Original subtitles

Hmm.

I want to see the helicopter pilot at three o 'clock sharp. Got it. Harry, do

a favor. Get lost for an hour, okay? Come on.

I can't be a party to this, Jay.

This doesn't concern you, Harry.

You don't understand, Jay. I'm your lawyer.

The best protection I have and you have is that I don't know what you do.

Only what you tell me you do.

And now, thanks to this, I have foreknowledge.

Come off it, Harry.

You know what I am.

And you know what I do.

But never beforehand.

We've always been very careful about that.

All right, forget you read this, okay? Just forget it. Forget it. I wish I

could. But if I get caught defending you for something I knew you were going to

do, and I don't stop you, then I get disbarred and we both go to jail.

And... We'll decide.

In fact, what?

What?

This.

You have some plan, and if it doesn't work, you're going to merge?

It doesn't say that, Harry.

I don't know what you're talking about.

I wish the hell I didn't.

I'll see you later.

Harry, where are you going?

I have a seminar.

Harry wouldn't talk, would he?

A year ago, I would have said no.

Something's happening to him.

Harry's been my lawyer for 28 years.

Mr. Matlock, I've read transcripts of every case you ever tried, and I'm dying

to know. In the people versus... I knew!

Bless you, Miss Thomas. How did you know that... I knew!

Bless you again.

How did you know that the... I knew!

Oh, I'm sorry. Michelle is allergic to Los Angeles.

It's a Santa Ana.

The wind, that's what we call it.

It's a north wind. Oh, we just call a north wind a north wind.

Unless it's out of the northeast. Yeah, it's the northeaster. That don't make

you sneeze, does it? No.

Come to pick us up.

So I guess we're back to Michelle's allergic to Los Angeles.

Ben Matlock.

Well, Harry.

Michelle,

say hello to Harry Travis.

Hello. How do you do?

Well, it's been a lot of years since Harvard Law. Tell me about it.

Well, you look good.

You look good.

You know, speaking of that, Red Skelton says there are three ages of man.

Youth, middle age, and you look good.

I have to talk to you, Ben.

You're in trouble.

Harry, I like you. I always have.

But I know who you work for and I hate what you do.

So whatever your trouble is, I don't want to be a part of it. Get somebody

But there isn't somebody else. I know I can trust you.

And you owe me.

Give me a few minutes and I'll meet you out by the elevators in the parking

garage. Thanks, man. By the way, that girl I took away from you, she

dumped me in three months for a guy with a car.

May I have your attention, please? I would like to announce tomorrow's

At 10, Attorney Joseph Kane and I will open with some witty banter.

And then on to our guest.

Dennis Roos.

Roos born in Hanley.

Followed by Price.

Price and Sloan.

Then Richard Costa.

I don't see Harry.

Is he an old friend of yours?

Well, we were in law school together.

I lost touch.

Actually, I quit returning his calls.

Why?

You ever hear of Jay Cutler?

The Jay Cutler?

Other crime bosses in the country called him sir.

28 years ago, Harry became his exclusive counsel, and that's, you know, that's

when our friendship ended.

What is he supposed to want to talk to you about?

The gentleman's name has been Matt Mark.

You a witness?

No, I didn't see it happen, but I knew the victim.

You knew Mr.

Travis? Yeah, he was a colleague.

He's an attorney. We were attending a seminar here, and he was in trouble.

What kind of trouble?

I don't know. He wanted to talk to me about it, but before we could get

together, this happened.

Sergeant, he worked for organized crime and was very nervous.

Well, who was this guy?

Legal counsel to Jay Cutler.

You think this was a mob hit?

Anything's possible.

No, it doesn't look like a mob hit. See, when organized crime did the hit in L

.A., it's usually one bullet to the base of the brain.

Neat and tidy.

This, well, this is a mess.

Well, since I was most probably the last person to speak with Harry, I'd feel a

lot better if you'd take my statement.

You want me to take care of this, Sergeant?

Okay, why don't you go in with Officer Marks. He'll take your statement. I'll

right there.

Ben,

I'm sorry. I've got to go.

I've made an appointment with an allergist. My head is just pounding. Oh,

Can I have the car key? Oh, yeah.

All those are mine.

Yep, there's the rattle. Great. Okay.

I guess I'll see you later. Okay.

Give me the consent address. Hurry.

Hey,

what are you doing? Right.

You say you hadn't seen the defense law school. That's right.

How many years ago would that be?

Just put on a long time.

Mr. Matlock, there you are. Didn't you hear your page? You've got a phone call.

Hello.

I'll be right back.

There you go.

Thanks.

Hello.

Who's this?

Say hello.

Ben, I... Talk to anyone and she's dead.

Just go back to your hotel room.

Where's Matlock?

I don't know. He's disappeared.

