[g*nsh*t]
I was an innocent bystander,
and you know
what happens to them.
You're a witness.
The cops'll wanna talk to you.
CHAPMAN: You recognize anyone?
You sure they can't see me?
That squirrelly guy.
Angel Martin?
He wanna k*ll him, too?
His friend, too.
The PI, Rockford.
There's some big bucks
in this, Jimmy.
I wrote a book
about the whole thing.
Your testimony's probably
the only thing that's gonna
keep you alive.
Del Kane
is a professional k*ller.
[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]
Jim, this is Manny
down at Ralph's and Maura's:
Some guy named Angel Martin
just ran up a $50 bar tab
and he wants to charge it
to you: You gonna pay it?
[g*nsh*t]
Call the cops!
Somebody call the cops!
[KNOCKING ON DOOR]
Jimmy. Jimmy, Jimmy.
You in there?
Jimmy!
Angel?
Yeah. Yeah, it's me. Open up.
Oh, Angel, come on.
Open up, Jimmy.
Angel, what's the matter?
You sick? What?
Muriel... Muriel...
Muriel?
Yeah, Muriel.
She's that semi-pro,
kind of lived down the hall
from me.
She's dead as a mackerel.
Fell right at my feet.
Fell on my feet.
I'll get you a drink.
He just sh*t her.
Then he opened up
fire on me.
Who?
I didn't ask his name, Jimmy.
Well, that must have been
some kind of shock.
A friend of yours, huh?
Friend? It was me.
He sh*t at me!
All right. All right, Angel.
You're gonna be all right now.
I mean, I don't blame you
for being upset.
I mean, witnessing something
like that and to go over
and over it with the cops.
You think I hung around
for the cops?
I was an innocent bystander,
and you know
what happens to them.
"Innocent bystander
gets caught in a crossfire."
"Innocent bystander
gets hit by
a Semi in a wild chase."
But you're a witness.
The cops'll wanna talk to you.
Muriel is dead. D-E-A-D.
Now what am I gonna do?
Bring her back to life?
Who am I? Am I God?
I only knew her
a couple of weeks.
I mean, maybe I said
Besides, the guy's gonna be
picked up by the cops.
We got the greatest
police force in the country.
Is that the same police force
that you said had trouble
tying their own shoelaces?
See, here's the idea
I got, Jimmy.
If they don't get the guy now,
then I'll spend a couple,
maybe three weeks
down in El Segundo,
place like that.
What happens?
Real estate values plummet.
Listen, he gets a whole
other picture of Angel Martin.
You know what I mean?
[CAR DOOR CLOSES]
He sees that I'm not the kind
of guy that goes to cops,
I'm not the kind of person
that interferes
with another guy's
personal business,
he'll leave me alone.
Since when is m*rder
"personal business"?
When it ain't my business.
Now look, Jimmy,
I need money from you,
not advice.
So don't try and talk me
out of it.
I'm not going to the cops.
You won't have to.
Come right in.
There's your man.
How did they know
where to find me?
Mr. Rockford plays
a very prominent role in
your "Known Associates" file.
Lieutenant Chapman,
I give you my solemn oath
that had I seen a young lady
m*rder*d before my very eyes,
I would have
most surely told you.
Hmm.
Lieutenant?
We got something.
Darndest thing.
Just a routine TA
on Westwood.
Some old lady punctured
this guy's taillight.
Turns out to be Del Kane.
Well, well, well.
What do you know?
You never know where
the breaks are gonna
come from, do you?
OFFICER: All right, gentlemen.
Move inside.
Onto the platform
and face forward, please.
You're here for
the purpose of identification
and you should have
already had your rights read:
You recognize anyone?
You sure they can't see me?
It's a one-way glass.
You've got nothing
to worry about.
Do you recognize anyone?
Well, he dropped
about 15 or 20 pounds,
but that's Marco.
Used to be over
at the Hollenbeck Division.
Hey, come here. Come here.
So you know Sergeant Marco.
Now is there anybody else
you recognize?
That's Stein.
Used to be in Narc.
Is he in Robbery Homicide now?
Why don't I just give you
a subscription
to the precinct paper?
That way you can keep tabs
on everybody.
Don't get sore, Lieutenant.
You asked me who I recognize.
I said I recognize
Stein and Marco.
I don't know Harry's
last name,
but there's Witbeck.
All cops. But the guy in blue?
It's the guy
in the blue blazer.
What about the guy
in the blue blazer?
He ain't a cop.
Chapman.
Yeah?
How many was it?
Muriel Nayfack makes it 19.
