Original subtitles

You've never been to a hockey game?

Oh, never.

That's great. Okay.

I can arrange to get some tickets the next week.

I'd love that.

Yeah, great.

Be blessed.

I know a couple of the players. I know the coach.

Hey, I don't want to meet the players.

I got you.

Oh, beautiful.

Oh, no.

Call Manhattan South now.

Watermelon. Bravery.

You guys don't know the meaning of the word bravery. Not till you've seen Bobby

Crocker in action.

Sabastien, you wouldn't know what to do. What are you talking about? Just

picture this, right?

It's four o 'clock midnight.

The wee small hours.

And this little vassal girl is screaming. Oh, help me, help me. Get out

Three shots ring out. Boom, boom, boom, boom.

That's poor, right? Here comes Prince Valiant, dog -gallant Bobby Crocker,

smashes down the door, runs in, takes a dive for the sack, and puts the crabs on

three pillows and a watermelon.

What do you mean? Hey, Crocker, a busted watermelon.

There's a whole lot of bushes.

Crocker.

Weaver. And the clouds.

Funny, huh?

Hey, Gil.

Who you got up to that works with a full -choked 12 -gauge shotgun?

Trigger man?

Professional? Nobody. Not on my end of Harlem.

Uh, this shooting took place a long way from Harlem, Lieutenant.

Yeah, a watermelon wearing an afro is a black man's joke.

Uh, Lieutenant, even though the intended victim was black, that doesn't

necessarily mean that the hitman was, uh... Steros, you've been whispering to

your plants again, right? In a vision, it comes to him.

The hitman could be white, even if the intended victim was black.

Okay, see if you can find out in Harlem whether anyone imported a shooter. And

you, Stavros, check by telex with L .A., Chicago, Detroit, like that.

See if any prominent shotgunners have dropped out of sight recently, white or

black. Yes, sir.

You check with B .C .I. if they got a make on the prints from the apartment.

Then try to come up with a maker's label on the wig.

Who sold it when and to who, and then give Crockerhand with the... The

apartment, right?

Yeah. Why don't you start with your Miss Vassar?

Landlady, super if there is one. The neighboring apartments.

I want all there is on this guy, okay?

All right, go. Move on this thing.

Go?

Move on this thing?

You've got half the detectives in this squad working on who?

Some guy who shot three pillows and a watermelon to death. And if they do find

him, all we can bust him for is the illegal discharge of a firearm.

How about felonious assault on a watermelon?

It isn't funny, Theo.

How did the borough commander find out we've got six plainclothesmen out on the

street without even a felony?

You know something else we have, Frank?

We got plenty of nothing.

Not one single hard fact on the guy who rented that room.

Nothing? Very big, very black. He lived there for ten days, period.

Venice Village.

Well, great place for a black man to hide out.

Hey, Frank, this blood wasn't hiding.

Somebody found him and blew his bed apart.

I mean, how do you think that trigger man found them in the first place?

He got a make on the right apartment without making any inquiries of the

or anyone else in the building.

This dude didn't even have a name on the mailbox.

You're saying he put the word out on himself?

Tell me a quicker way to get a make on somebody who's gunning for you. Or a

quicker way to get dead.

So, he's a bad dude, Frank.

BCI says he's got hands like a catcher's mitt, but his prints aren't even on

files. And maybe the feds or the military have come up with something.

Now, that's funny.

Lieutenant, I got a make.

On our watermelon man? No, not him. On the shotgunner. Okay, give me.

Detroit PT has a William T. Bain who's gotten very prominent in recent years, a

.k .a. Shotgun Willie, because his trademark's a double -barreled 12 -gauge

breakdown shotgun.

They got him down for seven positive hits and none provable. He used this 00

shot for his little peccadilloes? 00, yeah.

Willie's a black male, 28 years old, 5 '10", 160 pounds, fancy dresser.

Carried the shotgun broken down in two special pockets sewn inside his

Last seen in Detroit when?

