Kojak (1973–1978): Season 1, Episode 5 - Girl in the River - full transcript
The elusive 'Excalibur' killer has returned to New York after an absence of two years and Kojak is determined to catch him this time. All of the victims are single women strangled with a stocking with a quarter in it, then left in water with the mark of Excalibur on their forehead and a purple cord around their neck. Clues soon lead Crocker to a bar called The Body Boutique where a regular group of artists, models and gurus hang out.
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The victim's name is Edna Bell,
in case you didn't know.
Two years, nothing. Then this.
If it's him.
Sure looks like Excalibur.
Everything's exactly like the others...
purple cord, even markings
on the forehead.
Not everything.
Something's been added.
It's a quarter.
With all the evidence in the murder
of this airline stewardess, Captain,
isn't it safe to say that Excalibur
is active again?
Until our investigation's complete,
nothing's conclusive, Billy.
Edna Bell was strangled
with a silk stocking,
a purple bathrobe cord
knotted around her neck.
Right.
She was found
floating in a bathtub.
I know.
Two years ago, Margaret Squire
was found in the lake at Central Park,
strangled with a stocking,
a purple cord knotted around her neck.
Right.
And the teacher from
Brooklyn Heights before that,
the secretary from the U. N...
Each one raped, each one strangled...
branded with the trademark of Excalibur.
The sword of King Arthur.
And each one found in water.
For those of you who are less familiar
with this case than others,
I'm not gonna waste time
going over the tons of paperwork...
autopsy report,
forensic data, et cetera...
dead ends that we've accumulated
during the course of this investigation.
You do that on your own time.
I just don't want you to
familiarize yourself with this case.
I want you to commit it to memory.
Because this time,
we're gonna nail the creep.
For reasons we can only guess at,
Excalibur has signed off for two years.
And now, out of the blue,
he's decided to make a comeback...
with a very interesting touch
for us to consider...
a quarter, put into the stocking
with which he garroted his victims.
Does that ring anybody's chimes?
Crocker?
It's a Vietnamese torture gimmick.
It's the tourniquet principle.
The quarter means a more gradual death.
Interesting. Very interesting.
Fowler, you check up on veterans hospitals,
outpatients, anyone with mental disturbances,
violent behavior patterns.
You know this creep's makeup.
Oh, and concentrate
on Vietnam returnees.
Uh, that house where
Edna Bell was staying...
you speak to the owners yet?
I haven't been able to...
You stay with it.
Stavros, you give him a hand.
And tell Cahan to stay on top
of that autopsy all the way.
Watch everything.
Ask questions.
If she's been sexually assaulted,
look for blood underneath
her fingernails, have it typed.
Look for the presence of foreign saliva.
Have that typed too.
One thing we know
from these past murders:
Whatever else Excalibur
may or may not be,
he's definitely type 0-positive.
Oh, yes.
We struck out with that last time.
Run it down. You may get lucky.
Seven girls.
What are you waiting for?
Let's get the show on the road.
Yes, Mrs. Squires, this is
Lieutenant Kojak answering your call.
It was on the radio...
another victim.
Two years, and you haven't caught
the man that killed my daughter.
Yes, I know, Mrs. Squires.
What do you intend to do about it?
Well, we intend to keep working on it.
Strangled in Central Park.
Floating in a lake.
I don't sleep nights!
If it helps any, Mrs. Squires,
I don't sleep nights either.
Manhattan South,
Detective Fowler.
How long ago was this?
You mean he's still there now?
Kojak.
Lieutenant?
Yeah, Chic.
We've been two hours with the owners.
They were away.
They raise horses on Long Island.
They live there.
Oh, they didn't rent Edna Bell
a room.
They gave it to her because
they needed a house sitter.
We got a line on her background.
You want us to come in?
No, you let Stavros stay there.
Check out her drinking pattern,
what bars she frequented.
I want you on something else.
What's that?
We just got a call
from a massage parlor.
Said a customer was threatening
one of the girls.
Check it out. Who knows?
This hairpin could be Excalibur.
Where is it?
Uh, 8th, near 44th.
Not the one that was firebombed.
This one's called the...
the Hollywood Massage Parlor.
Who is it?
Police department.
We got a report a customer
threatened one of your girls.
That's right. That's right.
I called. Eloise!
Hi.
Detective Chiccaloni.
Tell me about this man
that threatened you.
Oh, he didn't threaten me.
Eric just overreacted.
No, he threatened! I heard.
That was a bona fide death threat!
You could say he
technically threatened me,
but actually, he's a very gentle man...
a vegetarian.
You're too trusting, Eloise.
She's too trusting.
A vegetarian, okay,
but so is a gorilla!
If you'd seen the way
he looked at her...
You've known him before?
He used to be my guru.
And then I got into
Tibetan Buddhism...
so that I wouldn't see him,
but he keeps coming around for a massage.
Actually, it's just an excuse to see me.
Yeah, what's his name and address?
See, like, he was
this intense spiritualist,
but then he fell in love
with me physically.
And it was, like, my fault
that he lost his spiritual integrity.
So, since he couldn't have me physically,
he needed to kill me,
because it was due to me
that he lost his spiritual integrity.
But killing me would be a violation
of his religious principles,
so it's really got him in a bind,
you know?
Thanks, miss... Thanks.
I've been all through
the millinery district.
All those stores with the sequins
and the bindings...
and the rickracks
and all that stuff...
That hasn't been made for years!
So that's where you left it?
Dead end!
Dead end, my foot.
You get back out on the street
and you run it down, you understand?
He's using it as some kind
of a symbol. Who knows?
Maybe his mother wore a purple robe
when he was a kid.
But anyway,
you check the classified ads.
Check these remnant stores.
They got a lot of'em on Broadway.
Yes, sir!
Hey, look.
I know you haven't slept
for a couple of nights,
but you stick with it.
We gotta get this jellybean
off the streets before
he empties them.
Hey, Lieutenant,
you got it solved yet?
Stand back!
How about giving us a statement?
Give the lieutenant some air!
Come on! Back up!
Get away from Detective Crocker.
You know, when I got to New York,
I didn't know what girl I was...
Hey, let's go to Boston.
Then I went to Columbia,
and I got into Buddhism, and I flipped.
Why don't we go to Boston?
What do you wanna go
to Boston for?
To go up there and get something to eat.
What do you say, Fern? Ruby?
- I'll go if Eloise wants to.
- We can be back by midnight, Eloise.
I still keep up my chanting.
I mean, it really gets me through
hard times, you know?
Wow!
Are you into Buddhism too?
I'm the reincarnation
of the goddess Shiva.
Yeah? You could have
fooled me. Wow!
Hey, listen, everybody.
Let's all say it, okay?
Come on, Gus. You too.
I'll have a soft stinger, please.
WATB on the air.
What's your question?
I'd like to talk to the Answer Man.
This is the Answer Man.
Oh.
I'm trying to settle
an argument with my wife.
Oh, yeah? Go on.
Oh!
She claims Humphrey Bogart played
the original Sam Spade in the movies.
I told her she's crazy.
Half crazy.
Bogart did play Spade
in The Maltese Falcon.
Hey, uh...
Are you thinking,
or can I, uh, talk?
I'm thinking, and you can talk.
Water.
