The Streets of San Francisco (1972–1977): Season 2, Episode 21 - The Hard Breed - full transcript

( funky jazz theme playing )

ANNOUNCER:

ANNOUNCER:

ANNOUNCER:

( suspenseful theme playing )

ANNOUNCER ( over
P.A. ): And here he comes.

Young Billy Davis from
Dacoma, Oklahoma,

riding Nobody's Darling.

Yeah! Wee! Ride him, Billy boy.

( buzzer sounds )
You'll show them now.

( crowd cheers )



( organ music playing )

From Austin, Texas,

the leader for the all-around
championship this year,

Ken Johnson on High Tide.

High Tide's coming out

and look at him twist it.

Brought to you like cowboys do.

That's how he gets
points in the judges' book.

( buzzer sounds )

Here comes the
score for Ken Johnson.

It's a good one.
Seventy-one points.

( crowd applauds )

That should be enough
to clinch the title for him.

Hello, everybody, Keith Jackson,



ABC's Wide World of Sports,

from the Cow Palace
in San Francisco.

The Grand National Rodeo.

Most of the top
cowboys in America

with some of the finest
stock ever assembled,

ready for a taste
of the Old West.

Working with us to keep us
up to date on what's going on,

Lex Connelly, former
champion cowboy himself,

now manager of the Cow Palace.

Lex, let's turn those
cowboys loose.

All right, Keith,

and the contest we're
gonna see right now

is the bull riding.

KEITH: Bull
riding. Now this is...

Mo, we gotta go.

I know.

( scoffs )

Now, tell me, how
did a fashion designer

get so hooked on the rodeo, huh?

My grandmother had
a ranch in Wyoming.

I spent my summers there.

Yeah? You hanging out
with the cowboys, huh?

Shh.

Well, pick a winner.

Well, I think you'd have to say

that it's gonna be one
of the Johnson brothers.

Oh, it's down to the
Johnson brothers.

It's down to the
Johnson brothers.

Who are the Johnson brothers?

LEX: One of the real fine
names in the rodeo game

that came from Texas.

The family goes way back
to when it was part Indian,

things like that.

You know, none of this
really makes a difference.

When you get on the bull...

( crowd cheering )

KEITH: Here's
Sunny Bray's score:

Sixty-one points on that
one. And now, ready to go...

Mo, if we lose that table,
we don't get another one.

They got a little thing called
a waiting list, you know.

Just one more ride, okay?

I'm hungry.

( laughs ): Oh, no.

Oh, no.

This old boy's tough to fight

and tough to hook,
Clint. Watch him.

I hear he's already
put in for a pension.

Gonna be like riding
whipped cream, Clint.

( laughs )

Yeah, well, you better take
another look, little brother.

I hear that he's a real honker.

Hey, Rosie, how
about a kiss for luck?

Mwah.

Where'd you get that?

That ain't a way to
ride. Let me have it.

Well, how about you, Bo?
Aren't you gonna wish me luck?

You've lived this
long without it.

MAN: Hey, Clint.

You drawed a bad
one. He's mean to fight.

You just do your
job, I'll do mine.

( chuckling ): Sure.

Hey, Rosie, how
come you're so pretty

and you're hooked
up with such a ugly,

ornery bootlegged cuss as this?

Let her buck.

ANNOUNCER ( on P.A.
): He's now coming out.

He's wild, coming out.

( crowd shouting indistinctly )

( organ music playing )

Look out!

( bull roars )

( crowd screaming )

Clint.

Somebody get a doctor.

No need, Dad. He's dead.

( sobs )

God.

No.

( TV shuts off )

It's like riding your
headstone every second.

Yeah.

Let's go.

You've seen it
before, haven't you?

People dying? Yeah.

Well, I haven't.

It's awful.

Well, it happened fast

and he was doing
something he wanted to.

Oh, boy.

( clears throat )

Oh, boy.

Hey, Roy. Bo.

You all right? Yeah.

You know, this was Clint's

from the first day in foal.

Turned him into the best
calf horse on the circuit.

Nobody could
ride them like Clint.

Nobody will.

Where's Ken?

He's, uh, with Rosie.

Where you been, Marty?
I've been looking for you.

What is it, Marty?

