Cagney & Lacey: Together Again (1995) - full transcript

(Multicom Jingle)

(gentle music)

- Please, spare some change, huh?

- No, no, I've given more than my career.

- Ah, you order a lot.

Your mister come home?

- No, my husband's still in Washington,

but I haven't eaten all
day and I'm starving.

Here, the rest is for you.

- Ah, thanks.

- Thank you, Mr. Song.



- Be careful.

- Lady, spare some change?

- Sorry, not tonight.
- Oh, please.

Anything would be a big help.

I'm really hungry.

- Look, there's a shelter
three blocks over on 2nd.

- Hey, lady, look, I'm a veteran,

I was in the Gulf War.

Look, I just wanna

show you something here.
- Hey, back off, friend.

You hear me?

It's time to leave me alone.

Okay?

- Yeah.



Look at you, you rich bitch,

don't tell me can't spare a poor man

a couple of bucks for food!

- Let me show you something.

I am a cop.

Here's my, hey!

Hey, that's my dinner!

(thrilling music)

Stop!

Stop, thief!

Somebody stop that guy!

- Hey, buddy!

(body thuds)
(car horn honking)

(tires screeching)

(car horns honking)
- Taxi, God, this stupid--

- [Christine] Get up,
get up, you're not hurt!

- [Taxi Driver] Crazy predator!

- I hope you have insurance!
- This was not my fault!

And I'll be damned if my
insurance is gonna go up

'cause of some stupid, homeless bum!

- Come on, lady, it was just some food!

- Yeah, but it was my food!
- Hey, you saw what happened!

You're a witness!

I wanna cop here!

Somebody call the--
- I am a cop!

- Why can't you just leave me alone?!

- Just calm down!

- All right, all right--
- Damn it!

- Somebody call the cops!

You're just standing around in a flock!

Hey, come back here!

(thrilling music)

- Hey, stop!

Ow!

Ow.

Damn it!

Ow.

Ow.

Ow.

(Christine panting)

If you're still here, forget it!

You win.

Bon appetit.

- I didn't do it.

I swear, I didn't.

I didn't--
- What do you mean

you didn't do it?

You took my damn dinner!

I saw you take...

(mysterious music)

Oh, god.

(people chattering)
(cameras snapping)

- You know who the stiff is, right?

- Thought it was just some homeless guy.

- Not just any homeless guy.

That's Earl Yeager.

- Doesn't ring a bell.

- You must have seen it.

It was on all the news shows.

He gets cranked up by angel
dust and he comes down here

and he terrorized all these
people in this one co-op.

- Oh, yeah, I remember, I read that.

Is that him?

- It was.

And the co-op's a half a
block up the avenue here.

Suggests something, don't it?

- Well, certainly narrows the
immediate list of suspects.

Are you gonna send someone up there?

- Sergeant Rogers, it's for you.

- Excuse me a minute, Lieutenant.

- There you go.
- Thank you.

- Have a good day.

- 1811-10.

- Rogers here.

- Enjoying yourself?

- The orange-flavored beef's too spicy.

- Lieutenant, we may have narrowed

the list of suspects to one.

- Hey, hey, you hurting me!

I didn't do nothing!

I didn't do nothing!

- So what kinda case you got on this guy?

- Are you kidding?

He covered himself up with
the dead man's jacket,

get this, with a bullet hole in it

that matched exactly the fatal wound.

- That'll be a buck.

- Thank you.

Not only did he have the
murder weapon in his pocket,

he also had a very expensive
bottle of Scotch and $28,

which one of the tenants in the co-op

said Yeager stole from her.

- Neat.

Your foot seems okay.

- Oh, yeah.

Better take this bandage off

before I go to Washington tonight.

- What's it, another fancy party?

- I know it sounds glamorous, trust me...

Look at this.

You wouldn't think one homeless bum

killing another homeless bum

would end up on the front page, would you?

Chance Tucker.

- Chance Tucker?

- I could not remember the
name of the guy we arrested.

It's right here, Chance Tucker.

What's the matter?

- Let me see that.

- Mary Beth, what's the matter?

- I don't know.

I don't know yet.

(phone ringing)
- Today, we're talking

with men who cheat on their wives

and do not admit their shame.

Bert, you were talking today,

you've had multiple affairs

and you don't see that
there's any problem with that.

What's the deal there?
(TV clicks)

- Hello.

- Harvey?

- Yep.

- I thought you'd still
be out doing your walking.

I was gonna leave a message.

- I just, this minute,
walked back in the door.

What are you doing, checking up on me?

- Listen, Harv, did you used to know

a person called Chance Tucker?

- The nightmare on East End
Avenue began four years ago.

Earl Yeager was arrested last April,

but, as usual, he didn't
stay incarcerated for long.

So why can't the police keep
Earl Yeager off the streets?

According to a police spokesman,

if prisoner is under the influence--

- Old news report on Earl Yeager.

- Known as PCP, police
procedure is to take him

to the emergency room,

who, in turn, transfer
him to a state hospital

where he spends a few weeks
before being released again.

Earl Yeager promises that, this time,

he'll get a job and stay off drugs,

but that's a promise these
people have heard before.

Six co-ops, six families,
living in terror,

and as of today, the
tenants of this building

on East End Avenue still
feel like prisoners

in their own homes.

(TV clicks)

- Well, as you can see, this hasn't been

the city's finest hour, so
we need a quick disposition.

I just need to tie up one loose end.

- The lack of gunshot residue on the coat.

- Exactly.

I you want to send Angelus to find someone

who saw him wearing a different coat.

- Mr. Feldberg, pardon me,

Detective Angelus is at
NVD, but I could do it.

My husband, he used to
work with Mr. Tucker.

In fact, that's why I came in here,

to speak to the lieutenant
about this case.

- Yeah, but, Lacey, you had a
report due today, didn't you,

the business and
professions code offenders?

- Yes, sir, but I could
do that on the weekend,

get it in to you on Monday.

And this way, I can assure my husband

that it's a righteous bust, arrest.

- Well, I don't think--
- Sure, why not, here.

This should start you off.

- Thank you, Lieutenant.

Mr. Feldberg.

- [Mr. Feldberg] I wish
you hadn't have done that.

- Why not?

If there is anything, she's gonna find it.

I'm sure it has a lot higher priority

than some code offenders' list.

- Cagney, just so you don't
think I'm sandbagging you later,

unless I find some money somewhere,

I'm gonna have to cut out a
position in the department

and Lacey doesn't have any senior--

- No, she needs this job.

- Look, it's nothing personal.

Just don't say anything about it, okay?

There's nothing definite

and I'm still trying to
find my way around it.

Okay?

- Pardon me, ma'am, are you Gloria Phelan?

At the shelter, they
told me I might find you.

- You a social worker?

- I'm Mary Beth Lacey.

I'm an investigator with the
District Attorney's Office

and I understand that you're
a friend of Mr. Chance Tucker.

- I'm his fiancee.

- Oh, I see, congratulations.

Did you see your fiance yesterday?

- Sure.

You got a cigarette?

- No, sorry, I don't smoke.

Can you remember what kinda coat

Mr. Tucker was wearing yesterday?

- Same thing that he always
wears, a long slicker.

You sure you don't have a cigarette?

- No. Sorry.

Could you describe this slicker?

- It's white.

Used to be white.

Down to his ankles.

Chance, he dearly loves that coat.

- Okay.
- Nice and warm

and waterproof.

- Thank you very much.
- Guy who gave it to him

says it's the same thing
cowboys in Montana wear.

- Thank you, ma'am.

What was the last time that you saw him?

- I don't like to sleep out like he does,

so I have to get back to the
shelter, or they lock me out.

Besides, he had himself a bottle,

and he wasn't in a sharing mood.

- Yeah, what time was it, though?

- Just before eight.

- Are you certain it was before eight?

This is important, Miss Phelan.

Are you certain that he had
the bottle just before eight?

- Sure.

Why?

- Okay, bear with me here.

What kinda liquor and where'd he get it?

I'm Mrs. Lacey.

I'm with the District Attorney's Office

and I'm wondering if
you remember this woman.

- No, I do not believe so.

- Well, she came in here yesterday.

She was with a man, an
African-American man.

He had a kind of a cowboy slicker.

- Perhaps.

I do not remember.

- You remember.

- This man, he bought
a bottle Chivas Regal.

- This is a liquor store.

We sell beaucoup liquor.

- Yeah.

