Mod Squad (1968–1973): Season 1, Episode 4 - When Smitty Comes Marching Home - full transcript
(waves crashing)
Crowley!
Crowley!
Where are you, man?
♪ ♪
(thudding)
(clattering)
Hey, no trouble this
time, huh, Sarge?
Where's Crowley?
Crowley?
(banging)
There's something very
weird going on there.
(crashing)
MAN: Hold it.
Right there.
Where's your hat, soldier?
Your name Sergeant
William Smith?
What's it about?
Murder. A man by
the name of Crowley.
(speaking Vietnamese)
What?
Up against the wall.
(speaking Vietnamese)
(speaking Vietnamese)
(grunting)
(gunshot)
(car starting)
(siren blaring)
(banging)
Let me in, man.
(distant sirens)
(panting)
You got to let me
stay here, man.
You got to hide me.
(theme music playing)
♪ ♪
LINC: Smitty?
Take it easy, man.
You'll spill the coffee.
Ah!
Like the old days, huh, Linc?
Your momma's soul food place.
Used to feed me free
after the football game.
You remember?
Those were good times.
Good times and bad.
Like now.
What's the matter?
You, man.
You come in here last night
like a wild man screaming
for cover, talking in circles.
And now you want
to take me on a trip
to 103rd Street and Memory Lane.
All right, what's happening?
What did I say last night?
You said you
might've killed a man.
I killed lots of men.
I'm not talking about
Vietnam, and neither were you.
I'm talking about yesterday.
You know me and booze.
All right, let's try
it another way.
Who's Crowley?
Hey, hey, hey.
Okay, Smitty.
Now, tell me what happened.
Linc.
I don't know, man.
Oh, baby, you've got to know.
I'm trying to tell you, man.
I don't remember.
It-It's like some
kind of nightmare.
I-I don't know
what's real anymore.
I just don't know.
(phone ringing)
Hello.
(chuckles) Did I wake you?
No, no-no.
What's up?
The captain wants
us over right away.
Pete and I will pick
you up in ten minutes.
No, no, no.
You go on ahead.
I'll meet you there.
I got to make a stop first.
Okay. See ya.
What's the matter with him?
Aw, he just sounds uptight,
like I was, uh,
interrupting something.
SMITTY: Where you going?
I won't be long.
Try and get some rest.
Fit the pieces together.
Linc...
Can I trust you, man?
You always have.
People change.
That's right, they do.
But I remember when
I was ten years old,
living in the jungle.
Running.
Crying my eyes out.
You were 13.
Tough.
King of the mountain.
You said, "Stick with me.
Nobody hurts one
of Smitty's boys."
And you taught me
how to fight back.
With my fists or
anything that was handy.
And something else.
You taught me to be proud.
Unafraid.
In the ghetto or anywhere else.
Maybe later I found
better ways to fight.
But first I had to stop running.
And you taught me that, Smitty.
You.
Now, you want to ask
me that question again?
The one about trust.
(door opens, closes)
Are you all right, Mrs. Crowley?
The worst part is the drowning.
He was always afraid of that.
He couldn't swim.
Feel up to answering
a few questions?
I'll try.
Oh, Captain, we've
got good news.
We found that missing boy.
He spent all night in the zoo.
Fine, Bryce, fine. Yeah.
MRS. CROWLEY:
Sergeant William Smith.
We knew he'd come back someday.
And when he did,
we knew that Eddie
was a dead man.
Eddie said so so many times.
But they were
buddies in Vietnam.
What changed that?
I don't know. I don't know.
So many times I'd ask him.
He'd never say.
But that terrible fear
was always there.
And then...
last night,
Smith telephoned.
(crying) Easy,
Mrs. Crowley, easy.
You say Smith called.
And then what?
MRS. CROWLEY:
They talked for a while.
Eddie said he was
going to meet Smith...
for a drink.
(drawer closes)
I've got a dead
man in the morgue.
Smith running loose.
And a pretty good idea
of what we're dealing with.
Sergeant William Smith.
Distinguished Service Cross.
Close combat expert.
Single-handedly killed
18 enemy in one action.
Affectionately
known by his platoon
as "The Mekong Mauler."
That was the war.
I've got three battered cops
that say he brought the
war back home with him.
All right, what do
you want from us?
From you, nothing.
From him.
Linc knows him.
Well, how do you figure that?
You went to high
school with him.
Yeah, well, so did
2,000 other guys.
It's a long shot, Linc,
but it's all I've got.
I'm not telling you to do this.
I'm... I'm asking.
Will you help me, Linc?
Are you breaking up the club?
I got to walk this
one by myself.
I got to figure it out.
We used to do that together.
Thanks... but not this time.
Solid.
Yeah.
It's funny.
I almost feel like
my brother's keeper.
I told you this morning
he was uptight.
No, it's more than that.
Got any ideas?
One... and I don't like it.
LINC: Man, you're
sure not helping.
Now, this headline says your
nightmare really happened.
Now you've got to
remember something.
I'm trying.
Well, what about the beach?
Did you get into a
fight with Crowley?
I-I don't think so.
I can't get at it.
Okay.
You can't remember last night.
Now, let's take it
back a little further.
How long you been home?
Two weeks.
Two lousy weeks!
Okay, what happened?
The world hit the fan,
that's what happened.
(scoffs)
I thought I had it
made, you know?
Uniform, medals.
A genuine war hero.
(chuckles)
Well, the joke was on me.
I was nobody's hero.
Just another one of
those "good ones,"
good enough to give
a gun but not a job.
That's an old story, Smitty.
Nah!
This one was new.
I got it from everybody,
even my friends,
like... like I was a reminder
of something unpleasant
that nobody wanted
to think about.
You know, I was more of
an outsider when I came back
than I was when I left.
