Hunter (1984–1991): Season 5, Episode 4 - Dead on Target: Part 2 - full transcript
While investigating the apparent suicide of Hunter's friend from his days in Vietnam, Hunter and McCall uncover a 20-year-old betrayal that is still killing people today.
Tonight, on "Hunter."
-26 rounds of 9mm...
Legs, abdomen, and chest.
-You know, all I do
is stay in this room.
I can't afford to lose
many more friends.
-Where's Rose?
-I don't know.
-That's a bad answer, Wing.
-Nightshade existed to get
Stagg in and out of places.
-I think Steven Stagg
killed a Cambodian prince
to get $6 million in emeralds.
We're gonna kick
this cold turkey.
If she's strung out
on black gum opium,
she'll have a tough
time kicking it.
She's gonna get sick.
In part 1 of "Dead on Target."
-Hey, but it doesn't seem
like it's been 20 years since,
uh, I was sitting with
you guys in stinkhole
eating out of my helmet.
We want a get a picture of
everybody for the captain.
Come on up.
-Randall Fane killed himself.
-What?
What happened?
-Rose finally left him, and I
guess he couldn't handle it.
-If you're willing to tell
me, I'm here to listen.
You know, he and Rose
seemed so happy together.
What happened?
-You gotta tell me what
happened to Randall.
I gotta know.
I want you to come with me.
-I can't do that, Rick.
-Look, I'll sell my
things in a little while,
and I'll go to home
to Hong Kong.
-If you hurt her,
I'll break your neck.
-Be careful in Chinatown.
-What's Madman?
Madman is what
the Air Force called
that napalm raid
I told you about.
-Boy, when you say Randall
was obsessed, you weren't kidding.
-We were dropped 100
miles up the river north.
Our mission was to
find a tribal prince who...
Who had emeralds and
stones that he wanted
to use to buy a guerrilla
army to fight the Khmer Rouge.
-The Madman trail gets
hot again after 20 years.
Can $6 million in
emeralds be far behind?
-I don't know how Randall
found out I was undercover.
-He filed through the Air
Force for Madman Operation.
He got your name.
You killed Randall, man.
I'm gonna prove it.
-A naval security review
of Stagg's work as an agent.
-He had to have seen him hit me.
-If I tell you, Rick, you
gotta promise to help me.
-What do you mean, help you?
And now, "Dead
on Target, Part 2."
-26 rounds of 9mm...
Legs, abdomen, and chest.
Two full clips were
emptied into the wall
and table and the floor.
-The case is mine, Charlie.
-Uh, did you get a good
luck at the gunman?
-No, he had me pinned
down behind the table.
No one really got
a good look at him,
but the woman next to the
gunman looked a lot like Rose Fane.
-Well, write it up in a
report and then go home.
-I'm on the case, Charlie.
-You got the right.
I'm sorry about Theo.
-Thank you.
-You sure were lucky.
-Over 60 rounds were fired.
I'm more than lucky.
-Missed intentionally?
You're on your feet, Hunter.
You need a ride?
You need a ride?
Hunter, do you need a ride?
-No, I'm OK.
Thanks.
-OK.
I'm gonna go check
out that Major Voss, see
where he hits after
he goes to work.
-Yeah, that's a good idea.
I gotta break the
news to Alan Rawling.
Rawling?
-Rick?
Yeah.
Open up.
-It's awful early.
-Yeah, I know.
Your mother let me in.
-I, uh, had earplugs.
Otherwise, I would
have answered.
-Alan, Theo's dead.
-Boy, I must be
keeping some damn
pharmaceutical
company in business.
This prescription hasn't
run out since 1969.
-Theo's brother
lives in Ohio, Alan.
He wants the body
shipped back there.
I can get the name
of the funeral home
if you wanna send
anything along.
Did Randall ever talk
about Steve's finances?
-Oh, yeah.
He kept this big file of,
uh, newspaper articles
and, uh, financial statements
and disclosure reports.
Randall hated Stagg.
But you knew that, right?
You can't blame
the guy, can you?
I mean, there was Randall
with his oxyacetylene rig going
to welding jobs,
and there was Stagg
calling the governor's wine
steward by his nickname.
-Randall thought that Stagg
took the emeralds from the prince
during the napalm
raid, didn't he.
-Yeah.
-Did he think that
Theo was involved in it?
-No, not Theo.
Stagg was the rich one.
You know, all I do
is stay in this room.
I can't afford to lose
many more friends.
-I thought you'd want
to take a look at this
before you tie a
string onto Voss.
Now, this one on
the bottom is the copy
we got from the Marine Corps.
The one on the top's the one
we found in Theodus White's
apartment taped
underneath the drawer.
It's a phony.
-Well, it's really hard to tell.
They're both xeroxed.
-And heavily censored.
-Well, so let's
compare it line by line.
Uh, "Investigations into Pvt.
Fane's actions have
concluded that he showed
cowardice in the
face of the enemy.
Because of his delay
sustaining heavy casualties,
first recon battalion
was withdrawn,"
-That's on the phony report.
-Yeah, but there's,
uh, correctional tape
put over there,
and it's typed over.
Well, so then this was in
the original report until the, uh,
forger deleted it.
"Cpl.
Stagg's inexplicable
behavior suggests
serious misjudgement,
possible dereliction of duty.
Reports of missing gems
should not be discounted."
Well, now we know what's faked.
But who faked it?
-Keep the safety on that.
You heard about
Theo, didn't you, Steve?
He's dead.
-Yeah, I read
about it in the paper.
My god, Rick, shot to death.
How'd he walk into that?
-Oh, that's good.
-Now, wait a minute.
You've already twisted
me into this, haven't you.
Well, just forget it.
I was here all night long.
You can ask my staff.
-You pay your staff.
-Listen, my lawyer thinks we've
got grounds for a harassment
suit right now, and he's
advised me not to talk to you.
-Did you know Theo made a
copy of the fake Madman report?
