All language subtitles for The Rockford Files - 05x03 - The Jersey Bounce.Unspecified.English.orig.Addic7ed.com

Somebody almost killed
little Mary Carmony.

Hey!

Hey, what's with you, man?

You threatening us?

Am I ever.

He was found
in the shrubbery
this morning.

I think I better
read you your rights.

Why were you disbarred?

Dismiss the case
on a point
of legal precedent.

Mr. Ward,
why don't you
give me a break?

Get a pail
and start bailing.

Cut them off, Coop.

ROCKFORD
This is Jim Rockford.

At the tone, leave your name
and message.

I'll get back to you.

Jimmy, Angel. Here's a tip,
but his handwriting is bad.

Third son in the fifth race
at Bell Meadows.

Wait a minute, could be
fifth son in the third.

Wait, this might be
next week's race.

Hey, Mickey,
you going downtown?

No.

What's his name
went down to the store
to get some brew.

Who's what's his name?

You know, the guy,
what's his name.

Here he comes, anyway.

Maniac, slow down.

Maniac.

Mary, you all right?

I'm okay. Thanks.

Get the beer, huh?

Hey, what are
you looking at?

Now hold it, sonny.
Hold it.

Yeah, they done it
all right.

But, well,
the cops are there now,
let them handle it.

They don't handle it.
You've told me 95 times.

I know, I know.

But, well, you see,
that Eugene,

he's got a clear shot
right through his backyard
to Georgina Street.

He can see
the cops coming.

By the time
they get here,

he's got the music turned
off and the squabbling
all stopped.

Who knocked down
the mailbox?

Madonna, Officer,
I wish I knew.

I'm in the house
with my friends, right?

We're listening
to Carpenters.

All of a sudden,
we hear a squeal.

We run to the window,
there's a big cadi
taking off down the block.

And his mailbox,
ba-ba-bing,
down for the count.

Says it was
this Volkswagen.

Oh, gosh, Officer,
this man is wrong.
I swear on my mother's grave.

He's old, am I right?
Senile.

Yeah, go ahead.
Check for paint
on the bumper.

How loud were
these carpenters?

Were they deliberately
hammering loudly?

No, Officer, the Carpenters
are a singing group,
real gentle and sweet.

He says you're playing
hard rock on your stereo.
How loud was it?

What difference
does that make?

The sound laws don't come
on till 10:00 at night,
am I right?

Hey, hey.
Now, come on, huh?
That's it?

Now don't start
nothing like you
did Tuesday, sonny.

Maybe it just
ain't worth it.

All right, Dad,
I won't.

That's right.
It ain't worth it.

Look at them now.
Regular little angels,
ain't they?

Laying low for a while,
but it'll all start up
again tonight,

busting the 10:00
noise rule and all.

There ain't nobody
around here to prove
what a hellhole

they're making out
of our neighborhood.

Yeah, well, we'll fix
this mailbox, then we'll
go get some R&R.

Hey, Fannon's boat.
All right.

You know, you could
abide that rock and roll.

I even find my own foot
tapping sometimes.

But that darn Eugene and
his outfit, they don't make
allowances for no one.

They never turn
the music down.

And they've been hounding poor
old Carl Gibbons over there.

They got him too scared
to file charges.

Well, there.
That's about
as good as new.

You could live with
the Victrola turned up high,

you could live
with them fast cars.

But what I can't
live with is...

Well, this stinking fear.

Yeah, well, you got your
pole and your tackle box
all ready to go?

Yeah.
All right.

Oh, hey, listen,
I'm sorry.

I got a phone call
this morning.

Some business
matters came up.

So, I'm just gonna have
to drop you at Fannon's,

and then I'm
going to take off.

Ah, what a crummy day.

At the tone, the time will
be 10:22 p.m. and 10 seconds.

At the tone,
the time will be 10:22...

Hey! Hey!

... and 20 seconds.

All right, all right.

All right, who wants
to take count?
Over here, over here.

One, two, three, four,
five, six, seven.

What do you want on yours?

Tomatoes.

What do you want on yours?

Hey, what's with you, man?

You pick those out of there,
briquette by briquette,
and put them in that bag.

Go pick your feet.

Here, lady,
you hold the bag
for him.

Hey, what the hell you think
you're doing, sonny Jim?
This here's private property.

He's nuts, Eugene.
He said I ripped off
his old man's charcoals.

I bought them charcoals
myself, sonny Jim.

I'm not going to argue
with you, Conigliaro.

I'm taking them back
to my dad's, next door.

No kidding.
We was kind of thinking

maybe you want to
get down, you know?

Like you done
the other day.
You remember?

When you hit me
when I wasn't looking.

