The Rockford Files (1974–1980): Season 2, Episode 13 - The Girl in the Bay City Boys Club - full transcript
Jim goes undercover to expose an illegal gambling club and gets help from a young D.A.
MAN: Your order, please?
Call the police.
There's a guy following me
in a white 1974 Datsun.
Tell them
he took a shot at me.
Well, I'm afraid you've
tailed the wrong man.
I'm not a board member,
I'm a newspaper publisher.
They're gambling in there,
aren't they?
No, I didn't say
they were gambling.
You got about $600
of my money there.
Don't figure on keeping it,
'cause I mean to get it back.
Mr. Flanders is in charge of
a labor union pension fund.
Now, I had a tip
that he's been dipping
into that fund
for his personal use.
Look,
I'm an innocent bystander.
They're usually the ones
who get shot.
(PHONE RINGING)
ROCKFORD:
(ON ANSWERING MACHINE)
This is Jim Rockford.
At the tone,
leave your name and message.
I'll get back to you.
(BEEPS)
Hi, sonny. It's Rocky.
I got the bill and I've been
trying to figure out
what everybody owes
on LJ's birthday party.
Tell me, did you have
the pink lady?
FLANDERS: I haven't had
a winning hand for hours.
WELLES: Your cut, Mr. Kiel.
FLANDERS: I'm down $600,
but deal me in anyway.
MOSHER: That'll cost you
three blue ones.
(CHIPS CLINKING)
(CHIPS CLINKING)
WELLES: That's gonna be
a big help.
The gym still needs
a lot of work,
and a good press
is money in the bank,
Mr. Kiel.
Well, I'm happy
to do my part.
Come on, Sy, deal.
You know, it's amazing
what you gentlemen
have done in
less than a year.
Well, I've been
very fortunate to
encounter some extremely
generous people, Mr. Keil,
yourself included.
Oh, what am I doing?
I'm just giving you a little
free space in my newspaper,
and who knows?
You could pick up
a few contributors,
and the paper might
get a commendation
from the City Council.
Good public relations,
good all the way around.
The board meeting's
over. You wanna
play cards or what?
Oh, I'm sorry,
I'm sorry. I'm in.
Not even a lousy gum wrapper.
Check the glove compartment.
Mostly bills, all current,
nothing past due.
Made out to Keil?
Yeah. Aaron Keil.
Couple of them
went to a newspaper.
Rest of them went
to a home address.
It's 25514 Loma Linda Lane,
Bel Air, Los Angeles, 900...
I don't need the zip code.
He's not going
on my Christmas card list.
Put it back
like you found it.
Oh, you gentlemen
were kind enough
to ask me to sit in.
I kind of feel bad about
taking your money.
Beginner's luck.
Isn't that what they call it?
(SCOFFING)
He ain't no beginner.
You got about $600
of my money there.
Don't figure on keeping it,
'cause I mean to get it back.
Mr. Flanders, sportsmanship
is part of the game.
Stuff sportsmanship.
I'm down $3,500 tonight.
In three and a half hours,
you know the best hand I had,
hmm?
A pair of fours.
Yeah, I remember.
He had a possible straight,
a possible flush...
You had a possible nothing
and you raised.
Give it up, Paul.
You're not gonna
get it back tonight.
Just somebody deal, okay?
Mr. Mosher's right.
Why don't we deal you out?
The cards are running
against you. Next Thursday...
In, I'm in.
THATCHER:
Three ladies, bless them.
Here's your other lady,
and I quit. I've had it.
Boy,
when they're running cold,
they're running cold.
Come on, I'll buy you
a cup of coffee.
Yeah, you'll have to.
Not a bad night's work.
Wonder why I play
poker so good?
You don't.
You had the right cards.
Well, maybe you'll get them
next week, Mr. Flanders.
How about you, Mr. Keil?
Next Thursday?
I wouldn't miss it.
MAN: Your order, please.
Call the police.
Your order, please.
That's it, you got it.
There's a guy following me
in a white 1974 Datsun,
California plates.
Tell the police
I'll be headed south
on Verdugo
and for them to intercept.
Are you nuts, mister?
Is this a rib?
Just tell them
he took a shot at me.
And, while you're at it,
would you throw in a taco
and a bag of fries?
(POLICE SIREN WAILING)
Out of the car, please.
All right, show me
some identification.
Sorry.
Hey, I didn't know
it was a lady.
Just a cup of coffee.
Make it two.
You wanted to talk?
Well,
where did you come from?
That was the worst job
of tailing anyone
I've ever seen.
I don't do it
for a living.
Good.
There were a couple of times
I thought you were gonna
end up in my trunk.
Who are you?
What do you want?
Who are you?
Well, look, Miss,
why don't we just swap IDs?
That way we'll both know
who we're talking to.
I said swap.
It's all right,
it doesn't matter anyway.
My name's Kate Flanders.
Aaron Keil,
I'm a newspaper publisher.
I met a Paul Flanders tonight.
Husband? Father?
Stepfather.
Which brings us back to
why you were following me.
I followed you
because you came out
of the Bay City Boys Club.
Is that supposed
to make sense?
It does to me.
It's personal.
Well, Miss Flanders,
obviously you're after
some kind of information,
so why don't you just
level with me, huh?
Maybe I can give you
a few answers.
Paul's a board member.
They meet
every Thursday night.
Well, no board meeting lasts
until 4:00 in the morning.
That's what time
he got home last week.
And he spent
the rest of the night
pacing up and down.
So you decided
to play gumshoe?
They're gambling in there,
aren't they?
I didn't say
they were gambling.
Oh, you don't have to.
Paul's been drawing
thousands of dollars
out of the bank
without any explanation.
But, you see, I got my hands
on the latest bank statement.
Now, there were
four cancelled checks,
all made out to cash,
all endorsed by Paul,
and all drawn on a Thursday.
You two must have
a nice relationship.
Who are the other players?
Ask your father.
No, he's my stepfather.
Oh, yes.
And the money isn't his,
it's my mother's.
As far as she's concerned,
Paul can do no wrong.
He could spend
every penny of it
and she'd go smiling
off to the poorhouse.
Well, at least
she sounds happy.
Well, you're pretty cavalier
about somebody else's money.
So are you.
It doesn't bother you that
my mother's being cheated?
Nobody's being cheated.
At least,
not as far as I can tell.
There's no dog-eared aces,
nobody dealing seconds.
They break out
a new deck of Bicycles
every few hands.
I even made you a profit.
Here's $950 profit.
And the $5,000 stake
you advanced me.
Doesn't that prove something,
your winning?
That was your first time
in the game, Mr. Rockford.
First few weeks I played,
I won, too.
Isn't that a classic come-on?
Yeah, but it doesn't prove
the game's crooked.
Are you saying you won't
work any further on it?
It's your money, Mr. Phelps.
I give you the facts,
you make the decisions.
All I'm saying is
the game looks clean.
If I stay on the case
for three weeks,
we still come up
with the same conclusion,
I don't want a hassle
over the tab.
There won't be
any hassle.
I'll pay you for tonight,
and give you an advance.
You were invited back
for next Thursday?
Yeah.
Be there.
Mr. Phelps, if you're sure
they're running a scam,
it'd be a lot cheaper
just to go to the cops.
I thought I explained that.
If I'm wrong
and I blow the whistle
on some of Bay City's
leading citizens,
it makes for lousy
public relations.
I'm a car dealer.
I have to sell
to those people.
I don't wanna
take a chance.
Do it my way, okay?
Okay.
I'll let myself out.
ROCKFORD: Angel?
Angel, are you down here?
Angel.
Huh?
Hey, turn on
the light switch, will you,
before I break my neck?
Is that you, Jimmy?
No, it's the night maid.
I come down here
to check the wastebaskets
for old chewing gum.
What time is it?
Do you know what time it is?
Yeah, well,
it took me a little longer
than I thought.
I really like
your new office.
I parked Aaron's car
out at the front entrance.
Where's mine?
It's around
the side of the building,
out in the alley.
