Cruising (1980) - full transcript
A serial killer brutally slays and dismembers several gay men in New York's S&M and leather districts. The young police officer Steve Burns is sent undercover onto the streets as decoy for the murderer. Working almost completely isolated from his department, he has to learn and practice the complex rules and signals of this little society. While barely seeing his girlfriend Nancy anymore, the work starts changing him.
Captain!
Something off the port bow.
See if you can match it
to that torso that came in last month.
Otherwise, you know, Doc:
"Circumstances Undetermined
Pending a Police Investigation."
Wait a minute.
We got a hand here.
If we can get a fingerprint,
we can make this a homicide.
Alright, you give me a cause of death.
I can't give you a cause from this.
It's obvious it's not a suicide,
and it's not a natural.
Doc, you know I can't prosecute
a homicide without a cause of death.
That means I'd have to go out
and find the rest of the body.
No good, Doc.
I got too much on my plate now.
Just a numbers game, huh?
Body count? That's all it is to you guys!
The only way you'll prosecute a murder
is if you've got a guy downtown
signing a confession!
She ain't gonna make a fool out of me.
Takes the kids and goes to Florida
to see her sister, leaves me a note.
Ten years.
- They're all scumbags.
- What?
They're all scumbags.
- Who?
- All of them.
- You're better off.
- Just drive the car, huh?
You'll be driving this car the rest
of your life. You don't know nothing.
I'll get that bitch.
She ain't gonna jerk me around.
I'll get her.
- You'll get her.
- Damn straight I will.
One day, this whole city's gonna explode.
Used to be able to play stickball
on these streets.
Now look at these guys.
Christ, what's happening?
Hey, girls, you working?
- You buying?
- No, honey, I ain't buying.
Hey, what is that?
You'll break your ass you fall down
in those high heels.
- Yeah, so will your sister.
- My what?
Come here, I'll break your face!
Come here!
Hey, man, give us a break, OK?
I said, come here.
Come on, you already hauled
my ass in last week, hard-on.
A lot of good it did me.
Come on, baby, I cannot handle
another bust this month.
Look, you're on my corner again, shithead.
You know what that means?
Get in the car.
In the car.
Pussy.
You remind me of a fella I used to know.
He used to be a coke sucker.
Before that, he was a cork soaker!
- You guys are hilarious.
- Yeah?
Come up here,
I wanna show you my nightstick.
Move your ass.
Get up here.
Do I qualify?
- I hate cigarettes.
- Oh, really?
- I think they're disgusting.
- Well, I enjoy them.
All it is, is anal regressive.
If you wanna quit, I suggest you try
another form of childhood stroke.
I don't wanna quit.
I suggest you try an ostrich feather
along the small of your back,
up your spine to the nape of your neck.
Sounds addictive.
- Why do you come here?
- Why do you?
Because I'm having ego problems,
I need to be worshipped and adored.
- Where you from?
- Mars.
Terrific. I never made it
with a Martian before.
What are you doing?
Just looking for a pack of cigarettes.
Why, are you afraid?
Should I be?
Have you ever been ripped off?
I don't have anything to take.
I can't believe you're not afraid.
♪ Who's here?
♪ I'm here
♪ You're here
Now I'm afraid.
Yeah.
Lie down.
Go on.
Lie down.
Yeah.
Turn over.
I said, turn over.
- What are you gonna do?
- I know what I have to do.
Please...
I don't wanna make this
too tight for you.
Please. Please.
Please. Please.
You made me do that.
Anus was dilated
at the time of death,
slight rupture above the anus
indicating intercourse.
We found semen, but I can't identify it.
- What do you mean?
- Aspermia.
In English.
No sperm.
Your killer's shooting blanks.
His semen tested positively,
but it doesn't have any sperm in it.
Why not?
Well, maybe he has some
physical aberration or a malfunction.
Could be his testes are infected,
maybe he had a vasectomy.
