All language subtitles for The Rockford Files - 00x07 - Friends and Foul Play

Mr. Rockford.

Good morning, Mr. Zucker.

I can still get you down
on the Otters.

New spread is eight.

But it's a straddle if you
plan to match the bet on the

Detroit-Pittsburgh game.
I'm still trying

to get over the pounding I
took during basketball season.

Buy you a kick-start before
breakfast?

Ah, I'm not much
of a morning drinker, Zookie.

Morning, Jim.
Miss Trudy.

Zookie.
Good morning.

Hey, morning, Mr. R.
Hi, Carlos.

Gents.

Jim.

ROCKFORD: Good morning, Leon.

Ain't no morning a good
morning, Jim.

Take a look at those
idiots out there

workin' on their melanomas.

Makes me sick.

Ain't nothin' goin' right
for me these days.

Things get better, I promise.

Well, how they gonna
get better

when I gotta float olives
for 10:00 drinkers?

No offense, Zookie.

None taken.

Before long, he'll be
standing outside

waiting for us to open up.

He's getting here
earlier and earlier.

Who?

Zookie the Bookie.
It breaks my heart.

I'm really worried
about him, Jim.

He's starting to resemble
Mr. Potato Head.

Ah, well, I guess.
You know, at his age...

You call Dennis Becker
about that...

That thing
we talked about?

Oh, Babs.

Babs, I talked to him,

oh, at least five times
on it last year.

Uh, I thought since
there's really nothing new...

You didn't call him,
did you?

I talked to him three times
last month alone.

There's nothing there, Babs.

Becker's getting
angry with me.

Hey, morning, Mr. R.

Saw you comin' across
through the window.

Had Pablo put 'em
on the grill for you.

Thanks, Carlos.

I hired a forensic lab
in Torrance.

They do like autopsies
on poisoned animals,

cats and stuff who die
under peculiar circumstances.

They do fecal studies
and urinalysis,

just like the LA Coroner's Office,
only with animals.

Good idea.
I also sent "em

a copy of Cal's autopsy report

that the LA Coroner's
Office gave me.

And guess what?

They agree with me.

They did? Well, good.

It all fits, Jim.

I got a new time of death.

He was killed at Joseph
Cortello's house after work,

like I said,
at 5:30 p.m.

Then they took him
away in a car

and dumped him
in that canyon.

He always had peanut butter
sandwiches for lunch.

You remember that?

Yeah, ever since he was a kid.

This animal lab said
the gastric intestinal juices

dissolve stomach contents
at about two liters an hour.

Okay,

this peanut butter sandwich
was only partially digested.

The stomach bile
and colonic enzymes

were only partially occluded.

That's what they call
bowel blocked ingestion.

Occlusion.

He still had undigested
deviled eggs,

peanut butter and soda
in his stomach,

so he died earlier
than they said.

His colon hadn't
processed the contents.

It was still just
bile-soaked stomach matter.

Where you goin', Jim?

Something the matter
with your omelet?

No, no, the omelet's
just fine.

Babs, honey,

you have got to let this go.

Let it go?

This mobster kills my son,

the police don't arrest him,
they don't do anything...

Because you can't prove it.

Well, you watch me prove it.

They don't call
Joseph Cortello

"Happy" Cortello
because he's happy.

Why do they call him "Happy"?

I don't know.

The point is,
he's a very dangerous guy.

You know,

they picked him up
on your say-so alone

because I asked Dennis
Becker to do me a favor.

And there was no proof.

He had a great alibi.
He was in church.

You know,
Cal was up there

painting Cortello's
pool house.

Ten hours later
they found him dead

in the bushes
below Mulholland.

That's all you have.

That's not probable
cause for an arrest.

Jim, the guy is a gangster.

Oh, he's much more
than a gangster.

He's a rich,
influential gangster.

You don't want to lose
that thought, Babs.

Well, you may be afraid
of him, but I'm not.

You know what I'm doing?

Oh, boy.
Oh, boy, is right.

I'm staking him out.

What?

Every night, I park across
the street from his house.

I take down
license plates and

descriptions of people
coming and going.

I am going to get this guy.

He can't kill my son
and just walk away.

Why would Hap Cortello
kill him?

He saw something.

He saw something?

Well, duh. He,
he saw some slimy deal go down,

and this pasta-head
gets nervous,

goes after him
and kills him.

But you don't have
any proof, Babs

I will have.

I'm sorry you're not
willing to help me.

I thought we were friends.

Babs.

Babs, you can't
just park your car

in front of this guy's house

and then go following
him around.

You're gonna get him angry.

Good. He got me angry,
SO now we're even.

Excuse me.

Hey, Babs.

Can I buy you a drink?

We can watch the sunset
and make up.

No need to make up.
I gotta go.

I'll see you tomorrow,
Jim. No, no, no.

Wait, wait, wait, wait.

Come on, now.
Now, hold it, Babs.

Babs, honey...

Look, honey,
I'm your friend, I really am.

And as your friend

and a seasoned professional
in police science,

I have to tell you
that sitting out in front

of Hap Cortello's house
is a uniquely bad idea.

Goodnight, Jim. No,
no. Wait, wait, wait.

Hold it, hold it, hold it. Hey,
get out. I gotta go!

No,
hold it. Just hold it. Wait a minute.

Cal was killed, when,
18 months ago?

Eighteen months,
three weeks... Yeah.

...four days,
and depending on

which lab you believe,

10 to 20 hours ago.

And the police found nothing.

Get out of my car.
I'm late.

No, no, I can't let you go.

Well, it's not up to you.
Now, get out!

Just hold it, hold it,
hold it.

You, you go up there
and you do what?

What, you park down the
street, around the corner,

out of sight or something? No,
I park

right across
from his driveway.

This is a
straight-in-your-face stakeout.

I want this jerk to see me.

I want him to know
I'm not through with him.

I'm mad.
Now, get out.

(SIGHS)
I'm coming with you.

I thought you didn't want
to mess with this.

I didn't say I didn't want
to mess with it.

I said there was no evidence.

But I can't let you commit
suicide either, so let's go.

Come on, come on.

Look, we're more obvious
than Quakers at a barn dance.

Back up.
Go back down the street.

Why? I want him to know
I know what a jerk he is.

If I can't catch him
for Cal's murder,

I'll catch him doing
something else.

That ought to scare him.

You're not gonna scare him.

Guys like Hap Cortello
don't scare.

You're gonna flip him off,
is what you're gonna do.

You know, you want to catch
him, just back up,

do what I tell you,
before we get hurt.

Is this far enough
back for you,

or should we park in Tarzan a?

Babs, you asked me
to help you,

I'm here.
Stop attacking me.

(EXHALES DEEPLY)

(DOGS BARKING IN DISTANCE)

I don't know, Jim.

You work so hard
to raise your kids,

and Cal turns out
so good, and...

...dies.

I love both my boys,

but Corey can be such
a little jerk sometimes.

He's out there sellin' drugs,
gettin' busted.

It's like they weren't
even brothers.

Yeah, I know.

I never could understand

how brothers could
be so different.

I keep thinking maybe
it's my fault.

Maybe I tried harder
with Cal than Corey.

But then I remember
Cal's gardening business

when he was just six.
(CHUCKLES)

You remember him pullin'
weeds with that little red wagon

so I wouldn't have
to work any more?

I remember he signed me up.

Weeding the pots around
my trailer, watering.

Dollar a day.

Best buy I ever had
on a gardener.

And he always gave me
what he made.

He said, "Mom, I'm gonna
make you so proud.

"One day, I'm gonna buy
you a house and a maid,

"so you won't ever have
to wait on anybody again."

And then he made
all A's in school

and was workin' his own
way through college.

Yeah, Rocky was probably
the best judge

of character
I ever knew.

When Cal died, he...

Rocky said,

"He was so good,
God could only loan him to us."

Yeah, well...

While Cal was pulling weeds,
Corey was pulling car radios.

He got yours once, I recall.

Yeah, well, he didn't
really get it all the way.

I mean,
just sort of halfway out. He broke it.

Yeah, I guess.

And he stole from
Mr. Critchland at the Sand Castle.

