Original subtitles

Hey, copper. You gonna help an old lady?

Hello, mae, how's the lady With the scales doing?

Are they balanced?

Somebody stuck his finger right In his eye today, baby.

Old cautious is on the bench.

You know what?

He'll spend all morning Instructing the jury,

The lawyers, the janitor.

You know, he is so scared Of getting overturned,

He's going To write the transcripts

In his own hand.

Here, hold that, Will ya for me, please?

This case, theo, It isn't as easy as it looks,

You know?

Them murders Happened four years ago.

- yeah. - accused's got a sharp lawyer.

But memories is fuzzy.

You know, witnesses forget.

Ah, let me tell you.

It's rough.

Yeah, where are they now?

Well, if you ask me,

Old cautious is probably still Laying down the ground rules.

Thanks.

Hey, mae, this courthouse

Would collapse without you Here every day.

- you know that? - ah.

What's an old broad going to do?

Catch a dirty movie?

See a soap on tv? Listen.

This beats as the world turns Coming and going.

Well, that's A great color combination.

How'd you know I just bought a brown suit?

You want 'em?

Not for me.

My feet keep asking,

"When are we going to get Another pair of socks from mae?"

Sure. Why should you be different?

Everybody wants my socks.

Judges, lawyers, cops. You know what?

They stop me in the hall.

They say, "Mae, come on.

Mae, please."

But these socks, theo, They are my muscle.

'cause I let it be known That not everybody

Is gonna get them 'cause Not everybody deserves 'em.

- you see? - yeah.

Now, for instance,

You take this kid--

This new assistant d.A.--

I'll take it from you now, Thanks.

The one that's prosecuting Your case, he--

He's a baby.

What was your position In the police department

On the day in question?

I was a uniformed patrolman At the time,

And my beat Included vestry street.

And that's where the award diner Was located.

Let it be recorded In the records

That the award diner is owned By one lionel lessonbee.

Lionel lessonbee,

The champion of justice.

Champion sucker, maybe.

They don't give A damn about you.

Carol, I've got To testify today.

I saw three men get killed,

Shot down.

What do I do? Ignore that?

Ignore the subpoena?

Not get involved?

How can I do that and not feel Corrupt for the rest of my life?

Corrupt?

You worry about corrupt In this city?

Hey, take it easy, carol.

You're beginning to sound Like a street sucker.

That's where I come from, Baby, and so do you.

Oh, do you have to go out?

No, but raymond Is getting anxious.

You should have protection.

A man just spent four years In jail.

And when I testify against him This afternoon,

He'll spend the rest Of his life there.

Detective crocker, We're waiting.

Yeah, I'm thinking.

I beg your pardon.

I'm thinking.

Okay, I realize it's four years ago.

Now, to the best Of your recollection,

Can you tell us what occurred At the award diner on that date?

I was standing Across the street

When my attention was drawn To the premises of the diner.

The blinds were down, and there Was a "Closed" sign in the door.

- well, was that unusual? - yes.

It was lunchtime, and that's Usually a busy hour for them.

I started across the street,

And I heard two gunshots Coming from the diner.

As I approached the door, I heard another gunshot.

Now, I also heard screaming And shouting.

The door was locked, but I Could see just past the blind.

There were people standing Around with their hands raised,

And I could make out Three men laying on the floor

With what appeared to be blood On them.

Then I noticed a man In a blue ski-type jacket

Running towards the rear Of the diner.

Why did you notice This particular man?

He had a gun in his hand.

Keeping an eye on me, frank?

Mrs. Lessonbee called down.

She's a little nervous about you Going to court to testify today,

You know?

Yeah.

Morning.

Just take me a second To fix this thing.

What kind of dog is that?

It's an australian silky.

A little wind-up toy.

Oh, it left a little bit Of silk right here.

What about the other people In the diner?

I told mr. Lessonbee, The owner,

To call an ambulance And then call the precinct.

That's when I drew my service Revolver and pursued the gunman.

Describe that, please.

Keep it honest.

Your boy's doing okay.

South on greenwich.

When I reached that point,

He was about a block Ahead of me and running.

I was able to close the gap A bit.

He turned east on laight And then north on hudson.

He entered An apartment building

Located at 409 hudson, Ran up the stairway,

And locked himself In a fourth-floor apartment.

