All language subtitles for The Rockford Files S05e03 The Jersey Bounce

Somebody almost
killed little Mary Carmony.

Hey!

Hey, what's with you, man?

You threatening us?

Am I ever.

He was found in the
shrubbery this morning.

I think I better read
you your rights.

Why were you disbarred?

Dismiss the case on a
point of legal precedent.

Mr. Ward, why don't
you give me a break?

Get a pail and start bailing.

Cut them off, Coop.

ROCKFORD ON ANSWERING
MACHINE: This is Jim Rockford.

At the tone, leave your
name and message.

I'll get back to you.

Jimmy, Angel. Here's a tip,
but his handwriting is bad.

Third son in the fifth
race at Bell Meadows.

Wait a minute, could
be fifth son in the third.

Wait, this might be
next week's race.

Hey, Mickey, you going downtown?

No.

What's his name went down
to the store to get some brew.

Who's what's his name?

You know, the guy,
what's his name.

Here he comes, anyway.

Maniac, slow down.

Maniac.

Mary, you all right?

I'm okay. Thanks.

Get the beer, huh?

Hey, what are you looking at?

Now hold it, sonny. Hold it.

Yeah, they done it all right.

But, well, the cops are
there now, let them handle it.

They don't handle it.
You've told me 95 times.

I know, I know.

But, well, you see, that Eugene,

he's got a clear shot right through
his backyard to Georgina Street.

He can see the cops coming.

By the time they get here,

he's got the music turned off
and the squabbling all stopped.

Look, look, I'm asking you,

please don't do nothing, huh?

Who knocked down the mailbox?

Madonna, Officer, I wish I knew.

I'm in the house
with my friends, right?

We're listening to Carpenters.

All of a sudden,
we hear a squeal.

We run to the window, there's a
big cadi taking off down the block.

And his mailbox, ba-ba-bing,
down for the count.

Says it was this Volkswagen.

Oh, gosh, Officer, this man is
wrong. I swear on my mother's grave.

He's old, am I right? Senile.

Yeah, go ahead. Check
for paint on the bumper.

How loud were these carpenters?

Were they deliberately
hammering loudly?

No, Officer, the Carpenters are a
singing group, real gentle and sweet.

He says you're playing hard rock
on your stereo. How loud was it?

What difference does that make?

The sound laws don't come
on till 10:00 at night, am I right?

Hey, hey. Now, come
on, huh? That's it?

Now don't start nothing
like you did Tuesday, sonny.

Maybe it just ain't worth it.

All right, Dad, I won't.

That's right. It ain't worth it.

Look at them now. Regular
little angels, ain't they?

Laying low for a while, but
it'll all start up again tonight,

busting the 10:00
noise rule and all.

There ain't nobody around
here to prove what a hellhole

they're making out
of our neighborhood.

Yeah, well, we'll fix this mailbox,
then we'll go get some R&R.

Hey, Fannon's boat. All right.

You know, you could
abide that rock and roll.

I even find my own
foot tapping sometimes.

But that darn Eugene and his outfit,
they don't make allowances for no one.

They never turn the music down.

And they've been hounding
poor old Carl Gibbons over there.

They got him too
scared to file charges.

Well, there. That's
about as good as new.

You could live with the
Victrola turned up high,

you could live
with them fast cars.

But what I can't live with is...

Well, this stinking fear.

Yeah, well, you got your pole
and your tackle box all ready to go?

Yeah. All right.

Oh, hey, listen, I'm sorry.

I got a phone call this morning.

Some business matters came up.

So, I'm just gonna have
to drop you at Fannon's,

and then I'm going to take off.

Ah, what a crummy day.

At the tone, the time will be
10:22 p.m. and 10 seconds.

At the tone, the
time will be 10:22...

Hey! Hey!

And 20 seconds.

All right, all right.

All right, who wants to take
count? Over here, over here.

One, two, three,
four, five, six, seven.

What do you want on yours?

Tomatoes.

What do you want on yours?

Hey, what's with you, man?

You pick those out of there, briquette
by briquette, and put them in that bag.

Go pick your feet.

Here, lady, you
hold the bag for him.

Hey, what the hell you think you're doing,
sonny Jim? This here's private property.

He's nuts, Eugene. He said I
ripped off his old man's charcoals.

I bought them charcoals
myself, sonny Jim.

I'm not going to argue
with you, Conigliaro.

I'm taking them back
to my dad's, next door.

No kidding. We
was kind of thinking

maybe you want to
get down, you know?

Like you done the other
day. You remember?

When you hit me
when I wasn't looking.