And with doing drugs
and everything...

So who goes and dies?

I know that is a horrible
thing to say.

But I loved that boy,

and he tried so hard,
and now he's gone,

and there is nobody
left except me

to give his soul rest.

(CRYING)
Why?

Why him?

(GATE OPENING)

ROCKFORD: There he is.

BABS: Okay.

You're, you're too close.

He's gonna see us.

I want him to see us.

Jim, I always do it this way.

Just drop back.

We're trying to tail him,
not tick him off.

Stay back, Babs.

Do it my way, will you?

Well, don't stop.

Oh.

(LAUGHING)

BABS: Look at him.

We should knock that smile
of his right into the dirt.

We?

Hi.

Now, look...

(GROANING)

BABS: Oh, my God! Jim?

Hey, hey, hey.

I usually don't hit a skirt,

but you keep at it, honey,

you're gonna be mewing
in the grass with him.

Now, you got it? Huh?

BABS: Jim. Jim.

Oh.

CORTELLO: Let's go.

(GROANS)

Well, now we know
why they call him "Happy."

COP: Joseph "Happy" Cortello?

You want to file
assault charges?

You're damned right.
Assault and battery,

public endangerment,
illegal parking,

grinning hideously in public.

You make the list,
I'll sign it.

So I'll sign
the complaint, too.

I'm a witness.
No, you won't.

We don't need you on
the complaint. I'm plenty.

It might leave a little scar,
but it's mostly in a wrinkle,

so it shouldn't show too much.

Well, my modeling agent
is gonna be crazed.

Where do I sign this thing?

Right there, sir.

You go get him.

I'll come in and put
the hat on him

soon as he's hooked
and booked.

Uh, don't take this
the wrong way, Mr. Rockford,

but this kind of thing
has happened in this precinct

once or twice before, okay?

Often, people have
a change of heart.

Now, I don't want to have
to go down and pick up

Mr. Cortello and go through
all that legal BS

unless you are absolutely sure
you're gonna press charges.

I am so sure,
my palms are itching.

Go get him.

Okay. It's gonna take
about 10 hours

to get the warrant produced,

and the booking desk
will call you, sir.

Now, you see?

Now, I don't mean
to be an I-told-you-so,

but you see what happens
when you tail so close?

Honest, Jim,
I don't get it.

You said, "Stay back,
stay back,"

but I, I never stay back,

and I've been following
him a month

and this is the first time
it happened.

Jim.
Zookie.

You guys are here early.

Eh. Head hurt,
couldn't sleep.

Got up, my hands
started shaking.

Me too.

Babs here yet?

Her day off.
It's Saturday.

Ah, I forgot.

Morning, Jim.
Ah, Miss Trudy.

Zookie. LEON: Hey,
what happened, Jim?

Somebody bounce you
like a bad check?

Leon, Zookie,

let me run something
by you guys.

If it's gonna run,
let's get a bet down first.

CARLOS: Hey, morning, Mr. R.

Hey, Carlos.

Well, last night, heh,

seems I got into a little tiff

with a guy named
Joseph Cortello.

Happy Cortello?
Yeah.

You're kiddin' me. He
did that to you? Yeah.

Giggling all
the time, I bet.

That's why they call
him "Happy."

He's got this over-active
adrenal gland.

When he gets excited,

he pumps too much adrenaline
and, uh, starts laughin'.

Can't control himself.

I could have really used that
information yesterday, Zookie.

What's your question, Jim?

Well, you know, this guy,

he never let me get set.
He got me off balance,

slammed me around.

I don't usually get
marked up like this.

Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah, yeah,
yeah, I know that. No.

ZOOKIE: Yeah,
we know that. Then he karate-kicked me

a couple of times,
then threatened me, then just

got in his car
and drove off.

LEON: Just like that, huh?

So I called the cops
last night at the hospital.

I, uh, filed a complaint
against him.

LEON: You what?

Ooh.
ZOOKIE: Brave man.

Whoa, wrong move, Jim.

Yeah, but last night
I was mad, you know?

I got up this morning,
and started thinkin',

"Hey, it's a small town.

"Everybody has a bad moment
now and then.

"Maybe I caught Cortello
on a bad day.

"So maybe the right thing
to do is just say,

""Hey, no hard feelings.

"'Let's all move on
down the road.”

It's damned sure
the right thing to do,

unless you want
to take advantage

of Forest Lawn's
annual special.

Oh, not that I'm scared
of this melt-down.

I can handle him.

ZOOKIE: Sure, you can. Oh,
yeah, you can. I know.

Stuff happens.
Absolutely.

Exactly.
Exactly.

Do you have Babs' address?

I haven't been
to her new place and,

you know, I called her,
but she didn't answer.

I thought I'd just go on
up there and tell her.

She was a witness.
I don't want her

callin' the cops or anything,

since I'm gonna
withdraw the complaint.

Babs. Of course.

This is all about
her kid, isn't it?

She got you into this.

Aw, Jimbo, come on.
You're sharper than that.

LEON: No kidding.

You know, it's one thing for
Babs to get stuck on stupid.

It's her kid
that got murdered.

But you're supposed
to be a pro.

Now, you oughta know better.

Just give me
the damned address.

(LAUGHING)
That one.

(KNOCKING ON DOOR)

Barbara?

Barbara?

Hey, Babs?

Babs?

Oh.

Oh, Babs.

Babs.

CHAPMAN: We're looking
for Holy Light Drive.

Should be off Heavenly Way.

Up on the right.

MINISTER: The Lord is my shepherd,
I shall not want.

He maketh me to lie down
in green pastures,

He leadeth me
beside still waters,

He restoreth my soul.
COREY: Hey, Rockford.

Yo, who's pickin' this up?
This looks expensive.

Shh, Corey.
It's your mom's funeral.

...Yea, though I walk through
the valley of the shadow of death,

I fear no evil,
for Thou art with me.

Things haven't been goin' too
well for you, I see, huh?

You still drivin'
that 20-year-old

soup can with
the eight-track?

Shush.

...and I will dwell in the
house of the Lord forever.

Amen.

Our dearly departed has gone
on to be with her maker.

Yo, Rockford, let me crash
at your place tonight.

Cops got Mom's all taped up.

Shut up.

MINISTER: Our memories of Babs
are personal...

All right, all right,
let's get around here.

Come on, everybody.

Come on, come on,
come on, come on.

Hustle it up.
Come on.

Come on.
Everybody out.

MINISTER: ...those memories
must be shared.

Trudy Wise, her dear friend,

would like to say a few words.

Babs and I waitressed together
at the Sand Castle for, uh,

almost 10 years.

Babs.

She was always there
for all of us,

with an extra smile in the
morning if we were sad,

or a shoulder to cry on,

or an extra 10 bucks
if we needed it.

She would take
everyone's order,

but what she served
was friendship.

All right, everybody,
gather around.

Come on. Come on over here.

All right, I want you to take
a look up there to the right,

under that large palm tree.

You'll see Lieutenant Becker.

He's the officer in charge
of the case,

and he's watching
the mourners,

making notes.

So, we shall have a paper
on grave site observation.

Do we get extra credit
for that paper?

You know, I read
Lieutenant Becker's

homicide report
that you xeroxed.

(SCOFFS)
What a joke.

I mean, I don't concur that
this was a crime of passion.

Disorganized crime scene.

This was a crime
of opportunity,

no doubt about it.
She didn't know her assailant.

CHAPMAN: Interesting.
Disorganized crime scene.

I hope that tells us
something else.

BECKER: What's with all
these kids, Captain?

CHAPMAN: Criminology class.

When they're finished
at the grave site,

I'm gonna take the class
to check out the crime scene.

Ooh.

BECKER: With all due respect,
sir, the woman just died.

Forensics is still out there,

and I can't have 20 kids
pawing through my crime scene.

No, no, no,
these are not kids,

as you so
euphemistically put it.

These are budding
criminologists.

Every student
in this class has a major

in either Criminology
or Pre-Law.

I think letting them have
a little insight into

a homicide
investigation is

just what the doctor ordered.

This is James Scott Rockford.

Mr. Rockford found the body.

