03x08 - Rattlers' Class of '63

[bunniefuu]

I've got you on fraud,
grand theft.

Book these guys
on the red barn con.

You may kiss the bride.

They sent some g*ons
over to the motel.

They got to Eddie.
He's dead, Jimmy.

Dead?

You have to try
and find that m*rder*r.

He's right.

It's either that,
or we wait to join
the melon rinds

in the back
of some garbage truck.

ANGEL: Stop that guy.
He's one of the creeps
that k*lled Bobby!

(PHONE RINGING)

ROCKFORD
ON ANSWERING MACHINE..
This is Jim Rockford.

At the tone, leave your name
and message.

I'll get back to you.

(BEEPS)

MAN.. Gene's 24-hour
Emergency Plumbing.

Your water heater's blown?

We'll have somebody
out there Tuesday.

Thursday at the latest.

ROCKY: I still can't
believe it, Sonny.
It's so sudden.

That's the front door
to the chapel.

I gotta go back
to see Angel.

Hey, hey, there's
the man now. Angel.

Stow the ear wash.
Too much to ask you
to be on time?

Well, give me a break,
will you?

I mean, you handed me
an hour-and-a-half's
notice.

You're lucky
I had a clean suit.

Yeah, here come
the excuses.

Boy, what a mistake
making you the best man.

All right, come on,
Angel.

I'm gonna take
good care of you.

Now, you know, popping this
on the world the way you did,

well, I didn't have
a chance to tell you that
I'm really happy for you.

And I'm really
looking forward
to meeting Regine.

Come on, now, tell me,
what sort of person is she?

Medium height.

(ORGAN PLAYING)

Sparks, fireworks,
that's how it was
when Regine and me met.

(EXCLAIMS)

Elliott, come on in here,
man.

I go on the block
in five minutes.

You want to close
the door, chief?

Ah!

Is that lovely
or is that lovely, huh?

Fourteen-karat gold,
no fill.

It's got your Hebrew
letters in there.

Says ''Love always.''
Sixty bucks.

The chick isn't Jewish
and neither am I,
so can the hustle.

I told you my price range.

Hey, Angel, for 10 bucks,
you can't buy the ring
on a bathtub.

ELLIOTT: Okay, let's see
what else we got. Here.

Now here.
Here's what 20 buys.
What is it? It's nothing.

It doesn't make any kind
of personal statement.

It's beautiful.
I'll give you 15.

Eighteen.
Fifteen don't pay my gas.

(ORGAN PLAYING WEDDING MARCH)
Fifteen...

You better wrap up
negotiations, Angel.

Angel, hey.

(DOOR OPENING)

We are gathered together
to unite this man
and this woman in marriage,

which is an institution
ordained of nature
in the very laws of our being

for the happiness
and welfare of mankind.

Will you, Evelyn,
take this woman, Regine,
to be your wedded wife?

To love, to comfort her,
honor and keep her
in sickness and in health,

as long as you both
shall live?

Yes, sir.

REVEREND: By the authority
committed unto me,

I declare you
husband and wife.

Whomsoever God
hath joined together,
let no man put asunder.

(ORGAN PLAYING)

Regine, honey,
I hope you like that ring.

It was my mother's,

and her mother's
before that.

You may kiss the bride.

WOMAN: (WHISPERING)
That's Regine's brother.

What do you call this?

(PEOPLE MURMURING)

Regine, are you crazy?

WOMAN: (WHISPERING)
He's her brother.

Bobby, you get out of here.

You go and marry
a piff like this

and you don't even
tell the family?

I got to hear it
from your landlord?

Bobby, there must have
been a mistake, man.

I sent out
all these invitations.

Sure, I wanted you
and your brothers

to come to this reception
we're going to have
afterwards at Mario's.

All the wine and linguine
you can put in your face.

(SCREAMS)

Hey, wait a minute.
Now, wait a minute.

I don't know who you are
or what your problem is,
you better cool it.

Stop it! Stop it!

(MUSIC STOPS)

He's not even Armenian.
He's nothing.

That's not fair, Bobby.
I'm part Armenian.

Somebody, please
get him out of here!

My brothers are gonna
hear about this, doc.

You're dead meat.

And you're next
in the grinder, mister.

REGINE: I want to apologize
to all of you for this.