-No.
I don't know about any of this.
I said I didn't.
-You also said you didn't
hit me over the head too.
-All right, all right.
I went over to Randall's just
to pay my respects to Rose,
but she was gone.
I looked around outside.
I didn't go inside.
-Why don't you tell
me about the emeralds
and how you killed Theo because
he was gonna rat you out to me?
-You're crazy.
My god, I mean, you
are... you are crazy.
-The killing started
20 years ago, Steve,
and it hasn't stopped.
I'm gonna stop it.
DISPATCH: 1-William-56.
-56, go.
DISPATCH: 5-King-42 has
a lead on your
suspect, Richard Wing.
They're standing by
at 5941 Center Street.
-Roger, 56 en route.
Where's Rose?
-I don't know.
-That's a bad answer, Wing.
-I can't find her.
-You're her source, aren't you?
-I don't deal.
She didn't score from me.
-Did Steven Stagg hire you?
-Who's Stagg?
I don't know anybody
named Stagg.
I'm trying to find Rose.
-Well, that's good.
You do remember our little
chat down at the park, don't you?
I told you if anything
ever happened
to Rose I'd break your neck.
Don't forget that.
Oh, and, uh, next
time I see you,
you better have Rose with you.
If she's strung out
on black gum opium,
she'll have a tough
time kicking it.
She's gonna get sick.
-Yeah, well, I don't
know how strung out she
is until I find her.
And when I do, I'm
gonna clean her up myself.
-Cold turkey?
It's no fun, Rick.
-Well, it's not
supposed to be fun.
But she's the key
to this thing, Sandy.
I gotta help you.
Please let me find her.
-OK, squeeze the streets.
-Thanks.
-Hi, big guy.
-Hi.
-I hear you found Richard Wing.
Did you bring him in?
-No, didn't have
anything to hold him on.
But I put the Asian
task force on him.
-What about Rose?
-Well, that is a mystery.
I do know one thing.
She's not in the morgue.
-I found something.
-Yeah?
-Yeah.
Come over and
take a look at this.
This a picture of the
intelligence officer
I talked to a couple
days ago, and he
says he's assigned to Madman.
Maj.
Alva Voss, USMC.
-What'd he have to say?
-Not too much.
Apparently though,
he's got 10 men
guarding Stagg's
house full time.
I tailed him.
He wound up going
down to the jewelery mart.
Apparently, they know
him pretty well down there.
He is a private investor
looking for emeralds,
anything big that
might hit the market.
-Great.
Keep on him.
-Yeah, I will.
I also, uh, went
through these books
and papers you
took from Randall's.
-Uh-huh?
-Well, apparently
he liked page 245.
He underlined a verse.
Sylvia Plath poem.
-Yeah, I saw this book
when I was at Randall's.
"Dying is an art,
like everything else.
I do it exceptionally
well." "Lady Lazarus."
The piece was marked
with this how-to pamphlet.
"20 ways to take your life
in as many easy lessons."
Wow.
Talk about lighthearted fare.
-Yeah.
-Catch up with you later, right?
-Yeah.
Thanks.
Randall had a lot of
books on suicide, Alan.
Did he ever talk about it?
-No.
You know, you sound like
that insurance guy that was here
last week checking
out a suicide clause.
-Well, Randall never
had insurance, Alan.
Could this have been
the guy that was here?
-Damn, I put too much water in.
-Could this have been
the guy you talked to?
-Yeah, that's, uh, Mr. Vaughan.
No, wait.
It's, uh, Voss.
MCCALL: 1-William-1-56,
this is 1-William-1-57.
1-William-1-56, this
is 1-William-1-57.
Come in, please.
-1-William-56, go.
My Suspect's gone
back to square one,
the federal offices on Wilshire.
Wanna call it a day?
-No, no.
I will meet you there in
about... about 20 minutes.
Roger.
-Hi.
-Maj.
Voss, Sgt. Hunter, LA Homicide.
I understand we're
involved in the same case.
I think it's time
we talk about that.
-What are you
looking for Hunter?
Stagg, emeralds, or both?
-Both.
I think Steven Stagg
killed a Cambodian prince
to get $6 million in emeralds,
calling in an air strike
to cover his actions and
killing half of our unit doing it.
-Look top right.
Recognize it?
-The old man
wants you to send it.
It's supposed to be secret.
You'll have to ask the captain.
-I did.
I conducted the
original investigation
into what happened to your unit.
Danello confirmed
his last dispatch.
"Detain 24 hours.
Will advise.
Nightshade."
You were the radio man.
You sent it.
-That's right, but
it was in code.
-Right.
An hour later, here come Air
Force F-4 Phantoms with napalm,
a raid on the Ho Chi Minh
Trail 300 miles off target.
But you reported
you heard the pilots.
Madman, Madman, dead on target.
-Dead on target.
A mistake.
-No mistake.
NSGA agents like
Stagg could call in a sortie
to cover a mission
or save their ass.
-He called a bombing
raid on his own unit?
-Later, I debriefed Stagg.
He said the prince wanted
to massacre your unit,
and he said he called in
the sortie so some of you
might get away.
-Only that was a lie.
-Yeah.
Well, he claimed he had
orders not to break his cover.
Nightshade existed to get
Stagg in and out of places, Hunter.
It was his unit.
This time, he was twisting
the arm of a mountain prince
to use his fortune
against the Khmer Rouge.
-Emeralds.
-Right.
But if Stagg's got
them, somehow he's
turned them into cash without
being personally involved,
something I've never
been able to prove.
Otherwise, I'd
have a lock on him.
-Where do you think
Theo White fits into all this?
-Well, White might've
been a leg man for Stagg.
Maybe he was about
to inform on him.
-And Stagg killed him.
And how do you think Steve
timed the bombing so precisely?
-Stagg added a last
code group of his own
to Danello's message.
-5125A.
-Stagg's code name... Madman.