Nineteen.
To look at a man
and know that he has
deliberately, in cold blood,
k*lled 19 human beings.
Who did?
The one who's not a cop.
This, I take it,
is your witness.
No, I'm not his witness.
No disrespect,
but I just keep telling him
I'm not his witness.
I thought you said
you had a witness.
Now do you have
a witness or not?
Now listen, you,
it's about time
you did something
for the police department.
But if
I didn't see anything...
Del Kane may not believe
you didn't see anything.
I know I don't.
Now let me tell you something.
Your testimony's probably
the only thing that's gonna
keep you alive.
Del Kane
is a professional k*ller.
The New Jersey police estimate
that he's m*rder*d 18 people.
Now that's just
a conservative figure.
But let's just say
it's right on the button.
Now you think he's
gonna hesitate for one minute
to make it 19?
I thought Muriel was 19.
Okay, 20.
Now we traced you
through the mail you dropped
in the hall.
What makes you think
he can't do the same thing?
You know something?
You're gonna be looking over
your shoulder
the rest of your life.
Look, uh...
I don't think
you quite understand
the importance
of this conviction.
See, Del Kane is syndicate.
When we nail him on this,
we just might be able
to persuade him
to do a little talking.
He knows where
a lot of bodies are buried.
He planted 'em.
What about it?
OFFICER: : Move to the
waiting room, please:
CHAPMAN: Who is it?
Jim Rockford.
Come on in.
Make it snappy.
Hey, Chapman,
I'm supposed to come and...
Yeah. Yeah. He's in bed.
Is that my...
Hey, Jimmy, come on in.
So, this is where
you've been, huh?
Why didn't you let me know
what happened?
Things've been moving
pretty fast, Jimmy.
The last time I saw you,
they were hauling you off
to the station.
For all I knew,
you were back in the slammer.
For all I knew,
you were room service.
Does it really take this long
to get a couple eggs
over easy?
Stay away from the window.
And stay off the patio!
There's no punctuation.
This whole page
is nothing but
one long sentence.
Don't worry about it.
We'll get
all that good stuff in later.
Hey, I got a call
from the DA's office.
He wanted me to come over here
and talk to
some secret witness.
I take it that's you.
[CHUCKLING]
That was part of my deal.
Hey, Doug! Let's put a hustle
on them eggs, huh, daddy?
One of the best hotels.
The best.
They got a bunch of real swans
outside, you see 'em?
I'm surprised you didn't order
a couple up to the room.
Chapman your idea, too?
They offered me protection.
I want the best.
It's an easy gig for him, too.
Never hurts
to make a few friends.
I'm sure he'll remember
what you did for him.
Mr. Martin, about halfway
down here,
you use the word "he".
Now I can't figure out
to whom you refer.
Is "he" your father,
or Del Kane?
I'm talking about
my daddy there.
Uh-uh... No. Wait. No. That...
That "he" refers to Del Kane.
Got a little lucky here.
I thought
I'd spread it around.
Now let me see.
The DA gets you 300 a day.
For what?
Well, I got to stand up
and say that I saw this guy
Del Kane
icing Muriel on my stairs.
What if he's got a friend
that alibis him,
puts him on
the other end of town,
playing pinochle?
Well, I'm sure the cops
have questioned everybody
in that neighborhood.
Jimmy, I want you to say
that I got a solid case.
Del Kane ain't the kind of guy
I want angry at me.
He's a k*ller, you know.
What else is he?
Hey, the State doesn't spring
for this kind of setup
just because
some h**ker's dead.
They must want Del Kane
pretty bad.
They do.
He's from Jersey and the cops
back East are trying
to hook him on the union beef.
What union beef?
Now shouldn't we
get that in up front
with the rest
of the background information?
Yeah. Yeah.
Some kind of rip-off.
There's a lot of money
involved.
Only the cops
on the East Coast,
they can't pin it on him.
Now he's trying to set up shop
on the West Coast.
Of course, the DA's office
doesn't want no action
in something like that.
Mr. Martin,
this is the first time
I've heard of...
Later, huh?
There's some big bucks
in this, Jimmy. Big bucks.
I'm gonna see to it
that my publisher
gets you a little.
Call it research?
Your publisher?
I wrote a book
about the whole thing.
You have trouble
writing your laundry list.
This is Thompson Welles.
He's ghosting it for me.
"The Cobra"?
Well, that's a better moniker
for this kind of thing.
See, the temp title
is Hotel of Fear:
And we stick with that angle
if we go with
the protective custody thing.
