The Streets of San Francisco (1972–1977): Season 3, Episode 16 - Letters from the Grave - full transcript
The remains of an inmate at the Alcatraz Federal Prison was discovered between a wall during some repairs. It was thought that the inmate Lou Kovic escaped 20 years earlier, but Mike and Steve believe he was murdered.
♪♪
Good afternoon,
ladies and gentlemen,
and welcome to Alcatraz.
The island was discovered
by a Spanish naval officer
who sailed into the bay in 1775.
He named it La Isla
de los Alcatraces,
or the Island of the Pelicans.
It was later bought
by the Americans,
and in 1853, Fort
Alcatraz was built
on the site where the
main prison now stands.
This was the main
cell house, built in 1909.
Watch your step here, please.
In the 1920s came
the gangster era
and a more modern
security system was needed,
so the prison was
completely remodeled.
This is the area commonly
called the "Dungeon,"
or the "Dark Hole."
The dampness that
you feel down here
is actually the
ocean leaking in.
The last repair work
was done in 1955,
and in the interest
of public safety
we're replacing all
those old sections.
♪♪
Looks like you got
a real puzzler, Mike.
Seems your skeleton
was an inmate, a prisoner.
Name's Lew Kovic.
Kovic? It can't be.
Made a positive I.D.
Look for yourself... this is
a dental X ray taken
when he entered Alcatraz
in October 1954.
Now compare the bridgework.
This is ours taken
just this morning.
And this looks like
the blow that killed him.
- Been dead about...
- 20 years.
That's close enough.
It's on the nose... 1955.
Now, how do you know that?
That was the year he was
supposed to have escaped.
Sounds like you know him.
I did.
You know, I didn't know anyone
had ever escaped from Alcatraz.
That's what most people think.
Fact is, five guys made
it off that rock, Alcatraz.
No, excuse me, I take that back.
Only four... not counting Kovic.
No kidding?
So, what was Kovic in there for?
Murder. We were after
a guy named Nick Lugo.
- Ever hear of him?
- Lugo, Lu...
Didn't he run the Syndicate
right after the war?
That's the guy.
We thought we had
him on a murder one,
and then all of a
sudden Kovic confessed,
blew our case right
out of the water.
He had a good lawyer, too...
Got it down to a second-degree.
So they shipped him
off to Terminal Island.
Well, how'd he get on the Rock?
Well, about a year later he
found out his wife had cancer.
He wanted to see
her before she died,
so he made a break
for it over the wall.
They caught him; Alcatraz.
So, then what happened?
Then nothing. I
didn't hear about him
until I read in the
paper he had escaped.
So we put a stakeout
around his house.
He never showed.
Couple of months
later his wife died.
He never got there to see her.
So we figured he drowned.
Case closed.
Now it's open; 20
years after, it's open.
So, where do you
want to start looking?
That's a good question...
Where to start looking.
You know...
there must be a transcript
of the, uh, investigation
at the Hall of Records...
Why don't you pick them up.
And I'll go and
talk to the family.
Wait a minute. What,
you know them, too?
No. No, no, I don't know
them; I just know the son.
His son is a deputy D.A.
Lew Kovic Jr.
Mr. Kovic.
Mike Stone, Homicide.
Oh, sure, Lieutenant.
Just a second.
What can I do for you?
It's about your father.
- My father?
- Yes.
His body's been found.
Where?
On Alcatraz.
On Alcatraz?
That's impossible.
No, the lab made a
positive identification.
No, it can't be my father.
Not on Alcatraz.
He escaped.
No, he didn't escape.
The lab says he's
been dead for 20 years.
That doesn't make any sense.
You can look at the X
rays for yourself, if you like.
But it was definitely
your father.
But we have letters from him.
What?
Letters written
after his escape.
We get two, three a
year for 20 years now.
They've got his
signature on them?
Not just his signature,
his handwriting.
You have them?
No, my grandmother does.
They're all here,
every one of them.
You think they can
help find Lewis?
Well, we can try. Thank you.
Why don't we go outside?
- I'll be right back, Grandma.
- Take your time.
I'm not going anywhere.
- Nice to meet you, Lieutenant.
- Nice meeting you, too,
Mrs. Kovic.
Good luck.
Peru?
Argentina, Mexico City...
they're all from out of the country.
All from South America.
Mexico.
What do you make of them?
I don't know.
But I think we ought to take
some of these to Forgery
and find out what
they have to say.
Lew?
I came over as soon
as I got your call.
Jon, this is Lieutenant Stone
from the police department.
- My uncle, Jon Kovic.
- Hello.
Lieutenant.
I see you've got
his, uh, his letters.
Yeah, Lew told me about them,
and I thought we should
take them to Forgery.
Forgery? Why?
Well, they may be able
to come up with the man
who was copying your
brother's handwriting.
And who's going to come
up with a reason for that?
I mean, what's the point?
Whoever killed Dad
obviously wanted us to think
he was still alive.
You know, maybe you can help us?
I know it's going
back a long way, but...
can you think of anything
that happened to your brother
before he went to prison that
might have led to this?
No. I'm sorry, Lieutenant.
My brother and I
were not very close.
I mean, he had his
friends; I had mine.
Mm-hmm. You know,
he did work for Nick Lugo.
Yes, yes, but I
didn't know Mr. Lugo.
Uh, may I take these with me?
Sure.
I'll be in touch.
What did you tell
your grandmother?
Just that the letters
might help us find Dad.
Yeah. You know,
it's just as well,
because a shock like this...
could kill her, you know.
Who killed Dad?
Was it Nick Lugo?
Why Lugo?
You said that when
Dad went to prison
and Mom got sick,
he wanted to get out.
Well, that's got nothing
to do with Nick Lugo.
Jon, I've had guys
get in touch with me,
try to make deals to
get themselves out.
I mean, it happens all the time.
Do you think that's
what Dad did?
- What kind of a deal?
- Well, I don't know.
Maybe he knew
something about Nick Lugo
he thought he could
trade for his release.
- Maybe he felt...
- Lew, please, please,
will you let the
police handle this?
I don't know Nick
Lugo, that's true,
but I do know enough
about him to tell you
not to throw rocks at him,
especially about something
that happened 20 years ago.
That something that
happened over 20 years ago
was a murder, Jon.
The murder of my father.
If that doesn't mean
anything to you,
- I don't understand.
- Of course it means
something to me.
But you mean even more.
What you are, what you have now,
what you could have.
Lew, I have worked very
hard to help you have a...
the kind of life you
could be proud of.
Now, that is something
your father never had.
All right, we wondered, uh...
where is he?
Why doesn't he ever
come to see us, to see you?
Now we know the
answer, don't we?
And I should think
knowing those answers
would make it a
lot easier for you.
Come on, accept it, will you?
Don't make your life any
harder by trying to dig up the past.
♪♪
This place was
under construction
when Kovic disappeared?
Oh, yeah. 1955, it sure was.
Watch yourself.
Here.