You're sure this was Ben Matlock, the Atlanta attorney?

That's what he said, Captain.

He insisted on giving you a statement, then just walked out of the room and

disappeared before he said anything?

He'd gotten a phone call.

He said he'd be right back.

Go figure.

You want us to drop it?

I would, but... Do me a favor, Sam. Look into it, will you?

You got it.

You're booked on the 10 .30 flight to L .A.

Ben, you gotta call the police.

I can't.

Can't risk it. Michelle might get killed.

I don't like this.

I don't either. What's she ever done?

We'll talk when you get here.

You're staying at the Hotel Clayton downtown. I'll meet you there at 7 a .m.

sharp.

Hello? Mr. Matlock, your line was busy.

I told you to speak to no one. I had to cancel a speaking engagement at the

seminar. Shut up and listen to me.

First I talked to Michelle.

Listen to me.

No, you listen to me.

I talked to Michelle or this conversation is over.

You say hello and nothing else.

Ben, I'm all right. They haven't hurt me.

Okay, good.

Just try to stay calm. I'm doing everything they ask.

Well, I'm glad to hear that, Mr. Matlock.

Why kidnap Michelle?

We don't know anything about Harry's murder.

Let her go.

Mr. Matlock, there's a matchbook in your pocket.

Hey, Mr. Malick, I asked you a question.

I heard you.

Here's the deed.

The matchbook for Michelle.

Fine. I'll call you tomorrow, 5 p .m.

Room service.

Morning,

sir. You ordered a 6 a .m. breakfast.

Oh, yeah.

I've done stock, a little theater. Last season I was gangster number two on a TV

episode of Guns for Hire.

You're not in the business.

It's okay.

You have a nice day anyway.

A

dime.

Oh, boy, a dime.

Cap, please.

Mr.

Matlock.

I was just coming to see you. I changed my mind about making a statement. May I

ask why?

Excuse me, my cap. Is there something wrong with it? Everything's fine.

Everything's fine.

If you have any information regarding a crime, you are legally obligated to

report it, sir.

I remember.

Let's go.

Heard anything?

No. They let Michelle talk to me on the phone.

She said they hadn't heard her.

I hope.

Yeah.

A fellow named Harry Travis, who worked for Jay Cutler, slipped this in my

pocket.

Four o 'clock tomorrow.

That's today.

The kidnapper wanted me to read this to him. I said I'd swap the match cover to

him for Michelle.

And Rose Ballou, who's she?

I don't know.

But whatever's supposed to be happening is supposed to be happening by 4 o

'clock. And this jerk, this guy, Michelle, said he'd call me at 5. And my

is whatever they're going to do will be over by 5 and there'll be no phone call.

There are three rose blues in the phone.

All right, right away.

You know, we, well, I, I forget to tell.

People, how much I think of them.

Here's Michelle.

Well, yeah, we forget. I mean, we all do.

Yeah, well, you kind of look out for yourself during this.

You too.

Yeah.

Let's go.

Where are you going to go?

I'm going to go see...

Harry Travis's former employer.

Ben, nobody just walks in and sees Jay Cutler.

Mr. Matlock, this is a very thoughtful gesture.

Harry spoke very highly of you.

And I want to thank you for coming here and offering your condolences.

How about some juice?

Some juice?

Yeah. I'm having a combination.

This is carrot, celery, beets, parsley, and an apple.

You know that apple is the only fruit that you can mix with vegetables.

Oh. Well, go for broke.

I hear you and Harry were law buddies back at, what was it, The Hobbit? That's

right.

There you go.

I wouldn't have thought it, but that's good.

And good for you, too.

Have a seat.

It was a tragic accident, wasn't it?

I think Harry was killed.

Go on.

Who would get Harry?

Maybe one of your enemies.

The only enemies of mine that Harry dealt with were cops and prosecutors.

You think one of the good guys did him?

I doubt it.

Bad guys didn't? Good guys didn't?

That'll be an accident.

I don't think so.

You seem very sure.

I talked to Harry just before he died.

He was as nervous as a long -tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs.

I like that.

What? What you just said.

You know, juries, they must love that down -home stuff.

You know, with Harry gone, I'm going to be looking for new legal

counsel.

Mr. Cutler, I know the law pretty good.

Maybe too good.

And I wouldn't want to get run over.

Sign in the window says clothes for lunch.

There's a sign in the window.

You took my sign?

I did not.

You didn't take my sign? No.

Why don't you look in your crystal ball and find out who did?

That's it, wise guy. I'm not reading for you, though Lord knows someone should.

I don't want you to read for me. I just want you to tell me where I can find

your sister.

What sister?

Oh, look, lady.

Madam Marlene? Madam Marlene.

I paid a guy who sent me to a guy who I paid to tell me that you have a sister

named Rose Ballou.

