The Rockford Files (1974–1980): Season 1, Episode 8 - Find Me If You Can - full transcript

Do you look
for missing persons?

Who do you want me to find?
Me.

[Tires screeching]

There's been an accident
on the other side.

You wanna drive over
and see if you can help?

I'll run and get an ambulance.

[Tires screeching]

(man)
Get that thing out of the way.

Two inches to the right
and you'd be missing that eye.

But look at it this way.

Two inches to the left,
he'd have missed me
completely.



What kind of a man are you?
Careful.

[Tires screeching]

Hold it right there.

[Telephone ringing]

(Rockford on
answering machine)
This is Jim Rockford.

At the tone leave your name
and message.

I'll get back to you.

[Beeps]

(woman)
This is the blood bank.
If you don't have Malaria...

Hepatitis or TB,
we'd like to have
a pint of your blood.

No. Wait a minute, Lindy.

Let me explain what happened.

I forgot to register the check
in my checkbook...

so I thought I had money
in my account and I didn't.



But there is something
you can do about it.

That's the advantage
of dealing with a small,
friendly bank.

And a small,
friendly bank teller.

The check I just wrote,
the bad one...

ought to be coming in
tomorrow morning.

[Grunts]

Lindy, would I ask you to do
anything that's illegal?

I'm bonded. All I'm suggesting
is you just drop it...

behind a computer
for an hour or two and give me
a chance to cover it.

If you bounce this thing,
it's really going to mess up
my credit rating.

Everybody has a credit rating!

[Knocking at door]

Come in.

Yeah.

3:00 tomorrow afternoon
and that's a promise.

Thanks, Lindy. Thanks a lot.

Mr. Rockford?
Yes.

My name is Florence Baker.

I saw your ad
in the Yellow Pages.

Is it too late to discuss
a business arrangement?

You're just in time.

Here. Have a seat. Please.

Thank you.

Now, what can I do for you?

Do you look
for missing persons?

If it's a closed case
and the police
aren't involved.

No, they aren't.

Then I'll look
for missing persons.

That is if my price
doesn't scare you off.

I charge $200 a day,
plus expenses.

$200?

All right. I'll pay it.

Who do you want me to find?
Me.

I charge the same
for practical jokes.

No, this is not
a practical joke.

Here.

There's $600. You don't know
who I am or where I live.

I know you're Florence Baker.
No, that's not my real name.

I want to know
if I can be found.

Who's looking for you?

I don't know that anybody is.

Is that what you
want me to find out?

Mr. Rockford,
I told you what I want.

I want you to try to find me.

Why?
Either you're interested,
or you're not.

Wait a minute.

You came in here rattling
like a tambourine,
with a fairly weird request.

I don't think few questions
are out of line.

I need help and I'm willing
to pay for it.

What more does it take
to get on your client list?

Okay. You meet
all the requirements.

Good.

Then I'll save you some time
since your time is my money.

I'm not driving a car,
so you can't check out
my license through the DMV.

Trying to buy information
from the cab driver
who'll pick me up...

is just a waste of money.

I'm going to do
a lot of walking.

May take some cabs.

May take some buses.
You see, I don't want
your job to be difficult.

I want it to be impossible.

In that case...

I think we both need a drink.

You can have this back.
We got what we needed.

Thanks, Dennis.
I owe you for this one.

Why? It's no big thing.

No forms to fill out.
Nothing like that.

Do you know Wyzinski
in Latent Prints?
No.

Perfect set of prints.

Said we couldn't
have done better
if we'd booked her.

What else did Wyzinski
have to say?

S-11-10. You know,
technical stuff like that.

But while we were
lifting the prints we started
talking about the Lakers.

How do you think they're
gonna make out tonight?

Oh, well, I don't know...

I haven't really been
following them.

What I wouldn't give
to have tickets for that game.

I bet you got tickets.

I don't suppose
you'd care to join me.

That'd be really nice, Jim.
But you probably
made other plans.

Well, I did
mention it to Rocky.

Rocky? You know
how long it's been
since I've seen your old man?

Both tickets?

Tell him I'll
pick him up early.

We'll have dinner somewhere.
It'll be on me.

Dennis, you wouldn't
boost an apple off a pushcart.

How come you're always
hustling me?
You're a friend.

