The Big Black Pill (1981) - full transcript
Joe Dancer a private detective is given a big money case by Tiffany Farinpour,whose family include powerful politicians. Tiffany needs Joe to find her younger brother David who has left the family under a cloud.
[ Whimsical music playing ]
[ Big band music playing ]
Joe dancer's voice:
Los Angeles, California--
one huge
produce market,
land of
fruits and nuts,
the last exit
to mecca
for people running away,
mostly from themselves.
But occasionally
you turn a corner
and find somebody
to like.
My name's Joe dancer
and I work this town.
I carry a faded
piece of paper
that says i'm
a private detective.
And because of it
I live on the edge.
Clients only
hire me
when the police
won't handle it,
lawyers and friends
won't touch it
or if the deal
is too shady.
Everybody has
a heartache.
Some try to solve it
for themselves,
others try
other ways.
Who's to say
who's right?
I handle
people's garbage.
I get paid
for it.
I was on my way
to the orphanage
where I grew up.
The old poker sack
who ran the joint
was trying to get
in touch with me.
Figured she wanted
something.
I loved her
and she loved me,
but we stopped talking
about it long ago.
If I live
to be a thousand,
I'll always be
five years old
when I come
to visit here.
I keep this place
secret, separate,
and safe
from my world.
In my line of work,
you keep a lot of distance
between the things you love
and yourself.
If you take a fall,
you're the only one
who gets hurt.
I intend to talk
with you.
Go to sleep.
Say your prayers.
Now to get back
to you.
When I called for you,
you didn't respond to me.
That wasn't the least bit
nice of you, Joseph,
and you were such a nice
little boy.
- You mind?
- Yes, I do mind.
You are not going to make
any phone calls
until we talk about
this Ferris wheel.
Well, then do you have
a little...
Yes, I have
a little nip for you.
I'm not foolish enough
to think
that I could get you
to stand still
without one.
Sister,
the last time I got
a snort out of you
this easy,
it cost me.
We want to have
a carnival
with games and races
to raise money.
And we need
a Ferris wheel.
And the bishop says
no dice.
He thinks
we've been to the well
once too often.
Well, I can't think why.
You've only been picking
his pockets for 40 years
and he don't even
like this joint.
No one is going to
close this home.
How much?
Well, um, the first--
well, I have several notes
here about--
you know all
the people in the street,
and the neighborhood
has been
absolutely marvelous.
Now we're going to have...
Dancer's voice:
I only half heard
what she was saying.
It took me a minute
to get my head in
the right place,
to look beyond
how pretty she was
and see the nun.
It wasn't easy.
Oh, excuse me.
Sister Theresa,
this is the young man
that I was
telling you about,
Joseph dancer.
Oh, yes, the man
who's gonna be kind enough
to help US.
Sister, you're the one
they hired
to run this place
when sister Clara
goes out to pasture?
With all due respect,
you look like those little
two-step-away-
from-the-penitentiary
rug rats in there
could wrap you up
and deliver you for
a Christmas present.
I appreciate your concern,
Mr. Dancer.
I'll try
to keep that in mind.
Joseph,
sister Theresa
has transferred
from attica.
Remember the riots?
We don't all wear pants
in the world, Mr. Dancer,
but we all get along,
don't we?
I think you can make
your phone call now.
Yeah.
[ Phone ringing ]
Where the hell
have you been?
You said you were going
to call at 5:30.
Do you know
what time it is?
Oh, sweetheart,
you got such a beautiful
personality.
Listen, save that line
for whatever lady
is in the room with you
right now, okay?
I got other dummies here
I'm working on.
Hey, listen, we got a lot of messages
from all over the world, Joe,
and one sounds
like money.
Where do you want me
to start?
Upper left-hand corner,
letter "a".
Uh, Bernie serica--
the man from D.C.
Who I don't know who he is
because you never told me--
called.
You still don't know
anything about him,
but if he calls,
I'm working on it.
Okay.
Get to the money call.
She sounded like vassar or barnard, you know?
And I told her
that you were
working on a case.
And she said
she was sure
you would find the time.
So, Joe, I made
an appointment for you
for 9:30 tonight.
You are going fishing.
Charlie, you know
that personality
improvement course
you're working on?
Get another one.
On what,
the salary you pay me?
My name is
Tiffany farinpour.
Are you Joe dancer?
Mm-hmm.
Do you always meet
prospective clients
out here?
You do have an office.
Yeah.
Folks in my line of work
got a habit of
getting dusted
- along with their desks.
- Excuse me?
Nothing.
Hold that for me,
will you?
So how'd you come
to give me a call?
State senator Dixon
recommended you
very highly.
Mr. Dancer,
I know there's a reason
for my holding this
fishing dole.
Am I going to have to
ask why?
That's the first law
of the jungle:
You always fish
with your back
to the ocean.
I only like to fish
when there's something
to catch.
- Are they biting?
- The big ones do.
The little ones just
kiss and fool around.
Talk to me,
miss farinpour.
I want you to find
my younger brother.
His name is David.
Why?
My family, Mr. Dancer,
has had its share
of disagreements.
Families have
disagreements.
Why do you want me
to find your brother?
David left the family.
I stayed.
I was wrong.
I want him
to know that.
I want him to know
that I love him.
I haven't seen my brother
in over a year.
I want to have him found.
It's just that simple.
No, it isn't,
miss farinpour.
Nothing's
that simple.
And nothing in this world
smells like what it is,
or what people say it is.
I was told
you were for hire.
I'm for hire,
but only on cases
I think are legit.
I'm not saying
you're not legit.
I'm just saying
you haven't convinced me,
not yet.
Mr. Dancer,
I love my brother
and I need your help
to find him.
I don't know
what else to say.
Miss farinpour,
with a family like yours--
I mean...
You have an older brother
who's a councilman
running for governor--
you have
a battery of lawyers.
You don't need me.
I don't want
the rest of my family
involved in this.
This is between
David and me.
I love that boy.
He's my brother.
I don't have a husband
or a career.
I didn't realize how much
I cared for David
until recently.
I get $200 a day.
And $1,000 if I find your brother.
And you can fire me
anytime you want.
I need $500
in advance.
I have a photo of David
and a check.
It's signed.
You can fill in
the amount.
If it's all the same
to you,
I'll cash this
before I get started.
Mr. Dancer,
the way you fish,
it's a wonder you ever
catch anything.
Yeah, but i'm
still alive.
And I catch one
once in a while.
Uh, pal,
can I have a burrito
and a black coff--?
Dame UN burro
con cafe negro
para llevar.
Okay.
Dancer's voice:
I had some favors
owed to me downtown.
I cashed
a couple of markers
when I began my search
for David farinpour.
I checked
the telephone company
and the I.R.S.
Both came up empty.
The only bingo
was the d.M.V.
Keep it.
David owned
a new four-wheel.
He and his four-wheel
were cited for running
a stop sign
in a little town
in the Santa Clara valley.
But with my luck,
David was just
passing through
and was now living
in Zanzibar.
They told me
to start collecting
butterflies,
do anything,
but just forget
that I ever
heard the name
David farinpour.
I knew better than
to reach for my gun.
The arm pressing
into my windpipe told me
it knew exactly
what I was thinking.
The trouble is,
when you live
on the edge
there's always
some dude that's got
the edge on you.
They were
professionals
and my instincts told me
to follow their advice--
buy a butterfly
collecting kit.
Funny, this could have
been a routine drive.
Because of them,
it wasn't.
The juices were
flowing again.
I wanted to know
what was waiting for me.
I was being cautious.
I wasn't going
to be tailed.
The drive was long.
I had time to ask myself
a lot of questions.
One of two things
had happened:
The two gorillas
had tailed Tiffany
when she came
to meet me,
or somebody
tipped them
that I was looking
for the farinpour kid.
Like I told
Tiffany at the beach,
nothing was simple,
nothing smelled
like what it was
in this world.
Tiffany wanted
David found.
Whoever the gorillas
were working for didn't.
Wouldn't it be nice
to someday get hired
to do something
that everybody
wanted done?
Last question:
Did Tiffany know
somebody didn't want
her brother found?
Nobody laughed
and nobody fainted
when I showed them
a snapshot of the kid.
And nobody gave me
any information.
[ Singing a folk song ]
♪ ...sail away, lady,
sail away ♪
♪ don't you rock 'im,
die-de-o ♪
♪ don't you
rock 'im, die-de-o ♪
♪ don't you rock 'im,
die-de-o ♪
♪ sail away, lady,
sail away ♪
♪ Crazy old lady
from Shiloh town ♪
♪ sail away, lady,
sail away ♪
♪ old St. Lou
is burning down ♪
♪ sail away, lady,
sail away ♪
♪ don't you rock 'im,
die-de-o ♪
♪ don't you
rock 'im, die-de-o ♪
♪ don't you rock 'im,
die-de-o ♪
♪ sail away, lady,
sail away. ♪
- Hi.
- Hi.
That's nice work.
Thanks.
- Oh, it's yours?
- Uh-huh.
Well, you do very nice work,
sister Sara.
Well, thank you.
My name's not Sara,
but I'll answer to it
if you're buying.
I'm buying.
How much?
$20.
Hold the change.
No, I'm buying,
I'm buying.
But I'm also looking.
Don't worry,
I'm not the fuzz.
I'm looking for him.
He likes Indian
jewelry a lot.
Somebody misses him
very much.
Three weeks ago
he bought
two matching
squash blossoms.
What's a squatch--
squash blossom?
That is the Indian name
for these necklaces.
Ah.
Why two?
Did he have somebody
with him?
No.
Maybe he's got
a girlfriend.
Maybe he's
got a girlfriend.
Like I said, Sara,
you do nice work.
Thank you.
Dancer's voice:
I laid the $50 on her,
gave her back her merchandise
and was told
about a old ranch
way out in the country.
I could
find it if I followed
the railroad tracks.
It was
beautiful country.
I wondered to myself
what a rich kid
from a jillionaire family
was doing
living way out here
with the jackrabbits.
[ Sheep bleating ]
If you're looking
for the lake,
it's on the other side
of the highway.
I'm not looking
for the lake.
Fresh oregano,
tomatoes--
you got
a nice garden, kid.
Plenty of quail,
rabbit.
You do
all right, huh?
Not a bad way to live.
Magazines, books,
a typewriter--
you come out here
to write the great
American novel?
Are you
a literary agent?
Nope.
Private dick.
Your sister
sent me out here
with a message.
Allegra?
This one called
herself Tiffany.
I didn't know there was
another one.
I guess you made a long,
dusty trip here
for nothing.
I don't do nothing
for nothing, kid.
I got paid.
Then enjoy the sun
and leave whenever
you feel like it,
'cause as far
as I'm concerned,
Tiffany and I
have nothing to say
to one another.
- Yeah?
- Yeah.
Anyway, the message goes,
she wants to apologize.
She wants you
to know it.
I don't know if she's playing games.
She gave me the money--
I'm here.
She says she loves you.
She says
she misses you
and she wants
to see you.
What do you got to lose,
one day away from the country?
How'd you find me?
Checked with the d.M.V.,
found out
you got a traffic ticket
for running a red light
and I had a funny conversation
with a pretty Indian Princess.
