Police Woman (1974–1978): Season 1, Episode 16 - Blast - full transcript

When politician Edward Littel's car is found bombed and dumped in a lake, a single fingerprint on the dashboard proves he was accompanied by an exotic dancer named Paris Palmer when the ...

♪♪

The detective said you had
something important to tell us.

There was a girl
in the car with him.

There's evidence
she'd set up an elaborate

plan to have their
pictures taken together.

She'll handle it.

Sure, she'll handle it.
They've already killed two.

What's one more body, just because
she's a good-looking cop who can dance?

Drop the arm, Billy. Get
some clothes on, slut!

Hey, buddy...

I don't know, Bill.

He's a male Caucasian, 30 to 50.

He may or may not be
Edward Littel. That's all?

That's all, if you sit on four
or five sticks of dynamite.

This is definitely
a fixer-upper.

Mm-hmm.

They're waiting for you.

I know. I saw George
Daner. No, thanks.

Oh, he's a winner,
isn't he? Oh, boy.

The guy who blew this sure
knew what he was doing.

Well, somebody certainly
didn't want the driver I.D.'d.

Then how do we
account for a wallet...

in the pocket of a guy, alone in
Lovers Lane, waiting to be blown to bits?

Wait a minute. He wasn't alone.

Hmm? The finger.

Looks like a clean print intact.

The blast rammed
it into the upholstery.

But you still
can't tell it's his?

Well, I can say it isn't,
unless he used red nail polish.

Sergeant, thank you for
agreeing to this private meeting.

The damn press have
a way of painting very

sordid pictures about
politicians these days.

You must forgive us.

Somewhere along the way,
we Van Dykes had the idea...

that whatever we did was acceptable to
people simply because we chose to do it.

Well, sit down. Sit down.

Mrs. Littel,

the night of your
husband's disappearance,

did you have any plans?

No. No, I was busy at the, uh,
governor's committee all day,

and Edward was into some
crime organization investigation.

We had no idea
when we'd be free.

You're an attorney in
his office, aren't you?

Well, only occasionally now.
We just had our first child.

Is it possible that your
husband's disappearance...

may have had something to do
with the case he was working on?

Everyone knows that George Daner is
as tenacious, if not more so, than Edward.

It would be silly to
think that harming either

one of them would
stop any investigation.

Then he had no special
plans... Business or personal?

I'll have one of my people brief
you on Edward's complete file.

Sir, I don't want a public
statement. I'm just looking for a lead.

Father, please.

No. No special plans.

Sergeant,

I have a feeling that you have not yet
said what you brought us here to tell us.

No, ma'am, I haven't.

Is it very bad?

I don't know. I'm not sure.

You don't know?
Frank, what is it?

I'm sorry. There's just no easy
way to ask for medical records.

You found him?

Well, uh, we can't be certain
till we've done an autopsy.

Oh, no! No! No!

Father, please, make
them let me see him. Please.

Easy, honey, easy.
Take it easy, sweetie.

How did it happen?

His car was destroyed
in an explosion.

Somebody set a time bomb
to go off after he drove away.

From where? We don't know.

That's why I was asking the
questions. We don't know where to start.

Was anyone else hurt?

No. He was alone.

We had an argument that day.

It was all about
the wrong things.

I mean, he was about to die.

We should have been
fighting about my love affairs.

But, you see, he
was my only lover.

We will...

Would have been
married seven years...

this... this month.

And we planned a trip.

He wanted to go to the Orient,
and I said I wanted Europe.

And he got angry and he left.

Oh!

What a stupid reason for an
argument on the last day of your life.

Sergeant, my son-in-law
was a political maverick.

Who knows what
this is all about.

My sons' careers?
Our family name?

He never cared.

Well, at any rate, a call
from you, as leads develop,

before the press...

and, of course, the
results of the autopsy,

would be appreciated.

I'm sorry. All I can give you
is the results of the autopsy.

I explained. We have
a very peculiar problem.

Yes, I know. You have sons, and
you're worried about their careers.

Well, I have people, and
I'm worried about their lives.