Well...
whoever dumped him in
there sure had to know about it.
Steve...
didn't the transcripts say
that Kovic escaped
from the infirmary?
That's right, yeah.
Could we take a look?
Sure. This way.
Okay, the guard
on duty that night
was a man named Stebbins.
That's right. Herb Stebbins.
- Did you know him?
- Not too well.
Kept to himself pretty much.
- He wasn't too well liked.
- Where was his post?
Right out here.
And where would
the bunks have been?
Over here.
Read what Stebbins had to
say to the hearing board, will you?
Yeah.
'Kay...
"Question:
"When was it you discovered
Kovic missing
from the infirmary?"
Now, this is Stebbins' answer.
"The next morning.
"Question: Not that night?
"No. Question:
"Who discovered the
loosened ventilator screen?
"Answer: I did.
"Question: What brought
it to your attention?
"Answer: I couldn't
figure any other way
"he could have gotten out,
so I checked the
screen, and it was loose."
No way.
Not through here.
The only way he could have
gotten out is through that door.
But Stebbins was
sitting out there.
- That's right.
- You mean Stebbins took him out?
- And killed him.
- How do you figure?
Couldn't be anybody else.
Everybody was
assuming that he went out
- through the ventilator shaft.
- That's right.
And knowing now that he
didn't go out through that shaft,
it can only be the guard.
Stebbins? Yeah,
well, wait a minute.
Now, they found Kovic's
shoes down by the beach.
That couldn't have
been Stebbins.
Why not? The shoes weren't
found till two days later.
Stebbins dropped them there;
someone else picked them up.
Yeah.
That's easy.
Guess that's why they
call you guys detectives.
You know, we still got
one big question, Mike.
- Yeah, what's that?
- Why?
Well, when we find
this guy, Stebbins,
we'll know the answer.
♪♪
Herbert Stebbins?
Who wants to know?
My name is Kovic.
Lew Kovic.
Yeah.
That name doesn't
mean anything to you?
Should it?
You knew my father.
Get out of here.
I-I want some answers.
I said get out of here.
Stebbins...
Stebbins!
Stebbins, I'll be
back, you hear me?
I'm with the district
attorney's office.
I'll get a warrant if I have to.
You're gonna answer
some questions.
♪♪
Lieutenant, guy's name is
Stebbins, Herbert Stebbins.
Lived at 33412.
Who identified him?
The, uh, man over there.
Says he saw it happen.
Hit and run.
Got the license number
and the make on a car.
What are you doing here?
Probably the same thing you are.
I came to talk to Stebbins.
And what did he have to say?
Nothing; he wouldn't let me in.
So, I went back to my car.
I was just leaving.
I saw him come
out of the apartment,
- and a car hit him.
- You see the driver?
No, he was headed the other way.
It wasn't an
accident, Lieutenant.
I got the license,
gave it to the officer.
I'd appreciate it if
you put out an APB.
Get it out.
Now listen,
the next time you get a line
on anybody, you come to us.
Let us handle it, will you?
I let you handle the
letters, Lieutenant.
I haven't heard
anything on those yet.
That's because we didn't
hear anything about them yet.
The minute we do,
we'll let you know.
In the meantime,
you just stay out of it.
I don't want to
find you lying dead
in the gutter like Stebbins.
Can I help you?
Yeah, I want to see Nick Lugo.
Mr. Lugo's busy.
Something I can do for you?
I'm from the district
attorney's office.
That's a name out of the past.
You read today's paper?
Yeah.
Who killed him?
Why ask me?
He worked for you.
Look, kid,
that was 20 years ago.
A lot of water's gone
under the bridge since then.
To tell you the truth,
I thought your old man
went out to sea with it.
Hey, kid, your old
man and me were close.
Very close.
As far as I'm concerned,
they don't make them
like Lew Kovic anymore.
So, who would have
wanted him dead?
I don't know.
I don't suppose you know a
man named Herbert Stebbins?
Stebbins?
No. What's he do?
Nothing anymore.
I just saw him get
run down in the street.
He used to be a
guard on Alcatraz.
He was the guard who testified
as to how my father was
supposed to have escaped.
Well, I guess you're right.
I don't know him.
This card says you're
with the D.A.'s office.
Does he know you're here?
No.
It's not official yet,
but I have a theory, Mr. Lugo.
If my father was murdered,
there had to be a reason.
I think the reason is
he never killed anybody.
I think he took a rap.
I also think he might
have changed his mind
about doing someone else's time,
and that cost him his life.
You think I killed
him, is that it?
That's it.
I'm a businessman,
not a killer.
Maybe you ought to
take one of my cards.
You want a piano?
I'll get you the finest,
right from Berlin.
Tape recorder?
Right off the boat from Japan.
He was doing time for you.
He stood up for you.
You're trying my patience, kid.
You're a lawyer.
You ought to know you ain't
got enough to go to court with.
So why bring your case to me?
I don't know how much
I can prove, Mr. Lugo,
or how long it's
going to take me,
but I'm not going
to stop trying.
You do know the way out.
They were all written
by the same hand.
The left hand.
Southpaw.
Mm-hmm.
You can tell by the way
the pen dug into the paper.
See?
That happens when a left-hander
tries to copy a
right-hander's slant.
Well, that must narrow it down.
Some.
What about this paper?
Can that be traced?
Ordinary stationery.
Pick it up anywhere.
But those postmarks,
now they interest me.
They're definitely forged,
but they weren't sketched.
They were cut and stamped
to make them look
like the real thing.
Yeah, well, can that be traced?
The engraver strokes can.
The style, how the
tools were used.
Oh, that's my phone.
Okay, sounds good.
Let us know, will you?
Will do, Steve.
Homicide, Lieutenant Stone.
Listen, Mike, you know
that hit-and-run death?
- Stebbins?
- Yeah.
What about it?
- It isn't Stebbins.
- Well, who is it?
Man named Wilcox.
Homer Wilcox.
I checked; he's got
a minor police record.
Vagrancy, plain
drunk, that sort of thing.
But definitely not Stebbins.
Bernie, do me a favor, will you?
Keep the lid on this
until I find out what's
going on down here.
That was DMV calling
back on that Stebbins car.
It was stolen.
Right car, wrong guy.
- Come on.
- What?
I'll fill you in on the way.
Let's go.
Hello?
Uh, this is Stebbins.
We...
we got to talk.
Yes?
Police.
You live here?
No, upstairs.
I manage the apartment.
You might be just the man
we want to talk to, Mr., um...
- Greeley. Al Greeley.
- Mr. Greeley,
I'm Lieutenant Stone;
this is Inspector Keller.
- Hi.
- I-It's about the killing, huh?
Uh-huh, did you see the body?
No, I wasn't here.
The man's name was
Wilcox, Homer Wilcox.
He was supposed to have
been here just before it happened.
Hey, wait a minute, you
mean Stebbins ain't dead?
- Looks that way.
- Oh...
So, what are you
doing, collecting the rent?
