034 --> 00:40:42,661
Am I a suspect of some kind?

813
00:40:42,736 --> 00:40:44,226
Well, it flicked through my mind,

814
00:40:44,304 --> 00:40:46,704
but it didn't fit anything so I discarded it.

815
00:40:50,577 --> 00:40:53,808
Well, Dave Kruger is gonna get a hearing,

816
00:40:54,715 --> 00:40:58,344
and I guess it's a foregone conclusion that he's gonna be released.

817
00:40:58,418 --> 00:41:00,113
He's already served six years

818
00:41:00,187 --> 00:41:03,281
for killing someone who just got murdered this afternoon.

819
00:41:03,824 --> 00:41:07,055
Who was the lady that was killed six years ago?

820
00:41:07,394 --> 00:41:09,988
I think she was just a very convenient body.

821
00:41:10,497 --> 00:41:11,486
Convenient?

822
00:41:12,933 --> 00:41:16,369
Cheryl Wilson's life was insured for $200,000.

823
00:41:16,436 --> 00:41:18,199
Her mother was the beneficiary.

824
00:41:19,206 --> 00:41:20,537
How do you know that?

825
00:41:20,908 --> 00:41:22,739
I have an inventive mind.

826
00:41:22,809 --> 00:41:25,744
And I went over to the insurance company

827
00:41:25,812 --> 00:41:30,681
and I got some adjustor by the name of Mr. Villon very confused,

828
00:41:30,884 --> 00:41:35,253
and he gave me that little bit of information inadvertently.

829
00:41:35,822 --> 00:41:37,050
Did you tell him you were a cop?

830
00:41:37,124 --> 00:41:39,854
No. IRS investigator. Doing a company audit.

831
00:41:42,162 --> 00:41:44,062
You never stop, do you?

832
00:41:46,466 --> 00:41:48,161
Okay. Okay. So?

833
00:41:49,002 --> 00:41:53,496
So, if you put old Deputy Coroner Patrick Elber into the picture,

834
00:41:53,574 --> 00:41:55,542
it begins to look very interesting.

835
00:41:57,044 --> 00:41:58,841
Of course.

836
00:41:59,947 --> 00:42:02,677
He's the one who made the identification.

837
00:42:02,816 --> 00:42:06,775
He sent the fingerprints up to Sacramento for a positive ID.

838
00:42:08,121 --> 00:42:12,490
Cheryl, her cousin, Roy, and Elber were probably in it together.

839
00:42:12,593 --> 00:42:15,061
She took out the insurance policy

840
00:42:15,128 --> 00:42:17,460
and they just waited around for a good stiff.

841
00:42:17,531 --> 00:42:20,500
One that was so badly mauled it couldn't be identified.

842
00:42:21,568 --> 00:42:25,664
And Cheryl probably talked her mother into doing a partial ID.

843
00:42:25,739 --> 00:42:30,403
And Elber substituted Cheryl's fingerprints and made it a positive ID.

844
00:42:30,978 --> 00:42:33,003
Cheryl was legally dead,

845
00:42:33,080 --> 00:42:36,049
the insurance company had to pay off, and they divided the money.

846
00:42:36,917 --> 00:42:41,445
And Cheryl became Shirley Atwater and went underground.

847
00:42:41,788 --> 00:42:43,813
And during the trial, when the mother broke down,

848
00:42:43,890 --> 00:42:45,619
she must have been getting an attack of the guilts

849
00:42:45,692 --> 00:42:47,922
when she realized that Dave was gonna get convicted of murder.

850
00:42:48,528 --> 00:42:51,122
Which explains her offer to finance the appeal.

851
00:42:51,331 --> 00:42:55,427
It also makes her suicide, her cardio-whatever, a murder.

852
00:42:56,503 --> 00:42:59,301
I don't like to think that Cheryl had anything to do with that.

853
00:42:59,373 --> 00:43:01,000
Oh, she probably didn't.

854
00:43:01,642 --> 00:43:04,634
When Cheryl was pretending to be Shirley Atwater,

855
00:43:04,711 --> 00:43:06,406
she insisted it was an accident.

856
00:43:06,480 --> 00:43:08,414
Patrick Elber could call it anything he wanted.

