Original subtitles

Tonight on "Hunter."

Professional hit?

This man took a bullet directly to the heart.

Bless me, Father, for I have sinned.

I killed a man, Father.

But we can't put a priest on the hot seat.

If he got that information from confession,

that's out of bounds to us.

God forgave me.

Now, I'm going to get the others.

Can I be of any help?

It's too late, Father.

He's dead.

Innocent people are being gunned down.

Do you think I want people to die?

We're running out of time, Father.

Sorry, we're closed.

Picking up an order for Ron.

It's coming off the press now.

Might as wait inside where it's warm.

There's a special charge for rush orders like these.

You better check this out.

What's the idea?

Have I changed that much, Joe?

Ron?

I thought you were in prison?

20 years you owe me.

I'm here to collect.

Yeah, so I came by on my normal rounds

at about 11 o'clock.

I found the lights still on, and found the door open.

I looked inside, and that's when I found the body laying

right there on the floor.

There was no one else around.

I'd a...

OK, Mr. Cooper.

Thanks very much.

Appreciate it.

Now, Officer Williams over there near the door

will take your official statement.

Thank you.

Thanks.

What's up?

It doesn't look like a robbery.

According the assistant manager, there was nothing

taken out of the cash register.

It also doesn't look like there was any sign of a struggle

here, and yet this man took a bullet directly to the heart.

What does that sound like to you?

Professional hit.

Yeah, that's what I think.

Dorman didn't usually work late unless he got a rush order.

Call came in right before they closed.

That's the only reason the man stayed.

Border's still here on the press.

Left a phone number and a credit card number

and said he'd come pick it up after the shop closed.

Really?

We didn't happen to get a name on this order, did we?

Paul Rowan.

Hello.

I'm Sergeant Hunter, Los Angeles Police Department.

Uh, I was wondering if I might be able to talk to Ms. Dorman.

Come right in.

Thank you.

That's Mrs. Dorman.

Thanks very much.

Ms. Dorman.

Yeah?

I'm Sergeant Hunter, Los Angeles Police Department.

Oh.

Yeah, they told me you called.

I'm very sorry about your husband.

I was, uh, wondering if you'd like to answer

a couple of questions for me.

OK.

I'll... I'll do the best I can.

Can you, uh, give us a minute?

Thanks.

Thanks very much.

Now, did, uh, did Joe have any enemies

at work or in his private life?

Was he in debt?

Did he owe anybody any money at all?

No.

He always had a knack for making friends.

I don't know anybody who didn't like Joe.

I see.

I don't understand.

Wasn't this a robbery?

Well, we don't think so.

There's a good chance this could be a personal situation.

That's... that's crazy.

Everybody loved Joe.

Fay, how you doing?

You OK?

Jack, the police think that he might have been murdered

over something personal.

Hi.

I'm Sergeant Hunter, LAPD.

I'm Jack Struthers.

This is, uh, Ted Madden.

Mr. Madden, how are you?

Sergeant?

Uh, did you gentlemen know Mr. Dorman very well?

We've been friends of Joe since we were...

Since we were kids.

We all went to high school together.

Oh, OK.

Listen, uh, I can see this isn't the time to continue this.

Uh, would you gentlemen mind if I called you

later today to you about it?

If there's anything at all that we can do to help.

It's a terrible tragedy.

Thank you very much.

It... it doesn't make any sense.

I mean, Joe hurt heard anybody in his life.

Why would anybody want to kill him?

I wish I had an answer, Fay.

I wish I had an answer.

Hunter?

Got something interesting here.

Rowan used a stolen credit card to place the order.

He also gave the street address in Venice.

Hm.

Venice, huh?

There wasn't any usable prints at the crime scene?

No. OK.

I think we ougtha start taking Mr. Dorman's

life apart from the ground up.

Thanks, Ray.

Is this the telephone all your guests use?

Every bum in Venice uses that payphone.

Anybody could have made that call.

This may be a long shot, but try the register.

The name is Rowan.

No, the people who stay here change their names more often

than they do their underwear.

I can understand that.

But the name is Rowan.

R-O-W-A-N.

Rowan. Roan.

No, sorry. You're out of luck.

Say, you wouldn't want to take a ride with me

downtown to take a look at some mug books, would you?

