Original subtitles

Four, two, five, six, one.

Bingo! The winner of the fourth race tomorrow will be Big Jake. I love it, I

love it, I love it.

Tell me, Junior, how many races are you and Stacy betting on tomorrow?

Just the fourth.

We're each buying a $10 ticket.

This guy who sold it to the computer, he's going to take it down to the track

and place our bet.

You want to get in on a sure thing? No, no, don't be ridiculous.

The only sure thing about guys who take tips from touts is that they end up

broke at the end of the night.

And what you have in your hand there, Junior, is an electronic tout.

Uh -uh.

Uh -huh. Uh -uh. This is a sophisticated piece of technological wizardry.

Technological wizardry. Uh -huh.

Uh -uh.

4 Adam 30 roger.

Hooker. Max Silver, what are you doing here? I'm working on an arson case for a

small insurance company. I took a flyer on this call.

Hey, remember my daughter Linda? She works with me now.

Don't ask her a wrong PI license.

It's been a few years. How are you, Hooker? I'm not sure.

Get around the other side. Move it up. This looks bad, Max.

Yeah, it's not too safe. What do you say we move it and I'll call you later?

Cajun, pull back.

Let's hit the second floor.

Hey, talk to her, Romano. What do you need?

A miracle.

We've still got people in there.

Get a number three up to the third floor.

We've got to come up to the line.

Get it in the third floor.

Romano, is there a chance they're alive?

Don't give up.

Get in there. Get some lines in there. Get some more pressure.

What are people doing in there? The building's condemned.

Ended it.

Dad, I think you're the only place they can afford.

There's still a whole family on the second floor.

I could get to them. I never had a chance.

The building was a wall of flame when we got here.

But you as the bullhorn told them to stay low and look for a way out.

But even the back stairs look out.

Romano, I'll call you.

Get some water and let me down.

Walker, stop!

Hey,

would you fight to even try and get out?

Look, he did everything he could possibly do.

Those kids saved themselves.

They heard the chief of the bullhorn telling them to stay low on the floor in

case of fire.

But thank God for that.

Two kids without parents now.

Last month it was those old people who burned her down.

They were indigent, too.

is trying to find out if the children had any relatives in the area.

Were those people squatting?

Or were they paying rent to live in that rat -infested fire trap?

Well, the survivors indicated they were paying something, but from their

descriptions, it could be anything.

Just like the fire we had last month in the Allison building.

Scavengers who collect a little undeclared pocket money to allow human

live in those hellholes are worse than slumlords.

Did arson come up with anything?

Enough to convince them it was arson.

but not enough to prove it in court.

So the insurance company pays off in the building that the city code condemned?

That's right, as long as it's insured, and it was. Checked out the owner?

Clean as a whistle.

Somebody's burning down buildings without caring who's burning with them.

They've got to be stopped.

The question is, how?

Tucker.

Max Silver called.

He's going to be out for a while, but he wants you to meet with him and his

daughter at their office at 3 o 'clock.

That's the guy who was at the fire last night. Yeah.

He said he was working an arson case.

You think he could have something that we could use?

I'll bet on it.

Without a computer.

This private investigator, Max Silver, how long have you known him, Hooker?

He was my first partner.

He was the best in the business.

So why to retire?

I mean, I'd rather be on the job than try to make it as a PI.

I'm sure Max would, too.

He didn't have much of a choice.

Cindy, I want to talk to you. Later. I'm really busy right now, okay?

Nobody move! This is a stick -up!

Hands on the bar! On the tables!

Open the register!

Fill it up!

Everybody, money, wallet, jewelry, get it out!

Get it out!

Move it. Move it!

You too, old man. Dig it up.

Anything you say, punk.

I don't like your attitude.

That makes two of us. You too.

Twin City, roger.

He had a gun.

He shot one of the customers. Ran off.

Out the back door.

Get on the bus, Dad.

My God, it's Max.

He's dead.

And his daughter is waiting to meet all of us.

The man who did this.

He did.

My father.

Where's my father?

I found this and the tape from the answering

machine. I thought maybe we could get something off of it that would help.

We'll take it all to the lab.

Did Linda have any idea what Max wanted to talk to you about?

A lot of clue.

What are you doing?

Oh, Hooker.

When you told me about my dad, did you really believe it was just a robbery?

Your dad was in a bar. He didn't drink.