-And that's why the Air
Force used the same name.
-As soon as you
sent it, they loaded
the napalm aboard
and flew north.
You pulled the switch
on your own guys.
-You OK?
Hunter?
-They still have
tigers in Cambodia.
We used to see them
running from our flares at night.
They made our sentries jumpy.
When Randall shot
one of the prince's men,
the prince wanted
to know who did it.
-We'd never give Randall over.
The trick was to avoid a fight.
It cost us a day.
When the bombing
started, we tried to call it off.
-Abort!
Stop!
Stop!
Abort!
-I pulled Capt. Danello
from under a tree.
We were on foot for a week.
The rest of the men
had to make it back
on their own... Randall,
Alan, Theo, Steve.
-You think Voss
was telling the truth?
-It sounds about right.
-You know what I think?
-What?
-I think he's after
the emeralds.
You all right?
-Yeah, I'm fine.
-Wanna go grab a
bite or something?
-No, no.
No, you go ahead.
I'll see you tomorrow.
-OK.
DISPATCH: 1-William-1-56,
contact 9-Wide-50 on 3535.
Roger, 56.
Sandy, Hunter.
Go.
-Possible on Rose.
A snitch thinks he
saw her yesterday
in a dive off of Bloom Street.
What kind of dive?
-If she's still there,
she's had a lot of smoke.
-Is this it?
-Yeah.
-Why didn't you show
me this in the first place?
-I didn't think of it.
-You didn't think of it.
How many ways
in and out of there?
Two, the alley and the
front door on Bloom Street.
What do you want from me?
-I want you to go
around the front.
Tell everybody
there's a police raid
coming down in about 15 minutes.
Send them down the fire escapes.
And Richard, don't screw it up.
I don't need any help.
I'm just looking
for a lady, thanks.
-Uncle, I'll take her now.
Thank you.
-Rose?
Rose?
Rose, it's Rick.
Come with me.
-Go away.
-Come on.
Let's go down.
-You're completely
screwed up, Rose.
You'll start withdrawals
in a couple of hours.
I'm gonna commit
you to Department 95.
-No, I'm not hooked.
-I'm sorry, Rose.
Do the 90 days
in the rehab center
and clean up and put some
meat back on your bones.
-No.
You can't do that to me.
-Sandy, she hasn't been
booked yet, so I'll take her.
-She's under the influence.
Pupils are 0.2.
I told you, commitment's
the best thing.
-No, I understand.
I know we talked about that, but
I'm gonna do this anyway, OK?
Thank you.
I made a big mistake allowing
you to go with Wing, Rose.
Why didn't you stay with him?
-I wanted to forget.
-Mhm.
Well, a friend of
mine is gonna let
us use his cabin up
in Lake Arrowhead.
We're gonna go
up there, and you're
gonna kick this cold turkey, OK?
I'll help you.
It'll be better than detox.
-I'll go with you.
-Thanks again, Sandy.
-You're in for a real thrill.
-Come on.
-Ah!
-Rose, come on.
Come on.
Get back.
Take it easy.
Come on, honey.
Hold on to that now.
Press hard.
Bathroom's the other way, Rose.
-I feel better, Rick, really.
-I know.
-I think the worst is over.
I just wanted to take a walk.
Oh, no.
Rick, let me go.
No.
Let me go.
Rose, put a move on it.
Pasta's ready.
Pasta's ready.
Let's go.
Let's go.
Soup's on.
Rose, let's go.
All right.
Soup's on.
Come on.
Get a move on it, Rose.
You ready to eat?
-I've got a better idea.
-Yeah, OK.
You can eat that
way if you'd like,
but you're still gonna
have to do the dishes.
I wanna go home.
How you doing?
In here.
-Hi.
How's it going?
-OK.
You hungry?
Got some pasta for you
if you want something.
-Yeah?
-Yeah.
-Well, no.
I... I already ate with Charlie.
Thanks anyway.
So how you doing?
-Well, let's see.
We've been through the
sweats, the cramps, the shakes,
the nightmares,
the high highs...
-The low lows.
Typical.
-Yeah.
She tried to jump
me, beat me, bore
me, disgust me, and seduce me.
-So you're about done.
-Yeah.
She's been upstairs
asleep for the last hour.
-Oh, I brought you, uh, the
things you wanted for her.
-Great.
Thank you.
-Oh, listen, have you
ever heard of a guy
whose name is Romeo Vargas?
-Vargas?
No, uh-uh.
Why?
-Well, he says he knows you.
He wants to talk to
you about Theo White.
I have his address.
I'll stay if you want
to go talk with him.
-Yeah, maybe
I'll get out of here.
Yeah, thank you very much.
-Mhm.
-It's in the refrigerator.
-No!
No!
Get... get... get... I said no!
Later!
Get outta here.
Hiya, Hunter.
I wondered if you'd come.
-Romeo Vargas?
-Yeah, it's a stage name.
-Oh, we know one another?
-Sort of. You're a
friend of Theo White's.
-Yeah.
-He comes in here to eat be
maybe once or twice a month
since I had this
gig, about two years.
Jesus.
They give you
roses, you think they'd
take out the damn thorns.
-So what's the connection?
-Well, Theo and I
give each other gigs.
I mean, you know, I
got him that blues thing.
Uh, I'm the
doorman at that club.
Uh, you showed me your badge.
-Oh, yeah, yeah.
-I saw what went down.
-What do you mean?
You saw the killer?
-No, I can't help you there.
Look, people out
in the audience,
they see me up on the stage.
But I'm not real.
I'm an entertainer.
I blame it on TV.
You know, they
don't think I see them,
but I get an eyeful
of all kinds of stuff.
-Oh, like what?
-Like Theo.
He eats here twice a month,
every first and third Friday.
Around dessert,
every time, in walks
the same guy... Saville
Row suit, cane, limp.
He hands Theo an
envelope, and the guy is gone.
Not even a cup of coffee.