No, I'd like to help you, but see,

I try not to get a good look at the people who stay here.

You know?

Yeah, I see what you mean.

Well, look, why don't I, uh...

Why don't I just go upstairs here

and talk to some of your tenants?

Go ahead.

Hey, but compared to these burnouts,

I'm a walking encyclopedia of knowledge.

I understand, Mrs. Dorman.

I know how difficult it can be.

Yeah, well everybody keeps saying that to me,

but they don't have the slightest idea what

I'm going through right now.

My husband was a police officer

killed in the line of duty.

I do know how you feel.

I'm sorry.

It's OK.

I know that my partner already spoke with you, bu

we were wondering if you could tell us a little bit more

about your husband's past.

Do you know if he was ever in any kind of trouble.

Joe?

Uh, no.

He would've told me if he was.

Well, you know, anything would help.

No matter how small it might seem to you.

Well, uh, he mentioned once something had happened

to him back in high school.

Yeah?

What was that?

He had some kind of a run in with the law,

but he wouldn't tell me what it was about.

He never told you.

I wonder why.

I think he was embarrassed.

He said it was the dumbest thing he ever did.

Do you know if he was arrested?

He never said.

Do you think perhaps his family

might know what it was about?

Well, both Joe's parents are dead,

and, uh, he doesn't have any brothers since...

Didn't have any.

What year did your husband graduate from high school?

I think it was 1973, Harbor Hills High School.

Harbor Hills.

Listen, I'm sorry I couldn't be of any more help.

Oh, no. You've been very helpful.

Thank you.

Sergeant, did you...

Did you catch the man who killed her husband?

Took a while, but yeah.

We caught him.

Thanks.

Is the job still good?

Well, pay stinks.

But, uh, it's OK.

I make up for it in tips.

Still got the same address in Venice?

Same address, same everything.

Well, considering the rent, I think you've

got a pretty nice apartment.

Yeah, well, compared to the joint, it's like a palace.

I haven't had that kind of privacy

since I was in solitary.

Still staying out of bars?

Yeah.

It's kind of hard to meet women.

Have you tried any of those clubs for singles?

That's not my style.

You've got to get yourself back into circulation.

Yeah, but I want to circulate with the right kind of people.

Last week, you talked about going back to the church.

Have you thought any more about that?

Thought about it.

Going back might be a big help for you right now.

Maybe it will.

I didn't mean for it to happen, Father,

but he made me lose my temper.

No one made you do anything.

You keep your own temper.

It's not your husband's job.

But he never listens to me.

How do I make him listen?

This week, every morning and every evening,

tell your husband you love him and really mean it.

See if you lose your temper as often.

Tell me how it works out.

I will, Father.

Thank you.

Through the ministry of the Church,

may God give you pardon and peace.

I absolve you from your sins, in the name of the Father,

the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Bless me, Father, for I have sinned.

Confess your sins now with trust in God's mercy.

My last confession was 20 years ago.

I'm listening.

Go ahead.

I've committed murder.

I killed a man, Father.

When did you do this?

Last night.

A man you know.

Joe Dorman.

Joe Dorman?

Why in God's name...

You know why, Jack.

It's me, Ron Nieman.

How did you get out?

I'm on parole.

After 20 years, they finally let me out.

You had no right to kill Joe.

I had every right in the world.

You were all there.

I was the only one who paid the price.

Why have you come to see me?

I'm sorry for what I did.

I couldn't help myself.

I want you to absolve me of my sins.

Please, Father?

Give me absolution.

Through the ministry of the Church,

may God give you pardon and peace.

I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father,

the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Amen.

I want you to turn yourself into the police.

God forgave me.

Now I'm going to get the others.

Sorry.

I'll be right back.

You don't have any other records on Dorman?

Well, thank you for checking.

Bye-bye.

Any luck at the hotel?

Bogus address nobody in the history the world has

ever lived there by that name.

What did juvenile have?

Well, juvenile's got a record on Dorman,

but it was sealed a long time ago through the courts.

Great. Let's get it unsealed.

Yeah, you got it.

You know what I was thinking about doing is checking

in on some of Dorman's friends.

I'd like to talk to Ted Madden.

Let me talk to Father Jack first,

then we'll talk to Madden.