Oh, yeah, yeah. When
you broke the window?

Yeah, well, it's kind of hard to see
anything when you're running away.

I wasn't running, turkey.

Hey, you want to do the
number? 'Cause I'm ready.

Come on. Come on.

How about that,
Harry High School.

Are you, by chance, referring to anybody
who is present here at the festivity?

Your dude's got a problem,
let me and Drew in for a piece.

You're righteous hosts, and
we don't feature negative vibes.

Come on, chicky.

What? You want me to go, huh?

So all of you can jump
me, is that what you want?

No, I've got a better idea.

We will dance,
but one at a time.

You threatening us?

Am I ever.

You don't frighten me.

Oh, yes, I do.

You keep listening to that little
voice way down inside you, Eugene,

the one that keeps screaming
at you, "Bounce back to Jersey."

I don't believe that.

Hey, hey, hey. All right.

Morning, sir.

Hey, what's going on?

Is your name
James Rockford, sir?

Yeah.

Do you know a man by the
name of Mac Amodeus, sir?

No, why? What's the problem?

Well, that's him, sir.

He was found in the
shrubbery this morning.

It appears he was
beaten to death.

Sometime last night, huh?

He was a guest of a Mr. Conigliaro
and a Mr. Long, next door.

Sir, witnesses over
there have told us

that you threatened several
people at a party last night

and Mr. Amodeus was
one of them. Is that true?

Sir, I think I better read
you your rights, okay?

I know my rights.

I didn't know this guy Amodeus
and I certainly didn't kill him.

Yes, sir, but that's up to
someone else to determine.

In the meantime, "You
have the right to remain silent.

"Anything you say can and will be
used against you in a court of law.

"You have the
right to an attorney."

I thought we'd
never get out of there.

I know that Deputy DA Cowan. He's a real
hamburger. Hair-splitter extraordinaire.

However, he's got a heck
of a case. A heck of a case!

How? I didn't do it.

Hmm.

The state can prove you
threatened four men at that party,

the deceased being one of them.

They can also prove
a long-standing enmity

between you and members
of the Coniglio household.

Can we just slow
down a minute, huh?

I just spent the night in
jail, and it's Conigliaro.

Right. In a 187 PC,
you got your big three.

Motive, weapon, opportunity.

Don't ever forget that.

In this case, weapon equals
bruised knuckles and sprained thumb

the police discovered
on your right hand.

I got that in a fight
with Eugene Conigliaro

two days ago when
he broke a window.

Hmm.

Look, Mr. Ward,
wait, wait, wait.

Your attitude is making me smell
cyanide. I didn't murder this guy.

Now, if you can't accept that fact
as part of your working philosophy,

I'll see that Harcourt and Lowe
assign me a different attorney.

Oh, oh, oh. Well, let's hold
our collective horses a sec.

I didn't mean there's
no hope. Heck no.

But whether I believe you
or not is nihil ad rem pertinet.

What matters here is
strategy, and I've got one.

Yeah, well, I can't tell you
how that makes me feel.

You know, I was sitting
all alone in jail last night,

I got to thinking about Beth not
being with the firm any longer.

Oh, great gal, great gal.

I'm confident I can negotiate Cowan
down from Murder one to Murder two.

Plea bargain? I'm not gonna bargain
for anything. I'm innocent of the crime.

All right, here's
the short strokes.

Four and a half to seven?

Or ten to twenty?

I'm not going to cop a plea.

Jim? May I call you Jim? Hey, Jim, I
don't know you, you don't know me.

Heck, you seem like a nice guy.

I remember Beth brought you to a
Harcourt and Lowe Christmas party.

But the thing is, if we're
gonna work together,

you gotta realize that I work at
my own pace, in my own way.

Oh, you do, huh?

"Two roads diverged
in a yellow wood, and I

"I took the one less traveled by

"And that has made
all the difference"

Robert Frost.

Oh, bother, I know what that is.

It's the office calling about
US versus Ol' Dan'l Boone.

Who?

It's a fascinating
antitrust case.

Five years they've been
taking it up the ladder.

Sumner Harcourt
himself is going to argue it

before the Supreme
Court in about a month.

It's taken 10 years off the life
of Wade G. Ward, I can tell you.

Yeah, well, you really think you
can handle two cases at once?

Got to.

Anyway, the SEC avers that Ol' Dan'l Boone
Distillers acted in restraint of trade

by buying several
cocktail mixer corporations

through their subsidiary,
American Carbonated Inc.

Boy, it has been a bear.

Oh, fascinating. I bet you
can hardly put the briefs down.

Hi, Patty, what's up?