-Well, did you talk
to him about it?
-Oh, see no evil, man.
I mean, I drifted
by the table once,
and I heard Theo
mention something
about a drive up the coast.
Um, San Luis Obispo?
Vargas, you want dinner or what?
-Yes, I was giving Theo money.
So what?
It wasn't a lot of money.
He knew about Madman
since we were in the corps,
and I told him that
I wasn't proud of it.
-He was blackmailing
you, so you killed him.
-Why would I kill him for that?
The information on
Madman was public.
-But the public wasn't
filing for it, Randall was.
-Why would I kill my friends?
God knows how many
enemies Theo made
in his business, that
whole nightclub scene.
And anybody could've
taken those papers, anybody.
-You know a Maj.
Voss?
-Who?
-Maj.
Alva Voss.
-I never heard of him.
-Well, he knows
you, Steve, and he
wants to have a nice little
chat with me about you.
You know what I think?
I think you murdered
Theo and Randall,
and I think you set Rose up
with Wing to keep her doped up.
-I did not kill
my friends, and I
don't know who the hell Wing is!
-I'll bet you Maj.
Voss gives me something
to connect you with that.
I'll bet you're
asking yourself, how
did the hell did he get that?
-You get outta here.
Now, get out.
1-William-1-56, Air-9.
Air-9, go.
HUNTER: 56, I'm leaving
the suspect's house now.
He's all yours.
-Good morning.
-Well, the new old Rose.
I like it.
Sleep well?
-Perfectly, happily for
first time in a long time.
I want to thank you, Rick.
-You're welcome.
I would like to at some point in
time talk to you about Randall.
Want some coffee?
-Can we go outside?
I won't run, I promise.
-Certainly.
Hunter.
Stagg left his place
five minutes ago
with a suitcase.
He's driving alone north on 101.
-Good, he took the bait.
He's headed for San Luis Obispo.
I'm about 20 miles closer.
I'll catch up.
-If I thought staying could
have helped, I would have.
But I couldn't.
I mean, the maps, the
files, the dreams... so much
pain just for some green stones.
-You know, so much has
happened since your wedding,
I can't even believe it.
It's just, I don't know
where the time has gone.
I... When I heard about
Randall, I was horrified.
Not only was there the
pain of losing a close friend,
I... I went through a...
I'm very confused, Rose.
Rose, I... I don't think
Randall committed suicide.
I think somebody murdered him.
-Oh, no.
You're wrong, Rick.
-Why do you say that?
-He called that night.
I'd been in and out of the
house for about two weeks.
When he called, he
was sad, really down.
He said he'd had a long,
depressing talk with Alan.
I knew something was going
to happen, so I hurried over.
When I got there,
it was too late.
He'd already gone.
I felt dead myself.
-When you got there,
Randall was in the bathtub.
Is that right?
Now, Rose, was there
any blood on the floor?
-No, only in the tub.
-You see, that's what I mean.
When I got there to
check out the scene,
there was blood on
the floor, under the rug,
and in the toilet.
-No, not when I
was there with him.
It was almost peaceful really.
In fact, I was still sitting by
the tub reading Randall's note
over and over when he came in.
I think I surprised him.
-What do you mean, he came in?
Who came in?
HUNTER: 1-William-1-56.
Air-9, did you notify Ventura?
Roger, 56.
And be advised the
suspect is still proceeding.
You want to notify the
San Luis Obispo sheriffs.
Will advise.
-So many visitors in one month.
Uh, you know his condition?
-Yes, I used to visit
him regularly back east.
-Cpl.
Stagg to see you, sir.
-Stagg, everybody
wants to know about you.
What the hell is all this
in the news about White?
-A tragedy, sir.
-Where are you?
-Over here, sir.
I won't be staying long.
You just, uh, you just relax.
-Over where White always stands.
HUNTER: 1-William-1-56,
San Luis Sheriff.
1-William-1-56, go.
Meet me at the VA hospital
for backup and assistance.
We're rolling now.
-I saw you take
these, you bastard,
right from the prince's hand.
-You killed Randall.
-You would never
have led me to these
if I hadn't made
Hunter go after you.
-Is anybody in
seeing Capt. Danello?
-Good morning, Sgt. Hunter.
Yes, uh, Cpl.
Stagg is in there with him.
I can't remember when
we got so much attention.
Watch out!
Oh!
-Where do those stairs lead?
-Up to the roof.
-Alan!
Alan, wait a minute.
-Oh, that was fast.
I figured I was a couple
of steps ahead of you.
-Look, will you talk to me?
Tell me why you helped
your best friend kill himself.
-Because he wanted to die!
He'd been on the short
end of this deal for 20 years.
I just figured a way
to turn it on Stagg.
I made those
prints with the cane.
That maniac had had
us napalmed for these!
-But why Theo?
-Because he was about
to tell you everything,
and I couldn't let that happen.
He was a casualty of war, man.
-Well, why not Rose?
Why not kill her when
you had the chance?
-Rose was just a
poor kid trying to forget.
She wasn't no
threat, particularly
after I introduced her to Wing.
-That's why she
was with you the night
you killed Theo at the club.
-You got it, boy.
To get her fix.
-The dying and the killing
have gotta stop, Alan.
-Yeah, and the suffering too!
The suffering too!
Don't you think
Danello would like
to be put out of his misery?
Everybody's on his own revolving
bed... Theo, Stagg, Randall, me.
Even you, Hunter.
-It was you that
went up to see Capt.
Danello, not Randall, right?
-Man, he hadn't heard
our voices in 20 years.
What does he know?
I set the radio in Randall's
truck so that you'd find it.
-And the papers?
-That was easy.
I was watching the mail.
He'd never have guessed
that I had rewritten that report.
-Listen to me.
You're not thinking coherently.
You're out of control.
-Wrong!
For the first time in 20 years,
man, I am in complete control.
-No!
-Goodbye, Randall.
I'll miss you.