Expensive bottle of
liquor to a homeless man,

he paid you with a 50-dollar bill.

- As I said, I do not remember.

- You're lying.

He's lying.

- Wait--
- He's just lying!

- No, hang on, just...

Well, maybe your coworker would recall.

- He does not speak English,

and besides, he was not
working yesterday, only I.

I'm sorry, madam.

- And that?

- You are welcome to look,

but the cameras have not worked
since before I came here.

Is there anything else I can do for you?

- He's lying.

He's lying his head off.

- I don't know.

These are for you.

And I'm sorry for all your trouble

and I thank you for your help.

- Nobody cares.

Nobody.

To all of you, he's just a bum.

But he used to be somebody, okay?

So don't turn your nose up

'cause it could happen to you, okay?

- Yes, ma'am, I know that.

My husband, he used to
work with Mr. Tucker.

- Then why don't you help him?

You could help him if you wanted to.

- Here.

- No, I don't want your lousy cigarettes.

(somber music)

- Any luck?

- Maybe.

- Theft from vehicles report?

- Tucker's fiancee said that
he bought the Scotch with $50

that he stole from a sports car.

- Mary Beth, maybe you forgot,

but what you were supposed to be doing

was finding someone who saw
him wear different clothes

than the ones he was arrested in.

- Well, the fiancee says he
always wore the same coat.

- Yeah and, of course, fiancees

always tell the truth.

- Everybody I talked
to said the same thing:

Chance Tucker always wears the same coat.

- Oh, right, everybody.

Bums whose brains are so pickled,

they couldn't tell you
what they were wearing

when they were talking to you.

- For a person who's been in--

(man chattering)

Who's been in AA for eight years, Chris--

- Seven years and nine months.

Who's counting?

- Chance Tucker's girlfriend
used to be a normal housewife

with two kids and a
husband until he ran off.

You could have a little empathy, Chris.

- I have a lot of empathy.

She should go out and get herself a job.

- And the kids, they're
supposed to get a job too?

All right, okay, I'm not
gonna argue politics with you.

I talked to the clerk in the liquor store,

I'm pretty sure he's lying to me.

- Mary Beth--
- And there's one more thing,

Tucker's hand.

There was no gunshot
residue on his hands either.

- So he wore gloves
and he threw them away.

- Pretty sophisticated thinking

for a homeless alcoholic
with pickled brains.

We've arrested the wrong man here.

I'm taking this to Feldberg.

- No.

No, do not take it to
Feldberg, Mary Beth, please.

Look, just give him the list of witnesses

that you talked to, what they said,

just the facts, no editorial.

And also, please finish
the list of offenders

that he asked you to do.

- I said that I would
do that this weekend.

This is more important, Chris.

- Look, Mary Beth, there's
some rumors going around

that there's gonna be a cutback.

And I don't think this is the time

to be tilting at windmills.

- A cutback?

- And I've liked having you here.

I don't wanna lose you now, but...

I've gotten used to
having you around again.

Anyway, so please would
you just promise me?

Promise me you won't go to Feldberg

and you'll have that list
of the offenders for him

on his desk on Monday?

- You're gonna miss your plane, Chris.

- You're so stubborn, Mary Beth, stop it.

Will you just promise me?
- Have a good time.

I'll see you Monday.

Go up to him myself.

Cutback.

- Harvey can't work yet.

She has to support the whole family.

- You did what you could, Christine.

You warned her.

I have an appointment with a realtor.

She's gonna show us houses tomorrow.

- But the hotel's romantic.

Makes me feel like we're going away

for dirty weekends or something.

- You don't have to live there.

- Maid service, big jacuzzi
tubs, hot, sexy brunches in bed.

Mm-mm.
- Okay, okay.

We'll wait.

- Couldn't we go back and start now?

- Two hours, okay?

I promise.

If you press the flesh a little bit,

smile that charming smile,

I'll get us outta there just
as early as I can, okay?

- This Washington wives business,

it's a full-time profession.

I don't know if I know how to do this.

- You've been great so far.

You'll be great tonight.

(gentle jazz music)

- Oh, you're James Burton's charming wife.

- Well, I'm working on the charming part.

(group laughs)

- James says you're a district attorney.

- Well, I'm assigned to
the Manhattan DA's Office,

but I'm still in the police department.

- You mean you're not a lawyer?

- Just a simple cop.

- Really?
- Mm.

- So tell me, do you know any of the ones

who are always beating up on minorities?

(gentle jazz music)

- So how you doing?

- You'll find out.

Next weekend, you're coming up

to the Patrol Women's Endowment Dinner.

- Ooh, sounds scintillating.

- It is, I'm making a speech.

And after tonight, you owe me big time.

- Tonight is not over yet.

(Christine chuckles)

- A dreamer.

- It's obscene, you know that?

Richest country in the world
and we have people so desperate

they gotta kill for a warm
coat or a couple of bucks.

- I told you, I don't think

Chance Tucker did kill Jaeger.

- Oh, well, you're right about that.

Society did it.

Life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness!

Lots of luck in 20th century America!

If you don't have a flushing
toilet or enough PE--

- Sweetheart, you're not supposed

to work yourself up.

- You know, he had a life, Mary Beth.

He had a house and a life
before he hurt his back,

lost his job, his medical insurance.

And all his money was spent
on doctors and hospitals!

- Sweetheart--
- The only reason he started

drinking was because he couldn't
afford painkillers anymore.

The land of opportunity, huh?

What is it, something
like 30% of Americans,

three paychecks away
from being on the street!

- Honey, we're not
gonna be homeless, okay?

What?

Why are you stopping?

Are you okay?

- Yeah, I'm great.

Let's go back, I had enough.

- What are you doing?

I thought you gave that up 10 years ago.

Why do you wanna get hooked again?

- It happened.

- [Christine] What, the
devil made you do it?

- I had this carton, don't ask me how,

and Saturday, I don't
know, things got tense

between me and Harv and it happened.

I was all damn perfect.

- I thought everything was okay with him.

- The doctor got him on a low-fat diet.

Exercise, stress reduction, he hates it.

- It's hard to change your whole life.

- When it's life or death, Christine?

You gave up drinking.

- Yeah, well, we're all human, Mary Beth.

You're the one who just had
a cancer stick in her mouth.

(toilet flushing)

Give him time, Mary Beth.

Probably okay, he's the best.

- Christine, tell me the truth.

Am I gonna get laid off?

- I swear, I don't know.

It's Feldberg's call.

The truth?

It's a pretty good chance.

But I'm gonna do everything
I can to help you.

- Right.

- Excuses, I want the printouts.

I can't finish the stupid projection

for the mayor's office
till you get it to me!

- I was right, Christine.

The man from the liquor store is lying.

That is a report of a car break-in

exactly like Chance Tucker described.

- Did you finish the code offenders' list?

- I gave it to Feldberg this morning.

I asked them at the precinct to forward

any reports of thefts from
sports cars in that neighborhood,

and there it is, only three blocks away.

- The guy says he lost
$540, a video camera,

one leather coat, two
suits, a cellular phone.

This thing goes on and on.

And I thought Tucket only stole $50.

- The guy is scamming his insurance agent.

- So you say.

- Tucker breaks in, he takes $50.

Doesn't even cover the deductible.

So this guy, Jameson, decides
to turn it into a windfall.

- Or it is a completely
unrelated car burglary.

- Read the report, Christine.

I'm telling you, we got the wrong man.

Meanwhile, I would like to go
and interview the car owner.

What is his name? Jameson.

If that's okay with you, boss.

- Mary Beth, this guy is not
gonna cop to insurance fraud.

And I'm sure that
Feldberg has better things

for you to do with your time.

- Mr. Feldberg has better
things for me to do

than solve a murder and
free an innocent man?

- Fine.

Great!

it's your job I'm trying to protect,

but hey, obviously, you know better.

(door clacks)

- See you tomorrow.

(door thuds)

(gentle piano music)

(suspicious music)

- Go, go.

(locks clacking)

- Excuse me.

Your name Dupuis?

You spoke to my associate, Mrs.
Lacey, about Chance Tucker.

- It's late, madam.

- Yes, I won't keep you long, Mr. Dupuis.

I just wanna ask you one question:

Did you sell him the Scotch?

- I already told the other lady, no.

- I know what you told her,

but what I wanna hear is the truth.

- The truth?

- Yeah.

- The truth is I see
Chance Tucker every day,

trying to beg enough money
for food to keep him alive

and a bottle to keep him warm.