About your client.

She has no criminal record.

At least not
in the County of LA.
We got nothing on her.

What do you mean, nothing?
What it sounds like.

Nothing.

But I have a friend
in Sacramento. I called him,
gave him the classification.

And he ran it
through their files.

And?

She's got no criminal record
in the State of California.

Give me back the tickets.

However, my friend did check
the thumb print files.

And your client has
a California driver's license.

Name, address,
physical description,
birth date.

Don't ever do that again.

Don't ever call me
and say "meet me,"
and then hang up.

You wait for a yes or a no.

That's $367.

$200 for one day
and the expenses are itemized.

You're not quitting?

Your name is Barbara Kelbaker.

You were born
in Pacific Grove, California.

August 13, 1949.

Your most recent address is...

1034 Ocean View Drive,
Pacific Grove.

How did you do that?
That's right.

And that's all.
Unless you're ready
to tell me what's going on.

I can't tell you.
That's the whole point.

It wouldn't work
if I told you.

And I won't work if you don't.

When I have a client
who's scared,
I want to know why.

I want to know if I
ought to be scared, too.

What kind of a man are you?
Careful.

There's close to $400 here.

I said I'm not working for you
unless you tell me
what's going on.

Here's another $600.
That's almost $1,000.

You agreed to this job
and I'm holding you to it.

You found out who I am,
but you haven't found me yet.

That's what
I hired you to do.
I'm sorry.

Please help me. I haven't
anybody else I can trust.

I don't know what to do.

You can try
telling me the truth.

All right.

I am scared
but I can't tell you why.

If you walk away from me now,
I'm dead.

I'm not asking for anything
that you could
call confidential.

All I want to know is if you
ever had her on the books
as a missing person.

Barbara? Barbara Kelbaker.

That's right. You know her?
Sure.

Went to Fillmore High
together. Had a couple
of classes together.

Got herself in some kind
of trouble, huh?
I didn't say that.

You don't have to.
You're a PI.

Anything I might say
about Barbara Kelbaker...

it's just between
the two of us, all right?

You want it confidential,
it's confidential.

She is in trouble.

I could've told her that
a year ago.
Did you?

What for?

So she could
tell me to stuff it?

She wasn't looking
for good advice.

She couldn't wait
to get herself
messed up with him.

You're being a little hard
on him, aren't you,
not knowing the full story?

Yeah? Tell me what
a sweetheart he is.

All right, he's a sweetheart.

Rockford, officially
I've got nothing against him.

Barbara's over 21.
She's the one that
followed him to Denver.

Personally, I think he's got
too much money and it's got
a bad smell to it.

I can't keep him out of
that pro-am golf tourney
up in Monterey...

but I can sure
make it uncomfortable...

if he ever decides
to come back to Pacific Grove.

You give him
that message, okay?

What are you talking about?
Denver?

Denver, Colorado.
I know where it is...

but what's it got to do
with Mr. Yacanelli?

Who's Mr. Yacanelli?
My client.

You don't work
for Ralph Correll?
Ralph Correll?

Never heard of him.

[Tires screeching]

Howdy. I'd like to see
Ralph Correll, please.

Your name, sir?
Rockford. Jim Rockford.
Ponca City.

That's Oklahoma.
Don't tell him that.
That's liable to throw him.

We met at a pro-am
down in Monterey last year.

I'm sorry, Mr. Rockford,
you don't have an appointment.

Ain't you supposed
to look that up
in some kind of little book?

I don't have to, sir.
I'm quite familiar...

with Mr. Correll's
appointment schedule.

All right, so I don't
have an appointment.

Old Ralph told me if I ever
found myself in Denver
be sure and look him up.

I'm just taking the man
at his word.

What's your name?

Wyatt.

Let me put it to you
this way, Mr. Wyatt.

If Ralph Correll's
behind that big,
old door there...

I don't think he's gonna
take it too kindly...

to me cooling my heels
out here and him not knowing
one thing about it.

I'll tell him you're here,
mister...
Rockford.

Mr. Correll didn't
meet you in Monterey.
He doesn't know who you are.

Would he like to find out?
No.

Vinnie.

Would you show Mr. Rockford
to the door, please?