You didn't answer
my question.
Let me think about it.
Good.
You sure got
a pretty place here.
[ Gunshot ]
[ Gunfire continues ]
[ Train horn blaring ]
[ Horn blaring ]
Hang on, kid.
We made it.
Hang on, kid.
Hang on.
Attaboy.
Attaboy.
We got it made now.
We got it made now.
Kid?
Kid?
Dancer's voice:
I had lied to the kid.
We didn't make it.
I did.
Hell of an end
for a nice kid
who just wanted
to raise tomatoes
and be left alone.
What did it mean?
Everything was gone--
David's garden,
the goats,
the chickens--
everything.
No trace
of David's car.
No trace of mine.
The tire tracks
were even erased.
No live rounds.
No dead ones.
His books, his clothes,
his furniture-- gone.
Nothing to show
that David farinpour
had ever lived there.
Nothing to show
that anybody had ever
lived there.
It was six miles
to the nearest highway,
so I paced myself.
My mind traveled
in two directions:
One direction
was the gorillas
who had worked me over.
I had no way of knowing
who they were or
where they were.
The other direction
was Tiffany.
And then I saw it.
Had somebody
done me a favor
or was the car wired
to take me out?
After I checked the car
and found out
it was cool,
it was 40 miles
to town
and to the address
that Tiffany had
given me.
I bribed my way
past the guy
at the door.
Part of me wanted
to go upstairs and
comfort her,
but the part of me that
had been around the block
too many times
told me
everybody was a suspect.
I had to test her.
I had to get my hands
on the small of her back
where the muscles
don't lie.
I had to know
once and for all
what she was made of,
whose side
she was on.
- Hello.
- Hi.
- What happened to you?
- Nothing.
Nothing.
Did you find David?
Yes.
I found him
and I, uh,
talked to him.
Hang on, Tiffany.
This is gonna be rough.
Like I said,
I talked to him...
And then somebody put
a bullet in his heart.
Your brother is dead.
No, you're lying.
No one would kill David.
I'm sorry.
David died in my arms.
And whoever killed him
tried to kill me too.
David never hurt anyone.
Tiffany.
Tiffany.
- What?
- Tiffany.
What?
- Oh, no.
- Just take it easy.
- Okay.
- [ Sobbing ]
Okay, let it all out.
I'm sorry.
I'm so sorry.
He's gone
and there's nothing
we can do about that,
but I promise you
we'll find out
who did it.
Oh, David.
He never hurt anybody.
He was the only
decent thing
that ever happened
to me and my family.
I know.
I loved him.
I know.
I promise you
we'll find out
who killed him.
I promise you that.
We have to find out
who killed him.
Yes.
Yes, we will.
What did the police say?
I didn't tell
the police.
Oh.
Tiffany,
where are you going?
I'm calling
the police.
No no, wait wait.
You can't do that.
I have to explain
to you why.
When I got back
to where David lived,
they, whoever they are--
they had moved everything.
His trailer was empty.
The yard was empty.
Even my car was gone.
The only thing
that I can prove
is that I was there.
That makes me
the number-one suspect.
Don't you see?
David is gone.
I'm-- I'm sorry.
Maybe we're both
to blame.
Maybe we'll both
have to live with that
the rest of our lives,
but sending myself to jail
is not going to
help anything.
I can't deliver
anything to the police
except me
and David's body.
The police are not gonna
find out who killed him,
I am.
I promise you that.
Where is my brother?
I put his body
in a safe place.
Oh, god.
Oh, god.
Oh my god.
Dancer's voice:
I got her to take
a couple of nembutal
and I stashed her in one
of the rented places
I kept around town.
I figured she'd sleep
for at least 24 hours
and hopefully
when she woke
I'd be there.
I spent a useless night
and was starting the day
with a cheeseburger
and a little sour mash
when the heat
nailed me.
He told me jacqualone
was waiting for me
in the park.
Jacqualone was
homicide.
He didn't like me
and I didn't
like him.
The people of this state
are going to vote
whether to reinstate
the death penalty.
Which way are you
going, dancer?
I would think
that someone who lives
the way you do
would have to give that
a great deal of
consideration.
You ever raise pigeons,
dancer?
Nope.
What do you think
of them?
The ones that fly
or the ones that blow
the whistle
or the ones
that get suckered?
All three of them.
They come
with the turf.
You got color
in your cheeks.
You been out
in the sun?
The neon lights
in the bars.
I got a call.
I figured you did.
The party on the other
end of the line
talked about
a David farinpour,
about a murder
and Joe dancer.
So I talked
to a sweet little girl
in the country
selling jewelry.
She said
someone had asked her
about a David farinpour.
Her description
fit you.
She wondered when
you were coming back.
Did you find anything?
Stop dancing around,
dancer.
You know I didn't
find anything.
But with that
girl's statement
I can hold you.
The body will turn up.
They always do.
I think
we're gonna reinstate
the death penalty.
What do you think?
I think I could use
a couple of days
to get my voice back.
Sure, I got
a couple of days.
And that's all
you got.
So you stay in touch,
dancer,
or you know
what I'll do.
The suntan looks good.
I'd hate to see you
turn gray in a cell.
Dancer's voice:
Whoever fingered me was
connected with the murder
and wanted me
to fry for it.
Jacqualone smelled blood
and wouldn't quit
till he got
what he wanted--
Joe dancer,
murder one.
I needed answers fast,
so I went to the
answer man.
Years ago Wally had
10 reporters
on his payroll
and a syndicated column.
After a lot
of great stories
and a pulitzer prize,
what he had left
was his birds,
his tropical garden,
his booze
and a mysterious way
of knowing things.
We had markers
going back 20 years.
We didn't know
who owed who.
We'd stopped counting
a long time ago.
We hoisted one
and I told him
my problem:
An hour ago
I was working
on a murder case.
Now I was
trying to stay out
of the cooker myself.
I asked Wally
for a rundown
on the farinpour family.
He talked
about two sisters,
Allegra and Tiffany,
two brothers, David
and councilman jerrold,
and how after
the old man had croaked,
the widow Eliza
had taken over
the reins.
I could have got that
from the library.
What I needed was
a hell of a lot more.
I know
what you need, Joe.
I know you're in a wringer
and I know that's why
you're here.
You know, in all my life
there were only two stories
I had to back away from.
One of them I can't even
tellyou about.
The other was
the farinpours.
Let me dig
through these files,
see what I can
come up with.
Give me a little time.
That's what I got--
a little time.
Dancer's voice:
Wally had planted
a seed.
Was David's death
a byproduct of the
farinpour dynasty?
Had somebody
gotten even?
Did the farinpours know
about David's death?
Had jacqualone told
them about the call?
If the answer was yes,
did they know about me?
I conned my way onto
the farinpour estate
with some jive about
a d.D.T. Contamination.
I saw some dippy broad
shooting pictures.
It looked like she
snorted enough coke
to sink a battleship.
I figured for sure
she'd bust me,
but she just
walked away. Why?
The guard
that let me in
was a breeze.
Why?
It was like I was
an expected guest.
Good morning.
I'd just like a few words
with the head of
the household.
Who gave you permission to come onto this property?
Mrs. Farinpour, I think
I'd better handle this.
Who are you, sir,
and what do you want?
I'm a private
investigator.
Mrs. Farinpour,
if you don't mind,
I'd like to ask you
a few questions.
My name is Joe dancer.
Indeed.
Well, as long as you're here...
Dancer's voice:
She sent the monkey suit
to get a cup of coffee
and asked me
to sit down.
We blue-skied for a while
about nothing
in particular.
She was
a sharp woman,
cunning and clever
as a snake.
When the time was right
I hit her with
a left hook.
But she came back
with a haymaker that
put me away.
You do know that he's dead,
I expect.
May I ask,
Mrs. Farinpour,
how you know?
He was visited
by someone-- a man.
The man
lured him outside.
There was shooting.
David was
assassinated.
The killer escaped.
Then the, uh, police
have the matter
well in hand.
I don't believe
we quite understand
one another, Mr. Dancer.
The police
would only stir up
negative excitement.
Don't you agree?
Yes.
This is
being handled then
by the farinpours
personally?
In a manner
of speaking.
Suppose the farinpours
offered you...
$10,000 to capture the man
who killed my son?
Well, I'd certainly
have to think
about that.
Of course, you'll want
to speak to jerrold.
That's
councilman farinpour.
He's the only one of US
with all the details
of the case.
I see.
You do understand
that the entire issue
is strictly
confidential,
don't you?
Yes, I understand.
Dancer's voice:
I had a check in my pocket
for 10 grand
and my brain
was registering tilt.
She knew who I was
and what I was
and had offered me
hush money
and I was damned
if I knew what for.
Nice, really nice.
How about one with you
in the car, huh?
You must be the one
they call Allegra.
You always take pictures of your mother's guests?
Only the ones
I find interesting.
What do you do,
put them in a scrapbook?
No.
I make them
materialize
if I'm lonely
or bored.
Well, we're getting along
so charming here,
- I hate to break it up.
- Then don't.
How good
a private detective
are you, Mr. Dancer?
I sneak along.
Let me give you a little
piece of advice
in your own
vernacular:
You'd better stay
in your own ballpark
because you don't belong
in this one.
Drive fast.
Dancer's voice:
It stood to reason
that the farinpours
were antsy about
negative excitement.
The councilman
didn't want any ripples
in his campaign
for governor.
When I got to his office
I'd found out
he was in El centro
talking to the farm workers.
I decided to drop in
on farinpour's opposition
in the governor's race--
commissioner Charlie wilke,
an off-the-board longshot.
Oh, yeah, of course
I remember you, Joe.
- Come on in.
- Thanks.
Sit down.
What can I do for you?
And will it keep me
honest?
I just got a couple
of questions for you.
You're running
for governor.
You think you got
any kind of chance
to beat farinpour?
Do the saints
have a chance
against the rams?
Yeah, that's
what I figured.
How come you're running?
Well, to gain more
public recognition,
a shot
at another office.
You don't have any plan--
I mean, last-minute
big disclosure
or something like that?
The farinpour family has
virtually run this state
since 1948.
It'll take a bombshell
to unseat them.
Some of US are not born with a hook shot.
You know what I think,
commissioner?
I think
they got skeletons.
Nobody even knows
what they look like.
Not yet.
Thanks for your time.
Dancer's voice:
I badgered a few more
friends in city hall,
then headed back
where I left my car.
The place was quiet--
a tomb chock-full
of Detroit iron.
The silence was
just what I needed
to remind me
what I found out
about the farinpours--
nothing.
- [ Keys jingle ]
- I heard some keys
hit the cement.
I knew
I had company.
Lose something?
No, I'm looking
for butterflies.
Come on,
get up.
Spread.
We told you not to press
for the farinpour kid,
dancer.
Now what happened
out there?
- Nothing.
- Remember now?
[ Screaming ]
Never mind.
Let him go.
Come on.
[ Moaning ]
At the trailer
with the kid,
what happened?
[ Grunts ]
- Somebody croaked him.
- You croaked him!
- No.
- The kid,
did he say anything
before he died?
We just blue-skied.
What the hell
do you two dummies
want with me anyway?