Oh, yeah, yeah.
When you broke
the window?

Yeah, well, it's kind
of hard to see anything
when you're running away.

I wasn't running, turkey.

Hey, you want
to do the number?
'Cause I'm ready.

Come on. Come on.

How about that,
Harry High School.

Are you, by chance, referring
to anybody who is present
here at the festivity?

Your dude's got a problem,
let me and Drew in
for a piece.

You're righteous hosts,
and we don't feature
negative vibes.

Come on, chicky.

What? You want
me to go, huh?

So all of you can jump me,
is that what you want?

No, I've got
a better idea.

We will dance,
but one at a time.

You threatening us?

Am I ever.

You don't frighten me.

Oh, yes, I do.

You keep listening
to that little voice way
down inside you, Eugene,

the one that keeps
screaming at you,
"Bounce back to Jersey."

I don't believe that.

Hey, hey, hey.
All right.

Morning, sir.

Hey, what's going on?

Is your name
James Rockford, sir?

Yeah.

Do you know a man
by the name of
Mac Amodeus, sir?

No, why?
What's the problem?

Well, that's him, sir.

He was found in
the shrubbery
this morning.

It appears he was
beaten to death.

Sometime last night, huh?

He was a guest of
a Mr. Conigliaro
and a Mr. Long, next door.

Sir, witnesses over
there have told us

that you threatened
several people
at a party last night

and Mr. Amodeus
was one of them.
Is that true?

Sir, I think
I better read you
your rights, okay?

I know my rights.

I didn't know this guy
Amodeus and I certainly
didn't kill him.

Yes, sir, but that's up to
someone else to determine.

In the meantime,
"You have the right
to remain silent.

"Anything you say can
and will be used against
you in a court of law.

"You have the right
to an attorney."

I thought we'd never
get out of there.

I know that Deputy DA Cowan.
He's a real hamburger.
Hair-splitter extraordinaire.

However, he's got
a heck of a case.
A heck of a case!

How? I didn't do it.

Hmm.

The state can prove
you threatened four
men at that party,

the deceased being
one of them.

They can also prove
a long-standing enmity

between you and members
of the Coniglio household.

Can we just slow
down a minute, huh?

I just spent
the night in jail,
and it's Conigliaro.

Right. In a 187 PC,
you got your big three.

Motive, weapon,
opportunity.

Don't ever forget that.

In this case,
weapon equals bruised
knuckles and sprained thumb

the police discovered
on your right hand.

I got that in a fight with
Eugene Conigliaro two days
ago when he broke a window.

Hmm.

Look, Mr. Ward,
wait, wait, wait.

Your attitude is making
me smell cyanide.
I didn't murder this guy.

Now, if you can't accept
that fact as part of
your working philosophy,

I'll see that Harcourt
and Lowe assign me
a different attorney.

Oh, oh, oh. Well, let's hold
our collective horses a sec.

I didn't mean
there's no hope.
Heck no.

But whether I believe you or
not is nihil ad rem pertinet.

What matters here
is strategy,
and I've got one.

Yeah, well,
I can't tell you how
that makes me feel.

You know,
I was sitting all alone
in jail last night,

I got to thinking about
Beth not being with
the firm any longer.

Oh, great gal,
great gal.

I'm confident I can negotiate
Cowan down from Murder one
to Murder two.

Plea bargain? I'm not gonna
bargain for anything.
I'm innocent of the crime.

All right, here's
the short strokes.

Four and a half to seven?

Or ten to twenty?

I'm not going
to cop a plea.

Jim? May I call you Jim?
Hey, Jim, I don't know you,
you don't know me.

Heck, you seem
like a nice guy.

I remember Beth brought
you to a Harcourt and Lowe
Christmas party.

But the thing is,
if we're gonna
work together,

you gotta realize
that I work at my own pace,
in my own way.

Oh, you do, huh?

"Two roads diverged in
a yellow wood, and I

"I took the one
less traveled by

"And that has made
all the difference"

Robert Frost.

Oh, bother,
I know what that is.

It's the office
calling about
US versus OI' Dan'I Boone.

Who?

It's a fascinating
antitrust case.

Five years they've
been taking it
up the ladder.

Sumner Harcourt himself
is going to argue it

before the Supreme Court
in about a month.

It's taken 10 years off
the life of Wade G. Ward,
I can tell you.

Yeah, well, you really
think you can handle
two cases at once?

Got to.

Anyway, the SEC avers that
OI' Dan'I Boone Distillers
acted in restraint of trade

by buying several
cocktail mixer corporations

through their subsidiary,
American Carbonated Inc.

Boy, it has been a bear.

Oh, fascinating.
I bet you can hardly
put the briefs down.

Hi, Patty,
what's up?