What else?
Well, this first wound here,
that's clean,
which means
he never knew it was coming.
But this one and these, they're defensive,
which means he tried to resist.
So we have a top-to-bottom grouping,
and from the angle of entry,
I'd say your killer was right-handed.
- This knife is leaving its own fingerprints.
- That's right.
And from the serrations,
the width of the cut,
Approximately
three inches into the flesh,
I'd say it matches the other killing
pretty close. Close enough.
I know him.
Yeah, I know this guy.
He don't come around no more.
He beat some guys out of some bread.
I know this dude, too.
I seen him on the deuce.
He gives the best beatings
like six ways from Sunday.
Didn't you work uptown
with him?
Work uptown with him, man? No.
I don't work with nobody.
A john just comes to me
and tells me what he wants.
Have fantasy will travel.
Well, that fellow was seen with
the Columbia professor who got whacked.
And he says that you introduced him.
That's possible. See?
But this guy ain't no killer.
- I mean he's a pull-together hustler.
- Alright.
I gotta talk to you, alone.
OK.
I need a favor, man.
These two cops working out of 6th Precinct,
they been leaning on me.
Who are they?
I think one guy's name is Simone
or something like that.
The other guy is Jerry something
or whatever.
They're partners.
A couple of real fucking hard-ons.
And dig,
they run me the other night,
and this guy Simone, he made me
give him head right in his radio car.
Take your foot off the table.
- You're full of shit.
- I swear to Christ!
How do you know they're cops?
Cos they're wearing shields
and riding around in a radio car.
- What are their shield numbers?
- They work out of the 6th Precinct.
You know how many guys were arrested
last year for impersonating a cop?
There's more guys out there
impersonating cops than there are cops.
- I need this favor, man.
- You wanna put on a wire?
I'll take you down to Internal Affairs,
we'll draw up a complaint.
Listen to what I'm saying.
These guys are bad dudes!
You get me names or numbers,
otherwise don't come around with stories.
Listen, man, you need me
just as much as I need you!
Take a hike.
Son of a bitch.
- Captain Edelstein?
- Edelson.
I'm sorry. I'm Steve Burns.
Close the door. Sit down.
Burns... why do you think
you were called down here?
I don't know, they told me that
there was some special assignment
and that I was right for it.
Let me ask you something.
Have you ever had
your cock sucked by a man?
A man? No. Er...
Ever been porked?
Or had a man smoke your pole?
Ha-ha! You gotta be kidding.
- Yeah, you're kidding, I knew it.
- No.
No? Well, you got the wrong guy,
I guess, that's all.
Take a look at the board over there.
Paul Vincent was a professor
at Columbia University.
Loren Lukas was an actor.
Oh, the St. James Hotel stabbing.
I read about that.
How'd you like to disappear?
- Disappear?
- Go undercover.
These killings have a similar M.O.,
but we've also been finding parts
of bodies floating in the river.
We don't know a thing
about these torso victims.
We don't even know who they are yet.
But it's my hunch that they were done by the
same guy who did these killings up here.
So why me?
Well, frankly, all of the victims appear
to be the same physical type.
Which is to say,
they all look like you.
Late 20s, 140-150lbs.
Dark hair, dark eyes.
I see.
I wanna send you out there
to see if you can attract this guy.
Out where?
Lukas and Vincent were not
in the mainstream of gay life.
They were into heavy leather, S&M.
It's a world unto itself.
I don't know how much you know
about that sort of thing.
If you take this assignment,
you'll come out with more experience
than any of my detectives.
Er... do I carry a gun?
No gun, no shield.
You get paid once a month.
You get a call telling you where to pick up
the money. You report only to me.
And nobody can know anything
about what you're doing.
- Up the creek without a paddle, huh?
- What do you say?
Yeah, I love it.
What's this new thing
you're doing?
I can't talk about it, Nance, I told you.
Why not?
Because I just can't,
so please don't ask me, OK?
