Original subtitles

Morning, man. Hello, Harry. Charlie, I need to know.

All right, you call me back.

Why are you harassing my client? Because your client violated his probation to

wit. He was associating with a known criminal. His mother? She has a record.

Her only record is breaking the dog leash law in 1975.

Now, damn it, Jim.

Release my client this instant. Come on. Ben, your client is safer in jail than

he is on the street. That's not your decision to make. That's right. Judge

Cooksey's gonna decide that in a moment. Be on time. You got a lot to answer

for. Six o 'clock. What time's the reservation?

Seven -thirty.

The thing I don't understand, the thing I don't understand, is why you let this

desperate character take you out to start with.

Well, he managed to capture my good graces by saying that we'd be having

with you. Oh, obviously I was desperate.

Well,

the pleasure's been all mine, and you even surpassed Jim's advertisement.

Well, Jim is a little over -complimentary at times, but I've got to

don't object.

Excuse me. Miss Norwood? Yes?

There's a telephone call for you.

I can't imagine.

Excuse me.

What is wrong with us, Ben? It looks like two of us can't keep one woman at

table. I'll tell you one thing, though. Your Laura is really something special.

I mean, she's pretty, she's smart as a whip, great personality.

Only one thing bothers me.

What's that?

What's she doing with you?

It's just a joke. Oh, that's okay.

Family emergency.

My sister in Baltimore... You have a sister in Baltimore?

Yeah, yeah.

Nothing serious. It's just that she would feel a lot better if I were there.

I'll have to fly out first thing tomorrow.

Okay, well, I'll drive you to the airport. Oh, no, no, no, no. I'll take a

No, no, no. I'll drive you to the airport. No, no, no. That's very sweet,

you've got crime to fight. All right.

I hate to cut this short, but I should go home and pack.

Okay. I apologize.

It was very nice meeting you. It was very nice meeting you.

Good night. Can we settle up on this check? Not a chance. You can pay for the

whole thing tomorrow.

No,

I don't know what airline. I do know it was a morning flight.

No, Laura Norwood, you're positive.

Do one more thing for me, okay?

This is the computer for any airline that booked a flight this morning for

Victoria Rollins.

Lieutenant, we may have a break in the Cheney case.

There is.

What time is that flight?

All right.

Thanks a lot.

Question Cheney's father again. You know about the gun? Turns out it was the

kid's. Brief Lieutenant Mills. He's going to be handling my cases for a

days. He is?

Yeah, something came up I got to take care of. Where are you going? Las Vegas.

You might refuse to stay.

And so the best that I can do is pray.

Luck be a lady tonight.

Luck be a lady tonight.

Luck, if you've ever been a lady to begin with. Luck be a lady tonight.

A lady doesn't leave her escort.

It isn't fair.

It isn't nice.

A lady doesn't wander all over the room and blow on some other guy's eye.

So let's keep the party polite and never get out of my sight.

Stick with me, baby. I'm the fella you came in with. Luck be a lady.

Luck be a lady.

Luck.

Red 14.

14 red, the winner.

All bets down, please.

I can't tell me what's going on, Laura.

You must be mistaken. That's not my name. I followed you here from Atlanta.

made a mistake. Now get lost. I think I deserve something. Get lost, I said.

Don't do that. All right.

That's enough.

Stay here and take care of these children. I'll be right back.

You couldn't stop being a cop, could you? I want to know what's going on.

with you just how many lies you want me to ignore laura that time you said you

were going to tampa i went to tampa i called the hotel no i did just to talk

you i missed you they'd never heard of you all that traveling you supposedly

do is a sales rep you always come to las vegas don't you just stay out of it

just stay out why is it because your husband my husband died in a car

that was not in prison

Clarence Rollins was stabbed to death in a fight that maybe had something to do

with the fact that he was a runner for the mob.

I don't know. Which name do you prefer?

Laura Norwood or Victoria Rollins?

I never expected you to check up on me. Why couldn't you just stay out of it?

Just tell me what's going on!

Did the mob set you up with some kind of a pension plan? Is that it?

Miss Entertainer.

Bobby Fremont.

Is he part of your deal, or is it more like you're part of his deal? I mean,

what... I came to turn down the bed. I'm very sorry.

I knocked, but... That's all right.

I'm leaving.

Jim. They call you Lady Luck, but there is room for doubt.

You might forget your manners.

You might refuse to stay.

And so the best that I can do is pray.

Luck be a lady tonight.

Luck be a lady tonight.

Luck, if you've ever been a lady to begin with. Luck be a lady tonight.

