T.J. Hooker (1982–1986): Season 5, Episode 4 - Death Is a Four Letter Word - full transcript
(dramatic music)
(suspenseful music)
- Wait a minute.
Come here.
- No!
I don't wanna do this anymore.
- Come here.
Oh!
You didn't wanna do that.
- You make me sick.
I hate you.
- Come here.
Come here.
- No, get off of me.
- All right, little girl.
You wanna play rough?
Well, then, we'll play rough.
Stupid broad.
- Wendy?
Oh, my god.
She's dead.
You killed her, Lester.
- Turn that thing
off, you stupid idiot!
(dramatic music)
- Damn, now where is she?
- [Police Dispatcher]
All units in the vicinity
of 18th and Century,
report of a body
left in the alley.
Suspect driving a
late model red sedan.
- 4-Adam-30 responding.
(suspenseful music)
(siren blaring)
This is 4-Adam-30.
I'm in pursuit of a red sedan.
Send a backup to the alley.
(gun fires)
(gun fires)
(suspenseful music)
(footsteps)
Control, this is 4-Adam-30.
Suspect abandoned the red sedan
and exchanged shots
with me at the water tower.
26th and Hill.
He escaped on foot.
I didn't get close
enough to make an ID.
(crowd speaking)
- Yeah, okay, that's all right.
The dead body that
was dumped from the car.
He was looking though
the trash when he saw her.
A young woman.
- Let's take a look.
- Put her out here.
(woman speaking over radio)
- Oh, no.
- You know her?
- Yeah.
She lives with Max Brodsky.
I think she's his niece.
- Hey, Hooker!
Just in time for
the celebration.
Finally nailed these characters.
- Max.
Wanna talk to you.
- Yeah, something I
can do for you, Hook?
- It's about Wendy.
- Wendy?
What about her?
- There's no easy
way to tell you this.
She's dead.
- Dead?
What the hell you
talking about, dead?
What are you talking about?
- She was dumped out of a car.
Found her at an alley downtown.
I just came from there.
- An alley, downtown?
- I chased the subject.
And I lost him.
I've asked for the case.
I'll handle it.
- God.
I've got this bust, Hooker.
Who would wanna kill her?
I mean, she's just a kid.
- Partner'll take
care of the bust.
Let me take you home.
- No, no.
Thanks.
I'm okay.
Where was I, Hooker?
- You did the best you could.
- What could I do
with a 17-year-old kid
from Ohio with
stars in her eyes?
Where'd they take her?
- The morgue.
They have to do an autopsy.
- I was here, and my niece...
It's a cop's life, right?
What a waste.
- Let me take you home.
- For what, Hooker?
Tell me that.
For what?
(slow jazz music)
Come on, let's
wrap this up, huh?
(Max shouting)
- As soon as I
heard she was dead,
I figured I ought
to pull her file.
Where's Hooker?
- He's breaking it to Max.
- She was only 17.
- Lotta creeps out there.
Sometimes I feel like I
know every one of 'em.
- Did Max know
about this, Nathans?
- He never saw the file.
But my partner and I
figured he oughta know
what was going down with her.
We told him Wendy was gettin' in
with a pretty heavy crowd.
Running wild.
- Drugs, solicitation,
drunk public nuisance?
Sad story.
- Yeah.
How come no convictions?
- We never pushed very hard.
It's Max's niece, you
know what I mean?
- Poor guy.
- Nathans.
- Hooker.
- Haven't got enough
to do in Ad Vice?
- Show him the file, Stacy.
- How many times you bust her?
- Three, four times.
- Why didn't you
let somebody know?
- Take it easy, Hooker, we did.
Told Max.
- And?
- Max said she made
her own choices.
Wouldn't listen to him.
- What about Juvenile Authority?
- They washed her face,
put her back on the street.
- Same old story.
- We did what we could.
- Something else?
- Forget it.
- How's Max doing?
- Max?
It hasn't hit him yet.
He said she'd run away, but
I guess he expected
something bad to happen,
but not this.
- Max is pretty tough.
Maybe it won't
get to him at all.
- Oh, it'll get to him.
When it finally grabs
Max, it won't let go.
- Have you talked to O'Brien
about taking the case?
- He's cleared it with Homicide.
I wanna find out who
killed Wendy and why.
Stacy, punch Wendy
into the computer.
She didn't come
up with any contacts.
Jim, check your snitches.
I'll be out in the street.
(energetic jazz music)
- [Police Dispatcher]
4-Adam-30, your request
on abandoned red
sedan shows vehicle
to be stolen from out of state.
Partial print, lab picked up.
Turned out to be the owner.
Sorry, Hooker.
- Excuse me.
Need some information.
Either one of you ever
seen this girl before?
Her name is Wendy.
- Is there a reward?
What'd she do?
- No reward, she's dead.
- What happened?
- Murder, dumped in an alley.
- Look, I think I know her.
Yeah, she hung around a lot.
- When was the last
time you saw her?
- Maybe a week ago.
- Who'd she hang around with?
- She had this friend, uh,
Janet, I think her name is.
They were always together.
- This Janet, where
can I find her?
- I don't know.
She just hangs around.
- She have a last name?
- Not one that I know.
Sorry.
- [Lester] What do
you think, Mr. Parton?
- Well, I don't think we
lost a superstar on Wendy.
Lester, I think I'm
gonna hold onto this.
Just for future
reference, in case you, uh,
get out of line.
And Lester, this kid
that flew the coop?
If the cops get ahold of her,
we'll all end up doing
a hell of a lot of time.
- She won't go to the cops.
She didn't want her
parents to find out about her.
Not to worry.
I took care of
dumping Wendy's body.
And I'll take care
of finding Janet.
- She's a street kid.
Go to the halfway house.
Sooner or later, they
all end up there, anyway.
- Yeah, that's a good idea.
I'll find her.
- I appreciate your
confidence, Lester.
But I'd appreciate a
dead witness even more.
(guns firing)
- Max.
- All that meanness
builds up on you, Hooker.
Sometimes it just
helps to let it out.
- Max, I need some help.
All I've got is a first name.
- Which is?
- Janet.