Especially you, Ev.

But Ev is right.
We've got a party going,

and I hope you can all
forget about this

and come on down to Mario's

and have
all the wine and linguine
you can put in your face.

(ALL LAUGHING)

(KNOCKING ON DOOR)

Yeah, who is it?

It's me, Angel.

Jimmy, my marriage
is on the rocks.

Regine left me.

There she was,
in the prettiest negligée
you ever saw.

Her eyes were so alive.

We were just finishing
our shrimp cocktails

which the room service
brought up.

You know,
she loves shrimp cocktail.

Anyway, one thing
led to another,

she started crying
and then she was gone.

Oh, Angel, hey, hey.

I'm sorry for you, Angel.
But, you know,
these things happen.

You know,
she's a real sweet person.

She's the love of my life,
Jimmy. I need her.

You don't know
how bad I need her.

I know, Angel. Hey, hey.

Look, it's a strange place,
it's the first night.

You know, in a new hotel.
Just try and relax.
You want a beer?

A beer?

You don't put a Band-Aid
on a situation like this.

I want my wife back.

Oh, now, come on, Angel.

Hey, she's probably over
at the maid of honor's,
you know...

She'll cry, they'll talk
the whole thing out,

then she'll come back
to you.

You don't know her.

Jimmy, listen to me.
You talk to her.

(STAMMERING)
You convince her, huh?
To see my side of it.

Look, she was very fond
of you at the party.

Look, Angel, I do not
handle domestic disputes.

I... I... That's just
asking for trouble.

WOMAN: Tell him about
the shrimp cocktail.

He ordered her
this shrimp cocktail.

Well, yeah, yeah.
Angel told me about that.

He said you really love
shrimp cocktail.

Okay. But how many
can you love?

I mean, at first
I thought it was a joke.

And then he ordered
six of them.

The whole night he was either
dialing room service

or squirting little lemons
into seafood sauce.

And then there was
the television,

and then soaking
his bad back in the tub.

Right, Regine?

I mean, let's face it,
he obviously didn't care
about making love to her.

Well, look, Regine,

I know Angel is...unique.

And, granted, he takes
some getting used to.

Sometimes his behavior is...

Well, it's...unique.

But he has
some good qualities.

You know...

Hey, I don't know
what happened.

It was just the first night.
Would you talk to him?

I just got a phone call
from my brothers.

They put me straight
about him.

You know, he's not even
who he says he is.

Last year I was going
with this real sweet guy.

Donny Engels. Only
my family broke it up.

See, Donny wasn't rich enough,
he wasn't smart enough,
he wasn't Armenian enough.

So, he left town.
Just disappeared.

Okay. So now,
I go and I marry Ev.

And look what happens.

I mean, maybe
my brothers are right.

Maybe I can't run my own life
without making a mess of it.

Oh, come on, now, hey.

You don't seem
that type to me,
really.

Look, Regine, before
you were saying something

about Angel not being
what he said he was.

What was all that?

(KNOCKING AT DOOR)
You're not gonna
believe this.

Hi, Mr. Boyajian.

Hey, Aze, look at this.

Here's the guy that
pounded me at the church.

Well. Just who are you?

The name's Jim Rockford.

Get your clothes on.
I'm taking you to my place.

Rockford.
James Rockford.

Azie, remember?
Remember Rockford?

That's the man Martin
said was his supervisor
back at his home office.

Well, now,
isn't that interesting?

AZIE: You're gonna like this,
Rockford.

When Bobby brought us
the happy wedding news,

we thought we'd check up
on the new brother-in-law.

So we made a phone call
to the Maple Leaf Breweries
in Quebec.

How's that grab you?

They never heard
of any Edward Groger.

They never heard of
any Dr. Evelyn Martin,

and they never had any plans
to buy land out here.

Oh, oh, Dr. Evelyn...
Wait a minute.

Dr. Evelyn Martin?

Now, look, I should have
seen this thing coming.

(GRUNTS)

$5,000 down the toilet
for a cheap con game?

Hey, look, I had nothing
to do with this.

(GRUNTS)

ROCKFORD: I'm telling you,
Martin is right out here
in my car.

Why don't you
talk to him?

You're in deep trouble,
Mr. Brewmeister.