At least, now, he'll be taken care of.

- Mr. Dupuis, I'm not
a very patient woman.

One more time, did you sell Chance Tucker

an expensive bottle of Scotch

which he paid for with a 50-dollar bill?

- All I can think is,

if I could, I would help an innocent man.

- You think Tucker's innocent?

- I am saying I cannot help.

- What are you afraid of, Immigration?

What if I get Immigration to agree

not to detain you if you testify?

- In my experience, to be safe,

it is best not to draw
attention to oneself.

- Fine, I'm just slap you with a subpoena.

- Then I'll disappear.

- Well, then, I'll have you
thrown into protective custody.

- Then I will testify in court

to the same thing I
told to your associate,

that I remember nothing.

(Christine chuckles)

- Okay, Mr. Dupuis, you win.

But just between the two of us,

I need to know, is
Chance guilty of murder?

- As I said, if I could,

I would help this innocent man.

Now, goodnight, madam, and be careful.

There are many undesirables
in this neighborhood at night.

(people chattering)

- Lieutenant.

Can I talk to you for a minute?

- Sure.

- Christine, you have to help me

with this Chance Tucker thing.

- Mary Beth, you already turned

the information over to Feldberg.

He says that the local
precinct will look into it.

- They already have a suspect.

It's gonna end up at
he bottom of the pile.

Chris, I wanna do this with you.

- He's already given
you another assignment.

- It's another list to compile.

I will do it at night if
you help me with this here.

- Mary Beth, I went and I talked

to the clerk at the liquor store.

- When?

- Last night.

Thought it was worth another look.

- And?

- And he hinted that maybe
Tucker was telling the truth.

- You see?

Now, you put that together

with the theft from the sports car--

- Mary Beth, assuming
it's even the same car.

You can't prove anything.

All you got is suspicions about one guy,

and a wink and a nod from another.

- Let me ask you something:

What was your first
instinct about this case?

That the tenants in the co-op

have a damn good motive, right?

See, it's all too pat, Christine.

It's like it's that
movie, you know, the one,

you know the one, with the...

It's Spencer Tracy with the one arm,

and he goes into this tiny, little town--

- "Bad Day at Black Rock."

- Exactly.

Now, I'm asking, if we were back

at the 14th precinct, out on the street--

- Which we're not.

And your job is on the line here.

- And you weren't worried about my job,

and this case came up
in the normal rotation,

what would you say about it then?

- You know, I have very
important things to do.

The mayor is waiting
for a projection from me

and I have a speech to write
which I am giving on Saturday.

- What would you say, Chris?

- I would say that we should
talk to people at the co-op.

- After Ira's throat operation,

we tried to sell the co-op,
but it fell through twice,

all because of that Earl Yeager.

Oh, we were very angry.

- Yeah, everybody bought guns.

- Six months ago, one of
them went off accidentally

in the apartment above us one night,

scared the stuffing outta me.

- She almost had a nervous breakdown.

- Gingerbread.

That's what sells real estate,

now that that Earl Yeager is
dead, that bald-headed ape.

He killed the old shrubs
by urinating on them.

- Mrs. Glass, you are chaining
that planter to the pole.

- The homeless, they steal
anything they can sell.

And if it isn't the homeless,
it's the crack addicts.

That's why we wanna leave New York.

- You think it'll be
better in Fort Lauderdale.

There are homeless everywhere.

- Ira, we are going to Fort Lauderdale

when we sell the co-op, and
that's all there is to it!

- Mr. Coster, did you have

any special problems with Earl Yeager?

- We all had our problems.

- Mrs. Glass said you all bought guns.

Did you buy a gun, Mr. Coster?

- A gun?

I can't own a gun.

My wife, she died.

- Well, we're very
sorry to hear that, sir.

- It was 10 years ago.

But I was in a hospital,

an institution, really, for a while.

So a history of mental illness,

post-depression, no gun permit.

Probably just as well.

He didn't do it, you know?

- Who?

You mean Chance Tucker?

- He didn't kill Earl Yeager.

- Mr. Coster, if you know something,

it's important that you tell me.

- Just a feeling.

You've had that kinda
feeling, haven't you?

- Well, if Tucker didn't
do it, then who did?

Who killed him?

(dog barks)

- Well, it could have
been a lot of people.

I just know it wasn't Chance Tucker.

- Excuse me, Lieutenant, this
here is not the same park

as the one where you
found the body, is it?

- No, no, that park's near the direction

from the building on the far corner.

- You don't walk your dog over there?

It's so much closer.

- A nice day like this,
Jade likes the longer walk.

Besides, I can use the exercise.

(horn honking)

- So what have we got?

We got the Glasses who say they
didn't hear or see anything.

- We got Coster who said
he was having dinner

in his apartment that night.

What is the name of that other tenant?

Romeo something.
- Romeo DeCarlo.

He's a lawyer that lives in the penthouse.

- Romeo DeCarlo, can you imagine,

parents sticking you
with a name like that?

I'm getting a pimple?

- Where?
- Oh, I am.

Look, there.

- Where, I don't see anything.
- There!

It's right--
- Just at the neck, Christine.

Oh, there it is.
- Where?

- Well, it's a little,
I can hardly see it.

- It's there.

Jimmy's coming home this weekend

and I got a face full of zits.

- Chris, there comes a
time in a woman's life

when her skin--
- I don't, stop,

I don't wanna hear that.

Excuse me!

Go away!

- Here you go.

- God bless you, lady.

- Okay.

- Mary Beth, you give him money like that,

it merely reinforces his behavior.

- My money, if I wanna give it away--

- Well, they only keep
begging 'cause it works.

- They only keep begging
'cause they're hungry.

- It's a scam, Mary Beth.

He's gonna go spend it on booze and drugs.

- Yeah, sure, lot of them, yeah,

but there's also a lot of
hard-working, decent people

who are down on their luck.

- Well, fine, let them take the jobs

we keep importing illegal aliens for.

- Minimum wage or less.

- There is no reason why anyone

in this country should go hungry.

- Fine, tell that to the president

the next time you see him.

- Mary Beth, I understand
you're being sensitive

about this particular subject

because of the job situation and--

- I don't wanna talk

about it, Christine.
- I told you that I was...

You do not have to worry about money.

- Thank you, I don't wanna talk about it.

- Mary Beth, why would--

- I want to do my job, Christine,

and my job right now is to
go and talk to Sunny Pay.

- Out!

Get out, you lazy good-for-nothing!

- Hey, man!

- No excuses!

I told you, "Once more,"

and now, I tell you the last time.

Out!
- Yeah?

Well, the hell with you

and your stinking job!
- Easy, take it easy.

- Mr. Pay?

- Yes, ladies?

- District attorney's
investigators, Mr. Pay.

We need to talk to you about Earl Yeager.

- Don't have time to talk.

I just fire my lazy,
good-for-nothing helper.

- Yes, sir, we saw that.

- Mr. Pay.

Mr. Pay, if we could you just--

(table flap thuds)

- When I came to this country,
I work 18 hours a day.

I sleep in back there
until I saved enough money

to bring my wife from
Korea, find an apartment.

Now, I cannot find a good helper.

I still must work 15 more hours every day.

I must wear this flak jacket
to protect me from hoodlums.

- Mr. Pay, Earl Yeager--

- That bastard!

He scare my wife.

She never leave the apartment alone.

Never.

What kind of country this?

You let a crazy man out on the street!

- Mr. Pay, please try and calm down.

We have a few questions, that's all.

(Mr. Pay speaking in foreign language)

- I don't talk to police.

They get everything backwards.

Do you know what happened to me?

I stand up to Yeager.

I make him fight me.

He break my arm.

Who do your police arrest?

You want to know?

Me.

They take me to court.

You make me pay thousand dollars.

- Mr. Pay, the precinct report said

that you saw Earl Yeager
the day he was killed.

- I go home for lunch, I come
back here, he yell at me.

Both times, say he kill me.

I call police.

No one ever come.

But that night, they find the body.

They come see me, all right.

They think I kill him.

You police don't like Koreans.

Then they find Chance Tucker.

So better, blame black
man, not Korean man.

You know what I think?

I think Chance Tucker is a hero.

Give him medal, give him reward.

It damn shame you put him in a jail!

- These veggie burgers are pretty good,

don't you think, Alice?

- [Harvey] Legitimate tastes like sawdust.

- I think this is tofu.

- What's tofu?

Don't tell me.

You got any cheese?

Maybe cheese will help.