And that's when
the nightmare began.
Yeah.
Then, I started drinking...
wishing I was back in the delta
where I could see the enemy,
do something about it.
You hate pretty good.
You know it.
Crowley, too?
Yeah, I hated him from the war.
I...
All right now, what is it?
I remember something.
Something from last night.
Yeah?
A sound.
I remember a sound.
A bugle.
A bugle?
Oh, come on, man.
No, I swear it,
there was a bugle.
Hey, Smitty, it's a little late in
the game to be putting me on!
Yeah.
Look, maybe I ought to cut out.
Maybe I brought
you too much trouble.
No, man, it's not that.
It's just that I wish I was
smarter... or something.
(knock at door)
Get in the bedroom.
Hi.
Can we come in?
Can we come in?
W-Well, no.
I have a visitor.
Okay.
Then we'll talk right here.
What's it all about?
(Pete sighs)
Is there anything you
want to tell us, man?
No.
Nothing?
All right.
Then I'll tell you.
We did a little checking at
your old high school today.
He was your best friend.
What's he talking about?
Smitty.
We think you know where he is.
Man, from the way you're acting,
I know where he is.
In there, right?
All right.
The captain taught you well.
You're smart cops.
What is the matter with you?
He's wanted for
murder, and you know it.
It's not that simple.
I owe him.
And what about us?
Julie and me?
All of us?
The captain begged you
this morning to help him.
Don't you think you
owe him anything?
You could have leveled with him.
Man, you could
have leveled with us.
Who asked you to cut in?
Oh, wow.
Oh, that's beautiful,
just beautiful.
You were the one that
said it, or did you forget?
"There's no way to divide
three and come up even."
Smitty and I go
deeper than that.
Oh, wait a minute.
I see.
You mean like, like
they say "skin deep."
Pete. No, wait a minute.
Let him lay it on us.
So that's the way it is.
Okay.
(scoffs)
You know me better than that.
We thought we did, Linc.
Okay.
It's stupid.
I only know...
I can't just turn him in.
Not till I know what happened.
You want some help?
Does a cow give milk?
All right, Mr. Griffin,
you were saying
that Smith and Crowley
were here last night.
Did they come in together?
Yeah.
Kind of surprised me, too,
considering the
beef between 'em.
How'd you know there was a beef?
Well, Crowley was a
regular... He worked near here...
And we talked a lot.
Did he tell you
what the beef was?
Yeah, something in Vietnam.
Whatever it was, Crowley
was afraid of Smith,
and after what I saw last
night, I understand why.
He's a mean one.
What happened?
Right away, Smith
starts giving it to Crowley.
Loud, ugly, you
know what I mean?
I had to tell 'em if
they didn't knock it off
I was gonna call the cops.
Did they knock it off?
No.
They left, hollering all
the way out the door.
And then Smith came back later?
Hours later,
acting like he'd never
seen me before in his life.
Mm-hmm.
Well, you've been a big help.
Keep your eyes open for Smith.
You think he'll be back?
Who knows?
He seems to like it here.
Do you mind if I use your phone?
No, help yourself.
Greer.
Hey, can I have my messages?
No, no, never mind, go ahead.
Yeah.
You sure there are no
messages from Lincoln Hayes?
LINC: Now, come on, Smitty.
Now, you were doing fine.
Yeah, sure.
Don't you have
anything to drink?
No.
No drink and no more stalling.
Well, what do you expect?
I don't even know
who these people are.
They're friends of mine.
That's all you need to know.
Now, come on.
Crowley... you said you
hated him from the war.
Yeah.
Okay, what happened?
We were crossing the river.
He had the safety line
and they opened up on us.
He ran to save himself.
Eight of them drowned.
Eight of my boys.
I swore I'd get even,
but he never came back.
AWOL.
And I never saw him again...
until...
Until when?
When did you see him?
Yesterday.
I found out he was here.
And you still wanted to get him?
It seemed pretty important.
The only important thing
I had left.
But then...
LINC: Smitty, what is it?
I was there last night.
Where? Crowley's house.
Well, you're sure you just
didn't call him on the phone?
No, no, I swear.
I was there.
I went to see him...
and she answered the door.
Well, she knew why I was there.
She was scared.
LINC: And Crowley?
SMITTY: He wasn't scared at all.
He didn't have to be.
He knew me too well.
He knew there was
nothing I could do.
LINC: Well, that
doesn't make sense.
SMITTY: It did when I saw him.
He had one arm.
Well, didn't you know that?
No.
It changed everything.
So you left the house?
We left together.
Wanted to talk, work things out.
Went for a drink.
Bar somewhere.
Weird scene, man.
Drunk.
I-I-I didn't think
I had that much,
but I sure got stoned fast.
(inaudible)
Wait a minute.
We had an argument.
LINC: About what?
SMITTY: Well, I
wanted to get us straight,
and he wanted to cry
about his problems.
LINC: About the arm?
SMITTY: No.
His wife kept
stepping out on him.
I remember shouting,
"Knock it off!"
(inaudible)
The bartender got uptight
and told us to get out.
Crowley wanted
to talk some more.
Said he knew a place.
I guess we went.
LINC: Where?
SMITTY: I don't know.
We walked...
sat...
somewhere.
And I heard these sounds.
LINC: The bugle?
SMITTY: Yeah, the bugle.
And horns honking.
And a bear.
A bear?
A bear that cried like a baby.
Oh, Smitty, that's crazy.
It's what I remember, man.
Then how did you
get to the beach?
I don't know.
Well you've got to know!
A wild story like that, how
do you expect us to believe it?!
Well you've got to believe
it, man, it's what I remember.
I swear, man, I'm
telling you the truth!
ADAM: And that puts
you in a class by yourself.
Okay, Smith, let's
go, you're under arrest.