I can't tell somebody our
step-by-step movements.

I'm gonna keep this
thing as quiet as possible

until we find out
what it's all about.

Thank you, Sergeant. Frank.

Crowley. Yeah?

Why did you say
Littel was alone?

I don't know. A hunch, I guess.

There's a lot of activity around your
office. I want to know about it, Sergeant.

There usually is a lot of activity
around my office, George.

He was my boss.
He was my friend.

I've got every right to
be told what you know.

Know what, Mr. Assistant to the
Special Prosecutor to the Mayor?

That bugs you, doesn't it?

That Edward Littel and I are gonna help you
clean some of the scum out of this city.

Hey, George, if you need any help cleaning
up the city, Gladys is terrific. Honest.

That's it.

Paris Palmer. Age:
26. Black. Dancer.

Arrested 14 times. All minors.

Paris Palmer, huh?

She's got a beautiful
face, even in a mug shot.

Last known address...

♪♪

All right. Hey. Hey.
Enough. Enough.

Next. Next! Come on.

All you have to say is no.

You don't have to
stomp their heads in.

All right, girls. Thank you all.

No more for today.
Come back again.

Oh, miss, no more
auditions for today.

♪♪ Oh, I'm looking for a friend.

Well, you call Information, huh?

Her name is Palmer. She
works here. Paris Palmer.

What's yours?

Flaxey.

DuPree.

- Paris invited me here.
- She split.

Some square john came into her life and
they walked off together into the sunset.

Oh, no. You've
gotta be kidding me.

Will you give her
a message for me?

She won't be back.
How do you know?

Look, you write her a letter.
No more auditions for today.

Oh, some friend.

She calls me and says, "Hey, Flaxey,
come on out here and unwind with me."

So I give up this great
job at Cattlemen's in Reno,

to this... to play
to an empty house.

Thanks a lot. Now
what am I gonna do?

You any good?

At what?

Well...

I enjoy myself.

If you're good, it's an advance.

If you're not so good,
it's called a donation.

You got my kind of music?

Music!

♪♪

She's got something. Yeah.

She's got a direct
connection to Paris Palmer.

Call Reno. Check her out.

Colie, are you crazy?

You wanna die?

Call.

♪♪

How is your free time?

Like, for private parties?

No way. I call my own shots.

You forgot your audition fee.

You can keep
it. I don't need it.

Double or nothin' if you've got
less than 10 bucks in your purse.

One, two, three, four. I win.

Let me give you a hand.

Got a room?

Did you eat lately?

Let me buy you a drink.

I'll take some
coffee. It's safer.

Last person I saw chow
down like that was 12 years old.

That's my boy. David.

He was gonna be a
warrior, like his namesake.

If he'd lived.

He was a nice kid.
Always happy, laughing.

Sometimes, if I try real hard, I
can even hear him laughing now.

You got a funny way about you.
Ten minutes ago, I wanted to kill you.

Now?

Now I'll give you a
few minutes more.

Look over on the wall there. See
all those pictures of the athletes?

They hang them up there because
you can hit a ball or tackle somebody.

But if you're born poor, you've
got to make do with what you have.

And I have a
"way," like you said.

Well, sir, Mr. Andrew Simms,

thank you for the
food and the company.

Will I see you tonight?

♪♪

♪♪

Oh. Thank you.

♪♪

Thank you.

This is kind of a custom
for, uh, new employees.

Hmm. A toast to, uh, to what?

Better times, baby.

And you deserve them.

For a small-town saloon
keeper from Alabama...

Whoa, whoa!
Tennessee. Please. Ah.

You got a pretty good line.

You got a pretty nice smile.

Uh, it's a lot easier for me...

if we keep it strictly
business, okay?

Okay. Fine with me.

Let's talk business then.

About those private parties,

it's still no, thanks.

Is that what Paris was into?

She pulled her weight, yeah.

Uh-huh. Well, not me.

Listen, all you do,
you take a few pictures

with a dude, kind of
souvenir of his trip.

You get a nice slice of the
bread, which I believe you can use.

Oh, I'm rich. Remember?
I've got 105 bucks.