She may have been the last
person to see Wendy alive.
- There's nothing for me.
You know, Hooker,
she was a wild kid.
But I thought she was
getting her act together.
I thought she and I
were getting closer.
We gotta get him, Hooker.
- Max, you're too close.
Stay back, I'll handle it.
- Stay back?
Wendy's my business.
The proper channels
don't hold water
when the victim is mine.
- Whoever did it, I'll find.
Leave it to me.
Trust me.
- Then what?
They get seven to 10
and some parole board
lets him out for being
good in the pen?
No way!
- Gonna say it again.
You're too close, you
can't be judge and jury.
Back off.
Is that clear?
- Now, wait a minute.
Why don't you put
yourself in my position,
and put somebody you
love in that Dumpster
and see how you'd react.
You'd blow the lid off this city
to find the slime
that killed her.
- Work with me.
We'll blow the lid off together.
- I don't mind working
with you, Hooker.
All you gotta do
is keep up with me.
- Hooker!
Watch commander radioed
you wanted to see me.
How's the case going?
- Well, while Sheridan
is checking the files
on serial killers
and sex offenders,
Corrigan is
squeezing the junkies
and the pushers to see
if they know anything.
- Sounds like you
don't have much.
- That's what I wanna
talk to you about.
Yesterday, you were gonna
tell me something about Wendy.
I'd like to hear it now.
- You're not gonna like it.
But I'll let you
see for yourself.
You recognize her?
- [Hooker] Wendy.
- There's a VCR down
the hall, if you want.
It's run-of-the-mill porn.
- I'll take your word for it.
You kept this from Max?
- How do you tell a guy
about something like this?
After all, I mean,
I got a daughter.
You do too, don't you?
(energetic music)
- Wait a minute, I've
seen that guy before
with Wendy and Janet!
He may make this easier.
- Yeah?
- Hi, I'm looking for somebody.
Janet's her name.
She used to hang around
with a girl named Wendy?
Take a look.
What's that supposed to mean?
Janet said she met Wendy here.
- Well, then this must be
the place where she met her.
- I want some answers.
Hey, you're gonna have an extra
mouth to feed, pretty soon.
Maybe you can use a little help.
- What kind of help?
- This kind of help?
Ah.
Janet.
- She was around
when I first got here.
I haven't seen her
for a week, maybe.
- More.
- She had a boyfriend.
His name was Nick, I think.
- Nick.
Know where he hangs out?
- I heard he was
working on one of
those porno theaters
on 4th and Broadway.
- Broadway and 4th.
Thank you, ma'am.
(funky instrumental music)
(car engine revs)
- Last time we picked her up,
Wendy said she'd
only made that one film.
Got paid a hundred bucks for it.
- They offered her a lot
more for the next one, right?
That's how they keep
kids like her in the business.
- Who are they?
- Guys who shoot that kind
of slime change with the tide.
And when they're busted,
they're out working again
before the reports are finished.
- Thanks for the plug.
- There's gotta be
a way to nail 'em.
I mean, somebody
has to pay these girls.
Somebody had to recruit Wendy,
get her involved.
- They work the bus
depots, the street corners.
Word of mouth.
They get kids who are hurting,
or in big trouble at home.
They offer them sympathy.
Then they string
'em out on dope.
- This one's got
a built-in stinger.
Wendy was underage.
That could buy
somebody hard time.
- Okay.
But how does that move you
any closer to whoever killed her?
- Well, it might give
us some leverage.
If we could rack
some of these guys,
there's no telling
what'll spill out.
- You got something
special in mind?
- Yes, I do, and I'm
gonna need your help
to set it up.
I wanna put someone
inside the local porn business.
(suspenseful music)
(jazz music)
- You Nick?
- He's around here somewhere.
I'll go find him.
- Hey, look, come here, police.
Get up here.
Come on, spread 'em!
- Hey, I didn't do anything.
- Lied to me, Nick.
- Gonna arrest me for that?
Read me my rights.
- Well, I don't care
about your rights.
You wanna hear my rights, huh?
(gun cocks)
Know what that sound is, Nick?
- Yeah.
- Where's Janet?
- I don't know.
- Don't try to protect
her, toilet face.
- I don't know
where she is, honest.
(Nick grunts)
- Still don't know
where she is, Nick, huh?
- On Saturdays, around
noon, we all get together
at the doughnut shop.
5th and State.
- That's good, that's good.
Now, what if I don't
wanna wait 'til Saturday?
- I haven't seen her very much.
She's too busy.
She's a big movie star now.
- Movie star, huh?
- The kind of stuff
they show here.
Her and her friend
Wendy, they think
they're actresses or something.
- Wendy?
You lying sack of garbage.
- Right over there.
Look!
(dramatic music)
- Why don't you
clean this place up?
It's filthy!
(dramatic music)
- Hey, sport.
How 'bout some conversation?
- Come on, man.
No more.
- You just tell me
what you told him.
Or this'll be nothing
compared to what I do to you.
(car horn honks)
- My informer says
it's a small operation.
Just a male and a
female performer,
couple of guys on the
camera and the lights.
Girl is new.
Probably her first time.
That's what you said you wanted.
- Yeah, that's what we want.
Somebody young and
new that we can scare
a little into helping us.
- What a way to make a living.
- Their way or ours?
(rock music)
- Police.
Police.
- Come on.
- How old are you?
- Come on.
- 19.
What's gonna happen now?
- We'll talk about that later.
Go get dressed.
- I thought a night in
jail might put Mary Ellen
in the mood to
cooperate this morning.
We'll find out.
- Just like Wendy,
she's so young.
- Fresh off the farm,
and in town one month.
- Think you can
handle it, Stace?
- Little walk and a little girl
talk does wonders sometimes.
- Well, it's up to you.
Jim, check detectives.
See if you can find Max.
I'd like to talk to him.
- I'd like to help
you, Mary Ellen.
- If I do what for you?
- Okay, everything in
life's a trade-off, right?
- I'm learning fast, aren't I?
- But for you, this could be
the most important
trade of your life.
All the charges will be
dropped, so no record.