Over the years,
he's found lots of bodies.

He's also served time
for a Class-A felony.

Mr. Rockford is the local
area private detective

who frequently visits
crime scenes

and other human disasters.

Captain Chapman,

should I put him on
my list of suspects?

I wouldn't put him on
your party list, Candace.

Who's in charge here?

I am.
Dr. Trish George.

We're studying this murder
for a Criminal Behavior class.

Then you should be ashamed
of yourself.

I beg your pardon?

A woman we cared for
just died.

Her friends are here to pay
their last respects.

This is not a criminal
science lab, it's a funeral.

Uh, Jim, can I talk to you
for a minute?

Oh, let go, Dennis.

Just shut up and listen, okay?

Chapman is out of line,
but you don't want to get him riled up.

What is this?

It's a Southwest California
University Criminology course.

I know you feel bad
about Babs,

but you don't want
to take on Chapman.

This guy is leading
a field trip

to Babs' funeral? Why?

Because she
was a waitress

and he doesn't think
she counts?

Calm down, Jim, okay?

What if it was
the Mayor's wife?

You don't think
he'd be bringing

a bunch of college
kids around, do you?

Of course not, Jim.

Chapman signed on as a guest
lecturer at the University.

His deal is rumored
to include

usual fees,
honorary Doctorate,

first row basketball tickets.
Go figure.

You're not gonna
take these kids up to

Babs' house before Forensics
even gets out of there?

Afraid so.
It's part of Chapman's new

community relations program.

Show 'em how it's done,
and maybe they don't

throw bricks at squad cars.

Don't you just love it?

Here we go.
Whoo.

ROCKFORD: Great, Corey.

Just what your mom's
funeral needed.

(CAR HORN HONKING)

Hey, get outta there.

Salud.

Oh, that funeral was tough.

I want you to know, Jim.

Nobody thinks
it was your fault.

No, you were just
caught playin'

man to man
instead of zone.

Could a happened to anyone.

Thanks, Zookie,
but it is my fault.

It's my fault.
I knew it was dangerous.

After he attacked me,

I should've known
he was a psychotic,

and made sure
nothing happened to her.

Now they got that
college class

up there pawing
through all her stuff.

I can't believe
Captain Chapman

is letting that happen.

ZOOKIE: Chapman? You're
dealing with a real

trifecta idiot there.

Jim, we took up a collection,

and we want to hire you
to find out who killed Babs.

There's $600.

Trudy, I can't take that.

Well, you have to.
I mean,

well, you cared about her
like we did and,

and to the cops
she's just gonna be

some waitress
who got killed.

A statistic.

You loved her like we did.

I can't take money for it.

No, if you want,
you can kick in, too.

But, you know,
we want to pay you.

If we don't,

it just won't feel
like we're doin' anything.

Count me in.

ZOOKIE:
Well, how about you, Leon?

How about me what?

We're hirin' Jim to find
out who killed Babs.

Oh.

Everybody's sad
about Babs now, hmm?

Well, where were you guys
when she really needed you?

When she was tr yin' to put
Cal through college?

Where were you guys
when she was workin'

double shifts
and that poor boy

was hashin' all night,
paintin' houses and gardenin'

just to make the tuition?

Now he's dead,
she's dead.

They can't use your money,

and you're takin' up
a damn collection.

You people amaze me.

Ah, he don't mean it,
he don't.

It's just his way.

He's hurtin' just
like the rest of us.

Uh, Jim, what are you
gonna do?

Where are you gonna start?

Well, I got some stuff to do
around here, and then

I guess I'll go up and take
another look at her house.

God bless you, Jim.

ALL: Thanks, Jim.
Thanks. Go get 'em.

I will.

CRITCH: Babs' is the first
locker on the left there, Jim.

Thanks for the key, CRITCH.

I'll just be a minute.

CRITCH: Let yourself out
when you're done.

BABS: Dear Diary,

June has come
and I feel like

my life has turned around.

I have so much
to be thankful for.

I have my boys.

Corey's in rehab,
and I'm praying for him.

Cal got into Southwest
California University.

Somehow, we'll scrape
up the tuition.

Everybody at the Sand Castle
is so wonderful.

I feel their love
and support.

Nobody deserves such
wonderful friends.

{ know 'm blessed.

(HORN HONKING)

Hey, Rockford,
what are you doin' here?

Hi, Pete.

No air conditioning.

It's hot as hell
in that bathroom.

I had to pry open the window
just to get some air.

TRISH: Mr. Rockford.

Good place for a picnic.

I'm very sorry
about your friend.

I can tell.

Mr. Rockford,

did you have a relationship
with the deceased?

I hope you plan
on picking up

all your trash
before you leave.

Mr. Rockford.
I know how this looks.

I'm a trained
criminal behaviorist.

I've worked with several
police departments.

Then you know these kids
shouldn't be here.

(SIGHS)
I know. I know.

The Dean gave control
of my class this semester

to Captain Chapman,
and for some reason

he seems to think
that this is an

important field experience.

Excuse me, will you?

Look, Mr. Keats,
will you stay out of the house

till the forensic team
gets out of there?

They're wasting their time.
It's a follow-home robbery

turned into murder. The crime
did not happen in the bedroom.

Well, it's no
follow-home robbery, okay?

Now, stay out of there
till the crime tapes are down.

Well, if this is not
a follow-home,

then I'd like very much to
hear you defend your theory,

Captain MacEnroe.

ROCKFORD:
Uh, let me, Captain.

Only a drooling fool
would follow home

a rusted out,
10-year-old clunker.

Jim, get outta here.
Chapman sees you,

he's gonna go ballistic.

Hey, what's all that?

I gotta grade these for
Chapman by 10:00 tomorrow.

You gotta what?

Let it be, okay?
Just get outta here.

Dennis, have you got anything?

There's not too much here.

That's because it was
a professional hit.

I told you what happened.

She's been parking out in
front of Hap Cortello's house,

following him around
for a month.

He could have thought she
witnessed one of his crooked deals,

came up here,
and killed her.

That's not the way
Chapman sees it.

Oh, look at that.
Look at that!

I mean, that fat kid
out there drops this,

and now it's evidence. You
better get these kids out of here.

They're contaminating
your crime scene.

CHAPMAN: What the hell
are you doing, Rockford?

Becker, what is he doing?
What the hell is he doing?

Get me a blue out here,
right now.

DETECTIVE: Yes, sir. Captain,
the lab people marked

one of those candy wrappers
that one of your class dropped.

Well, if they marked it,
then it's evidence.

This is a crime scene.

I don't want civilians
in my crime scene.

Not unless they have
a student body card.

I don't need wise-ass
remarks from you, Rockford.

You'd be well advised
to listen to these kids.

They've studied criminology,

which, to my knowledge,
you haven't.

They've got lots
of good ideas.

ROCKFORD: Please.
I can't take much more.

It just so happens
that Keats' theory

that this was a crime
of opportunity

and she didn't know her
killer is proving itself out.

There was a forced entry,

and forced entry means
she didn't know her assailant.

Let me guess.
The bathroom window?

How the hell
did you know that?

The Pillsbury Doughboy
out front?

The one that dropped
a candy wrapper.

He opened it 'cause
he got hot.

Go on, ask him.

This was no crime
of opportunity,

it was premeditated,
first degree murder.

She knew her killer,
Hap Cortello.

She'd been following him
around for over a month.

Pete, arrest him.
What...

You got a charge?

How about tampering
with evidence,

interfering with a homicide
investigation?

That's just for starters.

Oh, and I might even add
suspicion of murder.

Chapman...

BECKER: Suspicion of murder?

You better get yourself
an attorney, Jim.

Now let me
get this straight.

You're holding him for
contaminating a crime scene,

while at the same time

you lead a class
full of college students

through the very
same location?

You don't really want
to read about that

in tomorrow's paper,
do you, Captain?

God, how I used to hate it

when you were
doing criminal law.

I thought you were out
writing trashy novels now.

Captain, I'll always be here
to drop a flag on you.

My California Bar
license is current,

so let me fix you
a reality cocktail.

You keep this up,

you're gonna end up lookin'
like Captain Kangaroo.

