Kojak (1973–1978): Season 1, Episode 19 - Down a Long and Lonely River - full transcript

Ex-con Lou is determined to settle old scores with his ex-wife and her mobster boyfriend who set him up to serve hard time. Lou's fiancée, a wide-eyed prison sociologist, enlists Kojak's help to keep Lou from killing and/or being killed.

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Lou?
Yeah?

I thought I heard a horn.
Two honks.

Oh, that must be Mac.

Yep. Bed's all made up, huh?

Satin sheets.
Didn't know you had satin sheets.

Well, I can't tell you
everything, can I?
Mmm.

Hey, Mac.
Take it easy.
I'll give you a hand there.

Easy, easy.
Easy, easy, easy.

Mac, this is Lyndsey Walker.
Lyndsey, this is my cousin Mac.
Hi.

How are you, Lyndsey?
Fine, thanks.

You know, you've got to be
the... the first prisoner
that ever got engaged at Elmira.



Well, she had 3,000 guys
to choose from, and she chose me.

That's even weirder.

What were you?
A librarian or something?

No, a sociologist.
Oh.

Lou was my favorite case history.

Right here is fine.
All right.

Oh.
Well, I like your place.

Yeah.
Do you want me
to unpack this?

Yeah.

You ever seen satin sheets?
Satin sheets?

Don't be so fresh.
Come on.

You got it?
Mm-hmm.

Just like I wrote you, Lou.

I was just gonna keep it for you,
along with the rest of your stuff.



I wasn't gonna fire it.

Then last month
we went upstate, and l...

I just took it along
to shoot at a couple of tin cans.

That's when I found out.
You sure?

Look at it.

Lou.

Is this Elena?
She's beaut...

What are you doing?

You even touch a gun,
and you lose your parole.

Please, Lyndsey, trust me, hmm?

There's some things
I gotta find out.

What is he talking about?
What's going on here?

It's his business, hon.
I'll see you.

No, no, no.
I just don't believe
that this is happening.

Tell me what you're doing
and where you're going.

Lyndsey, I cannot start
a new life until I settle
some things about my old life.

I'll call you first chance I get.

Lou!

Hey, Lieutenant. Remember that chick
that was hanging around the station
last year, working on her thesis? Lyndsey.

Yeah.
Outside.

Lyndsey. Well.
Hello, Lieutenant.

"Hello, Lieutenant"?
Are you kidding?
It hasn't been that long.

Come back to see
the professor, right?
Mm-hmm.

How's NYU's prettiest
graduate student?

All right, I guess.
Just fine.

Such, uh, enthusiasm.
Hey, look, I never got a copy
of your thesis. What's it called?

"The American Felon,
from Arrest to," uh...
Release.

Yeah.
Yeah. I finished the arrest part,
thanks to you.

Mm-hmm.
And I've been up at Elmira,
working on, um...

Could I talk to you?

Please? Listen, I've really
gotta talk to you.
Sure.

Come on. Come on.
I really have to talk to you.

Any specific reason
for him taking off?

No, nothing. Just...

Just some memories, you know,
I think, of his ex-wife.

Do you know why he got sent up?
Do you know what he did for her?

I'm not familiar with the case.
It didn't come out of this precinct.

Well, his ex-wife, Elena...

She was exquisite.

A singer.
And she was crazy too.

She was strung out.
First speed, then heroin.

Well, one night,
she threatened to kill herself
unless Lou helped support her habit.

Well, then, he'd just started
this trucking company
with his high school buddy.

He didn't have any money.
So he stole a truckload ofTV's.

You can get an awful lot of juice
with a truckload ofTV's.

No.

He wanted to pay for her treatment.
He was gonna send her to the best
private institution in the country.

Well, he got caught instead.

And you know how she repaid him?

She sold his share of the business
while he was in Elmira.

He stuck his neck out for her,
and she burned him, right?

- How do you know he's not
trying to burn you?
- Lying to me?

No. You see,
I was at Elmira, with him,

the day the divorce papers
arrived in the mail.