I just keep a-thinking

if I could have got to that
bull quicker, Clint would...

It wasn't your fault.

I know that now. I...

I've been over
there in the arena

kind of mulling over in
my head what happened,

and I found this.

I figured in all the excitement,

it must have got
buried in the dirt there.

It's been cut clean
nearly halfway.

That's right, with a razor or
a sharp knife or something.

That rope come off the
bull that Clint was riding.

Are you trying to tell
me it was no accident?

MARTY: Oh, Roy, you know
Clint was too good a hand

to come off a bull like that or
get caught with them hooves.

Roy, I'm telling
you, Clint was killed.

( dramatic theme playing )

( slow jazz music playing )

( indistinct chattering )

He's got one foot
up on the dashboard,

he's got one foot outside the
window and he's holding on.

He turns over to me,
looks at me, he's...

Oh, no. No, no, no.
Oh, yes, yes, yes.

Sorry. I apologize for
busting in like this, Miss, uh...?

Oh, Maureen, this is
Lieutenant Michael Stone.

Maureen Mallory.

Maureen.

Oh, uh, you're Mo.

Nice to meet you, lieutenant.

Or is it? No.

STONE: It could have been nicer.

We got a special request.
I'll fill you in on the way.

( sighs )

Well, why don't you take my car

and I'll try to call
you later, okay?

Bye.

Sorry, Maureen.

Pretty expensive
for a cop, isn't it?

It was a very special occasion.

Yeah, she looks special.

I'll bet Juan Marichal
wishes he had your pitch.

I just wish I had his salary.

Thank you very much.

So fill me in.

Well, the way I hear it, we've
got thousands of witnesses.

A rodeo cowboy
was riding a bull...

Now, wait a minute, I
saw that on the television.

But it was an accident, unless
you're gonna book the bull.

Well, I guess you
didn't see it all,

unless you saw
the bull use a knife.

You got so many
eyes on that girl,

you can't see
the television set.

If somebody did
cut this partway,

did they count on
the rest of it giving?

Yeah, they give without
being cut sometimes.

When them bulls starts kicking,
it's like hell with the lid off.

What would be the motive?

I don't care about
why, just who.

We'll do our best.

We're outsiders here,
lieutenant. Strangers.

Aside from Clint being my son,

he was a man.

And no big-city red
tape can change that.

Mr. Johnson, if it was murder,

we'll find out who did it.

If he finds the killer,
he's gonna hang him.

Well, he did lose his son.

What did you get from
the other cowboys?

Well, everybody
says it was an accident

that was bound to
happen sooner or later.

How's that? Because
Clint used to hit it

before each ride.

Booze, huh? Booze,
yeah, and pills.

Pain pills. He had a bad
leg, he never let it heal.

Well, why did he keep riding?

Well, they're like that. Look,

I met one of those
guys over there.

He used to ride with
two broken wrists.

If a cowboy can
crawl, he'll ride.

Yeah, I guess they are
a hard breed, all right.

Say, how about the rope?

Well, each man
usually handles his own,

but with Clint, he had
somebody else who helped him.

Who was that? His brother.

Hello.

Hello. Howdy.

I'm Lieutenant Stone.
This is Inspector Keller.

Hi. Which one of you is Jensen?

Oh, that'd be me, lieutenant.

Well, then you must
be Bo Dobbs. Yes, sir.

I know that you saw
one of our officers before

and you told him what you saw,

but I'd like to ask you a
couple of questions myself,

if you don't mind?

Anything we can do.

Thanks a lot.

I hear that, uh, you
two go way back.

Ah, more years than
I'd care to mention.

We were riding the circuit

when there was nothing
but dusty old towns.

Bo and me, we
rode broncs together

till our rumps
turned into raw meat.

( laughs )

That's when I
turned to clowning.

MARTY: Bo handles the stock.

We been saving up
to buy us a little ranch.

Fixing on going in together.

Well, how long have
you known the Johnsons?

Well, Roy and Bo,
they... They go way back.

Before we even met, ain't it?

Ah, Roy's a good old boy.

I sure hate to see
him hurt this way.

Well, what about
Clint and his brother?

Were they as close as you two?

Oh, they was fierce when
it come to competition.

But they respected one another.

Roy wouldn't have
it no other way.