And your smile gets
nicer all the time too.

Mr. Simms, sir,

there are two things I want...

A good job and to be left alone.

And a little champagne
now and then.

Mm-hmm.

I heard you were workin'
in a stable. I didn't believe it.

Come on, Flaxey.

This used to be my husband. He still
acts that way every time he gets a chance.

Billy DuPree, this is my new boss,
Andrew Simms from Tennessee.

I got a paper says he
shouldn't bother me.

That paper didn't take nothing
away from me. Drop the arm, Billy.

Get some clothes
on, slut! Hey, buddy...

Cool it, will ya? Just
take your hands off of me!

Come on. What's the big
deal? We had a little argument.

There's also a restraining order
keeping you away from your ex-wife.

That's what I get for
going into that barn.

You know if Paris Palmer
worked there? You talkin' to me?

Don't touch me! Paris Palmer.
You know if she worked there?

I don't know. Maybe I
heard my wife mention her.

Yeah, well, Florence Baker, a dancer
down there, just mentioned she's missing.

Do you know anything about
that? Yeah? Ask this creep.

Hey, creep, what'd you
do with the body? You...

There's not enough teeth in this
comb to dent a mashed potato sandwich.

Can I use yours? Uh, uh-uh.

Wh... What kind of
disease do I have?

I just don't lend my comb to
strangers who, uh... well, you know.

Who what? Who come
on big with the boss.

And in the first round too.

Now, just a second. He followed
me out of here this afternoon.

Well, he sure followed the
way you came on with him.

Ohh... Come on. That's enough.

Let's go.

Let's walk it off.

I'd say you got him nervous.

And you've got his fingerprints.

You must like the
place. I was just leaving.

Can I buy you a cup of coffee?

No, but you can buy me a drink.

What'll you have?

Uh, white wine. Ed, white wine.

Very dry. Very dry.

Put on that new tape, all right?

What's this?

♪♪ You think I was
kidding about moving uptown?

You remember that coffee
joint we were in the other day...

that had the pictures of
ballplayers on the wall?

Well, this is my team.

This is where I'm gonna play.

Someday.

I'm making
contacts all the time.

You going to set a mood?

I'm gonna try.

May I? Come on.

Don't be worried. I wouldn't lay a
glove on you in a crowded place like this.

♪♪

How'd you ever make a mistake
like that... marrying a punk?

Oh, it was easy.

He was saying what you're
saying. He was going places.

Only then I was a believer.

The difference is, I mean it.

Like I mean it when
I say I'm worried.

About Paris? Yeah.

I mean, I'm really worried about
her, how nobody can find her.

She... You know, she
could even be dead.

And here I am,
dancing with her boss.

Yeah, but I'm alive.

You're alive.

Excuse me. I...

I got a little problem.

They work you over?

Where's Florence? The girls
took her out to sober her up.

Now, you leave her be, Macon.

Oh, my. You're worried
about one lush now, huh?

What difference does it make,
Colie, after what we did? Hmm?

The difference is that we were
forced to do the other thing.

They got my prints,
Colie. You know what

happens if those prints
go to the right place?

I'll get them pulled.
I'll call my friend.

Don't tell me
about your friends.

You are talking to
your friend, Colie.

Those others ain't gonna keep you
out of the gas chamber for five seconds...

unless we run from
here, and I mean now.

I'm through riding the rails.

I got everything set here,

and nobody's gonna spoil it.

You realize it's almost
4:00 in the morning?

You can't even get your
friend during the daytime, Colie.

Mm-hmm. The prints
really shook him up.

Macon just came in
looking like a ghost.

Well, that must mean he's got a big secret
someplace. We'll just have to find it.

Yeah.

He did. Right.

Uh, okay, doll. Crazy.
Call you tomorrow.

You all right?

Where's Simms? Inside.

So what?

He was her guy. He's dead six
days. Paris is missing six days.

They were going out that
night. Honey, honey, just...

I'll get a cab.

Let her go.

Come on.

You see her handle that knife?

We're walking it off.

A deal like Paris
has... That's all I want.

