Original subtitles

Well, papers have been filed.

No!

No.

To me?

To mine, they dare do that?

You hear that?

No, I have to...

I can't leave her with those people.

Not if she doesn't want to be there.

That's how I grew up, with strangers, and I hated it.

Write to her.

Ask her.

Then we can make some arrangements. I have to see it in her eyes. Don't you

that?

Her eyes will tell me.

Insanity.

This is your fault.

You should have presented me with some options.

You should have anticipated.

Now I have to risk everything.

Then don't go.

You want my advice? Your advice? Your advice is too late and too dear.

Save it for the fools you haven't met.

If you leave, it will be very dangerous.

There are a lot of outstanding warrants against you waiting to be served.

Walter, you didn't have to come all this way to tell me that.

She'd kill you for all the trouble you've caused.

It's not a smart thing to say.

Not to me.

The last thing you should want is for me to be frightened.

Frightened men are not dependable.

I'm sorry. I didn't mean that.

Without me, you don't have a chance.

I've worked so hard to be able to stay right here.

I know.

Believe me, I know.

We've got to make some plans.

It's got to be safe.

There are only so many precautions we can take.

I want a list of all people who could interfere.

There won't be a long list. We can buy some of them off, deal with them.

There's no reason anyone need know till after you leave New York. Here we go,

gents, especially the house.

Protein, amino acids, fructose, no carbohydrates, everything fresh.

Except for the pineapple and peaches.

Okay? The policeman will know.

How?

You think that he'll be aware that this is too far -fetched for consideration?

I think you've become obsessed with him since he chased you out of New York.

Chased me?

You don't anticipate. That's why I'm in this position right now.

It was better last time.

So what do you think?

You could kill him.

Carmine, the barrister wants to do violence because you made it better last

time.

Not Carmine. Kojak.

You said you wanted options. That's one of them.

Have you ever killed anyone?

Of course not.

Have you ever seen anybody killed?

No. What do you think, Carmine?

Would a violent death be something he'd enjoy?

Some do.

You never know.

So what do you think? Too much guava, right?

If necessary, I will kill him.

Either do that or do nothing.

He's probably forgotten all about you. Forget about him.

When the lion is asleep, you don't go over and smack him in the mouth.

That's exactly what you'd be doing. Let him sleep.

Any attempt to neutralize him will be like announcing your arrival.

Where, sweetheart?

Sheila's lost.

Where are your parents?

Are you lost?

I think she's lost. I know she's lost.

Where are your parents?

If she knew, she wouldn't be lost.

I'm sorry, what did you say?

Do you speak English?

I'm sorry, I don't understand what you're saying.

It's something about her mama.

Do you speak English?

Yelling doesn't help. I'm not yelling, I'm asking. Asking is not yelling.

Does anybody here speak Spanish?

No,

that's not Spanish, that's Greek.

She says she wants her mother.

She's lost. I'm sure she's lost.

Do you think we should call the police?

He is the police.

Oh, I'm so happy. Then he'll take care of her.

Listen, sweetie.

This man is a policeman and he's going to take care of you.

You don't look like a cop.

Oh, thanks.

What does a cop look like?

What's your name?

Ariana. Ariana.

I love you, Ariana.

I love my mom.

Oh, my God.

When did you see your mother for the last time?

Poor thing, she looks scared out of her wits.

Her parents must be frantic.

What are you going to do?

I'm going to wait. They'll fight us. Is there something we can do? Any way we

can help?

No, go on ahead and enjoy yourselves.

Catch up with you later.

Are you sure, Theo? I mean, we really don't mind.

No, go on. I'll stay with Ariana.

We'll get acquainted.

I'll buy her an ice cream cone. Look who me.

And her parents will come along. She's too well cared for to be abandoned.

Okay. We'll be at the Riantic Bistro. All right, darling. See you later, sir.

Bye -bye.

Hi,

I'm Officer Whitley. This is Officer Granitz.

How long have we been waiting here, Inspector?

Half hour, give or take.

I hope they haven't shown up by now. Chances are they're looking at other

places. We can take it from here. We'll run her up to the seventh floor. No

matter where the parents find the local help that we directed there.

Chris, I want you to go with them and they'll find your parents.

No, I want to stay with you.

And I want that too. But if you go with them, they'll find your mother.

No,

you.

All right, little girl. No one is going to hurt you.

All right, let me do my issue.

All right, I'll ride along with you.

Radio on ahead.

Have someone from the Child Welfare Bureau who can speak Greek be there.

Yes, sir.

This is one for the poker.

Kojak chasing lost kids.

You know this guy?

Only by rap.

You remember the Tybalt case that they teach at the academy?

Is that Kojak? Yeah.

He used to be one hell of a detective.

Come on, let's get going.

You

jump

whatever way you want.

It's your call.

Okay, it's the same to me either way. Yo, check this out, man. I can't be

no time.

Then join up.

But check it out, man. What have I been saying?

Not enough.

All right, all right, all right. Look, I'm with him, sure.

But check it out. He's not going.

You understand?

Now check this out.

So it's these two other guys, right?

But do they walk?

No way, man. They playing.

Now, hey, you're losing me.

Did you see him or not?

Yeah, but check it out, man.

Yo, I was in the peak, my brother. What's up?

Not even downtown.

to the point. He was standing. So he wasn't with you.

On it.

Say the word.

What? Say the word.

All right, check it out, my brother. I can say the word.

No. He wasn't with me, okay?

Thank you.

There's a third.