Okay, thanks, Angel.
Thanks a lot.
I got you a good car, huh?
Good cover, right?
Yeah.
Well, what are friends for?
You know what I mean?
I wouldn't have done it for
anybody else, buddy, but you.
Can you imagine
what Aaron'd do to me
if he'd found out
I loaned you his car?
He's not gonna find out.
And even if he does,
what's he gonna do?
He's your brother-in-law.
That's only because
he's married to my sister.
I mean,
as far as he's concerned,
I'm not worth spit.
Everybody around here
knows that.
Especially the guy
in the garage.
Well, now, wait.
You told me the guy
in the garage would keep
his mouth shut for $25.
Okay, I gave you the $25.
Well, he took it.
I mean, you drive off,
half hour later, you're gone,
he hits me up again.
I'm not scamming you, Jimmy.
I mean, I couldn't take
no chances with Aaron.
Well, you're taking
one with me.
Now, this afternoon
you told me
you were flat broke
until the 15th, right?
I loaned you $10,
then I gave you $25
for the guy in the garage.
Knowing you,
you probably gave him $5.
That means if I search you,
you're gonna have $30 on you,
and that's going to
put a real strain
on our friendship.
I'm gonna punch out.
Angel, come on, now,
you're not gonna put in
for overtime, really?
Hey, I'm here, right?
Fair's fair.
Hit the lights
when I'm gone, would you?
Jimmy, Jimmy, it's me, Jimmy.
Hey, Jimmy.
Jimmy, it's me. Jimmy!
Open up, man, it's me.
What are you doing here?
Believe me, it wasn't my idea.
Hey, what's going on here?
We've got a couple of
questions we'd like to
ask you, Mr. Rockford.
Who are you?
We're the grievance committee.
From the Bay City Boys Club.
The Club has a number of
influential citizens
involved in its work.
It's become something of
a tradition on Thursday night,
after the board meeting,
to have a friendly game
of cards.
And?
It's a friendly game,
and it's clean.
Now, we mean
to keep it that way,
so when we get
a new player,
we check him out.
Oh, and I said
I was Aaron Keil,
and you looked me up
in the phone book,
went out the house.
And found out that
Mr. Keil is in Yugoslavia.
Thanks, Angel.
What'd you want me to do,
lie to them?
Listen,
they was waiting for me
when I got home,
and they was mean,
not polite
like they are now.
There's an explanation.
Oh, we figured
there would be.
Your friend told us
you're a private investigator.
Now, we'd like to know
why the masquerade,
what you're investigating,
and who your client is.
Simple.
Well, it's not that simple.
The identity of a client
is confidential.
You mean
you won't tell us?
Well, it's not that I won't,
I can't.
Then you got a problem.
Get dressed.
You got a problem,
I got a problem.
Tell them, Jimmy.
What's the matter
with you, man?
Did you take some
kind of vows or something?
Tell them.
All right, all right,
I was hired
by Mrs. Paul Flanders.
Her husband's been losing
heavily in the game.
And what he's been losing
isn't his, it belongs to her.
Mrs. Flanders says
she loves her husband,
she has a blind spot
about him,
and she's worried
about her daughter.
She's afraid there won't be
anything left for her.
So, Mrs. Flanders hired me
to find proof of the gambling
and try to put a stop to it.
Something about that
you didn't like?
Oh, just one thing.
There isn't any Mrs. Flanders.
Paul Flanders is a bachelor.
Is there a daughter?
He's never been married.
Well, then there
couldn't be a daughter.
Come on, get dressed.
You know,
maybe there's something
that you two guys
ought to know about
for your own protection.
My brother-in-law, Aaron,
and me, we're like that.
Don't know who's on top.
And if anything
ever happened to me,
boy, there'd be no telling
what he's liable to do.
Shut up.
Well, it was for
your protection,
you know.
I mean, if you got
a beef against Jimmy...
But I'm an innocent bystander.
They're usually the ones
who get shot.
Aaron wouldn't like that.
ROCKFORD: Get him, Angel!
(CAR ENGINE STARTING)
(TIRES SCREECHING)
Hey, all right,
all right, Angel.
I didn't know
you had it in you.
I wanna go home.
Home ain't Bay City.
I'm taking you home.
I just got a stop
to make first.
Let me out.
It's only gonna take
a minute or two.
Ain't the time
I'm worried about,
it's the possibilities.
First you ask me
for the loan of
Aaron's car,
and I come that close
to getting shot. Dead.
Hey, you get dropped off
somewheres for a little while,
I mean,
who knows what'll happen,
you know what I mean?
It gets so that
saying hello to you turns into
a high-risk proposition.
Relax, will you?
This is gonna be a quick
business meeting.
I wish you hadn't
said that.
Can't go back to Aaron's.
Them two gorillas is
gonna be staking that out.
Can't go back
to the newspaper.
They're liable to
take it into their minds
to drop by there.
Which means that I get docked.
No work, no pay.
That's one of Aaron's
ironclad rules.
You're a real pal.
Well, there ought to be
somebody home
this time of the morning.
I don't like it.
Oh, knock it off, Angel.
They're probably still asleep.
GARDENER:
Thinking of buying it?
Hi there.
No, is it for sale?
Oh, yeah.
I am taking care
of this place now.
Landscaped the whole thing
by myself.
Put in them
beautiful elm trees,
all the flowers,
the whole thing,
and you ain't buying.
Yeah, I... No, no,
I was looking for Mr. Phelps.
You know where
I can find him?
Yeah. Garden of Eternal Rest
over on Bexel.
Garden of Eternal Rest?
Don't know where else
they could put him.
He's dead.
But he can't be.
Angel, where are you going?
Home.
Well, he can't be dead.
I just talked to him
a few hours ago.
To Mr. Phelps, you didn't.
He's been dead for two months.
SERGEANT: You got
a woman named
Kate Flanders following you,
only she's not Kate Flanders.
You got hired
by a guy that's been
dead for two months.
You got two goons who say
they're from the Boys Club
pulling guns on you.
Now, just what am I
supposed to put down here?
That don't make
a whole lot of sense.
Well, I know
it doesn't make sense,
but I'm right
in the middle of it.
Look, there's something
going on around here
and I just want to be
on record with you guys.
So, you're on record.
That's all?
What do you want,
Mr. Rockford?
You want I should
make out a bunch of
John Doe complaints?
Yeah, why not?
I don't like paperwork.
Well, the least you could do
is check out the Boys Club.
I could do that.
And if what you say is true,
I could also arrest you
for gambling.
Gambling for money
is against the law,
except where it's legal.
Yeah, well, thanks, Sergeant.
You've really been a big help.
Look, buddy,
you're not the first PI
that's tried to play games
with this department.
You're getting paid
to do a job. Do it.
Don't try to hustle us
into doing it for you.
Not unless you can come up
with a lot better story.
Well, if you won't
move on this thing,
I'll just take it to the DA.
Gee, look at me,
I'm shaking in my boots.
And look at me,
I'm heading for the DA.
Look, miss, I know I came in
without an appointment,
and I know you're busy,
but I've been waiting
over there for 45 minutes
for a meeting
I can wrap up in 10.
There must be somebody
in authority around here
who's got a spare 10 minutes.
I'm sorry, Mr. Rockford,
we're really swamped today.
All right.
It's not your fault.
Thank you, Paul,
I appreciate your coming in.
Mr. Rockford, please.
Mr. Kimball can't see you.
He has an appointment.
It's all right, Holly,
I have a few minutes.
Well, Deputy DA, huh?
That's pretty good
for a man who's been dead
two months.
But then, you're not
Mr. Phelps, are you?
You're Mr. Kimball.
Come in.
I don't like being
suckered, Mr. Kimball.
And I don't like
your attitude.
Well, that's tough.
You lied to me.
Last night some woman
followed me
from the Boys Club,
and she lied to me.
Wait a minute.
Then this morning
a couple of goons
show up at my trailer.
They said they were
from the Boys Club,
and they had guns
and a lot of questions.