OK.

Jack, wait a minute.

What are the chances of you making of my foursome today?

It's not very good.

I don't want to pull rank, but I am your Bishop.

You can't turn me down.

Come on, now.

It'll do you good.

I don't think I'd give you much of a game.

If only more priests would learn to play golf,

I could be out on the course there now breaking par.

Yes, I know par would be a large miracle even for him.

Good luck on the greens.

Are you all right?

You look a little down.

No, I'm... I'm fine.

I just didn't get much rest last night.

I'm... I'm OK.

I'm fine.

If you played golf on your day off, you'd sleep better.

I probably would.

I'll see you later.

Keep your head down.

Father Struthers.

Hello, Sergeant Hunter.

Hey, you're doing a pretty good job.

I got a green one here for if you like.

I don't think so.

No.

Well, what can I do for you?

Thanks for seeing me. I really appreciate it.

I didn't want to have to go into any type of questioning

at the Dorman house.

I understand.

You know, in speaking with some of Joe Dorman's friends,

we, uh, find that you and Mr. Madden were about as close

to him as anybody.

As a matter of fact, you're his priest, aren't you?

Joe and I were friends since high school.

As hard as I tried, I, uh, I couldn't

make a Catholic out of him.

Now, we understand that Joe had some problems

with the law in high school.

I was just wondering if you might be able to elaborate

on that for us.

No, I can't.

You are aware of the incident, right?

There's nothing I can tell you.

Well, I don't understand.

I just can't.

You can't or you won't?

There's a big difference.

I don't understand.

Don't you want to help find Joe's killer?

Is that it?

I'm afraid so.

I don't know.

It looks to me like that priest knows something.

Yeah, but he won't talk to me.

Well, we can't put a priest on the hot seat.

If he got that information from confession,

that's out of bounds to us.

That's just it.

It didn't come from confession.

Dorman wasn't a Catholic.

Why won't Father Struthers talk to us

unless he's trying to protect Dorman's

memory out of friendship.

No, I don't think so.

Let's face it.

Somebody told Struthers something.

And that somebody could be our killer.

Miss Carter.

Father?

How can I help you?

I'm Jack Struthers.

I've done some checking, and I understand you're

Ron Nieman's parole officer.

That's right.

He... is he in some kind of trouble?

No, no, no, no. Nothing like that.

It's just that we're old friends,

and I heard he was out of jail, and I'd just like to see him.

Well, I do have his residence and work numbers.

Would those help?

That'd be great.

Great, thanks.

I hate to bother you, but I don't know who else to ask.

No problem, Father.

I'm sure Ron'll be glad to see you.

You know, he's really turned his life around.

Even said he wants to start going to church.

Ron.

Ron.

I want to talk to you.

Sure, Father, what about?

Last night, you confessed to a murder

and threatened the lives of two people.

So?

You can't do this, Ron.

I want you to come with me to the police.

A little tied up now, Father.

I know what you're doing.

This isn't the answer.

Yes, it is.

But what about me?

Kill me.

I'm here.

Do it.

You don't get it, do you, Father?

That's what I did last night.

So that's the revenge you want on me?

Bingo.

Dear God.

It's your soul we're talking about.

I lost my soul years ago in Quentin.

I'm not going to stop until you all pay the price.

You're the one who committed a murder, not us.

You're the ones who lied in court.

The way I see it, you're just as guilty as me.

You've got to stop this right now, Ron, and turn yourself in,

and ask God for forgiveness.

You turn me in.

Go ahead.

Go to the police.

I'd love to see you break your vows.

This hatred won't get you anywhere.

Yes, it will.

See you hell, Padre.

Please, come on in.

Make yourselves comfortable.

Thank you, Bishop Pine.

Just sit down, will you?

You see, both Jack's parents died when he was quite young.

Now, I was an ordinary parish priest at the time,

but I had a few contacts.

And I managed to find a home for him

with a wealthy member of our diocese.

Robert Madden and his family.

Robert Madden, the industrialist?

That's right.

Yes.

Well, he raised Jack alongside his own son, Ted.

It was an arrangement which benefited everyone.

Look, forgive me.

I'm... I'm confused.

Why are you so interested in Father Struthers?

I thought you were investigating the murder of Joe Dorman?