But if we get into an exposé,
we'll call it
The Martin Papers:
I got a better title, too,
Witness for the Prosecution:
You can't use that.
That's what I told him.
Why? Because some other guy
used it once?
So some people get confused
at the bookstand.
Some people buy my book
instead of his.
What's that gonna hurt?
Where you going, Jimmy?
We got a deal?
I'm going over
and I'm gonna have
a little talk
with Mr. Pleasance
at the District Attorney's
office and I will think
about it, Angel.
Pleasure meeting you,
Mr. Welles.
Thank you, Jimmy. You know,
I'm liable
to put you in the dedication.
Oh, thanks.
Heck of a guy.
I need an aspirin.
The Martin Papers:
Witness for the Prosecution:
Hotel of Fear:
[g*nsh*t]
We're gonna have to
get you out of here.
You wanna pack yourself
or you want one of my men
to do it for you?
For where Kane's
trying to send me,
you don't pack.
I told you
to stay away
from the window, didn't I?
He dumped this outside.
Well, why'd you let him go?
I didn't even know about it.
How could you let him out?
m*rder is a bailable offense.
We didn't mention it to you
because we didn't
wanna worry you.
I'll have Kane
brought in for questioning.
He'll have an alibi.
We're doing everything we can.
I didn't even know about it.
Wasn't even in the newspaper.
That's because
I'm keeping a lid
on this thing.
I don't wanna take a chance
on blowing it just because
of some pre-trial publicity.
Jimmy. Jimmy.
I gotta get a hold of Jimmy.
Hi.
You shopping?
Yeah.
For a little information,
if your name's Teddy.
I'm not a cop.
The manager
at your apartment house
said I might find you here.
I'm working with
the District Attorney's
office.
They're holding a man
named Kane
for the m*rder
of your friend, Muriel.
Good. That creep.
She should've spotted him
right off.
She couldn't even
talk to the milkman.
I mean, not while he's around.
And he never even gave her
one dime.
I mean, one dime,
including the first time.
I mean, what is she,
the Red Cross?
How the hell's she supposed
to pay her rent?
So you think he k*lled her
out of jealousy?
Well, he found out
when he's not around,
when he's not looking,
it was business as usual.
He's a creep.
And it's not like
he don't have the money.
I mean, Muriel,
she had him spotted
for a high-roller right off.
He hung out all the time
with this gambler
named Murray.
No last name? Just Murray?
Hey, if you're looking
for last names,
you're in
the wrong neighborhood.
I talked to her that day.
Yeah, the day it happened.
She said she was gonna see Del
that night,
and she was gonna
break it off with him.
She was so scared.
See, he took her
that afternoon
to see this guy
named Roach. To buy a g*n.
Kane didn't have a w*apon
on him when the police
picked him up.
No.
He used hers. Yeah.
See, Muriel,
she always carried one
in her purse.
She had this little
pearl-handled .25.
Didn't look like
it could k*ll anyone.
Well, thanks, Teddy.
You've been a big help.
Yeah, sure.
Hey, wait a minute.
You know what the paper said
about Muriel?
"prost*tute k*lled."
I mean, a dog
gets hit by a car
gets more of
a sendoff than that.
I mean,
what would it hurt
to say something nice, huh?
There's a lot of nice things
they could've said about her.
Oh, I'm sure there were.
She was a pretty good cook.
It's a nice color on you.
Yeah?
Right. Thank you.
Hi.
Long time no see.
Yeah, it's been
quite awhile.
I want to thank you
for meeting with me, Roach.
Oh, I'm here every day.
It's no big favor.
How long do they live?
Do you know?
See that big fat one?
He's been coming here
almost as long as I have.
But I don't imagine
you came here
to talk about pigeons
or old times.
You, um,
met with a man
named Del Kane.
Okay, we met.
But meeting ain't selling.
He was wanting a silenced .22.
I told him I was fresh out.
Why?
Well, when you're dealing
with a short supply
and a big demand,
anything goes, huh?
Now don't go getting
conservative with me, Roach.
Now you deal in cold pieces.
You had a customer,
you dust him off.
Now why?
For the same reason that
I wouldn't sell matches
to a pyro.
Kane's wigged out.
Look, I used to deal with him.
Everything was okay.
But not now. He's changed.
I don't know what's happened.
Some spring loose in his head,
I guess.
You've dealt with him before?
Sure.
Every time he had
a business arrangement
out here,
he bought through me.
Are you telling me
that Del Kane is a hit man?
Well, let's just say that
he always had
a very professional manner.
So, he knocked off
a broad, huh?
