02x16 - Close Cover Before k*lling

[bunniefuu]

[Kojak's theme playing]

[door closes]

Nick.

Putting in a six-day week, huh?

I've been calling your place since noon.

I got no answer, so I gotta figure,
Morton, oh, you're some smart guy.

You can't take no for an answer.

Saving the good stuff, hmm?

Just taking somewhere calm
for the weekend, that's all, Nick.

Come on!
You think I'm so dumb I don't know?

You made the deal, didn't you?

No, I didn't, Nick.

Morton, we've been partners for nine years.

You come to me, you want to put a torch to
the business, and I say, "Absolutely no!"

So who cares what Nick thinks?

Nine years, hard work.

One of the best seasons we ever had
last year, and it all goes up in smoke?

That was last year, Nick.

How much further can we go
with plastic cups and saucers?

We are doing fine.

Who needs to be a millionaire?

Me, Nick. Look, you're an old man.

For you, it's fine, but I'm still young.

You've got a once-in-a-lifetime
chance with this deal Tapler's offering us.

Do you know what you're
talking about with this fire?

Fraud!

This deal takes cash.

No. No, it takes something else.

Something I don't have.

Call it off!

I can't!

You want me to call him?

Give me his name.

I'll stop him.

It's too late.
Don't you understand anything, Nick?

All right. Have it your own way.

But I warn you.

If we have this fire, I talk to the police.

I tell them everything I know.

You can't do that, Nick.

No, I'm not going to jail.

Not for this business.

Not for you, and especially not for you.

Nick, you don't understand.

Nick, you've got to listen to me!

You don't understand nothing!

Get your hands off me!

Nick! Nick!

Nick!

[phone ringing]

Yes?

This is Vince Hackley.
You told me to check in with you.

Everything's set.

We'll go ahead and do what we talked about.

You checked with your partner?

He'll go along.

Are you sure you want to go ahead?

Yes, you've got your
deposit, and I'll do the job.

All right, but you better get out
of the city so you have an alibi.

It's already taken care of.

I'll see you Monday at the same place?

Right.

All right.

[DOOR OPENS]

[MUSIC PLAYING].

[DOOR CLOSES]

What are those kids doing in that building?

It's supposed to be locked.

You better pull over.

Hey, you!

They're going to catch you!

No, I'll be all right.

You stay!

I'll follow him.

You take her.

Hey, hey!

Don't let me stop you, pal.

Where'd he go?

Who?

I lost the other one.

Yeah, mine's gone too.

What do you suppose they
were doing in that building?

Hey!

[MUSIC PLAYING]

[MUSIC PLAYING].

[MUSIC PLAYING]

[MUSIC PLAYING]

[SIREN]

[SIREN]

Hey, now, keep moving!

I don't want to be out here all night.

Keep those people back.

Come on.

Oh, yeah, far out.

What is this, a Guy
Fawkes birthday celebration?

Don't ask me, Kojak.

I just put them out.

Your stiff's on the third floor, and a
couple of your men are already up there.

Yeah?

Aren't you going to ask
me who Guy Fawkes is?

What do you want from me?

Yeah, who's the fire marshal on the job?

I saw Jesse Egan go
in about 20 minutes ago.

Nolan, get those hoses up!

Come on, let's get out of here!

Terrific.

What do you use to put
out this fire, nasal spray?

It might as well have been.

How will you feel?

Hmm, hanging in there.

Hey, did you hear this one about the, uh--
I forget, what are you, uh-- Five alarms.

Started on the floor below
some kind of a printing company.

Place was roaring before the
engine company could respond.

Your, uh, corpse is in here.

Oh.

Now, what was this place
before Dante took over?

Talllman Vane Plastics Company.

Cups, dishes, containers.

This is Tallman's-- This
was Tallman's office.

This him?

No, no, Nick Vane.

We salvaged part of his wallet.

He's the partner.

Oh, yeah?

What happened?

Well, the engine company found him
like that with the bookcase on top of him.

Where's the M.E.?

He's on his way.

And his plan is over.

So what's he doing here,
and why didn't he get out?

Well, the bookcase must have fallen on
top of him before he made it to the door.

Oh, is that so?

And how'd the bookcase fall on top of him?

Fire.

Really?

In other words, the
victim is so nearsighted

that he waits for the
room to be all ablaze

and lets a ton of
books fall on top of him.

