Hunter (1984–1991): Season 1, Episode 6 - Flight on a Dead Pigeon - full transcript
Hunter and McCall try to help a young girl whose Uncle was killed. It seems the man races pigeons and they're missing. Later someone tries to grab the girl, Hunter and McCall try to find out why.
Uncle Pete! No!
I Want That Kid.
Forget It.
I'm Not Gonna Start
Chasing Pigeons Around.
I'll Take The Reins
On This One, Mccall.
Ow! Hey!
Ruffy's The Only One Who
Knows How To Run The Birds.
Police!
All Right,
Where Is She?
If This Girl
Has Been Kidnapped
Due To
Your Negligence...
They Got Ruffy.
Hit It, Man! Cops!
Looks Like Our Little Bird
Flew The Coop.
[Theme Music Playing]
Works For Me.
[Cooing]
No Cheating, Yank.
You Got To Circle
Till I Get On My Bike, Ok?
Good Luck!
I'm Going To Beat You
Home, Yank.
[Bell Jingles]
Hey, Old Yank,
Looks Like You Found Me.
[Bell Jingles]
Say, Old Pal,
Don't You Know
That A Gentleman Always
Lets His Lady Win?
Pete!
Pete!
Pete! Did I Beat Him?
Did I Beat Yank?
I Knew I Could Beat Ya.
Do You Think He Let Me Win,
Uncle Pete?
Gee, I Figure
A Win Is A Win, Ruffy,
No Matter How
You Come By It.
That's Not Why I Always
Take Your Socks In Gin Rummy.
[Laughs]
Come On. We Got
To Feed The Birds.
Look At 'Em. No Matter
How Much You Feed 'Em,
They Always Act Like
They're Starving To Death.
Well, Maybe They're Just Tired
Of Being Cooped Up, Pete.
Maybe You Ought To Let Them
Out For A While.
Oh, Sure, So They'll
All Fly Back
To Their Old Roost
In Agoura, Huh?
Why Don't You Train Them
To Fly Here Like Yank?
I'm Gonna Do That, Ruffy,
Pretty Soon, But--
[Horn Honking]
Pretty Soon.
Uh, Ruffy.
Uh, Look, Honey,
Why Don't You, Uh,
Go Down To The Market,
Get Us A Couple Of Big,
Thick, Juicy Steaks
For Dinner, Huh?
Steaks?
Yeah.
Sure!
Did You Hit An Exacta
Or Something, Pete?
Yeah,
I Hit An Exacta.
Take Yank With You.
Come On.
[Bell Jingles]
Take Care Of Him,
Now, Ok?
Ok.
Get Going.
Get Going.
Here's Your Stuff.
We're Even,
And I'm Out.
It's All There.
I Wouldn't Touch
That Stuff.
Look, I'd Appreciate It
If You Were Out Of Here
By The Time
The Kid Shows Up.
You Know What I'm Thinking?
I'm Thinking
What A Shame It Is
You Went To All
This Trouble
To Train These
Smart Little Birds
To Fly In
Our Merchandise For Us,
And Now You Want
To Retire 'Em.
I'm Done...
Through.
We're Even.
For How Long?
Till Your Next Sure Thing
Breaks Down In The Stretch?
You Know So Much
About Running Birds,
Do It Yourself.
Know What I Think, Fellas?
I Think Old Petey Boy Here
Is Looking For A Bigger
Piece Of The Action.
Yeah.
I Think So.
The Last Thing
I Want To Hear
Is Some Horse-Playin' Rummy
Getting Greedy,
So From Now On,
You're Gonna Do What I Say,
And You're Gonna
Do It For Free!
You Can't Do A Thing
Without The Birds!
If I Say No, It's No!
You Don't Even Know
Where They Land!
Grab Him! Grab Him!
Aah!
Aah! Aah! Aah!
[Thud]
He Was Trying To Let
The Birds Go.
You Saw It!
Grab Those Damn Cages,
Load The Birds Up,
And Let's Get
The Hell Out Of Here!
But We Don't Know
How To Run 'Em.
I Think I Know Someone
That's Gonna Help Us.
Uncle Pete! No!
Uncle Pete!
Oh, No!
You Wouldn't Want
To Do Me A Favor,
Would You, Mccall?
If You Want
To Do My Nails Over,
I'll Type Your Report.
You're
A Police Officer.
You Shouldn't
Have Nails.
[Cooing]
Sergeant Hunter?
I'm Ruffy. Ruffy Collier.
And I Want To File
A Stolen Property Report.
Well, Honey, You're
In The Wrong Place.
I Work Homicide.
You Want To Talk
To Somebody In Burglary.
You Are Sergeant Rick Hunter,
Aren't You?
I Was This Morning.
Your Cousin Jilly,
My Bookmaker,
He Said That You Were
The Best Cop On The Force
And That I Should
Talk To You.
Jilly's Your
Bookmaker, Too?
Actually,
He Used To Handle
Some Of
My Uncle Pete's Action,
And I Used To Help Him
Make His Picks,
But Uncle Pete Fell
Off The Roof And Was Killed,
And Somebody Swiped
The Rest Of His Pigeons.
And I Now Want
To File A Complaint
So That You Could
Help Find Them.
Pigeons, Huh?
Ok, Who Put Her
Up To This?
Delgado?!
[Laughter]
Look, Honey, I'd Like
To Help You Out,
But I'm Real Busy
Right Now.
They Stole
The Rest Of His Pigeons,
And Nobody Wants
To Help Me.
[Crying]
Nice Going, Hunter.
Hmm.
Your Uncle Pete
Gambled A Lot?
I Guess. Benny Called Him
A Degenerate.
I Think That Means
He Gambled A Lot.
Who's Benny?
A Friend.
So Uncle Jilly's
Taking Bets
On Pigeon Races,
Huh?
Uncle Pete
Never Bet On Pigeons.
He Bet On Horses
And Football And Basketball.
Lucky For Them
Those Birds Can Live
On Chicken Feed,
Considering The Odds
Jilly Pays.
Hunter.
Look, Honey,
I Know How Important
These Birds Are To You,
And We'd Like
To Help You Out And All,
But I Got To Be
Honest With You.
As Far As The Police
Department's Concerned
And The Law,
This Is A Very Petty Crime.
Do You Understand
What I'm Saying?
You're Not Gonna Help Me
Find Out Who Took 'Em
And Get 'Em Back.
The Captain Wouldn't
Authorize It.
The Birds Aren't
Worth Enough
To Justify The Time
Of 2 Police Officers.
Those Pigeons Are Worth
From $100 To $300 Apiece.
And, Yank, I Could Get $700
For Him As A Breeder.
How Many Birds Did You Say
There Were Again?
Mccall.
About 30,
Not Counting Yank.
Well, I Think We Could Go
By The Loft On Our Way Home.
Come On.
Hunter.
Forget It.
I'm Not Gonna Start
Chasing Pigeons Around.
[Sniffling]
Why Don't You Two
Go On Up?
I'll Check In.
This Is L-56 Mccall.
I Need Some Information
On Somebody.
Patch Me In
To Records, Please.
Dispatcher:
L-56, Stand By.
Ruffy, Isn't It Possible
That Somebody Left
The Cage Doors Open
And The Birds Flew Away?
Somebody Took Them.
The Carrying Cages Are Gone.
And Anyway, If Somebody
Did Let Them Go,
Only Yank Would Come Back.
Because, You See,
Yank Was Retrained
To This Coop,
And If Something
Happened To This Coop,
Yank Would Fly Back
To His Old Home.
And The Other Birds
Wouldn't Fly Back Here?
Not Yet. They Hadn't
Been Here Long Enough
To Find Out That
This Is Their Real Home.
Uncle Pete Just Got 'Em.
Ruffy, You Said
Your Uncle Pete Gambled A Lot.
Was He In Hock
To The Bookies?
For A Long Time,
But He Got Healthy Again
Just Before
His Accident.
He'd Been Living
On Beans For A Month.
Then, All Of A Sudden,
He Sends Me Out
To Buy Some Steaks.
He Must've Hit
A Big One.
Hunter.
I Ran A Check
On The Girl's Uncle--
Pete Collier.
The Autopsy Report Showed
That He Died Of A Broken Neck,
Probably The Result
Of The Fall.
He Had An Open Pint
Of Bourbon In His Pocket,
But The Blood Test
Showed Under .01,
So He Wasn't Drunk.
So We've Got
A Degenerate Gambler,
Who, According To Ruffy,
Was Tapped Out.