Well, I've got
some questions, too.
I want to know
what's going on.
Did you get any names?
Did you tell them
you were working for me?
Well, I didn't know
I was working for you.
I thought I was working
for a Mr. Phelps.
Now, I repeat,
what's going on?
Sit down.
You want an explanation,
sit down.
A few weeks ago, an informant,
the name doesn't matter,
a reliable informant
came to see me about
the Bay City Boys Club.
He claimed they were playing
high-stakes poker there,
and that the game was rigged.
Now, you sat in with them
last night.
You know the caliber
of men involved.
But does the caliber of men
have anything to do with
why you didn't
just bust the game
like you would any crapshoot
in a downtown alley?
I'm a political realist,
Mr. Rockford,
but I will bust a game.
First I have to know
if the game is rigged.
Well, all you have to do
is just push one of those
little buttons on your desk.
You've got
the entire police force
and the District Attorney's
Office who'll work with you.
Why bring me into it?
Because if the game
is crooked,
they may have bought
protection from the cops.
Or from this office.
If they have,
I wanna know that, too.
Then I bust
the entire operation.
I don't believe you.
It would make
our working relationship
more pleasant if you did.
We don't have
a working relationship.
It's in the Garden
of Eternal Rest.
You've had clients before
who didn't completely level
with you.
Yeah. And every time
I found out about it,
the same thing happened.
I quit.
Get me Captain Auden, LAPD.
HOLLY: Yes, sir.
And Doyle's waiting.
Not now.
It's urgent, sir.
Okay, but first
get me Captain Auden.
Is this where you flex
all those legal muscles?
They're considerable,
Mr. Rockford.
Oh, I'll bet they are.
(INTERCOM BUZZING)
Captain Auden on line three.
That you, Sam? Burt Kimball.
Yeah, yeah, it has been.
How've you been? Good.
And Vi?
Let's do dinner
next week, okay?
Listen, Sam,
I have a little problem
I thought maybe you can
give me some help with.
There's a private
investigator, lives in Malibu.
James Rockford.
Ever hear of him?
Yeah, yeah, that's the guy.
It occurs to me
it might be time
for a short refresher course
in acceptable behavior
toward the authorities.
Can you hold on a minute, Sam?
I'm about to suggest
that Captain Auden
suspend your license
for a few months.
Go ahead and suggest it.
He could do it.
Yeah, yeah, then I'd appeal,
and there'd have to be
a hearing.
What I've been
investigating and why
would all have
to come out in the open.
So unless you're
absolutely clean
in all this,
and I have a hunch
you're not,
you're gonna have
a lot of explaining to do.
You want to finish
your conversation?
Sam?
Sorry, I got an emergency
over at the courthouse.
Rockford?
Forget about it, Sam.
We'll handle it on this end.
Be in touch.
Don't get any ideas,
Rockford.
I'm gonna see to it
that they jerk your ticket
after I wrap this case.
I'm not having the lid blown
by some penny-ante PI.
So, let me give you
a little advice...
Don't.
Don't lean, don't hassle,
and don't threaten.
I happen to be
in a very bad mood.
Miss Doyle, Mr. Kimball
will see you now.
Oh, thank you.
Miss Doyle.
Mr. Rockford, please,
wait a minute. Please.
All right, I lied to you.
No.
Well, there's no need
for sarcasm. I had a reason.
Well, everyone
I've met lately
has a reason.
What, do you get
points around here for
not telling the truth?
Mr. Rockford, Mr. Rockford,
what right do you have
to be so sanctimonious?
You lied to me.
You told me your name
was Aaron Keil,
newspaper publisher,
phony ID and all.
Well, that was business.
Oh, and I was out
for a little madcap fun?
I lied to protect
an investigation
I'm involved in.
Now, what's so wrong
about that?
Apparently nothing.
It seems to go on
around here all the time.
I am with
the District Attorney's office
and I'm investigating
Paul Flanders.
Your late stepfather?
Mr. Flanders is in charge
of a labor union pension fund.
Now, I had a tip
that he's been dipping
into that fund
for his personal use.
I had another tip
that he's been losing
the money
at that poker game
every Thursday night.
I even tried to get
into the game.
But they don't allow girls
in the Bay City Boys Club.
What union?
What?
What's the name
of the union?
The American Brotherhood
of Affiliated Machine
and Textile Workers.
What's the address?
2426 Southwest 17th Street.
What floor?
What is this?
What floor?
Second floor.
What's the name
of Mr. Flanders' secretary?
Well, that would...
Mr. Rockford,
I've only told you this
because I need your help.
That's too bad.
Mr. Rockford.
You're lying,
Burt Kimball's lying,
and the two of you
ought to watch it.
That's the kind of thing
that can shake
a person's faith
in public officials.
(KNOCKING ON DOOR)
Mr. Rockford,
it's Kate Doyle.
Go away.
Mr. Rockford.
I'm busy.
Please.
Miss Doyle, I didn't get
much sleep last night.
I'm trying to
recoup my losses.
"Kate" would be friendlier.
I'm not feeling
friendly, Kate.
Five minutes?
I need help and I think
you're in a position
to give it to me.
Now before you say no,
hear me out.
Well, before I say no,
the kind of help I give
costs $200 a day,
plus expenses.
I'm authorized to make
a financial commitment.
Well, I'm not interested.
Hey, now, don't I get
my full five minutes?
Sit down.
For the past two years,
I've been
a Deputy District Attorney
in Bay City.
Now, I know
what our office is like.
Believe me,
it's a clean operation.
Well, I've only had
the pleasure of meeting
you and Burt Kimball.
And we have both lied to you.
Now, don't read things
into that that aren't true.
That is not a reflection
on the office.
Well, what difference
does it make
what I think of the office?
Well, I'm proud of it.
I'm proud of the work we do.
My father spent
his whole life
reading the law.
Not practicing it,
just reading it.
He was too busy
supporting a family to afford
the luxury of law school.
But he helped me
to get through.
And he taught me
to respect the law,
in spirit and in fact.
I know that doesn't mean
anything to you,
but I want you to understand
why I care so much,
why it's so important to me.
Why? What's so important?
What Burt Kimball's
been doing.
Burt has always had
the reputation for being
a tough prosecutor,
and he earned it.
But for the past three months
he's been plea bargaining
where there was
no need for it,
where we had good,
solid cases.
Why, he refused to
prosecute in two instances
where I know
we had the accused cold
on criminal charges,
a narcotics bust
and a prostitution ring.
Now, Burt hired you.
I know because
I've been following him.
Why?
He thought they were running
a crooked card game
at the Boys Club.
He said he'd lost a bundle.
Then he could be
under pressure
because of his losses.
Heavy losses,
heavy pressure.
As a District Attorney,
he can't afford to let
a mess like that go public.
If he's in deep
and he can't pay off,
that gives somebody
a very nice lever.
And it's being
used to influence
the disposition of cases.
No, but the cases
are unrelated.
There were different people
involved every time.
Were they all criminal cases?
And I know
where you're going with that,
and you're wrong.
There has never been
any organized crime
in Bay City.
Looks like there is now.
May I use your phone?
Yeah.
We'll see him this afternoon.
When did that become "we"?
I just want you there
to corroborate the fact
that he hired you, and why.
Holly? It's Kate Doyle.
I'm on my way in.
Would you ask Mr. Kimball
to wait for me, please?
I have something important
to discuss.
Well, tell him to
cancel his meeting.
I'll be there in half an hour.
Holly says he's leaving
the office about 4:00.
We should be able to make it.
Please?
It's five to four.
He should still be here.
Does he have an assigned
parking place?
Mmm-hmm.
In the underground garage.
Okay.
We wait for him there,
we can't miss him.
Which one's Kimball's car?
Over there.
Thanks for coming with me.
You didn't have to,
you know. Not legally.
I know.
Well, then why did you?
Oh, I don't know, maybe...
Maybe it was because
you said "please".
Oh, dear God.
Is he...
We've gotta make
a police report.
Let somebody else find him.