- Harv.

- A little cheese isn't
gonna kill me, Mary Beth.

You talking to Feldberg
about Chance Tucker tomorrow?

- [Mary Beth] I'm working
on it, okay, Harvey?

- Is that that homeless man

who killed the other homeless man?

- Well, I don't think
he did it, sweetheart.

That's why I'm gonna talk to the boss.

- I don't think anybody who is homeless

doesn't deserve to be.

- Alice Christine, that is not true.

There's little children even--

- It's not a simple thing, pumpkin.

- There's an expression, "There
but for the grace of God,

"go you or I."

You know what that means?

- I'm just saying what Jennifer's mom said

on the way to school yesterday.

- Well, I think that Jennifer's mom

is a little short-sighted.

So you and Jennifer's mom are
walking to school every day?

Is this the start of neighborhood
scandal or something?

- She doesn't walk, she
drives me and Jennifer

on her way to work every morning.

- Harvey, that's how you said
you getting your exercise.

- Yeah.

Well, I'll start again tomorrow.

Okay?

(somber music)

- We'll keep trying things
until we find something we like.

- Recent surveys of Americans

show the most pressing problem
to the majority of citizens

is the high incidence of crime.

But who exactly is in jail?

Us or them?

If you look at the percentage
of citizens too afraid

to leave their homes and
walk the streets at night

or even in the daytime,

I'd say it's us.

(pen scratching)

(buttons clicking)
(phone beeping)

(tone rings)

Yes, James Burton's room, please.

Oh.

Okay, well, would you just
tell him his wife called?

Thank you.

- Would you take it easy here, Chris?

I can't drink coffee at home anymore

and now you're hustling
me outta that joint

at eight minutes to eight in the morning.

- Hey, this is your big
project, Mary Beth, not mine.

You wanna get it done, let's do it!

- Fine, but am I correct in presuming

there's more going on
here than meets the eye?

- You mean menopausal facts?

- That is not from me.

- Well, whoever did it, it is not funny!

Now, may I suggest that
we divvy up your list.

I will take one half, you take the other.

- Fine.

I'll take the half she
doesn't eat for breakfast.

- He scared me.

He said some really
bad, nasty things to me.

- I'm so sorry, Rebina.

- We already went over this
with the police that night.

- I understand, it's just that
sometimes we have to check.

- I'm a physical coward, Mrs. Lacey.

Since I was a boy, I've abhorred violence.

So, yes, I bribed Earl
Yeager to leave me alone.

- The down jacket Yeager had,

the one that was covering
Chance Tucker when he was found?

- Yeah, it was mine.

He demanded it from me a few
days before he was killed.

- Now, about that night?

- We didn't see anything.

We watched TV all evening long.

- First thing we knew about the murder

was when the police came.

And the last time that I saw
Earl Yeager was that afternoon.

- You said he threatened you?

- I was just outside when he jumped out

from between two cars,
he grabbed my purse,

took the $50 that I had,

then he threw my wallet
into the middle of traffic.

- And did you ever call
the police, Mr. Osmond?

- Oh, please, Mrs. Lacey,

the police response to this
whole affair has been pathetic.

But me complaining to the police?

In my experience, most
police have absolutely no use

for a gay man in our society.
(door clacks)

- Sorry, excuse me for bothering you.

Your door was ajar.
- Oh.

- Mr. Osmond, I'm
Lieutenant Cagney-Burton.

I was just talking to Mrs.
Lewis across the hall.

I just have one question that nobody seems

to be able to answer and
maybe you could help me.

Chance Tucker is accused
of killing Earl Yeager for,

among other things, $50 which
was found on his person.

What nobody seems to
be able to help me with

is how Mr. Yeager got
the $50 to begin with.

- Well, I gave it to him, actually.

He had threatened me that
morning and he demanded money,

so I gave him what I had, $50.

(doorbell rings)

Would you excuse me for a moment?

- [Christine] Certainly.

- Chris.

- Alcina Lewis just volunteered

that Yeager stole the
money from her purse.

- But Tucker said he took it from the car.

- Mm-hm, I went and talked to the Glasses,

they said they gave Yeager the money.

Osmond says he gave Yeager the money.

Well, somebody's slipping--

- [Romeo] Ladies.

You must be Lieutenant
Cagney-Burton, I believe.

Mrs. Lacey.

I'm Romeo DeCarlo, attorney-at-law.

- Yes, sir, Mr. DeCarlo,
you live in the penthouse

and Earl Yeager vandalized your Mercedes?

- Vandalized, that's a nice neutral word.

How about trashed?

How about demolished?

He was a deranged lunatic.

- Mr. DeCarlo--

- You've already got the lunatic's killer.

Why are you harassing my neighbors?

- We're merely continuing
an investigation, Mr.--

- DeCarlo.

- DeCarlo.

- Fine.

I'm acting as their attorney

and I'm advising them not to talk to you.

Roy, I suggest you say nothing to them.

Absolutely nothing.

- Why, what do you have to hide?

- We've been through enough already.

Five years of Earl Yeager's tyranny.

Five years of police
indifference and ineptitude.

Have we not we suffered enough?

Can you not just leave us in peace?!

(horns honking)

(people chattering)

- You're staring at it.

- What?
- My zit.

- You can barely notice it.

- But you can notice.

I haven't had pimples
since I was 17 years old.

- I don't know what you expect, Christine.

You're not 17--
- I don't wanna hear

about menopause.

- Fine, I don't know
what I'm talking about.

I never do.

- Hot flashes, insomnia,
diminished libido,

why don't they just take
me out and shoot me?

- It'll pass, Chris.

Think we got enough for Feldberg now?

- Unless a stockbroker testifies

that Earl Yeager bought
150, $200 with AT&T

the day he was killed, then
Chance Tucker's innocent.

And those tenants are framing him.

- Come on.

Mr. Feldberg must be done
with his lunch by now.

Let's track him down.

- [Mr. Feldberg] The case is closed.

He copped a plea.

- [Christine] Well, he can't
do that when he's innocent.

- [Mr. Feldberg] Oh,
no, not you too, Cagney.

Don't either of you have
any real work to do?

- Mr. Feldberg, he is,
Chance Tucker is innocent.

- Look, he stood up in the
court of law this morning

and freely and voluntarily confessed

and plead guilty to murdering Earl Yeager,

and frankly, that's good enough for me.

- So an innocent man goes to prison

for the rest of his life?

- Lacey, he says he did it.

He was drunk at the time, so
I let him plea to manslaughter

which means he'll be out in five years,

during which time, he'll
get three meals a day

and a warm place to sleep.

And that's a hell of a lot better

than he was doing out on the streets.

- And it doesn't matter
that he's not guilty,

that the actual murderer is out there

on the streets some place still?

- Okay, fine. Who?

If it's not Tucker, then who did it?

- The tenants that Yeager
was harassing, they did it.

And they pinned it on Tucker.

- The tenants?

- Yeah.

- What, all of them together?

What is this, "Murder
on the Orient Express"?

Or maybe we could narrow
it down a little bit.

- We're not sure, but,
basically, we have six suspects.

- Oh.

Great.

One confessed killer is
sufficient, thank you.

Six suspects does me no good at all.

Ladies, this case is closed.

Oh, Lacey, I wanna see
you in my office tomorrow.

Set it up with my secretary
when you get back.

- Yes, sir.

I'm gonna go get some air.

- Could you kinda hurry it up a bit?

I've got better things to do with my time

than sitting here on Rikers.

- Tucker's still at breakfast.

We'll have him up for you in a minute.

- He's at breakfast.

I should be doing those
projections for the mayor.

I'll get some sensible shoes for the beat

they're gonna have me walking.

When do you see Feldberg?

- 10:30.

- You nervous?

- What could he tell me
I don't expect already?

If he lays me off, I'll get
another job, that's all.

- You don't have to put on a
good face for me, Mary Beth.

- So how is James?

When's he coming in?

- Well, funny you should ask.

I got home last night and
he was there waiting for me.

- [Mary Beth] Oh.

- Yeah, we've been
invited to the White House

for dinner, Saturday night.

- No.
- Yeah.

- [Mary Beth] That's fantastic, Christine.

- I'm supposed to be
giving a speech that night

at the Patrol Women's Endowment Dinner.

Remember?

- You hate making speeches anyhow.

What are you gonna wear?

- I told him I couldn't go.

- This is the White House, Chris,

not some reservation at the Rainbow Room.

- He knew I had this speech.