But weren't they, uh,
one-two in the championships?

Hey, now, wait a minute,

you ain't thinking that
Ken cut that rope, are you?

No, I'm just trying
to find a reason.

Well, if winning the
championship was reason,

the circuit would be
lined with dead cowboys.

They was loving brothers.

Didn't they ever
disagree about anything?

What was it about?

I expect they'll
find out anyways.

Find out what?

You tell them, Bo.

It, uh... It was Rosie.

Rosie? That's
Clint's wife? Yes, sir.

Well, she ain't no
bad girl, it's just...

Well, she's as pretty
as a pair of pink slippers.

They fought over her?

Well, they got into it

a couple of years ago.

I still got me a split
tooth from breaking it up.

( laughs )

Of course, that's before
Clint and Rosie were married.

Before they were married,
why, Rosie was Ken's girl.

Police wanna talk to us?

Tomorrow.

I told them the,
uh... The little widow

was so broken up
over the whole thing

that she just couldn't talk.

I still don't buy anyone
would set out to kill Clint.

Somebody shaved that rope.

What do you think
about that, girl?

I don't know what
to think about it.

Did you ever once,
just once, care for him?

I loved him,

till he started sipping
into a bottle every day

and somebody
else's bed every night.

Damn you.

( tense theme playing )

What are you doing?

You know how it was with them.
What did you want her to say?

Maybe, uh...

Maybe Clint wasn't
much of a husband to her.

But he's still a son to
me and a brother to you.

( melancholy theme playing )

Whoa, now.

( whinnies ) Whoa, now.

Best leave her be.

But she needs someone, Bo.

I know, but not you.

You all right?

( horse whinnies )

See what I mean?

Come on, let's get.

Unless you want something
besides a cracked tooth.

( sobbing ): Oh, Ken.

Don't, Rosie.

( mysterious theme playing )

( upbeat jazzy theme playing )

Where have you been all
morning? Well, I had to get my car.

It's after 9:00.

I went to pick you up
at 7, you weren't home.

Where does she live,
anyway, Monterey?

Seven o'clock. I knew it.

I knew you were gonna
do that. That's why...

That's why you went to
pick up your car last night.

Lieutenant, very
good. Very, very, good.

I think you got a future
with this department.

You're cruising. I really
mean it, you're cruising.

Listen, I've been
cruising all morning.

Rosie Johnson.

She was born Rosalind
Cummings in Odessa, Texas, 1944.

Folks were dirt farmers and
she took off when she was 15.

She's been with
the rodeo ever since.

She competed with
the women on the circuit

until she married Clint
Johnson two years ago.

Where did you get that?

Well, those cowboys get up
with the chickens too, you know.

STONE ( chuckling
): I guess they do.

Is that all? No.

Her husband has
an insurance policy.

Fifty thousand dollars.

And she is the beneficiary?

The only one, yeah.

So, what did you get, huh?

Sitting in the nice
comfort of your warm office

while I was out there
watching where I stepped?

Well, I got in touch
with the TV network

who filmed the rodeo. Good.

They said we could look at
the tapes anytime we wanted to.

I ran a make on Ken Johnson.

He's got a record.

Here, someplace.

Here it is.

"Disturbing the peace." Uh-huh.

"Drunk and
disorderly. Assault..."

Nothing big, but there is
a history of violence there.

Yeah, sounds like
he just got along...

I got the autopsy report
on, uh, Johnson's brother.

The alcoholic content
was 1.2 percent.

One point two. Okay,
enough to be legally drunk.

And plenty out of control

when you mix it with those
painkillers he was taking.

That's a bad combination.

He could have
fallen off that bull

even if the rope
wasn't cut. Yup.

What'd the lab say on that rope?

It was cut.

( sighs )

So, what do you think?

I think for openers,

we've got two people who might
have wanted to see him dead.

First, his wife
for the insurance.

And then his
brother for his wife.

( suspenseful theme playing )

( upbeat theme playing )

How did he do?

Well, now, that's
just like old times.

I make it, uh, 15.9.

You shave that just a little,

and you'll be sitting
in for the state finals.

STONE: Morning.

Mrs. Johnson?

Yes, sir.

That there's Lieutenant Stone.

He's the man trying to find
out what happened to Clint.