857
00:43:08,482 --> 00:43:10,040
I mean, after all, he was the Coroner.

858
00:43:10,584 --> 00:43:12,211
Yeah, but why kill Cheryl?

859
00:43:12,686 --> 00:43:14,119
Maybe she was getting nervous.

860
00:43:14,187 --> 00:43:17,156
Maybe she stopped believing that her mother's death was an accident,

861
00:43:17,224 --> 00:43:19,215
and started asking questions.

862
00:43:19,293 --> 00:43:21,124
Well, let's get on it.

863
00:43:21,628 --> 00:43:23,994
Yeah, we better bring the cops in on it.

864
00:43:25,532 --> 00:43:28,126
Look, Elber's boat slip is only about five minutes away.

865
00:43:28,201 --> 00:43:30,669
I'll go keep an eye on it. You call Becker.

866
00:43:35,676 --> 00:43:37,644
I thought you didn't like to shoot people.

867
00:43:37,978 --> 00:43:40,572
I don't shoot it. I just point it.

868
00:44:18,452 --> 00:44:19,578
He's gone.

869
00:44:20,420 --> 00:44:22,854
Does he honestly think he can get away on a boat?

870
00:44:23,256 --> 00:44:25,588
Hey, he doesn't know anybody's chasing him yet.

871
00:44:25,659 --> 00:44:27,183
If he had have gotten Cheryl's body out of there,

872
00:44:27,260 --> 00:44:29,990
gotten it on a boat, he could have taken it out on the ocean, dumped it

873
00:44:30,063 --> 00:44:31,087
and nobody'd been the wiser.

874
00:44:31,164 --> 00:44:34,827
This way he's got it figured that the police will take a little while to figure it out.

875
00:44:34,901 --> 00:44:36,368
Well, Becker's on his way down here.

876
00:44:36,436 --> 00:44:38,370
Okay. Here, call him back.

877
00:44:38,438 --> 00:44:40,838
I want you to tell him to get a chopper and the Coast Guard.

878
00:44:40,907 --> 00:44:42,238
I'm gonna bet on Mexico.

879
00:44:42,309 --> 00:44:43,333
Well, what're you gonna do?

880
00:44:43,410 --> 00:44:44,741
I'm gonna scrounge up a boat.

881
00:44:44,811 --> 00:44:46,073
All right.

882
00:45:00,961 --> 00:45:02,826
All right. Come on. No deal. Get off. Get off.

883
00:45:02,896 --> 00:45:05,091
Come on, stop it. It's gonna be a photo essay.

884
00:45:05,165 --> 00:45:08,191
You point your little gun and I'll point my little camera.

885
00:45:08,268 --> 00:45:10,099
Come on, let's get out of here.

886
00:45:16,276 --> 00:45:17,334
Did you get through to Becker?

887
00:45:17,411 --> 00:45:19,504
Yeah. He said he'd get us as much help as he can.

888
00:45:34,694 --> 00:45:36,719
We got a boat angling in on us.

889
00:45:38,665 --> 00:45:41,156
There's a shark rifle down in the salon,

890
00:45:41,234 --> 00:45:45,034
starboard side. Got a scope. Get it, Roy. Hurry up!

891
00:45:55,115 --> 00:45:56,173
He's coming in at us.

892
00:45:56,249 --> 00:45:57,807
Okay. Slow him down.

893
00:46:16,570 --> 00:46:19,698
You can't hit anything. I can hardly keep this camera on them.

894
00:46:19,940 --> 00:46:23,068
I just want to give him something to think about. Stay down.

895
00:46:38,692 --> 00:46:40,660
Fire right across their bow.

896
00:46:55,442 --> 00:46:57,774
Come on. Move faster.

897
00:46:57,911 --> 00:47:00,436
Just get your pictures. I'm a little busy.

898
00:47:21,034 --> 00:47:22,262
You know,

899
00:47:22,335 --> 00:47:24,360
it seems strange to think that Cheryl was alive,

900
00:47:24,437 --> 00:47:26,268
all those years I was in prison.

901
00:47:26,373 --> 00:47:27,499
And Roy,

902
00:47:27,574 --> 00:47:30,202
Roy Pierce was the one that killed her,

903
00:47:30,277 --> 00:47:31,972
and he was her own cousin.

