The Streets of San Francisco (1972–1977): Season 3, Episode 2 - The Most Deadly Species - full transcript
A traveling hit-woman seduces Inspector Keller, gaining valuable intelligence for her San Francisco assignments. A mob hired her to help win a gang war, which Keller is investigating. Keller's superior Lt. Mike Stone hears wedding bells, but death knells are more likely as she's living in a bay-side apartment next to the younger, love-struck Keller.
You pick up the beers, huh?
I got another stop to make.
And nobody's
following me in there,
no matter what the old man says.
Brennan.
- What is this?
- Shut up.
Come on, move.
Come on. Come on. Come on.
Hold it!
Come on, get in the car.
Get in. Get in!
Go!
Yeah?
Tony Doyle, Lieutenant.
Witnessed the whole shootout.
But his eyes went bad.
Says it all happened so fast,
he don't remember who shot who.
Nearsighted all
of a sudden, huh?
I-I-It's, it's like he
said, Lieutenant.
I-It all happened so fast.
I mean, I-I don't think I could
pick out one of those guys.
I mean, I don't think
I could positively...
Doyle, I want a statement.
I want you to tell me as
much as you were able to see.
Okay.
Well, I was... I was parked
up here up... up on a hill,
just throwin' stuff
off the truck...
Jimmy, as soon as
you finish your report,
will you give me a call?
Thanks.
Hey, Mike.
All units from southeast
30 to Bay east 27...
Who was it?
Eddie Hoight.
Eddie Hoight?!
One of the old
familiar faces, huh?
Been in and out for years.
So who's he working for now?
Well, I don't know.
Let's see, uh...
The last I heard it was,
uh... Murray Brennan.
- Brennan?
- Mm-hmm. Murray Brennan.
Oh, man. I need that
like a hole in the head.
Come on, let's give him a call.
Lieutenant.
Inspector.
What can I do for you?
Mr. Converse.
Is Mr. Brennan in?
Well, yes, he is, but he's busy.
Would you mind telling
him we're here, please?
May I tell him
what it's all about?
Murder.
Come in, gentlemen.
Oh, uh, he'll be right with you.
Okay, genius, your move.
I'm afraid it'll have
to wait, Murray.
Hmm?
Mike Stone's out there,
and I think you'd
better see him.
What about?
Well, it seems that
somebody's turned up dead,
and he thinks you might
know something about it.
You want me with you?
What, I'm a rookie?
Mike, it's been a long time.
Murray.
Get you something?
Just what we came
for, if you don't mind.
Shoot.
Eddie Hoight.
He was shot today
out near Candlestick.
Hoight.
I know him?
I hope so.
Word I got is that you pay him
a bundle to look out for your son.
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
You sure it was him?
Quite sure.
Well, well, I am
sorry Eddie got hit,
but he was something
of a hothead.
It was probably over a dame
or something dumb like that.
Where is your son, Mr. Brennan?
Johnny? Out of town.
- Where?
- I don't know.
He likes to go off by himself
for a few days here and there.
Oh, come on now, Johnny
never goes off by himself.
I know that, and
you know I know it.
Now, Murray, he's your only son.
The kid of your old
age, the charm boy.
Everybody loves Johnny Brennan,
but he's not too good
at running the business.
And you've been putting
more and more power
into his hands lately.
Want me to tell you something?
Some people think
it's easy pickin's.
Mike, it's very comforting
to know the police are
doing their homework.
We think it's a setup.
Setup? For what?
They get rid of your son,
muscle in on your territory.
We know they're crowding.
Malachy, Judd, Albanese...
Okay, if that's the
way you want to play it.
Would you mind telling
Johnny to give us a ring
when he gets back into town?
And we'll keep in touch.
Close touch, Murray.
Converse.
Eddie's been hit.
They got Johnny.
Who?
I don't know who!
Johnny's got to be dead.
I want the man
who killed my son,
and I want the man
who paid for the job.
You get me the best
contract I can buy.
Get me Sidney.
Anything?
I got nothing.
Malachy, Judd, Albanese...
They're all accounted for.
Nobody can find Johnny Brennan.
What do you got?
A whole list of
everything we don't know.
Well, why don't we try the
positive approach for once,
and try to figure out
what we do have?
All right, Norman Vincent
Peale, what do we have?
It's a pro job.
We don't have any hit man.
We got Doyle.
Oh, yeah.
Yeah.
We've got Doyle.
What, has he been in?
Besides having lousy
eyesight, he says
he just came down with the flu.
Well, Mike, I just got a call
from that stakeout on Brennan.
He's on the move.
Thanks a lot.
Pacific Heights.
North of Vallejo on Scott.
North on Scott. Move it.
♪♪
That isn't Johnny.
Where is he?
I was told he was here, Murray.
Get him out of there.
Oh, now wait just a moment!
Just a moment!
You can't do that!
You can't...
Lay off, Murray!
Now, just a moment, Lieutenant.
The man is a murderer.
Hold it.
You two... put that
body in the other chapel.
Steve, take care of the family.
Who paid you for this job?
I don't know... now, honest,
honest... I don't know.
Ten grand, and the body
was delivered here with a note.
- It said to bury him...
- Where's the note?
I threw it away.
I'm buying my son's funeral.
Converse, get Johnny
out of this place.
Murray, wait a minute...
Now listen to me.
I don't want the lid
coming off of this city
and a lot of innocent
people getting hurt.
I'm sorry about what
happened to your son Johnny,
but you let me
take care of this job.
Sure, Mike.
Sure.
Just like always.
- Get a good night's sleep.
- Okay.
I get the feeling we'll be
working overtime on this one.
Why? You looking for a real war?
With Brennan, you don't
know what to look for.
Except with him, you know that
he's gonna have the last word.
Whoever did it was
just dumb, plain dumb.
Brennan loved that kid.
I'll see you tomorrow.