Thank you.
Thank you most
for loving Randall.
-You'll be in touch, right?
-I promise.
I need to go home now.
-Give me a minute.
-26 rounds of 9mm...
Legs, abdomen, and chest.
-You know, all I do
is stay in this room.
I can't afford to lose
many more friends.
-Where's Rose?
-I don't know.
-That's a bad answer, Wing.
-Nightshade existed to get
Stagg in and out of places.
-I think Steven Stagg
killed a Cambodian prince
to get $6 million in emeralds.
We're gonna kick
this cold turkey.
If she's strung out
on black gum opium,
she'll have a tough
time kicking it.
She's gonna get sick.
In part 1 of "Dead on Target."
-Hey, but it doesn't seem
like it's been 20 years since,
uh, I was sitting with
you guys in stinkhole
eating out of my helmet.
We want a get a picture of
everybody for the captain.
Come on up.
-Randall Fane killed himself.
-What?
What happened?
-Rose finally left him, and I
guess he couldn't handle it.
-If you're willing to tell
me, I'm here to listen.
You know, he and Rose
seemed so happy together.
What happened?
-You gotta tell me what
happened to Randall.
I gotta know.
I want you to come with me.
-I can't do that, Rick.
-Look, I'll sell my
things in a little while,
and I'll go to home
to Hong Kong.
-If you hurt her,
I'll break your neck.
-Be careful in Chinatown.
-What's Madman?
Madman is what
the Air Force called
that napalm raid
I told you about.
-Boy, when you say Randall
was obsessed, you weren't kidding.
-We were dropped 100
miles up the river north.
Our mission was to
find a tribal prince who...
Who had emeralds and
stones that he wanted
to use to buy a guerrilla
army to fight the Khmer Rouge.
-The Madman trail gets
hot again after 20 years.
Can $6 million in
emeralds be far behind?
-I don't know how Randall
found out I was undercover.
-He filed through the Air
Force for Madman Operation.
He got your name.
You killed Randall, man.
I'm gonna prove it.
-A naval security review
of Stagg's work as an agent.
-He had to have seen him hit me.
-If I tell you, Rick, you
gotta promise to help me.
-What do you mean, help you?
And now, "Dead
on Target, Part 2."
-26 rounds of 9mm...
Legs, abdomen, and chest.
Two full clips were
emptied into the wall
and table and the floor.
-The case is mine, Charlie.
-Uh, did you get a good
luck at the gunman?
-No, he had me pinned
down behind the table.
No one really got
a good look at him,
but the woman next to the
gunman looked a lot like Rose Fane.
-Well, write it up in a
report and then go home.
-I'm on the case, Charlie.
-You got the right.
I'm sorry about Theo.
-Thank you.
-You sure were lucky.
-Over 60 rounds were fired.
I'm more than lucky.
-Missed intentionally?
You're on your feet, Hunter.
You need a ride?
You need a ride?
Hunter, do you need a ride?
-No, I'm OK.
Thanks.
-OK.
I'm gonna go check
out that Major Voss, see
where he hits after
he goes to work.
-Yeah, that's a good idea.
I gotta break the
news to Alan Rawling.
Rawling?
-Rick?
Yeah.
Open up.
-It's awful early.
-Yeah, I know.
Your mother let me in.
-I, uh, had earplugs.
Otherwise, I would
have answered.
-Alan, Theo's dead.
-Boy, I must be
keeping some damn
pharmaceutical
company in business.
This prescription hasn't
run out since 1969.
-Theo's brother
lives in Ohio, Alan.
He wants the body
shipped back there.
I can get the name
of the funeral home
if you wanna send
anything along.
Did Randall ever talk
about Steve's finances?
-Oh, yeah.
He kept this big file of,
uh, newspaper articles
and, uh, financial statements
and disclosure reports.
Randall hated Stagg.
But you knew that, right?
You can't blame
the guy, can you?
I mean, there was Randall
with his oxyacetylene rig going
to welding jobs,
and there was Stagg
calling the governor's wine
steward by his nickname.
-Randall thought that Stagg
took the emeralds from the prince
during the napalm
raid, didn't he.
-Yeah.
-Did he think that
Theo was involved in it?
-No, not Theo.
Stagg was the rich one.
You know, all I do
is stay in this room.
I can't afford to lose
many more friends.
-I thought you'd want
to take a look at this
before you tie a
string onto Voss.
Now, this one on
the bottom is the copy
we got from the Marine Corps.
The one on the top's the one
we found in Theodus White's
apartment taped
underneath the drawer.
It's a phony.
-Well, it's really hard to tell.
They're both xeroxed.
-And heavily censored.
-Well, so let's
compare it line by line.
Uh, "Investigations into Pvt.
Fane's actions have
concluded that he showed
cowardice in the
face of the enemy.
Because of his delay
sustaining heavy casualties,
first recon battalion
was withdrawn,"
-That's on the phony report.
-Yeah, but there's,
uh, correctional tape
put over there,
and it's typed over.
Well, so then this was in
the original report until the, uh,
forger deleted it.
"Cpl.
Stagg's inexplicable
behavior suggests
serious misjudgement,
possible dereliction of duty.
Reports of missing gems
should not be discounted."
Well, now we know what's faked.
But who faked it?
-Keep the safety on that.
You heard about
Theo, didn't you, Steve?
He's dead.
-Yeah, I read
about it in the paper.
My god, Rick, shot to death.
How'd he walk into that?
-Oh, that's good.
-Now, wait a minute.
You've already twisted
me into this, haven't you.
Well, just forget it.
I was here all night long.
You can ask my staff.
-You pay your staff.
-Listen, my lawyer thinks we've
got grounds for a harassment
suit right now, and he's
advised me not to talk to you.
-Did you know Theo made a
copy of the fake Madman report?
-No.
I don't know about any of this.
I said I didn't.
-You also said you didn't
hit me over the head too.
-All right, all right.