No, no. She tried to do him in
in every single way possible,
and I know that for a fact.

Okay. Just want to make sure
he was worth your time, honey.

I love him.

Oh.

Well, they're both
not the same thing, you know.
Time, love.

Hey, look, kid.
I'm gonna talk to you like a father.

I never even put my arms
around your mother.

I like the smile.
I wanted that.

Yeah, you know you're
outrageous, don't you?
Of course.

Okay, let's see.

Something happened last night,
he took off, and, uh... and what else?

He had a meeting this morning
with his parole officer.

- And he blew it.
- Yeah, he blew it.

I, um... I called in for him.
I said he was sick and at the doctor's.

Hmm. Let's see,
that's good for about two hours.

Then this afternoon they'll ask for
a warrant, and, uh, like that.

What's his
P.O. 's name?
Watson. Cleveland Watson.

Listen, could you please speak to him?

N... I know that police
can sometimes get extensions.

If you could do that,
that would give us enough time
to find him.

So, all we gotta do
is find Elena Giordino,
and we got him, right?

Yeah. She's a singer. That's all I know.
I looked her up in the phone book.
She isn't there.

- Was she a singer
before she married him?
- Yeah, I think so.

- She could be using her stage name.
You know her maiden name?
- I don't know.

Okay. You leave your number
with the detective,

and if he calls you,
you let me know, huh?

Wait a minute. W...
Are you gonna talk to Watson?

No, I'm gonna speak to the arresting
officer first. That's the way I gotta do it.
You understand?

But I'll keep you posted.
Here.

I picked that move up
in a French restaurant. Eh?

That's it. The smile, baby.
Thanks.

Take care. Bye.

Sure.

Who was the arresting officer?

Burke. With a "U"?
Got it. Thanks.

You know an officer named Burke?
Works with the 49th.

Yeah, he retired last year.
Why?
I gotta talk to him.

Well, Kelly downstairs...
he goes bowling with him
every week. He'd know.

Oh, I think he's
a security chief somewhere.

All right.
Try to run down a speed freak
named Elena Giordino.

You know, if she's clean,
try a booking agency.
She used to be a singer.

Yeah. What's happening?
Giordino was her married name.

Fail there, try her maiden name.
I'll check with you later.
All right.

Hey, you look great.

I'm not kidding you, Lou.
It's good to see you again.

Gotta talk to you, Alan.
You gotta talk to me?

Yeah.
Like you think you're gonna
get away without talking to me?

Come on in.

Helen, hold my calls. No calls.

So what do you think?
You like it?

I had the whole thing redone
about a year ago.

When did you change
the name of the company?
Just after the new people bought in.

You don't like it.

Thrift-T-Way?

Sounds like a supermarket.

Who are the new people, Alan?

Well, it's a corporation.

Uh, actually, it's called...
Delta Industries.

Hey, Lou, come on.
Will you sit down and relax?

Come on.

Lou.

You're not uptight
with me, are ya?

I mean, I had no choice.

Elena wanted to sell your half,
and she figured out a way to do it legally.
I had no choice.

Where is she?
Are you crazy?

Come on.
We've been friends far too long.
Elena, for you, is poison.

Hey, I'm not saying
I want a reconciliation.

I'm just saying I want an address.

Yeah, well, I don't have it.

Hey.
Hey!

Hey, don't jive me, Alan!
I read the terms of that agreement.

$15,000 cash,
$200 a month for five years.

Now someone in that office
sends a check to an address every month,
and I want that address!

Well, the bookkeeper has it.

Uh, Helen? Uh,

would you callJanice in bookkeeping
and tell her to give, uh,

Elena Giordino's address to,
uh, Mr. Giordino.

Thank you.

Hey, thanks, Alan.

Hey. Look.

Let's forget about
this whole thing, huh?

I'm tired.
I've been up all night
looking for Elena.

I'll call you some night.
We'll have a drink.

Yeah. Sure, Lou.

You're changed, Lou.

Things have changed.

Maybe I have.