AZIE: Get him. Get him!

(KNOCKING AT DOOR)

ROCKFORD: Angel, open up.
Come on, I know you're inside.

Angel?

(DOOR RATTLING)

Angel!

(RATTLING)

All right,
I found my car downstairs.
Now, where are my keys?

Jimmy, I had to split.

Well, sure you did, ''Doctor.''

Boy, of all the names
to toss out in your
little scam,

you've got to go
and pick mine.

Look, Jimmy, you got
an important name.
Solid. Rockford.

Don't that sound good?
Rockford.

They think
I'm part of the action.

Now, what was it
this time, Angel?

The red barn con
or what, huh?

Yeah, Jimmy,
it's a good guess.

It's a variation
of the red barn.

Yeah, well, I'm in it
all the way now.

So I want to know
every detail.

Every cheesy little detail.

Jimmy, you're burning me
on this thing.

See, the Boyajian brothers
are in the garbage business.

And they had this old dump
that they covered
with topsoil.

They were trying to sell it
as real estate.

It's called
a sanitary landfill.

But it was a reaI
unsafe gobbler.

Well, they've been 10 years
praying for a buyer.

Aha! And a Canadian
beer moguI

is the answer
to their prayers.

Now, who set the hook?

(STAMMERING) Well, uh...
Eddie Groger. He was V.P.
in charge of development.

Eddie Groger.

Yeah. Well, he said
the land was perfect
for a brewery.

He offered them 150 G's,

and he also told them
that we'd use their crew
to dig up the topsoiI

and recompact it
according to building codes.

They had sugarplums
dancing in their eyes.

Then you come in
as the stall?

Yeah.

I was V.P. in charge
of the human factor
development.

I said that I found
a better piece of land
up the coast

and I overruled Eddie.

Then you jerk
the Boyajians around

till they start
offering you bribes
to approve their parcel.

Yeah.
$5,000, $10,000,
then you and Eddie split.

Hey, have you worked
this con before, Jimmy?

Eddie said it was
a whole new departure.

Yeah, well,
the only new wrinkle
that I can see is

what are you doing
married to the mark's sister?

I had to.
It was my only hope.

You see,
the Boyajians tumbled
to our game and then,

well, a couple of days ago,
they sent some g*ons
over to the motel.

I wasn't there,
but they got to Eddie.

He's dead, Jimmy.
That's straight.

Dead?

What do you mean,
the Boyajians tumbled?
How do you know that?

Eddie babbled
before he d*ed.

He told me that the two g*ons
who came with the lead pipes
were talking about the land.

They were looking for me

but Eddie didn't tell them
where I was.

And, well, my only comfort is
I'd have done the same
for Eddie.

Oh, yeah.

I made an anonymous
phone call to the cops.

What else could I do?
He was dead.

So it was time to start
thinking about you, huh?

''Oh, I need her, Jimmy.
I really need her.

''You don't know
how I need her.''
You know, that's pathetic.

Well, what am I
supposed to do?
Take the lead pipe massage?

You could have left town
without ruining Regine's life.

What about my parole,
Mr. Holier-than-thou?

I break that, I'm back
in the joint again.

Now, these Armenians
are close-knit.

Once you're in the family,
you are gold.

See, once we'd have been
on our honeymoon,

well, then I would've
fessed up to Regine
about the swindle.

When we got back,
she'd have taken my side
against her brother.

Crazy about me.
Yeah, and once the flap
with her brothers d*ed down,

you'd have been gone
like a cool breeze.

Well, maybe.
But in the meantime,

I'd have been bringing
the girl true joy.

Listen, the first time
we were over at Azie's house
for dinner,

she was smiling,
making eyes at me,

dipping her donut
in my tea.

Love, Jimmy.
Oh, yeah?

Well, here's something
you're really gonna love.

The Boyajians
didn't k*ll Eddie Groger.
That's right, Ev.

Now, they only called MontreaI
a few hours ago

and found out
you'd been conning them.

You got married for nothing.

Oh, God almighty, no.

Well, somebody
k*lled Eddie Groger.

And somebody's
looking for me.

Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy.
Probably somebody's
still looking for me

and now I don't even know
who it is I should run from.

Then call the police.
I'm out of it for keeps.

Name's Robert Boyajian,
Sarge.