Don't ask me.
How long are you gonna be gone?
Oh, I don't know.
- Is it dangerous?
- I don't know.
I think it is, yeah.
Why do it, then?
Skip patrol, gold shield right away.
Can we talk about something else, yeah?
Your father called today.
Yeah?
Gold shield?
I didn't realize you were so ambitious.
There's a lot about me
you don't know.
Such as?
Hi.
- Hi.
- When did you move in?
Er... yesterday.
Yesterday afternoon.
I must've been asleep
with the air conditioner on.
I've been sleeping days
and working nights.
Like Fidel Castro,
only he's running a whole country.
- Right.
- I'm Ted Bailey.
- I'm John Forbes.
- Hi.
You doing a little housecleaning?
Oh, these, yeah.
Somebody left them in my closet.
Yeah, that was Bobby.
He had exotic tastes.
Er, don't put them in the trash bin.
Mrs. McGuire likes it
if we stack our magazines.
She sells them.
- You're putting me on.
- No.
She hasn't figured out
how to sell ordinary garbage,
so that she lets us throw out.
- And don't hang any pictures.
- I know, she told me.
Hey, you got time for a cup of coffee?
Really primo, right down the street.
Dinnertime I only eat seafood.
I gotta watch myself
or I balloon up like Shelley Winters.
It's worse when I'm working
on something.
I hope my typing didn't bother you.
- What are you working on?
- I'm trying to finish a play.
Oh, yeah? What kind of play?
Boy meets boy, boy loses boy,
boy ends up with analyst.
It's a light romantic comedy.
It's old-fashioned and sophisticated.
The kind nobody's interested in anymore.
Well, I hope that doesn't bother you.
Ha! Hell, no. Listen, it'd be hard to be
ignored if I was Paddy Chayefsky.
But I'm just trying to make a buck.
Hey...
Things are tough right now,
but I feel it's my destiny to be recognized.
But my roommate works steadily,
so we get by.
- What's your roommate do?
- He's a dancer. Gregory Milanese.
He's out of town right now
working on a musical.
He's trying out in Westport or someplace.
So I'm at loose ends, so to speak.
- How about yourself?
- Oh, I just quit school. Art school.
Looking for a job, commercial artist.
- Good luck.
- Yeah.
So where you been living?
Well, I was living in the Bronx
with my folks.
The first Braille waitress!
Hey, did you read about the killings?
"Homo killer on the prowl"?
- Yeah, I was reading about that.
- Talk of every gay bar in town.
- Scared to death of cruising myself.
- They're gonna get that guy.
- The cops are gonna get him.
- The cops?
Listen, they get their hands on him, they'll
make him a member of the Vice Squad.
Let me tell you. We had another killing
like this one about five or six months ago.
I don't even think it made the papers,
but we heard about it around here.
The victim was a teacher at Columbia.
They found him in his apartment
in about ten pieces.
Detectives came around asking questions
for a couple of days, nothing came of it.
I guess you can't be too careful, huh?
Excuse me.
Could I ask you about these?
What about them?
What are they for?
A light-blue hanky in your left back pocket
means you want a blow job.
Right pocket means you give one.
The green one left side says you're
a hustler, right side you're a buyer.
The yellow one left side means you give
a golden shower, right side you receive.
- The red one is...
- Right, thank you.
- See anything you want?
- Er...
I'm gonna go home and think about it.
I'm sure you'll make the right choice.
Alright!
You into water sports?
No, I just... I like to watch.
- Later.
- Yeah.
If you like to watch, take that hanky
out of your pocket, asshole.
Yes!
Yes!
Yes!
'Yes!'
'Yes!'
- How you doing?
- Good.
Bartenders are starting
to give me some information,
like who the regulars are,
who's been there before,
who ain't, that stuff.
Good. What else?
Ah... Oh, yeah, there's this name
keeps popping up all the time.
Tommy Mancusi.