Blake, I need you.

Take someone else, Rev. My man here has got a problem to say. Get in the pocket.

I need you now.

Baco, finish this up for me.

Over here.

Zero time. In three days, a grand jury's meeting on the Festerian case. I don't

put what I need together. He walks. This shouldn't take more than a couple of

hours. What?

Inspector Kojak is here with a lost girl. I want you to find the parents. A

kid? You nuts.

Hey, watch your mouth.

Blake, Captain.

You're asking me to drop Festerian to take some lost kids.

I'm not asking you to do anything. And it's not the kid, it's the parents. Come

on. I don't have time for this. You make time. You want to tell me what else is

going on? Like what? Like I don't know what, but something. Because you're

making this very important.

long parents, especially when that detective is up to his neck in a very

important case. Call it professional courtesy.

Call it a favor. Call it your job. I don't care what you call it. Just get it

done. Yeah.

Okay, you got it. Listen, for six months I've been trying to get someone

downtown to pay attention to my manpower request.

I bug them to the point where they won't even answer my calls. No, I got an

inspector sitting in there who needs a favor.

Kojak could be the hook I've been looking for. We do him a favor, he'll do

for us.

So we, which is to say you, are going to do everything possible to make

Inspector Kojak happy. You get my meaning?

You know, if you put the energy behind fighting the parents instead of the

attitude, you probably have them before dinner.

That's funny.

Nothing.

I've just heard those words before.

Well, we've made some preliminary calls, Theo, and so far there's no one looking

for the little girl.

I don't know. It could be that the parents are scared, confused.

Maybe they don't know what to do, where to go.

Anyway, since they're not going to come here, we're going to have to fight.

I'm assigning Blake here to track them down.

The woman from child welfare doesn't speak Greek.

Hi, I'm Gail Woodman.

I'm sorry the Bureau of Child Welfare wasn't able to find anyone who speaks

Greek, but it is Sunday, you know.

Hi.

How are you doing?

It's scary, isn't it?

Would you mind... I'm waiting around for a few moments, Inspector. I'm going to

need some basic information.

I'll do what I can.

How did you find her?

I just happened by.

And I was the only one around who spoke her language.

Did she tell you anything?

Very little.

And I'd ask her questions, and she'd say, I just want to go home.

She's very frightened and very confused.

Inspector, if you could get her to answer any of these questions, it would

very helpful.

Otherwise, we really have nothing to go on.

Whitley. Whitley.

Was there anyone else around when you responded to the call?

Well, the street was crowded, if that's what you mean.

No, I mean, was there anything different going on?

Is anyone with Kojak?

No, it's just him and the girl.

What are you getting at?

I don't know.

Nothing. Thanks.

Well, if anyone comes looking, have them call the 74th squad.

Ask for Detective Winston Blake.

Yeah. Thank you.

How's it going?

We had nothing.

Try the Greek consul? Yeah, I tried the U .N. and every precinct in Manhattan

and Red Cross and probably nothing.

Come on.

So far, we're getting nothing.

It's like she doesn't have parents.

Check out hospitals, missing persons, etc.? Yes, sir. I checked the morgue,

Well, since no one's come forward to claim her, I'm going to have to make

arrangements for a place for her to stay.

And she's going to have to be examined for physical or sexual abuse.

It can be very rough on a little girl who's already been traumatized, but

there's no choice.

If you could take the time, I think it would be very helpful if you could be

with her.

Great. I'll make the arrangements.

It's the first time I ever wished I could speak Greek.

What he means is... I know what he means. What I mean is I've gone about as

as I can unless we get something from the girl.

I don't know where to take this.

Hell, we don't even know her last name.

Anything would help, Theo.

She's got to remember something.

Maybe if she could tell us how she came into the country, by plane or by boat,

what was the last thing she remembers doing with her parents?

Were they staying with a friend? A hotel?

Where else have they been? The zoo? The Statue of Liberty?

Since you're the only one here that speaks the language, anything you get

her would be a help. Inspector Kojak knows better than anyone the need for

information. He also understands that badgering her isn't going to help.

I've located a temporary foster home where both parents speak Greek.

I'm going to feed her if there are no objections.

No objections.

Great.

I'm chasing my tail and he's going for a burger.

What the hell is the matter with you?

I tell you we need his help. I tell you I'm looking for a hook and you go out of

your way to prod him.

There's something funny about all this. You, that's what's funny.

I'm going with him.

Why? You've done everything you can.

Why not let child welfare take it from here? Besides, what about Festerian?

would take care of that until I get back. You told him we'd find the

let's find the parents. I gotta get my jacket.

Deal?

Look, uh, I'm sorry this thing is dragging out. I've asked Blake to stay

He's a bulldog, you know. He'll find him if anyone can.

Well, I appreciate it.

Uh... Look, Inspector.

I know I shouldn't be laying this on you right now, but we're short of

everything up here.

I'm sending my people out here every day, sometimes without a partner.

I got a computer system that's down all the time.

Always waiting for parts. I call maintenance. Sometimes it's a week

see anyone. We're looking at the busiest summer in years.

Every precinct is spread thin.

And every precinct commander is singing the same sad song.

I know that. Don't you think I don't know that? Look.

I'm not trying to take nothing from nobody else, but, hey, mine come first,

know? That's the way I got to play it. Of course, that's the only way to play

it. I mean, all my requests are sitting downtown gathering dust.

So, anything you can do.

Okay, Raz, but no promises.

Anything. Anything would be helpful.