Uh-huh.

Uh-huh. Uh-huh.

Look, Mr. Ward, I really need a
shower bad, but I do want to talk to you.

Yeah, we will, we will. Go
home, shower, but stay there.

By all means, don't go
near the Coniglio house.

No, no, no, no, no. That paragraph
should be changed to read,

"Whereas Eskimo
Cola maintains its own

sovereign board of
directors, not answerable..."

Hello?

Wade Ward, please.

Well, he's not here.

What time do you
expect him home?

This is not his home. It's my
home. My name's Rockford.

Oh, I see. You're the
client. I see what happened.

I'm John Cooper with the
Corporation for Legal Research.

Wade was in here today and he put
your phone number next to his name.

I just want to review
some things with him.

Yeah, well, since he's having
trouble with his own phone number,

I'd sleep better if you'd review
things with me. Go ahead.

Well, no, Mr. Rockford.
I really couldn't do that.

My company just does the research on
a case and Wade's the attorney at record.

Ethically, I can only discuss the case
with him, and he'll fill you in. Sorry.

Corporation,
Corporation, Corporation.

Corporation for Legal Research.

Research. Corporation
for Legal... Oh!

3516, South Robertson
Boulevard, Beverly Hills.

Fool. If this storm
develops as I hope,

you will have plenty to be afraid
of before the night's over. Go on.

It's nearly... Hello?

Yeah? I'm Jim Rockford.

I think you're the one I
spoke to on the phone.

Oh? Oh, yeah, yeah,
yeah. John, John Cooper.

She leave that door unlocked?

If her coffee doesn't kill me,
some neighborhood junkie will.

In Beverly Hills you
have to expect that.

This is Beverly Hills.

Of course, Los Angeles
is across the street there.

The border's that white line
down the middle of the road.

The legal profession
is very snobbish.

But most of our work is done by phone, so
our law clients never know the difference.

Beverly Hills looks good on a
letterhead and it brings them in.

Yeah. Where'd you study
marketing techniques?

Midway at Pacific Ocean Park?

Tell me you didn't let
out a little sob of gratitude

when you saw a Beverly
Hills firm in your murder case.

Yeah, I've heard about
you legal research firms.

You hire out to
bona fide attorneys.

You do the legwork,
you search precedent.

You even prepare the briefs.

It doesn't seem like it leaves an
awful lot for attorneys like Wade to do,

but some of the heavy theoretical
groundwork and the cashing of checks.

You have a problem with Ward?

Well, I was Beth Davenport's client
when she was with Harcourt and Lowe,

and this guy is no
Beth Davenport.

Everybody have to
be stamped the same?

He's with the top
law firm in town.

If Wade couldn't cut
it, he wouldn't be there.

Now, I've told you, Rockford,

I can't discuss the case
with you. Simple as that.

Coop?

In here, Wade.

Oh, boy, what a day.

I just got out of a
dinner meeting at H&L.

Started at 6:00.

That miserable US versus Ol' Dan'l
Boone. Boy, that has been a bear.

Rockford.

Wade, Mr. Rockford was
just asking to see the data,

but I told him it was
impossible because...

Sure, what the
heck. Let's all hear it.

That way I won't have
to sit through it twice.

Well, first of all, Nancy said you'd asked
for a summary of Utah versus Liggett,

but as soon as I read the case
file, I figured she'd heard you wrong.

What is it?

Precedent.

Judge held that
the homicide charge

against the defendant, Liggett,

should be dismissed
prior to the trial

because he was defending his home
against repeated assault. Self-defense.

Isn't that how the
case went, Coop?

Oh, yeah, yeah. But...

Well, let's say that's the case
and you do have a point, Ward.

I'm not so sure that Utah versus
Liggett is the precedent you want to cite.

We'll talk about that later.

Now, one of our people went out
to the Conigliaro home to get an idea

of what the party was all about,

but Conigliaro and his friend,
Mickey Long, refused to discuss it.

They said that they
hope Rockford burns

and they wouldn't do
anything to help the defense.

Hmm. That background
would have been important.

But that's that.

Hostile witnesses.

Nothing you can do to make
them talk till you get them in court.

You could depose them.

Au contraire, you can't depose
witnesses in a criminal case.

What's the matter
with you, Coop?

File a civil action on
Mr. Rockford's behalf.

Sue Conigliaro and Long for
damages, destruction of property.

And you can drop
the suit at anytime,

but you'll still have their
sworn statements on record.

Now, you'll have a time problem,

so you might have to go in under Title
20-17 A of the Code of Civil Procedure.