A big, expensive pad where
they never see trash like us.

Florence, is she all right?

I... I don't know.

You mentioned her pad.
Do you know where it is?

Uh, yeah.

Florence, I want
you to go there.

Talk to the doorman. Taxi?

Ask him, is she okay?

Then get in touch with
me and let me know.

Doorman. Sure. As long as the rent's
paid, nobody gives a damn about anybody.

Do it, honey.

Well, where to, ladies?

Uh, 1427 Amberson.

So you'll lock up, boss?

I'll take care of
it, Ed. Good night.

You handle a knife like
no dancer I ever saw.

I learned how to stay alive.

Somebody said it was
important. How about you?

- What's that mean?
- You're in
some kind of trouble.

You talk about life,
big times ahead,

but you're scared
about something.

I'll get out of
whatever I'm into.

- What are you into?
- I said I'll straighten it out.

Come on. Let's get out of here.

This place gets me
down sometimes.

What do you mean,
you lost the girl?

- I got zapped.
- You what?

I mean I got my skull tapped.

- Does Pepper know?
- No, not yet.

Bill, I think there's a good
chance we were overheard.

Pete, you'd better
cut her in on it.

I can't. She split with the man.

- How's Pepper?
- She's onto it.

Yeah. She'll handle it.

Sure, she'll handle it.
They've already killed two.

What's one more body, just because
she's a good-lookin' cop who can dance?

Especially since most of our
people who go underground...

are hit by people who never
even know they're wasting a cop.

Sure, she'll handle it.

Well, now,

I just got word back from Reno.

Flaxey DuPree
worked there. Yes, sir.

She got into a thing
with a customer.

Customer made a pass at her,
so she pulled a knife and cut him.

Some friends got her
out of town on the red-eye.

Boy, you are crazy. I told
you to leave Florence be.

I just took her away
from that cabbie, that's all.

Tried to get her to walk it off.

She wouldn't stop
screaming, Colie.

And cars kept going by.

I started to shake her,

but she jumped off that bridge.

Hey, Bill. Yeah?

We found some shoes
and some dresses.

And some men's clothing.

And some very
expensive suits... size 42.

That's interesting.

How's your skull?
Better, thank you.

Now, this girl and this man.

Her, huh? He
bought the apartment.

Did he actually pay the money? She
was just moving in with him, you know.

Uh-huh.

Has anybody else been by?

Yes. Here.

- When did he come by?
- Yesterday.

He said he was
staying out of the case.

The argument that my opponent
presents is that I am rich,

my father is influential
and my brother is governor.

He says we're
building an empire.

But we are rich because my

great-grandfather
started in this country...

with a line of beaver traps and a shed that
barely kept him from freezing to death.

And if he were here now, my
brother-in-law, Edward Littel,

he would admit that he
had those dreams, too.

What brings you here, Sergeant?

I came to see a politician.

Which one? You.

Why didn't you tell me that Edward
Littel was running around with a dancer?

You refused to deal.

Deal? What are we
doing, trading votes?

You back my highway
and I support your bridge?

I thought you wanted to find the
killer. I do. That's why I'm here.

I know you'll vote
for the man that you

think will do the most
good for our society.

He's going to milk
Edward's death.

Bet.

Thank you. My father.

Who heaves a sigh of great relief now
that Edward is swept under the carpet?

You mean, kill one of their own?

He was not one of their own.

He married one of their own.

He hated what they were doing.
He wanted to bring them down.

He said, power corrupts,

in the hands of a godfather
or a Jonas Van Dyke.

And you refuse to
help me get them.

Van Dyke wants to control the
facts of this case for his reasons.

You want to control
them for yours.

I mean, what's the difference?
You know my motives.

No, I know that Edward Littel
is dead, and now that he is...

you get all the publicity
out of that political thing...

you call the special
prosecutor's office.

That's what I know, friend.

Looks like your passenger.

It certainly is.

Or was.

From up there? Yeah.

- What's that?
- It's a bruise.

Looks like somebody
hit her with their fist.

That's exactly
what it looks like.

It looks like she might have been
hit, and then was pushed or fell.