Uh-huh.

Uh-huh. Uh-huh.

Look, Mr. Ward,
I really need a shower bad,
but I do want to talk to you.

Yeah, we will, we will.
Go home, shower,
but stay there.

By all means,
don't go near
the Coniglio house.

No, no, no, no, no.
That paragraph should
be changed to read,

"Whereas Eskimo Cola maintains
its own sovereign board of
directors, not answerable..."

Hello?

Wade Ward, please.

Well, he's not here.

What time do you
expect him home?

This is not his home.
It's my home.
My name's Rockford.

Oh, I see.
You're the client.
I see what happened.

I'm John Cooper
with the Corporation
for Legal Research.

Wade was in here today
and he put your phone number
next to his name.

I just want to review
some things with him.

Yeah, well, since
he's having trouble
with his own phone number,

I'd sleep better
if you'd review things
with me. Go ahead.

Well, no, Mr. Rockford.
I really couldn't do that.

My company just does
the research on a case and
Wade's the attorney at record.

Ethically, I can only discuss
the case with him,
and he'll fill you in. Sorry.

Corporation, Corporation,
Corporation.

Corporation
for Legal Research.

Research. Corporation
for Legal... Oh!

3516, South Robertson
Boulevard, Beverly Hills.

Fool. If this storm
develops as I hope,

you will have plenty
to be afraid of before
the night's over. Go on.

It's nearly...
Hello?

Yeah?
I'm Jim Rockford.

I think you're the one
I spoke to on the phone.

Oh? Oh, yeah,
yeah, yeah.
John, John Cooper.

She leave that
door unlocked?

If her coffee doesn't kill me,
some neighborhood junkie will.

In Beverly Hills
you have to expect that.

This is Beverly Hills.

Of course, Los Angeles is
across the street there.

The border's that white line
down the middle of the road.

The legal profession
is very snobbish.

But most of our work is done
by phone, so our law clients
never know the difference.

Beverly Hills looks good
on a letterhead
and it brings them in.

Yeah. Where'd you study
marketing techniques?

Midway at Pacific Ocean Park?

Tell me you didn't let out
a little sob of gratitude

when you saw a Beverly Hills
firm in your murder case.

Yeah, I've heard about you
legal research firms.

You hire out
to bona fide attorneys.

You do the legwork,
you search precedent.

You even prepare the briefs.

It doesn't seem like it leaves
an awful lot for attorneys
like Wade to do,

but some of the heavy
theoretical groundwork
and the cashing of checks.

You have a problem
with Ward?

Well, I was Beth Davenport's
client when she was
with Harcourt and Lowe,

and this guy
is no Beth Davenport.

Everybody have to be
stamped the same?

He's with the top
law firm in town.

If Wade couldn't cut it,
he wouldn't be there.

Now, I've told you,
Rockford,

I can't discuss
the case with you.
Simple as that.

Coop?

In here, Wade.

Oh, boy, what a day.

I just got out of
a dinner meeting at H&L.

Started at 6:00.

That miserable
US versus OI' Dan'I Boone.
Boy, that has been a bear.

Rockford.

Wade, Mr. Rockford was
just asking to see the data,

but I told him it was
impossible because...

Sure, what the heck.
Let's all hear it.

That way I won't have
to sit through it twice.

Well, first of all, Nancy said
you'd asked for a summary
of Utah versus Liggett,

but as soon as I read
the case file, I figured
she'd heard you wrong.

What is it?

Precedent.

Judge held that
the homicide charge

against the defendant,
Liggett,

should be dismissed
prior to the trial

because he was defending
his home against repeated
assault. Self-defense.

Isn't that how
the case went, Coop?

Oh, yeah,
yeah. But...

Well, let's say that's
the case and you do have
a point, Ward.

I'm not so sure that
Utah versus Liggett is the
precedent you want to cite.

We'll talk about that later.

Now, one of our people
went out to the Conigliaro
home to get an idea

of what the party
was all about,

but Conigliaro and his friend,
Mickey Long, refused
to discuss it.

They said that they
hope Rockford burns

and they wouldn't do anything
to help the defense.

Hmm. That background would
have been important.

But that's that.

Hostile witnesses.

Nothing you can do
to make them talk
till you get them in court.

You could
depose them.

Au contraire,
you can't depose witnesses
in a criminal case.

What's the matter
with you, Coop?

File a civil action
on Mr. Rockford's behalf.

Sue Conigliaro and Long
for damages,
destruction of property.

And you can drop
the suit at anytime,

but you'll still have their
sworn statements on record.

Now, you'll have
a time problem,

so you might have to go in
under Title 20-17 A of the
Code of Civil Procedure.