Bobby Boyajian's brothers
tell us that you two guys

took the kid apart
in a wedding chapel
in La Jolla.

And now he's dead.

So don't sit there
like butter wouldn't melt
in your mouths.

I don't care what they say.
We didn't start anything.
It was Boyajian himself.

That's right.
They're a bunch of liars.

If you've ever dealt
with the Boyajians,

you know
what creeps they are.

Mr. Martin,
Bobby's sister Regine
said that you telephoned her

at Azie Boyajian's house
last night.

You tried to arrange
a meeting with her brothers

so you could iron out
some problems.
Is that right?

Wait a minute.
Angel, you did what?

Regine can't
testify against me.
She's my legal wife.

Regine hung up on you,
Mr. Martin.

So maybe you telephoned
Bobby at his home
and he agreed to meet you.

Bobby's wound
was point-blank.

Had to be somebody
who knew him.

Somebody who could
walk right up to him.

Right. So what I'm saying
is this.

You, or you,
or both of you met Bobby

and got what you
really wanted.

Which wasn't to iron out
any problems,

but to fill the kid's face
with double-O buckshot.

It was birdshot,
Lieutenant.

Birdshot, buckshot.
How much speculation
do we have to listen to?

You may have a motive.
Maybe opportunity.

But do you have
an eyewitness?
A w*apon?

Anything that's
at all solid?

Well, I think that ought
to take care of that.

I don't think the
District Attorney's Office

is gonna file
on loose charges,
will they?

Sit down, Rockford.

What for?
You can't file a charge.

Not on the homicide,
not yet.

But I've got you on fraud,
grand theft.

Complaints signed
by the Boyajian brothers.

Sergeant, get somebody
from the bunko squad up here.

Book these guys
on the red barn con.

Like I said,
sit down, gentlemen.

Let 'em have it!

Sucker busted up
my wedding.

Hey, Jimmy, how you doing?

What are you
cheesed at me about?
I got you off the bunko rap.

Angel, you get
too close to me,

I'm going to pull out
your beard hair by hair.

Hey, it ain't like
you're the one that
got the sergeant on me

and it wasn't your partner
that got beaten to death.

You're not the one
that's got somebody

going to hit you
over the head
with a lead pipe.

For you, it's over with.
Hey!

Hey, what are you two guys
doing out on the street?

Hey, Azie, how are you?

I'm so terribly sorry
to hear about Bobby.

Jim, just keep walking.
Don't say anything.
I mean it.

Rockford, you scumbag.
Don't you turn your back
on me.

Azie, don't get into it.
Not here.

We got to pick up
Bobby's belongings.

Then I guess we're gonna
give them to Goodwill,

'cause he ain't never
gonna use them no more.

His whole face is gone.

And the police
lets sleaze like you
go free, huh?

Okay. So be it.

We know where to find
both of you.

I'm Mr. Rockford's attorney.
Should I interpret that
as a thr*at?

Come on. Come on.

All right.

It's over, huh?

Jim, I think
the thing for you to do

is just lay low untiI
the cops nab Bobby's k*ller.

These guys will cool off.

But they ain't gonna
make that collar

if they're set on sticking
me and Jimmy with the k*lling.

I'm talking about survival,
now.

You're gonna have to try
and find that m*rder*r.

Oh, no. No.
Absolutely not.
Beth.

I don't want...
Beth.

He's right.

It's either that,
or we wait to join
the melon rinds

in the back
of some garbage truck.

Hey, Leo Kale?

Jim Calmet, County Health,
Communicable Disease Control.

I'm here regarding
a Robert Boy...

Boyajian.
Yeah. Yeah.

I've been interviewing
all his friends
and coworkers.

They tell me over there
that you were perhaps
the closest to him.

We had a few yuks.

You see, our department
was notified that during
Mr. Boyajian's autopsy

that there were indications
of incipient encephalitis.

You see, the disease
has a tendency
to go epidemic,

so, of course,
we're trying to find out

where he might have
contracted it.

See, it's my job to assemble
a total picture

on just exactly all
his contacts and activities
for the past few weeks.

I sure hope
you can help me.

Past few weeks?

I got trouble remembering
where I was this morning.

Let's see. Little Bobby
showed up for work most days.

He didn't deserve
a snootful of birdshot.