Pardon me, Coop, but that's just the kind
of thinking that got you disbarred, buddy.

Heck, Coop, I'm sorry I let the old
skeleton tumble out of the closet.

Okay, okay, I'll get ready to start
an action on Long and Coniglio.

It's Conigliaro.

Mind if I join you?

Well, I don't suppose
this is just a coincidence.

No, no, I followed you. I might
as well cop out, to that anyway.

Hmm, but not to
second-degree murder.

Mr. Cooper, I
watched you up there.

You seem to have more going for
you than just, "Oh, boys" and "bears."

But it's safe to say I have some
deep concerns about Wade Ward.

So, if you were me, would
you get a different attorney

or do you think changing
horses would be dangerous now?

That's something you should talk
over with your family and friends.

That's a personal problem.

A true diplomat.

There's just my dad, and
he knows zip about the law.

He thinks nolo contendere
is a Mexican bantamweight.

Mr. Cooper, I could be
facing a life sentence.

Hypothetically, now, one might start
shopping around for other counsel.

One might obtain, well, from
someone like me, a good list of names.

But at the same time, you
shouldn't sell Wade short.

For one thing, he's
familiar with your case.

Mmm-hmm. Just the names of the
principals and the nature of the crime

he's a little shaky on.

What's yours?

Oh...

Well, he feels like celebrating.

Give him an Ol'
Dan'l Boone, neat.

Everyone's a comedian.

Look, your preliminary
is only days away.

And I'll be on the thing,
and I'll work with Wade

and see if maybe I can
keep him from derailing

when we hit the
junction at Centerville.

If you're expecting him to derail,
why are you protecting him?

I'm not, not really. And I
don't think he will derail.

And even if he does, you could allege
that Wade was incompetent counsel.

That even places some
sympathy on your side.

Qualified witnesses would
be forced to testify to that.

Would you?

Would you testify that he was watching
horror movies when we had our meeting?

If it came to that.

It's not bad.

It's a little iffy, but it
covers all the bases.

Now, there's something else.

Why did you get disbarred?

It's a long story.

Is that why you've got your degree
hanging upside down on your wall?

My idea of a private joke.

Well, maybe this
is a dumb question,

but whatever it was that got
you disbarred, were you right?

Maybe you noticed the
question of right and wrong

is not within the
purview of the law,

only the question
of legal and illegal.

Yeah, does seem strange.

Don't it, though?

Bartender, I think I got him
in a celebrating mood now.

He'll switch to Ol' Dan'l Boone.

So I says, "Hey, sweet cheeks,

"you can't prove I'm
the one fathered the kid.

"And besides, you don't
want it, have an abortion."

She says, "It had to
be you. You the one

"who pushed me down on the bed."

I says, "Hey, go rotate.

"I ain't gonna pay you no
money to support no brat.

"I'd rather smoke paraquat."

Conigliaro and Long?

It sure ain't The Two
Gentlemen of Verona.

Now, in your
statements to the police,

you two gentlemen averred that you did not
personally know the victim, Mac Amodeus.

Remembering you're
under oath, I ask you now

to be absolutely
certain that this is true.

It's true. It was a
open house, you know?

We put up signs on telephone
poles, and all kind of people come.

We got no control on who comes.

Can you state that
beyond any doubt?

Any glimmer or
shred of uncertainty?

Beyond any vague or shadowy...

Yeah.

Oh, tell Sumner
I'll be right out.

Coop, it's Ol' Dan'l Boone.

Could you keep everything warm?

Do either one of
you gentlemen know

a woman named Dawn
Nodzak from Redondo Beach?

The place was packed. I
don't know this broad. Why?

Mac Amodeus was living
with this Dawn Nodzak,

and I was just going
into the background.

I wonder if you might be
able to add anything to that.

Hey, what are we, the
Encyclopedia Britannicus?

Look, are you gonna sue
us? Sue us, or get off the pot.

Who started the beef between you and
Mr. Rockford, the one Mr. Amodeus was in?

Him, Rockford, and it
wasn't the first time, you know.

He likes to swing on people.

That's a lie. I never actually traded
punches with either one of them.

Bull you didn't. What about
the other day? Tuesday.

When the window got broke?

No one got hit.
That's a flat out lie.

You hit me, creep. I still
got the egg, right here.

Let the record show he pointed
to a place beneath his right ear.

You told the cops I hit you
on the right side of the jaw

while you were standing
up to me like John Garfield.

That's why the cops
wouldn't believe me

when I told them about
the bruises on my right hand.

But now that they see that I
was behind you, running after you,

it'll be a different story.