I knew this guy was borderline
when I talked to him.
You...
You wouldn't discuss
any of this with the DA,
would you?
They pay me to ask.
Now I wanna thank you
for the information, Roach.
Now watch it!
Don't get too close to 'em.
They're filthy.
They must have
a million different kind
of bugs on 'em.
Lice, you know,
that kind of stuff. Filthy.
But they make out.
I don't know why
you're sore at me, Jimmy.
Well, it took me four hours
to find out
where they moved you.
I've been chasing you
all over.
And I didn't know
that Del Kane was out on bail.
Why didn't you warn me?
I didn't know it myself.
Why don't you ask them
how he knew where I was?
If they ever offer you
protective custody, pass.
And why didn't you tell me
Del Kane was a syndicate
hit man, huh?
'Cause you knew
I wouldn't take the job?
I'm the one
that turkey's after.
I'm the one
he's trying to k*ll.
[KNOCKING ON DOOR]
Who is it?
Room service, sir.
I never got my eggs
from the other hotel.
Is that the BLT or the club?
You ordered both?
I'm hungry.
Fear gives me an appetite.
Just leave it.
I'll take care of this.
Hold it. Stay right
over there, will you,
while I check this out?
Hey, where you going
with that? Wait a minute.
They got the wrong order.
What...
Get your hands off of that.
That's an order.
Hey, you told me
to wear the uniform.
I didn't enlist.
Leave it alone, Angel.
Kane don't have to k*ll me.
You guys are gonna starve me
to death.
He knows.
He knows right where
to find me.
All right.
All right.
Now you took him out
of the other hotel,
put him in this uniform,
mixed him up with
all your cops. He should've
gotten lost in the crowd.
Now what happened?
Kane must have bought
the information.
I'll check out
the hotel employees.
We'll pin it down.
All right. Come on, Angel.
Come on.
You gonna be all right.
You gonna be all right.
Once you get inside
that courtroom, you got
nothing to worry about.
Mr. Martin.
They're waiting for us.
Mr. Martin.
Oh, I guess
he's just a little nervous.
Why? It's open and shut.
Oh?
Well, we do have
one other big advantage.
Kane elected for trial
by judge,
which was a big mistake.
See the judge is aware of
his prior record
and, try as he may,
he won't be able
to divorce himself
from that knowledge.
Mr. Martin. Please.
Mr. Martin.
Oh, Angel.
Don't nobody say nothing.
I don't wanna hear anybody
say I can't wear this
'cause I'm wearing it,
and that's it.
So don't nobody say
anything about it.
You can't wear it.
The accused has the right
to face you in court.
Why don't you just send him
a change of address, huh?
We've heard your testimony,
Mr. Martin.
And I, for one,
found it
absolutely fascinating.
You testified, Mr. Martin,
that you saw the defendant
in the act of m*rder.
But did you report that
to the police? No.
You went to visit
a friend in Malibu.
There's an explanation
for that.
Oh, I'm sure
it can be explained.
Now the evening of the m*rder
you spent in
Tony's Tenderloin.
A steak house, snooker parlor.
Had you been drinking,
Mr. Martin?
No.
Do you deny
that in return
for your testimony
you demanded, and got
the State
to provide you
with luxurious accommodations
in some of our finest hotels,
with unlimited food and drink.
What do you mean
"unlimited"?
I have Photostatted copies
of your room service charges.
I eat when I'm scared.
Or, when
someone's picking up the tab?
I suggest, Mr. Martin,
that for reasons
of personal profit
you're attempting to
exploit the death
of a young woman
and to damn an innocent man
who's no more guilty
of that death
than anyone else here present.
No further questions.
Redirect, Your Honor.
Mr. Pleasance.
You asked for
and were placed
in protective custody
by the police, Mr. Martin.
Now why did you
make that request?
'Cause I didn't want Kane
coming after me.
You feared for your life.
From the moment I saw him
do Muriel that way.
Cold.
Without saying a word.
Like he was stepping
on a cockroach.
He k*lled her, all right.
I saw him
with my own two eyes.
All rise.
What do you think, Jimmy?
Well, Pleasance made his case.
You were a good witness,
Angel.
Yeah?
Yeah.
In the opinion of this court,
the State has clearly failed
to make a prima facie case.
I have no alternative
but to find
the defendant not guilty.
Jimmy.
All right. All right.
Mr. Kane,
I wanted to talk to you.
I just didn't want you
walking away
thinking I had anything to do
with what went on in there.
I got nothing against you,
you know that, don't you?
If you don't know that,
I want you
to take my word for it.