How far behind him were you At this time?

I was pretty close At that time.

I was On the third-floor landing,

And I could see him up Through the stairwell.

And when you reached the door?

Well, I identified myself-- As a police officer--

And demanded entry.

And?

And a shot Came through the door!

Are you sure That you identified yourself

Loudly enough to be heard Inside the apartment?

Yes, sir. I screamed it.

Hi, lieutenant.

All right, I want moscowitz, prince,

And the first cop On the scene

In that order.

This guy looks familiar.

Lionel lessonbee.

Oh, terrific.

All right, Have somebody call the captain.

He'll have to tell the d.A.

I take it he didn't die Of natural causes.

No, I'm only guessing, But I'd say that it was a knife,

A big one.

There's a large, wedge-shaped Wound in the chest,

Went through a couple of ribs On the way in.

That'd take a strong man.

Let me know as soon As you're sure.

I didn't know you liked dogs.

It was the victim's, Lieutenant.

Oh, great. See if you can get a statement.

Find out how lessonbee got Suckered down to this basement.

You got it.

Could you describe How the arrest took place?

I came through the door,

And he was trying To get out the window

And reload his gun At the same time.

He struggled, and I was able To handcuff him to the radiator.

Detective crocker,

I would like for you to look Around this courtroom

And tell us if you see the man You chased,

The man who fired A gun at you,

The man you finally subdued And captured.

Yeah, he's sitting right there At the defense table

In the checkered shirt.

Let the record Reflect that the witness

Is indicating the defendant, One burl slote.

Now, after subduing the suspect,

What were your actions?

I read him his rights

And used his phone To call the precinct.

The only thing I didn't do was Give him a dime for the phone.

And I checked his apartment For possible accomplices.

That's when I discovered that--

Objection!

Your honor, This is inexcusable.

The prosecution is trying To sneak in testimony

That is clearly inadmissible.

There's been no ruling On that in this court!

Not one more word.

Counsels, approach the bench.

You can bet he won't let The jury hear this beef.

Now, you gentlemen May make your objections,

But if there is anything further To add,

You will approach the bench.

I will tolerate no retorts From either side in my court.

Now, I'm inclined To be sympathetic

To mr. Kingsley's objection.

You are very close to Forbidden territory, mr. Candoo.

Your honor, this territory Was questionable

But was not expressly forbidden.

My dear young colleague,

The defendant pled guilty To murder four years ago.

Before I entered the case,

He was unaware that His constitutional rights

Had been violated.

May have been violated.

Well, the appellate court Felt strongly enough to allow

Him to change his plea To "Not guilty."

- your honor-- - this trial is the result.

You have a small, Small point, mr. Candoo.

The testimony will be previewed Before I make a ruling.

Bailiff, remove the jury.

See?

From the bloodstains And the marks on the floor,

It looks like he was killed In the elevator

And dragged out here.

Also, somebody was fooling Around with the elevator button.

There's alligator clip marks Inside.

You know, for a mugging,

Somebody went To an awful lot of trouble.

Who said anything About a mugging?

Well, uh, the guy Didn't have a wallet.

Oh, that's pure smoke, baby.

Pure smoke.

All right, First cop on the scene.

Yes. That's me, lieutenant.

Yeah? Whose police force?

I'm with safe and loft.

I moonlight here four hours A day.

Look, I don't know How this happened.

I went outside watching This guy walk his dog.

He came back, Got in the elevator.

20 minutes later his wife Calls down looking for him.

No strangers in or out?

Not that I saw.

But I was on third avenue Whistling cabs.

People with dogs Usually have a regular routine.

Yeah. Lessonbee did.

Same time.

Morning and nigh-- Oh, man.

Anybody watching him Could have figured that.

Okay, take it easy.

Nobody assigned you To personal protection.

But I'd like to know Why nobody was assigned.

It wasn't because they Weren't asked, lieutenant.

In fact, they were begged.

I called the prosecutor's office A dozen times.

I even got To talk to him once.

He said he'd look into it.

After that,

There were bored secretaries Who didn't want to know.

I called the police too.

No men available.

30,000 cops.

What do they do?

Now who's gonna be Your star witness, lieutenant?

Who's the next poor believing Fool to be conned into--

I checked the bathroom To see if anyone was in there.

Then I went into the bedroom.