Look, Captain, it's my fault.
He's my friend.
ADAM: Don't you
think I knew that, Linc?
You took the law
into your own hands.
Why?
We just wanted to help him.
ADAM: Wrong...
it's because you
thought I wouldn't help.
Funny, you're trained for it...
you're good at it.
You...
still in the back of your
minds "cop" is still a dirty word.
Cops just don't help people.
That's all I have to say.
Okay.
Captain...
All right, it was wrong...
and I'm sorry.
If we can, I'd...
I'd like to stay on the case.
A chance to make it right.
(phone rings)
Greer.
Yeah.
Uh-huh.
Yeah, what's the
report on Crowley?
Well, what do you know.
Thanks, Tom.
Still want to stay with it?
Well, maybe there's a way.
What was that call from the lab?
Not so fast.
This time you're
going to do it right.
You're going to
forget all that kid stuff...
jumping to conclusions,
skipping over pieces.
We're going to start
at the beginning...
and we're going
to do it together.
Police work.
You read me?
Solid, Captain.
Solid.
Now, Smith and Crowley were
last seen together at this bar here.
Later, four miles
away, at the beach.
Smith drowns Crowley,
and conveniently
leaves his calling card...
green beret.
Later, all bloody and
covered with sand,
he walks four
miles back to the bar
where two witnesses saw
him quarreling with the victim.
Conclusion:
Sergeant Smith is either
the world's stupidest killer...
or the world's biggest patsy.
Which way do you vote, Captain?
I don't vote, I call the lab.
I asked for a final on the
water in Crowley's lungs.
It was saltwater, all right...
but not sea water.
Okay, Officer...
what do you make of that?
Well, Crowley wasn't
drowned at the beach.
He was killed somewhere else...
but in saltwater.
All right, very good.
But where else could you
drown a man in saltwater?
JULIE: Uh, lots of places.
An amusement park, an aquarium,
even a bathtub.
Mm-hmm.
All possibilities.
But try the handiest.
All right, now, what's that for?
Did any of you smart cops bother
to find out what
Crowley did for a living?
You said he worked for the city.
Right.
Department of
Parks and Recreation.
Right here at the zoo.
(barking)
Good.
Get it over to the lab. Sure.
(barking)
(roaring)
Well, they don't
cry like a baby.
But that pool does
have saltwater.
Yeah, but you'd
never get by that moat.
I still think that seal
tank's our best bet.
Well, I guess that's
about all we can do here.
Da-Da-Da-Da-Dah...
Charge!
Do that again, pretty bird.
Do that again, pretty bird.
No, come on,
what you did before.
You're foolish.
No, come one, just
do it one more time,
what you did before.
He did it before.
ADAM: Did what?
Da-Da-Da-Da-Dah... Charge!
Da-Da-Da-Da-Dah...
Charge!
The bugle...
the bugle sound.
Hey, she could be right.
Hey, maybe.
Anyway, now you got something
to talk to Smitty about.
Maybe you can help
his memory along.
Da-Da-Da-Da-Dah... Charge!
We think Crowley
was killed at the zoo.
Do you remember being there?
That bugle sound.
Could it have been a bird?
Talk to my lawyer, fuzz.
Will you knock it off, man!
Now, you laid this on me!
And... and...
and don't turn off now.
Hey, look...
the bugle, the honking,
all of it's beginning
to make some sense.
All all except that bear.
Now, what did you mean?
A bear that cried like a baby?
Maybe he found out
his best friend was a cop.
You've got it all wrong, Smitty.
Get out of here, man.
Smitty...
Get out.
(phone ringing)
Greer.
Yeah.
Mm-hmm.
Right.
Good man, Tommy.
The water samples match.
The saline content and
the fish food particles.
Mr. Crowley was
drowned in that seal tank.
Well, that lets
Smitty off the hook.
No, not yet.
It means he was telling us
the truth, though.
LINC: Hey, wait a minute.
Now, Smitty's story...
he said Crowley was
worried about his wife.
Was afraid she might
be stepping out on him.
Yeah, go on.
Right.
Right, Crowley's in Vietnam.
Now, his wife
finds someone else.
Now, Crowley's in the
way when he gets back.
The two lovers can't find
out a way to get rid of him.
Till along comes Smitty.
A guy with a grudge.
The perfect patsy.
Mmm.
I'll check it out from my end.
We'll put Julie on the wife.
I'll work out a cover.
Right.
Now...
let's take a whack
at the big puzzle.
PETE: The beach?
Right.
Why would a
murderer, any murderer,
want to move a drowned
body from the zoo to the beach?
Maybe there was a witness.
In the zoo, at night?
The only witness we
heard about was a...
was a phantom bear...
that cried like a baby.
Baby?
Baby!
Get me Sergeant Brice!
Julie, I owe you a hug!
You, too.
Terrific... what did we do?
There was a missing child
the night of the murder.
A little runaway kid.
Came home early in the morning
and said he'd been hiding...
in the zoo.
Piensa, muchacho...
¿Es todo?
Si, el hombre es muy bueno.
He, he says he
ran away from home
because his father
wouldn't let him have a dog.
So he went to the zoo,
and he hid there,
and it got dark.
He got scared and
cried for his mama.
And then this nice
man let him out.
Did he see anything else?
No.
Can you get a description?
I did...
"Nice man."
How'd the boy get back home?
¿Cómo llegó a la casa?
El niño me dijó que un señor
muy bueno lo había
puesto en un libre.
El libre es azul y blanco.
He says that this nice
man put him in a cab.
A blue and white cab.
Good.
Let's go find
ourselves a cab driver.
Gracias.
Si, señor.
Hey, wait a minute.
Uh... ¿le compro
un perro?
FATHER: No tenemos
para darle de comer.