I hope your stay was a pleasant one, Mr. Manning.

I'll never forget it.

Yeah.

Ben, it's Jim Manning.

Yeah, Jim.

Ben, listen to me.

I'm in Las Vegas and I'm under arrest.

Laura's dead.

They think I killed her.

The hotel pick up all its guests like this? Oh, no, sir. Mr. Devlin reserves

this for a super VI.

Oh, super VI.

Yes, sir.

Let me get the door.

How much to play? The minimum is $1.

Here you go, sir. Good luck.

Hey, bud.

Play double zero.

I'll knock her in.

Double zero is the winner.

How much?

Double zero pays 35 to 1.

Mr. Badlock, Louis Devlin. Welcome to the Maxim Hotel.

It's good to be here.

Is that your limousine?

Well, this is my hotel.

The limo, the presidential suite, is yours for as long as you stay.

Complimentary, of course.

No kidding?

Sure. Why?

Because you're a VIP.

And making you happy is good for business.

Uh, because unfortunately that poor girl's murder was not good for business.

Oh, so one kind of levels out the other. Something like that, yes.

If you need anything, dial 205.

Thank you.

Thank you for your kindness, of course.

Where's Julian?

Drunk. Been away since 7 o 'clock this morning.

Well, then find somebody else.

Because I want to know who that lawyer talks to, and where, and why.

Why didn't you tell anybody?

Because up until yesterday, I honestly believed I was wrong.

After 20 years of being a cop, I thought somehow I made a mistake.

I wanted to believe her more than anything.

I was saying things to myself like just because her husband had mob connections

doesn't mean she did.

What was she doing here?

How'd she get to be such a high roller?

How'd she travel that kind of first class? All the way, the clothes, the

jewelry. Ben, she never told me anything.

And Bobby Fremont.

I mean, how the hell do you explain that?

I don't know. Right now...

I'm more concerned about explaining how she was strangled with a belt from your

bathrobe. It's not my bathrobe!

It's the hotel bathrobe that's in my room.

And the maid who saw you having a violent argument with her last night in

room. It wasn't violent. Laura slapped me.

That's violent.

Well, I probably deserved it.

I can tell you one thing. Whoever framed you did a damn good job.

If I hadn't have followed her here, she'd still be alive.

That's an assumption.

Will you prove I'm wrong?

Mr. Matlock, the Clark County Courts are pleased to permit your limited

appearance in this case.

Thank you, Your Honor. This preliminary hearing will be in this courtroom 9 a

.m. 23rd of this month.

Now, this is a capital case.

However, the bench has taken into consideration the fact that the

police officer with a impeccable record.

Bail is thereby set at $250 ,000.

Court is adjourned until 2 p .m.

When am I supposed to get 10 % of that?

I'll put it up.

You what?

You're a friend of mine. I'll put it up.

You know...

In this town, $250 ,000 is chicken feet.

At least I don't have to sit around on my thumbs anymore.

Yeah.

What's that mean?

What do you think that means?

Ben, I'm an investigator.

Well, yeah.

You're kind of emotionally involved in this.

Besides, I'm not exactly Cobb's Al.

That something out?

Yeah, what Laura was doing here. What?

You're not going to like it.

Tell me.

Well, according to a friend of mine on the federal level, who's big on

racketeering, she was laundering money.

Whenever the mob had a million or so ill -gotten cash laying around, they'd send

for her.

She'd gamble it away.

They'd either skim it, or if they wanted to make themselves look good, declare

it taxable income. Either way, they came out way ahead.

Feds were on to her.

Senator James is in town holding some closed -door hearings.

Uh -huh.

So when a certain police lieutenant from Atlanta showed up, her partners

panicked and killed her.

Or maybe it had nothing to do with you.

Maybe they felt she was a real threat to them with the closed -door hearings in

town, and they had to get rid of her. In which case, we're dealing with some

very bad people, so I wouldn't be going off on the deep end. Ben, it's okay.

I'm gonna be good.

I'm not going to do anything that you wouldn't do.

You've been drinking a lot lately.

I do my best.

Yeah.

Like that ninth round swan dive you took against Mike Canzini a few years ago,

boy. That cost me a lot of money.

All right, if you don't get out of here, you're going to lose a lot more than

money. Is that how you got involved with the mob, throwing fights for them?

Huh?

How about Victoria Rollins?

What'd they tell you to do, keep an eye on the money she was laundering whenever

she was in town?

She was my friend.

Oh, I see.

Is that why you're drinking like this? Because she was murdered?

Or because you know who did it?

Get out of here.