Uh, no, I get what I can.
He owes about three months.
He have a roommate, Stebbins?
No, no one in particular.
What about Mr. Wilcox?
Oh, that's just a name.
Uh, you know, these guys
come and go, know what I mean?
How long has
Mr. Stebbins lived here?
Oh, good part of
three years, I guess.
- Maybe more.
- Who's this girl, Phyllis?
Oh, Phyllis.
That's his wife.
She left him... she left
him about a year ago.
Couldn't take it anymore;
I don't blame her.
You know where she's living now?
The last I heard, she was
somewhere in Sausalito.
That's been a long time.
I haven't seen Herb
since he broke in looking
for my food stamps.
Lousy food stamps.
Gonna sell them
and buy more booze.
When was this?
Oh, about two months ago.
What'd he do?
We just want to ask
him some questions
about when he was
working on Alcatraz.
You were married to
him then, weren't you?
If you can call it that.
Well, his personnel records
said he resigned in '58.
Oh, that's wrong.
He was canned.
Well, they said he resigned.
Well, they told him if he
didn't resign, they'd can him.
It's the same thing.
Why did they ask him to resign?
They said he was unfit.
They were right, too.
He isn't fit for anything.
You know, there was a time
when he could have made
something out of himself.
He came into some
money, $10,000.
But he blew it all
on booze, and the track,
and other women.
$10,000?
And when was this?
When he was working at Alcatraz?
No, just after he quit.
10,000 bucks.
That's not much for a hit.
Oh, that was
plenty in those days.
So, what do you figure?
Lugo puts a
contract out on Kovic.
Who else?
Because maybe Kovic,
he doesn't want to do
any more time for Lugo.
Maybe.
Then he tries to close
the book on Stebbins,
because he didn't think it
was gonna be opened again.
Well, it makes
sense, doesn't it?
Yeah, yeah.
One thing is, I can't
figure out those letters.
Can you?
No, no, they don't fit.
Well, it's still early.
You want to try those bars
she says Stebbins would go to?
Yeah, I guess so.
But that's a long shot.
You know that, don't you?
My guess is that he's
looking for a way out of town.
Hey, y-you said
you'd take care of me.
You know something, Stebbins?
I honestly thought I had.
Uh, what you give
me 20 years ago?
How far can you
spread ten grand?
So, now you want more?
They found the
body. You know that.
Yeah.
Yeah, well, Lugo knows
it, too, and he's after me.
Listen, you got to talk to him.
You got to tell him I...
I won't say anything.
You got to tell him all I
need is enough to blow town.
I'll-I'll find a hole.
They-they... they won't turn me.
He... He doesn't have to worry.
I don't think he's
worried about you, Herb.
I doubt if he even
knows your name.
What do you mean?
What are you talking about?
I did it for Lugo, right?
Hey, uh...
Hey, what's going on?
Hey, wha-wha... what are...
what are you... what are you doing?
Something I probably should
have done 20 years ago.
Hey, hey. Hey, no.
No, no, no.
No! No! No!
No! No!
Well, good morning.
Not so good. You're late.
Coast Guard pulled in a floater.
Stebbins.
Yeah. He took a dive last night
about the same time we
were warming barstools.
Suicide?
Not with two.38
slugs in his back.
Lugo got to him.
Looks that way.
- Anybody see it happen?
- Nope.
- Find the gun?
- Nope.
So, you got any ideas
what we should do?
Yeah. We get to
Lugo, and you drive.
Police.
How did you know?
Well, the uniform.
Never changes.
Like some faces don't
change much, either, huh?
Mike Stone, isn't it?
That's right. Steve Keller.
Hi.
I was looking for
you boys yesterday
when I first heard
about, uh, Lew Kovic.
You didn't hear anything
about it before yesterday?
That's when they
found the body, isn't it?
How could I have heard before?
We thought you might
remember hearing
about it when it
actually happened.
You know, through the grapevine.
Ah, you know Alcatraz.
The water between us.
Uh, hard to keep
contact with anybody.
You never went
out to visit Kovic?
My lawyer didn't
think it was too smart.
Smart lawyer.
He was.
He died a while back
himself. Heart attack.
When was the last
time you saw Kovic?
You know, uh, seems to me
my new lawyer might not want
me getting into this conversation.
Why is that?
Afraid we might turn
up some more bodies?
You know, Stone, you've been
dealing in dead bodies too long.
You got 'em on the brain.
Why don't you just, uh, tie
down a nice, comfy job at a desk?
Better yet, pull your
pin, take the pension,
relax and play some golf.
And get off my back
about something that
happened 20 years ago.
You're a little, uh... a
little touchy, aren't you?
You, too, kid.
Maybe you haven't learned yet,
but some cases never get solved.
Yeah? I'll tell you what I
have learned, Mr. Lugo.
There's no such thing
as a perfect crime.
There's always somebody willing
to talk to save their own neck.
Somebody to talk about Kovic,
somebody to talk about Stebbins.
Oh, yeah, I heard
about Stebbins.
That was the guard on the
Rock that got run down yesterday.
Well, you can't tie that on me.
I don't even drive.
Run down? Somebody
told you he was run down?
That's funny, isn't it?
There you go, just
what I was saying.
There's always
somebody willing to talk.
Even if they got
the wrong story.
That's right.
We fished Stebbins out
of the bay this morning.
Two slugs in his back.
The guy that you're
talking about was his friend.
Whatever.
I didn't know either of them.
You do know where
you were last night?
Oh, yeah, I was at a banquet.
Friend of mine's
running for Congress.
Want names and addresses?
Uh, no, that's all right.
We can get the names and
addresses from your friends,
people you pay.
We'll be seeing you.
Oh, listen.
Say hello to Paul
Andrews, will you?
He is your new
attorney, isn't he?
Stone...
stick it in your ear.
So, what do you think?
I think I've been
neglecting your education.
Haven't you seen the size
of our files on open cases?
Yeah. I thought it
was worth a shot.
Yeah.
Yeah, Mr. Kovic, please.
Tell him Nick Lugo is calling.
Eighty-one to headquarters.
Go ahead, eight-one.
Yeah, our 10-20 is, uh,
Battery and Greenwich.
The suspects is
aware of our car.
Could you get an unmarked
one down here for surveillance?
10-4, eight-one. On the way.
I'll take this one downtown,
you stay with the second one.
All right.
Anybody that rolls
into Lugo's place,
you get the license
number and get on the horn.
Okay.
Anybody that rolls
out, get with 'em.
Kovic?
Yeah. Yeah, I remember him.
He used to work for Nick Lugo.
Too bad.
I always kind of
hoped he'd made it.
You worked for Lugo, too.
What can you tell me about him?
Look... a guy can get hurt
talking about Nick Lugo at
the D.A.'s office, you know?
A guy can get well, too.
You're coming up
for parole, aren't you?
Yeah.
A nice, friendly letter from
my office wouldn't hurt,
would it, Mr. Maddox?
What is it you're looking for?
