Hunter (1984–1991): Season 4, Episode 20 - The Fourth Man - full transcript

Hey, Hunter man, I've
got here as soon as I was

able, man, Where is the fire?

Three, maybe four
cops might have gotten

away with four million bucks.

And if we want to
uncover the fourth man.

If there is a fourth man.

That man's name
may have been Hunter.

I can't believe you lied to me.

You want crooked?

You look in the mirror.

You know, I was 14 years
old when all that happened,



old enough to see how they
killed him with their rumors.

Next driveway.

Right.

Eight William three.

We're in play.

Subject vehicle's inside.

This is eight William four.

We've got a two minute ETA.

Give me a growl when
you're in place.

Roger.

Don't start without us.

We'll see you at
the finish line.

Roger that.

Eight William four clear.



Eight William four,
we're in position.

We're rolling.

Why don't you take the
small door on the right.

I'll take the big sliding one.

See you inside.

Hey!

Where are you going?

I'm not through
count the money yet!

Uh!

Hold your hands
outside the window.

Eight William four.

This is eight William four.

Go ahead.

How's Akerman?

He's going to make it.

Great.

I got the dope.

Good job.

We got the bucks.

I've made up my mind.

I'm going to put Hunter
on the Akerman case.

There's no possible way that
we can allow Sergeant Hunter

to take this case, Captain.

IA won't stand for it.

Charlie, it doesn't
make much sense,

does it not, to
have me on the case.

Stupid, as a matter of fact.

See, I know the circumstances.

I know the people involved

Well, that's exactly my point.

You know this case far too well.

What's the problem, Commander?

Hunter was completely cleared.

All right, let me show you
the world according to IA.

Five years ago, four
cops make a drug

bust, three suitcases with $2
million in each, plus the dope.

Now Ellis Riley, the
only surviving dealer,

now he claims that there are
five suitcases, $10 million.

Did Akerman Chandler, and
Tolson, and maybe a fourth man,

take $1 million apiece?

Internal Affairs starts
an investigation.

And ruins the careers
of three damn good cops.

Amen.

Thanks for calling me, Charlie.

Ellis Riley lied to
cut a deal with the DA,

but it didn't work.

Akerman, Chandler,
Tolson, and Hunter

were all completely cleared.

But Internal Affairs
has a way of letting

its unofficial
opinions be known.

And unofficially, IA decided
the three cops on the scene

took that money and agreed to
sit on it until the statute

of limitations ran out.

Well, you couldn't prove that.

So you did the next best thing.

You froze them out.

Akerman took an
early retirement.

Chandler quit because of
a bad ticker and Tolson,

probably because of
a bad conscience.

Now, if you want my opinion,
Captain, they got off easy.

It's too late to rehash
all that stuff now.

But I'll be damned
if I'm going to keep

quiet while you do the
same thing to Hunter

five years later.

August 10.

Tolson and Chandler can start
living like the millionaires

they are right now.

Now, if I left out a name,
it's because there may or may

not have been a fourth man.

And that man's name may or
may not have been Hunter.

Charlie, just give me the case.

You'll find out I'm
not the fourth man.

It's you people at
IA who seem to think

that since there were
$4 million stolen,

there have to be
four men involved.

And there is no evidence.

Even if you're right that
your fourth man is Hunter,

I'm putting him on Akerman,
because the killing may

be connected to that drug bust.

And he knows the case
and the people involved.

I just found out
some information

that I feel is going to throw
a wrench into everything you

gentlemen have been discussing.

Ellis Riley got out on
parole two weeks ago.

I'd say that nails
it down for IA.

Ellis Riley told the truth
and now he's out on parole

and he's looking for $4 million.

And he knows right
where to find it.

Take Chandler, you may have
to go up north to find him.

I'll find Tolson and
check on Riley's PO.

What's the matter with you?

Why are you so uptight?

What to know why I'm uptight?

Because there's people in this
department, believe it or not,

you think I'm sitting
on $1 million.

This is my opportunity
to prove them wrong.

Come in.

Well, well, Sergeant Hunter.

Hi, Russ.

Good god, don't tell me
they put you on this case.

What case is that?

Oh, come off it.

When I read Akerman got killed,
I knew they'd send somebody.

But I sure as hell
didn't think it'd be you.

You know whoever killed
Akerman ransacked his house.

So what?

So maybe he caught a prowler
in the act and got bumped.

Happens all the time.

Or maybe one of the guys he
punched out on the street

decided to get even.