Lieutenant, he could have passed out
from the fumes before the fire got up here.

It happens that way.

That's right.

That's right, Jesse.

Tell me this.

If the fire made the bookcase fall,
would it be more charred on the bottom?

Yeah, I see what you mean.

It's evenly charred from top to bottom.

And what does that mean to you, Baldy?

Well, it must be that the bookcase fell
on top of him before the fire hit the room.

You know something?

You're right.

You thinking homicide?

Me?

Never.

Call Forensic.

Come get a team down
here, and then call the M.E.

and tell them I want to see that
report as soon as it becomes official.

What happened?

I don't know yet.

Cab driver spotted a boy
and girl running away from the

building around 10 o'clock just
before the fire was discovered.

Boy and a girl.

Juvenile vagrancy, huh?

I thought their specialty was
burning down public schools.

Ah, the cab driver got
a good look at the boy,

but the girl was too far away
for an accurate description.

All right, take a letter, please, James.

I want you to get the witnesses
together with the sketch artist, okay?

Get that composite out to everybody.

And then I want you to round up
everybody who works in this building

and find out what they were
doing this evening, all right?

Everybody.

Okay.

Hello?

Hello?

What's this?

I don't know.

It was just there.

Really?





Come on, Jess.

♪ ♪

[MUSIC PLAYING]

What do we got in the building?

We got a print shop, tall man vine,
plastics, candle fashions on the fifth floor,

and a wholesale furniture
showroom on the sixth floor.

All right, I want to run down it all.

I'm OK?

Financial statements, bank
accounts, personal files,

insurance, oh, yeah,
especially insurance, OK?

Go ahead.

Yes.

Now, hold it.

Look, I've got to get inside.

My name is Morton Tallman.

I own a company in here.

Lieutenant Kojak, New York police.

You can't go in there.

But my partner, Nicholas Vane, they told
me-- Yeah, we know about that, Mr. Tallman,

but there's nothing you
can do for him now anyway.

Nick, I just don't believe it.

I was in White Plains with my
sisters when they contacted me.

What was he doing there?

I beg your pardon?

Saturday night.

Does he usually work this late?

Nick was a widower.

The business was his life.

We found him in your office, Mr. Tallman.

Why is that, do you suppose?

I don't know.

Any number of reasons.

He might have wanted
something from my files.

We had no secrets from each other.

You got a telephone number?

You know, maybe I
want to talk to you later.

What's to talk about?

My best friend and partner dead?

My business a pile of ashes?

Surely the tenant's supposed
to have insurance, Mr. Tallman.

Insurance?

What is insurance? Money?

By the time I take to rebuild,
my customers, where are they?

With somebody else.

You can't buy customers with money.

You've got to have product.

Can't find a partner like Nick anymore.

Not these days.

I had a great business, Lieutenant.

If I could buy it back with
every penny of insurance

I collect, I'd be the
luckiest man in the world.

Got the telephone number?

Very nice.

Thank you.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Yeah, who asked him?

You know, he asked some
guys that time, and they

thought giving a whole
dialogue on how to build a watch.

Hey, when you start checking your personal,
check this guy out first, will you?

Come on.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

So what do you want me to say?

The boss is in financial problems?

Go ask him, not me.

ME's office on line two, Lieutenant.

The incomparable Agajanian.

Me Kojak, what do you got incomparable?

The deceased Nicholas Vane
succumbed to a blow on the head.

Fractured skull, massive
cerebral hemorrhage.

Death must have been
virtually instantaneous.

Was this before or during the fire?

Oh, definitely before.

Insufficiency of toxic waste in the lungs.

But there was some toxic waste.

Dear boy, anyone
breathing the perfumed airs

of Baghdad on the
Hudson inhales toxic matter,

but never in the quantity
ingested by most fire victims.

Can you pinpoint the time of death?

It might take all summer.

Issues like that have stumped
greater minds than mine.

Thanks. Would you send me a copy?

Thank you.

OK, Miss--

Mrs. Mrs. Teresa Ryan.

Mrs. Teresa Ryan.

And you're the switchboard
operator at the Talllman Vane Plastics.

Yes, sir.

What's the matter?

You nervous?

Oh, I guess I'm just not too
crazy about police stations.

Tell you something, neither am I.

Lieutenant, this report just came
in from the fire marshal's office.

Eden was right.