Okay. Take care.
Oh, no!
I'm sorry.
I knew that would happen.
It's too much for
one box, I guess.
Oh, I'm really sorry.
Let me give you a hand.
Oh, no, that's all
right. I can do it.
I don't mind.
These can't be Andy's.
No. No, they're mine.
I just took a sublease
on his apartment.
Oh, yeah?
You must be a decorator.
And you must be the detective.
Andy told you about
the crazy hours, huh?
I didn't know detectives
had crazy hours.
'Fraid so.
Lead the way. There must be
more where these came from.
There's plenty more,
but I can do it, really.
I figure if I don't
make it as a decorator,
I can always make
it as a moving man.
So what happened to Anderson?
He didn't say
anything about moving.
Some unexpected trouble
in his family or something.
I was really lucky to get
the place, it's really pretty.
Oh, no...
Oh, forget it.
I don't know about that part
about you being a moving man.
No, I guess not.
I'm Steven Keller.
Hi, Steve.
I'm Sidney.
Okay, so you heard
someone at the back entrance.
They didn't even ring the bell,
they-they just came right in.
By the time you got there...
Well, I-I saw the
body all wrapped up,
uh, with a note pinned to it.
- There was no one there.
- No, I didn't see anybody.
And the note, you
just threw away.
Well, I, uh, I burned it first.
You know, I was
scared, and, uh...
Look, I told you already, I
couldn't identify anybody.
I told you everything I saw.
Just keep looking, Doyle.
This is crazy.
I mean, I mean, how many
faces you got in here anyway?
I could be here all night.
Which one was it?
I-I don't know.
I can't remember.
This one?
Look...
I got a family.
Everybody's got a family.
And how safe do you think they'd
be if nobody cooperated with us?
I don't know.
Listen, I'm sorry.
Can I go now?
All right. You can go. Go ahead.
Thanks for the help.
You got anything?
He's sorry. What about Marioni?
Nothing, no.
You been draggin' all
day today, you know that?
What did you do, have
a late night last night?
Yeah.
Who is she?
That new neighbor?
What neighbor?
"What neighbor?"
The brunette.
The one who couldn't
handle all the books.
Man, isn't there anything
you don't file away
in that computer of yours?
- And what's she like?
- Aw, come on, will you?
Oh, now you're
gonna clam up on me
like those other
two clowns, huh?
Well, okay, maybe Doyle
had a right to clam up.
He stopped at that mug shot.
Who is it?
Lloyd Davies.
Tends bar over in Noe Valley.
Davies, Davies, yes, he...
he does more than
mix drinks, doesn't he?
Mm-hmm.
No one's been able
to prove anything else.
He's got about six hits.
Six? Ten.
Plus two indictments.
He got off?
Insufficient evidence.
Who does he work for now?
Freelances.
Anybody who can buy the ticket.
Well, he may have
bought his own ticket
if he crossed Murray Brennan.
That's right.
Come on, let's go talk with him.
Homicide. Inspector Keller.
How are you today?
Well, that's good to hear. Yeah.
Tonight?
Uh... I, uh, gee, I don't know.
Listen, it's all right.
I don't mind eating alone.
Well, I do. I'll
get a reservation.
We've got one. At
my place at 8:00.
I've got a new recipe
I want to try out.
You can tell me if you like it.
Okay.
I'll bring the wine.
I'll see you at 8:00.
See you then.
That had to be
the late night, huh?
You're gonna bring the
wine. Sounds kind of serious.
Are you ready?
Oh, now, wait a minute.
Let me tell you something.
When they start handing you
that home-cooked meal routine,
that's the first
step to marriage.
Marriage? I just met the girl.
What are you
talking about, marr...
Marriage, that's right.
Let me tell you something.
Times have changed
and all that, huh?
But let me tell you,
women haven't.
When they start
tossin' that salad
and makin' those
fancy desserts, look out.
The only thing they're
thinking about... marriage.
He's poppin' for
wine at a dinner date.
Converse?
Sidney.
I want to see Brennan.
It's a strange place
to meet you, Sidney.
Were you followed?
Yes.
Do you have the money?
You have a lead?
I'll know who it was by tonight.
How?
That's what you
pay me for, Murray.
Are you... religious?
No.
Sometimes it helps.
I don't need help.
And if there is a God, he's
not about to forgive me...
or you.
Yes.
Yes, I've killed.
And I've known
many men who have...
but never a woman.
You don't know me, Murray.
No, I'm afraid I don't.
If my son had been
half as tough as you are,
I wouldn't be lighting this
candle for him right now.
Light one for me, too,
if it'll make you
feel any better.
Good red wine and a fire...
I can't think of anything nicer.
What about a margarita
on a beach in Mexico?
Oh, yeah, that's nicer.
Or corn roasted in
salt water at the beach?
Good, good.
A good sleep after
a long, hard day.
- Yeah. Oh, yeah.
- That's a good one.
Catching a cab on 57th
Street in the rush hour.
You're from New York?
Yes.
But I left there
a long time ago.
Too much competition.
All the little girls in
Great Neck, Long Island
want to grow up
and be decorators.
I wouldn't know.
Really?
What about you? A native?
Born and bred.
Modesto, California.
- Modesto?
- Yeah.
Oh, come on. Nobody's
really from Modesto.
What're you talking about?
My father told me that was
a great place to be from.
That's why I shipped
myself off to Berkeley.
And then?
Then...
Then is now.
Do you like being a detective?
Sometimes.
Sometimes?
What about now?
- Today was a beaut.
- Why?
Well, we got a tough case
involving a Syndicate killing.
Syndicate.
What do you mean? The Mob?
- Yeah.
- Are you serious?
You mean that still exists?
Gangsters killing each
other in the streets?
Oh, yeah.
This one was in the city dump.
And we even got a
witness, but he's so scared
he won't give us a
positive I.D. on the killer.