Well, I better
walk this horse out.

I'll see you, lieutenant.

Hey, that was quite a workout.

But not exactly
the grieving widow?

Now, I didn't say that.

Everybody has to sort of
work that out for themselves.

You do know about
the insurance money.

Yes, I do.

Fifty thousand dollars.

Give me a reason to wanna
see Clint dead, wouldn't it?

Maybe you'd like to tell
me how you feel about that.

Just like I grew wings.

( chuckles )

Are you planning
on doing any flying?

You're not very
subtle, lieutenant.

That's how Ken Johnson goes
from rodeo to rodeo, isn't it?

Flies his own plane?

Who told you about Ken and me?

Well, it seems to be
common knowledge.

And it also must be
common knowledge

that we broke up
a long time ago.

I heard that too.

But you don't wanna
believe it, do you?

You wanna believe the worst.

You wanna believe
that maybe Ken and I

tried to do something to
get back together again, huh?

Well, somebody cut that rope

and I'm just trying to
find out who had a reason.

I think you'd be
interested in that too.

Unless you know already.

You gonna arrest me?

No.

Then I reckon you don't
do things any different here

than we do back home.

I mean, it's still
the United States.

You're innocent until
you're proved guilty, right?

That's right.

Then how come I get the feeling

you're trying to make
me prove I'm innocent?

I'm sure I don't know.

Unless you're feeling
something else too.

Like what?

Guilt?

( tense theme playing )

Fantastic.

So this is getting to
be the going thing, huh?

Well, you can make more
rodeos, build up more points.

How'd your brother travel?

Same way my dad
did: Pickup truck.

My old man thinks a cowboy
ought to travel with his stock,

live with them,
get to know them,

rather than shipping them around
to meet some fancy schedule.

Sounds like they were close.

They were.

Fact is, Clint
tried to mirror Dad.

One of his problems.

Yeah, that could be tough.

I understand your father
was world champion.

Yeah.

Didn't seem to
bother you at all.

( scoffs ): I wasn't under
that kind of pressure.

Sent me to college instead.

I didn't take.

Now, he just figures me
for an educated failure,

no matter what I win.

Sometimes we get
along pretty good.

Other times, it's like
two bulls butting heads.

But you and your
brother were close?

Close as two brothers can be.

We were friends.

Rosie.

Now, I know she
was your girl one time.

Did that ever cause any friction
between you and your brother?

Some at first.

Rosie knew a lot of guys
before either one of us.

Clint knew that.

Did it bother Clint?

Look, Ken, the autopsy
report showed your brother

was loaded on juice and pills.

Now, you just told me
your brother had a problem

living up to your father.

Did he have a
problem with Rosie?

That's none of your business.

Your brother was murdered.

That's what you say. I
say it was an accident.

( slow country music playing )

( Marty laughing )

So we tied a bell on
that old bull's neck

and told Charlie that
he was riding a milk cow.

He was so drunk, he didn't
even know the difference.

( laughing )

Hey, you know what I'm gonna
do? I'm gonna reverse it next time.

I'd give a lot of money to
see Charlie try to milk the bull.

( laughing )

Rosie.

Lay off that stuff, will you?

How come?

I wanna talk to you.

About what?

Well, you know that spread

that Bo and me are
always talking about getting?

We found her.

Where is it?

Well, it's in Montana.

Just a few miles out
of Ennis. It's got a...

Oh, a... A pretty little creek
runs through the middle of it.

And a... A good
place for horses.

That's terrific, Marty.
I'm really happy for you.

Rosie, what are you gonna do

with no one to look
out for you, huh?

Fifty thousand dollars
will look after me just fine.

It won't last.

Only people last.

On that spread that
Bo and me is gonna get,

there's a place for you.

You think on it, will you?

You can't keep just drifting
along the circuit like this.

Thanks, Marty,
but I'll be just fine.

Hey, Ken. Been wanting
to catch up with you.

We're still ready
with one sweet offer

for you wearing our
shirts next season.

Later, huh?

Rosie.

Come on. I'm taking you home.

I was just looking
after her, Ken.

She's still a Johnson, Marty.

Reckon that makes
her our lookout.

Hey, Marty, Marty.

Hey, Bo.