What have I done to make you so angry?

Who is this beautiful little child?

I am honored that you are here. And she has come to the right place.

Moussaka. Would you like some moussaka?

I said something special.

I'll make you a chicken in a pot with wine.

My mother made it.

My mother.

My mother made it too.

Yes? And did you like it?

Good? Okay.

My mother, when I was a kid, my mother, now that I cook, I used to look at her

and she would tell me stories from her village.

This was a good idea. She's starting to relax.

That's not why I brought her here.

I don't understand.

He needs information, and now he's getting it. Changed the place, changed

mood. She'll talk.

Now, Arianna's from the village of Anoya.

He was on vacation with a mother, but wasn't here. And she doesn't know she

here. It's a tiny difference.

It's a tiny difference.

Inspector, sometimes a child will say things which are, well, fantasies. It's

not that she doesn't think she's telling the truth. It's just that her point of

view may have been distorted.

We can check it out.

Detective, you got a name. You know a village.

You got a starting point.

That's not what this is.

It's a tiny difference.

Look, Inspector, I've got some work to do.

Although it's evening here, in Greece it's morning.

Now you keep me posted. I want to know everything that's going on.

cannot sweep the street if you don't move your illegally parked car.

Please get it out of here.

This is Ed Koch, your mayor.

Your sanitation department cannot sweep the street if you don't move.

So how you doing, Bert?

Marguerite wants us to invest in the stock market.

Who's Marguerite?

My wife.

I thought her name was Tuesday.

She changed it. But people don't take you serious if your name's Tuesday.

Especially if your last name's Herkowitz.

Tuesday Herkowitz.

Margarita Herkowitz. You got a point.

Detective Blake.

How's it coming?

We located the town. No report of a missing girl.

I'm still waiting on Interpol. Nothing from the embassies.

I wish I had more to report.

And I thought you'd be further down the line by now.

Yeah, me too.

It's difficult. Not only with the time difference, but with the languages.

Look, Inspector, my other line is ringing.

It might be something. You want to hold on, or should I call you back?

Go on ahead.

But look, call me back in an hour.

Okay.

What the hell are you doing? You cannot withhold information from the inspector.

I can't until I know I'm spreading it.

I just want to be sure who's who. You should have told him at least that the

medical report said the girl was drugged.

He'll get a copy at the end of the day.

You know, sometimes you've got to tell me I keep pulling this kind of stuff and

not be working nights in bed starved.

Blake?

We'll have someone there for the meter.

Thank you.

They've located the mother.

in Rome.

You believe that?

She's flying in tomorrow night on.

What's her story?

She said she was on vacation.

It's her and the little girl.

Girl disappears while they're out shopping.

Just like that.

They've been searching all over the streets of Rome.

A kid is taking and she had to take him because there's no way she'd get it by

herself.

From the streets of Rome. She's drugged.

Whoever took her, for some reason, brings her to New York.

Then loses her during some cockamamie fair at the South Quincy.

It sounds goofy when I say it.

The rent.

Relatives, the father.

All right, the in -laws maybe.

The grandparents, they don't like the way the kid's being raised.

They want to save on legal expenses, so, uh... Go on, finish it.

They take the kid from the streets of Rome, they bring her here, they lose

And they don't even bother to look for her. Yeah, I know.

I can't get with any of this, but what I get with least is, why the sweet fare?

I mean, what the hell is she doing there?

You got a call, Kojak?

Not yet.

Boy, I didn't know you were going to say that.

You know, it's not smart to play this too close, partner.

Right now, close is the only way to play this. You said it yourself.

None of this seems to connect yet. We both know that it does.

Kojak could be the key.

Whatever we got.

Three, two, one.

Touchdown, Pamela. I love the tie, guys.

Getting up to sleep now?

No, no, no. No, no, no.

Uh, what's with the dog?

It's going to attack some people last night. A couple of patrolmen brought it

in. They got more guts than brains.

Me, I would have shot it.

Animal control sent someone to get it.

Well, how about getting it off the chair?

I will go near that dog for Anakin.

Just don't kill him.

Morning, Inspector.

Morning, sir.

Morning, Inspector.

Here are the unusuals from overnight.

Anything usual anymore?

Do you think we should warn him he bites?

Warn which one?

Oh,

what's your story?

A radio call brought him in. He bit some people.

Where are you from? Probably thought you had your reasons, right, boy?

Busy day, Inspector.

And don't forget, the reporter from the magazine will be here at 10.

Now what are you doing?

Background.

Wait a second. Those are police department personnel files.

Man, don't you get in there.

Remember that hacker we busted once?

It's amazing how simple this is once you know a few tricks.

What are you looking for?

Kojak's personnel file.

I don't even know you.

And I'm out of here.

You know something, man?

You go too far.

You go way, way too far.

Ariana,

come here my doll.

Ariana, don't be upset.

No, no, I'm just... Just distracted.

Yeah, it's probably Luna.

Yeah, last week I was like this.

Now I'm like this.

I'm sure it's Luna. No.

No, it's just that you never know how kids are going to react.

Especially to something like this.

If I knew... If I knew what she was going to say, I...

I never would go through all this.

No way.

Just don't let the lawyer get soft on us and don't go anywhere you'll be

recognized. And be careful.

Whatever it takes.

We're going to be having serious manpower drains during the next week.

Almost every blue suit will be working double shifts.

The homeless are back in Compton Square Park and expecting trouble.

President Bush will be coming to the U .N.