Why does he always
return his victim to water?
Maybe water's his mother.
He's purified the girls by death.
He's making an offer
to his mother.
Mmm.
That's very interesting.
That's what we need here...
more common denominators.
His victims are always single.
How does he know they're single?
Who has jurisdiction,
Jersey cops or New York cops?
You mind repeating that?
If a body is found on
theJersey side of the Hudson,
who has charge of it,
New York cops orJersey cops?
I don't know that, sir.
If you'll hold, I'll call Research.
You don't need to call.
I'll tell you.
New York.
This guy's gotta be kidding.
Tell those dumb New York dicks
to get over to Hoboken.
There's some garbage
floating under a pier.
Hey, Lieutenant!
I heard it.
Hey, Mac,
can you get the Hoboken Police
to shut off the pier?
I'm sure they'll cooperate.
We'll have a daylight search
in the morning.
See if there were any watchmen
on duty, drunks...
anybody who might have
seen anything.
Looks like we've got another one.
It's Excalibur.
Is there a quarter in it?
Yeah, there's a quarter.
Hey, I know that sweatshirt.
Only the last time I saw it,
somebody else was wearing it.
I can't call Eloise off a massage.
A massage is like music.
You get it going, you gotta keep it going.
You keep it going
while I talk to her, okay?
Eloise!
Hi.
Hi.
Where'd you get the sweatshirt
you were wearing?
7 th Avenue,
Rosebach's Novelties.
I had it made up special.
You mean it was one of a kind.
As far as I know it was.
Uh-huh.
You know, I couldn't find that Hindu.
- You sure you gave me the right address?
- I gave you the wrong address.
He's a good man.
I didn't want to cause a heavy scene.
Have you seen this, uh,
"good man" since
he threatened to kill you?
Last night at the Body Boutique.
- It's a singles bar.
- Were you there all evening?
Well, I have these two roommates.
One's a model and one's a dancer.
These fellas asked us
if we wanted to go to Boston,
so two of us went.
Did you ever see this girl?
- She looks dead.
- Yeah, she is dead.
She was strangled.
How about this one?
No.
That's my roommate.
Autopsy report on theJane Doe
we fished out of the Hudson.
Uh-huh.
Any luck with
the veterans hospitals?
So far we've come up empty.
You might check out
these state mental institutions.
Might be something there.
Check.
Lieutenant, on line four.
It's Chiccaloni. He says it's important.
Hello.
I've located the girl's roommate.
She says she was with the victim last night
at a bar called the Body Boutique.
I.D. On the deceased?
Ruby Stanfield, a model.
You bring in the roommate
right away, you hear?
10-4.
Crocker!
Good morning.
Detective Crocker.
You ever see this girl?
From that picture,
I'd have to say no.
You ever see her?
Whew!
No.
You come in here often?
Oh, yeah.
Yeah. I'm their
profit margin, right?
Thank you.
My pleasure.
Bye.
Anytime.
Did you ever see this girl?
Yeah. She came in here a lot.
Tell me anything about her.
Her name is Ruby,
and she's a model.
Do you know her last name?
Why don't you ask that guy at the bar?
She's his girlfriend.
Thank you.
You're welcome.
Stuff Forensics scavenged up
on the Hoboken Pier. Enjoy.
Cahan. Cahan!
Yeah!
Take a look at this.
There's a name on it,
Madison Avenue address.
Run it down.
See if there's a list of people
that this has been given to.
It's an expensive job.
The list can't be that long.
Okay.
Where the hell is Chiccaloni?
A tugboat captain called
from Hoboken.
He said late last night,
this big, bushy-haired guy
drove up to the end of the pier.
What?
Go ahead.
This big, bushy-haired guy
drove to the end of the pier.
He waited, then he backed up,
then he drove off.
He didn't see anything drop,
but he had Jersey plates.
Oh. Did he have a brown suit?
What?
You better lay low for awhile.
Ah, come on, Lieutenant.
Check out the State Department,
Military Intelligence.
Find out if they've had any homicides
with a similar M.O.,
including that bit with the quarter,
in or around Saigon
during the past three or four years.
Okay. Uh...
Margaret Squires's
mother called again.
Lieutenant, the guy in the Body Boutique...
supposedly her boyfriend...
says he's never seen her before,
and the bartender says the same thing.
But the waiter says
she comes in all the time.
- You haven't pushed it with him?
- No. I don't think I should at this time.
But, uh, I would like
to nose around a little bit.
All right. Good boy.
Let's check out the boyfriend,
the barkeep as well.
Gather up names
and we'll sweat the computer.
And, Bobby, gather up photos
of Excalibur's other victims.
Let's find out if they all squandered
their youth at the Body Boutique.
Eloise Grimshaw, Lieutenant.
Eloise, this is, uh,
Lieutenant Kojak.
Hello, Eloise.
Won't you sit down?
The story is
these three girls rented...
a studio loft, uh,
from a sculptor, Ted Strong.
He's a big fellow with bushy hair.
Now, they rented it
on the condition that, uh,
he can use it daytimes,
you know, for his work.
Yesterday afternoon,
they were at the Body Boutique
with this Ted Strong.
There were two other guys.
There was, uh,
Maus Deerfield, an adman,
and, uh, Roy Fine, a lawyer.
That right?
Right.
Yeah, well, Deerfield and Fine
took two of the girls up to Boston.
For dinner, you know.
Ruby, she didn't wanna go.
I mean, she had this thing to do
in the morning with Maus Deerfield.
She had to take pictures, you know?
And she was tired. And Freddy...
Freddy, her boyfriend...
he kept arguing with her to go,
but she didn't wanna go.
She was tired, and so
they had a big argument.
Was it, uh, serious?
They were always arguing.
They were still there when we left.
Eloise, have you any idea where
the killing might have taken place?
The studio?
The studio.
What makes you say that?
Well, she was wearing my sweatshirt
and my blue jeans,
and she wouldn't go out
after she came home.
So what you're saying is that, uh,
after being attacked and killed,
the assailant dressed her in your clothes
to take the victim down to the river?
Take it easy, kid.
All right, Eloise.
When you're feeling better,
I want you to tell everything
you know to the sergeant, okay?
I didn't know.
I didn't know.
Eloise.
Ruby's boyfriend... that sculptor...
he's up there now in the loft.
All right, thanks.
You check the neighborhood.
See if there are any pizza parlors
open late at night.
M.E. Said Ruby had a pizza
before she was killed.
Mr. Strong, I'm Lieutenant Kojak.
This is Detective Chiccaloni.
Come on in.
Thank you.
Hey, Fern, cut the music, huh?
You must be Fern.
I've talked to your roommate.
Hello. Police department.
Hi.
It's very nice.
Thanks.
Okay.
He was Eloise's guru.
That mirror turns him on.
What time did you
get back from Boston?
1.00 in the morning.
And Ruby wasn't here
when you got back?
No.
So you probably figured that
Ruby was over at Ted's.
That after you left for Boston,
they kissed and made up.
Is that right, Fern?
Oh. You know,
we haven't had dinner.
Is there a pizza parlor
around here?
Yeah.
Around the corner.
Oh.
You go there often?
Yeah. Quite often.
Did you go there last night?
- No.
- Somebody was there.
Very interesting.