Well, you see, Father Struthers and Joe Dorman

went to high school together.

Now back when Dorman was in high school,

he got into some trouble with the law.

We think that that may have something

to do with his murder.

Hm-mm.

Well, I... I wouldn't know about that.

You see, when Jack entered high school, I left here

and I went to a parish up at, uh, San Jose.

And I lost track of Jack until he entered his seminary.

That was when I came back to Los Angeles and San Beatrice.

What did Father Struthers say to you?

Well, he didn't say anything to us.

We think he took the confession of the killer.

Well, if you're right about that, there's nothing

Jack can do to help you.

The church is quite clear about that.

If you'll excuse me.

Bishop Pine.

If another human being is killed,

Father Struthers is partially responsible.

I'm sure Father Struthers is well aware of that.

But he just can't wash his hands of this matter.

It's not that simple.

I know it's not that simple.

Can you imagine the turmoil Father Struthers

must be going through?

Well, just think of the turmoil

that Mrs. Dorman is going through.

Jack, I know Sergeant Hunter and Nicole

have talked with you.

They talked with me too.

Have you tried to convince the killer to give himself up?

Yes.

Yes, of course, you have.

What you are going through is no easy matter.

It's part of being a priest.

We both know the rules.

Well, I know how tough it is when you're standing all alone.

Is there anything I can do for you?

I need guidance.

I have doubts about what I'm doing.

Pray for me.

Yes, of course.

Jack, I've known you since you were a boy.

You faced some tough situations, but you always come out on top,

and you will this time too.

Thanks.

I appreciate your confidence.

I know what kind of priest you are.

I know how seriously you take your work.

Please, be careful.

I will.

Excuse me.

I'm looking for a man named Phil Lacey.

He's, uh, he's changed a lot since this was taken,

but this is how he looked in high school.

Yeah, yeah.

I know Phil.

He, um, hangs out down there sometimes.

Thanks.

Thanks a lot.

Here.

Take this.

God bless you.

Can I be of any help?

It's too late, Father.

He's dead.

Father, are you all right?

Yes, I'm fine.

We were walking our beat, and we saw what

we thought was a wino down.

So I came and checked it out, and it turned out to be 187.

I called the supervisor.

You know the rest.

What time was that?

About 2,100 hours.

By the way, a priest came by.

A priest?

What did he want?

Gave the guy last rites.

Did you detain him?

No, he was in a hurry, so I just did an FI on him

and cut him loose.

There it is.

OK, good.

Thanks very much, officer.

Good work.

I'm gonna take the slug down to ballistics,

see if it matches the round that was used to kill Dorman.

Yeah, that's a good idea.

You know, from the looks of Mr. Lacey here,

he's been on the street an awful long time.

Madden, Dorman, Father Jack, now Phil Lacey.

Two of the four are dead.

I'm gonna go talk to Ted Madden.

Yeah, that's a good idea.

I'm going to church.

You knew Phil Lacey was going to be murdered last night,

didn't your, Father?

That's why you went there.

Were you going to warn him?

Look, you just can't hang around in here while innocent people

are being gunned down.

Do you think I want people to die?

It looks that way.

Hey, Sergeant, do you realize you are

talking to a servant of God?

Father, just give me the connection

between Lacey and Dorman.

I'll do the rest.

Do you think I like this?

I have my laws, just like you do,

and I've sworn to uphold them.

Now you have asked me to respect your law, and I do.

Please, respect mine.

How do you live with yourself on a day to day basis, Father,

knowing what you know?

Huh?

We're running out of time, Father.

There was another murder last night.

Phil Lacey.

Phil Lacey?

Our lab has determined that the same gun was used

to kill both Dorman and Lacey.

Now, you knew both of them in high school,

and you're also aware of the fact

that Dorman had a juvenile record, right?

Uh, that's right.

We think that Jack Struthers knows who the killer is,

but he won't tell us because of his bonds of confession.

You mean the killer came to Jack?

That's right.

We think he could be in a great deal of danger.

You could really help me out here.

You knew these guys.

Tell me about what happened with Joe.

What was all the trouble about?

Well, this happened a long time ago.

Joe Dorman, um, Phil Lacey, and Jack accidentally,

they were involved in a robbery.