Akerman was a jerk on the job.

He made enemies right and left.

You know that.

Ellis Riley got
put out on parole

as of about two weeks ago.

That's supposed to mean
that I got $1 million

sewed into my mattress?

Haven't you ever
heard of coincidence.

Oh, I've heard of coincidence,
Russ, but this is evidence.

Yeah, but not proof, not
now, not five years ago.

Not that the
department needed any.

They hung us anyway.

Trial by rumor.

Look, I've worked my butt
off these last five years,

just to make ends meet.

I lost my house, my savings.

I almost went bankrupt twice.

You think I'd live like that if
I had $1 million salted away?

I think all three of you decided

not to touch the money,
Russ, until the statute

of limitations ran out.

And I think you're way
the hell out of line.

Well, if I am, then you
have nothing to worry about,

isn't that right?

However, on the other
hand, you and Chandler

could be on Riley's hit list.

That is, assuming that
you didn't kill Akerman

for his million dollars.

By the way, where were you last
night between 11:00 and 12:00?

If you want to ask
questions, you call my lawyer.

Now I've been saying
that for five years

and I'm still saying that.

Call my lawyer.

Just leave me the hell alone.

Take it easy, if you can.

A trip to Mexico
would be considered

a violation of your parole.

Uh, huh, that's
right, Canada too.

All international borders, state
lines, large bodies of water.

Mr. Jacobs, Rick
Hunter, Metro PD.

Sergeant.

Large bodies water, huh?

How can I help you?

Ellis Riley.

I figured somebody
would be around.

Ellis Riley was a model
prisoner he's a model parolee.

On the other hand,
any idiot can keep

himself clean for two weeks,
especially if he's got plans.

What do you mean?

Ellis is living with
his lovely wife, Vanessa.

She helps manage the
Sinagrill, that jazz club.

She met and married Ellis Riley
while he was still in prison.

Now think about it.

Why would a woman with her
act completely together marry

a con with zero prospects?

I don't know.

You tell me.

Because three, maybe
four, cops might have

gotten away with $4 million.

If they did, Ellis Riley is
the only man in the world

that knows for sure.

And Ellis is going to
get some of it back.

Maybe prison
rehabilitated him, huh?

That's a fat chance, my friend.

Well now if one
of these guys dies

and comes back as Mother
Teresa, then I might

believe in rehabilitation.

Until that happens...

Jacobs would you
accept a collect call

from Mr. Scarloski?

Collect?

Yes, sir, Mr. Scarloski is
calling collect from Las Vegas.

Take the call, man,
I'm in deep trouble.

How you doing?

I'm looking for Ellis Riley.

Hello, Sergeant Hunter.

I'm Vanessa Riley.

My husband is waiting for you.

How you doing, Riley?

Long memory.

What's it been, four years,
three months, 22 days?

Where were you last
night about 11:00?

Last night, last
night, when Akerman got

what was coming to him, huh?

I went home about 11:00.

Anybody there with you?

Your wife maybe?

No, she was here.

Akerman was killed between
11:00 and 12:00 last night.

Doesn't give you much
of an alibi, does it?

Alibi?

Yeah, you know alibi.

You get out of jail and
Akerman winds up dead.

Kind of a coincidence,
don't you think?

- So what?
- So what?

Let me tell you something.

This all points to you.

Unless you want to change your
story you told us five years.

No, no, no.

It was $10 million.

You understand?

Your buddies only turned in six.

Oh, I get it.

I bet everybody's been wondering
about you the whole time.

Sure, you were out on the
street busting me at the time.

But that doesn't mean
they didn't cut you in.

See how many cops know how
to divide four into three?

You want to rescue
now, you go ahead.

But I didn't kill Akerman.

I've got a good woman and
I'm going to find a good job.

I'll admit that I
was this stupid kid.

But I'm not a kid anymore
and I'm not a crook.

You want crooked, you
look in the mirror.

I think they cut you in.

Don't leave town.

I haven't seen him
around last couple of days.

You a friend of Walt's?

Yeah, I'm from the
police department

where he used to work.

Don't tell me you're a cop?

Yes.

Detective Sergeant
Deedee McCall.

Are you a neighbor
of his or a friend?

I'm the manager here.

Oh.

Well, we've been
trying to find him.

Well like I said, I haven't
seen him for a couple of days.

Do you think we might be
able to take a look inside?

We're kind of worried about him.

Let's take a look.

Thanks.

Who's the girl in the picture?