(LAUGHS)
Okay, Van Zandt,

you can have him back.

But here's the deal.

He's still a suspect
in this murder.

Wanna bet?
And if I catch him

in an unauthorized attempt
to mess with this case,

I'll drop-kick him into orbit.

I'll pass it along.

No, no, no, no,
no, no, no.

Make him believe it.

I'm gonna cut him loose.

So get him outta here.

ROCKFORD: Well, thanks, Beth.

Take that out of your mouth,
Jim, and listen to me.

I know what he said.

It's the same thing
he always says.

He's gonna jack me
if I don't get lost, right?

"Drop-kick you into orbit"
was the exact expression.

Chapman couldn't drop-kick

a beach ball into a playpen.

I can handle him, don't worry.

Jim, listen to me.

You could be looking
at 10 years.

You're underestimating
Chapman.

He's gonna get you
if you don't lay off.

If he gets me,
you'll get me out.

That's the criminal
justice line dance.

Everybody gets to walk in LA.

Eat lots of Twinkies, Jim.

BABS: Sometimes life
is such a struggle.

It's as if God was passing me
through the fire to forge me.

Corey just can't seem
to get it right.

Ten hours out of rehab
he got busted again.

His friends are such
grease stains.

Why can't he see
what he's doing to himself?

At least Cal
still hums along.

He got a job painting houses.

On a sweet note,
Jim Rockford was in today.

He's been gone out
of town on business.

It was good to see
his smiling face.

If my boys could end up
being like him,

I'd feel I'd done my job.

I just wish he was
a better tipper.

ROCKFORD: Well, you must have
my transcript.

I want to re-enroll
in the college.

I had three units in
'89 fall semester.

I took a golfing class.

Another true seeker
of knowledge.

Did you ever get rid
of that slice?

I like to refer
to it as a fade.

(KNOCKING ON DOOR)

TRISH: Yeah?

ROCKFORD: Hi.

What do you want?

I want to sign up
for your class.

Sorry.

You've got to be a student
at this university

with a transcript and at least

one preliminary course
in this field of study.

(SCOFFS)

You're kidding me, right?

I teach Criminal Science.

How is Introductory Golf
a prerequisite?

Uh, both courses are about

hitting defenseless
objects with clubs.

Look, I'm, I'm sorry

I came on so strong at the
funeral park and at Babs' house.

I, I was upset.

She was a close friend, and I

feel guilty about her death.

I was a little emotional.

And you were right.
We shouldn't have been there.

I need to get into
your class, Dr. George.

Captain Chapman
isn't fond of you.

You see? Already
a character reference.

I don't like him either.
He's a jerk.

Yeah, I, uh,

I picked up
the Registrar's slip,

and she said that I had

to get your approval
to start the class late.

I also got the reading list,

a new binder
at the student store,

and all I need
is your signature

and a student parking pass.

Now, what we have here

are the five "W's."

Now, we know where
she was killed.

In the bedroom.

What was she killed with?

.22 caliber bullet.

When she died.

According to the liver
temperature test,

she died at 12:45 am.

Now, that leaves
"Why" and "Who."

Let's take a whack at this,
what do you say?

Suspects? Anyone? Hands.

Ms. Clark.

CANDACE:
I met this guy at the funeral.

His name is Corey Honeywell.

He's the dead woman's son.

That guy is so fly.

He couldn't have done it.

He has a record for dealing
drugs and petty theft,

and I was just thinkin' him
for one of the "Whos,"

or maybe it was
a bad drug deal.

CHAPMAN: Mmm-hmm.
He killed his mom by mistake,

for under "Why."

CHAPMAN:
Anyone else? Hands, please.

This guy Rockford is way
into the margin for me.

I mean, he says he's up there

because he wants
to tell her that

he's not going to file
some criminal charge

against some guy,

and lo and behold
he finds the body?

This is good thinking.

I like this.

Now,
carry it a little further if you can.

I think he's our classic
not-very-smart criminal,

returning to the crime scene.

And who is this guy?

He's certainly not
an upstanding citizen.

He's got a prison record.

ROCKFORD:
I was cleared, sonny.

Unless a pardon
in the State of California

doesn't mean
anything any more.

Get out, Rockford.

This is a university lab.
We don't allow audits.

You want some really horrible
news, Captain Chapman?

I am registered.
I am a full-fledged,

student body
card-carrying heckler.

No, you're not.
You're outta here.

I don't have you
on my reg list.

Well, you must have
the old list.

I paid my tuition.

I was accepted into
the class by Dr. George.

I signed him in.

I filed it with the Registrar.
I didn't think you'd mind.

You said the more
the merrier.

And believe me,
I intend to keep it merry.

Now, back on our merry way
up there under "Who,"

you might want to add
an LA gangster

by the name
of Joseph Cortello,

aka Happy Cortello.

Hap dresses up
any suspect list.

Joseph Cortello.

He was the guy who killed
those two people

with a baling hook
last year.

He got off on
some technicality.

ROCKFORD: Yeah, the very same.

Now, let's see,
up there under "Why,"

does it bother anybody at all

that Babs Honeywell's
22-year-old son Cal

was a homicide victim
18 months ago?

That's another case.

Well, I don't think it is.

You know, I don't know
about all of you,

but I think it's kind of loose
for a bunch of college students

to be messing
around on a case

where two closely
related people

have died in two years

and Joe Cortello
is in any way involved.

But it's a
follow-home killing.

This killing was not done
by some zooted-up junkie.

It was a premeditated
homicide.

It was committed by
a top-shelf psychopath,

and if I were you guys,

I think I'd pick a case

where the suspects
don't eliminate witnesses.

I don't want to get killed
in this course.

All right, all right. Now,
wait a minute, wait a minute,

wait a minute. Let me make
something very clear here.

This class was
assigned to study

every aspect of the
Honeywell murder,

and they're damn well
gonna do it.

(BELL RINGING)

Class dismissed.
And stay low.

Outside.

I don't want
to niggle and whine,

but isn't there some
sort of conduct code

that's supposed to exist
between a student and teacher?

You need a prerequisite
course for this class.

I got one. I've been
accepted by the Registrar.

But if that's not enough,

1, uh, took advanced
criminal courses

in Sweet Potato
Gardening and, uh,

Shower Stall Combat
at Quentin.

Now, those credits
should transfer.

You want to get in
this class, huh, Rockford?

Why? For what
possible reason?

I missed the circus this year.

Uh-huh.

Okay, I can live with that.

But, uh, you enrolled
two weeks late,

so I'm gonna need a
30-page make-up paper

day after tomorrow on,
uh, lemme see, uh,

oh, how about "The Collection
and Preservation

"of Physical Evidence
in a Homicide"?

The what?

I want you to pay
particular attention

to latent fingerprinting,
selection, shipment,

as well as proper
evidence packaging.

I mean, you just so much
as miss one section,

I'm gonna come down
on you like a concrete wall.

Then I'm gonna remove
you from this class

for failure to perform.

I've had that
complaint before,

but never from a guy.

Uh, Shipment
and, and what?

Oh, when you make up
the paper,

use a bibliography
and proper footnotes,

one-inch margins.

Neatness counts.

TRISH: Hi.

Hi.

That was some dust-up
you had in class.

Ah, well, Chapman
and I have a bad history.

I heard you have
to write a paper.

Yeah, and neatness counts.

All I can say for sure is,

it's gonna be
a very neat paper.

This ought to do it.

Gotta get these back
to my trailer.

Why are you so determined
to stay in this class?

CHAPMAN ON TAPE: This
class was assigned to study

every aspect of the
Honeywell murder,

and they're damn
well gonna do it.

By insulting him,
I managed to finesse

that statement
out of Chapman.

That's why I wanna
stay in your class.

To study the murder.

Jim Rockford,
the private investigator,

has been told by Doug Chapman,
the police captain,

to stay away from the
Honeywell murder case.

However, Jim Rockford,
the college student,

has been assigned by Doug Chapman,
the college professor,

to investigate
the very same case.

I'm gonna prove that
Hap Cortello killed her.

How?

I need you to, uh, give me
a special assignment.