He owns the Cock Pit,
four, five other places.
"Tommy the Joker" they call him.
- Are you serious?
- Yeah.
You trying to tell me you don't know
who Tommy the Joker is?
I don't know who he is.
Well, I do.
I can't move on him.
Why not?
I ask the questions.
You dropped your chalk.
- See you later.
- Watch yourself.
You bet!
I think he's cruising.
- Great night.
- Yeah, it is.
- Wanna get a beer?
- Oh, I don't know. It's kind of late.
I'd invite you up to my apartment,
but I don't have air conditioning yet.
Oh, that's too bad.
- How about the park?
- Fine.
♪ Who's here? I'm here
♪ You're here
♪ Who's here?
♪ I'm here
♪ You're here
Where are you, man?
Come on.
Where are you?
Don't play games with me, man.
Where are you?
I'm waiting for you.
- Everything's ready.
- Good.
Nance...
Why don't you lie down
for a little while?
Don't let me lose you.
- Uh-uh.
- OK?
- Don't let me lose you.
- I love you.
You're not gonna lose me.
I love you so much.
Gregory called me last night.
Remember roommate Gregory?
Seems the star of the show has hepatitis
and the tour's canceled till he recovers.
Show closes in Bucks County tonight,
he'll be home tomorrow.
- That should make you happy.
- Overjoyed.
Listen, I never told you
about Gregory and me.
You know what he said
when he called me up?
He said I should forget about my writing
and find a job till his show reopens.
He says it's my turn to work now.
He intends to flop on the beach
and turn nut brown.
His very words. Damn.
I was counting on having
the rest of the summer.
I could've finished by Labor Day.
- So tell him.
- I did.
At which point, dear Gregory said
that the world could wait
for any play I might turn out,
but the summer sun waits for no man.
Who knows?
He might be right about this play.
He was right, God knows,
about the others I've written.
Nobody else cared much
about them either.
So I guess I'll work my bricks off.
We need the money.
Gregory's tired.
It's fair enough, I suppose.
You, er... you really feel like that?
No.
I'm seething.
I'm not exactly mad enough to kill,
but I am mad enough for something.
Bobby, the guy that used
to have your room,
he used to get this way, only worse.
He'd slam out the door,
go stomping off down the stairs.
I never knew what set him off,
but later he'd tell me where he went.
Usually the baths.
He'd check in,
blow a dozen guys in an hour.
You ready for that?
No. I'm not ready for that.
But I understand
what made him feel that way.
I hate Mondays.
Oh, Ted, I wish I could help you,
do something for you.
You do?
You do.
Where you going, friend?
- What do you mean?
- Got a knife, gun, anything at all?
- Why? What's wrong?
- You a police officer?
- What?
- This is Precinct Night.
You got the wrong attitude. I'm afraid
I'm gonna have to ask you to leave.
Right.
You looking for something?
That bulge in your pants ain't a knife.
Why don't we take a walk?
Yeah...
Not tonight.
Joey, listen, you'll come before 7:00
on Sunday night, won't you?
Cross my heart. I'll be on the island
if you need to reach me.
I don't have that number.
It's on the wall in your kitchen
under "reminders".
Oh, alright.
You know how paranoid Bess gets
if dinner starts one minute after 8:00
the night before she's shooting.
Not to worry!
I have Margo's dress to finish.
She opens in Vegas in two weeks.
- Have fun.
- I'll try.
You made me do that.
- It's my place as much as yours.
- As if the hell it is.
- When did you pay rent?
- I paid rent!
- Which you get out your ass.
- You just listen to me.
- In Westport?
- Yeah...
When will you be on Broadway?
As soon as you get a play on Broadway!
- How did he get hepatitis?
- That's none of your goddamn business.
- You're asking me about my life.
- I'm not asking you about your life!
- I don't have to ask a thing!
- What is it? I told you.
It's a ridiculous, idiotic.
