Original subtitles

Keep it safe.

Don't do nothing.

Let's go.

Let's go.

Come on, let's go.

Get the safe.

How? Yeah, that's all we'll take. Just cash?

There's no way they can trace that to us.

Look, this had to happen sooner or later, right?

Murder? No.

He could have called the cops. That's the way it goes.

That's the way it goes?

Sure, getting caught, that's the way it goes. Now, come on, get the safe.

They never sleep here. I don't understand.

What a flash, huh?

Funny old man.

You couldn't do that to a woman, could you, huh? This is like no other job

ever done, man.

The cops from Homicide will come in here, they'll push those safe and lost

right out.

You know, there's two ways they can search.

From the body outwards in a spiral, or they can divide the room up into

That's the grid method.

We burn the gloves, the knife is already here.

Let's go.

Don't do that here.

Not this time, not with him. Hey, why don't you remember your extension cord,

huh?

We don't leave real clues, Art.

We leave dead ends.

We're the dead end kids, remember?

Huh? Remember?

When did I pick this up?

Come on!

Murder.

That's one for you, Kojak.

This is the guy who owned the store. His name was King.

Thiglet, safe and locked.

It's been dusted.

One knife puncture from the rear. Six -inch blade.

Right through the lung and heart.

About 3 a .m.

$2 .25.

Would you say that's a bargain safe and locked?

Lieutenant, this is Mr.

Scott. He found the body when he opened up this morning.

Looks like you opened this thing up with a can opener.

Anybody been casing the joint lately?

Somebody every day.

Well?

It was cut with a power tool.

Real slick.

They're always slick.

He dies clutching a page torn out of the phone book.

You got three names circled there. Check them out. The clues are fake.

Look, we know these guys.

They're making our office look stupid.

Nine burglaries in the last five months.

The last one they cut through a skylight with acid.

I never even heard of that trick.

You're not going to get anywhere, Kojak.

Look, Staglitz, this is murder.

Don't bet too much that I'm not going to get anywhere, okay?

Lieutenant.

Yeah.

What's up?

Did you drop it?

Yeah.

But I can't remember whether I dropped it before or after I broke into the

What's it doing back there?

I lost it about a week ago.

At the precinct?

Give me a list of every suspect who was at the precinct last week.

Especially those two guys from L .A. on the Owens heist.

Agnes, what do you got?

Well, it might be one guy, but we think it's two.

Okay, so they're making fun of us.

But there's a reason.

There's always something to lead us on a wild goose chase.

A couple of months ago, it was a half a Social Security card.

And we beat our backs out on that. It led nowhere.

And there was a whiskey bottle covered with fingerprints.

And we tracked them down to a garbage can in the Bowery.

All right, Gomez.

I want you to rip this place apart. Even if you have to reassemble it in the

precinct. All right.

For you, I want a record of every case that these clowns have been on. You

understand? I want it this afternoon.

You'll have them.

Right there.

Now, this will be Timothy's room on the second floor.

When he gets older, he can move into your study right next to it. See? Then

can move downstairs into my study.

I'll have my own wing, but... Hey, Art.

Are you listening?

This is going to be your house, man.

Our house.

The whole family under one roof.

I like TV.

How am I going to play it right next to the kids' room? You can play it softly,

honey. Yeah.

Use earphones, Artie.

Earphones! See, my brother has it all worked out.

I like a modern house.

All on one floor. No sweating up and down stairs.

Kaz is paying for it, honey.

I'm putting up my share.

Yes, but he did get you the job.

You wouldn't be selling real estate today if it weren't for him.

Oh, there's Timothy.

I'll get him ready for his bath.

You're lazy, Art.

You don't even want to walk up and down stairs.

If I hadn't gotten out of the service last summer, you'd have my sister living

on food stamps now.

Huh?

Honey, he wants you to come and play ducks with him.

Sure. Just a minute.

Okay. Kaz, are you staying for supper?

No, it's Wednesday. I got school.

Right. Okay, I'll see you tomorrow.

Night, honey.

Good night.

After school tonight.

It's a loan company, right?