"Mama Servadora's Pizza Palace."
"Mama Servadora's Pizza Palace."
Tell me, Fern.
Is this how you found the place
when you came back from Boston?
Uh, no, it was all messed up.
Uh...
Ruby's clothes scattered around.
And, Ted,
why did you lie at the Body Boutique
when you said you didn't know Ruby?
I don't love cops.
Oh.
That seems a little unfair.
How about the bartender?
He lied too.
Has he got the same
hang-up about cops?
Nobody wants to get hung up
on a court case. It's that simple.
So don't look
for anything sinister, huh?
Hey.
Hey, listen, pal, I don't have to
look for anything sinister.
Ayoung girl is dead.
Isn't that sinister enough for you?
Fern, you said that Ruby's clothes
were scattered all over the room.
Where are they now?
In her room.
All right.
Chiccaloni, take her inside.
Bring the clothes in.
It's all right, dear.
All right, Ted.
What time did you go to bed?
Ruby and I had an argument
at Body Boutique.
We sat there drinking,
about six feet apart,
for four hours,
then I brought her home.
Did you come in?
No, I didn't.
Do you frequent any other
singles bars around town?
Nope. Only Body Boutique.
Okay.
Hey, I'm gonna take
your word for it,
but I'm gonna still want you and Fern
to come down to headquarters,
come down to the squad room
and give us a hand.
Because whoever killed her
was somebody she trusted very much.
No, that's all right.
I'll get it.
Get the door.
Lieutenant, five pizza places
in a four-block area.
You go down to this pizza parlor
and find out who was on late last night.
Right.
- Can I use your phone, friend?
- Yeah, sure.
Get those scientific geniuses over here.
Forensic?
Forensic, right. And let's do a number
on those tags and pins.
Outline the total area they cover,
and then run off a dozen copies
of Excalibur's victims.
And then cover every singles bar
within the area of those tags and pins.
You know something?
I love art.
Bad, good, I love it.
This is good.
Very good. Powerful.
Kind of loves ya and kills ya
at the same time.
Hmm?
Scotch and water, please.
No ice.
You got a customer
named Maus Deerfield?
You'd better believe it.
Is he here now?
He's been here since, uh...
since, uh, lunch.
Can you point Mr. Deerfield out?
You get that killer.
Yesterday she was here, alive.
A beautiful girl,
a face to launch 1,000 ships.
Mr. Deerfield, you give pens away
for promotion, don't you?
Only a few.
I just had two dozen made up...
for my closest, dearest friends
and business associates.
Would you... Would you...
Would you want one?
Could you give me a list of
the people you gave those pens to?
I gave one to counsel Roy Fine here,
didn't I, counsel?
And I gave the manager one.
I gave the chef one.
I gave you one, didn't I, Gus,
old friend and business associate?
- Yeah.
- Could I see it?
Certainly, sir.
Hey, I understand
you scheduled a lineup?
That's right. Yeah, the lady
that runs that pizza parlor...
feels confident
she can make a positive I.D.
I've had Ted Strong brought in
and the Hindu.
- It's worth a shot, right?
- Right.
Anything new on that stewardess,
Edna Bell?
Oh, yeah. We got lucky.
Stavros caught a squeal.
A guy saw her picture
in the paper and he phoned in.
You know, there's a saloon near,
uh, the Fulton Fish Market.
And, uh, she went in there
the night she got iced...
uh, late, with a man.
Description?
He's 30's, balding, big,
you know, pleasant.
She'd been in there before.
He hadn't.
That bartender's bald, right?
What's his name? Gus?
But not the man the tugboat skipper
spotted on the Hoboken docks.
- He's nothing but hair.
- All the same,
I wanna know what time
Gus knocked off work last night, okay?
Find out if he was a veteran.
Any word from Saigon yet?
Those things take time.
Yeah, well, tell that to Excalibur, huh?
- Maybe he'll ease off.
- Hey, Lieutenant,
I've got a Mr. Hepplewhite outside.
He says that, uh, he can make
a positive identification.
He's had a remnant store
down on Lower Broadway
for about 50 years.
All right. Wheel him in.
Mr. Hepplewhite, this is Lieutenant Kojak.
Would you mind telling him
what you told me?
Sir, a big, bushy-haired man came in
for some purple bathrobe cord.
He was tense, sweating.
Your associate said something about a lineup.
I'm sure I can identify him.
All right. Thank you very much.
Bring him into the squad room.
Showtime. Pizza lady's here.
How many longhairs you have?
Three.
That's not enough.
You check out those singles bars?
I have.
Logan's, Snake Eyes,
the Trip and the whole bit.
You know, your hunch was right.
There's a pattern.
We scored with everyone.
They were all able to identify
at least one of the victims.
Mm-hmm.
You get a picture ofTed Strong
and go over the course again.
Let's see. Let's try this on.
I need you in a lineup.
Yeah.
Hmm.
Excuse me.
- Hey.
Sorry to keep you waiting, girls.
Tell me. Did Ted have a car?
Yes.
Would you know the license plates?
No.
They'reJersey plates.
Jersey plates. Thank you.
Here, put this on, get in the lineup.
Excuse me.
Come on. Don't be shy.
Do you know ifTed
was in the service?
Four years.
He was with the Green Berets.
Mm-hmm.
I like it.
Oh!
Come on.
You know your blood type?
Yeah. Type O.
Type O. That's a nice color.
Oh, yeah.
So what does that prove?
Just routine.
Mrs. Servadora,
uno momento.
Oh.
Hello.
Lieutenant Kojak,
Mrs. Servadora.
She's the lady who makes
those nice pizzas.
Hello, Mrs. Servadora.
That's nice.
I remember, sir.
He was a bushy-haired man.
He was big.
And when he came in,
he was so nervous
that he made me nervous.
- And then he walked out with a pizza.
- About what time?
- Midnight.
- Midnight.
Yeah.
Have the Hindu take off his turban.
Now, if you don't recognize anybody,
just say, "I don't know."
And don't rush.
If you're not sure, say, "I'm not sure."
- I'm sure.
- Which one?
The one with the tweed jacket
and the black tie.
Are you sure?
Well, I'm almost sure.
All right.
Thank you, Mrs. Servadora.
Okay.
Here.
Oh, hello.
Hello, Mr. Hepplewhite.
Here you are.
Look right through here.
You don't have to say anything.
If you're not sure, just say so.
I'm sure. None of them.
The fellow who came in for the cord
was like the one in the tweed jacket,
only he was soft and weak...
and had angry eyes.
"Angry eyes."
Yeah.
All right.
Thank you, Mr. Hepplewhite.
You're welcome.
Thank you, Mr. Hepplewhite.
Right that way.
Thanks. So long.
Bye.
Where does that leave us?
Nowhere. Absolutely nowhere.
No way, no how.
Theo, now I realize
that brain of yours...
works in strange
and mysterious ways,
its wonders to perform.
But could you tell me?
Could you kindly explain to me
why you haven't booked that sculptor?
Just because you didn't get
a positive identification,
that doesn't prove anything.
You've got motive, opportunity,
blood type, military background,
Jersey plates.
What more do you need?
A sworn statement from his victims?
Vibes? You know about vibes?
The vibes are wrong.
The sculptor couldn't have done it.
All right. I give up. Tell me why.
