doing here?
Waiting for someone.
She's stashed at Rocky's,
that's my dad. She's safe.
How do I know she's alive?
Life's full of gambles,
ain't it?
No one's reported a crime.
Joggle this peahead's
memory, Manny.
Hey, wait a minute, Manny,
is that what I think it is?
An electric cattle prod?
The narcotics business
brings out the worst
in everybody, Mr. Rockford.
(GRUNTING)
I hate you.
(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)
FRANK:: Hey, Jim, it's Frank:
Me and Ally's down here
for our convention:
Can't wait to see you:
We should be over
at your place around 1::00 a
Banzai, buddy:
(PEOPLE CHATTERING)
(SEAGULLS SQUAWKING)
Here you go, honey.
Hey, remember
you and Aunt Cecil
were great friends?
It'll only be for a month
or two at the most.
I hope you get better, Daddy.
I will, Marin. I promise.
Aunt Cecil's due any minute.
You wait for her. I gotta go.
Why, Daddy?
I gotta go, baby.
Now, you remember
what I told you.
It's important.
Now, go to the ladies room
and wash your face.
It's clean.
Just do what I said, Marin!
Honey, I love you.
I'll just be a minute, Rocky.
My fishing gear's been
poised for three weeks.
Hot dog. Hey...
Hi, what are you doing here?
Waiting for someone.
I'm not hurting anything.
I'll wait someplace else.
Oh, that's all right.
You don't have to...
Hey? Who're you waiting for?
Look, you're not lost
or anything, are you?
What's your name?
I'm not supposed
to talk to anybody
except Aunt Cecil.
Aunt Cecil?
Not only that,
she don't even know where
her Aunt Cecil lives!
Told me she come up
on the bus with her dad today.
She's from San Diego.
You know,
she said he took her
right out of class.
And she was gonna be
the Magic Toad
in the school play tonight
and he knew it, too.
If you get my parka
out of the closet
and unplug the icebox
when you're coming out,
we'll be on our way
to Baja.
You haven't heard
a word I said!
Yes, I did.
Her dad told her
to wait for her aunt,
and that's exactly
what she's doing.
(GROANING) I forgot to buy
the mosquito repellant!
Oh, sonny,
I'm ashamed of you.
Well, I can't remember
everything, Rocky.
No, I mean
about the little girl.
Her aunt is three hours late!
What are we supposed to do?
She won't even
tell us her name.
Supposing she's a runaway,
or abandoned?
All right,
I'll call the police.
You'd let a squad car
haul that little kid off?
Okay, Rocky, I won't.
We'll drop her off
at the juvenile authorities
on our way to Punta Banda.
It's either that,
or you can leave her
out here in the hot sun.
Well, she ain't
out there in the hot sun.
She's in the front seat
of the truck right now
waiting for her aunt.
All right. What's your
Aunt Cecil's last name?
What's your father's name?
Okay, honey,
what's your mother's name?
I don't have a mother.
She's dead.
You stay with her, Rocky.
I'll get the paperwork done.
(POLICE RADIO CHATTERING)
Hi, look, I've got a kid
that needs...
A girI or a boy?
Well, it's a girl.
But, uh...
You'll have to see
a duty clerk back there.
MAN ON PA:: Nick Maskell,
your parents are at
the main entrance:
Nick Maskell:
Bringing, taking,
or visiting?
Come on, mister,
step up to the counter.
You're next.
Hey? Let's go, huh?
ROCKY: (PANTING)
Hey, Jim. Jim!
She bolted right out
of the truck.
I tried to catch her,
I couldn't run,
I got my heavy boots on.
Oh, that's great.
She's running around loose
on skid row.
Get in. She can't be far.
I won't go to that place.
Well, as a matter of fact,
I changed my mind.
I don't wanna
take you back there.
I don't believe you.
Look, we can't leave you
all alone up there.
Now, come on down.
I know somebody's
worrying about you.
So, why don't you tell us
your name
and maybe we can
help them find you.
You know, if you had anything
on the ball, kid,
you'd tell us your name.
Life's too short to fold it
up in an alley full of rats
snakes and vampires.
There's no such thing
as vampires.
Okay, Rocky.
She doesn't care,
why should we?
Marin.
What?