- Your life is a flop play!
- Let's see yours.
- Your life is just beating my ass.
- That's life!
Get someone else. I don't think
you'll find anything as big as this.
Bullshit, man.
I can find anybody I want.
- Oh, you're so good-looking and so fine.
- Yeah, yeah.
- Answer just one question.
- Yeah.
When you gonna get
it into that stupid head of yours?
You don't know what the fuck
you're talking about.
I'm making $650 a week dancing
my ass off, while you're just playing...
Right now, what do you make?
I gotta pay the rent.
P.C.'s on the phone,
the mayor's on the phone.
Every gay group in the city
is stomping around my office all day.
Now, what in Christ more
do you need, Dave?
I just have to do more
with the information I already have.
Dave, you got 23 years on the job.
I'd like to see you go out
on a high note,
but both our reputations
are at stake on this one.
I went to the P.C.,
I recommended you for the squad,
and I am not going to have this thing
explode on me.
I understand that.
So wrap it up.
I don't care how you do it.
You clean this thing up before
the Democratic convention comes in,
or I will put somebody
in your office who can.
Skipper, we found this quarter
in the coin box at the peep show.
The blood matches the victim's,
but not this print we lifted from it.
Take a walk?
I'll tear your goddamn head off.
The guy by the pinball machine.
The guy with the...
the eagle on his jacket.
Oh, yeah, his name's Skip Lee.
He's a bad dude.
The other night he got stoned out,
came on to a guy at the Eagle's Nest.
The guy gave him the swerve,
Skip went for his throat.
Leave him alone. He's a scumbag.
- Hey, baby, what's happening?
- I'm with someone.
Aren't we all? Wanna dance?
- There he is.
- The one with the red scarf?
No, the one with the hat.
The one on the outside.
He calls himself Skip.
I don't know his last name.
- He's been in a lot of hassles here.
- Is that the one that followed you?
- Yeah.
- Why didn't you go with him?
I don't know.
I... I kind of choked.
But I think you should check him.
Red card you win, black card you lose.
That's a black and that's a black.
- I won't say that. Anybody else?
- I bet 10.
Ten dollars, put it up. Ten dollar to win.
Oh, I got a winner, I gotta pay.
I don't get mad when I lose.
Now watch my red number
and my black number.
I need some information
on a guy called Skip.
Twenty-six, maybe 27 years old.
He's a regular at the Cock Pit
and the Anvil.
Yeah, Skip Lee? He works at a steakhouse
in Penn Station, The Iron Horse.
- Got it.
- Hey!
Edelson take care
of those two cops for me?
He's working on it.
- Well, I got something else.
- What?
You know that guy that was killed
up at the Ramble?
Couple of my friends were up there
that night. They said they heard singing.
- Singing?
- Yeah, nursery rhyme, like...
♪ Who's here? We're here ♪
Something like that.
- Good evening.
- Good evening.
- Table for two?
- Yeah.
This way, please.
There you go.
- OK.
- Thank you.
Enjoy your dinner.
- There's our boy.
- Hmm-mm.
Yes, would you like a drink
before dinner?
- Yeah, Heineken.
- OK.
And what about you, sir?
Something to drink?
- I'll have... I'll have a steak.
- OK.
- Make it two.
- Right. How would you like those cooked?
- Rare.
- Medium.
The pattern of lacerations
match the serrations.
The depth and the width
of the stab wounds
could all have been made
with this type blade.
Could you take off an arm
or a leg with that thing?
You'd have to be very strong.
But, yes, it could get the job done.
This is what you're looking for.
Your man's carrying this.
Come on, guys, let's get it going.
Another half-hour, I'm on overtime.
Yeah.
Let's go to work.
Here we go.
- 'What's that?'
- 'Well, there's two of us here.'
'Are you kidding?
That's not my scene.'
'OK, then, you tie me up.'
- 'No, that's too weird, man.'