[Chuckles]

Penthouse?
This is building security.
Mr. Gantry speaking.

I don't want to alarm you
but we've had a report
of a gas leak.

It hasn't been confirmed yet.

We get these reports
on the phone
from time to time...

nine times out of ten
there's nothing to them.

But in keeping
with the building security...

we'll have to ask you
to evacuate the building.

No, sir, as I said,
it hasn't been confirmed...

but the evacuation
is a routine
safety precaution.

I'll be sending somebody
up the elevator.

I'd appreciate it if you
get your people
out of the building...

just as soon as possible.
Thank you.

I want that car for 2:00
and make sure they wash it.

Give this to Pat.
Let him take care of it, okay?

(Rockford)
Next car, please.
What the...

[grunts]

[Panting]

What do you think
you're doing?

It would have been
more comfortable talking
to you in your office...

but you didn't want
to see me there.

I don't want to see you here.
Get this thing moving.

What I wanted
to talk to you about
was Barbara Kelbaker.

Let me out of here.
She's disappeared.

You're in way over your head.

You can't set this thing
down in Cuba. You got nowhere
to land but the lobby.

Her mother hired me
to find her. She's worried.

[Scoffs]

Want me to tell you what kind
of trouble you're in?

You don't seem worried.
You don't even seem surprised.

You have something to do
with her disappearance?

I'm gonna give you
exactly 30 seconds
to let me out of here.

Thirty seconds from now.

And if I don't?
I'm filing charges
against you.

For impersonating
a maintenance man?
For unlawful detention...

harassment and assault
with intent to do bodily harm.

You left a hall full
of witnesses upstairs.

That news about Barbara
really shook you.

You two must have had
a beautiful relationship.

I'm gonna remember you.
Count on it.

[Telephone ringing]

Hello.

It's Barbara.

This is the fourth time
I've called.
Where have you been?

Denver.

Don't you want to know
who I saw?

I saw Ralph
and I saw Mr. Wyatt...

and a bunch of hired muscle
with an IQ of about 14:

I thought you said
the police weren't involved.

They're not.

If Ralph Correll's involved,
the police are involved.

And I asked some questions
before I left Denver.

The answers seemed
to range anywhere...

from noncommittal to,
"Get out of town."

He puts up a nice,
legitimate front...

but he's family.

I didn't know that
when I met him.

You knew it when you met me.

I've done everything
you asked me to do, haven't I?

You knew what kind
of information I was gonna
pick up in Pacific Grove.

You knew it was
going to lead me
straight to Ralph Correll.

I don't like being
used that way.

Particularly when I seem
to be the only one...

who doesn't know
what's going on.

I'm sorry, Jim.
I'd explain it to you
if I could but I just can't.

I never liked that answer
and I really don't
like it now.

Don't hang up!

Have you got any money left?

I haven't figured out
my expenses yet.

Just give me an address
and I'll mail you a check.

I don't want a check.

You don't have to do
anything else, you don't have
to talk to anyone else.

But as long as
that money lasts,
you're working for me.

Wanna bet?

Barbara.

[Dial tone]

(Howard)
Mr. Rockford?

You are James Rockford.
Yeah.

FBI, Inspector Howard.

I'm sorry to disturb you, sir,
but we'll have to
ask you a few questions.

Let me take a wild guess.
It's about Barbara Kelbaker,
right?

It's about Barbara Kelbaker,
yes.

I wonder,
could we talk inside?

Sure.

Could you hold these?
The door's locked.

Don't drop that.
That's my dinner.

[Groans]

[Grunts]

Get the car.

Does that talk, or just hit?

Mr. Rockford's not ready
to listen yet.

I'm ready.

I haven't dropped a hammer
on anyone for a long time,
Mr. Rockford.

For you I may
make an exception.

I may do this one myself.

Just because
I jumped your friends?

I didn't know
they were with you.

I just know that feds
still wear narrow ties.

[Shushing]

I got some questions.
Keep your answers
short and right.

You said you're working
for Mrs. Kelbaker. You're not.

I'm not.
But you are looking
for Barbara.

Not anymore. I quit.

Who hired you?

That's where we run into
a little problem area.

I'm gonna tell you.

But you're not going
to believe me.
Try me.

Barbara Kelbaker hired me.