And his whole attitude was "big deal."

You know, big deal because
all he cared about, of course,

was his latest dabble in politics.

And my career, well, I just
get a little pat on the head.

Thank you.
- Christine, sometimes,

in marriage, you have to
bend a little, like a tree.

- Well, I don't mind bending
a little, like a tree.

I just mind being twisted like a pretzel.

It's not just the dinner.

You know what he also wants me to do?

He wants me to quit the force,

move to Washington, and network.

Do you love that, network
with the Clinton people

and lobby for a job with
that administration!

- That doesn't sound so terrible.

- I didn't vote for
these people, Mary Beth!

Besides, presidents come and go, you know?

What kind of security is that for me?

- Your marriage, Christine,
that's the security.

- Well, you tell that to the 50% of wives

in this country who get fired.

- Lieutenant!
(knocking)

- What?
- Lieutenant, ma'am,

you can go in now.

- He called you "ma'am."

(door buzzing)

Thank you.

- Harvey Lacey.

- You worked in construction
with him about 10 years ago.

Well, that's okay.

I also saw your friend, Gloria.

She says to tell you she's
still living at the shelter

and she's doing okay.

- Gloria. You met her?

That's good she's okay.

You got a smoke?

- Yeah.

Mr. Tucker, do you remember
being in court yesterday?

You plead guilty to killing Earl Yeager?

(Chance sighs)
Did you kill him?

- I guess.
- What do you mean

you guess?

- Everybody says so, so I guess I did.

- Do you really think you did?

- I don't remember.

When I'm drinking, there's a
lot of stuff I don't remember.

But old Mr. Jenkins,

he lets me sweep up
the bar in the morning.

10 bucks.

He gave it to me in advance.

Tell him...

Oh, when I get one of those prison jobs,

I'll send it back to him.

- Chance, did you steal $50 from a car?

- Now, who told you that?

Did Gloria tell you that?

- [Mary Beth] She's trying to help you.

- I'm no thief, I swear
it, but I needed a drink.

It's all I could think of.

And I saw this car with
the window wide open,

wallet on the seat, so
I just took the 50 out.

Listen, I'm sorry.

If you can find out who it is,

tell him I'll send him
his money back to him.

Only, it'll take a little longer.

Do you think you could spare
a few more of those smokes?

- [Mary Beth] Okay.

- Here, keep the pack.

- [Mary Beth] So, what do we do now?

- [Christine] You tell me.

He said he had no one coerced
him into pleading guilty.

I don't think there is anything we can do.

And what were you doing
with cigarettes in your bag?

- [Mary Beth] I told you I had a carton.

- [Christine] You know how
bad those are for anyone,

much less someone who's had
breast cancer, thank you.

- I'm not smoking 'em.

They're for interviews.

- [Christine] I'll believe
you, but thousands wouldn't.

(people chattering)

- It's nonsmoking in here.

- I'm aware of that, thank you.

Do you have the correct time?

- A little before 10.

- How little?

- Four or five minutes, give or take.

- So?

Tell me, what did he say?

- I went to his office at
10:30 and his secretary says

that the meeting has been
postponed to next week.

I should call and reschedule.

He's gonna lay me off,
why can't he just do it?

- Mary Beth, I shouldn't--
- I'm keep wondering

what's gonna happen when I tell Harvey.

- You haven't told him?

- He's depressed enough.

We'll cross that bridge
when we come to it.

- I shouldn't have said anything to you,

but Feldberg told me that he was gonna

work the budget around
so that it would be okay.

And maybe we're worrying about nothing.

Tell you what, why don't
I buy you a nice lunch?

- I'll tell you what I'd prefer.

I'd prefer to go back to that co-op

and we give it one more shot.

- What are we gonna get
we didn't get last time?

- I don't know.

- Yeah, okay, fine.

- Mrs. Glass, all we want
is a few words with you.

- [Mrs. Glass] I'm sorry, but
Mr. DeCarlo was very definite.

We shouldn't talk with you.

(speaker clicks)

- So, the offer for lunch is still open.

Ah, Mr. DeCarlo.

I see someone here must have called you.

You trained them very well.

No one in the building will talk to us

unless you're present.

- Call me Romeo.

- Right.
- Okay, I'm gonna tell you

again for the record.

No one here saw anything that
night, no one heard anything,

not until the police came
and harassed Mr. Pay.

- Nobody's harassing anybody, Mr. DeCarlo.

- No?

What would you call it
when you've already got

a confessed killer awaiting sentencing?

- I'd call it looking
into other possibilities.

- You're harassing us!

We, the people, come
together as a society.

We pay you police for protection

so we can trade vigilantism
for the rule of law.

When that social contract breaks down,

then we, as individuals,

have the right to protect ourselves.

- I'm not sure I understand you.

Are you saying you have the
right to murder somebody?

- Say that again, I'll
sue you for slander.

Chance Tucker is a confessed killer.

No one in this building saw
or heard anything that night.

End of discussion.

Lieutenant, I was thinking
you and I could get together

in a more conducive environment?

- Say that again, and
I'll sue you for slander.

- Good day, Mr. DeCarlo.

- Come on, Lieutenant!

I'll show you why my mama named me Romeo!

- Maybe she was hoping
you'd poison yourself!

(Romeo chuckles)

- One of those people killed Earl Yeager.

One of those nice, normal people murdered

another human being in cold blood,

and they framed another one

without giving it another thought.

Harv, what would you say
if I just gave it up?

- Chance Tucker didn't do it, Mary Beth,

you can't give up on him.

- No, I don't mean that.

I mean, this whole...

This investigator thing, it
gets me so sad sometimes, Harv.

Maybe I should be doing something else.

- That's great.

How are we gonna get by?

- We'd get by.
- How?!

I can't work, nobody's gonna hire me,

and who's gonna give you a job

that pays like this?
- Honey, I don't wanna--

(door slams)
Hey, sweetheart.

- [Alice] Hi, Mommy.

- Come here, give me some, sugar.

How was school?

- [Alice] It was okay.

What's for dinner?

- I got a chicken in the oven.

- Did you remember to take the skin off?

- I'll take it off later.

- Harvey, you're supposed to take

the skin off first so that...

Okay.

Whatever. It's not a big deal.

Oh, I found this cassette.

Guided Meditation for Stress Reduction.

I thought maybe we could do it together.

Lord knows I could use it too.

- Alice is hungry, I'm
gonna get the dinner.

- Well, okay, after dinner.

I mean, where do you
usually meditate, Harv,

on the floor, in your chair?

You want a little pillow
under you, Mr. Lacey?

- The Knicks are on TV tonight.

We'll do this another time, okay?

- Okay.

(people chattering)

- Hi.

- Hello.

- I'm Martha Cruickshank
and this is Bob Hilliard.

- How do you do?

- [Martha] We're with the mayor's office.

- Oh, it's nice to meet you.

I'm Christine Cagney-Burton.

- Yes, we know who you are.

May I get you a drink?

- Please, a club soda.

- Scotch, rocks, white wine,
and a club soda, please.

- We were asked to talk to you.

- Really? By whom?

- There are rumors that you have ambitions

to become police commissioner, Lieutenant.

- Well, I honestly hadn't
thought about it in a long time.

- Since getting married, you mean?

Are you going to be moving to
Washington with your husband?

- We don't mean to be intrusive,

but nobody wants to back a horse

who's planning on bolting the barn.

- Oh, of course, no,
please, I want you to know,

no, New York is my home.

Washington's just a weekend thing.

Thank you.

And I'm very open to anything
that you have in mind.

- Well, then, here's to
the future, Lieutenant,

whatever it may bring.

- I'll drink to that.

(glasses clinking)

- That's not a bad turnout.

You okay, honey?

- Yeah, I'm okay, I just
feel stuffed in this suit.

- You look good, Harvey.

You took off a few pounds since
the last time you wore it.

- Did you wanna remind
me of that, Mary Beth?

Last time I wore this
suit, I nearly died in it.

- You're doing great, Harv.

Doctor's gonna be very happy
with you, your next visit.

- The doctor's gonna say
exactly what he always says.

- [Mary Beth] Harv, I'm
gonna go to the ladies' room.

- [Christine] I thought you'd stopped.

- Don't start with me, please.

- What are you so temperamental for?

Oh, wait, I know, menopause.

(Christine chuckles)
- Oh, that's funny, Christine.

- Yeah.
- If you're starting

your speech with a joke,
I hope it's that one.