And He Happens
To Own $9,000 Worth
Of Racing Pigeons.
Gonna Help Me Find
My Pigeons For Me?
I Think It's Time
We Take You Home
Now, Ruffy.
Well, We Can't Run
A Police Investigation
With You Tagging Along,
You Know.
Investigation?
Come On. Those Birds
Are Probably--
Those Birds Are Probably
Somewhere By Now.
Come On. Let's Go.
Do We Get To Ride
In The Police Car Again?
Could We Run The Siren
This Time?
We'll Be Lucky If
The Lousy Car Starts This Time.
That's It!
You Don't Have To Walk Me
To The Door.
I'm 10, You Know,
And Besides,
I Don't Want
To Worry My Parents,
Coming Home
In A Police Car And All.
Bye.
They'll Hardly Recognize
This As A Police Car.
You Think We're Saps
For Running This Down.
I'm A Homicide
Detective,
Not Dr. Dolittle.
We May Have A Homicide.
It's Obvious
What Could've Happened.
One Of Pete's Gambling Debts
Caught Up With Him,
And They Grabbed
His Only Assets.
Ruffy Said Those Birds
Were Worth Over $9,000.
Well, I Wouldn't Believe
Everything She Says,
'Cause She's Not
Going Home.
There She Is!
Hey, Sweetie, Should You Be
On Your Own Like This?
4062 Tiverton Road,
And You Don't Have
To Drop The Meter
If You Don't Want To.
Yes, Ma'am.
[Horn Honks]
Police!
You Ok?
Yeah. What'd They Want
With That Kid?
Good Question.
Real Good Question.
What Do You Mean,
You Don't Know
Where She Is?
What Kind Of Answer
Is That?
We Got To Make
That Run
Or They're Going
To Fold Up Shop
On The Other Side
Of The Border.
Then We'll Be Out
The Money
And The Shipment.
Which One Of You
2 Guys Wants
To Explain That
To Our Creditors?
You Don't Understand.
These Two Were Cops.
You Don't Understand!
What,
The Two Of You Just
Float Out Of The Sky?
Huh? What Do You Think,
They're Going To Slap
Our Wrists For This?
We're Gonna All Wind Up
As Mincemeat In Some
Local Butcher Shop.
Now You Two Hit
Every Place Where
That Kid Might Be
And Then Some.
I Want That Kid.
She's The Only One
That Knows How To Run
Those Birds
And Where They're Going
To Fly Into.
And Those 2 Gunslingers
We Ran Into,
We Just Forget About 'Em?
That Ain't So Easy.
Listen, Man,
I've Heard About Hunter.
I Don't Care
What You Heard.
You Two Guys
Find That Kid!
This Is What She Said,
6042 Tiverton.
What Do We Owe You?
Always Wanted
To Help The Law.
Besides, The Kid
Took Care Of It.
Here You Go.
Driver: Thank You.
Yeah.
Ok, Wicks. 10 Across
On Rubberneck In The Third.
Can I Help You?
Yeah. Is Your Name Benny?
Yeah. Uh...
What Do You Want?
We're Looking
For A Little Girl
Named Ruffy Collier.
So Am I Supposed To--
Ok, Sport, I'm Looking
For That Girl,
And I'd Better Find Her
In Primo Condition
Real Quick,
Otherwise I'm Going To
Be Sorry All Over You.
No! No! Please
Don't Hurt Him!
Leave Him Alone!
Are You All Right?
Yeah, I'm All Right,
Sweetheart.
It's All Right, Baby.
It's All Right, Baby.
All Right, Sweetheart.
After Her Parents Died,
It Was Foster Homes
And Juvenile Hall.
The Usual Bit.
Then Pete Found Her.
Nobody From
The Social Welfare
Never Came Looking
For You?
Sure, They Did,
But Pete Took Care Of 'Em.
Pete Was A Warm, Decent,
Wonderful Human Being,
A Sweetheart, But He Was
A Degenerate Gambler.
Who Did Pete Owe,
Do You Know?
Every Book In Town.
About 3 Months Ago,
He Told Me He Was
Stuck Over 30,000.
He Was In That Deep,
And They Still Carried Him?
Nah.
They Sold Off His Markers,
A Quarter A Dollar,
To--Would You Believe This--
Jake Henderson.
Jake Henderson?
He Breaks Kneecaps
For A Living.
Since When Has He Been
Buying Up Markers?
He Bought Up Pete's,
And A Funny Thing Happened.
The Two Of Them Wound Up
Partners In A Scheme That
Pete Said Would Get Him Even.
Like What?
He Didn't Say,
And Me, I Don't Ask
Such Questions,
But It Was Plain
That Pete Didn't Like It.
They're Going To Put Ruffy
In Another Foster Home,
Aren't They?
What Else?
If You Want Her,
You Could File
An Application
With The Child Welfare
Department.
I'd Give My Right Arm,
But What Happens
When They Investigate
And Find Out What I Did
For A Living?
Ruffy, It's Time
To Go, Sweetheart.
I Want To Stay
With My Uncle Benny.
You Will, Sweetheart.
We'll Work It Out Somehow.
You'll Let Me Know
Where She Is And What's
Happening, Please?
Sure, Benny.
Yeah.
I'm Going To Turn On
My Answering Machine.
Then I'll Turn
The Volume Up.
And That Way, If I Call,
You Hear My Voice.
You'll Be Able
To Pick Up The Phone
And Talk To Me, Ok?
Mm-Hmm.
Are You Tired,
Ready For A Nap?
I Bet I Have
A Lot Of New Stuff
To Dream About
After What's
Happened Today.
I'll Bet You Do, Too.
Ok. Come On.
Put Your Head Up Here.
Here. He Wants To Take
A Nap With You.
Sleep Tight, Kid.
[Coos]
You Know,
We Really Should
Turn Her Over To
The Child Welfare People.
Been To Juvenile Hall
Lately?
Yeah.
All Right.
What Do You Say
We Go See What
Jake Henderson Was Doing
With Pete Collier?
Good Idea.
Mccall?
You Know, Maybe One Of Us
Better Cover The Back Door,
In Case Jake Tries
To Boogie Out Of Here.
Ok. It's Your Idea,
Your Job. I'll Go In.
Now, Wait A Minute.
It's A Pretty Rough Place
In There.
Ok. We'll Flip A Coin.
All Right.
We'll Use My Coin.
Heads.
Heads.
You Cheat.
Next Time
We'll Use Your Coin,
The One With 2 Tails.
Now, Come On.
Let's Go.
Besides, You Look
Like A Cop.
They'll Never Make Me.
Men: It's The Cops!
[Engine Won't Start]
Come On!
I Don't Think You're
Going To Get Very Far
Without This, Jake.
Ow!
Hey!
Ok, Jake, Now Tell Me Why
You Bought Up All
Of Pete Collier's Markers.
Pete Collier?
I Never Heard Of Him.
Aah!
How's Your Hearing Now,
Jake?
So I Picked Up
A Few Of His Markers.
So What? I Figured
Pete Collier
Was Due
For A Change Of Luck,
And At 25 Cents
On The Dollar,
How Much Can I Lose,
Right?
Yeah, Well, His Luck
Ran Out Altogether.
It Happens.
You Didn't Get Hurt,
Though, Did You?
The Way I Figure,
You're Just About Even.
You Spent 7,500
Buying Up Those Markers,
But You Must've
Pulled In At Least
That Much
When You Unloaded
Pete's Birds.
What Birds?
Ow! Oh, You Mean
The Pigeons.
I Heard They Flew Away.
Yeah, Well, If You Happen
To See Them Flying Overhead,
You'll Be Sure To Let Us Know,
Won't You, Jake?
Yeah.
Get Out Of Here!
[Footsteps Running]
I Think He's Going
To Go Tell On You,
Hunter.
Yeah. It'd Be Real Nice
To Know To Who.
Come On.
This Is How
We Used To Do It
When We Were
Busting Bookies In Vice.
Here We Go.
555-77...21.
Deacon, Jake.
What The Hell Did You
Get Me Into?
What Are You
Talking About?
I Just Got Shoved Around
By A Hard-Nosed Cop
Name Of Hunter.
Now, I Ain't
Standing Still For This.
Deacon, I'm Telling You.
Cool It, Jake.
Just Cool It.
Did He Bust You?
No, But, Uh--
Then What Are You
Worried About?
He's Just
Blowing Smoke.
If He Flashes
His Badge Again,
Call Me.
You Didn't Tell Him
Nothing, Did You?
Of Course Not!