His art.
You know, any man that can put
so much violence and sex...
into a piece of stone,
he doesn't have to violate flesh.
He gets his kicks
with his hammer and chisel.
The commissioner's gonna violate you
with a hammer and chisel
if we don't tie a can on this.
That report from Saigon
you've been sweating out?
Hot off the telex.
Two unsolved slayings,
both dance hall hostesses,
identical in every respect
to Excalibur's M.O.
"August 1972, March 1973.
Ted Strong was in South Vietnam
during the same time period.
- Anything on Gus yet?
- No military record.
- Theo...
- Establish his blood type?
- Not yet.
Vibes or no vibes.
Find out. Check his union.
- See if he needs a health certificate
to tend bar.
- I want you to book Strong.
And Bobby, check the State Department
and see if he was issued a passport.
What for?
Well, we didn't just ship
fighting troops to South Asia.
A few civilians made
the trip as well. Go ahead.
- Lieutenant, I'm talking to you.
- And, Captain, I'm listening.
Oh, and contact the motor vehicle
bureau in Trenton.
- See if they issued any license on Gus.
- But, Lieutenant, Gus is almost bald.
Oh.
- So am I.
What do you say, Mac?
You wanna book him, fine.
Let's book him, by all means.
Why don't you take me over
to his studio some time.
I'd like to look at his work.
Lieutenant!
A girl walking along,
abandoned brownstone,
out jumps a big,
bushy-headed guy, grabs her,
yells, "Excalibur speaking,"
pulls her into the house.
Who's talking?
A woman across the street.
All right. Bottle off the block.
Send two squad cars.
Tell 'em to sit on the situation,
take no action until we get there.
Go ahead.
What's the address?
Okay, Crocker, get a shotgun.
Let's move.
Sí. Por favor.
Police! Open up!
Police! Open up!
Stand back.
Throw down your guns!
Throw down your guns!
Don't move!
Not one more inch!
I'll kill her. I will!
You know I'm Excalibur,
and you know I'll do it!
Stand aside.
I'm taking her out of here.
Well, you better not, Excalibur.
There are a lot of cops out there
who don't know who you really are.
I bump into any fuzz out there,
she's cold meat.
He's baling!
Freeze! Stop!
You don't believe me!
I am Excalibur!
Right. Hey, congratulations.
It's all over the news already,
and the mayor's office called
to personally commend us.
I'll be in Kojak's office.
Hey!
Hey!
- Forget it.
- I'm afraid to ask.
You didn't see him, Mac.
He looked like yesterday's newspaper,
put in a garbage can and thrown away.
The only way a guy like that can get
into a singles bar is with a cannon.
Now, wait a minute.
Are you saying it wasn't Excalibur?
We've had two nights of full moon, right?
Every creep in town is turned on.
Yeah. No.
Captain McNeil.
Well, you can feed it to me
and I'll pass it on.
Right. Yeah, thanks, Agajanian.
Medical examiner.
The guy you blew away...
type 0.
Okay, answer me this, Frank:
If he was Excalibur,
where's the purple cord?
Where's the quarter?
It bothers me that Gus,
the bartender, lost his pen.
I wonder how much
it bothers Gus.
Thanks. Good night.
Good night.
Hey, come on.
Let's go to Boston.
I gotta go home. I'm exhausted.
Hey, let's go to Boston.
Ruby's parents are here,
and we've packed the rest ofher things.
What do you wanna
go to Boston for?
To eat, so I don't get depressed.
- It's nearly midnight.
- Look, we'll eat breakfast.
There's a lot of fish in Boston, right?
They got great fish.
Boston scrod, right?
I's worth a trip just to go to Boston
to eat scrod for breakfast.
Okay, okay.
What do you say?
Eloise? Fern?
Listen, I really don't wanna go.
I just can't go.
Fern, you go if you want to.
- Oh, I don't know.
- Come on, Fern. Let's go.
- It'll do us all a lot of good.
- Okay.
Good. It's settled.
Hey, did you hear the news?
They got Excalibur.
Oh!
Hey, listen,
would one of you chauvinists
like to take me home?
- I mean, the city is safe again, right?
- Yeah, sure. What the heck?
It's on the way to Boston, right?
New Jersey Motor Vehicle
Bureau report.
1969 Dodge sedan,
license number UVL 888,
registered to Gus Sutherland,
8459 Jefferson Street, Hoboken.
Oh, and, uh, this just came in
from the State Department.
Passport K037981,
issued June 1969
to Gus Sutherland.
Immigration and Naturalization
Services records indicate...
his being in Saigon, South Vietnam,
where he was a civilian employee
of the Central Army PX...
between August 15,
1972 and March 3O, 1973.
Sometimes I think you
do it all with mirrors.
Did we ever find out what time
he quits work?
Uh, 12:00.
He works a split shift.
- Gonna pull him in now?
- No, I need a clincher first.
The body of evidence is very impressive,
but so was the case against Fred Strong.
And then, of course,
there's that phony Excalibur.
A good defense attorney
can get a lot of mileage out of that.
He's been at this Body Boutique
two months.
He's been back from Vietnam
over two years.
All right. Why don't you
see what he's been up to?
What? At this hour?
Make it easy on yourself.
You've got a list of these singles bars
that we've been canvassing.
Get on the phone.
Right.
Very nice.
Please. No applause.
Oh-ho.
Good night, sweet virgin.
May flights of angels
sing thee to thy rest.
Are you sure you don't
wanna come with us?
No.
But give my regards to Boston.
Okay.
Good night.
Good night.
Crocker, shag it over
to the Body Boutique.
Put a tail on this Gus,
the bartender, will ya?
But stay behind.
Not too close.
I don't want him spooked.
Any progress?
I only checked two places so far.
Gus worked in both.
Periods of employment correspond...
with the dates
on two of the killings.
Lieutenant, Crocker.
We missed him by two minutes.
He knocked off early.
- He said he wasn't feeling well.
- You come on back.
Al, Kojak.
Give me an emergency alarm...
all precincts, all boroughs.
Beige 1967 Dodge,
New Jersey license UVL 888.
No, I don't want a pickup,
just his location.
You get a fix and contact me immediately
and we'll take it from there.
It's all over the news.
What?
That we've ended Excalibur's career.
The city's breathing easy now
with that knowledge.
Hmm.
But I wonder what's going on
in that kinky brain of his?
Does he like it...some ringer
stealing Excalibur's thunder?
Or does he decide he better do something
right away to set the record straight?
Hello.
Yes, this is Lieutenant Kojak.
When was this?
That was Mrs. Servadora,
the pizza lady.
She just got another visit
from Excalibur.
He may be headed for their loft.
Who is it?
It's me, Gus.
I brought something for you.
Operator? Operator!
No.
No.
Come on down.
Open that case, Eloise.
- You killed Ruby.
- Come on, Eloise.
You killed the others too,
didn't you?
I had to.
My mother told me to.
She comes to me in the night...
and whispers to me.
There's so much evil in the world.
No! Gus, no.
You... You asked for this.
No, Gus, no.
You begged for it.
Don't pretend you didn't.
They all did.
Defiling love.
No!
No! No! No!
Corrupting it.
Flaunting themselves.
Flaunting themselves!
Do you hear me?
No!