I saw pistol cartridges Scattered around on the floor

Near the closet.

The door was closed, And I thought there might be

Somebody in there.

So I opened the door, Looked inside, and--

Now, just one moment, Detective crocker.

I'd like to remind the court That you had just seen

A restaurant full Of panicked, frightened people--

Three of them dead or dying.

You'd chased a man for Five blocks and been shot at,

Had a violent struggle In subduing him,

But were still aware enough Of your duty as an officer

To inform him of his rights--

His constitutional rights?

Right. Yes, sir.

Thank you.

What happened When you opened the closet?

There was no one in there.

But I saw on the floor A white paper bag

Similar to the one the suspect Was carrying during the chase.

I looked inside it and found Wallets and credit cards

And cash stuffed inside.

And what did these items Prove to be?

The loot From the award diner robbery.

Once again, what prompted you To go into the bedroom

And open the closet door?

Safety Of my own personal life.

- objection. - excuse me!

Objection!

Your honor, there's no reason That the officer should suppose

That there was an accomplice Lurking in a closet.

Sustained.

Your honor, I think that The actions of detective crocker

Were not only proper, But laudable,

And that the wallet And other incriminating items

Produced Should be submitted as evidence.

Mr. Kingsley?

I have no questions At this time.

Despite the noble motives

The prosecution Has tried to impart the witness,

It is patently obvious That the apartment

Was searched illegally.

There's numerous precedents, Starting with mapp v. Ohio,

Chimel v. California Spelling it out that an officer,

Even in hot pursuit,

Has no authority to conduct more Than an arm's-length search,

And that Only for concealed weapons.

Anything else requires A duly issued search warrant.

Well, I see nothing In what has been said here

To alter the ruling Of the appellate court.

This evidence Is not admissible.

Mr. Candoo,

You will instruct your witness That any mention of the search

Or the so-called loot Will not be tolerated.

Bailiff, recall the jury.

Mr. Kingsley?

Detective crocker, how long Had you been on the force

Before this all occurred?

Not long.

I was just out of police academy About four weeks I think.

That inexperienced?

Had you ever been involved--

- how's it going? - fun city, mae.

This guy pull the wings Off my man yet?

He's building up to it.

They just suppressed The best part of your evidence--

The haul of the robbery.

Lessonbee was killed This morning.

Oh, no.

It was supposed To look like a mugging.

That blows the whole case.

Hey.

I don't care how you do it, But hang on.

I mean, we need the time.

Objection, your honor, That's entirely irrelevant.

Where are you going, Mr. Kingsley?

I'm just questioning The character of the witness,

Your honor, trying to determine

If there are any motives Beyond duty urging him on.

Well, in view Of the gravity of this case,

I will allow a certain leeway.

You may proceed, Mr. Kingsley--with caution.

All right, I'll ask you again.

Would you say That you are an ambitious man?

Not overly.

But you carry the coveted Gold shield of a detective.

Yes, I am a detective.

How long have you been one?

About four years.

Was your arrest Of the defendant the reason

Why you were promoted?

One of the reasons.

What was the defendant wearing When you made the arrest?

Uh, a white sort of t-shirt.

Oh, I thought you said the man

That you chased From the restaurant

Was wearing a blue ski jacket.

He was--he got rid of it When he was running.

He threw it in the back Of a passing truck.

Oh. Mm-hmm.

Hey, it was about four years Ago, all right, I forgot!

Oh, yes, of course.

But the man That you saw in the diner,

The one in the blue ski jacket,

He was, uh, Running away from you.

Did you see his face?

No, I didn't. Not at that time, I didn't.

How about the men On the street--

The one in the jacket, The one in the t-shirt--

How about their faces?

- no, they had to turn-- - they?

Not they. It was the same man. Him.

Be sure, detective crocker,

Because this man's freedom Is at stake.

You lost track of him, Didn't you, rounding corners?

- he was a block ahead! - only for a minute.

- it was the same man! - was it?

Or was it just the hope Of an excited young cop

Running after his chance At a gold shield?

- objection. - sustained.

That's enough theater, Mr. Kingsley.

I apologize, your honor.

But there seems to be Some doubt

That the man chased Was not the man caught.

- isn't there? - not in my mind, there isn't.

Now, how can you Be so sure?

It happened so long ago.

Because he had the, uh--

He had the what?