Fire started in the
storeroom on the second floor.

Yeah?

Does he know how it started?

Well, they're still working on it.

Sounds like a press
release from Gracie Mansion.

How we doing out there?

Uh, men's amends.

Well, I know this doesn't exactly look
like much now, but do you recognize this?

It looks like Mr. Tallman's
trophy from the association.

Where exactly did he normally keep it?

Do you know? - I'm not sure.

On the bookshelf?

No, I don't think so.

There was a table with three
or four trophies all together.

But I went in there very
little, and I couldn't be certain.

One more thing before I let you go.

Mrs. Riley?

Ryan.

Ryan, yeah.

Do you recognize this man?

No.

You sure?

I'm sorry.

[chuckles]

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

And I guess that's it.

Thank you very much.



Hello, Lieutenant.

Maybe we got something here.

Like what?

This is Mrs. Palford.

No, uh, Paul Ford, Mr. Tallman's secretary.

Yes, Mrs. Palford.

This man, I'm sure, is Louis Rivera.

He worked in our stockroom
about three weeks ago.

Mr. Vane had to let him go.

Louis was very upset, but the shipments
had slowed down, and we didn't need him.

Would you say that's a good likeness?

It's almost perfect.

And anybody in your
office would recognize him?

You'd have to be lying
not to remember Louis.

I mean, he wasn't exactly
what you call a shrinking Violet.

Thank you, Mrs. Palford.

This way, Mrs. Palford.

Right through here.

[chatter]

[chatter]

Get a leg of three hot dogs, huh?

No mustard on mine. Lots of Sauerkraut.

Louis Rivera.

Yeah?

I'm Lieutenant Kojak, Manhattan
South Detective Division.

Your friendly cop.

Look, your sister told me I could find you.

I got a couple of questions to ask you.

What kind of questions?

Make it easy, Louie, huh?

Come on, I'll buy you a hot
dog and we'll chat over lunch.

Am I under arrest?

Would you knock it off?

Thanks.

Hey, look, if you want to
be arrested, I'll arrest you.

Have it your way.

OK, OK, your way.

[music playing]

That's a three second violation, wise guy.

No Sauerkraut?

No Sauerkraut.

Put some more relish on it.

[music playing]

Recognize that pretty face, Louis?

Come on, what is this?

Two witnesses saw this face leave your
ex-employee's building Saturday night.

Tallman Vane Plastics.

And this morning, it's
just one big hunk of goo.

And you, Louis, you're the prime candidate
for arson and m*rder, comprende, amigo?

Hey, man, it couldn't have been me.

I wasn't anywhere near there.

I was out walking by the river.

Oh, I see.

You're going to tell me now
you were skinny dipping?

The perfect innocent.

Uh, I threw in some Sauerkraut.

I got you one with chili.

You know what I think, Louis?

I think you were bugged that
Nick Vane for letting you go.

I also think you went there that night
and you creamed them with the trophy,

and it set fire to the
whole joint to cover it up.

What do you think?

You're going to make me take you
down and put you in the lineup, right?

You know they're going to ID you, but
you're going to let me do it just the same.

Why should I make your job any easier?

Because you bought me a hot dog?

Would it help if I threw in an egg cream?

Come on, let's go.

[MUSIC PLAYING].

[CHATTER]

[MUSIC PLAYING]

[upbeat music].

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Mr. Tallman, you told me
everything was set with your partner.

It was.

The police are suggesting homicide.

Are you crazy?

I don't know what Nick was
doing there any more than you do.

Play your games with me.

I read the papers.

Your partner was dead
before that fire started.

The bookshelf must have
fallen on him, that's all.

You were there.

Look.



You knew there was a risk.

This match job, it was your idea, not mine.

You approached me.

I needed some extra money.

You needed a fire.

I never would have been
a part of anything like this.

OK, take it easy.

Nobody can connect us.

As long as we don't see each other,
the police will never put it together.

Don't worry.

Don't worry.

I am worried.

You did a good job.

They've got nothing to go on.

Let's hope not.

It's all there.



One thing, Mr. Tallman.

I know the law.

There's a statute of limitations
on arson, but not on m*rder.

So don't make any trouble for me.

So long, kid.

[MUSIC PLAYING].

You've got to be kidding.

You don't want to book him.

Two impeccable witnesses pick him out
of a lineup and place him at the scene?