Hey, you know,
we weren't joined at the hip.

Why don't you go
talk to his family?

Oh, well, I plan to do that,

but, you know, in the middle
of their grief...

Grief? Listen,
there's a funeral and all,

and that's
a lot of showy slop.

Appearances, you know.
His brothers had
no use for him,

and he had no use for them.
The kid was a free spirit.

Well, I'll... I'll file
all this information.

I sure want to thank you
for your help, Mr. Kale.

It's okay, gent.
k*ll a germ for Leo.

Middle of your brother's wake
and a Cat goes out.

Hey! You guys,
stop that guy!

He's one of the creeps
that k*lled Bobby.

Hey! Hey, you!
Hey, wait, stop him! Hey!

(TIRES SCREECHING)
Stop him!
Hey, stop him!

Who is he?

His name's Rockford.
An ex-con.

Him and another jailbird,
Angel Martin, they did it.

And the jerk cops went ahead
and sprung them loose.

This investigation
is at a dead end.

Say, how about
another sandwich?
Uh-uh.

Dad, look, buckshot is
more lethal than birdshot.

I mean, it's a logical choice
in a shotgun k*lling.

I mean, even Chapman
saw it as buckshot.

Dennis had to correct him.
Well, it...

No, no, no, now wait.

Now, Leo Kale,
right out of the blue,
he pops up with birdshot.

How'd he know?

Well, probably just
a figure of speech.

Look, Sonny,
I hate to tell you this,

but you got a mighty
skimpy lead in this.

Remember, folks, that's
Gene's Universal Motors,

here in the friendly city
of Artesia.

...and I know
the little lady
is gonna like it.

And speaking of
the little lady...

Remember, I'll see that
each and every one of you

get all the Smith's
Buttercrunch candies
you can eat.

Now we have...
Hey, Gene.

(WHISTLING)
Come here.

Cut it.

We'll pick this up later.

What do you want, Leo?

(ENGINE STARTING)

MAN: Lenny will be back
in a moment, sir.

Oh, Mr. Chechik?
Yeah.

Jim Pokell.

Well, how are you?

Hey, you're just as tall
as you are on TV.

Hey, listen, I'll tell you
why I came in here.

I need myself a second car.

I want something
a little conservative,

but with some zotz
under the hood.

Now this Charger here,
now that looks pretty good.
Priced right, too.

And I know you're gonna
like the terms, too.

Why don't you
come into my office?
We'll have a cup of coffee.

Well, more than the price,
what I'm really interested in
is personalized service.

Now, a good drinking buddy
of mine

told me to come down here
and see you.

Leo Kale.

Big guy.
Great sense of humor.

(LAUGHING)

Don't know a Leo Kale.
Sorry.

Now I kind of feel
like a jerk.

I mean, why would he tell me
a thing like that?

Well, it happens.

You know, your average Joe
sometimes likes to say
he knows a TV personality.

Oh, yeah, yeah.

Look, can you excuse me
a minute?

One of my mechanics
has got a problem.

(STAMMERING) Yeah,
but what about the car?

Oh, well, since Lenny was
taking care of you first,

I don't want to cut
his commission.

You can have him paged
from the salesroom floor.

Listen, I know you're going
to like your new Charger.

Yeah.

Hi. Thank you for coming.

You know, this could have
waited till after the wake.

I told Azie
I needed to take a walk.

Which was true.

I appreciate
your willingness
to talk to me.

You know, it's obvious
you don't think
that Angel and I

had anything to do
with Bobby's death,
and I'm glad.

I know you didn't.

But tell me,

where is rock bottom
as far as your friend
is concerned?

Let's sit down.

Did Bobby ever have
any involvement

with a car dealer
by the name of Gene Chechik?

No, I tend to doubt it.

Bobby never hung out with
any of what you'd call
your normal people.

The Leo Kales of the world
were more his speed.

You met Leo?
Yeah.

Oh, isn't he
a trip to the zoo?

You know, Azie always felt
that Bobby should have been
Leo's brother.

Azie felt that Bobby was
a cross he had to bear.

Why is Azie so bent on revenge
now that Bobby's gone?

Guilt.

There's nothing like it
to take all the fun
out of hating somebody.

Azie has to take credit
for the way that
Bobby turned out.