My name is Marin.
Marin?
What's your last name?
You won't take me
back there?
No, no. Look,
I'll tell you what.
I'll call to see
if anyone's looking for you,
but that's all. All right?
Come on down.
Careful.
Jump. That's it.
You can spend the night
in the trailer, all right?
Does it have a TV?
Oh, yeah.
MARIN: Do you still live
with your daddy?
ROCKFORD: No,
but we're good friends.
We go fishing together
every now and then
when we can get away.
You know, you're gonna have to
trust somebody,
sometime, Marin.
MARIN: Johnny Carson.
I trust him.
ROCKY: Well,
you can trust us.
What did you say
your daddy's name was?
MARIN: Stu Gaily.
(BUZZING)
I thought you'd be
half-way to Baja by now.
Yeah, so did l.
But that was before
Marin Rose Gaily.
Rocky's staying with her
until I get back.
What do you think
I ought to do, Dennis?
You got no choice.
You got to take her back
down to Juvenile Hall.
I can't do that, Dennis.
That kid's had it
rough enough as it is.
Her mother's dead,
her dad's sick,
lost his job...
Where did he work?
She doesn't know
or won't say.
All I can
get out of her is that
he went somewhere
to get better.
And she don't know where?
Trust isn't her long suit,
Dennis.
He really brainwashed her
about saying anything
to anyone.
I don't even know
where to start looking.
Why don't you use
the jungle drums?
What?
Well, you put an ad
in the newspaper,
the personals,
where people on the run
keep in touch.
What makes you think
he's on the run?
He's not on your list.
Well, people run from things
besides the police.
Yeah, right, right.
All right, I'll take out
a personal ad.
Mind if I use your phone?
Just to check the hospitals.
Wonder why her Aunt Cecil
didn't show up
down at the pier?
I don't know why,
and, no, Jimbo,
you can't use the phone.
I hate working nights,
I only got four more shifts
to go,
and I'm not gonna blow ''days''
by letting the Lieutenant
catch you making personaI
calls on my extension
which is why
I'm working nights
in the first place!
Yeah, well, Dennis,
I'm sorry about that.
Look, Jim, I'm sorry, too,
but what can I do.
No one's reported a crime.
All right, I'll report one:
Child Abandoned.
Fine.
I'll take your statement.
Thank you, Dennis.
But then the girl goes
back to Juvenile Hall
until her next of kin
can be located.
Those are the rules.
Now, give me her full name.
I'll use the pay phone.
MAN ON TV:: Okay,
Mrs: Marian Ray,
of Sherman Oaks,
let's see what you've won:
First, from Camporene,
there's the fabulous
Cascader: It sleeps four:::
You couldn't find out
nothing about the aunt?
I checked the hospitals.
There was nothing
with new admissions.
Rocky, why did you
just bring eggs?
There's nothing
to go with them.
Look at that.
I'm sorry.
You know,
she must spend her whole life
in front of that TV set.
Do you know that she can
do that hamburger
commercial backwards
faster than the kid
who does it backwards,
does it backwards!
Not only that, she got to
make her own breakfast
and fix her own TV dinners!
Looks like Stu Gaily's
been phoning it in.
Yeah. How about
the phone book?
I checked. Nothing listed.
I'll get back on it
after breakfast.
And, Rocky, why don't you
go out and buy her
some new clothes?
She looks like
she hadn't had any
for quite awhile.
Hey, that's a good idea,
sonny. I will...
What am I gonna use
for money?
Use the gas money.
Use the gas...
Oh, sonny, what about Baja?
Yeah, what about it?
MAN ON TV:: :::the victim:::
Uncle Marty's on TV!
:::of an apparent
execution-style k*lling:
Uncle Marty?
Yeah. He used to be
married to Aunt Cecil.
(SHUSHING)
They're talking
about him now!
And so, for Marty Goss
the road ends here:
Authorities refused to
confirm or deny a rumor
that the victim was
a police informant:
(BUTTON CLICKS)
(PHONE RINGING)
Yeah?
I think I know what happened
to Stu Gaily, Jimbo,
St. Vincent's Bridge,
by the steamer terminal.
Bring the girl with you:
I need her
to I:D: the stuff:
I got some divers
still searching
for the body:
Okay, Dennis,
we'll be right there.