You know who the killer is?
Well, for all the
good it does us, yeah.
Look, we had a
lineup today, okay?
I set the whole thing up.
I put the witness in
the back to protect him,
got the suspect right up
there, right in the bright lights,
you can't miss a thing.
He gets off again, because
the witness is scared
he'll get hurt if he
puts the finger on him.
Gets off again?
Has he killed somebody before?
Ten times we know about.
Two indictments, two acquittals.
Insufficient evidence.
Is it somebody who lives
right here in San Francisco?
Tends bar in a nice
friendly neighborhood tavern,
full of jokes and laughs
for all the good customers...
and he'd kill any one of
them if the price was right.
Amazing.
Do you know what I think?
What?
I'm lucky to have a
detective for a neighbor.
Good night. Thanks.
Sorry, we're closed.
One for the road is the
best I can do for you.
Vodka martini.
Dry. Up.
You think you can
handle all that this late?
Yeah, yeah.
I can handle it.
Excuse me, will you?
Mm-hmm.
Listen, uh, take me
just a minute to wash up.
Why don't you stick around.
Okay.
Good.
What are you doing?
We haven't met formally, Lloyd.
My name is Sidney.
Sidney?
You've heard the name.
Yeah, I heard the name,
but I thought Sidney...
Yeah, I know. You
thought I was a man.
You were wrong.
Wait a minute,
wait a minute, wait.
Who-who told you about me?
A detective told me.
He said they're
looking for a bartender
with ten hits and
two indictments.
Everybody seems to
know your track record.
Sloppy.
Listen, listen, I'm just
doing a job, you know?
For who?
I tell you, what is it
worth to Brennan?
Maybe your life.
Give me the name.
Come on, sweetheart,
let's go someplace...
Hey! All right!
Okay!
Okay, okay.
Now, you tell Brennan... it
was nothing personal, okay?
I was just doing
a job for Albanese.
Who?
Charlie Albanese!
How much did he pay you, Lloyd?
Ten grand.
Ten grand?
That's cheap.
Mike, back here.
Where?
Men's room.
Davies.
Killed by a small-caliber
handgun, point-blank.
One shot hit the
heart dead center,
and the other one
went into the mirror.
Second shot killed him.
How do you know that?
Well, here's where he dropped.
Right about here is
where he was standing.
With that slug in the glass,
it's about head high,
shot from a short distance.
Wasn't meant to kill.
It was guaranteed
to buy information.
Like who hired him
to hit Johnny Brennan.
That's right.
It has to be someone
that Murray turned loose.
Who found the body?
The day man. Name's Hughes.
Says he opened up at 8:00.
Mr. Hughes, I'm
Lieutenant Stone.
You open up every day?
Yes, sir, every day.
But right away, I knew
something was funny.
All the lights was on.
They ain't never been on before.
Was the front door
locked when you came in?
- Bolted, like always.
- How about the back door?
Well, the back
door's self-locking.
Mike.
Excuse me.
Lipstick on the cigarette
and on the glass.
Everything else in the
place has been cleaned up.
Yep.
Well, which means that
the last person in
here was a woman,
or that he just forgot to
empty this glass and ashtray.
Lieutenant.
Hospital has someone down there
says they have to
see you right away.
Some undertaker named Marioni.
Lab, take care of these.
What did you try to
do, bury a live one?
You got to protect me.
From who?
Brennan.
His boys did this.
Yeah, two of them.
Just come into the
place and laid into me.
Marioni, you got any reason why?
They said if I ever do
another job for Albanese,
they'll come back and kill me.
Now, I-I didn't know it
was for Albanese, I swear.
Now, wait a minute!
You got to help me.
Tell me what to do.
Stick to burying
one body at a time.
Now, wait... hey, wait...
Albanese... that's, uh, that's
prostitution and numbers, right?
And branching out.
It figures.
He's everything
Johnny Brennan wasn't.
You want to pick him up?
No, no, no. Let's get
back to headquarters first.
I want to put a
team on his tail.
If we start watching both
of them, him and Brennan,
we ought to be on top of
them when it blows away.
Go ahead, I got it.
Go ahead, answer it!
Yeah?
Who's calling?
Hey, Charlie.
It's some chick.
Later.
She says she was
Lloyd Davies' girl
and you should talk to her.
Hello?
Mr. Albanese.
This is Jewel Ferguson.
I was with Lloyd Davies when
they came in and killed him.
They saw me.
Wait, wait, wait, whoa.
Slow down. Now, what?
Brennan's boys.
They saw me.
I don't understand
what you're talking...
Who'd you say you were, lady?
You heard me.
And don't tell me
you don't understand.
Lloyd Davies is dead.
They came in, they tried
to make him talk about you,
he wouldn't, so they killed him.
Wait. Now, wait.
Slow down. Back up.
Now, what are you talking about?
You.
I know about you.
And I'm calling you for help.
And I think you better
help me, Mr. Albanese.
Get me out of
town, do something.
Suppose I don't
feel like helping?
I don't want to call the cops.
What do you want?
I want you to meet me.
Alone.
All right, when?
Tomorrow morning,
10:00, Palace of Fine Arts.
- Oh, Steve?
- Yeah.
This just came up
from the coroner's.
Oh, thanks, Bill.
Hi. You got anything
on Brennan or Albanese?
All quiet on both fronts.
What have you got?
It's the coroner's report.
Verifies Davies was
shot with a.32 caliber.
Mm. Point-blank, too.
Yep.
Means Davies wasn't
expecting it and should've been.
He should've been walking around
with one eye over his shoulder.
It just doesn't figure.
Neither does the.32 caliber.
Not from any hit
man I ever heard of.
Okay, I'll check with
Central Intelligence
and the FBI,
see if they've got any
cases with similar M.O.'s.
You know, there's one
other thing that doesn't figure.
What's that?
We knew about Davies.