And we're expecting an influx of pro -lifers next week. They tried to take

a clinic in Canarsie. Our sources indicate this time it'll be Manhattan.

Inspector, the mayor's office is online soon.

No, no, no. My position is still the same.

I don't see any reason for me to be there.

Why?

Because it's political.

And I just don't want to be involved.

No?

Well, you can call him.

But have him call me.

My position is still the same.

Right.

Here. Your Honor, you're welcome.

All right, Lieutenant.

Get on with it.

Has everybody heard about the Rentley's case?

Rentley's? As in Buddy Rentley's from the two -night precinct? Yeah.

Two days ago, his 15 -year -old son, Odin, last night he went to the

of PS -74, braced a group of pushers. There were words. He pulled a service

revolver.

Put three in one of them, then emptied it into the other.

Kelly, you take this one.

Give it to someone else.

Well, you got a reason.

I came on with Rensby's.

We both broke in on the 8 -5.

I'm too close.

Not good enough. Besides, in this situation, I would have done the same

Wrong answer.

You take it.

Savvy Nanucci's birthday's tomorrow.

Although he's been denied a permit, looks like he's going to have a block

anyway. That bums is putting it in our face.

I mean, he's trying to tell us the neighborhood still belongs to him.

Just give me three or four radio cars, I guarantee you'll have a party I'll

never forget.

Hey, Inspector.

That don't make it personal.

Well, he already has.

It's an affront to the police department we let him win this. Win?

What, is this a game? Is this a matter of winning or losing?

If he breaks the law, you arrest him.

If he's just busting chops, you forget about it.

You know, you've been around long enough to know the difference.

It'll make your life a lot simpler. Now, what is it? It's 10 .30.

So?

The reporter?

Yeah. She's been waiting.

We've covered everything. Let's go.

Come on.

Hi. I'm Trish Van Hogan. I want to thank you for taking the time to see me on

such short notice.

What's the topic?

Narcotics. Pretty worked over subject, don't you think?

What we're doing is taking a different look at the problem which is ripping

apart of this city and a lot of other cities.

It's completely out of control now.

Can I get you something? Coffee? No, thank you.

What I'm saying is nobody knows what to do.

Ah, please sit down.

He's talking of the politicians, the DEA, and the sociologists.

I think it's time we heard from those in the front line.

The cops.

All right.

Detective Blake.

Come on in.

Detective Blake, like you, Ms. Van Hogan is looking for after.

About? About why we're having so much trouble controlling drug traffic.

Did you tell her?

No, not yet.

Money.

Oh, I know.

The latest figures indicate drugs is a billion -dollar business.

A billion dollars. I mean, nobody understands that kind of money.

I'm talking about personal money.

Like right now, there's more drug traffic money out there. I mean, you can

in it. It comes up to your knees.

The young lady wants to know how it works.

Take her to school.

It goes like this.

A while back, my partner and I were on 3rd Avenue.

We spot a dealer.

They're very easy to spot.

The jewelry, the clothes, the car, the age.

They like visibility, the high profile.

So we decide to pull them over.

And for no reason?

That's police harassment.

Just letting them know we're around.

Beside them on the front seat, there's a gym bag.

You know the guy.

I say, what's in the bag?

Dealer says, I don't know. It's not my bag.

I say, then you don't mind if we go through it.

Dealer says, not at all, officer. Inside, rolled up in a sock, I spot this

wad of money.

I say, what's this?

Money? Dealer says, it's not mine. How should I know?

I say, it looks like money.

Dealer shrugs.

I say, I wonder how much money is in here.

Dealer says, although it's not my bag, not my money, I would guess there's

maybe...

$57 ,310 in that sock?

I say, and it's not your money, dealer says.

No. I say, then you don't mind if we keep it?

Dealer looks up at me and says, please, officer, please, keep it.

$57 ,000. Cash money.

We haven't called in that we stopped this guy.

There's no charges against him, no reports turned in, so who's to know?

and his kid's education, new addition on the house. I'm seeing new clothes, new

car. You didn't take it.

No.

Maybe it wasn't enough.

Maybe it wasn't.

And the dealer, did he just drive off?

We figured he wouldn't be offering the money unless it was dirty, so we tossed

him. He had this big stash of weapons in the back.

You arrested him?

We booked him, but he'd be out on the street long before the paperwork was

finished. Right.

So you see how it works, Miss Van Hogan?

$50 ,000 for a street cop for nothing.

Suppose it was for something, like maybe a judge or a prosecutor.

People think that it's all about narcotics. Oh, no.

It's also about money.

Drugs, well, maybe it's tough, but you can say no to drugs.

But can you say no to money?

Cash?

So how do you stop it?

Remove the profit. Yes.

You make the crime so expensive, that's not worth taking the risk.

Inspector, we have to talk.

Maybe I should leave.

Would you mind?

Little girl's been taken from a foster home.

What did you tell me before?

I thought maybe you knew already.

What does that mean?

Everybody was out on the street.

Ice cream truck comes by.

Kids are lined up getting whatever.

Woman turns around, sees Ariana getting into the car. Getting in or being forced

in? Getting in. She said getting in. But all she saw was a glimpse of a dress.

Door shuts.

She's gone.

We get maybe three digits on the license plate.

Car's a late model 10 sedan.

Anything about the people in the car? Man, woman, how many?

No. Nothing.

So, Inspector, what's your read on this?

I don't know enough to have an opinion yet. How about you?

Same. But you got some ideas?

Some.