Bus ticket home to South Dakota,
wherever you wanna go.
A whole new start.
I'd like to see you
have that chance.
- Can you really do that?
- Word of honor.
- What do I have to do?
- Introduce me around
as a friend of yours
from back home.
Just arrived in town.
Looking for fun
in the fast lane.
Interested in acting
and not too bright.
- Funny, you just told
me the story of my life.
- The person who
I really wanna meet
is whoever started you.
The guy who put
you in porno films.
(Mary Ellen sighs)
- Lester.
That's all I know him by.
I guess I was sort of
fascinated by him at first.
But... - But what?
- Well, there's
something about him.
Something bad.
He sort of runs
things on the streets
for the guys who
produce the films.
- All you've gotta do is
introduce me, Mary Ellen.
Then you're out of it.
We'll put you on
the bus ourselves.
How 'bout it?
- What is it
you're really after?
- Killer.
Someone who murdered
a girl just like you.
Her name is Wendy.
- God, I know a Wendy!
She helped get me this job.
You think it's her?
- 'Fraid it is.
Now you know how
badly we need your help.
Please.
- What do you got?
- Your idea about
shaking things up
and pulling people
in really paid off.
- I don't need to see
a second installment
of Wendy's mistake.
- One of our teams
hit a porn lab last night,
and among other
things, they came up with
a small piece of film
that you gotta see.
If there was more, it's
probably been destroyed.
Guy's face doesn't show on this.
- Here, come here.
- Get off of me!
- All right, little girl.
Wanna play rough?
- Wendy?
Wendy?
God.
- Make our case.
We gotta find that negative.
(rock music)
- Relax, Mary Ellen.
You're doing fine.
- You haven't met Lester yet.
He's, he's spooky.
- Maybe we should
try another place.
- No, this is where
he hangs out.
He's here every night.
It's like his office.
- Bet there isn't one genuine ID
out of 10 in that place.
- Ad Vice hit a lab.
They came up with
a piece of porn film.
Wendy was the star.
What's it have to
do with the murder?
- She was killed, right
there on the screen.
No faces, of course.
It was cut out of
the scene, but...
I want this guy, Jim.
- Mary Ellen!
Where you been?
You remember Wendy, right?
You hear about her?
Oh, man, somebody killed her.
It was on TV!
- Then it was her.
Yeah, I heard.
But I was hoping that...
- I was getting pretty
scared for you, baby.
I mean, she was booked on a job,
just like you, remember?
And poof, nobody
saw her after that.
It was like...
- Oh, it's okay, Gigi.
This is Stacy.
She's a friend from back home.
- Hi.
- Hi.
Well, you ladies can stick
around here if you want to,
but I'm on my
way to visit a friend
up in Frisco where it's safer.
I mean, really, all the girls
are rocking in their socks.
It's scary time.
- Who do you think did it?
- Hey, honey, I
got a big, fat idea,
but all I'm gonna do is
keep my mouth shut and split.
You could come along.
- Yeah, well,
we kinda have some
things we gotta do.
- Right, like building a stash,
know what I mean?
- Oh, yeah, um, we're
looking for Lester.
- You're looking
for big trouble.
If you got any smarts,
you'll hear what I'm saying.
- Damn this waiting.
- I'm getting a
little antsy myself.
- I'm going in there.
- No, you're not.
You're gonna let your
partner do her thing.
- Lester, you scared me.
- No need to be.
Lester takes good care
of all his little mamas.
But Mary Elle, I
thought we were close.
I believe you're
holding out on me.
Who is this sweet lady?
- Oh, um, this is Stacy.
She's from back home.
She just got in town and
she's staying with me right now.
- Stacy.
Are you as good as you look?
- Last I heard, I'm better.
- All right.
Let me take care of these.
Got a table waiting
for us right over here.
Right this way, ladies.
Stacy.
Little concerned about
your girlfriend Mary Elle.
Heard she got took
down by the man,
right in the middle
of her scene.
- Yeah, I suppose everyone
heard about that by now.
- Don't worry about it, baby.
Big movie stars
pay an arm and a leg
for that kind of publicity.
I'll take care of everything.
But, Mary Elle?
Get lost for a while.
- What?
- Leave.
- It's okay, Mary Ellen.
The man just wants
to talk with me.
- She could use
some of your brains.
And some of your good looks.
- My looks haven't
gotten me anything
but man trouble and an
empty bank account, so far.
- That could change
if you want it to.
- I'm not looking for a handout.
I wanna go over the
rainbow, but on my own.
I can act.
I just need a break somewhere.
- Sweetheart, nobody
starts at the top.
Very competitive business
we're talking about here,
you know what I mean?
You got the face,
you got the body.
Maybe you got the talent,
but you got to know somebody.
- I just don't wanna
make the same mistake
you hear about others making
when they come to this town.
- Do you know the kind of work
that Mary Ellen was
doing when she got busted?
- Yeah, she told me.
- [Lester] And?
- I think she was
working too cheap.
(Lester chuckles)
- Yeah, you'll do just
fine in this business.
Yeah.
Yeah, I think I got
somebody I want you to meet.
- Lester, you're right.
I'm very impressed.
Lovely, honey, just lovely.
So you're an actress, huh?
- All I need is a chance.
- Well, I think I can provide
you with that chance, Stacy.
Honey, it all depends
on your attitude
towards, just, how
you expect to start
your career in films.
- She knows the
score, Mr. Parton.
All she doesn't
know is the money.
- Money, it's no problem,
all other things being equal.
Tell me, kid, you had any
experience with hard stuff?
And tell me the truth.
- Not exactly, but I learn fast.
- I'll bet you do.
Don't worry about it.
You have a sort of
innocence, a freshness.
I like that, honey,
I like that a lot.
Would you mind waiting
outside for a few minutes?
I'd like to have a word with
your future costar, Lester.
- Okay.
- Thank you.
Okay, Lester.
Now, about the matter
of the missing witness.
- Slime at the
theater said that Janet
was gonna be at a
certain location at 12 noon.
So will I.
She'll get taken care of.
- Good.
Lester, that's a
very special piece
of merchandise out there.
She wants to be a star.