I didn't even know
you was here. Sit down.

I'm here. Look, you and me
gotta have us a talk, Marty.

Yeah, what about?

Well, about old Clint.

About who cut that rope.

Let me ask you something.

You ever seen this
toadsticker before?

No, I ain't never
seen it before.

Don't start running me
around in circles, Marty.

Oh, oh, yeah, I recognize it
now. Th... That's Ken's knife.

That's the one old Roy
brought him from Mexico, ain't it?

That's right.

You wanna know where I found it?

Bo.

Maybe you already
know where I found it,

huh, Marty?

Where you going, Bo?

I'm gonna go tell
Roy what happened.

There ain't no call for that.

I'll tell you what there
ain't no call for, Marty.

There ain't no call for no
little pink pretty like Rosie

to go around messing
up other people's lives.

I seen you sitting
here with her.

And I seen them two
sashaying out of here together.

And I know what's going on.

And Roy's gonna
know the truth, Marty.

And this knife tells it all.

( suspenseful theme playing )

( organ music playing )

( buzzer buzzes )

( crowd cheers )

Aren't you supposed
to be clowning?

Well, I got... I got my
leg banged up a little

during the bareback.
Billy's filling in for me.

You all right, now? Oh,
yeah. Gonna be fine.

Buy you a drink. Well,
I don't mind if I do.

That ain't why I
come in here, though.

I... I wanted to show you
before I show the police.

Bo found that in the
sawdust back at the chutes.

Kind of a foreign-looking
deal, ain't it?

Yeah.

Look close, Roy.

Ain't them rope
hairs on the blade?

Why you giving this to me?

Well, I... That ain't
no store-bought knife.

I never seen one like it before.

And I figured maybe if... If
you could put a face to it...

Well, I know how you're
trying to find the cutter that...

You did right.

Buy this man a drink.

I was down. He was
just trying to cheer me up.

I don't see anything
so wrong in that.

What you see doesn't matter,

it's what other
people are looking for.

They're looking to make
you answer for Clint's death.

Well, I didn't want him dead.

( sobbing ): I didn't.

Clint was the closest
thing I ever came to love.

I thought o-once I h-had him,
I wouldn't need anything else.

And then everything
went sour on us.

I don't know what happened.

I didn't want him
dead. I didn't, I didn't.

Ken.

You got a minute?

Yeah. Sure, Dad.

Go on. I'll talk to you later.

What you just saw there,
don't go making anything of it.

I wanna carve me a chew.

Lend me that jackknife of yours.

I haven't got it.

I'm talking about
the one I gave you.

The one I picked up in Mexico.

I know what you're talking
about. I haven't got it.

Where is it?

Just disappeared.
Lost it, I guess.

Well, uh, where did you lose it?

( scoffs ): I don't know.

Chutes, maybe.

That's where Bo found it.

See them hairs?

I'm betting they
come from Clint's rope.

You know what you're saying?

I know.

He was my brother. Why
would I wanna kill him?

Because you wanted his woman.

And from what I just
seen, you got her.

Oh, come on, no. You... Uh-uh.

You going to the police?

Nope.

This is a family doing.

( grunts )

I'm not gonna fight you.

I said, I'm not gonna fight you.

Well, don't you let me being
your father stand in your way,

because I don't
consider you my son.

You take that damn
tin plane of yours

and fly it straight
into devil's eyeball.

I don't wanna ever lay
eyes on you again, you hear?

Now get.

( horse whinnies )

Hey, I got something.
Yeah, what?

Did a rundown on all the
cowboys by the chute last night.

We got a new suspect. Yeah, who?

Bo Dobbs.

Dobbs? How come...?
( phone buzzes )

Homicide, Stone.

What's that again?

When?

All right, we'll
get right on it.

What's that?

You were gonna tell me
something about Dobbs.

Yeah, he had a son on
the circuit two years ago.

He was in a bulldogging event

and he caught a
horn through his leg

because his partner
was negligent.

And his partner
was Clint Johnson.

That's right, and Bo
Dobbs swears to this day

that Clint was loaded.

But why does that
put Dobbs on our list?

Because the kid's
crippled for life.

Mm.

"Mm"?

I give you a whole new
wrinkle and you say to me "Mm"?