PETE: Muchas gracias, señor.
What was that all about?
I asked him if I could
buy the kid a dog.
What did he say?
He said no.
He can't afford to feed it.
♪ ♪
Can I help you, sir?
Yeah.
A hamburger and a roll of film.
The food is awful,
but there's some good shooting.
These are all the men
that Mrs. Crowley waited on.
Anything new back there?
No.
Smitty's hearing is today.
Keep the faith, huh?
Sure.
Hey, by the way,
that new walk of yours.
Is that in the line of duty?
Don't knock it.
You should see the tips I get.
If he's in here, I'll find him.
My personal guarantee.
That's fine, Mr. Gregorian.
Got an eye like a camera...
once I see somebody... pow,
it's in here forever.
You've already changed
the description several times.
In the dark who could
remember all the details?
But don't worry, I'll find him.
Have no fear, Gregorian's here.
I know.
Eye like a camera, right?
Wait...
no.
Pow!
How's the cabbie doing?
So far the man's
between five-nine
and six-foot-four.
A slim heavy-set,
gray-haired bald fellow.
Maybe if he saw a picture.
Look, Smitty is being
arraigned right now.
Isn't there some
way you can stop it?
Look, Pete, all we have
is theories, no proof.
And Smitty's still a suspect.
He busted three cops, remember?
Right, I know.
Pete, at least he's safe.
He's not running,
he's not hunted,
he's safe.
(clarinet playing)
♪ ♪
Remember that?
♪ A little dance and sing,
a little buck and wing ♪
♪ Pick up the pennies
that street folks sling ♪
Yeah!
(laughing)
A long time, Linc.
Four years now.
How are you, sir?
Fine.
Just fine.
You keep a file on footsteps?
Ah, about 50 years worth.
Rollie, you're something else.
Yeah, but I cheat a little, too.
Yeah, I...
I heard about Smitty.
I got to find him, Rollie.
Now, I can help him.
But first he's got
to give himself up.
I dig.
If I hear from him,
I'll lay it on him.
Hey, Rollie...
you wouldn't be holding
out on me, would you?
(softly grunts)
Come by any time, Linc.
Always good to see you.
(clarinet playing)
(door shuts)
You heard the man.
That ain't no man.
That's the fuzz.
It's funny...
I can't see, but you can't hear.
Linc's no liar, Smitty,
why don't you trust him?
I trust me.
You're groping in the dark, boy.
You are groping in the dark.
Not so dark anymore.
There's a little daylight
breaking through.
Smitty?
Smitty!
God help you, boy.
God help you.
Long day?
Ask my feet.
(horn honking)
Afraid that's yours.
No rest for the wicked.
Can I help you, sir?
Are you out of your mind?!
What are you doing here?! Easy.
I just wanted you to
know Smith's escaped.
Now, don't panic, it's perfect.
He's just digging
himself into a deeper hole.
And when they get him...
baby, we're home free.
But for now, you got to
keep cool, understand?
Yes, sir, I have it.
Iced tea.
CABBIE: That's him!
Pow! That's him I tell you.
You're absolutely sure?
Positive.
He gave me a fin and told
me to take the kid home.
He was a nice fellow.
Oh, he's a sweetheart.
Get me Captain Greer.
BIRD: Da-Da-Da-Da-Dah.
Charge!
Da-Da-Da-Da-Dah.
Charge!
BOY: ¿Mamacita, donde esta?
¿Mamacita, Mamacita, donde esta?
CROWLEY: No!
(barking) No, Griff, don't!
BIRD: Da-Da-Da-Da-Dah.
(sea lion barking)
BOY: ¿Mamacita,
Mamacita, donde esta?
Griff Loomis.
Part-time bartender,
full-time lover.
It checks out.
So do a lot of things.
Like Smitty's sudden drunk.
The bartender put
something in his drink.
Right.
Right, he waits for Smitty
and Crowley to stagger out.
He must have followed
them to the zoo.
Laid Smitty out and
drowned Crowley.
Yeah, and that's where
he ran into trouble.
The kid and the cab driver.
Now, he knows he's
spotted at the murder scene,
so he decides to
change that scene.
With an ad lib
trip to the beach.
You got it.
Now, let's go get him.
♪ ♪
LINC: Captain, look!
(car tires screeching)
Hey, you can't go in!
We're closing!
Hey!
Police!
♪ ♪
(grunts)
All right, Smitty.
Get out of my way. It's over.
It will be, when I finish him!
Finish him?!
Hey, will you listen to me?
You're innocent!
Ain't no more.
Now you get out of my way, fuzz!
No!
Now, you want him?
You got to go through me.
If that's the way you want it.
No, it's the way you want it!
It's the only
answer you got left...
hitting somebody.
Well start with me, Smitty.
Start with me.
(groans)
Come on.
Linc?
Smitty.
You don't hit so hard anymore.
Hey, Linc?
(gasping)
Hey.
Man, I'm sorry.
I'm so sorry, man.
Man, I didn't mean to hit you.
It's all right, Smitty.
I didn't mean to hit you, man.
Okay, Smitty.
You're on your own.
Not quite.
Thanks, Captain.
You really made me look good.
Aw, forget it.
Besides, I didn't win 'em all.
The bill for the
window you broke.
Judges may forgive, but
accountants never forget.
We'll talk later.
Hi.
(sighs)
You got it.
(sighs)
Beautiful!
(chuckles)
I been practicing my Spanish.
¿Como estas?
Just remember that
when you get there
the father might
give you a hard time
about being able to afford food.
Well, that's when
you lay that on him.
SMITTY: Too much.
Hey, why don't all you
guys come with me?
Are you kidding?
How are we going
to get in the car?
You people are really something.
How do I thank you?
Just bring the car back.