He knows it.

See, Bobby was always...

wild and unpredictable.

And if Azie is anything,
he is predictable.

His self-controI
isn't all it could be, either.

You know,
when Bobby was 16,

all he wanted to do
was have fun.

Cutting class, smoking,
speeding around in a car.

He was fun.

He was good company.

And then Azie threw him
out of the house.

Cut off his money.
Claimed it would
make him a man.

It just drove him closer
to people like Leo.

And gradually,

Bobby wasn't fun anymore.

He was just mean.

And drunk.
And perpetually broke.

A wedding and a funeraI
in three days.

(CHUCKLING)
The limousine people
must really love us.

Regine, you say
Bobby was always broke.

He wasn't broke
when he d*ed.

You have any idea
where he got the $1,000
that was on him?

(STAMMERING)
Look, I don't know
if it means anything,

but Chechik and Kale
are tight.

I mean, I saw Chechik
drop everything
to talk to Kale.

Then later,
Chechik lied about it.

I don't know what it means,

but I think it's possible
that Leo Kale is the one
who m*rder*d Bobby.

Leo?

(EXCLAIMS)

I don't know why that
surprises me at all.

I used to say to Bobby,
''Stay away from Leo.''

Leo was a Long Beach
Rattler.

Yeah, I remember the Rattlers.

The sphinx,
the pyramid, King Tut.
That's all ancient history.

Dennis, I told you,
Leo Kale was an outlaw biker.

Okay, Dennis,
maybe it slides together
in a weird kind of way.

But Regine Boyajian told me
that Leo Kale went to work
for their family in 1963.

Well, '63 was
just about the time
that the Boyajians

filled their dump
with topsoiI
and put it up for sale.

And Leo Kale ran
one of the dozers
that did the work.

When do we get
to the Trojan w*r?

Thirteen years later,
Eddie Groger and Angel Martin
come up with their little con.

And what happens, huh?

Eddie Groger
ends up on a table
with a drain at one end

and then Bobby Boyajian
is the next one to die.

Now, come on, doesn't that
pique your curiosity
just a little, huh?

Dennis, all it's gonna take
is a phone call to Long Beach.

Now, I'm not gonna
stick my neck out

and say that Gene Chechik
is involved.

Maybe he isn't.
But I'll tell you something.

I'll put that shotgun
in Leo Kale's hand
any day of the week.

Jimmy, it's me, Angel.
Hurry up, open up.
Yeah.

Yeah.

Now, look, man,
we got to get to Ensenada.

Then, from there,
I think we can make it
to central Mexico.

Hold it. Hold it, Angel.
What are you babbling about?

Jimmy, we're really hot now.

Word is on the street
that the cops found
a shotgun in my bathroom.

(RINGING)

Yeah, Dennis? This is Jim.

Oh, no.
You know what time it is?

Hey, what did you turn up
on Chechik and Kale?

Well, hold on.
I can't talk here.

I'm sorry, honey.

In 1963, Kale, Chechik
and another Rattler,
now deceased,

were arrested for the m*rder
of two rival g*ng members.

Informants blabbed on them,

but then Long Beach PD ran
into corpus delicti problems.

The bodies were never found,

and the Rattlers
had to be kicked loose.

You're thinking
what I'm thinking,
aren't you, Dennis?

That Angel and Eddie Groger
were making phony offers
on a secret graveyard.

You know, all you need is
a good set of dental records
to nail them.

I mean, Chechik and Kale
couldn't know

the land purchase
was a phony.

They got to think
that the bodies were
going to be exhumed.

A lot of speculation,
which may or may not explain
Eddie Groger's m*rder.

But that's the sheriff's
jurisdiction, not mine.

Bobby Boyajian,
he's my jurisdiction.

And you and Angel are wanted
in connection with his m*rder.

Look, why don't you bring
Chechik and Kale in
and sweat them?

Have you ever heard
of probable cause?

We don't have
one bit of cold evidence

to link them
with either m*rder.

What we do have is a shotgun
that was concealed
in your buddy's house.

Oh, come on.
That plant's so obvious
you ought to water it.

Jim, I'm telling you
to come on in.

For what? More questioning?

You ask me, I've already
raised a lot more questions
than I can answer.