By his own admission, he's got no alibi.

On top of that, he had means,
motive, and mucho opportunity.

Now, come on, Theo.
What more do you want?

I just don't think he's guilty, Mac.

Was that one of your famous hunches, or
does it come with some reasons attached?

Well, let's start with the
fact that it's Saturday night.

And Rivera has a beef to settle with Vane.

What makes him think he's going
to find him there on the weekend?

But more significantly, why does he
go looking for Vane in Tallman's office?

Well, maybe he didn't go up
there looking for Vane at all.

Maybe it being Saturday,
he figured nobody was there.

Maybe he was burgling the
joint and Vane walked in on him.

Ran Rivera's prints through BCI.

Want to know something?

Didn't come up with a yellow sheet.

Not even a juvenile misdemeanor.

Hey, Theo.

Sir Hand, Sir Hand didn't
have a yellow sheet either.

OK.

Let's say you're right.

Let's say that it's a
simple case of B and me.

Let's say that Fane comes
in and surprises Rivera.

Let's say that Rivera slugs Fane.

In order to cover up his
crime, he sets fire to the joint.

Tell me this.

Why did he go downstairs to the
floor below in order to set up the Blaze?

And why does he wait until the building's
really cooking before he decides to split?

Maybe he was afraid to
leave, until he was absolutely

certain the flames had
reached Tallman's office.

Ah, all right.

Now, here's a report from Jesse
Egan from the fire marshal's office.

They covered the building from head to
foot, looking for a cause for willful arson.

You know what they come up with?

Zilch, cause of fire unknown.

So?

So what are you saying?

A kid who drops out from high
school, who gets an F in chemistry.

You mean he had lips of fire
that baffles the entire arson squad?

Hey, look.

I know he's lying.

I know he was there.

Well, then why?

Because he's frightened.

Ami, wouldn't you be in his place?

If he didn't k*ll Fane,
he didn't start the fire.

Enlighten me.

What the hell was he doing there?

They, Frank, what were they doing there?

He was with a girl, remember?

Look, I won't book him, but I can hold
him for 36 hours on an open charge, right?

Why don't I do that?

Maybe I can come up with some answers, OK?

OK.

Yeah?

Captain, the tenant, the
insurance records on the

four tenants in the building,
and they're all insured.

In a fire trip like that,
that's no surprise.

Biggest insurance policies
on Tallman Vane, 900,000.

Yes, which Tallman claims doesn't
begin to even touch upon their losses.

Well, maybe not.

The invoice shows the orders for this year

are up about 50%, so
they're not doing so bad.

Not much of a reason
to order a fire, is it?

Not for Tallman, maybe.

But for the print shop, that
fire was a death house reprieve.

As of two days ago, they were within
spitting distance of the bankruptcy court.

Yeah, sure.

Oh, come on, Theo.

That is where the fire started.

I know, but the body was
found on the floor above.

You making any headway
with the bank records?

Well, they're just starting to come in now.

All right, keep an eye peeled for
large sums of money on account of four.

Do you understand?

Maybe a check made out to cash.

If this was a professional torch job,

and I'm betting that it
was, it didn't come cheap.

Go ahead.

All right, Frank.

Assuming Louis Rivera is innocent,

I'm convinced that Vane's
kilonudu was going to be a fire.

I'm not saying he touched it off himself.

I'm saying he had advanced knowledge, and
he thought that he could cover up a m*rder.

And you think it was Tallman?

Anything else would be an
affront to cosmic orderliness.

Cosmic, my astronaut.

You heard Crocker's report.

Now, just give me one good reason why

a man with nothing to gain and everything
to lose would buy himself a matcher.

Well?

Well, I can't, Frank.

Brilliant.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

One moment, please.

Leonard Tapler.

Leonard, how are you?

I'm just fine, Morton.

Just fine.

It's you that I'm worried about.

Oh, I'm all right.

I was-- I was expecting some more money.

Considering that arson is suspected,

that would be rather risky
for me right now, Morton.

But Leonard, you were telling
me-- But me no buts, Tallman.

You're already into me for 50 big ones.

Now, you want 350 more
by the end of the month,

only I don't hear what you're telling me on
account of the noise the cops are making.

Leonard, I swear to you, nothing--
Swear to your rabbi, not to me.

For me, it's enough that the heat goes off.

You're going to take care
of that, aren't you, Morton?