Yeah, Mr...
Mr. Dancik, please.

This is Alan Ankrum calling.

You were the arresting officer, right?
Sure, I remember Giordino.

How's he doing?
Well, he's out on parole two days ago,
and already he's not doing too good.

You're kidding.
I hate it.

You send a guy like that to Elmira,
he comes back worse than
when you sent him in.

What'd he do this time?
He jumped parole.

That's all?

Thought for a minute
he pulled another job,
which doesn't figure.

How's that?
He reported one of his trucks stolen.

We found it stashed away in a garage
before he had a chance
to sell the merchandise.

Now, he could have
made up a dozen stories,
but he comes clean like a baby.

He's no crook.

It was a one-shot uptight gamble
for some quick bread.

They say he pulled a Robin Hood
to get his old lady off of heroin.

That was it, all right.

That's a pretty nice heist...
steal your own truck.

How do you get caught
the first time out of the box?

Come on, Kojak.
We overwhelmed the case
with brilliant police work.

Uh, Burke, uh...
A tip. We had an informant.

Brilliant police work.

He told us exactly where
the truck was stashed.

Who?
Would you believe Billy DeLuca?

Billy DeLuca?

Now, what's a mob tipster doing
on an amateur first-time heist?

You tell me.
I could never figure it.

Billy DeLuca.

Maybe Giordino found out about it.
Not through me.

Listen. If the kid needs a break,
tell him I'll go to bat for him
with his P.O.

He was straight with me,
and he saved me a lot of paperwork.

Here.

With my head
I didn't need it anyway.

Okay, thanks, Burke.

Hey, buddy.
Can't you read?

You gotta wear
a hard hat.
For a telephone call?

Yeah. Kojak.
Let me speak to Crocker or Stavros.

Hey, look. I want to run down
a stoolie named Billy DeLuca.

Yeah, this week's address, not last.

Got it. Does it fit in
to the, uh, Giordino thing?

Yeah, like a half a dollar
into a nickel slot,
and I don't understand it at all.

- Anything new on Giordino?
- No, we're still checking it out.

Uh, Lyndsey's called twice.
What should I tell her?

That I'm on my way to see Watson.

Right.

Have a lobster, Alan.

A martini... have something.

With nerves like yours
I'd be a dead man by now.

I just can't eat right now.

Look, Mr. Dancik.
He knows something.

See, he's got Elena's address.

Now, maybe if...
if he gets tough with her,
maybe she's gonna talk.

And just what do you think
she might say?

See, Lou,
he don't know nothing
about you and Elena.

So, she tells him,
well, maybe he'll come after you.

That's very funny,
Alan.
Yeah, right.

How do I know
what he's gonna do?

What if he just goes right to the Interstate
Commerce Commission with your name?
Then you must talk to him, Alan.

There is no way in which
my name is to be linked
with any trucking company.

Then you talk to him.
You're the one who
went after his old lady.

You dug this hole for yourself.

But you're right, Alan.

You dump a broad,
you dump a broad.

You don't buy her out
as a parting gesture.

My problem, Alan,
my solution.

Come on, will ya, Watson?
You give everybody 48 hours.
What's the beef against Giordino?

I mean, he's got a perfect prison record,
his arresting officer is all for it,

and I guarantee I'll get him back on time.

Why you?
How do you figure in this?

Oh, sure. I'm bucking for
the Nobel Peace Prize.

Come on, Lieutenant.
Level with me. Something's
got you hooked on this case.

Cute little girl.
It's a boy.

Yeah.
All right, this stoolie, Billy DeLuca.

You know, when the mob wants to
come down on somebody,
they feed the information to DeLuca.

He, in turn, gives us the information.
He gets paid off on both sides.

This pigeon here, he did his number
all over Giordino.

So the mob fingers a kid like Giordino
on his one and only heist.
How did they get in it and why?

Hey, Cleve, if I had the answers
to those questions, would I be hooked?

Ordinarily, I'd bend a few hours.