Let's make her one.
- I'm all for that.
- Excellent, that's settled.
Now get her out of here.
And Lester.
I'm gonna set up a photo session
for this afternoon
around five o'clock.
I think that I'm gonna
select her wardrobe myself.
Maybe something in
a cheerleading outfit.
Short skirt, something
all-American.
Yeah, my client'll
like that a lot.
(foreboding music)
- I was never so glad to get
away from anyone in my life.
Those creeps would
give anyone the chills.
- Now the only
real tie-in we have
is what that girl
Gigi said to you.
- Lester set Wendy up in a job.
And the next time anyone
sees her, she's dead.
- So Stacy has to go back.
- She has to do more than that.
What you're gonna have
to do is get in deeper.
- Let's get at it.
(jazz music)
- Janet!
- Max!
- Janet!
(gun fires)
- Oh, my god.
Somebody call an ambulance.
Now!
Hang in there, Janet.
Come on, baby.
Hang in there.
(mournful jazz music)
- Captain wants to talk to you.
Tell you right now
what he's gonna say.
You're under suspension.
- Sure.
Let the good times roll.
- I busted my butt for you.
Stacy put her life on the line.
You held out on me.
You knew about
Janet all the time.
You kept her to yourself.
- Wendy was my niece.
And I wanted that guy, Hooker.
Now, can't you understand that?
- We had an
eyewitness to the murder.
Janet saw it go down.
Now she's in the
hospital in a coma.
And we don't know if
she's gonna pull out of it.
- Who's the guy?
- She didn't have
a chance to say!
Captain's waiting for you.
- I just got off the
horn with Nathans.
They leaned on the
film editor they picked up.
Told him he might end
up an accessory to murder.
- And?
- He volunteered the information
that he works most of
the time for Arnold Parton.
- Looks like we
may have the tie-in.
- Does Parton have a record?
- Parton deals with porn.
But he's kept his record clean.
He uses that wholesale
garment business as a front.
And that negative is
somewhere in that warehouse.
- There's a heavy steel
cabinet beside his desk.
- How do you feel about
going back with Lester?
- Scared.
I'm human.
- We've gotta lay
a con on Partman.
And it all depends on you
being able to carry it off.
And on perfect timing.
(rock music)
- So, where are we
gonna shoot this thing?
- Right in here, baby.
Your own personal movie studio.
Wanna see the set?
- Don't tell me I
get star approval.
- You're gonna be
very surprised at all the
very good things that you get.
Come on.
Right back here.
Nice, huh?
- Yeah.
- See, the way it works is,
you're the all-American girl.
You're in your,
uh, rah-rah outfit,
your little blue pleated skirt,
and you're in the
park practicing.
And I am the big bad
man that comes along.
Are you ready for that?
- What I'm ready
for is the cash.
- Yeah.
Well, we have to go
upstairs to see Parton for that.
- Okay.
- Right.
This way, sweetheart.
- The camera crew?
- Must be.
It has to be a tight operation.
- And Lester must
be the guy in the film.
The killer, right?
- If he is,
we still gotta prove it.
Stacy has eight minutes.
- I picked this out
for you myself, Stacy.
You're gonna look delicious.
Try it on.
- Look, downstairs is business.
But giving peep shows up
here for the hired help is out.
- Hey, who the hell
are you - Lester.
- putting down, you cheap tramp?
- Lester, please,
you heard our star.
Now, go on downstairs and
see if the camera people are here.
- I'll see you on the set, baby.
- It's okay.
Why don't you go behind
the screen and try this on?
Stacy, you have
a natural modesty.
It'll show in the film.
Honey, I like that.
I like that very much.
(slow jazz music)
That's perfect, honey.
Just perfect.
That's the way
Lester and I figured.
- Lester?
What are you talking about?
- I mean the act we
just put on for you.
And I mean this.
It's the workprint
of Wendy's last film.
And we have the
negative film, too.
So you can't touch us.
But we can touch you.
Say for about a half a mil,
young girl under 18 murdered
in one of your porn flicks.
What do you say?
- There's no way Lester
could get that negative.
No way.
- Wanna bet?
- Yeah.
I'm gonna call your bluff.
There could be
anything on that film.
I wanna see it.
- Satisfied?
- Max never showed
in his office today,
but he was seen following
Stacy out when she left.
- He's gonna be here somewhere.
Could blow the whole operation.
Let's go.
- Okay, baby.
I want some answers.
Now.
(suspenseful music)
(Parton shouting)
- You're the guy, aren't you?
- Take it easy, man.
Who are you?
- I'm Wendy's Uncle Max, punk.
- Wendy.
I don't know no Wendy.
You got the wrong guy, man!
(suspenseful music)
- Hold it, you.
Take them.
Jim, Stacy, she
must be upstairs.
- This film gives us
proof in living color.
You just hung yourself, mister.
- Parton!
Put your hands behind your back.
(Parton groans)
Put 'em behind your back!
- Easy.
- Doing okay?
- Now I am.
(suspenseful music)
- Max!
It's not worth it, it's murder!
(Lester shouts)
Hold it!
Stop, freeze!
(Lester grunts)
- You got him.
- Yeah.
You had to do it
your way, didn't you?
- What would you
have done, Hooker?
- Me?
(chuckles) I'd have
done it my way.
(slow jazz music)
- Goodbye, show biz,
hello, South Dakota.
- I don't know what to say.
- Say goodbye and good luck.
- Give yourself
a break this time.
- I will.
Thanks, Stacy.
- Bye.
- Oh, for everything.
Oh, and I promise I'll write.
Bye.
- Let's just hope she's too
busy with schoolwork to write.
- What about Max?
He's still improving?
- Oh, Max is eating and
arguing with everybody.
He's gonna be fine.
- That depends on
Internal Affairs, doesn't it?
- My friend at the
chief's office told me
Internal Affairs
is gonna give Max
every break they can.
- And Janet's
conscious and improving.
- So we've got our
eyewitnesses and the evidence.
- Well, using an underage girl
in a conspiracy
to commit a felony
during which she's killed
adds up to a lot of trouble.
- For Arnold Parton
and the sleazebags,
it adds up to murder one.