A motive.
A reason why Nick Lugo
would want to kill my father.
Could be lots of reasons.
The Kovic brothers were
moving up pretty fast at the time.
Wait a minute.
Kovic brothers?
Yeah. Lew and Jonny.
That's who we're
talking about, ain't it?
Yeah, right. Go on.
Well, the two of 'em...
They were running
numbers in the Tenderloin.
Lugo liked their style,
so he took 'em both in.
You sure Jon Kovic was in on it?
Well, sure I'm sure.
He took care of
the business end.
I mean, you take
Lew... He had the moxie.
Jonny... he had the smarts.
Kept his nose clean.
Real smart, that Jonny was.
♪♪
Your memory going bad
in your old age, Jonny?
Nick.
You forget how far you got?
You forget who set you up in
that fancy insurance business,
who got you your first client?
I never meant
for it to touch you.
How did Lew's kid know so much?
Oh, he's smart.
Too smart.
Look, I'll tell him he's wrong.
I told him already.
He don't listen.
Nick, there's no
need to hurt him.
He doesn't know anything.
And now that Stebbins is gone,
he hasn't got a way
of proving anything.
Stebbins. You said you
bought a guard to kill him,
to kill Lew.
That was him?
Yeah.
Then that hit blows up in
our face after all this time?
Then you get sloppy
getting rid of him, too.
I hadn't seen the
man for 20 years.
When that other guy came out
of the building, I thought that...
You got sloppy,
Jonny. You got sloppy.
And you're playing with my life.
You're still alive.
You're still free.
If I hadn't taken
care of Lew, you'd be
dead by now,
or still doing time.
Okay, okay.
I trust you, Jonny.
I don't trust the kid.
I tell you, he doesn't
have anything.
He's got the D.A.'s office.
He's got a hard-nosed
cop digging at me
from the other side.
I don't need that. I don't
need all that, Jonny.
Don't ask me to hurt him, Nick.
Please don't.
I raised him like
he was my own son.
I guess you had to, didn't you?
You made him an orphan.
♪♪
He knows what he has to do.
Make sure he does it.
You just missed a phone
call from your nephew.
He said it was urgent.
Oh, uh, get him
back for me, will you?
He called from a pay phone
at the Alcatraz ferry building.
He said it was
important, though.
He has a transcript he
wants to go over with you,
and he wants you to meet
him there as soon as possible.
I checked the ferry service,
and there's a boat leaving
every half hour, and
your afternoon's free.
Thank you.
This is a stiff one, Calvin.
Tampering with the mail.
- Mail?!
- Forging postmarks.
That's a good ten years.
Oh, now, wait a minute.
I-I never tampered
with any mail.
Yeah, what is it?
Here's that visitor's report
from the Bureau of Prisons.
It doesn't look like he
had that many friends.
One name?
Yeah, and that covers the
last 90 days like you asked for.
- Thanks a lot.
- Okay.
Lieutenant, I've been
clean a long time, right?
Now-now you know
I've been clean.
I'm not gonna get into anything
that pulls a stretch like
messing with the mail.
Who bought that job, Calvin?
A friend.
He wasn't gonna hurt nobody.
That's the way it was put to me.
And it wasn't...
Well, it wasn't like a guy's
checkbook or anything.
You say you never
tampered with the mail?
Oh, I swear.
Then it must have
been hand-delivered.
Yeah, I guess.
I mean, I-I wasn't there. I...
Well, I just made the
stamps look right, and
then I wrote what he told me.
Who?
I can't give you that.
This name... you recognize it?
I didn't give you this.
I'll tell you everything else,
but I didn't give you that name.
Inspectors eight-one,
please respond.
Yeah, this is
inspector eighty-one.
Lieutenant Stone requests you
meet him at 111 Sutter Street.
One-eleven?
That is correct.
Uh, could you put
me in direct contact
with the lieutenant
as soon as possible?
10-4.
Headquarters to
inspectors eight-one B.
Inspectors eight-one B.
Inspectors eight-one B.
We have communication
with Inspector Keller.
Go ahead.
Mike?
Steve, what is it?
This address on Sutter.
Jon Kovic's office building.
You just about there?
Been there and gone.
Listen, this Kovic... Is he,
uh, sort of a stocky guy,
gray hair, in his 50s?
Right.
I got him in my sights now,
but a couple of Lugo's
guys are following him.
Where are you?
I'm heading down
Kearney towards the bay.
You hang with them.
I'll hook up with you.
♪♪
Kovic got on the ferry and
Lugo's boys are with him.
Inspectors eight-one
to headquarters.
Headquarters. Go ahead.
I'm at Pier 41.
Get me a chopper.
Roger, Inspector.
♪♪
This is it.
Home sweet home.
Lew, even if this
place had any answers,
they've been
buried for 20 years.
Lew?
Oh, it's up here.
Third tier.
Steve.
Yeah, that's them.
Set her down right there.
This was his.
Last days of his
life spent right here.
You said we had
something to go over.
Let's get on with it, all right?
Something about
this place bother you?
Just don't see the point.
The point... is
that he was here,
and you were out there.
What are you talking about?
I'm talking about
the Kovic brothers.
Lew and Jonny.
That's what your
friends called you, right?
Jonny?
That's what Nick
Lugo called you.
You both worked
for him, didn't you?
It wasn't just Dad.
And he didn't kill
anybody, either.
He took a fall for
Lugo, did him a favor.
Did you ever do a favor
for Lugo yourself, Jonny?
You go that way.
I've prosecuted a lot of people.
I've heard a lot of lies.
I thought I could see it
in any man's face now.
But maybe you're
less than a man, huh?
How?
How could you do it?
Listen to me, Lew...
No more lies!
These lies you fed me all my
life finally gave me the truth.
Do you know that?
They were finally
good for something.
They told me it was
you and not Lugo.
Whoever wrote these
had to have a purpose.
There wouldn't be any for Lugo.
But there would be for you.
As long as I got these,
I'd always be
looking for my father.
Instead of the
man who killed him.
More friends, Jonny?
Your father made a deal.
And then he tried
to get out of it.
So you made your deal.
What do you know?
You've had everything
handed to you your whole life.
I handed it to you, not him.
He couldn't have
given you anything.
He wasn't smart
enough to make it.
He never could have made it!
But you're right
about one thing:
he didn't kill anybody.
I don't suppose you'd
let me go to Lugo
and try to fix things
now, would you?
Okay.
Just one more thing.
Forgive me.
Hold it!
Drop it!
Come on!
All right! It's all over!
Now, you just throw
that right over the side.
You see Coit Tower up there?
Just-just to the left of it.
That's where we lived.
I was only eight.
I could look out the
window and see this place.
I used to wonder if my
father was looking back at me.
I remember the day
I heard he escaped.
I stayed up all night,
waiting for him to come home
and take me away with him.
I always wondered
why he never did.
When we get back, I'll
swear out a statement.
That and what
Lugo's men just did
should be enough for you
to pick him up and hold him.