Give some slack for a bad memory,
a bad hangover
and maybe a good woman.

But I'm not taking any more chances...
not after the Lucas case.

I want a warrant
on Giordino now.
Lucas.

A.P.O. Up in the Bronx
had this kid named Lucas,
didn't show up for two days.

Somebody in the family
had city hall connections,
so they didn't issue a warrant on him.

Oh, yeah. Two days later
he killed a cop.

Come on. Giordino?
I mean, you got his whole
psychological profile and everything.

You figure Giordino
for something like that?

It doesn't make a difference
what I figure him for. What does
make a difference is, because of Lucas,

every parole board
in this state is playing it
real close to the chest.

Now, in one month
they haven't approved one-tenth
of the normal amount of paroles.

- And you figure
that's a dirty deal, right?
- Look,

what I do here affects every prisoner
who deserves a chance to get out.

Hey, Cleve. You're doing to Giordino
what you're accusing the parole board of.
You know that?

If he deserves 48 hours,
you give him 48 hours.

Come on.
Forty-eight hours.

Twenty-four.

Ah, you're beautiful.

Who loves ya, baby?

Hello. Is Lieutenant Kojak there?

Uh, no. That's okay.
I'll call back later.

Uh, hello. Is this
the Ace in the Hole Club?

Yeah, well, I'm a friend of
Elena Rozelle's.

Yeah. Rozelle.
She's a singer.

I was just wondering
if she's working there now.

Are you sure?

Well, do you have
any idea where...

Spell it.
Stavros.

Yeah, okay.

Yeah, right.
Right. Bye-bye.

We found this Giordino woman's
maiden name: Rozelle.

Saperstein's checking it out
with a booking agent now.
So far, we got nothing.

DeLuca hasn't sung in six months.

He made a deal with the feds.
They're keeping him from us.

You tell these G-men
that they're obstructing justice,
and I want DeLuca down here.

Otherwise I'll bust these feds
for their funny haircuts.

Theo.
Yeah.

Tri-Line robbery,
when you have time.

Well, I'll make time.
Well, I hope so.

Giordino's a parole problem.
He's not a police problem.

What's so special about him anyway?

Listen. Burke, who arrested him,
says Giordino's no criminal.

And Watson, his P.O.,
gives him 24 hours
despite the Lucas case,

and there's something about
a stoolie in this thing
that I don't quite understand, Frank.

When you have time.

Oh, uh, Lieutenant,
I forgot to tell ya.
Lyndsey called, no message.

Hello. I'm calling...

trying to reach a singer
named Elena Rozelle.

Hey, I got drums here.
Talk up.

Elena Rozelle. Or Giordino.

I don't know which name for sure.

Elena. Yeah.
Well, she can't come to the phone.

- But she's there?
- No personal calls, lady.

Forget it.

Pay as you play, baby.
Then you won't owe.

Now, you've been playing,
but you ain't been paying,
and you are overdue.

Now open up the door.

That's private property, man.

Hey, baby.
When you don't pay me,
you go public. You dig?

Keep talking.

Elena owes me $12.

Now, I'm just trying to beat
the phone company to the machine
before they yank it out.

- You know where she is?
- Yeah, but she ain't got
a phone down there.

Down where?

Place in the West Village.
It's called the Tom-Tom Club.

What's with the boom, boom,
boom, boom, Stavros?

The Tom-Tom Club.
Saperstein checked
with the booking agent.

Rozelle's got herself
a little gig there.
Oh, yeah.

Hey, that wasn't bad.
Here, sit down.
Play with that.

Crocker.

Come in.

Elena?
Yeah, I'm Elena.

What's up? What is it?
Who are you?

My name is Lyndsey.

I'm a friend of Lou's.

I've been sick.
I look like hell.

Well, what's wrong?
Why are you here?

Lou's out now.
He's on parole.

He's been trying to find you.

- Why? Why is he looking for me?
I don't want to see him.
- I'm not sure.

I just wanted to ask you, please,
when you see him, don't do...
I don't want to see him!