The night was clear,
and the moon was yellow

And the leaves
come tumbling down

Hi, Joe.

Hey, Giuseppe.

Leave me alone,
you bums. I mean it.

A two hour drive to Redondo
Beach is a long way to go.

I just hope we get something
from this Dawn Nodzak.

She was living with
the late Mac Amodeus.

Let's face it, we
haven't got much else.

There's her place.

I would have thought Mac
Amodeus lived in a garage.

That license plate. I think I
know who owns that. Artie Nodzak.

Pop Warner type
big shot up in LA.

Bunch of porno
houses, string of hookers,

horses out at Bell
Meadows Raceway.

Yeah, that's Artie
Nodzak, all right.

The guy that's with him is named
Georgie something, Georgie Ryan.

Would you like some coffee?

No, thank you, Mrs. Nodzak.

Miss.

Oh, wasn't that your
husband we just saw leaving?

The reason I'm asking is we were
both admiring that handsome car.

Oh, that. That was
my brother, Artie.

He'll be glad to hear it. That
car's his whole personality.

Mr. Amodeus was a plumber?

Now, we understand that
you lived here together.

Did you accompany him to
the party the night he died?

I just can't think why
anyone would want to kill Mac.

He was really a gentle guy.

He was always worried
about the whales and things.

He was worried about them,
like, what would happen to them.

He had this record of whales
singing to each other and...

Like, when he'd get ripped,

he'd put it on, and
sometimes he'd even cry.

Whales singing to each other.

I mean, that really
blew him away.

That's the kind of guy he was.

Excuse me, but how
did you get the bruises?

Oh, I'm such a klutz.

I was going down to the laundry
room and I fell down the stairs.

Did Mac do that to you?

Why, Dawn? What happened?

Nothing special.

I said something
that got him mad.

He would kind of do
this once in a while.

That's how come I didn't
go to the party with him.

My face.

Oh, he wasn't really
violent or anything.

My theory is...

Well, actually, Mac
was a real poetic guy.

He was always talking about signing up
on the Calypso with Jacques Cousteau,

or writing down some of the lyrics in
his head and selling them to a band.

He knew a guy who
knew the Eagles.

But that's a full-time job,
and he had the plumbing thing.

He was really a frustrated
poet and ecologist I think.

And that's how come
he used to blow up.

That's my theory, anyway.

I assume that your brother Artie
knew that Mac was beating you up.

Yeah. Yell, yell,
yell, all the time.

But what did he know?

Right.

Listen, if you want to talk some more,
you'll have to come back later, okay?

I'm kind of co-chairperson
at this women's group.

We're having a
consciousness-raising session.

I gotta make coffee and all.

I really need this meeting.

I think it'll help get Mac's
death out of my mind for a while.

That's my theory, anyway.

I hope Dawn likes this album.

Like, who needs heavy metal
when they're experiencing grief?

I'd say we came up with
some interesting stuff.

You do, huh?

Mostly whales and a singing act.

But I agree.

Dawn Nodzak sleeping
with Mac Amodeus,

and he's whacking her
around for recreation.

Now, Dawn's brother
gets wind of this,

so he sends two apes
to dance on Mac's head.

That's my theory,
anyway. Now, what's yours?

I think we should
run it past Wade.

Of course, it's not something
you want to throw out

at the preliminary,
but... Well, why not?

Well, suppose you do go to
trial, you're blowing your strategy.

The DA is lying in the
weeds just waiting for you.

He should kick it
out at the preliminary.

I don't want to even
have to worry about a trial.

Look, don't worry.
I talked to Wade.

He says he's trim.
He feels he's ready.

Yeah, to cop to second.

Wade Ward was brought into
that firm by Gene Lowe himself.

Beth told me Gene Lowe died
at 42 years old of a heart attack.

Brought on by worry.

Your Honor, the defense
would like to present in its behalf

a sworn deposition taken at
civil proceeding number 16345

in which Mr. Eugene Conigliaro
contradicts his own testimony

regarding the injury
to Mr. Rockford's hand.

Yeah, that was a prior
fight that caused the bruises.

He lied.

Well, it's possible Mr. Rockford's
hand was injured at a prior time.

However, that does not exclude the
possibility of brass knuckles, chains,

or other mechanical devices.

Yeah, but...

So Stipulated, Mr. Cowan.

If the court will
allow me a moment?

I'm in trouble,
Coop. That's all I had.

And this Cowan isn't the
hamburger I remember.

You bet you're in trouble.

Recall Conigliaro and Long
and go after their testimony.

But how?

I mean, nobody's denying
the threats were made.

Get a pail and start bailing.