- Shut up!
- Shut up! Do you hear me?
- Sutherland!
Mama?
Lieutenant, line three.
It's Margaret Squires's mother.
Yes, Mrs. Squires.
Well, you can rest easy tonight.
---
The victim's name is Edna Bell,
in case you didn't know.
Two years, nothing. Then this.
If it's him.
Sure looks like Excalibur.
Everything's exactly like the others...
purple cord, even markings
on the forehead.
Not everything.
Something's been added.
It's a quarter.
With all the evidence in the murder
of this airline stewardess, Captain,
isn't it safe to say that Excalibur
is active again?
Until our investigation's complete,
nothing's conclusive, Billy.
Edna Bell was strangled
with a silk stocking,
a purple bathrobe cord
knotted around her neck.
Right.
She was found
floating in a bathtub.
I know.
Two years ago, Margaret Squire
was found in the lake at Central Park,
strangled with a stocking,
a purple cord knotted around her neck.
Right.
And the teacher from
Brooklyn Heights before that,
the secretary from the U. N...
Each one raped, each one strangled...
branded with the trademark of Excalibur.
The sword of King Arthur.
And each one found in water.
For those of you who are less familiar
with this case than others,
I'm not gonna waste time
going over the tons of paperwork...
autopsy report,
forensic data, et cetera...
dead ends that we've accumulated
during the course of this investigation.
You do that on your own time.
I just don't want you to
familiarize yourself with this case.
I want you to commit it to memory.
Because this time,
we're gonna nail the creep.
For reasons we can only guess at,
Excalibur has signed off for two years.
And now, out of the blue,
he's decided to make a comeback...
with a very interesting touch
for us to consider...
a quarter, put into the stocking
with which he garroted his victims.
Does that ring anybody's chimes?
Crocker?
It's a Vietnamese torture gimmick.
It's the tourniquet principle.
The quarter means a more gradual death.
Interesting. Very interesting.
Fowler, you check up on veterans hospitals,
outpatients, anyone with mental disturbances,
violent behavior patterns.
You know this creep's makeup.
Oh, and concentrate
on Vietnam returnees.
Uh, that house where
Edna Bell was staying...
you speak to the owners yet?
I haven't been able to...
You stay with it.
Stavros, you give him a hand.
And tell Cahan to stay on top
of that autopsy all the way.
Watch everything.
Ask questions.
If she's been sexually assaulted,
look for blood underneath
her fingernails, have it typed.
Look for the presence of foreign saliva.
Have that typed too.
One thing we know
from these past murders:
Whatever else Excalibur
may or may not be,
he's definitely type 0-positive.
Oh, yes.
We struck out with that last time.
Run it down. You may get lucky.
Seven girls.
What are you waiting for?
Let's get the show on the road.
Yes, Mrs. Squires, this is
Lieutenant Kojak answering your call.
It was on the radio...
another victim.
Two years, and you haven't caught
the man that killed my daughter.
Yes, I know, Mrs. Squires.
What do you intend to do about it?
Well, we intend to keep working on it.
Strangled in Central Park.
Floating in a lake.
I don't sleep nights!
If it helps any, Mrs. Squires,
I don't sleep nights either.
Manhattan South,
Detective Fowler.
How long ago was this?
You mean he's still there now?
Kojak.
Lieutenant?
Yeah, Chic.
We've been two hours with the owners.
They were away.
They raise horses on Long Island.
They live there.
Oh, they didn't rent Edna Bell
a room.
They gave it to her because
they needed a house sitter.
We got a line on her background.
You want us to come in?
No, you let Stavros stay there.
Check out her drinking pattern,
what bars she frequented.
I want you on something else.
What's that?
We just got a call
from a massage parlor.
Said a customer was threatening
one of the girls.
Check it out. Who knows?
This hairpin could be Excalibur.
Where is it?
Uh, 8th, near 44th.
Not the one that was firebombed.
This one's called the...
the Hollywood Massage Parlor.
Who is it?
Police department.
We got a report a customer
threatened one of your girls.
That's right. That's right.
I called. Eloise!
Hi.
Detective Chiccaloni.
Tell me about this man
that threatened you.
Oh, he didn't threaten me.
Eric just overreacted.
No, he threatened! I heard.
That was a bona fide death threat!
You could say he
technically threatened me,
but actually, he's a very gentle man...
a vegetarian.
You're too trusting, Eloise.
She's too trusting.
A vegetarian, okay,
but so is a gorilla!
If you'd seen the way
he looked at her...
You've known him before?
He used to be my guru.
And then I got into
Tibetan Buddhism...
so that I wouldn't see him,
but he keeps coming around for a massage.
Actually, it's just an excuse to see me.
Yeah, what's his name and address?
See, like, he was
this intense spiritualist,
but then he fell in love
with me physically.
And it was, like, my fault
that he lost his spiritual integrity.
So, since he couldn't have me physically,
he needed to kill me,
because it was due to me
that he lost his spiritual integrity.
But killing me would be a violation
of his religious principles,
so it's really got him in a bind,
you know?
Thanks, miss... Thanks.
I've been all through
the millinery district.
All those stores with the sequins
and the bindings...
and the rickracks
and all that stuff...
That hasn't been made for years!
So that's where you left it?
Dead end!
Dead end, my foot.
You get back out on the street
and you run it down, you understand?
He's using it as some kind
of a symbol. Who knows?
Maybe his mother wore a purple robe
when he was a kid.
But anyway,
you check the classified ads.
Check these remnant stores.
They got a lot of'em on Broadway.
Yes, sir!
Hey, look.
I know you haven't slept
for a couple of nights,
but you stick with it.
We gotta get this jellybean
off the streets before
he empties them.
Hey, Lieutenant,
you got it solved yet?
Stand back!
How about giving us a statement?
Give the lieutenant some air!
Come on! Back up!
Get away from Detective Crocker.
You know, when I got to New York,
I didn't know what girl I was...
Hey, let's go to Boston.
Then I went to Columbia,
and I got into Buddhism, and I flipped.
Why don't we go to Boston?
What do you wanna go
to Boston for?
To go up there and get something to eat.
What do you say, Fern? Ruby?
- I'll go if Eloise wants to.
- We can be back by midnight, Eloise.
I still keep up my chanting.
I mean, it really gets me through
hard times, you know?
Wow!
Are you into Buddhism too?
I'm the reincarnation
of the goddess Shiva.
Yeah? You could have
fooled me. Wow!
Hey, listen, everybody.
Let's all say it, okay?
Come on, Gus. You too.
I'll have a soft stinger, please.
WATB on the air.
What's your question?
I'd like to talk to the Answer Man.
This is the Answer Man.
Oh.
I'm trying to settle
an argument with my wife.
Oh, yeah? Go on.
Oh!
She claims Humphrey Bogart played
the original Sam Spade in the movies.
I told her she's crazy.
Half crazy.
Bogart did play Spade
in The Maltese Falcon.
Hey, uh...
Are you thinking,
or can I, uh, talk?
I'm thinking, and you can talk.
Water.
Why does he always
return his victim to water?
Maybe water's his mother.
He's purified the girls by death.
He's making an offer
to his mother.
Mmm.
That's very interesting.
That's what we need here...
more common denominators.
His victims are always single.
How does he know they're single?