Or you could try this one:

They've set sentencing for
Chance Tucker next Wednesday.

- Mary Beth, we have done
everything humanly possible.

Now, did you know that
according to a national study,

there are more people
afraid of public speaking

than they are afraid of dying?

I was gonna practice my words in here,

but you smoked the place up.

- Pardon me.

- [Christine] It's all right.

- Is James here?

- Oh, that's funny.

Oh, well, I should be out
there shmoozing, anyway.

(spray hissing)

(people chattering)

- And she says to me,
"Trees are nature, right?"

I said, "Yeah," oh, thank you.

I said, "Yeah, trees," oh, excuse me,

but he wanted the fish,
not the roast beef.

- I'll eat the beef, it looks good.

Thank you.

- Well, if you cut the fat off,

I suppose you could
have a couple of bites.

- Oh, would you care for a butter

and sour cream and chives sweet potato?

- No butter, no sour cream.

The chives are okay--
- I'll take the whole schmear.

Thank you.

- Harv, what are you doing?

You know better than this.

- Mary Beth, it's one night.

- Harvey, don't eat that.

(table thuds)
(tableware clattering)

- Fine, I won't.

- Pardon me.

Excuse me.

(door clicks)

Did you get the babysitter home okay?

- Of course, I got the
babysitter home all right.

You don't have to grill
me about everything.

- Harvey, I didn't mean it like that.

You wouldn't talk to me in the car,

you go raging outta Christine's party.

I don't understand
what's going on with you.

- You wanna know what's
going on, Mary Beth?

Is that what you want?

I'll tell you, Mary Beth, what's going on

is you're always on my back.

"Do this, don't do that.

"Eat this, don't eat that."
- Harvey, I'm trying to--

- You treat me like a
three-year-old for God's sake.

And you keep pushing to make love to you.

I can't.

- [Mary Beth] I don't mean to push.

- How can I make love to you

when you treat me like you're my mother?

- [Mary Beth] I love
you, Harvey, I want you

to take care of yourself.

I want you to live forever.

- Why?

I can't work.

I can't fool around.

I can't even eat, damn it!

Who the hell wants to live like this?!

- Oh, come on, sweetheart,
it's not so bad.

- The hell it's not!

I used to have a life.

This isn't a life, this is
just a slower way of dying.

I feel so damn worthless
lying there, sponging off you.

I mean, the only way I'm
worth anything to anybody

is dead for the damn insurance money.

- It's late, you're tired.

- [Harvey] Now, who doesn't wanna talk?

- [Mary Beth] We'll talk
in the morning, Harvey.

You need your sleep, and you'll
feel better in the morning.

(door thuds)
- Damn it, Mary Beth,

stop telling me what I'm feeling!

I can feel any damn thing I want!

What I don't feel like is
living this half a life.

I'd just as soon get it over with!

I really would, I'd rather be dead!

- Here.

Here, here's the pills
that the doctor gave me

when I couldn't sleep worrying about you!

We'll order in pizza,
pepperoni, extra cheese.

You can wash the whole thing
down with a six-pack of beer.

Go ahead, take it.

Take the whole thing, take
the whole damn bottle.

- What are you talking about?

- You won't touch me, you don't want me!

You don't wanna get better!

You wanna die?

Go ahead and do it, get it over with.

I'm gonna sleep on the sofa.

(somber music)

(Alice crying)

(door clicks)

Morning, sunshine.

(door thuds)

Ally?

(knocking)

Honey?

(doorbell rings)

- Hi.

I couldn't get you on the phone.

- [Mary Beth] I wasn't
answering the phone.

- Probably explains it.

Some friend you are, walking
out before my speech.

Fortunately, I was brilliant.

Even without your support.

(door thuds)

I brought Sunday breakfast.

- Maybe later, thanks.

Don't give me that look.

- Okay.

(Christine groans)

What a wonderful morning.

I hear there may be rain by this evening.

Rain's nice, don't you think?

- I apologize for leaving early.

We were fighting.

- I could tell.

So are you okay?

- Other than my husband
is locked in the bedroom

not talking to me and
I'm about to lose my job

and doing damnedest here
to catch lung cancer?

- Yeah, well, other than that.

- He won't take care of himself

and he hates me for nagging at him.

- Nobody could make me stop
drinking, not till I said so.

I can't make you stop smoking.

And you can't make Harvey do
something he doesn't wanna do,

no matter how much you love him.

- Oh, God, Christine.

Last night, I tried to
shock him out of it.

And now, I'm scared that
he's called my bluff.

- You know, Mary Beth,
I really hate people

who use those AA buzzwords, I do,

but you really have to stop manipulating.

You have to just turn it over.

You have to love Harvey enough
to stop controlling him.

You've just put one of those out!

- See?

It's impossible.

You care about somebody,

it's impossible to watch
them hurting themself.

- Right.

- He won't come near me, Chris.

We haven't made love,

nothing, ever since he...

- He's probably afraid of
having another heart attack.

- Well, the doctor tells him not to be,

that it's good for the heart muscle.

- Well, the doctor didn't almost die.

So just give him more time, that's all.

- Yeah, all right.

I hope so.

Did you talk to James?

- No.

- Christine.

- You know, I thought he'd show
up last night, surprise me.

- Call him, Chris.

Don't let pride stand in your way.

Work is great, but it doesn't
keep you warm at night.

Your marriage is the most important thing,

don't let anything come in front of that.

- Yeah, that's what they tell us,

ever since we were little girls.

And no matter how happy you
are doing anything else,

if you don't have a solid
marriage, you have nothing.

- You go through what I have with Harv,

where every day, God forbid,

you don't know if you're gonna lose him,

puts things into perspective, Christine.

Talk to him.

Couldn't hurt anything.

See if there's some way to work stuff out.

I'm not fooling here, Christine.

If you don't, you'll end
up sorry, believe me.

- I want it to work out.

Okay.

Maybe I should surprise him.

I could catch the next shuttle.

- [Mary Beth] Good.

- I could go home, I could wash,

I could put on something fabulous.

- That's good.

- Something in ivory.

- Perfect.

- I could do that.

Yeah.

Do you mind?

- I love it.

- [Christine] Are you gonna be okay?

- Yeah.

- [Christine] Me too.

Give my bagels to Harvey.

Taxi!

(somber music)

(knocking)

- [Alice] Daddy?

Daddy?

- [Harvey] Yes, pumpkin?

- [Alice] Can I come in, Daddy?

- [Harvey] Oh.

What's up, pumpkin?

Why such a sad face?

- [Alice] Are you and
Mommy getting a divorce?

- [Harvey] Oh.

No, baby.

We're just having a few
problems, but it's no big deal.

We love each other.

And we love you very much.

What, baby?

- [Alice] Please don't die, Daddy.

Please.
- Oh, baby.

I'm not gonna die.

I'm not gonna die, sweetheart.

- Welcome to the Hay-Adams Hotel.

- [Woman] Thank you.

- Hi, Charlie!

Oh, thank you.

(lock clacking)

Honey, I'm home!

- [James] Chris.

- Room service.

(door clicks)

- Christine, please.

- I'm sorry.

Excuse me.

- [James] Christine.

(somber music)

- [Taxi Driver] Where to, ma'am?

- Airport, please.

- How long have you been here?

- A few hours.

Come on, let's go.

- A few hours?

Wait, wait, wait, it's not yet 8:00 a.m.

I just wanna sit for a
second, have a cup of coffee.

- There's been a discrepancy
in the dispatch records.

The night that Earl Yeager was murdered,

uniforms were dispatched to
the park at exactly 11:14

which, according to this, is six minutes

before I stumbled on
the body and called 911.

- Maybe somebody's watch was off.

- Maybe not.

Come on, you can drink that in the car.

- The car.

So, you wanna tell me?

How'd it go?

Was James surprised?

- [Christine] Oh, damn
it, I'm spritzing again.

- Happens to me too, Christine,

every time I drink too much coffee.

- Thank you for your discretion.

Even forgot to put my
earrings on this morning.

Tell you, Mary Beth, I think
maybe I am in menopause.

- It happens, in 51.2% of the population.

- Yeah, well, death happens to 100%.

(Mary Beth laughs)

(both laughing)

Oh, you know, if I'm lucky,

all my hormones will shut down at once,

then I wouldn't have to
think about men anymore.

- Come on, what happened?

- Nothing.

Nothing I shouldn't have seen coming.

So tell me about Harv.

How's Harv?

- Oh, he's alive.