Mr. Correll,
if I could come up with a...

half-way reasonable lie,
I'd use it. Wouldn't I?

Wouldn't you,
under the circumstances?

It doesn't make any sense,
but it's the truth.

It makes sense.

She figured if you
could find her,
I could find her.

She was checking her cover.

Were you trying to find her?

I'm still trying to find her.
She stole $50,000 off of me.

[Sighs]

Where is she?
I don't know.

Where?

Wait a minute.

I told you that Barbara
hired me to find her.
I haven't found her.

We gotta do the whole number
on you, Rockford?

I can't give you
information I don't have.

You don't know where she is,
do you?
No.

I'm through with him.

That's just
a figure of speech.

Open up, Rocky. It's me.

Did you see any spare ribs
around here?

See them? They were
all over the place.

You didn't eat them?

I just threw them out.

Damn, Rocky. That's $4.25.

And don't say it, Rocky.
This is not as bad
as it looks.

I like what I'm doing.

Maybe not at the moment,
but generally.

And I don't want
to start pushing a rig
or anything else.

I mean it, Rocky,
and I don't want
to talk about it.

Don't start waving
any want ads at me.

You remember Pete Craddock?
What?

Craddock. Guy I used to
long-haul with
about 20 years ago.

I got a letter
from old Pete today.

He's retired like me.
Don't like it much.
He likes to stay active.

He's come up with
this business proposition
he wants me in.

Hardware store.
What do you think?

Rocky, how does that look,
is it deep?

Maybe a stitch or so.

Hell, I like to stay active,
too, but...

Hardware. I just don't know.

Is it still bleeding, Rock?

No. It quit.

Well, I can see you're
all tied up here, Son...

so I'll drop in tomorrow.

[Chuckles]

Old Pete don't need his answer
right this minute, anyway.

Besides, I'd kind of like
to think it over.

Maybe talk about it with you.

What's the matter
with you, Rocky?

Two gorillas beat me
into the ground and all you
can talk about is hardware.

Because I am tired
of talking to you.

You don't listen
to nothing I say anyway.

Look at your face.
Look at that eye.

Two inches to the right
and you'd be missing that eye.

But look at it this way.

Two inches to the left,
he'd have missed me
completely.

[Telephone ringing]

Hello? Hold it.
Don't say anything.

You got a pencil?

All right.
Take down this number.

347-1347.

You got it?

All right. Call me there
in a couple of minutes.

[Telephone ringing]

It's for me. I got it. Thanks.

Hello.
What was that all about?

My phone may be bugged.
Ralph's a very busy man.

Ralph?

You've seen him again?

Yeah, he's in LA.
We had quite a little talk.

Not right away, of course.
He had to get
my attention first.

Would you like to know
how he did that, Barbara?

I'm sorry, Jim.
I didn't mean
for you to get hurt.

I hadn't been
planning on it myself.

Ralph knows you're
hiding from him.
That works two ways.

Now I know he's
looking for me.
That's all I had to find out.

Look, whatever money's left,
it's yours.

It won't make up
for what happened to you,
but I want you to have it.

That sounds final.
It is. You won't be
seeing me again.

Wait a minute.
You're not gonna
do that to me.

I'm still the only one
who doesn't know
what this is all about.

There are two sides
to everything.

Ralph says you're hiding
because you stole
$50,000 from him.

[Exclaims]

I didn't steal anything.
I just...

reclaimed myself.

Jim, I'm sorry you're hurt.

I'm sorry about
a lot of things.

You're not someone
I want to say goodbye to.

[Dial tone]

[Sobs]

[Telephone ringing]

Hello.

Barbara.

No. Don't say anything.

You still have
that phone number
I gave you the other night?

Good. You call me there.

[People chattering]

[Ringing]

Hello.
Jim.

I know I have no right
to ask anything of you,
but I am.

Will you help me?
Where are you?

About 17 miles
from the Mexican border.

I got this far but I just
can't keep running.

I've got to see you.

Barbara...
I'll reserve a room for you.

At the Tamarisk Motel
outside San Diego.

Not under your real name.
You'll be Mr. Macklin.

Go directly to your room
and wait for my call.

I'll expect you
in about three hours.

Barbara...
And whatever you do...

make sure you're
not followed. If you are...

forget the whole thing.