(giggles)
(all laugh)
(engine putters)
You got nice friends, man.
Yeah.
The best.
Crowley!
Crowley!
Where are you, man?
♪ ♪
(thudding)
(clattering)
Hey, no trouble this
time, huh, Sarge?
Where's Crowley?
Crowley?
(banging)
There's something very
weird going on there.
(crashing)
MAN: Hold it.
Right there.
Where's your hat, soldier?
Your name Sergeant
William Smith?
What's it about?
Murder. A man by
the name of Crowley.
(speaking Vietnamese)
What?
Up against the wall.
(speaking Vietnamese)
(speaking Vietnamese)
(grunting)
(gunshot)
(car starting)
(siren blaring)
(banging)
Let me in, man.
(distant sirens)
(panting)
You got to let me
stay here, man.
You got to hide me.
(theme music playing)
♪ ♪
LINC: Smitty?
Take it easy, man.
You'll spill the coffee.
Ah!
Like the old days, huh, Linc?
Your momma's soul food place.
Used to feed me free
after the football game.
You remember?
Those were good times.
Good times and bad.
Like now.
What's the matter?
You, man.
You come in here last night
like a wild man screaming
for cover, talking in circles.
And now you want
to take me on a trip
to 103rd Street and Memory Lane.
All right, what's happening?
What did I say last night?
You said you
might've killed a man.
I killed lots of men.
I'm not talking about
Vietnam, and neither were you.
I'm talking about yesterday.
You know me and booze.
All right, let's try
it another way.
Who's Crowley?
Hey, hey, hey.
Okay, Smitty.
Now, tell me what happened.
Linc.
I don't know, man.
Oh, baby, you've got to know.
I'm trying to tell you, man.
I don't remember.
It-It's like some
kind of nightmare.
I-I don't know
what's real anymore.
I just don't know.
(phone ringing)
Hello.
(chuckles) Did I wake you?
No, no-no.
What's up?
The captain wants
us over right away.
Pete and I will pick
you up in ten minutes.
No, no, no.
You go on ahead.
I'll meet you there.
I got to make a stop first.
Okay. See ya.
What's the matter with him?
Aw, he just sounds uptight,
like I was, uh,
interrupting something.
SMITTY: Where you going?
I won't be long.
Try and get some rest.
Fit the pieces together.
Linc...
Can I trust you, man?
You always have.
People change.
That's right, they do.
But I remember when
I was ten years old,
living in the jungle.
Running.
Crying my eyes out.
You were 13.
Tough.
King of the mountain.
You said, "Stick with me.
Nobody hurts one
of Smitty's boys."
And you taught me
how to fight back.
With my fists or
anything that was handy.
And something else.
You taught me to be proud.
Unafraid.
In the ghetto or anywhere else.
Maybe later I found
better ways to fight.
But first I had to stop running.
And you taught me that, Smitty.
You.
Now, you want to ask
me that question again?
The one about trust.
(door opens, closes)
Are you all right, Mrs. Crowley?
The worst part is the drowning.
He was always afraid of that.
He couldn't swim.
Feel up to answering
a few questions?
I'll try.
Oh, Captain, we've
got good news.
We found that missing boy.
He spent all night in the zoo.
Fine, Bryce, fine. Yeah.
MRS. CROWLEY:
Sergeant William Smith.
We knew he'd come back someday.
And when he did,
we knew that Eddie
was a dead man.
Eddie said so so many times.
But they were
buddies in Vietnam.
What changed that?
I don't know. I don't know.
So many times I'd ask him.
He'd never say.
But that terrible fear
was always there.
And then...
last night,
Smith telephoned.
(crying) Easy,
Mrs. Crowley, easy.
You say Smith called.
And then what?
MRS. CROWLEY:
They talked for a while.
Eddie said he was
going to meet Smith...
for a drink.
(drawer closes)
I've got a dead
man in the morgue.
Smith running loose.
And a pretty good idea
of what we're dealing with.
Sergeant William Smith.
Distinguished Service Cross.
Close combat expert.
Single-handedly killed
18 enemy in one action.
Affectionately
known by his platoon
as "The Mekong Mauler."
That was the war.
I've got three battered cops
that say he brought the
war back home with him.
All right, what do
you want from us?
From you, nothing.
From him.
Linc knows him.
Well, how do you figure that?
You went to high
school with him.
Yeah, well, so did
2,000 other guys.
It's a long shot, Linc,
but it's all I've got.
I'm not telling you to do this.
I'm... I'm asking.
Will you help me, Linc?
Are you breaking up the club?
I got to walk this
one by myself.
I got to figure it out.
We used to do that together.
Thanks... but not this time.
Solid.
Yeah.
It's funny.
I almost feel like
my brother's keeper.
I told you this morning
he was uptight.
No, it's more than that.
Got any ideas?
One... and I don't like it.
LINC: Man, you're
sure not helping.
Now, this headline says your
nightmare really happened.
Now you've got to
remember something.
I'm trying.
Well, what about the beach?
Did you get into a
fight with Crowley?
I-I don't think so.
I can't get at it.
Okay.
You can't remember last night.
Now, let's take it
back a little further.
How long you been home?
Two weeks.
Two lousy weeks!
Okay, what happened?
The world hit the fan,
that's what happened.
(scoffs)
I thought I had it
made, you know?
Uniform, medals.
A genuine war hero.
(chuckles)
Well, the joke was on me.
I was nobody's hero.
Just another one of
those "good ones,"
good enough to give
a gun but not a job.
That's an old story, Smitty.
Nah!
This one was new.
I got it from everybody,
even my friends,
like... like I was a reminder
of something unpleasant
that nobody wanted
to think about.
You know, I was more of
an outsider when I came back
than I was when I left.
And that's when
the nightmare began.
Yeah.