(both laughing)

(elevator bell rings)

- Yes, here it is.

A call came in through
the operator at 11:14

and I dispatched uniforms.

Your call, Lieutenant,
came in on the 911 line

and was recorded at 11:20.

- Do you have a tape of that first call?

- The 911 call is automatically
recorded and saved.

A call that comes through the operator,

it doesn't work that way.

- [Mary Beth] Do you remember the call?

- Are you kidding?

If I'd lived in Podunk, maybe,

but, here in New York, all
I have is what's on the log.

- Well, you did write
down it's a male voice.

- Was there anything
distinctive about the voice?

Like amplified with a
voice box or accented

or maybe a little effeminate?

- I would have noted anything
distinctive like that.

This was just your ordinary
garden variety male voice.

- [Mary Beth] Well, that
seems to rule out Sunny Pay,

Roy Osmond, Ira Glass.

There's no way wouldn't
have noticed how they talk.

- [Christine] Well, that leads
us with Coster and DeCarlo.

Unless, of course, it's one of the other

four million men in the naked city.

- Aw, come on, Chris, you and I both know

that it's somebody in that co-op.

- [Christine] I know it.

- They called in the murder

so the police could hustle over there

and pick up Chance Tucker

with their carefully planted evidence.

- Well, I vote for DeCarlo.

He's a criminal lawyer.

He'd know to go through the operator.

If anybody knew how to keep his voice

from being recorded, it's him.

- [Man] Excuse me, you
got any spare change?

- Excuse me!

This is a police station for God's sake!

Mary Beth, don't do that!

You're not helping him.

He's just gonna go get a bottle.

- Get a hot meal, okay?

- [Man] Thank you, God bless you.

- They're human beings, Christine.

Don't you have any compassion?

- No, I don't have any compassion.

I'm angry.

Angry because they've become so obnoxious

I don't even see them as human anymore.

And then I get to be mad at
myself for being so heartless.

- Gee, I think it's easier
just to give 'em a buck.

- [Man] Okay, you got your ticket?

- Yeah, ladies, may I help you?

- We'd like see any records you have

on Mr. Romeo DeCarlo's car.

- Uh-huh, did he say it was okay?

- Just give us the damn records.

- Please.

Otherwise, we'll have to get a subpoena.

Make us go through that, and
we'll have to contact the IRS,

who'll wanna know all about
your accounting procedures

and the INS is gonna wanna know all

about your hiring
practices and on and on--

- Ladies, ladies, please.

It's a citizen's duty to
cooperate with the NYPD.

- Parked his car at
exactly 10:38 that night.

Five minutes to walk that way
to the park and the co-op.

- That's perfect time to kill Earl Yeager.

- Wait a minute.

You know what that doorway is?

- [Mary Beth] What?

- That's the doorway they found
Chance Tucker sleeping in.

- So DeCarlo sees him on the way home.

- And sees he's unconscious.

(Christine chuckles)

Very convenient for a
frame up, don't you think?

Oh, Romeo.

Romeo, wherefore art thou, Romeo?

- He's got an office on West 76th.

- [Alice] Reached the
number you have dialed.

Leave a message.

(tone beeps)

- Harvey?

Harv, are you there?

Pick up if you're there, Harv.

Okay, I hope if you're not
there, that you're out walking.

I didn't mean to do that,
I wasn't gonna, I'm sorry.

Honey, I'm sorry to go mother henning you.

I don't wanna be your mother.

I wanna...

Well, damn it, Harvey,
what am I supposed to do?

I love you.

Go take a walk.

Thanks.

(door clicks)

Sorry.

- I was just telling your partner here

that, obviously, the garage
records are mistaken.

- Obviously, happens all the time.

- I was having dinner with Paul Coster.

Anyone gets on a witness
stand, tries to say otherwise,

I'll spin 'em around so hard,

he won't know whether
he's coming or going.

- All in the pursuit of
truth and justice, no doubt.

- Truth?

Truth is I don't give a crying crap

about bringing Earl Yeager's
killer to so-called justice.

Chance Tucker was a hero in my book.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I
bill my time at 2.50 an hour.

This inane conversation has
already cost me 75 bucks.

We can still--
- Not a chance.

- Hey!

Anybody home?

(button clicks)
(tone beeps)

Harvey, are you there?

Harv, pick up the--

(button clicks)
(answering machine squealing)

(button clicks)

I love you.

Go take a walk.

(tone beeps)

- [Alice] Hi, Mom, I'm at Jennifer's.

Daddy says I can sleep
over if it's okay with you.

Call back.
(tone beeping)

- Harvey?

Honey?

(gentle piano music)

(food hissing)

Harvey?!

♪ First sight on that first night ♪

- Remember we used to do
this at the old place?

♪ From the morning ♪

- Alice got started after
a night up on the roof.

♪ My heart is lost for good ♪

- [Mary Beth] Cooking something?

- For my diet, yeah.

Some leaves and some
tree bark for roughage.

- Oh, that'll be plenty.

I've been eating crow all day.

- Every once in a while,
crow is good for you.

- Oh, Harv--
- No, listen to me, Mary Beth,

this is hard for me, giving
up the way I used to live,

but if I don't, it's over.

And I don't wanna miss
any day I could have

with you or with our family.

But it's gotta cut both ways, Mary Beth.

If I'm gonna go pure here,

then you gotta give up
those lousy cigarettes.

- [Mary Beth] How'd you know?

- You smell like an ashtray.

♪ You taught me how to see ♪

♪ For the days of the nighttime ♪

♪ For the days ♪

- Mrs. Lacey, while the salmon simmers,

may I have this dance?

- Let me go brush my teeth.

- [Harvey] Come here.

♪ Through the test years ♪

♪ And the best years ♪

♪ I found out ♪

- I can't be perfect, Mary Beth.

- Nobody's perfect, Harvey.

I'm not perfect either.

- [Harvey] Oh, you know that.

Sometimes, I think you don't.

♪ Has changed my life ♪

- What I know is I love you

and I wanna grow very old with you.

Should we call Alice?

- Well, I told her, if she
didn't hear anything by midnight,

not to worry about it.

♪ With you ♪

- [Christine] Mr. Coster.

Hi.

I've been waiting for you.

I know you told me this isn't the park

where you walk your dog,

that you always go over to York Avenue,

but my partner pointed out
that this isn't human nature,

that this park is so much closer,

especially on a chilly night like that.

- [Paul] Jade, come on, come on.

- [Christine] So if you
were here on the night

that Yeager was killed, you
must have seen his body.

- Come on, Jade, you know how to heel.

They say that dogs don't respect you

unless you're stern with them.

Somehow, I can never bring
myself to yell at her.

- I know the problem.

When you were in the park,

you saw Romeo DeCarlo kill
Earl Yeager, didn't you?

- No.
- You lied about having

dinner together to cover
for him, didn't you?

- I'm not covering for him.

- Mr. Coster, I don't get
why you're doing this.

You must be a nice
person and a good friend,

but I am damn sure a
selfish jerk like DeCarlo

would never lie to protect you.

- Romeo DeCarlo did not kill Earl Yeager.

I'm telling you the truth.

If you don't wanna do your
business, we're going home.

Come on.

Heel.

- Okay, so the Glasses' apartment is here,

across from them is Alcina
Lewis with her daughter.

- Mary Beth, why don't you call personnel?

Find out how much severance pay

they're gonna give you
if they lay you off.

- I already did.

I'm on probation, no severance.

Osmond is here and across the
hall from him, Paul Coster.

- No, that isn't right.

That puts Coster in the
apartment over the Glass couple.

- Well, that's where he
lives, Christine, 3B.

Except that Mrs. Glass said that--

- That a gun went off in the apartment

above hers six months ago.

And Coster says that
he's never owned a gun.

- Good, Christine.

Very good.

- Charlie Chan.

- [Romeo] I'd like it to go on the record

Mr. Coster is speaking to
you over my objections.

- Fair enough.

Mr. Coster, I'd like to
see your gun, please.

(dog barks)

- Oh, gee whiz.

(Mary Beth laughs)

- Jade.
- I'm sorry.

- Jade.
- No, that's okay.

Could I use your kitchen?
- Of course, of course.

- Pardon me.
- Jade, Jade.

- [Romeo] I'm sorry, Lieutenant Cagney,

you don't understand, under
the New York State law,

it's illegal for Paul to own a gun.

- Yeah, we spoke to the
officer who responded

to the shots fired call
by Mrs. Glass downstairs.