Pardon me, Coop, but that's
just the kind of thinking
that got you disbarred, buddy.

Heck, Coop, I'm sorry
I let the old skeleton
tumble out of the closet.

Okay, okay, I'll get ready
to start an action
on Long and Coniglio.

It's Conigliaro.

Mind if I join you?

Well, I don't
suppose this is
just a coincidence.

No, no, I followed you.
I might as well cop out,
to that anyway.

Hmm, but not to
second-degree murder.

Mr. Cooper,
I watched you up there.

You seem to have more going
for you than just,
"Oh, boys" and "bears."

But it's safe to say
I have some deep
concerns about Wade Ward.

So, if you were me,
would you get
a different attorney

or do you think
changing horses
would be dangerous now?

That's something
you should talk over with
your family and friends.

That's a personal problem.

A true diplomat.

There's just my dad,
and he knows zip
about the law.

He thinks nolo contendere
is a Mexican bantamweight.

Mr. Cooper,
I could be facing
a life sentence.

Hypothetically, now,
one might start shopping
around for other counsel.

One might obtain, well,
from someone like me,
a good list of names.

But at the same time,
you shouldn't sell
Wade short.

For one thing,
he's familiar
with your case.

Mmm-hmm. Just the names
of the principals
and the nature of the crime

he's a little shaky on.

What's yours?

Oh...

Well, he feels
like celebrating.

Give him an
OI' Dan'I Boone, neat.

Everyone's a comedian.

Look, your preliminary
is only days away.

And I'll be on the thing,
and I'll work with Wade

and see if maybe I can
keep him from derailing

when we hit the junction
at Centerville.

If you're expecting
him to derail,
why are you protecting him?

I'm not, not really.
And I don't think
he will derail.

And even if he does,
you could allege that Wade
was incompetent counsel.

That even places some
sympathy on your side.

Qualified witnesses would be
forced to testify to that.

Would you?

Would you testify that
he was watching horror movies
when we had our meeting?

If it came to that.

It's not bad.

It's a little iffy,
but it covers all the bases.

Now, there's something else.

Why did you get disbarred?

It's a long story.

Is that why you've got
your degree hanging
upside down on your wall?

My idea of
a private joke.

Well, maybe this
is a dumb question,

but whatever it was
that got you disbarred,
were you right?

Maybe you noticed
the question
of right and wrong

is not within the purview
of the law,

only the question
of legal and illegal.

Yeah, does seem strange.

Don't it, though?

Bartender, I think I got him
in a celebrating mood now.

He'll switch
to OI' Dan'I Boone.

...so I says,
"Hey, sweet cheeks,

"you can't prove
I'm the one
fathered the kid.

"And besides,
you don't want it,
have an abortion."

She says,
"It had to be you.
You the one

"who pushed me
down on the bed."

I says,
"Hey, go rotate.

"I ain't gonna pay you
no money
to support no brat.

"I'd rather
smoke paraquat."

Conigliaro and Long?

It sure ain't
The Two Gentlemen
of Verona.

Now, in your statements
to the police,

you two gentlemen averred
that you did not personally
know the victim, Mac Amodeus.

Remembering you're under oath,
I ask you now to be absolutely
certain that this is true.

It's true.
It was a open house,
you know?

We put up signs
on telephone poles,
and all kind of people come.

We got no control
on who comes.

Can you state that
beyond any doubt?

Any glimmer or shred
of uncertainty?

Beyond any vague
or shadowy...

Yeah.

Oh, tell Sumner
I'll be right out.

Coop, it's OI' Dan'I Boone.

Could you keep
everything warm?

Do either one of you
gentlemen know

a woman named Dawn Nodzak
from Redondo Beach?

The place was packed.
I don't know this broad. Why?

Mac Amodeus was living
with this Dawn Nodzak,

and I was just going
into the background.

I wonder if you might
be able to add
anything to that.

Hey, what are we,
the Encyclopedia Britannicus?

Look, are you gonna sue us?
Sue us, or get off the pot.

Who started the beef
between you and Mr. Rockford,
the one Mr. Amodeus was in?

Him, Rockford, and it wasn't
the first time, you know.

He likes to swing
on people.

That's a lie. I never
actually traded punches
with either one of them.

Bull you didn't. What about
the other day? Tuesday.

When the window got broke?

No one got hit.
That's a flat out lie.

You hit me, creep.
I still got the egg,
right here.

Let the record show
he pointed to a place
beneath his right ear.

You told the cops I hit you
on the right side of the jaw

while you were standing up
to me like John Garfield.

That's why the cops
wouldn't believe me

when I told them
about the bruises
on my right hand.

But now that they see
that I was behind you,
running after you,

it'll be a
different story.