I am a respectable woman. I run a respectable joint business.

I have a reputation to maintain.

Okay, so your sister's less conventional than you, right?

The woman's 47 years old and she takes her clothes off for a living.

She's a stripper.

I've seen Rosie naked.

I'd pay her to put her clothes on. But you can't tell me where I can find it.

A place called Body Heat.

This is the last Rose Ballou.

None of the others?

Well, cross your fingers.

$5 cover.

We're looking for Rose Ballou.

$5 cover.

Is she here?

$5 cover.

We're her biggest fans.

Could you point her out?

Right this way, darling.

Oh,

you

guys want to see you.

Do you know a fellow named, uh, Jay Cutler?

Oh, yeah, good old Jay.

Always ready, willing, and definitely able.

Then you know Harry Trapp.

No, I can't say I do.

Hey, Jay must have told you about my specialty acts, huh?

I strip the tassels, bells, and for 200 big ones, batons on fire.

That's very impressive. No, Mr. Cutler never told us about your act.

Cutler, I thought you said Butler, Jay Butler.

No, Jay Cutler, the businessman.

He's like a woman with black to take off her clothes.

Los Angeles burial.

Your credit problems are no problem with us. Adelaide's largest card.

Blind dropkick.

Yeah.

Hi.

Hi.

You're lunch, sir.

Don't they have any local news around here?

Try channel 12 at 1 .30.

Nothing sooner?

It's in five minutes.

Oh, gee whiz. Now my watch is broken. What next?

How about a signature?

Oh, okay.

And another dime.

A quarter! Oh, boy, a quarter!

You know where I can get my watch fixed?

Baker Sloan Jewelers.

Where are they?

At Baker and Sloan.

It's an intersection about a mile from here.

Wait a minute.

What?

Is there a Rose Street in this town?

Rose Street? Rose runs from the valley all the way to the beach.

How about Ballou? Is there a Ballou Street?

Hey, waiter.

Telephone call, Sergeant Hayden. Sergeant Hayden, telephone call.

Sergeant Hayden.

Can't believe you're a lawyer.

I mean, you are so, so pretty.

Hey, Briggs, before you propose, hand me that screwdriver, would you?

Hey, you see her eyes?

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I saw her eyes.

She's got the most beautiful eyes.

That damn thing's stuck.

Such great shape.

Ooh, strong.

Bet you work out, don't you?

Yeah.

Hi. I'm lost.

Could you tell me where I am?

You're lost.

Yeah, I know that. But, I mean, can you tell me the way back to town?

That road right there.

Do I go straight or do I take a turn?

Go straight.

Don't turn. I thought I remembered turning two or three times. Then turn

three times, okay?

Don't close the door.

I'm lost and I want to find out how I can get back to town.

Can I have a glass of water?

Hey, mister, look. We're poor people. Water is expensive.

And we don't want to give it to old men in awful -looking gray suits just

because they're lost.

Now get out of here.

What's up?

Shell's in that house back there.

I just saw her car keys.

Time to call the police.

Yeah.

You got a lot of complaints to make to Matlock.

Mr.

Matlock, I appreciate your concern for your associates, but you can't call the

cops on a hunch. It wasn't a hunch.

I wouldn't have called anybody if I hadn't seen her car rental keys right on

that table. Our boys didn't find any keys or anything else for that matter. I

told you that's enough.

This is our problem.

Something's going to happen at four today.

There he is. I found him.

Robert Drake.

Drake? That clenches it.

Clenches what?

Robert Drake works for Jay Cutler, just like Harry Travis and Doug Petter.

Who's Doug Petter?

Cutler's bookkeeper. They grew up together.

We finally nailed Doug Petter two weeks ago for fraud. Since then, we've kept

him under wraps.

Mr. Petter is giving testimony against Cutler to a grand jury.

It's four o 'clock today.

What's that got to do with Rose Ballou?

I don't know yet.

Maybe there's some connection with Mr. Pitter. Maybe Jay Cutler is going to

Mr. Pitter killed.

That's a possibility.

You think that's why Harry Travis wanted to talk to you?

I don't know. Maybe.

Maybe Jay Cutler had him killed.

Captain, if they're planning a hit...

We should call off the hearing right now. Wait a minute. Wait a minute.

forgetting about Michelle.

She's still a hostage. No one's forgetting Miss Thomas.

I'll be right back.

Gentlemen, you guaranteed secrecy.

How did Jay Cutler find out?

We don't know.

But if you want to postpone your appearance, it can be arranged.

Captain Lewis, do I look like the kind of man who would disappoint a committee

gathered in my honor?

And besides, according to your witness protection coordinator, I'm to be on a

midnight plane for a summer with palm trees and girls in bikinis. I always

wanted to retire at government expense.

Thank you for your patience, Mr. Matlock.

Patience be damned.