That's the gospel.
They forced me.
You have no idea
what I went through.
Angel...
Listen, Jimmy, let me...
This is my friend,
James Rockford.
He's a private investigator
and he was kind of
nosing around.
He found out you're out here
to snuff somebody.
But I didn't mention it.
You know what I mean?
I didn't mention it,
'cause that's not
the kind of person I am.
Your business,
that's your business.
I told Jimmy,
"No matter what you hear,
you just forget it,
"'cause I'm gonna
forget about it."
I just thought you ought to
know that, Mr. Kane.
Take care, Mr. Kane.
What kind of a jackass move
was that?
I had to explain it, didn't I?
This way,
I think I got
a little understanding.
Oh, sure,
you have an understanding.
Now before he can make good
on his contract,
he has to k*ll both of us.
Oh, Lieutenant! Lieutenant!
Leave me alone, will you?
Just leave me alone.
Wait a minute. I testified.
You wanted me to testify,
I testified.
Now all I want is protection.
Well, maybe you just miss
room service.
No, no, no, no.
You put me up to this gig.
Okay. Okay. Maybe
the department
has some responsibility.
I'll call County
and see if they have
an extra cell available.
It won't be
the Wilshire Plaza,
and I won't be available
to run errands for you,
plump your pillows,
wipe your chin, but at least
it'll be reasonably safe.
It doesn't have to be
the Wilshire Plaza. All right.
Oh, no, no, no, no.
You don't understand.
We're not negotiating.
You want protection,
that's it.
You go to jail.
I'd rather be dead.
Jimmy. Jimmy!
Jimmy! Listen, Jimmy.
I'm sorry.
You're always sorry.
I was scared.
You're always scared.
NOVA: Del Kane don't belong
out on the street.
That man's what you call
a menace to the community.
You did what you had to,
Mr. Nova.
There wasn't any other way.
No.
If they'd convicted Kane,
he'd have started talking
and nothing would have
shut him up.
He's turned from
a stand-up guy
into a head case,
just like that.
So, I see he gets
the best lawyer money can buy.
I see he gets the best judge
money can buy.
And what do I get?
A free hit I don't want.
Well, when
you ordered it...
When I ordered it,
I don't know I'm ordering
from a cuckoo bird.
I ordered from him before,
how many times?
I don't know, Mr. Nova.
You're a good boy, Murray.
Tuesday?
Tuesday everything's okay.
You're working with him.
You're gonna back him up.
A nice,
clean business arrangement.
What could go wrong?
Wednesday, he kills a hooker.
A crime of passion
from Mr. Deep Freeze.
Maybe if we just put him
on a plane back to Jersey.
Who's gonna do that, Murray?
You? Me?
You wanna get him upset?
With Kane,
now everybody's a hit.
The bacon's not crisp,
hit the fry cook.
The mail's late,
hit the postman.
The guy's hit-happy.
He moves on my contract,
he's gonna mess it up.
I got a feel
about things like this.
Maybe you should pull it.
I pulled it.
Only he ain't listening.
I told him,
"We got no deal.
The deal's off."
He says,
"That's all right.
This one's on me."
He can't afford to let you
cancel. If he does,
word'll leak out.
There'll be
other cancellations.
He's booked solid
for the next four,
five months.
Those deals are worth 60,000.
So he makes a hit without
a contract to hang on to
his reputation, huh?
That squirrelly guy,
testified against him?
Angel Martin?
How's Kane feel about him?
He wanna k*ll him, too?
Yes. And his friend, too.
The PI, Rockford.
Maybe Rockford's
dog too, huh?
Like I said.
Out of control.
Still, that might do it. Yeah.
That might work real good.
Jim, it's me.
You made good time.
What're you doing out here
in Pacoima, anyway?
It's a long story.
Pork sausage on raisin bread.
Right here.
Yeah.
Kind of out of the way,
ain't it?
Out of the way is what
we were looking for.
Why?
Side order of French fries.
Here you go.
Thank you.
You know, all you told me was
you were moving
to a motel for a few nights.
What are you hiding out
from anyway? Coleslaw.
I bet you I know what it is.
I bet it's bill collectors,
ain't it?
That's what you're...
But that don't explain him.
Here. Ham and Swiss
on onion roll.
All right.
Are you in some
kind of trouble, sonny?
Some kind.
Fear makes him hungry.
You got my
cup of coffee in there?
I knew
there was something else.
Oh, well,
it doesn't matter.
Hey, this is your mess
in here. You clean it up, huh?
This may not be
the presidential suite, but
there's a closet over there
and there is a wastebasket
right over there, huh?