(intense music)
(heroic music)
(suspenseful music)
- Wait a minute.
Come here.
- No!
I don't wanna do this anymore.
- Come here.
Oh!
You didn't wanna do that.
- You make me sick.
I hate you.
- Come here.
Come here.
- No, get off of me.
- All right, little girl.
You wanna play rough?
Well, then, we'll play rough.
Stupid broad.
- Wendy?
Oh, my god.
She's dead.
You killed her, Lester.
- Turn that thing
off, you stupid idiot!
(dramatic music)
- Damn, now where is she?
- [Police Dispatcher]
All units in the vicinity
of 18th and Century,
report of a body
left in the alley.
Suspect driving a
late model red sedan.
- 4-Adam-30 responding.
(suspenseful music)
(siren blaring)
This is 4-Adam-30.
I'm in pursuit of a red sedan.
Send a backup to the alley.
(gun fires)
(gun fires)
(suspenseful music)
(footsteps)
Control, this is 4-Adam-30.
Suspect abandoned the red sedan
and exchanged shots
with me at the water tower.
26th and Hill.
He escaped on foot.
I didn't get close
enough to make an ID.
(crowd speaking)
- Yeah, okay, that's all right.
The dead body that
was dumped from the car.
He was looking though
the trash when he saw her.
A young woman.
- Let's take a look.
- Put her out here.
(woman speaking over radio)
- Oh, no.
- You know her?
- Yeah.
She lives with Max Brodsky.
I think she's his niece.
- Hey, Hooker!
Just in time for
the celebration.
Finally nailed these characters.
- Max.
Wanna talk to you.
- Yeah, something I
can do for you, Hook?
- It's about Wendy.
- Wendy?
What about her?
- There's no easy
way to tell you this.
She's dead.
- Dead?
What the hell you
talking about, dead?
What are you talking about?
- She was dumped out of a car.
Found her at an alley downtown.
I just came from there.
- An alley, downtown?
- I chased the subject.
And I lost him.
I've asked for the case.
I'll handle it.
- God.
I've got this bust, Hooker.
Who would wanna kill her?
I mean, she's just a kid.
- Partner'll take
care of the bust.
Let me take you home.
- No, no.
Thanks.
I'm okay.
Where was I, Hooker?
- You did the best you could.
- What could I do
with a 17-year-old kid
from Ohio with
stars in her eyes?
Where'd they take her?
- The morgue.
They have to do an autopsy.
- I was here, and my niece...
It's a cop's life, right?
What a waste.
- Let me take you home.
- For what, Hooker?
Tell me that.
For what?
(slow jazz music)
Come on, let's
wrap this up, huh?
(Max shouting)
- As soon as I
heard she was dead,
I figured I ought
to pull her file.
Where's Hooker?
- He's breaking it to Max.
- She was only 17.
- Lotta creeps out there.
Sometimes I feel like I
know every one of 'em.
- Did Max know
about this, Nathans?
- He never saw the file.
But my partner and I
figured he oughta know
what was going down with her.
We told him Wendy was gettin' in
with a pretty heavy crowd.
Running wild.
- Drugs, solicitation,
drunk public nuisance?
Sad story.
- Yeah.
How come no convictions?
- We never pushed very hard.
It's Max's niece, you
know what I mean?
- Poor guy.
- Nathans.
- Hooker.
- Haven't got enough
to do in Ad Vice?
- Show him the file, Stacy.
- How many times you bust her?
- Three, four times.
- Why didn't you
let somebody know?
- Take it easy, Hooker, we did.
Told Max.
- And?
- Max said she made
her own choices.
Wouldn't listen to him.
- What about Juvenile Authority?
- They washed her face,
put her back on the street.
- Same old story.
- We did what we could.
- Something else?
- Forget it.
- How's Max doing?
- Max?
It hasn't hit him yet.
He said she'd run away, but
I guess he expected
something bad to happen,
but not this.
- Max is pretty tough.
Maybe it won't
get to him at all.
- Oh, it'll get to him.
When it finally grabs
Max, it won't let go.
- Have you talked to O'Brien
about taking the case?
- He's cleared it with Homicide.
I wanna find out who
killed Wendy and why.
Stacy, punch Wendy
into the computer.
She didn't come
up with any contacts.
Jim, check your snitches.
I'll be out in the street.
(energetic jazz music)
- [Police Dispatcher]
4-Adam-30, your request
on abandoned red
sedan shows vehicle
to be stolen from out of state.
Partial print, lab picked up.
Turned out to be the owner.
Sorry, Hooker.
- Excuse me.
Need some information.
Either one of you ever
seen this girl before?
Her name is Wendy.
- Is there a reward?
What'd she do?
- No reward, she's dead.
- What happened?
- Murder, dumped in an alley.
- Look, I think I know her.
Yeah, she hung around a lot.
- When was the last
time you saw her?
- Maybe a week ago.
- Who'd she hang around with?
- She had this friend, uh,
Janet, I think her name is.
They were always together.
- This Janet, where
can I find her?
- I don't know.
She just hangs around.
- She have a last name?
- Not one that I know.
Sorry.
- [Lester] What do
you think, Mr. Parton?
- Well, I don't think we
lost a superstar on Wendy.
Lester, I think I'm
gonna hold onto this.
Just for future
reference, in case you, uh,
get out of line.
And Lester, this kid
that flew the coop?
If the cops get ahold of her,
we'll all end up doing
a hell of a lot of time.
- She won't go to the cops.
She didn't want her
parents to find out about her.
Not to worry.
I took care of
dumping Wendy's body.
And I'll take care
of finding Janet.
- She's a street kid.
Go to the halfway house.
Sooner or later, they
all end up there, anyway.
- Yeah, that's a good idea.
I'll find her.
- I appreciate your
confidence, Lester.
But I'd appreciate a
dead witness even more.
(guns firing)
- Max.
- All that meanness
builds up on you, Hooker.
Sometimes it just
helps to let it out.
- Max, I need some help.
All I've got is a first name.
- Which is?
- Janet.
She may have been the last
person to see Wendy alive.
- There's nothing for me.