That place is
running out of girls.

She was only 23.

Huh.

She sure did a lot of the
wrong things in 23 years.

I didn't think
she'd go this far.

She didn't, Pep.

Somebody belted
Royster and grabbed her.

Macon.

- Or Simms.
- It wasn't Simms.

He was with me.

Yeah, well, he could have
come back later and wasted her.

He was still with me later.

But all he wasted was his time.

Bill, here's the make on Simms.

Well, if you hadn't gotten "Tennessee"
out of him, we'd still be looking for him.

"Louis Montgomery, alias Larry
Macon. Convicted, murder two.

"Colie Simon, alias
Andrew Simms.

"Convicted, murder two.

Both escaped road
gang 20 years ago."

I wonder what the
circumstances were.

They killed somebody.
Does it matter?

Not to their victims, no.

Telex said they got some
other inquiries recently.

- From where?
- From the special
prosecutor's office.

Daner?

We can't ask, can we?

No, we can't.

That would tip us.

That'd tell them
what we're really onto.

Pep, you're closest to
it. What do you think?

I think after that many years they might
be told to gamble on beating extradition.

So we'd have
tipped it for nothing.

But on the other hand,

if word got around the
late Edward Littel's circle...

that a cop is
holding Simms' hand,

somebody very important
might get nervous,

if there is a somebody.

So dial. Okay?

George Daner. Tell
him Sergeant Crowley.

George, this is all you get.

The girl was in the car
with him when he died.

Thanks for driving
around with me last night.

Thanks for the
tour of the city...

and all those high-class
restaurants you want to own.

What are you reading?

"How to Travel The Right Way."

Where are you going?

No place.

I just like to read
sometimes, when I'm down.

I took it off one of your
shelves. Do you mind?

No, no, no. Does it help?

It takes me places
I've never been.

Like New York?

Oh, I've been there.

How about the casinos
on the French Riviera?

Anyplace I want to go.

Like you.

Yeah, they're together now.

They're in the
parking lot talking.

The police made
me look at Florence.

Now, don't worry. I won't
let them bother you anymore.

No, you'll just send
Macon after me.

I've done a lot of things,
and I will probably go to hell,

but it will not be
by your hands.

Things are getting rough, Bill.

Let her know you're
there, Pete, but don't burn it.

Roger.

Taxi!

♪♪

♪♪

Sergeant.

Mr. Van Dyke.

Certainly speaks
well for Mr. Littel...

to be remembered
by so many friends.

Yes, but unfortunately, most of
them are only here for us to remember.

That's why they came.

Everyone, this is
Sergeant Crowley.

Hello.

My father tells me you
can't be pushed around.

Well, I don't think your
father's trying very hard.

The detective said you had
something important to tell us.

Yes, sir. There was a
girl in the car with him.

- Who was she?
- A dancer.

He had bought her a
condominium on Amberson Avenue.

How long have you known this?
Since the morning after we found the car.

What was she like?

Well, she was
pretty, young, black...

All right, all right, there has
to be a logical explanation.

You know the sources Edward
used to get his information.

It won't hurt your
campaign or mine.

Well, whatever the prosecutor's
reasons, the girl had reasons of her own.

There's evidence she'd
set up an elaborate plan...

to have their pictures
taken together.

We also found a recorder. The tapes
are missing, but we're looking for them.

Good Lord. How unfortunate.

That Edward had a mistress,

or that you're up for
re-election this year, Jonas?

Christina, we were a family
before I got into politics...

or before you met Edward.

We're still a family.

I'm sorry, Jonas.

There just has to be something
else in this world for us to do.

Something just very ordinary.

Can't we handle
this deal quietly?

What do you mean?
Bury the inquiry?

No. No, we wouldn't want that.

Just slow it down.

Look, I came here to tell you what I
know before the press gets on to it.

That's all I can do.

You absolutely refuse to
understand our position.

Look, you don't understand mine.

It may not be as awesome as yours,
gentlemen, but it's all the position I got.

You know, when
someone you love dies,

the sun should go dark
for at least a little while.