904
00:47:32,045 --> 00:47:34,240
And the beneficiary of her mother's policy.

905
00:47:35,115 --> 00:47:38,846
And Elber used his connections at the department to keep the lid on.

906
00:47:38,919 --> 00:47:42,878
He even walked off with the case file when one of his cronies told him

907
00:47:42,956 --> 00:47:44,787
Susan was digging into the case.

908
00:47:44,858 --> 00:47:47,418
KRUGER: Well, I'm out and that's what counts.

909
00:47:47,494 --> 00:47:49,325
Pretty good picture, don't you think?

910
00:47:49,396 --> 00:47:52,263
That picture is causing me a lot of trouble, Susan.

911
00:47:52,332 --> 00:47:54,425
Just because you weren't supposed to have a gun.

912
00:47:54,768 --> 00:47:55,996
It's just a little technicality.

913
00:47:56,069 --> 00:47:57,696
I don't think it's gonna cause you much trouble.

914
00:47:58,071 --> 00:47:59,766
That little technicality

915
00:47:59,839 --> 00:48:02,603
is gonna cost me a court appearance, maybe a fine,

916
00:48:02,676 --> 00:48:05,873
and a possible temporary suspension of my license.

917
00:48:06,780 --> 00:48:09,715
Well, if they do that, you can always go into the printing business.

918
00:48:09,783 --> 00:48:11,614
That supposed to be a joke?

919
00:48:11,685 --> 00:48:14,381
Well, let's not quarrel, this is Dave's party.

920
00:48:14,854 --> 00:48:16,719
You know, I spent a lot of time in prison,

921
00:48:16,790 --> 00:48:20,317
and there was a time there when I didn't think anybody even knew I was alive.

922
00:48:20,393 --> 00:48:22,623
And then you come to me, Miss Alexander,

923
00:48:22,796 --> 00:48:24,696
you threw me a lifeline.

924
00:48:24,764 --> 00:48:25,958
I drink to you.

925
00:48:26,866 --> 00:48:28,299
And to you, Mr. Rockford.

926
00:48:28,368 --> 00:48:29,460
Jim.

927
00:48:30,170 --> 00:48:33,469
You risked your life for me, and you figured it out.

928
00:48:34,341 --> 00:48:37,606
I've been in jail six years trying to figure it out and I didn't have a clue.

929
00:48:37,911 --> 00:48:39,538
What are you gonna do with your life, Dave?

930
00:48:39,613 --> 00:48:43,310
I mean, you're out and you've got a pardon. And now you've got a future.

931
00:48:44,017 --> 00:48:46,076
I don't have that completely doped out yet.

932
00:48:46,152 --> 00:48:48,916
Maybe I'm gonna get in the gas station business.

933
00:48:49,089 --> 00:48:50,750
I think I'd like to get a gas station.

934
00:48:50,824 --> 00:48:53,816
What are you gonna do tomorrow? Or next week?

935
00:48:53,893 --> 00:48:55,417
I'd like to do a follow-up story.

936
00:48:55,495 --> 00:48:59,488
Well, first, I'm gonna borrow $50, maybe a $100.

937
00:48:59,599 --> 00:49:01,726
Okay. I'll loan it to you.

938
00:49:01,901 --> 00:49:02,890
Thanks.

939
00:49:02,969 --> 00:49:06,063
Well, then what are you gonna do? Well, I'd like to do a photo essay.

940
00:49:06,539 --> 00:49:08,598
You don't want any pictures, Susan.

941
00:49:08,675 --> 00:49:11,007
Well, why not? I think it'd be fascinating.

942
00:49:11,077 --> 00:49:12,135
You do?

943
00:49:12,212 --> 00:49:13,270
Yeah.

944
00:49:13,613 --> 00:49:15,205
Tell her what you're gonna do, Dave.

945
00:49:15,849 --> 00:49:18,750
I'm gonna get a woman and I'm gonna get drunk.

946
00:49:19,786 --> 00:49:20,810
Oh.

947
00:49:21,087 --> 00:49:22,850
I'll drink to that.

948
00:49:24,658 --> 00:49:26,421
Well, I guess I can, too.