You tell him that for me.
I don't...

Get out ofhere.
Lou! I've gotta talk to you.

- Wait in back, Lyndsey.
- You go with her. Have a nice
cherry soda. Just leave me alone.

Look, wait in back, huh?

Look, I'll be right out.

I promise.

Go to hell.
I've been sick.

Yeah, I know.

Crystal or liquid?
Give me that.

Ow. No! Lou!

Hello, sunshine.

You remember this?

Do you know how many times
I thought of the night I walked in
and found you with this gun?

You remember that, Elena, huh?

There you were with this pistol
pointed at your head,

one bullet in it,
pulling the trigger.

You laughed.
You said it was like your life...

Russian roulette.

But the truth is you were really
putting the gun to my head.

Because that's when I decided
you were gonna have help.

You were gonna have the best,
no matter what it took.

That's when I decided
to rip off the company.

I didn't know I'd been set up.

Lou, I wouldn't do that...
You wouldn't what?

You wouldn't set me up by pulling
a Russian roulette act
with a gun that wouldn't shoot?

The firing pin's been filed down!
Not too much...just enough
so it won't shoot!

It was an act, Elena!
A lousy, rotten act!

So I wanted money.
So I wanted to scare you
into doing something for me.

No, no. You didn't do this alone.
You had help!

You had lots of help!

And I want to know who!

Now was it Alan?

No. Why... Why...
Don't play dumb with me, EI!

I want to know how this all came down.
I gotta know. Tell me.

I'm not gonna tell you, Lou.

I'm gonna do you a favor.

Maybe the only favor
that I've ever done.

And I'm not gonna say
another word.
I'm not gonna tell you.

Lou! Don't run!

Lou was here.
What happened?
Did he have a gun?

Talk to me. What happened?
Did he have a gun?

He had a gun, but there was
another man. Lou wouldn't...

She's dead.

Central. Lieutenant Kojak.
Put out an alert.

Lou Giordino. Armed, dangerous.

All right. Pardon me, please.
Police.

Pardon me, please.

Out of the way, lady, please.

All right. Check the correspondence
and visitation records at Elmira Prison.

Lyndsey said he had a cousin.
McKinney. Go for an address.
Got it.

His ex-partner's address...
get it from the arrest record. Call him.
Right.

He tries to get in touch,
I want to be the first to know.
Right.

What about that tipster DeLuca?
I spoke to a federal district attorney.
DeLuca's gonna cooperate.

I got Saperstein on it.

Look at that arm, will ya?
It looks like it belongs to a little old lady,
instead of a young woman.

We always get 'em when it's too late.
Never at the beginning.
And you know how it started?

Four or five years ago,
she wanted to lose 10 pounds.

So she went looking for diet pills.

Oh. Our hero, the landlord.

Look, are you sure
there was only one guy
who came out the back?

Yeah. The guy you said
was her husband.

I hate this.
Gives the place a bad name.

Anybody else take
a strong interest
in the girl like you?

Couple of pushers. That's it.
She don't even draw whistles anymore.

Okay, sweetheart.
Oh, here.

I don't want to get
your place dirty. Get out.

Maybe Lyndsey was just lying
about the other guy.

Yeah. No powder burns, right?

Now, look, Crocker.
If you were an impetuous Italian,

would you go to the door
and fire long-distance?

Yeah, sure.

Maybe. Who knows?

I thought I told you to go home.
What'd you find out?
Did anybody else see the other man?

Nobody saw anything.
Hey, look.

Either go on your own power,
or I'll have one of my men
take you home. Come on.

You think he did it, don't you?

You don't even think
there was another man.

Can you identify him?
Pick him out of
a mug shot or a lineup?

No. I told you I couldn't do that.
It was too dark.

That's right. You did tell me.
But now I'm gonna tell you,
and you listen.

Doesn't matter what you saw.
What matters is that I grab him
before some cop does...

and yells, "Stop before I shoot."

Tracey.
Sir.

See this young lady gets home.
Right. This way, please.

All right. Break it up down here.