MARIN: I already told you!
I don't know!
But you must know
what was wrong
with him, Marin?
He was sick, that's all.
He said he was
gonna get better.
Dennis, she gave you an I.D.
on the things.
She's had a pretty ragged day.
All right. Thanks, Marin.
I hate him.
What?
I hate Daddy.
I know you're sad and scared.
I don't blame you.
But don't call it hate.
Now, come on,
I want you to wait
up here with Rocky.
I'll be along in a minute.
Rocky, uh...
Dennis. Dennis,
I don't buy it.
Why would you take off
your coat to jump off
a bridge?
Unless you want somebody
to think you were dead.
How do I know?
He was sick.
He could have found out
it was terminal,
he parked the kid with
the aunt and took a dive.
It happens.
But unless something
tells me something else
that's how I'm calling it,
a su1c1de.
You make sure the press
gets it like that, huh?
That's just what he wants,
if he's still alive.
And once he thinks
the pressure's off,
he might be easier to find.
Maybe. I got to
take the girl, Jim.
Oh, come on, Dennis.
I got no choice.
I'd like to help
but I already called
the matron
and she's a ward
of the county now.
Rocky, I got to take her
down Juvenile Hall.
Come on, Marin.
No, you promised.
Dennis, let's talk
about this, huh?
Now, look...
It's out of my hands, Jim.
Dennis,
what if Scotty just found out
that you and Peggy
went off a bridge?
Where would you want him
to spent the next 24 hours?
With Rocky and me?
Or downtown in that
wire-mesh hell-hole, huh?
Now, look, I got
the right name now,
it's Cecil Goss.
Now, give me
a couple of sh*ts
at finding her, will you?
Couple of days?
What can it matter?
Save the taxpayers
a little money.
Please?
Okay.
WOMAN ON PA::
Dr: Allen report to surgery:
Dr: Allen report to surgery:
Cecil Goss?
I'm Jim Rockford.
I'm a private investigator.
I found a little girl,
her name is Marin Rose Gaily.
You have her?
Is she all right?
Considering.
You mind telling me
what's going on?
Marin's father, Stu,
called me yesterday
in panic.
He wanted me to take
Marin for awhile,
but he was afraid to
bring her to my house.
So you suggested the pier?
But, as I was leaving,
two men forced their way
into my house.
They knew Stuart called
and they wanted to know
what he said.
I didn't tell them,
even when they b*at me,
but then one of them had
this electric cattle prod...
And you told them when
and where you were going
to meet Stu,
they show up instead,
Stu panics,
leaving Marin to hope
that you two would connect.
Any idea who those two were?
None, but I'll bet you
Marty's mixed up in it.
He always is.
Marty Goss?
My ex.
He and Stu were
cargo handlers down
at the San Diego airport.
My sister, Dina,
and I worked there, too.
Dina married Stu.
I drew Marty Goss.
Marin says that Stu's sick.
What's wrong?
Dina was k*lled in
an automobile accident.
Stu just came apart.
He couldn't handle his grief.
He just hung on to
the nearest bottle.
Stu's a lush?
That's his sickness?
What were Marty and Stu into,
do you know?
Whatever it was,
you can bet Marty Goss
got him into it.
It's the old Goss
Kiss of Death.
Well, it kissed back.
ROCKFORD: I'm sorry.
Yeah, sure. Me, too.
Think these are the guys
that got Stu?
Well, the police think
that Stu jumped off
a bridge last night.
It's on page 29.
Well, everybody made
the paper but me.
Oh, you made it, too.
So did Marin.
I didn't know your last name.
Now, I'm not so sure
that Stu would risk calling.
Call? How can he call?
He's dead.
Oh, I don't know.
I'm not so sure of that,
either.
I'll place
a different kind of ad
in the evening paper,
something that'll give him
a way to go.
If he's alive,
and he shows up,
I'll be standing right there.
MAN ON TV::
Are you sure, Grace Curtio?
WOMAN:: (EXCLAIMING)
I can't believe it:::
I'm gonna be
on all the game shows
when I grow up.
Well, you'll never get me
to dress up like those people.
Look at them.
The money.
Take the money!
You'll be sorry.