Who has jurisdiction,
Jersey cops or New York cops?
You mind repeating that?
If a body is found on
theJersey side of the Hudson,
who has charge of it,
New York cops orJersey cops?
I don't know that, sir.
If you'll hold, I'll call Research.
You don't need to call.
I'll tell you.
New York.
This guy's gotta be kidding.
Tell those dumb New York dicks
to get over to Hoboken.
There's some garbage
floating under a pier.
Hey, Lieutenant!
I heard it.
Hey, Mac,
can you get the Hoboken Police
to shut off the pier?
I'm sure they'll cooperate.
We'll have a daylight search
in the morning.
See if there were any watchmen
on duty, drunks...
anybody who might have
seen anything.
Looks like we've got another one.
It's Excalibur.
Is there a quarter in it?
Yeah, there's a quarter.
Hey, I know that sweatshirt.
Only the last time I saw it,
somebody else was wearing it.
I can't call Eloise off a massage.
A massage is like music.
You get it going, you gotta keep it going.
You keep it going
while I talk to her, okay?
Eloise!
Hi.
Hi.
Where'd you get the sweatshirt
you were wearing?
7 th Avenue,
Rosebach's Novelties.
I had it made up special.
You mean it was one of a kind.
As far as I know it was.
Uh-huh.
You know, I couldn't find that Hindu.
- You sure you gave me the right address?
- I gave you the wrong address.
He's a good man.
I didn't want to cause a heavy scene.
Have you seen this, uh,
"good man" since
he threatened to kill you?
Last night at the Body Boutique.
- It's a singles bar.
- Were you there all evening?
Well, I have these two roommates.
One's a model and one's a dancer.
These fellas asked us
if we wanted to go to Boston,
so two of us went.
Did you ever see this girl?
- She looks dead.
- Yeah, she is dead.
She was strangled.
How about this one?
No.
That's my roommate.
Autopsy report on theJane Doe
we fished out of the Hudson.
Uh-huh.
Any luck with
the veterans hospitals?
So far we've come up empty.
You might check out
these state mental institutions.
Might be something there.
Check.
Lieutenant, on line four.
It's Chiccaloni. He says it's important.
Hello.
I've located the girl's roommate.
She says she was with the victim last night
at a bar called the Body Boutique.
I.D. On the deceased?
Ruby Stanfield, a model.
You bring in the roommate
right away, you hear?
10-4.
Crocker!
Good morning.
Detective Crocker.
You ever see this girl?
From that picture,
I'd have to say no.
You ever see her?
Whew!
No.
You come in here often?
Oh, yeah.
Yeah. I'm their
profit margin, right?
Thank you.
My pleasure.
Bye.
Anytime.
Did you ever see this girl?
Yeah. She came in here a lot.
Tell me anything about her.
Her name is Ruby,
and she's a model.
Do you know her last name?
Why don't you ask that guy at the bar?
She's his girlfriend.
Thank you.
You're welcome.
Stuff Forensics scavenged up
on the Hoboken Pier. Enjoy.
Cahan. Cahan!
Yeah!
Take a look at this.
There's a name on it,
Madison Avenue address.
Run it down.
See if there's a list of people
that this has been given to.
It's an expensive job.
The list can't be that long.
Okay.
Where the hell is Chiccaloni?
A tugboat captain called
from Hoboken.
He said late last night,
this big, bushy-haired guy
drove up to the end of the pier.
What?
Go ahead.
This big, bushy-haired guy
drove to the end of the pier.
He waited, then he backed up,
then he drove off.
He didn't see anything drop,
but he had Jersey plates.
Oh. Did he have a brown suit?
What?
You better lay low for awhile.
Ah, come on, Lieutenant.
Check out the State Department,
Military Intelligence.
Find out if they've had any homicides
with a similar M.O.,
including that bit with the quarter,
in or around Saigon
during the past three or four years.
Okay. Uh...
Margaret Squires's
mother called again.
Lieutenant, the guy in the Body Boutique...
supposedly her boyfriend...
says he's never seen her before,
and the bartender says the same thing.
But the waiter says
she comes in all the time.
- You haven't pushed it with him?
- No. I don't think I should at this time.
But, uh, I would like
to nose around a little bit.
All right. Good boy.
Let's check out the boyfriend,
the barkeep as well.
Gather up names
and we'll sweat the computer.
And, Bobby, gather up photos
of Excalibur's other victims.
Let's find out if they all squandered
their youth at the Body Boutique.
Eloise Grimshaw, Lieutenant.
Eloise, this is, uh,
Lieutenant Kojak.
Hello, Eloise.
Won't you sit down?
The story is
these three girls rented...
a studio loft, uh,
from a sculptor, Ted Strong.
He's a big fellow with bushy hair.
Now, they rented it
on the condition that, uh,
he can use it daytimes,
you know, for his work.
Yesterday afternoon,
they were at the Body Boutique
with this Ted Strong.
There were two other guys.
There was, uh,
Maus Deerfield, an adman,
and, uh, Roy Fine, a lawyer.
That right?
Right.
Yeah, well, Deerfield and Fine
took two of the girls up to Boston.
For dinner, you know.
Ruby, she didn't wanna go.
I mean, she had this thing to do
in the morning with Maus Deerfield.
She had to take pictures, you know?
And she was tired. And Freddy...
Freddy, her boyfriend...
he kept arguing with her to go,
but she didn't wanna go.
She was tired, and so
they had a big argument.
Was it, uh, serious?
They were always arguing.
They were still there when we left.
Eloise, have you any idea where
the killing might have taken place?
The studio?
The studio.
What makes you say that?
Well, she was wearing my sweatshirt
and my blue jeans,
and she wouldn't go out
after she came home.
So what you're saying is that, uh,
after being attacked and killed,
the assailant dressed her in your clothes
to take the victim down to the river?
Take it easy, kid.
All right, Eloise.
When you're feeling better,
I want you to tell everything
you know to the sergeant, okay?
I didn't know.
I didn't know.
Eloise.
Ruby's boyfriend... that sculptor...
he's up there now in the loft.
All right, thanks.
You check the neighborhood.
See if there are any pizza parlors
open late at night.
M.E. Said Ruby had a pizza
before she was killed.
Mr. Strong, I'm Lieutenant Kojak.
This is Detective Chiccaloni.
Come on in.
Thank you.
Hey, Fern, cut the music, huh?
You must be Fern.
I've talked to your roommate.
Hello. Police department.
Hi.
It's very nice.
Thanks.
Okay.
He was Eloise's guru.
That mirror turns him on.
What time did you
get back from Boston?
1.00 in the morning.
And Ruby wasn't here
when you got back?
No.
So you probably figured that
Ruby was over at Ted's.
That after you left for Boston,
they kissed and made up.
Is that right, Fern?
Oh. You know,
we haven't had dinner.
Is there a pizza parlor
around here?
Yeah.
Around the corner.
Oh.
You go there often?
Yeah. Quite often.
Did you go there last night?
- No.
- Somebody was there.
Very interesting.
"Mama Servadora's Pizza Palace."
"Mama Servadora's Pizza Palace."
Tell me, Fern.
Is this how you found the place
when you came back from Boston?
Uh, no, it was all messed up.
Uh...
Ruby's clothes scattered around.