Mm-hm. ( laughs )

The phone call came
from the Cow Palace.

Bo Dobbs is dead.

( tense theme playing )

Who found him? MARTY: I did.

He was just lying
out there in the corral.

Trampled? MARTY: Oh, no.

Bo been around too long.

He had too much savvy
for anything like that.

Steve, comb the area.
See what you come up with.

Right.

Well, Bernie my friend,
what have you got?

I won't know for sure
till we get him downtown,

but it looks like it was just a
blow to the back of the head

by a blunt instrument
of some kind.

Nothing like a
hoofprint or a horn.

When did it happen?

I'd say less than an hour ago.

Let me know for sure, will you?

Right.

Mike.

Yeah?

Looks like part of a shirt.

Anybody recognize this?

Was Bo murdered?

Well, it looks that
way, Mr. Jensen.

Do you know anybody
wearing a shirt like that?

Bo was one of ours.

We'll handle it.

MAN: Yeah, we'll handle him.

Oh, hey, wait a minute.

Hold it right there.

I want no vigilante,
homespun law here.

Now, is that clear or do I
have to make it plainer?

Dobbs was killed on my beat.

And I want that man
just as bad as you do.

Now, let me start again.

Does anybody
recognize this shirt?

Mr. Jensen?

Ken Johnson's
wearing a shirt like that.

Who?

Ken Johnson.

He was wearing
a shirt like that.

Ken was wearing a
shirt like this, all right.

Mr. Johnson, your
son has disappeared.

Now, do you have any
idea where we can find him?

Now, if you think this is just
a family matter, you're wrong.

Well, before I tell you,

I'm gonna have a say.

I run Ken off because...

Well, because I
figured he killed Clint.

Well, don't you think that's
for the police to decide?

( sighs )

When it comes to
Ken, it's still family.

But he wouldn't have killed Bo.

Put to it, a breed like Ken
might kill a man for a woman.

Lot of good men been done in

by a shiny little
thing like Rosie.

But when it come to killing
an old-timer like Bo, no.

That's a notch or
two below a wolf.

And that ain't Ken.

Then I guess you better tell
me why you think he killed Clint.

I lost one son, lieutenant.

Now you're asking
me to lose the other.

I'm sorry.

Lieutenant.

It belongs to Ken.

Found behind the chutes.

Those look like rope hairs.

You found it?

No, Bo did.

I've had my say.

You most likely can
find Ken at the airport.

( suspenseful theme playing )

( tires screeching )

That's his plane.

Think you can stop
him? Let's give it a try.

( action theme playing )

( tires screech )

What's the matter with you guys?

Get off of there,
Johnson. Get down.

My old man sic you on me?

Does this belong to you?

I didn't kill Clint.

Then why were you
trying to take off?

My old man called
it. We had a blowout.

He's clean.

Is this part of your shirt?

Looks like one I
just threw away.

Must've come off when
he was tearing into me.

Why? Where did you get it?

Where'd you have this blowout?

Out by his trailer. Why?

Because it was
found in the corral

where Bo Dobbs was murdered.

( dramatic theme playing )

( suspenseful theme playing )

You say you didn't know
a thing about Bo Dobbs.

No, sir.

Then how did you
get those bruises?

I told you, my old man.

I never fought with
Bo, just my old man.

Ask him.

Why would I wanna kill Bo?

Because Bo found this knife
and he gave it to your father.

Uh-uh.

You thought your
father wouldn't talk

and you fixed it so
that Dobbs couldn't.

Oh, come on, it didn't happen
that way. I swear it didn't.

You went to the bar where
you picked up your sister-in-law,

and then went right
to your father's trailer.

Right. And after you fought

you went to the airport with
a man you didn't even know.

Oh, come on. I... I told you,
his name is Garner or Gardner.

He's a salesman.

And he wanted you
to endorse some shirts.

That's right.

Look, I've been
trying to brush him off,

but he tagged along when
me and Rosie left the bar.

And then he cornered me
again when I left my dad.

You can check it out.

We are.

When did you see
this knife again?

I told you, I don't remember
exactly. This morning sometime.

Did you get a hold of
him? Did he tell you?

Name's John Gardner.

He's a shirt representative
with Western Sunset.