- 'Are you saying you won't do it?'
- 'Well, I just don't get into that.'
- 'Yeah, but I do.'
'You want me to tie you up
and then what do you want me to do?'
'Do whatever you want.'
Let's get out of here.
'And do what?'
- Huh? What the hell is this?
- Get your ass in there!
- Against the wall!
- What's going on?
- Gimme your hand.
- What's your name?
What are you doing here?
- Did he try anything?
- No.
- Did he show you his knife?
- No.
Now, what were you faggots
doing up there?
What is this shit, huh?
- You were gonna stick him, weren't you?
- What are you talking about?
- Whose room was it?
- His.
Is that right?
I... I told you, what we were doing
in there is none of your business.
- So you had no right to come in there...
- I wanna know what you were doing.
- Nothing!
- Nothing?
He's tied up, lying face down.
Nothing?
Is this what you had in mind for him?
Listen, we got enough to stick you away
for three years right now.
- It's as tight as a chicken's ass.
- Now, you wanna do yourself a favor?
Hey, listen...
This guy cruised me.
I didn't even know him.
I don't even know his name.
He got me to go up to his room
with him!
- That's bullshit.
- Is that right?
I told you it was my room.
That's all I'm gonna tell you.
I wanna see a lawyer.
- What the hell was that?
- Did he show you his knife?
- What'd he hit me for?
- Who paid for the room?
- What was that?
- Who paid for the room?
- What'd he hit me for?
- Who paid for the room?
- I told you, I did!
- He did, man!
Alright,
let's separate these two girls.
- Come on, get up.
- Let's go.
Come on, get up.
Come on, get in there!
You came in too soon, Sonny.
You were too soon.
Hey, you really hit me, man.
You know this man?
No.
What about him, Skip?
Recognize him?
Have you ever seen him before?
- Him?
- What do you want from me, huh?
'I never killed nobody.
You better let me see a lawyer, man!'
Tremendous.
Oh, Nolan Ryan.
You know he did that
off the two-hitter too?
Oh, come on!
- Who is that guy?
- Ever see a knife like this, Skip?
I see them every day.
They give them out where I work.
Do you have one like it?
- What do you want from me, huh?
- You're a lying son of a bitch.
Skip, the day Martino
Perry was killed,
you were seen
coming out of his store.
I bought him an ounce of grass.
Get up! Get on your feet!
Get your pants down.
- What?
- Watch my lips.
- Get your pants down!
- Get them off!
'You're gonna jerk off, mister.'
'We're gonna get
a sample of your sperm.'
Then you're gonna take
the floating-ball test.
What's that?
We're gonna fill that sink with water,
then we're gonna dip your balls in it,
and if they don't float...
...you're our main man.
Do you understand that?
The prints don't match.
The print on the quarter's
different than the kid's print.
Listen, boss, let me have this guy.
I'm telling you, I can make him give it up.
He's only been working in that steak joint
a little over two months.
You got nothing.
He's the wrong guy.
- Hi.
- Hello.
Why didn't you use your key?
Can I come in?
Er... I'm on my way out.
OK.
What's going on?
Nothing.
Why can't you trust me?
I don't wanna talk about it, Nance.
- Is it me? Are you turned off to me?
- No.
Why don't you want me anymore?
I'm tired, that's all.
I'm not an idiot.
Nance, what I'm doing
is affecting me.
I'm on your side, you know?
I don't know, I...
I don't understand
what's happening to you.
Neither do I.
Maybe we should cut loose
for a while.
Yeah.
Yeah. OK.
Steve?
Forget it.
I don't understand how you let
those guys work me over like that.
Welcome to the Detective Division.
We're gonna have to find another way,
because I'm not getting paid enough
to go through this.
You think I enjoy it? We're looking
for a killer. We gotta make it convincing.
Look, the guy was innocent.
You worked him over
like he shot the president or something.
You destroyed that kid.
You didn't even have a case against him.