Then, I started drinking...
wishing I was back in the delta
where I could see the enemy,
do something about it.
You hate pretty good.
You know it.
Crowley, too?
Yeah, I hated him from the war.
I...
All right now, what is it?
I remember something.
Something from last night.
Yeah?
A sound.
I remember a sound.
A bugle.
A bugle?
Oh, come on, man.
No, I swear it,
there was a bugle.
Hey, Smitty, it's a little late in
the game to be putting me on!
Yeah.
Look, maybe I ought to cut out.
Maybe I brought
you too much trouble.
No, man, it's not that.
It's just that I wish I was
smarter... or something.
(knock at door)
Get in the bedroom.
Hi.
Can we come in?
Can we come in?
W-Well, no.
I have a visitor.
Okay.
Then we'll talk right here.
What's it all about?
(Pete sighs)
Is there anything you
want to tell us, man?
No.
Nothing?
All right.
Then I'll tell you.
We did a little checking at
your old high school today.
He was your best friend.
What's he talking about?
Smitty.
We think you know where he is.
Man, from the way you're acting,
I know where he is.
In there, right?
All right.
The captain taught you well.
You're smart cops.
What is the matter with you?
He's wanted for
murder, and you know it.
It's not that simple.
I owe him.
And what about us?
Julie and me?
All of us?
The captain begged you
this morning to help him.
Don't you think you
owe him anything?
You could have leveled with him.
Man, you could
have leveled with us.
Who asked you to cut in?
Oh, wow.
Oh, that's beautiful,
just beautiful.
You were the one that
said it, or did you forget?
"There's no way to divide
three and come up even."
Smitty and I go
deeper than that.
Oh, wait a minute.
I see.
You mean like, like
they say "skin deep."
Pete. No, wait a minute.
Let him lay it on us.
So that's the way it is.
Okay.
(scoffs)
You know me better than that.
We thought we did, Linc.
Okay.
It's stupid.
I only know...
I can't just turn him in.
Not till I know what happened.
You want some help?
Does a cow give milk?
All right, Mr. Griffin,
you were saying
that Smith and Crowley
were here last night.
Did they come in together?
Yeah.
Kind of surprised me, too,
considering the
beef between 'em.
How'd you know there was a beef?
Well, Crowley was a
regular... He worked near here...
And we talked a lot.
Did he tell you
what the beef was?
Yeah, something in Vietnam.
Whatever it was, Crowley
was afraid of Smith,
and after what I saw last
night, I understand why.
He's a mean one.
What happened?
Right away, Smith
starts giving it to Crowley.
Loud, ugly, you
know what I mean?
I had to tell 'em if
they didn't knock it off
I was gonna call the cops.
Did they knock it off?
No.
They left, hollering all
the way out the door.
And then Smith came back later?
Hours later,
acting like he'd never
seen me before in his life.
Mm-hmm.
Well, you've been a big help.
Keep your eyes open for Smith.
You think he'll be back?
Who knows?
He seems to like it here.
Do you mind if I use your phone?
No, help yourself.
Greer.
Hey, can I have my messages?
No, no, never mind, go ahead.
Yeah.
You sure there are no
messages from Lincoln Hayes?
LINC: Now, come on, Smitty.
Now, you were doing fine.
Yeah, sure.
Don't you have
anything to drink?
No.
No drink and no more stalling.
Well, what do you expect?
I don't even know
who these people are.
They're friends of mine.
That's all you need to know.
Now, come on.
Crowley... you said you
hated him from the war.
Yeah.
Okay, what happened?
We were crossing the river.
He had the safety line
and they opened up on us.
He ran to save himself.
Eight of them drowned.
Eight of my boys.
I swore I'd get even,
but he never came back.
AWOL.
And I never saw him again...
until...
Until when?
When did you see him?
Yesterday.
I found out he was here.
And you still wanted to get him?
It seemed pretty important.
The only important thing
I had left.
But then...
LINC: Smitty, what is it?
I was there last night.
Where? Crowley's house.
Well, you're sure you just
didn't call him on the phone?
No, no, I swear.
I was there.
I went to see him...
and she answered the door.
Well, she knew why I was there.
She was scared.
LINC: And Crowley?
SMITTY: He wasn't scared at all.
He didn't have to be.
He knew me too well.
He knew there was
nothing I could do.
LINC: Well, that
doesn't make sense.
SMITTY: It did when I saw him.
He had one arm.
Well, didn't you know that?
No.
It changed everything.
So you left the house?
We left together.
Wanted to talk, work things out.
Went for a drink.
Bar somewhere.
Weird scene, man.
Drunk.
I-I-I didn't think
I had that much,
but I sure got stoned fast.
(inaudible)
Wait a minute.
We had an argument.
LINC: About what?
SMITTY: Well, I
wanted to get us straight,
and he wanted to cry
about his problems.
LINC: About the arm?
SMITTY: No.
His wife kept
stepping out on him.
I remember shouting,
"Knock it off!"
(inaudible)
The bartender got uptight
and told us to get out.
Crowley wanted
to talk some more.
Said he knew a place.
I guess we went.
LINC: Where?
SMITTY: I don't know.
We walked...
sat...
somewhere.
And I heard these sounds.
LINC: The bugle?
SMITTY: Yeah, the bugle.
And horns honking.
And a bear.
A bear?
A bear that cried like a baby.
Oh, Smitty, that's crazy.
It's what I remember, man.
Then how did you
get to the beach?
I don't know.
Well you've got to know!
A wild story like that, how
do you expect us to believe it?!
Well you've got to believe
it, man, it's what I remember.
I swear, man, I'm
telling you the truth!
ADAM: And that puts
you in a class by yourself.
Okay, Smith, let's
go, you're under arrest.
Look, Captain, it's my fault.
He's my friend.