Um, well, actually, it happened on a night

when Jack was on his own.

My father and I had gone to the movies together.

Jack bumped into to Phil and Joe.

They were running around with an older guy that they'd met.

And this guy drove to a liquor store and went inside,

and everyone else waited in the car.

They heard a couple of shots.

The guy came running out.

He had killed a clerk trying to rob the store.

What did the others do?

Well, they went to the police, and later, they testified.

And because they were juveniles, charges against them

were dropped, and the records were sealed?

Exactly.

I'm assuming that the killer was convicted?

He got life.

What was the killer's name?

This was, uh, this was a long time ago.

I know.

Please think hard.

It's very important.

Why didn't you tell me Nieman was out of prison?

He killed Joe. He killed Phil.

I'm next. You got to help me, Jack.

I can't do anything, Ted.

Just calm down.

Calm down.

I am bound by my vows.

You know that.

I will tell you this much.

I have talked to him.

There's nothing more I can do.

What we should have done was tell the truth 20 years ago.

And you would've been tried as an adult,

and you would have gone to prison.

I should have known.

I should have known Nieman was going

to come back and haunt me.

Ted, listen to me.

Listen.

We've known each other forever.

Trust me.

What we have now is our trust in God.

I'm going to the police.

If you believe that's the right thing to do,

then you have to do it.

I'm scared.

I don't want to die.

I know.

I know, Ted.

I know.

Don't you think I'm scared too?

Don't you think I'm scared too?

We've been together so long.

We've known each other so many years.

We can't fall apart now.

Hunter, we just hit pay dirt.

Take a look at this.

The guy who killed the liquor store clerk was Ron Nieman.

Lives in LA, Caucasian, 40 years old, 5 feet 11, 170 pounds.

Got life, but was paroled two months ago.

It all fits.

He killed Dorman and Lacey because they

testified against him. Where does he live?

I got the name of his parole officer, Elaine Carter.

She gave me his home and his work address.

Great.

Excuse me, ma'am.

Would you mind if I went in first?

God bless you,

Bless me, Father, for I have sinned.

You killed Phil Lacey.

I told you I would, Father.

I did the guy a favor.

Lacey was in bad shape.

That guy put me away for 20 years.

Couldn't even remember who I was.

You came here to gloat, not to ask for forgiveness.

If that's the way you feel about it,

why don't you report me to the police?

I'd love to see you dirty that nice white collar of yours.

I won't give you absolution.

Give it to Ted Madden.

He's next.

Ron?

Leave Ted Madden alone.

Try and stop me.

I'm not afraid of you.

Take my life.

Don't think I wouldn't.

You haven't got the guts.

No, no, no.

I hit you, I break my parole.

You'll report me.

I go back to jail.

Nice try, Father, but no sale.

So you have absolutely nothing new on Nieman.

No.

We checked his workplace and his house.

Zero.

You know, we'd like to put a watch on both

to see if he shows up. - All right.

That's a good idea. Do it.

Yeah, absolutely.

Hi, guys.

Here's transcripts from the Nieman trial 20 years ago.

Now turn to page one.

As you can see, the district attorney at the time

was a Thomas Beckworth.

He's now a Superior Court judge in Torrance.

We happen to think he might be able to shed

some light on this case.

But I wonder, why hasn't Nieman tried to kill Struthers?

Maybe we should give him some protection.

Well, well, we thought about that,

but uh, we think that Nieman's got something

special planned for Struthers.

Well, let's find out what that is.

I prosecuted Ron Nieman.

I was with the DA's office then.

That's one case I'll never forget.

Make sure these are sent out right away.

Now, Nieman was paroled two months ago.

That's too bad.

I wanted to hang the death penalty on him,

but had to settle for a life sentence,

thanks to Robert Madden.

Robert Madden?

What do you mean?

I don't understand.

Robert Madden had a foster son, Jack Struthers.

He and a couple of his buddies were with Nieman

the night of the murder.

They turned state's witness, and I was

told strictly to lay off them.

Are you saying that you think Madden fixed the case?

Madden used every ounce of influence

he had to make sure that Struthers

and his friends got off.

He even bought Nieman's silence.

See, Nieman had one of the best defenses lawyers

in the city.

Rumor has it that Madden footed the bill.