Hey, There's No Connection
To You At All.
Ok. I'll Talk To You
Later.
Ok. That's Nabor's
Feed And Grain
On San Fernando Road,
Right?
Dispatcher:
That's A Roger, L-56.
Thanks, Lucille.
L-56 Out.
Oh, Whoa.
No, No, No. Whoa.
You're Not Getting
Into My Car With That.
It Doesn't Go
With The Upholstery.
You're So Picky.
This Sauce Is Going
To Eat Right Through
My Paint.
Why Do You Have
All Of That?
I Bought A Couple Extra
Chili Dogs For Ruffy.
She Doesn't Have It
Tough Enough Being
A Homeless Orphan?
Look, I Ran
That Number Down
That Jake Called.
Are You Ready For This?
It Belongs
To A Nabor's
Feed And Grain
Out In The Northwest
Valley.
It's Owned
And Operated By A Guy
Named Carl Deacon.
You Know What Else?
There Was A Sack
Of Pigeon Feed
In Pete's Loft
With Their Name On It.
Ok. Well, Why Don't You
Finish Your...Whatever,
And We'll Go
Check It Out.
Dispatcher: L-56,
Stand By For A Patch Call
From Your Precinct Captain.
Stand By, Please.
Captain: Hunter,
Where Are You?
Captain, This Is Mccall.
Hunter Is Out Of The Car
Right Now.
Can I Help?
Yeah, I Got A Real Upset
Lady From Child Welfare
On My Phone
Wanting To Know What
You Two Have Done With
One Of Their Charges.
I Suggest You
Explain It To Her.
Hold On While I Patch
Her Call In To You.
Great. Ok. Now,
What Do I Tell Her?
Tell Them You Can't Hear
Because Your Radio
Doesn't Work.
Hunter, This Is My Car,
Not Yours.
In My Car,
Everything Works.
Except The Radio.
I'll Take The Reins
On This One, Mccall.
You Don't Even Want
This Case, Remember?
You Said, "I'm Not
Going To Chase After
A Bunch Of Birds."
You Remember That?
This Case Is Obviously
Bigger Than A Bunch
Of Missing Birds.
I Think We Should Do It
My Way, Mccall.
Otherwise, Somebody's Going
To Find Out You've Been
Harboring A Child
That Should Be In
The Custody Of The Child
Welfare Department.
You Went Along With It.
You Were An Accomplice.
But She's In Your Apartment.
Would You Like
To Come In And Watch?
[Ring]
Deacon: Coming!
[Door Closes]
Carl Deacon?
Yeah. What Do You Want?
A Mutual Friend
Sent Me Over
To See You.
Jake Henderson.
About What?
He Said You'd Make Me
A Heck Of A Deal
On Some Pigeons.
I Don't Sell Pigeons.
Only Feed, A Few Quail,
And Some Loft Equipment.
That's All.
Come On. I Was Standing
Right There
When He Made
The Phone Call.
You're A Cop, Right?
He Made You, Too.
What Do You Think
Tipped It Off?
Was It Something You Said
Or Did, Or Maybe It Was
Just Instinct?
Oh, I Think
It Was Instinct.
Like Me,
I've Got It, Too,
Only On The Other
Side Of The Fence.
Like Right Now
I Think You're Lying
To Me About Those Birds
And That Maybe
They're Right Here.
I Don't Have To Dance
Around With You, Cop,
So Get Lost.
Mccall: We'd Really Like
To See Those Birds, Deacon.
They Belong To
A Little Girl.
Now, You Don't Mind
If We Look Around, Do You?
If You Got A Warrant,
You Can Look Till
Your Eyes Pop Out.
If Not, There's The Door.
You Want A Paper?
I'll Get The Judge
To Issue Me A Paper,
But I Got To Be
Honest With You,
Deacon.
The Next Time
I Leave Here,
This Place Isn't
Going To Be
This Neat.
And If You Lied To Me
About What You Had To Do
With Pete Collier's
Dying From Bad Credit
And A Broken Neck,
You're Going To Need
Some Rearranging, Too.
What'd You Tell Miguel?
Well, Tell Him We're
Going To Be Down There
Tomorrow, Like We Said,
And He Better Have
The Stuff Ready.
Yeah, Yeah,
Hasta La Bye-Bye
To You, Too.
How Are We
Going To Do That?
Do What?
Go Down There Tomorrow?
We're Gonna Fly Down There
In The Airplane, How Else?
You Know What I'm Saying,
Without The Kid?
She's Dropped
Into A Black Hole.
She Shouldn't Be
That Hard To Find.
Where The Hell
Could That Kid Be?
[Snaps Fingers]
At A Friend Of Pete's,
Right?
And How Many Friends Can
A Deadbeat Like Pete Have?
Aw, I Don't Know,
Deacon.
Oh, Another Country
Heard From.
What's Your Problem?
Look, She's Just
A Little Girl.
You're Kidding.
I Thought She Was
Your Grandmother.
Let Me Tell You Guys
Something.
The People That Put Up
The Money For This Run
Want That Dope,
And If We Don't Deliver It,
We're All Going To Wind Up
In A Cemetery.
Any Other Problems?
Ok. Let's Go.
There You Are,
Hunter.
Captain's Been
Looking All Over
For You Two.
Been Running Down
Those Missing
Pigeons,
Have We Been? Ha Ha.
Captain, Huh?
Uh-Oh, Bogeys
At 12 O'clock.
Hunter, Mccall.
This Is Miss Rankin.
These Are The 2 Officers
You Want To Talk To.
Miss Rankin Is
With The Child Welfare
Department.
I'm Looking
For Teresa Collier.
Have You Tried
Missing Persons?
Uh-Uh, You Two Are Not
Going To Smoke
This One Past Me.
Now, Everybody Saw You
Leave Here This Morning
With The Girl.
Oh, Ruffy.
They Mean Ruffy.
Why Didn't You Say So?
I Have A Court Order
To Pick Up That Child.
Do You Have A Foster Home
Ready For Her?
My Job Is To Pick Up
Teresa Collier
And Take Her
Into Custody.
The Girl Is A Truant
And A Runaway.
Ha. That's A Laugh.
She's Got Nothing
To Run Away From Or To.
A Kid That Age?
A Foster Home Could
Take Weeks, Maybe Months.
Captain, I Demand That
You Order These Two
To Tell Me Where
I Can Find That Girl.
I'm Sorry,
But An Attempt Has Been
Made To Kidnap That Girl.
She's Also A Possible
Witness In A Crime,
So She's Been Placed
Under Police Protection
Until This Investigation
Is Complete,
Unless You Want
To Be Responsible
For What Happens
When The Men Looking
For Her Find Her.
Yeah.
I Didn't Know Anything
About This,
But I Think,
Under The Circumstances,
The Girl
Should Remain Under
Police Protection.
Well, I At Least
Have To See Her
First.
I Have To Report
Back The Conditions
In Which
She's Being Held
And Who Will Be
The Supervising
Guardian.
Ruffy?
Ruffy?
Teresa?
Teresa,
It's Miss Rankin
From Child Welfare.
Teresa.
All Right,
Where Is She?
Sergeant,
If This Girl
Has Been Kidnapped
Due To Your
Negligence...
Well,
She Wasn't Grabbed,
And She Took Yank
With Her.
Looks Like
Our Little Bird
Flew The Coop.
Why?
[Machine Beeps]
Captain: I've Been
Trying To Reach You
And Your Partner All Day.
I Still Got That Lady
From The Child Welfare
Department,
And We Know
You Have That Girl.
Now Call Me Or Get
Your Butt In Here.
[Machine Beeps]
Man: Hey, Dee Dee,
I Just Wanted
To Give You A Call
And Let You Know
That Last Night Was--
[Clears Throat]
Well, Uh...
Anyway, At Least
We Know She's
All Right.
Yeah,
But For How Long?
If She's In Danger,
The Last Place
She Needs To Be
Is On The Streets.
A Little Girl
With A Birdcage
Shouldn't Be Too Hard
To Find, Now Should She?
Benny's.
Benny's.
Benny! Ruffy!
Benny, Groaning:
Over Here. Over Here.
Hunter.
They Got Ruffy.
Who?
I Don't Know.
They Got Her.
How Many Of Them
Were There?
There Were 2, A Big One
And A Bigger One.
Easy, Easy.
I'm All Right,
I'm All Right. Ok.
This Is Sergeant Mccall
Requesting An Ambulance
At 6042 Tiverton.
Right.
Ambulance
Is On Its Way.
Go Find Her.