Answers.
And we want them now,
sweet pea.
We're going to stick
your hand in there.
And you're going to lose one finger at a time.
Now you tell US,
and you tell US good.
Did the kid
give you anything?
He didn't give me
nothing.
I can't hear you,
friend.
I said he didn't
give me nothing!
I don't know nothing!
Don't you understand?
I'm the one
who's on the hook
for killing the kid
in the first place.
Tell US
or you lose your hand.
Then go ahead,
do it and get it
over with!
But you'd better
stick my head in there
and kill me
because I don't know
nothing!
[ Sirens blaring ]
You hear me?
I said I don't know
nothing!
A couple of punks,
that's what you are.
A couple of punks.
I don't know nothing.
Who the hell
are you working for
in the first place?
You ain't nothing!
Don't you understand?
Those gorillas were
trying to kill me.
David knew something
or he had something.
You're his sister.
If you love him
half as much
as you say you did,
then he told you.
What did he know?
What do you know?!
- He didn't
tell me anything.
- You're a liar!
You're a liar.
He wanted to come
and see you.
That means
that he loved you.
He told you.
He didn't tell me anything.
Stop screaming at me!
- You have no right.
- I have every right!
I'm the one they're
trying to kill!
Stop screaming at me!
How do you think
I feel
knowing that all of this
is going to lead
to my mother?
She's a pollutant
and I detest her,
but she is my mother.
Now whatever David knew or whatever he had,
it was something that
only he and my mother
were aware of.
I have no idea
what it was,
but I'm sure that
whatever it is could
destroy the farinpours.
That's what she was
so afraid of.
I've had nightmares
about it.
See, my mother
is possessed
with her drive
to make jerrold governor
because for her it is only a stepping stone.
Because the only thing
that she has ever
really wanted
and the only thing
that she couldn't drive
my father
to buy for her
is that big white
columned house
in Washington.
And even though my--
my father is dead,
she's determined
to get it.
My baby brother--
I should have left him
alone out there
where he was safe.
You were innocent.
You didn't know
what was going on.
I should have
known better.
No, Tiffany.
I'm the detective.
That's my ballpark.
I should have been
smarter.
I'm sorry.
I was wrong about you
and I'm sorry.
Tiffany, it's late
and people get crazy
when they're tired.
I'll--
I'll take you home.
No.
No.
Oh, it's a beautiful
morning.
[ Imitates Stan Laurel] It certainly is, Ollie.
It was a beautiful
night too.
How do you like your coffee?
Just a little cream.
Joe you know,
this apartment--
it's so bare.
There's nothing
of you here.
[ Chuckles ] There ain't much of me anyplace, darling.
I keep three or four
of these things around.
I rent them
by the month.
Then a couple of times
a year i--
oh my goodness...
- Good morning.
- Good morning.
Uh, apartments,
right.
I-- I change them
three or four times
a year.
[ Sighs ]
No roots,
no ties, huh?
- That's no way to live.
- Nope.
Good way
to stay alive though.
Joe, shouldn't we go
to the police?
We can't do that.
I told you.
I'm still
the number-one suspect.
Where we're going is--
where you're going is
to your apartment.
And I'm going out
to where David lived.
What for?
'Cause he knew something
or he had something.
And somebody thinks
I got it
- or I know it
or something.
- [ Gunshot ]
[ Screams ]
Stay down!
Stay here.
Stay here.
[ Tires screech ]
It's okay.
It's okay.
It's okay.
It's okay.
They thought
that mirror was you.
Who the hell
wants you dead?
Dance's voice:
I tried to think of a safe
place to hide her
so I could
get underway.
But there wasn't
anyplace.
I couldn't
go to the heat
and I damn sure couldn't
leave her here.
Who wanted to kill
Tiffany anyway?
I decided
to take her with me.
I'd made enough
mistakes already.
I didn't know
what I was looking for,
but there weren't
any answers in town.
There had to be some
out here.
Come on this way,
honey.
[ Cows mooing ]
Whoever shot your brother
was right here
in this pile of junk.
Go ahead.
He must have been
watching.
He saw everything--
me driving up...
David was there,
then we went inside.
Last time I saw him,
he was standing
right here,
shooting at me.
Joe...
Let me see those.
I know these glasses.
They're trotter's.
That guy that works
for your family?
Honey, these are those,
uh, pilot glasses.
There's millions of 'em
all over the world.
How do you know
they're his?
He's worn the same kind
of glasses for as long
as I can remember.
When I was a little girl
I used to play with them.
They're prescription.
What was trotter doing
out here?
He was killing
your brother.
Come on.
This ain't
gonna float.
What the hell
have I really got?
A flimsy case
against trotter,
a pair of glasses?
What did those gorillas want
who worked me over?
What do I tell jacqualone--
I got a pair of glasses
and a pipe dream?
What difference
does it make?
- Won't he believe you?
- No, they won't believe--
what's the matter?
Nothing.
Just stand there.
When David got shot
he fell right there,
against the wall.
If trotter shot him,
there's no way in the world
that would have happened.
He would have fallen
over here.
But he didn't.
He fell right here..
I came over and I took him
in my arms.
Trotter didn't kill
your brother.
Whoever did it
shot him from out there.
But you would have
seen him.
Yeah, but I didn't
see him.
I heard David
hit the wall.
I have no idea what
you're talking about.
I heard David hit the wall
and then I heard the shot.
That means
a high-powered rifle.
Trotter was firing
a pistol.
With a high-powered rifle
the slug gets there first,
then you hear the shot.
That's why
whoever killed David
had to be out here
someplace.
- Do you understand?
- No, I don't.
Dancer's voice:
I'd been behind on this caper
from the start,
but I was beginning
to come up with
a few answers.
And the more answers
I got,
the more frightened
I was about
what was at the end
of the trail.
He parked down there
and came up the back side
of this hill
so nobody would see him.
Who was he hiding from,
David or me?
Maybe trotter.
Or was he working
with trotter?
This is it.
He laid right down here.
He had some kind of
a bipod.
That means one of those
fancy military weapons.
He laid here
and he killed David.
Dancer's voice:
Eliza farinpour
had talked
as though she knew
I had killed her son.
What was she trying to do,
gaslight me?
Somebody had copped
to jacqualone.
But if it was
the farinpours,
what was their reason
for not coming up
with their eyewitness,
trotter?
He was there.
He saw everything.
He could finger me.
Maybe they didn't cop
to jacqualone.
But if they didn't,
who did?
Maybe trotter knew
about the sniper.
Was he working
both sides of the street?
If he was,
I had the goods on him
and maybe if I
squeezed him hard enough
he'd cop,
he'd roll over
and tell me who
he was working with.
It was beginning
to add up.
I didn't know
what my first move was,
but I knew I couldn't
take Tiffany with me.
My best bet was
to run the bluff
on trotter,
but I had to
find him first.
I found myself back
at the farinpour joint
talking with
the coke-head sister.
Wow, you and your car
look a little haggard.
Uh, your mother's
errand boy, trotter,
where is he?
What you need is a bath.
There's nobody home and i--
lady, I don't have time
to play toy duck.
I don't know
what your game is.
I don't know what
anybody's game is.
All I know is
the only decent person
connected with this
whole thing is dead.
And I think
I got a handle
on who did it.
This has something to do
with my brother's
death, right?
You got it.
- I would help you.
- Where's trotter?
With my brother jerrold
at his office,
city hall.
May I help you, please?
I'm sorry, sir.
- It's all right.
- Mr. Farinpour isn't
seeing anyone.
Councilman, my name is
Joe dancer.
I work for your mother.
Hey, you...
You might need these
next time you're out
in the country.
Go on, take 'em.
Go on, pick 'em up.
They're yours.
Pick 'em up.
Pick 'em up.
You were out there,
weren't you, trotter?
Huh?
I found your glasses.
You're the one
who killed the kid.
And then you tried to Bury me
right alongside him,
didn't you?
He's the one, Mr. Farinpour.
He killed David. I saw him.
You're lying.
You killed the kid.
You were out there hiding
in that pile of junk
all by yourself
and you did it--
all alone, trotter.
I saw David fall.
- And you killed him.
- You're a liar
- and I'm gonna
fry you for it.
- Gentlemen. Gentlemen!
Trotter works for me,
Mr. Dancer,
and he reported that you were at David's
and that you killed him.
It never occurred to US
that a professional
might take his life.
I see.
I killed him, huh?
And then trotter here
took it upon himself
to clean
the whole place up,
empty the trailer,
make it look like the kid
never existed?
Why did you do all that?
Just for me?
Why did
your mother hire me?
To turn myself in?
Quite frankly, Mr. Dancer,
as long as you keep quiet
until after the election,
we don't care what you do.
Well, somebody
better give me
a good reason to be quiet,
because I didn't
kill the kid.
No?
With these
and trotter's testimony,
I'd say it was an
airtight case.
I didn't kill him.
You know it
- and he knows it.
- [ Phone ringing ]
But I'm gonna find out
who did.
And when I do,
I'm gonna fry him.
And I don't care
what office he holds.
- [ Intercom buzzes ]
- Secretary: Councilman
farinpour,
Mr. Dancer
has a phone call.
It's a woman
and she's very insistent
on talking to him.
By all means take the call,
Mr. Dancer.
It must be you.
What do you want?
Joe, a very
ugly voice
just got off the phone
with me
and they said
to tell you
you'd better get over
to Wally haskell's
right away.
I'll be there.
Councilman...
If you're
playing half as rough
as I think you are...
Dancer's voice:
I wished my car
could fly.
What had I gotten
Wally into?
I tried to cloud my mind
with other thoughts:
Had trotter been
telling the truth?
What did David have
that everybody wanted?
I tried, but all
the questions faded
and all I saw
was my old friend
Wally haskell.
Wally?
Wally?
[ Birds chirping loudly ]
Wally had been
warm and safe,
content
with his birds,
his plants
and his memories.
Then I had sent him
out on the street
to help me
solve a murder.
Now there were
two murders to solve.
[ Phone ringing ]
Hello.
Man:
Friend, what took
you so long?
Did you find everything
there you needed?
Did you get the answers
you asked for?
Oh, by the way,
there's a lady here--
sister Theresa.
She's a real
nice lady.
Would you like
to talk to her?
Sister Theresa:
Mr. Dancer, it's me.
Man:
We'd like you
to meet with US.
Paradise cove
at the end of the pier.
Half an hour.
We don't have to say
anything dumb
like they do
in the movies,
like "be alone,"
do we?
No.
I'll be there.
Keep moving.
Get aboard.
All the way forward.
Where are we going?
You're going bye-bye,
friend.
Now turn around.
Wait a minute.
Before you do that,
if you hurt sister Theresa
in any way,
I ain't leading you
to nothing.
All bets are off.
How does the head feel?
The head's fine.
[ Moans ]
What does this have to do
with Ferris wheels?
What--?
Ow!
I'm Eliza farinpour.
Pardon US,
but if Mr. Dancer
hadn't been so clever,
this never
would have happened.
Oh, but it has,
hasn't it?
Mr. Dancer's
my friend.
Then I suggest
you urge him
to comply with the terms
of his employment.
I know nothing
about his work,
Mrs. Farinpour.