Yes, yes, of course.

Good.

That's what I wanted to hear.

Now, once the heat goes
off, you give me a call.

Only don't make me wait too long.

Goodbye, Leonard.

Agnes, get me Selwyn Kaplan.

Come in, Lieutenant.

Please forgive the mess.

Miss Pulford and I are using
this as a temporary office.

Sit down, please.

Thank you.

May I offer you some refreshments?

Coffee, a highball? - No, thanks.

Mr. Tallman, Selwyn Kaplan on the line.

I can't speak to him.

Tell him I'll call him later.

He's going out any minute.

Just apologize to him.

Tell him I have a visitor.

Mr. Kaplan, the real estate entrepreneur.

Oh, yes, do you know him?

Entrepreneur is a good
word for New York, kid.

No, I don't know him, just by reputation.

We're not actually friends,
just occasional golfing partners.

Different lines.

The only thing we share in
common is a forehandicap.

Is there some problem, Lieutenant?

I mean, with the insurance, the fire?

My chedibby?

What I meant was I understand
you've arrested the Rivera boy.

Oh, yes, well, we've
detained him for questioning.

You see, we now know that
somebody k*lled your partner

and left the body there to burn, you
know, to make it look like an accident.

And you think Luis did it?

Of course, I suppose he could have done it.

He publicly threatened Nick.

But I assume you know that.

Because Vane fired him.

That's what I don't
understand, Mr. Tallman.

I mean, you said you had a thriving business,
and yet you let a little stock boy go.

Why?

Oh, we were-- we were
temporarily not shipping.

A seasonal lull, that's all.

We had no need for Rivera's services.

I understand.

It's a pity Luis couldn't see it that way.

Nick might be alive if he had.

Oh, I don't think so.

But you said Luis--
No, no, you said.

See, I don't believe that Luis did it.

I'm taking up a little
too much of your time.

Thank you.

[DOOR OPENS]

[MUSIC PLAYING].

[dramatic music]

- What do you mean he did
it again, didn't want a g*n?

Who are we talking about?

- Tallman.

First he goes into this whole scenario
about Luis Rivera, which I didn't ask for.

And then when the name
of Leonard Tapler came up,

he asked that the only time he
ever saw him was over a nine iron.

- Oh, come on, Theo.

You're not suggesting
that Tapler, a man with his

reputation, would involve
himself in something like this?

He'd be crazy.

An operation the size of his?

Tallman's fire insurance wouldn't
keep Tapler in real estate brochures.

- There still is a connection.

Oh, look, more of a connection than a
partnership between a two-seater golf cart.

Look, Mac, you've got
connections in real estate.

Why don't you put out the hooks there?

Maybe you can come up with an angle for it.

- What are you gonna be doing?

- You wanna know why
Luis Rivera keeps putting

his head in a chopping
bag and lying to me, right?

- Well, I think you deserve
an intelligent answer.

[dramatic music]

- Oh, yeah, the Knicks could use you.

- Yeah, well, I'll go down to
the garden, man, and try out.

You come to bust my chops?

- No, baby.

Maybe I came to help your buddy.

- Sure, sure, you and the Lone Ranger.

- Hey, look, Tonto.

We got enough on your
buddy Luis to send him

away to arsoning for
life, throw away the key.

- Oh, but you think maybe
he's telling the truth, right, man?

- Lying through his teeth.

I just wanna know why.

I mean, why is a guy willing to take
a fall rather than to live it with me?

- What do I know?

I wasn't there.

- How about his girlfriend?

I mean, maybe she can
take him off the hook.

- Yeah, he's got a chick.

An Anglo, real pretty girl.

- Yeah?

- I think maybe she's married, man.

- No applause, please, as I exit.

- I don't know what you're talking about.

- I'm talking about Saturday night, Mrs.
Ryan.

I'm talking about a
loft on West 24th Street

where a young lady was seen walking out
of the building with a one Louis Rivera.

Yeah.

- Well, now, Lieutenant.

- Okay, come on.

Okay, sit down.

Now, which one of you compulsive
liars is gonna start telling the truth?

- Hey, she's got nothing to do with this.

- Oh, doesn't she?

Now, look.

Either you start saying
something significant,

or I'll see that you
both wind up in Rikers

Island under the charge
of obstructing justice.

- All right, I was there.

Louis is worried for me
because of my husband.

- Theresa.