The night was clear,
and the moon was yellow

And the leaves
come tumbling down

Hi, Joe.

Hey, Giuseppe.

Leave me alone,
you bums.
I mean it.

A two hour drive
to Redondo Beach
is a long way to go.

I just hope we get something
from this Dawn Nodzak.

She was living with
the late Mac Amodeus.

Let's face it,
we haven't got much else.

There's her place.

I would have thought
Mac Amodeus lived
in a garage.

That license plate.
I think I know who
owns that. Artie Nodzak.

Pop Warner type
big shot up in LA.

Bunch of porno houses,
string of hookers,

horses out at
Bell Meadows Raceway.

Yeah, that's Artie Nodzak,
all right.

The guy that's with him
is named Georgie something,
Georgie Ryan.

Would you
like some coffee?

No, thank you,
Mrs. Nodzak.

Miss.

Oh, wasn't that your husband
we just saw leaving?

The reason I'm asking
is we were both admiring
that handsome car.

Oh, that. That was
my brother, Artie.

He'll be glad to
hear it. That car's
his whole personality.

Mr. Amodeus was a plumber?

Now, we understand that
you lived here together.

Did you accompany him
to the party the night
he died?

I just can't think why anyone
would want to kill Mac.

He was really a gentle guy.

He was always worried about
the whales and things.

He was worried about them,
like, what would
happen to them.

He had this record of
whales singing
to each other and...

Like, when he'd get ripped,

he'd put it on,
and sometimes he'd even cry.

Whales singing to each other.

I mean, that really
blew him away.

That's the kind
of guy he was.

Excuse me, but how did
you get the bruises?

Oh, I'm such a klutz.

I was going down
to the laundry room
and I fell down the stairs.

Did Mac do that to you?

Why, Dawn?
What happened?

Nothing special.

I said something
that got him mad.

He would kind of do
this once in a while.

That's how come I didn't
go to the party with him.

My face.

Oh, he wasn't really
violent or anything.

My theory is...

Well, actually,
Mac was a real poetic guy.

He was always talking about
signing up on the Calypso
with Jacques Cousteau,

or writing down some
of the lyrics in his head
and selling them to a band.

He knew a guy
who knew the Eagles.

But that's a full-time job,
and he had the plumbing thing.

He was really a frustrated
poet and ecologist I think.

And that's how come
he used to blow up.

That's my theory, anyway.

I assume that your brother
Artie knew that Mac was
beating you up.

Yeah. Yell, yell, yell,
all the time.

But what did he know?

Right.

Listen, if you want to talk
some more, you'll have
to come back later, okay?

I'm kind of
co-chairperson
at this women's group.

We're having a
consciousness-raising session.

I gotta make
coffee and all.

I really need
this meeting.

I think it'll help get
Mac's death out of my
mind for a while.

That's my theory, anyway.

I hope Dawn
likes this album.

Like, who needs
heavy metal when they're
experiencing grief?

I'd say we came up
with some interesting stuff.

You do, huh?

Mostly whales
and a singing act.

But I agree.

Dawn Nodzak sleeping
with Mac Amodeus,

and he's whacking her
around for recreation.

Now, Dawn's brother
gets wind of this,

so he sends two apes
to dance on Mac's head.

That's my theory, anyway.
Now, what's yours?

I think we should
run it past Wade.

Of course,
it's not something
you want to throw out

at the preliminary, but...
Well, why not?

Well, suppose
you do go to trial,
you're blowing your strategy.

The DA is lying in the weeds
just waiting for you.

He should kick it out
at the preliminary.

I don't want to even have
to worry about a trial.

Look, don't worry.
I talked to Wade.

He says he's trim.
He feels he's ready.

Yeah, to cop
to second.

Wade Ward was brought
into that firm by
Gene Lowe himself.

Beth told me Gene Lowe
died at 42 years old
of a heart attack.

Brought on by worry.

Your Honor,
the defense would like
to present in its behalf

a sworn deposition taken at
civil proceeding number 16345

in which Mr. Eugene Conigliaro
contradicts his own testimony

regarding the injury
to Mr. Rockford's hand.

Yeah, that was a prior fight
that caused the bruises.

He lied.

Well, it's possible
Mr. Rockford's hand
was injured at a prior time.

However, that does not
exclude the possibility
of brass knuckles, chains,

or other mechanical devices.

Yeah, but...

So stipulated,
Mr. Cowan.

If the court will
allow me a moment?

I'm in trouble, Coop.
That's all I had.

And this Cowan
isn't the hamburger
I remember.

You bet you're in trouble.

Recall Conigliaro and Long
and go after their testimony.

But how?

I mean, nobody's denying
the threats were made.

Get a pail
and start bailing.