What are you gonna
tell your grandmother?
I don't know.
What about the truth?
Can't be any harder than
sitting at that window, can it?
No.
No, I guess not.
Good afternoon,
ladies and gentlemen,
and welcome to Alcatraz.
The island was discovered
by a Spanish naval officer
who sailed into the bay in 1775.
He named it La Isla
de los Alcatraces,
or the Island of the Pelicans.
It was later bought
by the Americans,
and in 1853, Fort
Alcatraz was built
on the site where the
main prison now stands.
This was the main
cell house, built in 1909.
Watch your step here, please.
In the 1920s came
the gangster era
and a more modern
security system was needed,
so the prison was
completely remodeled.
This is the area commonly
called the "Dungeon,"
or the "Dark Hole."
The dampness that
you feel down here
is actually the
ocean leaking in.
The last repair work
was done in 1955,
and in the interest
of public safety
we're replacing all
those old sections.
♪♪
Looks like you got
a real puzzler, Mike.
Seems your skeleton
was an inmate, a prisoner.
Name's Lew Kovic.
Kovic? It can't be.
Made a positive I.D.
Look for yourself... this is
a dental X ray taken
when he entered Alcatraz
in October 1954.
Now compare the bridgework.
This is ours taken
just this morning.
And this looks like
the blow that killed him.
- Been dead about...
- 20 years.
That's close enough.
It's on the nose... 1955.
Now, how do you know that?
That was the year he was
supposed to have escaped.
Sounds like you know him.
I did.
You know, I didn't know anyone
had ever escaped from Alcatraz.
That's what most people think.
Fact is, five guys made
it off that rock, Alcatraz.
No, excuse me, I take that back.
Only four... not counting Kovic.
No kidding?
So, what was Kovic in there for?
Murder. We were after
a guy named Nick Lugo.
- Ever hear of him?
- Lugo, Lu...
Didn't he run the Syndicate
right after the war?
That's the guy.
We thought we had
him on a murder one,
and then all of a
sudden Kovic confessed,
blew our case right
out of the water.
He had a good lawyer, too...
Got it down to a second-degree.
So they shipped him
off to Terminal Island.
Well, how'd he get on the Rock?
Well, about a year later he
found out his wife had cancer.
He wanted to see
her before she died,
so he made a break
for it over the wall.
They caught him; Alcatraz.
So, then what happened?
Then nothing. I
didn't hear about him
until I read in the
paper he had escaped.
So we put a stakeout
around his house.
He never showed.
Couple of months
later his wife died.
He never got there to see her.
So we figured he drowned.
Case closed.
Now it's open; 20
years after, it's open.
So, where do you
want to start looking?
That's a good question...
Where to start looking.
You know...
there must be a transcript
of the, uh, investigation
at the Hall of Records...
Why don't you pick them up.
And I'll go and
talk to the family.
Wait a minute. What,
you know them, too?
No. No, no, I don't know
them; I just know the son.
His son is a deputy D.A.
Lew Kovic Jr.
Mr. Kovic.
Mike Stone, Homicide.
Oh, sure, Lieutenant.
Just a second.
What can I do for you?
It's about your father.
- My father?
- Yes.
His body's been found.
Where?
On Alcatraz.
On Alcatraz?
That's impossible.
No, the lab made a
positive identification.
No, it can't be my father.
Not on Alcatraz.
He escaped.
No, he didn't escape.
The lab says he's
been dead for 20 years.
That doesn't make any sense.
You can look at the X
rays for yourself, if you like.
But it was definitely
your father.
But we have letters from him.
What?
Letters written
after his escape.
We get two, three a
year for 20 years now.
They've got his
signature on them?
Not just his signature,
his handwriting.
You have them?
No, my grandmother does.
They're all here,
every one of them.
You think they can
help find Lewis?
Well, we can try. Thank you.
Why don't we go outside?
- I'll be right back, Grandma.
- Take your time.
I'm not going anywhere.
- Nice to meet you, Lieutenant.
- Nice meeting you, too,
Mrs. Kovic.
Good luck.
Peru?
Argentina, Mexico City...
they're all from out of the country.
All from South America.
Mexico.
What do you make of them?
I don't know.
But I think we ought to take
some of these to Forgery
and find out what
they have to say.
Lew?
I came over as soon
as I got your call.
Jon, this is Lieutenant Stone
from the police department.
- My uncle, Jon Kovic.
- Hello.
Lieutenant.
I see you've got
his, uh, his letters.
Yeah, Lew told me about them,
and I thought we should
take them to Forgery.
Forgery? Why?
Well, they may be able
to come up with the man
who was copying your
brother's handwriting.
And who's going to come
up with a reason for that?
I mean, what's the point?
Whoever killed Dad
obviously wanted us to think
he was still alive.
You know, maybe you can help us?
I know it's going
back a long way, but...
can you think of anything
that happened to your brother
before he went to prison that
might have led to this?
No. I'm sorry, Lieutenant.
My brother and I
were not very close.
I mean, he had his
friends; I had mine.
Mm-hmm. You know,
he did work for Nick Lugo.
Yes, yes, but I
didn't know Mr. Lugo.
Uh, may I take these with me?
Sure.
I'll be in touch.
What did you tell
your grandmother?
Just that the letters
might help us find Dad.
Yeah. You know,
it's just as well,
because a shock like this...
could kill her, you know.
Who killed Dad?
Was it Nick Lugo?
Why Lugo?
You said that when
Dad went to prison
and Mom got sick,
he wanted to get out.
Well, that's got nothing
to do with Nick Lugo.
Jon, I've had guys
get in touch with me,
try to make deals to
get themselves out.
I mean, it happens all the time.
Do you think that's
what Dad did?
- What kind of a deal?
- Well, I don't know.
Maybe he knew
something about Nick Lugo
he thought he could
trade for his release.
- Maybe he felt...
- Lew, please, please,
will you let the
police handle this?
I don't know Nick
Lugo, that's true,
but I do know enough
about him to tell you
not to throw rocks at him,
especially about something
that happened 20 years ago.
That something that
happened over 20 years ago
was a murder, Jon.
The murder of my father.
If that doesn't mean
anything to you,
- I don't understand.
- Of course it means
something to me.
But you mean even more.
What you are, what you have now,
what you could have.
Lew, I have worked very
hard to help you have a...
the kind of life you
could be proud of.
Now, that is something
your father never had.
All right, we wondered, uh...
where is he?
Why doesn't he ever
come to see us, to see you?
Now we know the
answer, don't we?
And I should think
knowing those answers
would make it a
lot easier for you.
Come on, accept it, will you?
Don't make your life any
harder by trying to dig up the past.
♪♪
This place was
under construction
when Kovic disappeared?
Oh, yeah. 1955, it sure was.
Watch yourself.
Here.
Well...
whoever dumped him in
there sure had to know about it.
Steve...
didn't the transcripts say
that Kovic escaped
from the infirmary?
That's right, yeah.
Could we take a look?