Because I am, that's all.

That's all, Detective crocker.

I think we've heard enough.

Must have had a real turkey For a lawyer in the beginning.

Any half-wit could have argued An illegal search at the time.

Au contraire, counselor.

They were saving it, Or slote was.

He knew we had enough without The loot from the robbery

To put him on the moon.

So he pled guilty on purpose?

It was the only chance he had.

Plead guilty, Go directly to jail,

And don't pass go.

And the white hats, The good guys,

They pat each other on the back, Stop developing the case,

And forget him, right? Excuse me.

Four years go by. Things are cloudy.

Evidence is hard to find, And the witnesses disappear.

- or get murdered. - yeah.

I wish I knew then What I know now.

Oh, yeah, what would you do Now, shoot him down?

- plant the evidence on him? - I'd be tempted.

I get tempted too, Kid, every time

One of those animals loopholes Himself out of trouble.

Because this broken down system That we got is still

Better than some tough cop Handling a street court.

Look, butler, I'm prosecuting this case.

Hi, josh. I'll be off in a minute.

My phone's broken.

Now, I don't care What the usual deal is.

You look awful.

Didn't it go well?

No, I will not agree To negligent homicide.

This is the second wife He's killed!

Nancy parks. Lieutenant kojak.

Detective crocker.

They beat her brains out too.

enchante,baby.

Welcome to bananas.

Look, would you just Tell your client if he cops

To "B" felony manslaughter Right now--then, no stalling.

No, he does not get Time served.

All right, get back to me.

Are you buying me dinner?

You're buying me If I can eat.

Okay.

Listen, fox?

Yeah. Hold it, theo. I'm not finished yet.

Maybe you aren't, captain, But I'm cutting slote loose.

We have no case.

You have no case?

Slote killed three people In front of 16 witnesses.

We know he killed at least Two more in other robberies.

His yellow sheet Goes back to the time

He was 15 When he assaulted someone.

16 witnesses.

Four of them are dead.

That includes lessonbee.

One of them is in her 90s.

One of them Lives in an alcoholic ward.

Another one lives In a doorway.

One of them is in jail In portugal yet.

There were Three south vietnamese sailors,

And the other five people Have moved so many times,

They're untraceable.

You never told me They were untraceable.

We get called in At the last minute,

And we're the ones Who started the investigation.

Okay, okay. Mistakes were made.

But if more witnesses could be Found, we don't have time.

The court Won't grant another delay,

And I need candoo In other places.

What, you falling Behind in your plea bargaining?

Crocker.

He's right.

We make all kinds of deals With all kinds of crud.

We have to.

We're looking at 1,700 murders This year.

We can't begin to handle Last year's cases.

They're stacked up three deep At rikers right now.

I'm understaffed With under-experienced kids

Who make less money Than apprentice garbagemen.

I'm not telling you Anything new.

Justice is out.

Movement is in.

And our employers, the public, Couldn't care less.

You're wrong, fox.

They care.

Hey, when cops And prosecutors and judges

Were stomping On people's rights,

They wouldn't stand for it.

Now the public isn't safe,

And they won't stand For that either.

But while we're waiting For the pendulum to swing

Back and forth And back and forth,

We have to keep on keeping on, Right?

We have to hang on to things Like, uh, oath of office,

Personal integrity.

And don't look at the ceiling

Like that's some kind Of impractical jive.

We're supposed to be Public protectors, man.

And to me That means doing everything.

Everything.

Everything in our power To keep the citizen butchers

Like slote off the streets,

Caseloads And movements be damned.

Right on, lieutenant.

Yeah.

Well, I haven't had The civic flag out in a while.

Well, anybody that can shut This asylum up for a minute

Must be some sort Of a miracle worker.

This case still stinks.

But I guess we can keep at it Until they throw it out.

Okay. Let's go to work.

The award diner, Four years later.

Asphalt and parked cars.

So we begin. You were across the street.

You spotted the diner's blinds Down and the "Closed" sign up.

And a good cop like you Gleans onto things like that.

Then what?

Well, I started across the street.

When I got about here,

That's when I heard The first two shots.

All right, what next? Do it.

I went up to the diner. I went up to the window.

That's when I heard The screams.

What kind of screams? Red ones? Green ones?

Ladies' screams.

Okay.