What's important to me
is his integrity.
And I'm going to urge him
to keep that.
Take it easy, sister.
They already killed
a helpless old man.
David deserves
a decent burial.
Don't you agree?
Why haven't you
had the kindness
to return
his remains?
Mrs. Farinpour,
the day
that body turns up
I'm expendable.
I don't know why.
Supposing you tell me
what's so important
about David's body.
I'll tell you and
maybe you'll understand
why I'll stop
at nothing.
The farinpour dynasty
is at stake,
not to mention
my son's election,
and I'm starting
to become impatient.
So am I,
Mrs. Farinpour.
Two people are dead.
And if you think
I'm going to turn over
that kid's body
just to pull
the councilman's chestnuts
out of the fire,
- well, think again!
- Mr. Dancer,
suppose I instructed
these gentlemen
to... borrow
a child or two
from the orphanage?
You despicable excuse
for a human being!
Please god!
Leave her alone.
Now, Mr. Dancer,
will you tell me
where David's body is
or do I
instruct these men
to go to the orphanage?
[ Muttering ]
No.
I put him
on a train.
Speak up!
I-- I put him
on a train,
in the refrigerator car.
The car's
on the number-two siding
in cudahy.
In which car,
Mr. Dancer?
I don't know.
Take them both
to the stateroom.
Sister?
Sister?
Are you all right?
What do you mean,
am I all right?
Are you all right?
You're supposed
to be fainted.
What's all that?
Well, in attica
the prisoners told me
when you're up
against a wall
with nowhere to go...
- Yeah?
- ...Play dead.
The prisoners
told you that?
Yeah.
It worked.
It certainly did.
Sister, give me a push.
- Can you swim?
- Yeah.
Okay, you gotta go.
Hit the water.
See you later.
No, I'm not leaving
without you.
Look, sister,
you just saw
I can't make it
through that hole.
You're our only chance.
You gotta go.
Well, I am not leaving
without you.
- [ Footsteps ]
- Now listen,
up till now I've been
pretty proud of you.
But you got to figure
this thing out.
Mama farinpour already
tipped her hand.
Whether she finds
that kid's body or not,
we're dead.
If we stay in this box,
we're dead.
- All right.
- You're--
right.
Okay, uh...
Now listen, when you
get to shore,
if you don't see me
- in, uh, 20 minutes...
- Uh-huh.
...then I want you
to get to a telephone,
call the cops
and tell them
everything you know.
- All right.
- Okay?
I'm going to let you down
in the water.
There's a rail
down there.
Get your feet on it.
Okay.
No, wait a minute.
You gotta go in
feet first
or you're gonna
come out wrong.
Oh, okay.
No no, that's not
gonna work.
Uh, turn around.
Uh, excuse me.
[ Grunts ]
Okay.
- Okay.
- There.
Hang on, sister.
Okay, get your feet
on the rail.
Don't let go now.
Hang on.
- Okay.
- I got you.
Not yet.
Let me get you out there
a little further.
[ Grunts ]
Dancer's voice:
I was frightened
for her,
out there in that ocean
all by herself.
I would have
given anything
to be there with her,
but I had my own war
to fight.
Something inside
told me
if there was one woman
in the world
I could count on,
it was her.
That beach was
out there someplace
and she'd get to it.
I figured to make
a move on that lock,
to Jimmy it open.
But any dummy knew
there had to be
a gorilla
waiting just
on the other side.
I had to catch him
by surprise.
If that door
didn't give,
the ballgame
was over.
Man: He's out!
Dancer's voice:
Nobody reached
for a gun.
The two at the back
looked like
the easiest Mark.
I kicked my way loose
and just when I
had it made,
somebody
whacked me
and the lights
went out.
Mr. Dancer!
Where are you?
Come up.
Come on up!
Please don't take him.
He's a good man.
I know he is.
Oh, god,
please don't.
Oh, god,
please don't.
Oh, god.
Thank you.
Oh, god,
thank you so much.
Thank god.
Don't thank god,
sister.
Thank that water
for not being too cold
and these old bones
for holding out.
You must be freezing.
You must be exhausted,
Mr. Dancer.
Sister, after all
we've been through,
I don't think
the man upstairs
would mind
if you called me Joe.
Okay, Joe.
[ Machinery humming ]
[ Train horn blaring ]
Man: Hey, there's more than 50 cars out here, man.
It's gonna
take US all night.
Well, you'd better
get started.
You take those over there
and I'll take these.
Dancer's voice:
I had one ace on those
two henchmen--
I had held back
on 'em.
I knew the number
of the car.
Hello, kid.
I thought back
to Sara,
the girl
who had sold David
the necklace
and what she
told me about him
buying two of them.
I knew where the missing
necklace was.
It was soldered
to the back of the one
he was wearing.
[ Banging ]
[ Train horn blaring ]
The key around David's neck
was to a post office box.
I remembered a million
light years ago
when I came up here
looking for him,
and a nice old lady
in the post office
who said
she didn't know him.
It was the size
of a Gideon Bible
but that's not
what it was.
It was a videotape.
I had a whole
collection of them,
but mine were
bogart films.
Uh, my name is
David farinpour
and the fact that you are
playing this videotape
is evidence
of my death
and that the farinpour
black widow syndrome
of devouring their own
remains intact.
Now I never intended
for this tape
to be discovered
while I was alive.
And now that I am dead
my only hope is
that this tape is given
to the authorities
before my family
destroys it.
Um, the foundation
of the farinpour fortune
was framed
in the mid-'30s.
My father,
Jacob farinpour,
and his brother
Jonathan
began a salvage company.
By early 1938
they had become
the main suppliers
for a German company
which converted
scrap metal
into weaponry.
By late 1938
the echoes of war
had surfaced
across and
throughout Europe.
My uncle Jonathan insisted
the shipment cease.
My mother insisted
the shipments continue.
My uncle Jonathan died.
He died a mysterious
unsolved death.
The shipments
continued.
They continued
to supply parts
for Nazi Germany,
for Nazi weapons,
and the farinpours
grew rich.
Now I've documented
these facts for you
in the hope that someday
someone somewhere
will be able to use
the farinpour name
with some sense
of dignity.
So who do I collar?
Councilman
jerrold farinpour--
accessory before the fact,
murder one,
Wally haskell.
Ditto, a guy
named trotter,
works for him.
If you squeeze trotter
he'll cop a plea.
Eliza farinpour--
also accessory to Wally
haskell's murder.
I got a witness.
You can talk to her later.
Two cold fish
in a freight yard
out in cudahy--
kidnapping and
the same murder.
Which one of them
killed the kid?
I don't know yet.
Do you mean
it's personal?
Yeah, Jake.
It's personal.
Dancer's voice:
Jacqualone was right--
from here on in
it was personal
between me
and David farinpour.
Hi, kid.
Can you come on over here
right away?
I got something
for you.
Okey-doke.
Hi, boss.
I was worried
about you.
There's nothing
to worry about.
I got something
for you.
It's a videotape
your brother made.
It's all about your family,
how they made their fortune,
what they're really like.
It's not very pretty.
I know why your brother
left the family
and why he wanted you
to go with him.
I should have left
when he left.
Yeah.
You go home now.
I gotta sleep.
Joe, I wanna stay.
No.
We'll see
each other tomorrow.
Please.
Tiffany, there's nothing
in the world I'd rather do
than be here
with you tonight,
but you have to
go home.
- Please let me stay.
- Shh.
Take the tape,
you look at it
and be with your brother.
We'll see each other
tomorrow.
Will you call me
in the morning?
Yeah, sure.
I'll call you.
First thing?
First thing.
Dancer's voice:
It was time to settle
old business.
This one was for David
and it was personal.
I slipped down
the back way
and watched
while he
turned his ugly head
to check my place.
He checked his gun
and came after me,
just the way he came
after David.
Only this time
I was waiting for him.
[ Gunshot ]
Congratulations.
You finally shot
the right man.
- [ Door opens and closes ]
- Man: Tiffany?
Darling, you got it?
He gave it to you,
didn't he?
Yeah,
he gave it to me.
Oh, baby,
if half of what you think
is on that tape
I'm going to be governor
and you're going to be
the first lady
of California.
It's over there.
Hey, what's the matter?
Come on,
this is our ticket.
This is a ticket
to all of our dreams.
My mother told me
it could destroy
all the farinpours.
She didn't know
how right she was.
Dancer's voice:
Tiffany, I know
you won't be disappointed.
David's tape is
on its way to the people,
which is
what he wanted
and what you wanted,
but for different reasons.
He wanted it to clear
his conscience
and the farinpour name.
You wanted it
for your own game.
You hired me to find David
so that your hired gunsel could kill him.
We both did our job,
didn't we?
But your mother
spoiled things for you.
You didn't know
that she had a bird dog
out there
watching David.
Yeah, when trotter
started shooting at me
that blew the whole thing
wide open.
If trotter
hadn't been there
I would have turned
the kid's body over,
the tape
would have surfaced
and your brother
the councilman
would have been
ruined.
And you and your boyfriend
would have waltzed
into the governor's
mansion.
It took me a long time
to put all the pieces
together.
From that first night
out there on the--
- where are you going?
- Going?
Away from you.
It's a bluff.
I always thought I knew
where I was going
until now.
I guess I was wrong.
I guess I'm going to them
before they come to me.
That's a good idea.
Maybe you can make
a deal.
Joe, you don't have any proof against US.
I don't, huh?
You made
your first mistake
when you had your freak
with the earring,
who killed David at 1000 yards,
miss her at 50.
I don't know which one of you planned what.
That was supposed to
throw me off the trail,
but it didn't.
It threw me on.
And then you really
overplayed your hand
when you had him
try to kill me.
Joe,
I didn't tell him
to kill you.
Maybe you didn't.
All that kid ever wanted
was to be left alone.
That tape was his hedge
to keep the family
off his back.
He didn't know
who his real enemy was.
He didn't know
his sister.
You talk about
your mother.
You're the same as she is.
You wanted all
the same stuff.
You wanted the power
and the money
and to be
the governor's wife.
You know what
the real world is like.
You think the farinpours
are any different
than the rest of them?
This is what it's like
in the big league.
I guess I hoped
you could be part of it.
Baby, where you're going,
there's only room for one.
It's a friend of mine
from homicide.
This is
commissioner wilke.
Right this way,
commissioner.
You know, some of what
you said is true.
I don't know
if it makes any
difference now.
I didn't know
they were going to
kill David.
And I never thought
it would go this far.
Tiffany, it went this far
that night on the beach
when you hired me
to find your brother.
- Joe?
- Yeah.
Do me a favor,
will you?
If I can.
Always fish with your back
to the ocean.
Yeah, sure.
Dancer's voice:
For the next couple
of days
the booze
didn't work.
And I knew
it wouldn't work
for a long time.
Nothing would go away,
not David,
not my dear
old friend Wally,
and most of all
not her.
It hurt because something
did happen to US
on the beach.
It hurt because I knew
Tiffany was right.
Life isn't
like the old movies
I used to see.
The bad guys
in the black hats
don't always lose
and the good guys
in the white hats
don't always win.
There are no more
good guys
and no more bad guys.
It's all one store.