Whatever you do,
don't lead them to me.

[Dial tone]
Barbara!

[Tires screeching]

There's been an accident
on the other side.

You wanna drive over
and see if you can help?

I'll run and get an ambulance.

[Tires screeching]

(man)
Get that thing out of the way.

[Tires screeching]

[Birds chirping]

Thank you very much.

I lived with Ralph Correll
until a couple of weeks ago.

I suppose you know that.

I wanted to tell you
about this before, Jim,
but I just couldn't.

Tell me about what?

I saw Ralph kill a man
named Sol Mantee.

One night Ralph and Sol
had a violent argument.

It was about 2:00
or 3:00 in the morning.

It woke me up.
I went downstairs
to see what the trouble was.

They were in the library,
but the door was
about half open.

As I looked in,
Ralph picked something up
off his desk...

and he hit him.

The man just dropped.

I don't know
what happened after that.

I got back to my room
as fast as I could.

The house was dark.
So I knew that Ralph
couldn't have seen me.

But I knew it was
just a question of time
before he began wondering...

if I'd overheard anything.

I didn't know how to get away.
How did you?

I started talking
about marriage,
issuing ultimatums.

We argued.

That gave me the excuse
I needed to leave.

Are you sure Mantee was dead?
Maybe he was just hurt.

No. About three days
after it happened there
was something in the paper.

It said his body
had been found
on the outskirts of Denver.

There was no indication
of who killed him
or how he got there.

You don't know
who he was, do you?
Mantee? No.

Aren't you supposed to know
about things like that?

Like what?

Who's who in crime.
That sort of thing.

I go down to the post office
every few days or so...

and catch up
on the Wanted posters.

[Chuckles]

He operated out of Chicago.

He opened a branch in Denver?
No, but he tried.

And Denver belongs to Ralph.

You left Ralph
a couple of weeks ago?

Barbara, do you know
what you did
when you hired me?

You told Ralph that he had
something to worry about.

You had me
deliver the message.
I feel like a paid assassin.

But I had to find out
if he was looking for me.

Oh, he's looking for you.
And he's not going
to stop till he finds you.

You never had
any option in this.

You're gonna have to do
what you should have done
from the start.

Tell your story
to the D.A. In Denver.

He'll put you under
protective custody.

Ralph's not dumb enough
to make a move against you...

after you've made a statement.

I know. But how are we
gonna get back there
without getting killed?

We?

Jim, you...
I have to help you.

You need me.
I'm the only one
you can trust.

[Sighs]

Did you tell Mr. Tallman
that I wanted to see him
about a murder?

I told him.

Did you tell him it was
about Sol Mantee?

I told him.
No reaction?

He'll see you
as soon as he's free.

This really bores you,
doesn't it?

I came in here
two-and-a-half hours ago...

with information
about the murder of one of...

the top racketeers
in the country...

I'll wait.

Sorry you had to
stay so late, Betty.

Where do they all come from?
This one came from San Diego.

Jim Rockford?

Mr. Rockford.
I'm afraid you've had
quite a wait.

But it's been
that kind of a day.

And you didn't
have an appointment.

Betty said you wanted
to talk to me.
It was about...

Sol Mantee.

That's right, Sol Mantee.
Was there something
in particular?

Could we talk in your office?

I'd like to get out of here.
I've been here
since 7:30 this morning.

You can speak freely
in front of Betty.

I know who killed Sol Mantee.
So do I.

You do?
So does everybody in Denver.

His arrest made
all the front pages here
a couple of mornings ago.

Who did you arrest?
Small-time hood, Boyd Freeman.

You have the wrong man.
What are you talking about?

I'm a private investigator.

My client came to Denver
specifically to see you.

I have her hidden away
until we can arrange
police protection.

She was an eye witness
to Sol Mantee's murder...

and nobody named Boyd Freeman
had anything to do with it.

You have a witness?
That's right.

I have a signed confession.

Barbara, it's me. Jim.

Barbara.

(Correll)
I don't want
any conversation, Wyatt.

I'm not paying
for a conversation.

Throw me a piece.

I couldn't wait
to put on a price tag,
so I bought him.

I want what I paid for.
It's that simple.

[Humming]

[Sighing]

[Exclaims]

All right. Don't make a sound.