No, no, we have to
make a report.
Look, they caught up
with Kimball.
Now they know
I'm in it somehow,
so they're gonna be
looking for me.
You and I walk
into a police station,
they're gonna know
you're in it.
Now, I don't know about you,
but I got some plans
for the future.
In order for them to work out,
I first have to have a future.
Now, get in.
I've never done
anything like that
before in my life.
We should have
made that report.
Listen, if it'll make you
feel any better, we will.
As soon as we have
something solid
to report to the police.
Are you sure
your friend won't mind us
just stopping by like this?
Oh, he...
We should have
phoned first.
He's been holed up here
all day long.
He'll be happy as a clam
to have company.
ANGEL: Go away.
Angel, open up.
You got no right
pushing your way in here.
I could have you arrested.
I thought you said
he was a friend.
Oh, he is. Angel!
Are you sure
nobody tailed you?
Yeah, I'm sure.
That's all I need,
them two guys finding out
where I live.
You shouldn't ought to
do that to me, Jimmy.
Would I ever do
that kind of thing to you?
You did at 6:00 this morning.
You want some coffee?
Hmm.
Yeah,
make yourselves at home.
Relax, Angel.
We just needed
a nice, quiet, safe place
to do some thinking.
Uh-huh.
And who popped into your mind?
Me. That's a real good deal.
I spent the whole day
trying to stay away from you.
What, do you want
to see me dead?
No.
No, I don't want
to see you dead
and I don't want to see me
dead, either.
Do you really think
those two men
who came to your trailer
this morning
were the ones
who killed Burt?
Who's Burt?
Well, they could be.
They took a very
business-like approach
to violence.
Who's Burt?
Oh, he was my client.
Or was my client. He was
the Deputy District Attorney
in Bay City.
District Attorney?
Well, you never told me
about that one, did you?
First you got me
mixed up with
a couple of bone crushers,
now you got me mixed up
with the law.
I'm a Deputy DA.
I'm sorry,
this is Kate Doyle.
Angel Martin.
It's a pleasure
to meet you, Miss Doyle.
Did you get her
some cream and sugar?
I've been thinking
about what you said.
You really believe
Burt was taken over
by the mob?
Well, it makes sense,
doesn't it?
I mean, George Welles
founded the Boys Club,
so it has to be
his operation.
Now, let's say that
he was out to open up
a new territory
for organized crime.
He needed key men
who were legitimate.
So he got them
in a crooked card game,
let them win a little, lose
a lot, and blackmail them.
Burt Kimball was used
for case fixing?
What about the others
in the game?
Yeah. Well, I can only guess.
Ted Thatcher's a banker.
That comes in handy
when you're dealing
in dirty money,
and Sy Mosher's theater chain
would be a good outlet
for pornographic movies.
Now, Paul Flanders.
Paul Flanders is in control
of a union pension fund.
That's instant financing.
How do we prove it?
We find out how
the game was rigged.
And I had an idea
I was working on,
then everything went sour,
and I never got around to it.
The city engineers.
KATE: It might help if I knew
what we were looking for.
Any structural changes
to the building.
But the whole gym is new.
No, no, no,
just to this one office.
Nothing.
What does that mean?
Well, it means that
if they were using
a peephole,
they'd have to
put in a false ceiling
for crawl space,
but they didn't.
Back to square one.
No. No, they re-wired.
They put in a new power box.
ROCKFORD:
Well, this is Miss Doyle
from the District Attorney's
Office.
CLERK: I haven't done
anything wrong.
I don't hold you
responsible, Miss.
I don't even hold
the power company
responsible.
It's the Bay City Boys Club
I'm after.
Then why don't you
talk to them?
Well, don't get snippy, Miss.
That's what I plan to do
as soon as you give me
the ammunition I need.
Now, I'd like to see
a record of their bills.
I can't do that.
Well, you gonna let them
keep on doing me
like they have been?
What have they been doing?
Look, I know
they're stealing my power.
They put in a machine shop
over there, and whomp!
It shows up on my bill.
So I just filed a complaint
with Miss Doyle.
Now,
you can either cooperate,
or we'll get a court order.
Nobody could do
what he's suggesting.
How long would it take you
to get a court order?
Well, go ahead,
just go ahead and get one.
I'll wait for you here.
All right.
I'll get the records.
Which months do you want?
Oh, a random sampling.
A year ago, six months,
and the current charges.
I don't feel right
getting information this way.
It's dishonest.
Yeah, and fast, too.
Look,
I checked out the game.
I couldn't find
anything wrong.
We ruled out
the peephole.
So if there is
something crooked,
it'll probably show up here.
One year ago,
six months ago
and current.
They're using
three times the power
they used a year ago.
But the figures
for the past six months
are consistent.
Their bills
are worse than mine.
I must have been wrong.
In the future,
please check your facts
before you go around
filing complaints.
And don't let him off
too easy, Miss.
He made me miss my bus home.
Here, take a cab.
Well, what's using up
all that power?
Well, it could be
TV cameras.
They could have them
spotted around the room
to pick up every hand.
If we go in there
with a search warrant
and you're wrong...
Oh, we're not using
a search warrant.
No, I'll stake out
the Club tonight
when I'm sure
it's deserted. I'll get in.
How?
Oh, I'll get in.
If you're thinking
of breaking and entering,
I'm an officer of the Court.
And one of your colleagues
was murdered today.
So, I'll get in,
I'll check out the room.
When I've located
the cameras,
I'll come out
and report to you,
you get your search warrant
and make your bust,
all nice and legal.
I'm going with you.
Oh, no.
Well, either I go with you,
or while you're staking out
the Boys Club,
I'm gonna have
a couple of Bay City's
finest staking you out,
and when you try to get in,
they're going to arrest you.
You're learning.
Those are illegal.
Yeah, and so is
what we're doing.
(DOOR UNLOCKING)
Hell, I'll have to
get those draperies.
And we have to chance
a little light in here
or I won't be able
to find anything.
Stand by that lamp.
When I tell you,
hit the switch.
Now.
Well, how do we know
where to start looking?
Well, anywhere where
there's a good vantage point
of the card table.
Ideally, it'd be up there.
Don't touch that thing.
It's very sensitive.
You'll activate it,
and the whole fire department
will be here in two minutes.
I won't activate it.
It's not a sprinkler head.
It's a camera lens.
Are you sure? It's so small.
Yes, it's probably got
a magnification lens
built into it.
Well, it's solid.
They wouldn't need
a crawl space
for a camera operator.
They'd just need a feed
to a monitoring station.
Probably some other
cameras around,
but one's good enough
for a bust.
Let's get out of here.
No, wait a minute.
Now, the camera operator sees
what all the players
are holding and
what they discard.
But how does he transmit
that information to the person
he's working with?
George Welles is the man
in the game.
Now, he's probably
wired to get the signals
electronically and in code.
It's been done before,
and very successfully.
Let's go.
I want those cameras
out of here tonight.
Well, nobody knows
about them but us.
Look, I want them out.
Let's move!
In there. Hurry!
Get up there.
Hurry!
He's coming! He's coming!
(GUN FIRING)
The exit! The exit!
Psst.
(BALL BOUNCING)
Quick.
(FIRE ENGINE SIREN BLARING)
Officer... Officer,
there's three men with guns
coming out that door
right now.
Thanks.
Well, thank you.
They're letting me
prosecute this one personally.
You guarantee a conviction?
With the evidence we have,
how can I miss?
All three of them
are charged with murder
and at least a dozen
other felonies.
Hey, did you find out
why they shot Burt Kimball?
Burt was beginning
to unravel.
They were afraid
he was gonna bring
the whole thing down.
Well, in a way, he did.
For a DA,
he really didn't understand
the criminal mind.
You know, speaking of
the criminal mind,
you have a tendency
to bend a lot of rules.
Such as?
Carrying a lock pick,
breaking and entering,
destruction of
private property...
Those are all
chargeable offenses.
Yeah, you know what's worse?
I had an accomplice.
I know.