You fingered him.
I didn't think anybody
was gonna go that far with him.
- Sometimes you only get that one chance.
- He didn't have a knife.
I didn't come on this job to shitcan
some guy just cos he's gay, Captain.
You're gonna come into days where
you have to collar a dozen guys like that.
Scared, weird little guys who don't know
why they have to do what they do.
It isn't their fault,
it isn't your fault, it's the job.
I can't do the job.
I don't think I can do the job, Captain.
I don't think I can handle it, that's all.
I don't know...
It's just... It's...
Things happening to me, you know.
I don't know that I can handle it.
I want you to know that it's not
because I'm afraid or anything.
It's just stuff going down,
I don't think I can... I can deal with it.
I need you.
You're my partner
and you can't let me down.
We're up to our ass in this,
and I'm counting on you.
Steve...
This is from
the Columbia University yearbook.
These pictures go back two years.
There's a check mark
next to every student
who ever took a class from
that Columbia professor who got killed.
I'd like you to take this
and see if you can recognize anybody.
'Registrar's office.
Good morning.'
Yes, I'm trying to locate a student,
Stuart Richards.
He's in the department
of Music and Speech.
'Is he enrolled in the summer session?'
Er... yes, I believe he is.
- 'Would you wait just a moment, please?'
- Yes.
- 'Hold on.'
- Yes.
'The last address I have
on Stuart Richards...'
Hold on just a second, please. Yes?
- 'It's 140...'
- One-forty.
- 'Claremont Ave., Morningside Heights.'
- Thank you.
God, what is this? Sheep shit?
What do you expect
for 50 cents a pack?
I didn't realize things
were getting that rough.
I think my old man's
about to draw the line again.
- He turned me down on a car.
- Oh, yeah?
He doesn't understand why I'd want
a car to do research in a library
that's right across the street
from where I live.
So what are you gonna do?
Live within my meager means
and continue my thesis
on the roots
of the American musical theater.
All in the way of buying two more years
before I have to go out in the world.
I didn't mean your plans for life, Stuie.
What about tonight?
- Don't call me Stuie, OK?
- Sorry.
I got a lot of stuff to do tonight, Paul.
I have to go out. I should do more work.
Well, if you get tired of studying,
Maybe I can get my old man
to adopt you.
- You're too kind.
- You noticed.
Father, I need to talk to you.
I wish just once
you'd say something positive to me.
I've tried to do everything you wanted,
but it's never good enough.
I've taken it for granted
that you understood, Stuie.
You know what you have to do.
'You know what you have to do.'
- Yes?
- I'm looking for Ted.
- I got the room next door.
- You must be the famous John Forbes.
- You must be Greg.
- Yeah, looks as if I got back just in time.
What do you mean?
Do you usually come barging in
on Ted at dinnertime?
I don't know whether
that's any of your business.
Wrong. It's exactly my business.
Anyway, you struck out tonight.
Ted isn't here.
Where is he?
If you must know,
he's out working an IBM machine
in a primo brokerage house.
It pays well because normal folk
don't like working at night.
It's good for him, cos when he's out
working he's not out getting involved.
- If you know what I mean?
- No, I don't know what you mean.
- No?
- No.
Ted is too sensitive
to have too many involvements.
We found that out with the last
piece of trash that moved in.
It must be something about that room,
the people it attracts, do you suppose?
You bastard.
Pussy.
Come on, you cocksucker!
Just do it again
and I'll call the police, asshole!
Fuck.
Oh, shit.
Motherfucker!
You're in love with him.
You love Ted, don't you?
You're crazy, mister.
You ought to be committed!
You wanna play, I'll play with you!
Get out.
Got a light?
Thanks.
♪ Who's here? I'm here
♪ You're here... ♪
You're very funny.
You got a place?
Yeah, I have a place.
But it's not available right now.
- We could go to my place.
- Yeah, where is that?
- West Village.