That's his daughter.

She's married.

She lives in town.

Do me a favor, will you?

Go and call a sheriff.

I don't want to put my
prints on the phone in here.

I'm terribly sorry to have
to bring you news like this.

I still have some more questions
that I uh, need to ask you.

But I can certainly
come back later.

No, it's OK.

Well, maybe we should
try to locate your husband.

We can't.

He's out looking
for work right now.

I don't know where he is.

Mike got laid off
last Christmas.

Well, about your father.

Yes?

When was the last time
he was in Los Angeles?

Years, probably four years ago.

That's when he moved up here.

He ever make any short visits,
you know, like on the weekends?

No.

He would have told me.

What did you know about
his financial situation?

He had a disability pension
from the police department

because of his heart.

Was anything else,
like a savings account?

Or maybe $1 million
he was chipping away at?

You know, I was 14
years old when all that

happened, old enough
to see how they

killed him with their rumors.

My father and his
partners were innocent.

My father was a good man.

When are you people
going to believe that?

Place was really torn up.

Coroner said the
Chandler had been

dead for more than two days.

Cause of death was
a massive coronary.

He had bruises all on
his face and shoulders.

The coroner said that apparently
he died of cardiac arrest

while he was being
slapped around.

For his million bucks.

Which means that Chandler
and Akerman, may they rest

in peace, were both crooked.

And so's Tolson.

I hate to say I
told you so, but.

2020 hindsight, George.

Let's stick to the
situation at hand.

All right, what about Tolson?

Do we pick him up on
a five-year-old theft

and conspiracy warrant.

The DA would throw
us out on our butts.

If we want a case
against Tolson,

and if we want to
uncover the fourth man...

If there is a fourth man.

If there is a fourth man,
then you better hold off.

All right, look,
check and see if Ellis

Riley could have been
in San Luis Obispo

when Chandler was killed.

Matchbook found in
Chandler's apartment

has Riley's fingerprints
all over it.

Pick him up now.

Riley dropping that matchbook
made it kind of convenient

for us, don't you think?

What are you getting at?

Well, the only fingerprints that

were found in
Chandler's apartment

were on that matchbook.

Riley's fingerprints
on the matchbook

make it a pretty tight
frame, don't you think?

Yeah, let's find Ellis.

Who the hell are you?

Five years in the slam made you

a tough little man, huh Ellis?

Sit down.

Sit down!

So you're one of
those crooked cops, huh?

We're going to
play 20 questions.

Six questions, actually.

Cause that's all
the chances you got.

Did you kill Akerman?

No.

What did you do with
Akerman's $1 million?

I don't have it.

I didn't kill Akerman and
I don't have his money.

I didn't kill him.

Oh, God.

You got four left.

Now, where's the money?

Man, if I had it, I
would give it to you.

Your odds are running
real thin, Ellis.

Now, all I want is the
money and then I'll go.

Please, man, I didn't kill him.

And I don't have his money.

I haven't got the money, man?

Please, man.

You got it.

I don't have his
money, I swear to God!

You're running
out of time, Ellis.

Talk to me.

I count five.

You're a real lucky man.

Tell me where the money
is and stay lucky.

Ah!

I got what I came for.

It was either you or one of
those cops that killed Akerman.

Now I know it wasn't you.

Either that or you're the
toughest guy that I ever met.

And I know that's not the case.

Behind the bar at the
far end down by the mirror,

away from the door.

Thanks.

May help you?

Yes, I'm Sergeant Dee
Dee McCall, Metro Homicide.

I need to speak
with your husband.

It's rather important.

Well, he was supposed to
be here half an hour ago.

He was going to
help me with this.

You can wait, if you'd like.

Where's Sergeant Hunter?

He's probably at your
apartment right now.

Look, man, when he pulled
the trigger for the fifth time

and I couldn't come up
with any answers for him,

he decided to believe me.

Now, if he believed me,
why the hell can't you?

I believe you, Ellis.

Now, you being
out on parole gave

the killer his opportunity.

If I take you in, there's
no way we can catch him.

Then I'm in the clear.

Looks that way.

But if you really want
to be in the clear,

you got to cooperate with me.

How?

I want to get you out of town
where no one can find you.

That way, if Tolson or someone
winds up with the bullet

in their head, you don't
become our number one suspect.

Look, I'm going to
have to call Vanessa.

I'm already late.

She's going to be worried.

And what about my
parole officer?

Don't worry about that.

I'll take care of that.