I couldn't, Cass.

Believe me.

You hit him from behind, but I was watching his face.

I saw his face the minute he knew he was dying.

I've got to quit.

For a while.

Anyhow.

So quit.

Who needs you?

Go play ducks with the kid.

You think you can handle that?

Huh?

Are you ready for a surprise?

Look what fell out of your jacket in the bathroom.

The ring I gave you the day we were married. It didn't get lost last year.

just got caught in the lining.

Oh, I'm glad you have it back.

The house is going to be okay, darling.

Yeah, how we doing?

Well, so far the victim gets an A for bookkeeping.

His record's balanced to the penny.

If Mr. King had an argument with his wife on the phone, that's why he stayed

over. Anybody who keeps that place wouldn't have expected it to be open.

Theo. Yeah?

I've been thinking.

Maybe Mr. King found your pen just out on the street or something.

Uh, Frank, I'm a guest instructor in a police science course with 12 aspiring

detectives. You know what I would have done if anyone suggested that?

I would have thrown him out of school. Well, Searle and Olsen didn't lift him

from your office. They were picked up in Macon, Georgia, three days ago.

Lieutenant, on these circled names and numbers that we found, Norman Jalosa is

waiter, works till four every morning.

Victoria Jalpa lives in Montreal now, and Jalrod's a radio company.

Stoglitz was right. These are no clues.

Nine burglaries with different M .O .s, and the suspect's nothing.

Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

So how do we know it's the same team, huh?

Because they tell us with these phony clues.

We're dealing with egomaniacs, but egomaniacs with brains.

You want to know something?

These are amateurs.

I mean, what pro would want a spotlight?

Maybe they're a couple of spoiled Park Avenue kids.

Maybe their mommies and daddies didn't pay enough attention to them.

Maybe they got bored with their chemistry sets.

Well, all right. I'll see you guys in the morning.

I'm late for Claire.

What?

Say hello to Delta.

Good night, Faisal.

I got a message for you.

Say hello to Delta.

Say hello, dog.

I thought you'd never get here.

But later.

Okay.

The rest of you can sit on your brains. We'll get this show on our own.

So far, we've been over interrogation of witnesses and suspects.

The use of informants, techniques of surveillance.

Now, who knows what we mean with the term scenario?

Jonas? A theoretical construction of a crime including motives, methods, and

whereabouts. Before and afterwards.

Very good.

Anybody knows how we'd investigate six scenarios at once?

Oh, I thought you weren't going to talk at all tonight, Cass.

You don't investigate six scenarios at once.

You take the most promising one and you concentrate on it until you hit a dead

end. Or, you know, a good reason to dump it.

And then you move on to the next most promising one. And so on.

Exactly. Exactly.

Except in the event of a time bomb or a kidnapping with a child in jeopardy.

Yeah, well, that goes without saying, doesn't it?

Mm -hmm.

Okay, Mr. Sippy.

There's a guy at the bottom of the well. He's been dead a week. He's got

blueberries in his pocket and he's got a rash on his neck. Go, right off the top

of your head.

Uh, is he wearing a turtleneck sweater?

Who's your man?

You want a turtleneck sweater you got?

Well, uh, he has an allergy to wool.

Therefore, he would not be wearing that particular sweater.

Uh, so his clothes were changed after he was murdered, I think. Uh, a berry

picker. Fantastic.

A man married berry picker. Okay, Kaz, the report comes back from the lab.

Says that rash is poison ivy. Go.

Uh, where does all this happen?

Where does all this take place? It takes place in, uh, England.

Oxford. Couldn't happen.

I beg your pardon, sir.

The man has a poison ivy rash and it couldn't happen, you say?

Not in England.

They don't have poison ivy in England, Lieutenant.

Oh. No poison ivy, no poison sumac, no poison oak.

Well, I guess you could break a case on that. It's trivia.

So what you're saying is a man with a rash on his neck and it couldn't happen,

right? Not if he hadn't been out of the country, I couldn't, no.

Oh. Okay, fine, Vader Cabot, try this off his eyes.

I go for a weekend on Long Island.