I don't care anything about these other people. What are you doing to find

Michelle? Mr. Matlock. Everything's set, Captain. We changed the route and

doubled the contingent at the federal building.

Has everyone been issued vests?

Well, everyone except for me, sir.

Captain, something's got to be done about Michelle. Mr.

Matlock, please.

Now, let me assure you that everything is being done. Everything in my power.

Am I ready? Let's go.

We're already hit, Bert.

I hear there's going to be a hit. We've taken precautions.

Don't worry.

Okay, who's in the front?

Who's there?

Murphy Thompson.

Murphy Thompson?

Okay. Keep the procedure.

Never thought I'd be caught dead in one of these. That's the idea.

I bet myself...

Blonde, it was you.

Pull him on the floor and cover him with a blanket.

Captain, I've got an APB out on Robert Drake.

And Jay Cutler's residence under surveillance.

A tap on your phone at the hotel.

Forensics going through the house at Rose and Balloon. What else can I do?

Finder. Ben, easy.

It's okay.

You know, someone had to have warned Robert Drake that you spotted Michelle's

keys.

Just Mr. Pinter and me. Captain's orders.

The top floor.

That's right.

That's right. And it had to be somebody on the inside that leaked the time and

the place of Doug Pinter's testimony.

But we got...

An hour to find out who.

Less than that, I'm afraid. It's 20 to 4.

Damn.

Are you okay?

Yeah.

Here.

Don't you have a long one that'll go around my finger?

Sorry.

You know...

Sergeant Hayden was wearing a little round band -aid like that, right?

Like you'd gotten a shot.

And Robert Drake was wearing one right in the same place.

Band -aid?

Shot.

They're leaving the country after they killed Doug Pinter.

Right on time.

Sergeant Hayden know that I called about the house at Rose and Blue?

Yes.

He's the one.

Well, that doesn't make any sense.

If Sam Hayden is part of the plot to kill Doug Pinter, then he's had better

opportunities than today when he's surrounded by other cops.

Maybe their idea is not to kill Mr.

Pinter.

Get me Detective Latimer at the federal building.

I want answers and I want them now.

All I know is Jay Cutler is starting a business in the Philippines and I'm

supposed to set it up to make certain that nobody would connect him to it. He

ordered me to pretend to turn against him while he figured a way to get me

What else?

Me and Robert Drake and Sergeant Hayden had a chartered flight for tonight.

Look, I'll go through with the grand jury testimony.

I'll tell them everything I know.

You can forget about the deal we cut. A cop's been murdered.

I didn't know Sergeant Hayden was going to kill him. I didn't even know that

Hayden was the inside man.

Where are they keeping Michelle?

I don't know. I swear.

Not good enough.

You ever... Here is a felony murder rule.

It says if you're involved in a felony and somebody's killed, inadvertently or

otherwise, you're culpable.

But the execution of a police officer qualifies as special circumstances in

California. I believe they use the gas chamber here, don't they?

We have an update on this afternoon's shooting.

Channel 12 has learned that a man identified as Doug Pinter has escaped

custody and is currently at large.

Details are sketchy at this time.

Good

to

see you.

It went down bad, Jay.

How are you?

Hayden took half a dozen bullets while they were busy acting on some stairs.

He's dead?

Good. There's no loose ends.

Wire works.

The chopper took off. What else could I do?

Nothing. We wanted to bust you out, and we did.

Well, you did.

He's bought it.

You just say where Michelle is.

Now, they try to leave the tent.

I'll take you there by car.

You and three million in cash.

Drake's got some unfinished business to take care of.

The hostage, Miss Thomas?

How did you know about that?

Hayden, he's a big mouth.

So, uh, where is she? Rose Ballou?

Don't worry about it.

Rose Ballou is out.

Matlock and the cops found it.

Get in here.

Did you hear that? What?

That sneeze.

That's Michelle.

She's in the house.

I'm sure.

That's her sneeze.

All right, we're going in.

Henderson, see if you can find a way in through the back.

You're with me.

All right, let's go. Yeah, let's go.

You're staying in this truck.

What the hell are you saying?

If I have to cuff you to this van, I will.

Now stay put.

Mr. Cutler?

Yes, officer.

I'm Captain Lewis of the L .A .D .D. This is Officer Woodruff.

I have a warrant.

What is

this

all about, Captain?

We have reason to believe that a woman who was kidnapped is being held hostage

in this house.

In this house?

Come on. Come on.

Be absurd, will you?

Michelle. Good work. Thank you.

Now say goodbye.

Officer Woodruff, read Mr. Cutler is right.

Are you all right? Oh, good.

Good.

Well, Mr. Badlock.

You almost got shot.

You don't follow orders very well, do you?

For a man as old as you, you'd think you'd know better.

I'm not old. I just lived hard.