Pick that up. Pick it up!
I better get on
out to the truck
and get the rest of the stuff
before somebody else
walks off with it.
Hey, hey, hey.
What stuff?
Well, I figured
if you're gonna be here
for a few days,
at least you'd want
your toothbrush
and a change a clothes, huh?
Dad, you didn't go
by my trailer?
Well, I know you said
I shouldn't,
but you do need some clothes.
And it wasn't
out of my way at all.
Oh, he could have
my trailer staked out.
How would he know
where to find you?
He could look in a phone book.
I advertise!
Rocky, I want you
to take off right now.
Oh, now, what is...
Maybe he's looking
for the both of us.
I ought to ride with Rocky.
At least,
that way we wouldn't...
Don't you
even stand close to him.
Now go on, Rocky. Take off.
Boy, I don't know what I did,
but I am sure sorry.
Ah, I didn't wanna tell you
what was going on.
I didn't wanna worry you.
Now you go ahead. Okay? Go on.
All right. We better
get things together.
If he's out there,
we better find out right now.
What are you, crazy?
No, crazy is if we stay here
until after dark
and he can sneak up on us
and we can't see him coming.
Come on.
Angel!
[CAR HORN HONKING]
You waiting to see
if I made it?
[CAR TIRES SCREECHING]
[SIREN WAILING]
All right, Angel. All right.
You gonna be all right?
It's the first time I've been
car sick
since I was about seven.
I think I'm gonna...
No. No. Not on the car.
What happened?
I got his license number.
Why? It ain't like
we're looking for him.
Ah, yes, but we are.
All right.
You're through. Come on.
If Del Kane was the one
that was driving that car
that tried to run you
off the road, well, he's in
with some interesting company.
Registered owner,
Murray Riddle.
Murray? That's one
of the names
I got from Muriel's friend.
Hey!
Kane hung out
with someone named Murray.
Who, until they split up
a couple of months back,
was majordomo
to Louis Gaedel.
At least, that's what I heard.
They had some beef.
I don't know.
Something like that.
I didn't get the full details.
Gaedel? The bookie?
The biggest.
He's well connected.
Well, I don't know
what that does for us.
The associations are natural
with Kane's gambling habit.
Kane doesn't gamble.
Where'd you get that?
From Muriel's friend, Teddy.
She said...
She said wrong.
He's got no minor vices
except an occasional hooker.
He doesn't gamble,
he doesn't drink,
he doesn't smoke.
He just kills people.
Yeah. That's right.
If he's out here on business,
he'd wanna run
a pattern on the hit,
he'd need
a backup man. Murray.
Murray used to work closely
with Louis Gaedel,
they had a falling out.
And you know, that makes
Gaedel a very likely
candidate.
I got an idea.
Somebody ought to warn
Gaedel, Dennis.
No.
Don't look at me.
I can't tell Gaedel that Kane
is out there gunning for him.
I need some official backup.
Now if you were to tell him...
No!
Look, we're looking
for an answer, right?
We got it.
You just get us two cells
down at County.
Oh, come on.
Come on. Come on.
Let me finish this up.
You just take us two
right out of the picture.
Kane doesn't want us,
not really.
We just happened
to get in the way.
You just take us
right out of the way.
Listen, Kane
is not gonna hang around.
He's gonna do
what he came out here to do.
He's gonna ice Gaedel.
Then when that's over with,
he either splits
or you pick him up.
Either way, me and Jimmy
are home free.
I'm talking about
a crummy little bookie.
Am I my brother's keeper?
The answer to that
is supposed to be yes.
Oh, boy, you hit rock bottom
on this one.
And you're not gonna crawl
into some hidey-hole
till the thing is over either.
You're in it
as long as I'm in it.
Yes?
Mr. Gaedel is expecting me.
Which one of you
is Rockford?
He'll have to wait.
"Wait."
That means be here
when I come out.
Mr. Gaedel?
I'd ask you to sit down,
but seeing as
how we don't know each other,
I figure
this can't take too long.
Yeah. Well, it's just
a few minutes.
But it is personal.
As a matter of fact,
it's very personal.
Kenny Hollywood
said you're okay.
He's okay, too.
So, let's have it.
My name's Jim Rockford.
We know who you are.
What do you want?
Have you ever heard of
a man named Del Kane?
Kenny never said anything
about questions.
Well, Del Kane
is a professional k*ller.
Professional? Wow!
You mean with business cards,
huh? Some kind of degree?