How do you think he avoided the death penalty?

Wait a minute.

You mean Robert Madden covered something up?

Yeah.

I always felt that Jack Struthers was more involved

in that murder than anybody knew,

and Madden loved that kid like his own son.

Only a theory.

Well, Judge, is there anybody to confirm that?

Nobody wanted to talk then.

I doubt if anybody would now.

But you might try Ted Madden.

Well, we already talked with Ted Madden.

Try it again.

And this time, turn the screws.

I questioned Madden myself, and I got the distinct impression

that Ted Madden couldn't tell you

a street address without lying.

I already told your partner everything.

Not quite, Ted.

You see Ron Nieman murdered your two high school friends,

but we can't prove that, because Father Struthers can't

break the seal of confession.

Great.

Why come to me?

Because we think you know why Nieman's

back in town for revenge.

Look, all I know is what my father and Jack told me.

Struthers was involved in that murder 20 years ago, wasn't he?

- No. - How do you know?

You weren't there.

All I know is what my father and Jack told me.

You're a liar, Ted.

I don't care what you think.

Look, I don't know anything.

I'm talking to my attorney.

I don't need to put up with this harassment from you.

You're holding back information

to try to protect Jack for something he did 20 years ago.

It could cost him his life now.

Hello?

Jack, it's me.

Look, the cops were just here.

They know about Nieman.

They know that I'm lying.

We've got to talk.

You talk all you want.

I'm packing.

See you later.

Hunter?

Having gone through these transcripts,

aside from Dorman, Lacey, and Struthers,

there was only one other witness at Nieman's trial

named Martha Patterson.

Now all she saw was Nieman's car drive off from the liquor

store after the shooting.

Right.

And she testified she saw Nieman driving with his friends

in the back. Right?

Yeah, exactly.

But this is the part that I don't get.

Mrs. Patterson says she saw three

people sitting in the backseat.

Three people in the backseat.

Now why would there be three people in the back seat

unless there was two people in the front seat?

But Struthers, Dorman, and Lacey

swore that there were only four people involved in the robbery.

They have to be covering for a fifth person.

You know, we've been going on the assumption

that Robert Madden got involved in the case

protect Jack Struthers.

What if he was protecting the fifth person?

It's got to be Ted Madden.

My... my... my.

Aren't we in a hurry?

How did you get in here?

You really think that's a problem for a guy like me?

You've done all right for yourself, Ted.

I guess you really thought you were going

to get away with this forever.

My father made a deal with you.

You agreed to it.

Yeah, I know about that deal.

I had a long time to think about it.

It was a lousy deal.

You really should have served time with me, Ted.

I didn't kill the clerk.

You were in the store.

How come your friends didn't testify to that at the trial?

You were the one who pulled the trigger.

The hold up was your idea in the first place.

You're an accessory to murder, Ted.

You still are.

But I'm the only one who got burned.

I can't wait to confess this one to Father Jack.

No, don't.

Ron, no.

Oh.

Go.

Go ahead, you hypocrite.

You lied at the trial.

Maybe God will forgive you, but I won't.

I didn't mean for it to happen.

Jack, you saved my life.

It's time we told the truth.

All of it.

Father Struthers, we were speaking with Bishop Pine.

He says you're thinking about leaving the priesthood.

Maybe I was never really in it.

I ask the members of my church to tell the truth,

but I've held onto a lie for all these years.

But you were just trying to help a friend.

Father, when Robert Madden found out that his son helped

hold up the liquor store, he convinced all of you

to lie for Ted.

But I never corrected that lie.

If I had, Joe Dorman and Phil Lacey might still be alive.

And so would Ron Nieman.

How many confessions have you taken over the years, Father?

Thousands, probably, right?

At least.

You probably absolved every one.

Of course.

Don't you think it's time you absolve yourself?

That's a lot easier said than done.

I never intended to hurt Nieman, but the moment

I had that gun in my hand, I really

wanted to pull the trigger.

What kind of a priest is that?

A human one.

Anybody in your shoes would have felt exactly the same way.

We're not God's father.

We're just human beings trying to do the best we can.

Gotta give yourself a second chance.

Maybe.

Maybe.

Thanks.

Thanks, Father.

Good luck.

Thanks.