Get Her Back, Please.
I'll Be Ok.
You Sure?
I'll Be Ok.
Well, You Can Relax,
Mccall.
Ain't Nothing Here
But Us Chickens.
I'd Have Sworn They
Brought Ruffy Here.
They Probably Did.
Then Where'd
They Take Her?
Probably The Same Place
They Took Those Other Pigeons
That Were In The Coop.
Hey, What Do You
Suppose This Is?
Looks Like A Life Vest
For Pigeons.
You See, They Put Them
On The Birds
When They Have To Fly
Over The Water.
You Know, This Does
Look Like Something
That Would Fit
On A Pigeon.
Has Little Pockets
Here.
This Is Heroin.
It's Mexican Brown.
Hunter, That's What
They're Doing.
They're
Using Pigeons
To Transport Heroin.
I Guess That Would Work.
With Pete Dead,
Ruffy's The Only One
Who Knows How
To Run The Birds.
I'll Bet You They're
On The Way To Mexico
Right Now.
Look,
I'll Get In Touch
With Immigration.
They Can Contact
The Border Patrols
In Both Tijuana
And Tecate.
They Won't Have Enough Time
To Drive To Mexico And Back.
Chuck: Hello.
Yeah, Chuck?
Yeah, What Can I Do
For You?
Yeah, I'm Calling About
Mr. Deacon's Airplane.
What's The Matter
With You People?
How Many Times
I Gotta Tell You?
It's All Gassed,
And The Pigeons
Are On Board.
It Is? Great.
Thanks A Lot, Chuck.
Just Checking.
Van Nuys Airport.
Quick.
I Could Show You
How To Start The Pigeons,
But I Don't Know
Where Uncle Pete
Trained 'Em To Land.
You See, Sweetie,
Either You Remember
Where Pete's Place
Was In Agoura,
Or We're Gonna Drop You
Out Of The Plane
Along With The Pigeons,
Only You Don't Get
No Parachute.
Wait.
Wait A Minute.
Uncle Pete Gave Me
A Picture Of Himself
In Front Of His
Old Place In Agoura.
Hey, Look At That,
Will Ya?
Now You Don't
Need Me Anymore.
You Can Let Me Go.
[Car Wheels Screech]
Hit It, Man.
The Cops!
That's The Whole Load.
This Is The Last Pigeon.
I'm Telling You,
I Know This Country.
There's A Shopping Center
A Couple Miles
This Side Of That Hill,
And A New Housing
Development Going Up
5 Or So Miles
To The Other Side.
All I Hope Is You
Can Find The Place.
It Should Be Easy Enough
To Spot From The Air,
That Is, If The Kid's
Telling Us The Truth.
Ah, She's Too Scared
To Lie.
If I Didn't Have
The Cash In My Own Hands,
I Wouldn't Believe
That Anybody
In His Right Mind
Would Be Doing
Business With You Guys.
You Hang A Million Bucks
Worth Of Dope
On A Flock Of Pigeons?
[Laughter]
Que Estupidos.
You Don't Even Know
Where They're Going
To Land.
Let Us Worry
About It, Ok?
You'll See Us
In A Couple Of Days
After We Turn
This Deal.
Maybe You'll
Turn This Load Over,
And Maybe
I'll Hear From You.
Amigo, I Got Other Customers
Who Are More
Of A Sure Thing.
Adios.
Let Me Tell You
Something,
Cucuracha.
Want To Trade
Bad Attitudes?
I Got One
With Your Name On It.
All You Gotta Do
Is Show When And Where
I Tell You To,
Or My Pigeon-Toting
Friends And I
Are Gonna Come
Back Down Here
And Stomp On
Some Sombreros.
¿Comprende, Amigo?
Hey...
I Got All The Dope
You Can Buy, Amigo.
Now, If That Stuff
Don't Reach The People
Who Are Bankrolling You,
It Ain't My Neck.
Vamonos.
Let's Finish Up Here
And Get Out.
Now What The Hell
Is This Thing?
It's A Vest
They Put On Pigeons
So They Can
Carry Things.
You See, It's Got
These 2 Little Pockets
Here, Captain.
We Got It In The Warehouse
Where They Were Keeping
The Pigeons.
Pigeons With Their Own
Little Vests.
That's Cute, Hunter.
Well, What's All This
Got To Do
With Whether Or Not
The Girl Was Kidnapped?
We Think The People
Using These Birds
Are Smuggling
Narcotics Up
From Mexico,
And They Kidnapped
The Girl Because
She's The Only One
That Can Manage
The Birds.
Using Pigeons
To Smuggle Narcotics?
If You're Putting Me On,
Hunter--
Really. If You Are
Putting Him On, Hunter...
The Police Chemists
Ran A Check
On This Vest.
The Preliminary
Report Shows Traces
Of Pure, Uncut
Mexican Brown.
[Whistles]
How Many Birds
Did You Say
There Were Involved?
There's 30,
Give Or Take.
Each Bird Can Carry
2 Ounces.
2 Ounces?
Big Deal.
30 Pigeons,
Each Carrying 2 Ounces
Of Pure Heroin,
28 Grams To The Ounce,
Cut It 7 Times
And Sell It On The Street
For $100 A Gram,
And We Come Up With...
$1,000,176.
Exactly.
That Would Look
Pretty Good On My--On Our,
Uh, Precinct Report.
Drug Bust That Size.
Well, We Might Have
A Problem With That.
You See,
This Is The Only
Bird We've Got,
And He Was Trained
To Land In The City.
Now, According
To Ruffy,
The Other Birds
Are Trained To Land
In An Entirely
Different Location.
We Think That's Out
At A Coop In Agoura.
Well, What Are You
Waiting For?
Go Out And Pick 'Em Up.
We Can't. Only
Pete Collier And Ruffy
Knew The Whereabouts
Of That Coop.
He's Dead, And
She's Been Kidnapped,
Obviously Because
She Can Take Deacon
Right To The Coop.
Well, After We Run
A House-To-House
Through Agoura,
Deacon And The Dope
Will Be Long Gone,
And The Kid Will Be
Stuffed In A Well
Somewhere.
You Could've Talked
All Day
Without Reminding
Us, Bernie.
I'm Just Being
Realistic, Mccall.
There Goes Our Big Bust.
You Know, Captain,
I Think Yank
Can Help Us.
If He Was Half Parrot
And Could Talk.
Captain,
According To Ruffy,
He Was
Originally Trained
To The Agoura Coop.
Now If We Can Make Him
Go Back There,
We Can Hang A Radio
Direction Finder On Him.
If. If Your Aunt
Had Wheels,
She'd Be A Wagon.
Now, Look, Pete
Trained This Bird
To Land
In The City Coop.
Pigeons Are Like Cats.
They Never Forget
Where They Lived,
And If The Current Loft
Isn't Acceptable,
They'll Always Return
To Their Former
Roosting Place.
How You Going To Get Him
To Move Out, Hunter?
Move In A Noisy Neighbor
Next Door To Him?
That's Very Cute,
Bernie,
But I've Got
Something Else
In Mind.
[Beeping]
Let Him Fly.
Turn Him Loose,
Terwilliger.
Ow!
[Beeping]
Ok. Right There.
Take Her Down--
The Barn Right There.
I'm Going To Go
Around The Back
And Create
A Diversion.
Yay!
Hold It, Kid.
What The Hell Is This?
That Looks Like
A Transmitter.
Freeze!
Police!
Stay Put And Put
That Gun Down.
You Ok, Honey?
Yeah, I'm Fine,
But I Don't Think
He's Doing So Good.
Hunter, You All Right?
I Think I Sprained
My Back.
That Was A Dumb Stunt.
You Could've Gotten Killed.
Well, It Worked For Her.
You Guys Will Come
See Me, Won't You?
We Sure Will.
You Betcha, Ruffy.
Just As Soon As You Get
Into Your New Foster Home.
And You'll Be Sure
To Tell 'Em Where,
Huh, Miss Rankin?
Of Course.
It's Time To Go.
Give Me A Hug.
You Take Care, Huh?
You, Too.
Bye, Honey.
Bye.
Be Good.
Bye.
So Long, Ruffy.
You, Too, Big Guy--Ow!
Damn Bird.
There Oughta Be A Law.
Good Riddance.
Kids And Animals Don't
Belong In A Police Station
Anyway.
Bernie, You Better
Get A Shot For That
Right Away,
Otherwise You Might
Come Down With
Spichinosis
Of The Mucket.
You Must Really
Think I'm Stupid,
Don't You, Hunter?