I'm leaning on a car. Now what do I see?

Lessonbee, his wife, And customers, what else?

Not his wife.

She said she was out on a job When it happened.

They had already started Their new catering business.

Well, was she here, Or wasn't she here?

Lieutenant, the rockettes

Could have been having lunch In there that day.

When I went after that guy,

I wasn't exactly stopping To count noses.

I see.

Well, what do you say, Counselor?

Here, look around you.

The award diner.

Four years of progress.

No witnesses. No building. No nothing.

Nothing but complaints Against the police.

Hmm, oh, here's The complete witness list.

Names, addresses.

Yeah? Any ladies on it?

Yeah, one. Uh, thalia kajabes.

Greek lady.

Customer or worker?

Customer.

We already talked to her.

Family owns a sail shop.

Mrs. Kajabes is 90 years old, Speaks no english,

Doesn't even know What time it is.

Yeah, we got nothing.

- you mind if we try? - what for?

Because there's no such thing

As a greek lady who doesn't know What time it is.

Hey, crocker, When you searched slote's place,

Were you really worried He had an accomplice?

Hey, lieutenant, I was so scared that I thought

He had nine buddies hidden In the closet with burp guns.

Hey, candoo, Slote has no mob connections.

Strictly an independent.

But somebody Killed lessonbee for him,

And it takes a lot of bucks To hire a lawyer like kingsley.

So he has an outside friend.

Well, I did hear He drank a lot with some guy.

You think that might be the guy Who killed lessonbee?

Couldn't be too many guys That would drink with slote.

Wait a minute. A longshoreman.

I saved him from getting rolled One night.

He was bombed.

He was laughing At how young I was.

Jack boston.

He told me to watch out For slote and his friend,

That he'd take my badge And shove it in my ear.

You start now.

You check the bars. Check the unions.

Find boston.

Well, burl.

If this here lessonbee Is gone--

The poor bub, Rest his soul--

I reckon they got no one To talk against you now.

How'd he die, Mr. Kingsley?

Were it sudden?

Yes, he was stabbed To death.

One of them muggers, I reckon.

Them kind can be plumb mean.

The man's dead.

You don't need to gloat.

It ain't gonna Do my trial no harm.

You got to say that, lawyer.

I ought to be Out of here right quick.

Perhaps,

If the prosecution can't deliver Anything more damaging

Than they have already.

You worrying About some other witness?

No, brother.

Ol' lawyer here knows They ain't got nothing else.

He just don't want us to see How easy

He's earning That great, big, fat fee.

Ain't that right?

If you go free, slote, I'll have earned every penny

And then some.

What kind of fool are you?

That woman could be Talking to the police right now.

Burl, it took me three weeks To set up that lessonbee.

Now, nobody never heard her.

She sure ain't told 'em.

She ain't had no reason Before.

Now, you go ahead And stop her mouth, you hear?

All right, burl.

I'll do it.

So how come you didn't Learn greek in law school?

Never learned How to stand on my toes either,

But I once prosecuted A ballet dancer.

All right, So what do we have?

A very old woman?

Remembers a nice gesture From her past.

You know, Because it was a nice gesture.

A lady who worked in the diner Made greek food for her.

And who was that lady, Mr. D.A.?

An employee.

Lessonbee didn't have any.

A third-class diner,

The owner's struggling To make out.

Who works there? Last chance.

Lessonbee-- His wife, carol.

Tracy, get on the horn To rikers and attica.

Find out Who's been visiting burl slote

During the last six months.

Where's saperstein?

All right.

- uh, lieutenant? - yeah.

We just tracked down One of those missing witnesses,

But the guy's in colorado.

All right.

Send him an airplane ticket, First class.

Well, he says he'd like To come back and testify.

But would you come back If you had 65 traffic warrants

Waiting for you?

Hmm.

All right, you're a cop.

Find somebody Who fixes tickets.

Fix it?

Lieutenant.

You know somebody who Could fix 65 traffic tickets?

Huh.

You know anybody Who can fix 65 traffic tickets?

Are you kidding?

It'd be faster to start Extradition proceedings.

By that time Slote will be long gone.

Well, lie to him, rizzo. Lie.

Saperstein.

- I'm sorry, lieutenant. - pete.

Didn't know Where else to take him.

Pete falconer, right?