A what?

I need to be assigned
a field practicum

to access and coordinate
some research material.

What's he ea yin'?

Yeah.

He's gonna break
into Babs' pad and toss it.

Yeah.

Okay.

I want to go with you.

Me too.

Well, why don't
we just get Leon

and Zookie and hire a bus?

If I don't go,
there's no assignment.

(BANGING ON DOOR)

ANGEL: Jimmy, Jimmy,
open up!

Angel, is that you?

Open it up, Jimmy.
I ain't got all night.

Man, what is with
your neighbors?

I'm just walkin' past
some bicycles,

and this dink unleashes
two Dobermans at me.

There's more German
dogs out there

than a Bavarian
polka festival.

You're a regular Willy Loman.

All this for sale?
Heh, heh, heh.

My new product line
sample kit. Huh? Huh?

Oh, there's bargains here
to make your heart sing.

I tell you what, Jimmy,
nobody sells

this stuff cheaper
than I do.

This is the list price.

Hot stuff usually
goes for a 90% discount.

It's not hot,
it's previously owned merchandise.

Take your time. Let's
just leave it out here, huh?

Let you get used
to taking a look at it.

Let it become
part of your life.

I'm not buying any hot goods.

I have enough trouble
with the police as it is.

It's not hot.

Right.

Angel, you used
to write the

Mrs. Lonesome
Heart column

for your brother-in-law's
newspaper,

so this job'll be
a snap for you.

That Lonesome Hearts
Club column

is a loser's
waiting room.

What a bunch
of pathetic whiners.

(MIMICKING WHINING)

Would you pay attention?

How much am I getting
paid to write this again?

100 bucks.

And you buy the Hormel juicer?

100 bucks for the paper.

That's all.

It doesn't have to be good.
Just fill in the pages.

Now, here's some books on
evidence gathering.

And Angel, would you

try to make it look
like I wrote it?

You want it illiterate?

When's it due?

Tomorrow.
And use my computer.

Use it here.

I know my computer, Angel.

You try to swap it
for some piece of junk,

I'll come after you with something
worse than a German dog.

What's worse than
a German dog?

A German pistol.

Now, get started.

(CHUCKLING EXCITEDLY)

Too bad.
This is a honey!

Uh, who's there?

(GUN FIRING)
(GROANING)

Ahhh!

KEATS: God.

TRISH: Jim.

Oh, God, I shot him!

I shot him! Is he all right?

God!

MAN: Comin' in.

BABS: Mr. Critchland was with
the accountants all day today.

He tries so hard,
but the Sand Castle just never seems

to make enough
to justify all our efforts.

I think we should all turn down our
automatic raises this year to help him out.

Well, looky-here,
it's Professor Chapstick.

Hey, you're gonna have to give
me a late excuse on my paper.

It's comin' along great, but,
you know, it's hard to make progress

with the morphine drip
and half my arm missing.

I gave you direct instructions
to stay off this case,

but you march right up there
and hot prowl the murder scene.

You're gonna eat some
felony paper on this, Rockford.

Obstructing justice,
interfering with evidence...

I wouldn't have gone up there
if you hadn't asked me to.

I never asked you to.

CHAPMAN ON TAPE: This class
was assigned to study every aspect

of the Honeywell murder,
and they're damn well gonna do it!

Oh, yeah.
And you expect that to stick?

I assigned him to re-define your
motive and time-of-death theory.

I'm speechless.

It's a big improvement.

Re-define the motive? The
motive was profit. It's always profit.

Well, I don't wanna
contradict, Captain,

but besides profit there
are six other classic motives.

Jealousy, revenge,
to cover a crime,

to avoid humiliation or disgrace,
accidental homicide, and homicidal mania.

Any of this gonna be
on the final?

You're busted,
Jimbo. Do you mind if I call you Jimbo?

You know, this whole thing's not
gonna play well down at Parker Center.

You're hangin' way over
the fence here, Doug.

You've got your honor student
slinging lead at the class cut-up.

The whole lesson plan
may need a re-tool.

(LAUGHS)
Yeah, sure.

You really shouldn't
be leaving.

I mean, that wound could get
infected and we'd have to drain it.

Your sutures could pull.
I am leaving.

I stay in the hospital more than
a few days, I get a soft palate.

How are you gonna get home?
You can't drive.

Schaefer Transport Service
here to transport James Rockford.

Well, you guys got great timing,
but I didn't order an ambulance.

Uh, you know a Trish George?

Well, she shouldn't be wasting
her money on an ambulance.

Well, she's already done it.
Paid in advance.

Want the ride, or not?

Oh, I guess. Yeah, let's go.

We've been traveling
along time.

You sure you guys know
where you're goin'?

We're almost
to Malibu Hills now.

There's the bug in the clam
sauce. I don't live in Malibu Hills.

Sorry. Malibu Hills is the delivery
point I've been contracted for.

I'm rewriting the contract.

Hey, just take it easy,
Mr. Rockford.

Or what?

Or nothing.

Just don't make this
into a situation.

Let me guess.

You guys work
for Hap Cortello.

MAN: Go give 'em a hand.

Ramone. Ramone, listen.
Try, uh...

Try OceanView Drugs,
all right?

They're closer.
Right away, Mr. Cortello.

I think I'll beg off. I've had
plenty of drugs for a while.

Huh? What's the matter
with you, huh?

I'm not gonna hurt you.

I want you to be my guest
for lunch.

Ha! I ordered out for,
uh, sushi.

You love it? (LAUGHS)

Whoa, whoa, whoa!
Ramone! Uh...

Have Dr. Klinburg phone the guys
at the drugstore. I need that now!

You got it.
Go, will you!

Sinuses? Allergies? Flu?

Ah, I got, uh, I got what they call,
uh, bipolar illness.

That's what they call it now,
bipolar illness.

Sorry to hear it.

Yeah, they used to call it
manic-depressive.

Now, they call it
bipolar.

Sometimes, when I don't
have my Lithium, uh,

I blow off the needle

and kick the crap
outta somebody.

Not to be prying, but, uh,

is that what you're out of?
What Ramone is after?

Yeah.

I thought I had some
in the pool house,

but my wife must have taken it
out the last time she was there.

You know, we're not, uh,
entirely moved in.

The way these contractors are goin',
we ain't never gonna finish.

You can borrow my ambulance if
you want! It might speed things up!

Thanks, but I've got a car.

Go, will you! Now!

Look, Mr. Rockford. Jim.

I'd like to apologize for
what happened the other night.

And I wanna make it up to you,
because... Oh, that's not necessary.

You probably just needed
your Lithium.

Will you shut up and listen!

Okay? I'm trying to have a
civil conversation here with you!

Why do you keep interrupting me,
damn it? I'm trying to say I'm sorry!

Look, you're gonna have to excuse me. Uh,
I'm not well.

I've lost a lot of blood lately, and what
I've got left would launch a SAM missile.

Yeah, this woman. Babs?

She thought I killed her kid.
I liked him!

He was painting my pool house.
Why would I kill him?

Well, no kidding.
Why, indeed?

I have a very good alibi.

I was at a church fundraiser
with a cardinal.

You probably read that
in the police report.

I mean, you ever even
know a cardinal?

I knew a couple
of Dodgers once.

You makin' fun of me?
No.

No, I'm just trying
to get the picture.

You paid for an ambulance to
bring me up here so you could tell me

that you didn't kill Cal
and his mother, is that it?

Quit that, huh?
What, what, what?

Putting words in my mouth!
I hate that!

Well, okay. Okay.

Hey, what?... Wha...

Ahh!

Ah, well.
Well, here we are.

Yeah. Kind of hot
for this time of year.

You know, usually it doesn't
get this oppressive until mid-July,

you know, except for a little breeze,
and... I'm tr yin' to say I'm sorry.

I, I, I want to apologize to you for
kickin' the crap out of you. So why

are you makin' me
so damn mad?

NICKY: I can't find it, boss!

Try, uh, the master bath
upstairs!

It's a little white bottle
with a yellow safety cap!

All right, boss!

I'm sorry if I hurt you.

I wanna pay for your
hospital bills.