Were they afraid she was going to testify at the hearings? Is that why

you up there to take care of your friend?

You did it.

Don't you understand now? You might as well have put that thing around her neck

and pulled.

They all knew, boy.

Is there anything you wouldn't do for them?

You either killed her or you know who did.

Now, I understand that Ms. Rollins caught his show the night she was

Yes, I saw the second show myself.

And that's when the coroner said that she was murdered?

I think so.

Nice. Bathroom?

Yeah, belongs in the bathroom.

She didn't unpack it.

Smells good.

Oh, well, it ought to. That retails for $300 an ounce. You see, anybody that

stays in the princess suite gets that bottle complimentary.

I don't suppose, since you're giving it away anyway, that...

Well, you want that? Would you like to have that?

Well, you can have it. My compliment. Thanks.

Anything else I can do for you?

Well, yeah.

Did Laura bring the money she was supposed to launder with her from

did you supply it after she got here?

Mr. Matlock, you surprised me.

I swear you surprised me. Are you going to be one of these people that just

think that organized crime is synonymous with Las Vegas?

I know, but...

What I don't understand is how this woman, who was a sales representative

sporting equipment, could afford all this.

I wish I could help you. Well, actually, you can.

This is what's known as a subpoena du ses ticum.

You're hereby ordered by the court to provide me with all data, every scrap of

paper, on Laura Norwood, alias Victoria Robbins.

You could have just asked.

You could have just refused.

And another thing, that tail you got on me, get it off.

And thank you.

Amen.

Hello? Hello, Mr. Fremont?

Hello,

Mr. Fremont?

I'm Mr. Bobby Fremont. Who are you? I'm alive.

Oh, no.

You're out of here. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait,

I just want to talk to you about the choir. I represent Jim Mann.

Take the door.

Follow me.

The way you treated other guys you've been with. Life be a lady with me.

A lady doesn't leave her escort.

It isn't fair.

It isn't nice.

A lady doesn't... You're representing the guy who killed Vicki?

A lady we killed.

Well, if you want help from me, forget it, okay?

Can I ask you a couple questions?

Can I stop you?

So, uh, Vicki was a friend of yours. How'd you meet her?

Well... Met her about six months ago.

A friend of mine introduced me to her after the show, and we became friends,

good friends.

You don't have a lot of luck with women, do you?

What do you mean?

Well, I remember reading a piece in the paper about you and some woman from

Texas. Yeah. Well, every single charge she brought against me was dropped.

Was dropped or she was paid off. I mean, her picture was in the paper. Somebody

beat her up.

Look, celebrities get accused of all kinds of things all the time. You know,

especially when you're touring.

I mean, you meet all kinds of nuts out there on the road.

You haven't heard anything about me since I settled here, have you?

No, no, I haven't.

Of course, this is a company town.

Look, if you're done, I'd like to get back to work.

Is it true you had dinner with Laura or Vicki between your shows the night

she was killed?

Yeah, well, like I said, we were friends.

In fact, she even told me about some guy back in Atlanta that she was in love

with and she was going to leave town that night so she could be with him.

What did you say to her about that?

That I was very happy for her.

How was I supposed to know he'd wind up killing her?

Be a lady.

Mr. Matlock.

Oh, do you have those files for me from Mr. Devlin? What files?

He was supposed to give me all the hotel's information on Victoria Riley.

I don't know about that, but Mr. Devlin did tell me you'll have to move.

He's very sorry, but we'll be needing the presidential suite for a visiting

dignitary.

I see.

He's arranged another room for you, of course.

508. Although it is...

considerably smaller and rather close to the ice machine, Mr.

Devlin seemed to think the noise wouldn't bother you. Or at least, he

understand.

Right.

Place your bets, please.

Please place your bets.

Hey, but... Uh -uh.

Double zero.

Again?

All bets down.

Double zero.

Winner, double zero.

Oh, my.

How much?

35 to 1.

You just won $1 ,225.

So it's a little after midnight.

And I'm down in the casino waiting for her to come back, like she says.

But then I get paged.

And when I go to the phone, it's Mr. Teflon.

And he tells me, go to Victoria's suite and clean up the mess in here.

That's what he calls it.

Mess.

She's lying on the floor in a bedroom.

This belt from a badge robe knotted around her neck.

She's dead.

So I do what Mr. Devlin told me.

I wrapped her in a blanket and I carried her down the hall to room

644.

What about the belt from the bathroom?

Victor Devlin told me to take the belt from the robe in room 644 and

bring it back to Victoria's room to replace the one that was missing.

She was the only person in this whole town that ever treated me decent.