Sure. This way.
Okay, the guard
on duty that night
was a man named Stebbins.
That's right. Herb Stebbins.
- Did you know him?
- Not too well.
Kept to himself pretty much.
- He wasn't too well liked.
- Where was his post?
Right out here.
And where would
the bunks have been?
Over here.
Read what Stebbins had to
say to the hearing board, will you?
Yeah.
'Kay...
"Question:
"When was it you discovered
Kovic missing
from the infirmary?"
Now, this is Stebbins' answer.
"The next morning.
"Question: Not that night?
"No. Question:
"Who discovered the
loosened ventilator screen?
"Answer: I did.
"Question: What brought
it to your attention?
"Answer: I couldn't
figure any other way
"he could have gotten out,
so I checked the
screen, and it was loose."
No way.
Not through here.
The only way he could have
gotten out is through that door.
But Stebbins was
sitting out there.
- That's right.
- You mean Stebbins took him out?
- And killed him.
- How do you figure?
Couldn't be anybody else.
Everybody was
assuming that he went out
- through the ventilator shaft.
- That's right.
And knowing now that he
didn't go out through that shaft,
it can only be the guard.
Stebbins? Yeah,
well, wait a minute.
Now, they found Kovic's
shoes down by the beach.
That couldn't have
been Stebbins.
Why not? The shoes weren't
found till two days later.
Stebbins dropped them there;
someone else picked them up.
Yeah.
That's easy.
Guess that's why they
call you guys detectives.
You know, we still got
one big question, Mike.
- Yeah, what's that?
- Why?
Well, when we find
this guy, Stebbins,
we'll know the answer.
♪♪
Herbert Stebbins?
Who wants to know?
My name is Kovic.
Lew Kovic.
Yeah.
That name doesn't
mean anything to you?
Should it?
You knew my father.
Get out of here.
I-I want some answers.
I said get out of here.
Stebbins...
Stebbins!
Stebbins, I'll be
back, you hear me?
I'm with the district
attorney's office.
I'll get a warrant if I have to.
You're gonna answer
some questions.
♪♪
Lieutenant, guy's name is
Stebbins, Herbert Stebbins.
Lived at 33412.
Who identified him?
The, uh, man over there.
Says he saw it happen.
Hit and run.
Got the license number
and the make on a car.
What are you doing here?
Probably the same thing you are.
I came to talk to Stebbins.
And what did he have to say?
Nothing; he wouldn't let me in.
So, I went back to my car.
I was just leaving.
I saw him come
out of the apartment,
- and a car hit him.
- You see the driver?
No, he was headed the other way.
It wasn't an
accident, Lieutenant.
I got the license,
gave it to the officer.
I'd appreciate it if
you put out an APB.
Get it out.
Now listen,
the next time you get a line
on anybody, you come to us.
Let us handle it, will you?
I let you handle the
letters, Lieutenant.
I haven't heard
anything on those yet.
That's because we didn't
hear anything about them yet.
The minute we do,
we'll let you know.
In the meantime,
you just stay out of it.
I don't want to
find you lying dead
in the gutter like Stebbins.
Can I help you?
Yeah, I want to see Nick Lugo.
Mr. Lugo's busy.
Something I can do for you?
I'm from the district
attorney's office.
That's a name out of the past.
You read today's paper?
Yeah.
Who killed him?
Why ask me?
He worked for you.
Look, kid,
that was 20 years ago.
A lot of water's gone
under the bridge since then.
To tell you the truth,
I thought your old man
went out to sea with it.
Hey, kid, your old
man and me were close.
Very close.
As far as I'm concerned,
they don't make them
like Lew Kovic anymore.
So, who would have
wanted him dead?
I don't know.
I don't suppose you know a
man named Herbert Stebbins?
Stebbins?
No. What's he do?
Nothing anymore.
I just saw him get
run down in the street.
He used to be a
guard on Alcatraz.
He was the guard who testified
as to how my father was
supposed to have escaped.
Well, I guess you're right.
I don't know him.
This card says you're
with the D.A.'s office.
Does he know you're here?
No.
It's not official yet,
but I have a theory, Mr. Lugo.
If my father was murdered,
there had to be a reason.
I think the reason is
he never killed anybody.
I think he took a rap.
I also think he might
have changed his mind
about doing someone else's time,
and that cost him his life.
You think I killed
him, is that it?
That's it.
I'm a businessman,
not a killer.
Maybe you ought to
take one of my cards.
You want a piano?
I'll get you the finest,
right from Berlin.
Tape recorder?
Right off the boat from Japan.
He was doing time for you.
He stood up for you.
You're trying my patience, kid.
You're a lawyer.
You ought to know you ain't
got enough to go to court with.
So why bring your case to me?
I don't know how much
I can prove, Mr. Lugo,
or how long it's
going to take me,
but I'm not going
to stop trying.
You do know the way out.
They were all written
by the same hand.
The left hand.
Southpaw.
Mm-hmm.
You can tell by the way
the pen dug into the paper.
See?
That happens when a left-hander
tries to copy a
right-hander's slant.
Well, that must narrow it down.
Some.
What about this paper?
Can that be traced?
Ordinary stationery.
Pick it up anywhere.
But those postmarks,
now they interest me.
They're definitely forged,
but they weren't sketched.
They were cut and stamped
to make them look
like the real thing.
Yeah, well, can that be traced?
The engraver strokes can.
The style, how the
tools were used.
Oh, that's my phone.
Okay, sounds good.
Let us know, will you?
Will do, Steve.
Homicide, Lieutenant Stone.
Listen, Mike, you know
that hit-and-run death?
- Stebbins?
- Yeah.
What about it?
- It isn't Stebbins.
- Well, who is it?
Man named Wilcox.
Homer Wilcox.
I checked; he's got
a minor police record.
Vagrancy, plain
drunk, that sort of thing.
But definitely not Stebbins.
Bernie, do me a favor, will you?
Keep the lid on this
until I find out what's
going on down here.
That was DMV calling
back on that Stebbins car.
It was stolen.
Right car, wrong guy.
- Come on.
- What?
I'll fill you in on the way.
Let's go.
Hello?
Uh, this is Stebbins.
We...
we got to talk.
Yes?
Police.
You live here?
No, upstairs.
I manage the apartment.
You might be just the man
we want to talk to, Mr., um...
- Greeley. Al Greeley.
- Mr. Greeley,
I'm Lieutenant Stone;
this is Inspector Keller.
- Hi.
- I-It's about the killing, huh?
Uh-huh, did you see the body?
No, I wasn't here.
The man's name was
Wilcox, Homer Wilcox.
He was supposed to have
been here just before it happened.
Hey, wait a minute, you
mean Stebbins ain't dead?
- Looks that way.
- Oh...
So, what are you
doing, collecting the rent?
Uh, no, I get what I can.
He owes about three months.
He have a roommate, Stebbins?
No, no one in particular.
What about Mr. Wilcox?
Oh, that's just a name.