The party, Wade,
the party.

Noise, dope, confusion.

Was all that
going on?

Mr. Long, how much narcotics
had you ingested
on the night of the party?

I didn't use
no narcotics.

I never do.

That is, I'm not
a narcotics user
of any sort.

Were you ever arrested
in the state of New Jersey
for possession of narcotics?

Yeah, I think
I was. Once.

I submit you were
under the influence
of narcotics, sir.

A mammoth party

given to celebrate
the extension
of unemployment benefits

by the State of New Jersey
to your colleague,
Mr. Conigliaro.

I submit you were
highly narcotized,

and I could produce witnesses
who would so stipulate.

No. We drank beer,
that's all.
Me and Eugene.

In fact, I remember
we split a case,
but no dope.

So, half a case of beer.

Twelve bottles, if I remember
my fraternity days correctly.

Boogie-woogie music
thundering around your ears.

And yet, and yet, you managed
to hear every threat,

to get every nuance of hate
in Mr. Rockford's low voice,
as Mr. Conigliaro called it.

That's all.

I have no
cross examination,

but I would like to call
Mr. Joseph Rockford
to the stand, please.

Now, I'm going to take you
to two days before the party
in question.

A window had been broken.

Now, according
to Mr. Conigliaro,

your son said to him
at that time,

"I'd like to kill you guys."

Did he say that?

Well, I mean...

Oh, brother.

What I mean is...

No, that's all.
Thank you.

You may
step down, Mr. Rockford.

Your Honor, if I may,
a great deal has been
heard here in camera

regarding the rancorous
feeling existing

between the Rockfords,
pere et fils

and Mr. Long,
Mr. Conigliaro,
and their party guests.

But I feel this court
should be aware
of another grievance

against the deceased
Mr. Amodeus.

If need be,
I can call one Dawn Nodzak

to testify that Mac Amodeus
had done her
repeated bodily injury.

Miss Nodzak is the sister
of an underworld figure

with a record of violent
crime, Mr. Arthur Nodzak.

I leave it to the court
to draw its own conclusions.

And I'd like
to remind the court

of its option
at this juncture

to dismiss the case
on a point of legal precedent.

Certainly, we have heard
instance after instance
of pillage and harassment

by Messrs. Long and
Conigliaro against the home
and person of Joseph Rockford.

They've even admitted
such themselves.

Present in the Magna Carta
is the guarantee...

Cite your precedent,
Mr. Ward.

Utah versus Liggett,
Your Honor.

In that matter,
the judge dismissed the case,

holding the defendant
acted in self-defense

when he killed two men
of a party of several
who were trying...

Utah v. Liggett refers
to Indians, does it not?

Wasn't the Liggett home
under attack by Comanches?

I mean, wasn't a shed
completely razed?

Wasn't the limb
of a family member
completely blown off?

Yes.

Mr. Ward,
why don't you
give me a break?

I find that there
is sufficient evidence

to indicate that
the defendant,

James Rockford,
did commit the crime,

and I hereby bind him
over to Department Four
of the Superior Court

on July 9th
for arraignment and
for subsequent proceedings.

He's not the same man
he was five years ago, Jim.

Look, I feel
personally responsible...

Coop, forget
about that
for now.

Pay attention.
We got a definite tie up.

Now, Georgie Ryan,
that's Artie Nodzak's muscle,
he was in that courtroom.

Nodzak wants to keep
an eye on my case.

Because if I'm headed
for state college,

he knows he's
in the clear.

I'll tell you
something else weird.

The whole time
Ryan was in the room,

Eugene and Mickey Long, too,
were looking in the back
trying to get his eye.

Oh, yeah?

Yeah.

You thinking
about a contract?

Artie Nodzak pays
these two salamis

to croak a guy who's
beating up his sister.

Pie in the sky?

Blueberry.

Would they be stupid
enough to make a hit

and then leave the body
in front of their house?

Yeah, I guess they would.

You know, Jim,
Nodzak is a functioning adult.

And he'd pay those two
to make a hit for him?

And they wouldn't have
done it for revenge

because Dawn told us that
she didn't even know them.

Yeah, well, I'm just looking
for a connection, Coop.

Do you remember what
Eugene was talking about

the day of the deposition
out in the hall?

Some girl he got
pregnant. So what?

Yeah, well,
it's straw-grasping
time, right?

I just remember that
when we went to see Dawn,

there were these two
young women, remember,

that went in to see her on a
consciousness-raising session.

And one was pregnant.

Right.

Jim, I think the
California Obstetric Society

could give you figures
showing that in
any one week

there could be
several pregnancies.

Yeah, I told you,
I'm just looking
for a connection.