You've got to tell all this to the police.

You don't understand.

If I roll over on Mr. Devlin, that's it for me.

She was your friend.

Do it for her.

This Louis Devlin fools you.

He comes on with a big grin on his face, like he's the president of the Chamber

of Commerce, and if they had a good guy award, he'd win it. And guys like Julian

are terrified of him. Yeah.

Mr. Devlin's slick.

He never responded to my subpoena, you know.

He's in on this money laundering.

And the murder.

What are we gonna do?

We're gonna nail him.

No, I don't believe I've ever met the lady. But according to one of your

employees, Ms.

Hernandez, housekeeper on the sixth floor, Victoria Rollins has been a guest

your hotel almost 40 times in the last three years, and each time she stayed in

the princess suite for free.

You sure you never met her, Mr. Devlin?

Positive. I don't pretend to remember even a fraction of the repeat guests.

and what room they were in or whether or not they were comped, that's left

totally up to the discretion of the night manager.

Isn't it true that I gave you a subpoena ordering you to supply me with all your

hotel's records on Victoria Robbins? Is that true? Yes, it is.

Did you respond to that subpoena? I think my people are still trying to

that information.

Ah.

Well, fortunately, the IRS and the Gaming Commission is a little more

in your hotel.

They gave me the information I wanted from you.

Now, it is true, isn't it, that you are required to submit records to them on

who wins what in your casino?

Yes. Okay.

Okay. Now, we'll call this Defendant's Exhibit K.

This is a copy of your submissions.

To them.

For the past three years, is it not?

I believe so.

Examine it very closely.

And tell the court how many times you had to report

Victoria Rollins winnings in the last three years.

None.

None? In 40 visits?

Well, perhaps she didn't gamble.

But we know that she was seen placing several large bets on the casino floor.

Wonder why she never won.

I guess the odds are in favor of the house.

Come on. She didn't win because she wasn't supposed to.

Objection. She was laundering dirty money, wasn't she? I object.

No relevance. Calls for speculation, lack of foundation, and I move to

Sustained and granted. Mr. Matlock's last remarks will be stricken from the

record. Mr. Matlock, you...

have not established foundation, you would be well advised to pursue a

line of questioning, founded on fact, not innuendo and conjecture.

Of course, Your Honor.

The time of death has been

established to be between

10 .30 and 12 .30, the evening of the 19th.

Where were you at that time? I was in the showroom watching Bobby Fremont

perform. Any one of a number of people saw me there.

You know, I caught that show myself last night.

It's pretty dark in there.

It's pretty dark. If a person wanted to leave the showroom, it'd be pretty hard

for people to...

See him leave.

Are you sure you didn't leave the showroom?

Yes.

Okay.

Miss Chandler, would you please stand?

Do you recognize Miss Chandler as being a waitress at your hotel?

Yes.

She is prepared to testify that she saw you.

Leave the showroom at around 11 o 'clock the night of the murder, alone.

She is prepared to testify that she saw you enter a service elevator.

Did you do that?

Yes.

What floor did you get off?

I don't remember.

Isn't it true that you got off on the sixth floor?

and went to the Princess Suite.

No. And you confronted Victoria Rollins because you found out that she

was romantically involved with a policeman. No. And you murdered her in

attempt to keep my client from finding out that she had worked for you for

years. Objection.

I took the service elevator to attend a secret meeting with United States

Senator Peter James.

Withdraw my objection. Sorry to interrupt, Mr. Devlin.

He has a congressional committee that was in town gathering information on,

coincidentally, money laundering operations.

And I cooperated with them fully, and you can ask anyone.

And I was also sworn to secrecy.

But unfortunately, Mr. Madlock, you have forced my hand.

No further questions.

Cross, Mr. Hopkins?

No, Your Honor. The prosecution is satisfied that everything that needed to

said has been said.

Very well.

Court is recessed until Monday at 9 a .m.

I thought we had it.

I really thought we had it. Well, I thought for sure it was Devlin.

I thought we had everything all wrapped up.

I tell you the truth, Ben, I'm starting to get a little concerned.

Well... Maybe Devlin hired a hitman.

No, a hitman would never have had somebody else move the body. We're

with somebody too inexperienced or...

Too squeamish to do it himself.

Paul.

I found this when I was going through Laura's room. It's a free bottle of

perfume from the hotel.

What am I going to do with this?

Well, I found it in her train case, and I just thought, thanks.

You know, you know, it seems to me the first thing

most people unpack when they get to a hotel.

Bobby Fremont said that she said.

You know what? What?

She never went back to that casino after you confronted her.

She was packing.