Oh, hey,
if you're gonna look
that unhappy now,
I think you and I
should have a talk.
I mean, a long, long talk.
Call the police.
There's a guy following me
in a white 1974 Datsun.
Tell them
he took a shot at me.
Well, I'm afraid you've
tailed the wrong man.
I'm not a board member,
I'm a newspaper publisher.
They're gambling in there,
aren't they?
No, I didn't say
they were gambling.
You got about $600
of my money there.
Don't figure on keeping it,
'cause I mean to get it back.
Mr. Flanders is in charge of
a labor union pension fund.
Now, I had a tip
that he's been dipping
into that fund
for his personal use.
Look,
I'm an innocent bystander.
They're usually the ones
who get shot.
(PHONE RINGING)
ROCKFORD:
(ON ANSWERING MACHINE)
This is Jim Rockford.
At the tone,
leave your name and message.
I'll get back to you.
(BEEPS)
Hi, sonny. It's Rocky.
I got the bill and I've been
trying to figure out
what everybody owes
on LJ's birthday party.
Tell me, did you have
the pink lady?
FLANDERS: I haven't had
a winning hand for hours.
WELLES: Your cut, Mr. Kiel.
FLANDERS: I'm down $600,
but deal me in anyway.
MOSHER: That'll cost you
three blue ones.
(CHIPS CLINKING)
(CHIPS CLINKING)
WELLES: That's gonna be
a big help.
The gym still needs
a lot of work,
and a good press
is money in the bank,
Mr. Kiel.
Well, I'm happy
to do my part.
Come on, Sy, deal.
You know, it's amazing
what you gentlemen
have done in
less than a year.
Well, I've been
very fortunate to
encounter some extremely
generous people, Mr. Keil,
yourself included.
Oh, what am I doing?
I'm just giving you a little
free space in my newspaper,
and who knows?
You could pick up
a few contributors,
and the paper might
get a commendation
from the City Council.
Good public relations,
good all the way around.
The board meeting's
over. You wanna
play cards or what?
Oh, I'm sorry,
I'm sorry. I'm in.
Not even a lousy gum wrapper.
Check the glove compartment.
Mostly bills, all current,
nothing past due.
Made out to Keil?
Yeah. Aaron Keil.
Couple of them
went to a newspaper.
Rest of them went
to a home address.
It's 25514 Loma Linda Lane,
Bel Air, Los Angeles, 900...
I don't need the zip code.
He's not going
on my Christmas card list.
Put it back
like you found it.
Oh, you gentlemen
were kind enough
to ask me to sit in.
I kind of feel bad about
taking your money.
Beginner's luck.
Isn't that what they call it?
(SCOFFING)
He ain't no beginner.
You got about $600
of my money there.
Don't figure on keeping it,
'cause I mean to get it back.
Mr. Flanders, sportsmanship
is part of the game.
Stuff sportsmanship.
I'm down $3,500 tonight.
In three and a half hours,
you know the best hand I had,
hmm?
A pair of fours.
Yeah, I remember.
He had a possible straight,
a possible flush...
You had a possible nothing
and you raised.
Give it up, Paul.
You're not gonna
get it back tonight.
Just somebody deal, okay?
Mr. Mosher's right.
Why don't we deal you out?
The cards are running
against you. Next Thursday...
In, I'm in.
THATCHER:
Three ladies, bless them.
Here's your other lady,
and I quit. I've had it.
Boy,
when they're running cold,
they're running cold.
Come on, I'll buy you
a cup of coffee.
Yeah, you'll have to.
Not a bad night's work.
Wonder why I play
poker so good?
You don't.
You had the right cards.
Well, maybe you'll get them
next week, Mr. Flanders.
How about you, Mr. Keil?
Next Thursday?
I wouldn't miss it.
MAN: Your order, please.
Call the police.
Your order, please.
That's it, you got it.
There's a guy following me
in a white 1974 Datsun,
California plates.
Tell the police
I'll be headed south
on Verdugo
and for them to intercept.
Are you nuts, mister?
Is this a rib?
Just tell them
he took a shot at me.
And, while you're at it,
would you throw in a taco
and a bag of fries?
(POLICE SIREN WAILING)
Out of the car, please.
All right, show me
some identification.
Sorry.
Hey, I didn't know
it was a lady.
Just a cup of coffee.
Make it two.
You wanted to talk?
Well,
where did you come from?
That was the worst job
of tailing anyone
I've ever seen.
I don't do it
for a living.
Good.
There were a couple of times
I thought you were gonna
end up in my trunk.
Who are you?
What do you want?
Who are you?
Well, look, Miss,
why don't we just swap IDs?
That way we'll both know
who we're talking to.
I said swap.
It's all right,
it doesn't matter anyway.
My name's Kate Flanders.
Aaron Keil,
I'm a newspaper publisher.
I met a Paul Flanders tonight.
Husband? Father?
Stepfather.
Which brings us back to
why you were following me.
I followed you
because you came out
of the Bay City Boys Club.
Is that supposed
to make sense?
It does to me.
It's personal.
Well, Miss Flanders,
obviously you're after
some kind of information,
so why don't you just
level with me, huh?
Maybe I can give you
a few answers.
Paul's a board member.
They meet
every Thursday night.
Well, no board meeting lasts
until 4:00 in the morning.
That's what time
he got home last week.
And he spent
the rest of the night
pacing up and down.
So you decided
to play gumshoe?
They're gambling in there,
aren't they?
I didn't say
they were gambling.
Oh, you don't have to.
Paul's been drawing
thousands of dollars
out of the bank
without any explanation.
But, you see, I got my hands
on the latest bank statement.
Now, there were
four cancelled checks,
all made out to cash,
all endorsed by Paul,
and all drawn on a Thursday.
You two must have
a nice relationship.
Who are the other players?
Ask your father.
No, he's my stepfather.
Oh, yes.
And the money isn't his,
it's my mother's.
As far as she's concerned,
Paul can do no wrong.
He could spend
every penny of it
and she'd go smiling
off to the poorhouse.
Well, at least
she sounds happy.
Well, you're pretty cavalier
about somebody else's money.
So are you.
It doesn't bother you that
my mother's being cheated?
Nobody's being cheated.
At least,
not as far as I can tell.
There's no dog-eared aces,
nobody dealing seconds.
They break out
a new deck of Bicycles
every few hands.
I even made you a profit.
Here's $950 profit.
And the $5,000 stake
you advanced me.
Doesn't that prove something,
your winning?
That was your first time
in the game, Mr. Rockford.
First few weeks I played,
I won, too.
Isn't that a classic come-on?
Yeah, but it doesn't prove
the game's crooked.
Are you saying you won't
work any further on it?
It's your money, Mr. Phelps.
I give you the facts,
you make the decisions.
All I'm saying is
the game looks clean.
If I stay on the case
for three weeks,
we still come up
with the same conclusion,
I don't want a hassle
over the tab.
There won't be
any hassle.
I'll pay you for tonight,
and give you an advance.
You were invited back
for next Thursday?
Yeah.
Be there.
Mr. Phelps, if you're sure
they're running a scam,
it'd be a lot cheaper
just to go to the cops.
I thought I explained that.
If I'm wrong
and I blow the whistle
on some of Bay City's
leading citizens,
it makes for lousy
public relations.
I'm a car dealer.
I have to sell
to those people.
I don't wanna
take a chance.
Do it my way, okay?
Okay.
I'll let myself out.
ROCKFORD: Angel?
Angel, are you down here?
Angel.
Huh?
Hey, turn on
the light switch, will you,
before I break my neck?
Is that you, Jimmy?
No, it's the night maid.
I come down here
to check the wastebaskets
for old chewing gum.
What time is it?
Do you know what time it is?
Yeah, well,
it took me a little longer
than I thought.
I really like
your new office.
I parked Aaron's car
out at the front entrance.
Where's mine?
It's around
the side of the building,
out in the alley.
Okay, thanks, Angel.
Thanks a lot.
I got you a good car, huh?
Good cover, right?