Who knows,
maybe poor taste
in men is it.

Eugene and Mac are both cut
from the same bolt of cloth.

If you're going to go out
with them, you're going to
need consciousness-raising.

Either that or
a helmet and shovel.

Boy, we're so far off
from the murder, we're
in a different time zone.

We start off with Eugene,
Mickey and Artie Nodzak.

I think it's worth trying
to find the pregnant lady.

Maybe that women's group
can give us her name.

Okay, but I'll tell
you out front,

the only part of this I can
really buy is Artie Nodzak.

And I know a guy
like that's got to have
too much street smarts

to hire Conigliaro and Long.

Way too much smarts.

The men's can is the same
as in a regular restaurant.

Well, what are
we gonna do?

I mean, if I gotta
eat raw fish, I'm gonna
ralph right in his lap.

I wish he'd picked
Vito's Little Napoli
or a steakhouse.

Oh, here he is.

Hey, Mr. Nodzak.
Hey, over here.
Mr. Nodzak, over here.

Drink, Mr. Nodzak?
We're having
amaretto and cream.

It's a nice place.

I almost went over
to Japan when I was
in the airborne,

but then they give me
a section eight...

Hey, so let's hear it.

The guy who works for me at
the track says you told him

I should know
who did me a big favor
in the sister department.

You know, for a week,
I didn't believe it.

Let's just say,
Mr. Nodzak,

that it was me and Mickey
who helped a certain party

who was nothing but trouble
cross the river.

You killed
Mac Amodeus? Why?

Because this scoongell
was nothing but a thorn
in your ear, am I right?

It would do us grave honor,
Mr. Nodzak,

if you would consider
this thing which has been done

as a token of respect
from Eugene and me to you.

Hey, Mickey, you mind?

Now, what my associate
says is true, Mr. Nodzak.

But in addition to that,
it's sort of our way
of saying,

"Hey, here's a couple
of guys ain't afraid
to go all the way.

"Here's a couple of guys
got their sunroofs down,

"got their diamonds
in the back.

"Couple of guys you can
entrust with your whole
thing there."

You idiots.

Excuse me?

Who asked you?
Who asked you
to croak that zero, huh?

Nobody. We done it
on our own.

We heard he was
gonging on your sister
and that ain't right.

Ah! So, in other words,
you did me a favor.

And now I'm gonna repay
you by giving you a job
or a piece of my action.

No, no, not a piece
of the action.

Not right away,
but we did...

Hey, what do you think
this is? A movie?

And I'm some guy
who's got cotton
stuffed in his cheeks

and goes around mumbling
and passing out favors?

Do you have any concept
of what you guys did?

Who looks good
for this murder, huh?

A guy from Malibu,
Jerry Rockford.

Oh, is that how
you planned it?
To hang it on Rockford?

No.

You wanna know the truth,
we were kind of surprised when
the pigs busted him for it.

But what the hell, huh?

As they say,
you don't look inside
the Trojan horse.

Hey, pinhead,
supposing the charge against
Rockford doesn't hold, huh?

You know who's
on the hook? Me.

I got the connections,
the motive, the whole shot.

You know, my name
came up in court today.

Well, look,
why don't we order?

Maybe we'll all feel a lot
better if we eat some rice
or fish or something.

You know, I'm gonna
promise you something.

Now, I'm not going
to stand for no
murder heat.

You creeps better hope
that this charge sticks
on Rockford.

Otherwise, and I don't care
how it looks image-wise,

I'm bringing you both
in to the police.

And if I bring you in
on a roller board,
it's all the same to the cops.

Which is exactly
what I'm gonna do,

just because of
the aggravation factor
I feel here.

We killed a guy
for nothing.

I ain't never
gonna get ahead.

What do you
gotta do?

It ain't happening
for me in Jersey.

I come out here,
I'm still in the toilet,
looking out.

I see it happening
for other guys.

I mean, what do
you gotta do?

It should have been
someone we hated.

See, even though
Eugene Conigliaro

is the father of this baby,
all right, he keeps saying no.

But who knows
better than me?

The thing is,
he keeps denying it

because I need
some financial help.

Well, maybe something
could be done about
getting you some.

Legal action, I mean.

We'll have to give
it some thought.

That'd be great.

See, I met him
at Papa Doc's,
on the Strip.

I saw him on the floor
and, boy, that was it.

As soon as I saw him dancing,
I knew he was Italian.

Celeste, did you ever
mention to Eugene

that Mac was slapping
your girlfriend Dawn
around and Artie was mad?

I think so. Yeah.

Once he was being just
horrible about the baby,

and I started crying,
and I said,

"You're as bad as this
guy I know in Redondo.

"He beats up on this friend
of mine all the time."