The witness said he didn't resist.

The robber had no cause to kill him, and he did.

I think he wanted him dead.

He didn't want it investigated as a murder.

Oh, God, what do we do?

I know it's hard, but I've got to ask you.

Think. Was Max working on any significant cases that you know about?

that would have taken him to that bar?

Given someone a reason to destroy this office?

Besides a couple divorce cases.

The only other thing he had was some arson claims for United Federal

Had he filed any reports with United Federal? I doubt it.

I would have typed them for him.

Besides, I don't really think United Federal expected much from Dad.

They had to hire someone to investigate.

And you know how it is with an arson case.

Ninety -nine times out of a hundred, you come up dry.

I'm sure they just hired Dad because he worked cheaper than most.

Also, they knew about his old problems.

Probably didn't think he was a very good detective because of it.

I think someone thought he was too good.

detonator. Been out about a year now. Works on a high frequency signal.

No mainspring set off by a pulsating beam.

Not helping you violin music either.

Violin music? Hey, I'll see you later. You don't call Brahms violin music.

Sorry, Hong. I didn't tell him.

This man is probably the best electronics technician in the department

order to maintain his concentration while working with... Lazy cops.

Us?

He plays Brahms.

Ah.

Sort of like a security blanket, huh?

Okay. Take this boy out of here and teach him the rules. I will. I will,

But first we have a little business to transact. Let's show him.

Don't worry. It's not Brahms.

This was in Max Silver's telephone answering machine at the time of the

I was going to toss it out.

Hooker said that if anybody could get anything off of it, you could.

But I guess Hooker was exaggerating.

Hooker, let's not exaggerate. If there are any words in here, I will get them

out.

Hooker? See him in it? Yes, sir.

You gonna file those reports, Ron? I'll get right on it.

I just want to discuss a little business with our expert here.

Paul!

Is it possible your electronic genius may extend to improving the performance

this little computer?

I can do anything electronic.

What does it compute?

Horse races.

I hope winning horse races.

They could benefit the both of us.

Turn up the browns.

Did you send this to headquarters, Hooker?

Yes, sir.

It's a request for an honor guard at Max's services.

It's been denied.

Captain, he was a cop.

He was one of us.

He didn't exactly retire with honors, Hooker.

He was kicked off the force because he couldn't control his drinking problem.

They went through a long, hard fight.

But he kicked the alcohol.

He was on his way back. He was dry for a year.

He started his own P .I. business.

And some lowlife blows him away.

While he was working on a case that could have helped all of us, he's

to go out with the cops' honors.

Booker, your request went through channels. It's been denied. I'm sorry.

How was Max doing on this investigation for you, Miss Reed? Well, I wish I could

say great, but I'd be lying.

Oh, it wasn't his fault.

Proving arson is like trying to prove the theory of evolution.

They found fossils and bones and all kinds of evidence, but it's still not

enough to convince some people.

Well, I'll tell you what I'm convinced of. I'm convinced that Max was closer

than you think.

Perhaps too close for his own good. And I'm not going to let this investigation

end because of his death.

Sounds like you'd be a good friend to have.

It's more than friendship, Miss Reed.

This arsonist is murdering people, and I for one find it hard to live with the

idea that he's on the loose out there.

Thank you.

I don't like those cops hanging around.

You heard.

They're going to take up where that private eye left off.

What's wrong, DaCosta?

Afraid someone will find out you're picking up pocket money, renting space,

condemn building?

Now, you listen, punk.

My business is my concern.

Look, I just think too much is happening right now, and we should take it easy

for a while.

The old Barclay factory will change hands next week.

You won't be managing it anymore.

You won't collect a penny of the insurance.

Has to be done now.

I don't know.

Those cops.

And that detective.

Finding the license plate of your girlfriend's car.

A month ago.

Max Silver.

They're taken care of.

I'd be worried about the cops.

I can take care of them too.

Now you wait a minute.

You're talking about killing.

DeCosta, cops, down -and -outers that you collect rent from, what's the

difference?

It was as if my dad was trying to communicate with me just now.

I was praying and it came to me.

What? Well, I remembered my dad telling me the other day that he found a witness

who had picked up a license number at the Allison building fire.

He was in the process of checking the plate number at the DMV.

This information would have been destroyed in the fire.

But I'm sure that dad ran a check on the license.