I'm looking to catch my old lady with the Iceman. So I crawl through the

ivy bushes.

I'm peeking, I'm sneaking, looking through windows.

Ah, he spots me.

Takes off for England with my broad.

And I follow him. With my poison ivy infested hands, I catch him. And I

him.

So what you say, is that a freshly murdered body?

Couldn't develop a poison ivy rash, right?

I don't know.

Gotcha, you don't know. Well, next time you're in your forensic medicine class,

you ask your instructor, all right? And then when you find out, you come back

and tell me, because I don't know either.

Okay, Friday night, same time, same station.

Get ready for the final exam.

Excuse me, Lieutenant.

Yeah, kid.

Would you please tell me why it's necessary to make me look bad in front

class?

Well, I don't know. I thought you were holding your own right up until the last

minute. Yeah, but then you had to top me, right?

Well, when you were a kid, did you always top your old man?

I don't know. I didn't know my father.

Oh.

Hey, look, when you graduate and you want to go to the police academy, I want

you to know this.

I'll be in back of you all the way.

Hey.

Hey, I got the grades.

I don't need anybody's help, you know?

I mean, it doesn't take much to be a cop, Kojak, let's face it. You got a

easy gig for 20 grand a year, right?

Huh? Sure.

Hey, look, if you ever get 100 hours during the course of a week, why don't

come down to the station house and get a peek at your future easy gig?

I know you better go home and study your crime stoppers.

You are a really patient man, Bill.

Hey, how come you talk so slow with your really patient man? You get so fast.

Oh, I don't always, do I?

You know something?

If your chief could read my Yankee thoughts, he'd bag you up to Mississippi

early in the morning.

Oh, now, come on. I knit my education in the bud?

There you go.

Cops are not supposed to do things like this. Go ahead.

And besides, with that lavender nightgown I saw you buy last week, you

need an education.

You need protection.

And that's why I'm following you.

Thank you.

What's the matter?

Come on.

We've got a college of criminal justice and somebody rips off my hat.

I don't believe it.

Put out an alarm.

Midtown.

That's in Tyro, model 7B, size 7 1⁄4.

I'm serious, Tyros. Go ahead.

Any patrolman spots that hat, I want satisfaction.

Got a little discrepancy here, Lieutenant.

Got 121 foreign tickets marked ring, but only 120 rings. Now, maybe it means

nothing. What do you mean, means nothing?

Tyros says to get perfect records.

And now you give me a list of names of everybody who pawned a ring. Go ahead.

This is Stiglitz, Lieutenant.

You better get over here right away. We found your hat.

What do you take?

Postal money orders. Good as cash.

Okay, where is it? Right over here.

Well, open up, thing.

All right.

We know the hat was stolen from you at college, but what about your pen?

Look at this.

I made my attendance check the night of the poor job killing in pen.

But by the end of the class, I made these notes here in pencil.

So I must have left the pen on my desk.

And somebody must have picked it up after the coffee break.

Lieutenant, I got the list from the college students, personal instructors.

We tried to match the names of the people that pawned rings.

Nothing. All right, take another angle. Have Crocker get a photo of everybody in

my class from the admissions office.

Check on their backgrounds.

Find out what they were doing after class the night of the pawn shop

Yes, sir.

Think it was somebody in your class, Phil?

Ever cut to you, Frank?

That a class in police science is also a great education for a crook? Yeah.

But your hat, your pen, I mean, a student who's got an imp for you

that's one thing.

But a student who commits murder?

I don't like it.

You don't like it? I hate it.

You know, I got a lot of bright students in my class.

They keep me on my toes.

I have fun with them.

Well, the fun just went out of it.

Okay, considering this scenario business, let us consider a series of

A series of burglaries with a murder in one of them.

And I want to have one good reason why a really good burglar would take the time

and the effort to leave a series of clues behind in a series of crimes.

Jonas? Maybe he's afraid to leave real clues.

Maybe he's fogging his trail.

Okay. How about the killing?

Unpremeditated. Why would anyone leave a series of false clues behind at the

scene of a murder?

Guess? Sounds like a frame.