Well,
When You've Got Me,
You've Got Me, Bernie.
Hunter, You Ever Think
About Having Kids?
No.
Me, Either.
I Want That Kid.
Forget It.
I'm Not Gonna Start
Chasing Pigeons Around.
I'll Take The Reins
On This One, Mccall.
Ow! Hey!
Ruffy's The Only One Who
Knows How To Run The Birds.
Police!
All Right,
Where Is She?
If This Girl
Has Been Kidnapped
Due To
Your Negligence...
They Got Ruffy.
Hit It, Man! Cops!
Looks Like Our Little Bird
Flew The Coop.
[Theme Music Playing]
Works For Me.
[Cooing]
No Cheating, Yank.
You Got To Circle
Till I Get On My Bike, Ok?
Good Luck!
I'm Going To Beat You
Home, Yank.
[Bell Jingles]
Hey, Old Yank,
Looks Like You Found Me.
[Bell Jingles]
Say, Old Pal,
Don't You Know
That A Gentleman Always
Lets His Lady Win?
Pete!
Pete!
Pete! Did I Beat Him?
Did I Beat Yank?
I Knew I Could Beat Ya.
Do You Think He Let Me Win,
Uncle Pete?
Gee, I Figure
A Win Is A Win, Ruffy,
No Matter How
You Come By It.
That's Not Why I Always
Take Your Socks In Gin Rummy.
[Laughs]
Come On. We Got
To Feed The Birds.
Look At 'Em. No Matter
How Much You Feed 'Em,
They Always Act Like
They're Starving To Death.
Well, Maybe They're Just Tired
Of Being Cooped Up, Pete.
Maybe You Ought To Let Them
Out For A While.
Oh, Sure, So They'll
All Fly Back
To Their Old Roost
In Agoura, Huh?
Why Don't You Train Them
To Fly Here Like Yank?
I'm Gonna Do That, Ruffy,
Pretty Soon, But--
[Horn Honking]
Pretty Soon.
Uh, Ruffy.
Uh, Look, Honey,
Why Don't You, Uh,
Go Down To The Market,
Get Us A Couple Of Big,
Thick, Juicy Steaks
For Dinner, Huh?
Steaks?
Yeah.
Sure!
Did You Hit An Exacta
Or Something, Pete?
Yeah,
I Hit An Exacta.
Take Yank With You.
Come On.
[Bell Jingles]
Take Care Of Him,
Now, Ok?
Ok.
Get Going.
Get Going.
Here's Your Stuff.
We're Even,
And I'm Out.
It's All There.
I Wouldn't Touch
That Stuff.
Look, I'd Appreciate It
If You Were Out Of Here
By The Time
The Kid Shows Up.
You Know What I'm Thinking?
I'm Thinking
What A Shame It Is
You Went To All
This Trouble
To Train These
Smart Little Birds
To Fly In
Our Merchandise For Us,
And Now You Want
To Retire 'Em.
I'm Done...
Through.
We're Even.
For How Long?
Till Your Next Sure Thing
Breaks Down In The Stretch?
You Know So Much
About Running Birds,
Do It Yourself.
Know What I Think, Fellas?
I Think Old Petey Boy Here
Is Looking For A Bigger
Piece Of The Action.
Yeah.
I Think So.
The Last Thing
I Want To Hear
Is Some Horse-Playin' Rummy
Getting Greedy,
So From Now On,
You're Gonna Do What I Say,
And You're Gonna
Do It For Free!
You Can't Do A Thing
Without The Birds!
If I Say No, It's No!
You Don't Even Know
Where They Land!
Grab Him! Grab Him!
Aah!
Aah! Aah! Aah!
[Thud]
He Was Trying To Let
The Birds Go.
You Saw It!
Grab Those Damn Cages,
Load The Birds Up,
And Let's Get
The Hell Out Of Here!
But We Don't Know
How To Run 'Em.
I Think I Know Someone
That's Gonna Help Us.
Uncle Pete! No!
Uncle Pete!
Oh, No!
You Wouldn't Want
To Do Me A Favor,
Would You, Mccall?
If You Want
To Do My Nails Over,
I'll Type Your Report.
You're
A Police Officer.
You Shouldn't
Have Nails.
[Cooing]
Sergeant Hunter?
I'm Ruffy. Ruffy Collier.
And I Want To File
A Stolen Property Report.
Well, Honey, You're
In The Wrong Place.
I Work Homicide.
You Want To Talk
To Somebody In Burglary.
You Are Sergeant Rick Hunter,
Aren't You?
I Was This Morning.
Your Cousin Jilly,
My Bookmaker,
He Said That You Were
The Best Cop On The Force
And That I Should
Talk To You.
Jilly's Your
Bookmaker, Too?
Actually,
He Used To Handle
Some Of
My Uncle Pete's Action,
And I Used To Help Him
Make His Picks,
But Uncle Pete Fell
Off The Roof And Was Killed,
And Somebody Swiped
The Rest Of His Pigeons.
And I Now Want
To File A Complaint
So That You Could
Help Find Them.
Pigeons, Huh?
Ok, Who Put Her
Up To This?
Delgado?!
[Laughter]
Look, Honey, I'd Like
To Help You Out,
But I'm Real Busy
Right Now.
They Stole
The Rest Of His Pigeons,
And Nobody Wants
To Help Me.
[Crying]
Nice Going, Hunter.
Hmm.
Your Uncle Pete
Gambled A Lot?
I Guess. Benny Called Him
A Degenerate.
I Think That Means
He Gambled A Lot.
Who's Benny?
A Friend.
So Uncle Jilly's
Taking Bets
On Pigeon Races,
Huh?
Uncle Pete
Never Bet On Pigeons.
He Bet On Horses
And Football And Basketball.
Lucky For Them
Those Birds Can Live
On Chicken Feed,
Considering The Odds
Jilly Pays.
Hunter.
Look, Honey,
I Know How Important
These Birds Are To You,
And We'd Like
To Help You Out And All,
But I Got To Be
Honest With You.
As Far As The Police
Department's Concerned
And The Law,
This Is A Very Petty Crime.
Do You Understand
What I'm Saying?
You're Not Gonna Help Me
Find Out Who Took 'Em
And Get 'Em Back.
The Captain Wouldn't
Authorize It.
The Birds Aren't
Worth Enough
To Justify The Time
Of 2 Police Officers.
Those Pigeons Are Worth
From $100 To $300 Apiece.
And, Yank, I Could Get $700
For Him As A Breeder.
How Many Birds Did You Say
There Were Again?
Mccall.
About 30,
Not Counting Yank.
Well, I Think We Could Go
By The Loft On Our Way Home.
Come On.
Hunter.
Forget It.
I'm Not Gonna Start
Chasing Pigeons Around.
[Sniffling]
Why Don't You Two
Go On Up?
I'll Check In.
This Is L-56 Mccall.
I Need Some Information
On Somebody.
Patch Me In
To Records, Please.
Dispatcher:
L-56, Stand By.
Ruffy, Isn't It Possible
That Somebody Left
The Cage Doors Open
And The Birds Flew Away?
Somebody Took Them.
The Carrying Cages Are Gone.
And Anyway, If Somebody
Did Let Them Go,
Only Yank Would Come Back.
Because, You See,
Yank Was Retrained
To This Coop,
And If Something
Happened To This Coop,
Yank Would Fly Back
To His Old Home.
And The Other Birds
Wouldn't Fly Back Here?
Not Yet. They Hadn't
Been Here Long Enough
To Find Out That
This Is Their Real Home.
Uncle Pete Just Got 'Em.
Ruffy, You Said
Your Uncle Pete Gambled A Lot.
Was He In Hock
To The Bookies?
For A Long Time,
But He Got Healthy Again
Just Before
His Accident.
He'd Been Living
On Beans For A Month.
Then, All Of A Sudden,
He Sends Me Out
To Buy Some Steaks.
He Must've Hit
A Big One.
Hunter.
I Ran A Check
On The Girl's Uncle--
Pete Collier.
The Autopsy Report Showed
That He Died Of A Broken Neck,
Probably The Result
Of The Fall.
He Had An Open Pint
Of Bourbon In His Pocket,
But The Blood Test
Showed Under .01,
So He Wasn't Drunk.
So We've Got
A Degenerate Gambler,
Who, According To Ruffy,
Was Tapped Out.
And He Happens
To Own $9,000 Worth
Of Racing Pigeons.
Gonna Help Me Find
My Pigeons For Me?
I Think It's Time
We Take You Home
Now, Ruffy.