How did Brennan find out?
You tell me.
Somebody tipped him.
Well, it wasn't me; it
must have been you.
Thanks a lot.
You sure you didn't
mention it to anybody?
Not even here in the department?
Mike, I'm telling
you, there isn't...
I told someone we're
having trouble with a case
because a witness
wouldn't cooperate.
Who? The neighbor?
Yeah, but I didn't
mention Davies by name,
and I don't think there's any
way that an interior decorator
who just moved to town
would know someone
like Murray Brennan, do you?
No.
No, but, you know,
I'm really worried about
you and that neighbor.
First thing you know, you're
gonna be coming to me
and asking me to go
out and, uh, rent a tuxedo.
I get the message.
I get the message.
Listen, you want to do
anything else this afternoon?
No, you can take off.
I'll yell if anything breaks.
You sure about that?
Sure I'm sure.
And don't come in with
half a head tomorrow.
Try to get to bed early tonight.
I try every night.
It's open, Steve.
I thought I just
moved all these in.
I just got a wonderful job.
A new condominium
project in Santa Barbara,
and I get to decorate
the whole thing.
And for more money
than I ever dreamed of.
That's great.
I don't have to
leave till morning.
FBI's got four open cases with
earmarks of the same M.O...
Detroit, Philadelphia,
Chicago and here.
Any name?
No, but they think it's a woman.
A woman?
Yeah. They're
pretty sure about it.
Well, at least in
the Detroit killing.
The name is Sally Banning.
Any description?
They're sending a full report.
Right now, I've only
got a general one.
Dark hair, dark eyes...
Wait a minute.
Dark hair, dark eyes...
about five-five,
110 pounds maybe?
You know her?
I hope not.
I want to see that report
the minute it gets in.
Right.
Hey, we're over here.
- Good morning.
- Good morning.
Don't tell me
another late night.
Oh, you better believe it.
Don't worry. I'm
not getting married.
Hey, it all seems kind of
cozy, side by side, huh?
Yeah, could have been;
she's catching a plane
- in half an hour.
- What for?
- New job.
- New job, huh?
Well, how long
has she been there?
I thought a guy lived in
that apartment... an architect.
- What was his name?
- Anderson, yeah.
Anderson, that's right.
What happened to him?
Well, he moved
down to the marina
and gave a sublet to Sidney.
Sidney?
- That was a Sidney?
- Yeah.
- Sidney who?
- Sidney Bruce.
Sidney Bruce.
Boy, I must say, things
sure are changed.
You know, when I was your age,
anybody called
Sidney had sideburns
and was smoking a cigar.
How long's she been there,
a couple or three days?
I think since Tuesday, yeah.
So where we
going, Bryant Street?
Not with that
lipstick on your face.
What?
What're you doin'? Enough.
- What?
- Drop me off at the office, will ya?
I got a few things I
gotta do down there.
And then you pick up Burton
and relieve that
stakeout on Albanese's.
With equal parts of
isopropyl myristate.
That's the emulsifier.
Now, the ozokerite
wax content...
Oh, come on, Charlie.
I'm a cop, not a chemist.
Don't give me that ozo stuff.
What is it?
Well, in short, Lieutenant,
the lipstick on the cigarette
contains the exact
chemical ingredients
as the lipstick on
the handkerchief.
No doubt the same brand.
The only thing I can't tell you
is whether that's Pink
Surprise or Pink Sunset.
My, my, my.
Aren't we getting foxy.
You see which one Albanese's in?
Missed it.
Okay, call Communications,
have them tell Homicide
we're rolling, need a backup unit.
Name is Anderson.
Write this down:
William Anderson;
he lives at the marina.
Now, it's a new listing,
so don't let them give
you the runaround.
I want you to get permission
to go into his apartment
and dust for prints.
When you've checked them
out, let me know what you've got.
Oh, Mike, that FBI
report just came in.
You said you wanted to see it.
- Is this it?
- Yeah.
Come on. Fill me in on
the way to Albanese's.
Where's she from?
Born, brought up New York City.
Bright kid.
Graduated high school
of music and art...
A drama major...
but got nowhere.
Must've decided to turn
her talents elsewhere.
Busted twice for prostitution.
Then she hooked up with
a guy named Howie Kuhn.
Kuhn?
The Torpedo?
The same.
She lived with him till he
was killed four years ago.
Sounds like he left
her his business.
Only conjecture.
But it does look like
her first hit was
revenge for Kuhn's death.
Then she found out she was
good at it... and she is, too.
They credit her with at least
four hits they can't prove.
- Davies makes five.
- Right.
No arrests during
the past seven years.
Recent address unknown.
Well, I'd feel an
awful lot better
- if I knew where she was right now.
- Yeah.
Come on, get in.
No, you get out.
I said alone.
Nobody's gonna hurt you, lady.
Oh, yeah, sure.
Nobody's gonna hurt me.
Listen, I'm not going
for a ride with anybody.
I'm gonna end up in the bay.
I know.
Come on, just like I said.
You and me alone.
Come on.
This is Inspectors
81 to Headquarters.
Please advise homicide
suspect has just met a woman
at the Palace of Fine Arts.
I'm gonna follow on foot. Over.
Did you catch that?
Palace of Fine Arts.
Yeah, I got it.
Look, it's just like I said.
I'm not asking
for anything more,
but enough to get
me out of this town
and get me to
where my family is.
That's all I want.
And I'm not trying to
blackmail you, either.
The thought never
entered my mind, baby.
I'll bet it didn't.
Hold on to that driver.
All right, hold it!
Steve! Watch out!
Hold it. Drop it.
.32 caliber.
You knew?
Not till today.
What for, just money?
Just money.
Nothing personal, Steve.
Nothing personal.
You're sure you're all right?
I'm fine.
Just, uh, just remembering
how many times you said
crime doesn't play favorites.
Man, how right you were.