I knew it. What'd I say?
I'll bet you'll win everything
when you get your chance.
(PHONE RINGING)
Hello? Yeah, it is.
Who's this?
What? What...
Yeah, she sure is,
and she's fine!
She's dying
to see you, too.
Now, if you'll listen
I'll tell you how to
get down here.
It's 29, Cove Road,
big old house trailer
parked on the parking lot,
you can't miss it.
All right.
All right. We'll see you
in about 20 minutes.
Bye.
I won! I would've won
the Big DeaI!
Marin, that was your daddy
on the phone.
He's coming over
and get you right away.
He saw the ad
that Jimmy put in the paper
and he's coming for you
right now.
Honest?
You bet. Would I kid you?
Hey, hey, hey.
What's going on?
Do I get one of those?
You tell him.
Daddy called.
Oh, yeah?
Yeah, he sure did.
And he's coming over here.
Just hung up the phone.
Hey, that's great.
Well, what do you think?
What?
The clothes, Jim.
Oh, yeah, the clothes.
Let me see here.
(CHUCKLING)
Uh-huh, let me see.
Yeah, all right.
All right.
How'd your daddy sound?
Better?
I didn't talk to him.
I talked to him.
(STAMMERING)
Did you give him
the address?
Yeah, sure I gave him
the address.
Is something wrong?
No, well, maybe not,
maybe not.
I'll tell you what,
I want you to get
all your things together
and go over to Rocky's house.
I want to wait here
for Daddy.
Didn't you say
you trusted me?
Well, I do, but...
All right, then,
I want you to go with Rocky.
And if your daddy shows up,
I'll bring him
right over there. I promise.
Besides, he's got a bigger
television set and he's got
a remote control.
Okay, if you promise.
I promise.
Now, go get your things.
Go ahead.
What's happening, Jimmy?
Well, I'm not sure
but a couple of guys
paid a call on Aunt Cecil
and almost k*lled her.
If whoever shows up
at this door
doesn't look like the picture
I saw on Stu Gaily's
driver's license,
we've been had.
She's been had.
Oh, man, I'm sorry, Jimmy.
Hey, you didn't do
anything wrong.
Who knows?
Maybe it'll be Stu Gaily.
Well, hi.
You must be Stu Gaily.
Hi. No, I'm Duffy.
Good friend of Stu's, though.
He asked me to come by
and pick up his girl for him.
Oh, well, I was looking
forward to meeting him.
What happened?
He's got a bad case
of the shorts,
and, you know,
with them personal ads,
bill collectors always
using it to trap poor folk.
Yeah, yeah,
you can't be too careful.
She is here, isn't she?
Stu is really anxious
to see her, and so...
Hey, Marin,
your uncle Duffy's here.
(GRUNTING)
All right, who are you?
Where do you fit, huh?
What do you know, huh?
Did Stu owe you some money?
Did he rip you off? What?
I don't know what you're
talking about, buddy,
but you better get your knee
out of my back because
I'm gonna...
Get the prod!
All right, son, wake up,
get up.
Okay, where's the girI?
(STUTTERING) Huh, what girI?
Joggle this peahead's
memory, Manny.
Hey, wait a minute, Manny,
is that what I think it is?
An electric cattle prod?
Hey, wait a minute.
My memory's pretty good.
It's pretty good.
I remember a lot of things.
You're gonna like them.
Now that you mention it,
I think I can
even remember
where the girl is.
Well, you're gonna
do a lot better
than that, buddy.
You're gonna show us
where she is yourself,
all right? Now get up.
Yeah, sure, sure.
(GROANING)
(WHISTLES)
Jimbo?
Hey, where were you
five minutes ago?
What are you doing up there?
I just found out who
Stu Gaily's been running from
and I don't blame him.
It's a red and white GTO.
California license plates,
757 GHS.
Dennis, I'd get right on it.
Those guys shouldn't be
running around loose.
All right,
I'll take care of it.
I'm sorry, Jimbo,
but it's official now.
Where's the girI?
You know, for only being
in town one day,
she's made
an awful lot of friends.
This is notarized by the guy
at the Nurse's Credit Union.
All legal.
I'm Marin's guardian
until Cecil Goss gets back
on her feet.
All right, Jimbo.