- Louis!

- Hey, look, I'm tougher
than anybody's husband.

Now, you let that lady talk.

Go ahead.

- There's a customer's
lounge on the fourth floor,

and a few months ago, we
started meeting there after work.

It just developed into
something, that's all.

I mean, we didn't have any
other place to go, you see,

'cause we don't have
much money, either of us,

and we didn't, we
couldn't afford a hotel room.

Look, Lieutenant, I was


and I was 18 and a half
when I knew I made a mistake.

All right, I was wrong, but I love Louis.

With me, he's kind, and he's gentle.

- Yeah, that's terrific, but I'm not
looking for a character reference.

I just wanna know what
time you went to the building.

- Eight, maybe a little after, but
we went straight to the fourth floor.

- You go together?

- Yeah.

Around 10 o'clock, I smell a smoke.

Out in the hall, we saw the
flames sh**ting up the rear stairwell.

That's when we ran.

- You see anybody else in the building?

- The door was locked, Lieutenant.

- That was a beautiful old-fashioned move.

And during the time that
you were both up on the

fourth floor, did Louis
Rivera ever leave your sight?

- No, I swear it.

- Look, we didn't have anything
to do with anything, man.

I just didn't wanna
make trouble for Teresa.

You know how it is.

- Oh, yeah, I know how it is.

Hey, look, Teresa, the
phone logs were destroyed.

I know that.

But I also know that
Mr. Tallman was making a

lot of calls to a
Mr. Tapler in Jersey, right?

- Yes.

- Was he a customer?

- I don't know.

- Did you ever see him in the office?

- I don't think so.

- Hey, thank you, Mr. Ryan.

Saperstein, get in here.



Release Louis Rivera.

- Let's go.

- Hey, I'm releasing you, Louis.

But I have a suggestion for both of you.

- Oh, forget it.

Marriage counseling is not my line of work.

[dramatic music]

- Now, if you wanna know what Morton
Talllman and Selwyn Tapler have in common,

Tapler's putting up a retirement
village outside Larchmont.

Tallman's one of the investors.




- 50 grand?

[cash rustling]

- Boy, he didn't get that
skimmin' old petty cash.

What a bore.

What's Tallman's bank balance?

- A little under 7,000.

- And withdrawal?

- Other than the usual, maybe


six checks made out to
cash and endorsed by Tallman.

- He nearly cost the 50 big ones, Hal.

- He was a warm-hearted shylock.

- Yeah, but what's his collateral?

- The insurance.

- You know, I told you the kid had promise.

Okay, he knows it'll be anyway 90
days before he can get a payoff, right?

And the Tapler deal won't wait.

So he hits on an understanding.

Shylock, 50 grand now, and the rest

when the fire marshal
gives his stamp of approval.

All right, give me Jesse, you can have it.

- Yeah, but Theo, Tallman
stands to collect 900,000.

Now, why wouldn't he pour the
entire amount into Tapler's operation?

- I'm sure he would like to,

but half of that belongs to
Nick Vane's heirs or his signees.

Tallman's share is only 450, 50 for
the Shylock's vigorous, and how much?

- Lieutenant, Jesse again.

- Yeah, hold this, don't bite it.

Yeah, Jess.

Yeah, suppose I want
to buy a fire, how much?

- 10, 15,000.

- But if I had 4,000, what
kind of a fire does that buy me?

- Enough to broil a couple of steaks,

unless of course you're
dealing with an amateur.

- What, are you kidding?

Wait a minute, wait a minute.

Fry me two marshmallows, thanks.

- Anytime, Theo.

[clattering]

[somber music]

- Hi, hon.

- Hi.

Bad day?

- As usual.

- Finished your thesis?

- Almost.

- What's this from, Vince?

- Well, it's a bonus from
Insurance Protection Bureau.

- In cash?



Where's the champagne?

- I was gonna tell you tomorrow

when I didn't have any work
to do so we could celebrate.

- Oh, you got fired.

It's severance pay or something?

- I do good work, they're gonna promote me.

- In a part-time job?

When they know you're gonna
quit at the end of the term?

Vince,

you're lying to me.

Why?

What's this all about?

[sighing]

- Look, Linda,

I want a break for us.

I wanna get my degree,
which we are not gonna get

on the salary of a high
school chemistry teacher.

- So?

Vince?

- I don't understand.