The party, Wade, the party.

Noise, dope, confusion.

Was all that going on?

Mr. Long, how much narcotics had
you ingested on the night of the party?

I didn't use no narcotics.

I never do.

That is, I'm not a
narcotics user of any sort.

Were you ever arrested in the state of
New Jersey for possession of narcotics?

Yeah, I think I was. Once.

I submit you were under
the influence of narcotics, sir.

A mammoth party

given to celebrate the extension
of unemployment benefits

by the State of New Jersey to
your colleague, Mr. Conigliaro.

I submit you were
highly narcotized,

and I could produce witnesses
who would so stipulate.

No. We drank beer,
that's all. Me and Eugene.

In fact, I remember we
split a case, but no dope.

So, half a case of beer.

Twelve bottles, if I remember
my fraternity days correctly.

Boogie-woogie music
thundering around your ears.

And yet, and yet, you
managed to hear every threat,

to get every nuance
of hate in Mr. Rockford's

low voice, as
Mr. Conigliaro called it.

That's all.

I have no cross examination,

but I would like to call Mr. Joseph
Rockford to the stand, please.

Now, I'm going to take you to two
days before the party in question.

A window had been broken.

Now, according
to Mr. Conigliaro,

your son said to
him at that time,

"I'd like to kill you guys."

Did he say that?

Well, I mean...

Oh, brother.

What I mean is...

No, that's all. Thank you.

You may step down, Mr. Rockford.

Your Honor, if I may, a great
deal has been heard here in camera

regarding the
rancorous feeling existing

between the
Rockfords, père et fils

and Mr. Long, Mr. Conigliaro,
and their party guests.

But I feel this court should
be aware of another grievance

against the deceased
Mr. Amodeus.

If need be, I can call
one Dawn Nodzak

to testify that Mac Amodeus had
done her repeated bodily injury.

Miss Nodzak is the sister
of an underworld figure

with a record of violent
crime, Mr. Arthur Nodzak.

I leave it to the court to
draw its own conclusions.

And I'd like to remind the court

of its option at this juncture

to dismiss the case on a
point of legal precedent.

Certainly, we have heard instance
after instance of pillage and harassment

by Messrs. Long and Conigliaro against
the home and person of Joseph Rockford.

They've even admitted
such themselves.

Present in the Magna
Carta is the guarantee...

Cite your precedent, Mr. Ward.

Utah versus Liggett, Your Honor.

In that matter, the
judge dismissed the case,

holding the defendant
acted in self-defense

when he killed two men of a
party of several who were trying...

Utah v. Liggett refers
to Indians, does it not?

Wasn't the Liggett home
under attack by Comanches?

I mean, wasn't a
shed completely razed?

Wasn't the limb of a family
member completely blown off?

Yes.

Mr. Ward, why don't
you give me a break?

I find that there is
sufficient evidence

to indicate that the defendant,

James Rockford,
did commit the crime,

and I hereby bind him over to
Department Four of the Superior Court

on July 9th for arraignment
and for subsequent proceedings.

He's not the same man
he was five years ago, Jim.

Look, I feel personally
responsible...

Coop, forget about that for now.

Pay attention. We
got a definite tie up.

Now, Georgie Ryan, that's Artie
Nodzak's muscle, he was in that courtroom.

Nodzak wants to keep
an eye on my case.

Because if I'm headed
for state college,

he knows he's in the clear.

I'll tell you
something else weird.

The whole time
Ryan was in the room,

Eugene and Mickey Long, too, were
looking in the back trying to get his eye.

Oh, yeah?

Yeah.

You thinking about a contract?

Artie Nodzak pays
these two salamis

to croak a guy who's
beating up his sister.

Pie in the sky?

Blueberry.

Would they be stupid
enough to make a hit

and then leave the body
in front of their house?

Yeah, I guess they would.

You know, Jim, Nodzak
is a functioning adult.

And he'd pay those two
to make a hit for him?

And they wouldn't
have done it for revenge

because Dawn told us that
she didn't even know them.

Yeah, well, I'm just looking
for a connection, Coop.

Do you remember what
Eugene was talking about

the day of the
deposition out in the hall?

Some girl he got
pregnant. So what?

Yeah, well, it's
straw-grasping time, right?

I just remember that
when we went to see Dawn,

there were these two
young women, remember,

that went in to see her on a
consciousness-raising session.

And one was pregnant.

Right.

Jim, I think the California
Obstetric Society

could give you figures
showing that in any one week

there could be
several pregnancies.

Yeah, I told you, I'm just
looking for a connection.