Good for you!
No, good for me is if I can
stop my head from ringing.
Someone is looking for you.
A fed.
Drug enforcement agent.
Al Jollet.
I told him it wasn't necessary
to issue a warrant.
I gather you don't think
Stu Gaily's dead?
I don't know, but those two
gorillas don't seem
to think so,
or why would they be
going after the girI?
She knows even less than I do.
That GTO. Stolen plates.
I put them on the hot sheet.
Did Cecil Goss identify
the men?
Well, no.
She can but she won't.
They made
a lasting impression.
Look, Mr. Jollet, it's none
of my business, I know,
but why would
the Drug Enforcement Agency
be after Stu Gaily?
He seems a little bottom-rung
for a district supervisor
like you to be sweating.
I broke up a major narcotics
ring in San Diego last year.
Stu Gaily was in it
up to his eyeballs.
Why isn't he in jail?
Well, he b*at it
on a technicality.
And he held out
on his buddies.
He's been sitting
on a big stash,
waiting for things to cool.
Four days ago
an informer told me that
Gaily was ready to put
the narcotics on the streets.
Was the informer Marty Goss?
Right. I wanted Gaily
dead bang this time,
so I drew $100,000
from my superior.
$100,000.
That's government money.
And I arranged for Marty Goss
to make the buy.
I thought if we used him,
Gaily wouldn't get suspicious.
What happened?
Stu smell it coming?
Well, he lost the men
I had tailing him,
took Goss into an orchard
and blew his head off.
Hardly bottom-rung.
Marty Goss was Stu Gaily's
brother-in-law.
The narcotics business brings
out the worst in everybody,
Mr. Rockford.
Goss was expendable.
But Stu Gaily ran off
with $100,000
of the taxpayers' money.
I suppose your superiors take
a dim view of that, huh?
That's putting it mildly.
My record's one of the best,
and I'm not about to let
a punk like that ruin it.
I've got out a nationwide
A.P.B. on Gaily,
and I intend to get him.
Yeah, well,
so does someone else.
Do you have any idea who
those two trained apes were?
We ought to bring
the girl in, Jim,
for her own protection.
Now let's not go
through that again, Dennis.
You know what I promised her.
She's stashed at Rocky's.
That's my dad.
She's safe.
You hear from Gaily,
I wanna be the first to know.
And that's for your own good.
The man's armed
and he's very dangerous.
Or very dead.
Maybe so, but I'm not
gonna stop looking
until I find a body.
You're gonna need a lot more
than a Magic Toad
if I don't get some answers,
Mr. Gaily.
All right, all right.
Who are you?
The name is Rockford.
Do I know you?
No, and I haven't missed
a thing.
I happen to have
your daughter.
Do you? Really?
Yeah, and she's safe,
no thanks to you.
Now look, you're hotter
than last July,
so if you don't tell me
what's going on,
I'm gonna have to feed you
to the big blue machine.
No cops!
Just sit down.
It just depends on
what I hear.
Let's start with Marty Goss.
Why'd you k*ll him?
I didn't.
That drug operation you two
were running
gives you
a pretty good motive.
That wasn't my operation.
Some skycap set it up.
Marty was part of it.
I just walked in on it
by accident.
Go on. How'd it work?
How did it work?
There's a storage room
at the air terminal.
They cut a hole in the wall
and pushed an empty locker
up against it.
What was behind the hole?
A luggage conveyer belt
used by all incoming
international flights.
They knew what suitcase
the stuff was in.
They'd pull the bag,
remove the dope,
put it back on the belt
and it'd be clean by the time
it went to customs.
So even if the police
were tipped,
the stuff would be out of
the airport before the mule
ever opened his bags.
Very creative.
Come on.
When I found out about it,
I told Marty,
I'm going to the cops.
He knew I meant it,
so he figured
the only way to b*at it
was to come with me.
But we never
should have gone.
Why's that?
They convinced us
to keep working the hole
and report to them.
Well, that's SOP.
They never like to move
until they got it nailed down
from Singapore to South Pas.
Yeah, well, the bust came
down three months later.
Everybody got 15 years.
Cops got medals.
But they still got cases
pending on us.
So you took it to them.
They caught Marty dipping
into the bags.