Want to talk about it?

Not yet.

All right, get a line on the car.

Somebody on the street might have seen something.

You keep me posted on anything.

Say, Inspector, I meant to mention it before.

That's a nice suit.

The older suits are nice.

Expensive?

Nice always is.

Is there anything else, Detective?

Not just now.

I got books for you. You know the thing.

This is wacko.

A lost girl kidnapped from foster care?

I think whoever snatched her from her mother in the first place. Found out she

was here and came and got her again.

That's a stretch.

I mean, how would they know she was here?

It could go like this.

They lose her on the street, right?

Then they see her picked up by a patrol car. Follow her to the precinct, the

restaurant, the clinic. Then here, wait their chance, grab her again.

Someone's got to go to an awful lot of trouble. For what?

There's no ransom note, Blake. There's no ransom note. What is it these people

want?

I mean, the city is filled with millions of little girls. What is so special

about this one?

Let's see what we can turn up on the partial license plate number.

You do that.

There's something else I gotta do.

Oh?

I'm gonna pin a tail on Kojak.

Are you nuts?

That's a stupid question.

Flake, this man is an inspector.

He's an inspector with a big rep.

Even if he wasn't. Even if he wasn't, you don't gaslight the brass, man. You

just don't. He's still the only link to that little girl.

I'm working with a necklace.

Adios.

anything silly. I'm a police officer.

So am I. Move.

I don't appreciate the gun.

A lot of things about to happen to you, you're not going to appreciate.

Sit.

What? Sit down.

So what's with the tail?

The tail was on someone possibly involved in a kidnapping, and at the

least, a material witness.

And what have you found out about the little girl?

She was taken off a street in Rome while on vacation with her mother.

Have you located the mother?

She's on her way here.

What else?

Nothing solid.

Would you say that I'm involved?

Yes.

How? I don't know.

Come on, you got something spinning around in your head?

First of all, I spit on coincidence.

You, on the street, at the exact time the little girl is lost. She can only

speak Greek, and you just happen to be the only one around who can talk to her.

I don't buy that for a minute.

So, the little Greek girl's kidnapped.

And she's put in my way intentionally so I can meet her?

And be concerned with her welfare?

And then she's kidnapped again from a forced home.

Is that the case you're making?

Okay.

Ariana then wasn't kidnapped to have a lover against the parents.

But to have one against me?

I checked you out.

No wife, no kids, nothing.

Somebody wants something from you.

And they didn't think you'd respond to, shall we say, direct pressure.

So they put a little girl in your way. A little lost Greek girl.

The connection's made.

The girl's taken.

There's a very clear message.

They figured pointing a gun at your head wouldn't get them what they wanted. So

now they're pointing it at the little girl's head.

I went to an awful lot of trouble.

They sure did.

Somebody wants something from me. Right. Something very important.

What?

Come on, detective.

You've come this far with it.

Now finish it.

I don't have those pieces.

Which was the reason for the tale?

I thought maybe you'd be contacted.

You want to read me my rights?

What? Do you think I'm dirty?

Whoever's behind this has put out a lot of money, gone through a lot of trouble,

and has a history with you.

A clean cop wouldn't usually deserve this kind of attention, so yeah, you

deep on somebody's pad was one of the options. Oh, so you thought that maybe I

had a business arrangement with some of the wise guys or whatever?

Possible. But you don't think that anymore?

No.

What changed your mind?

If you'd been dirty, if you are dirty, you wouldn't be making this kind of

Right.

All right, whoever's behind it went to an awful lot of trouble and is spending

an awful lot of money.

And you don't know why?

Nope.

Then you haven't been contacted.

No.

Lieutenant, Inspector Kojak's got a phone for you.

Brad Doherty.

I'm gonna put you on the speakerphone.

I've got Detective Blake with me.

Oh? And I want your candid opinion about him.

What did he do?

Have a cup of tea. Is he in trouble?

Come on, will you rest? Just answer the questions.

He's a good cop.

That's it? A good cop?

Well, uh, more than good.

All right, don't make me work so hard for it.

Uh, look, Inspector, this is very difficult. If you could tell me what's

on, then maybe I could, uh... Well, it just doesn't concern you.

All right.

He's better than good. That's why I put him with you in the first place.

What are his strong points?

He's, uh... He's intelligent, but not like a lot of brainy types who think too

much. Still the first guy down the alley, if you know what I mean.

He's resourceful, works hard.

He's loyal.

Uh, he takes exceptional care in preparing evidence. He gets high

Oh, whoa.

I should have called the Boy Scouts.

Or maybe the Vatican.

All right, where does he fall short?

Well... Let me help you out.

He's pig -headed.

Oh, is he ever. When he gets on something, he's like a dog with a bone.

worries it to death.

And he thinks that's being tenacious.

Yeah, his word exactly.

He just doesn't know when to quit.

How am I doing so far?

On the number. He thinks he's smarter than everybody else.

And he's the only one... Anyone who's got all the answers.

And he's arrogant to the point of being disrespectful.

That's him.

So it comes down to this.

Do you trust him?

Yeah. How far?

Down the line.

Look, Raz, without causing you a major inconvenience...

I'm going to have Detective Blake reassigned to this office temporarily.

Is that a problem for you?

You want him, you got him.

I'll send the paperwork through. Blake.

Yeah? I'll leave a light on.

Thanks.

Well, you were right.

That meeting with Ariana, it was a setup.

If you knew that.

Why did you let her go into foster care instead of protective custody?