About a week ago. Lots of prior arrests, but no current warrants.

Okay, that puts it up to Weaver in Harlem where he's trying to pick up a

from the brothers about any imported heat. Make sure he gets Shotgun Willie's

description next time he calls in, okay?

Yeah.

Hey, so now, until Mother's Day, I'm as broke as a jack -layer creature. That's

what's happening.

Oh, you child, all that cabbage you got, you ain't on no welfare.

Well, you see, it was about this crap game.

Oh, my, my.

I thought he was out.

I used my passkey, and there he was with the biggest scattergun you ever seen.

Girl, what he was doing with it?

rubbing at it with a claw. I was scared with those two bars across the street.

What'd he do when he seen you? Dude, he just laughed and waved and said, you

ought to knock, Mama.

Girl, you crazy.

Come on, let's get out of here.

Gonna catch you later, Zanell.

Bye, baby.

brother. What do you want, black boy?

Cap by the name of Willie Bane.

No Willie Bane registered here.

Now, hat it up, boy, y 'all.

Did you hear me, boo?

Get in the wind. Split.

Blow. Get it? Leave.

Moral squad, Mel Carter, please.

Mel?

I got you a flea bag I want you to come down on hard.

Yeah.

Desk man's pushing everything except...

About 30.

170 pounds, 6 feet tall.

This is real sharp.

Yeah, room 418.

Came in after lunch.

Ain't been out again.

Now, you didn't get nothing here, okay?

Word out, he's a life taker.

Go, Jack.

Now, keep the clerk off the house phone. Crocker?

Yes, sir, Lieutenant.

Tapestine, Stavros?

Yeah, right here, Lieutenant.

Give me a warrant for room 418, Gaylord Hotel.

Okay.

Cleaver's at the gate lower to tell. Willie's in room 418.

The warrant's on its way. Now, keep Weaver out of it. And remember, this

got a 12 -gauge shotgun. Go ahead. Right, Lieutenant.

You guys come to give me the keys to the city? Key to my heart. Search warrant.

Toss it.

Get dressed, beautiful. We're going downtown.

M -O -N -D -A -Y.

Monday. N -I -G -H -T. Night.

Where were you Monday night?

Monday night?

Oh, yeah, man.

That was this new Disney film. What are you doing in New York?

Going to the movies, Sergeant. Who are you looking for?

I was trying to find God, Sergeant.

Who are you working for?

Well, I is retired, Sergeant.

Call me Sergeant again, I'll wrap this around your head.

Is this your shotgun, Bane?

Now, since you took it from my hotel room, I guess you know it is.

Now, unless you got some more questions for me, I'm going to take my yak and

leave.

And you can tell your boy here that even in New York, it ain't against the law

to own a shotgun, especially when it's all broke down and cased.

Unless, of course, it's sawed off.

Let him out, Sabastien. My pleasure, Captain.

And I wouldn't do that to a nice, youthful gun like this here.

Sergeant.

I figured we got nothing to hold Willie on, and he'll be out of here without

even calling a lawyer.

That's why I wanted to hold Gil back, you know, when you hit Willie's room, so

we wouldn't burn him to Willie.

Well, now that he figures he's got the police off his back... You mean he

to be grabbed. He made sure the maids saw the shotgun, figured we'd hear about

it eventually.

Of course.

Otherwise, where was his top coat with the special pockets for a shotgun? Where

were the shells for the shotgun like that? Up, up.

Well, the army came through.

How'd you make out with Willie?

He'll let me know if he'll accept a job as police commissioner or not.

Well, a watermelon man finally got a name.

Salathiel Harms.

Salathiel. That was one of David's heirs, wasn't it? Yeah, one of these

Dartmouth boys. You know, this Salathiel Harms, he's quite a man. Listen to

this, fellas.

Six foot six, 284 pounds.

Played pro ball footy, forget it. Was a lieutenant of special forces during the

late Vietnam War.

Two field promotions and grade to captain.