ADAM: Don't you
think I knew that, Linc?
You took the law
into your own hands.
Why?
We just wanted to help him.
ADAM: Wrong...
it's because you
thought I wouldn't help.
Funny, you're trained for it...
you're good at it.
You...
still in the back of your
minds "cop" is still a dirty word.
Cops just don't help people.
That's all I have to say.
Okay.
Captain...
All right, it was wrong...
and I'm sorry.
If we can, I'd...
I'd like to stay on the case.
A chance to make it right.
(phone rings)
Greer.
Yeah.
Uh-huh.
Yeah, what's the
report on Crowley?
Well, what do you know.
Thanks, Tom.
Still want to stay with it?
Well, maybe there's a way.
What was that call from the lab?
Not so fast.
This time you're
going to do it right.
You're going to
forget all that kid stuff...
jumping to conclusions,
skipping over pieces.
We're going to start
at the beginning...
and we're going
to do it together.
Police work.
You read me?
Solid, Captain.
Solid.
Now, Smith and Crowley were
last seen together at this bar here.
Later, four miles
away, at the beach.
Smith drowns Crowley,
and conveniently
leaves his calling card...
green beret.
Later, all bloody and
covered with sand,
he walks four
miles back to the bar
where two witnesses saw
him quarreling with the victim.
Conclusion:
Sergeant Smith is either
the world's stupidest killer...
or the world's biggest patsy.
Which way do you vote, Captain?
I don't vote, I call the lab.
I asked for a final on the
water in Crowley's lungs.
It was saltwater, all right...
but not sea water.
Okay, Officer...
what do you make of that?
Well, Crowley wasn't
drowned at the beach.
He was killed somewhere else...
but in saltwater.
All right, very good.
But where else could you
drown a man in saltwater?
JULIE: Uh, lots of places.
An amusement park, an aquarium,
even a bathtub.
Mm-hmm.
All possibilities.
But try the handiest.
All right, now, what's that for?
Did any of you smart cops bother
to find out what
Crowley did for a living?
You said he worked for the city.
Right.
Department of
Parks and Recreation.
Right here at the zoo.
(barking)
Good.
Get it over to the lab. Sure.
(barking)
(roaring)
Well, they don't
cry like a baby.
But that pool does
have saltwater.
Yeah, but you'd
never get by that moat.
I still think that seal
tank's our best bet.
Well, I guess that's
about all we can do here.
Da-Da-Da-Da-Dah...
Charge!
Do that again, pretty bird.
Do that again, pretty bird.
No, come on,
what you did before.
You're foolish.
No, come one, just
do it one more time,
what you did before.
He did it before.
ADAM: Did what?
Da-Da-Da-Da-Dah... Charge!
Da-Da-Da-Da-Dah...
Charge!
The bugle...
the bugle sound.
Hey, she could be right.
Hey, maybe.
Anyway, now you got something
to talk to Smitty about.
Maybe you can help
his memory along.
Da-Da-Da-Da-Dah... Charge!
We think Crowley
was killed at the zoo.
Do you remember being there?
That bugle sound.
Could it have been a bird?
Talk to my lawyer, fuzz.
Will you knock it off, man!
Now, you laid this on me!
And... and...
and don't turn off now.
Hey, look...
the bugle, the honking,
all of it's beginning
to make some sense.
All all except that bear.
Now, what did you mean?
A bear that cried like a baby?
Maybe he found out
his best friend was a cop.
You've got it all wrong, Smitty.
Get out of here, man.
Smitty...
Get out.
(phone ringing)
Greer.
Yeah.
Mm-hmm.
Right.
Good man, Tommy.
The water samples match.
The saline content and
the fish food particles.
Mr. Crowley was
drowned in that seal tank.
Well, that lets
Smitty off the hook.
No, not yet.
It means he was telling us
the truth, though.
LINC: Hey, wait a minute.
Now, Smitty's story...
he said Crowley was
worried about his wife.
Was afraid she might
be stepping out on him.
Yeah, go on.
Right.
Right, Crowley's in Vietnam.
Now, his wife
finds someone else.
Now, Crowley's in the
way when he gets back.
The two lovers can't find
out a way to get rid of him.
Till along comes Smitty.
A guy with a grudge.
The perfect patsy.
Mmm.
I'll check it out from my end.
We'll put Julie on the wife.
I'll work out a cover.
Right.
Now...
let's take a whack
at the big puzzle.
PETE: The beach?
Right.
Why would a
murderer, any murderer,
want to move a drowned
body from the zoo to the beach?
Maybe there was a witness.
In the zoo, at night?
The only witness we
heard about was a...
was a phantom bear...
that cried like a baby.
Baby?
Baby!
Get me Sergeant Brice!
Julie, I owe you a hug!
You, too.
Terrific... what did we do?
There was a missing child
the night of the murder.
A little runaway kid.
Came home early in the morning
and said he'd been hiding...
in the zoo.
Piensa, muchacho...
¿Es todo?
Si, el hombre es muy bueno.
He, he says he
ran away from home
because his father
wouldn't let him have a dog.
So he went to the zoo,
and he hid there,
and it got dark.
He got scared and
cried for his mama.
And then this nice
man let him out.
Did he see anything else?
No.
Can you get a description?
I did...
"Nice man."
How'd the boy get back home?
¿Cómo llegó a la casa?
El niño me dijó que un señor
muy bueno lo había
puesto en un libre.
El libre es azul y blanco.
He says that this nice
man put him in a cab.
A blue and white cab.
Good.
Let's go find
ourselves a cab driver.
Gracias.
Si, señor.
Hey, wait a minute.
Uh... ¿le compro
un perro?
FATHER: No tenemos
para darle de comer.
PETE: Muchas gracias, señor.
What was that all about?