Well, We Can't Run
A Police Investigation
With You Tagging Along,
You Know.
Investigation?
Come On. Those Birds
Are Probably--
Those Birds Are Probably
Somewhere By Now.
Come On. Let's Go.
Do We Get To Ride
In The Police Car Again?
Could We Run The Siren
This Time?
We'll Be Lucky If
The Lousy Car Starts This Time.
That's It!
You Don't Have To Walk Me
To The Door.
I'm 10, You Know,
And Besides,
I Don't Want
To Worry My Parents,
Coming Home
In A Police Car And All.
Bye.
They'll Hardly Recognize
This As A Police Car.
You Think We're Saps
For Running This Down.
I'm A Homicide
Detective,
Not Dr. Dolittle.
We May Have A Homicide.
It's Obvious
What Could've Happened.
One Of Pete's Gambling Debts
Caught Up With Him,
And They Grabbed
His Only Assets.
Ruffy Said Those Birds
Were Worth Over $9,000.
Well, I Wouldn't Believe
Everything She Says,
'Cause She's Not
Going Home.
There She Is!
Hey, Sweetie, Should You Be
On Your Own Like This?
4062 Tiverton Road,
And You Don't Have
To Drop The Meter
If You Don't Want To.
Yes, Ma'am.
[Horn Honks]
Police!
You Ok?
Yeah. What'd They Want
With That Kid?
Good Question.
Real Good Question.
What Do You Mean,
You Don't Know
Where She Is?
What Kind Of Answer
Is That?
We Got To Make
That Run
Or They're Going
To Fold Up Shop
On The Other Side
Of The Border.
Then We'll Be Out
The Money
And The Shipment.
Which One Of You
2 Guys Wants
To Explain That
To Our Creditors?
You Don't Understand.
These Two Were Cops.
You Don't Understand!
What,
The Two Of You Just
Float Out Of The Sky?
Huh? What Do You Think,
They're Going To Slap
Our Wrists For This?
We're Gonna All Wind Up
As Mincemeat In Some
Local Butcher Shop.
Now You Two Hit
Every Place Where
That Kid Might Be
And Then Some.
I Want That Kid.
She's The Only One
That Knows How To Run
Those Birds
And Where They're Going
To Fly Into.
And Those 2 Gunslingers
We Ran Into,
We Just Forget About 'Em?
That Ain't So Easy.
Listen, Man,
I've Heard About Hunter.
I Don't Care
What You Heard.
You Two Guys
Find That Kid!
This Is What She Said,
6042 Tiverton.
What Do We Owe You?
Always Wanted
To Help The Law.
Besides, The Kid
Took Care Of It.
Here You Go.
Driver: Thank You.
Yeah.
Ok, Wicks. 10 Across
On Rubberneck In The Third.
Can I Help You?
Yeah. Is Your Name Benny?
Yeah. Uh...
What Do You Want?
We're Looking
For A Little Girl
Named Ruffy Collier.
So Am I Supposed To--
Ok, Sport, I'm Looking
For That Girl,
And I'd Better Find Her
In Primo Condition
Real Quick,
Otherwise I'm Going To
Be Sorry All Over You.
No! No! Please
Don't Hurt Him!
Leave Him Alone!
Are You All Right?
Yeah, I'm All Right,
Sweetheart.
It's All Right, Baby.
It's All Right, Baby.
All Right, Sweetheart.
After Her Parents Died,
It Was Foster Homes
And Juvenile Hall.
The Usual Bit.
Then Pete Found Her.
Nobody From
The Social Welfare
Never Came Looking
For You?
Sure, They Did,
But Pete Took Care Of 'Em.
Pete Was A Warm, Decent,
Wonderful Human Being,
A Sweetheart, But He Was
A Degenerate Gambler.
Who Did Pete Owe,
Do You Know?
Every Book In Town.
About 3 Months Ago,
He Told Me He Was
Stuck Over 30,000.
He Was In That Deep,
And They Still Carried Him?
Nah.
They Sold Off His Markers,
A Quarter A Dollar,
To--Would You Believe This--
Jake Henderson.
Jake Henderson?
He Breaks Kneecaps
For A Living.
Since When Has He Been
Buying Up Markers?
He Bought Up Pete's,
And A Funny Thing Happened.
The Two Of Them Wound Up
Partners In A Scheme That
Pete Said Would Get Him Even.
Like What?
He Didn't Say,
And Me, I Don't Ask
Such Questions,
But It Was Plain
That Pete Didn't Like It.
They're Going To Put Ruffy
In Another Foster Home,
Aren't They?
What Else?
If You Want Her,
You Could File
An Application
With The Child Welfare
Department.
I'd Give My Right Arm,
But What Happens
When They Investigate
And Find Out What I Did
For A Living?
Ruffy, It's Time
To Go, Sweetheart.
I Want To Stay
With My Uncle Benny.
You Will, Sweetheart.
We'll Work It Out Somehow.
You'll Let Me Know
Where She Is And What's
Happening, Please?
Sure, Benny.
Yeah.
I'm Going To Turn On
My Answering Machine.
Then I'll Turn
The Volume Up.
And That Way, If I Call,
You Hear My Voice.
You'll Be Able
To Pick Up The Phone
And Talk To Me, Ok?
Mm-Hmm.
Are You Tired,
Ready For A Nap?
I Bet I Have
A Lot Of New Stuff
To Dream About
After What's
Happened Today.
I'll Bet You Do, Too.
Ok. Come On.
Put Your Head Up Here.
Here. He Wants To Take
A Nap With You.
Sleep Tight, Kid.
[Coos]
You Know,
We Really Should
Turn Her Over To
The Child Welfare People.
Been To Juvenile Hall
Lately?
Yeah.
All Right.
What Do You Say
We Go See What
Jake Henderson Was Doing
With Pete Collier?
Good Idea.
Mccall?
You Know, Maybe One Of Us
Better Cover The Back Door,
In Case Jake Tries
To Boogie Out Of Here.
Ok. It's Your Idea,
Your Job. I'll Go In.
Now, Wait A Minute.
It's A Pretty Rough Place
In There.
Ok. We'll Flip A Coin.
All Right.
We'll Use My Coin.
Heads.
Heads.
You Cheat.
Next Time
We'll Use Your Coin,
The One With 2 Tails.
Now, Come On.
Let's Go.
Besides, You Look
Like A Cop.
They'll Never Make Me.
Men: It's The Cops!
[Engine Won't Start]
Come On!
I Don't Think You're
Going To Get Very Far
Without This, Jake.
Ow!
Hey!
Ok, Jake, Now Tell Me Why
You Bought Up All
Of Pete Collier's Markers.
Pete Collier?
I Never Heard Of Him.
Aah!
How's Your Hearing Now,
Jake?
So I Picked Up
A Few Of His Markers.
So What? I Figured
Pete Collier
Was Due
For A Change Of Luck,
And At 25 Cents
On The Dollar,
How Much Can I Lose,
Right?
Yeah, Well, His Luck
Ran Out Altogether.
It Happens.
You Didn't Get Hurt,
Though, Did You?
The Way I Figure,
You're Just About Even.
You Spent 7,500
Buying Up Those Markers,
But You Must've
Pulled In At Least
That Much
When You Unloaded
Pete's Birds.
What Birds?
Ow! Oh, You Mean
The Pigeons.
I Heard They Flew Away.
Yeah, Well, If You Happen
To See Them Flying Overhead,
You'll Be Sure To Let Us Know,
Won't You, Jake?
Yeah.
Get Out Of Here!
[Footsteps Running]
I Think He's Going
To Go Tell On You,
Hunter.
Yeah. It'd Be Real Nice
To Know To Who.
Come On.
This Is How
We Used To Do It
When We Were
Busting Bookies In Vice.
Here We Go.
555-77...21.
Deacon, Jake.
What The Hell Did You
Get Me Into?
What Are You
Talking About?
I Just Got Shoved Around
By A Hard-Nosed Cop
Name Of Hunter.
Now, I Ain't
Standing Still For This.
Deacon, I'm Telling You.
Cool It, Jake.
Just Cool It.
Did He Bust You?
No, But, Uh--
Then What Are You
Worried About?
He's Just
Blowing Smoke.
If He Flashes
His Badge Again,
Call Me.
You Didn't Tell Him
Nothing, Did You?
Of Course Not!
Hey, There's No Connection
To You At All.
Ok. I'll Talk To You
Later.
Ok. That's Nabor's
Feed And Grain
On San Fernando Road,
Right?