Hello. Is Mr. Ankrum there?

Mr. Ankrum?

Uh, this is George McKinney.

I'm Lou Giordino's cousin.

I've got to talk to you,
Mr. Ankrum, right away.

Yeah. Well, it's about him
getting busted and the way
it all came down.

McKinney.

Yeah. That's right.

623 West 11 th Street.

Yeah.

Oh, I'll be here.

Thanks, Mac.

You know, I think
I should have got a hero.

You know, I think
we should have got a hero.

Lieutenant,
I just brought DeLuca in.

Lieutenant,
I don't have to say anything.

I don't even have to say
"I don't have to say anything."

Hello, Kojak. Are you out there?
You got some charges to make?
What's going on here anyway?

I'm thinking, Billy.
I'm thinking.

I'm thinking about your problem.
I got no problem at all.

George Burke, sergeant of detectives.
You tipped him a couple of years back
on a truck hijacking.

Lou Giordino.
That was the guy that
got busted. Remember?

I don't know. Maybe.
L... I couldn't remember.
Yeah.

I got so many names in my head.
Yeah, sure.

Maybe Giordino found out
that you blew the whistle on him.
He's out, you know? Could be after you.

Hey, uh,
we can pick him up, Billy.

We need some help.
I never heard of the guy.
How can I help?

Hey, a minute ago
you weren't sure. Now you
definitely never heard of him?

Which tells me
that you heard ofhim!

Hey, uh,

who, uh...
who squealed on Jolie Shuster?

Jolie Shuster?

You gotta be kidding.
He's the top muscle in the city.

Did somebody turn him in?

- You did.
- You think I'm nuts?

Well, I got five guys
in the can right now,

and that's the word they're gonna
spread on the street,
as soon as I let 'em go.

- What are you doing this to me for?
- Who squealed on Lou Giordino?

Oh, come on, Kojak, man.
I get a check from the feds
every two weeks.

I'm on a payroll,
just like you guys.

Now, I got a good thing going.
Don't get me into any trouble.
Somebody that big, huh?

Giordino. Um, Giordino.

Oh, now I remember.
He had a trucking company.

Nobody big put me
up to fingering him.

It was, uh, a favor for a pusher
that I used to know.

He had a client...
Giordino's wife...

and, uh, she wanted
her old man up the river.

It was a... a little thing.

Billy, who are you so afraid of?
Get it out!

Nobody.
Nobody.

Hey.

The same nobody
who killed Elena Giordino?

She's dead, Billy boy.

Just like you're gonna be dead as soon as
I let it out that you've been finking
on all of them all these years.

You know what I'm doing
telling you this?

I'm handing my whole life
over to you, Kojak.

So you gotta protect me.

Okay.

Who?

Albert Dancik.

Albert Dancik.

No wonder you're sweating.

McKinney.

Hey. George McKinney.

Come on in, Alan.

I've been trying
to call you for hours.

Where you been?

I was out eating.

Lou, what's all this with the gun?
Are you crazy?

Alan.
Now, somebody killed Elena.

Somebody who didn't
want her to talk to me,

and I got nobody else in my life
to figure for that but you, Alan.

Elena's dead?
And I'm on the spot.

- So if I kill you, it don't make
a bit of difference either way.
- Elena's dead?

No way it could have been me.
I was eating with people.
They could tell you.

- When Elena set me up,
you had nothing to do with that?
- Not me. I swear.

- Who?
- He's mob, Lou.
Top level.

You're better off if I say nothing.

I don't buy that!
I want names!

Names, Alan!

Dancik. Albert Dancik.

He and Elena, they were
having an affair, Lou.

They wanted you
out of the way.

It's true.

Everything you know.

I want to hear it.
I don't know everything.

L... I know that she conned you
into stealing the truck, right?

And you got caught,
and you went to jail.
I wasn't in on that.

Then Dancik did her a favor
when he threw her over.
He bought out your share from her.

So I lucked out,
but I never went
after him for a thing.

I hate it!

But you believe me, right?