You know, Hooker,
she was a wild kid.
But I thought she was
getting her act together.
I thought she and I
were getting closer.
We gotta get him, Hooker.
- Max, you're too close.
Stay back, I'll handle it.
- Stay back?
Wendy's my business.
The proper channels
don't hold water
when the victim is mine.
- Whoever did it, I'll find.
Leave it to me.
Trust me.
- Then what?
They get seven to 10
and some parole board
lets him out for being
good in the pen?
No way!
- Gonna say it again.
You're too close, you
can't be judge and jury.
Back off.
Is that clear?
- Now, wait a minute.
Why don't you put
yourself in my position,
and put somebody you
love in that Dumpster
and see how you'd react.
You'd blow the lid off this city
to find the slime
that killed her.
- Work with me.
We'll blow the lid off together.
- I don't mind working
with you, Hooker.
All you gotta do
is keep up with me.
- Hooker!
Watch commander radioed
you wanted to see me.
How's the case going?
- Well, while Sheridan
is checking the files
on serial killers
and sex offenders,
Corrigan is
squeezing the junkies
and the pushers to see
if they know anything.
- Sounds like you
don't have much.
- That's what I wanna
talk to you about.
Yesterday, you were gonna
tell me something about Wendy.
I'd like to hear it now.
- You're not gonna like it.
But I'll let you
see for yourself.
You recognize her?
- [Hooker] Wendy.
- There's a VCR down
the hall, if you want.
It's run-of-the-mill porn.
- I'll take your word for it.
You kept this from Max?
- How do you tell a guy
about something like this?
After all, I mean,
I got a daughter.
You do too, don't you?
(energetic music)
- Wait a minute, I've
seen that guy before
with Wendy and Janet!
He may make this easier.
- Yeah?
- Hi, I'm looking for somebody.
Janet's her name.
She used to hang around
with a girl named Wendy?
Take a look.
What's that supposed to mean?
Janet said she met Wendy here.
- Well, then this must be
the place where she met her.
- I want some answers.
Hey, you're gonna have an extra
mouth to feed, pretty soon.
Maybe you can use a little help.
- What kind of help?
- This kind of help?
Ah.
Janet.
- She was around
when I first got here.
I haven't seen her
for a week, maybe.
- More.
- She had a boyfriend.
His name was Nick, I think.
- Nick.
Know where he hangs out?
- I heard he was
working on one of
those porno theaters
on 4th and Broadway.
- Broadway and 4th.
Thank you, ma'am.
(funky instrumental music)
(car engine revs)
- Last time we picked her up,
Wendy said she'd
only made that one film.
Got paid a hundred bucks for it.
- They offered her a lot
more for the next one, right?
That's how they keep
kids like her in the business.
- Who are they?
- Guys who shoot that kind
of slime change with the tide.
And when they're busted,
they're out working again
before the reports are finished.
- Thanks for the plug.
- There's gotta be
a way to nail 'em.
I mean, somebody
has to pay these girls.
Somebody had to recruit Wendy,
get her involved.
- They work the bus
depots, the street corners.
Word of mouth.
They get kids who are hurting,
or in big trouble at home.
They offer them sympathy.
Then they string
'em out on dope.
- This one's got
a built-in stinger.
Wendy was underage.
That could buy
somebody hard time.
- Okay.
But how does that move you
any closer to whoever killed her?
- Well, it might give
us some leverage.
If we could rack
some of these guys,
there's no telling
what'll spill out.
- You got something
special in mind?
- Yes, I do, and I'm
gonna need your help
to set it up.
I wanna put someone
inside the local porn business.
(suspenseful music)
(jazz music)
- You Nick?
- He's around here somewhere.
I'll go find him.
- Hey, look, come here, police.
Get up here.
Come on, spread 'em!
- Hey, I didn't do anything.
- Lied to me, Nick.
- Gonna arrest me for that?
Read me my rights.
- Well, I don't care
about your rights.
You wanna hear my rights, huh?
(gun cocks)
Know what that sound is, Nick?
- Yeah.
- Where's Janet?
- I don't know.
- Don't try to protect
her, toilet face.
- I don't know
where she is, honest.
(Nick grunts)
- Still don't know
where she is, Nick, huh?
- On Saturdays, around
noon, we all get together
at the doughnut shop.
5th and State.
- That's good, that's good.
Now, what if I don't
wanna wait 'til Saturday?
- I haven't seen her very much.
She's too busy.
She's a big movie star now.
- Movie star, huh?
- The kind of stuff
they show here.
Her and her friend
Wendy, they think
they're actresses or something.
- Wendy?
You lying sack of garbage.
- Right over there.
Look!
(dramatic music)
- Why don't you
clean this place up?
It's filthy!
(dramatic music)
- Hey, sport.
How 'bout some conversation?
- Come on, man.
No more.
- You just tell me
what you told him.
Or this'll be nothing
compared to what I do to you.
(car horn honks)
- My informer says
it's a small operation.
Just a male and a
female performer,
couple of guys on the
camera and the lights.
Girl is new.
Probably her first time.
That's what you said you wanted.
- Yeah, that's what we want.
Somebody young and
new that we can scare
a little into helping us.
- What a way to make a living.
- Their way or ours?
(rock music)
- Police.
Police.
- Come on.
- How old are you?
- Come on.
- 19.
What's gonna happen now?
- We'll talk about that later.
Go get dressed.
- I thought a night in
jail might put Mary Ellen
in the mood to
cooperate this morning.
We'll find out.
- Just like Wendy,
she's so young.
- Fresh off the farm,
and in town one month.
- Think you can
handle it, Stace?
- Little walk and a little girl
talk does wonders sometimes.
- Well, it's up to you.
Jim, check detectives.
See if you can find Max.
I'd like to talk to him.
- I'd like to help
you, Mary Ellen.
- If I do what for you?
- Okay, everything in
life's a trade-off, right?
- I'm learning fast, aren't I?
- But for you, this could be
the most important
trade of your life.
All the charges will be
dropped, so no record.
Bus ticket home to South Dakota,
wherever you wanna go.
A whole new start.