Dispatcher:
That's A Roger, L-56.
Thanks, Lucille.
L-56 Out.
Oh, Whoa.
No, No, No. Whoa.
You're Not Getting
Into My Car With That.
It Doesn't Go
With The Upholstery.
You're So Picky.
This Sauce Is Going
To Eat Right Through
My Paint.
Why Do You Have
All Of That?
I Bought A Couple Extra
Chili Dogs For Ruffy.
She Doesn't Have It
Tough Enough Being
A Homeless Orphan?
Look, I Ran
That Number Down
That Jake Called.
Are You Ready For This?
It Belongs
To A Nabor's
Feed And Grain
Out In The Northwest
Valley.
It's Owned
And Operated By A Guy
Named Carl Deacon.
You Know What Else?
There Was A Sack
Of Pigeon Feed
In Pete's Loft
With Their Name On It.
Ok. Well, Why Don't You
Finish Your...Whatever,
And We'll Go
Check It Out.
Dispatcher: L-56,
Stand By For A Patch Call
From Your Precinct Captain.
Stand By, Please.
Captain: Hunter,
Where Are You?
Captain, This Is Mccall.
Hunter Is Out Of The Car
Right Now.
Can I Help?
Yeah, I Got A Real Upset
Lady From Child Welfare
On My Phone
Wanting To Know What
You Two Have Done With
One Of Their Charges.
I Suggest You
Explain It To Her.
Hold On While I Patch
Her Call In To You.
Great. Ok. Now,
What Do I Tell Her?
Tell Them You Can't Hear
Because Your Radio
Doesn't Work.
Hunter, This Is My Car,
Not Yours.
In My Car,
Everything Works.
Except The Radio.
I'll Take The Reins
On This One, Mccall.
You Don't Even Want
This Case, Remember?
You Said, "I'm Not
Going To Chase After
A Bunch Of Birds."
You Remember That?
This Case Is Obviously
Bigger Than A Bunch
Of Missing Birds.
I Think We Should Do It
My Way, Mccall.
Otherwise, Somebody's Going
To Find Out You've Been
Harboring A Child
That Should Be In
The Custody Of The Child
Welfare Department.
You Went Along With It.
You Were An Accomplice.
But She's In Your Apartment.
Would You Like
To Come In And Watch?
[Ring]
Deacon: Coming!
[Door Closes]
Carl Deacon?
Yeah. What Do You Want?
A Mutual Friend
Sent Me Over
To See You.
Jake Henderson.
About What?
He Said You'd Make Me
A Heck Of A Deal
On Some Pigeons.
I Don't Sell Pigeons.
Only Feed, A Few Quail,
And Some Loft Equipment.
That's All.
Come On. I Was Standing
Right There
When He Made
The Phone Call.
You're A Cop, Right?
He Made You, Too.
What Do You Think
Tipped It Off?
Was It Something You Said
Or Did, Or Maybe It Was
Just Instinct?
Oh, I Think
It Was Instinct.
Like Me,
I've Got It, Too,
Only On The Other
Side Of The Fence.
Like Right Now
I Think You're Lying
To Me About Those Birds
And That Maybe
They're Right Here.
I Don't Have To Dance
Around With You, Cop,
So Get Lost.
Mccall: We'd Really Like
To See Those Birds, Deacon.
They Belong To
A Little Girl.
Now, You Don't Mind
If We Look Around, Do You?
If You Got A Warrant,
You Can Look Till
Your Eyes Pop Out.
If Not, There's The Door.
You Want A Paper?
I'll Get The Judge
To Issue Me A Paper,
But I Got To Be
Honest With You,
Deacon.
The Next Time
I Leave Here,
This Place Isn't
Going To Be
This Neat.
And If You Lied To Me
About What You Had To Do
With Pete Collier's
Dying From Bad Credit
And A Broken Neck,
You're Going To Need
Some Rearranging, Too.
What'd You Tell Miguel?
Well, Tell Him We're
Going To Be Down There
Tomorrow, Like We Said,
And He Better Have
The Stuff Ready.
Yeah, Yeah,
Hasta La Bye-Bye
To You, Too.
How Are We
Going To Do That?
Do What?
Go Down There Tomorrow?
We're Gonna Fly Down There
In The Airplane, How Else?
You Know What I'm Saying,
Without The Kid?
She's Dropped
Into A Black Hole.
She Shouldn't Be
That Hard To Find.
Where The Hell
Could That Kid Be?
[Snaps Fingers]
At A Friend Of Pete's,
Right?
And How Many Friends Can
A Deadbeat Like Pete Have?
Aw, I Don't Know,
Deacon.
Oh, Another Country
Heard From.
What's Your Problem?
Look, She's Just
A Little Girl.
You're Kidding.
I Thought She Was
Your Grandmother.
Let Me Tell You Guys
Something.
The People That Put Up
The Money For This Run
Want That Dope,
And If We Don't Deliver It,
We're All Going To Wind Up
In A Cemetery.
Any Other Problems?
Ok. Let's Go.
There You Are,
Hunter.
Captain's Been
Looking All Over
For You Two.
Been Running Down
Those Missing
Pigeons,
Have We Been? Ha Ha.
Captain, Huh?
Uh-Oh, Bogeys
At 12 O'clock.
Hunter, Mccall.
This Is Miss Rankin.
These Are The 2 Officers
You Want To Talk To.
Miss Rankin Is
With The Child Welfare
Department.
I'm Looking
For Teresa Collier.
Have You Tried
Missing Persons?
Uh-Uh, You Two Are Not
Going To Smoke
This One Past Me.
Now, Everybody Saw You
Leave Here This Morning
With The Girl.
Oh, Ruffy.
They Mean Ruffy.
Why Didn't You Say So?
I Have A Court Order
To Pick Up That Child.
Do You Have A Foster Home
Ready For Her?
My Job Is To Pick Up
Teresa Collier
And Take Her
Into Custody.
The Girl Is A Truant
And A Runaway.
Ha. That's A Laugh.
She's Got Nothing
To Run Away From Or To.
A Kid That Age?
A Foster Home Could
Take Weeks, Maybe Months.
Captain, I Demand That
You Order These Two
To Tell Me Where
I Can Find That Girl.
I'm Sorry,
But An Attempt Has Been
Made To Kidnap That Girl.
She's Also A Possible
Witness In A Crime,
So She's Been Placed
Under Police Protection
Until This Investigation
Is Complete,
Unless You Want
To Be Responsible
For What Happens
When The Men Looking
For Her Find Her.
Yeah.
I Didn't Know Anything
About This,
But I Think,
Under The Circumstances,
The Girl
Should Remain Under
Police Protection.
Well, I At Least
Have To See Her
First.
I Have To Report
Back The Conditions
In Which
She's Being Held
And Who Will Be
The Supervising
Guardian.
Ruffy?
Ruffy?
Teresa?
Teresa,
It's Miss Rankin
From Child Welfare.
Teresa.
All Right,
Where Is She?
Sergeant,
If This Girl
Has Been Kidnapped
Due To Your
Negligence...
Well,
She Wasn't Grabbed,
And She Took Yank
With Her.
Looks Like
Our Little Bird
Flew The Coop.
Why?
[Machine Beeps]
Captain: I've Been
Trying To Reach You
And Your Partner All Day.
I Still Got That Lady
From The Child Welfare
Department,
And We Know
You Have That Girl.
Now Call Me Or Get
Your Butt In Here.
[Machine Beeps]
Man: Hey, Dee Dee,
I Just Wanted
To Give You A Call
And Let You Know
That Last Night Was--
[Clears Throat]
Well, Uh...
Anyway, At Least
We Know She's
All Right.
Yeah,
But For How Long?
If She's In Danger,
The Last Place
She Needs To Be
Is On The Streets.
A Little Girl
With A Birdcage
Shouldn't Be Too Hard
To Find, Now Should She?
Benny's.
Benny's.
Benny! Ruffy!
Benny, Groaning:
Over Here. Over Here.
Hunter.
They Got Ruffy.
Who?
I Don't Know.
They Got Her.
How Many Of Them
Were There?
There Were 2, A Big One
And A Bigger One.
Easy, Easy.
I'm All Right,
I'm All Right. Ok.
This Is Sergeant Mccall
Requesting An Ambulance
At 6042 Tiverton.
Right.
Ambulance
Is On Its Way.
Go Find Her.
Get Her Back, Please.
I'll Be Ok.
You Sure?
I'll Be Ok.
Well, You Can Relax,
Mccall.