Mrs. Littel,

who in the special
prosecutor's office...

would make inquiries
to the out-of-state police?

My husband, George
Daner, any attorney on staff.

Why do you ask?

Well, there's the chance...

your husband was using the
girl in some sort of investigation.

While having an affair with her?

Apparently so.

Strange.

I met Edward, I fell in love with
him, lived with him, had his child,

and yet you know the
things I could never see.

Well, you see, I've
got an advantage.

I've got an agent working in the
same place where the dead girl worked.

She does all the digging for me.

My mama told me a lady of
breeding is full of surprises.

You don't answer that
number you gave me.

Then you call me.

Mr. Simms, you and I
are beyond folksy homily.

Our arrangement was clear. Edward's
name was not to be tied to that girl's.

It won't be.

Unfortunately, your
ambition outstrips your ability.

The police already have
evidence that she died in the car.

Where did you hear that?

We went over every inch of
that car. We worked all night.

Do you have somebody
new in your employ?

Well, I see you have.

That person is
a police officer...

and at this moment looking for the
tapes Paris Palmer made with my husband.

Find them first.

Tapes? And photographs.

Your pretty young dancer
was very enterprising.

You should have
made her your partner.

No way. No way.

Paris Palmer was
a nice little hustler,

but she didn't have the brains
to even turn a tape recorder on.

You are unfortunately
mistaken about that too.

Somebody's been
using you and still is.

Where'd you hear all this?

The police sergeant
who planted the agent.

They got nowhere to go,

so they're gonna start baiting
suspects to see where it leads.

And you led 'em here.

No, I made sure I wasn't
followed. And the car is rented.

You go home, Mrs. Littel.

You're safe. Not even Macon
knows enough to hang you.

I'm the only one who
knows that. But I won't.

Because you're going to start doing
some of those favors we talked about,

starting with Macon.

The cops have got his prints.

And if he's in
trouble, I'm in trouble.

And if that happens,

what I did for
you falls apart...

because I start to sing.

So you'd better stop
them from looking into him.

And when that's done,

well, then we'll talk
about the other favors...

you're going to do for me.

So long, babe.

You're a cop.

You're a lousy cop.

No. Put... Put it down.

Police Emergency. This
is Sergeant Anderson.

Request ambulance,
237 River Street.

Gunshot. Make it fast.

I was born on a
floor, but it was dirt.

This one's got carpet.

I guess I made
a little progress.

It was Christina Littel
who shot you, wasn't it?

I'm gonna make it.

I'll pull through. I'm
making good contacts.

Christina had access
to her husband's office.

That office contacted Tennessee
police and asked questions about you.

She was the only one who
knew I'm a police officer.

Andrew, where did you meet her?

How? What did she have you do?

My mama used to say,
suffer pain with pride.

Live with pride.

Do good things.

I tried to do that.

Andrew,

I need dates, places you met.

I gotta have them.

Andrew.

That is nice.

Have a question.

Am I gonna...

Am...

I don't know.

Louie.

I told you to leave
her alone, boy.

Macon goes free.
That's part of it. All right?

I can only guarantee
him to the door.

Okay, Louie.

You go on out and see all
those places we talked about.

Come on. Don't you
fret about that, boy.

Don't fret yourself,
Colie. I'll do it.

Andrew,

you're our only way
to get to Christina.

You always wanted people to say,

"There goes Andrew Simms.
He did something special."

Do it now.

Tear her down to
what she really is.

When Littel got
mixed up with Paris,

I tried to put the arm on him.

He just laughed.

So I went to her.

Family name, all that.

She was too smart for me.

She went and got those
old charges against me.

Brought 'em to me.

She said, "Kill him,

or you spend the rest of
your life on a chain gang."

She knew I'd do it.

She just held out
the brass ring and I...

Hey, lady cop,

what's your real name?

Pepper.

That's not lady enough...

for you.

He just died.

We will get her, won't we?

I don't know, Pep. All
we've got's a voice on tape.

Guarantee you one
thing... We'll sure try.

I hate winter out here.

It never gets cold enough...

and it doesn't stay warm enough.