Three decorations for Valor. Skilled in small arms, silent killing techniques,

hand -to -hand combat demolitions, da -da -ba -da -ba -da -ba -da.

Separated at Fort Ord, California, 1971.

Last known address, care of his parents in Oakland, California.

Lieutenant Kojak.

I'm Salithia Hong. Get out of my face.

Hey, Coochie Coo.

You're one big angry man.

But I got a badge in my pocket that's bigger than both of us.

Respect it.

Calm down and show your class or turn around and get the hell out of this

office.

Fair enough.

Why don't you get a cup of coffee and hang around?

So? I haven't broken any laws in your town, have I?

You keep messing around my life, you're going to get me wiped. You hear what I'm

telling you, man?

Well, somebody's going to get you wiped unless you tell us what's going on.

If it hadn't been for that cutie with the watermelons and the pillows.

Yeah, well, that was my little cutie. You dig where I'm coming from?

I'll tell you what I dig, Holmes.

I dig the fact that... I'm just doing my number, baby.

You keep your lead soldiers out of my way and everything is going to be just

cool.

Thank you.

All right, go ahead. I don't want you to lose him, and I don't want him to know

you're there.

And I want his whole scam, where he's from, where he's living now, and like

that, okay?

Will do, Lieutenant.

Cronker, if you get homes on the telex, you know, Oakland, San Francisco, Los

Angeles, California Highway Patrol, California State Police in Sacramento,

them send you his rap sheet, or whatever it is they call a yellow sheet out

there, okay?

Oh, and have the California Bureau of Collective Investigative Services check

for a possible license.

Private detective?

You know something I don't, Theo?

Frank, in all the years you've been a cop, how many times have you ever seen a

scene like this one? It takes somebody with a clean conscience to pull

like that off.

How many private detectives do you know with a clean conscience?

We eliminate him as a wanted criminal, right?

We eliminate him as a cop because he would have flashed his shield, right? We

eliminate him as Mr. Joe because he's got a professional hitman after him. And

then what?

Is he scared?

Pleading for help?

He's peeved.

He's peeved because we showed up. So?

What's left besides a tough private cop?

Oh, I still think... I think those clowns better not lose him. And I think

Weaver better not lose Willie.

You know, if we can keep tabs on both of them, we might just have a future.

Cheers, baby.

the rang for room service, baby.

723K.

This is 723K.

Meet unit 712 at the usual place, K. 10 -4.

Tracy, it's Stafford. Is Lieutenant there?

No, it's not a Fort Just routine.

But we could use some relief help.

Yeah. Whoa, whoa.

He's on a move.

Let's go.

Get in.

You try to boost a cop's car, Sonny?

Stay there.

That was beautiful.

Shotgun Willie is looking for a very heavy dude by the name of... Salathiel

Harms.

So what am I doing out on the street?

Sal paid the precinct a little visit.

Figures. Apparently Willie wants to make sure he sees Harms before Harms sees

him. No word of who Harms is, huh? Or who he's looking for?

Not a whisper.

And nothing on who hired Willie.

Also, Willie got an overcoat out of the cleaners, and I'll give you odds that

he's got a special pocket sewn inside for his shotgun.

Stores it at the dry cleaners until he needs it. Eh, it's beautiful.

He's spending the day with one of Smiley Potter's girls. Sweet young thing by

the name of Delia May.

Delia May.

Well, for now, anyway, we've got both Willie and Homs on ice.

You didn't see him jump out of my pocket. No.

Come on, let's get over there.

Hustler. Loser Mac.

Smiley Potter.

Righteous.

I'd like to report an attempted mugging.

Arms.

H -A -R -M -S.

First name?

S -A -L -A -T -H -I -E -L.

officer. The sailors were two white men.

Bravery? We haven't any of us seen bravery. Not until we see Stavros and

Saperstein try to calm the girls down after getting shoved into the massage

parlor. Yeah, right.

What does Fun City come to when the streets aren't even safe anymore for

muggers?

What the hell do they mean, muggers? That's the way communications got the

report, Frank.