- Lou!

Would you have spilled your guts
if you knew this gun wouldn't fire, huh?

That was Dancik's gimmick.

I bet he and Elena
had a real laugh about that!
Thanks, Elena.

So why does he kill her, Alan?

Lou,

he's got this thing.

There's no way his name
should be connected with
the trucking business.

Me and Elena were the only ones
who knew he was behind
the company that bought you out.

You call him, Alan.

You call him,
and you set up a meeting
for tonight... at your office.

Tell him I know about
the gun that didn't fire.

Tell him I know all about
his business connections.
No. I couldn't do that to you.

Let me help you get away.
Something?

You call him,
and you sound scared, huh?

Like you gotta talk.

And he'll come.
Him and his hit man.
They'll both come.

- And you're gonna be there
with a gun that doesn't even fire.
- I got a deal to make.

A deal? You're crazy.
What deal does he need
to make with you?

Call him, Alan.
Please.

Okay. I appreciate the help, Bernie.

Thanks.

Okay, according to the D.A.,

Dancik appeared before
a grand jury...

investigating syndicate ties
with the trucking industry.

According to him,
oh, he's clean as a whistle.

I just got his file from
the Criminal Investigation Bureau.

He's president of Dixie Linen Service,
DeLuxe Bottling Company,

Douglas Office Maintenance...
about a dozen other businesses,
and none of them in trucking.

Yeah. Well, that's syndicate money.

He keeps clean
no matter what he does.

I couldn't get this Ankrum
character on the phone.

And she tells me that, uh, Giordino's half
was bought up by Delta Industries.

Well, that's a subsidiary
of Delaware Industries.

And they tell me that, uh,
Dancik's name was never
mentioned in either one of them.

Yeah, well, if it is,
he goes up on a perjury charge
for his grand jury testimony, right?

Delaware, Delta, DeLuxe, Douglas.

Everything with a D.
Maybe it's a superstition.

Yeah, and maybe he walked under
a ladder somewhere.

Maybe he blew his cover.
He was worrying about
the perjury charges.

If he's into trucking,
he probably owns half the East Coast.

Why would he mess around with
Giordino's two-bit company?
To me, that makes no sense.

Exactly, Crocker. Thank you.

What did he do?

Hey. What kind of a Greek are you?
Did you ever hear of the, uh...
the Trojan horse?

- It's a Trojan horse.
- "It's a Trojan horse." You know what
blew that deal? A broad.

Helen ofTroy.
Did you ever hear of her?

Well, Elena...
that's Dancik's Helen ofTroy.
You got it?

Yeah.
Yeah.
All right.

Find Dancik. Get a tail on him.
Because if Giordino
puts this thing together,

he's gonna find out that
he's walking into water 10 feet deep.

Uh, commissioner.

- Yeah.
- Ankrum's answering service...
They got no idea where he is?

Well, he got a call
at his apartment around 10:00.
He hasn't been back since.

Why don't you try calling him again?

Okay, what am I supposed to do
when he comes? What's this...

Hey, what are you doing?
Lou, it's my desk.
If you ask, maybe I could...

You said there wouldn't be
any violence.

- There won't be.
Sit down, Alan.
- No, I'm not sitting down.

What are you gonna do?
He'll kill you.
He'll kill both of us.

No. When Dancik and his man arrive,
I'll be right inside that door.

All you gotta do
is go along with what
you told him on the phone.

You tell him I called, you tell him
I found out about the gun.
Ask him about that gun.

You find out what is
so important about that gun.

And then ask him about Elena.

Get him to talk about
why he had her killed tonight.

Okay, so, say he talks,
say he admits it,
and then what happens?

Then I come out with the gun,
and we call the cops.

- They arrest you,
and you're back where you started.
- If Dancik admits he had Elena killed,

I'll take my chances in court.

Come on, Lou.
It's your word against his.
No.

Our word.
You're my witness, Alan.

Maybe it's Dancik.
Maybe you should pick it up.

The service.
They get it on the fourth ring.