Yeah, there's one other thing
we've got to remember now...
Something I was very,
very definitely wrong about.
What's that?
All women don't
dream of marriage.
Listen, you want to change
your mind about tonight?
No, I'll see you in the morning.
Okay.
I got another stop to make.
And nobody's
following me in there,
no matter what the old man says.
Brennan.
- What is this?
- Shut up.
Come on, move.
Come on. Come on. Come on.
Hold it!
Come on, get in the car.
Get in. Get in!
Go!
Yeah?
Tony Doyle, Lieutenant.
Witnessed the whole shootout.
But his eyes went bad.
Says it all happened so fast,
he don't remember who shot who.
Nearsighted all
of a sudden, huh?
I-I-It's, it's like he
said, Lieutenant.
I-It all happened so fast.
I mean, I-I don't think I could
pick out one of those guys.
I mean, I don't think
I could positively...
Doyle, I want a statement.
I want you to tell me as
much as you were able to see.
Okay.
Well, I was... I was parked
up here up... up on a hill,
just throwin' stuff
off the truck...
Jimmy, as soon as
you finish your report,
will you give me a call?
Thanks.
Hey, Mike.
All units from southeast
30 to Bay east 27...
Who was it?
Eddie Hoight.
Eddie Hoight?!
One of the old
familiar faces, huh?
Been in and out for years.
So who's he working for now?
Well, I don't know.
Let's see, uh...
The last I heard it was,
uh... Murray Brennan.
- Brennan?
- Mm-hmm. Murray Brennan.
Oh, man. I need that
like a hole in the head.
Come on, let's give him a call.
Lieutenant.
Inspector.
What can I do for you?
Mr. Converse.
Is Mr. Brennan in?
Well, yes, he is, but he's busy.
Would you mind telling
him we're here, please?
May I tell him
what it's all about?
Murder.
Come in, gentlemen.
Oh, uh, he'll be right with you.
Okay, genius, your move.
I'm afraid it'll have
to wait, Murray.
Hmm?
Mike Stone's out there,
and I think you'd
better see him.
What about?
Well, it seems that
somebody's turned up dead,
and he thinks you might
know something about it.
You want me with you?
What, I'm a rookie?
Mike, it's been a long time.
Murray.
Get you something?
Just what we came
for, if you don't mind.
Shoot.
Eddie Hoight.
He was shot today
out near Candlestick.
Hoight.
I know him?
I hope so.
Word I got is that you pay him
a bundle to look out for your son.
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
You sure it was him?
Quite sure.
Well, well, I am
sorry Eddie got hit,
but he was something
of a hothead.
It was probably over a dame
or something dumb like that.
Where is your son, Mr. Brennan?
Johnny? Out of town.
- Where?
- I don't know.
He likes to go off by himself
for a few days here and there.
Oh, come on now, Johnny
never goes off by himself.
I know that, and
you know I know it.
Now, Murray, he's your only son.
The kid of your old
age, the charm boy.
Everybody loves Johnny Brennan,
but he's not too good
at running the business.
And you've been putting
more and more power
into his hands lately.
Want me to tell you something?
Some people think
it's easy pickin's.
Mike, it's very comforting
to know the police are
doing their homework.
We think it's a setup.
Setup? For what?
They get rid of your son,
muscle in on your territory.
We know they're crowding.
Malachy, Judd, Albanese...
Okay, if that's the
way you want to play it.
Would you mind telling
Johnny to give us a ring
when he gets back into town?
And we'll keep in touch.
Close touch, Murray.
Converse.
Eddie's been hit.
They got Johnny.
Who?
I don't know who!
Johnny's got to be dead.
I want the man
who killed my son,
and I want the man
who paid for the job.
You get me the best
contract I can buy.
Get me Sidney.
Anything?
I got nothing.
Malachy, Judd, Albanese...
They're all accounted for.
Nobody can find Johnny Brennan.
What do you got?
A whole list of
everything we don't know.
Well, why don't we try the
positive approach for once,
and try to figure out
what we do have?
All right, Norman Vincent
Peale, what do we have?
It's a pro job.
We don't have any hit man.
We got Doyle.
Oh, yeah.
Yeah.
We've got Doyle.
What, has he been in?
Besides having lousy
eyesight, he says
he just came down with the flu.
Well, Mike, I just got a call
from that stakeout on Brennan.
He's on the move.
Thanks a lot.
Pacific Heights.
North of Vallejo on Scott.
North on Scott. Move it.
♪♪
That isn't Johnny.
Where is he?
I was told he was here, Murray.
Get him out of there.
Oh, now wait just a moment!
Just a moment!
You can't do that!
You can't...
Lay off, Murray!
Now, just a moment, Lieutenant.
The man is a murderer.
Hold it.
You two... put that
body in the other chapel.
Steve, take care of the family.
Who paid you for this job?
I don't know... now, honest,
honest... I don't know.
Ten grand, and the body
was delivered here with a note.
- It said to bury him...
- Where's the note?
I threw it away.
I'm buying my son's funeral.
Converse, get Johnny
out of this place.
Murray, wait a minute...
Now listen to me.
I don't want the lid
coming off of this city
and a lot of innocent
people getting hurt.
I'm sorry about what
happened to your son Johnny,
but you let me
take care of this job.
Sure, Mike.
Sure.
Just like always.
- Get a good night's sleep.
- Okay.
I get the feeling we'll be
working overtime on this one.
Why? You looking for a real war?
With Brennan, you don't
know what to look for.
Except with him, you know that
he's gonna have the last word.
Whoever did it was
just dumb, plain dumb.
Brennan loved that kid.
I'll see you tomorrow.
Okay. Take care.
Oh, no!
I'm sorry.
I knew that would happen.
It's too much for
one box, I guess.
Oh, I'm really sorry.
Let me give you a hand.
Oh, no, that's all
right. I can do it.