I went over to Randall's just
to pay my respects to Rose,
but she was gone.
I looked around outside.
I didn't go inside.
-Why don't you tell
me about the emeralds
and how you killed Theo because
he was gonna rat you out to me?
-You're crazy.
My god, I mean, you
are... you are crazy.
-The killing started
20 years ago, Steve,
and it hasn't stopped.
I'm gonna stop it.
DISPATCH: 1-William-56.
-56, go.
DISPATCH: 5-King-42 has
a lead on your
suspect, Richard Wing.
They're standing by
at 5941 Center Street.
-Roger, 56 en route.
Where's Rose?
-I don't know.
-That's a bad answer, Wing.
-I can't find her.
-You're her source, aren't you?
-I don't deal.
She didn't score from me.
-Did Steven Stagg hire you?
-Who's Stagg?
I don't know anybody
named Stagg.
I'm trying to find Rose.
-Well, that's good.
You do remember our little
chat down at the park, don't you?
I told you if anything
ever happened
to Rose I'd break your neck.
Don't forget that.
Oh, and, uh, next
time I see you,
you better have Rose with you.
If she's strung out
on black gum opium,
she'll have a tough
time kicking it.
She's gonna get sick.
-Yeah, well, I don't
know how strung out she
is until I find her.
And when I do, I'm
gonna clean her up myself.
-Cold turkey?
It's no fun, Rick.
-Well, it's not
supposed to be fun.
But she's the key
to this thing, Sandy.
I gotta help you.
Please let me find her.
-OK, squeeze the streets.
-Thanks.
-Hi, big guy.
-Hi.
-I hear you found Richard Wing.
Did you bring him in?
-No, didn't have
anything to hold him on.
But I put the Asian
task force on him.
-What about Rose?
-Well, that is a mystery.
I do know one thing.
She's not in the morgue.
-I found something.
-Yeah?
-Yeah.
Come over and
take a look at this.
This a picture of the
intelligence officer
I talked to a couple
days ago, and he
says he's assigned to Madman.
Maj.
Alva Voss, USMC.
-What'd he have to say?
-Not too much.
Apparently though,
he's got 10 men
guarding Stagg's
house full time.
I tailed him.
He wound up going
down to the jewelery mart.
Apparently, they know
him pretty well down there.
He is a private investor
looking for emeralds,
anything big that
might hit the market.
-Great.
Keep on him.
-Yeah, I will.
I also, uh, went
through these books
and papers you
took from Randall's.
-Uh-huh?
-Well, apparently
he liked page 245.
He underlined a verse.
Sylvia Plath poem.
-Yeah, I saw this book
when I was at Randall's.
"Dying is an art,
like everything else.
I do it exceptionally
well." "Lady Lazarus."
The piece was marked
with this how-to pamphlet.
"20 ways to take your life
in as many easy lessons."
Wow.
Talk about lighthearted fare.
-Yeah.
-Catch up with you later, right?
-Yeah.
Thanks.
Randall had a lot of
books on suicide, Alan.
Did he ever talk about it?
-No.
You know, you sound like
that insurance guy that was here
last week checking
out a suicide clause.
-Well, Randall never
had insurance, Alan.
Could this have been
the guy that was here?
-Damn, I put too much water in.
-Could this have been
the guy you talked to?
-Yeah, that's, uh, Mr. Vaughan.
No, wait.
It's, uh, Voss.
MCCALL: 1-William-1-56,
this is 1-William-1-57.
1-William-1-56, this
is 1-William-1-57.
Come in, please.
-1-William-56, go.
My Suspect's gone
back to square one,
the federal offices on Wilshire.
Wanna call it a day?
-No, no.
I will meet you there in
about... about 20 minutes.
Roger.
-Hi.
-Maj.
Voss, Sgt. Hunter, LA Homicide.
I understand we're
involved in the same case.
I think it's time
we talk about that.
-What are you
looking for Hunter?
Stagg, emeralds, or both?
-Both.
I think Steven Stagg
killed a Cambodian prince
to get $6 million in emeralds,
calling in an air strike
to cover his actions and
killing half of our unit doing it.
-Look top right.
Recognize it?
-The old man
wants you to send it.
It's supposed to be secret.
You'll have to ask the captain.
-I did.
I conducted the
original investigation
into what happened to your unit.
Danello confirmed
his last dispatch.
"Detain 24 hours.
Will advise.
Nightshade."
You were the radio man.
You sent it.
-That's right, but
it was in code.
-Right.
An hour later, here come Air
Force F-4 Phantoms with napalm,
a raid on the Ho Chi Minh
Trail 300 miles off target.
But you reported
you heard the pilots.
Madman, Madman, dead on target.
-Dead on target.
A mistake.
-No mistake.
NSGA agents like
Stagg could call in a sortie
to cover a mission
or save their ass.
-He called a bombing
raid on his own unit?
-Later, I debriefed Stagg.
He said the prince wanted
to massacre your unit,
and he said he called in
the sortie so some of you
might get away.
-Only that was a lie.
-Yeah.
Well, he claimed he had
orders not to break his cover.
Nightshade existed to get
Stagg in and out of places, Hunter.
It was his unit.
This time, he was twisting
the arm of a mountain prince
to use his fortune
against the Khmer Rouge.
-Emeralds.
-Right.
But if Stagg's got
them, somehow he's
turned them into cash without
being personally involved,
something I've never
been able to prove.
Otherwise, I'd
have a lock on him.
-Where do you think
Theo White fits into all this?
-Well, White might've
been a leg man for Stagg.
Maybe he was about
to inform on him.
-And Stagg killed him.
And how do you think Steve
timed the bombing so precisely?
-Stagg added a last
code group of his own
to Danello's message.
-5125A.
-Stagg's code name... Madman.
-And that's why the Air
Force used the same name.
-As soon as you
sent it, they loaded
the napalm aboard
and flew north.
You pulled the switch
on your own guys.