I didn't see it quick enough. I blew it.

Who's behind this?

You must have some idea.

No. Oh, incidentally.

How are you doing your progress in finding Ariana?

No. Not a trace.

I know you know this, Inspector, but in a case like this, there's a good chance

the girl is already dead.

No, no.

Ariana's still alive.

Her partner's not finished knowing this.

We've got to find that little girl.

She's the solution.

He, she, they, whoever they are.

They've got Ariana in the city.

Why?

To keep the pressure on.

If they don't have her in the city, we'll never find her.

They want us to find them.

They want us to try.

Misdirection to keep us off balance.

Make it easy to drive to the hoop, slam dunk.

Even if you're right, this is a big city.

No, not in the Greek community.

Look. Get your stuff moved over here, okay?

I got some things to clean up.

I'll see you in the morning. This address.

Yeah,

well, can you believe this? First he busts me.

Danny transfers me to his command.

I'm surprised he spotted you.

He was looking for a tail.

I should have figured that. What's he want you to do now?

Bird dog, root around in the bushes, maybe flush something out.

I'll tell you this.

He's a tough one to figure.

I mean, for a minute there when he threw down on me, I didn't know whether he

was going to squeeze one off or not.

I got to go. See you later, partner.

I'm here if you need me.

Hey, Blake, you got a visitor at the front desk.

Knock him dead.

Hi.

Took a chance to be here.

In a couple of minutes, I would have been out of here. What can I do for you?

Well, after thinking over what you said, some things occurred to me which I

would... I don't know. I would like to propose.

Is there someplace you could go, get through coffee?

I was just going out the door.

Please, I want to change the focus of my article.

The story you told me, that kind of pressure, in addition to everything else

policing goes through, I want to do something on how it feels, on how it's

released.

What exactly do you want?

Talk to me about it.

Spend some time together.

I want to learn about you, understand you, not only as a person, but as a cop

well. I really... Come on, please don't say no.

rejection makes my face break out.

Besides, it doesn't have to be totally unpleasant.

We can find ways to make these interviews comfortable and even fun.

It's time.

I just don't have the time right now.

A few minutes here and there. I'm very flexible.

See, that's the thrust of the article.

How the pressure and stress affects you on the job and carries over into other

parts of your life. At home, with friends, with your wife.

Not married.

You're socializing.

Not much time for that.

I see this to be a very enlightening article.

It's also one that's been done before.

Yes, but from what you said, it's different now being a cop.

You got the temptation, the dangers. Look, I've been a cop for seven years.

And in just that time, it's changed.

So tell me about yourself.

If you're going to interview me, don't you need a tape recorder, a pad?

No, I've got a great memory.

Sure do.

You're not married. You already said that.

And you went to a New York college?

Princeton.

Scholarship? No, my father paid.

That's a lot of money.

He's got a lot of money.

So then why... Why am I a cop?

Yeah.

I've always been something of an action junkie.

And this is where the action is.

Sorry, I gotta go.

We'll have to continue this later.

Well, what about this weekend? Are you going to have any time?

I didn't think we could finish this in one session, so when can we spend some

time together?

My days are pretty full.

How about your night?

Lately, they've been pretty empty.

Mine, too.

This won't have to be in a while.

I'm very preoccupied right now. I'm sorry.

I've got to get out of here. The missing little girl?

Yeah.

No luck finding her? Not so far.

I'll call you.

I hope so.

Somewhere in here is what we're looking for.

You think whoever's behind this might be Greek?

Maybe, but not necessarily.

Here, go through this.

A lot of names here.

With a lot of reasons to want to put some pain on you.

I don't see anyone so far to connect.

You working on something now?

No, not directly.

No, whatever it is, it's personal.

I just can't connect it.

Let me say the obvious, just so it's seen.

Go ahead.

Everything about this smells like a setup.

Oh, you think maybe there's a contract out on it? Yeah.

What do you think?

Well, there better be something better than that.

Somebody wants me dead.

The line of suspects is too long and it goes back too far.

Now look, I got a couple of feelers out on Ariana.

Let's go see if anything's paid off.

Bring him back. My way, baby.

Yes, sir.

No, no, no, no, no, no.

Yes.

I'm here to meet somebody.

But if you're hungry, eat that para comida.

This is food.

You eat it like a dip.

Let me ask you something.

When I was laying all the attitude on you, how come you didn't knock me on my

pants?

Because you were youthful.

You were stirring up the pot.

That's exactly what I wanted you to do.

This is Kostas Anastasopoulos.

Now, he's been watching the neighborhood the whole night. You know, whoever's

holding Ariana is Greek. That doesn't mean the people behind it are.

And I got a feeling there's a good chance he's still in the neighborhood.

The newcomer will be noticed.

Nothing like having friends.

Nothing new.

There's something still bothering me.

Whoever's behind this obviously knows your connection to the Greek community.

If someone wanted to connect you with the girl, why not take her to the Greek

Orthodox Church? The priest calls you. Bang. You're in it.

This whole thing with the street fair just seems so... random.

You could have been distracted. Somebody else could have spoke Greek. Anything.

Oh, yeah. Could have been anything at all.

It worked because it was random.

I think Father Zeppos came up to me with a child.

I would have been instantly suspicious.

This worked, because I didn't become suspicious until it was too late.

it was random.

And how's the boomer?

Great. I'll come back here with Trish Van Hogan.

Oh, the reporter.

Yeah, she's up on it.

She wants to do an article on the pressures of being a cop.