I don't mind.
These can't be Andy's.
No. No, they're mine.
I just took a sublease
on his apartment.
Oh, yeah?
You must be a decorator.
And you must be the detective.
Andy told you about
the crazy hours, huh?
I didn't know detectives
had crazy hours.
'Fraid so.
Lead the way. There must be
more where these came from.
There's plenty more,
but I can do it, really.
I figure if I don't
make it as a decorator,
I can always make
it as a moving man.
So what happened to Anderson?
He didn't say
anything about moving.
Some unexpected trouble
in his family or something.
I was really lucky to get
the place, it's really pretty.
Oh, no...
Oh, forget it.
I don't know about that part
about you being a moving man.
No, I guess not.
I'm Steven Keller.
Hi, Steve.
I'm Sidney.
Okay, so you heard
someone at the back entrance.
They didn't even ring the bell,
they-they just came right in.
By the time you got there...
Well, I-I saw the
body all wrapped up,
uh, with a note pinned to it.
- There was no one there.
- No, I didn't see anybody.
And the note, you
just threw away.
Well, I, uh, I burned it first.
You know, I was
scared, and, uh...
Look, I told you already, I
couldn't identify anybody.
I told you everything I saw.
Just keep looking, Doyle.
This is crazy.
I mean, I mean, how many
faces you got in here anyway?
I could be here all night.
Which one was it?
I-I don't know.
I can't remember.
This one?
Look...
I got a family.
Everybody's got a family.
And how safe do you think they'd
be if nobody cooperated with us?
I don't know.
Listen, I'm sorry.
Can I go now?
All right. You can go. Go ahead.
Thanks for the help.
You got anything?
He's sorry. What about Marioni?
Nothing, no.
You been draggin' all
day today, you know that?
What did you do, have
a late night last night?
Yeah.
Who is she?
That new neighbor?
What neighbor?
"What neighbor?"
The brunette.
The one who couldn't
handle all the books.
Man, isn't there anything
you don't file away
in that computer of yours?
- And what's she like?
- Aw, come on, will you?
Oh, now you're
gonna clam up on me
like those other
two clowns, huh?
Well, okay, maybe Doyle
had a right to clam up.
He stopped at that mug shot.
Who is it?
Lloyd Davies.
Tends bar over in Noe Valley.
Davies, Davies, yes, he...
he does more than
mix drinks, doesn't he?
Mm-hmm.
No one's been able
to prove anything else.
He's got about six hits.
Six? Ten.
Plus two indictments.
He got off?
Insufficient evidence.
Who does he work for now?
Freelances.
Anybody who can buy the ticket.
Well, he may have
bought his own ticket
if he crossed Murray Brennan.
That's right.
Come on, let's go talk with him.
Homicide. Inspector Keller.
How are you today?
Well, that's good to hear. Yeah.
Tonight?
Uh... I, uh, gee, I don't know.
Listen, it's all right.
I don't mind eating alone.
Well, I do. I'll
get a reservation.
We've got one. At
my place at 8:00.
I've got a new recipe
I want to try out.
You can tell me if you like it.
Okay.
I'll bring the wine.
I'll see you at 8:00.
See you then.
That had to be
the late night, huh?
You're gonna bring the
wine. Sounds kind of serious.
Are you ready?
Oh, now, wait a minute.
Let me tell you something.
When they start handing you
that home-cooked meal routine,
that's the first
step to marriage.
Marriage? I just met the girl.
What are you
talking about, marr...
Marriage, that's right.
Let me tell you something.
Times have changed
and all that, huh?
But let me tell you,
women haven't.
When they start
tossin' that salad
and makin' those
fancy desserts, look out.
The only thing they're
thinking about... marriage.
He's poppin' for
wine at a dinner date.
Converse?
Sidney.
I want to see Brennan.
It's a strange place
to meet you, Sidney.
Were you followed?
Yes.
Do you have the money?
You have a lead?
I'll know who it was by tonight.
How?
That's what you
pay me for, Murray.
Are you... religious?
No.
Sometimes it helps.
I don't need help.
And if there is a God, he's
not about to forgive me...
or you.
Yes.
Yes, I've killed.
And I've known
many men who have...
but never a woman.
You don't know me, Murray.
No, I'm afraid I don't.
If my son had been
half as tough as you are,
I wouldn't be lighting this
candle for him right now.
Light one for me, too,
if it'll make you
feel any better.
Good red wine and a fire...
I can't think of anything nicer.
What about a margarita
on a beach in Mexico?
Oh, yeah, that's nicer.
Or corn roasted in
salt water at the beach?
Good, good.
A good sleep after
a long, hard day.
- Yeah. Oh, yeah.
- That's a good one.
Catching a cab on 57th
Street in the rush hour.
You're from New York?
Yes.
But I left there
a long time ago.
Too much competition.
All the little girls in
Great Neck, Long Island
want to grow up
and be decorators.
I wouldn't know.
Really?
What about you? A native?
Born and bred.
Modesto, California.
- Modesto?
- Yeah.
Oh, come on. Nobody's
really from Modesto.
What're you talking about?
My father told me that was
a great place to be from.
That's why I shipped
myself off to Berkeley.
And then?
Then...
Then is now.
Do you like being a detective?
Sometimes.
Sometimes?
What about now?
- Today was a beaut.
- Why?
Well, we got a tough case
involving a Syndicate killing.
Syndicate.
What do you mean? The Mob?
- Yeah.
- Are you serious?
You mean that still exists?
Gangsters killing each
other in the streets?
Oh, yeah.
This one was in the city dump.
And we even got a
witness, but he's so scared
he won't give us a
positive I.D. on the killer.
You know who the killer is?
Well, for all the
good it does us, yeah.
Look, we had a
lineup today, okay?
I set the whole thing up.
I put the witness in
the back to protect him,
got the suspect right up
there, right in the bright lights,
you can't miss a thing.