He shoved a police officer into a massage parlor while the police officer

pursuit of his duty. Two police officers, but who counts?

The point is that he phoned it in and said they were muggers.

Well, he must have flashed their tin.

He didn't have time to show their tin. He's sucking them, Frank. He made them

think he'd gone down the alley to sneak into a bar the back way, right? They

can't see him, so they open the door to what they think is the bar, only it was

the rear entrance of a massage parlor. Soon as they open the door, he shoves

them through, slams the door, wham, bam, thank you, Sam, instant encounter

group.

And so he gets away with it.

And all we can do is hope that he and Shotgun Willie don't get together,

if they do... Yeah, because if they do, we'll be scraping what's left off the

sidewalk into one of the car owners. What do they call them? The fold -lock

bags. Oh, I forgot to tell you. There aren't any wants on Harms in California.

And I was right about him being registered as a private detective.

When did that come in?

Overnight on the telex. I'm gonna go call Fruit and Nutland right now. See if

can fill in some of the blanks.

Yeah, hello, Benny.

It's Theo Kojak in New York.

I thought I remembered you were an early bird.

Hey, look, Benito.

I need a line on a private cop by the name of Sal Harms.

Salatio.

Yeah, I was wondering if he may be a bounty.

You do know him.

A beautiful.

And?

Yeah.

Then he is.

Okay, Benny.

Yeah, many thanks. Bye -bye.

I gave it to the office, baby. Oh, baby, that's show business.

You a late riser, Black?

No, I'm Jeannie Dixon in drag, foretelling your future.

I see before you great deals of green.

I've long taped the green paper with portraits of presidents on them.

A shotgun Willie Bane pro.

Seven own hits to his credit in Detroit.

Always blows them away with a 12 -gauge shotgun.

He's been imported to New York to make a hit on this man here.

Salithio Harms.

Now, some of you have seen him.

He isn't an easy man to forget. There's photos of him, of course.

Neither man has committed a chargeable offense in New York. Not one we can make

stick anyway.

I've just learned from a San Francisco detective that Harms is, for lack of a

better term, a body hunter.

Just like the old cowboy movies.

That's right. Only Harms does it for bail bondsmen. When someone jumps bail,

bondsman gets stuck for the cash he put up, right?

Now, if he can find the man who jumped and gets him back into the jurisdiction

of the court, he gets his money back and like that.

That's where Holmes comes in. Right. And that's where Mr. X comes in.

Okay?

The man Holmes is in New York looking for. And the man who hired Shotgun

to stop Holmes.

Holmes is a very tough boy and a big danger to whoever fits in here.

We've got a tag on Willie, but Holmes is dropped out of sight. That's your job.

Keep looking for him. Okay.

Look at the easy part.

Waiting to stop.

The man at the DA's office says if our witness holds up... How can a man 6 '6

and 300 pounds disappear like Alice through a looking glass?

Lieutenant, phone, Gil Weaver.

Yeah, Gil. Harms is in Harlem. He was seen earlier this afternoon talking with

Delia May. What's the mean, Weaver?

Could be coincidence.

Could be somebody setting somebody up. Could be... Could be...

Sure, tell me something I want to hear.

Well, how about this?

Shotgun Willie Bain just made an entrance into the Sweet Magnolia Blossom

And he looks like he's waiting for somebody.

So what's so exciting about Willie juicing it up at the Sweet Magnolia

Cafe? Well, does the name of Silk strike a responsive blue note?

That this Sweet Magnolia Blossom Cafe is Silk's headquarters?

Yeah, and who else in Harlem has the clout these days to hire an outside gun

with Willie's rep?

Well, he's still waiting for the man.

There's Silk's car now.

The wages are thin. There isn't a thin that Silky isn't into. He's into drugs.

He's into prostitution.

He's into numbers, loan shock, and protection.

He's into enforcement.

The only thing that bum isn't into is jail.