He's staying at
the Bayshore Motel.

He tells it just like Ken,

even down to the airport
gate he dropped him off at.

He's willing to sign a
statement, anything.

I told you. I told
you I didn't do it.

What's he doing here?

I asked him to come.

He said you couldn't
have done it too.

Well, it's plain you
didn't buy his word.

It's not his word I'm
questioning. It's yours.

I hear you were
fixing to take off.

You did kind of put
the wind on my back.

How's it look?

Well, it looks as
though he's clear

as far as Dobbs is concerned.

But you still
think I killed Clint.

I think two people had
good reason to cut that rope.

Ken and Rosie? That's right.

And I don't figure it
was Rosie. Why not?

Because cutting that
rope wouldn't guarantee

that her husband would die.

But I might have just to
win that championship?

KELLER: Did you? No.

But you did help your brother
cinch that rope around the bull.

I tell you what, lieutenant.

The way Clint was hitting
the booze and the pills,

I didn't need to
cut this to beat him.

He was beating himself.

But he must have thought you did

when he brought this
knife to your father.

Bo didn't bring me
the knife, Marty did.

Wait a minute.

Jensen brought you
that knife? ROY: Yeah.

And he said Dobbs found it?

That's right. Said he found
it behind the bull chutes.

Can we run that network tape?

Yeah, yeah, sure. Why?

I wanna see
something. Excuse me.

Here.

All right, could you hold
it right there, please?

Look at that.

What? Mr. Johnson,

what is the first thing a
clown's supposed to do

when a rider goes down?

ROY: They start
waving off the bull.

Then that's what Jensen
should be doing. Is that right?

Well, Marty's
getting on a bit now.

Works the barrel mostly.

Doesn't take chances
like the rest of the boys.

But he is not taking
any chances at all.

He's just standing there.

He could have done
something, couldn't he?

ROY: Well, I guess he could...

All right, let me
put it another way.

He's done everything
right since then, hasn't he?

Steve, get it out, will you?

I don't know, Mike. I'm trying
to put the pieces together.

I remember Mo telling me
the clown's supposed to keep

the bull away from the
rider when he's down.

I sort of half remember seeing
this one clown standing there.

It was Jensen.

And Jensen found the rope.

Jensen brought us the knife.

He found Dobbs.

And he could have seen
Ken and his father fighting.

Find that piece of shirt.

Could have planted
it by Dobbs too. Yeah.

Don't ask me why. I
haven't found the motive.

But Jensen was the
guy that got us thinking

about Ken and Rosie in the
first place, you remember?

Yeah, the fight.

The split tooth.

Mr. Johnson, did Ken and
Clint really have that fight?

Yeah, they sure did.

That girl's bad
news clean through.

But Jensen doesn't see
her that way, does he?

What?

No, he, uh...

He thinks she's
kind of special, right?

Marty? Sure.

He was with Rosie when
you went to see her, right?

Mm-hm. KELLER: And Ken said

he was with her at the tavern.

And do you remember
how he defended her

when we asked about Ken
and Clint fighting over her?

Yeah.

I sure do:

"Pretty as a pair
of pink slippers."

Get up there.

( smacks lips )

MARTY: Rosie.

Rosie, what...?
What are you doing?

I'm getting out of here.

Well, you can't pull up
stakes and go just like that.

I got to. For Ken's sake.
If I stick around here,

I'll mess him up
same way I did Clint.

Well, hold on a spell, huh?

I'll get me that
spread up in Montana

and you could go there.

That's sweet, Marty,

but I'll probably just
go on back to Texas.

No. You ain't running
out on me now.

It's gonna be special for us.

Not like it was with
Clint and maybe Ken.

It's you and me.

That's the way I
always planned it.

( suspenseful theme playing )

You know, the
more I think about it,

the more I think
you could be right.

Old Marty was always around
paying Rosie special attention.

And with Clint
dead and Ken in jail,

he could figure he
might have a chance.

Hey, he could have killed
Clint and framed Ken.

The more I think about
it, I think I was wrong.

Why's that? Because Jensen

wasn't around the chutes long
enough to cut that rope, was he?

Well, not really.

Maybe he didn't cut the rope.

But you said the
lab said it was.

I didn't say when.
Only Jensen said that.