And you're the cop.

What happened to your, uh... Your theory is on coincidence.

What, you think she's a plant?

Ariana's mother's coming into the heliport.

Do you want any guns?

I prefer to speak English.

Where is Ariana?

She's missing.

But the man on the phone said she was safe, and I could... She was, and I

believe she still is, so please.

But you don't know where she is.

Whoever took her before has her again. Let me take you out of here, and I'll

tell you everything I know. What do they want?

I believe whoever took Ariana wanted me to learn to care for her. Now, believe

me, I do.

Then they took her again.

so I wouldn't get in their way.

She's what you call their insurance.

That makes no sense.

I don't understand why someone would use my daughter against you.

I don't even know you, and neither does Ariana.

It's nothing you've done.

It's nothing that Ariana has done. She just happened to be convenient.

I was frightened before, but now I'm terrified.

Tell me, my child is going to be all right.

She's not going to be hurt.

I'll do everything I can to bring her home safely, I promise.

Tell me she's going to be all right.

Tell me.

Blake, what a surprise. How did you find me?

I'm a cop.

Of course. Come in.

Sit down. What can I get you?

Nothing.

You never told me where this article was going to appear.

It never came up.

It's up now.

New East Magazine, but they also own a chain of newspapers, so it'll probably

syndicated.

What's going on here?

Don't you want to show me something?

Press card.

Tell me, what is it?

Let me handle the questions for a while.

Why don't you want to show me your credentials?

Here.

Hope you're not satisfied.

Here.

My editor's name is Kay Anaba. Her home phone number is... Kay, that's not

necessary. No, you want to know, call her.

Trish, I'm sorry.

No way.

Too lame.

You know, I was starting to light up for you, you know that?

Been a while since I met a guy who was comfortable being himself and was doing

something he was proud of.

But I guess I was wrong.

There's the door.

How about the article?

The article?

Sure. Right here.

Right now, what you're witnessing is a job -related paranoia.

This is what you want to write about. Here it is.

I'm questioning everything.

I meet a woman.

I like her.

I think maybe she likes me.

Then I start to look for a motive, a reason, suspicions build, and pretty

you're tied into my case. You didn't snatch the kid, did you? No.

I knew that.

Yeah. I knew that.

I just ruined something terrific.

I blew it before it even got started.

Isn't this the story you wanted to write?

Damn, you're nuts.

I know.

You want some coffee?

What a fave.

Hey, here's your change.

Keep it, keep it.

Thanks, man.

Have a party in New York.

I need what you got, man.

What I got?

You?

What do you think you're going to do?

I mean, you waved that little piece of nothing at me for what?

You want to rob me?

Is that it?

Nah. First I'm going to kill you.

Then I'm going to rob you.

Something's really wrong. Carmine didn't show. I waited for two hours.

Calm down.

But what could have happened?

It doesn't matter.

But why didn't Carmine show up? He knew you were in New York.

Carmine's dead.

What?

How do you know that?

Well, that's the only reason he wouldn't show.

Now just listen.

The body will be discovered and identified.

Now someone, probably Kojak, will make the connection.

But how do you know all that?

I don't know it, you fool. I'm just trying to cover my rear.

Then the meeting's off.

No. No, everything plays. Only now we move the Greek girl into a front seat.

The great girl?

Why do you think I went to all the trouble and expense?

To distract him.

No, no.

Only if everything had gone smoothly. There was always a chance it would

a poker game.

And Kojak didn't have an ante to match mine, so I... I gave him one.

Now the pot's right.

Can we at least relocate the meeting with your daughter?

No.

Absolutely not.

She's only alone when she's traveling between her house and the school.

Otherwise, they're always hanging around.

Besides, I want this to be as casual and relaxed as possible.

The location is perfect.

Just keep out of the way. I'll make all the arrangements from here on.

Man, in Carmine Reggio, we read it last night on the West Side.

You read the report, then read the file.

This is our man.

Carmine Reggio was his bodyguard.

But, uh... Read the file.

It's kind of sudden, isn't it? From nothing to being this sure?

No, I was in the wrong file.

I was looking for people who were caught and convicted.

This guy was never even booked.

Then why... Just read the file.

Oh, and check on whoever's babysitting the mother.

It's covered. I got my old partner Paco on it.

First,

young Carmine was a victim of random street crime.

If someone had wanted him dead, it would have been fire because it sets off all

kinds of battles. You're right about this guy.

He's the dance master.

All right, say the rest of it.

He's a serious man.

He's up to his armpits in blood, murder, extortion, drugs.

Real slime.

Must have broken your heart when he got away.

Question is, why is he coming back?

And what does he want from you?

He wants me out of the way.

The girl?

Just there to have me run around in circles.

Yeah, that changes now.

Now he's got your attention.

Little girl's more than a distraction.

She's a hostage.

So why is he coming back?

He's got money.

And since there's been no sign of him, he must have bought himself a very good

hiding place.

Poor man takes risk to get money.

Rich man takes risk to keep from losing it.

It's not about money.

It's more personal than that.

And whatever's between you and him, is that personal as well?

I killed his brother during a police stakeout.

Yeah, well, I could see how that could create a relationship.

No, no, no.

He was an armed psycho.

And he killed one of my men.

So why is he coming back?

He's not.

He's already here.

Why?

A meeting.

You could have a meeting anywhere.

Maybe the person who I was going to have the meeting with couldn't leave or

wouldn't leave.

Who would that be?

Business associate.

Around it.