Well, in this case, non -applicable, non -applicable, whatever.

How about a signature?

I don't follow.

Well, the killer wanting to make himself known to one other party.

Does that make any sense to you?

Without any real proof.

Without any real proof so far?

Yeah.

Yeah, maybe it's a signature.

Well, why would he leave a signature?

There was that guy who used to write, stop me before I kill.

He could be full of guilt and want to get caught.

Or be proud of your work.

And know you'll never get caught.

Okay, that's it.

Somebody got you running in circles, Lieutenant?

Why, do you, uh...

You want to straighten me out? Me? Straighten out the teacher?

I couldn't do that, could I?

That wouldn't be right.

Not right at all.

Jonas Wilkins, age 22.

He lives uptown, 136th Street with his family.

He worked in the daytime at a market. He went back after class the night of the

killing.

Unloaded groceries until 3 a .m.

How about 24 a .m.? Casimir Mayor, age 23, served in Vietnam, got discharged

months ago, made sergeant in two years.

His mother died three years ago, his allotment check went to his sister, and

he's on a GI Bill.

Huh?

His father was a cop.

For a while.

He busted a crap game 20 years ago.

They say he confiscated $4 ,800.

He never checked in again.

Never checked in with us.

Never checked in with his family. He just disappeared.

Let's see, the kid had to be two or three years old.

Yeah.

Lieutenant, the mayor has a one -room apartment on 3rd Avenue. I'm downstairs

a pizza joint.

The guy here said he recognized the picture.

He came in here alive with a guy named Art Gordon. Gordon worked here last year

for a week until they found a case of beer missing.

Yeah, hold on just a minute.

Let me have a list of names for the pawn tickets.

The ones with the rings.

I checked it.

There's no Mayotte. There's no Wilkins on it.

How about Art Gordon?

Art Gordon. Oh, yeah.

If he pawned a ring and there's a ring missing, then maybe he just helped

himself to it during the burglary.

All right, Fats, I'll go check and see if he has a record.

Cracker, give me Art Gordon's address and I'll meet you there.

35 -44.

Right.

Yes.

It had to be him, man. Yes.

across in that class.

Maybe more than just a teacher to him.

Father, maybe?

Oh, he could be showing off for you.

Those burglaries started months before I began my class.

Then he was telling the force, look at me.

I'm smarter than cops in general.

Okay, so now he's saying he's smarter than you, specifically.

My own kid says it to me, flat out, right to my face.

They want you to fight back. They seem to want that authority.

What authority, huh?

Well, that's what they want. That's what he's going to get with fate.

Eddie, have a beer, a draft, and heat up one of those little pizzas, okay? Sure.

Hey, accomplish this in there. Said you had some relatives trying to track you

down. I told him I see you here all the time.

How could you be missing?

What else did he ask about?

He wanted to know who you came in with.

Did you mention my brother -in -law to him? You know Art?

Art? Yeah.

I didn't know he was your brother -in -law.

Oh, yeah, you're a little stronger this time, Artie, but not strong enough.

I'll get you next time. Oh, yeah, you keep saying that.

Artie, telephone for you. Sure.

Give us another round.

It's Kat.

Don't say my name, Art.

Look, is your car out back?

Yes. Yeah, okay, look, I'll meet you outside.

I don't understand.

Why these questions?

Well, we're looking for your husband, Mrs. Gordon.

And failing that, what time do you expect him back?

Oh, he works nights late, making calls.

For whom?

for a real estate company, the Green Management.

He sells condominiums for them up in Riverdale. I see.

Do you recognize him?

Why am I being asked these questions?

Why do I have to answer?

The two of you together.

How come?

He's my brother.

Oh.

Well, he's a pretty confused kid, isn't he?

Confused?

How? He went to work when he was 15 in order to support my mother.

He's helped my husband pull the loose ends together. He studies at night to be

cop. I know.

I'm one of his instructors.

Kojak. Lieutenant Kojak.

Oh, yes. He talks about you. He admires you. You're one of the few he does

admire. Thank you.

Well, anyway, he's in a lot of trouble. It's Gordon. And your husband, too.