But I'm gonna ask
for a favor in return.

I want you to stop saying...

...I killed your friend,
because I didn't.

Can you do that for me, Jim?

Done.

NICKY: I got 'em, boss!

Well...

Well, this has really been enjoyable. Uh,
would you...

Would you be kind enough to,
uh, take me to my ambulance?

Oh, I'm gonna be level in a
minute. You gonna stay for lunch?

Well, the ambulance is double
parked and I got a lot of things to do.

Tape up my lip,
empty out my shoes.

Well, remember what I told
you. You do me that favor.

I owe you!

Done. Good. Huh!

Uh, your name was,
uh, Nicky, was it?

Yeah.
Well, let's, uh...

Leave? Yeah,
good idea. Shall we?

BABS: Leon bought a new
fishing boat yesterday.

It's the first time
I've seen him happy.

Cal worked for him
last summer in the storeroom

and said that Leon was a pessimist
who always saw the glass as half empty.

He's a grouch,
but a lovable one.

On the bright side,
Corey got a new parole officer,

and this time I'm hoping
he can finally get it right.

(BRAKES SCREECHING)

(CAR DOOR SHUTS)

Hi.

(SIGHS) You look different.

Well, nylon isn't my best fabric.
I'm much snappier in tweed.

The University closed down
the Criminal Behavior class.

Oh, what a bummer.
Leaves my fifth period open.

And your friend Chapman
wrote a letter to the Dean

saying that the reason
the accident happened

was because I failed
to control the curriculum.

I'm sorry, Trish.

Maybe I should write a letter and
straighten them out about Chapman.

Probably won't help.

Oh! Babs' diary?
Yep.

Anything in it?
Nope.

She was a sweet person. She cared more
about everybody else than she did herself.

As I was reading it...

You could see
what a tender soul she was.

Nobody ever gave her anything.

You...

You think a 10% tip
is too little?

Most people give 15. 20,
if the service is great.

Oh.
I always give 10.

All my life I've worked.
Nobody ever tipped me.

Yeah, but you can
set your fees.

Waiters and waitresses
are underpaid.

They depend on the tips
to make up the difference.

Seems like 10% is enough.

(SCOFFS)

Sometimes I don't even
get paid for my work.

Damn! Angel stole my computer!

Rounding out a perfect week.

Look, what are we
gonna do now?

Ah, I guess we gotta go do what
we started to do a couple of days ago.

Go up to Babs' house and
see if there's anything up there.

You know, she kept a, uh, notebook
on her investigation of Hap Cortello.

It's gotta be there somewhere.

If she saw something to give
him a reason to kill her,

then we need to know
what it is.

Isn't that dangerous?
Well, it has been so far.

This time, I intend to control
the field trip and the curriculum.

Probably better
than the last time.

Melissa?

After you get your clothes on,
if you're armed, please don't shoot.

What are you talking about?
Of course I'm not armed.

Hey! It's Jimbo the gimbo.

Corey, what are you
doing here?

Hey, Mom's place is mine now.

Soon as the cops split,
I did a tight vector and crashed.

Do you think we could
get in off the front porch?

I've been drawing
a lot of fire lately.

Well, you've made
a few changes.

Yeah. Well, maybe that's
'cause you bled all over the place.

Where's your mom's stuff?

In storage.

What? Can't live here if all the
drawers and the closets are full.

Aren't you going
to hit him, Corey?

Melissa, a woman died here.
His mother.

I never knew her.

I'm choking on
all this sentiment.

Where's your mother's stuff?

Well, I ain't gonna be around
much after I sell this dump.

And I don't have any place to put it,
so if you're really interested...

I'll sell it to you.

Sell it? You serious?

Sure. How much you got
on you right now?

About 100.

What, are you kiddin'?

For a guy choking on sentiment,
that's a helluva fur ball there, eh, Jimbo?

I mean, this stuff has great
sentimental value to me.

250.

I've got 75.

175.

We got a deal?

Throw in your watch.

My...
Then we got a deal.

Come on. I'll, uh, show
you where I stored it.

Ugh. He is horrible!

That's not storage,
that's trash.

What makes him like that? Ah,
he got dealt an extra Y chromosome.

He can't help it
if he's a psychopath.

Do you think you could bring your car
in here and uh, we could pack the stuff

and get outta here,
before I do something really stupid?

It's good! Look at Babs.
She was having fun.

Hey, remember? She gave us all
coconut brownies that she made?

I got it. This is what
I was lookin' for...

Her investigative log.

She had this in the car
the night I was with her.

Leon, a little celebration?
With an olive in it, please.

Anybody else?
No, thanks.

Not me.

A colorful drunk is a long-standing
tradition. Every saloon needs one.

(LAUGHS)

Besides, it's in Babs' honor.

Zookie,
Babs worried about you.

She told me the day she died she thought
you were hittin' the bottle to hard.

She cared about
you. We all do. Yeah.

Instead of having a drink in
Babs' memory, why don't you,

uh, not have one
in her memory?

She was worried about me?
Very much.

She was afraid you were killing yourself,
and it broke her heart to watch you do it.

You really know how to ruin
a celebration, don't you?

Do you think we're missing
something real obvious?

Oh, probably. That's been the
keynote in at least half my investigations.

(LAUGHS)

Now, I know that you think
Hap Cortello did it.

What about Corey? That little
viper could have killed his mother.

He also could have
killed his brother Cal.

Yeah, I've known Corey
since he was six or seven.

The one thing about him, he was never
really up for the big one. He was a sneak.

He'd take your car radio
when you were out of town,

or steal your bike
when you went to the bathroom,

but I've never seen him get physical
with anyone. He's all show and no go.

Yeah, but he could have done it. He
needed money for drugs, or something.

He goes to his mom,
they fight about it,

he loses his temper
and he kills her.

I just can't see him banging
away at her with a .22.

It just doesn't fit
my picture of him.

Anything in here?

I got six addresses out of there. She
followed him to a warehouse on Slauson,

a beach house in Malibu, a bar in
Venice called the Pineapple Factory,

a nightclub on Melrose, and two motels
in Glendale where he met different women.

Neither was his wife.
Hmm.

So what are you thinkin'?
We need to find a transformer.

A transformer?
Street slang.

Transformer is somebody
who would roll over

on anyone immediately
to save themselves.

You know one of those?

Intimately.

Jimmy, Jimmy, stop it!
I almost finished the paper!

Forget the paper.
The class got canceled.

You stole my computer. I told
you not to take my computer.

Well, I had to work on it
here because I had some

deep and pressing business
engagements I had to attend...

Yeah, like fencing the Hormel juicer? Yeah,
that, amongst others.

Angel, I am seconds
from ending your life.

You are circling the drain.
Don't mess with me.

I don't mess with you, ever.
Ever. Maybe once. Maybe twice.

Okay, I mess with you a lot!

All right, we'll get back to my
missing computer in a minute.

I think I can get that
back for you, Jimmy.

I need some information.
Information?

Heh-heh, ding-dong! That's a
specialty. I can't give that away free.

I mean, that would affect my overall price
structure, my downstream revenue flow.

I mean, I can get you a watch, get you a
microwave oven, I can get you a Hormel juicer.

Man, all of that's yours. Especially the
Hormel juicer, 'cause we're overstocked.

But information?
That costs money.

Generally your credit
is acceptable. Let's deal.

Let's.

Hap Cortello.
What's he into these days?

Well, heh-heh, that's a broad
category. I mean, it'd be hard to ascertain

what a top-shelf yodeling
wacko like him was up to,

unless you surprise me with
some pertinent doohickeys.

Well, we know he's into drugs.
Uh-huh.

We know he's into vice,
we know he's got some extortion going.

You know, lots of action. But this is
something big. Something he'd kill for.

Well, I don't know, Jimmy. People on the
street aren't talking about that fruitcake.

Hey, cuidado!

Suitcases.
Suit... What?

He's selling suitcases.

I don't like the sound of that,
Angel. Make it sound better.

Well, you know,
knock-off stuff.

Some of that hoochy-Gucci
Italian leather goods.

You know, purses,
wallets, suitcases.

I mean, it's nationally a $10 billion
business. It's bigger than drugs.