And don't try yelling
for one of your gorillas.

You can't yell
with a busted windpipe,
you just kind of whistle.

Okay?

[Panting]

I'm gonna turn you loose now.

But I think you
ought to know...

if I have to shoot you
in the back...

it's not gonna
bother me one bit.

[Gasping]

You remember Broder?

He likes to break things.

I'm gonna watch him break you.

Broder's not here.
There's just you and me
and your gun.

Where's Barbara?

Where is she?

You're not gonna shoot.

Bluffing only works when you
got the other player scared.

One shot from you,
you got six guys up here...

making chopped liver
out of you.

One shot.

You don't have to
work so hard. I've been
looking for a reason...

to pump one into you.

I'll handle your goons later.

You'd do it, wouldn't you?
You bet.

[Laughs]

What if I tell you
that Barbara's all right?

I don't want you
to tell me anything.
I want you to show me.

We leaving the way
you came in?

That'd be the hard way.

We're just gonna
walk down the stairs
and out the front door.

How do I explain you
to my friends?
I didn't think we'd have to.

We just sit up here
till it gets nice
and quiet downstairs.

Then we can go out
without any explanations
to anybody.

You mind if I sit?

You can stand right there.

[Car engine starting]

It's Correll. Open up.

I'll take the gun. Butt first.

He's got a gun in my back.
Do like the man says.

All right. Inside.

Right there.

Okay, go ahead.

Over there.

Barbara, you all right?

I told you
not to touch her.

Why not, Correll? You want her
to look good for the funeral?

You got it all
wrapped up, huh?
It looks that way.

Not from where
I'm standing, buddy.

You remember Howard?

He's right above you.

And he's got a gun, too.

Only don't be worried,
it's not pointing at you.

It's pointed at Barbara.
Knock it off, Correll.

(Howard)
No, you knock it off.

[Clicking]

What are we gonna do,
stand around
and shoot each other?

Or you could give us
our guns back.
I don't like that idea.

You don't have much choice.
Sure I do.

What we've got here
is a stand-off.

I'm willing to play it out.

So am I.

I didn't get where I am
by backing off of challenges.

You can pump one
into me if you want.

Only before you do...

you better say goodbye
to Barbara.

I know what a disappointment
this must be.

Do you always cover yourself?

Always.

[Sighing]

What am I gonna do with you?

You're going to kill her.
I'm surprised you haven't
done it already.

They wanted me to tell them
where you were.

It's okay. Now they know.

Shut up!

You were gonna go to the cops.
I didn't want to.

I was afraid.

You should've
told me about it.

We could've
worked something out.

How do you work out
a little thing like murder?

I'm gonna take care
of you myself.

And I'm really going
to enjoy it.

Who's gonna take care
of Barbara?

All right.

Outside.

Outside!

Where's your car?
I parked it around the side.

Get it.

I'm sorry, babe.

It's not the way I wanted it.

You know that.

Why didn't you keep running?

You could've gone
a long way on $50,000.

(policeman)
Freeze. Police.

[Tires screeching]

You keep yourself
covered, too.

Nice.

Where did they come from?

When I got to your motel room
and I found you gone...

I got in touch
with the D.A. Again.

I thought it'd be a good idea
if the cops put a tail on me.

What will they do to him?

Do you care?

I care.

Want another taco?
No.

All I want is
lots of fresh air...

and lots of people,
no more hiding.

It feels good.

Barbara, how did you
ever get mixed up
with a guy like Ralph Correll?

I don't know.
Just fell in love with him.

He was exciting, fun.
A warm, gentle...

Killer.

I don't want to talk
about Ralph. Okay?
Okay.

[Seagulls cawing]

Here.

What's that?
That's the tab.

The tacos are on me,
this is for our field trip
to Denver.

It's all itemized.

That much?

It's itemized.

No, I'm sure it's
all in order,
it's just that...

money is kind of a problem.

Barbara...

you couldn't have gone through
$50,000 in two weeks.

No, I didn't.
But I'm going to return it.

Why?

It doesn't belong to me.
I only took it because
I was desperate.

I mean, I had to
get away from Ralph.

But you're an honest man.
You wouldn't want
that kind of money.

Jim, would you?

Yeah. I would.