And the quicker they find him, the better.

I'm sorry, Lieutenant. I'm afraid I can't help you.

Thank you, ma 'am.

Thank you, Mrs. Gordon.

Hey,

there's a bottle in there.

Hey, you pawned it.

I remember.

I took it back.

Who could tell?

Here, you want to keep it?

Don't lose it.

Diane gave it to me.

It was awful.

You are so stupid. This could send you up for murder. Who knows?

Come on.

I didn't kill anybody, Kat.

I couldn't.

You know that.

You got the guts for that. Not me.

They talk to me, they know I couldn't kill.

I'd show them.

I was standing over by the safe.

I mean, I wouldn't say anything.

I'll tell you what, Art.

Why don't we park down by the river? We could knock off this bottle together.

Teamwork.

That's a good idea.

Hey, Lieutenant.

That guy in the river matches the description of the art garden you want.

All right, notify the ME.

What is it? What's happened?

Well, Miss Gordon, Detective Crawford here tells me that your brother showed

five minutes ago. You mind if we take a look around?

Sure, Kojak.

Help yourself.

Excuse me.

Sir.

Mrs. Gordon, your husband is dead.

Well, let's see. He was drunk.

He fell.

Or was persuaded into the river.

Oh, my God.

All right, let's go.

Assume position number three.

Oh, come on.

What are you doing?

I got to take him down and question him for murder.

The lieutenant has it in for me, sis.

Hey, look, I was in the movies at 42nd Street. A couple of kung fu quickies.

want them scene by scene?

Lieutenant.

This ring belong to your husband?

Yes, yes. I thought he was wearing that.

I don't know. I could be wrong.

You get a statement from Mrs. Gordon, and don't let her go to the morgue

Look, whatever happens to Art, I'll make it come up for the best, okay?

Okay? I'll see you later.

I love you, honey.

Let's go.

Your brother -in -law got a call at the bar just before he left.

At 10 .15.

What bar?

We showed the pictures around. We found the bar. I don't know anything about

that. Where'd you go after class?

The movie.

We've been over that, haven't we? Where'd you eat?

A hot dog.

On 42nd Street at Nathan's. Nathan's was closed last night. They got a strike.

Baloney it was.

Come on, huh?

Yeah.

Stay on top of him.

Sure, I remember it now.

It's a pinky ring. Not too popular.

Yeah, I almost sold it last week. Yeah.

You know this man? This man we bought it from. I remember he was drunk.

Almost smashed the case.

Okay, thanks. Take this statement.

Well, we got a perfect case against Gordon.

Except he's dead. We're supposed to believe he's so chicken he drinks

into the river, right? And he's so smart he leaves false clues for us.

That's two people we're talking about, Frank.

I'm not going to crack that kid.

Not without something to go on, which I haven't got. I can't prove he stole my

hat, my pencil. I can't prove he stole anything.

Seems to me he's got just what he wants.

He's one up on teacher and teacher knows it.

I'll tell you something, Frank.

It's going to take a lot more than an apple a day to get to teacher.

I want five men tracing his whereabouts for the last six months.

I want to find out what tools he's bought. I want to find out how much

he's spent. I want to get something on him. And the next man who tells him

his job if he blows it.

Frank.

Really, sir.

All right.

Hello? This is Mr. Foster. Was that your husband they found? Oh, yes. Yes, Mr.

Foster. That was my husband.

He gave me this number.

I was supposed to get him tickets to the next... The playoff.

Look, I... I just wanted to call and say I'm sorry.

And to tell you that he had a lot of...

Mr. Foster, when you were with him last night, you didn't happen to notice if he

was wearing a ring.

Oh, yeah, yeah, on his right hand, on his pinky.

We were arm wrestling, I remember.

See, that's funny.

There was a cop just here asking the same thing.

Oh, my God.

Oh, my God.

The police have got about as much respect for the dead as a grave robber.

They're trying to make a federal case out of absolutely nothing.

What sort of case?

They think that Art was pulling off some small jobs.

Burglaries.

Look, it's not impossible, Diane.