Who knows, maybe
poor taste in men is it.

Eugene and Mac are both
cut from the same bolt of cloth.

If you're going to go out with them,
you're going to need consciousness-raising.

Either that or a
helmet and shovel.

Boy, we're so far off from the
murder, we're in a different time zone.

We start off with Eugene,
Mickey and Artie Nodzak.

I think it's worth trying
to find the pregnant lady.

Maybe that women's
group can give us her name.

Okay, but I'll
tell you out front,

the only part of this I can
really buy is Artie Nodzak.

And I know a guy like that's got
to have too much street smarts

to hire Conigliaro and Long.

Way too much smarts.

The men's can is the same
as in a regular restaurant.

Well, what are we gonna do?

I mean, if I gotta eat raw fish,
I'm gonna ralph right in his lap.

I wish he'd picked Vito's
Little Napoli or a steakhouse.

Oh, here he is.

Hey, Mr. Nodzak. Hey, over
here. Mr. Nodzak, over here.

Drink, Mr. Nodzak? We're
having amaretto and cream.

It's a nice place.

I almost went over to Japan
when I was in the airborne,

but then they give
me a section eight...

Hey, so let's hear it.

The guy who works for me
at the track says you told him

I should know who did me a
big favor in the sister department.

You know, for a
week, I didn't believe it.

Let's just say, Mr. Nodzak,

that it was me and Mickey
who helped a certain party

who was nothing but
trouble cross the river.

You killed Mac Amodeus? Why?

Because this scoongell was nothing
but a thorn in your ear, am I right?

It would do us grave
honor, Mr. Nodzak,

if you would consider this
thing which has been done

as a token of respect
from Eugene and me to you.

Hey, Mickey, you mind?

Now, what my associate
says is true, Mr. Nodzak.

But in addition to that, it's
sort of our way of saying,

"Hey, here's a couple of guys
ain't afraid to go all the way.

"Here's a couple of guys
got their sunroofs down,

"got their diamonds in the back.

"Couple of guys you can entrust
with your whole thing there."

You idiots.

Excuse me?

Who asked you? Who asked
you to croak that zero, huh?

Nobody. We done it on our own.

We heard he was gonging on
your sister and that ain't right.

Ah! So, in other words,
you did me a favor.

And now I'm gonna repay you by
giving you a job or a piece of my action.

No, no, not a
piece of the action.

Not right away, but we did...

Hey, what do you
think this is? A movie?

And I'm some guy who's got
cotton stuffed in his cheeks

and goes around mumbling
and passing out favors?

Do you have any concept
of what you guys did?

Who looks good
for this murder, huh?

A guy from Malibu,
Jerry Rockford.

Oh, is that how you planned
it? To hang it on Rockford?

No.

You wanna know the truth, we were kind of
surprised when the pigs busted him for it.

But what the hell, huh?

As they say, you don't
look inside the Trojan horse.

Hey, pinhead, supposing the charge
against Rockford doesn't hold, huh?

You know who's on the hook? Me.

I got the connections,
the motive, the whole shot.

You know, my name
came up in court today.

Well, look, why don't we order?

Maybe we'll all feel a lot better if
we eat some rice or fish or something.

You know, I'm gonna
promise you something.

Now, I'm not going to
stand for no murder heat.

You creeps better hope that
this charge sticks on Rockford.

Otherwise, and I don't care
how it looks image-wise,

I'm bringing you
both in to the police.

And if I bring you in on a roller
board, it's all the same to the cops.

Which is exactly
what I'm gonna do,

just because of the
aggravation factor I feel here.

We killed a guy for nothing.

I ain't never gonna get ahead.

What do you gotta do?

It ain't happening
for me in Jersey.

I come out here, I'm still
in the toilet, looking out.

I see it happening
for other guys.

I mean, what do you gotta do?

It should have been
someone we hated.

See, even though
Eugene Conigliaro

is the father of this baby,
all right, he keeps saying no.

But who knows better than me?

The thing is, he
keeps denying it

because I need
some financial help.

Well, maybe something could
be done about getting you some.

Legal action, I mean.

We'll have to give
it some thought.

That'd be great.

See, I met him at
Papa Doc's, on the Strip.

I saw him on the floor
and, boy, that was it.

As soon as I saw him
dancing, I knew he was Italian.

Celeste, did you ever
mention to Eugene

that Mac was slapping your girlfriend
Dawn around and Artie was mad?

I think so. Yeah.

Once he was being just
horrible about the baby,

and I started
crying, and I said,

"You're as bad as this
guy I know in Redondo.

"He beats up on this
friend of mine all the time."