I don't know where you're
getting your information,
but it's very spotty.

You know, you're not just
wanted for questioning.
Not anymore.

The beef out on you
is conspiracy to commit.

Conspiracy to commit.

You realize this is
a sanitary landfill?
Yeah.

I'll bring my engineers
out here with
a grading crew

and we'll rip
the toupee off
of this acreage,

see just exactly
what it's going to take
to make it buildable.

Mr. Wakley,
that's an awful lot
of work and expense.

We're willing
to go that far.

Besides the mobile homes,
we're putting in an
Olympic-sized swimming pooI

and a fieldstone
clubhouse.

We just can't have them
sinking into all that
garbage down below.

Well, of course not.

And, if further development
proves not feasible
or too costly,

well, I'll eat
the option money.

And naturally,
I'll recompact
the entire top fill.

Well, naturally.
Naturally.

Listen,
I told you the last time,
I didn't want you coming here.

Then why don't you answer
my phone calls, Gene-O?

There's another buyer
on that dump.

And he's gonna rip it up.

(ALL CHATTERING)

We're going to have to dig up
those bikers' bodies,
and quick.

We've been through that.
They're at least eight feet
beneath the topsoil.

What do you
want me to do?

Take a dozer,
come out here on a bone hunt
in broad daylight?

So do it at night.

You gotta stop the project
at its source, Gene-O.
Face it.

Another k*lling.

First we have to k*ll Groger.
Then it's Bobby Boyajian.

I was only 25 when we had
that rumble with these bums.

It was an accident.
I was drunk.

(SIGHS)

How long am I gonna
have to keep paying for it?

Till you buy this property
and pave it all over
like I told you to.

What do you think,
100 grand just comes
onto my desk everyday, huh?

And what's the use, anyway,
with some machine mouth
like you running around

and telling
every jerk he runs into
what's underneath here?

You know something?

I think you wanted
the Boyajian punk
to blackmail me.

And you know something else?
You resent the hell out of me.

Who's doing
the work here?

I think a guy
named Wakley.

All I heard was Azie Boyajian
griping about some buyer

not renting a dozer
from our dump.

You better call
the real estate people
and check the buyer, Wakley.

And you'll do the thing?

What thing?
Oh, the k*lling.

You and me are partners.

Your hands are gonna stay
as dirty as mine.

And when we snuff Wakley,
you're gonna buy this land,

and me and you ain't never
gonna see each other again.

(PHONE RINGING)

Hello?

Yes, this is
the Wakley residence.

(STAMMERING) No, I'm sorry,
he's not here right now.

Well, I guess if
it's a real emergency

I could tell you
how to reach him.

It's not going
to be easy, though.

You see,
he's gone fishing
for the weekend.

He's gone for
the whole weekend,
all by himself.

Yeah, you see,
he went up there
to Flinthead Lake.

And, well, there...

No, no, there ain't
no phone there.

Well, he won't be
too hard to find.

You see, he's driving
his big white camper
with a cab over it.

Yes.

(LAUGHING)
Jimmy, you don't need
a real live body over there.

I can put together
a real nice dummy

with a couple of
pillows and a hat.
It'll fool anybody.

I remember
once in the Navy...
Angel...

It won't work.
Now get in that bunk.

Well...

You got nothing
to worry about, anyway.

All right,
the minute somebody
comes through that door

and they move toward you
with a w*apon,

I'm up and I'm going
to make them freeze.

Anything else happens,
you just start swinging
with that Georgia toothpick.

Of course, nothing else
is going to happen.

And the police are only
a phone call away.

Jimmy, there's got to be
a better way.

Then why don't you
come up with it, huh?

The cops want probable cause,
they're gonna get probable
cause

in the form of
an attempted m*rder

that ties right
to that property.

Do you think that I would
borrow this camper
from Rocky's neighbor

and risk damaging it
if I thought something nasty
was going to do down, huh?

(CLICKS TONGUE)

This was supposed to be
my honeymoon.

I had a good woman
and look what I did.

I could have been
with her tonight,

holding that warm, sweet body
instead of this fungo bat.

Save the Hank Williams,
will you?

I left my fiddle at home.

What, I ain't entitled
to have regrets?

The only thing
you're upset about
is the spot you're in.

What about the spot
you handed Regine, huh?