I mean, maybe he wasn't making it too big of a sale.

Kaz, you killed him.

I know. I know because of the ring.

Not the worst thing that happened in our lives, is it?

We have always pulled through, haven't we?

Diane, please.

Please, Diane.

It is so far and away the worst thing that's ever happened in my entire life.

He would have killed himself sooner or later.

Drinking, doing something desperate on his own.

He was not a strong man.

What kind of father would he have been for the kid? A gentle father.

Gentle? What is that?

The man had no strength.

He had no authority.

He would have let that kid do anything. The kid would grow up. He'd be always

broke. Who knows what he'd end up doing or feeling inside.

Oh, Calus.

Calus. My God.

I want you to talk to the lieutenant.

No! You think I'm crazy?

This guy wants to fry me.

He has everything that I hate. I just have a feeling that he'd help you to see

doctor. And I'll explain to them all the things you've done, all the things

you've been.

You've done so many good things for me.

No, no, I'm warning you.

Art would have talked.

And then we both would have been caught.

Now, it's got to be better this way for you. For the kid.

Oh, Ken.

I never should have started with Kojak. I don't know why I did that. Did what?

I think that lousy cop in our background, it haunts me sometimes.

Lousy cop, lousy father.

He knows it's me.

I guess I wanted him to.

But I didn't think it would lead to art. I didn't think it would lead anywhere.

But he can't prove anything.

Oh, Kaz.

Kaz, they have a witness. The man in the bar saw the ring on Art, and you're the

only one who could have brought it here.

I tried to get it back, and at the finger, I couldn't get it on.

The police.

They'll be here to get you any minute.

No.

A lousy cop is going to keep coming in and out of our lives, tearing things up,

not without paying for it.

No, sir.

Say, uh, you got a light?

Officer?

Yes, Mrs. Gordon. We just found out about the ring.

Yes, I've just given the order. I haven't picked up. Thank you.

Here.

Mayor just slugged Saperstein and took his gun.

I want every cop in the city after him. Go ahead.

Yes? Yes, Mayor Kojak.

I just wanted you to know that I won't be taking my final exam tomorrow. And

won't be giving it either.

Where are you, Kaz? I want to talk to you. Shut up and listen, Kojak, because

I'm calling the shots now.

And I want to tell you that our final exam has already begun.

And death is not a passing grade.

Well, I guess the sister wasn't kidding.

He's coming after me.

All right.

You do a fast disappearing act. We'll pick him up soon enough.

Frank.

The two people killed are ready.

I don't want him out there.

Now, he's threatening to come after me and he's put up a deadline.

That could work for us. I don't want you playing target for some schizo killer.

No, no. Now's the time to get him if he's hot and bothered.

Don't worry, he'll trip up and I'll see to it.

Okay, the plan is simple.

You take off, then you send a cab back here in ten minutes.

I'm gonna make it look like I'm flipping over the Delta's apartment, right?

He'll follow.

you pick them up and don't shoot if you don't have to i don't plan to

Delta, who loves you? Oh, wait a minute. I take that question back.

You're liable to say Harry Schwartz or Charlie Jones or something. Well, honey,

I... Theo?

Yeah. I got a little wet blanket news for you.

Tell me.

Mm -hmm.

Well, sure, honey, I do. I... Mm -hmm.

All right, all right, honey, but, uh...

Why can't I stay here if you're going to pick him up downstairs? You can't stay

there, young lady, because I say so. That's all there is to it.

All right, hon. I'll leave the key outside in the planter.

And, Theo... I know. Be careful.

Hey, look.

You think I don't want to make that money, girl?

You're making it too easy.

I was going to make you invite him over.

Go back to my place where you picked me up and cruise around.

If anybody asks you where you took me, you tell them. Right.

Don't make it easy.

Have them pay you for it. Sure.

Sure thing, Lieutenant.

Lieutenant, you all right?

Crocker.

I'm tired.

We'll get you to the hospital, Kaz.

You never know.

Don't make me go out with a lie.

I'll keep an eye on your sister for you. I promise.

And that's the truth.

Thank you.