No. I mean a man
who walks into town
with a contract in his pocket,
picks up a cold, silenced .22,
a pair of surgical gloves
and a wheel man.
He makes the hit,
drops the g*n, and walks,
does not run
away from the scene.
I mean, a professional.
Interesting.
How does that all apply to me?
I think you're
his next account receivable.
You think?
Everything points to it.
He's been spending
a lot of time
with a man who is
a former employee of yours,
Murray Riddle?
Former employee?
You see? People always
gotta make something
out of nothing, huh?
We had a little falling out,
took a couple of weeks
to cool down,
and my right arm's
a "former employee," huh?
People ought to shut up.
He spends a little time
with Del Kane
and that's another big deal.
Well, sure. I told you
I ran into him
at the track the other day.
I suppose this is where
I should say
that I've been misinformed,
and get out of here if I can.
Nobody's stopping you.
Only I wasn't misinformed.
And you didn't just
run into Kane at the track
the other day.
You've been spending
a great deal of time with him.
As a matter of fact,
he was driving your car
this morning
when he tried to spread me
all over
the San Fernando Road.
My car's been in the shop
for the past two days.
Short in
the electrical system.
Turn the radio on,
the windshield wiper starts.
They can't find out
what's doing it.
Look, it was nice
you stopped by. I mean it.
Now you hear something,
you let me know, huh?
It was a very nice gesture.
You just got
the wrong information.
Yeah. Well, it's information
that I've shared
with the police.
You might mention that
to Mr. Kane.
Mr. Rockford, please,
nobody's trying to k*ll me.
Believe me. I'd know, huh?
But thanks for coming by.
And no more cops. Okay?
Come on, Angel.
Yeah.
Put the whole 30 on the nose,
four horse in the sixth race.
You got that?
You got it.
Come on!
All right. All right.
All right.
Now I'm gonna be
running around quite a lot,
but you can leave a message
at that number I left you.
Just tell Rocky that...
Rocky?
I should've done it
a long time ago.
I warned Gaedel
I don't know how many times.
I know what that book
ought to bring in.
I know he's skimming.
Rockford talked
to the police.
If anything happens
to Gaedel now,
they'll go after Kane.
Now, that could ricochet
back on me, maybe on you.
I know.
I'm stuck
with that lousy thief.
I wanted you
to take over for Gaedel.
That's what I planned.
That's what I want.
It could still work out.
How?
By letting Kane take himself
out of the picture.
He wants Rockford
and Angel Martin.
We see to it
that he gets them.
Yeah. He'll be over there
in about a half an hour.
Right.
He wants you
to bring the cards.
Why do I have to go
hiding out over at L.J.'s for?
Because Angel wasn't satisfied
with putting me
on the critical list,
he wants
the whole family on it.
You know, Jimmy,
I got some feelings, too.
"If you prick me,
do I not bleed?"
That's Shakespeare.
No, it's not.
Vincent Price said it
on The Hollywood Squares:
[PHONE RINGING]
Hello?
No, he ain't here right now.
Yes. Sure.
I'll get a message to him
if it's important.
Tell him number five
in the six.
Yeah. Yeah, I'll be seeing him
before then.
Yeah. All right.
Your horse come in.
Paid 30-to-1.
Hey, did you hear that, Jimmy?
I had 30 bucks on that nag.
That's 30 times...
You were on number four
in the six.
No. No. He just said
number five.
Number five won,
but Angel wasn't on it.
And where'd you get 30 bucks?
Hey, if they said I'm on it,
I'm on it.
Books don't make no mistakes.
That right, they don't.
Does that tell you anything?
So you mix up four and five.
That happens.
It's a setup.
Where'd they want Angel
to pick up his winnings, huh?
Midnight in some abandoned
warehouse?
At Gaedel's apartment,
this afternoon.
He could have made a mistake.
We're talking about $900 here.
Angel, you make one move
to pick up that money,
and I'm gonna stop you,
like it or not.
Now come on, Rocky.
We gotta get you
over to L.J.'s.
Angel and I,
we can go out and...
You know, Jimmy.
I've been thinking about it.
We've been hanging around
so much together.
I just don't think
that's such a hot idea.
Well, you can't go back
to your apartment.
No. I figured maybe
I'd bunk out over at Aaron's.
You know what I mean?
I should've thought of that
long ago.
Nobody's gonna look for me
in Bel Air.
Yeah. Yeah,
that's a pretty good idea.
Yeah. We could pack
a few things.
You know, Jimmy, it isn't like
I wouldn't want you
to come with me,
but Aaron isn't really family.
He's my brother-in-law.