Said I was part of it,
so we had to keep
working for them.
Doing what?
We kept the hole
in the wall going.
Sometimes we had to put junk
in clean bags.
Instant evidence.
Other times they told us
to lose a bag.
We'd turn a whole suitcase
over to them.
We weren't supposed to look
inside, but Marty always did.
And usually there was
lots of money in there.
Why didn't you tell them
to stuff it?
Yeah, and go to prison, right?
Anyway, I was fired
four months later.
Tell me something.
Who are these two mastodons
that are on your tail?
Duffy and Manny?
Those are the feds
I'm telling you about.
They look like creeps
because they work undercover.
They're under suspension,
but they're part of Jollet's
operation.
Al Jollet?
Yeah. Why?
I told him where
I've got Marin stashed.
You did what?
Yeah, and my dad's with her.
GAILY: Where's Marin?
Rocky? Hey, come on.
Oh, no, they got Marin.
You all right?
Put him on there.
There you go. There you go.
They got the little girl,
sonny.
I'm sorry, Rocky, I really am.
It's all my fault.
Oh, no it ain't.
You said she was safe.
Let me get something
for that scratch.
Last I seen her this big moose
was carrying her screaming
and dragging through the door.
And she was still hanging onto
that funny little purse
she's always carrying.
She took the purse?
That was her mother's.
I knew she'd never
let go of that.
Hey, what are
these g*ons after, huh?
Dope, money, what?
The book.
Marty always kept
a record of everything,
transactions, names, amounts.
He said it was insurance.
He was trying to trade it
against the charges over us.
Al Jollet set up
the meeting in El Cajon.
Why'd Marty think
he could pull it off alone?
I was holding the book.
He was supposed to call me
when he had the officiaI
statements in his hand,
and I'd drop it in the mail
to Jollet's house.
He never called,
so I take off.
All right,
we'll pick up the book,
give it to the police.
Now where is the book?
Hey, I'm not going
to the police no more.
Hey, come on, Stu. Come on.
Now, you know all cops
aren't like that.
I got a buddy in detectives,
he'll slip it to Jollet's
supervisor on the Q.T.
What if Mr. supervisor's
on the splits, too?
Where's the book?
I didn't want it on me
so I put it in a locker
at the Island boat terminal.
Give me the key.
Marin has the key.
She don't know.
I sewed it in the lining
of her purse.
Why did you do that?
'Cause she never goes
anywhere without it.
I figured if I needed it,
I'd contact Cecil
and she'd get it to me.
Well, that's just great, Stu.
We can't blow the whistle
without the book.
We gotta get the key.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Rocky, I want you
to report the kidnapping
just as it happened.
If we don't,
Jollet will get suspicious.
The only thing
we got going for us
is he doesn't know that
Stu and I've teamed up, yet.
Who's teamed up?
I'm not letting you
mess things up
any more than
you have already.
You gonna take it from...
Rocky, sit down and forget it.
Now, look.
You've had a hard way to go,
Mr. Gaily,
but it's gonna get
a lot harder.
And unless you shape up,
there's not going to be
enough left of Marin
to kiss goodbye.
So let's go, huh?
It's their move
and I'm gonna sit on you
until they make it.
Rocky, are you all right?
Yeah.
You're sure?
Hmm.
Okay. Come on.
(DOOR OPENING)
Streets are fidgety-hot,
Jimmy.
I mean, both sides
are looking for a piece
of this slinko.
Now, I don't know
how much longer
I can let you stay here.
We've only been here
1 2 hours.
That's the latest edition?
Mmm-hmm.
Oh, well,
they're pressing hard
on the official front, too.
There's a reward
out on you now.
How much?
$10,000. Angel.
Jimmy...
Listen, Jimmy,
I don't know this guy!
Ten grand's ten grand!
Where'd you find this creep?
Hey, man, you're staying
at my house!
This is my house!
What do you say, Jimmy?
Opportunity of a lifetime.
I hate to disappoint you,
Angel,
but they'll only pay off
once the money is recovered.
What money?
The hundred grand.
(CHUCKLES)
I got it, huh? Who cares
about the measly reward.
We get the bread from him.
Angel, he doesn't have it.
Then, who's got...
What, you got the money?