Here are the personal effects you want.

All right. And there's a call online, too.

Wait.

All right, I want an up -to -date list on all known associates of Mr. Essence

Saunders. Current addresses, family members, although I think we only have

ex -wife. Go ahead.

Kojak?

Ah, bravo.

I've got to stop.

Adriana's been spotted.

Can you take a back up?

You go to that restaurant we were at last night?

What about you?

We can't keep playing this from behind.

We've got to get in front of them.

Where's everybody?

It's all right.

I need your help. What's going on? I'll tell you on the way down.

And you think it was just the woman and the little girl in the room?

Yes.

Did she make any attempt to keep you from looking in the room?

No. Come on.

It's probably a setup, but I want to check it out anyway.

I need your help.

Sure.

I wish we had some backup.

If you tell the woman there was a mistake with the money, you need another

.28.

I can't understand you.

Speak English.

Who is it? Here, let me have it.

I have to leave.

Who is it? What did they say? Please, do not try to stop me. I must leave. This

is my daughter, you understand?

It's my daughter. Okay, okay, calm down. Let me make a call.

If you stop me, the life of my child may be on your hands.

This is my business.

Mine. Nobody else's.

I'm going to make one call. Just one call.

Get me Inspector Kojak, please.

The inspector's gone.

Where? Staten Island.

Why? He said for you to meet him on the water bus if you can.

What time does the next one leave? Could you hold on a minute? I have another

call. Forget the other call. Give me the time.

Please hold.

No, don't put me on hold.

The next one leaves in 18 minutes.

That's all the way across town.

Look, I can't help that. You want to leave a message in case he calls in?

No.

Let's go.

Thank you for waiting.

Let me talk to Blake. He's not here.

Kojak. Not here either. Would you like...

We're going nowhere.

Relax.

Where are you going? What are you, nuts?

Come on!

Police officers, I need the student.

Come on, I need it. They're large.

I just signed this scooter up.

How do you start it? You ever driven one of these?

What's the deal? It's like a bike, right? How do you start this thing?

The key.

Thanks.

Don't forget the helmet.

It's a law.

I almost didn't.

I missed the girl. She was gone.

She's on board.

A boat?

Mm -hmm.

With a mother and two of Sardis' people.

He's here too?

Not yet.

But he's coming? Oh, yeah.

Why?

To see his daughter.

You know, his ex -wife died a couple of months ago.

And he's got a nine -year -old daughter who lives on Staten Island with the in

-laws. That's what this is all about? His daughter?

The in -laws have filed for legal custody, plus permission to change their

Why here?

Why the ferry?

Well, the girl goes to a private school in Manhattan.

He knew she'd be aboard the boat today without the in -laws. My guess?

Could I ask her to come with him?

I don't get it.

If he wants her, why not just snatch her? I mean, he got Ariana off the

of Rome. It seems to me if he wants her, he'd take her.

That would be disrespectful.

No, he wants her to come willingly.

That's the kind of a man he is.

That's what this is all about. All the money, all the trouble, one, maybe two

people dead because he wants to have a conversation with his daughter.

Hasn't he ever heard of the telephone?

There are some conversations for some people are too important to trust the

telephone.

Where's the backup?

PC's a bunch of blue and white, you know, it's liable to get messy.

So what's our plan?

All right, we get on board.

We get it close, then we got a winner in the clinches.

What's the opposition?

Four.

I see two.

Where are the others?

On board.

And they're on the lookout for you.

Yeah.

Let's clear repair and get aboard the boat.

Can I have you?

Hey, man, did you, uh, beat him?

Say, brother, why don't you give me some of your dollars, you know?

Beat it, you bum, or you'll be worse off than you're already on.

Go Jack.

Get him.

You know, I did a lot of planning to keep us from meeting.

But now I have to wonder if deep down I really wanted to play out like this.

Maybe I subconsciously wanted to rub your nose in it a little.

Or a lot.

Is that what's going to happen?

I've been thinking about you every day now for the last six years.

Oh, that's funny.

I haven't been thinking about you at all.

Everyone else?

I could cover.

Pay off.

Back up, but not you.

Oh, come on. You didn't have that button down.

If it wasn't me, it'd be somebody else.

Let me tell you what I want.

Oh, I know what you want.

Which one is your daughter?

That one standing up.

All right, now this could be very simple.

I want to talk quietly with my daughter.

Give her the choice.

If she wants to go, then she goes with me.

If not, then that's okay too.

Either way, I'm out of here.

Nobody gets hurt.

You'll never see me again.

Uh -uh -uh.

That don't play.

Then this could get very nasty.

From now on, it's gonna be whatever it's gonna be.

But you're not walking.

You don't think I'm serious?

That's not the point.

The little Greek girl and her mother will die.

They may die. Your daughter may die.

Other people may die.

But listen.

It all stops here.

You didn't come here to get your daughter involved in a shooting.

You didn't come here to see her die.

I don't believe you'd let that happen. And I don't believe you would either.

It takes this boat 20 minutes to get to Staten Island.

You take that time and talk to your daughter.

I may have to revise my opinion in the sky.

Oh, why?

Because he loves his daughter?

He just feels he's human.

Just human.

Hello, Veronica.

I'm your father.

You know, my pop used to take this trip just for this view.

And he would talk about seeing it for the first time and what it meant to him.

Then he'd talk to me and say, Never forget.

That's it, just stay off.

Never forget.

And for the longest time, I didn't understand what he was talking about.

But now I do.