You used to live in a door, Pete, coochie-coo?

He was home When metro found him.

Oh, yeah?

You get anything from him Besides wine drops and fleas?

Just a lot Of four letter words.

Okay. Get him down to detox.

Maybe he was sober Four years ago.

Good-bye, pete.

Come on. Let's go. Come on.

- you can make it. - everything is time.

Washington says it will take At least two weeks

To ascertain if Any of those vietnamese sailors

Settled here after the war.

Did you hear about the guy From colorado?

Yeah. Listen, mac.

There may be at least One witness not on the list.

You know that charming Old greek lady?

She's pointing her finger At mr. Lessonbee's wife, carol.

She made great greek dishes

Whenever the old woman Went to the diner.

Well, according To the original statement,

She was catering to a luncheon For the young republicans.

And with 16 witnesses, I doubt Anybody ever checked it out.

Saper--hold on to him, Will ya?

You find out.

Okay.

Lieutenant, line one. Crocker.

Yeah, this is your leader.

Oh, good. He's found boston.

But boston is reluctant,

Belligerent, even.

Did you show him your badge?

He doesn't like cops?

How about lawyers?

Eh, you're out too.

But he remembers slote And his buddy?

All right, hold him. I'm coming down.

Maybe we'll impress him With the numbers.

Don't you got anything That looks like a subpoena?

- rent bill. - that'll do fine.

Let's go.

I'm gonna get my hat.

I'm going home...

For dinner.

Any dissenting opinions?

Right here.

This should take care Of part of it.

An earthquake in new york?

I heard you were here All night,

But I didn't believe it.

I was right. You're not here.

Good morning, mac.

Here, meet jack boston.

He finally decided To become a witness.

- for or against? - all right.

So he was a little reluctant To cooperate

Until we proved we were worthy Of his time and effort.

Come on. Can I get you some coffee?

No, thanks.

Why didn't you use your piece?

Captain, you wanted him As a witness, didn't you?

Hey, they're pretty good.

That lawyer ought to be In a ring.

That's where I feel like I've been.

Ten rounds with muhammad ali.

You were here all night With that?

What will boston Get us besides a laugh?

Well, to begin with, When slote first got into town,

He worked with boston A couple of times, you know,

Slinging freight.

But that was too hard, So he asked boston

If he wanted to open an armed Robbery business with him.

Oh. I take it boston demurred.

Oh, that too.

He's a tough boy.

But that was out of his line.

Anyway, one night, slote's Drinking with some guy, right?

Boston's in the next booth.

He hears slote talking about A couple of jobs he pulled.

The grabber is,

He talked about how he was gonna Knock over the award diner.

What does candoo think?

He says it will prove Prior intent.

Oh, boston is not exactly A pillar of the community.

Kingsley will tear him To pieces.

It'll buy us some time, mac.

Part of a day, anyway.

And we start looking For the friend.

He's supposed to be A hillbilly like slote.

I figure it's somebody from down Home, you know what I mean,

Maybe, uh--maybe a relative?

Well, if it is, I've got a name.

Tracy checked with rikers.

Now, aside from his lawyer,

Slote's had Only one other visitor,

His brother henry.

I'll get out a warrant.

There's not much chance, But if we can tie slote

To the lessonbee killing, we Can blow this thing wide open.

All right, keep him on The stand as long as possible.

Yeah, well, I'm hoping For more than that.

Boston's a surprise witness.

Kingsley will howl about it.

I'm hoping he'll take a delay, So he studies it.

Give me saperstein.

All right, Milk it as long as you can.

Saperstein!

Well, I hope you have Some good news for me.

Oh, that's good, very good.

Look, when I get back I'll buy you an egg cream,

Large.

Mrs. Lessonbee Told us a little fib.

She catered The young republicans

The day before the diner Was hit.

Hmm.

Maybe it was her scream That I heard.

Yeah, If she'll admit it.

Yes, I know, But it's important.

What can you want with him Now, lieutenant?

He's dead.

It isn't him, Mrs. Lessonbee.

It's you.

Look.

This is A very bad time for me.

Or haven't you noticed?

It could be a very bad time For a lot of people

If burl slote goes free.

Look, don't you Play the tinny trombone.

I've got one of my own.

Mrs. Lessonbee,

You weren't catering a lunch on The day slote robbed the diner.