- You know how much money I saved for us?

- Sure, $2.12.

Who can say?

- $22,000.

- You have $22,000?

- We have.

- Well, where did we get it from, Vince?

The truth.

I don't want a second lie between us, ever.

- Linda, I inspect people's factories.

If it's too risky for fire
insurance, I tell my company.

But I don't always tell them.

I get paid not to.

By people who wanna fire, people
who wanna collect their insurance.

- You mean people just come to you and
tell you they wanna commit harassment?

Why don't they think
you'll put them in jail?

- Because I bring it up to them.

Look, it doesn't take
a genius to figure out

when a guy is dying to burn up
his bad debt, so I help him out.

But I know how to do it.

I'm a chemistry professor, right?

Don't worry, I won't get caught.

And anyway, I'm through with it now.

- Sure, why not?

Vince, tell me everything.

- I am, really.

Did you hear anything about a fire
in a plastics plant over the weekend?

- No.

- Well, that's what the 4,500 is for.

It was the easiest money in the world,
but I got suckered by this Mr. Tallman.

There was a body in
that fire, and nothing to do

with me, but try to
convince the cops of that.

I mean, I got scared.

I'm finished,

for good.

- Is this really happening?

Are you telling me this straight?

- I'm sorry, baby, so sorry.

- This man,

Tallman,
can he get you in trouble?

Can he implicate you?

- No, Linda.

That's the one thing he can't do.

[CHATTER]

OK.

Nice of you to come.

We got two problems.

One arson, the other m*rder.

And the only reason I say it's a m*rder

is because the trophy
was found underneath the

book stand, and it
didn't fall off any shelf.

Any dissenters?

We're listening, Lieutenant.

That's nice.

And we got two perpetrators.

One the matcher, and
the other the customer.

Now whoever knocked off Nick Vane knew
that the fire would destroy the evidence.

If you're trying to tell me
that a matcher would knock off

anybody, you also got to
convince me that Tinkerbell

knocks off little old ladies
on a Times Square shuttle.

OK, we got a deuce here.

Number one, we got the matcher, right?

The matcher and X.

And I'm going to make it easy for you.

X equals--

[SCRATCHING]

Huh, Captain?

I'm not saying your theory
doesn't hold water because it does.

But how do you get
past the fact the Tallman

Vane plastics were
showing a rise in income?

I mean, you don't throw in the sponge
when the referee's your brother-in-law.

Only if he just barely wants to win.

Elucidate.

I give him the numbers.

I've checked out a few companies in the
same line as Tallman Vane products, Captain.

And the cost of raw materials used

in making Tallman Vane products
went up 51% in the last year.

Now, if their orders were with old customers
at old prices, they'd barely break even.

Mr. Tapler presented Tallman
with a golden opportunity.

Oh, come on, Frank.

You checked it out yourself.

Tapler's putting up a retirement
village outside Lodgemont, right?

What with federal and
state aid for those projects.

Tapler's been turning over a profit of


And lately, Tapler's
becoming very generous.

He's taking in partners,
eliminating his own risk.

Hey, baby, that's perfectly
kosher and good business sense.

So enters Tallman.

Yeah.

An ambitious guy with a
big taste for bread, thank you.

He figures he and his
partner go in for almost a mil,

which they get from the insurance
company if the business burns down.

Vane says no one gets
k*lled, and coochie-coo

Tallman still collects
half the insurance.

And if Tapler's operation runs true to
form, he stands to make 1 and 1/2 mil.

It's beautiful if he can make it stand up.

And that's why we've
got to find that matcher.

Without his testimony, Tallman's home free.

All right, Crocker, what do you got?

Jess and I have gone over the past fires,

and we've come up with 40, maybe


Maybe.

Maybe?

These are possible, arsons, that's all.

It doesn't seem to be any link.



maybe 16 different insurers.

But for 4,000 a job, I don't see it.

Well, you said it yourself, Jess.

Suppose it wasn't one
of your standard pros.

How did Tallman find the guy?

You send out a feeler,
you get a vet every time.

And you pay the going
rate, or you go begging.

I suppose Tallman doesn't send out feelers.

Suppose the matchers contacts him.

First off, the matcher would
have to know about the insurance.

Then he'd have to find out
about his prospective customer's

business, determine if
he was primed for a fire.

What about an underwriter
or a field investigator?

There are investigators.