So you think he's got a shipment
of knock-off bags in that warehouse?

Well, how do I know what
he's got in the warehouse?

You asked me to get you the
rumor on the street about Hap.

Okay, the rumor on the street is
that he's into counterfeit luggage.

He's got distributors
all over the city.

High class stores sellin" it at top dollar,
only he gets his stuff in Mexico.

Looks exactly like
the originals,

only when the weather changes,
the stitching falls out.

You know, this is not the way that
two old friends discuss problems.

Angel, my computer is back in
my trailer by tomorrow noon,

or you'll be discussing this
problem without your bridgework.

If you're interested,
the paper I wrote for you is brilliant!

(GROWLS)

Angel told you this,
didn't he?

Oh, I have other sources
besides Evelyn Martin.

Now, let me get this straight.

You want me to go down to this
warehouse down on Slauson and do what?

I want you to wait for
Hap Cortello to show up,

and then I want you to be the
cover story in The Blue Line.

That's the Police Department's
newsletter.

"Lieutenant Becker nabs
LA mob kingpin

"and a room full
of counterfeit luggage.”

A couple of problems. What
if the warehouse is empty?

Ahh, I know nobody trusts a guy
who says "trust me," but trust me.

Then I would need a warrant,
and there's no PC to get a warrant.

Lieutenant Becker, I know you don't
exactly relish my involvement in this case.

Are you kidding? I love
grading little blue books.

This is not strictly kosher, but it'd work,
because there's a legal precedent.

1 go into the warehouse,
and I get caught.

And then Jim, he runs and calls the
police because I've been kidnapped.

And since he witnessed a crime in progress,
you don't need a warrant.

Dennis, this is a great idea.

Of course, I'll be the one that gets
kidnapped and she'll call the police,

but it's perfect.

It was my idea.
I'm the victim.

No way. It's me.

No!

Ah!

(SPEAKING ITALIAN)

What's he saying?

He's saying, "Rockford
will be the victim."

(SPEAKING ITALIAN)

This is the sloppiest B&E
since Watergate.

Somethin' we can do for you,
Rockford?

Nicky, how you doin'?
Not good.

You want to answer
the question?

Well, I was passing out
copies of Watchtower.

I happened to be
in the neighborhood,

and I thought
I saw a light on.

Funny. Let's go.

Hey, Nicky. Nicky,
let me ask you something.

Just a question.
Has Hap had his Lithium today?

Oh, Rockford.

Rockford,
this is getting very annoying.

Well, you know,
(LAUGHS SHEEPISHLY)

I, uh, changed my mind
about lunch.

I thought maybe
we could have dinner.

But, hey, if this is a bad
time, we could reschedule.

Ah, you...

I love this guy!

This is a funny guy! Huh?

Hap, Hap, come on, now, Hap,
don't. Don't do it, Hap.

Hey, come on, I'm injured. You
don't... You don't want to hit a cripple.

No, don't, don't. Don't do that,
Hap. Argh! Ohh, hey, ohh!

Hold it. Hold it a minute. Hey,
I got a... I got a question.

What?

Whose is this?

It's his. He eats "em
all the time.

Son of a bitch! Nicky,
we're gonna be doin' some business.

Not very damn likely, slick.
(TIRES SCREECHING)

Get outta here, boss!

OFFICER 1: Everyone stay where
they are! OFFICER 2: On the floor!

Freeze!
You're under arrest!

Freeze!

OFFICER 1: Don't move. OFFICER
2: Put your hands behind your head!

Ah, Dennis. Dennis, you still got that
Jim-Jam wrapper in the evidence room?

Nah, I picked it up. You
told me that fat kid dropped it.

I left it in my shirt pocket
at home.

I could've been wrong about who dropped it.
You're gonna have to dust it for prints.

And then Mr. Zeeno here
may want to make a statement.

Save himself from bein' booked
as an accessory to Murder One.

(CHUCKLES GLEEFULLY)

You say that Mr. Zeeno dropped a candy wrapper
at the scene of Miss Honeywell's murder?

Well, that is, as we say,
essentially accurate.

The aforementioned Mr. Zeeno's prints were
on the said aforementioned candy wrapper,

which was at the scene of the
aforementioned Miss Honeywell's murder,

which indicated his complicity
in the aforementioned murder.

The aforementioned Mr. Zeeno
then offered to cooperate

with said investigation into
said suspect Joseph Cortello,

thereby turning
State's evidence.

The District Attorney said that said
evidence would not be made public.

He said that said evidence
would be said in court.

He said, um...

Huh. We'll bring you updates as they
come in. Now, back to you in the studio.

What do you want?
I got a little nervous.

Well said.

And said and said.

(ALL LAUGHING)

Good going, Jim.
You solved the murder.

Yeah, Jim. You can have your Denver
omelet on the house all next week.

Thanks, CRITCH.

Zookie, you know what I said the
other day? I didn't mean to upset you.

She cared for me,
didn't she, Jim?

Yeah.

You know, I found
a paragraph last night.

I don't think she'd mind
if I read it to you.

Let's me see...
Here it is.

"Zookie is one of my favorites.
Seeing him at the bar makes me

"both happy and sad. I'm happy
because he brings light to all of us,

"and sad because I know
he's somehow lost.

"Like all of us, he's looking
for something he can't describe.

"I pray he finds fulfillment.

"He's too good to lose
to the dark spot inside him."

Couple of times,
I was too potted to get home.

She let me sleep on the couch
at her house.

We took her for granted,
didn't we, Jim?

She had to die before (VOICE
BREAKING) we realized what we had.

Leon...

Is this glass half empty
or half full?

Ain't neither. Just booze
you ain't drunk yet.

Think I'll go home.

I've had enough.

You could help him, Leon.
He needs to quit.

Zookie the Bookie ain't gonna quit drinkin',
and he ain't gonna quit bettin' the nags.

People don't change.

Not you, not Zook, and not me.
Human nature.

Lemme run something
by you, Leon.

Yeah, sure.

Hap Cortello killed Babs 'cause
she was following him around, right?

Appears so. And she
was following him around

because she thought
that Hap killed her son Cal.

Yep.

There's no evidence to that
fact. Why would Hap kill him?

Well, he was working up there painting in
Cortello's pool house. He saw somethin'.

Well, that's what Babs said.

Well, when Hap had me
up at his house,

he told me he didn't kill Cal.

He said he liked him.

Now, I don't know,
it's strange. But I believed him.

You want this?
It's on the house.

Uh, no, thank you.

Ah, it just seems unfinished.

She just wanted to know
who killed her son.

Well, I'm gonna stay
on this

till I make sure
I know who did it.

That much I can do for her.

ROCKFORD: Chapman may have
closed this case, buy I don't buy it.

I'm gonna do some digging
on my own. You want to help?

I'm gonna start
first thing in the morning.

TRISH: Sure.

Jim, have you heard
from Tennis on Keats?

(LAUGHS)

Well, we don't talk too much since
he put two ounces of lead in my arm.

Well, you know,
he hasn't shown up in classes for two days,

and I tried calling his house
and there wasn't any answer.

Do you think that, uh,
he could've gotten even deeper into this?

That he's in even
more trouble?

Ahh, I don't want to hear
that. What's his address?

TRISH: This is it. 1526.

Oh, my God.
Is he dead?

Yeah, and for a long time.

I'm sure getting tired
of finding bodies.

Here's the last number he
dialed. Could you take this down?

213-555-0187.

(KEYS BEEPING)

Dennis Becker, please.

Dennis, I found another one.

You're the new body-finding champion
of the Western Hemisphere, aren't you?

Did you kill him, Rockford?

Oh, even you don't believe
I killed this guy.

Why not? He shot you,
you shot him. That plays good for me.

I have an alibi, Chapman.
You be very careful here,

because we have a history
together, and it includes

scores of problematic
judicial encounters.

You book me, and I'll have Beth Van Zandt
set up an asset inventory on your front lawn.

Captain, it's a suicide,
and that's the way I'm gonna book it.

I hate you, Rockford.
You're pond scum.

(BEEPER SOUNDING)

Damn.
Deputy Chief again.