Uh, you know, these guys
come and go, know what I mean?
How long has
Mr. Stebbins lived here?
Oh, good part of
three years, I guess.
- Maybe more.
- Who's this girl, Phyllis?
Oh, Phyllis.
That's his wife.
She left him... she left
him about a year ago.
Couldn't take it anymore;
I don't blame her.
You know where she's living now?
The last I heard, she was
somewhere in Sausalito.
That's been a long time.
I haven't seen Herb
since he broke in looking
for my food stamps.
Lousy food stamps.
Gonna sell them
and buy more booze.
When was this?
Oh, about two months ago.
What'd he do?
We just want to ask
him some questions
about when he was
working on Alcatraz.
You were married to
him then, weren't you?
If you can call it that.
Well, his personnel records
said he resigned in '58.
Oh, that's wrong.
He was canned.
Well, they said he resigned.
Well, they told him if he
didn't resign, they'd can him.
It's the same thing.
Why did they ask him to resign?
They said he was unfit.
They were right, too.
He isn't fit for anything.
You know, there was a time
when he could have made
something out of himself.
He came into some
money, $10,000.
But he blew it all
on booze, and the track,
and other women.
$10,000?
And when was this?
When he was working at Alcatraz?
No, just after he quit.
10,000 bucks.
That's not much for a hit.
Oh, that was
plenty in those days.
So, what do you figure?
Lugo puts a
contract out on Kovic.
Who else?
Because maybe Kovic,
he doesn't want to do
any more time for Lugo.
Maybe.
Then he tries to close
the book on Stebbins,
because he didn't think it
was gonna be opened again.
Well, it makes
sense, doesn't it?
Yeah, yeah.
One thing is, I can't
figure out those letters.
Can you?
No, no, they don't fit.
Well, it's still early.
You want to try those bars
she says Stebbins would go to?
Yeah, I guess so.
But that's a long shot.
You know that, don't you?
My guess is that he's
looking for a way out of town.
Hey, y-you said
you'd take care of me.
You know something, Stebbins?
I honestly thought I had.
Uh, what you give
me 20 years ago?
How far can you
spread ten grand?
So, now you want more?
They found the
body. You know that.
Yeah.
Yeah, well, Lugo knows
it, too, and he's after me.
Listen, you got to talk to him.
You got to tell him I...
I won't say anything.
You got to tell him all I
need is enough to blow town.
I'll-I'll find a hole.
They-they... they won't turn me.
He... He doesn't have to worry.
I don't think he's
worried about you, Herb.
I doubt if he even
knows your name.
What do you mean?
What are you talking about?
I did it for Lugo, right?
Hey, uh...
Hey, what's going on?
Hey, wha-wha... what are...
what are you... what are you doing?
Something I probably should
have done 20 years ago.
Hey, hey. Hey, no.
No, no, no.
No! No! No!
No! No!
Well, good morning.
Not so good. You're late.
Coast Guard pulled in a floater.
Stebbins.
Yeah. He took a dive last night
about the same time we
were warming barstools.
Suicide?
Not with two.38
slugs in his back.
Lugo got to him.
Looks that way.
- Anybody see it happen?
- Nope.
- Find the gun?
- Nope.
So, you got any ideas
what we should do?
Yeah. We get to
Lugo, and you drive.
Police.
How did you know?
Well, the uniform.
Never changes.
Like some faces don't
change much, either, huh?
Mike Stone, isn't it?
That's right. Steve Keller.
Hi.
I was looking for
you boys yesterday
when I first heard
about, uh, Lew Kovic.
You didn't hear anything
about it before yesterday?
That's when they
found the body, isn't it?
How could I have heard before?
We thought you might
remember hearing
about it when it
actually happened.
You know, through the grapevine.
Ah, you know Alcatraz.
The water between us.
Uh, hard to keep
contact with anybody.
You never went
out to visit Kovic?
My lawyer didn't
think it was too smart.
Smart lawyer.
He was.
He died a while back
himself. Heart attack.
When was the last
time you saw Kovic?
You know, uh, seems to me
my new lawyer might not want
me getting into this conversation.
Why is that?
Afraid we might turn
up some more bodies?
You know, Stone, you've been
dealing in dead bodies too long.
You got 'em on the brain.
Why don't you just, uh, tie
down a nice, comfy job at a desk?
Better yet, pull your
pin, take the pension,
relax and play some golf.
And get off my back
about something that
happened 20 years ago.
You're a little, uh... a
little touchy, aren't you?
You, too, kid.
Maybe you haven't learned yet,
but some cases never get solved.
Yeah? I'll tell you what I
have learned, Mr. Lugo.
There's no such thing
as a perfect crime.
There's always somebody willing
to talk to save their own neck.
Somebody to talk about Kovic,
somebody to talk about Stebbins.
Oh, yeah, I heard
about Stebbins.
That was the guard on the
Rock that got run down yesterday.
Well, you can't tie that on me.
I don't even drive.
Run down? Somebody
told you he was run down?
That's funny, isn't it?
There you go, just
what I was saying.
There's always
somebody willing to talk.
Even if they got
the wrong story.
That's right.
We fished Stebbins out
of the bay this morning.
Two slugs in his back.
The guy that you're
talking about was his friend.
Whatever.
I didn't know either of them.
You do know where
you were last night?
Oh, yeah, I was at a banquet.
Friend of mine's
running for Congress.
Want names and addresses?
Uh, no, that's all right.
We can get the names and
addresses from your friends,
people you pay.
We'll be seeing you.
Oh, listen.
Say hello to Paul
Andrews, will you?
He is your new
attorney, isn't he?
Stone...
stick it in your ear.
So, what do you think?
I think I've been
neglecting your education.
Haven't you seen the size
of our files on open cases?
Yeah. I thought it
was worth a shot.
Yeah.
Yeah, Mr. Kovic, please.
Tell him Nick Lugo is calling.
Eighty-one to headquarters.
Go ahead, eight-one.
Yeah, our 10-20 is, uh,
Battery and Greenwich.
The suspects is
aware of our car.
Could you get an unmarked
one down here for surveillance?
10-4, eight-one. On the way.
I'll take this one downtown,
you stay with the second one.
All right.
Anybody that rolls
into Lugo's place,
you get the license
number and get on the horn.
Okay.
Anybody that rolls
out, get with 'em.
Kovic?
Yeah. Yeah, I remember him.
He used to work for Nick Lugo.
Too bad.
I always kind of
hoped he'd made it.
You worked for Lugo, too.
What can you tell me about him?
Look... a guy can get hurt
talking about Nick Lugo at
the D.A.'s office, you know?
A guy can get well, too.
You're coming up
for parole, aren't you?
Yeah.
A nice, friendly letter from
my office wouldn't hurt,
would it, Mr. Maddox?
What is it you're looking for?
A motive.
A reason why Nick Lugo
would want to kill my father.
Could be lots of reasons.
The Kovic brothers were
moving up pretty fast at the time.
Wait a minute.