But I did have
the Ferris wheel.
And maybe some
of sister Clara's
little whippers
would turn out okay.
[ Carnival music playing ]
[ Big band music playing ]
Joe dancer's voice:
Los Angeles, California--
one huge
produce market,
land of
fruits and nuts,
the last exit
to mecca
for people running away,
mostly from themselves.
But occasionally
you turn a corner
and find somebody
to like.
My name's Joe dancer
and I work this town.
I carry a faded
piece of paper
that says i'm
a private detective.
And because of it
I live on the edge.
Clients only
hire me
when the police
won't handle it,
lawyers and friends
won't touch it
or if the deal
is too shady.
Everybody has
a heartache.
Some try to solve it
for themselves,
others try
other ways.
Who's to say
who's right?
I handle
people's garbage.
I get paid
for it.
I was on my way
to the orphanage
where I grew up.
The old poker sack
who ran the joint
was trying to get
in touch with me.
Figured she wanted
something.
I loved her
and she loved me,
but we stopped talking
about it long ago.
If I live
to be a thousand,
I'll always be
five years old
when I come
to visit here.
I keep this place
secret, separate,
and safe
from my world.
In my line of work,
you keep a lot of distance
between the things you love
and yourself.
If you take a fall,
you're the only one
who gets hurt.
I intend to talk
with you.
Go to sleep.
Say your prayers.
Now to get back
to you.
When I called for you,
you didn't respond to me.
That wasn't the least bit
nice of you, Joseph,
and you were such a nice
little boy.
- You mind?
- Yes, I do mind.
You are not going to make
any phone calls
until we talk about
this Ferris wheel.
Well, then do you have
a little...
Yes, I have
a little nip for you.
I'm not foolish enough
to think
that I could get you
to stand still
without one.
Sister,
the last time I got
a snort out of you
this easy,
it cost me.
We want to have
a carnival
with games and races
to raise money.
And we need
a Ferris wheel.
And the bishop says
no dice.
He thinks
we've been to the well
once too often.
Well, I can't think why.
You've only been picking
his pockets for 40 years
and he don't even
like this joint.
No one is going to
close this home.
How much?
Well, um, the first--
well, I have several notes
here about--
you know all
the people in the street,
and the neighborhood
has been
absolutely marvelous.
Now we're going to have...
Dancer's voice:
I only half heard
what she was saying.
It took me a minute
to get my head in
the right place,
to look beyond
how pretty she was
and see the nun.
It wasn't easy.
Oh, excuse me.
Sister Theresa,
this is the young man
that I was
telling you about,
Joseph dancer.
Oh, yes, the man
who's gonna be kind enough
to help US.
Sister, you're the one
they hired
to run this place
when sister Clara
goes out to pasture?
With all due respect,
you look like those little
two-step-away-
from-the-penitentiary
rug rats in there
could wrap you up
and deliver you for
a Christmas present.
I appreciate your concern,
Mr. Dancer.
I'll try
to keep that in mind.
Joseph,
sister Theresa
has transferred
from attica.
Remember the riots?
We don't all wear pants
in the world, Mr. Dancer,
but we all get along,
don't we?
I think you can make
your phone call now.
Yeah.
[ Phone ringing ]
Where the hell
have you been?
You said you were going
to call at 5:30.
Do you know
what time it is?
Oh, sweetheart,
you got such a beautiful
personality.
Listen, save that line
for whatever lady
is in the room with you
right now, okay?
I got other dummies here
I'm working on.
Hey, listen, we got a lot of messages
from all over the world, Joe,
and one sounds
like money.
Where do you want me
to start?
Upper left-hand corner,
letter "a".
Uh, Bernie serica--
the man from D.C.
Who I don't know who he is
because you never told me--
called.
You still don't know
anything about him,
but if he calls,
I'm working on it.
Okay.
Get to the money call.
She sounded like vassar or barnard, you know?
And I told her
that you were
working on a case.
And she said
she was sure
you would find the time.
So, Joe, I made
an appointment for you
for 9:30 tonight.
You are going fishing.
Charlie, you know
that personality
improvement course
you're working on?
Get another one.
On what,
the salary you pay me?
My name is
Tiffany farinpour.
Are you Joe dancer?
Mm-hmm.
Do you always meet
prospective clients
out here?
You do have an office.
Yeah.
Folks in my line of work
got a habit of
getting dusted
- along with their desks.
- Excuse me?
Nothing.
Hold that for me,
will you?
So how'd you come
to give me a call?
State senator Dixon
recommended you
very highly.
Mr. Dancer,
I know there's a reason
for my holding this
fishing dole.
Am I going to have to
ask why?
That's the first law
of the jungle:
You always fish
with your back
to the ocean.
I only like to fish
when there's something
to catch.
- Are they biting?
- The big ones do.
The little ones just
kiss and fool around.
Talk to me,
miss farinpour.
I want you to find
my younger brother.
His name is David.
Why?
My family, Mr. Dancer,
has had its share
of disagreements.
Families have
disagreements.
Why do you want me
to find your brother?
David left the family.
I stayed.
I was wrong.
I want him
to know that.
I want him to know
that I love him.
I haven't seen my brother
in over a year.
I want to have him found.
It's just that simple.
No, it isn't,
miss farinpour.
Nothing's
that simple.
And nothing in this world
smells like what it is,
or what people say it is.
I was told
you were for hire.
I'm for hire,
but only on cases
I think are legit.
I'm not saying
you're not legit.
I'm just saying
you haven't convinced me,
not yet.
Mr. Dancer,
I love my brother
and I need your help
to find him.
I don't know
what else to say.
Miss farinpour,
with a family like yours--
I mean...
You have an older brother
who's a councilman
running for governor--
you have
a battery of lawyers.
You don't need me.
I don't want
the rest of my family
involved in this.
This is between
David and me.
I love that boy.
He's my brother.
I don't have a husband
or a career.
I didn't realize how much
I cared for David
until recently.
I get $200 a day.
And $1,000 if I find your brother.
And you can fire me
anytime you want.
I need $500
in advance.
I have a photo of David
and a check.
It's signed.
You can fill in
the amount.
If it's all the same
to you,
I'll cash this
before I get started.
Mr. Dancer,
the way you fish,
it's a wonder you ever
catch anything.
Yeah, but i'm
still alive.
And I catch one
once in a while.
Uh, pal,
can I have a burrito
and a black coff--?
Dame UN burro
con cafe negro
para llevar.
Okay.
Dancer's voice:
I had some favors
owed to me downtown.
I cashed
a couple of markers
when I began my search
for David farinpour.
I checked
the telephone company
and the I.R.S.
Both came up empty.
The only bingo
was the d.M.V.
Keep it.
David owned
a new four-wheel.
He and his four-wheel
were cited for running
a stop sign
in a little town
in the Santa Clara valley.
But with my luck,
David was just
passing through
and was now living
in Zanzibar.
They told me
to start collecting
butterflies,
do anything,
but just forget
that I ever
heard the name
David farinpour.
I knew better than
to reach for my gun.
The arm pressing
into my windpipe told me
it knew exactly
what I was thinking.
The trouble is,
when you live
on the edge
there's always
some dude that's got
the edge on you.
They were
professionals
and my instincts told me
to follow their advice--
buy a butterfly
collecting kit.
Funny, this could have
been a routine drive.
Because of them,
it wasn't.
The juices were
flowing again.
I wanted to know
what was waiting for me.
I was being cautious.
I wasn't going
to be tailed.
The drive was long.
I had time to ask myself
a lot of questions.
One of two things
had happened:
The two gorillas
had tailed Tiffany
when she came
to meet me,
or somebody
tipped them
that I was looking
for the farinpour kid.
Like I told
Tiffany at the beach,
nothing was simple,
nothing smelled
like what it was
in this world.
Tiffany wanted
David found.
Whoever the gorillas
were working for didn't.
Wouldn't it be nice
to someday get hired
to do something
that everybody
wanted done?
Last question:
Did Tiffany know
somebody didn't want
her brother found?
Nobody laughed
and nobody fainted
when I showed them
a snapshot of the kid.
And nobody gave me
any information.
[ Singing a folk song ]
♪ ...sail away, lady,
sail away ♪
♪ don't you rock 'im,
die-de-o ♪
♪ don't you
rock 'im, die-de-o ♪
♪ don't you rock 'im,
die-de-o ♪
♪ sail away, lady,
sail away ♪
♪ Crazy old lady
from Shiloh town ♪
♪ sail away, lady,
sail away ♪
♪ old St. Lou
is burning down ♪
♪ sail away, lady,
sail away ♪
♪ don't you rock 'im,
die-de-o ♪
♪ don't you
rock 'im, die-de-o ♪
♪ don't you rock 'im,
die-de-o ♪
♪ sail away, lady,
sail away. ♪
- Hi.
- Hi.
That's nice work.
Thanks.
- Oh, it's yours?
- Uh-huh.
Well, you do very nice work,
sister Sara.
Well, thank you.
My name's not Sara,
but I'll answer to it
if you're buying.
I'm buying.
How much?
$20.
Hold the change.
No, I'm buying,
I'm buying.
But I'm also looking.
Don't worry,
I'm not the fuzz.
I'm looking for him.
He likes Indian
jewelry a lot.
Somebody misses him
very much.
Three weeks ago
he bought
two matching
squash blossoms.
What's a squatch--
squash blossom?
That is the Indian name
for these necklaces.
Ah.
Why two?
Did he have somebody
with him?
No.
Maybe he's got
a girlfriend.
Maybe he's
got a girlfriend.
Like I said, Sara,
you do nice work.
Thank you.
Dancer's voice:
I laid the $50 on her,
gave her back her merchandise
and was told
about a old ranch
way out in the country.
I could
find it if I followed
the railroad tracks.
It was
beautiful country.
I wondered to myself
what a rich kid
from a jillionaire family
was doing
living way out here
with the jackrabbits.
[ Sheep bleating ]
If you're looking
for the lake,
it's on the other side
of the highway.
I'm not looking
for the lake.
Fresh oregano,
tomatoes--
you got
a nice garden, kid.
Plenty of quail,
rabbit.
You do
all right, huh?
Not a bad way to live.
Magazines, books,
a typewriter--
you come out here
to write the great
American novel?
Are you
a literary agent?
Nope.
Private dick.
Your sister
sent me out here
with a message.
Allegra?
This one called
herself Tiffany.
I didn't know there was
another one.
I guess you made a long,
dusty trip here
for nothing.
I don't do nothing
for nothing, kid.
I got paid.
Then enjoy the sun
and leave whenever
you feel like it,
'cause as far
as I'm concerned,
Tiffany and I
have nothing to say
to one another.
- Yeah?
- Yeah.
Anyway, the message goes,
she wants to apologize.
She wants you
to know it.
I don't know if she's playing games.
She gave me the money--
I'm here.
She says she loves you.
She says
she misses you
and she wants
to see you.
What do you got to lose,
one day away from the country?
How'd you find me?
Checked with the d.M.V.,
found out
you got a traffic ticket
for running a red light
and I had a funny conversation
with a pretty Indian Princess.
You didn't answer
my question.
Let me think about it.
Good.
You sure got
a pretty place here.