I'd like to see you
have that chance.
- Can you really do that?
- Word of honor.
- What do I have to do?
- Introduce me around
as a friend of yours
from back home.
Just arrived in town.
Looking for fun
in the fast lane.
Interested in acting
and not too bright.
- Funny, you just told
me the story of my life.
- The person who
I really wanna meet
is whoever started you.
The guy who put
you in porno films.
(Mary Ellen sighs)
- Lester.
That's all I know him by.
I guess I was sort of
fascinated by him at first.
But... - But what?
- Well, there's
something about him.
Something bad.
He sort of runs
things on the streets
for the guys who
produce the films.
- All you've gotta do is
introduce me, Mary Ellen.
Then you're out of it.
We'll put you on
the bus ourselves.
How 'bout it?
- What is it
you're really after?
- Killer.
Someone who murdered
a girl just like you.
Her name is Wendy.
- God, I know a Wendy!
She helped get me this job.
You think it's her?
- 'Fraid it is.
Now you know how
badly we need your help.
Please.
- What do you got?
- Your idea about
shaking things up
and pulling people
in really paid off.
- I don't need to see
a second installment
of Wendy's mistake.
- One of our teams
hit a porn lab last night,
and among other
things, they came up with
a small piece of film
that you gotta see.
If there was more, it's
probably been destroyed.
Guy's face doesn't show on this.
- Here, come here.
- Get off of me!
- All right, little girl.
Wanna play rough?
- Wendy?
Wendy?
God.
- Make our case.
We gotta find that negative.
(rock music)
- Relax, Mary Ellen.
You're doing fine.
- You haven't met Lester yet.
He's, he's spooky.
- Maybe we should
try another place.
- No, this is where
he hangs out.
He's here every night.
It's like his office.
- Bet there isn't one genuine ID
out of 10 in that place.
- Ad Vice hit a lab.
They came up with
a piece of porn film.
Wendy was the star.
What's it have to
do with the murder?
- She was killed, right
there on the screen.
No faces, of course.
It was cut out of
the scene, but...
I want this guy, Jim.
- Mary Ellen!
Where you been?
You remember Wendy, right?
You hear about her?
Oh, man, somebody killed her.
It was on TV!
- Then it was her.
Yeah, I heard.
But I was hoping that...
- I was getting pretty
scared for you, baby.
I mean, she was booked on a job,
just like you, remember?
And poof, nobody
saw her after that.
It was like...
- Oh, it's okay, Gigi.
This is Stacy.
She's a friend from back home.
- Hi.
- Hi.
Well, you ladies can stick
around here if you want to,
but I'm on my
way to visit a friend
up in Frisco where it's safer.
I mean, really, all the girls
are rocking in their socks.
It's scary time.
- Who do you think did it?
- Hey, honey, I
got a big, fat idea,
but all I'm gonna do is
keep my mouth shut and split.
You could come along.
- Yeah, well,
we kinda have some
things we gotta do.
- Right, like building a stash,
know what I mean?
- Oh, yeah, um, we're
looking for Lester.
- You're looking
for big trouble.
If you got any smarts,
you'll hear what I'm saying.
- Damn this waiting.
- I'm getting a
little antsy myself.
- I'm going in there.
- No, you're not.
You're gonna let your
partner do her thing.
- Lester, you scared me.
- No need to be.
Lester takes good care
of all his little mamas.
But Mary Elle, I
thought we were close.
I believe you're
holding out on me.
Who is this sweet lady?
- Oh, um, this is Stacy.
She's from back home.
She just got in town and
she's staying with me right now.
- Stacy.
Are you as good as you look?
- Last I heard, I'm better.
- All right.
Let me take care of these.
Got a table waiting
for us right over here.
Right this way, ladies.
Stacy.
Little concerned about
your girlfriend Mary Elle.
Heard she got took
down by the man,
right in the middle
of her scene.
- Yeah, I suppose everyone
heard about that by now.
- Don't worry about it, baby.
Big movie stars
pay an arm and a leg
for that kind of publicity.
I'll take care of everything.
But, Mary Elle?
Get lost for a while.
- What?
- Leave.
- It's okay, Mary Ellen.
The man just wants
to talk with me.
- She could use
some of your brains.
And some of your good looks.
- My looks haven't
gotten me anything
but man trouble and an
empty bank account, so far.
- That could change
if you want it to.
- I'm not looking for a handout.
I wanna go over the
rainbow, but on my own.
I can act.
I just need a break somewhere.
- Sweetheart, nobody
starts at the top.
Very competitive business
we're talking about here,
you know what I mean?
You got the face,
you got the body.
Maybe you got the talent,
but you got to know somebody.
- I just don't wanna
make the same mistake
you hear about others making
when they come to this town.
- Do you know the kind of work
that Mary Ellen was
doing when she got busted?
- Yeah, she told me.
- [Lester] And?
- I think she was
working too cheap.
(Lester chuckles)
- Yeah, you'll do just
fine in this business.
Yeah.
Yeah, I think I got
somebody I want you to meet.
- Lester, you're right.
I'm very impressed.
Lovely, honey, just lovely.
So you're an actress, huh?
- All I need is a chance.
- Well, I think I can provide
you with that chance, Stacy.
Honey, it all depends
on your attitude
towards, just, how
you expect to start
your career in films.
- She knows the
score, Mr. Parton.
All she doesn't
know is the money.
- Money, it's no problem,
all other things being equal.
Tell me, kid, you had any
experience with hard stuff?
And tell me the truth.
- Not exactly, but I learn fast.
- I'll bet you do.
Don't worry about it.
You have a sort of
innocence, a freshness.
I like that, honey,
I like that a lot.
Would you mind waiting
outside for a few minutes?
I'd like to have a word with
your future costar, Lester.
- Okay.
- Thank you.
Okay, Lester.
Now, about the matter
of the missing witness.
- Slime at the
theater said that Janet
was gonna be at a
certain location at 12 noon.
So will I.
She'll get taken care of.
- Good.
Lester, that's a
very special piece
of merchandise out there.
She wants to be a star.
Let's make her one.
- I'm all for that.
- Excellent, that's settled.