No, Angel,
Jollet has it.
Who's Jollet?
He's the guy who's
offering the reward.
ROCKFORD: You're on, Stu.
(RINGING)
Pittson? Stu Gaily here.
May I talk to Marin?
Sorry, Ramp Rat,
but she's a little indisposed
in the trunk of my car.
You talk to her
after we get the book:
How do I know she's alive?
Life's full of gambles,
ain't it?
What do you want me to do?
Be at the Central Street
viaduct in one hour:
You bring the book
and you walk with the brat.
You run a game and Manny boy
will stick her head
in your chest cavity.
Now, you call the cops,
we'll know about it:
I know you will.
Look, could you please
take her out of the trunk
until I:::
(BUSY TONE)
All right. All right.
You did just fine.
Now we get to work.
I've got a plan.
A sure...
That's what Marty said.
A sure-fire plan.
Yeah, well, mine has
a 90 percent chance of failing
because it all
depends on you.
He's going to be trying
to cr*ck you all the way.
If he does,
it's all over.
How do we
get the key?
The key's just
part of the problem.
First thing we've got to do
is get Marin out of there
and then we've got to get
ourselves out.
How?
By rigging the game.
Think you can cut it?
I don't know.
No cops?
No. No cops. Well?
Okay.
You know, I work better
if I had something
to settle my nerves.
You told Marin you were
going to get better.
Now's the time to start.
You promised.
Right there, turkey.
(g*n COCKING)
Where's the ramp rat?
Well, he was shaking so bad,
he couldn't make the trip.
(g*n COCKING)
Now, don't do anything stupid.
I came here to bail you
out of this mess.
He knew what'd happen
if he'd run a game on us.
Well, nobody ever said
he had any sense.
He's a terminal loser.
But then, you ought to know.
You made him that way.
He wasn't gonna
show up anyway.
He's sure that you've already
snuffed the girl.
Well, he was wrong,
as usual.
Well, I told him that
you'd keep her alive
just in case
he didn't bring the book,
but he says
he knows your style.
What do you know
about the book?
All I know is,
if he doesn't hear from me,
he's gonna have it
in his hot little hand
when he blows his brains out
on the police department lawn.
Where is he?
I don't negotiate
with the hired help.
You called it, Rube.
Hey, don't you think
you ought to touch bases
with your boss first?
Or does he let you make
this kind of decision
all by yourself?
All right, come on.
(GRUNTS)
Hey, hey.
Now, that's one.
Just cool it, huh?
Come on,
keep going.
Jim! Jim,
make them let me go!
You'll be all right,
honey.
Oh, we better get this show
on the road!
Well, I've heard
of creative police work,
but smoking Marty Goss,
scamming $100,000
in the process,
that ought to give you
about a 9.5
on the straying-
over-the-line meter.
What are you selling?
The book.
Where is it?
We got a deaI?
Depends on the terms.
Oh, you'll like the terms.
I'll make it easy on you.
Say $10,000?
That's very generous.
There are a couple
of conditions.
The girl stays alive.
Why?
Stu Gaily told me where
the book is,
but he didn't tell me
where to find the key.
And he's not gonna tell you
unless he sees,
with his very own eyes,
that the girI's all right.
So we show him the kid.
She stays alive, Jollet.
$10,000 doesn't buy me
as an accessory to m*rder.
I don't wanna cut myself
in on anything like that.
Okay.
All right,
I'll take my money now.
Let's see the money.
(GRUNTING)
Now that's two.
I thought we had a deal.
We do.
You take us to Gaily
and you're on.
Otherwise you're off,
and so is the little girl.
JOLLET: Now let's go.
I'll follow you.
I hate you.
That's it. The building
right over there.
Go down the hall.
It's the last room
on the left.
I'll take my money now.
There's no point in me
actually seeing it happen,
you know.
Manny, you stay with the kid
and keep your eyes open.
Duffy, get the shotgun.
Okay, turkey, let's go.
You're going
through the door first.
JOLLET: Keep your mouth shut.
Don't say nothing to Gaily
about the girl, you got it?
Sorry, Stu.
Your friends have
their little ways.
What about Marin?
Well, she...
Hey, shut up.
Park yourself right there,
chicken spit.
All right, where is it?