[ Gunshot ]
[ Gunfire continues ]
[ Train horn blaring ]
[ Horn blaring ]
Hang on, kid.
We made it.
Hang on, kid.
Hang on.
Attaboy.
Attaboy.
We got it made now.
We got it made now.
Kid?
Kid?
Dancer's voice:
I had lied to the kid.
We didn't make it.
I did.
Hell of an end
for a nice kid
who just wanted
to raise tomatoes
and be left alone.
What did it mean?
Everything was gone--
David's garden,
the goats,
the chickens--
everything.
No trace
of David's car.
No trace of mine.
The tire tracks
were even erased.
No live rounds.
No dead ones.
His books, his clothes,
his furniture-- gone.
Nothing to show
that David farinpour
had ever lived there.
Nothing to show
that anybody had ever
lived there.
It was six miles
to the nearest highway,
so I paced myself.
My mind traveled
in two directions:
One direction
was the gorillas
who had worked me over.
I had no way of knowing
who they were or
where they were.
The other direction
was Tiffany.
And then I saw it.
Had somebody
done me a favor
or was the car wired
to take me out?
After I checked the car
and found out
it was cool,
it was 40 miles
to town
and to the address
that Tiffany had
given me.
I bribed my way
past the guy
at the door.
Part of me wanted
to go upstairs and
comfort her,
but the part of me that
had been around the block
too many times
told me
everybody was a suspect.
I had to test her.
I had to get my hands
on the small of her back
where the muscles
don't lie.
I had to know
once and for all
what she was made of,
whose side
she was on.
- Hello.
- Hi.
- What happened to you?
- Nothing.
Nothing.
Did you find David?
Yes.
I found him
and I, uh,
talked to him.
Hang on, Tiffany.
This is gonna be rough.
Like I said,
I talked to him...
And then somebody put
a bullet in his heart.
Your brother is dead.
No, you're lying.
No one would kill David.
I'm sorry.
David died in my arms.
And whoever killed him
tried to kill me too.
David never hurt anyone.
Tiffany.
Tiffany.
- What?
- Tiffany.
What?
- Oh, no.
- Just take it easy.
- Okay.
- [ Sobbing ]
Okay, let it all out.
I'm sorry.
I'm so sorry.
He's gone
and there's nothing
we can do about that,
but I promise you
we'll find out
who did it.
Oh, David.
He never hurt anybody.
He was the only
decent thing
that ever happened
to me and my family.
I know.
I loved him.
I know.
I promise you
we'll find out
who killed him.
I promise you that.
We have to find out
who killed him.
Yes.
Yes, we will.
What did the police say?
I didn't tell
the police.
Oh.
Tiffany,
where are you going?
I'm calling
the police.
No no, wait wait.
You can't do that.
I have to explain
to you why.
When I got back
to where David lived,
they, whoever they are--
they had moved everything.
His trailer was empty.
The yard was empty.
Even my car was gone.
The only thing
that I can prove
is that I was there.
That makes me
the number-one suspect.
Don't you see?
David is gone.
I'm-- I'm sorry.
Maybe we're both
to blame.
Maybe we'll both
have to live with that
the rest of our lives,
but sending myself to jail
is not going to
help anything.
I can't deliver
anything to the police
except me
and David's body.
The police are not gonna
find out who killed him,
I am.
I promise you that.
Where is my brother?
I put his body
in a safe place.
Oh, god.
Oh, god.
Oh my god.
Dancer's voice:
I got her to take
a couple of nembutal
and I stashed her in one
of the rented places
I kept around town.
I figured she'd sleep
for at least 24 hours
and hopefully
when she woke
I'd be there.
I spent a useless night
and was starting the day
with a cheeseburger
and a little sour mash
when the heat
nailed me.
He told me jacqualone
was waiting for me
in the park.
Jacqualone was
homicide.
He didn't like me
and I didn't
like him.
The people of this state
are going to vote
whether to reinstate
the death penalty.
Which way are you
going, dancer?
I would think
that someone who lives
the way you do
would have to give that
a great deal of
consideration.
You ever raise pigeons,
dancer?
Nope.
What do you think
of them?
The ones that fly
or the ones that blow
the whistle
or the ones
that get suckered?
All three of them.
They come
with the turf.
You got color
in your cheeks.
You been out
in the sun?
The neon lights
in the bars.
I got a call.
I figured you did.
The party on the other
end of the line
talked about
a David farinpour,
about a murder
and Joe dancer.
So I talked
to a sweet little girl
in the country
selling jewelry.
She said
someone had asked her
about a David farinpour.
Her description
fit you.
She wondered when
you were coming back.
Did you find anything?
Stop dancing around,
dancer.
You know I didn't
find anything.
But with that
girl's statement
I can hold you.
The body will turn up.
They always do.
I think
we're gonna reinstate
the death penalty.
What do you think?
I think I could use
a couple of days
to get my voice back.
Sure, I got
a couple of days.
And that's all
you got.
So you stay in touch,
dancer,
or you know
what I'll do.
The suntan looks good.
I'd hate to see you
turn gray in a cell.
Dancer's voice:
Whoever fingered me was
connected with the murder
and wanted me
to fry for it.
Jacqualone smelled blood
and wouldn't quit
till he got
what he wanted--
Joe dancer,
murder one.
I needed answers fast,
so I went to the
answer man.
Years ago Wally had
10 reporters
on his payroll
and a syndicated column.
After a lot
of great stories
and a pulitzer prize,
what he had left
was his birds,
his tropical garden,
his booze
and a mysterious way
of knowing things.
We had markers
going back 20 years.
We didn't know
who owed who.
We'd stopped counting
a long time ago.
We hoisted one
and I told him
my problem:
An hour ago
I was working
on a murder case.
Now I was
trying to stay out
of the cooker myself.
I asked Wally
for a rundown
on the farinpour family.
He talked
about two sisters,
Allegra and Tiffany,
two brothers, David
and councilman jerrold,
and how after
the old man had croaked,
the widow Eliza
had taken over
the reins.
I could have got that
from the library.
What I needed was
a hell of a lot more.
I know
what you need, Joe.
I know you're in a wringer
and I know that's why
you're here.
You know, in all my life
there were only two stories
I had to back away from.
One of them I can't even
tellyou about.
The other was
the farinpours.
Let me dig
through these files,
see what I can
come up with.
Give me a little time.
That's what I got--
a little time.
Dancer's voice:
Wally had planted
a seed.
Was David's death
a byproduct of the
farinpour dynasty?
Had somebody
gotten even?
Did the farinpours know
about David's death?
Had jacqualone told
them about the call?
If the answer was yes,
did they know about me?
I conned my way onto
the farinpour estate
with some jive about
a d.D.T. Contamination.
I saw some dippy broad
shooting pictures.
It looked like she
snorted enough coke
to sink a battleship.
I figured for sure
she'd bust me,
but she just
walked away. Why?
The guard
that let me in
was a breeze.
Why?
It was like I was
an expected guest.
Good morning.
I'd just like a few words
with the head of
the household.
Who gave you permission to come onto this property?
Mrs. Farinpour, I think
I'd better handle this.
Who are you, sir,
and what do you want?
I'm a private
investigator.
Mrs. Farinpour,
if you don't mind,
I'd like to ask you
a few questions.
My name is Joe dancer.
Indeed.
Well, as long as you're here...
Dancer's voice:
She sent the monkey suit
to get a cup of coffee
and asked me
to sit down.
We blue-skied for a while
about nothing
in particular.
She was
a sharp woman,
cunning and clever
as a snake.
When the time was right
I hit her with
a left hook.
But she came back
with a haymaker that
put me away.
You do know that he's dead,
I expect.
May I ask,
Mrs. Farinpour,
how you know?
He was visited
by someone-- a man.
The man
lured him outside.
There was shooting.
David was
assassinated.
The killer escaped.
Then the, uh, police
have the matter
well in hand.
I don't believe
we quite understand
one another, Mr. Dancer.
The police
would only stir up
negative excitement.
Don't you agree?
Yes.
This is
being handled then
by the farinpours
personally?
In a manner
of speaking.
Suppose the farinpours
offered you...
$10,000 to capture the man
who killed my son?
Well, I'd certainly
have to think
about that.
Of course, you'll want
to speak to jerrold.
That's
councilman farinpour.
He's the only one of US
with all the details
of the case.
I see.
You do understand
that the entire issue
is strictly
confidential,
don't you?
Yes, I understand.
Dancer's voice:
I had a check in my pocket
for 10 grand
and my brain
was registering tilt.
She knew who I was
and what I was
and had offered me
hush money
and I was damned
if I knew what for.
Nice, really nice.
How about one with you
in the car, huh?
You must be the one
they call Allegra.
You always take pictures of your mother's guests?
Only the ones
I find interesting.
What do you do,
put them in a scrapbook?
No.
I make them
materialize
if I'm lonely
or bored.
Well, we're getting along
so charming here,
- I hate to break it up.
- Then don't.
How good
a private detective
are you, Mr. Dancer?
I sneak along.
Let me give you a little
piece of advice
in your own
vernacular:
You'd better stay
in your own ballpark
because you don't belong
in this one.
Drive fast.
Dancer's voice:
It stood to reason
that the farinpours
were antsy about
negative excitement.
The councilman
didn't want any ripples
in his campaign
for governor.
When I got to his office
I'd found out
he was in El centro
talking to the farm workers.
I decided to drop in
on farinpour's opposition
in the governor's race--
commissioner Charlie wilke,
an off-the-board longshot.
Oh, yeah, of course
I remember you, Joe.
- Come on in.
- Thanks.
Sit down.
What can I do for you?
And will it keep me
honest?
I just got a couple
of questions for you.
You're running
for governor.
You think you got
any kind of chance
to beat farinpour?
Do the saints
have a chance
against the rams?
Yeah, that's
what I figured.
How come you're running?
Well, to gain more
public recognition,
a shot
at another office.
You don't have any plan--
I mean, last-minute
big disclosure
or something like that?
The farinpour family has
virtually run this state
since 1948.
It'll take a bombshell
to unseat them.
Some of US are not born with a hook shot.
You know what I think,
commissioner?
I think
they got skeletons.
Nobody even knows
what they look like.
Not yet.
Thanks for your time.
Dancer's voice:
I badgered a few more
friends in city hall,
then headed back
where I left my car.
The place was quiet--
a tomb chock-full
of Detroit iron.
The silence was
just what I needed
to remind me
what I found out
about the farinpours--
nothing.
- [ Keys jingle ]
- I heard some keys
hit the cement.
I knew
I had company.
Lose something?
No, I'm looking
for butterflies.
Come on,
get up.
Spread.
We told you not to press
for the farinpour kid,
dancer.
Now what happened
out there?
- Nothing.
- Remember now?
[ Screaming ]
Never mind.
Let him go.
Come on.
[ Moaning ]
At the trailer
with the kid,
what happened?
[ Grunts ]
- Somebody croaked him.
- You croaked him!
- No.
- The kid,
did he say anything
before he died?
We just blue-skied.
What the hell
do you two dummies
want with me anyway?
Answers.
And we want them now,
sweet pea.
We're going to stick
your hand in there.
And you're going to lose one finger at a time.