Gonna be tough enough
talking myself
in the front door.
Yeah, I suppose so.
Well, I can check into
another motel.
I'll give you a ride
over to Aaron's.
I wouldn't think about it.
That's way out of your way.
I'll just hitch a ride
and then you let me know
where you're staying.
All right.
I'll give you a call.
Okay.
Keep in touch.
Yeah. Yeah.
You take care of yourself now.
All right. Bye-bye.
See you later.
Hi. I'm Angel Martin.
Where's Rockford?
I don't know.
I came here with him earlier.
I'm the one who made the bet.
You pay me.
Where is he?
I don't know.
Thirty, 30-to-1,
that's $900 even.
MAN: What's he yapping about?
Who is that?
Let me go.
Look, they threatened me.
I wouldn't have stood up
in court and...
Shut up!
Rockford's not with him.
He said he doesn't know
where he is.
You didn't ask him right.
He'll tell me.
Honest to God, I don't know.
You're not gonna do it here?
Why not here?
Then I can do Gaedel
when he gets home.
Mr. Nova wouldn't like that.
You wanna close down
the whole book?
What's that gonna do
for your reputation?
Don't worry, sweetheart.
It won't take long.
I've been looking forward
to this.
Let's try it one more time.
Where's Rockford?
If I knew,
wouldn't I tell you?
Would I be tied under
the Long Beach Freeway
if I knew?
You see this?
Makes practically
no noise at all.
I could blow you apart,
piece by piece,
and not even get a headache.
Or I could do it quick.
Either way.
Makes no difference to me.
Makes a lot of difference
to you.
Maybe I got an idea.
You know, the cops,
they picked me up
from a Known Associates file.
You could probably do the same
with Jimmy.
I don't have
a Known Associates file.
Me. I know all
of Jimmy's friends.
I could make you a list.
You're new here, aren't you?
Don't know your way around.
Well, I can take you.
I could show you
right where to look.
You fink. You rotten, little,
whimpering fink.
Kane, drop it! Police!
[g*nsh*t]
[POLICE RADIO CHATTERING]
You'd have made out
a list for him?
Show him right where to look?
I could have been k*lled!
So could I.
I could be lying
on the ground dead,
for all you care.
I warned you it was a setup.
I told you not to go for it.
How did you know
I would go for it?
Well, if you're anything,
Angel, you're predictable.
With a $900-carrot
on the end of that stick,
you just had to take a bite.
Come on, Jimmy.
That isn't funny.
Officer. Officer.
When you get a chance,
could you...
I hear you made a big hit
with the DA.
Well, he seems happy.
He got Murray Riddle,
he got Del Kane.
What'd you get?
I got the warm glow
of satisfaction
in knowing that
I performed a public service.
Come on. You got a bonus.
How much?
Oh, I'd hate to tell you,
Dennis.
You might eat your badge.
I got a commendation.
Hey, listen to this.
"I looked into the steely blue
of Kane's .22."
You're gonna write it all
in verse?
No. Listen, this part's
real good. Real good.
This is where I get 'em
under the freeway,
and trap 'em.
You trap 'em?
Hey, Jimmy,
the book is about me.
I mention you.
Thanks.
[KNOCKING ON DOOR]
That's Thompson Welles now.
He'll pick up
the last chapters.
Thompson, come on in, hey.
I finished it up.
We'll put the old polish
on it and turn it in.
I got a new title, too.
Wait till you hear this.
Because Kane, you know,
he's such a barracuda,
we call it Jaws:
Three men just picked me up
at a pizza parlor.
They said they were
gonna break both my legs.
What?
Okay.
They don't want
the book to come out.
So, I'm sorry,
but that's it for me.
Wait a minute.
Were you kidding?
We don't buckle under threats.
That's what
this book's all about.
Hey, wait a minute.
Who doesn't want it published?
Mr. Gaedel and Mr. Nova.
And that's good enough for me.
And I wanna tell you something
about your book, Mr. Martin.
What you call a polish,
I call mouth-to-mouth
resuscitation.
How do you like that?
One thr*at
and he folds
like a paper napkin.
This is a bestseller.
Well, you want it
published posthumously?
Oh, this stinks.
Everybody makes out
on the deal except me.
Well, you're coming out of it
with something.
Oh, yeah? What?
Not much.
Nothing to brag about.
Well, what?
Your life.
04x10 - Hotel of Fear
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Follows ex-convict turned private investigator from his mobile home in a parking lot on a beach in Malibu, California.
Follows ex-convict turned private investigator from his mobile home in a parking lot on a beach in Malibu, California.