-You OK?
Hunter?
-They still have
tigers in Cambodia.
We used to see them
running from our flares at night.
They made our sentries jumpy.
When Randall shot
one of the prince's men,
the prince wanted
to know who did it.
-We'd never give Randall over.
The trick was to avoid a fight.
It cost us a day.
When the bombing
started, we tried to call it off.
-Abort!
Stop!
Stop!
Abort!
-I pulled Capt. Danello
from under a tree.
We were on foot for a week.
The rest of the men
had to make it back
on their own... Randall,
Alan, Theo, Steve.
-You think Voss
was telling the truth?
-It sounds about right.
-You know what I think?
-What?
-I think he's after
the emeralds.
You all right?
-Yeah, I'm fine.
-Wanna go grab a
bite or something?
-No, no.
No, you go ahead.
I'll see you tomorrow.
-OK.
DISPATCH: 1-William-1-56,
contact 9-Wide-50 on 3535.
Roger, 56.
Sandy, Hunter.
Go.
-Possible on Rose.
A snitch thinks he
saw her yesterday
in a dive off of Bloom Street.
What kind of dive?
-If she's still there,
she's had a lot of smoke.
-Is this it?
-Yeah.
-Why didn't you show
me this in the first place?
-I didn't think of it.
-You didn't think of it.
How many ways
in and out of there?
Two, the alley and the
front door on Bloom Street.
What do you want from me?
-I want you to go
around the front.
Tell everybody
there's a police raid
coming down in about 15 minutes.
Send them down the fire escapes.
And Richard, don't screw it up.
I don't need any help.
I'm just looking
for a lady, thanks.
-Uncle, I'll take her now.
Thank you.
-Rose?
Rose?
Rose, it's Rick.
Come with me.
-Go away.
-Come on.
Let's go down.
-You're completely
screwed up, Rose.
You'll start withdrawals
in a couple of hours.
I'm gonna commit
you to Department 95.
-No, I'm not hooked.
-I'm sorry, Rose.
Do the 90 days
in the rehab center
and clean up and put some
meat back on your bones.
-No.
You can't do that to me.
-Sandy, she hasn't been
booked yet, so I'll take her.
-She's under the influence.
Pupils are 0.2.
I told you, commitment's
the best thing.
-No, I understand.
I know we talked about that, but
I'm gonna do this anyway, OK?
Thank you.
I made a big mistake allowing
you to go with Wing, Rose.
Why didn't you stay with him?
-I wanted to forget.
-Mhm.
Well, a friend of
mine is gonna let
us use his cabin up
in Lake Arrowhead.
We're gonna go
up there, and you're
gonna kick this cold turkey, OK?
I'll help you.
It'll be better than detox.
-I'll go with you.
-Thanks again, Sandy.
-You're in for a real thrill.
-Come on.
-Ah!
-Rose, come on.
Come on.
Get back.
Take it easy.
Come on, honey.
Hold on to that now.
Press hard.
Bathroom's the other way, Rose.
-I feel better, Rick, really.
-I know.
-I think the worst is over.
I just wanted to take a walk.
Oh, no.
Rick, let me go.
No.
Let me go.
Rose, put a move on it.
Pasta's ready.
Pasta's ready.
Let's go.
Let's go.
Soup's on.
Rose, let's go.
All right.
Soup's on.
Come on.
Get a move on it, Rose.
You ready to eat?
-I've got a better idea.
-Yeah, OK.
You can eat that
way if you'd like,
but you're still gonna
have to do the dishes.
I wanna go home.
How you doing?
In here.
-Hi.
How's it going?
-OK.
You hungry?
Got some pasta for you
if you want something.
-Yeah?
-Yeah.
-Well, no.
I... I already ate with Charlie.
Thanks anyway.
So how you doing?
-Well, let's see.
We've been through the
sweats, the cramps, the shakes,
the nightmares,
the high highs...
-The low lows.
Typical.
-Yeah.
She tried to jump
me, beat me, bore
me, disgust me, and seduce me.
-So you're about done.
-Yeah.
She's been upstairs
asleep for the last hour.
-Oh, I brought you, uh, the
things you wanted for her.
-Great.
Thank you.
-Oh, listen, have you
ever heard of a guy
whose name is Romeo Vargas?
-Vargas?
No, uh-uh.
Why?
-Well, he says he knows you.
He wants to talk to
you about Theo White.
I have his address.
I'll stay if you want
to go talk with him.
-Yeah, maybe
I'll get out of here.
Yeah, thank you very much.
-Mhm.
-It's in the refrigerator.
-No!
No!
Get... get... get... I said no!
Later!
Get outta here.
Hiya, Hunter.
I wondered if you'd come.
-Romeo Vargas?
-Yeah, it's a stage name.
-Oh, we know one another?
-Sort of. You're a
friend of Theo White's.
-Yeah.
-He comes in here to eat be
maybe once or twice a month
since I had this
gig, about two years.
Jesus.
They give you
roses, you think they'd
take out the damn thorns.
-So what's the connection?
-Well, Theo and I
give each other gigs.
I mean, you know, I
got him that blues thing.
Uh, I'm the
doorman at that club.
Uh, you showed me your badge.
-Oh, yeah, yeah.
-I saw what went down.
-What do you mean?
You saw the killer?
-No, I can't help you there.
Look, people out
in the audience,
they see me up on the stage.
But I'm not real.
I'm an entertainer.
I blame it on TV.
You know, they
don't think I see them,
but I get an eyeful
of all kinds of stuff.
-Oh, like what?
-Like Theo.
He eats here twice a month,
every first and third Friday.
Around dessert,
every time, in walks
the same guy... Saville
Row suit, cane, limp.
He hands Theo an
envelope, and the guy is gone.
Not even a cup of coffee.
-Well, did you talk
to him about it?
-Oh, see no evil, man.
I mean, I drifted
by the table once,
and I heard Theo
mention something
about a drive up the coast.