He gets off again, because
the witness is scared
he'll get hurt if he
puts the finger on him.
Gets off again?
Has he killed somebody before?
Ten times we know about.
Two indictments, two acquittals.
Insufficient evidence.
Is it somebody who lives
right here in San Francisco?
Tends bar in a nice
friendly neighborhood tavern,
full of jokes and laughs
for all the good customers...
and he'd kill any one of
them if the price was right.
Amazing.
Do you know what I think?
What?
I'm lucky to have a
detective for a neighbor.
Good night. Thanks.
Sorry, we're closed.
One for the road is the
best I can do for you.
Vodka martini.
Dry. Up.
You think you can
handle all that this late?
Yeah, yeah.
I can handle it.
Excuse me, will you?
Mm-hmm.
Listen, uh, take me
just a minute to wash up.
Why don't you stick around.
Okay.
Good.
What are you doing?
We haven't met formally, Lloyd.
My name is Sidney.
Sidney?
You've heard the name.
Yeah, I heard the name,
but I thought Sidney...
Yeah, I know. You
thought I was a man.
You were wrong.
Wait a minute,
wait a minute, wait.
Who-who told you about me?
A detective told me.
He said they're
looking for a bartender
with ten hits and
two indictments.
Everybody seems to
know your track record.
Sloppy.
Listen, listen, I'm just
doing a job, you know?
For who?
I tell you, what is it
worth to Brennan?
Maybe your life.
Give me the name.
Come on, sweetheart,
let's go someplace...
Hey! All right!
Okay!
Okay, okay.
Now, you tell Brennan... it
was nothing personal, okay?
I was just doing
a job for Albanese.
Who?
Charlie Albanese!
How much did he pay you, Lloyd?
Ten grand.
Ten grand?
That's cheap.
Mike, back here.
Where?
Men's room.
Davies.
Killed by a small-caliber
handgun, point-blank.
One shot hit the
heart dead center,
and the other one
went into the mirror.
Second shot killed him.
How do you know that?
Well, here's where he dropped.
Right about here is
where he was standing.
With that slug in the glass,
it's about head high,
shot from a short distance.
Wasn't meant to kill.
It was guaranteed
to buy information.
Like who hired him
to hit Johnny Brennan.
That's right.
It has to be someone
that Murray turned loose.
Who found the body?
The day man. Name's Hughes.
Says he opened up at 8:00.
Mr. Hughes, I'm
Lieutenant Stone.
You open up every day?
Yes, sir, every day.
But right away, I knew
something was funny.
All the lights was on.
They ain't never been on before.
Was the front door
locked when you came in?
- Bolted, like always.
- How about the back door?
Well, the back
door's self-locking.
Mike.
Excuse me.
Lipstick on the cigarette
and on the glass.
Everything else in the
place has been cleaned up.
Yep.
Well, which means that
the last person in
here was a woman,
or that he just forgot to
empty this glass and ashtray.
Lieutenant.
Hospital has someone down there
says they have to
see you right away.
Some undertaker named Marioni.
Lab, take care of these.
What did you try to
do, bury a live one?
You got to protect me.
From who?
Brennan.
His boys did this.
Yeah, two of them.
Just come into the
place and laid into me.
Marioni, you got any reason why?
They said if I ever do
another job for Albanese,
they'll come back and kill me.
Now, I-I didn't know it
was for Albanese, I swear.
Now, wait a minute!
You got to help me.
Tell me what to do.
Stick to burying
one body at a time.
Now, wait... hey, wait...
Albanese... that's, uh, that's
prostitution and numbers, right?
And branching out.
It figures.
He's everything
Johnny Brennan wasn't.
You want to pick him up?
No, no, no. Let's get
back to headquarters first.
I want to put a
team on his tail.
If we start watching both
of them, him and Brennan,
we ought to be on top of
them when it blows away.
Go ahead, I got it.
Go ahead, answer it!
Yeah?
Who's calling?
Hey, Charlie.
It's some chick.
Later.
She says she was
Lloyd Davies' girl
and you should talk to her.
Hello?
Mr. Albanese.
This is Jewel Ferguson.
I was with Lloyd Davies when
they came in and killed him.
They saw me.
Wait, wait, wait, whoa.
Slow down. Now, what?
Brennan's boys.
They saw me.
I don't understand
what you're talking...
Who'd you say you were, lady?
You heard me.
And don't tell me
you don't understand.
Lloyd Davies is dead.
They came in, they tried
to make him talk about you,
he wouldn't, so they killed him.
Wait. Now, wait.
Slow down. Back up.
Now, what are you talking about?
You.
I know about you.
And I'm calling you for help.
And I think you better
help me, Mr. Albanese.
Get me out of
town, do something.
Suppose I don't
feel like helping?
I don't want to call the cops.
What do you want?
I want you to meet me.
Alone.
All right, when?
Tomorrow morning,
10:00, Palace of Fine Arts.
- Oh, Steve?
- Yeah.
This just came up
from the coroner's.
Oh, thanks, Bill.
Hi. You got anything
on Brennan or Albanese?
All quiet on both fronts.
What have you got?
It's the coroner's report.
Verifies Davies was
shot with a.32 caliber.
Mm. Point-blank, too.
Yep.
Means Davies wasn't
expecting it and should've been.
He should've been walking around
with one eye over his shoulder.
It just doesn't figure.
Neither does the.32 caliber.
Not from any hit
man I ever heard of.
Okay, I'll check with
Central Intelligence
and the FBI,
see if they've got any
cases with similar M.O.'s.
You know, there's one
other thing that doesn't figure.
What's that?
We knew about Davies.
How did Brennan find out?
You tell me.
Somebody tipped him.
Well, it wasn't me; it
must have been you.
Thanks a lot.
You sure you didn't
mention it to anybody?
Not even here in the department?
Mike, I'm telling
you, there isn't...