Yeah.
Well, what are friends for?
You know what I mean?
I wouldn't have done it for
anybody else, buddy, but you.
Can you imagine
what Aaron'd do to me
if he'd found out
I loaned you his car?
He's not gonna find out.
And even if he does,
what's he gonna do?
He's your brother-in-law.
That's only because
he's married to my sister.
I mean,
as far as he's concerned,
I'm not worth spit.
Everybody around here
knows that.
Especially the guy
in the garage.
Well, now, wait.
You told me the guy
in the garage would keep
his mouth shut for $25.
Okay, I gave you the $25.
Well, he took it.
I mean, you drive off,
half hour later, you're gone,
he hits me up again.
I'm not scamming you, Jimmy.
I mean, I couldn't take
no chances with Aaron.
Well, you're taking
one with me.
Now, this afternoon
you told me
you were flat broke
until the 15th, right?
I loaned you $10,
then I gave you $25
for the guy in the garage.
Knowing you,
you probably gave him $5.
That means if I search you,
you're gonna have $30 on you,
and that's going to
put a real strain
on our friendship.
I'm gonna punch out.
Angel, come on, now,
you're not gonna put in
for overtime, really?
Hey, I'm here, right?
Fair's fair.
Hit the lights
when I'm gone, would you?
Jimmy, Jimmy, it's me, Jimmy.
Hey, Jimmy.
Jimmy, it's me. Jimmy!
Open up, man, it's me.
What are you doing here?
Believe me, it wasn't my idea.
Hey, what's going on here?
We've got a couple of
questions we'd like to
ask you, Mr. Rockford.
Who are you?
We're the grievance committee.
From the Bay City Boys Club.
The Club has a number of
influential citizens
involved in its work.
It's become something of
a tradition on Thursday night,
after the board meeting,
to have a friendly game
of cards.
And?
It's a friendly game,
and it's clean.
Now, we mean
to keep it that way,
so when we get
a new player,
we check him out.
Oh, and I said
I was Aaron Keil,
and you looked me up
in the phone book,
went out the house.
And found out that
Mr. Keil is in Yugoslavia.
Thanks, Angel.
What'd you want me to do,
lie to them?
Listen,
they was waiting for me
when I got home,
and they was mean,
not polite
like they are now.
There's an explanation.
Oh, we figured
there would be.
Your friend told us
you're a private investigator.
Now, we'd like to know
why the masquerade,
what you're investigating,
and who your client is.
Simple.
Well, it's not that simple.
The identity of a client
is confidential.
You mean
you won't tell us?
Well, it's not that I won't,
I can't.
Then you got a problem.
Get dressed.
You got a problem,
I got a problem.
Tell them, Jimmy.
What's the matter
with you, man?
Did you take some
kind of vows or something?
Tell them.
All right, all right,
I was hired
by Mrs. Paul Flanders.
Her husband's been losing
heavily in the game.
And what he's been losing
isn't his, it belongs to her.
Mrs. Flanders says
she loves her husband,
she has a blind spot
about him,
and she's worried
about her daughter.
She's afraid there won't be
anything left for her.
So, Mrs. Flanders hired me
to find proof of the gambling
and try to put a stop to it.
Something about that
you didn't like?
Oh, just one thing.
There isn't any Mrs. Flanders.
Paul Flanders is a bachelor.
Is there a daughter?
He's never been married.
Well, then there
couldn't be a daughter.
Come on, get dressed.
You know,
maybe there's something
that you two guys
ought to know about
for your own protection.
My brother-in-law, Aaron,
and me, we're like that.
Don't know who's on top.
And if anything
ever happened to me,
boy, there'd be no telling
what he's liable to do.
Shut up.
Well, it was for
your protection,
you know.
I mean, if you got
a beef against Jimmy...
But I'm an innocent bystander.
They're usually the ones
who get shot.
Aaron wouldn't like that.
ROCKFORD: Get him, Angel!
(CAR ENGINE STARTING)
(TIRES SCREECHING)
Hey, all right,
all right, Angel.
I didn't know
you had it in you.
I wanna go home.
Home ain't Bay City.
I'm taking you home.
I just got a stop
to make first.
Let me out.
It's only gonna take
a minute or two.
Ain't the time
I'm worried about,
it's the possibilities.
First you ask me
for the loan of
Aaron's car,
and I come that close
to getting shot. Dead.
Hey, you get dropped off
somewheres for a little while,
I mean,
who knows what'll happen,
you know what I mean?
It gets so that
saying hello to you turns into
a high-risk proposition.
Relax, will you?
This is gonna be a quick
business meeting.
I wish you hadn't
said that.
Can't go back to Aaron's.
Them two gorillas is
gonna be staking that out.
Can't go back
to the newspaper.
They're liable to
take it into their minds
to drop by there.
Which means that I get docked.
No work, no pay.
That's one of Aaron's
ironclad rules.
You're a real pal.
Well, there ought to be
somebody home
this time of the morning.
I don't like it.
Oh, knock it off, Angel.
They're probably still asleep.
GARDENER:
Thinking of buying it?
Hi there.
No, is it for sale?
Oh, yeah.
I am taking care
of this place now.
Landscaped the whole thing
by myself.
Put in them
beautiful elm trees,
all the flowers,
the whole thing,
and you ain't buying.
Yeah, I... No, no,
I was looking for Mr. Phelps.
You know where
I can find him?
Yeah. Garden of Eternal Rest
over on Bexel.
Garden of Eternal Rest?
Don't know where else
they could put him.
He's dead.
But he can't be.
Angel, where are you going?
Home.
Well, he can't be dead.
I just talked to him
a few hours ago.
To Mr. Phelps, you didn't.
He's been dead for two months.
SERGEANT: You got
a woman named
Kate Flanders following you,
only she's not Kate Flanders.
You got hired
by a guy that's been
dead for two months.
You got two goons who say
they're from the Boys Club
pulling guns on you.
Now, just what am I
supposed to put down here?
That don't make
a whole lot of sense.
Well, I know
it doesn't make sense,
but I'm right
in the middle of it.
Look, there's something
going on around here
and I just want to be
on record with you guys.
So, you're on record.
That's all?
What do you want,
Mr. Rockford?
You want I should
make out a bunch of
John Doe complaints?
Yeah, why not?
I don't like paperwork.
Well, the least you could do
is check out the Boys Club.
I could do that.
And if what you say is true,
I could also arrest you
for gambling.
Gambling for money
is against the law,
except where it's legal.
Yeah, well, thanks, Sergeant.
You've really been a big help.
Look, buddy,
you're not the first PI
that's tried to play games
with this department.
You're getting paid
to do a job. Do it.
Don't try to hustle us
into doing it for you.
Not unless you can come up
with a lot better story.
Well, if you won't
move on this thing,
I'll just take it to the DA.
Gee, look at me,
I'm shaking in my boots.
And look at me,
I'm heading for the DA.
Look, miss, I know I came in
without an appointment,
and I know you're busy,
but I've been waiting
over there for 45 minutes
for a meeting
I can wrap up in 10.
There must be somebody
in authority around here
who's got a spare 10 minutes.
I'm sorry, Mr. Rockford,
we're really swamped today.
All right.
It's not your fault.
Thank you, Paul,
I appreciate your coming in.
Mr. Rockford, please.
Mr. Kimball can't see you.
He has an appointment.
It's all right, Holly,
I have a few minutes.
Well, Deputy DA, huh?
That's pretty good
for a man who's been dead
two months.
But then, you're not
Mr. Phelps, are you?
You're Mr. Kimball.
Come in.
I don't like being
suckered, Mr. Kimball.
And I don't like
your attitude.
Well, that's tough.
You lied to me.
Last night some woman
followed me
from the Boys Club,
and she lied to me.
Wait a minute.
Then this morning
a couple of goons
show up at my trailer.
They said they were
from the Boys Club,
and they had guns
and a lot of questions.
Well, I've got
some questions, too.
I want to know
what's going on.
Did you get any names?
Did you tell them
you were working for me?