You were right there making Moussaka for old mrs. Kajabes.

You've come to The wrong lessonbee, lieutenant.

I have no intentions of dying.

For what? My city?

Slote's had four years To remember every face

In that diner, Including yours.

I'm trying To prevent your dying.

Yeah. You're good at that.

We're pretty sure slote's Brother killed your husband,

And we'll get him.

But we already have slote. You can help us keep him.

You started With 16 witnesses.

They haven't helped, Have they?

Okay.

Keeping track of witnesses Is tough at best,

But this time, There was no reason.

The man pled guilty. He was in jail.

Case closed.

We were lucky To find your husband.

Speaking of luck,

Now you're telling me To be a good citizen?

You go to court, I'll tell you about citizenship

Or anything else You want to hear.

We need you.

But I don't want to hear it.

I've heard enough from the man In this box.

He was a good citizen.

He had The black american dream--

From harlem to vestry To east 56th--

The hottest catering business In town.

Mink coats for me,

Purebred dogs for him.

He paid his taxes, and he never Got a parking ticket.

He believed the propaganda You people put out.

Leave me alone.

Get out of here And leave me alone!

Just leave me alone.

Stall didn't work, captain.

Kingsley's in a hurry This morning,

And so is the judge.

I managed a ten-minute recess Because of my wounds.

c'est la guerre.

His honor Found it very colorful.

The point is, I can't Stretch boston's testimony

More than another half hour.

Well, by that time, the Ballistics expert will be there.

Oh, and make sure He brings that thing, huh?

I know. Some kind of exploding bullet.

But the records Show that slote's gun

Was fired more than once.

Now, that ought to be Worth something.

More important, It'll give us a couple of hours.

What about carol lessonbee?

I haven't heard anything yet. Kojak's with her now.

I'll get back to you.

You up to this?

It only hurts when I laugh.

What about henry's address?

The last known Is a torn down building.

We'll have pictures On the street in an hour.

My concern Is how the lieutenant's doing.

I'd like to use Your telephone, please.

Oh, of course, sir.

Right in there.

Our winged thoughts room.

Oh.

You're--

That's right.

I put your man Where he is today.

My god.

Well, there's no question She's a witness, mac,

But she's hostile, Hurting, frightened.

Refuses to cooperate.

No, I don't think There's any chance.

We'll have to subpoena.

Maybe she'll change her mind In court, but don't count on it.

Yeah, send crocker.

I'll stay with her Till he gets here.

Right.

It's just a family thing.

My brother burl said, "You cut that buck,"

So I done it.

And he got right upset when he Found out I didn't cut you too.

He said, "Henry, She's the onliest one left

"Seen me do that killing At the diner.

That woman"--

But I didn't.

I seen him come in, And I saw him go out.

Hold it, slote!

Oh, I am sorry.

I want a lawyer!

I want my rights!

Yeah, sure.

Rest in peace, baby,

Till the troops come.

A .38-caliber bullet

Weighing 150 grains, Having been hollowed out,

And providing it is traveling at More than 600 feet per second,

Will fragment upon impact.

Is this what happens When it hits the human body?

Your honor,

I must object on humane grounds, If nothing else.

I heartily agree.

Reach your point, mr. Candoo.

Well, I have, your honor.

The witness has just told us

That there was more than One bullet fired from the gun

And that the bullets Retrieved from the victim's body

Disintegrated on impact.

We knew that an hour ago, Mr. Candoo.

I have no more questions For you, mr. Ballenger.

Your witness, mr. Kingsley.

I have no questions For this witness, your honor.

You may step down.

Call your next witness, Mr. Candoo.

If I may have one moment To confer, your honor?

I held him off as long As I could.

Where's mrs. Lessonbee?

Well, crocker's trying to find Her to serve a subpoena now.

- I'm your next witness. - you?

Yeah, henry slote is Downstairs in our holding pen.

He admitted in my presence

That burl slote Told him to kill lessonbee.

He was trying to kill Lessonbee's wife at the time,

Also ordered By your defendant.

Yeah, well, This is a conspiracy, but I--

I don't know If it's relevant to this case.

Hey, counselor,

I'd call killing witnesses Relevant.

This can be called hearsay.

There's a legal line someplace.

It's the arrest, kid.

Did he admit the conspiracy Before or after the arrest?