Then I mentioned
Dawn and Mac
and Dawn's brother, Artie.

What is all this?

Celeste, you know
the kind of man Eugene is.

This might be worse
than you think.

There's a good chance
that he's a murderer.

Dear God.

Coop, I'd make book
that they did it just
to make points with Nodzak.

Can you believe it?
These geniuses commit
a murder on spec.

Abbott and Costello
meet The Godfather.
Pathetic.

But until we hear them say it
or find material evidence,
we're just doing guesswork.

Yeah.

Eugene, it's me.

Take a walk until
your hat floats.

No, wait, Eugene.
It's not about the baby,
it's about Artie Nodzak.

Eugene, I know what happened.
Dawn Nodzak told me.

And, listen,
I think you're in danger.

Yeah?

But if you want to know
what's gonna happen,

then you have to agree
to help me support the baby.

So that's how come
all of a sudden

you're so interested
in saving my life, huh?

You're a cheap trick,
you know that, Celeste?

All right, I'll come in
with some bread.
So, what'd she say?

She said Artie's getting
madder and madder.

He didn't appreciate
what you did.

In fact, he's been doing
nothing but complain because
it made him look guilty.

He's coming to get you.

You and Mickey, tomorrow.

Him and a man named Ryan.

He says he's going to do
awful things to your hands
and your face,

and then he turns you
over to the police.

Wait, wait,
Celeste, wait.

Listen, you got to get word to
this Dawn to tell her brother.

You see, I got a plan.
I been thinking.
It's foolproof.

You got to tell her.

Plan? What are you
talking about?

I'm gonna kill Mickey.

What?

Then... Then you really
did kill Mac?

Yeah, yeah,
me and Mickey.

But the important
thing is

you gotta tell
Artie Nodzak...

Hey, Eugene,
what you say
we go downtown?

You can't see
I'm on the phone?

It's my old lady.
She's calling from Jersey.

I'll be out in a minute, Mick.

Yeah. So how's
cousin Carmela?

Celeste?

You gotta tell Artie
that I'm gonna kill Mickey

and put the body over
by Rockford's trailer.

And maybe I'll throw
the weapon in Rockford's car.

This way the cops will find
him and think Rockford did it.

Just another victim
in the feud.

And there ain't a jury
in the world that won't
think Rockford's a killer

after all the trouble
he had with us.

You got that?

Now, you tell Artie that
this is the answer
to everybody's problems.

I gotta go.

Hey, Mick, what do you say
we go down to the ocean?

Now? It's too cold.

What cold?

I know a guy down there.

We'll score some dust
and we'll hit one of
the bars on the ocean.

Maybe we'll pick up
some skirt.

All right.

I met this guy
the other day.
Great dust.

Yeah?

He lives in one of
these trailers around
here someplace.

Over there.

You coming?

Yeah, yeah.
What are you doing?

The zipper on my
jacket broke.
It's stuck.

It won't work,
Conigliaro. It's all over.

What's happening,
Eugene?

Cut them off, Coop.

Cut them off
from their car.

Hold it.
Hold it.
Hold it.

Now, drop that thing.
The cops are on their way.

They're not gonna send
you to barber school.

Let them come.
I ain't gonna be here.

All right,
come on.

Take it easy.

Stop him, Smitty!

Hey, Coop, I got mine.

Actually, it's
probably the best thing
could have happened.

You know, it ain't
the first time this mailbox
has been knocked down.

I was always gonna
put it on
a nice iron post

and sink it in concrete
like a proper one.

Excuse me, but can we stick
to the subject at hand?

I mean, if you're not going
to pay Wade Ward a cent,

that's one thing.
I agree. I agree.

But, you see,
I'm a subcontractor,

and I was just wondering
who's going to pay my fees?

And of course
I can't charge you

what a full-blown
attorney would

since my license
has been taken away,

but...
Really?

Well, I mean,
I can't go
into court for you

or anything like that.

But my advice is informed
over a number of
years of experience and...

Yeah, well, that's very
interesting, you know.

In my line of work,
I'm always coming up
against legal questions.

Yeah, Coop, Coop,
I think we ought to have
a talk, I really do.

Something about
maybe an informal
type of retainer thing.

Well, there are lots
of good attorneys around.
Real ones.

Like Wade Ward?
No, you're good.
You really are.

I told you that
the first time we met.

Yeah, but there's nothing
wrong with a guy trying
to cut his operation costs.

I think we ought to
have a talk, Coop.

Well, I'll tell
you what.

Why don't we pay
the bill first
and then we'll talk?

Well, sure, sure.
Let's go on in
the house, have a beer.

Here,
I'll get that.
No, I got it.

I got it.
All right,
you take it.