Now get her out of here.
And Lester.
I'm gonna set up a photo session
for this afternoon
around five o'clock.
I think that I'm gonna
select her wardrobe myself.
Maybe something in
a cheerleading outfit.
Short skirt, something
all-American.
Yeah, my client'll
like that a lot.
(foreboding music)
- I was never so glad to get
away from anyone in my life.
Those creeps would
give anyone the chills.
- Now the only
real tie-in we have
is what that girl
Gigi said to you.
- Lester set Wendy up in a job.
And the next time anyone
sees her, she's dead.
- So Stacy has to go back.
- She has to do more than that.
What you're gonna have
to do is get in deeper.
- Let's get at it.
(jazz music)
- Janet!
- Max!
- Janet!
(gun fires)
- Oh, my god.
Somebody call an ambulance.
Now!
Hang in there, Janet.
Come on, baby.
Hang in there.
(mournful jazz music)
- Captain wants to talk to you.
Tell you right now
what he's gonna say.
You're under suspension.
- Sure.
Let the good times roll.
- I busted my butt for you.
Stacy put her life on the line.
You held out on me.
You knew about
Janet all the time.
You kept her to yourself.
- Wendy was my niece.
And I wanted that guy, Hooker.
Now, can't you understand that?
- We had an
eyewitness to the murder.
Janet saw it go down.
Now she's in the
hospital in a coma.
And we don't know if
she's gonna pull out of it.
- Who's the guy?
- She didn't have
a chance to say!
Captain's waiting for you.
- I just got off the
horn with Nathans.
They leaned on the
film editor they picked up.
Told him he might end
up an accessory to murder.
- And?
- He volunteered the information
that he works most of
the time for Arnold Parton.
- Looks like we
may have the tie-in.
- Does Parton have a record?
- Parton deals with porn.
But he's kept his record clean.
He uses that wholesale
garment business as a front.
And that negative is
somewhere in that warehouse.
- There's a heavy steel
cabinet beside his desk.
- How do you feel about
going back with Lester?
- Scared.
I'm human.
- We've gotta lay
a con on Partman.
And it all depends on you
being able to carry it off.
And on perfect timing.
(rock music)
- So, where are we
gonna shoot this thing?
- Right in here, baby.
Your own personal movie studio.
Wanna see the set?
- Don't tell me I
get star approval.
- You're gonna be
very surprised at all the
very good things that you get.
Come on.
Right back here.
Nice, huh?
- Yeah.
- See, the way it works is,
you're the all-American girl.
You're in your,
uh, rah-rah outfit,
your little blue pleated skirt,
and you're in the
park practicing.
And I am the big bad
man that comes along.
Are you ready for that?
- What I'm ready
for is the cash.
- Yeah.
Well, we have to go
upstairs to see Parton for that.
- Okay.
- Right.
This way, sweetheart.
- The camera crew?
- Must be.
It has to be a tight operation.
- And Lester must
be the guy in the film.
The killer, right?
- If he is,
we still gotta prove it.
Stacy has eight minutes.
- I picked this out
for you myself, Stacy.
You're gonna look delicious.
Try it on.
- Look, downstairs is business.
But giving peep shows up
here for the hired help is out.
- Hey, who the hell
are you - Lester.
- putting down, you cheap tramp?
- Lester, please,
you heard our star.
Now, go on downstairs and
see if the camera people are here.
- I'll see you on the set, baby.
- It's okay.
Why don't you go behind
the screen and try this on?
Stacy, you have
a natural modesty.
It'll show in the film.
Honey, I like that.
I like that very much.
(slow jazz music)
That's perfect, honey.
Just perfect.
That's the way
Lester and I figured.
- Lester?
What are you talking about?
- I mean the act we
just put on for you.
And I mean this.
It's the workprint
of Wendy's last film.
And we have the
negative film, too.
So you can't touch us.
But we can touch you.
Say for about a half a mil,
young girl under 18 murdered
in one of your porn flicks.
What do you say?
- There's no way Lester
could get that negative.
No way.
- Wanna bet?
- Yeah.
I'm gonna call your bluff.
There could be
anything on that film.
I wanna see it.
- Satisfied?
- Max never showed
in his office today,
but he was seen following
Stacy out when she left.
- He's gonna be here somewhere.
Could blow the whole operation.
Let's go.
- Okay, baby.
I want some answers.
Now.
(suspenseful music)
(Parton shouting)
- You're the guy, aren't you?
- Take it easy, man.
Who are you?
- I'm Wendy's Uncle Max, punk.
- Wendy.
I don't know no Wendy.
You got the wrong guy, man!
(suspenseful music)
- Hold it, you.
Take them.
Jim, Stacy, she
must be upstairs.
- This film gives us
proof in living color.
You just hung yourself, mister.
- Parton!
Put your hands behind your back.
(Parton groans)
Put 'em behind your back!
- Easy.
- Doing okay?
- Now I am.
(suspenseful music)
- Max!
It's not worth it, it's murder!
(Lester shouts)
Hold it!
Stop, freeze!
(Lester grunts)
- You got him.
- Yeah.
You had to do it
your way, didn't you?
- What would you
have done, Hooker?
- Me?
(chuckles) I'd have
done it my way.
(slow jazz music)
- Goodbye, show biz,
hello, South Dakota.
- I don't know what to say.
- Say goodbye and good luck.
- Give yourself
a break this time.
- I will.
Thanks, Stacy.
- Bye.
- Oh, for everything.
Oh, and I promise I'll write.
Bye.
- Let's just hope she's too
busy with schoolwork to write.
- What about Max?
He's still improving?
- Oh, Max is eating and
arguing with everybody.
He's gonna be fine.
- That depends on
Internal Affairs, doesn't it?
- My friend at the
chief's office told me
Internal Affairs
is gonna give Max
every break they can.
- And Janet's
conscious and improving.
- So we've got our
eyewitnesses and the evidence.
- Well, using an underage girl
in a conspiracy
to commit a felony
during which she's killed
adds up to a lot of trouble.
- For Arnold Parton
and the sleazebags,
it adds up to murder one.
(intense music)
(heroic music)