You know, in the three years that he just showed up on the scene from

Silk has dealt himself into control of half the action in Harlem.

Well, if Silk is the guy that Arms is after, no wonder he's been such a good

citizen here in our lovely city of New York.

He'd never let himself get booked for anything.

Some smart cop might have sent his fingerprints to California.

And if he does something, we'll bust him for it.

The only thing we can do about it, I don't know if he's a fugitive or not.

Let me see if I can pick up something useful inside.

Slow and easy, my man.

I didn't want to see you until my man was blown away.

You also said it wasn't going to be no police interest in our transaction.

Well, there wouldn't be if you'd made sure the first time.

That was not the first time, Silk.

That was him laughing. Because your boys were so clumsy, they done spooked him.

So...

It's going to cost you a little extra.

How much extra?

Two more big ones, Silk.

Up front.

Consider it done.

I got the end to his story right here. Just as soon as I get me a little phone

call.

Hey, woman. What you got for me?

Not what, baby.

Who? I hear you talking. Where?

The 300 block of West 144th Street.

Three -story red brick building in the middle of the block.

300 block, West 144th Street, over a ribs joint.

So? Top floor, last room on the left.

You better be straight.

It's straight.

Do you think I'm gonna cross you?

It's not his end of a phone conversation.

I think some chick is trying to set up arms for him over on West 144th Street.

Well, you put it into Central. Have a radio unit meet you there and take him

the street before he has a chance to assemble that shotgun.

Exception of a weapon charged. It's enough to bust him on.

Hey, why are we gonna... Oh, we're gonna go chat with the man.

Maybe we'll get lucky.

Might just shake him up when he finds out we got to Willie before he can meet

with Sal Arms, right?

Right, Lieutenant.

Oh, sit down.

Keep an eye on him, will you, Crocker?

What can poor, humble Silk do for Super Honk?

Oh.

Well, why don't you tell Super Honk about hiring Shotgun Willie to blow away

Holmes? We were outside when you made the payoff, Silk.

And what does Sal Holmes want to take you back to sunny California for, Silk?

You got any more small talk to make, Kojak? You make it with my lawyer.

When I put the loving arms on you, baby, you won't be out until you look like

Uncle Remus.

You ain't nothing, Kojak. You ain't nothing but pure dog,

boy.

Silky, come here.

You like to be my valentine?

Why don't we fall on him, Lieutenant?

Well, if Gillard let us know he'd pick up Willie, I would have. Without that,

got nothing.

Well, we know Willie isn't going to talk, not on just the possession of a

weapons charge.

And if we had him in custody and after driving Silk's payoff to him, we'd have

had enough to pull Silk in for questioning.

Enough so we can get a set of his prints to send to California as it is now.

Where to, brother?

Detroit. Don't know no Detroit street here, brother. Detroit, Michigan.

Keep the change.

What if he don't want to be going to Detroit when he wakes up?

You tell him that Sal said if he comes back from Detroit, his next trip is six

feet south and permanent.

Take off.

Is that right, dear sister?

Ooh, you went upside his head.

You are bad, brother.

Silk.

What

happened?

Willie never showed.

Arms? Only Guillemet on the way to pay off the national debt.

Gee, uh, stop covering. I earned it. Yeah, how?

Taking care of business.

What's the 8th Army in town?

All right, tell me, who got port and soul for this?

You know, it's get -down time for you boys in blue.

Silk ain't nothing to me.

Took me up to this fancy place of his once.

If he ain't hurting a girl, he ain't happy.

He gave Holmes the address of Silk's apartment?

That's where he said he wanted to go.

You know Silk's apartment?

Over by the river.

Wash the blood off of it before you spend it.

Uh, Willie, what about Shotgun Willie?

Taking a cab to Detroit.

Martin, when we get upstairs, you call around and find my lawyer.

Hey, you better go downstairs and put your car away.

You got it.

Pull away the top, guy.

I didn't see any bodies laying around the lobby. I guess Arms isn't here.

You know, that doorman's gonna call up Silk.