- before. - then it's admissible!

Res gestae.

Mr. Candoo.

Are you conferring With the lieutenant or with mae?

I got a right, judge.

Friend of the court, Hey, hey?

Yeah, she's right. It's res gestae.

Mae's had more time in court

Than anybody else In the building.

Yeah, but without mrs. Lessonbee to corroborate it,

We can still come up short.

Your honor, I request permission To approach the bench.

Yeah. Yes, sir.

Okay, I'll take care of it Right away.

Hey, buddy, You can't park there.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm looking for carol lessonbee.

Sure, she's upstairs. 303.

That figures. Never answers the phone.

Mrs. Lessonbee?

This is detective crocker,

Manhattan south.

I know you're in there. Please answer the door.

We found the killer Of your husband.

Hi, I'm detective crocker, Manhattan south.

Now, I don't think You remember me--

I remember you.

You're the boy wonder Who caught the robber.

- is that why they sent you? - no, I don't think so.

I'm just the first face That they saw.

Looks like the boy wonder Business has its drawbacks.

Past couple of days it has.

I've been asked To serve you this.

After what's happened, Do you really think

That I'm going to be intimidated By a piece of paper?

Look, lady, I don't want you To be frightened.

Maybe some cops try that, But I don't, okay?

Look, boy wonder.

Why didn't you kill that man Four years ago

And save us all A lot of trouble?

Because I didn't have to.

You know what I mean?

Yeah, There was a brief chase,

Then I took the suspect Into custody,

And I came directly here.

Thank you very much, Lieutenant kojak.

Your witness.

You best start Earning your money now, lawyer.

Hear?

Lieutenant kojak,

You come to us As yet another surprise witness

With An even more surprising tale.

I'm somewhat at a loss,

Having been denied the time To prepare a defense.

Objection, your honor.

It has been my learned colleague

Who has constantly urged Greater dispatch in this case.

Sustained.

We've been through all that, Mr. Kingsley.

You don't mind My saying, lieutenant,

That I find this whole Revelation a little fantastic?

No. I don't mind.

It is fantastic, And it almost worked.

And yet you want us to believe That the accused,

A man With a fourth-grade education,

Could have concocted A sophisticated plot

For murdering witnesses?

You don't need an education To stab somebody in a basement.

Detective crocker Testified at these proceedings.

Now, he's one of your men, Is he not?

One of the best.

And as his superior, then,

It is only natural That you would be protective.

Well, yes. That's part of being a superior.

Well, just how far Would you go, lieutenant?

Objection.

Your honor, this is Argumentative and irrelevant.

Overruled. I'll allow the question.

Well, lieutenant?

How far will I go To protect my men?

Let's see.

As long as they continue to be The decent, honest,

Hardworking men they are,

I guess I'll have to back them To the limit of my authority.

All the way.

That's very laudable, I'm sure.

Thank you.

I have no more questions For this witness.

You may step down, lieutenant.

Don't tell me That's all you're gonna do.

It's the best I can do Without digging a bigger hole.

There's nothing Yet relevant to the first crime.

In an appeal, this testimony Might be ruled inadmissible.

What do you mean By "An appeal"?

The defendant Will remain seated.

It wasn't your subpoena, Lieutenant.

It was boy wonder Who got me here.

Are you ready to proceed, Mr. Candoo?

Yes, your honor, I am.

If I may approach the bench Once again?

You're smiling. You won?

Won?

Took the jury Ten whole minutes.

Yay for the good guys!

You do that to each other?

No, We were both on the same side.

You got A pretty good public servant

Going for you here.

Well, give him six months.

He'll be drawing up wills In scarsdale.

You know, Foxy, you're a cynic.

This job has a lot Of good points.

I mean, gray hair by 30,

Total anonymity,

No sunstroke On the golf courses.

Low, low taxes.

Hey, foxy, I hear you got a gang Killing down on 44th street.

I'd like to take a shot at it.

Come on. I'll get the papers.

There's only so many miracles In one day.

Hey, lieutenant.

Pretty good show, eh? Hey, where's the kid?

- I figure he earned his socks. - well, you better hurry.

He's got a killing Down on 44th street.

Oh.

Hey, copper, What size do you wear?

Me? 11, thank you very much.

Hey, kojak.

You ought to be due For a new pair yourself.

Jealous?