Um, San Luis Obispo?
Vargas, you want dinner or what?
-Yes, I was giving Theo money.
So what?
It wasn't a lot of money.
He knew about Madman
since we were in the corps,
and I told him that
I wasn't proud of it.
-He was blackmailing
you, so you killed him.
-Why would I kill him for that?
The information on
Madman was public.
-But the public wasn't
filing for it, Randall was.
-Why would I kill my friends?
God knows how many
enemies Theo made
in his business, that
whole nightclub scene.
And anybody could've
taken those papers, anybody.
-You know a Maj.
Voss?
-Who?
-Maj.
Alva Voss.
-I never heard of him.
-Well, he knows
you, Steve, and he
wants to have a nice little
chat with me about you.
You know what I think?
I think you murdered
Theo and Randall,
and I think you set Rose up
with Wing to keep her doped up.
-I did not kill
my friends, and I
don't know who the hell Wing is!
-I'll bet you Maj.
Voss gives me something
to connect you with that.
I'll bet you're
asking yourself, how
did the hell did he get that?
-You get outta here.
Now, get out.
1-William-1-56, Air-9.
Air-9, go.
HUNTER: 56, I'm leaving
the suspect's house now.
He's all yours.
-Good morning.
-Well, the new old Rose.
I like it.
Sleep well?
-Perfectly, happily for
first time in a long time.
I want to thank you, Rick.
-You're welcome.
I would like to at some point in
time talk to you about Randall.
Want some coffee?
-Can we go outside?
I won't run, I promise.
-Certainly.
Hunter.
Stagg left his place
five minutes ago
with a suitcase.
He's driving alone north on 101.
-Good, he took the bait.
He's headed for San Luis Obispo.
I'm about 20 miles closer.
I'll catch up.
-If I thought staying could
have helped, I would have.
But I couldn't.
I mean, the maps, the
files, the dreams... so much
pain just for some green stones.
-You know, so much has
happened since your wedding,
I can't even believe it.
It's just, I don't know
where the time has gone.
I... When I heard about
Randall, I was horrified.
Not only was there the
pain of losing a close friend,
I... I went through a...
I'm very confused, Rose.
Rose, I... I don't think
Randall committed suicide.
I think somebody murdered him.
-Oh, no.
You're wrong, Rick.
-Why do you say that?
-He called that night.
I'd been in and out of the
house for about two weeks.
When he called, he
was sad, really down.
He said he'd had a long,
depressing talk with Alan.
I knew something was going
to happen, so I hurried over.
When I got there,
it was too late.
He'd already gone.
I felt dead myself.
-When you got there,
Randall was in the bathtub.
Is that right?
Now, Rose, was there
any blood on the floor?
-No, only in the tub.
-You see, that's what I mean.
When I got there to
check out the scene,
there was blood on
the floor, under the rug,
and in the toilet.
-No, not when I
was there with him.
It was almost peaceful really.
In fact, I was still sitting by
the tub reading Randall's note
over and over when he came in.
I think I surprised him.
-What do you mean, he came in?
Who came in?
HUNTER: 1-William-1-56.
Air-9, did you notify Ventura?
Roger, 56.
And be advised the
suspect is still proceeding.
You want to notify the
San Luis Obispo sheriffs.
Will advise.
-So many visitors in one month.
Uh, you know his condition?
-Yes, I used to visit
him regularly back east.
-Cpl.
Stagg to see you, sir.
-Stagg, everybody
wants to know about you.
What the hell is all this
in the news about White?
-A tragedy, sir.
-Where are you?
-Over here, sir.
I won't be staying long.
You just, uh, you just relax.
-Over where White always stands.
HUNTER: 1-William-1-56,
San Luis Sheriff.
1-William-1-56, go.
Meet me at the VA hospital
for backup and assistance.
We're rolling now.
-I saw you take
these, you bastard,
right from the prince's hand.
-You killed Randall.
-You would never
have led me to these
if I hadn't made
Hunter go after you.
-Is anybody in
seeing Capt. Danello?
-Good morning, Sgt. Hunter.
Yes, uh, Cpl.
Stagg is in there with him.
I can't remember when
we got so much attention.
Watch out!
Oh!
-Where do those stairs lead?
-Up to the roof.
-Alan!
Alan, wait a minute.
-Oh, that was fast.
I figured I was a couple
of steps ahead of you.
-Look, will you talk to me?
Tell me why you helped
your best friend kill himself.
-Because he wanted to die!
He'd been on the short
end of this deal for 20 years.
I just figured a way
to turn it on Stagg.
I made those
prints with the cane.
That maniac had had
us napalmed for these!
-But why Theo?
-Because he was about
to tell you everything,
and I couldn't let that happen.
He was a casualty of war, man.
-Well, why not Rose?
Why not kill her when
you had the chance?
-Rose was just a
poor kid trying to forget.
She wasn't no
threat, particularly
after I introduced her to Wing.
-That's why she
was with you the night
you killed Theo at the club.
-You got it, boy.
To get her fix.
-The dying and the killing
have gotta stop, Alan.
-Yeah, and the suffering too!
The suffering too!
Don't you think
Danello would like
to be put out of his misery?
Everybody's on his own revolving
bed... Theo, Stagg, Randall, me.
Even you, Hunter.
-It was you that
went up to see Capt.
Danello, not Randall, right?
-Man, he hadn't heard
our voices in 20 years.
What does he know?
I set the radio in Randall's
truck so that you'd find it.
-And the papers?
-That was easy.
I was watching the mail.
He'd never have guessed
that I had rewritten that report.
-Listen to me.
You're not thinking coherently.
You're out of control.
-Wrong!
For the first time in 20 years,
man, I am in complete control.
-No!
-Goodbye, Randall.
I'll miss you.
Thank you.
Thank you most
for loving Randall.
-You'll be in touch, right?
-I promise.
I need to go home now.
-Give me a minute.