He said it was an accident,
that you were cleaning your gun.

He also said you seemed like a nice guy,

so rather than arrest you,
he gave you a warning.

Told you to get your gun registered.

- All right, so Paul
had an unregistered gun,

but he doesn't have it anymore.

It was stolen.

- Really?

So you reported it?

- No, I advised him not
to, being it was illegal.

- You know, it's funny, you're such

an obnoxious character, DeCarlo.

It never occurred to us

that this dinner alibi cuts both ways.

Mr. Coster here could
be our shooter, not you.

- You have no evidence

connecting either one of us to any murder.

- Pardon me, Lieutenant.

There's something you might
wanna look at in here.

- [Christine] Excuse me a moment.

- [Mary Beth] It's right there.

- Wow!

Whoever you hired to patch this

should be ashamed of themself
for doing such a sloppy job.

- There's a bullet in there,
isn't there, Mr. Coster?

That's human nature, just leave
it in there, putty it over.

- I'm betting it'll match the slug

taken out of Earl Yeager's chest.

- I have not seen a search warrant.

You don't have a search--
- Coster!

Coster!

(dog barking)
- Out of the way, dog!

- Where are the stairs?
- Straight ahead.

(thrilling music)

- [Christine] You go down. I'll go up.

- [Romeo] Paul, let me talk to you!

- Coster!

(tense music)

Paul.
- Please.

I'm so ashamed!

- Paul.

Paul, please come down.

Come down and talk to me, all right?

- I can't live with it!

I can't!

- [Christine] Paul, tell me what happened.

- You know what happened.

I killed him.

- Paul, it's okay.

I'm sure you had a very good reason.

- He was gonna hurt Jade.

He said he was hungry.

I told him I didn't have any money.

He said he didn't want money.

What he wanted was my dog.

He was gonna eat my dog!

Then he started to laugh.

I got so angry, I was crazy.

I didn't know what to say.

I couldn't do anything.

And then he lunged for Jade.

And then something
happened, I just snapped.

So I reached in my jacket
and I took out my gun,

and I shot him.

- Did DeCarlo see you?

- Don't say anything more, Paul.

- I'm sorry.

I am so sorry.

I don't want anybody to
get into any trouble.

(horn honking)

(Paul yelps)

- Paul, no!

- No!

No, no!

- [Paul] I don't wanna die.

Oh, God, I don't wanna die!

(Paul sobbing)

- [Christine] Paul, I'm sorry,

I'm gonna have to put handcuffs on you.

- [Romeo] Can't you just skip it?

- Get out of my face, DeCarlo!
- He's got a brain tumor!

For God's sakes, he's got
maybe six months to live!

(somber music)

- Who's gonna take care of Jade?

Who's gonna take care of my poor dog?

(Paul sobbing)

- Oh, this is first rate.

I've got a murderer
with a terminal disease,

and obstruction of justice indictments

for a half dozen Good Samaritan neighbors

who were only trying to
help out a dying friend.

Well, you've done a hell of a job, ladies.

The juries will cry their eyes out

and there isn't a conviction
in the whole batch.

- With due respect, Mr. Feldberg,
we freed an innocent man.

- Oh, right, right, I forgot.

Who's gonna be let out onto the streets

and has no place to go.

Another victory.

You know what?

Go, take this garbage out of my office,

give it to one of the
junior ADAs to prosecute

'cause I don't even wanna look at it.

- Mr. Feldberg.

Mr. Feldberg--
- Oh, wait a minute,

I've just had an idea.

Put that on McKinnery's desk.

He introduced me to my ex-wife.

I owe that momser one.

- Mr. Feldberg, there's
something I need to know.

Am I gonna be laid off?

- Thank you, Cagney.

Come back and see me later this afternoon.

We'll know more then, okay?

Betty, yeah.

When did he call?

Go, go, go.

No, not you, Betty.

Well, can you get him back?

Try to ring him right now.

I need to talk to him.

- If I'm gonna get fired,

there's something I wanna do first.

- What?

Come on, Mr. Pay, when we interviewed you,

you said Chance Tucker deserved a medal.

- It's different.

Doesn't mean I give him job.

- Have you found anybody to
replace the man you fired?

- He never could do it, no way.

- Excuse me, sir, but I think I can.

When I'm not drinking,
I'm an excellent worker.

And when I am, well, I'm still fair.

- What do have to lose?

Minimum wage to start.

He can sleep in the back,

just like you did when
you first came here.

- That door needs work.

If you want, I can fix it.

- This man used to work
construction with my husband.

15 bucks an hour.

If he's even half as
good as he used to be,

you got yourself a big bargain.

- You could fix it?

Okay.

- He said okay.

Did you hear him say okay?

- [Christine] He did.

- Okay.

- You know, if he stays sober,
gets himself back working,

maybe him and Gloria will
be able to get married.

(Christine chuckles)

- Yeah.

The blushing bride and the bashful groom.

A cardboard box and a white picket fence,

and they all lived happily ever after.

- Well, you don't have to be so cynical.

It happens.
- Excuse me, ladies,

but could you spare some
change for a hungry man?

- Here, I'm not hungry.

Come on, Mary Beth, we gotta get back.

- Listen, I'm sorry, I liked to.

Normally, I would, but I'm
probably losing my job today.

- [Man] That's okay.

Bless you, anyway.

- Here.

- [Man] God bless you, ma'am.

You're a good person.

- Thanks.

Not one word.

I've got work to do, I
don't wanna talk to you.

- [James] Now, I've come
all the way from Washington,

so you'll damn well talk to me.

- You son of a bitch.

- Chris.
- It's all right, Mary Beth.

I'll talk to you inside in just a minute.

- If you'd just come down
to the White House dinner,

none of this would have happened.

- Oh, it's my fault?

You can't keep your fly
zipped, so it's my fault.

- You were never gonna
move down to Washington.

I didn't mean enough to you

for you to inconvenience yourself.

- You know, Jimmy, you're even
less attractive as a victim

than you are as an adulterer.

- You know, most women
would have been thrilled

to support a career move like this.

Huh, but not Christine Cagney.

- I see.

You mean real women know all
about how to be a doormat.

- Don't give me all that feminist crap.

I'm talking about our marriage here.

- Well, excuse me, Mr. Clinton Bigshot.

It's just so super to hear you talk about

the holy state of marriage.

- Just answer one question
for me: Why did you say yes?

Why did you marry me?

- What are you, a glutton for punishment?

- [James] I'm curious.

(somber music)

- Because I thought I
was in love with you.

Silly me.

- We can do this.

Give us a break.

I love you, we're good together.

- Cut the blarney, Jimmy.

- [James] I mean it.

- We're just not so good
in the sack, is that it?

- Lately not, so you've noticed.

- Go to hell.

- [James] Are you saying
you don't love me anymore?

- I don't know.

If I'm not there next weekend,

who'll be in bed with you then?

Command appearance at Feldberg's.

- [Mary Beth] Are you okay?

- I'm fine.

(people chattering)

- [Mary Beth] Is he here?

(people applauding)

- What's going on?

- It's Bernie's celebration.

- Bern!

Is it your birthday?

- No, I'm taking an early retirement.

They had to cut somebody

and they've made me an
offer I could not refuse.

- All right, Bernie!

Way to go!
- Wow!

- Mary Beth, have some champagne.

- Yes, please, and congratulations.

Good luck with retirement.

- You better believe it.

(Bernie chuckles)

- Oh, that's just great.

- [Mary Beth] Oh, Mr. Feldberg.

- You lucked out.
- Yeah.

You won't be sorry, sir.
- I'm not sorry.

- Well, listen, here is to your happiness.

You're getting out of here.

(glasses clinking)

And here's to your happiness.

(glasses clinking)
You're staying here.

(concerned music)

- Christine.

- It's one drink.

It's not gonna do anything, Mary Beth.

See, I'm putting my glass on the table

and, now, I'm gonna go home.

And congratulations, my partner.

- [Mary Beth] Chris!

Christine, stop!

- I don't wanna talk about it.
- What did he do?

What happened?
- Nothing.

This is not a tragedy.

Some people just aren't cut
out for the white picket fence.

- Okay, you're coming home with me.

You don't wanna be alone, Chris.

- That's where you're wrong, Mary Beth.

That's exactly what I want.

(gentle music)

- [Mary Beth] See you tomorrow?

- [Christine] See you tomorrow.

(lively music)

(gentle music)

(Multicom Jingle)