At the Island boat terminal.
Where's the key?
It's not here.
I knew she was dead
and I knew they'd make you
lead them here.
So I sat here
trying to figure out how
I could take them with me.
No way.
There's a way.
Because I know I can't walk
out of here alive, right?
Once I realized that,
the rest is easy.
And it even beats
blowing my own brains out.
You couldn't blow
your own nose.
Where's the key?
At the terminal in an envelope
with a 1 2-page letter
telling the whole story.
I fixed it so a security
guard finds it in 10 minutes.
He won't miss it.
'Cause I wrote on
the envelope, ''Notify Police.''
Where's the envelope?
Go on. Everybody I love
is dead anyway.
I told you they'd keep her
alive long enough
for you to see
a Kn*fe at her throat.
All right, bring the kid.
Come on.
He told them
where you were, Daddy.
For money.
Hey, you guys don't need me
for this part.
Shut up.
Okay, where is it?
Let her walk
and I'll tell you.
Otherwise,
you can k*ll us all.
Hey, wait a minute.
You can bluff with your life
but not mine.
It's no bluff, mister.
It's her only chance.
Her chances are slim to none
if you don't tell me
where that envelope is
in the next 10 seconds.
Duffy.
Go on, kid.
Nine seconds.
(SHOTGUN COCKING)
Eight.
Seven.
Six.
Daddy?
Five.
Four.
Three.
Two.
We'll be together, baby.
I love you.
Don't look at me.
She's not my kid.
What do you wanna do, AI?
If he's telling the truth,
that book could get us
a big 20.
Her life for the book,
that's all I want.
AI?
Okay, she can go.
Hey, sweetheart, there's
a church two blocks away.
Run as fast as you can,
and they're gonna take
good care of you
till Aunt Cecil gets better.
Now go.
No.
Just do what I say, baby.
It's not fair.
You're all better now.
Get out of here, now!
All right, now,
where's the envelope?
No, not enough time yet.
Hey, Stu, come on,
now she's had plenty
of time to get away.
Let's get this thing
over with?
The security guard sends
the last boat off,
and he's finished.
He clocks out.
Stu, you didn't?
Didn't what?
The ship will leave at 6:05.
He goes for the time clock.
He can't miss the envelope.
I put it in his slot.
That better be right.
You watch him. I'll be back.
Pittson, remember
you told me you put her
in the trunk of your car?
I vowed I was gonna
take you with me.
Hey, Duffy, how'd you like
to make it three, huh?
(GROANING)
Stu, you all right?
(STU YELLING)
Hey, Stu, that's beautiful.
I worked up a sweat.
We got to get out of here.
I lied about the cops.
Let's go.
(PEOPLE CLAPPING ON TV)
Are you looking
for a job again?
No, I'm seeing what campers
go for in L.A.
You know, I figured that
we can scrape together enough
for a cheap one
if I sell the rest
of our furniture,
the ice box, the TV.
The TV?
Yeah, it'd take me
about a week
to get rid of everything.
And then I'll pick you up
at Aunt Cecil's and we're off.
We won't have much,
but I'm not a bad mechanic.
I can get work.
We'll go to Oregon,
some place like that.
(DOOR OPENING)
Hi, folks.
Jim, you're just in time.
Cecil's on her way over
to pick up Marin,
then I'm gonna hop on
a bus to Diego
to get rid of
the rest of our junk.
Then we're going to Oregon
in a camper.
Oh, yeah?
Where you gonna put
your TV set?
Jim says I'm a teleholic.
You are.
Is that as bad
as an alcoholic?
No, it's a lot cheaper.
And it don't hurt so much
the next day.
Besides, that ain't
for the Gailys.
That's for people
who can't see tomorrow.
Jim, I wanna thank you
for everything,
including the loan.
I'll have the $100 back
for you as soon as possible.
Jimmy, I can't stand it
no longer.
All right, I can't either.
So give it to her, Dad.
For me?
Yeah.
That lady took 20 minutes
wrapping the thing.
Thank you.
Hey, that's nice, you guys.
There's something in it.
Do you remember when you
told Dennis that Jollet had
the money in his trunk?
That's the reward.
How about that, sweetheart?
ROCKFORD: You won
the Big Deal.