There'd be a record of the check.

I'll get the detectives on a runaway.

It's going to be a long, hard pull checking all those DMV records.

Well, with everything that's happened, I'm impressed that you came up with the

idea.

I guess part of Dad rubbed off on me.

What are you going to do now, Linda?

Back to the typewriter and office clerking, I guess.

I heard you applied for a P .I. license.

You can be partners with your dad.

But now, I couldn't do it alone.

I was just learning.

Hey, if Max was anything like Hooker, which I suspect he was, you learned

If I ever was looking for a terrific private detective, I'd call you.

Thanks, Ben.

Listen, if you turn up anything on that license number, give me a call.

You won't be able to stop me.

Hooker.

Detectives turned up the DMV check Max made. Captain Sheridan said we should

with it since we're so close. So close to what?

The car Max ran down belongs to a waitress, Cindy Cole, who works at a bar

familiar with.

Let me guess, the happy hour.

Cindy Cole, huh?

Let's see what she has to say.

Did Hong do something worthwhile with this thing? Did he ever.

Hong is a genius. That computer even sounds better.

The sixth race tomorrow is in the bags. Sally B is the horse.

Romano, why don't you hold your bet?

See how Sally B does.

Like a test run.

Are you kidding?

And lose all that money?

Hooker, Sally B is going off at ten to one.

You better get on board.

Not this time.

But if your friend is taking your bet to the track again.

I'd like him to put five bucks on number four.

Sure. What race?

The sixth.

Hooker, you might as well just flush that five bucks.

Sally B's a lock in the sixth. You're not listening to the Hong Toon computer.

Neither are the horses, Junior.

car doing near the Allison building last month, just before it burned to the

ground. Who said it was?

Somebody spotted it.

Max Silver traced it to you.

Is that why he was here the day he was killed?

I don't know.

Look, he didn't ask me anything.

And my car, it was stolen some time ago.

So if it was at that building, that's how it must have gotten there.

Then you reported it stolen.

I didn't know it was stolen.

You see, I parked it in my garage basement.

And in the morning when I woke up, it wasn't in my space.

So I was going to call the police. But then I walked around outside and I saw

the car parked a few houses away.

So whoever stole it was thoughtful enough to bring it back.

Yeah.

I don't know. I figured it was just some kids taking it out for a joyride.

Maybe you don't know what you got yourself into, little girl.

But I'm going to fill you in.

Arson and murder.

And not just Max Silver's murder. Four people in a building torched not two

miles from here.

And two vagrants in a factory fire.

What next?

How much are you responsible for?

Look, I've told you everything I know.

My car was stolen.

I have to go back to work now.

Junior, I got a hunch we're carrying a bomb.

We can't stop it here.

It's a risk.

What the hell are you smiling about?

We must be close.

We're making someone very nervous.

Okay.

I put that building research report in your box. Did you get it? Yes, I did.

Thank you, Stacy.

Bye, Stacy.

Arson research?

Turn anything worthwhile?

One name turned up more than any other.

DaCosta Management.

Management?

How can a management company benefit from arson? It's the owners who collect

insurance. A lot of management companies collect a percentage, 10, 15%. Ah, 10 %

of $500 ,000.

50 grand. That's not too cheap.

Hooker, I just got the report on the Barkley factory fire. Let me guess.

Probable arson.

No proof.

Owners of the building are clean.

And managed by DaCosta management?

Right on all counts.

Did the detectives talk to DaCosta?

Oh, I saved that for you, Hooker.

And for Max.

genuine work to do.

We collect the rent.

We see the windows get washed.

The plumbing is kept up.

Whatever it takes to keep the owner's mind at ease.

And when one of these buildings burn, you lose the income from that building,

don't you?

Well, an owner's not going to pay me to keep up a building that doesn't exist.

You must be in a lot of financial trouble, Mr. DeCosta.

What do you mean?

In the past six months, four buildings you manage have been destroyed by fire.

Yeah. And I understand the insurance company investigated every one of those

fires. Same insurance company, United Federal.

You pick the insurance companies like you pick the plumbers and the window

washers.

What are you getting at?

I think someone in the insurance company is in this as deep as you and the

torch. Have you got any proof?

Because if the answer is no, get out.

I'm a busy man. You're a greedy man, Mr. DaCosta.

Four fires that I know.

I'll bet you don't share the money you get from renting condemned buildings

your partners.