If I find out who wrote the
department that letter about the class,

I'm gonna kill him.

Don't look at me.

It's not a suicide, Dennis.
Prove it.

The guy was left-handed.

How do you know that?
Because I sat behind him in class.

It's true.
He was left-handed.

He might have been
pigheaded and relentless,

but I don't think he shot himself in
the head and then changed gun hands.

Also, I'll bet if you follow
the track of the bullet,

you'll find it won't fit
with the suicide.

What are you trying to say?

I'm saying it's another
aforementioned murder.

The kid was popped.
Why?

Probably for stickin' his nose
in where it doesn't belong.

Look who's talkin'.

(SIGHS) Can I go home, Dennis?
Uh, my arm's throbbing,

my head's throbbing,
I think I'm starting to drool a little.

Yeah, get the hell
out of here.

Just make sure you're in the office
tomorrow to sign that statement.

ROCKFORD: Okay, so who killed
Tennis on Keats?

TRISH: I have no idea.
In school, it's all science.

But when you're out there in
the field and real people are dead,

it just... None of it
makes sense.

Yeah, well, it's the difference in
finding your way and looking back.

We're still finding our way. Now,
Tennis on Keats found the answer,

or something reasonably
close to the answer.

Hap Cortello didn't kill him
because he was in jail,

and I don't believe
any of his crew did

because they're not gonna be that
loyal to a guy that's goin' to Death Row.

Well, then who did kill him?

Do you have that
phone number? Yeah.

Well, maybe whoever's at the
end of this line can tell us something.

ROCKFORD: It's gotta be
somebody Cal knew.

TRISH: I still think it was his
brother. Everybody loved Cal.

It seems obvious that Corey
just couldn't deal with it.

Eh, maybe. I hate to think it
could've gone down that way.

I mean, Babs' family
destroying itself from the inside.

Most people in law enforcement
are cynics. You are a romantic.

Pretty cute, isn't it?

I can't go diggin' around in my files
for a bunch of useless old information.

Mr. Liggitt, please help us.

We've nowhere else to go.
Two people have died.

50 bucks.

I got 20. We ought to save
something for gas. I'm almost on empty.

I've got 15.
30.

In the old days,
I'd just offer to deck a guy like that,

but I'm not healing
as fast as I used to.

Don't apologize. He's a creep.
We're bound to run into a few.

Here it is.

Joseph Cortello's
pool house. Replumb.

He was having it renovated.

We put in a Jacuzzi and new
showers. Gumpy Cook did that work.

Does he still work here?

He's in the back. Probably stealin'
lock washers instead of loadin' the truck.

Don't hold him up.
He's late.

WOMAN OVER PA:
Joey B, your delivery is in.

Maybe we should ask
what he looks like.

What, Gumpy Cook? With a name like that,
he's gotta look like Mr. Plumberbutt.

And there he is.

Hey, Gumpy.

I know you?

I'm a friend
of Cal Honeywell's.

Two days ago, I would've said,
"Who the hell is Cal Honeywell?"

But you're the second guy
asked about him in 24 hours.

And the other one was,
uh, Tennis on Keats?

Yeah, that's the name.

He was, uh, checkin' on
some stolen food.

Asked me if that kid,
what's his name? Cal Honeywell,

mentioned it when he was up
paintin' that pool house.

What stolen food?

How the hell do I know?
But I remember,

this guy comes up there
to Cortello's house, uh,

about 12:00 noon the day
before they found Cal's body.

And these two, they having
this huge argument.

I mean, they're screaming
at each other and such.

And then, uh, they go out front,
and then about 20 minutes later,

this Cal kid comes back in,
and he's madder'n hell.

He starts paintin' trim,
but he's so mad, he's gettin' the, the...

the gold trim all over
the white fresh on the house.

And then he says he's mad at this
other guy and he's gonna turn him in.

And that was that.

You told Tennis on Keats
this yesterday?

Yeah. I mean, that's when
Keats said it was about stolen food.

And that's all he said.

Get that truck loaded, Gumpy!

You and Kelly gotta get that
job done at Oak Grove by 2:30.

I keep hopin' ol' Carl's gonna
blow a valve and take the big bust,

but he just keeps on strokin'.
Better get back at it.

Uh, this guy that Cal had
the argument with, uh,

was he tall, African-American,
say late 40s, early 50s?

Yeah. Didn't I mention that?

Nope.

But thanks for your help.

Old Zook didn't make it in
this morning.

Liver and his kidneys probably
arguing over that last gin-soaked pimento.

Yeah, old Zook. Kind of fun watchin'
him kill himself ounce by ounce.

What's that supposed to mean?

Let me ask you
a question, Leon.

Sure, go ahead. What is it?

Why do you suppose this place
can never turn a profit?

I don't know. How am I supposed
to know? I just work the bar.

Don't you also run the food
warehouse in the back?

So? Well,
you take inventory and everything.

Uh, log in the meat, check it out,
throw it away if it's bad, stuff like that.

Is this leadin' up
to somethin'?

Well, that boat you bought last summer,
what does a deal like that cost?

I don't remember.

Well, a Sea Ray 30-foot Sun dancer.
I've got the sales brochure right here.

As I recall, when I went out with you
the last time, you had everything on it.

You had navigation, Sat Nav.
You got that, right?

Furuno Radar, the 75-mile color
unit. Isn't that the rig you got?

Yeah, $105,000 plus tax puts
that little honey in the water.

You tr yin' to say
somethin', Jim?

Eh, Cal worked here the summer he died,
in the warehouse for you, as I recall.

You ea yin' I killed him?
And Babs? Not exactly.

No, I think Cal caught you
stealing from the Sand Castle.

Maybe skimming 10% off
the food and bar purchases.

That would lean out
ol' Critch's profit picture.

Cal confronted you, you went
up to Cortello's house

and you got in an argument
with him. You're nuts!

Ah, pretty soon, you know,
somebody starts takin' a swing.

Cal goes down, hits his head,
and he's dead.

I don't have to
listen to this.

And of course, there's,
there's Babs.

Babs is so sure that Cortello
killed her boy

that she, uh, starts
following him around,

finds the warehouse full of knock-off
luggage, and gets herself killed.

Then along comes
Tennis on Keats.

Smart-ass, hate-able,
but perceptive and bright.

He figures out you're stealing.
I don't know how he did that,

'cause he took it
to the grave with him.

It was all right in Babs'
diary, right in front of us.

How does a guy who pours
drinks for 7 bucks an hour

end up with a $105,000 boat?

(CHUCKLES)

You should've left it alone,
Jim.

(YELLING)

You can't beat this one,
Leon. The cops are already on their way.

I didn't mean to kill Cal.
It was an accident.

That's what happens when you
make the wrong things important.

Now I have to kill you, Jim.

I don't kill too easy,
Leon. I've had better guys than you try.

Damn! Damn! Ugh!

Damn! Broke out
all my stitches!

Everybody at the Sand Castle
gave you the benefit of the doubt.

You'd come in and growl at us,
we'd smile and call you the Sand Crab.

We were your friends.
We were all wrong about you.

From the very beginning, you were
nothin' but a mean, angry son of a bitch.

(SIREN WAILING)

Thanks.

Does it hurt? Maybe you should
take another pain pill.

It hurts where I can't get it
with drugs.

Not much to say, is there,
Jim? Nope. Lose-lose.

Old Leon. Who'd have thunk it?

Yeah, I know.
I'm gonna hit the sack early.

I'm tired of walkin' around
with my arm stickin' up in the air.

Feel like a wounded chicken.

Jim?

What you read about me in
Babs' diary really stuck with me.

I decided I'm gonna
get off the sauce.

This morning, I checked into,
uh, double-A.

Well, that's great, Zook.

At least something good
came out of all this.

You know, Leon said that nobody
ever changes. You can do it.

We all can.
All we have to do is try.

He's really down.

It's pretty hard when one friend is
responsible for the killing of two others.

Jim comes on like a tough guy,
but underneath,

he's pure warm and runny.

TRUDY: Well, I'll be damned.

ZOOKIE: What?
CARLOS: What?

He put on 20%.