Hello?

He's there?
Hold on a minute, please.

It's the service.
You want to talk to them?

It's the police.
They want me to call them
as soon as possible.

We will.

That's what I thought.
Thanks.

Okay. According to the service,

somebody picked up the phone,
listened in, and, uh, like that.

They're at Ankrum's office.
Let's go.

It's gonna work.

Alan.
You remember Moore.
This is Rubio.

You're right on time.

I'm always on time.

Tell me what Giordino knows.

Well, he knows something about a gun
with a filed-down firing pin.

A gun that, uh...
that Elena threatened to
kill herself with.

- Did you give her that gun, Dancik?
- A gun that doesn't shoot?

That's a toy.

I gave her a lot of toys, Alan.
She was killed tonight, wasn't she?

That was your "solution," wasn't it?

- What are you so nervous about?
- Because Lou is coming here tonight,
and I don't know what's gonna happen.

What could happen?

I'm a businessman.

Maybe, uh...

Maybe Giordino thinks
he got a bad deal, hmm?

Who knows?
Maybe he did.

No!

You surprise me, Alan.
I thought you were
smarter than this.

You see, Alan,
you're fortunate.

You've got a choice.

Your friend on the floor here,
he's got no choice.

He's gonna die.

Now if you agree he must die,

your gun'll be used.

No police problems.

You were working late at night,
Giordino busted in. He was crazy.

Started accusing you of
all kinds of things with his ex-wife.
He was gonna kill ya.

So, you reached into your desk,
you grabbed your gun,

you asked him to stop,
but he wouldn't,
so you shot him.

Clean. No problems.

Are you listening?

Now, the other choice
isn't so good.

For you or me.

Especially you.

You'll both have to die.

Oh, the police are gonna
ask a lot of questions,
which isn't good for me, but, uh...

But I'll manage.

You.

You won't manage.
You'll be dead.

Which one, Alan?
Choose.

I don't want to die.

Alan's gun.

Freeze!

Up against the truck.

- All right. The rest of you,
up against the trucks.
- Put your head against the truck.

- How is he?
- He'll live.

Spread 'em out.

Spread 'em out!
More. Come on!

This is Lieutenant Kojak.
I want you to send a couple of units to...
What's the numbers here?

628.

628 West 23rd Street.

Oh, yeah, and send an ambulance.

The ambulance will be here for you.
Just lay there.

Oh.

Well, well, well.
Lookee here.

Aren't you the D.A.'s delight, huh?
Albert Dancik.

One of the organization's
best-dressed men.
Did you know that?

Who's your tailor?

Cashmere, right? Beautiful.

Albert Dancik.

Caught with his pants pressed
on a murder rap.

Congratulations.

Hey, you got a call to make, right?
Huh?

What do you mean?
The... The girl. Lyndsey.

Oh. Yeah, l...

I don't think I can
talk right now.

Yeah, well, all right.
You keep your stiff upper lip
and, uh, give it a shot. Come on.

Before I break your arm.

This way, kid.

All right. Look at that.
The firing pin has been filed down.
It won't even shoot.

It's still a gun, and it's still
a parole violation, Kojak.
Cleve, you're a pain.

Lieutenant.

Wherefore art thou, right?

A little privacy, Cleve.

Hey.

I don't have any words
that could come close to...
Forget the words.

A little cash maybe.

You should have came to me.
That's what I'm here for.

That's why I took this job.

That's what I like, Lou.

I'm sorry.
I really am.

Uh, look, uh,
I'm leaving the door open.

This is a police station.

Tell me something, Kojak.
Do you usually turn your office
over like this, huh?

I'm like you, Cleve.
I always give a little slack
for a good woman.

Tell me. What are you gonna do
with Giordino?

- I don't know.
I'm gonna have to think about it.
- Sure.

Good night, Theo.

- So, what did he say?
- Ah, what did he say?

What does he always say?

He's gonna let Giordino
sweat it out a little bit,
and then he's gonna let him go.

You ought to be
ashamed of yourself.