Kovic brothers?
Yeah. Lew and Jonny.
That's who we're
talking about, ain't it?
Yeah, right. Go on.
Well, the two of 'em...
They were running
numbers in the Tenderloin.
Lugo liked their style,
so he took 'em both in.
You sure Jon Kovic was in on it?
Well, sure I'm sure.
He took care of
the business end.
I mean, you take
Lew... He had the moxie.
Jonny... he had the smarts.
Kept his nose clean.
Real smart, that Jonny was.
♪♪
Your memory going bad
in your old age, Jonny?
Nick.
You forget how far you got?
You forget who set you up in
that fancy insurance business,
who got you your first client?
I never meant
for it to touch you.
How did Lew's kid know so much?
Oh, he's smart.
Too smart.
Look, I'll tell him he's wrong.
I told him already.
He don't listen.
Nick, there's no
need to hurt him.
He doesn't know anything.
And now that Stebbins is gone,
he hasn't got a way
of proving anything.
Stebbins. You said you
bought a guard to kill him,
to kill Lew.
That was him?
Yeah.
Then that hit blows up in
our face after all this time?
Then you get sloppy
getting rid of him, too.
I hadn't seen the
man for 20 years.
When that other guy came out
of the building, I thought that...
You got sloppy,
Jonny. You got sloppy.
And you're playing with my life.
You're still alive.
You're still free.
If I hadn't taken
care of Lew, you'd be
dead by now,
or still doing time.
Okay, okay.
I trust you, Jonny.
I don't trust the kid.
I tell you, he doesn't
have anything.
He's got the D.A.'s office.
He's got a hard-nosed
cop digging at me
from the other side.
I don't need that. I don't
need all that, Jonny.
Don't ask me to hurt him, Nick.
Please don't.
I raised him like
he was my own son.
I guess you had to, didn't you?
You made him an orphan.
♪♪
He knows what he has to do.
Make sure he does it.
You just missed a phone
call from your nephew.
He said it was urgent.
Oh, uh, get him
back for me, will you?
He called from a pay phone
at the Alcatraz ferry building.
He said it was
important, though.
He has a transcript he
wants to go over with you,
and he wants you to meet
him there as soon as possible.
I checked the ferry service,
and there's a boat leaving
every half hour, and
your afternoon's free.
Thank you.
This is a stiff one, Calvin.
Tampering with the mail.
- Mail?!
- Forging postmarks.
That's a good ten years.
Oh, now, wait a minute.
I-I never tampered
with any mail.
Yeah, what is it?
Here's that visitor's report
from the Bureau of Prisons.
It doesn't look like he
had that many friends.
One name?
Yeah, and that covers the
last 90 days like you asked for.
- Thanks a lot.
- Okay.
Lieutenant, I've been
clean a long time, right?
Now-now you know
I've been clean.
I'm not gonna get into anything
that pulls a stretch like
messing with the mail.
Who bought that job, Calvin?
A friend.
He wasn't gonna hurt nobody.
That's the way it was put to me.
And it wasn't...
Well, it wasn't like a guy's
checkbook or anything.
You say you never
tampered with the mail?
Oh, I swear.
Then it must have
been hand-delivered.
Yeah, I guess.
I mean, I-I wasn't there. I...
Well, I just made the
stamps look right, and
then I wrote what he told me.
Who?
I can't give you that.
This name... you recognize it?
I didn't give you this.
I'll tell you everything else,
but I didn't give you that name.
Inspectors eight-one,
please respond.
Yeah, this is
inspector eighty-one.
Lieutenant Stone requests you
meet him at 111 Sutter Street.
One-eleven?
That is correct.
Uh, could you put
me in direct contact
with the lieutenant
as soon as possible?
10-4.
Headquarters to
inspectors eight-one B.
Inspectors eight-one B.
Inspectors eight-one B.
We have communication
with Inspector Keller.
Go ahead.
Mike?
Steve, what is it?
This address on Sutter.
Jon Kovic's office building.
You just about there?
Been there and gone.
Listen, this Kovic... Is he,
uh, sort of a stocky guy,
gray hair, in his 50s?
Right.
I got him in my sights now,
but a couple of Lugo's
guys are following him.
Where are you?
I'm heading down
Kearney towards the bay.
You hang with them.
I'll hook up with you.
♪♪
Kovic got on the ferry and
Lugo's boys are with him.
Inspectors eight-one
to headquarters.
Headquarters. Go ahead.
I'm at Pier 41.
Get me a chopper.
Roger, Inspector.
♪♪
This is it.
Home sweet home.
Lew, even if this
place had any answers,
they've been
buried for 20 years.
Lew?
Oh, it's up here.
Third tier.
Steve.
Yeah, that's them.
Set her down right there.
This was his.
Last days of his
life spent right here.
You said we had
something to go over.
Let's get on with it, all right?
Something about
this place bother you?
Just don't see the point.
The point... is
that he was here,
and you were out there.
What are you talking about?
I'm talking about
the Kovic brothers.
Lew and Jonny.
That's what your
friends called you, right?
Jonny?
That's what Nick
Lugo called you.
You both worked
for him, didn't you?
It wasn't just Dad.
And he didn't kill
anybody, either.
He took a fall for
Lugo, did him a favor.
Did you ever do a favor
for Lugo yourself, Jonny?
You go that way.
I've prosecuted a lot of people.
I've heard a lot of lies.
I thought I could see it
in any man's face now.
But maybe you're
less than a man, huh?
How?
How could you do it?
Listen to me, Lew...
No more lies!
These lies you fed me all my
life finally gave me the truth.
Do you know that?
They were finally
good for something.
They told me it was
you and not Lugo.
Whoever wrote these
had to have a purpose.
There wouldn't be any for Lugo.
But there would be for you.
As long as I got these,
I'd always be
looking for my father.
Instead of the
man who killed him.
More friends, Jonny?
Your father made a deal.
And then he tried
to get out of it.
So you made your deal.
What do you know?
You've had everything
handed to you your whole life.
I handed it to you, not him.
He couldn't have
given you anything.
He wasn't smart
enough to make it.
He never could have made it!
But you're right
about one thing:
he didn't kill anybody.
I don't suppose you'd
let me go to Lugo
and try to fix things
now, would you?
Okay.
Just one more thing.
Forgive me.
Hold it!
Drop it!
Come on!
All right! It's all over!
Now, you just throw
that right over the side.
You see Coit Tower up there?
Just-just to the left of it.
That's where we lived.
I was only eight.
I could look out the
window and see this place.
I used to wonder if my
father was looking back at me.
I remember the day
I heard he escaped.
I stayed up all night,
waiting for him to come home
and take me away with him.
I always wondered
why he never did.
When we get back, I'll
swear out a statement.
That and what
Lugo's men just did
should be enough for you
to pick him up and hold him.
What are you gonna
tell your grandmother?
I don't know.
What about the truth?
Can't be any harder than
sitting at that window, can it?
No.
No, I guess not.