And, Ted,
why did you lie at the Body Boutique
when you said you didn't know Ruby?
I don't love cops.
Oh.
That seems a little unfair.
How about the bartender?
He lied too.
Has he got the same
hang-up about cops?
Nobody wants to get hung up
on a court case. It's that simple.
So don't look
for anything sinister, huh?
Hey.
Hey, listen, pal, I don't have to
look for anything sinister.
Ayoung girl is dead.
Isn't that sinister enough for you?
Fern, you said that Ruby's clothes
were scattered all over the room.
Where are they now?
In her room.
All right.
Chiccaloni, take her inside.
Bring the clothes in.
It's all right, dear.
All right, Ted.
What time did you go to bed?
Ruby and I had an argument
at Body Boutique.
We sat there drinking,
about six feet apart,
for four hours,
then I brought her home.
Did you come in?
No, I didn't.
Do you frequent any other
singles bars around town?
Nope. Only Body Boutique.
Okay.
Hey, I'm gonna take
your word for it,
but I'm gonna still want you and Fern
to come down to headquarters,
come down to the squad room
and give us a hand.
Because whoever killed her
was somebody she trusted very much.
No, that's all right.
I'll get it.
Get the door.
Lieutenant, five pizza places
in a four-block area.
You go down to this pizza parlor
and find out who was on late last night.
Right.
- Can I use your phone, friend?
- Yeah, sure.
Get those scientific geniuses over here.
Forensic?
Forensic, right. And let's do a number
on those tags and pins.
Outline the total area they cover,
and then run off a dozen copies
of Excalibur's victims.
And then cover every singles bar
within the area of those tags and pins.
You know something?
I love art.
Bad, good, I love it.
This is good.
Very good. Powerful.
Kind of loves ya and kills ya
at the same time.
Hmm?
Scotch and water, please.
No ice.
You got a customer
named Maus Deerfield?
You'd better believe it.
Is he here now?
He's been here since, uh...
since, uh, lunch.
Can you point Mr. Deerfield out?
You get that killer.
Yesterday she was here, alive.
A beautiful girl,
a face to launch 1,000 ships.
Mr. Deerfield, you give pens away
for promotion, don't you?
Only a few.
I just had two dozen made up...
for my closest, dearest friends
and business associates.
Would you... Would you...
Would you want one?
Could you give me a list of
the people you gave those pens to?
I gave one to counsel Roy Fine here,
didn't I, counsel?
And I gave the manager one.
I gave the chef one.
I gave you one, didn't I, Gus,
old friend and business associate?
- Yeah.
- Could I see it?
Certainly, sir.
Hey, I understand
you scheduled a lineup?
That's right. Yeah, the lady
that runs that pizza parlor...
feels confident
she can make a positive I.D.
I've had Ted Strong brought in
and the Hindu.
- It's worth a shot, right?
- Right.
Anything new on that stewardess,
Edna Bell?
Oh, yeah. We got lucky.
Stavros caught a squeal.
A guy saw her picture
in the paper and he phoned in.
You know, there's a saloon near,
uh, the Fulton Fish Market.
And, uh, she went in there
the night she got iced...
uh, late, with a man.
Description?
He's 30's, balding, big,
you know, pleasant.
She'd been in there before.
He hadn't.
That bartender's bald, right?
What's his name? Gus?
But not the man the tugboat skipper
spotted on the Hoboken docks.
- He's nothing but hair.
- All the same,
I wanna know what time
Gus knocked off work last night, okay?
Find out if he was a veteran.
Any word from Saigon yet?
Those things take time.
Yeah, well, tell that to Excalibur, huh?
- Maybe he'll ease off.
- Hey, Lieutenant,
I've got a Mr. Hepplewhite outside.
He says that, uh, he can make
a positive identification.
He's had a remnant store
down on Lower Broadway
for about 50 years.
All right. Wheel him in.
Mr. Hepplewhite, this is Lieutenant Kojak.
Would you mind telling him
what you told me?
Sir, a big, bushy-haired man came in
for some purple bathrobe cord.
He was tense, sweating.
Your associate said something about a lineup.
I'm sure I can identify him.
All right. Thank you very much.
Bring him into the squad room.
Showtime. Pizza lady's here.
How many longhairs you have?
Three.
That's not enough.
You check out those singles bars?
I have.
Logan's, Snake Eyes,
the Trip and the whole bit.
You know, your hunch was right.
There's a pattern.
We scored with everyone.
They were all able to identify
at least one of the victims.
Mm-hmm.
You get a picture ofTed Strong
and go over the course again.
Let's see. Let's try this on.
I need you in a lineup.
Yeah.
Hmm.
Excuse me.
- Hey.
Sorry to keep you waiting, girls.
Tell me. Did Ted have a car?
Yes.
Would you know the license plates?
No.
They'reJersey plates.
Jersey plates. Thank you.
Here, put this on, get in the lineup.
Excuse me.
Come on. Don't be shy.
Do you know ifTed
was in the service?
Four years.
He was with the Green Berets.
Mm-hmm.
I like it.
Oh!
Come on.
You know your blood type?
Yeah. Type O.
Type O. That's a nice color.
Oh, yeah.
So what does that prove?
Just routine.
Mrs. Servadora,
uno momento.
Oh.
Hello.
Lieutenant Kojak,
Mrs. Servadora.
She's the lady who makes
those nice pizzas.
Hello, Mrs. Servadora.
That's nice.
I remember, sir.
He was a bushy-haired man.
He was big.
And when he came in,
he was so nervous
that he made me nervous.
- And then he walked out with a pizza.
- About what time?
- Midnight.
- Midnight.
Yeah.
Have the Hindu take off his turban.
Now, if you don't recognize anybody,
just say, "I don't know."
And don't rush.
If you're not sure, say, "I'm not sure."
- I'm sure.
- Which one?
The one with the tweed jacket
and the black tie.
Are you sure?
Well, I'm almost sure.
All right.
Thank you, Mrs. Servadora.
Okay.
Here.
Oh, hello.
Hello, Mr. Hepplewhite.
Here you are.
Look right through here.
You don't have to say anything.
If you're not sure, just say so.
I'm sure. None of them.
The fellow who came in for the cord
was like the one in the tweed jacket,
only he was soft and weak...
and had angry eyes.
"Angry eyes."
Yeah.
All right.
Thank you, Mr. Hepplewhite.
You're welcome.
Thank you, Mr. Hepplewhite.
Right that way.
Thanks. So long.
Bye.
Where does that leave us?
Nowhere. Absolutely nowhere.
No way, no how.
Theo, now I realize
that brain of yours...
works in strange
and mysterious ways,
its wonders to perform.
But could you tell me?
Could you kindly explain to me
why you haven't booked that sculptor?
Just because you didn't get
a positive identification,
that doesn't prove anything.
You've got motive, opportunity,
blood type, military background,
Jersey plates.
What more do you need?
A sworn statement from his victims?
Vibes? You know about vibes?
The vibes are wrong.
The sculptor couldn't have done it.
All right. I give up. Tell me why.
His art.
You know, any man that can put
so much violence and sex...
into a piece of stone,
he doesn't have to violate flesh.
He gets his kicks
with his hammer and chisel.