Hey, Hunter man, I got here
as soon as I was able, man.

Where is the fire?

So this is the fire.

Sporty James.

Ellis Riley.

I heard you were
recently out from under.

Sporty, want you
do do me a favor.

Take Ellis and get
him out of the city.

And I mean, out of the city.

Out of the city.

Hey, I can do you
one better than that.

I can take him
off the continent.

Good, he'll like that.

Let's go.

Go ahead.

Let me tell you about
Gordon, OK, Ellis?

Now, Gordon is a
quiet sort of a guy,

but he is absolutely,
positively reliable, man.

I called ahead and I
told him what he needs

to know, no more, no less.

There is no safer place
that you can be right now.

I mean I can guarantee
that without qualification.

Great, yeah.

This is wonderful.

Good thing you
called me when you did.

I was about to leave.

Is that the job?

It is indeed.

Now, Gordon, listen.

You are going to have
to stay out there.

Don't land unless it's
Mexico or British Columbia.

Don't have to land.

Got enough supplies for a month.

Hey, fabulous.

I'll radio you when Hunter
gives me the all clear.

Now Ellis, you're going
to have a lot of free time

on your hands.

I hope you can put
it to some good use.

I am a very big fan of barbecued
salmon or marlin or shark

or squid.

Hey, I can't swim.

Great, we'll get
along just fine.

Ellis Riley wasn't
at his wife's club,

wasn't at her apartment either.

She was expecting him
and he never did show up.

What did he do?

Take the money and run?

, Yeah I think it's possible.

First he goes to see
Chandler and then

Chandler dies before
he gets a chance

to find out where the money is.

Then he hits Akerman
and he scores.

$1 million.

Why doesn't he leave
town immediately?

Why wait?
- Maybe he panicked.

What do you think
about this, McCall?

Sounds reasonable.

Hunter's in the process
of running down everybody

that Ellis came
into close contact

with while he was in
prison, especially parolees

for the last five years.

It's possible he could
be with one of them.

All right, good.

Keep it up.

I can't believe you lied to me.

I can't believe that.

You told me you had
not found Ellis.

You let me go into
Devane's office

and pass it on everybody.

Look, I couldn't tell you
I found Ellis over the radio

because there's
dirty cops involved.

We now know there's
a fourth man.

Yeah, you're right.

And Tolson and the fourth
man are all that's left.

The odds are that
Tolson and this fourth man

are going to go
after each other.

Absolutely right.

But first we go get a
scrambler for our cars.

Come on.

Good idea.

Hunter.
- Yeah?

I know.

You're sorry you got
upset with me, right?

Right.
How'd you guess?

We're partners, aren't we?

- Where is Ellis?
- I don't know.

Have you've seen
this man in here

in the last couple of weeks?

No.

I have a really
good eye for faces.

It's part of my job to remember
people who come in here,

everybody who comes in here.

If this guy had been in here
in the last couple of years,

I would recognize him.

Wait.

Wait a minute, Doctor.

I'm confused.

Is Sheila's condition
terminal or is it not?

All right.

All right then.

Is it operable?

Doc, Doctor Doctor.

Look, look, I've got to have
an appointment with you.

I want to be able to stand
there in your office face

to face with you and get
some straight answers.

Yeah, 8:00 will be fine.

Yeah, I'll see you
tomorrow morning.

Sure.

Thanks.

Lieutenant Finn.

Jim McBride, Lieutenant.
How's it going?

You know, rounding
up the usual suspects.

We haven't found Ellis
Riley yet, if that's

what you're wondering about.

How did you guess?

I know you, Jim.

I know how important it is to
you for your men to be cleared.

Yeah, it sure is, Ambrose.

It sure is.

Boys any closer to it yet?

Hunter thinks that
someone tried to frame Ellis

by stealing a matchbook from
the Senagrill with Ellis's

fingerprints on it.

Hunter knows it's not
your boy Tolson if that's

worth anything to you.

That's worth plenty.

That's a big step in
the right direction.

Anything else?

No.

Not much else.

Say, I was just on my way over
to Rex's for a pot of coffee.

How about joining me.

We can both talk
about our troubles.

You haven't got any troubles.

That's what you think.

Five minutes?

You got it, Ambrose.

Five minutes.

Lincoln five seven,
come in, please.

This is Lincoln five seven.

How you doing?

What's the deal on Tolson?

He has not budged.

Hello.

Wait a minute.

Correct that.

He's moving.

He's moving in a
gray Dodge sedan.