They check out the
company, snoop around, talk to

the owners, make
recommendations to the underwriters.

These insurance outfits, they
have their own investigators?

Some do.

Some hire outside people.

Most of the companies on this list
hired the Insurance Protection Agency.

Bingo.

Now that's our first common denominator.

All right, Higgins, you stick with
every possible case of arson

where the Insurance Protection
Agency was involved, OK?

Go back through each company's
financial records prior to that fire.

I mean, don't look for big withdrawals.

I'm sure that's been done already.

Look for ones adding up to $3,000, $4,000,
just like Tallman's withdrawals, OK?

How long is it going to take?

How many men can you get me?

Well, why don't you pull
a few strings, Captain?

You tell them what a
cushy job it's going to be.

Maybe we can get some volunteers.

You're all volunteers, and thanks.

All right.

We get ourselves a matcher,
and we get ourselves a m*rder*r.

All right.

Let's go.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Lieutenant, so far we're scoring runs.

Captain, $3,000, $4,000 in cash withdrawals
from a half a dozen b*rned out companies.

Take a look at this.

So far I've come across three of these.

Inspection reports from
Insurance Protection Bureau.

Take a look at the back.

Just routine stuff.

At the bottom.

BJH, Henry's initials.

Speed of man made out
of the inspection report.

All right, call the company.

Lieutenant, it's Sunday.

So it's Sunday.

Listen, I wouldn't care if it's the
leading cantor at the Mormon Tabernacle.

You drag him out, I want
to find out who BJH is.

[MUSIC PLAYING].

You see what a terrible quandary
you've put me into, Morton.

Three weeks ago, I lent
you $50,000 on good faith.

True.

With the full expectation
that your insurance settlement

would adequately cover the
loan, plus my modest carrying fee.

I'm not quarreling
about the rate of interest.

Of course not.

You're in no position to
quarrel about anything.

But we both know my money is
in serious jeopardy now, Morton.

You've got to do something about that.

I just need more time.

Time.

That's something I just can't give you.

Perhaps Tapler would
let you out of the deal.

No way. I can't go to him.

Now listen, Nick's death is not going away.

Those homicide dicks are going to
hang in there till they find that matcher.

And when they do,
they'll nail you to the wall.

Frankly, I'd hate to see that happen.

You go to jail, I lose my investment.

Of course, if that matcher
was no longer around,

they couldn't ever tie
you to that fire, could they?

What are you suggesting?

No, I'm not suggesting anything.

It's Sunday.

You need more money real soon,
or your deal with Tapler goes sour.

And I'm not going to like that.

So maybe in a day or so,
things will have changed.

I can't do that.

It's your life.

Never on Sundays, baby.

Lieutenant, I just spoke
to the office manager.

The guy's name is Vincent Joseph
Hackley, 211 Lewis and Drive.

Yes?

Vincent Hackley, please.

Oh, I'm sorry.

He just walked over to
his lab on the campus.

This is Mr. Stern from the
insurer's protection bureau.

It's rather important that I speak to him.

I could give him a message,
or you could try City University.



Oh, well, you see, I'm in the area,
and perhaps I'll just drop in on him.

Which building is he in?

Chemistry building, second floor.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

[RADIO CHATTER]

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Mrs. Hackley?

Yes?

I'm Lieutenant Kojak,
Manhattan South.

Come in.

Thank you.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

[MUSIC PLAYING].

[MUSIC PLAYING].

[MUSIC PLAYING].

[MUSIC PLAYING].

[MUSIC PLAYING]

[MUSIC PLAYING].

[MUSIC PLAYING]

[MUSIC PLAYING]

[HORN BLOWING]

[MUSIC PLAYING]

[MUSIC PLAYING]

I'm sorry, I've got no choice.

[g*nshots]

[g*nshots]

Hold it!

Grab him, Crocker.

[GRUNTING]

Against the wall.

All right, hold it.

Spread them out.

Crocker, you all right?

Yeah, I got it covered.

Oh.

He tried to k*ll me.

What are you, something special?

He k*lled his partner.

Why not you?

Come on. After you.

It's going along so great.

Nobody got hurt except a
couple of insurance companies.

I would have my master's degree in June.

Three months more, that's all.

Yeah, well, that's the trouble
with the globe, Hackley.

You know, there's so many dropouts.

That's all right, you can pick it up again.

in about five years.

[music].