Then I mentioned Dawn and
Mac and Dawn's brother, Artie.

What is all this?

Celeste, you know the
kind of man Eugene is.

This might be
worse than you think.

There's a good chance
that he's a murderer.

Dear God.

Coop, I'd make book that they did
it just to make points with Nodzak.

Can you believe it? These
geniuses commit a murder on spec.

Abbott and Costello meet
The Godfather. Pathetic.

But until we hear
them say it or find

material evidence, we're
just doing guesswork.

Yeah.

Eugene, it's me.

Take a walk until
your hat floats.

No, wait, Eugene. It's not about
the baby, it's about Artie Nodzak.

Eugene, I know what
happened. Dawn Nodzak told me.

And, listen, I think
you're in danger.

Yeah?

But if you want to know
what's gonna happen,

then you have to agree to
help me support the baby.

So that's how
come all of a sudden

you're so interested
in saving my life, huh?

You're a cheap trick,
you know that, Celeste?

All right, I'll come in with some
bread. So, what'd she say?

She said Artie's getting
madder and madder.

He didn't appreciate
what you did.

In fact, he's been doing nothing but
complain because it made him look guilty.

He's coming to get you.

You and Mickey, tomorrow.

Him and a man named Ryan.

He says he's going to do awful
things to your hands and your face,

and then he turns
you over to the police.

Wait, wait, Celeste, wait.

Listen, you got to get word
to this Dawn to tell her brother.

You see, I got a plan. I
been thinking. It's foolproof.

You got to tell her.

Plan? What are
you talking about?

I'm gonna kill Mickey.

What?

Then... Then you
really did kill Mac?

Yeah, yeah, me and Mickey.

But the important thing is

you gotta tell Artie Nodzak...

Hey, Eugene, what you
say we go downtown?

You can't see I'm on the phone?

It's my old lady. She's
calling from Jersey.

I'll be out in a minute, Mick.

Yeah. So how's cousin Carmela?

Celeste?

You gotta tell Artie that
I'm gonna kill Mickey

and put the body over
by Rockford's trailer.

And maybe I'll throw the
weapon in Rockford's car.

This way the cops will find
him and think Rockford did it.

Just another victim in the feud.

And there ain't a jury in the world
that won't think Rockford's a killer

after all the trouble
he had with us.

You got that?

Now, you tell Artie that this is the
answer to everybody's problems.

I gotta go.

Hey, Mick, what do you say
we go down to the ocean?

Now? It's too cold.

What cold?

I know a guy down there.

We'll score some dust and we'll
hit one of the bars on the ocean.

Maybe we'll pick up some skirt.

All right.

All right.

I met this guy the
other day. Great dust.

Yeah?

He lives in one of these
trailers around here someplace.

Over there.

You coming?

Yeah, yeah. What are you doing?

The zipper on my
jacket broke. It's stuck.

It won't work,
Conigliaro. It's all over.

What's happening, Eugene?

Cut them off, Coop.

Cut them off from their car.

Hold it. Hold it. Hold it.

Now, drop that thing.
The cops are on their way.

They're not gonna send
you to barber school.

Let them come. I
ain't gonna be here.

All right, come on.

Take it easy.

Stop him, Smitty!

Hey, Coop, I got mine.

Actually, it's probably the
best thing could have happened.

You know, it ain't the first time this
mailbox has been knocked down.

I was always gonna
put it on a nice iron post

and sink it in concrete
like a proper one.

Excuse me, but can we
stick to the subject at hand?

I mean, if you're not going
to pay Wade Ward a cent,

that's one thing.
I agree. I agree.

But, you see, I'm
a subcontractor,

and I was just wondering
who's going to pay my fees?

And of course I can't charge you

what a full-blown attorney would

since my license
has been taken away,

but... Really?

Well, I mean, I can't
go into court for you

or anything like that.

But my advice is informed over a
number of years of experience and...

Yeah, well, that's very
interesting, you know.

In my line of work, I'm always
coming up against legal questions.

Yeah, Coop, Coop, I think we
ought to have a talk, I really do.

Something about maybe an
informal type of retainer thing.

Well, there are lots of good
attorneys around. Real ones.

Like Wade Ward? No,
you're good. You really are.

I told you that the
first time we met.

Yeah, but there's nothing wrong with
a guy trying to cut his operation costs.

I think we ought to
have a talk, Coop.

Well, I'll tell you what.

Why don't we pay the
bill first and then we'll talk?

Well, sure, sure. Let's go
on in the house, have a beer.

Here, I'll get
that. No, I got it.

I got it. All
right, you take it.