Ain't Nothing Here
But Us Chickens.
I'd Have Sworn They
Brought Ruffy Here.
They Probably Did.
Then Where'd
They Take Her?
Probably The Same Place
They Took Those Other Pigeons
That Were In The Coop.
Hey, What Do You
Suppose This Is?
Looks Like A Life Vest
For Pigeons.
You See, They Put Them
On The Birds
When They Have To Fly
Over The Water.
You Know, This Does
Look Like Something
That Would Fit
On A Pigeon.
Has Little Pockets
Here.
This Is Heroin.
It's Mexican Brown.
Hunter, That's What
They're Doing.
They're
Using Pigeons
To Transport Heroin.
I Guess That Would Work.
With Pete Dead,
Ruffy's The Only One
Who Knows How
To Run The Birds.
I'll Bet You They're
On The Way To Mexico
Right Now.
Look,
I'll Get In Touch
With Immigration.
They Can Contact
The Border Patrols
In Both Tijuana
And Tecate.
They Won't Have Enough Time
To Drive To Mexico And Back.
Chuck: Hello.
Yeah, Chuck?
Yeah, What Can I Do
For You?
Yeah, I'm Calling About
Mr. Deacon's Airplane.
What's The Matter
With You People?
How Many Times
I Gotta Tell You?
It's All Gassed,
And The Pigeons
Are On Board.
It Is? Great.
Thanks A Lot, Chuck.
Just Checking.
Van Nuys Airport.
Quick.
I Could Show You
How To Start The Pigeons,
But I Don't Know
Where Uncle Pete
Trained 'Em To Land.
You See, Sweetie,
Either You Remember
Where Pete's Place
Was In Agoura,
Or We're Gonna Drop You
Out Of The Plane
Along With The Pigeons,
Only You Don't Get
No Parachute.
Wait.
Wait A Minute.
Uncle Pete Gave Me
A Picture Of Himself
In Front Of His
Old Place In Agoura.
Hey, Look At That,
Will Ya?
Now You Don't
Need Me Anymore.
You Can Let Me Go.
[Car Wheels Screech]
Hit It, Man.
The Cops!
That's The Whole Load.
This Is The Last Pigeon.
I'm Telling You,
I Know This Country.
There's A Shopping Center
A Couple Miles
This Side Of That Hill,
And A New Housing
Development Going Up
5 Or So Miles
To The Other Side.
All I Hope Is You
Can Find The Place.
It Should Be Easy Enough
To Spot From The Air,
That Is, If The Kid's
Telling Us The Truth.
Ah, She's Too Scared
To Lie.
If I Didn't Have
The Cash In My Own Hands,
I Wouldn't Believe
That Anybody
In His Right Mind
Would Be Doing
Business With You Guys.
You Hang A Million Bucks
Worth Of Dope
On A Flock Of Pigeons?
[Laughter]
Que Estupidos.
You Don't Even Know
Where They're Going
To Land.
Let Us Worry
About It, Ok?
You'll See Us
In A Couple Of Days
After We Turn
This Deal.
Maybe You'll
Turn This Load Over,
And Maybe
I'll Hear From You.
Amigo, I Got Other Customers
Who Are More
Of A Sure Thing.
Adios.
Let Me Tell You
Something,
Cucuracha.
Want To Trade
Bad Attitudes?
I Got One
With Your Name On It.
All You Gotta Do
Is Show When And Where
I Tell You To,
Or My Pigeon-Toting
Friends And I
Are Gonna Come
Back Down Here
And Stomp On
Some Sombreros.
¿Comprende, Amigo?
Hey...
I Got All The Dope
You Can Buy, Amigo.
Now, If That Stuff
Don't Reach The People
Who Are Bankrolling You,
It Ain't My Neck.
Vamonos.
Let's Finish Up Here
And Get Out.
Now What The Hell
Is This Thing?
It's A Vest
They Put On Pigeons
So They Can
Carry Things.
You See, It's Got
These 2 Little Pockets
Here, Captain.
We Got It In The Warehouse
Where They Were Keeping
The Pigeons.
Pigeons With Their Own
Little Vests.
That's Cute, Hunter.
Well, What's All This
Got To Do
With Whether Or Not
The Girl Was Kidnapped?
We Think The People
Using These Birds
Are Smuggling
Narcotics Up
From Mexico,
And They Kidnapped
The Girl Because
She's The Only One
That Can Manage
The Birds.
Using Pigeons
To Smuggle Narcotics?
If You're Putting Me On,
Hunter--
Really. If You Are
Putting Him On, Hunter...
The Police Chemists
Ran A Check
On This Vest.
The Preliminary
Report Shows Traces
Of Pure, Uncut
Mexican Brown.
[Whistles]
How Many Birds
Did You Say
There Were Involved?
There's 30,
Give Or Take.
Each Bird Can Carry
2 Ounces.
2 Ounces?
Big Deal.
30 Pigeons,
Each Carrying 2 Ounces
Of Pure Heroin,
28 Grams To The Ounce,
Cut It 7 Times
And Sell It On The Street
For $100 A Gram,
And We Come Up With...
$1,000,176.
Exactly.
That Would Look
Pretty Good On My--On Our,
Uh, Precinct Report.
Drug Bust That Size.
Well, We Might Have
A Problem With That.
You See,
This Is The Only
Bird We've Got,
And He Was Trained
To Land In The City.
Now, According
To Ruffy,
The Other Birds
Are Trained To Land
In An Entirely
Different Location.
We Think That's Out
At A Coop In Agoura.
Well, What Are You
Waiting For?
Go Out And Pick 'Em Up.
We Can't. Only
Pete Collier And Ruffy
Knew The Whereabouts
Of That Coop.
He's Dead, And
She's Been Kidnapped,
Obviously Because
She Can Take Deacon
Right To The Coop.
Well, After We Run
A House-To-House
Through Agoura,
Deacon And The Dope
Will Be Long Gone,
And The Kid Will Be
Stuffed In A Well
Somewhere.
You Could've Talked
All Day
Without Reminding
Us, Bernie.
I'm Just Being
Realistic, Mccall.
There Goes Our Big Bust.
You Know, Captain,
I Think Yank
Can Help Us.
If He Was Half Parrot
And Could Talk.
Captain,
According To Ruffy,
He Was
Originally Trained
To The Agoura Coop.
Now If We Can Make Him
Go Back There,
We Can Hang A Radio
Direction Finder On Him.
If. If Your Aunt
Had Wheels,
She'd Be A Wagon.
Now, Look, Pete
Trained This Bird
To Land
In The City Coop.
Pigeons Are Like Cats.
They Never Forget
Where They Lived,
And If The Current Loft
Isn't Acceptable,
They'll Always Return
To Their Former
Roosting Place.
How You Going To Get Him
To Move Out, Hunter?
Move In A Noisy Neighbor
Next Door To Him?
That's Very Cute,
Bernie,
But I've Got
Something Else
In Mind.
[Beeping]
Let Him Fly.
Turn Him Loose,
Terwilliger.
Ow!
[Beeping]
Ok. Right There.
Take Her Down--
The Barn Right There.
I'm Going To Go
Around The Back
And Create
A Diversion.
Yay!
Hold It, Kid.
What The Hell Is This?
That Looks Like
A Transmitter.
Freeze!
Police!
Stay Put And Put
That Gun Down.
You Ok, Honey?
Yeah, I'm Fine,
But I Don't Think
He's Doing So Good.
Hunter, You All Right?
I Think I Sprained
My Back.
That Was A Dumb Stunt.
You Could've Gotten Killed.
Well, It Worked For Her.
You Guys Will Come
See Me, Won't You?
We Sure Will.
You Betcha, Ruffy.
Just As Soon As You Get
Into Your New Foster Home.
And You'll Be Sure
To Tell 'Em Where,
Huh, Miss Rankin?
Of Course.
It's Time To Go.
Give Me A Hug.
You Take Care, Huh?
You, Too.
Bye, Honey.
Bye.
Be Good.
Bye.
So Long, Ruffy.
You, Too, Big Guy--Ow!
Damn Bird.
There Oughta Be A Law.
Good Riddance.
Kids And Animals Don't
Belong In A Police Station
Anyway.
Bernie, You Better
Get A Shot For That
Right Away,
Otherwise You Might
Come Down With
Spichinosis
Of The Mucket.
You Must Really
Think I'm Stupid,
Don't You, Hunter?
Well,
When You've Got Me,
You've Got Me, Bernie.
Hunter, You Ever Think
About Having Kids?
No.
Me, Either.