The extra cash you get from illegals who have no other place to live.

Now, why don't you secure the buildings, keep the vagrants out?

You don't want to spend the extra bucks, do you?

No window washers, no plumbers, no maintenance costs.

They're only homeless indigents.

I promise you something, mister.

I'm gonna make damn sure that it does cost you.

Everybody's hanging tough.

The waitress, the Stacosta creep, the insurance company lady.

She did make one mistake.

She hired Max Silver.

She thought a drunk ex -cop would come to a dead end like the rest of the

investigators.

4W90 on tack 2 to 4 item 30.

Go 90.

We just got a call from Sam Miller at the Three Star Pawn Shop.

Your pawn shop bulletin paid off.

Someone just hopped Max Silver's watch.

Roger, 90.

Mistake number two.

There it is, sucker.

Just like on the stolen property inventory, right?

It's Max's, all right.

We gave it to him when he made the homicide.

How long ago did the suspect leave?

About half an hour ago.

Maybe he got thirsty.

Grab the money and ran over to that bar.

There. Coming out now.

That's him.

You. We have enough litter on the beach without scum balls like you.

Detectives get anything from the creep, we call it?

No, he's sticking to his story. He claims he ran because he knew he had

stolen watch and he says he bought it from some street sleep. He just made

on her. You're putting me out.

No, no, no.

What are you doing?

It's just going to take some time.

While how many other buildings and people burn?

Well, we'll try a few different filters.

Linda.

Next two callers

hung up. No messages.

At the bar.

Turn it back.

I didn't catch the name.

Max, this is...

Try again.

More slowly.

One more time. Turn it back.

even slower okay this is as slow as she goes max

this is cindy cole i've got cindy cole cindy cole

oh you're beautiful is there any more on that no that's it

Okay, just a minute.

Romano, telephone.

Maybe it's Sally B's train.

Romano? It's Linda.

Listen, I saw a man leave in your precinct get picked up by the guy who

me and set fire to our office.

Great, we just nailed down the waitress. Where are you?

I followed them to Da Costa Management.

They're inside now.

Sit tight, we're rolling.

Linda, she ran a tail on Benson, the car went straight to Da Costa.

She'd make one heck of a P .I.

Like father, like daughter.

You're an idiot.

Will you tell me something?

Where did you find that baboon?

Oh, come on, Mr. DaCosta.

He didn't say anything to the cops.

I want you to unload him, Jennings.

Now!

We have to make sure all our tracks are covered.

And there's one other loose thread.

Your girlfriend.

I don't think she's gonna crack.

I think we have to be a little more sure than that.

That cop hooker, if he gets to her again... So you get there first.

And you better make sure.

Then you better pack in your operation for a while.

You know, maybe...

Maybe I can roast two birds with one fire.

That tape proves that cute little waitress set Max up.

Yeah, but she was scared.

And if they smell it, she's in deep trouble.

4 Adam 30, citizen call from Melinda Silver.

Reports suspect picked up a waitress at the happy hour bar and proceeded to a

garage.

4M30, roger.

Ross, please don't do this. Sorry, baby, you're getting too dangerous.

Let's go.

Are you crazy?

Yeah, I'm crazy. Crazy to get involved with you. Let's go.

Ross.

You stay here.

Yeah.

My dad would have been really impressed.

Bax would have been impressed with you.

You helped him close his case.

I can't think of a better requiem for a cop.

The detectives have a real tight wrap -up on the arson case. Everyone involved

is rolling over on each other now that you two have brought them down. Linda

Silver's had a hand in it. Well, the police commission citation should help

get a new detective agency off to a great start.

Terrific. Couldn't happen to a nicer lady.

Right.

Romano, your friend came by on his way home from the track and he left this

envelope full of money at the desk.

Sorry, Hooker, but don't feel bad. You can get your money back on the

next pick.

This payoff is 18 to 1.

Hey, the odds really changed.

So did the horse.

What happened to Sally B?

Finished out of the money.

Number four.

Your horse took it by two lengths.

So much for the computer, right?

Yeah. Who needs a computer anyway?

Come on, Hooker, let us in on your system, huh?

I'll get a pencil and paper. There's no need.

It's very simple.

Whenever I bet, which is so, I always put my money on number four.

How can you bet like that? It's not scientific.

I'm not complaining.