She was going to leave.

She was going to meet you at the airport.

You'd gotten to her, and she was going to give up all the diamonds, the

limousines, and the fur coats.

Well, I'll be damned.

She was leaving like that.

You didn't know it the last time you saw her.

She hadn't decided yet.

What's wrong?

A lady doesn't leave her escort.

It isn't fair.

It isn't nice.

A lady doesn't wander all over the room and blow on some other guy's dice.

So let's keep the party polite.

And never get out of my sight.

Stick with me, baby. I'm the fella you came in with. Let's be a lady tonight.

A lady doesn't flirt with strangers.

She's got a heart.

She's got a soul.

A lady doesn't make little snake eyes with me.

Well, I bet my life on this role.

Let's keep the party polite.

And never get out of my sight.

With me, baby, I'm the fella you came in with. Luck be a lady.

Luck be a lady.

You think it was Bobby Fremont?

I know it was Bobby Fremont.

But if I don't go into that courtroom with incontrovertible proof, that judge

going to have me for lunch. This where you found that perfume?

Yeah.

I know I looked through this before, but I wasn't desperate then.

Too bad you can't leave fingerprints on Terra cloth.

Yeah.

Maybe Mr.

Fremont left something else on that belt.

Like what?

You remember that smudge the forensics people was talking about being makeup?

Sure, that's Laura's. The belt was knotted around her throat.

Look in here and tell me what you don't see.

like to gamble?

No more than most people.

You really think most people amass gambling debts of $1

,842 ,720?

That is what you owe Mr.

Devlin's casino, isn't it?

According to the records, he's so readily made available.

I suppose it is, yes.

So...

Each time you sing a song in his showroom, he knocks off a couple

that the way it works?

Yes.

So I guess you wouldn't be too valuable to him if you were convicted of Victoria

Rollins' murder.

That's why he helped you cover up your crime and set up your men.

Objection. No foundation assumes facts, not an evidence. This is pure

speculation, Your Honor.

Sustain the remarks will be stricken from the record.

Mr. Matlock, I don't like to repeat myself.

I apologize, Your Honor.

I was hoping my remarks would save us a lot of time by encouraging the witness

to tell us the whole truth, but I see he isn't ready to do that yet. Where were

you between 10 .30 and 12 .30 the night of the murder?

Well, I was on stage in the showroom singing in front of 1 ,500 people.

Do you sing Luck Be a Lady?

Tonight in that show?

I sing in every show.

I like that song.

Luck be a lady tonight.

Luck be a lady tonight.

Luck if you've ever been a lady to begin with. Luck be a lady tonight.

I went down to your recording studio, and I got that.

Bob Freeman.

People don't hear you sing that song anymore, do they? They hear a tape

because your voice is almost shut.

So I lip -sync a couple of songs each night in the show. What does that prove?

By itself, nothing.

But when I saw your show and you were doing that number...

At a certain point in the song, the light went off you.

You were all in the dark.

The light was on these beautiful showgirls dancing up and down these

The light was off you. You were in the dark for a long time, maybe five, ten

minutes.

Well, nobody's complained yet. I bet.

I enjoyed it myself.

There's nothing like a bunch of...

Beautiful girls dancing around, not wearing much.

But it occurred to me, while the light was off you, with the tape rolling,

and everybody looking at those girls, it was a perfect opportunity for you to

leave the stage, go up to Victoria Rollins' room, kill her, come back down

the stage.

Nobody the wiser.

Wrong again.

Would you tell the court what this is?

It's a belt from a bathrobe. It's the murder weapon.

What I was actually referring to, tell the court what this is, this smudge.

How should I know? It's makeup.

But it's not Victoria's makeup. Her beauty was natural.

It's your makeup.

Stage makeup.

that you put on seven nights a week.

Mr. Fremont, in the back of the courtroom are two laboratory analysts

by the defense to examine and compare this smudge with your

stage makeup.

And guess what?

They're ready to testify.

It's a match.

Well, that doesn't prove I did it.

No.

No, it doesn't But it sure does cast reasonable doubt that Jim

Manning committed this crime You

know The

other day when I was over your house we were talking and I said You don't have a

lot of luck with women do you?

I have woman trouble in Texas, woman trouble over in Los Angeles.

And I said, I hear not too many people say no to you.

I'll tell you something else I hear.

I hear not too many people walk out on you.

Thank you for your testimony.

Uh -huh.

How much is 35 times $1 ,225?

42 ,875 potatoes.

42 ,000?

Place your bets, please.

Place your bets.

I'm not.

How much you lose?

A dollar?