- Too far. How about...
...right down there in the tunnel?
Well... I'm not too crazy
about public places.
Oh, don't worry, Dorothy,
there's nobody around.
- How big are you?
- Party size.
- What are you into?
- I go anywhere.
- I don't do anything.
- That's cool.
Hips or lips?
Bashful?
No.
Then get them down.
I wanna see the world.
Go for it.
Stuart, the man you attacked
the other night was a police officer.
He attacked me.
We know you killed Martino Perry.
Your fingerprint was on the quarter.
We're going to indict on that.
The upside for you is twenty to life.
That's all you're gonna get,
an indictment.
If you confess to the murder
of Martino Perry
and Loren Lukas and Eric Rossman,
and four or five others
we think you're involved in,
we'll reduce your sentence.
You'll do eight years, no more.
I've talked to the D.A.,
and he's willing to go along.
I never killed anyone.
You'll have to run it down
for the grand jury.
- Grand jury?
- Just a formality.
Once you've been cleared,
you can never be sued or face any charges.
We'll present the evidence,
tell them what your assignment was,
they'll go for necessary force,
and you'll walk away.
You know, Captain, er...
I appreciate the chance you gave me.
You were there for me.
I... I...
I appreciate it.
Your orders should come down
after the grand jury.
Meanwhile, take the rest of the week off.
Burns...
Welcome to the Detective Division.
Thanks.
- Captain Edelman.
- Edelstein.
Do you know any of these people,
Mr. Gaines?
Er... they look like pictures of Stuart
when he was a kid.
I got a box of old letters here.
All addressed to, er...
John L. Richards, St. Louis.
- That was his father.
- I wonder why he never sent these.
He's been dead for 10 years.
Oh, yeah?
I guess he never got over it.
He used to talk about him like he was alive.
Huh...
Are you Mazzillo?
Right in there, Captain.
- What time did you hear the voices?
- About 2:15, 2:30.
Did you hear anything
they were saying?
Captain...
The landlady discovered the body
about 2:30 a.m.
The guy downstairs heard some screaming.
He's giving the details to Desher outside.
Who is he?
Name is Ted Bailey. Works in a brokerage
house downtown, part-time, nights.
Went to the beach today
with three friends.
Got back about 6:00, went to work.
And he must've got hit
just after he came home.
There's no sign of a struggle,
nothing seems to be stolen.
Must've been someone he knew.
I think we got the murder weapon
in there. It's a kitchen knife.
He had a roommate by the name
of, er... Gregory Milanese.
He's a dancer.
We got an alarm out for him.
Looks like a lover's quarrel to me.
- Di Simone.
- Sir?
- Sixth Precinct.
- Yes, sir.
Who lives in that apartment
down the hall?
A guy called Casey,
but he's away for the summer.
The one next door is registered
in the name of John Forbes.
The landlady thinks it's phoney,
cos she ain't seen him in a couple days.
What's that name?
John Forbes.
Jesus Christ.
Sir?
- When did you get in?
- A little while ago.
I'm back.
Can I stay?
Sure.
I'm glad.
I need to talk to you.
I wanna tell you everything.
OK? Let me just get this off.
OK.
♪ You know you're sliding down
♪ Against your heart
♪ Yeah, you got one
♪ Just close your eyes
♪ So you can see
♪ So you can see
♪ No, baby, I don't care
what they say, it's so easy
♪ No, baby, I don't care
what they say, it's so easy
♪ Yeah, it's coming on
♪ It's getting sweeter
♪ And sweeter
♪ If you're gonna drown
♪ Then do it the right way
♪ Do it the right way
♪ I don't care what they say,
It's so easy!
♪ I don't care what they say,
It's so... ha-ha-ha-ha!
♪ It's so easy
♪ It's so easy
♪ It's so easy,
Ha-ha-ha-ha!
♪ Oh, baby...
♪ It's so easy
♪ It's so easy... ♪