I asked him if I could
buy the kid a dog.
What did he say?
He said no.
He can't afford to feed it.
♪ ♪
Can I help you, sir?
Yeah.
A hamburger and a roll of film.
The food is awful,
but there's some good shooting.
These are all the men
that Mrs. Crowley waited on.
Anything new back there?
No.
Smitty's hearing is today.
Keep the faith, huh?
Sure.
Hey, by the way,
that new walk of yours.
Is that in the line of duty?
Don't knock it.
You should see the tips I get.
If he's in here, I'll find him.
My personal guarantee.
That's fine, Mr. Gregorian.
Got an eye like a camera...
once I see somebody... pow,
it's in here forever.
You've already changed
the description several times.
In the dark who could
remember all the details?
But don't worry, I'll find him.
Have no fear, Gregorian's here.
I know.
Eye like a camera, right?
Wait...
no.
Pow!
How's the cabbie doing?
So far the man's
between five-nine
and six-foot-four.
A slim heavy-set,
gray-haired bald fellow.
Maybe if he saw a picture.
Look, Smitty is being
arraigned right now.
Isn't there some
way you can stop it?
Look, Pete, all we have
is theories, no proof.
And Smitty's still a suspect.
He busted three cops, remember?
Right, I know.
Pete, at least he's safe.
He's not running,
he's not hunted,
he's safe.
(clarinet playing)
♪ ♪
Remember that?
♪ A little dance and sing,
a little buck and wing ♪
♪ Pick up the pennies
that street folks sling ♪
Yeah!
(laughing)
A long time, Linc.
Four years now.
How are you, sir?
Fine.
Just fine.
You keep a file on footsteps?
Ah, about 50 years worth.
Rollie, you're something else.
Yeah, but I cheat a little, too.
Yeah, I...
I heard about Smitty.
I got to find him, Rollie.
Now, I can help him.
But first he's got
to give himself up.
I dig.
If I hear from him,
I'll lay it on him.
Hey, Rollie...
you wouldn't be holding
out on me, would you?
(softly grunts)
Come by any time, Linc.
Always good to see you.
(clarinet playing)
(door shuts)
You heard the man.
That ain't no man.
That's the fuzz.
It's funny...
I can't see, but you can't hear.
Linc's no liar, Smitty,
why don't you trust him?
I trust me.
You're groping in the dark, boy.
You are groping in the dark.
Not so dark anymore.
There's a little daylight
breaking through.
Smitty?
Smitty!
God help you, boy.
God help you.
Long day?
Ask my feet.
(horn honking)
Afraid that's yours.
No rest for the wicked.
Can I help you, sir?
Are you out of your mind?!
What are you doing here?! Easy.
I just wanted you to
know Smith's escaped.
Now, don't panic, it's perfect.
He's just digging
himself into a deeper hole.
And when they get him...
baby, we're home free.
But for now, you got to
keep cool, understand?
Yes, sir, I have it.
Iced tea.
CABBIE: That's him!
Pow! That's him I tell you.
You're absolutely sure?
Positive.
He gave me a fin and told
me to take the kid home.
He was a nice fellow.
Oh, he's a sweetheart.
Get me Captain Greer.
BIRD: Da-Da-Da-Da-Dah.
Charge!
Da-Da-Da-Da-Dah.
Charge!
BOY: ¿Mamacita, donde esta?
¿Mamacita, Mamacita, donde esta?
CROWLEY: No!
(barking) No, Griff, don't!
BIRD: Da-Da-Da-Da-Dah.
(sea lion barking)
BOY: ¿Mamacita,
Mamacita, donde esta?
Griff Loomis.
Part-time bartender,
full-time lover.
It checks out.
So do a lot of things.
Like Smitty's sudden drunk.
The bartender put
something in his drink.
Right.
Right, he waits for Smitty
and Crowley to stagger out.
He must have followed
them to the zoo.
Laid Smitty out and
drowned Crowley.
Yeah, and that's where
he ran into trouble.
The kid and the cab driver.
Now, he knows he's
spotted at the murder scene,
so he decides to
change that scene.
With an ad lib
trip to the beach.
You got it.
Now, let's go get him.
♪ ♪
LINC: Captain, look!
(car tires screeching)
Hey, you can't go in!
We're closing!
Hey!
Police!
♪ ♪
(grunts)
All right, Smitty.
Get out of my way. It's over.
It will be, when I finish him!
Finish him?!
Hey, will you listen to me?
You're innocent!
Ain't no more.
Now you get out of my way, fuzz!
No!
Now, you want him?
You got to go through me.
If that's the way you want it.
No, it's the way you want it!
It's the only
answer you got left...
hitting somebody.
Well start with me, Smitty.
Start with me.
(groans)
Come on.
Linc?
Smitty.
You don't hit so hard anymore.
Hey, Linc?
(gasping)
Hey.
Man, I'm sorry.
I'm so sorry, man.
Man, I didn't mean to hit you.
It's all right, Smitty.
I didn't mean to hit you, man.
Okay, Smitty.
You're on your own.
Not quite.
Thanks, Captain.
You really made me look good.
Aw, forget it.
Besides, I didn't win 'em all.
The bill for the
window you broke.
Judges may forgive, but
accountants never forget.
We'll talk later.
Hi.
(sighs)
You got it.
(sighs)
Beautiful!
(chuckles)
I been practicing my Spanish.
¿Como estas?
Just remember that
when you get there
the father might
give you a hard time
about being able to afford food.
Well, that's when
you lay that on him.
SMITTY: Too much.
Hey, why don't all you
guys come with me?
Are you kidding?
How are we going
to get in the car?
You people are really something.
How do I thank you?
Just bring the car back.
(giggles)
(all laugh)
(engine putters)
You got nice friends, man.
Yeah.
The best.