The commissioner's gonna violate you
with a hammer and chisel
if we don't tie a can on this.
That report from Saigon
you've been sweating out?
Hot off the telex.
Two unsolved slayings,
both dance hall hostesses,
identical in every respect
to Excalibur's M.O.
"August 1972, March 1973.
Ted Strong was in South Vietnam
during the same time period.
- Anything on Gus yet?
- No military record.
- Theo...
- Establish his blood type?
- Not yet.
Vibes or no vibes.
Find out. Check his union.
- See if he needs a health certificate
to tend bar.
- I want you to book Strong.
And Bobby, check the State Department
and see if he was issued a passport.
What for?
Well, we didn't just ship
fighting troops to South Asia.
A few civilians made
the trip as well. Go ahead.
- Lieutenant, I'm talking to you.
- And, Captain, I'm listening.
Oh, and contact the motor vehicle
bureau in Trenton.
- See if they issued any license on Gus.
- But, Lieutenant, Gus is almost bald.
Oh.
- So am I.
What do you say, Mac?
You wanna book him, fine.
Let's book him, by all means.
Why don't you take me over
to his studio some time.
I'd like to look at his work.
Lieutenant!
A girl walking along,
abandoned brownstone,
out jumps a big,
bushy-headed guy, grabs her,
yells, "Excalibur speaking,"
pulls her into the house.
Who's talking?
A woman across the street.
All right. Bottle off the block.
Send two squad cars.
Tell 'em to sit on the situation,
take no action until we get there.
Go ahead.
What's the address?
Okay, Crocker, get a shotgun.
Let's move.
Sí. Por favor.
Police! Open up!
Police! Open up!
Stand back.
Throw down your guns!
Throw down your guns!
Don't move!
Not one more inch!
I'll kill her. I will!
You know I'm Excalibur,
and you know I'll do it!
Stand aside.
I'm taking her out of here.
Well, you better not, Excalibur.
There are a lot of cops out there
who don't know who you really are.
I bump into any fuzz out there,
she's cold meat.
He's baling!
Freeze! Stop!
You don't believe me!
I am Excalibur!
Right. Hey, congratulations.
It's all over the news already,
and the mayor's office called
to personally commend us.
I'll be in Kojak's office.
Hey!
Hey!
- Forget it.
- I'm afraid to ask.
You didn't see him, Mac.
He looked like yesterday's newspaper,
put in a garbage can and thrown away.
The only way a guy like that can get
into a singles bar is with a cannon.
Now, wait a minute.
Are you saying it wasn't Excalibur?
We've had two nights of full moon, right?
Every creep in town is turned on.
Yeah. No.
Captain McNeil.
Well, you can feed it to me
and I'll pass it on.
Right. Yeah, thanks, Agajanian.
Medical examiner.
The guy you blew away...
type 0.
Okay, answer me this, Frank:
If he was Excalibur,
where's the purple cord?
Where's the quarter?
It bothers me that Gus,
the bartender, lost his pen.
I wonder how much
it bothers Gus.
Thanks. Good night.
Good night.
Hey, come on.
Let's go to Boston.
I gotta go home. I'm exhausted.
Hey, let's go to Boston.
Ruby's parents are here,
and we've packed the rest ofher things.
What do you wanna
go to Boston for?
To eat, so I don't get depressed.
- It's nearly midnight.
- Look, we'll eat breakfast.
There's a lot of fish in Boston, right?
They got great fish.
Boston scrod, right?
I's worth a trip just to go to Boston
to eat scrod for breakfast.
Okay, okay.
What do you say?
Eloise? Fern?
Listen, I really don't wanna go.
I just can't go.
Fern, you go if you want to.
- Oh, I don't know.
- Come on, Fern. Let's go.
- It'll do us all a lot of good.
- Okay.
Good. It's settled.
Hey, did you hear the news?
They got Excalibur.
Oh!
Hey, listen,
would one of you chauvinists
like to take me home?
- I mean, the city is safe again, right?
- Yeah, sure. What the heck?
It's on the way to Boston, right?
New Jersey Motor Vehicle
Bureau report.
1969 Dodge sedan,
license number UVL 888,
registered to Gus Sutherland,
8459 Jefferson Street, Hoboken.
Oh, and, uh, this just came in
from the State Department.
Passport K037981,
issued June 1969
to Gus Sutherland.
Immigration and Naturalization
Services records indicate...
his being in Saigon, South Vietnam,
where he was a civilian employee
of the Central Army PX...
between August 15,
1972 and March 3O, 1973.
Sometimes I think you
do it all with mirrors.
Did we ever find out what time
he quits work?
Uh, 12:00.
He works a split shift.
- Gonna pull him in now?
- No, I need a clincher first.
The body of evidence is very impressive,
but so was the case against Fred Strong.
And then, of course,
there's that phony Excalibur.
A good defense attorney
can get a lot of mileage out of that.
He's been at this Body Boutique
two months.
He's been back from Vietnam
over two years.
All right. Why don't you
see what he's been up to?
What? At this hour?
Make it easy on yourself.
You've got a list of these singles bars
that we've been canvassing.
Get on the phone.
Right.
Very nice.
Please. No applause.
Oh-ho.
Good night, sweet virgin.
May flights of angels
sing thee to thy rest.
Are you sure you don't
wanna come with us?
No.
But give my regards to Boston.
Okay.
Good night.
Good night.
Crocker, shag it over
to the Body Boutique.
Put a tail on this Gus,
the bartender, will ya?
But stay behind.
Not too close.
I don't want him spooked.
Any progress?
I only checked two places so far.
Gus worked in both.
Periods of employment correspond...
with the dates
on two of the killings.
Lieutenant, Crocker.
We missed him by two minutes.
He knocked off early.
- He said he wasn't feeling well.
- You come on back.
Al, Kojak.
Give me an emergency alarm...
all precincts, all boroughs.
Beige 1967 Dodge,
New Jersey license UVL 888.
No, I don't want a pickup,
just his location.
You get a fix and contact me immediately
and we'll take it from there.
It's all over the news.
What?
That we've ended Excalibur's career.
The city's breathing easy now
with that knowledge.
Hmm.
But I wonder what's going on
in that kinky brain of his?
Does he like it...some ringer
stealing Excalibur's thunder?
Or does he decide he better do something
right away to set the record straight?
Hello.
Yes, this is Lieutenant Kojak.
When was this?
That was Mrs. Servadora,
the pizza lady.
She just got another visit
from Excalibur.
He may be headed for their loft.
Who is it?
It's me, Gus.
I brought something for you.
Operator? Operator!
No.
No.
Come on down.
Open that case, Eloise.
- You killed Ruby.
- Come on, Eloise.
You killed the others too,
didn't you?
I had to.
My mother told me to.
She comes to me in the night...
and whispers to me.
There's so much evil in the world.
No! Gus, no.
You... You asked for this.
No, Gus, no.
You begged for it.
Don't pretend you didn't.
They all did.
Defiling love.
No!
No! No! No!
Corrupting it.
Flaunting themselves.
Flaunting themselves!
Do you hear me?
No!
- Shut up!
- Shut up! Do you hear me?
- Sutherland!
Mama?
Lieutenant, line three.
It's Margaret Squires's mother.
Yes, Mrs. Squires.
Well, you can rest easy tonight.