Now you tell US,
and you tell US good.
Did the kid
give you anything?
He didn't give me
nothing.
I can't hear you,
friend.
I said he didn't
give me nothing!
I don't know nothing!
Don't you understand?
I'm the one
who's on the hook
for killing the kid
in the first place.
Tell US
or you lose your hand.
Then go ahead,
do it and get it
over with!
But you'd better
stick my head in there
and kill me
because I don't know
nothing!
[ Sirens blaring ]
You hear me?
I said I don't know
nothing!
A couple of punks,
that's what you are.
A couple of punks.
I don't know nothing.
Who the hell
are you working for
in the first place?
You ain't nothing!
Don't you understand?
Those gorillas were
trying to kill me.
David knew something
or he had something.
You're his sister.
If you love him
half as much
as you say you did,
then he told you.
What did he know?
What do you know?!
- He didn't
tell me anything.
- You're a liar!
You're a liar.
He wanted to come
and see you.
That means
that he loved you.
He told you.
He didn't tell me anything.
Stop screaming at me!
- You have no right.
- I have every right!
I'm the one they're
trying to kill!
Stop screaming at me!
How do you think
I feel
knowing that all of this
is going to lead
to my mother?
She's a pollutant
and I detest her,
but she is my mother.
Now whatever David knew or whatever he had,
it was something that
only he and my mother
were aware of.
I have no idea
what it was,
but I'm sure that
whatever it is could
destroy the farinpours.
That's what she was
so afraid of.
I've had nightmares
about it.
See, my mother
is possessed
with her drive
to make jerrold governor
because for her it is only a stepping stone.
Because the only thing
that she has ever
really wanted
and the only thing
that she couldn't drive
my father
to buy for her
is that big white
columned house
in Washington.
And even though my--
my father is dead,
she's determined
to get it.
My baby brother--
I should have left him
alone out there
where he was safe.
You were innocent.
You didn't know
what was going on.
I should have
known better.
No, Tiffany.
I'm the detective.
That's my ballpark.
I should have been
smarter.
I'm sorry.
I was wrong about you
and I'm sorry.
Tiffany, it's late
and people get crazy
when they're tired.
I'll--
I'll take you home.
No.
No.
Oh, it's a beautiful
morning.
[ Imitates Stan Laurel] It certainly is, Ollie.
It was a beautiful
night too.
How do you like your coffee?
Just a little cream.
Joe you know,
this apartment--
it's so bare.
There's nothing
of you here.
[ Chuckles ] There ain't much of me anyplace, darling.
I keep three or four
of these things around.
I rent them
by the month.
Then a couple of times
a year i--
oh my goodness...
- Good morning.
- Good morning.
Uh, apartments,
right.
I-- I change them
three or four times
a year.
[ Sighs ]
No roots,
no ties, huh?
- That's no way to live.
- Nope.
Good way
to stay alive though.
Joe, shouldn't we go
to the police?
We can't do that.
I told you.
I'm still
the number-one suspect.
Where we're going is--
where you're going is
to your apartment.
And I'm going out
to where David lived.
What for?
'Cause he knew something
or he had something.
And somebody thinks
I got it
- or I know it
or something.
- [ Gunshot ]
[ Screams ]
Stay down!
Stay here.
Stay here.
[ Tires screech ]
It's okay.
It's okay.
It's okay.
It's okay.
They thought
that mirror was you.
Who the hell
wants you dead?
Dance's voice:
I tried to think of a safe
place to hide her
so I could
get underway.
But there wasn't
anyplace.
I couldn't
go to the heat
and I damn sure couldn't
leave her here.
Who wanted to kill
Tiffany anyway?
I decided
to take her with me.
I'd made enough
mistakes already.
I didn't know
what I was looking for,
but there weren't
any answers in town.
There had to be some
out here.
Come on this way,
honey.
[ Cows mooing ]
Whoever shot your brother
was right here
in this pile of junk.
Go ahead.
He must have been
watching.
He saw everything--
me driving up...
David was there,
then we went inside.
Last time I saw him,
he was standing
right here,
shooting at me.
Joe...
Let me see those.
I know these glasses.
They're trotter's.
That guy that works
for your family?
Honey, these are those,
uh, pilot glasses.
There's millions of 'em
all over the world.
How do you know
they're his?
He's worn the same kind
of glasses for as long
as I can remember.
When I was a little girl
I used to play with them.
They're prescription.
What was trotter doing
out here?
He was killing
your brother.
Come on.
This ain't
gonna float.
What the hell
have I really got?
A flimsy case
against trotter,
a pair of glasses?
What did those gorillas want
who worked me over?
What do I tell jacqualone--
I got a pair of glasses
and a pipe dream?
What difference
does it make?
- Won't he believe you?
- No, they won't believe--
what's the matter?
Nothing.
Just stand there.
When David got shot
he fell right there,
against the wall.
If trotter shot him,
there's no way in the world
that would have happened.
He would have fallen
over here.
But he didn't.
He fell right here..
I came over and I took him
in my arms.
Trotter didn't kill
your brother.
Whoever did it
shot him from out there.
But you would have
seen him.
Yeah, but I didn't
see him.
I heard David
hit the wall.
I have no idea what
you're talking about.
I heard David hit the wall
and then I heard the shot.
That means
a high-powered rifle.
Trotter was firing
a pistol.
With a high-powered rifle
the slug gets there first,
then you hear the shot.
That's why
whoever killed David
had to be out here
someplace.
- Do you understand?
- No, I don't.
Dancer's voice:
I'd been behind on this caper
from the start,
but I was beginning
to come up with
a few answers.
And the more answers
I got,
the more frightened
I was about
what was at the end
of the trail.
He parked down there
and came up the back side
of this hill
so nobody would see him.
Who was he hiding from,
David or me?
Maybe trotter.
Or was he working
with trotter?
This is it.
He laid right down here.
He had some kind of
a bipod.
That means one of those
fancy military weapons.
He laid here
and he killed David.
Dancer's voice:
Eliza farinpour
had talked
as though she knew
I had killed her son.
What was she trying to do,
gaslight me?
Somebody had copped
to jacqualone.
But if it was
the farinpours,
what was their reason
for not coming up
with their eyewitness,
trotter?
He was there.
He saw everything.
He could finger me.
Maybe they didn't cop
to jacqualone.
But if they didn't,
who did?
Maybe trotter knew
about the sniper.
Was he working
both sides of the street?
If he was,
I had the goods on him
and maybe if I
squeezed him hard enough
he'd cop,
he'd roll over
and tell me who
he was working with.
It was beginning
to add up.
I didn't know
what my first move was,
but I knew I couldn't
take Tiffany with me.
My best bet was
to run the bluff
on trotter,
but I had to
find him first.
I found myself back
at the farinpour joint
talking with
the coke-head sister.
Wow, you and your car
look a little haggard.
Uh, your mother's
errand boy, trotter,
where is he?
What you need is a bath.
There's nobody home and i--
lady, I don't have time
to play toy duck.
I don't know
what your game is.
I don't know what
anybody's game is.
All I know is
the only decent person
connected with this
whole thing is dead.
And I think
I got a handle
on who did it.
This has something to do
with my brother's
death, right?
You got it.
- I would help you.
- Where's trotter?
With my brother jerrold
at his office,
city hall.
May I help you, please?
I'm sorry, sir.
- It's all right.
- Mr. Farinpour isn't
seeing anyone.
Councilman, my name is
Joe dancer.
I work for your mother.
Hey, you...
You might need these
next time you're out
in the country.
Go on, take 'em.
Go on, pick 'em up.
They're yours.
Pick 'em up.
Pick 'em up.
You were out there,
weren't you, trotter?
Huh?
I found your glasses.
You're the one
who killed the kid.
And then you tried to Bury me
right alongside him,
didn't you?
He's the one, Mr. Farinpour.
He killed David. I saw him.
You're lying.
You killed the kid.
You were out there hiding
in that pile of junk
all by yourself
and you did it--
all alone, trotter.
I saw David fall.
- And you killed him.
- You're a liar
- and I'm gonna
fry you for it.
- Gentlemen. Gentlemen!
Trotter works for me,
Mr. Dancer,
and he reported that you were at David's
and that you killed him.
It never occurred to US
that a professional
might take his life.
I see.
I killed him, huh?
And then trotter here
took it upon himself
to clean
the whole place up,
empty the trailer,
make it look like the kid
never existed?
Why did you do all that?
Just for me?
Why did
your mother hire me?
To turn myself in?
Quite frankly, Mr. Dancer,
as long as you keep quiet
until after the election,
we don't care what you do.
Well, somebody
better give me
a good reason to be quiet,
because I didn't
kill the kid.
No?
With these
and trotter's testimony,
I'd say it was an
airtight case.
I didn't kill him.
You know it
- and he knows it.
- [ Phone ringing ]
But I'm gonna find out
who did.
And when I do,
I'm gonna fry him.
And I don't care
what office he holds.
- [ Intercom buzzes ]
- Secretary: Councilman
farinpour,
Mr. Dancer
has a phone call.
It's a woman
and she's very insistent
on talking to him.
By all means take the call,
Mr. Dancer.
It must be you.
What do you want?
Joe, a very
ugly voice
just got off the phone
with me
and they said
to tell you
you'd better get over
to Wally haskell's
right away.
I'll be there.
Councilman...
If you're
playing half as rough
as I think you are...
Dancer's voice:
I wished my car
could fly.
What had I gotten
Wally into?
I tried to cloud my mind
with other thoughts:
Had trotter been
telling the truth?
What did David have
that everybody wanted?
I tried, but all
the questions faded
and all I saw
was my old friend
Wally haskell.
Wally?
Wally?
[ Birds chirping loudly ]
Wally had been
warm and safe,
content
with his birds,
his plants
and his memories.
Then I had sent him
out on the street
to help me
solve a murder.
Now there were
two murders to solve.
[ Phone ringing ]
Hello.
Man:
Friend, what took
you so long?
Did you find everything
there you needed?
Did you get the answers
you asked for?
Oh, by the way,
there's a lady here--
sister Theresa.
She's a real
nice lady.
Would you like
to talk to her?
Sister Theresa:
Mr. Dancer, it's me.
Man:
We'd like you
to meet with US.
Paradise cove
at the end of the pier.
Half an hour.
We don't have to say
anything dumb
like they do
in the movies,
like "be alone,"
do we?
No.
I'll be there.
Keep moving.
Get aboard.
All the way forward.
Where are we going?
You're going bye-bye,
friend.
Now turn around.
Wait a minute.
Before you do that,
if you hurt sister Theresa
in any way,
I ain't leading you
to nothing.
All bets are off.
How does the head feel?
The head's fine.
[ Moans ]
What does this have to do
with Ferris wheels?
What--?
Ow!
I'm Eliza farinpour.
Pardon US,
but if Mr. Dancer
hadn't been so clever,
this never
would have happened.
Oh, but it has,
hasn't it?
Mr. Dancer's
my friend.
Then I suggest
you urge him
to comply with the terms
of his employment.
I know nothing
about his work,
Mrs. Farinpour.
What's important to me
is his integrity.
And I'm going to urge him
to keep that.
Take it easy, sister.
They already killed
a helpless old man.