That's right.

Now, wait a minute,
you're losing me.

Remember when I
asked you about the rope

and you said sometimes
it broke without being cut?

Yeah.

Maybe that's what happened.

Maybe it just broke.

You mean, it, uh, could
have been an accident?

An accident that Jensen
made look like murder

by cutting the rope afterwards.

To frame Ken.

And getting Rosie for himself.

It's possible.

Let's turn up here.

I ain't never stopped
thinking about you, Rosie.

Not since Fort Worth. Marty.

I know you... You ain't never
said nothing about it since,

but, well, you think
about it too, don't you?

Marty, Clint and I'd
had a fight that night.

I was at loose ends and
I had too much to drink.

That night meant everything
to me, everything. You...

You don't know what it's like
following the rodeos around

all by yourself, traveling
on the road and...

Well, after a
while, a... ( laughs )

a... A fella gets wondering

what's gonna happen
to him when he gets old

and he got nobody?

Well, that night gave
me something to aim for.

Marty, we've had a lot of
fun. We've had a lot of laughs.

You always could make me laugh.

But that's it. I ain't
talking about laughs.

I'm talking about
what we had that night.

We had one night. That was it.

Oh, we had more. Much more.

And we're gonna
have us a ranch too.

You and me.

I'm not going away with you.

You still don't
understand, do you?

You don't have to
think of Clint and Ken.

I fixed them.

What have you done?

Oh, nothing bad.

Except for Bo.

He didn't understand and
he wouldn't let us be together.

Oh, my God, you killed
them. You killed them both.

I didn't kill him. It... It was
the booze Clint was taking.

The booze and all them
pills, that's what killed him.

When the... When the rope
broke and he got tossed in the dirt,

it was just like it
happened for you and me.

We both wanted him dead.

You as much as me. I know that.

It was easy for me, huh?

All I had to do is just hold
back a couple of seconds.

I knew he was so full of booze,

he couldn't scramble
away from the bull.

And then I... Then I
seen how easy it'd be to...

To fix it so that
Ken was gone too.

But Bo, he seen
me take Ken's knife.

And he know'd
how I felt about you.

He figured out what I'd done.

He was going to tell Roy
about it and I couldn't have that.

That's crazy. You are crazy.

Don't you call me that.

Get your hands off me, old fool.

Can't you see I love you
like I don't love nothing else?

Don't you touch me.

( suspenseful theme playing )

( tires screech )

( horse whinnines )

( roaring )

( crowd gasping )

( roaring )

How's Roy?

Hold it, Marty. Just hold it.

MARTY: Roy, Clint?

He make it?

Did I get there in time?

Yes, Marty. You
did fine, just fine.

Clint?

I guess everybody'd like to buy
back one moment in their lives.

Maybe he was lucky
enough to have his.

( somber theme playing )

( upbeat theme playing )

ANNOUNCER ( over P.A. ): The
next contestant, from Silverton, Oregon,

is Teddy White riding Heavy Bob.

( Announcer
rambles indistinctly )

( speaking indistinctly )

Bucks on a dime,
so ride him high.

Still thorny as ever and
giving orders, ain't you?

Just speaking from
past experience.

I've seen my shadow
many times on the ground.

STONE: Mr. Johnson.

Well, if it ain't the law dogs.

Last day, huh?

Yep. Go from here to Denver.

Just came to say goodbye.

And wish you good luck.

Oh, thanks. And thanks for
getting me out of a tight one.

Now, where's Rosie?

She left this morning,
back to Texas.

She'll make out. Gotta go.

Ride him good.

ROY: Hey, don't
forget what I told you,

or you'll be landing fork up.

Biggest rule-giver
since Moses, isn't he?

( laughs )

Hey. Hey, popcorn. Hey.

I'll pay for it. No, I got it.

No, no, let me. I got it.

How much? You
paid last time. Let me.

Twenty-five. Two,
here. Next time.

How much did you pay for? Two.

ANNOUNCER: And now, out of
Chute Number 1, from Austin, Texas,

is Kenny Johnson
riding Whiz Bang.

Yes, sir, riding
him at both ends.

Show them how
it's done, Kenny boy.

Ride 'em, cowboy.

( buzzer buzzes )

( funky jazz theme playing )