I wanted to know what on the way happened.

You make them think we've got Willie and his singer. I'll tell you something.

Maybe he'll do something stupid.

Anyway, I'll go on alone. Hang loose.

Thank you, brother.

Kojak's on his way up. Get in the bedroom.

I'll call you if I need you.

The attorney's on his way up. Oh, well, you won't be needing him tonight, Silky.

You had a little bad luck.

Meaning what, partner?

Meaning your boy Willie went up against Thompson. He got blown away.

Meaning he gave us a deathbed statement on his way out.

Meaning that all that's admissible in court, baby. And I guess I got the right

to read you your rights.

Oh, gracious.

Silk, what you just did.

I mean...

Resist an arrest.

Possession of a firearm without a permit. Naughty. Martin.

You know, whatever it is out there in California, Silk, it must be very, very

heavy. Martin, get his gun.

Ain't nobody taking me back to California.

Damn it, Lieutenant. Why'd you have to go and make the man do that? Resist

arrest. It worked, didn't it?

Don't write this honest.

You realize how much money I'm going to lose if I don't take this dude back to

California? Hey.

That's your worry, baby. I'll take my prisoner now.

If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't even know anything about this dude. If it

wasn't for me, you'd be dead.

Yeah, sure. Don't flatter yourself, okay?

What about Brother Martin sleeping in sleep with a just in there?

Oh, where's the other one? Him. He tried to poke his head through the wall on

the stair landing.

Crocker!

Weaver!

Crocker. In the bedroom. You, Weaver. A guy with his head through the wall on

the stairwell.

Who is he? Zeke Zanners out of Watts.

Ran the vice in narcotics for the Black Air of L .A. County.

Three and a half years ago was indicted on 23 separate felony counts.

Oh, yeah, I remember. Half a million dollars bail.

Yeah, which he jumped, and I've been after him ever since. And now you're

to rob me?

It's the breaks of the game, baby.

Relax.

Mind your manners.

You know, his lawyers are going to make mincemeat out of that resistant arrest

and that weapon charge, you know.

So we're holding for California.

Except he's going to fight our tradition. He's going to win.

because of your illegal arrest here in New York. Illegal arrest? What are you

talking about?

Well, sure.

I'm going to have to testify for Mr. Silk here that you busted in here

identifying yourself as a police officer.

I'm going to have to testify that you assaulted his secretary and his

and that you planted an illegal firearm on about that person.

Salatio, you wouldn't.

When the jury's here where two young men posing as mother so they could attempt

to stop me in the alley Well, I got to tell you something You would But you

can't return to California against his will because you Sarah a private citizen

I'd have to protect the civil rights if he asked me to oh you won't ask

lieutenant. No, no No

that Stairwell is going to need in...

is Ezekiel Zonders, unwarranted on a California fugitive warrant.

I wish to return to Los Angeles County in the company of

Salathiel Holmes to answer that warrant. This is of

my own free will, not the result of

promises.

Coercion or force.

Go call your ambulance.

Come here.

What'd you turn him with?

Oh, I just told him that the human foot has 56 bones in him. And every one of

those bones can be broken very easily. Every one of them. Let me tell you that.

Gil, get a squad car over here, will you?

To escort our prisoner to, uh... God's gonna frown on you, Lieutenant.

Yeah. To escort our prisoner and Mr. Harms to Kennedy International. They got

plane to catch.

Thank you, Lieutenant. Thank you.

Hey, uh... You gonna pick up your cash?

Oh, right.

We could add him on two counts. Come on, Harms is taking him back to face 23

felony beefs. Besides, I want to get that dude out of my jurisdiction as fast

I can.

Silk. Oh, Harms, you think I want to put a watermelon in my bed?

Yeah, sure.

You there! It's customary to report to the officer of the day. Sergeant Sharp.

King's 33rd Force, sir.

Reporting from Syringa Patem.

Part 1 and 2 of Sharp's Challenge is here on ITV3 tonight, starting from 9.