OK keep reporting
your location, McCall.

And remember, don't
get too close to him.

He's an ex-undercover cop.

Yes, I know.

He's heading east on
Clauson, just past Olympic.

OK, pull off.

He just turned
left onto Crescent.

OK, I'll take him.

I got him.

He's still heading north on
Crescent just past Vista.

OK, I'm with you.

Hunter, he's heading
south on Euclid.

You want to stay with him?

No, go one block
and then parallel him.

Lincoln five seven, come in.

This is Lincoln five seven.

Go ahead.

McCall, I'm parked on the
4700 block of Rockport Place.

He's going into a house on
the south side of the street.

Bear with me a minute here.

Think we've found our man.

Who is it?

I can't tell you now.

I'm going to wait
till I see your face.

You won't believe it.

Lincoln five six out.

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

Don't move.

A million wasn't
enough for you, was it?

What did you do, Captain?

Gamble it away?

You're out of your mind.

You're a compulsive gambler.

We all knew that.

That's why you talked
us into grabbing

the money in the first place.

All right.

I bet a little.
So what?

Everybody does.

Not like you they don't.

We kept our end of the bargain.

Five years, and we
didn't spend a dime.

You probably blew yours in
Vegas the first weekend.

You killed Arman and Chandler.

You took their
money and I'm next.

Ellis Riley killed
Akerman and Chandler.

Isn't that obvious?

He was waiting all those
years to get out and get even.

I had a little chat with Ellis.

And I know he
didn't kill anybody.

You're the one that's been
waiting all these years.

Ellis Riley out on parole gave
you the perfect opportunity.

You can't kill me.

You've got five months till
that statute of limitations

runs out.

You kill me now and
this whole investigation

centers right on you.

Don't worry, Captain.

I figured all this out.

And you're right.

I'm not going to kill you.

But you're not going
to kill me either.

Because I've written
it all down and put it

in a nice, safe place.

How we radioed
you from the bust.

How you told us to wait
until you got there.

How you suggested that we
just turn in six million,

keep four for ourselves.

You make it sound
like it was all my idea.

It was your idea.

You just had to have that money.

You're not getting mine.

Because if anything
happens to me now,

the DA gets the whole rap.

Don't move.

All right, now throw
the gun on the bed.

Now turn around.

I knew you didn't believe
me when I told you

I'd written everything down.

I could see it in your face.

So I came home, and I did.

I wrote it all down.

And decided to wait
on you to show up.

And here you are.

Go ahead.

Take a look.

It's all there.

And it's going to go to that
nice safe place I've mentioned.

I said take a look.

Drop the gun, Russ.

Very gently.

Easy.

Get up.

We almost made it.

Almost.

Move.

How was your vacation, Riley?

I can tell you, I've seen worse.

I missed you.

Oh, baby, I missed you too.

Hey, that's for Sporty.

Caught that off the
coast of San Luis Obispo.

Thanks a lot, Gordon.

Bet you guys have a
lot to talk about, huh?

Are you kidding?

That man said eight words
to me the whole time.

Throw up on my dick,
you're shark bait.

So am I in the clear?
- You're in the clear.

What about you?

I'm in the clear too.

Tolson has pleaded guilty
to theft and conspiracy.

He's cooperating
fully with the DA

because he sure
doesn't want to risk

being charged with the murder
of Akerman and Chandler.

Yeah, Tolson's million is in
and we found Akerman's million

over at McBride's house.

All right, that still leaves
Chandler's million unaccounted

for, doesn't it?

Yeah, we're looking for that.

Well, I don't like loose ends.

Especially a million bucks worth
of loose ends, so keep looking.

Yeah.

McCall, someone here to see you.

Hi.

Hello, Sergeant McCall,
this is my husband, Mike.

Hi, Mike.

Sergeant Hunter.

Hi, folks.

We found a safe deposit
key in her dad's things,

and, uh, well.

I never believed the rumors
that my father took that money.

He was a good man though.

He really was.

Yeah, well even, even a
good man can make mistakes.

You know, you, uh, you
guys will get a reward

for turning this money in.

Yeah, you will, 10%.

$100,000.

You can collect it back
at the desk sergeant.

He can take care
of the paperwork.

He's got the money on him.

Thank you.

Thank you.

You know it sure is good to
know that some good came out

of all this.

Yeah.

Million bucks.

So what do you say, we
take a little quick hop

to the island of Bali?

I have this...

What do you mean we, Tonto?