David deserves
a decent burial.
Don't you agree?
Why haven't you
had the kindness
to return
his remains?
Mrs. Farinpour,
the day
that body turns up
I'm expendable.
I don't know why.
Supposing you tell me
what's so important
about David's body.
I'll tell you and
maybe you'll understand
why I'll stop
at nothing.
The farinpour dynasty
is at stake,
not to mention
my son's election,
and I'm starting
to become impatient.
So am I,
Mrs. Farinpour.
Two people are dead.
And if you think
I'm going to turn over
that kid's body
just to pull
the councilman's chestnuts
out of the fire,
- well, think again!
- Mr. Dancer,
suppose I instructed
these gentlemen
to... borrow
a child or two
from the orphanage?
You despicable excuse
for a human being!
Please god!
Leave her alone.
Now, Mr. Dancer,
will you tell me
where David's body is
or do I
instruct these men
to go to the orphanage?
[ Muttering ]
No.
I put him
on a train.
Speak up!
I-- I put him
on a train,
in the refrigerator car.
The car's
on the number-two siding
in cudahy.
In which car,
Mr. Dancer?
I don't know.
Take them both
to the stateroom.
Sister?
Sister?
Are you all right?
What do you mean,
am I all right?
Are you all right?
You're supposed
to be fainted.
What's all that?
Well, in attica
the prisoners told me
when you're up
against a wall
with nowhere to go...
- Yeah?
- ...Play dead.
The prisoners
told you that?
Yeah.
It worked.
It certainly did.
Sister, give me a push.
- Can you swim?
- Yeah.
Okay, you gotta go.
Hit the water.
See you later.
No, I'm not leaving
without you.
Look, sister,
you just saw
I can't make it
through that hole.
You're our only chance.
You gotta go.
Well, I am not leaving
without you.
- [ Footsteps ]
- Now listen,
up till now I've been
pretty proud of you.
But you got to figure
this thing out.
Mama farinpour already
tipped her hand.
Whether she finds
that kid's body or not,
we're dead.
If we stay in this box,
we're dead.
- All right.
- You're--
right.
Okay, uh...
Now listen, when you
get to shore,
if you don't see me
- in, uh, 20 minutes...
- Uh-huh.
...then I want you
to get to a telephone,
call the cops
and tell them
everything you know.
- All right.
- Okay?
I'm going to let you down
in the water.
There's a rail
down there.
Get your feet on it.
Okay.
No, wait a minute.
You gotta go in
feet first
or you're gonna
come out wrong.
Oh, okay.
No no, that's not
gonna work.
Uh, turn around.
Uh, excuse me.
[ Grunts ]
Okay.
- Okay.
- There.
Hang on, sister.
Okay, get your feet
on the rail.
Don't let go now.
Hang on.
- Okay.
- I got you.
Not yet.
Let me get you out there
a little further.
[ Grunts ]
Dancer's voice:
I was frightened
for her,
out there in that ocean
all by herself.
I would have
given anything
to be there with her,
but I had my own war
to fight.
Something inside
told me
if there was one woman
in the world
I could count on,
it was her.
That beach was
out there someplace
and she'd get to it.
I figured to make
a move on that lock,
to Jimmy it open.
But any dummy knew
there had to be
a gorilla
waiting just
on the other side.
I had to catch him
by surprise.
If that door
didn't give,
the ballgame
was over.
Man: He's out!
Dancer's voice:
Nobody reached
for a gun.
The two at the back
looked like
the easiest Mark.
I kicked my way loose
and just when I
had it made,
somebody
whacked me
and the lights
went out.
Mr. Dancer!
Where are you?
Come up.
Come on up!
Please don't take him.
He's a good man.
I know he is.
Oh, god,
please don't.
Oh, god,
please don't.
Oh, god.
Thank you.
Oh, god,
thank you so much.
Thank god.
Don't thank god,
sister.
Thank that water
for not being too cold
and these old bones
for holding out.
You must be freezing.
You must be exhausted,
Mr. Dancer.
Sister, after all
we've been through,
I don't think
the man upstairs
would mind
if you called me Joe.
Okay, Joe.
[ Machinery humming ]
[ Train horn blaring ]
Man: Hey, there's more than 50 cars out here, man.
It's gonna
take US all night.
Well, you'd better
get started.
You take those over there
and I'll take these.
Dancer's voice:
I had one ace on those
two henchmen--
I had held back
on 'em.
I knew the number
of the car.
Hello, kid.
I thought back
to Sara,
the girl
who had sold David
the necklace
and what she
told me about him
buying two of them.
I knew where the missing
necklace was.
It was soldered
to the back of the one
he was wearing.
[ Banging ]
[ Train horn blaring ]
The key around David's neck
was to a post office box.
I remembered a million
light years ago
when I came up here
looking for him,
and a nice old lady
in the post office
who said
she didn't know him.
It was the size
of a Gideon Bible
but that's not
what it was.
It was a videotape.
I had a whole
collection of them,
but mine were
bogart films.
Uh, my name is
David farinpour
and the fact that you are
playing this videotape
is evidence
of my death
and that the farinpour
black widow syndrome
of devouring their own
remains intact.
Now I never intended
for this tape
to be discovered
while I was alive.
And now that I am dead
my only hope is
that this tape is given
to the authorities
before my family
destroys it.
Um, the foundation
of the farinpour fortune
was framed
in the mid-'30s.
My father,
Jacob farinpour,
and his brother
Jonathan
began a salvage company.
By early 1938
they had become
the main suppliers
for a German company
which converted
scrap metal
into weaponry.
By late 1938
the echoes of war
had surfaced
across and
throughout Europe.
My uncle Jonathan insisted
the shipment cease.
My mother insisted
the shipments continue.
My uncle Jonathan died.
He died a mysterious
unsolved death.
The shipments
continued.
They continued
to supply parts
for Nazi Germany,
for Nazi weapons,
and the farinpours
grew rich.
Now I've documented
these facts for you
in the hope that someday
someone somewhere
will be able to use
the farinpour name
with some sense
of dignity.
So who do I collar?
Councilman
jerrold farinpour--
accessory before the fact,
murder one,
Wally haskell.
Ditto, a guy
named trotter,
works for him.
If you squeeze trotter
he'll cop a plea.
Eliza farinpour--
also accessory to Wally
haskell's murder.
I got a witness.
You can talk to her later.
Two cold fish
in a freight yard
out in cudahy--
kidnapping and
the same murder.
Which one of them
killed the kid?
I don't know yet.
Do you mean
it's personal?
Yeah, Jake.
It's personal.
Dancer's voice:
Jacqualone was right--
from here on in
it was personal
between me
and David farinpour.
Hi, kid.
Can you come on over here
right away?
I got something
for you.
Okey-doke.
Hi, boss.
I was worried
about you.
There's nothing
to worry about.
I got something
for you.
It's a videotape
your brother made.
It's all about your family,
how they made their fortune,
what they're really like.
It's not very pretty.
I know why your brother
left the family
and why he wanted you
to go with him.
I should have left
when he left.
Yeah.
You go home now.
I gotta sleep.
Joe, I wanna stay.
No.
We'll see
each other tomorrow.
Please.
Tiffany, there's nothing
in the world I'd rather do
than be here
with you tonight,
but you have to
go home.
- Please let me stay.
- Shh.
Take the tape,
you look at it
and be with your brother.
We'll see each other
tomorrow.
Will you call me
in the morning?
Yeah, sure.
I'll call you.
First thing?
First thing.
Dancer's voice:
It was time to settle
old business.
This one was for David
and it was personal.
I slipped down
the back way
and watched
while he
turned his ugly head
to check my place.
He checked his gun
and came after me,
just the way he came
after David.
Only this time
I was waiting for him.
[ Gunshot ]
Congratulations.
You finally shot
the right man.
- [ Door opens and closes ]
- Man: Tiffany?
Darling, you got it?
He gave it to you,
didn't he?
Yeah,
he gave it to me.
Oh, baby,
if half of what you think
is on that tape
I'm going to be governor
and you're going to be
the first lady
of California.
It's over there.
Hey, what's the matter?
Come on,
this is our ticket.
This is a ticket
to all of our dreams.
My mother told me
it could destroy
all the farinpours.
She didn't know
how right she was.
Dancer's voice:
Tiffany, I know
you won't be disappointed.
David's tape is
on its way to the people,
which is
what he wanted
and what you wanted,
but for different reasons.
He wanted it to clear
his conscience
and the farinpour name.
You wanted it
for your own game.
You hired me to find David
so that your hired gunsel could kill him.
We both did our job,
didn't we?
But your mother
spoiled things for you.
You didn't know
that she had a bird dog
out there
watching David.
Yeah, when trotter
started shooting at me
that blew the whole thing
wide open.
If trotter
hadn't been there
I would have turned
the kid's body over,
the tape
would have surfaced
and your brother
the councilman
would have been
ruined.
And you and your boyfriend
would have waltzed
into the governor's
mansion.
It took me a long time
to put all the pieces
together.
From that first night
out there on the--
- where are you going?
- Going?
Away from you.
It's a bluff.
I always thought I knew
where I was going
until now.
I guess I was wrong.
I guess I'm going to them
before they come to me.
That's a good idea.
Maybe you can make
a deal.
Joe, you don't have any proof against US.
I don't, huh?
You made
your first mistake
when you had your freak
with the earring,
who killed David at 1000 yards,
miss her at 50.
I don't know which one of you planned what.
That was supposed to
throw me off the trail,
but it didn't.
It threw me on.
And then you really
overplayed your hand
when you had him
try to kill me.
Joe,
I didn't tell him
to kill you.
Maybe you didn't.
All that kid ever wanted
was to be left alone.
That tape was his hedge
to keep the family
off his back.
He didn't know
who his real enemy was.
He didn't know
his sister.
You talk about
your mother.
You're the same as she is.
You wanted all
the same stuff.
You wanted the power
and the money
and to be
the governor's wife.
You know what
the real world is like.
You think the farinpours
are any different
than the rest of them?
This is what it's like
in the big league.
I guess I hoped
you could be part of it.
Baby, where you're going,
there's only room for one.
It's a friend of mine
from homicide.
This is
commissioner wilke.
Right this way,
commissioner.
You know, some of what
you said is true.
I don't know
if it makes any
difference now.
I didn't know
they were going to
kill David.
And I never thought
it would go this far.
Tiffany, it went this far
that night on the beach
when you hired me
to find your brother.
- Joe?
- Yeah.
Do me a favor,
will you?
If I can.
Always fish with your back
to the ocean.
Yeah, sure.
Dancer's voice:
For the next couple
of days
the booze
didn't work.
And I knew
it wouldn't work
for a long time.
Nothing would go away,
not David,
not my dear
old friend Wally,
and most of all
not her.
It hurt because something
did happen to US
on the beach.
It hurt because I knew
Tiffany was right.
Life isn't
like the old movies
I used to see.
The bad guys
in the black hats
don't always lose
and the good guys
in the white hats
don't always win.
There are no more
good guys
and no more bad guys.
It's all one store.
But I did have
the Ferris wheel.
And maybe some
of sister Clara's
little whippers
would turn out okay.
[ Carnival music playing ]