I wouldn't be surprised now
if she turns off men
completely.

Oh, come on.

It happens, Angel.
It happens.

Let me tell you something,
if I had my choice between
you and her right now,

I'd pick her.

Jimmy, I had to stay alive.

You're alive. Be happy.

You have plenty
of good years left

for sniveling
and complaining.

(FOOTSTEPS CRUNCHING)

(WHISPERS)
Jimmy, did you hear that?

Yeah. Yeah. Now, don't go
false starting on me.

We need them inside.

Easy, Angel, just let them
satisfy themselves
that this is the camper.

Did you lock the cap
on the gasoline tanks
like I told you to?

I forgot.

(ENGINE STARTING)

Leo.

Somebody got out.
Two people.

It's that guy Rockford.

(g*n f*ring)

Jimmy, you got him covered?

(HORN BLARING)

You, call the police.

I hope you're as good
at selling stories to the cops

as you are
at selling used cars.

Angel,
I am in a foul mood today

and the last person
I want to see is you.
So out.

I can feature you being
browned off at me, Jim,

so I'm not gonna
stick around.

But I was hoping
that maybe I could
stash my stuff here.

See, Regine's annulment
petition went through

and I got to give her
my entire collection
as part of the settlement.

Well, I mean, originals.
Collectors' items.

Ivory Joe Hunter,
Little Walter...

You want to hide them here
after what you've done?

Look, as far as I'm concerned,

Regine deserves
all four of your limbs.

Wait till you go through
a divorce.

We'll see what kind of tune
you sing.

I might as well have
gone through one.

You know, I had lunch
with a banker today.

You know, I have to
refinance my trailer

to pay back a $2,000 debt
for that property option.

Also owe a bill for
the rental of a bulldozer.

Rocky won't even talk to me
because his friend's camper
did a patty melt.

(KNOCKING ON DOOR)
REGINE: Jim?

What is she doing here?

Well, she said
she might drop by.

She wants me
to help track down
an old boyfriend of hers.

You mean that bozo,
Donny Engel?

I know all about that guy.

Well, you don't do
missing persons work.

For her I do.

I might even do it for free.

You know, if I didn't know
you were such a lizard,

I might think
you were jealous.

(KNOCKING AT DOOR)

What am I supposed to do?
She's out there.

Hi.
(CHUCKLING) Hello.

Listen, why don't we go on
over to the restaurant
and have a drink, huh?

Oh, am I interrupting
something?

Well...

Hi, Regine.

Look, I'll go on over
and get us a table, okay?

(DOOR CLOSES)

(STAMMERING)
So, how you been?

Those are the records,
aren't they?

Yeah. Jimmy was
helping me crate them

and then we were gonna
take them to the post office
and ship them to you.

I suppose you think
it's petty of me

to ask for your
record collection,
don't you?

No, no. It's fine.

Listen, I might as well
carry them out to your car.
You parked out here?

I'm lying to you.

(SIGHS)

I'm lying.

Boy. Boy.

The shuck just comes out
of my mouth like the fumes
out of a city bus.

I was going to hide
the damn records here.
I'm sorry.

Yeah.

Listen, Regine.
About you and me...

I thought they were
gonna b*at me to death
with a lead pipe, Regine.

I know that.

But I could have helped you.
You just never asked.

You didn't give me a chance.

You lied to me when you
asked me to marry you.
And you just...

You made me feel like
I didn't exist at the motel.

Why couldn't you talk to me?

Because I was so uptight.

I mean, all night long
all I could see was

this lead pipe
hitting me on the head.

The fact is,
I didn't see you at all.

Regine.

Look, I like you.
That's nothing phony there.

You understand?

You were just scared.

Yeah.

(CHUCKLES)

You're always scared.

Aren't you, Ev?

I'm glad those people
didn't hurt you.

For a while there,
I was wishing they had.

Just once or twice.

Yeah. I dig.

I better go.

Listen, Regine.

Why don't we talk
some more?

We can go to dinner.

I don't think so.

Well, we'll just stay here,
then.

We can drink
some of Jimmy's beer

and we'll play the records
on his record player.

My calendar is totally free
for the day.

Huh?
You and me, we'll just...

No.

Thank you.

You take it easy now.

Okay?

You okay?

Yeah.