I told someone we're
having trouble with a case
because a witness
wouldn't cooperate.
Who? The neighbor?
Yeah, but I didn't
mention Davies by name,
and I don't think there's any
way that an interior decorator
who just moved to town
would know someone
like Murray Brennan, do you?
No.
No, but, you know,
I'm really worried about
you and that neighbor.
First thing you know, you're
gonna be coming to me
and asking me to go
out and, uh, rent a tuxedo.
I get the message.
I get the message.
Listen, you want to do
anything else this afternoon?
No, you can take off.
I'll yell if anything breaks.
You sure about that?
Sure I'm sure.
And don't come in with
half a head tomorrow.
Try to get to bed early tonight.
I try every night.
It's open, Steve.
I thought I just
moved all these in.
I just got a wonderful job.
A new condominium
project in Santa Barbara,
and I get to decorate
the whole thing.
And for more money
than I ever dreamed of.
That's great.
I don't have to
leave till morning.
FBI's got four open cases with
earmarks of the same M.O...
Detroit, Philadelphia,
Chicago and here.
Any name?
No, but they think it's a woman.
A woman?
Yeah. They're
pretty sure about it.
Well, at least in
the Detroit killing.
The name is Sally Banning.
Any description?
They're sending a full report.
Right now, I've only
got a general one.
Dark hair, dark eyes...
Wait a minute.
Dark hair, dark eyes...
about five-five,
110 pounds maybe?
You know her?
I hope not.
I want to see that report
the minute it gets in.
Right.
Hey, we're over here.
- Good morning.
- Good morning.
Don't tell me
another late night.
Oh, you better believe it.
Don't worry. I'm
not getting married.
Hey, it all seems kind of
cozy, side by side, huh?
Yeah, could have been;
she's catching a plane
- in half an hour.
- What for?
- New job.
- New job, huh?
Well, how long
has she been there?
I thought a guy lived in
that apartment... an architect.
- What was his name?
- Anderson, yeah.
Anderson, that's right.
What happened to him?
Well, he moved
down to the marina
and gave a sublet to Sidney.
Sidney?
- That was a Sidney?
- Yeah.
- Sidney who?
- Sidney Bruce.
Sidney Bruce.
Boy, I must say, things
sure are changed.
You know, when I was your age,
anybody called
Sidney had sideburns
and was smoking a cigar.
How long's she been there,
a couple or three days?
I think since Tuesday, yeah.
So where we
going, Bryant Street?
Not with that
lipstick on your face.
What?
What're you doin'? Enough.
- What?
- Drop me off at the office, will ya?
I got a few things I
gotta do down there.
And then you pick up Burton
and relieve that
stakeout on Albanese's.
With equal parts of
isopropyl myristate.
That's the emulsifier.
Now, the ozokerite
wax content...
Oh, come on, Charlie.
I'm a cop, not a chemist.
Don't give me that ozo stuff.
What is it?
Well, in short, Lieutenant,
the lipstick on the cigarette
contains the exact
chemical ingredients
as the lipstick on
the handkerchief.
No doubt the same brand.
The only thing I can't tell you
is whether that's Pink
Surprise or Pink Sunset.
My, my, my.
Aren't we getting foxy.
You see which one Albanese's in?
Missed it.
Okay, call Communications,
have them tell Homicide
we're rolling, need a backup unit.
Name is Anderson.
Write this down:
William Anderson;
he lives at the marina.
Now, it's a new listing,
so don't let them give
you the runaround.
I want you to get permission
to go into his apartment
and dust for prints.
When you've checked them
out, let me know what you've got.
Oh, Mike, that FBI
report just came in.
You said you wanted to see it.
- Is this it?
- Yeah.
Come on. Fill me in on
the way to Albanese's.
Where's she from?
Born, brought up New York City.
Bright kid.
Graduated high school
of music and art...
A drama major...
but got nowhere.
Must've decided to turn
her talents elsewhere.
Busted twice for prostitution.
Then she hooked up with
a guy named Howie Kuhn.
Kuhn?
The Torpedo?
The same.
She lived with him till he
was killed four years ago.
Sounds like he left
her his business.
Only conjecture.
But it does look like
her first hit was
revenge for Kuhn's death.
Then she found out she was
good at it... and she is, too.
They credit her with at least
four hits they can't prove.
- Davies makes five.
- Right.
No arrests during
the past seven years.
Recent address unknown.
Well, I'd feel an
awful lot better
- if I knew where she was right now.
- Yeah.
Come on, get in.
No, you get out.
I said alone.
Nobody's gonna hurt you, lady.
Oh, yeah, sure.
Nobody's gonna hurt me.
Listen, I'm not going
for a ride with anybody.
I'm gonna end up in the bay.
I know.
Come on, just like I said.
You and me alone.
Come on.
This is Inspectors
81 to Headquarters.
Please advise homicide
suspect has just met a woman
at the Palace of Fine Arts.
I'm gonna follow on foot. Over.
Did you catch that?
Palace of Fine Arts.
Yeah, I got it.
Look, it's just like I said.
I'm not asking
for anything more,
but enough to get
me out of this town
and get me to
where my family is.
That's all I want.
And I'm not trying to
blackmail you, either.
The thought never
entered my mind, baby.
I'll bet it didn't.
Hold on to that driver.
All right, hold it!
Steve! Watch out!
Hold it. Drop it.
.32 caliber.
You knew?
Not till today.
What for, just money?
Just money.
Nothing personal, Steve.
Nothing personal.
You're sure you're all right?
I'm fine.
Just, uh, just remembering
how many times you said
crime doesn't play favorites.
Man, how right you were.
Yeah, there's one other thing
we've got to remember now...
Something I was very,
very definitely wrong about.
What's that?
All women don't
dream of marriage.
Listen, you want to change
your mind about tonight?
No, I'll see you in the morning.
Okay.