Well, I didn't know
I was working for you.
I thought I was working
for a Mr. Phelps.
Now, I repeat,
what's going on?
Sit down.
You want an explanation,
sit down.
A few weeks ago, an informant,
the name doesn't matter,
a reliable informant
came to see me about
the Bay City Boys Club.
He claimed they were playing
high-stakes poker there,
and that the game was rigged.
Now, you sat in with them
last night.
You know the caliber
of men involved.
But does the caliber of men
have anything to do with
why you didn't
just bust the game
like you would any crapshoot
in a downtown alley?
I'm a political realist,
Mr. Rockford,
but I will bust a game.
First I have to know
if the game is rigged.
Well, all you have to do
is just push one of those
little buttons on your desk.
You've got
the entire police force
and the District Attorney's
Office who'll work with you.
Why bring me into it?
Because if the game
is crooked,
they may have bought
protection from the cops.
Or from this office.
If they have,
I wanna know that, too.
Then I bust
the entire operation.
I don't believe you.
It would make
our working relationship
more pleasant if you did.
We don't have
a working relationship.
It's in the Garden
of Eternal Rest.
You've had clients before
who didn't completely level
with you.
Yeah. And every time
I found out about it,
the same thing happened.
I quit.
Get me Captain Auden, LAPD.
HOLLY: Yes, sir.
And Doyle's waiting.
Not now.
It's urgent, sir.
Okay, but first
get me Captain Auden.
Is this where you flex
all those legal muscles?
They're considerable,
Mr. Rockford.
Oh, I'll bet they are.
(INTERCOM BUZZING)
Captain Auden on line three.
That you, Sam? Burt Kimball.
Yeah, yeah, it has been.
How've you been? Good.
And Vi?
Let's do dinner
next week, okay?
Listen, Sam,
I have a little problem
I thought maybe you can
give me some help with.
There's a private
investigator, lives in Malibu.
James Rockford.
Ever hear of him?
Yeah, yeah, that's the guy.
It occurs to me
it might be time
for a short refresher course
in acceptable behavior
toward the authorities.
Can you hold on a minute, Sam?
I'm about to suggest
that Captain Auden
suspend your license
for a few months.
Go ahead and suggest it.
He could do it.
Yeah, yeah, then I'd appeal,
and there'd have to be
a hearing.
What I've been
investigating and why
would all have
to come out in the open.
So unless you're
absolutely clean
in all this,
and I have a hunch
you're not,
you're gonna have
a lot of explaining to do.
You want to finish
your conversation?
Sam?
Sorry, I got an emergency
over at the courthouse.
Rockford?
Forget about it, Sam.
We'll handle it on this end.
Be in touch.
Don't get any ideas,
Rockford.
I'm gonna see to it
that they jerk your ticket
after I wrap this case.
I'm not having the lid blown
by some penny-ante PI.
So, let me give you
a little advice...
Don't.
Don't lean, don't hassle,
and don't threaten.
I happen to be
in a very bad mood.
Miss Doyle, Mr. Kimball
will see you now.
Oh, thank you.
Miss Doyle.
Mr. Rockford, please,
wait a minute. Please.
All right, I lied to you.
No.
Well, there's no need
for sarcasm. I had a reason.
Well, everyone
I've met lately
has a reason.
What, do you get
points around here for
not telling the truth?
Mr. Rockford, Mr. Rockford,
what right do you have
to be so sanctimonious?
You lied to me.
You told me your name
was Aaron Keil,
newspaper publisher,
phony ID and all.
Well, that was business.
Oh, and I was out
for a little madcap fun?
I lied to protect
an investigation
I'm involved in.
Now, what's so wrong
about that?
Apparently nothing.
It seems to go on
around here all the time.
I am with
the District Attorney's office
and I'm investigating
Paul Flanders.
Your late stepfather?
Mr. Flanders is in charge
of a labor union pension fund.
Now, I had a tip
that he's been dipping
into that fund
for his personal use.
I had another tip
that he's been losing
the money
at that poker game
every Thursday night.
I even tried to get
into the game.
But they don't allow girls
in the Bay City Boys Club.
What union?
What?
What's the name
of the union?
The American Brotherhood
of Affiliated Machine
and Textile Workers.
What's the address?
2426 Southwest 17th Street.
What floor?
What is this?
What floor?
Second floor.
What's the name
of Mr. Flanders' secretary?
Well, that would...
Mr. Rockford,
I've only told you this
because I need your help.
That's too bad.
Mr. Rockford.
You're lying,
Burt Kimball's lying,
and the two of you
ought to watch it.
That's the kind of thing
that can shake
a person's faith
in public officials.
(KNOCKING ON DOOR)
Mr. Rockford,
it's Kate Doyle.
Go away.
Mr. Rockford.
I'm busy.
Please.
Miss Doyle, I didn't get
much sleep last night.
I'm trying to
recoup my losses.
"Kate" would be friendlier.
I'm not feeling
friendly, Kate.
Five minutes?
I need help and I think
you're in a position
to give it to me.
Now before you say no,
hear me out.
Well, before I say no,
the kind of help I give
costs $200 a day,
plus expenses.
I'm authorized to make
a financial commitment.
Well, I'm not interested.
Hey, now, don't I get
my full five minutes?
Sit down.
For the past two years,
I've been
a Deputy District Attorney
in Bay City.
Now, I know
what our office is like.
Believe me,
it's a clean operation.
Well, I've only had
the pleasure of meeting
you and Burt Kimball.
And we have both lied to you.
Now, don't read things
into that that aren't true.
That is not a reflection
on the office.
Well, what difference
does it make
what I think of the office?
Well, I'm proud of it.
I'm proud of the work we do.
My father spent
his whole life
reading the law.
Not practicing it,
just reading it.
He was too busy
supporting a family to afford
the luxury of law school.
But he helped me
to get through.
And he taught me
to respect the law,
in spirit and in fact.
I know that doesn't mean
anything to you,
but I want you to understand
why I care so much,
why it's so important to me.
Why? What's so important?
What Burt Kimball's
been doing.
Burt has always had
the reputation for being
a tough prosecutor,
and he earned it.
But for the past three months
he's been plea bargaining
where there was
no need for it,
where we had good,
solid cases.
Why, he refused to
prosecute in two instances
where I know
we had the accused cold
on criminal charges,
a narcotics bust
and a prostitution ring.
Now, Burt hired you.
I know because
I've been following him.
Why?
He thought they were running
a crooked card game
at the Boys Club.
He said he'd lost a bundle.
Then he could be
under pressure
because of his losses.
Heavy losses,
heavy pressure.
As a District Attorney,
he can't afford to let
a mess like that go public.
If he's in deep
and he can't pay off,
that gives somebody
a very nice lever.
And it's being
used to influence
the disposition of cases.
No, but the cases
are unrelated.
There were different people
involved every time.
Were they all criminal cases?
And I know
where you're going with that,
and you're wrong.
There has never been
any organized crime
in Bay City.
Looks like there is now.
May I use your phone?
Yeah.
We'll see him this afternoon.
When did that become "we"?
I just want you there
to corroborate the fact
that he hired you, and why.
Holly? It's Kate Doyle.
I'm on my way in.
Would you ask Mr. Kimball
to wait for me, please?
I have something important
to discuss.
Well, tell him to
cancel his meeting.
I'll be there in half an hour.
Holly says he's leaving
the office about 4:00.
We should be able to make it.
Please?
It's five to four.
He should still be here.
Does he have an assigned
parking place?
Mmm-hmm.
In the underground garage.
Okay.
We wait for him there,
we can't miss him.
Which one's Kimball's car?
Over there.
Thanks for coming with me.
You didn't have to,
you know. Not legally.
I know.
Well, then why did you?
Oh, I don't know, maybe...
Maybe it was because
you said "please".
Oh, dear God.
Is he...
We've gotta make
a police report.
Let somebody else find him.
No, no, we have to
make a report.
Look, they caught up
with Kimball.
Now they know
I'm in it somehow,
so they're gonna be
looking for me.
You and I walk
into a police station,
they're gonna know
you're in it.
Now, I don't know about you,
but I got some plans
for the future.
In order for them to work out,
I first have to have a future.
Now, get in.
I've never done
anything like that
before in my life.
We should have
made that report.
Listen, if it'll make you
feel any better, we will.
As soon as we have
something solid
to report to the police.
Are you sure
your friend won't mind us
just stopping by like this?
Oh, he...
We should have
phoned first.
He's been holed up here
all day long.
He'll be happy as a clam
to have company.
ANGEL: Go away.
Angel, open up.
You got no right
pushing your way in here.
I could have you arrested.
I thought you said
he was a friend.
Oh, he is. Angel!
Are you sure
nobody tailed you?
Yeah, I'm sure.
That's all I need,
them two guys finding out
where I live.
You shouldn't ought to
do that to me, Jimmy.
Would I ever do
that kind of thing to you?
You did at 6:00 this morning.
You want some coffee?
Hmm.
Yeah,
make yourselves at home.
Relax, Angel.
We just needed
a nice, quiet, safe place
to do some thinking.
Uh-huh.
And who popped into your mind?
Me. That's a real good deal.
I spent the whole day
trying to stay away from you.
What, do you want
to see me dead?
No.
No, I don't want
to see you dead
and I don't want to see me
dead, either.
Do you really think
those two men
who came to your trailer
this morning
were the ones
who killed Burt?
Who's Burt?
Well, they could be.
They took a very
business-like approach
to violence.
Who's Burt?
Oh, he was my client.
Or was my client. He was
the Deputy District Attorney
in Bay City.
District Attorney?
Well, you never told me
about that one, did you?
First you got me
mixed up with
a couple of bone crushers,
now you got me mixed up
with the law.
I'm a Deputy DA.
I'm sorry,
this is Kate Doyle.
Angel Martin.
It's a pleasure
to meet you, Miss Doyle.
Did you get her
some cream and sugar?
I've been thinking
about what you said.
You really believe
Burt was taken over
by the mob?
Well, it makes sense,
doesn't it?
I mean, George Welles
founded the Boys Club,
so it has to be
his operation.
Now, let's say that
he was out to open up
a new territory
for organized crime.
He needed key men
who were legitimate.
So he got them
in a crooked card game,
let them win a little, lose
a lot, and blackmail them.
Burt Kimball was used
for case fixing?
What about the others
in the game?
Yeah. Well, I can only guess.
Ted Thatcher's a banker.
That comes in handy
when you're dealing
in dirty money,
and Sy Mosher's theater chain
would be a good outlet
for pornographic movies.
Now, Paul Flanders.
Paul Flanders is in control
of a union pension fund.
That's instant financing.
How do we prove it?
We find out how
the game was rigged.
And I had an idea
I was working on,
then everything went sour,
and I never got around to it.
The city engineers.
KATE: It might help if I knew
what we were looking for.
Any structural changes
to the building.
But the whole gym is new.
No, no, no,
just to this one office.
Nothing.
What does that mean?
Well, it means that
if they were using
a peephole,
they'd have to
put in a false ceiling
for crawl space,
but they didn't.
Back to square one.
No. No, they re-wired.
They put in a new power box.
ROCKFORD:
Well, this is Miss Doyle
from the District Attorney's
Office.
CLERK: I haven't done
anything wrong.
I don't hold you
responsible, Miss.
I don't even hold
the power company
responsible.
It's the Bay City Boys Club
I'm after.
Then why don't you
talk to them?
Well, don't get snippy, Miss.
That's what I plan to do
as soon as you give me
the ammunition I need.
Now, I'd like to see
a record of their bills.
I can't do that.
Well, you gonna let them
keep on doing me
like they have been?
What have they been doing?
Look, I know
they're stealing my power.
They put in a machine shop
over there, and whomp!
It shows up on my bill.
So I just filed a complaint
with Miss Doyle.
Now,
you can either cooperate,
or we'll get a court order.
Nobody could do
what he's suggesting.
How long would it take you
to get a court order?
Well, go ahead,
just go ahead and get one.
I'll wait for you here.
All right.
I'll get the records.
Which months do you want?
Oh, a random sampling.
A year ago, six months,
and the current charges.
I don't feel right
getting information this way.
It's dishonest.
Yeah, and fast, too.
Look,
I checked out the game.
I couldn't find
anything wrong.
We ruled out
the peephole.
So if there is
something crooked,
it'll probably show up here.
One year ago,
six months ago
and current.
They're using
three times the power
they used a year ago.
But the figures
for the past six months
are consistent.
Their bills
are worse than mine.
I must have been wrong.
In the future,
please check your facts
before you go around
filing complaints.
And don't let him off
too easy, Miss.
He made me miss my bus home.
Here, take a cab.
Well, what's using up
all that power?
Well, it could be
TV cameras.
They could have them
spotted around the room
to pick up every hand.
If we go in there
with a search warrant
and you're wrong...
Oh, we're not using
a search warrant.
No, I'll stake out
the Club tonight
when I'm sure
it's deserted. I'll get in.
How?
Oh, I'll get in.
If you're thinking
of breaking and entering,
I'm an officer of the Court.
And one of your colleagues
was murdered today.
So, I'll get in,
I'll check out the room.
When I've located
the cameras,
I'll come out
and report to you,
you get your search warrant
and make your bust,
all nice and legal.
I'm going with you.
Oh, no.
Well, either I go with you,
or while you're staking out
the Boys Club,
I'm gonna have
a couple of Bay City's
finest staking you out,
and when you try to get in,
they're going to arrest you.
You're learning.
Those are illegal.
Yeah, and so is
what we're doing.
(DOOR UNLOCKING)
Hell, I'll have to
get those draperies.
And we have to chance
a little light in here
or I won't be able
to find anything.
Stand by that lamp.
When I tell you,
hit the switch.
Now.
Well, how do we know
where to start looking?
Well, anywhere where
there's a good vantage point
of the card table.
Ideally, it'd be up there.
Don't touch that thing.
It's very sensitive.
You'll activate it,
and the whole fire department
will be here in two minutes.
I won't activate it.
It's not a sprinkler head.
It's a camera lens.
Are you sure? It's so small.
Yes, it's probably got
a magnification lens
built into it.
Well, it's solid.
They wouldn't need
a crawl space
for a camera operator.
They'd just need a feed
to a monitoring station.
Probably some other
cameras around,
but one's good enough
for a bust.
Let's get out of here.
No, wait a minute.
Now, the camera operator sees
what all the players
are holding and
what they discard.
But how does he transmit
that information to the person
he's working with?
George Welles is the man
in the game.
Now, he's probably
wired to get the signals
electronically and in code.
It's been done before,
and very successfully.
Let's go.
I want those cameras
out of here tonight.
Well, nobody knows
about them but us.
Look, I want them out.
Let's move!
In there. Hurry!
Get up there.
Hurry!
He's coming! He's coming!
(GUN FIRING)
The exit! The exit!
Psst.
(BALL BOUNCING)
Quick.
(FIRE ENGINE SIREN BLARING)
Officer... Officer,
there's three men with guns
coming out that door
right now.
Thanks.
Well, thank you.
They're letting me
prosecute this one personally.
You guarantee a conviction?
With the evidence we have,
how can I miss?
All three of them
are charged with murder
and at least a dozen
other felonies.
Hey, did you find out
why they shot Burt Kimball?
Burt was beginning
to unravel.
They were afraid
he was gonna bring
the whole thing down.
Well, in a way, he did.
For a DA,
he really didn't understand
the criminal mind.
You know, speaking of
the criminal mind,
you have a tendency
to bend a lot of rules.
Such as?
Carrying a lock pick,
breaking and entering,
destruction of
private property...
Those are all
chargeable offenses.
Yeah, you know what's worse?
I had an accomplice.
I know.
Oh, hey,
if you're gonna look
that unhappy now,
I think you and I
should have a talk.
I mean, a long, long talk.